(des), the sophomore album from British doomgaze outfit Troy the Band, is the result of an interested predicament. Shortly after recording the album, the band’s original vocalist, Craig Newman, left, leaving Troy the Band with the options of scrapping the record or doing something new with it. They chose the latter, recruiting a slew of vocalists from UK underground bands to sing on the record, giving it a varied-but-unified energy.

The instrumental performances  on (des) are doomy and heavy, with a layer of dark psychedelia and an undercurrent of restless post-hardcore baked in. The vocalists change the tone of the songs considerably—vocalist Ana-Maria Terr Bordei (Codex Serafini) channels heavy psych that recalls Acid King’s take on the genre Black Groove vocalist Jack Packham adds a sharp, grinding edge to track three. The guest vocalists come from a variety of bands, among them Elephant Tree, Believe in Nothing, Black Orchids, Dead Witches, Tayne and Black Shape.

Earlier this year, Terr Bordei joined Troy the Band as a full-time member, solidifying the lineup alongside drummer Jack Revans, who joined in 2024, for future touring and recording. (des) is a bold and thoughtful effort—it’s not easy to unify nine songs with different vocalists and end with something that’s listenable and interesting.

The album is out on July 3 and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

The post Full Album Stream: Troy the Band – “(des)” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.