ALBUM REVIEW: Purple Hill Witch - "Celestial Cemetery"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:10/11/2017

Label: The Church Within Records

From the Deep Purple-indebted organ intro, to the bluesy pentatonic riffing, there’s no doubt that the latest LP from Norway’s Purple Hill Witch is pure retro-metal worship.  The pervasive garage metal swagger elevates some pretty raw material and proves that they have the chops to be a really excellent outlier in the doom metal underground

“Celestial Cemetery” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Ghouls in Leather

2. Harbinger of Death

3. Celestial Cemetery

4. Around the Universe

5. Menticide

6. The First Encounter

7. Burnt Offering

The Review:

From the Deep Purple-indebted organ intro, to the bluesy pentatonic riffing, there’s no doubt that the latest LP from Norway’s Purple Hill Witch is going to be pure retro-metal worship.  Thankfully, their enthusiasm and chops go a long way, and some inspired moments carry a record that could slip into pure nostalgia.   The pervasive garage metal swagger elevates some pretty raw material and makes me believe this power trio has yet to release their breakthrough record.

       

Opening track “Ghouls in Leather” is definitely the best cut on “Celestial Cemetery”, bouncing easily between first wave proto-doom and NWOBHM riffing meets punky metal hooks.  Guitarist Ingvaldsen’s vocals are strong and when he offers some variations (sometimes sounding like a young King Diamond) or the occasional falsetto punctuation, you catch him developing his own, more distinct cadence.  His guitar work, meanwhile, is distinct enough to be the star attraction –heavy on the balls rather than pyrotechnics.  He gets some sweet tone that sounds loose enough to be mistaken for some early garage rock, or a Blue Cheer outtake.  “Harbinger of Death”, in particular, highlights Purple Hill Witch’s ear for a killer riff, even if the refrain pales in comparison.  The title track, the appropriately spaced out, reverby “Celestial Cemetery”, has Ingvaldsen’s best vocal delivery, but highlights the relatively low bass levels.  It’s a shame that I can’t hear more of Andreas Schafferer’s interesting work, even if I can FEEL it when the volume is cranked enough.  “Around the Universe” is a good track bolstered by a really thrilling, Steppenwolf-style solo.  Kvam’s subtly jazzy kit-work is a nice touch, too.

The final two tracks, “The First Encounter”and “Burnt Offering”, while they have their moments, also highlight the limitations of the record.  The bass continues to be too low in the mix, while little guitar flourishes occasionally seep through the left channel at a level just quiet enough to be maddening.  The harmonica closing of “Burnt Offering” is a cool idea with an execution too minimal to really rock.  By this point I really wished there was a return to the gloomy organ music of “Ghouls in Leather” – with a solid anchor to the dueling guitar and harmonica, the song would be that much heavier, and more memorable.  While these criticisms may be quibbling, Purple Hill Witch set the bar high for themselves.  They’ve proven they have the chops to be a really excellent outlier in the doom metal underground, on par with spaced out weirdos like Captain Beyond or Italy’s Black Hole.  If they can capture and sustain the energy of the first half of ”Celestial Cemetery”, they’ll be in for one hell of a record.

“Celestial Cemetery” is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Electric Wizard - "Wizard Bloody Wizard"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 17/11/2017

Label: Witchfinder Records |

Spinefarm Records

 “Wizard Bloody Wizard” transcends whatever the in-thing of the moment is, and focuses instead on musicianship, the album's all-analog approach creates a warm, vintage sound for the songs and on the whole Electric Wizard feels re-energized, whilst  remaining true to their seedy pedigree

"Wizard Bloody Wizard"CD//DD//LP track listing

1. See You In Hell

2. Necromania  

3. Hear The Sirens Scream

4. The Reaper

5. Wicked Caresses

6. Mourning Of The Magicians

The Review:

Doom metal institution Electric Wizard has been around so long that its musical progeny continue to make waves around the world. Its gritty, mystical method to metal has directly and indirectly influenced legions of heavy music performers for over two decades. Consider 2000's "Dopethrone" and what it meant for the genre. Indeed, the English band has been at it over 25 years, plying its brand of pulpy blues/stoner/sludge rock in the vein of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and other legends.

The 2014 release "Time to Die" saw the return of original drummer Mark Greening to the team. However, Greening again left, resulting in a pause from recording. Instead the group kept a hectic touring schedule, with new drummer Simon Poole joining Electric Wizard for its new chapter. With its over-the-top artwork and Occult/marijuana/horror themes in "Wizard Bloody Wizard," Electric Wizard is back at last. The next inquisition is whether Electric Wizardcan make remarkable music in this period where plenty of acts have, arguably, co-opted it sonically and lyrically, or whether that brand of a seminal group still makes it something to watch.

The album got a preview with the lead-off single and opener, "See You in Hell." Great reason for that: it is easily one of the album's best tracks, with its plodding bass courtesy of Clayton Burgess, distorted guitars and vocals that overwhelm with lyrics rather than volume. Electric Wizard has gotten a reputation over the years for theatrical songwriting that is more Alice Cooper than Cannibal Corpse, and this opener only reinforces it. “This world is crazy and makes me sick/Maybe I'll torture you just for kicks/But I lie here possessed by evil/Forever a servant of the Devil." The delivery is not nearly as threatening as that sounds. In fact, it is entirely listenable in a manner that is reminiscent of the late 1970s' flirtations with evil music themes. Electric Wizard stay true to the seedy pedigree, though it remains accessible.

The more skeptical might find this opening a tad formulaic – Electric Wizarddoes particular things exceedingly well, and stays with it. However, credit must go to a band with this kind of history, which has mastered its craft in a way that transcends whatever the in-thing of the moment is, and focuses instead on musicianship. Jus Oborn's vocals are as spellbinding as ever, the album's all-analog approach creates a warm, vintage sound for the songs. Electric Wizard feels reenergized to give fans that dig what they do, exactly what they came for.

Still, familiarity for some is sure to breed contempt. You may have heard by now that "Wizard Bloody Wizard" has gotten its share of heat for lackluster moments. A dash of that criticism is fair, though some of that is based in expectation of a louder, lewder Electric Wizard in the vein of 2010's "Black Masses." Here, the group is looking for a more stripped-down performance; hence the aforementioned analog recording and flourishes that harken back to Led Zeppelin era heavy rock. True to that, a song like "Hear The Sirens Scream" offers you a taste of a cleaner vocal and more of the downtempo, bluesier hard rock of the period. "Necromania" opens with a more conventional booming heavy rock riff. It too is an energetic jam, in a fashion that can likely attract new fans, frankly.

One of the few disappointments is that this release is incredibly short, at just under 45 minutes. Electric Wizard try to make up for the brief disc with "Mourning of the Magicians," an 11-minute closing cut that sees Liz Buckingham doing some impressive guitar work. The chorus "see you in Hell" reappears, as if to close the story loop from the opener, and the song's themes, which speak of darkness and betrayal, illuminate the thick rhythm laid out. Although "Wizard Bloody Wizard" is unlikely to be considered Electric Wizard'scrowning achievement, it may in fact turn into bait for a new audience into the renaissance of old-school hard rock.

"Wizard Bloody Wizard" is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Kadavar - "Rough Times"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/09/2017

Label: Nuclear Blast

The sound off the album is positively low-fi, the title track a noisy and lurching beast and “Into The Wormhole” sounds like a slowed down record being played through a torn speaker. There are sojourns into more proggy territory with “The Lost Child”, but for me it is when the band utilise the most Neanderthal sounds that they are most effective.  The verdict? A lot better than their first two albums and an interesting, engaging listen.

“Rough Times“CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Rough Times (3:38)

 2. Into The Wormehole (4:17)

3. Skeleton Blues (4:24)

4. Die Baby Die (4:18)

5. Vampires (4:48)

6. Tribulation Nation (5:04)

7. Words Of Evil (3:37)

8. The Lost Child (5:52)

9. You Found The Best in Me (4:58)

10. A L'Ombre Du Temps (3:57)

The Review:

Kadavar are Berlin's premier 70's retro rock revivalists and I have followed their career somewhat loosely since their 2013 “Abra Kadavar” album which featured a very seventies production in terms of instrument placement and a small dose of Sabbathto go with their Deep Purple, Budgie, Coven, Blue Cheer, Zeppelin et. al. references. Not doom, for sure, but not only classic rock... Since then, of course, a myriad of bands have come to the fore who deal in similar retro-nostalgia (Gentleman's Pistols are still the best outfit with a retro leaning).

With “Rough Times”, I have missed out on one of the band's albums so I don't know quite how this fits into their continuum but I do know that this is much rougher than the first two records- as the title may obliquely suggest. This is closer to the MC5 and The Stooges in terms of sound and aggression than it is to Budgie. The sounds is positively low-fi, the title track a noisy and lurching beast. “Into The Wormhole” sounds like a slowed down record being played through a torn speaker.

The rest of the record is just as gnarly- “Skeleton Blues” is a primal groove of distorted bass and guitar with reverb drenched vocals. The lyrics capture the Zeitgeist of fake news and confusion in prescient terms. As such, then, for a retro band Kadavarare remarkably up to date in themes and concerns- of the ten tracks, all sound like they could have been recorded between 1968 and 1975, but most of the lyrics could only come from the here and now- an odd combination, but one that makes their sound more alluring, at least for me.

Whether it be the lost innocence and cynicism of “Vampires”, the political sounding “Tribulation Nation” or even the straight rocker “Words of Evil” with its metaphors, all the songs are bang up to date: or could apply to any era of trouble and strife you could name. There are sojourns into more proggy territory with “The Lost Child”, but for me it is when the band utilise the most Neanderthal  sounds that they are most effective. There is melody aplenty in “You Found The Best In Me” and it features as the middle track in the closing triumvirate where the band spread their wings beyond the Berlin/Detroit axis and venture into more unusual sounds and styles. The final statement of “A L'Ombre Du Temps”is again current, retro and a departure for the band.

The verdict? A lot better than their first two albums and an interesting, engaging listen.

“Rough Times” is available here

Band info: official || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Blues Rockers Captain Crimson "Remind" us how to rock

 

With an established and impeccable reputation that started back in 1995, Small Stone Records, the self proclaimed dealers in the finest in fuzz rock, continue to churn out gold standard releases some 21 years later, not bad when you consider the label was started with a loan of $5000 and a desire to put out record by his friends.

 

The label continues to put out approximately 10 to 12 new releases a year and many of his bands keep busy touring schedules, therefore a band could consider them fortunate to taken under the wings of this truly great label.  One such band is Captain Crimson, a band dealing in the kind of badass blues rock that has made their peers and fellow Swedes, Graveyard, Witchcraft, and Blues Pills household names within the underground doom scene.

 

Formed in 2010 by vocalist Stefan Lillhager, formerly of Blowback, Captain Crimson draws inspiration from the classic sounds of The Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull, Cactus, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, meeting heavy boogie head-on with a modern swagger that has carried over to their latest and third album, “Remind”, which will serve as their first for Small Stone Records.

 

“Remind”will be released on October 14th, 2016 on CD, digitally and limited edition vinyl and preorders of the record are available here. Today at The Sludgelord in association with our friends at Earsplit PR we are debuting another new cut to remind you how much you need this band in your life.  Check out “Black Rose” below



“Remind” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Ghost Town

2). Bells From The Underground

3). Love Street

4). Black Rose

5). Money

6). Drifting

7). Remind

8). Let Her Go

9). Alone

10). Senseless Mind

 Band info: facebook