Worship the Warbird

Tertorn ~ Warbird (2015)

 After their well received first effort, Teratorn are back this time with a debut full length record called "Warbird". Melding stoner rock grooves with the heaviness and crushing melodies of doom metal, you even have a little of that grittiness that's so loved in sludge  working its way into the gears of the machine at times. The entire album has a gigantic feel to it, like the difference between looking at a mountain range on the horizon, instead of just a mountain. Having heard the band play the album's title track a while back, I had an idea of what to expect going into it. I was thoroughly impressed when I got to hear the entire record though, because as good as it is, the title track is just the tip of the iceberg. Go a few track past "Warbird" and you'll find yourself at the start of a song called "Marauder", it kicks off a slightly southern tinged stoner rock riff. It doesn't take long for the clean, melodic vocals to kick in and take things over, offering up a nice contrast to the rather crunchy guitar tones on this one, even in the spots where there are some guttural backing vocals. "Marauder" has a couple of different sections by the time it winds down, from hammering sections that drive forward, to the more open and lighter ones that are underpinned with some stoner rock vibes. With that kind of variation, fans of just about any heavy music should find something to like when this album is finally released at the end of the month. There are two tracks up for streaming on bandcamp for you to check out right now though.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Baroness, Half Gramme of Soma, Shellfin

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Tell it on the Mountain

Teratorn ~ Teratorn EP (2014)

While the fellas in North Carolina's Teratorn clearly have their musical roots firmly planted in the soil of sludge metal, over the course of three tracks they offer you a bit of everything sludge, stoner, and just good old heavy fuckin' metal. It's only a shame I didn't come across these guys earlier, their self titled EP would of surely snagged a spot on my top 20 list last year. With only three tracks that clock in around eleven minutes, you're going to hit repeat again and again. But it'll be just as good, if not better with each play through. The songs strike with growling guitar riffs that make you head bang. A powerful vocal delivery that can go from brutal to down right bluesy and will have you singing along the entire time. The drums and bass come together in creating a crushing groove that may change from track to track, but never loses its heavy edge. I was particularly drawn to the EP's closer "Origins: Wings of the Inferno", probably because it had a bit more of an overall stoner rock vibe than the other two. Whatever the reasons behind my favoritism, it sounds like a lost classic from the late 90's/early 00's. With a distorted guitar opening, it doesn't take long at all for the groove to kick in and open the song up. The vocals drop in with a huge, blues driven delivery that melds with the song perfectly. With the song being about three and a half minutes long, they waste no time getting into it and use every second to their advantage in creating one hell of a rock song to close out their debut effort. And at only three bucks on their bandcamp page, these are three tracks that are well worth that.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Down, Grüzer, Half Gramme of Soma

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