Candlemass’ 1986 debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus had a big impact on my young metal mind and made me a lifetime convert to Leif Edling’s concept of what doom metal should sound like. Decades later, he surprised me again with his Avatarium debut and how it leveraged the prodigious vocal gifts of Jennie-Ann Smith to create a refreshing take on the classic doom template. While I expected The Girl With the Raven Mask to be a quality follow-up, I wasn’t prepared for this!” Get prepared post-haste!
“My Dying Bride and Anathema invented what we now think of as the goth-tinged doom/death genre back in the early 90s with their respectively earth-shaking debuts. Though many bands have subsequently tried their hand at the style, few have nailed the original sound and mood as well as Draconian.” Sadness, thy name is Draconian.
“Since first listening to Thorns, I’ve wanted nothing more than an equally excellent follow-up to their self-titled release. Seriously, if I was granted three wishes, that would be one of them. But getting this wish granted is as unlikely as having Freddy Krueger drag me kicking and screaming up my bedroom wall and splaying me open on the ceiling.” Don’t look to Freddy for wish fulfillment.
“I’m not sure if it’s “fitting” or “ironic” that I received a promo from a band called Dead to a Dying World. After a week of some unfortunate shit hitting way too close to home, I’m further convinced that “the world is going to hell in a hand basket” (as a close friend would say). The thought of being a voiceless observer watching the world kill itself is a heavy burden to carry into Dead to a Dying World’s sophomore outing, Litany.” When real life is depressing, doomy music like this can actually make things seem a little less bleak.
“Cheesesteaks are a big deal in Philly and as I understand it, there’s a ‘right way’ to go about ordering them. Firstly, you place your order for said cheesesteak with the cashier. Secondly you make your cheese selection and lastly you opt for or against the fried onions. The key and most crucial step though, is PLACE YOUR ORDER CONCISELY. Philly’s Die Choking approach their hypergrind in the same way – concisely.” Ready for 14 minutes of choking?
“I have a penchant for picking bands based on their names alone lately. For the most part, doing so has yielded some pretty damn good results. So when the Grymm Grab Bag™ belched forth The Camel, The Lion, The Child, the debut full-length from Seattle’s He Whose Ox Is Gored, you can say that I was a bit nervous. Long band name? Check. Nietzsche-inspired album title? Check. The sound labeled as “progressive doom”? Check.” Progressive doom is progressive… and doomy.
“As far as metal goes, Finland is renowned for producing some of the most morose, depressing bands to ever drag themselves out of bed and into a recording studio (Children of Bodom notwithstanding). Among their ranks is the heavy and atmospheric Hanging Garden.” Sad boys are often sad.
“Sloth. is the one man doom machine piloted by the UK’s Blake Caverly, and you have the project’s debut full-length Slow as Shit. If that’s not a welcome change from doom’s usual dour titles, I don’t know what is.” With a name like, we have little to add.
“Sabbath Assembly have always been odd, especially since they used their music to proselytize about the obscure religious splinter group known as the Process Church of the Final Judgment. This resulted in albums like Ye Are Gods and Quaternity playing like Manson-esque hippie cult indoctrination music and they were definitely an acquired taste with limited replay value. Cast out and finding their own way.
“Windhand is the bane of those cursed with ADD. They write long, glacially slow, minimalist doom songs with little variation or tempo shifts. Their songwriting approach is mostly limited to unearthing one mammoth riff and beating you with it for anywhere from six to fourteen minutes without respite, mercy or bathroom breaks.” The beatings will continue until morale improves and/or cake is served.
