In the experience of this dutifully somber scribe, somberness alone does not quality death doom make. While the genre in question clearly relies on emotional heft, staying power is all too oft nonexistent when the sheer weight of sadness is all a track has going for it. But in the case of Rise to the Sky, one-man atmospheric death doom outfit from Santiago, Chile, emotionally one-dimensional songwriting and a lack of lasting impact are most certainly not of concern.

Case in point: ​"Liebestod." This lead single from the (excellent) forthcoming Let Me Drown With You delivers the depressed and downtrodden air one might expect alongside funereal riffage...but also carries itself with a subtly triumphant air. It's a killer track, and before I scare you away with more talk, please do yourself a favor and check it out below. As always, we'll see you on the other side.

In the grand scheme of riff-worship, a cover doesn't get much more salient than Sabbath's 1971 classic "Lord of This World"--a highlight track on an album crammed full of 'em. It's a track that Magnetic Eye Record's upcoming Best of Black Sabbath tribute compilation would, frankly, be incomplete without.

But, perhaps most importantly, it's a track deserving of a band worthy to shoulder the monstrous mantle. Howling Giant is without a doubt such a band, and we slumbering scribes are honored to premiere here today their stellar take on "Lord of This World." Give it a listen below! We'll meet you on the other side.

We slumbering peasantry tend to grumble and complain about the back-breaking labor involved in this review-writin' trade, but this profession isn't marked solely by a surplus of sweat and tears. When encountering hordes of new music and bands on a daily basis, there are many moments of pure and unbridled excitement--and nothing is more invigorating than a brand new band that positively reeks of potential. Such is the case with today's (one man!) crew in question: Philadelphia's Mothman and the Thunderbirds. The sheer fact alone that this single track has garnered a bevy of reviews from our neighboring blogs and publications should be indication of the promise, and we haven't even got to the damn music yet.

To review such a track is exciting, but to premiere one is a genuine honor. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, give "Nomad" a listen below! We'll meet ye on the other side.

I obviously don't know about the particulars of your, well, particular locale, but this afternoon at Ye Olde Sleeping Village, feels like the first real summer day of the year. The sun is out. It's hot, and bright, and sweaty as hell. As such, because I enjoy aesthetic uniformity (perhaps a tad too much,) a soundtrack to fit said atmosphere would do nicely.

Enter Veins of Mosquito, a Floridian instrumental outfit that boasts a self-described sound ranging from "psychedelic to hard rock to grunge." These guys have put out several albums over the past few years, and have a new one on the way--arriving, in fact, tomorrow, May 25th. Immediately preceding said release is the excellent "Celebration," the track leering before ye now. For those unfamiliar with their earlier output, "Celebration" (and, one can only presume, Hemogoblin as a whole,) has a significantly crisper feel--still grungy, still damp, but a little cleaner cut 'round the edges. It's a great track, and before drive you away with incessant chatter, I highly recommend you give it a listen below!

Like many, I often don't what I want until it stands immediately ​before me, like unto a shining beacon of clarity. Such was the case with To The Grave and Into the Wastland, the first two releases from Telepath. Said EPs combine a glorious bevy of sounds that I have genuinely never encountered in conjunction, despite having taken a decent number of strolls around the block. For a baseline, let's just say we're dealing with groovy doom with hefty synth and Giallo soundtrack influences. It's like if Pentagram and Perturbator had a leather-clad lovechild. It's like if a Fabio Frizzi enthusiast grew up on steady diet of 80's slasher flicks and 80's b-list heavy metal. Think Warlord or Brocas Helm. It is, in other words, a delightfully strange mix. Telepath is innovative in an exceptionally pure manner. This whole experiment sounds fresh, and it makes for a wonderful break from the norm. 

Otherwise part of the prog rockin' White Willow and art-poppin' The Opium Cartel, Norwegian-Israeli multi-instrumentalist one-man mastermind Jacob Holm-Lupo embodies an eclectic and adventurous foray into the joyous possibilities of genre-bending composition. Thus, as a scribe at this humble establishment, my biggest regret this year is not affording Telepath suitable time in our tepid limelight. Needless to say, we're pleased and honored to premiere his latest single here today.