The No Limit On The Words Substack started about this time last year, so I’m going to say that this is the one year anniversary edition. I didn’t realize this until after I already started this one, so I don’t have anything special planned. But I do have an exclusive interview hitting the Substack in the near future. So for this week, here are a few recent albums that I have been digging. Also, I don’t have a good picture to go with the Substack this week, so here’s my cat, Chili.
Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time Are Vast
I believe the first time I saw Black Pyramid was around 2010 in New Haven, CT opening for Cable. Their self-titled album had just come out and I was super into it. It was sort of an all-encompassing stoner rock album that had tons of catchy melodies while still maintaining a strong sense of heaviness. It was cool. I got to see them a number of times over the years, through various lineup changes and whatnot, and while I sort of fell off keeping up with their releases, that self-titled record always stayed in steady rotation. Then I saw them live again in 2022 in Troy, NY and was reminded why I loved their music, so I was excited to hear they had a new one on the way.
The Paths of Time Are Vast is a record that seems to get better every time I listen to it. It isn’t a huge departure, but more of a refinement, and one that sees the band leaning further into psychedelic tendencies than before. There are still big soaring melodies and catchy lead guitar lines, but the songs on The Paths of Time feel a bit looser; they zone a bit further out. I’m going to make a weird comparison here, but if Black Pyramid is Paranoid, and II is Master of Reality, then The Paths of Time is Vol. 4. You follow me?
Carnwennan - Lotus
Carnwennan’s debut record is a pretty ambitious 43-minute piece that is broken into 4 distinct sections. I’m going to go ahead and say this is one of my favorite records of the year so far. Lotus overall unfolds really smoothly, speeding up and slowing down really naturally, incorporating a number of moods throughout. “I” opens up with some really minimalistic riffing that reminds me a bit of something like Ocean, each chord decaying into a swirl of feedback before the next. The second section, “II,” slithers along on a twangy riff that lands somewhere between Earth’s The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull and John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A. score. “III” plows along at a steadier pace and is the more barbaric section of the record, which makes sense as to why Carnwennan released it as the single. The record closes out on a 16-minute guitar drone that calls back to some of the melodic themes heard throughout the other three tracks—according to the interview I did with Jack a couple months back, it’s actually the original idea that started the whole album.
Lotus sits right in that zone of doom metal that I love—bands like Ocean and Sea of Bones that build a lot of atmosphere, but still focus on the song. The riffs on Lotus are great and the tones are killer, but the percussion is really fantastic. Drummer James Leshkevich does a great job of letting some parts sit empty, and then filling the space in others with some really nice fills. It’s something that really helps to make Lotus as good as it is.
Shiloh The Messenger & Mundy - Concrete Rose Theory
Even though I've been listening to hip hop since I was a little kid, it’s not something I’ve ever written about. So this may be a bit out of my league, but I really dig this one. I’ll be brief. Both of these guys have very unique styles—Mundy simmers along slow and low while Shiloh The Messenger bubbles up a bit higher and a bit speedier—and they play off each other extremely well. The lyrics are poetic and often thought-provoking, with tons of word play and imagery. And the music is very laid back and smooth, suiting both of the MC’s styles really well. I’ve gotten to see them a couple times and they great performers too, so if you get the chance, make sure to check them out.
That’s all for this week!