The Lovecraft Sextet – Miserere (Denovali)

Dark jazz and doom jazz are terms that have been thrown around pretty much since the start of the Twin Peaks TV series, along with its legendary soundtrack. There have been many attempts at emulating the mood and vibe of the original sound, but few innovators. With the Lovecraft Sextet, however, it doesn’t get any more doomier than that. While listening to Miserere, their third opus, I couldn’t get it out of my mind that this album is actually a doom metal album played by a jazz quartet. While the Twin Peaks fascination is still present in various ways, the addition of harsh vocals and the minimalism—if not absence—of jazz lexicon make it difficult to treat it like a proper jazz album. It isn’t. Nonetheless, it’s a great album that sets up an incredibly moody, slow, doomed atmosphere that should prove a success on Halloween night (and any other time of year, really)!

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Black Math Horseman – Black Math Horseman (Profound Lore)

Bandcamp page

I must admit, it’s my first BMH album. Indeed, I missed their 2009 debut, but I’m totally here for their 2022 self-titled! Though a short affair, at only twenty-six minutes in length, it’s a good one. The four tracks on display take their ample time to set the mood, repeating chords and riffs to strengthen and elevate them, transforming them into incredibly powerful anthems. The “psychedelic” aspect of their sound comes out through not only this repetition of motives, but also the guitars and vocals, drenched in a variety of distortions and effects. Watch out for the EP’s release on October 21!

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HC Behrendtsen – HC Behrendtsen (Schatulle Bömm)

I’m so down for this! Noisy, experimentalish instrumental math rock that oozes of Yowie, Schnellertollermeier, Doom Shrugs and other similar names. Yes, yes, and yes! Give me all the weird chords, polyrhythms, and non-diatonic melodies you’ve got, brother! I take ’em all! That album is purposefully made for those who want more math in their math rock, and less twinkle.

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Phantom Spell – Immortal’s Requiem (Wizard Tower)

You know how about a decade ago there’s been a sort of revival of NWOBHM bands, or retro-classic rock if you will? Do you remember Dawnbringer? Well, that was one of them. Since then, the trend somewhat fazed out, but Phantom Spell is here to keep the flame alive! Upon listening to Immortal’s Requiem, I had the feeling of listening to a band blending classic rock with a tinge of progressive rock, fronted by the singer of a Styx cover band. The music has that late seventies to mid-eighties nostalgia with modern production, and the comparison to Styx was not there to throw any shade, the vocal performance is on point! That’s a really fun and memorable record!