Album Review: Matador – Above, Below and So (Church Road Records)

Psychedelic post-metal band, Matador return with ‘Above, Below and So’, out on February 27th, 2026, via Church Road Records.

Having evolved significantly since becoming a trio and putting out their sophomore album, ‘Surge’, Matador’s new album can be simply summed up as a triumph. Not just because it is so effortlessly extravagant, but because it is so delightfully unique. This isn’t just genre-bending, it’s genre-defying and the end result leaves such an impression.

I love it, but I knew I would from the moment I heard The House Always Wins. Being the first Matador song to ever feature vocals, it makes sense that this is what opens the new record. Putting the evolution of the band front and centre. The vocals, impressively blending authenticity and intensity, aren’t the only notable aspect though. This is a bullish and brash Matador, blending vitriolic heaviness with progressive power, melody, and more. Across nearly eight minutes, the deliberate drawn-out detail makes for one hell of an immersive experience.

It does set a high bar, especially as far as variety goes, but this is an album that grips tightly and refuses to loosen it at any stage. Matador’s creative flow expanding as Glitter Skin pushes the psychedelia forward, while layering in heavy stoner and doom infused groove elements. It’s immensely vibrant, and while each individual element is familiar, Matador’s genre-defying ways continues to make it feel so different.

I think every track is special, but The Flood might just eek it out as a favourite because it has body-shaking groove, some of the album’s biggest riffs, exciting melodic post twists, and goes so wild in places, reaching a crescendo that is downright gasp-inducing. The word that comes to mind is breathless.

Even though O Suna is quite short when compared to the rest of the album, the intense atmosphere oozing from it has such an effect. It’s tension heavy, threatening to erupt in doomy fashion, and readily setting up the wonder that is A Virus. Where a dramatic intro leads into laidback melody before an eruption of heavy arrives. The vocals are scathing in their intensity, something that only increases as the track goes on, even as they become cleaner, playing off the wild progressive aspects of the instrumental side, which also has a captivating ebb and flow. It’s certainly one of the more expressive showcases of what Matador are capable of.

Finally, it’s Hooks, and potency is the name of the game. Kicking off with a riff that has a Mastodon feel, before expanding in surprisingly infectious fashion via glorious post harmonies and punchy progressive heaviness. It’s as satisfying as everything that came before, and then some. Confirming this as a real contender for the best album of the year.

Matador – Above, Below and So Track Listing:

1. The House Always Wins
2. Glitter Skin
3. The Flood
4. O Suna
5. A Virus
6. Hooks

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