Tag: stoner
-
El Caco – 7
Get yer mind outta the gutter—this band’s name is Spanish for thief. That said, El Caco ain’t from Mexico, Spain or some other Latin American outpost… but rather from Norway, where they’ve been a household name since 1998(!)—as its moniker would suggest, this is actually their seventh album. Mind you, there are eight songs on here,…
-
Mountain of Wizard – Casting Rhythms and Disturbances
This NOLA quartet, Mountain of Wizard, is best known for having the drummer who replaced Joey LaCaze in Eyehategod. Unlike some other outfits from the area, they aren’t really known nationally… at least not yet. And they’re not really your standard sludge-metal outfit, either. For one thing, this album is entirely instrumental, featuring some up-tempo…
-
Limb – Terminal
Limb play excellent stripped down stoner-doom, with more than a hint of Corrosion of Conformity and Motorhead. Another plus on the band’s second album, Terminal, is an excellent concise yet organic production from the legendary Russ Russell; he has truly captured the essence of the band. Moreover, Limb’s song-writing is first class (all bands without…
-
Wildlights – Self-Titled
Wildlights, a North Carolina heavy-rock duo, is composed 50% of ASG. While I’m unfamiliar with Thunderlips, the other outfit in the equation, the outstanding recent output of the former was compelling enough for me to check this out. You can definitely hear the ASG influence here, while Torche would be another strong comparison point. That…
-
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth – self-titled
One of the most highly hyped stoner/doom debuts of recent months, this Seattle trio features Tad Doyle, he of the second-tier grunge band bearing his first name, and have been kicking around their local scene for several years—their only previous recording is a split dating back to ’09. Suffice to say this project might not…
-
Electric Wizard – Time to Die
I’ve heard all sorts of mixed reviews of this new Electric Wizard record, though most tend to be favourable (perhaps none more so than this liquidized-teeth kid). But for me, even before I lay wax to the turntable, my opinion is coloured by the whole Greening vs. Wizard feud, which is readily apparent just by looking…
-
YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascend
YOB is one of those names where I expect quality before I even take off the shrinkwrap. Only in this case, it’s been a while; their last album, Atma, came out about three years ago. Still, I wouldn’t expect any less from Mike Scheidt and co—I’m pretty sure its predecessor was on my year-end top 10 in 2011,…
-
Conan – Blood Eagle
I hope that when you hear the word “Conan” you don’t think first of the comedian. Arnold Schwarzenegger or the Robert E. Howard novels are acceptable answers. But this writer’s first thought goes to the English (mega)power trio Conan. Blood Eagle picks up where Monnos left off – which is somewhere ancient where everything is…
-
Pilgrim – II: Void Worship
Misery Wizard, the 2012 debut from Pilgrim, the Rhode Island trio, featured the kind of drawn-out, depressing doom that trod the same path as Reverend Bizarre. And while I’m not sure if they’re confessing their love of the bizarre reverend in the album title (RB’s drummer was known as Earl of Void), I’m expecting some…
-
The Lion’s Daughter & Indian Blanket – A Black Sea
By Gruesome Greg Holy Nine Band Members, Batman! I’m not sure if there’s a classical term for a nine-piece band (novtet?), but that’s how many faces appear in the band photo on this album, a collaborative effort between St. Louis sludge squad The Lion’s Daughter and folksy Americana outfit Indian Blanket. No, this is not a split—it’s…