Doom metal that draws from middle eastern modal music to build a heady hypnotic din

The M stands for metal, as Black Aleph pound MPavilion with their all-enveloping sound. On their debut album Apsides, the Sydney/Eora and Melbourne/Naarm trio build dark, earthy worlds from doom and post-metal gestures. The band use guitar, cello, and Iranian daf drum—layering looped live passages and ritualistic beats to create a unique, cinematic intensity. It’s music that swells on mountainous seas and ventures into deep eerie, thickets. Saddle up and settle in.