TRACK PREMIERE: Raleigh, North Carolina's doom knights Demon Eye issue "The Redeemer" & choose their Top 5 influential albums

Taking their name from one of the darker tracks of the Deep Purple catalogue, Demon Eye consists of four men, two New Yorkers, two Southerners, and one shared love for old school metal, yes Demon Eye are back folks, indeed news of an impending third offering pleases us very much around there parts, having fallowed the upward trajectory of this stellar act since debut “Leave The Light” (review here) hit are decks back in 2014.  Be sure to mark the date in your diary because “Prophecies And Lies” will be released on August 11th and that means  another superior dose of their classic rock, proto metal and traditional doom.

Demon Eye’s heavy grooves and thunder rhythms channel the doom and crush of Black Sabbath and Pentagram, and the fist banging shred of early ‘Maiden.   You could say that Demon Eye represents the flowering of an American take on the spirit of the Scandanavian Retro Rock bands.  Combing the warm vibes of 70's jams by Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Mountain and others with a rough and ready smattering of the early metal roar of Pentagram and Pagan Altar thrown in for good measure.

Their story is an odd one.  The band that would come to be known as Demon Eye began life as a seventies tribute / cover band Corvette Summer whose "set generally includes the music of: Thin Lizzy, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Kiss, UFO, Alice Cooper, Free, ZZ Top, and many, many more..." (Source).  So the ingredients were all there to begin with. Meanwhile, it turns out frontman Erik Sugg has made quite a name as an incredibly popular children's entertainer in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, teaching toddlers how to read through the power of rock & roll, and if you don't dig the hell out of this story, you simply have no soul.  None of this however, suggests that the band would blast into the doom rock world with an absolute scorcher of a debut E.P., which was released in early Spring of 2013.  The eponymous E.P. generated a decent buzz and those with one ear closer to hell didn't fail to notice.

One of those folks was Jorn, owner of Souseller Records.  The label who would go on to issue Demon Eye's full-length debut, 'Leave the Light' and 2015’s critically lauded sophomore release “Tempora Inferalia” (review here).  So with the release date of “Prophecies and Lies” drawing ever closer, it gives us great please to welcome band the onto the pages of THE SLUDGELORD with a brand new and exclusive track “The Redeemer” which you an stream below. Folks new to the band, we envy you and if that describes you, you have to get your hands on this album if you would answer "yes" to any of the following questions:

Do you like the demonic smirk of evil and forbidden good times?

Do you like heavy guitars with shredding leads?

Do you like uptempo doom boogie music with catchy choruses and clean vocals?

Not only that, if the excitement of that new track wasn’t enough, we recently caught up with front man Erik Sugg to talk us through some of the bands own personal favourite albums.  Which you can check out below the track stream.  Double the dose double the riffs.  Demon Eye welcome back, you are truly knights of the sound table, we love you and you should too.  

 

Iron Maiden - "Live After Death"

This is Larry's pick. What is there to say? It's classic. Amazing heavy metal that has stood the test of time for several generations and will continue to do so. Top notch song writing and incredible playing. It was pretty amazing being a kid in the '80s and being exposed to Maiden as contemporary band. They were larger than life and made their music epic for fans of hard rock and metal everywhere.

Queensryche - "The Warning"

Bill, Demon Eye's drummer, is a huge fan of this era of Queensryche. It's great classic metal from an early period of the band before they began the more experimental portion of their career during the latter half of the '80s, (the more heavily produced, thematic albums.) A lot of folks in the metal community seem to share pretty strong feelings about Queensryche, but this album stands up. If you slept on it, you should go back and give it a listen.

Deep Purple - "In Rock"

We seem incapable of not discussing Deep Purple during interviews, ha. A huge influence for the band, obviously, and this record is certainly one of the best things they ever did. It slams, through and through. Everything from the heavy opening riffs to "Speed King" to Ian's valkyrie-shrieking in "Child in Time," to the almost MC5-ish "Flight of the Rat." I own three different vinyl copies of this, (my listening copy, my back-up copy, and a picture disc version.) It's one of my favorite records of all time. I was stoked to see a recent interview with Ritchie Blackmore where he stated it was one of his favorite things the band ever did.

Judas Priest - "Sad Wings of Destiny”

Paul chose this one. If it were the only Priest record in existence, they'd still be metal gods. It's really interesting this album was released in 1976 because that's around the time when punk started kicking off, but it still granted the band a huge audience and opened the doors for the pending NWOBHM scene. Generally Sabbath and Deep Purple are the bands credited in making the musical transformation from heavy blues towards a more classical moding style. That sort of thing ultimately became the blueprint for the traditional heavy metal sound. Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore may have been the first guitarists to introduce that style to heavy rock, but Priest were the ones who really set that sort of thing into stone with this record. It will always hold up.

Witchcraft - "Witchcraft"

I can't not express enough how much this band means to me. When I heard Witchcraft's debut record back in the mid '2000s it stopped me dead in my tracks. It was everything I loved about vintage heavy rock and it was traditional doom metal like Pentagram and Candlemass, but it wasn't over-driven nor downtuned. It was very clean and crisp, but still sounded heavy and evil. I kept Witchcraft's sound and their techniques in my mind when I first started writing songs for Demon Eye. I didn't want to sound like them, but I wanted to achieve the same "less-is-more" kind of power they were achieving. I don't know much about Magnus Pelander as an individual, (he's a bit of a mystery to American fans,) but I will always admire his imagination and his stunning songcraft. I will buy everything he ever releases, Witchcraft and solo releases, for the rest of my life and for as long as he's releasing them.

Band info: facebook  || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Pelander - "Time"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/10/2016

Label: Nuclear Blast

Clearly, as can be heard over the course of this interesting record, Magnus Pelander is not always a happy man- through his sadness, though; he has created a thing of beauty. This album is excellent; one of the best I have heard this year. If you are searching for sombre acoustic music, then this is essential.

“Time” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Umbrella (5:28)

2. Family Song (3:43)

3. The Irony Of Man (4:31)

4. True Colour (8:57)

5. Precious Swan (9:52)

6. Time (4:15)

The Review:

Magnus Pelander, of Witchcraft fame, has really come up with the goods here. I must admit that the last Witchcraft album did not really pique my interest- too long, very dark and I found it hard to get into. However, what we have here is a sparse record more akin to Jethro Tull or the acoustic moments of the Sabbath canon.

Pelander employs acoustic guitar, flute and backing singers- all on the first track- to create a rather sublime mixture of dark folk with doom vibes. As the album progresses, the vibe remains melancholic, wistful and in keeping with Pelander's more familiar chosen genre. His voice, instantly recognisable and unique, is one of the album's strongest points. His somewhat odd pronunciation remains intact here and this is part of what marks him out. “Family Song” is a rather pretty acoustic track with strong melodies and in parts Pelander's voice really soars.

“The Irony of Man” is somewhat more downbeat as is “True Colour”, but each track is in perfect keeping with the sombre mood on display here. As the nights draw in and summer becomes a rather distant memory, this album could be the perfect soundtrack.

“Precious Swan” begins with sparse acoustic, but adds violin and reverbed vocals. It is a sombre listen, no doubt, but strangely uplifting as well. Pelander's voice delivers heartfelt words here. The title track closes this six track extravaganza and is strangely catchy as well as downbeat. Clearly, as can be heard over the course of this interesting record, Magnus Pelander is not always a happy man- through his sadness, though; he has created a thing of beauty. This album is excellent; one of the best I have heard this year. If you are searching for sombre acoustic music, then this is essential. 

“Time” is available everywhere now

Band info: bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Blues Rockers Captain Crimson "Remind" us how to rock

 

With an established and impeccable reputation that started back in 1995, Small Stone Records, the self proclaimed dealers in the finest in fuzz rock, continue to churn out gold standard releases some 21 years later, not bad when you consider the label was started with a loan of $5000 and a desire to put out record by his friends.

 

The label continues to put out approximately 10 to 12 new releases a year and many of his bands keep busy touring schedules, therefore a band could consider them fortunate to taken under the wings of this truly great label.  One such band is Captain Crimson, a band dealing in the kind of badass blues rock that has made their peers and fellow Swedes, Graveyard, Witchcraft, and Blues Pills household names within the underground doom scene.

 

Formed in 2010 by vocalist Stefan Lillhager, formerly of Blowback, Captain Crimson draws inspiration from the classic sounds of The Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull, Cactus, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, meeting heavy boogie head-on with a modern swagger that has carried over to their latest and third album, “Remind”, which will serve as their first for Small Stone Records.

 

“Remind” will be released on October 14th, 2016 on CD, digitally and limited edition vinyl and preorders of the record are available here. Today at The Sludgelord in association with our friends at Earsplit PR we are debuting another new cut to remind you how much you need this band in your life.  Check out “Black Rose” below



“Remind” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Ghost Town

2). Bells From The Underground

3). Love Street

4). Black Rose

5). Money

6). Drifting

7). Remind

8). Let Her Go

9). Alone

10). Senseless Mind

 Band info: facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: Haunted offer a s(low) sub-sabbathian dirge with "Watchtower"

We’re always in the mood for new stoner doom bands at The Sludgelord and today is no different, Haunted worship at the altar of the godfathers of doom Black Sabbath and latter day retro saints Witchcraft.  Forged in Catania in 2015, what came out in the wash was with their s(low) sub-sabbathian dirge.

Now these five banshees are set to release their first full-length LP “Haunted” via Twin Earth Records on 31August 2016 and today we’re premiering their new video “Watchtower” which you can check out below. Hail satan, worship doom! “Haunted” is available on 12" 140g color-in-color (Purple inside cloudy-clear), black vinyl and CD.  Pre orders are up here

 “Haunted” CD//DD//LP track list:

1. Nightbreed

2. Watchtower

3. Slivercomb

4. Slowthorn

5. Haunted

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

Arcana 13 - "Danza Macabra" (Album Review)

By: Doza Hawes

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/03/2016

Label: Aural Music

This album is all about the groove, mixing swampy simplicity with killer vocal hooks. The production is modern and clear, but without sounding overproduced. The guitars are nicely fuzzed out, the bass is growling, and the drums sound crisp and natural.  Creepy keyboards and psychedelic sound effects weave in the background, tying the album together and never letting you forget that these are songs inspired by one thing:  horror.  Overall I would go so far as to say “Danza Macabra” is a contender for the Sludgelord list of top Doom releases of 2016

“Danza Macabra” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Dread Ritual

2. Arcane XIII

3. Land of Revenge

4. Oblivion Mushroom

5. Intermezzo (Bonus track for limited vinyl)

6. Suspiria (Goblin cover)

7. Blackmaster

8. The Holy Cult of Suicide

9. Hell Behind You

The Review:

When I heard about a new band from Italy that were inspired by classic Horror films and featured a Goblin cover on their debut album, I expected to hear creepy, all-instrumental progressive rock with insane technical wizardry, influenced by bands like classic Yes and King Crimson. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Instead, I got what could be a contender for the Sludgelord list of top Doom releases of 2016. Instead of proggy technical instrumentation, Arcana 13 delivers crushing riffs. Instead of the mind-bending arrangements and bizarre time signatures that we usually get with prog rock, Arcana 13 keeps it simple and brings us a classic Occult Doom album that is masterfully put together.

Titled “Danza Macabra”, the album is inspired by legendary horror classics by Dario Argento and Mario Bava (among others), such as “Inferno”, “Suspiria”, and “Mask of Satan”. Sealing the deal, they enlisted classic horror poster artist Enzo Sciotti to paint the album cover, of which he commented, “This is my masterpiece…perhaps the best horror ever!” It is truly a beautiful album cover.

What is interesting about this album is that, while paying tribute to the classic Doom masters such as Sabbath and Pentagram, the band have clearly been doing their homework and staying in touch with what is current in the Doom scene. I hear tributes to bands like Ghost, Sleep, Witchcraft, and Church of Misery, but without sounding like overt plagiarism, more like love and respect for these great bands. The vocals are clean with some fantastic harmonies; the only screaming you’ll hear is from the various horror movie samples that meander throughout the songs. The production is modern and clear, but without sounding overproduced. The guitars are nicely fuzzed out, the bass is growling, and the drums sound crisp and natural.  Creepy keyboards and psychedelic sound effects weave in the background, tying the album together and never letting you forget that these are songs inspired by one thing:  horror.

Their cover of Goblin’s Suspiria theme is a super cool rendition, taking the song in a groovy hard rock direction that is sure to make your head nod. If you’re looking for insane double bass blasts or technical guitar shred, you won’t get that here. This album is all about the groove, mixing swampy simplicity with killer vocal hooks. “Danza Macabra” is a great rock album, a great Doom album, and its infused with the band’s clear love for classic horror. Give Arcana 13 a listen and turn it way up. You might want to pick up one of their limited edition red blood spatter vinyls, if they haven’t already sold them all!

“Danza Macabra” is available here

Band info: bandcamp

Black Wizard - "New Waste" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 29/01/2016
Label: Listenable Records

By the time of the excellently titled “Final Ripper”, your world will not have been changed, new dimensions of aural possibility will not have been opened up to you, but you will have heard a fine retro record, filled with good riffs and 100% commitment.

“New Waste” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Revival

2). Hard Time

3). Laughing and Lost

4). Vivian  Girls

5). Eliminator

6). Unnecessary Evil

7). Waiting For

8). The Priest

9). Final Ripper

The Review:

OK, here we have a band pushing the boundaries of modern art, with no references to the past and a completely new take on rock and metal. Ah, actually... no we don't. They are called Black Wizard; what do you THINK they sound like?!

You would be right; this is pure retro doom/metal/rock. Think Sabbath, Purple, Pentagram and then more modern throwbacks like Witchcraft. Hailing from Vancouver, the band have crafted a perfectly listenable record along with lines of all bands mentioned (and many bands not mentioned) thus far.

Please note, from the live sounding drums, swirling Hammond organ and well delivered vocals there is absolutely nothing new here. However, that is not to say that this is not worth your time. The likes of the opener “Revival” (apt) and “Laughing and Lost” deliver deep grooves aplenty, as well as some fine riffing and good production tricks. Black Wizard are derivative, I don't think they would even try to dispute that, but they are also pretty good.

The pace is often faster than you might expect from their name and the band play well consistently. The whole album both swings and rocks, which is no mean feat. You may have heard the riffs, beats and bass lines before, but that does not mean you don't want to hear them again!

There are mellower moments, such as “Waiting For”, as well as straight ahead rockers like “The Priest” (which is a great track). By the time of the excellently titled “Final Ripper”, your world will not have been changed, new dimensions of aural possibility will not have been opened up to you, but you will have heard a fine retro record, filled with good riffs and 100% commitment. Black Wizard would be a fine support act for any band from Electric Wizard to Pentagram to Uncle Acid. And there is a great deal to support that endorsement to be found herein.

“New Waste” is available here

FFO: The Sword, Valkyrie, Witch, Pentagram

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Greenleaf - "Rise Above The Meadow" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 26/02/2016
Label: Napalm Records

Swedish heavy rockers Greenleaf return with their sixth(!) full length and “A Million Fireflies” kicks off the album with distorted bass, rumbling drums and fuzzy guitars. It manages to be both raucous and measured at the same time.  Musically, I suppose, this falls somewhere between Cream and Fu Manchu, but rather than just bludgeon the listener, the band combine weight with a lightness of touch- particularly with regards to the vocal melodies.  Overall, If you like heavy rock, fuzzy guitars and vocals that stick with you then this album is one to check out.

“Above The Meadow” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. A Million Fireflies
2. Funeral Pyre
3. Howl
4. Golden Throne
5. Carry Out The Ribbons
6. Levitate And Bow (Pt. 1 & 2)
7. You´re Gonna Be My Ruin
8. Tyrants Tongue
9. Pilgrims

The Review:

Swedish heavy rockers Greenleaf return with their sixth(!) full length. “A Million Fireflies” kicks off the album with distorted bass, rumbling drums and fuzzy guitars. It manages to be both raucous and measured at the same time, with quieter moments and an archetypical Swedish vocal- think Witchcraft...

“Funeral Pyre” is similarly earth shaking with some cracking riffs and a lovely reverb heavy drum sound. Musically, I suppose, this falls somewhere between Cream and Fu Manchu- think that sounds good? It is!  “Howl” goes for a more mellow but equally direct approach. Until a BIG riff kicks in at the three minute mark that is...

“Golden Throne” is a short, sharp ditty with a propulsive rhythm and strong melodies. “Levitate and Bow” is an expansive workout which spans over seven minutes of shifting sounds; ambitious and wholly effective. The likes of “You're Gonna Be My Ruin” and “Tyrants Tongues” are more direct in  approach, but always maintain a keen sense of melody- as the record does as a whole. Rather than just bludgeon the listener, the band combine weight with a lightness of touch- particularly with regards to the vocal melodies. “Pilgrims” finishes this fine and heavy rocking effort in style with a fine building track which is a memorable crystallisation of what the band does best. If you like heavy rock, fuzzy guitars and vocals that stick with you then this album is one to check out.

“Above The Meadow” is available here

Band info: facebook

The Sludgelord News: WITCHCRAFT | LISTEN TO NEW TRACK 'THE OUTCAST'

Swedish classic / doom rock masters WITCHCRAFT have released a brand new song entitled 'The Outcast', from their eagerly anticipated new album “Nucleus”. Listen the track here:

“Nucleus” is scheduled for a January 15, 2016 release worldwide via Nuclear Blast and will be available as CD, lavish digipack (also as a t-shirt bundle), vinyl (black, clear, splatter, gold) and digital download.

Nucleus track list:
01. Malstroem
02. Theory Of Consequence
03. The Outcast
04. Nucleus
05. An Exorcism Of Doubts
06. The Obsessed
07. To Transcend Bitterness
08. Helpless
09. Breakdown
Limited digipack CD & 2LP vinyl bonus track
10. Chasing Rainbows

Pre-order Limited Edition Vinyl and T-Shirt bundles here
Pre-order the Limited Edition Digipack CD from Amazon here

Nucleus seamlessly mixes the rawer side of WITCHCRAFT's early roots, with a slightly more melancholic modern sound. With an all new line-up (Rage Widerberg on drums and Tobias Anger on bass) the band sounds more hungry and powerful than ever before. In combination with the thrilling, yet down-to-earth production by mastermind Magnus Pelander himself, Philip Gabriel Saxin and Anton Sundell, the band's new album throws you into dreamy sonic landscapes that will mesmerise and haunt you alike.

Kadavar - "Berlin" (Album Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 21/08/2015

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Kadavar have avoided the pitfalls of slavishly recreating the sound of rock legends of yesteryear. Instead they have taken their obvious influences and reassembled them in an exciting new configuration. The sheer exuberance and energy of their delivery, combined with masterful songwriting skill, sounds completely vital whilst being unashamedly in thrall to the past.

“Berlin” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Lord Of The Sky 4:27

2. Last Living Dinosaur 4:05

3. Thousand Miles Away From Home 4:53

4. Filthy Illusion 3:45

5. Pale Blue Eyes 3:28

6. Stolen Dreams 3:57

7. The Old Man 4:05

8. Spanish Wild Rose 4:30

9. See The World With Your Own Eyes 4:07

10. Circles In My Mind 3:47

11. Into The Night 4:30

12. Reich Der Träume (bonus track) 6:39

Kadavar is:

Christoph “Lupus” Lindemann | vocals, guitars

Simon “Dragon” Bouteloup | bass

Christoph “Tiger” Bartelt | drums

The Review:

I’d never heard a note of Kadavar before my first spin of “Berlin”. This is the Berlin power trio’s third LP and sees them in possession of a massive following earned via their retro 70S hard/psychedelic rock stylings. I was going into this expecting some serious Sabbath/Purple worship in the vein of Witchcraft and Graveyard, but what I found was something a little bit different. While Kadavar are certainly not averse to sounding like Aston’s finest, particularly on the suitably monstrous “Last Living Dinosaur”, it appears they’ve cast their net further into the seas of classic rock than the standard doom touchstones.

“Lord of the Sky” kicks the album off with a fizzy Stooges style riff before settling into a groove reminiscent of The Who drenched in fuzz. The band mine this furrow further to great effect on “Filthy Illusion” and “See The World With Your Own Eyes” while elsewhere things take a more psychedelic turn. “The Old Man” adds a Hendrix/Cream flavour to proceedings and packs a killer chorus which will be lodged in your brain for weeks to come. “Spanish Wild Rose” sees the band slow down and space out with some tasty lead guitar and vocal echo. “Into the Night” closes the record in fine style, switching from fist pumping heavy metal to a swooping effects laden climax which brings a welcome injection of prog grandeur.

Make sure you get a copy of “Berlin” featuring bonus track “Reich Der Traume”. A cover of an obscure Nico track, it offers a stark contrast to the rest of the album featuring an array of synths and minimal drums. Here the band sound almost contemporary, conjuring up a strange and effective mix of Yes, Kraftwerk and even modern weirdoes Animal Collective. It will be interesting to see if this is a sign of things to come in the future.

Kadavar have avoided the pitfalls of slavishly recreating the sound of rock legends of yesteryear. Instead they have taken their obvious influences and reassembled them in an exciting new configuration. The sheer exuberance and energy of their delivery, combined with masterful songwriting skill, sounds completely vital whilst being unashamedly in thrall to the past. “Berlin” is a killer album that may help them to attain the immortality of their heroes in the eyes of future generations.

“Berlin” is available now

FFO: Witchcraft, Graveyard, Deep Purple

Band info: facebook