TEN FROM THE TOMB is a weekly feature in the form of a themed list devoted to grouping together albums of similar interest that I missed throughout the year. These albums were overlooked for review for any number of reasons with the most common reason being constraints of time. I have a policy of covering 99% of everything I receive in some form, be it mini-review or full-feature, so don’t hesitate to send anything and everything my way.

Here I present a ten album sampler of some of the most creative, modern, progressive and/or atmospheric rock/metal releases I’ve so far overlooked this year. Consider it a soundtrack to your weekend spent with loved one you’re starting to hate, consisting of mostly staring at your phone hoping for something else to think about. Most of these albums made it here to Ten From the Tomb because I couldn’t manage the time for a long-form review or because I really didn’t have more than a paragraph or two’s worth of insight beyond banal description. If you don’t like creative and/or atmospheric rock music and you’re a ‘death metal or fukken nothing’ kinda guy/gal or whatever, relax! This’ll be back every seven days with 10 more albums from different styles, genres, themes, etc.

Hey! Don’t dive in thinking this will all be modern rock or post-rock releases. This time I really just set out to give a weekend’s worth of options that are both unique in sound and create some unique atmosphere or melodic interest. This isn’t so much a collection of dregs and beefers but rather a selection of stuff just slightly outside of my personal wheelhouse in terms of writing. They were dropped from their own long-form reviews largely to shield you from my ignorance; Most will be rock, some will be metal, a few won’t be either at all… but most everything will be ‘modern’ in sound and presentation. Think my opinions are trash and that I suck? Want to totally tell me off, bro? Click away and let’s all live more sensible lives full of meaningful interactions. I’m too old and bored with people to care.

Artist	Viven
Title [Type/Year]	Las Tripas y el Lodo [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Barcelona’s rock scene is rife with innovation and imitation of reasonably good quality but few bands sound as confident as Viven on their second album. Four years since ‘El Solitario’ has seen a boost in maturity and variety as their mix of classic 70’s progressive and modern rock finds greater concept and execution. At first you might get a small hint of influence from Mastodon in their ‘heavier’ guitar work but as the album progresses so do the riffs begin to approach heavy metal just slightly enough to earn some greater merit in my ears. If you don’t understand any Spanish it shouldn’t be a huge deal, their mildly progressive alternative rock sound is accessible nonetheless. I cannot do the music justice with words as it is both uncomplicated at face value and curiously deep with some extra attention, hence not reviewing it in full.

Artist	The Dark Red Seed
Title [Type/Year]	Becomes Awake [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

The Dark Red Seed is a side-project for King Dude guitarist Tosten Larson and it is perhaps even more potently alluring than his infamous, duly celebrated main gig. Instead of serving as a dumping ground for dark folk leftovers Larson uses The Dark Red Seed to bleed from a curious heart that heavily weaves exotic Far Eastern guitar work into deftly atmospheric meditative heavy psych. ‘Becomes Awake’ is a perfect whirl of 70’s enlightenment and apocalyptic neofolk-rock warmth and should please fans of Swans, The Doors, and Tom Waits as much as it will King Dude‘s parish. “The Destroyer” sold me on the album but I think “Darker Days” sets the overall tone for where Larson and Co. go on ‘Becomes Awake’. Highly recommended.

Artist	Cavern
Title [Type/Year]	Eater [EP/2018]
Rating [3.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Oakland, Maryland duo Cavern play an instrumental form of progressive sludge metal that features Zach Harkins (guitars) and Stephen Schrock (drums) with no frills or extras. Their style is post-rock influenced but jumps between thrashing atmospheric sludge builds and Pelican-esque fiddling. Because you’re largely given Harkins‘ guitar work to focus on, ‘Eater’ has a personal edge to it’s rhythms as he weaves in and out of riffs and atmospherics. It reminds me of the more commercial efforts of Australian alt-prog metal band Alchemist slightly, but largely brings interest in combining post-rock and post-metal tropes together closely. My recommendation comes largely from being impressed by their musicianship rather than songwriting, much of it bleeds together and follows repeated structures that kinda beg for some vocals thrown in.

Artist	Shitty Person
Title [Type/Year]	Judgement [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Programming guilt, shame, self-hatred, and general dissonance into children from birth is a perpetuated form of cultural brainwashing that keeps monotheistic religions in power. If you can get inside their head early enough they’ll understand how deeply flawed their ‘self’ is and oh, lookie what I have here: Salvation from an imaginary man. In our warped western groupthink we drive our own faces even further into the dirt by finding every drug, every escape possible from feeling natural depression and self-loathing. You probably should hate yourself, you’re a monster. What have you ever done to make the world a better place? Aging fucking pile of shit! I guess ‘Judgement’ is that heroin rock album we all need to expose that self-perpetuating programming, that inner voice that says ‘you’re not good enough, fuck you’. And oh how it hurts, like a dissolving tooth in a broken jaw, Seattle’s Shitty Person want you to hear the shit you’re saying to yourself (but out loud, you idiot.) Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (Lesbian) conceived of ‘Judgement’ seemingly just to ‘see how it’d go’ and I think their dreary, sluggish chic and his mid 90’s Gira-meets-Lanegan esque vocal is the right voice inside my head for the job. You might not expect ‘Judgement’ to be moving but I can almost guarantee it’ll hit you if it is meant to.

Artist	Blissful Stream
Title [Type/Year]	Dead Religious [EP/2018]
Rating [4.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

If you’re a fan of late 80’s Amebix, blackened hard rock sounds, and 80’s Pentagram then you’re on the right track for Swedish musician Martin Sällström‘s Blissful Stream. ‘Dead Religious’ is genius in it’s combination of proto-metallic doom metal with shades of black metal’s punk rock edges. It should immediately appeal to fans of occult themed hard rock and proto-metal but… not in the cheesy ‘goth metal’ style of crap like recent Tribulation records. Sällström is perhaps best known for his work in black metal band Pest but don’t necessarily come in expecting a weird Darkthrone rock album, or even a traditional Swedish black metal record, but rather a growling doom-rock EP that lurks like ‘Arise!’ with riffs that hit upon equal shards of post-punk and metal. I’d completely forgot about covering this record since March and had meant to review it earlier. It slipped through the cracks because I hadn’t fully developed a system to keep track of my day-to-day promos. So, although it ends up here on a list it is no less valuable. One of the best EP releases of the year so far.

Artist	Malady
Title [Type/Year]	Toinen Toista [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.25/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Finnish progressive rock band Malady, not to be confused with the abysmal screamo/hardcore band, offer a calming psychedelic trip on ‘Toinen Toista’ that distinctly yearns for the 70’s boon of experimentation within Finland’s rock scene. It is a warmly mellow listen that undulates beneath the ethereal Hammond organ typical of Suomi prog past and present. I think ‘Toinen Toista’ might have had more impact on me if I wasn’t already so married to two other records this year, one from Danes Red Lama, and another from fellow Finns Sammal. The chill of this album is undeniable and it actually reminds me of the sort of symphonic prog you hear from Japan now and then. If you are a ‘metal only’ kind of guy, consider this like if Amorphis dialed back everything but the keyboards, got very stoned, and played Yes songs. Excellent retro prog sounds for the modern easy-listener.

Artist	Malditos
Title [Type/Year]	II: Le Réve [12″ LP/2018]
Rating [3.0/5.0]	LISTEN on Svart Records/Bandcamp!

Malditos are a self-professed ‘dark zone desert psych’ project out of Oakland, California that focus on a sound far removed from the suburban hustle-and-struggle of their hometown. ‘II: Le Réve’ presents itself as a quasi-psychedelic Eastern (read: Arabian) world music fusion with elements of modern darkwave beneath French sung female vocals. This version I have is the LP reissue from Svart Records but the original CD/digital releases were from 2017. I am a fan of this style of psychedelia and have been listening to this record for almost six months off and on, yet I have nothing really meaningful to say about it. It is lovely background music that is curiously dark and hits well upon creating the intended atmosphere. The vocal performances are both captivating but also occasionally distracting when they stop hitting upon strong enough melodic variation. Something for the more adventurous stoner looking for non-guitar music.

Artist	Curvs
Title [Type/Year]	Hauntropics [Full-length/2018]
Rating [4.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Norwegian dark electro-psychedelic kraut-wave rock project Curvs‘ debut album is one of my favorite ‘modern’ rock releases of 2018; I don’t think it’ll be totally apparent why until you’ve heard “Airwolf Ghandi” and “Don Johnson” Maybe it is my odd love for Turbowolf‘s electro moments or some awkward fetish for being caught off guard by catchy music but, ‘Hauntropics’ is just hooky enough to keep me coming back for it’s retro synth and cultural synthesis. The album plays out like a holiday across the globe, retaining the feel of multiple locales and cultures through a lens fogged by a love for new wave and the fusion of rock with electronic music. I suppose this is starting to sound like a description of a bad The Clash album uh, and that is largely why I didn’t give it a full review. I’d just keep saying “Wow this is good, oh that’s cool” etc. Norwegian label FysiskFormat have had an impressive year of releases thus far and Curvs is just one of many (Haraball, Ondt Blod) that I has grown on me like moss as the summer rolls on.

Artist	Barst
Title [Type/Year]	The Endeavour [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Barst is a musical collective lead by Brussels based musician B. Desmet and this second entry into their ethos of one long performative track becomes doubly grand on ‘The Endeavour’ a mix of easygoing shoegazing rock guitars, thumping electro beats, edgy electroclash, and a mix of industrial rock influences. It all blends into one curious 40 minute track that is as warmly served as it is awkwardly aggressive. I think the main reason I’ve had trouble reviewing it is because it shape-shifts a bit with each listen and I’m never sure what to say about it. It is effectually atmospheric and feels like a mix of EDM and post-rock with a little hint industrial aggression popping up to keep things moving. Something for folks who want something equally organic and electro to chill out to.

Artist	Lords of Acid
Title [Type/Year]	Pretty in Kink [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.25/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

It’s got to be Sunday by the time you read this, so you’d better start fucking before the Monday workday has you too tired to hump. What better soundtrack to your screaming, spanking and wanking than the latest Lords of Acid record ‘Pretty in Kink’. Praga Khan is nearly sixty years old yet he can still program a beat that’ll have you thrusting your hips at the nearest consenting adult. Active since the late 80’s Lords of Acid were one of Antwerp’s most freeing contributions to the world’s electro-industrial culture of club drugs, shameless sex, and hedonistic rebellion. Yes, it is twisted 90’s porno music and yes it is all in good fun. “Goldfinger” might change your life, fuck machine. Go do whatever it is you do to get off and enjoy your weekend.

Did I miss your favorite 2018 modern rock/metal album? I’d like to know if there are any 2018 releases you loved but didn’t get enough recognition, drop me a line to tell me. It is always worthwhile to speak up for the lesser known stuff. Please remember you can contribute to my Patreon @ only $1 USD per month ($12 a year) to help keep me in front of the computer writing about metal. Thanks.