KHANATE "Capture and Release" (Hydrahead Records)This is the third full length release from the inimitable masters of extreme experimental doom. Boldly continuing the previous explorations of their past, this quartet grimly plows over the listener with a lumbering pace only hinted upon by other bands in this genre. Agonizingly slow and minimal, with sparse orchestration at best, it's like a play where each performer waits for his cue then takes his turn, only to step back to allow the others to proceed. KHANATE enjoys going to the absolute precipice of total annihilation, but pausing at the edge to look down and contemplate the imminent end. Lyrically, vocalist Alan Dubin covers themes of guilt, shame, and isolation, and his delivery is a harsh, desperate screech. These two unapologetic 20-minute tracks will leave you stranded, thirsty and alone.
James Leroy Brown III

SUNN O))) "Black One" (Southern Lord)
After a celebrated series of grimm outings, this duo of detuned doom out-creeps themselves with one of the most sinister recordings of all time. Comprised of Greg Anderson and Steven O'Malley, both on electric guitar, they enlist the help of friends John Wiese, Malific, Wrest from Leviathan and more to create a shimmering soundtrack of evil and dread. While the essential elements of SUNN O)))'s sound are present - essentially a relentless wall of slow, repetitive pounding on the E bar chord - they manage to diversify and branch out from this root idea with effective results. Incorporating percussion, electronic noise, and black metal style vocals and a production quality that varies from track to track, this ominous offering is the most dynamic SUNN O))) release thus far.
James Leroy Brown III

THRONES "Day Late, Dollar Short" (Southern Lord)
All hail Joe Preston. This collection gathers many unreleased tracks and material previously available on small vinyl pressings and compilations. It's some of the best THRONES material there is, ranging from thunderous and brutal doom to quiet sounds, some of it very bizarre. Preston incorporates electronic bleeps and robotic vocal effects with punishing metal dirges, with each track distinct yet all sharing some common threads. In a genre where alot of bands tend to blur together and start sounding alike, THRONES stand out with their pure innovation and alien approach.
James Leroy Brown III


LIGHTNING BOLT "Hypermagic Mountain" (Load)
This is the fourth album from Providence, RI's LIGHTNING BOLT. It seems like a natural progression from the last album "Wonderful Rainbow", with everything cranked up a notch on production and the bands amazing technical proficiency. Simply comprised of two guys named Brian, one on drums and one on bass, they manage to extrapolate many variations with the two instruments, this time using vocals and effects with dizzying, psychedelic results. The drumming is an incredibly fast jazz and prog meltdown, and the buzzsaw bass is loud and jackhammer-esque, with the densest song structures and hopelessy complicated arrangements you can imagine. It becomes no small challenge to digest this band all at once, nay, numerous sessions are required to explore this bullet riddled strawberry odyssey in it's entirety.
James Leroy Brown III