EP: Malarchuk by Malarchuk

Recommended if you like: Sleep, Black Sabbath, Queensryche

On their latest, self titled EP, Buffalo metal band Malarchuk unleashes four tracks of riffy, doomy metal gloom. Recorded at Sessions Studio, the album, released on Halloween is full of slow motion metal tracks embedded with occult symbolism and heavy tones. The three piece band dives deep into 1970s-esque prog metal throughout the album, especially on the 15 minute-long centerpiece “Night Tear’r (Longjammer),” which simmers with fuzzy bass riffs and white hot guitar solos. 

Recommended if you like: Mercury Rev, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine

Buffalo-based band A Relative Term released their latest album, The Bleak, earlier this month. The 11-track album flows through a series of introspective, cosmic, psychedelic, and tranquil songs that at times border on ambient music and musique concrete, and at other times build up into full on indie rock.  At times the album approaches the odd psychedelia of Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips on songs like “Gas, Light, Love” and other times diving into despondent folk music on tracks like “Before We Begin,” living up to it’s title. Instead of turning away listeners with its self aware bleakness, the album instead engages with a warm sincerity. Much of the music is percussion-less, though there are intricate rhythms to be found throughout on tracks like the pulsing, ticking “An Endlessly Running Machine.” The album, released on November 11, is streamable on Bandcamp and available for purchase on black or blue vinyl.