LáGoon - Grim Ripper (2018)

There's a couple of dirty punks out in Portland calling themselves LáGoon that are tearing up the streets with the sound of their new album "Grim Ripper"! This is a punchy set of stoner songs (no long jams here) with plenty of streetwise grit. There's no bass on this one, which helps to keep it sharp - all the music you're getting is scuzzy guitar and loud, lively drum beats so you can get on board or get left for dead! Combine that with the deadpan vocals and the results are like an electric shock down your spine. All this fuzzy, rocking shit has a unique energy that almost feels like the inverse of what you're usually getting out of stoner rock - it's like a surge of adrenaline squeezed the soul right out of your body and left you an empty, dead-eyed husk, but you're still running like an animal. The Bandcamp page for this album says that it was heavily influenced by skateboarding which is pretty clear when you hear the lyrics, but beyond that the tunes and general attitude make it an amazing skate soundtrack. These guys definitely make me think of Fu Manchu and not just because of skateboarding associations - they've got a similar laid-back intensity and style, especially with the vocals. But overall, I think this album is best summed up with a sound clip from the first track - "if people don't like it... FUCK 'EM!" -Brandon

LaGoon's Facebook

The Human Race is Filth - Liberate (2018)

Holy fuck, I don't even know if it gets any crustier than this. This is the shit! Like front to back this is just filled with shit that I really dig. Everything I like about Sludge/Grind/Crust/D-Beat gets some sort of representation here, plus everything from the sounds, tones, and even the pacing of the songs is like spot on for me. It has right amount of Grindy Blast Beats, Crusty D-Beats, and Slow Grimy Sludge parts. The riffs are fantastic and heavy as fuck. I guess what also blows my mind is that "Liberate" was only recorded last month. It's just so fucking good!
The guitars have that over distorted, fat, and bloated sound, with a slight HM-2 (not really sure if that's what they used) crunch, which really gives it that right amount of disgust that is perfect for the Grind/Crust sound. The bass is definitely over distorted, which is fucking terrific for the mix. The drums always seem to have the right beat paired with the right riff. The vocals range from shouts, growls, and screams, and they always seem well placed. Everything about this release just seems right to me, and makes sense.
As you could probably guess after reading my glowing review of "Liberate" and praise for THRIF, this has easily made it into the list of my favorites from this year. It's a crime to pass this one up. Required listening for sure. Cheers! -Samir

THRIF's Facebook

Leechfeast - Neon Crosses (2018)

Leechfeast just revel in that filthy nasty sounding Sludge Doom, and that's exactly what you get with "Neon Crosses". Four tracks of sluggishly slow doom dirges soaked in tar-like grime and heaps of refuse. It's disgusting and dirty, and that's what makes it so appealing. This is the kind of sludge doom that I go looking under rocks for sure. It's definitely slimy in nature, but there is also an ethereal quality to it as well. The mood and tone can change from being ghastly and almost demonic to haunting and atmospheric. Regardless, Leechfeast batter their riffs with agonizing cruelty, set to the dragging pace of a snail under a dying red sun.
The guitars and bass on this have a thick distorted wall of slime, that slowly discharges itself from an infected oozing wound. The edges are draped with feedback, while these detuned riffs play along to the down tempo beats. The drums on "Neon Crosses" are pretty fucking minimal, but in a brutish caveman battle doom sort of way. The vocals are sickening and jagged, with the texture of rusty barbed wire. They definitely fall more on the Blackened Sludge Doom spectrum of vocals.
Overall I really fucking dug this. The art on this album cover really fits the feeling and sound on "Neon Crosses". I highly recommend this! Cheers! -Samir

Leechfeast's Facebook

Spitter - Boozycreeper (2018)

Today is your lucky fucking day because you're about to learn about Spitter, an instrumental stoner/doom/sludge duo that's ready to lay waste to southern Russia. Their debut release "Boozycreeper" features 5 songs that strip heavy music down to bare elements - nothing more than bass and drums - and then push it through a noisy filter of foul fuzz that practically turns the sound into a biological weapon. There's no guitar, no vocals, and you're not going to care because this shit hits you in the chest like the fist of a giant ape. It's a thick, groovy slop that will slosh its way through the airwaves and give birth to a swamp in your head. The gurgling sound of the bass conjures images of the primordial ooze and every note is another bubble swelling up out of the muck - but then the crash of the drums makes those bubbles pop and splatter. You'd better believe there's a whole lot of heft to it; you can feel the weight dragging you down into the frothy, churning mire until you're choking on putrid bog water. The bass tone and noise really make these some dirty tunes, but that's exactly why you're going to love this - it's just a bunch of nasty groove covered in pond scum and there's nothing to hide. But even with all the noxious noise, you'll still get wrapped up in the rhythms - it's just under 40 minutes long, but every time I play this monster it seems like it's over too quickly. Your speakers are going to hate you if you're not playing this, so turn the volume up already! -Brandon

Spitter's Facebook

Shrooms Circle - S/T (2018)

Somewhere deep in a rank, underground cavern is a grand cathedral - beautifully architected and seemingly out of place in this foul, forgotten cave. Constructed in ages long past, it has been a site of secret worship for centuries. Here, a dedicated group of devotees perform black masses, typically under the influence of the psychedelic mushrooms found growing on the walls and floor of the cavern. The cult bears the name "Shrooms Circle" and they have committed the recordings of their unholy service to tape (courtesy of Golden Dawn Recordings) in hopes that all might revel in the profane glory that was once hidden from the world. So what wicked sounds have been unearthed? Otherworldly doom metal with psychedelic stylings, backed by an ancient, moaning organ and fronted by wailing vocals that echo through the chamber and into your mind. It starts out massive and then somehow grows even bigger until it becomes all you can fathom and completely swallows you. The rhythm section creates an impenetrable wall of warbling, supernatural sounds while the guitar produces distorted fuzz tendrils that snake off wildly in a dozen different directions before being yanked back with a satisfying crunch. It's extra thick with plenty of trippy tones - more than enough to make you dizzy. There are moments on here where you feel as though you're being cracked open and you seep out of your own body as a black ooze in order to fill a demon lord's goblet. It elicits some Electric Wizard vibes, but ripples off in ways that may seem contradictory at first - the organ puts it in a more formal setting and the way these guys play feels more unhinged - but the results are incredible. Two of the tracks have been labeled as demos, which is probably for the best because the full-fledged songs would have been enough to put listeners into a hypnotic trance, ready to offer themselves as blood sacrifices upon the altar! Shrooms Circle is heavy, dangerous, evocative, and on these recordings you can truly hear the invocation of evil - sounds that will corrupt souls and drive people mad with lust for the darkness. You've been warned! -Brandon

Shroom Circle's Facebook

Witching - S/T (2018)

With a wicked snarl out of Philadelphia, PA the band Witching stirs a bubbling cauldron. Inside is a fragrant brew of stoner, sludge, and doom all melting into one savage poison fit to liquefy organs and burn through flesh like acid. It's the band's self-titled debut and it's decadently nasty like you wouldn't believe, striking a great balance between harsh and catchy stoner-doom. "Witching" was a great name for this because there's definitely some magic in the way the sound comes together and bundles so much toxic goodness in one package - only five tracks and I'm hungry for more! It begins deceptively gently with a song titled "Baby Bird" with a minute of pretty acoustic guitar pickings before being swallowed by the seething, boiling sounds conjured up from out of the darkness. The guitar tone has a nice sharp edge to it while summons deep, pungent riffs from the underworld - there's a faint odor of rot and decay but there's no way to keep yourself from grooving to some of these! The band definitely hit a sweet spot with the evocative rhythms and searing style. Up front, the vocals comfortably shift between rough, wretched shouts and despondent doom moans that evoke a haunting feeling. There are even a few black metal twists on the tunes (as you may have guessed from the band logo) - you can hear it clearly about midway through "Burning Girl" when the song becomes a buzzing, pounding assault. Really rad shit all around, I'll definitely be playing this one some more! -Brandon

Witching's Facebook

Borgonaut - S/T EP (2018)

Borgonaut is a band with a rumble that's going to get your bones rattling and turn your brain into mush. These dudes are casting a creeping darkness over their native Italy with their first EP and the country may never recover. Here we've got three tracks of stoner-doom that are heavy like a load of stones, so watch out because you might snap your neck while banging your head! The sound is thick and meaty with guitar, bass, and drums all bringing their own overwhelming weight to the table while the vocals sprinkle a nice scratchy flavor on top. The first song on here is "Fifty Rider" and I have to assume they're riding a heard of rhinos or something because this is the sound that a mass of dangerous, lumbering beasts makes! For a slow, plodding song it's pretty damn catchy too and it's hard not to join in when they shout out "FIFTY RIDER". The riffage on this release is colossal and you can feel a dark gleam in each one that seems to be imbued with evil spirits. On top of that, there are some inescapable moments of groove across the EP, but it comes through strongest at the end on the band's eponymous track - at some point it just falls into a hole of rubbery riffs that throw you around and leave you to fend for yourself. Some high quality shit for a first release! I definitely want to hear more from these dudes - need a full-length soon! - Brandon

Borgonaut's Facebook