Bridge Farmers - Cosmic Trigger

BRIDGE FARMERS is a heavy psychedelic/stoner/doom metal band from Texas who have been active since 2006. 'Cosmic Trigger' is their third full length album.

In a previous post, I said a few words about the first single from this album, 'Frater Achad.'  I praised it for its waves of fuzz and the thick, groovy style of the riffs.  So does the rest of the album hold up?  You bet your bong it does!

The aforementioned single opens the album and sets the tone for what else will be experience across the other five songs.  The music sits firmly in the stoner/psychedelic doom camp and many, many riffs await the listener.  The music is actually quite heavy for the style in places and the vocals get a little gruff and rough throughout, making this album as crushing as it is hazy.

The second song is 'Street Needles,' and it begins with big, fat riff that brings with it mountains of fuzz.  I love the way Kyle's drums are so adept at capture the vibe of the music and I found myself paying as much attention to them as I did the riffs.

The vocals are a clean wail, Tyler sounding like he is singing from atop a mountain.  As the song progresses, static/fuzz riffs seep in as the bass and lead guitar jam out.  The fuzz continues to grow like a living entity.  The flood water's breakout when the Tyler's screaming starts and the band just jams their ass off all the way to to the end.

The band moves into heavy psychedelic with the trippy instrumental 'Temple of Eris I.'  The bass begins a rhythm that the rest of the song builds upon.  Mind numbing lead guitar adds another layer atop this stoner mountain as the drums build up.  By the time the two and a half minute mark hit, I was already stoned and I don't even smoke.  

The second part of 'Temple of Eris'  is up next with the double the length.  It keeps much of the same feel and atmosphere of the first part but expands on it in every way.  If the first part was approaching the mouth of madness, then this is walking in...and getting trapped.  The layers keep adding until the song turns into a wall of sound.  A very immersive experience.  I bet if I did smoke, I wouldn't live through this one.

After the monumental two part beast ends, the band takes a shorter approach with 'Dark Star' which si definitely the most aggressive song here.  The shouted, echo vocals add an edge that isn't often present in stoner music but the riffs take it to a new level of basically being SABBATH on steroids and maybe even rabid. 

The final song is 'Lynx', ending the album on a twelve minute trip.  The first few minutes is the audio version of a hookah bar, the notes swirling through a hazy fog.  As the music drifts, with the vocals being the guide, the music morphs into screaming and pounding...well, all the instruments give it their go here.  Around the seven minute mark, the song becomes a representative for the groove machine....and it just. doesn't. stop.  And neither did the heandbanging of my neck. 

BRIDGE FARMERS' 'Cosmic Trigger,' is an adventurous album that will appeal to fans of music that makes you feel like you shouldn't have ate that last mushroom but will hold the attention of anyone who likes riff based music or doom in general.   

Age of the Wolf - A Pilgrimage To No Where

AGE OF THE WOLF is a stoner/doom/sludge band from Costa Rica.  I reviewed their debut album, 'Ouroboric Trances,' back in 2019 with a lot of praise.  I have waited (not so) patiently for their next album and have been awarded with their second full length album 'A Pilgrimage To No Where.'

The band has eclipsed their debut in every way possible.  The music still has the stoner atmosphere to the sludge riffs that move at a doom's pace but this time around the band goes so much darker.  Anything related to the stoner doom/sludge genre isn't usually known for being dark and deep but there are exceptions to every rule and 'A Pilgrimage To No Where' definitely is.

The production/mix is better this time around too---more robust, more expansive, if you will.  The vocal variety remains present too, everything from screams and growls, to psychedelic style cleans and rough, throaty yells. 

Musically, the band treads across the various waters that make up the doom/sludge/stoner world.  It is a world of many colors and flavors and AGE OF THE WOLF continue to capture them vividly.  The album has a wide variety of sounds without coming off as aimless or meandering.  Instead, their craft is deadly focused on their own brand of atmosphere that few band in this style can pull off.

The album opens with 'The Searing Eye,' and a massive bass intro. Within the first few seconds, the bass sets an obvious darker and more aggressive tone for this album.  When the clean guitar arrives, sprinkling dashes of psychedelia , it is also obvious the band is going to continue their journey into madness. 

The distortion kicks in, settling into a slow groove with extreme vocals screaming over top.  Gabriel's rock solid drumming holds this madness up of guitar born atmosphere up while ensuring each movement remains interesting as it moves onto the next one. 

'Onward To Penumbra,' begins with the guitar and bass dueling it out to see who has the fattest riff.  They both win and so does the listener because the following passage is sludgy, grimy, and a little unnerving. The song culminates to rising action around the 1:10 mark then drops more ten ton doom.   The drums wont' let it go and ramp it all back up again---and the song continues to march ever forward like an immortal beast.  

One doesn't often think of anything in the doom umbrella as intense but this album can be very grueling and extreme when called upon.  I enjoy this aspect quite a bit because people need to understand that slow doesn't have to mean the music can't be aggressive. 

The solo is pure stoner and so are the riffs that follow---and the the barking of the vocals over all this hazy metal is magical and out of the world.

The band speeds the tempo up a bit for 'Nexus Exitium (Pyrophylaciorum)' for one of the heaviest tracks on the album---the bass is dense but also sharp as hell as it pops out from the riffs and stabs like daggers in the dark.  Juan and Christopher's riffs are manic and add a strong sense of urgency to the track, which is welcomed.  

The last song is the min epic 'The Phantom Electric.'  Soon as the bass hits, I knew I was going to be in for a monstrous ride. The trepidation builds up when the clean guitar mixes in, giving the feeling that something is arriving.  This stoner/psychedelic movement goes for over two minutes, my nervous energy building up the entire time.  It explodes into a cacophony  of big riffs, huge vocals, and a massive rhythm section.  This song is nearly as big as the album in terms of how it just envelops and overtakes the senses.  It becomes more frantic near the end and explodes once more around the 7:10 mark for one of the heaviest pieces of music I've heard all year.

AGE OF THE WOLF's 'A Pilgrimage To No Where,' is a great success from a band who has upped their game tenfold but still hasn't hit their stride----I've no doubt there are many more moments of greatness to come from this band.  

Hibernaut - Ingress

HIBERNAUT is a sludge/stoner/doom metal band from Salt Lake City, Utah.  They formed in 2020 and are already dropping this massive beast of a debut album called 'Ingress.' 

Two of the members, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Jones and drummer Zach Hatsis, are from SubRosa so right away I was a thousand percent sure this album would be heavy as a bomb made from anvils and thick as frozen molasses.  

Well I was wrong but only in the sense that it is even heavier that I imagined.  The vocals are clean but born of pure sludge so they still have a lot of throaty might behind them.  Musically, the band isn't afraid to play at a faster paced when need be but, of course, there are plenty of slow to mid paced moments.  I'd say riff wise, it is doom at heart but the sheer abrasiveness of it is coated in the sludgiest sludge that ever sludged a sludge. 

The production is basically perfect:  loud and powerful without being overbearing and just raw enough to give the music a hefty underground atmosphere.  The mix is on point too, each instrument bringing out the best of the other instruments so they can all come together to rock these songs balls out. 

'Stygian Nectar' begins the album with a mid paced groove, throbbing bass and drums that are as stalwart as the hoover dam.  This being doom/sludge, the music moves ever forward with the singular goal of moving the earth and crushing anything that won't get out of the way.

The mid part of the song relies on the bass and drums to set the mood as a sinister riff comes in from the background.  As these elements swirl together, the song speeds up a bit and acts as a battering ram until the end.

'Projection,' builds up with the rolling snare as a stoner guitar solo cuts through the muddy riffs.  This song seems to feed upon its own energy, constantly reach for an apex only to begin on another journey to an even greater height of action.  The mid section is a wonderful movement of stoner bliss.  Oh did I mention the chorus is catchy as hell?  Because it is.  The song ends wonderfully too, a slick guitar solo winding it down.

'Nor'easter,' is a true epic and one of the best songs on the album.  The first twenty seconds or so is blissful bass before the song throws down a blanket of distortion while a guitar solo glides above.  This whole opening is slick as shit and twice as heavy, revealing a band that is much better at song writing that many others in this style. 

The first few minutes are mountains riffs and a pounding rhythm section but then it moves into a more stoner/pysch doom territory but it transitions smoothly and still feels right at home next to the more abrasive first half. 

'Mines' is stuffed with explosive drumming and groove that could kill a full grown yak.  Do yaks get big?  Am I even sure what an yak is?  Ok, enough groove to kill, Optimus Prime, or something.  The bass is nearly sweltering the vocals have just enough acidic edge to them. As the song continues, the riffs get dizzying as the song falls down the rabit hole of sludge/doom.  Another personal favorite from the album, this song just doesn't quit.  Nor do I want it to do so.

The final song is 'Spherical' and it is a burner.  The combination of the blazing guitar solo and the drums is enough to making even the most jaded metal listener die from head trauma from all the BANGING.  This one definitely has a punk sludge feel to it, not unlike the faster paced stuff from CROWBAR. 

All in all, this a towering debut album and any fan of stoner, sludge, and/or doom would do well to pick this might album up.  

https://hibernaut.bandcamp.com/album/ingress
https://www.instagram.com/hibernautband/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088865810083&mibextid=LQQJ4d
https://twitter.com/hibernautband
https://www.tiktok.com/@hibernautband
https://www.youtube.com/@hibernautband

Bridge Farmers - Frater Achad

BRIDGE FARMERS is a heavy psychedelic/stoner/doom metal band from Texas who have been active since 2006.  Despite that, this is my first time of hearing of them...and I'm kicking myself for not finding out about them sooner!  

'Frater Achad' is the first single from their upcoming album 'Cosmic Trigger,' which is due out this year on May 19th thru Olde Magick Records.  After experiencing this first song, I definitely can't wait to hear what the rest of the album will bring.

The song immediately begins with the fuzz smacking me right in the face---may the fuzz be with you, indeed.  The bass is just one of many standout elements, however.  The riffs are thick, groovy and exemplifies why doom metal of this style is so damn catchy and easy to like.  The drums are rock solid too, holding down a smoke filled foundation while bringing the best out of the songs through interesting beats.  The vocals are clean, filtered and hazy but there isn't any other I'd have it for this style.  At various points in the song, their vocalist screams/shouts and the production gives him just the right amount of echo.  A very cool detail that I found enjoyable and I don't even get high!  

The guitar solo near the end is pure trippy psych that brings up the fuzzy gloom by turning it inside out. As the song ends, a long heavy note rides out to a fade to black, leaving my head buzzing.

All in all, if trippy fuzzed out stoner doom is your thing (and why wouldn't it be?), this is a song you need to hear and an album you need to make your calendar for.  

Night Demon - Outsider

NIGHT DEMON is a California based power/heavy metal band who formed in 2011. Their latest release, 'Outsider' is their third full length album; they have also released many singles, an EP, and one compilation. 

 There is no doubt that 'Outsider' is a very fun heavy metal album.  The word 'fun' might be blasphemous in the metal world but not every album has to be a dark, Satanic, unending void of darkness.  That style of metal has its place and I certainly enjoy my fair share of it but, sometimes, I don't want that.  Sometimes it is refreshing to jam out to an album that is void of pretense and just straight up hammers from beginning to end.   

'Outsider' is definitely that album---every song is an ear grabber and catchy.  The songwriting flows well, every song having its place.  Of course, the pristine production makes it all the more easy to absorb the album.  I suppose it could be argued the production is too good but when it comes to this style of metal, I don't see anything wrong with an album sounding like a dream.  Let's leave the rough and dark mixes to black, death and doom.  I want my no frills heavy metal to sound like this so every detail can be captured and, thus, transferred to my ears effortlessly. 

The three band member does a fine job at their chosen craft but vocalist/bassist Jarvis Leatherby is the album's MVP.  Not only does it bass slap and remain a constant highlight of the songs but his vocals are absolutely on fire.  He has a loud, clear and concise singing voice that is perfectly balanced in tone and approach.  He isn't overly falsetto either and can be quite expressive when the need calls for it.

Dusty Squires' drumming is on point and laser focused on an adventurous playstyle and complimenting the songs and holding down a rock solid foundation. Armand Anthony's guitars and keys are of a similar high caliber.  He doesn't over use the keys but instead treats them as a necessary component when they are needed rather than just using them to fill up the space between. His guitar playing is versatile, capable of shredding out riffs for days or creating moving melodic passages. He seems equally at home playing fast paced power/heavy metal as he does slowing it down and throwing out some old school style doom riffs.

The album opens with the intro track 'Prelude,' and although I usually hate intro songs, this one does a decent job building up the momentum for the rest of the album to jump off from.  It segues really well into the first proper track which is...

...'Outsider.'  The vocals are immediately energetic, the lyrics and cadence as catchy as anything I've heard this year.  The drums and bass dance around the riffs but hammer hard when needed, especially during the chorus.  Speaking of which...if that chorus isn't stuck in your head for days then maybe you just don't like good things.  

'Beyond The Grave,' slows it down to trade speed for subtleties.  The songs begins with deep bass, which continues to lead the song as blanket of distortion settles over it.   

As the song alternates between light and dark elements, the intensity ramps up near the end. This is a well balanced song and I find it to be one of the best on the album. The riffs and bass compliment each other welll and during the clean stanzas the drums go deep to provide a powerful backdrop for the vocals.

'Escape From Beyond,' spent a fast paced banger that doesn't let up for a second. Little flourishes of melody and blazing solos living among the riffs so there is something exciting always going on in this song. The chorus is yet again another earworm that won't soon be forgotten.

'The Wrath' is the final track that ends the album on a solid, epic fashion. The vocals soar high above the riffs, which play juat as hard and expressive. The bass brings the low end, keeping the song grounded even during the more melodic moments.

The last half the song features a passage of Supreme heaviness and even a small amount of rough vocals before ending Ina beautiful melodic movement.

NIGHT DEMON'S 'Outsider' is one hell of a surprise for this first part of the year. If you're interested in heavy music at all, this is a must listen album.

SaviorSkin - Invita Mori

SAVIORSKIN is a doom metal band from Houston, Texas who formed in 2018. ‘Invicta Mori,’ is their third full-length album. SAVIORSKIN has a varied sound that incorporates death metal, Gothic elements, and even industrial into its brand of moody gloom. What I like most about this album is every song sounds different–a lot of variety within the nine tracks that keep the listener guessing as to what will come next. ‘Iconoclast,’ opens the album with ominous tones and clean keys until the 32 second mark when a thick, melodic tinged riff hits with the subtlety of being slammed in the head by a brick. The death growls arrive soon after—deep, throaty, yet still intelligible. The chorus features another fantastic element present throughout the album: great usage of vocal harmonies and layering. ‘Lost In Prayer,” and its Gothic tones recall PARADISE LOST with its simple but effective melodies. Can doom metal be catchy? Should it be catchy? I see yes to these questions because SAVIORSKIN proves it can be done and done well. Clean vocals permeate the atmosphere in ‘King Misery,’ another Gothic doom romp but that isn’t afraid to lean into its sound and influences. Clever lead guitar work forms the backbone of the song, everything born out of these Gothic melodies and harmonies. ‘Burning Eden,’ has a guitar tone that is as sinister as the title would suggest. The song slowly crushes as it flows from filtered vocals to death growls,, the music getting heavier as the vocal style progresses along. The last couple of minutes are especially great…a deep growl around the 4:05 mark leads into a clean vocal passage and a slow guitar groove. The death growls return to finish out the song in a big way as it fades into nothing. The last song, ‘Sycophant,’ features MORGOTH’s Marc Grewe on guest vocals…..what a burner! This is definitely the fastest, angriest song on the album and will guarantee to cause whiplash. Even with the obvious death metal influences, the band still keeps the song in line with the album’s atmosphere All in all, this album is a pleasant surprise from a band I have not heard before. This is a solid doom metal album that is quite engaging due to its willingness to set itself apart from other bands in the genre.

Serpent Of Old - Ensemble Under The Dark Sun

SERPENT OF OLD is a black/death metal band from Turkey; 'Ensemble Under The Dark Sun' is their debut full length album. What stands out immediately  is how well the album truly blends death and black metal together. Despite their common extremity, the two genres are very different so it is quite remarkable how seamless the two are on this album. Another highlight is the production— absolutely fantastic. The whole collection of songs sounds immense but just rough enough to give it that dirty, hellish atmosphere that black metal needs. The mixing brings out the brutal nature of their death metal side—every instrument can be enjoyed without any one overpowering the other but each one will overpower your ears and senses.  This is an album that just doesn’t stop.

The album begins with ‘The Sin Before The Great Sin.’  I love the slow build up with riffs as thick as concrete.  The drumming is slow too but always interesting, holding down the foundation while complimenting there other elements in the song.  The riff and accompanying harrowing screen around the 1:42 is spine chilling good.  It is impressive how quickly the band settles into a rhythm after the build up.  The slower temp comes back after the halfway point with some interesting guitar parts laying over the distortion. ‘Unsaturated Hunger and Esoteric Lust,’ begins the exact opposite by firing right out of the gate.  The combination of the bass and drums is tight as hell and responsible for much of the song’s atmosphere.   Around the five and half minute mark or so, the song takes on a feeling of sickened desperation as the drums hammer their way to the underground and the guitar/bass offer crushing riff after crushing riff.

‘The Fall,’ would be a standout for the bass alone but, of course, it is a team effort.  This particular song sounds pensive and tragic in places, in between the speedy bludgeoning that pieces the slower, more introspective moments together.   At the halfway point the song almost seems to double down onto itself…an incredibly heavy and even suffocating passage awaits the listener, capped off by the insane vocals. ‘Virtue of the Devil In His Loins,’ is an okay song for an instrumental but really is nothing more than an interlude.  Not bad but with so much more going on in the other songs, there isn’t any real need for this.  ‘From the Impending Dusk’ is unrelenting in its approach to constantly change as it slithers along.  It begins with the guitars acting as more of a drop in atmospheric pressure as the drums and vocals start their attack.  As the song moves forward, it becomes more and more grinding, as if it is just some undead thing that cannot be stopped by conventional means.

Bursts of a more classic black metal approach push their way through, backed by a barrage of drums.  This leads into the middle part of the song, around the 4:02 mark, where the song becomes so dense that it nearly drowns me in pure sonic prowess. The last couple minutes of the song  features what amounts to melody for this band, complete with a surprisingly moving yet flashy guitar solo. Other than the interlude, the final track, ‘Idiosyncrasy,’ is the shortest song on the album but I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the best.  Crashing drums and a sea of double bass give way to some more interesting lead work as the song becomes very choppy and unrelenting.  In other places, the song pulls down to a slower tempo and lets the bass shred through the riffs.

All in all, SERPENT OF OLD has released quite the stunning debut with “Ensemble Under The Dark Sun.’  If they are already this good, who knows what the future will bring outside of world domination?