Quick Hit: Witchskull

In anticipation of their upcoming full-length release, Australian doom rock merchants Witchskull have released a killer 3-song album teaser. If these songs are any indication of what's to come, then buckle up your seat belts and prepare to take a ride to hell and back. Those of you that worship the pioneers of doom such as Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Pagan Alter, etc. will find this band to be very admirable and refreshing. The band breathes demonic hell fire into these three tracks via boisterous riffing, a heavy groove and a terrific vocal all while exemplifying a modern feel. Favorite track is "Harvest of the Druid" Stay tuned for...The Vast Electric Dark!

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EP Review: Radiant Moon by WATCHTOWER

Australia are kicking up quite a fuss in the stoner/doom scene at the moment (just look towards Horsehunter for further proof), and Melbourne’s WATCHTOWER are here with their EP Radiant Moon to pummel home that fact with two tracks of unrelenting sludge glory guaranteed to wipe that smile off your comfortable face.

The four Aussies manage to pack more intense riffing and waves of suffocating doom into these two tracks than many bands of the same genre struggle to get into a full length, it’s the old cliché of quality of quantity, and where we say quality, we mean it! The band excel at the devastating brutal power of their music, cutting you up with the sharpest points of a blunt spade. Title track ‘Radiant Moon’ is a nine minute lesson in heaviness, combining all the best elements of scorched sludge vocals, droned over blankets of doom, all-the-while bowing down to waves of apocalyptic sized riffs many a mere mortal would collapse under.

The band’s playing is tight, concise, technical, always staying true to its aim, an altogether joy to experience. While the slightly shorter seven-minute track ‘Living Heads’, crafting its juggernaut pummelling riffs into the side of your temple, you begin to look to the future of WATCHTOWER and wonder if anyone could actually handle what a full-length record would consist of, but we sure as hell can’t wait to give it a go.

WATCHTOWER prove that you really can’t beat thick dirty loud heavy riffing when you’re in desperate need of some serious ass-whooping!

Vinyl is available for pre-order from the excellent Magnetic Eye Records now.

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New Band To Burn One To: Sun Of Man

It’s not often these days that many bands are shrouded in mystery. Sure they can hide behind masks, pseudonyms, or long drawn out facades about pompous back stories explaining their “unusual” sound, but with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, tumblr, you name it tools for promotions, there’s very little that you can’t find out with the touch of a button. However, with Sun Of Man, there is a shroud of mystery, because I can’t find a damn thing about the band online, other than they’re Australian, fairly sure it’s a one-man-band, but I do know for definite that the psychedelic instrumental stoner jams blasting from the speakers is absolutely majestic.

Having only recently released his/her/their latest EP at the end of this year, it’s important that Sun Of Man does not go unnoticed for much longer (the band was actually brought to our attention thanks to an email from reader Peter Egeberg, so thanks Peter!). The trippy aspects of the band are akin to some of Earthless’ finer moments, but when he/she/they go full throttle with the stoner riffs it’s a heavy ass monster to behold. When the music is this good, does it really matter who is playing it or what you know about them? Hell, does it ever really matter? Take a listen to Sun Of Man, lose yourself in the music, with your mind free from everything else, and simply let go.

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