An entire anthropological study could be done on how the region a band comes from affects the sound of any given genre. Continue reading
Tag Archives: doom metal album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Fohn – Condescending
The worst that can happen by pairing two contrasting ideas is it doesn’t sound or feel pleasing or appropriate.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Solemn Ceremony – Chapter III
Initially started in 2017 as a solo side project to Lucifer’s Fall by Phil Howlett and later helped out by longtime collaborator Kieran Provis (also of Lucifer’s Fall fame), the Adelaide-bound Solemn Ceremony has been crafting the purest form of barbaric, raw, and obscure old school Doom ever since. Moreover, they have been doing it in the style of the 80s. Equipped with past experiences in songwriting for Rote Mare and Lucifer’s Fall, the ever-talented Phil Howlett brings his listeners a distinctive style of aggression-laden vocals that appear fiendish and savage.
ALBUM REVIEW: Kurokuma – Of Amber and Sand
The dog days of Summer are here in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning the days are slowly getting shorter as Autumn and Winter loom in the shadows. Perfectly timed, Kurokuma has released Of Amber and Sand (Self-Released) which is about the concept of time according to ancient civilizations. The use of Middle Eastern influences as well as a baglama solo bring it all together in this thirty-eight-minute journey through the temporary and the permanent.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction
Following the path blazed by bands like Kyuss and Monster Magnet who emerged from the Grunge scene, Orange Goblin was one of the main bands who kept the bong songs in rotation to help cement the sound we think of today as Stoner Metal.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Amarok – Resilience
Funeral Doom is one of the more difficult subgenres of heavy music to get into. Hell, I am not even sure if I can say I am a fan of the subgenre, moreso some bands or even some albums by said bands.
ALBUM REVIEW: Altar of Oblivion – In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay
Of all the sub-genres journalists tend to get blamed for flourishing, Doom is one of the most easily defined. Its tempo is the most distinguishing feature that separates it from the other metal genres that tend to play at more aggressive speeds. Even Doom has now been divided into other sub-genres, one of these being Traditional Doom, to which bands like Candlemass, Trouble, and Cathedral are assigned. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Göden – Vale Of The Fallen
Violins will and should always belong in various subgenres of Metal, and when done right, the addition of a classical string instrument can transport listeners to vast transcendent landscapes – see Dawn Ray’d (RIP).Going even further and introducing new or grossly underutilized techniques can (and often does) represent a beacon of freshness for both the musicians and fans alike.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Red Rot – Borders Of Mania
Combining extreme music sensibilities and Doom-inspired vocal machinations, Red Rot have put forth their latest full-length, Borders Of Mania (Hammerheart Records), a fifteen-track compendium that oftentimes struggles to find an identity and isn’t helped by erratic song lengths that squelch any momentum that may have been built – the forty-four-minute effort could have been better served as two separate polished releases. There are serviceable characteristics here and there, but certainly not enough to justify the ambition. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Hollow Leg – Dust
A tasty slice of rhythmic, headbanging Sludge, this groovy, nicely gnarly EP finds Hollow Leg in fine fettle, smoking hot and leaving many others in their wake – leaving them in the dust, you could say.Continue reading