For a relatively new band with minimal web and/or live presence, 2013 was a pretty big year for Brooklyn’s Yellow Eyes. Along with the accolades they received elsewhere, they made Stereogum’s list of the Best New Bands Of 2013 on the strength of their great Hammer Of Night EP — and that EP was eventually named one of our 50 Best Metal Albums Of 2013. They’re opening 2014 with the release of a new two-song EP, and it’s another straight stunner. Both sides of The Desert Mourns 12″ are ferocious, Cascadian-style melodic-atmospheric black metal colossi that build momentum in one direction only to abruptly swing left or right into unexpected and amazing new terrains. If you wanted to make an argument for Yellow Eyes as the best thing happening in USBM today, I’d listen. They’re certainly making a strong enough argument for themselves right here. And you should listen, too.

The Desert Mourns 12″ is available via Sibir Records.