Yob, the Oregon doom trio will be following 2014’s ‘Clearing The Path To Ascend‘ with the new album ‘Our Raw Heart‘ which is scheduled to be released June 8th via ‘Relapse‘. This is an album that looked as though it might never come when singer/guitar player Mike Scheidt faced incredible odds following a life-threatening medical emergency . Thankfully, Mike has recovered because ‘Our Raw Heart‘ is a beautiful and emotional piece of music that is a modern Metal masterpiece!
Releasing albums since 2001, but not gaining it’s steam until nearly ten years later, Portland, Oregon’s first doom metal band Witch Mountain have been a force to be reckoned with. After the departure of vocalist Uta Plotkin who did three incredible albums ‘South of Salem’, ‘Cauldron of the Wild’, and the masterpiece ‘Mobile of Angels’ with the band, many people were skeptical that the bands could continue. Like troopers though, Witch Mountain could not be kept down and were officially back in action after a hiatus that was only a few moths long. In this line up we have drummer/ band leader Nathan Carson, guitarist Rob Wrong (also a member of doom outfit ‘The Skull’), Justin Brown on bass, and the incredible Kayla Dixon on vocals who had previously been known for her work in the heavy metal band Demons Within. Dixon may have seemed like an odd choice at first, but it was quickly apparent that she had a range that not only matched her predecessors, she also has a voice that is leagues above a majority of modern music’s so called “best vocalists.” Now in 2018, after nearly three years of touring with bands such as Enslaved and Saint Vitus; Witch Mountain are set to release their fifth album which is self titled on May, 25 via Svart. Continue reading
Coming May 25 via Napalm Records is the new EP: ‘House of Doom‘ from legendary doom metal band ‘CANDLEMASS!’ Clocking in at under 30 minutes, ‘House of Doom‘ is a quick but thoroughly enjoyable listen! We start things off with the title track which for my money has everything that an old school Doom Metal fan could ask for: Insanely catchy riffs, powerful vocals, and Sabbath style rhythm! This is easily the best Doom Metal anthem since “Doom over the World” by the now defunct ‘Reverend Bizarre.’
Swedish Metal is the unsung hero of the Metal genre. Rarely do you see so many game changing extreme Metal bands arise from one area as you do with Sweden. You have pioneers of various forms of Death Metal like Entombed, At The Gates and Dark Tranquility who all contributed massively to the genre by contributing buzz saw guitar tones and melody mixed with insanely heavy riffs. Fast forward to today and you still have a healthy amount of bands emerging from the area! One of the most notable would be LIK who have just released a new album that is a worthy successor to bands like Dismember, Entombed and Bloodbath!
The Melvins….what is left to say about this band that hasn’t been said hundreds if not thousands of times over the course of their nearly 40 year career? They are the godfathers of sludge as well as grunge, they were a huge influence on countless artists including Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, Mike Patton of Faith No More, Tool, Neurosis, Boris, Full of Hell and countless others. They have one of the strongest work ethics in music (they once played 51 shows in 51 days) and most importantly they are a band who have never lost their drive to create! They have one of the largest discographies in metal which includes 26 studio albums, 14 EP’s, 12 live albums, and 10 compilation albums. They don’t waste any time, and everything they put out is binge worthy material. The Melvins are constantly experimenting and taking new approaches to writing music and more often than not, it’s a success! The Melvins return with the new album ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’ releasing April 20th, via Ipecac Recordings. Continue reading
“Shit out your soul/Day by day/Accepting lies they throw your way…”
The quote above is quite bleak, isn’t it? Well if you were expecting something upbeat and swinging, then ‘Rotting Civilization’ by Septic Tank is definitely not for you! However, if you’re a fan of bleak, pissed off 80’s influenced grind core, then prepare to have your face melted! Septic Tank which features members of Cathedral, Trouble, and Repulsion was originally formed in the 90’s as a way for frontman Lee Dorrian to express his love of bands such as Discharge and Siege. A handful of live shows were played during these times, but it wasn’t until 2013 when Septic Tank finally released a self titled 7′ EP, the only problem, it was only released in Japan and even then it was limited to 900 copies. From that release we got ‘The Slaughter’ an early Celtic Frost sounding track that honestly could have fit on earlier Cathedral albums.
Photo Credit: Derek Carr
March is National Women’s Month, and we have decided to celebrate some our favorite women in metal. Every Saturday during March we will honor some of the most respected women in the metal and hard rock world. Continue reading
‘Livin’ Oblivion’, the fourth release by Vancouver-based doom-sters Black Wizard (and the second release under the Listenable label), is a genre bending, heavy metal amalgam of Iron Maiden harmonies mixed with the aggression of old school Thrash Metal! My introduction to Black Wizard was through the album ‘New Waste’ (released in 2016). At first listen I knew this would be a band I’d like! Black Wizard take influence from bands like Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath but instead of rehashing riffs and being content with sounding like a throwback band, they have found a way to take all these old school elements and push them forward to new heights! Continue reading
Florence, Italy-based occult rock mystics Psychedelic Witchcraft will release their ‘Sound Of The Wind’ full-length in the US on February 27th via Listenable Records. Released to critical-acclaim in Europe late last year, Sound Of The Wind was captured at Elfo Recording Studio and mastered by Brian Lucey (Ghost). Forged in 2015 led by vocalist Virginia Monti and heavily influenced by the ancient doom and blues teachings of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, and Free as well as of the obscure side of the Italian music scene long ago led by Goblin and Ennio Morricone, Psychedelic Witchcraft’s meticulous meld of blues and classic hard rock with in-depth occult-themed lyrics and imagery is at once vivid and all-consuming. Sound Of The Wind follows Psychedelic Witchcraft’s 2015 ‘Black Magic Man’ EP (Taxi Driver Records), their 2016 critically-lauded debut full-length ‘The Vision’ (Soulseller Records) and 2017’s ‘Magick Rites And Spells’ compilation (Soulseller Records), a collection of tracks not included in the debut album. Find “Sound Of The Wind” order info HERE. For digital orders, go HERE. Continue reading
Photo by Alan Swan Photography
Edinburgh based four piece band King Witch make a triumphant debut with ‘Under the Mountain’ which is released via Listenable Records! With this release we get 9 tracks of genre bending, kick ass HEAVY METAL! ‘Under The Mountain’ was recorded and produced by guitarist Jamie Gilchrist at their underground studio in their home city of Edinburgh, mixed and mastered by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Acolyte) in Southport and comes swathed in artwork created by vocalist Laura Donnelly. The record serves as King Witch’s follow-up to their debut EP, ‘Shoulders Of Giants’, and boasts nine riff-laden tracks offset by the powerful yet bewitching vocals of Donnelly. Influenced by everything from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Mastodon and High On Fire, ‘Under The Mountain’ is as melodic as it is monolithic, taking its listener on a journey from soulful doom to full-tilt metal mayhem. Continue reading
