Doom – Page 102 – Wonderbox Metal

Dread Sovereign – All Hell’s Martyrs (Review)

This is the début album from Ireland’s Dread Sovereign and they play Traditional Doom Metal.

At 67 minutes this is an epic album full of True Doom that is executed to perfection by people with an obvious mastery and love for the genre.

The singer is none other than the singer of Primordial, so you know the vocals are not going to be a let down. As usual his very characterful voice is on fine form and it adds a singular amount of personality and drama to the tracks.

The songs themselves are exceptionally well composed, with lots of stand-out moments. They have a real strength about them and feelings of grandeur and Doom majesty abound.

The album is chock full of prime riffage and they utilise both overtly catchy riffs and more subtle, insidious ones. On occasion they also use extra effects to highlight certain sections increasing the overall effect of the songs.

All Hell’s Martyrs is both a slow burner and an instant win; the best combination. It’s strong enough that it comes across straight away as an obviously special record, but it has enough depth and longevity so that it won’t simply be forgotten in a month or two. Part of this is down to the striking, expressive vocals, but it’s in large part to the master-crafted songs that are expertly put together.

Doom Metal has a new great and terrible leader. Lower your heads in reverence.

Taurus – No/Thing (Review)

Taurus are from the US and play experimental Drone/Doom with Psychedelia and Blackened influences.

This is genre-bending Doom full of ideas and Psychedelic darkness. The songs sound as if they have leaked from some sonic other-dimension and are strange translations of another musical language that can’t exist in its original form in our world.

Varied and strange vocals pierce the heady shroud of the music and are used as effects or instruments rather than traditional voices. A sound collage of extreme vocalisations set to unhinged music describing who knows what.

Twisting, angular rhythms and unusual soundscapes collide to produce Avant-Garde extremity and hypnotic time lapsed aural events. Taurus try to both lull and shock at the same time, producing an unexpected listening environment where transcendence is waved before you only to be snatched away and replaced with a veiled fist.

Each of these 5 songs is a nihilistic trip into other cultures that may or may not exist in our reality. It is a privilege to experience these slices of unreality and the band know this, revelling in their status as elite tour guides to places alternate.

Listen to Taurus if you have the constitution and self-confidence to explore uncharted climes and return unscathed. Enjoy reality while you have it.

Ogre – The Last Neanderthal (Review)

This is the fourth album by US Doom/Heavy Metal group Ogre.

This is 70’s inspired Metal combining Hard Rock and Traditional Doom into a retro package with a healthy, organic sound.

The songs have a heady atmosphere and personality by the bucketful. The singer wails and croons over the top of unrestrained guitars and drums that sound very natural.

The band as a whole generally try their best to capture the essence of early Black Sabbath and the songs match accordingly. This is not simply some copycat band however as the album makes sense on its own and has more than enough merits to warrant its existence.

Alongside the hefty guitars the songs have a Blues Rock vibe to them that lets them dig into a comfortable slow groove until they spend themselves in a state of blissful satiety.

When the riffs are pumping and solos are blazing this is life affirming music. Feel the Metal and use it to club your enemies, Ogre-style.

Prizehog – Re-Unvent the Whool (Review)

Prizehog come from the US and play Psychedelic Doom.

Things start off trippy and relaxed, with odd chanting, much feedback and simple guitars. After that it just descends into drug-fuelled madness and mystical hysteria.

This is warped, twisted and impenetrable to the casual ear. The sounds contained herein are not of this plane of consciousness and shouldn’t be interpreted as such.

The vocals are semi-human chant-hymns that become strangely endearing the more you listen to them.

The songs are the aural equivalent of someone trying to unravel a set of hideously entangled headphones; initially you don’t know where to start, and it can be maddeningly frustrating, but as you make progress it all starts to come together and in the end you’re left deeply satisfied with a feeling of accomplishment mixed with relief.

Go Prizehog!

Disenchanter – On Through Portals (Review)

Disenchanter are a US band who play slow and monolithic Doom.

There may be only three tracks on this EP but at 31 minutes in length it has plenty of substance.

The riffs meander and roll in true Stoner fashion and the psychedelic guitars cruise over a bedrock of bass with the drums bashing alongside.

The first track Journey To Abydos – Moon Maid puts in an impressive 8 minutes or so of work before the vocals even kick in, and when they do it’s like a shot of adrenaline into the system. Prior to this the relentless guitars, seemingly coming on in waves, pushes you into a semi-trance-like hypnotic haze of psychedelic bliss, and when the singer’s powerful vocals slash through your reverie like a hot razor blade, it’s somewhat of a wake up call.

And oh what a good voice she has. Powerful and strong yet still with a feminine and gentle edge. Like a crystal clear diamond sailing through a sea of roughened musical waters.

After this rather impressive first track the remaining songs Invoke and Into Darkness do not disappoint either.

Invoke has a more sedated start like a light breeze but quickly building up into a fully-fledged storm before spending itself early. After this it starts to build momentum once more, only gradually this time. The song is an exercise is build and release, build and release, before peaking at the end. Sexy stuff.

Into Darkness is a lumbering Doom colossus with the singer’s flawless vocals soaring over the top of gargantuan riffs.

This should be eagerly snapped up by all Doom connoisseurs everywhere. A big thumbs up!

Nidra – Coma (Review)

Russian band Nidra play Depressive/Funeral Doom with a Blackened atmosphere thrown in for good measure.

Bleak, doleful melodies softly cover this album like a deathly blanket. Solemn musicality frames every note and the threat of melancholy is never far away.

Nidra conjure up this atmosphere through the standard Metal instruments as well as keyboards, effects and pianos. The overall effect is quite satisfying as this genre goes and Nidra peddle their woe well.

The vocals have good variety, alternating between growls and cleaner singing, all in keeping and time with the mid-paced sombre funeral marching of the songs.

As a bonus there is also a rather excellent Blut Aus Nord cover on the end of the album.

A good release that allows you to wallow in the darkness without being swallowed by it. It may paint a bleak portrait but it’s one worth looking at.

https://www.facebook.com/Nidraproject

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.