All We Love, We Leave Behind : The Töp's Monthly Playlist, July 2021

AWLWLB has made it to its second iteration. Huzzah! However, not all is well in paradise. As you'll learn from the description of the first track, having three cooks in the kitchen is not without its consequences. As Durf put it in a group chat of ours : "I love the acrimony these posts produce." Perversely, this may be the fuel that keeps the fire of this monthly post going.

As a reminder of what this post is all about : Affectionately named after the Converge album, this monthly post will feature a collaborative playlist pinpointing tracks from this year that have been in heavy rotation for us. You may see some end up on our year-end lists. Some you won't. But rest assured they'll make for some eclectic listening. We'll try to keep the tracks as recent as possible, but you can at least bank on them being from this current year. Each of us will present 6 tracks because three 6s = well... you know.

Mick's Tracks

King Woman - "Boghz"

It seems the emerging trend for this post is that at least one track is a product of the dibs rule. Last month, Durf beat me to the punch on Panopticon and this month I beat Tom to King Woman. I'd like to think "Boghz" makes a good soundtrack to next month's inevitable rat race between the three of us but that wouldn't do this track justice. Striking an excellent balance between ambiance and doom, King Woman's Celestial Blues is equal parts hypnotic and crushingly-heavy. It also officially comes out tomorrow so you should check it out!

Edoma - "Herald of Death"

Blackened death metal is the name of the game for Russia's Edoma. No frills here, just pummeling rhythms with grungy guitar tones on top. It's straightforward, but all the more enjoyable for that very reason.

Wormwitch - "Abracadabra"

Black metal is something that has never graced my workout playlists, with Wormwitch being the exception. Heaven that Dwells Within had black metal grit but also had catchy riffs forrrrrrrrrr dayyyyyyyssssssss. Their upcoming album, Wolf Hex, comes out August 27 and I couldn't be more excited.

Trivium - "In the Court of the Dragon"

I've said my piece more than once on this blog about how Trivium is one of my gateway bands that I'll go to bat for any day of the week. With the release of this new track, that sentiment remains rock-solid.

Succumb - "Okeanos"

I was a big fan of Succumb's self-titled 2017 debut, so imagine my delight from just a couple days ago after discovering they have a new album dropping in late September. Whether you have a itch for black metal, death metal, or grind, this will scratch all of them for you at once.

White Ward - "Embers"

White Ward does the whole jazz saxophone mixed with black metal thing in a fashion that has yet to get old. "Embers" is the last song on a two-track EP so do yourself a favor and just listen to the first track as well.

 

Durf's Tracks

Withered - "The Predation"

Proggy, riffy, blackened death metal that hits a groove that threatens to drag you into the depths of your mind like a riptide. 

Musk Ox - "Inheritance (Part II - Hindsight)"

Man, Inheritance is an absolutely stunning album, a powerful, cathartic display of power and emotion that completely and totally overwhelms and consumes the listener.  Make no bones about it, this is my favorite non-metal album in quite some time, and "Inheritance (Part II - Hindsight)" is a big part of that, a whopping seventeen minute track that serves as a not quite microcosm of everything that makes Inheritance so great.

The Devouring Void - "False Awakening"

I realized the other day that Ulcerate is basically my baseline descriptor for dissonant blackened death metal, which is really pretty lazy of me and I should do better.  But I don't have time for that right now, so The Devouring Void is like if Ulcerate just smoked bushels of peyote and then you ate a whole bunch of shrooms and then listened to it.  Highly recommended.

Vouna - "Highest Mountain"

It seems like blackened doom is having a moment lately, and Vouna is a huge part of that.  I honestly had no idea what this was, and tried listening to it while mowing the lawn; it was not very inspiring for yard work, but it was absolutely beautiful and stunning.

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy - "A Cult that Worships A God of Death, Parts I-IV"

I've written about TGLH before, and I spent that space focusing on their striking and quite frankly bonkers name.  So no more of that; instead lets just focus on their striking and quite frankly stunning music, shall we?

Gråt Strigoi - "Ex Nihlo"

Halfway through this song I texted Mick, telling him that he had to listen to this album, because it was giving me serious Altar of Plagues vibes.  That should be all anyone needs to hear to check it out, so I'm not sure I need say more here.

 

Tom's Tracks

Severed Boy - "Pooling"

This tracks lets Severed Boy rips a death/doom laced piece of misanthropy, with about as much ferocity as you would expect a duo to be able to. The ambient section of noise and riffs helps to fill a somewhat Neurosis sized void in your life with ample sludge vibes for days. 

Dungeon Serpent - "Necroscope"

Remember when melodeath was beginning and there was no fanfare and it actually sounded borderline evil? Neither do I, we were all young once. But 1 man act Dungeon Serpent would like to spread the word of bands like Edge of Sanity and Dawn with you. "Necroscope" is a beautiful kick to the gut, the melody is present but this track is chock full of riffs that don't or shouldn't quit. This is a band to watch very closely.

Go Ahead and Die - "Truckload Full of Bodies"

If I were to mention the Max Cavalera you will undoubtedly think about early Sepultura and Soulfly among other project, but much like Soulfly has become in recent years, Go Ahead and Die features Max and now son Amadeus plus Khemmis drummer Zach Coleman to deliver a death thrash assault akin to something from the late '80s and with this opening track we are here for it.

Witch Vomit - "Purulent Burial Mound"

Portland death metal assault crew Witch Vomit return with a new EP, Abhorrent Rapture which perfectly showcases the band's constant evolution within the same death metal structure. Pounding away at skulls with great accuracy for what makes this classic sound so iconic. This opening track will more than whet the appetite of the even the most decomposed body.

Sallow Moth - "Chalice of the Void"

Dallas, Texas based one man death metal act, Sallow Moth is the brain child of Garry Brents and his love of a particular brand of death metal. Chugging riffs carry "Chalice of the Void" towards the end before falling back in the cataclysmic void itself. The album is barely over half an hour with the intent to hit hard and fast and move on to more technical wizardry. A solid sophomore release.

Drawn and Quartered - "Death's Disciple"

Ending with more death metal because Mick copped my King Woman pick, we have Seattle based long running death metal machine Drawn and Quartered whose 8th album proper Congregation Pestilence is the source of said material. If you haven't heard the band before (I hadn't) consider this bludgeoning meat and potatoes affair a reason to dig deeper because this is a rough slab of sanguine death metal.

 

- Mick, Durf, Tom