Iron Monkey - 9-13 (2017) / Unsane - Sterilize (2017)

So here's my bonus review for the week. Actually it's a double review, and it's about two bands that I discovered at different points in my life, and who became favorites of mine. They also both released albums recently, so I thought I'd review them together. Neither of these bands need me to write this, and honestly any band that I review on here doesn't either. I just do it because I love heavy music, and I think there are some that go under the radar and i'd like to not only listen to those bands, but also talk about how much I liked their shit. So this review is really for me, and I guess if you like these two bands, this review is for you too.

I remember reading about Iron Monkey and sludge in general in Metal Maniacs when I was an early teen. I wasn't sure exactly what sludge was, but once Crowbar had been name dropped in some articles, I got the gist. Slow, low, and played kinda loose, like the music was actually trying to mimic the movement of sludge rolling downhill. I saw advertisements for the S/T release, but I didn't hear it until a little later on. I was kinda pissed I had no heard them earlier. It's definitely a classic, and I've returned to it many times. They were like the result if Electric Wizard and Eyehategod formed a super group. They were that much of a Goliath. Piercing harsh vocals, a thick low end, and a Sabbathian Stoner Groove, that not only were trademarks of the Stoner Sludge Doom sound, but have been copied, borrowed, and stolen mercilessly since. Then after their release "Our Problem" they didn't put out anything else and that's because their original singer Johnny Morrow died. However, 20 years later released not that far off from the S/T album's original release, the band puts out "9-13". Considering how much of a classic the S/T album is, it would be hard to top that. While I can confirm that my feelings are pretty strong for their their first album, I feel like I can enjoy "9-13" in its own right without being over zealous about the first two releases. It sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound. Pure sludgecore bliss. The riffs are simple, catchy, and have this loosely swung swagger to them. They definitely kept a lot of the elements that made them great. Is this how they would've sounded if they just kept going in the first place? Who knows! I just know I'm really glad they finally did. It's fucking heavy and it crushes.

I'm guessing like most people I discovered Unsane when MTV put "Scrape" on heavy rotation. it wasn't quite metal, but it was definitely more abrasive and had more attitude than the Alternative Rock and Grunge that they were regularly showcasing. As a result I was hooked, and it also served as a gateway to Amphetamine Reptile; a label with a roster of bands who shared a similar sound. I of course have followed the band as they have jumped label to label including two of my favorites Relapse and Ipecac, and now they find themselves on Southern Lord with "Sterilize". Upon first glance of the album art, it looks as if the band has not lost its touch one bit, including their signature use of blood you can find as a constant theme throughout their entire body of work. Once I listened to it, I discovered this is probably some of their best work in a long time. It's heavier than most, it's just as abrasive as ever, and it's even got some of the sludgiest songs I've heard from them. It has all of their trademarks as well. Their jagged waltzing rhythms, the screaming, those stabbing leads, and that fucking bass sound. The band hasn't changed one bit. It's been five years since "Wreck" out, and it was even another five years before there was a release before that. I'm hoping that it won't be another five before we hear anything else from them, but in the meantime if I do have to wait, this album will tide me over for sure. It fucking rules! Cheers! -Samir

Hobo Magic - The World Today (2017)

I remember first hearing Hobo Magic a couple of years ago. I had stumbled across their self-titled album on YouTube and I loved the name so damn much I had no choice but to listen to it immediately. My ears were treated to some gnarly stoner tunes rooted in classic rock that was buzzing with a dirty kind of charm - more than enough to leave me satisfied! Now, three years after their debut, the guys in Hobo Magic are back with their next album "The World Today" and they've only gotten better! The band cleaned up the sound a little bit from their last release, but that doesn't mean they've cleaned up their act - these tracks are a wild mess of riffs and groove burning with organic energy. This album is noisy stoner rock at its core, but it's also happy to branch out in other directions. There are pockets of doom ("Frostbite"), ultra mellow jams ("The Poet"), and towards the end of "Lady Of The Groove" it just decides to give up on everything that came before and becomes jazz fusion for a couple of minutes (and you'd better believe it's the best jazz fusion you've heard all year). Every member of this trio is super talented and they go balls to the wall pulling off what is essentially musical stunt work in order to create track after track of uncontrollable, hard rocking hysteria - expect to be impressed. If this shit doesn't get your blood pumping then you might be dead. -Brandon

Hobo Magic's Facebook

Plague Years - S/T EP (2017)

Here's my part 2 of reviews for the week, where I go back and review a band who has already been featured on this blog, and is from my local scene. You probably don't know who Plague Years is, even though they've been featured here under a different name. Even then, I'm going to be humble and assume as a casual reader, you may have missed the review for the Nemesis Demo either. Well as you can probably gather, Nemesis became Plague Years, and have released a pretty fucking awesome EP that rips.
Again, like I mentioned in the Bone Folder review, this is kind of a departure from our regular Doom reviews, as this is Thrash Metal, and holy fuck is this a complete Thrash Attack. It's like Detroit's Plague Years bypassed all that Retro/Revival and Party Thrash shit and created something that's progression of what came before them that seems modern and isn't the NWOATM and they are definitely not walking the fence when it comes to moving into Death Metal either. It's totally Thrash Metal. It's aggressive, tightly wound, and ferocious as fuck. It doesn't matter if these dudes play slow, mid paced or go full on speed metal, they are a fucking force to be reckoned with, and are spitting out some of the best thrash riffs I've heard in a long time.
The guitars definitely have that familiar crunch to them, which is the culmination of decades worth or dialing in from others to find that great heavy thrash metal tone, which these dudes obviously have picked up on. It's got all of the Dual Guitar Melees, Dive Bombs, and Galloping Palm Muted Open E Strings that made me love Thrash to begin with. Not to mention the ripping leads as well. Again, the fucking riffs on here are some of the best written I have heard in a long time. I mean these dudes are the real dude when it comes to love for this genre. Some of these riffs could contend with some of the best of them. Now add in the drums with all of the double kick precision, and vocalist who's throat seems well suited for this kind of stuff. He's got a great voice as well. A step above just hardcore screaming. It's pissed, but it has some range to it. Definitely no clean singing allowed here.
Overall I'm vastly impressed with these dudes. Plague Years has to be one of the best bands in the Detroit Area IMO even though they are relatively new. They are definitely one of my favorites that I will follow and listen to anything they put out. I'd definitely like to check them out live, considering the frenetic energy that was captured on this recording. If it's replicated live, i'm sure their shows are straight bangers. Anyway, please go check this band, and check out other metal from the Detroit/Toledo Area. There's a lot of good shit in the underground that deserves some attention. Cheers! -Samir

Facebook for Plague Years

Bone Folder - The Death Collective Volume 1 (2017)

This week my reviews are going to focus on bands that are both from my local area and have already been featured on the blog. Both bands are also not Doom related, as you have probably noticed over the last couple of months we have changed are our format to just be Doom Reviews while still posting other stuff on Facebook. So these two were obviously featured before that change, but I'll review good local shit no matter what it is, and Bone Folder's new full length is no exception.
The Toledo Apocalyptic Death Riders Bone Folder are back with the "The Death Collective Volume One". These Death Punkers rip through 11 tracks of blistering d-beat/metal punk worship, that will sweep you up in its tornado of mosh inducing anthems, and then throw you back down into the gutter lying beaten and bruised. It's got a fast and furious old school feel to it with lots of elements of 80s thrash and crossover thrown in the mix as well.
The most notable thing to point out on this release is all the guitar work. It's got everything from the ripping leads to the duel harmonies. The guitar players forge together to craft some tasty dbeat riffs, that seem to have a pinch of "Kill Em' All" added in there as well. Speaking of which the solos on this definitely seem Hammet-esque making good use of the wah wah during all the intricate solo work. The vocals on this album are super pissed. No clean singing at all, just straight up raw yelling and screaming.
"The Death Collective Volume One" is the soundtrack Fury Road didn't know it needed to have. It's full speed ahead with a few pit stops in the thrash zone for those extra breaks. It's the kind of pissed off music to listen to while riding into the sun set of post-apocalyptic blood red skies. It's a sand storm that captures the feelings and emotions of hopeless future, set to ruins. These dudes definitely have the matches to ignite the flames, and the gasoline to keep it going until it reaches every inch of this scorched earth,  Cheers! -Samir

Bone Folder's Facebook

Beerwolf - Planetfall (2017)

From beneath a veil of smoke emerges a killer three piece out of Tampa, Florida - Beerwolf. They're ready to shake the skies with their new album, "Planetfall", a massive stoner-doom meteor crashing in from out of the cosmos. Fans of the Sword are going to find a ton to love here - this release covers a lot of the same territory both musically and thematically. It comes down hard, bursting with an upbeat groove and soaring 70s style riffs, all carefully crafted and brought together under a psychedelic influence with a heavy metal finesse. It seems to lean on more stoner elements than doom, but when some of the dark, rumbling low tones finally come in, it creates a gloriously full sound that feels like an awakening in your soul. The lyrics are fantasy-fueled blasts that sound like they're straight out of a Frank Frazetta painting - some may call it cheesy, but it's exactly the kind of shit I love. But if that bothers you don't worry because the album is also peppered with instrumental tracks and they feature some savage guitar solos screaming with classic style - I especially recommend the fourth track, "Haze Arcane". Once the music starts it's hard to turn it off as you get swept up in a thundering swagger that just exudes energy. This album is just flat out awesome, so turn it on and turn it up! -Brandon
 

Beerwolf's Facebook

Daxma - The Head Which Becomes the Skull (2017)

They came from the void unleashing an overwhelming sorrow - a deep-seated grief from which we may not escape. Last year, Daxma put out their first EP "The Nowhere of Shangri-La", featuring only a single song entitled "Eons Apart". It is an immense 30 minute track of elegant, atmospheric doom that manages to evoke a comfortable sorrow and sense of longing. But as powerful as the EP is, it's only a herald for something even bigger: the band's first full-length album, "The Head Which Becomes the Skull". It refines the sounds heard on their EP into a deep, all-consuming abyss in which an alluring post-metal/doom hybrid empties your soul over the course of six songs. The music grumbles with slow, sinister rhythms and resonates in a lonely cosmic ambiance. Over top of this, guitar, violin, and both male and female vocals take turns singing out melodies of lament that will cast shadows in your heart. Everything is incredibly somber, but at the same time it has a chilling beauty that leaves you transfixed as you're drained of all joy and cast into the endless ether. This is an album that is both crushing and subtle in equal measure, working the band's creeping sonic despair into a massive, heavy riff and then back again. It's the sort of sound that will haunt you when you're alone on a quiet night - when you can feel the notes still reverberating in your mind. This is really an incredible piece of work, but it's not for those weak in spirit. Listen if you can handle it! -Brandon
 

Daxma's Facebook

Seer - Vol. 5 EP (2017)

Seer play filthy/nasty blackened sludge that sounds like Neurosis if they were heavier, darker, meaner, and maybe listened to more Black Metal. These dudes from Vancouver don't fuck around when it comes to making super heavy music that pairs well with a full moon night, haunted forests, and decrepit old castles. Playing slow and low, each riff as that slug, chug, and crunch that makes listening to sludge metal a rewarding experience. Now mix this together with the ancient evil primordial ooze these dudes spew forth, and you have the hideous monstrous creation that is Vol. 5.
I will say before consuming this release, (IMO) it digests well if it goes down whole, rather than being enjoyed through individual songs. If you were going to go about doing it that way, I'd say cut to the chase and listen to "The Face of the Earth Was Darkened and a Black Rain Began to Fall". The song is ten minutes long and combines with the other three tracks I'm pretty sure this is still the majority and true meat of Vol 5. Tidal Waves of heavy riffage push forward cosmic debris and organic rottenness, as the vocals chants about life, death, and eternal void. Speaking of which the vocals have a pretty good range on this EP, moving between sung to visceral sickening shriek with great ease. Although I'm not really sure it's all the same person, since there are several credited. While the other songs are just as great, they all seem to support this central core to form one moving entity devoid of light.
The atmosphere on Vol. 5 is gloomy as fuck. One only needs to direct their attention to the last track titled "The Mantra is Recited Within the Catacomb of Shuggnyth" a structure-less jam that sounds like it's straight out of some sort of satanic ritual scene from an old exploitation movie. Either that or a Kenneth Anger film. If you click on the lyrics for the song on their bandcamp page (whatever they're chanting is in decipherable) it reads "…and a putrid miasma rises". I feel like this one line could describe the entire album. It's definitely some good nasty evil shit. Cheers! -Samir
 

Seer's Facebook