“11 is one Louder”: Cryptworm from New England Doom overlords Black Tomb picks his Top 5 sludge/doom albums

Hailing from New England, Black Tomb recently brought to the table their debut self titled release just in time for the Halloween season. Black Tomb are a band that brings the darkness out of you and your mind can’t help but get lost in powerful riffs drenched in the fumes of hatred and despair while the fuzz shakes your core and vibrates the cavity causing all vital organs to hit the floor with a splat, while you bang your head against the wall from sheer madness.

Their debut is certainly something very special, it is album you’ll want to play very very loud, with little regard to your own mental stability.  The band have virtually obliterated the doom scene this year with their scuzzed up tones, securing a deal with via Totem Cat Records in process, as well as slot on the upcoming Dreadfest in Leeds, England next year.

Today we asked Cryptworm from the band to turn his amp all the way up to 11 and choose his top 5 sludge doom albums in our weekly feature “11 is one Louder”. 

Acid Witch – “Stoned” (2010)

There's nothing better than punks playing doom. Unless it's punks playing death-doom with 80's horror keys behind it. There's nothing better than that. Every Acid Witch release is perfect - from the artwork, down to the maniacal witch laughter. This was the first album I heard by them and I was blown away that anyone could turn old school doom influences like Trouble and Witchfinder General into this very cohesive Frankenstein monster of death metal, doom, and punk rock. They continue to pull it off every time. Just like the heavy metal greats, they only take themselves as seriously as they need to, which leaves a lot of room for incredible Fastway covers and throwing spider webs into crowds.

Witchfinder General – “Death Penalty” (1982)

This record. This is one that changed my life when I was younger. There is zero fat on this record. Front to back, it's one of the best things I've ever listened to. The song writing is brilliant and the structure of the album kills as well. It's a wild ride of perfect NWOBHM and old school doom that reminds you just how important it is to keep your songs catchy. One of a kind.

 Serpentine Path – “Emanations” (2014)

The only downside to this record is that the serpent worshiping cult creatures on the cover aren't in the band. This thing drags you down from the very start with ruthless oppression. I love when an album just gets straight to the point like this one. Incredibly crushing tones are achieved and the vocals are mixed so well underneath those commanding riffs. One of the most menacing examples of sludge ridden doom.

Candlemass – “Nightfall” (1987)

One of the greatest things to ever happen... What can I say about Candlemass that hasn't already been said? 'Nightfall' is jam packed with epic hymns for the melancholy souls of doom. It makes you feel like you're trapped in the saddest Dungeons & Dragons campaign you could ever imagine.

Electric Wizard – “We Live” (2004)

The most obvious for last... I feel like not including Wizard on this list would be me trying too hard to come up with something different. To me, Wizard is to doom what Sabbath is to heavy metal. 'We Live' is dripping with hatred and despair. There's no phoning it in here. This is genuine discontent for the world. The haunting and repetitious leads just creep under your skin. They keep this record monumentally heavy and you can't forget a single part of it.

You can check out Black Tomb below and their album “Black Tomb” is available digitally here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Various Artists - ‘Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost’ (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/11/2015

Label: Corpse Flower Records

Child Bite, along with Phil Anselmo brings the biggest name to the tribute, and Phil sounds like he had a blast trying Tom G. Warrior’s unique vocal inflections on for size. He’s like a middle-aged kid blasting “The Usurper” in front of a mirror, doing his best impression of Warrior while his parents are out of the house, which kicks this album off with a really fun tone

‘Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost’ LP//Digital track listing:

Side A:

1. Child Bite w/ Philip H. Anselmo - “The Usurper”

2. Persekutor - “Procreation Of The Wicked”

3. Acid Witch - “Cherry Orchards”

4. Temple Of Void - “Os Abysmi Vel Daath”

Side B:

5. Municipal Waste – “Nocturnal Fear”

6. Hayward (featuring Scott Kelly and Jason Roeder of Neurosis) - “Jewel Throne”

7. Coffin's Slave (featuring Scott Carlson of Repulsion) - “Dance Sleazy

8. Evoken – “Dawn Of Megiddo”

MP3 Download Bonus: Black Anvil – “Dethroned Emperor”

Flexi Bonus: Coffins Slave - Hellhammer’s “Reaper”

The Review:

There was a time, particularly in the first half of the 2000s where tribute albums were a dime a dozen. In fact, there were bands with only a single album out with tribute albums arriving only a year after that album had come out, as was the case with Evanescence. In a more relevant metal context, Dwell Records released an enormous number of metal tribute albums in the late 90s and early 2000s, to wildly varying results. But those tributes also enabled them to get some great albums from the likes of The Chasm and Evoken into major US record stores, at a time when that made a huge difference.

In 2015, tribute albums seem less prevalent anecdotally, or at least more easily ignored. It’s for that reason, along with the sheer effort and reverence ‘Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost’ has behind it, that this tribute is more special than just about any other out there past or present. You can order the album with a 150 page illustrated comic released earlier in the year, as the album is meant to be the comic’s soundtrack. There’s no questioning Celtic Frost’s influence and impact on the heavy metal genre, but this album really drives that point home.

Child Bite, along with Phil Anselmo brings the biggest name to the tribute, and Phil sounds like he had a blast trying Tom G. Warrior’s unique vocal inflections on for size. He’s like a middle-aged kid blasting “The Usurper” in front of a mirror, doing his best impression of Warrior while his parents are out of the house, which kicks this album off with a really fun tone. Sadly, Persekutor drop the ball a bit with a thin-sounding, antiseptic cover of “Procreation of the Wicked”, which takes some of the steam out of the album early on.

Luckily, there’s more than enough here to make up for a couple of stumbling blocks along the way. Acid Witch’s cover of “Cherry Orchards” makes a case for being better than the original for sheer personality, besides being really well-conceived and executed. Temple of Void’s take on “Os Abysmi Vel Daath” from 2006’s ‘Monotheist’ and Evoken’s “Dawn of Megiddo” are powerful versions in their own right, and each band remembers that the best part of covering a song is making it your own.

With the level of care that went into producing most of these covers, combined with the awesome idea behind the illustrated book that accompanies the album, what you have here is all you could really want in a tribute. There’s a level of passion for the band of honor here that so often feels absent from other tribute albums. For that reason, along with the quality of music on offer, ‘Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost’ is a step above and beyond just about any tribute album I’ve heard to date.

You can pick up an LP/illustrated book copy here. 

Live Review: Psycho California, The Observatory, May 15 - 17, (CA)

Looking at the Psycho California line-up for 2015 really looks like a dream come true for any stoner doom fanatic. Three days of pure heavy musical bliss? Who can turn that down!? Naturally, I was eager to see this event go down and Thief did not fail to deliver. As I got to the Observatory in Santa Ana, I could see rockers wearing everything from Saint Vitus to Sleep shirts symbolizing that this music scene was finally making big waves and showing its class on such a grand scale. After checking in and saying hello to the many friends I have made through this music, I got settled to see Radio Moscow first on the main stage. Straight up these guys kick major ass and can get anyone going with their old school style and fantastic punch as a band. The Radio Moscow boys are living proof that the roots of rock n roll are very much alive today. Parker Griggs has an amazing voice that can be compared to some of the greats from back in the day. 

After checking out their set I had some interviews to do and finished in time to see the mighty Conan in action. Conan is just sonic Terror. Ferocity is one way I can describe Conan’s music and hearing it live was just as impressive as when i heard it on record. They played “Hawk as Weapon” and it really made my day. Conan gave a sludgetastic delivery(complete with their signature black hoodies), setting a pretty high standard for the rest of the bands that had to follow up their set. From there I checked out Los Angeles locals Ancient Altar who did the LA scene proud. Paired up with some of the biggest names in the scene today these boys held their own and did the local doom scene proud as their set was representative of the quality and class that Los Angeles has to offer. If you are reading this please check out Ancient Altar as soon as possible, their dual vocal attack is something grand! These dudes destroy! (A special shout out to the Ancient Altar boys).

After a break and some interviews it was time for the legendary Bedemon. Bedemon showed everyone that music is from the soul and no matter what time it is, class is forever. It was only 6pm and the building was going nuts. Everyone who witnessed the set took part in music history. For the first time ever….Bedemon live! Wino is simply a lifer in this music scene and his presence and voice are one of a kind. Mr. Geof O’Keefe was incredible to watch on stage as he jammed with the rest of the band and i felt like he was teaching me how to properly play music. You know when they talk about soul and music? I think it’s safe to say these gentlemen have it. The entire band looked like they were having the time of their lives up there. Big props to Thief for making that happen, it was amazing to have witnessed something so epic that I did in fact, shed some tears. As I explained to Pellet (a behind the scenes hero!) that this entire band and performance was like the scene and progress coming full circle. The vanguard of heavy music present and performing showing us youngsters how it is done.  It is as if an artifact from ancient Egypt was just discovered and has given us more to history to analyze and reflect on. Frank, Greg, Geof and Wino, I must thank you all for the experience. ( I did an interview with Geof of Bedemon as well. Stay tuned for that!).

After a stunning performance by Municipal Waste it was time for Seattle’s Bell Witch. The Duo was just stunning. I saw people crying during their performance. Outside or not, nothing can stop this band from sounding great. Material for their latest album was played and it sounded just as it did on record. Always a great thing when bands can replicate what you hear on record live. Bell Witch are masters of their craft. Cough delivered a devastating performance right after which included new music for those of you who cannot get enough Cough in your lives. Cough always blows me away when I see them live and they sound PERFECT. While I was very tired by the time Cough played, it didn’t matter because they woke me back up! (They played “Crippled Wizard”!!!!)

My favorite performance of the whole festival came from Acid Witch. This band just oozes heavy metal and boy, do they have some of the most badass riffs I have heard in a long time. High energy, great sound and great interaction with the crowd proved to be the routine for these headbangers. Playing great songs such as “Witchfynder Finder”, “Stoned to the Grave”, and “Evil” Acid Witch fucking killed it. Despite being the first band on the main stage that day they still kicked ass and set the mood for the rest of the day. If you have the opportunity to see Acid Witch live, you need to get on that ASAP. This band will always be a favorite of mine. (Shout out to Acid Witch. Thank you for the Interview). Pallbearer stepped up to the plate delivering an intimate and emotionally powerful set. This band just grabs your attention and offers some seriously moving music along with that. Bravo to Pallbearer, at this rate these guys will end up in the doom metal hall of fame as they are simply just that good. Saturday was wrapped up by the mighty sonic titan’s Sleep. What can I say? The guys are living legends and are always a fan favorite. At times some issues with sound mixing occurred but despite all that they left everyone happy. They really got things moving quickly opening with the heavy and powerful “Holy Mountain”. Sleep ended Saturday with a bang.

I was very anxious to see Om. Om was like a religious experience and did not move from where I was standing for their entire set. You know that musical high people talk about? Yeah, I felt that during Om. It was that incredible. Everything was on point and the nature of their music is the kind that captivates everyone in the room. Seriously, Om was that fucking awesome. I had always wanted to see Om live and had really high expectations for them. I can safely say that Om lived up to the hype and gave a damn good show. Everything was in perfect harmony during their set. Drum fills, Bass fills, FILLS FOR DAYS. The whole thing was just special. I will never miss out on Om live ever again! Also representing the Los Angeles Doom metal scene were Doomsters Deathkings. Their music is a journey that can be just as beautiful as it is aggressive. Nick has an very powerful voice that you feel in your chest. Epic and devastating. They killed it. During their set everyone was headbanging in approval. Deathkings just sounded amazing and also made Los Angeles doom metal more than proud! Check out their recent split with Rozamov!

The festival was wrapped up with the legendary Pentagram. After speaking with Bobby Liebling for about 40 mins before the set, I was like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to see Bobby out there and just work the crowd. Bobby Liebling and Co. just tore the place down. They never disappoint and with their performance everything came full circle. The vanguard of doom metal was on stage and showing everyone how it is done. They played Last Daze Here and man it was just killer. Bobby Liebling still has it! When he performs it is like a lesson and the way he works the crowd is just world class entertainment! This is how it is done folks! I want to thank Pellet Pelletier for the chance to interview Pentagram and Bedemon. This was simply epic! Bobby Liebling is not just a musician to me, he is a teacher.

I always think to myself, “no way can thief beat the last festival they put on” but they just keep delivering quality experiences that as of now are both legendary and one of a kind. When people look back in the future, Psycho California will be remembered forever. This is forever going to be in the history books of heavy music. Thief. Bravo. You guys did it again!

Words by: Frank Heredia

Acid Witch, Bonehunter, Cult Finder, Spider Kitten Bundle Give Away in association with Old Empire

Old Empire is a Music Promotion and Agency company based in London, UK and came together through the merging of the two of London's finest underground Metal and Rock promoters. Seven Churches who brought to you such shows as Yob, Wolves In The Throne Room and Conan.  Seven Churches decided to bang heads and join forces with Infected Brain Promotions (Incineration Fest, Disgorge, Rotting Christ and Incantation) and bring to the masses a collective hive and one dream of growing the underground music scene of the UK and Europe. 

ON THE 17^TH APRIL 2015 OLD EMPIRE PROUDLY PRESENTS AN AMAZING HEADLINE SHOW FROM ACID WITCH, WITH SUPPORT COMING FROM BONEHUNTER, CULT FINDER AND SPIDER KITTEN.

We have teamed up with Old Empire to offer an amazing prize give away

The merch bundle is as follows -

2 x Tickets to the show

Acid Witch - Shirt, Patch & CD

Cult Finder - T-shirt & CD

Bone Hunter - T-Shirt

Spiderkitten – Vinyl

For more information about the bands and how to enter this amazing competition can be found below.  

--ACID WITCH (USA) — This amazing death doom band based out of Detroit, Michigan released their last full length, ‘Stoned’ in 2010 to critical acclaim via the Hell’s Headbangers label. For more info check out the link below. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Acid-Witch/146053698843172

--BONEHUNTER (FIN)-- Forged in the seething flames of hatred on the eve of 2011 A.D., tempered in snot of metal punk... Bonehunter is the counterattack, the fatal blow against all poser music - majority of world listens to SHIT and want to covet their ears with sweet autotuned crap... We are all about making noise and driving a rusty metal stiletto down our listener's throats! Make your ears bleed and worship the DEVIL!

https://www.facebook.com/bonehuntermetal

--CULTFINDER (UK)-- UK black/thrash metal trio, formed 2010. 'HELL'S TEETH' CDEP out now via Eldritch Lunar Miasma Records

https://www.facebook.com/unholycultfinder

--SPIDER KITTEN (UK) stupidly eclectic ultra heavy DIY band with a fetish for vintage gear...

https://www.facebook.com/spdrkttn
DOORS: 7:00pm

TICKET: £12.00 (adv)

SEETICKETS:

http://www.seetickets.com/event/acid-witch/the-black-heart/826958?aff=id1metalgigs



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Only people who can attend the show need apply and the winner will be mailed on the morning of the 17th April.  A winner will be picked at random. Simply enter using the links above. Visit and 'like' The Old Empire facebook page, follow @old_empire on twitter and tweet a message about the giveaway. Good luck