Stoner Metal

Kal-El – Witches of Mars Review

By GardensTale on October 17, 2019 in 2019, Argonauta Records, Doom Metal, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 21 comments

“With the amount of duplicate band names out there, it’s a small miracle Kal-El are the only ones naming themselves after the Man of Steel’s Kryptonian name. Perhaps others fear being smacked with the lawbook by a team of lawyers from DC (the comic book publisher, not the city). However, if you were hoping for a Superman-themed metal album, I’ll have to disappoint you. If you couldn’t guess from the collage disaster of a cover or the title, Kal-El prefer their sci-fi themes to be of the retro schlock variety, and they bring it in stoner doom form with mountains of fuzz and Hammond keyboards.” Mars needs stoners.

Monolord – No Comfort Review

By Huck N Roll on October 2, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 26 comments

“No Comfort is an interesting name for a Monolord album, because every time I’ve played their records I’ve felt a great sense of comfort. I know what I’m in for, and each time the band delivers. Kind of like a lot of the fuzzy stoner metal bands out there. They will bestow upon us massive riffs that are fuzzier than a giant peach, drenching their Black Sabbath worship with Electric Wizard sauce. It is a recipe for short-lived success; while I enjoy drinking at this particular well, I can only do so for a short time before moving on.” Quick comfort.

Goatess – Blood and Wine Review

By Saunders on September 27, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Svart Records, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, 11 comments

“With tones as murky as three week old bong water and riffs as thick as oak tree trunks, Goatess nail the sonic aesthetics that stoner doom enthusiasts crave. At a whopping 65 minutes in length, Goatess don’t hold back in vomiting their ideas into one marathon package. There’s decent variety within their chosen style and thankfully the more upbeat vibes and stoner cadence generally avoids plodding monotony.” Blood and wine for the Blood and Wine God.

Pale Grey Lore – Eschatology Review

By GardensTale on September 21, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Small Stone Records, Stoner Metal, Stoner Metal, 10 comments

“Is there such a thing as a universal archetype of a genre? A band that perfectly embodies everything you expect from, say, melodic death metal or power metal, and nothing else? After all, many bands mix in at least some influence from other genres in an attempt to keep things fresh and not everyone has the exact same view of what such a default state should look like. Stoner metal, on the other hand, often seems bent on conforming to a template, perhaps more so than any other of metal’s subgenres. All you need is a bunch of catchy, straightforward riffs, generally played at mid-pace, with a good measure of fuzz and with a dusting of psychedelic interludes and solos, and clean, ’70s style vocals on top, and you got yourself a stoner metal album.” Desert rock for dessert.

Void King – Barren Dominion Review

By Dear Hollow on September 14, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Reviews, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Drone, Sludge, 14 comments

“Void King is a four-piece stoner doom metal band from Indianapolis and Barren Dominion is their sophomore effort. Paying homage to doom greats like Sleep, Electric Wizard, and Goatsnake, while channeling amp- and pedal-abusing monoliths, these fucking stoners are set to drown listeners in THC-saturated waves of distortion. Do they succeed? Or will they end up only being the bulls-“high” of endless stoner doom puns?” Fuzz bombs.

Lamassu – Into the Empty Review

By Carcharodon on September 5, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 29 comments

“Stoner rock is one of those genres where it’s hard to put into words what separates the great records from the tediously competent. What is it that makes Kyuss’ Welcome to Sky Valley or Sleep’s Dopesmoker nigh-on perfect records, while another album with all the same constituents just barely scrapes a 2.0? Well, as I say, it’s hard to put into words but, possibly because of its close relationship with the blues, great stoner has a ‘feel’ to it, a ‘know it, when you hear it’ quality.” Empty feelz and bluesy thrills.

Gorilla Wizard – Tales From the Cauldron Review

By Steel Druhm on August 26, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, 23 comments

“Long Island, New York is a strange place. Geographically speaking it’s the penis of the Empire State, and essentially a vast, sprawling suburb for New York City that runs from the rough n’ tumble boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens through the tony Hamptons and on to the picturesque Montauk lighthouse. Though city adjacent, it has a culture and vibe all its own. Think of a tense middle ground between The Jersey Shore and Goodfellas and you’re in the right zip code. It’s a place of rowdy attitude and stubborn pride, as depicted in the various lyrics by favorite son Billy Joel, and it’s not for everyone. But hey, if you don’t like it, you can fuck off back to whatever garbage town you crawled out of. From this raucous suburban jungle comes the silverback charmers in Gorilla Wizard as they peddle their unruly take on riffy stoner/sludge metal.” Professor Ape.

Book of Wyrms – Remythologizer Review

By Kenstrosity on August 21, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Witch Records, Twin Earth Records, Stoner Metal, 24 comments

“Fuzz and fantasy are the Virginian quartet’s main exports from Remythologizer. You can expect groovy riffs explored at a leisurely pace, trippy synths twinkling and swooshing throughout a pastel wonderland of mythic necropolises. Frontwoman Sarah Moore-Lindsey plants a darkly serene character into these dead gardens, with a touch of whiskey flavoring her laid back approach.” The early book gets…THE WYRM!

Waingro – III Review

By GardensTale on August 19, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Sludgelord Records, Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, 11 comments

“What constitutes summer music for you? In my case, I tend to gravitate towards music that plays well on car trips, meaning I blast stoner and sludge above average during the times of sunshine. These genres often have the locomotive rhythms, simple structures and addictive riffing that allow me to practice finger-drumming on the steering wheel and terrible singing, preferably with the windows rolled down so everyone in a 30-yard radius gets to enjoy with me.” Road rage and hot days.

Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions EP

By Dr. Wvrm on July 19, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Blues Funeral Recordings, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Metal, 37 comments

“But the New England outfit aren’t just the next indie darling, were never just metal for metal’s sake. Their proggy tendencies always lurked beneath the surface to some degree; Reflections was simply the unveiling. With a new LP on the horizon, The Gold & Silver Sessions takes Elder in a direction I didn’t expect, but perhaps should have. This isn’t just prog; it’s out-and-out jam.” Peanut butter and jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam.