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
Hey everyone!
It is a gorgeous Saturday afternoon! I just finished mowing the front and back yards and am moving on to other chores… but before then, remember the last blog when I said that I had recorded a few live shows…? Well, I found the box ‘o tapes and what a find! Check out this list of shows I bootlegged (in alphabetical order). Looks like it was a six-year period between 1989 and 1995.
AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses, INXS, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Pantera, Robert Plant (solo), Pride & Glory, Queensrÿche, the Rolling Stones, RUSH, Joe Satriani, Scorpions, Paul Simon, Skid Row, Spinal Tap, Van Halen, and Yes.
I’m nowhere near the 10k+ shows Aadam Jacobs recorded, but I might see if those volunteers would want to clean up my recordings, too. Like him, I never did it for money—just for me. Haven’t listened to those tapes in forever, but if they’re even halfway decent, I should probably digitize them at some point.
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One of my favorite days is on Thursday with the annual NFL Draft, giggity…
The Seahawks have four picks this year:
Round one, pick 32
Round two, pick 32 (64)
Round three, pick 32 (96)
Round six, pick 7 (188)
With the 1st round pick, I’d like to see the Seahawks go RB with Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), Mike Washington (Arkansas), or Jonah Coleman (University of Washington Huskies!!!). My gut, however, tells me that the team trades down for additional picks. We shall see. I LOVE draft day and cannot wait!
The Round One verdict is in – RB Jadarian Price, you are a Seattle Seahawk 💚💙
The muthafuckin’ dude I wanted, hellz yes!!!
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There is no AOTW this week, but…
…I was listening to the latest release from Leila Abdul-Rauf, titled ‘Andros Insidium‘.
I was really into her 2024 release, ‘Calls From A Seething Edge’, which I noted as a “strong” Honorable Mention, but not quite AOTW. That is exactly how I feel about this latest release, as well.
😁 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
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Album(s) of the Week** – April 17th to April 23rd, 2026:
None.
Honorable Mentions (in order by “popularity”*):
3,209,071 – Nine Inch Noize – Nine Inch Noize [aka Halo 38]
Nine Inch Noize is a collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize (Alex Ridha, German-Iraqi electronic music producer). These are all re-worked versions of Nine Inch Nails songs, plus covers of Soft Cell’s ‘Memorabilia’ and How To Destroy Angels’ ‘Parasite’. They say it’s not a “true” remix album, but rather a live album, studio recording, and remix album (with some of the recordings taking place on airplanes, live, and other venues). If you already dig Nine Inch Nails, it’s a pretty bangin’ album!
The NIN songs covered here are ‘Vessel’ (‘Year Zero’, 2007), ‘She’s Gone Away’ (‘Not The Actual Events’ EP, 2016), ‘Heresy’ (‘The Downward Spiral’, 1994), ‘Copy Of A’ (‘Hesitation Marks’, 2013), ‘Me, I’m Not’ (‘Year Zero’, 2007), ‘Closer’ (‘The Downward Spiral’, 1994), ‘The Warning’ (‘Year Zero’, 2007), ‘Came Back Haunted’ (‘Hesitation Marks’, 2013), and ‘As Alive As You Need Me To Be’ (‘Tron: Ares’ (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack), 2025).
286,165 – Sun Kil Moon – Murals
Sun Kil Moon is singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek. I’m pretty stoked with most of his releases, but I thought this was a bit of a letdown. He does his typical spoken-word poetry-type “singing” over music. Fun fact: Mark named the “band” Sun Kil Moon after retired Korean boxer Moon Sung-kil [문성길].
123,979 – Hollie Cook – Shy Girl In Dub!
Yo girl, where you been my whole life?! She’s great! As the title aptly describes, this is a dub album, and it’s rad! In fact, it’s a dub release of her 2025 album, ‘Shy Girl’. Imagine that! She is on my must-listen-to list now for future releases… and perhaps I’ll reach into her back catalog, as well. Fun fact: she is the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer, Paul Cook! Want more fun facts? Of course you do! Hollie’s mom was a backup singer for Culture Club, and Boy George is her godfather! I heart her even more now!
From her bandcamp page: “Following the release of Hollie Cook’s fifth studio album, Shy Girl, and her return to Mr Bongo 15 years after her debut, the album’s producer Ben McKone reconstructs the recordings into a newly cut dubwise release. Crafted on an analogue mixing desk, Ben strips back the productions in vintage dub reggae style. He weaves in delays, echoes, and reverb to push Hollie’s trademark sound into a hypnotising, rhythm and bass-heavy, electronic realm.
Rich in the tradition of reggae albums from the late ‘60s onwards, Hollie wanted to reimagine Shy Girl through a dub-focused lens. Evidently, only one person seemed the perfect fit to do so: Ben McKone of the General Roots, who was the producer of Shy Girl and featured heavily across the album as a co-writer and instrumentalist. Someone who had sat with Shy Girl for so long and knew the record inside out.
Having found a studio that could accommodate his creative process, Ben got to work experimenting with the stems and effects. He brings the rhythms back to the mixing desk, using it like its own instrument to give the tracks that heavy, spatial, dubwise treatment. Taking influence from past pioneers, everything happening on the album was improvised live, with some mixes taking up to 25 attempts to get right from start to finish. As Ben mentions, “I love the freedom and human element of dub mixing and find the limitations of some older productions very inspiring too”.
Paring the songs back, yet dialling up that bass-weight pressure, Ben creates space for chosen elements and instruments to do the talking. Bringing the drums and bass to the fore, he utilises classic echoes, reverb, and effects, as Hollie’s vocals drift in and out of the mix.
The album opens with ‘Shy Dub’, a sound system-focused reimagination of the original album’s title track, heavy on the tape delay with snippets of Hollie reverberating across the drums and bass. Other highlights include ‘Rockaway Dub’, melding the floaty, feel-good lovers rock flavour of the track with a low-end leaning, one-drop groove, and ‘We Share Dub’, a mysticising dub interpretation of Hollie’s celestial Skip Mahoney & The Casuals cover.
As the final touch, Ben’s first choice engineer, Josh Hahn, was drafted in on mastering duties. Josh has blessed the tracks with an old-school quality, depth, and roots vibe, mastering from tape in the original time-honoured fashion. This commitment to detail and authenticity completes an album that feels timeless whilst also being full of fresh life and energy. One that would have been equally at home shaking the foundations of Blues parties gone by, as it is sound system sessions of today.”
90,006 – Thundermother – Live’n’Alive
All-female Swedish hard rock band – or “Four bad-ass bitches” according to them! – that does their best Donnas impression of bloozy groove rock (with AC/DC and KISS as their blueprint)… and it rules! I dig it and look forward to future releases!
From Naplam Records: “Swedish rock’n’roll powerhouse THUNDERMOTHER has inked a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records! Founded in 2009 by guitarist Filippa Nässil, the band is well-known for their electrifying rock anthems and relentless touring – some live highlights include supporting the legendary Scorpions both in North America and Europe, playing the KISS Kruise, and performing regularly at major festivals such as Wacken Open Air. In 2021, THUNDERMOTHER was even awarded the GAFFA prize for Best Hard Rock/Metal.
Earlier this year, THUNDERMOTHER unleashed their highly acclaimed 6th album Dirty & Divine, the first one with the new lineup consisting of Filippa Nässil, vocalist Linnéa Vikström Egg, returning bass player Majsan Lindberg, and drummer Joan Massing, reaching the top 3 on the Official German Rock/Metal Charts. Now, they are ready to take this new era of the band to all new dimensions through joining forces with Napalm Records!”
80,009 – Hardline – Shout
Totally cheesy ’80s butt rock… and I loved it!! Great classic riffage, strong melodies, not a weak link in the band. Good shit (even if dripped with a little cheese)!
From their bandcamp page: “The new HARDLINE album, ‘Shout’, sees the band helmed by American vocalist Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudi Pell, Crush 40) and his Italian teammates, keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio, guitarist Luca Princiotta, bassist Anna Portalupi, and drummer Marco Di Salvia, take up where their 1992 Melodic Rock masterpiece “Total Eclipse” left off.”
11,176 – American Sharks – Not Dead Yet
Bad. Fucking. Ass. It’s like a “punkier” version of stoner rock. Think a faster, rawer Clutch, Red Fang, etc. If you dig those bands, you’ll probably dig this, too. Tons of special guests on this release, too (see ahead). My only complaint is that it clocked in at under 27 mins. I wanted more!
From their bandcamp page: “American Sharks is a three-piece band hailing from Austin, TX. Their punk-metal hybrid sound blends pop hooks with blasting-yer-face riffs, resulting in something akin to if Weezer went Stoner Rock. Coupled with hook-laden singalong lyrics, American Sharks’ forthcoming 2026 album Not Dead Yet is, well, a breathtaking return.
Since the release of their 2013 self-titled debut album, American Sharks has toured extensively supporting the likes of GWAR, Clutch, The Sword, Red Fang, Big Business, Corrosion of Conformity, and many others. After touring to support their debut album on The End Records, American Sharks took time off to write and record their self-produced follow-up album, 11:11, on BMG. After a 5-year lull, American Sharks are back with 9 fast-paced, pummeling tracks.
Not Dead Yet will be available on LP and download on April 17th, 2026, via Permanent Teeth.”
Roky Moon – Vocals, Guitar, and Bass
Nick Cornetti – Drums
Aaron Echegaray – Additional Guitar
Special Guests:
Mike Derks (GWAR): Lead Guitar on “Bang Yer Head”
Zach Blair (Rise Against): Lead Guitar on “The Machine”
Kyle Shutt (The Sword): Lead Guitar on “Sunny Sunday”
David Sullivan (Red Fang): Lead Guitar on “Flowers For The Dead”
Leo Lydon (Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol): Lead Guitar and Vocals on “They Want Peace”
Aaron Echegaray: Lead Guitar on “Going Insane”
All songs written by: Roky Moon and Nick Cornetti,
except “Fuzz War” written by Ben Maddox, Roky Moon, and Nick Cornetti
6,110 – zakè – HH
zakè is Zach Frizzell, and he plays super-minimal, ambient, soundscape-y drone-type stuff. Really nice, beautiful, mellow stuff!
From Norman Records: “Time spent in hospital rooms. The weight still unfolding. The uncertain future. More questions than answers. Pieces of my heart, heard through the sounds of HH. For my wife. Shaped by what we are moving through together. An attempt to meet pain with love. Keep going. Try to rest. When can we. Holding each moment close, celebrating it as if it were both our first and our last. Knowing that love, in its truest form, is never measured by grandeur but by the depth of what is shared between two souls. For my Jules. Time never stops. My love can’t either.
Written, recorded, and produced by zakè. Mastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard. Photography by zakè.”
3,756 – Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns – Bitches’ Blues
I was introduced to Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad in 2021 with ‘Ding Dong. You’re Dead’. Been listening to – and loving – her releases since then: “…this jazz-rock album is pretty fuckin’ killer! All instrumental and all bad-ass… This album is also quite incredible… it really comes in hot out of the gate, then mellows out by album’s end, so I also enjoyed the flow of the album in addition to the music.”
I am not as pleased with this release, however. It’s more on the experimental / avant-garde side of jazz-rock, resulting in more of a hits-and-misses album. Putting here, though, based on former releases. Listen to those first, then come here.
From their bandcamp page: “Weejuns (a slang abbreviation of “Norwegians”) introduced themselves in 2023 with a self-titled double live album. Originally assembled for the Kongsberg Jazz Festival, Hedvig Mollestad (guitar), Ståle Storløkken (organ and synth), and drummer Ole Mofjell’s collective chemistry has proven enduring and alluring, in part as a foil to the Hedvig Mollestad Trio’s heaviest album to date, 2025’s Bees in the Bonnet.
“Weejuns is all about interplay,” explains Mollestad, a former Young Jazz Talent of the Year and Artist in Residence in her native Norway. “Bitches Blues consists of six instrumental tracks, or stretches of music, with an extreme range of dynamics. Some are based around hefty beats, while other tracks are far more lyrical and rubato. It ranges from riff-based rock-ish stuff, to loud chaos, to melancholy ballads and even totally free improvisations.”
Taking a cultured yet refreshingly instinctive approach to intertwining instruments and influences, Bitches Blues (a wry play on Miles Davis album Bitches Brew) veers unpredictably from slow and soft, distinctly sectioned songs with disciplined chord progressions to explosive eruptions of cathartic and complex structures.”
2,636 – Abrams – Loon
I didn’t like this (or 2024’s ‘Blue City’) as much as 2022’s ‘In The Dark’ when I emphatically stated (and still stand by): “Oh hell yes! I thought I might like this simply based on the fact that it was released on the Small Stone Recordings label. I had no idea that I would like it THIS much. It gives me all the feels and even some goosebumps in spots. It’s simply a strong rock record with elements of stoner, doom, psychedelic, and more. It’s quite diverse and melodic, but not so much so that it doesn’t sound cohesive. This is one solid album top-to-fucking-bottom! I obviously need to go back and listen to their earlier releases when I have the chance. This album is so delicious that I didn’t want it to end!”
One of the reasons I love this band so much is the dynamics. They don’t just play “heavy shit”, they don’t just play “quiet shit”… it weaves in and out, creating dynamics. Seen ’em live twice already and look forward to another return. Love me some Abrams, and especially 2022’s ‘In The Dark’!
From their bandcamp page: “With American idealism and societal unity in flames, the ethereal ambiance of Denver’s ABRAMS has been permeated by vibrating, hair-trigger fury. 2024’s soaring and driving Blue City was a record full of arresting, nostalgic textures that Metal Hammer Magazine called “an upswell of positivity in the face of frustration that’s sure to shake you from your existential slumber.” But this is no longer the world of that album.
The grinding hopelessness and chaos of these times have infused ABRAMS with the shattering intensity of Converge. Urgent and abrasive, Loon is acerbic, fed up, and riddled with pulverizing fury. Wistful melodies warp into dissonance and aggression. Crystalline beauty is inhabited by bitterness and rage. The band’s instinctive hooks aren’t gone, and hopeful moments do shine intermittently through. But it’s clear that ABRAMS, like a lot of us, are pissed off.
Desperate and seething, Loon is an irresistible, frenzied purge from a band refusing to give in.”
1,548 – Leila Abdul-Rauf – Andros Insidium
This is a very cool album! Leila plays guitar and “sings” in San Francisco-based death metal band, Vastum. This release, though, is completely different. Sort of an ethereal, ambient, post-folk album. She is so on my radar now, this is gorgeous! Plus, the production on it is excellent – sounds fantastic on noise-canceling headphones! That album artwork is pretty happenin’, too…
From Earsplit PR: “Through her work across five Vastum albums, LEILA ABDUL-RAUF has been a sonorous contributor to 20 Buck Spin’s discography for more than fifteen years now. Concurrent to that, she’s also amassed an impressive body of solo work, whereby she could showcase the full range of her multi-instrumental artistic and vocal talents. 20 Buck Spin now welcomes that part of her output to the label, showcasing her darkest and most confrontational material to date with the new album, Andros Insidium.
On Andros Insidium, LEILA ABDUL-RAUF draws us into a ceremonial descent, through the architecture of shadow itself. Unfolding like a ritual text etched in obsidian, each movement traces the violent and sacred geometry of transformation. The presence and wisdom of the feminine divine looms throughout, as an ancient and uncompromising force, in conflict with everything buried, exiled, and made monstrous by the machinery of societal pressures and unrealistic expectations. The album delves deep into the dark vastness of the psyche of woman: wild, ugly, vulnerable, and powerful.
Sonically, Andros Insidium is a mutation of the cinematic dark ambient, industrial, and ritual folk expressed in prior releases, now sharpened into something far darker, more narrative, and intimate. ABDUL-RAUF’s vocal work becomes a new focus with a wider variety of styles and characters, exorcising the demons of patriarchal fragmentation and revenge fantasy as lived myth. In its most potent moments, Andros Insidium suggests that wholeness is not purity or light, but the terrifying act of reclaiming everything that was discarded, learning to speak with its voice.
Composed, recorded, and performed by LEILA ABDUL-RAUF, Andros Insidium features guest contributions from Samuel Foster (ex-Saros, ex-Weakling), Kienan Hamilton (Cartilage, False Figure), Gregory C. Hagan (ex-Common Eider, King Eider, ex-Thomas Carnacki), and Drew Zercoe (Field Of Fear), adding to the album’s intense sound. Andros Insidium was mixed and mastered by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios (High On Fire, Autopsy, Vastum), with cover art by Justyna Koziczak, layout by Chimere Noire, photography by Samuel Foster, and calligraphy by Gregory C. Hagan. Anybody who enjoys the works of Dead Can Dance, Diamanda Galas, Arcana, Amber Asylum, Jarboe/Swans, and Chelsea Wolfe, make LEILA ABDUL-RAUF’s Andros Insidium a priority album to hear.
The first preview of Andros Insidium arrives in the form of a captivating and haunting video for its title track, a Tritonia Films production, directed and produced by Marcelle Marais.
ABDUL-RAUF reveals, “Conceptually, the title track is a revenge fantasy of a survivor against their abuser through castration and sodomy, which in this particular story, is enacted by a vengeful goddess. It speaks to the rage-filled fantasy the individual has against an attacker, as well as the collective rage caused by systemic abuse through sexual, political, relational, and emotional control. The goddess’s acts of revenge symbolize a reckoning against patriarchal harm and an imagined dawning of a new age where feminine power and wisdom are restored – violent and unapologetic. Marcelle Marais and Co. of Tritonia Films created the video and did an incredible job, truly capturing the raw emotions of the song with scenes that are cinematically gorgeous and disturbing.””
1,543 – Iterum Nata – Heartwood
‘Tweener release. Some stuff is super amazing, and other parts are real headscratchers. Iterum Nata is a one-man band featuring Finn Jesse Heikkinen. Some tunes are folky – his voice sounds quite a bit like Nick Cave at times – while other tunes venture into black and doom metal, then it rolls into prog-rock. A very interesting album; my initiation to Iterum Nata was 2024’s ‘From The Infinite Light’, and I will continue to keep my eyes on him.
From his bandcamp page: “From the quiet desolation of earlier Iterum Nata now rises something heavier – more aggressive and defiant. With “Heartwood”, Finnish multi-instrumentalist Jesse Heikkinen (The Abbey, Henget, ex-Hexvessel) reshapes his progressive rock and neo-folk foundations through the crucible of metal, layering doom-laden riffs and blackened textures upon the project’s introspective core.
To give this vision its pulse, Heikkinen enlisted Ukrainian drummer Yurii Ciel (Stoned Jesus, Cailleach Calling, ex-White Ward), whose expressive performance transforms “Heartwood” into the most visceral Iterum Nata release to date. Together they carve a sound both expansive and immediate: progressive journeys steeped in folk atmosphere, driven by the weight and force of metal.
The record also features rare guest appearances: King Dude lends his commanding voice to “Forgiveness Undone”, Alexander Kuoppala (ex-Children of Bodom) unleashes a searing solo in “I Have Been Sacrificed”, and Sami Hynninen (Reverend Bizarre) delivers an unearthly vocal in “Only Ash and Bones Remain”.
“Heartwood” is an album hewn from fury yet tempered by revelation. Where past Iterum Nata releases drew from solitude and sorrow, here the wellspring is anger – but anger that points beyond itself, toward beauty, hope, and transcendence. It is a meditation on the spiritual war within the collective unconscious, channelled through music that flows between Anathema and My Dying Bride, Opeth and In the Woods…, Pink Floyd and Green Carnation.
Jesse commented:
When I began creating “Heartwood”, my main emotions were anger and resentment. As the process played out, certain personal events slowly shifted me from a dark, hateful place into a world of bliss and beauty. You can hear these extremes merging throughout “Heartwood”, where the answer to everything is acceptance. Sometimes it is better to let the whole world burn.”
342 – Aziola Cry – Dysphoria Ritual
This was a bit of a pleasant surprise. They had me initially at “…instrumental progressive rock trio”. Alright, cool, I can dig. Then that was followed up by, “…featuring Warr guitarist Jason Blake”. Now, a Warr guitar is a 12-string electric that has the range of both guitar and bass. Additionally, “It is played by tapping the strings, a technique known as touchstyle guitar.”
I have listened to several of Jason’s instrumental solo releases and was bored to tears. I mean, dude is obviously talented, but if the music doesn’t do anything for you, then it doesn’t. That said, this side project was much more entertaining, more “proggy” and had some “balls” to it; he threw on some distortion and went to town. I went in thinking “uh oh” and left going “hellz yeah!”
From Earsplit PR: “Chicago trio AZIOLA CRY unveils their incoming fourth album, Dysphoria Ritual, which is now confirmed for release this April through 7D Media, the label founded by former King Crimson member Trey Gunn.
AZIOLA CRY is an instrumental progressive rock trio featuring Warr guitarist Jason Blake, guitarist Mike Milaniak, and drummer Tommy Murray. Known for blending technical precision with dynamic, composition-driven writing, the band has carved out a distinctive voice within the modern progressive music landscape. Their music has been praised as “extraordinary” and “something special,” showcasing a level of musicianship that is both cerebral and emotionally charged.
The band released their debut album, Ellipsis, in 2005, followed by Ghost Conversations in 2007. A nearly fourteen-year gap followed, but AZIOLA CRY returned in 2021 with their triumphant The Ironic Divide full-length, released on US progressive label The Laser’s Edge, earning widespread critical praise, including Sonic Perspectives naming it Top Instrumental Progressive Metal Album of the Year. In support of the album, AZIOLA CRY performed alongside The Aristocrats and appeared at prominent festivals such as ProgDay and ProgStock.
AZIOLA CRY now returns with Dysphoria Ritual, a release that bandleader Jason Blake describes as their most ambitious and mature work to date. Dysphoria Ritual is the story of one person’s gradual retreat into isolation. What begins as instinctual behavior slowly descends into confinement, blurring the line between happiness and misery. Recorded and mixed by Steven Gillis at Transient Sound (Los Lobos, Naked Raygun) with additional recording by Amery Schmeisser at Gravel Road Recording, and mastered by Grammy Award–winning engineer Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (The Eagles, Lamb Of God, Gojira), Dysphoria Ritual is complemented by artwork from renowned visual artist Travis Smith (King Diamond, Opeth, Riverside), further solidifying the band’s commitment to depth, detail, and artistic cohesion.
Dysphoria Ritual’s lead single, “Pervasive Sameness,” highlights the precision and diversity of the new record and makes its debut through a video created by Fuman Studios. “This song was one of the first that I wrote for this album,” explains Blake. “It helped set the tone for how this album was going to sound. I wanted each song to have its own uniqueness while still sounding like us. This song also features one of my favorite solos by Mike.””
76 – Echo Response – Paralyzed
Echo Response is multi-instrumentalist Jason Ingalls. His music is listed as “alt-reggae” and “funk-drenched”; I’d suggest that it also has a touch of psychedelia… and it’s all-instrumental! Pretty decent album to just chill to.
From his bandcamp page: “Four years after his debut album Triangles, Portland, Maine multi-instrumentalist Jason Ingalls’ project Echo Response returns with an enveloping and transformative follow-up, Paralyzed. The album sends the listener along a cinematic arc of sound, a linear push forward through space that combines cosmic dub funk, hypnagogic Quiet Storm jazz, and moments of intense proggy space rock psychedelia into an engrossing, unpredictable whole as if Bill Laswell and Lonnie Liston Smith attempted to make Sade instrumentals on an ayahuasca retreat after listening to Trans Am and Cerberus Shoal.
Unlike the largely solo project nature of its predecessor, Paralyzed sees Ingalls augmenting his core instrumentation with a horn section, flute, organ, vibraphone, and upright bass, allowing the material to attain a fully kaleidoscopic effect. The extended sonic palette allows the album both a lush vibrance and a deliberate, unrelenting intensity that takes the Echo Response sonic melting pot approach to new levels.
Recorded by Ingalls in his home, the album was mixed by Todd Hutchisen at Acadia Recording Company and mastered by Pat Keane at Pat Keane Mastering. Paralyzed will be available on all streaming services via Pax Aeternum Records on April 17th, with an extremely limited self-released vinyl pressing available through the artist.”
74 – The Moon And The Nightspirit – Seed of the Formless
The Moon And The Nightspirit is a Hungarian-based post-metal duo. Pretty tasty jams if you like the “darker” side of post-metal. And hey, that album artwork is easy on the eyes, too.
From amazon: “With their eighth studio album, “Seed of the Formless”, THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT have reached a crossroads on their ever-changing path. A deliberate and significant sonic mutation has created a leap in their stylistic evolution. While the Hungarian duo’s deep roots in ethereal folk remain audible, “Seed of the Formless” marks their conscious journey into the heavier realms of atmospheric post-metal.
The Hungarians’ embrace of electric guitars and vast synth soundscapes to channel what they describe as a more cosmic and visceral energy, as compared to the whispering of forest and meadows in their musical past, makes perfect sense at this stage of their sonic evolution.
As THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT navigate the space between shadow and luminescence, the parallel contrast between the acoustic and the electric, as well as their subsequent amalgamation, they unlock the gates to a vast realm of new possibilities.
There will always be those who oppose any change, but as true artists, THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT acted on their need to evolve further. The result is “Seed of the Formless”, which is drawing from atmospheric post-metal and ambient, while the duo’s soul remains intact: mystical, yearning, and eternally bound to the infinite!”
Missed the Cut (in order by “popularity”*):
2,444,0121 – ZAYN – KONNAKOL
Zain Javadd Malik (or simply “ZAYN”) is a former contestant on The X Factor and also a former member of British boy band One Direction (as the “Bad Boy”). He has been called one of the “Sexiest Men Alive” by a million different sources. Like 1D, his solo stuff is also in the poppy singer-songwriter region; in other words, a million miles outside of my wheelhouse… Fun fact (via the album’s wiki page): “The album’s title is named after konnakol, the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music.”
793,365 – Jessie Ware – Superbloom
Anyone feel like hitting the meat markets and dancing the night away? Yeah, total dance-pop crapola… I just envisioned a rotating disco ball and multi-colored lights flashing while this album played. Easy pass.
651,810 – Skindred – You Got This
Skindred are hit-or-miss for me. I enjoyed 2018’s ‘Big Tings’ and 2015’s ‘Volume’, but otherwise, there have been a few misses before those, and I’m not particularly hip to this one, either. They are a Welsh band that blends metal and reggae. I love the idea, but most of it sounds more like frat-boy rock/nu-metal…
163,805 – Nekrogoblikon – The Boiling Sea
Ugh… this is like symphonic death metal, almost the absolute worst “mash-up” out there. Terrible… this album has six new songs and five live songs. Fun fact: guitarist Joe “Diamond” Nelson also doubles as Avril Lavigne’s touring guitarist.
72,391 – Crippled Black Phoenix – Sceaduhelm
Again?! This is two albums in a row, man. This band has been compared to a ton of great post-rock meets prog-rock bands [Grails, Russian Circles, Long Distance Calling, Mogwai, Electric Wizard, etc.] and… they DID. On previous albums. There are moments, I guess, but nothing like on previous releases. The tunes just aren’t… shit, man, they aren’t grabbing a hold of me like in the past. Bummer.
From Season Of Mist: “Crippled Black Phoenix was formed in 2004 by Justin Greaves as an ever-evolving musical project driven by emotional inquiry and moral tension. Across two decades, the project has built a singular catalogue rooted in human fragility, endurance, and resistance to complacency.
Sceaduhelm represents the project’s most inward-looking and austere statements to date. Written and recorded between 2023 and 2025, the album turns away from grand historical narratives to examine emotional erosion, fatigue, and quiet collapse. Rather than a traditional concept record, it unfolds as a unified psychological space, where repetition, restraint, and unease carry as much weight as melody.
The songwriting favours slow builds and unresolved tension, resisting catharsis in favour of endurance. Vocals are shared between Belinda Kordic, Ryan Patterson, and Justin Storms, each offering a distinct but complementary perspective within the same emotional terrain. Themes of burnout, memory, violence against the vulnerable, and love already worn thin surface without spectacle.
Produced by Justin Greaves and mixed by Iver Sandøy, the sound remains deliberately raw and exposed, avoiding comfort or excess. Sceaduhelm listens closely to what remains after outrage has faded, focusing on consequence rather than reaction.”
70,895 – The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Dead Ones
Ugh… annoying, awful deathcore band. Crappy Cookie Monster vox, lame riffage… this was Grumpy Cat level no.
54,989 – Adrian Younge – Younge
I guess this is… all-instrumental easy-listening hip-hop? Felt like I was on The Looooove Boat – yeah, you sang it! I dunno. Call it what you want, but I call it a thrill that it didn’t last longer than 26:39. ooph.
From amazon: “Younge is Adrian Younge’s magnum opus: an orchestral album written from the perspective of a hip hop producer, and a hip hop record composed with the discipline of classical and cinematic music. It reframes orchestral composition not as nostalgia, but as a living language built for reinterpretation.
Inspired by composers like Lalo Schifrin, David Axelrod, Ennio Morricone, Galt MacDermot, Bo Hansson, and later visionaries such as Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, the album draws from a lineage of emotionally charged, forward-thinking music that quietly shaped hip hop decades later through sampling. These were records defined by tension, restraint, and atmosphere – qualities Younge places at the center of this work.
Recorded entirely to tape at Linear Labs, Younge unfolds like a lost soundtrack from an alternate history: modular compositions, dramatic movements, and themes that feel simultaneously ancient and futuristic. The music anticipates reuse – it invites sampling, deconstruction, and dialogue – without ever feeling unfinished.
Adrian Younge has spent years testing orchestral music in front of live audiences, refining how large ensembles communicate energy, space, and narrative. That experience is embedded in the record. Every arrangement breathes. Every silence matters.
This is not orchestral music collaborating with hip hop. It is orchestral music as hip hop – spoken fluently across time.”
21,937 – PINKNOISE – FLESH AND BONE EP
PINKNOISE is a metalcore band, and ‘FLESH AND BONE’ is a metalcore EP. While this release was more palatable than other metalcore albums, it is still a massive miss. Not my cup ‘o tea, really…
11,920 – The Great Big Joy Machine – The Great Big Joy Machine
The Great Big Joy Machine was formerly named Louis Cato and The Late Show Band. They (obviously) have a new band name (and new album to go with it) with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (almost) no longer – May 21st, 2026 RIP.
Anyway, it’s 12 songs clocking in at 23:08; not a single tune hitting the 3-minute mark (and only two surpassing 2:30). It’s your basic jazzy showtune-type music. Think watching late-night TV when they cut to a commercial break, and the band starts playing… It’s those types of tunes, but extended.
It’s fine – and the players are bona fide badass musicians – but this is nothing I need to hear again. As a fan of Stephen Colbert, though, man, I’m gonna miss that guy… but I’m sure he’ll pop up somewhere else soon!
5,365 – .gif from god – Dissimulation
What an absolute shit show of an album… in contention for worst release of the year! Fucking grindcore / metalcore / screamo horse shit. Fucking awful.
5,244 – Kathryn Mohr – Carve
Holy shit, hot trash. This has gotta be one of the worst albums I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to. Lo-fi experimental folk-pop I guess you’d call it. I call it an album that is nominated for worst release of the year. Pass.
4,593 – TONS – Stoned Villains
Seven-song sludge-stoner metal – or as they call it, “weed sludge” – that didn’t do much for me, but I can see why people might dig it… I dig sludge metal from time to time, but this album didn’t sound very unique. Love the album name and a few of the song names, though [‘The Big Bong Theory’, ‘Darth Vaper’, etc.].
4,405 – The Cosmic Dead – Beyond The Beyond
I love me a good psychedelic stoner rock album – especially all-instrumental ones! – but this wasn’t it. It’s nearly ~42 mins of thoughtless meandering and noodling. I think you gotta be REALLY high to enjoy this one, but personally… if I can’t enjoy it sober, there’s no way I’ll enjoy it high, either. I did enjoy it more than some of their previous releases, yet I still haven’t climbed aboard the mothership.
3,961 – Doodswens – Doodswens
What we’ve got here is a black metal band outta the Netherlands. This Dutch band wears the silly face paint and screech over razor-blade riffs. Sounded like nails on a chalkboard meets a sheet of white noise to me. That is not music to my ears. What’s next?
2,230 – Reeking Aura – On The Promise Of The Moon
Totally and completely forgettable death/doom metal album. Very few (if any?) redeeming qualities… pass.
1,358 – Silence Equals Death – From The Ashes EP
S=D is a hardcore band. I like me a good hardcore album from time to time, but this one didn’t do much for me compared to other HC bands out there. But hey, it’s only six songs and has a runtime of 15:24.
877 – Draken – Here Be Draken
Draken is a Norwegian doom-stoner metal band. This is their third full-length, yet my introduction to them. It’s not particularly bad, but it also doesn’t draw me in, and the songs are quickly forgotten. Meh…
505 – HOLOSOIL – Look Up EP
Not a particularly strong (and easily forgettable) prog-rock melts with alt-rock EP. Five songs and 19:50, so I didn’t suffer for too long.
329 – SlugWeed – Ganja Man
SlugWeed is a one-man band and this release is all-instrumental – as he calls it – “post-stoner doomgaze”. I enjoyed it – and will keep my eye on dude – but I didn’t love it. Can’t go wrong with a song titled ‘THC – The Holy Cannabis’, haha! That track alone crosses the 30-minute threshold!
From his bandcamp page: “WARNING: This album contains wicked dank riffage and thick bass tones. Listening under the influence of cannabis and/or hashish may induce an extreme trance-like state, followed by a psychedelic out-of-body experience. Sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the ride into the astral realm. The music is here to heal you.”
Well this was a melting pot of multiple genres, including (but not limited to!) shoegaze, dream pop, psychedelic rock, and perhaps a touch of krautrock, among others. Unfortunately, it did not whet my appetite musically. German Felix Rörig is better known as Boy Witch; he played all instruments (except drums), as well as produced, recorded, and mixed the album.
I LOVE the idea behind the album (read ahead), but not necessarily the album itself. Steve is the drummer of death metal legends, Deicide. Here he releases a solo album of classical piano pieces, including originals and covers of Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and more. So dude does a complete 180˚ from death metal drummer to classical pianist. That is a total baller move! Yet, I was unmoved by the pieces. Drats. That said, I hope he continues to release more of these!
From Metal Injection: “Steve Asheim, best known as the powerhouse drummer and songwriter behind death metal legends Deicide, is taking a surprising detour from blast beats to piano pedals. He will release Volume One, a solo collection of classical piano pieces, on April 20, 2026, through his own label, SteevoRecords.
The album will feature both original compositions and reinterpretations of classical masters, including Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, and Sergei Rachmaninoff (also spelled Rachmaninov). Fans can pre-order the release today alongside the stream of the first two singles – “Unstern I: Sinistre, Disastro” and “Unstern II: Darkstar”.
Pressed on transparent blue vinyl, Volume One will include 10 tracks, giving listeners a chance to experience a completely different side of Asheim’s musicality.
Speaking to Blabbermouth, Asheim emphasized that this project doesn’t signal any shift away from Deicide. “I’d just like to point out that I’m still in Deicide. Everything is fine. We’re all looking forward to our tours this year and the future. This is just a hobby project release,” he said.”
Addendum (in order by “popularity”*) – Albums that were released earlier in the year (or previous years) that I missed, but are worth mentioning, anyhow:
7,002,317 – Van Halen – 5150 [40th Anniversary Expanded Edition – 1986] (3 CDs / Blu-ray) – [March 27th, 2026]
Van Halen. What can you say? I have the band and their catalog etched in my brain. While it’s been some time since I jammed this one – I’m more of a DLR guy myself – it was fun to revisit. This was the first Van Halen album to feature new lead singer Sammy Hagar, with some calling the band “Van Hagar”. They obviously leaned into a poppier version of hard rock, but guitar maestro Eddie Van Halen still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Again, super-fun album to revisit… kinda like seeing an old friend that you haven’t talked to in a while, yet it seems like not a minute has passed. RIP Eddie Van Halen, one of the all-time greats. Disc one is the original album remastered in 2023, disc two contains the 2026 remaster, as well as extended versions and three live tunes, and disc three sees the band live at New Haven Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, on August 27th, 1986.
From amazon: “Celebrating its 40th anniversary, 5150 is the first of four albums Van Halen recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar. To mark this moment, Rhino is releasing an expanded 1LP/3CD/1 Blu-Ray edition of this classic with a remastered version of the original album on CD and LP, a disc of rare singles edits and B-sides, and a previously unreleased live performance from the band recorded on August 27, 1986. Rounding out the package will be a Blu-ray inclusive of the first HD release of the band’s classic 1986 live video Live Without a Net and promo videos for the tracks “Dreams” and “Why Can’t This Be Love”.”
120,166 – Bernth – Escape The Internet: Live In Utrecht – [June 20th, 2025]
My buddy Michael suggested that I at least check this out and… I think he and I align. Incredibly talented musicianship, but these all-instrumental tunes just kinda came and went, leaving little to no impression. Bernth (Bernd „Bernth“ Brodträger) is a guitarist. Here he plays with mega bad-asses themselves in guitarist Ola Englund and bassist Charles Berthoud. Covers of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ and Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’ were kinda fun, and I’m glad I listened. It didn’t quite hit me as I had hoped for.
From Bernth: “On this European tour, Bernth, Charles Berthoud, and Ola Englund are taking their talents from the screen to the stage in an unforgettable live show that goes beyond the regular concert experience.
With a live band in tow, the “Escape the Internet Tour 2025” promises to deliver a spectacular show featuring material beloved by fans of all three artists’ YouTube channels.
“Our goal is to create an immersive event that combines performing songs and popular videos people know from our channels live on stage, with fun challenges like musical battles and audience interaction,” says Bernth. “We’ll be joined by a live band, and anyone who’s ever enjoyed a video on one of our channels will absolutely love the special show we’ve put together!”
In addition to the main event, fans will have the opportunity to purchase VIP tickets, granting access to an intimate workshop with all three artists and an exclusive meet-and-greet session. This experience allows fans to connect with the artists on a personal level and learn about advanced techniques on the instrument.”
58,980 – Threat Signal – Revelations – [March 27th, 2026]
This is the Canadian metal band’s first release in a decade and… eh. Not as in “nice weather we’re having, eh”… more like, “meh eh”. Stock riffs, typical “metal” vocals, and more.
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…
0 – doPE – No Country For Old Men
doPE is The Doors’ drummer John Densmore and Public Enemy rapper Chuck D… From Rough Trade Records: “Recorded especially for Record Store Day 2026, former RSD Ambassador and hip-hop legend Chuck D (Public Enemy) joins forces with The Doors’ iconic drummer John Densmore for No Country for Old Men, the debut album from their new project doPE.
Blending spoken word, rhythm, and raw social commentary, the record bridges generations of rebellion and reflection. The limited-edition vinyl arrives exclusively for Record Store Day 2026, housed in a deluxe gatefold package featuring original illustrations by Chuck D himself. The album includes the RSD Song of the Year “Tick Tick Tick.””
Looking forward to (in order by “popularity”*) – These albums will be released this week and should be in next week’s AOTW blog:
13,312,590 – Foo Fighters – Your Favorite Toy
2,427,131 – Sepultura – The Cloud Of Unknowing EP
1,059,845 – Atreyu – The End is Not the End
1,028,061 – Ringo Starr – Long Long Road
489,456 – KNEECAP – FENIAN
362,490 – Glen Hansard – Don+t Settle (Vol. 1 – Transmissions East)
362,475 – Plini – An Unnameable Desire
284,106 – At The Gates – The Ghost Of A Future Dead
215,260 – Terror – Still Suffer
170,032 – Angélique Kidjo – HOPE!!
151,066 – Failure – Location Lost
18,653 – Elegant Weapons – Evolution
15,034 – Einar Solberg – Vox Occulta
3,662 – VLMV – There Will Come Soft Rains
530 – Nuclear Messiah – Black Flame
…and several others. Some that I am looking forward to and others not so much.
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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 red 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
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