Candlemass

Grief Collector – En Delirium Review

By Holdeneye on June 10, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 29 comments

“I don’t consider myself to be a serious fan of doom metal because my love of the genre is fairly limited. So you may be surprised to see that I picked up En Delirium, the debut full-length from Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Grief Collector. Well, I’m a sucker for doom metal of the epic variety, so when I saw that former Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus, vocalist Rob Lowe was fronting this relatively new project, I snatched it up without hesitation, marveling that the release had passed through the Steel filter on its way into the promo bin as I did so. Add to that the satisfaction of knowing that I’d stolen some Minneapolis doom right out from under Cherd of Doom‘s nose, and I simply couldn’t wipe the dumb smile off my dumb face.” Where’s the grief?!

Miasma Theory – Miasma Theory Review

By GardensTale on April 29, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 20 comments

“Hey, remember Zach Randall? Not only did this super cool dude found badass off-kilter epic doom outfit Northern Crown, he even participated in the very important and worthwhile interview series on mental health right on this here blog. Zachary is practically a member of the family at this point, so I couldn’t let his little side project Miasma Theory go unnoticed. It’s a relatable project too, because just like all of us, most of the band members have not been in a room together, instead using the power of the internet to tune in from around the globe.” Doom from a distance.

Wheel – Preserved in Time Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 5, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 39 comments

“Metal ebbs and flows. Sub-genres within metal ebb and flow. A few years ago, with Khemmis and Pallbearer leading the charge, it appeared we were entering a golden age of doom which honored its classic and heavy roots, while adopting a progressive sensibility. Sadly, Pallbearer veered into hard-rock territory, Khemmis went very prog, and suddenly, the cupboard seemed bare. Sure, Fvneral Fvkk made a classic, but it was the exception rather than the rule. Doom is not going anywhere, of course, and stoner doom bands are more common than Holdeneye 4.0s, but over the past few years, it’s played a supporting role to its black and death metal cousins. Well, Wheel (not to be confused with their identically named prog counterparts, reviewed recently) is here to remind you of the glorious, thunderous, epic power of classic doom.” Doom wheeling.

Servants to the Tide – Servants to the Tide Review

By Steel Druhm on March 31, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 29 comments

“As a trve, epic sort of gentleman, I feel there’s a disturbing lack of quality epic doom in today’s metal scene. Atlantean Kodex can’t release a monstrous magnum opus every year, and with While Heaven Wept out of action, the scene is screaming in the night for wengeance and a love bite that almost never arrives. Attempting to fill this epic gap comes Germanic tribe, Servants of the Tide with their self-titled debut platter. Proudly name dropping both the aforementioned acts as major inspirations, the band dives into the deep end of the trve pool, also borrowing from Candlemass and Sorcerer as they labor to spin grand tales of great deeds.” Something to Tide you over.

Carcolh – The Life and Works of Death Review

By Steel Druhm on February 18, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 24 comments

“Doom can be rather dull. We all know it. Even the most ardent doom aficionado will concede the point if pressed hard enough. It takes imagination, guile, and tradecraft to make a slow moving depressive style both interesting and exciting. The best bands skillfully craft riffs and vocal lines that shake the brain stem and excite the neurons regardless of relative speed, and songs must find that elusive balance between pacing and engagement. French baguette doomsters Carcolh worship the genre’s traditional ways and on sophomore album The Life and Works of Death, they attempt that oh so delicate tightrope walk.” Do the walk of life (and death).

Asphyx – Necroceros Review

By Steel Druhm on January 18, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, 61 comments

“I warned you all this would be a year of Steel on a mean death bender and here we are. Let’s kick it off in grand fashion with the brand new offering from death metal royalty, Asphyx. After shamefully overlooking 2016 release Incoming Death, I found myself needing to get my phyx of new material from a band I’ve enjoyed since my college days. Necroceros is the Dutch devils’ tenth album and the first written and recorded during a global pandemic.” Necro-Destructo.

Ecclesia – De Ecclesiæ Universalis Review

By Carcharodon on November 9, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Power Metal, 33 comments

“The good old Inquisition was not humanity’s finest hour. I guess it’s all well and good to take religion seriously, if that’s one’s thing but it’s a bit presumptuous, I would suggest – perhaps with the benefit of hindsight – to go about torturing and burning thousands of people at the stake for either being insufficiently religious, not the right kind of religious or, in many cases, simply a woman. Still, putting the very real horrors of this extended folly to one side, the Inquisition does make for bloody good source material for a metal concept album. And so say French six-piece Ecclesia.” No one expects the Doom Inquisition.

Harmonize – Warrior in the Night Review

By Lord Doom on October 5, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 72 comments

“There is a fine line between cringe and cheese. The latter is a savory substance that has embalmed many a God of Metal throughout the ages, and while the former can be bewitching in some of its shapes, it’s all the same loathed by most of us. Cheese is a crucial ingredient to all metal that I love, and of late I find that my desire for that silky, golden mass has become more and more difficult to satiate. Just as my craving was reaching peak levels and I hurried to spin Manowar’s “Sons of Odin” for the 666th time, the rattle of the promo bin beg I pay heed.” Sing for your steel!

Bell Witch/Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume I Review

By Dr. Wvrm on July 6, 2020 in Reviews, Folk, 21 comments

“Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman’s decision to make official their partnership with Erik Moggridge, the man in Aerial Ruin’s one-man dark folk band, made sense. Moggridge’s guest vocals on Mirror Reaper conveyed grief and loss on a frequency that Bell Witch couldn’t have reached alone. Stygian Bough Volume I pries those mournful dimensions wide in a symbiotic give-and-take quite unlike anything either act has produced before.” Witch in flight.

Stygian Crown – Stygian Crown Review

By Steel Druhm on July 2, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 22 comments

“I love me some traditional doom and have since I was a wee metal laddie. I’m also a major fan of Bolt Thrower. Naturally then, when an unknown act described their style as “Candlethrower” and promised a union of Candlemass and Bolt Thrower, the brass knuckles and electro-whip came out and the Steel One made damn sure that promo ended up in his hairy clutches.” Back waxed.