Albums on Repeat – December 2021

These are some of the albums we’ve been listening to in the past month!

Here’s the playlist with our favorite songs:

Nathan has been listening to Hooded Menace’s Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed:

Death/doom just fits the colder, darker months better. Hooded Menace are one of the best death/doom bands around, and since the releases of their newest record over the summer I’ve been going back and listening to their previous records. Although it isn’t my favorite of the bunch, Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed has been the Hooded Menace album I’ve returned to the most. The earnest nature of this band is remarkable.

Jared has been listening to Morta Skuld’s Dying Remains:

Since catching their killer show back in October, I’ve been listening to this album a ton. Morta Skuld are a criminally overlooked American death metal band with legitimate old-school clout. Their debut album Dying Remains was released in 1993, and the riffs are still just as nasty today. Unfortunately, Peaceville Records struggled to promote them in the States at the time, and the general decline of death metal in the mid 90s meant this album never reached commercial success. They would eventually break up until 2012 when founding member Dave Gregor revived the band with new members. All the while, Dying Remains was seen as an underground death metal classic. After getting a remaster by Peaceville a few years back, these remains are dead-er than ever, and the album is absolutely worth a listen for any old school death metal gluttons like myself.

Rutger has been listening to Fluisteraar’s Gegrepen door de geest der zielsontluiking:

Back in August, Fluisteraars’ new record didn’t really stick with me. I was impressed by the sound they’d created, but it took some time to get used to their new song structure, which was less clear than on their previous record. After taking the time to listen to and digest this record, though, I’ve really come to appreciate it. The duo has created a captivating atmosphere, alternating between catchy riffs and droning interludes. That, and the vocal style (as well as the Dutch lyrics) are what make this record, and Fluisteraars’ whole discovery, so unique

Matthew has been listening to Tomb Mold’s Manor of Infinite Forms:

I’ve been on a death metal kick lately, and Manor of Infinite Forms has been in the lineup quite a bit. It’s the perfect modern death metal album for me: super heavy with a touch of melody sprinkled throughout. Tomb Mold never comprimises and there isn’t any filler. This album is destined to become a classic, if it isn’t already.

Leon has been listening to Sodom’s Tapping The Vein:

Still on my Sodom binge, I spent a lot of time on this perhaps underappreciated gem. After a slew of classics, Sodom had a lot to live up to. This was their last record before their quality nosedived, but is it quite something. Still trying too push their sound, Sodom verge into death metal territory. This is thrash that goes hard and fast, and thanks to some low-end boost, decently heavy. It’s a bit unbalanced in terms of style (some tracks are straight thrash, some are death metal, some punk-ish), but there are some real bangers amongst the songs.

Hannes has been listening to Blackslash’s Lightning Strikes Again:

If you’re into traditional heavy metal and don’t know them yet, you definitely need to check out Blackslash. Hailing from Germany, they deliver lots of great riffs and catchy choruses all stuffed into a 54 minute album that does not have any boring moments or weaknesses.