This is Part II of the EP, Split, and Single Post, which began here.
Despite the swollen volume of writers now populating the Angry Metal Guy ranks and our consistent daily posts, there are still thousands of metal releases which we cannot review on an annual basis. Given that I would like to think that we cover all full-lengths of significance, leaving only the drek, it is not these albums for which I feel shame. It’s those releases that occupy smaller spaces, off to the side; the fragments, and unusual offerings composed by more than one band. Such formats include the humble EP; the diverse split; the raw demo; the isolated single; the innovative collaboration. Such releases are reserved for the end of the year and I’m delighted to highlight those wonderful, shorter releases which we ordinarily omit. Enjoy.
Seer // Children of the Dying Light – Seer are a frustrating, nearly band for me. They have one verified great release (Vol. III and IV) and a smattering of other releases that veer between underdeveloped and good. Children of the Damned is a rangy, expressive single track of 10 minutes which exemplifies all that is good about these Canadians. It traverses stomping doom, evocative atmospherics, and progressive diversity, adopting an approach that is fairly similar to their most recent album. It remains a distinctly atmospheric release and demonstrates the unquestionable quality which Seer can (intermittently) boast. – El Cuervo
Unreqvited // Rain – You weren’t expecting metal at a metal blog were you? Rain demonstrates that form is temporary, but class is permanent. Despite Unreqvited’s excellent, beautiful black metal album from 2018, Rain is an excellent, beautiful ambient EP from 2019. It is musically quite different but still leverages an unusual ability to forge striking melodies and ethereal, soothing atmospheres. I find myself spending more and more time with ambient and synth works; the likes of Rain embody amazing mood music and indicate that the keyboard is the most malleable instrument. – El Cuervo
Nylithia // Goddamn Type 1 – That’s “Type 1” as in diabetes, which Nylithia guitarist Royce Costa has had the pleasure of tangling with for most of his life. But while the Vancouverites divine some serious shit for their inspiration—”F.T.H.” stands for “Force the Happy,” something I’m sure everyone is familiar with—their brand of atom-bomb thrash metal is anything but an emotional albatross. Their 2015 debut Hyperthrash could not have been released under a more apt moniker. While Goddamn Type 1 flexes a little more long-form muscle than its predecessor, listening to Nylithia is still like chugging a gallon of gasoline then sitting on a lit match placed on an electric chair. Their hypermodern production, complete with a sci-fi sheen and copious effects, sets them apart from every band in the space, while their raucous style is almost wholly their own. Black Fast comparisons might suffice (if Black Fast were better). If you’re less than sold on these guys, bear this in mind: Hyperthrash was my number 2 album in 2015. Ahead of Mgla, Panopticon, and Sulphur Aeon. Ahead of Beaten to Death. Ahead of fucking Wilderun. – Dr. Wvrm
Horrified // Sentinel – Hot take time (and the perfect place for it): the ever-blurred line between 30 minutes and 40 makes the EP an outdated format. Sentinel is one such point in an growing case of this. It’s good. It’s damn good. In fact, Horrified followed up 2017’s Allure of the Fallen with such a superlative, glimmering half-hour of Death-by-way-of-Horrendous that to chuck it in the EP bargain bin feels cheap and icky. Sentinel‘s quality bursts from every undulating bass line and Möbius-strip riff. The Brits want to be counted in that rarefied stratum of progressive death that’s only harder to reach nowadays, and they just might get there. That Sentinel is only three minutes longer than Gygax‘s High Fantasy apparently counts for little because of those two little letters after its title. This record release deserves better than this ignominious end. If Sentinel is what meets Horrified‘s definition of B-material, I can’t wait to see what was held back for their next for-realsies full-length. – Dr. Wvrm
Wormed // Metaportal – Since I first heard Planisphaerium, Wormed has consistently blown me away with their “Cryptopsy lost in space” take on death metal. Metaportal has convinced me that the glorious PONG snare from their debut is never coming back, but that’s about the only flaw I can find with the sixteen minutes of brutal death metal they dropped this year. While Metaportal is dense and layered, it’s never impenetrable—Wormed has produced their cacophony in a clear, hefty way that suits their overarching futuristic theme. As always, Wormed makes the strangest things catchy, notably the string bends in “Cryptoubiquity” which are used to create an excellent Demilich-adjacent riff. “Bionic Relic” devastates in a way not unlike Planisphaerium, and I’m brought back to the old brutal days with Phlegeton’s perfectly timed belch in the intro. The number of riffs Wormed packs into their songs is staggering, which means Metaportal is one of death metal’s richest delicacies of the year despite its short length. – Diabolus in Muzaka
Monster Skull // Visions of the Horrible and Strange – Remember these guys? Last year they wrote a D&D album, and then they did something nearly no band ever does: they took my advice to heart. The result of my impeccable critique is here, in the three songs on Visions of the Horrible and Strange. Sharper songwriting is punctuated by tight performances and slick production, and the vocals, while still not the high water mark skill-wise, are now recorded and mixed in a professional manner. Monster Skull won’t win any awards for VHS, but what they have created here marks an admirable step forward in all facets possible. This is a genuine 80s-style heavy/thrash metal EP, rife with tasty riffs, sweet arrangements, and appropriately silly lyrics, and trust me, it’s worth a spin. – Huck N Roll
Darkened // Into the Blackness – I have never made any effort to hide my love for Bolt Thrower. And neither has Darkened, which is no surprise due to the inclusion of drummer Andy Whale (ex-Bolt Thrower, Memoriam). In fact, the band’s pedigree boasts current and ex-members of Funebrarum, Disma, and A Canorous Quartet. Fortunately, Into the Blackness has an identity of its own. The riff-centric patterns that galvanized albums like The IVth Crusade are certainly present, but they’re riven with blackened tremolos and an emphasis on mood. Gothic sensibilities lilt on each track, which only serves to refine the material’s potential. Gord Olson’s vocals are a fine facsimile of Karl Willetts’, but guitarists Hempa Brynolfsson and Linus Nirbrant’s fantastic soloing cements Into the Blackness as necessary listening. This is a project where adroit songwriting paves the way for blissfully uncomplicated, yet undeniably killer, songs. Darkened‘s slab of ultimately addictive awesomeness is not one to be trifled with. Or missed. – Ferrous Beuller
Sleep Terror // Abreaction – So, technically this is marketed as a full-length. However, it is only 25 minutes long, so it feels more like an EP. And boy howdy what an EP it is. Following the same path as Sleep Terror‘s previous outing El Insomne, Abreaction develops the two-piece’s blend of tech-death, funk and surf rock further than ever before, showcasing mastermind Luke Jaeger’s uncanny ability to blend disparate styles into something cohesive and immediately identifiable (“Hanging by a Thread”). Luke couldn’t have picked a better companion to provide rhythmic support than prolific drummer Marco Pitruzella, whose performance behind the kit proves that he was born to play weird shit like this (“Cleared for Disaster” and “Abreaction”). The best part is that Abreaction is—and, more importantly, feels like—a concept album, “a sequel […] that takes the story forward and further into the depths of the Pacific, to the monsters that lurk beneath, depicting the unending nightmare in a Mariachi’s bizarre twist of fate.” ‘Nuff said. – TheKenWord
Litterbox Massacre // Welcome to the Scratching Post – I mean, honestly, was there ever any doubt that this is my favorite EP of 2019? Brutal. Slamming. Death. Metal. About. Cats. Taking. Over. The. World. I shouldn’t have to say anything else. If you need more convincing though, the title track is more than ample evidence as to why you should pay attention to these two Alex fellas from the UK. And if you are worried that the material is made soft by the subject matter, look no further than “Rug Defiler” and “My Bowl’s Half Empty,”1 two absolutely vile slabs of filthy slamming deathcore. Gutturals abound everywhere and the mixing is as loud as a kitten who wants into the bedroom at 2:30 in the morning. Strong debut EPs like this one makes me nervous, but if Litterbox Massacre develop and grow as the best bands do, they will have earned themselves a lifetime fan. You all should be, too. Unless you don’t like cats, in which case, get lost. – TheKenWord
Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean // Tell Me What You See Vanishing and I Will Tell You Who You Are – Let me get this out of the way: Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean remind me a lot of Thou. Fans of those Loo-zee-anna boys will hear similar sludge doom, acrid vocals and brief moments of melodic beauty in Chained. That’s not much of an issue personally, and it helps that this band’s execution is almost as airtight as Thou‘s. Tell Me What You See Vanishing and I Will Tell You Who You Are is two solid original songs and one absolutely inspired cover. “Out, Brief Candle” is the strongest of the two originals, with a heavy lurching structure that blooms into clean vocals and clean(er) guitar, but the star of the show is a cover of Death Cab for Cutie‘s “I Will Posses Your Heart.” Rendered in sludge doom, this slightly creepy song about romantic obsession becomes a REALLY FUCKING CREEPY song about a restraining order waiting to happen. That’s a name drop I never expected to make here. – Cherd of Doom
Ashen Horde // Tintregen – Perhaps you’re tired of hearing Holdeneye blab on about Ashen Horde, but perhaps he doesn’t give a fuck. Slated for a December 17th release, Tintregen found its way into my hands a few months back thanks to multi-instrumentalist Trevor Portz believing that sharing is caring. The EP finds the band leveling up from a Horde of 2 to a Horde of 3 as new drum “machine” Robin Stone (Norse) joins Portz and vocalist Stevie Boiser to give the musical insanity an organic edge. Boiser doesn’t waste any time in showing that he’s coming into his own as a black metal vocalist as the intro to opener “Roar of the Wyrm” is pure second wave stuff. “The Torture Cycle” is classic Ashen Horde—Ihsahn-approved progressive extreme metal with constantly varied tempos, melodies, and vocals. The number of ideas packed into this 19-minute EP is astounding, and you should certainly check it out. – Holdeneye
OverTheTop // Resist – OverTheTop is a fairly young American band who describe themselves as being “a mix of synthwave and death metal (think Perturbator meets Carcass).” To that I say… “huh? What? Really?” It seems that this one is an EP and an oddity, for OverTheTop’s own description is a fair one. Resist, vocal style notwithstanding, does combine the thick, catchy, synthesized style of Perturbator with Carcass’s in-your-face death metal riffing in an agile and surprisingly well-performed way. Rapid-fire death metal extravaganzas follow and overlap landscapes of catchy synths; the vocal performance navigates from enraged screaming to cold narrating; the riffing likewise shifts from impressively diverse riffs to supportive chugging beneath the lead synthesizers. And somehow, OverTheTop pulls it off; Resist feels like a natural fusion of synthwave and death metal. It works in a way that I can’t help but feel it shouldn’t, and yet, here it is: smashing in faces while reveling in its own implausibility. – Twelve
Deorc Absis // The Nothingness Transfiguration – Ever heard of Deorc Absis? Me neither. They’re an Italian quartet consisting of members from death metal collectives like Logic of Denial and Sickening, while their EP The Nothingness Transfiguration a three-part introduction to the group’s interpretation of Deathspell Omega– and Cradle of Filth-inspired blend of dissonant black/death and gothic atmospheres. While this style is nothing inherently inspiring, living in the shadow of 2019’s deathy black or blacky death releases like Teitanblood‘s The Baneful Choir and Aoratos‘ Gods Without Name, it’s solid in its blazing tremolo, versatile vocals, and dissonant melodies. However, it stands as a unique addition to the black/death canon in its nearly tech-death basslines, dissonant freakouts, and old-school synth textures recalling blackened cvltists like Vordven or Evilfeast. Ultimately, while it may not challenge any genre tropes and its amateur production is somewhat questionable, it promises a ton of success for a group feeling its way in a crowded scene. – Dear Hollow
Sertraline // These Mills Are Oceans – From the unsettlingly pink cover to the opening urgent melody, I loved Sertraline’s These Mills Are Oceans. The New York six-piece deliver a haunting brand of melodic post-black metal on their second EP of 2019. Both are stellar but These Mills takes it for me—just. Falling somewhere between Wolves in the Throne Room and Deafheaven, the walls of sound delivered by Sertraline’s three guitarists are rich, textured slabs of bleakness that tower up, threatening to swamp you, even as the drumming and excellent bass keep you afloat. The growling rasp of Tom Muehlbauer’s vocals is both powerful and moving. Many of these guys played together for years in Where She Wept, and the chemistry is clear to hear. When Sertraline do release a full-length, it’s going to be something special and I’m calling dibs on it right here, right now (I’m talking to you Muppet!). – Carcharodon
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