Ophiolatry - Anti-Evangelistic Process (2002)

Killer slept-on Brazilian death metal. Knotty, occult brutality that's more than a bit reminiscent of Morbid Angel, which is definitely not a bad thing. 

Track listing:

1. Intro

2. Psychodemoniac Mentalities

3. Messiah of Deformity

4. Entombed

5. Havoc

6. Opposite Monarchy

7. Anti-Evangelistic Process

8. Asmodeus - The Destroyer

9. Breaking the Bones of Jesus

10. Chaos Domination

11. Vexation

Jesus is a piece of shit

More like this:

Ignivomous - Path of Attrition (2007) + Eroded Void of Salvation (2008) 

Beyond Mortal Dreams - From Hell (2008)

Blood of the Black Owl - A Banishing Ritual (2010)

A heady fusion of dark psych, Pagan neofolk and blackened drone-doom. Dissonant monoliths of sound worthy of latter-day Swans broken up by flashes of crushing, pitch-black caveman sludge. It's borderline criminal that it took me so long to post this.

Track listing:

1. Intent

2. The Statement of Will

3. Chant of the Captured Spirit

4. The Final Banishing

I will stab and cut

Also check out:

Matt Howden & Tony Wakeford - Three Nine (2000)

Amestigon - Thier (2015)

Tape - Milieu (2003)

Sad, sweet, fragmented instrumentals from a Swedish trio. Acoustic and electric guitars, chimes, melodica, organ, piano, saxophone, and more against a backdrop of fragmented, glitchy textures and field recordings.

(As many of you pointed out, my previous post of Luminarium actually linked to Milieu. This is because I had started out making a Luminarium post, but immediately decided I'd rather do Milieu, and forgot to change the title and artwork. Thankfully, the description works, give or take the part about saxophone, for both albums. Making a new post entirely to fix the URL. Thanks for letting me know.)

Track listing:

1. Oak Player

2. Sponge Chorus

3. Crippled Tree

4. Edisto

5. Golden Twig

6. Long Bell

7. Root Tattoo

8. Switchboard Fog

Down on your back

All of your secrets collide

Similar vibes:

Pan•American - Quiet City (2004)

Tokyo Bloodworm - Tokyo Bloodworm (2007)

Jane - Fire, Water, Earth & Air (1975)

Excellent German prog/space rock. Three sprawling, interwoven suites contemplating love and human inter-connection through the lens of the classical elements. The Floyd influence is certainly there, as is the utopian rush of krautrock. I've known this band for years, but for some reason slept on this record until recently. Highly recommended for any prog fan.

The track listing's kinda confusing and overly long to write out, so I'm actually not gonna try to suss it out here, but it essentially amounts to: Track 1 has the Fire and Water bits, Track 2 is Earth, and Track 3 is Air.

See the light

You should also hear:

Earth and Fire - Atlantis (1973)

Eloy - Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes (1979)

Nebula - Genesis (2002)

Related:

Klaus Weise - Baraka (1982)

Mathias Grassow - At the Gates of Dawn (1986)

Amir Baghiri & Mathias Grassow - True North (1998)

Oöphoi - Night Currents (1998)

A phenomenal collaborative project from a group of ambient greats put together by Oöphoi. A massive, ever-expanding void of subtly layered ambient drone in which to float around until the end of infinity.

Track listing:

1. OM Creation: Breaking the Cosmic Egg

2. Let There Be Light

3. Floating Galaxies

4. Time Vessel at the Gates of Forever

5. Pulves et Umbra (Dust and Shadows)

6. The Sacred Pool of Tepeu and Gucumatz

7. The Dawn of Man

I need another world

You'd also like:

Robert Rich - Sunyata (1982)

Vidna Obmana - Echoing Delight (1993)

Es - Kaikkeuden kauneus ja käsittämättömyys (2004)

Related:

Kemialliset Ystävät - Kellari Juniversumi (2002)

Finnish experimental sounds that touch predominantly on drone, neoclassical, and musique concrète. Mysterious, beautiful, and often much darker than that relatively whimsical album cover might suggest.

Track listing:

1. Surullisille, onnettomille...

2. Hamuavia

3. Pehmeä iho

4. Huumaava ikuisuus

5. Puutarhaan lasketuu höyhen

6. Juhlat

7. Sädekellot

8. Sadepäivät

9. Aavehuminaa (katjalle)

10. Kaikkeuden kauneus ja käsittämättömyys

Don't die yet

You should also hear:

Coil - Moon's Milk (In Four Phases) (2002)

Islaja - Palaa Aurinkoon (2005)

Jeniger - Jeniger (2002)

One of the first and best melodic d-beat/crust records; it's maybe worth noting that Jeniger was recorded before the first Tragedy LP came out. This record changed the way I thought about punk, and was one of my old band's biggest influences during our formative years.

Track listing:

1. Point of No Return

2. Wasted

3. Lethargie

4. Paradise

5. For This Time

6. For No-One

7. Go Off

Welcome to paradise

Welcome to hell

More melodic d-beat:

Ambulance - The End of Our Time (2004)

Schifosi - Absentium Existence (2006)

MMOTHS - Luneworks (2016)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

MMOTHS - EP (2012)

Woozy, abstract, downtempo electro-dream pop. Distorted washes, glimmering synths, odd time signatures, pulsing rhythms, murmured vocals, late-night vibes.

Track listing:

1. You

2. Deu

3. Phase In

4. Para Polaris

5. Verbena

6. Scent

7. Eva

8. Lucid

9. Body Studies

10. 1709

11. Phase Out

12. Ohm

13. Naoko Pt. 1

14. Naoko Pt. 2

Eternal present

You should also listen to:
The Third Eye Foundation - Semtex (1996)

Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By (2001)

Skumring - Der glemte tider (2005)

Related:

Omit - Repose (2011)

Melodic funeral doom featuring two future members of Omit, including their incomparable vocalist, Cecilie Langlie. Drawn-out chords, delicate acoustic guitars, and that crestfallen voice.

Track listing:

1. Sovn

2. De glemte tider

3. Forførelse i natten

A penny's worth of bleeding

A fortune spent in healing

Further down the spiral:

Funeral - Tragedies (1995)

Forest of Shadows - Where Dreams Turn to Dust (2000)

Gastr del Sol - Camoufleur (1998)

Related:

Oval - Systemisch (1994)

Jim O'Rourke - Bad Timing (1997)

Final and IMO best album from this stellar experimental indie/post-rock outfit of David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke, featuring (on this record) Markus Popp of Oval. Acoustic guitars, horns, strings, understated vocals, keyboards, piano, and electronic textures form a beautiful, elusive sound. As a go-to early morning listen, Camofleur provided the soundtrack to many opening shifts at my old record store job.

Track listing:

1. The Seasons Reverse

2. Blues Subtitled No Sense of Wonder

3. Black Horse

4. Each Dream Is an Example

5. Mouth Canyon

6. A Puff of Dew

7. Bauchredner

Our exquisite replica of eternity

If you like this, check out:

This Kind of Punishment - A Beard of Bees (1984)

The Clean - Unknown Country (1996)

Latitude - Latitude (1986)

Debut LP from this new age duo. Synth voices of every kind, programmed drums, and 'real' guitar courtesy of legit virtuoso Ben Verdery.

Track listing:

1. At a Heart's Glance

2. Wing and a Prayer

3. A Boy's Fortune

4. Spring Training

5. Open Water

6. Private Island

7. Rock Pool Dreams

8. Cloud Dancing

Ozone

More like this:

Al Gromer Khan - Divan I Khas (Visions of a Mogul Prince) (1984)

Peter Seiler - Flying Frames (1986)

Venus Star - Son of Venus the Destroyer (2010)

Related:

Prevalent Resistance - Eternal Return (2008)

Circle of Ouroboros - Abrahadabra (2012)

Rahu - The Quest for the Vajra of Shadows (2012)

Finnish raw, punk-and-doom-infused black metal. Compilation of three cassette demos. An endless parade of largely mid-paced riff-fests with psychotic, almost screamo-y vocals. Some of the most mosh-worthy raw black metal I've heard.

Track listing:

1. Venus-Lucifer I

2. Venus-Lucifer II

3. Venus-Lucifer III

4. Venus-Lucifer IV

5. Venus-Lucifer V

6. Venus-Lucifer VI

7. Destroyer Sonata I

8. Destroyer Sonata II

9. Destroyer Sonata III

10. Son of Ishtar I

11. Son of Ishtar II

12. Son of Ishtar III

13. Son of Ishtar IV

The abyssic energy

Leaks in from the outside

From the uneven world

Similar listening:

Sortsind - Sår (1999)

Black Stench - Black Stench (2009)

Gaussian Curve - The Distance (2017)

One of the great modern ambient records. Simple, programmed beats coast through a shimmering expanse of rich, chiming guitars and synths. At times, there's a slo-mo smoothness that suggests 80s soft rock played at 33 instead of 45; elsewhere, it's more of a tasteful take on classic new age. Speaking of classic new age, some of you nerds might be interested to learn that Gigi Masin is involved.

Track listing:

1. Breathe

2. The Distance

3. Dancing Rain

4. Suspended Motion

5. Ceremony

6. T.O.R.

7. Four for You

8. Another Place

The sea of sands

If you like this, try:

Richard Burmer - Bhakti Point (1987)

Walls - Walls (2010)

Hilton Valentine - All in Your Head (1969)

2021 is off to a predictably bleak, anxiety-ridden start, huh? Here's a bit of late-60s psychedelic folk rock to help us escape to a world of sunshine, soft green hilltops, and weed smoke.

Track listing:

1. Listen

2. Everything Returns to Me

3. It's All in Your Head

4. Little Soldiers

5. Eyes of a Child

6. Sitting in the Sun

7. Is There Anything But Love

8. Land of Children

9. Run, Run, Run

10. Peace

11. Girl from Allemagne

The world's not all bad

Similar vibes:

Gary Lewis - Listen! (1967)

Paper Garden - Paper Garden (1969)

Clogs - Lantern (2006)

Folk-and-classical-leaning, instrumental post-rock from a NYC 4-piece that includes The National's Bryce Dessner. Tastefully understated arrangements made up of guitar, melodica, viola, violin, mandolin, bassoon, and percussion, among others. Lantern has been a go-to wintertime listen for me since pretty much the day it came out, so maybe it can help get some of you through the cold months as well.

Track listing:

1. Kapsburger

2. Canon

3. 5/4

4. 2:3:5

5. Death and the Maiden

6. Lantern

7. Tides of Washington Bridge

8. The Song of the Cricket

9. Fiddlegree

10. Compass

11. Voisins

12. Tides (Piano)

Light me a lantern

For to get back home

Also listen to:

David Darling - Cello (1992)

Laurie Mayer - Black Lining (2006)

Dissonant Winds - Forestial Transcendence (2017)

Australian atmospheric black metal. A beautifully bleak blur of tremolo picking, lo-fi drums, and ghostly howls, broken up by dark expanses of icy, minimal synth drone.

Track listing:

1. Lo the Forest

2. Upon the Pessimist Throne

3. Echoes of Silence

4. Forestial Transcendence

Lurking in profound obscurity

More like this:

Saatkrähe - Of Ravens and Graves... (2009)

Ehecatl - Rites of Ascension Phase II (2017)

Deadbeat - Primordia (2001)

Engrossing, narcotized dub techno from French-Canadian producer Scott Monteith. Grainy, echoing atmospherics, minimal melodic loops, and dark, subterranean pulses.

[EDIT: I just realized that I made the framework for this post before blogger updated and made it impossible (as far as my skills are concerned anyway) to imbed and align images as they are below. Look how much better that looks! Sad.]

Track listing:
1. Public Inspiration
2. Jaffa Dub (Queen B)
3. Peripheral Artifacts
4. Elder Drum
5. Minus Forty Madness
6. As We Conquer
7. Sunday Morning

Let it rain

More along these lines:

The Sight Below -
Glider (2008)

Donato Dozzy -
K (2010)

Belzebuth - Belzebuth (2007)

Australian atmospheric/depressive black metal. Dissonant guitars, funereal drums, droning keyboards, and a howling goblin lead you through the forest of tortured spirits to your final resting place.

7 untitled tracks

The call of black magic

You should also listen to:

Drakonhail - L'Ombre du Néant (2004)

Moon - Clavicula Nox (2014)

Dip in the Pool - Silence (1986)

Heaven-sent Japanese ambient synth pop. Understated, deceptively complex, and way ahead of its time. Little bits here and there remind me of some of the greats, but Dip in the Pool never really sound like anyone but themselves. 10/10.

Track listing:

1. Rabo del sol

2. Facing the Sea

3. はすのえにし

4. Sur le pois

5. Silence

6. ひなまり

7. View

8. Again

9. Spring from the Surface

10. Dormir

It's so different here

You might also enjoy:

Akira Inoue - Splash (1983)

Jan Bang - Frozen Feelings (1989)

Stu Goldberg - Fancy Glance (1979)

Related:

Jasper van 't Hof - Eye-Ball (1974)
John Lee & Gerry Brown - Infinite Jones (1974)

Funky, synth-heavy fusion led by keyboardist/pianist Stu Goldberg. It's really good. Would have been posted years ago but I couldn't find a clean rip until today.

Track listing:

1. That's the Joint

2. Night of the King

3. The Mypsy

4. Tears (Bass Solo)

5. Pokhara

6. What Is It

7. Sangre Caliente

8. Organism

Oh, what a time we had

You'd also like:

Oliver Nelson - Skull Session (1975)

Stone Alliance - Stone Alliance (1976)