ninehertz

If your desire is to look to the brave new world of doom as it is in 2025, innovated upon, pushed at every border into new realms, breaking new ground, merging with other sounds, surging at the heavier extremes and blending with ambience, with thought provoking lyrics, free of the tropes of old, then probably best to pass on Bongsilisk. This is for those who look purely to doom for weighty riffs and/or bong time accompaniment.

For the latter, read on and dig in. You'll have a good idea what this sounds like already, and it provides generously. The pre-listen pointers are all there - the band name, Bongsilisk, check. The song names - including Cannabis Sanctus, check. The artwork, monks praying to a cannabis plant. Check check check. It prepares you to accept you're not going to find anything ground breaking within, and allow you to simply enjoy it for what it is.

There are three tracks that total past half an hour, and the total instrumentalism further removes any obstacles to the bulky, fuzz toned doom within. Filius is perhaps my favourite, particularly when it changes up half way through, creating something approaching hypnotic, the lethargic and hefty tone akin to Bongripper's long form prescription. There's the album's only real variance from the theme too with a relatively grand doom minute or two that you could call Pallbearer-esque, at a stretch.

Slovakia is a nation with a seemingly vibrant doom scene as heard from afar, and Bongsilisk add to that impression, a worthy addition. There's nothing new here and it's not the best you'll hear of its type this year, but I can't help but feel fondly towards it - I'll lap up music with this sheer aura for the rest of my life. Doom and sludge can be inventive, but equally it has long held to its tropes as a sense of continuity and collectivism, particularly when it comes to riffs, tone and weed. And this is where Bongsilisk reside and thrive.