Busking around the British isle and often playing in pubs around the country, Reek of STOOM has got his finger in every little pie you can imagine. Doing stuff for Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe and his very own Howls From The Hollows. He joined the Doom Charts in March 2019 and has been doing everything in his very own distinct Reek of STOOM style. Short blurbs often with a twist! And around that twist, you can hear Reek of STOOM professing his love for yet another album and another one… All of which should be added to the ones below… But hey, this one is in print and the blurbs are in fine Reek style!
NOTHING IS REAL – THE END IS NEAR
Nicholas Turner is a Sonic Cenobite: Cleaving you to the bone with vicious hooks and bludgeoning force, then tenderly sewing you back together with passages of incredible beauty and invention. One of the very best purveyors of Esoteric Black Metal out there!
MOTORPSYCHO – ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS
Not on Bandcamp
Norway’s premier exponents of Progressive Rock return with another 4-track sprawling masterpiece! The level of musicianship notwithstanding, “Ancient Astronauts” is a thing of marvel: Convoluted, twisting and mesmerising, this is an album that will deliver for a very long time!
This Italian outfit laid waste to everything before them with the release of “Close” -a stunning example of Modern Doom/Sludge/Avant that showcases a band at the zenith of their powers!
UFOMAMMUT returned with a new album and a new sound in 2022: Gleaning from their past output, but with more intensity, more subtlety and more Invention! Brilliant from start to finish!
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the great SubRosa, THE OTOLITH delve deeper into the former incranation’s dark meanderings, this time drawing in elements of Black Metal, Atmospheric Doom, Pagan Folk and Sludge Metal to create a spellbinding and captivating work. “Folium Limina ” highlights a band of Vison, Scope and complete Mastery of the Dark Side. Spectacular!
Spanish Occult Avantagardists PYLAR made it to the top of my 2019 end-of-year list with their previous release “Horror Cósmyco” and “Abysmos” oozes similar evil emanations sprawling and festering through 4 tracks of Lysergic Terron, dark eyes watching from grisly caverns of sound. Spectacular release, but NOT for the faint-hearted!
CONAN – EVIDENCE OF IMMORTALITY
UK Sludgemeisters CONAN come back snarling, crushing and trampling underfoot all who threaten their reign: “Evidence of Immortality” has all the classic Conan trademark riffs, vehement deliveries and crusty vocals you could wish for!
Even though these Welsh Psychedelic Doomsters abbreviated their name,. there’;s absolutely NOTHING abbreviated about “The Harvest”, Massive Riffs and spaced-out oscillations pinned to the ethereal vocals of Jessica Ball, this album oozes class!
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – OMNIUM GATHERUM
The sheer prolificness of KG&TLW leaves most other bands standing. An extraordinary 13 releases this year alone, and “Omnium Gatherum” is, for me, the pick of the bunch: Brimming with equal amounts of invention and chaos, this serves to highlight the sheer diversity and craftsmanship of one of the best bands in the world!
ELDER continue their transition into the upper echelons of Progressive Rock with yet another dazzling, convoluted and mesmerising album. “Innate Passage” furthers ELDER’s metamorphosis and solidifies their ambition and skill!
SHAAM LAREIN – STICKA EN KNIV I VÄRLDEN
Fantastic Modern Doom done in a way that no-one else can: Soft female vocals serve as a conduit to some highly-accomplished Doom/Post-Metal hybrids – this is an album I could never tire of.
Copenhagen Cosmonauts MYTHIC SUNSHIP have risen over the last 3 years to become leading lights in World Psychedelia. Their thrilling brand of high-energy space-outs are always classy, well-considered and expertly delivered!
Throbbing and undulating with energy, atmospheres and musical excellence, “Regenerator” shows the progress of this US outfit to the height of their abilities.
THE SOFT EGGS – TANTRIC EELS
Not on Bandcamp
Swedish duo THE SOFT EGGS have delivered one of the finest examples of Modern Psychedelia to have graced my ears in a long time. “Tantric Eels” is an ever-shifting, morphing soundscape that draws influences from The Flaming Lips & Tame Impala, but surpasses both with it’s sheer dexterity. This runs the musical gamut of styles and ambiences – always creative, mind-expanding a pure Joy to be immersed in!
KANAAN – DIVERSIONS VOL. I: SOFTLY THROUGH SUNSHINE
Another prime example of Vital, surging Space Rock from Oslo’s KANAAN: Dripping with Psychedelic Syrup and high-octane work-outs!
SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF – THIS SCEPTERED VEIL
This amazing UK band totally out-did themselves with this utterly superb release! “This Sceptered Veil” sets the standard for every new act on the UK & World Stoner scene.
FROZEN PLANET…1969 – NOT FROM 1969
This talented group of Aussies make instrumental music that doesn’r FEEL instrumental: It has depth, textures and hooks that make vocals unnecessary…
YURT – V – UPGRADE TO OBSOLETE
An impressive back catalogue precedes this excellent Progressive Sludge outfit from Ireland, and latest offering “V – UPGRADE TO OBSOLETE” picks up right where 2018’s “The Obstacle Is Everything” left off: Amazingly technical musicianship with a grim, blackened and twisted sound that is unique to them. Furious, freakish and fantastic!
ARTIFACTS & URANIUM – PANCOSMOLOGY
Two of the UK’s most innovative one-man bands collaborate and the sum is more than equal to the respective parts – “Pancosmology” is off-kilter, off-the-beaten-track and off the scale! Tremendous, enthralling Psychedelia.
This band needs no introduction whatsoever, and over 50 years have passed since they formed part of the very vertebrae of Krautrock. “Daumenbtuch” shows a band that has lost none of it’s inventiveness, vision and ability – this year’s crowning Kraut classic!
One of the UK’s most unpredictable and diverse outfits, Kurokuma find hidden realms and dark abyssal caverns of sound in their music, generating multiple layers of atmospheres coupled with unusual influences and pathways, “Born Of Obsidian” is one of the UK’s best releases of 2022.
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – NIGHT GNOMES
Top-notch Aussie Psych trawling similar waters to King Gizzard, Oh Sees, OHHMS etc…
HIGH CASTLE TELEORKESTRA – THE EGG THAT NEVER OPENED
This bizarre, avantgarde troupe – gathered from the 4 corners of the earth from bands such as Estradasphere, Mr. Bungle, Farmers Market etc osmote through a shinnering, highly-complex nexus of sounds and noisescapes that are both exhilarating and sinister – a smorgasbord of Strangeness!
THE LORD & PETRA HADEN – DEVOTIONAL
Sunn O))’s Greg Anderson collaborates with his erstwhile Goatsnake colleague Petra Haden to create a flowing, powerful and sense-flailing platter of Crushing Sludge, interspersed with moments of outstanding melodies and beauty!
An authentic-sounding, pure Retro blend of Prog and Classic Rock delivered with style and panache!
LORD ELEPHANT – COSMIC AWAKENING
Italian Cosmic Surfers LORD ELEPHANT delivered a true Introspective Journey through the Cosmos and Meditative Consciousness with “Cosmic Awakening”…a sprawling, myriad pathways of reflection and exploration!
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