Released in 2017 on Greg Anderson's legendary Southern Lord label, Terminal is the 32nd studio album by the legendary Finnish psych-rock pioneers, Circle. Far from being a typical retro-rock record, this album is a mind-bending, six-track journey that seamlessly fuses the hypnotic pulse of 1970s krautrock, the heavy sludge of Black Sabbath, and the raw swagger of The Stooges. The most thrilling hook for your first listen is the wild vocal acrobatics of frontman Mika Rättö, who dramatically shifts from theatrical, high-pitched classic rock wails to deep death-metal growls, occasionally sounding like a demonic priest leading an occult ritual. Known for decades as the eccentric "madmen of Pori" who used to perform in spandex and sing in a completely invented language called Meronian, Circle breaks new ground here by using real lyrics in Finnish and even delivering a doom-blues closer in English on Sick Child. Turn up the volume, abandon all expectations, and prepare for a brilliant, unpredictable trip into one of modern underground rock's most fiercely original minds.

Born from a lightning-fast 5-day recording session in Mannheim, Germany, the historic birthplace of the automobile, REISE is a collaborative cosmic exploration by space-rock purveyors Spiral Drive (Raphaël Neikes) and psychedelic-pop eccentric Lord Fascinator (Johnny Mackay).Meaning “Journey” in German, REISE is a seamless, gapless concept album engineered to be the ultimate soundtrack for movement. Built on the relentless, hypnotic pulse of traditional Krautrock and injected with heavy modern fuzz, the record takes the listener on a five-stage transit from the asphalt of Earth straight into the deep unknown of outer space.Five chapters. Five modes of transport. One continuous trip.

SLIFT’s ILION is a towering work of rock music, a steamrolling record that starts at the highest peak and never lets up. If that sounds overwhelming, trust that this Toulouse trio have you in good hands. Their third full-length feels massive and oceanic, merging the furious intensity of metal and the wigged-out guitar heroics of psych rock with post-rock’s epic sense of scale. ILION is the kind of music where you listen to it and think to yourself, “This came from only three people?” It sure did, and SLIFT’s utter ferocity is way more than a tempest in a teacup. It reaches outwards for miles and creates new zeniths within unforeseen horizons of rock.

It’s been nearly eight years since the last Mondo Drag album came out. In that time, the Bay Area psych-prog band toured the US and Europe, performed at major festivals and—once again—reformed their rhythm section. But in the context of the band’s nearly two-decade existence, this period may have been the most fraught. Vocalist and keyboardist John Gamiño lost friends and family members. Meanwhile, humanity suffered the throes of a global pandemic.