Tag: doom
-
Presumption – ‘From Judgement To The Grave’ and ‘Ancestral Rites’
Presumption – From Judgement To The Grave Doom metal from France… tres bon! Presumption put many bands to shame with a unique sound that, while it draws from the likes of Cathedral and Trouble, builds on these influences. It’s always more authentic to hear a band sing in their native tongue, as on the excellent…
-
Pyreship – The Liars Bend Low
Now, the name of this Houston outfit had me hoping for some sort of cross between Toronto post-sludge squad Pyres and Mothership, one of my favourite heavy-rock bands going. And actually, that’s not too far from the case here… well okay, they’re probably much closer to the former. Pyreship‘s self-described “blend [of] post metal and…
-
Godhunter – Codex Narco
Godhunter’s debut album, City of Dust, was one of the great underrated sludge records of 2014, which actually found its way onto my year-end top 10 list. In the few years since, the band helped put Tucson on the metal map by hosting Southwest Terror Fest (which has since moved to Seattle), and has put…
-
Merchant – Beneath
Just the other day, I was less than enthused about a few 13-minute sludge tunes, but this thunderous Aussie outfit actually managed to grab my attention with these two. Beneath, the second album from Melbourne doom crew Merchant only has two tracks—but they both clock in around 15 minutes. And yet, like I said, these…
-
Obelyskkh – The Providence
The Providence is the third album to cross my desk from German stoner/doom outfit Obelyskkh, although it’s been nearly four years since its predecessor, Hymn to Pan. I think I passed on reviewing the last two, but after such a lengthy passage in time, they say this one is going to be different—more psychedelic or…
-
Ides of Gemini – Women
Within the overcrowded “female-fronted occult rock” subgenre, Ides of Gemini distinguishes itself by not stealing Black Sabbath riffs from the 70’s. Their music has always had a more sombre quality, leaning toward the gothic side of doom, while simultaneously not sucking. One of my biggest regrets at Psycho Fest was missing their set last summer……
-
Curse the Son – Isolator
Although you’d probably be hard-pressed to find it on these northern shores, I had a buddy of mine smuggle a copy of Curse the Son’s previous album, Psychache. At the time, they were largely a local, unsigned Connecticut band, but had started to make a name for themselves with their heavy brand of stoom. Alas,…
-
Longhouse – II: Vanishing
Now, I do try to support Canadian bands that fly the freak flag for stoner/sludge/doom, but Longhouse definitely caught me off guard. I did not expect to find a progressive sludge outfit inspired by the likes of ISIS, Neurosis and Kylesa hailing from Ottawa, of all places! Vanishing is actually the second album from this O-Town…
-
Alastor – Black Magic
There are actually eight different metal bands called Alastor—without counting Lord Alastor or Sauts Alastor—so finding information on this specific outfit can be a bit of a challenge. This particular Alastor hails from Sweden, and are made more mysterious by the fact that each band member goes by a single initial. Not sure if I…
-
The Obsessed – Sacred
Can this really be considered as a comeback? The Obsessed, much like fellow Maryland doom legends Pentagram, had a bit of a checkered past. In the 70’s and early 80’s, they were one of those bands where you kinda had to be there, and it wasn’t until people started bootlegging the shit outta their unreleased…