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

Venus Victrix - Venus Victrix I (2014) / 78%

Texan mum doom: good quality, kind of fresh

Venus Victrix are a new project from the American South, near Austin, Texas to be more precise and they were formed by the composer and multi instrumentalist Keegan Kjeldsen (already part of two other bands) with the addition of a woman named Tiffany (in a legit band called Bad Lucifer as well but they have nothing released yet). Joined by some other members, this duo is the creative core of the project. Their first release is quite legit and it fits the current occult female fronted doom metal trend of recent years.

This debut album is quite well produced considering it's their self released debut, the sound is defined and it can easily highlight the different components of their songwriting, some keyboards, a loud bass (“Change”) and some acoustic guitars like on the ethnic Om/Orphaned Land inspired ending of the last track “House of Bast”. The drums sound a bit weird, a bit cardboard-esque but that's not bothering me too much. While their ideas are not the most originals, everything is done with the utmost care. The tracklist is well balanced, eight songs for a bit more than forty minutes is perhaps one of the best deal you can have in doom.

The vocals are pretty good, perhaps one of the best the genre has to offer, really. They're quite airy and ethereal and it fits the direction they wanted to find. Like the band, the vocalist is akin to popular bands like Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony or Jess and the Ancient Ones. Clean, powerful female vocalists with a very melodic edge who can transpose the psychedelic era of Jefferson Airplane into modern soil. Compared to a band like Jex Thoth, the band has plenty of riffs and it just doesn't rely on doomy atmospheres to create their ambiances. There's nice leads too, it's never too much and they contribute to the good direction the album has.

Their sound is nowhere near as vintage as the seventies 70s afficionados of Blood Ceremony though, it's much more subtly brought both instrumentally and lyrically (the lyrics of the intricate seven minutes “Tsukuyomi” are nicely written). All of 'em are about different mythologies instead of your usual evil occult satanist stuff, we have Japanese, Roman or Greek legends like Bacchus on “The Horned God”. I always liked these themes, these tales are damn bloody and pretty metal!

While riding on the mum doom (female fronted doom that can be seen as soft) wave, Venus Victrix delivers the goods on their debut, it's a heavy, psychedelic and fun record. It's perhaps very safe but this doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Support the band!

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Mansion - The Mansion Congregation Hymns Vol​.​1 (2014) / 92%

“Wild child, you're gonna burn in hell!”

After a great EP released in 2013 that automatically topped my “albums of the year” list, Mansion from Turku (Saku Koivu's hometown!) is back with a short ten minutes appetizer to nourish my mum doom needs. This is torture though since I'm totally expecting a full length from these Finns and the wait is killing me! There's one coming this year apparently so my expectations are through the riff and if I wasn't a broke student, I would travel to Finland to attend the release gig alongside the doom legends of this Nordic country.

Mansion has this mysterious aura surrounding them, they have many members but the core seems to be the singer, a brunette with a peculiar and enjoyable voice and a vampiric man possibly handling the musical side of the project. The Metal Archives' member page and the album lineup lists all kind of members but I'm doubtful it's accurate, the band seems to use session members live or simply friends of their cult. The important thing is that the direction of the band is clear and thoughtful!

The seven inch vinyl release includes two strong numbers, side A is “Wild Child”, a groovy fast paced number with a catchy chorus that I sang in the bus despite its “occult” lyrics. It's pretty obvious that the band already evolved after We Shall Live, the twenty minutes EP was fun but it was quite contemplative and darker than the material on Vol. 1.

The first chapter of what I expect to be a series of awesome short releases has this awesome fusion feel almost reminding me of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters as it has horns (there's a trumpet solo for fuck's sake) and a nice powerful bass presence. The first song is fast, has a good riff to go along with the exceptional female clean voice with added background vocals giving a sense of urgency to the heavy, fast and hard rockin' track. It's still about Kartanoism, that weird sect that I explored more thoroughly in my first Mansion review, it's dark, occult and talks about repentance...but I'm still having a mighty amusing time!

Side B is “New Dawn”, it's almost six minutes and it's slower, it shows that the band can successfully expand their sound even in a ten minute release. It's even richer than We Shall Live since it's adding a lot of instruments, nevertheless the overall production feels rawer and heavier than the atmospheric but plain approach of their debut. I think both approaches have their charm though. Instrumentally, it's stronger than all the bands of this so called occult doom/rock trend, the guitars are shining even though they gave more place to the bass and the horns. The vocal lines are pretty much perfect, the guitar riffs are heavy, well written and supported by a rock solid rhythm section. With Vol. 1, the band evolves towards a sort of big band identity not unlike Jess and the Ancient Ones but with an ever grander scope. I would be fine with a Grateful Dead-esque avant garde doom band, in fact I would probably sell my grand mother for that. I still have two and one of them is insane.

I'll bitterly put that EP on repeat until I'm fully assimilated and can't function anymore, this will work as I'm painfully waiting for a longer release. Nonetheless, this is a good transition, catchy as fuck and intensely profound. Perhaps not as good as their debut, it's still top notch and worth your time!

“Someone has to set you straight, get on your knees!”

Mansion on Facebook

Listen to the EP here
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Mansion - We Shall Live (2013) | 94%

“If we seek forgiveness, the burden will increase”

Get your vacuum and explore that mansion!

A snowy ground & icy fields, a flow of pristine crystal clear water flowing down the river bank or Saku Koivu being an awesome captain. All these things are reminding me of Finland but at the same time, it's things I know I'm familiar with in my own northern Eden. Populated with aurora borealis and unexpected skiers, both countries can be perceived as similar. But we, Canadians, aren't used to saunas and weird accents everywhere. While we compose boring tech death and frigid, conservative black metal, the Finns, the de facto metal kings of the world, are playing a vast array of genres and the style Mansion decided to explore is one of my favored right now. In fact, this is perhaps the best release the Scandinavian country (or is it Scandinavia, who cares except geographers and historians anyway?) has offered to the so-called recent occult rock/metal movement.

Compared to fellow countrymen Jess and the Ancient Ones, Mansion is definitely part of the metal universe. The doom metal influence is thoroughly present albeit combined with a sort of psychedelic, atmospheric or even Gothic rock sound. The four songs EP has this dark, shady aura inspired by this religious Finnish Christian sect from the early 20th century called Kartanoism. To explain it briefly, this sect included child preachers, complete sexual abstinence, nightly sermons, end of the world expectations and very strict rules. I'm obviously not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty interested and I'll categorically investigate the matter. Religions are often dark enough to be a totally apt lyrical field for metal bands, as it gives an airy, sermonizing vibe and it's totally the case here. At twenty-two minutes, I wish the sermon was longer, my mind was ready to hit the floor for the return of Jesus, my brothers! Of course, I do believe the religious inspiration is mostly a gimmick, but it's a gimmick that works here. Even “mansion” means something like “kartanorakennus” in Finnish to expand on their theme. They don't need evil popes, no ma'am.

While the music is more simple than occult rockers like The Devil's Blood or Year of the Goat, it's as or even more emotional. The female vocals are pretty damn awesome; mesmerizing and charming but also dark and bewitching. The delivery of the yet unknown singer (named Alma, the same name the leader of this cult had) is top notch. The high, sexy vocals are creating a dichotomy with the “SEX IS THE DEVIL” ideology of Kartanoism. I rarely heard such sex appeal in a doom metal band, I would probably climb on the sacrificial altar myself if I was ordered to by her. The vintage rock vocals really made the band for me, a bit like Jess' vocals made JatAO one of my favourite albums of 2012.

There's no really intricate guitar solos or fourteen minutes songs here though, apart from the exceptional first track that is seven minutes, all tracks are around five minutes. It's a pretty catchy release that left me breathless. Intense emotions aside, the band knows how to measure out their approach, it's not overwhelming. It could had been way more progressive, heavier or even more experimental. But what's so good is the mix of small quantities of everything into their memorable formula. I mean, yes, it would had been awesome to hear a more complex songwriting but as a first release, it established a luscious formula. The tempos are mostly mid paced to slow with pretty simple, yet interesting riffs. I mean, compared to a band like Jex Thoth, it has riffs and not only a special atmosphere with a focus on the vocals. “We Shall Live” has a rich, subtle instrumentation that we can hear in the last track “Slumber Sermon”. It has some noisy feedback and an ingenious but mysterious use of keyboards that is also opening the EP. You can imagine the despair and brainwashing that this religious community lived with in its era and the piercing cold of the wind on your face.

Their dark, fun and entrancing doom is simply of the highest quality you can find. Maybe their sound is not the most adventurous and they're perhaps openly riding a trendy wave but they're doing it in the best way possible. Mansion already achieved a level of maturity that will make Selim Lemouchi blush and punch random people in the streets. Greatness is already a given, I wonder what's next. They're without a doubt the best new doom band of 2013.

Mansion's Facebook

Mansion's Bandcamp

Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise | 75%

The awesome artwork created by Sami Hynninen, former leader
of Reverend Bizarre.

"Hey, I like that!" - my mom

Doom metal is a dark land, often nourished by sorrow and obscure fantasies, Jex Thoth, a member of this world is a fairy with cutesy wings living with her fellow creatures. While bright like a candle in a somber room and spreading some magic powder everywhere, the little fairy got a limited charm and you can, after some effort, see right through her bubbly eyes.

Jex Thoth's sophomore album will please the fans of the first release for sure. I always been a bit ambivalent towards the band, if we can even call them a band, it's all about Jessica Thoth anyway, she changed the whole lineup for ''Blood Moon Rise''. I guess marrying the guitarist was not a good idea for the long run. For what it is, it's as good as the self titled. What is it though ? It's mum doom, a genre coined by my fellow reviewer Caspian. It's encompassing many of the more trendy influences used by the modern doomsters, be it pejorative or not, it's for you to judge. I guess it's a sister term for ''dad rock''. The album, more rock than metal, is totally centered around miss Thoth's vocals and that's definitely a good thing since she's deliberately the main asset. It's so vocally centered that it sounds like it was composed by Jessica in her shower and the songs were transposed into the studio afterwards, that's probably why it still smells like shampoo. I have no idea why they still try to play metal though and except the vocals, the music is quite underwhelming. They try to mix the savory elements of psychedelic, they succeed at times such as in Ehjä, probably their best song ever. And I admit the vocals are very damn good, it's still not making this an awesome album, because you know, riffs are important and there's not many actual riffs here. It's all about atmosphere and they certainly know how to create some emotional moments and it works, but it's a bit of a facade for me.

Ok ok, calm down, it's not a bad album by any means and if you like the current occult rock scene, this will definitely please you. I personally like bands like Graveyard, Jess and the Ancient ones or Year of the Goat but these are way way groovier and they have a good cohesion between riffs and atmosphere  While they have a good vocal approach, they can grow elsewhere as well. Jex Thoth is encompassing what is trendy in the doom world for the better or the worse. I mean, a big part of the image of the band is their leader, a good looking woman, it seems a bit shallow and it's not something I fully support.

Jessica's vocals are no less than amazing and the production is better than on the debut, more atmospheric and a bit less fuzzy. I still think the riffs could be tighter and heavier though. It's very catchy and accessible and the vocal lines are enjoyable and well written. Nevertheless, I think it's a bit overwhelming at times, it's like if the emotions were so in your face all the time that it becomes redundant. Jex is the focus of course and she fits with her music, she wrote all the album by herself and I think that's showing her limits as a songwriter. While she's talented, it lacks a very good musician/songwriter to go with her vocals. It's a good album because of her vocals and it's not a great one also because of her. The songs are mostly slow and the guitars are often in the background. It's not trying to be heavy and it's succeeding at being a smooth, pleasing album to listen to that will please most psych rock and doom fans who have no problems with a modern appropriation of old stuff. I guess I was expecting something else, something more driven by riffs and I don't really know why but I wasn't able to enjoy the album that much.

Despite my criticisms , Blood Moon Rise is a fine album, If you're looking for some music to study or even make love to, I guess it's an apt choice. I feel it could have more musicality and substance but it's good for what it is nevertheless. It's pretty safe, atmospheric psychedelic doomy rock with a knack for good sexy vocals and pure emotion. If you want Sabbathesque and groovy riffs, look elsewhere, not at the new Black Sabbath though since this has a rotten archaic smell !

Black Oath - Ov Qliphoth and Darkness - 91%

The Pinnacle of the New Dark Age – 91%

Black Oath's debut was really well received by the doom community and I was expecting their new album since a while. I must say it's not disappointing. Their take on doom metal is pretty damn interesting and it puts to shame the wannabe gloomy, sad and depressive bands. Influenced by a lot of different sounds, the band is not here to reinvent the wheel but they're truly making it spin.

Italy is often well known for its cheez whiz sword and sorcery pseudo metal, but their doom metal scene mustn't be forgotten. Black Oath is nourishing their music with the sounds of their ancestors like Dark Quarterer, Abysmal Grief or Black Hole. But Ov Qliphoth and Darkness is more influenced by the Northern Europe scene. There's a rampant Candlemass nod throughout the album and I must say this a better release than everything the Swedish horde did since at least 20 years. You can feel the same epic feel a band like Solstice has but with a darker presence. I thought the sophomore release was much more epic than the debut, but I realized it's because of its clearer and solid production. The guitar tone is a bit less crude and the mix between the guitars and the bass is more equal. It's a bit softer than The Third Aeon as well but I think the songwriting is stronger. If you're hungry for solid epic doom, look for no further, this release along with the new Procession are gonna be the jewels of 2013.

The fifty minutes album grabs you with its slow mournful hooks as soon as the album starts with his instrumental introduction. The first track is a prelude to the awesome Sabbathesque riffs of "..for His Coming". But the band is far from being a worshiper to the altar of the gods, they have their own sound with hints to the ancient ones. That's something I can't say a band like Orchid has.
I must say that the main element of this album is its atmosphere, all the songs are around 6 to 8 minutes and they can breathe and grow effectively. But the vocals are truly what makes this project exceptional, the clean delivery of their vocalist/guitarist is amazing and totally underrated. Hard to believe he was in Gosforth, a black metal band, before as he totally grasped the essence of what epic doom is. A.th is a powerhouse and a good heir to Johan Längquist's empty throne. Comparable to Mik of Altar of Oblivion, he can convey true blissful emotions. He was also able to do that on the earlier releases but the production on Ov Qliphoth makes things smoother. Their first self titled EP had some solid songs but I was unable to really enjoy it because of the weak ass production. I reckon that I'm usually not difficult in terms of production in doom metal, but Ov Qliphoth really works and genuinely fits the musical approach of the trio.

Yes, the vocal delivery is amazing and it's the aspect I enjoyed the most, but the riffs, man, the riffs, are they great ? Yes ! The band is driven by slow to mid paced riffs and sometimes even faster moments like on the superb sixth track "Drakon, Its Shadow Upon Us". The album has a surprising variety of numbers. Handling sombre and slow tracks like the title track evoking the superb full length album of Griftegård. The band knows when to include some tasteful leads in their recipe (listen to the one in "Witch Night Curse"!) and they do it with subtlety. While there's different tempos, there's a real sense of unity amidst the record. It's perhaps not as dark as their previous releases but it's oh so much enjoyable. There's a spirit of restraint too, they know the songs can evolve in an epic manner, but they know when to edit their feelings and switch to something else, like an atmospheric introduction or a joyful instrumental break. While they're evolving in the somewhat stagnant traditional doom scene, Black Oath brings an epic doom approach intertwined with an aptness to break the boundaries of evil with their firm dark attitude. If you're an apostle of doom, you should already be ordering this. Ov Qliphoth and Darkness is the doom album of the year, gentlemen.

Check out 2 tracks here!

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Thanks to I Hate records for the promo copy!

Review: Castle - Blacklands : In these blacklands, a castle stands tall - 92%

This album is a true masterpiece and it will probably be my favorite album of 2012, but here's a more detailed opinion! I've seen the band live with Witch Mountain and they totally destroyed. They played the whole album, it's short, but it's quality over quantity. The band has something plenty of newer doom acts are lacking: charisma. When you experience the album, during a live atmosphere or at home with your headphones, you can hear the emotional vocals of Liz Blackwell. She's a very inspired and inspiring musician, a very beautiful woman with a down to earth approach. But the fact is that her feminine presence is only a tool to Castle's quality, it's not something you should put on a pedestal. She's not a generic symphonic metal diva, she's what a woman should be in metal, uncompromising and powerful, not simply a pretty singer in a corset. Her bass playing is fully irreprochable and it's creating a very lethal doom duo alongside the guitarist of Castle, Mat Davis, who's also the main composer of the band. The power trio is completed by the very good and tight drummer Al McCartney. There's nothing unnecessary in Castle, it's a doom trio with a full blown attack, no artifices, no tricks, only good riffs and top-notch songwriting.

Despite being a traditional doom band, Castle truly has a sound of their own. We can find the American doom giants' influence in their music, but also some stoner and some psychedelic rock influences (the first 30 seconds of Alcatraz is a good example). Despite that, mistaking them for another band of the same vein as The Devil's Blood, Jess and the Ancient Ones, Blood Ceremony, or the aforementioned Witch Mountain would be a mistake. They're in a niche of their own, albeit borrowing many elements of many genres. Honestly, I'm all for a much bigger feminine presence in my favorite genre. If there's a genre where women are taking a preponderant place, it's in this slow one. Maybe it's not so slow to open it's doors to a feminine influence. Outside of the occult doom scene, a scene that's already kind of breathless, we have these great bands from all over the world who are releasing quality stuff, including Rituals of the Oak from Australia or even Cauchemar from Canada, a band with a lot of potential. The band Mourn from the UK is a great forerunner for bands like Castle. They released their only self titled album in 1995 and it's a romantic and emotionnal record without being over the top cheesy, just like Castle, they had the right amount of vigor and emotions. 

Without being one of the most visible figures of the doom movement, this band is one of the is one of the best new ambassadors of the genre, they certainly have a bright future ahead of them. They do everything right, their sound is quite varied, we can find some excellent groovy and pounding riffs on faster songs like the the title track (check out their promo video for this track, it's pretty cool). The band are not fans of long jams, what we have on Blacklands is 8 normal lenght songs, only the final track, Dying Breed is 6 minutes. There's even a very cool short song called Venus Pentagram (it's the only music Davis wrote with Blackwell, maybe we'll get shorter and rockier songs in the future?). Mat Davis' playing has just the right feel, not too fuzzy, not too clean. I like the atmospheric touches too, like the beginning of Curses of the Priests, that's before the awesome double vocals attack of Davis and Blackwell. The vocals of the guitarist are giving a cool stonerish edge to their music -check out the song Storm Below the Mountain for an example. This song has very cool leads too, these aren't only doom, there's some epic heavy metal thrown in there too, the mix of all these elements made this song one of the best on the album. In contrast to Davis, Blackwell's voice offers a fine contrast, blending cleanliness with sheer power, taking the role of the evil seductress in a somewhat unorthodox manner, listen to Corpse Candles, it's a very lustful and dark song. The vocals aren't alien to the riffs, they fit the atmosphere really well, unlike some other doom bands with female vocalists. Some might say that's a gimmick, maybe it is... But, it isn't with Castle. There's a real chemistry going on here, It's a busy album, there's no wasted time at 35 minutes, it's a release you put on repeat, it's hynoptizing and fulfilling, almost handing a hand to your doom. There's some truly amazing parts on Blacklands, like these clean leads section that are very well done and are preventing the album to get monotonous and boring. The lyrics and atmospheres are about the occult and fantasy, but without an excess of poetic lyricism, something that wouldn't fit with their music. Unlike epic doom bands, like Solstice and Atlantean Kodex, they stay in a more controlled vibe, a bit like The Gates of Slumber's latest album, The Wretch. It's dark and profound and bewitching. 

The two key words for Blacklands are cohesion and control. Nothing is out of place, everything feels right and the production of the veteran and legendary producer Billy Anderson is perfect. It's tight and airy when it needs to be. Castle is fast paced traditional doom metal but you can feel the passion and the will to transcend the conventions. They're not really bringing anything new or original to the table, but they're a very convincing unit. They're quite unique, they don't sound like any other bands of their style. Even if you usually dislike metal with frontwomen, Castle needs your attention, after all, music is like an arrow shot through the heart. I must say that Castle shot an arrow through mine.

"There's always doom for the wicked, take hold of the pain "