Rolling Up Shrouds...

Tombtoker - Coffin Texts (2018)

Coming at us out of Baltimore, Maryland, the five-piece band of Tombtoker bring their debut EP out on the heels of their demo, which released about half a year ago. Infusing the standard stoner doom metal with a sludgy bit of punk energy and antagonism, the group merges crunchy riffs with sharp beats while keeping a swampy vibe active underneath. Over the course of the EP's ~20-minute run, Tombtoker capably demonstrate their facility with cranking out hard beaters alongside more withdrawn doom indulgences, and the band operates with such tightness to their playing that it's hard at times to pick out the individual guitars from their twining grooves. A solid first full release, and those who've been looking for stoner metal with a harder edge would do well to check these guys out.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Acid Witch, Attalla, Bitchcraft, Wizard Smoke, Wolf Blood

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Tombtoker - Robo Cujo (demo version) (320 kbps)

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Passing Through Pain...

Hesperian Death Horse - Živ (2018)

When we last heard from the Croatian group of Hesperian Death Horse, the year was 2014, and they'd not only done a concept split with fellow Croats Hazarder (on the theme of Nikola Tesla), but also released their first full-length album. Now that they've returned, they've revealed that said first album (Mrtav) was actually the first part of a concept album trilogy, starting with death and ending with birth. Živ is the step between those extremes, with the title translating to 'life,' and featuring (like Mrtav) four songs, each bearing a subtitle. Živ is also a bit shorter than that first album, but considering that relative durations of life and death, that seems appropriate.

With a deep and brooding atmosphere combining doom's weight with blackened virulence, the music grows in creeping fashion, moving through passages of slow-moving heaviness and faster aggression (kind of like life, you may be thinking). The synthesis of the two produces some great tension and stirring melodic developments, and the sections which cycle a riff while gradually escalating the harshness really bring the emotional thrust to bear with finesse. HDH find an impressive amount of range and material to be drawn from the interaction of the two styles, and while the length of the album makes it prime for vinyl issuing (fingers crossed), it's also likely to leave you hungry for more. Of course, that's much preferable to having too much piled on, so cheers to the Croatian crew for the excellent album, and here's hoping it's not quite so long until the last piece of the trilogy is set upon the world.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Heavydeath, Mamaleek, Open Tomb, Ulver, WarHorse

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Liv (Part 4: Horde) (320 kbps)

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Free Flow Doom...

ӨПƧΣƬ - Unstructured Dissemination (2018)

Making their debut with this two-track, ~30-minute EP, the Singaporean duo of ӨПƧΣƬ (which I'm just going to call Onset for the rest of this write-up, for simplicity's sake) bring a deep emphasis on atmosphere to their music, threading in each development and additional element with careful deliberation. The basis is one of doom, leaning towards funereal emotionality but bringing enough hard edge in its twists to keep from sinking into navel-gazing introversion. There's some death metal flavoring at times, some post-metal, traces of symphonic majesty, and other flavors besides, all managed by the band with exceptional form in light of the EP's allegedly live recording (don't ask how one guy plays both drums and bass in that situation).

The 'live' performance also makes it easier to forgive the groove rut into which the second song settles and has a hard time getting itself back out of, but on the whole, it's a very stylish and impressive debut. Though originally self-released on BandCamp back in April, the EP's been picked up for a CD release on November 28^th by the Japanese label of Weird Truth Productions. Check it out if you dig exploratory doom journeys, and definitely keep your ears up for more from this group.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Bell Witch, Clouds Taste Satanic, Headless Kross, Heavydeath, Wyatt E.

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ӨПƧΣƬ - Permeation: The ORdeal (320 kbps)

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Lunar Exposure...

Erasy - Under the Moonlight (2018)

With the two tracks of this EP, the Brazilian group of Erasy provides a quarter-hour of doom metal with a sludgy edge. Opening with the title tune, the band gives the thrumming bass-lines a grinding roughness, letting the riffs seep along and riding the musical changes with heavy grace. Though it's kept fairly low in the mix, the action of the guitar gives the song a trilling undertow, and the drums take their bursts out of the measured backing beat with excellent selectivity. The second song, “The Deal”, turns up the sludge ratio, with the yelling of the vocals matched by an increase in the drum-bashing, and harder squeals from the guitar, while the bass keeps up its firm grooving. Quite a solid pair, and by making the two songs almost exactly the same length, Erasy show how much variety they can put into the same basic framework.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Bitchcraft, Bongzilla, Hypnochron, Tons, Wounded Giant

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Erasy - Under the Moonlight (320 kbps)

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Perdurant Suffering...

Rigor Sardonicous - Ridenti Mortuus (2018)

Though it's been six years since their last album, the long-running Rigor Sardonicous are back with a new EP as they approach the quarter-century mark for their first release. Ridenti Mortuus features half an hour of seeping funeral doom, divided between four tracks. Leading with “The Smiling Dead”, a chilly atmosphere of ragged guitar, booming drums, and voluminous bass presence is established with low-key flair, and the instrumental dread creeps on with heavy pressure for its full ~9-minute run. Some vocals are present, but as a low-pitched growl, wedged deep in the mix, they come off as extra atmospherics, instead of trying to overwhelm the slabby circling doom riff.

“The Hound” picks up after the first song fades into silence, bringing the vocals to higher prominence while also introducing some slow-ring cymbal action. Some shifts in other specifics are used, but for the most part, it's more of the heavy doom grind, keeping the slow flow going while the bass thrums out of your speakers. “The Unsepulchred Dead”, at five minutes, is the EP's shortest track, and it steps up the tempo slightly, while keeping the weight and gloom firmly in place while brandishing the guitar buzz a bit more.

Lastly, “Intereo Parum Infantia” comes along to close things out with twelve minutes of further crushing, and with the expanded time, the band finds more room for bridges and incidental touches, letting the sprawling song take on more personality. The way the guitar springs to life for the lead-out riff is a particularly nice touch, serving to break the spell of slow pressure built by the rest of the EP. Something to keep you grim through those long winter nights, this will be releasing on November 11^th, though you can go ahead and pre-order your copy through Rigor Sardonicous' BandCamp. Since it's digital-only so far, that's probably your best option, unless you've got a thing for being real punctual with your purchases.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Heavydeath, Jupiterian, Ommadon, Thergothon, Wizard Cult

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Rigor Sardonicous - The Smiling Dead (320 kbps)

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Wings Of Eclipse...

Deathkings - Ex Nihilo (2018)

With their first release since 2016, the California-based group of Deathkings has adjusted their line-up from a quartet to a trio, dropping a guitarist and swapping out their drummer (though, in an odd twist, the new drummer has the same initials as the old one). With this two-track EP, the band brings a quarter-hour of sludge-crusted doom into being, opening with “Absolution”, a cruising crusher which angrily mourns the state of life. Breaks into slow-pulse bass throbbing and a mournful atmosphere of distant cries build up the tension and mood nicely, while the ramp back into powerful chords and assertive vocals mixes just enough roughness into its smooth ascent.

“Celestial Birds”, the B-side, runs about two minutes shorter, but makes up for that reduced time with increased aggression and raspiness. Mixing the drums to sound a little submerged brings some great low-end punch to their percussion, while the guitar twists its way through the measures with a serpentine mixture of grace and threat. Mean but stylish, heavy and focused, the song fuses its contradictions into something compelling and near-groovy, though it keeps enough dirt in the flavoring to ward off any accusations of compromise. Quite a strong pair, with each song showing off capabilities unaddressed by the other, and showing a band with plenty of fuel left in its tank after making their pit stop for realignment. Scheduled for independent release by the band on December 7^th, this is one you should be sure to pick up and savor.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Heavydeath, Hesperian Death Horse, Jupiterian, The Sleer, Sunwolf

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