You don’t really know this until you’re deep inside of it, but grief and emotional torment take a physical toll on your body. There is pain beyond what you feel in your heart and mind that can manifest itself in your body, making you feel like your were battered and bruised by a cage fighter. Grief and loss can overwhelm you in ways you cannot possibly imagine until those factors become a part of your life.

Denver’s BleakHeart have spent two records grappling with the misery that accompanies loss, the latest being “Silver Pulse,” an album that has powers beyond its doom-rich, entrancing music. Following up their 2020 debut “Dream Griever,” the band—vocalist/keyboardist/bassist Kelly Schilling (also of the great Dreadnought), guitarists JP Damron and Mark Chronister, vocalist/synth player Kiki GaNun, drummer Joshua Quinones, though Garrett B Jones handles drums in the live setting—spills all of their emotion and vulnerability into these six tracks. They lay bare the physical effects one withstands throughout life with handling grief, and they also push into how pain affects those who are on the other end, dealing with an illness and trying to find the strength to survive. Understanding these things and working to absorb the impact may key to fighting through and living alongside torment.

“All Hearts Desire” starts doomy as hell, keys shimmering, singing floating through the storm. The playing delves into the fog and gets dreamier, the synth swimming through shadowy waters, Schilling calling, “I feel their eyes watching,” as the moments dissolve. “Sinking Sea” starts with guitar thickening mists, the singing soothing as the emotion caterwauls, strings adding a frothing gaze. Reflective melodies ripple as things tighten up, the sounds swell, and the singing swirls before fading. “Where I’m Disease” begins with a capella calls, keys quivering as the guitars echo, delicate singing sending chills down your spine. The playing swirls as the guitars bristle, a nighttime vibe making your flesh cool to the touch, the keys chiming to a chilling finish.

“Let Go” starts with the keys dropping, lasers moving through mystical air, meandering purposely as the proper aura is achieved. Strings haunt as the song slinks, the icy terrain melting, consumed by heaviness and shadows. “Weeping Willow” is a more direct song, one that drives to its point, the guitars adding muscle as singing surges, scraping stardust. Keys glimmer as the guitars pick up the pace, the singing pushing back harder, the heavy strain spilling blood that runs into the rivers. Closer “Falling Softly” is the longest track, running 8:14 and opening in entrancing vibes, tranquility numbing your mind. The playing basks in darkness, hypnosis sinking in even deeper, sounds enveloping you, darkening as the notes hit harder. Clouds carry emotional tumult, twisting your bruised nerve endings, dissolving into the cosmos.

The pain and mental toll one pays when losing someone or facing down a disease can devastate, and that’s a toll one pays for life. BleakHeart’s elegant doom and heartfelt energy on “Silver Pulse” make that lesson hit hard, but it also offers an opening for healing and finding new strength that exist within the callouses of sadness. It’s not the heaviest record you’ll hear sonically, but it might be emotionally as it has its way with you and leaves you bruised and but hopeful you’ll survive the hard times.   

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bleakheartband

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.seeingredrecords.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.seeingredrecords.com/

We live in precarious times, and on top of that, we have political strife that is dragging us to new lows and a disassociation with society as we disappear further into our phones and other devices designed to keep us tuned into a never-ending doom scroll. It’s hard to battle back from that once the hooks are in us, and things such as corporate greed and our disintegrating planet become background noise instead front burner issues.

Portland doom duo Semuta are living in that same reality, watching our power as humans erode away as we’re continually done in by government misdeeds and the further devastation of the most vulnerable members of society. It’s hard to feel hopeful because it doesn’t appear the downward spiral is anywhere near stopping, and the band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Benjamin Caragol and drummer Ben Stoller—adds weight to those issues with their harrowing, yet melodic creations. The five tracks on their debut album “Glacial Erratic” mix a nice blend of doom and post-metal into a cauldron of power that can capture your imagination and hopefully pull more people back into the center of the fight.

“Toeing the Line” opens by spreading an immersive doom pall, the guitars bursting as clean singing adds color to the proceedings. In fact, Caragol’s singing reminds me a bit of Pallbearer’s Brett Campbell, which is a good thing. The playing is then crushing and even rubbery, churning through spacious terrain, the singing soothing as the waves engulf and hammer to an emotional end. “A Distant Light” jolts with guitars, progressive strains mixing in, the singing floating above the clouds. The melodies glow and usher in a psychedelic calm, the visceral pounding chewing away, the speed picking up and crushing as the scars slowly burn into flesh.

The title track is serene at first before the playing batters, softer singing wafting, trudging as the melodies leave tingles. The ground quakes as the tension builds, the guitars lighting up the sky, prog-fueled ambition driving harder, the leads glistening amid cosmic synth. “Selective Memory” has keys glazing, the singing easing in, jostling as the burliness thickens, blows landing hard. There’s an atmospheric gush that gets more pronounced, Caragol calling, “Trying to figure out which of those is really me,” an existential crisis moment that’s palpable, the doom might bleeding into closer “Wounds at the Stem” that immediately soars into space. Guitars echo as the playing slowly pounds flesh, twisting sinew and bending around corners, the singing pushing back as the playing darkens. Calming waters flow as wordless calls pulsate, heavy doom crushing to a echoing end.

It’s hard to imagine things get better anytime soon as far as our societal fracture and governments exercising their will on people, which Semuta highlight so forcefully on “Glacial Erratic.” This is melodic and thought-provoking music, even as it shines a light on some of the worst segments of our society. Change can’t happen if we’re constantly distracted by phones and other trinkets, and as long as the malaise continues, so will the weight of the boot standing on our necks.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/semutapdx

To buy the album, go here: https://semutamusic.bandcamp.com/album/glacial-erratic

Just about everywhere you look, especially here in the United States, religion is everywhere. Especially Christianity. Currently, we sit at a time when, depending on how the 2024 election pans out, we could have more law based on Christianity than ever before, and that already has seeped deep into our government. It’s everywhere, and even if you have a different faith or none at all, it’s an ever-present factor.

Legendary Greek black metal force Rotting Christ covered these issues for decades, and their latest record “Προ Χριστού (Pro Xristou)” delves back into the past to remember the last bastion of societies and leaders before Christianity took over the world. The title means “before Christ” in Greek, and the band—vocalist/guitarist Sakis Tolis, guitarist Kostas Foukarakis, bassist Kostas Cheliotis, drummer Themis Tolis—layers these songs with their gothic, fantastical black metal that sounds like a soundtrack to the final years before these clutches got more powerful. The record pays homage to historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, as well as the Pagan forces ready to do battle, and it’s riveting from the first moment to the last. The band is joined by a host of special guests including vocalist Amdroniki Skoula (of Chaostar); keyboard player Nikos Kerkiras; choir members Christina Alexiou, Maria Tsironi (of Neperia), Alexandros Loyziotis, and Vasilis Karatzas; and narrators Andrew Liles and Kim Diaz Holm to flesh out these metallic, stirring documents of hell.

“Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστού)” is a doomy, clobbering opener, a scene setter with rich atmosphere, heading into “The Apostate” that drubs, with narration that accompanies a lot of the tracks and some cleaner singing. “Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth,” Tolis howls, “hate for hate and ruth for ruth,” as elegant playing stretches, refusing to buckle to an oncoming storm, smoking to a devastating end. “Like Father, Like Son” has guitars soaring and gritty howls, blistering through an airy gust as the leads take off. “Ride like the wind, die like a hero, fight respect and go, from zero to a hero,” Solis wails as the fight reached a fiery pitch, landing blows right to the end. “The Sixth Day” opens as humankind is created, the leads lathering as the vocals punish with vigor, melodies and group singing uniting and adding muscle to the mix. The playing gains warmth and momentum, blistering howls powering to the end. “La Lettera Del Diavolo” ignites with drums encircling, shouts bruising, ripping into wildness and chaos. “Listen my creature, listen my Son, the death is certain, in this dying world I am creation, you named me God,” Solis stabs, wiry black metal mixing with choral wonder and fiery mysticism as it fades out.

“The Farewell” dawns with synth zapping, horses galloping wildly, spindly playing igniting fires that consume your nerves. The playing gets stickier and increases the humidity, going into murkier corners, the howls smashing and the horses returning to choke you in dust. “Pix Lax Dax” starts with acoustics before the sun-scorched forces take hold, pounding away as the howls leave flesh hanging from bone. A heavy, entrancing choral section creates a dense fog, Skoula’s singing adding a different texture to the chaos, barked howls following that up to reintroduce the violence and end in a strange mist. “Pretty World, Pretty Dies” opens with forces clashing, swords to shields, clanging as blood flows. Layered leads and forceful vocals make their way into the front line, group calls and luring chants uniting. “Mankind, mankind, burn bright In the greatness of the light, pretty mortals, pretty die,” Solis wails, the darkening guitars charring vision, a gothy storm front hanging overhead and choking away the light as the battle rages on. “Yggdrasil” arrives amid doom horns, guitars ramping up, a spirited front taking the fight by the horns. The crunch increases as group calls punch over the chorus, a simple one-word refrain, and the playing glazes as everything burns to the end. Closer “Saoirse” begins as war continues to spread, the playing building slowly, barked howls missing with rich, glorious playing that makes your blood flow. “Hail freedom, hail Freedom, our Freedom, our wisdom,” is chanted back, the daring guitars spiraling, clashing to a devastating finish.

The scourge of Christianity continues to wreak havoc to this day, and the more it digs into our politics and our society, the more control must be wrested back. Rotting Christ harken back to a time before the stranglehold had been applied, and the music on “Pro Xristoy” is both a reminder and a call to arms to battle back and prevent one religion from ruling the world. This is a nicely cinematic, gravely dusty history lesson and display of gothic black metal that sticks in your brain and reminds you to keep knives sharpened.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/rottingchristofficial/

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here (International): https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/

Death metal long has existed in the foulest, most violent regions of existence and in our psyches, letting us imagine and even fear the most horrific things imaginable. It’s a music form that wasn’t designed for the faint of heart, as its origins were for those who could handle the most extreme of circumstances, and there are many bands upholding that bloods, devious tradition.

Altar of Gore, a project helmed by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist the Acolyte of the Foul Ones, digs into the bloodiest of the death metal terrain, forcing listeners to withstand a psychologically torturous experience that makes you pay the price. Their second record “Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies” is a seven-track, 37-miniute pounder that follows up 2020’s “Obscure and Obscene Gods” and increase the levels of gore and violence that bombards you from the beginning and ravages you until the end. By the way, guitarist Joe Aversario also is a part of this carnage, handling some of the guitar leads and adding even more scorch to this already ravaging fire.

“Introduction” is a quick, burly introduction that unloads an appetizer of mauling death that brawls right into “Excoriation Prayers” that bludgeons right away. The growls pound as mean and nasty blows accompany steaming guitars, the drums battering away. Vicious wails waylay as cavernous violence has its way, smashing until the final drops of blood are squeezed from veins. “Infinite Visions of Violence” rips and batters, guttural growls going through your midsection, guitars scorching amid the panic. Hissed howls threaten danger, the brutality getting ugly and out of hand, violent hell dragging you over the coals. “Destined for the Pit” is bruising and ominous, plastering with metallic gore, unloading as the drums destroy. The growls bury as the pace gets deadlier, pummeling with abrasive blows, hurtling toward the bitter end.

“Carrion Womb” trudges as the guitars grind, drilling with precision as the vocals go for the throat. The mud then thickens as the crushing force becomes too much to take, ugliness ripping everything apart, mauling growls jabbing the blade. “Blood for Blood (Flesh for Flesh)” has a smashing pace, flattening as the leads sting, chewing through muscle and bone. The tempo hulks with impenetrable weight, the guitars surging as the atmosphere boils, turning everything to dust. “Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies” closes the record, and the bass tramples, the drums decimate, and growls lurch. The atmosphere gets filthier and more muscular, the guitars searching graves, the pressure mounts, and the violent, beastly torment drills into the crust of the earth.

The devastating, devious energies found on “Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies” are hard to shake as they dig into your flesh and pull your muscles through your pores. Altar of Gore continue to put a horrific grip on the ugliness of heavy metal and what is possible when it comes to psychological torment meted out by the darkest of the arts. This is a ferocious, unforgiving record, that refuses to release its pressure until you’ve fully faded away.  

For more on the band, go here: https://altarofgore.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://namelessgraverecords.com/collections/nameless-grave-records-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://namelessgraverecords.com/

Finding bands with their own sound, where you absolutely know who you’re hearing before someone identifies them for you, is becoming a more rarified experience. Homogenization has become a norm, not just for metal but most forms of music, and that’s not a criticism as much as an observation. There’s so much out there that we’re flooded with sameness.

 Tzompantli were a revelation when they arrived in 2022 with their debut record “Tlazcaltiliztli,” delivering death doom that also basked in Indigenous/Native history and instrumentation. The spirits and thunderous power were impossible to shake, and they manage to up the ante on their great second album “Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force,” a seven-track, 42-minute force unlike almost anything else you’ll hear this year. The band has grown into a full-fledged musical tribe here as we have originator and Xibalba guitarist Brian “Itztlakamayeh” Ortiz (vocals, rhythm/lead guitars, bass, folk instruments, percussion), Manzig “Yohualli” Sanchez (guitars), Justin Ton (guitars), Mateotl Boughton (guitars), Eric Delgado (bass), Jason “Katulu” Brunes (vocals, folk instruments, percussion), Erol Ulug (vocals, guitars), Alejandro Aranda (vocals, drums, folk instruments, percussion), Justin Moore (vocals), Lord Foul (vocals), Mateotl Gonzalez (folk instruments, percussion) all contributing to make this massive record what it is. It’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s penetrating, and it’ll leave you thoroughly destroyed.

“Tetzahuitl” erupts with sharp howls, trudging as guitars blaze, drubbing with mean spirit. The playing batters as the leads take off from there, pounding as the guitars melt rock, and then a calculated fury drags us into the dust. “Tlayohualli” punishes and mauls, the raw growls taking bodies apart, the humidity thickening and making breathing a chore. A beastly force bludgeons, twin leads taking off and adding a sense of glory to the carnage. The aura is devastating, crushing as the guitars glimmer, the heat spreading before being quenched by a driving rain. “Tlaloc Icuic” bursts with Native whistles, guitars dripping, and chanted vocals meeting up with beastly growls. The playing goes cold for a moment before coming back and ripping flesh, entrancing as the slowly meted-out devastation gores. “Chichimecatl” boils before battering, unloading as the guitars scorch, dust spreading and choking as you’re beaten with maniacal force. Deep growls bruise as the guitars unite and hypnotize, gangly hell reaching out, plowing to a furious end.

“Tetzaviztli” starts with rhythmic hand drumming before the doom clouds thicken overhead, a haze collecting as drums encircle, and the growls scrape flesh from your throat. The vocals lacerate as the chants gain heat, flattening as the soot increases, the guitars chugging as the intensity lashes, slowly trudging as the final moments squeeze out all breath. “Otlica Mictlan” arrives amid colder guitars and then growls that go for the throat, the drums pelting as the riffs drill into an electrified hell. Clean guitars glimmer behind the raging fires, the howls bubbling over, slipping into an entrancing atmosphere that pulls you under. Closer “Icnocuicatl” is the longest track, a 9:04-long excursion that begins reflectively, clean singing mesmerizing, and then the vice tightening, howls scraping as things get chilling even as temperatures begin to rise. There are harrowing moments that eventually unite with colder melodies, the singing floating above the chaos as the playing erupts and begins to crush. Guitars burn, drain, and then rise again, the heat peaking dangerously before the final blows deal a final dose of devastation.

“Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force” is a mind-splitting, smoking dose of doom-emblazoned death metal, and with that wide array of musicians that are a part of the tribe of Tzompantli, you’re bombarded with a spirit with which you cannot contend. This second record from this band is heavier, richer, and more nuanced, something that will have major impact on first listen, and then the layers reveal themselves more every time you go back. This is a fiery, crushing display, one that unleashes the ancient forces of both their ancestors and the roots of metal that’ll leave you absolutely scorched.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/tzompantlidoom

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/tzompantli

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Every now and again, we hear about asteroids or other objects that come close to our planet and potentially threaten life on our planet. About 200 million years ago, that real event happened, called the Chicxulub impactor that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula and wiped the dinosaurs and other life forms from the planet. Life never was the same.

Botanist, the avant-garde black metal project long helmed by Otrebor (who plays hammered dulcimer and keyboards), spent the bulk of 12 albums and other mini releases detailing the events of the fictional Verdant Realms. But on their new album “Paleobotany,” the travel far into the past when the dinosaurs walked, the forests had started to turn into coal, and humankind had not yet begun their assault against the natural world. Here, Botanist slip back into their full-band mode with Mar handling vocals, Tony Thomas (also of Circle of Ouroboros) playing bass, and Daturus playing drums. This record really stands out from the rest of their catalog, which makes sense since it covers new ground, and it bursts with energy and emotional depth, making it one of their most inventive releases. It also covers a period of absolute tumult and chaos, restarting life on this volatile planet.

“Aristolochia” opens with the melodies flowing like fresh water, bustling as Mar’s clean singing emerges, an interesting and refreshing twist to the Botanist canon. The playing turns murky and gothy, roars bustling behind, the grisly turn fading into dust. “When Forests Turned to Coal” brings soaring singing, the drums rattling as foggy emissions turn catchy, throat buzzing rushing down your back. “Lost to the annals of history,” Mar calls, the pace blasting into the earth, bleeding away into oblivion. “Magnolia” basks in synth and a plodding bassline, strong singing and growls intertwining, a dream haze and harmonizing adding to the majesty. The fluid melodies thicken as the playing creates welts, the dulcimer strains ringing into time. “Archaeamphora” stirs as the singing rushes, a hypnotic and propulsive power pushing like a strong wind, layered singing making your thoughts come to life. The journey gets darker and rockier, the playing taking a turn toward progressive terrain. “The Impact That Built the Amazon” is chilling and eerie, the singing enriched with harmony, a lush, gentle pathway illuminating something so violent. “Mass destruction will create,” Mar calls as the dulcimer guides, and the playing mesmerizes.

“Sigillaria” stings with hearty singing, a breezy sunburst of playing making things feels like it’s ready to burst with life. The playing gushes and grows even more spirited, pulsing and pushing, finally ricocheting into the stars. “Strychnos Electri” chimes with dulcimer, the growling creating a bruising pressure, scarring as the atmosphere increases. Throat singing reverberates, the playing getting grittier, ripping through the leaves as the dew splashes and leaves the ground coated. “Wollemia Nobilis” is a short, bristling, alien-like piece that combusts, scary growls crawling down your back, the strangeness becoming a beast that’s growing too large to take down. “Dioon” is punchy and chugs hard, the growls lacing as the playing spirals, gutting with vicious energy. The chorus is rich with gothy colors, the pace picking up and spattering, clean calls pulling you back and chilling your flesh. Closer “Royal Protea” starts fluidly and forcefully, the singing hypnotizes, and the synth glazes. The playing is lush but also fires stinging impulses, the keys creating a thickening cloud.

It’s been millions of years since dinosaurs walked the earth, and the events documented on “Paleobotany” have been studied forever, continually fascinating people who have wanted to uncover what happened and how it impacted our world. Botanist long has been a project that relishes defending nature, but this is a new twist lyrically and a different approach musically that makes for one of the band’s most interesting records. Everything about this album feels fresh and exciting, and it adds yet another layer into Verdant Realm lore that opens up natural history to every era.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Verdant.Realm.Botanist/

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/botanist-paleobotany

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

Metal, and especially black metal, tends to revel in the negativity, the dark spaces that grow thicker with each record, a way to release that negativity productively. That’s if you’re in a good headspace. There’s not a lot out there that lifts you up, gives you something that sparks joy, lets you get away from the monotony of pain and suffering for a while.

Bay Area black metal band Agriculture describe their music as ecstatic, and it’s impossible to hear their work and not feel something different and meaningful brewing inside of you. The band—guitarist/vocalist Daniel Meyer-O’Keeffe, bassist/vocalist Leah B. Levinson, guitarist Richard Chowenhill, drummer/percussionist Kern Haug—follows up their debut self-titled full-length with a new EP “Living Is Easy,” a title that is not dripping with sarcasm like you might expect from metal. This four-track burst hits you hard and delves into subjects including community, sacrifice, and finding the positive and good aspects of life, a heavy turn that makes this band stand apart from everyone else. This is packaged with their first EP “The Circle Chant,” which we covered in November 2022 and is now getting its first vinyl pressing.

“Living Is Easy” opens with blinding riffs that lather with chaos, shrieks raining down, the pressure rampaging easily. Melodies rush as vile howls bruise flesh, and a small dose of calm is misleading as a manic gust attacks, piling on with blistering madness, flooding with infectious madness. “Being Eaten By a Tiger” turns to quiet, folkish playing, the band recounting a tale of a young Buddha encountering a family of starving tigers and sacrificing his body to nourish them. It’s a tender, emotional track, the act of selflessness weaving into your heart. “In The House of Angel Flesh” recounts The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, a 1977 book by Larry Mitchell about communal relations built in a time of chaos and struggle. The playing is fiery and destructive, incredible energy rippling through your body, the bass driving as the metallic stabs increase. The track swims through fire on its way to building strength and familiar support, crushing to a delirious finish. “When You Were Born” is a short closer that’s a poem about finding people along your life journey who help redefine what makes up your support system.

Agriculture’s power is something you might not fully understand until their music is within your grasp and you absorb their work, and “Living Is Easy” is a quick dose of what they do best. It’s an infectious, immersive 16 minutes, and it’s so different from one song to the next, and in each moment as it develops, that you’ll need repeat visits just to digest it all. That’s a good thing, and to find black metal that makes you feel alive inside and gives you hope for your own journey is irreplaceable.

For more on the band, go here: https://agriculturemusic.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/flenser-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://nowflensing.com/

Any music that makes me feel like I’m hurtling through space on a craft that is unlike anything we know on this earth always is going to be welcome in my collection. You don’t need mind-altering substances, though they help, in these types of situations because the music and the ambiance are all you really need to get there.

Long-running psyche doom warriors Ufomammut always nail the intergalactic sweet spot, and on their 10^th record “Hidden,” they manage to open up new portals we’ve yet to encounter. Over six sprawling tracks and 45 minutes, the band—vocalist/bassist/synth player Urlo, guitarist Poia, drummer Levre, sound master Ciccio—stretches the possibilities of what doom can be, and while it’s not wildly different from their other nine record and slate of smaller releases, there’s still a sense of freshness packed inside. It’s a dream that has its rocky moments but always leaves you numb and electrified.

“Crookhead” bursts open, cosmic heat building, drubbing as alien singing spreads, numbing as the fuzz collects and drags you deep into chilling outer space. The haze spreads generously before erupting into fire, spilling over dangerously and mixing with punchy electronic pulses that eventually land within the stars. “Kismet” sizzles as the singing surges, muddy power accelerating, folding in burly playing and cosmic dust, the bass thickening. Guitars scorch as the tempo burns, the singing numbs as they achieve a desert ambiance, spiraling past worlds you never could hope to visit. “Spidher” chars as the singing belts, flattening with a heavier push, the howls scarring as the humidity increases. The playing crushes as things get faster and more aggressive, the band pounding your flesh into a bloody pile before finally relenting.

“Mausoleum” bristles with sonic pulses, the singing numbing as the playing flattens and then works into more of a mid-tempo sprawl. The keys numb as cosmic zaps whip by your head, the bass chugging as the singing feels like a transmission from a long-lost dimension. The pace appears to freeze before lava bursts through the surface, the playing slicing through muscle, the singing floating in a cloud before disappearing into black sky. “Leeched” has chugging riffs and a forceful melody that rolls in mud, the singing scorching as a burly low end bruises your flesh. The smoking doom gets more penetrating, the doom spiraling into corrosion, synth zapping as your brain is baked, and we leak right into closer “Soulost.” Frigid and bathing in echo, the singing pulls you into the center of a psychedelic dream, the guitars bathing in druggy waters. Fires then rage as the sounds fry, filling your senses, disappearing into galactic smoke.

Ufomammut continue to open their world both musically and psychedelically on “Hidden,” yet another gem from a band that continues to push their talents and the contents of their mind. Your best bet, like most of their records, is to enjoy this with headphones at night, preferably gazing at the stars that inspire these artists. But really, there is no setting that won’t be welcoming for their space doom as long as you’re willing to expand your mind and take the journey along with them.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ufomammutband

To buy the album, go here: https://neurotrecordings.merchtable.com/ufomammut/?

Or here: https://www.supernaturalcat.com/home/hiddenpreorder/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.neurotrecordings.com/

And here: https://www.supernaturalcat.com/home/

Doom and death don’t die, nor do they age, and the ones that practice in these harrowing arts also seem to have an endless life supply. It’s funny thinking about that because we’re talking about music that is for the suffering, the ones who need a compatriot to survive the worst of circumstance, and here are these sounds, ready to shroud one’s wounds.

It’s been a strange, illustrious, and devastating ride for doom metal legends My Dying Bride, a band that took something planted by Black Sabbath and stretched it into an art form more dramatic and wounded. They’ve now returned with their excellent 15^th record “A Mortal Binding,” a seven-track, 55-minute collection that can be put up with some of their better work, a late-era gem that feels like all the sinister forces coming together. Yet, as we have this new record, the band—vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, guitarists Andrew Craighan and Neil Blanchett, bassist Lena Abé, keyboardist/violin player Shaun MacGowan, drummer Dan Mullins—announced all live activities are on hold due to strife within the band. It’s a sad development, and hopefully a temporary one, because these songs deserve to exist in a live setting, and this record should be celebrated. They speak to a fracture during the creation of this record and the difficult nature of the studio sessions, which sits in defiance to the bio that accompanies this album, and as of this writing, the chasm hasn’t been cured. Let’s hope for the best and that My Dying Bride persevere.

“Her Dominion” opens in a dreary haze, snarled growls clawing, the playing chugging as strings glaze. Horns call and direct deeper into the murk, and then the power clutches harder, Stainthorpe wailing, “All men will fall,” as the bass trudges, and leads burn into oblivion. “Thornwyck Hymn” hammers as Stainthorpe’s singing haunts, gazey guitars spreading the moodiness that is thickening and moving like a mysterious mist. “The twisted waters, they call my name,” Stainthorpe bellows, the playing growing blacker and washing into the shadows. “The 2nd of Three Bells” has keys glazing and the singing sludging, mournful melodies taking hold and squeezing harder. Gothy winds blow as the guitars char, the growls pounding away as the menace increases, the stings mourn, and everything bleeds into the mud. “Unthroned Creed” burns and mashes, the soot caked thick, the singing adding to the increasing clouds. Whispers trace as the playing creaks, the strings sighing deeply as the shadows thicken, steamy doom leaving a thick film on your flesh.

“The Apocalyptist” is the longest track, running 11:22 and dawning with eloquent strings and vicious growls, the burly tempo bubbling to the surface. Thick strings make your heart palpitate, the howls carving as cold rains dampen and cause relentless shivering, Stainthorpe lamenting, “I cannot hold on forever.” The playing drubs slowly, stretching as the screws are turned, the chorus crushing with weight and momentum, ending in a pile of ash. “A Starving Heart” moved steadily, yet slowly into the fog, a doomy pall stretching, visions of fire haunting your dreams. Gruff howls jolt as singing dumps oil, a gothy thickness becoming a beast with which to contend. The chorus jars as guitars ring out, swelling and disappearing in steam. Closer “Crushed Embers” runs 9:02, bathing in sorrowful waters, Stainthorpe calling out, “And at that very moment, I was your echo.” Guitars pick up momentum as the bass plods, the melodies splashing, vicious roars making the ground quake. “All the joy had gone from her,” Stainthorpe presses, a morose shadow growing more ominous, everything ending abruptly and savagely.

Well into their third decade of existence, My Dying Bride remain a vital, ever-flowing source of pain and lamentation, elegant doom that feels like it could have existed 200 years ago and felt just as at home. “A Mortal Binding” is a record that grows even better with additional listens as you work your way through each morbid layer on your way to finding uncomfortable truths. The band’s next steps remain in question, but for now, we have this 15^th serving of sorrowful poetry, black arts that push on your heart and mind, and the feeling that even at the brink of apocalypse, these figures will remain standing to usher in the end.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/MyDyingBrideOfficial/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/products/my-dying-bride-a-mortal-binding

For more on the label, go here: https://www.nuclearblast.com/

There are many ways that bands can celebrate a landmark moment in time. Live albums, best-of collections, tours focused on certain records, and special merch are manners in which that’s been done, and it depends on the artists and their audience as to which approach works best. When it comes to Bossk, the above isn’t quite enough.

Moving in on two decades together and the end of their first era that also marks the departure of vocalist Sam Marsh (he was replaced by Simon Wright), the long-running post-metal juggernaut is releasing “.4,” an interesting compilation of pieces from their history displayed in an entirely new way that their audience hasn’t heard before. Bossk—they’re rounded out by guitarists Alex Hamilton and Rob Vaughan, bassist Tom Begley, and drummer Nick Corney—have a slew of mini releases and two great full-lengths to their name, and as they look ahead to their third record, planned for 2026, they’re closing their first chapter with this nine-track collection. Assembling new versions of rare tracks, remixes, and takes by like-minded colleagues who try their capable hands at classic Bossk songs, this is a more thought-provoking and interesting collection than a mere best-of or something of that nature. This is a riveting adventure that, no matter how deeply you’ve consumed their music, you will find something surprising and refreshing to absorb.

“Kobe” features UK-based post-metal band Pijn, and they stay faithful to the original with their own flourishes. They capture the doomy swing and the pummeling low end, rumbling with emotion and momentum, making your blood rush as they keep driving deeper and harder to push you over the edge. “Truth II” is a new take of the song that also features Dubai-based composer Sheenagh Murray, whose own version of the song inspired the new take. Her singing floats above the thunder, adding new textures and visions to this band classic, power swelling and the guitars adding heat. Wordless calls surge as lush, dreamy playing swims in the clouds, pulsating as the spirit collects and a synth wave chills bones. “Albert” is a new track the band only played live once, and in a different version. Corney reworked it, and now it exists with fuzzy beats, jolting, stabbing guitars, and battering energy. You might find your mind drifting into the cosmos, taking on a cosmic glaze, the guitars spiraling away. “Events Occur In Real Time” was recorded so that outgoing vocalist Marsh could put his glass-shredded voice to this 13-minute epic. The only version that existed before this was a live take, so this is a different animal. Mariachi-style horns greet you, guitars chiming and noise buzzing, Marsh’s throaty wails laying down the hammer. The song is devastating both musically and emotionally as the band pours every ounce of themselves into this, acting as a powerful centerpiece that pays homage to their past and paves a path into the future.

“White Stork,” the first song on 2021’s “Migration,” still features Japanese sound experimenters Endon, but with the Bossk elements significantly pushed back. That makes for an eerier track, one that feels like it’s crawling down your spine, cosmic pressure growing, weird trickling hovering as sounds hiss, finally escaping into the atmosphere. “I” is a 2006 remix from Twin Zero guitarist Reuben Gotto, and noises scrape over it, rattling as guitars glow, sounds bustling as the spirit grows threatening. The gust and gaze unite, the steam rising and everything coming to a chilling end. “The Reverie” gets a more delicate treatment by instrumental band Maybeshewill, splashing chilling keys and giving the track and ambiance that feels like a foggy early morning, sun doing its best to push through the clouds. Synth gathers and collects, bringing a sense of serenity, slowly dissolving and melting into the ground. Canadian prog-psyche beast Crown Lands takes on “The Reverie II” and pushes it even deeper into space, the guitars gushing and zipping past alien worlds, hypnotic forces taking you under and helping you see visions you couldn’t before. Keys zap as the prog elements thicken, sinking into an insurmountable deluge that enthralls and settles into the galaxy. Closer “181 To Beulah” also is a song that previously only was available in a live version, and this track, played entirely on guitar, is breezy and reflective, a dark, shadowy figure that lifts and numbs, disappearing into darkness, feeling like a temporary being that haunts and then slips back into a different fold in time.

Anyone who has been on the ride with Bossk should revel in this collection as it presents their previous work in a way you’ve never witnessed it before. “.4” might be the ending of one story and the start of a new one, but it’s also a testament to some really great, riveting work that has captured imaginations and whisked spirits into entirely new territories. We wait in great anticipation of what comes next for Bossk on their forthcoming album, and this collection will act as a connective thread to the first era that has passed but will remain in hearts and minds forever.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bosskonline/

To buy the album, go here: https://deathwishinc.com/collections/bossk

For more on the label, go here: https://deathwishinc.com/