Rezn's Chaotic Divine, from 2020, was as good a cut of cosmic space doom as any. Crunchy riffs, powerful vocals, and trippy, psyched out atmospheres that did more than enough to effectively conjure the "lazy floating" feeling. Here the foursome collab with their fellow trippies in Vinnum Sabbathi, for a sound that sacrifices a lot of the crunchiness and riffs, but in favor of a far more atmospheric, meditative approach. Highly recommended for fans of the more mellowed - out forms of psychedelic music.

TURN ON TUNE IN DROP OUT

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Apothecary RaduP, Netzach

I missed the exact 30th anniversary by a couple of days because I'm still recovering from festival season, but Type O Negative is a band worth ignoring a little delay for. Bloody Kisses may not necessarily be my favorite Type O Negative album anymore, but it was the one I discovered the band through and for a very weird couple of weeks they were my favorite band. Bloody Kisses still suffers from the "way too long for its own good" syndrome that all of their albums have, but at least it has the courtesy of stacking its two greatest songs right after the classic mock intro, and after another instrumental interlude we get the tongue-in-cheek Carnivore-ish "Kill All The White People". It is quite frontloaded, but there's still plenty that's worthwhile in the second half as well.

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RaduP X-Ray Rod, nikarg, Redel, Daniell, Yaniv, Netzach, BitterCOld, Starvynth

My favorite Moonspell album features four-fifths of the Sin / Pecado lineup, the harshest vocals Fernando Ribeiro ever recorded, the very first lyrics he ever wrote, the heaviest guitar riffs Ricardo Amorim ever played, and the most haunting sound effects Pedro Paixão ever created - and yet it's not an official Moonspell album.
Confused? Then this is the perfect moment to finally find out what Moonspell's occult twin sounded like and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dæmonarch's first and only album.

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Starvynth RaduP, nikarg, Nejde, corrupt

I have always considered Nevermore one of the best bands that have ever existed. 20 years ago they were at the peak of their creativity, releasing three albums in five years that re-defined US heavy power/heavy thrash metal with this being the transition between Dead Heart in a Dead World and This Godless Endeavor.

All three albums are worth checking out, but it’s Enemies of Reality‘s anniversary

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corrupt nikarg, Nejde, Yaniv, Redel, Daniell, Apothecary, Starvynth, Darkside Momo

40 years old today. Congratulations to the biggest metal band of all time and to one of the genre defining albums of thrash metal.

Hit The Lights
The Four Horsemen
Motorbreath
Jump In The Fire
(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth
Whiplash
Phantom Lord
No Remorse
Seek & Destroy
Metal Militia

Pick your favourite if you can.

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Nejde Redel, Yaniv, Daniell, BitterCOld, RaduP, nikarg, Netzach

All right, all you beer drinkers and hell raisers, have you heard this classic from the Texas Trio is turning 50. Five. Muthatruckin'. Oh. This album launched ZZ Top into the stratosphere. So while you may have been waitin for the bus all day, Jesus just left Chicago and you can bet he'll be picking you up in some hot rod, accompanied by three smoking hot ladies and blaring La Grange so loud you can hear it all the way down in Texas.

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BitterCOld Nejde, RaduP

This version of Morbid Visions (and of Bestial Devastation for that matter) respects the raw energy and relentless brutality of the original take, but it is also an improvement in every possible way; the guitar tone is fantastic, and the guitars are actually in tune now, the vocal mix is excellent, and every riff is clearly heard in a way that one can now finally fully appreciate how high the death/thrash bar was set back in the mid-80s by these Brazilians. The Cavalera brothers took the material of their teenage years and re-recorded it in the present as mature and accomplished musicians, but without compromising its authentic ferocity one bit. With the help of producer Arthur Rizk, they crafted this so successfully that it resets the bar even higher today. And Eliran Cantor’s stunning artwork perfectly reflects how badass this album is.

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nikarg X-Ray Rod, Yaniv, RaduP, Dream Taster

The news of Descend Into Despair disbanding because they felt like they couldn't make art that was worthwhile for anyone hit especially hard, with them being one of the first bands from my country I discovered thanks to Metal Storm, at a time when my love for extreme doom was barely starting to develop, so they're a band I also hold partially responsible for that. Though out of all the releases I could pick, it is their final one that feels most meticulous, from the ways the synths enhance so much of the atmosphere, to just how much attention was poured in the mix of painting and photography on the cover art, all of it makes the context of the disbandment even more depressing and frustrating.



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RaduP nikarg, Starvynth, Apothecary

I bet you haven't heard any Kazakh metal bands. Well, here's your chance to change that. Quantum Loba is a deathcore band from Astana, Kazakhstan. Coming from a country not particularly know for their metal music, which already makes this band quite unique, they play a very atmopsheric, djentier style of deathcore adding to their uniqueness. With deathcore being a somewhat saturated genre these days, Quantum Loba is a breath of fresh air.

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Nejde Starvynth

Is 35 years too long? Back in 1988 Majestic Ryte released a self-titled tape with epic music that resembled Fates Warning’s early days. Fast-forward to 2023, with the same line-up, the band releases their debut full-length, also self-titled. The music here is U.S. power metal with a significant heavy/thrash twist, close to the sound of Sanctuary and Nevermore. The imposing vocals of Greg Tsaknakis vividly bring the late Warrel Dane to mind, and the guitar goes more for power chords and groove, rather than for melody. The album is very heavy, thanks to a pounding rhythm section and modern production, but still epic, even with its proggy and technical touches. It is dedicated to the memory of bassist John Funk, who passed away in February 2022.

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nikarg RaduP

Call me a bumbling ignoramus, but for me the greatness of Anathema's early works is primarily associated with one particular musician: Duncan Patterson. I feel the same way with Antimatter, because contrary to popular belief that Leaving Eden is the magnus opus of the project founded by Patterson and Mick Moss, I feel those very special moments that can turn a good album into a real masterpiece only when both artists have participated.
It's the sophomore Lights Out that marks the most mature symbiosis of dark, atmospheric rock, gothic and trip hop in the band's impressive early phase and that best integrates the truly beautiful backing vocals of the two female guest singers. Needless to say, exactly 20 years after its release, also Moss' distinctive, warm voice has lost none of its allure.

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Starvynth nikarg, X-Ray Rod, RaduP, Dream Taster

The aesthetics scream early 90s technical thrash/death, the music is the Painkiller/Naked City extreme jazz metal, so the end result is a loose and improvisational death metal album that feels as chaotic and manic as the sci-fi world depicted on the cover art. With involvement from members of Imperial Triumphant, Artificial Brain, and Cleric, and it being released on I, Voidhanger, Sarmat melt death metal to create something more free-flowing.

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RaduP nikarg

It's true that some of us tend to favor some genres over others and thus tend to notice originality in those genres more, and black metal is near the top of that list. But there are albums like Úpal that validate that bias with how original the sound feels. Black metal has been oddball, progressive, psychedelic, melodic, mystical, and fascinated with other cultures before, but Kostnatění take each of those aspects and find new ways to make the sound feel vital. Taking inspiration from oriental folk in more than just vibe, but also with all its songwriting quirks that feel alien to us, like all its microtonalities and time signatures. This is coming from a band whose take on the dissonant Deathspell Omega already felt out of the usual box, but this feels like it turned the box inside out.



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RaduP nikarg, Netzach, Nejde, musclassia, X-Ray Rod

It is more than likely that you missed this album when it was released about two and a half years ago. Even I missed it and I was familiar with their previous albums and was hopeful for the new endeavours. Tro has been playing often for these past two months. It's symphonic metal of the better kind, of the more interesting variety. From Sweden. In Swedish. Tough to pick a favourite but I'm leaning towards "Ett vingslag."

More on Bandcamp.

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Ivor RaduP, Nejde

For most bands, saying that the instruments kinda blend into each other would be an insult, but Pa Vesh En are the only band I know who are so meticulous about the production and their soundscapes, that they can make it sound like the album takes place in a vast temple and yet still make it feel densely claustrophobic. There's more orchestral elements and more of a soundtrack vibe this time around to make Martyrs the most evocative and detailed of Pa Vesh En's releases.



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RaduP X-Ray Rod, Netzach