Yep, the band’s name is Lesbian. Why? Well, equally cool names like Black Sabbath, Venom and Pentagram were already taken. But also, the name Lesbian evokes pure, sexually charged freedom - and that’s what rock music is all about. But enough about the name, let’s talk about the Lesbian sound; it’s heavy, melodic, dramatic and dynamic. The Seattle-based quartet’s multifaceted debut album Power Hör on Holy Mountain Records heralds the birth of The New Wave of American Psychedelic Metal. Each of the album’s four tracks shifts moods, dynamics and styles. In any given song, Lesbian deftly lunges from black metal-style blast-beat-and-16th-note-guitar-lines into ’70s styled stoner rock riffing and then leaps into lush melodic passages reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The band blends the best elements of many styles of metal: doom, thrash, black, progressive and, yes, even good old “heavy” metal. 

  Lesbian was formed on a whim in April 2004 by members of Pacific Northwest thunder-sludge bands Golgothan Sunrise, Asva and The Abodox for a one-off set at Seattle’s Funhouse. The response was so overwhelming that guitarists Arran McInnis and Daniel La Rochelle, bassist/vocalist Dorando Hodous and drummer Benjamin Kennedy decided to continue on with Lesbian as their primary focus. The band’s riffs are dissected and cut into vivid and imaginative parts that splinter and shift in shades of light and dark without coming across overly-technical and soulless. The cinematic quality of Power Hör envelops a vast array of moods and ideas. It’s entrancing and psychedelic while utterly pummeling at the same time.

SardoniS are a two man aural demolition crew from Belgium whose musical output encompass the pure, unadulterated brutality of High On Fire, the atmosphere of 5ive and the vintage swing n’ groove of early Black Sabbath. A throwback to stoney, blown-speaker Doom of that golden Man’s Ruin Records era but with a magic all their own.

The band was formed in the summer of 2006. They’ve released a 4 song EP on September 1st, 2008 and their debut was released on April 6th, 2010 in courtesy of MeteorCity Records.

Unholy fuck…stop whatever you are doing, and check out this gnarly band from Belgium called SEVERE. These filthy humans play blackened punk the way it’s supposed to be done: no holds barred rancid chaos from end to end! Every untitled song on this record has been stamped by the mark of the beast. SEVERE creates a violent atmosphere with their sound that has me hooked like it was the most addictive drug on the planet. More than anything, these guys are pretty epic songwriters, penning their tunes like subhuman gutter dwellers. Under all of the stench that their riffs kick up, your can’t escape their charbroiled melody. If I had to compare music to food, it would be burned vulture meat topped off with a unhealthy dose of maggots. Don’t get me wrong – if you like disturbed blackened punk, you’ll dig what this band is serving. What impresses me about this band is the way that at certain times it almost feels like you have entered a chamber of doom. The vocalist for this band has a demon tongue; his delivery is raw and uncut torment. I’m not sure what song I’ll choose, but I do know for sure SEVERE has earned a spot on the next volume of Blackened Everything