I remember my first thoughts when WOLF KING’s Loyal To The Soil first caught my ear.   I muttered audibly, “This is terrifying.”   The Bay Area blackened hardcore rumblers really blasted out of the gates with their full length debut on Prosthetic Records.   From “Hail The Ash” on it was a certified barnstormer – just the sonic beating I needed to get me up, angry, and motivated at time in my life when I was feeling rather stuck.   I assure you, it didn’t take long for me to get things in order.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to give you a closer look into what is clearly one of the highlights of Wolf King’s sound: the vocals.   Alternately described as “grim” and “chaotic,” they are the property of frontman Tim Wilson, with backup from axeman Jake Broughton.   Coupled with the possessed rhythm section of drummer Connor White and bassist Brian Mojica, Wolf King truly is one of the most exciting young acts in the contemporary hardcore scene.

“Betrayer,” the band tells me, “was written about the fake people that come into our lives, linger in our midst, and ridding them from our lives the best we can.   Vocal techniques that we use are pretty basic. Tim uses his diaphragm and breathing to get through most of the song, while Jake uses his ancient demon ancestor technique.”

Wolf King are unleashing the vocal play-through for “Betrayer” just before taking to the road during some of the hottest days of summer in some of the rowdiest cities in the West (tour dates and details below).   Don’t miss what will clearly be a cathartic live metal experience! In the meanwhile, you can get ahold of the new album here.

Give ear…

Some Buzz:

A feral, crusted punk undercurrent flows throughout the eleven tracks – violent and ripping with a foreboding atmosphere that hangs over their punishing riffing. A heavyweight debut for appreciators of the crusted heaviness of Trap Them and venomous hardcore.

The group released the 2016 EP, Into The Infinite, which contained 5 tracks of grim, chaotic, hardcore. Now, with Loyal to the Soil, their debut full length, Wolf King is poised to sow their own brand of chaos across the nation. Loyal to the Soil is set to be released on April 27th and will be available on all digital outlets, compact disc and a limited edition LP on black and gold & white splatter wax. The album was recorded at Rapture Recordings in Hayward, California with Cody Fuentes (Spite). It was a smooth process due to Cody’s hardworking and easygoing nature. Wolf King and Rapture Recordings were a natural fit, with Fuentes’ signature brutal sound meshing with Wolf King’s dark aura to create a new breed of apocalyptic sound.

The road is where they are most home though, having toured throughout the US with Enfold Darkness, Outlier, Seeker, Empyrean Throne and many others as well as shared the stage with Archspire, Cattle Decapitation and Whitechapel.

Wolf King on Tour

• 7/19 Sacramento, CA - Holy Diver
• 7/20 Concord, CA - Red Hat
• 7/21 Reno, NV - Cargo Concert Hall
• 7/22 Seattle, WA - Club SUR
• 7/24 Pocatello, ID - The Elks Lodge
• 7/26 Denver, CO - Trailside Saloon
• 7/27 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
• 7/28 Tempe, AZ - 51 West
• 7/29 Fullerton, CA - The Slidebar
• 8/5 Cupertino, CA @ The X Bar w/ Pathology & Within Destruction
• 08/18 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction - East Meets West Music Fest

Hey, Doomed and Stoned fans! I’m Tom and I’ll be sharing some reviews with you all starting with this one. I want to thank everyone at Doomed and Stoned for inviting me into their ranks and I look very forward to bringing you all the very best music I can find. So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!

Ripple Music has tons of great bands on their roster and Bay Area riff rockers THE WATCHERS are no exception to that rule. Their new album, ‘Black Abyss’ (2018), is one of the finest offerings I’ve heard as of late. The guitars are phat, the bass is low, the drums are thundering things of beauty, and the vocals of Tim Narducci are reminiscent of some of the greatest singers of the '90s, yet are also uniquely his own. I can hear the influence of greats like Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland, Layne Staley, and even some of the edgier things that Eddie Vedder has done. Let’s look at some of the highlights.

The title track opens Black Abyss in grand style. This song gives me the feeling of bands like Down and is also kind of like Alice in Chains in a few spots (think “Sludge Factory” from AIC’s tripod album).

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“Alien Lust” has some great things going on within it. The intro has a Crowbar meets Type O Negative vibe and the riffs are huge and memorable. I like the effects on the vocals leading into the chorus and the chorus itself has a massive groove to it. This is one killer song!

“People of the Gun” is an energetic, up-tempo tune that reminds me of Soundgarden. I also hear a Led Zeppelin influence in some of the vocals, especially right before the first chorus. The melody is very catchy and the guitars have a nice edge to them.

“Suffer Fool” opens up with some really beautiful acoustic guitar, and a lead guitar piece that reminds me of “Whale and Wasp” by Alice in Chains. Once the verse hits the song shifts gears and enters Audioslave territory. I love the verse riff – so memorable!

The Watchers is an excellent group of musicians, and it sounds like they have taken cues from that music that was popular when I was about 18 (mid '90s). I love every track here, so it was hard to pick ones to talk about, but the ones I brought up were the definitive examples of what this record has to offer. Now, go and enjoy these awesome tunes!

Our Bay Area buds BLACKWULF are back with an excellent new album to follow their debut LP, ‘Mind Traveler’ (2014). I first got to know Pete Holmes and the boys during their tour with Portland stoner-sleaze rockers BlackSnake and captured their performance (still one of my favorite films) when the joint tour when it stopped in Eugene, Oregon.

Their latest venture is called Oblivion Cycle (2015) and was recently announced that Ripple Music would be taking Blackwülf into the fold, releasing the album in December. The label is responsible for recent releases such as Chron Goblin’s excellent Backwater, Sweat Lodge’s Talismana, DoctoR DooM’s This Seed We Have Sown, Space Probe Taurus’ Mondo Satan, the Geezer/Borracho split, Ape Machine’s Freak Valley show, and so much more. In other words, Blackwülf has found a very, very good home.

To give you just a taste of what you can look forward to, dig the new single “The Locust.” It’s got Sabbath-worship thundering through its pores. Alex Cunningham’s vocals are lusty, reverberating with power and authority of a metal god leading the charge to claim the devotion of metal listeners everywhere. Pete Holme’s axe-wielding skills have never been stronger, with riffs that will steal your heart, Indiana Jones-style. True to today’s presser, rhythm team of Dave Pankenier (drums) and Scott Peterson (bass) “prowl the musical feeding grounds of stoner rock, doom-cloaked soundscapes and vintage heavy metal.” The new LP is solid, through and through.

Well, hell, I’ve got the new track here for you, so why don’t you just give it a listen.

Oblivion Cycle comes out December 11th on Ripple Music and can be gotten here. Now, here’s the film I’m so proud of.

How’s this for fun? New Sleep t-shirt from the one and only Arik Roper (a big inspiration behind Doomed & Stoned, and famous for his album art in stoner rock and doom metal circles). It’s being made available at shows through August, then online through the band’s merch store. All hail the mighty SLEEP!

Wanna know what else?  This…