Wood Lake-"Hell" (album)

I'm usually pretty skeptical about the bands that Facebook recommends to me, but a lot of times they're pretty spot on. When I saw the band Wood Lake pop up on my feed, labeling themselves as emo/black metal/shoegaze, I had no choice but to give them a listen. The black metal label is a stretch, but these guys from Ottawa have a super unique sound that's hard to make an overall comparison to. The front portion of their newest LP leans on gritty distorted riffs and vocals along the lines of Basement, but more atmospheric via some well-placed synth parts. The middle section rides the vibe that these synths give off and makes you feel like you're floating away. Towards the end there are glimpses of black metal, including an ominous section of "Barrhaven" that features a super distorted chunk of six (or four?) string sludge. There's also the track "Hollow," which features a blast beat throughout. This album is full of surprises as it weaves in and out of various genres. Do yourself a favor and have a listen.