We realized Canada’s Yamantaka//Sonic Titan was basically the most amazing band on the planet when we heard their debut album YT//ST. That gorgeous mountain of rock led us to interview the entire band for about an hour, in which time they basically took turns blowing our minds. Their awesomeness is top of mind at the moment because they just released a new nugget of otherworldly action called “Lamia,” available for streaming and downloading at Adult Swim’s website.

This band and their prog metal/Chinese opera inspired indie rock is getting a fair measure of their due just now too. Not only is their album getting a handsome vinyl reissue through Canada’s Paper Bag Records, but they’ve been shortlisted for their nation’s prestigious Polaris Prize.

What do you do when you are Yamantaka // Sonic Titan and so much good fortune comes your way? You release a split 7″ with Fucked Up and then debut your Buddhist rock opera about drag queens at the Pop Montreal Festival, September 21st. (Try to keep up with them.)

Of course, if you haven’t heard their music, none of that helps you understand why they are the only rock band you really even need to know about. This will help:

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Lamia ‘New Single’ from Kato Moving Pictures on Vimeo.