Band: AGE OF TAURUS

Country: UK

Title: In the Days of the Taurean Empire

Label: Selfreleased

Year: 2010

Style: Progressive Doom Heavy Metal

Review:

Age Of Taurus is a two piece band which Toby W. Wright on vocals, guitars and bass, together with Sam 'Shredder' Thredder on drums and this is a big HEADS UP for the doomsters reading this. This UK band will be playing the "Born To Be Doomed Fest" on July 2nd and the next day as well as far as i know. You won't want to miss them because this 4 track demo is a awesome slice of classic traditional Doom Metal. Influenced by the likes of Candlemass, Penance, Mercy, Stillborn, Pagan Altar, Revelation, Orodruin, Saxon, Count Raven, Brocas Helm, Dark Quarterer and Black Sabbath, Age Of Taurus have the skills to give you the doom thrills! While there is nothing new here or original, the band have a timeless, classic sound that should make them favorites among fans of the Doom Metal underground.

"Unto The Hour Of The Dead" starts off with a gargantuan riff that is like being hit repeatedly  with a sledgehammer, the sound is amazingly thick and full for a demo. In fact its a bigger sound than you get on most albums released on major labels. If the opening riff doesn't knock you in the dirt, the mid-tempo switch that occurs around halfway through will. This is pulverizing, infectious kick ass Doom Rock And Roll. If your tastes revolve around big, solid chunky riffing then this is a tune that will satisfy all your headbanging needs. The vocals of Toby W Wright also have quality written all over them, a generic approach to singing but such a strong, charismatic voice that is getting harder to find these days. "Unto The Hour Of The Dead" is a monster, unforgettable slab of sonic musical brilliance. "Unborn Destroyer" is another powerful expression of crushing Doom Metal rifferama, the production on this track is so good that you can literally hear fingers sliding across the strings and most likely tearing the skin. The sinister riffs that are matched by pounding drums and Wright's clear and melodic vocal lines create a atmosphere that is impossible to get out of your head. This is Doom Metal to bang your head to but more importantly, the song-writing excellence is only further enhance by some incredibly tight and solid playing, not to mention the outstanding production.

"Barren" attacks from the opening seconds with a classic top-shelf riff that gallops and bubbles along in more of the infectious style that Age Of Taurus have seemed to have mastered. There is not much at all in the way of lead solo's, this band is all about the riff and really its all they need when you have riffs that are this good. The final track, "The Age Of Taurus" is the longest tune at 7 minutes and its another monumental piece of Doom Metal. Another gargantuan riff starts the proceedings backed up with some fine bass lines till at the 2 minute mark of the song where a powerhouse of a crushing riff is unleashed. The vocals again create a sinister atmosphere for the song which never stops in its building of epic intensity till the last couple of minutes where it gets a dose of adrenalin with a mid-tempo boost to take the tune till its conclusion. At only 23 minutes long, the shortness of the demo is a cruel way to treat the listener, you will want more instantly after hearing this. Age Of Taurus needs a full-length album out ASAP, i will have this demo destroyed at the rate i am spinning this beast. Its in limited supply but it at http://shadowkingdomrecords.com or order through their Myspace page. This is easily one of the greatest demo's ever recorded by a Doom Rock band and one of the releases of the year so far. Its a pity its so painfully short though, bring on a album soon please.

Reviewed by Ed

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Band: DEMONIC CREMATOR

Country: Scotland

Title: Blizzards of Hate

Label: Ziekte Records

Year: 2009

Style: Black Metal

Review:

NIce surprise coming from Scotland, Demonic Cremator is a duo composed by Asphyxiator on drums & vocals and Necrotica on bass & guitars, founded last year, so a young act on the Scotish scene. "Blizzards..." is their second demo and since it's out they have 3 new official releases out already... Hard working duo. The 9 tracks on this CD are lasting for about half an hour and present us some pretty rad old-school Black Metal with interesting, catchy guitar lines all over. From my point of view that's the best thing on this demo, the guitar-work of Necrotica. This chick really knows how to handle her guitar and create good Black Metal, the old-school way, with Thrashy attitude, killer solos. If the sound was a bit better I would have enjoyed this more, but as a demo this is not bad at all. Recommended to those of you into raw, but still good quality old-school Black Metal.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: FADING WAVES / STARCHITECT

Country: Russia / Ukraine

Title: Split CD

Label: Slow Burn Records

Year: 2010

Style: Atmospheric Sludge Post-Metal / Post-Metal

Review:

Slow Burn Records begins its activity with this Split CD presenting its own path: post-metal. This is the first post-metal label from Russia, or at least that's what their statement says. 

Two young bands, Fadin Waves from Russia and Starchitect from ukraine joined to release this split. The first one, Fading Waves is a one-man-band from Rostov-on-Don founded in 2008 and from what I understand from the info I got on the web, the 7 tracks presented here are actually their debut EP released last year. Musicwise Fading Waves is an Atmospheric Sludge Post-Metal project based on dreamy instrumental parts supported by a few, here and there, background vocals. The guitar work is great, complex and progressive, but without the support of those powerful, fat bass and drums lines this wouldn't have been complete at all. A very catchy band reminding me of Earache's Cult Of Luna. 

Startchitect is a duo from Ukraine playing Post-Hardcore Metal music which is not really the kind of music I review inhere and that's because I'm not capable of following and understanding it. There's no point of talking shit on things that I don't understand. The 5 tracks presented here are taken from their "Hope" EP, so I would suggest the ones of you into this genre to give them a listen on Myspace and form your own opinion. Still I've listened to their part of the CD and I must admit I don't like the vocals, but I pretty much enjoyed the guitar work, very deep and atmospheric, and the drums which have their own identity, their own path. 

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: GARDEN OF WORM

Country: Finland

Title: Garden of Worm

Label: Shadow Kingdom Records

Year: 2010

Style: Progressive Doom Metal

Review:

After a long wait, Garden Of Worm have unleashed their debut album and it so good that they might just be the best of all the Finnish Doom Metal bands. The album artwork may suggest something cheap and nasty but the music is quite the opposite. What sets this three piece apart from most other Doom acts is how they manage to capture the true essence of Traditional Doom Metal and blend it with 70's Progressive Rock elements without recycling anything from either genre. The sound may get close to the sounds of bands like Revelation at times but there is always a twist to their songs, from Sabbath styled riffing to Iron Maiden styled Heavy Metal progressiveness, these various sound textures usually occur when you least expect it though which leaves you with a album is extremely diverse within the context of a Doom Metal band. They are also real heavy without ever sounding like a typical plodding Doom / Sludge band.

"Spirits Of The Dead" has a apocalyptic atmosphere to start off the album and has a truly retro-doom vibe, the playing is precise and can't be faulted. Blending big riffs with subtle prog-rock inflections that continue to vary and build in dramatic intensity. The next tune "The Ceremony" is even more intriguing and mysterious, while there is some heavy riffing going on, it also has a strong under-current of early 70's occult rock, not that the band is focused on the occult lyrically. Its the vocals that are one of the main elements that makes this band so unique, they are delivered in a clear, half - spoken way that gives a ceremonial vibe to the songs. They bring out the melancholy in the acoustic third track "Rays Of Heaven" while "The Black Clouds" is true ominous Doom Metal. Bursting with a feeling of agony and despair but played with the strange but beautiful time signatures of a Progressive Rock band, this is twisting, turning epic track. The lyrics and music combine to create something emotive and heart-wrenching, you ever heard the Pink Floyd song "Don't Leave Me Now"?, "The Black Clouds" displays that kind of unleashing of emotions. Its not all mellow, tear-jerking stuff however, when the song bursts into a fury of chugging riffing 6 minutes in, its a pure expression of some of the finest old-school Doom song craftsmanship.

"Psychic Wolves" explodes with aggressive, mutated, twisted prog-doom arrangements, there is even passages that come close to sounding like Rush. Strange, unusual and unique, Garden Of Worms are unlike anybody else. "The Alchemist's Dream" has everything all inserted into the one piece of music, chugging doom, knotty progressive sections, noodling guitar lines and apocalyptic but yet melodic vocals. The grand finale, "Hollow" is a 10 minute monster of ever-changing musical genres and textures that keep your ears glued to the incredibly varied sounds. Pouring out pure emotional vocals and some seriously dense riffage, "Hollow" is the most straight-forward Doom Metal track on the disc that manages to remain captivating for its entire duration. If you are already a fan of bands like Dawn Of Winter, Revelation and The Wandering Midget then this should be right up your alley. Garden Of Worm are dark Doom Metal with a Progressive Rock edge that is both intriguing and mesmerizing. Another winner for Shadow Kingdom Records.

Reviewed by Ed

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Band: INFEST

Country: serbia

Title: Onward to Destroy

Label: Grom Records / Zero Budget Prod.

Year: 2009

Style: Old School Thrash Death Metal

Review:

This is an absolute "must have" for any old-school Thrash Death Metal fans out there! Infest prooves this genre is still alive and kicking! "Onward to Destroy" is their second album, a 9 tracks display of fast, powerful and aggressive Metal music made as if it's coming straight from the begining of the '90's. All the tracks inhere could be hits, all of them are fantastic, and especially one, "Screaming from Within" which benefits from the guest appearance of Aad from Sinister. We're treated with crushing guitar riffs, fast, blade-cutting solos, memorable choruses, thrilling rhythm section (well let's say it makes you bang your head over and over), and awesome old-school, comprehensive type of Death Metal vocals by Zoran who also plays in Bane. The production is great, the band skills are fantastic, the cohesion is there (although they have had a lot of line-up changes), and the execution is flawless. I strongly recommend this album, Thrash Death madness at its best!

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: MALPERTUUS

Country: Belgium

Title: Odyssea

Label: Satanica Records

Year: 2010

Style: Black Metal

Review:

Angelus is the one behind this one-man-band hailing from Belgium. He started this project in 2007 and released an EP one year later. "Odyssea" is his debut album, a 9 tracks material lasting for a bit more than 45 minutes. From my point of view this is just a demo because of the sound on it, not professional at all, it sounds like a rehearsal recording (especially on vocals). Anyway, the music on it is a bit too synthetic for my tastes because of the computer generated guitars, I'm definitely not a fan of computer generated guitars, I have nothing against drum-machine, but the guitars should be real. And that's too bad because Angelus' ideas and compositions are not bad at all, pretty interesting lines skillfully combining melodic and aggressive parts. I only hope he finds a good guitarist to help him out for the next release and that Angelus will record the vocals in a professional studio, and we might have an interesting project here. 

In the meantime I'm sorry but I cannot recommed this.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: MORTALICUM

Country: Sweden

Title: Progress of Doom

Label: Metal On Metal Records

Year: 2010

Style: Heavy Doom Metal

Review:

From the northern part of Sweden, Mortalicum was formed early 2006 by bassist Patrick Backlund. Starting out originally as a studio project, the band slowly took shape over the course of a couple of years with various line-up changes. Maybe the most important of these line-up changes was when Henrik Högl took over the lead vocal duties as well as the lead guitar role. The current line-up of Patrick Backlund (bass), Mikael Engström (guitar) and Andreas Häggström (drums) and Henrik Högl (vocals, lead guitar) is indeed a very professional unit. Mortalicum made the unusual decision of making their debut album a live recording, this to me shows the confidence the band already had even at this early stage in the band's existence. At the end of 2009 they started the recording of their debut album "Progress of Doom" and it was released on April 23 on the Metal On Metal label. The band doesn't fit into one particular genre of Heavy Metal, elements of Doom, Stoner, Classic Metal and 70's Hard Rock all interweaves within their songs but maybe they can be best compared with bands like Sesta Marconi, Spiritual Beggars, Grand Magus and other bands that mix the elements of Doom and Stoner with classic 70's hard rock sounds.

The album kicks off with "Guiding Star" and its obvious within the first minute, Mortalicum are big fans of 70's Hard Rock legends. Sounding very much in the vein of Deep Purple and Rainbow with the lead solo's and wide-reaching vocal melodies to match the rich, organic production. "Into The Night" is pure Swedish Stoner Rock, so much so the vocals sound very similar to the great vocals of Spiritual Beggars. A killer, chugging rhythm keeps driving the song along to neck-snapping levels and the solo is pure class as well. This is classic rock done by musicians who really know how to perfect jaw-dropping melodies and breath-taking solos that are enough to send a chill up the spine. "Progress Of Doom" is also rich in its 70's Hard Rock sensibilities, the infectious riff matched only by the deliciously well crafted vocals of Henrik Högl is as catchy as it is just a kick ass piece of old school metal. "A Darker Power" is a powerhouse mid-tempo doom rock track with a dark menacing riff line while "Power And Control" sets the speakers alight with pure energetic melodies and some thundering drum pattens in the finest tradition of drummers like Cozy Powell(R.I.P). This song has more blistering guitar lead work that scream and wail while remaining melodic. "The Voyager" is a masterpiece of a tune, its true if you grew up in the 70's or early 80's you would have this heard before but boys and girls, this is solid stuff right here.

"Revolution In Vain" has a great driving feel, chugging and twisting guitar lines and more of that 70's vocal gymnastics and "Darkness All Around" has a slower groove than the rest of the tunes but is one of the most infectious tunes on the disc. "Inner Peace" is more chunky 70's grooves interspersed with dramatic vocal melodies and the final cut is one of the real highlights of the "Progress Of Doom" album. Titled "Damnation Of The Soul", this 9 minute epic encompasses everything that made the 70's such a influential time in Hard Rock history with a emphasis on melody and dramatic song arrangement. Constantly climbing and building, the song is rich in  contemporary but timeless beauty. The song only gets even more atmospheric after the 6 minute mark of the track, the lead playing in those last few minutes are magical. After the 40 or so minutes of listening to "Progress Of Doom" you are left with a feeling you have just met up with a old friend. Something about this is so familiar and yet so fresh. This Swedish quartet have proven once again, the swedes have a quality of musicianship all of their own. It used to exist in large numbers in the UK and to a lesser degree here in the US but these days it seems the Swedes are the leaders in taking a well used formula and making it sound new again. If Spiritual Beggars, Grand Magus, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy and Montrose can still raise those hairs on the back of your neck and send a shiver down the spine then Mortalicum should be the next band on your CD shopping list. This is quality Hard Rock that is more generic than the regular Stoner Rock or Doom Rock but so classy in its delivery that its a no-brainer. You must check out Mortalicum's Progress Of Doom. 

Reviewed by Ed

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Band: MOURNFUL GUST

Country: Ukraine

Title: She's My Grief... Decade

Label: Bad Moon Man / Solitude

Year: 2010

Style: Gothic Doom Death Metal

Review:

Mournful Gust seems to be a strong player in the Ukrainian Gothic Doom Death Metal scene, I'm ashamed of never hearing anything about them until I got this pack from Solitude Prod. They started back in 1999 and the material I'm reviewing here is some sort of a anniversary release celebrating 10 years of existence. We have here a Double CD, the first CD being their debut album, "She's My Grief" remastered, and the second one a collection of Demo tracks plus some very interesting and successful covers of their tracks made by other musicians of whom again I've never heard of. Well, I guess that's the bad thing about having such an overpopulated metal scene nowadays, you can only discover a good band by luck or if you follow zines :). The underground is so crowded that rarely a band gets the recognition they deserve. Solitude is one of the most respected Doom labels out there so I'm sure Mournful Gust will get a good exposure.

I've listened first to the second CD, the compilation of Demo songs and covers and I have discovered a honest Doom Death band, sorrowful, powerful, emotional and expressive, one of those bands that get you thinking of lost loved ones... The addition of those covers brings more fresh touches and makes the CD even more attractive. 

The next CD is actually their debut album from 2000 remastered, and as a difference from their demos here we make contact with violins, flutes and female vocals, a more Gothic influenced music, a tough decision for the band as now it gives impression of some sort of lack of cohesion. From time to time the whole sounds a bit too chaotic even if the band's ideas are great; taken one by one each instrument does its job perfectly adding more and more grief and nostalgy to Mournful Gust's music, but it fails to keep my attention for the whole duration of this CD (56 minutes). This will make their fans happy, but I wouldn't recommend it to profane persons as I am.

To sum it up Mournful Gust is indeed a strong band with interesting, fresh ideas, but still keeping the "old-school" Gothic Doom Death Metal path. I should get their latest album, "The Frankness Eve" from 2008, for a coherent opinion on their actual music.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: NECROSADIK

Country: Mexico

Title: Destroying Your Life!!!

Label: Ziekte Records

Year: 2009

Style: Ambient Black Metal

Review:

Before this I have reviewed "The Portrait...", although that's the second album of Necrosadik and this one is its debut. Well, it happens. On this one instead of piano we get guitars, so the whole music is built on noisy guitars and suicidal screams, with some piano/keys here and there, on rare ocasions. The sound is worse than the one on "The Portrait..." and once again I don't see any sense on why listening to 62 minutes of suicidal noisy music if you don't have the lyrics in front of you. Sorry, but I prefer real metal to this...

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: NECROSADIK

Country: Mexico

Title: The Portrait of My Sorrow

Label: Ziekte Records

Year: 2009

Style: Ambient Black Metal

Review:

Necrosadik is a Maxican one-man-band founded in 2008, or at least so I guess. I've found info on the net that this is actually a full line-up band with 4 members, but it's hard to believe that because on this 9 tracks album that lasts for almost 50 minutes, we get little or nothing except 1 vocal character and piano. Some occasional, very rare, acoustic guitar sounds can be heard, but only if you really listen carefully. Style-wise this is Ambient Black Metal focused on the desperate, suicidal, sad part of it. Simple and raw, this music might appeal to you if you're into th every depressive side of the underground and also only if you get the lyrics somehow from somewhere. Without the lyrics, listening to this album is pointless...

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: NJIGAHDDA

Country: USA

Title: Yrg Alms

Label: Pagan Flames

Year: 2009

Style: Ambient Psychedelic Noise Black Metal

Review:

I have no idea how to pronounce this band's name and honestly I don't bother, but I've heard so many things about it... And there's no wonder since Njigahdda was founded 5 years ago and in the meantime they have released more than 35 (!!!) materials, from which 14 are full-length albums! Insane amount of releases for a two persons band, two persons who are also involved in Oaks Of Bethel (founded last year and released 6 albums and 3 EPs!!!) and Funeral Eclipse. So to sum it up these two guys have released almost 50 official materials during the last 5 years, this is a fact that cannot pass unobserved.

"Yrg Alms" is Njigahdda's 11th full-length release (since then they have released 3 more), a 70 minutes effort into Ambiental Psychedelic Black Metal that honestly didn't capture my attention for more than 1 listen. It could be because of the overall chaotic sound, or that type of background vocals without comprehension, or the sometimes monotonous feelings it emanates, I don't know, but this is simply not my type of music. 

Try it yourselves, maybe you'll like it more than I did, if you're into the stranges approaches on Black Metal.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: OBSCURYS

Country: Germany

Title: Diary of My Untold Apocalypse

Label: Selfreleased

Year: 2010

Style: Black Death Metal

Review:

Another duo I'm reviewing Today, this time from Germany, Obscurys present us here their debut album, a 10 tracks effort lasting for around 50 minutes. Musicwise we are treated with a mix between mid-tempo and fast Black Death a la '90's, with lots of rhythm changes, a not so good sound, big differences between tracks, multiple influences from any and all extreme metal fields, so basically we're dealing with a band that still needs to curdle up, to work more on their genre and present us a second album that's more unified, that sounds less experimental. Almost all parts of this album sound like they were done countless times before by other bands. I'm sorry but this album didn't get my attention at all. And the fact that track 7 is actually composed by two tracks, with pause in the middle and an abrupt ending, only makes me think this is done as a joke... Too bad... I like track 8, though.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: OPHIDIAN FOREST

Country: Croatia / Holland / USA

Title: Redbad

Label: Selfreleased

Year: 2009

Style: Pagan Black Metal

Review:

Taken from its booklet: "Redbad" was recorded from Autumn 2006 to Summer 2007 by three individuals in different countries. They have never met, or spoken each other on the phone, and would probably not recognize each other if they passed on the street.

So: Zaragil (bass, guitars) recorded in Croatia, Otrebor (drums) in USA and Amalgamoth (vocals, keys) in Holland. A multinational project presenting here its debut album, 9 tracks in almost 70 minutes of intense, raw Black Metal with pagan approach on lyrics.

I'm a fan of A5 releases (CDs in DVD box), and this one did not disappoint me at all, the front cover really captured my attention and if I were to see this at a show on sale I would have bought it for sure. It also includes lyrics, which is great for nayone interested in a bit more than music, but when it comes to music Ophidian Forest lacks a lot... This is not the first time I'm listening to raw Black Metal, but this one is too raw, it's sound is chaotic to a point you can't understand a thing, and I'm sure no band wants that with its music. Too bad, I wasn't able to follow it till the end... 

The band is now preparing for the release of their second album, "Plains". I only hope it will have a better recording sound this time.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: PANOPTICON

Country: USA

Title: Collapse

Label: Pagan Flames / Lundr Records

Year: 2009

Style: Ambient Folk Black Metal

Review:

Damn, I've enjoyed every minute of this 4 tracks album by Panopticon. This is such a powerful display of musical skills, immagination, emotions and strong ideas... In my opinion these Underground projects (there are a few around) are much, much better than any mainstream Black Metal dinosaurs just singing the same shit over and over. I have nothing against anyone, I can appreciate any metal music, but after listening to such an interesting album I have to take my hat off in front of this guy named A. Lundr, the man behing Panopticon. He does everything on these 4 tracks, and I must say, everything means a lot inhere, there are a large amount of instruments, multiple rhythm changes, a great, comprehensive statement behind the lyrics, emotions and expressive sounds everywhere, and what's the best is that the album captures your interest right away and keeps it high until the end. 

To label this 46 minutes release only as Black Metal would do no justice, we are dealing here with a large amount of influences, but the best addition are the Bluegrass music insertions that are absolutely delicious! I strongly recommend this to all of you open-minded metal followers, go get it now!

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: SANCTUS BELLUM

Country: USA

Title: Return to Dust

Label: Selfreleased

Year: 2010

Style: Stoner Doom Metal

Review:

Sanctus Bellum are from the great home of Doom Metal, Texas. Seeing as there has been so many killer Doom bands from there over the last 20 years, my first impression about Sanctus Bellum is that they too must be another Doom Metal monster in the making. After all they have seemed to been given the "doom" tag already by some sections of the underground media. When i first heard this album however, it didn't sound like Doom Metal much at all to me apart some obvious Sabbath inspired riffing. Maybe its just me but i sometimes think people don't listen to albums enough before reviewing them but that is the end of that rant from me. Sanctus Bellum is made up of Mr.Plow vocalist Justin Waggoner, guitarist Jan Kimmel, bassist Ben Yaker and drummer Cory Cousins. Being a fan of the writing of H.P. Lovecraft, i noticed straight away that every song on Return To Dust  seems to make some connection to his work so i was automatically intrigued by this disc.

Opening track, "Shoggoth’s Ascent" gets the Lovecraftian themes going with a ominous bass line which in-turn leads into guitar squealing before the main riff takes over. Kind of groovy at first before they hit the gas into a mid-tempo burst of energetic sludgy metal. The guitar sound isn't all that heavy but still has a good sound, musically it is closer to the likes of Las Cruces who are another band that gets the "doom" tag without really being Doom Metal. There is great but short solo's, melodic sections and powerful vocals that make this opening tune a all round winner. Next up is "Dagon’s Bride" and its the most groove-based track overall but also the most predictable. Something about it sounds very generic in the Stoner Rock sense of the word but it is still a solid track with a strong element of fun about it. The lyric, "that fish eyed girl’s gonna rule my world" got stuck in my head immediately. The guitar soloing in this tune is the main feature but take it out and you are left with a pretty average track. Next is "Curwen" and its bring a aggressive twist to the album, the main riff is like being thrown around in a drunken mosh-pit while still keeping it in the vein of a sludgy, gritty rock band. "God’s Own Warrior" on the other hand starts off with some bluesy type guitar licks before taking off into a mid-tempo sludge-fest with gnarling riffs and strong vocal melodies. The vocals of Waggoner switch from clean to rough without ever resorting to growling and he manages to keep a strong element of melody all the way.

"The Reddening West" which seems to be about the character in Lovecraft’s "Herbert West: Reanimator" didn't empress me too much. Its not bad at all but lacking something i can't quite put my finger on right now, its another mid-tempo Sludgy, Stoner groover but seems to be missing a vital ingredient somewhere. "White Cat" ends the disc with a galloping rhythm, some great solo's and some chunky metallic riffing. A pretty solid way to end the album which is hurt by rough and raw production, personally i think the guitar sound is way too low in the mix and the drums are also lacking punch. However for the most part, the songwriting qualities of the band are very good. This is your typical Stoner Rock stuff in some ways but they a little heavier, grittier and raw than your average Stoner band. They also have some dark riffs but not enough to be called Doom Metal so they are a hybrid of influences and sounds so it is really up to the listener what tag you choose to put on them. I hate to use the word "potential" when it comes to this band but i will, this band has potential for the future but for now "Return To Dust" sounds a little half-baked and the production doesn't help that either. Check them out though, there is some great moments on this disc.

Reviewed by Ed

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Band: VINUM SABBATUM

Country: Finland

Title: Songs from the Convent

Label: Eyes Like Snow

Year: 2010

Style: Heavy Doom Metal

Review:

For the last few years the late 60's and early 70's Hard Rock experience has been getting revisited by literally hundreds of bands, most of them have created some real quality music while a few have been doing nothing much more than simply jumping upon some kind of Psychedelic bandwagon. Another band that has seemed to hitched its wagon to the Psychedelic era is Finnish retro-rockers Vinum Sabbatum who have signed a 3 album deal with Eyes Like Snow Records which has made a name for themselves by specializing in various fields of Doom, Classic Heavy Rock/Metal and Psychedelic Rock. This limited edition digipak release is a 5 track demo but with the production of a official release and overall its a good 26 minutes of Psyched out Doomy Rock in the late 60's/early 70's vein. They have already been given the Doom Metal tag by some which to me seems a bit misleading as for the most part this band is more in-tune with the sounds of Atomic Rooster than Black Sabbath not that there is anything wrong with that.

"Demon Dance" does have a heavy dose of flattened notes in the classic Tony Iommi style but the bulk of the song is made up with late 60's Progressive Rock meets Psyche Rock vibes. Chugging riffs give out a doomy vibe in parts but the song mostly bubbles along in boogie mode that is not too far removed from the first Warhorse album recorded in 1970. Its all pretty good stuff however and the licks coming from the guitar solo really capture the essence of classic early proto-metal sounds. The second track is stronger than the first, its called "Witch Woman" and it features some great vocal lines from singer Janne Salo. Keyboards are a little too loud and annoying in parts but the feel of the song is one of pure moody Psychedelia and its a grower, i didn't like the tune too much at first but it gets better with every spin of the disc. "Angel of Mourning" is the closet thing to real Doom Metal on "Songs from the Convent". Kicking off the song is a classic organ tone creating a slightly ominous mood but as the track progresses it gets even darker and certainly more doomy. "Angel Of Mourning" has more depth in the song-writing than the rest of the songs which a little bit on the simplistic side of the Retro-Rock spectrum. "Angel Of Mourning" stands out in my opinion as the best offering on the EP.

"Ramblin Dues" is also a great tune, it stomps along like a poor-mans Deep Purple with plenty of early 70's gusto. Its a spirited performance on this track that is a automatic winner with a classic, infectious groove. The final track is also good, titled "Sunrise of Tomorrow" it comes close to "Angel Of Mourning" for being instantly memorable. Blessed with a great attempt at capturing the Black Sabbath vibe, it grooves and pulsates for all of its 6 minutes. The last half of the track is especially awesome as they let the Black Sabbathisms take full control. To sum up i will have to say the second half is much better than the first but overall it has a classic vibe about it. I am not too sure how much they have to offer the Doom fan or even the Metal fan for that matter but i also have a hunch that they have much better material than these five tracks in the works. One thing is certain however, they have managed to capture the feel and the essence of late 60's/early 70's Progressive/Hard Rock and have done it better than a lot of other bands. I will be looking forward to future releases from this band because i get the feeling "Songs from the Convent" is only the beginning and there is much better things to come.

Reviewed by Ed

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Band: WARFIELD

Country: Reunion

Title: 1848 San mele

Label: Selfreleased

Year: 2010

Style: Thrash Death Metal

Review:

Warfield was formed in 2004 and I guess we're dealing here with their debut EP, but still I won't bet on it. The info one can find on the net about them are pretty few. Anyway, "1848 San mele" is composed by 6 tracks lasting for almost half an hour of modern sounding Metal with multiple Thrash Metal, and even more Death Metal influences. This is that kind of melodic Metal that acts like Gojira or Job For A Cowboy are promoting at the moment and is so popular. Pretty technical, inventive, fresh sounding, entertaining, but still missing something, maybe a common point for all their ideas (it sounds like they have recorded ideas/parts rather than full tracks), but being a debut album this can be regarded as a demonstration of skills. Well, Ok, they have succeeded to show they are capable of doing big things and if you'll give "1848 San mele" a chance you'll agree with me, now it's time to seriously work on cohesion and get some more recognition. 

"1848 San mele" comes in digipak format with crystal-clear sound, and a very cheap price, $5. Try it.

Reviewed by Adrian

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Band: ZOROASTER

Country: USA

Title: Matador

Label: E1 Music

Year: 2010

Style: Sludge Doom Metal

Review:

Zoroaster are a band to never been content with sticking with one sound or a certain formula, 2007’s Dog Magic and 2009’s Voice of Saturn saw the band pushing in different directions and now with their new album "Matador" about to be released on the E1 Music label, they are again trying something different. While the band still remains within the realms of Psychedelic Doom, Matador does show hints at a more assessable approach to the way they write songs. Don't worry though, this is still very much in the Doom mold but with more and shorter songs this time around, the album does sound like it was made for a wider audience. Just like High On Fire made some subtle but noticeable changes in direction with their latest effort also on the E1 label, Zoroaster have followed a similar route. I'm not trying to bring up some kind of conspiracy angle here but the change is obvious from one spin of the disc.

From the opening track, "D.N.R" you get a good taste of the changes made as its less avant-garde than previous works and more typical of what you hear in the Doom Metal genre. There is still some heavy-duty Stoner Rock riffing but the overall feel is much more spacious and traditional for the want of a better word but with a very spacey vibe. While the opener is good, the second track "Ancient Ones" is even better. Based around heavy rhythms and a classic Zoroaster approach to songwriting, its a good track but the short running time is a bit of a let-down. After all the band has made their name by creating long, slow building pieces rather than ones straight to the point like this tune. "Odyssey" is more on the space-rock end of the Zoroaster spectrum but to be perfectly honest, even after about 10 times of listening to the track i still can't remember much about it. "Trident" has some killer solo work from guitarist/vocalist Will Fiore and is surprisingly infectious for a Zoroaster song. The sudden rush of energy the song delivers is a breath of fresh air at this point of the album and i wish the album had more songs like this one. At the halfway point on Matador you get "Firewater" and this time, the band has created a total keeper. Full of groove, mind-bending solo's, guitar noise and feedback, its a short but powerful piece. "Old World" takes the band to spacier Doom vibes and its also more of a throw-back to the sounds of early Om, its still Zoroaster but the feel of the song is more in-tune with sounds from many years ago.

"Black Hole" is next and it brings the album back to the aggressive approach like what is heard in the song "Trident". It also features one of the best riffs on Matador and yet again Will Fiore delivers some great solo work but in the great tradition of trying something different each time, he uses a echo unit of some kind to great effect. By the time the second to last track "Odyssey II" comes along, you have given up on trying to compare Matador with previous albums, its no "Dog Magic" but its trying hard not to be. "Odyssey II" is basically a interlude setting the mood for the closing and title track "Matador". Again the mood is shifted and the style takes another direction and a life of its own. After a very slow and long build up, the song finally takes off into the realms of dramatic, prog-doom which only gets heavier as the songs progresses. Even though the track is based around a lot of ambiance, the overall mood is dark, menacing and eerie. The final section of Matador sees Zoroaster setting up a killer grooves, sound effects that engulf the senses and feedback. The feeling you get after hearing this track is one of pure exhaustion and i am sure that is the exact effect they were after when recording the song. "Matador" sounds like a album made to destroy minds but impress the more mainstream metal media all at the same time. They should achieve both those goals with this album. How this stands up against previous work, is totally up to you, the listener. Personally, i find it to have a few gray areas but a lot of highlights too. Its also a album that demands several listens to fully appreciate and don't fall into the trap of comparing it to earlier albums. Zoroaster have again made a great album in its own right and one that deserves to stand out on its own in your Doom Metal collection.

Conclusion time - I can already hear some old Zoroaster fans bitching about its the not the same as "Dog Magic" or "Voice of Saturn". I can also hear the elitist types crying about "they are on E1 music"  so now they have sold out just like High On Fire". This is of course completely untrue because like High On Fire, Zoroaster have taken another step forward in becoming the music legends they already are but the more mainstream media is still yet to accept. "Matador" is a powerful, ambitious piece of work that is full of surprises and it gets better with every spin.

Reviewed by Ed

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