Five For Friday: January 13, 2022

Happy Friday, Decibel readers!

Come to think of it, happy Friday the 13th! Don’t worry, everyone, it’s January. I’m pretty sure Jason spends this time hibernating until the first leaves of autumn begin to fall over Camp Crystal Lake.

Anyway, time for another set of new releases. I feel like the year hasn’t really begun until we’ve had a new record from a major band, and this week really kicks things off with a new Obituary album. But if they’re not your thing (lol, really? Why do you read Decibel then?), there’s a lot more to discover on this cold winter’s morning.

Enjoy!

Ahab – The Coral Tombs

I didn’t know “nautik” doom metal was a thing. Huh, you learn something new every day. Ahab returns from the watery depths with their first album since 2015, this time inspired by Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

Stream: Apple Music


Crom – The Era of Darkness

I usually leave the power metal folks high and dry in this column, but I don’t mind throwing them a bone when something like this comes out. The Era of Darkness was crafted with every intention of being an “epic” listening experience, self-consciously drawing on viking-metal-era Bathory for inspiration.

Stream: Apple Music

Esoctrilihum – Funeral

Yes, really.

Another Esoctrilihum album. And not just that, another brilliant masterwork from the reigning champion of … well, whatever name you could give to this style of black metal. Asthâghul effortlessly blends doom and death rock flavors into the pot this time around, while still relying on the foundation of excellence he built on Eternity of Shaog and Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath. The use of synths and strings on this album alone propel this to an early favorite for my end-of-year list. We’ve got a lot of year to go, so we’ll see how many other albums Asthâghul cranks out by like… June.

Fugitive Wizard – Ultima Magus Chapter 1

This is cool. Raw black metal and dungeon synth that seemingly was all tossed through a bit-crusher filter that gives it that extra bite. It’s the kind of music that makes you frown aggressively while pounding your fists. I like that the last song is just called “Big Hat.”

Obituary – Dying of Everything

When I turn on “The Wrong Time,” I can just see John Tardy emerge on stage as the band rages away — long hair swaying, mic-stand bent forward, crowd going wild. Dying of Everything embodies everything we love about Obituary, with all the quality riffs, vocals and grooves we’ve come to expect. One cool surprise, however, is the artwork done by the late, great Mariusz Lewandowski. It frames the band’s creative offering in a different light, situating the familiar logo in a sense of maturity and sophistication. I look forward to crowd-surfing to “My Will to Live” in the near future.

Stream: Apple Music