“You can only die once. After that, nothing and nobody can harm you.”
Cardinal’s Folly are a relatively new band to me, despite being active in the underground doom metal scene since 2007 (the band actually formed in 2004 as The Coven changing their name to Cardinal’s Folly in 2007). (more…)
“People reject us. They will never know the answer to the question that we carry in our hearts.”
The Vision is the debut album from these Italian blues-doom rockers. The album is the follow-up to last year’s Black Magic Man EP, and offers nine tracks of smoky, classic blues rock with occult-themed lyrics. Singer Virginia Monti delivers said lyrics in a suitably witchy style, and manages to sound like she means it. That’s because she does! (more…)
Sweden’s Goatess released their debut LP in 2013 and came to my attention mainly via their singer (Lord Vicar and ex-Count Raven and Terra Firma frontman Chritus Linderson). Their music is a cross between stoner rock and doom with plenty of psychedelia thrown in for good measure. (more…)
On stage with Hooded Priest
Luce Vee (also known as Luther “Findlay” Veldmark) is the voice of Hooded Priest and King Heavy and formerly Witchsmeller Pursuivant. His bands all have a cult following in the heavy metal and doom scene and Luce is well known and respected by both bands and fans alike. He was kind enough to take part in this interview a couple of weeks ago. (more…)
It’s always a pleasure to get hold of a new Iron Hearse release, specially as they have only made us wait a year since the last one (Get In The Hearse, released March 2013).
As the 40-second preview video above shows, the band haven’t deviated from their usual horror-film inspired lyrical themes, and with any luck, they never will. All 9 tracks on offer here stand up to their previous releases and while they don’t do anything amazingly different, they manage not to sound like they are aping their earlier material (even though they are, like AC/DC and Iron Maiden have done for 30-odd years, but it’s still possible to enjoy listening to them).
Iron Hearse don’t do anything unique, but they do play some of the best straight up pub doom-rock you’re ever likely to hear. We’ve heard it all before, but now it’s heavier, the playing is tighter and everything is a bit louder than last time. (more…)
2013 was a landmark year for me. I achieved three lifetime ambitions in twelve short months. My band recorded their debut album (which I’m proud to say will be released soon by an actual record label!), I completed a degree in English language and Literature and I attended my first ever Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Holland with four friends.
Back in 2012, I started work on a self-published art book documenting the first three years of my record label. The book would have interviews with each band I had released to go alongside the pictures. The Goatess had already designed my logo and the cover of Planet Doom Volume 2, my second compilation CD, so I decided to approach her for some cover artwork. Seeing as she was the cover artist, I thought it might be cool to interview her and have a section in the book all about her artwork and the bands she’s done album artwork for (which include Pentagram, Church of Misery, Stonehelm and the forthcoming album from my own band, Iron Void).
Things started off well, and the Goatess section was shaping up to be the strongest section of the book. Unfortunately, I was a bit overworked at the time, balancing a full time job, running the label, a part-time Open University degree and my band commitments (it was a busy time!). The book suffered as a result and the release date kept getting pushed back further and further. In the end, I decided to keep the cover art and the title, which I used for the Doomanoid Records third anniversary sampler The Story So Far, but the book itself never saw the light of day.
Here it is at last, the original interview which we conducted via Email in 2012. (more…)
Black Sabbath 2013 (minus Bill Ward)My main criticism would have to be the album’s length. The last three tracks on the deluxe CD version are by far the weakest on the album and could quite easily have been left out. The Black Sabbath rain at the end of ‘Dear Father’ would have made a perfect ending point. Instead, the tracks that follow give the impression of being added as filler to bulk-up the disc. The market has moved on since the early days of Sabbath, and perhaps an eight song album was considered too short for commercial reasons. The result is another overstuffed mainstream rock/metal album that fails to fully capture the special vibe (for want of a better term) that is present in a lot of underground releases.The only other minor sore points for me are some of Ozzy’s vocals. To be honest, his performance is not really that bad. There are moments, though, when he just fails to hold a note. These are songs sung in the lower register and are largely confined to the first few tracks. It just seems a little strange that no one thought to transpose them into a higher key, or maybe even use a different choice of song, Ozzy’s voice being what it is.
Doom pioneers: The classic ‘Early Sabbath’ line up
Blood Moon Rise is a very dark record, and not the type of album that grabs you on first listen. The first time I played it, I was surprised by how smooth everything sounds compared to their earlier efforts. It’s the only word I can use to adequately describe the sound. After a short, moody opening piece, the album starts proper with single ‘The Places You Walk.’ Jex Thoth songs have been described as ‘doom ballads’ in several reviews, and that is definitely the case here. The lyrical subject matters switch between relationships/love back to esoteric occult themes such as the epic closing number ‘Psyar’ (I have no idea what this means without Googling!). So, am I saying that Jex’s lyrics are stereotypically feminine in their themes? Well, yes, I am in a way, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Jex clearly knows what she is singing about, and her voice sounds beautiful and is one of the aspects of the band that benefits most from this album’s superior production. It’s been well mastered, too and sounds clear and warm. These two things are important for a Jex Thoth record for one simple reason: You need to listen to this band on vinyl. I have both the CD and LP versions of their first record and there is no comparison. The vinyl wins every time (if only for the Albert Witchfinder sleeve art).
