Merchant - Beneath EP Review

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ISENORDAL - Shores Of Mourning Review

Isenordal - Shores Of Mourning (Eternal Warfare Records / Pest Productions)

Release date : March 25th, 2017

Coming from the Cascadian region of the United States of America, Isenordal is labeled as a Black Funeral Doom/Neofolk project; what an amalgam. It is almost as if when ordering delivery food you don’t know what you’d like and tell the guy I’m taking a bit of every possible thing on the menu and wrap it in a burrito. The 

burger/pizza/sushi/poke/enchiladas/egg roll first bite you’ll have might be a bit suspicious and near total disaster of a meal. Let’s see if the buffet of Metal genres that is Shores Of Mourning is a total disaster or not.

SLOTH HERDER - No Pity, No Sunrise Review

 

Sloth Herder - No Pity, No Sunrise (Grimoire Records)

Release date : March 24th, 2017

Back in 1999-2000 I got into more ‘’extreme’’ and ‘’underground’’ Metal by the doors of Converge and Second Wave Black Metal essentially. Both are not related by scenes one might say, but I find Converge to be more Metal than Hardcore or Metalcore. Until this day, Jane Doe and Petitionning The Empty Sky are some of the most important albums that forged me as a metalhead. Grindcore with Pig Destroyer, Nasum, Spazz, ROT is also a chunk of my obsession for bastard music as my parents were calling it back then. They might be calling it that way if I was still living in their house and blasting this music all day long.

ROZAMOV - This Mortal Road Review

Rozamov - This Mortal Road (Battleground Records, Dullest Records)

Release date : March 3rd, 2017

After a series of EPs and 7’’ releases, Rozamov formed in Boston in 2011, are throwing Doom Metal lines and Neurosis like monolith songs. In fact, the similarity with the legendary Oakland band even goes into the vocals that are a shared between Tom Corino (also bass) and Matt Iacovelli (also guitars and piano).

ANDE - Het gebeente Review

Ande - Het gebeente (Self-released)
Release date: January 7th 2017

This is pretty much a copy paste of the Scandinavian Second Wave of Black Metal sound except for some Doom elements here and there that steers the music towards an Atmospheric BM.

Nothing really groundbreaking and even the production sounds as if it was a DarkThrone's UnHoly Trinity takeover or an early Burzum record.

Another Black Metal one-man-band in the ocean of one-man-bands.

5.0

THERA ROYA - Stone And Skin Mini-Review

Thera Roya - Stone And Skin (Self-released)

Release date: February 17th, 2017

6.0

MOURNING DAWN - Waste EP Review

Mourning Dawn - Waste EP (2017, Aesthetic Death)

Release date : Late January, 2017

Consisting of two track of the same length 25 mins and 14 seconds, ‘’Waste’’ the song and the EP is the overlaid of ‘’The One I Never Was’’ and ‘’The One I’ll Never Be’’. So the running time of this EP of behemoth grandeur is 75 minutes and 42 seconds. Coming from Montpellier, France, Mourning Dawn is atmospheric and Doom.

KETCH - The Anthems Of Dread Review

Ketch - The Anthems Of Dread (2016, Aesthetic Death)

Named after the infamous King Charles II’s executioner, John or Jack Ketch, Ketch the band is a Doom/Sludge Metal outfit from Colorado. Their sound is as aggressive as Indian and navigates in many waters like Funeral Doom pace, Black Metal tremolo, and heavy Doomish drumming. Self-released in April 2016 but recently released by Aesthetic Death with four songs from a previous EP, The Anthems Of Dread is one of the latest surprises of late 2016. We decided that the album was enough important to be on the early 2017 review schedule.

INTER ARMA - Paradise Gallows

Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows (2016, Relapse Records)

Looking back at the year that was 2016 in music, we mainly focused on albums that we received promos except for the exceptional albums that came out and that we felt were too important to be left out of our review database. The case of Inter Arma’s Paradise Gallows is interesting because we didn’t received it and I was not sure about it either. How wrong was I?

WORM OUROBOROS - What Graceless Dawn

Worm Ouroboros - What Graceless Dawn (2016, Profound Lore Records)

Formed of guitarist/vocalist Jessica Way (Barren Harvest), bassist/vocalist Lorraine Rath (ex-The Gault, Amber Asylum) and drummer Aesop Dekker (ex-Agalloch, Vhöl, Ludicra), Worm Ouroboros is a unique outfit that makes music near the many genres that are Doom, Jazz, chamber music, dark ambient, and death rock. Reminded me of Chelsea Wolfe and ethereal funeral doom metal at times. Released on the prestigious Canadian label Profound Lore, this Oakland based trio is making slow music that may not please every Metal head out there but it is what makes them worth your time.

ERA DECAY - Inritum

Era Decay - Inritum (2016, self-released)

Since it is not the main subject of this Music/Metal blog, I don’t mention often that I am an avid snowboarder. As with every product of consumption nowadays, the offer of snowboards is as vast as the wide array of subgenres from Death Metal. The Romanians of Era Decay are labeled as Doom/Death Metal but as any snowboard out there many labels can be applied to its versatility. It is the case for ED’s interpretation of the genre. Their latest release, Inritum, is a blend of Melodic Death Metal with Doom and many elements of old school Death Metal.

ABYSMAL GRIEF - Reveal Nothing...

Abysmal Grief - Reveal Nothing... (2016, Terror From Hell Records)

Think of Doom Metal in its gloomiest form with synths and clean vocals à la Rammstein and you have Abysmal Grief and their Horror laden Metal. This collection of EPs, 7’’, and split records is introductory for new fans and a compilation for those who don’t what to collect every platter they have released.

BLACK OATH - Litanies In The Dark EP

Black Oath - Litanies In The Dark EP (2016, Terror From Hell Records)

This four song EP from the Doomsters Italians of Black Oath is a taster of what they have in their bags. It is Doom Metal done right especially with the medley of ‘’Highway Cavalier’’ and ‘’Reincarnation’’ that is rendered in ‘’Reincarnation Of The Highway Cavalier’’ a tribute to the late Terry Jones of Pagan Altar. The moods and atmosphere created by ‘’Funeral Alchemy’’ is spot-on with strong riffs and the right moody arrangements.

GATECREEPER - Sonoran Depravation

Gatecreeper - Sonoran Depravation (2016, Relapse Records)

Of all the influences cited about the release of Gatecreeper’s first album, Sonoran Depravation, there is a conclusion we can easily get to; the band pushes the Death Metal buttons of fans of every spheres of the genre because the Gatecreeper is form by passionates of the Death Metal movement. Let’s have the name dropping game going on : Entombed, Asphyx, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower just to name a few.

VOW OF THORNS - Farewell to the Sun

Vow of Thorns - Farewell to the Sun (2016, Forest Dweller Inc. /self-released)

Apparently Black Metal and Doom is the trend for new bands to make music. The long fuzzy tirades of Doom metal and the screamy vocals of Black Metal can harmoniously go together. Canadian band Vow of Thorns and their first LP Farewell to the Sun are no exception to this ever growing fusion of genres. Is it just a flavor of the week or some bands will actually stay and form another subgenre like ‘’Blackened Doom Metal’’ or ‘’Doomy Black Metal’’? Only time will tell but this review will tell if you must or not take the time to get to Vow of Thorns’ Farewell to the Sun.

[Throwback Reviews] BLACK SABBATH - 13

Note from the editor: this review was first published at my main blog and since I moved here I've decided to edit and repost those archived reviews once in a while just to get the database complete and give a second life to those earlier writings.

Black Sabbath - 13 (2013, Vertigo & Universal)

When I first heard that Sabbath had a new release I was separated between despair and anger because I have a lot of respect about what this band did to Rock and how their sound still influences many bands and genres of music that I love. But I kinda always felt that Ozzy was much like a living dead and that a new release would just be like the extra beer you take when you already had too many but you still continue to drink until hangover.

NÉVOA - Re Un

Névoa - Re Un (2016, Avantgarde Music)

For anyone who has ever gone fishing, one knows that to grab a fish once it is hooked you must be wearing a glove or taking it on board with a net. The music of Névoa from Portugal, a young duo of multi-instrumentalists, might be like the fishing metaphor. Meaning they get from Black Metal to Doom with Sludge passages in the four songs of their new record titled Re Un.

ENDLOS - Im Fallen Verlaufen

Endlos - Im Fallen Verlaufen (2016, Symbol of Domination & Narbentage Produktionen)

The duo of Endlos out of Germany set itself into the Black/Doom Metal genre while getting in touch with Punkish elements that we could relate to their compatriots of Thränenkind. They are, however, not yet into the same league as the later band mentioned.

THE HOWLING VOID - The Triumph of Ruin

The Howling Void – The Triumph of Ruin (2016, Avantgarde Music)

The highly prolific American one man band The Howling Void is back at releasing another funereal doom metal in full seriousness and epic ambition with The Triumph of Ruin.

WORSHIP OF KERES - Bloodhounds For Oblivion [EP]

Worship of Keres - Bloodhounds For Oblivion (2016, self-released)

The plethora of new Doom metal acts has been falling like misery on poor people. Coming from California, this trio shows a promising debut album that is as interesting as Windhand's debut material with a strong penchant for classic acts like Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, and Coven.