Fucking earwigs, amiright? I watched Spike Lee‘s 2025 film Highest 2 Lowest over the weekend (which I enjoyed, by the way, despite its middling ratings — although admittedly I have not seen the Kurosawa original it was based on; I guess I probably should), and almost nonstop over the past few days I keep finding “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” (originally from Oklahoma, but it plays during the opening of this movie as Denzel‘s character looks down over New York City from the balcony of his probably-billion-dollar apartment.

Anyway, it is NOT a Beautiful Mornin’ here in the valley. It’s like six degrees outside (Fahrenheit, which I think is something like negative a hundred in the rest of the world), and it’s been the kind of windy that wakes you up sporadically throughout the night because it keeps rattling the windows. So I am very much dragging this morning. Fortunately I don’t actually need to go outside (thank you, remote work) so I can just throw on an extra layer or two and push through it. And anyway by this afternoon I heard it’s supposed to go up to like 15F (aka minus 50C or something).

And fortunately, there is a simple doctor-recommended remedy for getting rid of earwigs: listening to something else, ANYTHING else. Especially at a high volume. And I’ve got some great candidates here.

 

Cursed Monk Records – Year IX Compilation (03 January 2026)

 

Nomadic Rituals – Fust (digital: self-released, CD/vinyl: Cursed Monk Records, 14 March 2025 | cassette: Fiadh Productions, 11 July 2025)

 

For starters: earlier this month Cursed Monk put out a sampler of selections from their catalogue. Always love a good sampler, especially one that’s available to download for free if you so choose. Based on the title, this one appears to be celebrating this Irish label’s ninth year in existence, although I’ll admit that I only learned about Cursed Monk when they co-released a record last year (with Fiadh, whom we have mentioned before). That album found its way into the upper echelons of my Top 25 List (more on that shortly) so of course I’d be fascinated to check out whatever else these folks are working on.

Year IX features contributions by Unbelievable Lake, The Owl, The Atrocity Circus, Dodssang Tempel, Old Skin, Nomadic Rituals, Sorewound, and Pariah; many of these tracks are on the lengthier side (in fact, one that’s around eleven minutes actually says it’s an excerpt from a longer composition), stylistically touching upon doom/sludge, occasional industrial vibes, lots of drones and a healthy amount of experimentalism. More generally stated, there’s a fair amount of variety here for those whose tastes favor the dark and heavy. Highly recommended for you to check out this compilation as a great way to get introduced to the roster.

 

* * *

 

Hailing from a few hundred kilometers straight up the eastern coastline of the Irish Isle from the Cursed Monk folks, Belfastian trio Nomadic Rituals dropped their fourth album Fust nearly a year ago (with the cassette edition following later in the summer) like a lead submarine. Commencing with a burst of feedback, hulkingly huge down-tuned sludge riffs, thunderous drums, and vocals that blend savage snarls and gruff Cookie Monster growls — it’s like they concocted a formula specifically with the intent of ticking all the boxes of what I’m looking for in listening material for an ugly mid-winter day.

And then they made the bold choice to have some of their songs even slower and even heavier. Yes, please. Third track “Fault in the Process” is the one that also appears on the label’s compilation (see above), which makes sense as these riffs are as catchy and memorable as they are brutal and punishing (which is to say, a lot).

It’s also around this time that I realized how especially low-pitched the guitar seems (after looking it up, it turns out that’s a baritone in place of a standard guitar), which would normally infringe on the sonic territory occupied by the bass, and so the bass often plunges down into a lower register itself, creating notes that are sometimes more felt than heard.

I’ll leave you with the band’s video for penultimate track “Change,” which even within the context of the rest of the album feels especially gritty and amelodic:
 

 

* * *

 

Grab a free copy of the Year IX Compilation here.
 
You can find Fust to stream here, download here, on CD/vinyl here, or cassette here.
 

 

 

* * * * * * *

 

Cursed Monk Records: website | Bandcamp
Nomadic Rituals: website | Bandcamp
Fiadh Productions: Bandcamp