Stoner Metal

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    Moonbow – The End of Time (2013)

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    With a huge Southern influence, today we have Moonbow and their extremely catchy release “The End of Time”. Featuring seven tracks of whiskey infused Hard Rock/Metal, this odd group of characters manage to craft one of the most complete and engaging releases of 2013. With a Survivor participant on vocals and members of Hank 3’s and Hermano, this odd mismatch works wonderfully when it comes to producing excellent melodies.

    The album opens with a very Southern vibe on “End of Time”, all down to the riffs we get that awesome feeling to immediately start drinking. The gracious vocals of Matt Bischoff are a true perfect fit to the band’s sound, perfectly complementing the Stoner Metal infused guitars. David McElfresh does a great job in handling the guitar duties to create a very lively and authentic atmosphere. While “Journey Of Their Iron Horse” is a superb and catchy tune, we found that the distorted vocals sounded a bit odd, taking some of the magic away.

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    StoneBirds / Stangala – Kreizh Breizh Session 1 (2013)

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    Making its way from France, today we have two very interesting Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal bands that make up the “Kreizh Breizh Session 1” split release. While StoneBirds are a more traditional Sludge/Stoner Metal band, Stangala delivers their lyrics in the Breton language and have a very trippy mixture of Doom/Sludge with a certain retro psychedelic vibe. We can say that we completely enjoyed how the both bands complement each other and make this unique split release very different from what we usually receive in the mail.

    The StoneBrids gracefully open this release with the hard-hitting “Red is the Sky”. In this Sludgy tune the band shows their riffing powers and how engaging their lead vocals are. Having that certain Southern/Stoner vibe in their catchy sound allows for the band to sound like The New Black, Chrome Division, and similar acts. As “Game Over” and “Outro Drama” roll by, the band’s sound is nicely consolidated and keeps the crunchy riffs flowing. “Red Lights” shifts gears into a fuzzier and more distorted track with heavier vocals, giving the band a certain edge that makes them sound different from your run of the mill artist. Saving the best for last, “Dark Passenger” closes out the band’s ‘side’ of this split with a mellow doomy vibe.

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    Venomous Maximus – Beg Upon The Light (2013)

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    Delivering waves of powerful riffs, today we have Venomous Maximus and their debut-full length “Beg Upon The Light”. Originally released in 2012, Napalm Records has taken into their hands to properly release this album and get this band the amount of exposure they deserve. Featuring 10 tracks of a very unique mixture of Occult Rock and Stoner Metal, this band has a very different musical approach when compared to other Occult Rock bands that focus on adding psychedelic elements and a groovier vibe.

    After a cheesy intro powered by organs, “Path of Doom” leads the way with very heavy and Sludgy riffs. The vocals are quite powerful and contrasting, reminiscent of Heavy Metal acts from the 80’s. The Doom-esque “Give Up The Witch” nicely continues the onslaught of riffs that this band has crafted for such an interesting release, with a high emphasis on catchiness, they immediately command the listeners attention.

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    Lowbau - A Darker Shade of Blues (2013)

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    Making its way from Austria, today we have a very interesting and engaging Sludge/Southern Metal release titled “A Darker Shade of Blues”. Being Lowbau’s debut release, we must say that the band is giving American bands a run for their money in terms of crafting moody Southern Metal in a masterful way. Delivering 13 songs covering nearly 73 minutes, this is one band that has the right attitude and skills to be notable in this very crowded genre.

    After the mood setting intro track, the band quickly shows its power with “The Prosecution Rests…”. This track is quite entertaining, but the mix feels a bit too flat to be fully enjoyed. Things start getting more interesting with the hard-rocking tracks “Order Of The Bull” and “Modern Day Alchemist”. Again the vocals sound a bit high at times thanks to a very strange mix, but the music is still quite enjoyable. The first standout song of this release is the moody western-like “A Million Years of Rain”, filled with solid guitar work and versatile vocals.

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    Pombagira – Maleficia Lamiah (2013)

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    Delivering a very unconventional musical experience, today we have Pombagira and their fifth full-length release “Maleficia Lamiah”. Playing a very sonically pleasing combination of Stoner/Psychedelic and Doom Metal, this two person outfit delivers 2 tracks and over 41-minutes of brilliantly crafted music that has the vibe of a mystical jam session.

    Opening with the album title track, “Maleficia Lamiah”, we are led into a cavernous path with sludgy riffs and well-crafted percussions. The bands style reminded us a bit of Karma To Burn and similar bands that just keep on going with intricate sections. As the track progresses, the catchy instrumental sections are quite effective and reach a very engaging climax. Before closing this 19-minute behemoth, the band goes back into some sludgy territory coming full circle on this ambitious track.

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    Throne – Avoid The Light (2012)

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    Featuring 41 minutes of solid Southern/Stoner Metal, today we have newcomers Throne and their debut album titled “Avoid The Light”. In this very promising debut album, the band manages to deliver a Sludgy and heavy Stoner/Southern Metal that while not very original, it catches the listener’s attention and never let’s go.

    Opening with the slow and painful “Prefer to Die”, flashes of Neurosis immediately came to us thanks to the powerful vocals of Samu. The tone is very doomy/sludgy creating a very thick and simple atmosphere. Things pick up with “Buried Alive” and “3 Days of Rain”, two tracks that establish the band’s Southern influences very early and are packed with traditional riffs.

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    Prehistoric Pigs – Wormhole Generator (2012)

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    Arriving from Moonlight Records, today we have another solid Stoner Rock/Metal release that hails from Italy. We have seen a surge in Stoner Rock/Metal releases in the last few years and luckily for Prehistoric Pigs, they fall under the ‘better than average’ category. Cranking out 55 minutes of catchy music, “Wormhole Generator” is a quite a solid release from any fan of the genre.

    Starting the release with the trippy “Swirling Rings of Saturn”, the band showcases their very simplistic approach into creating catchy and trippy music. There is nothing very fancy about their sound or event extremely technically proficient, it is just straight up effective riffing and traditional song structures. The fact that “Wormhole Generator” is fully instrumental makes it even better since you can enjoy the hard-rocking tracks without the need of putting up with a (maybe) bad singer on top.

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    King Bong – Space Shanties (2012)

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    With a name like King Bong, one can immediately tell what kind of music this band plays. This Italian trio delivers a hefty dosage of Instrumental Stoner/Sludge Metal that was recorded live and without the usage of any studio magic, adding to the overall brilliance of the songs presented here. Featuring over 60 minutes of jazzy and funky music, this is one album that all fans of the genre should pay attention to.

    Starting with the interestingly named track “Even 50 Feet Hamsters Have Feelings”, we all know what the band was on when they came up with such a name. With a very slow and hypnotic pace, this track features a hefty amount of psychedelicness that will make you start thinking you are hallucinating. The bass, guitar, and drums approach to the music gives it a very minimalist take, while being far from being dull and repetitive.

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    Ichabod – Dreamscapes From Dead Space (2012)

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    After really hating on this band for their totally craptastic old singer in their last release “2012”, a few months back we got a message from the band saying they changed singers. Fast-forward a few months and now we have the band’s latest release “Dreamscapes From Dead Space”, showcasing their excellent mixture of Stoner Rock with Southern influences and now with an extremely capable singer in John Fadden.

    Featuring eight tracks of very catchy and well-crafted music, “Dreamscapes From Dead Space” is by far our favorite Stoner/Southern Rock/Metal release of 2012. With a vibe similar to Chrome Division, The New Black, Down, and such bands, Ichabod exploits their excellent guitar riffing skills and creates powerful songs like “Huckleberry”, the album’s excellent opener. The band’s vibrant music is greatly appreciated through massive riffage, in tracks like “Looking Glass” and the very aggressive “Hollow God”.

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    Kyzyl Kum – Sable Rouge (2012)

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    Balsting their way to the USA with eight tracks of instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal, today we have France’s Kyzyl Kum and their debut release “Sable Rouge”. Featuring a high-dosage of crushing riffing and tight drumming, this debut release showcases the abilities of this two-man destructive machine in the vein of Black Cobra, Bison, Kylesa and Bongzilla.

    Clocking in around 40 minutes, this release gets going with the atmospheric intro “Kosmiska Superskunk” and fully kicks into gear with the super catchy “Cause des smicards sur du funk”. The band has a little Southern twang in their sound, and this track clearly shows that groovy side of things. The guitars keep assault the listener with “Because Death of Icare Sucks”, a track that has a very raw nature to it, but still sounds crisp enough to fully enjoy the waves of distortion coming at you.

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