20. TOWER, Let There Be Dark” (Cruz del Sur): I’m guessing that Tower fans, when they got through their great record “Let There Be Dark,” their third, felt like this is where things really got started for this power. This feels like the band—vocalist Sarabeth Linden, guitarists James Danzo and Zak Penley, bassist Philippe Arman, drummer Keith Mikus—truly hitting on all cylinders, adding more heaviness but also richer melody. From the first listen, I was hooked, and I’ve been a fan of the band since their 2016 self-titled debut and really enjoyed 2021’s “Shock to the System.”
“Under the Chapel” starts off the record and immediately thrusts you into a darker version of the band, guitars flowing as Linden’s call wraps everything in fire. Her voice is in full command, and the band gets more aggressive behind her, the guitars blazing, and the tempo daring you to step in its way. “Let There Be Dark” has guitars thickening, driving and drilling, gang voices helping give the chorus more thrust, Linden’s shriek of the word “dark” blackening eyes. “Book of the Hidden” crushes open, Linden’s voice taking control, burning into a strange haze. “So it is written, so it is sealed,” she wails, the guitars adding more menace, driving hard through flooding melodies and surging moodiness. Closer “The Hammer” gets your blood racing right away, a melodic chorus taking hold as Linden warns, “Here comes the hammer!” Consider our faces smashed. (March 21)
For more on the band, go here: https://towernyc.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=35
For more on the label, go here: https://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com/
19. OROMET, “The Sinking Isle” (Hypaethal): Sacramento-based funeral doom duo Oromet stand in the middle of a crumbling and hopeful existence on their second record “The Sinking Isle,” an album that shows the darker side of their creativity that serves as a counterbalance to their 2023 self-titled debut. Again drawing inspiration from fantasy artist Ted Nasmith, whose breathtaking artwork again adorns their cover, the band—vocalist/guitarist Dan Aguilar, drummer/bassist/synth player/backing vocalist Patrick Hills—reaches deep into the surrounding darkness and create something darkly melodic and richly layered.
“Hollow Dominion” opens and is the longest track, running 20:49 and taking its time to unfurl the dreaded majesty. The first couple minutes are serene, calm even, a thread of sorrow pulled through the middle. The growls enter and corrode as the glacial pace drags its way across the surface. The playing is thunderous, guitars glimmering, the emotion gushing as bells chime, the lower end of the surface rumbling with power. “Marathon” crashes, growls scarring, a spacey atmosphere stretching over everything, howls smashing as boiling interference stretches its grasp. Closer “Forsaken Tarn” mashes, growls burning even as clean, elegant waters spill over cliffs. The leads weep as gargantuan pounding combines with snarling growls and a sound burst that feels like a storm exploding. (Nov. 7)
For more on the band, go here: https://oromet.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://hypaethralrecords.com/collections/releases/products/oromet-the-sinking-isle
Or here (U.S.): http://transylvanianrecordings.com/album/oromet-the-sinking-isle
For more on the label, go here: https://hypaethralrecords.com/
18. WEALD + WOE, “Far From the Light of Heaven” (Fiadh): Boise, Idaho, crushers Weald & Woe fascinate perfectly on their thunderous third record “Far From the Light of Heaven,” an eight-track, 37-minute opus that spills you into a devastating fantasy land. Dubbed “castle metal,” a tag that also applies to other like-minded artists such as Obsequiae or even Morke, the music on here takes you away to swords clashing, horses galloping, chainmail shredding. The band—vocalist/guitarist Jeff Young, vocalist/guitarist Brent Ruddy, bassist Zak Darbin—goes full bore, plying melodic black metal and a twinge of power to make for a rousing, devastating adventure.
“This Vale of Tears” opens warmly, strong melodies flowing, shrieks raining down and aggravating fires. The pace keeps you plugged in, wild wails punishing, drums blasting before the pace shifts, and the power wrenches its last drops. “Warchild” gallops like early Maiden, blistering as the vocals go for broke, cooling down as castle-storming riffs gain strength. The playing bursts and bleeds colors, the drums gut, and shrieks peel back flesh as the final elements deliver majestic force. “The Skyless World” is a little moodier to start, guitars spreading out, numbing your senses before all hell breaks loose, and raucous fire and NWOBHM-flavored strikes jar your brain. Closer “Stars That Guide the Slain” is elegant and mighty, screams scraping, fluid melodies making your heart race. (July 4)
For more on the band, go here: https://wealdandwoe.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/far-from-the-light-of-heaven
For more on the label, go here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/
17. PHOBOCOSM, “Gateway” (Dark Descent): The plight to extend life, no matter the means and cost to others, splashes all over “Gateway,” the latest album from Montreal death metal punishers Phobocosm. Building off themes from their last record “Foreordained,” the band—vocalist/bassist E.B., guitarists S.D. and R.M., drummer J.S.G.—digs into the rot of trying to topple expiration, especially those with desires beyond living forever. Those people only have the worst of ideas in mind, and even they will fall victim to the scythe eventually. This record, by the way, was recorded alongside “Foreordained,” thus giving it similar vibe.
“Deathless” opens in a surge, feeling whirry and weird, disorienting as the sounds hover over ominously. Then your digits are crushed, growls smearing and scraping over a din of smoke, ugly and sooty power corroding, the intensity spiking before whirring away. “Unbound” has the drums openly destroying, beastly growls slithering beneath the carnage, molten guitars boiling over and threatening. Growls gurgle as the morbid pace sweeps you under the floor, blackness permeating your senses and making a grim exit. “Sempiternal Penance” blasts through, growls crushing, an infernal force making the temperatures unmanageable. “Beyond the Threshold of Flesh” has guitars simmering and growls retching, a rhyme scheme feeling somewhat bouncy even as it digs in the blade. Skies darken as the playing decimates, calculated power combusting and sending shrapnel, growls lashing as the bass coils. (Nov. 28)
For more on the band, go here: https://phobocosm.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/?s=PHOBOCOSM&post_type=product
Or here (Europe): https://ddmsuo.eu/
For more on the label, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/
16. MESSA, “The Spin” (Metal Blade): I don’t want to necessarily suggest Italian doom dreamers Messa were not ready for the major leagues before their excellent fourth record “The Spin.” They were always ready, from their 2016 debut “Belfry” right up to 2022’s “Close.” They always proved they had what it takes, creating emotionally ripe, smoking power that they dubbed “scarlet doom.” But “The Spin” is their first for the legendary Metal Blade, and this move up to wider recognition is something long deserved by the band—vocalist Sara, guitarist/bassist Marco, guitarist Alberto, drummer Rocco. Here, they deliver a record that maintains their might but also trims down the run time on many of the tracks, with only two going past eight minutes.
“Void Meridian” starts with unexpected synth pulses (you won’t be shocked for long), and Sara lets loose her spellbinding voice. “All the bones you can find at crossroads, the ones that push you down, can you hear the call in the distance? How far can you go now?” she wails, the guitars blazing with color, the chorus flushing back and zapping away. “At Races” opens with surging guitars and plunging verses, Sara calling, “Waiting for me to run.” “The Dress” runs 8:15, one of the two tracks here with longer run times. The playing slowly flows and the synth glimmers, Sara singing, “I’m trapped inside a nice velvet, blue dress, don’t even love myself anymore.” “Thicker Blood” closes, a 8:45-minute saga that enters in a magical, cosmic synth storm, Sara’s sultry singing stinging with, “Decapitated sun on this forest bed, dismay’s returning so clear and so bright.” The tempo continues to increase, guitars flooding with emotion, Sara wailing, “Mother hear me, I’ll go further, I’m so ready to be my fate.” This band has arrived in their full form. (April 11)
For more on the band, go here: https://messa.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://metalblade.indiemerch.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/us/
Meat Mead Metal 