Archive for the ‘Now Playing’ Category
Picks of 2020
This past year, more specifically the last 9 months have been easily the toughest for me. During the initial months of isolation, Music became my main solace along with exercise. I think I have listened to more music this year compared to past couple years. Hence it was not an easy task putting together this list.

Non metal picks (in no particular order)
Impulsive Voices is another impressive release from the guitar prodigy from Down Under. This album is darker and is a huge step in all aspects. Just listen to the track Pan which features a saxophone is a stand out track on Impulsive Voices.
Rock the Highway is a great throwback to the 80’s rock sound. There are a couple of progressive tracks on the album like Identity Crisis. Wonder if their future material will be like that.
The Earth below is the solo project from Deepak Raghu from Shepherd. Nothing Works Vol. 2- Hymns For Useless Gods was my soundtrack during times of melancholy. Big step ahead in terms of production.
Bayaan is a Pop rock from Pakistan. Suno is a very catchy album that reminds me of the Pakistani Pop rock releases from the mid 2000’s
Karakoram are another good rock band from Pakistan featuring Zain Peerzada from Takatak on guitars. Ibtida is a promising release and their upcoming album will be one to looks out for in 2021.
Metal picks
#10 On Solitude, Cloudkicker turned heavy again and was totally what I needed this year. Thank you Ben Sharp for this album.
#9 ‘When I Die, Will I Get Better?’ is a seemless meld of hardcore and black metal. The album took me on a journey through the album. I especially enjoyed the lyrics and topics it covers, things we face both in real life and online.
#8 The World that was is a potent mix of Death and doom metal. Temple of Void keep getting better with each album like a fine wine or whiskey.
#7 Stare Into Death And Be Still is Extreme metal with a menacing atmosphere. A phenomenal release. I don’t think any other album has captured better the sound of the shitshow that this year has been.
#6 Mortal has a mix of all my favourite elements of death metal, Low growls and crunchy guitar riffs. Alseep Forever is a track that I will be listening to for years to come. One of the best death metal albums I’ve heard this year.
#5 Habits is one of the albums I have listened to the most this year. It’s meditative riffs and doomy vocals left me in a trance.
#4 The first time I heard Chatta, I was blown away by what I heard. Each time I listen to this album, I find a new element. This album has pushed the levels of grindcore. This album is Chatta!
#3 Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic is a Post metal masterpiece. This album made me trip/transcend to another level.
#2 The Sanguinary Impetus is a strange mix of Technical and brutal death metal. On their previous album, they did a split of sorts with Disposal of the Dead and Dharmata. This album is a marriage of both albums and pummels you into submission. An All A’s album.
#1 Yes for the 2nd year in a row, my pick is Spirit Adrift. Enlightened In Eternity was my pick me up album for this year. An album that gave me hope that there is a light at the end of this.
Written by trendcrusher
December 25, 2020 at 11:00 am
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with Chepang, Cloudkicker, Defeated Sanity, Elephant Tree, Necrot, Spirit Adrift, Svalbard, Temple of Void, The Ocean, The Ocean Collective, Ulcerate
Bandcamp Recommendations – 4th December 2020 #BandcampFriday
The last #BandcampFriday of the year is here! Check the previous posts I did here
New music from the solo black metal act in a couple years. From the single released so far, sounds a bit darker.
2020 has been a great year for Death metal and this album is a great addition to the list. Just over 49 minutes of prime death metal. No filler at all. AOTY material!
Comeback release from the now Mumbai based act showcases a heavier progressive sound.
The new release from genre shifting Aussie act has them take a psychedelia route. Trippy stuff!
2nd release this year from as Jesu. On Terminus, he goes back to the shoegaze sound of his earlier material.
500th release from the grindcore label is a 3 way split between the best current acts in the genre.
3rd solo release from Indian veteran metal musician. He plays all instruments on this one. Out next week.
Compilation featuring the bands that are part of Global Grindcore Alliance Festival Vol 1.0. Quite a few exclusive tracks.
Ripple Music and Vegas Rock Revolution put together this compilation. John Gist (VRR) has hand picked the bands part of this.
Written by trendcrusher
December 4, 2020 at 8:00 pm
Bandcamp Recommendations – 6th November 2020
First Friday of the month, everyone knows the drill by now.
This one was a surprise release. New music from the band that got every teenager in the 2000’s into metal. This is to benefit the Armenia Fund, a US based charity organization instrumental in providing those in need in Artsakh and Armenia with supplies needed for their basic survival.
The debut album from the best Pakistan metal act that I have heard recently
As the days turn shorter and weather colder, here is some Hungarian Black metal for company.
First non metal recommendation, my good friend Abhi Meer has a new single out through Boxout.fm recordings.
Pummeling power violence from the American duo.
The first album from the Canadian grindcore stalwarts in 5 years is out in a couple weeks.
2 track EP by the Tech death metal act from Down under is out later this month
4 compilations featuring bands across all sub genres of Metal. All proceeds go to combatting UK food poverty.
Written by trendcrusher
November 7, 2020 at 12:28 am
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with Abhi Meer, Bandcamp Friday, fuck the facts, Marblebog, Psycroptic, Stimulant, System of a Down, Takatak
Fistful of Metal 21
A hour of metal from around the world. First aired on boxout.fm
Track List
Spirit Adrift – Ride into the Light
Raging Speedhorn – Hard to Kill
Enslaved – Homebound
Takatak – Flash Your Bones
Svalbard – Click Bait
False Gods – Stay Frosty
Construct of Lethe – Lamasthu
Depravity – Cantankerous Butcher
Fuck the Facts – Pleine Noirceur
Carcass – The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue
Written by trendcrusher
November 5, 2020 at 12:53 pm
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with Carcass, Construct of Lethe, Depravity, Enslaved, False Gods, fuck the facts, Raging Speedhorn, Spirit Adrift, Svalbard, Takatak
Fistful of Metal 20
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Riley Gale, the front man of American metal act Power Trip.

Track list
Power Trip – Executioner’s Tax
Capra – Torture Ship
Allfather – Poison Soil
Grid – Disinformation = Facts
Grid – Insatiable
Skeletal Remains – Illusive Divinity
Necrot – Asleep Forever
Cloudkicker – Code Language
Hinayana – In Sacred Delusion (Ft. Toni Toivonen)
Foretoken – Bewildering Duress/Retribution
Jupiterian – Mere Humans
Cynic – How Could I
Written by trendcrusher
October 8, 2020 at 1:49 pm
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with boxout.fm, death metal, Fistful of metal, Metal, Thrash metal
Bandcamp Recommendations – 2nd October 2020
Here are my picks for this month’s Bandcamp Friday
Is it Bandcamp Friday? pic.twitter.com/Z49KWfn39k
— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) October 2, 2020
This British trio have released one of the most intense metal albums I’ve heard this year. Believe the hype around it.
9 tracks of catchy melodic Black metal from the American quintent. Yes, it does have clean vocals.
Latest album from the German collective adds a new depth to their progressive sound. Their best as yet.
Over a hour of doom curated by the good folks at Sleeping Village
The who’s who of the Metal put their spin on Alice in Chains – Dirt on the 28th anniversary of the album.
Compilation with a stacked line up that benefits the family of a killer metal musician.
Written by trendcrusher
October 2, 2020 at 11:52 pm
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with alice in chains, Amiensus, bandcamp, Bandcamp Friday, Metal, Svalbard, The Ocean Collective
Bandcamp Reccomendations – 4th September 2020
Here are my pick for this #BandcampFriday
The debut release from Foretoken is a melodic mix of death and black metal. Features Hannes Grossmann on drums. Great signing by Prosthetic Records.
This 5 track live release from Allfather proves that their raucous metal is best experienced live. Includes demos of 2 new tracks.
Another live release. This time from Scottish (post) rock act, Mogwai
32 tracks of doom metal put together by the awesome folks at Doomed and Stoned
50+ minutes of doom/drone from the new project of Ganesh K (Kryptos/Bevar Sea), Megadrone is truly a listening experience.
Another compilation. This one has a stacked line up
New album from Cloudkicker. A blind buy for many.
Written by trendcrusher
September 4, 2020 at 11:31 pm
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with Allfather, Bandcamp Friday, Black metal, Cloudkicker, death metal, Foretoken, Megadrone, Metal, Mogwai, post rock
Bandcamp Reccomendations – 5th June 2020
Last month I had done a thread on Twitter with recommendations, this time around I thought I would focus on a few albums releasing this month.
Now that the @Bandcamp waiver has started, here is my list of recommendations (largely labels)
— Peter K (@trendcrusher) May 1, 2020
Death Courier – Necrotic Verses
An aural juggernaut that lasts for just over 30 minutes. Stellar comeback release from the Greek death metal act.
Heathen Beast – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised But It Will Be Heard
My man Abi Meer has described the upcoming release from Heathen Beast quite well.
Few bands in India are as brazenly subversive and also entirely anonymous. They may be one person or five, we may never know, but when they say The Revolution Will Not Be Televised But It Will Be Heard, Kolkata’s Heathen Beast don’t mince their words.
Lord – Chaos Rising
New single from the heavy metal act from Down Under is an apt listen for the current state of the world.
Serocs – Vore
5 new tracks of killer death metal from an all star line up. Their best work yet!
A couple of compilations
16 track sampler from Horror Pain Gore Death Productions
20 tracks from Brutal Panda Records
Written by trendcrusher
June 5, 2020 at 4:20 pm
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with Bandcamp Friday, Death Courier, Heathen Beast, Lord, Serocs
Fistful of Metal 14
2 hours of pulsating heavy metal from around the world featuring bands affected by the Coronavirus.

Exhorder – My Time Website Merch
Devilspeak – Unearth Hell Bandcamp
Rapture – Malevolent Demise Incarnation Bandcamp
Gatecreeper – From the Ashes Bandcamp Merch
Defeated Sanity – Suttee Bandcamp
Godless – Empty Graves Bandcamp Merch
Gutslit – Blood Eagle Bandcamp Merch
Ingested – Erotic Depravity Bandcamp Merch
Viscera – Immersed in Ire Bandcamp
Beneath the Massacre – Rise of the Fearmonger Bandcamp Merch
Origin – Sociocide Bandcamp Merch
Cattle Decapitation -Time’s Cruel Curtain Bandcamp Merch
Beyond Creation – Entre Suffrage Et Mirage Bandcamp
Bhayanak Maut – Shoreline Bandcamp
Void Vator – Monster Bandcamp
Iron Kingdom – White Wolf Merch
Kurokuma – The Tides of Time Bandcamp Gofundme
Abigail Williams – Into the Sleep Bandcamp Merch
hubris. – Dionysus Bandcamp
Insomnium – Valedicition Merch
Countless Skies – Tempest Bandcamp
Kvelertak – Crack of Doom Bandcamp Merch
The Stone Eye – Ventura Bandcamp
Almost Honest – Keystone Bandcamp
Haken – A Cell Divides Gofundme
Written by trendcrusher
March 20, 2020 at 12:00 am
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with boxout.fm, Fistful of metal
Fistful of Metal 12
A mix of my favourite tracks released in 2019 and also what I have been currently listening to.
Tracklist
Nile – Long Shadows of Dread
Paganizer – Apocalypse Writings
Annihilator – Armed to the Teeth
Kryptos – Dead of Night
Spirit Adrift – Angel & Abyss
Marijannah – Shapeless
Devin Townsend – Genesis
Periphery – It’s only smiles
Cloudkicker – Xaoc
Lord – Nod to the Old School
Discord – Bungaa
Discord – Mahakali
Pacifist – Greyscale Dreams
Written by trendcrusher
January 18, 2020 at 10:01 am
Posted in Now Playing
Tagged with box, Fistful of metal