It's a short one today because today has been a cluster. Enjoy! What does the image above have to do with the post? Absolutely nothing! What can I say? I was in a hurry. 

Let's kick things off with some furious anger. I am not a huge fan of Knocked Loose, although I've always thought they were an interesting band that wasn't afraid to expand the boundaries of hardcore music. That's certainly true of the new single "Hive Mind," which starts off as a fairly straightforward rager but then expands by featuring rapper Denzel Curry. I'm also not a huge hip hop guy, but Denzel Curry is one of the artists in the genre I follow to some degree. It's a combo that works really well and I'll be curious to see if there's more of hip hop influence on whatever Knocked Loose does next. 

Alan Sparhawk was half of the creative engine behind Low, one of my favorite bands of all time. After the death of his wife and collaborator Mimi Parker, Alan has released an extremely varied selection of work: an experimental electronic album, a folk-rock album, and now this collection of two tracks that are closer to Low's traditional sound - although Low's output itself was highly varied. They started off as gentle slowcore before coming noisier and more abrasive, and, in their last form, more electronic and experimental. The first track of the Alan Sparhawk Solo Band EP, "JCMF," recalls Low's noisiest, most metal-adjacent work. The second track, "No More Darkness," is a quieter track that would have been right at home in Low's early period. 

Some day I'm going to have to write a whole post about Low and why this amazing, quiet band should be a favorite of all metalheads. RIP Mimi Parker.

I already covered the recent single from Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean but the new EP that it's attached to is out today. It's a crusher. Heavy blackened doom, the perfect soundtrack for 2026.

​Stay strong, y'all.