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

Ceremonial Bloodbath – Command Sacrifice (2017) / 82%

Sliced open by a rusty ceremonial dagger

The new quartet from Vancouver formed by members of Ahna, Haggatha and Mudlark plays unadulterated, intense death metal. The quasi-raw demo contains five tracks and most of them are over the five minutes mark. The track named after the band (I always like those) is eight minutes long and it’s a total banger full of evil riffs.

Their best skill is their ability to switch from slow to fast in an instant and keep the songs insanely heavy and cohesive. They play their death metal with some black and doom influences and while it fits the current scene of occult death metal cultists (see Dark Descent, Iron Bonehead etc), their compositions are fresh and exciting. No need for overblown originality when you have riffs this good anyway.

The natural production works well for their archaic and ancient sound. We’re served Slayer/Deicide-esque soloing (see the aptly named “Hordes of Demons Feeding”) and cavernous, unhinged vocals. It’s primitive and deadly. Their riffs are bouncy and dangerously chaotic. They constantly stab you in the gut with a rusty but really sharp ceremonial dagger.

I’m hoping that they will not polish their sound too much for their future releases, it’s totally adequate for their sound. It’s perfect to sacrifice human lives to whoever you think should rule the world. Command Sacrifice is one of the best demos of the year and if you like your extreme metal dirty and bloody, check them out.

Bandcamp

Haggatha – V (2017) / 87%

Death on the Fraser River

This quartet from Vancouver evolves in the depressive side of loud metal and they're excellent at making you feel uneasy in a totally enjoyable way. V, their third full length (but 5This quartet from Vancouver evolves in the depressive side of loud metal and they're excellent at making you feel uneasy in a totally enjoyable way. V, their third full length (but 5th release) hits all the right notes with its six numbers full of dread and hatred.

Haggatha is a band with an impressive songwriting who manages to fill their tracks with a wide array of super loud and roaring riffs. Unlike some sludge/doom bands that we can encounter in the scene right now, they don't waste any time and they deliver a relatively brief but rewarding album. A lack of edition and a tendency to fill the hardware (see Windhand and their seventy minutes records) are too common and it's refreshing to hear a band not interested in filling their material with filler. Their previous album had a long seventeen minutes track as its second side but V is more balanced with tracks between four and eight minutes. Let's just say that there's no disposable moments to be found here! I discovered the band with their new album but their formula was clearly established in the past and they're just working on the details to push their songs to the next level. What I can say, is despite not being an audiophile connoisseur, the mix and production of V is stronger and fits the sound of the band like a bloody glove.

Sure, Haggatha are not pushing the boundaries of sludge into unknown territories like Cult of Luna or Kylesa did but that's perfectly fine. Being original for the sake of getting a "best new music" review on Pitchfork is trying too hard anyway. They're instead going for an Eyehategod sound but rather than taking too much heroin, they prefer bong hits. This makes them slower and heavier! Outside of the riffs, their main distinctive characteristic would be the two vocalists, they both do harsh vocals but one prefers the high pitched ones and the other the deeper sort. The two approaches are adding a cool and versatile side to the band. Rest assured, there's no happy sides to Haggatha, it's all about being miserable and broken and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Bone chilling and tremendous riffy as fuck sludge/doom is what you're getting with Haggatha. It's a fitting start to 2017, it will not help you in these dire times but it certainly fits the new world atmosphere. th release) hits all the right notes with its six numbers full of dread and misery.

Bandcamp

Spell - For None and All (2016) / 83%

Adam Burke's artwork is super great.

Magic Spells

Vancouver’s Spell managed to impress me with their 2014 debut but their sophomore full length easily established them as one of the Canadian best heavy metal/rock band. The trio, something obviously noticeable simply by the way they look (another example of this would be Kadavar), doesn’t really like the aesthetics and sonority found in modern metal and that's totally fine!

Mixing the quasi metallic approach of Rush’s classic second album Fly By Night with a fair share of psychedelic elements, Canadian heavy metal (think of Cauldron who also released a solid album this year) and even some progressive rock, Spell manage to stay super catchy and cohesive. While not totally heavy, their proto metal hits the spot with tight songwriting and musicianship. The inclusion of keyboards on some tracks (like “Too Late” or the interlude “Séance”) is enjoyable and adds a complex side to the band’s identity. The weakest spot for me would be the vocals, they’re a bit too vanilla and glam for my taste but they do fit the band. I must say he’s really freaking good on the doomy (and possibly the highlight of the record) “River of Sleep” though, he almost sounds like Jean-Pierre Abboud (Borrowed Time, Funeral Circle, Gatekeeper…) on this song.

The production job is warm and old school (obviously) and even if there’s only one guitarist, there’s many guitar tracks to give a richer atmosphere. It’s a pretty lush record with engaging riffs and well composed tracks. Sure, they’re perhaps not as good as Rush are but no one are!

They sometimes unleash some epic moments such as the ninth track “Vanitas” and its groovy bass lines and soulful guitar solos but they never go overboard (maybe they should?) as they keep the record tidy and straight forward. Spell, although a solid band, are a product of their times as they’re evolving in the current wave of occult heavy/rock bands but they’re definitely one of the most interesting players and are deserving your time and money.

Spell on Bandcamp

Funeral Circle / Gatekeeper split (2015) / 82%

Canadian epic doom united

Two of the best Canadian epic metal bands got together to release this split release and it's a true showcase of the most belligerent style out there. It's a seven inches release with one track from each artist and it's pretty damn good, it's a great way to get into both bands and serves as a succulent appetizer.

Side A

Funeral Circle's "Hades Triumphant" marks the debut studio performance of Jean-Pierre Abboud but also the departure of their lead guitarist and composer Matthew Barzegar so it's sort of an end to a chapter. I saw this lineup at their first Montréal gig last year at the second edition of Wings of Metal and they totally rocked my world. Their debut album is certainly one of the best Canadian metal albums so it's a bad sad to see this lineup end but it's a successful closure. The seven minutes song starts with an instrumental introduction before we're served the excellent, versatile and classy vocals of JP who's definitely a good fit to their epic doom sound. I was pretty devastated after the split of Borrowed Time (they released one of my favourite albums of the decade) but I was happy that JP decided to join the Circle, he brings a lot of lyricism and intelligence to the fold. Their doom is varied and has a lot of tempo changes, intricate riffs, emotional soloing and this track is no exception. Like its title, the composition is really triumphant and it's proven through the epic vocal patterns and the war like percussion. I can't wait to see what will the new lineup of Funeral Circle will do.

These memories of yesterday bring warmth, and keep bitter winds at bay...

Side B

While there's obvious similarities between the two bands, Gatekeeper mainly plays heavy metal but this song has clear epic doom influences. Gatekeeper, formerly based in Calgary but Jeff Black, their leader/guitarist/composer recently moved to Vancouver so this is also the last release of this particular lineup. The song named "Bell of Tarantia" (a city in the Conan world) is a tight heavy song and it starts with some bells (duh?) and a river flowing before giving us super epic dual lead guitars melodies and the soaring clean vocals of Shorre McColman (I think his contribution will be dearly missed). I think their songwriting is better here than on their 2013 debut extended play and while I haven't really digested their other 2015 split release (this time with Texas' Eternal Champion), it seemed to be on the faster side than this track. Gatekeeper is a great mix of sword & sorcery classic heavy metal with a slight and enjoyable epic doom sound and I really enjoyed their side. It's not exactly the most original thing around but it's done with care and skill.Hopefully, Black will be able to form a new lineup that's as strong as this one.

Heroes pyre at the castle spire / While a solemn belfry tolls

This split is the definite proof that Canadian metal (sup Darkthrone?) is in good shape and deserves more attention. While it has a runtime of fourteen minutes, I'm left on my appetite and I wanted more tasty epic nourishment, I guess I'll go spin some Cromlech, another excellent Canadian epic doom band while waiting for more material from these two groups. Bonus point for the cool Karmazid cover art, this guy rules.

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Weirding – Each Birth Is A New Disaster (2011) 61%

An underwhelming disaster, I managed to survive.

From British Colombia, Weirding's first full length was released four years ago and while I have some reservations concerning it, it's still an album that managed to blend many particular influences and it wasn't the worst things I managed to discover this week.

Releasing a LP before experimenting with demos is always a bit tacky even though access to (cheap and proficient) recording gear is way easier than it used to be. Admittedly, This band should have released some demos before this full length since I think the production frankly blows. It has way too much distortion, the bass' feedback and huge presence is simply not quite enjoyable and it doesn't quite fully fit the genre they (try) to play.

I don't think it's an appropriate production for a full album but it gives a dirty/DIY sound to the doomy stoner/sludge found on their debut and that's not always a negative thing. Weirding could benefit from a heavier than thou production since that's the sound they're going for. This production can't compare to the massive hitters of the scene (thinking of Ufomammut for instance). The immense and sometimes earth shattering is often the weapon of predilection of a stoner band and I can't that I was shattered enough with Each Birth... The sound of this album can be compared to Mastodon's excellent debut minus the trampled under hoof production. I guess I'm sort of picky as I want my doom/stoner/whatever to sound like a freaking two tons rock but eh!

Nonetheless, The trio is certainly composed of tight musicians, the sole guitar attack is fun enough and doesn't need any extra help to get the band's point across. The drums are quite impressive albeit a bit too low in the mix but they're a good complement to the mid paced to fast sound delivered without a break here. The guitarist, Tim Wearing (weirding?) is also the singer and he's sort of okay. He uses the sort of semi harsh vocals, an approach that's quite generic for the genre they play but it works well in this context. They're rightfully placed in the mix and aren't too obnoxious or overly present. I think they should be way harsher or cleaner though, they're stuck in a middle zone and could benefit from a “think outside the box” option. It would give them some originality as there's plenty of (better) bands evolving in their genre. They could be more psychedelic and be a bit more complex.

The songwriting, as mentioned in the introduction is a bit all over the place but due to the poorness of the production (or perhaps its ability to make everything sound fairly the same) it's not that apparent. They go from modern stoner metal/rock to sludge quite often and, weirdly, the best track on the album (“Drowning in Flame”) is the one that branched out into stoner catchy territories. Sometimes, the riffs just don't fit the thin and harsh production, it's quite a bit groovy and almost joyful at times even though they probably didn't want to sound like that. 

What I hear is a band that has yet to find its right sound and has some difficulties concerning their approach towards how they should present themselves. Their songs aren't bad but they're not memorable either. It's a decent debut album from a band that needs to work on its craft a little, check it out if you're a big stoner/sludge/doom aficionado. 

Free album on Bandcamp

Funeral Circle - Funeral Circle (2013) | 89%

Tony's notes: The awesome cover art was made by Martin Hanford (no, no, not the one who did “Where's Wally?”), he's known for his covers for Bal-Sagoth, Slough Feg, Orange Goblin...

I'm willingly stepping into their circle ---> O

Finally, doom metal has made its place in Canada. 2013 marked the release of three important albums for the scene, Cauchemar's excellent debut “Tenebrario, Cromlech's “Ave Mortis” and Funeral Circle's self titled. This triptych of excellent releases marked a new uprising for the genre in my native land. Blood Ceremony also released their third full length but it's their usual “vintage occult flute” stuff, hence nothing quite extraordinary but they're still an important part of the scene.

Their “Sinister Sacrilege” EP released in 2010 was very impressive and was well received by the doom community. Followed in 2011 by split (one original song and a Witchfinder General cover) with the mighty Lord Vicar but this full length is their first release since then. I believe the band had a lot of lineup issues and it's the still the case. The singer on this album has left the band and has been replaced, it's basically the project of Pilgrim (Matthew Barzegar) now, I'm excited that he's moving to Montréal as I'm sure there's some gigs planned up, well I do hope so!

Compared to the fast heavy/doom approach of the frenchies of Cauchemar, Funeral Circle is pretty damn slow and takes its time to build up songs. They play a style that borrows from both the epic doom scene and the traditional doom one. It might be said that these two camps are quite incestuous these days and it would be right. Indeed, bands like Atlantean Kodex or While Heaven Wept successfully mixed a shitload of influences together and while these Canadians do it more subtly, the mix of genres is still done perfectly.

Even if the provenance of these doom agents is diverse, from Germany to the United Kingdom and now Canada, they're all evolving under the same banner, the banner of excellent glorious and soulful metal. As brothers in arms, they're exploring the writings of Howard, Lovecraft, Moorcock, Tolkien but also the dark and romantic ancient history of our own twisted world. While Funeral Circle's lyrical and thematic side is pretty well developed and interesting, they're not yet as great as the full fledged clerical side of Atlantean Kodex who wrote the most interesting lyrics of the decade on “The White Goddess”. Always a pleasure to lyrics that are connected to your interests nonetheless!

In the style of Reverend Bizarre's debut or WHW's “Sorrow of the Angels”, they play on atmospheres and while it's not as emotionally draining as the early works of Tom Phillips (who got happy after “Of Empires Forlorn” apparently), it's still pretty heavy on the grandiose. It doesn't feel epic accidentally as they have this knack for slow, heavy dirges like “The Charnel God” which is superbly decorated with keys and profound leads. There's more guitar leads here than in your usual doom bands and you can almost feel the early Opeth influence here and there as I know for a fact the composer of the band is a fan. It's especially obvious in that nine minutes tracks. There's this mournful and classical sonority reminding me of an album like “Morningrise”, certainly a good thing in my book.

It doesn't try to be emotional like 40 Watt Sun or epic like DoomSword, they just play an instinctive style that accurately fits some of these descriptions. Admittedly, it's not as heavy or crushing like The Gates of Slumber (R.I.P. Brothers), it's exploring a softer, ethereal sound and it's a well done trek. There is this sweet interlude track “Tempus Edax Rerum” that explores acoustic and mythological realms. The production also compliments the songwriting, it's airy and minimalistic and gives the rightful place to the riffs to grow, like the grass grows in these desolate Roman ruins all over Europe.

Their EP had somewhat the same style their full length has but with a lacklustre production, It wasn't as lush and precise. There's a true progression both in the songwriting and the musicianship. There's no songs like “Sinister Sacrilege”, this was a fast, four minutes song with a Pentagramish attitude. It would had been cool to get one or two hard hitting tracks but it wouldn't had been helpful to the cohesion of the album. There's no need for forced diversity when the sound of the album doesn't ask for it. The doom I like the most isn't a collection of songs but rather a complete experience

A facet of their sound that is putting up there with the best bands of the genre is definitely their vocals, I hope Adrian Miles sounds as good as Jeremy Hannigan. He has a clear sense of melody and his delivery is very enjoyable such as in “Amaranthine (Wandering Dreamer)” with its catchy chorus. The vocals are often calm and soothing, reminding me of Solstice but deeper and obviously not with that sexy British accent even if we're still in the Commonwealth. It's mixing the deep, poetic vocals of Albert Witchfinder with a softer side and this is completely winner.

Alongside the Bostonians of Magic Circle, we were able to step into two mystical and occult worlds this year, both albums are the first offerings of these promising North American doom priests, keep your eyes and your hearts wide open.

By the shadow of the Ross Bay cemetery, it's not blasphemous to assert the greatness of the funeral circle. Let's pray to the gods of old that this album is not an once in a lifetime deal. I'm not afraid, the band is in good hands with Pilgrim who's the main composer and their new label Shadow Kingdom. Mandatory.

Funeral Facebook

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Tales of Medusa - The Fatal Wounding Gaze (2010) | 98%

The Mythological Secret of Cascadia

There's not a lot of information about this band, they want to stay a mystery, while I like the shadowy aura, I reckon they're entitled to a lot of recognition. Nevertheless, they play music for the good reasons and that's honorable. Compared to a band like Ghost who's using their ''secret'' identity as a gimmick, Tales of Medusa is all about the songwriting and I must say that this release is one of the best albums I ever heard. It's hard to get their albums and I must thank my friend Steven (SolstafirAquilaria on the Archives) for the vinyl rips of their two full length albums, you're a true warrior ! While I salute that they press their releases themselves, hence explaining the highly limited number of copies, they truly deserve to be signed. A label like Shadow Kingdom would do great things for them. But alas, they don't want to!

Ridiculously epic and totally perfect, this band deserves to play amphitheaters while gladiators fight till death and then, the emperor will offer them slaves, gold, rubies and a platinum statue of their deity, Mark Shelton.

There's many things explaining how Tales of Medusa is so great but something that really grabbed my attention at first is the immense production, it's tight and the riffs are heavy. The album starts with the roar of a beast, perhaps a lion and then the avalanche of amazing riffs pierce your eardrums with its catchiness. The guitars are perhaps a bit too high in the mix compared to the drums and the bass but that's a small complaint since they're so good that it just doesn't matter. The sound, old school, is obviously adequate to their epic metal genre. It sounds like a mix of the most epic NWOBHM side like Elixir and the  USPM scene. It's neither amateurish or too professional and polished, it's the perfect production for an album of its kind. The solos are also pretty cool, intricate enough, there's no inane virtuosity to find here, you can use something else than shred to vanquish a dragon, eh, Malmsteen ?

Another wonderful aspect is the mix of tempos and the variety of the songwriting. From speedy short numbers like ''I Found Her Eyes in the Coldest Storm'' to longer songs like ''An Ancient Tragedy'', the band can do anything.  They still keep things relatively compact, there's no fifteen minutes epics like Symphony X likes to do. They still have the time to establish an awesome atmosphere. The diversity of the album is outstanding and it's not even something that you can hear at first since it's so appropriately produced and composed. From mid paced songs to slower tempos, Tales of Medusa will tell what you want to hear, softly and hardly like a gladiator or a courtesan. Blood or lust but in the end, a pleasure is offered as a tribute.

The Fatal Wounding Gaze, a testament to all things epic is a force to be reckon with. I can't hardly hear any weaknesses. The vocals are very interesting. Both powerful and emotional, they can convey feelings extremely well. Even when they're restrained and soft like on some parts of the final track ''An Armor Drenched With Sorrow''. The clean delivery is enjoyable and it's never forced. Even though, the vocals are pretty laid back, it works well for both the more aggressive and slower parts. The soaring cleans could be more powerful but I feel it's charismatic enough. From epic chanting to NWOBHMish vox, I felt fully satisfied with this side of the band. The complementarity between the vocals and the guitars are akin to the great bands of the epic heavy universe like Cauldron Born and I'd be hard pressed to find a better recent band playing that style. We'll see with Borrowed Time and their first full length though.

A careful attention to details, a care for the glory of the old days and an exemplary comprehension of musicality made this album a true hidden masterpiece. Like a rogue, it strikes in the shadows but the results are no less efficient. This is my discovery of the year and an album for the ages. While I like the heavy revival movement in Canada (Striker, Axxion...) and elsewhere, this is miles ahead. The quality of the songs are astounding and the talent of the band is undeniable. Look in Medusa's eyes, be fatally wounded forever. The dark age of epic heavy metal has never been so distant.