Black Elephant : "Seven Swords"

Never checked out this Italian band before and I am pleased as hell at how bluesy they are. Sometimes I make comments about a band being jammy or perhaps doing something that works better live than on the album.This is an example of how to do those things in  way that works.. It is soaked in reverb, which is not the super fuzzed out in your face wall of vintage amps you normally get from this sort of thing. The second song is more jammy and is more of an instrumental than the first song that has sparse vocals but they were still there and it felt likea palnned song. I can totally hear how this would sound killer live, but it also ssounds killer and is a pleasure to listen to in my room at home.  The first thing that is really striking about this band aside from the killer guitar playing is the hazy way in which this was recorded .
"Yayoi Kusama" is more of a boogie. It reminds me of Atomic Bitchwax. The vocals are similar likea raspier version of David Grohl . Pretty much a fun party song. "Mihara' is more thoughtful and dynamic. It is less of a party song and more brooding in many ways. It is also darker though more of a jam. The vocals do not play as big of a role as they did in the previous song, though they do show up. It is doomier than what we have heard on this album so far.  "Red Sun and Blues Sun" is a very Sabbathy instrumental jam. The vocals return on "Seppuku" They havea grungey gravel to them, the song it self continues down the blues baked road they have been sunatering down over the course of the album.

The last song finds the vocals really making they mark as it is the singer's strongest moment. He soars up into his soulful upper register. It might be the album's best song. It has some balls , but I am not sure I would call it or any other song on this album metal. Black Sabbath started off as a blues band and this is the direction they are trying to head . I will round this album up to a 9 yes, it is jammy but they do it well and draw from familar influences while making them their own,
 

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. 

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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.

Besvärjelsen : "Vallmo"

So went into this album with zero history with the band. "Return to No Return" might be the album's strongest song as it blends a surreal darkness with doom tinged rock riffs these guys so deftly deal in. It's the more surreal swirl to their sound that helps elevate them from the rest of the retro occult rock. While they might not be as keen of songwriters as Devils Blood was they are going into a more drugged out direction. With some interesting melodic breaks these guys are like subtle weed as in they creep up on you and the songs often seep into your brain. When the go into more of a metal rumble it doesn't feel as they are having the same creative impact. Though on "Oken" they prove themselves more than capable of hanging with metal bands of their ilk. They can approach a the stoner/ doom vibe from many different angles. On "Under en Svart Himmel" they take a more blues based approach to this. It's also on the dark side so I am obviously going to prefer that direction to the more traditional approach. It sounds like there is more interplay between the male and female vocals, though there is a androgynous quality to Lea Alazam's vocals that makes the lines blur when they are blended .

The band continues to show different sides of themselves as I am surprised by the taunt Tool like prog metal groove of "I Skuggan av Ditt Morker". Some of the more impressive guitar solos are on this track as well.  I like guitar solos when do right and I think these guys keep it in good taste and in the context of the song. "Farsilsarium" winds around another progressive groove. Another one that is not unlike Tool or Katatonia in the serpentine manner it can writhe around the drums. By the time it gets to the guitar solo its morphed into a more rock feel. The album closes with the ten minute "Alone" that begins to solidify the albums third act turn toward a more progressive direction as their singer displays a more soulful touch to her vocals. The solo section finds the song ebbing out into a more jammed out ambiance. I'll give this one a 9, the turn the album takes is interesting and it stays dark enough to keep my interest.

Wolftooth - "S/t"

The first song is pretty hammering. The vocals remind me a little of Ghost, but it might just be the production on them. There is some Sabbath worship, but it doesn't kick into high gear until the lumber of the second song. These guys strike me as being a little more doom than stoner rock on this one. "Sword of My Father" is pretty damn catchy. I find myself liking these guys though something in my gut tells me this is either... A) A joke like Goblin Cock or B) A bunch of hipsters though how many hispters can there be in Indiana? and every one but the dude with the gray beard looks like they used to be in a hard-core band. I can hear the trash and NWOBHM on "White Mountain" but the vocals do not soar. They are rather plaintive like an indie rock band, but manage to get the job done. So a far cry from Pallbearer. Here is where they also begin to lose some of their momentum despite this song being slightly more up-tempo. There is a cool groove that the song finds it's way to and these guys are obviously skilled at there instruments.

There is a more Mastodon feel to " Frost Giant". The vocals are smoother and coast along the chug of guitar. Where Mastodon would go into some proggy wanking, these guys go for a more melodic Sabbath approach. You do have to give it to these guys they can lock into a chug that hasn't sounded this good since "Holy Diver". However they lack the vocal power or melodies of a Ronnie James Dio. There is a more meandering blues to the intro to "Season of the Witch" until they lock back into a groove. They tighten the groove and the vocals become slightly more Ozzy like with bursts of twin harmony guitar. "Forged in Fire " finds the boogie fighting against the gallop, but the gallop seems to win. Overall the album compensates for mediocre vocals and knows it's strengths playing into them more often than not, it's the power of the chug that propels them and good to hear some hooky riff rock so I'll give it a 9.

Electric Wizard : "Wizard Bloody Wizard"

The band's 9th album opens with the nihilistic blues of the lead single "See You In Hell". Despite the album's title it's somewhat less of a love affair with Black Sabbath and more of a homage to the fuzzed out garage rock of the 60's. The drummer was obviously influenced by Mitch Mitchell's drumming on "Manic Depression" here. Not as aggressive as what we have heard from them in the past, but it sounds better the more you dial up the volume. The band took it upon themselves to handle the production in their own studio. Sonically this allows for less bells and whistles as it's stripped down to what the band sounds like just plugging straight into their amps. The creates a dry more more ranged sound, and thus a more retro affair.

 The tempo shifts into more a methed out boogie on "Necromania". Lyrically "Hear the Sirens Scream" sounds like he went into the vocal booth with no lyrics prepared and just vamped off the top of his head. This song also has a more of a jamming feel to it and is not as focused in it's attack. It begins to drag a little once they hit the seven minute mark and I begin to wonder if it's going anywhere else or just more of the same. The answer they give me after declaring "drugs are their religion" is a guitar solo. It could have stood to come more forward in the mix rather than sitting back in the wall of guitar.

A keyboard does appear at the beginning of the three minute drone "the Reaper". "Wicked Caresses " embraces a darker more traditional doom approach. It doesn't wallow in the linger tempo and hover under 90 bpms, when not in the total doom of the verse riff. They stay on a slower doomy shuffle for the closing anthem "Mourning of the Magicians" . He returns to claiming he will sill you in hell so I had to check to see if I had let the stream loop back around to the beginning , so this one didn't hold my attention as much as the first few songs. I also notice that his voice lacks the effects it's normally drenched in on their other albums. I can hear how this gives it more of a Coven like sound and less of a mid 70s Ozzy. But it makes the vocals cut through less like another instrument and showing he is a one trick pony here.Other wise this is a pretty solid album, I'll give it an 8.5, it has less apocalyptic thunder than albums like "Dopethrone" but I like the trashy exploitative mood it creates in the simplicity of the songs. They also prove you don't need long pondering wandering to be doom.

Horseneck : " Heavy Trip"

This band consists of former members of Wil Haven and Jess Gowrie who played drums for Chelsea Wolfe on the last time she came around on the "Abyss" tour. It kicks off with a crazy 70's style boogie that is couple with sometimes manic screaming, though there is also actual singing on this track as well. There is more of a Kvelertak like rock n roll strut to " Michael Caine" . It might be a little middle of the road and strike as a party anthem of sorts , but it is really well done even in it's most derivative moments. I don't think "P.a.g" really upholds the highest standards we are hearing from the first two songs, but it might be that I am used to their sound at that point. Though the smoother vocal really makes a difference on "Smoking Stacks".

Jess' drumming is better than what I heard her do with Chelsea Wolfe. There is a weird bluesy slacker groove to "Hangman". It plods along in the most surreal way possible. "Bobby Brown" is more straight forward and I don't find it as engaging. "No Gods " has a more powerful metal kick to it.There is a more sludge core energy bursting from "Lester Vitalis". They back off from the pounding and allow for a more Dinosaur Jr like melody on "Basket of Snakes". It ebbs back into their more savage side and offers a more snarling contrast two one another as the song ambles along. They end the album with the upbeat attack of "Plow the Road". This is another songs that has more of that Acid Bath swamp groove to it. I suppose you could say Kyuss is an influence on this guys , but there is more of a swamp feel than the kind of desert rock Kyuss kicked up and the Sabbath influence is far more dialed back. I would think these guys listen to more punk than metal. The guitar hints at the fact they own several 70's rock albums like say Thin Lizzy. I'll give this album a 9 for now and see how it grows on me, so it is a rather pleasant surprise.

Caronte : "Codex Babalon"

The croon of their singer is mix of Gibby Haynes and Danzig. I guess Gibby is a little more of the drug crazed desperation. They are very deliberate rock n roll doom. They lumber around with a drone, that is not without a ballsy drive.The fuzzed out guitars create some very dense layers that might remind some of Electric Wizard. They continue to rock out with "Elixir Rubeus" , but I am not as engaged for this song. They seem to be more into jamming around with heavy sounds more than really hooking you into their songs, if you are hooked in then it's due to the hypnotic throb rather than anything they have done to invite you into their world. This is not to say there is not some emotional investment into their music, and I am sure when they are playing it they are really into it, something intangible is just not connecting. The singer's melodies might be better served doing their own thing like they do on "Rites of High Theurgy" rather than just being bellowed out over the rumble of riffs with nothing to stick to.

They let there songs hover around the nine minute mark. The more rock n roll like melodies the singer chooses have potential as the band as a whole does, there is a 90's post- grunge thing buried under all this wannabe occult murk. Perhaps that just comes from living in Italy, everything has to have a touch of horror movie like occult. I'll give this album a 7.5, I do like this kind of retro doom, though the last song is a little too uptempo to be doom and overall I don't get the darker more mournful vibe that I feel doom should have from them. They do create a psychedelic churning that is heavy in it's own way. These guys have created a familiar yet original sound they just need to fine tune to nuances of song writing amid the density. It was a fun listen for me I just don't feel compelled to give it many more spins.

Van Records releases this July 22nd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAkSetkxZw&feature=youtu.be

Hellhorse : "s/t:

This band recalls the drug summer's of the late nineties in their take on post-grunge stoner metal. Vocally there is more rock to the singer's roar, while the band pounds behind him with a power that calls Soundgarden's and the Melvins more muscular moments. The only thing I don't like about this band is the fact they have two singers, and my theory is just have one singer who can do both. But if I try to block that out then this is a pretty fun ride. Production wise this album was meant to be played loud at it over powers my computers speakers with it's overdriven grit. I don't fee like the second song really holds up to the kind of power thrown around in the opener. I like the more blues baked dynamics to the melodies of "Fortune Favors the Bold". Which ever singer they chose to sing "Blood Boiler" is the one that needs to go. I do like the singer who sings more than the guy who does the punk yelling. It could be this song just doesn't play to the band's strengths even when they go for a more Clutch like thing.


 The alt-metal of "Hell of A Ride" has a better groove, but could use a stronger melody. The hooks just don't grab me as hard as this band is capable of doing. There is more of a metal gallop to "Raise the Black Flag" that justifies the bellow of the throaty vocals. There is a little more melody put into the melody of riff to "Hell Haven". The vocals set the baritone croon the yelled vocal, which can be a little awkward at times. They are heavier on the closing "No Fucks Given" which builds into a more southern gospel section, lyrically it's a little silly with the lines about joining the circus. I'll give this one an 8, it falls a little short of being something I need in my iPod for daily listening, but there are some really good songs, the first and the 3rd song being the most impressive. It's a little more middle of the road than where my tastes normally go and when I am in the mood to listen to this sort of thing I would listen to Clutch instead. But if you want so hard rock with a punk edge then this band from Denmark is worth your time.

Cough : "Still They Pray"

This self professed stoner sludge band, gives us the chance to explore where the lines between sludge and doom lie. The opener is dense and has a more impressive vocal performance than I expected. It is slow and powerful, but the raw fuzzed out distortion hits you more like a wall than wallows in the mournful atmosphere. About six minutes into the lumbering 8 minute jam it's sluggishness strikes me as slightly repetitive. So this may or may not be an ill omen of what's to come for the seven other songs to come. With members from Windhand and the Sword there is no doubt in regard to the caliber of these guys talent. There is more of a snarl to "Possession" that brings the band Indian to mind. The clean vocals remind me a little more of Mudhoney when they come in. This brings up an interesting point which is sludge tends to have more punk roots than doom, which is a more un-apologetically metal genre.

With "Dead Among the Roses" the lyrics take on a  a darker and more sorrow prose. the vocals are a tenor sneer with enough of an edge to it to not sound like an Ozzy wannabe. They drone on the same riff spicing it up with a guitar solo here and there. The slowly begin pressing down on the gas to accelerate. "Masters of Torture" finds the vocals get nastier as the music slows to a more oppressive pound. I like the chant of " live to hate , hate to live" There is more disgust than depression here. There is a stab at actual singing on "Let it Bleed". The instrumental jam "Shadow of the Torturer" is one of those songs I can hear going over well live, but little more than back ground music when playing it at home.

The more anguished drone of "The Wounding Hours" that really benefits from the pulse of the synth beneath it it more engaging than the previous song. Vocally the harsh screams are emoted from a place similar to Eyehategod here. The title track is an acoustic ballad , which is pretty straightforward almost folk. This is good for what it is, I can let it play, but nothing too ground breaking I'll give it a 7.5.

Undead Viking Mafia : "No Trials for Traitors"

Not a silly as their name, this Atlanta plays a beefy hybrid mix of sludge and middle of the road death metal...think Amon Amarth without the epic galloping. The vocals are generally a sing song scream mixed with well produced death growls. Sure there is some Pantera influence mixed in these guys obviously picked up on "Far Beyond Driven" era. The vocals belt out more melody on the second song at the times it feels like early pre-prog Mastodon is being mixed with Devildriver or some other Velveeta dipped mall metal.  By the time we get to "Stones of Morax" I'm getting little bored with rambling through the backwoods until the song slows down. These riff begin to all conform to their corrosion to tightly you have to pull them apart with Crowbar. The "I'm Not a nihilist" chant in the chorus of the fourth song gives it some redeeming qualities.

They needed the banjo at the beginning of "the Cosair" to break things up with the more Clutch like groove the song goes into , which makes the fist song so far to resonate with me. This is a dynamic I doubt is being replicated live and song that grabs me is not enough for me to leave my couch to go find out. The fuzzed out bass opening "Hatfields and McCoys" gives away to more late 90s tinged metal. Most of this sort of thing came out of grunge and has seen another resurgence, but is High on Fire really treading any new ground either? The big chorus that swells up is the songs saving grace, a female voice is buried in the mix and loses the dynamic impact it should have had. The production is pretty good on this album until too many things are put on the table without room to breathe. "Downhill Blues" brings another death metal tinged boogie out. What does this one have that different from what we have already heard here? I waited until I was past the two minute mark to declare... nothing.

From what I remember from catching this band years ago is they are were more spastic and came out of left field in a manner owing more to power violence or grindcore, here they have clearly honed their song writing chops into something more polished, but pretty predictable. There is more rock n roll on "For Four" to create more of a Kvelertak feel. But I own Kvelertak's albums and will listen to them when I want to hear Kvelertak. In Atlanta much like every big city with an over flow of bands, has one of everything. It's almost like the city's geek culture convention Dragon-con, you can expect to see someone dressed up as every comic book character. Sure one guy might be Dr.Strange one day, then Nick Fury the next, then enter the costume contest as the Comedian, but you will have seen them all. The bands are like that these guys might be Atlanta's Kvelertak, or they might be their Devildriver, but I want to hear a band as themselves. I want to hear something new that is why I prowl the inner webs looking for new music.

The more nu-metal take on doom explored on "Doom's Year Eve" finds the band getting down and dirty into some nastier death metal, though the keyboards are so far back in the mix that any ambiance they are attempting to add is negligible. The riff on the closing song "Serpentborne" reminds me of the riff from "Abigail" that Mastodon ripped off on "Crack the Skye" so it's recycled recycling, but it's a cool riff to rip off if you are going to steal something. I'll give this album a 6.5, this is more polished than most Atlanta metal and the highest score I can give something that's not all that original, but if you are young enough then that might not matter much to you.



 

Sourvein : "Aquatic Occult"

My only history with this band is the split they did with Graves at Sea. I'm  much more impressed with this album. "Avian" is the first song that feels like they are taking the plunge into the album with "Tempest" feeling more like an intro. Though most of the songs just break the two minute mark. This is a relief and proves that in order to play doom effectively you don't have to open the flood gates to ponderous ten minute plus behemoths. The fact that two members of this band were also a part of Buzz-Oven can be felt on the oppressive stomp to "Ocypuss".  "Aquanaut"  provides are more traditional doom counter point to this beating previously rained down upon your ears. "Hymn to Poseidon" has the melody submerged beneath the tides of distortion. "Mermaids" swims in more stoner rock waters not unlike those that older Queens of the Stoneages once bathed in. They attack "Urchins" like sharks with the scent of blood. This song's doom tendencies keep the bongs bubbling with the same intensity of Electric Wizard.

When T-Roy sings in his more raspy plea that involves more actual notes and less growling he taps into some honest desperation on songs like "In the Wind". They ebb down into the much calmer flow of  the interlude entitled "Cape Fearian". There is more of an undulating to the more conventional grunge groove of "Capsized". The way the vocals are delivered remind me a little of Today is the Day, T-Roy does sing a little more on this one. The undertow of "High Tide" pulls you down into murkier depths. The song is not as fully formed in it's sluggish tug. The babbling brook of bass that runs under the garbled vocals and wandering guitar solo, create a “Planet Caravan” like vibe, but this feels more like a free floating idea rather than some solidified in an actual song, so I write it off as an interlude.
 The stormy churn of "Coral Bones" find the band sailing along the coast of Electric Wizard. "Oceanic Procession" finds the band sail off into the night on a darker note. The barnacle encrusted rasp of the vocals gives the creepy outro an atmosphere that reminds me of when Tom Waits played Renfield. I'll give this one a 9 it gave me much more than I was expecting and proves to be one of the more ambitious doom releases so far this year so We shall see how this grows on me from here.

Conan : " Revengeance"

The  new album by this trio from Liverpool opens with  a wrathful rumble, moving at a faster than Motorhead speed. The dual vocals split the difference tonally with one gong for a coarse lower bellow and the other a crazed higher cry. It slows for what could be the chorus. "Thunderhoof" is like a slower version of the first song. The vocals use a similar pattern to yell out the lyrics buried in the fuzz of distortion. This feels more like sludge than doom or stoner metal. The guitar eventually finds a more mournful melody as the song progresses. The bass hits  flatulent subsonic brown tones over the pound of the drums. There is a more scraping drag to the tempo of "Wrath Gauntlet" . The vocals come closer to singing. They are sparser and bringing more focus to  the over driven effects heavy  churn of guitar. The lower growled vocals come in midway into the song. It's not really a chorus just another progression that drones out until the end.

There is a blast beat introduced into the intro of the title track , that seems a little out of character for the band, until the find driving groove. On this song you begin to realize how good their drummer is Aside from tempo the album remains one dimensional when it comes to melody and veers from one rumble to the next. This doesn't change , but only becomes more deliberate in the pound of " Every Man is an Enemy". Here cadance of the vocals becomes more syncopated and flirts with singing. Here the vocals still seem like an after though rather than a crucial part of the song. The bass begins to indulge in a weird phase like effect that might be a moog pedal plug in added in post production or the actual pedal since they do have a more organic sound.

The album grinds to a close with "Earthenguard" The slow creep here is the albums most doomy moment though the murk of distortion doesn't lend it self to being the albums most memorable as the lower vocal randomly roars out.  I paused this song midway to go work out came back to my desk and picked up where I left off to find that nothing changed it was just droning on for another six minutes. So while there are some heavy sounds here and solid musicianship, I could have used a little more to pull me into the songs , but will still give  this one a 7 for their honest effort.This slab of sludge is being released by Napalm Records.

Ecstatic Vision : "Sonic Praise"

For some reason I had it in my head these guys were an industrial band. Not a stoner jam band. Not really sure where the first song ended and the second song began it ran together in one jam. These guys are good at what they do , the mix seems like it could more balls to it. The vocals are throaty but sung, very similar to Lemmy's backing vocals in Hawkwind, with more effects on them.They hang on a bass line in "Astral Plane" which at twelve and a half minutes is the longest song. They throw in some sax to further the Hawkwind comparisons. At times the drone comes across like the live version of "Dazed and Confused" when the bongo linger in the back ground its more "Sympathy for the Devil".

The have more drive on the chanted "Don't Kill the Vibe" , but still I can't help but think a more organic sound in the production department would put this more in your face. More atmospheric than Monster Magnet's trippier moments, but not as effective as the Devils Blood. The title track and the last song also run together though the last song runs into more kraut rock thing and while it drones it hits a different groove.The guitar goes into a Indian scale while the bass latches onto a more Tool like riff, the combination is pretty effective. They close it with a very pyschonaut lyric about freeing their minds.


 If I still did drugs I would be all over this , but seeing as how I haven't touched them in 13 years I can appreciate this but don't feel the urge that this album is pulling me back to it .I am well adapted to psychedelic music and prefer that elements in music as long as it is dark and I think the thinner digital sounding production takes away from capturing a darker vibe, which Hawkwind had, to the point of where they eventually crossed over and influenced many latter day goth bands. I'll still go ahead and round this one up to an 8.




3.9

Crosss : "LO"

 I've been looking forward to this album, as I have like everything I heave heard from these Canadians up until this point. From the opening song its clear that while there is a doom-ish side to what they do it is wrestling against their indie rock side. The indie rock song tends to dominate the vocals, with fuzzed out guitar and big burly bass plodding behind to provide most of the beef."Eye Senance" gets darker than the opener, the vocals taking a less conventional melody line. They achieve something of creepy beauty on here. Many bands call themselves occult, but don't achieve anything more than a retor feel, while these guys and gals touch on moments that could be from the score of a horror movie, colliding with the unease in a very angular path. They seem to be digging deeper into thicker heavier tones with each songs. It sounds like male vocals come in for "Golden Hearth" , but they are rather androgynous like early David Bowie, dosed with Syd Barret in a grungy rumble.This 60s Brit influence carries over into "Mind". There is a lo-fi element to most of this album, it seems to be exaggerated on the title track, as it bangs and clangs along more like garage punk.When the 60s Brit influence strays into folk it carries more of a Psychic TV feel. They stay in this vein to some extent on "My Body". It's not folk, but has the psychedelic mod laze coats.They hit a better middle ground between this retro hipster thing with a grunge edge on "Kaloo Kalay". The album wraps up with the 18 minute sprawl of "Enthroning the 4 Acts" which is nothing but noise, meaning it's an over extended outro. I am ever so slightly disappointed with this as my expectations were high from the other songs I had heard going into this, so I was not expecting the British hippie movement to be such a big part of it. I'll still give it an 8 as they are good sound writers and managed to sell me on most of their "Cups and Cakes" .

King Giant: "Black Ocean Waves"

There is a hint of something ominous behind the rather happy strum of guitar that opens up this album. The chug shows up midway into things. This is much more prog than not. The stoner like riff comes in on " the One God Forgot to Save". The vocals have a rasp to them but are sung, kinda grungey. There are elements of many 90s band mixed in here . Soundgarden, Tool, Monster-Magnet , Corrosion of Conformity and Helmet all have an influence. Even Rob Zombie in the vocal delivery. the Singer has a more melodic command and is singing more than ROB Zombie, but there is a similar quality.However his voice is not slather in as many effects.  I would say they are further from doom than Kyuss. There is a mournful quality to "Red Skies", but it's not doom.in fact at times I am torn as to if this is even metal it feels more like hard rock at times.While that debate is never ending, one thing is a fact and that is the guitars are what holds this album together.

Some songs even the best playing can't do much with. "Trail Of Thorns" is kinda generic and one of the more White Zombie moments, mixed with a bit of Danzig.The Danzig side is further brought to light on the blues filled riffs of "Blood of the Lamb" they brazenly rip off "Am I Evil" on this song. There is a very Sabbath worship filled riff to " the Gentlemen Carry". It reminds me of one of Slayer's serial killer ballads.

The vocals eventually get on my nerves. It often seems like the same old same old and the singer could be from any local band I might see playing at any old dive on a Friday night. I do like the horror slant to the lyrics. Though much brighter "There Were Bells" sounds like it's from this decade and the guitar does a good job of holding things together. This album did grow on me a bit as I like the bands who influenced them back in the day.I'll give it a 6.

Dorthia Cottrell : s/t

The lead singer from Windhand has released her first solo album. Truth be told I have never been blown away by Windhand.It starts off dark and blues, her voice is sultry and strong, then on "Gold" a country element begins to creep in. This is not pulled off in the same manner as say Marissa Nadler and sounds more like a Bonnie Raitt unplugged album. Her song writing is pretty bare bones and the instrumentation is sparse. She gets away with this at first. The songs are to the point so don't drag, there might be a little different flavor of haunting on "Oak Grove" but the guitar in the distance makes it sound too much like the previous song. If the instrumentation on songs like this was given a helping hand by drums or piano she might have sold me on this. Her voice is good , but not good enough to carry songs on an empty stage. She fares better on the country blues collision that reminds me of the Cowboy Junkies on "Orphan Bird" We are back to just the tentative strum of guitar and her vocals double tracked up front.

 Perhaps if her lyrics were more convincing this would be an easier sell, since her voice is right out in the open then you would think she had better have something to say. The more down home country flavor to " Maybe it's True" sound like K.D Lang with less dynamics.It's one of the longest songs on the album at seven minutes but doesn't go anywhere. She works better in more of that Cowboy Junkies place as demonstrated on "Moth". When she is harmonizing with herself she captures a unique quality, but laid bare bones just strumming a chord, it's a snooze fest.Eight songs into the album I find myself really struggling to get through the whole thing, but I force myself and press on. She doesn't touch on any new ground on "Kneeler" and is a far cry from Chelsea Wolfe when it comes to being able to pull this off with just a guitar in hand. "Rake" is barely a shade different from the previous song. It's more tedious guitar strumming, which if you are going to go that route you might as well put a little more into the playing and bang the hell out of it to create dynamics, which is why this album is flat as a table.

 The country comes out on "Perennial" which feels better than the bulk of the album up to this point , but it is too little too late. The country guitar in the background is really sticking to the color by numbers country intervals. The chorus doesn't jump out and grab you. The album closes with " Song For You", there is not much feeling coming from it or the album as a whole ,normally female singer are able to inject some sort of sex into their singing even if it's not intentional objectification even Chelsea Wolfe does it, Marisa Nadler does it and even Laura from Kylesa does it , its just a quality the female voice has , but little is done to inject that. Making the moments that should be more personal, come across as bland.  Said about al there is to say about this one I'll give it a 4.5, maybe she will take something away from this an apply it to Windhand to make them more interesting.

Yob: "Clearing the Path to Ascend"

With the sample of "time to wake up" the quiet before the storm begins to stir as we enter the 16 minute "In Our Blood". This feel more like apocalyptic sludge to me than doom. Why isn't this doom? Well we shall explore this as we tunnel deeper into this album. Most artists hate getting pigeon holed by genre labels any way so I doubt Yob cares if this is doom or not. The ghostly clean vocals that start this off are more effective than if they had started off with the roar from the get go. This Oregon band has been around since 1996 and 'Clearing the Path To Ascend " is their 7th album and first for Neurot. So from the way this flows alone it's evident these guys have now nailed down what they want to do. By the end of the opener it's clear to me they have achieved the sweet spot of being as heavy sonically as they are metal.

There is a denser tribal pound boiling on "Nothing to Win". This will feel more familiar to traditional metal heads, while the song maintains it's sonic integrity. When you are writing 16 minute epics, you have more than enough to stretch out your legs a bit in terms of dynamics.The hooks feel a little sharper on this album. At the six and a half minute moment the song roars out of the riffs it has been droning on to create a sludge tinged storm.

Even in the darker moments of "Unmask the Spectre" this album feels more sludge to me than doom.They use the drone well balancing enough eerie melody in the guitar lines to keep you under hypnosis. The chug they bring down like a hammer is dirty with plenty of heft.The vocals are largely harshly screamed , though well placed and accented. Around the seven and a half minute mark, the vocals become more sung though still coated with rasp.It's when the female vocals come in over the lumbering riff in the song's third act that the song really shines. If you are going to bring an album to a close it should be big or go home, so they saved the longest yarn for the last.

"Marrow" clocks in at over 18 minutes, it drifts in on a cloud of post- rock wandering before distortion is stepped on to make this thing soar more. The clean almost feminine tone to the vocals work well, I thought it might be the chick from Devils Blood at first , until I saw no other credits for vocals aside from Mike.The song rise in a constant build before they let the bottom fall out of it at the 11 minute mark. They let it sail out into a dreamy sea. It's this song that answers the questions we raised earlier as to why this isn't doom. The answer is while this album has a range of emotion to it, none of it has a mourning or depressive quality to it. There is still always a sliver of hope even in the roar of the tempest.

These songs are long and this album is not just music to put on for a trip to the liquor store, unless your closest liquor store is on top of a mountain.It is a big bite to digest. I am going to give it a 9 as it continues to grow on me. It really has not fault, but I am not sure due to the sprawling nature if it is something that I will get a ton of mileage out of unless I have the time to devote to taking in the whole album as it deserves to be heard.