Doom Metal pages and blogs part one

This post is for those who are searching for useful blogs, doom metal sites etc. 

Sadly, there are not many sites that support doom metal. One of them was called Stonerrock.com and it met its end some time ago. It had some great reviews and interviews and it also had a shop sites, which still works http://www.allthatisheavy.com/sale.asp I really recommend it for finding some not so popular CDs and t-shirts...

http://www.doom-metal.com/

The next site is simply called Doom-Metal.com and it is the most popular doom metal site. This site has some good features like the bandlist and it also makes some nice interviews. Its weakness are weak reviews and its forum, which has some unfriendly and impolite people. In my option, this site supports more extreme doom metal bands ( Death doom, Funeral Doom).

Well, you can clearly see there are not so many sites about the doom metal.com. But what about the blogs that write about the doom metal?

The best Blog is called Doommantia( http://www.doommantia.com/). In my option it has good interviews and reviews. Its admin Ed knows a lot about the doom metal and heavy rock scene, but also others knows a lot. I am regularly checking this blog and its forum.

*Due to limited time I have those days, I will make the second part probably tomorrow... I will write about the other recomended Blogs...

Witchfinder General- Friends of Hell

I don't think I have to mention the importance of Witchfinder General to an any Doom Metal and NWOBHM fan. Along with Pagan Altar, they were the only band in NWOBHM doom scene who released a full length album. This is their second album and their last with their singer Zeeb Parkers. Afterwards they have split in year I don’t know. They have reformed in 2006.

At the beginning looks at the cover art. The band is standing in front of the church and attacking/torturing some women (probably they are prostitutes). It is really a cool cover art. A special thing about Witchcraft General is that the band had similar motives on the first cover art Woman and a religious symbol (on the first album there was a grave). A cover art show us some of the lyrical themes WG use on their records: Sex, woman, witches, occultist/ religious themes and drugs.

The riffs are strong, heavy in doomy songs such as Love on Smack, Last Chance, Friends of Hell and Quiteus. The guitarist Phil Cope is also strong is ballad types of songs, he plays very sentimental in song I lost you. He has even improved and I think even Tony Iommi would be proud on him for displaying such a skill on guitar work. Sadly, the others guys are not Bill, Ozzy and Geezer. Zeep Parker speaks at the same register as Ozzy does, but he often sounds cheesy ( Music and I lost you). His lyrical work is good at some song but again his lyrical and vocal work ruined the song I lost you. Bassist has some moments and it is better than on the first effort, but it is still weak on some songs. Drums are very average.

So why are WFG so classic, cult band within the doom metal scene? Their music is quite unoriginal (they are usually considered as Sabbath clones). This album tried to capture the music, the style of Black Sabbath and thus they have influenced many newer bands including Hour of 13. They were one of the first bands who played true Doom metal and that are why this albums earns a classic standard. It has many mistakes and it is absolutely not perfect, but some songs are classic masterpieces. The strength of those songs were important for that time, for future and for now.

The Rumors are not true after all!

I won't explain you the story; you can check it by yourself. I am really happy that they are back.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/08/16/black-sabbath-to-reform-with-original-line-up-and-new-studio-album-97319-29245431/

Edit: things are getting complicated http://www.black-sabbath.com/news/index.html

Edit 2: Black Sabbath Reunion ( Tony Iommi)

"I'm saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion.At the time I was supporting the Home of Metal exhibition and was merely speculating, shooting the breeze, on something all of us get asked constantly, "Are you getting back together?"Thanks to the internet it's gone round the world as some sort of "official" statement on my part, absolute nonsense.  I hope he's enjoyed his moment of glory, he won't have another at my expense.to my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.All the best, Tony "

Have Original line-up of Black Sabbath really reunited?

I don't know if this us true or just a rumour, but the website Metaltalk posted an article that the Original Black Sabbath lineup ( Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, Bill) has reformed. I don't if it is true or not ( in fact in suspect it is just a rumour). I looked on Black Sabbath online fan page and they didn't confirmed or rejected it yet. Also Tony and Geezer didn't comment this rumor. And remember what Geezer said some time ago:

"I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath, whether to record an album or to tour.Geezer Butler"

So we will see about it...
 a link: http://www.metaltalk.net/news/2010882.php

Trouble- Run to the Light

Anyone who is a fan of Traditional Doom Metal and/or Stoner metal, knows the name of Chicago doomsters Trouble. Everybody should also know that they made a classics like Psalm 9 and Run to the Light and The Skull, which is an unappreciated gem for me. Run to the Light is Trouble third studio album and it slightly different from the The Skull. Firstly the Line-up has changed on the rhythm section. The biggest change is probably on the lyrics: they are more miserable and darker. Also biblical themes are not present on the album although the Trouble were still blessed by the Christ at that time...

There are some changes on musical territory. This is probably the most up-tempo album so far and album is even more influenced by psychedelic rock and progressive music. Otherwise it is like old Trouble you know. There are a lot of rhythm changes: From really slow doom parts to speed metal parts. Double guitars attack reminds me of an imagined combination of Iommi and Adrian Smith.
Sadly this is the last Trouble Doom Metal era record. On the next album they changed directions to Stoner Metal and I can't enjoy the Stoner Metal era so much as I enjoy the old Trouble. There is one complain on this record, that the album is really too short, because there are only 8 songs here and the full duration is only 38 min.

Personal highlights are: On Borrowed Time, Run to the Light, The beginning

The blog will be closed for some time...

You have probably seen that that i haven't posted a post for some time. The reason is, that I am working right now and posting takes me some time.... I will try to post at least one review in this week, so be patient and have a good time.

Jan

Saint Vitus- Saint Vitus

(This review is dedicated to Armando Acosta, who died on 25.12.2010. RIP Amando)

This is classical doom metal album and arguably it is the first real Doom Metal song. Of course, Black Sabbath had their Doom Metal songs, but they hadn’t truly “created” a scene. Like all traditional Doom Metal, Saint Vitus are influenced by Black Sabbath and the most influential Hardcore Punk band Blag Flag. Saint Vitus were also signed at SST records, which was Greg Ginn’s own label. An interesting fact is that Saint Vitus influenced Black Flag on My War album.

An album could be divided on two parts: first part is consisted of two tracks: Saint Vitus and White Magic/ Black Magic. The second part has three tracks: Zombie Hunger, The Psychopath and Burial at Sea. So why was I writing about Saint Vitus influences and why have I divided a début album on two pieces? All songs on those two parts have their own influence: the influence on the first part is mainly Black Flag and songs in second part are mainly influenced by Black Sabbath.

Let’s finally start with the main part of the review. First song is self- titled track Saint Vitus. It has punkish riff -Black Flagish riff. The tempo is mid paced and lyrics are about the saint called Vitus and they have a warning purpose. Reagers ( vocalist) is singing really passionately here.

Next song: White Magic/ Black magic gave an inspiration for the name of this blogJ. It is really one of my favourites. It is again mid paced tempo, but in the end there is a doomy riff and slow tempo. The songs ends with Reagers’s shout You Optimistic Fool and it is really a memorable end of the song. Saint Vitus's lyrics were always great and usually actual. This is no excepcion ( they are probably about someone who wants to seize power and none can stop him at the end).

Next three songs are slow-paced. Slow riffs create a depressed atmosphere and solos in them are emotional and in vain of Iommi and Hendrix. All of them are not so memorable as first two, but that is typical for Doom Genre...

Highlights are certainly the Scott Reagers performance, lyrics and Dave Chandler’s solos. This album is not perfect. There are some mistakes with repetition and in my option the next album is even better...

In a Spleen- Nativity ( Demo)

In a Spleen were a really obscure band. They have only made two demos and one split CD and then they have disbanded. They were in Tolmin, a Slovenian city. Tolmin is nowadays well-known because each year there is a Metal festival called Metalcamp, but before Metalcamp, Tolmin was not one of the important cities for Metal. The reason I am going to present this band simply is, because they are from my country ( yes, I am from Slovenia), because they were the first Doom Metal band from Slovenia and because they are really obscure band and even Slovenians doesn’t know much about it. This demo is from 1994 and it is their last material ever recorded

 An interesting thing for In a Spleen is that they had a flute player (which is quite  uncommon for Doom Metal). The riffs on all three songs are a strong point of this demo. They are quite heavy and in vain of Pentagram and Black Sabbath. A demo starts with song: In the sun, which  is more upbeat song and it is heavy metal song, that you could compare to Pentagram. It has some nice riffs, however I feel that In Spleen could do it better. Next song is called She-Nude Female Figure and it is a nice doomy song. The best song on this demo is the last track  self- tilted track Nativity. It is the longest track here and it is over 7 min long. It has again good riffs and a flute adds a nice atmosphere. It is the most original track on this demo and shows that In a Spleen had talent for writing a good Doom song...

Well, I think this demo is not bad demo for our Slovenian scene. Those guys had talent and it is shame that they disbanded before they made an album... There were things to improve of course ( especially the vocalist is the worst chain in the link), but that makes a solid demo at least.

My Dying Bride- Evinta

There is no need to present My Dying Bride. They are probably the most known Death Doom Band and this is their 11th album. I will citate their words from the main page:

"To commemorate two decades of doom and gloom from My Dying Bride, the band embarked upon a special project to re-work familiar melodies and themes from their extensive catalogue into long, flowing symphonic compositions, incorporating new vocals and passages from Aaron Stainthorpe. Sharing vocals is professional opera singer Lucie Roche, a talented soprano from France.

These arrangements have been brought to life in co-operation with keyboard maestro Johnny Maudling (of Bal-Sagoth fame) as well as a clutch of talented classical musicians"...

I have always wanted to hear something like Evinta from My Dying Bride. I am a big My Dying Bride fan and I thought it could even be the album of the year. So, at first listening I liked it, especially when I had heard familiar parts from other albums. I also liked Aaron Stainthorpe lyrics as always. I usually don't like soprano voice, but this time, it suits the album well.



But after more listening, i didn't like it. The main problem is, that is sounds repetitive and uninspiring. Lyrical beauty and great soprano voice can't save Evinta. Well, it has some good moments, but I can only mark is as an average album....

Spina Bifida- Ziyadah

Today, I am going to present you a forgotten masterpiece from the Dutch Death Doomsters Spina Bifida. Ziyadah was released in 1993 and it remained their only release. Spina Bifida reunited in this year and I hope they will release the new album soon.

Vocals are an absolute highlight of the album. They are very strong harsh vocals and you can clearly understand the lyrics. There are also clean vocals on song “ Aimless”. The lyrics are another highlight. Spina Bifida has intelligent lyrics, dealing with philosophy. I really love that kind of lyrics, because I am really in love with philosophy and that is one of the reasons I love Doom Metal lyrics. But enough of it for now... Guitars are quite heavy and suit the atmosphere well; bass has its good moments.  Drumming on this album is another highlight, a drummer is usually playing in slow tempo, but he doesn’t do just that. He is often playing very atmospherically and his drumming could be compared to Rick Miah ( first  My Dying Bride drummer, who played on first four albums).

I recommend this album to all fans of early My Dying Bride and early Paradise Lost. Give it a try, you won’t be a disappointed. 

Anathema will release new album on 5th Septembre!

On the official Anathema page, Anathema has written:

"This is an album which we hope will excite old and new Anathema fans equally. A fresh musical and lyrical approach has transformed songs such as Crestfallen, Kingdom and Sunset Of Age. This record reveals how, even from the very start, the band wrote melodies which would always have a universal magic and emotional impact. "

 I hope they will (again) make a record worth of name Anathema!

Skepticism -Stormcrowfleet

Stormcrowfleet is a monumental release by the Pioneers of Funeral Doom Metal Skepticism. I won't review this timeless classic album. Instead, this post is just my personal “adventure”, which i experience whenever i listen to Stormcrowfleet . Stormcrowfleet is a spiritual voyage into deepest forest just to find beauty within it...


Forest’s beauty is not in the gold, nor in anything material. Beauty is unseen and untouchable and yet you can feel it... Beauty is in the music that surrounds you, but what is so special in it? Rhythm on this album is slow as slow are changes in nature, voice reminds me of a sound when the leaves fall and keyboards are the most beautiful part of music. Keyboards sound like church organs and their sound couldn’t be described by words... They are magical, pure, epic...






So just close your eyes, relax and press on the play button. You will soon walk into this special, magical forest and jump into your irrational world...

Pentagram- Last Rites

So finally, after long  seven years, the new Pentagram record has arrived. The last one record "Show 'em How was a boring uninspired album. So the big question I asked myself before listening was: has Bobby Liebling & co. finally made an album worth of the name Pentagram and can it even stand the test of time like their self tilted release, Day of Reckoning or Forewarned? In my option, this record is stronger than the previous record (which was a disaster). It has one problem though, a problem with inconsistency.


Firstly, there are  5 consecutively quite strong killer songs on the album. Afterwards, it has  the ballad Windmills and Chimes, which is really weak and forgettable. On the next track, called American Dreams and Pentagram guitarist Victor Griffin sings. I like this song, but I don't know why. IT has something magical in it. Next two songs are again really weak forgettable tracks. There are two really doomy songs  Death in 1st Person and  Nothing Left. They are solid, but nothing special.  The last track is just a reprise of the old Pentagram classics All your sins.

Album generally reminds me of Place of Skull. It is not a surprise, because it is Victor Griffin's own band. Griffin is the best man on the album and he does a good job at playing hard riffs. A bassist and a drummer are also playing great grooves. Bobby survived l his personal hell of drugs, so he sounds, that he is sober and mature now . I am  happy that he is sober  and he will continue making albums.

Black Sabbath- Vol.4.

Black Sabbath Vol. 4

This is my favourite album of all time. Probably you all know it; it is one of the classic Black Sabbath albums and the last of the so called "Black Sabbath Doom Metal era". On this record Sabbath started to experiment more and so, the songs structure is  more progressive. On the next record Black Sabbath added even more progressive influences than here and so on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath we cannot talk about proto doom so much.


The album was originally titled Snowblind, but the name was rejected by the record company because it was a clear reference to cocaine. Black Sabbath at that time were having a big problem with drugs, so the drugs influenced this record as a whole.The Lineup had remained the same and at this time and there were no problems with arguments


The album starts with my favourite track of all time: Wheels of Confusion. It starts with a melancholic bluesy solo and then the main riff comes in. It is good example why are Sabbath so good; because they have such a lineup. On the guitar, Tony Iommi is playing soo heavy riffs, the rhythm section Bill Ward on drums and Geezer Butler on the bass is really spectacular with a unexpected rhythm changes and Ozzy has improved since the Master of Reality. Well, the song atmosphere remains really melancholic and lyrics are again brilliant. In the last part, they really put me into the melancholic state.

"So I found that life is just a gameBut you know there's never been a winnerTry your hardest, just to be a loserThe world will still be turning when you're gone"

The power of this album is, as I said in a powerful lineup. Tony's heavy riffing Tomorrow's Dreams,Supernaut, Snowblind,Cornucopia and Under the Sun are really strong in this album. Rhythm sections has many innovative rhythm changes and Ozzy is also a good vocalists. Album is sometimes really doomy Snowblind, Under the Sun, St. Vitus Dance, sometimes is more stoner rock oriented ( Supernaut, Tomorrow's Dreams). It has one ballad Changes, which is a little bit cheesy, but it still good song. A wonderful acoustic song is Laguna Sunrise, which has some proggy keyboards. A weaker songs are a St. Vitus Dance, because it is too short and FX, because it has just some strange noises. But overall, album is near perfection for me.

Highlights:Wheels of Confusion, Snowblind,Laguna Sunrise, Under the Sun

A first post on this Blog

Hello all, my name is Jan and this is my blog. I did this blog for everyone who loves Doom Metal and its sub genres and also for the lovers of the music. I hope I will show you some great stuff i discover. I will be doing some reviews for now and some posts about the Doom Metal scene.

First of all, Doom Metal means a lot to me. It helped  me through the dark times of my life and turned me to a happy person... Doom Metal is a music of despair and a music, where the negative emotions dwell. I got into it when i was 16 and my first band was My Dying Bride. Soon after that I got into Sabbath, Saint Vitus and then also Sludge, Stoner, Funeral Doom, Drone Doom... My favourite Sub genre is traditional doom metal, but I really love all Doom Metal sub genres. Right Now, my favourite bands are Black Sabbath, Agalloch, My Dying Bride, Pentagram, Solitude Aeternus, Katatonia, Melvins, Scorpions...

I really hope you will enjoy it.
Doom on, Jan