ALBUM REVIEW: The Obsessed, "Gilded Sorrow"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 16^th February 2024
Label: Ripple Music  

 
“Gilded Sorrow” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1.Daughter of an Echo
2.It's Not OK 
3.Realize a Dream
4.Gilded Sorrow
5.Stoned Back to the Bomb Age 
6.Wellspring - Dark Sunshine
7.Jailine
8.Yen Sleep
9.Lucky Free Nice Machine
 
 
The Review:
 
The first album in well over half a decade, the first as a new four piece- Dave Sherman sadly departed this mortal coil in 2022- so we are in somewhat untested waters here. Well, to an extent; as Wino is The Obsessed in the same way that Lemmy was Motorhead.
 
He is in fine voice- it’s fully intact and not ravaged by age or touring. He sounds great. In fact, the whole album sounds great- a big beefy sounding thing with real drums and real playing. Musically, you know what to expect here: traditional doom metal and doom rock. This is the street level doom of Maryland, not the more epic variety bandied about by Candlemass or similar.
 
In that regard, The Obsessed are closer to their stateside cousins Pentagram and closer family members like Saint Vitus. It’s a style of doom I particularly like, and one I find endlessly entertaining. The opening one-two of “Daughter of an Echo” and “It’s Not Ok” set the stall out; grooves & riffs, Wino pissed off and switched on. The record is a little more cohesive than “Sacred” was- it hangs together nicely.
 
I mentioned rock as well as metal earlier. I say that as there is a distinctly classic rock vibe to the songs here, kind of like how there was with Place of Skulls and Victor Griffin’s best material. You could imagine Thin Lizzy laying down some of these riffs, or even Nazareth. It has that kind of timeless quality to it. Whether it be the mellow title track that creeps and teases out of the speakers or the more traditional doom of Stoned Back to the Bomb Age, this is very convincingly played and presented.
 
It’s not all absolute gold; a couple of song intros are a little drawn out for my liking and the record has some songs that are clearly stronger than others. But, for every “Wellspring” there is a “Jailene” and Wino’s story telling is on point throughout. The record is perfectly paced and curated at nine tracks- and closing statement “Lucky Free Nice Machine” is a minute lone instrumental. There is no need for any more than that and each track offers something different. Eight tracks was often the magic number back in the halcyon days of the 70s and so it proves today.
 
Overall, then, you get another quality album from The Obsessed, full of fire and venom as well as some pleasingly hazy vibes at times as well. Where this will sit in the band’s discography, I am not quite sure as repeated listens will bring big rewards, I think. For fans of Wino, this is essential and for fans of ‘doom’ that doesn’t have any songs, have a listen to this and enjoy some actual songwriting for a change. A still magnificent beast, refusing to toe the party line. Business as usual, then.
 
“Gilded Sorrow” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Wino, "Forever Gone"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/06/2020

Label: Ripple Music

“Forever Gone” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Forever Gone

2). Taken

3). The Song Is At The Bottom Of The Bottle

4). No Wrong

5). Dark Ravine

6). Dead Yesterday

7). So Fine

8). Crystal Madonna

9). Lavender and Sage

10). Was, Is, and Shall Be

11). Isolation

The Review:

Wino is the rarest of beasts- an elder statesman of a metal genre who is still revered and hasn't faded into irrelevance. It's a testament to his skills as a song writer and his charisma or star quality, if you prefer, that is sadly lacking from the scene these days.

Whether it be his output with The Obsessed (uniformly excellent), Saint Vitus (ditto), Spirit Caravan (ditto), The Hidden Hand (ditto) one off involvements like Shrinebuilder, Place of Skulls and even Probot (again, ditto) Wino is always an engaging aural presence.

We are a decade on from his last acoustic solo album (not counting his records with Conny Ochs) and I listened to “Forever Gone” wondering what type of songs he would present this time. Pleasingly, this feels like a sequel to “Adrift”- Wino has retained the lovelorn and melancholic qualities of that record and they are presented just as starkly here.

Only two tracks feature a full band presentation, the rest are guitar and voice- with some extra instrumentation to compliment the stark arrangements here and there. The title track and the three tracks that follow are wistful and also dark. In fact, it's not until the seventh track, “So Fine” that there are any kind of uplifting vibes to be really heard. A hint at Wino's headspace may be found in the album's powerful closing statement- a cover of Joy Division's “Isolation”. Lyrically, the album is great throughout and Wino's ruminations on the world are worth the price of admission.

If Wino is in a lonely place of dreams where hours turn into years, as “Lavender and Sage” proclaims, then he is gifting us some great music. How many more records there will be we simply cannot know. It's crazy, but Wino started up The Obsessed in 1980. To put this into perspective, Lemmy started Motorhead in 1975, so only five years of activity split the two talismanic frontmen.

You'll certainly wade through dark and murky waters as you listen through this album, but as you might expect, there are hidden depths that are worth investing the time to find here. A natural and worthy successor to “Adrift”, full of sombre reflection and eloquent musings.

“Forever Gone” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Brimstone Coven, "The Inferno"

Initially featured on the site 7 years ago with the release of their debut self-titled album, Brimstone Coven have had quite the journey.  Signing on with Metal Blade Records in 2014 to release their first two releases as a repackaged full length and following that up in 2015 with their next and final release for Metal Blade Records “Black Magic”, these West Virginia occult rockers  have had set backs, however in 2018 with the independent release of ‘What Was and What Shall Be', Brimstone Coven showed they has lost none of their power

2019 would see the band writing a new batch of songs and enter the studio in early 2020. The result would prove to be Brimstone Coven’s darkest sounding album to date, entitled 'The Woes of a Mortal Earth'. The new year also saw the trio signing a new deal with the venerable label Ripple Music. Despite the foreboding atmosphere of their new album, the future of Brimstone Coven has never looked so bright and today we’re excited to debut a brand new track from album below. 

Check out “The Inferno” below and pre-orders are being taken HERE

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp || Instagram

ALBUM REVIEW: Curse the Son, "Excruciation"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/06/2020

Label: Ripple Music

“Excruciation” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Suicide by Drummer

2). Disaster in Denial

3). Novembre

4). Worry Garden

5). Excruciation

6). Infinite Regression

7). Black Box Warning

8). Devil Doctor Blues

9). Phoenix Risin’

The Review:

Fuzzed out riffs reign supreme on Curse the Son's fifth release, “Excruciation”.  A monument to the good time hard rock of a bygone time, Curse the Son delivers a fresh spin on a traditional style, taking the classic Sabbath sound and bringing it into the modern era.  The end result is a magical romp through the history of heavy music that leaves “Excruciation” sitting atop the heap.

Mixing headbanging rock and roll tunes with some serious solemnity, “Excruciation” is a solid collection of tracks that covers a whole lot of musical ground. Songs like “Novembre” trudge with a heart wrenchingly heavy melancholy that maintains a churning power that fits nicely with the rest of the album.  Meanwhile, the entertainingly titled opener, “Suicide by Drummer”, plays out like a party doom anthem flush with catchy hooks and a chorus ripe to be sung with a drink held high. At least in the first half that is.

That's another great thing that Curse the Son brings to the table. Multilayered song writing. Songs can begin just about anywhere without any clear indication of where they may end up. Each track is a journey through the warped minds of the musicians, each taking its own winding path to come to a well earned conclusion.  These songs are crafted with care, without a bit of filler in sight.

The albums production is stunning to say the absolute least. The fuzzed out guitars maintain clarity amongst a chaotic wall of noise.  Drums ring out solidly in the mix without ever becoming overpowering. Bass is allowed plenty of spotlight and is right up with the rest of the band in the mix. Vocals are mournful and theatric, with more than enough of that captivating power that the greats had to keep everyone paying attention.

“Excruciation” is a modern classic of the Doom genre.  It checks all the boxes. What more is there to say?  Listen to it! It's a keeper!

“Excruciation” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Wolftooth, "Valhalla"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/05/2020

Label: Ripple Music |

Cursed Tongue Records

“Valhalla” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Intro – The Lamentation of Frigg
2. The Possession
3. Firebreather
4. Valhalla
5. Fear for Eternity
6. Scylla & Charybdis
7. Molon Labe
8. Crying of the Wolves
9. The Coven
10. Juneau

The Review:

Wolftooth's sophomore release arrives at a fortuitous time. I've been savouring their debut since I reviewed it back in 2018 and I have craved more of this metal mixed with stoner mixed with tales of fantasy and heroism. “Valhalla” thus arrives right on time- two years after the debut and hopefully hints at an Overkill-esque work ethic in years to come.

The debut essentially took what was great about The Sword's first three records and distilled it. “Valhalla” is NOT the sound of Wolftooth abandoning their fan base and making a more mature record. In fact, though the arrangements of “The Possession” are undoubtedly more complex with layered guitars and vocals, the identity of the band remains firmly intact. The atmopsheric intro of “The Lamentation of Frigg” sets us up nicely for a delightful metal album which mixes a lot of the best of trad, stoner and a little doom.

The sound is once again tight and organic- wonderful tom sound- with a burly mix. It's not as aggressive as, say, High on Fire, or even The Sword's early work but it grooves well and there are great riffs and choruses played by a solid band in all aspects. As Wolftooth hail from the same state that gave us the mighty The Gates of Slumber, Apostle of Solitude, Thorr Axe and Throne of Iron, it might be reasonable to expect more of a doom flavour to the songs here, but if anything this is closer to traditional metal than even the debut. There is almost a hard rock vibe to the likes of “Firebreather” and even the title track even of the subject matter and component parts are totally metal.

It interests me to note the fairly uniform song lengths- 4-5mins- and also that despite this the material is not formulaic. There are stylistic traits throughout, such as the aforementioned  layered vocals of the choruses, but it's not boring. Quite the opposite. It's an album to play all the way through. There are some really heavy tracks here, too; “Fear For Eternity” is pure sword and sorcery in Conan style wrought in metal. Each song offers up light and shade, whether it be “Molon Labe” or the pretty catchy “Scylla & Charybdis”.

As the album reaches the closing stages, “Crying of the Wolves” offers up a track close to Dio-era Sabbath (yes!) and rocks hard down the back stretch. “The Coven” offers up a late album highlight with its absolutely hard-as-iron riffing and melodies. “Juneau” finishes the album strongly with... more of the same; fuzzed bass, heavy riffs, reedy/Ozzy-esque vocals and some big slabs of groove.

If the debut made many metallers take notice, this should push the band over the top and hopefully bring them over to the likes of Desertfest, Damnation Festival in the UK and Keep It True and Courts of Chaos etc on the continent. This is for fans of any of the bands mentioned in this review. It's heavy, it's metal and it's quite superb.

“Valhalla” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Bone Church, "Acid Communion"

By: Chris Markwell

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/03/2020

Label: Ripple Music

“Acid Communion” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Heavy Heaven

2). Witch in the Cellar

3). Bone Church

4). Iron Temple

5). If They Float

6). Acid Communion

The Review:

“You’re always welcome at the Church of Bone

Where you can live the Life Divine!”

Dearly beloved and bedamned, we are gathered here today in the sight of our Almighty Sludgelord, to bring unto you our latest sermon.  And lo! We listened, and it was good! 

I bring to you, this day: a vision of future grooves, that will instil, fulfil, satiate and satisfy.  In the near future – March 13, 2020, to be exact – the Ripple Music Label will bestow unto the masses an “Acid Communion”, made by New Haven, Connecticut’s Bone Church.  And there will be much rejoicing, for the sounds will be sweet on this blessed day, and every day henceforth. 

“Acid Communion” is the follow-up to Bone Church’s 2017’s self-titled release and features six tracks of acid-washed doomer rock, guaranteed to make you sing ‘Hallelujah!’ to the pantheon of Sonic Deities.  These five gents who make up Bone Church have obviously studied their holy scriptures of Sabbath, and the divine epistle that is “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. 

Bone Church have teased the world at large with releasing the track ‘Witch in the Cellar’ early, for us to better anticipate the rapturous noise to come.  Please listen to it, and prepare yourself for the awesomeness to come.  Vocalist Jack Rune sounds like a John Fogerty that’s been pulled from another dimension, with his vocal prowess adding this extra punch to the lyrical stories told in each sonic tale. 

When listening to this album, I also felt the Holy presence of Sheffield’s Black Spiders in the mix.  The riffs may be slower, but there’s this familiar aggression and swagger that reaches through the speakers and brings back sweet audio memories.  The track ‘If They Float’, for example, has this breakdown that reminds me of ‘Stay Down’ from Black Spiders’ repertoire.  Sabbath and Spiders are the foundation of Bone Church.  What’s not to love about that? 

I say to thee, brothers and sisters of the Gods of Rock, this album shakes and rattles and rolls with the mighty sounds of festivals of yore.  Each track feels festival-tinged: a sound singed with summer heat, heady with the fumes of illicit vapours, and topped up with the potent wines of the Merlot Melodious and distributed via the decanter Distortion.  Drink up, my brethren, and savour the righteous power of the “Acid Communion”! 

“Acid Communion” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Roadsaw, “Tinnitus The Night”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/06/2019

Label: Ripple Music

This is definitely one of the best albums of the  year and its vitality is astounding for a band of this vintage. Superlative heavy rock for 2019.

“Tinnitus The Night” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Along For The Ride
2. Shake
3. Fat Rats
4. Final Phase
5. Peel
6. Knock Em All Down
7. Find What You Need
8. Under The Devil’s Thumb
9. Midazolam
10. Silence

The Review:

Roadsaw return after an eight year break from releasing full length records and boy does this just JUMP out of the speakers! Kind of like an US East Coast Orange Goblin, these noise purveyors deal in the finest and heaviest stoner rock. Massive riffs, drums, bass and sounds coalesce to turn in powerhouse performances on opener “Along For The Ride” and “Shake”, The band slows to a greasy groove on “Fat Rats” and don't put a foot wrong from there.

With ten tracks and neatly fitting onto one side of a TDK 90min cassette (should that be your preferred medium) this feels like a throwback to the band's first heyday (95-2000) and channels the power of their 2007 release “Rawk N Roll”. I am ashamed to say that I missed out on their self titled 2011 effort, but in my defence I did catch them live at Desertfest a few years ago- and they ripped the Underworld a new one with a tight and energetic set of all-American rock and roll- and gave away a three track EP on CD which I still have.

“Final Phase” is a speedball of energy with “Peel” then dropping the pace back down to a laid back cruise. It's a fairly extended loose track that marks the mid point of this deadly record. For side two, you get “Knock Em All Down” first, with a big groove and grunge like feel. “Find What You Need” is pure rock and roll enjoyment- killer riffs and hooks.

“Under The Devil's Thumb” is just as good- grooves for days- with swagger like Monster Magnet in their prime. For a band with 25 years under their belt, Roadsaw sound hungry and hopefully this album will see another flurry of activity from them and lead to more releases and shows. The albums second languid set piece is “Midazolam”; a longer playing time and the band spreads their wings to take in some epic riffage and quiet loud dynamics. As the band close things with “Silence”, they utilise acoustic guitars for a rather melancholy ending to this excellent record.

This is definitely one of the best albums I've heard this year and its vitality is astounding for a band of this vintage. Superlative heavy rock for 2019. Welcome back!

“Tinnitus The Night” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Castle, “Deal Thy Fate”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/10/2018

Label: Ripple Music

Castle remain unique and mix up the sounds and approaches of many of your favourite bands to create a superlative heavy metal record

“Deal Thy Fate” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Can’t Escape the Evil
2). Skull in the Woods
3). Prelude
4). Hexenring
5). Wait For Dark
6). Deal Thy Fate
7). Haunted
8). Red Phantom
9). Firewind

The Review:

Castle have been on quite the prolific run since 2011; this is their fourth full length. 2016's “Welcome To The Graveyard” was a great, great album and my favourite of theirs to date. Is “Deal Thy Fate” a step forward, sideways or back? Either read on or go and listen to it to find out...

The band remain with a foot/other body part in several different camps. It's not doom, it's not trad, it's not thrash, it's not rock. In fact, it's all those things mixed together. The band have a spooky vibe and veer towards the doom rock of Pentagram at times, but there are many riffs here which lean towards, or even heavily on, Slayer for reference. From the opener of “Can't Escape the Evil” and into  “Skull in the Woods”, you can only assume that Castle have summoned Jeff Hanneman's spirit and he has communicated what he would have played from beyond the grave, leading Mat Davis to oblige. That's not to take away from the material, it's a fresh angle for the band and they work it well.

Over the course of the eight tracks and one interlude here, Castle have added to their sound and built solidly on their previous three records. “Hexenring” could have nestled very comfortably into “WTTGY” and the vocals of Liz Blackwell are as stellar as ever. “Wait For Dark” is dramatic and evil in delivery and riffage and shows the band have retained an endearing rawness to their approach. My digitally provided copy has a few glitches here and there- it is hard to ignore at times with a couple of jumps in this track and others.

Digital issues aside, the sound of the album and the title track are reassuringly analogue. The evil and dark vibes continue and work really well with Blackwell's schizophrenic vocals. Once again, Castle are hard to pigeon-hole; the title track could be out of the Angel Witch NWOBHM play book, while “Haunted” goes much further towards hard rock. There may be nothing as immediate as “Flash of the Pentagram” here, but the songs throughout are uniformly strong and the production is perfect for the band.

The melting pot of hard rock and Slayer-esque riffing continues with “Red Phantom” and it delivers a storming and hard rocking penultimate track for this confident album. For the closing “Firewind”, Castle slow things down and offer up a track which starts effectively as a maudlin ballad and then gets heavier. Hey, if it's good enough for 70's era Priest... it's good enough for anybody. Castle deliver a surprisingly emotional final statement and close out the album with strength and purpose. The band have progressed here, no doubt, and they have set themselves up for a broader sound on their next album- should they wish to deliver such a thing. Castle remain unique and mix up the sounds and approaches of many of your favourite bands to create superlative heavy metal and hard rock. Excellent.

Order “Deal Thy Fate” direct from the band HERE and via Ripple Music HERE.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: The Necromancers, "Secular Lord"

Having been previously unfamiliar with French occult doom quartet The Necromancers , it came as somewhat of surprise that the band are set to release their second full length, a mere 12 months after their debut.  No small feat by today’s standards. 

Back in the day, when Sabbath was known to few, but on the cusp of greatness, legendary acts such as Sabbath, would bang out an album a year, tour it, get back in the studio and 12 months later, another record would be released.  To be able do this with regularity it one thing, but to consistently produce strong material is perhaps the exception to the rule.  What am I trying to say then?  Well for one The Necromancers are clearly dedicated hard working band, but perhaps more significantly, having reviewed their previous album, they’re able to produce consistently kick ass albums and when we got the call to premiere a track, I couldn’t have been more stoked.

Although this French quartet's second album still features the lumbering doom and cultish heavy rock they are known for, it is clear on new album “Of Blood And Wine” they appear to have dug deeper within themselves as song writing and in turn they have produced a record of great depth and quality.  So without further ado check out the track “Secular Lord” below as well as small quote from the band about the track.  Recorded at Nomad Studio, “Of Blood And Wine” must be like the 100^th record Ripple Music will have released this year, but all kidding aside, the record will available via this distinguished label on October 5th 2018 on all formats. 

“Secular Lord” talks about Vlad 'The Empalor' Tepes. He is the historical character who inspired Bram Stoker for Dracula. We chose to talk about the legend and the myth here. We think it’s another song exploration for us, having that kind of voices and guitars sounds. Feels great for a first single!

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Against The Grain - "Cheated Death"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/02/2018

Label: Ripple Music 

For fans of speedrock, "Cheated Death" is a record to get a hold of. It flows from start to finish and makes no issue of being entirely indebted to their peers. The tunes speak for themselves, really, and its Against the Grain's sharp sense of melody and keen songwriting prowess that gives this band that je ne sai qoui

“Cheated Death” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Cheated Death
02. Full Of Smoke
03. Sacrifice
04. No Sleep
05. Last Chance
06. Devils And Angels
07. High Heeled Woman
08. Rolling Stone
09. Enoughs Not Enough
10. Going Down Fast
11. Jaded And Faded
12. Into The Light

The Review:

Ok, I've done the math for you. The press release laid so much emphasis on Against The Grain's tenure as a live band, I had to do the math. The answer? Since Against The Grain got started in 2009, the band has averaged one show every 3 and a half days. That's pretty impressive. And if you're curious what this equation has to do with Against The Grain's new album, "Cheated Death," well, let me explain.

Coming out of the Motor City, Against The Grain plays motor rock. That's kind of a no-brainer. Speed rock, whatever you want to call it. It's what these boys from Michigan do. This music calls upon those who play it, to play it fast, hard and most of all tight. Imagine a sloppy speedrock band. It just doesn't work. One show every 3 and a half days has made this band from Michigan become a unit, and the results are finger-licking good.

Against The Grain lay their claim to the genre from the offset. Opener and title track shows exactly how tight they are, and from that point on, the band never lets up. They just keep on going. From the throaty "Rolling Stone" to the punkish highlight of "Jaded and Faded," Against The Grain lives up to their song titles, album title and artwork. They're raw, they're tough and they're going to do this until they die.

So yes, Against The Grain is one tight band. All those days out on the road can be heard on these recordings. Whether its the double guitar soloing in "Last Chance" that reminds me of Thin Lizzy or the vocal harmonies in "Going Down Fast" that brings up KISS at their least annoying, Against The Grain have really stepped up their game here.

For fans of speedrock, "Cheating Death" is a record to get a hold of. It flows from start to finish and makes no issue of being entirely indebted to their peers. The tunes speak for themselves, really, and its Against The Grain's sharp sense of melody and keen songwriting prowess that gives this band that je ne sai qoui

“Cheated Death” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp