LUDICRA: Hollow Psalms 2xLP Clear w/ Black Splatt

San Francisco's Ludicra never fit neatly into anything, which is exactly why black metal needed them. Hollow Psalms from 2002 is where it all started, a record that dragged the genre somewhere weirder and more emotionally brutal than most of their peers were willing to go.

This is avant-garde black metal with genuine literary ambition. Chloé Aftel's vocals cut against the grain in all the right ways, Laurie Sue Shanaman's guitar work refuses to stay still, and the whole thing has this Bay Area DIY darkness underneath it that owes as much to the punk underground as it does to the Scandinavian cold. Ludicra were a cult act when they were active and they remain one now. If you've been sleeping on them, this 2xLP pressing on clear with black splatter vinyl is a very good reason to stop.

Format: 2xLP. Pressing: Clear with black splatter vinyl. Artist origin: USA. Genre: Black metal, avant-garde black metal. Original release: 2002.

Fans of: Wolves in the Throne Room, Weakling, Deafheaven (early), Agalloch, Hammers of Misfortune.