May 2025: Matt Recommends

Well, May was pretty good for music. I have a favourite release but I have 5 or 6 total that got me excited enough I want to tell people about them. I already recommended one to a friend but that's it so I need to make up for it. This month we've got Canadian psychedelic doom, Swedish "stoner" rock, barely describable German psych/funk/kraut/stoner rock, and more. It's a global affair. On top of all that, May's As I Go Playlist is a 6.5 hour non-linear trek across time from the 60s to today with stops in each and every decade. It's nuts.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Aawks - 'On Through the Sky Maze': This Barrie, Ontario group's debut LP was 'Heavy on the Cosmic' and damn dude if this one isn't heavier on the cosmic, and just plain heavier! The heaviness upgrade may be from new bassist/vocalist "Grimepup". Dude is awesome. He's got a really cool dirtweed-sludge growl. When I saw them play he did all the vocals for a Weedeater cover. So you know what I'm talking about. 'Sky Maze' obviously has him slotted in with Kris (guitar/vocals/synth), Paraiso (guitar/violin/synth), and Randylin (drums) like he's been there the whole time. The album is a trip, man. Heavy ass psychedelic space doom. Every track feels like an epic. Thunderous riffs woven with cool psych touchs and smooth groove. There are quiet(er), introspective moments blown away by walls of fuzz. Totally retro atmosphere rising to the sky as mountains form below, the earth itself moved by doom. You get the idea. It's a deep album too. Not just that the album is a no-skipper. There are things to think about. I need to get my hands on the lryics. I should have skipped out on work to go to their show last month and bought the CD. And I probably missed an awesome set. I hope they don't get too big to stop coming to play our "intimate" local venue. Honestly, this is definitely my favourite album of the month, and a contender for AOTY, but there are a few more releases I feel compelled to shine a light on. But if you like the idea of "the definition of psych-doom" then check this out first.



Witchcraft - 'Idag': I've generally been a fan of Witchcraft. Since their debut, I believe. Their last release, 'Black Metal', came out 5 years ago and it's not my favourite. It's pretty low-key and not very "black metal". Not bad, just different. So in a way 'Idag' (Swedish for "today") is the spell I've been waiting for since 2016's 'Nucleus' and I can say I'm not disappointed at all! It's brimming with the kind of varied riffing and powerful fuzz the Swedes excel at. Lots of Swedish lyrics on this too. As much as I suck at discerning lyrics anyway I usually prefer English when the vocals are such that I can hear the word. But, when you've got a vocalist like Magnus Pelander it doesn't matter. His distinctive voice and delivery suits the music perfectly. It lends a folkiness to the doom tones. The acoustic portions do that too. I mean, just listen to the ballad-ish "Om du vill". I'm not going to say it's their best album yet but goddamn that argument could be made. It has all the things that make Witchcraft great. I could just sit on that riff in the title track for days though. *sick riff face* Find out for yourself.



Miss Mellow - 'Dancing Through The Earth': As I said above, Miss Mellow blend a number of different styles like funky, hip-shaking, 70s-ish danceable fun, blissful lounge, tripped out heavy psych, and bouncy, bright, keyboard-heavy boogie. And that's just the four-part title track. Variations of such themes are built into the rest of the album along with sublte and not as subtle nods to the power of kraut and stoner rock. Some lyrics are in German but like Witchcraft it works for the songs. With slow jams and body-movers with more of a pulse 'Dancing Through The Earth' never leaves you still. Groove, vocal harmonies, and plenty of keyboards take you far away from the mid-2020s and back to an age with no more peace but one with much more love. It's a positive and uplifting album that simply rocks. I loved their debut. Instant fan on first listen. To be honest, it took two or three spins for me to sync up with one but now it's a beautiful experience every time. And check out that artwork!



Here's three more that I wanted to do blurbs for but I'm running out of steam. These are all just as good as those above.

Causa Sui - 'In Flux': Brilliant and chill.



Turtle Skull - 'Being Here': An amazing journey I need to take again. Often.



Budos Band - 'VII': I don't usually like horns but I love the Budos! Another wicked album of psychedelic funky soul rock.



And as always, The As I Go Playlist. Eat up.

2006 Re-revisited

Before I started this blog in 2008, I would send my "Best of 20XX" lists around to my friends via email. Back in 2015, I posted my list from 2006. For that, I just cut and paste the email right into the post. Bad spelling, worse punctuation and grammar. I'm leaving the ugly in. This time I went and listened to almost the albums to reassess my feelings almost 20 years on. Comments with better spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Results below.

1. Mastodon - Blood Mountain (2006 - no comment)
2025 - I wouldn't put it at the very top but it's probably still my favourite Mastodon album.

2. I Hate Sally - Don't Worry Lady (Very close second, great mix of styles, great live, and awesome people)
Of all these albums I listen to this one the most. By a wide margin. Considering this is a favourites list, move it to the top.

3 . Lamb Of God - Sacrament (I got the invitation, and I am going!)
There are some good tunes on here. But it would be nowhere near this high now. They just feel too one-dimensional to me. Randy is a fascinating guy though.

4. Kalas - Kalas (Matt Pike! incredible first, last and only album. R.I.P. Kalas)
Incredible seems like a stretch. I still dig it. I had largely forgotten what it sounded like by 2010. With Spotify I do go back to it often enough but I don't own a physical copy.

5 . Slayer - Christ Illusion (They still got it! and Lombardo is back!)
Yeah, still a pretty good Slayer album. Better than the two that came after. But not one I go back to.

6 . Accept Death - Accept Death (Death Accepted. Cool samples, great doomy feel, scary vokills)
Jesus H Christ. I had totally forgotten about this album until I heard it again. Pure fucking evil sludge filth. It's not streaming so I have to hunt down a physical. It's on youtube though. Save and download.

7 . Deicide - The Stench of Redemption (I am SO glad Benton didn't kill himself at 33)
This might be the last Deicide ablum I was really that in to. I know I've heard later ones but wasn't "in to" them. This one has some serious shred going on.

8. The Abominal Iron Sloth - s/t (uh, it's real good)
I had kinda forgotten about this one too. I won't fucking do that again! Heavy fucking shit motherfuckers!!

9. Kylesa - Time Will Fuse It's Worth (Two drummers, two vocalists, too good)
This is the album that hooked me on Kylesa. Still good! Shame on me for not owning this either. And for never publishing the interview I did with them a couple years later.

10 . Kataklysm - In the Arms of Devastation
Definitely not in the top 10. I dig Kataklysm. I don't listen to much death metal anymore but I went and saw these guys play last year. As good as this is it woulnd't make top 10 again.

11 . Jucifer - If Thine Enemy Hunger (not metal, not conventional, like Veruca Salt on LOTS of drugs) It was kinda weird listening to this knowing the kind of stuff they did after this. Still a great album. More "metal" moments than I may have indicated.

12 . Om - Conference of the Birds (two ex-members of Sleep crafting epic doom masterpieces)
Move this baby way up! Probably listen to this the most of anything else on this list. LOVE.

13 . The Sword - Age of Winters
Considering what's above this, move it up. Still lovin' it!

14 . Witch - s/t (This stuff makes you high just listening to it!)
While we are at it, move this up too. I like it more than their follow-up.

15. Napalm Death - Smear Campaign (grind at it's best)
Oh, my Napalm era. I barely made it through listening to this again. I said better things about albums after this but I wouldn't care if I never heard them again.

16 . Sepultura - Dante XXI (who needs Cavaleras? I know Iggor played on this one)
Still alright I guess. They've done better without Max, they've done worse.

17 . Bury Your Dead - Beauty and the Breakdown (If you're gonna be metalcore, at least be good at it)
Is this really metalcore? I dunno. It's not bad. And it's honest. So many breakdowns. I had a hankering for this album (in 2025!) and it inspired this whole exercise.

18. Sworn Enemy - The Beginning of the End (token hardcore album)
Token? You could argue other albums on this list are also hardcore. This didn't launch me back into a hardcore phase or anything.

19. Lair of the Minotaur - The Ultimate Destroyer
One of those bands nobody talks about but that put out some cool stuff. Fun at least.

20. Black Cobra - Bestial (great tone, sounds like a giant tank plowing across the landscape blowing up everything in sight)
Move it up! I come back to this often. My 2006 comment holds up. I fucking love duos.

21. Hatebreed - Supremacy (formula starting to get old, just enough difference to make the list)
2006 comment holds up again. I don't listen to any of their stuff after this.

22. Saviours - Crucifire (another great "stoner" album)
Forgot about this one! Move it up! I need a physical of this.

23. Norma Jean - Redeemer (who knew christians could rock so well?)
Still a pretty cool, energetic album. Don't ask me about the lyrics though.

24. Scissorfight - Jaggernaut (if you like Clutch, you'll like these guys)
If you like Clutch interbred with Appalachian mountain trolls. So much damn fun. Move it way up.

25. Fucked Up - Hidden World (if this is fucked up, I don't want normal)
Nah, bro. I wasn't feeling it. 2006 comment invalid.

26. Dry Kill Logic - Of Vengeance and Violence (Cliff Rigano rules)
I still dug it. "Rules" may be an exaggeration. They put out a new single in May. I should check it out.



Top 5 "Really fun to listen to but not necessarily great albums"

1. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage (2025 - I listened to it all. That was more than enough.)
2. Funerot - Invasion from the Death Dimension (Tyrannosaur could be my fave song of the year) (2025 - That was fun! I feel bad I had forgotten about it!)
3. Cross Examination - Hung Jury (2025 - 'The Hung Jury' is the correct title. Also, fuck me for forgetting this! Super fun crossover! Fuck yeah!)
4. Venom - Metal Black (2025 - I didn't bother.)
5. Motorhead - Kiss of Death (2025 - I tried to listen to it. Shoot me. I don't like Motörhead. I don't know why I put this one here. I don't like Venom either.)

Surprise of the Year:

I Hate Sally - Don't Worry Lady (who knew I'd love a local band this much, and the fact that Mike Kopko hated it)

Disappointment(s) of the Year (other than no new Clutch):

Tool - 10,000 days (2025 - Most forgettable Tool album.)
Five Horse Johnson - Mystery Spot (JP from Clutch drumming, thought it would be better) (2025 - Same. Couple cool tunes.)
The false start (demise?) of Black Veil Choir (Justin Marler from Sleep)(2025 - I can't even find info about this failed project.)

Stuff I Thought I'd Like But Wasn't Really Feelin':

Trivium - Crusaders (bad lyrics) (2025 - I concur. It's 'The Crusades' though.)
Protest the Hero - Kezia (hate the vocals) (2025 - I concur.)
Isis - In the Absence of Truth (2025 - I actually listened to this three times. Better than I gave it credit for at the time.)

Compilation of the Year :

Sucking the 70's 2: Back in the Saddle Again (2025 - I didn't look for it. I will say it probably still is the best comp of that year.)

Collaboration of the Year :

Rebel Meets Rebel (2025 - I didn't bother.)

Top EPs of the Year:

Jesu - Silver (2025 - It was fine? Not something I'll go back to.)
Arise and Ruin - The Fear of... (Unavailable. I probably couldn't find the mp3s around if I tried. A burned disc or a hard drive somewhere but whatever. I have both their albums.

Album of the Month - April 2025: Conan - 'Violence Dimension'

Greetings, fellow voidfillers. I'm going back to Album of the Month for at least April. I'll note some other releases at the end but Violence Dimension from the mighty Conan definitely stands above the rest of the pack. The Mizmor/Hell collaboration stands pretty fuckin' tall but I'm not here to pit them against each other. Plus, the collaboration needs to grow on me to understand it's depth. Conan however, Conan has already put me six feet under and pushin' up daisies. It's fuckin' killer. I'll want to dig into the lyrics but if we're being honest I mostly enjoy Conan for the pure sonic bludgeoning. Being buried in fuzz. Vibrating with tone. Beaten senseless. Taken to a dimension of violence.

I'm pretty sure the Violence Dimension guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis is growling/yelling about is in some way the one we're living in. Earth on this plane at this time. Certainly feels like it anyway. I've come to realize that I either connect with an album and it's sound, or I don't. And I won't. The frequencies don't line up. I don't resonate into violent frequencies all the time. There's enough of that in this dimension. In a fight fire with fire kind of way, my shield against violent waves is itself made of violence in sync with MY frequencies. That's where Conan comes in. There are all kinds of violent music. Hyper-violent. Black, death, grind. Not the right frequency (most of the time). Crushing, hulking, muscular, fuckin' doom-sludge worthy of the Barbarian's name is a most effective defense. Anytime. Every time.

What isn't as consistent with Violence Dimension - at least compared to their previous three albums - is the man wielding the bass. This time it's former Fudge Tunnel bassist David Ryley. Chris Fielding returns solely to the producer/engineer's chair for this effort. Thank the gods he didn't abandon Conan completely. I don't think Conan would sound like Conan without him in that position. So what does that mean for the new album? I haven't worked that out scientifically, comparing and contrasting details of sound and performance and atmosphere across years of material. But my gut, my real brain, my gut said "capital Fuck Yeah, bud."

Maybe I didn't anticipate the frequencies of Violence Dimension lining up with mine so perfectly, or something, but when the hammer dropped on this bad boy the energy shot right through me. It felt more vigourous, more powerful, more effective than I was expecting for some bizarre reason. It gave me marching orders. As if drummer Johnny King issued a command. "We're fucking shit up with sonic energy. Get on board." Then boom! By the time we hit "Total Bicep" the sprint towards battles of warfare and death is downright lustful. Rage and heaviness and thunder and a fucking doom drop that takes you to your knees drags you to your feet again for a weary march to the next encounter.

The next encounter being the title track. It's a more subdued affair. At least at first. The nine-minute track starts with more space, somewhat majestic, not unlike the album cover. Still massive. It plods through its midpoint, drawing energy, expanding dimensional sonic horizons in waves of droning chords. Punishing gravity returns in the tracks later third, with a beastly growl at that. A track worthy of identifying the collective material.

I could go trying put sounds into words for more of the eight tracks but you get the idea. I've been a remorseless Conan fan since at least Monnos in 2012 and I've never lost faith so I don't know exactly why Violence Dimension hit me so hard. I won't complain. Aligned frequencies, I guess. Low, pulsing, menacing, tense, frequencies. I'll get carried away again here. I can't recommend this enough especially if you're already fond of sludgy, heavy as all fucks doom. Worship!



Also recommended from the April collection of releases: Mizmor/Hell - 'Alluvion', Action & Tension & Space - 'New Dimensions', Ponddigger - 'Nocturnal Hymnal', and Blackwater Holylight - 'If You Only Knew' EP.

And as always, every release I listened to in April all wrapped up in my April Spotify Playlist. The first 80 or so tracks are all from my seven favourite bands. The new release stuff starts after that.