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      I’ve been listening to a lot of doom, a broad and accessible sub-genre. Its history is intertwined with high fantasy and cosmic horror. Many bands rely on associated tropes as gimmicks, but few embrace these themes better than a frog and a wizard.       Bog Wizard’s album, From the Mire, is a recent favorite. I first chose this album because of its Seussian artwork by Alistair Stro. It depicts a lichen wizard, half-eaten by the bog in which it presumably lives.

      Panic, surrounding a popular tabletop RPG starts the album, sampling news reports. The second track, “Submission in Defiance,” consists of melodic vocal lines and fuzzy riffage. This song perfectly channels classic doom.

      The album’s third track is an ode to the mythical “Tarrasque,” a spiny, primordial beast, capable of regeneration. Slow and steady, the song progresses from haunting, layered vocals to punkish shrieking. Deep bass and fuzzy guitars fade into one another until the track mercifully ends. After a calming recovery by campfire and a stern warning from the bog, another beast emerges: “Swamp Golem.”

      This song, with its catchy riff and unique bass thump, is an immediate ear-worm. Its vocals are monstrously thick and reverberated, as if belted from a golem. After some heavy jamming, spectral vocals break to finish this memorable album.

      From the Mire is an original album, blending elements of doom, stoner and progressive metal, psychedelic rock and fantasy. It even features a didgeridoo. Every track is worth listening to, in addition to these samples of the band’s sound, particularly the instrumental, “Gnarled Cane,” and the epic, “City in the Mountain.” Reborn after 10,000 years, a kaiju-like frog emerges from his swamp. Angry at human society, he seeks to restore balance to the natural world by violent means. Stifled by military efforts, however, he takes refuge, before returning to battle. After recovering to defeat the forces of humankind, Froglord, atop his toadstool, watches a scarred planet heal.

      This story is told through the album, Amphibian Ascending, by the artwork, music and a volume of frog lore, online. Froglord, originally a one-man-band from Bristol, UK, fully embraces the character and its principles, which align with the artist’s. Often joined by and collaborating with other musicians, both live and in recordings, Froglord is just as dedicated to making music as he is to his persona.

      I admittedly chose to listen to this album because of art by Steven Yoyada. A faded background surrounds a giant frog, praised by who appear to be the cult of Froglord. The album opens with a heavy track, “Judgment,” featuring harsh vocals and sludgy riffs. This song’s lyrics recount Froglord’s awakening and judgment of modern civilization. Relevant samples detail the song and, for that matter, the album from this track on.

      For instance, the album’s third track, “Pesticide,” opens with another sample. This song is much like the first. It follows a similar structure, with more emphasis on melody and bass. It features a heavy guitar solo and, overall, delves into more extreme influences.

      The album’s title track, “Amphibian Ascending” is a head-nodder. A simple bassline and whispered vocals enter a sludgy progression. A plucking melody becomes a fuzzy breakdown, accompanied by subtle sampling to finish the song. After Froglord’s recovery and victory over the humans, he’s left with his followers and an awesome, full-length album. Amphibian Ascending is full of sludgier doom and ‘90’s groove.

      Froglord’s work is never done though. With his pious congregation, Froglord ventures into a forbidden bog, heavily guarded by an angry hermit.

      Bog Wizard vs Froglord: A Frog in the Bog is a collaborative concept between the two namesakes. Each half of this album tells of their fateful meeting from each perspective. The split features artwork by Benjamin Blåholtz, reminiscent of retro video games. A pixelated frog struggles to escape a mysterious bog, while a furious wizard raves in the background. After a long, heavy introductory track, “Reptilian Death Squad,” Bog Wizard confronts Froglord in “The Frog Lord,” featuring vocals from the mystic toad, himself. This song is intense, utilizing spacey synthesizers and dramatic instrumentality to carry one measure to the next. The lyrics are fun and aren’t too serious, considering the subject matter.

      Finally, Froglord finishes the album and his fight with Bog Wizard by urging his foe to recognize their equal power. Musically, this song is groovy, catchy and sludgy. It’s unique and theatrical, perfectly ending a fantastic battle between magical forces.

      So, the wizard and the frog, united in smoke, doom the world. Their split album, A Frog in the Bog, is promising. Each individual, respective album, From the Mire and Amphibian Ascending, is worth listening to all the way through. Playlist: “Submission in Defiance” – Bog Wizard

“Tarrasque” – Bog Wizard

“Swamp Golem” – Bog Wizard

“Judgment” – Froglord

“Pesticide” – Froglord

“Amphibian Ascending” – Froglord

“The Frog Lord (feat. Froglord)” – Bog Wizard

“The Bog Wizard (feat. Bog Wizard)” – Froglord -DefCuttlefish

“Submission in Defiance” – Bog Wizard “Tarrasque” – Bog Wizard “Swamp Golem” – Bog Wizard “Judgment” – Froglord “Pesticide” – Froglord “Amphibian Ascending” – Froglord “The Froglord” – Bog Wizard “The Bog Wizard” – Froglord “Torquemada 71” – Electric Wizard “Barbaria” – Bog Wizard “Devoid of Redemption” – Pallbearer “Miasmic Purple Smoke” – Bog Wizard “The Horned Goddess” – The Sword “The Void Beckons” – Bog Wizard “WIZARD” – Castle Rat “Career Opportunities” – Dust Lord “Dragonaut” – Sleep “Death’s Door” – Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats “Seer” – Witch “Machine Cult” – Dust Lord “Iron Effigy” – Dust Lord “Laser Witch” – Dust Lord “Forever My Queen” – Pentagram “Sabbra Cadabra” – Black Sabbath “Unmask the Spectre” – YOB “Asigmatism” – Dust Lord “Gilded Ruins “ – Dust Lord “The Bastard Son” – Monolord “Bedouin’s Vigil” – OM

There’s always metal I haven’t heard, a band or album that I haven’t listened to enough or completely ignored. I have no reason to neglect this band for as long as I have. I love morbid, surreal art, grindcore and death metal.

So, I decided to listen to Cattle Decapitation, starting with the contents of Decade of Decapitation, a box set released by Metal Blade Records in 2014. This set includes the band’s first, five, studio albums under the label. I listened to each in chronological order: To Serve Man, Humanure, Karma.Bloody.Karma, The Harvest Floor and Monolith of Inhumanity.

Cattle Decapitation’s first album with Metal Blade, To Serve Man, is campy, clever and chaotic. The cover art, by revered artist, Wes Benscoter, looks like a poster for a horror movie. The album’s title and most of the songs feature horrific references and humorous wordplay.

Musically, To Serve Man consists of bits and pieces of grindcore, death, black and thrash metal. For example, while the first track, “Testicular Manslaughter,” combines elements of early grind and classic death metal, the curiously named “Long-Pig Chef and the Hairless Goat” implements more metal. The song’s riffs are especially black and thrashy. Further, “Chunk Blower” is melodic, even somewhat symphonic, with the addition of orchestral instrumentation.

This album’s clear and concise production emulates that of rougher ‘80’s and ‘90’s grindcore with a lack of pitch-shifting and similar effects. Boosted bass and fuller drums could’ve benefited the mix. A lower-ended tone may have added more weight to heavy riffs. This album’s potential only builds anticipation for the band’s next. Considering its raw production and a more noticeable lack of down-tuned guitars, every artist on record sounds capable of innovation.

To Serve Man is an interesting album with more to dissect after every listen, and, at only a little over thirty minutes in length, it’s short enough to play through almost any time. Cattle Decapitation filled every second with grinding metal.

Playlist:

“Cattle Mutilation” – The Locust “Testicular Manslaughter” – Cattle Decapitation “Dead“ – Napalm Death “Long-Pig Chef and the Hairless Goat” – Cattle Decapitation “Gasping for Air“ – Autopsy “Chunk Blower” – Cattle Decapitation “Reek of Putrefaction” – Carcass

Since witnessing the wizard befriend the frog, I listened to this band’s discography again. Bog Wizard didn’t disappoint. Favoring their debut album, From the Mire, I chose similar music.

Miasmic Purple Smoke, Bog Wizard’s second, studio album, is much like the band’s first. The cover art, again, by Alistair Stro, is vibrant, featuring various creatures, similar to From the Mire’s lich, made of purple smoke.

Musically, the album is slow and heavy, trippy and foreboding. At around forty minutes in length, it’s full of long, climactic tracks.

“Barbaria” is slow and groovy with an infectious bassline and low, fried vocals. The song plods along, lead by heavy riffs and a thematic progression. For over eight minutes, the band pays tribute to imagination, jamming and venting personal frustrations through fantasy.

The title track, “Miasmic Purple Smoke,” features bluesy riffs, jazzy, swing drumming and higher, much cleaner vocals. This song differs from the rest of the album, recalling early doom and implementing stylistic changes to the band’s sound.

The final track, “The Void Beckons,” returns some subtlety, gradually dragging listeners into an audible, black hole. Steady, rhythmic drums march alongside a fuzzy bass and low, distorted guitar. In fades a spacey synth, which Bog Wizard makes the most of. Simple instrumentation compounds over twelve minutes, making this the longest song on the album and a grand finale.

Seemingly more atmospheric and polished than From the Mire, production remains raw and human, yet, at the same time, it’s balanced and rich. Beyond comparisons, it possesses its own character.

Bog Wizard is at its best when the band seems to be having fun and this album sounds to have been fun to write and record. Fun is contagious and this album is certainly fun to listen to. Miasmic Purple Smoke further endears Bog Wizard as a band of interest.

Skipping ahead, I imagine the wizard, traversing a dark, dusty domain. A new threat awaits behind shadows. Alternatively, a lord of dust trespasses the wizard’s bog, angering the already mad hermit. Whichever hypothetical scenario comes to mind, Bog Wizard meets Dust Lord on a colorfully decorated split album. Its cover art is textured and busy. Marinko Milosevski’s work depicts an ethereal hand reaching from a portal for a silhouetted adventurer on horseback.

Four Tales of the Strange: Bog Wizard vs Dust Lord samples songs by both bands. Each contributes two songs to the album’s four-track total. Although the album consists of only four tracks, each one, excluding the first, is around ten minutes long.

“Career Opportunities,” Dust Lord’s second track, presents harsh tones and a monstrous riff. The song is mostly instrumental until the last, few minutes, when the band jams at a faster pace and with more melody.

True to the band’s themes, Bog Wizard’s second track, “Gelatinous Cube” is another song about a tabletop creature. It’s a heavy ear-worm, driven by a catchy riff and primal, vocal melodies. Clean guitars break distorted repetition in a calm bridge to intensified, heavier riffs.

Together, Bog Wizard and Dust Lord compliment each other’s music. Individually, each band earnestly claims space in metal with plenty of room to grow. Four Tales of the Strange merely teases these bands’ potential.

Dust Lord’s contributions to the split album merited attention. At the very least, Dust Lord deserved a deeper dissection. So, I also listened to this band’s debut album.

Dust Lord’s first, studio album, Machine Cult, is full of riff worship. Timeless melodies, vintage tones and expressive guitar solos pervade every track. The album’s organic production, loud guitars, thick bass and punchy drums give Dust Lord a gritty, metallic, “garage” sound. With retro cover art, depicting a silhouetted woman beside a motorcycle, Machine Cult is what it is.

The album’s first track, “Laser Witch,” embraces stoner and desert rock. Vocals are rasped over bluesy riffs with full bass and commanding drums. The album’s title track, “Machine Cult,” is sludgy and slow and steadies the album’s pace. This song dooms. Finally, “Iron Effigy” sounds like a song from the 1970’s. Full of feedback, low guitars and swinging rhythm, this track exemplifies the album’s sound.

Machine Cult echoes early metal and classic, psychedelic rock. As a debut, this album is full of potential. Dust Lord’s heartful riffing and unapologetic channeling of influences merit Machine Cult a replay.

Because I honestly wanted to hear more Dust Lord and can’t resist cover art, I listened to one more album. This one is decorated with comic-book style artwork.

A dystopian rogue wanders a deserted wasteland where only buzzards survive to swarm cloudless skies. Thomas Self’s cover art perfectly pairs with Dust Lord’s sophomore album, Teethcutter. This album is crustier, sludgier and more original than their first album, Machine Cult. Its sample-laden production is cleaner and louder, while sounding just as authentic as Machine Cult. The album’s title track, Teethcutter,” starts fast before wailing vocals overlay a slower, repeating riff. Epic harmony, feedback and fuzz breaks the repetition. The album’s next track, “Astigmatism,” features upbeat rock ‘n’ roll. A psychedelic guitar solo leads abrasive riffs to their final notes. “Gilded Ruins” sounds like it could’ve been written in the 1970’s or 80’s. The song is instrumentally well-composed. It alternates between classic metal and noisy sludge, gradually slowing to a heavy end.

With a second album, Dust Lord cultivated originality from old-fashioned doom, sludge and stoner rock. Teethcutter emphasizes the band’s gnarly riffs and rolling, pounding rhythm. The album is fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The wizard casts a spell. Miasmic Purple Smoke engulfs listeners, compelling regular rotation. As the wizard meets a powerful foe, Four Tales of the Strange: Bog Wizard vs Dust Lord offers glimpses of each band. This album’s tracks are long, slow and heavy - excellent doom. Dust Lord takes a nostaliga trip through the band’s debut album, Machine Cult, and lands in a desert with its second, Teethcutter. Albums like these help keep metal alive and I look forward to hearing more.

Playlist:

“Torquemada 71“ - Electric Wizard “Barbaria“ - Bog Wizard “Devoid of Redemption” - Pallbearer “Miasmic Purple Smoke“ - Bog Wizard “Horned Goddess“ - The Sword “The Void Beckons“ - Bog Wizard “WIZARD” – Castle Rat “Career Opportunities” – Dust Lord “Dragonaut” - Sleep “Gelatinous Cube” – Bog Wizard “Death’s Door“ - Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats “Laser Witch“ - Dust Lord “Seer“ - Witch “Machine Cult” – Dust Lord “Forever My Queen“ - Pentagram “Iron Effigy” – Dust Lord “Sabbra Cadabra” – Black Sabbath “Astigmatism” – Dust Lord “Unmask the Spectre“ - YOB “Teethcutter” – Dust Lord “Bedouin’s Vigil” - Om “Gilded Ruins“ - Dust Lord “The Bastard Son” - Monolord