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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
The riffs are infectious, the grooves
hit you right in the gut and their well written songs are accentuated by
climatic dynamics and impassioned performances by all members of the band.Witchcryer have created something really
quite special on “Cry Witch”, a
debut surely worthy of addition to the doom metal cannon.
“Cry
Witch” CD//DD//LP
track listing:
1).
Cry Witch
2).
Ricochet
3).
The Preying Kind
4).
Ma Kali
5).
Embryo (Instructions)
6).
Great Divide
7).
For The Slaves
8).
Witchfinder General (Witchfinder General Cover)
9).
Lapis Philosophorum
The Review:
Do
you like fat, fuzz soaked guitar tones? What about heavy, blues based riffs with
a gloomy, vintage vibe? A singer who belts raspy, darkly melodic vocals about witches,
vengeance and fighting systematic oppression? Well if you are reading THE SLUDGELORD,
there is a pretty decent chance that you are here largely to find more bands that
do exactly what was just described above. If that’s you, then “Cry Witch”, the debut album by Austin based doom quarter Witchcryer,
does not disappoint.
Witchcryer play a form of classic
doom metal revival that owes its biggest musical debt to the bands that played
doom before there was a name for it (Witchfinder General, Black Sabbath, Pentagram).
Their chosen musical territory is far from uncharted by its very definition,
but Witchcryer
play it with so much fire that it feels fresh regardless. The riffs are
infectious, the grooves hit you right in the gut and their well written songs
are accentuated by climatic dynamics and impassioned performances by all members
of the band. Some highlights include brooding, psychedelic track “The Preying Kind” and the vicious,
gravely stomper “For The Slaves”, but
the album’s finest moment is unquestioningly its the thunderous title track. Somewhat
reminiscent of early The Obsessed, “Cry Witch” is a hard-hitting doom metal track at its finest, with
just enough punk rock muscle to give it its needed edge. Its main riff is also
an earlier contender for the best metal riff of 2018.
“Cry Witch” is the band’s first and
only release following a three-track demo titled “The Preying Kind — Demo
MMXVI” from
2016. While those familiar with their demo will recognize Witchcryer’s ear for great riffs
and knack for organic dynamic changes (as well new recordings of all three
tracks), overall “Cry Witch” demonstrates
significant growth for the band. They have grown much tighter and more
confident as a unit (some of which may be due to the recent inclusion of their
bassist, Marilyn) and have created something really quite special on “Cry Witch”, a debut surely worthy of
addition to the doom metal cannon.
The riffing of “Burning At Both Ends” is pure Accept, adding a teutonic flavour to the Canadians' Brit worship. The reverb soaked drums and higher tempo of “Santa Mira” is pure 80's metal while the more sombre “Corridors of Dust” echoes the sounds and hooks of “Chained To The Night”.This is an homage, pure and simple. Music from the past, being played today and with modern chops and studio equipment that can accurately create the sound that the band want to hear. They sit as a dependable and impressive retro outfit. Kind of the Overkill of retro metal, perhaps? And that is a very high compliment, by the way.
“In Ruin” CD//LP track listing:
1). No Return / In Ruin
2). Empress
3). Burning at Both Ends
4). Hold Your Fire
5). Come Not Here
6). Santa Mira
7). Corridors of Dust
8). Delusive Serenade
9). Outrance
The Review:
Cauldron are Canada's finest NWOBHM style export and they havea rather unique sound, combing as it does the grit of early Maiden or even Motorhead and RTL era Metallica with avocal approach that is similar to Def Leppard in terms of sound and melody. Having only heard their first album “Chained To The Night” I was interested to see where the band had gone on this record. Certainly, the 80's drum sound is present here, as are the kind of melodic thrash breaks that peppered my other listening experience of them. The first (quasi) title track is a belter for sure and is absolutely committed to the recreation of the past. No modern sounds here, this could genuinely have been put out on amajor label thirty plus years ago and no eyelids would have been batted.
There is an acoustic intro to “Empress”, and you know exactly how the track is going to sound as the first electric power chord crashes in. It would seem that the spirit of Diamond Head really lives on here. The choruses are catchy and the melodies are of a high quality throughout. The snare drum, in the style of 1981-1987 or so, is wet and hollow sounding. The riffing of “Burning At Both Ends” is pure Accept, adding a teutonic flavour to the Canadians' Brit worship. The reverb soaked drums and higher tempo of “Santa Mira” is pure 80's metal while the more sombre “Corridors of Dust” echoes the sounds and hooks of “Chained To The Night”
The Likes of “Hold Your Fire” and Come Not Here are enjoyable mid-tempo romps through steady Priest-esque riff territory. You get the themes of witchcraft of course, as well as themes of excess and so on. I must impress upon anyone reading this that this is not a step forward in any way: not for the band, not for the metal genre, not even for retrogressive metal. This is an homage, pure and simple. Music from the past, being played today and with modern chops and studio equipment that can accurately create the sound that the band want to hear.
The slower instrumental track “Delusive Serenade”takes in the melodic lessons of early Metallica and creates a moody and effective dirge. The excellently titled “Outrance” swings forth in a final statement of intent. It is a fitting closing to a good, solid record. Cauldron may not have the “cool” factor that a band such as In Solitude had, but they are not nerdish like Natur, either. They sit as a dependable and impressive retro outfit. Kind of the Overkill of retro metal, perhaps? And that is a very high compliment, by the way.
All in all, “Innocence and Decadence” could be viewed as a polarizing record. Graveyard may lose fans, or they could very well gain them. They’ll probably always have older fans pissing and moaning over “the good old days,” but it’s also likely that, regardless of the extreme reactions people may have against this album, Graveyard will remain one of the most top notch bands around today.
‘Innocence & Decadence’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Magnetic Shunk (3:02)
2. The Apple And The Tree (3:04)
3. Exit 97 (3:50)
4. Never Theirs To Sell (2:15)
5. Can't Walk Out (5:43)
6. Too Much Is Not Enough (4:37)
7. From A Hole In The Wall (3:47)
8. Cause & Defect (3:47)
9. Hard Headed (3:12)
10. Far Too Close (4:43)
11. Stay For A Song (4:35)
Graveyard is:
Joakim Nilsson | guitar, vocals
Jonatan LaRocca-Ramm | guitar
Truls Mörck | bass
Axel Sjöberg | drums
The Review:
It is an understatement to refer to Graveyard as a crossover band here in the year 2015. Ever since the band’s mid ‘2000s inception from the ashes of Norrsken, (a group who also brought us the legendary Witchcraft,) Graveyard has sailed far beyond the trappings of genre and subculture to become festival favorites, major tour headliners, and they are often the answer to the dreaded question, “Who is your favorite band around today?” They are the classic rock band that metal fans enjoy. They are the doom metal band that pop fans enjoy. They are the murder ballad song smiths that jazz and blues fans enjoy. They are the destination band for small town fans looking for a rock and roll road trip. Basically, Graveyard is a band with an enviable career who received all of their accolades the old fashioned way. They work hard while maintaining a sense of fun. They display stellar musicianship without overindulging their talents. They behave professionally without displaying prudishness. And more than anything, they possess an uncanny ability to write really great fucking songs.
The band wasted no time blasting through the starting gates with their fantastic 2007 debut, but for many, the pinnacle of Graveyard’s trajectory was their 2011 sophomore release, “Hisingen Blues,” a song-per-song thrill ride of evil melodies, bitchin’ riffs, catchy choruses, and an unstoppable swing. 2012’s “Light’s Out” was well received, but often criticized for seeming “rushed” and not sounding as inspired as their previous output, (the band also had some issues during this period with longtime bassist, Rikard Edlund, who has since been replaced with the group’s original guitarist, Truls Mörck.) Regardless of the grumblings over “Light’s Out”, Graveyard continued touring and playing major festivals, and they increased the solidarity of their fan base all along the way. For the three year period between “Light’s Out” and the newest offering, “Innocence and Decadence,” fan chatter ebbed and flowed from the curious, to the presumptuous, to the flat out accusatory. “Will Graveyard drop the ball? Will the new album have more rockers and less ballads? Will it be as good as ‘Hisingen Blues,’ or better?” So far, the overall response seems to be positive, but there are some head-scratching moments for long time fans. Still, when it comes to a band like Graveyard, who have continued to increase in popularity even after being in the game for nearly a decade, there’s really only one thing they can do when faced with these commonly-seen, mid-career loyalty-shifts amongst followers. They must push themselves forward, making no compromises for anyone but themselves, and ignore the bickering expectations of the masses. To my ears, it sounds like this is precisely what Graveyard has done.
Album opener, “Magnetic Shunk,” is an instant classic for the band. This tune was heard in live sets before the record’s release, raising many a brow amongst their old school followers. Those lucky enough to get the preview wondered if this doom/boogie masterpiece would signal a return to all the precious quirks that made “Hisingen Blues” such a standout record. Well, yes and no. The record is not short on groovy rockers, but as “Light’s Out” proved, you really can’t rest on your laurels with Graveyard. Take for example, “The Apple & the Tree,” which was chosen as the video single a few weeks before the release date. Man, did that song confuse people. Not only does it not sound like the Graveyard of old, it also doesn’t sound like anything else on the record. It could almost be a Dire Straits song with its snappy jazz chords and its pristine guitar tones. However, the strong chorus and the lyrical content referencing bygone eras and predetermined fates are fine representations of everything that makes Graveyard the band they are.
Tracks like “Exit 97” and album closer, “Stay for a Song,” bring the mellow moodiness of the previous record, but the album’s rockers make it a far cry from “Lights Out.” One of the midpoint tunes, “Never Theirs to Sell,” is a stellar, under-three-minute rock and roller that almost sounds like it came from the early ‘2000s, (back when groups like The Hellacopters and The Hives were kicking out the jams.) “Can’t Walk Out” and “From a Hole in the Wall” should satisfy the rock heads for the most part, but the four-on-the-floor rhythms minus the band’s usual off-beat timings may throw some listeners for a loop. But if those gripes do come? “Cause and Defect,” which has similar grooves to their debut, and “Hard Headed,” with its fuzz-bass intro and its hard-hitting swing, should shut them up.
One track in particular simply must be discussed due to its vast departure from anything the band has previously recorded. That would be the soulful ballad, “Too Much is Not Enough.” The words “soulful” and “ballad” are not uncommon whenever Graveyard’s music is discussed, but never have they been more apt than when referencing this tune. If the band was going for something brand new and uncompromising, something that could potentially cause a divide amongst their touchy fan base, this song is the one. “Too Much is Not Enough” is about regret, heartbreak, and deep spiritual pain. It sounds like it’d be more at home on a 1972 record by theFaces or Humble Pie rather than a 2015 “doom metal” album, (it even has “Blackberries”-esque backing vocals for christ’s sake.) This song may be a deal breaker for some, but for others, (myself included,) it is a fine offering; a standout track where the band exudes a wealth of artistic growth. For me it’s nothing but Graveyard just doing what they do, and doing it well. Chances are they’re 100% comfortable with any allegiant shifts that may recur as a result of this song.
All in all, “Innocence and Decadence” could be viewed as a polarizing record. Graveyard may lose fans, or they could very well gain them. They’ll probably always have older fans pissing and moaning over “the good old days,” but it’s also likely that, regardless of the extreme reactions people may have against this album, Graveyard will remain one of the most top notch bands around today. That goes for the metal scene, the doom scene, the rock scene, etc.Hell. That goes for the music scene in general.
“Horror films don't create fear. They release it,” – Wes Craven
(1939-2015)
‘The Night
Creeper’ CD/DD//LP track listing:
1).Waiting For Blood
2). Murder Nights
3). Downtown
4). Pusher Man
5). Yellow Moon
6). Melody Lane
7). The Night Creeper
8). Inside
9). Slow Death
10). Black Motorcade (Hidden Track)
The Review:
Although
they may have loosened their grip a little on their true identities, Uncle Acid
and his mercurial Deadbeats are still, to borrow a phrase from
Sir Winston Churchill, a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Their
vaporous, vintage fuzz led sound has poured steadily, like smoke from a flickering
fire into the underground’s eyes with a slew of steady and palpable releases
since 2010’s ‘Vol 1.’ That smoke is
now beginning to seep into the periphery of the mainstream too, and the
leviathan sized grooves of ‘The Night
Creeper’ both emphasises this band’s status as cult champions of the
underground and highlights why, like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper, two of their major
influences, their music has a towering commercial potential.
Much
like the Amicus Productions which have inspired a plethora of their noir
recordings, their fourth volume sees them unleashing 10 more blood-dripped
tracks, like the mysterious Dr. Schreck does to his fellow train passengers with
tales of evil and darkness in Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1965). Each and
every composition reeks of fear and makes your skin crawl; these are the
monsters that hide under your bed, these are the footsteps that stalk your
lonely, dark and cold walk home through dense fog. The
lurching grooves of opener ‘Waiting For
Blood’ shadow over you, commanding your attention instantly. An
undercurrent of uneasy Hammond organs and other, chilling textures give the
album a charming graininess which reverberates the band’s innate cinematic
complexion. Aesthetically the album once more gravitates towards that same
element once more; each song itself a horror film within a horror film. But
with music, the images aren’t there to scare you and so your crooked
imagination becomes all too willing to take its place. Through this
thought-provoking song writing, they have concocted something remarkable and
they’re basing a career out of it.
‘Inside,’
an instant standout the moment it snaked into my ears, builds upon a consistent
thump like a poltergeist destroying a house in the night, by the light of a
radiant moon. ‘Melody Lane’ is a twisted bop on which stabbing, doom-rock
guitars waltz with psychedelic tinges, together sharing a murderous intent. With a nod towards their earlier, rawer and
altogether creepier work on ‘Vol 1.’,
‘Yellow Moon’ draws from Alice
Cooper’s ‘Killer’ for a rancid
interlude. It’s soft and – alongside the Easy Rider influenced Stonerisms of
its predecessor ‘Pusher Man’ –
unassuming, but is arguably the most frightening and atmospheric song on the
entire album.
In
2015 Uncle
Acid find themselves as a well-established act on the cusp of
becoming something of a name so to
speak, and so this release comes with the albatross of expectation weighing
them down in many ways. They now have a recognised sound and here they stick
very much to the toil and trouble of their bubbling potion, but manage to
collate the focal points of each of their previous albums into one package smartly. If the record will
be met by their adoring fan base with the same hype and admiration 2011’s
insatiable ‘Blood Lust’ was, or be
deemed as an adequate successor to the robustness of ‘Mind Control,’ only time will tell. What we do know, however, is
that it’s another impressive release from this consistently unique and
enrapturing Cambridge quartet.
Channelling
the heady sound of the late 60's early 70's Saturn rings you in and sends you
right out to space. Zeppelin-esque hard
rock abounds here with some spidery guitar work, driving bass, and pounding
drums. Weirdly the album begins with a
riff that channels some serious "Master of Puppets" vibe then swerves
hard for the 70s with some nice open space choruses. I love it when bands cut the instruments out
briefly and have the singer just sing a verse (example of this for those of you
not music nerds Black Sabbath "The Wizard," "War
Pigs"). "Leadersheep" has
some cool rhythm riffing that reminds me of a strange blend of
"Communication Breakdown" with vintage Spirit Caravan era Wino but
with better singing and a slick short Buck Dharma-esque Middle Eastern vibe
solo.
Love
the trippy slidework intro to Rokktori, I wish more people played slide but it
is somewhat difficult to play for some people (OPEN TUNINGS!?!? OH NOES). The univibe/Leslie opening riff on "Tower of Terror" is pretty sweet too leading
into some tasty lead work which dominates throughout the song. Some nice organ/keys work lays a nice
undercurrent on this track and I would be inclined to say it's one of the best
tracks on the album. "Last Man in
Space" has some cool psych moments and channels a bit of Hawkwind in parts
with some cool prog song structure and oddball vocal effects. A nice groove settles throughout most of the
middle of the track and the guitar solo is short but blues-shredtastic. Weirdly "Last Man in Space" has a
section around the five minute mark which has a very similar feel/chord
progression to the highly underrated Metallica classic "Orion" and I
mean that in a really good way. The
rhythm section does a fantastic job on this track and it is the best track on
the album boasting the most interesting song writing and the most fully
realized sound.
The
final track "Moonstone" has some nice acoustic playing channeling
some of your favorite Zeppelin moments although it does seem to end somewhat
abruptly. "Moonstone" has some
very nice singing and centers as a showpiece for whomever is doing lead
vocals. Oddly the band lists both
guitarists and the bass player as being vocalists and don't denote a lead but
if they are changing, whoever is doing lead vocals I can't tell the difference
between them, which is crazy if they switch to have three people that good at
singing who sound that much alike in the same band. That being said the vox is good across the
board and the background vocals are great throughout.
I
can honestly say the only thing I didn't like about this album is the track
"Peasant". For no particular
reason, the song reminded me of meeting someone and instantly wanting to knock
their teeth out despite them not having done anything to warrant it (like the
fat kid from Superbad who lost weight and is now kinda fat but not as fat as he
was). I also harbor a similar hatred for
the Rolling Stones' song "Dear Doctor" off Beggars Banquet. Which if Mick Jagger were to ever sing in
front of me I would have to invite him to my house and let him drown in my
pool.
From
the smooth Marshally tones, to the Robert Plant vocal stylings, Saturn exhibit
their influences immediately. What sets
them apart is the quality of the production and songwriting. They do a really great job of doing a modern
version of a retro production instead of a full retro production, which most
smaller bands tend not do well due to the cost constraints of doing everything
full analog. Or you'll see bands do the
full analog production then clearly not have enough money for a good
master. In addition, a lot of the current
crop of bands doing the 70s revival feel like they are using the 70s equipment
to master which can make some of the parts fade in and out during certain
sections unintentionally. Some things
are better digital, pick the right tools for the right job.
Everything
here really pops out at you throughout the album and has great clarity. The band and whoever engineered/mastered
Ascending (Live in Space) really did an exceptional job here and the production
really brings the songs alive and allows you to really get into the band.
As
an aside this record confirms my belief that Sweden is fucking awesome. Literally we are experiencing an underground
Swedish invasion of awesome bands over the past couple of years and it's
staggering to think how much quality is coming out of such a small country
(population wise).
Formed just over a year ago by guitarist Ross
Dolan, vocalist Laura Dolan, Nick Vogelpohl (bass) and Nate Wagner (drums)
Electric Citizen have had a busy year turning heads and ears onto their dark
and esoteric style of haunting and unhallowed ’60s West Coast rock, and
decidedly British-influenced heavy psychedelia.
Like records by similarly late 60s/early
’70s-possessed anti-modernists Blood Ceremony, Wolf People and Uncle Acid and
the Deadbeats, their debut album "Sateen" provides a blueprint for
long term appreciation. Recorded and produced by fellow Grammy Winning Ohioan
and local stalwart Brian Olive (The Greenhornes, Soledad Brothers) the album
draws on sounds synonymous with the roots of early ’70s proto-metal from groups
such as Sir Lord Baltimore, Pentagram, and the daemonic spirit of Amon Düül.
Not to mention the comparisons it draws with the rock 'n' roll ceremony of
forgotten acts like Frumpy and Shocking Blue when held up against the
spellbinding light of high priestess Laura Dolan’s enigmatic voice and live
presence.
Electric Citizen has been featured on VICE’s
Noisey, Premier Guitar, Classic Rock Magazine, MetalHammer, Thrasher, Roadburn,
CVLT Nation, Decibel Magazine, Trasworld Skateboarding, ArtRocker Magazine,
AtlSounds, and more.
The
Band:
Ross Dolan |
Guitar
Laura Dolan |
Vox
Nick Vogelpohl
| Bass
Nate Wagner |
Drums
Review:
It seems that each passing decade finds heavy,
stoner rock bands rethinking their approach, making it easy to look back on the
days when a particular sound was all the rage. For the ‘80s, you had the thrash
greats and the tradition doom sound. The ‘90s were all about the sludge. In the
early ‘2000s it was, “Kick out the jams and crank up the fuzz!” The latter half
of the ‘2000s saw different takes on doom, often featuring heavily detuned
guitars with lots of delay and epic-length songs. Here in the ‘2010s a lot of
bands are trading in the sloth-paced riffing in favor of the ‘72 throwback
sound where blues riffing started evolving into prog. Blood Ceremony showed the
metal world that you could incorporate flutes a la Jethro Tull, and that if you
incorporated those flutes with spidery riffing and bad trip psychedelia, you
could get some deliciously evil results. There’s also the obvious fact that
they have a female singer. Alia O’Brian may not have been the first woman to
front a heavy group while incorporating a throwback style, but she definitely
set the precedent for it. These days this is not an uncommon occurrence by any
means. Contrary to what many believe, metal fans tend to embrace women singers,
whether it’s Jex Thoth’s Jinx Dawson vibe, or ladies like Farida Lemouchi of
The Devil’s Blood and Witch Mountain’s Uta Plotkin, whose powerful voices hint
of classical training. You also have the “pagan prog” stylings of Purson’s
Rosalie Cunningham, and the sex-flaunting Jill Janus of Huntress. Regardless of
their looks, their instrumentation, or their singing styles, one thing is
certain. This current wave of strong, female-fronted heavy music doesn’t seem
to be ending anytime soon.
Cincinnati, Ohio’s Electric Citizen is the latest
of the female-fronted, contemporary old school bands to hit the scene. Their
debut full length album, “Sateen,” is a 37 minute blast of fine riffing, good
singing, and songs that steer clear of excessive flash and seldom exceed four
minutes. The band is in the difficult position of using a rather commonly
utilized formula, but their record is a success regardless. Not because they
have a woman singer, nor because they have the aesthetic that comes with having
a woman singer. “Sateen” is a solid album because Electric Citizen does things
the old fashioned way. They write good songs and play them well.
The record kicks off with a lone guitar scale
ascending into the wailing, “Beggar’s Need,” a rocker that could have easily
come from Captain Beyond’s self-titled release from 1972. The understated mono
placement of the organ adds an edgy undertone to the groovy riffing. Track two,
“Magnetic Man,” takes us a little bit into the “I’ve heard Blood Ceremony do
this before”-territory, but quickly turns things around with the charging
tunes, “Queen of Persuasion” and “Savage,” (the latter of which is reminiscent
of Sabbath during their Sabbra Cadabra “boogie” moments). The record’s midpoint
moment is a mellow one, the eerie “Hawk Nightingale.” This song, with its “Lost
Highway” minor chords and horror movie drones, is one of the stronger and more
original tracks on the album. It also showcases singer Laura Dolan’s ability to
change the dynamics of her voice to match the feel of the music. The remainder
of the record continues to rock nicely. “Burning in Hell” isn’t exactly a
crushing closer, but its organ swirling, tambourine-shaking catchiness, not to
mention its backwards singing, conga-beating bridge, does bring a satisfactory
close to an overall strong stoner rock offering.
With an increasing number of witchy front ladies
entering the heavy music world, bands need to be wary of falling into fashion
traps and using the same source material as other groups. However, a band like
Electric Citizen, who isn’t out to summon demons nor raise the dead, should
continue to gain an audience if they can keep their future releases on par with
their impressive debut. Fans who dig a
retro sound should enjoy “Sateen” because the band wears their influences on
their sleeves while keeping things fresh and engaging.
The Oath are the latest band to be blessed with Rise Above's attention. Determinedly retro and hard rocking, All Must Die kicks things off with a swinging tempo and lots of bass runs. There is a distinct garage rock vibe to the riffing while the vocals take on the witchy kind of style that Blood Ceremony present.
The Oath are not as musically diverse as some within the doom genre- this is straight ahead hard rock out of the 70's with doom inflections in the themes and riffs. Satan gets mentioned early, just in case you are in any doubt.
Silk Road follows with a small build up and then gets down to business- again the tempo is groove some with a couple of changes here and there. Night Child is a propulsive rocker with a dark flavour to the main riff. Leaving Together has a more sombre guitar opening and caries on the atmospherics into the verse- things get heavier, though...
Black Rainbow is up-tempo with vocal melodies that follow the changes in the riff. Half time surfaces and then the track switches back and forth effectively. Silver and Dust has an insistent riff and good pacing with a nice breakdown and change section in the latter half.
Death Delight has strong vocals/melodies that are well delivered and propel the track along. In Dream, meanwhile, honours the time honoured tradition of a two minute acoustic track- very welcome- and it acts as an ideal primer for the closing epic Psalm 7. Slow to start, the track builds in layers with guitar and voice, bass and so on until the heaviness comes in after a rather dreamy few minutes.
All in all, this a self assured debut, brimming with riffs and retro sounds. Is it worthy of the attention that has been bestowed upon it? Only one way to find out...
