Black Magnet - Body Prophecy (2022)

Black Magnet released an excellent first album two years ago (Hallucination Scene), with strong NIN and Godflesh influences. Now James Hammontree (the man behind Black Magnet) is back with a second album called Body Prophecy, also excellent, also influenced by NIN and Godflesh (there's even a  good Justin K. Broderick remix of one of the song). What's new is that there's also definitely a Marilyn Manson influence (think Antichrist Superstar and Holy Wood) in a few songs, and why not?  Black Magnet doesn't score much on the originality, but as long as the albums are this good, that's fine for me...

The BC page.

 

Mammoth Volume - The Cursed Who Perform The Larvagod Rites (2022)

Mammoth Volume is a Swedish band that has been active between 1998 to 2008, and reunited in 2020. An that's great because the progressive stoner you can hear on their new album The Cursed Who Perform The Larvagod Rites will pleasure anyone into Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, QOTSA or Mastodon. Heavy, catchy and creative. Maybe they have the potential to become huge (Mammoth Volume indeed!), I don't know if they will, but anyway, so far I just enjoy this nice album, and suggest you do the same. 

The Bandcamp page.

 

Antigama - Witheout (2022)

Witheout, the eight album from Antigama delivers another excellent piece of forward-thinking math-grind. Feeling a bit more straightforward and slower than The Insolent was, with a less catchy songwriting it will maybe stay as less memorable, even if I also like how they managed to develop this time a different atmosphere, less frenetic, more deliberate (but still super fast and angry!), dark and dystopic. Without confirms their place as the best technical and modern grind band. A strong contender for best grind album of 2022 !

The BC page.

 

Weever - Jour de Lamentation (EP 2021)

Released last year by French producer Weever on his label Vives, this EP called Jour de Lamentation is an excellent piece of industrial techno, with dark ambient / death industrial atmosphere complementing the techno beats and industrial sound. Fine for headphone listening, probably even better in a live / warehouse / abandonned factory context (especially the powerful final track). Recommended !

The BC page.

 

Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy (2022)

Let's start with what I feel is wrong in this new Imperial Triumphant album. The first two tracks (and they are long ones) are not especially memorable and could have been B sides tracks. fortunately the rest is better, even if I think Spirit of Ecstasy is not as good as were Vile Luxury and Alphaville. OK, that been said the black metal infused with free/jazz-rock (reminding John Zorn maybe even more than previously) of Imperial Triumphant is still among the best and most interesting music around and the best songs on Spirit of Ecstasy are enough to make the album totally worthy of your time. Even if Spirit of Ecstasy isn't the best Imperial Triumphant album, it's still an excellent one.

Their website

 

Ambush - Infidel (2020)

Infidel, released two years ago, is the third album of Ambush. It sees the Swedish band going a bit more personnal, keeping the very strong Judas Priest influence (Accept as well) but less permanently blatant. The result is a solid and enjoyable traditionnal heavy/speed metal album, with good songs, musicianship and excellent vocals. And they maintains the cheesiness inherent to the style at the right level (enough for the fun, but not too much).

 

Their website.

 

Father Befouled - Crowned in Veneficum (2022)

Crowned in Veneficum is the fifth album from Father Befouled, and, while they were already good, with this new album they elevated their dark art to a higher level. They mix US old school death metal with death-doom and cavernous murky death metal, somewhere between Incantation, Immolation and Impetuous Ritual. And this is done with excellent riffing and nice maniacal leads. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.