The Nine Circles Audio Thing

Do you miss sports? Basket hoops and kicky foot...man, how have we gone a whole month-plus without those?

Well, some of the podcast crew here at Nine Circles misses sports, and others still are pretending to miss sports, so we decided to act on all that... missing... happening right now and create our own sports thing! Specifically, we made a March Madness-style bracket of 64 metal bands and decided to rank and eliminated them based on their logos.

Except it happened in April. And didn't have nearly as sound a methodology as actual March Madness does. And didn't involve any actual activity. But still, in these quarantined times, we've gotta lean on our kinda-sports for entertainment. Just like folks who watch ESPN 8: The Ocho.

Anyway! Dan, Buke, Corey and Chris got together and turned this half-cocked concept into probably our longest Audio Thing episode to date. Laughs? Many. Static? Much. Awkward pauses? ALMOST entirely edited out. But most importantly, a light-hearted conversation about a topic we all know and love, to break up the monotony of bleakness the novel coronavirus has draped over our lives? ...maaaaaaaybe?

If you've got an hour -- or two and 49 minutes -- to spare, jump on in and take a listen. You might not regret doing so!

9C LINKS: [Website][1] | [Facebook][2] | [Twitter][3] | [Instagram][4]

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

Calgary heavyweights WAKE dropped their fifth full-length, Devouring Ruin, on March 27. The album marks a further sonic departure for the one-time grindsters; this time out, the quintet serves up a compelling amalgam of black-, death-, post- and everything in between. The album's gotten a ton of acclaim since its release, and that extends to the crew here at Nine Circles -- with a couple of folks even calling it an early Album of the Year contender.

For now, though, it'll have to settle for being our Album of the Month for March, and we had one of the biggest parties we've ever had on the pod -- properly isolated and on Zoom, of course -- to discuss it. A full EIGHT people from our blog team hopped on to chat, with Buke hosting Vince, Ian, Anton, Jon, Charles, Hera and Audio Thing first-timer Angela for a far-ranging conversation.

But that's not all! Charles also made the case for why the new Spectral Lore / Mare Cognitum split was his album of the month, while Buke steered the conversation toward the video game realm with his praise for the metallized soundtrack of the new Doom: Eternal. There was also more conversation than probably should have been had about the Netflix special, Tiger King -- which is to say, there was any discussion at all about it.

All that and tons more on this edition of the Audio Thing, so jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

It's metal-adjacent time as Buke goes all in on his other passion - video games - with Alex Navarro of GiantBomb! I know...it's crazy to think we have other interests other than fist-raising, head-banging riffage, but video games are near and dear to many of our blackened hearts, and in this new world of self isolation there are few better diversions than jumping in for an hour (or eight or ten) of glorious high resolution twitch tomfoolery. Alex has been a presence in the industry for over 15 years, with both GameSpot and GiantBomb, so there's no one better to kick off some serious gaming conversations here at Nine Circles!

Check out the great content at GiantBomb here. You can follow Alex on Twitter and check out his band None Above All on Bandcamp.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

In a year's time, Canada's Traveler have become a household name for heavy metal fans and are set to release their sophomore effort Termination Shock a month from now. Plainly put, it is yet another example of how necessary traditional heavy metal is in today's terms. We all need a reason to jump, cheer, and throw the horns right now and this band, and new album, is reason for all this. The band's self titled debut was a tour-de-force last year and this one eclipses it by a mile with better instrumentation, better songwriting and deeper references realized that us old heads hold so dear and that new fans will be over the moon for.

Ahead of Termination Shock's release, guitarist, founding member, and primary songwriter Matt Ries took some precious time to chat with Buke about the upcoming album and how they nearly were stuck abroad at the outset of our current pandemic. They also spend some time on the process of recording at home, several favorite artists, Iron Maiden, and a whole mess of other topics. This is their conversation -- jump in and take listen!

Termination Shock will be available April 24 on the band's Bandcamp page and on Gates of Hell Records. To keep up with all things Traveler, visit their Facebook page and support them on their Bigcartel page.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Fluid Existential Inversions is the sixth full length from L.A.'s Intronaut and it's another stellar stop on their journey that's taken them from sludge to atmospheric post-metal to truly progressive metal and everything in between. But, one thing is, and has been, abundantly clear about the band; each new album sees them actually progress in lieu of stagnate. Because of that, the conversation was all over the place but a deep discussion was had and resoundingly everyone liked it to one degree or another.

Jon had the pick this month and was joined by first-timer Ian and long-timer Vince with Charles and Buke rounding out the bullpen. There's lots of talk surrounding Intronaut's past and how it has shaped their trajectory over the years, the effects of a new drummer on this recording, the band's Cloudkicker connection, and BASS LINES aplenty, as well as colorful commentary surrounding the genius of Fluid Existential Inversions and how it stacks up.

All that, and of course lots of talk surrounding several other albums that piqued everyone's interest in February. And, since we missed January's pick, there's plenty more from the first month of the year. At a little over an hour there's a load of talk and great music mentioned, so jump in and satiate your desire for podcast companionship. Support your favorite music!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Episode 34 of the Nine Circles Audio Thing takes a break from all that loud metal for the holidays as Chris and Dan go on for probably too long about their favorite non-metal music of 2019. NOW WITH FIXED AUDIO...KIND OF!

We don't often get a chance to wax poetic about the things that float our boat that don't include blast beats, breakdowns, and screaming on the site or podcast, so Chris and Dan sat down and (kinda) overcame a bunch of technical glitches to talk about what music moved them over the past year. We've got neo-country, African blues, garage and psych rock galore, not to mention a metric ton of pop that'll sizzle your earholes.

So don't be afraid...put down that brutal hardcore and join us as we get into corners previously hitherto unexplored on the Nine Circles Audio Thing. And Happy Holidays!!!

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

Hearts of No Light is the fourth full length from Switzerland's forward thinking black metallers Schammasch and it's packed with so many different genres, tags, and out-of-this-world jams that at times it seems that black metal is just a footer to hold up their massive sound. Their last album, Triangle, was a three disc epic but here they pack all that into one disc with a tight 67 minute run time making them the champions of fitting ten pounds of goo in a two pound bag. Because of that, opinions varied wildly and the conversation was all over the place.

Zyklonius and Corey had the pick this month but Corey was out tackling life so Zyklonius picked up the torch and ran with it along with Charles and Vincent. There's talk of Schammasch's past as well as plenty of commentary wizardry surrounding the genius of Hearts of No Light and how it stacks up to this grandiose discography as well as metal in general.

All that, and of course lots of talk surrounding several other albums that piqued everyone's interest in November, and, as usual, Charles doesn't like one of the picks. But, we love him anyway. At just shy of an hour there's a load of talk and great music mentioned, so jump on in and satiate your desire for podcast companionship. Support your favorite music!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

After five long years Vomit Fist just released Omnicide and it seriously challenges the basis for genre tagging in the sense that they've taken the blackened grindcore from their debut, Forgive But Avenge, and molded it into a forward thinking art form. It's wild, reckless abandon one second and jazzy exploration the next but even that explanation is selling its many successes short. Then there's the fantastic lyrical narrative here that continues the story from the debut and the words themselves from vocalist Malcolm Hoyt which are, again, their own art form. To put it another way, there's so much to unpack with this album that a few sincere listens just won't cut it, it deserves some serious time and attention to truly capture everything the band has to offer.

On the heels of Omnicide's release, guitarist Nick Didkovsky and drummer Leo Didkovsky took some time to chat with Josh about the album's development and how (un)important genre tags are in light of this new album. They also spend some time on Nick's label Punos Music, the fantastic album art from Paulo Girardi, how Josh initially discovered the band, a choice cut from their debut and its lasting impression, and a whole mess of other topics. This is their conversation -- jump in and take listen!

Omnicide is available now on the band's Bandcamp page and on Punos Music. To keep up with all things Vomit Fist, visit their official website.

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Since Episode 31 of the Nine Circles Audio Thing is for the October Album of the Month, it's fitting we're chatting about Exhumed and their latest deathgrind masterpiece Horror. I mean, what better month to wax on blood, guts, death metal, and all those sorts of dark things! Plus, we had an almost full house which offered tons of viewpoints and tons of great discussion about this album and so much more.

Josh had the pick this month and was joined by Vince, Charles, Jon, Heracat, Buke, Anton, and Schuler, who some of you may remember from his 9C column Yelphammer or you might know him from his current radio show Deathdrive 90.5. With the house almost full, opinions varied but overall it's safe to say this is a FUN album but the best thing is we had a couple newcomers to Exhumed who will no doubt enjoy playing catch up. For a band that's been around since the early 90s, obviously the history went deep as did the comparisons to and recommendations for such a deep discography.

All that, and of course lots of talk surrounding several other albums that piqued everyone's interest in October, and some old arguments resurfaced which got interesting. At a little over an hour there's a load of talk and great music mentioned, so jump on in and satiate your desire for podcast companionship. Support your favorite music!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Right at the tail end of the month we bring you our most delayed AOTM yet! Episode 30 of the Nine Circles Audio Thing has the geometry you need, provided it comes in fours, because that's how many people we have lined up to talk about the Swedish Gods themselves, Opeth and their groove-tacular new observation In Cauda Venenum! The gang tries to put words together to wax on and off about the album and other things as well...in other words, a totally typical Album of the Month selection for September 2019!

Chris and Buke had the joint pick this month, but a last minute wedding knocked Buke out, leaving Chris to face the ferocity of Charles who has...issues with the band's later output. Jon and Fearless Editor in Chief Josh level the playing field as the gang gets many words in regarding songwriting, the wank-level of keyboards, how Jon isn't ready to talk about Dream Theater's The Astonishing yet, and a lot more regarding Opeth's journey through metal's many many genres.

All that, and of course lots of gab around the other albums that piqued everyone's interest in September. Lots of tasty morsels on hand, so jump on in and satiate your desire for podcast companionship. Better yet, head over to your favorite streaming site and give In Cauda Venenum a listen...maybe even buy it. Support your favorite music!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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