There have been a few recent HLT articles I’ve done about bands that sort of take the metal aesthetic and reshape it in really cool and funky ways. Forndom and Goatpsalm both take a folky approach to metal, and then add a sort of mysticism to it that sounds like some pagan sacrifice in the woods of Scandinavia.
Mirrors For Psychic Warfare—the side project of Neurosis frontman Scott Kelly and frequent collaborator Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, ex-Nachtmystium)—does something similar to the latter artists, in that their sound very much relies on buildup of sound using a sparse amount of instrumentation and a slow but steady beat, much like a Neurosis album. But unlike Forndom and Goatpsalm (or Neurosis), MFPW has a layer of attitude put on their music, as if Darby Crash had been resurrected by Satan to be in an experimental metal project. “I’ll Try You All” features some strange, almost groan-like vocals that (somehow) really add to the overall mystical and sparse nature of this album, while “A Thorn To See” has some spoken word passages that sound like a beat poet trying to ignite the world in verbal flames.
Honestly, I’m not a Neurosis fan. I’ve always found them to be a bit too repetitive for my taste (and, yes, Neurosis fanboys, attack me now, go ahead), but a lot of the side projects the band is into (Tribes of Neurot, Corrections House, etc.) have been really solid, in my opinion. Mirrors For Psychic Warfare is no different than these side projects—you’re not going to get “normal” metal music by any means, but, fuck, it’s cool to listen to.