Category: Doom

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ALTAR of BETELGEUZE – Echoes – REVIEW

 

Do you love Doom Metal? Hate it? Don’t care for it? Altar of Betlegeuze has you covered with their latest release, Echoes.

The Finnish Doom masters have cleverly melded multiple styles and sounds into something that is accessible to everyone. Every note feels heavy as Altar of Betlegeuze set out to prove slower usually means heavier. Altar of Betlegeuze aren’t playing slow just for the sake of being a “Doom” band. Every note march the songs forward. No fancy fills or strange ambient passages. Throughout the recording you’ll hear harsh and clean vocals, sludgy riffs and even some hints of Groove Metal. “Embrace the Flames,” is a banger that feels a little different than the rest with its’ “speed” Altar of Betelgeuze is able to do all of this while remaining true to their original Doom beginnings, keeping it mean, slow and heavy.

If you are looking for an album to introduce yourself or a friend to Doom Metal without scaring them away, look no further.

 

 

 

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ESANGUINATE – Eldritch Anatomy – REVIEW

 

Now that we are settled down in the New Year, it’s time we revisit some filth from years past with Esanguinate’s nasty debut album, Eldritch Anatomy. Not for the faint of heart, this release hits almost as hard as a steaming cup of our Kaffe Storm.

When the record starts, Esanguinate rockets out of the grave. The band leaves not a moment to waste.Starting out you will instantly notice some old school Death Metal sounds and feels that resemble Massacre and Morbid Angel. It has an old school feel but the band adds another layer of murkiness that elevates the atmosphere. Esanguinate songs here mostly draw upon a dark occult theme. The band does a great job including just the right of tremolo picking to drive  that feeling home. Not quite Black Metal here but just enough to bring in the right amount of darkness.

There is a ton to like here. For the most part Esanguinate has a mixed bag tunes here. Some tracks come in hard and thrashy perfectly rattling your spine. Others slow down, taking more of a Doom feeling atmospheric approach. Vocalist Andrej Čuk does an incredible job here switching his sound from style to style.  Plenty of killer thrash and Death Metal riffs to keep your inner head banger happy.  There is enough variety here that this album was made for repeat listens. It would really be interesting to see how the band handles performing these songs alive.

For a debut band this is one hell of a solid release. This will be one to watch.

 

 

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HEMPLIFIER – The Stoner Side of Doom – REVIEW

 

Alright friends. Grab a seat. Take off your shoes. Lean back and relax. We are going to take off on a journey through the stars with Hemplifier. The group’s debut album is 6 tracks of weed and riffs worship.

Just as their band name and album title suggest, Hemplifier play slow and heavy riffs filled with plenty of fuzz and bong fumes. The 6 track album starts off with “Headless Chicken,” that features a slow drum march. Their sound goes a few steps further with the next track, “Brujo.” The track sludges along for some time until the haunting and howling vocals kick in. While there is plenty of slow and heavy riffing there isn’t much on the vocal front on this album.

This is pretty much the stage that Hemplifier has set. 7 to 8 minute tracks of sludgy, fuzzy and mellow riffing with the occasional howl or scream. Just like Sleep or Weedeater you can practically smell the ganja in these tracks. Keeping it simple Hemplifier have cooked up a nice little listen for the times you just want to relax and let the music take you.

Or you’re just giving your neck some rest.

 

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KRIGSGRAV – Fires in the Fall _ REVIEW

 

Labor day is the unofficial last day of summer in the states. Many begin look forward to Fall with its longer and colder nights and onslaught of pumpkin spice products. Here a Trve Kvlt, nothing warms our little black hearts more than a fresh serving of Black Metal.

Krigsgrav is from Texas and with the current heat wave the states is experiencing, it might as well be Hell itself. Perhaps just the spark of inspiration that band needs to keep pumping out incredible material. Fires in the Fall, is the group’s 7th album in their 20 year existence.

One of the first things that hits you on your first listen is the outstanding production. Every note and sound is heard and has a larger than life feeling. This is especially felt in many of the Doom elements that are infused into the recording. While production value is often looked as the enemy of Black Metal, Krisgrav expertly use it their advantage.

Krisgrav creates melodic atmosphere throughout the album. Each song feels massive and takes on a life of its own. At one moment you are enjoying a nice slow Doom beat and the next Krisgrav hammers you over the head with some killer thrash riffs and hooks. The band perfectly fuses these elements together with great fluidity.

Closing track, “Alone with the Setting Sun,” is the band at their peak. Krisgrav adds just the perfect touches of Doom, Black and classic Death Metal here to make an absolute banger. There are too many great guitar moments here to count. Stop reading and start listening!

 

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SORROWFUL LAND- Faded Anchors of the Past – REVIEW

One man bands impress the hell out of me. I could hardly play the recorder in elementary school, so this level of virtuosity is way beyond anything I could dream of achieving. Max Molodtsov is the magician behind Sorrowful Land which he formed in 2014. Based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Molodtsov is a member of several other Ukrainian metal bands which span over several different genres.

Faded Anchors of the Past is a huge treat for fans of atmospheric Doom Metal. It’s perfectly melds tragic and somber tones that feel equally as strong and powerful. This is the perfect soundtrack to let your mind drift and have the music carry you away. The contrast of soft clean vocals and some impressive growls are a nice touch and have an early Amorphis Tales of a Thousand Lakes feel on some of the tracks.

Each of the eight songs included here are a separate story to a complete journey. Although the album is over an hour in length, Molodtsov does a fantastic job keeping the listeners attention as everything flows so expertly well. From the piano fills to the heavy and plodding riffs, this album checks every mark on what it takes to make a fantastic Doom album.

Keep an eye on this release as it’s sure to show up in many album of the year lists for 2023.

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VEILCASTE – Precipice – REVIEW

 

 

 

From our good friends at over at Wise Blood Records comes the third release from Indianapolis Sludge masters, Veilcaste.  Precipice is full of deep and murky riffs that weigh thick and heavy in the air. Along with this, Veilcaste manages to create plenty of cosmic and spaced out atmosphere. Precipice is sure to please any fan of Stoner or Doom music.

Velicaste keeps the music rather simple throughout the recording. There is no overproduction here. They guys don’t stay too long playing one long riff.  However, the album is packed full of plenty of dragging and dirty riffs. (that don’t overstay their welcome)  The guitar tones are low with plenty of fuzz, playing in more of a Stoner style. You will find yourself slowly headbanging along to this release, maybe even sparking some herbage. (or go hardcore and drink an Arnold Palmer like in my case)

Vocals come of in a much more “hardcore” style than usually seen in this genre. There is also a little bit of clean singing sprinkled in here and there that actually works really well on this recording.This along with the underlying atmosphere Veilcaste manages to craft some weill written and structured songs.

All in all, it’s not a bad listen and feels like a nice palate cleanser to the extreme music that I usually punish my ear holes with.I have always been more of a speed freak when it comes to my music but Veilcaste may be one of those bands that will leave me venturing out and seeking out more bands in the Doom and Sludge Metal genres.

 

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LUST WITCH – We All Die Alone – REVIEW

 

Lust Witch’s deput, We All Die Alone, is four  tracks of murky and sludgy doom crawling out from the depths of Indianapolis. Interestingly enough, the 4 song titles are taken from the words in the album title with “We,” being the first track and so on. With that thought process in mind, this album is meant to be enjoyed as a complete listen.  Each track melds into the next. Don’t put this one on shuffle.

“We,” starts off softly with an eerie tone coupled with some creepy chants in the background. Lust Witch slowly build up the temp and intensity into the second track, “All.” The tones are a little harsher and the sense of dread still hangs thick in the air. With “Die,” the longest track on the recording, Lust Witch continues with more vocal work and more thick and chunky riffs. Throughout the first 3 tracks you can really sense that Lust Witch is building to something.

“Alone,” closes things out starting with some thick and nasty bass grooves and trench deep guitar tones. As the song title would suggest, “Alone,” has an unshakable depressing feeling of isolation and loneliness and despair. Everything your blackened little heart wants from a Doom EP.

 

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THE HUMAN RACE IS FILTH – Echo Chambers – REVIEW

 

You gotta love that band name. Straight to the point and utterly complete statement. The Human Race is Filth or THIRF for short,  was formed back in 2017 by a bunch of veterans of the Maryland and Pennsylvania extreme music scenes. With a shit load of experience between the band members, THRIF deliver exactly what you would expect on this short EP.

THRIF does a great job playing blistering old school Grind. The closing track, “Shit States USA,” is just a little over 30 seconds and length but starts out with a cool groove before going into full blown blast mode. It’s one of those tracks that remind of the early days of Napalm Death where you would want repeat the shortest tracks over and over.  The group does take time to slow things down a bit in parts. “Mindless Thoughts,” starts with a groovy crawling bass that is followed by a creeping guitar before the blast beats hit What sets THRIF apart is their ability to blend in some Sludge and Doom elements that perfectly fill out a song. It dosent feel at all out of place and still delivers a meaty hook to the jaw.

At less than 10 minutes in length, you can spin Echo Chambers a few time before clocking in to work.

 

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VELICASTE/TUSK – Split – REVIEW

This split is so jam packed full of thick and murky sludge material that it is highly recommended that you put on a good pair of rain boots and a chest wader before diving into this release. Veilcastle and Tusk each contributed 3 tracks of full of doom, dark atmosphere and despair.

Veilcastle opens the split with “Dust and Bone,” a dark and warm track with some clean deep and massive vocals. “Mirrors,” has a strong groovy and stoner metal vibe with deep grooves that plod along. Their final contribution to this split is a cover of The Misfit’s “Return of the Fly”, which is an interesting choice. They manage to take the original punk classic, cover it in a thick sludge and turn it into a much more haunting take than the original.

Tusk take over on the second half of the split with a more sinister take on the genre. The vocals have a much more sinister feel that deliver an all together darker sound. Their first track “Disquiet,” benefits from the use of keyboards and synths for a truly darkened and uneasily feeling. “Entering the Flesh,” offers some clean vocals into the mix for a slightly less heavy track but still manages to pack plenty of atmosphere. A cover of Cannibal Corpse’s “Festering in the Crypt,” closes things out. Tusk’s vocal delivery is sinister here and their murky approach to the song does justice to the original.

 

 

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MAGNATOR – Crushed – REVIEW

We continue the Sludgecore assault this month with the impressive debut album from “Four piece Amplifier Sadists” out of Manchester, New Hampshire, Magnator.  With a heavy nod to the large soundscape sounds of Neurosis and a heap load of groove and a few twists and turns into elements of Black Metal, Magnator have a lot going on with their sound. Thankfully, it’s never a unharmonious change instead everything is pumped out fluidly.

Throughout the album, Magnator has a ton of heavy, crushing riffs and murky bass lines that create the perfect atmospheric listening experience between calm and chaos. The intro bass to “Loving You Was Killing Me,” pulls you in instantly.  John Funk’s drum work keep a steady and powerful groove while the vocals range from soft to harsh for the perfect dramatic feeling.

Magnator’s mellow stoner sound shines on the title track, “Crushed.” The almost eerie and dreamlike sound comes across calm and aggressive at the same time. The vocals have an interesting layered effect that works well here. The riffs here are perfectly balanced. Bonus points for the perfect balance of synth added to this track; it hits just right.