#Genre: Doom/Stoner Metal

[charlottan]

Psychedelic Doom map

[exculis]

i really need to find more black artists in my genre.

[nishihii]

look at my character playlists boy (both on spotify)

Lady Maria - 13 songs so far, grunge and stoner/doom metal. focusing mostly on lyrical accuracy, meaning i specifically put in songs that fit how i see her character. there are a couple of instrumentals, though!

Fauxsefka - 9 songs so far -i'll be for real i don't know the genre of most of these, i'm terrible with that stuff- focuses mostly on vibes, there is barely any lyrical accuracy (because i don't have songs that fit her character in that sense).

both are bound to get more songs, but how fast that will happen i cannot say lol

i'm considering drawing covers for them to give them The Vibe, i guess

[womenofnoise]

hello! i want to get into noise! do you have an essential listening list or a good suggested progression for getting into the genre's notable projects? i already like raw black metal and other heavy music but I've found noise somewhat intimidating

We get this question quite a bit here (along with "How do I start making noise?") and the most I can say is that there isn't really a good beginning point for listening to noise as a genre since everyone has different tastes. Noise as a genre is very diverse and it's hard to think of a one-size-fits-all list of "essential" artists for that reason.

A lot of people would suggest starting with Throbbing Gristle or other early industrial acts. Others would say to start with Merzbow and take it from there. Other others would probably tell you to start with "gateway" artists who have a good amount of crossover appeal, like Pharmakon or Prurient. Others might just tell you to go outside and stand really close to your neighbor's leaf blower while it's in use.

For me personally, it took a long time for me to appreciate noise as a genre despite the fact that I liked some industrial and noise rock acts. I was very caught up in the whole sludge/stoner/doom metal scene for a long time and noise was just kind of the thing that some of my friends were into. It took hearing a handful of artists who "clicked" for me in order to start appreciating noise and listening to it actively.

The only thing we can really do here at Women of Noise is highlight female/femme experimental artists. We have very descriptive tags here, like #women in noise, #women in industrial music, #women in experimental music, etc. Perhaps you can go through some of our audio or video posts and see what speaks to you.

[bowserwife]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌❤️‍🩹 >:>

waaa I'm sorry I don't make playlists rly, I'm more or less an album girlie exclusively. But I do have some genre specialized ones so I'm just gonna do one song each from 5 of those.

Ulver - VI: Of Wolf And Passion (black metal)

Weather Report - Boogie Woogie Waltz (psych jazz)

Wishbone Ash - Sometime World (prog rock)

Om - Unitive Knowledge Of The God Head (stoner/doom)

Medicine - Babydoll (shoegaze)

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 810: Ossuarium Living Tomb

I’ve had this record in my draft box since 2019. I must’ve taken a picture of it before some trip with the intention of writing about it from the road. I see it every time I open my drafts, and as a result, it’s stayed fresh in my mind for over four years.

Ossuarium were a sludgy, vicious doom-tinged death metal band from Portland, OR, and their sole LP was on the front end of 20 Buck Spin’s gradual shift from focusing on stoner / doom stuff to the old school death metal revival.

It’s now January 2024 and I still don’t have a lot to say about Living Tomb despite the fact that I've listened to it quite a bit over the years. It’s well-recorded but still a little rough around the edges performance-wise. There’s a fine line between “this sounds like a real band… warts and all!” versus “was this really the best take they could get?,” and for me the band still resides in the former. If you can hang with Cerebral Rot and Cryptworm, you can certainly get down with Ossuarium.

I feel a little bad talking about Ossuarium today because, admittedly, they’re a springboard for talking about other things on my mind. But such is one of the inevitable truths about music writing—it often comes with a writer’s agenda. Perhaps that’s an obvious statement on par with “all criticism is just one person’s opinion and rooted in that person’s biases and current frame of mind.” But perhaps they also both warrant repeating.

So let’s clear the air: this post is largely motivated by my desire to talk about the recent news of Pitchfork’s merger with GQ. That’s my agenda. Let’s also clear the air on who is writing this: I’m a 46-year-old musician who has also dabbled in writing about music in various professional capacities. Having a foot in both the creator and the critic roles meant that I generally avoided writing about anything I didn’t like. When it comes to death metal, my journey started with childhood friends who got really into the classic Floridian, New York, and Scandinavian death metal bands around 1990. But truth be told, I didn’t really click with any straight-up death metal until Morbid Angel’s Domination came out in 1995.

My relationship with Pitchfork? I didn’t have internet at home until 2005, and consequently I didn’t spend any time looking at music websites until roughly 2006. In 2007, I began freelancing for the music department of Seattle's local alternative weekly newspaper, The Stranger. Part of my job involved gathering news from various music websites and doing a daily highlights post for their blog, so I started visiting Pitchfork every day. And that habit continued for roughly ten years.

That whole time I had a love / hate relationship with the site. I loved that they were committed to broadening their coverage to encompass a greater variety of genres and styles. I hated how that included devoting more and more coverage to giant pop stars. I loved their in-depth album reviews. I hated how those reviews could sometimes feel like personal vendettas against specific artists and how the rating system often felt out of alignment with the writing due to the score being based on a group vote. I loved that they operated at an intersection of my various musical interests. I hated that their criteria for coverage was never really clear: if they were only covering the cream of the crop across diverse genres, why were they dishing out bad reviews? Or if they were only covering artists already deemed important outside of their orbit, why were they considered one of, if not THE the top cultural tastemaker when it came to music?

Pitchfork was bought by Condé Nast in 2015. More and more of their news pieces revolved around pop stars. They started adding articles that seemed more fit for a lifestyle magazine than a music blog. It no longer turned me on to new things, and at some point I realized that looking at Pitchfork always involved some combination of frustration and disappointment. I’ll sometimes check in to see what they’ve said about a record I like, and I almost always regret it.

"But the writing was stronger than ever," I saw a few P4K contributors say on social media in the wake of the news that the site would be absorbed by GQ, as if anyone went to a music blog first and foremost for the WRITING, as opposed to... say... i dunno... the SUBJECT MATTER. "People don't realize that a 7.0 is actually a really good score," others would say in defense of the site's apparent inability to be excited about the very artists they chose to cover, as if a 7.0 doesn't read as a C- to any reader with a public school education, and consequently come across as "just passable" and not only not worth listening to, but also not even worth reading past the score. "We never stopped covering fringe music," others said, which is absolutely true. But when paired with an avalanche of Taylor Swift and Kanye coverage, those forays into freakier territories felt, perhaps unfairly, like the work of dilettantes and dabblers. A jack of all trades, master of none. Founder Ryan Schreiber finally left the site in 2019, but it already felt like Pitchfork had lost its initial vision years prior. I can’t imagine Pitchfork 3.0 will see an improvement in that capacity.

But what can you do? We live under the impossible capitalist model of infinite growth and yet we’re still somehow shocked when something gets too big to sustain itself. I doubt Schreiber had ambitions any loftier than sharing his music opinions with strangers when he started Pitchfork in 1996. At some point he began getting ad revenue. Other writers started getting paid. It became a career path. More people got hired. They needed more clicks, so they wrote about things that pulled in a new audience. Writing about pop stars meant more traffic from Google. Meanwhile, their initial readership stopped checking in. The reader who got hipped to Sleater-Kinney back at the turn of the century probably isn't all that interested in what Miley Cyrus is up to in 2024.

I was certainly one of those people. But my declining interest in Pitchfork also coincided with my growing disenchantment with the freelance hustle. It was tough to figure out what editors wanted and even harder to muster up the enthusiasm to write about the "hot" new pop artists that were already getting coverage. I started getting more work on the PR side of music world, which not only paid better, but allowed me to bond with like-minded artists and help share the excitement behind their vision. I started noticing how often my press releases were just slightly re-worded in album reviews. I can't say I blame writers--I would've had to write a Pitchfork album review every single work day of the month just to cover my rent in Brooklyn.

It's important to state that I didn't become cynical to music writing as a whole. I loved writers like Dave Segal and Mark Richardson (both Pitchfork contributors, I might add). I loved the enthusiasm, the disregard for what was popular at the time, the new perspectives, the depth of knowledge they held, and the fact that they focused on music that wasn't necessarily up my alley but succeeded in helping me appreciate stuff outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to write like that... without having to grade someone's work or weigh in on every trend. Beyond that, I wanted to do the thing that editors hate... I wanted to insert myself into the piece. Not out of ego, but because understanding the appeal of music that isn't instantly gratifying is often aided by having that specific personal angle. "This album got me through a break-up" or "this album permanently altered my brain chemistry when I heard it on mushrooms during the golden hour of a camping trip" will ultimately tell me more about how to approach a record than a bunch of adjectives and hyperbole. So in June 2017 I started writing these album posts in part because I wanted to do what Ryan Scheiber did back in 1996--I wanted to share my passion for other people's music--but I didn't hold any ambitions beyond cataloging my records and sharing my stories about them.

Strangely enough, my excitement for new music actually grew once I weaned myself off of music sites like Pitchfork. I found, among other things, a weird little pocket of heavy metal that hit my sweet spot and I've had a blast exploring it. I've finally found the bands that are more interested in being grimy than glossy. Bands that aren't afraid of a little slop. Bands that aren't trying to cross-pollinate with some divergent style of music. Bands like Ossuarium: meaty, oozing with dread, and just a teeny bit clunky.

Is there much to write about beyond that? Probably not. And that's okay. I don't think Ossuarium had ambitions beyond hanging out, drinking beer together in the practice space, and adding to an existing musical tradition they all loved. And 20 Buck Spin probably had a good handle on how big the band was gonna be. They printed up a conservative amount of LPs and sold 'em at a price that would guarantee they wouldn't sit on warehouse shelves for very long but would cover their costs and maybe allow them to send out a royalties check or two.

Living Tomb didn't need to be any bigger than that. Ossuarium weren't trying to break out and gain fans outside of their own tiny little community. They weren't trying to capitalize on the zeitgeist. They weren't claiming that appreciating their music would make you a better and more well-rounded person. They didn't take on more commercial attributes under the guise of inclusivity. And it didn't need to be overanalyzed and it didn't really warrant an in-depth long-form review from someone like Pitchfork (although I just looked it up and whaddaya know... it got a 7.6).

[monolithemissions]

I stumbled across a Latin American doom and stoner metal bundle that is pay whatever you can on Band Camp. It's always exciting to hear music of the same genre from different countries.

[defjux]

Hi Chris! I followed you a few years back because you posted a lot of Jazz and Hip Hop but I know you're into other genres as well. I've been trying to branch out a bit and you seem like a good person to ask for recommendations, so I was wondering if maybe you could post some of your favorite band/artists currently or anything you'd recommend? Any genre is fine! Love your blog btw, glad to see you're still on here :) Cheers!

thanks for the kind words anon, always nice to feel like the time i've spent on here wasn't a complete waste. sorry it took a few days to respond to this, but i wanted to give a more in depth answer. i can throw out some recommendations for sure, i basically just went through my last.fm from the last year and added all the non hip hop / jazz stuff to a list. you didn't mention if you were into metal or hardcore at all and there's quite a bit of that on here, but if you're not interested in that let me know and i can suggest some other stuff. i'm not a genre expert or anything but i did my best to give a brief description, so maybe if you end up liking one of these artists it'd be easier to find something similar. also a good chance you might be familiar with some of the ones that are more hip hop adjacent. you can also click the name of the artist and it'll take you to an album i recommend on bandcamp or spotify. i'd also be down to do another one of these later if you want, you can even hit me up off anon if you want. i appreciate you and i hope you're doing well! peace.

tried to make this as neat as i could so i put it in alphabetical order and made it a read more. 1. 10th Letter (Electronic/Jazz/Hip hop - Underappreciated producer, if you’re a fan of Flying Lotus you’d probably like this) 2. Alvvays (Indie Pop / Dream Pop) 3. At the Drive-In (Post-Hardcore, Relationship of Command is my favorite album in the genre) 4. Autonoesis (Thrash Metal / Black Metal) 5. Birds in Row (Post-Hardcore / Screamo) 6. Blood Command (Poppy Post-Hardcore/Alt Rock. Not a huge fan of their new vocalist, but the previous album and EP with Karina are both fantastic) 7. Boris (Drone, Stoner Rock, Noise Rock, Sludge, Post-Rock, Crust Punk – depends heavily on the album. ) 8. Bruno Pernadas (Progressive Jazz Fusion Art Pop) 9. Brutus (Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal, Stefanie is one of my favorite vocalists right now) 10. The Callous Daoboys (Mathcore) 11. Chelsea Wolfe (Darkwave / Gothic Rock / Doom Metal / Dark Folk) 12. Cibo Matto - (Art Pop / Trip Hop) 13. Cleric (Avant-Garde Metal / Mathcore / Brutal Prog) 14. Cloud Rat (Grindcore / Punk) 15. Converge (Metallic Hardcore, another all time favorite band.) 16. Cult of Luna (Atmospheric Sludge Metal / Post-Metal) 17. The Dillinger Escape Plan (Mathcore, top 5 band of all time for me) 18. Dragged Into Sunlight (Blackened Death / Doom Metal) 19. Dreamwell (Screamo/Post-Hardcore) 20. Every Time I Die (Southern-fried Metalcore / Mathcore, an all time favorite of mine) 21. Fievel is Glauque (Jazz Pop / Progressive Pop) 22. Genesis Owusu (Hip Hop/Neo-Soul/Funk/Post-Punk - all over the place in a good way) 23. Gospel (Blend of 70s Prog Rock with Screamo/Post-hardcore, with their 2022 album being a lot more of the former but still very good.) 24. Greyhaven (Metalcore / Post Hardcore - one of the few bands i know of carrying the torch for that Southern-tinged Metalcore sound since Every Time I Die split) 25. Grouper (Ambient/drone, folk and dream pop influences)

26. Hiatus Kaiyote (Psychedelic Neo-soul / Nu-Jazz) 27.  Ichiko Aoba (Minimalistic Ambient Folk) 28. Imperial Triumphant (Avant-Garde Black Metal fused with Jazz) 29. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Foundation of their sound is pretty much Psychedelic Rock but they pull from all over the musical spectrum. Last album even had a couple tracks with rapping, hard band to classify. It’d be easier to list the rock subgenres they haven’t dabbled in) 30. Knoll (Grindcore / Death Grind) 31. Krallice (Avant-Garde Black Metal) 32. Liv.e (Neo-Soul / Alternative R&B) 33. Massa Nera (Post-Hardcore / Screamo / Post-Rock) 34. Maudlin of the Well (Avant-Garde Progressive Metal - Also check Kayo Dot) 35. Messa (Doom Metal) 36. Misþyrming (Black Metal) 37. Ne Obliviscaris (Progressive Black Metal with violin except it’s actually tasteful and doesn’t feel gimmicky) 38. Neptunian Maximalism (Avant-Garde Jazz/Drone/Noise/Industrial.. like Swans meets Sun Ra meets John Zorn’s Electric Masada. These guys also have some of the best album artwork out there.) 39. The Ocean (Progressive Metal / Sludge - mainly on the earlier albums) 40. Oranssi Pazuzu (Avante Garde Psychedelic Black Metal) 41. Os Mutantes (Brazilian Psych Rock) 42. Otoboke Beaver (Noisy, High energy Hardcore / Garage Punk from Japan, very fun band) 43. Panopticon (Atmospheric Black Metal with some Bluegrass and Folk influences) 44. Protomartyr (I think I like these guys the most out of all the newer Post-Punk bands) 45. Rolo Tomassi (Mathcore, Post-Metal, Post-Hardcore) 46. Senza (Blackened Screamo/Mathcore. Chaotic in a way that reminds me of Jerome’s Dream a bit.) 47. Sigh (Black Metal, Avant-Garde Metal, Progressive Metal) 48. Soul Glo (Noisy Hardcore Punk, 2022 album incorporated some more hip hop elements and even had rap features. Shout out to McKinley Dixon who used to be on tumblr waaay back about a decade ago.) 49.  Spiritbox (Alt Metal / Djent / Metalcore) 50. Stereolab  (Space Age Pop mixed with Lounge Music and Krautrock) 51. Sudan Archives (Alternative R&B, Art Pop / Neo-Soul) 52. Tim Hecker (Ambient / Drone) 53. toe (Japanese Math Rock / Post-Rock - Kashikura Takashi is one of the greatest drummers ever.) 54. Tómarúm (Progressive Technical Melodic Black Metal) 55. Tricot (J-Rock / Math Rock / Pop) 56. Tropical Fuck Storm (Punk-Blues, Noise Rock) 57. U.S. Girls (Psychedelic Pop / Art Pop) 58. Ulcerate (Technical Death Metal) 59. Ultha (Atmospheric Black Metal) 60. Vanishing Twin ( Neo-Psychedelic Art Pop, check if you like Stereolab or Broadcast) 61. Wake (Black Metal / Tech Death / Sludge - Grindcore on the early releases) 62. Weyes Blood (Baroque Pop / Art Pop) 63. White Ward (Black Metal / Blackgaze /Dark Jazz) 64. Wormrot (Grindcore) 65. Yves Tumor (Unique sound blending Neo-Psych / Soul / Glam Rock /  Hypnagogic Pop + some Sound Collage / Ambient stuff as well on earlier albums)

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

[charlottan]

how do you think a medieval peasant would react to dopesmoker by sleep?

honestly i think the vocals would be so scary. they scare me. the peasant would kill whoever played it over the aux

[rinstar5283]

What bands do you think the papas would like? I have a feeling Pantera is gonna be in here somewhere

QUIEJFOE RAHHAHA IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT

OKAY SO IM ONLY GONNA BE TALKING BOUT METAL CAUSE THATS MY EXPERTISE- BUT YALL CAN OFC PUT IN YALLS THOUGHTS AND SHIT- ALSO SUPPER INACURATE AND MOSTLY BASED ON HOW I SEE THEM 💀💀

Primo: Def doom/stoner metal! Bros probs a hardcore ozzy era Black Sabbath fan- I think he likes his metal not too fast or too heavy, he’d also probably be into old school sludge as well!!

I’d say his top fave bands would be

Black Sabbath, electric wizard, cathedral ,andd probs Melvin’s

Secondo: AS U GUESSED OBVIOUSLY PANTERA 😼😼 BROS MET PHIL ANSELMO YALL- SO OBV GROOVE/THRASH , and my moots on twitter def agree he’s into nu-metal (don’t kill me Tobias) but he also gives me war metal vibes- IM NOT JUST SAYING THAT CAUSE HES BALD

I think his top faves would be

Pantera, Exodus, blasphemy, and Korn

Terzo: oof this one’s hard ahhh. Maybe some glam metal he seems like he’d enjoy Motley Crue? Hmmmm hell one of my moots said she’d like Xavleg and I totally agree with that- so maybe death metal and grindcore.

I’m not too sure but maybe his fav bands would be

W.a.s.p, Motley Crue, Xavleg, and exhumed

Yall can recommend or add something here cause I got no clue-

Copia: OH BOY BRO COPIA WOULD LOVE IT ALL THRASH, DEATH, BLACK, SLAM, GRIND, PUNK, GOTH, HEAVY, HELL OLD ROCK TOO HE DONT CARE- buUTTT since I’m sorta basing this off tobias he would probs hate nu-metal and be an elitist too- I see him as the type to be very INLOVE with old 80s metal that he’d be like “oh theres no good bands today, the good ones are getting so old their gonna die soon x’C” without even trying to find any new metal bands and shit- ALSO HED HAVE A VERY COOL ASS BATTLE JACKET PROBS EVEN MULTIPLE FOR EACH GENRE-

His fave bands would be

The big four (he can’t choose), kiss, nuclear assualt, Sodom, and Bathory (mostly basing this off Tobias since I think they’d both be similar in taste))

Lolol and here have this little doomer/stoner primo I did on my phone in like 10 secs 😭

[burritosandpeppermint]

'Apache Snow' by Devil's Witches is seemingly about the colonialism, imperialism, and wanton violence driven by western European culture over centuries, focusing specifically on the Vietnam War.

...and it's also a fucking banger that I've been listening to on repeat for the past couple of weeks. I mean, seriously, I cannot get this groove out of my head. If you like rock or metal music at all but haven't experienced much in the stoner/doom genre please listen to at least the first minute and a half to see what I'm talking about. It might be my favorite song in that murky, hazy sub-genre of metal.

[yanzinator]

WHAT TYPES OF METAL R U LISTENING TO RN??

I fuckin love Metal dude it's so awesome

Personal fav subgenres for me goTTA be uhhh

Stoner metal

Thrash metal

Doom metal

Ofc Black Sabbath

Idk I'm just curious as to what ur listening to, I always love finding new music (:

Idk what any of those things are yet, I just put on sabaton and let it autoplay. This is the first genre to have consistent bangers across different bands, this is great.

Sabaton also got me into learning about ww1!

[coffinyawns]

Genre: Blackened Speed Metal, Blackened Thrash Metal

Link: Here

Genre: Medieval Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal

Link: Here

Genre: Stoner Metal, Traditional Doom Metal

Link: Here

Genre: Depressive Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal

Link: Here

[pollenallergie]

warning: this is longer than it has any right to be… sorryyyy

Eddie Munson isn’t your stereotypical snobby metalhead <3

For starters, he doesn’t just stick to one subgenre of metal. <3

Of course he (most likely) prefers thrash metal (Judas Priest, Metallica, etc.) and possibly even power metal. However, he also likes doom metal because it explores themes that he can personally relate to (i.e. mental health struggles). <3

More-freaking-over, Eddie loves stoner metal because, I mean, c’mon, it’s Eddie. <3

Eddie likes music outside of metal too. For example, the man loves psychedelic rock; certainly not as much as he loves metal, but still. He loves the heavier themes it explores and, of course, the sick-ass guitar riffs and licks it offers. <3

Eddie also has at least some appreciation for some early punk, although he might not necessarily like all of it, because of how it influenced early metal. <3

Generally, Eddie has an appreciation for many different kinds of music. For example, Eddie has an appreciation for some alt-rock. <3

Eddie also has a nostalgic sort of appreciation for early country music (Johnny Cash, Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, etc.) because that’s what Wayne listened to most of the time when Eddie was growing up. <3

Fuck, the man secretly even likes Dolly. I mean, how can anyone not like Dolly??? <3

He hates Kenny Rogers though, hates that kind of commercialized country (much like he hates commercialized pop music). <3

He doesn’t hate all pop music though. Just most pop music. <3

Not to mention, Eddie Munson loved Deep Purple as a kid and, consequently, still maintains a nostalgic sort of love for them as he gets older. <3

Really, it’s easier to just establish the genres and subgenres that Eddie absolutely hates because those are much less numerous. <3

Again, Eddie finds most pop music to be too commercialized and peppy for his tastes. For example, he only likes synth-pop when it leans heavily into its psychedelic influence or when it explores deeper themes (the man can get down with some Phil Collins, but only with his more somber/heavier stuff). <3

As much of a satanist as the town of Hawkins believes him to be, Eddie is honestly kind of freaked out by the genuinely satanic and gore-y themes that death metal and black metal explore. He likes the aggression that metal brings, but he doesn’t really dig m*rder (especially not after the spring of ‘86). <3

Eddie also likes to make fun of glam/hair rock for its pop-like hooks and slow jams in his youth, but as he approaches his 40s, he begins to have like a nostalgic appreciation for it much like most dads do. However, he still sort of thinks it’s too tame even then. He’ll also never call it glam metal or hair metal though because, even in his 40s, he maintains that Twisted Sister is not metal. <3

All in all, Eddie can find something to like about every genre (though he certainly has his favorites and, definitely, some strong preferences), so long as the music is not overly commercialized, peppy, or shallow. <3

Eddie is versatile; he tolerates a lot of different kinds of music (especially the ones that he knows are your favorites), but he still prefers his favorite metal subgenres at the end of the day. <3

Most importantly, as rockstar!Eddie spends more time working in the music industry (or as regular ol’ Eddie grows more as a musician), he develops a deeper appreciation for musical talent in general, which allows him to at least tolerate music that he might otherwise write off as being lame. <3

ps. I have a very limited knowledge of music subgenres and most of my knowledge of metal comes from my anti-establishment, stoner uncle.

[doomedandstoned]

DISASTROID Reveal Striking 4th Full-Length, ‘Garden Creatures’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Get ready for full-on galactic riffing, energetic rhythms, with moments of interstellar insanity. This is DISASTROID and their latest record, 'Garden Creatures' (2024) -- a swirling blend of colors drawn from a dynamic palette of psychedelic, grunge, desert, noise, and math rock influences.

This fourth full-length outing from the SFO band begins with the title track and is presented with rumbling force and jagged rhythms juxtaposed with clean, earnest singing and smooth melodic lines from frontman/guitarist Enver Koneya. At times the vocals soar like the pleas of some jerky cosmonaut thrust into the unknown vastness of outer space. Braden McGraw's drums thunder and churn like the roaring ocean. Travis Williams' bass is warm and pulsating.

Enver's guitar and Travis' bass trade barbs on "Stucco Nowhere," an ode to being stuck in a life of sameness and misery ("burning out within your head"). The singing builds to a crescendo, perhaps summoning sheer force of will to shake off the spell of mediocrity. There are some dreamy vocal harmonies that haunt overslept dreams, and finally a cry of frustration and despair to be set free from the shackles of it all.

"Mama says I need some help," laments Enver in "Figurative Object." The guitars chug with rocketing force, but often enter the realm of disorienting dissonance. This tendency towards the strange and uncanny continues in "Backwards Sleeping" and feels like a night of tossing and turning ("losing sleep for all that we have done"), complete with trippy guitar effects, rhythmic jolts, and ghostly droning.

"24" is fuzzy as all get-out, with screeching guitar hooks, unconventional rhythmic structure, and a misty hue of sadness in the vocals. Then "Hold Me Wrong" is like a fever dream, with a persistent bass groove, strumming and picking on the guitar, and exhausted pleas to "hold me tight, hold me right."

The penultimate song, "Light 'Em Up" is like a hallucination straight out of Blade Runner, with sounds and samples flying about us like fugitive visions. This is another where the bass is so integral to giving us a feeling of movement and cohesiveness in this shapeshifting world. The drumming here, as throughout the record, is stalwart and determined, whilst the riffmaking ranges from raucous to delirious. The record ends on a short banger, a riotous number "Jack Londonin'" with punk, noise, and math overtones.

Disastroid's Garden Creatures was recorded and produced by Billy Anderson and is releasing on Heavy Psych Sounds this weekend, February 23rd, on a spectacular variety of vinyl variants (get it here). Stick it on a playlist with The Melvins, Red Fang, Fatso Jetson, Kook, and Soundgarden.

Give ear...

SOME BUZZ

San Francisco veterans Disastroid have been serving up sludgy, grunge-infused stoner rock for the better part of a decade now, refining a sound that weaves heavy riffs together with angular guitar lines, odd time signatures, and hazy walls of fuzz. As influenced by 90's noise rock as they are by modern psych, doom, and post-metal, Disastroid delivers thick, satisfying stoner rock stomp while also embracing layers of noise, tripped-out feedback, and unpredictable song structures.

The current lineup of singer/guitarist Enver Koneya, bassist Travis Williams, and drummer Braden McGraw coalesced in 2011. They’re united by a desire to make heavy music that's loose instead of mechanical, a motivation to explore methods that make them sound bigger and more varied than a traditional rock trio, and a shared affection for the Amphetamine Reptile back-catalog. Thematically, their songs steer clear of genre cliches, touching instead on scattered aspects of modern life: technology fatigue, immigration, nuclear deterrence, the monotony of work, the existential dread of aging. Despite the subject matter, Disastroid never take themselves too seriously, injecting their live shows with an infectious sense of humor and their songwriting with math-rock quirks.

Disastroid’s latest outing, Garden Creatures, is a record about the darkness in the hidden corners of suburban landscapes — sinister overgrown gardens, secret collections kept in basements, the crime just beneath the surface, the pervasive loneliness under a veneer of normalcy. Accordingly, it’s a dark and atmospheric record, trading the stripped-down approach of 2020’s Mortal Fools for a thicker, heavier, and more layered sound. Legendary producer Billy Anderson (Sleep, Melvins, Neurosis) builds mixes that range from dark and dreamy to a thick, sludgy crunch, slowly pulling the listener through a range of sounds and textures, making sure things stay interesting. Singer/guitarist Enver Koneya's vocals are soulful and sometimes haunting, drifting above Disastroid’s characteristically off-kilter, grunge-influenced riffs.

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