Helmets Filled With Smoke...

Astralnaut / Weed Priest - Split (2015)

This split marks my first encounter with Astralnaut (though I dig the name, and looking at their BandCamp page tells me I need to get cracking on familiarizing myself with their past EPs and album), but as I was already a big fan of Weed Priest's potent stoner doom blend, I had high expectations.  Happily, I was not let down in the least, as between the two bands and their quarter-hour of low-tuned dark grooves, I had a damn good time.
Astralnaut starts things off, sparking a film sample as they warm up their instruments to rock the dead with "Parasitic".  A muscular main riff carries the essence along while conflict and determination are outlined by the singer's menacing style.  After crossing the half-way mark of the track, Astralnaut open up the valves on their dark energy reserves, letting the strings start to bleed into blurs, the drums pound harder, and the speed accelerate; hell, they even made the cow-bell sound bad-ass, and that's no easy trick.
After Astralnaut slink into the darkness, Weed Priest take command of things, and "Graveyard Planet" rises with some imagery that would be right at home in the pages of Heavy Metal.  A hard-grinding bass groove gets things situated before bringing in the vocals and twisting the chords around, plunging into the hallowed dirt of their setting with killer style.  A squeal into tonal overload, a fading out of the volume, and it's over, at least until you hit play again.
What with both bands being residents of Ireland, imagining the sort of shows these two would put on together is almost enough to get you checking into your passport situation to catch a gig.  Air fare being what it is, though, you'd probably be better suited contenting yourself with letting these tracks (and the rest of each band's catalog) drive their leafy lethality into the core of your brain.  If you need more convincing, just play the EP again, you'll get it soon enough.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Ladybird, Toke, Dopethrone, Sleep, The Sleer

Astralnaut Facebook • Weed Priest Facebook • Astralnaut Website • Astralnaut Youtube • Weed Priest Youtube • Astralnaut BandCamp • Weed Priest BandCamp

Astralnaut - Parasitic (320 kbps)

~

Burning Holy Men...

Weed Priest - Worship (2014)

Worship is the latest release from Ireland's fine young Weed Priest, and on this EP, you'll find three tracks of delectable stoner doom.  In the beginning, there is “Ritual”, in which you can practically hear the smoke in the studio as the band grooves along on a mean but tasty riff.  Though the three musicians do a great job of establishing the song, once they've done that, they start tearing it down, going slower, heavier, and grimier, and it was this part that really tickled my eardrums.  Strong enough to be a single (if doom metal went in for that sort of thing), “Ritual” does double duty in setting the EP's tone, and kicking ass in its own right.

Happily, the rest of the EP is just as strong, with the band shifting smoothly from the trailing feedback drone at the tail of “Ritual” right into the dirge-like “Killvlad”, which opens with a clang like a crypt door as the bass and guitar rise into animation.  “Killvlad” also serves as a demonstration of how wild Adam (the guitarist/vocalist) can go with his morbid roaring, and the slow-swinging riff is amazingly violent for something so heavy.

“Possessed” is the final track on the EP, as well as being the longest.  The band earns that extra time fully, though, with audio samples, keening feedback howls, a whole sack full of savagely heavy riffs, and an echoing atmosphere that might set off some claustrophobia in sensitive listeners who have it turned up loudly enough.  Though the band certainly has their own style in spades, I have to say that I caught myself thinking of this track almost like a condensed Dopesmoker; it crams in the doom, madness, and red-eyed relentlessness like there's no tomorrow, and just begs to be on vinyl so that doom-heads can wear the grooves down to the nub.

It's a great collection of material, and a great piece for introduction to the band (as it was for me, though I'll have to pick up their self-titled debut ASAP); if you like your doom heavy enough to get your head swimming, this is one to acquire.  Also, a word of recognition here for the drummer, who departed after this release, but without whose steadiness and precision the whole thing would have been capsized.  Praise be to Weed Priest!

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Toke, Cough, Major Kong, Dopelord, Church Of Misery

Facebook • Youtube • BandCamp

Weed Priest - Ritual (320 kbps)

~

Holy Smokes...

Weed Priest - Self Titled (2013)

To be quite frank, its a pretty good rule of thumb that any band we get sent that has even the vaguest stoner references in their name are going to be pretty damn awesome. Yeah, I know that's not exactly an infallible conclusion, or even a particularly reliable way to run a blog such as this, but hell, just look our past experience!... Dopefight, Weedeater, Goat Bong, Dopelord, Wizard Smoke, Kamni (Russian for Stone)... None have steered us wrong so far have they? No, and now we have Weed Priest, so the question here really is; have they dropped the ball?...

Pfft, of course not! They're called Weed Priest for christ sake, don't be stupid.

Straight from the deep dark depths of Galway, this Irish trio play what most would refer to now as classic stoner doom. Initially that always strikes me as somewhat condescending, but the more I think about it, the more I realise that that's a load of bull. Every pioneer of this genre over the last 30 years or so have always had one thing in common - their first listed band of influence and one guess who that would be?... Of course, Black Sabbath, and naturally Weed Priest are no different, which pleases me no end! Why? Well in my opinion there are far too many social circles where listing classic acts such as Sabbath or Pentagram, has become something to be looked down on with a sneered venom. Usually by sudo hipster pricks, more often than not with dark rimmed glasses and hoodie underneath a cut off denim jacket adorned with patches of bands they, in all honesty, don't truly admire. I wont worry about offending anyone with that statement, because lets face it, even if you do happen to fall into that visual category you're obviously not one of those kinda guys because you're here. Reading this... and you have passed our test.
Much like these chaps actually. Because while it may not be something entirely new or ground breaking, it is amazingly satisfying and being as there is nothing new under the sun, what more could you possibly ask for? Dirty bass heavy riffs, a healthy dose of sample and a growling vocal that would unnerve Satan himself, all wrapped up in 7 - 14 minutes slabs of groove infused fuzz. The reality is, if you don't love Weed Priest, you really ain't a true stoner/doom enthusiast, and in the words of the late great Leaf Hound Records - "Death to false stoners!"

For Fans Of; Sleep, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General, Acid King, Windhand

Facebook • Youtube • Bandcamp

Weed Priest (Sample) (320kbps)