Five For Friday: September 18, 2020

And just like that, summer’s over. I mean, sure, we technically have a few days left. But the drop has been clear enough that you know things have turned. Unfortunately, the way 2020 has gone makes this feel more like a continuation of late March, the contentious and rancorous summer feeling like long yet vanishing nightmare.

I hope your nightmares are short and rare, of course. But if you ever need a soundtrack to them, the music below would be a fitting choice.

Bangladeafy – Housefly

I suppose 2020 will be the year industrial metal made a comeback in the underground. With bands like Bangladeafy leading the pack, this makes the return more than welcome, especially with the cool and creative songwriting on display here. Think of NIN starting fresh in the year 2020, and it would sound close to this.

Stream: Apple Music

Evoke – Seeds of Death

From that drum roll at the start of “Seeds of Death,” you know what you’re in for. With the power of ripping riffs, tons of reverb, and even more attitude, the spirit of the 1980s is alive and well with this Norwegian steamroller.

Fires in the Distance – Echoes From Deep November

Like Sojourner and similar bands, Fires in the Distance seeks to take their particular fusion of black, doom and death metal into the future. They do this with the help of captivating synths that add an entrancing dimension to their paradigm of grows and melodic riffs. And always, good to see a CT band land itself across my desk, especially when its given the production treatment of Dave Kaminsky at Studio Wormwood.

Stream: Apple Music

The Infernal Sea – Negotium Crucis

Raw, fit-pumping black metal fury. Yes, I know this has all been done before, but I don’t care. Those screaming vocals are so satisfying, and that blistering guitar is what fans like me crave. The best part of “Negotium Crucis” is the singer’s continued screams even as the song itself has ended.

Stream: Apple Music

Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism

From our review of Throes:

Napalm must have had an inkling that things were about to get a lot worse for everyone because Throes is a single-mindedly furious album that, like Cro-Mags’ The Age of Quarrel, Suicidal Tendencies’ debut and Black Flag’s My War, leaves scorched earth after each listen.

Stream: Apple Music