Author: Gruesome Greg
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Ancestors – Suspended in Reflections
It’s been six years since we’ve had new music from Ancestors, a proggy post-sludge outfit that’s apparently gone from a quintet to a three-piece in the process. Not only have they slimmed down their lineup, but they also seem to have trimmed the fat. While 2012’s In Dreams and Time featured six tracks spanning 66…
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Troll – self-titled
Now, “The Troll” is not my favourite Saint Vitus song. Not even on Mournful Cries. (“Dragon Time” FTW!) But when you’ve got a trad doom band from Portland ostensibly named after a Vitus track, I’m pretty much guaranteed to give it a listen. This album was actually self-released on cassette in 2016, before Shadow Kingdom…
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King Heavy – Guardian Demons
Understandably, when you’re trying to form a classic doom metal band in Chile, you might have some trouble finding a singer. In the case of King Heavy, that meant enlisting Luther Veldmark, a native of Belgium. And while their debut album was recorded without him setting foot in the country, they flew Veldmark over to…
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Witchsorrow – Hexenhammer
Out of all the doom bands with “Witch” in their name, Witchsorrow is right up there with Witch Mountain in my books. Album number four from this U.K. power trio sees them continuing in the classic doom vein, with enough references to demons and devils to keep their “Occult Doom Club” membership active. And yet,…
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Graveyard – Peace
They’re back from the dead. Gothenburg rockers Graveyard were at the forefront of the whole retro-rock revival of the late aughts, with 2011’s Hisingen Blues serving as one of the finest examples of modern-day Led Zeppelin worship to these ears. After breaking up in 2016, albeit for a couple months, they’ve returned with their first…
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AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: BRUJERIA/Dayglo Abortions @ Opera House, June 16, 2018
You probably know me as a doom metal guy, but both of these bands are guilty pleasures for me.
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Witch Mountain – self-titled
It’s been a while since Witch Mountain parted ways with Uta Plotkin, the amazingly rangy singer who first blew my mind on 2011’s South of Salem. But their next two albums were subsequently less heavy, before creative differences led to the search for a new frontwoman. And while it didn’t take long for the band…
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Khemmis – Desolation
It’s not uncommon for a more traditional doom band to take a turn toward power metal—Argus first made strides in this direction with Boldly Strides the Doomed, while Age of Taurus is leaning much more towards the swords ‘n sorcery set on their outstanding second album, The Colony Slain. We can also now include Khemmis…
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ASG – Survive Sunrise
Now, I don’t think that “sludge pop” is actually a thing, although I might have seen that term used in a Torche review or two. It could also possibly apply to ASG, a Carolina outfit that often mixes catchy hooks with heavy, distorted riffs. It’s been five years since their last album, Blood Drive, which…
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Yob – Our Raw Heart
You could call Yob’s eighth studio album a labour of love. Certainly, from reading Mike Scheidt’s heartfelt Facebook updates over the past couple years, it’s clear the frontman has a new lease on life after an intestinal disease left him hospitalized in 2017. While doom is definitely no stranger to pain and suffering, whether physical…