Staff Infections – May 2020

Here we are again, friends—still in the grip of a pandemic, and most of us still under quarantine. Some states have begun easing restrictions to varying degrees, so it’ll be interesting to see how these various attempts at returning to some kind of normalcy play out. Here’s hoping not tragically. In any case, we here at Last Rites hope you and yours are healthy and not too emotionally or financially strained by the quarantine. Also, we’d like to wish a happy Mother’s Day to any mothers that might be reading. My mother has never been much for devil music, but, on the odd chance she’s reading: I love you, Mom!

On to the devil music. We have several albums that made strong showings on the staff playlists this month, but the clear winner is staff favorite, Finnish black metal outfit Oranssi Pazuzu and their recently released album Mestarin Kynsi. I say staff favorite, but as of yet, nobody has managed to get off their ass and review the album. Then again, I haven’t written a review in over a year, so maybe I’ll just keep my mouth shut. Then again, I barely give a shit about black metal, so it was never going to be me reviewing it anyway. We do, however, have a review for this month’s second place finisher, Shards of Humanity’s Cold Logic. Mr. Edmunds was quite pleased with this Memphis-based death / thrash band’s long-in-coming sophomore release, and you can read his thoughts about it right here.

Third place this month is a three-way tie, but includes only two bands. Cirith Ungol’s comeback album Forever Black shared first place last month, and the album and band are still very much on the staff’s mind, as both Forever Black and One Foot in Hell take a part of third place this month, with a few other Cirith Ungol albums also making playlist appearances. This current staff interest in Cirith Ungol is likely spurred not only by the band’s new album, but by Captain’s heartfelt and extensive Cirith Ungol tribute/primer/review, which I urge you to read. Rounding out the third-place three-way is another staff favorite, Katatonia, with its latest album City Burials—the scoop on which, Manny-O-Lito (né War) has right here.

Finally, please enjoy the staff-curated Spotify playlist below, while you share your own playlist in the comments. Until next month, Stay safe, stay sane, and if you’re lucky enough to have one who’s still around, call your mother.

• Zach Duvall
  King Crimson – Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
  Kraftwerk – Autobahn
  Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi
  …and Oceans – Cosmic World Mother
  Talking Heads – Fear of Music
  Ningen-Isu – Buraihoujou
• Andrew Edmunds
  Incantation – Vanquish In Vengeance
  Rotten Sound – Murderworks
  Manliftingbanner – We Will Not Rest
  Katatonia – City Burials
  Testament – Titans Of Creation
  Shards Of Humanity – Cold Logic
• Manny-O-War
  Devangelic – Eretsu
  Spandau Ballet – True
  Cirith Ungol – One Foot in Hell
  Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi
  Mercyful Fate – Time
  Anubis Gate – The Detached
• Megan Astrael
  Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi
  Meshuggah – Koloss
  Witch Mountain – Mobile of Angels
  Sunn O))) – Pyroclasts
  Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays – As Falls Witchita, So Falls Witchita Falls
  Solar Fields – Blue Moon Station
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Autechre – Incunabula
  Autechre – Amber
  Autechre – Tri Repetae++
  Autechre – Chiastic Slide
  Autechre – NTS Sessions
  Autechre – Exai
• Ryan Tysinger
  Cirith Ungol – Forever Black
  Valdrin – Beyond the Forest
  Nahash – Wellone Aeturnitas
  Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
  Challenger – Turned to Dust
  Altar of Gore – Obscure & Obscene Gods
• Fetusghost
  Poison the Well – Opposite of December
  Earthbong – Bong Rites
  Chapel of Disease – …And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye
  Dreamville – Revenge of the Dreamers III
  Ghostface Killah/BadBadNotGood – Sour Soul
  The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
• Captain
  Cirith Ungol – Frost and Fire
  Cirith Ungol – King of the Dead
  Cirith Ungol – One Foot in Hell
  Cirith Ungol – Paradise Lost
  Cirith Ungol – Forever Black
• LoneWatie
  Anubis Gate – Covered in Colours
  Howling Sycamore – Seven Pathways to Annihilation
  Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi
  Shards of Humanity – Cold Logic
  JG Thirwell & Simon Steensland – Oscillospira
  Son Little – aloha
• Madman
  Vader – Solitude in Madness
  Aether Realm – Redneck Vikings from Hell
  Umbra Vitae – Shadow of Life
  Katatonia – City Burials
  Lovebites – Electric Pentagram
  Dead Kennedys – Plastic Surgery Disasters/In God We Trust, Inc.
• Jeremy Morse
  Mercyful Fate – Melissa
  Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break the Oath
  Mercyful Fate – In the Shadows
  Shards of Humanity – Cold Logic
  Solstice – White Horse Hill

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

All Posts