Doom – Page 101 – Wonderbox Metal

Gloom Warfare – Post Apocalyptical Downfall (Review)

German band Gloom Warfare play a form of Industrial Doom/Death that takes the blueprint laid down by old Godflesh and Pitchshifter and uses it to build their own world.

This is a slow-burning, gradual-destruction kind of album, where the tracks move inexorably towards their ultimate conclusion. The nihilistic atmosphere builds as the songs do.

The mood radiated by each track is the kind where you just need to fall into a bit of a semi-trance-like state and soak up the vibes of the album. Long distance journeys or getting a large tattoo; something you can almost zone-out to.

The onwards martial march of the songs is an almost-unbearable constant. Initially when listening to this I wasn’t too impressed, but slowly the relentless driving force that powers this 61 minute album gets under the skin and worms its way into your brain. If you give it the time to saturate your senses then Post Apocalyptical Downfall has lots to offer; this is not an instant album and not one for light listening.

I would prefer a slightly more even sound, with a bit more emphasis given to the clarity of the guitars, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

If you’re in a particular kind of mood then this is a really good album. With a few tweaks to the sound the next one could be great.

Dirge – Hyperion (Review)

Dirge are a veteran French band and Hyperion is their sixth album.

The band play atmospheric Post-Metal Sludge with an electronic/Industrial influence.

I should also note at this juncture that although it’s irrelevant to the music and I have no idea what it’s depicting, I love the album artwork.

The music is mysterious and enticing. There is also a strong feeling of grandeur running through the tracks, especially when the singer goes all semi-clean-shouting, (a technical term…); it almost makes the hairs stand up with goosebumps.

The vocals have a lot of variety and the singer uses his voice to best accentuate the music and the feelings they wish their songs to evoke. The added female vocals used in Venus Claws are a master stroke of judgement and elevate an already well-crafted song to the next level.

Each of the long songs shows an excellent knowledge of dynamics and composition, with light and shade used expertly. The tracks have a droning, near-hypnotic quality yet don’t sound bleak or unforgiving; rather the feeling is cautiously optimistic. Melancholia and uncertainty play a role but ultimately it’s a feeling of uplift-through-awe that the band project; a sense of ascension to be attained.

A near-flawless album and an abject lesson in the mastery of the aural arts. Essential.

Mammoth Salmon – Call of the Mammoth (Review)

This is the latest EP from US Stoner Doom band Mammoth Salmon.

The riffs are chunky and full of substance; you won’t go hungry for heaviness here as the band have a nice organic sound that shows off their Doom-laden platter and allows all-comers to gorge on their ample treats.

The first song Dark Descent is an instrumental slow burner of monolithic and classic Doom Metal that crushes the listener in grand riffs before devolving into almost space-age noise and bleeps, then suitably recovering itself for the end of the track.

It’s only on the second song In Constant Shadows that we get to hear the vocals; powerful dirty-cleans that are belted out with strength and passion and fit perfectly with the warm, living sound of the rest of the band.

Each of the songs has a vibrant central core, wrapped lovingly in an earthy embrace of colossal riffs and songwriting know-how. Each track sounds lived in and worked on by enthusiastic hands and wise minds. Laid-back and easy going, but heavy and relentless; not a million miles away from what I imagine Bongripper would song like if they had a singer and shorter songs.

At 27 minutes the band have well and truly captured my attention with their considerable skills. A recommended listen for sure, and here’s hopefully to an album in the future.

Cleanteeth – Pushing Rope (Review)

Hailing from the US, Cleanteeth specialise in Sludgy Post-Metal Doom.

The band play their music ultra-heavy and with added effects and noise to truly force their point home.

Sometimes the vocals are tortured and hoarse, screaming their angst at an uncaring world who are forced to pay attention by the sheer wall of distortion aimed in their general direction; other times they are cleaner and more melodic, but only relatively speaking as they are still chock full of a soul-searching uneasiness and feelings of malaise.

Amidst the walls of guitars though there is time for reflection and calmness; time to take stock of what’s been gained or lost before the next sound-tsunami roars forth.

The songs are shorter than is the norm for bands of this ilk. They do not end prematurely however, they are exactly the length they need to be to deliver their payload.

Cleanteeth write their songs catchy and memorable, even with the churning chaos and noise considered. This is what Mastodon would sound like if they went a heavier, Sludgier route from their inception. The band they most remind me of though in many ways is Will Haven, and not so much as they directly sound like them. Although they share various sonic parameters it’s more the fact that they write such crushingly heavy down-beat music while retaining an accessibility and hook-laden delivery that’s at odds with just how harsh they can be.

Bands like this don’t come along that often, and when they do you have to sit up and pay attention. So sit up and pay attention as Cleanteeth are something special.

Dea Marica – Curse of the Haunted (Review)

This is the second release from UK Doom merchants Dea Marica.

They play sorrow-filled down-beat Doom Metal with a maudlin pace and sombre melodies. If you use a band such as My Dying Bride as a starting point you’ll be in the right area stylistically, but Dea Marica don’t sound like cheap knock-offs as the melodies and structures of their songs are not the same.

Vocally they have extremely brutal growls that are deeper than the blackest pits of Hades, but they mainly use clean, almost operatic vocals that are impressively realised and contribute a lot to the depth of the songs.

The album sweeps you along in its emotional embrace and forces you to come face to face with all of those small, dark things you’ve been avoiding thinking about for years. The epic melodies and exquisite vocal harmonies rub shoulders with the guttural vocals and heavier riffs and the band switch between the two seamlessly; sometimes it’s a sudden change and sometimes it’s a gradual build up, but either way the general mood is retained and the song is a winner.

It should also be mentioned that this is also a very catchy album full of hooks to grab the listener, albeit in a down-tempo Doom Metal way. You’ll be wanting to play these epic songs again almost as soon as the last chord has faded.

This is a haunting, dark and memorable album. Highly recommended.

The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum (Review)

This is the fourth album of Doom Metal from UK band The Wounded Kings.

The Wounded Kings specialise in slow, meandering Traditional Doom Metal with towering guitars and backing sounds. The album cover sets the mood; blackness, smoke and obscure symbols. When the vocals kick in they sound like they are coming from somewhere behind this protective layer of fog, tempting the listener into the blackness beyond. But don’t go. Oh no. You don’t want to step into their world. Her vocals entice and chill, echo and fade. Drawing you in and leading you away.

The album has the feeling of the occult, and the music has a ritualistic, droning quality to it that’s entirely disarming. You could listen to the thick, weighty guitars for an age, until it’s entirely too late. For everything.

It’s with feelings of oppression, foreboding and mystical expectations that the songs develop. They do this naturally; unhurried and unforced. There is, after all, no rush. No rush at all. What else do you possibly have in your miserable, worthless life that’s worth doing? No-one is waiting for you, no-one wants anything from you; simply surrender to the siren calls and give in. You want to see what’s in the dark, behind the smoke, right?

Music to be afraid to, and to be afraid of.

Hear The Silence here.

Dead – Idiots (Review)

Australia’s Dead are an unusual beast, consisting as they do of just a bassist and a drummer. The noise they make is somewhere between Punk and Sludge, with more variety than you might think for only having two instruments.

Starting off creepy and atmospheric; when the bass kicks in you can feel it like a physical presence.

There’s plenty going on in these songs, including vocals from multiple people, to keep things interesting.

As the bass and drums are the only instruments they are left bare and exposed for everyone to see with no opportunity to hide what’s going on behind other instruments; due to this the duo have risen to the challenge and ensured that they are always doing something interesting.

This is a dredge through the darkest recesses of forgotten filth, but in the best possible way. The minimalistic Sludge the band come up with and the variety of ideas and delivery on display is a recipe for success in my book.

Favourite Track: Murder Hollow. Creep-tastic.

Lune Kiri – Demo (Review)

Lune Kiri are a Post-Rock band from the US and this is their first release, containing 4 tracks at 35 minutes in length.

This is winding and exploratory, and pleasantly relaxed. Lune Kiri already seem to have mastered the art of mood and texture, and this EP would be really impressive if it wasn’t their first release, let alone the fact that it is.

Sometimes the meandering, wandering guitars paint a glorious picture and they sound so liquid you can almost imagine the brush sweeping them over the canvas. Other times they play heavier, murky, dirge-ridden riffs that want to suck you into their world. Stockholm contains both types in its 15 minute playing time.

My only real “complaint”, (and it’s not really a complaint), is why they called this a demo. The songs are so accomplished and the sound quality so good that this is essentially just a first EP. Apart from that head-scratcher I would advise anyone who likes bands like Red Sparowes, Pelican, Cloudkicker, etc. to immediately run to get this.

Towers – II (Review)

Towers are a drum/bass duo from the US that play Sludge/Doom.

The band experiment with just these two instruments to create a minimal yet expressive sound that has quite a Prog feeling to some of it that’s refreshing.

The vocals are kind of shouted/spoken for the most part although softer cleans do appear. These are almost incidental to the actual music; almost an afterthought. They serve their purpose though and add texture to the rumbling bass.

There is a hypnotic groove to songs like The Door at the End of the Hall that makes you feel like you’re being carried off to the lunatic asylum in a haze of delirium, while The Chosen is ominously apocalyptic and could be the soundtrack to the End of Times. Bolstered by effects and haunting vocals this track is very impressive.

Overall Towers have their own character and a very individual sound, which is to be appreciated when they’re hitting you over the head with a colossal bass presence that feels like a piece of sheet iron.

See what you think.

71TONMAN – 71TONMAN (Review)

This is the début album from Polish Sludgers 71TONMAN, and they’re as heavy as their name suggests.

Drenched in feedback with rhythmic pounding drums and samples – this is how it starts and I already know it’s going to be good. Then the guitars kick in and the tortured, anguished vocals and you remember why Sludge is just such a damn good genre.

If you cross bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar, Charger and Humanfly then you’d end up with something similar to 71TONMAN. In other words, pure class.

The songs are imbued with a sense of the post-apocalyptic. They weave tales of other worlds and places in with the chunky guitars. It’s all very, very invigorating; take a couple of these songs three times a day and call me in the morning.

The vocals are quite varied, with deeper, higher and almost-cleans all in the mix. It all sounds great.

This is an excellent release from a band with much talent. Make sure you support them and visit their world.