…bring forth the hammers: CONAN – ‘Blood Eagle’

If felling giants is the name-of-the-game then there are worse soundtracks for the deed than Conan’s mighty third full-length, ‘Blood Eagle’. The UK doom brutes continue to wage war on the listener with a hypnotic low-end rumble capable of shaking even the most fortified battlements to their very foundation. Though the band has not veered too far from the formula established on their debut EP, ‘Horseback Battle Hammer’, with its seismic bass reverberations, equally down-tuned guitars, and dual barbaric battle cries—‘Blood Eagle’ still manages to up-the-ante by furthering Conan’s refinement of their self-proclaimed “Caveman Battle Doom”.

Initially, the most striking aspect of ‘Blood Eagle’ is that the album, overall, has a greater depth and degree of groove when compared to both ‘Horseback Battle Hammer’ and 2012’s excellent ‘Monnos’ an element which is brutally obvious on standout tracks like “Total Conquest” and “Horns for Teeth”. “Total Conquest” begins with a trippy, otherworldly flanged-out guitar before settling into a primitive head-nodding lurch with an occasional onslaught of riffs that seems to share a strand of DNA with moments of High on Fire’s rawest and most primeval effort ‘The Art of Self Defense”. “Horns for Teeth” is, from start to finish, a churning maelstrom of earth-rending distortion and apocalyptic admonitions suitable for crushing the weak and subjugating one’s enemies.

Those already familiar with Conan’s heavier-than-thou brand of doom metal should pretty much know what to expect with their third full-length, though that is not to say that the band has stalled, regressed, or have even repeated themselves. With ‘Blood Eagle’ Conan continues to hone the sound pioneered on ‘Horseback Battle Hammer’ and subsequently refined on ‘Monnos’ and their splits with Slomatics and Bongripper into a sonic instrument of doom to be both feared and respected. Prepare to vanquish your enemies…

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…dreaming of salvation: PILGRIM – ‘II: Void Worship’

Those lucky enough to catch the reunited Spirit Caravan on their recent trek through the states not only stood witness to an unbelievable show at the hands of Wino, Sherman, and replacement drummer Henry Vasquez, but those in attendance were also able to catch an impressive set from Rhode Island traditional doom practitioners Pilgrim. Despite initial complaints of blowing out his voice by the time they hit Denver, Jon “The Wizard” Rossi rendered a sublime and emotional performance that more than adequately captured the heavy, desolate atmosphere of the band’s sophomore album ‘II: Void Worship’. While the band’s debut, ‘Misery Wizard’, was a more-than-capable initial outing ‘II: Void Worship’ surpasses its predecessor in every conceivable way. Graced with amazing and complementary cover art courtesy of Adam Burke (Fellwoods, Pushy), ‘II: Void Worship’ is a twisted journey through uncharted realms fraught with madness and despair as recompense for the attainment of forbidden knowledge and mastery of the arcane tongue.

Pilgrim are fully entrenched in the traditional doom mold—lumbering riffs, plodding drums, and tales of woe are abundant, but the band has managed to carve out their own sound courtesy of excellent compositions, fantastical imagery, and The Wizard’s unmistakable croon. The eight tracks of ‘II: Void Worship’—four of which are instrumentals—do not fall prey to monotony. The instrumentals contribute to the album’s overall desolate feel and the remaining four tracks, despite an average runtime near the eight minute mark, never feel bloated or overlong. Album highlight “Master’s Chamber”, despite the initial belabored riffing, is a sprawling ten-minute masterpiece that incorporates numerous tempo changes and shifts in tone while featuring some of The Wizard’s most heart-rending vocals to date, particularly on the letter half of the track.

As if to answer the epic scope of “Master’s Chamber”, Pilgrim unleashes a heavy, up-tempo burner with “The Paladin”, a straight forward rocker that shows the band is equally adept at crafting heavy, downtrodden tunes as they are at rocking-the-fuck-out when the need arises. “The Paladin” definitely stands out amongst the band’s material, and it is a shame that they do not venture into this territory more often. The leads simply sizzle and Krolg Splinterfist’s drumming has never sounded so propulsive. The album’s title track, “Void Worship”, may stand as Pilgrim’s crowning achievement thus far. Combining the band’s mastery of plodding tempos with some truly inspired leads accompanied by the occasional discordant riff has yielded a nine minute beast of a tune. While “Void Worship” does not have the expansive feel of “Master’s Chamber” it manages to entrance the listener in its hypnotic spell.

It is always an impressive feat when a band can top a debut that is exceptional to begin with and Pilgrim have managed to do just that. ‘II: Void Worship’ is primarily a somber affair, but the band has definitely grown since their initial outing and have incorporated additional textures into their compositions which has resulted in one of the strongest doom albums of the year. Hail Astaroth...


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…finding the elder ghost: ANCIENT WARLOCKS – ‘Ancient Warlocks’

Thick impenetrable riffs, thunderous grooves, and trippy atmospheric leads are the key components to the type of euphoria-inducing black magic that Seattle, Washington’s Ancient Warlocks practice. First coming to notice with their ‘Superwizard’ 7” (review HERE) the band has re-recorded both “Superwizard” and “Into the Night”, along with a handful of other tunes, for their debut self-titled album. With a runtime of just over thirty minutes ‘Ancient Warlocks’ is a nonstop, fuzzed-out assault of heavy vibes and feel-good, bleary-eyed stoner rock.

Perhaps the most noticeable element to Ancient Warlocks’ music—as first evidenced on the ‘Superwizard’ 7” and perfected on their full-length debut—is an unmistakable, heavy-as-an-avalanche guitar tone capable of sweeping away both the unsuspecting and those bracing for impact. While it is hard to deny that “Super Wizard” and “Into the Night”, though previously released, are two of the album’s standout tracks the remaining six tunes are well-crafted, nod-inducing blasts of stoner rock goodness. The final track, “Sorcerer’s Magician”, is a particularly strong album closer that holds its weight among the other album highlights by combining the brief suggestion of doom with a bluesy swagger and classic rock jamming.

For the collectors out there who were not fortunate enough to land a copy of the first pressing of ‘Ancient Warlocks’ through Lay Bare Recordings good news is right around the corner. STB Records is about to offer up a domestic pressing of Ancient Warlocks’ self-titled LP and, as expected, Steve STB is looking to outdo himself with this release. Not only has STB Records put out consistently great tunes with equally great packaging, but the die-hard editions of the latest will include a warlock cloak featuring the art of W. Ralph Walters. That’s right…a motherfuckin’ warlock cloak. Prepare to don the cloak, crack open a cold one, and smoke yourself senseless amidst a torrential downpour of fuzzed-out riffs.

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…THE SKULL – “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment”

With a finger on the pulse of the days of yore and a gaze fixed toward the future The Skull have resurrected the unique, introspective doom-laden sound of classic era Trouble. After a string of pioneering releases between 1984 and 1990 Trouble, for better or worse, went off in a new direction. While the 90’s albums ‘Manic Frustration’ and ‘Plastic Green Head’ included some undeniably killer tracks, the magic of their first four releases seemed to be a thing of the past. Enter: The Skull.

Though Trouble’s ‘Run to the Light’ and their self-titled fourth album were masterpieces in their own right, The Skull have—based on their single “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment”—picked up where Trouble’s sophomore outing, ‘The Skull’, left off. Original Trouble members (and arguably pivotal personnel) Eric Wagner and Jeff “Oly” Olson, along with alumnus Ron Holzner have managed to rekindle the magic and spirit of classic Trouble with the aid of Lothar Keller and Michael Carpenter.

Enlisting veteran engineer Billy Anderson for the recording of their first single has paid off in a major way. “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” is slightly muddy, surprisingly heavy, and definitely would not sound out of place on either ‘Psalm 9’ or ‘The Skull’. Perhaps the main difference in sound stems from Eric Wagner’s voice which has somewhat weathered and deepened. The band, in a nod to the past, has also re-recorded Trouble’s contribution to the 1983 ‘Metal Massacre IV’ compilation album. While it would have been great to get two new tracks, The Skull does not miss a beat with “The Last Judgment”.

If anything “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” proves that The Skull are the real deal and not just a nostalgia act. To top it off, they kill it live. Since the release of “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment” guitarist (and former Trouble bassist) Chuck Robinson briefly replaced Michael Carpenter before amicably departing ways with The Skull. In his stead the band has, in a masterstroke of genius, recruited former Pentagram guitarist Matt Goldsborough. Goldsborough did a fantastic job filling in for Victor Griffin and he probably would have breathed new life into Pentagram following the capable, yet lackluster, ‘Last Rites’.

While Trouble’s ‘The Distortion Field’ was a fine album, it’s clear that Franklin and Wartell have little interest in revisiting the sound of days long past. Not only are The Skull willing to look to the past, but they are also interested in continuing and further developing a creative trajectory that has, in the minds of many fans, ended too soon. If “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” is an adequate representation of where the band’s collective heads are at both creatively and compositionally then their forthcoming album is going to be one to look out for. Get your copy of the single HERE.


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…because I am twisted…because I am sick: BLOOD FARMERS – ‘Headless Eyes’

Blood Farmers are back! Despite almost a two decade long gap between releases New York’s peddlers of noisy, horror-themed doom have managed to top both their amazing self-titled debut and excellent 1991 demo, ‘Permanent Brain Damage’, with the long awaited ‘Headless Eyes’. Drawing influence from the cult 1971 film of the same name—particularly the album’s art direction and the title track—‘Headless Eyes’ is ultimately more subdued than their previous efforts and the album is all the stronger for it. The six tracks of their latest are more expansive than anything the band has previously released and the compositions, though still heavy and twisted, untangle and unfurl into new and horrific territories.

The opening track, “Gut Shot”, is about as strong of an album-opener as one could hope for complete with a memorably classic build-up. Swells of feedback are punctuated by sloth-like drums and heavy, lurching riffs. Tortured bellows are replaced by maniacal laughs before a razor sharp lead capable of cutting glass carves its way into the din. Initially a lurching beast “Gut Shot” eventually gains momentum resulting in a weighty, snail-like groove. A definite album highlight.

The title track, “Headless Eyes”, draws its inspiration directly from the cult film of the same name. Eli Brown’s vocals echo the depraved and psychotic musings of Arthur Malcolm, a perverse individual with a penchant for killing women and carving out their eyes with a spoon. The song ebbs and flows between softer psychedelic segments anchored by the rhythm section accompanied by wah pedal accented guitar and roaring passages of distortion. Despite the near eleven minute runtime “Headless Eyes” is neither bloated nor tedious. There are enough changes in tempo to keep things interesting and, as if in homage to the masters, the band injects the tune with an upbeat blast of shredding that is akin to the last couple of minutes of “War Pigs”.

Stellar drumming, great vocals, and inventive riffs and amazing leads with killer guitar tone are nothing new for Blood Farmers, but the band has clearly matured and the resulting six compositions are some of the best tunes released this year. ‘Headless Eyes’ is perhaps the band’s most “traditional” sounding doom album to date, but it manages to match hooks with heft while still opening the doors to other dimensions. The instrumental “Night of the Sorcerers” tastefully incorporates synths resulting in a slightly creepy, prog-rock influenced jam suitable for inclusion on a 70’s Italian horror film soundtrack. Fans of Goblin or Blizaro will find a lot to dig on this track. Not content to end the experimentation there, the band close out the album with “The Road Leads to Nowhere”, a poignant cover of David Hess’ “Wait for the Rain”.

Hopefully it will not be another decade before we hear from Blood Farmers again, let alone two, as the band have clearly crafted a contender for album-of-the-year. ‘Headless Eyes’ is as addictive as it is heavy. Hopefully there will be an upcoming vinyl release around the corner. In the meantime, order ‘Headless Eyes’ directly from the band HERE.

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…death is not a fearful thing: HAAST’S EAGLED – ‘Haast’s Eagled’

Released toward the end of 2013, Haast’s Eagled’s self-titled debut is one of the most refreshing and somber albums in recent memory to come down the pike. Aided by an impenetrably thick, yet crystalline production job ‘Haast’s Eagled’ is a sweeping, atmospheric journey that is epic in scope due to the band’s success in combining loud and quiet dynamics to optimal effect. With only four tracks and a runtime reaching toward the forty minute mark the band has plenty of time, within each individual tune, to engage the listener by intertwining subtle instrumental nuances—most notably delicate, acoustic passages—amongst a barrage of heavy and hypnotic riffs. Add to this formula the occasional use of growled vocals, incidentally some of the most tasteful and successful to grace a doom album in the traditional vein, resulting in an extremely well-crafted and mature debut.

Opening strongly with “The Viking”, Haast’s Eagled immediately displays an aptitude for establishing a subdued, melancholy mood by utilizing a progressive, slow-build burn consisting of crackling needle on vinyl, distant rolls of thunder, and gentle piano and bass. Though the song’s intro is brief, it effectively sets the tone for the duration of the album. At the minute-and-a-half mark the bottom falls out and the guitars, drums, and bass come crashing in and immediately settle into a mid-paced groove. Both growled and clean vocals are used to establish a dichotomy within the song wavering between primitive barbarism and an emotive placidity.

The second track, “The Eye of God”, arises from the ashes of “The Viking’s” fading feedback. Beginning with Celtic influenced classical guitar, “The Eye God” eases into a brief, yet dreamy soundscape. Where “The Viking” hinted at loud and quiet dynamics, “The Eye of God” perfects it. Gentle, downhearted acoustic passages—held aloft with fluid basslines and prodding drums—are knotted with heavier, cavernous blasts of crushing distortion and, again, a mix of clean and growled vocals. “The Eye of God” is a killer track that invokes moments of The Flight of Sleipnir and even, at times, Pink Floyd.

The final tracks, “Tracking the Footsteps of Goliath” and “Cruithne Tide”, are instrumental tunes totaling seventeen minutes—half the album’s runtime. “Tracking the Footsteps of Goliath”, the shorter of the two, is an unsettling, lumbering tune punctuated by sound bites from the Jonestown “death tape”. “Cruithne Tide”, the twelve-and-a-half minute album-closer, fluctuates between sobering passages of soft instrumentation that eventually collapse beneath the weight of heavier riffs and, eventually, changes in tempo and trippy, psychedelic leads.

Haast’s Eagled seemingly came out of nowhere with their excellent, self-titled debut. The four tracks of ‘Haast’s Eagled’ are undeniably rooted in traditional doom, but the band has also created a unique and cohesive atmosphere through their use of varied instrumentation and dynamic song structures. The band has also announced that ‘Haast’s Eagled’ will see a physical release through Senseless Life Records, as will their follow-up release. Based on the strength of their debut—here’s looking forward to the band’s continued evolution and next release…

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…release your head from the world: SAINT VITUS – ‘Die Healing’

Arguably one of the greatest doom bands of all time, Saint Vitus have crafted an unsurpassable body of work that effortlessly combines themes of horror, madness, and ruination, with an added dose of grimy psychedelia resulting in a potent, singular style of doom that is both timeless and unique. And while there is no denying that a major component of Saint Vitus’ sound stems from the hypnotic riffs and demented, abusive leads of Dave Chandler, the contributions of the other members of the band cannot be minimized or overlooked. After all, Mark Adams is responsible for some of the most memorable, doomiest basslines ever laid to tape, and the languorous drumming of Armando Acosta helped many-a-tune lope towards its conclusion with a barbarian heft or, occasionally, with a sporadic blast of punkish fury. Following the untimely passing of Acosta, the addition of Henry Vasquez behind the kit brought a new element to the band on 2012’s excellent ‘Lillie: F-65’. Vasquez not only proved to be a worthy successor to the vacant throne previously occupied by Acosta in terms of bludgeoning heaviness, but he also brought a percussive groove that was only hinted at on previous albums.

Even though each and every member of the band is responsible—through the contributions of their constituent parts—for making Saint Vitus the reigning kings of downtrodden doom, the band has had no shortage of stellar vocal performances. Over the span of several releases Saint Vitus has seemingly done the impossible by enlisting and integrating three distinct vocal personalities into their sound with great success. Following a three album tenure from Scott “Wino” Weinrich, the band produced the often ignored, underrated classic ‘C.O.D.’ (review HERE) with Christian “Chritus” Linderson—also re-released through Season of Mist. While ‘C.O.D.’ was regarded as a failure by many, the departure of Linderson seemed to signal the end of the band. Chandler and co. rallied to create what was to be—at the time—the band’s swan song, ‘Die Healing’, which completed the circle by bringing original vocalist Scott Reagers back into the fold.

Originally released in 1995, ‘Die Healing’ stands as the band’s crowning achievement—an impressive accomplishment when compared to the strength of the band’s discography, where every release is a classic in its own right. Not only had the band crafted their doomiest, most expansive release to date, but they had also found the perfect sound engineer in Harris Johns. Though there is no denying that the band’s earlier sound, particularly on the initial Reagers-era releases, can be partially attributed to a primitive production job, ‘Die Healing’ is light years ahead in terms of clarity and heft while still retaining a richness and warmth that is characteristic of all Vitus releases. Finally, and with Reagers in tow, the band had crafted an undeniable masterpiece.

‘Die Healing’ opens strongly with the tracks “Dark World” and “One Mind”, each of which could have been handled gracefully and effectively with either Weinrich or Linderson behind the mic, but Reagers’ over-the-top intonation elevates the songs to a level of doom that had been missing from Vitus’ music for nearly a decade. “Dark World”, in particular, shines with its thick, Sabbathy riffs, Chandler’s maniacal lead guitar abuse, and the theatrical, often sinister vocals of Reagers. It is four-and-a-half minutes of doomed perfection. At the center of the album lurks the “Sloth”, one of the greatest doom anthems of all time next to “Burial at Sea” from the band’s 1984 self-titled debut. “Sloth” is a crawling, slow-motion apocalyptic descent into absurdity and madness. When Reagers sings, “Can you feel the evil / can you hear the wail / the sound of destiny / sharpening its nails” it’s difficult not to smirk and shudder at the same time. Perhaps due to the return of Reagers the band gives a reverential nod to the past with “Return of the Zombie”, another crawling masterpiece that finds Chandler in top form as he channels noise and distortion from another dimension. “Return of the Zombie” also finds the vocals of Reagers heavily laden with effects which also continues on the following track “In the Asylum” making each of these tunes distinct within the Vitus discography.

For the duration of the near fifty minute runtime of ‘Die Healing’ Saint Vitus pile classic riff upon classic riff accompanied with wailing protestations strangled from Chandler’s guitar. Acosta and Adams, one of the most distinctive rhythm units in doom, deliver a stand-out performance on each and every track. It is the contributions from every member of the band and the subsequent chilling, crypt-like atmosphere that has made ‘Die Healing’ an indelible classic. Saint Vitus are in a realm all their own, and the return of Scott Reagers coupled with an inspired production job courtesy of Harris Johns have yielded one of the greatest doom metal albums of all time—an album that has been out of print for too long. Thankfully Season of Mist has stepped up and re-released this out-of-print classic on CD and LP along with the underappreciated predecessor ‘C.O.D.’. Live to doom, doom to live…

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…I hope you meet your end: ICE DRAGON - ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’

Originally released under the moniker of Slow Heart, ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’ has now been absorbed into the vast, ever-expansive catalogue of Ice Dragon—probably where it belonged in the first place. This review is being reposted to hopefully draw some well-deserved attention to a killer release that may have flown under the radar…

Boston’s genre-hopping three-piece, Ice Dragon, released one of the most compelling, tripped-out doom metal albums of 2012 with their excellent fourth full-length ‘Tome of the Future Ancients’. Seemingly not content to tread the same path twice, the band has pushed their collective sonic palettes into drone, 60’s psychedelia inspired dream-pop, and kraut-rock influenced freak-out territories among others. When not recording as Ice Dragon, the band has also assumed the identity of Tentacle—a dark, acerbic doom/drone/sludge abomination that worships at the altar of Cthulhu. Not to leave any stone unturned, the band—recording as Slow Heart—has bypassed the space-time continuum and released ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’, a moody, reverential collection of tunes that would be right at home on an 80’s college rock radio station played amongst Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, or The Birthday Party. This may not be the doom metal or psychedelic rock that Ice Dragon has become synonymous with, but the five tracks that comprise ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’ are a collection of atmospheric, sparse compositions that channel the best of 80’s post-punk and goth-rock.

“We Want the Night” opens the album with a gentle drumbeat alternating steadily between snare and bass before the heavily reverbed lead guitar protests dreamily in the background. Lead vocalist Ron Rochondo has further developed vocally by assuming a croon that falls somewhere between the sonorous, deep baritone singing voices of Nick Cave and Andrew Eldritch. “We Want the Night” establishes the mood for the rest of the album through its barren, minimalist composition that runs like a vein through three of the remaining four tracks. “Alone and Red” veers slightly from the minimalist goth-rock tendencies of “We Want the Night” in favor of an orchestral drone. This second track adds a meditative texture to ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’ and serves as a foil to the remaining spectral compositions. “Never Trust a Woman (Dressed in Black)” is, musically, the best song that Echo and the Bunnymen never recorded provided said Bunnymen were on a steady diet of downers and didn’t give a fuck of whether they sold an album or not. “Die Tonight” is the soundtrack for a torturous descent into a personal abyss. The repetitive, haunting two notes played on the keyboard drives the anguish straight into the skull. ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’ ends with the instrumental track “11:54pm (Waiting on Midnight)”. While this fifth track fits in well and remains consistent with the album as a whole, it could just as easily be a long lost Portishead demo minus the trip-hop tendencies.

In the absence of Ice Dragon or Tentacle I’ll take Slow Heart any day. Ron, Joe, and Carter have nailed it by drawing inspiration from late 70’s/early 80’s goth-rock and post-punk to create an album that transcends both the scene and era that influenced it. Ice Dragon’s fifth full-length, ‘Dream Dragon’, found the trio experimenting with lighter, psychedelic rock with much success, but ‘greyblackfalconhawk’ and now Slow Heart’s ‘Dead Friends and Angry Lovers’ confirms that Ron, Joe, and Carter are more than proficient at creating dark, atmospheric tunes seemingly on a whim. Here’s looking forward to more Slow Heart Ice Dragon in the future...

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