Extremes

Azrael, guiding me beyond the veil
Obitual, free me from this mortal shell
Enter into the darkest night, I will sink where I lie
Through the sands of time, through the angel's eye

Music is like an old carpet. In the middle, the fabric is still pristine, displaying clear motives in the weave. That‘s where mainstream pop music resides. Sometimes, Weekly5 advances in these clean areas, but the songs stay in the more worn-down parts most of the time.

However, I know most of you, dear subscribers. Some of you were avid readers of Negative White or people I had the fortune to meet in the music business. Some of you are close friends. And I kind of know what genres you like.

But if music really is like an old carpet, there are the edges. The fraying abyss where the rug is anything but commonly accepted as beautiful. It‘s a dangerous place; the destruction is real. There are some examples in past episodes like Harness by Boundaries or Harakiri for the Sky‘s cover version of Song To Say Goodbye. But Weekly5 rarely wanders off to those cataclysmic realms.

Today‘s an exception. Today, I embrace the extremes with five songs released in 2021 that have to power to rip the planet apart. In this episode, you will discover the outer rims on both ends of the spectrum: brutal assaults with guitars as chainsaws and skull-crushing beats.

Enjoy (maybe).

Lorna Shore – To the Hellfire

It’s the soundtrack of the apocalypse. To The Hellfire by the US deathcore band Lorna Shore is a martial assault unlike anything I’ve ever heard. The brutality, the fierceness, it’s overwhelming. A six-minute-long barrage, mowing down every living thing in its way. Lorna Shore have created a hellish spawn that pulls you down into the darkness like a ton of concrete chained to your soul.

🎧 Spotify | Apple Music

Space 92 – Atlas

The weight of the world rests on your shoulders. Atlas by French producer Space 92 synchronizes hearts and legs with its relentless beat. But within the constant hammering techno lives a progressive-styled melody. The world that Atlas carries is a psychedelic one. Is Space 92’s soundscape a shining beauty? No. But it’s nonetheless intriguing.

🎧 Spotify | Apple Music

Alignment – Power

A warning siren, a sinful stomping in the abyss. The outrageous ecstasy in Alignment’s Power feels almost filthy. Put together by the Berlin-based Italian producer; the track is an unforgiving ride through earth and space, heaven and hell. And sometimes, the harmonic intermezzos in Power seem almost poetic if it weren’t for the deafening throbbing bass.

🎧 Spotify | Apple Music

Zeal & Ardor – Run (GEIZ Version)

Zeal & Ardor’s original version of Run is already a hymn of hazardous proportions. But in the hands of GEIZ, the black metal beacon becomes a disturbing synth-wave track. Run doesn’t lose any of its darkness. Instead of screaming guitars, the shattering synths and distorted hissed lyrics create a post-apocalyptic quality.

🎧 Spotify | Apple Music

Year Of No Light – Alètheia

French post-metal outfit Year Of No Light released their new record, Consolamentum, this year. Alètheia is a purely instrumental song, starting quite soft and atmospheric. Yet, you already feel uneasy; the rising pressure is tingling in your cells. The song becomes bigger by the second. And then, after more than five minutes, Year Of No Light burst like a raging volcano. It’s scary and liberating.

🎧 Spotify | Apple Music