Band: creamcheese | Album: schallplatte | Genre: Psychedelic rock, Post-rock | Bandcamp
The new record from this one-man instrumental act draws quite heavily from Pink Floyd. Drifting rhythms and wavering guitars float about, occasionally interrupted by sharper tones. Acoustic guitar is deployed for the occasional bit of earthiness, balancing out this record’s more astral moments. “Maha Nakhom” sees creamcheese dabble in some semi-electronic Ozric Tentacles worship, for a nice change of pace. And though overlong, the closing “3L3K7R0K4CK3” is a charmingly diverse cut.
Score: 74/100
Band: Flowʍolꓞ | Album: Téboly | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
Flowwolf is a Hungarian band that blends psychedelic textures with progressive song structures for a very satisfying EP on Téboly. The instrumental tones are great, and there are smart contrasts between rich textures and grittier passages. The vocal performances are strong and melodic, and I also really enjoy the dashes of alternative rock that crop up here and there.
Score: 81/100
Band: Kylver | Album: The Gobi | Genre: Progressive metal, Progressive rock | Bandcamp
Kylver’s first new album after 9 years sees them skillfully telling another fantastical story fully instrumentally. Their previous record, 2016’s The Island, was a standout from that year, and the way they were able to convey narrative without words was truly impressive. The Gobi, set in the titular desert, takes a more meditative direction, thoughtfully pushing forward and weaving in musical themes from the region. However, this album does not need to be as long as it is. The two bookending epics, in particular, feel especially padded, meandering vaguely. There are a lot of good ideas here, but a 30-minute long EP/short LP may have been better than this 43-minute record. If you want some solid Central Asian metal, though, I will plug Moriya’s last album.
Score: 70/100
Band: Mind Beams | Album: Ashes | Genre: Math rock | Bandcamp
Mind Beams is a Seattle-based math rock band that plays with punkish intensity. I discovered them when they shared a bill with Moon Letters and National Diet, and they blew me away. The music is tight, anxious, and ever-churning. Time signatures fly by at a breakneck pace, but the many different musical themes somehow all cohere.
Score: 83/100
Band: Ring Van Möbius | Album: Firebrand | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
I was under the impression that Ring Van Möbius disbanded after their last album, Commissioned Works Pt II. And their Bandcamp page assures me that I am correct, but they had one more record yet to release. And this is a much stronger conclusion to their career than Commissioned Works. RVM stays firmly in their established ELP-worship lane across the three huge songs here, though dashes of Van der Graaf Generator appear, as well. Much like The 3rd Majesty, I will be up front and admit that this is not the most original music out there. If you put “Tarkus” and “Karn Evil 9” in a blender with a couple spoonfuls of Peter Hammill, you’d get something like this. But it is so much fun, and I love the organ and synth tones they use here.
Score: 80/100
Band: Stonecult | Album: Origin of Time | Genre: Heavy psych | Bandcamp
The debut release from this Tbilisi-based psych-rock band is a bit borderline for my site, occasionally veering into straight-up stoner metal. However, I like supporting small bands, and one could argue I’m a bit of a Kartvelophile, so I’m happy to feature this 16-minute epic, with its vast, sonic vistas and churning walls of distortion. The band has a good sense of how to increase intensity and when to dial things back. I’ll be honest and admit I’m not really getting any krautrock out of this, despite that tag being featured on their Bandcamp. But it’s a fun listen if you’re looking for something fuzzy and interstellar.
Score: 74/100
The Elite Extremophile 