“Nothing is impossible.” That was Susan Alcorn’s assessment of the potential of the pedal steel guitar, the peculiar instrument that she made her own. Alcorn passed away at 71 in January 2025 as possibly the world’s pre-eminent pedal steel player, driven by a vision to bring as much out of it as possible and, in doing so, to gracefully apprehend and interpret whatever music caught her interest. In her final years, Alcorn joined forces with Nomad War Machine, the Philadelphia duo of drummer Julius Masri and guitarist James Reichard; Contra Madre is her first posthumous release, and her first documented foray into metal-adjacent spheres after a lifetime playing country, jazz, and free improv. Her first album with “these metal guys from Philly” is an unconventional…