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 instrumental, ambient, and/or post-metal/sludge metal releases I’ve so far overlooked this year. Consider it a soundtrack meant to provide options for obscure background music that has been selected for its versatility as foreground play as well. 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 worth of insight beyond banal description. If you don’t like heavy metal, 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 shit just because I missed them! I always have some quality control in mind and looked for expressive, meaningful or just damn heavy releases that hold value without gimmickry or bland plagiarism. This week’s inspiration came from the glut of ambient releases I’ve not paid attention to this month and I realized that I’ve overlooked a lot of instrumental music that has some incredible versatile uses (foreground/focused listening as well as entertaining background music). It will include some sludge metal releases as well, which serve the same dual purpose. 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	CHRMR
Title [Type/Year]	Respective Orbits [EP/2018]
Rating [3.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Of course I’ll start this list with something that will obscure the vision of it as Rochester, New York band CHRMR offer a post-hardcore influenced form of sludge/rock more relevant to something like Quicksand than sludge or post-metal. I wanted to mention this band because I think they are on the edge of finding a unique sound for themselves, that ragged and strange approach on “Cold Star” in particular. This second EP from the band is less obscured by atmospheric production and as such it’ll feel somewhat abrasive by comparison but their most interesting ideas to date occur on ‘Respective Orbits’.

 

Artist	This Will Destroy You
Title [Type/Year]	The New Others Part One & Two [Full-lengths/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Depending on your interest in variations on instrumental post-rock the full 80 minutes of varietal cinematic rock music from Los Angeles, California quartet This Will Destroy You might be the biggest post-whatever draw of the year. Put out by ex-Magic Bullet Records now-Dark Operative Digital, who have some ties to members of Converge and Integrity, and put out solo and experimental works along with stuff from Power Trip, Integrity, Mammoth Grinder, etc. This Will Destroy You are worth mentioning for the ease of listen alone but each of these 40 minute records inspire as focused listening as well as background music. I’ve little post-rock knowledge beyond the Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai (plus clones) spectrum, so take my interest with a grain of salt if you’re better indoctrinated. Part One is much more of a pure atmospheric rock record where Part Two switches up the approach more often and digs just slightly deeper and darker when their heavier moments build. I won’t say they entirely achieve a sludge or post-metal vibe but there should be some crossover appeal with some patience.

Artist	Besra
Title [Type/Year]	Anhedonia [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.25/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Turku, Finland based post-metal project Besra‘s ‘Anhedonia’ has been a confounding prospect to review since I first listened to it. Conceived by Johannes Nygård (Callisto) there are equal parts atmospheric sludge metal and post-rock informing their sound which is perhaps best compared to later Isis. The sound is nice enough, nothing surprising in terms of instrumentation and atmosphere but the value comes in the melodrama of the music conveying the feeling of being ‘stuck’ or helpless within mental illness. Without glorifying the concept Besra seems intent on the perspective of the afflicted and speaks to how mental illness is so improperly perceived and treated by most societies. Some of this is more obvious when viewing the music video they released for “Pariah” but the themes and lyrics ended up being more interesting than the music itself, at least for my own tastes. If you are a fan of mellow and minimally aggressive atmospheric sludge and post-metal I think this will be worthwhile.

Artist	Set and Setting
Title [Type/Year]	Tabula Rasa [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.25/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Pelagic Records have really been on the cutting edge of modern atmospheric metal this year and their selection of post-metal and progressive sludge bands grows even more impressive with the addition of St Petersburg, Florida instrumental band Set and Setting. The trouble with a great deal of post-metallic style is that the balance of atmospheric musicianship and actual ‘metal’ guitar work created with some actual interest is exceedingly rare. Few listeners are actually impressed with the post-rock informed guitar playing of atmospheric sludge/post-metal because the techniques are so bland and standardized. Set and Setting understand this well enough as they incorporate just enough sludge metal influence to not sound like an hour long lullaby for IKEA‘s corporate daycare. Of course a vocalist would be interesting and they’d likely start to approach the Tool-meets-progressive sludge arena of The Ocean themselves with the right vocalist, but Set and Setting do a fair job of keeping their arrangements entertaining.

Artist	Dirge
Title [Type/Year]	Au Puch [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Easily the most aggressive and formally composed album on this list ‘Au Puch’ comes from Mumbai, India quintet Dirge. Not to be confused with the long-running French atmospheric sludge metal band who also have an album out this year. At first this seemed like the sort of higher-end record that The Sludgelord Records have been putting out recently though the songs begin to drag on for a few minutes too long each and the prospect of re-listening faded over time. The theme of the darker mystic side of the Mayan civilization is completely uninteresting but the guitar work and huge production sound end up ‘making’ this record. Could definitely see this band thriving on a label like Transcending Obscurity, though Djinn & Miskatonic might have most of this musical territory covered.

Artist	Ølten
Title [Type/Year]	Ambiance [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.75/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

If Set and Setting sounded like your kind of jam then Swiss post-metal group Ølten are even better at fusing aggressive guitar interest with atmospheric post-rock techniques sans vocals. Plenty of sludge groove and a riveting dark atmosphere make for a far heavier experience than you might expect looking at the moderne cover art. Very much a post-metal experience, and less interested in the fluffy side of post-rock, I found Ølten‘s third release to be a pretty solid listen. Their emphasis on flow of ideas and creation of atmosphere beyond their previous compositional style has made a notable difference in the evocative feeling of their music. One of the better post-whatever guitar records I’ve heard this year and of course yet another band that I think would be even more remarkable with some use of vocals here and there.

Artist	Zevious
Title [Type/Year]	Lowlands [Full-album/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

New York City progressive instrumental metal trio Zevious more notably features drummer Jeff Eber (Dysrhythmia) along with folks from bands I’ve not necessarily heard of but hey the gist of it is creation of prog-metal for the new breed of listener much in the same way bands like Krallice and Imperial Triumphant are tooling black metal’s inherent musical worth into futurist art pieces. Some parts of ‘Lowlands’ feel whipped up in a freeing moment as if they’d been granted instrumental expression through improvisation rather than the cheesy modal voicing of 2000’s era jazz-metal  hybridization. The record is performative but not in the sense that it is showy so much as you can hear the wheels of atmospheric generation turning as Zevious performs. ‘Feeling’ is achieved without an real egotistical prowess clouding the effect of ‘Lowlands’ and though I often overuse ‘cinematic’ as a qualifier for experiential value inherent to instrumental works, this time it applies to well to the experience. If these guys tossed in a few screamy noise rock songs along the way while keeping the creeping atmosphere up they’d be my new favorite band.

Artist	Unhold
Title [Type/Year]	Here is the Blood [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.25/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Yet another Swiss post-metal/atmospheric sludge band and this one coming from Bern, Unhold represent a satisfyingly evolved expression of post-2000 Neurosis (perhaps Cult of Luna instead) meeting up with their own post-hardcore roots and the general post-metal ideology. ‘Here is the Blood’ presents itself as such a typical outing at face value but within a couple of listens I found Unhold capable of memorable nuance. The album isn’t so much redundant but almost too focused on balladry and dirges that aren’t necessarily heavy or interesting but it makes a good first impression otherwise.

Artist	The Mon
Title [Type/Year]	Dopelleben [Full-length/2018]
Rating [4.0/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

The Mon is a solo project from Ufomammut bassist/vocalist Urlo that creates a synth lined, bass-driven, industrial rock droning inner vision that sets the mind on any path necessary to move the listener beyond itself. Horror synth and Dark Buddha Rising-esque circular basslines appear as a sort of hellish spiritual or soundtrack to some accursed lost short film. From the 80’s neon terror of “Relics” to the blood-throbbing temple ritual of “Salvator Mundi” and the ominous John Carpenter-esque drum pads of “Blut” the full listen is a varied and disturbing trip. To flit so freely between thriller and fantasy, ominous and ethereal, makes ‘Doppelleben’ a worthy listen in my mind.

Artist	Future Usses
Title [Type/Year]	The Existential Haunting [Full-length/2018]
Rating [3.5/5.0]	BUY/LISTEN on Bandcamp!

Instrumental experimental atmospheric progressive post-metal trio Future Usses offer a style that is complimentary to that of Set and Setting as well as Ølten but their approach appears entirely unique and I’d say fairly daring by comparison. Through the use of live guitar loops and various over-worked studio techniques Future Usses realize ‘The Existential Haunting’ after five years spent fretting over its definitive statement as an introduction to the band formed from key members of Intronaut, Bereft, and Wet Teeth. Spearheaded by Sacha Dunable, who is best known for his progressive sludge metal band Intronaut, this project has a leg up on a lot of fiddly post-sludge records in the sense that it puts groove and riff development at the heart of the composition and as such any wandering atmospheric guitar work doesn’t overstate its importance or distract from whatever grandiose feeling they’ve aimed for. There are some odd choices to watch out for, such as the weird pitch shifted/blurred vocal sample on “Make Flowers”, as it starts to feel like a bad DJ messing with his mixtape on mushrooms. What kept me coming back to this one was largely the soaring doom grooves that primarily drive the Future Usses boat and I came to appreciate how the rest of the instrumentation works with, and around it.

Did I miss your favorite 2018 black metal album? I’d like to know if there are any 2018 releases you loved that 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.