Hell Awaits is a column by Kim Kelly and Andy O'Connor that shines a light on extreme and underground metal. This time, Andy O'Connor sizes up new releases from Secret Cutter, Moonknight, Antiversum and more.
Secret Cutter: Self-Titled
Pennsylvania steel bearers Secret Cutter released this year’s sleeper jam with Self-Titled. This is sludge raised on a diet of 1990s hardcore and hard Lehigh Valley living. “Deformed Eye” and “Vow of Poverty” in particular could have come straight from Massachusetts before Century Media took notice. There’s some Khanate influence here too with the push and pull of feedback, but Stephen O’Malley and James Plotkin would feel more out of place at This Is Hardcore than these dudes. Secret Cutter appeal to a lot of different appetites—sludge heads looking for something a little more complicated than rote Eyehategod worship, old hardcore dudes wanting to go heavier but avoid sounding like Nails, and most of all, those committed to the mosh. They would be foolish not to tour with Xibalba or Harms Way.
Secret Cutter: "Vow of Poverty" on Bandcamp
Moonknight: Death Card
There haven’t been too many DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal) release of note lately. Xasthur called it quits in 2010, and Scott Conner’s new project Nocturnal Poisoning, despite taking its name from one of Xasthur’s records, is a conscious attempt to distance itself from that sound. Jef Whitehead, the man behind Leviathan, focuses more on tattooing and fatherhood than black metal, and Lifelover, who combined DSBM with Gothic post-punk, disbanded in 2011 following the death of guitarist Jonas Bergqvist. Moonknight’s Death Card, which just came out on Rising Beast Recordings, is one of the best examples of the style in quite some time. The L.A.-via-Louisville project, headed up by James L. “Roach” Brown (also of Harassor), is suffocating and enthralling in its dimly-lit grandeur. It’s also a little faster and punkier than most DSBM, which helps sustain attention. Of note is “Atu IV”, which features a buried choir synth that resembles Funeral Mist extremely down on their luck.
Moonknight: "Atu IV" on Bandcamp
Antiversum: "Total Vacuum"
What Switzerland lacks in quantity, they more than make up for in quality. There’s Tom G. Warrior and his unholy trinity of influential bands—Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and Triptykon. There’s also tech-thrash legends Coroner, and more recently, Bölzer has made waves with their amazing new EP Soma and their uncompromising live performances. Antiversum is another new Swiss group that has serious potential. While they formed in 2010, they’ve only just recently put out material. “Total Vacuum” is one of two songs they put on their Soundcloud, for a demo to be released in the future. Their music is very much similar to Bölzer’s, except with a greater focus on atmosphere and more of a black metal influence. Like their fellow countrymen Darkspace, the endless void of space contributes to the feel of the music. Antiversum are also working on a split with Bölzer, Deathcult, Asag, and Blakk Old Blood. Switzerland ain’t nothing to fuck with.
Tetola93: Tetola93
Gridlink may have been the most prominent Japanese grindcore band to break up recently, but they weren’t the only one. Tetola93 broke up last year, and released their self-titled effort as their epitaph through Meatcubelabel and Zegema Beach Records back in June. Most band will never be as tight as Gridlink, but looseness is not a negative for Tetola93. There’s a huge post-hardcore vibe on this record; in fact, this could be likened to a grown-up Daughters. And like Gridlink, they pack so much that there’s hardly a moment to slow down and get rested. Even if this is your introduction to the group, saying hello and goodbye at once is better than having never met at all.
Tetola93: "腐敗の一死報国 (Dying for One's Corrupt Country)" on Bandcamp
Leila Abdul-Rauf and Tor Lundvall: "Quiet Seaside"
Ambient and metal have made for strange bedfellows. There have been some successful mergers of the two, notably with I Shall Die Here, this year’s collaboration between the Body and the Haxan Cloak, and Pigs of the Roman Empire, which saw the Melvins working with Lustmord. But as Burzum’s jail albums and plenty of pointless intros will tell you, sometimes the two don’t mix. Luckily, Ibis/Quiet Seaside, the collaboration between Vastum/Hammers of Misfortune guitarist Leila Abdul-Rauf and ambient musician Tor Lundvall, is one of the better examples. “Quiet Seaside,” from the 7” just released on Dais Records, has Lundvall taking Abdul-Rauf’s guitar and vocals and slathering them over blissful drones. Even so, there’s an underlying darkness to it all. There’s a sense that the music is carrying you away from something beautiful, rather than towards it.
Muscle and Marrow: The Human Cry
Portland’s Muscle and Marrow are a duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Kira Clark and drummer Keith McGraw, and they sound like if their neighbors in Witch Mountain started listening to a lot of Swans. They just dropped The Human Cry through Belief Mower Records, and those looking for gorgeous doom won’t be disappointed. “Surround the Fire” has so much dread it’s a wonder why it wasn’t on To Be Kind. “Childhood” lets the doom metal influence show a little more than “Surround the Fire,” which came out as a digital single earlier in the year. Still, those Swans elements -- the repetition of the drums and Clark going for it with the vocals -- remain. “Help Me” sees Clark getting skronkier with her riffs, creating a tortured funk. They’re about to engage on a West Coast tour -- their Bandcamp link provided above has dates.
Muscle and Marrow: "Surround the Fire" on Bandcamp