…no idol will stand before me: THE GATES OF SLUMBER – ‘Stormcrow’ EP

Indiana’s standard-bearers of true doom, The Gates of Slumber, have finally unearthed the follow-up to 2011’s excellent full-length ‘The Wretch’ in the form of a 5 song EP, ‘Stormcrow’. Many considered ‘The Wretch’ to have been a return to form after the stylistic departure that was the heavily NWOBHM influenced ‘Hymns of Blood and Thunder’. Even though ‘Hymns of Blood and Thunder’ is an admirable hit-and-miss anomaly amongst the band’s discography, ‘The Wretch’ still found the three-piece experimenting with their sound, but more comfortably within their established sonic range. The result was a crushing—and at times spacey—slab of traditional doom that proved to be one of the year’s best releases. ‘Stormcrow’ finds that band devolving even further into a no frills, less-is-more, primitive approach where tuning down, dooming out, and solid-as-hell songwriting is enough to stave in the skull of the unwary.

While it’s difficult to top the stoner groove and acid-tinged leads of the band’s debut, ‘…The Awakening’, or the epic, Saint Vitus influenced ‘The Wretch’, The Gates of Slumber come commendably close with ‘Stormcrow’. The EP opens with “Death March”, a tune that perfectly encapsulates the essence of modern traditional doom as it shambles forward like a mortally wounded mammoth that is mercilessly prodded forward by the thundering percussion of multi-instrumentalist “Iron” Bob Fouts who makes a welcome return behind the kit. “Death March”, despite its lumbering doom grait, is offset by some of Karl Simon’s most memorable lead guitar playing which really soars on this track. The thunderous, hard-hitting drumming of Fouts introduces and sets the pace for “(Devil’s Grip) Driven Insane”, a tune that would have fit comfortably among the nine tracks of ‘The Wretch’. This second track seems to unite the best of Iommi and Chandler groove with Simon’s gravelly, commanding vocals which chronicle a descent into paranoia and madness.

“Son of Hades” marks the midway point of the EP and seems to recapture the essence of the Robert E. Howard influenced barbarism that seemed to bleed from the band’s first three full-length releases. “Dragon Caravan”, like “Son of Hades”, could very well have been crafted by pre-‘Hymns of Blood and Thunder’ era The Gates of Slumber. While these two tracks seem like a throwback to The Gates of Slumber of old, they aren’t merely reworked ideas or formulated from recycled riffs, but rather from the band sticking to what they do best—penning great tracks and delivering some of the finest traditional doom. The EP closes out with “Of That Which Can Never Be”, a solemn, plodding dirge about succumbing to futility. While it’s not the most immediate track of the EP, it’s worth it in the end as the noise issuing forth from Simon’s guitar and Fouts’ drumming close out the album in forlorn and hypnotic fashion.

‘Stormcrow’, if nothing else, proves that The Gates of Slumber are one of the most consistent and unwavering acts out there today. The trio’s brand of working man’s doom is as solid as anything the band has produced up to this point and showcases the songwriting of Karl Simon and Jason McCash. The Gates of Slumber have yet to release a bad or lackluster album and ‘Stromcrow’ is evidence that the band’s best days are not behind them. The EP is available as free download through the curious Scion A/V label, or on compact disc from the band’s website as a bonus for ordering merch.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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…Cry out to the master: DAWN OF WINTER – ‘The Skull of the Sorcerer’ EP

Germany’s venerable yet relatively obscure traditional doom act Dawn of Winter may not be as prolific as many other bands that have been forging onward for two decades and counting, but the band has a solid if sparse body of work that holds its own against many of the titans of the genre. Dawn of Winter’s newest release, ‘The Skull of the Sorcerer’ EP, picks up where the 2008 full-length, ‘The Peaceful Dead’, left off. The band continues its thematic explorations of suffering, isolation, and dwelling in the depths of despair while conjuring forth fantastical elements of horror and the occult straight from the bowels of the pulp era.

Musically the band plays a pretty straight-forward style of traditional doom that would fit comfortably among classic acts such as early Trouble, Candlemass, or the often criminally overlooked Cold Mourning. What really gives Dawn of Winter an edge is the over-the-top, distinctive vocals of frontman Gerrit P. Mutz whose style is akin to the theatric wails of Scott Reagers while sporadically including the melodramatic vibrato of Messiah Marcolin.

“Dagon’s Blood” is equal parts classic heavy metal and traditional doom while featuring Mutz’s most excessive, yet varied vocal delivery resulting in one of the catchiest songs of the EP. The title track, “The Skull of the Sorcerer”, reels in the heavy metal edge of “Dagon’s Blood” and, instead, champions a slower, more ominous doom riff. The B-side of the album features “By the Blessing of Death” and “In Servitude to Destiny”, two tracks that seem to emulate the formula established by the A-side of the album by alternating from heavy metal crunch to inconsolable doom.

Dawn of Winter certainly isn’t breaking any molds, but that doesn’t prevent ‘The Skull of the Sorcerer’ EP from being one hell of a fun ride, particularly for fans of traditional doom that can appreciate a classic if not idiosyncratic vocal approach. ‘The Skull of the Sorcerer’ EP is a vinyl only release intended to celebrate the band’s 22 years of existence and it is limited to 500 copies. Fans of traditional heavy metal and doom can track down the album, along with other Dawn of Winter releases, through the Cyclone Empire web-shop.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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…1.21 gigawatts and counting: SLOMATICS – ‘The Future Past’

Belfast’s sonorous, low-end channeling three-piece, Slomatics, have peered into the days of yore for their aptly titled two song EP, ‘The Future Past’. The trio has taken a track from their debut full-length, ‘Flooding the Weir’, and ventured back even further to mine material from their former band, The Naut, in order to rework and re-record these two tracks and in the process signal the “…closing of one chapter and the beginning of the next for the band”. “Running Battle” and “Son of Ampbreaker” have been filtered through the flux capacitor and brought up to the present, earth-shaking sound of the band’s excellent third full-length, ‘A Hocht’, which was arguably one of the most heavy and unique releases of 2012.

The difference between the initial version of “Running Battle” and the updated, mark II incarnation is visceral. While the Slomatics of ‘Flooding the Weir’ and ‘Kalceanna’ were undoubtedly heavy, the band has systematically upped the amplitude and dropped the frequencies over a series of splits leading up to last year’s ‘A Hocht’. To the uninitiated ear of the band’s earlier work, the original recording of “Running Battle”, absurdly, sounds thin when compared to the shock-wave rumble of the new incarnation found on ‘The Future Past’. The addition of kettle drum and oscillating radio-wave frequencies that have effused through the interstellar medium give the track an otherworldly roar that was simply absent on the original cut. “Son of Ampbreaker” seemingly interrupts “Running Battle” before it’s even finished. The track starts off slow by stumbling along through feedback and staggered, heavy riffing before gaining a lumbering, mid-tempo momentum. Both of these reworked tracks could easily have fit in amongst the down-tuned, thunderous psychedelia of ‘A Hocht’.

If ‘The Future Past’ marks the end of an era for Slomatics and heralds new things to come it will be interesting to see where they go from here. With each subsequent release the band has become heavier while experimenting with sound and atmospherics. While it looks like ‘The Future Past’ will only see a digital release, the collection acts as an extension or complementary piece to ‘A Hocht’.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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...Drip your disease, leave your mark: TENTACLE – ‘Ingot Eye’

The odious, ensludgeoned doom leviathan, Tentacle, has finally resurfaced with the follow-up to their excellent 2012 EP, ‘Void Abyss’. With the release of their new full-length, ‘Ingot Eye’, the Boston trio seems to have resumed their voyage of exploring the dark and malevolent waters of hypnotic, horror-imbued doom that could herald the abominable second coming of the Great Old Ones. With only four songs and a runtime of near forty minutes ‘Ingot Eye’ is an onslaught of oppressively heavy riffs and tortured vocals that hinges on the bombardment of repetition to produce a euphoric, drone-like stupor.

The menacing album-opener, “The Blackness of My Soul Will Be So Great as to Make the Night Weep”, takes what the band did so well on their debut and somehow manages to make it more grim and desperate. While droning repetition creates a foreboding atmosphere throughout both of Tentacle’s releases the band has ensorcelled ‘Ingot Eye’ with an influx of subtle musical embellishments and a greater vocal variation that effortlessly runs the gamut from distressed wails to malignant roars. The second track, “Dull Ache (I Hate Myself Today)”, slightly deviates from the acerbic, preternatural doom of ‘Void Abyss’ and comes across as one of the darker tunes from Ice Dragon’s ‘Tome of the Future Ancients’. “Dull Ache (I Hate Myself Today)” features a relatively more subdued vocal delivery—thus the Ice Dragon comparison—but the song is dosed with otherworldly psychedelic nuances that can only be summoned from the deep under the Tentacle moniker.

“(Revenge) Dust For Blood”, the longest track of the album at nearly thirteen minutes in length, is an unholy, shambling beast of a tune that plunges back into the murky waters of despair that typifies the Tentacle of ‘Void Abyss’. Like the album-opener, “(Revenge) Dust For Blood” features a great deal of variety in terms of vocals. Throughout the track singer Ron Rochondo alternates between his characteristic howls to a chant-like urgency and even clean vocals. The final track, “Our Serpent Mother’s Kiss”, begins with a brief audio collage that recalls Skinny Puppy at their most surreal and abstract. Initially, “Our Serpent Mother’s Kiss” strikes the same chord as “Alone In My Grave” from the band’s debut, mostly due to the main riff, but ultimately the song staggers forth at a wounded trot.

Like its predecessor, ‘Ingot Eye’ is a murky collection of affectively loathsome tunes fit for probing the darkest recesses of the imagination. Tentacle’s latest is the musical equivalent of a great horror story or film. The band has an uncanny ability—not just with their Tentacle incarnation—to assume a collective persona and produce albums that are atmospheric, cohesive, and singular in vision without sacrificing quality. With any luck ‘Ingot Eye’ will see a physical release, even if it’s a limited run of CD-Rs like ‘Void Abyss’. If that’s the case, hopefully there will be another hidden gem lurking just under the surface.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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...Fuck your existential crisis: ICE DRAGON – ‘The Soul’s Midnight’ EP

The doomed-out dabblers of supreme skull-fuckery, Ice Dragon, have made their first offering of 2013—presumably/hopefully the first of many—a four song EP that in its earliest incarnations yielded both “drunk” and “high” versions of the title track. ‘The Soul’s Midnight’ finds the three-piece mining the morose, down-tempo landscapes of ‘greyblackfalconhawk’ but without the overarching drone influences. Like the rest of the band’s releases ‘The Soul’s Midnight’ is its own beast, yet the end result is irrefutably the product of the ever-evolving Ice Dragon.

A writhing bass line carries the weight of lead track “The Soul’s Midnight” of which the final mix is rumored to be the “really really high” version. A sinister, forlorn vibe permeates the track as it marches forward. While the opener relies heavily on repetition there are enough subtle nuance that keep the track interesting, particularly near the three minute mark where the song momentarily deconstructs before quickly reconstituting awash in eerie synths. The second track, “Understanding Ouroboros”, kicks off at a galloping pace and builds in intensity before the bottom falls out and the listener plummets into the depths of paranoia. “Stellar Door”, is an ambient piece of rolling synth waves that, at times, recalls Lalo Schifrin’s film score to THX-1138. It’s cold, desolate, and thematically right at home amongst the four tracks of the EP. At ten minutes in length “Winterwind” closes out the collection. The first half of the track is a mellow, reverb heavy meditation that musically calls to mind the band’s goth-rock project, Slow Heart. “Winterwind” slithers forward while almost imperceptibly increasing in severity until eventually escalating into a mid-paced stomping rhythm.

Ice Dragon’s ‘The Soul’s Midnight’ is a moody, somber affair that finds the band, once again, indulging their whims and journeying into unexpected sonic territories. The band continues to astonish not only with the quantity of the music that they are able to produce, but also with the quality of the tunes. If anything it is the band’s sheer love of music, among other artistic forms, that comes across in their recordings. ‘The Soul’s Midnight’ can momentarily stave off the dysphoria—a symptom created by the band’s prolific nature—that is associated with waiting for the next Ice Dragon release or material from the many associated off-shoots.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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