Band: SARDONIS
Country: Belgium
Title: Sardonis
Label: Meteor City Records
Year: 2010
Style: Stoner Sludge Doom
Review:
Sardonis, the Belgian two piece comprising of guitarist Roel Paulusse and drummer Jelle Stevens created a stir in the doom, sludge community when they released their powerhouse of a EP back in 2008. It was a tour de force of relentless head - banging tempos and sonic riffing. The fuzz level on the EP was so intense that it made one of the powerful debuts of its kind. Well finally the full length album is almost here and it has exceeded exceptions and more to the point affirmed their position as the new instrumental riff masters. Being a instrumental band means the actual music has to be exceptional and it is in every brain shattering way possible. With Sardonis its all about laying down the biggest fuzz laden groove they can find and this album is back to back, a wall of sonic riff worship. Its soon to be released on MeteorCity and it has to be one of the finest albums to ever grace that labels discography. What is so brilliant is the lack of a vocalist or bassist goes completely unnoticed as you are flattened by the sheer weight of the guitar riff themselves. So heavy and fuzzy that the absence of a bass player is no issue at all and having no vocalist means nothing in a band as good as this when you are getting washed away by the tsunami of killer riffs and hook lines. The album starts with two songs previously released on the EP - "Nero De Avola", starting like the musical equivalent of musical thunderstorm that's brewing, it slowly builds a doomed atmosphere complete with a tolling bell sound. The closest thing to Sabbath on the whole album, Iommi himself would be proud of the tension build- up in this song. "Skullcrusher AD" is released from its cage once again for the next track and is a brief but pulverizing sludge-fest. "Ab Incunabulus" switches gears between doom and high-powered mid-tempo sonic excesses, the guitar breaks have a haunting eerie sound and the tune never loses its tension throughout. "Thor" sounds like a bit like a High On Fire tune but where as Pike has a loose riffing style, here Paulussen nails the riff in a precise way. "The Hollow" kicks off with a mind-bending riff interspersed with pummeling drum parts before slowing down to a almost drone-doom section. Its so heavy that if they did have a bass player it might be all too much to take, it leaves you with the feeling off being ran over by a herd of rhinos. "March Of The Masses" has a apocalyptic intro that is droning and ambient before being once again bombarded by more yet another killer riff, like twisting a knife your brain, this is pure sludge rock power at its finest. The way Sardonis diversifies their riffs and chords is the bands strong-point and this track has more twists and turns than most bands deliver on a entire album. "More Severe Things Await" is a acoustic based interlude and you will need one of these by now, a great melodic, haunting track but that peace is shattered by the next track "The Wolfs Lair". This mid-tempo crusher has a crushing riff, another riff that is pure chaos amplified and more random switches in tempo and groove. This brings you to the closer "It Walks The Mountain" with a haunting intro that is cold and bleak. The song builds in Sabbath-like intensity and the arrangement is executed in a manner that could come from the stoner-doom text book but Sardonis sound like they are adding another chapter to that book with songs like these. The duo work incredibly well together, Roel Paulussen (also of Solenoid) is a master riff maniac who is not only tight but really has a musical vision from beyond the average guitarist in the scene. Drummer Jelle Stevens is what gives the band its full sound, smashing his drum-kit around but doing it with a kind of class of finesse not usually found in a style of music like this that is so unrelenting and sonically punishing. There seems to be millions of one and two man bands around these days but most of those bands come off sound empty and thin sounding. Sardonis are the complete opposite of that. They have a wall of sound that leaves you crushed, this is pure riff worship made for people that need riffs and lots of them. To say they have perfected their sound and style would be a understatement, this is a perfectly executed chunk of instrumental stoner, sludge, doom metal that will push a lot of other instrumental groups back to the drawing board. The only aspect of this album stopping me from giving it a 10 rating is the re-doing of tracks from the EP, i would have like to have heard some new stuff but that is a minor complaint, they have delivered the goods with a monster of a album that has just raised the benchmark for everyone.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: SASQUATCH
Country: USA
Title: Sasquatch III
Label: Small Stone Records
Year: 2010
Style: Stoner Metal
Review:
Formed in Los Angeles back in 2001 by Keith Gibbs and Detroit natives Rick Ferrante and Clayton Charles, Sasquatch have built their reputation of no frills beer drinking rock n roll, nothing fancy here, they dont try to be or for that matter want to be. Drawing on sounds from ‘70s metal, rock and psychedelia, their songwriting approach is basic, preferring to set up a ass-kicking groove rather than complicate things with long solo's or progressive noodling. They could be classed as "stoner metal" but for the most part they are miles away from the scorching desert rock stonerisms that Kyuss made famous or the Californian fuzz of Fu Manchu. Sasquatch are more like up-tempo doom rock and roll with a hint of grunge served up with mountains of volume. I first heard them around the time of their debut album release back in 2004 and i have loved them ever since. That first album was a goldmine of classic hooks and killer riffs with sounds that ranged from Grand Funk Railroad to the souped up distorted heaviness of bands like Goatsnake and Earthride. The second album was more commercial overall and leaned more towards a classic 70's hard rock sound and that brings us up to 2010 and Sasquatch III. I hear the new album as somewhere in the middle of the first two albums, the fuzz is still intact but there is more emphasis on catchy songwriting than the previous albums. The album opener "Get out of Here" is a good example of the Sasquatch technique of musical ass-kicking, its a song based around a solid groove and hooks without sounding mainstream at all. Sasquatch seem like a band that doesn't follow a certain formula, they simply play how they feel. "Burning Bridges", "Walkin’ Shoes" stay much in the same vein as the opener but they manage to stay firmly in the mold of "stoner metal" without really sounding like anyone else. So many bands in this genre use influences such as southern rock as a backbone to their sound but Sasquatch avoid such obvious cliches. "Complicated" is one of the most riffy and catchiest tunes the band has ever wrote and "Soul Shaker" has a style all of its own especially in the start/stop arrangement. "New Disguise" sounds like a long lost song that Monster Magnet might have done at their peak but never released. "Queen" is one of those mid-tempo groover's that the band are famous for or at least famous in my mind. "Bare My Soul" sees the band in a more psych rock mood and "No More Time" is another groove based ass-kicker and it stands out as the strongest track on the second half of the album. That is where the only problem of the album is, the first half seems stronger than the second half but its a minor detail overall. Like i hinted at in the opening lines of this review, Sasquatch are a band that keep things straight-forward and you do get the feeling they could do a lot more with their songs than they actually choose to do. But this album is still great, the songwriting is top-notch and while Guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs is the focal point, the rhythm section of bassist Cas and drummer Rick Ferrante have pushed the band to new heights on this album. The songs are memorable, mostly catchy and the band has a certain talent for making a sound that is all their own. I still rate the debut as the best album they have made so far but this is a close second.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: SEAMOUNT
Country: Germany
Title: Light II Truth
Label: Church Within Rec.
Year: 2009
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
Seamount is known as a traditional doom metal band from Germany, influenced by Pentagram, Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and Revelation( or so everyone says,i don't hear it much myself anymore) with a large amount of classic rock and new wave of British heavy metal influence as well. They have four extremely talented musicians plus on vocals, none other than Phil Swanson who has worked with numerous bands with the most well known ones being Upwards Of Endtime, Atlantean Kodex and Hour Of 13. Their debut album released in 2008 was a instant classic album full of insanely catchy riffs and memorable songwriting so it was always going to be a hard album to beat and personally i feel "Light II Truth" is a little weak in certain areas compared with the classic debut album. However there is still some good tunes to be had on the album and seeing as the album clocks in at 75 minutes, you have plenty to choose from. The first thing to grab your attention is the package itself, brilliant album artwork with a 28 page booklet full with lyrics and paintings. They are also on Church Within Records which means they have joined forces with some of the greatest bands on the planet. The opening track "Out of the Dark" is a killer slab of doom meets rock and roll with a cool riff and haunting wailing lead guitar work. The guitar duo of Tim Schmidt and Andy Kummer are on fire and Swanson's slight Ozzy style of vocals compliment the music perfectly. They are not nearly as doom as you might think though, second track "Together Wear the Cross" is pretty much standard rock music and is actually rather commercial sounding. By the time you get to the third track "Honey Flower" you soon get the picture, Seamount are not a doom metal band at all, just a really good hard rock band. The musicianship is faultless, classy, precise and with loads of feeling but the guitar sound is a little too thin and clean for my tastes. "The Paradise" is one of the darker tracks on offer here but finishes up sounding like a extended interlude more than a actual song.
"Vampyropoda" gets pretty close to doom metal as we know it with a very Candlemass sounding type of riff and has a epic atmosphere despite not being a very long track at all. "That Witch" leaves you confused at first, almost sounding like something off a Foreigner or a Boston record but all is forgiven pretty quickly when the track begins to rock out in early 80's heavy metal fashion. The final track on the album is a 9 minute epic called "Into the Light" and is the strangest yet most original track on the album. It has a guitar line i am sure you have heard before but i bet you wont be able to figure out where but the entire album has that vibe. The rest of the album left me cold to be honest about it, i loved the debut but this album seems to be full of more filler than killer. The playing is great, no doubt about that. The production is alright too but the guitar tones lack a bit of power for my liking, the bass and drumming is delivered with passion, quality and finesse. Where the album falls down for me is the lack of catchy riffs, there is nothing on this album to compete with "Sleeping Wizard" from the first album for example. The other problem is it is just too long with too many songs that don't stick in your memory. The urge to hit the skip comes up quite often but to be fair if you took the best tracks on here and made it into one album, then you would have something really solid. They also seem to get the "doom" tag still which is a little mis-leading as i don't hear many doom elements at all on Light and Truth but judging it on what it is, i will say at least half this album is great rock music. Make up your own mind with this one.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: SEMEN DATURA
Country: Germany
Title: Einsamkeit
Label: ATMF
Year: 2009
Style: Progressive Black Metal
Review:
I've labelled this release as Progressive Black Metal myself, so don't blame it on the band if you don't agree with the term, but after listening this great piece of music I'm sure I'm right.
Semen Datura comes from Germany and this is their third full-length to date, a 10 tracks (45 minutes) effort really well crafted, not typical at all, and not afraid to experiment. Well yeah, Experimental would have been a better term, but I think this band gives a progressive touch to Black Metal by adding so many influences one can't name them all in a sole sentence. The basis of their music is fast and quite typical Black Metal, but adding an Industrial-like vocal type, Modern Thrash Metal types of guitar riffs from time to time, and some melodic guitar lines I've heard before used only by Alternative Metal or Spanish Metalcore bands (fuck yeah, you read it well!), you get a release to captivate the open-minded ones of you from start til end. Don't worry, even if bringing all those influences in their music semen Datura still manages to sound cruel and cold, or even aggressive so you are not getting a soft release here, just try the track "Marschbefehl" which is a king of old-school Thrash Black Metal with a very modern approach...
My suggestion is to try listening some tracks on their Myspace before buying this, you'll eiter love it or hate it.
reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
www.atmf.net
Band: SKAGGANAUK ABYSS
Country: Russia
Title: The Ferocious Infernal Blizzard Enthroned
Label: The Black 666 Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Damn, this is wrong, this is very wrong! I have never heard before a Black Metal band with all instruments done completely on the PC, so this is a first for me. S.A. is a one-man-project from Russia and this is its first release, a 6 tracks demo lasting for almost half an hour. The music is indeed very good, technical and catchy, fast and complex enough, with good atmospheres and great "guitar skills", but it's all done on PC dammit, so the guy has, eventually, good computer / samples skills. Too bad, if done by a proper band such music would do extremely well in the Black Metal scene, but in this case I think as soon as it shows his head in the underground S.A. will be surely impaled by the Black Metallers (not talking about the show-off kids here). On the first part the guitar samples are very well-crafted so you can't even think this is synthetic, but later on it gets obvious. One other thing that simply makes me laugh are the vocals, simply awful and childish!
I do not recommend this to anyone, sorry.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: SKULLFLOWER
Country: USA
Title: Strange Keys to Untune Gods Firmament
Label: Neurot Rec.
Year: 2010
Style: Drone Metal
Review:
Skullflower’s "Strange Keys to Untune Gods Firmament" is the new work of UK-based guitarist Matthew Bower who has been delving into this kind of sonic experimentation for some 20 years. This double CD will be like a test for all you so called drone fanatics out there because this is one extreme noise fest. Forgot about actual songs or catchy chorus's because you wont find nothing like that here, this is a trip into a insane musical mind that is threatening to the ear just as much as it is a masterful piece of abrasive psychedelic droning noise rock. The opening of the first disc is enough to send most people diving for the stop button or volume control or even both, it sounds like the musical equivalent of jumbo jet taking off in your living room. Bower puts no limits on how far he can push the sonic envelope, you can almost feel the air moving if you crank this thing up. One review wrote "this makes Sunn O))) look like a bunch of anodyne pussies" and that might be pushing it a little far but this one of the most punishing examples of drone you will ever hear. Skullflower have a small but loyal following and it will always be small, only the most hardcore drone/doom fans will be able to sit through all of the noise on the two discs presented here. Bower and Skullflower has always been about extremes though like when they burned incense part-comprised of human blood at a performance in a London church last year. To try and describe individual tracks is a gargantuan task and one i am not going to even attempt but there is a couple of tracks that make a lasting impression and seems a little more assessable than others. The first one is "Gateway of Blasphemous Night" that has a kind of mournful melody in there but it might take a few listens before you even become aware of it. "Nibelungen" from disc two is about as harsh as it gets but it also has a kind of ugly beauty. This is extreme music made for extreme people, its also music that sits on the cliff edge of what music is, pushing the boundaries and also pushing the listener's pain threshold. The surges of noise are made in every feedback-spinning configuration possible so its fairly obvious to say this ain't no easy listen. If you manage to sit through the entire 109 minutes of earth shattering bombastic noise, you have done well and just maybe need some medical treatment. The album also has some classic song titles like "Blackened Angel Wings Scythe The Billowing Void" and "Chaotic Demons Fly Into My Eyes". I will quote Steve Von Till from Neurosis and Neurot Recordings here, "Strange Keys to Untune Gods' Firmament evokes Wagnerian sonic bombast, a Nietzchean worldview, and a warlike cry of rebellion against the false, encased in a whirlwind both psychotropic and psycho acoustic. Each spin brings new themes to the forefront. Not easy listening by anyone's standards, Strange Keys is not for the faint of heart--but those willing to submit and immerse themselves in the deep, thick waters of self-transformation will be greatly rewarded". That sums it up better than i ever could, check it out but be warned that this is one hell of a disturbing ear-full.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: SOTURNUS SKULLCRUSHER
Country: Brazil
Title: Verminoso
Label: Bode Preto Records
Year: 2009
Style: Death Metal Crust
Review:
Verminoso means full of vermins. That’s how the brazilian band Soturnus Skullcrusher baptized their first release. A power-trio playing death metal, morbid pencil artwork by Doomer and xeroxed paper craftwork by independent label Bode Preto Records, composes this video-demo.
4 different cams captured the band at Teatro João Paulo II. Very good video and audio, give us some idea on how the band was that time (1 month and 2nd live act), with songs as Sweet Fever, Sadistic Kamikaze and Oppressor taking shape. Video 2 is a very raw audience footage of their first gig, exactly when they escaped from a rotten inside.
Veminoso is about a birth.
The worms keep feasting! They’re now preparing their first studio recording. And recently changed the name to Bode Preto ( Portuguese for Black Goat ).
Not Dead (guitar+vomits), Necroso (bass) and Mortal Thrash (drum). What a beautiful view to watch them crawling around!
Reviewed by Doomer
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Band: STONEHELM
Country: USA
Title: Stonehelm
Label: Black Eye Media
Year: 2009
Style: Stoner Doom
Review:
California's masters of weed metal are about to unleash on your unsuspecting ears their debut full length album. Load up your bongs, grab a beer and hold on tight because this is a hell of ride. Before you rip your speakers apart with the fuzz driven onslaught, mesmerize your self with the stunning artwork. Adorned with marijuana buds and beautifully presented in purple and gold, the artwork of The Perverted Old Goatess is breathtaking much like the sonic fury that lays within the grooves of this self-titled album from Stonehelm. The packaging comes complete with a booklet containing the lyrics and the centerpiece artwork is especially fitting, a goat head, marijuana leaf, skulls and those immortal words "So High We Hail". Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered at Blue Dragon Productions in Somis, California By Mark Hashimoto and Stonehelm themselves, its a exercise in Ultra Heavy Cosmic Metal Stoner Doom that will make Jus Oborn put down his pipe and take notice. The album contains five songs from their previous "So High We Hail" EP that have been giving a sonic makeover and re-recorded for this album and three new tracks. The album begins with "Hyborian Tale" that sounds heavier here than ever did on the EP. The movie sample intro commands you "crush your enemies" and this track does just that. The riff is drowning in distorted fuzz with a rhythm section that has a ferocious attack just as heavy as the guitar sound itself. It has a mid-tempo swampy groove with a swaggering attitude and with lyrics like "While Stopping To Smoke The Earth's Sweet Leaf, The Hessian Warrior Is Ambushed By Thief's", you know you are on a Stoner Doom bong hoping journey. What first grabs you is the production which is great and then the actual sound of the band which is a wall of sound. No gaps or spaces within the instrumentation here, this is pure solid riffage designed to crush scene kids. "Tower of Black" starts off with a slow building melody that sounds almost re-strained by Stonehelm's standards. They don't hold back for long though, when the monster riff makes its presence known you are greeted with another wall of smoke-laden fuzzed out Doom riffage. There is a cool guitar solo that takes the song to another level of toxic awareness and the repetitive riffing approach is used with the intent to beat you into submission. This is a great track that always seems short to me but maybe that is because it is so great, i really cant get enough of this stuff. "Deep Space Doom" is the next tune to puff on, it kicks off with a almost funky bass line and a spoken word sample that gives it a Psychedelic cosmic vibe. The riffage onslaught comes in and its another churning dose of Stoner Doom. The vocals on the album by John have a spacey feel to them, like he is some commander in space shouting orders like "Take Your Final Hits Of Weed and Now Watch The Sun Fade To Green". "Zombie Apocalypse 420" begins with another sci-fi/horror movie soundbite before catapulting itself into one of the best riffs on the album. While the band has the obvious Electric Wizard influences, they take it up a notch in tempo rather than crawl along at a snail pace, they keep up a momentum in their songs while still remaining total Doom. The tune ends with a water bong being consumed. "Scumbag" tells you to take drugs and hate everyone and there is a lot of aggression delivered along with the fuzz on this track. "Scumbag" has a pulsating groove that has been done before but this has to be one of the best examples of it in action. The feature of the track is the squealing, gyrating solo which is simply a whirlwind of sonic excess. "Acid Blur (Green Tab)" is a instrumental epic verging on 11 minutes, here you can hear the band jam their way through some remarkable riffing sections and catchy headbanging melodies. Its almost impossible to get the main riff out of your head after hearing it. About halfway into the track, they slow down to a crawling sludge groove with a wailing guitar solo by Wes Caley after which the track returns to that incredible riff once again to finish up what is a killer track. "Vault Dweller (13)" is up next with a sick sounding bass/drum intro that slowly builds into another apocalyptic wall of riffing backed up with the outer worldly vocals. Again it stampedes like a herd of elephant and there is more shredding solo guitar work. To round out the album you get what is the Stonehelm theme song or anthem "So High We Hail (Lord in Green)" where they spread the message to "Hate The Cops And Smoke More Weed" and if there ever was a Doom / Sludge album to do bong hits to, its this one. Once again Stonehelm unleash another colossal riff and more shredding solo's. In conclusion, this is maybe the finest album of its kind since Electric Wizard dropped Dopethrone on the world. If you are the kind of Doom, Sludge Metal fan that likes it heavy, fuzzy and clouded in weed smoke, then i doubt if you will hear anything better than this in 2010. This is the real deal right here, due out very soon for your consumption.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: STREBEN
Country: Italy
Title: Wild Enchanted Gardens
Label: Naturmacht Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Ambient Black Metal
Review:
This is one of those releases that gets you interested as soon as you see its cover, and so happened to me. This is one of the best cover artwork I've seen, I love the colours used here, and that's valid for the whole booklet. To be honest I wasn't expecting such a wicked, aggressive music from a release with such a cover artwork and yet again the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" prooves to be right.
Streben is a duo formed in 2007 in Italy, and this one here is their debut album, a 6 tracks (38 minutes) Ambient Black Metal work. well, most of the time this is mid-tempo to fast Black Metal, aggressive enough but with melodic guitar leads all over. The Ambient part is given by the acoustic and keyboard/synth intermezzos. You have to know this is an extremely varied album, very interesting and catchy, with lots of ideas that make the tracks different one from another, and also Cristina's raw and grim vocals are an original touch to this album. I don't like this type of vocals, and prefer Cristina's soft vocal parts, but you might like them. I think with a bit better sound this could have been a hit-release for the Black Metal field, but still for the underground this is a must-buy CD.
Unfortunately recently Cristina announced the band's broke-up...
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: THE MORNINGSIDE
Country: Russia
Title: Moving Crosscurent of Time
Label: Bad Mood Man Music / Solitude Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Melodic Doom Death
Review:
It's always a pleasure to listen to a Solitude Prod./Bad Mood Man release, you're sure you get a remarkable material and The Morningside proves once again this statement. The band was formed in 2006 as a four-piece and this is their second album, both of them out on Solitude Prod. Their musical path can be labeled as Melodic Doom Death, the traditional way, a perfect gift for all diehard Doom Death fans out there. We're treated with 7 tracks lasting for about 52 minutes of clever, entertaining and complex Doom Death. I guess I'm so excited about this release because it's excellent guitar work: Heavy Doom guitar riffs supporting some melodic and melancholic guitar leads that introduce you to a meditative, calm atmosphere. But still, the hoarse vocals are the aggressive point here, just to make it more complex, and the stong bass and drum parts are a good addition. Despite their similarities with Katatonia, The Morningside are doing it with great passion and they succeed what's the most important, to transmit their ideas and feelings to the listener. Good effort, really looking forward to hear some new stuff from this Russian band. thumbs up, go for it.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: THE RESURRECTION SORROW
Country: USA
Title: Hour Of The Wolf
Label: Midnight Dreams Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Heavy Stoner Metal
Review:
The Resurrection Sorrow started out as a project formed by vocalist Alex Dementia (ex After Dark) and bassist/guitarist Alex Coelho (Tides Within, ex-Malstrom), they were soon joined by drummer Louie Gasparro (Supervillain, Murphy’s Law, Blitzspeer). They kept it as a three piece for a few months before Zak Gross as lead guitarist, his ability as a great guitar player soon made Coelho focus on playing bass. In January of 2009 they teamed up with NYC engineer Joe Hogan who has worked with the likes of Nebula and The Atomic Bitchwax and began work on what would become "Hour Of The Wolf". I went into the review for this album totally fresh meaning not really knowing what to expect. What i got was a balls out hard rock album that is not original at all but covers a wide spectrum of influences or it seems that way. The first band i thought of when hearing the opening two tracks "Resurrect the Sorrow" and "Unholy Divine" is Corrosion Of Conformity" mainly due to Alex Dementia's striking similarity to Peeper Keenan but there is many other bands that spring to mind. The sounds of Kyuss, White Zombie, Crowbar, Black Label Society, High On Fire and even Danzig all get thrown into the Resurrection Sorrow's melting pot with pleasing results. The band has some dirty, sometimes muddy riffs with its fair share of darkness attached but there is also a strong commercial appeal to some of their songs that wouldn't sound out of place on some mainstream rock radio stations. Its not too easy to take what is basically "stoner metal" and make it assessable but for the most part, The Resurrection Sorrow have done just that.
There is some great tracks on "Hour Of The Wolf" with nothing that would be considered filler material. The opening track "Resurrect The Sorrow" is a fantastic swampy swaggering metal thump-er with a great chunky guitar tone from Zak Gross.. Once the vocals come in however, the song takes on a different feeling all together however. "Unholy Divine" comes along next and by this stage you will be noticing the solid heavy hitting drum work from Louie Gasparro. "Shadow of a Vampire" is a monster leaping out of the speakers mixing doom with a early 80's bay area thrash metal sound. "Plague of the Dying Sun" is a slower more sludge filled number that sounds strangely like a radio friendly version of Crowbar but it works. "Bloodshot Eyes n’ Soul" is a punishing chunk of metal and "Supernatural Suffocation" sounds like Megadeth meets Down. "Undermyskin" has a hard time getting into any sort of groove but once it does, the result is a powerful one with great riffing. The other track on here is "Soul of the Soulless" which picks up the pace on the album at a time when its really needed. Some people will find this album a little too familiar with the influences being highlighted so clearly but the raw passion to which the music is played shines through on every tune. There is a couple of times where the band gets dangerously close to the commercial cliff-edge like in "Buried Dreams" and that will turn some people off the album which is a shame because this is still a mostly kick ass CD. Like it proudly states on their Myspace page "the wheel is not being reinvented here—it’s being reinforced" and bands like this are out to prove you can still rock out with some trace of commercial appeal. With a sound that stretches from classic 70's rock to grunge to hardcore to stoner metal to mainstream hard rock, they wont appeal to everyone but there is no doubt "Hour Of The Wolf" does rock.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: THE WOUNDED KINGS
Country: UK
Title: The Shadow Over Atlantis
Label: I Hate Records
Year: 2010
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
The Wounded Kings debut "Embrace Of The Narrow House" was a minor doom masterpiece in its own right so i couldn't to check out their latest "The Shadow Over Atlantis". The band started out as a 2 man project band but recently became a full band and have even done gigs with Lord Vicar and Gates Of Slumber. The new album is out on I Hate Records who has worked with Count Raven, Hellish Crossfire and Minotaur to name a few. So how does the new album compared with the first? This is darker, heavier, better produced and is more atmospheric than the debut and is already a early pick for the best album of 2010. Musically they still are within the realms of Candlemass, Saint Vitus and Black Sabbath but they have a natural ability to head off in more ambient directions which gives them a unique edge compared with most of the other "run of the mill" doom bands that have flooded the scene over the last few years. One look at the album cover and you are automatically ready for a doom experience and within seconds of the opening track "The Swirling Mist" you are transported into another world that leaves you inspired, mesmerized and focused on the glorious sounds you are hearing. Slow, Sabbath inspired doom blues is how i would explain the guitar work as it has notes that in turn blend into crushing chords and the vocals have a cosmic quality that takes your mind beyond what you are hearing. Melodic touches meets depressing guitar work and they do it all without sounding predictable as far as doom metal excesses are concerned. Its also a song that leaves you confused as to what to focus on, the entire band is smoking so with every spin of the track you find something new to blow you away. The last half of the track is partially brilliant where swirling organ turns to more sparse piano sounds before descending back to some serious doom blues. "Baptism of Atlantis" is up next and it too is a masterpiece of thick, heavy guitar work and atmospheric musical passages. The album follows a theme of the human race losing its spirituality and in doing so mirroring the demise of the Golden age of Atlantis but i was too much enthralled by the music on here to take any notice of the lyrics and more about them later. By the time the second track winds down you are already 18 minutes into the album but it seems more like 5, the music never drags or becomes bogged down.
"Into the Ocean's Abyss" is nothing more that a short piano interlude but this only makes the album seem even more bleak and dark. "The Sons of Belial" is another extended bleak crawling doom track with some incredibly powerful and dramatic chord sequences, once again the band knows just where to leave the spaces in the chord progressions. Like someone said once "its what you don't play, not what you do" and The Wounded Kings know that one all too well. "Deathless Echo" is another short interlude that drowns you in atmosphere, the organ seems to be oozing blood as it plays and while it just plods along the song is rich in texture and dramatics. This leads in the final track "Invocation of the Ancients" which simply crushes you for over 10 minutes, its a raw, haunting oppressive doom cut. The vocals remind me a little of Victor Griffin and i don't know if anyone else hears that but there is some real class to the vocal sounds. The sound is also a little on the low-fi side of things but that just seems to suit the oppressive nature of the songs. The band and album is total doom but there is also hints of post-rock sounds in there and i even hear elements of Dead Meadow in the songs although its in real small doses. The band isn't technically brilliant but their skill is in their ability to construct some of the most raw doom metal ever written but also add to that some elements of pure depression that is somehow beautiful at the same time. Most of the lyrics however i found a little predictable and underwhelming but the vocals sound great within the songs so it doesn't affect the overall listening pleasure of the album. Add to that two interludes that really add to the bleakness of the album rather than to just fill out the album's running time and you have a complete piece of work that is hard to match. If the album was a little longer (as it seems a little on the short side) and the lyrics were a little stronger then this album would be perfect but it still rates as the best album of 2010 so far.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: TORTURED SPIRIT
Country: Germany
Title: Arkham Sanitarium
Label: Bland Hand Records
Year: 2009
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
Its been two years since Tortured Spirit released their last album called "The Mentally Ill", that was a good album but not exactly inspiring. This new album sees a improvement in all areas of the bands songwriting and performance. Once again the band have worked with John Brenner (Revelation, Against Nature) and has released it on his Bland Hand Records label. The band still has that Maryland doom and 70's rock influence but they seemed to have perfected that style just a little more. The first big improvement is in Oddy's vocal performance because he has now found his own style giving the band a more unique sound. The uniqueness comes in mainly two ways, first of all its in the guitar solo's which are like in a world of their own, almost like they are not in tune with the rest of the band but somehow they still fit in with the songs, this gives the songs a other-worldly effect at times, almost dis-jointed but still a major part of the songs arrangements. The other feature which makes this band a bit different from the usual doom band is in songs like "Under Abbie Prinn’s house" and "Horror Crept in" which sound very much influenced by bands like Coven and Black Widow. Those songs have a very 70's occult rock vibe. The vocals although they have improved a lot are still a acquired taste especially in the opening track "Dagons Children" but they grow on you very quickly. His unique vocal style has a vibe of a madman but they work well to express the lyrical concept which is based on H.P. Lovecraft. "Dagons Children" is a odd way to start the album and is probably the weakest track on the whole album but things only get much better from here. The strongest tracks seem to be the ones where they really embraced the 70's horror vibe which is in songs like "Arkham Sanitarium", "Walking the Wind" and "The Isle", the band deliver a almost progressive rock meets doom metal style in these songs. "The Isle" is a 13 minute epic that closes the album that has some fine riffing, spacey keyboard parts and some good old Sabbath type doom metal all in the one track. This song never gets boring throughout the 13 minutes and it has a atmosphere that keeps your attention. It should also be noted that John Brenner plays lead guitar on three tracks. The album is varied and has a lot of different dynamics but its not perfect, there is a few moments where they seem to lose their power within in the songs but those moments are rare. This is a band that keeps on getting better all the time so the next album could be a classic, for now this is a fine album available on CD or free download from http://www.againstnature.us/BH/T_Spirit/index4.htm. It should also be noted the production has been improved since their last album, "Arkham Sanitarium" sounds like a vintage 70's release at times but without sounding too thin like most records from that era. I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy of this as soon as you can and check it out.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: TOVARISH
Country: USA
Title: Da Tovarish
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Experimental Industrial Black Doom
Review:
An American band named Tovarish, isn't this ironic? Yes it is, and funny also, a band name like this could only make you smile or even worse, laugh, at least if you were an European, so when I first heard it I thought I will have to listen to a joke band, but it actually isn't. On the contrary, this is a pretty damn good band! I pretty much don't understand or even hate most of the industrial projects out there, but from time to time I get to listen to a band like Tovarish that captures my attention from start to finish. We're dealing here with a magnific combination of industrial, noise and horrific, abominable bestial sounds/screams and human voices here and there just to make it more terrifying for the listeners. I have no idea how do they manage to create all these sounds, but this is even better than watching a decadent vintage horror drama. The atmosphere created here is so vast, so depressive, cold and hopeless that, even more ironic than their band name, you really get into and understand the horrors of the communist regime. And with this said I became a fan of this act!
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: WIHT
Country: UK
Title: Wiht
Label: Self-released
Year: 2010
Style: Doom Stoner Metal
Review:
Wiht is a young band from Leeds in the UK and in case you are wondering Wiht translated means witch. Members of the band are Chris Wayper on guitar, Joe Hall on bass and Rick Contini on drums. The amazing thing about this new band is they only started jamming together in October 2009 and yet in such a short time have recorded a remarkable 3 track EP. There is two 16 minute tracks with a 9 minute track sandwiched in the middle so you get good value for your doom dollar here. From the sounds on the EP you can hear all the influences but they are wide and varied within the doom spectrum from Sleep, Weedeater, Electric Wizard to Boris, Sunn 0))) to Ufomammut. The first track "Into Ruin" starts off with a very Sleepish holy mountain era riff that serves as the backbone for the entire track but rather than just being repetitive, the track has a natural progression that keeps envovling keeping it interesting. It moves from plodding doom to spacey psychedelic sounds that produce a atmospheric vibe, there is what they call these days "shoegazeing parts". I would love to know where that term came from but it sounds right. The song builds up tension from the 10 minute mark onwards and there is no vocals but bands like these don't really need them. "Into The Ruins" comes to a quiet conclusion rather than doing a big crescendo ending, this band isn't predictable in that sense at all. "Vasta" has a chaotic beginning with crashing drums and a powerful riff before taking a stoner groove direction. There is more other worldly sounds that vibrate and generate a sometimes haunting sound but it is all interwoven by a strong stoner doom rhythm. A quieter almost Pink Floyd sounding section is follow by a mid-tempo thumping riff and its all held together by a great warm and rich bass sound. When the band slows right now they avoid the usual down tuned doom riffing and go for a more space rock ambient sound which sets them apart from most other bands. The track between these two is "And The Thunder Rolls" and is my favorite of the EP but only just because all three tracks are real good. The track gets off to a headbanging start before taking you on a almost jammy cosmic adventure. I say almost because the band is real tight but there is also a live feeling about this and "And The Thunder Rolls" is a perfect vehicle for this kind of music. The great element within this EP is the variety, the light and shade and the dynamic sound the band has. This band will get the "doom tag" from most people but they are really more of a space rock meets 70's hard rock/psyche rock band and that is not a bad thing at all. There is a couple of stand-out points about this debut EP, first one is the mind-blowing production and the second is the incredible talent of the players. In both cases its a winning formula that should get them not only great reviews but should generate some interest from promoters. This band would go down real well at Roadburn, i can see them now jamming out a 2 hour set backed up by a trippy light-show. The lack of a vocalist might throw some people but personally i think they are a band that can live without one. If they do decide to get a vocalist in the future, i hope they choose wisely because they wouldn't want to mess with the natural chemistry they already have. You can download this EP for free so what are waiting for, check their page for details.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: ADOKHSINY / WARGOARCULT / WICKED / NADIMAC / LAND OF HATE
Country: South Korea / Spain / Sweden / Serbia / Italy
Title: Abominations, Chaos and Bestial Warfare
Label: Misanthropic Art / Infernal Kaos
Year: 2009
Style: Black Death Thrash
Review:
Big amount of bands and labels on this split: there are 5 bands backed up by 2 labels, but at least we get a professional release offering at least 2 tracks from each band, so let's take them one by one.
Adokhsiny comes from South Korea and are presented here with 2 tracks into old-school primitive Black Death Metal, a pretty good one, honest and straight-forward based on Thrashy guitar riffs and short solos. Their problem could be the mixing and mastering, at some points the volume decreases like you were listening to an old fucked-up tape, but maybe that's how they wanted it to be. Also teh vocals are a bit too upfront. The music is old-school with some good rhythms, but no real hooks.
Next is Wargoatcult, an aggressive, fast Black Metal act, quite catchy and interesting, except for the dum-machine which gets on my nerves sometimes. Also the vocals are that type of desperate Black Metal screams that you can only eiter love or hate, tehre's no middle way here. There is a funny thing about this act, it was formed in 2007 and it started releasing materials only in 2009, a demo, a promo, a split and a full-length and also .... a Best Of Compilation. That's funny. Anyway, on this 5-way split Necrotomb, the man behing Wargoatcult presents us 2 of their tracks (I guess he uses Spanish lyrics) and a Von cover, Devil Pig.
Wicked comes from Sweden and is a combination of Thrash, Death and some Black Metal, an aggressive, low-tuned metal, sometime catchy and sometimes quite hard to follow. the overall impression is that you've already heard this countless times and that they should focus more either on one genre or mix them all better.
Nadimac is a Serbian band formed in 2003, but who started releasing stuff only in 2007, so on that point of view we're dealing with a young band. Their music is '80's kind of Thrash Metal, a combination of old Metallica and Nuclear Assault, that ultra-fast Thrash Metal spiced with a Punk/Hardcore attitude, with good and catchy riffs. If you're into old-school, fast Thrash Metal you might like this.
Land Of Hate is an Italian band I'm hearing more and more about in the last period, that means they are pushing it hard with promoting themselves and that's a good thing. Thrash Death is their way; double vocals (Thrashy screams seconded by Death Metal growls), simple but effective guitar riffs and a rhythm section that's perfect for headbanging. Not an innovative act, but definitely a promising act, they can and hopefully improve a lot and adding the good self-promotion, a band we'll hear about more in the future.
Material recommended to old-school extreme metal fanatics only.
Reviewed by Adrian
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