It’s Sunday, many people who have the day off, and it’s the last chance to unwind before the shit starts hitting the fan on Monday again. As such, I decided to create a (hopefully) recurring column that fits the mood of how most of my Sunday’s go. For the 2 people who read this blog who enjoy metal, these weekly song profiles should give you a should give you a good chance to get a full session in and I hope it will be to your liking! To everyone else who reads this blog and doesn’t listen to metal, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN ALONG – I’m trying to pick songs that would be appealing to stoners in general, and hopefully some of this will open you up to some good metal that you can be proud to enjoy.
Start things off with a cut from transmission0, an inactive German sludge metal band with a taste for abrasive balls to the walls hardcore. Unfortunately, transmission0 never got much of a following outside their homeland of Germany before they called it quits, but they were very well respected by anyone who knew them for their organic (yet brutal) sound. The album opener “Cocoon” is a fine intro for anyone who missed them. A meandering piece of powerful sludge encrusted in throat-shredding vocals, soaring guitarwork, and mind numbing transitions. There’s a lot to be appreciated about the soul-stirring effects of their skilled implementation of full-on Pink Floyd style murky, foreboading electronic ambience. Enjoy!
MP3: transmission0 – “Cocoon” (from Memory of a Dream, 2007)
Josh Graham’s A Storm of Light has announced plans for a collaboration with the amazing post-doom/ambient noisemakers of Nadja(!!!), and they have even given us a taste of what we can expect. Go to their 
Feb. 01 – House of Blues – Anaheim, CA
Vertebrae is a nearly perfect release for Enslaved; a beautifully epic journey through a minefield of crushing, frostbitten guitar riffs, intricate song structures, and a balance of extreme violence and hopeful splendor. In addition, the soaring vocals of frontman Grutle Kjellson that lead the charge are constantly contrasted with his harsh, despairing growl, and it provides a sense of balance that even the best metal albums often lack. Dense atmospherics that complement the searing assault provide a sense of depth that even Enslaved hasn’t yet achieved on their illustrious back catalog. The whole package is an ambitious, boundary expanding experiment that still adheres to the defining aspects of what makes Enslaved so awesome. But while the tortured black metal furor is still very much at the heart Vertebrae, Enslaved has achieved a level confidence in their psychedelic experimentation that places this album a step up from its predecessors. This is an album that captures an evolutionary band at the pinnacle of modern extreme metal in their most focused, mindblowing display of power yet. Enslaved have crafted their most recent masterpiece, a release that will surely leave legions of unsuspecting victims shuddering in fear for years to come.
Despite what recent 
MIND INVERSION 