Quick Hit: Bathsheba - "Servus"

Resplendence and shadow could easily be the hallmarks of the exquisitely rendered "Servus" from Bathsheba, a Belgian quartet of low-tuned and penetrating boulder crushers, who take hallmarks of their inherent land to provide dark, haunting, atmospheric encounters from their native charcoal mountains intertwined with the brilliance and density of Antwerp's diamond industry. Shadows and light, power and finesse, subterranean depths and soaring heights, all are delivered with great appetite and ferocious prowess. Fronted by the elegant and ethereal vocals of Michelle Nocon, bolstered by the underlying vigor and brawn of bassist Raf Meukens and drummer Jelle Stevens, and masterfully propelled throughout by guitarist Dwight Goossens, the odyssey through coagulation and syrup of ebon is entrancing and euphoric.

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New Band To Burn One To: The Druids

We told you about these guys a few weeks ago with our Band Submissions, but now that their record has officially been released, we felt it necessary to tell you all about them once more to make sure you understand why you need these guys amongst your record collection!

Four guys from Washington DC, going by the names Earth Druid, Space Druid, Elder Druid, and Mountain Druid, have just released an EP of gloriously epic proportions, covering every inch of stoner, fuzz, doom, paganist rituals, psychedelia, and drug usage that you could possibly hope for. The songs on their debut EP shift between thunderous riffs, to 70’s tripping hard rock with doom overtones with such ease it is a “FUCK YEAH” kind of a listen. Get onto this band immediately as their sound is going to appeal to every Sleep, Black Sabbath (They cover 'Wicked World' afterall), and Hawkwind worshipper out there!

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New Band To Burn One To: Ghost Witch

This two track demo from Bay Area, California, USA, stoner/doom/occult band Ghost Witch, is all kinds of heavy, dark, and nightmarish beauty. Combining elements of stoner metal and traditional doom, alongside psychedelic tendencies, accompanied by mysteriously captivating vocals make for a perfect musical experience of sitting in a graveyard at midnight, slowly head-banging at the moon as some hands grab at your ankles.

Considering this is just a demo, these guys are onto something special, with an occult doom epic surely waiting on their debut full-length. We’ll be keeping our ears ready for when it arrives, but for now, divulge yourself in these two tracks of Windhand size proportions!

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Song of the Day-The Neptune Power Federation-"Mind Voyager"

"Mind Voyager" is taken off of the upcoming release "Lucifer's Universe" due out November 13, 2015 on Erotic Volcano Records. It has been three long years since we last heard from the band and from the sounds of it the band has gone through some changes mainly the addition of vocalist Loz Sutch. The music has matured going from eighties satanic party metal to epic seventies-driven heavy occult rock. This song is an ambitious mind fuck divided into three "suites". Fire one up as you thrust into a demonic cosmic world filled with fuzzed-out riffs, mind-bending solos and a vocal that demands your attention. MIND VOYAGER!!! For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Black Vulpine-"White Witch Woman"

"White Witch Woman" is taken from the band's debut full-length release "Hidden Places" released September 11. 2015 on Moment of Collapse Records. This song starts off with a nice fuzzy guitar riff and gently culminates into a full-blown eargasm filled with a becalming female vocal, doom-laden occult vibe and progressive layering. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Sunday Smoke:Doctor Smoke-"The Witching Hour"

I've grown into this, you could say. When I took this gig, it was all sandy descriptors, Sabbath nods, riff worship, and clouds of smoke that should've gotten me evicted. The journey's been littered with thorns, the expanded consciousness clouded by genre tags and limitations I've placed upon myself. Fuck. Tonight my wife tried dissecting my anxiety. She's no mental health professional, but she's also no stranger to my perks. These limitations, these rules... they're all self-imposed. They're all also quite fucking meaningless. You may have noticed these Sundays are lately more than just sludge. Today's feature is a perfect example of why I can't limit myself.

When Heavy Planet featured Ohio's Doctor Smoke last October, we met a quartet of stoner occultists going thick on soiled riffs and channeling an inner Bobby Liebling. Just a year later, the band offers not only an expanded tracklist, but an overall improved approach to the craft. The Witching Hour's nine tracks (six of them entirely new) illustrate Doctor Smoke's stomp into their own skin, shedding their reliance on doomy fuzz and trusting themselves more as songwriters and musicians.

We know three of these tracks. And rather than serving to fluff the run-time, they actually create a broader scope when sidled next to the newer tracks. Relentless and baleful, The Willow kicks off the immediately punchy, rollicking backwoods descent. Blood and Whiskey is still a smoker, sweat-soaked and groove-smacked. And those rhythms still flirt with evil and never get old. When The Seeker pops through before the album's final push, it's of course slow, dirt-caked, and the album's rawest offering.

Most notable on the new tracks are the self-realized, perfectly-structured lyrics. Evil Man is mossy doom, swaying and split with chafed licks, ultimately exploding into revved groove and guitar-pissing in all directions. But the plunge of the slow, murky vocal veil traps every-Goddamn-thing beneath it. The Toll emerges from soggy earth to find a torrid clip, pacing unpredictably and matching the erratic lyrical accusations. The whole of the album's thorax is a trip through a thorny, overgrown pass. Choppy, jostled, and pushing ever-deeper, these spilt-swill snags hardly heel the quick-twisted, punchy cruises. Doctor Smoke now have a hook in your lip.

Where the band's amped proficiency is most notable, however, is on the closing tandem of This Final Hour and Permanent Night. The former boasts as a heavy-hearted trench throttle, rattling you back to clarity with tempo shifts and sweaty rock-n-roll. The track progressively expands under a rueful mood, gently wheeling the track into pensive plucks. And by the time Permanent Night's bleak subject combines with the collection's deepest, grainiest groove, you won't know which elemental showcase takes the blue ribbon. The licks are more than just a sidecar, the throwback is more than just creepy, and the balance is more than you could ever want.

And The Witching Hour as a whole is so much more than a steel-toed stride. Eerie, distant malaise has never had such a pull. These songs creep among a thick timber until rhythmic deviations introduce a gleeful, punch-drunk vertigo. Guitars, vocals, lyrics, those low rhythms... ALL have their moment of showboated flexing. But where posturing would murder lesser bands, Doctor Smoke manage to make one another sound better. Collectively, the sounds never stumble. We're not sure exactly what corner of the woods we'll end up in. More importantly, we don't care. Hit me with another, drag me where you will... "My masters, pull my strings."

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Sunday Sludge: Possessor - "Electric Hell"

It's funny what you come across, the ways things serendipitously collide to smack your face cold and point you in one direction over another. My day job puts me behind a desk from lying delinquents, some just punked-out teens and others entirely tracked toward the justice system's carousel. As one cherubic drug-dabbler explained why city curfew was broken, she offered a long tale about her friend being hospitalized after trying to flatten himself with an oncoming train. When I asked what her friend had taken that night, she responded "Nothing. He was possessed."

Alright, I had to call bullshit on this. But it stuck with me, half-funny and half-curious. So stumbling upon London's Possessor just two days later first had me rolling my eyes at irony. But this "occult metal" outfit delivers exactly what this blog is all about on the nine-track Electric Hell. It's not a sludge record, it just has those sludge trademarks. It's not doomed-out, smoked-out, or psyched-out, but the fuzz pairs with low-wrought rhythmic groove to clot what has immediately emerged as one of my favorite albums of 2014.

When whispers of occultism weave through a band's themes, the results are often campy and borderline cringe-worthy. Possessor kicked expectations down a ravine and hold enough balance between stripped-down, hollow cruisers and slow timber-turners to keep these songs in heavy rotation this weekend. Blasting through the gate and scurrying with skittish Manson family pacing, Chasms of Malice and Invisible Face hold palpable groove but still riff the fuck out. Frets are fondled and filtered through layers of fuzz and that low bass rumble tickles the insides. Vocals benefit from a veil and bark from darkness, but the throwback elements take the spotlight on this tandem. The long, swirling passages pause only to quickly return and burn up every ounce of daylight.

Perfectly-placed are the towering jambs Limb from Limb and Heavy Dreams. Slowing, thickening, and chugging toward a sticky swamp, the former slings enough viscous shit to pull you off course, while the slow-burning rumble of the latter slugs low and gutteral. THIS is why we're here this morning. These rugburns are simply collateral damage, and we can only gape in awe as the sludge-doom pillars crack and collapse.

Oh, but the closing triptych may be Possessor's best self-sketch, illustrating perfectly what this band aims to do. Bookended with the instrumental Skeletal Form and Electric Hell, dark and nebulous nuances emerge through the unbearably heavy filth. Despite its vocal's absence, Skeletal Form stands as the album's most complete track. Drums earn a medal here, and you can't ignore the possibility of some fucked-up backmasked messages. Face the Possessor is fifth-gear stoner-metal dominated by a more evil, more cryptic vocal than previous tracks. And *gasp*! A guitar solo?! The closing title track is the band's coup, though, steadily summoning disciples and tramping toward a sacrifice. Immediately epic in its brooding feedback, this drawn-out, strung-out death rattle is gorgeously haunting and malevolent. There's steady ascent, but this is truly a calculated administration of sludge-doom demise.

The barely detectable but ever-growing burn at the base of your skull could be any number of things. Possessor understand you can't just light a torch, you've gotta control it. Weaving through Electric Hell is more than a hush of evil, it's nearly saturated. But the craft is never lost and the shifts never let the taste sit on our lips too long. Just as nostalgia peaks, Possessor veer on their own course and take us deep into heavy thickets of varying densities. Don't worry when nobody believes you.

For fans of: Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, Fu Manchu
Pair with: Two Women Classic Country Lager, New Glarus Brewing Co.

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New Band To Burn One To: DOCTOR SMOKE

HEAVY PLANET PRESENTS...DOCTOR SMOKE!

BAND BIO:

Heavy smoked out rock and roll from Ohio!

Matt Tluchowski - Vocals/Guitar

Dave Trikones - Drums

Steve Lehocky - Lead Guitar

Cody Cooke - Bass

THOUGHTS:

"I know, I know, it's been a long time since I wrote up a "New Band To Burn One To" post but due to a conflicting work schedule and a much needed vacation, shit happens. Anyways, while I was on vacation I received this little gem in my inbox. I couldn't let these guys stay buried in my never ending pile of band submissions. Hell no! And the fact that they are from my neighboring state of O-high-O heightened my interest. 

With so many bands riding the Occult Doom Rock wave these days or shall I say in this case cloud of smoke, Ohio's Doctor Smoke is about to prove the naysayers wrong. Starting the EP off is the muddied riff-driven rocker "The Willow", the song chugs along with a soul-clutching rhythm and ear-splitting fretwork. Matt Tluchowski's nasally and sinister vocal are the guiding force which cast the spell among these four doom-laden nuggets. The riff fest continues with "Blood and Whiskey" and is once again highlighted by some sensational lead guitar work. The band slows things up a bit with the skull-rattling buzz of "The Seeker". The riff is absolutely blood-curdling on that track. The band finishes up the EP in grand style with their rendition of Pentagram's tune "Sign of the Wolf".

  Doctor Smoke is a great band through and through and you owe it to yourself to give them a listen. The band is currently offering up this little slab-o-doom for free, that's right FREE on their Bandcamp page. 

Enough said, the doctor is in!"

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New Band To Burn One To: STANGALA

HEAVY PLANET presents...STANGALA!

BAND BIO:

"At first, there was this old Breton wizard, tarnished by the years, wandering the woods of Kemper, in quest of precious herbs to prepare his wicked beverages. He was very much frowned upon with his bizarre stories of goblins, witches and other deranged spirits of the forest. Nevertheless, he managed to get in touch with two fellows whose spirits were just as much burnt by entheogen drugs as his.

Stangala plays rock. Finding inspiration in the roots of occult and psychedelic music, from Black Sabbath to Celtic Frost and from Hawkwind to Queens of the Stone Age, the french trio enhance their vintage liquors with a twist of celtic folklore. After two short-length collections of recipes (« ...Dans les bois » in 2007 and « LSD » in 2008), Stangala released their first occult book « Boued Tousek Hag Traou Mat All » , through Solitude Productions at the end of 2011. The band also produced two videos for the tracks « Doom Rock Glazik » and « Bigoudened an Diaoul », reminiscent of vintage B-movies. Stangala gave quite a few live rituals in company of notorious acts such as Ramesses, The Bottle Doom Lazy Band, Coffin on Tyres and Huata.

Today, the druids teamed up with the mighty StoneBirds from Rostrenen (France) for a split recipe with a high concentration of hydromel and local mind-opening mushrooms, resulting in a bizarre cosmo-fuzzy trip in the countryside. Spread the word."

THOUGHTS:
"Bagpipes and Stoner Rock. You bet your ass! As I fill in for Zac as he makes his way to the Midwest, I thought that I would grace your ears with some pretty interesting Stoner/Occult/Doom rock courtesy of French band Stangala. While not exactly a "new" band, the band may be new to some if not many. Frankly, until receiving the e-mail from the band, I had never heard of them myself. So, with that being said, you should engage in a listen to this wonderfully unique band.
When you think of bagpipes, and without being too stereotypical you think of a Scottish dude in a kilt. I must say that the first time I listened to the track "Doom Rock Glazik", I shuttered in amazement. The music contained within this album is entertainingly diverse. If I could sum it up in one sentence I would, but that just wouldn't serve this band it's due diligence. 
If you are a fan of Occult Rock you will love this album as it has that mysterious and eerie vibe throughout. From the macabre and sinister vocal approach, the band uses it's love for seventies riffing to envelope the listener. Evil sounds fill the air as chants and burning sacrifices beckon the heavy guitar as it embraces the screams crying out in pain. 
If you are a fan of Stoner/Doom you will love this album for it's groove and layered fuzz. The music rises in it's intensity as the drums blast out and the flames get higher and higher. There are so many different dynamics to this album that it is hard to pinpoint them all. The band even segues effortlessly from surf guitar riffing right into a bagpipe solo. Fucking insane! This is just one of those albums that you have to listen to and hear for yourself to discover all of the nuances. Amazing!"
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EP Review: The End by Mount Salem

     Mount Salem is a doom/occult outfit from The Windy City. They recently released their debut album. I've listened to said album and it is good. Here's a break down of the album, with my usual track by track descritpions.

     Good Times starts with a spoken word sample of Charles Manson rambling on about the push pull of modern life before he's trampled by a Golem of heavy doom. The song walks tall, an organ lurking in its shadow, and the attack is heralded by the vocal power of Emily Kopplin. Lucid  is Heart's Magic Man if Ann Wilson was singing her love song to the devil. Full Moon starts with mellow guitaring and conjures a coven gently swaying before a wicker man aflame. But three minutes in  the whole thing topples down and the intensity picks up, Cody Davidson's drums call forth the heavy riffs and the banshee vocals take it from there. Mescaline is an instrumental with shimmering guitars, yearning organ, and perfectly placed explosions of the heavy we all hold so dear.The album ends with The End a tune that starts with the organ up front before the keys are joined by gee-tar strings and the two dance madly while the drums and bass do what they can to keep 'em in line.

     By the end of this album you can tell the band really means it. Their album does not lack heart and blackened soul. There will be Blood Ceremony comparisons. But Mount Salem swapped the fluting of their Canadian peers for a a heavy doom sound befitting the city of big shoulders, hog butcher for the world. They're touring now. Show 'em some love live or online.

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