Dutch spiritual sludge collective A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers stream debut EP »Towers Of Silence«; out now via Lay Bare Recordings!

Haarlem, Netherlands based spiritual sludge band A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers has just released their debut EP »Towers Of Silence« this Friday, May 8th, 2026 via Lay Bare Recordings.

Tracklist:
01. The Massacre Of Flour
02. I Fuck People
03. Towers Of Silence

Courtesy of Viral Propaganda PR:

Whilst the name A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers references several works, including the Van der Graaf Generator song and the Robert Eggers film, the Haarlem-based metal collective have developed a sound that is both disturbing and consoling in equal measure.

Blending sludge, post-metal and doom with elements of jazz and spiritual music, the quintet use their music as a vehicle for free artistic, political, and personal expression. Following their first run of shows across the Netherlands of ten collaborating with additional musicians, the band are steadily building a reputation for intense, unpredictable live performances.

Musically, A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers sound like a disturbed lovechild of OM, Sumac, Swans, Miles Davis, and Pandit Pran Nath, combining lengthy improvisations with ear-shattering explosions of intensity. Desperate shrieks, crashing cymbals, noisy guitar textures, and hypnotic bass repetition create a stark counterpoint to contemporary pop culture.

It is, in many ways, the punk rock of a failed generation, drowning in anger and filth, yet too tired to organize a revolution. Still, within the chaos, the band find small moments of undeniable beauty and fragility, perhaps sparking a glimmer of hope in a world shaped by pandemics, war, and oppression.

»Towers Of Silence« EP

When the term drone metal is mentioned, most people think of pioneering artists like Sunn O))), Nadja, or Earth. Dutch experimentalists A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers approach the concept differently on their debut EP »Towers Of Silence«.

Rather than building purely atmospheric compositions from slow ambient structures, the band begin from a doom and sludge metal foundation, expanding outward into free jazz, raga, noise, and classical minimalism.

Coming from diverse musical backgrounds, the band combine these influences into a cohesive narrative addressing despair, anger, and anxiety in today’s geopolitical climate, while searching for resolution and hope within the individual.

Opening track »Massacre Of Flour« presents the band’s sound with a ferocious statement against the ongoing Palestinian genocide. This is followed by »I Fuck People«, a show of support for marginalized queer communities worldwide, delivered as a free-jazz avant-metal thunderstorm. The EP closes with the title track »Towers Of Silence«, an OM-like spiritual wall of sound and a search for meaning and hope in the face of human finality.

Order »Towers Of Silence« EP here:
laybarerecordings.com | aplagueoflighthousekeepers.bandcamp.com

Credits:
All songs written by A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers.
Recorded and mixed by Marlon Wolterink, White Noise Studio, Winterswijk.
Artwork and layout by Yulia Ermakov.

A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers is:
Joost Verhagen – Vocals, Synths, Shruti, Tanpura
Derek Twiss – Drums
Tristan “Lama Waaien” – Guitar/Saxophone
Sterre Marrée – Bass/Backing Vocals

FFO: Amenra, Sumac, OM, Thou, etc…

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well