EP / Split / Single Roundup of 2024, Part 1
By Mystikus Hugebeard
In case youโre asking yourself โWhere did El Cuervo go and why has he been replaced by a handsome, bearded wizard who is also ripped and buff?โ rest assured that all is well with the original EP wrangler. In what could only be described as a Christmas miracle, he has passed the privilege of organizing AMGโs yearly EP post unto myself and Dolphin WhisEPerer so that he might finally have the time to catch up on reading all the comments on his Opeth review. Let it be known that we treat this gravest of responsibilities with the utmost respect.
But enough faffing about, the most important thing is this cornucopia of EPโs, splits, singles, and demos weโve arranged for you. Shorter-form releases like these are the patron saint of hidden gems. Rarely do they fall in the same hype cycle typically reserved for LPโs, so once a year we like to pay our respects to the oft-overlooked, unsung heroes of our metal community. They provide a necessary space for both fledgling and established bands to experiment with wild ideas that might not sustain a full release, or they can be a great outlet for bands to focus on their strongest material without weaker songs diluting the overall experience. Come, rejoice! Take a well-deserved break from the exhausting bloat of boring, regular albums, and bask in the majesty of the tighter focus and accessibility of short-form release with your bearded pal, Mystikus Hugebeard!
Make sure to return for Part II so that our Dolphin may Whisper1 to you of a whole new collection of releases!
Lathe // Hillclimber โ Lathe are what you get when you mix the pedal steel and blues of country music with the atmosphere, weight and build-ups of post-metal. Hillclimber is written for a new lineup, adding an additional guitarist and a bassist, and it shows in the added density of their sound. As with their previous work, Hillclimber builds as it goes. โWeaveโ provides an almost spacey opening with a simple, twangy guitar melody and pedal steel embellishment. By โBlood,โ trem-picked pedal steel, pounding drums and big riffs trade places with amp noise. Hillclimber isnโt revolutionary, hewing close stylistically to the post-ier, less dancy or rocky side of Tongue of Silver. But the riffs are big, the melodies pretty, and the atmosphere dense, and it says promising things about the new lineup. โ Sentynel
Mammoth Grinder // Undying Spectral Resonance โ Ever since the early 2010s Entombedcore wave fizzled out, Iโve longed for a band to revive that sound. With Undying Spectral Resonance, Mammoth Grinder seem to have answered the call. The bandโs punky take on Swedeath has long offered Power Trip drummer Chris Ulsh a brawny way to flex his guitar and vocal abilities, but I never expected him to break Mammoth Grinderโs recording silence with something this heavy. Throughout most of these 14 minutes, Ulsh offers a hoarse roar thatโs monstrous, a guitar tone that could crush boulders, and riffs that are downright punishing. โCorpse of Divinantโ plows forward on muscular grooves that will have your inner hardcore kiddo dripping with arousal, while โObsessed with Deathโ closes out the EP with a D-beating for the ages. Plopping an atmospheric synth interlude in the middle of a five-song tracklist was an odd choice, but at least it makes the midpaced lurch of โDecrease the Peaceโ sound even more massive. Letโs just hope we get more from these guys sooner rather than later. โ Mark Z.
Glassbone // Deaf to Suffering โ Frens of the blog know that I love me some good slam. The harder it hammers, the better. And while there were several tectonic options released this year, none hit the way latecomer EP Deaf to Suffering has. Courtesy of French buzzsaw hardcore/slam brutalists Glassbone, Deaf to Suffering springs into action with the absolutely devastating โPost Mortem Declarationโ and doesnโt let up for nearly twenty minutes of high-octane, hook-laden, filthy slam. Highlight โIn Your Gutsโ sends me into a feral state with rabid riffs that are as lethal as the disease itself. โSanctified By the Bladeโ transforms my body into this musclebound mass of testosterone mountainous enough to flatten entire plots of sequoia trees. The title track even brings a certain old-school death vitriol, characterized best by a classic sounding solo, that adds substantial dynamics to Glassboneโs slam-based concoction. Every song offers its own voice while still maintaining the status quo of total demolition, and yet it feels like Deaf to Suffering elevates the slamscape past the norm and into the extraordinary. โTheKenWord
Counterparts // Heaven Let Them Die โ Counterparts is renowned for their confrontational and vulnerable take on melodic hardcore and notable contributions to metalcore. Heaven Let Them Die is the Canadiansโ heaviest release by far, delivering the weight of its title in its clear influence from vocalist Brendan Murphyโs time in caustic hardcore act End. With crushing riffs and breakdowns ripped at vicious speed, vocals spit with vitriol and venom, thereโs a distinct weight, both aurally and existentially, that gives Heaven Let Them Die its power. From its reverb-laden plods that let the haunting leads guide the blastbeat-inclusive fury (โA Martyr Left Alive,โ โPraise No Artery Intactโ), to all-out assaults that abuse tempos with their punishing heft (โWith Loving Arms Disfigured,โ โNo Lamb Was Lostโ), itโs hard to believe that this is the same group that released Youโre Not You Anymore or A Eulogy For Those Still Here. Punishing, vitriolic, and existentially weighty, Counterparts embarks on unforeseen journeys of blasphemy and pain. Closer โHeaven Let Them Dieโ exemplifies this actโs strengths, tying up the common lyrical motif screamed with throat-shredding intensity, that youโll be howling for days: โHEAVENโฆ LET THEMโฆ DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!โ โ Dear Hollow
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(Sleepwalker) // Delirium Pathomutageno Adductum2 โ The last outing by Russian/Japanese/American experimental, avant-garde, blackened noise outfit ๅคข้็
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, Noฤ Na Krayu Sveta, was my favorite EP of 2021. This yearโs Delirium Pathomutageno Adductum is, if anything, even more unhinged. Like stepping into one of those nightmares that you donโt initially realise is a nightmare, parts of DPA are strangely soothing and delicate, wrapping you in lullaby-like melodies. But then, sometimes without you even noticing at first, warped melodies weave their way into the mix, before distorted, blackened vocals creep in, even as half-heard blast beats start to pound in the background. Shifting through their chameleonic palette, ๅคข้็
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deploy bouzouki, uke, vibraphone, church organ and more, alongside more standard instrumentation, to create soundscapes worthy of the title Delirium. Tracked across three continents, this doubtless adds to the disconcerting sense of dizzying vertigo that infuses much of the EP, furthered by contributions from various gospel, Americana, and jazz guests. If youโre looking for a really weird night in, check this out, especially the closing duo of โTelepath Transport Wingโ and โAurum Iris Loop.โ โ Carcharodon
Entheos // An End to Everything โ As Entheos continues to move into waters with increased breaks into clean, melodic refrains as peak pointsโa step first taken with 2023โs Time Will Take Us Allโa continued adherence to their riff-led, groove-centered brand of techy death metal remains vital to their impact. Chunky riff after chunky riff after chunky riff hits first and repeatedly allows An End to Everything to crackle as the leanest both in length and pit-stirring effect of any Entheos album since 2016โs The Infinite Nothing. But more than just offering slinky slide-to-triplet rushes (โAnd End to Everythingโ) or snaking staccato beatings (โLife in Slow Motionโ), Entheos offers throat-ripping breeeees, snarls, and hissing goblin assaults via Chaney Crabbโs extreme vocal commitment. Though comparable to frequent touring mates Alluvial3 in tone and tumble, Crabb delivers the necessary differentiation, complete with melodic chorus cries that stick like anthemic ear candy to an audience who patiently awaits sweet indulgence. Fit for a fifteen-minute power set, a pre-meeting energy blitz, or simply a destructive arm-throwing about your own home, An End to Everything feels both complete as a short-form work and steadfast a promise that Entheos plans to continue on a grooving path to success. โ Dolphin Whisperer
Sylvaine // Eg Er Framand โ Widely maligned for their ear-splitting volume and indecipherable vertical chords, pipe organs have a softer, ethereal side that often goes overlooked. Sylvaineโs gorgeous EP pits her otherworldly voice against hypnotic, shimmering high organ registrations, a duet custom-built to melt this frozen heart. Organs are designed for the spaces they inhabit,4 ensuring their resonance melds with the architecture of their home, and the descending spiral motif that bookends โDagsens Auga Sloknar Utโ and โTussmรธrkeโ duplicates this integration into Sylvaineโs music. Thereโs something of the eternal about this EP, its vibrating vocal harmonies and sustained wind tones suspending the passage of time and evoking both dusk and dawn. My 2024 opened with a death and ended with a birth; I can think of few soundtracks more fitting than Eg Er Framand. โ Iceberg
Persefone // Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 โ How shall I put this? What Carcharodon is to Kanonenfieber, I consider myself to Persefone. These Andorrans have always been a masterclass of blending insanely good musicianship with effortless technicality and rousing melodic movements. After longtime vocalist Marc Pia was replaced by Eternal Stormโs Daniel R. Flys, I feared that my beloved Persefone was gone, but Iโm happy to say Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 dispelled my doubts. For one, it utilizes what Persefone has always done best; the music growing in intensity at the end of โLingua Ignotaโ channels the iconic escalations from โLiving Wavesโ (Aathma) and โSpiritual Migration (Spiritual Migration). However, as always, Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 is another step in Persefoneโs evolution. โOne Wordโ is one of Persefoneโs most direct songs to date, with a powerful, memorable chorus betwixt tight, technical riffage, and adds a new dimension with Flysโ clean vocals joining Miguel Espinosaโs previously solo cleans. โAbyssal Communicationโ closes the EP with moving ambience, which Persefone has always loved to do, but follows Metanoiaโs further emphasis on synth tones and is pleasantly dynamic, working well as a standalone track instead of just a send-off. Itโs all fantastic, because itโs quintessentially Persefone, only now in a bite-sized and endlessly replayable size. Compact and to the point, yet still offering a wide breadth of intoxicating riffs and solos, Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 stands strong in their discography and even brings back a consistency I felt was slightly missing from 2022โs Metanoia. โ Mystikus Hugebeard
Dislimn // Esmee โ You never appreciate how good Bandcamp can be until a band doesnโt have one, and it has made Dislimn tragically difficult to find. I was lucky to stumble upon them in the promo sump whereupon I made a mental note to check later, but most people lack that kind of resource. Dislimnโs Esmee is a lovely piece of shimmering doomgaze with a heavy stoner edge, and I think they deserve a fair bit more attention than theyโve received. Itโs a queer mix of stoner, prog, and post that lands through Dislimnโs impeccable vibes and simple but gripping songwriting. Esmee starts off gentle; the radio-friendly post-lite opener โAnxietyโ is the perfect tune to float through a depressive dreamlike haze, but as time passes, the music develops some bite. The riffs in tracks like โEsmeeโs Storyโ and โIn My Mindโ are straightforward, memorable, and crunchy with just the right amount of fuzz, while vocalist Alixโs dreamlike ever-soft vocals serenely soar above. โGullfossโ is a bit of an oddball; a rockinโ and a rollinโ riffy jaunt sandwiched between emotive, brooding doomgaze is a bit of a lurch, but it grows on you. Overall, Esmee is the sort of unassuming EP that stealthily sinks its claws into you. Iโve returned to Esmeeโs dreamy gloom many a time now, and I reckon you will too. โ Mystikus Hugebeard
#2024 #AnEndToEverything #Beatdown #Counterparts #DeafToSuffering #DeathMetal #DeleriumPathomutagenoAdductum #Dislimn #Entheos #Esmee #Glassbone #GothicDoom #GothicRock #Hardcore #HeavenLetThemDie #Hillclimber #Lathe #LinguaIgnotaPt1 #MammothGrinder #Metalcore #Persefone #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Slam #Sleepwalker #TechnicalDeathMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #UndyingSpectralResonance #ๅคข้็
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