Leanne Ridgeway Destroys Cancer (And You Help)

 

 

Leanne Ridgeway Destroys Cancer (And You Help)

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It seems this illness targets the good people first. Leanne, the tongue in cheek girl, making fun of everything in the world, herself included and first and foremost. Even now, when she’s battling cancer. You might know her from the bands she put out there through one of her spotlights: Riff Relevant, Mettle Media PR. Or just from those silly early morning pictures… She’s good people! And still can’t thank her enough for all the stuff she has done for the Heavy Underground and especially for bringing the awesome High Noon Kahuna to my attention. The honorable JJ Koczan started a GoFundMe for her… Thank you JJ and thank you Leanne for all you’ve done so far and will continue to do, for you will surely beat this thing! 

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Kvasir – 4

 

 

Kvasir – 4
Glory Or Death Records – 2021
Rock, Hardrock, Metal, Proto, NWBHM, Classic
Rated: ***

The Portland four that form Kvasir have released a new album through Glory Or Death Records called: 4. On it they will take you with them on a grand adventure through all ages of metal. Indeed, we can hear as much influences from the proto stages, the NWBHM era and all that which came after. But it safe to say their main forte lies in the proto era, the Iommi riffs and the Sabbathian grooves. And on those moments they infuse it with something doom or that tiny bit of stoner they turn the grand adventure into something truly majestic. Just check out that trucking second effort on the album titled: Authenticity & The Illusion of Enough. Tony Reed re-mastered the album for vinyl release and I’m keen to hear where it will differ from the digital release. Cause there are also a few instances where the tracks could perhaps benefit from a bit more thickness and a bit more low end. But even then you will love the curveballs these cats than throw, that funky, jazzy start of third tracker Slow Death Of Life which then turns into a Sabbath ode. And they boys know the best way to get people hooked, it to leave them wanting more. And after closing track Alchemy of Identity, you will surely be wanting more! It’s their full-sized debut, and it’s damn freaking tasty!

(Written by JK)

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Glory Or Death Records

16 – Dream Squasher

16 – Dream Squasher

Relapse Records – 2020

Rock, Metal, Sludge, Doom

Rated: ****

I recently noticed Leanne Ridgeway, fellow contributor to the Doom Charts, the dark haired princess from Mettle Media PR and Riff Relevant listening to 16 and suddenly remembered, shit, I still have Dream Squasher laying around and have forgotten to get back to listening to it. I had it on a couple of times and then different stuff got in the way, which is almost an insult for these pioneers of the doom and sludge metal scene. They’ve been around for thirty years and even though they always take their breaks between albums every one of them always seems to hit even harder than the one before. And Dream Squasher is no different! With their slow and determined approach to translate their anger and frustration to something kinetic and aggressive, they managed once again to deliver their mountainous sound. A few fast-paced metal tracks interspersed throughout the album give it that much needed diversion of what we already knew for the past thirty years, 16 are masters of the doom and sludge metal universe!

(Written by JK)

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Number 13

Number 13

From those two amazing bands, Zed and The Lunar Effect on Number 14 we jump 35 points to reach Number 13. It’s lucky Number 13 today and it’s Friday; (can anyone crush the cosmic numbers on that one?) and it features an album everyone loved since it came out and I personally had expected higher up on the list. Some otherworldly heavy psychedelic and progressive gold that will have you floating through the space between dimensions in no time! Or as hombre Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant) already stated on the Doom Charts of September: “Nashville’s genre distorting, cosmic craftsmen to the power of 3 blast off on their first full-length journey. It’s a conceptually-themed construct capturing one of underground music’s most promising acts in all their psyche-punk / stoner metal glory… with Sci-Fi ever their muse, they have set the bar high outside the box and way above the stratosphere. One may stamp Album Of The Year Contender on this opus… One small step for Blues Funeral Recordings, one Howling Giant leap for greatness!” And we could not agree more, Number 13!

Howling Giant - The Space Between Worlds

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Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

It’s Friday. But y’all knew that. There is this thing called the Doom Charts that features all the amazing albums one can handle in a week! But I’m sure y’all knew that too! So what else is there to say? Not much, but to wish you all a fine ass weekend. Filled with a truckload of great music and equally impressive times! Whether they’d be drunken parties, wild nights, crazy festivals or chilled out lazy afternoons in the sun. Everything tastes better with the right kind of music… And that’s where the Quick Fire Friday round jumps in and helps out! Like Reek of STOOM, who once again gracefully delivered a few lines for the bands featured today… And yes, we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday. And its burns hot like molten lava!

Electronic Chaos – Nobody Gives A Shit

Our Canadian compadre returns with another smash - and - grab Grind EP that melts faces like acid bile! Relentless and Raging!!

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

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Green Milk From The Planet Orange – Third

Japanese Psychonauts return on a passing comet, bringing strange, exotic sounds gathered on their 14-year elliptical orbit... Psychedelic, Progressive, Amazing!

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

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The Wizard – The Wizard

San Antonio's Fuzz-Doom outfit The Wizard have raised the bar with this superb collection of riffed-up Rock: Fun, Fuzz-Filled and Fabulous! NYP

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

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Buzzard Cult – Buzzard Cult

Buzzard Cult is a three piece Southern Grunge/Punk band based north of Atlanta, Georgia. We draw on a variety of influences ranging from Hardcore Punk, Grunge, Southern Rock, and Rock n' Roll. We copy pasted that from bandcamp so we could get drunk sooner. Drunk on their tunes and drunk on the atmosphere. Grungy and punky it is indeed… And for some weird and possibly insane reason it reminded us of the Belgian scene… A harder heavier version of dEUS, Zita Swoon and those crazies… Good stuff!

(Written by JK)

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Ranchero – Ranchero

Released almost a year ago, (and ofcourse the amazing Riff Relevant was right there with them at the time) the self-titled debut by Californian trio Ranchero is filled with high energy  punky hard rock and skater styled stoner rock. Bluesy by default and sundried by nature, the perfect soundtrack to take on your journey… To wherever… The destination doesn’t matter, just blast Ranchero!

(Written by JK)

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Godzillabong – Doomsday Guru

Let’s end this Quick Fire Friday with something ominous and full on doom. It’s Godzillabong from Rome! With hints of sludge and stoner, it moved distinctly into the realm of proto metal and the doom of yore. Supermassive and it will get you high like a gigantic beast!

(Written by JK)

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The Doom Chart for March 2019

Doom Chart

"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." ~ Mark Twain

March sure came in like a lion and out like a god damn lion in terms of the heavy underground. Being April Fools day on this glorious day of the March 2019 Doom Charts list reminds us that we are all fools in some shape of form. Without fools like us, or them, none of us would succeed. Okay now onto the chart. Sorry for the dorky intro, but lets not fool ourselves, we are here for the music and the music of March and beyond is charted below. Enjoy.

Yes, the Doom Charts are here once again, twenty-five of the best heavy albums making the rounds through the underground, around the globe. The contributors all sent in their lists, Bucky does the majestic work of tallying them all up and ending up with a list of over 300 albums each month. Yes, each month...  This time around 320. And you might wonder what kind of bands we find at the bottom of that list? It's not really the bottom you see, it's just where the list ends... And guess what, they are still all damn freakin good, that’s what’s so amazing! 4Mag Nitrous for instance and their High Road EP. (Read about it on Riff Relevant) Or Yatraa with their Arkhan release. (Read about it on LaHabitacion235) Both absolute wild releases that might move higher up the list next month or maybe not. That is why we occasionally debate whether we should publish more? Or even the entire list? Or the individual lists by the contributors? I guess, the Doom Charts, as they are, seem fitting and it does not pretend to know it all or show it all, just to guide you through what came out on top this month. And we all have our preferences and we all find out those hidden lumps of gold anyway, those albums that for whatever reason does their magic for you… But not for your neighbor… It’s music! It’s what we love!

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and album reviewers from the heavy underground around the globe.  Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge metal, stoner-psychedelic and heavy rock albums.  The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below.  This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

The Doom Chart for March 2019