Black Tar Prophet / Crawl split preorders available

Atlanta's Crawl and Nashville's Black Tar Prophet are about to release a split CDEP of low end driven dirtdoom, the pre-order for which is now up on Crawl's bandcamp page, where you can also hear an edit of the track they have recorded for the split, Rise. Feast.
Head on over to Black Tar Prophet on the same site to hear two tracks clocking in at around ³/₄ of an hour and get an idea of what to expect!

Crawl:
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Black Tar Prophet:
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Updates update.

Today I've been making some minor changes to the site, but I think they are worth mentioning here.
First, we've added a search function to the main page, having almost 700 posts at the moment, the old archive/tag/labels system was becoming a bit cumbersome.

So now we have a box that you can search in (Really. Try "Leeds Fenton" or something similar) and the results pop up at the top of the site there, in a box you can click closed.

This has meant that we can streamline the archive a little bit so that it now looks a little neater:

 And over on our Facebook page, we have added a link for you to sign up for our email newsletter, which we plan to be a weekly update, sometimes with stuff we haven'y been able to get up on the site here.

 Anyway, there you go. Mounds of stuff to review, more posts tomorrow!

Mage - Black Sands

There's only so much filth one can be immersed in before you want something...different, for want of a better word!

We recently received a promo copy of Mage's BLACK SANDS, and when we put it on, what a refreshing release this is!

Mage are rocking out, simple as that.
This is 10 tracks of Sabbath-infused good time Doom Metal.
It's nice to see bands with doom influences that are not bothering with the occult-shtick Scooby Doom nonsense that's so prevalent these days.

As soon as Cosmic Cruiser X blasts out of your speakers, it's time to crack open a cold one and enjoy.
The song grooves along, with the rhythm section of Andy and Mark working together to lay down some serious bedrock for the twin guitar attack of Ben and Woody to play across the top of.

Tom's vocals are classic heavy metal in the vein of Pepper Keenan or Ben Ward, and when it all comes together...well, I lost count of the amount of times I started playing air-bass or nodding along when I gave the disc it's first spin!
There are plenty of brilliant bluesy style moments in the tracks, alongside sections that really rock, such as the start of Rust.
In places the band have a feel of mid-period Cathedral or Kyuss, and I've found myself humming the basslines off a few of these tracks today!
Drowning Doom is a standout track for me, a straight up doom beginning leading into some excellent double bass drumming before the riff comes back in again, it also has an almost Alice in Chains feel to it, which is a good thing.
Witch of the Black Desert has a Sleep-esque start to it before it really kicks off, Sabbath style about two and a half minutes in.

All in all, this is a real stomper of an album, covering all kinds of ground, and Boulty's production really puts the band right in your face.
Brilliant.
The band are self releasing this as a digipack CD, and it will be distributed online by the hard working Witch Hunter Records, you can get it on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

wwww.facebook.com/mageband
www.witchhunterrecords.com

Ilsa - Intoxicatations

Washington DC's ILSA return with the follow up to 2010's Tutti il Colori del Buio, with Intoxicantations; a true example of real crossover, merging metal, hardcore, sludge, you name it.

Foreign Lander starts with a squeal of feedack, and is into some serious riffing, with a tornado of drumming, moving forward at breakneck speed, with Orion growling atop it all.
Harking back to the days when death metal and hardcore mixed effortlessly, this is filthy, downtuned noise just the way Thee Claw likes it; brooding passages punctuated with bursts of feedback and death growls.

The cover art of a tiger downing a bad trip whilst lines of maggots are prepared should give you some idea of what's in store for you when you listen to the album.
The title track is a grinding juggernaut of a song, with stunning double-kick drumming from Joshy, there are even some black metal influences on show here, where Brendan and Garret hold the guitars back and Orion's voice reverberates over the rhythm section.

Deadbeat's Ballad is a punkier, more in your face track, where your head starts nodding along and your feet start to stamp, followed by Man-made Monsters, a more metallic track which brings to mind sweaty gigs in small clubs when you'd see a band you hadn't heard before and they'd blow you away whilst you tried to figure out where they were coming from, reminds me of dISEMBOWELMENT in places, and musically even the good old demo days of the unholy English trinity of Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost.
Striding across all of it is some outstanding bass work from Sharad, real speaker-shaking bottom end.
Love it.

The album ends with a one two of Martyrs and Skin and Bone, the former is another stomping, crusty anthem with some metallic riffs that will send crowds mental, the latter being a doomy, crawling number at the start, that the drums join at around the two minute mark to create a nasty, lumbering beast of a track with a hauntingly atmospheric guitar solo, before becoming complete Whitehouse-style noise that cuts off suddenly and is replaced with the sound of an air raid siren.

Take heed, Ilsa mix together all aspects of the underground and may well be one of the bands of 2013.

Out now on a389 Recordings.

a389 Recordings
Ilsa (facebook)

Let him who has understanding reckon the number of the post, for it is a human number....

This is our 666th post on Thee Claw, and what else could we have ever possibly posted? Thanks to you all for putting up with us...here's to the next 334!!

Last Stand

Toronto's VILIPEND have just unveiled their debut video for the track 'Last Stand Of The Hopeless Romantic' from their 2012 full length 'Inamorata' (A389 Recordings)
 Watch the video for VILIPEND 'Last Stand Of The Hopeless Romantic' here! (c/o Metal Injection)

VILIPEND 'Inamorata' 12"/Digital Available NOW on A389 Recordings
Listen to the album in full here: http://a389recordings.bandcamp.com/album/a389-105-vilipend-inamorata-12 

www.a389records.com 
http://a389recordings.bandcamp.com 

My writings have often praised William, but for this act I can only condemn him....

"I persecuted the native inhabitants of England beyond all reason. Whether nobles or commons, I cruelly oppressed them; many I unjustly disinherited; innumerable multitudes, especially in the county of York, perished through me by famine and sword…I am stained with the rivers of blood that I have shed."

One of our favourite English bands, Wiht, are releasing their The Harrowing of the North, on clear vinyl on 2013, courtesy of Devouter Records.

  Taking influence thematically from the subjugation of the North of England by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, The Harrowing of the North tells the troubled history of doomsday-era Yorkshire- the king massacred it's people and destroyed the land to ensure it held no economic or cultural worth and would remain under his subservient rule.(from Wiht's bandcamp)

Pre-order one of 300 limited copies from the website today.

Wiht previously recorded an 2-track album called The Harrowing of the North in 2011, which you can hear over on their bandcamp page.
The 2013 release will also include an unreleased bonus track, End of the Reign, the last track the band recorded together.

Metalcore 0, Wiccan Wanderers 5

(long time coming, crazy situations - P)

Well, better late than never, the review of one of the UK's hardest working band's second CD, Ravens Creed's THE POWER.

From the moment the CD starts, with an air raid siren wailing and the staccatto, Hell Awaits style riffing comes on, you know that RC are about to serve a treat to your ears, a snap to your neck and a kick to your yarbles, if you have any yarbles that is.

Worshipping at the altar of 84-92 death/power/speed/thrash/whatever, all the adjectives that Cronos used to use to describe Venom in interviews, they pick up where they left off with 2011's Nestless and Wild EP, and pummel you into submission.

Younger readers maybe haven't ever heard a band like Ravens Creed before, and their blend of Venom/Kreator/Old Sepultura music would have you thinking you were listening to a South American tape on Cogulemo, with crystal clear production that really gets behind your eyes.
But don't kid yourself, this is no rose-tinted trip down memory lane, Ravens Creed are aggressive and hungry.
Vocalist Al Osta barks out commands like Patrick Mameli encased in Dalek armour, on Wiccan Wanderers sounding like a nastier version of Moonfog-era Darkthrone, with (as we have mentioned on previous occasions) outstanding drumming from Jay Graham who must surely be one of the greatest drummers in UK metal today.

There are traces of, dare we say it, groove in some of the tracks, such as on Raped by the Graveyard, which ploughs out of the speakers, with Fraser Craske's bass bubbling underneath Steve Watson's guitar, track after track of vicious, old-style, relevant metal.
None of the tracks are more than three minutes long, leaving you reeling from song to song, like going 16 rounds with David Price.

Standout tracks: Wiccan Wanderers, Rat King Rosary and Silence in Crow Court.

The album is out on Doomentia Records orange vinyl, black vinyl and Cd available and affordable.
Get over there, and Unleash the Rat Bashers.

Tree of Sores in wax release on ALERTA ANTIFASCISTA

Claw favourites TREE OF SORES are set to release their, well, basically their back catalogue on vinyl through Germany's ALERTA ANTIFASCISTA. This contains the recent full length "A Cry of Despair" and the debut on one 12".

PRE-ORDER! SHIPPING AT 15th DECEMBER!!! 
Starting out with crushing guitars and abrasive vocals a pounding rhythm soon is established leading to some haunting guitar work it sets the tone for more to follow. 
Tree of Sores must really be commended for the quality of this release. 
Every member excels to provide the listener with a stunning listening experience. 
 "A Cry Of Despair" takes a more subtle turn around the ten minute mark. 
A delicate riff builds with chiming momentum giving way to a brooding passage of density and euphoric greatness . Free of vocals, the music carries the song while maintaining the flow . 
It gives way to more atmospheric moments before gathering in pace again. Ending in brutal fashion with pummelling drums and layers of guitar, eventually fading out in drones of feedback and effects overall its an outstanding accomplishment Tree Of Sores can be proud of. 
This Release also contains almost the whole first EP (one song is missing) on the B-Side and a A2-Poster (size: 17x24inch)!!!

Corrupt Moral Altar to release CD on Baitin' The Trap

News via Baitin' The Trap Records:

So here we have it, Sludge/Grind new boys Corrupt Moral Altar blew me away with their demo 'Needle Drugs', so much so I had to work with them.
Their debut EP will now be the first release on Baitin' The Trap Records and will be limited to 150 copies on CD, with artwork coming from Chris of Iron Witch.
A digital download will also be available and pre-orders for this bad boy will be up within the next few weeks.

You can find the demo here - http://corruptmoralaltar.bandcamp.com/album/needle-drugs

You can also catch them on the following social networks -
http://www.facebook.com/CorruptMoralAltar
http://www.twitter.com/corruptmoralalt

You can also catch them live at the following gigs -
Birmingham, 2nd Dec. (Event page)
The Pilgrim Pub, Liverpool, 6th Dec.

http://www.facebook.com/baitinthetraprecords
http://www.twitter.com/baitinthetrap

Just How We Like It!

For those of you (like us) who grew up in the eighties/nineties loving us some good hardcore alongside our metal, you'll love Iron Reagan, who have just signed to A389 Records:

Richmond VA's IRON REAGAN are the latest band to join the A389 Records family.
 Featuring members of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour, IRON REAGAN deliver raging 80's hardcore infused crossover thrash, influenced by the likes of D.R.I. Cro-Mags and Nuclear Assault with their own twists and turns thrown into the mix.
 The band has just wrapped up tracking their debut twenty-track LP ''Worse Than Dead', which will be seeing an early 2013 release on A389.
 In the meantime, Clearview Records has just released the band's 5-song demo as a 1-sided 12" EP.
 Stream the IRON REAGAN demo on their bandcamp page below:
http://ironreagan.bandcamp.com/

Enlightened, Inducted, Northern.

Arkham Witch - Legions of the Deep
Metal On Metal Records 2012

Legions of the Deep is Keighley quartet Arkham Witch's second album (following on from the demo and début full length On Crom's Mountain), a group of musicians who have paid their dues over the years in well known bands in the doom underground.

On the band's first release on Italy's Metal on Metal Records, and has a sound that whilst rooted in the doomier side of metal, transcends any such limitations to become, quite frankly, one big, bollocksy traditional Heavy metal album.

Starting with David Lund, a song about the leader of The Dew and the Light society in 1870s Keighley, over eight minutes, a complex tale of supposed slights between rival occultists*.
Backed up by an almost NWOBHM sounding riff, Simon Iff's unique vocal delivery plants you firmly amongst the mills and the lodge meetings of the upper class in Victorian Yorkshire, and the fact that there was a north/south divide even amongst upper class esoteric societies!
I love the little bit of spoken narration just before the solo in this track; it's the band setting out their table, inviting you into their parlour if you like, and setting the tone for the rest of the album to follow.
At The Mountains of Madness follows, and is built around some anthemic British Steel type riffing from Aldo and a thrash-like middle section showing that the band employ more traditional metal leanings than one might expect from a band considered by many to be "doom", this is also evident on the track Infernal Machine with it's chanted refrain of INFERNAL MACHINE-OI! which calls to mind the likes of Atrophy's Violent by Nature.  The way Simon gets his larynx around the lyrics to Kult of Kutulu is worth hearing! There is a great one-two of Kult of Kutulu and the title track with it's Manilla Road-esque chorus (featuring a guest appearance from Leo of the band Forsaken) following each other, can't wait to hear this track played live, Emily's drumming coupled with John's bass playing providing the driving force for Aldo's NWOBHM/Thrashy riffs over the top.
I was initially surprised to hear the sea shanty-style section in the middle of the track, but a grin soon spread across my face! A sea shanty strait into a doomy evil riff. Not many records that happens on!
Intensely proud of their Yorkshire heritage, the ablum closes with We're From Keighley, an Orgasmatron-tempo track that speaks quite vocally of being in England, but not of it.
Great Stuff.


*More here; this is something I am still learning about.  Not since the early days of hearing Iron Maiden for the first time have I felt compelled to go away and research the lyrical subject matter of songs as I have with this album.
That's got to be a compliment!

Friends don't share.

Just a quick note on file sharing.

As a website that does reviews (duh!) we get sent stuff all the time through the post, pick stuff up at gigs, buy stuff online and in shops and so on, but there are a few labels who sort us (and others reviewers/media types) out with digital downloads of releases, sometimes weeks before their street date because, as I'm sure our erudite readers will know, the way it works is thus:

• Album is recorded
• Selected people get to hear it early
• They like it! They tell people how good it is, and they should go buy it, or..
• They don't like it! So they don't pass judgement on it*
• When the album is actually released, all the people who have read the reviews go out and buy it.
• Everyone is one big, happy, crusty doomy metal punk family.

Or at least, you'd think so.

We get our links sent via email in a round-robin style communication, and today in the inbox was a missive from a label whose mailing list Thee Claw have literally only just joined, but instead of news and music, it was bulging with a tale of how someone had recently leaked one of their as-yet unreleased albums onto the internet.

Evidently we were concerned, this is a label whose output we are floored by and we'd spent a while trying to pluck up the courage to apply to join their mailer (Hey, even international jet setters like we are geek out sometimes and get a tiny bit overawed), and to think that people think that little of a label that are inviting them in beggars belief.

Running Wild - The only type of Heavy Metal Piracy that we approve of!

I mean, what have you got to gain? You've been given a link to a digital album (which will be available to listen to for free on Bandcamp when it's finally released, and will literally cost about $3 for a download) from a band who whilst good, aren't exactly Metallica, you know, you couldn't sell it on, so that means fiscal reward can't be the reason you're doing it.

And you know, they're not professional musicians (very very few of the bands that Thee Claw, and ergo our readers, care about actually are!) so you know, this has been recorded during time off work, during time when even the record label owner would be doing something in their personal life that's just as fulfilling.

And you surely mustn't be doing it for cool points, else you'd just review the album, get people to buy it (now that's a cool thing to do) and then buy the band a beer each when they come through your town.

So....you must be doing it because you're an arsehole, and quite frankly, everyday life (work, mixing with the public, having to get the bus with drug addicts etc) is that full of arseholes that do we really need you thinking that you're welcome here?

Fuck off and get into some rip-off flash in the pan scene like fucking goa trance dubstep or something.

Or! Take advice from Uncle Patchie as to how he reviews his albums.

First, I assume that if you are serious about music, you have some form of decent Hi-Fi system, and that you have somewhere you can sit and listen without being interrupted, as opposed to, let's say, an iPod dock in your kitchen that you listen to whilst you wash the dishes.
We do that at Claw Towers by the way, but it's not how we do our reviews.

We'd get soapsuds all over the keyboard.

Here at Claw Towers we have a special vault (known colloquially as THEE PIG'S ROOM, because prior to it's conversion to a room crammed with Vinyl, CDs and the like, it was in such a state that "only a pig would live in there") with a pair of big comfy leather chairs in that I do all my reviews in.

Here's how it goes:

• Download link arrives
• I copy files to a digital music player, then delete the files - This removes any possibility that they'll be shared even "accidentally", as I use a shared PC.
• I then connect said device to an archaic machine known as a MiniDisc deck
• MiniDisc is then digested over the period of about a week whilst a review forms in my mind
• I then write (with a pen!) the review in a notebook (on paper!) when I'm ready, then bring that notebook to the PC (which is in a different room than the music) and type it up and publish it on Thee Site.  This is why there is often quite a delay from receiving the album to the review going online.

Think once, think twice, think about how a few hours of being an arsehole ruins months of peoples work^† , and think about the damage you could do to the reputations of those of us that are honest; if a small label can't trust people who like what they do, what hope is there for any underground scene?

*I am well aware that some people write bad reviews, but my shelves are full of demos I didn't like, but who am I to rip people apart?
^†I know there are plenty of people in bands that work on the ideal that they'd sooner have 400 people download their music and come and see them on tour than one person buy it and sit in the house.  Horse for courses, I suppose.

Limb - Demo CD

London four piece LIMB originally went into the studio in January to record their demo, just went in and did it live, and Witch Hunter Records have remixed the three tracks for release on this CD EP.
When I say remixed though, don't expect any kind of polished nonsense though, it's still a raw sounding document of a band laying down their tracks together in the studio, overdriven and tight as anything.

Opener Daemoness is a slow paced track with crushing riffs and bass lines reminiscent of Godflesh or Neurosis, with quieter passages also helping to set the mood.
Black Rat has a more bluesy, desert-y feel to it, with a more traditional rock vibe to the track if that's possible with such a fuzzed out monster, Sam Cooper's hands wandering along the frets like Geezer Butler getting the fuck out of Birmingham.
 Rob's vocals are quite low down in the mix, demanding attention but letting the music flow effortlessly around them, the whole mix stirred up by Jodie's drumming.
I love the way the closing track Dead Voice goes from a Witch-style stomper to Goatsnake-esque sludge easily, and then back again as they ride off into the sunset.

 Magic, can't wait for the full length.

Limited to 100 copies on CD, this comes with a folded card inlay and parchment insert, housed in a plastic wallet, with artwork by Chris Alliston and layout by Limb. It is also available through Bandcamp (pay what you want download), Spotify, Amazon and iTunes.

bandcamp online player - http://witchhunterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/limb-demo-cd 

bigcartel link - http://witchhunterrecords.bigcartel.com/product/limb-demo-cd

www.facebook.com/limbtheband

limbtheband@live.co.uk 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0VJGYrF_k0 - Video for 'Daemoness'

Midnight Assassins

YES!!! We can't wait for some good time rock and roll action with our good pals in ORANGE GOBLIN.
See all the Scousers working this one into their Valentine's Day dates... "It'll be too busy on the 14th love, let's go out on the Tuesday instead..."

MONDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2012 – ORANGE GOBLIN ANNOUNCE UK TOUR FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 
 Following ORANGE GOBLIN'S amazing shows supporting DOWN across the UK we are happy to announce that the band will be hitting the road for a full UK headline tour in January and February 2013. Dates are as follows: 
 January 
30th – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach 
31st – Brighton, The Haunt 
 February 
1st – Southampton, Talking Heads 
2nd – Plymouth, White Rabbit 
3rd – Bristol, Fleece 
5th – Norwich, Waterfront Studio 
6th – Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms 
7th – Sheffield, Corporation 
8th – York, The Duchess 
9th – Manchester, NQ Live 
11th – Glasgow, King Tuts 
12th – Liverpool, O2 Academy 2 
13th – Nottingham, Rock City Basement 
15th – London O2 Academy Islington 

Irish dates will be also be added. 
Special guests to be announced. 
 Tickets available at www.kililive.com, 0844 871 8803 and usual outlets.

Not as far away as it seems...

...not far away at all...

THE CHURCH OF REAL METAL

Wor Skum turned me onto this:


How the fuck can you not love Alcoholic Rites? This is the spirit of True Heavy Metal and we love it.

LEGIONS OF THE DEEP!

For us, its all about the True Wave of British Heavy Metal, and so it should be for you too. Awesome backing vocals from Leo of Forsaken on this. Simon has one of the sickest voices in Metal right now, and the band...oh my word the band.

Time for Tea

From the Bloodstock Website:

Here at Bloodstock HQ we’re excited to announce our first headliner for 2013.
The Grammy-nominated, Danish metal legend KING DIAMOND will dazzle eyes and perforate eardrums in the Friday night top slot. After a six-year touring hiatus, the band triumphantly returned to the stage in 2012 for European festivals, Hellfest and Sweden Rock. Friday night’s closing performance at Bloodstock Open Air 2013 marks not only their first ever UK festival appearance, but their first UK show of any kind in many years and will be their only UK date in 2013. 

 When asked about Bloodstock, the mighty King quoth: "I'm looking so much forward to this, we all are. Finally back in England! The people at Bloodstock have gone the extra mile to make this possible, and will be expanding the stage to fit our full production. This is gonna be DARK and very HEAVY!" This special headline appearance racks up alongside the previously announced special guests, ANTHRAX and ACCEPT, and UK exclusive appearances from FIREWIND and FOZZY. 

 Bloodstock ‘Early Bird’ tickets are available from the Bloodstock store at the bargain price of £100 (plus booking fee) for a four-day weekend pass. Snap ‘em up quick, as this limited time offer won’t last forever!

Wow!

Headless Kross - Demises

On the ol' Death Decks this morning: Demises from Glaswegian trio Headless Kross.
Punishing! It's punky doom metal, with the emphasis on the METAL! A two track EP, this sees the band knocking out some great riffing, with some intense Kevin Sharp style vocals from throatman/bassist Derek - who is no slouch on the fretboard either!
First track Army of Serpentine has a real headbanging riff running right through it, a slow middle section with an almost Floydian feel to it, which I like a lot.
The Great God Proteus (That's the Old Man of The Sea for those of you who didn't study Classics at school) starts with some funereal drumming and slide guitar. Why don't more doom bands use a bit of slide? I think Tommy Duffin of the Kross is onto something here! The track then morphing into foot tapping, head nodding territory, sounding huge. Love the drum/feedback outro too, Jonny!

The EP is available for just £5 (that's around €6.50 or $8, jet-setters) from their Bandcamp page (which also has a link to their album Bear on it too) and you get a free patch and immediate download in your choice of file format.


In a nutshell: If the band you're in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the doom

For fans of: Charger, Amebix, Floyd, Black Sun.