Sworn to perpetrate the most corrosive blackened doom/sludge metal dirges imaginable, Long Island and Brooklyn, New York's Unearthly Trance emerged in the early 2000s and quickly became linchpins of the American doom metal scene. Since debuting in 2003 with Season of Séance, Science of Silence, the trio have shown a willingness to tinker with their occult-doom sound, incorporating ambient and drone elements to later releases like Electrocution (2008) and V (2010). The group ceased operations in 2012, but re-formed in 2017 for the LP Stalking the Ghost.

Unearthly Trance came into existence at the dawn of the new millennium around the talents of vocalist/guitarist Ryan Lipynsky, bassist Jay Newman, and drummer Darren Verni. A couple of self-financed early releases, Hadit and V.V.V.V., preceded the arrival of their full-length debut, 2003's Season of Séance, Science of Silence. The punishing In the Red arrived the following year, and in 2006 Unearthly Trance inked a deal with Relapse Records and issued their third studio long player, The Trident. Arriving in 2008, Electrocution saw them expanding their sound by adding elements of progressive and experimental metal into the mix, and 2010's V catered to both persuasions, delivering the visceral punch of their earlier works while maintaining the more exploratory nature of their recent offerings. In 2012, after years of touring and recording, Unearthly Trance decided to call it quits, but they reconvened in 2015, releasing a double album of early vinyl-only material called Ouroboros. Energized by the process, the band headed back into the studio the following year to lay down tracks for a studio LP. The resulting Stalking the Ghost, released via Relapse, arrived in 2017. The following year saw the group team up with Denver-based blackened doom enthusiasts Primitive Man for split 7". ~ James Christopher Monger