A DOOMED DESCENT (PART 3): TEMPLE OF VOID, VÖLUR, SHAPE OF DESPAIR

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Oct 172017
 

 

(We present Part 3 of a series of reviews by our Russian connoisseur of all things doom, Comrade Aleks, and today he shares impressions of, and music from, three more 2017 releases. Go here to check out Part 1 and here for Part 2.)

The Doom Cult reveals its brutal nature tonight…

First of all, I’d like to remind you of the well-known ghouls from Temple Of Void. Next is the heathen coven Völur with their latest record Ancestors. And the third stage of this doom descent is Shape Of Despair, in case you missed the reissue of their monumental demo Alone In The Mist. Continue reading »

A DOOMED DESCENT (PART 2): MARCHAFUNEBRE, KABBALAH, ECHOLOT

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Oct 112017
 

 

(We present Part 2 of a series of reviews by our Russian connoisseur of all things doom, Comrade Aleks, and today he shares impressions of, and music from, three more 2017 releases. Go here to check out Part 1 of this series)

Today we’ll meet three faces of doom: a traditional one performed by Marchafunebre, vintage rocking by Kabbalah, and psychedelic and bluesy stylings from Echolot.

 

Marchafunebre:  Under Will (Australis Records)

Inspired by Solitude Aeturnus and late Candlemass, this Chilean band appeared seven years ago. The hour-long EP includes Marchefunebre’s first demo Hymns Of The Final Holocaust (2010) and three new tracks. Continue reading »

A DOOMED DESCENT (PART 1): ARMY OF DAGON, CARDINALS FOLLY, DAUTHA

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Oct 092017
 

 

(Our Russian connoisseur of all things doom, Comrade Aleks, has brought us a series of reviews of 2017 releases that we haven’t yet touched upon, beginning with this first trio of assessments.)

I looked through my list of reviews for September and suddenly found for myself a few names that I almost forget to mention in the places where they should be mentioned. Shame on me…

I’d like to solve this situation as soon as possible, so a few stories of doom wait ahead. Let’s start with new records of Seattle-based Army Of Dagon, the heretics from the Finnish woods, Cardinals Folly, and the grim crew of Dautha (Sweden).

 

Army Of Dagon:  Night Of The Mystics (Self-released)

Army of Dagon from Seattle made their way to a self-titled debut without hurry: Born in 2011, they managed to record it only in 2015. This record represented a kind of traditional doom with heavy metal influences and melancholic atmosphere. Two years passed and they return with a sophomore release that successfully cultivates the general “Army Of Dagon” musical ideas. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DESTROYER OF LIGHT

 Interviews  No Responses »
Aug 162017
 

 

(Comrade Aleks is back, and brings with him this interview of Steve Colca, guitarist/vocalist of Austin-based Destroyer of Light.)

Horror movies, bloody sacrifices, and a bit of smoke – these topics work better when you play slow and low stuff. Just like Destroyer of Light do. That Austin-based band crawls out of their dungeon with seven new tracks entitled Chamber of Horrors.

It’s their second full-length, and the men naturally reached another level in their musicianship, keeping the same grim and hard sound. The feature of this record is a wider range of influences (including a heavier, sludgy sound), yet all of these imprints fit Destroyer of Light’s image well.

Need some darker vibe? Here it comes! “There’s a murder at the altar, So his spirit will arrive!” Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: OLDE (CORY MCCALLUM)

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Jul 102017
 

 

(After a hiatus in which Comrade Aleks was writing a book about doom, he returns to NCS with this very engaging interview of Cory McCallum, bassist of the Canadian band Olde, whose new album is headed our way next month.)

Olde (first known as Corvus) have provided their crushing down-tuned rumble since 2014. Olde’s place of origin is Malton of God-blessed Ontario… The band is big, they play as a quintet: Doug McLarty on vocals, Chris Hughes and Greg Dawson (who’s known also as a sound producer) play guitars, Cory McCallum is the bass player, and Ryan Aubin is the drummer, coming from Sons of Otis.

Their first record is a full-length album named simply I. Hypaethral Records released it as a 12” vinyl on November 12, 2014. Olde’s debut was a damn focused, tight, and fierce blend of doom and stoner with violent sludgy vocals. They kept well the balance, but they don’t identify the band with any of those things (though their songs contain elements of each). They just tried to write heavy riffs, heavy parts, heavy songs. They aimed for that, and they got it…

Olde’s second full-length Temple is going to be released by STB Records in August (it follows the band’s Shallow Graves EP, released last August). We made a decision to do this interview with Cory McCallum to bring you much information about this release. Continue reading »

CARDINALS FOLLY: ALBUM NEWS AND “WORSHIP HER FIRE”

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
May 162017
 

 

(Today our Russian friend Comrade Aleks isn’t bringing us one of his interviews, but instead some news about the Finnish band Cardinals Folly, including a single from their new album.)

This blasphemous doom cult was started in Helsinki in around 2004, under the name of The Coven. That title fitted the band’s music, but there were just too many bands with the same name, so The Coven was dissolved and renamed Cardinals Folly, after a place in a Dennis Wheatley black magic novel.

The head of this sect is Mikko Kääriäinen and he’s been the only constant member of Cardinals Folly since its beginning: other musicians have come and gone after a number of occult sessions. Probably only drummer Sebastian Lindberg demonstrated real perseverance, as he accompanied Mikko from the first EP Heretic’s Hangover (2008) until the second full-length Our Cult Continues! (2014), but even he left the band a year after that album was released, and the next one, Holocaust of Ecstasy and Freedom, was recorded with a new lineup. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: CASTLE (MAT DAVIS)

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May 082017
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us this interview with guitarist Mat Davis of the North American heavy doom band Castle.)

Castle is one of the most powerful bands of the States’ heavy scene. They’ve combined doom and heavy metal since 2009, and each of their four albums is an impressive and focused work filled with concentrated energy.

The recording lineup hasn’t changed since the band’s founding: Elizabeth Blackwell on vocals and bass, Mat Davis on guitars, and Al McCartney on drums. Liz’s voice is thick and charged; each line she sings and each chord Mat produces really count.

Their latest album Welcome to the Graveyard was released in July 2016 by Ván Records and since then Castle has played a damn lot of shows, so I wondered if they’ve had time to compose some new tunes. Are you wondering this too? Okay, then this interview with Mat will shed some light on the band’s past, present, and a bit of future. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SOLACE (TOMMY SOUTHARD)

 Interviews  1 Response »
Apr 192017
 

 

(In this interview Comtrade Aleks checks in with guitarist Tommy Southard of New Jersey’s Solace.)

This dirty, angry and literally possessed stoner crew is known because of its charged and uncompromising delivery and damn vivid shows. They’ve shaken the New Jersey scene since 1996 and since then have achieved some recognition with three full-length albums, a few smaller releases, and a lot of live gigs.

Solace’s latest work “A.D.” was released in 2010, and that’s okay since the band’s members also play in more sinister and sludgy outfits like The Disease Concept, Social Decay, and Chrome Waves. They’re busy men, and they know well how to play loud and heavy.

I hadn’t heard anything new from Solace for awhile and was worried a bit. As result I got in touch with Tommy Southard (guitars) and he patiently answered my questions, helping with this retrospective interview. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KINGNOMAD

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 032017
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us this interview of one of the founders of the Swedish band Kingnomad, whose new album Mapping the Inner Void was released by Ripple Music earlier this year.)

 

Take Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, add a cleaner and heavier sound to their vintage doom rock, then enforce it with Sabbathian tritone and Dead Meadow’s psychedelic vibe, and it’s not difficult to imagine how Swedish occultists Kingnomad sound on their new record Mapping the Inner Void.

They don’t reinvent the wheel, but they do their work heartily, masterfully, and with sinister passion. Ripple Music did the good job lending a hand to Kingnomad to help with the release of the album. The time for unholy doom rock in all its crimson glory has come!

This interview with Johnny is the result of science and a spiritualism alliance as he gave me his answers through the virtual séance in truly unimaginable ways. Continue reading »

“A LAKE OF GHOSTS” AND A LEXICANUM OF DOOM

 Metal News  1 Response »
Mar 272017
 

 

In this post we’ve collected two pieces of news that should be appealing to addicts of doom, one of which involves our doom-devoted interviewer, Comrade Aleks.

“A LAKE OF GHOSTS: THE LONG SHADOW OF MY DYING BRIDE”

The first piece of news concerns a devotion to the ground-breaking English doom band My Dying Bride. Specifically, Doom-metal.com has organized a compilation of MDB tracks as performed by an array of other bands. As explained by Doom-metal:

“We set out to make an album that would do justice to one of the most influential of all Doom bands, not by sticking within the Gothic/Death/Doom boundaries that My Dying Bride defined and made their own, but by inviting those from further afield in the Doom genres who found MDB just as vital in shaping their own paths. And we asked them to create their own versions of a song that would both demonstrate the influence and portray their own individual style, to show just how far the long shadow has been cast.” Continue reading »

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