The Metal Scholar's Weekly Listening List (5th May 2020)

Happy Cinco De Mayo! 

Happy Cinco De Mayo for any Mexican readers, I hope you have an awesome day despite the current circumstances consuming the globe. As for me, I have been very productive as of late, working on a project with a friend of mine, which shall be revealed at a later date, that has kept me quite occupied in the most positive way. I've been delving into Dracula as I unwind in the evening, and ultimately lock down is letting me live the artistic vision I have in my head for a little while. This puts me in awesome spirits as I eagerly anticipate the aforementioned project being shown to the world! Whilst doing this project it has been great to flex some producer muscles and dust off the mixing ears for the first time since Vanaheimr's The Black Crown way back in December last year. Anyway, enough teasing you about music that is yet to come, lockdown has now entered it's sixth week but feels like it has been half a century. With the sun to lift our spirits it takes some of the edge off, for me anyway, I have done a little bit of exploring on my state sponsored runs (within social distancing and lockdown guidelines!) and it's been awesome to see a world of green! Flowers starting to bloom and leaves filling the skyline. Only downside is my hay fever is starting to ramp up and the amount of bloody bugs is getting annoying already. Anyway, our natural world is coming back to life after its long slumber. Although I love winter, this is a great time of year. Without further ado, some summer tunes!

Singles Of The Week

I. Thrawsunblat (🇨🇦) - Spectres In Mist (Ignifera Records), Melodic/Folk Black Metal 

II. Vesperith (🇫🇮) - Fractal Flesh (Svart Records), Atmospheric Black Metal

III. Acârash (🇳🇴) - Below Ceremonial (Dark Essence Records), Black/Doom Metal

IV. Revenge (🇨🇦) - Oath Violator (Setons Of Mist), Black/Death Metal

V. Defeated Sanity (🇩🇪) - Propelled Into Sacrilege (Willowtip Records), Technical Brutal Death Metal

VI. Mora Prokaza (🇧🇾) - Satanic Hymn (Season Of Mist), Black Metal

VII. Lamb Of God (🇺🇸) - New Colossal Hate (Nuclear Blast), Groove Metal/Metalcore

VIII. Vampire (🇸🇪) - Melek-Taus (Century Media Records), Death/Thrash Metal 

IX. Firelink (🇺🇸) - Where Demons Bore (Independent), Melodic Death/Black Metal

X. Black Curse (🇺🇸) - Enraptured By Decay (Sepulchral Voice Records), Death Metal

Albums Of The Week

I. Vesperith (🇫🇮) - Vesperith (Svart Records), Atmospheric Black Metal 

II. Black Curse (🇺🇸) - Endless Wound (Sepulchral Voice Records), Death Metal

III. Vader (🇵🇱) - Solitude In Madness (Nuclear Blast), Death Metal

IV. Schammasch (🇨🇭) - Triangle (Prosthetic Records), Black Metal

V. Witchcult (🇩🇰) - Cantate of the Black Mass (Vendetta Records), Black Metal

Throwback Of The Week

This week's throwback is easily one of the most recognisable supergroups in regards to NOLA (New Orleans) metal and the sound of sludge and stoner metal throughout the late 1990s. Featuring members from Pantera, Crowbar and Corrosion Of Comformity, this was a landmark album. I used this album as an example in one of my uni projects and has resonated with me every time I've heard it. This week's throwback is;

DOWN (🇺🇸) - NOLA (Elektra Entertainment Group), Sludge/Stoner Metal

Weekly Listening Playlist