Depending on how it’s executed, music (and instrumental music in particular) has the potential to be the most transportive mode of expression. Other mediums like film, literature, and art obviously have the ability to present rich, detailed worlds beyond our own. But music can offer a blank, endless canvas for…
This year could end up being remembered by many things, but if there’s any justice in the world, one of those things will be big, groovy, stanky riffs. From the cosmic dealings of Teeth and Blood Incantation to the earth-shattering antics of Fit For an Autopsy, 2019 was filled with…
There’s been much written about both the quality of vinyl and the lack thereof. I’m not interested in wading into the fidelity wars, but I do want to cite a recent “
Feature Photo by Justina Villanueva Ron Varod (Kayo Dot, Psalm Zero) has kept busy since releasing the phenomenal Deer Pink as Zvi in April. He relocated from Brooklyn to Portland (Oregon), released a collection of ambient experiments titled vus machstu, and filmed a video for one of Deer Pink’s highlight…
Though I have no first-hand experience with this, my sense is that it’s more difficult for women and members of the LGBTQ+ to break into the relative mainstream of experimental music. Sure, you could argue that people with an affinity for “outsider” art would naturally be more inclined to accept…
Up to this point, Jute Gyte has made an almost annual tradition of releasing the boldest black metal album of the year. With this project, multi-instrumentalist Adam Kalmbach has channeled the black metal blueprint through classical composition techniques—microtonality and serialism, primarily—and paired the results with elements of dark ambient, industrial,…
One of the fastest ways to a music critic’s heart is a seamless synthesis of styles. Anytime a group successfully blends adjacent or dissimilar genres, the results can push boundaries with a truly engaging, unique listen. Such is the case with Ache Pillars, the latest EP from one-person band Folian.…
There are certain electronic artists who have logical crossover appeal with metal fans; Merzbow and Prurient immediately come to mind, as well as industrial-leaning acts like Author and Punisher. Yet, there are other purveyors of dark electronics whom I’ve always felt should have more fans in the metal community, specifically…
One of my favorite aspects of being a music writer is being able to spend plenty of time dissecting albums I review for the blog ahead of their release. And for albums like Out of Time, that extra time is nothing short of a blessing. The album is hardly your father’s…
Anonymity in black metal has always been a double-edged sword. While it’s refreshing to see artists solely focused on their music and presentation rather than themselves as artists, it can also be frustrating to be unable to spotlight bands that truly excel at their craft. This latter point certainly applies…
