I rarely listen to any funeral doom other than Greg Chandler's masterful compositions. Esoteric and Evoken are so deeply satisfying to me that have made me dispense with other funeral doom works that have been released in the last few years. Nevertheles, you can't dispense with Déhà's "Ave Maria II." The operatic and Déhà's vocals are both absolutely oblitrating. This composition flattens you out and gives you a new experience in a genre that seemingly had been completely explored.

I will never forget when I first listened to Malthusian's powerful demo "MMXII." That experience was the first time I had to examine a musical record rigorously to fully apprehend it. I realized that Malthusian is not the kind of music that is comprehensible by listening to it only once. Just as Malthusian's devastating music has been of my most potent aesthetic experiences, so too do Suffering Hour's uncompromising work enchant and move me in ways not conceivable. I have been waiting for this.

Haunter's Discarnate Ails is a monstrous and well-thought-out album. I have listened to it more than ten times since its release this morning, and I can confidently say it is an absolute masterpiece. Discarnate Ails sounds more cohesive and novel than Haunter's previous releases. Moreover, I have never heard anything like the moments after 4:25 of the first track and other aesthetically similar moments throughout the record. Buy this album; you will not regret it.

"Rien ne suffit" is the future of extreme metal! Even in "False Highs, True Lows" they had not separated themselves completely from the influence of Deathspell Omega. But rien ne suffit was a strong statement from the band in which their exploration of diverse musical textures converged on perfection more than any of their previous work. Their nightmarish, contorted and terrifying use of guittars along with the chaotic and dissonant chords will inspire many to make uncompromising black metal.