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Heavy Planet is proud to be a sponsor of this year's installment of the Doom in June Festival in Las Vegas on June 1st at the Cheyenne Saloon. The all-day-and-night Vegas doom-metal fest returns after a year in hiatus with a strong collection of bands, including The Skull (featuring ex-members of Trouble), classic (having formed back in '77) metal act Manilla Road, stoner-rock trio Karma to Burn, heavy-psyche group Ancestors, San Antonio sludge-slingers Las Cruces, Seattle doom-shroomers Snail and ex-Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell's Ultra Electric Mega Galactic. Lots of locals will be performing this time, unlike previous installments: Demon Lung, Dali's Llama, Albatross Overdrive, Megaton and Spiritual Shepherd.
I've been on a bit of a Doom kick as of late and one of my favorite doom bands just recently released their new CD "Dusk" on Brainticket Records. The band that I am talking about is Las Cruces. Check out some favorable reviews below. Fans of bands such as Trouble, Solitude Aeturnus, St. Vitus, Iron Man, etc. will not be disappointed.
Reviews:
Doommantia
"The new album by Las Cruces has a long and complicated story behind it, for starters it has been a incredible long wait for this album, its been 12 years since they released their last album, the classic "Ringmaster". On top of that, this recording for this album was finished over 2 years ago, the singer on the album also left the band around the same time. "Dusk" also includes 3 tracks from a EP recorded 9 years ago so what you get here is a real mixed bag of a album. Las Cruces has always been one of the most under-appreciated bands in the scene however so its great that the album is finally here. So how does this album compare with the excellent "Ringmaster" album of 12 years ago. The first thing that becomes clear is the overall sound is very different, gone is the clear big production of "Ringmaster". This album has a muddy guitar sound but it is still real heavy but the guitar sounds buried in the mix at times. This is a disappointment at first but that feeling doesn't last long as this is still a cool, strong album of mostly mid-tempo doom tunes. First track up is "Wizard" and its a great track that switches back and forth between lumbering doom parts and mid tempo headbanging sections. The musicianship has made a noticeable improvement even though they were great muso's before but now the riffing seems to be more precise than ever before. The rhythm section of the band is what stands out in the mix while the guitar work sits more in the background of the bands sound. The bass is particularly thunderous on the album along with the drums. Next track up is "Revelations" which is another mid-tempo old school doom rocker, once again the buried guitar work is a bit of a let-down but all is forgiven when you hear the shredding solos that fly out of the speakers. Mixed way louder and up-front than anything else, they slice off your head with some real energetic muster. Its all about groove and this album is not lacking in that department at all, every track has doom laden groove stamped all over it and "Revelations" is one of the highlights..." (Read more)
HellrideMusic.com
"The new album by Las Cruces has an unusual set of circumstances surrounding its delivery: twelve years since the last album, two and a half years after recording was finished, nearly two years after the vocalist on it moved on and containing all three tracks from a nine year old EP. A complicated and overdue birth it has been for Dusk, a birth in the still long shadow of its elder sibling and attended by the expectations raised by a ripping set at Templars of Doom II. So what exactly has coming kicking and squalling into the world of doom…a beast?..a problem child? …an extension of the legacy?...a changeling?...all of the above really…
“Wizard” comes thundering out of the speakers and revelations battle for attention and focus. Gone is the ultra powerful and shiny production that graced Ringmaster and one can’t help but miss it, especially when the guitar onslaught falls back in the mix. At the same time you can hear strides forward in wickedness and riff mastery, and a dirt and grit not present to this extent in the past. The song alternates between a lumbering lead heavy doom sections, where it threatens at time to become heavier than anything that they have done before and at other times steps on the gas in a head-banging frenzy. The rhythm section is up front in the mix, with the bass truly thundering and the drums “right there” clear down to the cymbal nuances, but carrying an almost dusty, organic feel. Over it all the forceful exultations of Mark Zamarron carry the first of a slew of dark tales. As always, his vocal power is astounding and it is quite difficult, after listening to this album, to comprehend the size of the shoes that drummer Paul Deleon has to fill by now taking on vocal duties..." (Read more)
Track Listing:
01. Wizard
02. Revelations
03. Cocaine Wizard Woman
04. Burning Bright
05. Wings of Gold
06. Banished
07. Dusk
08. Farewell
09. The Level
10. Roll of the Die
11. Killing Fields
12. Grin
Originally released in 1999, Brainticket Records has finally decided to re-release one of the finest Doom Metal albums ever made. That would be "Ringmaster" by Las Cruces, therefore making it my Album Of The Day.
Review:
Picture this...cross Led Zeppish bluesmetal with Doom Metal and unleash upon an unsuspecting society. These five Texans stand tall and proud and push out waves of slightly psychedelic bluesish deadly doom. Mark Zammaron reminds me of Robert Plant crossed with a demonically-possessed, doom-laden 1930s-era blues singer (I'm speaking hypothetically--it's not Robert Johnson) with just a dash of early Danzig. This is no-holds barred bluesdoom. George Trevino definitely updates the classic blues sound with a healthy dose of feedback-laden doom metal guitar. Ben Regio Montano beats the skins and cymbals into submission and controls the slowly building sludgemonster. No beat shall escape his grasp without paying the price. Occasionally the band softens their brutal assault with a quiet moment, but it only makes the sledgehammer hit harder when they bang it out in the next few minutes. Some songs start slow and tender then build towards its an apocalyptic, bullish finish. Best cuts are "Behemoth" and "Pigz." They have learned much from their producer John Perez (with Mike Trujillo) of the seminal doom band, Solitude Aeturnus. They take the doom-laden with sorrow style of Solitude Aeturnus and increase the bottom end forcing an unnatural heaviness upon an already heavy genre, then they toss in a spoonful of blues to strengthen the approach. With Ringmaster, Perez has helped elevate Las Cruces to the next level. These songs burn the heart and brain with their acid-drenched bitterness and pain. This is not a band to be taken lightly. They will crush you if you underestimate their power. (Sabrina Wade Haines, EarPollution.com)
Track Listing:
01. Behemoth 04:24 02. Killer Kane 03:43 03. Black Waters 04:14 04. Pigz 03:22 05. Cascades of Phantoms 03:07 06. Doomed 03:04 07. Ringmaster 04:46 08. Human Form 07:14 09. This Time 04:40 10. Lazy Drag 03:23
Brainticket Records has reissued Las Cruces` "Ringmaster".
A most welcome reissue of one of the greatest doom metal albums ever released. Texas` boys lay down the low end groove with riffs worthy of the first Trouble album and songs worthy of any Sabbath outing. With the soaring and soulful vocals of Mark Zammaron and a top shelf production this record slays like a rhino coming at half speed. Crushing. Totally essential for anyone into metal - period - but especially those that flip out on Trouble, Pentagram, Candlemass, Vitus, Solitude Aeturnus, Iron Man, Penance, Sabbath, etc...
