(With the month of May now behind us, Gonzo returns to review and recommend five albums released during that month.)

Like fucking clockwork, this column was once again interrupted by last-minute additions.

On one hand, I completely realize the futility of adding albums to a list that I conjure out of nothing each month. On the other, it’s my list, goddammit, and my commitment to being needlessly meticulous with it is something you can pry from my cold, dead hands. (Much like the collection of physical media sitting in a walk-in closet that I’ve been hoarding since I was 15.)

Alas, this sentiment tracks with how most of us approach our writing at NCS. We’re nerds about this shit.

If you read below the fold, maybe you’ll understand why I nixed such new releases from Elder, All Them Witches, and to a lesser extent, Devin Townsend, for the ones included here. You could also debate whether any of those bands fit the mold of these pages, but I don’t have the energy for that.

 

GOZU, GOZU VI

Boston’s Gozu plays the kind of up-tempo riff-heavy stoner metal that often might be a better soundtrack to a getaway drive than a smoke sesh. Their dynamic leads and thick grooves fall somewhere between The Sword and Truckfighters (a band that also has a kickass new album that I wrote about last month), and those elements are largely what makes GOZU VI an equally badass record.

On it, the band wastes zero time kicking things off with “Corinthian Leatherface,” a song that’s just as much fun as its moniker. The lead and the supporting riff do some incredible shapeshifting right before the 3-minute mark, coalescing into an infectious head-nodding affair that will have your undivided attention. It also makes you want to bulldoze your way through the rest of the album for similar dopamine hits.

Fortunately, you won’t have to wait very long for more. “Killer Khan” boasts a thunderous riff that’s complemented nicely by Marc Gaffney’s weighty rock & roll-fueled vocal delivery. “Banacek” even whips up the tempo to mosh-friendly territory, and the closing trio of “They Did Know Karate,” “Gimme the Lute,” and “Corvette Summer” dole out just as much fun as their names imply. All told, this one just might be the soundtrack to Hot Gonzo Summer. (I’m not even a little bit sorry.)

https://gozu.bandcamp.com/album/gozu-vi
https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666

 

RHODODENDRON, ASCENT EFFORT

Some heavy music labels are really killing it lately, and it’s hard to find one that’s as consistent as The Flenser. The Portland trio known as Rhododendron’s debut record Ascent Effort is yet another testament to the label’s hot streak.

With five songs that clock in at just over 40 minutes, this band stretches their sound into territory that spans from the chaotic to the downright liminal. They occasionally take their sonic experimentation into post-black metal in the vein of labelmates Agriculture (see “Family Photo”) and sometimes they slow it down to a drone-laden murmur. You’d be forgiven if you thought the first half of “Within Crippling Light” was the intro to a Cult of Luna song, but the salvo that amounts to the second half is decidedly more in the spirit of something like latter-day Converge.

One thing remains clear to me about metal after listening to Ascent Effort several times: Love them or hate them, bands like Rhododendron are moving the needle for heavy music in 2026. After taking the ride this record sends you on, you might be surprised at where you find yourself.

https://rhododendronpdx.bandcamp.com/album/ascent-effort
https://www.instagram.com/rhododendronpdx/

 

VOID OF LIGHT, ASYMMETRIES

And here I am, trying to avoid another Cult of Luna comparison, but it’d probably be impossible to do that when talking about Glasgow’s Void of Light.

For some reason, just the band name alone evokes post-metal. The opening track “The Passing Hours” on Asymmetries, the band’s impressive debut, quickly dispels any assumption to the contrary. Thick, muscular riffs swirl around Ali Lauder’s paint-peeling howl, and the triple-guitar attack of Nick Collins, Simon Mather, and Marc Carey produce a sound that’s denser than an anvil buried in six feet of concrete.

The same can be said for follow-up track “Silver Mask.” You’ll feel the weight of these guitars within the first minute. The addition of a shimmering lead on top of a riff this heavy is always a recipe for success if done properly, and the band positively fucking flourishes when they do this. Dan Irving’s heavy, rumbling bassline at the intro of “Still the Night Skies” is especially satisfying, especially after it paves the way for the doomy, foreboding place the band takes the rest of that song.

The closing molten sludge heaviness of “Mirrorings” really seems like the only logical way to end an album like this, and as the final notes slowly drift out of earshot, you’ll want to punish your eardrums with Asymmetries again.

https://voidoflight.bandcamp.com/album/asymmetries-2
http://www.facebook.com/voidoflightband

 

THE NARRATOR, PHOSPHOR

I often find modern metalcore to be one of two things: Decisively “meh” or unexpectedly awesome. Some readers here will almost certainly disagree, but I think the second album from the Netherlands’ The Narrator falls squarely into the “awesome” category.

Despite having some of the hallmarks of ‘core that tend to grab the masses’ attention, e.g., the polished production, reliance on effects, and the occasional too-clean-sung chorus, Phosphor flexes this band’s muscles in all the right ways. Chunky breakdowns prevail when they need to (see the title track), but the Dutch quartet are never content to just lean on one idea and let it do all the heavy lifting. “Stasis” shows this off well, with three members splitting vocal duties that range from frenetic Corey Taylor-isms to emotive cleans. “Pills From the Start” throws its weight around like a delirious juggernaut in a rubber room, while the deathcore-coded “Dissection” begins with a slow nastiness that feels like getting caught in the treads of an Abrams tank.

It won’t appeal to everyone here, and that’s fine. Maybe it’s the band’s recent inking to Nuclear Blast that helped them get ambitious, but Phosphor is a surprisingly great record that shows a glimpse of a promising future for The Narrator.

https://thenarrator.bfan.link/phosphor.yde
https://www.facebook.com/thenarratorhc/

 

MONOLORD, NEVERENDING

Just when you thought it was safe to put the bong down, Sweden’s Monolord is the friend that talks you into just one more puff.

Neverending is the stoner doom trio’s sixth effort, and for me, it’s still hard to believe it’s been 12 years since these guys released their debut, Empress Rising. The first thing I noticed when firing this thing up for the first time was the shorter song lengths. This is their first album that doesn’t have a song that clocks over 10 minutes, which isn’t really anything noteworthy at first. But after sitting with these riffs for a while, the songs tend to get right to the point instead of drawing themselves out. And I think that’s a feature, not a bug.

“You Bastard” turns up the fuzz and lets it rip instantly with a sound I can only describe as Mastodon played backwards on quaaludes. “Crystal Bridge” hammers out a similar riff but manages to pack it all into four minutes, and record highlight “Oozing Wound” wallows into a Sabbathy swamp of bongwater and spite. Like the rest of Monolord’s work, the lyrics aren’t subtle: “I’m getting high at noon / I saw how bright you burn / A flame increased in power / Watching you be consumed.”

At no point did I ever think, “wow, Monolord really went off track with this.” These guys are in it for the same reasons they were 12 years ago, and my smoke-caked metaphorical hat is off to them for it.

https://monolord.bandcamp.com/album/neverending
http://facebook.com/monolordsweden

 

Like what you’ve heard? Follow my best-of-2025 playlist for selections from everything you’ve just read, and a whole helluva lot more.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7zWqE685GVpuB5M3qRDvog?si=08d80939b43e4d89