Crypt Lurker - Baneful Magic, Death Worship and Necromancy Rites Archaic

"My hour is almost come, When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames must render up myself."

Whilst the metal world delights in the occult rock false doom of bands like Ghost and Uncle Acid, sombre, atramentous types have been gathering in the dark, harking back to traditional, funereal death/doom and writing tunes to make toes curl.
 
Crypt Lurker are one such band, drawing together elements from all dark corners of the metal world, the stygian crawl of Burning Witch, the sprawling emptiness of dISEMBOWELMENT and the harsh cold of early Darkthrone but carving their own niche with so much more than spectres of the nineties.
Opening with the mesmerising riff of "Shadowclad, Pale", Crypt Lurker conjure up a thick atmosphere, punctured by a tolling bell and ghastly vocals.This dreadful, cloying feel continues into "Bearer of the Two Torches", resulting in almost twenty minutes of slow, downtuned riffing, before the relatively short "Crossing the Abysmal Depths" with it's wardrum-style introduction, strangely majestic feel and sound of buried strings prepares the way for the epic EP closer “To the Piping of Two Amorphous Idiot Flute-Players” - a ten minute-plus journey into some form of Lovecraftian nightmare.
This is real death/doom, and should be as much of a fist in the face of metal that the Peaceville Three were to an equally unimaginative scene in their day.

Crypt Lurker have been making a name for themselves playing with the likes of Black Magician, Dragged into Sunlight and so forth, and this 12" EP is out in strictly limited numbers from Ulthar Records, to be pressed on CD by Mordgrimm Records later this month.

www.facebook.com/cryptlurker 
www.ultharrecords.com 
www.facebook.com/ultharrecords

Limb / Gurt - Split Roast EP

Frightening the neighbours courtesy of Witch Hunter Records is the new combined release from Gurt and Limb - and what a release, really showcasing where sludge is at in the UK right now. Each band has contributed an original track, a cover version, and then covered a track by the other band on the split - resulting in a unique, varied selection.

Gurt kick off the proceedings with new song "Sophisticate" Southern style sludge boogie that barrels along nicely and gets your head nodding and foot tapping (I even broke into some air drumming),  and their cover of Limb's "Gift of the Sun" is transformed into a fuzz-heavy whirlwind of a track,  but the strangely jarring cover of Talking Head's "Psycho Killer" is an unexpected highlight here - it lends itself to the heaviness in a way that I would never imagine, breaking down into a middle-of-the-pit stomp at the end. Most interesting.

Long time Claw favourites Limb debut a new track, "Plague Doctor", a mid paced barnstormer with casual, nodding Sabbath tones giving way to a heads-down middle section that picks up the pace a slightly before shuddering to a halt like a jack-knifing truck. Lesser-known Queen track "Son and Daughter" gets the fuzz treatment here, mutating into a riff-heavy, howling phantom of it's original version. Brian May on spacecakes. The EP closes with Limb covering Gurt's sweary "Soapfeast" and putting their own stamp all over it, then dragging it to it's feet and stamping on it again.

All in all, WHR have put together two of the most interesting sludge bands in the UK at the moment and done something fresh and new - a new highlight in an already impressive catalogue.

Get yourself over here for limited edition handmade CDs, NOW.

The Coffeen - You Must Be Certain of the Coffeen

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Ghold - Galactic Hiss

The second release from new label Baitin' the Trap Records is a three track EP from London's Ghold, entitled Galactic Hiss.
Don't le the fact that there's only three songs on here kid you, it checks in at a mammoth twenty-odd minutes, the duo (I seem to be receiving a lot of work from duos recently. I like it.) laying down some frankly frightening work in the bottom end heavy sludge camp, drenched in feedback and dripping in atmosphere, like an even more stripped-down Tree of Sores or an impromptu Neurosis practice jam, and with some biker space rock sensibilities thrown in for good measure.

Vocals put me in mind of early nineties UK death/doom which gives them that kind of tortured, windswept feel, in fact, the whole opening track This Suffering Must End puts me in mind of that whole early nineties Northern English Doom, but caked in a grime that those acts most certainly didn't have, dragging itself out, and dragging itself inside out, long enough to become trance-like in its droning.
There's some quite unusual arrangement and production; pushing the vocals into an almost supporting role at times behind thick basslines and off-kilter drumming, before the vocals come back to the fore.
Most unsettling.
Any notion that you might have that they are some form of doom shoegazers is blown clear out of the window with the rollicking Elvira - a storming five minutes of total space rock and excellent drumming with almost chanted vocals.  The space communion continues with the closing track Grievous Practitioner - like a cross between Eyehategod and Hawkwind.  Utter biker filth - I love it.

The EP is up for pre order on Baitin' the Trap Records from October the 1^st and goes on sale on October 28^th.
Ghold are definitely a name that I'll be keeping an eye on, and if all BTTR's releases are going to continue in this vein, then I'll be keeping my other eye on them!
(and I think that cover art is something else!)

Baitin’ The Trap Records -
baitingthetraprecords@gmail.com 
www.facebook.com/baitinthetraprecords 
www.baitinthetraprecords.bandcamp.com 
www.twitter.com/baitinthetrap

Ghold - gholdband@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/gholdband
www.ghold.bandcamp.com 
www.gholdband.tumblr.com

Electricjezus - Грязь поколений

The pain... the pain of being dead!

Electricjezus are brilliant, and utterly bonkers.
I think that in Britain, we have an affinity for things that are slightly eccentric and off the wall, as such when I first received an email from Electricjezus guitarbass(you will understand shortly)/ vocalist Ruslan, my interest was definitely aroused:
The group consist of 2 people, but a set of instruments remains classical – guitar, drums, bass. It became possible by installing single bass pickup in the neck of guitar. Also we use a very thick strings for best bass sound and use two 22” rides or piece of metal for hi hat.
So what do we have? A record, recorded completely live, using whatever instruments were at hand.
This is the type of thing that we used to go nuts for in the early days of Thee Claw, yet this kind of thing has been overtaken in our every day listening for some reason.
But not for any longer, as I am floored by this recording and it's unique charm.
Inbetween the songs are samples from horror movies, eerie, hideous bursts of laughter in the spaces between pummelling riffs and rolling drums.
Lyrics are recorded entirely in Russian, giving an otherworldly feel to the screamed and growled vocals.  The album's name translates as Mud of Generations, and you have a good, solid hybrid of the likes of Melvins, Today is the Day and Fudge Tunnel with old Soviet synthesizers and creepy old pianos in the mix too.  Oleg's drumming blazes ahead, and you get a real idea of the guys playing together in a cold rehearsal space, using whatever they can lay their hands on to create a maelstrom of riffery.
Absolutely brilliant.

Make your way over to http://electricjezus.bandcamp.com/

Biche

Meddy (drums) and Loïck (guitar & vocals) are Biche; a sludge duo from Riems in France, and this self released album has them plying their wares across six tracks.

I can just imagine them recording this facing each other as they play through each song, stretching out the riffs and splashing the cymbals everywhere.

Opener Agrafe-moi les couilles sur une table à repasser gives way to the more frantic 75 seconds of SUSU! and across these two tracks you get a taster of what Biche are about.

For a duo, they certainly get the ol' foot tapping, ears straining to understand Loïck's gravelly vocals over the fuzzed up guitar.  A very focussed recording that sounds surprisingly warm yet sparse.

6 Millions starts slowly – but  Loïck is on fine form vocally, tortuous rasping screams giving a proper sludge edge to proceedings.

Closing with the gritty, foreboding Un bon dimanche, this release is a very enjoyable introduction to the French duo, I'll be keeping an eye on them! 

http://biche.bandcamp.com/

Is this the best flyer EVER?

Brilliant.
This is coming up in June at Bannerman's in Edinburgh. A flyer like this demands your attendance!

Iron Hearse - Get in the Hearse

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!
I'm going to come straight out now and tell you how happy this CD has made me.
Much like the XII Boar and Mage CDs that have dropped onto the mat at Claw Towers this past few weeks, this has just made me think of being on summer road-trips to far off cities for gigs; it's fuzzed-out biker style world-weariness immediately becoming the soundtrack to as yet only imagined motorway races, a crate of beer between your legs as you ride shotgun.

But anyway, enough of my imagination, what's it actually like?

The lads from Wiltshire (actually not far from Malmesbury where I lived for a bit as a young lad)
 have a sound that owes as much to the darkened back rooms of pubs during the days of the NWOBHM as it does to the sunny climes of LA and Saint Vitus, and on this, their second full album, they have fashioned the skills from years of gigging into seven new tracks and a re-working of their live anthem Ain't No New Thing.

It's equal parts thundering rockers and fuzzed-out toe-tappers, in parts Sabbath-esque passages sit alongside parts that remind me of Angel Witch and so on, putting a uniquely English slant on what some would consider a more transatlantic sound.

Throughout the record there are some great lead guitar parts that put me in mind of Dave Chandler, courtesy of Grant Powell, who also handles vocals with a gruff, biker-style delivery which also stretches to almost Sean Harris territory at times.
Being a three peice, the sound is rounded out by Liam and Kev on bass and drums respectively, and this is a very low-end heavy sounding band.

A brilliant soundtrack for what looks to be a great summer for fuzzy British metal!

For Fans of: Saint Vitus, Sabbath, Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Orange Goblin

Stream it here, download for £2.50, and if you want to pay a fiver you can get a rather smart "vinyl CD" version which is an LP style sleeve with probably the coolest looking CD I've seen for ages:

Other links to check out:
https://www.facebook.com/ironhearse
https://twitter.com/Ironhearse
http://ironhearse.bigcartel.com/

DO IT!!

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:
Facebook
Twitter
Bandcamp
Black Tar Prophet:
Facebook
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Bandcamp

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

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'

Not as far away as it seems...

...not far away at all...

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.

Good Lord!

And so it began:
As the final nails were hammered to the coffin of Reverend Bizarre (1995-2007, R.I.P.), guitar player Peter Vicar started to follow his vision of a new True Doom Metal band. He felt forced to fulfill his need to compose and play this most arcane form of metal in the way it was meant to be, full of intensity, cruelty, heaviness, and force. Still firmly walking in the footsteps of Saint Vitus, Trouble, Witchfinder General and Pentagram, this new band will bring together an international lineup of four devoted metalheads.



Featuring Chritus (Count Raven, Saint Vitus, Terra Firma) on vocals, Jim Hunter (Revelation, WHW) on bass, Gareth Millsted (Centurions Ghost, End of Level Boss) on drums and Peter Inverted (Reverend Bizarre, Orne) on guitars, Lord Vicar released the Demon of Freedom EP on I Hate Records in 2008 (yes; these are more releases I forgot to include on my "best of 2008" list), a three song release clocking in at 15 minutes, based on a Finnish werewolf legend.

 

 Starting off with a short intro Hiiumaa (the name of the island where the legend is based) the next two songs are pearls of traditional doom, Becoming One With The Spirit Of The Forest is like NWOBHM moving at half speed, with haunting vocals from Chritus throughout, with guitars being reminiscent of early Trouble or demo-era Anathema. Running Into A Burning House is a more up-tempo (just!) song, bringing to mind the godly Saint Vitus.  This EP is ridiculously hard to get hold of now, good old Ebay seemingly the only option!

About six or seven months later, Lord Vicar released their debut full-length; Fear No Pain on The Church Within Records.  Seven Tracks long, the album weighs in at just over an hour long, and it's crushing from start to finish.Opening with "Down The Nails", with solid riffing for two minutes before the vocals come in.  the vocals on the album are clearer and less reverby than on the EP, floating above the music and bringing bands like Warning(RIP) to mind.  Pillars Under Water picks up the pace a bit, chugging along in a Witchfinder General / Angel Witch type fashion. By the time you get to the closing track The Funeral Pyre, you have been taken through all the moods that are encompassed by different doom bands, all on one album, which I feel is in no small part down to the pedigree of all the musicians on it.  It's total hetpenging heaven, a record that sounds good sat in with good quality beer, and will sound equally as good when Thee Claw are travelling down the motorway to another gig.  Lord Vicar have plans for the second part of the Fear No Pain our to start in the beginning of 2009... we'll be keeping an eye out for them!

Link: Lord Vicar Myspace