ALBUM REVIEW: Elder Druid, "Golgotha"

By: Brandon Noga

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/01/2020

Label: Independent

“Golgotha” CD//DD track listing:

1. Sleeping Giant

2. Golgotha

3. Sentinel 

4. Vincere Vel Mori

5. Dreadnought 

6. Paegan Dawn of Anubis

7. The Archmage

The Review:

Elder Druid are self described “Occult-laced riff dealers" from Belfast; an accurate description indeed. Anyone that plays with Slomatics for an album release is sure to have their own gargantuan heft, and I cannot argue that one bit. “Golgotha” is their second release, and it’s a mature effort. The production is top notch (thanks to the year long journey of going over and over the tracks until the band was satisfied), due to being recorded, produced and mixed by bassist Dale Hughes; and the hard work clearly paid off. All the tones are what a band of this caliber and genre should shoot for, to magnify every riff and beat. Laney, Orange, and Ashdown amps bring the heat and thunder, and the riffs pummel you into ancient soil and monuments contained underneath. The drums are mixed well, while complimenting and pushing the riffs to the forefront similar to Black Sabbath and Zeppelin.

“Sleeping Giant” kicks off the album with a fuzzy stoner riff with slight wah added, and comes crashing down with a titanic weight when the rest of the band kicks in. This giant definitely has a mangy coat covered in moss and has no regard for any insignificant beings when it starts lumbering for the first time in eons. The song rides the line between Stoner and Doom and grabs you by the neck to force your head to bang. The lead section is ethereal and layered in a mature way; very tasty. “Golgotha” is a diminished venture, with a monstrous bellow echoing over riffs that leave a footprint in the earth as wide as the eye can see. The breakdown reveals the entity to which these marks belong to, but it’s too late when it blocks out the sun shortly before your life comes to a confusing end.

“Sentinel” is the first single released, and I can see why. A harmonic minor odyssey that’s equally captivating as it is revealing of one’s self; a great example of what this band is capable of. Jake Wallace informed me that a Fender Rhoades and Theremin were employed for increased depth; Its slathered in reverb and ends up in the outer realms of space and time. “Vincere Vel Mori” (to conquer or die) is a more doom-pure track, with prickly fuzz tones bordering on static electricity and riffs that slow and come to a gradual heave.

“Dreadnought” consists of clever riffs as thick as the night is long, and flat-fifth single note lines harkening to the obvious Sabbath influence. The gradual decline is punctuated with bends to further throw your skull around. “Paegan Dawn of Anubis” contains a bass intro located in depths of the ocean not yet explored by man; that warns you of impending Lovecraftian beings, that your kind hasn’t been aware of in its minuscule existence. “The rivers run red” with the blood of ancestors succumbing to Anubis, and his gate to the underworld. 

The album closes with “Archmage”, another fuzz laden track with vocals expelled from a tar filled diaphragm. Its fades out with stops and bends, and one final reverb drenched echo to drown out the senses. Elder Druid has a bright future; they should proud of this album, and I wish them good luck on their upcoming tour and release show!

“Golgotha” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Electric Wizard - "Wizard Bloody Wizard"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 17/11/2017

Label: Witchfinder Records |

Spinefarm Records

 “Wizard Bloody Wizard” transcends whatever the in-thing of the moment is, and focuses instead on musicianship, the album's all-analog approach creates a warm, vintage sound for the songs and on the whole Electric Wizard feels re-energized, whilst  remaining true to their seedy pedigree

"Wizard Bloody Wizard" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. See You In Hell

2. Necromania  

3. Hear The Sirens Scream

4. The Reaper

5. Wicked Caresses

6. Mourning Of The Magicians

The Review:

Doom metal institution Electric Wizard has been around so long that its musical progeny continue to make waves around the world. Its gritty, mystical method to metal has directly and indirectly influenced legions of heavy music performers for over two decades. Consider 2000's "Dopethrone" and what it meant for the genre. Indeed, the English band has been at it over 25 years, plying its brand of pulpy blues/stoner/sludge rock in the vein of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and other legends.

The 2014 release "Time to Die" saw the return of original drummer Mark Greening to the team. However, Greening again left, resulting in a pause from recording. Instead the group kept a hectic touring schedule, with new drummer Simon Poole joining Electric Wizard for its new chapter. With its over-the-top artwork and Occult/marijuana/horror themes in "Wizard Bloody Wizard," Electric Wizard is back at last. The next inquisition is whether Electric Wizard can make remarkable music in this period where plenty of acts have, arguably, co-opted it sonically and lyrically, or whether that brand of a seminal group still makes it something to watch.

The album got a preview with the lead-off single and opener, "See You in Hell." Great reason for that: it is easily one of the album's best tracks, with its plodding bass courtesy of Clayton Burgess, distorted guitars and vocals that overwhelm with lyrics rather than volume. Electric Wizard has gotten a reputation over the years for theatrical songwriting that is more Alice Cooper than Cannibal Corpse, and this opener only reinforces it. “This world is crazy and makes me sick/Maybe I'll torture you just for kicks/But I lie here possessed by evil/Forever a servant of the Devil." The delivery is not nearly as threatening as that sounds. In fact, it is entirely listenable in a manner that is reminiscent of the late 1970s' flirtations with evil music themes. Electric Wizard stay true to the seedy pedigree, though it remains accessible.

The more skeptical might find this opening a tad formulaic – Electric Wizard does particular things exceedingly well, and stays with it. However, credit must go to a band with this kind of history, which has mastered its craft in a way that transcends whatever the in-thing of the moment is, and focuses instead on musicianship. Jus Oborn's vocals are as spellbinding as ever, the album's all-analog approach creates a warm, vintage sound for the songs. Electric Wizard feels reenergized to give fans that dig what they do, exactly what they came for.

Still, familiarity for some is sure to breed contempt. You may have heard by now that "Wizard Bloody Wizard" has gotten its share of heat for lackluster moments. A dash of that criticism is fair, though some of that is based in expectation of a louder, lewder Electric Wizard in the vein of 2010's "Black Masses." Here, the group is looking for a more stripped-down performance; hence the aforementioned analog recording and flourishes that harken back to Led Zeppelin era heavy rock. True to that, a song like "Hear The Sirens Scream" offers you a taste of a cleaner vocal and more of the downtempo, bluesier hard rock of the period. "Necromania" opens with a more conventional booming heavy rock riff. It too is an energetic jam, in a fashion that can likely attract new fans, frankly.

One of the few disappointments is that this release is incredibly short, at just under 45 minutes. Electric Wizard try to make up for the brief disc with "Mourning of the Magicians," an 11-minute closing cut that sees Liz Buckingham doing some impressive guitar work. The chorus "see you in Hell" reappears, as if to close the story loop from the opener, and the song's themes, which speak of darkness and betrayal, illuminate the thick rhythm laid out. Although "Wizard Bloody Wizard" is unlikely to be considered Electric Wizard's crowning achievement, it may in fact turn into bait for a new audience into the renaissance of old-school hard rock.

"Wizard Bloody Wizard" is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE & REVIEW: Weed Priest - "Consummate Darkness"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/10/2017

Label: Cursed Monk Records

If you are a fan of Weed Priest's ultra-heavy music, you will walk away pleased. However, those new to the now-quartet will also be impressed by such additions turning out its best work so far.

"Consummate Darkness" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Witch's Curse

2. Vampyr

3. Sky Daddy

4. The Mass

The Review:

It is quite a feat for a metal band to have a really distinctive opener, one that seizes your attention with its sound and fury. So when Irish blackened doom band Weed Priest launches its new album, "Consummate Darkness," with the song "Witch's Curse," a blistering opus if ever there was one, you can't help but stand at attention. Dishing out classic metal into the denser style of today, Weed Priest's uniquely heavy return is most welcome.

The group dropped a demo in 2011, then a full-length in 2013 and an EP in 2014. After changes to its squad – Weed Priest switched drummers and added a guitarist during this period – the four-piece issued splits in 2015 (with Astralnaut) and 2016 (with Black Capricorn). Adding players is always iffy business. "Consummate Darkness" marks the first chance for Weed Priest to spread its batlike wings on a full length using its fresh lineup.

Vocalist Adamus de Sabbator gets one hell of a backdrop to build on with that opening cut. And on "Vampyr," a track that surfaced as a preview to the album, he flips the vocal to be especially haunting. Paralleled with guitarist Sean Sullivan, de Sabbator's riffs as well as Sullivan's prove intimidating too. The vivid lyricism gets a fun touch with clips from German filmmaker Werner Herzog's 1979 adaption of "Nosferatu the Vampyre," featuring longtime collaborator Klaus Kinski and, for the sake of the song, Ronald Topor's wonderfully unhinged performance as Renfield. "Vampyr" comes in at just over 10 minutes, but feels quite complete, without bloat or overlong elements.

"Sky Daddy" brings Weed Priest back to familiar ground as some of its past work. The song is undoubtedly more on the classic metal and stoner vibe you may have heard before when the group was just a trio. Bassist K.H. Rhaagulus does a particularly good job of knitting the cut together by balancing his playing with the drums and adding some ballast to the twin guitars. Overall, it a pleasing entry, and certainly red meat for the stoner rock heads out there.

"Consummate Darkness" closes out with "The Mass," a 14-minute-plus slab of aural concrete hurled at you. Here, all of Weed Priest's parts come together seamlessly. Bass and drums build slowly, until the guitars swoop in. This is doom at its best, and the black metal-inspired growls mixed in to make those ominous guitars feel all the more threatening. "The Mass" demonstrates a new maturity for Weed Priest. The song is deliberate in a different way than some of its better past work, and the added guitar offers far more depth than previous outings. A critical ear might suggest the solos 11 minutes in might be a bit much, but they are forgivable, given all the energy the group puts into such a sterling cut.

If you are a fan of Weed Priest's ultra-heavy music, you will walk away pleased. However, those new to the now-quartet will also be impressed by such additions turning out its best work so far.

"Consummate Darkness" is available to preorder/buy here and you can stream the album in full below ahead of release on Halloween. 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook