Tag Archives: Stoner Metal

ALBUM REVIEW: Temptation’s Wings – Marauders of the Killing Moon

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If Black Label Society was influenced by Classic Metal and Doom instead of Southern Rock, they would probably sound a lot like Temptation’s Wings. The Asheville, North Carolina-based group features delightfully Ozzy-esque vocals with extra Zakk Wylde gruffness, guitars rooted in beefy bottom-heavy tones with playing that consists of steady gallops and melodic leads, and rhythms with a certain Southern Metal swing. All presented with a barbarian attitude that lends itself well to tales of drinking and mythological conquest.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Wolftooth – Blood And Iron

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It would be a stretch to call Wolftooth’s third full-length a Doom Metal album, but Blood And Iron (Napalm Records) is a rather methodical listen by their standards. The songs run noticeably longer than their first two efforts, especially when compared to the compact anthems on Valhalla, with the seven-minute runtimes on the opening ‘Ahab’ and the title track being their lengthiest to date. The pacing also seems slightly more lumbering as the faster sequences have a sort of hesitation behind them and the hooks are decidedly more subtle.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Khemmis –  Deceiver – Nuclear Blast 

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Hailing from Denver, Khemmis is a blossoming band that has been turning heads since they began to jam in 2012. They cultivated their own little corner in the extensive genre of Doom Metal by creating a strong, unique voice among the other hopeful hordes and wannabes. The success from their second full-length, Hunted (20 Buck Spin) released in 2016, gave them a spotlight and they have been thriving in its beam ever since. Now these fellas are trimmed down to three members, have signed a new record deal, and are getting ready to release their fourth full-length album, Deceiver (Nuclear Blast). The raw, artistic depths that this group can reach with their heaviness is tunneling even deeper on this new record. By intensifying their emotional provocation and sound, Khemmis has struck gold.  Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Monolord – Your Time To Shine

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Five albums into a career as one of the top bands in the modern Stoner Doom scene, Monolord offers their mellow, tripped-out effort to date with Your Time To Shine (Relapse Records). While there’s still plenty of dank fuzziness to go around, it feels almost like a backdrop at times as the cleaner guitar textures are given near equal priority and the vocals are at their most prominent. Fortunately, it feels like more of a culmination of a gradual trajectory rather than a radical shift in direction; after all, these elements started gaining traction on 2019’s No Comfort and it’s easy to imagine guitarist/vocalist Thomas V. Jager’s 2020 solo album rubbing off on the process.

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Check Out a New Excerpt from Matt Pike’s (High on Fire, SLEEP) Book “Head on A Pike” 

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Events Center, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/16/19

Spanning the entire career of a metal icon, Head On A Pike:The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike, but the iconic Stoner doom legend Matt Pike of bands such as High on Fire and Sleep is releasing on November 9th, 2021, via Rare Bird Books. Beginning with the 1998 album ‘The Art Of Self Defense’, and through to 2018’s ‘Electric Messiah’, each chapter of Head on A Pike features Matt’s distinctive lyrics flanked by one-of-a-kind artistic interpretations — specifically inspired by each album — straight from the minds and hearts of an incredible cast of illustrators, tattooers, print makers and painters that Pike has trusted since the beginning to depict his unique musical vision. Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike is scheduled for worldwide release in hardcover and e-book, and the trade edition will retail for $20. Signed hardcovers and signed limited edition bundles are available at the link below.  

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Check Out an Excerpt from Matt Pike’s (High on Fire, SLEEP) Book “Head on A Pike” 

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Events Center, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/16/19

Spanning the entire career of a metal icon, Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike, but the iconic Stoner doom legend Matt Pike of bands such as High on Fire and Sleep is releasing from n November 9th, 2021, via Rare Bird Books. Beginning with the 1998 album ‘The Art Of Self Defense’, and through to 2018’s ‘Electric Messiah’, each chapter of Head on A Pike features Matt’s distinctive lyrics flanked by one-of-a-kind artistic interpretations — specifically inspired by each album — straight from the minds and hearts of an incredible cast of illustrators, tattooers, print makers and painters that Pike has trusted since the beginning to depict his unique musical vision. ‘Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike’ is scheduled for worldwide release in hardcover and e-book, and the trade edition will retail for $20. Signed hardcovers and signed limited edition bundles are available at the link below. Check out an excerpt right now, over at Decibel Magazine’s website. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Kal-El – Dark Majesty

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It’s fair to say that Kal-El’s fifth full-length is easily their most elaborate outing yet. The Norwegian quartet’s previous efforts have presented their brand of Stoner Metal with an increasingly spacy edge that seemed to peak with 2019’s Witches Of Mars. However, Dark Majesty (Majestic Mountain Records) sees the last signs of restraint fade into the ether; its eight tracks reach sprawling eight to ten-minute lengths that culminate to an hour-long experience, far eclipsing the runtime of albums past.

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DOOM METAL ROUNDUP: Mourn The Light, Bottomless, Lucifer’s Fall, and Purification

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Mourn the Light – Suffer, Then We’re Gone

Mourn The Light offers Traditional Doom Metal with a few twists on their first full-length album. It doesn’t quite hit the full operatic scope of Epic Doom or reach the speeds of Classic Metal, but influences from both at work throughout Suffer, Then We’re Gone (Argonauta Records). The riffs and song structures are in line with the busy nature of Psalm 9-era Trouble while the vocals offer a husky but theatrical bellow, drawing further comparisons to groups like Altar Of Oblivion and Argus.Continue reading →


SPLIT RELEASE REVIEW: Wizzerd Vs. Merlin – Turned to Stone Chapter III

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Like the previous installment, the third chapter in Ripple Music’s Turned to Stone series is framed as a challenge between two contenders for Stoner Doom supremacy. But while Chapter II saw Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof put forth their competition as a battle of wits between mythic swordsmen, Chapter III is the culmination of an ongoing meme war between Merlin and Wizzerd. It also operates on a similar template as each band is given a full epic track to put their best foot forward.

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Matt Pike of High on Fire and Sleep to Release “Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike”

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Events Center, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/16/19

Stoner Doom Metal legend Matt Pike is world renowned for his thick riffs and great songwriting for iconic bands like SLEEP and High on Fire! Now he has teamed up with Rare Bird Literature to announce the release of Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike.  Scheduled for worldwide release in hardcover and e-book on November 9, 2021, the trade edition will retail for $20. Signed hardcovers and signed limited edition bundles are available through Rare Bird at the link below. 

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