Doom – Page 88 – Wonderbox Metal

Keeper – The Space Between Your Teeth (Review)

Keeper are a Doom band from the US and this is their latest EP.

Keeper have graced these pages before on their split with Sea Bastard release.

Here they treat us to two tracks of ultra-heavy Doom that snarls and crushes yet also has a contemplative side.

The vocals are so serrated that this EP should come with a health warning. Their scathing assault is a reminder of how truly harsh screamed vocals can sound from the right singer.

The music is down-beat Doom which is slow enough to cast a grim shadow where it falls but energetic enough to keep a beat to. Although they specialise in the heavier side of Doom, the songs also carry a multitude of melodies through these tumultuous waters. Said melodies are largely low-key affairs content to hide just below the heavier rhythms, although this is not always the case.

The band’s more nuanced side manifests through these streaks of melodic colour and also through some Isis/Cult of Luna-esque Post-Metal moments.

The entire package is rounded off with a strong sound that accentuates all of the band’s strengths, leaving them free to pursue the music through to its logical conclusion.

Keeper have released a devastating calling card with their new EP, one that will surely, and rightfully, gain them many accolades.

Hogslayer – Defacer (Review)

Hogslayer are a Sludge band from the UK. This is their second album.

This is hateful, heavy Sludge Metal that sometimes it seems only the UK can do so well. Yes, you have the entire American/NOLA Sludge thing which started everything with Eyehategod, etc. but the UK has its own distinctive underground full of festering filth and misery that grows only in this specific environment. Hogslayer were born to such surroundings.

This is crushingly heavy. I mean really, really heavy. Like, ultra-heavy or something. You get the idea.

The feral, underground darkness that bred Hogslayer didn’t just select for the nastiest traits either. The band understand, in their own warped way, the need for riffs to be catchy, vocals to have character and songs to be memorable. Of course, you have to understand that this is all from a Sludge Metal/Doom perspective, as no-one will accuse Hogslayer of threatening the radio-friendly unit-shifters any time soon.

Oh, but there’s something about this kind of relentlessly heavy, riff-oriented Sludge. When the band lock into a heavy groove and repeat it just the right amount of times…it really hits the spot.

The vocals, as mentioned previously, are charismatic and buried within the distortion just enough to work with the music without dominating it but aren’t too low in the mix so that they’re lost in the colossal bass/guitar riffs, as can sometimes be the case with some Sludge bands.

Hogslayer will be a firm favourite of mine moving forward. Their brand of gritty, well-done Sludge is just what the Metal Doctor ordered.

Defacer is a feast of distortion, feedback and negativity. Eat up.

Sea of Disorder – Merging Land and Sky (Review)

Sea of Disorder are a Post-Metal band from Austria, and this is their début album.

The band play a combination of Post-Metal and Doom that combines the atmospheric with the harsh.

As well as the standard instrumentation Sea of Disorder also use keyboards and effects to get the sound they like, as well as including a fair few guests from other bands.

As alluded to earlier, Sea of Disorder mix the lighter, more introspective elements of Post-Metal with the louder and heavier aspects of Doom to create long songs that tell a tale in atmospheres and moods.

Deep vocals that seem to come from the bowels roar out accompanied by large riffs and atmospheric heaviness. This is juxtaposed against the more Post-Rock instrumental moments of tranquillity as the band build themselves up to a peak.

Cleans also appear on As the Clouds Disperse and they fit Sea of Disorder’s style well.

Overall I liked this quite a bit. Check them out.

Shrine of the Serpent – Shrine of the Serpent (Review)

This is the début release by US Doom band Shrine of the Serpent.

Heavy, slow, filthy, nasty. These and other words like this. Shrine of the Serpent are a like a crawling, slithering, Leviathan-like monster, relentlessly advancing over the bones of its enemies.

Dirty great Sludge riffs are physically restrained and forced to do the bidding of Doom’s unholy work.

The stench of the occult is strong and this is a release not to be approached lightly. In fact, there’s nothing light about Shrine of the Serpent at all.

This evil brand of Doom Sludge also takes aspects of Death Metal and Black Metal into its dark, foetid embrace and bends them to its will.

The songs are top quality exemplars of Doom’s overwhelming ability to suck additional styles into its orbit like a black hole, forging them into its core identity and resulting in something different each time. Here, it’s the darkest of Doom.

A mandatory listen.

Irk/Wren – Split (Review)

This split is made up of two bands from the UK. Irk play Noise Rock and Wren play Post-Metal/Sludge.

Irk are first with four tracks totalling 13 minutes.

This is angular, Mathcore-style Noise Rock. The bass has a good, heavy presence and drives the music forwards. It maintains a constant, prime position throughout the recording.

The vocals are impassioned and kind of fall halfway between shouting and some form of demented pseudo-singing. It’s an acquired taste yet works well juxtaposed against the solidly-constructed, almost mechanistic music.

The band have the feel of a DIY punk band only with edgy grooves and a detached riffing style.

They remind me of a cross between Hawkeyes and Association Area with a bit of Sultans of Ping FC mixed in. It’s a good, jagged ride they take the listener on and it’s certainly a memorable one. I think the vocal style won’t be for everyone but if it works for you then there’s a lot to enjoy here.

After this it’s now down to Wren to play us out. They offer up 3 tracks totalling 16 minutes.

Theirs is a murkier, slower sound than Irk. Wren take the Post-Metal/Sludge template laid down by Neurosis/Isis/Cult of Luna and make their own mark on it with impassioned playing and heavy riffs.

Walls of heavy guitars mix with transcendent Post-Metal melodies and a Sludgy core. There’s a high level of emotional content to a band like this and it’s all powered along by the relentless heaviness of the guitars.

Shouted vocals make an appearance on the second song and seem to merge with the guitars, providing pointed highlights to the aural onslaught of the six-stringers.

These are very enjoyable songs and if you’re a fan of the heavy Post-Metal style then Wren deliver in spades.

This split is a little unusual when compared to a lot that get released as the bands involved are quite different from each other. It’s a recommended listen for sure though, featuring two bands that show a lot of promise for the future.

Favourite Track: An Approach by Wren. The best is saved for last. Driving, heavy riffs, emotive violence and reflective chaos. Class.

Fangs of the Molossus – Fangs of the Molossus (Review)

Fangs of the Molossus are from Italy and play Doom Metal. This is their début album.

This is orthodox Traditional Doom Metal with a healthy sprinkling of psychedelia to add to the charm.

It’s an authentic and faithful take on the genre and the band do it justice.

Their sound is suitably occult and the songs have a jammed vibe that is loose enough to sound natural but structured enough to not be sloppy.

This is slow and ponderous Metal with classic melodies and some quality guitar-work and riffs. The rhythm guitars work up a good atmosphere and some of the extended lead/solo work is exquisite.

The vocals are quite low in the mix and work as atmosphere-enhancers and an extra instrument rather than being the focal point as they are in most bands.

An enjoyably sullen album to stick on and kick back to. Recommended.

Minsk – The Crash & The Draw (Review)

Minsk are a Post-Metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

I’m a big fan of Minsk’s 2009 album, With Echoes in the Movement of Stone, so have been eager to hear this latest release of theirs.

Coming from a Post-Metal view that takes in the stunning panoramas of Isis, Neurosis and Cult of Luna, Minsk were never as well-known as their contemporaries but still managed to hugely impress those lucky enough to hear them.

They have now roused themselves from their six year slumber and produced a hefty piece of work in The Crash & The Draw – 11 tracks, 75 minutes of music.

Well, there’s a lot going on here. Minsk certainly don’t lack for either ambition or talent. This is an album of moods and atmospheres. In the best Post-Metal tradition they know how to build you up and then knock you down.

Psychedelic, Progressive and heavily percussive elements work alongside the crushing guitars and expansive sense of space that the band create.

Emotionally these tracks take in pretty much everything, from the beautiful to the nightmarish, sometimes even in the same song.

The songs are varied, multi-textured and rich with evocative and emotive soundscapes. There’s a lot of depth and nuance to these compositions and it takes a good few spins to fully grasp what’s going on here in some instances.

Much like Nero Di Marte‘s latest work, The Crash & The Draw seems to build upon itself with each listen until the music acts like waves, reinforcing itself so that eventually it just drowns everything else out and you truly begin to wonder how you ever thought there was anything else.

This is truly an album of wonders and otherworldly journeys.

What’s stopping you from listening to this right now?

Lucifer’s Fall – Lucifer’s Fall (Review)

Lucifer’s Fall are from Australia and play Doom Metal. This is their début album.

For fans of Reverend Bizarre, Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard; this is Traditional Doom Metal with a small nod to modern Doom, just enough to give it a dark edge.

With an audible bass that makes a valuable contribution, it falls to the bass and drums to provide a firm foundation on which the lazy rhythm guitar is built whilst the lead guitar sets off in hopeful exploration.

The vocals are as you would expect for this style; loose, mournful and performed with enough character to warrant attention.

The songs are classically composed and written with a true love of the genre. All of the requisite parts of a Traditional Doom Metal band are in place, with Reverend Bizarre in particular seemingly deserving of special reverence.

If you are on the fence with this kind of style or have just had your fill then you probably won’t especially take to Lucifer’s Fall. If you still have more room for another band like this in your collection though, then give this a listen and see what you think.

Lying Figures – A World of My Own (Review)

Lying Figures are a Death/Doom band from France and this is their second EP.

Funereal riffs and Doom melodies are a firm basis of these songs. The winding melodies and dirge workouts pervade the EP like a miasma of misery.

Screaming and growling vocals are used alongside sorrowful cleans to provide a multitude of vocal textures, including a Gothic feeling from the cleans.

The overall feeling is of a band taking the Death/Doom formula and updating for the modern era; whilst it is recognisable as Death/Doom, the band have tinkered with the style enough so that it has a contemporary feel to it.

The songs provide a relatively laid back take on the genre as well, even when the harsh screams and growls are taken into consideration. It’s Doom Metal easy listening, but in a good way. The aggression that they have is contained and channelled appropriately and the songs benefit from this focus of intent.

Lying Figures take elements of bands such as Amorphis, Moonspell, My Dying Bride and Katatonia and fuse them into their own work. Suffice to say, if you like the aforementioned bands I imagine you’ll like this too.

This is an enjoyable EP that bodes well for the future of the band. Let’s see what they do next.

Ufomammut – Ecate (Review)

Ufomammut are from Italy and play Doom Metal. This is their seventh album.

Ufomammut create confident, exploratory Doom that builds atmosphere in the best tradition of Neurosis, Yob and the like.

This is music that’s both heavy and nuanced, having the instant appeal to draw you in and the depth of longevity to last.

Ufomammut are undoubtedly heavy, but they also have their considered side. The songs are mature and well-written works of contemporary, otherworldly Doom that take you on a journey through waters uncharted.

I like that the band incorporate psychedelic influences into their sound without diluting the core nature of their Doom Metal aesthetic. Strange sounds and effects enhance the delivery of the tracks, giving the listener even more to bite into.

The vocals are low-key affairs in some ways, almost lost in the barrage of apocalyptic riffs and thundering, winding drumming. They’re used less as vocals in their own right and more as another weapon in their musical arsenal, merging with the music at a cellular level.

I’m always a fan of songs where the bass makes a noticeable difference to the performance and Ecate uses the bass wisely. It sounds good and works well across these tracks.

After this many releases Ufomammut clearly know what they’re doing and Ecate is yet another top album of quality Doom. If anything, this is a step forward for the band as Ecate really is pretty damn good.