Heavy Rotation: Music For a Dreary Day

It has been so damn dreary in Pittsburgh, Pa as of late raining just about every day with little or no sunshine, so I've been in a very doomy mood to say the very least. I figured what better way to celebrate the unpleasant weather than with a few of my favorite super heavy Stoner/Doom metal bands for this week's edition of Heavy Rotation. Doom on!!



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01. Sons of Otis-"Super Typhoon"


This is one of the coolest songs ever! I love the way the song starts off with the yelling of Suuuperrr Typhoooon!, then the ride cymbal starts this droning super wah-wahed bass extravaganza. Think of a heavier version of Monster Magnet. Good luck finding a copy of this album, and if you do expect to pay a hefty sum. This track is taken from their 1999 Man's Ruin release"Temple Ball".


Sons of Otis are a stoner rock/doom band from Toronto, Canada. Sons of Otis was formed by Ken Baluke in Toronto sometime around the years 1992 and 1993. Strongly influenced by the underground heavy music of the time (Melvins/Fudge Tunnel/Shallow N.D), their first release, "Paid To Suffer", came out in 1994. Subsequent albums took on a more ethereal, psychedelic tone, and this has led to their immediate association with the stoner rock/doom scene.


The band went through about 11 drummers and has at times resorted to a drum machine for recordings as well as performances. Every single record released by the band to date has been distributed by now defunct labels, leaving the band's back catalog consistently out of print.


02. Toner Low-"Devilbot"


Taken from their self-titled 2005 release on Roadkill Records, this song epitomizes all things heavy. The song begins appropriately enough with what sounds like a sample of a robot booting up, then plasters you to the wall with heavy crushing guitars and a tempo change that goes from slow to slower to even slower. This one is maybe a bit hard to find as well. I'm sure with a little creative searching you can find it somehow.


Combining never ending songs and a loud, relentless sound with low-end heaviness, wild psychedelic trips and doomrockin’ riffs, Toner Low are one of a kind to roam the green fields of Leiden, Holland. In the first four years since their formation in 1998 these doomstoners released a couple of promos, played gigs in Holland and Belgium (2000) with among others Karma to Burn (USA), Isis, Candybar Planet and Lawn and parted with two bandmembers.


03. Church of Misery-"Spahn Ranch"


Following the news commentary of the Manson family killing of actress Sharon Tate (Spahn Ranch was known as one of the residences of Charles Manson and his group of followers commonly referred to as "The Family" who lived there in the spring of 1968), the song blasts into one badass heavy wallowing groove. This is Doom at it's finest! This song was taken off of their 1998 Game Two records split with Canadian Stoner/Doom gods S'heavy called "Born Too Late". Their "Early Works Collection" is a nice start if unfamiliar with the band.


Church of Misery is a japanese doom metal band with a specific extra-groovy sound that is often described as “stoner doom” but the band tends to snub this term saying “We hate trend. We hate corporate attitude. We hate the word ‘stoner’. Death to false stoners!! Let there be DOOM!!” (citation from the Master of Brutality album cover artwork notes).

Band was formed in 1996 in Tokyo by bassist Tatsu Mikami (ex-Salem) and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, line-up was completed with singer Nobukazu Chow and drummer Hideki Shimizu. Band’s raw and groovy style of doom metal rooted in 70s heavy rock with psychedelic feel and their notable lyrics mostly based on the famous serial killers’ characters soon founded out the way into the hearts of the underground metal fans all over the world even though the band didn’t play anywhere outside Japan until 2005.


04. Acrimony-"Heavy Feather"


Acrimony for some reason has always been an underrated and underappreciated band. This song is a brilliant piece of why this band was so important. The two minute build-up of this song culminates into a doomy spaced-out groove. The band effortlessly combined sludgy classic rock grooves, corrosive acid/psych rock trips, epic space rock excursions, and pounding metallic aggression into their sound.  This song is taken off of their most poignant release from 1996 "Tumuli Shroomaroom". Also a bit hard to find, you can pay a steep price on Amazon or once again do some creative searching.


Acrimony was a Welsh stoner metal band who were active during the 1990s. Releasing their debut album in 1994, they are regarded as the pioneers of stoner metal in the United Kingdom, and an important influence upon the scene. Although the band never achieved mainstream success, during their career they received much critical acclaim – they were nominated for the Kerrang! Best Newcomer award and earned top review ratings. Acrimony have maintained a cult following in the British metal scene, their records reportedly selling for vast sums as collectors items. Allmusic described their musical style as "typical mid-'90s stoner rock" that "combined Black Sabbath's heavy metal riffery, Hawkwind's space rock excursions, and Blue Cheer's fuzzed-out psychedelic feedback with extreme doses of volume .... particularly reminiscent of desert metal gods Kyuss." (Read more...)


05. Goatsnake-"Flower of Disease"


Slow and low that is the tempo, Goatsnake helped define the Southern California Stoner/Doom metal scene in the 90's. This track is a great example of the aforementioned sound and can be found on the band's 2000 Man's Ruin  release of the same name. This is the easiest to find of the bunch because it has recently been reissued on Southern Lord as well.


Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obsessed. After The Obsessed's disbanding, the rhythm section consisting of Guy Pinhas (former bassist of the Dutch stonerband Beaver) on bass and Greg Rogers on drums began jamming with guitarist Greg Anderson (Thorr's Hammer, Burning Witch, Sunn O)))). They soon found a vocalist in Pete Stahl (Scream, Wool, Earthlings?, Desert Sessions). (Read more...)