Breaking Old Molds...

Monolith Grows! - Interregnum EP (2020)

Running two tracks on vinyl, and three in digital form, this EP is the latest from Monolith Grows!, whom we last checked in on back in 2015. Back then, they were still going by just 'Monolith', and had released their Even More album. With this new release, the Italian group have assembled some deeply enjoyable and surprisingly hooky tunes to lift your spirits in the tumult of 2020, with All Right Riserva Recordz picking it up for release.

First up is “Nicolas Cage”, a rumbling cruiser working off of a solid riff, with a blend of heavy rock and stoner metal flavors keeping it fun while digging into gnarly grooves. The extensive cymbal-bashing helps with that lightening of the tone, while the vocals rock on in a nice fusion of modern and retro stylings. There's plenty of energy, and the twists taken by the melodic direction lift it above much of the output that's come through in comparable heavy music lately.

“Nicolas Kim Coppola”, the digital-exclusive track, can be heard as something of a reworking of the first, operating from a similar groove, but dropping the cymbal prominence somewhat, leading to a more grounded run that lets the guitar's tone come through better. It's also about a minute shorter overall, and ends on a fade-out, giving the impression of a 'radio edit', wherever there's radio stations cool enough to play this.

Lastly, “Shade and Sleep” fades back up into a cool drum-and-guitar exchange, before the guitar takes it solo to heat things into the main ride. The heavy rock takes a bit more of a turn into yesteryear's dynamics here, with the bass strings allowed to rattle just a bit, injecting some hang-loose cool into the vibrant head-banging energy they let loose. Loaded with still more twist-ups and break-downs, it brings the EP to a victorious close, pumping out enough energy to make listeners wanna cycle right back to the start for another go. The band describes the EP as being a shift into more acid rock territory, and judging by the quality they've put on display here, their upcoming album (currently scheduled for 2021) will be a true treat, packed with creativity and indelible hooks. As of this review's writing, there are still vinyl copies of the Interregnum EP available, but you'll need to move fast to snag one, as only fifteen are left.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Craneon, Lint, Monocluster, Mother Mars, RHINO (Italy)

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Monolith Grows! - Shade and Sleep (320 kbps)

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Talisman Of Change...

Merlock - that which speaks... (2020)

Following up on a couple of advance singles between their 2018 debut EP/demo and this new one, the quartet of Merlock (named for the Christopher Lloyd villain from DuckTales, I'm hoping) bring a cool blend of heavy psych and doom metal to action over the course of the four songs on that which speaks....

Kicking off with “Idolon”, the band establishes a solid riff before reinforcing it with extra fuzz, bass, and treated vocals, lending things a gloomy, semi-mystical air. That continues for a couple of minutes, before picking up speed into a near-thrashy groove that brings the guitar out in greater relief. Tasty bridges and pedal effects draw listeners through the midway of the song before revisiting the earlier riffs with still more intensity, and the vocals rise to match it, before fading away in favor of distorted shredding.

An abrupt cut makes way for “Prolapse”, which picks up still more thrash flavoring with its rolling guitar progressions and steady cymbal clangs. Some fun noodling dominates most of the ride, with the vocalist hanging back and picking their break-out moments with care, and the main hook of the song is almost guaranteed to get lodged in your head long after you listen. “[Vessel]” follows, building a thick atmosphere around slow-moving measures and tonal sustains, with enough shifts throughout the song to keep things engaging and fun.

Lastly, “Condemnation” brings a bit of a death metal edge to the guitar and bass riffage, though the song grows slower and heavier as it progresses, finishing out the EP on a sinking moan. All together, it's a solid sophomore release, with a good showcasing of the band's abilities in a variety of approaches to their psych/doom blend. There's a limited run of cassettes (fifty copies) available for order through Merlock's BandCamp, or you can go with the digital version. Either way, you'll be getting some tunes that are quite easy to let yourself sink into and enjoy.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Demon Head, Goya, Pilgrim, Sleep, Venus Sleeps

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Merlock - Prolapse (320 kbps)

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No Time To Sit...

Guided Meditation Doomjazz - No Throne (2020)

Following up an EP, a live album, and a single, all released within the past year, the Austin-based trio of Guided Meditation Doomjazz are back with another four tracks. One of those was used for the aforementioned single (“Swamps of Sadness”, with another nod to The Neverending Story in its cover art), but the other three are fresh for this offering.

The release leads off with the title track, building from ominous words of nullification into a heavy but nuanced groove. With reminders to “breathe in, breathe out,” the song curls along on thick-toned bass-lines and a bowed instrument (which occasionally mimics an electric organ in timbre) providing the foundation over which the vocals drift. There's definitely a heavy psych vibe at play, but with some of that Austin fusion mentality in the works, things take an unpredictable course. “Swamps of Sadness” follows, with a poker-faced recitation of Atreyu's quest and loss of his horse. An interpretation of Giorgio Moroder's score for that section of the film accompanies the proceedings, but with the shift from synths to analog, there's an interesting adjustment of the mood to match.

“Imagine Relief” provides a rise up from the despair of the preceding track, though it keeps the mood low and heavy. It builds into a slow-loping riff carrying itself and the vocals into rising intensity and action, until they burst loose from a drum crescendo back into the original take, though now counter-playing against echoes of itself. Lastly, “New Nostalgia” picks up into a comparatively brighter groove, noodling along on the bass while the cymbals get prominent deployment. It all comes together as an interesting experience, fitting the band's name while giving your ears quite a bit to chew on. If you've been looking for something distinct and different in the doom realm, this will certainly fit the bill.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Merlin, Morphine, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, Shadowmaster, Wyatt E.

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Guided Meditation Doomjazz - Swamps of Sadness (320 kbps)

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See, Hear, Feel...

Sound of Origin - The All Seeing Eye (2020)

After popping up with their Seeds of the Past EP back in 2017, and making an appearance on last year's Doomed & Stoned in England compilation, the quartet of Sound of Origin have rolled back around with their first full album, boasting fifty minutes of stoner-tinged doom across nine songs.

First of the bunch is “Not Dead Yet”, with some lancing guitar and booming bass chords setting things up for a run of slow and heavy riffage. The title track pops out of that form, briefly, with a burst of higher-tempo drumming opening it up before sliding right back into regular stoner doom proceedings. Good mixing keeps the bass unmuddled, while the slight sinking of the vocals makes them a part of the crunches and fuzz. A mid-way break launches things back into the higher energy altitudes, before arcing back down into a bass riff that makes up for the interlude with extra weightiness.

And, for the most part, that MO carries the album. There's twists of sludge (as in “Dim Carcosa” and “Lockjaw”, their choice for lead single), and Sabbathy melodics (“Morning Bird”), but the grounding in that style established by the opening tracks is always evident, however tweaked. Luckily, the interplay between the bass and drums (like the opening cruise of “Stoned Messiah Blues”) keeps things fun enough to buoy the listener through the album. It's an easy one to let yourself let go and float along with, thanks to the solid riffs throughout each song, and the momentum rarely lets up.

Closing out with the nine-minutes-and-change of “Tempest Dunes”, the band stretches their riffs and scope out to monstrous sizing, working a call-and-return structure to fun effect. All together, it should be a nice treat for stoner doom fans who've been looking for a new group to add to their rotation. The All Seeing Eye goes up for sale on August 21st, through APF Records.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Attalla, Dopethrone, Godsleep, Tar Pit, Wizard Smoke

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Sound of Origin - Lockjaw

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Crushed In The Gears...

Malsten - The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill (2020)

Following up on their Torsion single from May of last year, the Swedish doom quartet of Malsten (which translates to 'grindstone', or, more thematically, 'millstone') have emerged more fully with this, their debut album. Leading off, naturally enough, with the song from that preceding single, the album gets underway on a horripilating vibe, with feedback and synths rolling out an uneasy tension before the guitar comes in with a raw-edged riff. It's a nice, broad-shouldered progression, and the band takes their time building it out for a bit before expanding things with the vocal incorporation. Should you wish to follow along with the lyrics, you'll get to explore the dastardly doings of the titular mill's owner. According to the band, this album shares only the first four chapters/tracks of that story; an uncommon approach, but the distinctiveness is well appreciated.

Through each of the songs (“Immolation”, “Grinder”, and “Compunction” follow, in that order), Malsten show themselves to be quite skilled not just with the moment-to-moment doom, but also at the larger shaping of the songs, and their place in the album as a whole. They're able to dig into a riff or rhythm interaction and tease it into something new, without it seeming overly indulgent or dry. The slow slides into relative calm, when they're used, are effectively offset by crashing returns, and their use of synth textures (courtesy of member Andreas, who's also the bassist) lends the music some engaging further dimensions. Bridges and breaks come through naturally, without a sense of over-orchestration, and the band's ability to keep strong momentum flowing through the various change-ups is one of the album's most impressive qualities.

Heaviness is abundant (and then some), but it's managed with an ear towards how it can strengthen the song, rather than being a persistent, unchanging weight across everything, as some doom bands fall into doing. The band also operates so smoothly with how its individual instruments come together, it can go right over your head how well they're playing off of each other if you're just grooving along with it. But they've definitely got the chops, as this excellent first album shows, and finding out how they grow from here is going to be very exciting. If fine-crafted traditional doom is your thing (or if it's not, but you're willing to give it a shot), do yourself a favor and pick this up once it's out. Pre-orders start July 3rd, full release is July 24th, vinyl is coming through Interstellar Smoke Records. Hats off to Malsten.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Descend Into Despair, Earthshine, The Fateful Hour, Heavydeath, HellLight

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Malsten - Torsion (320 kbps)

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Soot And Stones...

Chimney Creeps - Nosedive (2020)

Popping up from New York with this, their debut album, the power trio of Chimney Creeps (like chimney-sweeps, get it?) brings a seven-song batch of sludge-varnished heavy rock to the table. Flexing their style and rotating member focus on the instrumental opener “March of the Creeps”, the band shows a bit of grunge flavoring, but with a leaner, buzzier approach. It's a good foundation-setter for the next tune, “Head in the Sand”, which brings in guitarist Dennis Haggerty's lead vocals, striking a balance between punkish barking and moments of melodic harmonizing. Both the bassist (Donavon deCesare) and drummer (Alex Hadjiloukas) provide backing vocals throughout the album, pulling their performances in the songs that much tighter together.

As the songs go on, the band shows its facility with crusty riffs, big swells, dirty grooves, and beefy bass-lines. Keeping up a steady current of wounded anger, the group digs out old-school hooks and gives them a modern sharpening, while keeping the underground vibes well in effect. Things get a bit expanded in the second half, with the closer of “Diving Line” shading out into a number of stony bridges. Riding out on a big-finish groove, the Chimney Creeps make it easy to spin the album time after time. It'll be interesting to hear how their style develops with subsequent releases, whether they play up their dirt rock, grunge, or sludgy sides, or keep honing a fusion of the three. However it goes, if you've been in the mood for some audibly authentic heavy rock, you'd do well to pick yourself up a copy of this album. Available on vinyl and digital, both at very reasonable prices.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Alice in Chains, Funeral Horse, Pale Grey Lore, Rainbows Are Free, Sex Scheme

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Chimney Creeps - Creeper (320 kbps)

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