VINYL (SCROLL DOWN FOR CD/CS)

	Alaric - Alaric LP $13.00 Released by 20 Buck Spin, blurb from the label: "Comprised of Bay Area punk vets from bands like Dead & Gone, Enemies, Cross Stitched Eyes & Noothgrush, Alaric came together to play dark 80s inspired post-punk that sounds instantly familiar and completely unique. And though dark music has seen a resurgence among the indie scene lately, Alaric songs stand apart from such trite fashion and lo-fi tinkering, more inspired by and indebted to the sounds of Killing Joke, Rudimentary Peni, Christian Death and the like." Listen:
	Aseethe - Reverent Burden LP $14.50 Review from Aquarius Records: First we've heard from this doom drone trio from Iowa, and it's definitely right up our alley. How could it not be when two members are credited with "drones", and one with "contact mics", in addition to the usual metallic instrumentation? Not your run of the mill doom/drone we're thinkingÉ A smoldering blackened ambience starts things off, all haunting creaks and whirling winds, distant guitar buzz and abstract strum, the build ultimately culminates in some seriously pummeling and lumbering doomic plod, the crashes and churning riffage spaced way out, leaving plenty of room for long stretches of heavily layered guitar buzz and blurred expanses of low end shimmer. The vocals are deep and bellowed, and everything is subtly infused with a bit of melody, but those melodies seem to bleed into the blackness surrounding them, each track a haunting downtuned black doom creep. The B side pushes the drone element even further, so dirgey and slow that the doom almost seems to transform into drone right before our ears. Occasionally interrupted by little blasts of extra riffage, and driven by some abstract drum pound, the song lumbers monstrously, eventually the drums taking up less space, the crashes happening less often, causing the second half of the B side to lean heavy on the drone and drift, lulling you into a druggy haze before exploding with another blast of blackened doomic churn. Listen: Reverent Burden (clip)
	The Austrasian Goat/Hallowed Butchery - Split 10" $15.00 Released by Vendetta Records, blurb from the label: "The USA-based progressive doom soloist Hallowed Butchery teams up with the French funeral doom soloist The Austrasian Goat for a monumental collaborative split 10" based upon the moral stance of self-reliance, popularized and preached by the Transcendentalist movement of the 19th-century. In a world of consumerism, conformity, religious-brainwashing, and political bullshit, these two musical geniuses refuse to merely follow the pack. This is reflected in both their lyrical content, and in their approach to their music, which is performed in solitude, and which often defies categorization. The Austrasian Goat begins the split with two songs of dark, minimalistic, funeral doom reminiscent of Ahab, Celestiial, and Nortt, but with an approach all his own. On the second of the two dirges, Ryan Fairfield of Hallowed Butchery makes a guest appearance. Side two features one epic song from Hallowed Butchery. His song is different from anything he has done in the past – reminiscent of Hawkwind-on-a-bad-acid-trip with Black Sabbath chugging cough syrup, while My Bloody Valentine snorts a mishmash of pills. The song features guest appearances from Julien Louvet of The Austrasian Goat and Brad Bolduc of Terrible Old Man. In a nutshell, "Songs of Self-Reliance and Solitude" is music for the forward-thinking, the individualist, the anarchist, the artist, and the metal-head in us all. All records come w/ silk screened metallic paper covers - looks just intense LTD to 400"
	Ensorcelor - Crucifuge LP $15.50 Released by Media Tree Recordings. Two brand new Ensorcelor tracks on 180g black vinyl. Jacket printed on 16pt stock jackets with UV spot ink, full colour printed sleeve. This was mastered by James Plotkin, so it sounds and feels huge! Listen: By Mycomancy Consumed
	Ghast - May The Curse Bind 2LP $19.50 Released by Flenser Records. Scathing black/doom metal, plodding and abrasive, nothing pretty about this record. Includes the Ghast portion of the 2007 split with Helvett. Listen: Crawl, Blighted and Afraid (on YouTube)
	HELL - ii 2LP $28.00 Released by Pesanta Urfolk. Incredible doom metal from Salem, OR. Gritty recording lends itself nicely to the crawling riffs and plodding drumming. One of my favorite records of the year. At times this record reminds me of Buried At Sea, but HELL has it's own identity and doesn't come close to sounding like another doom clone. Distinct and memorable songwriting. Strictly limited to 646, HELL II will be featured as a double LP, with a fully and highly detailed etched D-Side. Aesthetically II follows the format as the first release, pressed on black/ox-blood vinyl. A thick and heavy jacket, flooded with a blood red on the interior. This release will include a digital download card and a vinyl sticker.
	Hero Of A Hundred Fights - The Remote. The Cold one-sided 12" w/b-side screen print $13.00 $8.00 Released by Forge Again Records. Blurb from the label: Playing aggressive, angular music with nods to Tool and the tastful math-rock of Drive Like Jehu, Milwaukee's HERO OF A HUNDRED FIGHTS makes a strong case for the loud rock revival with their 2001 EP The Remote. The Cold.. Featuring former members of midwest greats Tintoretto, Managra, and Brass Knuckles For Tough Guys, Hero100 created a mix of volume dynamics, thick vocal layering, and concrete rhythms to go along that alternate between Botch-style smash lines and flowing, proficient melodies. Members of Hero100 went on to play in Call Me Lightning, Murder in the Red Barn, and Temper Temper. The EP is now available ten years later for the first time ever on vinyl. Limited to just 100 copies on clear vinyl. the one-sided LP features full color labels in a picture disc sleeve and a free high quality download of the EP. Listen:
	Locrian - Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen In Ash 7" $7.00 Released by Flingco Sound, blurb from the label: "Locrian took up the challenge of releasing their first 7 inch single on FSS, recording at Minbal in Chicago and mixing with Benjamin Balcom in April 2011. They hammer the sing-song of Popol Vuh's Der Ist Der Weg into a blackened alloy of their own invention on the A-side. On the flip, trebly blurs open Frozen in Ash, which then feints at expansive melody amidst screams, keyboard squalls and bludgeoning drums."
	Panopticon - Social Disservices 2LP $22.50 Released by Flenser Records. Incredibly dark black metal solo project, this album being based on the social services system. One of my favorite albums of the year, based heavily on both musical and conceptual content. Definitely a record you should pick up. Limited to 250 copies. Listen: Resident (on YouTube)
	Pygmy Lush - Cold World 7" $6.00 Two tracks that didn't quite fit on the newest LP. Cold World is actually one of my favorite Pygmy Lush songs, so don't miss out on this great 7". Clear vinyl. Listen: Bandcamp page
	Tenement - Napalm Dream Gatefold LP $12.00 $8.00 Released by Mandible Records. Great melodic punk from Wisconsin. Engineered + Mixed by Justin Perkins at Smart Studios in Madison, WI and Howl Street Studios in Milwaukee, WI. Additional recording done by amos at BFG in Appleton, WI. Mastered by Justin Perkins at The Mystery Room in Milwaukee, WI. Listen:
	Thou/Human Intruder Split 7" $5.00 Released by Dead Earth Records. Another great Thou split to add to your collection. The Baton Rouge sludging quintet continues their reign as one of the most abrasive and heavy slow bands playing music right now. Human Intruder present some atmospheric doom that is sure to please. Dig it. Listen: Thou website / Human Intruder myspace
	Thou/Moloch - Tears That Soak a Callous Heart Split LP $11.00 Released by Perpetial Motion Machine Records. The long-awaited pairing of Baton Rouge, Louisiana's THOU with Nottingham, UK's MOLOCH. Thou offer up two epic new songs of crushing sludge/doom with hints of melody while Moloch drop three down-trodden new songs of heavy and hateful sludge. Packaged in a heavyweight black & white jacket and heavy weight printed inner jacket, both with reverse board printing, with all copies on clear vinyl, limited to 1000. Listen: Thou Website Moloch Myspace
	Thou/Leech - We Pass Like Night, From Land to Land EURO EDITION Split LP $17.00 The European edition released by Vendetta records. This version includes a single sleeve jacket with printed inner sleeve and poster. All copies on white vinyl. The jacket also has different photos for the "swamp" and "cascadia" sides of the art. Listen: Thou Website.
	Yob - Atma gatefold 2LP $21.00 Released by 20 Buck Spin, blurb from the label: "There's no doubt that Oregon's Yob is one of the most recognizable names in the underground metal game of thrones. Their 2009 LP ‘The Great Cessation' saw them reunited for the first time in many years and brought them to heights of recognition that they'd always deserved but hadn't achieved. The world was finally ready for Yob. In 2011 Yob are now firmly back, tour ready and have delivered a striking 5 song statement in the form of Atma. 20 Buck Spin has the honor of releasing Yob's latest as a gatefold 2xLP." Listen: Prepare The Ground (on YouTube)
	Ural Umbo - Delusion Of Hope LP $19.00 Released by Utech Records. Blurb from the label: "With an eldritch terror that could just as easily be from another dimension as the darkest ocean comes the latest release from Ural Umbo, Delusion of Hope. Feedback and melody barely escape from the murky crevices, tinged with a sense of grinding tension. Sharp, acidic percussion slices through the blackness with violent urgency, while electronic blasts and organic drones entwine and ensnare. Some dim instinctive memory vaguely resurrects a shadowy scene wherein black drums roar madly, and monstrous beings squat loathsomely in inexplicable rituals rooted in the black dawn of the universe. Limited to 300 copies on clear vinyl. Comes with cd version of the album. Photography by Alexander Binder." Listen: Synch
	Wolvserpent - Bloodseed LP $12.00 Released by 20 Buck Spin! Another album I hadn't jammed on too much before, just heard snippets of here and there. Upon first listen, though, I was pulled in. Great, redundant atmospheric stuff that builds into some great droning doom. Listen: "Serpent" Excerpt on Youtube

CD / CASSETTE / MISC

	Cedars Of Lebanon - Archive II CS $7.00 Released by Land Of Decay. Review excerpt from The Inarguable blog: "Cedars of Lebanon's Archive II is absolutely immense, but not in the way that Minsk was. A mournful excursion into the sounds of bazaars, Sufi burial rites, and the desert at night, Cedars of Lebanon's gorgeous, meditative ambiance is unlike anything else you've heard this year. If Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is the soundtrack to Chicago at night, then Archive II takes the listener through the darkened streets of Beirut just before the sunrise." Listen At The Grasp Of Death We May Sing
	Servile Sect - Demos 2005-2006 CS $7.00 Released by Land Of Decay. Review excerpt from The Inarguable blog: "Within this cassette, much like their last album, we see Servile Sect in a dichotomous state. Alternating between bizarre, krautrock-like ambiance and something that is either "black metal so raw that it sounds like noise" or "noise so coherent that it almost sounds like black metal," we can clearly hear the building blocks on which Clmnt and Krnkr based their later, more coherent sound. Not to say that this demo is incoherent, per se, but what is presented is a much more simplistic and less refined version of the Servile Sect of which I have grown accustomed."
	Thou - The Archer & The Owle CS $6.00 Released by Sweatlodge Guru, blurb from the label: "It is with great honor that we present a new “mega-ep” from Louisiana's reigning kings of metal, Thou. Containing unreleased Summit-era material plus songs slated for a Pygmy Lush split that never happened, this 40 minute slab stands equal with any of the band's proper albums. Their sound has been thickened with piano, horns, and more, proving an already-perfect band can continue to improve. Limited to 300 pro-dubbed cassettes in letterpress packaging." Listen: Temporarily Out Of Stock