Welcome to the To The Teeth newsletter! I’ll bring you up to date with new heavy music. You can listen to almost everything in the playlist on Spotify. Peppers are hot 🌶️! If you like what you read and want help keep this in the air: please head over to Patreon.

🌶️🌻 White Ward (experimental/post-black from Ukraine. FFO: if modern Ulver would make old fashioned Ulver)

These guys were always special. It’s not just adding a saxophone to their wildly creative black metal - that would be relatively easy, I guess. They manage to make it sound natural, not like an add-on. Like you couldn’t really imagine what they would sound like without the sax, or the plucky bass. This is not jazzy black metal or atmospheric black with jazz elements, it’s totally it’s own thing. Of course knowing that they are releasing this new, incredible opus while living in the middle of war-torn Odessa makes their story even more urgent and intense: if ever a group had a reason to make life-affirming music…

🌶️ Krallice (avant-garde black from the USA. FFO: Liturgy, Yellow Eyes, Thantifaxath)

Someone told me this week that it’s just too hard to keep up with Krallice. Their music is challenging and difficult to wrap your head around, and with the pace they release albums it can feel like homework. Well. It actually does at times. But it’s also pure wealth to get so much from a band that can do so much and is always interesting and worth all that time and effort. I’m extra happy this time, because the new record comes from the Krallice corner I love most: thick synths, very melodic, totally compelling.

🌶️ Tomb Mold (death from Canada)

There’s always something coming out right after I sent the newsletter. Last week it was a new Tomb Mold demo. And I’m sorry but if just the name Tomb Mold isn’t enough to do something to your spine and joints, you are obliged to listen to it. It’s not long, but it’s good.

There’s more: Ataraxy (🌶️ death from Spain), Inexorum (🌶️ melodic black/death from the USA), Esoctrilihum (🌶️ avantgarde black from France), Oblivion Castle (black/doom/ambient from Mexico - another interesting Victoria Carmilla H. project), Imperial Circus Dead Decadence (symphonic power/melodic death/anime titties from Japan), Neroth (post-black from The Netherlands), Swampborn (experimental post-black from Russia), King Parrot (thrash/grind from Australia), Denouncement Pyre (black/death from Australia), Exocrine (progressive tech/death from France), Verberis (black/death from New Zealand), Consecration (death/doom from the UK), Void Witch (death/doom from the USA), Bekor Qilish (prog black from Italy), Horns & Hooves (black from the UK), Serpent Ascending (death from Finland), Desiccation (black/doom from the USA - w/ member of Feral Season), a c overs ep from Tombs (black/post from the USA), and a live album from Between The Buried And Me (progressive metalcore from the USA).

There are new songs out from: Russian Circles (post from the USA), In Flames (melodeath/groove from Sweden - I know what you’re expecting, but this really isn’t half bad), Behemoth (black/death from Poland), Sigh (avantgarde black from Japan), Wake (grind/black/death from Canada), Oceans of Slumber (prog from the USA), Mantar (sludge/black from Germany), Conan (sludge/stoner/doom from the UK), Vulture (🌶️ speed/thrash from Germany), Soilwork (melodeath/groove from Sweden), Scarcity (experimental black from the USA - w/ member of Pyrrhon), Lacrimas Profundere (gothic from Germany), Vomit Forth (brutal death from the USA), Vicious Blade (thrash/crust from the USA), Vile Haint (black from the USA - members of Primeval Well), Psycroptic (🌶️ tech/death from Australia), Midnight Odyssey (ambient black from Australia - this is the ambient part, and there are not 1 but 8 tracks out), Prometheus (black/death from Greece), Hierophant (black/death from Italy), Hissing (black/death from the USA) and Valborg (progressive doom/death from Germany), plus an album teaser from Revocation (tech/death thrash from the USA).

Non-metal album of the week: Nova Twins - Supernova (pop/rock/punk from the UK)

I’m looking forward to next week because of: Porcupine Tree, Saor, Knoll, Belphegor, Chaotian, Entrails, Khold & Paganizer.

Have a great weekend people, stay safe - Peter

PS I’ve added a small batch of merch here