My favorite April release is ULTHA All That Has Never Been True. They are one of my “all-time” bands doing top tier black metal, and I don’t see any 2022 album knocking it from my AOTY so I’ll just call it now! One of those “full body” experiences, and I haven’t stopped listening since they surprise-dropped it. While I’ve loved everything they’ve released, especially 2018’s The Inextricable Wandering, the new one is my #1.
Listen right now at Bandcamp!
SHUT UP PETE TOWNSHEND
Pete Townshend “Let My Love Open The Door” (1980) will not stop playing in my head. Send help now.
TEMPLE OF VOID “CLEANS CAMEO”
TEMPLE OF VOID have dropped a “Cleans Cameo” on their last two albums. What kind of cleans will we get on their upcoming full length, Summoning The Slayer? Champ or chump? Dud or delight? Only time will tell.
KONTUSION AOTM MARCH 2022
This debut death metal EP feat. members of Iron Reagan and Repulsion hit me immediately. Its got filth that MOVES YOU, and the synths are a nice touch too! The first track’s breakdown absolutely GOES. Listen right now at Bandcamp!
GREATEST KEY CHANGE OF ALL TIME
NOW THIS: Area Man Attempts Harmonies On Greatest Key Change Of All Time, Earth Wind & Fire “After The Love Has Gone” (1979)
I love key changes in pop music, especially when it’s an over-the-top “Truck Driver Gear Change” (TDGC) that digs in deep. A couple years ago, I was so obsessed at the time that I created a spreadsheet compiling songs and when the change occurs (view those 315 songs here). The songs are also on my corresponding Spotify playlist here. Reply with your favorites so we can share the goosebump feels.
My Top 10 Favorite Key Changes:
Earth Wind & Fire – “After The Love Has Gone”
Genesis – “Invisible Touch”
Dave Clark Five – “Glad All Over”
Herb Alpert – “A Taste Of Honey”
Lesley Gore – “You Don’t Own Me”
Cheryl Lynn – “Got To Be Real”
James Ingram (ft. Michael McDonald) – “Yah Mo B There”
Beyoncé – “Love On Top”
Pointer Sisters – “Jump”
Boyz II Men – “On Bended Knee”
LUNAR BLOOD “TWILIGHT INSURGENCY” AOTM FEB 2022
Lunar Blood knocked some sense into the new year with their deathgrind debut that packs thick riffs and feel good breakdowns. I’m also way into these Trap Them guitar antics. Listen right now at Bandcamp!
PHILADELPHIA!
After 20 years in Madison WI, I now live in Philadelphia! It’s only been a week, but I love it so far. More videos to come as I’ve got plenty of reasons to dance.
SPECTRAL VOICE DANCE VIDEO
January is a great month to catch up on the prior year’s releases or spending quality time with your favorites. SPECTRAL VOICE “Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing” (2017) is my absolute #1 death doom album. I love everything about it: the atmosphere, vocals, production, and especially those fresh beats. Listen for yourself.
THE BEST BUTTHOLE ALBUM ART AWARDS OF 2021
Welcome to the Butthole Album Art Awards! (BHAAAs)
Here are the 50 albums that best make up the hole of 2021! Click on the artwork for Bandcamp link.
This #1 BH be moving if you stare long enough. Congrats to SAMUEL MARTINS COELHO on the top prize!
Ride the snake with the centipede BH from SULPHUROUS
CREEPING DEATH and their tornado alley angel hair BH
VOLA‘s BH absolutely stalks
MANNVEIRA and the BH sirens
FERRITERIUM: Look at the BH you’ve become!
We can all feel the Atlas BH from KANKAR
INOCULATION and their Space Spider BH
VERHäANGNIS offers a very unique colon POV BH
FORHIST offers an arborist ouroboros BH or foxtail BH: a real viewers’ choice!
Congrats to VOIDSPHERE on their third consecutive BHAAA appearance!
CRYPTUM and their swampy sewer BH
AEROSOL JESUS breaking it down with the Venn diagram BH
Whoaaaaa heaven let your light shine down!
–ISON
PERIHELION GNOSIS giving us the pentagram BH howdoyoudo
FECULENT: gnarly ass dm EP complete with a mygodwoujalookatthat BH
CULT OF PARTHENOPE serving up an anatomy soup BH
“BH In The Sky As I Pour Sand On Some Guy” by ZAQQOEM
SWELLING REPULSION: When the band name sells the BH alone. Don’t let the sliced worms take your eyes away from the target.
There’s one crescent BH every year and EASTERN HIGH‘s got you
Upside down you’re turning me
You’re giving love instinctively
Around and round you’re turning me
I say to BH respectfully
–ZEOLITE
There’s also a Kaleido BH every year, thanks GIZMACHI!
GATECREEPER hoisting a nugget BH cave greeting
NECRECTOMY and a trve BH hobbit-hole
My plasma globe BH brings all the frogs to the yard
–MANDRAX
BLACK SHEEP WALL sportin’ a Pan’s Labyrinth BH
THE BEAST OF NOD: Now who’s attacking whom here?
ÆTHERIA CONSCIENTIA ponderin’ their BH orb
WREKAN (in very Mrs. Doubtfire voice): helloooooooooooo
VOKONIS has an absolute unit of a crest BH
Diffraction BH by LORD OF THE ISLES
MAINLINER is the name and hypnosis fingerprint BHs are their game
NEMOROUS: HE TIRED
As advertised! (STUCK)
PALUS SOMNI invites you to gather ’round the merry BH
DESTINITY has spirograph BHs for days
THRICE still at it with this vibrant BH
Hey FUNERAL NOISE, leave the poor hooded soul alone ffs
Death, taxes, and Everlasting Spew releasing a BH album (BENOTHING)
CEPHEIDE suffering an absolute monster migraine BH
The band’s name is HADIT okay?
Watch it with your MORGUL BLADE will ya?
FRACTAL GENERATOR are purveyors of the BH artwork since 2008
LACERATION dishin’ out a BH earthquake
DEPRAVITY: May cause extreme inflammation
MESARTHIM latching on with a tractor beam BH
Hey MANUEL BARBARÁ, this moon has gone too far
Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away
–ꙂꙨѮŮӜŮѮꙨꙂ
ORDINUL NEGRU presents A Handsmaid’s BH (I don’t even know anymore)
“Expressway To Yr BH” by NECROCHAOS
This is not on the list, but rather a PSA to THE VOIDS EMBRACE. You are not eligible for the BHAAAs if it’s an actual BH. Also just need this out there so I don’t get an excited DM about “what I missed”.
Thanks for visiting! Happy 2022!
JUSTIN’S FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2021
Here are the albums that moved me most in 2021! Click on the artwork to listen on Bandcamp!
#10 Phrenelith – Chimaera (Nuclear Winter)
#9 Cadaveric Fumes – Echoing Chambers Of Soul (Blood Harvest)
#8 Wode – Burn In Many Mirrors (20 Buck Spin)
#7 Vukari – Omnes Nihil (self)
#6 Slimelord – Moss Contamination (Sewer Rot)
#5 Wharflurch – Psychedelic Realms ov Hell (Gurgling Gore)
#4 Gosudar – Morbid Despotic Ritual (Rotted Life)
#3 Decrepisy – Emetic Communion (Chaos)
#2 Worm – Foreverglade (20 Buck Spin)
#1 STEEL BEARING HAND – Slay In Hell (Carbonized)
METAL MASS 2021
Last night we held our annual listening party, affectionately called METAL MASS (seventh annual!). We reveal our favorite albums, and then our coding-proficient friend runs the script, calculating votes with weight, to determine the consensus #1. Ferriterium took that prize this year!
LOINS ABLAZE
Cheers friends!
Justin
jtextreme.com 