Ba'al

Another monthly playlist from the Ba’al stringsmen, with some words on what we’ve been listening to of late and a handy Spotify playlist to listen to. Dive in.

Nick – Guitar

SUMAC – World of Light

Takes some real cojones to start an album with a 25 minute track that’s mostly drone, noise and feedback. Not that SUMAC are particularly radio friendly. But still, once you settle in it’s a predictably great album full of frenetic dischord and occasional beauty.

VOLA – Break My Lying Tongue

I’ve only ever pre-ordered maybe 5 albums in my whole life and Friend of a Phantom is now one of them, such is my anticipation of it. Vola have thus far dropped two songs from the album and both of which were actually growers for me but they’re both on regular rotation these days. For me there’s not many other prog-metal bands around that can write such catchy tracks that don’t compromise on grit or experimentation.

Voice of Baceprot – God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music

I remember this band making headlines a while back for a number of covers they uploaded on social media (and also for being an Indonesian all-female Hijab-wearing Muslim band in their early teens, not the likeliest description for a metal band it’s been frequently said). I recently re-discovered them after seeing they played Glastonbury this year and listened to their debut album of original tracks. I don’t think it needs saying but the old “don’t judge a book by its cover” adage feels very pertinent here. Their success and acclaim would be entirely warranted regardless of their background, old school riffs galore!

Spirit Possession – Inhale the Hovering Keys

Absolutely PYSCHED/STOKED/JAZZED that these have been announced for next year’s Fortress Festival. They’ve seemingly appeared out of nowhere to rapid success but in fairness, Of the Sign… from last year was one of 2023’s best. Deranged black metal with hints of old school speed/thrash metal cranked up waaaay past 11. They will certainly blow away any Scarborough-based cobwebs I’m sure.

Rush – Fly by Night

There’s something unnerving about the Owl’s expression, its piercing eyes really caused me mild distress when I first saw them at a young age. Whenever I see the “the owls are not what they seem” graffiti it always reminds me of this album cover. But I digress, a great track from an often underrated Rush album I feel.

Richard – Bass

Patricia Taxxon – Frat Claws (this one’s not on Spotify so check it out here)

A new name to me, whose album Bicycle has shot right up amongst my favourites of the year so far – and she has about 27,000,000 other albums to dive into, which is nice. Interesting, varied IDM that’s just all vibes.

Cold Body Radiation – Make Believe

Even back in 2011 when the blackgaze explosion was barely starting, CBR had their niche nicely cornered by committing fully to unashamed, fuzzy and melodic shoegaze alongside their black metal element, rather than trying to smash them together. Great stuff.

Bring Me the Horizon – YOUtopia

I am one of those rare 30-somethings who never had a pop punk phase to speak of at all, and yet such is my love of modern BMTH’s huge, over-the-top and hyperactive production style that even most of the tracks on their new album that verge far into that terrain are bangers to me. Is Post Human: NeX Gen a schizophrenic clusterfuck of an album? Yes, certainly. Does it contain some absolute verified slammers that I rate amongst the best that Bring Me have ever penned? Yes, without doubt.

Infant Island – Veil

I have Nick to thank for alerting me to these guys and their fantastic new album. Blending post metal, black metal, shoegaze and emo screamo with incredible finesse, Obsidian Wreath is one of those albums that goes for your emotions and your neck muscles with equal vigour.

Charli XCX – Von Dutch

Okay, yeah, sure. Blastbeats, screaming, riffs, breakdowns, sad chord progressions – they’re all well and good. Unfortunately for any of the Trve Kvlt brigade reading, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still Brat Summer, and even if only me and Nick celebrate it on this site, that just means that we’re your number one and it’s okay for everyone else to admit that they’re jealous of us (POUNDING KICK DRUMS INTENSIFY).

Chris – Guitar

Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel

I got to see Janelle (who I have been a fan of for a while now) live this month and it was honestly incredible – a huge, life-affirming celebration of queerness and creativity and just having a very nice time, from an artist who is indisputably one of the best popstars in the world today. This was a highlight of the setlist, and so good that I even let her off for only playing the lead guitar part for about 30 seconds before the stagehands took it off her.

Inherits the Void – The Orchard of Grief

Don’t let the 90s fantasy novel cover art fool you, this is… exactly what you’d expect to hear from an album with that artwork, tbh. Like Stormkeep’s Tales of Othertime before it, this album continues the trend of “blue fantasy artwork with an ambiguous wizard in the bottom left corner = absolute banger of a melodic/atmospheric black metal album”.

Modern Technology – Dead Air

I always love to see bands who fuck with the established setup of what a heavy band “should” be, so this was a welcome discovery – two blokes, one with a drumkit, the other with a bass and some nasty vocal chords, shouting very loudly at you about how society (and the planet) is very, very fucked.

Thaehan – Peaceful Village

At completely the other end of the spectrum from my previous pick is this, a little lo-fi hip-hop track with a medieval/fantasy feel that does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s been a very stressful month, and in times like these, sometimes I just want to listen to soothing beats and synths and picture myself in a Ghibli movie.

Twilight Force – At The Heart of Wintervale

Look, sometimes you just need to eat an incredibly cheesy pizza. You know the kind – three (maybe four) cheeses on top, double all of them, cheese stuffed crust, perhaps a sprinkling of finest parmigiano atop the whole monstrous creation. A lactose intolerant’s worst nightmare. Twilight Force are the musical equivalent of that pizza, and I would like another slice, please.