BARABBAS had just released Messe pour un chien in 2014 when Doomed & Stoned sprang to life. Now at last, after eight years of silence, the doom ‘n’ heavy metal troupe are back with their second full-length – and what a tour de force it is!

The album swings into motion after a creepy public service announcement: “La mort appelle tous les vivants,” which means “Death calls all the living.” It reminds me just a smidgen of calls to “Bring out your dead!” when the death cart came rolling by during the Black Death – which was, by all accounts, the most ruinous pandemic in our pockmarked history, claiming more than 75 million souls.

“Je suis mort depuis bien longtemps” riffs on that familiar (if not enshrined) motif to Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf.” The song is a great headbanging starter, and while the lyrics are all in French the sentiment couldn’t be more relatable. Saint Rodolphe reveals, “I’ve been dead for a long time.” The Barabbas frontman has the pipes to fully convince us, regardless of whether or not we track with his native tongue. The past three years have left so many of us feeling spent, numb, hollow, apart. The organ chimes in with a gravitas that gives the whole thing a dire, Gothic feel.

There’s no mistaking the Biblical subtext of a band called Barabbas, for it was he the bloodthirsty crowd called to be set free in place of Jesus Christ, who was then forced to carry his own cross to the Place of the Skull. The five-member Combs-la-Ville crew play up the religiosity of it all, each taking the name “Saint” and even referring to their followers as a cult (tongue-in-cheek, of course).

“Le Saint Riff Rédempteur” is “The Holy Redeemer Riff” and is surging with fist-raising energy. Longtime guitarist Saint Stéphane (who’s been a pillar of this outfit since its 2007 inception) and his counterpart Saint Thomas here give us a winteresque mix, with the rhythm section of Saint Jean-Christophe (drums) and Saint Alexandre (bass) charging bravely through the snow-blind madness towards the dim light of New Year.

“De la viande” (“Meat”) reminds us of our frail humanity, juxtaposing the human race with all its pomposity against the cruel grandeur of a universe that cares nothing for Twitter checkmarks, designer clothes, luxury cars, or the creature comforts of central heating and air conditioning. The clock is indeed ticking on mortals and our artificial world. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. As with its predecessor, some of the song’s most powerful moments are in the last two minutes, with wicked soloing and maniacal vocals a highlight.

“Le cimetière des rêves brisés” is “The cemetery of broken dreams,” where human desires, ambitions, hopes and visions are interred. Barabbas hold the funeral rites in a hazy, swirling atmosphere of rhythm and melody earnestly, with a clean chorus and grief-struck guitar licks.

“Sous le signe du Néant” (“Under the sign of the Void”) is like a team of horses galloping into the unknown. Here I miss not being bilingual, as the band has revealed in interviews that the song contains a sprinkling of dark humor in addition to its pessimistic overtones. Overlapping screams of anguish arrest us five-minutes in and the song rumbles to a finish with a stinging guitar solo.

We’ve had some fantastic synthesizer effects throughout the album, accenting each track at the most opportune moments. These come from keyboardist Emmanuel Peyraud from the band NorthWinds (featured along with Barabbas on our 2018 compilation Doomed & Stoned in France). Here, sounds of the flute welcome us to the private hell of “Mon crâne est un crypte (et j’y suis emmuré),” which translates: “My head is a crypt (and I’m trapped inside).” You’ll be forgiven for falling into a hypnotic trance under its spellbinding riffmaking. Stay tuned for some beautiful twin guitar harmonies, along with one of the most passionate vocal performances of the record.

It ain’t a Barabbas ritual until all the skeletons come out and dance. “La valse funèbre,” therefore, fittingly closes the album. The band tells us inspiration for this track comes from Dance Macabre, the famous composition by 19th century Frenchman Camile Saint-Saens, as well as the surreal 1962 horror film Carnival of Souls. Even though I don’t know the song verbatim, my spirit wants to sing along with this damning dirge of death. Saint Rodolphe’s crooning is strong and sincere, if not sinister. Devilish guitars and a spritely bass enter at just the right moments to keep us waltzing to the bitter end.

La Mort Appelle Tous Les Vivants by Barabbas is coming out this weekend on December 9 via Sleeping Church Records, who will issue the album digitally and on compact disc (get it here). Stick this on a playlist with Candlemass, Cathedral, Serpent Venom, and Hela.

Give ear…

Given the extreme conditions of isolation, fear, government overreach, economic turmoil, and general pandemic pandemonium, it is not surprising to find more albums turning from sorrow and hurt to outrage and anger. ‘Regrets’(2022) is simply explosive.

Aggression is the name of the game in the latest offering from Thunder Bay, Ontario crew ALIENATÖR. Brad King (guitar, vox), Sean Skillen (bass, vox), and Simon Paquette (drums) pack a big wallop for a band of three. Their sound is a hash of sludge, hardcore, noise, and crust, with a message that’s urgent and dire.

In the mirror you see an awful lack
Cannot stand the face that’s staring back
Seething anger nowhere else to hide
Hatred fills the emptiness inside

Like their first album 'Pariahs’ (2019), Regrets is fast and aggressive. What makes this one different is how utterly bleak, raw, and abrasive it feels – a reflection, perhaps, of the slowly evolving chaos around us.

This Just In: Rabid bassist on the loose! “Revisionist History” comes at us like a rowboat caught in the maelstrom. Vocals are good 'n’ pissed, to the extreme of hoarseness. Elsewhere, singing is mean and raspy – as in “Blood Red Blood,” where the bass gets a chance to strut its stuff even more.

If you love a good riff, “Loss Leader” is your song. The guitar leads are mysterious, slow, and strong. Drums rally for the title track, which makes “Regrest” feel like a fun ride downhill.

In the music video for “Priest,” the band is playing in an abandoned office building with their backs turned to one another. I can’t help but draw a parallel to all the conversations going on in social media bubbles that have us caged in, alienated from one another. But the song is about something much heavier: the abuse of religious power.

Sometimes a man
Is not what he appears
Sometimes behind those kindly eyes is the
Sum of all our fears

Around the 3-minute mark, bass and guitar do battle epically. The tonal nuances brought out by this recording are remarkable.

The B-side welcomes us to a furious slam dance in “The Less Dead,” followed by the dissonant headbanger “Flat Earth Society.” Things get funky for “Irreconcilable” with a beat I can really groove with. In contrast, “Your Funeral” is an agitated rattler that inches its way ever closer to the big bite.

The introduction to “Wounded Birds” vaguely reminds me of System of a Down’s “Aerials,” and it soon takes flight with all hands on deck. The vocals practically breath fire, so maybe this is one of Cersei’s dragons. “Dark Matter,” on the other hand, is a winter wind that calls upon the strength both singers amidst the blur of a veritable snowstorm.

Regrets plays out like a nervous breakdown, but a damned exhilarating one. Alienatör releases it this weekend on compact disc and digital formats (get it here).

This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear…

Band Commentary, Track-by-Track

“Regrets is a grim postcard from the depths of the human psyche. Our darkest release yet, it is a reaction to years of deep political turmoil, the erosion of truth, as well as personal politics of grief, loss, and struggle. It’s an album that touches on personal and social themes. Flourishes of melody drenched in a caustic sludge, painted in shades of black. We still have some blistering fast punk-influenced tunes but we’re branching out and showing our songwriting depth.”

–Alienatör

I. Revisionist History

Right out of the gate we have the rhythm section carrying the song before a snakey guitar line weaves in over top. That’s something we weren’t able to do when we wrote the first album as a 2-piece. The odd-time signature gives it an off-kilter feel. The lyrics are about the erosion of truth in our public discourse and the dangerous narcissists who create their own reality and try to shove it down our throats.

II. Loss Leader

This song is about grief and loss, especially as a result of the opioid crisis. I’ve experienced a lot of deaths and tragedies personally and professionally and this song is about dealing with that. Musically, it’s got a proggier feel than anything we’ve done previously and a bit of a middle-eastern influence. It’s also the first song this line-up of the band wrote together.

III. Blood Red Blood

This opening riff is one I had kicking around for a while. We counted it as 9/8 or something wacky. Sean wrote the rest of the music around it. I like the breakdown in the middle a lot. The title was inspired by the Wilco song Sky Blue Sky, so there’s an influence you probably weren’t expecting. I wrote lyrics about the cycle of violence, toxic masculinity and how “hurt people hurt people.” Often, what we do to others gets paid back to us in the end; “blood in, blood out.”

IV. Regrets

One of the more heartfelt and emotional songs we’ve done, this one deals with personal struggles and the passage of time. I like the energy and a looser feel of it, musically. Sean’s really standing on his head with some of the bass fills on this one, especially in the middle section, but it’s all tasteful and fits perfectly, elevating the whole song. Simon finds interesting ways to fill the empty spaces on the drums. It gives a new dimension to our sound.

V. The Priest

The darkest song I’ve ever written. This is another one, where the rhythm section really drives the song and the guitar comes in, jagged and angular on top. Ralph Rowe was an Anglican Priest who molested countless kids from fly-in reserves in the 70s and 80s. He ruined so many lives and then plea-bargained for a prison sentence that was a slap on the wrist. There’s a documentary about him called “Survivor’s Rowe.” Here, he serves as an example of the type of abuse of power that we allow those who we place in positions of trust. We put a lot of work into the dynamics of this one. Lots of tension and release and then the calm atmospheric part toward the end, before we bring the hammer down again.

VI. The Less Dead

The “less dead,” is a term for marginalized members of society who are considered less of a priority for police investigations and are therefore are easy victims for predators. Sex workers, people of colour, people with addictions or mental health issues, members of the LGBTQ community, and the poor fit in this category. The closest to a straight-ahead punk song on the album but Simon’s crazy tom work in the bridge really elevates it. Very fun to play live.

VII. Flat Earth Society

Remember when we used to think that increased access to information would make humanity smarter? This song is a reaction to the age of misinformation we currently find ourselves in. COVID conspiracies, climate denialism, and the age of social media propaganda have altered our perception of reality and divided our society. This song is about the echo chambers we create for ourselves and how we are being manipulated by those in power. We opened for Soulfly before the pandemic and Sean said watching the people bounce up and down on the dance floor while they played contributed to the feel of the breakdown.

VIII. Irreconcilable

This one is about Canada’s history of genocide against Indigenous peoples, which was brought back to the forefront of public consciousness when hundreds of graves were found on the sites of former residential schools. This song is about the relationship of denial that white settlers have with colonialism, how we refuse to “reconcile,” what’s been done, and our role in it. Great dynamics in this one, as it ramps up from a slow simmer into a crushing chorus and back down again.

IX. Your Funeral

This one’s a bit different with the tension of the jerky snare-driven rhythm and then the straight-ahead release of the chorus. I find it interesting to juxtapose a kind of uplifting chord progression and driving beat with lyrics that are bleak and depressing. This one’s about being a wage slave, feeling like you’re a cog in the machine, wasting your life, and going through the motions.

X. Wounded Birds

This one is a kind of anthem for all the broken people, those who suffer from trauma, depression, substance issues and the like. I’ve had my own struggles so this one’s a bit cathartic, lyrically. Musically, it shows us branching out and experimenting more, adding a lot more depth.

XI. Dark Matters

A pretty unique tune in our catalogue. It’s about the things that keep you awake at night; lies you’ve told, people you’ve lied cheated, or stolen from. I imagine one of our favourite politicians feeling some of these things late at night if they have any conscience left. It’s fun for me to take on the role of the negative voices in someone’s head, as I do here. Musically, it’s swirling and chaotic with some flashes of light in the darkness and gloom. An unsettling way to fade the record into black.

Here’s an album for the twilight hours, with songs seemingly tailor-made for cold, lonely streets. It’s a new self-titled, four-track affair from Groningen, Netherlands heavy rock outfit MOAN.

The band’s roots stretch back to 2013, with a two-song cassette release on Tartarus Records. After that, the trail grows dim. Now, almost a decade hence, a full-length record surfaces on Dutch label AudioSport Records. Tracks trend on the longer side, in a sludgy doom rock format.

A warm mess of crackling feedback welcomes us to “Burning Man.” Its heartbeat kindled, the song strikes a Kyuss stride and the guitar chimes in with a blues-touched air of mystery. From there, things get crunchy. Bass and drums dance madly amidst odd campfire shadows. It’s dark and grungy, but with a certain comforting warmth.

I woke up this evening
The Day had passed me by
Laughing in my face
It turned around and died

“Nothing In Nature” brings us sharp, pained dissonance, but even this is capable of making music and soon the melody marks a path forward. The bass once again offers us consolation. Verses are jaded, the vocals almost deadpan, gradually revealing an expressive, doleful chorus. When the guitar finds its voice, it does some singing of its own as this lumbering, keening beast walks its 13-minute trek.

“Learn to Bleed” is next with a sludgy improvisation on bass that morphs into a groovy jam. Drums follow with a horse-like trot and the strings of the guitar are searing hot with caustic fuzz. The tone would have frightened my parents, but the rhythm is undeniable.

The album careers to a finish on “Desert Island Drugs.” Straight away, our senses are bathed in reverberating hallucinations. Then an andante pace is meted out by drums and cymbals. A riff rises from the haze, the beat becomes more complex, and strange pedal effects cascade around us like searchlights. Lyrics speak of lost sleep and sudden death, dancing to the strange symphony of those desert island drugs.

MOAN is an dank, atmospheric wonder, with substance enough to satiate doomed and stoned alike. These sounds for the solitary soul have most definitely grown on me with repeated listens. MOAN’s return is marked November 25th, with a digital and vinyl release via AudioSport Records (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Boris, Nick Cave, Soundgarden, GoodEye, and Baardvader. This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

MOAN are four dudes from Groningen, Netherlands. Guitarist Marcel Ennema and bassist André Manning have been making music together since forever. Two people in a room, hardly any lights and loads of weed. Sometimes other musicians came in, jammed, and went, not to return. Their music existed purely by means of making it. They hardly performed. Listeners at the door of that room became long-time fans.

Ear-splitting hammer-like, the darkest of soundscapes. Singers and drummers came and went. “You can come in and join, but we are MOAN, deal with it.” How does one deal with MOAN? By becoming MOAN, not by being overambitious and wanting to change stuff. And stand firm because their black humour is all over the place.

In comes drummer Reinee Huizinga. A mammoth and that’s exactly what MOAN’s sound is like: a mammoth stompin’ about. Enter vocalist, Jurgen Veenstra. He’s been listening at that door for ages, longing to become their singer. Once, he got a tape, tried to add his vocals, and failed miserably, nothing came up! Back to the door, listen, listen and listen again. How to deal with MOAN? Again, by becoming MOAN. So fuck the tape, he went in. MOAN improvised stuff that sounded like compositions. Almost all the material on their first album came to form during that first improvisation.

MOAN is a four piece now:

“This gang of four creates a slow burn beautiful landscape where darkness is king and austerity its master. It is the suffering breath of an injured animal. A long and ripping moan that dwells and keeps dwelling until you are surrounded by its captivating gloom,” writes Nathalie Katgert from VERA, Club for the International Pop Underground, in Groningen.

“We are MOAN,” the band concludes. “Our sound is massive, we feel it pressing on our chests. It is not doom, far from it. Our sound is sorrowful, not meant to kick your teeth in, but to drench your heart in melancholy and carry you. And yes, we like machinery, loud stomping machinery. We are mud, warm and damp. We are MOAN, our noise is stoner-like, the vocals tend to be melodic, our bass is a sledgehammer, and our drummer is a beast. MOAN is like black tourmaline and selenite: two stones that purify and cleanse.”

Vultures are fascinating and freaky creatures. When my brother was a kid, he once fell asleep against a fresh bale of hay in the field next door. When he awoke, he was shocked to find himself surrounded by turkey vultures. I suppose they were waiting to see if he was dead or not. The memory still shakes him to this day.

Interestingly, vultures belong to the family cathartidae, which draws its name from an old Greek word meaning “purifier.” Considering these birds scavenge all manner of carrion (including human flesh), that’s something of a sobering thought.

The latest album by Texas heavy psych rockers WARLUNG features a rapacious brood of vultures presiding over the ceremonial sacrifice of a long-bearded man, presumably deceased. Today, we delve deeper into the themes of ‘Vultures Paradise’ (2022) with a music video of the title track that follows a group of bikers who are venturing into the sun-scorched, cactus-dotted wilderness.

Lyrically, the desert represents a haunting place of loneliness and isolation. George Baba and Philip Bennet match talents as guitarists and singers, generating some effective vocal harmonies that bring out the bittersweet flavor of the song. There is, in fact, something painfully beautiful about the whole experience that invites repeated listens. “Though the lyrical themes revolve around death and destruction,” the band relates, “the music is more alive and creative than ever.”

Here is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere of “Vulture’s Paradise,” from the band’s latest long-play which dropped earlier this month on Heavy Psych Sounds. Match it up with some ASG, Uncle Acid & the deadbeats, Green Lung, and Blue Oyster Cult on your next playlist.

Give ear…

Here’s an album that’s well-suited to the cold wave that many of us are starting to taste as October marches to an end, leaving us with piles and piles of leaves or needles to rake. Both hail from the frost belt, BUZZHERD from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and PALE HORSEMAN from Chicago, Illinois. Both have been around about as long as this publication, as a matter of fact. One band is among the more elusive in the stoner-doom universe, the other prolific with a whopping handful of albums.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Buzzherd this riled up before. Get ready to fuck shit up while listening to the A-side. Unless you’re one of those people who likes good walking music, then you can appreciate the music’s idiosyncrasies as you improve your cardiovascular health. The interplay of riff with rhythm really is something to behold, a weave of heavy influences from thrash to death, groove to extreme.

“PxBxPxTxBx” calls to mind early Mudvayne, with a propensity for frequent tempo changes, flirtations with atonality, and absolutely ruthless verses. “Menstrualcity” is frightening and ravenous. “Leave a Little Room for Jesus” has the band grinding their heels into the earth while fire and brimstone rains down from On High. Guitar licks scrape at those tickly places in your eardrums during “MoufTrix,” while “Pinworm Quinceanera” features a rapid-fire drum beat that you’ll feel right down in your gut. Those damning final minutes are not to be missed.

On the flip side, we’ve got Pale Horseman poised to raise havoc in the Windy City. Their sound is epic in its own sludgy way, taking doom forms and tricking them out with a sludge, death, and progressive metal edge. The band is like a classic car suped up under the hood with way too much horsepower to be street legal. You’d have to visit the Domkraft/Slomatics split from earlier in the year to find music this volatile or the output of Serpentine Path for a sound as densely dark and poignantly sorrowful.

There’s nothing stodgy about these songs, either. “Grigori” presents as restless and stubborn, with vocals that both soar and roar, riffage touched by mystery and tragedy, and a rhythm section that is unrelenting. “Exile” is a brooding, jet-black storm cloud. “Release the pestilence…ravage humanity” it chimes. “Orisons” goes a shade darker and is a slow-churning whirlpool of bass, drums, and crunchy guitars.

“These chains will fall” declares “Legions,” a terrifically spirited song I’ll be counting among my playlist favorites in the future. Bonus track “Vimanas” features guest vocals from Suzi Uzi of Chicago’s Black Road, and the harmonies between she and Pale Horseman singers Andre Almaraz and Eric Ondo venture into Alice in Chains territory by the song’s dank conclusion.

It’s been almost a decade since I started writing for Doomed & Stoned and it’s been a real delight for me to watch heavy music flourish underground as a real cultural phenomenon, evolving into so many brilliant variations independent of the machinations of the big music industry. Fittingly, ‘Split’ (2022) will be an independent release.

Buzzherd’s side was recorded, mixed, and mastered by John Rupp at Soundmine Recording Studio in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, who’s also done work with Ghost and Gojira. Pale Horseman was committed to the capable hands of sound engineer Pete Grossman of Bricktop Studio in Chicago, who is guitarist in the band High Priest. Justin Broderick from the iconic band Godflesh hones his mastering expertise via Avalanche Studios to bring out the unique dimensional colors of each of the B-side tracks.

Buzzherd and Pale Horseman’s Split emerges Friday, October 28th in digital format and vinyl orders ship out October 31st (pre-order here or here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

The brutal Bethlehem, PA, based Buzzherd and Chicago sludge lords Pale Horseman are preparing to release the new album Split celebrating a wealth of fierce, heavy music.

Emerging in the early 2010s with a sludgy/doomy sound, the Buzzherd have evolved to create a death and sludge hybrid, with a dose of grind. During their career, the outfit have performed with the likes of Eyehategod, Today Is The Day, Hooded Menace, and Secret Cutter. With six full-length releases under their belts, Pale Horseman have also shared stages with the likes of Eyehategod, Crowbar, Bongripper, and Coroner, and performed at several festivals including Doomed & Stoned Festival, Beard Metal Fest and Full Terror Assault.

Initiating proceedings with an aggressive intensity, Buzzherd’s “PxBxPxTxBx” is fuelled by groove rhythms, thundering percussion and guttural vocals, while “Leave a Little Room for Jesus” delivers driving guitar riffs and fast-moving motifs. The quartet unleash a fury of heavy atrocities across the first half of the album. Deliciously distorted guitar tones carry a razor sharp edge, and the vocal delivery appears to rise from the depths as the bass and drums ground deeper into the earth.

Honing a nightmarish atmosphere, Buzzherd unleashes an unceasing assault on the senses. Pale Horseman emerges out of the gloom with an advancing eerie fuzz inflamed sound through “Grigori”. Creating a striking mood through dynamic guitars, compelling vocals and ferocious percussion, “Exile” is a poignant exploration of a dark subject, aptly conveyed through the intense instrumentation. Pale Horseman’s bonus track “Vimanas” ventures through a smorgasbord of instrumental and vocal harmonies that produces an immersive effect.

Split combines the sheer anguish from Buzzherd with the moody experimentation from Pale Horseman. The new album is filled with colossal sounds from both bands as they venture unafraid into the murky depths. Hard-hitting and unforgiving, Split is a powerful offering.

Listening to CASSIUS KING, you get why metal remains such a powerful and moving medium of expression. What began as a solo project of ex-Hades/Non Fiction riffian Dan Lorenzo (guitar), soon attracted a formidable frontman in Jason McMaster (vox), formerly of Watchtower/Dangerous Toys. The powerful heartbeat is supplied by Jimmy Schulman (bass) and Ron Lipnicki (drums) who, besides spending time together with Dan Lorenzo in Hades, are also tagged to grissly Jersey doom outfit Vessel of Light.

It’s honestly a joy to listen to new material from Cassius King, and not just because they’re so nicely recorded. At the core, ‘Dread The Dawn’ (2022) is filled with exuberance and inventiveness. You can tell these guys approached their second LP with the kind of confidence that comes from decades of artistic achievement and collaboration.

Songs will often greet you with a lot of groove (“Pariah to Messiah”) and sometimes go for sheer metal god glory (“Back From The Dead”). The title track is about as dreary as you can ask for, but in a very cool way (think Trouble and Solitude Aeternus). Then there’s the melting vocal harmonies that end “Bad Man Down.” Cassius King’s approach to doom is thoughtful, convincingly bluesy, and down-to-earth.

There are creative choices I appreciate in the songcraft, as well. For instance, instead of a flashy guitar solo to up the ante on “Abandon Paradise,” we’re given the tuned-down and swampy treatment. I adore this grungy, doomy, bluesy “anti-breakdown” from Flotsam and Jetsam guitarist Michael Gilbert, who guests here. “As I Begin to Turn” also stands out with its twisted atonality that crawls like thorns over the relentless central riff.

Some of you may be wondering, what’s with the name “Cassius King”? Most bands in the scene have a story behind their name, and sometimes incorporate themes from history, philosophy, religion, and science, so of course I gave this some thought. “Cassius” means “hollow,” so does their name actually mean “Hollow King”? In my mind, I conjured images of an ancient Roman usurper to Caesar’s throne.

Turns out, the answer was right in front of me the whole time: Cash is King. “I moved out of my house when I was 21,” Dan Lorenzo told me this morning when I finally broke down and asked. “I was extremely poor for 10 years and my grandmother’s wealthy husband used to always say to me: Cash is King.”

All told, Dread The Dawn is an exhilarating listen. Cassius King unleashes these 11 tracks on Friday, October 21st (digital pre-order here) and the record gets a CD release from MDD Records in Europe and Nomad Eel Records has it on both compact disc and cassette. This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear…

'Dread The Dawn’ track-by-track
with vocalist Jason McMaster

ABANDON PARADISE

In the lyrics, I tried hard to bring into view the idea of being forced to leave everything behind, to stop living the life dreamed and built from hard work. It can be as bad as you think or even just a bit of having to do without something vital to a happy life. Definitely open to some interpretation.

BACK FROM THE DEAD

Of course, not literal, or flesh and bone, but a ghost of (or a whisper of) what was with someone or a group of people you spent time with. Imagine the times that something you were told by a loved one, a friend, or family member, where they were extremely emotional. Maybe a phrase , a word, a whispered secret, or a threat. Then that person is gone, dead, exiled, moved away. But every time you hear that phrase or see something related, you think of and hear them say it again and again. They almost appear, like a haunting. I relate to this one a lot.

BAD MAN DOWN

This lyric is a hydra of sorts. A few meanings shine through at different times. I was going for a story line where it seems some of us root for the villain. “You can’t kill evil” kind of a thing. Humans do crazy things to other humans. There is guilt and then there are those who do not feel, or deal with any emotion or empathy, so they continue the journey or path, to just go without brakes. The reaper is a character that lives in theater, comedy, tragedy depictions. Always there. When the girl you want always runs away with the sinner, the bad kid down the street. Beaver Cleaver always loses and settles for less, or so they think.

DOOMSDAY HAND

Important to know, is this idea was sent to me by Jimmy. His ideas are coming from a super dark place. His inspiration for writing is different from mine…maybe? I interpreted this in a couple of ways. one as a hand of cards, of course, but also a somewhat vision of the hand of Lucifer guiding man through life. Each turn there are decisions to be made. Make good choices and you will live a happy spirited life. Play your hand badly, take too many chances, and life turns out a bit twisted. Played out based on past choices.

The verse that I talk of the deck Dan Lorenzo here, my wife was reading me a story from a magazine about elephants and she was reading and the words Dread The Dawn were in the article. I had just finished writing the music to the song and I told Jimmy that I love that line.

DREAD THE DAWN

This, along with “Doomsday Hand” , were ideas sent to be by Jimmy. Super dark. descriptions of pictures of fear of the dawn and sunlight. Sleeping late became a new meaning to me after this. This is vampirical, but is not about just that. This can be taken by many different forms. To become friendly with the dark, and live with it like a lover, is incredibly powerful. If you or I are called by the name of “Dread” and you are in bed with “Dusk” or the turn of night or dark. You are a powerful witch or soothsayer or magician of dark and light. This is a sort of love affair with these mixed as a cold drink. It might not taste very good, but you are stuck in this by your own choices.

GENESIS

Imagine Darwin-ism before an early man spoke a word. Maybe the sounds of trees falling is all and if.. any living thing of flesh was to rise from the sludge. I speculate the craft of gasses and other single cell animals fusing together like a Frankenstein’s monster, or worse, and crawling from mud, to rise up and become hungry and hunt and kill just to become hungry again and repeat. the beginning of just surviving, and what for.

PARIAH TO MESSIAH

I was watching a history program, or documentary about a protest of some kind, and actually was completely derailed from the true content and name of the show, etc.. when i heard this title over the TV speakers. I had gathered what the fodder was all about, and was interested in the angry moments of what was protesting from two sides.

The derailment ended in me fading away from it with pen and paper to start writing this lyric. This shows both sets of eyes. The protest starts and ends for both. There is a winner, and a loser, but by this wording in the song, you cannot tell who either are. Who is ruling? Who shouted the loudest? Who had the bigger guns? It didn’t matter. The insurrection happened, people were hurt and killed. Nobody won anything. No rules were changed.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON

Ok, my facts are not checked and I am prepared to be called out by history buffs. The slaughter of Native Americans (or any other continent of early indigenous humans) by the new order, the visiting looters, who think they “found it first.” This is the basics of this lyric. Based on fact or fictional early American lore. Genocide. White man getting in good with some, trading or exploiting by the introduction of gunpowder (“boom stick”) and whiskey (“fire water”). I gather some history books (not all) would tell the truth.

Before us lies the House of Falling Ash, the illustrious, sprawling, dynamic new LP from Sacramento’s CHROME GHOST. Propelled by the stout-hearted rhythm section of Jacob Hurst (drums) and Joe Cooper (bass), frontman Jake Kilgore (guitar, synth, vox) takes the listener through a veritable four seasons of moods (interrupted briefly by two interludes). Each song (or “episode,” as I prefer to think of it) is so full and brilliant in its use of tone, rhythm, and contrasting sound.

Kilgore’s vocals tend towards the clean side of the spectrum, though he can roar like a hellbeast when the situation calls for it (as on the album’s first single, “The Furnace”). In spirit, they are forever searching for something more, perhaps here or in the great beyond.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is premiering the second single from ‘House of Falling Ash’ (2022), the band’s third full-length record. The 12-minute song rumbles right out of the gate like a hound trained on the scent of something, for this is indeed “Where Black Dogs Dream.” The drumming is captured especially well by sound engineer Patrick Hills at Earthtone.

Compositionally, “Where Black Dogs Dream” plays out like an epic poem, and this means any preconceived ideas you may have about it are soon to be tossed out the window. However they put it together with all its twists and turns, Chrome Ghost are masters of balladic songwriting. I especially dig the vocal harmonies and that voracious low-end is simply undeniable. This ambience really brings the words to life, as well.

We asked Jake Kilgore to give us the inside scoop on the band’s latest single, which features Susie McMullan from one of our favorite Bay Area doom acts Brume in the song’s wistful second section:

This song had a long and complicated journey to completion. The original seed that became Where Black Dogs Dream came from a long improvised jam between Chrome Ghost and our friend Yseulde during the demo recordings for our last album 'The Diving Bell,’ which took place in 2018. There was a particular chord progression that stuck with me and I spent a couple years battling with it before unlocking the ideas that became the latter half of the song. Once we had Susie McMullan of Brume add her vocals to the climactic moments of the track, we knew the deal was sealed.

The first half of the song was another battle in itself. Many different ideas and iterations of those ideas came through on a revolving door; Mastodon-style prog fingerpicking, My Bloody Valentine-style heavy shoegaze, Kyuss-style droning, but nothing would stick until we landed on the riff that you hear on the recording now. We wanted the song to start like a bomb going off, then the extended ambient section by Yseulde would be the dust settling until we slowly start crawling out of the heap with that bass line and end in a triumph of perserverance.

Thematically there are multiple references to the imagery of the album cover in the lyrics, and the song itself being split into two major movements happens to take place on track 3 of 6. This song is a musical and emotional turning point on the record. One that ends with peaceful acceptance with the knowledge that what is to come may be more chaotic and violent than ever.

I’ve been following Chrome Ghost almost since the start, and this represents some of their finest material to date. Look for House of Falling Ash to release on vinyl via Seeing Red Records on October 28th (pre-order here).

Give ear…

Lyrics

Barren black skies glowing
Smoke and ember
Cloak the waiting
Eyes of lovers

Distant shadows calling
O, their broken
Half-remembered
Cries are long gone

Buried and forgotten
I ache to bloom
Under fallen ashes
And rays of gold

Where is my protector
From all corrupt?
Ever do I wander
No home, no hope
No home
No hope

The blowing wind carries
The song of dogs dreaming
And leaving the known
To let it all go

To let it all go

SOME BUZZ

Chrome Ghost is a Sacramento based Melodic Doom band formed in 2015 by guitarist and vocalist Jake Kilgore and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Jacob Hurst. Following the release of their first full-length, Choir of the Low Spirits, and their two EP’s, Reflection Pool and Shallows, bassist Joe Cooper entered the fold and appeared on their second full-length and much heralded release, 2019’s The Diving Bell.

In the turbulent years following the winter of 2019’s The Diving Bell release, Chrome Ghost have returned with their latest and most sprawling album, House of Falling Ash. This record sees Jake, Jacob, and Joe re-uniting with their long-standing creative partner and engineer Pat Hills at Earthtone to present an expansive album that covers everything from Doom, Shoegaze, Americana, with inspiration ranging from Philip Glass, Ennio Morricone, Fleetwood Mac, and Boris. Building upon the already vast soundscapes they created on their brilliant sophomore LP, The Diving Bell, the band have reached an even new plateau pushing their brand of sonic dynamics to the very limit. Strap in for the best musical journey of 2022.

Over the past couple of years the band have been fortunate to share the stage with bands like YOB, Helms Alee, Big Business, Whores, Kowloon Walled City, CHRCH, Usnea, and many more. Look for more dates to come.

Maryland lays claim to one of the deepest and longest running heavy music scenes in America, with luminary acts like The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Clutch, Black Lung, Internal Void, Alms, Spiral Grave, Iron Man, Beelzefuzz, The Hidden Hand, Revelation, and Wretched among the most widely recognized.

The latest to grace the stage at The Maryland Doom Fest: BLOODSHOT. In their debut album, ‘Sins of the Father’ (2022), the Free State four-piece dish out a brutal plate made of solid heavy metal, served up with heaping helpings of thrash, sludge, and doom. This recording features Jared Winegardner on vocals, with Tom Stacey helming guitar, Joe Ruthvin on bass and J.B. Matson manning the drums. Savvy readers will recognize some of these guys from such storied bands as War Injun and Earthride.

The more you listen to the record, the more it grows on you, and there’s some very good reasons for that. The songs are all very accessible with earthy vocals, catchy motifs, relatable lyrics, and atmosphere that ranges from raunchy to invigorating to sinister. Truly there is life in this blood, so let’s explore the album one track at a time, shall we? I’ve asked frontman Jared Winegardner to give us some background for the journey, as well.

1. Faded Natives

Announcing its presence with three emphatic drum beats, this aggro opener launches a salvo of crunchy, thrash-laden riffage caught in a churning undertow. You’ll also get the first of several guitar solos from Tom Stacey, which are a real highlight of the album.

“Faded Natives” references a live action play I saw with my kids called 'Tecumseh.’ Chillicothe, Ohio is the area where I grew up and the play is performed there every year in an outside amphitheater, which I highly recommend going to see if you’re ever in that area. It’s really not a particularly complicated song to figure out and shares some kinship with another one from a couple decades ago by Anthrax: “Indians.” It just seems to get more and more true as time goes on that Native Americans are fading further and further from existence.

2. Visions of Yesterday

“Visions of Yesterday” skates the edges of punk and thrash, accompanied by an urgent heartbeat and a doomy underbelly. It’s a shorter number, as fleeting perhaps as our own faded reminisces of days gone by.

This song is about growing older, losing people that you love one-by-one, and doing your best to hold onto their memory and keep them alive in spirit.

3. Zero Humility

A favorite of mine from the get-go, this one wears well with repeated listens. Sporting an undeniable swagger, before you know it you’ll find yourself melting right into its groovy central riff. I find myself strongly identifying with its lyrical locus, as well. “Good luck with your sanity, if you’re living with me.”

“Zero Humility” was written a couple years before I was with the band. It’s a good example of a technique I discovered years prior, when something would piss me off and I couldn’t get it out of my head, I would write it out. At the time I just saw it as poetry or sort of like a diary, this one is definitely about the past and during a period where it seemed like the main person in my life at the time was living just to make my life hell. No better way to describe that one.

4. Uncivil Warold

Speaking of engaging thematic content, here’s a song that will resonate with anyone who’s ever looked at the world’s military conflicts with a squint eye. There’s something horribly primitive about war at its core, a regression from those higher faculties of reason, diplomacy, and clever problem solving that would otherwise distinguish us as human beings. “Millions of people, thousands of kids, countless murders, millions are spent.” The repeated triplet notes on guitar, bass, and drums mime artillery fire, while Bloodshot laments: “Always in battle, no end in sight, the last place an outsider will ever make right.”

“Uncivil Warold” is purposely misspelled, because the second word is a combination of “war” and “world.” Being in the military gives you a different view on things, and this one started as somewhat of a commentary on wars in the Middle East. As we came close to finishing it up, the Russia invasion of Ukraine started and it fits into the same sort of mindframe. It is mostly commentary on how there are unfortunately people that think it is our country’s job to teach other countries how to behave or think, and it is almost always fruitless and very expensive both monetarily and in terms of lives.

5. Beaten Into Rebellion

The compositional style and singing inflection of this number reminds me of Prong’s Tommy Victor. It’s got one of those choruses you can easily give a hearty hellllll yeah..

Everyone has something that seems to constantly brow beat you until you rebel against it. “Beaten Into Rebellion” is one of those songs that was unintentionally one size fits all. I think the less I say about this the better, because it would shrink the possible size and scope of meaning to people.

6. Worn And Torn

Another dirty punk-thrash number, with a stinging solo and guitar tone that feels as misty as an October shower.

“Worn And Torn” was written prior to the band. It’s me in the last year or so of my marriage trying to keep it together and continually searching for reasons or things to hold onto to keep trying. Songs like this I hope people hear and connect with and find some sort of solace, knowing that they are not the only ones feeling like this or in this position.

7. Inside The Outside

Jared’s vocals here seem to tap into the rebellious spirit of Nirvana’s Bleach. The chorus is addictive and I suspect you will find yourself sporadically singing it whilst folding your laundry.

“Inside The Outside” started with drummer JB’s band War Injun. It was a rough demo where the vocalist was sort of just getting ideas, not really any words to it. Our version turned out much different than the original. The title was based on a meme during the plague, where you were allowed to go to a restaurant and eat as long as you were outside but inside a tent, and all the other just crazy things going on in that timeframe. Another one of those songs where hopefully people hear it and adapt it to their experiences or simply enjoy it because people tell us they really dig the groove and sound.

8. Sucking Chest Wound

“Fifteen years and nothing left to say…” This is probably my favorite track of the record. It’s grungy as all get-out and has another great chorus. “…with the sunset I ride.”

Sucking chest wound is a military term for being shot in the guts while air is coming in and out of the wound. JB was on the money with this one. Lyrics touch on the initial shock of my ex telling me she wanted a divorce and my reaction in the period following. I enjoy playing this one just because of the blues feel (and giving me a break from the harder vocals).

9. Fyre

As we near the album’s finish, Bloodshot shift into a groove metal mode. I imagine this as a fitting companion to Lamb of God’s “Walk With Me In Hell,” chiefly for its dense, rainy guitars and mean vocal approach.

Another purposely misspelled word, because no one could outdo the version correctly spelled by Jimi Hendrix. I wrote this shortly before the band got together, it’s commentary on when all of the 2020 riots were going on and everything seemed to continue in the direction of anarchy in one way or another. This one is kind of humorous to me, because I wouldn’t be able to perform it in a theater as I think there’s still some sort of law where you’re not allowed to yell the word “fire” in a crowded theater!

10. Sins of the Father

“This ship is going down, because you wear the crown.” Things draw to a close with the somber title track, a grim reminder of the power of influence we all wield with the younger generation. Vocals are a mix of clean and dirty, accompanied by a “Bury Me In Smoke” kind of marching rhythm and some punchy bass notes. The guitar once again shines, accenting the song with steely, rhythmic nu-metal touches.

“Sins of the Father” is our deepest and most layered song, and probably what a lot of bands would consider their “baby.” It was a late entry into the setlist and we named our CD after it. Just like the layering instrumentally, it also layered with meaning. As a parent you want to do your best to not sew bad seeds into your children. Whether it be bad habits or behavior, you want to live your best so they don’t inherit the dumb things that were afflicted upon you as a child. When we started, my guitarist asked me if I wrote stupid lyrics about dragons and such. I replied, “There are plenty of real monsters in the world to write about; no need to write about mythical ones.”

Sins of the Father by Bloodshot sees its wide release on September 15th via Nervous Breakdown Records (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Megadeth, Prong, Corrosion of Conformity, Helmet, and Meshuggah. This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear…

Indianapolis has been a den of doom since as long as I can remember. No wonder we held the first ever Doomed & Stoned Festival there in 2016 (at the late, great Fifth Quarter Lounge). When you think of the wealth of talent that has emerged from that area – Apostle of Solitude, Gates of Slumber, Devil to Pay, to name just a few – it’s nothing to sneeze at.

Today we meet another band with true grit at the Crossroads of America: WIZARD TATTOO. The project of multi-instrumentalist Bram the Bard, the four-track EP before us tells the story of a man who gets tatted up, then sometime following starts hearing “a dark voice,” which of course has all kinds of nefarious implications: Is he really becoming a wizard or is he just going mad? Let’s follow his descent into madness.

First up is the title track, “Wizard Tattoo,” which is replete with chunky riffs, electro-mechanical atmospherics, dual axe action, and grizzly trucker vocals. Bram’s intonation and singing style is comparable to the gravely no cream in my coffee manner of Space Witch and Blackwitch Pudding, as well as fellow Indy doomers Astral Mass and Void King. The rhythm throughout is truly roadworthy, with a beat that clocks your rig’s RPMs as you long haul freight across I-69 at 3 o'clock in the morning.

“A Wizard’s Lie” is next, and it strikes a dream, easy going lounge jazz stride with snappy, off-beat drumming, plucky strings, and a thumping bass. Vocals are muted and set back in the mix, but about two-minutes in a mighty roar reminds us that there are beasts lurking in this jungle. When they come, it’s a mighty clash of guitar, bass, and roars.

Dude, he’s got a knife… The standout of this tetrad is “Wizard Knife Fight (At a Bar).” It’s a straight up rock ‘n’ roll grinder with extended spoken word sections that spit out a narrative about an encounter worthy of standing alongside Weedeater’s “Wizard Fight”.

Closing this all too brief, but eminently replayable spin is “No Return.” The sound of rain beckons us to join a troupe of musicians who have gathered under a hasty shelter to wait out the late summer shower and kill time with a spontaneous, melancholic jam. That is, at least, the story that comes to mind as I take in the medieval-sounding polyphony of Mellotron, guitar, and bass.

As it’s always best to go straight to the source, we asked Bram the Bard to fill us in on 'Wizard Tattoo’ (2022):

I didn’t have a detailed game plan when I started writing the material for Wizard Tattoo’s debut EP, but the main goal was to have all of the songs be unique from one another and varied within. Personally, I like music that mixes it up and draws from a lot of different influences, and not where all of the songs sound the same except for a few standout tracks. I wrote these songs with that in mind, essentially making music to satisfy my ADD.

I came up with the narrative for the EP later, and it’s basically the story of someone who gets a tattoo of a Wizard and then becomes consumed by a dark voice in their head. The song “Wizard Tattoo” is the introduction, “A Wizard’s Lie” is the battle, “Wizard Knife Fight” is the test, and “No Return” is the retrospective and epilogue.

Wizard Tattoo comes out digitally on August 26th (get it here), and now’s your chance to hear it all before anyone else as Doomed & Stoned hosts the worldwide debut!

Give ear…

Get ready for a big sound from two massive bands from Down Under sharing the same cylinder for a two-way split as ‘Turned To Stone: Chapter V’ (2022) brings you DUNEEATER and PLANET OF THE 8s! The Ripple Music series has had some terrific pairings over the years, but this volume is absolutely brilliant. I hope you’re listening with a good pair of headphones, or at least have your car stereo system ready for a long, loud drive into oblivion, because this record is indeed a smooth ride down to the Highway to Hell.

Tires peel out for “Twin Voyager,” which makes for a big opener after the short but arresting, “Dusk Part 2,” which is a real cruiser. The band did music video for “Pleather Sex,” and its desert rockin’ vibes make it a swell playlist pal with Kyuss, Truckfighters, Dozer, and Mountains of Madness.

“C.O.B.R.A.” is a badass stoner-blues romper that makes me wonder whether these guys grew up with the same G.I. Joe comics I did, fighting as they did with their eternal enemy Cobra Commander and his henchmen of doom. The song’s got a lot of bounce, and it rumbles and tumbles along until I’m irresistibly pulled into headbanging mode as we drive towards “Dawn Part I” (aka “Devil Dodgers”). It’s a real asphalt-ripper.

Planet of the 8s carries the vibe along into “Dawn Part 2” on the record’s flip-side. The smooth delivery of the lyrics, in sync with a groovy rhythm, reminds me of Depeche Mode for some reason (that’s always a good thing). The vocal harmonies are quite effective (at times approaching worshipful), supported by deep musicianship, beautiful melodic instincts, and a grungy, bittersweet guitar solo.

“Raised By Night” is a rainy number, with bombastic drums and melancholy riffmaking. The smooth vocals contrast so well with the groovy rhythm, leading up to one of those great choruses you’ll find yourself singing along with (perhaps unconsciously). The climax is one of those exalted moments in rock that you want to freeze and revisit over and over.

After another convincing track (“Gravity”), the record closes on “Dusk Part I” – and just like that we’re back to start, in a kind of time loop. It’s a good hint to listen to it all again on repeat. Believe me, you will want to get lost in this record. Not hard to see why both these bands are on the rise.

Turned to Stone, Chapter V is a powerful collaboration from two of the heavy rock scene’s most extraordinary artists. Look for its release this Friday, August 8th, on Ripple Music – dropping in digital as well as several variants of vinyl (pre-order here).

Give ear…

Encino Man aside, I really have wondered (in my higher moments) what ancient proto-humans would think if they were to find themselves suddenly in this strange world full of bright, moving lights and noise – oh the noise! The constant clattering of trucks, trains, and planes. Generation-after-generation building up and tearing down, until the earth is plated over with concrete, plastic, glass, and steel. The radical removal of the human being from nature. It would be a frightening experience, I’m sure (look at how unnerved we are). The best way to see everything in this strange sprawling Babylon? Become a cab driver. Better yet, now’s your chance to escape planet earth altogether and plot a course for the stars.

‘Galactic Slope’ (2022) is the latest from the Poland-based, doom-touched stoner rock trio TAXI CAVEMAN. Nauman (bass, vox), Rutkoś (guitar), Vincent Grabb (drums, vox) arrived on the scene in 2021 with an engaging self-titled debut. Most of the songs on that record were under five minutes, save for the 12 ½ minute capstone. It was but a foretaste of the immersive experience that greets us today: two hefty tracks, fifteen minutes a hit.

“…And the druids turn to sand” begins like a slow sunrise, with hypnotic overlapping riffing, a sobering bassline, and gentle percussion. At two-minutes, a chill desert rock pace moves us across the arid sweep while we contemplate the fate of those astrologers of old, cloaked in robes of enigma. By now the guitar is starting to really sizzle with an acid-soaked improvisation that gets psychedelic and jazzy.

At 6:30 we transition into a second theme that carries an aura of well-being and halcyon wonder. Just a minute later, the guitar becomes searingly bluesy and develops in dramatic fashion, summoning a mysterious dark canopy to overtake the landscape by the ten-minute mark. It’s quite an evocative tone poem.

“Death Cards” is next, and menacing as hell with those damning Sabbathian chords and Iommian trills. Vocals remind me of early Salem’s Pot, drugged and jaded, but they soon morph into primal roars releasing beastly frustrations. Somewhere between there and the end of this quarter-hour juggernaut, we drift off (almost imperceptibly) into a wordless dirge. In this trancelike state, I’m not even sure what rock we’re on anymore. Deliberate drum beats, ghostly feedback, and spacey strumming usher us through the final span, with cymbals taking to fade – closing the album an ominously uncertain note.

Reached for comment, the band offered some insight into this sprawling diad:

The second album is a kind of bridge between our spontaneous debut and our music, which was already recorded but waiting to be released. The two half-improvised compositions on it are our take on longer, slightly more psychedelic doom forms.

“And the druids turn to sun” is a lazy journey through the desert that slowly transforms into the journey of a space caravan. “Death Cards,” on the other hand, is an old track recorded under a different name, yet stoner doom in filthy, fuzz-shrieked form.

Taxi Caveman’s Galactic Slope released just this week on Interstellar Smoke Records, who are issuing it on compact disc, cassette tape, and vinyl (get it here). Stick this on a playlist with Sleep, Sunnata, Jointhugger, and 10,000 Years.

Give ear…

Have you ever been so far out
   That you met yourself again?

Today, we turn loose the third single from ‘We Lay On Cold Stone’ (2022), the upcoming LP by London heavy psych rockers JOSIAH. A journey of both heart and soul, the album’s a real trip from edge to center.

Drummer Dan Lockton is on fire in this track, and a joy to listen to throughout the record. His electric pulse is one of the first things that grabs our attention. Mathew Bethancourt’s guitar work can be mean and dirty when it needs to be, but also dreamy and free. His vocals are authoritative and illuminating. Jack Dickinson’s basswork accompanies with a continually warm, glowing feeling.

“(Realise) We Are Not Real” generates gnarly acid rock tone, while the singing transports us somewhere surreal and otherworldly. It’s the latest single to emerge from Josiah’s We Lay On Cold Stone, which releases July 15th on Blues Funeral Recordings (pre-order here). We can’t wait!

Give ear….

SOME BUZZ

At least a decade ahead of their time, Josiah had a three-album run between 2000 and 2008 that few in heavy psychedelic rock could (or can) match. Their 2002 self-titled debut, 2004’s Into the Outside and 2007’s No Time saw guitarist/vocalist Mat Bethancourt, original bassist Sie Beasley and a succession of drummers touring Europe and their native UK, playing festivals like Roadburn (‘05 and '07), Duna Jam and Stoned from the Underground, and headlining dates across the continent.

Recorded in Leicester and Wales during the pre-social media era of heavy, those early records (recently reissued by Heavy Psych Sounds) haven’t lost their edge, and even when Bethancourt put Josiah on hiatus to explore garage rock and psychedelia with The Kings of Frog Island and Cherry Choke, there was never a loss of his enviable tone or signature songcraft.

Nine years removed from Josiah’s Procession release, Bethancourt and company began to jam again, crafting songs with a darker edge to suit the times. Rumors of “The Resurrection” began to spread, and with a chance to record amid the pandemic-stricken latter half of 2020, they set to work on their return album.

Forging ahead to reclaim their legacy as some of the earliest architects of lysergic heavy psych, Josiah return in 2022 with the exultant We Lay on Cold Stone. Emerging re-energized and in peak form, the band sear forth with a barrage of irresistible hooks and tripped-out riff-romps, utterly new yet subtly infused with vintage flashes of Cream and Grand Funk.

Striding boldly into a new era, Josiah confidently claim a place amid modern titans of psychedelic heavy rock like Nebula, Monster Magnet, Earthless, or The Atomic Bitchwax, asserting vast gravitas in a style they helped create.

You won’t encounter many rock ‘n’ roll acts with the exuberance and ferocity of RED SUN ATACAMA. The Paris-based heavy psych trio brings incredible energy to the songs on their latest spin, 'DARWIN’ (2022). It’s like garage rock for the arena: a big, sweeping sound with Fraggle Rock vibes. However, it’s neither Balsam the Minstrel on drums nor Gobo on guitar, but the crew of Clément Marquez (bass, vox), Vincent Hospital (guitar, keyboard), and Robin Caillon (drums). We last encountered them in these pages when the band released their 2018 full-length debut, Licancabur. We were impressed then, but holy hell this new record is a real stand-out among its peers.

Winds sweep stealthy along the floor of the Atacama Desert as “11-CH” begins, bleeding into “Furies” which finds the drums in hearty gambol ( captured beautifully by sound engineer Amaury Sauvé). Then the full band erupts with joie de vivre. The devil-may-care woo! at 3:35 brought a smile to my face. Just a minute later the mood shifts to a moon lit expanse, where bass rules the night. Meanwhile, the guitar is absolutely seering. Not only am I digging the tone, but also the quirky effects (they seem to speak for the creatures of these wilds). Listen to those fingers fly the final minutes!

“Antares” is a cosmic meditation on the red supergiant and is a welcome moment of chill after the insane gusto of that last track. Three minutes in, a change of pace and suddenly things get heated. Arpegios take flight as Hospital’s axe swings, then it’s Marquez’s turn to let the bass strut its stuff. When the two streams intertwine, we find ourselves jettisoning towards Earth saddled to a beam of light. Unexpectedly, though, the earlier tempo returns and we’re floating weightlessly in the timelessness of space. Then suddenly, a headbanging mosh to the finish!

“Echoes” is another rebel-rousing number like “Furies.” Those nasty-sounding vocals feel twice as gritty when joined by fuzz-soaked guitar and the rolicking rhythm of the drums. Like its predecessor, “Echoes” is not a track you can quickly size up and then put into a categorical box. It’s all over the place, and I love it for being just.

You never got the reason
Where it all begun
The rust before the treason
We slowly lose the fun

“Revvelator” rushes right out of the gate towards us with a stampede of bass and drums. Marquez’s pipes snarl as they share “the reminiscent of a former life…a loss you never grieved.” The guitar is on fire here, with some really stinging moments. Don’t miss the damning downtuned devastation that comes when those dank chords lumber down stairs of awesomeness at 3:30.

The band closes the album in rhapsodic fashion with “Ribbons.” The track vaults into action with a series of tumbling, colossal chords. Two minutes in, the guitar once again takes off rapturously, with Caillon’s drums moving frantically like a lizard across hot pavement. Strumming acoustic guitar takes us into the fade, accompanied by the sounds of beachfront waves.

DARWIN is a livewire for sure. Look for it this weekend on vinyl, CD, and in digital format on the Mrs Red Sound label (pre-order here), which so far has been batting a thousand with bands like Red Sun Atacama, Witchfinder, Little Jimi, and of course the inimitable Mars Red Sky. This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Born in 2014 in Paris, Red Sun Atacama combine desert rock psychedelia and punk fury. Volcanic and wild, Chilean Atacama Desert mesmerizes the band as much as it inspires them. Their sound is driven by its beyond compare magnetism. They autoproduced their first EP 'Part 1’ in 2015, and released a bubbling debut album 'Licancabur’ in 2018 via More Fuzz Records. The record definitely establishes the trio’s unique, raw and insolent style.

On stage, Red Sun Atacama fully manage to share the same hypnotic outburst than on their studio efforts: they already performed in various European countries alongside international heavyweights such as Uncle Acid and the deadbeats, Mars Red Sky, Planet of Zeus, Steak, Slift, etc.

In 2022, Red Sun Atacama signed to Mrs Red Sound (Mars Red Sky’s imprint) for the release of their sophomore studio album. They chose to work with hard core producer Amaury Sauvé at The Apiary studio (Laval, France). The record is coming out on June 17th on Mrs Red Sound Records.

Spread through the impetuous fuzz of Californian legends Fu Manchu, Kyuss or Brant Bjork, Red Sun Atacama praise the burning sound of the desert and the Holy Groove with irresistible slashing riffs. Their explosive new album 'DARWIN’ is driven by an overflowing desert rock, stoner and punk energy, and inspired by the Andean magic.

It was recorded and mixed by Amaury Sauvé (Birds In Row, Bison Bisou) at The Apiary studio (Laval, France). Sauvé also gives them a hand with additional percussion. Mastering work by Thibault Chaumont.

When Doomed & Stoned took its first breath in July of 2013, one of the bands doom lovers would consistently recommend to me was LAS CRUCES. The Texas-based outfit are considered underground legends, and not without reason. Since their origin in 1994 (yes they’re from that great mid-90s era in metal) the four-piece crew has been waving high the banner of doom.

The first two Las Cruces albums (S.O.L. and Ringmaster) came out in ‘96 and '98 respectively. Then life happened and the band went through line-up changes, releasing an EP in 2001 but nothing else until 2010’s Dusk. That was my first introduction to their brand of heavy, and I worked my way backward to the start of their discography from there. The intervening years often found me wondering about the band’s status. Though listed as active in the Metal Archives and performing regional shows here and there, it had been now 12 years since Las Cruces broke out new recorded material. Until now.

I was stoked to hear that Ripple Music was taking up the cause of the storied San Antonio band, airing new singles in the past few months from the new album, 'Cosmic Tears’ (2022). Jason Kane’s vocals are well suited to the tenor of this material, with the kind of heft and a damned convincing falsetto that’s comparable to Screaming Mad Dee Calhoun of the late, great Iron Man. Founding member George Trevino trades barbs on guitars with 22-year veteran Mando Tovar, and the collaboration is on point. The rhythm section is quite pronounced, but never overwhelming to my ears. If you’re a sucker for a good bass riff, check out what Jimmy Bell does on songs like “Stay” and “Terminal Drift.” Sadly, drummer Paul DeLeon passed away in 2021, but his shadow looms large over the entire work.

Before us are two fistfulls of almighty doom, beginning with “Altar Of The Seven Sorrows.” That formidable title might have fit a great indie horror film back in the day, but it in fact belongs to something much older: St. Nicolai’s Church. There you will encounter the most ornate and intricately designed altar pieces dating back to the 1400’s. The song is appropriately wordless, but substantial, so you really need to have these incredible works handy for visual contemplation.

The title track itself is a quasi-meditative piece that considers the grandiosity and power of the great galactic store of cosmic collisions and overwhelming starlight. I think it was smart artistically to position it here on the album, rather than elsewhere. The flow is very natural between the first track and second.

The most excellent “Wizard of the North” (which we featured on an episode of The Doomed & Stoned Show) gives us a taste of the band’s prowess with stirring vocal harmonies, as does mysterious “Egypt.” Those sparkling moments are sparse and strategic, but effective in giving Las Cruces a sound like none other. Sung epic in epic fashion, the band really gives Candlemass a run for their money.

The net impact is quite powerful, as witnessed both by the opening vocal attack on “Holy Hell” and the big riffage that follows. And speaking of powerful, closing track “The Wraith” has grown to be my favorite of the lot, a bonafide doom masterpiece that sums up the spirit and sound of Las Cruces in grave and poignant fashion.

Today, you get to audit all 10 tracks, as Las Cruces bring us Cosmic Tears for Doomed & Stoned readers. It comes out Friday, June 3rd on Ripple Music on vinyl, digital, and compact disc formats (pre-order here). Stick this in a playlist with songs from Down’s Nola, Alice in Chains’ Dirt, The Skull’s For Those Which Are Asleep, and Epicus Doomicus Metallicus by Candlemass.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Look back into the distant reaches of doom’s heady primordial days of the late 90s and early 2000s, and amid the many pillars of the style whose names you know well, you might also come across one that’s less familiar, though no less majestic and impactful in what they created: Las Cruces.

This Texas doom powerhouse was like a lightning storm in the desert with their singular take on sludgy, melodic doom, boasting soaring vocals and bleak, earth-shaking riff power that was impossible to match. And yet, as significant and unforgettable as their incredible “Ringmaster” album was, the band seemed to mostly disappear back into the earth. They would resurface here and there with an occasional release or announcement of a reformation, but ultimately, the promise of “Ringmaster” was never seized… until now.

Now the San Antonio metallers are about to deliver their much-anticipated fourth album and the follow-up to 2010’s 'Dusk’, a promise of epic crusades and dark tales brimming with bleakness and soaring vocals. 'Cosmic Tears’ (2022) is the long-awaited re-emergence of a band with far more greatness in them than the world had yet to hear, and this album delivers it at long last. For fans of Candlemass, Trouble or Solitude Aeturnus.

I became a devoted listener to Melbourne rockers FOOT since I gave a deep listen to 2020’s The Balance of Nature Shifted. That was in fact not their first album, but their third, and given the fresh nature of their sound (wistful grunge meets stirring desert rock) I was excited to learn of a pending fourth, ‘You Are Weightless’ (2022).

Something about that title strongly resonates with me. I wonder how many people in the world have gone through the wringing cycle of paranoia, fear, isolation, trust-mistrust-distrust, exhaustion, and burn out these past several pandemic years. I wonder how many more are ready to experience release from the cruel grip of anxiety and dread. Freedom is hard-earned, but I know it starts by being still and taking a good look at what’s going on around you, without judgment, just taking notes, like you’re Mother Nature’s eyes gathering data to report on the state of things.

Maybe that’s what I like, deep down inside, about Foot’s new record – it’s taking notice of what’s going on right here, right now on space station Earth. Call it a divine test, a winding down clock, or a simulation; dumb luck or a cosmic joke, we’re stuck here. Might as well have a good soundtrack.

Foot’s score to the human dilemma begins with “Bitter,” a thumping, up-tempo number with sardonic guitar licks and singing that’s clean and cool – like '90s “Whatever, dude” kind of cool. In the closing minutes, the song breaks down into a groovy jam, with deep bass groans and the addition of keys.

“Caged Animal” follows; a warm, yet melancholic track. “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 1000 ways that don’t work” Paul Holden sings in stirring, chorus-like fashion. Perhaps this is the philosophical antidote to the dismal (but wholly relatable) sentiment of King Buffalo’s “Hebetation,” which confesses: “Every night I dream a million different ways for me to die.” There’s a delicious breakdown in those last few minutes, then fading vocals and acoustic guitar escort us out.

This brings us to the song Doomed & Stoned is premiering today: “Fire Dance.” The song opens with an emphatic, rumbling beat that had me thinking of a captive tiger menacing his surroundings, circling restlessly 'round and 'round, and looking for a way of escape. The song talks about lighting a fire without a plan, which sometimes feels like it would be a great thing to do, but will most likely leave us without a safety net.

Well, that’s one interpretation. You listen and tell me. What is undeniable is the way the band captivates us as the song moves along, past the “radio friendly” 3-minute mark, when bass, percussion, and then keyboard morphs the fabric of the song into something more, perhaps a new reality. As it ends, we’re left standing in the air of burning embers and quiet reflection, having tasted the flame, now ready to start living again.

There are four more songs, each of which merit multiple listens and for me grew fonder with every play. Lyrically, Foot’s You Are Weightless is the first compelling post-pandemic album I’ve heard so far this year. Mark June the 10th on your calendar, when it releases through Copper Feast Records (pre-order here). Until then, let’s take a leap of faith into the floating void with the record’s second single, “Fire Dance.” Stick it on a playlist with Hazemaze, Elephant Tree, Comet Control, Alice in Chains, and Chevelle.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

For fans and followers firmly in the know, FOOT – the venerable and utterly spellbinding Melbourne-based stoner rock quartet – are back with their eagerly awaited fourth album; You Are Weightless, on Copper Feast Records.

Helmed by guitarist, vocalist and creative constant, Paul Holden, and backed by an ever-changing cast of close confidants, Foot has proven themselves time and time again to be an integral part of the burgeoning Oz psych/stoner rock scene, since the release of their debut in 2016.

Following on from last year’s lockdown masterpiece, The Balance of Nature Shifted, the band return this June with the sonic equivalent of a heavily wrought, fuzz-lined straitjacket in new album, You Are Weightless. Channeling the dynamic spirit of acts like Queens of the Stone Age and Alice in Chains, they envelope their music with social commentary and grand visions that help tip the scales in favour of the heavier, more visceral cradle of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a sight and sound to behold and make no mistake, Holden, along with his band of merry sessioners, have quite possibly crafted their boldest and most revelatory album to date.

Teaming up once again with the Sydney-based Foot-Appreciation Society Copper Feast Records, You Are Weightless will receive an official worldwide release on 10th June 2022