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Archive for Doom metal

Darkthrone – Eternal Hails…..

Darkthrone
Eternal Hails…..
Released 25th June 2021
Doom Metal/ Blackened Heavy Metal
Released via Peaceville Records

The Norwegian duo Gylve Fenris Nagell and Ted Arvid Skjellum, better known as Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, have been making heavy metal music as Darkthrone since 1987. I’m using the term heavy metal music deliberately as their style has changed a lot over the years. Though their first album was death metal, they are best known for the black metal albums released in the early 90s, some of which are regarded as the genre’s classics including ‘Under A Funeral Moon’. Since then they have experimented with a variety of genres including crust punk, thrash metal, hard rock and Motörhead-style heavy metal.

Personally I’m particularly fond of their black metal era. They are a band which I have continued to follow for many years. I can’t say that I enjoy all their works though, some of the more experimental albums are not to my liking. When it comes to Darkthrone, some things always remain the same. They have never followed any specific trends, they just play what they want and they never do live shows. So where do they stand in 2021 with ‘Eternal Hails…..”, let’s find out shall we?

The first two things that got my attention were the beautiful cover art and the song lengths. It is worth noting that there are only five tracks on here and the shortest one clocks in at just over seven minutes. The opener His Masters Voice has a varied structure starting off slow and atmospheric before the thrash metal style guitar riffs hit the spotlight later on. Then they mellow things down again at the end. It’s a decent start but nothing super memorable. Hate Cloak offers some old school Candlemass-esque doom metal with a bleak atmosphere and droning guitars. This might be great for those who love this style but I’ve never been a massive fan of the genre. While it may have the right atmosphere, over nine minutes of droning guitar riffs is a little too tedious for my liking.

Even when the pace picks up half way through the album, the only track that I actually enjoyed was Wake Of The Awakened. Not only does it feature slightly faster thrashing guitar work and less ponderous riffs but it is also the closest thing on here to their old black metal sound. Like most of the album, this one is very guitar-driven but it is more energetic than the others.

In summary, if you are a fan of doom metal then you will most likely enjoy ‘Eternal Hails…..’ In my case, I enjoyed ‘Wake of The Awakened’ and I like some of the thrash metal guitar parts in a few of the other tracks but on the whole the album is too cumbersome for me. I found the song structures difficult to grasp and it took some serious effort to stay focused.

6/10

Iza Raittila

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Black Sigma – Lost

Posted in Review with tags Ambient, atmospheric black metal, Doom metal on 17th May 2021 by izaforestspirit

Black Sigma
Lost
Released 1st April 2021
Atmospheric Black Metal
Self-Released

‘Lost’ is the debut album from the Belgian atmospheric black metal artist Black Sigma. The project was launched last year by the musician known as Occulta, who used to be the vocalist of the symphonic black metal band Avatar back in the ‘90s.

After several listens I can state that the main two adjectives I would use to describe this album would be ‘atmospheric’ and ‘melancholic’. There is a fair bit of melody in the guitar work and it is paired with haunting black metal shrieks. Occasionally Occulta mellows things down like in the piano outro to Always Alone and the ambient-esque closing track Desolation. The style is fairly similar to the German ambient black metal duo Bann. A lot of the songs have long instrumental parts with the vocals being used sparingly.

The second half of the album includes some subtle doom undertones in the guitar patterns ,for example in the title track. That particular song also features a variety of vocal styles ranging from shrieks at the start, to My Dying Bride -style semi-growls and eerie whispers. I also enjoyed the ambient keyboard and guitar passages on Apocalypse 3.0.

In summary I can confirm that this is definitely my kind of black metal. Black Sigma is one of the most promising newcomers to the scene and I look forward to hearing more from him.

9/10

Iza Raittila

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Hadal – December

Posted in Review with tags Death/Doom, Doom metal, Gothic doom metal, Hadal on 9th January 2021 by izaforestspirit

Hadal
December
Released: 5th December 2020
Doom Metal / Death Metal
Released via Planet K Records

My first review of 2021. I do not normally review doom metal for the simple reason it has never been my favorite metal genre. Not even close. In fact the only doom metal band I listen to occasionally is My Dying Bride. Despite this I decided to give Hadal’s new album a go based on the description of it being a mixture of doom, Gothic and death metal. The Trieste-based, Italian doom metal quintet have been active since 2009 and this is their second album.

So, what we have here is primarily a doom metal album. All the classic hallmarks of the genre are present: a slower, bass-heavy, low-tuned guitar work, melancholic vocals and depressive lyrics. No violins but the music and vocal style bears some similarity to My Dying Bride. If only their singer had the same vocal range as Aaron Stainthorpe… Not quite, but he is doing a pretty good job. There is a hint of death metal audible in the growling vocals at the start of Dark Water, one of the more varied songs on here. I like the contrast between the two vocal styles and the gradual shift between the harsh to the melodic. The low-tuned guitar riffs are still present but at least this is not as ponderous as some of the other tracks on here. Similar things can be said about Without A Word, another song with a hint of death metal in the vocals and some of the guitar riffs.

The rest of the album offers a more varied pace. It’s still slow but the occasional death metal parts are a welcome addition. Speaking of variety, the closing track Stormcrow has some of the most diverse guitar work on the record, happily merging doom, death, Gothic and even thrash metal elements.

Overall, Hadal are not re-inventing the wheel here. Their style does not offer anything dramatically new to the genre. Having said that I reckon that fans of My Dying Bride and early Paradise Lost might enjoy it.

7/10

Iza Raittila

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New EP from sludge metallers Skeleton Screen

Posted in Misc., News with tags Doom metal, post-metal, Sludge metal on 4th September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Here is something for fans of sludge and doom metal. Introducing the American sludge/ doom metal duo Skeleton Screen. The band was formed last year by guitarist and vocalist Mark Johnston. Their debut EP ‘Conditions’ is out now and available from the Bandcamp page.

For more information visit:

https://skeletonscreen.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/skelescreen

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New single from Yesterday I Lived

Posted in Misc., News, Studio Report with tags Atmospheric Metal, Doom metal on 6th August 2020 by izaforestspirit

Here is something for fans of doom metal. The Moscow based, Russian atmospheric doom metal artist Yesterday I Lived has just released his latest single ‘Theatre of Sorrow’.

The project was created last year. The new single and his self-titled debut album are available exclusively from his bandcamp page.

For more information visit:

https://yesterday-i-lived.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/yesterday.i.lived/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-i5806YMghIcLtNo9OllA/

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Red Moon Architect premier new video for Rise

Posted in News with tags Doom metal, Emptiness Weighs The Most, Finnish, Noble Demon, Red Moon Architect, Rise on 26th June 2020 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Finnish doom metal outfit Red Moon Architect are set to release their highly anticipated fifth, Emptiness Weighs The Most, studio album in October through Noble Demon. The album will take listeners on an intense and emotional ride through harrowing doom landscapes. To give an idea of what the new album will entail, Red Moon Architect have released a video for Rise, taken from the album, which can be viewed down below. The album will feature nine tracks in total.

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My Dying Bride return with ‘The Ghost of Orion’

Posted in Misc., Studio Report with tags Doom metal, Gothic Metal, my dying bride on 7th January 2020 by izaforestspirit

Good news for My Dying Bride fans. It’s been five years since the British doom metal group’s last studio effort ‘Feel The Misery’. Now the wait will finally be over soon. The band have recently announced that their long-awaited new album will be called ‘The Ghost of Orion’. This is will be My Dying Bride’s first studio release with Nuclear Blast Records.

Here is an official statement from the band:

“A new album for a new era of MY DYING BRIDE with fresh faces and a more accessible style compared to some of their past, highly technical releases. ‘The Ghost of Orion’ features compositions not only of epic proportions but of intimate quality too, from death metal vocals to the pained cries of a vocalist in longing, the L.P. will raise and fall like the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire in which it was recorded. With layer upon layer of guitars both heavy and harmonic, Andrew Craighan has created a rich soundscape that is beautifully epic, enhanced with violins and keys from Shaun MacGowan along with the ominous murmur of cello from acclaimed cellist Jo Quail. And speaking of guest artists, the wondrous voice of Lindy-Fay Hella (WARDRUNA) adds an ethereal beauty to the album. Adding his particular style of drumming this time round is Jeff Singer whose percussion exploits have elevated the bands’ rhythm section to another level aided by the effortlessly stylish Lena Abe on bass guitar. Aaron Stainthorpe delivers a compelling and often disturbing performance with his own particular style of vocals offering sincere eulogies along with the visceral carnage of a soul in pain, with poetic lyrics of a quality not often seen in this genre. This collection of songs is the bands most brilliant yet, honing 30 years of experience into the well crafted offering that is ‘The Ghost of Orion’.”

You can check out the cover art below:

My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion

‘The Ghost of Orion’ will be out worldwide on 6th March 2020. There will also be a music video for the first single ‘Our Broken Shore’ coming later this week.

For more details visit:
http://www.mydyingbride.net/
https://www.facebook.com/MyDyingBrideOfficial/

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Iza’s highlights of 2019

Posted in Editorial/Opinionated with tags Ad Inferna, Aggrotech, Black Metal, blackened heavy metal, Blutengel, Children of Bodom, Combichrist, Dark electro, Darkthrone, Darkwave, Doom metal, Eluveitie, Folk Metal, Goth n' Roll, Gothic rock, highlights, Hocico, Industrial metal, Mgła, Power Metal, Sabaton, Symphonic Black Metal, synth-pop, The 69 Eyes on 31st December 2019 by izaforestspirit

It’s that time of the year again. Time for my annual best of list or “highlights” as I prefer to call them. 2019 was a eventful year for alternative music. There was a lot of new material that caught my attention which made selecting a top 10 much more difficult than last year. After much deliberation I have narrowed it down to the following albums:

1. Eluveitie – Antegnatos
Genre: Folk Metal

2. Children of Bodom – Hexed
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/ Power Metal

3. The 69 Eyes – West End
Genre: Goth n’Roll/ Gothic Rock

4. Mgła – Age of Excuse
Genre: Black Metal

5. Combichrist – One Fire
Genre: Industrial Metal/Electro-Industrial

6. Hocico – Artificial Extiction
Genre: Electro- Industrial/ Aggrotech

7. Blutengel – Un:Gott
Genre: Synth-pop/Darkwave

8. Darkthrone – Old Star
Genre: Black Metal/Blackened Heavy Metal/Doom Metal

9. Sabaton – The Great War
Genre: Power Metal

10. Ad Inferna – Des Diables et Des Dieux
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Honorable mentions:
Aurelio Voltaire – She’s Glowing
Taken from the album What Are The Oddz?

God Module – Cross My Heart
Taken from the album The Unsound

Scandroid – The Writing’s On The Wall
Taken from the album The Light

The long-awaited new Rammstein album also came out this year. Sadly, despite a having handful of great songs including ‘Deutschland’, it was a little disappointing. I expected more from them after a decade of waiting.

Best live show of 2019
Metallica live in Hämeenlinna

Runners up, honorable mentions go to: Behemoth live in Tampere and Blutengel live at Hellsinki Industrial.

New discoveries for 2019
Raven Said, Priest and Cygnosic

Most anticipated releases for 2020
a new albums from Helloween and Vader
Mono Inc- The Book of Fire
Celldweller – Satellites

That’s all from me. Happy New Year Everyone!

Iza Raittila

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Darkthrone – Old Star

Posted in Review with tags Black Metal, Darkthrone, Death Metal, Doom metal, Heavy Metal on 5th July 2019 by izaforestspirit

Darkthrone
Old Star
Released 31st May 2019
Black Metal/Blackened Heavy Metal/Doom Metal
Released via Peaceville Records

My favorite Norwegian black metal duo are back with a new album. It is hard to keep track of all their releases. The one thing that I have always admired about them is that they do not follow any specific trend unlike many other bands in the extreme metal scene. Like where other black metal bands aim to shock, pile on more corpse-paint and act all grim and satanic; Darkthrone just do what they have always done. They play the style that suits them and they do not do live shows. If they release a music video, it might be a cartoon or just clips of Nocturno Culto or Fenriz hanging around in the woods or jamming the studio. Oh and they haven’t worn corpse-paint since the mid-1990s.

I enjoyed their previous studio effort ‘Arctic Thunder’, so I have high hopes for this one. These guys are no strangers when it comes to experimenting with other music genres. Even though Darkthrone are best known for the early black metal works, if you re-visit their discography you will find everything ranging from death metal, black metal to Motörhead-style heavy metal, speed metal to crust punk. Their latest piece of work bears some similarity to its predecessor ‘Arctic Thunder’, only this time there are some doom metal parts added to the mix.

Take the Alp Man for instance. It’s probably my least favorite track on here and one of the slower ones. It is a little too doom metal -inspired for my liking. While I have no problem with the odd droning guitar riff and slow drumming, this one just doesn’t seem to get going at all. It might have worked for bands like Tiamat or even Entombed in the past, it’s a little too slow for Darkthrone. Luckily the rest of the songs are much more to my liking. Overall, my favourite song is the opener I Muffle Your Inner Choir. I really like Nocturno Culto’s rocking guitar riffs on Duke of Gloat. The drum work on it is pretty good too. Then there is The Hardship of The Scots with its unique blend of doom metal, heavy metal and black-thrash metal to illustrate the other end of the spectrum. It took a while to get going, and I particularly enjoyed the rhythm guitar passage towards the latter half of the song.

In summary, ‘Old Star’ is another solid album from the Norwegian black metal duo. It has its flaws but overall I am pleased to say that it was worth the wait. I’m not sure what to call this style… “Blackened heavy, death metal with hints of doom metal…” To hell with genre categorization! It’s Darkthrone, doing what they do best. Rock on!

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Green Death – Hallowmass

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Doom metal, Melodic death metal, Thrash metal on 31st October 2018 by izaforestspirit

Green Death
Hallowmass
Released 19th October 2018
Thrash Metal
Released via Combat Records

Green Death - Hallowmass

It’s been two years since I reviewed Green Death’s last album. Now the Iowa-based American thrash metal band is back with a new album called ‘Hallowmass’. I like the title, very well timed for this year’s Halloween…

The horror themes are difficult to miss as evidenced not only from the cover art but also from the song titles. Oh yes, Halloween is upon us. Get ready for your annual onslaught of werewolves, ghosts, witches and other spooky things. As far as the music goes, this is not far from where they left off with the previous album. They still remind me of mid-career Iced Earth. The predominant style is thrash metal but some tracks have a droning doom metal feel to them such as the slow and eerie-sounding She Couldn’t Live. The guitar work on that song actually made me think of Black Sabbath. They also occasionally incorporate elements of melodic death metal like the semi-growling vocals and the shredding guitars on The Betrayed – one of the more aggressive tracks on here.

The short instrumental Messis Diaboli is a beautiful, melodic piece which highlights the skill of the guitarists. Then it’s back to an unholy brew of thrash, doom and melodic death metal for the remainder of the album. It is not an easy mix for the listener to process. The vocals vary from howling to semi-growling. Personally I prefer the latter.

In summary, I had a hard time getting into ‘Hallowmass’. I was really hoping that this would be like Iced Earth’s ‘Horror Show’ album. Instead what we have here is an amalgamation of various styles which do not really work so well together. Some of the songs sound as though they were performed by a completely different band.

2.5/5

Iza Raittila

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Web – Everything Ends

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Doom metal, Everything Ends, Heavy Metal, Raising Legends, Thrash metal, Web on 19th July 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Web
Everything Ends
Released 23rd May 2015
Thrash metal
Released via Raising Legends Records

Web - Everything Ends

Within the first note of Web’s Everything Ends I’m dragged back to my teenage years of the late 90s. There’s an immediate vibe of The Haunted’s first two albums, mixed with Face Down, but there’s more to it than the sneaking suspicion that Marco Aro may have had a hand in the proceedings. If anyone else remembers one certain disbanded UK metal group going by the name Dearly Beheaded as fondly as I do, there’s plenty contained herein to tickle your fancy. There’s even a hint of the creepy, musically narrative atmospherics of Rage’s Black In Mind.

Where this release excels in comparison to those mentioned above, is in production values. It doesn’t suffer from the testing ground that was late 20^th century mixing and mastering experimentation, but has stepped beyond the bounds of the early stages of studio digitisation. The result is that it has both the chops from an era when individuality was celebrated rather than scorned, and the vibrancy of modern refinement in extreme music sound engineering. And it’s a rather pleasant result indeed.

Web have actually been around since the mid-80s, so this is no contrived attempt to instigate a new phase of looking backwards in metal. These guys are the genuine article. They just happen to have not received the global recognition that some of their contemporaries have enjoyed. Unafraid to move through various changes of tempo,- including, but not limited to, mid-paced, double-pedal stomping – Web have a pretty wide palette to choose from within a tightly defined character.

Comparisons are pretty easy in listening to this, but they are all good ones; influences worn with pride, perhaps, rather than stale carbon copying. This album is a human one, and shuns the pull and sway of current trends. Dark and energising at the same time, it is exactly the sort of music I couldn’t get enough of when I first got into anything heavier than Iron Maiden, but pumped up and turbo charged for the modern age.

4/5

Paul Macmillan

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Pentagram to release “When The Screams Come” on vinyl

Posted in News with tags Bobby Liebling, Doom metal, Heavy Metal, live album, Metal Blade Records, Pentagram, Vinyl, when the screams come on 5th April 2015 by Pieni

In 2011, Pentagram released a live DVD recorded at Sonar, during the Maryland Deathfest VIII, at the end of the Liebling / Griffin reunion. Named after one of their most popular and oldest tracks, “When The Screams Come” will now (17th April, via Metal Blade Records) be released in vinyl, in three different versions – 180 g black, clear/blue splatter and red. All of them include a free poster.

The concert was too long to fit in just one record, but not long enough to fill two. So the B-side of record no. 2 features five bonus track, recorded at Heavy Halloween Show last October, Arts Riot, Burlington. The full tracklist is as follows:

Side A:
Day Of Reckoning
Forever My Queen
Ask No More
Run My Course
You’re Lost, I’m Free
Review Your Choices

Side B:
Petrified
Relentless
All Your Sins
Total

Side C:
20 Buck Spin
Sign Of The Wolf
When The Screams Come

Side D:
Death Row
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (cover)
Vampyre Love
Nothing Left
Relentless Reprise

Pre-order your copies at EMP or Metal Blade‘s EBAY-STORE.

In May, Pentragram will be playing live in central Europe:
May 21 – Antwerpen, Belgium
May 22 – Rock Hard Festival, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
May 23 – Backstage Halle, Munich, Germany
May 24 – Club Vaudeville, Lindau, Germany
May 25 – Arena, Vienna, Austria
May 27 – UT Connewitz, Leipzig, Germany
May 28 – SO36, Berlin, Germany
May 29 – Klubsen, Hamburg, Germany

https://www.facebook.com/pentagramusa
http://pentagramusa.com

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Vallenfyre tour dates

Posted in News with tags Century Media, Death Metal, Decibel anniversary, Doom metal, European tour, Greg Mackintosh, Splinters, Vallenfyre on 25th August 2014 by Pieni

Super-group Vallenfyre – featuring Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost), Scoot (Doom), Hamish Glencross (ex-My Dying Bride) and Adrian Erlandsson (At The Gates, Paradise Lost, The Haunted) – will finally go on a proper tour to promote thier latest album “Splinters”. So far they’ve only played a few selected shows, but this Autumn they’ll start by supporting Bolt Thrower and Morgoth, before headlining their own show. Here are the dates:

Vallenfyre with Bolt Thrower & Morgoth
30.09.2014 Le Trabendo , Paris, France
01.10.2014 Garage, Saarbruecken, Germany
02.10.2014 Hellraiser, Leipzig, Germany
03.10.2014 LKA Longhorn, Stuttgart, Germany
04.10.2014 JUZ, Andernach, Germany
05.10.2014 Muziekodroom, Hasselt, Belgium

Vallenfyre + support
06.10.2014 Merleyn, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
07.10.2014 Baroeg, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
09.10.2014 Turock, Essen, Germany
10.10.2014 MTC, Cologne, Germany
11.10.2014 Kranhalle, Muenchen, Germany
12.10.2014 Räucherkammer, Wiesbaden, Germany
13.10.2014 Magnet, Berlin, Germany
15.10.2014 Exchange, Bristol, UK
16.10.2014 Talking Heads, Southampton, UK
18.10.2014 Best Buy Theater, New York, USA (Decibel 10th Anniversary Show w/ Amon Amarth & Sabaton)
20.10.2014 Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, UK
21.10.2014 The Dome, London, UK

Quoting Mackintosh: “The upcoming shows will be something new for us as a band. So far we have only done one club gig in Finland and that was our first ever show. Every other show we have played has been as part of a festival so this will be our first proper club tour together. With equal parts excitement and trepidation we will venture into the unknown and spread some unspeakable filth over Europe.”

Vallenfyre online
www.facebook.com/vallenfyre

Century Media online:
http://www.centurymedia.com
http://www.myspace.com/centurymediaeurope
http://www.youtube.com/centurymedia
http://www.twitter.com/centurymediaeu
http://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Century Media Webshop:
http://www.cmdistro.com

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Sorrows Path release lyric video of song featuring Snowy Shaw

Posted in News with tags Doom metal, Doom Philosophy, Iron Shield Records, lyric video, new album, Snowy Shaw, Sorrows Path on 5th June 2014 by Pieni

“Doom Philosophy” is the title of Greek doomsters Sorrows Path updoming second album, which Iron Shield Records will release on 12th September. Its 5th track, “Everything Can Change” features Swedish multi-talented Snowy Shaw on vocals and it’s been chosen to promote the album in the form of a lyric video:

Full track list as follows:
1. First Beam of Darkness into Light (Intro)
2. Tragedy
3. A Dance with the Dead
4. Brother of Life
5. Everything Can Change
6. The King with a Crown of Thorns
7. The Venus and the Moon
8. Epoasis
9. Clouds Inside Me
10. Darkness
11. Damned (O)fish/L.S.D.

Website: www.sorrowspath.net
MySpace: www.myspace.com/sorrowspathmusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorrowspath
ReverbNation: www.reverbnation.com/sorrowspath

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Twilight’s Embrace to release long awaited debut album

Posted in News with tags Bloodstock Open Air, Doom metal, Insomnium, Mourning Beloveth, Nottingham, Priory Recording Studios, Swallow The Sun, Twilight's Embrace, Valkyrian Festival on 13th March 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Nottingham’s melancholic metal maestros Twilight’s Embrace are set to release their long awaited debut album By Darkness Undone next month. Mastered at Priory Recording Studios by Greg Chandler (Esoteric, The Prophecy, Mourning Beloveth) and building upon the musical themes introduced in previous EPs Reflections and Traces, this release offers 58 minutes of compelling and melodic metal.

Since their live debut in 2010, Twilight’s Embrace have played venues all across the UK including notable appearances at Bloodstock and Valkyrian Festival. Compared favourably to the likes of Yorkshire Gothic-doom lords Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, as well other names such as Swallow The Sun, Katatonia, and Insomnium, Twilight’s Embrace mix these different elements into a distinctive and cohesive whole. Showcasing a mixture of death growls and clean singing, song structures that border on the progressive, dark and introspective lyrical themes, and a wide array of melodious hooks, the result is a unique style with few parallels in the UK metal scene.

Twilight’s Embrace online:

http://twilightsembrace.com
http://facebook.com/twilightsembrace

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Indian unveil new track and confirm Roadburn Festival appearance

Posted in News with tags Blackened Doom Metal, Doom metal, From All Purity, Godslave, High On Fire, Indian, Metal, Relapse Records, Yob on 3rd January 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

In time to derail all those new year’s resolutions, blackened doom unit Indian have unveiled their new track Directional. The song is taken from the band;s upcoming album From All Purity, which is slated for release via Relapse Records later this month. The track can be listened to below.

In addition to the unveiling of their new track, Indian have also announced their first European date lof 2014 which will take place at Roadburn Festival on 12th April at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

From All Purity will see its official release via Relapse Records on CD/LP/digital in North America on January 21st, 2014, Germany/Benelux/Finland on January 17th, and in the UK/World on January 20th. Preorder your copy of From All Purity via Relapse here.

Recorded at Electrical Audio and Soma Studios in Chicago with engineer/co-producer Sanford Parker (Minsk, Nachtmystium, Yob, Samothrace), the six-track From All Purity is a taunting exercise in auditory hate and despair; a physically and psychologically jarring collision of tar-black doom, sprawling waves of noise and scathing outbursts of pain. The Sleeping Shaman website commented of the record:

This is a very, very long way from most people’s definitions of purity, yet somehow it gets frighteningly close to pure, perfect torment in itself.

Forged in 2003, Indian’s debut EP, God Slave, was a self-released mission statement, welcoming the band into the world like young, kicking, screaming giants. Their first three full-lengths – The Unquiet Sky, Slights And Abuse, and The Sycophant, respectively – were all issued through Portland, Oregon-based metal imprint Seventh Rule Recordings. Unapologetically harsh and chest-cavingly heavy, each of these releases found the band gaining momentum and attracting followers, as well as performing shows with scene heavyweights such as Wolves in the Throne Room, Locrian, and Agalloch. By 2010, Indian had joined the Relapse family and spawned Guiltless.

Released in 2011 to outstanding reviews, the Chicagoist described the album as, “a musical journey into the mouth of teeth-rattling metal madness,” while Metal Hammer simply called it, “pretty much an essential album.” Fans were also impressed, gathering to soak up the band’s feverish rays of doom on tour across the country. Indian performed shows with High on Fire, Batillus, and Yob, translating their recorded sounds into a murky, devilish live spectacle.

Indian online:

http://indiandoom.com
http://facebook.com/indiandoom

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EXCLUSIVE STREAM: Wolves by Edenfall

Posted in Misc. with tags Becca Dancer, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Doom, Doom metal, Edenfall, England, Gothic, Gothic Metal, Metal, Ravenheart Music, Under Sultry Moons And Velvet Skies, Wales, Wolves on 22nd December 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Gothic doom metallers Edenfall have recently been working on their second album Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies. The guys – and gal – in Edenfall have been kind enough to let us stream Wolves, which is taken from the album. You can listen to the song down below.

Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies was recorded at Recorded at Batcave Studios, Cheltenham (England) and Sonic Forge Studios in Cardiff (Wales). The album will be released via Ravenheart Music but the release date is still to be confirmed. Artwork, as seen above, was made by Becca Dancer.

Edenfall online:

http://edenfallband.co.uk
http://facebook.com/edenfallmusic

Edenfall unveil artwork for Under Sultry Moon And Velvet Skies (valkyrianmusic.com)

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A Tree Of Signs @ Metalpoint, Porto (PT)

Posted in Gig, Live with tags A Tree Of Signs, alchemy, Doom metal, doom rock, Metalpoint, Porto, Signs Metalpoint, Thrash metal on 28th October 2013 by Pieni

A Tree Of Signs
Metalpoint, Porto (PT)
25th October 2013

A Tree Of Signs has been getting some attention around here. Despite being a young band, formed in 2012, its musicians are quite experienced and talented. Plus, in a country where the main focus of the underground is set on death and thrash metal, a doom rock band will stand out. The lack of a guitarist and having a singer whose voice was good enough to make her reach the finals of our version of Idols may also spike your curiosity about this band’s sound.

They also have that 70’s classic heavy metal vibe that cuts a bit of the general deep despair embroidered in doom bands, making it groovier. Although that night they were mourning the passing of a dear friend, Marianne, so the solemn grief was thicker than usual. The show was actually dedicated to her memory.

And then there’s the lyrics, consisting of old alchemical manuscripts – hence their own term “alchemy doom rock” – resulting in a quite interesting formula, who works very well live in cozy places such as Metalpoint. And even though I coughed my lungs out with all the stage smoke, I have to admit it added some mystique and suited the show.

“Whoever thought my first gig in Porto would be with A Tree Of Signs?”, said singer Diana, who joined the band this year, replacing the Swedish V-Kaos. The latter was the one who recorded the EP “Salt”, but Diana performed those songs in perfection. A new single, “Saturn”, was also played, along with some other yet unreleased songs (“Place In Space”, “Phoebus”), in about an hour that ended with “Of The Division Of Chaos”. A must-check if you’re into classy doom full of ‘70s spirit. [5/5]

https://www.facebook.com/ATreeOfSigns

Text & photos: Renata “Pieni” Lino

A Tree Of Signs @ Metalpoint, Porto (PT) (valkyrianmusic.com)

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Tombstoned track “Daze of Disintegration” available for streaming

Posted in News with tags Daze of Disintegration, Doom metal, psychedelic, Stoner, Svart Records, Tombstoned on 6th October 2013 by Pieni

Having signed with Svart Records, Finnish psychedelic stoner/doom metal band Tombstoned are about to release their debut full-length album. Simply self-titled, “Tombstoned” will see the light of day on November 14th. However, one can have a glimpse of it through the track “Daze Of Disintegration“, now available for streaming at the label’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/svart-records/2-daze-of-disintegration

Track listing:
1. Through Days
2. Daze of Disintegration
3. Rat Race
4. The End
5. Faded
6. Last Waltz

www.facebook.com/tombstonedhelsinki

www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords

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Nomad Son set to release Pilgrimages Of Doom DVD

Posted in News with tags Doom metal, DVD, DVDplus, Metal, Metal On Metal Records, Nomad Son, Pilgrimages Of Doom on 20th August 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Alongside the release of their third studio album on 30th August, Nomad Son‘s 2008 sold-out debut album, First Light, will be re-released through Metal On Metal Records. It will be released on DVDplus format alongside with the Pilgrimages Of Doom DVD with a completely new layout. The DVD contains over 2 hours of pro-filmed and edited exclusive footage from the band’s shows at Hammer of Doom, Doomsday, Headbangers Open Air warm-up and Doom Shall Rise festivals, interviews, a song from a Maltese TV program and a slideshow.