American Doom Metal leaders Pallbearer have shared another new single and video from their upcoming new album Forgotten Days, due out Oct. 23rd, Nuclear Blast. The video for “The Quicksand of Existing” was directed by frequent collaborator Ben Meredith. Watch it now! Continue reading
Tag Archives: Stoner Doom
ALBUM REVIEW: Old Blood – Acid Doom
It’s oddly satisfying when an album’s title is also an accurate descriptor for the music it contains. This is more or less the case with Old Blood’s second full-length album, Acid Doom (DHU Records/Metal Assault Records). While the group’s style may not be crushing in the traditional sense, their brand of Heavy Psych has a dark sultriness that should sit well with fans of groups like Uncle Acid and Blood Ceremony. And considering the four-year gap since their self-titled debut, it’s fair to say that things have only gotten more off-the-wall in that time.
Pallbearer Shares New Single “’Rite of Passage”
Doom Metal leaders Pallbearer previously announced they will release their highly-anticipated new album Forgotten Days this Oct. 23 Via Nuclear Blast! The dropped another new single, “Right of Passage, which you can hear right now!
REVIEW: Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof – Turned To Stone Chapter 2: Masamune & Muramasa
Splits are a pretty great tool for cross-promotion with the power to introduce different bands to each other’s audiences, but they can also foster a competitive spirit. While such intentions are normally limited to fans debating which band is better, Ripple Music intentionally fans the flames with the second chapter in their Turned To Stone series. This particular split sees two rising stars Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof putting their Stoner Prog Metal skills to the test on Turn To Stone Chapter 2, as they depict a battle of wits between two legendary Japanese swordsmen. It’s certainly one of the more intriguing ideas for a split I’ve seen in a good while, reminding me of a similar treatment that Thorr-Axe and Archarus gave The Hobbit in 2017.
ALBUM REVIEW: Brimstone Coven – The Woes Of A Mortal Earth
Having successfully reinvented themselves as a power trio on 2018’s What Was And What Shall Be, Brimstone Coven, doubles down on the template with The Woes Of A Mortal Earth (Ripple Music). The style remains rooted in Seventies-flavored Occult Rock with the songs largely being driven by simple guitar/bass grooves and wafting vocal harmonies. The atmosphere and drawn-out pacing further reinforce a trancelike mood that is relaxing, yet esoteric. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Witnesses – Doom II
As hinted by the title, Doom II (Self-Released) isn’t Witnesses’ second overall album but rather their second to expand on the Doom Metal style that was established on 2019’s To Disappear And To Be Nothing. Its predecessor’s combination of glacial riffing, distraught vocals and bleak mood is well-preserved here and the overarching narrative of a ship lost at sea allows them to be conveyed even more powerfully than before. Convoluted naming conventions aside, it’s a bold leap forward by every metric.
ALBUM REVIEW: Purification – Perfect Doctrine
It’s been just a little over a year since Purification unleashed their first album, Destruction Of The Wicked, but their second already comes with some interesting developments. The style on Perfect Doctrine (ODLC PRODUCTIONS, INC.) may be rooted in the same post-Reverend Bizarre Doom Metal, but the Portlandians’ dynamic has dramatically shifted. The recruitment of drummer Count Darragh has led to them growing from a duo to a more conventional trio, allowing Lord Donangato Resurrected to focus on lead guitar alongside William Marshall Purify’s established rhythms and warbling vocals.
ALBUM REVIEW: Black Spirit Crown – Gravity
Black Spirit Crown’s first proper album sits right on the line between Doom and Stoner Metal with hints of Prog seeping through. The fuzzy riff work is rooted in Sleep and Electric Wizard tradition, the hustling tempos remind me of Orange Goblin, and the tripped-out atmospherics and vocal filters echo Howling Giant or Mastodon. These traits were already distinct on the Red Sky EP released in 2017 and the Cleveland group takes them to even further extents with Gravity (Self-Released).
EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Turkey Vulture – “Old Nick”
Vicious music chameleons Turkey Vulture are back with a new single, from their upcoming second EP, Time To Pay, due out on July 31st. Up until now, the duo from Connecticut has shown shades of Stoner Doom, old-school Punk, local Sea shanty’s, Heavy Metal, and on occasion, Americana with inventive originals and inspired covers. In a new track derived from by the infamous “Crossroads” story of Bluesman Robert Johnson and the Devil, “Old Nick” is a revved-up, proto-metal blues track with a great shuffle beat! Check out the track now!
There is Now a Beer Inspired by Sleep’s “Dopesmoker” Album
Sleep may be the band most aligned with Stoner Doom Metal culture and sounds in history, but now there is a beer directly inspired by the band, both in its flavor and distinctive artwork. “Hopsmoker” Beer by Widowmaker Brewing of Braintree, on Massachucets’s south shore, has brewed a batch of Pale Ale with the feel and flavor that fans of the Church of Matt Pike will rip off their sweaty shirts off for and bow down to! The can even features unique Weedians and a logo font on the can resembling the Dopesmoker album logotype! There were selling deluxe packs initially with a 4-pack, rolling paper, and other merch but it sold-out quickly. Continue reading