One Louder Magazine… RESURRECTED!

One Louder Magazine… RESURRECTED

Introduction
Album of the Week
Honorable Mentions
Missed The Cut
Addendum
On The List
Looking Forward To
Fine Print
About One Louder Magazine

Greetings, friends and family!

I knew my work anniversary was coming up, but I had no idea that it was this week! I actually thought it was in March 🤷🏻‍♂️

“Let’s take a moment to celebrate our February work anniversaries,
including a special recognition of Troy for 29 years at Mackie. That kind of tenure reflects meaningful commitment! Troy, your creative energy and continued dedication have been an important part of our journey over the years.”

Troy – 29 years (2/24/1997)

So I did the maths and… it’s not as crazy as I thought it might be. I’ve been with the company for over half of my life. I wanted to see how long I’ve been with the company for more than half of my life, and it’s only three years. You know what? That actually is pretty impressive! How many people can (1) say that they’ve worked at the same place for more than half of their life, and (2) have done it more than once? Rare air!

I can’t stand all of the bullshit – which comes with every job everywhere, no escaping it – but I still fully dig what I do. I get to be creative, use my voice… Man, I tell ya, I’m working on this new doc which is gonna be wild! Hope people read it, haha!

Furthermore, if I had the means to retire (i.e., finances), I fully would. Wanna know what I’d do with all that “free time”? Exactly what I’m doing now… but for me. I have some ideas for a few books that I’d like to write, and, of course, I’d like to spend A LOT more time composing and recording songs. So I’ve been lucky in my life to “stay in my lane” of writing and music, two of my loves, along with the ‘Hawks and NFL!

Speaking of finances, tariffs are fucking my world up. Ok, fine, not just my world, but everyone’s. Case in point: the wife and I were looking at/discussing the specialized canned dog food that we order. We’d order a case at a time (12 cans). The cost was – the key word being WAS – $40.00 per 12-can case. Now? $60.20. So it went from roughly ~$3.33 per can to over $5.00 per can. Guess who has two thumbs and stopped the automatic order of the doggies’ prized canned food? Well, normally the answer would be me, but it was actually the wife who cancelled it (with my full blessing). But, hey, she’s got a couple of thumbs, as well, ha!

———————————————————————————————

Something you may have noticed is the different text color. I’ve been toying around with colors, looking for something that’s easy/ier to read, that “pops” off the gray/black background, even moreso than the previous white. This first section is all in rose-gold/pink, while the music section below is in a gold/yellow/orange text. Please let me know if one or the other reads easier for you.

NOTE: The hyperlinks will always be in blue-ish/purple-ish. I tried to see if I could change that, as well, to no avail.

———————————————————————————————

Something else I did was to add an “About” section for One Louder Magazine. If you feel like checking it out, click here. Additionally, I’ll add it to the Table of Contents at the top of the page. Clicking any of those links in the TOC takes you straight to that spot in each weekly blog!

Musically, we got really close to having an Album Of The Week, but after a few listens, I just don’t see it making the final cut. That said, it is an album that I absolutely loved (and shared with others – and now the rest of you).

The band is Altın Gün, and the album is titled Garip. As I mentioned below, for the uninitiated, I’d start with track #5, ‘Benim Yarim’, then go from there. Perhaps read my $0.02 review and Amazon’s album bio first, too!

I did, though, listen to Puscifer – Normal Isn’t again (released February 6th, 2026) since it’s the ONLY Album of the Week this year… and we’re heading into March! Anyway, it might even be better than the first time I listened to it. Lush, melodic, Maynard and Carina’s vocals are mesmerizing, the bass playing on ‘Seven One’ is simply delicious, and more. It’s a fantastic album… and as of now, my AOTY. But, hey, at this point, there’s no competition 🤷🏻‍♂️

😁 BE THE REASON SOMEONE SMILES 😁

Be sure to let me know what you agree / disagree with, etc… always fun to hear your opinions, too. Happy listening… and see you next week!

Cheers,

Troy

———————————————————————————————

Album(s) of the Week** – February 20th to February 26th, 2026:

None.

Honorable Mentions (in order by “popularity”*):

13,889,783 – U2 – Days Of Ash EP – I love me some good U2… and this isn’t it. Yeah, I’m putting it here ’cause of tenure love, but I’d rather listen to their (way) older shit instead. But hey, I love the idea behind the songs and their meanings. It’s long, so if interested in reading about the songs, go here and scroll down: https://www.u2.com/music/other/4222

6,668,522 – Mumford & Sons – Prizefighter – I wrote the following about 2025’s ‘Rushmere’: “I didn’t really care for them the first time I heard them (performing at the Grammy Awards in 2013), but thought this album was really good, likely my favorite so far! It’s folk with hints of Americana, bluegrass, and country. This is truly a phenomenal album, their first full-length in a long seven years.” Unfortunately, one year later, they might’ve released my least favorite album of theirs. It’s not bad, per se, but it felt like there was little to no variation between songs. Good, not great.

From amazon: “Grammy and BRIT award winners, Mumford & Sons return with their 6th studio album ‘Prizefighter’. Co-produced by Mumford & Sons and Aaron Dessner, and featuring Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Gigi Perez, and Chris Stapleton.”

2,146,907 – Moby – Future Quiet (2 CDs) – Richard Melville Hall (bka Moby) has always been hit-or-miss for me. Fully loved this release, though, which is packed with super-mellow, ambient, soundscape-y tunes. And it wasn’t even long (for me) at nearly an hour and a half. Brilliant!

From amazon: “Future Quiet signals a new chapter for one of electronic music’s most enduring and visionary artists. Encompassing modern piano minimalism, ambient soundscapes, and a smattering of vocal collaborations, the album finds Moby reflecting on the tension between hyper-connected modern life and the deep human need for stillness.

Moby elaborates, “Future Quiet is, not surprisingly, quiet. To be clear, I love bombast. I love excess and volume. But as the world gets louder and crazier, I find myself needing the refuge of quiet, both as a listener and as a musician. For me, and hopefully for others, Future Quiet is a refuge.

The world, self-evidently, is more demanding than it’s ever been. The world screams at us, our screens scream at us, other people scream at us, and to retreat from the screaming, we need safety and refuge. That, for me, is the goal of Future Quiet. Writing and recording it was a refuge for me, and I hope that listening to it is a refuge for you.””

921,008 – New Found Glory – Listen Up! – BIG congrats to the band on 25+ (almost 30) years! It seems that most of their previous albums straddled the line between being super “poppy” punk (a la Green Day, Blink-182, etc) and straight-up hardcore punk (a la Black Flag, G.B.H, etc). This album, though, seems to be mostly the former… and I like it!

From Rough Trade Records: “It’s been decades since New Found Glory were etched onto pop-punk’s Mount Rushmore, but as the Coral Springs, Florida, quartet approach their 30th anniversary, they’ve proven with their 11th studio album Listen Up! – and first for Pure Noise Records – that they still have plenty to say. Shaped by guitarist Chad Gilbert’s battle with metastatic cancer and the enduring bond with bandmates Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, and Cyrus Bolooki, the record captures resilience and gratitude in tightly wound riffs and sing-along hooks reminiscent of their early 2000s classics. Written face-to-face in Gilbert’s Nashville home with a riff-first mentality, the album recalls Sticks and Stones and Catalyst while pushing forward with songs like the first single “100%,” road-tested alongside The Offspring and Jimmy Eat World.

Produced by Steve Evetts with contributions from Dan O’Connor of Four Year Strong, Listen Up! balances nostalgia with urgency, embodying the band’s mission to inspire a new generation of fans while offering longtime listeners a renewed sense of strength, positivity, and joy—because, as Pundik sings on “Beer And Blood Stains,” at the end of the day, “it’s good to be alive.””

394,460 – Altın Gün – Garip – I don’t know what I just listened to, but I need more of it in my life… like a shit-ton more of it!! So Altın Gün plays “Anatolian rock,” which is Turkish psychedelic rock, fusing Turkish folk music and rock ‘n roll. For a more accurate description, according to wiki, “Their style has been described as ‘psychedelic’ with a ‘dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars, and analogue organs.”

Anyway, I went in thinking it was going to be an open-and-shut album, nothing I need to hear again. The first few tunes, I was like, “yeah, this is pretty cool, interesting… but will I listen to it again… or even follow them?” Likely not, but I let the album play on. Then something strange happened. As each new song played, I found myself getting more and more into it, and by the album’s end, they gained a new fan!

I’d suggest starting in the middle of the album – track #5, ‘Benim Yarim’ – which is all-instrumental. It is also the shortest track on the album. If you dig the grooves on that tune, let the album continue to play, then you’ll get rad vocals sung in Turkish! Fun fact: Altın Gün translates to “Golden Day”.

From amazon: “Since bursting onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album, On, Amsterdam-based Altın Gün have been at the vanguard of the 21st-century revival of Turkish-influenced psychedelic grooves. Now, the Grammy-nominated quintet return with their sixth studio album Garip – their most ambitious and diverse release to date, and a heartfelt tribute to Neşet Ertaş – a revered and much-loved Turkish singer, lyricist and bağlama player who recorded more than 30 albums and wrote hundreds of songs.”

170,349 – Sylosis – The New Flesh – I didn’t love this release, but I liked it enough to put it here and (more importantly) check out some of their earlier releases. It’s full-on metal with leanings towards thrash and prog-metal. The weakness is the growly Cookie Monster vocals… the music is pretty killer, though!

From Nuclear Blast Records: “The metal titans are back! Following the acclaimed A Sign Of Things To Come, Josh Middleton and the crew are delivering their heaviest and most ruthless album yet: The New Flesh! This towering statement of destructive riffs, brute force, and anthemic catchiness is built for guaranteed chaos in the pit. This is 21st-century heavy metal at its most lethal.”

68,126 – Good Tiger – The Most Negative Day Of The Year – Pretty cool alternative / prog-metal / djent-y album. I didn’t totally love this, but I like it enough to check out future releases… and I do dig the more “mesmerizing” passages.

From amazon: “The Most Negative Day Of The Year is the 4th studio album from Good Tiger, comprised of guitarists Nagle and Joaquin Ardiles, bassist Morgan Sinclair, drummer Alex Rüdinger, and vocalist Elliot Coleman. With music instantly accessed at the touch of a button, it seems that the urge to pigeonhole bands as quickly and neatly as possible has been driven to ever more extremes in recent years. Good Tiger, however, forge their own path. Blending their influences in a manner that defies lazy classification sets them apart from their contemporaries, imbuing everything they do with a distinctive sound and feel.”

52,991 – Belzebong – The End Is High – Mostly instrumental doom AF metal. I didn’t totally love it, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and will continue to keep my eyes on these down-tuned doom metal dudes. That album cover artwork is pretty sick, too!

From their bandcamp page: “The skies crack, the world coughs, and the smoke clears only to reveal the end. From the depths of the riff-choked void, Belzebong return with a new sermon for the final days — The End Is High. Recorded and mixed by Satanic Audio @ Sound of Records, this new chapter drags you deeper into your doom — where the incense burns green, and time moves slower than death itself. This is the soundtrack for the final procession. No salvation. No redemption. Bong. Fire. Death”

31,827 – Jazz Sabbath – Jazz Sabbath Live (2 CDs) – Jazz Sabbath was created by Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne touring keyboard and guitar player, Adam Wakeman (aka Milton Keanes, “a disillusioned Jazz Pianist from the 1960’s”). Here, he and the band play classic Sabbath tunes with piano as the focal point. Or (as the reviews state), these are the actual tunes and the Sabs stole from Jazz Sabbath, ha! I enjoyed it. It’s definitely super-heavy on the jazz, but you can hear the Sabbath melodies throughout. Fun album!

From amazon: “The first official live album from Jazz Sabbath. The UK jazz trio helmed by longtime Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne keys and guitar player Adam Wakeman (as Milton Keanes). 11 Black Sabbath songs are reimagined as classic jazz tracks. This album was recorded 25 shows into their 2025 tour at the Paradox Jazz Club in Tilburg, The Netherlands, showing Jazz Sabbath at their best. Basic and raw with just an upright bass, drums, and a grand piano. Going where the songs take them; not knowing if Paranoid would be 6 minutes long or 14.”

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1 Black Sabbath
2 The Wizard
3 War Pigs
4 Behind the Wall of Sleep
5 Iron Man
6 Fairies Wear Boots

Disc 2
1 Hole in the Sky
2 Paranoid
3 Into the Void
4 Rat Salad
5 Children of the Grave 

27,710 – 36 – Night Language – Excellent ambient, atmospheric, soundscape-y, drone album. Beautifully laid out over six songs. This dude – Dennis Huddleston (aka 36) – is incredibly prolific, typically releasing 3-6 albums PER YEAR!

23,028 – Duke Robillard – Blast Off! – I love this relaxing, but awesome, bluesy / jazzy swing album… this is great! 77 years young and still out there crushin’ it!

From amazon: “BLAST OFF! on an out of this world musical odyssey covering a variety of material from blues to jazz to funky R&B.

Woonsocket, Rhode Island, native Duke Robillard is a legacy blues artist who launched his career with Roomful of Blues in 1967, joined the Fabulous Thunderbirds, played with the Legendary Blues Band, was one-third of the New Guitar Summit, leads his own band, and continues to do solo shows now at the age of 77.

With over 35 of his own albums plus contributing to dozens more with other artists, Duke is a master of Blues, Swing, Jump Blues, and Jazz, and has won the Best Blues Guitarist WC Handy Award twice. He is twice Grammy-nominated, has won four Blues Music Awards as Best Guitarist, four Maple Blues Awards for International Artist, the Keeping The Blues Alive Award for record production, and is ranked among the World’s Best Blues Artists by DownBeat and Living Blues. As a session guitarist and producer, Duke has recorded with Bob Dylan, John Hammond, Ruth Brown, Billy Boy Arnold, Rosco Gordon, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Maria Muldaur, Pinetop Perkins, Joe Louis Walker, Johnny Adams, and many more.

For his new album, Blast Off! with Duke Robillard and His All-Star Band, the guitar maestro has assembled a varied but mostly very traditional collection of many of the styles he’s known for, including blues, swing, jazz, and R&B. This diversity represents his multi-faceted career and devotion to preserving these roots music styles. The twelve-track album contains three originals, including two instrumentals and an exciting piece concurrently historic and new, the first recording of a blues composition written by Robillard at the age of 17. He is joined on the project by Chris Cote on guitar and vocals, Bruce Bears on keyboards, bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Mark Teixeira. Doug James and Mark Earley are on sax, Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse, trumpet on “You Rascal You,” with special guest Billy Novick on clarinet and alto sax.”

11,432 – Soror Dolorosa – Back To The Cave – Live At Prophecy Fest 2025 – Hey, this is pretty good! It’s dark ambient meets cold wave meets goth rock… it is very The Cure-ish. In fact, it almost sounds like they could be unreleased The Cure tracks with a different singer (who tries his very best to sound like The Cure’s Robert Smith). Normally, I tend to stay away from sound-alike bands, but I think there’s enough difference betwixt the two – not to mention that it is still quite enjoyable – for me to follow the band.

From their bandcamp page: “Paris-based Soror Dolorosa (engl.: Sister Pain) belong to the most visionary contemporary groups in the blend of Gothic/Death Rock and Cold Wave. The band name comes from the novel “Bruges-la-morte” by Flemish symbolist writer Georges Rodenbach, which is marked by nostalgia and mourning, thus perfectly encapsulating Soror Dolorosa’s aesthetic aspirations.”

4,344 – Borracho – Eternos EP – “Hellz yeah for Borracho! Super killer stoner rock… the guitar tones and riffage are tasty as hell! That album artwork is pretty rad, as well.” That’s what I wrote about their 2025 release, ‘Ouroboros’. I love the idea behind this EP (see ahead), but I am not thrilled about the release. The songs are just… eh, ya know? But RIP fallen comrades :-(

From their bandcamp page: “What you are holding in your hands is not just a collection of cover songs. It is a heartfelt tribute to five beloved brothers, friends, musicians, and, in my opinion, giants. These guys weren’t just friends; they were individuals we looked up to and inspired us. We decided that the best way to pay homage to them is to let the music do the talking. So let’s all raise a glass and celebrate their contribution to the cosmos. And while these giants have left this plane, their music is eternal.”

Enjoy,
Steve

In memory of:
Dave Sherman 1966-2022
Rev. Jim Forrester 1974-2017
Will Mecum 1972-2021
Bruce Falkinburg 1969-2022
Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist 1976-2017

“Fang” — in memory of Dave Sherman (Spirit Caravan, 1966-2022)
“Keep On Shoveling” — in memory of Rev. Jim Forrester (Foghound, 1974-2017)
“Twenty-nine” — in memory of Will Mecum (Karma to Burn, 1972-2021)
“Damyata” — in memory of Bruce Falkinburg (The Hidden Hand, 1969-2022)
“A Heart Without a Home” — in memory of Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist (The Hellacopters, 1976-2017)

578 – Darryl Way – Violin Fantasia – Darryl Way is a violinist. He adds a little flair to these classically-tinged tunes – but not too much – and it is a wonderful listen!

From his bandcamp page: “This is my third large-scale violin piece and the one I’m most proud of. It’s born of 55 years of experience as a violinist and composer, and in this piece, I have purposely pushed my abilities in both these fields as far as they could go.

I call it ‘Neo-Romantic’, because it uses as a reference the glory days of orchestral music and the great romantic composers like Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Sibelius, all of whom wrote magnificent violin concertos. Not that I would dare to compare myself to these great masters, they were just there, hovering in the ether, acting as a guiding light.

Therefore, the piece itself is tonal and predates the atonal movement that started at the beginning of the 20th Century. Not that I’m averse to atonality, being a great fan of Bartok, but I just felt that there was still a lot more to say, using classical harmonies and melodies.

I’ve called it a ‘Fantasia’ as opposed to a ‘Concerto’, because a concerto implies that its overall purpose is to show off the technique of the soloist, and although the piece is extremely tricky, that was not the primary intention. The intention was to create an exciting orchestral work that showcases the ability of a symphony orchestra to transport the listener on a magical journey. Whether I have succeeded in that, that is not for me to say, but that was my intention. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it.”

425 – d’Voxx – HERZOG: A Retrospective (DiN95) – It’s difficult to not like anything released via DiN Records. The artists on the roster play all-instrumental electronic, ambient, cinematic, soundscape-y soundtrack-type tunes. And the majority of ’em (including this one) are brilliant! Plus, I love the idea behind the album (read ahead) where the band “pays tribute” to film director Werner Herzog. I never saw any of the films mentioned, but I dig the idea of bands writing music in tribute to other artists that they like, too, even if not in the same medium – music / film director in this case.

From their bandcamp page: “This bold new release by modular synth duo d’Voxx is their third on the DiN imprint, having previously released Télégraphe (DiN58) & 1984 (DiN75) to much critical acclaim. To give it its full title – HERZOG: A Retrospective by d’Voxx – sees Nino Auricchio and Paul Borg expanding their sonic horizons with musical interpretations of the five films legendary German film director Werner Herzog made between 1972 and 1987 with the mercurial actor Klaus Kinski.

Needless to say, this gives the album a very cinematic feel, where the modular systems that are at the core of their sound are still very much present but often in supporting roles around which the genre-bending five tracks rise and fall. Their ambitious sound worlds incorporate elements of prog, techno, rock, field recordings, and even a sample of a 1911 opera on, where else but the track Impossible Monolith, which references the epic film Fitzcarraldo. The duo state that these tracks do not attempt to score the films but rather to inhabit their territories: the fevered conquistador descending into megalomania; Woyzeck ground to psychological dust by institutional cruelty; Fitzcarraldo’s monumental folly; Nosferatu’s ancient weariness; the slave trader’s trajectory through exploitation and dissolution.

This third outing from d’Voxx will delight and surprise their admirers in equal measure and once again proves that the DiN label never stands still but is constantly looking to push through the straitjacket of genre boundaries.”

Missed the Cut (in order by “popularity”*):

2,442,912 – Hilary Duff – luck… or something – Pop megastar returns with her first album in a decade-plus, and… yeah, I guess I still don’t care much for her music. Cheesy top 40 pop.

876,484 – OMB Peezy – BETTER AND BETTER – Oh how things change. I dug last year’s ‘Drifting Away’ and ‘Diary Of A Crashout’, saying: “I dismissed this rap/hip-hop album before even listening to it… come to find out, I kinda dug it! It’s likely that I won’t reach for it again, but I liked what I heard and will keep my eyes peeled for future releases.” Unfortunately, this release is a major T-Ball whiff. Great production, but the beats / raps ain’t giving me all the feels.

293,104 – Peaches – No Lube So Rude – Merrill Beth Nisker (bka Peaches) plays dance-y electronica crap. I have listened to her shit for years and have always wondered what the BFD was about. Super-popular, but methinks her music sucks … pass.

152,832 – The Enemy – Social Disguises – This British indie rock band returns after a 10-ish-year hiatus to whimpers. Boring, forgettable tunes. Pass.

137,416 – Leigh-Anne – My Ego Told Me To – Dance-pop album that I will not listen to again. That said, it wasn’t PACKED with clunkers. There were actually a couple, 2-3 songs, that almost kinda sorta had a reggae feel to them. I liked those tracks, but the rest is a miss.

82,909 – Exhumed – Red Asphalt – Not a big fan of (most) death metal / deathgrind bands/albums – or “gore-obsessed death metal” as they call it – and this album doesn’t change my mind. At all. Meh. Moving on…

67,875 – Nytt Land – Aba Khan – On paper, this Russian husband-wife duo definitely sounded interesting, and I was not surprised (see ahead). It’s this weird folky Viking thing with handmade instruments and throat singing (in the Old Norse language). Not bad, but not for me.

From their bandcamp page: “On their tenth full-length “Aba Khan”, NYTT LAND pick up the stylistic thread that they had previously woven with “Ritual” (2021). This means the music is generally based on a foundation of current ritual dark folk to which the duo from Siberia adds elements from the native traditions of their home, among other ingredients.

Although NYTT LAND return to the less strict and rather popular formula with “Aba Khan”, their inspiration has still come from a whole year of travelling through the vast territories of Siberia. The couple discovered new areas and got acquainted with the spiritual traditions of the indigenous peoples that they met. The result of this journey is a collection of priceless treasures that has been respectfully translated into a contemporary musical language.

NYTT LAND was created in August 2013 as a ritualistic Nordic folk band and driven by the musical vision of the husband and wife duo Natalya and Anatoly Pakhalenko. The couple lives in the Western Siberian town of Kalachinsk, which is located on the banks of the River Om and crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railway.

True to their often dark and mysterious subjects, the lyrics of NYTT LAND echo myth and stories from legends and historical sources. Those are told in the languages of both indigenous Siberian tribes and Old Norse, with the balance gradually shifting towards the former over time. NYTT LAND dedicate “Aba Khan” to the ancient, beautiful, and great lands of Siberia. Join them on a journey through time and space where spirits rule, shamans protect the people, and old gods whisper.”

44,162 – Michael Monroe – Outerstellar – The former frontman of ’80s glam rock band Hanoi Rocks goes solo (again) and… I’ve enjoyed prior releases, but (other than a couple of gems) this one was tame and forgettable. Drats.

9,711 – Big Sleep – Holy Show – Big Sleep is an Irish indie pop-rock band, and this is their full-length debut after a handful of EPs were released over the past few years. It’s quite forgettable and not an album I’ll reach for again.

7,953 – Paul Draper – Mansun Retold – Paul Draper is hit-or-miss for me. I didn’t care much for his two EP releases in 2016, but his releases since then are much better (2017’s ‘Spooky Action’ and 2022’s ‘Cult Leader Tactics’). With those albums, you can hear the British prog-rock aspects mixed in with “traditional” alternative rock. But this release leans more toward traditional singer-songwriter stuff with a touch of prog-rock. Paul was the lead vocalist of English alt-rock / Britpop band Mansun (1995-2003). Here, he revisits some of their songs, but with a different spin. Honestly, I don’t know if I was ever aware of (or heard of) Mansun. But based on what I heard… eh …

6,091 – W.E.B. – Darkness Alive [Live] – Horrible death / black metal. They even don the facepaint. I find that shit hilarious. Easy one to pass on, good grief.

3,240 – Incandescence – Hors Temps – Incandescence is a Canadian black metal duo, eh. Needless to say, it was just a bit outside my typical wheelhouse…

2,990 – Suplecs – Hymns Under a Blood Moon Sky – NOLA-based stoner rock band returns with their first album of new material in a decade-plus, and… it has moments. As a whole, though, I was a little underwhelmed.

2,426 – WILDHORSE & Appalooza – Shewolf – A somewhat disappointing stoner rock album. I’ve been listening to Appalooza – and kinda sorta like ’em – but I haven’t fully bought in yet… and maybe I won’t. But I’ll keep trying.

1,219 – Dissentience – Kaiju EP – Yeah, so a band like this is kinda sorta what I’m looking for in a death metal album. Why? It also has thrash metal tendencies, which I rather enjoy. This isn’t any album I’ll reach for again, but it was certainly more “palatable” than straight-up DM albums. Some tasty shred!

972 – Abstracted – Hiraeth – This release is a mixed bag, but mostly a miss. They play progressive death metal. Man, some of the musicianship is fantastic – and some of it isn’t – but the Cookie Monster growly vocals lose me. Going in, I knew that it wasn’t in my normal wheelhouse, but I love the album artwork and Metal Injection’s review (see ahead). Several incredible moments throughout, but as a whole, I gotta pass.

From Metal Injection: “What a prog metal feast this is. You’re getting tons of heavy grooves, rhythmic shifts, catchy moments, and genre dabbling. There’s even a guest spot from Chaney Crabb of Entheos. This was my introduction to the band, and what an intro it was.”

From Season Of Mist Records: “Brazilian extreme progressive metal group ABSTRACTED – whose sound blends blistering technicality with melodic and atmospheric moments – usher in their comeback with ‘Hiraeth’. ‘Hiraeth’ will be available on CD and Digital.

The album was produced by Diego Castro (Kryour, Skid Life) with artwork by Roberto Eremita. The album includes guest appearances from vocalist Chaney Crabb (Entheos) and the Brazilian shred maestro Igor Bollos.

ABSTRACTED was formed in the band’s hometown of Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2014. After their first live performance, the new group entered the studio to record music showcasing a sound that was birthed by a love for bands that balanced metallic intensity with a propensity to stretch the progressive boundaries of the genre.

ABSTRACTED took their name from a song by Swedish melodic death metal greats Scar Symmetry. Influences from other European acts such as Necrophagist and Gojira, American bands such as The Faceless and Between The Buried And Me, and genre giants such as Death and Coroner all formed the basis for the sound that the band explored on their thrilling 2015 debut EP, ‘Ophidian’.

The group continued to build their name in the years that followed while balancing scholastic pursuits with live appearances on festivals throughout their native country. ABSTRACTED began recording their debut full-length, ‘Atma Conflux’, in 2018, and continued writing, crafting, and producing the record throughout the ensuing years.

That album saw the group integrating synthesizers and orchestral keyboards into their already-expansive sound, which blends the blistering technicality of acts such as Obscura and Edge of Sanity with moments evoking the melodic side of bands such as Opeth and Fates Warning.

‘Hiraeth’ is ABSTRACTED’s third release. After ‘Atma Conflux’, the group was faced with a line-up change, bringing in a new drummer and two new guitarists, which has evidently reflected in the way they make music.

‘Hiraeth’ is more grounded, musical, and nuanced, atmosphere was something more pursued on this record. New influences were brought in, adding further to a huge breadth of context from death metal, djent, prog metal, and technically challenging moments to the mix, making ‘Hiraeth’ something rewarding with every listen.”

For fans of: Opeth, Gojira, Death, Between The Buried And Me, Fates Warning, Vilhjarta, Entheos, and Obscura.

892 – Coscradh – Carving The Causeway To The Otherworld – Darkness and despair reign supreme on this black/death metal disasterpiece. Sorry, Irish boys, but these genres are typically outside of my wheelhouse.

652 – Clive Nolan – The Mortal Light (2 CDs) – Are you a fan of prog-rock operas? How about ones that have several acts and a run time of nearly two and a half hours? We have just the thing for you! While listening to Clive Nolan’s latest release, all I could envision was being seated in a nice opera house or theatre watching a performance. It was a bit too bloated for my taste.

485 – Zepter – Zepter – Ooh, rough and raw heavy fucking metal, with a little speed metal thrown in for good measure. This is the Austrian band’s debut full-length, following 2024’s ‘Inferno’ EP. It’s a bit too unpolished for my taste.

427 – The Ant Band – From Genesis To Reimagination – I dig prog-rock band Genesis, but prefer the latter-era. This is a tribute to original Genesis guitarist, Anthony Phillips. I love the idea behind this project (read ahead), but am underwhelmed with the release. Even though I am a fan of Genesis, I am (admittedly) not familiar with their 1969 release with the same album title.

From their bandcamp page: “The ANT BAND was founded in February 2021 as a “lockdown project” by sound engineer and musician Tom Morgenstern. A musical collective from all over Germany. Not a tribute band, but focuses on the work of Anthony Phillips, original guitarist of Genesis.

Following the huge success of the Anthony Phillips tribute album ‘A Light on the Hill’, the new album from the Ant Band, ‘FROM GENESIS TO REIMAGINATION’, is more than just a complete re-recording of the Genesis debut album from 1969.

The CD follows the original track listing from the very first 1968 master tape, comprising 15 songs and nine instrumental interludes, including the three later outtakes, ‘Build Me a Mountain’, ‘Image Blown Out’, and ‘Visions of Angels’. Additionally, there is a special six-minute-long version of ‘A Place to Call My Own’. The liner notes were written by original Genesis guitarist, Anthony Phillips.

The artwork uses illustrations by Hungarian-American Art Nouveau artist Willy Pogany from his book “Tannhäuser” (1911).”

226 – Aye Mammoth – Universe EP – Doom/stoner metal EP that’s good. I didn’t love it, but there are some riffs that just cannot be ignored. Keeping my eyes on these guys. Hella sweet album artwork!!

Addendum (in order by “popularity”*) – Albums that were released earlier in the year (or previous years) that I missed, but are worth mentioning, anyhow:

Puscifer’s Normal Isn’t (again), mentioned in the introducion. It’s really great!

On the List (in order by “popularity”*) – Albums that I didn’t get to (yet) for one reason or another. Will (hopefully) get to them at a later date:

Only listing ones that made me take notice, not everything…

None!

Looking forward to (in order by “popularity”*) – These albums will be released this week and should be in next week’s AOTW newsletter:

77,785,873 – Bruno Mars – The Romantic

15,021,220 – Gorillaz – The Mountain

11,321,207 – Mitski – Nothing’s About to Happen to Me

3,759,980 – Rob Zombie – The Great Satan

470,925 – Carpenter Brut – Leather Temple

416,263 – Pat Metheny – Side-Eye III+

317,051 – Archive – Glass Minds

163,067 – Nothing – a short history of decay

140,769 – The Sheepdogs – Keep Out Of The Storm

92,381 – Mateus Asato – ASATO

79,752 – A Thousand Horses – White Flag Down

67,075 – A Wilhelm Scream – Cheap Heat

63,670 – Starbenders – The Beast Goes On

31,719 – Weedpecker – V

25,647 – Steve Mason – Steve Mason Presents: The Romance of Unknowing

16,489 – The Neal Morse Band – L.I.F.T.

5,140 – Final Gasp – New Day Symptoms

847 – JeGong – Gomi Kuzu Can

…and several others. Some that I am looking forward to and others not so much.

———————————————————————————————

Small print that’s normal size print:

*These albums are listed in order by “popularity”. Wait, what? How? By no means is it a measured calculation. They’re listed in order by number of ‘followers’ on Spotify. While it is listed by Spotify ‘followers’, the order would (most likely) be similar if looking at the number of ‘likes and/or followers’ on each band’s social media pages. Speaking of “popularity”, there is a bolded gold/yellow number. This number (more or less) represents the number of Spotify ‘followers’ at the time of review.

**Album of the Week. No promises, but I will do my best to NOT include Greatest Hits, Best Of, Live releases, re-releases, etc. Even if these “new” releases include a ton of bonus goodies, multiple unreleased tracks, demo versions, etc, I’ll still (try to) hold off.

All albums are listened to IN FULL unless stated otherwise.

Some artists are quite controversial. My goal is to review the album on its own merits, not based on the history, beliefs (political or otherwise), police records, and/or anything else that could be considered “unsavory” of the artist(s).

(Almost) all albums are hyperlinked. I link in order by Bandcamp first, YouTube next, then Spotify last. This is so you can check out (AND PURCHASE) the album, if interested. I do and hope you do, as well!

Do you have any friends or family who might be interested in this weekly blog? If so, send ’em this way!

Until next week…

Cheers,

Troy