Lord Mountain, The Oath (King Volume 2023)

June 9, 2023May 5, 2023 Wayne EdwardsCalifornia, Doom Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, King Volume Records, Lord Mountain

California doom band Lord Mountain present their debut long-player, The Oath.

Lord Mountain has been creating traditional doom in California since 2014. Their first EP (self-titled) came out two years after their founding and held four heavy tracks that left their growing fan base hoping for more. At last, the wait is over. The band is Jesse Swanson (guitar, vocals), Sean Serrano (guitar), Andy Chism (bass), and Pat Moore (drums).

There are seven primary tracks and an interstitial piece on the new album. The classic metal song “Well of Fates” gives us a nice introduction to the set. As the music goes on, it fills in, coloring the adventurous metal with shadows of doom. The vocals have a nostalgic 1980s feel to them, and alternating lead guitar opens the passage to the finish. “The Giant” is more confrontation than the opener, which had the feel of quest. Here there is a foe that must be addressed – the mesmerizing guitar is the perfect tool. “Beyond the Frozen Sea” is a short instrumental giblet, leading to “The Last Crossing,” a fast one that rambles hard for a time. Halfway through, the mood and tempo shift, becoming more reflective.

Side two begins with “Chasm of Time,” a radio song if I ever heard one. It is a punchy tune that is a good wake-up for the middle bit, especially since the remaining songs carry the essence of epic metal and doom, leaning heavily on fantasy ideals in musical themes and narrative characterizations. “The Sacrifice,” “Serpent Temple,” and “The Oath” – the final three songs – seem very much like a triplet to me, fitting perfectly together and displaying similar, and related, ideas. Traditional heavy metal fans who like dark fantasy elements with the colors of doom in their music will welcome the album. Recommended.

The Oath is out now through King Volume Records. Have a go at the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://lordmountain1.bandcamp.com/album/the-oath

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lordmountaindoom/

King Volume Records, https://kingvolumerecords.bandcamp.com/

Kabbalah, Spectral Ascent (Ripple 2023)

June 8, 2023June 8, 2023 Wayne EdwardsDoom Metal, Ripple Music, Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal, Stoner, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Kabbalah, Spain, Ritual Metal

Kabbalah’s first full-length album Spectral Ascent gets a new release from Ripple Music.

Kabbalah is a doom rock trio from Pamplona, Spain. They released a triplet of EPs in rapid succession beginning in 2013 that established them as a significant force in heavy music. Spectral Ascent was their first long-player, originally released in 2017 by Twin Earth Records. Ripple Music released Kabbalah’s second album, The Omen, through their Rebel Waves Records imprint in 2021. Now Spectral Ascent will be available to the wider audience that has been clamoring for it, especially the physical versions. According to the Metal Archives, Kabbalah is Marga Malaria (bass, vocals), Carmen Espejo (drums, vocals), and Alba Díez de Ure (guitar, vocals).

The music is a combination of doom and classic rock, ritual music and occult psychedelics. “Resurrected” sounds like a rock song from the 1960s that has been updated with current sensibilities. It has a smooth rock side and a trippy side that come together to create a greater whole. “Phantasmal Planetoid” is a beautiful steady doom piece that brings out the darkness through tone more than volume. “The Darkest End” exploits moments of pop rock ideation and cool choruses to engage the listener while at the same time introducing more subtle spells.

My favorite track on the album is probably “The Darkness of Time” because of its extra active posture. “The Shadow” sticks in my memory as well because it seems misty to me, like something you can see well enough but still, somehow is behind a barely-visible veil that masks something nonphysical. This song truly has sway over me. This set deserves to be heard by a wide audience because it is sure to be embraced whole-heartedly by a broad swath of heavy music fans. We should be grateful for the re-issue. Highly recommended.

Spectral Ascent is out now digitally through Ripple Music. CD and vinyl versions will ship around June 23^rd and can be preordered now – a good idea if you want to get one before they sell out.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/spectral-ascent-reissue

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Kabbalahrock/

Ripple Music, https://www.ripple-music.com/

FFMB review of The Omen, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2021/01/17/kabbalah-the-omen-rebel-waves-records-2021/

Voidhaven, Lithic (Ardua 2023)

June 7, 2023May 3, 2023 Wayne EdwardsAnubi Press, Ardua Music, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Germany, Heavy Metal, Lithic, Voidhaven

German doom metal band Voidhaven release their first full-length album, Lithic.

Voidhaven started out eight years ago in Hamburg, Germany. They are a doom band that infuses a doses of death metal into the mix. Prior to the new album, all we had to listen to was the two-song self-titled EP that came out in 2018. In that sense Voidhaven a band of mystery – unless you have seen them live, you don’t know what their music sounds like. The musicians are Simon Schorneck (vocals, guitar), Phil Kruppa (guitar), Marcos Lege (keys), Jakob Gozdzielewski (bass), and Norman Müller (drums).

There are six big tracks on the new album. First up, “Resting on Tombs.” The music is somber and almost mournful to begin with, in sort of a melodic doom kind of way. The heavy guitar riffs get more serious soon enough, and we hear the vocals step in, rough yet decipherable. Quietening bars come back and then the music shifts toward a reflective piano, with sounds of destruction in the distance, a voiceover, and finally back to the established earlier presence. It is quite a journey. “Sermon of Scorn” has many of the same elements, but it is more mysterious, more otherworldly. High marks for that. “To Walk Among Ghosts” finishes the side, and it is the clearest presentation of doom so far. Melodic vocals give a funereal, hymnal feeling, and deepen the impression of finality. It is an excellent song – my favorite on the album.

“The Everblazing Picture” fits in with the others, and has an expansive burst toward the end. “The Desolate Throne,” on the other hand, is more reserved and serious, with grand expressions. “Something Cruel Within” brings the set to a close. The vocals emit suffocated suffering and the placing of the shifts and changes barely rescues you in time. The keys here are even more expressive, and the death metal elements are honed to match the hopelessness of the adjoining music. Well done. Recommended.

Lithic descends upon our planet on Friday, June 9^th through Ardua Music. Get yours at the links below.

Links.

Voidhaven website, http://voidhaven.de/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/voidhaven/

Ardua Music, https://www.arduamusic.com/

Lucifer’s Fall, Children Of The Night (Morbid and Miserable 2023)

June 6, 2023May 5, 2023 Wayne EdwardsAustralia, Children Of The Night, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Lucifer's Fall, Morbid and Miserable Records, Punk

Lucifer’s Fall make their final recordings before the last curtain: Children Of The Night.

Lucifer’s Fall is a doom band from Adelaide, Australia. They formed in 2013, and they have been an enormous presence in the doom world Down Under ever since. Last year they decided they had had enough and were going to disband. Before they wandered off into the abyss, they decided to make one more record, Children Of The Night. The band is Deceiver (vocals), Heretic (guitar), Invocator (guitar), Cursed Priestess (bass), and The Hammer (drums).

“Children Of The Night” starts with spoken words: “At midnight they come crawling / behold, the Children of the Night.” As the song proceeds, the speaking turns into singing and the guitars rise to menace. The pace picks up at midway, and the darkness bubbles in on a sanguine hook. “Doom In The Grave” has a big guitar presence on the first bar, thick and oppressive. The song does not break tempo, and the ending features disembodied voices presaging fantastic lead guitar work. It has almost a Candlemass kind of feel to it.

“Fight With The Beast” is a banger; short, rapid, rugged. The punk brute flashes its fangs here and runs around on a rampage ripping flesh. This is a high-energy affair, and just the pump-up we can make use of to get ready for “Judgement Day.” The doom is back in force here, crushing anything and everything within reach. The pace speeds up and you start to feel Venom in spirit. Blasting beats, heavy chop, and careening shredding bring both order and disarray – I can see the circle pit when I close my eyes, forming a vortex to the dark beyond. Excellent.

The set ends on a new (2022) version of the band’s eponymous “Lucifer’s Fall,” a song that goes back to their 2014 self-titled album (and it was on demos even before that). It is a monstrous doom song. This version is a bit longer than the original and it benefits from newer recording capabilities, so it sounds great. Fans are going to like having this latter day take. I hate to see Lucifer’s Fall shut it all down, but if you’re going to go out, this is the way to do it. Recommended.

Children Of The Night is out now through Morbid and Miserable Records. I listened to it on Bandcamp. You can get it there or through the label’s on-line store at the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://lucifersfall.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-night

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/LucifersFallDoom

Morbid and Miserable Records, https://morbidandmiserable.storenvy.com/

Ignominy, Imminent Collapse (Transcending Obscurity 2023)

June 5, 2023May 4, 2023 Wayne EdwardsAvant-garde Metal, Canada, Death Metal, Dissonant Metal, Heavy Metal, Ignominy, Transcending Obscurity Records

Canadian dissonant death metal band Ignominy present their first full-length album, Imminent Collapse.

Formed in Quebec, Canada ten years ago, Ignominy create dissonant, avant-garde death metal that is an all-out attack on your senses. The EP Fear The Living (2019) established the fundamental ideas the band wanted to deal with. The new record, their first long-player, takes these notions further, and deploys them with fuller force. The band is Philippe Gariépy (guitars), Marc-Antoine Lazure (drums), Alexandre Desroches (vocals), and Alexandre Préfontaine (bass).

There are six primary tracks on the album plus two short transition pieces. “Frantic Appeasement” starts the show with a clank and a bang. It is a noisy affair that does lay down a riff and rhythm to guide the vocals in their guttural exertions, screams, and howls. Chaos breaks out now and then, like a sudden, unexplained stabbing. “Defaulting Genetics” is a bit more linear in a Primus kind of way. It feels like an expression of mindless violence and/or hatred. “Reminiscence of Hatred” starts quietly, but you know it is a trick, a lure. Given what has come before, you know that something heavy this way comes. There is less raggedness in this track, although some is there. “Premonition of a Dead End (Interlude I)” is an airlock between side one and two.

“Nightmare Bacteria” speaks to me most, perhaps because of the doomish interiors. There are long spaces of heaviness drawn across the ground with periodic eruptions of abstract activity. “Visceral” cleaves a way through the hedge and is reminiscent of Tool for a short while. Sour clangs beat insurgent order into submission. “Prélude Vers L’angoisse (Interlude II)” is the sound of placidity in the distance, leading to the final track, “Visuals.” It is the longest piece by a hair, and stands out for its creativeness in a set that is defined by creativeness. It goes out on a scream. This music is work for you unless you are into avant-garde metal, and if you are, you will revel in it.

Imminent Collapse is out now through Transcending Obscurity Records. Have a look at the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ignominydeath.bandcamp.com/album/imminent-collapse

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ignominydeathQC/

Transcending Obscurity Records, https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

Photo Gallery: Bassists, Part 9

June 4, 2023May 3, 2023 Wayne EdwardsBlue Ridge Rock Festival, Cannibal Corpse, Carnivore AD, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Down, Heavy Metal, Higher Ground, In This Moment, Live Music, Muddy Roots Festival, Primitive Man, Pure Filth Festival, The Monkey House, Thrash Metal, Underoath, Unearth, Whores

**In This Moment at Blue Ridge Rock Festival**

**Underoath at Blue Ridge Rock Festival**

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Photo Gallery: Singers, Part 5

June 3, 2023May 3, 2023 Wayne EdwardsAmon Amarth, Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Black Tarpoon, Blue Ridge Rock Festival, Body Count, Day of the Sun, Death Metal, Gatecreeper, Heavy Metal, Higher Ground, Images Of Eden, Live Music, Muddy Roots Festival, Nekrogoblikon, Piere's Entertainment Center, Spiritbox, The King Of Clubs, The Webster Theater

**Amon Amarth at Andrew J. Brady Music Center**

**Black Tarpoon at Muddy Roots Festival**

**Spiritbox at Blue Ridge Rock Festival**

**Body Count at Blue Ridge Rock Festival**

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Corpsessed, Skeletal Grotesquery (Krucyator 2023)

May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 Wayne EdwardsCorpsessed, Death Metal, Finland, Heavy Metal, Krucyator Productions, Live Music, Skeletal Grotesquery

Finland’s Corpsessed bring their live performance from Braincrusher in Hell Festival to the wide world: Skeletal Grotesquery.

Ask any diehard death metal fan about Corpsessed and you will get an earful. Formed in Finland in 2008, Corpsessed has released four full-length albums and a couple of EPs (plus a split with Solothus and Undergang that is really hard to find these days). The latest record, Succumb To Rot (2022), is one of their very best, and I think the band is performing at the highest level of their career now, fifteen years in. Corpsessed is N. Matilainen (vocals), M. Mäkelä (guitar, vocals), J. Lustig (guitar), T. Kulmala (bass, vocals), and J-P. Manner (drums).

Skeletal Grotesquery is a live recording from Corpsessed’s performance at Braincrusher in Hell Festival in Hirschaid, Germany, on November 25, 2022. Reportedly, there are no overduds on this set, which is amazing when you listen to it. The precision and execution is beyond impressive. The set list is “Succumb to Rot,” “Relentless Entropy,” “Death-Stench Effluvium,” “Spiritual Malevolence,” “Sortilege,” “Ravening Tides,” “Demoniacal Subjugation,” “Forlorn Burial,” and “Pneuma Akathartos.”

The recording starts out with some crowd noise so you can get the feel of a live performance, then plows right into “Succumb To Rot.” The music was captured directly from the soundboard, so the large presences as well as the nuances come through exceptionally well. There aren’t any issues with the sound to report at all. The crowd rumblings in between songs gives you the feeling you are in a club and they enhance the experience measurably. Live recordings do not always live up to our expectations because they frequently do not really sound the way the band sounds live. This one is done right and does make you feel like you were actually there when it all went down. Recommended.

Skeletal Grotesquery becomes real on May 29^th through Krucyator Productions on digital and CD. Get yours at the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://krucyator.bandcamp.com/album/skeletal-grotesquery

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Corpsessed/

Krucyator Productions, https://krucyator.com/

FFMB review of Succumb To Rot, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/04/21/corpsessed-succumb-to-rot-dark-descent-2022/

Tombstalker, Age Of Darkness (Boris 2023)

May 30, 2023May 3, 2023 Wayne EdwardsBoris Records, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Kentucky, Lexington, Thrash Metal, Tombstalker

Death metal thrashers Tombstalker are back with a new EP, Age Of Darkness.

From Lexington, Kentucky, Tombstalker came together in 2008. In the first couple years of their existence, the band dropped two demos and two splits (one with Glass Coffin and one with Dawn Of Wolves), working up to their self-titled EP in 2011. The full-length album Black Crusades hit the streets in 2015, and since then they have slowed down on the music publishing side. Fans are going be thrilled with the new EP, the band’s first new music in six years. There have been a few line-up shifts over the years, which is a regular thing for long-lived groups. The band is now Conqueror Horus (vocals, guitar), Defiler (bass), Gruftspüre (guitar), and Contagion (drums).

The four-song EP begins with “Astral Combat,” an avalanche of thrash with the powerful growling threat of death metal. It is an overwhelming musical attack. Toward the middle, the music heads along groove territory where you can catch your breath for a minute. The metal builds then to flurry, adding heavy riffs and savage snarling to finish. “Titan Warlord” blazes with just as much ferocity, putting a groove in as well, establishing a memorable precedent.

“Age of Darkness” runs at radio length and begins quietly with acoustic guitar. The sentiment is preserved throughout, finally fading into the distance. The finish is “Final Night,” a calamity of guitars roaring at a blistering pace. It is speeding metal with a nice glide, combining rough death metal with polished composition and production – a winning combination. Recommended.

Age Of Darkness is out on vinyl and cassette on May 29^th through Boris Records, and on CD from Morbid Aggressor Productions. Bandcamp is a good place to start looking at your options (link below).

Links.

Bandcamp, https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/age-of-darkness

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/tombstalkerband/

Boris Records, https://boris-records.com/