Pyres – Year of Sleep
By Gruesome Greg I don’t deny that I’m not as plugged-in to the local scene as I used to be, so if it takes…
sludge
Kylesa – Ultraviolet
Hellbound Metal: “All the things that make Kylesa Kylesa are still present but the band has shed another layer of skin to expose a deeper sense of self, thus creating a highly dynamic and more sensitive album. The heavier sludge parts exude power and defiance while the more plaintive aspects display vulnerability.’
Inter Arma – Sky Burial
Hellbound Metal: “Beneath the roiling black clouds thundering amid the highest peaks, the process of death’s bodily finality plays out its bloody and peaceful last act. Sky Burial is an intensely powerful, emotional album best enjoyed as a whole.”
Sannhet – Known Flood
The end result: despite some notable moments, the album is not as powerful or as interesting as early previews suggested it might be.
Blue Aside – The Moles of a Dying Race
It’s no secret that I dug the shit outta the first Pyramid record (to put it not-so-mildly), so in some ways, this is kinda what I’d hoped BP II would be. But don’t get me wrong, these guys aren’t some second-rate Black Pyramid imitators, by any means. There is only one Blue Aside, and they are fully deserving of your respect and admiration. You should really buy this record!
It’s the Week of the Witch, it’s the Week of the Witch next week…
I’m not sure there’s been a better week for female-fronted doom in this city than the forthcoming seven days. Between tour stops by Royal Thunder, Witch Mountain and Castle and a headlining gig by Toronto’s own Blood Ceremony, ’tis a trippy time for those who like tritones and plaintive female vocal-tones, indeed!
Ancestors – In Dreams and Time
While their debut album was all over the place—in a bad way—Ancestors have a delivered a much more focused effort this time around that’s worthy of a few spins. Recommended for fans of Neurosis, Isis and the like; just don’t expect to hear much that those bands haven’t done before
So I missed the NFC Championship to see Ghost, but should I skip the Super Bowl for some Slow Southern Steel?
I gotta say, I’ve been pretty stoked for Slow Southern Steel ever since I first heard of the concept a couple years back. A documentary on the southern sludge scene starring Kylesa, Eyehategod, Sourvein, Zoroaster, Dixie Witch and Weedeater, to name but a few, directed by CT from Rwake, sure sounds like it’s right up my alley. And now that the film’s finally ready for release, they’re taking the show on the road, with screenings in 19 US cities opening for Zoroaster and sludge supergroup Hail! Hornet (feat. Dixie Dave, T.Roy et al). To say that I’m awfully tempted would be an understatement…
Some sounds from the stoner/doom underground…
So, before I get into my top albums of the year, it’s time for some Christmas cleaning. These reviews have been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of most of these bands–but some of them are worth checking out.
Antediluvian – Through the Cervix of Hawwah
Crushingly heavy, riotously unconventional and passionately demoniacal, Through the Cervix of Hawwah is the sound of devolution.