When I sit down to find something new to listen to, I normally end up finding material that I can pinpoint into a single style of metal or rock and go from there. Easy enough, makes my bullshit works much easier. But, it’s every so often that I come across a record that just doesn’t fit into any one style perfectly. It meanders with minimal effort and makes a damn good show out of it. I have seen a great example of that since Inter Arma two months ago, but that didn’t stop Pinkish Black from delivering a really surreal experience.

Diving first into this record, I heard a word here and there that Pinkish Black plays doom rock of a kind which is something that I can easily get behind. I’ve heard it before many times, but I’m really glad I didn’t hear any of the singles before hearing this exceedingly digitally ethereal record as “Concept Unification” is truly a listen that should be listened to in full by virgin ears. The cover art gives barely a hint as to the immensely transcendent experience of these six tracks (eight in the digital version) but isn’t even close to encapsulating the odd wonder and slightly abrasive “what the fuck” sounds that Pinkish Black constantly tackles with this record. Granted, “Concept Unification” doesn’t shy away from its doom rock description that I had heard of, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg as we constantly see Pinkish Black effortlessly drift from a fuzz-filled riff that’s drawn out with expert timing and beautiful melodies to electronic pulses brought together in such delectable fashion as Pinkish Black craft an experience that can only be described as magnificently weird throughout its boundless exploration and gorgeous display of dissonant power.

By the end of it all, “Concept Unification” has brought together a deliciously eclectic set that makes for an album that has as much depth to its music as it does quality with each and every song being absolutely compelling to make you want to come back to this record over and over again. There are many odd records that we get every single year, and it’s easy for me to say that Pinkish Black has made one of the more exceptional examples of that for this year’s already stupendous catalog of weird.

“Concept Unification” releases on June 14th via Relapse Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Concept Unification” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Pinkish Black on Facebook here.