Joe Henderson - Multiple (1973)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Joe Henderson - Black Is the Color (1972) + Black Narcissus (1976)

Phenomenal, funky, groove-based jazz fusion from a band led by Joe Henderson, one of jazz's all-time great saxophonists. Though it's plenty far-out, Multiple is one of Henderson's more accessible ventures -- in addition to continuing his exploration of the world of studio overdubs, it features a bit of vocals from the man himself!

Track listing:
1. Tress-Cun-Deo-La
2. Bwaata
3. Song for Sinners
4. Turned Around
5. Me, Among Others

In pursuit of blackness

Verdunkeln - Verdunkeln (2005)

From Germany, Verdunkeln make cult, mid-paced, ritualistic black metal that doesn't sound quite like anything else I've heard. The drums plod along, the riffs repeat in elongated cycles, and the vocals hang overhead, saturated with delay, like a black cloud; once in a while, an echoing clean guitar melody pierces through the haze. I found Verdunkeln through their association with Ruins of Beverast mastermind Alexander von Meilenwald, who plays live guitars for them, and if there's anything certain in this world, it's that people who read blogs like this one love Ruins of Beverast.

Track listing:
1. Intro
2. Wechselbalg
3. Blutrunst
4. Einst War Es Mal...
5. Erlkoenigs Tochter
6. Schwarze Fährte
7. Trümmer
8. Trolltraum

White abyss

Luomo - Vocalcity (2000)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Vladislav Delay - Whistleblower (2007)

Luomo's debut is a classic of abstract, hypnotic deep house. Six songs, only one of which is under 12 minutes. I wish I was cool enough to actually dance to music like this, as people somehow do, but it takes duuumb, mainstream shit to make me awkwardly shuffle around a dance floor.

Track listing:
1. Market
2. Class
3. Synkro
4. The Right Wing
5. Tessio
6. She-Center

I want everything from you
I take everything from you

Ascend - Ample Fire Within (2008)

Was working on a requested Sunn O))) post (I'll get there) when I got distracted by this one. Ascend is a duo consisting of Greg Anderson, whose projects have included Sunn O))), Goatsnake, Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine, and many others, and Gentry Densley, best known as one half of Eagle Twin. Their music is densely layered, highly dynamic, and has a disjointed, deconstructed feel that reminds me a bit of Khanate, but retains a sense of subtle beauty, even as feedback and demonic choirs threaten to decimate your speakers.

Track listing:
1. The Obelisk of Kolob
2. Ample Fire Within
3. Divine
4. V.O.G.
5. Her Horse Is Thunder
6. Dark Matter

These dreams I dream of lions
And with alarming frequency

Acrimonious - Sunyata (2012)

Majestic Greek black metal. More traditional than that strangely amateurish, yet badass album art might have you expect, but plenty mesmerizing nonetheless. The double-kick and tremolo picking are more or less relentless, keeping the intensity ramped up even throughout the numerous, extended midtempo sections, while the vocals trade off between the expected rasps and a dramatic, hoarse shout. Really, though, the fluid interplay between the two guitars is the main attraction here.

Track listing:
1. Nexus Aosoth
2. Lykania Hekate
3. Adharma
4. Glory Crowned Son of the Thousand Petalled Lotus
5. The Hollow Wedjat
6. The Sloughed Scales of Separation
7. Vitalizing the Red-Purple in Ishet-Zunumium
8. Black Kundalini

Thine twisted shape bewilders, in constant flux and swirls
And the endlessness of the ocean conceals an unseen pearl
That shall engulf the seeker, like the moth within the flame
For the caller and the called was all but the same

Boredoms - Super Roots 7 (1998)

Just a reminder that Boredoms are one of the greatest bands of all time. Super Roots 7 finds Boredoms at their most ecstatic, and was inspired by/includes musical elements of "Where Were You" by the Mekons. Joyful repetition of musical phrases as piercing feedback, digital oscillations, and other bizarre sonics come and go.

Track listing:
1. 7~ (Ewe Remix)
2. 7--> (Boriginal)
3. 7+ (Eye Remix)

Your name is limitless

George Russell - Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1969)

Two extended avant-garde jazz workouts led by American pianist George Russell, and recorded in concert in 1969 (the "1968" on the cover refers to when the pieces were written.) Anxious and dynamic, with darkly psychedelic undertones. When my brain is overworked and full of numbers, this is how I relax. Includes early performances from future ECM heavyweights Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek and Jon Christensen.

Track listing:
1. Events 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
2. Events 7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Honesty

Arizmenda - Within the Vacuum of Infinity... (2009)

Haunting, atmospheric US black metal -- specifically, from California's Black Twilight Circle. A reverb-drenched flurry of dissonant guitars, unrelenting drums, and distant howls. The essence of black metal, burnt down to its purest, most unknowable form.

Track listing:
1. Those Beaten Paths of Confusion
2. Beyond the Shadows of Emptiness and Nothingness
3. Poison Yourself... with Thought
4. The Agents of Transformation
5. Drowning in the Pain of Consciousness
6. Deny the Disease of Life

Tear you out from within

If you like this, I suspect you'll like:
Cendres - Ungeziefer (2007)

Elf Power - The Winter Is Coming (2000)

Easily my favorite record from this under-appreciated branch of the Elephant 6 collective. There's a bit of all types of psychedelia -- Eastern-influenced musical mantras ("Wings of Light"), acoustic pop ("The Winter Is Coming", "The Sun Is Forever"), heavy quasi-doom ("The Albatross"), dark alt rock ("The Skeleton"), fuzzed-out, homespun bliss ("People Underneath"), and whatever one might call the sweeping, urgent album opener, "Embrace the Crimson Tide" -- so if you don't like the sound of one track, you can be sure that the next one will be completely different.

Track listing:
1. Embrace the Crimson Tide
2. Skeleton
3. The Great Society
4. The Winter Is Coming
5. Wings of Light
6. The Sun Is Forever
7. People Underneath
8. Green Sea Days
9. The Naughty Villain
10. Leopard's Teeth
11. Birds in the Backyard
12. 10,000 Telescopes
13. The Albatross

There's no path for you to follow
Drift your way right through tomorrow
There's no need to run
No need to hide

Dusk - Örök Halálban (2009)

Epic, hypnotic Hungarian black metal. Endless tremolo picking, simplistic, nearly fill-free drumming, a touch of keyboards, high-pitched, Burzum-y screams, bare-bones production. Three songs, just under 40 minutes of dark majesty.

Track listing:
1. Egy Megszakadt Holt Lélek
2. Örök Halálban
3. A Pokol Kapuja

Eternal deathwish

Sam Rivers - Crystals (1974)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Sam Rivers - Contours (1965)

An all-out brilliant album of cacophonous free jazz and driving, discordant avant-garde jazz, with just a touch of Rivers' hard bop roots. In a career full of formidable highs, Crystals is arguably his greatest achievement.

Track listing:
1. Exultation
2. Tranquility
3. Postlude
4. Bursts
5. Orb
6. Earth Song

I'll never smile again

Carved Cross - Futile Reflections of a Failed Existence (2013)

Cult Australian depressive black metal. Draining, droning songs that slowly march towards the inevitable end through extremely murky and blown-out sound. I like how it's not just Reflections of a Failed Existence. Nah son, the reflections themselves are futile. Most people -- probably you, as it seems that my most popular posts deal with ECM or new age -- will find nothing remotely appealing about this.

Track listing:
1. False Satisfaction Springs from Empty Achievement
2. Days of Death
3. Twilight Hours Offer Little Solace
4. Futile Reflections of a Failed Existence

My goats are all corpses

Plaguewielder - Demo (2005) + Diablero - Demo Tracks (2007)

Plaguewielder and Diablero are two of many other killer Baltimore crust/metal bands that were/are huge local draws, but never managed to attract much of a following outside of their immediate area. Between two of my bands, I probably played upwards of 10 shows with Plaguewielder, and they destroyed every single time. After Plaguewielder, some of them (not sure how many, I don't know them that well and the internet provides very little info) formed Diablero, who thus far have released a single 7" -- not sure if they're still together. Both bands made/make crusty black metal -- or blackened crust -- with Plaguewielder erring on the sludgier, Dystopia-y side of things. I almost feel like I'm giving away secrets by discussing these bands on my stupid blog, but fuck it, more people should know this stuff.

Track listing:
-Plaguewielder-
1. By the Rise of the Sun
2. Imprisoned
3. From Beyond the Horizon
4. Parasite
5. Undertow
6. Release
7. Don't Answer the Phone
8. Tracks
9. Disbelieve...
-Diablero-
5 tracks. CDr with no track names provided.

Ghosts in the vacants

Ian Carr's Nucleus - Out of the Long Dark (1978)

Keeping this funky jazz ball rolling. Just discovered an unfinished draft of a post about this album from way back in April of 2013, meaning that this was supposed to be one of the very first things posted on here. It's probably a good thing that it got buried, though, as I have way more readers now. Furthermore, you wouldn't have had the joy of reading the incredible but true story of the forgotten blog post!

Track listing:
1. Gone with the Weed
2. Lady Bountiful
3. Solar Wind
4. Selina
5. Out of the Long Dark (Conception)
6. Sassy (American Girl)
7. Simply This (The Human Condition)
8. Black Ballad (Ecce Domina)
9. For Liam

Things pass

Herbie Hancock - Thrust (1974)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)

Thrust is Herbie Hancock at his funkiest, and in a discography chock full of winners, it might just be my personal favorite. Also, one of my all-time favorite album covers.

Track listing:
1. Palm Grease
2. Actual Proof
3. Butterfly
4. Spank-A-Lee

You'll know when you get here