Artist: William Covert | Album: Dream Vessel | Genre: Post-rock, Drone | Bandcamp
Drone is a genre that I largely dislike but do occasionally dabble in. When I run across a drone artist that I do enjoy, it’s usually because they’ve melded those influences with something else. With Neptunian Maximalism, they married drone with heavy, experimental metal. And with William Covert, he has blended it with post-rock and avant-garde jazz. Textures are wide and airy, but it’s not just aimless ambience. Drumming helps give this record a sense of direction, and there are clear structures and throughlines in the individual compositions. The music is spooky, spacy, and artful.
Score: 73/100
Band: Cratophane | Album: Exode | Genre: Progressive rock, Post-metal | Bandcamp
Cratophane’s sophomore album sees this self-described “angular rock” band take a lot of stoner and doom metal influences into their music. There are still jagged riffs and irregular rhythms aplenty, but the band also slows down significantly for extended periods of time. Magma’s influence looms large here, but so does that of bands like Pelican. This is a dark, moody, and semi-psychedelic record that goes to some interesting places. As with many instrumental records, I feel a number of the songs are longer than they need to be, but it’s not too bad.
Score: 76/100
Band: Howling Giant | Album: Crucible & Ruin | Genre: Progressive metal, Heavy psych | Bandcamp
The latest release from this Nashville-based act sees them further refining their sound. As with past releases, things are rooted in an arty variety of stoner metal with a heavy emphasis on soaring, melodic vocals and enveloping atmospheres. In comparison to their last release, 2023’s Glass Future, Crucible & Ruin is noticeably heavier and more aggressive, and that shift pays off well.
Score: 80/100
Band: National Diet | Album: The King in Yellow | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
National Diet’s new album is a somewhat gloomy record, and considering that the band’s Bandcamp page admits this is mostly a record about a breakup, that makes sense. The instrumental tones on this record are fantastic. The guitar is usually pretty clean, but there’s just enough of an edge to give it a satisfying bite. This sharpness is balanced against smoother tones for a lovely contrast. Post-punk and gothic influences are quite pronounced, and the way the individual tracks morph and evolve always feels both natural and intentional.
Score: 87/100
Band: Phaeton | Album: Neurogenesis | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
This instrumental act hailing from British Columbia plays an energetic and technical variety of progressive rock. Metal influences are obvious, but the band never quite veers into metal. The playing is nimble and exciting, and the band clearly has a strong sense for melody. None of the songs feel overlong, either, which is quite the feat on an instrumental release.
Score: 75/100
Band: Vitiligoes | Album: Rapakivi | Genre: Math rock, RIO | Bandcamp
I normally don’t like microtonal music, but Vitiligoes manages to dabble in it in a way that is exciting and serves to augment the rest of the music. Wiry riffs loop in hypnotic ways between moments of aggressive bombast. Elements of punk and post-hardcore complement the sharp guitar tones, and the band displays a great knack for blending the catchy and the weird.
Score: 82/100
The Elite Extremophile 