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!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: RaduP, Netzach

By the will of the hallowed Re, I, Wennefer, the inspired forth - speaker of Memphis, doth proclaim the 20th anniversary of Nile's In Their Darkened Shrines.

A groundbreaking tome from the Nineteenth Dynasty, this work could easily be interpreted as representing the artist at his absolute peak. Bold, invigorated, and propelled by a seemingly unstoppable forward momentum, delighting in the lust of the conquest. Authoritative and firm in its writing, yet also quiet, contemplative, and eerily inviting. In Their Darkened Shrines was and remains a seminal work from this period, that would serve as a lightning point of reference to other artists and scribes of the Land of the Pharaohs, both at its contemporary date as well as further along, into the various Dynasties that succeeded it.

Begin your study of this legendary text, and rejoice unto the halls of Amenti that we have been blessed with its passing down to us from the Heavens.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Starvynth, RaduP, X-Ray Rod, nikarg, Darkside Momo, Nejde

It has now been 50 years since Hendrix's passing, in September of 1970. Several months prior, at the Fillmore East with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles, he recorded the now legendary Band Of Gypsys live album. In contrast to the heavier psychedelic rock approach of his earlier material, the music on Band Of Gypsys saw Hendrix embrace a much funkier approach, more free roaming and a lot groovier in its delivery. This is as good a hint of where the man's sound may have gone had he lived on if any, into more expansive territory oozing of soul and jazz influence. Give it a whirl and mourn the planned Hendrix/Miles Davis collaborative album that never was.

Rest In Power, Jimi.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: RaduP, ScreamingSteelUS, nikarg, Dream Taster, Fat & Sassy!, Daniell

III is one of those albums that takes you back. Back to school? Back to the future? No, rather back to that golden era of 70s psych music where people were popping tabs in the hot Western sun and widdly diddlying on their instruments for the next 72 hours. Retro jamz done right: riff heavy, groovy, and faaaaar ouuuuut maaaan.

If you've been enjoying what bands like Weedpecker, The Re Stoned, and Samsara Blues Experiment have been up to lately, this one's for you.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Abattoir, ScreamingSteelUS, nikarg

There's not much new here out of Chip, Lee, and company, but when their atypical, genre-bending formula has been working so well lately, what's really worth fixing? Here industrial, sludge, noise, and black metal influences combine yet again into a frightening yet oddly beautiful maelstrom. Certainly not for everyone, but definitely for those who love nightmarish music that has no qualms in smashing down artistic boundaries.

Listen.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

Is you a hot head bent on giving bad people good ideas? Or just some trash trying to ring a bell with some Houdini magic tricks? Eh, it don't really matter I suppose. But if you're looking to avoid the warping spikes in the bottomless pit and the BB poison in the bubbles buried in this jungle, please dial 80808 to find the three bedrooms in a good neighborhood.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

"So man, what's new for music today?"
"Eh, not much. Pylar, that Spanish band, they just dropped a new album that takes the drone genre to incredible heights once again, incorporating chanting, string instruments, horns, native percussion, and intricate, jazz-like drumming into a massive, doomy core. All with artwork and lyrics that allude to ancient shamanism and druidism as well."
"Meh, drone is so boring. When's that new Morbid Angel coming out?"

Immerse thyself.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears

So here we are. Six years and two EPs later, the mighty Deathspell Omega have returned with new material. It's not "Doomspell Omega" or a reggae black metal album, and sure, one could complain about a rehash of old ideas here. But I'll be damned if it isn't nice to have these titans of French black metal back on the throne showing all their emulators how the game is really played.

Go and get it.

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

Howls Of Ebb are a fine example of the growing tendency towards experimentation taking place right now not only in black metal, but in death metal as well. There's little that can be said about this album other than that it's a bizarre, stimulating journey into a blackened death whirlwind oozing of psychedelic bounce and eerie atmospheres. Say that doesn't sound fun and Yog-Sothoth will devour you.

Raise those tentacles high and sing to the Old Ones.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

Grief Relic is my first time crossing paths with Withered, the joining of the mighty Ethan McCarthy (Primitive Man, Vermin Womb, ex-CTTTOAFF) to the band being a treat that immediately raised interest. This black/death metal infantry is armed to the teeth with all the fixins: blitzkrieg guitars, thundering drum and bass, monstrous vocals from Ethan and Mike Thompson, and a pleasantly variable tempo ranging from frantic bangers one moment to slow, painful crushers the next. If you've been running low on the brutality pills lately, Withered are happy to compensate.

Get rekt.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse

As further testament to the fact that Icelandic black metal is not purely confined to Deathspell Omega emulation, Almyrkvi, the one man project of Garðar S. Jónsson, is hitting the scene hard this year with this debut EP. The music here is something of an industrial-influenced brand of ambient black metal: thick, almost mechanical-sounding riffs create a hypnotizing atmosphere, enhanced by atmospheric breaks interspersed throughout. Think something along the lines of Blut Aus Nord + Darkspace. Easily one of the best BM releases I've yet heard this year.

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

The misanthropic, kvlt-tinged sludge of Primitive Man is ready to throw down with Sea Bastard's lumbering, cavernous brand of doom on this monstrous new split. It's the Primitive Man side that leaves the greater impression, with a pleasant return to a grittier, Scorn-like production, but the crushing Sea Bastard track is nonetheless a powerful, worthy complement. I'm not usually one to get all that crazy about splits, but this one's a definite beast.

Primitive Man HERE
Sea Bastard HERE

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: D.T. Metal, Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414

A wise man once said that "two heads are better than one," and perhaps no album this year has yet demonstrated the truth of this maxim better than Skáphe². The grand result of the combination of the talented Alex Poole (Chaos Moon, Esoterica, Krieg) and the mysterious D.G. (Misþyrming, Naðra), this album is a mesmerizing journey through the capabilities of two of the best composers modern black metal has to offer. AOTY contender.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BitterCOld, X-Ray Rod, Deadsoulman, Paz

The new output from the Norwegian black metallers gone electronic maestros is just more of what Ulver have been doing splendidly for years now. Oozing of drone and psychedelic influence, it's a powerful exercise in transcendent beauty and diversity, with each track managing to have its own distinct flavor while still following a common theme. Forget the fact that you can't pronounce this album's title. Instead, focus on the fact that this is probably the most immersive and stimulating Ulver album in quite a good while.

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

Chaos Ech?s are a prime example of why French metal has gained such a solid reputation for being very forward-thinking and experimentally inclined in the past decade. Typically labeled as death metal or death doom, this album doesn't stop there, with the band also adding in elements of black metal, drone, jazz, psychedelia, and more to their sound. At some points fast and incredibly heavy, at others meditative and transcendent, Transient is a bizarre, polymorphous beast that defies classification, and seems to be nothing more than a full embrace of the power of human ingenuity.

Go have a listen and ponder over the nature of improvisation.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Deadsoulman, Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod, wormdrink414, BloodTears, BitterCOld, Darkside Momo, ScreamingSteelUS