Tag: doom
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Apostle of Solitude – Of Woe and Wounds
Has it really been four—hell, almost five—years since Apostle of Solitude put out an album? Last Sunrise was one of my fav releases of 2010, but I guess things move slowly in doom circles sometimes. In any case, those who aren’t strangers to the band probably know a few of these songs already. “This Mania”…
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Northumbria and Famine – Blood Orchid
Blood Orchid is a nearly 16-minute live collaboration between Northumbria and Famine. The ambient drone unfolds over an expanse of time that feels much longer than it actually is because of how deeply you can get lost in it and lose your sense of reality. It feels futuristic and ancient at the same time as…
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Dawnbringer – Night of the Hammer
One might wonder if music fans rejoice more than the classic metal underground crowd when Chris Black releases a new album. You can almost hear the “hey, hey“ chants, headbanging and devil horns going up as the Chicago singer songwriter announces a new album for either Dawnbringer and or High Spirits. In this case it’s…
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The Skull – For Those Which Are Asleep
Here’s another band I recently saw this year in Milwaukee. The Skull features three former members of Trouble, most notably frontman Eric Wagner. The last time I saw him on stage, prior to this summer, he had short hair, wore sunglasses and a Beatles shirt, and spent the whole set staring at the floor. But…
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Pig Destroyer – Mass & Volume
When one of the biggest grindcore bands of recent years drops a two-song, 26-minute doom-metal album, you can certainly colour me intrigued. Pig Destroyer actually recorded these two tracks back in ’06 but, understandably, they took some time to see the light of day. “Mass & Volume” takes up 19 of those minutes, starting off slowly with…
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Ides of Gemini – Old World New Wave
I’ll admit, I kinda slept on this album, which actually came out back in September. But the L.A. trio’s debut, Constantinople, left enough of an impression that I figure their follow-up effort is worth a belated listen. A two-thirds-female outfit that mixes shoegaze sounds into a lighter shade of doom with stirring feminine vocals: unlike…
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Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Man, I gotsta say, this new Pallbearer rekkid is pretty fancy-schmancy: a double dose of uber-thick vinyl (I’m guessing 180g) that comes with a glossy poster/lyric sheet. Profound Lore really went all-out on this one… but considering the success of its critically-acclaimed predecessor, Sorrow and Extinction, I can see why they felt ’twas worth the effort.…
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Witch Mountain – Mobile of Angels
Much like the first time I saw ’em, Witch Mountain was recently touring in support of an album that wasn’t even available yet… at least not on vinyl. I did grab a CD, though, and if the live preview was any indication, their third record should be pretty decent. Sure enough, she opens up with…
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Orange Goblin – Back from the Abyss
I must say I quite enjoyed the Goblin’s last album when it came out, oh, some two-and-a-half years ago. I missed their headlining tour when it came through town (I was in Texas, incidentally), but caught ‘em when they opened for Clutch last year. Which has absolutely no bearing on this Orange Goblin recording, mind…
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Electric Wizard – Time to Die
I’ve heard all sorts of mixed reviews of this new Electric Wizard record, though most tend to be favourable (perhaps none more so than this liquidized-teeth kid). But for me, even before I lay wax to the turntable, my opinion is coloured by the whole Greening vs. Wizard feud, which is readily apparent just by looking…