#italian doomer music

[dmvisbot]

itdoom1.wad Author: "The Italian Team": Ismaele (sposito.lag@tin.it) Toranaga (toranaga@email.it) Buzzbomber (buzzbomber Date: 10/09/05 Description: Why the name "Italian DooM"?! Because it was made by three Italian Doomers, grouped in the so-called "Italian Team". But there's more: in the .WAD there are some new nice features too, such as messages in Italian... with the literal translation in English below, of course! This .WAD is ZDoom-oriented, so it works just with ZDoom, particularly with versions higher than 2.0.63a, since the .WAD contains new features, like DECORATE and DECALDEF lumps, which are supported only by the last versions of this source port. The .WAD contains 8 maps, one of which is a secret map (see "Levels Information" below for further info about the sequence of levels, its authors and more). Other features of this .WAD are: - two new monsters: a strengthened "CyberMasterMind" and the "Arachnophyte"! - new graphics (textures, flats, sprites, pictures, etc.); - new background musics. "Italian DooM" is a .WAD for Single Player mode (SP), although there are Cooperative and Deathmatch starts in some maps. Levels can be beated in sequence or from scratch. Playing the levels in sequence means following the story, of course. Play it and discover the new "Italian DooM": the first episode, of course!

[doomedandstoned]

Witchcryer Share The Apocalyptic Tale of “Hellmouth”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

One of the most exciting bands to originate from the fertile musical soil of Austin is WITCHCRYER. Having left an indellible impression on us already with their first full-length, 'Cry Witch' (2017), Suzy Bravo (vox), Jason Muxlow (guitar), Javi Moctezuma (drums), and Marilyn (bass) return with an impressive second album on Ripple Music.

“When Their Gods Come For You,” the band says, "is a concept album that deals with deities across various ages of civilization throughout time. The album starts with 'Devil & The Deep Blue Sea,' a Faustian tale of a damned soul swallowed by an apocalyptic leviathan, Hellmouth, and the narrator’s attempt to fight for their life. The album continues with the song 'Hellmouth' in which the narrator is now the Anglo-Saxon depicted demon fish itself. Songs about Greek gods and titans with tales of pride and punishment follow, as well as a Mesoamerican sun deity teaching its doomed warrior people to fly, a Roman goddess seeking justice for crimes against women, the tale of the Blackfoot creation god."

Today, Doomed & Stoned is bringing you a listen to that enchanting doomer, "Hellmouth," and asked the band for further comment on the track. They happily obliged, taking us on a deeper walk through the ancient lore:

Hellmouth is an apocalyptic tale of an enormous Leviathan fish whose gaping jaws act as an entrance to hell. At the crack of doom, Hellmouth surfaces from the depths of the ocean to seek and devour doomed souls by swallowing them whole and taking them to the depths of hell. This tale is told through the narration of Hellmouth.

Historically, the story of Hellmouth is based on 12th century Anglo-Saxon art that was retold and spread throughout Europe throughout the ages. Witchcryer's modern day rendition of Hellmouth is retold in collaboration with Austin based Golden Monkey Tattoo artist, John Michael Bowley. This single release features colorful detailed artwork created through the use of a technique called "spit shading," a technique that uses the replacement of water through the artist's spit to control the amount of pigment that is blended outwards to make colors lighter than the original pigment.

To create the non-human demon-like voice of Hellmouth, dual vocals from Witchcryer vocalist, Suzy Bravo and Destroyer of Light's Steve Colca were recorded and processed through TC Helicon Critical Mass vocal effects. The song is bass heavy with a "low end punch," so hold on tight and take a ride to the doom that is Hellmouth.

With my background being similar to Suzy's religiously, I'm anxious to get into the lyrics even deeper! Oh, and did I mention that the album features guest vocalist Steve Colca from Austin stallwarts Destroyer of Light?

The prot-metal foursome will bring us When THeir Gods Come For You via Ripple Music on August 20th (pre-order here). It's a welcome addition to the mighty Catalog of Doom and an Album of the Year contender to be reckoned with!

Give ear...

PREORDER — When Their Gods Come for You by Witchcryer

Some Buzz

Witchcryer was created by guitarist Jason Muxlow during his time with Chicago doom band, Earthen Grave and became his priority when he moved to Austin in early 2015. That summer, he began co-writing songs with drummer Javi Moctezuma and vocalist/lyricist Suzy Bravo joined the band later that year, which led to the release of their demo The Preying Kind,With the final addition of San Antonio bassist Marilyn Monroe (Pillcrusher, Las Cruces), Witchcryer played its first show in April 2016.

Their debut album Cry Witch was released on Ripple Records in 2018, comprising nine songs of classic doom produced by the band & Brant Sankey. The band toured the Southern states with Italian doom band Messa, then made their way north to Chicago later in the year, while playing regularly throughout Texas.

In the fall of 2019, the band headed back to producer Brant Sankey’s Studio E in San Antonio to work on the new album. This time out, the sound is bigger, grander, and more epic, the band leaning into their rock and metal roots with special guest vocals by doom metal vocalists Gary Rosas (Ungrieved, Mala Suerte) and Steve Colca (Destroyer of Light).

'When Their Gods Come For You' (2019) is a new conceptual album from Texas classic doom band Witchcryer, featuring songs about gods across various ages of civilization throughout time. Featuring thickly-woven epics such as a Faustian tale of a damned soul swallowed whole by an apocalyptic leviathan, an account of a Mesoamerican sun deity teaching its doomed warrior people to fly, and a Roman goddess seeking justice for crimes against women. Ambitious and dynamic, this is anthemic old-school metal mixed with weighty modern doom!

Vocalist Suzy Bravo about writing this new album: "This is the album that I’ve been writing in my head my entire life. When I was about 7 years old in 1983, my grandmother took me to the Aztec Theatre in San Antonio to see a double feature of Hercules starring Lou Ferrigno and Clash of the Titans. I fell in love with Greek mythology and stories about these mighty gods. I would obsess over encyclopedias around the house and find every book I could about gods from every religion.

Suzy continues: "I became a Jehovah Witness by myself when I was about 8 or 9. I used to read my yellow Children’s Book of Bible Stories and recite every story to memory. I’ll never forget how dazzled I was by the illustrations. I became a Christian when I was 11 years old all by myself. I would go to churches by myself and even got baptized by myself. I knew that whoever I wanted to be, I had to figure it out by myself. In high school, I briefly got into Buddhism and then a teacher loaned me a book called If You Meet the Buddha On the Road, Kill Him. I was taken aback and was offended by the title. But, when I read the book, the book taught me that it was okay to question religious hierarchies. This is a very personal album, but I’m not trying to tell anyone what to believe in. Overall, the album is just my chance to tell a bunch of great stories with great illustrations."

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[doomedandstoned]

Italian Doomers BRETUS Tell Ghostly Tales on New LP, ‘Magharia’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Artwork by DamianaMerante

Hailing from the City of the Two Seas, Italian doomers BRETUS return with a new album of ghost stories. Longtimers know that Bretus and Doomed & Stoned practically grew up together. Though the band has been active since the turn of the century, our first exposure came with their debut full-length 'In Onirica' (2012) and subsequently we formed a friendship with the Catanzaro doomers that continues to this very day. It's hard to believe they're already over two decades old (okay, 20 years young, if you like). And what do they have to show for it? A handful of LPs, an EP, and a split with fellow Italianos Black Capricorn.

If you're as much a fan of vintage horror movies, H.P. Lovecraft lore, mysticism, and the occult as Zagarus (vox), Ghenes (guitar), Janos (bass), and Striges (drums), there's a whole world of story and sound awaiting your deep dive into the Bretus catalog. Adding to their already excellent discography, a fifth album now reveals itself: 'Magharia' (2021).

I won't spoil my interview with the band (see below) if I tell you that the album concerns, shall we say, several tales of the supernatural variety. An ominous gong is struck to the backdrop of monastic chant as Magharia opens in epic fashion "Celebration of Gloom," a song characterized by a chugging proto-trash tempo, trve metal stylings, and Gothic vocals appropriate to it's subject. It's a rather grim account of a certain sacrilegious priest and his daliences with young women of the church. As a preacher's kid, I've seen this kind of thing play out a hundred times and can assure you these sweeping romances between clergy and laity never end well. In this case, it winds up with a ghoulish rite and a victim's vengeance.

"In the sky lightning strikes...wicked laments rise from the ground." Welcome to "Cursed Island." True to the spirit of the lyrics, this track really let's it all hang out, with quasi operatic vocals that occasionally erupt in maniacal laughter (reminding me vintage Reagers-era Saint Vitus, with its lusty swagger). And why not? This is after all about the mystery that surrounds one of the most haunted islands on earth.

Thus far, the record's been sporting a pretty up-beat pulse, so surely you're ready for some good old fashion doom? "Moonchild's Scream" concerns a albino girl accused of being possessed by the devil for her appearance. One day, she disappears in the dungeons of a castle and legend has it that her cries can still be heard every five years during the Summer Solstice. Doesn't get more doom than that, folks!

After a brief interlude ("Necropass"), we arrive at my favorite track of Magharia. "Nuraghe" concerns the spirit of a woman judged and condemned for a crime she was innocent of still roams among the ancient stones. Boy, the ancients sure did have a hang-up with free-spirited, independent women, didn't they? The song itself is possessed by the spirit of Pentagram in its biting guitar work and rhythmic attack. Love the riffage on this one! Some of it could have been played out just a little more for my taste, like the all-too-brief Soundgardenesque motif at the two-minute mark. It returns a minute later, again in brief. C'mon Ghenes, let your inner Kim Thayil loose! Maybe we can convince them to improv at this point with a bitchin' guitar solo at their next festival appearance. Then again, perhaps this fits artistically with the song, which speaks of obscure "grim dancing bats" and a ghost that haunts through swift shadows passing over glimmers of light. Once again, Zagrus expressive song style comes through to distinguish this as a gem of the genre. I shall be revisiting it on my personal playlist often.

"Headless Ghost" strikes graceful Goatsnake groove as the yarn is spun about the restless and tormented soul of an ancient Roman warrior who has risen from his place of rest. All he wants is the skull that was looted from his place of burial. Give it back to him! "No one will be spared tonight," the lyrics warn, as the song shifts down to a dire doom dirge as the night unveils a strange moon and the wanderings of a cursed soul, seeking his head and not more. "He is living again in this hell."

"The Bridge of Damnation" is one of the creepiest of the record, said to be about "a bridge, a young boy, and his three torturers." The mood is quite dark, with esoteric atmosphere, reverberating vocalizations, guitar and bass trading off notes. Oh, and did I mention this tale from the crypt involves death and resurrection, as well? The riffmaking and drumming are absolutely on point, as is the singing -- which by now in the record I'm not only am accustomed to, but have grown to admire. Another keeper!

"Sinful Nun" winds and grinds as Zagarus croons about the inner torment of a Sister who has never gotten over her beloved, who died under such unspeakably tragic circumstances that she decided to consecrate herself to God in celibacy. However, her vows are in vain as she still pines for her long lost lover. The verses are sung to the accompaniment of a galloping tempo, which seems to represent the fevered anguish of a soul forever stricken by grief and the haunted memories of lost love. This is juxtaposed in the chorus by a cursed riff that seems to speak as the Hand of Fate itself. "Farewell to this life," are the Sinful Nun's final words.

At last, we reach the album's namesake and though "Magharia" is entirely instrumental, it would be a mistake to assume you know what it's going to do. Around the four-minute mark, I had to check and make sure I was listening to the same album, as dark synth busted out a metronomic rhythm, leading to a declamatory section of keyboards to accompany the math-like guitar play and an improvisation of almost creepy seventies-sounding prog, which after its playful fit dissipates suddenly in a bluesy collapse.

Bretus have cooked up a remarkable horror soundtrack that, though it speaks of ancient lore, is very much a fitting backdrop to the unreality of our own times. Fitting somewhere on the stylistic spectrum between Candlemass and Paul Chain, Reverend Bizarre and Cardinals Folly, Margharia may be the band's finest effort to date. Certainly, it rewards repeated listens, and will haunt you for many years to come. Look for the record to drop this weekend (pre-order here), with multiple physical formats releasing via The Swamp Records (compact disc), Burning Coffin Records (cassette), and Overdrive Records (vinyl). Until then, you can stream it all, right now, right here!

Give ear...

Magharia by BRETUS

An Interview with Bretus

What is the concept behind the new album and what themes do you explore?

Musically the new record is most "in your face" than the previous album. Also our approach to the recording was different. We rehearsed and arranged together more than before. The result is an album more raw to us. It is a concept album born around different italian old ghost tales. Some of these is supposed to be legend or myth, who knows.

When did you write it? Was it during the pandemic lockdowns?

We had more ideas about new stuff long before the pandemia arrived. We spent this time working on the pre-production of the tracks.

Can you give us a track-by-track explanation of each song on the album?

For sure!

"Celebration of Gloom" is a strange song because there are many influences in it. Including a solo flute in the middle of the track. However is a very loud and gloomy song.

"Cursed Island" probably is the most rock 'n' roll song of the album. If you know what I mean. Rock in the attitude. Also the first video of the album.

"Moonchild's Scream" is 100% pure Doom with a heavy mid-section.

"Necropass" is like Caronte travelling the damned souls across the Stige River.

"Nuraghe" is a heavy oriented track with a very dark feeling.

"Headless Ghost" has a more stoner trend than the others and in the end there is a psycho riffing.

"The Bridge of Damnation" includes our '80s dark influences into our sound, probably the most haunted track of the album. The story is based upon an old weird story that happened in our native city, Catanzaro.

"Sinful Nun" is like an experiment and neither of us can explain really what it is... ah ah aha! For sure the most heavy track of all.

Finally "Magharia." You cannot believe it but the idea comes from a Who's album, Quadrophenia. Either of us wrote a part of the song. The result is a kind of horror soundtrack.

Magharia by BRETUS

How do you feel that your basic style or approach to song composition has changed since you first started writing songs in the early days?

You already know a lot of things about us, we know you from so long ago! Please don't ask how old we are. (laughs) Basically our approach is the same from the beginning. Of course we listen to a lot of new stuff during these years so every album brings different "colors."

Where are you most looking forward to playing live once pandemic restrictions are eased?

Everywhere! We are angry for live gigs or simply to drink beers with friends.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[doomedandstoned]

Conan & Deadsmoke Team Up for Doom Sessions Vol. 1

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Cover design by Alan O'Neill

It's been quite a few years since we last checked in with Italian doomers DEADSMOKE, whom we last encountered with the release of the monstrous LP 'Mountain Legacy' (2017), followed by the short but effective EP 'Forest of the Damned' (2018).

Now the Bolzano four return in tow with the London sludge lords Conan to bring us 'The Doom Sessions Vol. 1' (2020) on Heavy Psych Sounds. It's a label we've traditionally linked with stoner rock and heavy psychedelia, but gradually the Gabe Fiore has been curating a collection of downtuned doomers, the likes of which include Acid Mammoth, 1782, Alunah, High Reeper, Dead Witches, Throneless, and one of my favorites originals, Tons.

As any fan of the genre would likely expect, the collaboration between Conan and Deadsmoke absolutely works. Two juggernauts of the genre, though Deadsmoke deserves to be better known and perhaps this is their chance to grab the ears of some of you doomers out there. Conan's A-side "Beheaded" may be (and correct me if I'm wrong) their longest track yet at over 17 minutes. I first listened to it at four o'clock in the morning and I fear it rumbled my roomies awake.

The B-side is no less eventful with the 11-minute "Dethroned Concrete" slowly lulling us into Deadsmoke's world with an eight note dirge that finally erupts into mad primate howls. The record concludes with the definitive rhythms of "Dead Minds Army," which I listened to while a sci-fi movie called Lifepod (1981) was rolling in the backdrop (hmmm, I sense fan video potential).

The album comes out July 17th in three varieties of vinyl, on compact disc, and of course in digital format (pre-order here). And now, Doomed & Stoned presents the world premiere of Deadsmoke's "Dead Minds Army." Its merciless tone, rabid shrieks, and unrelenting strength may well inspire you to delve deep into the Deadsmoke discography.

Give ear...

HPS_agent · DEADSMOKE - Dead Minds Army

Some Buzz

Deadsmoke is a doom sludge Italian band sounding like deep entombed amplifiers and downtuned monolithic guitars scraping the soil down to the core of the sphere.

Slow hypnotic not-harmonic cadences refresh the eternal need of isolation and the atavistic fear of nothingness. Sub lowered frequencies corrode the one last trace of human cognition, apprehension and judgment.

Your soul already burned, smoke is what remains.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[doomedandstoned]

Arcana 13 Greet The New Year with ‘Black Death’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Hold on to your ritual knives and bongs, beloved Doomers & Stoners! Horror awaits you as Italian occult rockers ARCANA 13 prepare a new offering to the unholy one.

Based in Italy, the ancient home of so much of doom's classic and contemporary roots (see our compilation Italy Strikes Back, where we first met Arcana 13), the Ravenna quartet seeks through their music to harvest the seeds of terror planted by the original masters of Italian cult horror films from the 1960s and ‘70s.

The band's sound is mystical and transcendent, yet strapping with might. Arcana 13 conjures a magical experience that is at once viceral to spellbinding. Their live shows underscore the visual component of the music even further, with excerpts from films by Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento featured prominently. If you're as much a Sabbath-worshipper as we, then this is a band that definitely belongs in your rotation.

Look for their latest, 'Black Death' (2020), out Friday, January 17th on Aural Music. It is comprised of one spine-chilling theme written for the TV show, 'Black Death: The Series' -- a song brimming with dense atmosphere, castled vocals, and frightful Gothic majesty. This is followed by a doom-infused rendition of “Wrathchild” by Iron Maiden (pre-order here).

Each is as heavy as you could ask for and last substantially long enough to warrant their release as an EP. It's a fitting introduction to Arcana 13 and today Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring it to you in all its chilling glory.

Give ear...

Black Death by ARCANA 13

Some Buzz

"Deep into the darkness, a spine chilling scream cuts through the fog. Filthy fuzz starts consuming the air. A deep rumble gets the earth shaking. The dead are listening..."

Hailing from Italy, the birthplace of cult horror movie masters, ARCANA 13 stirs in the cauldron a lethal brew of Heavy Doom with galore of Italian Horror’s legacy. Lucio Fulci living of fuzzy riffs. Mario Bava high on distorted mellotrons. Dario Argento crazy for low end grime.

Their debut album 'Danza Macabra' was released on Aural Music in 2016, with an eye-striking album cover from cult horror artist Enzo Sciotti. In 2018, Claudio Simonetti of Goblin got struck by their cover of Dario Argento’s "Suspiria" and asked the band to revise his main theme composed for George Romero’s "Dawn Of The Dead". The song is featured as opening track for the Special 40th Anniversary edition on Rustblade Records.

Danza Macabra by ARCANA 13

The last gravestone is the collaboration with director Luca Canale Brucculeri on his new horror TV series “Black Death” based on the eponymous comic book. He got enthralled by ARCANA 13's music and decided to commission the main theme's songwriting for the series, that will be released as special edition 7” in January 2020 on Aural Music, along with a doomed up version of Iron Maiden’s classic “Wrathchild.”

“Emblems seen through the fog, it’s the end of it all. Look upon the blood-red moon and you’ll be facing the Black Death.”

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[doomedandstoned]

Papa Paul’s Groovy Reviews!

Our resident retroist is back to finish the year with a hot handful of hits for the tune toking delight of Doomers and Stoners alike!   Give ear...

PAGAN ALTAR

The Room of Shadows by Pagan Altar (Official)

One of the many surprises wrought by the year 2017 was a new album from legendary English doomers PAGAN ALTAR, who fittingly saved their best for last. You may ask why I say "their last"? Well, sadly, their vocalist Terry Jones has passed away since recording this album. I say "fittingly," because everything the band had done to this day has been outstanding. The abstruse history of the band is a story in and of itself. I don't fully understand it, so I won't go too far down that rabbit trail. Suffice it to say, I've been following Pagan Altar from the moment their first album was pirated by an infamous bootlegger. I heard it was from the '70s, I heard it was from 1982. I always struggled with what to believe. One thing for sure, their official releases on shadow Kingdom Records are top notch and I recommend them to you highly, along with the rest of their catalog, which has (as the band's clippings rightly proclaim) influenced "a whole generation of doom-obsessed fanatics."

Pagan Altar are considered both a doom and NWOBHM band. I won't argue with either, as elements of both are surely alive in their music. What interests me most are the ever present elements of progressive hard rock strongly rooted in the band's genesis, circa 1978. Pagan Altar is often compared to Jethro Tull, owing to Terry's vocals sounding eerily similar at times to Ian Anderson and also to the boundary-pushing complexity of their songs. It is here, in 'The Room of Shadows' (2017 - Temple of Mystery Records), that those seeds of Jethro Tull sprout to life in a series of seven weird and wonderful creations. Truth be told, this is the kind of album I wished Jethro Tull recorded. I always wanted the band to be a mite heavier, overall (don't get me wrong, I loved them as they were). As I listen to The Room of Shadows, I can almost see Ian Anderson dancing around, flute in hand and posing on one leg, his knee held high. The only thing lacking is the flute! Pagan Altar achieve their progressive majesty with a happy marriage of guitar, bass, and drum.

Photo by Temple of Mystery

Apart from Jethro Tull, it's hard to find an apt comparison. At times, I hear hints of Tales of Creation era Candlemass, elements of Cirith Ungol in some of the heavier riffs, and plenty of Celtic folk music and poetry throughout, transporting the listener clear back to the early Renaissance. Such is the depth of writing and musicianship on display. If you only give this a casual listen, you will miss most of the album. The Room of Shadows should be -- nay, must be -- savored like a fine wine or, in my case, a deftly crafted beer. Let me tell you, friends, there are some meaty rifts just waiting for you to sink your teeth into (or your ears, as it were), but the riffs rightfully serve as foundation for the band's tell-tale melodies and harmonies, which are, as always, haunting.

Fans of newer bands like Beelzefuzz and Blues Funeral need to give Pagan Altar a spin. Maybe it's because the new Blues Funeral album was released just a day before this that I'm thinking of them. Though the two albums are separated by a span of 13 years, both conjure a similar vibe. You might say that Blues Funeral is America's belated answer to Britain's Pagan Altar. All comparisons aside, Pagan Altar's last record is a masterpiece, crowned with cover art that in a single frame so aptly pictures the artistic mood of the album and the band. I thought it might have been a repurposed painting from some classic English painting. No, this, as it so happens, is another stunning masterwork by Portland artist and doom metal musician Adam Burke.

One last note: the album was once slated for release under the title Never Quite Dead. Indeed, Pagan Altar's sound and legacy lives on, loud and proud, in The Room Full of Shadows.

Get It.

PANTANUM

Purple Blaze by Pantanum

Anyone in the mood for some Italian doom by way of South America? That's what we have with 'Purple Blaze' (2017), the latest EP from Curitiba, Brazil trio PANTANUM. Old farts like me will recognize this right away. The artwork confirms that this is, indeed, a tribute to legendary Italian doomer Paul Chain -- more specifically, a nod to his great album, 'Violet Art of Improvisation' (1989). Pantanum make a play on "violet" with the word "purple" and use a similar layout for the album art. It's a great to see a young band paying tribute to an old school legend, one that I'm sure is a new name for fans of doom who came here by way of bands like Sleep or Electric Wizard.

The two songs on the 7" are from the horror-style doom playbook the Italians were so famous for in the ‘80s and ‘90s. In fact, the 8-minute bonus track sounds like something you’d hear on a horror movie soundtrack, which is also the mood lit by Violet Art of Improvisation. If Pantanum got my attention with their first album, ‘Volume 1’ (2015), their follow-up EP has me all ears!

Get It.

THE SHELTER PEOPLE

The Shelter People -EP by The Shelter People

Fans of '70s acid rock are in for a real treat with this release. I give this a confidence rating of 100% on the authenticity scale for sounding like something from a lost FM radio transmission. THE SHELTER PEOPLE are from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but do a fine job of channeling the vibe of legendary blues-soaked acid rock bands from Japan, like Flower Travellin' Band, Blues Creation, Chinki Chen, Too Much, etc. I'm sure a good number of our readers don't know these bands I've mentioned, so a more accessible description of The Shelter People would be Black Sabbath meets Jimi Hendrix, heavy on the Jimi. This band is, in a word, tight -- excellent guitar work, riffs that are downright funky, and passionate vocals. This is the trip you're searching for.

Get It.

THE SONIC DAWN

Into the Long Night by The Sonic Dawn

I have to thank Billy for his allowing me to stretch what used to be normal strictly a stoner-doom webzine. I appreciate his wisdom and ability to see the correlation between the retro scene that was emerging a few years ago and that of the still evolving stoner-doom scene. I recognized this movement early on and have been feverishly documenting this return to roots movement ever since.

Fast-forward to present day and the retro sound is as fresh and vibrant as ever, with bands like Denmark's SONIC DAWN now carrying the baton. Their beauty of a record, 'Into The Long Night' (2017), landed #16 on the Doom Charts in April. I can't tell you how happy this made me. In all actuality, this isn't doom at all. No resemblance to Black Sabbath, no downtuned guitars, no thundering pounding of the drums. No, this is laid back, seventies-style psychedelic rock. The look, the feel, the attitude -- it's all there. Make no mistake, Sonic Dawn have captured something very special here, capturing the essence of the scene in psychedelic rhythms, swirling leads, and ethereal vocals. I personally find this music enjoyable in the early morning or late at night. If laid back psychedelia is normally your thing, consider that. This has probably been my most played album since its release.

Get It.

WATCHER'S GUARD

Watcher's Guard by Watcher's Guard

Riding over the hills of Glasgow, comes WATCHER'S GUARD armed with a doom-laden three song battering ram of a debut. I was blown away at first listen, so you can imagine there's some retro, old school, traditional doom action to be had here, with a slight touch of NWOBHM for good measure. Watcher's Guard are the doom masters. This EP covers just about every early subgenre of doom you can think of: biker doom, epic doom, slow doom, you name it. If you pinned me down to one band it most sounds like, I would have to say Revelation from Baltimore. But Watcher's guard is a bit more uptempo over all. The clear standout for me is track two, "The Ruiner." An epic just shy of 12 minutes long, this one is destined to be crowned a classic. It's easy to make the Candlemass comparison, but Watcher's Guard bring so much more to the table. The complexity of their songcraft, with psychedelic twists and turns, take you along for an heroic journey that runs you through the gauntlet of emotions. What will these four dark knights have instore for us in the future? Time and fate will tell. For now, the path to oblivion has been lit. Let's follow and enjoy the apocalyptic fireworks.

Get It.

WITCHERS CREED

Depths of the black void... by Witchers Creed

Earlier in the year, I introduced you to WITCHERS CREED, a doom-touched acid rock band from Katrineholm. We've been audience to the band's creative output with a pair two-trackers released months apart. With four superbly recorded songs to their name, I think have a pretty good read on the band now and have this suspicious feeling that they are trying to become my favorite band! That's no small statement, as you know how many killer bands I've reviewed and raved about in these pages over the years. Regulars know I am vigilantly scouring the globe in search of that authentic psychedelic sound that stole away my heart as a teenager and reporting on the unfolding saga of the retro revival in these pages. Witchers Creed are have been apparently drinking freely of the magical stream flowing through Sweden, from which springs one magical musical act after another. Nay, they are baptizing themselves in it. Even their instruments and gear bear the vintage stamp of the glory days.

I have been told I nailed down the Witchers Creed sound my review of their March release when I said they sounded like Mountain meets Sabbath meets your favorite underground seventies band. You can pick the loudest and heaviest of them, Witchers Creed is right up there with the best. They have perfected their craft with a powerful rhythm section, notable for its thundering basslines. The guitar leads are no less mind-blowing -- more than just short bursts, this soloing goes on and on, soaked with fuzz and venturing into Dave Chandler territory. You know, the master of feedback from Saint Vitus. These demented leads are brought sailing over the top by one groovy rhythm machine, accompanied by dual harmonized vocals. Imagine Leslie West of Mountain harmonizing with Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers with wild occult lyrics, when suddenly the music stops and you hear the words: "You're all doomed!" Now that you have a visual idea of this band's irresistible charm, it's time for you to get plugged in yourself and give it a listen.

Get It.

ZEREMONY

Soul of the Zeremony by Zeremony

We're down to the last lap of 2017 and, suitably, also at the last letter of the alphabet. I think I can count just about all the "Z" bands I know on two hands. To call ZEREMONY a grower is not quite adequate, more like instantly addictive. 'Soul of the Zeremony' (2017) blew me away first listen. Yet it keeps growing on me every listen .

Photo Credit: Umsonst-und-Draussen Festival/Würzburg

You may remember hearing them as the captsone to That Seventies Compilation, which I organized last year. I heaped high praise on the the authenticity of their sound when they released that wonderful organ-driven demo that same year. Two of those three songs were deemed worthy of joining the fold of seven in this album of obscure, dark, and heavy organ-driven rock. Zeremony fit right in with my treasured favs.

Hailing from Würzburg, Zeremony seem to bear the influence of the Krautrock scene, which was erupted in the late '60s and early '70s and remains a stylistic pillar to this day. One band I hear as I listen to Zeremony is a band called Irish Coffee, just a few doors down from Germany in Belgium. They are similar in the heavy use of organ and gruff vocals. For modern comparison, try Golden Grass or Siena Root.

Listen for "She Sang a Song To Me." It is gloomy, yet earnest number with a sing-along chorus that would have all the makings of a hit single in the seventies. I've been raving about authenticity a lot in this piece and bands like Zeremony are setting a very high bar.

Get It.

[doomedandstoned]

Pale Horseman Unveil Striking New Album, ‘The Fourth Seal’

~By Billy Goate~

Today, Chicago doomers PALE HORSEMAN release perhaps their strongest album yet, 'The Fourth Seal' (2017) on Black Bow Records. We've been following them for a while, and they contributed the Justin K. Broadrick remix of "Fork In The Road" to our compilation, 'Doomed & Stoned in Chicago' (2017). Their new LP was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Comatose Studio in Bradley, Illinois by Dennis Pleckham of Bongripper.

Let's meet our cast of characters. Pale Horseman is: Eric Ondo and Andre Almaraz on guitars and vox (that's right, twice the riffing power!), Rich Cygan manning the bass, and Jason Schryver commanding Pale Horseman's obsessive rhythms on drums. Jason is their newest member, bringing what the band calls a "newfound power and energy" to Pale Horseman -- and you can really feel it throughout each of these eight numbers.

"The Final War" opens us to the apocalyptic reality of The Fourth Seal, which is a reference to the Book of Revelations, in case you weren't certain. Armageddon, motherfuckers. Not that this record follows a Biblical template; rather, Pale Horseman use this imagery to imagine a fantastic reality of their own. This is evident in the second track, "Witches Will Gather," an ominous congregation of ritual magick practitioners. The whole thing gives me chills. This is doom on a level not previously imagined -- a marriage of the plaintive riffing of Trouble, the stormy atmosphere of Crowbar, with the fearsome vocals of Hollow Leg.

"Aokigahara" comes next -- and, yes, I had to look this one up. It's also known as 青木ヶ原 or the Suicide Forest. What could be more doom that that, I ask you? For the unacquainted, Aokigahara is 12 square miles surrounding Mount Fuji, an area littered with lava rock and caves full of ice. The forest has a rep in Japanese lore for hauntings, probably a legend that dates back to the last eruption of Mount Fuji that buried many alive around the year 864. To this day, the place is also a destination for suicidal wanderers, something like 100 people a year take their lives in 青木ヶ原. Grim is the word you're looking for and Pale Horseman is all over it. The piece is poignantly atmospheric.

We're only four songs in and already, I feel the weight of these final hours. "Bereavement," appropriately, follows our walk through Suicide Forest. It's at this point I draw upon my preacher's kid street cred and quote the Bible: "Then I looked and saw a pale horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth" (Revelation 7:8). Pale Horseman trample through the wastes of human remains surveying the landscape and narrating the seen before them. An arresting sense of tragedy pervades the air, like a quiet mist of blood mingled with pungent smoke. It's hard to put into words the burden I feel as I listen to the heart-wrenching vocals lament all the lingering memories of the lives that are now fading away. The grief is almost too much to bear.

The suffering, however, has only begun in our scenario, for sorrow is accompanied by "Gnashing of Teeth." This is another famous Biblical reference, from Jesus, actually, who warned of a place where the faithless would be tossed like chaff "into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The tonal quality of this piece is starkly different from the last. The dissonant chords that shriek in the early moments (and return to close the piece) mimic well the misery of mind-numbing pain.

We're now six deep at "Forlorn Extinction." Pale Horseman have often been called "crushing" in their live performance and so far, and this track would be one I'd love to see performed live. It faces the sentence of the condemned head-on, stating our case in the first person and driving forward through the ruin with a sense of urgency, for this is "the end of the world."

Enter the "Pale Rider." The voice with which he introduces himself echoes over the valley of bones. "I am the Pale Rider called Death." You feel a shiver tingle across your spine as his words seize your heart, for this is "the judgement of the lost" and now "the reign of The Beast begins."

"The Tyrant" is now top boss of planet Earth, for whatever that's now worth. It's the just judgement for a vain, neglectful generation that let it all descend to "disarray." Now "the Tyrant reigns" and "there's fire in the sky" and "evil reborn." Doom enough for you yet? I reveling in this album, in case you haven't noticed.

One last track. One more hill to climb in this tour of a scorched earth. The album finisher concerns a "Phantasmal Voice," perhaps supernatural, perhaps the faded echo of hope's message past, or maybe, just maybe, a bit of the human spirit that still remains in this bare bones existence.

All things considered, Pale Horseman's fourth full-length is a satisfying one. I rank this up with an album like, 'The Cult of Astaroth' (2017) by Italian doomers Three Eyes Left, in terms of its ability to key in on a concept and keep you hooked to the record from end to end. "We are very pleased with the new album," Pale Horseman says of The Fourth Seal. "We put a lot of time and effort into this recording; more so than any of our previous releases...We feel that this is by far our strongest and heaviest release to date." The album speaks for itself, in that regard. A hearty recommendation to end a year of unprecedented excellence in the heavy underground.

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music.

[doomedandstoned]

SuuM Returns With An Epic Doom Masterpiece

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

The other night, I woke from a nightmare and ended up listening to the first album by Italian doomers SUUM. 'Buried Into The Grave' (2018) came out during a crowded time for new releases, many of which were from established bands. It was not a good year for such a newcomer to get noticed, yet thankfully plenty of my fellow critics did and the band ended up signing with Seeing Red Records for a second helping. One thing that struck me was just how much the Roman heavies sounded like they were singing in a massive tube of skull-filled catacombs underneath the city. The effect laying in the dark at 2 am was quite spooky and conjured more familiar Western images of ghouls in fog-clad graveyards.

As promising as that first effort was, SuuM's second album is stronger yet still. Perhaps they've become more comfortable in their own skin, Mark Wolf (vox), Painkiller (guitar), Joe Grave (bass), and Fed Kemper (drums) having had time to gel as a team. There may have been some line-up changes since the first album and following the second, but I'm unclear as to how the band has settled now (at least for their live performances). What I can say is that everyone sounds in top form on 'Cryptomass' (2020), absolutely in tune with the medium (whereas on the first album, it felt a bit more hit and miss for me).

I read some criticism on another well-known metal blog about Mark Wolf's vocals, but I love them. They're not over the top, like so many operatic epic doom singers tend to be. Perhaps you might be better off comparing them with Mikko Kääriäinen of Cardinals Folly or Dmitry Tkachuk of Weird Tales in their '80s Gothic sensibility than to Johan Längquist of Candlemass and Scott Reagers of Saint Vitus, though admittedly there are moments that rise to the height of the latter. Hell, even fellow Italian Paul Chain is worthy of comparison to Mark Wolf, though Mark seems to have a bit more of that animal ́ 'oomph" than Paul.

Compositionally, the first three songs of Crytomass really flowed together for me and it created a most dark, potent atmosphere. Perhaps it was the fade out in "Creatures of the Vault" that broke the spell for me. In my mind, SuuM could have kept going and made one long, grand ritual, but then I'm sure that might have led to listening fatigue for some. Every album needs a sense of pacing and the somber, downcast haze of "Funeral Circle" gives it to us. I'm usually not a fan of guitar solos in epic doom, but the oh so plaintive expression in Painkiller's lead at the five minute mark really got to me. Genuinely sad and genuine is not something that is achieved often enough in heavy music.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first listen to the album Crytomass in its entirety, releasing February 14th via Seeing Red Records on digital and compact disc formats (pre-order here). There's plenty more to be discovered on this nine-track wonder (don't miss "The Failure of Creation," my personal favorite), so get ready and...

...give ear.

Cryptomass by SUUM

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[doomedandstoned]

BRETUS RETURNS WITH GHASTLY NEW FILM!

~By Billy Goate~

They've been a staple of Doomed & Stoned from the very get-go: BRETUS (featured in last year's compilation 'Italy Strikes Back!'). Today, the Italian doomers bring us another one of their beloved music videos, inspired by a classic horror picture of la Penisola itself: “Danza Macabra”

"We recorded the video in Calabria, our hometown," frontman Marco Veraldi (aka Zagarus) tells me. "This is the ancient Abbazia of Corazzo in Carlopoli," he adds, referring to an crumbling Abbey founded by The Black Monks of Saint Benedict way back in 1157. It's the perfect setting for this music video, too.

The song "Danza Macabra" itself was inspired by a 1964 film of the same name, directed by cult Italian gothic horror maven Antonio Margheriti. The movie (starring eternal crush Barbara Steele) is alternately known as 'Castle of Blood.'

The plot concerns a journo who is vocally skeptical of Edgar Allan Poe's own eyewitness accounts of his brushes with the supernatural. One Lord Blackwood enters the scene, wagering the reporter that he cannot spend one singular night in the aforementioned haunted abode. You're on, says our protagonist. The deal is struck, hands are shook, and the date set for All Soul's Eve. We know this can mean not but trouble for all involved (these things rarely end well for the disbelieving, of course).

If you enjoy the visuals, catch this song and a handful of others related to haunted places in the latest Bretus opus, '...from the Twilight Zone' (2017). It is out now on Endless Winter Label.

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music.

[doomedandstoned]

Doomed Discoveries: An Interview with Italian Doomers HAUNTED

~By Mari Knox Knox~

(Doomed & Stoned Italy)

We've been wanting to get to know Italian doomers HAUNTED since they emerged from relative obscurity to release an excellent eponymous debut on Twin Earth Records last fall. Today, we present Mari's interview with the members of Haunted (Mari put together our recent compilation 'Italy Strikes Back!' available here). Coming from various bands and varying backgrounds, and drawing upon a rich heritage of epic Italian doom, Haunted demonstrate a passion for downtuned dirges and the esoteric world of magick. (Billy)

Haunted are a newly formed band. Would you tell us how you met and how the project was born? Introduce yourself to the Doomed & Stoned readers, if you will.

Cristina Chimirri: We only joined a year ago, but were always interconnected before then. A fortuitous series of meetings, a flame and a flare sparked in Frank and Bauso, then spread to me and Orlando. We are all made of that self-same fire. We have found ourselves all wired in a tight knot -- a knot made of heavy sounds and low frequencies, of underwater worlds and psychedelic spirals.

Francesco Bauso: I knew just Frank at the time, as we played together with our previous band Pestem. Ever since we first met we both nourished a passion for a certain kind of sound, both past and present. It wasn’t too hard to see immediately what stylistic direction to take. We wanted a slow and heavy sound and so we contacted Valerio for the drums, already addicted to this kind of sound with his sludge band Torpore. What we wanted strongly from the beginning was a singer in a position to know how to give that magic touch and guide our heavier “sound carpet.” Then Cristina came out of nowhere. She wasn’t overshadowed by the intention of having another guitar, and consequently a fuller sound and dynamic. After some auditions, we found ourselves with Francesco Orlando, an old friend and companion of Frank in their previous grunge band, Hog Truck.. Thus was born Haunted.

Haunted by Haunted

Your debut received great reviews from a panorama of international blogs, magazines, and music sites. Are you satisfied by the feedback obtained? Also, how do you feel about working with Twin Earth Records?

Francesco Bauso: We had put a few clips of our songs online, recorded live in the rehearsal room and we were contacted by Ric Bennett, who proved quite interested in our project. We are extremely pleased by the work done by Ric with his Twin Earth Records, which apart from the release of the album, has managed to usher us into the world of doom by supporting our music very well.

Cristina Chimirri: Twin Earth Records is essentially Mr. Ric Bennett. We are proud to have met a person and a professional of such capabilities. It gave us confidence to work with someone who cares about our music, we couldn’t have wished for better. We are excited and amazed by the rogue waves of positive feedbacks. We got what we wanted: to communicate who we are with the world and share the music we love so dearly with fans of heavy music.

Francesco Orlando: It was really a nice surprise for us, we were not expecting much and we are happy. Working with Twin Earth Records proved to be a good thing, we found in Ric the one who fit the bill -- a reliable, serious, professional person -- and we also found in him a good friend.

Your music has many influences, but you able to keep a distinct personality as a band. Are all the members involved in the writing of your compositions and the birth of new songs?

Cristina Chimirri: A composition is the combination of all our suggestions, a kind of osmotic process. Usually, it finds its roots in the guitar riffs, then the trunk forms from bass and drums, and finally the fronds are the vocal lines. Our songs are the product of insights and improvisation in a semiconscious state, which manifest in structure and dynamics, standing over a free atmosphere of pure air.

Francesco Orlando: Naturally, everyone has his influences that determine the way he plays his instrument. The best thing is that each one of us affects the other in some way, with a riff, a rhythmic pattern, a vocal line, and so forth. In that way, each band member is involved in the composition. We always start from an initial idea and develop it together over and over again. Finally, Cristina enriches everything with her melodies. We always enter the creative process in a state of openness and empathy, and all flows quite naturally from there.

Francesco Bauso: We all come from other bands, listen to different genres, and have different tastes and influences. Having right now clear ideas about what to do, it wasn’t too complicated. We just scramble and merge all of these diverse influences through heavy and monolithic riffs. The creation of our songs takes place in the most obvious and simple way: it always starts from the riffs then begins to form into a song. Each of us plays a vital role in adding a personal ingredient to the soup, so we are all involved 100% in the creative process.

Is this a concept album? What are the lyrics talking about and what do you want communicate through your songs?

Cristina Chimirri: It’s not properly a concept album, but throughout the record there is an epiphany that a spirit haunted us during the creation of the album. The lyrics reflect the idea of a man immersed in Nature, because he is Nature himself -- part of a cosmic order. Lyrics are the synthesis of dichotomies: sleep/wake, life/death, night/day. The lyrics are everything and are one.

Francesco Bauso: We're not going to touch one particular theme, though there is a strong magical component to Haunted. Esotericism and occultism have found a place in the song "Watchtower," for example. We are inspired by everything that can be described as aberrant, claustrophobic, and whatever takes your breath away. All this is filtered from the soul poetry of Cristina, who can be vague, mysterious, and sometimes not so easy to understand. This is my idea of magick. She’s very protective of her lyrics. In fact, at this time we decided not to publish them within the LP.

Francesco Orlando: There is not a main theme in the album, at least not intentionally. Our songs talk about the human condition and our fears, all surrounded by the fairly perceptible veil of occultism. I think that everything is meant to be interpreted very personally by our listeners.

The album was recorded in your hometown of Catania, at the NuevArte Studio, while for the mastering you have chosen a super professional, James Plotkin. How did you get in contact with him and how was it was working with such talent? And, speaking about the artwork by Sadro Di Girolamo, did you give him the initiative to create the concept or develop it collaboratively with the artist?

Frank Tudisco: Our idea is that everyone should take care of what he does best. We chose Carlo Longo because he was and currently is the best sound engineer I've worked with so far. We had the pleasure and good fortune to be assisted by Davide Oliveri of Uzeda as a drum technician, as well. And then as far as the mastering, we rely upon another great expert. We've kept an eye on James Plotkin for quite some time, as he's worked with like-minded bands such as Conan and Electric Wizard, to name a few. At first, we left him free to work as he knew now, then with some more information dictated by our feelings we gave input on the final master. We believe he has done a magnificent job and also we found him incredibly easy to work with and very personable.

Francesco Bauso: As for the artwork, we entrusted Sandro Di Girolamo to create the kind of cover evoked by the sound of the album. The image depicts a coven of witches who rule over a helpless body, intent to perform a ritual. The skull that emerges from nothing lends itself to interpretations of all kinds, as indeed the larger image in general. In addition, a more careful eye can find a small gem that could give pleasure to many fans of the genre.

Cristina, your vocals play a very important role in the band's sound. It's central to all five songs. How did you develop your singing skills? Had you other projects before Haunted?

Cristina Chimirri: Actually, I never took singing lessons. All that I have is the result of years of listening. For year, my voice was confined within the four walls of my room, and then about a decade ago came the invitation to join a cover band, and it all began.

In recent years, the Italian scene has grown exponentially. Are there other bands from Italy that you like? What are your musical tastes, overall?

Francesco Orlando: Uzeda in the first place. Besides being our fellow citizens, Uzeda have been for me a keystone. Through them I realized the importance of carefully crafting one's sound as a band. As a child, I used to listen to Morricone and Pink Floyd records. I think these have affected my musical preferences, leading me to this day to appreciate genres such as drone, ambient, noise, and of course doom.

Frank Tudisco: I really like a lot of stuff and I’m always looking for new music to discover. In recent years especially, several things sparked my curiosity and finally in Italy things seem to have changed for the better. Apart from the already established trio Ufomammut, that deserve due attention, I really dig Calibro 35, Naga, and the debut album by Messa -- who we’ll have the pleasure to share the stage soon.

Are you planning some gigs soon to perform your new songs live?

Frank Tudisco: We are doing our best to bring Haunted's music to the public. We've made some lifestyle choices that will enable us to stay away from home for long periods, so we're trying to do it in the safest possible way. Fortunately, in recent months we have received the support of some promoters and organizers interested in working with us. So to properly answer your question I would say, yes we are!

Cristina Chimirri: One date that can be announced regards our participation at Into The Void Fest in The Netherlands in October.

Finally, one last question: what are your plans for the future? Another album in the works, perhaps?

Cristina Chimirri: Tour and promotion, first. A split album with Witchhelm from Ohio is in the works, then a second full-length album. We don't even know if the future holds enough time for all we have planned! Lastly, we would like to thank you Mari, and all the Doomed & Stoned staff, for the attention and support. This has been one crazy ride and we consider it a privilege.

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music