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.

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

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...

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...

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