Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Decibel readers!
What a happy coincidence that Five For Friday falls on the 17th of March! We’ve got some great tunes for you below, which would make a perfect companion for a reading of The Táin or any other classic of Irish literature. I’m partial myself to Over Nine Waves: A Book of Irish Legends and my copy of Irish Fairy & Folk Tales, edited and compiled by none other than W.B. Yeats himself. The latter has entire sections dedicated to ghosts, the devil and evil spirits, so it doesn’t get more metal than that. Throw on some Cruachan and it’s a party:
Anyway, have fun tonight and crank these records loud!
—
Aftermath – No Time to Waste
Crushing crossover thrash from Chicago. Definitely recommended for fans of the mid-90s variant of crossover, which ran alongside alternative metal in that era to produce bands like Biohazard and Merauder.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Anarkhon – Obiasot Dwybat Ptnotun
Brutal and cavernous death metal. This is essentially the soundtrack to when your character dies at the end of a horror-themed video game. The band achieves an excellent balance between atmosphere and riffs here, maximizing the effect of without losing the essence of either element. It’s an album that’s almost cinematic in its conjuring of dark power.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Contrarian – Sage of Shekhinah
Technical death metal done exactly right. If you like later Death and the classics from bands like Atheist, this is the record for you. There’s a lot going on, but it’s hooks and memorable riffs all the way down.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Downfall of Gaia – Silhouettes of Disgust
Expert practitioners in atmospheric black metal issue their sixth sermon, a follow up to 2019’s Ethic of Radical Finitude. Check out the band’s track-by-track breakdown of the album here.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Úlfúð – Of Existential Distortion
If you enjoy the black metal brilliance produced here, definitely get in line for Decibel‘s exclusive release of the deep blue+cobalt swirl vinyl edition.
Stream: Apple Music
