#dronetember

Here at Doom and Dead, we shine a spotlight on small-time doom, drone, and psych acts that deserve more attention. So many fantastic drone metal releases came out this month that we’re hereby dubbing it Drone-tember.

First up is ten minutes of dismal drone devotion from Toronto electrodoom act, Acid Fink. AF’s Bandcamp page says, “I'm a space punk//High on space junk,” and honestly, that sums up everything you need to know about Acid Fink’s sound. Put on your diving helmet and hit play as we slip below the surface of this feedback architect’s latest single, Igopogo. 

The tracks draws its inspiration from the mythical creature said to inhabit Ontario’s Lake Simcoe. You’ll be enveloped in a lake of distortion, the current drawing you ever deeper into the unknown. Time and space warp as we encounter the monstrous and the uncanny and the bathypelagic zone. If you want to find out what lurks in the blackness, you’ll have to dip your toes in and find out for yourself.

If this brand of amp worship gets your swim bladder sizzling, then I recommend paddling over to Mizarians, Acid Fink’s 2024 collab with TrailOfGhosts. 

Next up is a ponderous parcel of ambient drone/funeral blues from Rome’s own Serpico. His track On The Road To Botany Bay is a full dose of forlorn fuzz flavored with sarsaparilla and sagebrush. Fans of Dylan Carlson and the old West take heed: This doom metal dirge leaves just a liiiiiittle bit of desert sand in your boots.

Sadly, this single will have to tide us over until Serpico is ready to saddle up his forthcoming album, The Tombstone Cowboy. 

I've sung the praises of Buddhist sludge master Dhyana before. Every one of his albums feels like a complete meditation, a detailed and unique statement. Mu is no exception. Every note is considered and deliberate, but make no mistake -- this is drone is HEAVY. You'll be entranced from the first not to the last.

If you haven't experienced a Dhyana album before, there's no time like the present.

Our final recommendation this month is a collab between Brazilian psych-smiths Mábura and Lagarto Rei. Their newest two-song EP, Abyssopelagic, has been seven years in the making, and features two drum kits, percussion, synthesizers, bass, and guitars. As the title suggests, this instrumental offering is meant to be an “intentional plunge into the deepest, heaviest sonic layers experienced so far.” The first track is nearly 15 minutes of dark, droning psychedelia. Those double drum kits leave their mark in the swirling atmosphere. Layers of instrumentation float in, only to descend into the void. The artists have crafted a dynamic drone that grows denser as we sink into it. 

The second track, Abysso, leaves melody behind and slips down into an experimental realm. The track toys with weight here, paradoxically getting heavier as it settles into to stillness. 

If you’re feeling the psychedelic drones of Abyssopelagic but prefer a melodic groove, then the previous collab from these artists, Epipelagic, is the perfect life ring to grab onto.