They Used Dark Forces.

Cathedral have released their latest (and last, apparently) video, Tower of Silence. It's a fitting epitaph for a group that carried the flame of traditional doom for a long time through some very dark ages. Part music video, part Hammer/Ossorio gothic horror, the lads here at Thee Claw will be very sad to see Cathedral go. But don't just take our word for it. Have a look, and worship the riff.

Seagraves - WRONG

Further to our earlier post with a review of the new Seagraves CD Weight of the World, Jez Walshaw kindly got in touch to remind us you can all check out the official video for the track WRONG online.
And where can you see this visual feast? well, look no further than after these words!

Worshipping at the Altar of Dale Crover

Saw MELVINS play at show in Manchester UK last night.
Totally transfixed by Dale Crover throughout the show... that man just doesn't stop!!

Suicide Rex

Our favourite Northerners (real Northerns that is) BLACK SUN are back with a new track! Suicide Rex is the name of their new demo and here it is for you to check out. Thee Claw has been in love with the twisted sounds of the BS vibe since forever now, we wish for the same feeling of delight to be instilled within each and every one of our readers. And now it can, just click on the following link!

Exclusive: BLACK MAGICIAN

Thee Claw presents an entire set (over 30 minutes in total) from Liverpool-based doom merchants Black Magician.

Recorded in near darkness at a gig in their home town on 3rd Dec 2011.

Vocals - Liam Yates
Guitar - Kyle Nesbitt
Bass - Kabir D'silva
Keyboards - Matt Ford
Drums - Jay Plested

http://www.facebook.com/Blackmagiciandoom

Enjoy.







Trivia: This show took place at the exact same time and date as doom legends Cathedral played their final show in London.

Exclusive: Ravens Creed at Live Evil Fest 2011

Take a knee, troops! Time to take a few minutes to check out a new communication that we have received from the mighty RAVENS CREED: Showing them tearing it up at The Underworld in Camden Town, UK during the 2011 edition of Live Evil Fest.



Das Klaw has been a big fan of Thee Creed since back as far as their appearance at The Fenton (infamous Leeds sweatbox) as a 5-piece back in 2008. The current line-up (including our friend and co-conspirator Mr Al Osta)  have been cutting their chops up throughout Europe in the past year, bring military tinged Venom-worship to a festival near you.

Your life needs more Ravens Creed. We foresee an underground revolution happening for these guys in 2012 with the release of new material and a stack of live shows.

Ravens Creed's debut album "Albion Thunder" and the "Nestless and Wild" E.P. are both available now through Doomentia Records.

Megadeth Perform Symphony Of Destruction (in Full Halloween Costumes)

Check this shit out!



Really dig these costumes that Megadeth wore when performing on the Jimmy Kimmel show for Halloween 2011. But we are surprised how MegaDave (AKA FrankenStane) was able to stop his latex head from falling off whilst headbanging!

Awesome stuff, we love a bit of Megadeth here at Claw Towers!

Wolvserpent, Islington Mill (Salford UK) - 28 October 2011

It's been quite some time since we last showcased some drone here on Thee Blog, but this was certainly a great set from drone-doom-duo WOLVSERPENT, a pairing coming our way from Boise, Idaho (the very same place as our dear friends in UZALA). Here they are playing at Islington Mill (Salford, UK) during their recent European tour with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM.

Be sure to try and check out their new record, Blood Seed, via 20 Buck Spin.

This is slow hypnosis of the most sinister kind... We like it a lot!



Wolvserpent - Official
Wolvserpent - FB
Wolvserpent - My_____
Wolvserpent - Blogspot

Pagan Altar @ Live Evil Fest 2011

Love some PAGAN ALTAR? So do we!

The boys ripping London a new hole, at The Underworld on 22 October 2011.

Clip: Aura Noir @ Live Evil Fest 2011

A sneaky 45-second HD teaser clip to give you guys a taste of AURA NOIR's set at Live Evil Fest (23rd October 2011 at The Underworld in Camden Town, London, UK). Such a great set, by far and away the best act on the bill. Which is not to say anything bad about the rest of the bands playing by the way - not at all - it's just that Aura Noir were on fire at this particular show!




We saw some outstanding stuff down their in the basement of The Underworld, including the sheer Satanic joy of ANTICHRIST and the up-and-coming delight that is MORBUS CHRON. Can't say much bad about the entire event really.

Huge props to the promoters for laying on such a fine series of bands for the many thrashers who made the journey from all around the world for this great festival.

Here's to Live Evil 2012!

Black Bart Blues

Metal Will Never Die

Today would have been Ronnie James Dio's sixty-ninth birthday.
Thee Claw were lucky enough to see him twice in the space of a year, with Heaven and Hell Black Sabbath and with Dio.  We miss you man.

Enjoy.

Pine Barrens (Live, Feb 2011)

Here's a video we recorded at a gig back in February of friends of thee blog PINE BARRENS - Great sounding footage (for a change), click and enjoy the best and the brightest that the Manchester music scene has the offer in 2011!



Website (with download links): HERE

No Presents For Christmas

Merry Christmas to all you dirty Christians.

A belated GET WELL SOON to KING DIAMOND after his triple bypass surgery a couple of weeks ago. (I bet you he actually got lots of fucking presents this Christmas!)

Black Breath @ Star & Garter, Manchester, UK [2010.11.22]

Date: Monday 22 November 2010
Venue: Star & Garter, Manchester, UK
Line-Up: Closure, Hang The Bastard, Rot In Hell, Black Breath
Promoter: Say It To My Face

CLOSURE


HANG THE BASTARD


ROT IN HELL


BLACK BREATH




...you weren't lying about the stacks huh Kam mate!

TFD - Time Theft

Only HOAK & co is real!!

http://www.myspace.com/totalfuckingdestruction

BLACK SUN - Black Angel

EYEHATEGOD Like you have never seen them before!

There was some dude in the beer garden doing a one man band type thing with just a guitar and some small bass drums covering allsorts of metal, including some Eyehategod. Jimmy and Mike took over and came up with this small performance. Legendary ;)

SIGIRIYA - One To Watch In 2010

Went along to an all-day festival in Bradford last weekend, lots of great bands played the show (THIRTEENTH SIGN, LAZARUS BLACKSTAR, ASOMVEL to mention just 3) and I had a fine time indeed.

Just wanted to tell you all about one band in particular who played, a 4-piece from Wales called SIGIRIYA. I'd never heard of them before this (I doubt many people who were there had, aside from the promoter Rich!), but you might know them by their former name of ACRIMONY who did a split with Church Of Misery about 7 years ago (amongst other things). When they played their set I was totally gobsmacked by the energy and the power of the band, but most of all the apparently-relaxed manner that they played this AMAZING sounding stoner rock. Don't let the lack of info about these guys fool you - this is NOT some new band who are doing the rounds!

I know you hear all of the time about "These guys are the next big thing!", blah blah blah, but I must get on my soapbox here for a quick minute and let you guys know about this band. Don't bother doing a google search for them (yet) because I tried that and all you get is a whole bunch of links for some place in Sri Lanka. They have a Myspace page (see below) but right now, March 2010, there's no music on there for you to check out either!

Anyway, as soon as I can get my hands on something by them, a demo or a video of them in concert or something, I'll link to it on this page. In the meantime maybe try getting yourself a copy of the 1997 Peaceville LP "Tumuli Shroomaroom" or even the CoM split from 2003. That'll maybe give you some idea of what to expect from SIGIRIYA's sound.

Blurb lifted from their Myspace page:

"About Sigiriya

Beneath the soil of a Welsh valley a heavy metal life-force regains strength: rising from the ashes of stoner doom merchants Acrimony, Sigiriya is born. Eight years after the demise of Acrimony, guitarist Stu O’Hara, bassist Mead, drummer Darren Ivey and vocalist Dorian Walters have reconvened. Not wanting the limitations of reforming a project long dead to them, Sigiriya brings a fresh take on their trademark monolithic heavy groove. While Acrimony hailed from the temples of deepest space, Sigiriya come from the earthy depths, bringing hefty, tremor-inducing sonics that pay homage to the riff. Time served in the likes of Iron Monkey, Helvis, Dukes Of Nothing, Black Eye Riot, The Nine and Yeti have only added to their thick output, giving the foursome a more dynamic, meaner, leaner, earthier approach, which has developed an intense dirty sound with elements of boogie, classic rock and even crust. Taking their name from the mystic ‘throat of the lion’ rock in Sri Lanka, their rumble has been moving the Black Mountains of their homeland and will soon be moving the tectonic plates of the earth. To borrow a phrase from their former outfit: ‘Bong On, Live Long…’"

Again, I can't recommend SIGIRIYA to you enough. Totally floored by their show at the afore-mentioned festival!

http://www.myspace.com/sigiriyawales

EDIT: Video from the Dragonfest gig (I shot this):

KATATONIA @ Rio's, Leeds (07 November 2009) "Murder"

Went along to watch Swedish doomers KATATONIA last night, at Rio's in Leeds. Went along with our good buddy DesignVoid. Great show, though it was done & dusted by 22:00 (Rio's becomes a nightclub after a Saturday night gig you see). As such I think they might have cropped their set from the usual 18 songs to about 12. Jonas (AKA Lord Seth) used mainly "clean" vocals, right up until the last song of the night, Murder, which you can watch below.



In case you weren't aware, 2 of the guys from KATATONIA (the afore mentioned Jonas "Lord Seth" Renkse - he plays bass for Bloodbath - and lead guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström, who is on the far left in the Youtube clip above) are also in the Swedish death metal supergroup band BLOODBATH. Their E.P. Breeding Death from back in the year 2000 is one of THEE CLAW's favourite death metal records, you should check it the fvkk out!

The new KATATONIA record, Night Is The New Day, is available from Peaceville and all good record stores. I bought myself a copy of it recently from my local HMV of all places... I mean, just how mainstream can you get?!

Many thanks for the good people at Rio's in Leeds for sorting out the photo accrediatation for us.