Skeleton - Ordainment of Divinity EP (2021)

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There are really only two things I am certain of in this world:
1) Nothing really matters.
2) Skeleton are keeping the underground lit.

A follow-up EP to their staunch debut LP has recently been released by Austin, Texas' Skeleton and it's a forward lunge into the sonic soundscape of the incredibly raw and already unfiltered sound of the band—which had no qualms trading proficiency for energy and cohesion for a crackling atmosphere. They doubled down on Ordainment of Divinity when it comes to the production, going even further into a blown out production, especially within the drum sound, denting the fidelity as much as possible to a point where the sound is as ghastly as it is garish.

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I think a lot of people will be disappointed with the decision to mess with the production to the extent in which they did but I think fans of the eponymous debut album will be even more slighted that most of the festering grooves on the debut have mostly been traded out for a barbaric ferocity with much more black metal than thrash/hardcore influence this time around. Me, I still like it. I think an EP is exactly the right time to start threshing around sounds and I think they really nailed a lot of it… The intro track sounds like a medieval funeral dirge and the way it bleeds into the first song is right up my alley! No apologies.


Skeleton - Ordainment of Divinity EP (bandcamp)

Jorge Elbrecht - Coral Cross 002 (2019)

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Congratulations to August for being a month in where I didn't make a single contribution to SHOM. Evidentially all that August brings - The sun is singing, the birds are shining, the people are filled with sidewalks and parks are marinating in cheap lager - doesn't bode well for my writing commitments. But cut me some slack, I'm a one-man team, a single mother in the arena of bedroom bloggers and this whole things is and will always be a thankless gig. But I love it like a son (or daughter) and will carry on as best as I know how. I don't know how.

Starting September off will be the enigmatic Jorge Elbrecht and his newest offering to reverb-soaked black metal in all of its warm, lo-fi angular glory. Coral Cross 002 is something to be consumed slowly, with no distractions, probably with lots of cancer inducing incense burning so the nuances can be appreciated as a whole. Blink your ears and you just might miss it…

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I was turned onto Jorge Elbrecht by Harassor/Vorpal Sword/Moonknight/Pray For Snow music machine James Brown III aka Horus aka Roach (and mind behind the infallible Rising Beast label) during a slow burn interview him and I had over the course of July/August - The dude is well versed in the underground musical scene and we're all forever in his debt for his contribution to the international reverb society. * I'll be posting up that interview soon as well as digging a bit deeper into his other projects

Coral Cross 002 paints unknown landscapes, of worlds ethereal and dripping with a weird colourful muck, and a undecipherable stench pervades amidst the wonky wall of music. I am hard-pressed to pinpoint this to any specific genre nor would I like to. It sounds the way it sounds and you will either like it or hate it. As for me, I'm lapping up this weird soup.

Jorge Elbrecht - Coral Cross 002 (bandcamp)