Morag Tong - Last Knell of Om

Elegant. Progessive. Compelling. Those are three words that I would use to describe the music of Morag Tong. There is surely something enchanting about the group’s slowly moving psychedelic melodies, and then they hit you with eye-opening heavy rhythms of doom that come with a specter of death. Last Knell of Om offers sensuality with tenacity, mystique with brutal cadence, and harmonies that lure you into passive submission. This is exactly the kind of music that should be envisioned when I see the name Morag Tong.

Foremost in the big chunk of things I did with my life that took up way too much time for my own good was play video games. You are probably aware of Bethesda’s popular and hugely successful title called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but nearly a decade before that was released, the giant world of Morrowind was created and for a long time it was my deliverance from the cruel shackles of this mortal world.

Around that same time period between the years of 2003 and 2006, the heavy metal underground and in particular the doom subgenres opened up before me; as I traveled through the misty shores of Morrowind’s Bitter Swamp region and scaled ash mountains beyond the Ghostfence, Electric Wizard and Candlemass accompanied me on quests into a strange world of xenophobic mystical dark elves.   

I would like to think that members of this band were sharing the same experiences all the way out in London. Morag Tong is the name of an assassin cult that perform legal writs of execution against uppity out of line nobles all throughout Morrowind, and this atmosludge group from the UK had some heavy shoes to step in when they assumed their name.

Ethereal and otherworldly, Morag Tong dance around the primal substance at the axis of the music. The overwhelming drumming from Adam Asquith and hypnotic bass of James Atha carry a palate of eclectic melody that pulls in a multitude of directions.

The tones add depth down the surreal path of Alex Clarke and Lewis Crane’s spellbinding and often empowering chords. The Last Knell of Om is a sonic bath of realization, a cryptic invitation, and probably too cool for most.

I can honestly say that if this were a terrible album I would have shit all over it with the ferocity of an angry Nord on 15 bottles of Sujamma, but finding a band that pays tribute to my favorite video game of all time without even sucking really gets my mood to some nifty plateaus.

Do you need to spend over 1800 hours on the third installment of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to get Morag Tong? Absolutely not. Does the backdrop of that beautiful region of Tamriel provide a splendid template for where this album will take you? Of course, it does, but without it, you may likely see yourself through the doors of your own imagination and discover a fantastic place beneath the layers of Morag Tong’s atmospheric fuzz.

Khemmis - Desolation

Khemmis have cultivated a pretty awesome following in the few years that they’ve been around, as a result of their successful debut Absolution and the immediate follow up Hunted, the Denver based unit have risen up to the status of doom metal elite very quickly. With all eyes on them, expectations are a bit severe, considering they’ve only been relevant for about three years; however as the rule of nature goes, once you dive in, you either sink or swim.

Desolation stays true to the spirit of how Khemmis have done things with a sharp and meticulous artistry that unravels a broad picture of their musical influences. Not content to sit on one wave and ride it, Khemmis have meddled in a variety of forces that culminate into a beautiful diverse lexicon of doom.

Desolation maintains that potent and tight musicianship which brought Khemmis to the metal vanguard. On the edges of classic rock and desert psychedelic bliss, their harmonies provide atmospheric layering to a storm of heavier doom trodden moods. This is the kind of composition that one might anticipate from band that has already proven to be capable of so much. Their ability to weave styles together without faulting themselves on fragmented escapades that lead nowhere is an exceptional trait, and it may hold for good if there aren’t any changes which result in changes to the elementary fabric of the band.

Foreboding and bone chilling, “Bloodletting” is a tragic poetic introduction that subtly leads down the path through to curb stomping tempos and eye awakening magic within catchy stoner licks. This song sets the doctrine for what you are probably already in the know; what you’re getting here is an open door into heavy metal’s future, which appears to be secured and well on the altar of Khemmis. The stylistic rhapsodies on Desolation brought forth with charming efficiency and depth provoke thoughtful mature images. Khemmis casts a worthy lot with this cascade of riffs sweeping down from the Mile High City. 

The shifting dynamics of Ben Hutcherson and Phil Pendergast as formidable co-frontman keep an interesting twist on tones. The elegant and sometimes ethereal vocals of Pendergast are like a melodic oasis in an otherwise treacherous landscape of morose and ominous riffs forecasting niches of black and sludge. Hutcherson has evolved a bit since Hunted, showing a noticeable capability to diversify his growls and powerful shrieks, and his ill portents on “Maw of Time” particularly gave me goosebumps and sank into my skin. The contrasting forces of Hutcherson and Pendergast are like an eerie revelation of light and dark transmogrifying into angelic and hellacious expression. Pendergast’s admirable ranges and hooks provoke a robust body of emotion as the band depicts cinematic story with bewitching grace.’

“From Ruin” brings the album around full circle, with an assurance of new found strength in darkness as a lasting resolution.

If you are a fan of metal with thick bluesy guitar solos guided by that rich 70s rock vibe, and rich harmonies surrounded by a forest of dissonant guitar gloom, then Desolation is an album that you will surrender yourself to time and time again.

Album Review: Orange Goblin - The Wolf Bites Back

Thank the gods, Orange Goblin have returned from the sludge heavens to embark on yet another killer album for the good of man.

The Wolf Bites Back is a radical album that’s as good as it is loud; thunderous riffs gallop in to trample over all that is false in the land. One of the eminent stoner metal bands of the last two decades, Orange Goblin have remained relevant by refusing to slow down (as if that isn’t an oxymoron in this genre, but whatever -- you get it). The beast set forth through your speakers by Orange Goblin’s magic is unabashedly simple and to the point, and to paraphrase the chorus of “Renegade”, this music is true grit for rock & roll outlaws. This is the real shit that will hopefully make the ghosts of heavy metal’s elders proud, as The Wolf Bites Back forbids itself from any pretentious aesthetics of artsy contemporaries, and reminisces on the good old days of born to be wild heavy metal thunder.

Orange Goblin kick things off with the solid song to get you pumped up with witchery and sonic brew on the high octane sing along “Sons of Salem,” an ode to end times degeneracy rising up in the name of old school New England sorcery. You’re going to get a lot of fantasy and medieval themes here, such as on “Swords of Fire”, but it’s grounded by the raw guitar playing and bludgeoning bass. I don’t care who you are, if you put blues and heavy metal together with castles and knights, that’s a recipe for cool shit. However, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that Orange Goblin are riding on a lyrical one trip pony. One of my favorite tracks is “Ghosts of The Primitive,” seemingly an ominous reflection of technocratic society and nihilistic corporate hegemony setting atrophy to the senses through institutionalized ignorance. The pointed lyrics of Ben Ward revolve around spacey 70s rock foundations, psychedelic fuzz, and raw groove.“The Stranger” is a rhythmic rocker with sweet serenades and blistering tones breathing life into the final half of the album. At the conclusion, OG leaves us with sinister and opaque revelations manifested in the smooth current of “Zeitgeist,” a song that sneaks along until the fiery solos sends The Wolf Bites Back atop its final plateaus.

If you’re a devoted Orange Goblin fan, then you probably already know by now that this album is a rager, but if you haven’t heard it yet then keep your expectations high. Going on over two decades, you would  think not to underestimate the probability for sacred riffs, as Orange Goblin will surely prove to you that they are more than capable of delivering for the ninth time with this badass album.

The Wolf Bites Back gets a fuck yeah on the yeah scale.

Suum - Buried Into The Grave

If an album can rip the house down with its first two minutes, then you know you’re in for a ride, and that’s exactly what Suum does on its first track “Tower Of Oblivion”. The Candlemass inspired riffs and melancholy vocal style of Mark Wolf conjure up soul sucking forces that are just too damn good to turn off. Right when you need to hear it, guitarist Painkiller sends out a maelstrom guitar solo to divide the song’s crushing first half with its ominous conclusion. In the final seconds of “Tower of Oblivion”, vocalist chants in a ghastly whisper that left me cringing -- in the best way possible.

Halfway through Buried Into The Grave’s opening salvo, you may find yourself going backward in time to an age when the doom metal scene was harvesting the ripe crops of a metal scene in need of something new. Epicus Doomicus Metallicus was released at the peak of thrash metal domination and did everything opposite from what that community was into at the time. Candlemass’s first album perfected the boundaries and culture of a gloomy overlooked sub genre that few others dared to experiment with, and to this day most of the best doom records embody the work Leif Edling’s Swedish ensemble left in place. Moody blues rock inspired by the jams of Black Sabbath forged with leviathan punk chords that stalled until death set in became a common practice in the doom metal scene, but somewhere along the line that formula became muddled with a thousand different possibilities and for better or worse the genre evolved. Suum does not muddle the formula or attempt to present an aesthetic that is anything but traditional.

By track two, one should expect that the quality of Suum is going to continue. “Black Mist” is a hypnotizing incarnation of pure doom that follows a righteous format of the genre without succumbing to bogus stereotypes. Lurking in the shadows of the Mediterranean and all its mystique, Suum have risen from the grave of the world’s greatest ancient empire to unleash one of the best debut albums in the scene on an independent label or any label for that matter.

Exciting grooves frequently bring a freshness to the otherwise apocalyptic melodrama of the album. Its titular track is a great example of this. Doom metal is at its best when the music is as invigorating as it is brooding. Empowering chords compliment primitive war drums and a cascade of enthralling vocals.

A doom metal dirge is only as good as the headbanging forewarning that precede it, and I think that Suum did a really good job of capturing both of the necessary elements that make great doom metal songs.

You can tell that the Italian unit is on top of a really pure chemistry of doom metal, and they’re not willing to muck it up, but they don’t disappoint by failing to meet the standards of the forebearers like Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass, or Reverend Bizarre, either. “Seeds of Decay” comes up from a fog in the swamp and clutches you with grooves that ooze all over the track’s 5:44 minute duration. The temptation of death and all of its fascinating entropy is superbly captured.

Like the religious iconography emblazoned on much of Suum’s media, the music of Buried Into The Grave dispels forced modernity with monolithic and antiquated mystical fury. Marco states Suum is not influenced by Christianity, but with so many doom metal bands throughout the ages using the mystical symbolism toward their own ends it just looks right in place on the band's artwork.

Suum proves that truly no greater limits need to be reached with doom metal, and that when done correctly throwbacks can still achieve quality without contriving rehashed styles. The album may be called Buried Into The Grave, but now raised from the dead, Suum is as they style themselves, doom for the doomed.

Let It Breathe - Let It Breathe

Let It Breathe’s self-titled LP kicks buckets and drops organic riffs rich with holy Sabbath power all over the doom metal community.

One of the first rules I made for myself as an independent writer was that I would only write reviews for bands that were genuine. I didn’t care if I thought the music was lacking in some areas, but the bands had to at least be more than just a one dimensional image. Let It Breathe fit that criteria; they’ve definitely put a focus on really feeling the music that they put out there instead of just writing songs to be ‘cool’.

Let It Breathe hit depths even when you’re not expecting it. The tones are submerged in deep fuzzy feedback without disrupting clarity. The music soars with great melody and honesty doesn’t sound like anything one might normally expect out of a debut album. Perhaps the reason for that is in the band is technically a group of old timers and die hards from the 90s with something to prove, which might also explain the grunge meets Sabbath aesthetic I get from the LP. Stylistically the band hits pockets of Melvins, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, and even a little bit of hardcore inspired punk behind the drum kit.

If there is anything I could say against the LP it’s that sometimes it does get a bit monotonous towards its second half, but I don’t think those are faults which cut Let It Breathe off from standing on its own two feet. For the most part Let It Breathe shines writing thunderous rock jams. Its the lengthier tracks where I can feel the music stretches too far from its fundamentals.

My final analysis is that Let It Breathe is a real breath of fresh air that comes around every so often in the metal scene. Three dudes with vision and heart deliver a solid album that may not make as much impact as many of the other albums filtering through the rubbish right now, but I definitely think it has it where it counts and die hard fans of the genre should take notice.

Mythic Sunship - Upheaval

Blast off! Mythic Sunship are guiding us into an outer dimensional well of chunky waves created via the distorted jazz guitar playing and rock & roll grooves. Emil Thorenfeldt and Kasper Stougard ooze out mountains of riffs through the astral plane while drummer Fredrick Denning and bassist Rasmus Cleve depart into an interstellar sea of rhythms.

The music of Upheaval is absolutely hypnotic and enduring. I feel like I’m being rolled over by a supernova. The lengthy instrumentals are riding through the turbulence of eclectic grooves and about a half dozen different genres covering psychedelic atmospheric rock. Mythic Sunship's new album is the stuff of euphoric stoned bliss.

The album hits many highs and lows, crawls as slow rhythms and bursts into monolithic meltdowns of loud supercharged rock music that bend in laser light and technicolor mist. Within its second half the album feels out a dirge of weary vibes, unrelenting of in its captivating riffs and tones. Mythic Sunship are definitely ascending a higher atmosphere. 

Drudkh - They Often See Dreams About the Spring

Drudkh aren’t finished with with their zenith; They Often See Dreams About the Spring surges with sweeping harmonies and breathtaking cadences. Surely this is a renaissance for their career, as the Ukrainian based group follows up the critical success of A Furrow Cut Short with an even better album in my estimation.

It’s an unloading and cryptic album with hypnotic songs that dig down into the dirge of a warrior’s spirit. Artistically the album renders images of rolling landscapes and hideous flames purging all in its path. This is the purity of raw black metal in an environment that has fostered more than one thousand years of war torn poverty and oppression. It is no coincidence, in my mind’s eye, that this outfit has been releasing such tenacious material in the outcropping of a war that continues to tear apart their homeland.

Among Drudkh’s most persevering hallmarks is the ability to create music that rises above the tension. On one end of the spectrum is a style that relentlessly attacks in the form of their second wave inspired black metal assault, but they are also cultivating inspiration from folk ballads and the mystique of their culture. Beyond the maelstrom are symbols of faith and relief. Like the life of a forest that dies and breathes again, Drudkh lives out the tragedy of their struggle and relays inspiration out into the fog.

Release date is March 9th.