Category: Reviews – Audio
Glorious metal in all its earthly forms, compressed onto shiny plastic discs or into digital files. Which ones will become the soundtrack to your life?
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Ogre – Thrice as Strong
Speaking of doom metal comebacks… Ogre, kings of the Portland doom scene (Portland, Maine, that is) have returned with their fifth album, roughly five and a half years after its predecessor, The Last Neanderthal. I have been a fan since I first heard their 2008 “last-ever” album, Plague of the Planet – or more precisely,…
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AMMO – Taking the Throne
Ammo‘s debut EP, Taking the Throne opens with one hell of a banger, “Tombstone City”. The opening track evokes heavy influences from the NWOBHM. The entire album is brimming with dual guitar melodies, powerful lyrics and driving rhythms. By the time I reached the title track, this strength quickly became played out. Sadly, “Taking The…
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Orodruin – Ruins of Eternity
Rochester, NY doom titans Orodruin are no strangers to Toronto, having played up here several times over the years. However, they had been strangers to the studio until recently – with sophomore album Ruins of Eternity coming out almost 17 years(!) after their debut, and 7+ years since their last release of any kind. But…
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Saint Karloff – Interstellar Voodoo
Doom metal is no stranger to the single-song album – from Ufomammut’s Eve to Ogre’s Plague of the Planet to the most obvious example. Oslo trio Saint Karloff follows in these familiar footsteps with their sophomore album, Interstellar Voodoo, a one-track, 42-minute effort. This record starts off all slow and Sabbathy, with a couple nods…
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Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions
And now for something completely different… Elder, one of the most talented outfits in the stoner rock realm, have gone krautrock with what was supposed to be a limited-edition vinyl release. The Gold & Silver Sessions features just three tracks, yet spans nearly 35 minutes, with plenty of progressive flourishes. “Illusory Motion” kicks things off…
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Monolord – No Comfort
By the release of their fourth album, Rust, Monolord has well defined their sound. You could thus say this record sounds very Monolordy…or Monolordian? With that said, they do switch it up on a couple of tracks… “The Bastard Son” kicks off this six-song, 48-minute effort in true Monolordian fashion, with a slithering stoner-doom riff…
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Howling Giant – The Space Between Worlds
I was a big fan of Nashville trio Howling Giant’s debut two-part EP, Black Hole Space Wizard – a modern take on stoner rock with some major progressive nerd-rock leanings. A couple years after the latest installment, the band has delivered its first full-length in The Space Between Worlds. This nine-track effort spans roughly 48…
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Ruin/Anthropic Split
Horrifying samples, trudging through filth, and I keep turning up the volume. Let’s see, what is this song called – oh, “Trapped in Relentless Terror” – alright, well, that makes sense. You can practically hear Gollum skulking around in the cave, losing yourself in the first half of this crushing split from Ruin and Anthropic. …
