sees - abomination revealed at last

Osees: Abomination Revealed At Last (2025)

Another year, another batch of releases from John Dwyer under various names and organizations. But he’s most known for the garage/psych/kitchen rock juggernaut Osees, a killer band who changes styles almost as often as they do band names. But the latest name seems to have stuck, being in place for six years. The style, for better or worse, has also stayed largely the same: a mix of harsh bursts of punk that after a while all roll into each other, making Abomination Revealed At Last an album I gave one or two listens before shrugging it aside. Maybe it’s the times, but coming back to it I can still see my issues, but I also see many little things that bring the songs to life in a way I ignored, to my detriment.

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king witch - iii

King Witch: III (2025)

Simple tastes. Tight riffs. Big snares and plenty of cymbal sizzle, with the bass holding it all together in conjunction with the Almighty Kick. Stretch beyond pentatonic scales at your peril and, best of all, make sure the vocals can settle a hummingbird one moment, and rip the shingles off a house the next. I don’t know that I was expecting it to blow in from Scotland, but it’s no matter when King Witch get practically everything right about what I love in heavy music on III, their (you guessed it) third full length. All the above criteria are met, there are a few surprises, and best of all, this baby comes in at a lean 44 minutes. I always said, if it can’t fit on one side of 90-min cassette, it can probably be cut.

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Yoo II avec Nolan Potter

Yoo Doo Right, Population II & Nolan Potter: Yoo II avec Nolan Potter (2025)

Ever have one of those workdays that beat you down to the point you can’t remember your name, let alone whatever you had planned when you got home? Today was one of those days, and with only two hours to go I’m going to be very brief about my love for Yoo II avec Nolan Potter, the (possibly) sole output from a two-hour live jam session between Austin, TX psych rocker Nolan Potter and the experimental explorers from Québec: Yoo Doo Right and Population II. TL;DR? Hawkwind circa Space Ritual meets garage groove for some sweet extended jams, perfect for settling down into a better headspace.

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dwellers - corrupt translation machine

Dwellers: Corrupt Translation Machine (2025)

There was a moment during the opening of Corrupt Translation Machine, the third full-length from Salt Lake City’s Dwellers where, returning from a moment of distraction, I could have sworn I was listening to an Alice in Chains song. That’s a huge compliment, because outside of the actual AiC (themselves evolving past their ’90s roots) I can’t think of anyone else embodying this blend of psychedelic doom, grunge, and Americana folk and blues so cohesively. A real surprise of a discovery, but no surprise to have found them on Small Stone Records, fast becoming one of my favorite and most dependable labels for heavy, progressive, and psychedelic rock albums. Add this one to an already impressive list of great releases.

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sykofant's red sun EP album cover

The 9C Files: Sykofant’s Red Sun EP

At Nine Circles we go on and on about the Norwegian metal scene thanks to teeny, tiny signifiers like the birth of second wave black metal and labels like Pelagic leading the post-metal charge. But did you know there was, and is, a massive progressive rock scene there, too? It’s true; even Bandcamp thinks so! If I’m not here writing about trad and stoner metal, chances are I’m chasing down prog by the likes of bands like Wobbler and Tusmørke. But out of the crop of fresh blood peeking out across the country Sykofant has been one of my favorite bands to don the tag. Too many bands forget the “rock” part of the genre, content to rest on the laurels of the 1970s UK pioneers who built the genre. Sykofant never forget, and their new EP Red Sun is another testament to that fact.

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(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 79: Listin’…

Hello. I’m knee deep in building out lists for end year and have – at age 52 – a pajama party I have to go to tonight. So lots to prepare (my wife is insisting the dirty sweats and John Coltrane hoodie I slept in will NOT suffice for a social event) which means this is another quick playlist while I get stuff ready, build more lists, and figure out next week’s queue of 2025 releases to get in here. It’s not necessarily end of year contenders, although they MIGHT be included (I won’t say); they’re also not necessarily new stuff that’s come in the door recently (although there most certainly will be those as well), and I think that’s a large enough word count for an introduction, so let’s do this.

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