Kingdoms of Din

Across the land of riffs there lie many realms, filled with warring factions of pagan monstrosities who thrill to the most obscure genres known to human, elf, and ore alike. Via seers, mediums, psychics, David Blaine’s T-shirt designer, and a variety of other mystic means, CREEM reached out to the high mages of music to spin the lore of their greatest warriors. And now we share these loinclothed revelations and sword-soaked recommendations.

OBITUARY

Metal in 2023 is off to a strange start with an Obituary record that’s.. .mature? While they’ve always been a model of death metal consistency, 2023’s Dying of Everything is their most complete record, perfecting the balance between 1989’s Slowly We Rot, 1990’s Cause of Death's classic grooves, and their tight live show. Lead guitarist Kenny Andrews has blossomed as rhythm guitarist/songwriter Trevor Peres’ foil; he hammers chaotic yet tasteful dive-bombs in contrast to Peres’ gut-wrenching riffs. Andrews even invokes some James Murphy (the lead guitarist on Death, not the LCD Soundsystem charlatan New Yorkers blow their money on) magic on the title track. There are subtle guitar atmospherics in “By the Dawn,” too—Andrews’ leads fall lower in the mix and become airy. “The Wrong Time” recalls 1994’s World Demise's industrial leanings with the clarity of hindsight. Oh, but you wanted more of those head-splitting, distilled grooves? “Without a Conscience” and “Be Warned” will have you scattered and covered and chunked (Waffle Housestyle). —ANDY O’CONNOR

NUOVO TESTAMENTO

Factory Records mastermind Tony Wilson made two great blunders in music history. The first was immortalized in 24 Hour Party People, when God scolded him for not signing the Smiths. The second was passing on signing Madonna. His excuse was that he had already “done pop” with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. What could have been! I reckon her early solo output might’ve sounded like Los Angeles’ Nuovo Testamento, a post-punk act so hot right now, I’m shocked Ruth Polsky hasn’t risen from the dead to book them at Danceteria. Like Factory luminaries New Order, Nuovo Testamento’s music reflects an affinity for dance music via Italo disco, Hi-NRG, and synth-pop. Their influences range from German pop singer Sandra, Latin pop’s Miami Sound Machine, and Pet Shop Boys to freestyle groups like Expose (as well as producers Roberto Turatti and Michele Chieregato, best known for working with Italian artists like Den Harrow). And their excellent second full-length LP, Love Lines, dropped in March 2023. Curious? Good. —ALEX BAKER, POST-PUNK.COM

It’s going to be a banner year in hardcore. Planet on a Chain (scene vets from Punch, Look Back and Laugh, and Tear It Up) are the latest act to join Revelation Records. Their recently released Boxed In album is the kind of music that will inspire you to quit your dead-end job.

He’s played in other hardcore bands, like DARE and FireBurn, but Los Angeles musician Anaiah Lei’s heart and soul is Zulu. The powerviolence quintet just released their debut full-length, A New Tomorrow, of which Anaiah says: “Our past material was...in your face about the treatment of Black individuals.... I wanted to step away and express the beauty of us.” This take-no-prisoners barn burner of an LP includes guest vocals from Soul Glo’s Pierce Jordan and Truth Cult’s Paris Roberts.

Ricky Singh and Che Figueroa of Flatspot Records have curated an inspired roster. The label isn’t screwing up that track record with a new EP from Scowl and a full-length from Buggin on their release slate. See you in the pit. —CARLOS RAMIREZ, NOECHO.NET

POLYMOON

Life is short and mostly garbage. Let’s talk about a goddamn record. After issuing their debut LP, Caterpillars of Creation, in 2020 through Svart Records, a label in their native Scandinavia, Poly moon of Tampere, Finland, return with another full-length called Chrysalis, presumably (and duly) named after their butterflying, melodious, brain-melting sound. No doubt fans will soon shower them with fancy-seeming descriptors like kosmische, which are always fun, but the takeaway here is that these guys are onto something special in heavy psych rock, and the moment to dig in is now. Because, frankly, by the time they get around to a third record, they might already be light-years ahead of this—they appear to bend the space-time continuum to their creative will anyway. Chrysalis’ “Set the Sun” hits like Olympus Mons (that’s a large shield volcano on Mars, for the galactically challenged); it’s only a matter of ' time before they take over this universe and the next. —JJ KOCZAN, THEOBELISK.NET