Lo-Pan
Salvador
Small Stone

Hot off last year’s remixed and remastered Sasquanaut, Lo-Pan waste very little time dropping a pulsing crate of new songs right on to the collective heads of the Small Stone/stoner rock faithful. That crate, ever heavy and dangerous, is stamped Salvador (go ahead, smile at the cover’s clever rebus), and as best as I can tell was a wartime leftover that once contained a shitload of trinitrotoluene. But like a bunch of fearless jackals, the Ohio quartet have gone and pilfered all that TNT, wrapped it in the blood and crust of last night’s good times, repacked it in atomic dust, and sealed it with a fist. Its demolishing power is off the charts. Its explosive energy knows no limits. Its massive, mind-fuck aplomb is cerebral, not dumb, and the band practically urges us to embrace Salvador‘s surreal shock. I mean, there’s gotta be a reason “Intro” is the sixth song in, right? Anyway, what Lo-Pan does, quite obviously, is destroy, and I’m impressed with their ability to bring Kyuss’ groundbreaking desert rock vibe into the 21st century via soaring, melodic vocals over top of mean, fuzzy, smoky riffs.

Listen to “Bleeding Out” from Salvador!

God Ox
Abyssal Gigantism
Auditory Essentials

Ritualistic doom from the five high priests of the Church of Ox, that being War Ox, Axe Ox, Myth Ox, Beast Ox, and Frost Ox, chosen to deliver Ox dogma — or the principles of Oxism — and to spread the great word of the Lord God Ox, may He be exalted.

No, I’m not kidding.

More than just a six-song online release, Abyssal Gigantism tells of the oxchatological order of things, and is at once a warning, a lesson, and a preparation for the coming judgment. Now, whether you choose to believe in the Ox gospel or fall prey to its mocking tenor matters little so long as you find occasion to worship the dopey, bluesy, alt-sludge through which this divination is delivered. With vocals both clean and aggressive, with a pace both lumbering and invading, with riffs as large as Mount Oxlympus itself, the songs on Abyssal Gigantism are extra heavy and ultra hallowed points of entry into a world ruled by all things Ox, but one that also owes its black, madcap measure to Electric Wizard, Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Black Sabbath, and, at points, early Soundgarden and Life of Agony. And perhaps inspired by the Lord God Ox, may He be exalted, or perhaps because they are forging this music on his behalf, God Ox have seen fit to elevate themselves from the mire of doom benevolence with intricate instances of mellow psych-jams, slide guitar, and progressive experimentation. A massive, diverse, and I suppose divine, creation, this God Ox.

Listen to “Ox Flu Zombie Apocalypse” from Abyssal Gigantism!

The Sword
Warp Riders
Kemado

First ever concept album from Texan metal monsters The Sword, which, as you might guess from the cover, draws its cosmic inspiration from old bargain bin sci-fi novels and creased issues of Heavy Metal magazine. Warp Riders, then, is a conscious thematic shift for the band, which has set its lyrical sights this time on the great beyond, tackling planetary forces of good and evil instead of the more earthly doom and gloom of battle axes and black magic. The narrative, in brief, is about Ereth, an archer who has been banished from his tribe on the planet Acheron, which is stuck in a tidal lock, meaning that half of it is shrouded in darkness while the other half is burnt by the heat of three different suns. Got it? Good. Warp Riders is also a bit of a musical departure for The Sword as well, who have surround their space-world narrative with some freak-fried, 70s-infused boogie doom, and the whole thing kind of sounds like Witchcraft and Year Long Disaster gigging biker bars on Mars. Dig the thick, red rock n’ roll on “Tres Brujas,” “Lawless Lands,” “Night City,” and “(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire” for the best examples. But listen, the faithful needn’t worry because The Sword haven’t completely abandoned their head-banging aesthetics; they’ve just fused some asteroid-splitting riffs with their old pro stoner thrashing for a massively dope ride through the outermost limits. And it really is some awesome stuff.

Listen to “Night City” from Warp Riders!