Herem are a sludge metal band from Finland. This is their third album.
Ahh, heavy, sludgy doom. Always a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Deep deathgrowls are backed up by serrated screams; both are very ably performed and both get the job done nicely. The singer’s voice Continue reading “Herem – III (Review)”
This is the second album from Season of Arrows, a doom/stoner metal band from the US.
This is an album that combines retro/70s doom metal stylings with a more contemporary stoner rock vibe.
The songs on this release merge the various influences of the band effectively, creating tracks that not only worship at the altars of old-school doom and more recent stoner, but also give nods towards post-metal and atmospheric metal in places too. Continue reading “Season of Arrows – Give It to the Mountain (Review)”
This is the début album from this US Southern/stoner metal band.
This is a riotous, rocking collection of tracks that offer high energy hooks and a filthy disposition.
Barkyard Junkyard is full of hard rocking tunes with plenty of swagger Continue reading “Thundering Herd – Backyard Junkyard (Review)”
This is the third album from Brazilian Sludge/Stoner Metal band Monster Coyote.
With a colossal and crushing sound, Neckbreaker holds nothing back. The album is aptly named, let’s just say that.
Living in the same hinterland between styles that is inhabited by bands such as Ilsa, Serpent Eater, Northless, Colombian Necktie and the like, Monster Coyote play heavy, nasty music that’s too upbeat to be Doom, too gnarly to be pure Metal, and too rocking to be Death Metal. It’s somewhat how you might imagine Mastodon would sound if they had fallen in love with heavier, nastier music after their first release, or maybe Clutch if they developed a love of Sludge Metal.
The singer has a formidable roar that doesn’t let up. His caustic, gruff tones are a joy to listen to as the music rumbles and chugs its way through the 40 minutes of playing time.
The music is all about the crushing riffs and relentlessly aggressive heaviness. What separates them from some of their peers though is that instead of fusing this with Doom or Hardcore, they instead choose to fuse it with a Stoner Rock sensibility that means these tracks are all endowed with high energy and furious vitality.
The band know their stuff when it comes to playing and some of the longer tracks give them ample opportunity to develop their art. The drums in particular are a really satisfying listen, all rolls and pounding beats.
Emotive without being weak and strong without being brutish, Neckbreaker is the perfect recommendation for anyone into heavy, aggressive music that knows how to rock the fuck out.
Highly recommended.
This is the sixth album by Swedish Stoner Rock band Greenleaf.
Boasting the kind of album cover that you could lose hours staring at, Greenleaf return with 44 minutes of retro-themed Stoner Rock that’s as easy-going and as compelling as ever.
With a warm, well-rounded sound, Rise Above the Meadow is a very easy album to get along with. The band’s personalities seem to seep from every note and the songs effortlessly send out emotive vibes in a retro-friendly fashion that’s sure to light up many a classic Rock-fan’s eyes.
The singer’s anthemic, charismatic voice resonates with relaxed power and presence, complementing the analogue warmth of the music. Hearty melodies and hummable tunes are in abundance and the band really don’t sound like they’re native to 2016 in many ways.
There are so many good riffs on this album and the band are in no short supply of melodies and evocative catchy sections either.
This is good stuff. For someone who mainly listens to much more extreme music, I sometimes have to be in the mood for this kind of release. However, like a lot of things, when you press play and let the music comfortably roll out of the speakers, it’s all very nice indeed.
Somewhere between The Sword, Clutch, Rival Sons, and even The Beatles in places.
Top work.
Ecstatic Vision are from the US and play Psychedelic Rock. This is their début album.
Ecstatic Vision play music that combines elements of Stoner Rock with 70s Psychedelia and Progressive influences.
The music has the drugged-out aura of an older time, where music seemed purer and bands experimented in more than one way.
This is a guitar-oriented release with lots of riffs, solos and leads. In addition to this we get dreamy organ, throbbing bass and understated-yet-crucial drums.
A decent enough description would be somewhere between Hawkwind and Acid Mothers Temple. The songs easily take on a life of their own during their exploratory ramblings. It remains cohesive though and although you wouldn’t necessarily be in the mood to listen to this type of thing every day, when you are it really, really hits the spot.
Listen and absorb; open the doors of perception and visit other layers of consciousness.
XII Boar are from the UK and this is their début album. They play Stoner Rock/Metal.
This is gritty, Metallic Rock ‘N’ Roll in the vein of Orange Goblin that will find a nice home in the hands of fans of Corrosion of Conformity, Down, Lord Dying, Crowbar, High on Fire, Apostle of Solitude, etc.
XII Boar play feel-good music with an earthy, raw quality. The singer is full of charisma and attitude, as is the band as a whole really.
The songs are catchy and memorable slabs of rocking distortion and hot guitar licks.
It’s an easily identifiable style but the band play with such passion and conviction it’s easy to get swept up in their enthusiasm. The NOLA influence is apparent in their riffs but this has been filtered through the UK and Orange Goblin’s legacy is definitely felt in XII Boar’s style.
Pitworthy is an enjoyable album with a good sound and belligerent swagger. Have a listen.
Half Gramme of Soma are from Greece and play Hard/Stoner Rock. This is their latest EP, their second release.
Half Gramme Of Soma have a sound that rolls out of the speakers with earthen grit and a confident gait.
This EP has a warm sound that makes the guitars come alive with a glorious fuzziness. The production is top notch and thankfully the songs match the sonic quality levels.
The singer’s voice is all gravel and character. He has a powerful voice that’s like a slightly dirtier version of the singer of Disturbed. It sounds great and the performance level is always high.
These songs speak of a confident band who know what they want to do and know exactly how to go about achieving their goals. These are very mature compositions that may sit neatly in the Stoner Rock genre but also borrow from others, such as Hard Rock, Modern Metal and Doom.
This refusal to play entirely by the Stoner template works entirely in their favour and as such Marche au Noir has a lot of different flavours across its 5 tracks. From the upbeat opener Marche, to the jaunty/doomy juxtaposition of Hitch Hike and the crowning centrepiece Cage, this EP has more to offer in 5 songs than most bands of this ilk do in 10.
Marche au Noir is a decent length EP at 25 minutes that showcases the band’s ample talents.
Definitely a recommended listen.
Sativa are from Bulgaria and this is their latest release. They play instrumental Post-Rock.
This is winding Post-Rock with a nice Progressive Rock edge to their sound. There’s also some Psychedelia and Stoner elements to their sound that essentially mean 100 Years After Never is a very relaxing, easy listen that washes over you like a rippling tide.
That’s not to say it’s all calm sailing as the band ramp it up a bit when they need to, but there’s no real heavy aggression here or anything of that sort.
Ethereal Post-Rock guitar blends with down-to-earth bass to create a listening experience that’s tranquil and charged at the same time. Sativa do well in this combination of beauty and gritty realism and the songs on this EP are nicely judged.
With the Stoner connection it’s the usual thing to make lots of comparisons to deserts, etc. but the reality is that Sativa have got somewhat of a watery vibe going on in some ways. This is especially strong on track 3, which gives the distinct impression of bubbles…
Maybe it’s just me, but I can hear it, I swear…
Overall this is a neat little EP that hits more times than it misses.
Recommended.
Karma to Burn are from the US and this is their sixth album. They play instrumental Stoner Rock.
Karma to Burn are one of those bands that I’ve been aware of ever since they first came out, but for some reason I’ve never actually heard them. As such, Arch Stanton is my first experience of them.
This is riff-heavy Stoner that is not lessened by the lack of vocals. If anything it improves things as it allows both the band and the listener to concentrate on the music exclusively.
Karma to Burn have an ability to write relatively straightforward Stoner songs that have a good energy and vibrancy to them. They quickly capture the listener’s attention with their riffcraft and easily hold it with emotive fretwork and enjoyable, easy-to-digest songwriting.
The album’s just under 38 minutes long and the playtime just melts away as the band do their thing and the listener gets drawn in.
A thoroughly enjoyable romp through the land of the riff.
Wonderbox Metal 