Nothing new and fancy to see here, folks, just pounding, crunchy sludge with a bit of a bluesy twist that hits the groove gene right where it needs to. If you can't get enough of the sound of bands like Bongzilla, Eyehategod, etc. and you haven't yet heard Weedeater, do yourself the favor. Finger-lickin' good!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Deadsoulman, wormdrink414

Are Bong really doing anything new here? No. Do they need to? No. Coming back with another chapter in their sitar-fueled drone rituals, the band's music is as focused, relaxing, and meditative as ever.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Deadsoulman, Daniell, X-Ray Rod, Nefarious, Ag Fox, ScreamingSteelUS

Infernal Vlad seems to like death. A lot. Death Karma is a new band that sees the Cult Of Fire front man teaming up with the band's drummer for a musical spectacle that can only be described as stunning. Black and death metal combine seamlessly, in a way that is both thundering and bang-able, but also eerily hypnotic and surprisingly catchy with its sense of groove and enhancement from Vlad's distinct sense of melody. If these guys needed any further proof that they're incredibly skilled composers, this is it. Early AOTY contender.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: wormdrink414, X-Ray Rod, Ag Fox

What would happen if Genghis Khan traveled in time to our current era, stole Fredrik Thordendal's guitar, and then played an electronic symphony for himself back in the 1200s with it and his own little folk instruments while his hordes swept across the steppes of Russia? Why, Senmuth's Dakhmas would happen, of course.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Susan

Here's one of the few albums from this year that's actually deserving of all the hype it's been getting. The sophomore effort from this Swiss foursome is amazingly detailed and incredibly varied in its songwriting. At times takes a slow and trancelike black metal approach, with surprisingly beautiful solos to accompany. At others, pounds you into dust with a furious death metal crunch, and at other moments still is extremely relaxing in its attention to melody and atmosphere. A powerful blend of personalities, and a worthy addition to any extreme metal fan's musical library.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, Deadsoulman, ScreamingSteelUS

Coming off of a powerful debut with last year's U.M.A, this Italian BM duo decides to follow it up with a curveball, a nonmetal EP. Best be off with you if you're looking for the more aggressive side of the band's personality with this one. Asteroidi is for those listeners who delighted in the ringy ding ding electronics of the debut, and wished to see the band go deeper with them, an effort at which they certainly succeed here.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Introspekrieg, Ag Fox

If you're a serious follower of this style, you know the usual. The project of Jacob Buczarski, Mare Cognitum is raw and hard hitting black metal, but also interspersed with all those beautiful, melodic, and dreamy undercurrents that we all know and love and that've come to make this style so goddamn good when it's executed right. Highly recommended for fans of Chaos Moon, Spectral Lore, Sombres Forêts, etc. And shoutout to my buddy Fearmeister for turning me onto all the great stuff on I, Voidhanger's current roster, definitely a label worth investigating.

BANDCAMP.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears

The one man project of Chet W. Scott, Blood Of The Black Owl is a hypnotizing journey through foreboding sounds and monolithic landscapes. Native American themes abound, with use of wind flute and some drony, chant-like vocals to help heighten the vibe and make you feel as though you're being banished by the ritual of the album's title. This album may be four years old, but screw it: if you're down with the whole drone/dark ambient nonsense, this is definitely one you need in your life.

Begin the daze.

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The hype surrounding the band following the release of Aura last year is proven not undeserving with their second EP. Riffs with a great hook, a thundering old school death metal sound with a bit of a modern twist, and subtle threads of black metal that hold all the seams together. If your expectations were high for this, chances are good you won't be disappointed.

Check out "Steppes" over here.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Nefarious, Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod, Daniell, BloodTears

The nightmarish Swedes return with a short 25 minutes of material left over from the recording sessions of their previous two albums, hence the title. Bearing more structural resemblance to The Purging, but also oozing with the delicious dark ambient cloak that made The Tunnels so good, this EP can be seen as a bit of a bridge between the two, that may also be dropping some hints as to where their sound is going in the future. A bit brief, but for those who simply can't get enough of the band, this release is mandatory.

Bandcamp.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Ag Fox, Darkside Momo, R'Vannith, BloodTears, X-Ray Rod

What's that, you want a description? Ok. Have an Andromedan alien come to Earth, learn the language of some obscure African tribe, and then play synthesizers while singing over them in that language. Then play the recording backwards, and that's something along the lines of what you get with Ritual. Surachai is definitely not one to do something more than once, and this new album is a radical, yet curious departure from his previous releases that were more grounded in metal.

Bandcamp

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If you've been getting on the blackened death craziness that's been being served up lately from bands like Bölzer and Ancient Ascendant, here's one you definitely shouldn't pass up. Cold, nasty without sounding forced, and with an occasionally horror-esque atmosphere to top it all off, the sophomore effort from these Spaniards is just as good, if not better than their debut, and that's saying something.

Give "Anteinfierno" a spin over here.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414, X-Ray Rod, BitterCOld

Well this is definitely an album for the one man fanatics like myself if I ever heard one. Admittedly not as good as the previous Sentinel, but the drop in quality is very minimal, and Nihilus Ayloss continues to deliver in spades. Raw and hard hitting, but also interspersed with plenty of dreamy and mesmerizing undercurrents, to create a feeling not too unlike floating in some sort of otherwordly, cosmic ocean. "The Veiled Garden" in particular is nothing short of mindblowing.

LISTEN.

Staff pick by:

Mories de Jong, ever the proficient craftsman, is back with his second full length of the year (first being the second Seirom album, which you need in your life): the third installation from his Cloak Of Altering project. Here you'll find the usual bag of tricks that's come to be associated with this ride in Mories' carnival: black metal interspersed with industrial and other nightmarish electronic/ambient touches, painting a picture that's both beautiful and deranged in all its repulsive splendor.

Get on it, ye hipsters.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, Ag Fox

Four tracks, slightly over 40 minutes long. In this case, that means that we're dealing with some master crafters of pure, drony goodness. If you're familiar with Nadja and the ten thousand releases that make up their discography, you know the dilly by now: slow, monontonous doom, but also with a hidden sense of dreamlike melody that hints at many great things lurking beneath, and muddled vocals that create even more of an otherworldly vibe. More structured and heavier than their previous Flipper effort, but still unquestionably within their style.

LISTEN

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: !J.O.O.E.!, X-Ray Rod