The Menacing, Grimy Weirdness of Melvins’ ‘Houdini’ at 30
Once Houdini dropped, all the agonizing over whether Melvins would debase themselves and compromise their sound petered out before we were halfway into “Hooch”.
doom metal
Not a Second of Horrendous’ ‘Ontological Mysterium’ Sounds Human
Horrendous have returned refreshed and once again intent on twisting death metal into new forms on their daring LP, Ontological Mysterium.
‘Ghost at the Gallows’ Continues Spirit Adrift’s Excellent Run
Spirit Adrift’s Ghost at the Gallows is absolutely crammed with engaging songs. There isn’t a weak moment to be found across its stacked 45 minutes.
Godthrymm Craft Timeless Doom That’s Gospel, Rapture, and Redemption
With Distortions, Godthrymm have created what will no doubt go down as the doom metal album of 2023. Without soul, doom is nothing.
Two New Tribute Albums Show Soundgarden’s Magic Can’t Be Replicated
For better and worse, the latest installments in Magnetic Eye’s Soundgarden tribute series only underscore the iconic Seattle quartet’s range.
March to Infamy: An Interview with Pelican’s Trevor Shelley de Brauw
Conceived on acoustic guitars in Chicago apartments, Pelican’s breakthrough second LP gets reissued, with Trevor Shelley de Brauw spinning many yarns about its creation.
The Anguish of Psychedelia: Interview with Extreme Doomers Self Hypnosis
Kris Clayton details the anger and frustrations that led to Self Hypnosis’ monolithic extreme/experimental doom debut, Contagion of Despair.
The Body and BIG|BRAVE Conjure Dark Folk Magic on Captivating ‘Leaving None But Small Birds’
The Body and BIG|BRAVE’s Leaving None But Small Birds is a rich, elemental, and engrossing slice of doom-laden American folk music.
Decoherence’s ‘System I’ Is a Haunting Work of Extravagant Black Metal (album premiere)
Filled with venomous riffs, a cold-detached precision, and a sharp dissonant edge, Decoherence’s System I is a haunting work of extravagant black metal.
Divide and Dissolve Release the Demons on ‘Gas Lit’
Divide and Dissolve do a great job of releasing the demons—not the ones of dreams we've just left but the nightmare that begins in the morning living in a world governed by economic racism and the daily grind.
Boris and Merzbow’s ‘2R0I2P0’ Howls Defiance
On 2R0I2P0, Boris and Merzbow show they still have a wealth of ingenuous music-making and mayhem within them.
Pallbearer’s Brett Campbell on Facing the Inevitable
For metal stalwarts Pallbearer, death and inevitability are themes that run through their work, but perhaps no more prominently than on their piercing new record Forgotten Days.