Band: MODERIX
Country: Russia
Title: Amoralbloom
Label: Desolation Prod.
Year: 2010
Style: Electro Black Metal
Review:
Formed in 2004, Moderix became active in the great Russian Black Metal scene only in 2007 when they have released their debut album, followed by three Split CDs and an EP, and now this second album, a 10 tracks release lasting for a bit more than 30 minutes.
What can I say about this new album, it's a totally different release than we're used to hear, a field I'm not too familiar with and I must confess I've listened to only 1 band playing this type of music before (I know there are much more, but wasn't curious enough to listen). Moderix are playing an electro type of Black Metal with loads of synths everywhere and a drum-machine that's becoming insanely fast from time to time. I can't say I'm not enjoying this combination of electro synths/drums with raw and brutal vocals/guitars/bass, but when the drums become ultra-fast it's a real mess, it's hard to understand something out of it, a better mastering would have given the material more professionalism. The vocals are the strongest in Moderix, very raw and devilish, very straight-forward, but I honestry cannot immagine how this band will be welcomed by the Black Metal community. I'd say give it a try, but only if you're into experimental music, if you think you're opened to any combination of sounds.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: NECHOCHWEN
Country: USA
Title: Azimuths to the Otherworld
Label: Bindrune Rec.
Year: 2010
Style: Folk Pagan Black Metal
Review:
Holy crap, I think I've just listened (and still listen) to one of the most interesting releases of this year so far! "Azimuths..." is composed of 14 tracks and lasts for an hour. I must confess I'm not familiar with this band or his past, but this album is a true gem, it left me mouth open after the first listening, just like Pensees Nocturnes's debut album left me a few months ago.
Nechochwen comes from the States and I guess this is deir debut album, but they are mature musicians, that's for sure, and not only in the metal field. Bindrune Recordings must be damn proud to have such a band in their stable.
To say "Azimuths..." is a Black metal album is a mistake, but to say it's Folk with some Black Metal patterns might be better, and that's because the duo is using mostly acoustic elements inspired by the Amer-Indian culture supported here and there by fast, aggressive Black Metal parts that keep this release still in the metal field. Don't know why, but it reminded me of the balls Tristitia had when they released their debut album... And here's what we get here: nature sounds, melodic, catchy acoustic guitars, keyboard background, pianos, violins, whistles, whispers and clean vocals, on the Folk part and fast, aggressive and intricate but at the same time melodic and technical guitar riffs, discreet but very important bass presence, pounding drums, raw and powerful screaming vocals on the Black Metal part. Although lasting for an hour, trust me, it's not the slightest effort to listen to it all.
Definitely recommended! I only hope they will continue discovering sonorities on the same path and won't change their style on the next release.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: NO HOPE
Country: Germany
Title: Big Block Damnation
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Sludge Doom Metal
Review:
No Hope from Germany are now in their 17th year as a band so its amazing to think they are only now getting a name for themselves in the Stoner / Sludge / Doom underground. The fact they have been around so long means they are now a finely tuned machine with precise playing, concise songwriting and a confidence which shines through especially on the recording of "Big Block Damnation". Produced, mixed and mastered by the band themselves, the production on this 4 tracker is excellent. "Through Sad Eyes" kicks off the EP with a Doom laden riff, when the rest of the band chimes in, its a thick sludge groove all capped off with gritty, growling vocals but not in the Black Metal sense, its pure swampy Sludge Metal style in the vein of Crowbar, Weedeater etc. The main riff is made of tormented, twisting guitar runs that have a Classic Rock vibe just as much as a Sludge Metal one. Very Sabbathian in its intent and of course bone-shaking heavy, the guitar is thick and warm without going too overboard on the distortion. "No Difference" is darker and certainly more "Doom" than the opening track, the Crowbar influence is strong in this one especially in the vocal department. The middle section is total old-school Doom Metal with a crying, moaning sorrowful riff. It manages to hold the tension for the whole 9 minutes, slowly grinding its way to a dramatic, aggressive conclusion. The third track "M-Lady" you might have heard on a DMA Sampler a while back and its the shortest track on the EP but also one of the doomiest tunes on the EP. Once again its very much in the vein of "Crowbar" but by no means a rip-off, it has a thicker than mollasses riff line and a vocal performance that purely comes from the gut. "Aglophobia" is the final track on the EP which crawls out of the speakers with a heavy reverb / echo on the snare and feed-backing guitar touches before another mournful, down-tuned monolithic riff is produced. A very intense exercise in Epic, Sludge Metal, its a pain filled journey throughout the entire 8 minutes that puts a stranglehold on your head and doesn't let go. What the band lacks is originality but this EP makes up for that but delivering a back to back solid Sludge / Doom Metal release with awesome playing, incredible whiskey drenched vocals and a solid production to crack walls. At under 30 minutes, its all over too quickly so the desire for "No Hope" to release a full-length album soon is right there already. There is not much to criticize about this EP, if you love the downtrodden slow grooves of "Crowbar", you will be blown away by this. A excellent release from a band that should be on everyone's playlist. Highly recommend this EP from "No Hope".
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: PROFETUS
Country: Finland
Title: Coronation Of The Black Sun
Label: Ahdistuksen Aihio
Year: 2009
Style: Funeral Doom Metal
Review:
Profetus are a Finnish Funeral Doom Metal band that have shown once again you can push the musical boundaries of the genre and avoid the obvious cliches. Profetus do that mainly with their use of keyboards, rather than simply following a riff pattern, they create a creepy atmosphere with the instrument that gives the band a unique appeal in the world of Funeral Doom. On first reactions when listening to this album, you think of bands like Thergothon and while its true they follow a similar path, they take that style into a place its never really been before. Released on Rusty Crowbar Records, Profetus debut album called "Coronation of the Black Sun" is a churning, mournful dose of slow, depressing Doom Metal with a twist. What makes them different is the light and shade within the songs, when the keyboards are pushed up in the mix but when the guitar takes over, the keys are pushed to the background making the music sound almost surreal at times. They also don't have a bass player but you are very un-aware of this for the most part because of the way they fill out their sound. Minimalist riffs are of course the main feature of the music but like in the track "Coalescence Of Ashen Wings" they also add a touch of interesting mood changes. The riffing is slow and suffocating but with sections of keyboard work that take the music down to a melancholic trance before you are drowned in depressive riffing once again. The vocals are guttural and full of agony, the drums are more percussive than just simply providing a slow beat but they are very effective. The last track "Blood of Saturn" stands out as a highpoint as here they add more rhythmic changes than what is on the rest of the album. The downside to the album is the fact as there is really only 3 songs and the other track is really just a intro. 2 of those songs have a kind of rough edge to them and are a little one dimensional even for a Funeral Doom band. The plus side is though they sound different from most other bands in this genre of Doom Metal and if you are looking for a more melodic version of Thergothon, then Profetus will come pretty close. "Coronation of the Black Sun" is one of the Funeral Doom surprises of the last year despite its flaws and i am pretty sure, a lot of doomsters will like it.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: RAMESSES
Country: UK
Title: Take The Curse
Label: Ritual Productions
Year: 2010
Style: Stoner Doom
Review:
I first heard the tracks off "Take The Curse" almost a year ago now when a friend sent me their CDR promo that was circulating at the time, it was such a killer collection of songs that i lent out the disc to another so called friend and never saw the CD or that dude ever again! Finally after nearly a year of waiting i have the album back again and it was worth the wait. Released on the Ritual Productions label, it is due for a official release on April 19th. The CD comes in 2 alternative covers with glossy artwork and the first 200 copies comes with a exclusive limited edition collector's art card set, made especially for this release. What is remarkable about Ramesses is they have become a big influence to a lot of bands but have only ever released one previous full length album which was "Misanthropic Alchemy" released in 2007. They have released a couple of split albums with other bands and a couple of EP's including last years brilliant "Baptism of the Walking Dead". The power doom-trio have a originality that is hard to compare with anyone else which is the band's strongest point and on "Take The Curse", they have taken their sound to the next level of sonic extremes and accessibility.
The album starts off with "Iron Crow" and it is immediately clear, Ramesses have gained even more musical powers over the last year or two. The brute force to which this track is delivered is intense with Mark Greening's pulverizing drumming skills are right at the fore-front of the sound. He has been compared to John Bonham for his powerhouse approach and its easy to hear why when you listen to "Iron Crow". Of course it goes without saying Tim Bagshaw's inventive guitar playing is what makes the band so unique, constantly shifting and multi-dimensional, the guy is a master of the doom technique. When it moves into the second track, "Terrasaw" it becomes very diverse with everything from down-trodden doom riffing to progressive rock keyboard sections inserted into the last couple of minutes. "Black Hash Mass" blends in samples from a old Dracula movie but i am not too sure which one it is. These samples mix in well with pounding black metal inspired sections and extremely dark funeral doom passages. The title track "Take The Curse" is up next and its a slow burning occult doom track with a basic but interesting guitar solo work and it creates a overwhelming atmosphere of darkness. "Vinho Dos Mortos" is a short guitar track fused with more old horror movie samples. There is 3 tracks included on this album that was originally put out on the "Baptism Of The Walking Dead EP" and the title track of that EP is the first one to show up here. Its not disappointing that they have decided to include these tracks as that EP was released in extremely limited quantities so its great that these 3 tracks have found a fitting home, better than being lost into obscurity forever.
If you have never heard the track "Baptism Of The Walking Dead", you are in for a treat. Its a monster of theatrical inspired doom metal, the riff work is a outstanding example of how to do it and to do it with real passion for the art of doom metal. Another track from that EP follows and its the excellent "Another Skeleton". The most psychedelic track on the album by far, the double tracked vocals work wonders here in creating a horror filled atmosphere. "Hand Of Glory" pushes the band back into a more old-school black metal direction before it all slows down into a monolithic sludge metal section while the following "The Weakening" is classic blackened doom metal complete with church bells, yeah that has been done to death but this is perfectly executed here so who cares anyway. The album ends with "Khali Mist" which is also from last years EP. A moody tribute to the multi-armed goddess of death and destruction, its a fitting way to finish the album. "Take The Curse" is both classic Ramesses and the slightly more accessible version and its a solid, unforgettable slab in the band's career. The band has reached it absolute peak with "Take The Curse" and because of its multi-faceted songs, it will appeal to a wide range of metal fans. The awe-inspiring guitar work, the pulverizing drumming and the vocals of Adam who has a incredible range is essential listening for all the readers out there. Get it.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: RAVENFROST
Country: Germany
Title: Ein Streifzug Am Abgrund Der Seele
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Ravenfrost recently signed with Holland's Victory by Fire Records, so by definition this must be a raw, underground Black Metal act. And indeed it is. Formed in 2006 as a one-man-band, Ravenfrost released it's debut demo one year later, and last year the guy released 1 Promo and this new Demo in limited edition of 100 hand-numbered copies.
We're dealing here with 8 long tracks lasting for almost 40 minutes. Ravenfrost plays old-school raw Black Metal with no notable influences from other genres. Mid-tempo to fast guitar riffs, angry dual layered vocals, catchy rhythms, melancholic guitar leads and keyboards on some of the tracks, a contradictory release between cold and warm feelings. I think Ravenfrost did a good job on this demo, but it's still not enough to break through this overpopulated Black Metal scene, so he needs a bit more time to find his own path and stay on it. Because it's so different it's not boring at all, but cannot make you remember a certain aspect of it after you listen to it.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: SNOWBLOOD
Country: UK
Title: Snowblood
Label: SuperFi Rec.
Year: 2009
Style: Sludge Doom Metal
Review:
Well i was pretty slow in catching onto this band from Glasgow, i pick their debut album "The Human Tragedy" early last year and recently i got myself a copy of their latest self-titled album to read a few days later that the band had split. There was a album released in the middle of these two called "Being and Becoming" and i will be picking that one up as soon as possible. This band has to be one of the best kept secrets in the world of Doom because Snowblood was one hell of a uncompromising outfit of musicians. Impressively packaged in a fold-out card sleeve, the band have left the four tracks on the album un-titled with only the lyrics included on the fold-out booklet, there is also no credits or information preferring to let the music speak for itself. Musically they take the industrial sounds of Godflesh, the bass laden Doom of Electric Wizard and the swampy, gritty feral Doom of bands like Iron Monkey, mangle it all up into a sound of their own. The opening close to 20 minute track is a seething, twisted piece of music that blend clean guitar sounds with dirty distortion and some of the most expressive vocals you will ever hear from Luke Devlin . At times it is verging on complex, progressive rock with jazz inspired drum work. The song is built around different movements that increase in intensity as the track progresses. Clearly there is no rules with this band as they move from more complex passages to a repetitive monster of a Doom riff in one part of the song. The drum-kit of Ewan Mackenzie threatens to fall to pieces in another section of the song as the level of aggression increases. Multi-dimensional and multi-layered, some bands could write 10 albums just from the ideas in this one song. Another epic track follows with the sound of strings (cello and violin) blending beautifully with delayed guitar sounds and organ. Like the opening track, it builds piece by piece, getting louder with every movement. Over the course of the track which is even longer than track one, it goes from sounding calm to a sound of sheer Doom Metal brutality. It has a horror-movie soundtrack vibe about that is one part threatening and one part downright un-settling. Once again the sound is huge and the musical scope of the band is incredibly diverse. Track three is the shortest track here, at 10 minutes and is the only weak moment on the album. Maybe its the overwhelming intensity of the opening two tracks that make this track seem so ordinary. It has more of a indie, post-rock sound with more piano and cello and groovy bass lines, not bad but for me it clashes with the rest of the album, maybe its just a teaser for whats to follow which is a monolithic masterpiece. The closer which again pushes the 20 minute mark builds its way from cleaner Neurosis styled passages into filth ridden Stoner Doom which is a little like Electric Wizard. Add in some Iron Monkey styled nastiness and you have a musical beast, the song showcases all of their musical abilities within the one track and rather than being a overlong exercise in noise, it actually seems much shorter than its actual running time. I could listen to this track all night long, there is a kind of demented beauty about this track and when the droning feedback brings the track to the end, you are wanting more. I love any band that is prepare to push the boundaries of Doom like Snowblood do so its a great shame they are no more. With the exception of track three, this sees the band going out on a exceptional high. The scene has suffered a great loss with the departure of this much underrated band. I just wish i had have heard them sooner, at least i have this classic to remember them by.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: SWALLOW THE SUN
Country: Finland
Title: New Moon
Label: Spinefarm
Year: 2009
Style: Melodic Doom Death
Review:
OK, I will be honest, i have always had mixed feelings about the Finnish band Swallow The Sun but i have a friend you has been forcing their music upon me since they released their debut, "The Morning Never Came" back in 2003. Over that time, their brand of melodic death/doom has grown on me and in my opinion, the band has gotten better with ever release. The newest one is "New Moon" released late last year on Spinefarm Records. The album was produced and mixed by Jens Bogren who has also worked with Katatonia, Opeth and Paradise Lost. Two things stand out about Swallow The Sun, one is the wide vocal range of Mikko Kotamaki and the other is the bleak and sometimes beautiful keyboard work of Aleksi Munter. Whats also stunning is the amount of band's these musicians have been associated with over the years, Alghazanth, Empyrean Bane, Enter My Silence, Funeris Nocturnum, Verivala, Barren Earth, Clayforge, Plutonium Orange, Trees of Eternity, Empyrean Bane, Funeris Nocturnum, Trollheim's Grott and Wintersun to name just a few. When the band released their debut, The Morning Never Came back in 2003, they showed great potential but the following two albums, "2005's Ghosts of Loss and 2007's Hope" saw the band heading into a much more progressive direction. It was this slight change in musical values that alienated some doom fans including me.
This new album sees a slight return to the sound of the first album but they still indulge themselves in a more delicate death/doom sound which doesn't stand up that well compared to other Finnish doom metal acts. Not that this album is bad, its just a average album played by very good musicians. The album opener "These Woods Breathe Evil" has some strong melodic guitar work and a crazy mix of deep growls and raspy screams from vocalist Mikko Kotamäki and its also surprising heavy for Swallow The Sun with some heavy riffage. "Falling World" and the third track "Sleepless Swans" sees the band settling in their more typical direction, somber, soothing with a sullen atmosphere. "And Heavens Cried Blood" blends the melancholy with the heavy, it also has a symphonic element to it which makes it one of the best tracks on the album. "Lights On The Lake (Horror pt. III)" features some beautifully executed vocals from a woman only named as Aleah on the album, this is another standout track. The mix of gentle vocals and a almost black metal meets doom song construction is very well done. It even has blast beats which comes as a surprise moment in the album. The title track "New Moon" is a track that seems to be recycling music from their past work but does include a catchy chorus.
"Servant of Sorrow" is more of the symphonic approach, dynamic keyboard work of Aleksi Munter, this dude is a amazing musician but take away the keyboard work and this track is pretty run of the mill material. The best is saved till last on New Moon, "Weight of the Dead" is really the only true doom song on the album despite having some bouts of aggression but its properly the best song they have ever written. The song switches between keyboard-drenched atmosphere and crunching riffs, its a diverse, well composed slice of doom meets black metal symphonic metal right up to the mournful conclusion of the track. If the whole album was like this, it would be one of the albums of the year. As it is, its a patchy effort with too many songs that are just unmemorable, even when writing this review there was at least 4 songs i couldn't remember hearing even though i have listened to the album close to 20 times. Its also a more commercial release from Swallow The Sun overall but some of those commercial subtleties just don't work for me. That being said, some people will like this album but i am not too sure where Swallow The Sun fits in within the doom scene anymore. I hear the album as being luke-warm for the most part but with 3 or 4 classic tracks, for that it is still worth your attention.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: TALBOT
Country: Estonia
Title: EOS
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2010
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
This a great album made by Magnus Andre on bass guitar, keys and vocals and Jarmo Nuutre on drums, programming and vocals which makes up a doom duo from Estonia. Very original within the context of doom metal, they have created something that should appeal to many types of doom metal fans out there. From Electric Wizard sounds to Sleep, Om, Zoroaster to sounds normally found on albums by Moss, Minsk and Kodiak. They have a psychedelic, space rock edge to their music that sets them apart from a lot of other bands especially with the vocals that range from the clean which come from Andre and guttural growls made by drummer Jarmo Nuutre. The band has already completed some tours and played at some big festivals including Estonia’s biggest indie-festival "Plink-Plonk". From the intro "Threshold" which leads nicely into the crushing "Cayenne", the band have a extremely damaging sound for a duo but they are also very multi-dimensional. Check out the track "Observer X", from space rock swirling sounds to some monolithic doom laden riffing, the song crosses over many heavy styles in its 8 minutes. The combination of melodic vocal styles and some grim, horror filled growls blends incredibly well adding to the other-worldly vibe of the track. Such originality is hard to find within the confines of a doom band so this makes this a unique doom metal experience. Songs flow into each other such as when "Observer X" moves into the title track, the change is hardly noticeable. In "Eos", the band switches in a mood that could be compared to the band "Tool", progressive, ambient and dramatic. Special mention must go to the bass playing which is excellent, always moving and becoming the main focus to a lot of their songs. "Combat Zen Speech" is a track that was released as a single and its also featured here, not surprising being such a monumental track. It builds from a throbbing bass line to a floating, ambient space, doom rock dirge providing a cosmic vibe. Driven by subtle but ever changing bass lines and rolling drum passages, it is the highpoint of the album. The last three minutes of the track feature some truly earth-shaking low notes but at the same time, the band doesn't depend on simply down-tuning for heaviness sake. The heaviness comes from the moods created by the songs themselves so they unique from that point of view. "The Van Of Pleasant Living" has a Pink Floyd spaced out vibe at first before another sonic slab of thumping doom riffage is unleashed which leads into the final track "Coach". This is one of the darkest, most apocalyptic tracks on the album and also one of the best cuts on this monster. It again has a spacey, cosmic vibe coming from the keys with growling vocals that sound haunting, menacing and slightly evil. There is great, swirling bass notes that gyrate the eardrums along with a middle section where the band hits the gas into a mid-tempo intensity, great stuff. For a DIY release, this is very professionally done, very well played and produced. There is also a strong emphasis on song craftsmanship so they have created something that can be listened to over and over again as you can hear something different each time you give it a spin. Its experimental but they don't lose track of what makes a good piece of music, its spacey but without sounding like another Hawkwind/Pink Floyd copy cat band. Nothing is recycled here, its just a solid album from a what i know is a fairly underground band outside of their home. Ambient, experimental, psychedelic, doom, stoner, space rock and sludge all rolled into one seamless package, the album is available from their websites. I suggest everyone check them out.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: TEKHTON
Country: Holland
Title: Alluvial
Label: Church Within Records
Year: 2009
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
I gotta be honest whenever i hear the term "post-rock", i cringe. Something about a lot of bands that get that tag usually finished up sounding like some kind of watered down, alternative punk metal rock hybrid which sucks big time. The Dutch band Tekhton also get this tag quite a lot and that is a shame because if you are like me, you may be avoiding hearing the band for the fears i mentioned above. Tekhton are anything but lame, trendy and don't fit the post-rock tag at all in my opinion. Tekhton don't sound like anyone else despite some obvious influences and the band may have the best description of all for their music on their Myspace as they describe their style as Prog-Sludge, couldn't have put it better myself. The band's debut album "Summon the Core" was a satisfying chunk of down to earth Sludge Rock with a heavy side dose of thundering Doom Metal all mixed with a Progressive Rock element that is not that far removed from the likes of King Crimson and Van der Graaff Generator. While these prog-rock tendencies are subtle, they are even more evident on Alluvial and yet at the same time, sound more brutal than ever. The band also sound more focused with more emphasis on well-balanced song construction and arrangements. The guitar duo of Dirk and Ralph Evers sound tighter and more melodic than they did previously and there is also a more diverse approach to their playing on this album. The rhythm section of bass player Jurgen and drummer Marco Oostra sounds more technical and the vocals of Bert are stronger than before but this time around, he seems to have added more range to his vocal technique especially when it comes to melody. The album starts off with "Clove Hitch" that gets along its way after a brief acoustic melody. The track contains several throbbing Doom riffs, all of which are thick and rich with earthy grooves. "Tooth And Nail" follows with what sounds like Sabbath and Saint Vitus jamming together in a pot-smoke filled bar. Classic Doom meets Progressive Rock chord progressions with some unique rhythmical timings twist and turn and keeps you guessing as to where will the song go next, a awesome track and a major highlight of the disc. The album wanders a little bit off track for me at this point till you get to "All Is Glory". This tune is a massive piece of stunning work with intricate guitar melodies and a throbbing groove that is carried by the bass and drums. Sounding like a Space Rock version of Rwake in a way, "All Is Glory" is a magical slab of Sludge Metal and is brought to a even higher level with the vocal performance which is brilliant in its rough but precise delivery. When you get to "Auric Revelations", you are treated to a mid-tempo kind of Electric Wizard Doom groove and its another keeper of a track and if that is not earth-shaking enough, the next track "Tectonic Mass" is properly the heaviest track on the album. With massive chords and a pulverizing dirge-filled arrangement of beat changes and 70's inspired squealing guitar solos. Its very old-school in its approach and the use of sampled voices gives the track a unique vibe. "011712" has the stench of Black Sabbath all over it in the beginning before you are bombarded by a sequence of riffing parts that fill out the instrumental track, another highlight of the disc right here. The only weak parts of the album for me is the final two tracks, "The Return of Viracocha" and the synth filled "90° S". While these two tracks are high in musical ideas, they spoiled the flow of the album for me. Overall though, this is a very impressive album that is rich in mood changes and musical variety while remaining seriously heavy. Tekhton are a band that bring something new to the Doom Metal table once again, just don't get put off with that "post-rock" tag. Stunning.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR
Country: USA
Title: Lore
Label: No Colours Rec.
Year: 2010
Style: Stoner Doom Folk Metal
Review:
The Flight of Sleipnir are simply one of the best kept secrets in the world of Psyche, Doom, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock. The last album they released, Algiz + Berkanan was a great, original and unique CD that blended many different genre's and the new album, "Lore" sounds like they have taken that approach one step further. The band is a collaboration between Clayton Cushman - Drums, Vocals, Guitar (Acheronian Dirge, Ex-Throcult) and David Csicsely - Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Keyboards (Acheronian Dirge, Nexhymn, Ex- Throcult) and the sound and vibes they create is so different from anything else around right at the moment. There is of course, many bands blending styles but no one else sounds like The Flight Of Sleipner. Even though the band have a lot of Doom Metal styled passages, it mixed up with drumming that is closer to Jazz than Metal and some guitar solo's that sound like Robert Fripp from King Crimson.
The album does have a lot of regular Stoner / Doom moments though, the opening track, "Legends" is one of them. A crunching, pounding riff that has a Matt Pike/Sleep kind of vibe but as usual with this band, there is twists and turns. A acoustic passage comes in with floaty, spacey vocals, pure Psychedelia in the way its delivered. The heavy riffing returns for a while before the Psychedelic vibes come back to take the track to its ending with a swirling, hypnotic guitar solo. Next up is "Of Words And Ravens", a acoustically driven, folksy tune with a dreamy atmosphere. This track is about as close to classic rock as you will ever hear from a modern band now days. There is some bursts of aggression in the vocals here and there, but by large this is pure Psychedelic Rock and full of atmosphere. Third track, "Asgardreid" is more folk inspired Psychedelia as is the opening couple of minutes of "Fenrisulfr", the band gets as far away from the Stoner Doom "norm" as possible here even though "Fenrisulfr" does have plenty of aggressive vocal passages. If there is a weakness, it comes with the drum-sound which is a little weak and thin in parts but its a minor quibble. "Fenrisulfr" has some beautiful, atmospheric acoustic guitar sections but Fight Of Sleipner's ability to build and layer different sound textures is exceptional. The album continues its trippy journey with "The End Begun", more folky acoustics till the song reaches a heavy haunting atmospheric middle section with more dreamy, spacey sounds floating over the top of everything, "Lore" is full of unforgettable melodies.
"Black Swans" keeps the vibe going, the colorful atmospherics the band produces are breath-taking and up-lifting at times but with enough dark, ambient sections that stops "Lore" from ever becoming a routine exercise. "No Man Will Spare Another" throws a fly into the ointment though, the odd track on the album but a excellent contrast to the rest of "Lore". Dark, menacing and ominous riffing takes control along with the death growling vocals, this track provides a dramatic mood change although the guitar solo is still as Psychedelic and trippy as anything else featured on "Lore". "No Man Will Spare Another" is a monster of a track and one of the best songs of 2010. Brilliant musicianship combined with savage hooks, this track has it all and much much more. "Winter Nocturne" takes the album back on the road to Progressive Folk Rock, the shortest track on the album but is another stunning melody. The final track "Let Us Drink Till We Die" is a dreamy and meditative tune with guest female vocals from Heather Rodgers. Its a fitting conclusion to the album that really takes you on a relaxing journey but with many twists and turns along the way. The Flight Of Sleipnir gets lumped with the Stoner / Doom tag from a lot of people but they really nothing to do with that scene at all. This is for the more Progressively minded rock fan who likes music full of atmosphere and stunning melody lines. A perfect late night or early morning album, brilliantly played with fine production and ambiance. This album takes a bit more time to fully appreciate compared with the "Algiz + Berkanan" album but i think its better overall. Stronger melodies and a more defined musical direction will give this album a more long-lasting future in the mind of listeners. A great musical experience from start to finish.
Reviewed by Ed
Contact:
Band: TRIPTYKON
Country: Switzerland
Title: Eparistera Daimones
Label: Prowling Death Records
Year: 2010
Style: Black Doom Death
Review:
Ok you may be wondering why i am reviewing this album, well to me Celtic Frost never got credit for being a sludge/doom band but if you listen to some of their songs especially the early stuff and most of the Monotheist, it is some of the darkest, doomiest tunes ever recorded by the metal band. Triptykon’s first album "Eparistera Daimones" takes off where "Monotheist" finished but this even darker and more bleak than anything Tom Gabriel Fischer has ever recorded in the past. It is the sound of a man scorned, pissed off as this is one album of pure hatred and anger. Along with Fischer, there is Norman Lonhart from the German melodic death metal band Fear My Thoughts on drums, V. Santura from Dark Fortress on guitars and Vanja Slajh on bass. Fischer sounds like a man possessed and this album is the exorcism to which his demons are released. The album starts with "Goetia" which is a 11 minute lumbering beast which switches between rampaging beats and double kick drums to all out sonically charged doom passages. Some things never change like Fischer's trademark growl is still there on this album along with his distinctive guitar sound which on this album sounds like he has been revisting the Morbid Tales album for inspiration, only here its heavier than anything from that era. "Abyss Within My Soul" is even more bleak and dark but there is an unexpected blast of pure thrash in "A Thousand Lies" but its played with such a down-tuned guitar sound it still reeks of some sort of apocalyptic doom metal.
"In Shrouds Decayed" has a strong gothic doom vibe before it is taking over with some heavy crunching headbanging rhythms. "Myopic Empire" changes the mood slightly with female spoken word and classical piano as does "My Pain" which is the weakest track on the album for me. The hip-hop influenced sounding drum effects reminds me too much of bands like Portishead for my liking. The highlight for me though is the 19 minute monster called "The Prolonging". With so many twists and turns, multi-faceted vocals and a guitar tone to move mountains, this track is full of great riffs, exciting tempo changes and some of the best grooves ever laid down by Fischer. The riff that comes in at around the 5 minute mark is pure metal madness, the kind of stuff that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Pure metallic bone crunching genius! If the album isn't good enough already, it also marks the first time since Celtic Frost’s Into the Pandemonium that surrealist artist H.R. Giger has provided the artwork for one of Fischer’s albums. Its really only the track "My Pain" and some musical experiments right at the end of the album that stop this from being a instant classic. However, its a incredible follow up from Monotheist and maybe just the best release Fischer has done since the first three Frost albums.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: UNION OF SLEEP
Country: Germany
Title: Union of Sleep
Label: Perkoro Rec.
Year: 2009
Style: Stoner Doom
Review:
OK, i can not figure out why there isn't more people talking about Union Of Sleep from Germany, the album has been out since September of 2009 and still people are not picking up on how good this band is. What has prompted this little rant is i recently got a copy of this monster on vinyl with a 350 gram thick cover. For some reason, it sounds even more heavier on vinyl than CD, maybe its the old-school heavy as hell grooves that come across better on vinyl but there is something special about some records and this is one of them. You can buy this from Hardware Records if you are interested in owning a slab of brutal sludgy Metal. The self-titled album features 4 songs recorded last year plus 4 re-recorded tracks from their demo, those tunes sound much better here. Union Of Sleep blend influences of Church Of Misery, Black Sabbath, Weedeater, Cavity, Sleep and Doomriders with good old fashioned hardcore attitude into a seamless barrage of pulverizing doom riffs but unlike most other bands in the genre, they keep most of the songs short and straight to the point.
If the album opener, "Dogs" doesn't kick your ass then you are most likely already dead. Swirling riffs churn and twist around the angry, enraged vocals while the bass and drums pound the song into oblivion. "All Purity" follows in a pure stomping Sludge Metal mid-tempo frenzy, this track is catchy as hell while remaining very heavy and fuzzy. A sick, squealing guitar solo is the center-point to the song but its the addictive groove that will get you hooked. "Mount O" is one of the longer tracks, most tracks on the album only range from the 3 to 4 minute mark which makes each tune very listenable, no chance of any song outstaying its welcome. "Mount O" is another mid paced sludgy burner, the main riff of the song kills. "Hell Unfolds" has classic rock written all over it but done in the format of a Sludge band, great catchy heavy grooves that can melt your face but once again, fists in the air catchy with a rhythm made for headbanging like a maniac. "Lets Kill" kicks off with a Sabbath laced doomy riff before they hit the gas and charge head long into a no-bull, mid-tempo rocking. You want crunchy riffs, Union Of Sleep are full of them but they play with with a rapid-fire intensity that just wont quit.
"Self Funeral" has some of the most catchiest riff and tempo changes i have ever heard, twisting, turning but never stopping, this band is a virtual riff machine. There is so many great riffs on this album that it makes me wonder how they can possibly follow this album but a new album is due for October so i guess we will see soon enough. The last two tracks, "Children Of The Earth" and "P.N.H" are heavy duty riff fests with "Children Of The Earth" basically sounding like a re-writing of Sabbath's iconic Children Of The Grave, different but the same in many ways, i am not sure if it was a intentional tribute to Sabbath or just a accident. Either way the song is a monster and you will dig it despite the obvious similarities. You can't go past this album, this is a monumental release that will be regarded as a timeless classic in years to come. Bow down and worship the mighty riffs of Union Of Sleep.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: WELTER IN THY BLOOD
Country: USA
Title: Through The Fields Of Mourning
Label: Shadowgraph Records
Year: 2010
Style: Black Doom Metal
Review:
Welter In Thy Blood is a three piece Black Funeral Doom band from Los Angeles, California and this their third release following on from "The Transference of Misery" which was released in very limited quantities and the "The Grim Visage of Death EP" which came out on a one sided 12 inch blood splattered vinyl, limited to 200 copies and numbered in human blood. The new album "Through the Fields of Mourning" has the band delivering us a almost one hour's worth of frightening down tempo, blackened Funeral Droning Doom Metal that displays some pure hatred, depression, solitude and a general desire for the termination of the human race. The album gets off to a slow but very haunting start with "Casting Ashes to the Wind". The tolling of a church bell, howling winds set the mood for what at first seems like a intro for the song but it becomes the entire 11 minutes. Very minimalist, droning, atmospheric and chilling. The track doesn't have much variation is sound or ideas but it is very effective in creating a nightmarish soundtrack for your very worse visions. Not something you should listen to if you are feeling suicidal or depressed so you have been warned. Next up is "Despondent Unto Death" which has more tolling bells, creepy spoken word passages, black metal-ish growling in the background and crashing cymbals and drums. Its a sparse arrangement of catastrophic, apocalyptic noises that give off a vibe of absolute torment. There is also a subtle use of guitar chords that are some of the most threatening and depressing ever recorded. The track slowly builds to a blood-soaked ending that will either have you in a trance or reaching for the nearest butcher knife. You might not be a happy camper after getting through this 14 minutes of misanthropic droning Doom. The shortest track is spews its way into your speakers with "To Bind With Ninefold Chain". Again the result is one of pure terror and despair, static and a haunting guitar that seems to crying out its last breath. Being only 3 minutes long, the track is overshadowed by the rest of the album but it serves a "crap your pants" interlude before the final epic "Enemy Of The Human Race" comes in and this is where the band pull out all the stops. At nearly half a hour long, it is not a easy listen. The first few minutes has a spoken word passage about stopping procreation of the human species. Its a alarming but thought-provoking passage that had me reaching for the replay button many times. Chilling guitar chords spill out some pure devastating emotion and mix that with the blackened, tormented vocals and you have something that can only be described as a "nightmarish soundtrack". There is a steady build-up of intensity and volume that becomes almost over-powering at around halfway through the track. The more you listen, the more you hear in "Enemy Of The Human Race", while its minimalist, its also complex in dramatic musical values. Frightening to the last note, it supplies the perfect background noise to your worst fears, illusions and negative thoughts. This is out now on "Shadowgraph Records" and is a album for the most extreme underground droning, ambient Doom listener. Not for the weak or feeble, this is music for the slightly deranged and the disturbed, so yes i dig it.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: WHEEL
Country: Germany
Title: Wheel
Label: Eyes Like Snow
Year: 2010
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
Wheel was formed in 2006 under the name Ethereal Sleep by guitarist Marcus Grabowski and vocalist Arkadius Kurek. They were former members of the Power Metal Band, Avanitas from Dortmund. The other founding member is Benjamin Homberger who played in McDeath, Chaos Descends and others. The story goes they came to together to make heavy, emotional music so doom metal was the obivious direction to go. Drummer Cazy came in to complete the line up and with a name change to Wheel, the band was born. The band recorded a short demo which i think was only 2 tracks long and soon after went to work on putting together material for this, their first full length album released on Eyes Like Snow Records. Musically the band play a very un-original brand of traditional doom but they play it well, musicianship is not a issue here at all. The main hurdle to get over when listening to Wheel is vocalist Arkadius Kurek, his over dramatic style seems forced and almost like a self-parody of metal singers in the genre. In a couple of songs, his vocals work and do sound great but too often, i found myself getting annoyed by his emotional, overblown style. Anyway on with the review.
The best songs on here are the ones with inspired riffing and the more dramatic tempo changes, one that really stands out is "Eyes of the Hydra". Wheel keep their songs to a minimalist level when it comes to riffs, that is not a criticism at all by the way, the riffs are actually really good but they are straight forward, a little basic in parts which gives off a earthy doom metal vibe. "Eyes Of The Hydra" works so well because of the tempo changes and the diverse changes in mood within the song. Opening track, "The Mills of God" has some great riffing sounding like Saint Vitus meets Revelation, pure old school doom with dark melody lines. The more mid-tempo, "Only God Knows" is also a effective track and its one of the tunes where the vocals fit the song without getting too over-dramatic. The other standout track is the 12 minute, "Entrance Into White Light", a little too long for the musical ideas within but the Saint Vitus styled riffs and tempo is doom at its most classic, the lyrics seemed to mix emotion, pain, despair, religion and fantasy all together and for the most part are great.
Elsewhere however, i wasn't too impressed with this album. Maybe i have heard too many bands like this over the last 20 years (especially) to hear this band as being anything special but i know some doom fans will love this album. At its best, the music sounds inspired and magical but at its worse it sounds like a band merely churning out recycled doom riffs with a singer who is hellbent on crying or howling out every note. As you might of guessed, this type of vocal approach is not my thing so i am biased on that one. To be fair though, there is 3 or 4 pure doom metal gems on this album that make it worth a listen, whether that is enough to make you fork out your hard-earned cash is up to you. I must stress the point that musically, Wheel have a flair for doom metal for the most of the album, so much so that they reminded me of Dawn Of Winter in passages here and there. The production of the album is top-shelf stuff too and the artwork which is a painting from Mucha is certainly eye-catching. I have mixed feelings for this album, half of it is killer, the rest left me underwhelmed. I gave it a extra point however because the band really has the potential to make some of the most, emotionally charged traditional doom metal you will ever hear. Time will tell if they can take it to the next level.
Reviewed by Ed
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