FROM THE SWAMPS

Rippikoulu is a Finnish death-doom band that came out with two demos in the '90s, only to disappear with near-legendary status for twenty years after their guitarist passed away. In 2014, they got back together and released an EP that's pretty universally regarded as weaker than this demo. Musta Seremonia  is what earned them their place among the best of the best death-doom bands, especially because 1993 was around the time that the genre began to form, with  Anathema ,  Asphyx , and  My Dying Bride  defining it. If you're normally not one for demos because of the sound quality, don't fret. It really doesn't sound much like a demo, it's mixed and recorded surprisingly well--not amazing or anything, but not your typical "demo-quality." Somehow I have neglected to mention by now that the reason why  this thing is so legendary is how MASSIVE it is. Chugging riffs accompanied by thundering drums and brutal vocals. Also, apparently they are the fi

Bloodmoon is an up-and-coming sludge band from California. Their sound is truly unique, with elements of black metal, post-metal, and psychedelic experimentation in the mix. It's difficult to really pin down who one could compare them most to--they're equal parts Oranssi Pazuzu , Floor , and Indian . Voidbound  is only three songs long, but Bloodmoon manages to cram so much in so little time. Throughout the album, there's really never a dull moment, and it stays consistently solid. I discovered them by seeing them live a few years ago, and I was truly blown away. There's really nothing like 'em out there, so grab their album for free on Bandcamp before they blow up! Track Listing: 1. Voidbound 2. Back World 3. The Singing Flame

Nadja is a music project between husband and wife, Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff, that mixes elements of dark ambient, doom metal, drone, and shoegaze. They've put out a ton of stuff, and have pretty much stayed active since Nadja started as a solo project by Baker in 2003. Once Buckareff joined the project, their sound definitely changed, and not necessarily for the worse. It just depends on one's own personal preference, if you like shoegaze-type stuff better, their later stuff as a duo is definitely for you. If you want more of a metal sound, stick to their earlier albums . I chose to post this because A) it's one of my favorite albums, B) for some reason, ever since Touched  was reworked in 2007 by Nadja as a duo, the original 2003 version of the album is kind of hard to find online, and C) since I fell in love with Nadja via the 2003 version of this album by finding a copy of the CD in my local library a long time ago, I thought it deserves more exposure, especia

Loveliescrushing is an ambient/shoegaze project that has existed since '91. Bloweyelashwish  is an extremely underrated album, and is some of the simultaneously heaviest and most ethereal shoegaze I've ever heard. Almost all of the songs are little snapshots--super short songs that introduce a musical idea and quickly fade away before you even notice. It's really interesting, because the haziness and ethereality of the music is matched by the ethereality of the form of the album itself. Seriously, even though it sounds like an emo band, it's not. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with emo just...I don't know, just don't be turned off by the artsyness/drama of the name. This is some seriously inventive stuff; it's abrasive yet atmospheric, and violent yet gentle--as good shoegaze always is. Track Listing: 1.  babysbreath 2. teardrop 3. i want you 4. fur 5. dizzy 6. plume 7. burst 8. tinkerwech 9. charm 10. moinaexquisitewall

Little Princess was a Japanese grindcore group comprised of all women. They're really strange, even for grindcore, because in between each song on the EP they have little spoken-word sections that are supposed to be a princess party or something. One of them says the name of the song really sweetly in Japanese and in English, they go at it, and then there's a cute little applause. I think this is the only thing they ever released. It's pretty hard to find so I just kind of ripped all of these songs from Youtube and put it in a zip, so you're welcome I guess! Track Listing: 1. Carpet Man 2. Disqualified Human Being 3. Red Handkerchief 4. Shiny Diamond 5. Dried Squid With Mayonnaise And Soy Sauce 6. Debuo More Food 7. Monsieur P 8. Downstairs Neighbor Song Collection

Assück was a grindcore band that existed from 1988 to 1998. They contributed to the development of the "deathgrind" subgenre, along with bands like  Brujeria  and  Nasum . The "deathgrind" sound is defined by a somehow even higher level of technicality in the music, and as evident by the name, more of a death metal influence. Misery Index  is considered one of the best grindcore albums ever made, so if you're not into the genre, this may be an exception for you. It's so good that a band named themselves after it. Track Listing: 1. Qed 2. Salt Mine 3. Corners 4. Dataclast 5. Blight of Element 6. Talon of Dominion 7. Unrequited Blood 8. Wartorn 9. Sum and Substance 10. Riven 11. Reversing Denial 12. Lithographs 13. Intravenous 14. Moment of Failure 15. In Absence Misery Index

Velvet Cacoon was a black metal band from Portland, Oregon that heavily incorporated dark ambient elements in their music. They existed only for a short time, from 2001-2009, and during then released a few albums, including Genevieve , that helped define the then-developing subgenre "atmospheric black metal," or "ambient black metal." The "atmospheric black metal" sound varies widely from band to band, but in the case of Velvet Cacoon, they can be placed in this category based on their steady wall of hazy and cold guitars, hypnotic and ocean-like deep drones beneath the haze, as well as unusual vocals that are low in the mix, contributing more as instrument in itself rather than taking the foreground. In addition to their unique sound, they're just a couple of weird dudes. If you're interested, here's the link to an interview  they did with their label before releasing Genevieve . DXM addiction, asexuality, self-mutilation, eco-terrori

Not much is known about Dopamine, other than they were from China, and they only existed for a few years. They released one self-titled EP, and this, kind of. They didn't actually release this themselves, apparently Dying Away in the Deep Fall  is a fan-compiled collection of demos that the band recorded. Anyway, one would never have guessed that upon hearing this thing. It sounds pretty professionally done, not 'rough' at all really, and the songs definitely feel like they have cohesion. The album has a very unique sound, a mixture of math rock, post-rock, and black metal. Very forward-thinking stuff, so if you aren't into blackgaze and post-black metal, I wouldn't recommend it. I don't know though, maybe this could be an exception to the rule for you. Track Listing: 1. 水棱 2. 迷夜 Pt.1  3. 迷夜 Pt.2  4. 溶解 5. 死于深秋 Dying Away in the Deep Fall

Warhorse was a stoner/doom band from Massachusetts that broke up only a few years after their first studio album, As Heaven Turns To Ash , came out. And what a damn shame it is that they did! The whole album is heavy and slow as fuck. Pretty much exactly what you would expect from a band signed to  Southern Lord  early on in the label's career. Nothing too original or shocking, but if you love stoner metal, this will be perfect for you. Seriously some of the fattest riffs I have ever heard. If you've ever seen the meme "[slow heavy metal music playing]," " Doom's Bride " is the perfect song to imagine while looking at those silly pictures. Track Listing: 1. Dusk 2. Doom's Bride 3. Black Acid Prophecy 4. Amber Vial 5. Every Flower Dies No Matter The Thorns (Wither) 6. Lysergic Communion 7. Dawn 8. Scrape 9. ...And The Angels Begin To Weep... As Heaven Turns To Ash

Demoncy is a black metal solo project of Ixithra from Atlanta, Georgia. He was one of the first black metal projects to ever come out of the United States, along with bands like Von and Profanatica. Since Demoncy began, Ixithra has been joined by a shifting band personnel that has allowed them to tour. Faustian Dawn  is Demoncy's second demo, and it was the first one to really make waves in the scene. If you don't like Von, don't worry--it sounds nothing like them. The entirety of the demo feels cold and primitive. The vocals sound like the wailing wind, and all of the instruments blend into one singular, fuzzy, storm, chugging along in the background, not atypical for lo-fi black metal. However, Faustian Dawn  pretty much pioneered U.S. bands using this style, and came very early in the genre's formation even compared to their European counterparts. So yeah, even if you're not so into the whole 'lo-fi' black metal thing, I would still recommend the