What do you get when you combine a Spanish death doom outfit's long awaited sophomore release with Dan Swano? Some really good and crushing doom, that's what. Not groundbreaking, but well done and mighty enjoyable.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Marcel Hubregtse, Ag Fox, Nefarious, Mr. Doctor, Starvynth

To steal a line from my forthcoming review:

"When is epic fail epic win?"

When it's Faal's epic "The Clouds Are Burning".

Four tracks of unforgiving doom punishment that shifts up tempos from glacial to epic swagger to full on headbanging, all while the members of the band assault you, your family and the girl you took to prom with tons of sonic cold fuzzies.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Ag Fox, !J.O.O.E.!, Mr. Doctor, Daniell, Marcel Hubregtse, Troy Killjoy, Nefarious, DerRozzengarten, White Winter Sun, Darkside Momo, psykometal

Nothing fancy here. The band that put the POWAH! in power trio, High On Fire, are back with another pummeling album featuring dalekian vocals, pounding drums, pummeling guitar and bass riffs, and Matt Pike's frenetic solos. Tracks like "Spiritual Rites" and "Serums Of Liao" are the sonic equivalent of a bar room brawl. Enjoy.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Daniell, Ag Fox, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414, Troy Killjoy, Doc Godin, BudDa

Tort is a kissing-cousin to Doc's prior staff pick, Lurk. Well, not sure if they kiss, or are even cousins... but both bands put out awesome ugly, raw, doom-ish based music, and are on the same label.

Tort is an affront to all things decent, and, thus, is a swell addition to the musical library of anyone who stumbles across this site. If you dig the cover art, odds are you'll dig the album. Highly recommended.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Doc Godin, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414, Ag Fox, Introspekrieg

Happy Happy Joy Joy... err, wait, Misery Misery Woe Woe. Profetus, the embodiment of all things toasterbath are back with another four song affair so bleak it will make those Sarah McLachlan SPCA ads seem like a trip to Disneyland after gobbling half a bottle of your mom's happy pills by comparison. Bon appetit!

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, Daniell, DerRozzengarten, Troy Killjoy, Nefarious

Grindcore isn't really my thing, but for whatever reason the 27 tracks in 27 minutes catchy blast plastered a smile on face. This album won't be on "repeat repeatedly", but paired with a mug of coffee it is a nice adrenaline spike to get me going in the morning. Haters be hatin' Hater, but not me.

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld White Winter Sun

rawrrawrRAWR! riffriffriff pound pound pound screech ROAR! thud thud thud RAWR!

Gallows is just under 30 minutes of good old asskicking deathgrind fury, raw(R!) enough to make old-timers like me tear up. And tear up the house.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld wormdrink414, Doc Godin, Mr. Doctor

GB are a French BM outfit that have allowed exterior influences in to their music... No, not from the Scandinavian north, but from the American south of all places. Raging, dissonant black metal is paired with murky sludge elements to create an awesome earful. This is what I had hoped Meet Us At The Southern Sign would be.

Viva la France, y'all!

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld DerRozzengarten, wormdrink414, Marcel Hubregtse, White Winter Sun, Mr. Doctor, Troy Killjoy

Earlier this year Rising won the inaugural "Clandestine Cut" MSA... since then they done got signed and now have their first full-length slated for an October release*. The band were kind enough to shoot me a promo and it is more of the same. And by that I do mean MORE. Instead of a two or four song tease, now you get ten tracks worth of the visceral pounding and crushing riffs that earned them your choice as the 2010 CC Messy.

*sadly this will not be out in the US until January 2012. let me again repeat how thankful I am that Rising sent me an advance.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld !J.O.O.E.!, Troy Gallant, White Winter Sun, Mr. Doctor

Wolves In The Throne Room are back and, somehow, despite adjusting their standard song structure from epic to more conventional length, they have managed to recapture some of the magick of their earlier albums that was absent on Black Cascade. A swell album that manages to capture and combine the ugliness of black metal with the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Ag Fox, Daniell, wormdrink414, !J.O.O.E.!, DerRozzengarten, Introspekrieg, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, Nefarious, Darkside Momo, Troy Gallant, White Winter Sun

Yob is back and crushing skulls with undeniably groove-laden thunderous riffs and Dalekian vocal shrieks. Atma would make a swell soundtrack next time you and your sweetie want to enjoy the changing foliage with a nice picnic lunch... and ensure no one else gets within earshot of your blanket. Oh, and Yob spelled backwards is Boy. As in "Boy is this good!"

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld !J.O.O.E.!, BloodTears, White Winter Sun, Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, Dane Train, wormdrink414

In their follow-up to Skylon Express the lizardmen of Sleestak have let loose an engulfing and bewildering blend that mixes stoner doom with all sorts of various space-prog rock elements. Crushing doom riffs are followed by prolonged mellow sections that have you experiencing flashbacks... even if you never dropped acid.

These creepy hissing folks are a hell of a lot better writing songs than shooting their tiny little crossbows...

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414, Mr. Doctor, Nefarious

Atmospheric French Space Doom! An album so enjoyable that it's one of the review requests I've received that I continue to listen to the album repeatedly after publishing the review. But rather than blathering on here, I'll just suggest interested parties click the link to my review below... and meanwhile I keep spinning this album and floating off into the void.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld DerRozzengarten, Collin, Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, Darkside Momo

Starting with where their most recent left off, the Sheep-stealers from Enslaved make a 90 degree turn and cut through prog country before ending up in Viking land. Not Amon Amarth viking land, but as close an approximation to Ye Olde Viking Music as one might expect.

Best of all, it's apparently free thanks to, uh, a car company which spits out cars which look like bricks. Pretty cool stuff... the music. And maybe the car company... when they come out with the V-Box, complete with horns, shield hubcaps, and axe-rack on the back, i'll be interested.

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Fat & Sassy!, !J.O.O.E.!, Introspekrieg, Darkside Momo, Marcel Hubregtse, White Winter Sun, Collin, BloodTears, daniell_p, wormdrink414, Mr. Doctor

Guiltless is a wretched platter of doomed sludge (or sludged doom?) with punishing riffs, pounding drums and absolutely vile, hate-filled screeches. This is an ugly album. Enjoy.

Read review ››

Picked by: Thumbs up:

BitterCOld Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, Collin, Mr. Doctor