ALBUM REVIEW: Dread Sovereign - "For Doom The Bell Tolls"

By: Brandon Green

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 03/03/2017

Label: Ván Records

This is a fantastic doom release for walking around in the woods when everything is dead.  This album deserves to be cranked, listened to on headphones in the dark with candles lit.

“For Doom the Bell Tolls” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. For Doom The Bell Tolls

2. Twelve Bells Toll In Salem

3. This World Is Doomed

4. Draped In Sepulchral Fog

5. The Spines Of Saturn

6. Live Like An Angel, Die Like A Devil (Venom Cover)

The Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of Primordial for years, so when Dread Sovereign formed in 2013 (featuring Primordial vocalist Alan Averill) I was beyond excited. Their first full length, “All Hell’s Martyrs” was a fantastic doom release loaded with memorable riffs and catchy vocal melodies. When it came out in 2014, it was a frequent listen for me. Fast forward to 2017; Dublin’s doom trio have put together their second full length effort, and it’s dripping with evil atmosphere, soaring vocals, and huge riffs.

Compared to “All Hell’s Martyr’s”, “For Doom the Bell Tolls” sounds a bit more vintage and less noisy.  Fans of the occult/psychedelic doom genre may take notice and appreciate this approach more than their previous release. The album starts with an atmospheric intro loaded with bells, feedback, and then builds into the effort’s longest track “Twelve Bells Toll in Salem.” The song starts with pure Sabbath-worship riffs pushed with soaring vocals and layered psychedelic guitar leads which develop into slow bass-distorted drum/bass/vocal sections.  The sound of this track just oozes with imagery of witchcraft, occult symbolism, and appreciation for evil. Definitely my favorite from the album.

Track 3, “This World is Doomed” starts with a classic heavy metal and more upbeat feel. The vocals and guitar riffs are more traditional in song structure, but this is a welcome addition providing the listener with a doom track perfect for pushing your speakers. There’s a brief break with “Draped in Sepulchral Fog.”  A two and a half minute atmospheric song loaded with atmosphere and feedback providing a build up to “The Spines of Saturn,” which is the final original song of the record. Clocking in around 8 minutes, the track has the feel of an 80s traditional doom song with loud catchy jam sections and upbeat repeated sections with vintage synths in the background.  The vocals overall in the intro provide more texture/melody than anything but are a welcome addition to the sound. Halfway through the song, the instruments open up to massive reverb/chorus drenched vocal melodies which build to the familiar heavy sound in the beginning of the track. The album closes with a Venom cover of “Live Like an Angel, Die Like a Devil” which is a ripping track loaded with the lo-fi evil feel of the rest of the record.  They did a fantastic job with this tune, and I can only imagine how huge this would sound live.

Dread Sovereign have created another worthy addition to their discography which is their own brand of filthy lo-fi sounding doom dripping with memorable vocal melodies. My only gripe with this record is I feel like it is a little on the short side.  I think another track would have rounded this album out nicely. This is a fantastic doom release for walking around in the woods when everything is dead.  This album deserves to be cranked, listened to on headphones in the dark with candles lit.

“For Doom the Bell Tolls” is available to buy/preorder here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FFO: Primordial, Candlemass, (old) Ghost, Pallbearer, Crypt Sermon

Magic Circle - ‘Journey Blind’ (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/11/2015

Label: 20 Buck Spin

Magic Circle throws hook after hook and riff after riff at the listener, giving us no shortage of big moments to latch onto, without falling back on the most tired aspects of Sabbath’s catalogue as the default.  Although Magic Circle isn’t going to wow anyone with innovation, for what it sets out to do, Magic Circle does it better than just about anyone going right now

‘Journey Blind’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Journey Blind
2. The Damned Man
3. A Ballad For The Vultures
4. Lightning Cage
5. Ghosts Of The Southern Front
6. Grand Deceivers
7. Antediluvian

The Review:

There’s no scarcity of doom and classic heavy metal worship as we’re closing in on the end of 2015. There are, of course, folks who can’t get enough, and that’s fine. I’m a lot more temperamental when it comes to this style, particularly when the bands being worshipped are bands like Black Sabbath. Orchid for example, was fun the first time around, but the returns have diminished greatly for me from album to album. The truth is that Sabbath worship has been done to death by hundreds of bands over the years, and unless you’ve got a genuinely good approach, you’re doomed to mediocrity from the start.

Magic Circle, thankfully avoids that trap by remembering that Sabbath worship doesn’t have to mean ‘70-’78 only. ‘Journey Blind’ is a healthy mix of 70s and 80s Sabbath, with nods here and there to other 80s doom bands as well. Why Magic Circle succeeds where other bands fall short is that they embrace a much wider variety of those classic albums of influence had to offer. So many bands stick to the “Lord of This World” or “Hole in the Sky” formulas, but there’s a lot more to Sabbath than just a few ultra-specific tropes.

After opening with the sort of dirge you might expect of any traditional doom band, the album’s lead and title track, “Journey Blind”, picks up the pace into something akin to “Neon Knights”, though Magic Circle’s interpretation is looser, and less palm-muting centric. We’re also treated to some slow gallop ala “Country Girl” in the song's second half, which makes for a perfect tempo break for that point in the song. The song exposes a lot the lack of variety that has plagued so many Sabbath-worshipping bands over the last 20 years, and that’s just in the first song.

For the rest of the album, Magic Circle throws hook after hook and riff after riff at the listener, giving us no shortage of big moments to latch onto, without falling back on the most tired aspects of Sabbath’s catalogue as the default. I suppose it’s a strange thing to compliment a band on finding a more interesting way of paying homage to another band’s work, but I also suppose that metal’s a strange genre that way. In any event, Magic Circle isn’t going to wow anyone with innovation, but that’s by design. For what it sets out to do, Magic Circle does it better than just about anyone going right now.

“Journey Blind” is available digitally here and a CD/LP copy here.

FFO: Black Sabbath, Pagan Altar, Orchid, Crypt Sermon

Band info: official

Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 24/2/2015

Label: Dark Descent Records

‘Out of the Garden’ track CD//DD  listing:

1). “Temple Doors”
2). “Heavy Riders”
3). “Byzantium”
4). “The Will Of The Ancient Call”
5). “Enter The Holy Of Holies”
6). “The Master’s Bouquet”
7). “Out Of The Garden”

Crypt Sermon are:

EES | Drums

James Lipczynski | Guitars

Steve Jansson | Guitars

Will Mellor | Bass

Brooks Wilson Z| Vocals

Review:

A little doom, a little Judas Priest, add a dash of Iron Maiden and a splash of Black Sabbath and Crypt Sermon is pretty much the sum of those parts.  If every band wore their influences on its sleeves (we do. all of us.) then it's going to bleed through in their music. When I hear Crypt Sermon's album ‘Out of the Garden’, those bands mentioned at their most theatrical are what springs to mind. As expected, the opening song "Temple Doors" starts out slow and moody, very gradually building momentum, opening the album, followed by ‘Heavy Riders’, and ‘Byzantium".

Perhaps, this is a concept album, because it seems each song is telling part of one story. I do like albums that do this, but the trick is always to do it well.  All in all, this is a pretty good attempt.

While I didn’t fall madly in love with Crypt Sermon, I can certainly see how others might. My only real complaint about them is the music and vocals tend to drift to the dramatic fairly often, a little too over the top with a solo, or a little bit too much of a prolonged vocal harmony, when I would have liked to hear more solid riffing. I usually prefer a more "raw" sound, and that’s not what this band does. They approach the top, and go over it.  Some of us really like that, some don’t. It's just personal taste.

If you're one of those people who like Melodic Metal, with epic themes and lyrics and dig the NWOBHM retro sound, give this a listen. There are some pretty good riffs on display, especially with "Into the Holy of Holies".  Truth be told, most of the songs do run to the ‘Epic’ side of things. Big sweeping guitar solos, vocal melodies and "wire choir" twin solos.  In short, if that is your bag, you'll dig what this group is serving.

Words by: Mike Borsum

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

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