Revisionist Western

"Doom" is a broad genre, covering everything from riffy, psychedelic classic-rock worship to guttural, wall-of-noise, sludge. On their first release, titled  The Great Turning , Philadelphia's Protection Hexes create something that is undeniably doom, but that also wanders along the boundaries of the genre to create something compelling.  First off, this is thematically and aesthetically right up my alley. The record's theme is the decay of industrial civilization and the terrifying hope of what might come after it. This is a theme that, as a midwesterner, I return to often in bands I'm in, and one that I feel that folks from an industrial city like Philadelphia are well-poised to consider.  Sonically, this album is heavy, sludgey, and ponderous, but in a way that feels like it owes as much to 80s and 90s noise rock as it does to Black Sabbath. The record has a lo-fi quality, like it was recorded with a single microphone inside a concrete tunnel, with...

Germany's Teryky offer up some truly great post-metal on this release. I would compare this to bands like Celeste, Thou, or Tombs, with its seamless blending of sludge, hardcore, and black metal.  Overcome  is a nice, quick record that perfectly balances heaviness and atmosphere over three beautifully written songs. One of the things I really appreciate about this album is that all the different influences stand well on their own, but add together to more than the sum of their parts. It's NYP on Bandcamp so there's no reason you shouldn't check it out if you like any of the bands mentioned above. OVERCOME by TERYKY