Badr Vogu- Wroth

If you made it through the last part of 2016 not having listened to this album, you have been cheated. Definitely one of my favorite albums of 2016, if not the past five years. It's rare when you find something that blows you away, like this album has done for me. This is not an exaggeration by means. For real stop reading this and listen to this album.
This album is epic in length, mammoth in sound, and mean as fuck. Nothing but well executed Crusty Sludge Metal, with some touches Death/Doom as well. Their sound is just so fucking huge and crushing! I'm just surprised I hadn't read or seen anything about this album sooner. The cover art is sweet as fuck as well. Cheers!

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Remote- The Gift (2017)

This is a gift indeed, from Russia with dank stoner riffs for all! Remote reminds me of Eyehategod, Iron Monkey, and maybe even some early Electric Wizard. So the usual suspects. Very much straight forward Sludge Stoner Doom goodness. However this just really stands out to me. I'm a sucker for harsh vocals over a good stoner groove, and there's plenty of that on "The Gift". So grab your bongs or pipes or whatever you got, and pray that your stash doesn't grow into some horrible mutated monster while listening to this. Cheers!

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Phantom Pain- Self Titled (2017)

Hard Hitting Sludge from New Jersey. Reminds me of Machine Head's first two albums and everything Crowbar did before 2000. It's good stuff. Definitely some early 90s Metallic Hardcore influence in there as well. This is less fuzzy, oozing, gooey sludge, and more like hit you in the head with sledgehammer, run you over with a steamroller, and drop a ton of bricks on you kind of sludge. Just crushing beastly riffs that are aurally pleasing.

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Gravecoven- Coughing Blood (2017)

This shit is straight from the dankest and darkest swamps of hell. Gravecoven manage to blend Black Metal and Doom so seamlessly, with tempos ranging from blistering speed to typical doom sluggishness. "Coughing Blood" sprays at you like a thick blackened ooze that is full of fat chuggy guitars, blast beats, howls, and vocals that are fit for an exorcism. I totally dug this, as well as their cover of Bathory's "Hades" which is the last track on the album. The bandcamp page is missing two tracks, but if the first four and cover are any indication of what's left to feast on, consider me a ravenous wolf, ready to feast on a second helping. Cheers!

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Alastor- Black Magic "Single" (2017)

Surrounded by a haze of fuzz with vocals trailing like ghosts from an unearthed tomb, this brooding foursome from Sweden play heavy stoner doom/occult rock that sounds like a cross between Electric Wizard and Uncle Acid. "Black Magic" is like a slow occult fueled stoner trip to hell. The song is pretty epic, clocking in at 14:33 mins long, it does not bore. After slowly churning along through the main riffs of the song, about halfway through the song halts to introduce a jam that is the final dark decent into the abyss. Grab your bongs and your Ouija boards and blast this shit in the background!
This is actually one track out of three that will be release in the spring by Twin Earth Records. I totally dig the label, and I'm a big fan of Heavy Traffic's "Plastic Surgery" which they released in late 2016. I'm definitely going to the rest of the tracks once they're available. Cheers!

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Throes- Koro

This is certainly not new, but it was brought to my attention by Hassan Amin from Dead Bhuttos. These Austrian sludge metal dudes don't fuck around with this album. Definitely some early Crowbar worship going on here, as well as some Unearthly Trance. It's a little blackened at times, and even has some mid tempo thrash grooves in there as well. The music sounds heavy as fuck, like a colossus coming to life covered in gooey molten lead destroying everything in site. I really enjoyed that not every song sounded the same on this. It might come off as cliched, but I did feel like every song on here had their strengths, and stood on their own two legs. Plus there's a track with trombone on it! Here's to hoping they release more stuff!