10. Jess and the Ancient Ones - Castaneda (Svart)
Strictly following the rules would mean that this be classified as a two-track single, but I'm so excited to hear new work from these Finns that I'm willing to stretch a little to shine some light on their only 2014 release. Both of these tracks use the blues as a starting point, particularly on the "As to Be With Him" flipside, though the title track incorporates a nice spaghetti-Western vibe that perfectly compliments Jess' soulful voice. Here's hoping the long awaited second full-length comes sooner rather than later.
9. Astral Sea - My Cosmic Asylum (Self-released)
Though I can't remember how I originally got pointed in their direction, I discovered this French stoner trio's debut EP thanks to their Bandcamp site. Over three tracks and roughly 25-minutes, they craft cosmic, instrumental stoner rock journeys that nicely play off the outer space cover art. Great riffs and thunderous drums combine to take the listener on one hell of a trip. I'll be excited to hear what they pull together over the course of a full-length record.
8. Wild Throne - Blood Maker (Brutal Panda)
Wild Throne, a trio from Bellingham, Washington, started life under the name Dog Shredder. After wisely shedding that ill-advised moniker, theses guys worked up with the often divisive (especially when it comes to his production for metal bands) Ross Robinson to produce this EP. Surprisingly, Robinson's over-exacting touch works really well with the particular strain of psych-infused progressive metal Wild Throne trades in. It's a brief 17-minutes, but Wild Throne manages to pack a hell of a punch in such a brief time.
7. Purson - In the Meantime (Machine Elf)
In the Meantime is Purson's 2014 stop-gap release to follow-up on their well-received 2013 debut, The Circle and The Blue Door. More than anything else, In the Meantime serves as an addendum to that record, rather than branching out and hinting at future directions for full-length number two. Still, the band manages to cover quite a bit of ground over these four tracks - ranging from gentle folk to swirling heavy psych. If you were a fan of The Circle and The Blue Door, you'll find plenty to like in these four songs.
6. Godflesh - Decline and Fall (Avalanche Recordings)
After nearly a full decade of inactivity, during which Justin Broadrick concentrated on his Jesu solo project, Godflesh reunited for some live dates in 2010. No one was sure whether or not this would lead to further studio recordings, but the band dove right back in with both this EP and the full-length, A World Lit Only By Fire, in 2014. And, despite the layoff, the band sounds like they never went away. This might be the most consistently stronger of the two releases, but that's likely because their stuff is much more intense in brief bursts. Godflesh become the latest in the long line of metal bands returning from a long hiatus as strong as ever.
5. The Black Angels - Clear Lake Forest (Blue Horizon)
In case you didn't catch the obvious reference in their name, Austin, Texas's The Black Angels have spent their career trawling the valleys and edges of The Velvet Underground's sonic worlds. While I liked the crispness and clarity of 2013's Indigo Meadow, it seems the band listened to the critics and has swung back towards the muddy lo-fi sound of the first two albums on this nice-sized EP. Thankfully, however, they keep the recent influence of bubble-gum psych in place, giving variety to the proceedings and making for another worthy entry in the band's discography.
4. Carcass - Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel (Nuclear Blast)
Carcass bounced back from a 17-year layoff with 2013's Surgical Steel, crafting not only one of 2013's best death metal records but also chalking up another classic in the band's already jam-packed catalog. This EP is nothing but leftovers from the Surgical Steel sessions, but considering how high the bar was for that entire record, even the scraps sound inspired. If you dug Surgical Steel, you need to add this to your collection immediately.
3. Myrkur - Myrkur (Relapse)
I'll be honest, the furor over this EP only made me want to dig into it further and, in doing so, I really found a lot to like. Listening to the metal purists bitch about how a woman (gasp!) that has done some modeling (the horror!) and used to play indie rock (oh no!) dared play black metal reminded me just how annoyingly insular and closed-minded a supposedly accepting scene like metal can be. And, yes, this is still definitely the sound of an artist finding her feet, but the peaks hint at something potentially great and I'm willing to sing her praises if only to keep pissing off those trying to close the gates on her.
2. William Tyler - Lost Colony (Merge)
Over the course of his first two full-length records, Nashville's William Tyler focused on his expert guitar playing, a sparse, finger-picking style that lumped in with contemporaries like Ryley Walker and Steve Gunn. On this latest EP, however, he's amped up his rock band ambitions and focused on his other influences that don't come from the John Fahey roots. Electric guitars and krautrock do the heavy lifting here, one of the track's is a cover of Michael Rother's "Karussel", though, excitingly, none of Tyler's fascinating guitar work is lost in the shift. I'm really anxious to hear what comes next.
1. Inter Arma - The Cavern (Relapse)
Richmond, Virginia's Inter Arma came up among the latest batch of area metal bands, though they quickly departed from the strain of doom and sludge typically heard and moved towards something more heavily influenced by progressive and classic rock. The elements were all in place for 2013's terrific Sky Burial, but for 2014's stop-gap release the band went even further towards prog rock excess by crafting a single 45-minute release. Biggest surprise, however, is how listenable and well it works, the rare 45-minute epic that earns every second. Between this and Sky Burial, Inter Arma is one of the band's I'm most anxious to hear new music from.
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