Lots of people who don’t listen to metal easily fall back on the assertion that it’s just a bunch of noise. I can understand that. To the untrained ear, what people are hearing, depending on the band, could be a cacophony of chaos with no discernable jumping-off point and simply a mad sea of wild pandemonium. Of course, for those of us who do listen with regularity, it still can sound that way sometimes.

I say that because we stand face to hideous face with “Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows,” the second record from San Francisco-based duo Howls of Ebb (or HoB, as they accept as an alternate name), one of the most perplexing metal albums of this still pretty young year. A mad sea of wild pandemonium, indeed. What HoB unleash on this seven-track, 42-minute demonstration is black metal chaos at its finest. No wall is solid enough to steady yourself, and no blow to the body can be predicted, because hands are coming from so damn many directions. But the record is anything but a bunch of noise. Listen closely and you can hear the sonic tributaries carved into the music, feel the imaginative rhythms they set up, and experience the energy of madness poured into this impressive album.

As noted, HoB managed to weave all of this with just two members—multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Zee-Luuuvft-Huund (formerly of Ligeia and Nepenthe) and drummer Roteen’ Blisssss. Much like their debut “Vigils of the Third Eye,” the band lets loose all of the dark energies contained within them. But despite the fact that so much is going on here, and the twists and turns are many, they never overdo it. This is barbaric weirdness done just right in that their fire never gets snuffed out by too much terror sitting on the surface. That said, the record still might give you fits of anxiety. By the way, pay attention to the links at the end of the piece, because this record is being put out by multiple labels in different formats.

“The 6th Octopul’th Grin” begins the record immediately, already digging into your brain and challenging your strength. The vocals are spat out, while the guitars chug and then spill into a weirdly robotic haze, with melodies perplexing. As the song goes on, the intensity and insanity build up, stampeding through strangeness and eventually bleeding out. “Cabals of Molder” teases calm at the front end, allowing you to take a misguided breath. Then it’s into the fire, with the song bursting with force and the guitars smothering. There’s a groove to this song that would be catchy if it wasn’t so damn vertigo inducing, and the track then heads into a grimy pit, with growls lacerating and jerky bends being taken at full speed. “Maat Mon’s Fume” sounds like a siren at the start, circling your head and sending you toward a panic. Sinewy bass snakes through, while the growls boil underneath the din, and static-filled, jerky riffs get heavier and more violent as the song swirls toward its ugly finish.

“7 Ascetic Cinders, 8 Dowries of gA’nOm” is weird and spastic as it starts, with whispery growls sending chills down your spine and the bed of strange sounds confusing your nerve endings. Guttural speaking lurches along, with the song continually getting heavier and mesmerizing melodies lapping up. The guitars later go off and shake your insides, with the back end sprawling out. “Gaunt Vertigo” is an interlude that, while brief, will make you feel like you’re immersed in delirium, and then it’s on to “The Subliminal Lock – A Precursor to Vengeance” that begins with a cool, dark vibe sliding underneath the murky waters. The song starts crushing and pummeling as it goes, with some cool soloing slipping in before everything bursts out of control. A clobbering assault breaks out, one of the most frantic on the album, while the guitars wail out of control, and fierce screeches lead into the song fading away. Closer “The Apocryphalic Wick” has noise pulsating, while chants echo out and surround, and the song finally opens up. Guitars begin another frenzied assault, with the tempo shaking you and forcing your brain to collide with the inside of your skull. The band just mashes your psyche here with their final message, as each element folds into each other, confusion reigns, and a few final growls reach out and gash you as your well-being is forever marred.

Howls of Ebb continue to defy conventional means of making music, and they take another spellbinding step forward on “Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows.” Fans of bands such as Portal, Antediluvian, Deathspell Omega, and Impetuous Ritual are sure to become disciples in the House of HoB, and that’s for good reason. This band is a great source of chaotic magic that’ll keep you guessing long after the music you witnessed has passed.

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

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

Or here (vinyl): http://nwnprod.com/shop/

Or here (cassette): http://caligarirecords.storenvy.com/

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

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

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

Photo by Hayley Fawn Hall

We’ve learned over and over again never to judge a book by its cover or a band by its appearance, but really, sometimes you kind of can. Like, OK, over the weekend I was in a grocery store, and I saw a romance book series called “Amish Millionaire.” I’m pretty sure the decision I made over that book will hold true if I decided the read the thing.

Sometimes you can look at a band and the image they portray and get a good idea of what they’re about before you ever put on a note of their music. That can lead to both good and bad pre-judgements, but hell, many times those thoughts end up being accurate. For example, the first time I ever heard of Savage Master was from a friend of mine who recommended them and sent me right to their Facebook page. Right away I saw this troupe dressed a masked executioners fronted by this woman who looked like she climbed from the scenes of a “Mad Max” movie, and I instantly was on board. Next step was to take on their 2014 debut record “Mask of the Devil” (their images was adopted from the 1960s cult film “Black Sunday”) and I was totally hooked. This band throws vintage metal fire out there like it’s the middle of the 1980s, but they have a modernity to them as well that grounds them in the present. They’re just a bad ass, really fun band that’s just begging for more ears.

They should get just that with their crushing second record “With Whips and Chains,” coming to you via the always reliable High Roller Records. The cover alone is a feast for the mind, but once you crash into these 10 tracks, you know you’re on a bonafide heavy metal adventure full of blood, violence, evil, and nasty intent. Out front of these shadowy figures is Stacey Savage, whose voice puts her in absolute command of this band. Plus, she looks like she could kick your ass. I’m kind of afraid of her. Along with her are comrades in darkness Adam Neal (guitars), Larry Myers (guitars), Brandon “BB Gunz” Brown (bass), and Zach Harris (drums), who also bring their own brand of intimidation, as well as their knack for keeping things heavy, ruling, and totally on fire. Seriously, this band is fun as fuck.

“Call of the Master” is sort of an introductory cut, with fires crackling, chants summoning the dark lord emanating, and the first hints of menace spilling in toward “Dark Light of the Moon.” There, guitars charge up, with some meaty riffs tearing into the flesh, and Savage howling, “Every room is like a living tomb!” to ensure you know of the horror that awaits. Soloing explodes, and the band sends you on the speed-ripping turn toward the end of the track and right into killer “With Whips and Chains.” The song has more torture, more evil, and a gang-shouted chorus that’s infectious and blistering, with the lead guitars once again taking charge and the rhythm section doing to heavy hitting. “Death of the Necromancer” has a Judas Priest feel to it musically, with Savage at full command vocally, and twin leads making this song so ridiculously metal you can’t help but pump your fists. “Vengeance Is Steel” rips along, with the band taking their assault to the battlefield and, once again, the chorus injecting you with power. The guitars duel and blaze, while Savage shouts, “The pain that you feel, you know that it’s real!”

“Looking for a Sacrifice” feels like one where Savage has her boot right on your throat, and she wails in your face, leaving you fearing for your life. The riffs are strong, the chorus is simple and effective, and there’s even a bit of a bluesy swagger going on underneath it all. “Satan’s Crown” sounds like it pays homage to another NWOBHM titan in Iron Maiden, with the tempo at full gallop, and Savage delivering raspy, penetrating calls. The band shouts away on the chorus, as the track rollicks and bleeds everywhere. “Burned at the Stake” starts with flames licking and shrieks off in the distance, with the band dialing into searing melodies and massive carnage. “My life for his sake,” Savage shouts, with the rest of band providing a raucous conclusion. “Black Hooves” brings in more hefty riffs, with Savage standing above the fray, unveiling wild shrieks over the chaos, and a thrashier, meaner attitude being unleashed. Closer “Ready to Sin” is smashing from the start, with the band launching into attack mode and the track sounding more like a war anthem. Savage gets in her final shots, as the band surrounds her with soloing that sounds conjured by dark forces and a rumbling energy that lasts all the way until this smothering slab’s final moments.

Savage Master serve the metal gods old and new quite well on ‘With Whips and Chains,” a slab of true heavy metal that should have your cauldrons burning at home. Yeah, they have an outrageous image, but damn it if they don’t measure up in every way possible. They look like a hoard coming to rip apart your town, and their music is their most powerful weapon of all. Run and take cover before Savage Master lop off your puny head.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/savagemaster666

To buy the album, go here: http://www.hrrshop.de/

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

I like to think I do an OK job in the kitchen, especially if I’m armed with a trusty, well-compiled cookbook. But recipes blow my mind. I’m never not astonished at how someone at some point figured out all of these ingredients to put together to make a loaf of bread, or a cake, or a beer.

Thankfully some really smart people figured all of that out for us. Thanks, smart bakery and concoction people. I also am dumbfounded sometimes when I hear bands that take all kinds of different elements and boil them together to create mind-melting metal. That’s what went through my head when hearing “Biological Enslavement,” the seconds record from Hemotoxin. Already, two albums into their run, they come across as incredibly accomplished and smart, a band playing ahead of themselves. If you’re into groups including Megadeth (think “Rust in Peace” era), Atheist, Death, Cynic, and modern maulers Horrendous, you’re likely to unearth a ton to enjoy about these guys.

This California-based death-and-thrash amalgamation have been around for six years now, putting out some demos and an EP before their debut full-length before “Between Forever … and the End” landed in 2013 (not surprisingly, it contains a cover of Death’s “Suicide Machine”). Now on this second album, the band—vocalist/guitarist Michael Chavez, lead guitarist Michael Rowher, bassist Nathan Fruth, drummer Brandon Wilcox—show growth in leaps and bounds. This is a group that certainly has its chops down, but they never bog you down with their technicality. The band plays with heart and passion, and they’d have been right at home playing alongside the artists who paved the path for them.

This nine track, 35-minute killer gets going with “Decadence,” a song that blasts you with techy punches right off the bat, with punchy playing and the harrowing warning of, “Last chance to evacuate Earth before it is recycled,” making you think of alien environmental holocaust. “Regression” follows, treading the same path, as harsh vocals strike, guitars explore the environment, and spacious soloing grabs your imagination and sends it into the face of a monster. “Minus Human” has guitars bursting before everything suddenly calms and goes into a jazzy section. Chavez pokes, “Are you human or just a recreation?” while the band rips into a thrashy assault that continues to speed up until it explodes at the end. “Not of This World” has a splattering opening, as the band begins to unload, with maniacal vocals creating wounds, a speedily spat chorus adding insult to your pain, and the soloing just going off.

“Forgotten Faces” is tricky and mucky at first, the band trudging through the mud, and the vocals coming in as gruff shouts. Guitars spill all over the place, making a big mess, and the leads take charge and blast into the messages lambasting the leaders of the world for valuing profit over humanity. “The Alchemist” takes some pretty cool twists, opening clean and dark and then taking an adventurous turn. The vocals continue to scrape, while the guitars swelter and burn. “Bleak Prognosis” has a foggy start, situating itself deep in the murk before the band starts to shred hard. Despite the title, the song pushes a hopeful agenda of expanded thinking and progress, with Chavez wailing, “New life spawns a new breed,” as strong soloing takes hold, and the track hits a raspy finish. “A Journey Through Dreams” is an instrumental with a proggy opening, tricky playing and a cold front blowing in. Every element starts to blaze with raging power, spiraling out and setting the stage for closer “Transparent Eyes.” A fiery start takes hold, with the band chugging away, and the vocals causing bruises. Exploratory soloing sends you through the cosmos and back, as the band packs energy and madness into the song’s last moments.

Hemotoxin are an impressive band that have all the potential in the world to be one of the most interesting, creative groups moving metal forward. “Biological Enslavement” is a heavy, accomplished, fun record that drags you through the darkness and chaos. It should warm the hearts of like-minded musicians in their company and put a smile on the faces of those who relish honest, well-played metal. It’s scary to think that these guys really are just at their beginning.

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

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

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

Unbeknownst to me before starting to write this, we’re in the middle of a theme week. Bands and artists that have taken sounds and expanded them beyond normal boundaries have made up our coverage this week. We cap off with a new record from a project that’s long haunted us and continues to do so with a stunning new record we knew would be a pick of the week since taking a first listen.

Palace of Worms, the project of multi-instrumentalist Balan, never has been a conventional vessel. Ever since the project got started nearly a decade ago, and upon the release of the first album “The Forgotten,” Balan has pushed himself to see exactly what his art has to offer. Steadfastly grounded in black metal, there is plenty more that he offers in his work and on the stunning third Palace of Worms record “The Ladder” (out on Broken Limbs). You’ve probably read a little about this album, maybe even heard the whole thing streaming, and it’s one of those that justifies the ocean of credit it’s receiving. It’s heavy, heart-crushing, captivating, dark, and gorgeous all at the same time, a true accomplishment for an artist and band already highly regarded for out-of-the box thinking and creating.

On “The Ladder,” we get seven tracks spread out over 46:30, a well-portioned assault that fills your needs but also leaves a little room for you wanting more. Balan has a few guests on this record, fellow members of the Bay Area music scene, with Bezaelith (Lotus Thief) adding backing vocals on two tracks; Ephemeral Domignostika (Mastery, Pale Chalice) offering soloing on two cuts; and Mattia Alagna (Abstracter, Atrament) providing vocals/lyrics on “Wreathe.” Their contributions are mighty, but Balan’s vision ultimately is what’s on display here, and it is constantly stimulating and unpredictable as it plays out. He’s one of the most gifted creators in the black metal scene, something he proves again here.

“In the Twilight Divide” opens the record with some classical-style guitars traipsing over the chaos before strong melodies and a cold breeze bust through. Balan roars with a fury before serenity lands, with Bezaelith lending her vocal melodies to the texture. The track bleeds heavily again moments later, with Balan, practically kicking himself, wailing, “Kidding myself to feel again,” as the track rambles over pain and regret. “From the Ash” bursts open, rupturing veins and trickling into gothic melodies. The track is fierce and gazey, with some psychedelic moments worked into the mix, speaking under the din, with Domignostika’s guitars lighting the night on fire. “Nightworld” starts flooding, with a dark, doomy atmosphere taking hold, deep growls carving away, and a slow-driving pace leaving marks. The guitars start to chill, as the pace kicks up, feeling slightly rock-oriented with Balan poking, “Cannot escape you, cannot reason with you.” Bezaelith’s haunting calls then return before the song folds into darkness. “An Innate Sickness” is a dream-inducing interlude complete with murky synth, eerie sounds swirling, and an intense fog bringing on the strangeness.

“Strange Constellations” runs a lofty 12:13, slipping into a dizzying melody that glides through liquid, sounding quiet and calm for the first minutes. Then the guitars cut things open, with the drums rolling hard, and monstrous growls delivering blows. “The stage is set for annihilation!” Balan howls, as a crazed solo rips out of nowhere, again courtesy of Domignostika, before slipping back under the shadows again, as the pace calms and sends off waves. Whispers rumble before the song ruptures again, delivering carnage while the playing gets warbly, and things end in the weird. “Wreathe” is a very different song, with Alagna driving the vocals, singing above the psychedelic guitars and post-rock gothiness. Balan’s cries eventually can be heard in the background right before the song slips away. This is a pretty refreshing change of pace and another side of the band’s personality. Closer “Ephemeral Blues” is a nice summation of everything we’ve heard to this point, with black metal-style melodies running and the tempo chugging dangerously. The growls are pointed and grim, with the scars of, “Say goodbye to this unfortunate life,” letting the negativity and sadness soak in, as the final moments are immersed in corrosion.

“The Ladder” is a huge leap ahead for Palace of Worms, a record that should punish and mesmerize at the same time. Palace of Worms absolutely shine on this third full-length effort, and their might and will to dream keep the artistic juices flowing, and the listener’s imagination taking each leap and bound with the music. This is Balan’s finest hour.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.brokenlimbsrecordings.net/#!store/azhdm/products/blr076-palace-of-worms-the-ladder-lp

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

I wonder if there is metal on other planets. We can’t be the only civilization that revels in our own darkness and morbid wonders about the darkest matters in life. I only can imagine what alien beings could add to extreme metal, and perhaps we now have something that’s kind of close.

Hailing from Iceland come Zhrine, a band that’s been doing their thing in various forms for years now but have just hit on something with their debut record “Unortheta.” What we have here is a record that informs metal and death quite differently from most other bands and seems to dump cosmic winds into their work, almost as if they were sent here from another planet. It’s tough to really pinpoint exactly what the band presents here, and using “death metal” only scratches at a few of the sparks that find us. Their music basks in atmosphere and deep pockets of oxygen, a vast difference from many other bands that seem intent on choking you with soot. This goes other places and spills dreams into their cauldron.

The band has been together for some time, starting off as brutal death unit Gone Postal, who put out one record in 2008. As their tastes and influences changed, so did their band. They took on the name Shrine in 2014, now morphing into the Zhrine moniker. The group—Þorbjörn Steingrímsson on guitars/vocals, Nökkvi Gylfason on guitars, Ævar Örn Sigurðsson on bass, and Stefán Ari Stefánsson on drums—creates a record that not only is heavy and brutal, but also incredibly listenable and spacious. It feels different every time you listen, and it makes the band another fresh entry into the world making metal exciting again.

“Utopian Warfare” gets things started with clean guitars drizzling, leading into thundering and atmospheric haze. The heat builds with melodies arriving and the storm bursting open. Deep, wrenching growls enter the mix, while the band dizzies you as things move along, with each part lapping and the track slowly slipping away. “Spewing Gloom” rips apart right away, with deep growls bruising and tricky trudging rattling your brain. The track simmers and gives off steam, with the song bleeding out, and noise creating a thick cloud. “The Syringe Dance” combusts from the start, with shrieked vocals adding a deadly element, and the track taking a strange progressive turn. The song continues its churning, with beastly growls bruising, ripped apart by gaping shrieks, and noise rises up at the end of the track and wafts out. “World” starts with strings jangling and cold guitars emerging. The pace takes a slow burn, later to erupt into crushing deathrock undertones. The track eventually rips apart, with doomy smothering taking hold and blending into the next piece.

“Empire” simmers in moodiness before death riffs strike, and the band trudges forward heavily. The band keeps smearing, punishing, with the track lurching, deep, dangerous growls slicing through, and a heavy dose of noise spiraling into clean guitar work. That all slides into “The Earth Inhaled,” which sounds like it crashes out of a blast furnace. The assault sounds both grimy and airy, with harsh, shrieked vocals splitting the Earth, and the music later hypnotizing. Punches also are thrown amid this, with the track building and landing blows, and the sound spilling out and into the bashing title cut. Clean guitars set the mood early, letting serenity take hold before the track tears itself apart. The band pounds in place, unleashing an unmovable assault that’s also dressed with fearsome shrieks, and music that hits a dangerous boil. The song disorients as the track reaches its finish, with growls surging, their dream-inducing mission finding its destination, and the chaos fading away into the void.

Zhrine’s debut is a damn good one and a great find for Season of Mist and their already stellar roster. These guys further polish the shine on the Icelandic metal scene and provide new twists and turns for the often static death and black metal forms. This band is refreshing, smothering, and totally willing to take your mind beyond normalcy.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here: http://shop.season-of-mist.com/

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

There’s an ever flowing stream of pessimism that often babbles underneath the writings here, because we are, inherently, kind of negative. Not to be a jerk or anything. It’s just sort of how things are. But that isn’t a constant thing as sometimes music and bands give us hope and a reason to think metal can keep growing and developing.

One huge beacon for hope is UK-based black metal squad Wode, whose debut self-titled record revitalizes our more positive side and makes us embrace the idea that we can, in fact, move forward. It feels weird to be filled with the power of positivity when dealing with a band whose sound swells with darkness and can make even the most creative things sound awash in pure death. On this record, the band drives six tracks over nearly 48 minutes, with each song a challenging length but never skimping on the power, imagination, and nightmarish vision that makes this band so good and also promising as to what their future holds.

Wode formed six years ago, based in Manchester and looking to do work that combines filth with visceral wonder. They bludgeon you hard and heavily no doubt, but their compositions also get your blood flowing and the synapses sparking within your brain. The band—M. Czerwoniuk (guitar and vocals), T. Horrocks (drums, guitar, and additional vocals), and E. Troup (bass)—bristle with energy and power, adding emotion and metallic sharpness to their work that always leaves your mind wandering, your head spinning. Their work is just damn impressive, and I almost want to shut up and tell you to just go listen to this thing already. But, alas, we have a job to do here.

“Death’s Edifice” starts the record with eerie noises and clean guitars before opening its gates for sprawling riffs, fluid black metal melodies, and harsh growls. The vocals begin to scrape along the way, while the tempo charges hard, heading into a patch of swirling melodies, violent eruptions that happen to be damn catchy, and a thunderous assault that drives up dust toward its finish. “Trails of Smoke” is built on speedy riffs, a crunching tempo, and a steamrolling assault, with the band finding great fire behind their playing. The path remains fast and frightening, with death bubbling out of every corner, and a really thrashing chorus that sticks out and jabs you. “Cloaked in Ruin” bathes in feedback before morbid-sounding guitars make their way in, and the song ignites. The growls are vicious and smothering, with riffs rising out of the ashes, and the band stampeding. The back end of the song goes mournful, with the final moments burning away.

“Spectral Sun” tears open, with the drums blistering, riffs piling on top of each other, and the growls punishing. Thick melodies rain down, as the mood turns toward a dark thunderstorm, and the track keeps getting uglier. Later on, the leads sprawl, melodies twist, and the final touches of manic fury leave their bruising. “Plagues of Insomnia” takes its time to unfurl, with the track situating into a middle tempo, mashing away at the same time. The vocals are harsh and throat mangling, while the band builds the scathing drama, and all elements fold into each other. Cold and clean playing is worked in, while soloing snakes through the cut, with guitars spilling down for a devastating finish. Closer “Black Belief” blows down the gates, with horrifying growls chilling your blood and the band hitting full throttle. Melodies flutter through this thing, with some freezing clean playing making its way into the mix, thrashy power setting in, and the band luring you into hypnosis. As you feel your eyelids getting heavier, the band keeps punching away until consciousness no longer is under your control.

Wode’s style and tenacity should take them a long way, as should their creativity. This self-titled debut is one of the most interesting first shots of the year, a true bright spot in what’s all too often a dim black metal kingdom. As Wode find their way through the world, they’re bound to damage flesh and hearing, pain we’ll be all too happy to sustain.

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

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/

Photo by Magdalena Wosinska

There’s a lot of music that transcends heavy metal. Or flows into it. Actually, both things work. I’ve struggled at times figuring out what music I want to feature here, and now and again I face that dilemma of whether something belongs on a metal site. Well, consider this the year we ignore those boundaries.

There is a lot of music out there that might not fit under the metal umbrella in a record store or in someone’s heads, but that’s not our problem. Because of that, we’re discussing “IV,” the unbelievably fun new record from Canadian doom rockers Black Mountain, an album that can find favor among metal fans who are insatiably addicted to Sabbath, but also a band such as Zombi. See, on this, their fourth record, the band extends beyond our atmosphere and rockets to the stars, drizzling their music with blippy, spacey synth, and keeping things loose and fun. There are three cuts that go beyond the eight-minute mark on this 10-track album, and those are the ones that make the drone and ambiance cells within your body ignite with energy.

Black Mountain have been out doing their thing for 12 years now. They released their self-titled debut record in 2005, and from its success, they landed a tour opening for … Coldplay. Yeah, that’s the first time Coldplay ever has been mentioned on this site. Having witnessed that tour, I can say with no bias that Black Mountain ruled the day (at least here in Pittsburgh), and from there, they continued their assault. “In the Future” showed up in 2008, with “Wilderness Heart” arriving two years later, and now it’s been six years since we last got a full-length from the band—guitarist/vocalist Stephen McBean (also of Pink Mountaintops), vocalist Amber Webber (also of Lightning Dust), bassist Colin Cowan, keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt, and drummer/keyboardist Joshua Wells. Black Mountain also have released some EPs and the 2012 “Year Zero” soundtrack, but here is where they truly excel.

“Mother of the Sun” starts the record, an 8:34-long boiler that begins with synth pumps, noise slowly sliding in, and Webber and McBean trading vocals, with the latter urging, “Let’s come together upon heaven’s ground.” There are psychedelically buzzing guitars, a great dose of soloing, and a key sheen that takes the song out. “Florian Saucer Attack” is a super fun one, with Webber wailing with authority over Cars-ish synth and the group chanting out, “Zero, one, data, one, two, one, two,” on the chorus. “Defector” brings things down into mid-tempo, with spacey keys blurting, an easier pace settling, and call of, “I want to be a defector,” punching into the UFO mission. “You Can Dream” settles into key blips, warm guitars, and the repeated invitation of, “Come on, baby, dream,” rattling around in your head all day long. The song is both freeing and defiant, especially when McBean demands, “Learn to kick when they tell you to cry.” “Constellations” sounds like a punchy ’80s rocker, with edgy riffs, more thick synth, and Webber wailing, “Don’t get outta your head while we’re off losing our minds.” Really fun.

“Line Them Up” changes the pace, with acoustics rising, and a gentler tone taking hold, with Webber’s dreamy vocals leading the way. It’s the ideally placed spot where you can catch your breath, and it gets you ready for “Cemetery Breeding,” the poppiest song on the record, and arguably the best. McBean handles this one, breeding death amid his longing, with him darkly noting, “When you looked in my eyes, I was dreaming of suicide.” The chorus will stick in your head for days and days. “(Over and Over) The Chain” runs 8:49, with a long haze stretching over the front end, cosmic keys trickling in, and hypnotic singing that massages your brain. Keys glimmer while guitars melt over everything, and the final moments swim amongst the planets and moon, giving off an eerie edge. “Crucify Me” also is built on acoustics, a slower song that again brings your heart rate back down, with McBean’s line of, “Stuck a needle in my eye, wondering if you could be my love,” giving off the proper amount of pain with the serenity. The 9:05-long closer “Space to Bakersfield” gives you everything you need to know right from the title. Keys simmer in psyche soup, with McBean singing and the track taking its time burning its connection. “Are you listening?” is repeated on loop, a question of awareness amid this long, extended rocket ship jam session that lets your mind tingle and wander beyond your own boundaries.

Loud and raucous, chilled out and cosmic, Black Mountain meld the heavy and serene together like few others. They have a loud hippie charm to what they do, but you also could sense they crave to explore beyond this realm on “IV.” This record finds Black Mountain staying true to their roots, but also refusing to paint by numbers or deny their exploratory whims.

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

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

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

Photo by Pär Olofsson0

Metal traditionally doesn’t lend itself very often to the duet. Yeah, there have been cases here and there, be it Ozzy and Lita Ford or Lemmy and Doro Pesch, but for the most part, this is an area left to other genres, while most metal bands and artists look to forge their stories as a single unit.

That said, Swedish post-metal outfit Cult of Luna and Brooklyn-based wailer Julie Christmas are taking the duet concept and blowing it into the stratosphere. They laugh at your one song where forces come together and craft an entire record together on the stunning new “Mariner.” Over five tracks and about 50 minutes, the two sides come together and inform these songs from their own narratives, their own points of view that meld for the overall greater concept, that being rising above this living space and expanding into the cosmos for the greatest journey ever. This doesn’t mean getting into a rocket ship. This means the body as vessel, and mind and spirit as guide, and a foray that would break most humans. But most people are not Cult of Luna and Christmas.

As for Cult of Luna, this is the band’s eighth record overall (if you want to consider this part of their full-length canon and not a one-off collaborative effort) and their follow-up to 2013’s industrial landscape tale “Vertikal.” For nearly 20 years now, the band has made some of the most thought-provoking, atmospheric sounds in all of metal, and while so many have tried to ride their coattails, they remain a special, wholly identifiable entity. As for Christmas, she fronted greats bands such as Battle of Mice and Made of Babies, and six years ago (holy hell, it’s been that long?!), she gave us her debut full-length “The Bad Wife” that was absolutely captivating and volatile at the same time. These two sides together might not seem a natural mix on the surface, but put them together, and magic happens.

“A Greater Call” opens the record, an 8:19 start that lets noise bustle, calm and psyche colors blend in, and a gazey crash that erupts with Cult of Luna vocalist Johannes Persson launching into vicious roars, with Christmas’ soulful/scary singing sweltering behind everything. Much of the assault is mid-paced and telegraphs its punches before spilling into the cosmos. From there, the track bursts open, with sounds gushing and the track wrenching back to dual singing. “Chevron” runs 8:54, with a thick bassline pushing in, and Christmas sounding more sinister and dangerous. She shrieks and howls emotionally, with the song progressing volcanically, fiery playing spitting intensity, and later a psychedelic calm brushing in and cooling the skin. Christmas delivers a few last words, driving the end of the song into your heart. “The Wreck of the S.S. Needle” is one of the most fascinating songs on the record and one that swallowed me whole. Drone reaches out like a long cloud, while the elements threaten combustion. Once they erupt, Christmas is in the pocket of madness, howling away, reaching for your veins, and always finding a new gear of fire. The body of the song plays with dynamics, rising with force around one turn, bringing serenity after another. “Put me down where I can see you run,” Christmas repeats over and over, as the song spirals into the night and a deep fog.

“Approaching Transition” runs 12:59, and as far as I can discern, is the only track that doesn’t involve Christmas. Here, noise glazes, while heavy, dark synthesizers and an alien environment come into focus, especially with the vocals. The track is steeped in slow-driving sorrow, a shadowy beast lurking in the beyond, getting soaked by the drizzling, chilling rain. There are moments that have a Pink Floyd feel to them, but also curves that are dressed with furious tempos and smothering roars that bruise. The massive closer “Cygnus” spreads over 14:50 and also basks in cosmic lore, with Christmas’ singing leading in, and the melodies quivering. Persson’s growls then scrape, with proggy keys arriving and Christmas’ performance feeling like a blistering confessional that fills your chest with anxiety. “Open your mind, let air rush in,” she calls, just before a massive burst where she and Persson just go off, igniting everything with their power.  Her voice hypnotically loops on forever it seems, intertwining in the mission catching ablaze, each element burning off, and the end of your heart-swelling journey spiraling toward its end.

OK, so this might not be traditional duet material as we’ve come to understand it, but Cult of Luna and Christmas make incredible music together and align their visions expertly on “Mariner.” This record unfolds anew with every listen and is bound to be one of the most unique offerings of the entire calendar year. No one is to know if their paths will cross again creatively, but for this space in time, they prove enough weight and intensity to shake planets.

For more on the Cult of Luna, go here: http://www.cultofluna.com/

For more on Julie Christmas, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Julie-Christmas-141649579195453/

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.indierecordings.no/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.indierecordings.no/

Photo by Nicholas Palmirotto

There are plenty of bands that have a hard enough time making competent music with a full slate of members. It’s not easy out there, everyone. So you have to really admire those artists who don’t need a full array of fellow musicians in order to make really compelling art.

Take, for example, Geryon, who we’re discussing today since their new record “The Wound and the Bow” is just about on our doorsteps (or mailboxes if you were super cool and preordered this thing). This band, that relies on just bass, drums, and vocals, still manages to find ways to make twisting, bizarre death metal that you’d think would come off more bare bones than it does but instead sounds like a space lab of sound exploration. Their second album is one that, while it isn’t packed with various players coming at you with all sorts of musical elements, still can leave you baffled and with quite a bruising.

Of course, Geryon are in the mighty and capable hands of bassist/vocalist Nicholas McMaster and drummer Lev Weinstein, both members of the unstoppable Krallice, as well as other bands such as Sallah, Bloody Panda, and Anicon. Much of what they play here registers most closely to what the two do together in Krallice, and they build off the foundation they built on their 2013 self-titled debut and push it even further into black weirdness.

“Silent Command” is the first track out of the gates, blistering and bubbling, with the deep roaring ripping out and into a space fury. The playing baffles and disorients, with rubbery bass snaking through the murk and a drubbing pounding leaving bruises. “Dawn” fires up viciously, with sinewy thrashing leading the way, and a thick stretch of chaos robbing you of oxygen. The vocals are grisly, and the aggressive play matches their intensity, leading toward a pulsating finish that bleeds into “Lys,” which unfurls with buzzing activity. The bass bubbles underneath the track, with slurry stretches in some spots, ruthless aggression in others. The melody gets a little over the top, which suits this song, and noise and sonic bangs carry out the track. “Skein” is shredded right away, with melodies playing tricks on your mind, the bass babbling, and the song trudging hard. Desperate cries rise and race into the night, with a haze of sound blowing in and sizzling away.

“Legion” runs a beefy 8:14, crushing from the start and carrying that fury into crushed drums and sleek basslines. The song staggers you, drubbing and rupturing blood vessels, as the pace rollicks heavily. Gruff, harsh wails pelt the skin, and just when the track seems ready to cool off, the pace explodes again, and the vicious growls sound like they’re threatening you personally. The title track also is disarming but also pretty strange, with the body of the song taking on more of a rock-style tempo, folding over itself again and again. Grim cries and another noise bath leads to the 9:38 finale “Dioscuri” that takes some time to get moving, instead letting the juices grow to a boil. It’s not long before they’re clobbering you, with a nice dose of weirdness to force you to tilt your head in confusion, and the band heading off on a long sojourn the flows seemingly endlessly. They round back to violence again before all’s said and done, with the guys sprawling and sludging before driving to an abrupt end.

Geryon have been blowing our minds for years now (did we mention their face-melting set at Gilead Fest 2014?), and they pile on even more trauma on “The Wound and the Bow.” The approach isn’t conventional, their style can twist faces into confusion, and they prove it doesn’t necessarily take an army of people to make mind-altering death metal. It just takes two musicians with the skill and tenacity of McMaster and Weinstein to blow away all of the fools and pretenders.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/products-page/

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