Doom Metal

Autumnal – The End of the Third Day Review

By Steel Druhm on October 17, 2014 in 2014, Cyclone Empire, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Doom Metal, 24 comments

“Kindly overlook the album cover you see to the left. Not only does it lack the good grace to include some kind of cool spherical object, but it also resembles something from a Christian new age rock group (the kind they play at inoffensive volumes in Christian, new age-y coffee joints). Worse still, it doesn’t give the slightest indication that Autumnal is a winningly morose, melodic doom act from Spain, or that The End of the Third Day is destined to be one of the sleeper hits of 2014.” Are you ready to feel those gloriously sad feels?

Swallowed – Lunarterial Review

By Madam X on October 9, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Funeral Doom, 7 comments

“Wondering why the band is called Swallowed? So was I; at least, until I put Lunarterial on for a spin. It was easy enough to work out after their musical palette aggressively assaulted my eardrums; their music swallows you whole and holds nothing back.” Prepare to be consumed by some nasty doom death.

Orange Goblin – Back From the Abyss Review

By Steel Druhm on October 3, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight Records, Doom Metal, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 3 comments

“The pub gremlins known as Orange Goblin are back and once again, they’ve been fed after midnight and doused with way too much cheap beer and rotgut whiskey. For the uninitiated, that means more rowdy outlaw biker rock filled with southern blues, doom and stoner influences that all get sent crashing into the rocks of macho bravado and testosterone. Following up 2012s enjoyably soused A Eulogy for the Damned, Back From the Abyss keeps the sketchy pool hall chic intact and adds more dumbbells, prison tattoos and Lemmy-isms for a potent potable of in-your-face, no bullshit biker metal.” Grab the moonshine and the brass knuckles, the Goblins are back in the bar!

Retro-spective Review: Funeral – From These Wounds

By Grymm on October 1, 2014 in 2006, Candlelight Records, Doom Metal, Norwegian Metal, Retro Reviews, Doom Metal, 12 comments

“Classic doom metal is wrought with tragedy. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the pain of watching one’s dreams turn to dust, or just lamenting something that was never there to begin with, great doom metal can be both depressingly cathartic and strangely uplifting in its dirges and sadness. In fact, a series of tragedies would befall a very young doom band from Norway rightfully named Funeral.” This is a sad tale, my friends.

Electric Wizard – Time to Die Review

By JF Williams on September 29, 2014 in 2014, Doom Metal, Drone, English Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Doom Metal, Drone, 6 comments

“Electric Wizard suffers from a curse that afflicts any band fortunate to have an album deemed a “classic” in its catalog. These Dorset natives happen to have two: their second and third records Come, My Fanatics… and Dopethrone remain genre-defining records within the doom metal subgenre, spawning more than a couple imitators and rightfully earning them the cheeky title of “The Heaviest Band in the Universe.” I think it’s fair to say that Electric Wizard knocked it far out of the park with those records, and the problem is always rooted in following up.” The lords of dope doom have returned for their dopethrone.

Alunah – Awakening The Forest Review

By El Cuervo on September 26, 2014 in 2014, Doom Metal, English Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, 13 comments

“There was a huge weight on Alunah’s shoulders at the advent of their career. Hailing from Birmingham, the illustrious home to heavy metal, it would have been all to easy to fly under the radar. Fortunately, their début captivated doomsters with its crushing riffs and entrancing female vocals, and the follow-up White Hoarhound miraculously eluded the sophomore slump by boldly expanding their sound to epic levels and progressing their song-writing prowess. Now, Awakening The Forest has arrived and blows them out of the water.” The year of quality doom keeps a rolling!

Weedeater – Sixteen Tons Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 24, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge, Uncategorized, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 0 comments

“Doomy stoner metal seems to be creating a lot of buzz in the metal scene at the moment, so what better time than now for Season of Mist to re-release the back catalogue of self-proclaimed “weed metal” band Weedeater? Sixteen Tons was originally released in a cloud of smoke in 2002 via Crucial Blast, and has since gone out of print.” We hate when stuff goes out of print, so here’s an alert that this album is back.

Snailking – Storm Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on September 16, 2014 in 2014, ConSouling Sounds, Doom Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, 11 comments

“Wikipedia has an interesting list of artists that have taken their monikers from other bands’ song titles. I used to think this signaled a lack of creativity (Funeral for a Friend, Gamma Ray, Godsmack), but when you see that the likes of Overkill, Radiohead and The Sisters of Mercy also took this approach, you realize it’s not a reliable indicator. What to expect, then, from a sludge/doom band that names itself after an Ufomammut record? Snailking is certainly a good choice – you can probably guess the band’s genre even without knowing the name’s etymology – but do they manage to channel their nominal inspiration’s flair for creating heavy, psychedelic masterpieces that don’t require you to be stoned off your tits to enjoy?” Haha…he said “tits.”

Ophis – Abhorrence in Opulence Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 16, 2014 in 2014, Cyclone Empire, Death Metal, Doom Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 4 comments

“Five doom/death songs comprising sixty minutes of music is a risky proposition that lives and dies by one thing: riffs. If you’re going to write songs that average out to twelve minutes in length, the riffs contained within had better be interesting, dynamic, and, of course, crushing.” That means some long, potentially ADHD offending tunes. Can Ophis hold the interest of the busy metaller?

The Order of Israfel – Wisdom Review

By Steel Druhm on September 2, 2014 in 2014, Doom Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“In a month where Pallbearer dropped an irresistible doom monstrosity on us, an unheralded act is quietly sneaking out a release that could easily slip through the cracks and escape notice unfairly. The Order of Israfel is a project put together by Tom Sutton (Church of Misery) and Patrik Andersson Winberg (Doomdogs) and their Wisdom debut is a surprisingly addictive fusion of classic Sabbathian doom, 70s hard rock, The Obsessed and the Cathedral school of mega heavy riffs.” Hey, Pallbearer isn’t the only doom crew out there. Sheesh!