Uada – ‘Djinn’ (Eisenwald)
I don’t think there is a better way to start this chapter than with Uada’s latest album of classy melodic blackened death metal, a sound so deep and rich in texture it almost comes to life in front of you. Sometimes the word “melodic” when used as prefix to black or death metal conjures up all sorts of weak sounding albums/bands, well that is certainly not the case here on the Oregon-based band’s 3rd album. As soon as the title track starts with some sumptuous melodies you know Uada have channeled supreme harmony and melded it to a jet-black barrage, the guitar interplay between James Sloan and Jake Superchi is breath taking as their riffs drip with melodic menace as they tear out viciously. When they launch into a furious black metal tirade, as on the magnificent ‘No Place Here’, they become utterly feral and barbaric, but by adding those sublime melodies into the mix they create a wonderful juxtaposition between the glorious harmonies and the feral blackness (listen to the sumptuous ‘The Great Mirage’ and not be physically affected). Superchi’s raw vocals have always given everything a nasty edge and that’s no different here, barking out his black metal-tinged roar to great effect as his darker-than-night screams completely unsettle. What an album. ‘Djinn’ is definitely one album you must obtain, otherwise you will miss out on a record that is going down in metal history. Quite probably album of the year.
The Rite – ‘Liturgy Of The Black’ (Iron Bonehead Productions)
With members as far apart as Denmark and Italy its a wonder this debut album even exists! But it does and it spews forth a kind of Celtic Frost-meets-Death SS type of blackened doom metal, listen to opener ‘The Black Effigy’ and not be reminded of an early Celtic Frost as Gabriel and A.th combine to create a raw guitar attack that is most definitely from the Tom G school of distortion. Even though this is naive and raw its sound is utterly glorious, the band also throw in a certain Italian way of death-doom ala Death SS, Paul Chain and Mortuary Drape, the wonderful and flamboyant guitar solo’s reek of that grandiose, eerie style. Ustumallagem (also of the blasphemous Denial Of God) puts in a truly magnificent performance, croaking and screeching his Satanic diatribe like the best of them which gives the whole album a black metal sheen. Priest G. is a powerhouse behind the kit, either laying down that old simplistic beat (think Hellhammer) or blast-beating like his life depended on it he is spot on throughout. ‘Liturgy Of The Black’ has surprised me as the whole aesthetic of The Rite says seasoned veterans but the truth is the band have only been in existence for 3 years, so to produce an album of this quality is amazing. Fancy some Frostie deathness? The Rite are for you.
Lik – ‘Misanthropic Breed’ (Metal Blade Records)
Swedish death metal is legendary, from the first Nihilist demo tape all the way to here and now with Lik’s 3rd album, the scene has grown to massive proportions since those early days. Bands from outside of Sweden play Swedish death metal, that’s how important and influential it has always been, and will continue to be. Lik hail from Stockholm and play a punked-up death metal the likes of Dismember and Entombed invented, with ‘Misanthropic Breed’ leaning more towards the brutal death metal of the former a touch more. After a tortuous intro we slam into ‘The Weird’ at a furious pace with drummer Chris Barkensjo (also of Witchery) beating the shit out of his wonderfully intense drums, as partner in bottom-end destruction Joakim “Myne” Antman ably joins in to form a very thick, intense bottom-end rumble. Niklas “Ville” Sandin (Katatonia) and Tomos Arvik lay down an impenetrable wall of HM-2 fury while letting loose some glorious solo runs of the highest quality, even throwing in a few dual lead breaks in that good old heavy metal way. But when you get to ‘Becoming’ Lik really put it all together in a wonderfully melodic heaviness that reeks of the song ‘Left Hand Path’ even going as far as ending it in the same gloriously musical and haunting fashion. Lik are a band to be reckoned with and their Swedish death metal keeps the old flame burning bright while adding a new level of intensity. Superb album indeed.
Dungeon Weed – ‘Mind Palace Of The Mushroom God’ (Fuzzy Mind Records)
As one-man bands go Dungeon Weed are probably the best I have encountered so far, definitely the most cohesive as the music flows seamlessly as if a full band jammed it out. The lone protagonist Dimitri Mavra is a talented individual, especially his wondrous guitar work where he either peels off mammoth riffs of stoned sludge or ripping out magnificent squealing solo runs, just listen to his exquisite work during ‘Sorcerer With The Skull Face’ and not be highly impressed. Not strictly a one-man effort as Mavra has Chris McGrew on drums doing a splendid job of keeping these hymns of doom ticking over nicely, and there is also Thia Moonbrook who adds her gorgeous vocals from time to time. Its these vocals that give ‘Mind Palace Of The Mushroom God’ its uniqueness in the overpopulated stoner scene. On her own she is like a cursed chanteuse spreading her fantastic story’s, but when she and Mavra combine magic happens as their disparate styles clash to form a disorientating attack that dumbfounds as much as it entices. Truly amazing. This is Mavra’s baby though and with this debut release he has crafted a gorgeously stoned doom metal album, an album that has come from nowhere to lay down a massive marker in the stoner doom scene. Magnificent.
Bongtower – ‘Last Summer Days’ (Self-Released)
Wow this was quick, the bands previous album ‘Oscillator’ only came out in April and already we have its follow-up of heavy space metal. Once again there seems to be a story linking each song with a narration, which does give the album a degree of extra intrigue, even though it doesn’t need any as the glorious stoner rock is utterly transfixing. And you only get dragged into the music deeper when Anna Pisarenko lets her higher range, witchy tones loose to enrapture and bewitch with her almost Johanna Sardonis (Lucifer)-like voice. Truly wonderful. The beautifully delicate tones of ‘Give Me A Bong My Darling (Shocking Blue)’ are aided by some gorgeous flute playing by the super talented Lindar Olostur, it can also get pretty gnarly as well with Iordanis Chobanyan’s fuzzed-up guitar adding a whole lot of dirt to the beautiful stoner rock. The narration does seem a touch strange, reminding me of some sort of progressive rock concept album and I am pretty sure we could have done without it as the gloriously warm and grooving music is good enough on its own, it almost distracts from the music. Another fabulous album from Russia’s Bongtower, an album of intense stoned metal and gorgeously fragile post-stoner rock that when put together as well as this creates a wondrous album.
Marche Funebre – ‘Einderlicht’ (BadMoodMan Music/Hypnotic Dirge Records/The Vinyl Division)
With their first full album in 3 years Belgium’s Marche Funebre return to conquer once again, their gothic-tinged doom-death has always brought me to my knees due to the intensity of not only the music but the emotional weight it brings crushes you inside. And here on the bands fourth album they have simply outdone themselves, the gloriously dark melodies intertwine with a hefty, slow death metal to create this soul-crushing whole. ‘When All Is Said’ has some wonderful dual vocals between the clean, desperate tones of Arne Vandenhoeck and the raw, almost black metal scream of Peter Egberghs that when put together forms somewhat angry moments of pure fury. But its Arne that is the main vocalist and his soaring tones do give you a sense of hope, a hope cruelly shut down by Kurt Blomme and Egberghs wonderfully harsh but melodic guitars. There are touches of Amorphis‘ vast atmospherics but early Paradise Lost are also present, especially in the deep bottom-end of the heavy guitars, but on the whole Marche Funebre create their own style of doom-death, a style utterly beguiling as it sucks you in to its dark misery. A fabulous album once again from the Belgian’s, an album that will hopefully lift them up to the same level as Amorphis and Paradise Lost, they deserve it.
Wicca – ‘You Sow Your Crop’ Ep (Self-Released)
South America has always produced special bands in the death metal scene and now it seems in the stoner doom area as well, if the latest releases from Rivers Of Gore, Vinnum Sabbathi and Cegvera are anything to go by. Now we have Argentina’s Wicca with their 2nd ep, their first in 4 years, that is chock full of classic doom tones with a dark Occult atmosphere, as if Internal Void and Acrimony were jamming together as ‘The Devil’s Hand’ shows, which is the best out of the 3 tracks here. Aixa’s gorgeous guitar covers everything in a super warm shroud of heavy fuzz while her bewitching vocals entice you into Wicca’s devilry, where the thick and ultra-warm bottom-end is superbly executed by Pablo and Pxchx. All of this is topped-off by Sebastian’s gloriously wah’d-up guitar runs that once again echo the mighty Acrimony. I have fallen head over heels for Wicca and their beautifully stoned Occult tales, the sheer warmth of this ep is incredible but so is the intensity of it all. Just listen as ‘Black Witch’ builds up to an enormous crescendo before bringing it down again to a creepy crawl. Magnificent stuff indeed!
The Infernal Sea – ‘Negotium Crucis’ (Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings)
There have been a few UK-based black metal bands that are finding their feet now after a few years honing the dark arts, Ante-Inferno immediately spring to mind. Now we have The Infernal Sea with their 3rd album of true black metal, and it is easily their most complete work to date. From the superbly rendered album art to the actual music, everything has been pushed to its limits, just listen in awe to opening number ‘Destruction Of Shum’ as it blasts forth on a hyper-speed battering courtesy of some wonderful drum work from James Burke. The harsh guitar from Jonathon Egmore is glorious in its raw tremolo abuse but when he let’s his solo runs out it becomes a magical experience, almost pure 1980’s heavy metal runs fly all over the place before going back into the harshest of assaults. ‘Field Of The Burned’ has a real nastiness about it that rivals Gorgoroth at their most obscene, with Dean Lettice really letting loose with some unhinged croaks and piercing screams that really do unsettle. Pick of the tracks for me is the simplistic Dead-era Mayhem trudge of the title track where the 4-piece lock into a primitive black metal and proceed to hypnotize you with its gloriously naive delivery. A truly ferocious album of true black metal that reaffirms the UK’s grip on the scene.
Eyeless In Gaza – ‘Act I: The Protagonist’ (Solitude Productions)
I do believe this is my first encounter with an artist that resides in Armenia and its a damn good one, Eyeless In Gaza‘s atmospheric funeral doom is one luscious but harsh journey through the depths of Franklin Avetisyan’s dark and miserable aura. Yes Eyeless In Gaza are another single member entity but that really doesn’t matter as the 21 minute title track ebbs and flows through gorgeous post-isms and harsh, miserable doom, concluding an atmospheric and morose journey. Franklin’s guitar switches between beautiful strumming that truly does calm you and harsh slabs of intensity that burst forth maliciously spoiling the wonderful atmosphere in the best possible way. The keyboard work is sublime, swathes of soothing synths lull you into a false calmness before another bout of weeping guitar harshness erupts and destroys your soul. As debut releases go ‘Act I: The Protagonist’ is a stunning one, travelling into some depressing places that grab a hold of you and don’t let go until every ounce of happiness has been squeezed from your soul. Then and only then do Eyeless In Gaza loosen their grip on you and let your lifeless body drop to the floor. Finished. This is heavy stuff indeed, emotionally and physically, and I highly recommend it to everyone especially if your feeling lonely during this plague.
Six Feet Under – ‘Nightmares Of The Decomposed’ (Metal Blade Records)
Chris Barnes and Six Feet Under have taken more than their fair share of flack over the years, some justified most not, but he has stuck to his guns over those years and has produced the bands 17th album. The bands resolutely mid-1990’s death metal has been hit and miss especially as some of their peers were expanding into all sorts of wondrous new directions and Six Feet Under seemed to be stuck in their own little world of lack-luster albums, pointless cover version records and online spats with their own fans. To be honest I gave up on them many years ago and this is my first experience of their average death metal in many a moon, once again it is hit and miss. The opening battering of ‘Amputator’ sets a false tone as it rips and snarls at hyper-speed, brutalizing your ears severely, but for every one of those songs there are 3 mediocre ones that go nowhere as they trundle along at a boring mid-pace. Barnes’ vocals can be brutal as on that opening track or they can also sound tired and, quite frankly, rubbish. Check out ‘Zodiac’ and try not to giggle at his amateur style! I honestly wanted to like this as I do believe Six Feet Under have been criticized far too harshly in the past, but when the album is this mediocre well… Poor effort Mr Barnes.
Isengard – ‘Varjevndogn’ (Peaceville Records)
Well this was a surprise as I thought we had heard all the Isengard tracks with 2016’s 2-track ‘Traditional Doom Cult’ ep but no, we get this latest release from Darkthrone’s Fenriz. I for one am overjoyed as the bands early works rank as some of the most special blackened pagan metal there has ever been, with ‘Spectres Over Gorgoroth’ being of a particularly high standard, now we have this 9-track album that was recorded between 1989 and 1993 but mysteriously shelved until now. If your expecting more of that early black metal sound forget it, as this has more in common with traditional heavy metal, Black Sabbath in particular, than anything remotely black metal, just listen to the gorgeous proto-metal groove of ‘The Fright’ and not think of early Black Sabbath. This is most certainly not a bad thing as the primitive groove works superbly well, especially when Fenriz’s echo-drenched hypnotic vocals chip in. ‘Varjevndogn’ is somewhat of an oddity in today’s slicker than slick world due to its wonderfully naive playing and primitive sound, plus with an almost Pentagram proto-metal groove may well put a few of the purists off. Strange but highly engaging and an album I urge you all to experience at least once.
Somnus Throne – ‘Somnus Throne’ (Burning World Records)
I had already seen a bit about this album online without actually hearing it, that has now been rectified and what a glorious album it is! Oozing stoner doom right from ‘Sadomancer’s psychedelic start which sets the tone for the whole record, an early Electric Wizard heaviness abounds as the trio lock into an immense groove with guitarist Evan unleashing some glorious guitar runs aplenty. Drummer Luke puts in a wonderful performance keeping the slacker rhythms superbly, bassist Haley lays down some fuzz-encrusted psychedelic bass lines straight from the 1970’s to create a whole of sublime and heavy stoner doom. The real stand-out here is closing epic ‘Aetheronaut/Permadose’ which covers you in a gloriously fuzzed-up stoner doom that Sleep themselves would be proud of, especially Evan’s deep Al Cisneros-like bellow that does its job of disorientating superbly, all the while the near 15 minute trudge literally destroys you with its unrelenting throb. I have been totally blown away by this debut album, an album chock full of stoned grooves and an intense, heavy doom that captivates entirely, you will be humming ‘Shadow Heathen’ for weeks as it is that memorable. A truly stunning album and one for the wreck-heads among you.
Nachtblut – ‘Vanitas’ (Napalm Records)
When a band is described as gothic black metal my heart sinks, the entire scene has zero to do with true black metal and the leaders of said scene are simply laughable. Right from the start the bands whole aesthetic is cheesy beyond belief, their look, their names and their Cradle Of Filth-like nonsense adds up to a really appalling album of amateur playing, naive song writing and just a poor attempt at “black metal”. Askeroth’s Dani Filth whine annoys to the bone from the moment he opens his mouth, the weak guitars literally do nothing at all as they are overpowered by the “eerie” synths and the even weaker drums are triggered so much they might as well be programmed. An appalling album by people who have no clue as to what black metal really is. I would avoid Nachtblut like the plague, you will be wasting your time otherwise.
Enslaved – ‘Utgard’ (Nuclear Blast)
Ah Enslaved, the mercurial Norwegian band that came to life right at the start of the most important musical incident in modern times; the birth of the 2nd wave of black metal. Their early tapes leaned heavily on the Viking side of things but it was a truly harsh way of expressing their homelands history, that was until they changed tack a few years back adding progressive rock flourishes (some say they were always present in Enslaved’s music), more prominent keyboards and clean singing. Some say (possible the same people) this was the end for Enslaved as an underground band as they moved above earth, while others lauded their more prog direction. While this new album still has plenty of those progressive frills, ‘Utgard’ is a much heavier album than the bands few previous efforts, featuring more raw vocals from Grutle Kjellson which, in my opinion. have been getting less and less. There is also more emphasis on the guitars of Ivar Bjornson and Arve Isdal. these guitars combine to form some wonderfully progressive interplay, but also laying down the old Viking metal occasionally as ‘Jettegryta’ shows. In the end ‘Utgard’ is a glorious album that will appeal to all of Enslaved’s fans, from the gruff Viking metal era to the here and now with this more progressive of style, they will all love it.
Space Deer – ‘The Forest’ (Nooirax Producciones/Gato Encerrado Records/Violence In The Veins/Bandera Records)
When Kyuss invented desert rock we all fell in love with its slacker stoned vibes and gloriously grooving heaviness. Since their demise all sorts of bands have sprung up (Queens Of The Stone Age, Unida, Slo-Burn were all born from the ashes of Kyuss along with many others that formed due to Kyuss) and now with their latest release we have Spain’s Space Deer and their sublime take on desert rock. From the title tracks luscious groove of the “highest” quality to ‘Death Arrives In Town’ and its Unida-like heviosity, this album is truly born in the desert (are there deserts in Spain?) by individuals that love the groove and the leaf! Andreas Balas’ laconic guitar covers you in a beautifully thick fuzz as the rhythm section of Carlos Munoz and Robert Paleoca lock into an hypnotic mantra of vast proportions. Closing number ‘Dark Of The Night’ has a massive swaggering groove that at first knocks you off your feet before caressing you, helping you back up so you can dance your ass off to the glorious stoner groove! A damn fine album and one that sets Space Deer up for a bright future. Here and now though, ‘The Forest’ hypnotizes, crushes and leaves you full of joy. Marvelous album!
Undergang – ‘Aldrig I Livet’ (Dark Descent Records)
The gloriously filthy Undergang return with their 5th studio album of dirty death metal, which is as stinking as ever with a stunning sound that beats you down with an early Entombed-meets-Carcass racket. Its an old-school sound with a modern day production that highlights every single disgusting note and grunt wonderfully, bringing the likes of the early Carcass-encrusted title track to life as it slowly grinds away at your very core. The combined guitars of D. Torturdod and Mads Haarlov are a huge force of sickening down-tuned joy as they literally flatten you under their sheer weight, while Haarlov lets loose some glorious solo’s from the Bill Steer school of gore-grind guitaring. This might sound like Undergang are just Carcass clones, while they do play a similar death metal to the scousers early days, Undergang have a knack for writing catchy gore-flecked death metal grooves that linger long in the mind. The Danes have come of age with ‘Aldrig I Livet’, an album that is as groovy as it is filthy.
Obsidian Kingdom – ‘Meat Machine’ (Season Of Mist)
Obsidian Kingdom have always been out there in a field of their own, doing their own thing while fucking convention. Well if you are a fan of the Spanish bands experimental tendencies then you are going to loose your shit over this new one, it has all their usual traits for strange rhythms, dual and triple vocals and a penchant for an underlying growling harshness. ‘The Pump’ is an all-consuming post-rock outing that best highlights this growling underbelly, the song is a gloriously upbeat number with a seriously dark heart that you can just about hear beating and it is this that gives Obsidian Kingdom their uniqueness. I have never heard anyone/thing like this, with ‘Meat Machine’ being even further out-there than ever before with these atmospheric experimental post-metal abstract hymns. Rider G Omega has a soaring voice that comes from an early Maynard James Keenan (Tool/A Perfect Circle)-like area as he bellows, croaks and shouts his psychotic words, but its the eclectic guitars of Omega and Viral Vector Lips that unleash catchy and very heavy riffs while Lips lets loose some sublime solo runs of pure beauty. This is best highlighted on the almost pop ‘Naked Policies’ where Lips really comes into his own with some eerie and glorious guitar runs. Overall ‘Meat Machine’ is a wondrous album full of eclectic post-metal that confounds as much as it delights. Only for truly open-minded people.
Lizard Queen – ‘Cult Of Lotus’ Ep (Self-Released)
It might seem odd to open up a new record with a cover version but Lizard Queen have distorted the original ‘The End’, originally by The Doors, into a 16 minute psychedelic journey to transcendental and frightening places. This Italian 3-piece have done something no other band has truly done before; turn someone else’s song into one of their own. Spectacularly. Marco and Tiziano’s guitars buzz around your head, disorientating and caressing in equal measure, as they form a huge wall of fuzz that simply engulfs you for the whole 30 minute duration. Tiziano’s vocals are of the trippy variety, a stoned drawl that mesmerizes through semi-chanted hypnotic mantras while Zoe keeps the wonderfully heavy beat superbly, really beating the drums powerfully as these stoned epics slowly unfold. Of their own material ‘Burn’ has a beautiful melody to compliment the intense heaviness, even adding some glorious keyboard chords that only increases the heavy harmony. The last track ‘No Whiskey’ is a rampant bluesy rock & roll number that reminds of being at a certain crossroads many many moons ago. A superb ep from a band you are going to hear a lot more of.
Voluptas – ‘Towards The Great White Nothing’ (MetalGate)
Experimental black/death outfit Voluptas return 4 years after their sole ep with a full album of their pretty unique sound. Its a sound that has originated from their semi-isolated musical upbringing in Czechia, taking very few influences from the outside world, creating a truly mind-expanding experience. It all starts off pretty “normal” as ‘Crystalline Key’ abruptly erupts in a furious black metal onslaught, high-end tremolo abuse and screeched vocals assault you violently, but the band throw in off-putting rhythms and what sounds like native instruments to create something between early Darkthrone and John Zorn’s free-form-ness. I am reminded of Master’s Hammer and their eclectic take on black metal, both bands have a similar vibe and both share an eccentricity not scene in black metal since those nascent days. ‘Of Gnosis & Agony’ has a gloriously skewed harmony before sporadically blasting into furious blackness, while the closing hymn is an epic of huge proportions. This ending 14 minute journey into Czechia darkness is sublime, utilizing all sorts of local instruments to craft this jaw-dropping piece of dark art. If you want more from your black/death metals then Voluptas are one for you, their extraordinary take on it is remarkable and breath taking.
Basmu – ‘The Encircling’ (Self-Released)
Now this is a whole different side to black metal as Basmu unleashes a raw, primitive blast of 2nd wave mayhem, with a few little surprises along the way. Just to reiterate, this is one of the rawest releases I have heard so beware of the almost non-existent production and the naive playing, please don’t come here looking for any slickness or production values! The lone protagonist Xulthys does a remarkable job of playing everything from the naive drum patterns to the entrancing keyboard work, he has put together a sometimes harsh blackness in the early Darkthrone mold, like ‘Banishing Ritual’ where his raw guitar peels off primitive riffs, or a black ambiance later-day Burzum would be proud of. There is an affinity to one of Xulthys other projects, namely Fless as both outfits incorporate a primitive attitude to creating black metal, Basmu have a certain edge due to their truly raw output that grates as much as it entrances. For an album with zero production and basic playing ‘The Encircling’ is of a high quality, the naiveness actually gives it a perverted charm that is as foul as can be. Definitely not for anyone who needs clarity, Basmu are one of the harshest black metal outfits I have ever heard. Damn harsh!
Spirit Adrift – ‘Enlightened In Eternity’ (20 Buck Spin/Century Media Records)
Starting out in 2015 as a Nate Garret solo project, Spirit Adrift have grown and matured into the formidable beast we have here today. With the addition of Marcus Bryant on drums in 2017 Spirit Adrift have gone from strength the strength resulting in this the bands 4th album of sublime melody, beautiful harmonies and a groove to die for that bring back memories of the old heavy metal days where the riff was king. Just listen to the gloriously galloping opener ‘Ride Into The Light’ where a certain Iron Maiden raise their considerable heads, or the more doomy Pentagram groove of ‘Astral Levitation’ and not be physically moved, head-bang and leap around like the teenager you were! Garret’s vocals are superbly distraught, you can hear the pleading clearly as his howl makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, while his guitar lays down wondrous riffs and beautifully old-school solo runs. ‘Enlightened In Eternity’ is a fabulous album of pure heavy metal with a mere whiff of doom, its an album that draws you in and enraptures you completely. This is what’s known as a near-perfect album and it is one you all need to experience. A definite contender for album of the year.
Yatra – ‘All Is Lost’ (Grimoire Records)
In January I reviewed Yatra’s previous album ‘Blood Of The Night’ and one of the points I made was how quickly they got it out as their debut ‘Death Ritual’ was released less than a year before. Well these 3 Maryland residents have done it again with 3rd album ‘All Is Lost’, how they can come up with 3 crushing albums in about 12 months is remarkable, with this new one being the best yet. The opening title track really sets the mood, intense beats rain down from Mike Tull’s drums as he and bassist Maria Geisbert lock into an intense bottom-end, punching you hard in the gut as Dana Hellmuth unleashes sharp riffs of the heaviest order known to mankind. His dirty vocals still have a Dixie Dave of Weedeater rasp about them, but less stoned and more angry than our Southern brothers, Hellmuth is pissed off and he is letting you know for sure!! ‘Blissful Wizard’ starts off with an Eastern mystical mantra before the trio crash in on an enormous bout of hefty stoner doom, the guitar literally knocks you off your feet as they let go a Sleep-like mantra. ‘All Is Lost’ is a massive album of dirty sludge and entrancing stoner doom, an album from a band that continues to amaze with each new release. Three stunning albums in a year, its madness!!
R.I.P. – ‘Dead End’ (RidingEasy Records)
Dirty rock & rollers R.I.P. return with an album full of their trademark heavy street metal that simply steamrollers over you, from opener ‘Judgement Night’ and its raucous rock & roll to closing beast ‘Dead Of The Night’ R.I.P. literally take your face off! The glorious heavy metal has hints of Angel Witch and Witchfinder General, like the stunning ‘Out Of Time’ with its heavy metal groove and proto-doom dark atmosphere of evilness, R.I.P. play it so fine. Angel Martinez lets out some gloriously heavy metal guitar that hints at those classic early days of Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Witchfynde et al, while Fuzz does his usual job behind his scythe, sorry mic! His vocals are urgent, in your face and of a classic heavy metal range fitting in perfectly with the urgent Saxon-like delivery. What’s so good about R.I.P.‘s heavy metal is the inclusion of some hefty doom, or rather proto-doom, the type Saint Vitus play when they up the speed a bit (like ‘White Stallions’), R.I.P. have got this down to a tee with Martinez stealing the show with some glorious guitar. ‘Dead End’ is, as we say here in Wales, a winner! An album you should investigate if you love good ‘ol heavy metal. Utterly fabulous album.
Amon Acid – ‘Paradigm Shift’ Ep (Self-Released)
So after their transcendental last album left us tripped-out on some sublime psychedelic space rock, Amon Acid decided to go a little heavier, more doomy this time around. And what a success it is! After a beautiful intro we ooze into ‘Monarch’ at a gorgeously doom metal pace reminding once again of Hawkwind but this time on a dark acid trip, taking you to truly foreboding places before the next hymn adds a more experimental edge. ‘Alien King’ has the requisite whooses and blips to make it a true space rock classic, add in Spanish guitar and you end up with a feeling of strangeness, a strangeness that seeps into the hypnotic mantra superbly and gives Amon Acid a much more unique sound, not that they weren’t before but this ep has truly shown where they could go in the future. This heavier side to them really suits the acid-fried space rock wonderfully, the guitars being especially intense at times while at others it can be utterly transcending. From the first moment I heard Amon Acid I fell in love with their psychedelic space rock and with this digital release (it has become available on a limited run of cassettes) they have added a palpable heaviness thus making this the most intense space rock I have ever experienced. Wonderful band, gorgeous ep. I urge you all to trip out to Amon Acid.
Ixion – ‘L’Adieu Aux Etoiles’ (Finisterian Dead End)
These were the very first band reviewed for the digital debut of this very blog, so they will always remain special for me. Not only that but their atmospheric doom metal struck a chord inside me, causing rapturous misery as the lengthy album unfolded majestically. Now 5 years later we have the duo’s fourth journey into atmospheric areas of pure beauty, that also crush your soul with intense doom that is not only aurally heavy but emotionally as well, eating away at you until a lifeless shell remains. While ‘Stellar Crown’ is a lush mainly synth-led epic, ‘The Great Achievement’ is a deep dark doom excursion of massive intenseness, the whole album is unstoppable and utterly sublime as main-man Julien Prat creates velveteen landscapes of pure beauty, only to crush them under the weight of his guitar. His partner in misery is clean vocalist Yannick Dilly who does a magnificent job with his majestic vocals that soar high above, complimenting Prat’s more bestial bellows of the deepest order. Another stunning album from the French duo, an album of soaring highs and devastating lows. Magnificent.
Hawkmoth – ‘Buried In Obscurity’ (Self-Released)
To be an engrossing instrumental band is a difficult task, not many manage to last past the novelty stage. Australia’s Hawkmoth are different, they literally sweep you off you feet and take you on a wondrous journey through post-sludge lands, sporadically bursting into intense shards of hefty doom-sludge. Take the epic title track for instance, starting off with some mesmerizing electronics before drifting into some sublime post-sludge-rock that isn’t that far from latter day Isis, then humongous stabs of intensity smack you square in the face much like Bongripper and their majestic doom-sludge does. The combination of Heath and Andy’s guitars crush the breath from your body one minute and the next create beautiful sound-scapes that caress, lull and hypnotize. Add to this Aaron’s throbbing bass and you have a huge wall of sludge combined with exquisite post-isms that delight and crush in equal measure. A very impressive and highly engrossing album indeed with Hawkmoth truly keeping your attention throughout, showing instrumental music can be as memorable as anything else.
Cenotaphe – ‘Monte Verita’ (Nuclear War Now! Productions/Ossuaire Records)
France have a long line of truly underground black metal bands, all the way from the mid 1990’s to now, never really venturing much above ground and being utterly content with that. The next from that lineage is Cenotaphe and their tried and tested 3rd wave-influenced blackness, think Horna, Taake, Sargeist, Peste Noire but ramp up the intensity and you have songs like the utterly furious ‘Emersion’. Listen as the duo sprinkle very subtle keyboards over the almost uncontrollable barrage to huge effect, not only adding a level of austere-like arrogance but also giving you the chills with its eerie atmosphere. Fog does all the music and is a true genius of the black arts, his naive drums, scathing tremolo abuse and eerie keyboards all combine to create a sublime and furious outcome. Khaosgott has a wild howl of pure darkness, much in the same vein as the Count’s (Burzum) horrific screams, both make your blood freeze in your veins as both truly make the furious black metal stand out even more. ‘Monte Verita’ is a remarkable album chock full of ferocious black metal with a few added nuances that surprise and entertain massively. Highly recommended.
Sky Valley Mistress – ‘Faithless Rituals’ (New Heavy Sounds)
Oh my, what a fucking album! ‘Faithless Rituals’ is the album you’ve been waiting all year for, an album full of dirty bluesy rock & roll that makes your body move, head nod, feet dance and forget how shit 2020 has been. Truly blown away by this debut album that lets you indulge in wild dancing with its groovy rock & roll that is smothered in a British dirt, giving the whole thing an authentic aura of realness. Sky Valley Mistress have created a fabulous album that rocks right from the start in a Blues Pills-like barrage of gritty, but oh so harmonious, guitar and stunning vocals that elevate everything to magnificent level. After a delightful little intro we steam into ‘You Got Nuthin’ like Lenny Kravitz on a Blues Pills trip, Kayley Davies screaming her lungs out in classic Janis Joplin fashion as guitarist Sean Berry lets rip some truly raucous, flat-out rock & roll. The rhythm section of drummer Maxwell Newsome III and Russell Russell put in a spectacular display, with Russell laying down some gorgeous 1970’s bass lines. Sky Valley Mistress have delivered a delicious album that rivals any in this kind of stoner scene with its fabulous groove and filthy grit. First we had Blues Pills, Old Blood, Gorilla & Dirt Woman, now we have the sumptuous Sky Valley Mistress. You’d be foolish not to get in on their bluesy groove
Woorms – ‘Twitching, As Prey’ (Sludgelord Records)
Baton Rouge locals Woorms return with another album of their Melvins-inspired sludge, only this time there are more excursions into the electronica world, not to mention a touch of bluegrass all wrapped up in an all-together darker atmosphere than before. If you need proof of this then ‘God Botherer’ is where you need to go, with an hypnotic acoustic strum, throbbing tribal beats, utterly mesmerizing voices and an eerie violin, Woorms have crafted an utterly incredible piece of aural art. Not that the rest of the album is shabby as it most certainly is not, the likes of ‘Take His Fucking Leg’ heave and throb like prime Melvins only heavier (if that is possible!) as Joey Carbo lays down massive slabs of guitar, his and bassist John Robinson’s dual vocals hypnotize completely so Aaron Polk can obliterate your ear drums with hefty tribal drumming. All together the band produce an engaging, heavy kind of noise sludge rock, it ebbs and flows, it caresses and crushes. From the bizarreness of ‘Fine Is A Good Servant’ that truly disorientates, to the following fury of ‘Silence & The Saints’, Woorms have produced a crushing album both physically and mentally, ‘Twitching, As Prey’ is an album that hits hard right from the off and only gets better the more you listen to it. Highly recommended indeed!
Mord’A’Stigmata – ‘Songs For The Exiles (Live At Roadburn 2019)’ (Pagan Records)
Polish avantgarde black metal outfit Mord’A’Stigmata have been blowing minds since their early demo days, then through some truly original albums to here, the collectives debut live album. And where better to record it than at the legendary Roadburn festival. If your not familiar with the bands post-black experiments then this is a superb place to start, with the likes of ‘Between Walls Of Glass’ and the truly exquisite ‘Spirit Into Crystal’ showing their full glory in this live setting. Ion has a changeable voice, either growling like the grimmest black soul there is or crooning in a clean Tom G. Warrior moaning style, both eliciting varying reactions ranging from comfort to horror. Ion and Ygg lock into their own little world of eclectic rhythm while Static either lays down slabs of harsh blackened guitars or mind-expanding synths with both mesmerizing to the point of hypnosis. If your a fan of avantgarde black metal such as Deathspell Omega or the truly insane Seagulls Insane & Swans Deceased Mining Out The Void (these are overdue an album!) then Mord’A’Stigmata are most definitely for you. Anyone intrigued should also get this very limited CD release (also available on Bandcamp) immediately. Top quality album all round, from the playing to the sound, everything is spot on.
Sons Of Otis – ‘Isolation’ (Totem Cat Records)
Another band I had thought had ended return with a devastating album chock full of intense stoner doom of the heaviest and most tripped-out proportions. Ladies and gentlemen may I present the return of the mighty Sons Of Otis! I have seriously missed the trio’s transcendental doom that smothers you right from the off, ‘Hopeless’ rumbles forth on a massive wall of guitar, huge bottom-end and Ken Baluke’s hypnotic echo-laden howl utterly laying everything to waste. The hefty rhythm section of Ryan Aubin and Frank Sargent deliver an almost Sleep-like mantra for Baluke to smash out riffs the size of icebergs, they crash over you like a psychedelic ocean pulling you under into the abyss of doom these Canadian’s spectacularly create. You are reminded of very early Monster Magnet when they were on a massive acid binge, but that’s only fleeting as Sons Of Otis descend beyond simple comparisons to the stoner doom scene/sound as the trio craft a truly out of this world doom that comes from the same area as Ufomammut, but with added stoner-isms and a less free-form, improvised style more a dirty stoner doom vibe. Overall ‘Isolation’ is an album that cements Sons Of Otis as one of the leaders of this scene, it’s also one disorientating trip to the dark side of drugged-up doom. Destined to be a classic.
Benediction – ‘Scriptures’ (Nuclear Blast)
Yet another band that I thought had been confined to history release a new album, one that not only reinforces their position in the death metal fraternity but destroy’s it. You see, ‘Scriptures’ is one battering ram of an album that simply beats you down with a classic UK death metal sound, a sound that comes from the same school as Bolt Thrower and mid-period Napalm Death, an unrelenting pure death metal barrage that makes you wonder how you have coped without Benediction for the last 12 years! ‘Iterations Of I’ sets the tone with its beautifully paced death metal rumbling along nicely, Dave Ingram bellowing his lungs out in his usual high quality while Darren Brookes and Peter Rew churn out savage riffs of catchy brutality. ‘In Our Hands, The Scars’ contains some glorious bass work from Dan Bate who locks in with Giovanni Durst’s powerful drums to form a massive, thick bottom-end that, once again, simply crushes you. The more you play ‘Scriptures’ the better it gets, the more it reveals of itself with its fabulous sound highlighting each instrument superbly but also aiding the sometimes wall of sound to perfection, just listen to the middle section of ‘Tear Off These Wings’ and be flattened by the clarity of the intensity being created as Benediction lock into a suffocating barrage. An utterly magnificent album that will satisfy anyone into heavy music. Welcome back!
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – ‘May Our Chambers Be Full’ (Sacred Bones Records)
What can be said about Thou and their art? Every accolade as been thrown at them over the years as their transcendental sludge can confound as much as it pleases. The band are known to do full cover version sets live, acoustic sets, grunge-style records and whole cover albums, you never quite know what your going to get with Thou. This time the band have teamed up with bewitching chanteuse Emma Ruth Rundle to spectacular effect, as ‘Killing Floor’ proves with its intense sludge growling away as Rundle entrances you with her beguiling tones of wonderment. Then we get the jaw-dropping ‘Magickal Cost’ where Rundle comes into her own, her bewitching vocals swirl around your head as Thou simply crush. Bryan Funck’s harsh rasp compliments Rundle’s haunting tones superbly creating a glorious juxtaposition between the harsh and the beautiful. Once again Thou have out-done themselves with a collaboration that may well be their best yet, ‘May Our Chambers Be Full’ is an intense album of emotion, an album that not only crushes your body but your soul as well. I am left breathless after experiencing this magnificent album, you will be too. I cannot recommend this enough.
Necrophobic – ‘Dawn Of The Damned’ (Century Media Records)
Thirty years ago drummer Joakin Sterner sent me the bands 2nd demo tape ‘Slow Asphyxiation’ and it blew my head off! Its ultra-fast Satanic death metal was clearly influenced by the legendary Dissection, it had a seriously dark aura about it and was played almost to death (I still have the tape!). Three years later the band released a blistering debut album in the form of ‘The Nocturnal Silence’ and it fucking raged with its hyper-speed blackened barrage, an experience that still lives with me to this day. Fast-forward many years to this the bands 9th studio album and even if the death metal has been refined its still as vicious as ever, and as soaked in a Satanic slime that chills you to the bone. ‘Darkness Be My Guide’ hammers out of the traps at a frightening pace with Sterner having lost none of his blast-beating skill, Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergeback produce some of the most vicious guitar this year, either locking together to unleash raw riffs or letting loose spectacularly harmonious solo runs. Stunning if the truth be told. A damn fine album that gives you a lot more than straight-ahead death metal, Necrophobic have created a massive album.
False Gods – ‘No Symmetry… Only Disillusion’ (Seeing Red Records)
Three ep’s in 4 years has laid the foundation for New Yorkers False Gods to release this highly impressive debut album, an album chock full of harsh commentary and harsher sludgecore. Opening track ‘Enemy Territory’ comes on like old NYHC, Crumbsuckers immediately sprang to mind, before breaking down to an almost Crowbar groove with guitarists Greg Mack and Nick Luisi churning out massive riffs that ooze a serious sludge attitude. Vocalist Mike Stack has an unusual voice that fits perfectly with the hefty, churning barrage giving False Gods a different approach to their insanely heavy music. ‘Call Of The Neanderthal’ is 5 minutes of guitar drone from the Sunno))) school of destruction that transfixes you completely before following number ‘All That’s Left Behind’ creeps to life on Johnny Gierak’s bass before oozing into a slow, intense crawl with some glorious guitar once again, especially Luisi’s mesmerizing solo work. He truly unleashes some sharp, incisive but so musical runs that simply hypnotize. ‘No Symmetry… Only Disillusion’ is an album that just gets better the more you experience it, an album that keeps you on your toes and crushes the absolute life out of you. Marvelous!
Yoth Iria – ‘Under His Sway’ Ep (Repulsive Echo Records/Cult Never Dies)
Reuniting 2 early Rotting Christ members (as well as being part of Necromantia, Thou Art Lord, Varathron and Raism) to honor a fallen brother, Necromantia’s Baron Blood (R.I.P. brother) in the best way the 2 know how to. This 3-track, 18 minute journey into Greek black metal is a spectacular one, keeping the old sound but polishing it up to create a harmonious barrage of glorious synth and coruscating guitar. The opening title track is a bruising old-school Greek black metal blast with Jim Mutilator and The Magus locking into a gloriously spectacular rampage. ‘Sid-Ed-Djinn’ is a more mystical outing with The Magus taking over with his beguiling synth work being another level of eerie as they combine with ethereal female voices to perfection. Last but certainly not least is another furious blackened romp, a version of the early Rotting Christ track ‘Visions Of Dead Lovers’ and Yoth Iria give it the respect it deserves. Overall there is no better tribute to a lost brother than this glorious journey in the unique world of Greek black metal. The duo have completed work on their debut album ‘As The Flame Withers’ for an early 2021 release which will not doubt be spectacular. In the meantime this little introduction will do very nicely.
Pyraweed – ‘420’ (Robustfellow)
This is something you don’t see/hear everyday; stoner doom from the lovely city of Baku in Azerbaijan as this is where the incredibly intense Pyraweed call home. This, remarkably, is the bands 5th studio album from the duo of Nijat Hesenzade and Zakir Gasimov using just bass and drums, no guitar, to spectacular results. ‘Acid Flood’ rumbles out on an Om-like mantra but a hell of a lot heavier, more intense than the transcendental Americans even if the Shamanic utterances still hypnotize in much the same way. Gasimov really knows how to get every little bit out of his bass, putting in a performance that astounds beyond belief while Hesenzade lets his laconic drawl almost dribble forth in a fucked-up fashion. ‘System Failure’ is a deep dark bruiser while the near 11 minute ‘Illegal Song’ ups the tempo a touch to form a stoned groove of utter bliss, Gasimov once again putting in a mesmerizing display. For a first-time listening experience ‘420’ is a spectacular introduction to Pyraweed and their stoned heaviness, I urge you all to take this trip as Pyraweed’s hypnotic stoner doom is well worth it.
Fellwarden – ‘Wreathed In Mourncloud’ (Eisenwald)
It’s always special when UK duo Fellwarden release new material, I mean its so scarce that when the majestic atmospheres bound forth on a folk-tinged blackness, you rejoice that they are back. Only the bands 2nd album in 6 years, ‘Wreathed In Mourncloud’ is a gloriously melodic and harsh journey through eerie moors and fells, Havenless (ex-Fen) and The Watcher (still in Fen) lock into a sublime black metal of the highest quality, not forgetting the gorgeous folk-ness of it all. From the beautiful opening of ‘Pathmaker’ to the truly epic closing number ‘Upon Stone’, Fellwarden craft a wonderfully musical yet barbaric darkness with The Watcher’s harsh vocal screams giving that darkness a bestial edge in among the folky epics. Then his guitar weaves feral patterns of blackness into harmonious rhythms to create these Sojourner-like epic hymns, all the while Havenless keeps time like a metronome behind the drums, occasionally blasting into furious rages of pure old-school black metal. ‘Wreathed In Mourncloud’ is a glorious album of epic tales that suck you in to the point you feel you are on the moors with the duo, its highly engrossing with a rustic, realness rarely seen these days. If you like the past works of Fen or Wodensthrone then Fellwarden are for you. Everyone else? Highly recommended, you could do a whole lot worse than Fellwarden’s second album.
Lord Fowl – ‘Glorious Babylon’ (Small Stone Records)
Forming 13 years ago with the sole intention to create a similar music to that they had listened to while growing up, Lord Fowl have succeeded in that aim gloriously ever since their debut. Now many years later the band have created a sumptuous album of the oldest-school of heavy rock and proto-metal that has hints of the greats from yesteryear (Grand Funk Railroad, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cheap Trick, MC5, the list goes on) but never enough to make Lord Fowl a copy band. ‘Space Jockey’ has a definite Cheap Trick melody about it’s semi-ballad ways while ‘Red Cloud’ bounds along like Grand Funk Railroad at their most unbridled, Jon Connie, Vechel Jaynes and Mike Pelligrino combine to form a 3 pronged guitar attack that literally devastates in a gloriously harmonious fashion. Luscious melody’s drip from the speakers as the likes of the title track ooze harmoniously forward, leaving a trail of sublime quality in its wake which has not been heard since those early days of classic rock. The since departed Micheal Petrucci (replaced by Van Hartley) puts in a flawless performance on the drums, beating furiously in the uptempo moments and the next bringing it down to a gloriously old-school, almost hippy rhythm. Another great album from the superb Lord Fowl, an album that simply engages you right from the start. Highly recommended if you need something a bit different.
Mountain Witch – ‘Extinct Cults’ (This Charming Man Records)
You want proto-doom metal? You want a musty old sound? You want utterly grooving heavy metal? Then you need to get yourselves off to the court of the Mountain Witch and their proto-doom jamboree. An incredibly enjoyable and highly entertaining album from this German duo who have whiffs of some classic bands about them and this 4th album of theirs, from the early Death Row/Pentagram groove of ‘Back From The Grave’ to the Cathedral-like freak-out of ‘The Devil, Probably’, the duo have taken those bands early influence and developed it into something all their own. Then there is the sublime title track with its Witchfinder General vibe where the dual harmonizing vocals from the 2 Rene’s (Sitte and Roggmann) is spectacular, all the while Sitte’s guitar oozes musty old riffs to perfection. Black Sabbath raise their heads on opening number ‘Capping Day’ but so does a Baroness level of harmony if they were a musty old doom band! Overall Mountain Witch deliver a homage to those glorious old days by making an album that may originate in those days but has a modern swagger, a newer vibe that is exciting to hear. A thoroughly enjoyable album that will appeal to anyone that simply loves good, heavy music.
Autopsy – ‘Live In Chicago’ (Peaceville Records)
What can you say about Autopsy that hasn’t already been said in the last 33 years? Not much really, they still make classic death metal albums and put on furious live shows, as this full set ably shows. Recorded at Reggie’s Rock Club last March, it features a cornucopia of utter filth, the classics pound out in the only way Autopsy know; stinking and grooving! ‘Severed Survival’, ‘Ridden With Disease’, ‘Embalmed’, ‘Critical Madness’ are all delivered in a furious manner, either beating you around the face and head with a glorious brutality or taking it down to their trademark bouncing death metal groove. Either way they simply rip your face off. Chris Reifert still has his putrid voice, spewing his sickening bile in a haze of filth while the 4-piece lock into a groove so stinking you can almost smell it. Eric Cutler and Danny Coralles churn out down-tuned riffs dripping with a filthy sludge that truly stinks, not helped by Joe Allen’s sub-sonic bass creating a thick sickening ooze that slithers forth enveloping you in its fowl glory as the last tones of the Bloodbath cover ‘Fuck You!’ rings out. Then its over, finished but so are you. An utterly devastating set by one of the originators of the death metal scene (I remember seeing them in Bristol with Paradise Lost way back) that keep getting better, more relevant than ever before. Glorious album, long live Autopsy!
Witchfucker – ‘Afterhour In Wallhalla’ (Self-Released)
If you think Witchfucker play a black thrash speed metal as their name may suggest, think again. The German trio confound with some eclectic stoned doom(ish) metal. This is a very difficult album to describe as it flits from folky abstract instrumentals to all-out blackened sludge, with both styles being utterly beguiling, sucking you in to Witchfucker’s unique world. These disparate styles are best highlighted by the dreamy ‘Wustling’ that drifts into the ether, setting up the post-black metal of ‘Reflections’ without missing a beat. Moe Berg’s guitar has a harsh tint to its glorious post-isms as bassist Bene Berg and drummer Michelle Langner lock into a hypnotic rhythm that devastates as well as mesmerizing beyond sanity. But the jewel here is guest vocalist Charlotte Lavel who puts in a transcendental performance, complimenting the powerful music superbly and acting as a foil for Moe’s harsh blackened howl. There really are no comparisons for Witchfucker, they have literally created a very original album that not only entertains beyond reason but lingers long in the memory after its eclectic delights have finished. A remarkable album that you all should investigate as it truly is unique. You will definitely not regret it.
Yawning Man – ‘Live At Giant Rock’ (Heavy Psych Sounds)
When your not allowed to play in front of an audience due to the plague what do you do? Live stream? No. Play in front of a giant rock in the Californian desert? Yes! The mighty Yawning Man not only recorded it for your listening pleasure as the transcendental journey through a vivid desert was filmed as the trio let their instrumental spaced rock creep, crawl and swirl all around you, mesmerizing, hypnotizing as it goes while the visuals of the desert make you wish you were there. ‘Live At Giant Rock’ gives off the same vibe as Pink Floyd’s Pompeii show, the vastness of the surroundings adds so much to the glorious music, Yawning Man using the entire desert as their stage and then make it look small next to their massive music. ‘Tumbleweeds In The Snow’ kicks it off with a transcendental trip, Gary Arce’s guitar slowly bringing it to life on gorgeous tones before Mario Lalli and Bill Stinson join in to craft a beautifully laid-back groove. The whole album flows superbly, never letting you down keeping you floating high above the stunning Mojave desert. ‘Nazi Synthesizer’ is another example of how Yawning Man hypnotize you, it takes over your psyche and proceeds to delight beyond reason much like the band themselves. A fabulous album of chilled mesmerizing spaced-out grooves of the highest order. You would be foolish to miss this beauty.
Evildead – ‘United States Of Anarchy’ (Steamhammer)
Fuck, they are all coming out of the shadows in 2020! Benediction, Sons Of Otis and Isengard have all put out devastating albums this year after years in the wilderness. Now we can add California thrashers Evildead to the list with this blistering new album, their first since 1991 by the way, of old-school thrash with a modern sheen, primarily in the lyric department as opener ‘The Descending’ attests to vociferously, giving us our anthem for 2020. Evildead’s brand of thrash is not new nor is it trying to be, it is simply a gloriously musical barrage of wonderful riffs and harmonious solo runs of the ferocious order. The man responsible for these infectious guitar licks is legend Juan Garcia (Bodycount, ex-Agent Steel, ex-Abattoir) who has been unleashing barbarous riffs since 1982 and excels here, ably supported by Albert Gonzales who lock together to form a furious wall of Death Angel-like thrash metal. Rob Alaniz (also ex-Abattoir and what a band they were!) keeps the beat superbly as his drums boom out thunderously, also forming a huge bottom-end with bassist Karlos Medina to create a sharp, snappy rhythm section. Then we get to Phil Flores (another ex-Abattoir member!) who’s Don Doty (ex-Dark Angel, current Eliminate)-meets-Brian Lawrence (Dream Death) drawl is wonderfully old-school and highly effective (not to mention infectious) combining wonderfully with the vicious and melodious thrash. A damn fine album from a band that always deserved more back in the day, much like Abattoir! ‘United States Of Anarchy’ is an album that shows most of the new thrash bands how it is done properly. Stunning!
Vessel Of Light – ‘Last Ride’ (Nomad Eel Records)
After experiencing any of Vessel Of Light’s 3 albums you may wonder what Dan Lorenzo (Hades, ex-Non-Fiction) is up to with this sumptuous doom metal project. His past suggests a technical prowess beyond sanity but with Vessel Of Light he churns out massive riffs of eerie doom, not that far from what A Pale Horse Named Death have crafted with their vast gothic-tinged doom. Vessel Of Light though give you goosebumps and send shivers racing through your body, just listen to the hauntingly intense ‘The Death Of Innocence’ where vocalist Nathan Opposition (also of Ancient VVisdom) truly comes into his own as he painfully croons his lament. His vocals are rather exquisite throughout if the truth be told. Occasionally the band venture into Alice In Chains territory with a dirty groove like ‘Disappearing Pact’ shows with some glorious Layne Staley-esque tones, all the while Lorenzo peels off classic dirty riffs that infect your core. Vessel Of Light‘s 3rd album is a stunning effort, one that entertains, infects and leaves you breathless. ‘Last Ride’ is one album that you need to hear, its harmonious, its doomy, its dirty…Its glorious!
Thy Catafalque – ‘Naiv’ (Season Of Mist)
If you have never heard a Thy Catafalque album and you stumble across this, the outfits 9th album, then be prepared to have your mind truly blown. The bands (its really just Tamas Katai) earlier works lent heavily on avant-gard black metal, with some truly astonishing results, but he/they have been moving further from the origins into something truly unique and spellbinding. The Scottish highland vastness covers the entire album (Katai resided in Scotland before moving back to his native Hungary) as does Katai’s native upbringing in Hungary, producing mesmerizing songs such as the sublime ‘Embersolyom’ where both influences intertwine spectacularly. The various female vocalists spread across the album (4 of them in total) do a magnificent job of instilling a pleasurable fear in the pit of your stomach, which slowly rises through your entire body until it infects your very being. It would be wrong of me to compare Thy Catafalque to anyone else as whoever you say there is only a fleeting resemblance in the music, it is safe to say that if you like the more “out-there” avant-gardists such as Solefald, Negura Bunget or Maudlin Of The Well/Kayo Dot then this is most definitely for you. Even if your not that into this style of experimentation, Katai has produced something you may wish to investigate as this can be one head-fuck of an album.
Nero Or The Fall Of Rome – ‘Beneath The Swaying Fronds Of Elysian Fields’ (Naturmacht Productions)
From seemingly nowhere Nero Or The Fall Of Rome unleash their debut release, an album full of epic blackened death/doom that has simply knocked me off my feet with its huge austere, grandiose atmosphere. Its a majestic journey to ancient Rome and its fall, from the same school as Ireland’s Primordial, which ends up being as spectacular as when Rome actually burned. Federico has a glorious voice, ranging from a worrying, eerie croon to a style not too dissimilar to Phil Swanson (ex-Hour Of 13 and current Briton Rites member) and his heartfelt rustic tones. Federico and Elia’s guitars mingle together to forge a solid and epic landscape of a glorious and glamorous city burning to the ground, while drummer Luca lays down a massive beat ably supported by Fabrizio’s fabulous bass lines. ‘Our Epitaph Shall Be Carved In Stone’ is a true epic worthy of Primordial themselves, while ‘Cold Bones’ has a primitive almost Darkthrone groove that is so basic its utter genius. Overall Nero Or The Fall Of Rome‘s first foray into the realms of recorded works is a huge success, ‘Beneath The Swaying Fronds Of Elysian Fields’ is a stunning call to arms of all the epic metal fans, a call you all should heed.
Venom Prison – ‘Primeval’ (Prosthetic Records)
Before you get too excited this is not a brand new album from Welsh bruisers Venom Prison. No, the band have re-recorded their first 2 hard to find ep’s and added 2 new tracks to entice you further and it turns out to be one blistering fucking album of ferocious death metal. Its great to hear these older tracks sound so heavy, thick with a production worthy of such beauty’s as ‘Life Suffer’ or the spectacularly brutal ‘Babylon The Whore’, its good to see/hear how Venom Prison progressed from their rougher early days into the slick and devastating death metal machine we have today. The guitars of Ash Gray and Ben Thomas are vicious beyond belief but also contain some wonderful melodies, especially during some of the mind-blowing solo runs that truly astound. This barrage of death is superbly kept together by Mike Jenkins (bass) and the spectacular drumming from Joe Bills, who lock in together to form an impenetrable wall of heaviness. Then there are the vocals of Larissa Stupar whose banshee screams utterly transfix as she belts out her coruscating, raw bellows of extreme death. All in all ‘Primeval’ is a quality album showing the bands origins and future moves with the 2 new tracks (I won’t spoil them for you, rest assured they melt your face!). Top quality death metal and a perfect stop-gap until we get the new album.
Gruesome Stuff Relish/Offal – ‘Unburied Repugnance’ Split Ep (Black Hole Productions/Headsplit Records)
In their 20 year career Gruesome Stuff Relish have released a healthy amount of product, from full albums of insanity to these wonderful split releases, they have never disappointed. Their old-school goregrind is a stinking mess of down-tuned carnage from the Blood and Impetigo school of putrid grind, with a dash of very early Carcass for good measure. Just listen to ‘Dawn Of The Mummified Corpse’ and not think of the legends that Impetigo were/are! The triple vocal attack is disorientating in the extreme as the guttural, burbling noises intertwine to form a gloriously squelchy mess. Utterly marvelous! Now we move onto Brazil’s Offal and their death metal-soaked goregrind, which bursts out like an alien escaping from a stomach, as ‘Guts For The Blood Freak’ hammers out in an Autopsy-like barrage. The guitar of Tersis Zonato savages you furiously as the drums of Igor Thomaz beats out the wonderfully sick grooving perverted grind at a nauseous pace. Top all this off with Andre Luiz’s raw howling roar and Zonato’s more burbling mumble and you have a sick, ferocious and a gloriously unbridled death-grind masterpiece. For anyone that still loves Impetigo, General Surgery, Blood, Machetazo and Transgressor you seriously need this glorious split in your life.
Jointhugger – ‘I Am No One’ (Interstellar Smoke Records)
A very interesting debut album from Norway’s Jointhugger, who just happen to feature a certain Daniel Theobald on drums who also plays in Curse and Den Saakaldte, who play a sort of stoner doom that’s a bit out of the ordinary. The album unfolds slowly starting off with an instrumental and just when it starts to get a bit samey, guitarist Nico Munkvoid lets his echo-drenched voice roar to life, and this takes the album in a different direction from what first thought. The opening intensity of ‘In Dire Need Of Fire Ch.1’ is unbelievable, crushingly heavy as Munkvoid chisels off massive slabs of granite-heavy guitar, locking in with bassist Tore Pederson and Theobald wonderfully with the end result being a spectacular barrage of super-stoned glory. So when the vocals do appear they transform the music from a hippy-like free-form jam into a more song-orientated regime, with closing number ‘Nightfright’ being a particular highlight of this change. Jointhugger are pretty damn original really with their stoned doom only hinting at an early, ‘Tab’-era Monster Magnet trip, yet that is only fleeting as the trio launch into another breath-taking piece of glorious doom rock. Fabulous debut album, one I highly recommend and one I will be returning to over and over again.
Of Feather & Bone – ‘Sulfuric Disintegration’ (Profound Lore Records)
Starting life in 2012 as a more hardcore band, Colorado’s Of Feather & Bone have developed into this stinking death metal monster we have before us today, and with their 3rd album have truly come of age. As ‘Regurgitated Communion’ blasts forth you know your in for a rough time, the trio’s Tomb Mold-esque battery pummels you down into a quivering wreck as AS bellows his putrid vocals forth instilling a serious dread in the pit of your stomach, making it churn like never before. He then locks his bass with the apocalyptic drums of PW to form the thickest, most feral bottom-end this year so guitarist DG can unleash unholy fucking Hell with some excruciating 6-string abuse. The old-school death scene is well represented as ‘Baptized In Boiling Phlegm’ hints towards a ‘Scream Bloody Gore’-era Death, which clashes gloriously with the more modern Blood Incantation-like technicality ultimately leaving you completely breathless. At only 30 minutes ‘Sulfuric Disintegration’ does not outstay its welcome by overwhelming you with piles of technical changes nor does it become the same thing churned over and over. The 30 minutes of utter brutality is about all you can take, its sharp, stinking death metal bludgeon literally takes you apart. Marvellous album indeed!
Bloodsoaked Necrovoid – ‘Expelled Into The Unknown Depths Of The Unfathomable’ (Iron Bonehead Productions)
Costa Rican ultra-death metal duo Bloodsoaked Necrovoid finally release their debut album after teasing us with a split and 3 demos. Nothing can prepare you for the furious onslaught that erupts as soon as ‘Dispossessed In An Asphyxiating Endless Darkness’ bounds out like Cosmic Void Ritual or Grave Miasma at their most ferocious, the gargantuan death/doom is truly overwhelming in its thick intensity, enveloping you in a completely blackened shroud. The duo responsible Jose Maria Arrea and Federico Gutierrez lock into an ultra-suffocating maelstrom of chaos that doesn’t let up until you are lifeless, your spirit being wrenched from your body and taken far away from this world into somewhere that is dark, thick, claustrophobic and suffocating. The cavernous vocals of Gutierrez are unsettling, sending shards of fear stabbing through your body, reminding a touch of Australian Gods Disembowelment as does the deathly slowness of the ultra-doom sections, like ‘Traversing The Threshold Of A Treacherous Depraved Absolute’ shows quite superbly. ‘Expelled Into The Unknown Depths Of The Unfathomable’ is a crushing album that literally steamrollers over you with some of the heaviest, thickest doom/death recorded since Disembowelment’s debut album, it is also an album that ranks alongside the likes of that said album. And that is some achievement for Bloodsoaked Necrovoid considering how much that album is revered. Soul-crushing.
Mountain Caller – ‘Chronicle I: The Truthseeker’ (New Heavy Sounds)
London 3-piece Mountain Caller have dropped an album that may well change the face of instrumental music forever, its a debut to boot! Right from the first moment of opener ‘Journey Through The Twilight Desert’ you know this is going to be special, redefining the whole non-vocal scene to the point where anything that has come before pales into nothingness in comparison. There have been some wondrous instrumental bands over the years (Yawning Man, Pelican, Bongripper among others) but Mountain Caller have approached this work differently, there is more emphasis on each song being made the center, each one grabs your attention like never before. Other bands merely play music, Mountain Caller do so much more, they paint gorgeous vistas with their unbridled heavy progressiveness. Imagine a mid-period grooving not so death metal Entombed jamming with a post-black metal band such as Agalloch, slow it down and you are close to where Mountain Caller come from, but even that is not right as the trio are a hard band to call. The album opens up in a busy fashion, frantic guitar picking and an almost jazz drum beat combine gloriously before an almighty riff crashes in and lays waste to everything in its path. From out of nowhere the trio hammer into a ferocious blast-beating black metal that rips your face clean off, all in the same song! Mountain Caller have made an album that astounds beyond reason, an album that truly redefines instrumental music. Easily one of the albums of the year.
The Grief – ‘Descent’ Ep (Self-Released)
Ireland’s The Grief return with a second self-financed ep of lush and very dark doom metal, a sound that soars high on glorious musicality but also scrapes the bottom of that deep dark pit known as depression superbly. John Murphy and Paul Quinn once again unleash melancholic melodies that drip a palpable sorrow so dark it feels like the sun in the sky has dimmed, but there are rays of hope through some wonderful guitar breaks that illuminate brightly. A Paradise Lost vibe remains but The Grief are moving away from that sound as these new songs prove with their expansive progressions as ‘The Ascent’ shows with its true epic doom style and Stephen Quinn’s magnificent vocal display that effortlessly switches between righteous epic clean tones and a bestial, deep growl that hints at an Amorphis-like doom/death trudge. When Stephen lets his clean voice out it all becomes so much more heartfelt and emotional as his morose tones seep inside your very soul and infect you with their melancholia. Add to these worrying tones a music just as emotional but also insanely heavy with not only a physical intensity but an emotional one that leaves you breathless when the 25 minutes are over. The Grief have come back stronger than ever with these 5 epic songs of glorious doom and if you missed the first ep, the band have collected both ep’s together and released them on 1 CD so head to their Bandcamp page for further info. Eerie melancholic true doom done masterfully, a truly epic band.
Throane – ‘Une Balle Dans Le Pied’ Ep (Debemur Morti Productions)
This 13 minute 20 second track was composed and recorded by the sole member Dehn Sora at the end of 2019, who also hand-printed the silk-screened 7″ vinyl covers and used his sister as the front art. He designed it all, made it all and has kept up his tradition of using family and close friends as each releases artwork, the quality is always high with Throane and that hasn’t changed here on the outfits 3rd outing. If you are already familiar with the French outfits previous albums you will know that Throane’s brand of black metal is not of the norm, it has elements of the astral-ness of Blut Aus Nord but also the sheer fury and rawness of Aosoth with an added atmosphere of pure dread. And that is what makes Throane so special; the claustrophobic atmosphere of pitch blackness, a darkness that envelopes you with its caustic cloak of pure evil and suffocates you under its harsh heaviness. Ranging from an all-out attack, through some harsh black industrialism’s the likes of MZ.412 would kill for to an almost Celeste-like sludge of devastating intensity. For a piece of work that lasts a mere 13 minutes, ‘Une Balle Dans Le Pied’ crams a lot in and succeeds in crushing your very soul with some out of the ordinary black metal.
Adramelech – ‘Recoveries Of The Fallen’ (Xtream Music)
Forming in 1991 Finland’s Adramelech were at the forefront of the Finnish death metal scene, releasing 2 demos and 2 ep’s (which are collected here on this compilation album) before putting out the ground-breaking, scene-defining ‘Psychostasia’ album in 1996. Influencing many with their furious death metal that contained a few twists and turns, like some off-kilter rhythms and a Demilich level of experimentation. This album however concentrates on the bands very early, more basic death metal days and with compiling the first 4 releases shows where the legend was born, not to mention how much of a vicious beast this is. First up is the 2nd ep ‘The Fall’ and even though its still a touch basic, it has the best sound quality here even if there is still too much treble on it. The sound and songwriting deteriorates the further you delve into the early days of Adramelech, with debut demo ‘Human Extermination’ being particularly gnarly and by far the best era present on this compilation, even if it sounds as rough as fuck! If you like your death metal primitive then this is for you, I personally love it as these long-gone items of death metal history are available again and bring back so many good memories for me. If your about my age then you might find some worth here, anyone else start with the bands ‘Psychostasia’ album before you get to this.
Falloch – ‘Diabolus’ Ep (Self-Released)
I had to check that I had put the right band on as the opening title track did not sound anything like the Falloch I knew! Their old folk-tinged post-black metal has been completely ditched in favor of an ultra-dark, almost funeral doom drone assault. The discordant guitar of Scott McLean is overpowering in the best way, a thick wall of discordance smashes you smack in the face with some truly dirty riffs of sheer darkness. Meanwhile Ben Brown batters your mesmerized head until you give in and let the avant-garde blackened droning post-doom take control, taking your lifeless body to places the likes of Agalloch at their most introspective used to inhabit. There is also a very reverential feel to this magnificent release, a sort of holy worship of the darkest order mainly due to McLean’s haunting keyboards that swirl around Brown’s devastatingly slow drum patterns. I certainly didn’t expect this as my past encounters with the Scottish duo have been vastly different from this and, to be honest, this darker, heavier, more intimidating style is much better, more entertaining. With hints of Bell Witch and Of Solitude & Solem about it, ‘Diabolus’ is a dark journey and one I urge you all to take. Its dark, its crushing, it burrows into your psyche. Marvelous.
Cryptworm – ‘Reeking Gunk Of Abhorrence’ Ep (Me Saco Un Ojo Records/Pulverised Records/Life After Death)
British-based duo Cryptworm have quietly been making a name for themselves in the death metal underground, a demo, ep and a split have brought the band to my attention with some thick ultra-death metal. Now we have the bands 2nd ep of their claustrophobic suffering and it is clearly their best work so far, the likes of ‘Cesspool Of Perpetual Decay’ or the title track not only crush you under an enormous weight of death but there is also a glorious groove to it all, one that Autopsy would approve of. The filth that someone such as Undergang create is smeared all over this like the dirty protests in the Maze prison, the same stinking stench hangs heavy over ‘Festering Maggot Infestation’ as does an Incantation level of impenetrable blackness, this thick blackness surrounds you, crushing the life from your body mercilessly. Tibor Hanyi has a voice to disturb your bowel movements, its low and extremely brutal bellows rattle your innards as his guitar carves you apart with vicious slashes of down-tuned brutality. Partner in percussion Joe Knight batters his drums furiously with a reckless abandon, pushing these monstrous tunes onward on a grooving but sickening beat. A fabulous ep that more than sates the appetite for their stinking, suffocating death metal. Now, how about a full fucking album then?
Deadwood Tree – ‘Mourn’ (Self-Released)
The debut album from Spain’s Deadwood Tree is a crushing effort full of extreme sludge that simply devastates, crushes while tempering this extremity with some delightful post-rock abstractness which causes ‘Mourn’ to ebb and flow superbly. The majority of the album is the heavy sludge that a mid-period Cult Of Luna crafted, the glorious meandering of the Swedish collective is all over the likes of ‘From Below’, Curro Maestre has a raw howl that falls somewhere between Cult Of Luna’s Johannes Persson and Colin Van Eeckhout (Amenra) as it expels its furious ire. The dual guitars of Gonzalo Aeneas and J. Olivencia are vicious as the wall of noise they produce surrounds you, slashing at your skin with a precise and sustained assault, occasionally bringing it down to a post-doom trudge of massive proportions. But its those gargantuan slabs of sludge that really make Deadwood Tree tick and here on this monumental debut album these enormous bouts of intensity truly work their magic superbly. Its an intense trip for sure, through some dark places ending up in the extreme psyche of Deadwood Tree. Fantastic album.
Fumarole – ‘Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes’ (Interstellar Smoke Records)
My first encounter with antipodean heavy rock trio Fumarole is a damn good one, their gritty stoner rock makes an impression right away with ‘War Cry’s Green Lung-esque groove. That’s a big point of Fumarole; the groove, each song has its own unique vibe that makes the whole album flow so wonderfully you are shocked back to reality once it ends, the trance state is phenomenal. The rhythm section of Ryan Stewart (drums) and bassist Dan Bartsch combine to create a massive bottom-end that thumps you in the gut so guitarist Kurt Werder can let loose his spectacular riffs and mesmerizing guitar breaks. His vocals have a rough edge not too dissimilar from Matt Williams of Sigiriya, the music isn’t that far from the Welsh wizards either, maybe a bit more laid-back here as the likes of ‘Terra Suprema’ shows, Werder really showing his chops on this majestic tune. ‘Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes’ is an album you can listen to over and over again without ever tiring of its hefty desert rock, an album that should alert a lot of people to Fumarole’s glory. Let’s hope we can get to see this trio blow amps and minds all around the world, this live would be transcendental man!
Verbal Aggression 