Stephen O'Malley is a name that is written large over the history of drone metal. Making a name for himself with legendary extreme doom outfit, Burning Witch and short-lived death doom project Thorr's Hammer, he also formed Sunn O))) alongside long-time collaborator Greg Anderson. Khanate was formed in 2000 after O'Malley met avant-garde musician and member of O.L.D. James Plotkin at an Isis gig. Plotkin recruited O.L.D. bandmate Alan Dubin to perform vocals for the new project with the four-piece being completed by drummer Tim Wyskida.

Well, when you dive down this rabbit hole, you'd better not be expecting Wonderland because here be monsters. From the off Khanate set out their stall to be a genuinely disturbing listen, taking the blueprint of Burning Witch's psychotic doom metal and stretching it further with increased repetition, glacially slow tempos, seismic rumblings and squeals of feedback that act as the backdrop to the outpourings of Durbin's troubled and troubling vocal protagonist whose screeching screams worm their way into your brain and sit there eating away at your sanity. Instrumentally quiet and gentle sections where his vocals are mere creepy-sounding whispers, are akin to the murmured secret exhortations to violence I imagine schizophrenic killers hear from the imaginary voices in their heads. A couple of lines from "No Joy", for example, read "No joy precious joy no joy, Eat that smile right off a face, your face, No joy only only eat stuff that grin down, down your neck no more eat no more, Breathe breathe don’t breathe please don’t breathe". I mean, what the fuck? This truly is a trip to the dark side of the human psyche and a disconcerting listen that leaves you with the impression that you have been witness to the outpourings of a genuinely troubled mind, like the innumerable notebooks that Mills and Somerset find in the room of the psycho in Se7en. Sure, Khanate aren't the only band that deal in disturbing lyrical imagery, but here there is no release with a catchy riff or a shredding guitar solo, all there is is the grindingly slow, dissonant throb of bleak inevitability unrelieved by any kind of positivity or hope.

I hate real world violence and horror, but there is a deeply primal and subliminal part of the human mind that is attracted to darkness in art, hence the enduring popularity of horror movies and true crime series. Obviously, drone metal is very much a niche sub-genre in the wider metal world, certainly when it is as disquieting as Khanate, so it obviously isn't for everyone, especially the impatient listener, but if you have a penchant for the darker and more uncomfortable reaches of extreme metal then Khanate are absolutely a required listen.

Having taken many years to come around to the lurching sludge and ethereal post-metal of Neurosis, it is testimony to how far up in my esteem they have come that I bought An Undying Love for A Burning World as soon as the pre-order was on offer. Having struggled for years with Scott Kelly’s vocals, only to see that, having finally come to terms with them he was an abusive piece of shit, the change to Aaron Turner feels natural. Not that I would ever class any Neurosis album as necessarily a safe space, to see an important (yet intolerable) member replaced could have been quite a disruptive event overall, yet AULfABW sits right in that challenging atmospheric-sludge space as if the line up has been together, making records for years.

This tension and relief in their sound (as described on their Bandcamp page) has never been more obvious. Haunting dissonance and crushing heaviness seesaw throughout the album like the most familiar of bedfellows. There is a constant sense of fraught drama lurking in the wings of most tracks, but it is hard to say anything comes off as being undesirable in the end. Whilst always vocally adversarial, Neurosis still delivers their musings with such authenticity that is hard to not find resonance with them. It is stark music that rebels against every possible wrong of the world simultaneously, yet no threat is needed when such brevity is in use. This is expression on a human level, riding on a virulent strain of futility whilst being chased by the spectre of hope. As such you could be forgiven for finding this a bleak album. To my ears it rinses the beauty out of the most unobvious spaces, acknowledging that suffering and salvation perhaps come from the same base source and are inextricably entwined as a result. Both are in effect, natural outcomes.

Having a ten-year gap between releases has seemingly reinvigorated the group as they have managed to make a record that will not only rank highly in any lists I get around to making this year, but in the scheme of their discography, this is a triumphant continuation of their already well-established legacy. Notwithstanding that there are clearly some tough times captured on the record, AULfABW is not necessarily pessimistic to my ears. It is blunt and to the point yet gloriously expansive in its scope. Far from being a kaleidoscope of styles though, the album is no deviation away from what Neurosis fans have come to expect. Records with real depth such as this one should be celebrated.

I must confess that at the time, back in the 1980s I gave Metal Church a wide berth, for no other reason than their name made me think they were a glam metal band and so were taboo as far as I was concerned. OK, yeah I know, but I have always been a bit of a dickhead, so more fool me. Even to this day this debut is the only album of theirs I have given much attention to. I have heard its follow up "The Dark" but it didn't make much imprssion on me so the self-titled remains my only real touchstone with the San Franciscan metallers. In addition to this I was never a very big fan of power metal, but since joining Metal Academy I have become converted to the joys of the US version which is less bombastic than its european counterpart and is much more to my liking.

"Metal Church" whilst often being touted as speed metal, or even thrash, is neither of those but rather a good example of USPM. Undoubtedly, when they put their feet on the gas, it is certainly pretty close to speed metal, the instrumental "Merciless Onslaught" for example, but overall the tempos are more varied and there is a bit more to it than the average Exciter album. The title track, (my personal favourite) whilst having a relentless riff, isn't an all-out blur of speed, but is a much more deliberate and considered medium-paced affair, meanwhile "Gods of Wrath" even has a balladic verse structure alongside a classic-sounding NWOBHM riff for the chorus.

Having formed in 1980, the band had been churning out demos prior to Metal Church and that experience served them well because I think they sound like a pretty tightly-knit unit here. Whilst the twin guitars of Kurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells are undoubtedly the star attraction, I think drummer Kirk Harrington deserves special mention for his performance which is pretty damn impressive and does a lot more than just keep time with his relentless and intricate drum patterns. Vocalist David Wayne has a tendency to become a bit screechy, but never to the point of annoyance, and he does inject some character with his voice. As I said earlier, though, it is those twin guitars that really dominate "Metal Church". Whether it is the charging of the rampaging riffs or the frantic shredding of the electrifying solos Vanderhoof and Wells impress with their energy and skill.

These were pretty exciting times to be a metalhead as the new wave of acts sweeping the metal world were stripping away the final vestiges of hard rock from their sound, pushing each other to be faster and more evil-sounding and with this debut Metal Church can hold their heads high with their contribution to the movement. In all honesty, though, I would have been perfectly happy without the "Highway Star" cover which feels like an unnecessary nod to the increasingly irrelevant old guard. By the way, is it just me, or is the title track a candidate for the "Influence or Coincidence, Inspiration or Plagiarism" thread because it sounds to me like Dave Mustaine ripped it off for the chorus of "Architecture of Aggression". It isn't like he was unaware of this album surely, they are contemporaries from the Bay Area and must have crossed paths in the 80s.

Fires in the Distance is an American band from Connecticut that has joined in with October Tide and Hinayana to bring forth melodic death-doom in the past 10 years. They've released 3 albums, the third of which marked the entrance of a new vocalist. This is their new album Circadian Promise!

Their new vocalist Brendan Hayter gives the bleak instrumentation great flavor and holds everything in place. Although the music, especially the guitars, sounds dark and heavy, it actually sounds brighter than other bands of the genre, and suprisingly it fits so nicely. Many of the different moments here sound so grand, whether the vocals are clean or harsh. And the piano and guitars stand out amongst the rest of the melodic death-doom scene.

Opener "Of Radiance and Levitation" sounds so crystal clear in the music. Guitar harmonies and deathly vocals guide you through this dark waltz. It's a true bridge between the melodeath of Dark Tranquillity/early In Flames and the doom-gloom of My Dying Bride/early Katatonia. The soft dreamy guitar/keyboard bridge passes by without ever being forgotten. Beautiful! "To You, Author of My Fade" takes a break from the slowness for some speed to add to the guitar/keyboard atmosphere. Those drums and riffs hit hard, and of course we have those searing screams and sweet cleans. So excellent!

Another track worth hearing is "Lightless Days of a Songless Bird". Even the title sounds so poetic! I love the chorus, though I wish the clean singing could've accompanied it. Also sounding great is the 5-minute "By This Time Tomorrow". The buildup and soloing are way too majestic to miss out on.

"Once the Silence Takes Your Place" has more of that slow power. Everything sounds so straight throughout these 9 minutes, still sounding dark and tight in the music and vocals. Later on in the track is some wild screaming that leads to amazing soloing and more of that clean singing. I would say this would make an amazing ending, but then comes the epilogue... "Agonal Dreaming" unleashes melancholic melody and rhythm from the keys, guitar, bass, and drums. And that's how to end this album smoothly.

I can easily say that Circadian Promise has reminded me about what's so great about a dark depressive style like melodic death-doom. I can enjoy this album more as listening progresses. This shall strike hard and keep you on the edge of your seat for their next album in the future, and that's a promise!

Favorites: "To You, Author of My Fade", "By This Time Tomorrow", "Once the Silence Takes Your Place"

When I heard about the new Fires in the Distance album, I immediately shot it to the top of my most anticipated albums list. The bands sophomore album, Air Not Meant For Us came as a total surprise as it beautifully worked its way around a faulty production for some of the coolest new death doom I've heard this side of the 2020's with its triple counterpoint of vocals, guitar and piano. I was very excited to see how this band would develop their sound further.

Initial impressions weren't the best, but continued listens helped Circadian Promise skyrocket up the 2026 rankings as one of the best albums of the year. My main concern was the piano, which instead of being played plainly, has been given a drowning filter, taking away some of its melodic dominance. Upon repeated listens, I could quickly tell that this stylistic change was for the better, as the main vocal work has become even more diverse than ever before. The new vocals of Brendan Hayter adds a new, more explicit, gothic texture to an already very dark album. Meanwhile the percussion has gotten a massive glow up and the added strings give the album some well deserved drama.

The songwriting has taken some significant steps forward. I remember that Air Not Meant For Us certainly had its epic moments, but Circadian Promise takes that and puts it on overdrive for almost the whole record. I love the song structure of this album, even if it can get a little tiring after a while. Thankfully, Fires in the Distance are fully aware of this which is why songs don't lazily stay in one place for too long. The bass is noticeable and carries the album forward through its different endeavours. The percussion plays a huge role as well and the occasional spurts of blast beats or drum fills give the whole song a feeling of growth. Take a look at the closing track "Agonal Dreaming". Even though I don't like how Fires in the Distance end the track with a return to a slower groove, the first two-thirds of the song shows an amazing display of maturity and restraint and not allowing the climax moment to take over. 

All in all, this was a most welcome surprise in a year that has been hurting for good music. Fires in the Distance found a balance of epic doom and gothic metal that is also extremely tuneful and heavy. 

Best Songs: Of Radiance and Levitation, Lightless Days of a Songless Bird, By This Time Tomorrow, Once the Silence Takes Your Place

For Fans Of: Swallow the Sun, Dark Tranquility, Insomnium