Lord Doom

Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir – The Key Review

By Lord Doom on January 20, 2019 in 2019, Apollon Records, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 45 comments

You know how almost every crappy family TV sitcom has an inevitable flashback episode? The family kids have discovered some contemporary genre of music that Dad doesn’t understand, and it’s causing him to wax nostalgic about his younger days. He regales his children with tales of the halcyon days of the wild 60’s and 70’s, of weed and hippies and free love, and about the time he and his high-school buddies had a prog band; probably called something like “Wizard’s Sleeve” or “Maxwell von Phlogiston and his Marvellous Dragonling Starship.” The Key sounds exactly like what I imagine sitcom Dad’s throwback prog band sounds like.” Dad rock is the best rock.

Wolfhorde – Hounds of Perdition Review

By Lord Doom on January 18, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Inverse Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 72 comments

“Taking the leap from trolling in the comments section to writing serious reviews made me realize how little I really know about an increasingly complex metal genre. Perhaps this is endemic of an ever more experimental metal scene where genre-spanning efforts are becoming more common and reviewers throw out increasingly long lists of sub-sub-categorizations. Perhaps I’m young and lack the knowledge base of my elders. Perhaps there is just more music around these days. Whatever the case, Wolfhorde have let the dogs out with the genre hopping Hounds of Perdition, but is this sophomore effort about to get Old Yellered by yours truly?” Blackened dogs.

Flight – A Leap through Matter Review

By Lord Doom on January 13, 2019 in 2018, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, High Roller Records, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 65 comments

Two N00bs take a pass at Flight’s sophomore outing, A Leap Through Matter and it’s retro 70s goodness. So many N00bs, so little waiting.

Manam – Rebirth of Consciousness Review

By Lord Doom on November 20, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Melodic Death Metal, 30 comments

“Metalcore is an important genre. Now that all the metal elitists are lighting torches and gathering pitchforks, let me explain. Most kids these days (sadly) aren’t listening to Master of Puppets, and the gateway bands of the 80’s simply are not converting new people. I would never have discovered this site and thereby many of my now favorite bands like Wilderun, Barren Earth, Æther Realm without first stumbling onto Killswitch Engage. So, my interest was piqued when Lord Druhm visited the n00b dungeon to deliver the promo for Italian band Manam’s debut, Rebirth of Consciousness, promising a blend of melodeath and metalcore.” Gateway thugs.

Skull Pit – Skull Pit Review

By Lord Doom on November 16, 2018 in 2018, Heavy Metal, International Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 70 comments

“I was certain this promo was a trap when Steel Druhm gave it to me. Metal Blade Records on my 4th review?! There has to be something catastrophically wrong with whatever is inside this zip file. What I soon found out was that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Skull Pit’s self-titled debut, but there’s a hell of a lot right with it.” Steel charity, iron n00b debt.

Supreme Havoc – One and All Review

By Lord Doom on November 11, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Punk, Reviews, Self-released, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Punk, Sludge Metal, 33 comments

“I am horrible at cooking. I love a simple recipe involving as few ingredients as possible and minimal effort from the “chef.” Finnish sludge/doom/d-beat rockers Supreme Havoc seem to subscribe to this philosophy as they are composed of only the essential: drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. The quartet has been together since 2014 and has released two EPs, one in 2015 and another in 2016. One and All marks their first full-length album together and after a quick scan of their promo material, I had one question: Is this just a heavier Mastodon with some doom thrown in or have these four Finns made something special out of this idiosyncratic collection of genre tags?” Genre hoggery.

Loimann – A Voluntary Lack of Wisdom Review

By Lord Doom on November 10, 2018 in 2018, Argonauta Records, Italian Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Metal, 23 comments

“A Voluntary Lack of Wisdom is smothered in a dense layer of fuzz. But not the delicious tickle of a soft blanket, this is a bed of post-doom fiberglass. Italian three-piece metallers Loimann release this—their third full length—touting it as being more in your face and featuring less complex songwriting than prior efforts. Formed in 2001, it seems a change of direction was in order for this album. Keyboards have been dropped altogether and the harsh vocal quotient has been increased in an effort to provide a more extreme overall result.” Fiberglass-core.

Ulthar – Cosmovore Review

By Lord Doom on November 6, 2018 in 20 Buck Spin, 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 42 comments

“I have a long history with thrash metal, dating back to the very first time I heard a metal song (“Dyer’s Eve”) at the tender age of nine. My exposure to black metal is much more limited as I only discovered this site and the many flavors of extreme metal three years ago. Ulthar’s debut Cosmovore bills itself as equal parts black and thrash metal, with a healthy dose of death metal swagger in its step as well. I’m intimately familiar with the thrash portion and merely acquainted with the blackened component, so I approached Cosmovore with curiosity, trepidation, and excitement in equal measure.” Speed and loathing in Cosmovore.

Paragon Impure – Sade Review

By Lord Doom on November 3, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Van Records, Black Metal, 48 comments

“Founding member and driving force Noctiz has only managed one full length release thus far, 2005’s To Gaius! (For the Delivery of Agrippina), with technical and personal setbacks apparently stalling efforts around 2009 to release a follow-up album which was to be titled Fall of Man. That unreleased material has been reworked and incorporated into this—their second full length in thirteen years—Sade. No, not that Sade, the English singer of “Smooth Operator” fame; Sade as in the Marquis de Sade, that cheeky French noble whose sexuality and writings thereof have been an inspiring, deep, rich vein of perversity for metal artists to plunder ad infinitum.” Sade songs say so much.

T.O.M.B. – Fury Nocturnus Review

By Lord Doom on November 2, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Industrial Metal, Peaceville, Reviews, Black Metal, Industrial Metal, 29 comments

“Makers of what they have referred to as “shadowy,” “blackened,” and “industrial” noise, T.O.M.B. ask in their own language of exploding synthesizers what would happen if, instead of making music haunted and cinematic, someone collected everything haunted and cinematic about metal and made it musical. Literally, this is a group that has crafted an entire album from samples recorded at famous insane asylums, and here on their newest release, Fury Nocturnus, they do their best to convince listeners they have found an even spookier space.” An experiment in terror?