Most local music fans know Christopher Elliott as half of the indie folk duo Austin & Elliott. Montague resident Elliott, and his partner Lisa Austin, have played their edgy brand of acoustic music at Coop concerts and other local venues for many years now. The songs he’s written for the pair sometimes included elements of darkness, but this material has nothing on Elliott’s recent solo projects.

Last year, Elliott released an album called “Doom Folk” under the moniker Buzzard. The material on “Doom Folk” merged the heaviness of doom metal music with the story telling style of lyrics usually associated with folk music. Some of Elliott’s lyrics on “Doom Folk” were inspired by various offbeat works of fiction, and the album features songs about witches, the “lord of darkness,” and cockroaches, while frequently taking on themes related to religion. A Red Rose Music Review writer called Elliott “the Satanic Woody Guthrie.” I think you get the idea.

“Doom Folk” was recorded in Elliott’s home studio and was well received in the heavy rock music world and there is more Buzzard music on the way.

But last month, Elliott released an album called “Satiricus Doomicus Americus” under the same name. The material on this album is doom folk, but it utilizes vintage audio clips and dense sonics to explore the unraveling of society and the human species (among other things).

The title track opens the album, brilliantly setting the tone and establishing the vision for the following eight tracks. It begins with an audio clip of a cheery voice saying “Remember to grab your receipt.” It’s the kind of request we hear every day, and whether it’s an ode to consumerism or serves as the bright false facade behind the impending apocalypse, either way, it’s use is effective.

From there the fuzzy guitars are accompanied by thundering drums as Elliott sings/speaks lyrics in the guise of Satiricus Doomicus Americus: “I’m not a cynic, I’m a realist / Satiricus Doomicus Americus / Charlie Brown Trolls on 4chan / MAGA Stans blow the doorman / Bubbha Buddha hatches a war plan.”

The song could be a natural evolution of Elliott’s work with Buzzard. Instead, he released this album as a side project from his side project.

“‘Satiricus’ feels different to me,” Elliott recently told Sounds Local. “First, the liberal use of sampling and layered sonics. Second, most of the songs and performances predate Buzzard by years, in most cases going back to 2010, and reflect a different state of mind. Some of it was begun when we first moved to Leverett in 2008!”

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Another reason this couldn’t be the next Buzzard album is that the next Buzzard album, “Mean Bone,” has already been completed and will be released on April 11.

“With the current state of the world, I had a gut feeling that this was the right moment for this material, which was just sitting on my hard drive, most of it for 10 years,” Elliott said.

And in that respect, “Satiricus Doomicus Americus” is the perfect soundtrack for these challenging times. At times, he is a doomsday prophet as he explores the hypocrisy of religion, impending war, and a society coming undone.

While the lyrics are heavy, not all the music is. “Nice Little Annihilation Song” is a plucky banjo number, almost a bluegrass tune that addresses religion, and “Too Many Humans” is a melodic tune that could inspire you to sing along. The heavy guitar sounds on “Wrong Neighborhood” make this one a head banger’s delight.

Two tunes – “Cockroaches and Weed (Kills Them Dead Version)” and “Death Metal in America (Meat Market Version)” – of the nine tracks on this release appeared on “Buzzard,” but these versions are more layered and “Death Metal in America” has an additional verse exploring what happens at the night club after the death metal show.

Overall, “Spiritus Doomicus Americus” is an innovative and creative work, especially with the audio clips to enhance the lyrics, providing a sense of irony or simply expanding on the overall vibe of the song. It’s a bleak side, but this may prove to be your perfect companion to 2025. And look for “Darkness Wins,” the first single off the upcoming Buzzard album, “Mean Bone,” to be released on Feb. 19. Elliott said the single is pure doom metal while the follow-up single will be pure dark folk.

“Life is short, and I already have three relatively metallic Buzzard records in the can and am still creating more,” Elliott said.

Where does this leave Austin and Elliott?

“The past few years Lisa has been so busy being a public school teacher that Austin and Elliott haven’t been that active,” he said. “However we’re playing in the All-Cooped Up on March 15 and plan to put out an album on Bandcamp this year. (We recorded it a while back and just haven’t dropped it). In the future we plan to incorporate Lisa into Buzzard more.”

“Doom Folk” and “Satiricus Doomicus Americus” are available on Bandcamp.com. Look for “Doom Folk” to be released on vinyl through Herby Records in Austin later this year. Preorders for new Buzzard music will be available on Bandcamp.com starting next week.

Adding to the new releases is “Exploding Star” by Heather Maloney, released last Friday on the Signature Sounds label.

Maloney wrote the songs on “Exploding Star” following her father’s death in 2021. She wrote these songs to work through her grief, and she had no intention of sharing them with the public. However, the Northampton-based singer-songwriter put them out into the world at the urging of friends and family.

Produced by Don Mitchell (Darlingside) and joined by Isabella DeHerdt and Isaac Eliot of High Tea, who provide vocals and arrangements, “Exploding Star” is Maloney’s most personal work to date. On the 12 tracks here, she explores loss and how we move through it and change as a result.

She recorded some songs in her New Jersey childhood home and played her father’s old guitar on some of them, adding to the overall emotional power of this material. She explores the various sides of grief, contemplating the spiritual afterlife on “Exploding Star,” when she sings, “Are you floating in the cosmos / finally free from time?” Other tunes, like “Light You Leave Behind,” find her looking back at her father’s life.

Throughout this recording, the vocals of High Tea blend beautifully with Maloney’s, creating harmonies that elevate songs like “Labyrinth in the Weeds.” The duo’s contribution can not be underestimated, as this would be an entirely different album without their participation.

Listeners will connect with Maloney’s honesty and vulnerability in this beautiful collection of songs that we are so fortunate she decided to share with us.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.