Marissa Nadler’s 10th album, New Radiations (Sacred Bones Records), finds her stripping down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner. Her approach to vocals continues to expand the well-layered vocal harmonies. The harmonies are more prominent in the mix time, adding more depth in the absence of more Rock-oriented instrumentation. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Drone
ALBUM REVIEW: False Gods – Lost In Darkness And Distance
Long Islanders False Gods emerged in 2015 from the ashes of the well-regarded Skeletondealer! Prior releases include a trio of EP’s: 2016’s Wasteland; 2017’s Reports From Oblivion; and 2019’s The Serpent And The Ladde. Twenty-twenty’s full-length debut No Symmetry…Only Disillusion followed soon after, as did 2022’s Neurotopia and finally a 2023 split with Japan’s Abiuro. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Hell – Submerus
On Submerus (Sentient Ruin Laboratories/Lower Your Head for digital), his fifth full-length from Hell, the sludge project leans into a nasty wall of downtuned rumbling. This wall of rumble is set behind the tortured screams of someone who’s more intent on losing their mind than adhering to the bounds of songwriting. It feels more like someone who create art from a dense heavy sound, that is impressive due to it’s sheer heaviness, but in consuming an album the goal would be for the music to hook you in rather than a test of endurance as to what you ears can stand at high volumes, though not to kink shame anyone who is into sonic masochism.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Voidwards – Bagulnik
Voidwards are an enigmatic collective formed in 2005. Bagulnik (Aesthetic Death Records) is the first full-length in their career of almost twenty years. The record draws inspiration from a Russian teacher named Ivan Perfiliev and his writings over a century ago about a swamp that he claimed had supernatural properties.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Paysage D’Hiver – Die Berge
Consistently being the inherent epitome of a harsh menacing winter and presenting ever-enigmatic themes that have to do with the void of darkness and the subconscious, the Switzerland-bound Paysage d’Hiver has been around for quite some time playing inclement Ambient Black Metal with a low-fidelity raw production, while also incorporating elements of a myriad of associated styles, being Funeral Doom Metal, Dungeon Synth, and Drone. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: SUMAC – The Healer
Six albums into their career, SUMAC stretch the limits of what Metal can be with The Healer (Thrill Jockey Records) — a four-song, 76-minute double album of fluid, evolving, at times seemingly freeform Jazz Metal that requires some patience, but impresses with its expressiveness and creativity. Continue reading
Aseethe Share a New Single “Last Time I Do Anything For a Fucking Friend Ever”- New Album Coming Soon
Aseethe have announced their new album The Cost, out on June 21st, 2024 via Thrill Jockey. The Cost is an album shadowed by devastating losses, a visceral study in aftermaths, centered around how life moves forward after personal and universal traumas. Along with the album’s announcement, the band has shared first single “Last Time I Do Anything For a Fucking Friend Ever”, a perfect encapsulation of the different directions Aseethe skillfully navigate over the course of the album, from lush drones to bracing hardcore riffing to a sludgy dirge. Pre-orders are live at the links below, and the band has booked tour dates with Malevitch and The Eye Flys.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Je Est Un Autre – Flatworm Mysticism
As one half of the infamous Funeral Doom Metal band Bell Witch, Dylan Desmond is a musician renowned for powerful and contemplative soundscapes and is no stranger for emotive music. Following from the band’s Patreon launch a couple of years ago, Desmond has since been prominently experimenting with Ambient, synth-led music in part made to accompany segments of films (as anyone who has seen Bell Witch live will attest to their use of visual artistry in their performances). A further result of this is this solo output Je Est Un Autre, with a moniker taken from quotes of surrealist poet Arthur Rimbaud which, unsurprisingly, is a deep thought-provoking piece. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Sorrow Of Being Immaculate – Church Music for Satanists
It has been quite a long time since I last sat down and attempted to listen to something on the drone end of the Doom/Sludge Metal spectrum. Continue reading
Author and Punisher Books 20th Anniversary Mini Tour with Morne and Glassing
Tristan Shone, aka Author & Punisher has announced a short run of tour dates celebrating 20th Anniversary mini tour. Direct support will come from Morne and Glassing. Shone took his expertise as an electrical engineer and scientist to create his sound and light machines, creating unique Industrial Metal/Drone/Doom soundscapes. His last album was 2022’s acclaimed release Kruller (Relapse Records).Continue reading