January has seen somewhat of a slow start to the year for metal releases. Despite this, there have still been some that are well worth your attention. Have a look at the gems below and let me know which ones sound the best to you… Continue reading
Yatra are a doom band from the US and this is their debut album.
Now here we have an album that’s infused with darkness; it’s almost tangible, but in a warm, smoky way. Mixing ugly doom, riff-hungry stoner, blackened sludge, and harsh drone influences into 45 minutes of material, Death Ritual showcases the dark underbelly of doom metal. Continue reading
This is the second album from Sadhus “The Smoking Community”, a sludge metal band from Greece.
After enjoying their 2016 split with Agnes Vein, this is my first chance to get to grips with a Sadhus “The Smoking Community” full length album. Big Fish gives us 34 minutes of smoky heaviness and savage stoner doom sludge. Continue reading
This is the debut album from Barbarian Hermit, a stoner/sludge metal band from the UK.
With a thick, heavy sound, Barbarian Hermit explode out of the speakers with big riffs and a forceful presence. No messing around, no stupid intros, just straight into the good stuff. Just as I like it. Continue reading
This is the eighth album from High on Fire, a US stoner/sludge metal band.
Dark and heavy, Electric Messiah will crush you as soon as you get near it. With thick, weighty grooves and plenty of punishing speed, this is an album of sludgy energy and elemental power.
This is the debut EP from UK stoner rock band Ghozer.
Here we have 21 minutes of enjoyable stoner fuzz. It’s charismatic and direct, while still boasting a decent amount of depth and atmosphere. Continue reading
Skullcave are a progressive doom band from Australia and this is their debut album.
I was drawn to this album by the enigmatic album cover, and then reeled in by the description of the music – “an ambitious, qualitative blend of thick doom, dreamy instrumentals and layered vocals.” Continue reading
Forming the Void are a progressive stoner/sludge doom band from the US. This is their fourth album.
After enjoying Forming the Void’s split with Pyreship, I was eager to hear more from the band. Thankfully, that desire has been catered to in the form of Rift; 46 minutes of new material for me to wrap my ears around. Continue reading
This is the third album from Arcticcircle, a Canadian metal band.
This is my first encounter with this band. Apparently they have a black/thrash metal background, but this newest album is essentially 25 minutes of something quite different. Think along the lines of an Continue reading
Ancestors are a progressive doom band from the US and this is their fourth album.
Ancestors’ music has a base of traditional doom metal, which they then build on with progressive, psychedelic, stoner, and post-rock elements. Continue reading
