November Doom - Hippie Death Cult : "111"

The key selling point of this band to me is their singer,This guy is fucking outstanding as  he encompasses a great deal of dynamic range while retaining a bluesy sound. Phil in Down could be a fair comparison, though this guys can back off into a smoother rock sound. Not saying that Phil can not do that, this is just not as a overtly metal sound having more in common with Thin Lizzy though with more colors to his voice.  The first song is more Sabbath like with "Unborn' going off into Deep Purple tinged prog. They go off more into jams here. "Pigs" is more of a boogie. Yes, Sabbath has moments like these and those are not doom either.  It is not until the middle of the song the singer gets to use something other than a whiskey tinged blues belt.

"Treehugger" is more melodic and give him room to open up and sing again. There are the Sabbath like riffs as well , so they can do this without turning their backs on their heavier side. The bass cuts through on this one and is Geezer influenced in that is remains melodic without following the guitar parts. The vocals have a call and response dynamic with themselves. The singer also lets out some harsher Pantera like screams . The last song things get much more Sabbath like, leaning into the heavier side. The melodic section three minutes in reminds me of how Sabbath uses a similar dynamic on songs like "Fairies Wear Boots'.  The vocals are not allowed as much singing room, but do keep from falling until just a straightforward belting. They guitar also has more of a a metallic attack, reminding more of Sabbath's "Born Again" album than the Ozzy years. The Pantera screaming becomes a thing again as the song builds.

The last song and perhaps the second song are the only two that fall under more conventional realms. There plenty of things like guitar solos to keep most metal heads happy. There is more proto metal to the riffing, the singer is what really sets these guys apart . Sure there is a little Ian Gillan to his voice at times, but that is better than another half ass Ozzy imitator.This album is a solid 9. Will be searching for a down load of it for sure.

November Doom - "Kook :"II"

Their is some buzz about their fuzz. While this album does sound great. It's warm and organic. I am less concerned with what pedals they play with and more interested in the songs, which also happened to be pretty fucking kicking as well. The are not the slowest or darkest doom. There is more Cream and MC5 influence than Sabbath, at least on the first song. I like the way their singer croons. Yes there effects on pretty much everything. It sometime could pass as rock n roll ,though it is still heavy even when doing that. "Chains" gets more blues oriented. This does not mean the song is any less dark or gritty because of this. It might be even ore brooding and sinister. The vocals make me think a little of the Melvins. Dynamically it shifts into some thing that borders close to metal. The dragging blues feel to things  makes it feel doomy without being metal.

"Left Behind " retains that blues coating . This song takes them in a darker direction than they were already, this is given a edge with a lower almost growled vocal in places. "Human Container" makes even more of an argument in the direction of doom, as the dreary bass line drives it slowly allowing the warbling vocals room to do their thing.  It has more of a groove than some of the previous songs. "Frequency 8" is like if King Dude wrote a song for the Melvins to jam with the Stooges on.

The last song "Chased By Monsters' is even more crazy. The vocals rant and rave a little more. There is still a Melvins like thing going on here. It gets more metallic when it builds up tempo by the end of the song.  I will round this down to a 9, as it's not catchy, it is dark and I like the vibes . I will have to see if this grows on me, but even as is this album was a lot of fun. It is on the noise rock punk tinged side of doom, but that works too.

November Doom - Slow : " Vi Dantalion"

When I first started reviewing this album I had vowed that this along with  Profetus would be the will be the only crushing funeral doom album I cover with this kind of gurgle vocal, where the dense slabs of dark guitar seek to bury you rather than really write a formal song.  There have been others . Some better than others. It is a case of a sound being more prevalent than the writing of songs  that  that could work in small doses.  I say this about many extremely heavy band, you might wow me with the first song off the sheer heaviness of what you are doing but after that I am going to ask, "But can  You write a song?" The main shift is in the passing dynamics that are allowed to soar into a grandiose place with a huge sound. This band from Belgium is great at big sounds.

By the time we get to the 3rd song everything is sounding the same to me. The vocals sound like they are being scraped from the back of his throat. Going into the 4th song after taking a break from this album, I am returning with fresher ears. The piano part does break it up, Much like the Mesmur album I also reviewed today, when they do these kinds of break downs I think this would be better served as the intro to a new song. Granted this does bring the contrast to make it feel like the punch back in is heavier. The first powerful riff that resonates with me is the march of "Lacune". It does pick up the pace, but I think that is the change this album needed as it does not sacrifice any of the ominous mood.

"Incendiarie" goes to some beautiful places that pulls them from the standard crushing drone. It almost reminds me more of symphonic death metal. The last 'song" is a symphonic ambient outro. It has some great moments and it's a band I wish they were more song focused and less into the sound. It sounds great but falls into the pit fall of the genre . If you however are really into atmospheric funeral doom you might dig it.

November Doom -Mesmur : 'Terrene"

I like the angular edge this disjointed and dissonant guitar sound invoke in the first. The vocals are the kind of gurgle you expect.  This is the band's third album. The first two flew under the radar. I am beginning to see a trend in this genre where the drums are mixed low and now given enough balls. Otherwise the production is great. At the ten minute mark this could have just been another song rather than forcing this one to be 16 minutes, it is not like it really adhere to the song 's theme aside from slow and heavy once coming out of the melodic break. I am all for dynamics as long as they are smooth and natural.

At 11 minutes "Babylon" is more conservative in it's sprawl. It is maybe a few bpms more up tempo, but only a handful if that. There is a flute in the layers of guitar. The growls do have a form and function and are not relying on the guitars to survive. The problem occurs at "Eschaton" which in it's own right is a decent song with some interesting sections and a cool melodic part at the 9 minute mark, however as a whole this album becomes a atmospheric lull that drones together . It was not until I was at said cool melodic part 9 minutes in that I looked up from my computer so see we were at a new song. When I went back and listened to it again I heard that this is one of the album's strongest songs. Ok of the four.

The last sogn is more like the first in the angular guitar riffs that do not connect but still managed the odd flow. I think stronger drum mix would benefit moments like these. When the more straight forward doo metal guitar lumbers up from it's pit to take over the sogn pretty much finds them falling in line with all the other funeral doom I have heard over the years that keeps the unhappy medium and follow the herd rather than the greats like Lycus or Evoken who reach for something grander. I will give this one 8. This is better than most.  A solid effort that will please fans of the genre. This places these guys on the second tier and not on the same footing as the Esoterics or Mournful Congregations of the world.
 

November Doom - Adversvm : "Dysangelion"

This German band takes an interesting route with funeral doom. The fact that these guys might not create the most mournfully melancholy music is counter balanced by them being  dark as fuck. More dissonance than most funeral doom. There is something ugly beneath the surface of their sound. The vocals are largely in a low guttural growl with the some whispered moments. I like the fact they can still allow the song to move and do not have to creep along . The guitars are not as refined, in fact their is something a little rough around the edges. Te drums might have the rawest sound .Some of the guitar layers are more refined. They are more focused on songs than a sound, aside from capturing the sound of the genre as a whole.

There more spoken vocals on "Fire Tongues Sermon" . The guitar solos are a mixed bag .There are some zany Slayer like moments in them. There is an interesting atmosphere to both their sound and songs. Sound as in how they perform it , and songs as in how they use what they perform. I do like their sue of guitar solos. Sometimes it feels like the double bass might be more of a default.  The longest song is the 11 minute "Paradigms Beneath the Malefactor". Which for funeral doom, is a pretty respectable length. There is one almost four minute interlude that sound effects and whispering. The drums could stand to come up way further in the mix on " On the Eucharist it Shines" . The more croaked vocals become more of a thing. The song after this seemed like an extension of this one until maybe mid way into it. It does have one of the better guitar solos for what that is worth .

Does this album sometimes slip into a sound and the songs become hard to tell apart, yes though thi is the exception to the rule . There are many reoccurring themes sonically, double bass and whispered vocals being two of the most frequent offenders. Could this album have used some more love in the mix? Yes But what sets this album apart from many of the other extreme metal release I come across on any given day , is how the guitars are layered and how it breaks the rules when it comes to funeral doom and it works rather than just playing it safe, for that reason I will give this album an 8.5 , just released on Moribund Records.

November Doom- Green Lung : "Woodland Rites"

This British doom band worships the green that taints their lungs by name alone. They have been getting some buzz, that is only going to be fueled further as their name begins surfacing on end of the year lists. The balance between Sabbath worship and having their won sound is for the most part achieved. The vocals are in more of an Ozzy direction. Some of the riffs take a page from "Masters of  reality" There is a great deal of authority in how they crash down into the riff of "Let the Devil In". The bring other influences to the table here . Most noted would be Deep Purple and Jethro Tull. The Deep Purple being the more obvious of the two. The organ plays a larger role "the Ritual Tree" It turns int oa more grandiose metal jamd that Uriah Heap might have had back in the day.

I told like the fact "Templar Dawn" is darker. The vocals have a more nasal tone that makes me think of Electric Wizard. This song is for sure heavier. The vocals get a little more girt here and there. The guitar harmonies are more of a thing as well. "Call of the Coven' is your typical stoner boogie, it's well done but does not open any new doors for the genre of the band .  What does open more doors is the more blue s based balled  "May Queen". Though I think the last song gives his voice more room to open up and sing  in the way it's arranged. It also has a dynamic range allowing it go into a more classic metal build with the necessary guitar solo to accommodate this. Even then it allows itself to back dwon into the last verse. Lyrically it is also the most interesting as soem of the occult themes earlier in the album seem like they are trying to hard.

It might need mroe time to grow on me. The vocals are stronger in some places than others. I like when they take on more of a creepy "Stonehenge" vibe like they do in the first few songs, but the more blues based side of the band gives them more room to open open and shocase a greater range of dynamics that proves for more interesting song writing. I will give this album a 9. It is one of the better stoner doom albums to come out of the bong smoke so far this year. 

.

Liturgy : " H.A,Q.Q"

Hunter is back with something closer to the kind of experimental black metal that you want from this project, even if it comes in practice burst that might owe as much to grind core ... think the Locust here. Greg Fox left some big shoes to fill but Leo Didkovsky, measure's up, Leo also plays with Kayo  Dot. If it was not for his greater use of double bass I might not have even checked to see if this was Greg or not.   This is a much heavier album than 'the Ark Work" . I would never say this band's stuff is dark, but this is aggressive. This is not to say that there are not so odd things like flute sounds that off set this, as there are . I do not think anyone would go into a Liturgy album looking for straight up metal .

The "Exaco" piano interludes are impressive piano playing, but not likely to make it over to my iPod. Weirdness such as harps crop up on the song "Virginity" . The kind of chanted sung vocals he referred to in the past as being influenced by trap rap are really low in the mix and off set by the more dominant screaming.  Their as also weird choral vocals. In short it's a lot to take in. The same could be said about the opener though it feel more familiar.  The first song that connects with me as a song normally would and not just throwing tons of weirdness and pyro at me, is "Pasaqalia". The stringed elements and the metallic syncopation all lock in at all the right places. There are more symphonic elements on this album, which goes to show if you compared this to Dimmu Borgir who could also be symphonic black metal how different those sounds would be. I am not sure I would even call this one a black metal album, avant garde and progressive yes.

"God of Love" finds the harp sounds returning. The screamed vocals are feral and haphazard. Blast beats patter on the chaos. There is a cool melodic section midway into the song. it might be the most melodic moment I have heard from the band , including their bout with trap singing . They also follow this up with plenty of pounding. The title track opens with very odd synths sounds. It gets back to a similar place as the more feral moments of the previous song though there is a tighter almost math rock precision. This album certainly has some strong moments, it is also more spastic than past releases. I will round it up to a 9.

November Doom - Julinko - "Nektar"

This is doom in the same way Chelsea Wolfe touches on it, but even more so and even more depressing. At first I thought this was going to be another person jumping on the Chelsea Wolfe band wagon. There are similarities  after all , it is a woman playing dark heavy music with depressive overtones.  A more doomy version of King Woman might be a more fair comparison. She does go into her head register more so I suppose the ghostly way in which she does this is more like Chelsea.The intent of her much in the dynamic swells seem to be more sonically doom oriented, The production is less dense than say "Abyss". When it gathers steam I can also hear PJ Harvey intentions. Her voice wavers more almost like the singer of Gold. Not intentional hooks in the song writing approach, but more drive than what I would consider drone.

It does get into some  drone . The song 'the Hunt" falls into such. The distorted guitars clunk heavier on the song after wards, but experimentation begins to over shadow songwriting. We get more into sounds. It breaks down to fragile folk, though in Italian everything takes on a more classical feel. It is also the most Chelsea moment so far. "Death and Orpheus" picks up the pace. It would be interesting , but it is another moment that almost sounds too much like Chelsea Wolfe for me. the Guitar sets apart as beign more post- rock. It is more sonic yet minimal. I find myself starting to listen for the moments that do not sound like her or attempt to as those would be more unique. There is more of a pound to "the woods the wheel" . It has more of it's own sound, she is singing in a more ghostly manner but its pretty much  put in a different context. The guitar is a little more post rock in its approach. It is almost more like Brutus in the heavy way it pounds.

Things get more atmospheric for the title track that closes out the album. Midway into the song it takes a darker turn in the plodding beat. The album Jarboe did with Neurosis is a fair place of reference to this album.  I will give this album an 8.5. I like it for what it is , I am not sure how many repeat listens I will get out of it despite noticing that it does seem to grow on me with each listen. Think just off  the influences I listed you can decide if this is something for you. Not the most original , but heading in the right direction,. /

November Doom - Worm : " Gloom Lord"

This album does not come out until next year so this is the shap of doom to come. Production and equipment are never my main concern as they do not write songs. I have complained this years about bands that have sounds but not songs. I think the reverse can be true you can have songs but if you do not have the sound it can be also problematic when it comes to getting the point across. This band has a very thin guitar sound. It might worh for some music , but doom needs to be dense. This band does still have some things going for it. I like how dark they are. I like the creepiness of the part dark parts. I think they will not rise from where they are without spending more time dialing their sound in and getting some old vintage cabs that sound good. It sound like they are in high school running distortion pedsl into a practice amp. Volume is doom's only friend.

By the end of " Rotten Spheres of Sentiment Black" the guitar sound does improve. The vocals sound almost black metal in some place. Typical they are either a Gollum like snarl or a low death metal tone. The drums sound pretty good. The vocals are present in the mix, so why they cut corners on the guitar I am not sure. They are riff machines and look into some pretty cool death metal like chugs. This guys double bass is also on point. Drums are normally where some doom bands get to cut corners because of the tempo they are playing at , but not this guy. The solo on " Apparations of Gloom" make it clear these guys can play their respective instruments. I am not normally one for guitar solos but this one is good.

By the time they get to "Melting into the Necrosphere" the guitar sound fine. Granted on this song they are playing something much closer to death metal than doom. They do return to a more doom oriented sound for the last song. The guitar is creepier like it was earlier in the album. At 11 minutes it's the longest song on the album. There is a great deal of death metal stomp to this one, but it is balanced out with moments of atmosphere. Due to the production of some of this album I will round it down to a 8.5, but it's pretty impressive for a duo.

November Doom- Den : "Iron Desert"

Riding the line of sludge and doom, these guys throw some pretty creative stuff at you, despite the vocals being the kind of coarse bark that more typifies sludge there is enough darkness to their lumber to belong here, though more punk sensibilities to their sound than what you are normally going to find in any kind of doom . The do blast in with varied tempos , but it returns to the lava flow of their normal burning pulse. The verse to the second song is darker and more doomy with the dynamic shift that follows more of an explosive noise rock thing.  Here it's doom colored by more of a Melvins influence. There is more of a dynamic shift here, I like this one better than the opener which was till a pretty solid song.

"Svalbard' is slower and resonates off of the fuzz with an almost analog synth vibe. The vocals are more growled here, but have begun to get a little stale for my tastes as they are a one trick pony.
"Taste of Blood' has more of a back woods boogie set against the more Black Sabbath like pacing. The vocals here are howled more like Black Fl;ag era Rollins. "Bones & Flies' is a great deal darker. It almost has more of a Neurosis feel. The spooky atmospherics are cool as they add a nice dynamic to the album as a whole. The title track that closes the album, has the more coarse husky vocal. The bass is booming a fuzzed out tot he max. I like the tempo they are pounding this one out at as it has a great deal of groove. I begin hearing the hints of the more Rollins like vocal again. The song takes a really unexpected turn somewhere between kraut rock, dungeon synth and tribal drumming its way into more apocalyptic sludge. There is plenty of noise to add angular abrasion.


I really like the sense of dynamics and the more melodic elements these guys use. They are much better than avaerage song writers. My only complaint is the vocals .The get old quick. My hope for them is in the future they employ more vocal colors as it would take their songwriting to the next level I will give this album an 8. This album is being released on Corpseflower Records.      

Abigail Williams :"Walk Beyond the Dark"

A great deal of solid stuff is coming out late in the year. I listened to this album several times today which is a good sign. The first song is well done , but falls along the lines of what you would expect from them , almost more like blackened thrash. I appreciate the lack of reliance on blast beast. The drummer actually plays better when not doing them, From a song writing perspective, which songs are what we care about here, the second song "Sun and Moon" is more well written and has a greater range of dynamics, where the opener is more straight forward. It's both dark and melodic which are two things I always want from music. There are more vocal colors and two and a half minutes in when the blast beasts do come I am fine with them . They have already shown me , they do no need them to do black metal.

"Ever So Bold " has some melody in the guitars, but sounds more in line with your average black metal as it is more blasty.  'Black Waves " is a song that excels at giving me what I want even more so than "Sun and Moon". There are more varied guitar tones and a touch of strings to add elegant atmosphere to the shadows.  Sung vocals also join in. The main screamed vocals are kind of a static one trick pony that could use more range so these touches are needed. Breaking down into the bass line and strings is a wonderful touch. The album can become a tug of war where they fight sounding like every other black metal band. There is a few touches of atmosphere but a song like "Into the Sleep" is largely full blast ahead.  I prefer the darker touch of "Born of Nothing".

After the strings opening the song, it's four and a half minutes before sun vocals come in and things begin to deviate. They go in a more doom direction, with the lower growls echoing off the sustained chords. It's an 11 minute song so there is plenty of time to case around all sorts of ideas. Some art though I feel the previous song does more in less time.It's a pretty solid effort that is easilly given repeat listens I will give this one a 9.

November Doom - Smoulder : "Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring"

This is the time of year when end of the year lists start trickling out and I have  the chance to find bands that flew under the radar and did not catch my ear earlier in the year.  If a band claims  on it's Bnadcamp to be influenced by Solitude Aeturnus the stakes are high. These guys could just be slow power metal or doom for people who like power metal I am hoping for the latter. The production on the drums could be better. It seems the vocals got more love . I like the effects on them, they give her a little more of aggressive edge. Most power metal is too happy for me, but these kids bring it with a darker shadow to their big chugging guitars. The vocals work, though are generally not super hooky, with the opener being the exception to this rule and  one of the album's strongest songs, if not the strongest. I would have been fine with things keeping a Holy Diver level chug.

"Sword Woman" grows on me by the second listen . The chorus is not as strong as the first song, but still works .The thing that could be a sticking point from this band is when the sped up they sound just like all the other bands longing for the 80s. There are a few moshy riffs, but the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make.  The album got off to a good start , but there is something kind of awkward about how " Voyage of the Sunchaser " is written  This feeling comes and goes as the album progresses so I had to take a second listen to the album in order to find the problem.  There is some dynamic ebb and flow. The awkwardness might lie in how they play the more uptempo sections that are more like Paul Dianno era Maiden. After a closer listen the bass playing is kind of clunky and very forward in the mix , this could have been smoothed out in production. 'Shadowy Sisterhood" is better as it's more deliberate and darker. More power metal than not if Iron Maiden is the barometer we are using. It is the next best song after the opener.

 There is something kind of disjointed to "Black God's Kiss" they sound like they could be any local band playing a Saturday night battle of the bands . The riffs are thrown together without telling a cohesive story from which they flow. I will round it down to an 8. They do not suck, but do not belong to be  on  any end of the year lists. Maybe their next album if they get a new bass player . I know i can be a hard sell on this sort of thing since I was around when the bands they are influenced by came out. I can see young kids being impressed, but I did not think Decibel was hiring underage writers.  The argument that they are good for Canadians doesn't work either.

November Doom- Arrowhead - :"Coven of the Snake"

Is this the most original band? No, there is a great deal of retro stoner metal that falls in the rotation of these guys. They are really good at what they do. I hear hear some Think Lizzy influence in how the vocal melodies work, so this is not just Sabbath worship. The guitar tone of this Sydney band  is very much metal and the grooves are aggressive. They are more about getting stoned in a van with all the other heshers and not dark or depressing like doom should be. "All Seeing Eye' is heavier than the opener, though neither song is shabby or taking it easy. They have some commanding gallops on here that will induce heading banging easily.

They get darker and heavier on "Ceremony of the Skull" . Lyrically themes are like bong infused Dungeons and Dragons.  The vocals get more aggressive , not yelling, still holding melody. They are very much riff worshipers which I can appreciate. The first real hint of Sabbath I hear is on "Ghost Ship" , I can also hear some Sound Garden as well. The more deliberate Sabbath rumble is kicked up on "Root of Evil" . It falls some where between blues and grunge.  "Dopanaught" is like a moderately slowed down version of "Paranoid" but with lyrics about  wizards.  The get a much better grip on groove and melody with "March of the Reptiles". The vocals are smooth. The drummer is kicking it pretty hard on this one as well. "Golden Thunder Hawk: works of a more restrained groove. The song end with a really strong riff.

 Despite riffs being their stock and trade, the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make, On "March of the Reptiles" they prove they can write a song. I will round this album up to a 9. I am not sure how many extra listens this one will earn.
Was released back in July on Ripple Music/

     

November Doom- Ecstatic Vision :" For the Masses"

Doom is a color these guys trade in, the other genres they encompass are all next door neighbors to doom, stoner rock & psychedelic so they belong here. They remind me of Monster Magnet more often then not. A little warmer and  more organic sound than Monster Magnet but in the same sonic sphere. They boogie and groove along, often making me wish I did not quit smoking pot as they would sound great high.. "Like a Freak" is pretty straight up rock n roll and too much of a Camaro party to make me want to give it a ton of replays. The vocals are pretty manic, they come forward in the mix where on the previous song they were buried further in the mix.

The title track is mainly trippy noise . It is not until "the Magic Touch" that they actually get back in the business of songs. I appreciate the darker hypnotic atmosphere the song works off of. The slinking bass gives it a slithering groove befitting of the mood This is a common theme of the album for the bass to really set the bass. The bass player must be the main songwriter as it feels like all of the songs are written around the bass line. This is not a complaint as I am more of a bass player than guitarist myself . In fact I think it is the bass and drums that actually makes music heavy and it's the guitars and vocals that make it metal. This also is reason that these guys might not meet the hard and fast definition of metal as the vocals are not aggressive and the guitar is warm and retro owing more to perhaps garage rock than Black Sabbath. On this song it proves this point as the vocals are  lower and ore Tom Waits like it their ranting rasp.

A fuzzed out bass propels the seven minute "Grasping the Void" . The guitar holds a static riff to bring the tension to more of a boil. The vocals take on the throaty sneer that really makes me think of Monster Magnet. I like it's ballsy attitude that adds some heft to some of the other whacked out hippie vibes they have going.I will give this album a 9. As far as the actual songs go the only one that did not fully click with me is the one that is also the most garage rock, so it might just be a matter of personal taste with that one, but for the most part me and this band are on the same page. This was released on Relapse Records.

November Doom -Howling Giant : 'The Space Between Worlds"

Here we get a clearer picture of what separates Stoner rock from doom, though this band is capable of pulling out some impressive doom riffs right along side of their more bong drenched moments of hyper tension.The vocals make me think of Foo-fighters , but comparisons could be just as easily drawn to Atomic Bitchwax, since the last Atomic Bitch Wax album sounded like if the Foo- Fighters were smoking meth.  I prefer "Nomad" even more as it is heavier and slower, thus also making it moodier and a little darker. The vocals to "Ghosts in the Well" take a more solemn turns to fit the spacey synths and acoustic guitar offering a more Pink Floyd like tone. The rumbling crunch to "the River Guide" fully commits to the more doomy sound.

The heavier turn continues on "Ice Castle' which despite the more Deep Purple like keyboards underneath the driving chug of guitar proves a powerful combo and more in line with traditional metal. The drumming also catches my ear on this song.  The pace picks up with "Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express' which makes me think of Stephen King's 'Gunslinger " .  There is a concept behind the lyrics that is not as evident as say 'Operation Mindcrime" in it's storytelling, but done more like Rush. This more straightforward style of rock is not their strongest side, though it's not that bad either , I think I like the more layered approach of the other songs, the dynamics do not shift here until the guitar solo. "Everlight" kind of runs into the song that follows it so I had to go back and give it another listen in order to make the distinction. It's the slow build that leads into the heaviness that will later erupt. It's a little darker , the sung vocals remind me a little of Opeth.

There is a more Pallbearer like feel to "the Orb".This song might be one of the album's more metal moments. They lock into some pretty crushing chugs. I think they are doing this better than a band like Spirit Adrift or Khemmis. "Stone Giant" reminds me a little more of Mastodon. The double bass is pretty punishing. They do lock into some pretty cool grooves along the way. I will round this one up to a 9.5, it turned out to be a great deal heavier than expected going into this and the prog elements do not diminish the power. This was released on Blues Funeral Recordings.

7.6

November Doom - "Bask :"III"

These guys are on the fringe of a doom. I would say it is certainly their influence when it comes to t heavier side of what they do, but they have matured beyond it. This album has enough of that to appeal to fans of the genre.   This North Carolina band merges prog with their brand of stoner rock, with a great deal of moody melody. It's two minutes in before the heavier side starts to show. When they fully commit the results are powerful as the big riffs counter balance the soulful vocals. The second song is not as good at keeping this melodic balance with heaviness. It might be a case of me letting this grow on me. They are skilled musicians. The singer add a marginal amount of aggression to his voice , at his angriest he is on part with say Dave Grohl. Even with their plaintive quality, the vocals help set this band aprt from their peers. That is if they have any peers since they pull from so many different places there are not any bands I can think of off the top of my head doing this.

They do not have to be focused on heavy as there is a more math rock, indie rock feel to "Stone Eyed" it just works because it is a good song. It might seem that I c an get invested in a band staying within the bounds of certain genres, but at the end of the day it comes down to good song writing. They do get heavier on "Stone Eyed" midway into the song. They do this in a way that escapes becoming a formula. The pace gets more frantic and rock n roll. The more rambling country influence leads into  "Ride of You". The guitar is very wandering. There are some great tones on this album. The heavier side is more subtle here , but can be felt.  The drummer really starts showing off as the song builds. "Nobles Daughter' is a two part song. The second better than the more twangy first part which is still pretty solid it is just not as good, and the vocals feel more focused on the second part. There is also a heavier dynamic underlying the second part.

On the last song they pull out banjos and the country thing that was hiding in the corner of their sound some closer to center stage. They are not going full on Amigo the Devil or Devil Makes Three here as they are still maintaining their identity. I will give this album a 9.5, it is not the darkest or heaviest album you will here and doom is a color used but not the full spectrum, I am including it in November Doom as much like say Chelsea Wolfe it will appeal to fans of the genre.   Out on Season of Mist.

Lord Mantis : " Universal Death Cult"

There is still some pretty fucking great music coming out this late in the year. Here is a prime example why I am hesitant to really into into my end of the year lists until December. There was a time when I might have considered these guys to be a wildly feral sludge band , but from some of the chugging on this album it feels like they making a turn towards  raw and nasty death metal. Raw doesn't mean  the production is intentionally shitty for effect. In fact Sanford Parker who produced the album made some interesting choice on what he choose to to with the vocals on the opening track which is more unrelenting than the second that offers more clarity in it's mix. There is more of a thrashing sludge attack in the chugged riff.  At times this reminds me of Parker's other project Minsk. Though darker and uglier though this time around there is an undeniable weight to the sonics .

They are able to twist this into some more melodic moments that recall earlier non- progressive rock Mastodon. So in this way they straddle the line between sludge and death metal."Consciousness exe' is more deliberate. This song also provides of a good example of the kind atmosphere I could hear some one mistaking for black metal. It does come close to a band who might have been black metal but was influenced by other types of  modern music like say Nachtmystium. This album is much more experimental and diverse in the dynamics than previous efforts. There are some great drum sounds on this album bolstered by the great playing. The vocals production is great as well as the textures brought on by the effects coating the vocals brings out a more aggressive feel to the already poisonous performance.

I like the shift in sonics of " Low Entropy Narcosis" . The needed changed in guitar tone, but it seems to drone in one place and doesn't actually develop as a song so it is more of an interlude. "Damocles Falls" has a much nastier tone. There is an intense sonic side to this one.  The enraged chant of kill yourselves is the best part of "Flesh world". It does take a darker shift in it's mood and leans away from the straight up hammering. The bring out the saxophones for "Hole" to close the album. I like the slower pulsing throb of this one. It works off this droning throb with out any significant shift. This is a very solid return for this band I will give this album a  9. 

November Doom- Spiral Guru : " Void"

All the chick dig doom. Yet another female fronted band that falls somewhere with in the bounds of the genre. This band from Brazil is more focused on getting groovy. The formula in play here is pretty obvious . It goes as follows.  We break down into a palm muted groove for the verses when she sings. We throw in some hints of  our Sabbath influences, but do not go public with them until it's time to build back up. Maybe on the second song we might start jamming. Her voice is what keeps these guys from leaning too far into a Sabbath direction. In fact it gives them a more  rock n roll feel as a general rule . I am also not going out on a limb to guess they smoke a shit ton of weed. "Oracle" has more of a Blue Oyster Cult thing going on than Sabbath. It's more up tempo and straight up rock n roll. The jam around on "Mindfulness" . Some of the fat could have been trimmed to make more time for some of the riffs they have going.

There is more straight ahead rock to "Virtual Horizon" . Things begin to get more psychedelic once we get to "Empty Space". For these guys that also happens to mean darker. But this is more of an interlude than a song. They get back to more of the brooding tension with "Time Traveler. There bassist realy steps up to the plate on this one. "the Showcase of Dreams" starts off in a slower darker  and more blues based place, not unlike the first Black Sabbath album. The vocals are given room to wander , but stay pretty close to home.The last song has more of a stomp to it, but it offers no real surprises and holds the status quo for the genre.

These guys are really good at what they do. I think the hookiest and most infectious songs were at the beginning of the record and they slowly become more jammy as the album progresses. Even their filler is still pretty solid. There were no songs that I wanted to just skip past. I will give this album an 8.5 




5.4

November Doom - the Lone Madman : "Let the Night Come"

You can never trust other blogs. I guess that is why you read my stuff in the first place.  I heard great things about this one. Even their own press is misleading. This is just traditional heavy metal with a great deal of respect for Black Sabbath.This is the second doom band  from Finland I have reviewed today. In this case I use doom more loosely The vocals are plaintive and sound like Uriah Heap if they were bored and left  the keyboards at home. It is a little more on the proto metal side and dealing in retro sounds.  By the second song 'the DownFall" I am already getting bored. The bland vocals are the worst offender in this regard.All the tired metal tropes are paraded about here and turned up 11. If Spinal Tap had been a serious band they might have sounded like this.

"Haxan" is heavier. The guitar take on a more sludged rumble. The vocals go into a throaty bark. This compensates for a great deal. The vocals sound more like James Hetfield singing power metal when they come back in. There is a darker more solemn sense of melody to the last song "House of Mourning". This fall within the boundaries of doom. It is also more interesting than the previous songs.  The song drops down into an acoustic guitar before predictably building back up. The they jam out into heavy metal glory, like all the other heavy metal songs that seek glory in the same manner. `

The album does get better as it goes along. the album does get better as it progresses and more aggressive vocals surface. This is normally opposite how I feel as I prefer singing to growling or screaming, in this case the more throaty vocals work better. I will give this a 7.5. The album sound good, it is just the vocal preferences nag at me, but if you like traditional heavy metal and Candlemass is too dark and dramatic for you then you might like these guys.
 

Mix Tape Mania 2019

It's NANOWRIMO time which is extra crazy. Took a break to make this. I made sure all of the songs from this edition came out this year. No old stuff, only new. These were songs that were my fall soudtrack so kinda of music to the moods of the past 3 months. In nor particular order I am however OCD so the first song has to be the first song from it's respective album, the second song the second song from it's respective album you can see where this is going without me going through all ten songs. Listening back to some of these songs and then hunting down the lyrics to say the HEALTH song , it's like woah, that what he is saying, or the Bon Iver song which I took to mean something totally different than the odd political undertones, since I normally hate political music. I mean politics are fake and boring as it is let me hear about your mental break downs, if they are because of politics then you need to get a grip . I prefer to hear emotional expressions since it's easiest for me to process my emotions through music since it provides a very safe and controlled environment to do so. Anyways here you go some of the best songs from 2019.     




Benjamin Tod - "Sorry For the Things"




Bon Iver -"we"



 Lana Del Ray- "Fuck it I Love You"




 Taylor Swift - "the Archer"




Health- "Loss Deluxe"





Sturgill Simpson - Make Art Not Friends




Orville Peck -Kansas

 

GOLD - "Lack Of Skill"





Brutus - " Space"

Chelsea Wolfe _ " a Preface to Dream Play"

November Doom- Profetus : 'the Sadness of Time Passing"

This Finnish band has always been one of the heaviest funeral doom bands. This time there is way more funeral as  the keyboards open the album " The production dialed in a  warmer more organic guitar sound I can tell I am going to like this new Profetus better than the Slow album I had to give a rest as it was putting me asleep as I was trying to write. While less riffy than Loss' newer work, they work off delicate guitar melodies  that haunt you. The vocals are similar as they are a low rasp, but not as low of a gurgle. Without sitting down to listen to this it can sound like these songs are running together and everything sounds the same. It took a second listen to this album before they really stood out. The second song the vocals are spoken in a low voice and there is lots of monks chanting, so sounds like an evil church.

The 3rd song finds the organ more prominent in the mix and the guitars playing subtle melodies. I think the bigger organic drum sound helps set them apart."Northern Crown' finds us back in the creepy church again.  It is just spoke word and pipe organ. Six minutes in a ghostly choir like vocals leads us to when the metal crashes back down. The last song begins just as "Northern Crown" before it. Tine does pass when this song plays , but I think the Sadness of the creepy church would have  been more truth in advertising. There are more grandiose swell than sorrowful mourning. The drums pick up a little as the song progresses. Far from being death metal of anything of the sort, though I can appreciate an adherence to doom.

"Tiamia" might have taken them in a more metallic motion, but all in all these songs do not shift much for the model of what this band does  They are good at what they do. What they do makes me appreciate bands like Evoken , Esoteric & even Mournful Congregation who write songs that stand on different legs rather than being one frequency. The frequency on this album does find the band progressing and growing. I enjoyed listening to this album , but I am unsure how much I would return to this records outside of what I have already heard. A good records is separated from the  great records as it does not emphatically meet the question of would like to listen to this again or do I need to listen to this again with a excited need. I will round it down to an 8.   

November Doom- Opium Lord : "Vore"

The Brits are busting out a lot of doom these days. There are moments of post rock angular ambiance set against more hard core like screaming. At times they are like Eyehategood with more doom. "Lead Magnet' is one such moment. The production might not be the greatest, but I appreciate how they still manage to layer the guitar sounds,. The are pretty skill with these dissonant riffs you can still nod your head to,. The guitar tone is dirty and sludgey, but some of the more monolithic riffs have a doom like darkness to their oppressive heaviness, "Centurion" finds the band capable of pulling one one riff more crushing than the next at every turn. Though it also seems like these guys were in hard core bands before they started doing this as the drumming has touches of Fugazi to it.

"Suture' is darker , heavier and closer to doom, but I like the previous song better. Not that there is any thing wrong with "Suture" it just plays it safe and stick to it's brand of heaviness. "Sherwood is Connector' sticks to a similar game plan though it might go in more doomy places. By the time we get to "Columbia" it feels like the band is leaning more into the Eyehategod direction. There is variation with a guest vocal. There moment of creeping tension are darker and more interesting. When they just focus on angry and heavy they lose some of the elements that make them who they are.

There is more of a sludge vibe to "the Gift" . The general mood is more punk in tone so they fall more in the sludge direction. The doom comes only at their darkest. This one ends getting heavy as fuck. The vocals are generally monotonous. I will give this album an 8. I think they do bring new ideas to the table and with a little more love in the studio and attention to detail in the song writing depart their next step could be exciting.

November Doom- Esoteric ; "A Pyrrhic Existence"

I love Esoteric. "Paragon of Dissonance" is one of my favorite albums. But I will only listen to a 30 minute song once no matter how good it is. That is how they open their new album. They are still funeral doom. It's three and a half minutes in until the vocals come in. Understandable as there are still 27 minutes left in the song. The vocals are lower and more inhuman this time around with weird effect on them to show case this fact. The vocals do shift into higher tormented screams. Eight and a half minutes in the ambiance gets really weird and spacey. This song is as long as Slayer's entire "Reign in Blood" album. Granted that one is thrash so moving at more of a punk speed while this one really lingers through the movements. At this length you have to think of it more along the lines of symphonic work. Midway into the song the pace picks up to more of a furious pounding. Yes the heavy guitar is there, but everything is bathed in far more atmosphere. The song could have ended at the 16 minute as it breaks down into swirling ambiance. There is the hesitant introduction of cleaner guitar being strummed. They tease you with a crashes of violence before committing to fully attacking you again. This is paid off at the 19 minute mark. It's quiet beautiful, but unless I am just leaving this album on I doubt this is a song I am going to cue up even to hear it's most memorable pasts. The last three minutes of this song is sound effects that could have been trimmed altogether .

This is follow by the almost sixteen minute sprawl that is "Rotting in Dereliction" though compared to the opener this is a pop song. It does have a nastier murkiness to it. Four minutes in things get interesting and build more drive.Some much so that it gather enough steam to muster a head banging groove for a few measures. Two minutes later it erupts into blast beats and guitar solos. They deserve credit for knowing how to pull of doom without vomiting up a bunch of tired Sabbath riffs. The song floats in a drone away from me becoming more of a background pulse. There is a four minute synth interlude and then they come back with " Consuming Lies". The delayed guitar sound is chilling. The staccato riff , finds an awesome groove even the vocals lock into that might be the album's finest moment.  This progress int of a solid chug. Around he 9 minute mark this drift of into a more progressive place with jazz under pining, particularly when it comes to the drumming here.  "Culmination" has a nasty snarl. At 18 minutes it still holds your attention. Progressive elements return midway into this song. At the 11 minute mark there is a swathe of white noise as the drums hold the tension. Double bass breaks this up. It's clear these guys are like the Meshuggah of doom.

The album closes with "Sick and Tired" .  More of their forward thinking guitar playing is shone upon. It is more like Pink Floyd than Black Sabbath.. It is perhaps one of the album's most melodic moments . The low growl of the vocals offset this, though it still has a soaring transcendent feel. At the five minute mark I am wondering how they are going to maintain this kind of sonic intensity as the vocals lash out into more of a scream. They don't instead they shift gears and lower themselves back into the dismal murk . This is a great album though there is fat that could have been trimmed from a song writing perspective, so I am giving this one a 9. This album is being released on Season of Mist.

November Doom- Brume : "Rabbits"

The Gathering are the new Black Sabbath when it comes to doom. I am fine with this. It's just the 3rd album that has soft female vocals over melancholy metal, that is not satisfied with just stopping at at metal. It's three minutes into the first song before we get the crunch of heavy guitars. "Scurry" finds them conforming more closely to the kind of fuzz drenched lumber expected from the genre. It also falls in line with your more typical female fronted doom. Male vocals harmonize with her. She voice is pretty impressive with the range to soar over the song when she feels like it. After a few listens it proves early on this is an album I can just let play as it flows with smooth dynamics that do not tire.

There is a moody cello intro to "Blue Jay' guitar does kick in half way into the song, but it is more of an atmosphere texture, a storm cloud that never thunders down  The drumming continues to impress on this song. At 11 minutes the longest song is "Lament' which is impressive for a genre know to be ponderous. It opens sounding like depressive progressive. It drifts along on gray waters. Darker than  Not rock bands, but more mellow and less sorrowful than doom. It does slowly begin to build heading towards the midway mark. The drumming is more intricate and busier than what a doom drummer would do. Before the song is over it does however get into a sludged out heaviness. By sludge think more Yob than Neurosis.

It is going to take the last song "Autocrat's Fool' to really tip the balance in regard to what they are. It does get more metallic and in a way that falls loosely into doom.  The song works of more of a a hypnotic drone than crushing you. Until the final 30 seconds. I will round this up to a 9, I think it needs to grow on me more as it's very atmospheric and not what I was expecting going into this.   

the November Doom of November's Doom : "Nephilim Grove'

This ironically is going to be the only death doom band I cover this month, well because of their name. This is the same line up that has been enact for the past  9 years.  The first song finds the  clean vocals are more prominent, even the rougher ones are in a throaty sung growl rather than total cookie monster. The cookie monster vocals are not far behind as they kick in for the second song. There are melancholic shades, but the first two songs are more uptempo and rooted closer to death . It is not until title track that things darken into a more morose direction. Then it is doom in the same way Katatonia roughly is. The sung vocals remind me more of how Enslaved uses sung vocals. They are not soulful but more of a crooned despondency.

I do like the mellower shades of gray the work in on " What We Become", this finds all of their more typical tropes working with flowing precision.  They hit the chords with authority and the melody fits perfectly. I need more of this and less meandering. It is this part of the album where we here their more traditional doom sound. The growls return on "Adagio" . The chorus to this song works as it is heart felt. In these moments they remind me of My Dying Bride" .  "Black Light' finds them returning to more of a eath metal feel, but the morose vocals still linger. They return to the melodic gloom that beats their death metal on " the Clearing Blind". It has both groove and melody.  "Still Wrath" is pretty heavy and look more towards their death metal direction. As a song it is pretty straight forward.

The drumming on this album is excellent. I also the reason they go in more of a death metal direction at time, if it was less bombastic and more plodding this album would have more of a doom sound. This can also be heard in "the Obelus " .  Which is another uptempo song with more of a  death metal feel. I will give this a 9 as there are some where catchy songs that grow on you, even though this is almost  too well produced in terms of guitar tones for my taste.

November Doom - Year of the Cobra : "Ash and Dust"

There are few things that are surprising about this duo. The first being that they are a duo and this is fuzzed out bass not guitar.  The second is how I was so  shocked by the almost sugary pop like vocals that come in against the very dense and heavy fuzz. In fact she could sound just like Katy Perry and I would prefer it to another second rate Ozzy impersonation or tired grunting.  It stands to reason due to the approach to the vocals that they are influenced by Jucifer. If they had never  heard of Jucifer I would be surprised for a third though Jucifer is not the most well known name as they are not prolific these days. They do not just throw the more pop inflected vocals on you from the get go they gradually get there. On the first song there is a more droning pulse , with the vocals taking on a despondent chant. The music gets heavier on the second song, yet the vocals are harmonized in more pop like fashion. This song has more groove yet keeps the ominous shadow of heaviness.

They break from doom into a more Motorhead like punk with "Ash and Dust" . They are not bad at it , but I prefer their doom. They return to it with the even darker "Demons". Her voice goes lower and gain some grit. "Into the Fray" is where they hit you with the heaviest riff yet, but dial up the pop factor of the vocal melodies. Though it works. The drummer shine more on "At the Edge" the bass is moodier and more melodic as the vocals croon around it. The way the dynamic flow I can hear how this is  bass doing everything, but it's harder to hear when the distortion gets stomped on.I think it plays to their favor as it steers them in a more melodic direction.

Drone and groove are their stock and trade. The loud soft dynamic as seems to be a set part of the formula.  I had to listen to "Dark Swan" a few times for it to sink in. The closing track in despair is more melodic , but the heavier elements that define this due are not in place . This is due to the fact that it is mainly bass and vocals. If this was played on guitar it would be more of a darker folk feel. I will round up to a 9 because, I have gotten a great deal of mileage out of this one and the last song is the only one that doesn't connect with me much. The rest of the album continues to grow on me. 


 

November Doom - the River : "Vessels Into White Tides"

One of the points to doing November doom was to explore other sounds that  being tapped into in the genre. This sometimes means we are going to be at the edge of what is considered doom since that is where growth happens and I would much rather question what the fuck I am listening to than endure a band trying to be Electric Wizard. I  really appreciate this band's sound. Sure much like King Woman the flirt with the line of what doom can be. There is a melancholy to what they do that solidifies them as doom in my mind. The vocals are a timidly sung  by a woman whose voice falls some where between a higher alto and lower soprano. Her approach is very smooth. I can hear shoe gaze influence in what they do as well as slow core bands like Low.

 They go about this  tastefully and keep my interest even on a song like the fifteen minute "Into  White" where the vocals do not come in until the four minute mark. This is a very different kind of doom album, it even goes into some folk moments with the song "Open". It sometimes reminds me of the Gathering. "Passing " starts with almost more of an indie rock feel , when the distortion crunches to life , it has a more Catherine Wheel of Hum type feel. The vocals retain the more mournful feel.  'Tides" has a much more soaring shoe gaze feel, not unlike what many of the post rock bands were doing say 10 years ago. Jenny is playing the string parts that hover under the mix, so an instrumental is not surprising to fine here. They are not solely a doom band but bring a great deal of other influences to the table , when they shift into a heavier dynamic I would say doom is the direction they are leaning.

I will give this album a 9. It is one of those that I can leave on and let play. Granted the most doom
song is the opener and the other songs hint at this , really the only time it is totally abandoned is on the folk song.  I think fans of artists like King Woman and Chelsea Wolfe will find enough common ground here to make it worth their time. Those who are not metal flexible might have a hard time with this one.  This album is being released December 11th on  Nine Records. 

Live Review : King Diamond @ the Tabernacle

The second date of their tour fell on the Tabernacle in Atlanta. It is a fitting venue since it used to be a church so still has the stained glass windows. I had excellent seat in the VIP section so I was on the first balcony on the right had side overlooking the stage. I will start by saying it might sound like a dream gig opening for King Diamond  For the first opener Idle hands who went on at 6:50 found the audience at 30 percent capacity. I think this works for them as they are a young band who played their instruments well, but still seem to be gathering their footing playing in larger venues to crowds  of this kind on larger stages. They had one guitarist who was more flamboyant in their performance  seemed like they had been plucked from an 80s hair metal band. Watching them it was clear they were all distinct individuals with separate influences.  Their drummer was the star of the show with jazz like nuance to his playing.It might sound like a dream gig opening for King Diamond, but you are talking about the greatest metal front man next to Bruce Dickinson, so the singer of Idle Hands who had a more Jim Morrison by way of the Cult  thing going on was up against insurmountable odds . He was probably wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Up next was Uncle Acid and the Dead beats. Everyone I spoke to was aware of the buzz about the band. I like their studio output myself so was curious to see how this translated live. The result was something more heavier and in line with stoner doom rock than the kind of creepy 60s  vibe I get from their albums. Perhaps playing for a more overt metal crowd prompted this. I still recognized the song they just came in on a denser cloud of distortion than expected. Some of this was due to the more stripped down approach, there were not keyboards to help give the more 60s sound. The dual vocal approach was unexpected. They were tight was a response I got most from members of the audience I talked to. They are headliners in their own right, so it is no surprise the are a well oiled machine on stage. The movies projected behind them were surreal 60s spectacles I would not wanted to have seen tripping. I do not think a King Diamond show would be one I would want to drop acid at and when I was doing drugs I think I might have been drunk or stoned, but do not recall anything stronger when seeing him,

  This show now marks the 8th time I have seen King Diamond. It is not mystery if you are a regular reader that he is one of my all time favorite artists. I have been listening to him for over 30 years now.  When I saw Iron Maiden they are pros and big energy, but King Diamond loves what he does, who he becomes and the fact this  shown through after he got the news  earlier that day his friend and former bass player Timi Hansen died is unbelievable.By the time he went on the floor was packed and I was glad I was in the balcony.  The stage was made to look like an asylum where he upcoming album "the Institute"  is set.   He did play a new song from this album called "Masquerade of Madness" which was pretty heavy and fits nicely along sie his other works, making me look forward to the new album. The bulk of the set drew from the first few albums of his solo career "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail" , "Them", "Conspiracy" and "the Eye" along with the title track from "Voodoo". Not only does he go out on tour in his 60s, but picks his most vocally demanding work to sing. He knows the fans want his and delivered.

He had his female back up singer who did join him to double up some of the higher parts. In the bast while he has sounded great, I wondered if this was because he could not pull it off by himself, but there were several sections where he pulled off his upper register by himself no help needed pretty flawlessly. Hitting notes Bruce Dickinson  ascend Rob Halford can no longer dream of at their age. I have been an advocate since teenage years that Kind Diamond is the greatest metal singer ever and this confirmed years of flying his flag. Did he have effects on his voice ? Yes, but so do the two singers I previously mentioned. They band was great the bass player who was the new kid the past 3 times I have seen King Diamond has now really settled in. I was surprised given Timi's death that they did not play any Mercyful Fate, though he dedicated the last song "Black Horsemen" to him and said from this point on it would be dedicated to him. Overall this one was on the best shows I would not say the number one show, but in the top 3 King Diamond concerts I have attended. 

November Doom - Silvertomb :"Edge of Existence"

This is one half of Type O Negative. Kenny Hickey who would always be the higher snarly vocal in songs like "Black No 1" handles the vocals and guitar for this band and John Kelley is on drums. This one is a good example that doom doesn't not have to be slow all the time. There is a grunge feel in places and by that I mean Soundgarden. The doom in their veins is more obvious on the first song. They do not play it as safe as A Pale Horse Called Death. There are a great deal of varying sounds making this up. The only weak spot I can hear in their sound is the lyrics. They seem like if you took the lyrics from "Slow Deep and Hard" and tried to edit them to fit a more mainstream audience. The title alone of "Love Without No Lies" typifies what we are working here. But not unlike some of the lyrical content of "Louder than Love" . There is a great deal of slithering groove simmering over the darker mood.

A Pale Horse Called Death sounds closer to Type O Negative, but I can appreciate Hickey is not trying to really recapture that. "So True" is more of a thrasher. I like the way the vocals glide over it. The a minute and a half into it the song slows into a melodic section. These veterans know the art of employing dynamics in songwriting in a way that is not done like it used to be. This does sound like it could have come straight from the 90s.  The keyboards really give this is texture it needed. "Not Your Savior" is more straight forward and rock n roll. "One Of You" is more ominous and doomy, with some great guitar playing.  Screaming 'suicide over and over seems a little heavy handed , but the rest of the song compensates for this. It is at this point in the album it begins to feel like a concept album.

They stay with a doomy stomp as Hickey wails and screams between forming some actual interesting Melodies "Requiem" has an excellent chorus. The strummed "Waiting" is more grunge thus warranting the Soundgarden comparisons, though it also reminds me of Mindfunk at bit, if you are old enough to know who they are.  I will round this album up to a 9.5, it reminds me of better days.