Corrupted - El Mundo Frio (HG Fact, 2005)

Corrupted are quite possibly the most patient band in the world. They are the epitome of doom: near infinite intros, slowly plodding downtuned riffs, ambient space, growling vocals, and minimal delivery. Amidst all this, they even somehow succeed in incorporating a harp, proving to be as equally delicate and lush as they are heavy. Many of their albums are single tracks that pass the hour mark, reinforcing the unending bleakness of content.

The veteran Japanese act offers some of the most beautifully dystopian sounds I've ever heard. In keeping with the depressing aesthetic, in its twenty year existence, the band has never given an interview and does not do photos. Although they tour the west, they dismiss general interest in mass appeal. One esoteric factor is the use of Spanish as the choice of language for lyrics. Its a fascinating niche they've carved for themselves, and the abundance of fan posted live footage on youtube shows that it is working very well.

Thou - The Archer and the Owle (Sweat Lode Guru, 2012)

One of the best cassette purchases I've ever made. This is refined doom / sludge / dirge / metal. Absolutely gorgeous material here. In the spirit of Mournful Congreation and Warning. Modern doom not quite as depressing as Loss or Ocean, but definitely comparable. I say that only because the the Nirvana cover softens everything up. They treat "Something in the Way" with patience Kurt Cobain would've been proud of.

You can stream the album HERE



Download the album HERE

Thanks to Chad Layton.

Coven - Blessed is the Black (Ever Rat / Medusa, 1987)

I must admit that my introduction to these Seattle Doom / Thrash Metal dorks was at church. Yep, I was having to sit through the "Hells Bells" anti-rock music lecture and slideshow that so many poor kids my age were also forced to pay attention to. Well, the result was an obsession for things like occult imagery, booze, images of naked girls hanging from crosses, Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" video, Bon Scott passed out facedown in his own vomit, and an odd affinity for the face of Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, which is burned into my subconscious for all eternity.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Coven was a pretty ridiculous yet awesome band. Everything was tongue in cheek except for the killer shredding and decent vocals. I mean how satanic is a lyric like this?

"Pulsating steel, protruding from my thigh
She who spreads is she who dies.
Long as my arm and five times as thick,
You'll die at the end
Of my iron dick."

With songs like "McDonaldland Massacre" and "6669", I'm thinking fathers should have been more concerned with their daughters keeping their pants on backstage at Coven shows than losing their teenage souls to the Lord of Darkness. These dudes were the Pub Rock of Thrash.

Regardless, get amped on this batch of bitchin' riffs and a deadly blend of Thrash and Doom.

Recommended if you don't like Forced Entry, Metal Church or The Accused.



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Winter - Into Darkness (Future Shock, 1990)

Quite disturbing, bleak and creepy, this New York Death / Doom Metal band released this highly influential ep that didn't see much success at the time but went on to make an impact on bands like Sunn O)) and Unearthly Trance. They took their name from an Amebix song and didn't produce much more than another mediocre follow up in '94 but this stands the test of time. Into Darkness is slow and crushing. I dare you to disapprove.

This link contains the ep with bonus tracks

White Orange - S/T (Made In China, 2011)

I’d like to file this Portland quartet comfortably between progressive and sludge metal. Unfortunately, their sound is not that simple and it would be an injustice for me to label them as such. They are mesmerizing. With a slick, complex production and a swirling, psychedelic personality all their own, this overdriven, fuzzed out metal behemoth combines a multitude of influences while remaining completely unique.

With regret, I must do a lot of name-dropping here. They borrow from hard rock and metal bands like Deep Purple, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Nebula, The Sword and Mastodon; also included are hints of grunge such as Mudhoney and Nirvana; and there’s a nice touch with vocal sounds not far removed from Al Jourgensen’s Wax Trax days.

I want to call this stoner rock but in good conscience, I cannot. White Orange are more akin to drinking a vat of liquid acid. Space rock? Sure, but these guys travel by way of a wormhole to another dimension. Upon arrival, they are vacuumed into a black hole and spit out the other side, only slightly singed by the neighboring red dwarf.

All metaphors aside, the recurring musical theme of this album is always endearing and tasteful repetition is always welcomed. With fascinating time signature changes, the material never stales.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Rarely does anything so progressive compel this intelligently. White Orange arhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife masters of their craft and deliver their unusual message with grace and tact. Several times during my first listen I found myself drifting off into a bit of a trance. There is an innovative brand of psychedelia presented here that is currently unmatched. What we have here is a forty-four minute album that feels like a lifetime. This band is musical DMT.

The opening track hooked me with a Hawkwind “Psychedelic Warlords” feel. Not much later, there are lyrics that command us to “set the controls for the heart of the sun”. With that theme engaged, White Orange offer us an uncanny narrative that is sure to stake their claim as a new breed of metal.

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This article originally appeared in DOA

Loss - Despond (Profound Lore, 2011)

Nashville doomsayers Loss have finally achieved a full-length album and the result is passionate, moving and simply stunning. For all you kids out there that think you listen to "Doom" this might be a wake up call and a redefinition. Doom is not smoking weed and chillaxin' with your bros. Doom is remorse, sorrow, regret and suicide and self-loathing. A soundtrack for when you're numb or too depressed to shed a tear.

Loss has mastered these emotions. A sprawling, barren and pitiful landscape devoid of anything positive is delicately presented to us on Despond. When listening, its almost as if this music is a loving arm placed on your shoulder in an attempt to comfort but not knowing what to say.

While depressing in subject matter, this remains epic and beautiful music. Fans of Asunder and Katatonia will welcome this as a masterpiece almost six years in the making. This is funeral doom. This is one of the best albums of 2011. Enjoy.

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Blood Ceremony - S/T (Rise Above, 2008)

This Toronto, Canada band is actually doing something different than most current doom wannabe's. They're incorporating entirely too much flute. Yes, its Jethro Tull worship and I love it. Its complete with over the top Tommy Iommi worship, cute goth chick operatic vocals from a girl who, in between breaths, plays flute and B-3 and sings about smoking black drugs through Satan's bong. I hope she's a witch because she's making the devil sound much cooler than many of her band's counterparts.

Thanks to Rise Above Records for giving us Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, Witchcraft, Diagonal and now the authentically 70's sounds of Blood Ceremony. Witchrock has never sounded this hot.

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Monkey Fist Radio

Check out my friend Eric Foster's radio style sets on Soundcloud. Fantastic selection of choice cuts in various Avant metals--Sludge, Doom, Drone and experimental. I'm thoroughly enjoying this and you will too.

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Year of No Light - Ausserwelt (2010, Conspiracy Records)

In case you haven't noticed, France is a current hotbed for innovative Post-Metal endeavors and Year of No Light is one of the most interesting projects happening there. This sextet from Bordeaux consists of three guitarists, two drummers and a bassist with keyboard skills to boot. The loss of their vocalist forced them to experiment even further and they decided to pursue things instrumentally. Luckily, the intricate communication between the three guitars leaves no vocals to be desired.

I find it convenient that they admit to worshiping a "holy trinity of Black Sabbath, Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine", because it allows me to omit those obvious comparisons in my description.

The four tracks presented here are brilliantly cohesive; a seamless flow of peaceful melancholy, dirty over-driven chords, sludgy riffs with competing melodic Doom. There are even occasional forays into evil Black Metal tremelo and a bit of blastbeat drumming, all drowning in layers of noisy ambient drone.

Especially intriguing to me is the successful use of dual drummers. The effect is similar to some of the Godspeed You! Black Emperor material.

I hate the term Metalgaze but...

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Loss - Life Without Hope...Death Without Reason (2004, DEMO)

This is a really impressive demo from these Nashville Funeral Doom monsters. Slow and crushing songs about pain, illness and depression that obviously take cues from Thergothon and Mourning Beloved. Nothing run of the mill here either. Its a true homage to a life of depression leading to the inevitable release of suicide. Also included on this re-issue download is an outstanding live cover of Katatonia's "Brave" with guest vocals by Imperial from Krieg, as well as another Loss song that shows their affinity for Blackened Death as well.

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Black Mayonnaise - "TTSSATTRR" (2004, Emperor Jones)

Akron, Ohio's Mike Duncan should be given a key to the city. I applaud him for making the strangest music ever to come from an already strange musical landscape.

Hmm, so, how to describe this mess? Imagine you're bound and gagged in the trunk of a moving car. The couple bottles of robutussin your captors force-fed you are starting to take effect. The car subwoofers are violently vibrating the sounds of Sunn 0))) but the headphones they put on your ears are blasting Godflesh. The schizophrenia is full on and you'd really appreciate it if Grendel would stop poking you with that stick. When the hatch on this dark well is opened will you be greeted by aliens? Will they be friendly?

This is bowel-loosening lunar space sludge from some very twisted insomniac's bedroom. He probably still lives in his mom's basement. Does she know what he's building in there? And maybe she should check in on him once in a while. Jeesh.

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Cough - Sigillum Luciferi (2008)

Ok, folks. This is it. Sludge Metal songs about Satan and weed. I'm not sure it gets any better than this. The cover depicts Crowley's eleven-pointed star, a pentagram and marijuana leaves. I doubt they're serious about any of it but the imagery plays on all the attractive cliches of Metal in general and they have the skills and creativity to back it up.

I'm also impressed with the fact that they're not from the west coast. No revolving members from the Graves at Sea / Asunder scene. Richmond, Virginia. That's right. Southern boys. Hell yeah.

They acquired the drummer from The Sword for this album and he definitely makes his presence known. These are extremely slow and impressive compositions with the best production I've heard in this genre (Sanford Parker producer of Nachtmystium). Pure fucking magick. It gets more interesting as the album progresses. Let it seep into you.

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Bohren and Der Club of Gore - Black Earth (2002)

If you're not familiar with Doom Jazz but enjoy the music of Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch, you're in for a treat. Since 1992 this German quartet has been creating what I refer to as a demonic extension of the music for Twin Peaks. Also present is the influence of Barry Adamson's work on the "Lost Highway" soundtrack. Thanks to Mike Patton for re-issuing this on his Ipecac label in 2004. Its the Bad Angel on Codeine. I love this band.

They describe themselves as "an unholy mixture of slow jazz ballads, Black Sabbath Doom and down-tuned Autopsy sounds".

They've released a handful of albums through the years but "Black Earth" is their finest work. They work with traditional jazz instrumentation (minimal brushwork and sizzle cymbal on the drum kit, subtle upright bass, sparse piano, fender rhodes and breathy haunting saxophone); but eerier than you could imagine is the very creative and ghostly input of the mellotron. I'm also impressed with the way this album is mixed. I like the levels but be careful with your subwoofers when you throw this one on. This truly is Jazz for Doom Metalheads.

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Overmars - Affliction, Endochrine...Vertigo - 2005

My favorite underrated French metal band will rot your brain, confuse the hell out of you and weigh heavily on your mind if you manage to endure the 69 minute barrage. This 2005 release is extremely honest and radically brutal. I call it metal out of necessity. Its ripe with Black Metal, Sludge,Hardcore, Horror film soundscapes, instrumental interludes and dissonant atmospherics. Patiently delivering a story that seems infinite, this septet runs the gamut of moods underneath Arnaud's plaintive and growling vocals. Avant-garde intellectualism sides with grace and intensity in the face of their depressive and grisly subject matter. Meticulously produced, I highly recommend listening to this one in headphones. Only...not before bedtime.

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