135 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | breakdowns, coming at listeners from every direction until they’re fully im- mersed in crashing waves of catharsis. Seeing this band live is like nothing else, with its complex organization of distinct, grating sounds and fuzzed-out vocals meticulously placed to keep the crowd completely possessed. Sometimes, in order to reach an existential mental breakthrough, you need to move through chaos to be able to make sense of your place in the world…or you realize that nothing makes sense at all. Cherry Spit pulls that out of you as you headbang, thrash and fully let yourself go to the band’s raw spirit, a welcome presence on the scene. Best Metal Album Absolute Elsewhere Blood Incantation bloodincantation.org Blood Incantation made such a genre-ex- panding album with the October 2024 re- lease of Absolute Elsewhere that even Time magazine recognized it as one of the best albums of the year. Of course, the two-track tome was emphatically embraced by met- alheads — Blood Incantation has been an underground juggernaut since 2011 — but for such a straitlaced publication to give ink to extreme music is not the norm. Split into twenty-plus-minute halves, dubbed “The Stargate” and “The Message,” Absolute Elsewhere contains an otherworldly DNA of death metal, prog rock and krautrock, making it a truly alien, and heavy, listen- ing experience. Kudos to drummer Isaac Faulk, guitarist and vocalist Paul Reidl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky and bassist Jeff Barrett. Best Post-Metal Album Eternal Ghosts of Glaciers ghostsofglaciers.bandcamp.com Ghosts of Glaciers put together one of the most comprehensive post-metal albums you’ll ever hear in the ethereal Eternal. The longtime local trio of guitarist Ste- ven Jackson, bassist Michael Rouse and drummer Ben Brandhorst make music that hits on such a visceral level, listening to these six tracks is an auditory out-of- body experience. While all instrumen- tals, there are moments of doom, black, death, prog-metal and classical (just listen to the piano part on closer “Regeneratio Aeterna”) throughout the album. “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” both over twelve minutes in length, are prime examples of what Ghosts of Gla- ciers excels at, but Eternal is best enjoyed in its entirety. Best Powerviolence Band With Two Bassists Polish instagram.com/polish_hc Powerviolence is a fairly niche hardcore subsect, but we’re pretty sure there’s only one band out there doing it with two bass- ists. Meet Polish (as in nail polish). The trio of bassist/vocalist Issac Roybal, bass- ist Dante DeLaurier and drummer Eddie Eaton is all drums, bass and bravado, and that’s all you need, apparently. Polish has made its name locally through unhinged live sets — Roybal is pretty jacked up and menacing when he gets to shouting, while DeLaurier turns into a Tasmanian devil, wild hair and all, on stage. The bass-heavy band recently funneled that fury into its debut full-length, Decay, which comprises ten songs at just under nine minutes. Pol- ish powerviolence is a mad dash, not a marathon. Best Protest Album Out of Your House, Into the Streets A.M.O.D. amodcohc.bandcamp.com It’s all well and good to put snarky, clever references to idiotic politicians in your songs and call it a day, having done your due diligence as a socially conscious band. And then there’s A.M.O.D. The Denver hardcore group doesn’t mince words any more than it pulls punches. The messages embedded in the band’s latest album, Out of Your House, Into the Streets, blare forth like a megaphone- wielding protester facing down a line of cops — a situation that the members of A.M.O.D. have surely faced a time or two in their lives. That is, when they’re not on stage, inciting riots in the pit with their savage calls-to-arms. Best Debut Punk Album Tuff Bluff Tuff Bluff instagram.com/thetuffbluff There’s no shortage of punk bands in this city, but we were particularly impressed by Tuff Bluff’s self-titled full-length debut, which dropped in May 2024. The twelve- track album is authentic, raw punk rock, maintaining a sound rooted in the late- ’90s East Bay scene, which was known for melding ska and pop elements with the genre. Ryan Heller, Sara Fischer and Tom Dodd formed Tuff Bluff in 2021, and while they’ve released an EP and singles since then, this LP is the prime exemplifi cation of their live sound, which always keeps audiences moving. Each song is at once visceral and catchy, and makes you want to get to a Tuff Bluff concert ASAP. Best Bilingual Badass Feminist Punk Album Feminista Manifestó Soy Celesté soycelestemusic.com Soy Celesté released its fi rst full-length al- bum, Feminista Manifestó, in September 2024. It’s a searing, fi fteen-track magnum opus about feminism, politics and iden- tity, translated through an amalgamation of Latin folk, cumbia and punk rock. Band founder, vocalist and guitarist Celesté Martinez spent years compiling research for the album, particularly on the intersec- tion of Chicanx history and feminism, and the result is awe-inspiring. Tracks include both English and Spanish, as well as cov- ers of traditional Mexican folk songs “La Llorona” and “La Bruja,” and the rhythms of some songs connect with others to draw another narrative. It’s ingenious, and we can’t wait to see what comes next from this group. continued on page 136 OPEN 24/7 NOW HIRING DENVERSTRIPCLUB.COM ASK ABOUT EARLY BIRD SPECIAL ................. .................. ................. .................. .............................. ............................ .............................. ............................ ....................... ................... ................... ....................... ................... ...................
