Reverend Bizarre – Page 2 – Wonderbox Metal

Cardinals Folly – Our Cult Continues! (Review)

Cardinals Folly are from Finland and this is their second album of Traditional Doom Metal.

Trading in the type of Traditional Doom from the likes of Reverend Bizarre and 40 Watt Sun, they mix this blueprint with a bit of character and personality, Cathedral-style.

Cardinals Folly start the album off with a nice slow burner of a song Chant of Shadows before moving into Morbid Glory which introduces us proper to the band’s fuzzy, Old-School style.

Laid back vocals soar over the top of groovy drums and melodic guitar before settling into a nice riff; the theme may be familiar to Traditional Doom fans but the important thing is that Cardinals Folly know their stuff and the songs are enjoyable.

Sometimes the band hit upon a particularly hypnotic piece of dirge and I find myself staring into nothingness, just losing myself in the song and forgetting what I was doing.

Wait, what was I saying?

There is also somewhat of a Black Metal tinge to some of this. It’s probably not intentional, but the slightly scuzzy sound combined with some particular riffs…it’s just a shade of Black but it adds a nice feeling to the tracks when it shows.

This is an album to absorb as a whole; to let it seep and wash over you in waves of Doom.

Djinn and Miskatonic – Forever in the Realm (Review)

Stylish Doom with a real funeral feel; you can almost touch the misery in every sorrowful chord.

Vocals alternate between mournful, doleful cleans and coarser, Old-School Death Metal-style rough barks.

The music is Doom through and through, but quite varied in that it takes elements of Doom’s various sub-genres, (Doom Metal, Sludge, Death Doom, Stoner, etc.), and packages them neatly into 43 minutes. They’re not afraid to unleash a big box of groove now and again either; Book of the Fallen in particular sports a riff to rock out to that any Black Sabbath fan would be happy to hear.

Vulcan’s Forge appears to be all about alcohol; not only does this successfully recreate a really boozy atmosphere but it also boasts a great bass line and sound.

The crowning glory of the album has to be the final song Weird Tales which is a 17 minute enthralling epic. It starts with a lonely bass line that Reverend Bizarre would be proud to have written, and builds up from there; adding drums first and slowly bringing in everything else.

Forever in the Realm makes its mark on the listener in both the short term and the long term. There are parts of these songs that are instantly memorable, and others that seep into your consciousness over time.

As a début album this is certainly an impressive release and one that holds many treasures for even a seasoned Doom fan.

Get drunk and play loud.

Countess – Sermons of the Infidel (Review)

Whoa! When the first track Hymn to the Gods of Yore starts you immediately sit up and take notice! This veteran Black Metal band from the Netherlands know how to make an entrance!

This is an insanely catchy release, especially for this genre. There’s a strong Old-School, NWOBHM feel to a lot of the riffs and the songs in general; combined with the raspy vocals and the heavy keyboards the songs just melt in your mouth and saturate the brain.

There is a simplicity of songwriting to these songs that is a testament to how good they are – no nonsense or filler, just pure Metal. It puts me in mind of what Reverend Bizarre might sound like if they worshipped at the altar of, (NWOBHM-influenced), Black Metal instead of Doom. Maybe some form of unholy mix of Reverend Bizarre and Sigh…? Maybe with a dash of The Meads of Asphodel…? Hmm…Either way it’s straightforward, but well-written and effective. And massively fun and satisfying.

The vocals are highly distinctive; Black Metal they may be but they seem to be competing for the role of the Devils Own Croak. Very good show!

I can’t help but listen to this and smile. It’s near-impossible not to. If you include this as part of some random playlist you’ll notice that Countess stand out straight away. The band may have been around for over two decades now but they’re still a much-needed force to reckon with. Give them a listen and prepare to be hooked.