November is Doom- Down : "Volume V"

 

The Phil Anselmo-fronted stoner metal band is backc again. With what is actually their fourth full-length, though they consider two eps they released to be an entire album. They could have called this "Volume 4" for obvious reasons so here we are with the guys from COC, Crowbar, and Eyehategod along for the ride. It opens with the kind of fuzzed-out thunder and big riffs you expect from these guys.  Phil has a little more grit to his voice this time around, but shows he can still sing if he needs to. 

Of course, the song I was most curious about was "Merciful Fate" which features an appearance by both King Diamond and his wife, Livia. A bass line leads into this, and it carries more of a 70s touch than you might expect, though with a touch of atmospheric darkness. King lays a ghostly falsetto to haunt the corners as he cries out. Aside from this, they did not change much to accommodate this concept. It wanders off into a more smoke-laden jam. There is a more Clutch vibe to it. Phil is smart to stay in his lane and not try to match the King, since he is far from the days when he couldd get up there.

"Turn out the Light" has a bit more boogie in its beat. The vocals are well produced, with layers that stand out in the more sung sections where he breaks from the belt a bit.  The lyrics are a little obtuse at times. "The Message" has the most Sabbath-inspired riff thus far. The chug in the verse is pretty cool. "Causeway Grief" is a little darker. There is a more melodic approach to this one. It is the doomiest song so far. 'The Blood Oath" is another song that finds shadows replacing the boogie, and feels more likea Crowbar riff driving it. 

Even a rocker like "They Walk the Night" goes off into a more surreal bluesy passage before they jam out into the guitar solos. Their Ozzy tribute "Ozz" is in the vein of "Planet Caravan".  There seem to be infinite layers of vocals here, but Phil knows he has to sing his ass off. "Twice Told Tales" is the least focused song on the album, but it's better than what most bands can do on their best day. I will round this one up to a 10 as the strongest songs balance it out. It drops November 20th on Nuclear Blast. 

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November is Doom- Silvertomb : "The Interpretation Of Nightmares"

 Kenny and Johnny from Type O Negative are back with this project, which moves in a more surreal doom direction than their last project, Sun Don't Shine, which has a grungier Sabbath feel. This is clsoer to what they used to do, with a hint of psychedelic haze, as the melodies unfold on "Grave in the Sky". The way the melody coasts has more in common with solo Ozzy than Sabbath. They are obviously aware of the resurgence in popularity Type O is having that surpasses where they were when Peter was alive, but unlike Acid Bath, it's a more complex problem than just getting back together, though this band seems like a clearer launching point for those thoughts.

 Not that I need them to try a reunion without Peter. In fact, that is a horrible idea. Just carrying the green flame is enough. "You Know" does that and reminds you how much of a vocal contribution Kenny made to the band backc in the day. It kinda of drifts and drones but works to set up "Prayer for the Paranoid," which also recaptures the more surreal side of their former glory and crafts it into something new. "Distorted" takes this sound in a doomier, more depressive direction. A little more of a Sabbath influence creeps in as Hickey's vocals whine in an Ozzy direction. 

There is a more gripping 90s metal groove to "No Way to Live' as he belts it out with a more powerful, higher, piercing tone. When it slows down, things take on a more Soundgarden quality. I will give this album a 10 it captures the spirit of where they came from in a manner that honors the legacy rather than digging it up to rehash it, and comes at what Type O did from another angle that feels natural for these guys. 

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November is Doom-Trouble : "the Skull"

 

Things evolved on the second album thanks to a more produced sound and darker sounds coming from the vocals and riffs. This album helped them step into their own identity, rather than the first album that was tied clsoer to the status quo for non-Slayer-clad metal. This was very much going away from the mainstream at the time, as Mötley Crüe was the peak commercial ideal, and this was everything they were not, nor was it as big and bombastic as what Maiden was doing. "Fear No Evil" is closer to the Judas Priest brand of metal than not.

" The Wush" is more melodic. It allows you to hear a different side of Wagner's voice. If you are into guitar solos, there is a pretty classy one for metal here: "The Truth Is What It Is" carries a gallop, driving it. They pack a bunch of riffs and tempo changes into it. "Wickedness of Man " has a solid bass line and drumming keeping things moving, almost like a less punk version of "Wrathchild." The sorrowful mood of doom creeps in as the song progresses to put them solidly in their sweet spot as a band at this point in time. . 

"Gideon" is the first song that feels like filler, as it cocme across like it's too middle-of-the-road for me. The title track is pretty strong. It is darker and more melodic. They shed most of the metal tropes to show you more of who they are. It does build up into something more metallic but it is the way it's done that works. I will round this one up to a 10, the production helped to fully realize their sound. 

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November is Doom- Queens of the Stone Age :"Perfecth"

 

Obviously, when you were in Kyuss it didn't matter if your band now sounds more like the Rolling Stones; you qualify for doom month, as it's just very refined stoner rock going down here. The albums do start off on a more melancholy tone with the opening track before going into the more almost David Bowie-like grooves of "Insignificant Other". It's not Homme doing a Bowie impersonation, but they are just kinda working of the same funky cocaine sex vibes. Though when he said he cut out the hard stuff, I am guess he means cocaine. They raised the bar for themselves with this song, so they are really going to need to show out to top it or even measure up.

"Where the Goth Girls at" is a weird, angular song that is going to take some time to grow on me. Then things get even weirder for "Mono". The sing-song vocal layring being the biggest culprit , but the lazy river feel of the song has a odd cadance. It's like late 70s psychedelic. The production on this album is pretty perfect., perhaps that is what the title refers to. "From the Cliff" is an odd folk song. It sounds like he is still smoking pot. "Monday" finds them bringing the Thin White Funk back. It's intersting how the music is happier than the vocals; this works for me. It also has the closest riff to metal that they have leaned toward so far.

"Wasy Street" finds them drifting more toward "Hunky Dory" era Bowie. "Phantom Limb" finds them back to a lazy strum that mixes the 70s with 90s alternative feelings. The chorus does not really pop but works well enough, though ti feels a little like a Foo Fighters' ballad.  "Run Away From the Mob" finds the drums picking up the tempo from the previous before they build into cosmic 70s rock. There is a tension, but it does not really rock out nor are they intending to Though they do end this song with more of a bang  , it's a T-Rex-style bang-a-gong, so get it on. I will give this one a 9.5 for now and see how it grows on me if you are wanting an album that they rock out on this is not, but they are making songs for you to drift off to in a haze of bong smoke.

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Cro-Mags : "40 Years of Quarrel"

 It's been 40 years since "Age of Quarrel" was released; rather than bring John Joseph and Parris Mayhew back to mend the fences and have a reunion, Harley is just going to re-record the entire album with his vocals and bring a few guests. To his credit, his voice sounds great. He did the John songs well back when I saw them on the "Best Wishes" tour back in the day."Malfunction" is the first song where there is a more noticeable difference, granted he has been playing these songs for 40 years no matter who has been in the band, 

The recording is the difference between "Alpha Omega" and the original Quarrel.  The more refined production makes it sound more metal. "Street Justice" turns into a thrash song. It was half way there already, but I'm not sure thealbum needed to be re-recorded. I am glad Harley is still out there representing, and ya gotta keep your momentum and pay the rent somehow. These songs are great in any version; if I had to own one harcore album, this would be it. Is the appearance of Meg from Turnstile really going to open doors to their legacy, not likely. 

The more sung vocals on "Seekers of the Truth" work well, but the vocals feel more like Mötley Crüe here. Rocky George and Authur from Rise Against did not help in this regard. It is one of my favorite songs by these guys, as it is one of the more metal ones from this album, so I can't complain. If I did not know Meg was on "It's the Limit," I would have never known, aside from a change in the guitar tone. At the end of the these songs are iconic no matter whose version they are. However, it is hard to fuck with the original; this album at least honors the legacy.

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November is Doom- Stricken : "From Dark Dimensions An Unspeakable Presence Awakens"

 The Second album from this Seattle-based band. The opening track is dark as hell, so that pleases my ears. It is sludge, but on the doom side of the genre, based on the grim trudge into the opening track when they start gaining traction and build into a stormy chug. The drummer from Lair of the Minotaur bangs the kit on this one. The vocals have a crazed Neurosis like howl. It is hard to play in that sonic zip code when the sludge father themselves released an album this year. It chugs and gallops its way into a more conventional metal attack.

They bring in blast beats going into the second song as some of the more blackened elements are introduced. They slow it down into the more brooding lurch of sludge riffs, that eventual deconstuct into a creep. There are some cool, catchy riffs that help color it. The vocals are more shouted.It's the swing in the slow gallop of "Moonless' that brings a black metal feel; the rest is pretty rooted in sludge, though the drums can be bombastic at times. Some of the verse riffs they really milk for all they are worth. It does slow into a marginally more moody section. 

There is a doomier touch to "Touch of Corruption". It is more deliberate but not a huge shift in the color of sonics employed.  Some of the chords introduced carry a more haunting fele that works well. The vocals are a one-dimensional lumberjack shout. The half-time riff introduced at the five-and-a-half-minute mark is the songs best. The last song opens with a depressive riff that you know if going to build into something with more brutish sludge factor, but they fake you and keep things dismal. This swells into a more doom-focused section that stirs the sonic soup. I will give this album a 9, it might not be the msot original sludge album of the year, but it is well done. 

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November is Doom - Dream Unending : "Certain Uncertainties"

This project's last album took the number one spot on the 2022 Top 10 Doom Albums list, so the bar is pretty high here. It opens with more emphasis placed on the progressive nature of what they do. The more cavernous side of death doom is introduced a couple of minutes in, with an angular riff twisting into form. Once again, this album is offering some stellar guitar work that marked the previous release. The jamming is tasteful and does not wander much, keeping the 8 minutes of the song moving well. "Certain Uncertainties" carries a jazzy feel with touches of Pink Floyd in its second-hand smoke.  

"Strained Sincerity' finds them firmly back in metal. Though they are not playing it safe. There is some intersting layering in this stunning mix. Jazz guitar sits against metal chugs. Much more technical than what you expect from this sub-genre. "Rubato" has a steamy jazz creep. You never say 'Wait, but this is not metal" because they are doing what they do so well; it just boils down to good music being good music. If you are a guitar player or just love great guitar playing, this song is a must. 

"I Carry Your Burden' takes things out into a King Crimson-like place. While it's not a total deal-breaker, they have jumped the shark a little here with this one. The 11-minute "Causal" wanders in its wizardry. They are great musicians, but it is about blance which, up to  'Rubato," is maintained in a manner that allows melody and purpose to coexist with their display of chops. It takes about five minutes for the metal to develop. The metal moments ground them; jazz leads them to believe a song has no boundaries. Not the most focused album, but impressive and well done I will give it a 9.5, even though the jazz takes over at times.If  you want a progressive death doom album heavy on the jazz, this is it. 

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