Tag: sludge
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Eagle Twin – The Thundering Heard
I’m not always a fan of two-piece doom bands—especially when they don’t have a bassist. But some can still generate enough sonic power to win me over; such is the case with Utah’s Eagle Twin on their third album for Southern Lord. The Thundering Heard opens with a rumble, meditative vocals (à la Al Cisneros)…
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Besvärjelsen – Vallmo
This Swedish heavy psych outfit, featuring former members of Dozer and Greenleaf, has actually received airplay on Swedish National Radio, proving that rock ‘n roll ain’t dead… provided that you cross the pond. After two previous EPs, Besvärjelsen’s debut album is actually named after the Swedish word for poppy—although in this case, we’re talking about…
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Greber – Cemetery Preston
As you can see by the list of formats below, Greber are definitely committed to the physical format. For that, Sirs, I salute you! The cover artwork is superb too. But, as to the music contained in all these wondrous formats, does it deserve to be so immortalised? Indeed it does. On Cemetery Preston, Greber have produced some…
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Green Druid – Ashen Blood
In a scene full of witches and wizards, sometimes it’s good to be a druid. These Denver doomsters may not stray too far from the beaten path (they do have a song called “Nightfall,” after all), but their crunchy doom tones still satisfy on their 74-minute(!) Earache Records debut. “Pale Blood Sky” kicks things off…
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Atala – Labyrinth of Ashmedai
I really dug the second album from this California desert sludge outfit, which was produced by none other than Billy Anderson—and he’s back behind the dials for this one. With six tracks spanning just less than 36 minutes, ’tis not a lengthy listen, although Atala do manage to squeeze in a couple eight-minute epics. “Grains…
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Windhand / Satan’s Satyrs split
Although they offer very different takes on what you might file under doom, they’re both at the top of their game. Windhand and Satan’s Satyrs put on a great gig in Toronto while touring together last year, and now they’ve teamed up again on this 31-minute split EP. Although Windhand only gets two songs to…
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Empress – Reminiscence
I told you Elder’s got a posse! A West Coast gig from our new stoner rock saviours inspired this here Vancouver trio to start kicking out their own respective jams, which has resulted in their five-song debut EP, Reminiscence. There’s two distinct types of tunes on Reminiscence—three sub-four-minute tracks, and then a pair of eight-plus…
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Beldam – Pasung
For all the sludge metal oozing outta Vancouver, you don’t really hear much of that stuff from its sister city. The bands I know from Seattle lean more toward the Neurosis style of heavy progressive metal. But these recently relocated Virginia transplants bring a whole bunch of that southern-fried piss ‘n vinegar to the Pacific…
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Heave Blood and Die – Vol II
Now, based on the band name you’re probably thinking I’m about to review a grindcore outfit, or maybe an uber-kvlt black metal brigade. Well no, not even close—although they are from Norway. But their sound is far removed from the grim, frostbitten forest. Instead, they’re more akin to the Georgia prog-sludge of early Baroness or…
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Black Label Society w/COC & Eyehategod in Austin TX, January 2018
Black Label Society / Corrosion of Conformity / Eyehategod @ Emo’s in Austin, Texas (Jan. 14, 2018) These bands have paid their dues for decades, so the packed houses for the Black Label Society/Corrosion of Conformity/Eyehategod tour have been well earned. The show at Emo’s in Austin was no different, but there is no question that…