Heavy Maytal- Savage Master/ Mystic Storm : "The Power / Wandering Time"

 

This split mini-album from these two bands is set firmly in the days of yesteryear. Savage Master is no stranger to us here, as I really enjoyed the last album, "Dark & Dangerous," that found them moving in a darker direction, but it will be my first time checking out Mystic Storm. Savage Master's first track is more anchored in rock n roll and high on high energy. "The Last Kiss" is similarly paced, though with a marginally darker mood. There are some more deliberate passages. 'The Power finds them locked in a more midtempo headbanging chug that is not unlike Accept or the Scorpions. The pace picks up on the chorus. The songs are all very compactly arranged; they do not break any new ground, though they might lean in a more rock direction. 

Russian band Mystic Storm starts off the first of their three songs with spooky ambiance before, going into 80s worshipping proto thrash lead by what might be considering King Diamond like  falsetto wailing if it was not coming from a woman which makes it a blended register soprano jump, since it's easier for a woman's vocal chords to flip over into this . I like the melodic guitar passages injected in their. I might actually like them better than what Savage Master was doing as it's darker in a more Mercyful Fate direction. The title track to their contributions has a more deliberate menace,. It does slowly build into more of a gallop the time the vocals come in. I am also picking up an old Scorpions influence. 

The last song from these guys "Into the Abyss" has a more Maiden like harmony guitar run, with a very 80s palm muted riff driving the verses. The chorus being darker and more melodic. The melodies she uses a more darkly powerful than what we heard from the more rock approach Savage Master used. It is kinda of weird to rate an album like this but the best way to think of it is that I would give Savage Master's songs a 9as they were a well composed representation of what they do as a band, even though it's a snap shot of them moving in a more rock direction, they did this in a manner that is true to who they are. With that said Mystic Storm's three songs would get a 9.5 as they made we want to search out their other music and dive deeper into who they are. This drops on  Shadow Kingdom June 24th. 

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Magic Circle : "Departed Souls"

This band is referred to as true doom, but they are more of a stoner metal thing, leaning heavily on Black Sabbath influence. I can also hear some Trouble in what they do as well. They opener is more straight up mid tempo metal. There is no pervading sense of loss , despair or darkness so it is hard to call it doom. In fact it's rather upbeat. The singer's voice is decent. He has a throaty tenor. Not as smooth as say the singer of Pallbearer. They have more of a retro thing going than Pallbearer. "I've Found My Way to Die" proves that they own copies of "Vol. 4". There is a little more of a NWOBHM chug on the verse. I like when he goes into a slightly lower singing voice. on the chorus. "Valley of the Lepers" sounds like they are finding themselves rather than relying on their influences. It's more deliberate, and gives everyone the space to shine.

His voice sounds much better on "A Day Will Dawn Without Nightmares" . Though the song itself reminds me of Jake E Lee's old band Badlands. Perhaps there is a bluesy under current. It works better than the more upbeat tempo of "Nightland" , the song's more melodic second half proves stronger. The keyboards set up the more commanding tone of "Gone Again". The vocals sound great here and it finds the band, set in it's retro stoner sound , but making the most of it. There is a slight nod toward Dio in vocals . They continue to grow more soulful as the album progresses. I can hear how they are going for more of a Deep Purple direction here with the keyboard solos.

He takes on an almost AC/DC like grit to his voice going into "Hypnotized" . It does get more melodic as the song progresses . The layers of guitar help with this. These guys were better than expected and if you are into the retro/ proto metal sound, you will dig this. I am going to round it down to a 8.5 as I don't think I will get much in the way of repeat listens to this . 20 Buck Spin is releasing this.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats : " Wasteland"

When it comes to the retro style of stoner rock these guys feel like the Rob Zombie version of that as things have had a pulp horror feel to them. Their hippy side tends to win out, but this album finds the normally hard rock band leaning into a more Sabbath style of metal. The first two songs have a catchier swagger and chug to them, the second one a little more of an attack. Then things change as They get darker when they slow down for the creepier "No Return". They have more of a harmonized guitar attack that takes you back to the NWOBHM , with the upbeat "Blood Runner" calling Iron Maiden. I guess if you are a band that comes anywhere near metal and are from Britain Maiden is hard to ignore. So far this is their most aggressive album to date.

They revert back to the more go-go 60s garage rock I remember these guys by. It's a well enough written song and very energetic it just doesn't have anything that stands out to me so I am glad it's not an entire album of this. I was not expecting the title track to be a strummed psychedelic song, but for what it is , they do the job pretty well falling somewhere between Pink Floyd and T-rex. "Bedouin" is in some ways more upbeat, up it has a bigger more sweeping sound and is an incredibly well written song and probably the best not only of the album, but that I can recall hearing from these guys.

The last song "Exodus" reminds me of a slowed down narcotic version of Black Sabbath's" Hole in the Sky". The previous song is so good it impacts this one and dulls the effect it might have had if placed earlier in the album. I'll give this one a 9. It might be the strongest effort yet from the band. If you are a fan you might even round it up, but I will have to see if I am going to really give it the chance to fully grow on me.

Psychedelic Witchcraft : " Sound of the Wind"

Female fronted "occult rock" or "vest metal" bands almost became a thing back in 2012. Here is a band from Italy we have covered before that still carries that torch. After an acoustic intro the band is back their brand of occult tinged stoner rock. The crunch of the guitar's organic warmth is what contributes most to the retro core of their sounds. Virgina Monti proves right from the opening track that she is not to be relegated to sultry and is a capable rock singer of her own merit, with vocal melodies that are more biting. The Sabbath influence lingers at some of the songs edges more vividly in some places than others. There is more groove to "Wild We Go". The songs are not long drawn out jams, though they do jam out at a little on the solo to "Wild We Go".  They back off and let "Sound of the Wind" simmer. It sounds like something from a California summer in the late 60s. This emerge from this decade with the Foghat like boogie of "Turn Me On".



There is more of a metal feel to "Rising On the Edge". The lyrically this album is a little more straight forward, but the increased sinew of the music makes up for this. This momentum is carried over into "the Warrens". It might be too much to call the song aggressive, but it falls somewhere on that side of the feeling wheel.  There is more overt sexuality to "Sin of Mine" that rides a serpentine groove with blues in it's veins. There is more of a Deep Purple feel to "Let Me Be Myself" . For an album that finds the band heading in a more bluesy direction this one pushes the point further. Piano leads "Horizons", that keeps them on the same blues oriented path they were on in the previous song , but with a bigger power chord emphasis, thus giving it more drive though I wasn't expecting it to be an instrumental.

 I would say this album is less metal and more rock, but finds them maturing as song writers and hitting the mark in terms of working together as finely tuned rock machine. I'll round this one up to a 9 as I know after the initial listen I am going to need time to get used to the warmer more rock sound as this might not be as dark or as metallic, but is a sign of growth for the band.

Devil Electric : "s/t"

Not dark enough to be a Gothtober entry, this Austrailian band busts out some pretty hefty rock that falls some where between doom and stoner rock. So it's either dark stoner or doom. I think this was being called occult rock or vest metal a few years ago. There is some Sabbath worship, but their singer has a personality of her own and is not just trying to totally fall in line with all the Grace Slicksters that came after Christian Mistress. "Shadowman" is not as smartly written as the opener.Their producer nailed the guitar tone and the vocals are layer well also. "Lady Velvet" has a good groove. Their singer is reasonably hot so that might factor in to how her persona might be giving her pipes the illusion they are larger than life. She has more personality to her voice than she dazzles with vocal pyrotechnics. To her credit she certainly serves the songs.

One thing this band has going for them is they don't try to zone you out into a long tedious drone. Fairly upbeat despite their doom flavorings most of the songs seem to be under the six minute mark. They don't jam either, it's right to the point and driving that point powerfully home. They get it dialed back inn for "Dove and the Serpent". They share the load when it comes to song writing with riffs and vocals carrying equal weight.  Until "the Sacred Machine" the bass keeps a low profile, with the guitars sonically dominating the mix until the vocals step into the spot light. They keep kneeling at the altar of Sabbath on this one as well. The drummer has certainly a respect for Zeppelin as well.

The album ends on a darker note with "Hypnotica". The tempo is slowed in more of a lumber that you might expect from this brand of more traditional doom. Her vocals back off  little and she proves that she can do more than just belt.The guitarist also proves he can solo very tastefully. I'll round this one up to a 9 as over all this is a solid release , it sounds great. While it is not the most original thing under the sun that have crafted their own sound that stands on it's own two legs.

Hammers of Misfortune : " Dead Revolution"

Sure it harkens back to the earlier days of metal, but the first song off Hammers of Misfortunes new album is much more aggressive than what I remember hearing from them in the past. The more prog moments haven't gone any where. The production sounds more organic and helps to give the guitar a rougher edge and a little grit to the otherwise smooth vocals. Joe Hutton who also sang on their "17th Street " album is manning the mic again. He sounds pretty strong and on the title the band continues to keep the chug alive as it falls somewhere between Deep Purple and Motley Crue's "Looks That Kill". 'Sea of Heros" retains the hard hitting guitar riffs this album has been dishing out, but the multi layered vocals compromise some of the edge.

The edge is then thrown out the window on in favor of organ heavy prog on "the Precipice". Weighed down by the jammy soloing, all of which is very Pink Floyd and well played the songwriting doesn't have the glue of the previous songs. The lunatics continue to laugh in the strawberry fields of "Here Comes the Sky" which is more relaxed and psychedelic. It builds into a very "in the Court of the  Crimson King" like crescendo. They continue to wear their influences on their sleeves, this time it's Rainbow on "Flying Alone". The most original song on the album is the folk metal shanty "the Days of 49" .

This is another fine album by these guys and I might like it better than their previous work so I will round it up to a 9, though I am unsure how much actual play time I will get out of it myself, but if you are already a fan of the band then you find it a must. If you just like prog rock that is heavy on the retro then this is also worth your time. If you have likewise pined for these guys to be more of a metal band you have also gotten your wish, if your definition of metal includes bands from the 70s.

Salem's Pot : " Pronounce This!"

It was their name which made this band from Sweden seem like a joke to me. Their name turns out to be misleading as it is not bong headed stoner rock, but psychedelic with a great deal of depth to it. The album dips into a darker and more cerebral mood than the more rocking boogie of "Just For Kicks" , which takes them in more of a Pentagram direction. Lyrically they are not pondering the bong water, but very cynically looking at the big picture and problems in the world. Though this does come from an occult garnished filter. The doomy sections sound more like something Alice Cooper would do. I can appreciate these guys ability to jam, but on albums I want to hear more song and then get the jam live. I am sure it would transition well live.There is no question these guys worship at the altar of the rock gods and have taken much inspiration.

 They drop back into a country tinged ballad that sounds like something Neil Young would do.Not something to take as seriously as if King Dude did something similar. There is darker tone to the 9 minute desire that closes the album. This might appeal to fans of Ghost, though it certainly had more balls than what Ghost has been doing the past couple of albums. They do not have the pop slickness and more of a fiendish late 60's Coven like sound. The vocals have desperation to them, but don't fall over the guitar as well as they did on the first song.

I'll give them an 8 which seems to be the score I give albums that just fall short of being something I need to have on my iPod. There is not really any faults, but some of the jamming could have been better spent solidifying the songs. These guys are not the joke they make themselves out to be and a band that is now firmly on my radar.
 

Grand Magus : "Sword Songs"

These guys used to be in Spiritual Beggars who last album i had a hard time getting through as it sounded just like the David Coverdale era Deep Purple . These guys are not far removed from that, but much more metal so easier to digest. I love Deep Purple, but when I want to listen to them not only do I prefer the Ian Gillan years , but I'll just put them on when I am in the mood and don't need a tribute band.  I was expecting something more doom when I put this album on, but instead I'm getting something that is almost power metal. The guitar playing is pretty fucking ripping, so there is no question in regards to these guys ability. The verse riff almost reminds me of "Painkiller".  The singer has a classic metal sound, but a leathery rasp to his blues bathed baritone.

The guitar harmonies to "Varangian", will make you pull out your battle vest and check to see if you have a Grand Magus patch on it, if you are not just into the more extreme forms of metal. Granted the flip side off this the fact they are not breaking any new ground. Lyrically they take a page from Manowar's book. They toughen up after the melodic intro to "Forged in Iron". The chant of viking metal in this song is plan silly as they are not actually viking metal despite the fact they are from Sweden. Whitesnake on steroids would be a more awkward chant. He doesn't have the same Robert Plant quality to his voice that Coverdale does, but this helps the band sound heavier. Some times the retreading of conventional metal works better than others, the 80's kick to the chorus of  "Born For Battle" reminds me of "Smooth Up In Ya" by the Bullet Boys. It packs more of a punch, but I'm always cautious of inadvertent cock rock. They make this up to you on "Master of the Land" which is much heavier.  The singer's voice brings Candlemass to mind here.

The more modern Judas Priest sound returns on "Last One to Fall" which in some ways has a more Rainbow feel to it. Sure a lot of bands are being referenced here as influences, some of these are more direct than others, but if you already caught this kind of metal back in the day then it mght not be as impressive. There is a little more heft to "Frost and Fire" but aside from that no new real ground is broken sonically. Lyrically they really want to be a viking metal band with songs called "Everyday There is a Battle to Fight".  But they chug along to 80s mainstream metal. It is soulfully sung, but pretty middle of the road. They put more energy into this attack for songs like "In For the Kill" which is more hard rock than metal.  It's not surprising that they do a good job with the cover of "Stormbringer".  If you miss old school metal and want to hear it done without much embellishment, then these guys might do it for you. I'll give this a 7 as the guitar is well played.

Cardinals Folly : "Holocaust of Ecstasy & Freedom"

The oddest album intro I have heard in some time it sounds like someone is Chinese and playing the joke of peeing in your Coke. What could be the death blow to the album comes when their singer opens his mouth and utters some horribly flat attempt at singing that the rest of the band must be tone-deaf to not hear. It's no wonder that this album is so underproduced as the producer let this slide as well. It's almost more spoken than sung, so the fact there are not many notes to hit and they are still falling short makes things worse. The sour notes start off the second song "Goats on the Left" . Growling would be a much better option for these guys and this is coming from a guy who prefers clean singing to growling. The riffs in the more up tempo second song are a little better, but the vocals make then hard to bear. Is "Her Twins of Evil" about the power of boobs? The boobs on the album cover are not very impressive they are a little small for my tastes.  They are not the only band guilty of having their best riffs being direct rip offs of Sabbath, but the fact the horrid vocals give you no where else to hide makes it more glaring.

The vocals some how manage to but be as annoying on "Nocturnal Zeal" which is a slower, darker song that actually touches on doom with some conviction. The title track is not as fortunate. It speeds things up a bit, the over drive on the guitar fuzzes things out until the tone becomes flat. The vocals are not only out of key, but are placed awkwardly over the riffs. The guitar solo is the only redeeming thing about this song. The funny thing is their Bandcamp says have been laughing at stoner/ retro trends since 2007, but that trend started at least three years before that. The slower groove to "Pyschomania" is an improvement , but then they speed up into almost more of a gallop. I'm surprised Finland let this slip through the cracks as they are normally pretty consistent when it comes to metal over there as long a we are not talking about the Night Wish or H.I.M clones. The song continues to improvement as they slow into a more melodic section at the end.

The album thankfully comes to an end with "La Papesse" . Once again the band shows when they slow down and milk all of the gloom out of a riff that is on the right track. Then things speed up into more of a rock shuffle and I find myself tuning the song out. I'll give this one a 3.5. The vocals really tank this album, hopefully, it's a mistake this band can learn from and convince their singer he can't hold a note in a bucket and growling is his only option.

 

Blizaro : " Cornucopia Della Morte"

I'm not sure if Ghost is to thank for the current trend of bands digging in the vaults of record stores for elusive copies of albums by Coven and Black Widow to re-create the creepy horror psyche that pre-dates metal. That is not to say the album doesn't owe anything to Black Sabbath as some of the more lurching harder riffs do. The over all vibe is very late 60's proto-metal. Main man John Gallo's voice reminds me of Craig Wedren from Shudder to Think, though not as flamboyant. Though I can also hear some Candlemass in there as well, he just doesn't have the operatic power to bellow it out like Messiah. Their is more of a metallic feel to the  second part of the four part Nemesis song cycle that opens the album. The guitar playing get more impressive as the record progresses. The vocals benefit from the effects slapped on them for the fourth part of "Nemesis".

Dripping with vintage synths there is a pretty smooth groove to "Giallo". Some of the keyboard melodies to bring to mind  horror soundtracks of the early 70s.There is a loose jammy feel to this song , which I imagine works really well live. This proggy vibe carries over into "Frozen Awakening". This turns back the clock to the early days of what we now think of as metal. The drummer shows his chops on this one and the guitar takes on more of a chug to the point of getting closer to Diamond Head's back yard. This builds into a rawer fury by they time they get to their cover of Paul Chain's "Voyage to Hell" invoking a more primal version of Candlemass.

The trippy synths return on "the Staircase". The song warbles to life with the groove shifting under the heavy layer of Moog. This is another jammy instrumental. The guitar playing is not shabby at all and this is sure to be a good time live, but not something I would listen to on my iPod on a daily basis.  "Stygian Gate" rocks like early Iron Maiden. If you were being lead to believe this album is doom, my only question is "Is "Killers" a Doom album ?"  If you answered yes, it's still not too late to drink Drano. The instrumental section continue to impress, but also come across like they are just jamming. This album made a pretty good first impression on me, I am unsure how much of a craving I am going to have for repeat listens, but I will give this one a 8.5 as it succeeds in doing what this album set out to accomplish, aside from the fact this is not a doom album.

Witchcraft : "Nucleus"

This Swedish doom band is getting it right on their 5th full length. It seems more metal than what I have heard from these guys in the past and the vocals have a more mournful plea to them that makes for a darker listen.This also gives them a sound more akin to Solitude Aeturnus or Trouble.  They do tread the line at times between stoner and doom. The pace picks up in the less dirge like " Theory of Consequence" that still is heavy in the Sabbath worship, despite the vocals finding their own personality. The lumbering boogie is not as dark here . They go into an almost Jethro Tull like groove on "the Outcast"  that forsakes all doom for a more classic rock inspired jam. While it's much more upbeat it's well written and well executed so kinda hard to argue against as they do this much better than many of the other retro rock bands that try to pull from this era. The singers voice finds more of a rousing rock grit when the song builds. The twelve minute title track has more of a "Stairway to Heaven" like intro before creeping back into darker almost Doors flavored territory. Seven and a half minutes in it's not a bad song but isn't really taking me anywhere unexpected.

They return to the more shadow filled doom on the organic yet ominous "An Exorcism of Doubts". This one is much more blues based, but still manages to build metallic momentum. With some pretty powerful riffs that might owe their DNA to Sabbath, but still find the band's collective personality. It ebbs back back in a much more impressive fashion than most bands of their ilk can muster. "The Obsessed" is only like Wino's band of the same name due to it's over driven bong fueled rumble. This album is well produced knowing when to polish the tones and when to let rawness prevail. "To Transcend Bitterness" finds the vocals providing the bulk of the dynamics as Their singer takes a more commanding metal tone to his voice as called for.There is a vulnerability to his voice that reminds me of Diamond Head. It's the creeping chug that follows the more tender intro to "Helpless" where their metal side is really shown. The vocals continue to flex their dynamic pipes on this one as well.The song drones a little on the same riff for the bulk of the actual song once it kicks in. It would be cool to hear these guys do a cover of the Tom Petty song, but "Breakdown", instead this 12 minute sprawl is a minimalist piece of apocalyptic blues. At seven minutes in it transforms into a rumbling stoner rock stomp. This transition is not one of the albums smoothest even though it comes out of a sample the song comes to a stop for. The vocals take on a more desperate rant.It drones on the riff that brings the song to a climax. There is more of an almost New Wave of British Heavy Metal feel to "Chasing Rainbows". It holds my attention more in the initial verse than it does as the song progresses. I'll round this up to a 9 as the album slightly loses it momentum in the final two songs, but maybe they need to grow on me. Overall this is much better than I expected going into this and the band has really grown.

Uncle Acid and the Dead Beats : " the Night Creeper"

My only real knowledge of this band going into this was that they came in one the heels of Ghost. So I had it my head they were going to be a more hippy take on occult rock rather than the dense and dirty desert rock that is being churned out here. While they are not reinventing the pentagram, their influences are more varied and blended into the thick fuzz that coats these songs. I would go as far as to say they are doom. There are several moments that musically remind me of Alice Cooper. The vocals are a layered tenor, that are more similar to Coopers more melodic moments, but if filtered through Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult.

Whlie not doom they take on "Murder Nights"  an eerier creep to their post- flower power hard rock this give a darker melodic sound that gives this song an edge over the opener. They continue to flirt with the shadowy side of the 60s on "Downtown". Much like more modern Ozzy the singer's voice is always coated in effects. "Pusher-Man" is not the Steppen-wolf song, though it would make perfect sense for them to cover that. It grooves with  heavier throb to it's pulse. In some of the singer's phrasing I can here some Lennon influence. They indulge in a more mellowed out instrumental interlude on "Yellow Moon".


I like the sinister groove to " Melody Lane" which is the first song that clicked with me within the first few chords. It is one of the first songs where I hear strong metal leanings.The title track has an ominous groove , but the vocals but not so much that I would call it doom. The techno color coat of pyschedlia floats around the heady heaviness, as the vocals cry out with an insane trembling mixing John Lennon with Ozzy. There is dark strut to "Inside" that sounds like Alice Cooper terrorizing the Beatles on Spahn Ranch with a head full of bad acid in them. They take and even darker yet more mellowed approach to the hazy pulse of "Slow Death".The album goes out on a more drug induced whimper with "Black Motorcade" that is almost more of an outro than an actual song. While the album got off to a strong start and impressed me it began to fizzle out toward the end. I'll give it a 7 and hope it grows on me because due to the song I dug I want to like this more so we shall see how it stands the test of time, but right now it feels like King Dude, already fills this dark spot on my iPod.

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Pentagram : "Curious Volume"

 Sure they got a resurgence of interest after their 2011 documentary which focused on Bobby Liebling's struggle with addiction, but by the end of the movie watching his self -sabotage was frustrating at best...and this is coming from a recovered addict. So I get it drugs are rough. Before the hype, The Pentagram albums I had were proto-metal always reminded me more of Space Ace's Kiss songs.Here more heft has been added to the guitar, but it still is more hard rock than metal, though a doomy riff crops up on "the Tempter Push". They boogie more than head bang ,but you can here in Bobby's singing where he influenced Wino. What is separating them from another Sabbath clone on "Dead Bury Dead" ? is the question I find myself asking. Bobby does pick different intervals for his melodies than Ozzy. His range is more limited than say classic Ozzy. He has gone down a hard road so you can only expect the pipe to endure so much, but his singing style really hasn't changed much since their early work. There are more overdubs.


They go into a more upbeat rock n roll on " The first song that really grabs me is " Walk Alone" . His vocals fit much better against the riff and the whole songs just seems to have more balls to it. They follow this with another song that is filled with both emotion and darkness in the title track.When they pick up the pace, it sounds like any other 70s rock throw back on "Misunderstood" his voice goes up into a more nasal higher register. Midway into "Close the Casket" they hit an interesting melodic section. Bobby sings about how his body has aged beyond its years , which might be one of the album's most honest lyrics. They take a sleazier rock angle to "Sufferin'" which sounds like it could have been a b-side off Ace's solo album from the 70s. On "The Devil's Playground" they hit a weird blue based groove that somehow also manages to sound a little like Blue Oyster Cult covering "Free Bird". They do some interesting thing that balance all the varied elements they employ, it has a 70s rock sound but you can tell they are adding new sides of themselves to it and continuing to explore where they can go as band despite having put decades in together.

They succeed on many levels. The album sounds great and not like dinosaurs trying to rise from the tar pits. Bobby's voice actually holds up better than expected. The guitarist really steals the show especially on the second half of the album. I think this album works best when they play with the formula rather than trying to be metal or doom. It's the melodic touches that step out of  bounds that are the album's high points. I'll give this one a 7.5, not sure how many more listens I will need to get from it but enjoyed the ones I got more than I thought going into this. Peaceville is releasing this album August 28th.

Hands of Orlac: "Figli Del Crepuscolo"

How do you feel about Italian Horror movies? This is the first question that needs to be asked when going into Hands of Orlac's new album. They embrace the sound tracks of those cult classics and blend them with straight up vest metal. It's more genuine than anything Ghost is putting out now even with it's flute solos and Devil's Blood can never return. These guys and ghouls embrace that style of occult rock. Two minutes into the first real song 'last Fatal Drop' they really get heads banging and fist pumping , before ripping into a guitar solo. The Flute does at times really call forth Blood Ceremony, but this alum is much darker than the more freedom rock hippy dippy vibes Blood Ceremony began to embrace.

There heavier moments embrace a rawer brand of dark metal, like Mercyful Fate or the first two Iron Maiden albums. Yet these teeth are not bared for long before the smoke flows like the Mystery Machine and we are mellowing out. The guitar attack is the albums strong point. The vocals work for what they are doing, but tend to float around in a similar range. They creep from one minor key to the next.The sampled screams work well over the power metal bombast of "A Coin in the Heart". This song goes on an Iron Maiden like adventure, galloping all over the battle field.

They get even darker on "Noctua". The tight palm muted chug keeps the song moving amongst the gloom it casts.There is a very cool break down that reminds me of solo Ozzy around the five minute mark.It has a kind of "Little Dolls" feel. "Ghost Story" is on of the more melodic songs on the album, but the opening verse doesn't connect with me, yet the chorus does. So it's a mixed bag.The doom comes on thick with the oppressive"Mill of the Stone Women". It finds a pretty good chug later on in the song , but it's first half kinds faded in the background .

Overall this album is a fun listen. They suceed at the atmop
shere they are trying to create. If you are a fan of the whole occult rock/ vest metal retro thing then it is worth your while. I like it because not only does it have that classic metal feel it is a darker take on it. With that said I am not sure it's something I need to own, but will give it a 8 none the less.

Blood Ceremony: " the Eldritch Dark"

This Canadian band got lost from me during the deluge of "Vest metal" or " Occult rock" bands that flooded me two summers ago, when bands sailed in on the currents behind the Devil's Blood, you know Christian Mistress, Royal Thunder, Huntress, Witch Mountain. Orange amps and a female singer was all it seemed to take to be occult if you had some cryptic lyrics which eluded to the devil.

Blood Ceremony was most hippie of them and reminded me of  the Decemberists' Hazards of Love album when I first heard them, it wasn't bad but didn't stand the test of time which speaks for it'self. There newest release however shows sizable growth and not just of their beards. They have certainly done their research and dug up Deep Purple and Uriah Heap albums for inspiration. The albums vintage production helps foster this setting and they have captured some incredible and extremely authentic organ sounds. "Witchwood" opens the album with a 70's rock boogie, very blues influenced. The only thing that forces you to suspend your disbelief is Alia O'brian's vocals , where voice sounds young and lacks power but doesn't do the songs a disservice and certainly keeps them from sounding like an attempt to recreate the sound of dinosaurs. Her ability as an organist and flutist supersedes her singing ability. Some of the melodies on the opener remind me a little of the song "Black Mass" by Electric Wizard.

They mellow slightly on "Goodbye Gemini"  where the flute leads in , then the song takes on a Devil's Blood like stomp, breaking up with the flute solos that shockingly don't over Jethro Tull things like you would assume them to. " Lord Summerisle" which features male vocals that harmonize with Alia make this song too much of a tribute to Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Lucky Man" which I see as one of the low points of 70's prog in it's Moody Blues leanings and this song makes similar tonal mistakes, but then a gain I'm not a hippie and I no longer smoke pot so maybe its just me .

The syncopation on the verses have a bluesy White Stripes like swagger, but actually do more for me than any thing I have heard by Jack White whose personality obscures any any interest I attempt to have in his music. The Title track opens with a very Deep Purple organ line , then goes into the first riff that would come come close to meeting a more modern definition of metal. This is broken up by flute solos and has more stoner groove to it to be any flavor of doom.

On songs like this her voice takes on a sharper tone and fits better in this register when it's youthfulness doesn't betray the picture the band is trying to paint. Once again this is balanced out as she pulls the bands weight when it comes to musical virtuosity as all the solos are pretty much handled by the flute or the organ, Not that band is comprised of slouches by any means when they veer into the more jammy sections of songs.

"Drawning Down the Room" shows she really needto focus on the more alto end of her range as the more sultry melodies to this one compliment the accompanying orchestration. The riff which comes in at the three minute mark after the organ  solo has more balls to it than the majority riffs whihc stay pretty close to cannibas inspired Seventies grooves. The instrumental "Faunus" is well played but not entirely needed.

"The Magician"  end the albums on a slightly darker note but nowhere near as dark as the Devil's Blood's swan song released earlier this , They do match the Devils Blood in the authenticity of the era which their are invoking though their chops aren't in the same zip code as the Devil's Blood, yet this album is a great improvement from their previous work and places Alia as the worthy heir to be crowned queen of occult rock as her bands postiions themselves to be a suitable replacement to the Devils Blood.