Burn Ritual: Grave Watcher (Self-released)
For all its alleged simplicity, doom metal is a tricky genre to pull off. If downtuning, playing slow and smoking a bowl before the show meant success, we’d be awash in amazing releases by bearded longhairs with Marshalls cranked to 11. Fortunately, one-man band Burn Ritual is slathered in a bong-scented special sauce that allows it to rise above the rabble. The riffs aren’t just bludgeoning but memorable and hypnotic, and eerie quiet passages bring powerful dynamics into play. — Sanford Nowlin
Buttercup: Grand Marais (Bedlam Records)
Buttercup has been inviting audiences beyond their comfort zone for years. The band presents its well-crafted indie at fourth-wall-busting performances and with a joyous sense of inclusion. The latest album finds Buttercup’s members pushing themselves beyond their own comfort zone as well, eschewing the standard electric guitar and drums for an intense, mostly acoustic album. Don't be fooled by the “acoustic” tag, however — these songs rock. — Bill Baird
Crawl: Damned (Profound Lore)
San Antonio’s Crawl creates a lot of disquieting noise for one guy with a drum kit embellished with human bones, a downtuned bass and a set of fried vocal cords. On Crawl’s ninth release in 12 years, mastermind Michael A. Engle creates lengthy, suffocating compositions that reside somewhere between the slowest, darkest extreme metal and a soundtrack for an as-yet-unfilmed horror movie about an inescapable medieval torture dungeon. Brutal, dispiriting and elegant at the same time. — SN
Recreating Eden: Tome I: Awaken (Self-released)
When a rock album features a prologue, Roman numerals and cryptic looking sci-fi art, you know what you’re getting. Yep, Recreating Eden is prog but veers toward powerful hard-rock riffing and high-register vocals that keep things lively. The band also knows how to sprinkle toppings such as a saxophone and the pleasant tinkling of a piano across its maximalist 82 minutes. Take note, Coheed and Cambria fans. — Mike McMahan
Jake Castillo Trio: Hush (Self-released)
If you know San Antonio blues-rock guitarist Jake Castillo, you know bro can rip a lead. But on the appropriately titled Hush, he reels it in — well, mostly — for a more subdued release. The seven-song, 38-minute run time serves as a hint, as does opening track “Lady,” that this is a more songwriting-focused effort. No wonder. The album explores the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent grief. The guitar fireworks are present, but they take a backseat to well-crafted tunes. — MM
Honeybunny: Be Cool (Self-released)
On its debut album, SA’s HoneyBunny mashes together '90s ska elements, poignant and self-reflective lyricism, a little romantic melancholy and a lot of rolling energy. Whether it’s an upbeat riot grrrl track like “Emancipator,” a softly swelling tune like “Also Me” or a cross of the two like “Grey House,” the partnership of vocalist Bridgette Norris-Sanchez and guitarist Bobby Rivas has stitched together an album as sunny as it is punk. — Dalia Gulca
Noisy Neighbors: Derailing the Hype Train (Self-released/Grand Vomit Productions)
Imagine the grimiest venue bathroom you’ve been in. That’s how dirty Noisy Neighbors’ second album gets during its short 33 minutes. The band bills its ear-slaughtering music as “raw D-beat grindcore,” which basically means it’s designed to make you punch walls. Derailing the Hype Train particularly shines on moments when the snare drum’s blast beats lock in air-tight with the sludgy guitar riffs. Even though this release dropped in January, it’s lost none of its power to deliver a gut punch. — Brianna Espinoza
Courtesy Photo / Powdered Wig Machine
It's What I've Always Wanted is Powdered Wiig Machine's debut album.
The performance-art band’s debut album celebrates singer-guitarist Brandon Pittman’s ambition of pursuing the rock game on his own unconventional terms. Pittman first conceived of Powdered Wig Machine as a web series, then transitioned it into a musical group, which should provide a hint of just how far off the beaten path he’s gone. The album fuses noise rock with garage punk anthems, then throws jazzy elements into the mix for good measure. There’s even an interlude that echos the lyrics of Peggy Lee’s 1969 hit “Is That All There Is?” — DG
Sex Mex: Sex Mex ’23 (Self-released)
The Alamo City’s best bubblegum punk band is all about trashed-out, thrashed-out fun of the highest order. There are no elaborate concepts, no pretentious bullshit, no emo moaning to get in the way. Loud guitars, scorching synths, singalong choruses, blown-out recordings and infectious joy rule the day. Lucky for us completists, Sex Mex '23 collects the three EPs the group released this year: Dubble Bubble Blowout, We're a Happy Family and Chick Problems. — BB
Temachii: flora maniia (Self-released)
Newcomer Temachii dropped her first album flora maniia this spring, the perfect season to match the album’s light caress. Temachii’s ethereal vocals send listeners into another world where woodland creatures float on a cloud and the melodies feel as delicate as the butterflies featured on her album. Those vocals are the star here, getting minimal accompaniment from strummed guitars and lightly tapped drum patterns. However, the musicianship never feels muddled, especially not on songs like “12:00pm,” which go for the ambient dreamscape approach. Temachii has also released a second full-length album out this year, but if forced to pick between the two, we’re sticking with the debut. — BE
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