When you think of the heaviest bands in the world, Monarch would certainly have to be on the list. If they are not on your list, they should be after you hear their new album, 'Omens.' Trying to sum up this band in a few words is a challenge, they are doom, drone, ambient, black metal, and sludge all rolled up into the one provocative and disturbing package. Listening to a lot of this album, you can't help but think of Sunn 0))) and Khanate but Monarch are a far more sludgier beast. However, they take the droning style of those bands and mix it with the sickness of Grief and Burning Witch and throw in some sabbathian power chords to top things off. The band is led by Emilie Bresson who delivers a mesmerizing vocal performance that I will go into more detail about later, the band is really pushing into extreme levels of crushing heaviness with this album. So much so that the more timid doom metal listener will find 'Omens' a painful experience to listen to. Formed in 2002, the band have progressed in ways that I never expected and now in 2012 have grown into one of the worlds truly great doom bands.
Comparing this to their earlier albums, it only takes seconds to realize that this is by far a darker, more sinister and heavier animal of an album than anything that have done in the past. That in itself is an achievement considering, they were already incredibly heavy and bleak but 'Omens' rises to new levels of crushing malevolence. The album is a bit strange in its track-listing, there are only three songs, two epics and one short track and it has a playing time of just 36 minutes so I don't think you can call this a "full-length" but I also don't know if it is meant to be. I will call it a EP and hope I don't offend anyone. The short playing time is actually a bonus in light of how heavy this album is, if it was to play for much longer I doubt if many people would sit through it for the duration so the compactness certainly helps this flow from start to finish.
Starting with the 13 minutes of 'Blood Seeress' that starts with a burst of white noise before getting buried in layers of feedback, the track eventually gets on its way with some seriously gripping, downtuned riffage. The tune moves at such a lethargic pace, it makes most other doom bands seem like speed metal by comparison. Musically it is like trying to suck wet cement through a straw with drones being squeezed out rather than played and the vocals are unearthly screams of torment. Emilie Bresson has a rare talent and that is being able to express so much emotion depth out of wordless vocals and she uses her voice almost like another droning instrument in its own right.
The following track, 'Transylvanian Incantations' just seems like an extension of the first track and therefore seems a bit pointless. It doesn't stand out as a track on its own, just a way of 'Blood Seerees' having a place to land. The last track however is where they really outdo themselves. The almost 20 minutes of 'Black Becomes the Sun' really makes you think that Monarch are indeed the heaviest band on the planet at the moment. The sonic intensity of this piece is disturbing in a way, it puts you on edge that is like having bugs crawling up your skin but it also strangely hauntingly beautiful. There are slight hints at strong melody here and there throughout this epic but it in mostly about creating the most atmospheric, visceral metal ever produced and they almost do it. The only downside to this track is a drum-solo which really screws up the flow of the piece for me and I hate drum solos anyway.
Apart from the drum solo which is pretty short anyway and a couple of passages which verge on the irritating, 'Omens' is a monster piece of work from Monarch. A lot of it is about experimentation and minimalism so that won't be everyone's cup of doom but this is easily one of the most unrelenting heavy albums of the past year. I don't know if the "heaviest band in the world" tag is something they are actively going after but I can't think of too many records as crushing as this one. Highly recommend you check this album/EP out....9/10.
This is the début of Colorado prog, sludge, doomsters Earth Burnt Black and that sounds like you are in for a diverse listening experience, you don't know the half of it. The prog element comes in the way the songs are composed and arranged with their being a concept to everything, both thematically and musically. This album is a propulsive, captivating, diverse, and seriously heavy release that leaves you battered and exhausted after its 54 minutes. Just to use other bands as convenient terms of reference for 'Harrowing Catharsis' is tricky because when they do sound like someone else, it never lasts for long. At times, the slower, more melodically driven moments sound like Opeth but far more doomy. Other times it is like classic Celtic Frost and other times like Isis. There are also many moments of pure death-doom especially in the vocal department but death-doom vocals have never sounded so perfect and that is where I must start off this review proper. The vocals on this album are amazing and I normally couldn't give a rats-ass about most vocals in doomy kind of bands but this is a different story. The vocals are constantly changing from clean and melodic to haunting to deep growls and guttural death-metal styled roars. The vocals move and switch around so much that I often find myself completely mesmerized by the range of voices but more importantly, no matter what vocal style is happening at any one time, they all sound incredible.
A lot of people think of the progressive doom tag as pretty silly and well, yes it is really because few bands justify the term. 'Earth Burnt Black' are another band that has been given that tag but calling them "progressive" is a real stretch of the imagination but they are indeed proggy in terms of concepts and the arrangements and yes in true prog-rock tradition, most of the songs are longish with six of the eight tracks over 7 minutes. The album begins with a rather pointless intro, but then the band launch into the ten minutes of 'The March' which is just simply a relentless barrage of death-doom riffs, low guttural vocals, and killer hooks and melodies. I had to play this track three times in a row the first day I got it just to take it all in. The following tune 'Adornment' is dark and aggressive and deathly for the most part but with lighter moments to nicely balance the track out. The bands trademark it seems is to trick the listener into thinking the songs are going to head into more calmer waters when all of a sudden, they steamroll over the top of you with aggressive energy and monstrous riffing.
'Freedom of the Wretched' completes a trio of flawless epics. This one has more proggy elements that most other tracks and is also diverse with sinister spoken word vocals mixed with some of the most interesting death-metal passages I have heard in many years. From here on though, the album slips a little, not a huge fall but enough for you to notice it is not quite as good as it was. 'The Hunt' at just four minutes seems to fly by without leaving a lasting impression but the following 'Lead or Cyanide' is great and memorable. The post-rockish intro to the track which sounds a bit like something Neurosis might do gives way to a majestic deathly doom metal track with even more proggy tendencies this time. 'Vengeance and Fire' is even more epic with a beautiful use of their diverse, multi-dimensional vocal attack. The album then ends on a very fitting 'Epilogue' which surprise, surprise is called 'Epilogue.'
Two things stand out on 'Harrowing Catharsis.' One is the vocals which I have already shot my wad over enough times already in this review but then there is the bass playing and sound. It is not often you hear bass presented in this way on a metal album. Bass sounds tend to be a bit buried in the mix on most metal albums but on this album they are up front and they sound incredible and irresistibly heavy. The bass lines at times are jaw-dropping and catchy and while that is blowing you away, you get some of the most exciting drumming recorded in recent years. So this band is an incredibly tight, well-oiled machine that never misses a beat and never wastes a second on this album. As the album title suggests, the subject matter is dark, downer stuff but it fits the music perfectly. While the albums first half sounds stronger than the second half, there is still no chance of getting bored by this. This is a monumental, surprise release of 2012. Love it.....9/10.
BIO:
Once Drummer Janosch Rathmer (Long Distance Calling) started jamming with guitar-wizard Nick van Delft in 2010 both decided that the songs that rose from their sessions had to meet the ears. So they soon joined forces with Stephan Gall (Guitar) and Robert Kahr (Bass, Organ) (both play also in Rocketchief) to form the bluesdriven, heavy and sometimes psychedelic rock-formation that should go by the name of ZODIAC.
The four musicians combine a longtime experience in the game and a common will to create interesting music. You can hear the influences of the classics: Zeppelin, Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Maiden just to name a few.
But it is more than that:
ZODIAC’s songs live on their performers’ passion for handmade, pure and inspiring music. Willing to bring their tunes to the people, ZODIAC want to play live as much as possible. This urge already allowed them to share the stage with Graveyard and Church of Misery — but they want a lot more! And now that the first five songs found their way to the recording studio (you can hear the results at this very moment) it is time to set the course... ( Official Website )
There are any number of bands doing the retro-classic riff rock thing these days but it is also a bonus when you hear one that shows some real class and finesse in their playing. One of the bands that do just that is Zodiac, now these dudes can play. The band will of course get the dreaded "stoner-rock" tag but what 70's influenced band doesn't. I prefer to think of Zodiac as classic heavy rock with a psychedelic jam-rock twist. Like the bio above states, the band is influenced by Zeppelin, Lizzy, and Black Sabbath but they never seem to be ripping them off. Nor are they trying to be mere clones of the 70's greats. The review I am putting together here is being called a demo EP but it is well-produced enough to also be called an official release and why this band isn't signed to a major label is just tragic.
The EP kicks off with a track titled 'Drown' and it is evident from the get-go that the band can't be called original but they are certainly irresistibly catchy and that is good enough for me. 'Drown' is a real mover but they switch gears for the atmospheric 'Upon The Stone' which takes on a more bluesy, psychedelic flavor. On the next track, the instrumental 'Careful What You Wish For' they show some real class with some majestic and classy playing. The following 'Assembly Line' and 'Failure' further showcase the band's love for an era when songs had just as much to do with fine musicianship as it did with finely crafted songwriting.
The guitar work is excellent and of the highest quality while the vocals are firmly in the blues-rock tradition. The sound is very thick so it is not an exact copy of the 70's sound, it is 70's rock given some modern rock treatment and heaviness. You can't go wrong here, nothing unique but the songwriting and musicianship is of the highest standard. Dig it...9/10.
Sally Doomvixen - Artwork By The Perverted Old Goatess
Time for another update for the Doommantia Store now. The store has been born again you could say over the last couple of months. Sales are way up and at a peak at the moment, for that I say thanks to all of you who are regular customers. Good to see there is still a few people still around who want to buy CD's.
The big news is my partner in life and in doom, Sally "Doomvixen" Bethhall is now in charge of the store which means orders are now getting same-day shipping (weekends not included of course). The same prices remain, along with the same killer deals. Free CD's for purchases of $40 or more of selected titles. Double the order and you get double the freebies so $80 equals 2 free CD's and so on. Below is a run-down of what is in stock right now, some of these titles are almost sold out however... Please welcome the beautiful Doomvixen to the team, she will also be adding some articles of her own in the future.
Within The Torn Apart - Time Wilts Away ( funeral doom / drone ) $7 Modern Funeral Art - Doom With A View (melodic doom) $5 Wizardrone - The Third Coming ( doom / drone / psychedelic ) $3 Ride The Sun - EP ( stoner metal ) CD - $10 US/Canada & $12 Everywhere Else * Doomsower - Vintage Era ( doom metal ) $5 Lazarus Complex - The Cleansing ( doom /stoner metal / psychedelic ) CD - $10 US/Canada & $13 Everywhere Else * Alunah - Call Of Avernus ( stoner metal / psyche / doom ) US & Canada $14 & $17 Everywhere Else * Alunah - Fall To Earth US & Canada $10 & $13 Everywhere Else * Nevertanezra - EP ( doom metal ) $10 Aethyr - Messio ( blackened doom / drone ) $16 Psi Corps - All Roads Lead To Amber ( psychedelic / space rock ) $16 Endname - Dreams Of Cyclops ( instrumental stoner / art-metal ) $16 Mountain Of Judgement - S/T ( doom / stoner ) $16 Ahkmed - Chicxulub ( doom / sludge ) $18 Dozelimit - Constructions Of The Highest Architecture ( sludge / doom ) $16 El Hijo De La Aurora - Wicca ( doom metal ) $16 Enoch - The Hierophant ( doom metal ) $16 Seven That Spells - It Came From The Planet Of Love ( psychedelic ) $16 US Christmas - Salt The Wound ( stoner / post -rock ) $18 Sendelica - Spaceman Bubblegum And Other Weird Tales From The Mind ( psychedelic / space rock ) $16 Sendelica - The Girl From The Future Who Lit Up The Sky With Golden Worlds $16 Sendelica - Streamdelica, She Sighed As She Hit Rewind On The Dream Mangler Remote $16 Psi Corps - Tekeli-Li ( space rock / psychedelic ) $16 The Grand Astoria - II ( stoner metal ) $16 Sehnsucht - Wachstum ( kraut rock / psychedelic ) $16 Without God - Lambs To The Slaughter ( doom metal ) $16 Seven That Spells - My Mommy Wants To Kiss Your Mamma ( psychedelic ) $16 Domes Of Silence - Hunter EP ( stoner metal ) $8 US/Canada & $10 Everywhere Else * The Re-Stoned - Analog ( instrumental stoner metal ) $16 Sex Type Thing - Checked Up By Time ( Stoner rock ) $16 The Grand Astoria - Omnipresence ( stoner metal ) $12 US/Canada & $15 Everywhere Else * Groan - The Sleeping Wizard - ( Spaced out medieval heavy power fuzz rock) $19 Various Artists - Planet Doom Volume One - ( doom, sludge, stoner ) $17 - Planet Doom Volume Two - ( doom, sludge, stoner ) $17 Mhonos - Miserere Nostri - ( drone, ambient, black metal ) $17 Misty Morning - Martian Pope E.P. ( traditional doom ) $17 Camel of Doom - The Night After Time ( Psychedelic Stoner- Doom ) Fen - Trails Out Of Gloom ( Progressive Post-Rock ) $15 US/Canada $17 UK & $18 Everywhere Else Grifter - S/T ( Stoner/Psyche Rock )$ 15 - $18 Iron Claw ( Classic Hard Rock ) - A Different Game $15 - $18 Jpt Scare Band ( Psychedelic Blues/Hard Rock ) - Acid Blues Is The White Mans Burden $15 to $36 For Vinyl including delivery Kevin Beadles - You Cant Argue Forever - $13 - $16 Modern Day Moonshine - Refuge ( Blues/Jam-Rock ) $15 - $18 Poobah - Let Me In ( Classic Heavy Rock ) $15 - $18 Stone Axe - S/T ( Hard Rock ) $15 - $18 Grand Atlantic / Sky Parade Split 7" ( Psychedelic ) $9 - $14 Heavy Ripples Volume 1 Compilation - $13 - $17 Mighty High/Stone Axe Split 7" - $9 - $14 Nevertanezra - NTNR ( Funeral Doom/Death Doom ) $14 - $22 KRIEF DE SOLI - Procul Este, Profani ( Funeral Doom ) $16 - $18 * Lethargy Of Death - Necrology ( Funeral Doom ) $16 - $18 * Ego Depths / Dispersive Light - “Follow the Skua” ( Funeral Doom, Doom Metal, Drone ) $16 - $18 * AstorVoltaires - “Katan Nagantü' ( Melodic Doom Metal ) $16 - $18 * Within The Torn Apart - Now In This Time Of Death ( Doom, Drone, Ambient ) Download $7 Within The Torn Apart - Drone In, Blood Out Part Two ( Doom, Drone, Ambient ) Download $7 Within The Torn Apart - No Longer Torn Apart ( Doom, Drone, Ambient ) Download $7 Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes ( Funeral Doom ) $16 - $18 * Aura Hiemis “While the Rest of the World Sleep... ( Funeral Doom ) $17 - $20 *
* Buy these to get your free CD's but the free CD is subject to what is in stock
The latest new Soggy Bog Podcast, episode number 63 – 'Doom Of Antiquity,' has now been posted for your listening pleasure, and it is a Classic Doom inspired special with a playlist mostly centered around tracks from the 70's and 80's. Bands that are featured include Witchfinder General, Black Sabbath, May Blitz, High Tide, Trouble, Pentagram, Melvins, Sir Lord Baltimore, Paul Chain, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, and Solitude Aeturnus.
As reported on The Sleeping Shaman this tour will destroy. Take a look at the line-up, UK's finest!!! Here is the original post... Hold onto your asses cos this March Conan, Serpent Venom, Undersmile and Grimpen Mire will be heading out on a three-day tour. This cavalcade of cavernous doom and sludge will be a showcase of some of the finest underground bands the UK has to offer.
All of the bands will be supporting their albums; Serpent Venom’s Carnal Alter, Grimpen Mire’s upcoming A Plague Upon Your Houses, Conan’s upcoming Monnos and Undersmile’s upcoming Narwhal. If you like your music slow, heavy and down-tuned these dates are not to be missed!
The dates are: Friday 23rd March – Alma Inn, Bolton – w/ Volition Facebook Event Link
*The Black Heart gig will be free to people who have proof of purchase of either a Roadburn Festival or Desertfest ticket. It will also be after Wino and Conny Ochs’ matinee show at the same venue so hang around for more doom!
Katergon was one of the sleeper hits of 2010, their two-song “Endless Life” EP making waves across the world of the internet. Their blend of post-rock, post-metal, the slightest tinge of sludge and doom, when coupled with their penchant for atmospherics and solid musicianship, made them a prime candidate for one of the best up-and-comers. But three songs in total are slim pickings, and it was high time that these guys made a full-length.
The upcoming debut full-length, titled “Argonaut” is set to be released on May 18, 2012. The band’s official statement goes:
“The waiting is over! We have finally finished the recordings, mix and mastering and are now able to announce that our full-length album ARGONAUT will be released via dirty & weird music on 18.05.2012. On that date, we are also going to celebrate this with a realease party at the ISC club in Bern (CH), together with 'When Icarus Falls'!”
As a teaser to keep us fed enough to appreciate the main course, the band has released the song “Shores of Redemption” and it is every bit of beautiful as the songs on “Endless Life.” It clocks in at eleven minutes plus, not that we should expect anything shorter than these guys, and can best be described as a slow burn. Generally keyboard and atmosphere-driven, the track uses slow, soft passages to build up to harder, yet still slow, parts. The guitar work is exquisite, able to fade in and out at will and become both a background instrument and the driving force. The vocals are beautifully done (despite their delivery reminding me a little too much of “I am the Sea”) and generally, it’s an effortlessly addictive track built on a nautical atmosphere. (if I had to rate it, I’d give it a 9/10)
So keep an eye out for these guys, they are COMING.
NOTE: The cover image shown is done, apparently, by Alain Aebersold (http://www.alainaebersold.ch) who has plenty of eye-candy for those interested.
Woods of Ypres singer/guitarist David Gold was killed in a car accident late last year, shortly after completing work on this album, 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light' so it is easy to get swept up in an emotional element with this album. One song, 'Finality' Gold has written "Though we leave the world apart, I, still went peacefully, quietly, with you, still firmly in my heart. I will wait forever. I wait..." and with lines like that one and in light of the tragic events of last year, this album is a harrowing, emotional trip.
But, we still have to review this honesty and put the sadness of what happened to one side. The truth is though, this album is decent, no matter which way you analyze it and without a doubt, this is the best album of their career but how much you will like it, (like there earlier work) depends on how much you like the light gothic doom style. The band have always sat somewhere in the middle of My Dying Bride, Katatonia and Type O Negative and nothing has changed with this album. The voice of Gold is still very much like that of Peter Steele, and that deep, baritone, emotional delivery is an acquired taste. I think the best word to describe this album is "morose."
Musically, this album is almost no different from their last album, 'Woods 4: The Green Album,' perhaps a little too much so. The band is basically another band treading the tired old goth-doom formula to the letter and while the album has some great moments, there are an awful lot of passages that are lacking. Whether it is a lack of soul, or too much emotion that sounds forced, there are too many moments on this album that make me cringe.
Considering the band is so much like a poor-mans Paradise Lost or Katatonia it makes me wonder, how the hell did this album end up on Earache Records? Anyway, tedious moments and questions beside, the album also has some captivating passages and really there isn't one track on here that is a total loss. Such is the way with 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light' that every song has its highs and lows. 'Alternate Ending,' 'Kiss My Ashes (goodbye),' and 'Finality' are three of the albums best and most dark and emotionally charged moments. The level of sheer misery of these tracks are overwhelmingly intense at times as well as incredibly poignant.
The band or should I say David Gold always had an obsession with death, he wrote songs like 'By The Time You Read This (I Will Already Be Dead)' so it is nothing new to hear these kinds of despondent lyrics coming from Gold so if you are looking for some kind of feel-good goth romanticism, you won't find much of it here. Along with the focus on death, the songs are all about isolation, depression, and feeling emotionally crippled. The only break from the darkness comes on 'Career Suicide (is not real suicide)' which is surprisingly up-tempo. Elsewhere on the album there is more of the Katatonia cloning going on. Some moments are very good, other passages are a bit dull so you get a mixed bag of doom with this release. I must also mention that when Gold seems to be trying to be more upbeat and positive, it still comes off as being depressing ('Death Is Not An Exit'). I also have to mention there is the odd nod to raw black metal in short doses that makes most black metal bands seems like flower-power stuff.
There is not a lot to this album musically, it is mostly minimalist and fairly simple but lyrically, this is about as "heavy" as it gets in doom. It is rare when I recommend an album just for its lyrical content but I am going to have to do just that with this one. The last I heard was the future of Woods of Ypres is uncertain but if they do decide not to carry on, at least they went out on a solid note. This album won't change the world but it will stir up emotions....7/10.
The apocalyptic first recordings from the much anticipated 8th studio LP from ELECTRIC WIZARD will be released as a vinyl only 7" on March 31st at their forthcoming LONDON FORUM show. It is the first of a number of vinyl only releases set to promote the , as yet, untitled and unfinished LP. Recording of the new LP has already commenced but will not be completed until later this year and as a result the band have decided to release certain songs and exclusive B-sides on the vinyl format. The A-side 'Legalise Drugs and Murder' is a cathartic anthem for the 'lost' generation, a gargantuan 70s styled Doom Stomper and the perfect 7" single. Ultra-catchy and featuring the bands trademark 'wall of fuzz' sound, topped with an evil, sneering vocal. The band had a few words about the 'controversial' subject matter "…the new song is a definitive statement on the ELECTRIC WIZARD cult…we demand total freedom and revolution….man, things have got bad , the world is evil…." and on the development of their sound "…it has to be primal and violent, y'know cos we wanna get to people..and it had to be anthemic to inspire revolutionary thoughts. We wanted to be SLADE and SABBATH meets the Baader-Meinhoff Gang…" The B-side is an even more twisted journey. Inspired by deranged eurohorror/giallo soundtracks of the 70s , 'Murder and Madness' is a claustrophobic meditation on the themes of the A-side. A paranoiac brooding number created with vicious wah guitar and discordant organ and piano that rises in intensity to a crescendo of sadism. Yet again ELECTRIC WIZARD raise the bar of Doom Metal in just two songs from super-heavy 70s glam rock stomp to a purely visceral and sadistic art rock experience. Raise your fists with ELECTRIC WIZARD and scream "Legalise Drugs and Murder' on March 31st.... Electric Wizard @ Facebook
It’s quite, let’s say, humiliating when you need to be pulled by the jacket by a person who lives far away from your country to “disccover” something valuable that was basically right “under your eyes”.
It went somehow like this a few years ago, when a blog friend from Germany mentioned me the Italian band Il Malpertugio because he thought he would be able to discuss with someone acquainted with them about how much he was digging them and so on. I had no idea, and I blushed,even if nobody was looking at me. It was not the only time, actually, especially with bands of my own country, when not of my own city. It is not the first time that I mention the situation in my country, where a substantial number of great underground bands suffer isolation and almost complete lack of interest by media and labels. Bands like Il Malpertugio, that practice their art in Southern Italy, are even more “hidden” than many others here in Northern Italy (from where I am writing) because there it is even more difficult to emerge. But tough people like the guys in Il Malpertugio did it, amidst of many difficulties related to everyday life and to the necessary DIY attitude with much much much more difficulties than the northern underground bands. But, as we say in Italy, “class” is heavier than water. As a matter of fact, these guys have a lot of class, and they play heavy!
Il Malpertugio is an unsigned, eclectic psychedelic stoner metal band from Caserta, near Naples.
The line-up includes 5 musicians. Guitarists Emilio Cuoco and Antonio Zannone together with bassist Antonio Nardone (replacing previous bassist Giuseppe Marino) and drummer Gianluca Zannone provide the riff machine and a crafted wall of sound to the great vocal parts by Ivan "Barrett" Franzini.
The name of this band has a literary origin, as it stems from Boccaccio’s Decameron as the name of a location of grim fame where people with doubtful virtues dwell. Basically a slum from the Middle Age …
The band started making noise basically ten years ago, in 2002, but the musical project was better defined after vocalist Ivan and guitarist Emilio joined the band. Some touring activity inside and outside Italy between 2005 and 2009, with the first prize at an Italian rock festival at Ceprano, and the collaboration with film-makers, gained some attention to the band and more than positive reviews and comments on many Italian and foreign fanzine and webzines (Perkele, DesertRock.it, Psychotropic Zone, Novamuzique, EUTK.net, Shapelesszine, Metaldemons, Rockshock.it, Metal Zone, Raw and Wild Zine, etc.) besides a warm and convinced support by a growing fan base.
The band released a cool début EP, The Blues Demon’s Show, back in 2007. Last Halloween night 2011 saw the release of their début full-length album, Sunset Screaming in a big concert in their town together with the Greek stoner-desert band 1000Mods as enthusiastic guest.
Since I knew this band some time ago I have kept in contact. The followers of the Sludgeswamp know them for that cool début EP, for their unreleased track into the second edition of the Swamp Comp and for cool videos made by guitarist Antonio Zannone who is involved in the film direction activity.
With a name sounding both old-fashioned and sinister, atmospheres of doom may be evoked. However these guys do not play classic doom. Previously I wrote that Il Malpertugio is an “eclectic” stoner metal band. This means that their style can broadly be referred to as Stoner Rock, because the band’s sounds owes much to other styles and sources of inspiration as well, inside, and even outside, the realms of rock and metal. As I had written in the past, Il Malpertugio’s heavy and groovy style is an enthusiastic but quite personal hommage to stoner and psychedelic rock monsters such as Dozer, Orange Goblin, Kyuss, Roachpowder, to the unavoidable Sabbathian dark and acid rock from the 70's as well as to heavy music of the 80's and 90's, like classic heavy metal, grunge (e.g., Soundgarden) as well as noisy, proggy to experimental/jazzy metal (e.g., Tool, Primus, etc.). While listening to Il Malpertugio you’ll also find some elements of atmospheric world/folk music, just hints, but enough to root back their music into the latitude they belong, the sunny cradle of cultures of the Mediterranean Sea.
All this means that Il Malpertugio’s songs are polyedric constructions that can be appreciated barely for their powerful, groovy and heavy mid- to up-tempo charges, but that can also be “explored” to different levels.
Malpertugio’s distorted riffs and drumming charges often follow rather complex, sometimes unexpected patterns with frequent tempo changes that cope well with Ivan Franzini’s impressive vocals. The latter, in particular, are not simply powerful but sometimes also “unusual”. Ivan’s voice is clean, but because of its strength and for the “acid”, moderately strained tones that Ivan is sometimes able to produce, the vocal parts do contribute to convey wicked, painful or dramatic sensations or atmospheres.
All Malpertugio’s lyrics are in English.
The band has always produced their own music at remarkably high quality standards sound-wise, if compared with many bands when at their early releases. The debut full-length album follows that path: it is a blend of new songs with some of the best tracks of the 2007 EP with some remastering, and it is proudly top-quality self-produced.
Album Sunset Screaming includes 9 tracks for slightly less than 37 minutes. In average songs last between 3 and 4 and a half minutes, although by an over 6 minutes-long suite closes the album. In detail: Bugs, Shotgun, Enmity, Obsession, One Hour of Weakness, In This Bloody Night, Deranged, Sunset Screaming and Let the Shit In.
Four tracks are from the 2007 EP: the opening track Bugs, Obsession, Sunset Screaming and the final track, Let The Shit In. As to the other previously unreleased tracks, the Sludgeswamp aficionados will remember track Deranged, kindly donated for the Swamp Comp no. 2 just after the first mastering.
“Bugs” is the track that made me fall in love with the style of this band, boosted riffing over a cool bass base and those great vocal tricks done by singer Ivan with his voice ranging from acid to deformed and even almost echoing like a muezzin’s call. The tempo, the riffage and the drum charges grow together with Ivan’s voice. The singing gets faster and almost frenetic to the utmost till the end where all is mixed and almost chaotic.
Track Shotgun is more homogenenous, is more firmly rooted into stoner rock and pays a hommage to the old-school hard rock of the 70’s as well, especially with those cool riffs knitted in the central part.
“Enmity” briefly starts with the classic combination of relentless riffs and Ivano’s tight acid singing but soon a magic, acoustic interval evoking Middle Eastern, or better Mediterranean atmospheres, takes over. There Ivano’s vocals are warm, deep and echoing. This beautiful song sees two mind states, lead by frenzy or by calmness, alternating several times, in a sort of charming conflict.
“Obsession” is a cool, headbang-inducing, old-flavoured stoner- heavy doom metal track lead by a hypnotizing plodding rhythm produced by the downtuned guitars and periodically interrupted by some catchy accelerations. Towards the end the pace of these accelerations gets higher, almost punkish, and Ivano’s vocals follow and close with some raging growls!
The other tracks, both brand new and remastered, develop the multifaceted style of this band in similar ways as described until now, i.e. by and mixing many diverse genres, experimenting on them but never leaving the paths of groove-laden metal with modern dynamics sounds but deeply rooted in the past. The result is a sequence of highly enjoyable songs lead by clever melodies able to grasp attention in a different way any time and, at the same time, making you feel like headbanging to them. The last three tracks of the album, Deranged, Sunset Screaming and Let The Shit In, are very familiar to me and are among my favourite ones of this album. I listened to them many times. It may not be a case that the first two of them, Deranged and Sunset Screaming, were chosen for building up two cool official videos. “Sunset Screaming” is more indebted to acid desert rock à-la-QOTSA, and is very atmospheric and almost melancholic. The desert evoked is a Southern Mediterranean desert especially thanks the employment of a typical Sicilian mouth instrument towards the end of the track. Track Deranged is fast and “nasty” and the video duly shows the musicians and their friends (at work and in life) acting like wicked doctors into a deranged asylum and all ending up taking part into a grotesque satanic-like ritual. An album like this can’t but end with a hommage to the “old school”. Track “Let the Shit in” is modern in its dynamics and in its clear, crispy sounds, but it’s drenched with the vibe of the hard and psychedelic rock from the 70’s, and duly ends with some minutes of trippy, space noisy effects slowly fading away.
As it was for the début EP, also in the new album Il Malpertugio confirm their love for energetic groovy metal and develop their curiosity towards a wide range of styles although they never stray too much from the boundaries of the heavier forms of stoner rock. The combination of the rich, solid, sulphurous mid-tempo riff attacks by the axemen with the outstanding, peculiar vocal parts by singer Ivan Franzini results in performances which are not only expression of great combined technical skill by all musicians but also fresh and involving.
The début album can be entirely streamed on the band’s official website and is available for purchase directly from the band at the contacts below.
If you like stoner and you like heavy metal, but you are “curious” and you like to be “surprised” and you also like when a record does not get “dull” after only two or three spinnings, well, you’ll have good time with Il Malpertugio...... 9/10
Swedish doom band Anguish have already been given the tag of Candlemass clones by some people but it is rather unfair and just plain wrong in my view. Yes, there is a distant similarity to the doom metal legends but Anguish stand out to me as being a band with clear influences and yet sound like nowhere in particular. The music presented on almost an hours worth of crushing doom metal riffs sticks closely to the traditional doom metal values and yet, it sounds nothing like Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre, Lord Vicar or Black Sabbath. The one ingredient they have that is a Candlemass trademark is eerie emotion and sinister atmosphere.
The album is one captivating, monster doom riff after another which are all held together with breath-taking melodies. The one area where they beat Candlemass hands down is in sheer heaviness and slow-tempos that are ponderously slow and kind of awkward sounding at times but if you like levels of sorrow cranked to 10 on a doom metal album, this is it.
The vocals are not what I consider great in the context of the songs. The bestial vocal approach which is similar to the sound that someone makes while trying to squeeze out a big turd takes some time getting used to. Luckily there is enough variation within his style to keep it listenable but it still sounds like the bands weak-link to me.
The album starts with an intro which is the title track, 'Through the Archdemon's Head' and it is a gem, setting up the mood for the rest of the album. It quickly bleeds into the lumbering 'Book of Fox' and then the band pretty much get stuck in the same gear for the rest of the album but it sounds great anyway so who cares.
Oddly enough, 'Book Of Fox' is perhaps the weakest track on the album (even though it is a wonderful heavy piece of epic, menacing doom metal) as the album gets even better from here on in. Guitarists David Eriksson and Kribbe Christoffer Frylmark are masters of melodic but punishing riffs of doom and gloom and this album is packed full of memorable riffing. The rests of the band are no slouches either, drummer Ralle pounds and assaults the kit so the band is an incredibly tight unit.
While the riffs are memorable, there is nothing in the way of catchy hooks or grooves, the band is way too slow and ponderous for that but these songs are mesmerizing and hypnotic so that makes up for it. One of the biggest highlights is track three, 'When the Ancients Dare to Walk' which is towering, elephantine doom at its best. 'Dawn of Doom' follows on in a similar vein and next track, 'Lair of the Gods' features perhaps the only real groove on the entire album. It is the album's only upbeat moment and believe me, you need it but this stage in the album. 'Illusive Damnation' and 'The Veil' offer no real surprises but no surprises are needed really. The songwriting quality is excellent and these two tracks don't let the listener down. The final track 'Morbid Castle' at least offers some diversity. This is the albums longest track and also features the most variance in tempos and melodies. The track is excruciating, grievous, grim, and about as oppressive as doom metal gets but is a bit on the long side at almost 12 minutes.
This album is a keeper but it has one or two question marks, the main one being the vocals which are the love/hate variety. I can see some people digging this mans style while others will find the vocals just plain awful. I am in the middle of those two as there are tracks where they seem to suit the grimness of the compositions but at other times, they are just a bit irritating. The only other weakness I can find is the songs all tend to sound the same after a while. There are really only two tracks that break away from the meandering, trudging style but that is a minor gripe. If it is sinister doom that you are after, this is a "must-have" and if you think traditional doom can not come up with anything remarkable anymore, this album should prove you wrong. I don't think Anguish can be put on the same pedestal as Wounded Kings or even Candlemass at their best just yet but they come close at times. The moments of sheer excellence that 'Through The Archdemons Head' has are plentiful enough to make this an essential buy for 2012. The official release date was February 8th so you should be able to buy this now so go and get it. This is a band to watch out for, the Swedes have done it again....9/10.
Bitter Resolve are a fuzzed-out stoner doom outfit from North Carolina. Within seconds of pressing play, all the obvious references points are there. Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Weedeater, Electric Wizard and the hardcore side of The Melvins is what comes across in these grooves but of course there is also lashings of sabbathian riffage as well. One thing has to be said right away, the production is a major issue with this release. I love deep, fuzzy, distorted sounds as much as the next guy but the production here is almost a complete wall of sound, almost to the point where everything is indistinguishable most of the time. This doesn't do the songwriting any favors and the riffing, which is great by the way tends to get lost in the sonically excessive wall of noise.
Because of the rough production, you have to listen very closely to identify a lot of what is going on but it is still worth the effort. While the band stick to the classic stoner and doom style most of the time, they also blend in other approaches that catch you by surprise. There are punky passages and even grunge elements that pop up within the doomy, stoner fuzziness so at least it keeps you guessing where the songs will go next. There are only 6 songs and roughly 27 minutes worth of material and that time goes past fast with the way these songs are put together. 'A Day Without Fairies' which I am guessing is a nod to Black Sabbath's 'Fairies Wear Boots' is the opening track and a instant winner despite the production flaws. It is a diverse track in its own way that even has a acoustic ending section that caught me totally by surprise on the first listen.
'...An Arch That Spans Regret' is a very good tune but seems to end while it is still progressing to something like there is a section missing, maybe there is a part-two in the works? 'Perfect Alignment' is a powerful track that leads into the more mellow and psychedelic 'We Must Build An Atomic Blaster...' so the band does have more than one trick up their collective sleeves. 'Molly Brown' has the grunge element that I referred to earlier and comes off as a bit of a throwaway track because of it. It is not because of the "grunge" thing, it just sounds ordinary compared with the other five tracks on the EP. The EP ends on 'Large Hadron Collider' which is another solid tune with great guitar work. Bitter Resolve manage to fit a lot in its 27 minutes of this recording. On first spin, it may seem kind of straight-forward but with various mood changes, tempo shifts, and the addition of some bluesy solos, this EP stays interesting for its duration. Lovers of the fuzzy riff will find plenty to get excited about with this release, just a pity the production doesn't do it justice....7.5/10.
Formed in 2010 as a project of Lionel Forest (vocals/guitars) Eyes Front North are a very interesting French metal quartet that quite frankly I am going to have a tough time describing in just a few words. Blending doom, post-rock, sludge, and black metal, this band has created a very diverse 3 track EP. The atmosphere on the EP is one of pure dark anger and musically, it is hypnotic and gloomy. The style is very much in the sludge-metal style but at times verges on aggressive metal that is closer to the likes of Sepultura than any sludge and doom bands but if you can think of a very metallic, more angry version of Neurosis you would be getting close to the sound of Eyes Front North.
This hybrid is interesting and I don't normally get too excited about anything with a post-rock, post-metal angle but this band is so diverse at the way they blend the styles that I can't help but be captivated. There are only 3 tracks on this for a total playing time of about 24 minutes but it is still very memorable regardless. The opening and closing tracks, 'Words' and 'A Reaching Hand' stand out as the best tunes on offer here. The music is almost too intense to fall under the typical sludge-metal banner, the anger and aggression coupled with a guitar onslaught that blends black metal and doom metal all at the same time makes this a unique affair that might not to everyone's tastes.
The track sandwiched in the middle of these two is something called 'Worn As Mask'and this is the only track out of the three where this hybrid of genres doesn't come off so well. It is always going to be a tough call anyway, blending all these styles which in essence clash with each other. However, 'Worn As Mask' is still a solid track but the fusion doesn't seem as hypnotic and memorable on this track. I have to mention the vocals with this band, they are a great, an intense combination of half-screaming and a more spoken word kind of approach and they are done wonderfully well. The guitar sound for the most part is nicely balanced distortion and the band as musicians are very accomplished. So in conclusion, if you are looking for something a bit different in the sludge field, Eyes Front North could be the band for you....8/10.
For the ones between you who do not follow the perpetually moving fauna or Heavy Rock, Fellwoods were once known as “The Moss”
The Moss were (and basically are, under a new moniker) a band that delivers quintessential fuzz laden hard rock, almost on the edge of proto metal. They have now re-delivered their album Wulfram, previously released as The Moss on Bandcamp, with new tracks added.
To keep it simple: if you love Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Cheer or Budgie, and the whole series of riff loving, heavy as lead, viscous and rocking bands that made the seventies one of the greatest ages for heavy rock, and makes the whole idea of “retro” magical, you'll love this album.
Throughout the tracks you can hear early MC5, catchy guitar-fests (like the amazing “Widow Trakk”), thick pre-metal ponders à la Leaf Hound and lots of Zeppelin, Purple and early Sabbath touches.
The riffs, solos, and savage drumming build the mood well, and while the whole thing is, without a doubt a giant trip into the past, driven by love of classic sounds and bordering on homage, the energy and warmth of the sounds is a winner. The vocals, delivered in the over-the-top, semi-nasal style that was also present in a lot of the seminal fuzzers of the 70's, might not be your cup of tea (especially if you're more into the gutsy style of Sir Lord Baltimore, which are a big influence on the sound), but they're not too obtrusive.
Give it a listen on Bandcamp first, but I'd say go for it. 7/10
1) Can we go back to 2000 when Pelican formed-how did you meet the other members of Pelican and how was the band formed?
Before we started Pelican Laurent, Larry, and I were in an oddball prog-grind band called Tusk. Laurent was the bass player, which was limiting for him because he's actually a guitarist. At some point he brought a bunch of guitar parts to practice. They definitely didn't fit what we were doing, but the songs were great, so we figured it warranted starting another band. We recruited Larry's brother Bryan to play bass and Pelican was born.
2) Why did the band decide to record without vocals?
We practiced for a year before playing out. The whole time were looking for a singer, but nobody who came to try out could figure out how to sing over our songs. Finally we decided to give it a shot as an instrumental band and against odds it worked!
3) Are you influenced by what you may call Progressive music, most certainly doom metal?
We're all avid music fans and listen to countless bands and styles. Definitely music that is progressive and experimental, but also stuff that's regressive and primal and everything in between.
4) What is the band currently working on?
We have a new 4 song EP entitled Ataraxia/Taraxis coming out on Southern Lord on April 10. Following its release we're headed to Europe for a two week tour.
5) Tusk is a Pelican side project-any planned side projects for yourself?
Yes, this is actually a pretty crazy year for me. My power ambient band Chord has an album coming out in the spring on the UK label MIEmusic. My defunct noise pop band Teith are self-releasing the album we recorded right before we split up. I have a newer band, Let's Pet, that's tough to describe... kind of a post-goth shoegaze band... we're recording next month but we're not sure what we'll do with the recording yet. In addition to all this stuff I home record solo stuff and have actually started to book some solo shows here and there.
6) Are you a fan of horror films or an occultist?
Not sure those things are related, but yes to the former. I actually did my undergraduate thesis on the narrative transcendence achieved did my undergraduate thesis on the narrative transcendence achieved. An excuse to watch horror films for college credit.
7) Have any books influenced your writing subjects?
I don't think we're a very literary band in the sense of books inspiring our music. I'm a fan of literature, but I don't think it has much bearing on our work.
8) What are you doing when not recording or writing?
I work a music PR firm. I have a roster of bands whose press I work-just general stuff like writing press releases, reaching out to writers to tell them about bands, scheduling interviews for my artists, etc. it's a full-time occupation, and it can get very intense during the busy part of the year.
9) Any bands that you may call doom metal, that you may like?
Sure, many. Eyehategod, Cathedral, Warhorse, Kyuss, Sleep, many others.
10) What lies in the future for Pelican?
We've just begun writing our next record. As always we hope to bridge the gap between raw heaviness and melodic sensibility, but we're always looking for ways to broaden out pallet.
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Welcome to Doommantia, the Doom Metal Webzine and the official home of the Doom Metal Alliance. Myself (Ed) and the dedicated Doommantia writing team are working hard to bring you Reviews, Interviews, Authorized free downloads and Promotion for bands in the Doom, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic, Drone, Sludge Metal genres. Hope you enjoy your stay and find some new bands to support and follow. Buy the albums, go to their shows and help them out by spreading the word. We are also looking for more bands to review and interview, if you are interested shoot me a email here - You can also contact one of the other writers via the contact page. Thanks for reading and supporting the site as it heads towards 3 million views. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree with any of my reviews but spam will not be tolerated. Opinions on albums are those of the author and no one else connected with the Doommantia site so contact the author if you wish to discuss a review. Become a follower of the blog, put a link on your blog and I will do the same for you. Doom On - Ed. All interviews and reviews are done by me (ed) unless otherwise stated below the posts as the Doommantia writing team is forever growing and changing. Guest writers are also welcome so don't hesitate in sending a message our way if you are interested in taking part in the website. You can also send review requests via the chat-box. Don't forget to register for the Doommantia Forum, click the banner to sign up. Also there is a donation button, I put a lot of endless hours of work into putting these reviews and interviews together so even if you only give enough to buy me a beer, I appreciate it.
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