With the world stage being a mess of war and plague, there’s never been a better time to get lost in a concept album. Oakland’s DUNGEON WEED have the perfect escape in the sequel to 2020’s Mind Palace of the Mushroom God, their debut full-length. This time, the band has geared up to bring us 16 hefty tracks, in the 2XLP, The Eye Of The Icosahedron (2022).

The album stretches and groans to a start with One Thousand Years Alive. Massive doom chords shift like tectonic plates, while frenetic guitar noodling lets down a torrent of rain in the backdrop. An immortal voice narrates the opening crawl:

One thousand years. One thousand years alive. Centuries pass like drifting leaves on indifferent wafts of time. Alive in decrepit solitude, alive with no end in sight. Unbearable bleakness day after day, interminable consciousness night after night, trapped in a never-ending nightmare life. A desolate millennium of wan awareness, power and strength mere shadows of the past. Caliginous thoughts drift beyond recognition while tenebrous winds chill my soul and the residuum of my heart. Dynasties rise and fall, there’s never any change, things just rearrange. This curse an unbearable weight.

Without so much as the usual five seconds of nothingness between tracks, the first song bleeds right on into the next. Frontman Dmitri Mavra explains: “This album is more of a continuous story, one song flowing into the next. The story consists almost entirely of the lyrics.”

The Dream of the Eye of the Icosahedron is the closest we’ll come to a title track. We also get to hear how “icosahedron” is pronounced, in case you were stressing out about it. It’s a reference to a complex geometric shape, which here seems to take on distinct mystical and metaphysical properties.

Then one night it came to me, a vision in a dream. A damsel with a dulcimer, sang in an unknown tongue to me. Seven nights she came to me, Seven nights I dreamed, floating in a crystal sun that shined so bright I could hardly see. I could not understand any word, nor any phrase but one: The Eye of the Icosahedron.

A short instrumental, Mesonoxian Revelations, introduces the next major track: “The Invocation of Y'ag Z'gyroth.” I’m no scholar when it comes to Lovecraftian lingo, but this sure feels like it belongs in the extended lore of the Great Old Ones. The mood is spiked with fear and dread, something summoned most effectively by the melancholy angst of Thia Moonbrook’s vocal approach. We also get a good dose of Rama’s prowess on the keys, which rounds out the atmosphere nicely with distinctive otherworldly touches.

These mesonoxian revelations weighed heavily on my thoughts. Drawing on the tattered remnants of my sorcery, I invoked the odious demon Y’ag Z'gyroth from the necrotic depths of the nether plane and commanded him to instruct me on the meaning of this mysterious phrase. In a loathsome voice the demon explained that it was a crystal of twenty sides, forged by the elder gods at the dawn of time and hidden deep in the Psionic Abyss, where mind is outside of time and time has no meaning. “Look into the eye and see all twenty planes of reality,” Y’ag Z'gyroth croaked as it faded from sight.

Dream Powder doses us up with psychedelics, and gives us just enough time to catch our breath before the trip begins. Next we set off Beyond the Door of Meta-Consciousness. Here Dmitri juts out some sinister shredding on the guitar, while drummer Chris McGrew keeps our psychonautic engines chugging along with deep, muscular skin tones.

I stirred myself to action despite the suffocating weight of a millennium. I procured the proper ingredients to mix a dream powder of sufficient potency to send me down into the blackest depths of my innermost consciousness. Soon I was sinking in a vast ocean of impenetrable thought and feelings that I could no longer comprehend. In the distance I saw a glowing door but I feared it would lead to the other side of my consciousness. Going down even deeper, spiraling through the fragments of dreams and memories that pass like falling stars, I had no choice but to step through the door. I did not know if I could survive to the other side. Like falling slowly in a dream down an infinite shaft of nothingness, cold and without meaning, from which nobody returns alive.

We’re now nearing the end of the LP’s first-half, at which point we go through a harrowing Descent into the Psionic Abyss. Last year, Spelljammer explored the metaphor of the ocean in Abyssal Trip. On this track, Dungeon Weed venture into the endless abyss of the human psyche. I love how it’s described, too:

Within the Psionic Abyss, psionic vibrations no longer pulse, suspended in the uncaring void. But at last I had pierced the veil of liminal perceptions. They say no man who wants to live can return from this realm. I alone, he who cannot die, am the only one who can survive. I wandered the inner maze of the outer mind, lost among the infinite possibilities until at last, through dumb luck or the guidance of some unseen hand, I reached the center of the maze. There before me towered a cyclopean mountain of putrid slime, poisonous quivering ooze, a gelatinous vault of doom. I saw the crystal hidden inside, shining bright inside the beast. The Eye of the Icosahedron was nearly within my grasp. This was my very last chance, as the creature tried to feast upon my soul, I had nothing left to lose.

Dark and brooding, we’re plunged deeper into innerspace with The Inner Maze of the Outer Mind and the Gelatinous Vault of Doom. This trio of pieces share similar lyrical elements as the excerpt above, preparing us for a climactic finale: Mesmeric Scintillations.“

At last I gazed upon the shining stone, ensorcelled by its mesmeric scintillations. Now I could finally see all realities in these twenty shining facets, and all of them were me. My very own reflection is all that I could see, sitting in my chamber about to cast the spell that led me right to Orcus and one thousand years of hell.

The riffage here is truly massive and I can see this tracking becoming a new classic among doom metal lovers. I binged on it hard this week and it holds up pretty darn well to repeated listens. Here’s where a word like epic is quite appropriate, with its colossal gong strikes, dungeon synth, devilishly downtuned guitar licks, mighty heartbeat, and plaintive singing style.

Hypnagogic Revelations serve as another bridge to yet another plane of existence, Twenty Planes of Reality to be exact. Here, the words hearken back to "The Invocation of Y’ag Z’gyroth” as we get deeper into the second record of this double album.

In the final stretch of our expedition, we meet with a Time Crash. The robust interplay of bass and drums sets a groovy, if lumbering, stride that is ideal for Dmitri Mavra to cut loose again with more wild guitar play. Lots of jazzy touches here, too, and by the end of the song I feel justified in dubbing this acid doom.

Crashing through explosions of memories in reverse, a madman’s laugh of terror in every single verse. To live it all again, even in a flash, when all I really wanted was to forget at last. Spinning through forgotten decades, falling through time, reliving living the millennium, psionic wormhole dreams go flickering by, anamnesis flashback vision blinding my mind’s eye.

If the last track was boyountly jazzy, Forgotten Chambers really brings out the blues. The guitar is no less shy here than it was previously, and here it doubles down on the sauciness as we inch ever closer to the penultimate track, Chronotopic Revelations.

I look around me, what do I see? A forgotten chamber and fallen dreams. From the time before the curse. From another time. One thousand years alive, and yet all those years did not exist. The gods are laughing because they’re playing tricks. So much was lost in the flood of memories, like when you said that you would wait for me. Or that look upon your face at my return, at my disgrace.

Another instrumental (and an unsettling one, at that) the song readies us for the finale, Return To Forever Sleep, which consists of one simple, grim line of expression:

I put the poison to my lips, to sleep forever is my only wish.

Dungeon Weed’s The Eye Of The Icosahedron is a weird, wonderful ride that keeps you constantly glued to the edge of your musical chair. You simply want to know what happens next and it makes the duration of this lengthy work well worth listening to in one uninterrupted sit. The ending seems less climactic and more on the order of “to be continued,” so I imagine we can look forward to a third volume if this chemistry continues.

The record enters our world today via this Doomed & Stoned premiere, but it will be dropping real soon in digital and compact disc formats (get it here), as well as on vinyl via Forbidden Place Records (pre-orders begin 3/3/22).

Give ear…

Leaving the world
For salvation yonder
Quest for eternity
To suns beyond

Gazing upon our past
Out into forever
To a future obscured
What glory awaits?

To begin another week of awesome original content at Doomed & Stoned, we’re getting you better acquainted with the Swedish juggernaut 10,000 YEARS.

Last summer, the band dropped their eponymous debut to welcome ears and in just a few short weeks 10,000 Years come roaring back with a follow-up. Y'all know I’m a sucker for a good concept album. The eight-track full-length record ‘II’ (2021) picks up the trail of the Albatross research vessel, which has been galavanting 'cross the nether reaches of the galaxy on a potent rocket fuel made of sludgy stoner rock and doom metal.

If that sounds epic, wait’ll you get a load of what’s next for our interstellar crew. It helps if you picture the following text as a Star Wars-style screen crawl, slowly working its way up the page against the backdrop of a starry night.

After narrowly escaping the confines of the strange planet and its surrounding dimension, the Albatross and its crew finally return home to Earth. The re-entry is rough and the ship crashlands in a forest. The earth that greets them is vastly different from the one that they left.

When the ship travelled back to earth through the wormhole, it created a rift in the space-time continuum which propelled them far into the future, as well as allowing the Green King and other ancient gods from the other dimension to cross over to our dimension. They have since taken control of not only the earth, but the entire solar system.

After various harrowing experiences and encounters, the truth finally dawns on the surviving members of the crew. They are indeed back on earth, but ten thousand years in the future from when they started their journey. And to make matters worse, they find evidence that the Green King has been known and worshipped by secret cults and societies on earth for millenia, since before humankind even existed.

The surviving members of the crew come to the conclusion that the only way to set things right again is to repair the Albatross and take it back through the rift again in order to close it.

Now that’s a saga I’m ready to get invested in. George Lucas, eat your heart out!

The record revs to a start with “Descent,” a track that can best be described as terrific panic. It had me thinking of KOOK’s “Escape Velocity” from their recent second album, though that’s an eight-and-a-half minute slow burn and this is a quick twenty-six second fall from the sky. I wish this little notion had a chance to develop into something longer, but regardless what a thrilling way to open an album!

With rapt attention, I’m waiting to hear what comes next. The ship seems to have crash landed deep inside a “Gargantuan Forest.” As an aside, it would be a blast to smoke a bowl o’ something (anything, really) with Erik Palm (guitar), Alex Risberg (bass, vox), and Espen Karlsen (drums) just to gab it up a bit about sci-fi lit and horror flicks. I mean, check out the trove of B-movie greats referenced in their preface to the new single (which Doomed & Stoned is debuting today):

In this ABSURD (1981) video, 10,000 Years enter a FOREST OF FEAR (1980) as they access THE BEYOND (1981) and enter a BLOODBATH (1971) with THE BOOGEY MAN (1980), otherwise known as the Espbeast. The Espbeast stalks and haunts the bodies and minds of the characters in this C-grade homage to the horror movies of yesteryear.

The characters FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (1976) through insane NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981). If they survive the AXE (1974) they may still end up in an INFERNO (1980) and risk being EATEN ALIVE (1976). All the same risks face the viewer, so don’t watch with the lights out, don’t watch by yourself and DON’T GO IN THE WOODS ALONE (1981). Because after all, isn’t there an Espbeast in all of us?

10,000 Years have picked the ideal setting for the music video. The forests of Sweden stand tall and dark, the ground packed with snow. Screw you, Blair Witch Project – this is where I want the next found footage flick filmed!

The song opens with a mysterious theme on solitary electric strings, surrounded by hazy reverberation. Drums and bass accent the motif as it’s repeated several times over. Dazed by their graceless fall to earth, the crew wander about, checking one another for injuries, seeing if the faithful Albatross has even hope of another journey. As the shock begins to wear off, their hopeless plight reveals itself.

Screaming from the sky
Blasting through the atmosphere

Come to rest
On the forest floor
Still alive
What fresh new hell is this?

Surrounded by swamps
A strange bleeding from the earth

Giant trees
A dense horror taking root
Same old sun
Unfamiliar rays shine down

Is there something lurking about in the Gargantuan Forest? I’m sure no one wants to wait until nightfall to find out! The so-called “Espbeast” (which the band may actually have been first to name) is more than likely some strange amalgamation of guitar and creature, ripping through foes like a berserker of sound with scraps of High on Fire’s “10,000 Years” echoing perversely through the treetops as it stalks and ultimately slays you. Nobody wants to be around when the Espbeast is on the prowl.

Now see, I’m letting my imagination get carried away! Then again, maybe that’s what the band had planned all along – for listeners to join in the fantastic adventures of these cosmonauts, to see through their eyes and feel through their body as they touch foot to strange soil. What will our adventurers find next?

The answer comes all too soon: “Spinosaurus!” This gruff beast charges angrily through the woods knocking things about, displacing rocks, snapping branches, royally pissed and ready to make somebody pay for the noise that snatched him away from a damned good nap. The repeated note riff, with its odd strumming pattern, does a nifty job of representing the crude movements of the Spinosaurus as it lumbers about the forest. Eric is a virtuosic mess of frantic tremeloes and wiry noodling against Espen’s stampeding drums, as Alex narrates the scene with a terrifying shout:

Is this our earth?
No time to dwell
Dorsal sail cutting air
Cretaceous ghost made flesh

Staring into
Dead end eyes
No place to hide
Theropodic annihilation

Teeth into flesh!

What the crew is experiencing on their homeworld thus far seems foreign, almost ancient. Through some curse of Einstenian logic have we zipped through a wormhole only to return to the distant past? “The Mooseriders” are about to challenge our assumptions about what’s possible on this Rock.

Thundering hooves crack the sky
Dark robed wizards appear in the light
Travellers in ether descending
Protectors of the realm

These are the oath-bound eternals – interdimensional templars, if you will – who have arrived at this precise moment in time to take on the Green King. Complex rhythmic drumming with precisely stricken odd beats, is accompanied by a hyperactive bass and progressive metal riffmaking. Together, the band conjures the trot and hustle of the approaching entourage. A wilding guitar heralds a message from the great protectors:

The hour draws near
The endgame is nigh
Divine prophecy
Even death may die

The mood now turns stately. A brave theme is introduced and developed with dashing prowess. This track would fit perfectly into a playlist with Mastodon, Ape Cave, and Zirakzigil. I found Alex’s vocal approach especially appropriate for the frantic depiction of “antlers clashing with steel” in this battle to the finish. “Even death…may…DIE!”

“Angel Eyes” greet us on the B-side, and it’s not a cover of the Jerry Cantrell song (though that would have been unexpectedly awesome). No, the hard-charging mood and raspy vocals are pointing to something far more apocalyptic.

Hooves of burning coal
Let loose upon the world

Return of the warlord
Eternal fire scorches the earth

Heavenly gaze
Order through chaos

At times Alex seems exasperated, practically out of breath, as he gives these dire words his all. It’s a style the 10,000 Years frontman owns as well as his counterpart, Simon Ohlsson of Vokonis, who has a comparable vocal attack. A bass-fortified guitar establishes a second theme that adds a Wagnarian touch of high drama, and this ushers in the song’s curtain fall.

If 10,000 Years is to be compared with High On Fire at all, the rumbling riffstorm “March Of The Ancient Queen” surely merits it (to say nothing of their mutual love of alternative histories).

Her royal blood
Once ruled these lands
Generations
Buried by time
Dynasty of dust
Rise from the sands
Rise from the dead
The Green King’s servant

March!

That last lyric is uttered with the most blood-curdling all-caps conviction that I was immediately drawn into its sentiment, miming “Maaaaarrrrrch!” with my ugliest war face on every time it came up in the song. The NWOBHM-style finish is so deftly executed that it comes across as orchestral. 10,000 Years paint with big, bold strokes here.

“Prehuman Walls” is a welcome shift down, with its chugging “Bury Me In Smoke” tempo. You sludge fiends will find moments of Zen here, with riffs that bend and twist and saw 'neath the summer sun. The crew have chanced upon a temple of sorts, though not one made with human hands. Nothing seems to make sense here at all. It’s like Area X from the film Annihilation (2017), where everything is a contortion of reality. Then the “truth settles in.” This alien monstrosity, we find, bears the mark of the sinister Green King. We thought we’d escaped him, only to find that he both followed us and was here millenia before.

Unholy worship
Feed the Green King
Eyes pried open
Sanity stripped away

At last, we reach the final track in our journey: “Dark Side Of The Earth”. So many revelations have been made in this second chapter, so many loose ends that need to be tied off. Naturally, a third chapter must be written. “We must go back, set it right,” deliberates an exasperated Albatross crew. “We must go back, whence we came.”

Dimension walls broken down
The fabric ripped and torn apart
Thread the needle once again
A journey of ten thousand years

We must go back, set it right
We must go back, through the tears

Insanity the only way
The dark side of the earth

Following these words, the song develops instrumentally and the mood gets quite emotional. I found myself drawing parallels between this “bastard version of earth” and our own, wondering if we ever can go back and make it right. For us, perhaps it should be about moving forward, for there is no golden age or better time to which we can return. We make this world a heaven or hell tomorrow by the choices made today.

The album was recorded by Tomas Skogsberg at Studio Sunlight. Totally diggin the awesomely swamp landscape that Francesco Bauso of Negative Crypt Artwork created. It reminds the five-year old me of Luke’s sopping wet landing on Dagobah, though guitarist Alex Risberg says the band’s more inspired by Planet of the Apes than by Star Wars.

The album will be released on June 25th as a special vinyl “Green King Edition” by Interstellar Smoke Records pre-order here), a cassette tape “Forest Edition” from Ogo Rekords (pre-order here) and “Swamp Edition” from Olde Magick Records pre-order here), with the digital and compact disc formats handled by Death Valley Records (pre-order here).

10,0000 Years have in II their most accomplished album to date, with powerful moments that will stay with you long after the record’s stopped spinning. Fans of High On Fire, Black Tusk, and The Sword listen up! You might just discover your next favorite band.

Give ear…

Some Buzz

Having previously played together in the original lineup of Swedish underground heavyweights Pike, Erik Palm (Guitars) and Alex Risberg (Bass/vocals) found their way back to each other, musically, in early 2020. The creative fire reignited and stoked to a burning inferno and through a mutual love of heavy riffs and thundering stoner rock, doom, and sludge metal, 10,000 Years was born. Finding a drummer would prove to be an easy task and with Espen Karlsen the final piece lay firmly in place. The groove they fell into during the first rehearsal hasn’t stopped rumbling since.

After spending the first-half of 2020 writing and rehearsing, 10,000 Years recorded their self-titled debut EP during one weekend in June in the legendary Studio Sunlight with equally legendary producer Tomas Skogsberg. The self-titled EP was released on July 10th and immediately struck a chord with the heavy underground worldwide, and 10,000 Years garnered rave reviews and accolades.

10,000 Years’ musical and lyrical world revolves around the tale of the terran class III exploration vessel Albatross and its mission to explore the Milky Way and nearby galaxies in search for a possible new home for humanity. The EP tells the tale of its first foray into space and what happens when the crew accidentally travel through a wormhole and end up in an adjacent dimension populated by ancient gods and giant beings, ruled by the Green King. The EP ends with “From Suns Beyond,” where the crew make it off from the strange planet, back out into space in search of a way back home. The new album picks up the story as the Albatross blasts through the atmosphere of a seemingly unknown planet and crashlands headfirst into strange new adventures.

Now, less than a year after their first release, 10,000 Years are back with their first full-length effort, aptly titled 'II’ (2021). Picking up right where the EP left off, II continues the story of the ill-fated Albatross mission and its exploration of time and space through a skull-crushing mixture of stoner rock, doom, and sludge metal. The album will no doubt continue to build on 10,000 Years’ already golden reputation and prove to be an even bigger hit with the heavy masses.

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…

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.

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.

From the early German movies of the 1920s and the Universal monsters of the ‘30s, through the haunted house flicks of the '40s and the creature features of the '50s to the exploitation of the '60s, the Eurotrash of the '70s, and '80s slashers, I’m a sucker for old horror movies. I could probably write a book, or at least a lengthy essay, about it. And just like my other movie passions, sci-fi and '80s action movies (and yet Jason X can bugger off to the early-2000s grave it belongs), that love seeps through in my music taste.

I’ve been an Alice Cooper fan for about as long as I can remember and more modern exponents of horror-infused rock like Rob Zombie and the various Wednesday 13 fronted bands blast through my speakers on a regular basis. But where Mr. 13’s records have been more shaky than Bela Lugosi’s performance in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) by Ed Wood, another band arose to become the purveyors of True North Carolina Horror Rock. ™

The Gruesome Twosome of Devallia and Anders Manga, under the moniker of BLOODY HAMMERS, have been releasing records drenched in camp and horror since 2012. Since their inception the husband-and-wife duo have been mixing doom rock with goth elements with a big role for synths, keys, and organ sounds on their new record, 'Songs of Unspeakable Terror’ (2021 - Napalm Records), the band shows a different side of themselves.

I was quite surprised during my first listen, because Songs of Unspeakable Terror is a thoroughbred horror punk record. We’re getting 11 songs in a little over half an hour. In general the tempo lies higher than on the band’s other outputs, although you don’t have to expect any Misfits speeds here. The biggest difference though, is that the music is mainly built up around guitars, bass and drums, with Devallia trading in her keyboard for a bass guitar. As it turns out, this was supposed to be a side project, paying tribute to NY punk bands like the Ramones and the Plasmatics. It wasn’t decided to release it under the Bloody Hammers banner until after the record was completed.

So with that in mind, it’s unfair to treat this as a Bloody Hammers record, because it’s nothing like it. It is, however, a pretty neat horror punk record. Opening track “A Night to Dismember” ticks all the boxes of a good horror punk track. It’s fast, straight forward, and melodic, with tongue in cheek lyrics filled with horror references and the obligatory “woah-oh-oh” parts. “Hands of the Ripper,” on the other hand, comes closer to a traditional Bloody Hammers track, if it were performed by a punk rock band.

The first two tracks pretty much set standard for the rest of the record. Pretty much all tracks are mid-tempo to slow punk tracks, although a bit heavier, with a keen sense of melody and referencing one old horror movie after the other. Oh, and they’re catchy as hell. You’ll be singing along before you know it.

For me, this record represents the best of both worlds. Tracks like “The Ones Who Own the Dark” and “We Are the Damned” have the dark and gloomy atmosphere you find on most Bloody Hammers tracks, while “Waking the Dead” and “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die” could have been written by the Misfits. Whether it’s a fast or a slower song, the atmosphere is right and that’s why it works.

While most tracks adhere to the formula mentioned above, “Lucifer’s Light” stands out. This goth rock ballad comes closest to a traditional Bloody Hammers track and it’s a nice change of scenery. I don’t really understand why it’s the tenth track on the record though, since it would do better halfway through the record or as a closing track. In its current position, it takes away from the great closer “I Spit on Your Corpse,” which is a shame.

Even though this is not a traditional Bloody Hammers record, it fits in their repertoire. It won’t go down in history as one of their best, but there’s still a lot to enjoy and it highlights a different side of the band. One thing is for sure though, it will certainly do well at your next Halloween party.

The toll of the bell to start “Clouds in the Sky” and the biographical description, “stoned out Sabbath groove.” That’s all that really needs to be said about this album from Fresno’s BEASTMAKER. The sound on ‘Lusus Naturae’ (2016) is spot on.

The guitar riffs and solos are derived from the works of Lord Iommi, yet Trevor William Church has his own voice, both through the guitar and his unique singing style. I’m finding it hard to write this as I listen, because I’m enthralled in these dark lyrics of an arcane nature, telling horror stories you want to hear, playing solos you want to hear – and the riffs! Riffs! RIFFS! This is what life is all about.

It would be unjust to single out any single song, as each one is just as good as, if not better than, the last – explaining why I can’t stop listening to this album. Andres Alejandro Saldate (AKA Juan Bonham) nails the sound behind the kit and John Tucker holds the Earth together with the bass guitar. One word to summarize: immaculate.

Perhaps the most frightening thought one can contemplate is not morality, but the prospect of immortality – that is, the suspicion that there may yet be existence beyond the grave. Thoughts of an “afterlife” have both blessed and tortured our collective unconsciousness for about as long as we’ve had to reconcile love and purpose with futility and loss. Truly, the notion of death and the life thereafter was something that haunted me more when I was a true believer than in my heathen latter years. The conundrum of eternality was far too frightening to comprehend, be it heaven, hell, or something…in between.

DESTROYER OF LIGHT have long visited the halls of the doomed and damned, entertaining strange notions of science fiction and uncanny horrors since 2012, when the Austin foursome was formed. I’ve noticed their sound has become more morose with time (the last few releases, especially), which has given me greater emotional access to their sound, I think, than when I first encountered them during the Bizarre Tales West Coast tour. ‘Chamber of Horrors’ (2017) certainly reconnected Destroyer of Light with the grim thematic material of early songs like “Greet Death,” as did the recent two-tracker 'Hopeless’ (2018).

Their next effort is a concept album, 'Mors Aeterna’ (2019), which concerns “a man who dies and travels through the underworld and experiences unpleasant scenarios.” The band tells us, “There’s ups and downs, twists and turns, and ultimately in the end, he will float in hell for eternity and experience complete horror for the rest of his being, hence, Mors Aeterna aka Eternal Death.”

Today, Destroyer of Light share the first sights and sounds from the album ahead of its May 24th release on Argonauta Records, with artwork by Khaos Diktator Design. “Afterlife” was the first song written for Mors Aeterna, we’re told. “At this stage, the man does not know if he is alive or dead. So, he is in shock and scared of what is happening, he is trying to communicate with someone, but they can’t hear his cries. Oh, the horror.”

Give ear…

Some Buzz

Formed in 2012 from constantly boiling musical cauldron that is Austin, Texas, Destroyer of Light has taken a straightforward approach to tempering the disparate and harmonious parts of their influences into a total sum of slow motion tidal heaviness that bows to no altar but that of the riff.

With the smoky flavors of hazed out doom and the stomping cadence of rock’s heyday, the band both tickles and deafens the ears with the theatrical flashes of Mercyful Fate, the ominous tones of Electric Wizard, and the ferociously feral feedback of a Sleep dirge. May 24th will see Destroyer of Light return with their third full-length album, 'Mors Aeterna’ (2019)!

“We worked really hard on this new record,” the band says, “to make it an experience and to give the listener a good, steady flow to go with the concept, we hope you enjoy it!”

Set for a release on May 24th with Argonauta Records, 'Mors Aeterna’ will be available as CD, LP and digital formats at: www.argonautarecords.com

TRACKLIST:

 1. Overture Putrefactio
 2. Dissolution
 3. Afterlife
 4. The Unknown
 5. Falling Star
 6. Burning Darkness
 7. Pralaya’s Hymn
 8. Loving the Void
 9. Into the Abyss
 10. Eternal Death

Destroyer of Light On Tour

*with special guests Hell Obelisco

 May 10th - IT - Bologna, Freak Out
 May 19th - IT - Genua, Lucrezia Social Bar
 May 12th - FR - Lyon, Le Farmer
 May 13th - FR - Toulouse, Usine De La Musique
 May 14th - FR - Strasbourg, TBA
 May 15th - DE - Dresden, Chemiefabrik
 May 17th - DK - Aalborg, 1000 Fryd
 May 18th - SWE - Stockholm, Copperfield
 May 19th - SWE - Boras, Cannibal Queen
 May 24th - IT - Vercelli (Argonauta Fest), with The Great Electric Quest
 May 25th - IT - Treviso, Altroquando with Messa

Imagine if Electric Wizard were to have been birthed in the ‘60s, bathed in groovy organ, bells, and bluesy tones, but with that same downtuned crunch and angsty, wanderlust vocals. Mix in an element of the horrific (vis-a-vis Acid Witch, Merlin, The Night Stalker, Bloody Hammers), and you have a good hint of what you’re in for with the latest spin by SATORI JUNK. The foursome from Milano offers something for doomer and stoner alike in their new LP and it is indeed a trip – perhaps their finest yet.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first listen to Satori Junk’s 'The Golden Dwarf’ (2018), which cannot help but possess your soul. It’s their second full-length, following the Italians’ memorable self-titled debut in 2015 (which was a terror in its own right). Doom on acid!

“It’s cheap and it works, but it has one collateral effect: it will annihilate your mind and your soul. It’s like a deal with the devil.”

Were it not for the opening narration, I would have almost believed I was in for an altogether different record. The cool, jazzy blues vibe that welcomes us to its opening number, “All Gods Must Die,” represents anything but fear and terror. This is a deceptive world of illusions, however, and the spell lasts but for brief moments before bad acid kicks in and ushers into the nightmare of a “Cosmic Prison” with a laugh.

The new landscape presents the atmospheric synth, spacey synth, and bizarre, swirling noises that rise like incense unto the heavens. A madman strikes the organ, and we hear the echo of unhinged vocals, joined by grim, grinding riffs. The song’s climactic moments welcome the presence of a wicked psychedelic guitar that gleefully shreds us all to pieces in a psychotic jam with organ play that has now reached a fever pitch.

We got a hint of the ghastly tenor of The Golden Dwarf last week when Satori Junk released the single “Blood Red Shrine,” made into an appropriately dank music video by DJ Gryphus, which I’ve dropped in the interview below for your viewing pleasure. In fact, I bid you go read it now, as you’ll gain great insights into where the record is taking us in the tracks ahead, including my favorite, “Death Dog.” On the other hand, it may be more fun to let your imagination bid you where it will. “You buys the ticket, you takes the ride,” as they say.

The Golden Dwarf is a funhouse filled with disturbing twists and turns, steep slides, spinning disks, shifting floors, and oddly distorted mirrors. What makes it work so well is the bed of fuzz-soaked doom and a mean-as-nails beat that grounds our footing in this floating barge of psychedelic lights, cascading pedal chirps, and otherworldly synth. It’s definitely an album I would recommend listening to in one sitting for full effect. Don’t miss the incredible Doors cover that ends this romp through space, either. You’ve never heard “Light My Fire” quite like this before, perhaps my favorite alt rendition yet of the classic song.

Satori Junk release The Golden Dwarf on Thursday, May 10th, in digital and CD format. It can be pre-ordered here. Until then, you can stream it all via Doomed & Stoned, so you’d best dose up, rest your weary head, and…

…give ear.

An Interview with Satori Junk

Satori Junk was born in Milan, Italy among the dense fog and the smoke of the urban waste landfills. An acid cocktail full of fuzz and electronics. Rough sounds, repetitive and loud overwhelming riffs and lyrics coming from dreams, hangover nightmares and horror movie atmospheres. The band’s main idea is to trap the listener in their rabid and uncomfortable distorted world.    (band bio)

Tell us about the band’s origins – how you met and decided to play this kind of music?

We met in the spring of 2012, after publishing an announcement on a local music website. Each of us was looking for a doom/stoner band to play with. Since we had not a single riff ready, we spent our first rehearsals jamming. Sometimes we played more than twenty minutes over a single riff, improvising or making little changes to our parts. After a month playing as an instrumental trio, Luke arrived. Together we decided to color our wall of sound with synths. That winter we were ready to record our demo: Doomsday.

What is the origin of the name Satori Junk?

It’s taken from Second Hand, a novel by Michael Zadoorian. The main character, Richard, owns a secondhand store with that name. These two words together to create a wonderful contrast. “Satori” is the Japanese for enlightenment. This could also fit in our music.

How would you describe your style of music?

An acid and powerful mixture of heavy riffing with something more colorful and ethereal, like the synths from the seventies.

What is the inspiration behind your musical and lyrical content?

Musically, we always try to gather inspiration by every kind of music we are into. Being strictly tied to a genre doesn’t work for us. Every band member exploits his own influences and contributes to the final work. Our lyrics are like short, surreal stories with bizarre characters, perfect for a B-Movie horror script.

What’s the relationship between your new album and your older records?

When we recorded our first album, we had no expectation at all. Now it’s different. People are starting to recognize our sound and we feel a little more responsibility. In three years, we have grown a lot, changed our drummer, whose effort was fundamental, and tried to distance ourselves from genre stereotypes to develop our own sound. There is always a link between our previous work and the new one. We didn’t overturn our style; we just made it heavier and more personal.

What is the significance of the title, 'The Golden Dwarf?’

The Golden Dwarf is a potion. A magic drink to achieve tranquility, calm down the anger and relief the pain. It’s cheap and it works, but it has one collateral effect: it will annihilate your mind and your soul. It’s like a deal with the devil.

Finally, would you be willing to guide is through the tracks on the new album and give us any insight into each of the songs?

“All Gods Die” is about depression and the struggle to give a meaning to your own life. Some people find relief in faith, some prefer to fight for their own and others prefer to give up and comply with society. It’s not easy to face the consequences, but the better choice is to defy the gods.

In “Cosmic Prison,” the protagonist is banished to a remote planet, alone, planning his escape and vengeance over the humankind. Everyone has his own prison. It’s not necessarily something physical, but the desire to overturn your own destiny is real.

“Blood Red Shrine” is a turning point, a doomy song where a mysterious force leads you to death or simply to transcend into another reality.

“The Death Dog” is a mystical trip where a skinny and creepy creature shows us our remote future dominated by chaos, where the mind reaches the bottom of the abyss.

The title track is the epilogue: shaken by anxiety, suffering and hate, we try to find a solution, drinking from the magic bottle. It’s a trap! We feel invincible, but it’s only a round trip.

“Light My Fire”…well, you all know that one!

~By Suzi Uzi~

(Doomed & Stoned Chicago)

When vocalist Virginia Monti (Psychedelic Witchcraft) and drummer Mark Greening (Electric Wizard, Ramesses, With The Dead) sparked a friendship year before last, we had a feeling that a collaboration was in the works.   Our hunch was confirmed with the announcement of the fascinating new project DEAD WITCHES.   Guitarist Greg Elk and bassist Carl Geary joined the crew shortly thereafter and the clock started ticking toward a debut record.   Ouija is slated for release on the 10th of February 2017 via Heavy Psych Sounds, with the second single “Drawing Down The Moon” dropping over the weekend.   We thought it high time to introduce the Doomed & Stoned readers to the masterminds fueling “the heaviest occult psych superbeast to see the light this year” and dispatched our newest contributor Suzi Uzi (who helms Chicago band Black Road) for a lively conversation with Virginia and Mark.   At the conclusion of the interview, Suzi gives us a review of the album, so stick around!   (Billy)

Are you guys excited about releasing your new album together?

Mark: Yeah, totally.

Virginia: I think we are excited – and it was really unexpected, because we didn’t plan anything.   We didn’t plan to do an album or even really to do a band, so it’s cool.

When did you guys form Dead Witches?

Mark: I don’t know…

Virginia: Basically what happened was, he wanted to do something new because of his past experiences with bands and stuff like that.   He wanted to do something really personal – and he is still doing Ramesses – but obviously he wanted to do something new.   He kept saying, “Oh, we need to jam. We need to do something together,” but I wasn’t really a fan of Electric Wizard, unfortunately.   When I met him, I didn’t even know how he played!   So when we actually jammed together, I was like, “Oh, you’re actually really good!”   He was like, “Uh, yeah…” and I really didn’t know that!   Back in Italy, I decided to write a couple of songs in Italy with a computer and a couple of friends, and I sent them back to Mark.   Apparently he liked it, and that’s when everything really started… isn’t it?

Mark: Well, yeah, I just heard some of the demos that Virginia did and we just sort of decided to give it a go.   I thought of some local lads I knew that would probably want to have a jam and do a band.   We just sort of set to do it for a bit of fun, really, and we thought, “Yeah, this is sounding quite good.”   Then we obviously got in touch with Gabriele about putting out an album and, yeah, that’s just sort of what happened.

Is this Gabriele Fiori?

Virginia: That’s him!   He is everywhere, isn’t he?

Mark: Yeah, Heavy Psych Sounds.

Virginia: I thank Gabriele for coming from a country that’s not really that into doom music, and not very into stoner music, either.   I think Gabriele did amazing stuff with his label.   It’s grown up so much during these years.   It is the best label in Italy and we are really happy to be with Heavy Psych.

Mark: Yeah, I mean we had a few different offers from record labels, but a lot of them were just going to be a bit too heavy and a bit too much of a commitment.   We just sort of wanted to do this album and have a bit of fun with it, really, and not be locked down to “You need to do this” or “You need to do that.”

Who originally had the idea for the band?

Virginia: I think the idea came from Mark, because he is a drummer and can write songs, but he just didn’t have a guitar back then.   So Mark wanted to do the band and I was the one who was more skeptical about it.  The music was so much different compared to Psychedelic Witchcraft.   I did the demos and wrote a few songs here and there, because I had been in his flat and was inspired.   When he was at work, I was here alone listening to his music, being with the exorcist doll, and going to the graveyard down the street.   I was just into his sort of inspiration and his sort of vibe, so I think the songs really reflect Mark’s ideas a lot.   Also, Mark came up with the name of the band.   If I have to be fair, yeah, we did it together, but it’s your inspiration, I think in my opinion.

Mark: Yeah, I guess so. (laughs)

Is it fun to experiment with new musical styles as you both influence one another’s sound?

Virginia: I think during the years you always develop and you always grow as a singer or as a musician, so I really respect bands that stay current with their sounds.   But then, on the other hand, it’s even good to grow, change, and experiment with new things.   That’s what happened to me on my side, because for me it was totally new music.  For him, he was actually doing his stuff, which feels like his sort of thing.

Mark: Well, yeah, I’ve always done sort of doom type of music, all a bit sort of doom and gloom.  In the past I have wanted to do other styles of music, but I’ve always stuck to doom.  I think if I did something a bit different, I’m not sure how people would take to it, to be honest.   I’ve done other things in the past, sort of trying to do like ‘60s garage bands, because I’m really influenced by late '60s music and heavy psychedelic stuff, as well.   It’s quite strange, really, because I’ve never really listened to a massive great deal of doom.   I mean, I’ve got my favorite doom bands, but I listen to a lot of stuff you probably wouldn’t think I listen to.

Virginia: That’s what inspired me most about him.   He doesn’t listen to heavy stuff.   You like some stuff that I like, like psychedelic stuff and other things from the 70s.   But then when it comes to the drumming and it comes to the music, he has his own interpretation, which I think makes everything a bit more winning.   He’s not actually trying to rip off anybody.   He’s just being himself and that was the most inspiring thing to me.   It just comes naturally.  That was great for me, and I think that really reflects the fact of heavy, but original.   You can clearly feel the vibe we want to transmit from the songs.

Mark: I mean a lot of doom music sounds similar anyway, really.   Some of the riffs and tempos of the songs and stuff.   It’s just a lot of other bands sound like any other band.

Virginia: Yeah, you know, it’s sounding like a copy of the copy of the copy of somebody else.   I don’t say this in a mean way, don’t get me wrong.   I respect most of the bands that are out there, but as a musician I would say that I really like people that have their own inspiration and they have something to say.   I think art is that: having something to say.   Maybe you’re not completely original, but you can feel it when there is honesty behind the music.   I think that’s what we are trying to say.

As I listened to your album and wrote out my review, one major feeling throughout was literally walking to, through, and then into a graveyard.

Virginia: I am very happy that you feel that.   Me and Mark are kind of weirdos, like a sort of Addam’s family.   We like to go to the graveyard.   We would go there at night.   I like to play with Ouija boards.   One of the songs on the album, “Ouija,” I wrote during a séance with the Ouija board.   I think the album themes really reflect that.

There are a lot of occult themes.   Was this part of the feeling you had in mind while mixing the vocals, to “bury” them in the mix?

Virginia: Mark really helped.   He played the organ, the keyboard.   He was also there mixing my voice.   We made sure it wasn’t over the top.

Mark: We wanted the vocals to sort of sit a bit in the mix.   We didn’t want it to be too up-front, otherwise when you’re listening all you would sort of be able to hear is the vocals.   So we wanted the vocals to be more like an instrument.

Virginia: That is why chose to go with Heavy Psych.   Gabriele let us go into the recording studio and do whatever we wanted to do.  We didn’t have any pressure from a manager or from another person saying to make the sound more polished or a certain way.   We were actually free and that’s amazing to have from a record label, I think.

Mark: Yeah, the studio where we recorded, Chuckalumba Studio with John, was the same I had worked in a few times with John on some Electric Wizard LPs.   John knew what we were sort of after, the way we wanted to record, and the sound we were going for really.   He was really great to help us out and mix it.

Virginia: It was literally a work of the whole band.   We all sat down together and knew what sound we wanted.

Mark: The mixing was quite easy, really.   We all knew what we wanted and just got on and did it.   Sometimes mixing albums in the past become a complete nightmare.

Virginia: We were in there for four days in a row.   This studio is super cool.   It is literally in the middle of nowhere.   There is no phone connection, no internet connection, just in the woods.   We were there just doing the music.   We recorded on tape, so nothing was digital.   It was just one take and that’s it.   It was really a cool experience.   Mark was used to that, because he’d been there before, but I never recorded on tape with vintage stuff and for me it was amazing.

Was that stressful to record on tape?

Virginia: A bit!

Mark: The only thing with recording on tape is there’s no chopping.   I mean, you can, but I don’t know how you would do that.   We just sort of have to get it right and just play it, and there you go.   I prefer that way of recording.   You get the best sound and a more vintage feel to everything.

Virginia: We obviously had our moments of difficulty, especially because I am not the easiest person to work with.   I am a perfectionist and unfortunately have no filter.   If something was bad, I was like, “This is shit! We have to do it again!”   They were very patient to work with me – very, very patient.   He’s a sweetheart, but I am really the bitch of the situation.   At the end of the day it was a lot of fun.

Did the label have a hand in helping you to produce your album or was this more of a self-produced project?

Virginia: Gabriele said to just go into the studio and make the album.   We did it all ourselves, we paid for it ourselves.   Mark actually paid most of it.  It was just us.

Mark: Gabriele was so laid back about stuff.   He signed us really on just hearing one demo, I think.   He was just really into it.   He basically said we could do what we want with the record and send him a track while in the studio, just so he could hear how it was sounding.   We sent him one song and he thought it sounded great.   He just let us get on with it, really, with no pressure.

Virginia: It was a lot of fun.   We were very professional in the studio. (laughs)   When it came my turn to do the vocals, they left me alone and were drinking.   On the last song, I was a bit drunk on the album, actually!

Mark: Very, very professional!

Do you guys have any plans to do gigs or tour at all in the future?

Mark: We haven’t done any shows yet, it’s early days really.   I’m getting on a bit now, so I don’t want to be doing too many long tours or anything like that.   It would be nice to play a few festivals and maybe a short tour.   It would be nice to do a few shows here and there.   I’d definitely like to record a second album, as well.

Virginia: I don’t think we will ever go on a big three-month tour, but we are looking forward to doing that.

Track-by-Track:

A Review of Ouija by Dead Witches

From the moment the “Intro” track starts, anticipation ensues.   You hear sounds of a storm.   Rain drops heavily fall as thunder rumbles, leading way to the heavy bass played by Carl Geary.   A church organ creeps in and creates a spooky feeling.   Suddenly, it’s as if you’re heading toward a graveyard or some ominous place where spirits await.   The guitar, played by the late Greg Elk, has an amazing tone that creates a harmonious sensation with the organ, as well as big chord power.   Vocalist Virginia Monti’s distorted echoes are intriguing throughout the album.

Track two: “Dead” has a straightforward groove, accented by solid drums and that always-present and recognizable ride cymbal, played by Mark Greening, that carries us through the whole song.   The beginning guitar riff reminds us we’re listening to a band with members who have spent years honing their sound, and know exactly what they want.   The vocals are like an evil, twisted taunt.   Buried within the mix, clearly Dead Witches is producing their own take on something we have all grown to love.   The guitar and bass create the perfect fuzzy feeling for Virginia’s powerful, over-driven vocals.   The song ends just as strong as it began.

Track three: “Drawing Down The Moon” is heavy! Virginia sounds possessed and wanting revenge.   Her voice growls over giant guitar chords and fuzz-laden bass.   “Sacrifice the blood” echoes throughout the song.   This album truly feels as though this trip through the graveyard already took a wrong turn, in the best sort of way.   The drums really showcase the quality of the recording and mixing of Ouija.   This song has a great tempo that picks up near the end and gets you pumped for the next track.

Track four: “Ouija” slows down the chaos just a bit, with a demonic and psychedelic groove feeling.   Vocal verses give way to bluesy and trippy guitar leads, effectively executed with simplicity.   This song is like a carnival ride, going slow and sludgey, then suddenly picking up, only to slow right back down.   The musicianship for each member shines throughout this track.   Having a deadly, repeating vocal hook ensures this song will definitely be stuck in your head!

Track five: “Mind Funeral” had one of my favorite vocal melodies.   It pairs perfectly with the guitar and bass to sound even more evil.   This band has really found a way to capture darkness, celebrating a “funeral of the mind.” The lyrics get stuck in your head and keep you coming back to listen again and again.   The main riff slays, creating its own story –- as if you’re running from some invisible, ominous pursuer, perhaps Dead Witches or “the spirits that haunt your soul”?

Track six: “A World Of Darkness” starts with only Mark’s super solid drums for a few measures.   The guitar and bass join in for the final track of the album.   After a spooky old movie quote, the riffs begin as heavy as ever.   Virginia gives us the realization of just how hopeless it is, and there is “no way back” from this graveyard trip.   The vocal melody is beautiful, yet tortured.   The fuzz and cymbal crashes ring out and the song picks back up with drums to continue the spell of the Dead Witches.   This song has many great drum parts to really display Mark’s versatility.   The album ends, leaving you wanting more.

Overall, Ouija has everything you would hope for in a great doom album.   The occult themes are prevalent in every song, as well as the bleak and dark side of life and death.   Virginia simply wrote about what she was feeling at that point, based on the things she had been exposed to and interested her.   “I spent a lot of time in Mark’s flat alone. I would walk to the graveyard near his place and take pictures, and get inspiration… Dead Witches is really a lot of Mark’s ideas and influence.”

I think we can expect great things from this band.   The psychedelic elements and influences of each member of Dead Witches gleam through and come together in this album.   Pairing great pals with seasoned musicians from already established, amazing acts, this band was already doomed to succeed right from the start.   The members’ experience shows in the sense of urgency put forth to record, produce, and release this album, despite challenges.   Recorded with John Chuckalumba at Chuckalumba Studios in the U.K., the band had creative freedom with Ouija and allowed their passion into the music, without worrying about a record label creating boundaries.   Although Mark mentioned he has “always done doom music, but never listened to a massive great deal of doom,” this album is one for the doom record books.

Ouija is scheduled for release on February 10th via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Get it here.