Now, when one might first think of the genre of doom metal, they may think of an overweight man clad all in blue denim with unwashed, greasy hair, appearing as if by magic from a cloud of cannabis smoke and heavy fuzz distortion. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Dolven and their crisp, harp-like acoustics are about as far away from that stereotype as a band can be whilst still being affiliated with the doom genre. The acoustic doomers seem to be single-handedly occupying the only Acoustic-Doom space available in their very niche take on an overly crowded and saturated genre. If you were to imagine the likes of Bell Witch, Meth Drinker, Thou and Primitive Man at the sludgiest and heaviest end of the doom spectrum, you would find Dolven on the exact opposite end.
First up offered from In My Grave…Silence is ‘Sun Bleached Stone’. This is a gentle but somber song that would not be out of place in the Medieval Court Intrigues of Wolf Hall. Vocalist Jori Apedaile shines here with his tender murmuring that is almost mellifluous. The track builds with insistence as Dolven reminds us that they’re not just an acoustic folk band, they’re a doom band as well, and they possess darker undertones that they’re merely wanting to tease their listeners with in their first track of their latest offering.
As the album takes a breath from this insistence-building medieval banger, now seems as good a time as any to inform their listeners that Dolven probably can be considered an Agalloch side project, with long-time bassist Jason Walton and new Agalloch drummer Hunter Ginn appearing in both Agalloch and Dolven. Beside Me is an instrumental track that pleasantly strums along as though guitarist Nick Wusz is discovering it as he plays along, making for some wonderful improvisational picking which is reminiscent of Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert.
There’s something strangely beautiful about an artist returning to remake the very thing that defined them. Not to erase the past, but to reframe it—sharper, louder, closer to how it always sounded in their own heads. Hangman’s Hymn was already a landmark for Sigh: black metal chaos tangled with operatic grandeur. But this reimagining? This is the version that breathes.
Right from the opening ‘Introitus/Kyrie’, you’re dropped headfirst into its fevered world—a baroque nightmare of blast beats, shrieked liturgies, and triumphant brass, crashing together like stained glass falling in slow motion. It’s wild, dissonant, gorgeous. The fury is still intact, but now it’s got the weight and muscle it always needed to land with full impact.
This isn’t about polishing away imperfections. It’s about giving the record the space to scream and sing in equal measure. And scream it does—Mirai’s vocals are unhinged and commanding, shifting from tortured howls to ritualistic chants, like a prophet mid-meltdown or a preacher consumed by his own gospel. There’s theatre here, but none of it feels like posturing. Every dramatic flourish feels earned—conviction, not costume.
The Bristolian trios 2022 album Bleaching Heat was a stellar piece of unbridled rage with its bludgeoning riffs and all the hallmarks of great sludge with post-hardcore and noise rock playing poignant supporting roles. On Tide Into Ruin you see a shift in the supporting casts influence into something which harbours greater desperation and all together a greater emotional formula while still keeping its devastating impact.
Sludge metal can be an overwhelming assault on the senses which leaves very little room for anything else to be felt and 2022’s Bleaching Heat demonstrated the trademark tenacity but with Tide Into Ruin this feral animal is growing capability of showing heart and emotion as you can hear the fracture of every human syllable from vocalist/bassist Chris Wilson as his vocal inflection turns into a Greg Puciato style shriek. All this new development is encapsulated on opener ‘Leveller’ which is an apt name as it boulders through with a riff fit for late 90’s Unsane tearing up old road showing you the new fresh ground beneath.
Row of Ashes are teeming with confidence in their brand of ominous atmosphere from the mazy unsettling riffs of ‘Imber’ with an introduction akin to being haunted by a sinister circus act or sparse hallways of ‘Tide’ with an ending of calming snare rolls from Dan Arrowsmith which canters to a calming stop. The dust is settled and the ghostly introduction of ‘Lille’ comes forth with a french monologue which creeps into the albums entirely instrumental ‘Wake’, a charming movement of post-metal with continued French narration is the albums pocket of reflection, stare out a window let the track gallop round the mind.
Going viral is incredibly important for bands in this current landscape, as it puts you in front of a global audience, and gives your band a platform that so many wishes for. By whatever means necessary, many music artists strive for the moment Kaonashi in 2024 when a portion of ‘I Hate The Sound Of Car Keys’ was used across social media platforms by millions. The song’s success on TikTok has propelled them into the spotlight, and while some may dismiss them as a product of the platform’s algorithm, there’s no denying the authenticity and passion behind their music. Boosting their audience spread, they capitalised on this and embarked on tours and consistent single releases.
So, how to stay in the zeitgeist? Release a horrifying album, of course. I Want To Go Home continues the brutal fictional story from 2021’s album Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year when the listener follows characters Jamie and Casey navigate life and grief after a traumatic experience. This piece tackles equally difficult subjects and harrowing moments.
With refreshingly colourful new-wave experimentation colliding with up-to-date alternative swagger, Yorkshire based quintet Rothco inject their retro inspirations with a noisy modern twist. While all five members have been around the block in their local scenes, Rothco represents an exciting and expansive new outing for them, with debut EP Fool’s Gold as the band’s bold first statement.
From the title track which introduces Fool’s Gold, their varied inspirations shine through like a neon sign on a foggy highway, creating a recognisable guideline which the listener can grab on to as a guide through the haze. From singer Josh Ingham’s moody vocal delivery which veers from moody Nick Cave style crooning to an Iggy Pop-esque wail to the stoney grunge bass line and eerie goth backing vocals, Rothco’s sound is a colourful patchwork of familiar elements wrapped up in a modern alt-rock package. Rather than simply repeating their predecessors, Rothco reinterpret and combine vintage sounds into something new and unique.
As the EP continues through its relatively brief four track runtime, more and more sounds are added to the pile, creating a diverse, if a little messy, experience. With Rothco’s new wave throwback being joined by a The Hives or The Strokes style noughties alt-rock swagger on ‘Coming In Hot’ and Slint inspired guitar textures on the slow and grim ‘You’re Not The Only One’ it remains impressive how many different genres the quintet can cover in such a short period. On the other side of the coin, this genre mixing does leave the EP feeling pretty incoherent, jumping from danceable beats to deliberately paced dirges in a way that comes across as haphazard rather than visionary.
In 2019 Lower Slaughter had released their latest full-length Some Things Take Work and since then the Sussex band spent several years quietly working on new material while regrouping after the departure of original singer Sinead Young. The band ultimately decided to switch around and previous bass player Barney Wakefield moved to vocals while welcoming new bass player James Gardiner to the project.
What came out of this new rearrangement on this album is a considerably more expansive sound ranging from full on noise-stoner to more garage songs with not a particular stress about the cohesion between the different “moods” of the tracks, but letting the album roll out freely instead. Deep Living, has been recorded and mixed by Wayne Adams and mixed by Sam Grant, has been released by Brighton based label Human Worth with a portion of profits donated to PANDAS Foundation.
