Malditos: "Le Réve"

Impenetrable storms of droning psychedelia

It should come as no surprise that an entity as eclectic as Malditos hails from one of musical experimentation's current strongholds, Oakland, California. Malditos is very much a mindset band. Their darkened, nocturnal desert drones are real party killers, but with the right state of mind and setting, Le Réve turns into a rich, nightmarish phantasmagoria cascading from the your mind's eye. The darkness painted by the Oakland tribe of artists is oppressively thick and impenetrable.

TONEwood's Top 10 Non-Metal Albums of 2017

They say variety is the spice of life. For years heavy metal has been my go-to music style, and to this day it remains the style that I consume the most of. But even if heavy metal has numerous very different subgenres, there always manages to sneak a bunch of very un-metal albums into my consciousness. These are the Top 10 non-metal albums from 2017 according to the Gospel of TONE.

Electric Moon: "Flaming Lake"

Putting the 'space' in space rock

When dealing with albums from Sulatron Records, you know there's always a pretty good chance that it'll be some real top shelf fuzz-tastic psychedelia. Though Electric Moon is still a relatively new band - they formed in 2009 - they were quick to find their sound and, by extension, their niche in the global music scene.

H.P. Lovecraft: "I-II"

Highly overlooked band from one of the most exciting eras in music

It was far from horrific or esoteric when H.P. Lovecraft, the American rock band named after the famed weird horror author of the same name, rode the wave of psychedelia in the late 1960s in the US. Created partly by folk singer George Edwards, H.P. Lovecraft's only two true albums (a few others were later released under Lovecraft and Love Craft without Edwards) feels a bit more backwards-reaching than similar contemporary bands.

Astra: "The Black Chord"

Hyperbole aside, The Black Chord still stands as one of modern times' best prog rock albums, even 5 years on

Though arguably the decade of progressive rock was the 1970's, it's impressive to find that there are still being produced absolutely timeless and phenomenal prog rock albums 40 years on. San Diego's Astra is clearly Floydian in concept and execution, but there is so much more to their sound than a mere Pink Floyd clone.

Ozric Tentacles: "Jurassic Shift"

Obviously not completely hidden away, but nevertheless an oft overlooked classic

Though some consider them a mainstay in progressive and psychedelic rock, Ozric Tentacles remain one of the UK's best kept secrets. Their output since the 80s has been consistent in both volume and quality, with their trademark adventurous rhythmsection with overpowering melodies changing very little over the years.

Journey to Ixtlan: "Journey to Ixtlan"

An organic sound blanket that falls gracefully on the ground, covering everything in its mesa colours

Clay Ruby is undoubtedly most well known for Burial Hex (or one of the countless other groups he has been involved with over the years), and given his involvement in such a staggering amount of groups, bands and projects, most are bound to overlook the massively leviathan album that is Journey to Ixtlan.

2016 Top 10 - Part II: The Non-Metal Part

Here is the second Top 10 for 2016 - The non-metal part. Again, there has been several worthy contenders, and some must be left out. After all, there's not much sense in the end of the year list if you're not forced to make some choices. And in 2016, these choices are as follows:

Black Mountain: "IV"

The prominent Canadian band continues to experiment, but seem to have written their master thesis

With a few albums behind them, Black Mountain have never shyed away from blurring the already undefinable lines between drugged out indie rock and finicky stoner rock. Their latest effort, the fourth album IV, again shows that the group are constantly experimenting with their sound, while the half-psychedelic ramblings which is the core of their style remains largely the same.

Flower Travellin Band: "Satori"

Cult heavy-psych from Japan

The mighty Saxon once asked "where were you in '79 when the dam began to burst", but let us turn back time a little further and leave self-referential question for some other time. Let us tune in to early 1971. In England, heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath had already released their second album, and Led Zeppelin was still gaining momentum through their first three albums. In the US, The 13th Floor Elevators and the first incarnation of Iron Butterfly had already come and gone, and so had the guitar legend Jimi Hendrix.

Anno Domini: "On This New Day"

Progressive folk rock for fans of the hard-to-find

Anno Domini are a well kept secret of the Irish 70s rock scene. The quartet only ever amounted to one LP and a single in '71 in the usual semi-progressive, folky, half-psychedelic sound of the early part of the decade. Fetching hundreds of Euros the two original pressings (on Deram in the UK and Polydor in Germany) are probably too rich for any but the hardest core of collectors. Should this be the case, South Korean label Wohn Records did a reissue in 2010 faithful to the original Deram pressing.

Aquila: "Aquila"

Bargain-bin classic and sunshine-driven ambition

Aquila is a popular name among bands and music groups. The one in question here i the semi-obscure 70s prog band from the UK. Like so many underrated bands from this era they only ever made one LP, the eponymous Aquila album. If the original gatefold version from RCA Victor, which fetches a pretty penny, is too pricey for you, Klimt Records as late as 2014 reissued the album on crisp, black vinyl.

Hell Preachers Inc.: "Supreme Psychedelic Underground"

The mysterious psych gem that time forgot

This one is a real music curiosity. The mythos surrounding it is quite substantial, probably playing a vital role in its now cult status. The original vinyl release by the label Europa warrants prices up to €65 depending on quality. Shrouded in mystery, it all starts out with the lack of information on the album. No mention of the bandmembers, no inlay, no country of origin or release year (though some point to 1968 as a possible year of release). Everything from the colourful cover art and name to the song titles are pretty standard mainstays in late sixties psychedelic rock bands. It is speculated that the band itself never really was that - a band. But rather that Hell Preachers Inc. was a constructed entity meant to cash in on the commercial success that the psychedelic vibes of harder rock bands were enjoying at the time.

Roky Erickson @ Voxhall, Aarhus DK 28.04.2016

A shadow of his former self, a semi-rehabilitated Roky Erickson goes through the motions on life support

It was a tired looking Roger Kynard Erickson who entered the stage at Voxhall the 28th of April, 2016. Whether this is the current state of the influential musician or a result of excessive touring is uncertain, but nonetheless coloured the evening's mood a bleak shade of blue.

You don't have to be much of a rock fan to know who Roky Erickson is. Together with bands like The Seeds and Electric Prunes, Roky's band The 13th Floor Elevators more or less created psychedelic rock in the mid sixties. Their '66 debut, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, remains a classic to this day, with the track You're Gonna Miss Me being regarded as the group's biggest hit. Two albums followed, Easter Everywhere and Bull of the Woods, before the band dissolved and Erickson continued with other projects.

Bombino: "Azel"

Another wide-brushed stroke of rocking desert tunes from the Tuareg darling

As a bluesy sandstorm of Tuareg folk rock sweaps across the land in the form of bands like Terakaft, Tinariwen and Tamikrest, few bands stand out like Bombino. The style has become synonymous with the virtually untapped and largely ignored potential of the African music scene, with Grammy-award winning group Tinariwen being the prime example. Bombino, however, didn't exactly go by unnoticed when his first internationally released album Agadez came out in 2011. Attracting the attention of, among many others, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys fame, it culminated in the 2013 album Nomad which Auerbach himself produced. Through Nonesuch Records the album received incredible reviews from international critics and fans alike. Now Bombino, also known by his common name Goumar Almoctar - or Omara Moctar, returns with Azel.

Messenger: "Illusory Blues"

Highly recommendable variety in murky depths

Messenger from the UK may not have the most original of band names, but the trio played as warm-up on Katatonia's acoustic tour in England and comes recommended by none other than Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg of Ulver fame. Credentials like that aren't easy to come by, and with Messenger they seem very well deserved.

Blaak Heat: "Shifting Mirrors"

Ever-changing, tumultuous psychedelic prog aiming at the stars

Blaak Heat - Formerly known as Blaak Heat Shujaa - has been through a lot of changes in the short span of their career. Originally starting out in 2008, lead singer and guitarist Thomas Bellier is now the only remaining original member, the original bassist Antoine Morel-Vulliez and original drummer Timothée Gacon being replaced in 2014 and 2012 respectively. In a way the shortening of the band name reflects these changes, and ushers in a new era of blackened heat from the French-American trio.

Death Hawks: "Sun Future Moon"

Consistently ambitious and well-crafted nature-rock

The Finnish folk and rock scene has many gems hidden to the rest of the Western world. If you're not acquainted with the progressive grooves of Sammal, the ecclectic ramblings of Paavoharju or the laid back finesse of Riitaoja, all I've got to say is get going! One of the many surprising acts that the land of a thousand lakes has to offer is Death Hawks, a group which has been consistently releasing albums and touring Europe since 2010.

Electric Moon: "Theory of Mind"

A psychedelic, ever-transforming Rorschach-test

For those unfamiliar with Electric Moon, they're a German trio founded in 2009 by bassist and painter Komet Lulu, prominent Sulatron label boss, guitarist and acid-kraut practitioner Sula Bassana and drummer Pablo Carneval. Carneval was later replaced by Marcus Schnitzler. Though Sula has had a lengthy career in various psych bands, Electric Moon is the newest outlet for his ramblings. Electric Moon forms a unified front of modern and underground psychedelic bands together with the likes of Ufomammut, Yuri Gagarin, Øresund Space Collective and Baby Woodrose.