Wolftooth - Wolftooth

The groove is strong with this one. Wolftooth’s eponymous album is a cyclonic forty two minutes of righteous and crucial heavy metal. This debut bursts above the playing field with a firm and exciting reminder that it’s never uncool to make a solid rock effort. 

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to early albums by The Sword, which isn’t entirely inaccurate, however I believe that Wolftooth’s sound is a lot more polished and the melody is highly emphasized. The similarity is especially noticeable for the album’s fundamentally classic metal tracks which hinge on a crunchy blues rock sound, such as on “Sword of My Father” and “The Huntress”. Vocalist and guitarist Chris Sullivan has a phenomenally resonant and clear singing style that enriches every tune. In ways that few other contemporaries can, Wolftooth captures that soulful vibe of old school 70s rock and enhances their caliber a ton with a dynamic range of skilled musicians.

The group wonderfully execute smooth transitions between a raging tempest of riffs and enthralling bluesy hooks. You’ll get more than your fix of headbanging, foot stomping, and hip shaking too, if that’s your thing. Mythical themes and allegory are widely present throughout the album, also e.g. “White Mountain”. “Frost Lord” raises the bar on how closely stoner metal can converge on the heaviness of a pummeling thrash metal riff with its exciting conclusion. There are so many grooves layered throughout this album that flow judiciously together. The band is as tight as one band should ever hope to be on their debut, and I'm really excited to see where this band from Richmond, Indiana goes next.

Wolftooth was released on January 19th, 2018. 

Fuzz Lord - Fuzz Lord

 

The ancestors of the riff are pleased; Fuzz Lord’s full length debut is a solid effort worth your attention.  

This album has plenty of raw tight nasty grooves. Fuzz Lord have a lot of style that derives from the aesthetic of underground punk and old school working class rock, which makes for an awesome gritty fusion. If you want some comparisons, look no further than old school Monster Magnet, Clutch, or The Melvins.

The guitarist who goes by the name Fuzz Lord seduces the listener into a fog of pummeling rhythms, while the commanding presence of drummer Lord Buzz just tramples all over every track. Without a doubt each contributor to this three piece ascends to potent peaks overlooking riff heaven. Bassist and vocalist Stoner Dan Riley has a freakishly raspy and vigorous voice that leaves an indelible mark on the album.

Fuzz Lord cruises across a field of genres open to the stoner fan from acid rock, psychedelic, and a cavalcade of other styles synonymous with blues and distortion. With great leads and an abundance of creativity, Fuzz Lord’s debut promises a righteous future for this band from Chillcothe, Ohio. 

Fuzz Lord was released on January 22nd, 2018. 

Witchcryer - Cry Witch

Witchcryer are a traditional doom and heavy metal unit that have been fermenting in the Austin heavy metal scene for a few years. Their efforts included a demo and a self released full length, the latter which came out in 2017. On January 19th, 2018 they re-released their first full length album called Cry Witch on Ripple Music. 

Witchcryer's style is a fusion between the classic dreary tones and vivacious rock jams. Take the high octane rock n roll of a band like Blue Cheer or Uriah Heep and brew it in a pot with the dreary melancholy of a band like Pentagram or Witchfinder General. In fact, so influential are Witchfinder General to Witchcryer's sound that Cry Witch features a cover of the band's titular song.

Vocalist Suzy Bravo draws upon her charm and conjures a feral potency on the recording. Her lines slither along sludgy riffs provided by ex-Earthen Grave guitarist Jason Muxlow, creating a dynamic combining sizzling melodic elements.

Witchcryer can write animated rockers like "Ricochet" and dreadful monlothic down tempo killers like "The Preying Kind." One thing I found on the album that helps move it along is how songs flowed together and complimented one another. Playing to their strengths, the band does nothing over the top or out of their element. Cry Witch is 36 minutes of pure doom rock backed by exciting grooves and powerful rhythms.

Cry Witch features cover work from the artist Becky Cloonan, who has dabbled in heavy metal art before, but is also widely known and respected for her work in comics including Batman and Conan The Barbarian.

Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits

Despite being called Grimmest Hits, this is not a greatest hits nor compilation album. Zakk Wylde has returned for twelve new tracks on his band’s tenth sojourn through the audioverse of hard rockin’ rollin’ bad boy blues. 

I’m always excited to see which roads Black Label Society cross next, and I’m really happy with the finished product on their new release through eOne Music. My favorite BLS albums are Stronger Than Death and 1919 Eternal, so when it comes to the sound I look forward to it’s these two albums that always cross my mind when drawing a comparison.  BLS proved themselves as more than just a side project for the guy who played with Ozzy, because Zakk wrote a string of five solid albums between 1998 and 2005. These were roller coasters with jaw stomping juggernauts, but also dipped low into sweet ballads and testimonials that defined the band’s character as more than just riff fueled mountains of testosterone, and most importantly the execution was spot on. Grimmest Hits caters to that vision, and almost has a semblance of Pride & Glory mystique to it on several tracks, also.

Although BLS has always been about tapping into different ranges, the last few albums have missed that polished sweet spot where everything just melds together. For instance, Catacombs of the Black Vatican had some strong songs from a formulaic standpoint, but they also lacked the energy for a lasting impression. In other words, something feels like it was lost between creating and recording the music. On the other hand, Order of The Black is the exact opposite; the songs sound loose and uninspired, but the energy on the recording is great. There may have been a few blind spots in its creative vision, but there’s no mistake that Black Label Society went all out with a purpose to kick ass in 2010.

So if you share that opinion of Black Label Society’s recent offerings, you may be relieved to discover that Zakk has rediscovered the fountain of fresh mana. The music is refreshing and full of genuine energy. Grimmest Hits is going to stand out differently lined up against many of the other Black Label Society albums, and that’s a great thing. There are good harmonies and strong leads that range between soulful teary eyed southern ballads including an impressionable “The Only Words”, and face melting dungeon busters like “Room of Nightmares.” 

Even at its heaviest, Grimmest Hits never loses focus of that organic melancholy that makes Wylde such a versatile and strong blues writer. There aren’t any solos that sink themselves in overambitious attempts to be wild. The music never loses itself in one extreme or the other. Wylde does such a great job of leading us along with excellent grooves and then dips down into somber hooks, for example on tracks “A Love Unreal” and “Disbelief.”

Black Label Society released Grimmest Hits through eOne on January 19th.

Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross No Crown

Corrosion of Conformity have pledged a lifetime of work to creating music guided by the influences of early hard rock and hardcore punk music. If you have somehow found yourself to this blog without at least listening to Corrosion of Conformity, then No Cross No Crown would be a perfect introduction to what they’re all about; slithering southern style rock vibrating with heavy Sabbath inspiration shuffled in with a whirlwind of punk ethics. 

Corrosion of Conformity’s new album No Cross No Crown rocks in waves and hits like a hammer. This is the most genuine and powerful line up that the band has had in nearly two decades, and it shows in every layer and chord of the recording. Reed Mullin and Woody Weatherman have that abrasive hardcore crossover and thrash style that remain a consistent part of their audacious brew, with Mike Dean keeping the spirit alive with thick grooves. The combination of this band’s original foundation with Pepper Keenan’s sexy southern and potent blues rhythms have formed a creative relationship that simply does not compare to anything else. 

Before stoner metal was even coined, COC were perfecting the sound as they matured out of their hardcore thrash fusion early days and slammed into the 90s with Blind, Deliverance, and Wiseblood. No Cross No Crown is the band’s first record with Nuclear Blast and it does a fantastic job of reclaiming the aura of their Colombia Records days. Of course, the band’s reunion with guitar player, vocalist, and creative mastermind Pepper Keenan would be a major factor in the rejuvenation of the classic era’s spirit.  

No Cross No Crown is a powerful album that hits many peaks and delves into some serious depth. The album would take several listens to really appreciate all the layers, but at a moment’s listen it hooks you along into a joy ride reminiscent of finer days for hard rock and heavy metal fans. For one whole hour, the band drops down a certified crusher that should elate its fanbase. Let No Cross No Crown be a reminder that the masters of these old southern stoner vibes are killing it and still have places to go. 

Released: January 12th 2018