“In recent times, we’ve had several naked space ladies adorning stoner covers, one of them cuddling an astronaut that reappeared on a third, more psychedelic interpretation. Spacetrucker pay homage to Deep Purple with their name, their favorite weed-smoking mood with album title Smooth Orbit, and a curious combination of Scooby Doo and the far reaches of the cosmos with their album art. Let’s find out whether their music is as dank as their kush.” Cruising the stars in a mystery van.
“If you were to tell me a decade ago, when I was still in college in New Hampshire, that there would be a glut of doom metal bands here in America, I would have laughed heartily in your collective face while avoiding my Statistics homework for the umpteenth time. Yet, ten years later, here we are.” You’ll need Stats and doom later in life, son.
“There could be a multitude of reasons why it happen, but very rarely is it a good sign when an artistic piece gets delayed. Whether it’s a movie you’ve been wanting to see for ages or a game that you’ve had reserved for nearly three years, when you anticipate something and it gets pushed back time and again, you go from being anxious about it to worrying. But sometimes the exact opposite happens. Case in point: Maintain Radio Silence, the first album in 12 years from Houston rockers Mr. Plow.” Mr. Plow, that’s their name.
“Stoner rock is just about the most simplistic style out there, and oftentimes it’s at its best when stripped down even further to its core elements – riffs, vocal hooks and fuck you attitude. This is the rudimentary recipe Greek power trio Beggars bring to their stoner attack on their fifth album, The Day I Lost My Head.” Greek heads are gonna roll.
“If there is one thing you can count on in the realms of heavy metal, it’s bands creating names that fit their musical vision. Carcass definitely paints a vivid picture of death metal just nicely. And a band with a name like My Dying Bride is usually guaranteed to bring The Mope™ like few others do. So you can imagine what was going through my brain when Germany’s Goat Explosion threw their debut album, Rumors of Man, our way.” Face goat toward enemy.
“I have two basic approaches when it comes to reviews. If the album is by a band whose discography I am familiar with, I’ll read the PR materials to learn more prior to listening. If it’s a band I haven’t heard of, but either grabbed off the promo list or was voluntold to take it by the inestimable Madam X, I won’t read anything about the band. I’ll dive right into the promo and form some unfettered opinions over a few listens before checking out the PR material. That’s how I did it with Belgian quartet Fire Down Below and their sophomore album, Hymn of the Cosmic Man.” Ignorance is bliss.
“Ah, the sun-scorched desert of California. The birthplace of stoner metal with the rise ofKyuss, the arid plains are infertile for all but rocking grooves and fat riffs. Though the movement spread worldwide, including the current stoner peak in Sweden, there’s still something about bands rising from the original dustpan. Blackwülf are attempting the same with their catchy brand of accessible stoner, judging by their sophomore full-length Sinister Sides.” Desert riffs and fuzzy gifts.
“Consistency is the opposite of AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™. Not a lot of bands can lay claim to this positive attribute. Saxon are the reigning Kings of Consistency when it comes to NWOBHM: they will never release an album that will be at the top of anyone’s year-end list, but they’ll never put out a dud either. In the stoner rock realm, Fu Manchu are that band.” Riffs on demand.
“If you were to purchase Witchcryer’s debut, Cry Witch and load it into your iTunes-type mp3 sorter thingamabob, you’d likely see it appear adjacent to NWoBHM legends Witchfnder General. That is no coincidence. This Texas doom rock troupe features members of Las Cruces, Earthen Grave and The Living Fields, but their style and sound is the result of extended listens to the classic platters of those ancient British witch wranglers.” Some of those that dig ditches, are the same that burn witches.
“We all know that imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, but where exactly is that flimsy line, where tribute slips into mimicry and thunders down that Jacob’s ladder, only to greet the ground with a limp thud, uniform and unremarkable. This is a question I find myself pondering whilst meandering through the trails of traditional doom that comprise Deranged Pagan Sons, the fourth release from Finland’s Cardinals Folly.” Ozzy says.
