Stoner/Doom Metal band DAYGLO MOURNING hails from Atlanta, Georgia. They formed back in 2017 and released their self-titled debut album in 2018. You can find it as a standalone album or as a split, "Rope Enough For Two," with BLUDY GYRES. Along the way there have been the inevitable lineup changes, but on February 10, 2021 they're due to release their second full-length album, "Dead Star," on Black Doomba Records.

The name DAYGLO MOURNING could be the brand of a lava lamp from the 1970's. If you can imagine the heavy, thick movements of that fluorescent, languorous liquid suspended in some other liquid - yeah, this band sounds like that looks. The band has stated that they are devoted to exploring sound that "transcends the ear and reaches the soul. Sounds that take hold of and manipulate the subconscious, manifesting in the uncontrollable need to rock and sway to the rhythm being offered." Listening to "Dead Star," that's an apt description.

Thematically, the band doesn't dish out political diatribes or shamanistic invocations, instead it's psychedelic, fantasy-infused vignettes and visions. Their songs are more likely to reference Magic the Gathering (e.g. "Bloodghast") than socio-economic critiques.

Musically, the band fills a much bigger sonic space than you might expect from a trio. Each instrument assumes the lead just easily as they meld together, and the strong production provides clear separation without db overload. Jerimy's vocals are powerful enough to punch through the down-tuned gravity and are baritone and earthy without being guttural. Altogether the album comes across as deliberately paced, showcasing the band's songwriting prowess with some stunning arrangements - the epic yearning of "The Offering"; the blues-laden break in "Bloodghast"; the groovy but ominous riff of "Witches Ladder."

I do need to give special note to the incredible artwork by Mont Doom, Stoner/Doom artist out of Italy. The cover includes richly depicted green maidens communing with a space wolf, a Philip K. Dickian eye in the sky blasting spaceships out of said sky, and cosmic doorways suggesting both a literal and figurative escape. Altogether it's a perfect companion piece to the six tracks inside.

DAYGLO MOURNING's "Dead Star" is a solid entry in the ever-expanding Stoner/Doom universe. They say a little science can be liberating to a closed mind, so here's a factoid for you to ruminate on. Some dead stars can contain the same "mass of our sun in a volume no bigger than our planet." Translation: Whether you are talking planetary physics or DAYGLO MOURNING's latest album, dead stars are some of the heaviest things known to man.