When Bandcamp started waiving their cut every first Friday, it was to support artists who were hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Things have changed rapidly since then, and many bands and artists plan to donate today’s sales to organizations they feel passionately about. Decibel once again assembled a list of recommended Bandcamp purchases, but all artists benefit more than usual from purchases today.
Wailin Storms – Rattle
North Carolina doompunks Wailin Storms have been haunting the periphery of metal-adjacent subgenres, and Rattle is their blistering masterpiece. Their Southern Gothic deathrock blends noise, grunge and cemetery blues for a sensual spectral experience. Frenzied yet focused, this is music for restless rogues and wounded souls. Available now from Gilead Media.—Sean Frasier
Occlith – Gates, Doorways, and Endings
From the sound of this debut, Sacramento doom sect Occlith likely live in cobwebbed catacombs with just enough siphoned electricity to power their amps. Funereal without being funeral doom, Occlith’s melodies linger long after the midnight mist dissipates. Gates, Doorways, and Endings is the psychedelic soundtrack for your next ill-fated moonlit séance. Available now from Transylvanian Tapes.—Sean Frasier
Sun in Shadows — Bad Spirits
Damn, when ex-The Year of Our Lord guitarist Nick Heigelmann makes a comeback he really makes a fucking comeback. Channeling and transfiguring elements of Only Living Witness, late Emperor, early In Flames, Cathedral, and even Jake E. Lee era Ozzy solo stuff the Maine-based guitarist masterminded one of last year’s best—and most overlooked—modern extreme metal records. (Oh, and the stellar The Year of Our Lord complete discography is up over there as well…)—Shawn Macomber
Northern Curse — Self-Titled
Another New England extreme metal record that, in my humble opinion, didn’t quite get the attention it deserved courtesy the New Hampshire black metal outfit Northern Curse, comprised of members of crusty hardcore heroes Backstabbers, Inc. There’s plenty of the foundational pummel here, but also some cool nuance, churn, and hardcore vibes bleeding in. For best results, turn the lights off—or, better yet, download and take a long, incautious walk in the woods.—Shawn Macomber
Below the Frost — “We Are the Souls of Rot”
Current and former members of Hatebreed, All Out War, Starkweather, and Prime Evil unite to summon the darkly gorgeous, twisty, beguiling slab of unorthodox extreme metal. This one cuts deep and sticks around in your mind…well, indefinitely. Some big indie needs to snatch this band up already—we absolutely need a full-length of this brilliance.—Shawn Macomber
Fortydaysrain—Temptations of Our Own Demise
Just for the hell of it, I’m going to recommend this extremely underrated metallic hardcore masterpiece from the late 90s. I remember getting a cassette demo after a typically levelling live performance and just thinking they were going to be the next huge thing—a band that deftly bridged the divide between early Hatebreed and early Converge. I was wrong, but as you will see, I should’ve been right!—Shawn Macomber
Jute Gyte – “Respice Finem”
Black metal Modernist Jute Gyte has been challenging the genre for a long time now, and with each new release under his black metal guise (Jute Gyte is also a Modernist Classical/ambient/electronica project) does he find new ground previously left uncovered. Fusing microtonality, serialism, and other 20th Century Classical tools with a frenzied black metal base, Jute Gyte composer Adam Kalmbach continuously redefines black metal’s outer fringes. Today, Jute Gyte is donating all proceeds to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.—Jon Rosenthal
Dispossessed – Warpath Never Ended
Australian deathcrushers Dispossessed are at war with white supremacy and capitalism on Warpath Never Ended, a no-holds-barred slab of black/death metal. Even when they break things down to a more emotional level with songs like “Black Gaze,” it’s back to pure aggression shortly after. Their first album came out last year, so watch this rising group.—Vince Bellino
