#yob — Public Fediverse posts

I always thought Monolord could level up by favoring hooky bangers. So too did Roquentin, who, in evaluating Vænir back in 2015, saw in these long-form Sabbathians the potential for memorable songs. In picking up Monolord reviewing duties, Huck N Roll began charting a consistently Good stoner/doom career that flirted with evolution but consistently maintained a tried-and-true formula. I would have added the adjectival modifier to Your Time to Shine (2021)—its five distinctive tracks strike a Very Good balance of droniness and catchiness across a sensible 39 minutes.1 My revisionism notwithstanding, Monolord has come to embody the AMG Good, with four branches now on the beloved 3.0tree. As the third Monolord reviewer, the odds suggest I will slap another 3.0 on Neverending and call it a day, especially if album six continues to innovate only around the edges.

Fortunately, Monolord agrees that hooky bangers would reinvigorate Monolord. To help sculpt what they describe as ‘more succinct and immediate songs’ and a ‘sharper album,’ the band enlisted the legendary Sylvia Massy to record, produce, and mix Neverending.2 Monolord credit Massy for significantly influencing their editing, but this isn’t to say she radically altered the band’s stoner/doom sound. Sonically, Massy beefs up the already thick n’ fuzzy tones of this Swedish power trio. Indeed, the guitar of Thomas Jäger and bass of Mika Häkki continue to combine for some of the fattest, tastiest riffage in the game, with a signature chromaticism hard to achieve in the genre.3 As on prior records, Jäger’s vocals sit back in the mix, making his mid-to-upper range croon ethereally prominent. The metronomic drums of Esben Willems also sit back, making every crash, fill, and cowbell monumental. Like previous outings, Neverending sounds invitingly warm, with some welcome heft this time around.

Under Massy’s guidance, Neverending shakes up the Monolord formula for the first time. Whereas previous records are 5–6 tracks with an average song-length of 8 minutes, 5 of 8 tracks here sit between 3–5 minutes. Exemplifying this new approach is the opening one-two punch of “Iodine,”—which feels like a miniature YOB meets the noise-groove of Killdozer—and “You Bastard,”—the album’s strongest Minilord song. The latter propels an infectious verse-chorus cycle, supplemented by shimmying shakers, with a Riff o’ the Year candidate. Later, “The Masque” and “Invisible” hit the spot; the former has a fun blues stomp and delightfully dark verses, but the song would’ve benefitted from three iterations of its (terrific) chorus. Minilord falters, however, on “Crystal Bridge,” which actually feels too short. Excellent CoC-style sludgery gives way to Jäger alone, laying plaintive vocals atop clean chords. It seems to set up something expansive, but once the sludge riffing returns as a capper, “Crystal Bridge” ends up sounding like a song without a chorus.

Despite their emphasis on succinctness, Monolord lace ‘classic’ longer jams throughout Neverending. ”Oozing Wound” is the darling in this regard, typifying the winning chemistry Jäger, Häkki, and Willems possess when they lock in on a simple riff and give it enough space, turns, and melodic character to make it interesting yet still hypnotic. On “It’s Neverending,” Jäger vocally collaborates with Jörgen Sandström, the former bassist of Entombed, which gives Monolord its first flavoring of death-doom via Sandström’s growls. Though I’m less enthusiastic about the Sandström-led portions, the song’s gentle, melancholic dénouement makes it an exceptional eponymous closer. Speaking of closers, “Inside a Collider” weirdly feels like one at track three. It drones on a hooky riff/vocal combo for a while, but it also contains a killer doom descent I wish happened more than once.

After careful analysis, I have arrived at the same score Monolord has been achieving at AMG for over a decade. In 2019, Huck described No Comfort as the band’s transition album, which was true at the time. But as it currently stands, Neverending is Monolord’s transition album, and it’s a transition not without its growing pains. Though the songwriting falters more than it should on a ‘sharp’ album, holistically, Neverending is an enjoyable 43 minutes, making it a more-than-worthy branch on the 3.0tree.4 In the promo materials, Häkki shares that the collaboration with Massy ‘makes [him] curious about what the next chapter will be’ for Monolord. I count myself among the curious—Neverending isn’t the fully-realized version of Minilord I was hoping for, but it plants the seed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: Official | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

I always thought Monolord could level up by favoring hooky bangers. So too did Roquentin, who, in evaluating Vænir back in 2015, saw in these long-form Sabbathians the potential for memorable songs. In picking up Monolord reviewing duties, Huck N Roll began charting a consistently Good stoner/doom career that flirted with evolution but consistently maintained a tried-and-true formula. I would have added the adjectival modifier to Your Time to Shine (2021)—its five distinctive tracks strike a Very Good balance of droniness and catchiness across a sensible 39 minutes.1 My revisionism notwithstanding, Monolord has come to embody the AMG Good, with four branches now on the beloved 3.0tree. As the third Monolord reviewer, the odds suggest I will slap another 3.0 on Neverending and call it a day, especially if album six continues to innovate only around the edges.

Fortunately, Monolord agrees that hooky bangers would reinvigorate Monolord. To help sculpt what they describe as ‘more succinct and immediate songs’ and a ‘sharper album,’ the band enlisted the legendary Sylvia Massy to record, produce, and mix Neverending.2 Monolord credit Massy for significantly influencing their editing, but this isn’t to say she radically altered the band’s stoner/doom sound. Sonically, Massy beefs up the already thick n’ fuzzy tones of this Swedish power trio. Indeed, the guitar of Thomas Jäger and bass of Mika Häkki continue to combine for some of the fattest, tastiest riffage in the game, with a signature chromaticism hard to achieve in the genre.3 As on prior records, Jäger’s vocals sit back in the mix, making his mid-to-upper range croon ethereally prominent. The metronomic drums of Esben Willems also sit back, making every crash, fill, and cowbell monumental. Like previous outings, Neverending sounds invitingly warm, with some welcome heft this time around.

Under Massy’s guidance, Neverending shakes up the Monolord formula for the first time. Whereas previous records are 5–6 tracks with an average song-length of 8 minutes, 5 of 8 tracks here sit between 3–5 minutes. Exemplifying this new approach is the opening one-two punch of “Iodine,”—which feels like a miniature YOB meets the noise-groove of Killdozer—and “You Bastard,”—the album’s strongest Minilord song. The latter propels an infectious verse-chorus cycle, supplemented by shimmying shakers, with a Riff o’ the Year candidate. Later, “The Masque” and “Invisible” hit the spot; the former has a fun blues stomp and delightfully dark verses, but the song would’ve benefitted from three iterations of its (terrific) chorus. Minilord falters, however, on “Crystal Bridge,” which actually feels too short. Excellent CoC-style sludgery gives way to Jäger alone, laying plaintive vocals atop clean chords. It seems to set up something expansive, but once the sludge riffing returns as a capper, “Crystal Bridge” ends up sounding like a song without a chorus.

Despite their emphasis on succinctness, Monolord lace ‘classic’ longer jams throughout Neverending. ”Oozing Wound” is the darling in this regard, typifying the winning chemistry Jäger, Häkki, and Willems possess when they lock in on a simple riff and give it enough space, turns, and melodic character to make it interesting yet still hypnotic. On “It’s Neverending,” Jäger vocally collaborates with Jörgen Sandström, the former bassist of Entombed, which gives Monolord its first flavoring of death-doom via Sandström’s growls. Though I’m less enthusiastic about the Sandström-led portions, the song’s gentle, melancholic dénouement makes it an exceptional eponymous closer. Speaking of closers, “Inside a Collider” weirdly feels like one at track three. It drones on a hooky riff/vocal combo for a while, but it also contains a killer doom descent I wish happened more than once.

After careful analysis, I have arrived at the same score Monolord has been achieving at AMG for over a decade. In 2019, Huck described No Comfort as the band’s transition album, which was true at the time. But as it currently stands, Neverending is Monolord’s transition album, and it’s a transition not without its growing pains. Though the songwriting falters more than it should on a ‘sharp’ album, holistically, Neverending is an enjoyable 43 minutes, making it a more-than-worthy branch on the 3.0tree.4 In the promo materials, Häkki shares that the collaboration with Massy ‘makes [him] curious about what the next chapter will be’ for Monolord. I count myself among the curious—Neverending isn’t the fully-realized version of Minilord I was hoping for, but it plants the seed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: Official | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

I always thought Monolord could level up by favoring hooky bangers. So too did Roquentin, who, in evaluating Vænir back in 2015, saw in these long-form Sabbathians the potential for memorable songs. In picking up Monolord reviewing duties, Huck N Roll began charting a consistently Good stoner/doom career that flirted with evolution but consistently maintained a tried-and-true formula. I would have added the adjectival modifier to Your Time to Shine (2021)—its five distinctive tracks strike a Very Good balance of droniness and catchiness across a sensible 39 minutes.1 My revisionism notwithstanding, Monolord has come to embody the AMG Good, with four branches now on the beloved 3.0tree. As the third Monolord reviewer, the odds suggest I will slap another 3.0 on Neverending and call it a day, especially if album six continues to innovate only around the edges.

Fortunately, Monolord agrees that hooky bangers would reinvigorate Monolord. To help sculpt what they describe as ‘more succinct and immediate songs’ and a ‘sharper album,’ the band enlisted the legendary Sylvia Massy to record, produce, and mix Neverending.2 Monolord credit Massy for significantly influencing their editing, but this isn’t to say she radically altered the band’s stoner/doom sound. Sonically, Massy beefs up the already thick n’ fuzzy tones of this Swedish power trio. Indeed, the guitar of Thomas Jäger and bass of Mika Häkki continue to combine for some of the fattest, tastiest riffage in the game, with a signature chromaticism hard to achieve in the genre.3 As on prior records, Jäger’s vocals sit back in the mix, making his mid-to-upper range croon ethereally prominent. The metronomic drums of Esben Willems also sit back, making every crash, fill, and cowbell monumental. Like previous outings, Neverending sounds invitingly warm, with some welcome heft this time around.

Under Massy’s guidance, Neverending shakes up the Monolord formula for the first time. Whereas previous records are 5–6 tracks with an average song-length of 8 minutes, 5 of 8 tracks here sit between 3–5 minutes. Exemplifying this new approach is the opening one-two punch of “Iodine,”—which feels like a miniature YOB meets the noise-groove of Killdozer—and “You Bastard,”—the album’s strongest Minilord song. The latter propels an infectious verse-chorus cycle, supplemented by shimmying shakers, with a Riff o’ the Year candidate. Later, “The Masque” and “Invisible” hit the spot; the former has a fun blues stomp and delightfully dark verses, but the song would’ve benefitted from three iterations of its (terrific) chorus. Minilord falters, however, on “Crystal Bridge,” which actually feels too short. Excellent CoC-style sludgery gives way to Jäger alone, laying plaintive vocals atop clean chords. It seems to set up something expansive, but once the sludge riffing returns as a capper, “Crystal Bridge” ends up sounding like a song without a chorus.

Despite their emphasis on succinctness, Monolord lace ‘classic’ longer jams throughout Neverending. ”Oozing Wound” is the darling in this regard, typifying the winning chemistry Jäger, Häkki, and Willems possess when they lock in on a simple riff and give it enough space, turns, and melodic character to make it interesting yet still hypnotic. On “It’s Neverending,” Jäger vocally collaborates with Jörgen Sandström, the former bassist of Entombed, which gives Monolord its first flavoring of death-doom via Sandström’s growls. Though I’m less enthusiastic about the Sandström-led portions, the song’s gentle, melancholic dénouement makes it an exceptional eponymous closer. Speaking of closers, “Inside a Collider” weirdly feels like one at track three. It drones on a hooky riff/vocal combo for a while, but it also contains a killer doom descent I wish happened more than once.

After careful analysis, I have arrived at the same score Monolord has been achieving at AMG for over a decade. In 2019, Huck described No Comfort as the band’s transition album, which was true at the time. But as it currently stands, Neverending is Monolord’s transition album, and it’s a transition not without its growing pains. Though the songwriting falters more than it should on a ‘sharp’ album, holistically, Neverending is an enjoyable 43 minutes, making it a more-than-worthy branch on the 3.0tree.4 In the promo materials, Häkki shares that the collaboration with Massy ‘makes [him] curious about what the next chapter will be’ for Monolord. I count myself among the curious—Neverending isn’t the fully-realized version of Minilord I was hoping for, but it plants the seed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: Official | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

I always thought Monolord could level up by favoring hooky bangers. So too did Roquentin, who, in evaluating Vænir back in 2015, saw in these long-form Sabbathians the potential for memorable songs. In picking up Monolord reviewing duties, Huck N Roll began charting a consistently Good stoner/doom career that flirted with evolution but consistently maintained a tried-and-true formula. I would have added the adjectival modifier to Your Time to Shine (2021)—its five distinctive tracks strike a Very Good balance of droniness and catchiness across a sensible 39 minutes.1 My revisionism notwithstanding, Monolord has come to embody the AMG Good, with four branches now on the beloved 3.0tree. As the third Monolord reviewer, the odds suggest I will slap another 3.0 on Neverending and call it a day, especially if album six continues to innovate only around the edges.

Fortunately, Monolord agrees that hooky bangers would reinvigorate Monolord. To help sculpt what they describe as ‘more succinct and immediate songs’ and a ‘sharper album,’ the band enlisted the legendary Sylvia Massy to record, produce, and mix Neverending.2 Monolord credit Massy for significantly influencing their editing, but this isn’t to say she radically altered the band’s stoner/doom sound. Sonically, Massy beefs up the already thick n’ fuzzy tones of this Swedish power trio. Indeed, the guitar of Thomas Jäger and bass of Mika Häkki continue to combine for some of the fattest, tastiest riffage in the game, with a signature chromaticism hard to achieve in the genre.3 As on prior records, Jäger’s vocals sit back in the mix, making his mid-to-upper range croon ethereally prominent. The metronomic drums of Esben Willems also sit back, making every crash, fill, and cowbell monumental. Like previous outings, Neverending sounds invitingly warm, with some welcome heft this time around.

Under Massy’s guidance, Neverending shakes up the Monolord formula for the first time. Whereas previous records are 5–6 tracks with an average song-length of 8 minutes, 5 of 8 tracks here sit between 3–5 minutes. Exemplifying this new approach is the opening one-two punch of “Iodine,”—which feels like a miniature YOB meets the noise-groove of Killdozer—and “You Bastard,”—the album’s strongest Minilord song. The latter propels an infectious verse-chorus cycle, supplemented by shimmying shakers, with a Riff o’ the Year candidate. Later, “The Masque” and “Invisible” hit the spot; the former has a fun blues stomp and delightfully dark verses, but the song would’ve benefitted from three iterations of its (terrific) chorus. Minilord falters, however, on “Crystal Bridge,” which actually feels too short. Excellent CoC-style sludgery gives way to Jäger alone, laying plaintive vocals atop clean chords. It seems to set up something expansive, but once the sludge riffing returns as a capper, “Crystal Bridge” ends up sounding like a song without a chorus.

Despite their emphasis on succinctness, Monolord lace ‘classic’ longer jams throughout Neverending. ”Oozing Wound” is the darling in this regard, typifying the winning chemistry Jäger, Häkki, and Willems possess when they lock in on a simple riff and give it enough space, turns, and melodic character to make it interesting yet still hypnotic. On “It’s Neverending,” Jäger vocally collaborates with Jörgen Sandström, the former bassist of Entombed, which gives Monolord its first flavoring of death-doom via Sandström’s growls. Though I’m less enthusiastic about the Sandström-led portions, the song’s gentle, melancholic dénouement makes it an exceptional eponymous closer. Speaking of closers, “Inside a Collider” weirdly feels like one at track three. It drones on a hooky riff/vocal combo for a while, but it also contains a killer doom descent I wish happened more than once.

After careful analysis, I have arrived at the same score Monolord has been achieving at AMG for over a decade. In 2019, Huck described No Comfort as the band’s transition album, which was true at the time. But as it currently stands, Neverending is Monolord’s transition album, and it’s a transition not without its growing pains. Though the songwriting falters more than it should on a ‘sharp’ album, holistically, Neverending is an enjoyable 43 minutes, making it a more-than-worthy branch on the 3.0tree.4 In the promo materials, Häkki shares that the collaboration with Massy ‘makes [him] curious about what the next chapter will be’ for Monolord. I count myself among the curious—Neverending isn’t the fully-realized version of Minilord I was hoping for, but it plants the seed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: Official | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

I always thought Monolord could level up by favoring hooky bangers. So too did Roquentin, who, in evaluating Vænir back in 2015, saw in these long-form Sabbathians the potential for memorable songs. In picking up Monolord reviewing duties, Huck N Roll began charting a consistently Good stoner/doom career that flirted with evolution but consistently maintained a tried-and-true formula. I would have added the adjectival modifier to Your Time to Shine (2021)—its five distinctive tracks strike a Very Good balance of droniness and catchiness across a sensible 39 minutes.1 My revisionism notwithstanding, Monolord has come to embody the AMG Good, with four branches now on the beloved 3.0tree. As the third Monolord reviewer, the odds suggest I will slap another 3.0 on Neverending and call it a day, especially if album six continues to innovate only around the edges.

Fortunately, Monolord agrees that hooky bangers would reinvigorate Monolord. To help sculpt what they describe as ‘more succinct and immediate songs’ and a ‘sharper album,’ the band enlisted the legendary Sylvia Massy to record, produce, and mix Neverending.2 Monolord credit Massy for significantly influencing their editing, but this isn’t to say she radically altered the band’s stoner/doom sound. Sonically, Massy beefs up the already thick n’ fuzzy tones of this Swedish power trio. Indeed, the guitar of Thomas Jäger and bass of Mika Häkki continue to combine for some of the fattest, tastiest riffage in the game, with a signature chromaticism hard to achieve in the genre.3 As on prior records, Jäger’s vocals sit back in the mix, making his mid-to-upper range croon ethereally prominent. The metronomic drums of Esben Willems also sit back, making every crash, fill, and cowbell monumental. Like previous outings, Neverending sounds invitingly warm, with some welcome heft this time around.

Under Massy’s guidance, Neverending shakes up the Monolord formula for the first time. Whereas previous records are 5–6 tracks with an average song-length of 8 minutes, 5 of 8 tracks here sit between 3–5 minutes. Exemplifying this new approach is the opening one-two punch of “Iodine,”—which feels like a miniature YOB meets the noise-groove of Killdozer—and “You Bastard,”—the album’s strongest Minilord song. The latter propels an infectious verse-chorus cycle, supplemented by shimmying shakers, with a Riff o’ the Year candidate. Later, “The Masque” and “Invisible” hit the spot; the former has a fun blues stomp and delightfully dark verses, but the song would’ve benefitted from three iterations of its (terrific) chorus. Minilord falters, however, on “Crystal Bridge,” which actually feels too short. Excellent CoC-style sludgery gives way to Jäger alone, laying plaintive vocals atop clean chords. It seems to set up something expansive, but once the sludge riffing returns as a capper, “Crystal Bridge” ends up sounding like a song without a chorus.

Despite their emphasis on succinctness, Monolord lace ‘classic’ longer jams throughout Neverending. ”Oozing Wound” is the darling in this regard, typifying the winning chemistry Jäger, Häkki, and Willems possess when they lock in on a simple riff and give it enough space, turns, and melodic character to make it interesting yet still hypnotic. On “It’s Neverending,” Jäger vocally collaborates with Jörgen Sandström, the former bassist of Entombed, which gives Monolord its first flavoring of death-doom via Sandström’s growls. Though I’m less enthusiastic about the Sandström-led portions, the song’s gentle, melancholic dénouement makes it an exceptional eponymous closer. Speaking of closers, “Inside a Collider” weirdly feels like one at track three. It drones on a hooky riff/vocal combo for a while, but it also contains a killer doom descent I wish happened more than once.

After careful analysis, I have arrived at the same score Monolord has been achieving at AMG for over a decade. In 2019, Huck described No Comfort as the band’s transition album, which was true at the time. But as it currently stands, Neverending is Monolord’s transition album, and it’s a transition not without its growing pains. Though the songwriting falters more than it should on a ‘sharp’ album, holistically, Neverending is an enjoyable 43 minutes, making it a more-than-worthy branch on the 3.0tree.4 In the promo materials, Häkki shares that the collaboration with Massy ‘makes [him] curious about what the next chapter will be’ for Monolord. I count myself among the curious—Neverending isn’t the fully-realized version of Minilord I was hoping for, but it plants the seed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: Official | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

#digitalart
#fanart
#cartoon
#LooneyTunes
#Yob
#StPatricksDay

He's not Irish but he's so cute you wanna kiss him anyway. Yob created by #ChuckJones

#digitalart
#fanart
#cartoon
#LooneyTunes
#Yob
#StPatricksDay

He's not Irish but he's so cute you wanna kiss him anyway. Yob created by #ChuckJones

#digitalart
#fanart
#cartoon
#LooneyTunes
#Yob
#StPatricksDay

He's not Irish but he's so cute you wanna kiss him anyway. Yob created by #ChuckJones

#digitalart
#fanart
#cartoon
#LooneyTunes
#Yob
#StPatricksDay

He's not Irish but he's so cute you wanna kiss him anyway. Yob created by #ChuckJones

#YOB about to play at the #RosemountHotel in #Perth.

#metal
#stonermetal

@Kingu

Hello Fediverse.

It's me again, here to tell you that #YobIsLove.

#Yob

@Kingu

Hello Fediverse.

It's me again, here to tell you that #YobIsLove.

#Yob

@Kingu

Hello Fediverse.

It's me again, here to tell you that #YobIsLove.

#Yob

@Kingu

Hello Fediverse.

It's me again, here to tell you that #YobIsLove.

#Yob

@georgetakei
If "people are saying" the YOB is a serious candidate for a Nobel Peace Prize, then why not a joint Peace/Economics prize shared with Putin and Xi, too? Let's throw in Netanyahu, too. I call travesty.

But if such a travesty occurs, I wonder how many REAL Nobel Prize winners would return and repudiate their prizes? The YOB is NO friend of peace or science or economics or literature. Or truth or sanity or honesty or democracy.

#YOB = Yuge Orange Buffoon

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #VarietyMix

YOB:
🎵 Marrow

#YOB

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/track/marrow

https://open.spotify.com/track/5T9iXq6DahqRamo1XvJwil

🎶 show playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6G4PaS9BNkIuGqMo44rbfZ

🎶 KEXP playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VNALrOa3gWbk794YuIrwg

@Kingu

Easy choice here for me. #YOB for the win!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HdnaDuRwok

#YobIsLove

@Kingu

Easy choice here for me. #YOB for the win!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HdnaDuRwok

#YobIsLove

@Kingu

Easy choice here for me. #YOB for the win!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HdnaDuRwok

#YobIsLove

@Kingu

Easy choice here for me. #YOB for the win!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HdnaDuRwok

#YobIsLove

Dear seamaids and -men,
happy to finally sail the seven seas of the Fediverse! Thank you for your warm welcome, much appreciated.🖤
As we’re still new to these waters – any recommendations (arts, music, …) on who we should follow? :clippy:

Our first toot announces our first gig in a norwegian church. 🇳🇴 Snakkes!

#Ahabdoom #Doommetal #Yob #Metalfestival #hostsabbat #kulturkirken #Oslo

@georgetakei

The YOB has already lost. The self-inflicted holes in his great tariff wall have already conceded victory to the Chinese side--but the YOB will continue to lie and deny defeat.

#YOB = Yuge Orange Buffoon. I'll give the puppet no brand-name publicity since he thinks all publicity is good. But your mileage may differ for the B-word.

@georgetakei

No problem. The YOB dropped the market more than that in one day. Completely apples to oranges and this offer does not even apply to the YOB's precious self.

#YOB = Yuge Orange Buffoon, though your mileage may differ for the B-word.

Konzertplakat für die Bands YOB und Pallbearer aus dem Jahr 2014. Es wurde am Lahti Poster Festival 2017 ausgestellt. #posterart #design #yob #pallbearer #gaswerk #winterthur

This is currently playing elsewhere in my house. I can't see it, but I can hear it. And you should too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uif5XmYF7_k

#YOB

@srslymarco

#Yob! Because #YobIsLove.

Und #Ahab

@srslymarco

#Yob! Because #YobIsLove.

Und #Ahab

@srslymarco

#Yob! Because #YobIsLove.

Und #Ahab

Closing out my inaugural #WellWornWednesday (i.e., full day of only listening to old favorites, nothing new; name/hashtag subject to change) with this banger of an album. The reissued version up on Bandcamp was remastered by the Tad Doyle.

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/catharsis

#YOB #doom #DoomMetal #TadDoyle

Closing out my inaugural #WellWornWednesday (i.e., full day of only listening to old favorites, nothing new; name/hashtag subject to change) with this banger of an album. The reissued version up on Bandcamp was remastered by the Tad Doyle.

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/catharsis

#YOB #doom #DoomMetal #TadDoyle

Closing out my inaugural #WellWornWednesday (i.e., full day of only listening to old favorites, nothing new; name/hashtag subject to change) with this banger of an album. The reissued version up on Bandcamp was remastered by the Tad Doyle.

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/catharsis

#YOB #doom #DoomMetal #TadDoyle

Closing out my inaugural #WellWornWednesday (i.e., full day of only listening to old favorites, nothing new; name/hashtag subject to change) with this banger of an album. The reissued version up on Bandcamp was remastered by the Tad Doyle.

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/catharsis

#YOB #doom #DoomMetal #TadDoyle

Closing out my inaugural #WellWornWednesday (i.e., full day of only listening to old favorites, nothing new; name/hashtag subject to change) with this banger of an album. The reissued version up on Bandcamp was remastered by the Tad Doyle.

https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/catharsis

#YOB #doom #DoomMetal #TadDoyle

Forget Black Metal. Forget Death Metal.

This is some evil #DoomMetal song.

#Yob - Exorcism Of The Host

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hJs5PkruFs

#YobIsLove #Doom

Forget Black Metal. Forget Death Metal.

This is some evil #DoomMetal song.

#Yob - Exorcism Of The Host

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hJs5PkruFs

#YobIsLove #Doom

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
LIVING GATE (YOB, OATHBREAKER) Announces Debut Album, Streams "Hunting Maggots"

https://metalinjection.net/new-music/living-gate-yob-oathbreaker-announces-debut-album-streams-hunting-maggots

#LivingGate #Yob #Oathbreaker

YOB // #Yob #YobIsLove //

album Demo
[2024 - Originally released on CDR in 2000]

- Silence
- Revolution
- Dogma

//via // #Yob #YobIsLove //

#brandunbrand #bandcamp #music #Yob #YobIsLove #Silence #Revolution #Dogma #MikeScheidt #GregOcon

link bandcamp: https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/demo

YOB // #Yob #YobIsLove //

album Demo
[2024 - Originally released on CDR in 2000]

- Silence
- Revolution
- Dogma

//via // #Yob #YobIsLove //

#brandunbrand #bandcamp #music #Yob #YobIsLove #Silence #Revolution #Dogma #MikeScheidt #GregOcon

link bandcamp: https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/demo

YOB // #Yob #YobIsLove //

album Demo
[2024 - Originally released on CDR in 2000]

- Silence
- Revolution
- Dogma

//via // #Yob #YobIsLove //

#brandunbrand #bandcamp #music #Yob #YobIsLove #Silence #Revolution #Dogma #MikeScheidt #GregOcon

link bandcamp: https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/demo

YOB // #Yob #YobIsLove //

album Demo
[2024 - Originally released on CDR in 2000]

- Silence
- Revolution
- Dogma

//via // #Yob #YobIsLove //

#brandunbrand #bandcamp #music #Yob #YobIsLove #Silence #Revolution #Dogma #MikeScheidt #GregOcon

link bandcamp: https://yobislove.bandcamp.com/album/demo

Thousand Limbs – The Aurochs Review

By Dear Hollow

If any metal style has the right to be instrumental, it’s a three-way tie between djent, drone, and post-metal – and I’m guessing you’re cringing right now. While the former two are dragged across oft-unwilling ears in masturbatory guitar wizardry and booty-thick minimalist sprawls, respectively, post-metal has always felt a bit more exploratory and dynamic. Acts like Tempel and Russian Circles have crafted landscapes out of massive riffs and complex compositions, and New Zealand’s Thousand Limbs takes a similar approach with debut full-length The Aurochs. Big riffs and visceral chord progressions guide, and we are on this journey with them.

The Aurochs takes influence from the enigmatic Chinese Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, illustrations and parables from twelfth-century Zen master Kakuan Shion. Thousand Limbs’ individual ten tracks reflect each of the illustrations and their attached poetic verses respectively, through a sonic exploration of the achievement of awakening. While post-metal is clear in Isis-esque off-kilter rhythms, curious melodicisms, and lurching patterns alongside Russian Circles awe-inducing hugeness, other influences of YOB, Bongripper, and Earth also pervade. Orange haze, vintage distortion, and driving baritone riffs add a certain aggression and twist.

Beginning with “A Blessed Life to Suffer,” you’re graced with post-metal and doom’s most endearing quality: patience. Thousand Limbs is content letting its riffs grow and sprawl across its mammoth nearly hour-long runtime. Tracks like “Form,” “Fall of Body and Mind,” and closer “A Boundless Heart” exchange big sprawls, haunting leads, and fuzzy noodles seamlessly in painting enlightened pictures with broad yet gentle strokes, while the interludes “Only His Shadow,” “Evening Haze,” and “Beneath Soil and Stone” embrace the darker melodies that momentarily cut through the murk. Centerpieces “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the best tracks here, exemplifying a two-part exploration of “Seizing the Ox” and “Taming the Ox.” First half “The Aurochs” is vicious and driving, complete with dissonant dueling arpeggios, while the second’s “Aligned” interpretation is more sunny and optimistic stoner-heavy bass-forward intertwined rhythms feel like some achievement of peace. Thousand Limbs’ careful control of its songwriting and motifs is consistently illustrated throughout, transitions between dissonance, darker minor moods, sunny melody, and brighter major chords remarkably smooth.

The fusion of post-metal and vintage doom is an intriguing premise, but Thousand Limbs suffers from its murk. Stoner doom in particular is aligned in minimalist compositions, and while guitars attempt to intertwine and compensate for The Aurochs’ voiceless trudge, it takes multiple listens to discern between the layers – especially when they exist in the same register. All the layered riffs and leads that guide “A Dim Light to Guide,” “Form,” and “A Boundless Heart” all swirl with no particular conclusion, only letting random bouts of squealing feedback cut through the bog. In this way, the careful and precise nature of post-metal is incompatible with the fuzzy wrecking ball of stoner doom, and Thousand Limbs shoots itself in the foot with its stoner doom swampy mix. Even beyond it, while the album structure favors their placement as album climax, “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the undisputed best tracks here, putting all others in their shadow.

To their credit, Thousand Limbs has created a post-metal album that is evocative, smartly composed, and achieving a clear purpose. The problem is that The Aurochs makes no case convincing stoner doom and post-metal naysayers that it’s the best thing since Isis or Bongripper. Unless you’re prepared to analyze the hell out of it for damn near an hour, fighting uphill against a production value of dominating fuzz and denied vocals, The Aurochs is a chore. Thousand Limbs carries on the tried-and-true tradition of instrumental post-metal in a unique fusion that embraces the hallmarks of classic doom and stoner sensibilities in a tangible and realized theme. But like the walk towards enlightenment, you’ve got to struggle for it.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: thousandlimbs.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/thousandlimbsnz
Releases Worldwide: July 19th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Bongripper #DoomMetal #Earth #Jul24 #NewZealandMetal #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RussianCircles #SelfRelease #StonerDoomMetal #Tempel #TheAurochs #ThousandLimbs #YOB

Thousand Limbs – The Aurochs Review

By Dear Hollow

If any metal style has the right to be instrumental, it’s a three-way tie between djent, drone, and post-metal – and I’m guessing you’re cringing right now. While the former two are dragged across oft-unwilling ears in masturbatory guitar wizardry and booty-thick minimalist sprawls, respectively, post-metal has always felt a bit more exploratory and dynamic. Acts like Tempel and Russian Circles have crafted landscapes out of massive riffs and complex compositions, and New Zealand’s Thousand Limbs takes a similar approach with debut full-length The Aurochs. Big riffs and visceral chord progressions guide, and we are on this journey with them.

The Aurochs takes influence from the enigmatic Chinese Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, illustrations and parables from twelfth-century Zen master Kakuan Shion. Thousand Limbs’ individual ten tracks reflect each of the illustrations and their attached poetic verses respectively, through a sonic exploration of the achievement of awakening. While post-metal is clear in Isis-esque off-kilter rhythms, curious melodicisms, and lurching patterns alongside Russian Circles awe-inducing hugeness, other influences of YOB, Bongripper, and Earth also pervade. Orange haze, vintage distortion, and driving baritone riffs add a certain aggression and twist.

Beginning with “A Blessed Life to Suffer,” you’re graced with post-metal and doom’s most endearing quality: patience. Thousand Limbs is content letting its riffs grow and sprawl across its mammoth nearly hour-long runtime. Tracks like “Form,” “Fall of Body and Mind,” and closer “A Boundless Heart” exchange big sprawls, haunting leads, and fuzzy noodles seamlessly in painting enlightened pictures with broad yet gentle strokes, while the interludes “Only His Shadow,” “Evening Haze,” and “Beneath Soil and Stone” embrace the darker melodies that momentarily cut through the murk. Centerpieces “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the best tracks here, exemplifying a two-part exploration of “Seizing the Ox” and “Taming the Ox.” First half “The Aurochs” is vicious and driving, complete with dissonant dueling arpeggios, while the second’s “Aligned” interpretation is more sunny and optimistic stoner-heavy bass-forward intertwined rhythms feel like some achievement of peace. Thousand Limbs’ careful control of its songwriting and motifs is consistently illustrated throughout, transitions between dissonance, darker minor moods, sunny melody, and brighter major chords remarkably smooth.

The fusion of post-metal and vintage doom is an intriguing premise, but Thousand Limbs suffers from its murk. Stoner doom in particular is aligned in minimalist compositions, and while guitars attempt to intertwine and compensate for The Aurochs’ voiceless trudge, it takes multiple listens to discern between the layers – especially when they exist in the same register. All the layered riffs and leads that guide “A Dim Light to Guide,” “Form,” and “A Boundless Heart” all swirl with no particular conclusion, only letting random bouts of squealing feedback cut through the bog. In this way, the careful and precise nature of post-metal is incompatible with the fuzzy wrecking ball of stoner doom, and Thousand Limbs shoots itself in the foot with its stoner doom swampy mix. Even beyond it, while the album structure favors their placement as album climax, “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the undisputed best tracks here, putting all others in their shadow.

To their credit, Thousand Limbs has created a post-metal album that is evocative, smartly composed, and achieving a clear purpose. The problem is that The Aurochs makes no case convincing stoner doom and post-metal naysayers that it’s the best thing since Isis or Bongripper. Unless you’re prepared to analyze the hell out of it for damn near an hour, fighting uphill against a production value of dominating fuzz and denied vocals, The Aurochs is a chore. Thousand Limbs carries on the tried-and-true tradition of instrumental post-metal in a unique fusion that embraces the hallmarks of classic doom and stoner sensibilities in a tangible and realized theme. But like the walk towards enlightenment, you’ve got to struggle for it.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: thousandlimbs.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/thousandlimbsnz
Releases Worldwide: July 19th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Bongripper #DoomMetal #Earth #Jul24 #NewZealandMetal #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RussianCircles #SelfRelease #StonerDoomMetal #Tempel #TheAurochs #ThousandLimbs #YOB

REZN – Burden Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

When choosing things to review, many of us choose based on genre affinity, name affinity, vibe affinity—just about any calling works.1 REZN’s whole concept of providing heavy shoegaze-laden psychedelic doom speaks deeply to me, even if the waters where music that self-describes this way provides an often less-than delivery, I accepted the band on their terms. With a DIY aesthetic that has built REZN a following over the past seven years, their hard work has paid off and brought them to the Sargent House family to release Burden more widely as a partner album follow-up to the critically good Solace. But with an experience that’s so entwined, the two cover arts even connected, can Burden prove an experience worthy all to its own?

Despite its lush guitar textures and breathy, dreamy vocal work—reminiscent both of the nasally drift of jam bands like Elder or the infiltrating snap of Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan—Solace felt like a smooth and level experience that was building to some sort of darker drama. In Burden, the opening chimes that give way to a present and grinding bass that rattles into industrial snare hits signal where Solace feared to go, or rather that to which it aspired. And as this tonal descent persists, Burden carves out a defined spot in the wobbling REZN discog with a glistening but rock-dragging edge. This act has gone a long way in using their pedal exploration and watery vocal modulations to define a sound that rings both true to the continually hazed-out scene of psychedelic doom while retaining a few traceable REZN nugs.

Most importantly, though, throughout Burden REZN maintains a sense of forward motion, which can be tricky in a lane that prides itself largely on “tone porn” and iterative sounds. Several jangles recall refrains from their previous work (“Indigo,” “Collapse” specifically), but the careful construction of each song as thicker and more hissing entity gives even similar characters an extra YOB-y edge—a little more earth in REZN’s air, if you will. And, much like those legendary long-form, slow-burn performers, REZN uses percussion that snaps from rock-driven and playful to heavy-handed doom crushing on the calculated and cascading roll of a riff. Only on “Bleak Patterns” does Burden wander about a mode that places too much value in a tempo-crawling repetition, which feels out of place among the fuller in frolic attitude that fills so much of the album.

Yet for all of this album’s immediacy in riff impact and success in moody hypnotism, a lack of sonically stunning and memorable peaks continues to define a REZN trend. The introductory puff that pulls through “Indigo” threatens the cool and calm demeanor that this band normally possesses with a welcome turbulence. Similarly too does the near-heroic guitar wailing that closes “Instinct” and the Pink Floyd-ian sax crooning that tags a dark side to “Soft Prey.” But, even after as many listens as I’ve sunk into Burden—probably too many given how comfortable the ride is—its space between these climactic posts becomes notably drifting and atmospheric in an attention-dropping manner. Undoubtedly, many of you dear readers and listeners are the kind of dreamer who may swirl about each modular oscillation or track the trajectory of each space-bound, dissipating lead. However, I find myself often rudely awakened from the peace of happening by the train whistle guitar squeal2 that screeches forth the call of the closing and fuzzed-out “Chasm.”

If it sounds like I’m being a touch tough on the exploratory and serene sounds that these Chicago psychmongers offer with Burden, forgive me—I never expected to be reviewing REZN three times now in the span of about fifteen months. But I do think that it is a marker of success that even in that tight calendar turn, REZN has managed to stay consistently good, if just a tad over-consistent. Burden, as each record in this quick sequence has, adds another fold into the inward-gazing reflections that this musical tribe prizes. REZN may not have re-aligned the stars with riffed-out yet atmospheric tone summoning, but they give me all the reason to still try and wait for whatever it is they do next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sargent House | Bandcamp
Websites: rezn.band | rezzzn.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/reznband
Releases Worldwide: June 14th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AlternativeRock #AmericanMetal #Burden #DoomMetal #Elder #Jun24 #ProgressiveRock #PsychedelicDoomMetal #Review #Reviews #REZN #SargentHouse #Shoegaze #SmashingPumpkins #Solace #YOB

REZN – Burden Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

When choosing things to review, many of us choose based on genre affinity, name affinity, vibe affinity—just about any calling works.1 REZN’s whole concept of providing heavy shoegaze-laden psychedelic doom speaks deeply to me, even if the waters where music that self-describes this way provides an often less-than delivery, I accepted the band on their terms. With a DIY aesthetic that has built REZN a following over the past seven years, their hard work has paid off and brought them to the Sargent House family to release Burden more widely as a partner album follow-up to the critically good Solace. But with an experience that’s so entwined, the two cover arts even connected, can Burden prove an experience worthy all to its own?

Despite its lush guitar textures and breathy, dreamy vocal work—reminiscent both of the nasally drift of jam bands like Elder or the infiltrating snap of Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan—Solace felt like a smooth and level experience that was building to some sort of darker drama. In Burden, the opening chimes that give way to a present and grinding bass that rattles into industrial snare hits signal where Solace feared to go, or rather that to which it aspired. And as this tonal descent persists, Burden carves out a defined spot in the wobbling REZN discog with a glistening but rock-dragging edge. This act has gone a long way in using their pedal exploration and watery vocal modulations to define a sound that rings both true to the continually hazed-out scene of psychedelic doom while retaining a few traceable REZN nugs.

Most importantly, though, throughout Burden REZN maintains a sense of forward motion, which can be tricky in a lane that prides itself largely on “tone porn” and iterative sounds. Several jangles recall refrains from their previous work (“Indigo,” “Collapse” specifically), but the careful construction of each song as thicker and more hissing entity gives even similar characters an extra YOB-y edge—a little more earth in REZN’s air, if you will. And, much like those legendary long-form, slow-burn performers, REZN uses percussion that snaps from rock-driven and playful to heavy-handed doom crushing on the calculated and cascading roll of a riff. Only on “Bleak Patterns” does Burden wander about a mode that places too much value in a tempo-crawling repetition, which feels out of place among the fuller in frolic attitude that fills so much of the album.

Yet for all of this album’s immediacy in riff impact and success in moody hypnotism, a lack of sonically stunning and memorable peaks continues to define a REZN trend. The introductory puff that pulls through “Indigo” threatens the cool and calm demeanor that this band normally possesses with a welcome turbulence. Similarly too does the near-heroic guitar wailing that closes “Instinct” and the Pink Floyd-ian sax crooning that tags a dark side to “Soft Prey.” But, even after as many listens as I’ve sunk into Burden—probably too many given how comfortable the ride is—its space between these climactic posts becomes notably drifting and atmospheric in an attention-dropping manner. Undoubtedly, many of you dear readers and listeners are the kind of dreamer who may swirl about each modular oscillation or track the trajectory of each space-bound, dissipating lead. However, I find myself often rudely awakened from the peace of happening by the train whistle guitar squeal2 that screeches forth the call of the closing and fuzzed-out “Chasm.”

If it sounds like I’m being a touch tough on the exploratory and serene sounds that these Chicago psychmongers offer with Burden, forgive me—I never expected to be reviewing REZN three times now in the span of about fifteen months. But I do think that it is a marker of success that even in that tight calendar turn, REZN has managed to stay consistently good, if just a tad over-consistent. Burden, as each record in this quick sequence has, adds another fold into the inward-gazing reflections that this musical tribe prizes. REZN may not have re-aligned the stars with riffed-out yet atmospheric tone summoning, but they give me all the reason to still try and wait for whatever it is they do next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sargent House | Bandcamp
Websites: rezn.band | rezzzn.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/reznband
Releases Worldwide: June 14th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AlternativeRock #AmericanMetal #Burden #DoomMetal #Elder #Jun24 #ProgressiveRock #PsychedelicDoomMetal #Review #Reviews #REZN #SargentHouse #Shoegaze #SmashingPumpkins #Solace #YOB

Subterraen – In the Aftermath of Blight Review

By Thus Spoke

Sludge is a genre naturally able to bridge and wholly fill the gap between a rage that stretches towards hardcore, and a more pensive and somber emotionality more at home in doom, or post-metal. Therefore, when faced with Subterraen’s label of “Atmospheric Post-Sludge,” I knew this shapeshifting propensity would be amplified, particularly in the latter direction. Unfamiliar with the group before now, they instantly won me over ideologically with their ongoing theme that began with debut Rotten Human Kingdom. This theme, examination of the human condition from the perspective of our destruction of the natural world, and a defense of animal rights, is taken to its next logical step in In the Aftermath of Blight, which, as the name indicates, explores the nature of the damage humankind has inflicted on the earth, and looks ahead to the terrible legacy we leave. But enough about their concept, Subterraen are making music, which must carry its own weight.

In the Aftermath of Blight swings like a slow pendulum between malice and mourning, with much emphasis placed on ringing, blunted melodies that sharpen into focus for the most pathetic points and noticeably dissipate for the most angry. A healthy mixture of rough, barking screams and hardcore-esque shout-singing maintains an overall feeling of ennui and discontent, emphasized by the near-constant roiling and crashing of mid-tempo percussion. The atmosphere in question arises through fades into spacious, resonant plucking, humming bass, and the soft touches of synth that wrap guitars and vocals in warm abstraction at the edges of passages, if they aren’t warping and warbling all of their own accord, echoing the stringsmen’s notes. At the same time, the lurching, “womp” of pitch shifts as warm melancholic refrains slide into cold apathetic ones, giving even the melodic aspect just that little bit of satisfying bite. With a pleasing breadth from chilled-out to grungily gutsy, this all results in a very moody, vibey, extremely listenable record.

The best way to describe In the Aftermath of Blight is with the word “bleak”. There’s something indescribably sullen about the solemn stomping and washed-out melodic themes that dominate the centers of compositions (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:27”). But there’s also something indescribably plaintive about the more pointedly forlorn pieces that rise and float (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” title track). And it’s the way that the latter frequently morph from the former—through atmospheric strumming (“Poisoned Waters”) or suddenly heart-wringing surges (title track)—that makes their relatively short lifespan and eventual passing into nothingness leave the listener feeling empty and downtrodden. This feeling seems entirely intentional, reflecting the lifeless, barren wasteland adumbrated throughout the album, and in its art. What at one moment is bitter at the next is blue (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:25,” title track), with languid, lamenting, stripped-back, and reverb-soaked refrains pulling wrath into woe (“Poisoned Waters”) and sometimes back out into stirring pathos (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” “10:25”). Coming to a culmination in the first act of the closing title track, the tension between anhedonia and ardency manifests in a shifting interplay of melancholic melody and meanness whose hazy echo and ringing blankess leave a chill.

As strong as this impression can immediately be, Subterraen do little beyond what is necessary to make it. Comparisons to Yob, and Neurosis appeared in the promo material, and these are pretty much on the money. Perhaps too much so. The music is strong but without idiosyncrasy, managing to be solid and absorbing whilst playing, but fading too far into indistinctness when not. Similarly, there are stretches of In the Aftermath of Blight where things progress too slowly towards those finest, most beautiful, powerful, and impactful passages, that I now know are coming, and they pale beside them. The stirring refrains, woven through “Paving…”, arising in the back half of “Poisoned Waters,” and driving the title track are intelligently layered and satisfyingly steely with the help of dense sludgy chugging, and the balance of delicate atmospherics. The remainder is, as intimated, comparatively flat and dispirited; a vibe, to be sure, but one that appeals to a particular taste.

Despite anything said suggesting the contrary, I’m glad that Subterraen, and In the Aftermath of Blight found their way to me. Subtle, atmospheric, and poignant enough to feel like it fills a musical and emotional gap, even if it doesn’t blow the genre out of the water. It’s something you can stick on whilst musing wistfully on the state of the world. It might hit you harder than you expect.

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Frozen Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Apr24 #DoomMetal #FrenchMetal #FrozenRecords #InTheAftermathOfBlight #Neurosis #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Subterraen #YOB

Subterraen – In the Aftermath of Blight Review

By Thus Spoke

Sludge is a genre naturally able to bridge and wholly fill the gap between a rage that stretches towards hardcore, and a more pensive and somber emotionality more at home in doom, or post-metal. Therefore, when faced with Subterraen’s label of “Atmospheric Post-Sludge,” I knew this shapeshifting propensity would be amplified, particularly in the latter direction. Unfamiliar with the group before now, they instantly won me over ideologically with their ongoing theme that began with debut Rotten Human Kingdom. This theme, examination of the human condition from the perspective of our destruction of the natural world, and a defense of animal rights, is taken to its next logical step in In the Aftermath of Blight, which, as the name indicates, explores the nature of the damage humankind has inflicted on the earth, and looks ahead to the terrible legacy we leave. But enough about their concept, Subterraen are making music, which must carry its own weight.

In the Aftermath of Blight swings like a slow pendulum between malice and mourning, with much emphasis placed on ringing, blunted melodies that sharpen into focus for the most pathetic points and noticeably dissipate for the most angry. A healthy mixture of rough, barking screams and hardcore-esque shout-singing maintains an overall feeling of ennui and discontent, emphasized by the near-constant roiling and crashing of mid-tempo percussion. The atmosphere in question arises through fades into spacious, resonant plucking, humming bass, and the soft touches of synth that wrap guitars and vocals in warm abstraction at the edges of passages, if they aren’t warping and warbling all of their own accord, echoing the stringsmen’s notes. At the same time, the lurching, “womp” of pitch shifts as warm melancholic refrains slide into cold apathetic ones, giving even the melodic aspect just that little bit of satisfying bite. With a pleasing breadth from chilled-out to grungily gutsy, this all results in a very moody, vibey, extremely listenable record.

The best way to describe In the Aftermath of Blight is with the word “bleak”. There’s something indescribably sullen about the solemn stomping and washed-out melodic themes that dominate the centers of compositions (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:27”). But there’s also something indescribably plaintive about the more pointedly forlorn pieces that rise and float (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” title track). And it’s the way that the latter frequently morph from the former—through atmospheric strumming (“Poisoned Waters”) or suddenly heart-wringing surges (title track)—that makes their relatively short lifespan and eventual passing into nothingness leave the listener feeling empty and downtrodden. This feeling seems entirely intentional, reflecting the lifeless, barren wasteland adumbrated throughout the album, and in its art. What at one moment is bitter at the next is blue (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:25,” title track), with languid, lamenting, stripped-back, and reverb-soaked refrains pulling wrath into woe (“Poisoned Waters”) and sometimes back out into stirring pathos (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” “10:25”). Coming to a culmination in the first act of the closing title track, the tension between anhedonia and ardency manifests in a shifting interplay of melancholic melody and meanness whose hazy echo and ringing blankess leave a chill.

As strong as this impression can immediately be, Subterraen do little beyond what is necessary to make it. Comparisons to Yob, and Neurosis appeared in the promo material, and these are pretty much on the money. Perhaps too much so. The music is strong but without idiosyncrasy, managing to be solid and absorbing whilst playing, but fading too far into indistinctness when not. Similarly, there are stretches of In the Aftermath of Blight where things progress too slowly towards those finest, most beautiful, powerful, and impactful passages, that I now know are coming, and they pale beside them. The stirring refrains, woven through “Paving…”, arising in the back half of “Poisoned Waters,” and driving the title track are intelligently layered and satisfyingly steely with the help of dense sludgy chugging, and the balance of delicate atmospherics. The remainder is, as intimated, comparatively flat and dispirited; a vibe, to be sure, but one that appeals to a particular taste.

Despite anything said suggesting the contrary, I’m glad that Subterraen, and In the Aftermath of Blight found their way to me. Subtle, atmospheric, and poignant enough to feel like it fills a musical and emotional gap, even if it doesn’t blow the genre out of the water. It’s something you can stick on whilst musing wistfully on the state of the world. It might hit you harder than you expect.

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Frozen Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Apr24 #DoomMetal #FrenchMetal #FrozenRecords #InTheAftermathOfBlight #Neurosis #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Subterraen #YOB

Subterraen – In the Aftermath of Blight Review

By Thus Spoke

Sludge is a genre naturally able to bridge and wholly fill the gap between a rage that stretches towards hardcore, and a more pensive and somber emotionality more at home in doom, or post-metal. Therefore, when faced with Subterraen’s label of “Atmospheric Post-Sludge,” I knew this shapeshifting propensity would be amplified, particularly in the latter direction. Unfamiliar with the group before now, they instantly won me over ideologically with their ongoing theme that began with debut Rotten Human Kingdom. This theme, examination of the human condition from the perspective of our destruction of the natural world, and a defense of animal rights, is taken to its next logical step in In the Aftermath of Blight, which, as the name indicates, explores the nature of the damage humankind has inflicted on the earth, and looks ahead to the terrible legacy we leave. But enough about their concept, Subterraen are making music, which must carry its own weight.

In the Aftermath of Blight swings like a slow pendulum between malice and mourning, with much emphasis placed on ringing, blunted melodies that sharpen into focus for the most pathetic points and noticeably dissipate for the most angry. A healthy mixture of rough, barking screams and hardcore-esque shout-singing maintains an overall feeling of ennui and discontent, emphasized by the near-constant roiling and crashing of mid-tempo percussion. The atmosphere in question arises through fades into spacious, resonant plucking, humming bass, and the soft touches of synth that wrap guitars and vocals in warm abstraction at the edges of passages, if they aren’t warping and warbling all of their own accord, echoing the stringsmen’s notes. At the same time, the lurching, “womp” of pitch shifts as warm melancholic refrains slide into cold apathetic ones, giving even the melodic aspect just that little bit of satisfying bite. With a pleasing breadth from chilled-out to grungily gutsy, this all results in a very moody, vibey, extremely listenable record.

The best way to describe In the Aftermath of Blight is with the word “bleak”. There’s something indescribably sullen about the solemn stomping and washed-out melodic themes that dominate the centers of compositions (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:27”). But there’s also something indescribably plaintive about the more pointedly forlorn pieces that rise and float (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” title track). And it’s the way that the latter frequently morph from the former—through atmospheric strumming (“Poisoned Waters”) or suddenly heart-wringing surges (title track)—that makes their relatively short lifespan and eventual passing into nothingness leave the listener feeling empty and downtrodden. This feeling seems entirely intentional, reflecting the lifeless, barren wasteland adumbrated throughout the album, and in its art. What at one moment is bitter at the next is blue (“Poisoned Waters,” “10:25,” title track), with languid, lamenting, stripped-back, and reverb-soaked refrains pulling wrath into woe (“Poisoned Waters”) and sometimes back out into stirring pathos (“Paving the Way to Oblivion,” “10:25”). Coming to a culmination in the first act of the closing title track, the tension between anhedonia and ardency manifests in a shifting interplay of melancholic melody and meanness whose hazy echo and ringing blankess leave a chill.

As strong as this impression can immediately be, Subterraen do little beyond what is necessary to make it. Comparisons to Yob, and Neurosis appeared in the promo material, and these are pretty much on the money. Perhaps too much so. The music is strong but without idiosyncrasy, managing to be solid and absorbing whilst playing, but fading too far into indistinctness when not. Similarly, there are stretches of In the Aftermath of Blight where things progress too slowly towards those finest, most beautiful, powerful, and impactful passages, that I now know are coming, and they pale beside them. The stirring refrains, woven through “Paving…”, arising in the back half of “Poisoned Waters,” and driving the title track are intelligently layered and satisfyingly steely with the help of dense sludgy chugging, and the balance of delicate atmospherics. The remainder is, as intimated, comparatively flat and dispirited; a vibe, to be sure, but one that appeals to a particular taste.

Despite anything said suggesting the contrary, I’m glad that Subterraen, and In the Aftermath of Blight found their way to me. Subtle, atmospheric, and poignant enough to feel like it fills a musical and emotional gap, even if it doesn’t blow the genre out of the water. It’s something you can stick on whilst musing wistfully on the state of the world. It might hit you harder than you expect.

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Frozen Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Apr24 #DoomMetal #FrenchMetal #FrozenRecords #InTheAftermathOfBlight #Neurosis #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Subterraen #YOB

Totally forgot that #YOB had made the recording of this 2019 Pickathon set available at some point on Bandcamp, got it into my iTunes and now have that on repeat today while I work on some blog posts. Sure hope I can see them again before they call it quits. 🤘

https://youtu.be/cr3tJ7NlKBs?si=fi9jfM_xnX0P53Pi

#YobIsLove #doom #NowPlaying

Totally forgot that #YOB had made the recording of this 2019 Pickathon set available at some point on Bandcamp, got it into my iTunes and now have that on repeat today while I work on some blog posts. Sure hope I can see them again before they call it quits. 🤘

https://youtu.be/cr3tJ7NlKBs?si=fi9jfM_xnX0P53Pi

#YobIsLove #doom #NowPlaying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey3V6jxoolw

#TISM
#whatareya
#Yob
#Wanker

remembering one of the last TISM performances I saw at Earthcore festival in 37c degree heat, as the group stripped out of those PVC outfits while playing..