Crushingly heavy, riotously unconventional and passionately demoniacal, Through the Cervix of Hawwah is the sound of devolution.

If you are a fan of Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor, or even a fan of post-Norwegian Black Metal (Dark Funeral, Nargaroth) then this would be a record worth picking up.

Sludge and college radio go together like chloroform and a dirty rag, so it’s only fitting that the new Noothgrush compiles two college radio appearances they made in the late 90’s.

“It’s really not our place to tell anyone how to do anything, or to make any sort of suggestion about how people should live. That’s something that we’ve never wanted to do and we never will do. That’s something that happens in a lot of music. A lot of punk music in particular has a political agenda of trying to convince someone of something. We’ve always been against that, and we’ve never wanted to appear that we’re sitting on a high horse trying to lead people. As you mentioned, living like we do is not an option for most people. It’s appropriate for us, but it’s just for us.”

Jonathan Smith in conversation with Aaron Weaver of Wolves In The Throne Room

Without doubt, one of the best records I have heard this year.

The debut demo by Toronto-based black metallers Thantifaxath is enough to make you’d wish you’d never given up your cassette player. It’s certainly an incentive to get it back.

“Luckily, it was Kampfar who delivered that adrenaline-shot of what I needed. Taking to the stage with ‘Mare’, from their most recent album of the same name, the band proceeded to blow the doors off with an unrelenting set that not only roared far louder and rawer than they do on record, but also proceeded to garner them the largest crowd of the night. The pagan and folk influences I’d read so much about were barely there, foregone in favor of a very straight-to-the-jugular approach.”

Live review by Kyle Harcott; Concert photography by Ted Reckoning

On From The Devil’s Tomb, Weapon manage to weave a thread of incredible beauty through what should be truly ugly music.