Floridian death metallers Crypteria released their debut full length, independently, back in October and it's not only a killer trip down the Floridian memory lane but also the perfect album to remind us all what a force that particular branch of death metal is in extremely capable hands.

To say we here at Nine Circles have been blown away by this band is an understatement and because of that Josh reached out to discuss the new album, the band's influences, and the state of death metal in general (including the Floridian strain). They covered all that and tons more in a terrific conversation, which we're thrilled to bring to you here on The Nine Circles Audio Thing. Jump on in and check it out!

CRYPTERIA LINKS: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram (website linked above)

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Surprising no one, we're cutting it right down to the wire on this one...Huzzah! The Album of the Month series returns, bestowing the honor upon Beyond Creation and their new LP Algorythm -- our Album of the Month selection for October 2018!

Chris, Anton, Hera and Vince get together to talk about the Montreal band's third album which dropped October 12 on Season of Mist and its rich complexity, owing in no small part to the fretless bass heroics of new member Hugo Doyon-Karout. Tech death vs. technical death metal is debated, as are the merits of Archspire. What's never in question is how much Algorythm slaps, paying as much attention to songwriting and atmosphere as technical prowess. There's even some time left over to discuss what else the team has been listening to over the course of the month.

So jump on in and enjoy the hijinks. Better yet, head on over to Bandcamp and give Beyond Creation a listen, too!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

This past September, Rochester, UK, heavyweights Allfather dropped their new full-length, And All Will Be Desolation, to widespread acclaim. Ever since the release of their first EP, No Gods. No Masters, three years back, the band's consistently turned heads with their aggressive, groove-laden sludge riffs. But Desolation ups the ante even by Allfather's own lofty standards, serving up some of their most ferocious, Pike-iest (that's definitely a word, do not question it) tunes to date.

Shortly after its release, vocalist Tom Ballard took some time to chat with our own Josh Stewart about the process behind the album, the influences on display throughout, and all manner of other things Desolation-related. We now present that conversation to you. Jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Hey, we're late again! A little less late than last time, but...still late! Huzzah! Anyway, we're back with another edition of our Album of the Month series. In this edition, we'll be chatting about A Forest of Stars and their latest effort, Grave Mounds and Grave Mistakes -- our album of the month pick for September!

A Forest of Stars hail from Leeds, UK, and dropped Mounds, their latest full-length, on September 28. To nobody's surprise, the things ends up being a complex listen, with the band leaning fully into its avant-garde tendencies once again. (And even prompting our panelists -- Hera, Vince and Jon -- to launch into a mini discussion about opera in the middle!) Your mileage may vary with our analysis, but hopefully it won't do so with the album!

So jump on in and give us a listen. And better yet, head on over to Bandcamp and give A Forest of Stars a listen, too!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

It's almost October, and...we're late with this! Blame Dan the Nurse. (Sorry, we mean, Dan the almost-nurse.) But, just in the nick of time for our one-month-late AOTM schedule, we're back with our chosen highlight from August: Bummer's Holy Terror!!

Holy Terror, Bummer's debut full-length, dropped on August 24 via Learning Curve Records and High Dive Records. And good lord, did the Kansas City noise/hardcore crew impress our blog team mightily with it. It's just got a little something for everyone -- whether you're into classics like Unsane, more recent stuff like KEN Mode, or just want some hilarious song titles with your sonic kicks-in-the-ass. ("Fred Savage 420," anyone?)

So join Josh, Vince and our newest team member Jonathan Petkau as they break it all down. It's definitely worth your time!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

On Saturday, Metallica's landmark album, ...And Justice for All, will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Originally released in 1988, the album is notable for many things: for the band's exploration of its progressive side; for their foray into music video-making, with "One"; and of course, for the near-complete lack of low-end through the entirety of the record. (#justiceforjason #woke #replacementbassistsneedlovetoo)

It is also notable for being an enormously successful and influential album, and a tremendous cap for the band's unimpeachable early-era. So, naturally, we wanted to talk about it.

Join Dan and Chris as they wax poetic about the album for more than an hour. The conversation covers the guys' first exposure to the album, a track by track breakdown, and where Justice stands in the pantheon of Metallica. It also covers totally unrelated stuff, like Dokken! And what Dan and Chris are working on musically! (Don't worry, the latter stuff's at the end; if you don't care, you can Irish exit and we will only judge you a little bit.)

Either way, this chat was a ton of fun for us and we hope you enjoy it, too. Jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

It's mid-August, and that means it's time to look back at July for our latest Album of the Month podcast. This month's honoree: Imperial Triumphant!

On July 13, the New York-based avant-garde/blackened death trio dropped their third full-length, Vile Luxury, via Gilead Media. Throughout the album, the band ponders the endless expansion and immensity -- and also, the ugliness and brutality -- of New York City...and its sound thoroughly matches that conceptual ambition. So much so, in fact, that we've scarcely been able to get it out of our heads.

So, we -- Dan, Corey, Chris, the two Joshes, Hera, Anton and Vince-- got together over the weekend to talk about it. Pretty much everyone came down on the same side of things (durr...this thing freaking rules), but almost everyone had a different way of getting to that conclusion. Which, as you might guess, made for a pretty cool discussion. We also talked to Audio Thing debutant Josh Thieler -- who, you know, also does music in Slaves BC, Twilight Fauna and more -- about some things he's got coming down the pipeline musically. SPOILER ALERT: you should be excited.

All that and loads more, so jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

On July 5, Slayer's fourth album, South of Heaven turned 30 years old. And today -- juuuuust a bit late, because that's how we roll here at the Audio Thing -- we're here to celebrate it.

Widely acknowledged as a landmark in the band's catalogue and thrash in general -- if not quite as big of one as Reign in Blood -- the album was also an enormous influence on two of Nine Circles' elder statesmen -- Chris and Josh -- in their rampant, blood-spilling youths.

So in honor of that influence, they got together for an audio retrospective on South of Heaven. The two break things down track by track and try to get to the bottom of why exactly this thing scratched the itch for 'em back then -- and how it continues to do so now. Jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

It's going to be a busy couple of months for Brooklyn rockers, Netherlands. On August 24, they'll be releasing their new album, Black Gaia via frontman Timo Ellis's Records and Tapes Records imprint. A week or so later, they'll head out on the road with none other than Mastodon and Dinosaur Jr. for a quick trek across the U.S. and Canada. So, yeah...if you like Netherlands, it's time to get excited.

Ahead of all that, Ellis took some time to chat with our own Josh Stewart about the making of Black Gaia, some of the influences that crept into the album, and just how that mega tour came about. (Hint: it involves Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier!) They covered all that and tons more in a terrific conversation, which we're thrilled to bring to you here on The Nine Circles Audio Thing. Jump on in and check it out!

NETHERLANDS LINKS: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram (website linked above)

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Time for another audio thing! In this edition, the group gets together to discuss some of their favorite albums from the first half of the year. (Yes, we're aware it's halfway through July. Promptness, thy name is NOT Nine Circles.)

In any case...Dan, Corey, Chris, Hera and Vince got together for a Google Hangout a little while back to run through these. In some cases, you'll hear about stuff we've already covered on the blog (Ulvesang, Judas Priest, etc.) but most of these haven't been touched on in writing yet. It's well past time we gave them their due. Plus, Chris and Corey dropped, like, 25 different sarcastic references to In Flames' Battles, because reasons. It was...well, it was definitely words, I can tell you that much.

Anyway, there's loads more here to unpack, so jump on in and take a listen!

9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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