Once more from Submerge Promotions comes another night of Doom!
Headlining at Gulliver's in Manchester on Saturday 1st June will be Oxfordshire based Drone/Sludge four piece UNDERSMILE whose new split release with their own alter ego Coma Wall 'Wood & Wire' is out now!!
Travelling up from Plymouth and acting as main support will be those dark and aggressive beings of Sludge Doom band ISHMAEL who released their debut album 'Hell Is Empty And All The Devils Are Here' last year!
As voted for by your the Domkyrkan readers tonight s review shall be UK Doom lords IRON HEARSE, so here goes...
From the Doom Metal heartland that is Swindon... Yeah... comes a whose career can be summed up in two halves as it were, both culminating in a full length album release. Forming in 2001 Iron Hearse set about their business by releasing three demo's in consecutive years. 2002 saw their debut demo 'A Slow & Heavy Ride' (Incidentally a song on this album) whilst 2003 saw the band return with their second and self titled demo whilst 2004 witnessed their 'Ruins of Doom' demo. In 2005 the band stepped things a gear with the 'Peddle The Metal' EP before finally in 2006 they stepped up to the plate and released their debut and self titled full length studio album!
In terms of releases the band then hit a dry spell and a gap of four long whole years would open up before them like a void before finally in 2010 they returned with their 'Lunar Funeral' Ep quickly followed in the same year by a split release with American Doom Metal tyrants Leather Nun. Rather than stick to their early days mantra of one release a year Iron Hearse would wait until 2012 before offering up a live DVD from Doomsday IV but in terms of actual new material the band waiting, for this...
2013 has sen the return of Iron Hearse in a big way, that being the release of their sophomore studio album entitled 'Get In The Hearse' through Snake Mountain Records.
Opening with the short and to the point 'Wolf Clergy' Iron Hearse get straight down to business and even include a cowbell count in, what more could you want? What you get is straight up old school Doom Metal with no thrills just riffs, lots of down tuned groove drenched riffs and clean/sleazy vocals that let you hear what the band are singing about.
"You'd better hope you find you're way back home, before the wolf clergy devour your bones, those silver bullets are just out of reach, don't ever listen to them preach"
For me this is a smack in the face of those of a religious persuasion and in particular those behind the pulpit feeding their clergy lies on a weekly basis!
Next up is the previously mentioned 'A Slow & Heavy Ride' which was once used as a demo name although not a song on said demo. Increasing the groove and the down tuned majesty this track glides along effortlessly and is a true example of the goodness of the riff! Lyrics such as "Nobody Else Is By Your Side, It's A Slow & Heavy Ride" and "This World Can Be Dark & This World Can Be Cold, It Feels Like You've Got No Soul" take little explaining but channel into something that many of us feel on a day to day basis!
Changing things up a little bit yet again is 'Vessels of Astaroth' which incorporates a touch of the psychedelic into the mixture but tempered by some wonderful heavy Doom riffs that crash into you with real might! 'Hydra's Children' as you can hear in the video above is more straight up Doom in style and a tremendous feast of riffs, fast throbbing bass play and guitar solos that melt into the fabric of the album whilst 'Aint No New Thing' screams of a Heavy Metal influence as once more Iron Hearse just cruise on by, almost on an auto-pilot of hard riffs and catchy tunes!
More solos follow during 'Orion's Sword' and combined with the perpetual beat and the fact that the band put emphasis and great tunes rather than ultra technical ability, you'll be tapping your feet and nodding your head throughout! Slower and more intensely heavy and doomed out is 'Black Sermon' which releases more solid fat riffs into the atmosphere and trundles along nicely at it's own pace before the albums finale 'The Ultimate Atomic Man' which leaves you on a crazy high of fast stoner like riff-age and hypnotically catchy tunes!
So remember... this aint no new thing, it's just all about the riffs!
In culinary terms they say that the very first bite is actually with the eye. I'd like to think that in musical terms the same applies and if ever my point was evident it is with the artwork of Swedish Sludge Doom quartet Serpent Omega and their debut full length album released on vinyl only through Britain's own Mordgrimm! Created by front lady Pia Hojberg the album art is a true masterpiece, a subtle forest landscape of nocturnal greens set deep into a green tinted starry sky, and standing prominently and proudly over this eye catching scene is the bands logo, dripping with underground Metal chic and boldly stating that Serpent Omega have arrived and to be prepared!
Opening track 'Skullwand' sets a perfect tone for this album which it's serpentine lyrics and fast,aggressive riff-age. Here the bands Sludge influence is razor sharp and within moment a pummeling has begun, lead by the rolling rising riffs of guitarist Andreas 'Jonsson' Westholm and bolstered by the meaty bass play of Tomas 'Brief' Westberg whilst behind them Sakke Sexton on drums batters and destroys the remaining threads of tranquility with furious aggression and a slightly muffled sound which together with the echo strewn powerful vocals of Pia Hojberg give the opening tracks a really oppressive and powerful cloaking feel, like the band have snared you into their musical net, sat you down, made you feel right at home and are now turning the tables by repeatedly drowning you in wave after constant wave of fuzzed out Doomed up savagery!
Vocally Pia's aggressive style crossed with some artful mastering makes the perfect sound to fit into the Serpent Omega mould and never more is this true than during the slow, calculating and ominous 'Smoke Ritual'. As the name suggests this is a truly ritualistic song and it's bass heavy crushing tones are tempered by vocal work that rise up at you as from a tomb. Indeed the mental aspect of this rack brings to mind Pagan rituals long since abandoned by the majority but still remain in the hearts of the few, priestesses and druids stand bearing torches of flame underneath a starry nights sky, blood is spilled in celebration and the serpent worshiped intently. Each person will of course take their own meaning from each song but to my minds eye this is what the band create within me!
Finishing off the first side of this record is 'Hammer' whose cold intensity and droning chant like undertone lends a little influence from Black Metal without delving too deeply into that area. Soon though the monstrous Sludge Doom onslaught has begun as riff after destructive riff is thrown high into the nights sky before crashing down to Earth again with explosive consequences! If ever Serpent Omega utilized a more bludgeoning quality then this is the song and it isn't surprising when you consider the subject matter and it's apocalyptic overtones which whilst delving into the old Norse myths transforms it's message into a more modern context...
"Six Billiard Megatons, Odin's Got A New Son, Six Billiard Megatons, Earth Mass Equivalence, Six Billiard Megatons, A Dark Beloved Brother Unites, Six Billiard Megatons'
Flip the record over and you are instantly treated to my own personal favourite from this album... 'Warmachine'. Fast, belligerent and rampaging Serpent Omega increase the intensity for this track and fuse their already abrasive sound with hints of cold steely Black Metal one moment whilst hammering out infectious intricate riffs drenched in groove the next. It may be a shorter song but it's impact both musically and lyrically charged and deadly and from it I feel a point being made that now more than ever our world stands on a precipice of war, danger and death brought about by a constant global bombardment of religious oppression and narrow minded thining. Take away the social context though and what you are left with is an downright killer, a song that will force you to lose your mind and bang your head until your neck screams in fury for you to cease!
Equally as strong and as devastating is 'Red Sun' whose opening moments are once more gripped by the cold metallic fingers of a more dark and lurking force before the band once more open the taps and ride the waves of sludge soaked riff-age whilst at times more whispered, serpentine and calculating vocals add to the tracks mystique and evil intent. Like the last track though if you move past the in depth lyrical content and strip away it's meaning you are once more left with a bruising crippling beast of a song that is as remorseful in it's approach as a panzer tank to the face! In the same vein 'Serpent Omen' increases the intense experience further, ramping up the violence and aggression in this short blitzkreig attack before leading into the more challenging and thoughtful 'Konflux'... the song that sadly bring this intoxicating album to a close. This slowed down, calculating track, wreathed in darkness but with softer, cold and more haunting passages ends what is for me going to be one of the albums of the year! Mixing subtlety and thoughtfulness into an ocean of flat out aggression, abrasive sounds and musical dominance, Serpent Omega have gone from a band I'd never heard of... to a band I couldn't live without!
Since their inception into the UK Metal scene mid way through 2012 Dorset based Greenhorn have been making huge strides in both sound progression and impact. Their debut three track EP entitled 'The Plague Doctors Mask' holds the attention well and does more than just hint at the bands promising sound. Opening with 'Snakes' the band opt for an almost mainstream opening that could have easily gone down an 'Alternative Metal' route but which blessedly soon gives way to more groove laden riff-age and a faster, more aggressive Sludge influence. In slower moments the down tuned Doom underbelly of Greenhorn rises to the surface to reveal their true nature. Personally I feel that 'Snakes' doesn't not accurately represent the true sound or intent of the band, a theory further bolstered by the next track... 'Witches Bridle'.
'Witches Bridle' for me the epitome of the Greenhorn sound. With a stereotypical lyrical content (Thanks the Pagan Gods for that one, who listens to Doom for originality?) and a bass heavy sound, 'Witches Bridle' produces imagery into your mind straight out of the film 'Witchfinder General' but without the audio clips such as used by Cathedral. Very much influenced by the North Berwick witch trials in the year 1590, Greenhorn use a little of Cathedrals own sound but merge it with their own, using amazing song craft to build suspense before letting loose some of those sweet crushing riffs that all true Doom fans want to hear! Lyrically 'Witches Bridle' tells the story of a typical witch dunking and burning superbly and in a way that will hook you directly into the song and have you singing along within moments.
"Confess your sins for goodness sake, we'll take you down to the side of the lake, when you float we'll pull you out of the ditch, light a fire...'
Musically Greenhorn also excel during 'Witches Bridle' and flick effortlessly between lighter moments and truly earth shattering thick riffs aided at all times by confident and prominent bass play. To my mind the Cathedral influence remains throughout but who cares? What a song!!
Greenhorn end proceedings with 'Women and Children First' which picks up the pace and increases the intensity and aggression in the vocals and in the riff-age. Indeed Greenhorn embark upon many moments of building up their sound to crescendo before bringing it all crashing down again from a great height in true monolithic Doom style. On a sound and production note Greenhorn's debut does have that new demo feel too it but that only enhances the listening pleasure in my opinion. Give 'The Plague Doctors Mask' a few spins, I don't think you'll regret it!
I decided today was as good a day as any to commit to type the first post of Domkyrkan. For a long time now I have hankered to write this blog, a blog dedicated solely to my most loved and trusted sub-genre of Metal, Doom in all it's guises and forms.
Domkyrkan in Swedish translates to Church of Doom and what one word could be more fitting? In English we don't really have many single word descriptions such as this and so I'm not averse to stealing one from the Scandinavians to suit my own purposes, and I'd like to thank the band Serpent Omega who grew up near the actual Domkyrkan and whose recent interview in Zero Tolerance gave me the idea, and by idea I mean I thought that's pretty damn cool, I'm having that!
So in thanks to them for the inspiration I hope you enjoy this video of Serpent Omega... Doom on! \m/
