David Stepanavicius of Atræ Bilis is no stranger to the podcast as he and Buke discussed Apexapien (20 Buck Spin) at length back in November and it was such an electric discussion that Buke reached back out to have David on again to discuss all things Best of 2021. The two catch up a bit since last time then launch into their biggest disappointments of 2021, their Honorable Mentions, and their collective Top 10. They also discuss Best of lists in general and how an artist / band views list season, how music usually finds David and how much labels play a part in it, whether Chris Barnes or memes are better, upcoming things for Atræ Bilis, and so much more. You'll definitely want to keep a pen and paper handy as they cover a ton of great albums, forty in total. No surprise here at all, this is an excellent discussion!

Huge thanks to David for joining us once again and we're already looking forward to the next one!

9C LINKS:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

List season. It's like Christmas every day of December and some of January where we get to regale the best metal that 2021 had to offer. It's a time to catch up and find things you slept on or had no idea came out but also a time to raise hell over picks and placements, ahhh good times. Buke wrangled Ian, Vince, Hera, and Angela to discuss their individual top three of 2021, picks of albums that were not in their top three but close, favorite song of the year, and biggest disappointments of the year. Spoiler alert: Rivers of Nihil's The Work was unanimously discussed here.  They also cover the post Christmas spirit, coffee and coffee kettles, covid and awaiting tests, Yules in lieu of trad Christmas because Halloween is better, rainbow Christmas trees, our All In Nine Circles Best of 2021 list, how Buke has yet to grasp Jane Doe, and so much more. 

Big thank you's are in order to our excellent staff, PR folk, bands, labels, and our dear listeners and readers for a HUGE 2021! Keep an eye out for a few more Best Of 2021 lists to come, I assure you there are several you'll want to take note of. See you in 2022, cheers.

9C LINKS:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Through his projects, Haunt and Beastmaker, and intense work ethic, Trevor Church has become a household name for heavy metal fans and enthusiasts. Particularly if Bandcamp is part of said fans' daily visits. The discography between just these two projects is staggering and the speed in which he releases new music is astounding. With new album Unplugged Vol. 1, Trevor shows a side we haven't heard and yet again knocks it out of the park just as he has with every other album under his belt. The man is an anomaly to be blunt, and the kind we rarely see these days. His love of all things rock and metal, no matter the timeframe, shines through in everything he does and is part of why his fanbase has grown to epic proportions. 

Buke had the chance to chat with Trevor about Unplugged Vol. 1, how it's easier said than done to make an unplugged album, and other landmark unplugged albums through the years. They cover how Trevor is always working and grinding the gears and how he prevents burnout, how instrumental Trevor's dad was in making this particular album and the significance of it being Vol. 1, his family and upbringing in a household with Bill Church who was bassist in Montrose and worked with Van Morrison, to name a few, volatile relationships in rock and metal and how they changed the landscape of music as we know it, and Trevor's label Church Recordings and a Night Demon tie in. They also cover who Trevor's rock and metal idols were, monster trucks and Guitar Center, favorite lyricists and his one biggest musical influence. All this and so much more is covered in this epic length conversation so pull up a chair or a piece of floor and enjoy! 

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Episode 102 is upon us! After an extended time away, Chris and Dan rejoin Lord Goldenvoice himself, Buke, for a rousing, back-and-forth-and-back-again discussion of their "desert island picks" -- the albums they'd want to be their Wilsons if ever stranded in the South Pacific. (Or South Atlantic. Or maybe even Indian. We don't discriminate here.) 

In any case, the crew -- henceforth to be known as The Power Trio™ -- covers a wide net, with everything from jazz to progressive metal to classic hip-hop getting a seat at the proverbial, uh... log next to the signal fire? There's also a mention of the band Orgy, which is one more mention of the band Orgy than there should ever be in a Desert Island albums chat. But, we digress.

Our selections are linked for your listening pleasure in the notes below. (Though not spelled out in those links because, you know, spoilers and all that.) So grab a seat and at least one adult beverage, 'cause this is a long one. Enjoy!

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Buke's Picks:  Album 1  |  Album 2  |  Album 3  |  Album 4  | Album 5

Chris's Picks:  Album 1  |  Album 2  |  Album 3  |  Album 4  | Album 5

Dan's Picks:  Album 1  |  Album 2  |  Album 3  |  Album 4  | Album 5

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9C LINKS:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

For Imperial Triumphant and extreme metal fans around the globe, Vile Luxury was a statement of avantgarde supremacy of the like none of us have ever seen and follow up Alphaville twisted that blade in even deeper. Their sound is the heartbeat of their home base New York City in the sense of its roots in jazz and the extremities found at every corner and perfectly encapsulates every aspect of day to day life in the city's grasp. Melodies, or hooks, are sparse and generally non existent but this is just the genius of what they do; every second is a different experience and every second of every song is monumental which is captured to near perfection in their latest live album An Evening With Imperial Triumphant (Century Media).

On the heels  of this live album, Buke had the chance to chat with Steve Blanco about the album, the choice to record it at Slipper Room, and how it felt to finally get back on the road. They also cover the importance of the live aspect to their band as well as importance to all bands and the fans connection to the music in that setting, New York City and how it was eerily similar to Blade Runner during the height of the pandemic, evolution of the band since their debut and what's to come, how jazz being a part of their music isn't deliberate but instead just a natural part of the trio's fabric, BBQ and coffee, and David Lynch. All this and so much is covered so dive in and enjoy.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Time sure does fly but don't worry - the episode opens with what everyone was listening to for September, except for Hera, who talks about an album back in May.  That's how we roll, folks!  Then it's onto current matters with Anton reaching for Gloire Éternelle by First Fragment (Unique Leader).  

It's an interesting choice for the team, with staunch tech death advocates on one side of the house and folks that...let's say lean toward the polar opposite in terms of musical tastes.  And yet, there's something undeniable about the way First Fragment blend so many different styles into their unique brand of music.  Of course it helps immensely when you have people like Phil Tougas and Dominic Lapointe bringing the heat in at a nuclear level.  Unique Leader is no stranger to putting out great technical death metal, but in First Fragment we have something that colors outsides those lines and yet stands as a champion of what the label and genre have to offer.

All that and - surprising no one - a lengthy segment about some of the other great music that came out in October (though no mention of Mastodon...something we'll rectify for year, end ;-)) including fellow tech death nerds Archspire who released their mammoth second album Bleed the Future, Monolord's latest Your Time to Shine, and the death doom glory of Foreverglad by Worm.   

Deep waters ahead so dive in and join the crew!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Vancouver's Atræ Bilis made quite the splash with last year's EP Divinihility and nearly overnight made them a household name in any house that heralds death metal. A quick year later here we are with their debut full length Apexapien and they prove the success of that EP was no joke. From start to finish, this album is an absolute beast with teeth big enough to tear the planet in two. It hits hard as a ton of bricks but is amazingly smart in its construction. Not clinging to any one leg of death metal it blazes its own path forward with Albert Einstein level riffs and chest crushing blows around every corner.  It goes without saying, this album is a favorite for us here at Nine Circles and for good reason.

For this discussion, Buke had an epic length chat with David about the new album and some backstory on it, how it's been working with 20 Buck Spin and owner David Adelson as well as the huge impact 20 Buck has made on the extreme metal landscape, a lengthy back and forth appreciation chat on metal of all sorts, and David's favorite strain of death metal and what got him hooked.  They also cover Mortician, pandemic effects, David's life in Australia and the move to Canada and what spawned that decision, a pitch of an album and song choice from grindcore to get Buke into it and the key to knowing you've found a great grindcore album, and five desert island album picks. All this and so much more is covered in this excellent discussion so dive in and enjoy.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Your Time To Shine (Relapse Records) is Monolord's fifth full length release since exploding onto the doom metal scene back in 2014 with their excellent debut Empress Rising. To say their rise in this genre has been anything other than meteoric would be an atrocity, and even including 'rise' in that statement is misleading since their debut captured fans from across the globe and landed on many best of lists. Their sound has become the new standard in doom metal for anyone looking for something outside the 'paint by numbers' formula that's been around for so long. And, with every album since, their star shines ever brighter. Your Time To Shine continues this tradition and further cements their legacy in doom metal. 

For this discussion, Buke caught vocalist and guitarist Thomas Jäger on the eve of the album's release as he was just starting to see the buzz surrounding the album get louder and louder. The two chat about the new album and how it came together, how they are hoping an upcoming tour will happen, his other profession as a music teacher and full on thoughts about that, whether the afterlife is a thing or not, and the amazing nugget of how the album cover art came together. They also cover the importance of not making the same album twice, having direction and rules within the band and how they enjoy a lack of all those most of the time, the choice to stick to five tracks and why, and a track pick that represents where the band are today. All this and so much more is covered so jump in and enjoy.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

The Edge of Existence (eOne) is Texas based Creeping Death's third EP, but follows from their bludgeoning 2019 full length Wretched illusions. Death metal had no idea what it was in for when this band formed and called it its own. Their sound is immediately violent yet has a groovy, melodic edge to it that makes for fast kinship amongst fans of metal far beyond just death metal. Reviews came fast and furious for the full length and it seemed the band was an overnight success, rightfully so since said full length was such a hammer to the face of death metal that so many just couldn't get enough of, and us included. 

Just ahead of the EP's release, our maestro of the mic, Buke, had the chance to cross paths, yet again, with guitarist Trey Pemberton to discuss The Edge of Existence and how it came to be. They also discussed how the pandemic shaped the album and how that allowed them time to really focus on the album and their individual mastery of the puzzle pieces, their upcoming tour and what to expect, Trey's MMA training and how that has helped him in so many ways, the passing of Powertrip's Riley Gale and how hard that hit the band as well as fellow Texans and metal fans in general, and how Trey's Mom shaped his musical history since she was a huge metal fan and an absolute shredder on the drum kit. Plus, what song Trey feels perfectly encapsulates the Creeping Death sound off the new EP. All this and so much more is covered in this amazing chat so dive in and enjoy.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram

No doubt you know how this works by now...team members take turns picking their favorite album from a given month and for August 2021, it was a shoe in for Deafheaven's Infinite Granite (Sargent House) across the board. And, while no one on staff disagreed, not everyone was on the exact same page. Since 2010, Deafheaven have yet to make the same album twice or even close to the same album. The way they transition from black metal to shoegaze has made them critical darlings of a controversy that can never quite get its controversy correct. And now that they've gone full on shoegaze, the internet will never be the same. So it seems. The gang covers Infinite Granite and just how different it is as well as how much it rules, the fact that this might well be their "Opeth" moment, lyrics and how good George Clarke is in writing them as well as their impact over the years with certain team members, spooky season, a huge set of birthdays, and, as always, what else tripped our triggers during the month of August 2021 which features lengthy segments on both BTBAM's Colors II and WITTR's Primordial Arcana, obviously. So, do have a pen and paper on hand. 

All this and so much more as we dive head first into our eighth AOTM for 2021!  So jump in and get an earful!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter (X) | Instagram