English Breakfast: An overview of Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom

 

Here's an overview of Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom's full length discography. This English duo deserves more attention, I've discovered them due to their 2020 extended play Kingdom of Killers to realise that their previous releases were also very interesting!

Droner (2003)

English Breakfast Chapter 1: The Eggs

The debut album of the duo built the foundations of what’s to come. They embody what I like in my metal as newly thirty year old man and I’ll explain why. It’s primitive and made in a vacuum by true connoisseurs of the underground who really don’t care about trends and fashion in the metal world.

Droner could be described as a mix of of doom, first wave black metal, heavy metal and while the crust elements aren’t as present as on other albums, it’s there. Think of Amebix combined with Cathedral and Venom. That’s a pretty fucking good English breakfast, lads. Their riffs are loud, primal but precise in their sloppiness. It’s like being stabbed by a pointy rusty dagger and left to bleed in a cold forest while the wolves gather around you. The vocals are rough and while somewhat in the background, they’re not an afterthought and they can be varied too. “Droner in the Fog” has clean vocals giving a quasi post punk feel mixed with epic metal when combined with the tasty guitars. It’s not epic like Virgin Steele talking about Greek or Roman mythology, it’s instead done in a pure English manner, it’s just men dying in the woods while their wives are cooking a stew they’ll never be able to eat.

Those dudes are good musicians too, the drumming on “Whispers of God” is creative and tight and the clean guitars almost bring a progressive folk tinge to their metal. There’s a few stoner elements too, especially in the bass playing and in a few particular songs such as “Hillfort Ghoul”, that’s possibly due to the omnipotence of Electric Wizard and Cathedral in England but regardless, it fits. Their hometown of Birmingham is also the birthplace of doom metal so being from Black Sabbath’s home turf must have some sort of mystical influence.

Throughout the short album, Acwealde and Wartooth were really capable to explore different tempos from fast, mid-paced to even slow. That’s a strong debut with all the elements of their identity already in place even if it’s the only one to feature some stoner metal parts.

Battle Staffs in the Mushroom Woods (2006)

English Breakfast Chapter 2: The Sausages

Battle Staffs in the Mushroom Woods (best album title of all time?) is the second album of our duo of merry gentlemen carousing through England under the name Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom and it’s a doozy. Compared to their debut (that I really liked), it’s more focused and clearer in its intents. There’s a beefier Celtic feel here and while it’s not exactly folk metal and it’s relatively subtle in its approach, it’s there. It’s irrevocably English in its nature, mixing the rawest and undisciplined side of NWOBHM with proto extreme metal to great effect. Think Motorhead slapping Skyclad because they’re nerds but still integrating a few hints of their sound.

Released the same year as Darkthrone’s The Cult is Alive, Bretwaldas are definitely contemporaries of the blackened punkier side of the much more famous duo but they’re so much more than that. They just happen to share a liking to old school crust punk. It reminds me of Toronto’s Demontage in the way they're primal, lo-fi metal with a lot of heart, inventiveness and authenticity. While the production values here are better, we’re still far from the saccharine and overproduced sound of big labels and I’m totally fine with that. It suits their meat pie sound very well.

They're like if The Meads of Asphodel were actually too busy drinking in pubs to go to partake in weird Medieval reenactment. They dream of the past while drunk at the bar before using the ale soaked broom as a bastard sword. They might get lost in the nearby forest afterwards or at least, that’s what I imagine drunk Englishmen do for fun. They eat fish and chips, drink beer, talk about olde kings and smoke cigarettes.

Those dudes aren’t parodies and they’re smarter than you may immediately think. Songs like “Paths of River, Root and Stone” conjures intricate but blue collar guitar leads while closer “Blood of Gods and Men” could easily be something from Bathory’s epic Viking metal albums. This track and the eight minute “Beneath the Eaves” are basically blackened epic doom and it’s fantastic.

The varied influences they were able to gather makes this album an intense and rewarding affair for experimented metal fans. They’re more interesting and rich that you’d think and they make Midnight sound like an amateurish one trick pony with only one or two ideas.

Seven Bloody Remparts (2010)

English Breakfast Chapter 3: The Beans

Seven Bloodied Remparts, the third (and last one for now) full length from Bretwaldas is perhaps the widest foray they made into black metal and it’s a bold attack. The diversity found in their discography is one of the most interesting aspects of the band. Even though, to the unfamiliar ear, they could be concluded to be similar albums, their stylistic progression twists and turns quite often but remains rooted in some sort of black metal.

This effort could be described as some sort of epic black/crust, the doom elements aren’t as prominent here as they used to be. They always had a focus on history, archaeology and mythology and that’s what we find here again. Wartooth (bass, vocals) is an archaeologist but he’s able to easily contextualize and simplify topics to make them appropriate for metal music. It’s somewhat influenced by pagan metal here and there but it’s transformed into English ugliness. They’re never as cheesy as fellow English bands Forefather or Wodensthrone as well, they never played folk/pagan metal outright but they definitely used some Viking bits in the guitar riffs. Based on the No Clean Singing interview they did this year, the fact that pagan metal was often associated to national socialism and other far right movements wasn’t something they were keen with, for good reasons. 

The atmosphere here is pretty epic and contains some worthy anthems. Songs like “Rise” or “Smite” have some singalong lyrics, something they never really did before. It’s fairly appropriate for the music showcased here. “Smite” reminds me of Ireland’s Primordial with its slightly Celtic guitar melodies and its violent but historical hymn mood. The vocals are gruff, rough and there’s no clean singing here, like the English countryside when it rains, it’s muddy and dirty and that’s often how I like my metal. Even if Bretwaldas are a DIY affair, they’re not amateurs, they know what they do and what to do to achieve their particular sound. One of my favourite aspects of the band is the quality and melodic feel of Acwealde’s guitar parts (see “Grey Wolf” for one of the best examples), it brings another level to their Celtic Frost plus Amebix dual identity.

Listen/support the band on Bandcamp

Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost / 95%

 

Humble and heavy

Wytch Hazel from Lancaster, England makes me want to start going to church for one of the first time since christmas 1995. I argued that I wanted to stay home to build the Lego pirate ship I got but my grand-mother insisted. I only did my catholic confirmation because it was expected of me and I got a shitload of Star Wars episode I toys but damn, those boys almost make me wish I still had faith. I’ve never liked preachy religious metal and mostly stayed away from anything Christian metal related but there’s something special with Wytch Hazel. I also rarely like happy stuff so that’s like two strikes against them already. Turns out they’re one of the best bands in the world right now.

I’ve been a big fan since their second album, the aptly titled II: Sojourn, an album I’d easily place in my top twenty of the last decade. It’s just astounding that their third album is at least just as good. They succeed at continuing their signature sound but with a few tweaks that makes this album a pure banger. Their blend of NWOBHM inspired heavy metal, heartfelt English folk rock, hard rock and pop is just so catchy and memorable, it hurts. They’re able to put Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, UFO, Fairport Convention and Judas Priest in the same meatpie and make it taste wonderfully by adding their own spices. Maybe they found the dried remains of Jesus and they’ve been sniffing that since 2011? Their main strength is how they’re so good at grabbing you while never letting you go, their songs are almost aggressive in the way they reel you in and writing such efficient earworms isn’t easy. One of the complaints people had concerning Sojourn was that the album had too many ballads (I didn’t mind much) but it’s not the same here. The album is tight and flows nicely and only has “The Crown” with its beautiful acoustic guitars as its true ballad. With that said, there's soft, romantic moments scattered throughout the album such as on “Reap the Harvest” with its “death is comiiiiiing” (appropriate for our current plague) chorus or the instrumental beauty of the interlude “Sonata”. It’s a forty-ish minutes album but it’s one you’ll replay until you sing their simple but potent lyrics all day long.

Pentecost also showcases their best and heaviest production to date. The guitars are heavier than on their sophomore too, they increased the heavy metalness in their sound to great results. There’s some dope solos like on “Spirit and Fire”. It’s played big, it’s entertaining and just fiery. Colin Hendra has a distinctive voice and he’s not pushing it too much, it’s quintessential English and there’s not a bad vocal line on the whole album. Wytch Hazel are great musicians who could easily overplay and enter progressive territories but they keep things subtle but grandiose, that’s probably their biggest strength. They have the ability to restrain themselves while at the same time going all out. Still, it was nice to hear some mellotrons here and there (“I Am Redeemed”), it gave the band a fuller sound.

A song like “I Will Not” (perhaps my favourite on the album) is immediate and outstanding while the album wastes no time and gives us the riffs right when “He is the Fight” starts. The band gives us a few moments to breathe but ultimately, it’s a full experience without any faults and failures.

Even if I’ve always been somewhat uncomfortable with their Christian themes, they use them with such panache that I now have no problems with the band. I think it helps that it’s rooted in medieval themes, it feels antiquated in a good way and doesn’t remind me of the woes religions caused and are causing today. It’s an album full of feelsy melodies and it’s great for the time we’re in right now. It’s humble, hardworkin’ and just plain excellent.

Bandcamp

Nachtstille – The Inquisition of Death (2020) / 90%

 

The only Inquisition we need in 2020

Nachtstille (nocturnal silence) is a new project formed by Brendan Radigan (Magic Circle, Torture Chain, Mind Eraser...), his wife Kim Mercado and US east coast music engineer Trevor Vaughan. This three track demo released by the always excellent Tour de Garde (seminal local label for me) explores a sort of black metal that’s very close to my heart and does it with a lot of care and strength.

Three long-ish songs make up the release and I just end up wishing for more after it’s done. There’s a sense of epicness found within their atmospheres and it’s expansive without being overbearing or dull. It’s taking the old sensibilities of Emperor sans the corniness and adding a fair share of occult medieval influences. At times, it almost reminds me of a Cascadian take on the middle-age witchcraft slow dirges of Cultes des Ghoules and I mean, that’s incredible. The keyboards are loud but they bring this DIY, Summoning-ish feel I really liked, especially when it sounds like an organ like on the first track. It can be chaotic (in a good way) when combined with the fast drumming and the epic, incisive but melodic guitar tremolos but there’s a lot of time to let the whole thing breathe as well. Compared to Radigan’s “main” black metal project Torture Chain, this isn’t oppressive and as experimental in its sonic darkness but there’s the same odd deeply attractive charm. That quality can be expressed through beautiful moments found mostly through the intertwining of the powerful guitars and the sometimes subtle but often vividly present keys. Lastly, the vocals (Mercado) are subdued but effective as this sort of background ghastly presence. Not a highlight but it works well for their black metal approach and it could recall a sort of hellish take on Jeanne d’Arc or the many witches that were burned alive.

Nachtstille has the ability to channel highly epic and atmospheric black metal that’s able to be both bombastic and viscerally raw at the same time. The Inquisition of Death is close to symphonic black metal but it was thankfully made without the big budget of a band signed to Nuclear Blast or Century Media. It’s inspired and powerful material influenced by what could be considered cheesy 90s black metal that’s not too afraid to incorporate modern yet primitive elements recalling dungeon synth, raw black and epic medievalism. Outstanding. Everything Radigan touches turns to gold.

The Baguette Doom Series XIX and XX - Le Strasbourg Spécial with Monoatomic God - Astronaut Witch Bootcamp (2020) & Dionysiaque - Dionysiaque (2018)

 

Monoatomic God - Astronaut Witch Bootcamp (2020) / 75%

The Baguette Doom Series pt. XIX: Strasbourg I

The oddly named quartet impressed the hell out of me when I was working on the undying Band Queue of the Metal Archives and I knew I had to tackle their debut release for my Baguette Doom series. The band guided by the powerful vocals of Laetitia Convertini (great Astérix name!) was able to bring three condensed, strong but atmospheric nuggets of groovy doom/stoner on Astronaut Witch Bootcamp.

While probably inspired by the spacey themes and name of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (or maybe a stoner metal name generator, who knows?), the French band doesn’t mess around with long psychedelic movements and approaches things differently. There’s still some cosmic touches here and there such as the synths on “Effroyable Sphère” or “Funeral Orbiter” but the songs are mid-paced and dynamic with riff driven tempos. In spirit, I was reminded of High Priest of Saturn but without the Om/Sleep worshiping. I’m surely mistaking here but the mix of ethereal female vocals with a psychedelic doom vibe reminded me of the Norwegian band. Monoatomic God incorporates strong 70s vibes in their blend too (Deep Purple, Rush?) with modern stoner sensibilities and it works pretty damn well. Sure, proto-metal plus stoner isn’t new (Spiritual Beggars, The Sword) but I felt their formula was fresh and somewhat exciting, especially for a debut extended play. Don’t expect something like Windhand or even Blackwater Holylight either, it’s not that sort of trance inducing doom/stoner with dreamy, fey vocals. We’re in groovy tight doom territories, the energy, the type of riffing and the vocal delivery reminds me of Castle as well and that’s certainly a good thing.

All in all, Monoatomic God delivers the goods on their debut EP, it’s hard rockin’ doom/stoner with strong melodies, catchy and well delivered vocals and a legit familiar but enjoyable spacey atmosphere. I’m stoked to hear more from them.

Monoatomic God on Bandcamp

Dionysiaque – Dionysiaque (2018) / 85%

The Baguette Doom Series pt. XIX: Strasbourg II

Probably named after the philosophical ideas (from Nietzsche) rather than a reference to Dionysos, the god of wine, Dionysiaque are one hell of a band and they're much too sad to be about parties and celebrations. Their first release comes off as a strong foray into traditional doom territories with overt dark atmospheres. Like some other French bands like Barabbas, they’re able to create a fairly unique take on a genre that’s too often at ease with worshiping the greats.

While their riffs are very good and the two guitars do bring an extra oomph to their compositions, their moods are perhaps the best thing about them. They have this occult, crypt feel akin to the best style of black metal. Some riffs (check out “Doctor Kerjentsev”) can almost bring us back to the proto extreme metal days (see Mortuary Drape, Celtic Frost) in their execution. The first two tracks (about four minutes each) are mid paced goodness while the third brings us something more solemn and slower but still full of fucking heavy riffs. The vocals of Nathaniel Colas are extremely good and fits the intent of the band like a glove. He alternates between some madmen cavernous clean chanting and some more putrid harsher tones. He sounds like he’s underground while the rest of the band is vanquishing the undead in the graveyard. I'm not asking for much more in life.

I don’t usually like cover songs but Dionysiaque picked an interesting one from an obscure 70s English band called Tractor. The hard rockin’ vibes fits their style well and it’s a cool ending for the demo, it's full of catchiness while having a quasi goth rock vibe, very nice. I’m pretty sure their debut full length will propel them to the doom metal Mount Olympus. Essential demo.

Dionysiaques on Bandcamp

Purification – Perfect Doctrine (2020) / 92%

You can’t fuck with Forces of doom

Purification, that mysterious Oregon entity is back with their second full length in 2 years and I predict tons of carnage between them and The Wizar’d for doom metal album of the year. The Tasmanian’s nasal odes to Pagan Altar on one side of the battlefield ready to unleash an army of emus against the Portland Witchfinder Generals lookalikes could be a sight to behold. Those comparisons between the two bands aren’t just for show, they’re both apt at taking sounds of the past and processing it into a palatable yet contemporary formula. They’re also both incredible.

While deeply rooted in this sort mournful historical romanticism, their funereal approach can of course be linked to today’s morose happenings. "God is dead. America is fallen. Give up hope and move into the mountains." is something they wrote on their Bandcamp page and it’s telling. It’s easy to link past historical events to the current “plague” hitting the world. Through their sometimes edgy but precious lyrics, they’re observing reality within the confines of doom and they do it well. One of the most effective lines is in fact the opening lyrics of the album:

The whole world is a warzone and your life is getting grim...

It’s a wonderful, ominous start to the lineup and has those tight guitar leads reminding me of Uncle Acid’s Blood Acid album, ultimately one of the most influential doom records of the decade. There’s a definitive improvement in terms of both production values and overall musical proficiency compared to their debut Destruction of the Wicked, a good but uneven record. Purification's progression has been interesting, they have a career that could be similarly compared to Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. Two of their three members were in Thrown, a much rawer (and somewhat sillier) version of what we have here, they even had speed, thrash and heavy metal influences. Perfect Doctrine still has an acceptable amount of filth in its sound, just enough to make it shine through the detritus that is life. I guess they’ll have to split up and come back a few decades later at some point as well.

Their guitars are bright with just the right amount of haziness and power, their leads are not complex but damn they’re savoury and melodic. There’s a lot of short moments where they let slow psychedelia take over and I thought the guitars did a monumental job there. I don’t think it’s “tight” musicianship and I really don’t care whatsoever, it’s emotional and their aim has been thoroughly accomplished. The bass is as loud as I was expecting from ‘em, it just fills the whole damn church with vibrations while the drumming coming from the crypt is heard by the whole village. The vocals are sometimes too buried underneath a few coffins for my taste but it adds a cavernous feel to their doom metal and it’s not unwelcome. They could be a bit more powerful but that’s a mild complaint and I was just looking for weaker spots at this point.

The band is transparent about their influences (fine with me) and they namedrop Saint Vitus (of course) and you can certainly notice their influence. It’s thundering, undisciplined doom that’s never been opposed to collaborating with hardcore and punk. Their tight but rich songwriting is something also found on albums like Mournful Cries or Born Too Late. Vitus were never really messing around with longer tracks. They also namedrop Reverend Bizarre (I don’t need much else than them in life) and that’s certainly two of their biggest mentors. Purification are obviously fans of the tongue in cheek/Finnish humour aspect of the dissolved trio. They delve into the same (anti)religious themes and have similar references and aesthetics and yes, if you like the Reverend, you’ll probably end up liking those Americans. It needed to be said. It has been said. The groovy bass, the charismatic semi operatic vocals, the loose guitars... All the elements were there to convince me to send them $6.66 for that record. With that said, they’ll hopefully find a label to release it physically, it needs to be done or help me Satan.

You can’t fuck with Forces of doom
We have come to Destroy the empty tomb
Fuck your silent god
And fuck your wicked faith
We are Witness to the end
Of your failed master race

The band succeeds at giving us this apocalyptic despair with tracks like “On The Wings Of Pestilence, Darkness Takes Flight” or the hag bog/medieval atmosphere of “Lunar Hymn 999” ending the record, there’s nuggets of hidden potent atmospheric potential. Reminiscent in spirit to the seminal oeuvres of both Cathedral (for their flippant approach) and Paradise Lost (for their hard hittin’ Goth side), Purification aren’t a one trick pony. A track like “Sabbatharian Blood Feud” reminds me of both The Carnival Bizarre and the Icon/Draconian Times era by mixing wonderful stoner but not quite stoner riffs with evocative warlock-esque vocals.

They’re deceptive wizards shrouded in aura of DIY mystery but their doom chops are without question. Their doctrine has been executed to perfection. Purification are here to remind us that the world was always a fucking fetid void, thanks guys.

Bandcamp

Valkyrie - Fear (2020) / 87%

Time Flies but What Remains?

The Adams brothers are back with a new Valkyrie album five years after the excellent Shadows and it’s perfect for those sunny weekends where you do nothing except drink beer and chill on the patio. Just like today, actually. This summer is blurry, time flies, it feels like March was last week but metal and beer is always there to keep me grounded and entertained. Good news since their songwriting is both laid back and engaging, crafting entrancing nuggets of good feelings.

With Valkyrie, you get the twin lead guitar harmonies of Peter and Jake Adams, those guys are emotional masters. They’re able to convey so much with their instruments, it’s almost unreal. Peter is of course known for his time in Baroness (he played on Blue Record and Purple, two of my favourites) and Valkyrie certainly navigates similar areas in their sometimes perilous travels. You’re getting the same sort of fluid, idiosyncratic leads that he was known for during his years with the famous Virginian band. That style of particular guitar player makes Fear such an airy album, it also ends on such a note with the ghastly instrumental conclusion “Exasperator”.The rhythm section is also fantastic, the bass is thick and never overshadowed too much by the riffs and the drums is inventive and melodic in an odd but technical way. The vocals are also immensely powerful for me(the highlight would be “Fear and Sacrifice”), for a dude who’s more of a guitarist, it’s well done. While sporadic, they’re clean, soulful and gives another heavy rock layer to the album. Those guys don’t need a powerhouse singer, they’re not arena rock, they’re in fact the opposite. It’s heartfelt, concise while elaborate metallic rock done by dudes in full control of their instruments and direction.

They’ve always been a band that’s been blurring the thin lines between classic, hard rock and heavy/doom and while it’s still the case on that 2020 record, it’s a different beast than it was on records such as Man of Two Visions from 2008 or their self titled debut from 2006. Their essence is retained but Fear is a more subdued version, it’s calmer and less tempestuous. Nevertheless, their urgency and relatively fast tempos are still intact.

Valkyrie’s past (and sometimes actual) approach could be described similarly to Slough Feg in a way as they also include their fair share of proto metal (read Thin Lizzy) alongside NWOBHM (dual lead guitars for the win) but of course, they love Sabbath and American doom (read The Obsessed) and stoner metal (past comparisons to The Sword were appropriate, not so much now) quite a bit too. Fear brings a newfound progressive tinge and it’s very pleasing. Firmly evolving in the proto rock/metal niche, I do feel they served their material with a modern sauce. A compact sauce that’s never too salty or sugary. For me, modernity means the ability to really work on the production to make it sound tight and dreamy at the same time. It’s taking (possibly) dated sounds to make them sound contemporary and robust.

On their second album for Relapse Records, the veterans were able to evolve and offer us something different while still retaining their roots. It’s high quality atmospheric heavy rock that’s still inclined to give doom metal a chance.

Lüger– Cosmic Horrör (2020) / 85%

Leather in Space

The dangerous Montréal quartet is back with a four track extended play and it’s pure fire. I liked their 2018 opus (the Realm reviewed it) quite a bit but Cosmic Horrör (the umlauts are important, of course) sees the band improve and push their sound to the next echelon. They’re a pretty unique beast in the Montréal metal scene with their apocalyptic blend of influences and I’m stoked to see them on stage again whenever it will be possible.

“Space Coma” opens the record with blistering drums and features insane guitar solos with a melodic psych rock edge. It’s an effortless mix with their bass heavy approach to Motorized and Pentagrammed heavy metal. Jim Laflamme’s semi-harsh, tough vocals are emphasized by being judiciously but sporadically used (they only appear midway through “Call of the Snaggletooth”) and they feed the riffs perfectly.

The opener of side B appropriately named “Psychotropia” could have been twenty minutes as far as I’m concerned. It starts with an extended spacey intro that wouldn’t be out of place on a Ufomammut album before descending in their usual airy but demented riff heavy affair. It’s like driving a Martian bulldozer that’s been fueled with acid.

There’s a lot of stuff in Lüger’s cosmic Harley Davidson’s leather pouches but it’s so adequately condensed in one potent formula that’s both original in its dated but timeless recipe. Incorporating more than just heavy metal, doom metal or hard rock, the boys also feed their machine with adequate doses of punk, thrash, space rock or even hints of black smoke here and there. It’s raw but it sounds like a wall of brick that’s been built by master builders who look like deviant bad boys based on what your boomer aunt thinks. Even if there's a sense of familiarity to their music, it's exciting and enticing enough to be a fucking good record.

They’re the type of bands that are able to develop an image that becomes deeply tied to their sound. Leather, shades, tattoos, wearing vests while being shirtless etc. All bands have an image, the ones who say that they don’t have are the same ones who will gladly tell everyone that “they’re one a political band”. The important is to craft a solid and interesting look that will instantly embody the music you play. Well, Lüger plays rocky, punky sexy metal exploring the vastness and deserted confines of space and they look the part. The old school video game look of the artwork also does a great job at describing their sound. Undead evil knight? Space Castle? Yes, you betcha.


Bandcamp

Draghkar - At the Crossroads of Infinity (2020) 87%

Killer artwork by Karmazid, as always.

A Clash of Kingly Elements

Draghkar, one of the children of LA based guitarist Brandon Corsair finally released its first full length after a bunch of demos, splits and extended plays and it’s a different but meaner beast now. The band now solidified with a strong lineup composed of members of bands such as Drawn and Quartered (freaking underrated American legends) or Vastum (one of today’s best death metal bands), delivers one hell of a record.

The Mediterranean climate of California surely shaped that album. Corsair’s love for the Greek olde goldies could also have been an important factor too, I guess. Maybe! Draghkar basically sounds like death metal that’s been compressed with the warlike nature of Hellenic black metal but also with a truckload of other disparate elements such as epic heavy metal and Swedish and Finnish old school death metal.

Sophisticated while armed with an unhinged and aggressive approach, the tightly knit debut album is rife with excellent solos from Kelly Kuciemba. His leads add another dimension to the band (see the intro of “Beyond Despair, The Dawn of Rebirth”) and reminds me of both the “non melodic” melodic death metal that some few bands did so well (Deathevocation? Intestine Baalism? The racist cocks of Arghoslent?) and a style of raw, heartfelt epic metal that could be something cooked by King Fowley of Deceased in Mortuary Drape’s bloody kitchen. Slow without being doom/death metal, their speed is perfect for me as I like my death metal varied but mostly mid-paced and crushing. There’s a few longer tracks crammed with riffs such as the title track and it’s an expansion of the same ideas found on the shorter tracks but pushed to its epic paroxysm.

The vocals of Daniel Butler (Vastum, Acephalix) are on point, high powerful rasps that could work for a lot of extreme metal styles are something I dig. He’s replacing Brandon who’s focusing on songwriting and guitar and that’s a respectable decision even if I liked his more cavernous vocals on releases such as “The Endless Howling Abyss”. Butler’s vocals are relatively intelligible and I dig the production on them, there’s a slight martial edge reminding (Hail of Bullets, God Dethroned?) and that’s a good fit to the belligerent songwriting. The bass is also another clear highlight of that record, it’s loud, significant in the mix and even has clear moments to shine “An Erosion of the Eternal Soul”, it’s fun to hear such a lively bass in a non technical death metal band, it’s not something I encounter often.

The mix of styles here demonstrates how well those guys know their metal as it’s a seamless progression of extremely good things and could appeal to a diverse crowd into riffs and solows. There’s an academic feel to the whole thing and I really like that. Akin to a wizard studying their craft for years to unleash the most potent spells, Draghkar is a knowledgeable student of all sorts of metal schools who were able to craft something special.

It’s a short album but there’s some a few ambient moments that could have been somewhat extended such as the chanting at the start of “Seeking Oblivion” or the conclusion of the title track. I felt that there’s a mournful angle that could be more thoroughly explored without losing the expert musicianship and ear for melody those guys showcase on that thunderous debut. 

Support on Bandcamp

Lay's Wavy Cheddar & Sour Cream Snack Review

So I went to my local grocery store earlier this week and to my total surprise, the family size bags of Lays were on sale for 3 for 8 bucks (8 Canadian dollars, that's like 6 USD or 130 Mexican Pesos, man) so I bought the new BBQ less salty (BLUE BAG), the safe but always original bacon Lays and this new wavy cheddar and sour cream flavour. I sat on the couch at around 10 pm and I slapped the whole bag while watching the new Eric Andre special on Netflix. I ate two small millefeuille before trashing the bag so I wasn't even that hungry. Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Packaging: Orange bag, cheddar colored. The bag shows the wavy texture of the chips, a block of cheddar and a small bowl of sour cream (I'd eat that shit with a spoon if I didn't restrain myself, it's like tzatziki sauce, spread that on my chest, please). Lay's always does a good but subtle job for their graphic design.

Texture: Pretty different than the widely known Ruffles, their biggest competitor. The Wavy Lay's are somewhat bigger chips and they're cut differently. Easy to eat and it has a textured feel on the tongue.

Taste: The most important part, eh? They're pretty good! They're super creamy chips with the right amount of zing zing as far as cheese chips goes. Not as complex as the Miss Vickies sour creams chips (top tier, let's be honest here) but they're frankly pretty decent and easy to devour in one, easy sitting. I tried a lot of cheese chips as I'd kill for cheese and the Lay's are a solid albeit a bit safe choice. Not disappointing.

8.5/10

Shezmu - À Travers Les Lambeaux (2020)

Controlled Chaos

The first proper album for Shezmu after a bunch of extended plays and demos, À travers les lambeaux (could be translated to “through the shreds”) is a blistering piece of occult death metal that will help you get through this summer if your main vice is listening to hellishly dark music. Their first release as a three piece since the arrival of Yannick as a full time bassist, the short but sweet album doesn’t mess around with any aspects of their identity.

With their inspirations fully assimilated and ready to torn apart the competition, Shezmu delivers a well written and intelligent record full of twists and turns. Without playing a fully epic blend of metals similar to what bands like Sarpanitum or Necros Christos do, the Montreal band prefers to focus on pure death metal while incorporating some slightly foreign touches. The vocals of axeman and band leader Olivier (also in a wide array of other cool bands like Palmistry, Complot! or Moulin Banal) are deep, thunderous but also tortured clean screams reminiscent of Bolzer. It’s not a technical band, the focus is on riffs and riffs alone, there’s no unnecessary wank, it’s just riff worship and that’s totally fine with me. They’re mixing this sort of subtle antique feel with the evil energy of Incantation and it works. Not totally unlike Dead Congregation did.

The interlude “La rage” divides the album in two with a middle-eastern feel similar to the grandiose instrumental compositions found on Melechesh’s “The Epigenesis” and it was a welcomed respite since Shezmu are so fucking intense. There’s some shorter numbers like “Les secrets des ziggourats” and it brings forth a quasi blackened grind element to the fast compositions. Still, the bulk of the album is the two bread slices around it, its two longer compositions located at the start and at the end. They allow themselves to slow down and pummel you with “Lex Talionis”. At the edge of cavernous death metal, Shezmu’s guitars are pretty clear as far as death metal is concerned. The opener and title track has those hypnotic riffs that almost gives me the same effect (good) stoner metal has on me. This is perhaps their biggest strength, this sort of thundering but controlled chaos handled through efficient but minimalist musicianship is just so good. Shezmu are the cream of the crop for Québec death metal alongside Outre Tombe. Let’s see if Sedimentum can beat ‘em with their upcoming debut album.

Bandcamp

Basic Instinct – Late Bloom (2020) / 75%

From Coast to Coast: West


A duo of reviews featuring recent bands featuring women from the two coasts of Canada.

If you’re frustrated that Chelsea Wolfe still hasn’t released a “damn this is definitely metal through and through” album, this Canadian duo from British Colombia could satisfy your urges. On the twenty-three minutes extended play, the duo composed of Joy (drums) and Carly (guitars, vocals) explores heaviness through psychedelia and alternates between soft and heavy introspection.

The core of the duo’s music is some sort of heavy sludge/doom/stoner with dynamic drums and fairly catchy yet simple guitar riffs. The drumming of Joy has this martial quality in the droney sludge of opener “Feast”, she’s really good and precise and makes the duo sound fuller. That same track also has some blackened elements in both the tremolos and the guitars. We’re in Cascadian territory after all, the specter of Wolves in the Throne Room is always close by. The presence of Carly’s harsh vocals alongside her clean ethereal ones are giving that soft versus heavy dichotomy and it could recall SubRosa (rest in peace) and their penchant for emotional mood swings through songs. 

With that said, the clean chanting on the second track is the highlight of the EP for me, it gives some sort of quasi medieval feel to the modern ugliness of sludge. The singer is really damn good and she brings forth a lot of different auras through the diverse range of her vocals. From stoner intonations (“Prey”) to psych sludge or crust (the short execution of “Payne’s Grey”). The compositions are also diverse, ranging from hypnotic but short and sweet sludge bursting into more extreme territories. I think they could let the songs breathe more though, some of the most expansive tracks could benefit from being longer, maybe a tad slower too. “Water”, the closer could had been twice the length in my opinion...but yes, I always like river-esque numbers.

The six songs release demonstrates that the young project is made up of two women able to accomplish the sound they wanted, it’s dynamic, it has the DIY approach I like so much in metal and has fairly strong songwriting. Based on the limited information I’ve gathered about them, half of the project moved away from their initial area so I hope this doesn’t mean the end for Basic Instinct as they’re pretty damn interesting.

Bandcamp

HÄG – HÄG (2020) / 80%

From Coast to Coast: East

A duo of reviews featuring recent bands featuring women from the two coasts of Canada. 

Fifteen years after Witchcraft’s debut album or twelve after Jex Thoth’s self titled opus, the fad for occult doom/rock is mostly back to its vegetative state but there’s a few bands still going strong like Castle or Demon Head. Now introducing Häg, they’re no mere copycats but they arrived a bit too late to make it big in that particular scene. 

Well regardless of the ordeal that time offers us all, doom metal is getting more and more diverse now and many groups found their niche and some mass appeal. Let’s see if those Canadians can distinguish themselves!

I was pleasantly surprised by the debut album from this Newfoundland quintet, it’s super interesting and showcases a wide range of influences in its approach. The fact that all those musicians are in no other (MA approved) bands is also a bit surprising as they sound like an experienced bunch. Their self titled album is compact and presents itself nicely, it’s professional, it sounds great and doesn’t sound overly retro in a painful and unnecessary way. Their mid-paced riff centric doom metal isn’t traditional and borrows elements usually uncommon to the genre. The opening track “Summon The Earth To Lay Claim Back The Soil” has a part reminiscent of Yes or Rush with its noodly bass and syncopated guitar bits. The guitars of Hefferman and Wicks are rich and varied with an arsenal of riffs and solos from diverse origins. There’s hints of modern progressive rock Opeth (“At the End of the Ambush”) or the atmospheric rock of Anathema (“Slow Ghosts”) and those influences are for the most part well incorporated into their sound. They have some few deathrock tendencies too such as “Your Skin” akin to The Devil’s Blood. There’s definite heavy doom moments though like the crunching conclusion of “Funeral” and there’s a few stoner, more Uncle Acid parts too. The band says that they have “blackened” elements but yeah, nah. Occult though? Sure! They’re able to develop potent grim but catchy atmospheres throughout the record.

The vocals of Clair Hipditch are superb, she sounds like a cultist at an exquisite murder/feast who’s also into jazz, blues and classic rock. She gave me the same feels Uta Plotkin used to when she was the front woman of Witch Mountain. She’s just a powerhouse that fits in a metal band while not being intrinsically metal herself. Solid musicianship, blistering vocals and a comprehensive approach to all things doom is what makes this one of the best debuts of the year.

Bandcamp

Yronoxit – Of World of Nightmare (2020) / 78%

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The solo project of American musician Reuben Storey known for his contributions to both Christian Mistress (drums) and Quayde LaHüe (bass), Yronoxit (great yet confusing name) released two extended plays during the quarantined month of April 2020. Of World of Nightmare is the first one and damn, it feels like it’s heavy metal from a parallel universe.

The title track opens with some spooky effects and B horror movie evil grinning before we get some King Diamond-ish laughter and some oddly catchy riffs. The vocals of Storey are pretty particular, midway through whiny vampire and evil sorcerer. I love voluntarily bad vocals in trad metal so I’m totally on board with his approach, he sounds he’s gonna fight adventurers with bad effects similar to those from the 90s series of The Adventures of Sinbad on the intentionally mispelled “Draqula” with its thunderous yet silly guitar lead.

I’m perhaps on my own here but I think this sounds like the true metal madness that Jussi Lehtisalo created on Krypt Axeripper, Motorspandex or Tractor Pulling (the Realm has covered those in the past) as it’s idiosyncratic heavy metal played with a familiar approach in mind. If you’re not familiar, I highly recommend ‘em. It’s also a good argument when you’re arguing that Finland is weird.

The three four-ish minutes tracks have slow but intense riffs, it’s evocative heavy metal without pretentiousness, trendiness and unnecessary technicality. It’s pretty lo-fi and has this DIY aesthetic I dig a lot. “They Wear the Shroud” has memorable bass lines and sounds like Powerslave worship made in a strange world where everyone speaks like they inhaled helium through a defibrillator.

Quite different from his main projects, Yronoxit is peculiar without the need to rely on modern avant-garde elements and that’s something hard to accomplish nowadays.

Bandcamp

Acerus – The Tertiary Rite (2020) / 89%

Potent Metal Assimilation

Daniel Corchado is one of metal’s finest gems. The Mexican native can’t literally do no wrong (okay, I haven’t heard his ambient doom project Magnum Itiner Interius but I’m sure it’s decent) and Acerus’ newest album simply proves that he hasn’t lost any of his mightiness.

Before you continue reading that review, I need to ask you some questions. 1) do you like riffs? 2) If yes, do you like heavy riffs? 3) do you prefer those heavy riffs to be excellent? If you answered “yes” to all questions, you can now proceed. The gates are opened. The posers were kicked out from the temple of good metal taste.

Acerus’ first album since 2016 The Clock of Mortality is a barrage of condensed fiery metal with a compressed plethora of influences infused into one potent expansive but tight record. Combining intricate odds to progressive metal, epic metal and even thrash or death metal, the album has this mythological feel somewhat akin in spirit more than sound to what Symphony X did at the peak of their career (Divine Wings of Tragedy, The Odyssey or V: The New Mythology Suite). There’s this definite aura of Greek and Roman historical as far as themes go. I’m a big fan of that stuff (see Primordial’s To the Nameless Dead or Macabre Omen) and it’s nice to see those topics being explored in this hybrid style Acerus plays.

The riffs and leads of Corchado and his younger spire Ed Escamilla (from thrashers Reign) are what drives this album. From the slow mournful ones of “The Sinister Sea” and its odd epic doom overture to the blackened feel of “The Fight with Destiny” or the power/thrash might of “The Immersion”, it’s a varied album in terms of riff origin but not so much in terms of moods. It’s fairly samey without repetitive. The eight songs are getting a bit blurry with each-others but I think this helps create a sense of unity for the album and I always prefer that over individual songs. The clean but vigorous vocals of newcomer of Esteban Julian Pena are pretty legit, he has good pipes and adds to the heavy/power atmosphere of The Tertiary Rite. I do think he gets outshined by the true power of the riffs at times though but he adds a Greek epic metal flair to the album.

Their metal sound is quite unique, it never fully goes into progressive metal territories and explores a bunch of other disparate sonic islands. You can hear that Corchado is a metal connoisseur and a veteran as his influences are fully assimilated and integrated within his compositions. It’s distinctive without being overly over the top or weird. It’s for sure one of the finest albums released in 2020.

Bandcamp

Emblem & Ezra Brooks – Visisons of Power split (2019) / 85%

The Confederation of Canadian Arcane Heavy Metal

Two of Canada’s best kept heavy metal secrets united their forces to release this split and it’s a wonderful slap of fun. Both bands are offering one new track and one cover each on that limited tape released by their chums of Chicago’s Hoove Child Records or on digital if you prefer to use modern technology.

Ezra Brooks (a brand of Whiskey) is Shawn Vincent’s solo project. The musician from Calgary is currently known for being the founder and one of the creative brains of Toronto’s epic heavy/doom darlings Smoulder but before the release of their acclaimed debut full length, Vincent released the excellent demo/extended play Target (that the Magickal Realm covered). On Ezra Brooks, his vision of arcane heavy metal can be fully established as he’s the sole man in charge. His contribution here is “The Road to Allinam” and that’s a fantasy (his own world, if I’m not mistaken) heavy epic with strong riffs and a legit bass section in the middle. There’s also a lovely guest solo of Manacle’s Inti Parades as well. The track feels like a normal length one pushed to eight minutes, it works well as I didn’t felt it was overlong at all. There’s no real breaks in the riffage. Shawn isn’t a singer and he knows it so the vocals are pushed back to the background but I love how it gives the band an aura of ancient mysticism. The cover he did is Rotting Christ’s Dive the Deepest Abyss from their classic album Thy Mighty Contract and the epic Greek faster track was a good choice for his style. It brings a slight blackened edge to his side of the split.

Emblem (from Newfoundland) released one of the best heavy metal albums of 2017 with their debut self titled record and then released an explosive track on the Trapped Under Ice compilation (get this if you haven’t yet, it’s incredible), they offer us some more meat while we wait for a followup album. “Silver Springs” is a track about the fountain of youth and it has this truly epic approach with strong vocals from main man Harry Clarke reminiscent of the late Michael Grant (Crescent Shield) with their rough but evocative power. It’s a track full of quality leads and captivating melodies pushed forward by the talented twin guitars of Drew Knees and John Cooper. Emblem are pretty unique and forward thinking for a heavy metal band, maybe it’s due to Newfoundland’s geographical isolation. Their cover here is “Black Wing”, from cult Montréal band Thunder Rider. Pretty much Quebec’s sole answer to Manilla Road. It was cool to see Emblem play this cover live with one or two members of the covered band in attendance. It's a subtle song with clean guitars and an enjoyable tin whistle attack at the end.

The twenty minutes tape does a good job showcasing two of our best bands. They evolve in the same epic heavy metal vacuum but are also entirely different in their own ways. Essential Canadian metal, for sure. I’m very stoked to hear what those two bands can do.

Ezra Brooks on Bandcamp
Emblem on Bandcamp

Mörkt Moln - The Culling of a Great Flame (2019) / 83%

BURN IN HELL!

Mörkt Moln (dark clouds) from Gothenburg certainly don’t play melodic death metal and I’m relatively happy they don’t. The Swedish trio delves into proto black metal and inserts dynamic hardcore, goth and punk elements to their first wave black metal sound instead.

Inspired by both Amebix and Darkthrone (who were also influenced by Amebix in their own right), the eight songs record is a definite love letter to a time where metal and punk lines were blurred and where black metal was yet in its formative infancy. While I feel the lines are being quite blurry again nowadays with powerviolence, death metal and crust being thrown in a mixer together this is another type of affair.

Interlude: I’m a big snacks guy so this review was written while eating some carrot cake Oreos. While they were able to recreate the taste of a carrot cake, the white icing is a bit too sugary. It’s a welcome distraction from the normal black and white ones just like this band is a welcome change from your run of the mill Satanic black metal. The special Easter Oreo was a bit better though.

Back to our normal programming, their music is dark (see their name) and it’s composed of pretty mid-paced bangers with some longer tracks like opener “Air Burial”, the Conan themed “Cimmerian Heat” or the Mesopotamian historical eight minutes closer “Shar Kishati”. Their production is kept fairly natural and that’s certainly perfect for their sound. If you’re a fan of Darkthrone’s later efforts, it’s a similar approach. If you’re not, it’s time go hike in the Scandinavian forests and never come back! Mixing groovy, riff heavy black/punk with some doom metal (the end of that Conan song crushes) to great success, it reminds me of the hateful but tongue in cheek of The Cult is Alive but slowed down a notch. The vocals are raw, gravely and in a spot between harsh and clean, it fits their proto extreme metal vibe well. There’s also obvious black(er) moments such as “Corruptors of Youth” with its evil classic black metal church bell intro and heavy metal goodness such as the Lord of the Rings’ inspired “Dol Guldur”. It’s not technical music either, it’s even fairly loose and almost volontarily sloppy and that’s how I love it, to be honest.

All in all, Mörkt Moln are apt at mixing old school black metal with a DIY aesthetic and approach. They’re a less and more band but with a lot of ideas and big balls.

Bandcamp

Circle - Terminal (2017) / 97%

NWOFHM #15
That’s a good Tom Hanks movie too, I guess.


NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland. 

Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.

Circle are one of the best rock bands in the world and Terminal, their latest album in an almost three decades career is just another monumental album dedicated to the gods of riffs. Perhaps not one of their heaviest albums (excluding Incarnation where they basically asked another band to record a doom/death Circle album), it’s definitely one of the most riff focused record of their extensive discography. Their first album released on the American and Sunn O))) owned label Southern Lord Records, Terminal is intense, catchy and totally insane psychedelic prog krautrock. Their three guitarists formation just obliterates and gives ‘em a fully realized and rich sound to go with Jussi Lehtisalo’s seminal bass playing and leadership.

What’s totally crazy about Terminal is the vocals, they’re three dudes handling ‘em and they’re all mad insane. There’s screaming (see the twelve minutes opener “Rakkauta El Dente”) that wouldn’t be out of place in a sort of Motorized heavy/black/thrash band, there’s those totally over the top cleans with what I can only assume is weird stuff in Finnish and, while there’s more, there’s some ominous whispering. That’s just for the first song too...There’s group chanting as the introduction of “Saxo” and it’s like cultists leading you to a strange barn or something. It’s just to watch hockey (damn, Sebastian Aho is great) drink beer and get into the sauna (fully naked, of course), nothing wicked. The cleans become those sort of operatic vocals full of punk folk energy fuel and it’s abrasive but charming.

The focus on focusing on repeating riffs is something common in Krautrock or Neu styled prog and it’s something Circle does extremely well. It’s hypnotic, trance-like and it moves you to the allegedly real country of Finland where collecting different sorts of mustard is seen as a serious hobby and why wouldn’t it be? What I love about the Pori based band is their inability to take themselves too seriously, with that in mind they’re able to be as unhinged as their ideas ask for and while their music could be considered complex or smart, there’s no snootiness or over intellectualism in their compositions and attitude. They’re the type of bands that alternates between more experimental, long formed compositions bordering on drone and rockier ones. Albums like Tulikoira explored a punkier side of the band while Sunrise went all out on proto heavy metal, Terminal borderlines on metal at times but it has a pretty distinctive and varied sound throughout its fairly compact duration.

The extended instrumental moments are also moving and tremendous and not numerous enough to bore you. They take their time to introduce their songs with panache and let the keys and riffs flow. Circle is like what I like about music. It’s loud, it’s bigger than life and it has a lot of striking and memorable riffs. It’s never easy and it’s always intriguing. With some hindsight, Terminal was my favorite album of 2017 as I like how it’s dumb but smart, weird but with a sense of familiarity and heavy and groovy but never without purpose.

Aktor - Placebo (2020) / 83%

NWOFHM #14: Yummy Pills

Contextualization:
NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland.

Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.

Chris Black and Jussi Lehtisalo seems to be an odd pairing but they’re two really odd musicians so it just seemed natural. The American is of course famous for High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Pharoah (not overlord) and a plethora of other stuff while Lehtisalo does everything imaginable musically. I really loved Aktor’s debut single released back in 2013 (NWOFHM #6 actually) but I didn’t give their debut full length Paranoia enough spins to truly enjoy it. Looking back, I think it was released during my last year of university and I was perhaps too busy to care... It’s 2020 now and I’m not busy enough right now as it’s the pandemic and I’m stuck alone at home wearing a kimono with birds on it while my cat constantly complains about life. I was ready to rediscover the weirdness of Aktor.

Aktor are weird in a way that’s both familiar and iconoclastic. Mixing hard hittin’ heavy/hard rock riffs with a huge backdrop of 1980s pop influences ranging from new wave to electronica, they sound timeless but created in a vacuum where many musical styles from different eras coexist during the same era. Combine the attractive and catchy riffs of Blue Öyster Cult but played heavier with a large dosage of The Cars or Devo and perhaps many eras of Rush melted together and you’re somewhat near their sound.

It could also be a Judas Priest mid 80s album made by aliens who actually had no idea what to do and were told to add keyboards and David Bowie influences by an elder brain on antidepressant pills.

From another sea
In another symphony
It's all the same eternity
On another night
Underneath an endless sky
Until we meet the ghost of time

In a sense, it really is a mix of Black and Lehtisalo. Black is as intense and catchy as he is on High Spirits but sings about weirder shit. I’ve heard people call him an acquired taste and I guess I can hear why but I always liked his nonchalant but charismatic delivery. He’s combined with the weird riffs of Lehtisalo, the Finn veteran has a wide arsenal at his disposal and I liked how he alternates between super heavy metal riffs and some approachable rock ones. The compositions are often pretty fast (like opener “Bad Mirror”) and even when they’re mid-paced, they’re dynamic and full sounding. After some numerous spins, I’ve noticed how good the bass is on this record (check “Get Me Outta Here”), it’s not too loud and is in the background often but it highlights the grooves found on Placebo very well. I'd say the fight between the raw guitars and the spacey synths is the real highlight of the record though.

Aktor aren’t for everyone as it’s something I’ll dare call experimental heavy metal but I’ve been exploring Jussi Lehtisalo’s bizarre metal offerings for close to a decade now and it always speaks to me. I hope it could speak to y’all too.

Kybalion - Poisoned Ash (2020)

Primal Australian Pummeling 

The first release by Kybalion, a one man band created by the only man I know in Western Australia is a strong slab of pummeling metal with a diverse but fully integrated source of influences. Knowing what Caspian Yurisich, a father of two from Bunbury, likes, I wasn’t really surprised to see what he did here but I wasn’t expecting it to be that heavy. Caspian is known for his love for drone but he’s a peculiar dude into a lot of things.

Poisoned Ash is a four songs EP mixing the slow hard hitting riffs of doom/death with the hypnotic feel of drone/doom and it’s impressive in its minimalism. It’s stripped down heavy doom to its roots, a big machine made to crush you but also make you feel things deep inside. The drums are programmed and I never really had a problem with that unlike some purists, they sound good and add a cold, almost mechanical feel to the project. It’s a dichotomy when compared to the warm bass and the expressive riffs. Yurisich doesn’t really use lead guitars and there’s, frankly, no need to have any solos whatsoever here. The last track, the nine minutes epic “Absinthe Tide” uses melodica to conclude the album to great effects instead, it’s peculiar and original. That song also includes some melancholic or atmospheric doom elements that wouldn’t be out of place on a My Dying Bride album. “Background Man” also has a really noise/drone conclusion and it fits the manically repetitive riff well. It alternates between fast paced and crushingly slow but it’s always cohesive and well written.

Yurisich’s vocals aren’t really good but he was smart enough to throw them to the background, they sound like they’re in a really hot cave down in the deserted, savage lands of western Australia where the only thing close to being alive you can find is a snoring koala high on eucalyptus leaves (I know that’s not true but please don’t ruin my jokes for me.) His vocals are far away harsh chanting, not too dissimilar from the heaviest stoner/doom bands around in terms of intonation. Not super competent but they’re not something detrimental to my enjoyment of the album, quite the opposite. They add to the primeval or primal atmosphere of the project.

All in all, Kybalion is a breath of fresh air as far as doom/death is concerned. I can’t really think of a band that sounds like them to be honest and that’s a good thing for 2020. Take Jesu and maybe Earth, throw some primitive caveman riffs that are dumbed down purposely and you almost get their sound. Recommended for adventurous doomed explorers.

Bandcamp

Ruffles Cheeseburger Snack Review

Ah, what's better than some new Ruffles flavours to survive the Covid-19 pandemic? Beer. Yes, probably beer but something better than Budweiser who aligned themselves with Ruffles. PBR isn't better than Budweiser but it's the cheap beer I had in the fridge. I'm not gonna waste good beer. Released alongside the Hot Wings flavour, can the Cheeseburger appease my anxiety? (the answer is no)

Packaging
Now, for the first time ever in a chips review, here's some social commentary. The whole marketing angle of Ruffles Canada for those two flavours is targeted at "men' who likes hot wings and cheeseburger with beer while watching SPORTS and it's frankly boring and retrograde. It's 2020, guys. Girls can like shit snacks too. The catchphrase on the back of the bag saying "get together with the buds" that's then translated to "rassemblez-vous entre gars" (get together with the boys) is sexist and unnecessary. The burger on the artwork looks juicy though...but putting a pint of Budweiser on the bag itself is a bit tacky.

Texture
The same as the usual Ruffles, there's some spots/spices to differentiate them from the other sorts though. The Ruffle chips is a legendary shape that you don't change.

Taste
Ok. Even if I slapped the whole bag in like fifteen minutes, I don't think they were good. The fact I'm having heartburn right now has nothing to do with it. The bag says "flame grilled, juicy authentic cheeseburger" and if they mean hints of ketchup, relish, mustard with a fake ground beef taste, it's pretty accurate. The aftertaste is not optimal either. It tastes like the idea of what a cheeseburger should taste like based on what an otherworldly but inapt being guessed. Maybe drinking both a PBR and some Arizona green tea while devouring the bag wasn't a good idea though but that's on me. Releasing those chips wasn't the best idea either. Stick to All Dressed or BBQ for Ruffles, guys.

5/10