BLIND MESS ~ The Storm Within (2025)

 Modern sounding stoner with attitude foregoing traditional  fuzz, instead fuelled from a high octane QOTSA like power source. With 'The Storm Within' Blind Mess has effectively blended delightful melodies with prominent punk angst wrapped in tight metallic riffs swept along on a wave of good 'ol gutsy Rock n Roll.

ANOINTING THE SICK #239 ~ Messianic Mayhem

Hallelujah! The Anointing The Sick show is back! Starting with a crust / punk classic and ending with a dose of pummelling sludge. I haven't done a label feature in a while so this week a spotlight falls on Drowning In Chaos Records with three brutal death and black metal bands from that stable  Cryptic Process, Fadeaux and Obsidyen. Recent releases that you really should be checking out are by Beware Of Gods, Blind Mess, Spiral Guru and Madmess. 

~Embrace The Sickness ~

Doom

Spiral Guru

Emperors Lair

Cathode ULT

Cryptic Process

Fardeaux

Obsidyen

Aggression

Sun Of Grey

Beware Of Gods

Blind Mess

Madmess

The Chris Rolling Squad

I Bleed Lava

Inherus

Drawers

Wolves Carry My Name

DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW HERE

 

TURTLE SKULL ~ Being Here (2025)

 

BIO ~ Turtle Skull are a four-piece from the Australian East Coast serving a monolithic dose of psych-doom- pop. They’ve honed an experiential blend of warm melodies and ethereal vocal harmonies over cell-bursting riffs, motorik beats, and warbling drone. 

With Being Here, Turtle Skull have evolved. A new lineup. A fresh approach. A leap forward. While the album builds on the sonic foundations of 2020’s Monoliths, it’s a different beast. Still hefty and considered but more immediate. Made for the moment. A record that values gut instinct over perfection.

Tracked live at NoWave in Mullumbimby, with a paired-back approach to studio tweaking, Being Here captures that ‘lightning in a bottle’ energy that happens when a band fully locks in. New member Ally Gradon’s synths inject fresh energy, swirling around meaty riffs and driving rhythms. It’s expansive yet raw, drawing from the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Idles and Cause Sui with a nod to the cinematic sprawl of Spiritualized and The Flaming Lips. A heavy, heady blend of melody and atmosphere.

'Being Here' was much more about good songs that we had freshly written being captured live in the moment" says Gradon. "No click, no excessive layering, no studio trickery. The only thing that wasn’t captured live was the vocals. Choosing to self-produce and mix the album gave us the chance to preserve our initial vision, even if it nearly did kill me."

The album puts a spotlight on songwriting, covering weighty subject matter, from the life-force drain of social media to the relentless march of time. But it does so with a call to stay connected, empathetic and grounded. In this way, Being Here isn’t just an album title. It’s a philosophy. A mantra. A demand to be fully present, to embrace the chaos, the beauty, the weight of it all.

THE NEW ALBUM 'Being Here'  ~ A new album of psych rock with a new line up featuring Ally Gradon on synth. Being Here is a peppery mix of 60's sounding pop rock and grainy acid suffused heavy psych. Vocal harmonies are lush and syrupy sounding similar to something The Mamas & The Papas would produce, not normally my cup of tea but with a burbling bass line laying the groundwork for edgy shoegaze fuzz a la Bardo Pond at their most caustic, I found Being Here to be a totally immersive experience. ~ Steve (Anointing The Sick Metal Blog)

ANOINTING THE SICK ~ Planetology

 

Go planet hopping courtesy of The Anointing The Sick Metal Blog with its latest non curated fun themed playlist. Due to the subject matter expect more heavy psych jams than usual.

~Embrace The Sickness~

Pools Of Mercury / Venus Blue / Barren Earth / Mars / Jupiter / High Priest Of Saturn / Destroy Uranus / Neptune Is Dead / 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

ANOINTING THE SICK #238 ~ Heavy Metal Shokk Treatment

 The latest Anointing The Sick Show is here to delight and scare you in equal measure. Opening with a monster doom track from Morpholith and closing with obscure sludgsters Shaitan. Inbetween there are tracks from albums that have made an impression on the blog so far this year from Kiritsis, Tria Prima, Beholder, Nomadic Rituals and Burden Of Despair plus killer albums from last year you may have missed.

~Embrace The Sickness ~

Morpholith                           Bandcamp NYP

Mr Bison                              #2 Feb '24 Doom Charts

Contortion

The Obsessed                       #4 Feb '24 Doom Charts

Witchorious                          #5 Feb '24 Doom Charts

Punks Of The Empire

Sundrifter                             #1 Feb '24 Doom Charts

Smoke

Kiritsis

Tria Prima

Beholder

Nomadic Rituals

Burden Of Despair

Silent Obsession

Doomsday Sun

Shaitan

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW

BURDEN OF DESPAIR ~ Confutatis (2025)

Well, if I didn't know I had a brain, I do now because its just seeped out of my ears halfway through 'Confutatis' the debut full length from Japanese band Burden Of Despair. This is doom/sludge/death of the highest and unbelievably heaviest calibre. 

I love the fact that Japanese doom often mixes hints of stoner and psychedelia within its dirges but with 'Confutatis' Burden Of Despair has swept away any hint of branching out into slightly calmer aural pastures. Calamitous riffs of Uranium groove dominate your senses from the funereal lament of the opening track 'Slaughterfaith' all the way through to the deathlike hardcore tinged stomp of the final song 'Godforsaken.'. The unstoppable doom death dissonance ripping right through the blackened heart of 'Confutatis' adds chaos to the burgeoning mix and a menacing vocal delivery heightens the sense of foreboding.

An absolutely pulverizing release. An Event Horizon. The point of no return.

Behölder ~ In the Temple of the Tyrant (2025)

 BIO 

Behölder was formed in late 2021 by guitarist Carlos Alvarez (Shadowdance, ex-Power Theory), a lifelong fan of both D&D and old-school doom metal. It seemed only natural for him to fulfill his long-standing vision of bringing the two worlds together musically, but opportunity was ever elusive. When inspiration and timing aligned as his former band went on hiatus, he quickly composed nine songs. However, the project truly came to life when vocalist John Yelland of US power metal band Judicator joined in late 2022. With a powerful and theatrical voice, ranging from grandiose to truly sinister, he was the perfect choice to bring life to the stories being crafted.

Guitarist Matt Hodsdon soon joined the duo, followed by drummer Andrew Julkowski, both from progressive metal band Chaos Frame. As recording commenced in November 2023, bassist Michael “Oneirous” Sanchez (King Ov Worms, ex-Judicator) joined in early 2024, completing the lineup. With the band assembled, so too was their debut album, In the Temple of the Tyrant.

My thoughts on this fine album ~ A hugely impressive debut full length from Behölder. 'In The Temple Of The Tyrant' is inspired by the epic mythology of the likes of Dungeons & Dragons but this album explores deeper more arcane, subterranean levels with a devilish foundation of Candlemass like doom interwoven with the cutting edge and theatrics of classic power metal. Spells are cast and dragons are slain as the multitude of riffs and solos vie for battle honours glorified by the vocals of John Yelland resonating in triumph.

With 'In The Temple Of The Tyrant' Behölder has conjured up a potion of such spellbinding heavy metal alchemy that this first chapter will surely not be the last.

For fans of Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Sorcerer, Memento Mori Etc