…an evening of redness in the West: IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS – ‘Of the Flock’

By mixing laid-back, ominous swamp guitar licks with the hazy, sun-scorched twang of the American Southwest, Denver’s own In the Company of Serpents have succeeded in pushing beyond the limitations of the straight-forward yet unrelentingly heavy sludge of their self-titled debut into a realm of brimstone, lost souls, and abandoned faith that would leave Sergio Leone and Cormac McCarthy cowering and at a loss for words. ‘Of The Flock’ finds the duo of Grant Netzorg (vocals, guitars, fuzz) and Joseph Weller Myer (drums, apothecary) tweaking the band’s brand of boot-to-the-teeth, doom-as-fuck sludge by including regional influences that ultimately provides a soundtrack suitable for terrorizing a village, avenging a tragedy, or simply to finding redemption through blood. It’s clear that the band has evolved and progressed and ‘Of the Flock’ has a unique, distinctive tone and style that was missing from their debut.

The majority of tracks that comprise ‘Of the Flock’ have been rigorously road-tested in a live setting prior to the band entering the studio. Recorded locally by Jamie Hillyer and mixed and mastered by none-other than producer/engine-ear Billy Anderson, ‘Of the Flock’ manages to successfully capture the essence and live sound of the band—a recording feat previously achieved and rivalled by Tad Doyle’s accomplishment with Uzala’s excellent ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’. The five tracks of In the Company of Serpents’ latest burn with an intensity and ferocity that nearly matches the band’s live performance, particularly on the album versions of live staples “Craven” and “Of the Flock”. “Craven” manages to almost perfectly reproduce the busy, frantic drumming style of Myer along with the harsh, damning bellows of Netzorg, not to mention the guitar tone which is spot on. The title-track “Of the Flock” is another example of the band’s intense live sound caught on tape. The unassuming Spaghetti Western-style guitar lick is soon replaced with blasts of fuzz and huge, spastic drumming—a potent combination underscoring Netzorg’s throat-shredding demand to know, “What makes a man abandon faith?”

‘Of the Flock’ is, in essence, the sonic equivalent of damnation and Hellfire for the high plains drifter. Fans of the band’s self-titled should have no problems making the leap to the more expansive and progressive sound that encapsulates their newest release. And, consequently, anyone who has caught their live shows and have dug what they heard will definitely be on board. The dirty, low-end riffs and drumming acrobatics have remained intact, but the duo has incorporated additional influences to carve out a unique sound and vision all their own. In what has been a stellar year for heavy music, In the Company of Serpents have released an album that is easily “Top 10” worthy. ‘Of the Flock’ manages to be huge, ugly, and uncompromising while still remaining accessible and engaging—a balancing act that few bands can successfully manage. Get the album digitally from the band’s Bandcamp page, or better yet, order the vinyl.

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

Facebook

Bandcamp

…haunted by the shadows: SubRosa – ‘More Constant han the Gods’

Following a two-year hiatus Salt Lake City’s SubRosa have resurfaced with the intact core lineup of Rebecca Vernon, Sarah Pendleton, and Kim Pack along with the addition of a new rhythm section consisting of bassist Christian Creek and Andy Patterson on Drums. 2011’s sublime ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’ was a doomy, post-apocalyptic journey that was equal parts beauty and despair. For the band’s latest, ‘More Constant Than the Gods’, SubRosa have retained their otherworldly, atmospheric approach, though the soundscapes have a heightened nightmarish quality as if awaking from a dream only to realize what was tangible in sleep is disappointingly ungraspable in wakefulness. The balance and ultimate collapse between yearning and disenchantment provides a surreal tension for the duration of the band’s latest.

From the beginning, what has separated SubRosa from other acts is the band’s tasteful use of violin. The addition of a second violinist for their second full-length, ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’, helped to elevate the band’s overall sound to soaring new heights that effortlessly shifted from majestic ebbs-and-flows to melancholic, dirge-like meditations that were simply unattained on the band’s initial outings ‘The Worm Has Turned’ demo and ‘Strega’. Together, Pendleton and Pack have helped to transform SubRosa into the hauntingly beautiful entity that it is today. With ‘More Constant Than the Gods’ the violin duo take on an even more atmospheric role by providing a darker, more claustrophobic backdrop for Rebecca Vernon’s voice and guitar to enact her shadowy, esoteric tales of death, doom, and decay which is best represented by the dizzying, phantasmagorical din of album highlight “Fat of the Ram”. This nightmarish journey heaves and swells around the unmistakable guitar tone and vocals of Vernon who manages to exude glimmers of light as well as casting impenetrable shadows—a duality that SubRosa has managed capture perfectly on their latest release.

The six tracks of ‘More Constant Than the Gods’ have been painstakingly composed and each one flows as a unique eddy amidst the tumultuous current of the album. “Cosey Mo”, perhaps the most straight-forward track of the release, is most representative of the sound attained on ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’. Similar to “Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes” in both sound and structure, “Cosey Mo” is carried by the distinct, heavy riffs of Vernon with the violins serving a similar accenting role. Not only has SubRosa released a darker album, but they have pushed their boundaries into new and exciting territories. While the final track, “No Safe Harbor”, is the “softest” tune to be found on the album it is arguably the most interesting musically. Melancholic piano opens the track and is eventually joined by flute. Initially, what really elevates this track above being a mere diversion is the vocals and lyrics of Vernon who is eventually joined by Pack and Pendleton to stunning effect. As the track progresses the melancholia gives way to paranoia, torment, and defiant sacrifice with the inclusion of electric guitar, cello, tortured violins, and hammered dulcimer. What began as an ode of adoration, “For you I would give up mountains of gold/And possessions untold, health of body and of soul” turns woefully sour with the lines “A perfect mirror tells no lies/That's why I shattered you/The truest mirror in my life”. Amidst the collection of haunting tales, “No Safe Harbor” is perhaps the most persistent and indelible of the lot.

Whether it was the break following the demise of the band in 2011 or simply the logical trajectory following the release of ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’ that is ultimately responsible for the darker, more expansive sound of the newly invigorated SubRosa is uncertain. Regardless of the reasoning, the band has crafted an ominous, heart-rending release that sticks with the listener long after the album has stopped playing. While ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’ was initially more gratifying and straight-forward—a relative concept as far as SubRosa is concerned—‘More Constant Than the Gods’ is a worthy successor of unparalleled depth that makes this one of the year’s finest albums.

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

Official

Facebook

Bandcamp

…watch out for the reaper: NYMF – ‘From the Dark’

With alchemical precision Sweden’s NYMF has managed to distill a potent elixir of stoner metal, doom, and thrash with minute traces of death metal for their second full-length album ‘From the Dark’. This curious, multi-headed beast of an album may sound as if it is composed of incongruous elements, but the band largely manages to weave the disparate styles into a cohesive whole while also including a fair share of hooks. Filthy distortion, occasional double kick drums, and wide-ranging vocals are threaded throughout the thirteen tracks that comprise ‘From the Dark’, all of which are mortared together on a foundation of downbeat stoner rock.

Composed of veterans of the Swedish rock and metal scenes, most notably The Graviators, NYMF’s sophomore outing is, at times, filled with familiar elements, particularly the vocals of Niklas Sjöberg. Though his approach used with the 70’s influenced hard rock of The Graviators is still ever present, Sjöberg often ventures into grittier territory with a gravelly intonation and even moderately harsh vocals as found on the album’s standout second track, “Fear of the Doom”.

‘From the Dark’ is, essentially, an interesting journey through some of the musicians’ favorite genres of music. It would seem as if anything from the past forty-or-so years of hard rock and metal is fair game as long as it is has a dark and evil edge to it. If nothing else, ‘From the Dark’ exists as an interesting stylistic experiment that is as gratifying as it is puzzling. Despite any disparities, the album is held together with a killer guitar tone, some excellent vocal melodies, and an overall mood that dwells on the darker side of the spectrum.

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

Facebook

…Fall to your knees: IRON MAN – ‘South of the Earth’

From the destructive, groove-laden riff that tears open the title track from Iron Man’s latest, ‘South of the Earth’, to the piano fadeout of “The Ballad of Ray Garraty” the band makes it clear that their sole mission is the complete and utter obliteration of the sonically weak. With the addition of Screaming Mad Dee behind the mic and Mot Waldmann on drums the reinvigorated Iron Man continues to make good on the promise intimated on their ‘Att hålla dig over’ EP by crafting devastatingly heavy, adrenalized doom . Not to diminish the influence of Iron Man founder and sole original member, Al Morris III, the man is a seemingly never-ending chasm of riffs, but it seems as if Iron Man is finally the sum of its parts.

While past incarnations of the band have released some stone cold classics, particularly ‘The Passage’ and ‘Generation Void’, the contributions of Dee and Waldmann cannot be denied. At the center of previous Iron Man releases was the unmistakable riff-slinging tone and groove of Morris III and everything else—vocals, drums, and bass seemed to be either supportive or incidental. Don’t be mistaken, Iron Man has always boasted excellent vocalists and supporting musicians, particularly Dan Michalak’s vocals which worked flawlessly with the doomier side of the band, and Gary Isom’s drumming on ‘The Passage’ is nothing short of top-notch, but the current lineup is the perfect storm of musicianship and personality.

Screaming Mad Dee is nothing short of a wailing banshee possessing both the dynamic range and power to match the heft of Morris III’s riffs, the pulsating, funky pop of Louis Strachan’s basslines, and the thunderous timing of Waldmann’s drums. ‘South of the Earth’ is an incredibly well-balanced album allowing the individual players to standout and shine. Lyrically, ‘South of the Earth’ is mired in tales of betrayal, madness, misery, and woe without failing to acknowledge the darkness that lies beyond the realm of men with tunes like “IISOEO (The Day of the Beast)” and “Half-Face/Thy Brother’s Keeper (Dunwich pt. 2)”. With Dee penning the lyrics, Iron Man is a darker, grimmer beast grappling with real world adversity and struggling against the supernatural forces from beyond.

Iron Man’s latest incarnation has taken the band to new heights both musically and thematically. Production-wise ‘South of the Earth’ is flawless—heft is equally balanced with clarity and every member’s contributions are essential to the end product. While Iron Man is still rooted in upbeat, mid-to-faster paced doom, ‘South of the Earth’ also incorporates more straightforward elements of hard rock and metal. There may be those who lament the subtle shift from the heavy doom that Iron Man has traditionally dealt out, but the band’s current lineup is a force to be reckoned with as ‘South of the Earth’ achieves its weight from a solid collective effort—another worthy addition to the Iron Man discography.

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

Official

Facebook

Bandcamp

…Ashes to ashes: UZALA – ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’

With five tracks examining the historic and folkloric wickedness of human nature, Uzala has triumphantly returned with their aptly titled second full-length album, ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’. Last year’s excellent self-titled debut was a murky, atmospheric journey to the dark side, occasionally blackened by the berserker howls of vocalist/guitarist Chad Remains. The remainder of the album, despite the melancholic tunes and hazy production, was given to moments of shimmering beauty due to the juxtaposing vocals of Darcy Nutt radiating from deep within the whirlwind of wah pedal abuse and distortion. For the recording of their sophomore effort the band recruited the inimitable Tad Doyle and his Witch Ape Studio which, in the end, has yielded a clearer, heavier album without completely sacrificing the dark moods and bad vibes of its predecessor.

Despite the clarity found on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’, the album still exhibits a foreboding atmosphere of tension and anxiety that, as Chad has commented, “…works perfectly for many of the songs since the subject matter deals with being hunted, murder, obsession, vengeance, despair, and loss.” Accompanying the cleaner production is the huge, cataclysmic drumming of Chuck Watkins and a redefined focus on Darcy’s vocals. Rather than escaping from amidst the tumult, her vocals are more pronounced, dynamic and, at times, commanding. Also catapulting Darcy to the forefront is the lack of vocal contributions from Chad this time around which, in the end, reigns in the aggression and unpredictability that so satisfyingly jarred the listener midway through their debut. Despite his absence vocally, Chad’s presence is imprinted on the five tracks that comprise ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ as his guitar is seamlessly entangled with Darcy’s to create earth-rending doom riffs, fuzzed-out walls of distortion, and mesmerizing leads.

What the band has sacrificed in ambient atmospherics they have gained in heft and lumbering aggression without delving into the whiplash frenzy found on either “Fracture” or “Wardrums” from their debut. Though the songs are heavier and the guitars snarl with an angrier tone, the album is still laced with quieter passages of calm psychedelia punctuated by bursts of distortion and Darcy’s ever-engaging vocals. For ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ the band re-recorded “Burned” from their 7” split with Mala Suerte and it flat-out rocks with a groove unrivalled by anything else on the album. Like with their previous work, Uzala continues to experiment with noise and sonic textures. A rising tide of feedback kicks off the album opener “Seven Veils” and returns for the final track, “Tenement of the Lost”, where it fully engulfs the listener for what is Uzala’s most indulgent foray into the noise-as-aesthetic ideology before devolving into what is arguably their “softest”, most poignant track to date. Without Chuck’s destructive percussion and only the lone, heavily reverbed guitar accompanied by the lingering swell of distorted noise to carry the tune, the focus is placed squarely on Darcy’s wavering vocals—the perfect way to close out the album.

Uzala has crafted a masterful follow-up to their stunning debut by slightly altering their overall sound with a cleaner, weightier production. Despite the added heft and crispness, the album still smolders with a narcotizing burn capable of anesthetizing a woolly mammoth. ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ is one of the most interesting and immersive albums released this year and with only five tracks and a runtime near the forty-five minute mark the trip ends way too soon. Preorder the album through King of the Monsters Records and, for those who missed it the first time around, look out for the re-release of their self-titled album bundled with the ‘Cataract/Death Masque’ 12” single.

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

Facebook

Bandcamp