We have a lot of great albums to cover over the remaining weeks of 2015, but let’s not forget the smaller releases that came out. EPs and splits we generally don’t include in the top 40, just because they aren’t traditional full-length releases. But plenty of stuff came out this year that was a ton of fun and deserves to be revisited and praised.

THE BODY/KRIEG, split (Thrill Jockey): This record was a weird one, but in a really good way. You put long-running black metal project Krieg and apocalyptic doom duo The Body into a room, and do you get the sum of both parts? One would think, but that’s anything but we got on this one. I say that in a good way. More industrial elements work their way into the record, as each entity melds together and creates something insanely dark and warped. So it’s dark, it’s disturbing, and it’ll burn your face off as you writhe in pain and confusion along with both bands.

For more on The Body go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/the-body/334047229514

For more on Krieg, go here: https://www.facebook.com/officialkrieg

To buy the album, go here: https://atalossrecordings.merchtable.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.atalossrecordings.com/

FOEHAMMER, self-titled (Grimoire): Ugly and swaggering doom? Yeah, we’re into that a lot. Foehammer’s debut EP is a smothering, crushing affair that swims in the horrid seas of funeral doom but also puts some attitude and fun into that equation. The trio crushes you under the weight of their woe, with down-tuned ugliness, some proper Iommi worship, and dark, muddy violence that never fails to hit the spot. They feel raw and unhinged on this record, do Foehammer, and they deserve to be in the conversation of the unsung, promising newer doom bands bubbling under the surface. These guys have what it takes to eat you alive.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://grimoirerecords.bandcamp.com/album/foehammer

Or here: http://www.australopithecusrecords.com/products/546357-foehammer-foehammer-12

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

And here:  http://www.australopithecusrecords.com/

IMPLODES, “Reverser” (Gilead Media): Labels that don’t lean on expectation and do their own things are the ones that make me the happiest. We heap a lot of praise on Gilead Media, and for good reason. They don’t smother us with 15 releases a month just to make a buck. They do what makes them happy, and in turn, it makes us full of joy. One release that stood out amid a really strong year for them was Implodes’ 12” “Reverser” that is something that immediately swelled my head and made me embrace different kinds of darkness. The band’s music (it’s not exactly metal but certainly can leap that boundary), and this release, is a psychedelic haze and a dark, imposing force that makes me feel like I’ve done a table-full of mind-altering substances and launched myself into pace. From listen one I was hooked, and as the year progressed, each visit with “Reverser” has been a brain worm.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.gileadmedia.net/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.gileadmedia.net/

AD NAUSEUM, self-titled (Broken Limbs): Ugliness in metal? Expected. Heaviness? It’s in the damn name. So any time I feel the need to describe a band as ugly and/or heavy, I feel like an idiot. Nonetheless, Florida’s Ad Nauseum fit that bill, and it makes sense to point out the very obvious. Their self-titled EP is furious and angry, and it feels like a million tons of mud being dumped on your puny chest. The band is sinewy and muscular, and their four-track EP mixes doom with Godflesh-style industrial hell, with every moment a murderous one.

For more on the band go here:  https://www.facebook.com/Nauseous.Noise

To buy the album, go here: http://www.brokenlimbsrecordings.net/#!store/azhdm/collections/new-releases/1

For more on the label, go here: http://www.brokenlimbsrecordings.net/

DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT/GNAW THEIR TONGUES, “N.V.” (Prosthetic): Those cute little dolls at Pitchfork got all up in arms over the murderous clips in the Dragged Into Sunlight/Gnaw Their Tongues collaborative effort “N.V.” Look, these two bands do not mince words that they immerse themselves in the ugliest, most violent sects of society. One may argue it’s celebratory, but I’ve always taken it as cautionary, the type of thing that warns you not to trust and smile through life, for the worst of existence will get you and choke you. These bands never have been for the weak of heart and mind, and if you care to confront the darkest elements of existence, this collaborative effort is what you need. It’s heavy, dark, terrifying, and dank, and you’ll have to scrape the scum off your arms when it’s over.

For more on Dragged Into Sunlight, go here: https://www.facebook.com/draggedintosunlight

For more on Gnaw Their Tongues, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gnaw-Their-Tongues/128655237208690nd

To buy the album, go here: http://prostheticrecords.limitedrun.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://prostheticrecords.com/

Other EPs and splits we liked a lot: Spectral Lore’s “Traveler” and “Gnosis” EPs; Forn’s “Weltschmerz”;  Pelican’s “The Cliff”; Funerary/Ooze split; Mortals/Repellers split; Pyrrhon’s “The Growth Without End.”

We’re nearing the end of the calendar year, hard as that is to believe here in sunny, balmy Pennsylvania. But we solider on, and just before we start our annual look back at the year that was 2015, there are a couple releases just unleashed or still imminent we want to cover quickly before the year-end stupidity and inanity gets going.

We’ll start off in my hometown of Pittsburgh and one of the more exciting, artistically perplexing bands anywhere, that being avant-garde black metal beasts Dendritic Arbor. They already put out a killer full-length “Romantic Love” in May, but apparently that wasn’t enough for this band. Two days before this year expires, Dendritic Arbor will drop a smothering, delirious EP “Sentient Village/Obsolescent Garden” that builds on what the band did on their debut but pushes it a million miles further. Nothing this band does is conventional, and they all-over-the-map shit as well as any group out there. There is no map showing you the twists and turns ahead, so you just kind of have to brace yourself and battle the tension. Taking them on live? Get ready to be flattened and stymied.

The four-track effort rips open with “Cotard Delusion,” as strange noises flow out of the gate, and then the bone crushing gets started in earnest. There are crazed cries, dissonant fury that floods your head, guitars blasting out everywhere and causing further disorientation, and the insanity finally bleeding out. “Failed Manifestation” has a riotous pace, with creaky growls, trippy spells spilling over, and a bizarre progginess to it all. Later, static kicks up and bubbles, with the violence spreading out and dissolving into air. “Keratoconus” is fiery and unhinged, with the vocals doing massive damage, and heavy atmosphere mixed in with the horrors. At times the band is mauling you, at others they are trying to make you dizzy and sick, and all in all, it’s a total mindfuck that mixes beatings with oddness. “Latex” is the 7:27 closer that starts with weird snarls, off-kilter melodies spiraling, and a really mesmerizing trip into hell. Death growls are unleashed and bruise, while the band gets thrashy, noise rises, and space zaps and cosmic morbidity extend over the final three minutes and off into the void.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://dendriticarbors.bandcamp.com/album/sentient-village-obsolescent-garden

Split releases can be interesting if you pair up the right types of bands and artists. Too often, you get a couple bands (or more) that employ the same exact style and don’t really make for an interesting pairing. But when you find something like the new split release pairing atmospheric black metal project Twilight Fauna (the creation of Paul Ravenwood) and multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Christensen (of the great Disemballerina and her solo project Møllehøj) you have reason to really sit up and pay attention. Sonically, their respective songs make a lot of sense together, as their respective sounds are of the same plane of existence. But both are different enough from each other and have their own nuances that the result is a really rewarding, substantive 7” split effort.

Christensen’s side “Sickness Unto Death” lets strings quiver and lap over the land, with eerie and dark passages growing, her playing thrashing and chugging, and, as lovely as these sounds are, you can’t help but feel the thick presence of doom. The piece jars and rivets as it continues onward, with panic setting in later in the track, only to be washed away by calm waters, layers of atmosphere piling on top of each other, and the piece melting into the dark. Ravenwood gets the fires churning on “Crossing the Threshold” as he injects the piece with ringing guitars, thick drone, and melodies setting up a rustic, woodsy sense. A fog settles over, as it threatens a downpour, yet a warm glow pokes through that and lets embers churn. Melting growls emerge and drip behind the stormfront, providing a few thorny areas of the journey, while serenity spreads over the terrain and mixes in with the hard charges before this great cut, and substance-rich collection, subsides. Definitely check this one out, as it’ll sound even better when real winter actually arrives.

For more on the Twilight Fauna, go here: https://www.facebook.com/twilightfauna

For more on Jennifer Christensen, go here: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferchristensenmusic

To buy the album, go here: http://redriverfamily.bigcartel.com/

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

It’s the end of the year, we are on our final pick of the week for 2015, and we’re capping things off with an exciting, head-swarming album that has been one of the most anticipated releases of the fall for this site from a band that we are not afraid to say is one of our favorites going right now. Look, we may be writers, but we’re human. We know what we like, and we love Jess and the Ancient Ones.

Seeing the band tear through an enthralling opening set before King Diamond played last autumn in Pittsburgh was a huge 2014 highlight, but now having the band’s brand new full-length album “Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes” in hand is yet a step above that. You can learn a lot just from paying attention to the record’s title. “Psychedelic” is a descriptor they’re not just throwing out there; this record is trippy as hell and feels like a hippie cult dancing riotously around a blaze in the middle of the wilderness, paying homage to whatever dark gods, goddesses, and spirits they care to praise. This album is a portrait of change, though not radically, and is an enthralling, invigorating collection that keeps their occult leanings very much in the forefront but also pays huge when it comes to taking on a record that’s just a really damn good time.

“Second Psychedelic Coming” is the band’s second full-length effort and their follow-up to their great, self-titled 2012 debut. Along the way, they’ve offered up some smaller releases as well (a couple of singles, a split, and the great “Astral Sabbat” EP), but you can hear on these nine songs they truly are coming into their own. Obviously Jess is up front as this band’s singer, and she’s a total force. She has passion, energy, and alluring power that makes her the perfect face of the band, and her performance here has to put her in the conversations when it comes to the best vocalists in rock and metal. But she can’t do this alone, as with her are guitarists Thomas Corpse (the band’s primary songwriter), and Fiend; bassist Fast Jake; drummer Yussuf; and keyboard/synth/organ player Abraham, and they put together a rousing, excellent collection with this record.

The album gets off to a spirited start on “Samhain,” with drums rumbling, an old radio clip about a witches Sabbath issuing a stark warning, and then the song bursting with life. The tempo rolls along, with keys brimming, the melodies growing delirious, and Jess warning of “Samhain falling!” and later vowing, “Take your life away, return it if we may,” over the killer chorus. Great opening, and that rolls into “The Flying Man.” There, organs pump, psyche guitars roil and get lathered up, and yet another stellar chorus rolls out, with Jess inviting, “Come with me, we’ll walk together.” This track easily should be a live staple. “In Levitating Secret Dreams” (an ode to scientist and LSD explorer Albert Hoffman) has the whole band singing the refrain to open the song, feeling like a hippie coven in the height of ritual, calling, “Every night they dream themselves to be!” It’s becoming a running theme on this album, but this song could be a crowd uniter, with Jess holding court during the verses and the congregation howling back the chorus. “The Equinox Death Trip” unleashes a burly bassline, guitars screech out of that, and the band takes on a calculated tempo, driven with energetic bursts and Jess’ commanding singing. This was a grower for me, but now that I’ve listened to it 80 times, it is etched in my brain. “Wolves Inside My Head” brings Charlie Manson into the scene, with him rambling about sneaking to find the truth over the opening, and from there the psychedelic fires roar. Jess wails, “The face I wear is not my own,” as the band keeps pushing the pace right up to the smoldering finish with Jess pleading, “Charlie, darling, what have you done?”

“Crossroad Lightning” is the second-longest cut on the album and starts like a dusty spiritual, with the band singing wordless harmonies and the track heading down dirty, bluesy roads. You almost can imagine the band confronting a haunted spirit on a desolate path, with the guitars heating up, Jess’ vocals belting, and cold pianos bleeding in. “I am leaving before dawn, so hold me for so long,” Jess cries, as this great mid-tempo cut spreads out, ending in the same group chant that started the song. “The Lovers” is a faster one, and one of the shorter cuts, a quick rock song to charge up the pace again. Keys bounce off the walls, and their forceful tendencies return. “Goetia of Love” has pulsating rhythms and mind-bending guitars spilling in, with the organs giving off a Doors-y vibe. Later on, brass pumps, the synth traipses as if a carnival show, and the cuts fades out into the darkest corner it can find. Then comes the 22:35 closer “Goodbye to Virgin Grounds Forever,” a track that spends its first half as a soulful, emotional piano ballad. Flutes flutter in, the music lets the mournful yet ultimately celebratory tale unfold, and Jess is just unreal, painting every scene. About 10 minutes in, the song starts to change up, with the tempo bristling, and the brass coming to life, with Jess speaking, “Deliver me to the gods beyond.” From there, the fireworks erupt, and as the song reaches its final quarter, the spirits come to life. Every element is on fire, as Jess vows victoriously, “To all my friends, death is not the end!” The group joins her in singing back, reminding me a little of the Decemberists’ adventurous storytellers, and the track ends in celebration, with them prevailing over darkness and the services leaving a halo of fire.

Jess and the Ancient Ones just may have made their coming-out record on “Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes,” and if this gets the attention it deserves, they could find themselves playing larger halls on their own. The band sounds tremendous, and they seem to be getting a better understanding of themselves as a unit and as creators. This record is a dynamic display of psyche wonder, and it’s one of the best things you’re going to hear in what’s been an unusually strong December.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://svartrecords.com/shoppe/

For more on the label, go here: http://svartrecords.com/

All of us are going to die one day, and all of us are going to take sins along with us. We don’t have to go the religious level when talking about sins (that’s another argument we don’t care to make on this site), and instead we can look at things we do wrong in our lives, be that in general, to ourselves, or to other people. Or all of those things combined.

The concept of a sin eater is one that has spanned the ages. There are many different ways this has played out over the centuries, and the practice still exists today, with the idea being extinguishing the dead of his or her sins. A common practice is the sin eater will consume a meal or death cake that is placed on the dead person’s chest, thus devouring the person’s sins and setting them free. That is a major element behind the songs on the incredible new Amber Asylum record, fittingly called “Sin Eater,” and the music they make on these dramatic, sweltering songs can arrest you and take you underneath the darkness that envelops this collection. This seventh record in their catalog puts a gigantic exclamation point at the end of the band’s two decades together, and it’s one hell of a mesmerizing step into their future.

“Sin Eater” is the first record Amber Asylum has registered since 2009’s excellent “Bitter River.” The band, led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kris T. Force, is one that has helped weave a strong tie between heavy metal, folk, and classical music. None of what the band does is particularly heavy in the traditional sense. But their music has a weight you cannot deny, and its power registers as hard as ever on “Sin Eater,” which is one of the best things they’ve ever released. Amber Asylum have had myriad great artists play with the band over their run, but on this record the players along with Force are Fern Lee Alberts on bass; Sarah Rosalena Brady on viola; Becky Hawk on drums and voice; and long-time member Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid), who is featured throughout the record on cello. They combine for a great effort that I’ve listened to repeatedly since getting the album a month or so ago, and I don’t see those visits ceasing.

The record opens with the 11:35 “Perfect Calm” that has strings stretching and quivering, with each element of the song joining as it goes along. The bass churns below, with Force’s singing blending in at the 4:35 point, her high-register calls causing the hair on your arms to stand. The song slowly bleeds, with the strings later getting louder and more boisterous, and undeniably doomy melodies barrel in, unleashing black curtains, and pushin on until the track fades. “Beast Star” has an ominous vibe, as it feels like the end slowly is creeping up on you, which, of course, it is. The vocals are enrapturing, while the strings keep cutting tributaries in the skin to let the blood flow. Then, the huge surprise of the record drops in the form of a cover of Candlemass’ “TOT.” This version is daunting and beautiful, an incredible reimagination of the classic cut that fits right into the narrative perfectly and is one of the most breath-taking moments of the entire musical calendar. In fact, as the song reaches its final stretch, the band lets loose, the drums rollick, and the strings charge up and hammer home the song’s punishing riffs. “Harvester” runs 9:12 and opens in a field of drone, with wordless melodies swirling in the air. The high and low voices mix together and sting, while the intensity builds as the song moves on. The pace gets pushier, the drums start to leave welts, and the singing drizzles a glaze over the track as it slowly fades into the night.

“Paean” is a shorter one, a passage setting you up for the final two epics. Here, strings strike a murky note, while the bass plods along through thick waters, melodies slide over top, and the feeling of chilling beauty is impossible to shake. “Executioner” runs a healthy 12:59 with guitars ringing, sounds blistering like industrial engines, and the bass buzzing and gushing. The pace simmers and gives off steam, while the signing blends in and gives the track a disorienting feel and leaves you dizzy. The high and low vocals tangle once again, while the track opens up more and lets guitars scorch the terrain. A psychedelic haze rises up and shrouds the final moments of the song in a cloud of smoke. The closing title track is the strangest, most mystifying of the bunch, as it works to stymie over its 12:42. Strings slice and melt into a psyche synth haze, while a trippy, out-of-body essence takes over the song, almost as if you’re watching the ritual in spirit form from the ceiling. Key zap and twist, making the song feel even more otherworldly, while strings are thrashed and agitated, cosmic sounds blurt out, and the ceremony finally draws to a conclusion, with the sins devoured, and your journey at its end.

Amber Asylum always find a way to tell darker tales and make alluring music that no one else in the world is creating. “Sin Eater” not only visits the process of a death ritual and prods thinking of our inevitable ends, but it unfurls in a way that makes that concept more mysterious and engaging. There are so many reason to love and continually visit with this record, and it’s going to be a perfect companion as days coming grow darker and colder.

For more on the band, go here: http://amberasylum.com/

To buy the album, go here (U.S.): http://www.theconnextion.com/prophecy/prophecy_index.cfm?

Or here (Europe): http://en.prophecy.de/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.prophecy.de/

Some of the most grating and often least interesting people in the world are the ones who think they know everything and that another’s unique worldview could not possibly have any merit. I know a few people like this, and they never disappoint in the frustration department. Some of these folks can’t comprehend opposing opinions in their tiny little speck of the world, and their branching beyond that likely would make their blood vessels burst.

That very idea must make Greek musician Ayloss want to ball up in a corner and shake. Not only did he dip into his own musical influences around him as of late, but he branched out beyond his comfort zone to a place many people in his shoes might not find relatable. For his latest Spectral Lore release “Gnosis,” Ayloss immersed himself with Far Eastern music and styles and used those to influence what he did from his standpoint as a metal musician. It’s not a regurgitation of things he heard; rather it’s his way of reflecting what got into his bloodstream and drove his creativity. All the while, the balance between the Eastern and Western worlds came into play, how each half acts, and how there are incredible opposites at work. I often shudder when I hear people talk of those in other parts of the world and question their behaviors or their rituals (especially when it comes to religion or spirituality). Well, right back at you. What you do and think probably seems really strange to someone a world away from you. Who is right? No one. It just is what it is, and it does not need justification. It definitely could use a heavy dose of understanding.

“Gnosis,” which means knowledge but goes past that basic idea into themes of enlightenment, is a pretty fitting choice for the title to this EP. Oh, it’s deemed an EP even though the thing runs 49:30. See, not everyone’s concept of a single thing like an EP computes everywhere. On this record (the second part of an EP project Ayloss released this year, the first being all-instrumental “Voyager” in May), there is doom, black metal, ambience, and plenty of atmosphere. If you go into this with no knowledge of what’s going on here, you’d think this, too, was an instrumental release. Instead, the vocals blend into the background almost like a ghost’s whisper. The words are there, and if you open yourself up enough to absorb what’s going on, you will be able to hear them.

The record opens with 8:53 “Dualism” that emerges slowly like a quiet rain shower, with guitars charging and sounds swirling. Doomy riffs arrive and darken the scene, while cosmic keys bleed out, the pace sprawls, and the vocals mix right into the background colors. The song continues to progress until it fades into space hiss, and then it’s on to 9:15 “Gnosis’ Journey Through the Ages” and its abrasive, chilling start. The melodies cascade and even churn, with a definite Far Eastern feel to the music and the voices feeling tornadic and strange tearing in and out of the piece. Later on, the guitars create a thrashy crunch while the emotions bleed over and eventually fade out. “Averroes’ Search” follows, opening with clean playing and then heading into what feels like a dusty desert. The guitars are plucked with great passion, while shakers give off a peaceful vibe, and the melodies seem to explore the world. The back end takes a dirty trail, with hand drums pulsating and darkness swallowing everything whole.

“A God Made of Flesh and Consciousness” is the longest cut at 14:06, and it begins with foreboding, sinister-sounding riffs that bubble to the surface. The vocals hiss underneath, while the melodies chug and stymie as layer upon layer is applied to the foundation. The pace later calms for a bit, letting the guitars trickle, while the intensity builds back up over time. Black riffs spills woe, the path hits the thick tar pits, and the playing stomps away through a black metal-stoked blaze. Closer “For Aleppo” (I assume this is inspired by the Syrian city) floats on a bed of synth and atmosphere, with light surges stinging and a trance-inducing haze enveloping. Acoustics trickle their way into the picture before they become more aggressive and punchy. The melodies snake their way through the murk, as the mind-altering passages continue, flutes flutter, and the senses are numbed slowly. The bulk of this track feels like one that’s setting you into a dream state, allowing you to reach out, understand, and find some final rays of enlightenment before the trip comes to an end.

Spectral Lore certainly has been one of the more interesting bands in metal and extreme music over the past decade. With four full-lengths and a slew of smaller releases such as “Gnosis,” Ayloss has become a go-to musician when you seek an unpredictable journey packed with meaning and substance. Each time out, he takes you somewhere completely different both creatively and spiritually, and “Gnosis” once again pushes the listener to take a trip that could reinvent how you think of music and the world.

For more on the band, go here: http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com

To buy the album, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/

Waking up in the morning and finding out what’s going on in the world is a task anymore. It’s not so much a matter of depression, though that can be a factor, but more of being tired of what the world has to offer. It can be disheartening just paying attention a little bit, and then having to deal with certain people on top of that can make it all feel like it’s too much to take.

Certainly Boston-based doom smashers Fórn feel the same way and transfer those frustrations to their furious music. Ever since their formation a scant three years ago, the band has made some of the more punishing and also emotional music in underground metal. We got a heavy dose of the band’s work with last year’s debut full-length “The Departure of Consciousness” (reissued on CD this year by Gilead Media), and now they’ve returned with a new EP “Weltschmerz” that adds another muddy layer to the group’s canon. That tiring of what’s going on around us, that’s basically at the heart of this two-movement four-track effort, as the title translates to a feeling of world weariness. You’ll feel that with each step of this journey, and it will bleed frustration all over you.

The construction of these songs are interesting. Each passage begins with a first section that brings all elements to play to create chaos, and the second portion stays an instrumental route, allowing you time to reflect. There is much darkness to be had here from the band—Chris Pinto on vocals, Joey Gonzalez and Brandon Terzakis on guitar, Brian Barbaruolo on bass, and Chris Donaldson on drums—but each track also has light woven into it, and slight feel that although the weight of the world on one’s chest can be a lot to handle, there are ways to overcome that from the inside.

“Saudade Part 1” begins with a clean stream that flows into a pocket of muddy fury. Pinto’s infernal growls burst through the doors, with sorrowful guitar melodies mixing in with the anger and a slow-trudging pace being set. Some calm emerges momentarily before the heat rises again, the song swelters, and it all bleeds into “Part 2” that feels watery and serene. The track flows gently, with a gazey atmosphere established, and that emotion bubbles and bleeds all the way to the finish. “Dolor Part 1” has a cavernous funeral doom sense to it, mauling and pounding, offering nothing but sadness. The growls scrape while the guitars swirl in the air, giving a mesmerizing sheen to it all. Hellish bursts come out of the earth’s crust and threaten to swallow you whole, with the guttural howls leave bruises on your chest and the swaggering riffing that concludes the cut shows a bit of an attitude. The second part unloads boiling drone that spreads itself, while the guitars moan and smoking doom flourishes. The music has a disorienting fee to it, with the noise overflowing, the sounds sizzling, and rapturous crackling fading into deep outer space.

Fórn’s formation has been a lot of fun to follow, and they’re slowly carving out a reputation as a band that leaves it all out there, never holding back an ounce of emotion. “Weltschmerz” is a strong resume builder for the band and a perfect companion to have with you when it all feels like there is too much to handle. The songs might not give you the answers you need, but it at least will assure you that you’re not struggling alone.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.erodingwinds.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.gileadmedia.net/

In the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, I always thought Eve kind of got the raw end of the deal. Millions of years after this tale was to have been set, it always seems like Eve is looked upon as the evil one, the person who brought about original sin simply because she listened to what a snake had to say. You know the rest: Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, and then they are banished from paradise of Eden by God.

OK, so it’s part of the creation narrative and really never happened. But the symbolism is alive and well. We learn that Adam and Eve went on to have three children, and one of them kills the other, and all of that. But what if Eve instead had turned her vengeance on Eden for being seduced into eating from the tree and losing her freedom? What if she exacted the first example of a women standing up for herself and her actions and let the place burn? That’s what Dagny Susanne envisions on her new record under the Nachtlieder banner, “The Female of the Species.” Take a look at the album art, and you see Susanne taking on the role of Eve, and on these eight tracks, she lashes out at her loss of liberation and the central site of creation embraced by the Abrahamic religions. This is her way of giving Eve her power back.

Nachtlieder was created by Susanne in 2008, a raw, expressive black metal project packed with furious assaults and her grim, guttural growls and shrieks. Joined by Martrum on drums, this second record follows up on the thunderous promise shown on the project’s self-titled debut from 2013. Susanne shows prowess and power in buckets on this record, letting riffs rain down like black plasma and following that with her unearthly vocals that sound both full of anger and terrifying. Following along with her on these eight tracks, you can immerse yourself in the tale’s volcanic beginnings and take the journey all the way to the end when paradise is in flames.

“Malice, Come Closer” tears the lid off the album, with a heavy dose of crunch, riffs catapulting, and Susanne’s rough, gruff growls sobering you quickly. The track storms hard, with Martrum’s drumming blistering and the melodies overflowing. “Nightfall” follows with another strong dose of riffs spraying blackness, and the tempo moving quickly and aggressively. The wails are raspy as hell, while the fury is unleashed in blinding bursts, and a crunchy section emerges that brings more bruising and a hellish finish. “Fatale” lets the pace boil, with Susanne wailing out, the rhythms pounding, and the guitars spiraling and spilling. The tracks keeps progressing along a calculated path before it eventually fades away. “Lonely Mortal” gets volcanic right away, punishing and mauling, as some razor-sharp riffs cut through and darkness spreads. The track later bursts, allowing more punishment to take control and the finish to totally snarl.

“Eve” starts as a doomy march, with the tempo drubbing and welting and riffs rolling over the top. Wild cries tear open the track, with Susanne pouring an ocean full of emotion into the mix, and a cold melody line trickling behind the chaos. Suddenly the path halts and the song goes cold, but out of that comes raucous chugging that draws blood. “Silence and Devastation” is heavy and ugly, with the vocals eviscerating everything in sight and the pace hitting a hard gallop. The riffs are vicious, a violent end causes choking smoke, and then it’s into “Cimmerian Child.” There, guitars spiral away, with wild howls smearing and the music churning. The band heads into thrash and comes out showing off elegant melodies and a new burst of fire. The song pounds away and refuses any mercy, and then it’s on to the closing title cut that takes its time building a scene. Eventually it bursts, with speed and guttural force leading the way, and the guitars pouring down molten lava. The band hits all kinds of highs on this 8:24 crusher, from thrashy pockets to simmering black riffs to vocals designed to rip out hearts. The final moments hit a dangerous blast and smashes to the end, watching everything burn away.

Susanne’s work is dramatic, violent, and always compelling on “The Female of the Species.” You don’t need to invest in the story to recognize the powerful riffs and torrential vocals pounding down on you, but it sure helps to get a thorough understanding of this piece of work. This is a story to which many can relate: A misdeed followed by what we feel is an unjust punishment and a reputation we don’t deserve. Most of us have no choice but to take it. As for Eve on this record, she’s answering with flames.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/

It seems like the era of truly legendary bands is slowly passing. Each decade that precedes this one, there had been a slew of artists who created their own thing and carved their own paths into history for disciples to follow and potentially build upon for the future. As time has passed, and art has been watered down and marginalized, the idea of these types of artists has fallen by the wayside.

If that’s true and legends are dying out, Sunn 0))) may be one of the final of a passing breed. If you’re into heavy music, especially that of the underground variety, you know Sunn 0))). If you don’t and you claim to have knowledge, you are wrong and have years of study ahead of you. Growing from the drone influence of Earth, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson created one of the most unique, influential bands in the world, and as time has gone on, the group has morphed, at times darkened heavily, and continued to be a monstrous force at which to marvel. Generally you either love or hate this band, with little in between, because their dark, cataclysmic sounds either resonate with you or they do not. Because of that, people who genuflect at their altar tend to be fervent in their adulation and deem this band one of the most important in their personal musical DNA. I know that I, as a mere scribe, certainly feel that way. Also, as par for the course, Sunn 0))) have brought in multiple players to be a part of the record, from Attila Csihar (also of Mayhem, who is now their regular vocalist), Steve Moore (Zombi), Oren Ambarchi, and Rex Ritter.

Word passed a few months back that the band would close out the final month of 2015 with a new album “Kannon,” their first full-length studio effort since 2009’s incredible, path-changing “Monoliths & Dimensions.” Since that time, Sunn 0))) have put out smaller efforts, a giant stack of live albums, and two stunning collaborations: one with Ulver, the other with Scott Walker. Now, six years after “Monoliths,” the influence of their outside musical partners seem to have bled into their work. “Kannon,” which is centered on aspects of Buddhism, most notably the deity Guanyin Bodhisattva, known as the goddess of mercy (for a full explanation, check out the expansive liner notes written by Aliza Shvartz). This focus seems to have lightened the band’s touch, added some glimmers of hope, and let them spend less time bludgeoning with thick power and concentrating on different energies. It’s not an immediate Sunn 0))) album (if one of those even exists), as it took me multiple listens to fully embrace this, with several experiences with the vinyl version finally acting as my breakthrough.

“Kannon I” starts the record with lighter, glimmering tones, stretching out and creating a serene ambiance. Creaky grumbles slip beneath the surface, with melodies hovering and a remaining warm and spacey atmosphere hovering. Those weird hums remain in place, with wooshy, foggy sound blankets being pulled over, beams of light shooting from the murk, and feedback wailing and subsiding. “Kannon II” opens with a dose of threatening noise, with drone scraping, the dueling guitar and bass tones reverberating, and chant-like singing spilling over that feels almost liturgical. The sounds smother and spread, with smoke continuing to rise and block out the serenity, and feedback bubbles out of that and hardens on the surface. Cataclysmic drama unfolds from all of this, as the fury slips into noise and fades into the distance.

“Kannon III” has feedback returning and spitting, with noise and drone charging, and Csihar bellowing boldly over this, sounding almost like a pained ghost. He lurches along and later dissolves into furious growls, as eerie chants sweep into the scene and bring a chill, and the music hits a steamy simmer. The growls and shrieks return to menace, sounding terrifying, while the guitars begin to glow, noises trail off behind everything, and the track, as well as the record, comes to an abrupt end. It’s not a terribly long record, as you might have deciphered (it’s 33:25 long), which is something that feels a little strange. It just seems to so brief, especially when compared to Sunn 0))) records of the past, though that’s not necessarily a negative.

Sunn 0)) never seem to stay in one place for very long, and it’s one of the reasons they’ve remained so influential and vital. “Kannon” takes some warming up to, for sure, and it isn’t as thick and foreboding as their past work. It’s something different and a little foreign for the band, and while the skeleton is recognizable, the flesh that’s grown around it is different. I’m curious to see where this record places in the band’s, well, canon as the years go by. It certainly stands out among their other creations and takes you on a totally different trip.

For more on the band, go here: http://sunn.southernlord.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/store

For more on the label, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/

If there’s one trait that’s not typical in doom metal, it’s speed. And that’s on purpose. The objective of many dooms bands is to stretch out what they’re doing and unleash their wares in a deliberate, calculated manner. It sounds spookier, angrier, and more destructive. It also happens to be a characteristic that not all doom bands have mastered, as there can be a fine line between compelling and boring.

A band that definitely has the slow thing down to a science is UK duo Bismuth. When I say this band plays slowly, that is pretty much an understatement. They are in no hurry whatsoever, and you’re often left hanging onto notes and pockets of sounds that feel like they stretch on for eons. But that’s the point. Bismuth relish this fact (just check out their bandcamp URL: http://bismuthslow.bandcamp.com/) and do whatever they can to grind their beatings to a crawling, slithering roll. Their new album “Unavailing” is a perfect serving of their dark, droning wonders, and each of these four songs could be called epics, with you wondering if that term is underselling.

Bismuth emerged from Nottingham three years ago, offering up their EP “The Eternal Marshes” in the year of their birth, and contributing to a split with the bizarre Undersmile a year after that. They put out a live album last year, and now they’ve surfaced with their first full-length, a perfect display of what this band does so well. As noted, this is a duo, with Tanya Byrne on bass and vocals and Joe Rawlings on drums, though he also contributes guitars to one track on the album. There are shadows aplenty on this thing, as well as caverns of darkness, and you are dragged through this journey, with your face feeling every stony crevice on your way to wherever they’re taking you. Oh, and by the way, this record is being released in a cooperation among like a million outlets (the link section below is fairly out of control), so no excuse you can’t get your hands on this.

“Tethys” opens the record with a grimy low end, with the rumblings spread over miles and the muck rising to the surface. Byrne howls and growls away, conveying pain and anguish, as the pace keeps bubbling and progressing, smothering the surface and smearing your eyes with soot. The drone buzzes and overwhelms, with the tempo just crushing everything in front of it. There are more than a few times when I want to lower my head and just trance out, with the band pounding away, some atmospheric vocals harmonies bleeding in, and the track settling, slowly fading away. “Of the Weak Willed” is the longest track at 16:28, and it feels like a swollen storm that merely stands in place, overwhelming the terrain beneath. Elements are added as time moves on, with single notes being joined by drums, hushed calls emerging, and jolts of power here and there that feel like electrical bolts. The track crawls and crawls, with some corrosion eating away at about the 12-minute mark, the tempo getting filthier, and deep growls blistering. The band keeps taking shots, staggering you, and that keeps up until the curtain drops.

“The Holocene Extinction” continues the trickling pace, with Rawlings’ drums being introduced and the pace taking its time to get moving. The band strikes hard over and over again, with the tempo bubbling and eventually catching fire, and Byrne’s vicious howls decimating. The approach is a pure drubbing, with noise bristling and scorching, as siren-like sounds begin wafting and electricity jolts the system relentlessly. “Solitude and Emptiness” finishes the record with scraping noise waves and disorienting playing, flooding the terrain with massive charges and stomps. The growls spill in and bruise the flesh, with blackness shadowing everything and the playing doing its best to dizzy whoever comes near it. An elegant shine reverberates off the riffs and continues grilling, spilling foreboding energy, bleeding heavily and slowly, and eventually fading into the night.

If slow is your tempo, Bismuth likely are going to be up your alley. This record is one of the finer pieces of doom metal to emerge this year, and Bismuth are helping to contribute to what’s been an atypically fruitful end of the year for metal releases. The band’s might is bound to be more realized in 2016 than the conclusion of this year, and any hungry mind willing to take this compelling trip is likely to be ground into the earth in as trudging a manner possible.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.drycoughrecords.com/products

Or here: http://www.degraanrepubliek.com/?page_id=30

Or here: https://boxrecordsshop.bandcamp.com/merch

Or here: http://viralagerecords.blogspot.com/p/releases.html

Or here: http://tartarusrecords.com/merch

For more on the label, go here: http://www.drycoughrecords.com/

And here: http://www.degraanrepubliek.com/

And here: http://box-records.com/

And here: http://viralagerecords.blogspot.com/

And here: http://tartarusrecords.com/

Misery can feel cavernous, mostly due to the fact that you can feel like you’re locked in a cave of sadness and woe that feels impossible to climb back out of. That’s why funeral doom, when done right, can capture these feelings perfectly and encapsulate you in a wall of horror.

Seattle’s Un fall into that category. By the way, trying to search Un on social media platforms and on Google is a pain in the ass, but I digress. Their debut record “The Tomb of All Things” is a five-track mammoth that indeed hammers home that feeling of desolation and loss. They deliver slowly moving, darkly emotional creation over this opus, another exciting band here to freshen up the ranks of the entire doom world. What they do isn’t necessarily groundbreaking or anything, but it really doesn’t have to be. This is honest, true, dreary metal that feels like it brings with it an ocean full of anguish and devastation.

Un formed just three years ago, and since that time, they’ve put out a couple of demo releases before combining together to create “The Tomb of All Things.” The band currently consists of guitarist/vocalist Monte McCleery (also of the great Samothrace), guitarist David Wright, bassist Clayton Wolff, and drummer Andrew Jamieson, and they’re already proving to be a formidable force. Certainly what they do has its ugly corners. But there also is plenty of atmosphere and melody to be had, so it’s not just a run-of-the-mill funeral doom record. That’s one of the things that makes this record so refreshing.

“Epigraph” opens the record, a brief introductory track built on serenity, clean, trickling sounds, and a sense of mourning. That leads to “Sol Marasmus,” a slow-driving, scraping helping of darkness dressed with throaty growls and gurgling power. Conan’s Jon Davis joins the fury on this one, with his howls mixing in with McCleery’s, and from there, the music goes into glimmering corners and through muddy bursts. The very end of the song gets watery and mystical, with an infusion of atmosphere and a slow fading away. “Forgotten Path” begins with a fury, opening volcanic doors and letting in the punishment, but then the sadness returns, and the pace slows down. Growls finally arrive about halfway through this 13:43 journey, with glorious melodies following and menacing vocals bubbling to the surface. The track continues unfurling and revealing new colors, at times sounding a bit like Pallbearer. Really strong track that never relents until the end arrives.

“Through the Luminous Dusk” opens with spacious melodies and frosty, anguished wails, trudging along a pained, bloody path. The music always moves and penetrates, with cold, shimmering guitar work gnawing at your senses, then the soloing tearing open and ripping a hole in everything. The portion has a classic metal feel and injects some nostalgia into the scene, and then the vocals bleed back in again, with the band pulling you underground with them. The closing title cut takes some time to build its momentum, leading you into mournful waters and total darkness, rocking you back and forth before the pace bursts open. The vocals are menacing and slithering, while the lead guitar work unleashes its power and completely mesmerizes. The track erupts again, as the band pounds away, the vocals wrench, and the melodies gush gazey emotion, letting the embers burn brightly one final time before the darkness returns and swallows everything whole.

Un’s debut record brings the band into the conversation of those groups who are keeping funeral doom interesting and, perversely, alive. “The Tomb of All Things” is a really expansive, interesting record, and it’s one of those bright spots at the end of the year. Un is planning a full-out live assault next year to support this record, so if this is your thing, go out and experience their power in your face.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://blackbowrecords.bigcartel.com/product/un-the-tomb-of-all-things-cd-pre-order

For more on the label, go here: http://blackbowrecords.com/