... HIPOXIA / GANGRENED split Tape (Review)

I've got this link for a few weeks ready to make my ears bleed but didn't take the time to listen it more in depth for a little post - until tonight, my mood being enough blackened and misanthropic to enjoy it at its real dimension ... hahaha !  Co-released by 9 labels (!!!) this split-Tape by HIPOXIA (Spain) and GANGRENED (Finland) consists in an harsh salvation of  about 34 minutes almost equally shared by both bands...

After their debut album released just one year ago,  spanish quintet HIPOXIA (from Madrid) delivers here just one song "gangrened reality", a 16 minutes epic testimony blending drone - doom and black metal in a very disturbing way !!! The song is rather classicaly  structured but the textures are considerably blackened with a creepy crude sound. From the word go, the band introduces you to its unhuman world of suffering Doom with throbbing riffs, funebre vocals and  keyboards/samples/noises, versing progressively but very slowly in blackened dementia to culminate in misanthropic moods with blast beats and hateful screams. "Gangrened reality" is ending in an industrial-like martial machinery reminding the greatest days of BDN or Archon Satani in a DIY tortured approach ... I dig it, even if the fastest parts are a bit too confused, HIPOXIA has that bestial viscerality coupled  with hauntingness which make it happening like a painful salvation which you uggerly wait for more...

Time for GANGRENED who're clearly different - despite the apperances that their name may suggest, we don't have here as blackened stuff and that's great because it gives a great variety to this release... but hey don't worry , cause the finnish band rips and has two great songs of fleshy Sludge for you ! GANGRENED applies perfectly the old recipes of american precursors like Eye Hate God (early) or Buzzov-en with a good measure of dissonance and roughness, gnarly and vindictive singing, not forgetting a weed-infused pinch owing to Electric Wizard. Also harsh and hammering in its first notes, the 2nd song "Hateahol" is almost twice shorter than "The One that Leads the Way" but paradoxically the doomiest, it drives you to more haunting territories where introspective misery can replace anger and pain - this ends the finnish side of the release and just as for their spanish fellows, this fairly gives great expectations on the bands further releases! 

you've got a large choice of labels to fill your cart - there's certainly one in this list not too far your corner which will reduce the shipment cost, think about it for this worthy purchase...

https://www.facebook.com/Hipoxia
https://www.facebook.com/Gangrened



http://bouerecords.yolasite.com
http://filthyratrecords.blogspot.com
http://www.discosmacarras.com
http://www.thebloodydirtysanchez.com
http://www.feretrorecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/twinsoulsbarcelona
http://strangerecords.blogspot.fi
http://www.facebook.com/LaserblastRecords
http://desfiladero-rcs.blogspot.es

…Live Report : UZALA & MIKE SCHEIDT, October 17th, Denver - 3 Kings Tavern -

Following the massive, downtrodden aural assault of Denver Doom Fest III there are few acts that could manage to fill the abysmal void left in my soul after that two-day event. But it just so happens that Uzala are one of those acts. The band has enlisted psych-doom guitar wizard Mike Scheidt to perform an acoustic set of solo material for this particular tour along with a variety of supporting acts dependent on location. For this stop of the tour local acts Munimula and Space In Time were brought into the fold, thus solidifying a well-rounded night of tunes - (by Steve Miller)

MUNIMULA

Getting things started off to a hobbled, bloated crawl was the Denver three-piece Munimula. I hadn’t caught these guys before, but they were the perfect way to kick-off the night. The band launched into their set like a high diver plunging into a vat of viscous sludge—smashing headfirst into a suffocatingly heavy stasis. Deep, heavy grooves eventually deteriorated into the sonic equivalent of a corpse decomposing. Feedback and swirling noise encapsulated by heavy riffs along with a measure of harsh vocals seem to be the band’s calling card.

MIKE SCHEIDT

Having been a fan of Yob for several years I was pretty psyched to catch Mike playing a low-key acoustic set. Not only does the man flat-out destroy with an electric guitar, but he is equally adept playing softer, acoustic material. His set consisted of both original material and a couple of covers, including a Townes Van Zandt cover. Sorry, I must have been living under a rock because I didn’t know the other cover. I was pretty blown away by both his set and his voice—he can definitely belt out a tune. I felt pretty fortunate to have witnessed Yob a couple of times in the past and now to have caught a more intimate performance from the front man. Damn, catching him live has me really anticipating the release of his new project with Tad Doyle and Aaron Edge, Lumbar.

SPACE IN TIME

Another new local act for me was Denver’s own Space In Time. The band blasted through an impressive 70’s inspired set that covered proto-metal, hard rock, and doom in equal measures. The band was extremely tight and boasted some great, powerful vocals. To top things off the band dug deep into some nuggets and played a cover of Sir Lord Baltimore’s “Helium Head (I Got A Love)” and they killed it. Space In Time’s high energy set broke up the night nicely. Looking forward to catching this four-piece again.

UZALA

There are few bands that could drag me out of the house and leave me with only three-and-a-half hours of sleep before a string of twelve hour work days. I caught Uzala last year—also at 3 Kings—with The Flight of Sleipnir and both bands were nothing short of amazing. This time around I’ll admit I was a bit wary as Uzala would now be performing as a three-piece since the departure of bassist Nick Phit. As the band launched into “Death Masque” my worries were put at ease. Despite the lack of bass the tunes still sounded full and heavy and, as the band played material from the new album, it also made me realize what a fantastic job Tad did with capturing the band’s live sound on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’. In addition to “Death Masque” the band played the entirety of the new album with the unfortunate exception of “Tenement of the Lost” which had to be sacrificed due to time constraints. Not only has Uzala, again, released one of the best albums of the year, but they’ve managed to recreate that sound in a live performance.  

... a magic Breton ride : BRAIN PYRAMID

BRAIN PYRAMID is a young french Psychedelic trio from Rennes who - if not yet a true revelation -  is a seriously promising band... Actually comprised  of founding members Gaston Lainé (guit/voc) and  Batptiste Gautier-Lorenzo (drums), recently joined by Ronan Grall (master of ceremony in Huata) on Bass, the band made recently its 1st (short) tour, in support of their debut album "Magic Carpet Ride", with dates in France, Spain and Portugal - playing with bands like Black Bombaim, Libido Fuzz and Phonocaptors ! 

As I said earlier, the original duo is really young  - 18 and 19 but their musicianship is yet fairly impressive, what an explosive blend of Heavy psyched-out tripping waves and Desert rock-like explosion of fuzz. There may be a couple of others, but judging by his nice use of delay and wha-wha, Hendrix and Bjork must be revered idols of Gaston !!! 

Consisting in 6 songs for a total lenght of about half 66 minutes (!) , the album still presents a band in a logical learning phase on a couple of points which are related :  the style is a fertile ground for long jams that's a fact but a better balance between instrumental and sung parts should be found, which leads to the needed improvement on vocals dept... Even if I heard a bit of progression yesterday evening on stage (they were opening for Black Rainbows in Lorient) Gaston needs to take confidence in his singing, let the flow come more viscerally and probably get it  infused of rough substance(s) from his choice !!? Ronan has a very different role from what he is devoted to in Huata, far more relax, acting positively as a kind of big brother and bringing a dark psyched-out touch which isn't that palpable on the album (in which he doesn't play). Baptiste is the perfect complement to Gaston's versatility, at times hard-hitting with a sick gnarliness, at others airy and contributing in their inducement to open your 3rd eye !!! The band seems to have significantly improved in six months, thanx to the enriching LIVE experiences and i can't help thinking that Ronan's coming can't be a coincidence to this statement too.

Yesterday's set was the 1st gig, launch of the new association "L'amicale du Fuzz" at Le Galion in Lorient, a nice pub who's already hosted Karma to Burn, The Grand Astoria and a bunch of  obscure international underground bands - including tonight the valorous trio BLACK RAINBOWS... The italians were presenting their new album "Holy Moon" which I think was almost played in its entirety, plus a couple of other old songs and a frantic cover... I'm not a big fan of this kind of stomping Stoner, nothing disagreeable but too quickly I feel the impression to have heard this so many times before ! This is heavy and powerful and the guys balls sweat after 2 songs but damn that's too predictable; I also felt  tired of hearing "motherfuckers" about 3 or 4 times between each song without the feeling of being given a harsh spanking at the same time, he!  so I left the pub for a while to smoke some brown with my usually hooded buddy, we just came back for the last song of the italians which is a wild cover of boogie rock'n roll ! 

BRAIN PYRAMID

Sure, the organization expected more people (we were just a little forty) but the evening was pretty cool in the end with good conditions and BRAIN PYRAMID (which as you understood I came most essentially for, that's why - by respect to Black Rainbows, I turned this into an article for B.P. rather than a live-report!) delivered an overwhelming performance - including for my greatest pleasure a couple of exciting new songs, their best to date in my opinion : "Lucifer Sunday Dinner" (check it on the video below, recorded in Bilbao -Spain-, there's a Doomy mood coupled with mindblowing accelerations which make it awesome) and "Livin' in Outer Space" -  thanx guys !  

Watch out for the breton trio for your next magic ride in psychedelia...

                                 

https://www.facebook.com/brainpyramid

... CLAGG "Gather your Beasts" (Album Review)

After a long wait of 4 years since the release of "Lord of Sleep", Australia's best Stoner/Sludge band CLAGG are back with a meaty 4th album entitled "Gather your Beasts" and - clearly, that's one of the best news of this fall !!!  
In this overcrowded worldwide scene, there's a real risk for an underground band to get on hiatus or even disappear in the asshole of oblivion in people's mind when such a long delay happen - between two releases, and I presume that if you're coming from the other side of the planet, meaning you're also missing regular or even sporadical Live opportunities like Tours or Festivals here and there, this doesn't help any way either... As true as it can be to its predecessor, do the guys succeed in making this "Gather your Beasts" a winner all the fucking way?!!!

Naturally, in the first listenings, this long wait and the way the band  grabs your balls - both seriously enhance the extreme delightment to listen this monster of oppressive and groove-laden heaviness that is relying on a pretty original blend of  filthy and fuzzy sludge with groovy stoner' n' roll... but in fact the soufflé never goes flat, thanx to heady riffage, versatility and addictive weedy atmopsheres which make it like there had been no rupture in time, because, believe me, the guys have puted so much in here !!!
I don't know the exact reasons of this absence of 4 years and who gives a fuck after all now that they're back with force and masterful arguments ? one thing is sure, this album has not been composed in a few weeks !  What quickly becomes evident to your ears is that the production is much more consistant and well-balanced than before and the methodology behind their craft much heavier and densely infectious too.

The album starts with a couple of pure sludgey songs "Five Curses" and "Gather your Beasts", those are pretty long pieces (even if we never reach 15 minutes long songs, like at several times on the 2nd sprawling album) - soaked in slow moving heaviness with thick and chunky riffs, throaty malignant vocals and fuzzily distorted bass. Ominous and uncompromised, the tone is also slightly bluesy and southern fried which (like in Weedeater) gives a more accessible balance with the crudeness and overall brutal aggression... Clagg is terribly addictive good shit !  

"The Great Mortality" proves to be maybe the most representative of what CLAGG can achieve here, with a scene of expression that deeply remains swampy and crushing; the tempo is upbeated in its first part with a massive metallic riff, bursting drums and a great dose of groove, leading to a slow crushing 2nd part full of unhealthy misery... this is maybe not as Doom as the song "Lord of the Deep" was, but it is utterly haunting ! 

"The dream is Dead" is another highlight with its Cisnerosian hypnotizing bass lines into a groovy cocktail of riffs and nasty vocals, this song and the closer "Pathways to Oblivion" expand the variety in the songwriting with a brighter tone infused in a catchy psyched-out fuzz of the highest order that Goatsnake would not disown in the hazy soloing especially!!! 

It may sound cliché or easy to say, but the cover of the album sets a perfect representation of its content, with obscure and ugly caracters from a sort of subterranean imagery, malicious and edgy to tear apart, resolved to accomplish their devilries with graceful brutality and an aesthetic perversion. I dig this artwork and more than once you'll feel the presence of those scary creatures surrounding you ... "Gather the Beasts" may not shine as the most original album of the year but as a refined behemoth it's definitely a very solid album which will easily appeal to fans of Weedeater, Sleep and Church of Misery ... Don't fucking miss it !

https://www.facebook.com/TeamClagg

…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

https://www.facebook.com/NYMFofficial

... BLOOD RED WATER "All the Ills of Mankind" (EP review)

Did I mention that I’m a sucker for some really raw, filthy grimy sludge with hard hitting brutal riffs that wallow in low-end frequencies, blessed with a production that takes care not to clean all the dirt and mud out of it, but instead helps it ooze through my speakers or headphones to creep through my ears into my brain?

I did not? Well then let me tell you I’m a sucker for….. Blood Red Water.

Just once in a while I get to know a band that meets all the needs of my sludgy heart perfectly. Five piece band Blood Red Water from Venice/Italy already made my heart jump with their first effort Tales of addiction and despair from 2012.

And just once in a while it happens that this rawness and grittiness I love so much is not “smoothed out” in further releases. and that’s what  Blood Red Water managed to do with All the Ills of Mankind.

Of course  the EP is different from its predecessor and in many ways a huge step forward, but thankfully keeps the raw dirt and brutal intensity.

While the first album has some more HC influences and is more volatile and edgy as a whole, on All the Ills of Mankind the focus is more on the groovy and melodic side. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still heavy as fuck with a sinister, menacing and slightly insane atmosphere.

The opener invites you to A ride in the Funhouse, drags you into a fair scene - the horror version - with creepy and weird laughter, distortion and feedback sounds, before the heavy riffs and dark throaty menacing vocals (to die for) crush you.

This sense of menacing insanity is carried further through the whole album, increasing the groove and methodical rhythms with each track. The middle and low paced rhythms are entrancing, not really going into psychedelic areas, but keep you captured to make you an easy victim for the looming venomous danger.

All the Ills of Mankind includes five songs and has an overall runtime of about 28 minutes - 28 minutes of pure muddy sludge joy intense and highly addictive.

words by Ulla Roschat

https://www.facebook.com/bloodredwater

... like a radiant fairytale : BEELZEFUZZ "s/t" (Album review)

Formed in late 2009 by Dana Ortt (guit/voc) and Pug Kirby (bass), joined a bit later by Pale Divine’s Darin Mc Closkey on drums, BEELZEFUZZ is in the opinion of many wise people (which doesn’t include me, just because I’m not wise !)  one of the most interesting new Doom Metal bands that came out from the US for a long while…

Ok, they’ve been signed by the almighty Church Within rds which is in itself a sufficient proof of quality, but what’s so special in that band to predestine them such a bright future ?

Are they hooded or wearing flashy clerical costumes ? do they need two or three guys on vocals to enhance harmonies and melodies ? are they occult or retro-proto ??? is that an incredible mix of Black Sabbath and The Beatles ? many questions like those will find a unique answer : NO !!! 

Origins from Maryland  then ? well, physically just partly as only Dana lives there ; Pug ‘s from Delaware and Darin from Pennsylvania … but being logistically based in that state and having given countless gigs with local heroes, there’s no doubt that the contact with their local musical environment played a role in their self-confident identity and take-off !  didn’t Dana said in these pages last year “I want our music to be a reflection of the powerful energy and inspiration from the people around us” ?

BEELZEFUZZ doesn’t need any vestimentary subterfuge or opportunist thematic to catch attention, BEELZEFUZZ is just simply a talented trio, serious,  authentic and devoted to provide you very unique and identifiable sounds served in old recipes which they kind of revigorate with an amazing amount of fuzziness and dynamics. Yes, they’re just three, but with malicious and inventive wizardry - pedal effects play an important role in the distinctive sound of the band - often give the impression to be twice more,  just as the regular doubled vocals effect used by Dana add a lot in intensity.

BEELZEFUZZ blend 70’s Hard and Progressive Rock with Doom like no others… Do you know many bands who clearly assume references to Genesis and Yes, along with the more traditional Deep Purple, Uriah Heep or Pentagram ? Proportions vary from song to song but the basis remain pretty traditional and the band avoids long repetitive structures.

If you already heard both their demos, you gotta know that there’s a great part of them in this debut album : “Reborn”, “Lotus Jam” – what a killer beginning with those both already classics linked here -, “All the Feeling Returns”, “Hypnotize”, “Lunar Blanco” and “Light that Blinds”… (holy shit, where’re “Peace Mind” and “Contrition” ? hahaha !!!) 6 songs on a total of 8… just 2 new songs you gonna tell me !? well, naturally they all benefit from a stronger production but in their execution all those old songs have been - moderately to significantly - improved with more guitar tones, enriched vocal parts and stretched harmonies who give more radiance to the overall.

What about those both new songs “Sirens Song” and “Lonely Creatures” ? They are aptly placed at the heart of this debut  and already show a slight progression in composition.  Ortt being more audacious on soloing, Mc Closkey dispending some splendorous solemn hits  on the latter and Kirby’s bass wailing and always combining perfectly with his rhythmic partner; Beelzefuzz grows fast, much faster than any common band !!!

In between those new pieces, you’ve got the highlight of the album “Hypnotize”  with its mysterious and hauting first two minutes introductive part which leads to an outstanding wall of massive fuzziness where the band reveals more than ever its kinda black and white facets… believe me when Dana says “ hypnotizing, mesmerizing, old in power, soul devoured”, the guys join acts to his words!!! there’s small details vocally wise on this album that are simply amazing, just listen the way he says “pushed” in this same song… this guy has a golden voice really, he puts so much soul and feeling in his performance, that it’s at times epic and very emotional !

Enjoying this for a few weeks with a constantly growing addiction, it is now kinda cruel to know that they’ll be soon crossing the Atlantic to play a single date at the next Hammer of Doom which is not among my yearly pilgrimages (and I know it’s a mistake) but I’ll patiently wait for a more extensive coming next year… I’ve always heard awesome comments about their live sets and I would be so happy to meet them, feel and share their positivity both humanly and musically of course ! This Beelzefuzz is an exceptional album, without being fun at any times, this refreshing form of Doom gives an enormous banana when listening it but it never forgets to remind you that rock’n roll has always been an affair of lost souls ;) 

Ice on the cake is the stunning quality of the artwork and packaging (another great addition to the label previous pieces of art as a whole that were the 1st Orchid and Serpent Venom !), this is absolutely ESSENTIAL !!!

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beelzefuzz/130358826999655

 http://www.doom-dealer.de/

                                   

…Live Report: DENVER DOOM FEST III October 11th & 12th, 3 Kings Tavern

The waning daylight hours and the colder nights had marked the season for Denver’s annual Doom Fest. Once again Obsidian FogPromotions assembled a killer lineup consisting of local acts as well as artists from across the nation and even from around the globe. The two day event had no shortage of heavy, dark tunes and cool vibes from the bands and the crowd. This year’s event also boasted its own beer—a blackened grätzer—courtesy of Denver’s own TRVE Brewing company. Despite cancellations from Fister, Western Ritual, and The Flight of Sleipnir (congratulations to new father Clay Cushman), the event had an incredible roster that was deep enough to cover the unfortunate gaps. Brief, inadequate descriptions and bad photos ensue…

Day I

As with the previous year, work commitments kept me from getting to the fest on time and, again, I had to miss a couple of acts. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to catch either Whilt or Blighter.

PRIMITIVE MAN

First up, for me, was the misanthropic assault of Primitive Man. Their ugly, hateful dirges had intentions nothing short of decimating the weak. The three-piece constructed their set around a complete disregard for humanity and theirs was the sound of hate and fury. The band lived up to their namesake by bludgeoning the crowd with crawling tempos matched with occasional bursts of upbeat fury. Noise. Death. Doom.

LYCANTHIA

Australia’s Lycanthia were the perfect follow up to the focused hate unleashed by Primitive Man. Though not completely devoid of aggression, Lycanthia’s use of keys and violin had a calming effect after what was arguably the most caustic set of the fest. The band’s gothic styled death-doom utilized both female vocals and death growls which produced a set that had moments of dark melancholia and beauty. The band seemed to have a great time playing in the US and stuck around for the second night of the fest. It was great to have them on board.

THE SKULL

Closing out the first night of the fest, and one of my personal favorite performances of the event, was The Skull. The Trouble splinter group played classics from ‘Psalm 9’ through ‘Plastic Green Head’ and they fucking killed it. The classic heavy doom from their earliest releases and the stoner inspired rock of their later albums were equally represented. Not only did the band sound great, but they also seemed to be having a blast playing on stage and interacting with the crowd. An awesome way to end the first night of the fest.

Day II

KHEMMIS

Kicking off day two of the fest was Khemmis—a late addition to cover the gap left by the cancellation of Fister. Though I was bummed to hear that Fister had to drop out of the lineup, Khemmis were a fantastic replacement. They were tight, heavy, and had a head-nodding stoner groove that remained unrivalled for the rest of the festival. This band was a great surprise and I’m looking forward to hearing material beyond their ‘Sunrise/Sunset’ rehearsal demo.

BLACK ACID DEVIL

Continuing where Khemmis ended and pulling off one of the most energetic sets of the night was Black Acid Devil. The band dabbled in the same sonic territory as Khemmis, but took an adrenalized, amphetamine fuelled approach to their brand of stoner sludge. Fuzzed-out riffs and frantic solos punctuated every tune.

PENDULOUS

A gloomy, forlorn atmosphere and a killer, wide-ranging vocal performance were the highlights of Pendulous’ set. E.R.M.’s melodramatic stage presence was nothing shy of tortured and he effortlessly shifted between melancholic clean vocals and guttural wails. It was cool to see and hear the band live after checking out the band’s ‘Mirrored Confessions’ EP on their Bandcamp page following Steph’s killer review.

DEAD TEMPLE

What’s better than an occult doom band with female vocals? Try an occult doom band with female vocals in triplicate. Yep, Denver’s own Dead Temple utilizes three vocalists to peddle their brand of old school doom. The band effortlessly combines traditional metal, doom, and theatrics into a memorable, hard rocking show.  

IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS

The workhorse sludge/doom duo In the Company of Serpents never fails to deliver. The band is heavy-as-fuck and always gives 100% on stage and night two of the fest was no different. Their set was amongst the heaviest and the duo continued to tease the audience with tracks from their anticipated upcoming full-length, ‘Of the Flock’.

GRAVECODE NEBULA

Shrouded in black, Salt Lake City’s Gravecode Nebula combined a killer set of blackened funeral doom with an ominous stage presence for one hell of a memorable performance. Acting as conduits, the band channeled eerie atmospherics from the darkest recesses of the netherworld. I’m totally looking forward to checking out more from this band.

STOIC DISSENTION

Keeping with the theme initiated by Gravecode Nebula was Colorado’s own Stoic Dissention. The band killed it with their blend of black metal, doom, and sweeping post metal. Their set was equal parts blackened gloom and trippy atmospherics accompanied by tortured howls and chants. Definitely looking forward to the band’s forthcoming album…

VELNIAS

Prior to performing, Boulder’s Velnias cleansed the stage with a bundle of sage and proceeded to play a candlelit set. The band’s music is moody enough, but the candles and darkness contributed to the overall atmosphere. Similar to the previous fest, Velnias combined moments of restrained intensity with outright blasts of blackened fury.  

SHROUD OF BEREAVEMENT

One of the most interesting acts of the night was New Hampshire’s Shroud of Bereavement who mixed death metal and doom with a heavy focus on keyboards and piano. Add to the mix guttural growls wailed in unison with operatic female vocals and you get an idea of where Shroud of Bereavement is coming from. The band executed a killer set and were happy to be playing the fest. To top-it-off it was Steph Robinson’s (vocals/keyboards) birthday and the crowd was more than happy to sing her “Happy Birthday”.

EVOKEN

What else can be said about this band that hasn’t been said before? Despite a few technical difficulties to kick-off their set, the band persevered and managed to pull off a crushingly heavy set of moody funeral doom. Evoken was able to match the epic, forlorn crawl of their recorded output and somehow make it heavier and more oppressive.

Words and photos: Steve Miller

... an alchemy to develop : ARCADE EYES "s/t" (Album review)

Located in Colmar/Berlin/Stockholm, Azam/Oberg/Klein - respectively on Vocals/Guitar/Drums and members of Crown/Earthship/The Smokin 44's- form this massive project that is ARCADE EYES, about to release its self-titled debut Album this week on Raddatz records.

If you know Earthship, you'll recognize quickly the muscular guitar sound of Oberg, but forget about the Prog' and Post flourishings here, the essence of this project is more to be found in stomping beats, whiskey-soaked growls, 90's wilderness and recklessness too. Basically, the trio plays some groovy Sludge Metal in the vein of the biggest/oldest american monsters of the genre, but they add to it a subtle little dose of neckbreaking heaviness that could remind Gojira and Lamb of God, giving them a kinda modern power that finds a good balance with sludgey distortion.

Oberg offers to Azam a perfect territory of expression, snarling and fed alternatively by a healthy dose of  HC and an Industrial-like slow and noisey dissonance, a large sphere where everyone throws guts and balls to the consistent brew ("Circles of ...", "Tales of Greed", "Waves of Flesh") ! "Iron Tongue" got the fastest tempo with a southern kickass stomping groove, simple but entertaining, this is the kind of song that could make injuries among the fans in live environment !!!  but there's more than usual to expect from the malignant Alsacian with new facets of his extensive vocal abilities... don't forget that this guy is a Metalovore who digs almost everything good from Mötley Crue to Graves at Sea !!! another project could reveal why not glamish vocals someday ?! oh well, for the moment there's a few nice other stops in the 90's with Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, thickening brighter atmospheres with clear and melodic vocal lines and that's fuckin' catchy !!! 

Earthship fans should assuredly like this new project even if possibly finding it a couple of times too close their original fave, for example aren't Azam's plaintive melodic lines too similar to Earthship singer on the opener "Circles of Black Shadows" ? nothing wrong at all with that, Azam makes a stunning performance here, especially considering he did his job separately long afterwards -  all instruments were recorded  one year and a half before, he puted more than the best of himself that's for sure but in the end, there's a palpable lack of unicity, positive conduction in the overall which prevent of absolutely memorable hooks.
On their side, Crown fans won't be in rest, finding some more reasons to dig Steph throaty ways of expression and why not being happy to enjoy some mamoothian (human) drumming !?!

One thing is sure, individually, each one's performance is faultless, although there's one song which sounds strangely uncomplete ("Into the Veil" ending way too abruptly) -  and this is definitely a nice debut of metallic Sludge, punchy and insidiously handsome... but I can't help thinking that in a such overcrowded scene, collusion between musicians recording together and sharing the same intensity of feelings at the same time - often proves in the end to be one of the most important ingredients of a memorable album, in that sense the band needs now to improve as a real entity and not as an addition of individual talents... I'm sure this next step can be achieved, then potencially ARCADE EYES could pretend chairing the European throne of Sludge Metal ! 

https://www.facebook.com/arcadeeyescult
http://www.raddatzrecords.de/

... SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT "Waiting for the Flood" (Album Review)

"Waiting For The Flood" as a title seems to address the anticipation amongst fans of Germany's longer-standing Samsara Blues Experiment for the album and its four massive songs, which have already been tried and tested at various occasions in concert - and even if that had not been the case, you would know what to expect, wouldn't you? Never on this record does the heavy psych quartet get to the point faster than after ten minutes plus, and this suits them rather well, as opposed to oh-so-many other groups that are a drag even in shorter formats. 

The album starts off with 'Shringara', which after some sitar-tinkling with iniating vocals (delivered with astounding force by frontman Christian Peters) takes off with spacey synths while the guitar stays upfront almost entirely throughout the track. Riff is king on "Waiting For The Flood", yet not without some soulful soloing where it's necessary. Samsara Blues Experiment have never been a band prone to much redundancy within their compositions, which is just what makes 2011's "Revelation And Mystery" still worth spinning on a regular basis - a real feat considering the arbitrary mass of genre releases during the last couple of years.

Peters, whose voice nicely reminds of Pothead's hearty crooner Brad Dope, takes a step back from the mic during the title track in order to work his strings more eagerly, but still manages to establish hooks through his singing, not to forget the hefty emotions which he gets across to the listener, the more mellow character of the track being just the perfect medium for this. Goosebumps aside, "Waiting For The Flood" also gives a nod or two towards the name of its creators, meaning that "Don't Belong" puts the Blues on the boil, albeit in a less obvious manner without your all too predictable chord progressions. Still, this band is no prog-fare, and justly so.

Closer "Brahmin's Lament" once again leans to the heavier side and casts a spotlight on drummer Thomas Vedder as well. The Eastern tinge is already manifest in the title, Peters intones in his most passionate way and thereby hands some very memorable verses, which are likely to be recalled when it comes to choosing what's been relevant for 2013 in terms of vintage hard rock at the end of the year. Be sure you don't miss "Waiting For The Flood"; otherwise your poll lists might be incomplete.

words by Andreas Schiffmann

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