Wrath of the Weak - Alogon (2008)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Wrath of the Weak - Solace (2010)

Nauseatingly dense depressive US black metal. An impenetrable wall of dissonant guitars, blasting drum machine, droning keyboards, and ghostly, half-buried vocals. The real genius of this record, though, is that somehow, despite all the overt ugliness, there's a sorrowful beauty at its core.

Track listing:
1. Chapter I: A Leap of Faith Ends When You Crash into the Ground
2. Chapter II: Using Self-Destruction in the Pursuit of a Better Life
3. Chapter III: What We Learn from Spending 120 Hours in a Downpour
4. Chapter IV: When One Side of the Mirror Diverges from the Other
5. Chapter V: Angels with Forked Tongues and the Gifts They Bear
6. Chapter VI: Light Streaming in Through the Cracks in the Door
7. Epilogue: The Journey Towards Non-Existence, in Slow-Motion Technicolor

A momentary diversion on the road to the grave

You should also listen to:

Vrolok - Resurgence III:
Order of the Sphere (2007)

Onirik -
Casket Dream Veneration (2015)

Wrath of the Weak - Solace (2010)

After two albums of claustrophobic, discordant black metal, Wrath of the Weak took an unexpected turn with Solace, abandoning black metal for monolithic pieces consisting of gorgeous, heavy, textural, massively layered walls of guitar. There are drums in there somewhere, buried deep in the mix, and some vocals now and then, but overall, Solace has a lot more in common with Skullflower than Xasthur.

Also: Wrath of the Weak released a new EP a couple weeks back, and you can get it (for pay-as-you-will) right here. I highly recommend doing that, as it's one of the best black metal records of the year so far.

Track listing:
1. The Sad Truth, the Dirty Lowdown
2. Three Forty One
3. Sweet Virgin Summer
4. Function Generator
5. We Made Worlds Together...

Light streaming in through the cracks in the door

You should also check out:

Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric (1995)

Implodes - Black Earth (2011)