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Past Lives: Blackfinger/Kings Destroy/Brain Candle Kung Fu Necktie Philly, PA 8/3/14 ...

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For a Sunday night, there was an abysmal turnout tonight for the original Trouble singer.  Like 15 people.  Four months ago Kadavar sold it out, cramming 99 into its tiny loud quarters.  I get that it's a Sunday in August and people are at the beach instead, but where were all the Trouble fans tonight?

Brain Candle opened, and were given a set's of time worth to play with the Beelzefuzz family duties calling them away from the gig tonight.

They were really good, and I'm now following there musical adventures safely on Bandcamp.  Overall it's closest to YOB, but a lead and a rhythm instead of just Mike.  The vokills were that way the entire set, making me yearn to see Mike hit the high notes again, but they worked when they were used and didn't detract from the songs for me. 

There were fast chugging/twin guitarmonizing things happening on stage, and I really dug when they would let go and the lead would take a solo, his tone was perfect, really sharp and clear and distinct but with a thick little backside and man, a few moments got quite cosmically headbangingly awesome for my taste, and I'm glad I showed up early to see them.  For Kings Destroy and Blackfinger, the twin guitar attack would remain, albeit with Eric Wagner and Kings Destroy melodic doom vocals.


 Kings Destroy, who I first caught in 2011 at Santos Party House in NYC, tonight were exceedingly more memorable than when I had seen them then.  I spoke with the vocalist afterward and grabbed the CD he pulled out for me.  He told me that that was actually their 8th gig, and he's not surprised they sounded much tighter tonight either as that was three years ago now.  There are some very real, very doomy things happening with this band at this point.  I got a Pallbearer with Goatsnake thing happening, throwing in thrash where necessary, and being as heavy as (insert noun).  I cannot wait to play this tomorrow when I get home.  The Obelisk.net is correct, this band is, indeed, the bees knees.


Lastly Eric Wagner and Blackfinger came on-stage at 10:30 to the empty bar and proceeded to show the young people how rock is made.  They ran through some great, invigorated Trouble-esque material that I will purchase on CD when the time right.  Melodic doom but with a pop/groovy drum thing happening, so oddly similar to Trouble... ;) Eric came down after the encore of the Trouble classics that I was not expecting and shook my hand, as he did the other two longhairs that actually banged during the fast parts. 

The encore was Psychotic Reaction, Mr. Green Man, and The Misery Shows which was wicked.  Glad I stuck around glad they actually did that and even though there were only 14 other like minded individuals there, I'm glad we went.  My neck is sore and my ears are ringing, so on to the week now.  Thanks for reading and I'll see you at Sleep next, August 26th.

Words: Sabbath Jeff



WEED PRIEST - "WORSHIP" ...

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Are you ready for a slab of punishing doom from Ireland?

Well, be ready, because a new release by Weed Priest, from Galway, saw the light, or better the gloom, during these early days of August 2014. Last time we read about these doomsters from Galway was for their self-titled debut full-length album back in early 2013. Since then the band has been working on and reworking tunes with the same attitude of care they put in the making of the full-length album. This new dose of doom by Weed Priest is contained in the new EP called Worship, out as a cool digipack edition via label Hexenhaus as for their previous release.  At the beginning of this year the band experienced some changes in the line-up, as drummer Adrianos "Z Goat" O’Helios (Adrian Healy) left, and two other fellow musicians, Michael and Sean Sullivan from the groove-sludge band Ten Ton Slug, came in. But the Worship EP stems from the combined effort and inspiration of the former line-up, with Adam on vocals and guitar, Raghul de Blood on bass and Adrianos "Z Goat" O’Helios on drums as well as on mixing and mastering.

The three long tracks of the Worship EP were crafted “in secret locations of the West of Ireland” during “unholy days” spanning between 2010 and 2013. There you can still find the features that made Weed Priest’s album so attractive for doom-addicted, i.e. the dirty,  fuzz-laden, doped  and occult doom heaviness very much in the vein of Electric Wizard, Sleep, Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Black Sabbath, and so forth. However listening to this new release gave me the impression of a new direction for the band’s style, a new direction leading to a further increase in heaviness and, I would say, to a more personal imprint. The Worship EP consists of three suites, Ritual, Killvlad and Possessed that (I don’t know if by chance or not) combine into a unique creature.

The opening track Ritual (06:21) is dripping boiling hot sludgy blues crafted via a series of badass super heavy, thunderous doomy riffs competing with the multilayered cruel and sleazy, raw chanting by Adam. The downtuning of the guitars is extreme, the vibrations are almost solid during this bluesy doom ballad, but soon all the groove is suffocated by and eventually completely gives way to a deadly slow, suffocating funeral march which will accompany you till the end of the suite. This seems to be a sort of prelude to the fact that the rest of the EP somehow departs from the classic Electric Wizard-inspired doom-stoner imprint and adopts a somewhat different approach.

So when listening to the second track Killvlad (06:34) you get hit and floored by a memorable slab of doom. Killvlad is surprising for the style and the richness in sounds and solutions.  The shock wave of the riffs combined with the drumming is breathtaking, while dissonance is added like spice to the riffs in competition with Adam’s nasty death-like choruses. But what makes this suite particularly addictive is the magic complex, spiral-like pattern of the leading doom melody. Such circular, spiralled pattern is monotonous yet continuously changing direction (keys) and imparting a proggy tinge to the leading doom lithany. Then, in the second half of the track such meandering pattern amazingly drifts into the territories of obsessive horror psychedelia reminding me of what heard in Oranssi Pazuzu.

Such spiralled patter seems to dominate also the third and last suite in the EP, Possessed (09:25).  The suite is opened by the overlap of buzzing feedback onto scary audio samples dealing with a real exorcism (as I understood) performed by a priest on a lady called Mary Ryan back in 1996. But soon the devilish shrieks and the “purifying” invocations are swallowed by crushing, raw and distorted riffs again meandering like the coils of a huge snake. Such spiraled progression of doom melodies also remind me of old occult tunes by Pombagira, a charming and clever way of building up dark and hypnotizing suites where the obsessively repetitious, slow plodding rhythms are kept dynamic and intriguing. After the first half of the suite Possessed, dominated by dark occult atmosphere and sounds, the band starts morphing the leading sinister melody into something more epic, first, and then, briefly, adding a pinch of fully bluesy groove just as the one heard right at the beginning, almost like a single sun beam flickering before the darkness of occult doom and the shrieks of the possessed take over again till the end.
Killer …

Words: Marilena Moroni

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Video: ALUNAH - Awakening The Forest (Introducing The Artwork) ...

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 Introducing The Artwork...

During our filming of the "Heavy Bough" video, Soph and Michael Cowell took time out to feature in a short film discussing the symbolism and concepts behind the album artwork. Directed and edited by Rhodri Thomas.



And while we are at it, enjoy this full gig from Morion, Szczecin.





Alunah Official Website
Posted By Ed

Exclusive: Premiere for the music video for "Goatsblood" from the upcoming album, "Ritual On Black Mountain" by Of Doomed Morale ...

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Doommantia proudly presents the premiere for the music video for "Goatsblood" from the upcoming album, "Ritual On Black Mountain" by Of Doomed Morale which is set to be released on 11/1/14.



Of Doomed Morale @ Bandcamp

Posted By Savannah

Witch Mountain - "Mobile Of Angels" ...

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Last night I went in search of something special for my first contribution to Doommantia and I was lucky enough to not only find something but a quick search showed me that I was double lucky as no one had yet shared it here. What I stumbled across was the press release from Profound Lore Records for the upcoming Witch Mountain release “Mobile of Angels” due out on September 30th.

I won’t lie to you all and tell you I’ve been a Witch Mountain fan for years, in fact this was the first time I had heard the band from Portland, Or whose first release, “Homegrown Doom”, was in 2000. I am without a doubt a late comer to loving the world of doom so I hope you can forgive me for my ignorance. Luckily when I fell in love with all things doom I fell hard but yes, I’m still playing catch up. The good thing about that is I can give you a fresh perspective without any bias based on what Witch Mountain have done previously because I haven’t heard it… yet. I do plan to now. After hearing the first release from “Mobile of Angels”, the intriguingly titled “Psycho Animundi” I can say I most definitely plan to seek out more from this band. Yes, it’s that good!

“Psycho Animundi” begins with a doomed up blues riff that hooked me immediately as I’ve found all the doom I love has a tendency to do. All hail the mighty doom riff! Then about a minute in the wonderful voice of Uta Plotkin blasts out at you hooking you in even further. Her voice is powerful, haunting and beautiful. All good doom, at least for me, addicts you to a great riff that you never want to end and “Psycho Animundi” is one damn good doom ride. We get to ride that opening riff for almost 9 minutes though it’s with a few interludes so that when it blazes back in it hits you straight in the gut grabbing ahold of your spine rendering you immobile until sadly it releases you when the song ends. All you can do is hit play again as I have done now more times that I should admit. Needless to say you should be looking forward to the September 30th release date so you can hear all 5 of the bluesy doom tracks it contains!

Listen to “Psycho Animundi” and get dates for Witch Mountain’s upcoming tour with Nik Turner’s Hawkwind starting August 26th here (link: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/witch-mountain-complete-work-on-new-album/)



Find Witch Mountain on:
Facebook: HERE
Bandcamp: HERE

Words: Feind Gottes ( Thy Demons Be Scribblin.Com )

Video: Zodiac - "A Penny and a Dead Horse" ...

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If bluesy stoner rock is your thing you need to drop what you’re doing and listen to the latest from Zodiac right now! A Penny and A Dead Horse is the first release from Zodiac’s upcoming sophomore album, Sonic Child, due out September 19th from Napalm Records. You can and should pre-order it HERE. (link: http://zodiacstore.bigcartel.com/)

A Penny and a Dead Horse starts out with a soulful acoustic blues riff from guitar wizard frontman Nick van Delft. Just when you think this song is going to stay classic blues the whole way through, which I wouldn’t have complained about btw, near the 3 minute mark the drums kick in and the song morphs into a bluesy stoner rock jam that should have you tapping your feet and bobbin’ your head.

The galloping drum riff from Janosch Rathmer reminds me of a Steve Harris galloping bass line ala Run To The Hills which is no “Dead Horse” at all. Like any good blues song A Penny and a Dead Horse is the lament over a women that has left but this song should make you feel anything but sad. The bitch is gone so throw a party and crank this tune up loud, you should feel much better after! Check out the video below which is mostly studio footage but crank it loud because this tune just rocks!



While the songs Zodiac plays seems straight out of the Mississippi delta they originate far from it. This German band formed out of a jam session between van Delft and Rathmer in 2010 and their second album Sonic Child seems to pick up where their first left off. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on them and you should too!

Zodiac on Facebook: HERE
Bandcamp: Bandcamp
Official website: HERE

Words: Feind Gottes (Thy Demons Be Scribblin)

Uncle Acid - "Runaway Girls 7" ...

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I’ve been a fan of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats for quite some time so when I saw that they just released a new song called Runaway Girls I had no choice but to hit play immediately.

The release is for a 7” being released September 16th via Rise Above ahead of their first ever North American tour (get dates here via Metalsucks.net: HERE). The band calls the song the close of the Mind Control era which was one of my top albums of last year.

If you have somehow yet to experience the trippy psychedelic ride of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats I strongly recommend both Mind Control and Blood Lust as both are superb albums. Take a listen to Runaway Girls which I saw via The Quietus - HERE

Words: Feind Gottes

Facebook: HERE

ETHEREAL RIFFIAN – AEONIAN ...

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It is almost like a miracle to see that people living in a nation with a tormented history and on the verge of a civil war make efforts for building up something of sheer beauty. This is the case, for example, of a band that the readers at Doommantia know well and appreciate, Ethereal Riffian, from Kiev, Ukraine. Ethereal Riffian involves the Kornev brothers, Val on vocals and guitars and Alexander(aka SAF) on bass,  together with Max Yuhimenko (aka Southman) on lead guitar and Nikita Shipovskoi (aka Ship) on drums. Val Kornev is also known as Stonezilla, musician, singer, composer, graphic artist and also blogger active in the good ol’ Sludgeswamp and then in Robust Fellow blog. Last but not least, Val was one of the backbones in the organization of the two editions of the cool international stoner-sludge-doom Robust Festival in Kiev during 2012 and 2013.

Aeonian, the second full-length album by Ethereal Riffian, was completed at the beginning of this year and started spreading outside the Ukrainian borders right at the beginning of the political and military crisis in that country, during february and march. This write-up is therefore addressed to those who happened to miss the release of this precious jem during the past months. Maybe the Ethereal Riffian quartet was bound to become a sort of ambassador of positive thinking by means of their breathtakingly charming music and by means of what stands behind it: ideas, words, creativity and skill. Hence entering into the top ten best prog albums for 2014 for the webzine Prog Sphere is a more than due and deserved result for the overall activity of this band. There are several levels of enjoyment, or better, of experience through which you can interact with Aeonian.

Many of you, or better us, enjoyed the debut full length album, 2011 Shaman’s Visions  for its style, heavy and ethereal at the same time, across doom-stoner and psychedelia and for its framework as concept album.  Well, Aeonian is probably representing a journey for artistic enhancement and of tri-dimensional extension in these musicians’ creativity.  Aeonian is primarily music, although it strays the boundaries of the sense of hearing by transgressing into the visual, intellectual and tactile experience via the solid extensions of the album.

You can deeply and greatly enjoy the sole music (e.g., in digital format), but the Aeonian experience brings you in direct, physical contact with the artists by means of the objects (I don’t like to call the “gadgets”) handcrafted by them and by means of the book, a real book, accompanying the album package. Basic, down-to-earth materials like coarse hand-dyed cloth, wood and paper are used for making up the ornamental objects associated with the different stunning limited edition packages of Aeonian album, be it in CD or as LP format. The book is a joint effort of the two Kornev brothers and tells you about the driving force of Aeonian, the ideas behind this new concept album. Like the colorful album covers, the book has been decorated with the contribution of graphic artist Stonezilla as well. The essential black-and-white drawings in the book may look awkward if you hastily page through the book driven by surficial curiosity. But these strange, sometimes obscure sketches will suddenly acquire life and a vivid narrative power as soon as you enter into the story.

Music-wise Ethereal Riffian have been crafting a magnificent opus where they plunge their hands into a variety of music genres, like heavy to ritualistic doom, desert rock, space and lysergic heavy psychedelia drenched with meditative, oriental-flavoured atmospheres, the latter in the vein of Om. But Om might just be one of the sources of musical inspiration.  As a matter of fact, the approach to composition is prog-oriented in the sense that Ethereal Riffian’s sophisticated suites are polymeric and dynamically changing like a sonic kaleidoscope. However the dynamics involved in Aeonian has not necessarily the role of showing off for musicianship, but possesses the same pace and power of water waves, of the wind blowing in boundless deserts and of the heartbeat. Ethereal Riffian play riff-laden, powerful heavy music pulsating according to rhythms in nature and this is probably their way of approaching to meditation. All four monumental suites in Aeonian, i.e Thugman (Sensation), March of Spiritu (Rise of Sheol), Wakan Tanka (Awareness) and Anatman (Oneness), are blooming with sequences of alternating crushing heaviness, haunting atmospheres, and mesmerizing melodies. Distorted fuzzy riffs and thundering drumming may burst to the limit of aggression. You are introduced to Aeonian by such bursts of energy via the majestic opening of the first ballad Thugdam, although all four suites offer their load of solid riff-based heaviness. But tight rhythms and the bursts of dark or oppressive, harsh sounds may get masterfully blended with slower, airy, more intimate or meditative, occasionally acoustic-driven passages, or else by some beloved bluesy melodies, when not moments of balming silence where maybe one note is left vibrating.

Exotic atmospheres may also be evoked by the particular use of vocals as well as, sometimes, created by the introduction of “unconventional” instruments, like didgeridoo, djembe, flute and cello (contributed by guest musicians). For example, you can experience the delicate, exotic flavor of didgeridoo in track Wakan Tanka. Vocals are a fundamental component of Ethereal Riffian’s magic. Val Korner’s clear singing style is breathtakingly vibrant, declamatory yet fresh vocals morphing to both the more vigorous, metallic sides of the band’s style and the ritualistic, evocative intervals. It may be thanks to the excellent mastering which was able to impart tri-dimensional thickness to the sound, and to the vocals in particular.  If I have to mention some other bands, apart from Om, reminding me of Etheral Riffian’s features, I would forcibly include Sleep, Ufomammut and Yob, but also Obelyskkh, Elder, Los Natas and the trance-like, ritualistic dark ambience coupled with pulverizing heaviness in the eclectic Finnish doom band Dark Buddha Rising.



Like the overall release, also the story behind the album, in the book, is developing on different levels, like the parallel universes mentioned in the narration and the different approaches to life experiences described. The book is subdivided in four chapters named after the four monumental suites of the album and broadly deals with a sort of spiritual journey where growth of self-consciousness and eagerness to penetrate the sense of life and to gain inner and outer peace and balance clash with the rough and dull reality of human history and imposed social schemes. Narration continuously shifts from recognizable historical, contemporary times to timeless situations where internal struggle and meditation only point to grasp the true sense of the universe by searching the help in various philosophies, ancient cultures, shamanism and techniques of meditation. A reference to writers like Hermann Hesse and/or Carlos Castaneda is unavoidable. You may start by reading a “normal” story of a strange and extremely clever, sensitive boy born in Russia and find yourself being smoothly drifted into a fascinating analysis of the transcendental consequences of quantum physics and the mathematical demonstrations to the existence of multiple universes, after “recovering” from lysergic visions induced by a pipe in an Indian tent. Scary? Not at all, you’ll be surprised. One may be skeptical about or not interested in transcendental meditation. No problem. The basic ideas behind the narration may sum up to inner questions that everybody having some sensitivity may sooner or later experience: how to relate to people and to the world, how to improve oneself, how to find peace, wisdom, how to cope with the main, good and bad aspects of life, including violence and death, and so forth.

Even without the book, Ethereal Riffian’s music has got its own intense language that will speak to your senses. Aeonian is definitely one of the most involving and surprising albums to possess, to plunge into and to explore, periodically and wholeheartedly. Ethereal Riffian will be touring in Europe soon, during September 2014. Keep the band’s Facebook page checked for more info and, if possible, also for helping the guys in the diy organization of their tour.

Words: Marilena Moroni

Ethereal Riffian @ Facebook
Ethereal Riffian @ Official webpage
Ethereal Riffian @ Bandcamp


NEWS: Yob - New Track From Clearing The Path To Ascend Now Playing At Stereogum ...

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As the release of Clearing The Path To Ascend, the forthcoming new long player from Oregon doom icons, YOB, dawns, the band today reveals the crushing resonance of "Unmask The Spectre." Already teased in the album's record trailer, fans finally get a taste of track three in full courtesy of host site, Stereogum.

Comments founding vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt, "This part of the album gets dark, but it also has a sense of beauty and resolve. The mood and atmosphere nod equal parts to old and new YOB. It's one of my favorite things we've ever done."

Adds Stereogum, "Scheidt's guitar bends like steel in a forge, and it bounces like hard rubber... YOB, the unit, function as a pure rhythm section: There are moments on Clearing The Path To Ascend when all three instruments [guitar, bass, drums] come down on the same beat that make me feel like I just got hit by a car. It's also hard to shift focus away from Scheidt, who is exerting a gravitational pull all his own. He makes one guitar sound like a fleet of F-14s; his voice ranges from Leonard Cohen lows to Ozzy Osbourne highs to Matt Pike roars, and he somehow manages to shift between those extremes with the ease of Tony Bennett practicing scales... YOB are the best doom band in the world today, and Clearing The Path To Ascend is the best doom album you'll hear this year. It is, quite possibly, the best metal album you'll hear this year, maybe the best album of the year, period."

Hear the dark and brooding sounds of "Unmask The Spectre" at THIS LOCATION.

Already listed among The Obelisk's Records Not To Miss Before The New Year Hits Clearing The Path To Ascend is an aptly titled album for what will undoubtedly be the crowning achievement for a band whose journey now nears two decades of creating music as commanding as it is cathartic. The tracks here don't simply offer a vacuous glimpse into the already riff-soaked doom genre. These songs demand the tandem attention of mind, body, and soul, etching a mark across a sound that finds YOB as formidable and unequaled as they've ever been. True ascension requires a destruction of those barriers that prevent any movement forward. Unsurprisingly, YOB pummels any and all of these obstacles with absolute authority, clearing the way for a genuinely visceral listening experience and climbing upward into a realm that sets the band in a heavy metal place that has been and will always remain wholly their own. 

Recorded at Gung Ho Studio in Eugene, notorious for its reserve of vintage equipment, alongside longtime collaborator/iconic sound-sage Billy Barnett, and mastered by Brad Boatright (Sleep, Beastmilk, Nails) at Audiosiege Engineering, YOB will release Clearing The Path To Ascend on CD and digitally in North America via Neurot Recordings on September 2nd, and on vinyl via Relapse Records on September 15th.

YOB will bring their otherworldly riff dominations to the stage beginning with a headlining performance at Portland's Hoverfest alongside Witch Mountain, Eight Bells and more! The shows come in advance of the band's previously announced overseas trek this Fall slated to commence on September 3rd, 2014 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. YOB will be joined by Little Rock's Pallbearer.

YOB:
8/23/2014 Hoverfest - Portland, OR
w/ Pallbearer:
9/03/2014 Tivolide Helling - Utrecht, NL
9/04/2014 The Fleece - Bristol,UK
9/05/2014 Roadhouse - Manchester, UK
9/06/2014 Audio- Glasgow, UK
9/07/2014 Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
9/08/2014 The Underworld - London, UK
9/10/2014 FZW - Dortmund, DE
9/11/2014 Vera - Groningen, NL
9/12/2014 Atlas -Aarhus, DK
9/13/2014 Truckstop Alaska - Gothenburg, SE
9/14/2014 Hostsabbat @ Betong - Oslo, NO
9/16/2014 Tavastia - Helsinki, FI
9/17/2014 Slakthuset - Stockholm, SE
9/18/2014 Loppen - Copenhagen, DK
9/19/2014 Connewitz - Leipzig, DE
9/20/2014 Firlej - Wroclaw, PL
9/21/2014 Bi Nuu - Berlin, DE
9/23/2014 Klub 007 - Prague, CZ
9/24/2014 Arena - Vienna, AT
9/25/2014 PMK - Innsbruck, AT
9/26/2014 Gaswerk - Winterthur, CH
9/27/2014 Lo-fi Club - Milan, IT
9/29/2014 Le Romandie - Lausanne, CH
9/30/2014 Jubez - Karlsruhe, DE
10/01/2014 Blackship - Montpellier, FR
10/02/2014 Razzmatazz3 - Barcelona, ES
10/03/2014 Villamanuela - Madrid, ES
10/04/2014 Amplifest - Porto, PT
10/05/2014 Sonora - Erandio, ES
10/06/2014 Le Dynamo - Toulouse, FR
10/07/2014 Le Ferrailleur - Nantes, FR
10/08/2014 Glazart - Paris, FR
10/10/2014 Kyttaro Club - Athens, GR
10/11/2014 Desertfest - Antwerp, BE


Clearing The Path To Ascend preorder bundles are currently available. For CD orders point your browser HERE.  For special T-shirt bundles go HERE.

For all YOB coverage in North America contact liz@earsplitcompound.com, in Germany contact ansgar@community-promotion.com, and in the rest of Europe contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.

YOB Facebook
Neurot Recordings Official Website
Neurot Recordings Facebook

NEWS: Uta Plotkin To Leave Witch Mountain ...

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Witch Mountain’s upcoming fourth album, ‘Mobile of Angels,’ and their summer shows with Nik Turner’s Hawkwind will be their last record and tour, respectively, with lead singer Uta Plotkin. The new album will be unleashed by Profound Lore Records in North America September 30, and via Svart Records in Europe and beyond. ‘Mobile of Angels’ was produced by producer Billy Anderson, tracked and mixed in Type Foundry studios Portland, OR. “It’s been a rewarding experience being in Witch Mountain,” says Plotkin, who joined the group in 2009. “I’ve met many wonderful people and helped make a lot of great music but after three albums I feel it’s time for me to move on to new projects, musical and otherwise.  My creative spirit has always been a restless one.  I hope our fans continue to enjoy our music and support Witch Mountain in its future incarnations.”

“We love and support Uta in whatever direction her life takes her,” the remaining members of Witch Mountain comment. “Our collaboration with her over the last five years, three albums, and hundreds of shows has been a privilege. But the band existed long before we met her and will continue into the future. Somewhere in this wide world is a voice with the talent and ambition to help Witch Mountain continue to improve as we have with each new release and passing year. Someone (male or female) will eventually send us a demo that brings us to tears. Until then, we remain focused on our final tour with Uta, and promoting our brand new album. Thanks to all for your support.”

For more on Witch Mountain, visit  Facebook.com/WitchMountain and WitchMountain.Bandcamp.com

Source: http://www.revolvermag.com/news/frontwoman-uta-plotkin-to-leave-witch-mountain-after-release-of-new-album-mobile-of-angels.html

Pallbearer – "Foundations of Burden" ...

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With their debut release in 2012, Sorrow & Extinction, Pallbearer created one of the best doom albums of all time. Its five especially long doom tracks that are the perfect soundtrack for any funeral, doing its title justice and leaving doom lovers craving more. So would their follow up live up to the standard they’ve set for themselves or be an epic failure? We now have the answer...

Pallbearer’s sophomore release, Foundations of Burden, is very much Pallbearer through and through by which I mean there is no denying they have their own unique sound that is very recognizable. That’s a compliment where so many others blend together especially in the genre of doom. Foundations of Burden is not just Sorrow & Extinction Part Two and if that is what you wanted or were expecting you may be disappointed though you shouldn’t be.

On “Foundations” I think Pallbearer have created not only another epic doom masterpiece but we may have to create a new genre just to describe it though it may turn doom lovers away if I name it. Where S&E was the perfect soundtrack to your funeral leaving you thinking, perhaps even longing for, death Foundations of Burden is, dare I say, uplifting. Yes, Pallbearer have somehow created light, a word I use loosely here, uplifting doom which seems like a contradiction in terms until you listen to Foundations of Burden in its entirety. I just can’t think of any other way to describe it.

 I love doom as much as I love anything. It is emotional music that connects you to it in a way that no other genre of music does, at least for me personally. That is why we love it. Good doom reaches down into you, grabs a hold of your spine putting it in a death grip which most often makes you feel dark and hollow with thoughts of death and decay firing through your brain. Foundations of Burden reaches in grabbing your spine in that same death grip but rather than filling you with dreams of a nice warm death it lifts you up, making you feel like you’re floating on a nice comfy cloud, of course, it’s still doom so it’s a storm cloud but you float above a storm that rages just below you. You stay high and dry while everything below you is pummeled to dust by the unrelenting onslaught Pallbearer reigns down.

Brett Campbell’s haunting clean vocals sound like a ghost calling out from the great beyond but where on Sorrow & Extinction his voice invoked a feeling of doom and dread, here on Foundations of Burden it makes you think the afterlife may not be such a bad place to be after-all. Pallbearer’s sophomore effort only further cements them at the top of the doom heap. I wasn’t even all the way through my first spin of “Foundations” before knowing that as of this moment it is my #1 album of the year and I can’t imagine what could come along to knock them from the top spot. It was a doom album that grabbed an hold of me and demanded my top spot last year, "Kongh’s masterpiece Sole Creation", and unless some miracle happens Pallbearer have just done the same thing vastly improving my 2014 and filling my #1 spot.


I won’t go through all six epic tracks in detail as they just have to be heard. I think I’ve given you a pretty good overview from the slightly aggressive opening of Worlds Apart to the gloomiest track and album closer, Vanished but there are no stinkers or “throw away” tracks to be found on this one. My favorite may still be the previously released, The Ghost I Used To Be, but that is mainly because I’ve already listened to that track about a thousand times. If you haven’t already you should pre-order this doom gem or at the very least be standing in line to pick it up next Tuesday when it is unleashed on the world. In case you need further encouragement the entire album is streaming right now over at Pitchfork (Listen Here: HERE). I’ve been listening to it non-stop and you should be too. Yes, it’s that damn good!

Find Pallbearer:
Facebook: HERE
Twitter: HERE
Bandcamp: HERE
Their Official Website: HERE

Words: Feind Gottes (http://www.thydemonsbescribblin.com/)

Disemballerina - "Undertaker" ...

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Disemballerina is a band that makes no use of electric guitars, loud amps, blasting drums, or any of the instruments or gear typically associated with metal.  Yet they are a metal band through and through; and better still, they are a doom metal band.  The individuals in Disemballerina have churned out some of incredibly heavy, dark music on their new album Undertaker with only an acoustic guitar, viola, cello, and harp.  A number of listeners may find themselves experiencing some slight cognitive dissonance with that previous statement: heaviness is traditionally at odds with that kind of instrumentation, which is usually associated more with lighter folk music.  Well, hear me out on this: abandon all of those preconceived notions at the door right now.  Abandon your definition of heavy, abandon your hope, and step into Disemballerina's unsettling chamber of doom.

Originating as a three piece in 2009, the group experienced a number of line-up changes until founding members Myles Donovan and Ayla Holland recorded and released a single demo ("Sundowning") in 2012.  In 2014 the band enlisted the talents of Jennifer Christensen (cello) and released Undertaker as a trio at the beginning of the summer, an album which, paradoxically, will elude the heat and send a chill up your spine.  Undertaker's chill-inducing nature is in part owed to the production, helmed by the masterful Tad Doyle at Witch Ape Studios.  It is raw and energetic when moments call for more sonic tension ("Ozma's Prison") and, at certain points, the tracks take on a mausoleum-like sense of claustrophobia ("Black Angel Trumpet"), an essential sonic texture to the album's overall atmosphere.  

"Sundowning" is a particularly gripping, stand-out track, all the way from the disquieting breaths of fear and anxiety that bookend the track to the melodic urgency in the track's middle.  This song is a testament to the musical principle of tension and release: dissonance builds a very convincing and apprehensive atmosphere until listeners are rewarded with hauntingly beautiful melodies that are at once pastoral and bombastic in the greatest sense.

The band describes their music as "outsider classical" and "goth chamber music," which, in and of themselves, are great descriptors; however, I wish to expand on the inherent American character of the band's sound.  "Carpathia" may be a tribute to the mountain ranges of Eastern European fame, but Disemballerina lend a particularly American quality to the soundscape being created, sounding more like an ode to the dark Appalachians in this writer's opinion.  "Two Crows" features enough twang to evoke images of brightly-lit deserts and the dark souls that inhabit them.  Dark Americana seems to be the pervading character of Undertaker, a strong response to Europe's classical monopoly on the morbid and the morose. 

Undertaker is the perfect soundtrack to your seance or your summer vacation at that possessed cabin in the woods; hell, it will make a great atmospheric background for any kind of brooding.  But — for a majority of listeners — Undertaker is an opportunity to delve into a dimly-lit soundscape of expertly crafted "doom."  This is an album about loss, about dementia, about the anxiety one feels in that interim period of twilight before the sun truly sets on the world.  This is an album that is at once meant to unsettle the soul and lull it into a romantic sleep.  And those who prefer to listen closer to the soundscapes presented here may find themselves in a more harrowing place than ever before.  That, my fellow lovers of all things heavy, is doom.

Words: Ian Fetters

Disemballerina @ Bandcamp

Hesperian Death Horse - "MrTav" ...

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This band originates from Croatia, a country unknown in the doom metal scene, but after you have listen to their tunes, you will gain your first reputation for this young state. Hesperian Death Horse has until now only released one album "Mrtav" (engl. dead) and a split called "The electric wizard Split". The name of the split is a bit misleading, Electric Wizard was not involved in this EP, neither do they try to adapt Electric Wizards style. It is inspired by the physicist Nicola Tesla and released as a split with a tune from the Band Hazarder, which also originates from Croatia, Zagreb.

The album Mrtav is in its appearance distorted, consisting out of calm parts, for example the intro of the album and first track Heriotz (engl. death), where only a dulcet classic guitar plays up to a point where everything halts, the last accords get replayed, the track stands still. But also parts, composed with hateful, bristly vocals and jarring guitars, always following the calmer parts, the sound minimizes on a thin instrumental ground, where only the rhythm keeps the track alive. Hesperian Death Horse split their album into four tracks, four consecutive parts. They use for every song a different style of doomy metal, what leads to a clean composition of the whole album. With soft intros to the tracks, supported by a classic guitar and sometimes a small speech, Hesperian Death Horse creates a theme that runs like a common thread through the whole album.

Telling a story, about Kings and Death, sometimes dense and disturbing, other times calm and spooky. Glowing like a friar's lantern in the dark marches. The music lures you in and drowns you. The last song Morte (engl. the death) serves as the ending of the whole album, and uses a different style. At first it has the glance of being a post-metal track, until it fades away into a seemingly endless tension. But Hesperian Death Horse returns one last time, crashing once again brutally through your boxes, with hateful vocals, alternating between strong and bristly or fast breaking screams.

The vocals adds well to a tumultuous guitar. While the instrumental ground is not consistent, often interrupted, with melodious and melancholic touches everywhere, their tracks get a twisted style. Full of surprises Hesperian Death Horse expresses an off-the-wall atmosphere. The track Sturm(Part 3: Oni tu nisu) is one of my favorite track on this album, where the guitar enforces this atmosphere and also adds a reproachful perspective, full of condemnation, towards life and human, despising everything. The band added a speech in the middle of the song, supported by a shy guitar. As soon as it ends, the track regains its force, but this time slower, letting the listener dwell away.

Hesperian Death Horse composed an enjoyable doom metal album, heavy and dense. There is a lot to find in only four tracks, and re listening to it, makes you experience a whole new level of gloomy and blackish metal again and again.

Words: Luis Luethi

Hesperian Death Horse @ Bandcamp

NEWS: Steak is “Rising” with Napalm Records ...

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Time for another trip into doomy stoner rock town. Today I discovered UK band Steak for the first time. Now I am a bona fide steak lover but when I saw that there was a band called Steak I was reluctant to hit play. Images of something awful that was trying to be funny bounced in my head preventing me from hitting play. I don’t know what came over me this morning but I had to see if Steak was something terrible or something I could sink my teeth into (Yes, all pun intended!). Now that I have I’m so glad I did as the boys in Steak may have had their tongue thoroughly in cheek when they chose the name of their band but they most definitely take their music seriously. After listening to their single “Rising” their moniker actually makes sense as this is some meaty stoner rock that you’ll want to sink your teeth into again and again!

Steak formed in the UK in 2010 and have put out a couple of Eps, Corned Beef Colossus & Disastronaught, which you can find on their bandcamp page (link provided at the bottom of this piece). Now they are about to unleash their first full length, Slab City, as their major label debut on Napalm Records. Steak should remind everyone of Kyuss as they appear to be the London reincarnation of that seminal band. If you were a fan of Kyuss, and I assume that’s a yes if you’re visiting Doommantia (Otherwise why man? Just Why?!), then you should definitely enjoy Steak. Kyuss aren’t the only flavor present and I also mean that comparison as a compliment to the band who don’t seem to be just Kyuss wannabe’s but a band with some real musical chops. You’ll hear several other influences in their music as well from bands like Fu Manchu and even some spacey psychedelic influence ala Monster Magnet. Take a listen to the first single, “Rising”, below and you should be thoroughly hooked on Steak as I now find myself.




Now that you’re addicted to Steak you can go pre-order the album (HERE). Slab City comes out Sept 1st in the UK and Sept 9th in the US & Canada. I certainly love a great t-bone and now I love Steak too!

Words: Feind Gottes

Where to find Steak:
Facebook : HERE
Bandcamp: HERE

Heads Up: Electric Wizard Unleash Teaser From Soon To Be Released New Album ...

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Well, everybody else is posting it so being the doom site that we are, we will do the same. This track is way beyond what we are at Doommantia was expecting and by that, we mean, much, much better. We like the heavy metalish vibe to it which is a far cry from the psych-rock feel of the last album. The new album, Time to Die comes out September 29th on Spinefarm. Load that bong and tell us what you think.....Savannah B


NEWS: MEGATON LEVIATHAN: Psychedelic Doom Practitioners Premiere New Hymn Via Invisible Oranges; Preorders Available ...

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MEGATON LEVIATHAN is preparing to release their most psychologically stirring, sprawling manifestation of sound to date with Past 21 Beyond The Arctic Cell.

Set for release via Seventh Rule Recordings next month, the record was mixed by MEGATON's newest resident thaumaturgist, Mort Subite (V.I.I.R.L., Alfheimr, Benighted In Sodom live), and is a near lethal dose of solemn audio narcotic, shifting the listener somewhere outside the realm of space-time for the duration of its dissociative transduction from speakers to brain. Glacial, yet burning with divine fire, Past 21's spell is simultaneously whispered in a hallowed chapel, and torn from a throat rent by the gnashing of teeth.

In celebration of its imminent release, today Invisible Oranges offers up first track, "Past 21," for mass consumption/reflection, relaying, "Like elder experimentalists, MEGATON LEVIATHAN are driven to create, explore, and meddle with moods. 'Past 21' is a fine example, opening with a cracked doom progression a la Old Man Gloom and spending the next four minutes shading in a map of a craggy, hellish landscape. The drone-verture could soundtrack a sci-fi moon landing, one unveiling an icy Io-esque tomb while providing the proper you-gonna-die foreshadowing. It's also a kind of painful purgatory: if you took the wrong drugs, you might think it's going to be a long night. Then MEGATON LEVIATHAN flip the script. At 4:06, 'Past 21' breaks free of its downer stasis thanks to a deep guitar crunch supported by pumping organs. Now you're swaddled in warmth. The song is still blue but it's on the rise and moving, buoyed by an epiphany of acceptance. Whatever trepidation you had before is blasted away with deliciously sad strings, solos that float like ash from a fire, and vocals that have that unobtrusive-yet-totally-affecting lilt of Kenny Hickey. Things have clicked. Welcome to nine minutes of melancholy bliss. The instruments ring out. You finally exhale. What a trip."

Adds founder/lone original member, Andrew James Costa Reuscher, "The graal can only be obtained once everything is lost in its quest. SMIB."

Take the trip with "Past 21," now playing at THIS LOCATION.

In April of 2014, Reuscher and Subite took Past 21 on the road for a first round of West Coast dates as a one man show/performance piece featuring heavy visual elements with Reuscher the unifying human component, and Subite as the hidden hand, mixing live audio. MEGATON LEVIATHAN later tapped V.I.I.R.L. drummer Markus Covello to join the onstage lineup. With Reuscher handling vocal and guitar operations, and Subite continuing his live audio duties, this revamped, three-man cast will form the core of the MEGATON LEVIATHAN live experience for the duration of the forthcoming performances. See confirmed dates below.

MEGATON LEVIATHAN Live 2014:
8/24/2014 Star Theater - Portland, OR * Record Release Show
8/30/2014 TBA - Bozeman, MT
8/31/2014 Black Sparrow Tattoo Club - Billings, MT
9/03/2014 Quarters - Milwaukee, WI
9/04/2014 Ghost House - Bloomington, IN
9/05/2014 5thQuarter Lounge - Indianapolis, IN
9/07/2014 Acheron - Brooklyn, NY
9/08/2014 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
9/09/2014 The Crown - Baltimore, MD
9/10/2014 Static Age - Asheville, NC
9/12/2014 Springwater - Nashville, TN
9/14/2014 Siberia - New Orleans, LA
9/15/2014 TBA - Austin, TX
9/16/2014 TBA - Dallas, TX
9/18/2014 Bar Bar - Denver, CO


Past 21 Beyond The Arctic Cell will be released on September 9th, 2014 via Seventh Rule Recordings on CD and bone with sea blue and double mint splatter vinyl. Preorder your copy today at THIS LOCATION.

Megaton Leviathan Official Website
Megaton Leviathan Facebook
Seventh Rule Official Website
Seventh Rule Instagram
Seventh Rule Tumblr
Seventh Rule Twitter

Source: Earsplit PR
Posted By Tony C

The Order Of Israfel - "Wisdom" ...

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This morning I woke to the sound of something special. After a quick check of my e-mail I was on the hunt for new music. It’s been a slow week so I expected nada but instead I found The Order of Israfel and their 10 minute doomy stoner rock epic Wisdom. Color me impressed. Wisdom is the title track to their upcoming Napalm Records debut due out in one week on August 29th, pre-order here - http://shop.napalmrecords.com/theorderofisrafel.

When you check out a band labeled as doom for the first time the first expectation is for something fit for a funeral or at least something that should involve death in some way. So hitting play on The Order of Israfel that is pretty much what I was expecting which would have been perfectly fine since I do love good doom.

Instead they’re addition of other elements to the doom mix namely stoner rock make this sound more like if Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath had crossed paths and had themselves some love children (well perhaps grandchildren at this point). 

If Wisdom is any indication of what the entire album has in store any lover of doom or stoner rock is going to be very happy. I could praddle on but the description put out by Napalm Records probably says it better than I can so I’ll let them promo their own act as it seems to me they’ve found another gem.

     “There are bands that are just too big and wide-ranging to fit in a box, like THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL. Tom Sutton (ex-Church Of Misery) and Patrik Andersson Winberg (ex Doomdogs) two members of the line-up, already have made it in the Doom scene, so this is a sure indication that this band won’t break any speed records. And of course, THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL are rooted in Doom, but they shouldn’t be reduced to the pure slow-motion sound, because Wisdom is clearly too complex. Wisdom is a record of big gestures and stories and is full of epic beauty and magic. This is not music to be consumed just casually, but a widescreen sound with invitation to dive into tempting and dangerous world. Doom, Hard Rock, Metal, Folk - THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL play with many elements and form a compact unit out of it, with songs to never get boring. A mystical and mysterious album with a high potential to get addicted to. In short: An entry made to measure!”



Now generally I read a label’s press release like that thinking to myself, “Why the big hype? This must really be awful.” However, in this case the press release isn’t just bluster and in fact doesn’t go far enough to let everyone know that The Order Of Israfel are just damn amazing. Wisdom hooked me in immediately with a somewhat upbeat riff for doom. If you close your eyes listening to this one, a good idea with doom btw, it felt like floating on your back in the water with the sun happily beating down on your face though not so hot as to make you sweat. Perhaps a little umbrella drink inhttp://seventh-rule.myshopify.com/collections/new-releases/products/megaton-leviathan-past-21-beyond-the-arctic-cell-lp your hand or maybe I just need a vacation. Check out the new video below and even being 10 minutes long I guarantee you’ll think it stopped too soon as you just wish it would keep going. Yes, it’s that good.



Hopefully you enjoyed that so again go pre-order it here (HERE )
You can find The Order of Israfel here:
Official Website: HERE
Facebook: HERE

Words: Feind Gottes, editor (http://www.thydemonsbescribblin.com/ )





NEWS: THE SKULL Featuring Former TROUBLE Members: 'For Those Which Are Asleep' Debut Due In November ...

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THE SKULL — the new band featuring two original members of American doom metal legends TROUBLE, Eric Wagner (vocals) and Jeff "Oly" Olson (drums), alongside longtime TROUBLE bassist Ron Holzner, guitarist Lothar Keller (SACRED DAWN) and former PENTAGRAM guitarist Matt Goldsborough — will release its debut album, "For Those Which Are Asleep", on November 4 via Tee Pee Records.

Written and recorded this past spring, "For Those Which Are Asleep" is the first full-length album to feature Wagner, Holzner and Olson since the 1995 release of TROUBLE's critically acclaimed LP "Plastic Green Head". The new record's greatest strength is how well it captures the apocalyptic trudge that TROUBLE delivered from the first downbeat of their 1984 debut, but now unequivocally propelled by the hallmarks of a hungry new band fueled by new blood. The mighty voice of Wagner is on full display; the vocalist proving on "For Those Which Are Asleep" that he still wields an eerie power at the mic. Titanic riffs abound as Keller and Goldsborough weave ominous atmospheres over the molten, crushing core of Holzner and Olson's sinister strut.



"For Those Which Are Asleep" track listing:

01. Trapped Inside My Mind
02. The Touch Of Reality
03. Sick Of It All
04. The Door
05. Send Judas Down
06. A New Generation
07. Till The Sun Turns Black
08. For Those Which Are Asleep
09. Sometime Yesterday Mourning
10. The Last Judgment

This month, THE SKULL will pay tribute to TROUBLE's landmark debut "Psalm 9" (which Wagner and Olson co-wrote and performed on) in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the record's release. THE SKULL will perform the influential album in its entirety at both the Wings Of Metal festival (August 29 in Montreal) and the Vultures Of Volume festival (August 30 in New Castle, Delaware) as headliners of each gathering. The band has also been confirmed to perform the full album at Barcelona's Day Of Doom festival on October 10. Additional shows are expected to be announced as well.

Left to right in photo: Jeff Olson, Matt Goldsborough, Eric Wagner, Ron Holzner and Lothar Keller

Photo credit: Ty Klingsick

Source: Blabbermouth

Blues Pills - "Blues Pills" ...

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Several months ago I had my first listen to Blues Pills with no idea who they were but I’m a sucker for the blues so just judging by the band’s name I figured it was one of my less risky bets. As it turns out I was off the mark. Yes, Blues Pills play the blues and well, but what I didn’t expect was for them to be so… so… sorry, I’m trying not to swear too much but how about I say DAMN GOOD. Blues Pills sound like someone did a little witchcraft, or I guess I should say necromancy, by raising Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix from the grave except for the fact that the graveliness (Is that a word? Is now.) is gone from Janis’ voice so maybe Elin Larsson is her grandchild or something.

Where Janis’ voice was burned out from chugging Jack Daniels like water, Elin’s is gritty but not yet grizzled.  Also how in the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks does the best blues band I’ve heard in years come out of a combination such as Blues Pills being that they are of Swedish, French and a sliver of American descent? You can ask yourself that one all you want but just listen to 18 year old (Yes, you read that right though he may be 19 now) Dorian Sorriaux. Where Elin Larsson sounds like a younger version of Janis Joplin, young Mr Sorriaux sounds like Jimi himself. Yes, I know I’m pouring on the adulation but damn these guys are good. If you haven’t heard their self-titled album yet you’re missing what is honestly the best blues album I’ve heard since possibly Stevie Ray Vaughn died. Check out their new video for their cover of Chubby Checker’s Gypsy below, it’s my understanding they’ve been playing it live for some time.


 I’ve already written about this band twice on my own site so take a peek at their first video for High Class Woman here. And an acoustic version of No Hope Here: here. Of course, I’m awesome so there’s a little more there than just the two vids so check that out at your leisure. If you don’t already own this album you can order via their label Nuclear Blast here.




Other places to find Blues Pills:
Official Website: HERE
Facebook: HERE
Twitter: HERE
Bandcamp: HERE

Words: Feind Gottes (editor, http://www.thydemonsbescribblin.com/ )

NEWS: THE SABBATHIAN to release SVART debut, feature Hour of 13 member ...

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Today, Svart Records announces September 3rd as the international release date for The Sabbathian's debut mini-album, Ritual Rites, to be released on vinyl and digital formats. The Sabbathian comprise two fundamental elements: doom metal, and the occult forces of nature and energy. These elements brought together three individuals in the form of The Sabbathian. Taking their roots to the core of true, heavy, darkened metal, The Sabbathian draw an unparalleled ion from the likes of Candlemass and Black Sabbath, all while retaining a sound very personable to them. Formed by Chad Davis (Hour of 13), the journey is to create music for the hours of darkness and gloom. Joined by guitarist Joey Downs (Altar Blood), his contribution adds the element of power and everything the sense of heavy. Featuring the sheer vocal beauty of Anette Gulbrandsen (Leave's Eyes, Nattsol, Mäctätus) at the forefront, her alto/soprano vocal stylings bring forth medieval choirs and haunting apparitions that complete what is The Sabbathian: a journey into darkness, a voyage into the cosmic void unknown. With Ritual Rites, The Sabbathianhave arrived as a force to be reckoned with in the world of modern-day occult doom rock, and will remain the top contender until death. First proof can be heard HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Sabbathian's Ritual Rites
1. Ancient's Curse
2. Ritual Rites
3. Nightshade Eternal







MORE INFO:
The Sabbathian Band Facebook
Svart Records Official
Svart Records Facebook
Svart Records YouTube
Svart Records Twitter
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