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

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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

ANOINTING THE SICK ~ Sludge Dirty 30 Volume 4

 The first playlist of 2025 is armed and ready to be downloaded. It's non-curated so there's over 2 hours of the (im)purest sludge to dissect and consume.

~ Embrace The Sickness ~

The Abominable Iron Sloth / Bardo / Canyon Of The Crescent Moon / Darkmysticwoods / Egeria / Fange / Garadama / Hairy Mary Caterpillar / Icos / James Brown Gang / Kantamus / Lahius / Magnolia / Nautilus / Obsidian Sword / Path Of Might / Rain / Sadhus The Smoking Community / Taser / Ulme / Vails / Wall / Yore / Zozobra / Abrams / Bardus / Caphre / Darqo / Eibon / Fattura Della Morte

FREE DOWNLOAD

Tria Prima ~ Three Primes of Alchemy (2025)

 

BIO

The band was created in September 2024 in the city of Zhitomir(Ukraine) by members of various other famous Ukrainian projects(ex-Drudkh, ex-Lucifugum, ex-Blood of Kingu, Lutomysl, Bestial Invasion, Cosmic Jaguar and Violent Omen). The band's style is characterised as Death Metal with elements of Doom and Dungeon Synth. The main concept and theme of the band is alchemy and its different forms. In a short time the band recorded a 4 song mini album ‘Three Primes of Alchemy’ and shot a music video for the song Solar Sulfur with guest vocalist Anira. The band is currently working on a new full-length album, which they plan to release in the second half of 2025.

MY THOUGHTS

Ukrainian Alchemists Tria Prima blend death, thrash and doom metal stirred by the use of keyboards and symphonic harmonies into a punishing brew of raging riffs starting with the opening track 'Solar Sulfur' which begins in grandiose, operatic fashion before brutality is unleashed with a devastating death/thrash fury. The use of keyboards particularly during the more death/doom sections of the album adds a creepy dynamism studded with blistering solos and the excellent production ensures that the symphonic elements adds an extra tasty layer rather than dull the overall crunch of the guitar.

Based on the excellent quality of this 'Mini Album' I'm really looking forward to what the band has in store later this year with the release of their full length album.