Hell Awaits is a column by Kim Kelly and Andy O'Connor that shines a light on extreme and underground metal. This time, Kim Kelly sizes up new releases from Yellow Eyes, Aksumite, A Mare Cognitum, and more.
Yellow Eyes: "Heat From Other Days"
Building upon the momentum of The Desert Mourns, this new release features two atmospheric black metal compositions augmented by the band’s customary chiming notes. "Heat From Other Days" shrieks atop cut-glass notes — and there’s a new immediacy here. They’re building towards what should be an explosive follow up to last year’s sterling Hammer of Night LP. Stillicide is a co-release between Sibir Records and Prison Tatt Records, and will be available on the band’s upcoming tour with black metal faves Anicon.
Aksumite: "Enslavement"
Damian Master's prolific release schedule is nearly impossible to keep on top of, but it’s always worth it to try, because of the high calibre of his output. He slices through black metal’s propensity for self-indulgence with punk “All killer, no filler” attitude; his standards for quality have made him a standout. This month, he delivers a pair of new EPs from Aksumite, his nasty black/punk project: I Am the Green-Eyed Hyenas and Draped Around the Answers. The short, sharp "Enslavement" closes out the latter, which references early Darkthrone, DC hardcore punk, and Bleach-era Nirvana in equal measure.
Aksumite: "Enslavement" on Bandcamp
Mare Cognitum: "Weaving the Thread of Transcendence"
Mare Cognitum is the work of one man, Santa Ana, CA’s Jacob Buczarski. After surfacing in 2011 with the excellent The Sea Which Has Become Known LP, Buczarski has busied himself with a string of inspired star-crossed black metal releases. His latest, Phobos Monolith, is out now on the Italian label I, Voidhanger, and is a dark, cosmic odyssey. Stately melodic riffs, icy tremolo, and maudlin harmonies are topped by his raspy vocals. "Weaving the Thread of Transcendence" stretches out over thirteen minutes and is easy to get lost in.
Mare Cognitum: "Weaving the Thread of Transcendence" on Bandcamp
Chapel of Disease: "The Dreaming of the Flame"
Chapel of Disease is from the same school of death metal as Necros Christos, Drowned, and Essenz, but they eschew the typical occult trappings of dark death and stick with straight-forward ripping. The morbid mid-tempo churn'n'burn is present but the quartet’s latest effort has also got thrashy aggression in spades. The guitarwork is masterful, punctuated by screaming solos that reek of Schuldiner’s primordial Floridian mania. The band’s second full-length The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art will be released by FDA Rekotz in mid-January but we’ve got a killer new track for you right here.
Bitch Witch: "A Hell On Heels a.k.a. Disfuck"
Madrid's Bitch Witch are a rare gem—and a hot mess. These self-described "Demonic Biker Bitches Hopped Up On Metal" are mapping a twin obsession with Charles Manson and d-beat, and making it work. Gleeful and garagey, Bitch Witch draw from disparate elements of Rudimentary Peni and Venom, a little early Bathory; they manage to blend them and make it into something new, cohesive and unconventional. The vocals alternate between maniacal howling and punk sneer. They released their Too Old, Too Punk EP back in January, but Hawaiian label Cubo de Sangre will officially release their self-titled album on CD and LP on in early December.
Bitch Witch: "A Hell On Heels a.k.a. Disfuck" on Bandcamp
Eternal Khan: "Undermined and Abandoned"
Providence, RI black/doom/death outfit Eternal Khan's 2013 EP A Primitive History was impossible to forget—and now they’ve finally released a full-length, A Poisoned Psalm, via Bandcamp. The album is their best work to date, and goes a long way towards raising the bar for other extreme metal genre-blenders. Tracks like "Undermined and Abandoned" are a grand statement from a band with a bright future.
Eternal Kahn: "Undermined and Abandoned" on Bandcamp