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.
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