Black Helium - UM (2023)

Black Helium is a trio from London, UM is their third album, released by Riot Season Records. They play heavy and psychedelic rock and manage to be as good when they go in a heavier psych doom direction as when they take a trip into a more frankly psychedelic and lighter direction, going from Black Sabbath / Electric Wiard to Hawkwind or even The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This new album brilliantly confirms that they are among the bands that matters in the heavy psych scene. Recommended!

The BC page.

FesterDecay - Reality Rotten to the Core (2023)

After a demo and a split, Reality Rotten to the Core is the first album from Japanese band FesterDecay.  And it's a very strong one, enough to be a solid candidate for goregrind album of the year! If you're into early Carcass don't sleep on it! Twisted lead guitars, vocals that are disgusting enough but not too artificial, and of course a lot of raw and primitive grind brutality. Recommended!

The BC page

 

Pale Divine - Consequence of Time (2020)

Pale Divine have been around for 25 years now, But their latest album Consequence of Time proves that time is kind to them. It's maybe their best album, and what is sure is that it's an awesome one, starting with the 10 min long title track masterpiece. It's hard to find better if you're into traditional doom, very Sabbathian and early heavy metal infused, with the organ parts adding even more to the 70' feel of the music. Heavily recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Fire feat Adrian Sherwood (2023)

This is a live album from Italian band Fire (I dont know much about them but now look forward to hear more) with Adrian Sherwood doing live mixing/dubbing. In case you don't know Adrian Sherwood : with his label On-U Sound he's the main non-Jamaican dub producer since the eighties up to now. The result is great jazz/electronica/dub music, warm and trippy. Great stuff!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Megaton Sword - Might & Power (2023)

This second album from Megaton Sword, aptly called Might & Power confirms after Blood Hails Steel - Steel Hails Fire, that indeed in the realm of traditional heavy metal that they are among the ones with the most might & power. They deliver again a masterpiece of old school true metal with a slight doom flavour. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

 

Civilian Thrower - Trebuchet Showroom (2022)

Trebuchet Showroom is the first album (after a demo and splits (with Vile Species, Grotesquerie, Global Horror, Proudhon, etc.) from Civilian Thrower (a French trio with the singer of Whoresnation and members of Hordur, Lovgun and Morbid scum). What they do is on the more old-school and punkier side of grind (vocals and drumming are totally grind, but the riffs are mostly crust) and they do it well. No bullshit, raw and intense old-school grind! If you're into that kind of stuff, Civilian Thrower is definitely a band you need to follow. Also, I saw them play and I can testify they're also a good live band (go to the shows guys!). 

The BC page.

 

Dead Neanderthals - Click (2022)

Click is the fourth albumin a raw as a drums/synth duo for Dead Neanderthals. Seems Otto Kokke is not inspired by his sax any more these days, at least with DN. But that's OK since they keep on releasing good albums. Click is a long and hypnotic piece of kraut/noise/drone with a dark/disturbing feel (their previous album Metal with its drums/synth atmospheric black metal was interesting as well). Good stuff as usual from Dead Neanderthals. 

The BC page.