Carcharodon

King of the North(ish).
Swami Lateplate – Doom Jazz II Review

Swami Lateplate – Doom Jazz II Review

“It’s 11 years since New York’s experimental jazz duo, Swami Lateplate, released their debut, Doom Jazz. To be fair, both its members, Bobby Previte and Jamie Saft, are extremely well-respected jazz musicians and they have been busy with other ventures. Drummer Previte, now in his 70s, has been a presence on the NYC jazz scene since the late 1970s, collaborating with the likes of John Zorn and Elliott Sharp.” Swami, salami, doom Jazz bomby.

Slomatics – Strontium Fields Review

Slomatics – Strontium Fields Review

“Belfast, Northern Ireland sludge trio Slomatics have been plying their trade for almost two decades now. Their seven previous full-lengths have been released in fits and starts, with their most consistently productive period being 2012 to 2016, during which window they released a trilogy of records, culminating in Future Echo Returns, the first of their records to grace these pages.” Low and slo(matic).

Spider Kitten – A Pound for the Peacebringer Review

Spider Kitten – A Pound for the Peacebringer Review

“Welsh oddballs Spider Kitten have been out there for over two decades now, dealing in their super eclectic brand of sludgy, stoner, groovy doom, heavily laced with prog, folk and more. With numerous releases to their name, you never know quite what you are going to get from Spider Kitten. You kinda know the ballpark but precisely what sport will be played in it is anyone’s guess from record to record.” Kitchen sink-core.

Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree – Aion Review

Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree – Aion Review

“The last record from the curiously-named Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree, 2019’s Grandmother, did not grace these pages but for some reason, I was aware of it and it made enough of an impression on me that I was interested to review its successor, Aion. Buzzing around since 2014, Bees released their debut, Medicine, in 2017. A whimsy, faintly progressive doom record with a few hints of stoner around the fringes, it was solid. Grandmother was an altogether more interesting affair. A tightly-written slab of doom that upped the progressive quota by dialing in some psychedelia, as well as a rumbling darker edge, it showed a lot of promise.” Tapping out the vein.

Urne – A Feast on Sorrow Review

Urne – A Feast on Sorrow Review

“I like metal to have an emotional heart to it. By this, I mean that, when I’m listening to a record, I want to feel that a band has poured some of itself into the music. Now, I get this is not for everyone and there is undoubtedly a place for straightforward riffs that one can just switch off and headbang to. That is not A Feast for Sorrow, the sophomore album from UK trio Urne, a band Metal Archives wholly inaccurately brands as “Stoner/Sludge Metal/Metalcore.”” Sorrow as fuel, pain as inspiration.

Porta Nigra – Weltende Review

Porta Nigra – Weltende Review

“The choice of Käthe Kollwitz’s famous Aufruhr (Uprising) as the cover art for the fourth album by Germany’s Porta Nigra is telling in that … hang on, I’m almost sure that … *cue much lip nibbling and skrunkling of eyebrows as I crank my addled memory into second gear*… Panzerfaust!!! You wouldn’t think it would take me quite as long as it did to place the cover art from my 2020 album of the year, the outstanding The Suns of PerditionChapter II: Render unto Eden. 2020 was, coincidentally, also the last time we heard from Koblenz’s Porta Nigra, when they dropped the very good Schöpfungswut.” Faust friends.

Mizmor – Prosaic Review

Mizmor – Prosaic Review

“Lacking imagination or originality is not a charge that I have seen directed at Mizmor, and certainly Prosaic launches out of the blocks in an onslaught of blackened doom, with even some sludgy nods thrown in. Fast, bludgeoning, and furious, initially it feels like a cleaner version of Mizmor’s self-titled debut, with more than a bit of Yellow Eyes and Primitive Man thrown into the mix.” Mizmor or Mizless?