Magmakammer - Before I Burn (Album Review)

Release Date: July 26th 2024. Record Label: Kozmik Artifactz / Evil Noise Recordings. Formats: Cassette/DD/Vinyl

Before I Burn: Tracklisting

1. Doom Jive

2. Cyanide Fever

3. Before I Burn

4. Zimbardo

5. Princess of the Peaks

6. Cult of Misanthropy

7. Apocalypse Babes

8. I Will Guide Your Hand

Members

Ulrik H.J. - guitar, keys, vocals

Stian S. - bass

Lasse R. - drums

Review

Magmakammer have been in the scene for some years now and have impressed us every step of the way. I've been a fan since hearing 2018's 'Mindtripper'. Though that album was a little more low-fi and raw in production, all of the talent, potential, and seeds of doom were already being sown. Their EP 'Blood Diamond' saw the furthering of their sound, production, and songwriting abilities with three more tracks of murder and lurking madness.

Fast forward to now, we finally have Magmakammer's new album 'Before I Burn'. The madness and impending doom are forever present though sometimes shrouded behind the deceptive quirks and upbeat rhythms of the album. They've been compared to Uncle Acid and rightfully so but Magmakammer are full of their own surprises, their own uniqueness, their own brand of psychedelic garage stoner doom. 

The opening track 'Doom Jive' is the perfect example of Magmakammer doing things their own way with an eccentric, upbeat, and with an evil carnival-like feel to the song. The song feels like the world we live in, everyone goes about their day turning a blind eye, it's all fun and games until it's your time to die. 'Cyanide Fever's is one of the two singles that was released last year and is a slow tempo, thick doomy track that utilizes organs and haunting vocals to highlight the terror of the sacrificial ritual taking place in the lyrics of the song. 

There are moments of gloom and doom but also catchy up-tempo stoner-doom rock songs such as 'Apocalypse Babes', the Sabbath worship of 'Zimbardo', to more psychedelic melodies like 'Cult of Misanthropy' (with some bluesy guitar thrown in for good measure), and the lightly sung sorrowful closer 'Will Guide Your Hand'. All of these styles are locked within Magmakammer's wheelhouse and showcase their abilities to easily turn direction, as well as their pursuit of growth and evolution. While the world is burning all around them they burst out of the inferno with 'Before I Burn'. 

As per usual the band take a full hands on approach, immersing themselves fully into their craft including the artwork, (I absolutely love the cover art) writing, recording, as well as mixing, only handing the reins over to Tony Reed for final mastering. It's a passion and a labor of love for Magmakammer and I can't wait to spin my liquid-filled variant when it arrives, well done gentleman! 

Words Jon McGough

Thanks to Kozmik Artifactz for the promo.

Before I Burn will be available to buy from the links below on Friday 26th July 2024.

BandCamp Digital Download

Kozmik Artifactz Vinyl

Evil Noise Recordings Cassette

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Old Horn Tooth - Mourning Light (Album Review)

Release Date: July 05th 2024. Record Label: London Doom Collective / Evil Noise Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl

Mourning Light: Tracklisting

1.Precipice

2.No Salvation

3.Mourning Light 

4.Invisible Agony

Members

Chris Jones – Guitars, Vocals

Mark Davidson - Drums, Griefcase.

Ollie Isaac – Bass

Review

Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal collective Old Horn Tooth new album Mourning Light takes a different progressive narrative compared to their 2019 release From The Ghost Grey Depths. As the band focus more upon long-drawn Drone/Doom and down tuned instrumental passages which draws upon influences such as YOB, SLEEP and ELECTRIC WIZARD with a certain filthy and seedy Doomedelic based Stoner rhythm that made their debut release such a great record to listen to.

Mourning Light has a deep meaningful LOW & SLOW delivery with the music being built around a dominant DRUMS and BASS combo from Mark and Ollie respectively. Chris provides eerie vocals and an absolutely devastating Sludgy guitar sound that has a powerful WEEDIAN and slightly POSSESSED tone which is aggressive from the start which you can hear within the excellent opening track of Precipice.

The song follows a Progressive Doom/Stoner Metal structure throughout its epic sixteen minutes plus run-time. Old Horn Tooth combines Psychedelic textures and Sonic fueled landscapes with the whole modern day Psychedelic/Cosmic Rock energy being stripped back into a surreal and primal raging assault on the senses. Overlapping sound effects and trippy atmospherics languish silently into the background when Old Horn Tooth unleash a distorted array of extended instrumental jams and sludgy guitar solos that demand your full attention. 

Second track No Salvation continues with the Progressive based energy of the opening track with mind-blowing instrumental solos that some of the most powerful on the whole record especially when Old Horn Tooth reach moments of deafening levels of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and different styles of REVERB and STEREO FEEDBACK. The vocals are constantly raw with an honest delivery to them with Old Horn Tooth once again showing real moments of huge originality within their music and lyrics. The song is quite emotionally draining but the track isn’t afraid to unleash HELL ON EARTH within your hearing.

I was quite surprised at how emotionally draining and brilliantly melodic this album really is. Old Horn Tooth shows a deeply caring side to their music despite the dark nature of the music itself. The next two tracks Mourning Light and Invisible Agony continue to explore the more Progressive and Riff Centric values of Old Horn Tooth’s whole creative mission which become the most impressive and outstanding parts of the record.

Third track Mourning Light is another fourteen minutes plus number with Old Horn Tooth delving into a similar Post-Doom energy as YOB and Pallbearer. The whole flow maybe seedier and down-tuned but the message is there which is down to the first-rate use of PSYCHEDELIC and AMBIENT sounds yet again. Sounds of epic FUZZED UP levels of instrumental passages become more emotionally rewarding when Chris Jones’s exquisite use of different vocal styles lead the song to an incredible finish.

However, it’s the epic final track of Invisible Agony that has allowed Mourning Light to become my favourite album of the year. This is where Old Horn Tooth impresses on all technical and creative levels with the sheer amount of different styles of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal that appear. This track has a similar scale that can easily be matched or compared to the legendary DOPESMOKER. The use of different Ambient and Psychedelic textures against a sludge driven Post-Rock/Post-Stoner attitude allows Old Horn Torn to play the heaviest, vibrant and most exciting grooves on the entire album. 

Mourning Light may just propel Old Horn Tooth to the forefront of the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene with its powerful vision and can be considered one of the most breathtaking, wholly original and defining albums of the whole year. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

Mourning Light will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via London Doom Collective and Limited Edition Cassette Tape from Evil Noise Recordings from Friday July 05th 2024.

Old Horn Tooth on Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

London Doom Collective on Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Kalgon - Kalgon (Album Review)

Release Date: May 23rd 2024. Record Label: Evil Noise Recordings. Formats: Cassette/DD

Kalgon - Kalgon: Tracklisting

1.The Isolate 

2.Grade Of The Slope 

3.Apocalyptic Meiosis

4.Interlude (Windigo Refrain)

5.Windigo

6.Eye Of The Needle

7.Setting Sun

Band Members

Brandon Davis: Guitar and Vocal

Berten Lee Tanner: Bass and Vocal

Marc Russo: Drums

Review

Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metallers Kalgon self-titled debut album is one that specialises in low-end riffage and raw sounding Progressive melodies with a Sludge/Thrash Metal outlook that allows the over-the-top story to progress at a thrilling fast pace. The album is about a space fungus that crash lands on Earth from Space and starts to take over and colonise the minds of humanity by controlling them to reformulate the atmosphere of Earth for warmer, more favorable conditions and more methane for the hivemind parasitic space fungus. 

You have to give credit to Kalgon for giving such an outlandish premise a touch of warmth and human emotion with some of the Post-Stoner and Post-Doom surroundings that appear on the record. However, Kalgon play a thrilling style of Down-tuned Doom/Sludge Metal with aggressive grooves and raw sounding vocals to match. The whole production of the album is raw and minimalistic which feels like a true debut album with a band not aiming for perfection but playing the best music they can possibly play.

The opening two tracks of The Isolate and Grade Of The Slope allows Kalgon to set down the rules of their LOW & SLOW world with moments of down-tuned Sludge grooves merging with strands of Punk, Thrash, Blues Rock and their main weapon of Heavy Psychedelic Doomed Out Stoner Metal. Both songs allow the muscular rhythm section of Berten Lee Tanner and Marc Russo on Bass and Drums respectively to play at a slow-to-mid pace with Brandon Davis playing the more destructive guitars which all combine for a subtle blast of atmospheric sounds. Taking cues from bands such as SLEEP, High On Fire, Monolord and CONAN for the most part. Kalgon employs their own style of epic mythology within their lyrics and some impressive guitar solos along the way.

The album continues with the lo-fi surroundings with a more Thrash paced outlook on the excellent third track Apocalyptic Meiosis which has a slight Mastodon storytelling influence and how they combine the different musical strands for a fast-paced Thrash/Punk Rock sound which gives more nuanced energy to the overall story of the album. This is perhaps the real turning point for Kalgon on a pure creative level. As everything becomes more real with the story and that’s down to the great lyrics, vocal performances and subtle melodic energy which all comes together within the few minutes that the song lasts for.

Fourth track Interlude (Windigo Refrain) is a stripped back Psychedelic track with Droned rhythms and Post-Rock sounds that offer a cold sounding track which feels powered by long drawn out synths that does have a dramatic Science Fiction sound.

The final three tracks of Windigo, Eye Of The Needle and Setting Sun is the best part of the album and where the heaviest and most interesting sounds that appear on the record. As Kalgon takes the “LOW & SLOW” sound to more aggressive and emotional levels with the Psychedelic and Droned Out elements becoming more dominant with some subtle Blues Rock energy appearing within Windigo and Eye Of The Needle. There’s a certain 1970’s Psych Rock and Space Rock sensibility that allows Kalgon to become more Science Fiction obsessed with the music once again being thoroughly modern at the same time.

The final track of Setting Sun is where the record becomes its most emotional, uplifting and absolutely devastating with Kalgon resolving all the loose ends of their creative journey with a therapeutic style of Post-Rock, Psych Rock and Sludge Metal with a distracting Drone Rock score. This is quite rewarding to hear especially with the fantastic vocals laying out a slightly dystopian and nightmarish quality to them. You’re probably thinking where the “uplifting” vibe is coming from that I mentioned earlier. Well, that’s down to the wonderful melody and tone of the track which was quite therapeutic for myself to hear.

Kalgon’s debut album is another great album from the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene with the ultimate WOW factor which a lot of great bands have been appearing recently such as CLEEN, Ape Vermin, HASHTRONAUT and Lungburner who all play a subtle LO-FI raw-sounding energy that gives the standard Doom/Stoner Metal sound a more adventurous approach. 

I’m hoping that Kalgon builds up a well-deserved reputation within the scene. This album is a highly original record that offers intense grooves to match. This is another great album being added to my Album Of The Year list which I can see being added to quite a few more folks lists before the year is out.

Outstanding. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for the promo.

Kalgon self-titled release will be available to buy on DD/Cassette via Evil Noise Recordings from Thursday 23rd May 2024.

Links

Linktree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Exclusive Song Premiere Of Psych/Doom/Stoner Metallers KALGON New Song THE ISOLATE From Forthcoming Debut Album

Kalgon is a heavy psych / stoner doom trio from Western North Carolina. Kalgon combines the drone of throwback stoner doom, ethereal textures of post metal, and the pillaging gallop of thrash and black metal.

Opening for acts such as Lie Heavy, Indus Valley Kings, Smoke, Stormtoker, among others, Kalgon has developed a regional following around Asheville, NC. Live shows are ruled by raw dynamics and a dark, foreboding atmosphere.

For fans of Sleep, The Sword, Baroness, and Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats.

Kalgon’s 7 track debut album features the raw elements that have defined them since they began two years ago. With a truly DIY approach, Kalgon’s self-titled release portrays the trio as they sound, with minimal embellishment. The album was engineered by Kalgon and mixed by Kevin Boggs.

With heavy psych, thrash, blues and stoner-doom stylings matched with steady low end riffs, the album runs a varied and dynamic course, all while nodding to throwback doom grooviness.

Lyrically, the album tells a story of Kalgon, a fungus that reawakens from the Devonian period by having spores that remain preserved in the exosphere after a comet carries it into orbit around Earth for hundreds of millions of years. The fungus then begins to colonize the minds of humans, controlling them to reformulate the atmosphere of Earth for warmer, more favorable conditions and more methane for the hivemind parasitic space fungus.

Kalgon is 

Brandon Davis: Guitar and Vocal

Berten Lee Tanner: Bass and Vocal

Marc Russo: Drums

We're honoured to premiere the amazing new song The Isolate from their forthcoming self titled album which will be released on May 23rd 2024. The album will be released digitally and on Cassette Tape via Evil Noise Recordings

You can view the video from the following Dropbox link as well

Kalgon say this about the song "band: 

"The Isolate introduces us to the strain of mega-fungi that has developed a way to use the nervous system of humans as host. It does not kill its' host, rather uses them to do its' bidding, raising global temperature and humidity and releasing more methane. By any means necessary, it will develop a world more fitting to its' heyday, the Devonian period.

They spawn with the rain, careful of the ones left behind, conquered by the veiled surprise.  The Isolate is truly the terror of the ages."

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for all of the details.

Links

Linktree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Earthbong - Church Of Bong (Album Review)

Release Date: August 18th 2023. Record Label: Various. Formats: Cassette/DD/Vinyl

Church Of Bong: Tracklisting

Bong Aeterna

Dies Bongrae

Members

Tommy

Ogo

Selly

Review:

Church Of Bong is the new album from German Doom/Stoner Metallers Earthbong that sees the band offer two epic songs lasting around twenty minutes each. The band have taken a more Drone Metal route for this album with the music being ultimately very slow compared to their previous releases. With a more subdued and distorted environment, Earthbong still focus upon playing that heavy “LOW & SLOW” approach that we’ve come to expect from the band. Sludgy Doom grooves are more progressive with the band reaching Doom/Stoner levels that will please fans of bands such as CONAN and YOB.

The vocals have a more primal energy to them when they finally appear on the excellent opening song of Bong Aeterna. The instrumental work is cold, calculating and quite methodical with how they deliver the bleak atmospherics for this track alone. There’s an almost Blackened Stoner Metal sound trying to burst out at the seams which comes mostly through the harsh vocals Earthbong deliver on this track. With the riffs being mostly long drawn out with some regular outbursts of short turbo-charged effects which can be quite freaky and psychedelic in places with a swirling Post-Doom attitude being quite deafening to listen to. The later stages channels bands such as UFOMAMMAUT and the mighty SLEEP but still being contained within Earthbong’s own creative DOOMED OUT realm.

Second song Dies Bongrae has a more deceiving attitude with the Drone/Doom Metal hybrid sound slowly working upto the Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves. The music is once again quite complex with that deliciously seductive and evil FUZZ sound running amok with a bleak bass guitar heaving feeling that draws comparisons to bands such as SLEEP, Electric Wizard and CONAN. The song is broken into different stages of HEAVINESS with each aspect focusing upon a different style of Doom/Stoner Metal with the heavy Sludgy creative forces moving along to a world-weary Drone Metal beat. This is perhaps the bleakest track on the album which sees Earthbong operate with a “LESS IS MORE” approach on this album which feels quite different when compared to their previous albums. 

Church Of Bong is a mighty big step up for Earthbong to take creatively speaking. As they. Earthbong play a wide array of different sounding grooves that have an air of intelligence behind them. This is another fantastic and wonderfully entertaining release from the band and proves why they’re one of the best bands from the European Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal underground scene right now. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks Earthbong for the promo..

Church Of Bong will be released on the following formats listed below.

Church Of Bong - Digital (August 25th 2023)

Church Of Bong - Cassette via Evil Noise Recordings (August 25th 2023)

Church Of Bong - Vinyl via Black Farm Records (Late 2023)

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Saint Karloff - Paleolithic War Crimes (Album Review)

Release Date: June 02nd 2023. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records / Evil Noise Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl

Paleolithic War Crimes: Tracklisting

Psychedelic Man

Blood Meridian

Among Stone Columns

Bone Cave Escape

Nothing To Come

Death Don't Have No Mercy

Supralux Voyager

Members

Mads Melvold - Vocals/Strings/Keys

Adam Suleiman - Drums/Percussion

Review

Paleolithic War Crimes is the new album from underground Doom/Stoner Rock Heroes Saint Karloff and it's the first album since the passing of their much missed and highly regarded bassist Ole Sletner who sadly passed away in 2021. Ole was a founding member of the band and his memory is honoured on this album with Ole's brother Elvind Sletner writing the lyrics for the album. 

Saint Karloff continue with the fine grooves heard on their last album with a more confident style of Seventies Doom Metal and Swirling Psych Rock which gives the band a modern clearer sound with the heavy FUZZED OUT beats merging into a Freakier style of Spaced Out Doom/Stoner Rock. You can feel this new creative approach within the WEEDIAN and TRIPPY boundaries of the excellent opening song Psychedelic Men. Inspired by the wave of Seventies Doom Metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus but with a more Progressive feel.  The vocals and lyrics are top-tier with Saint Karloff having demented fun along the way. 

Second song Blood Meridian is another KICK-ASS Doom/Stoner Rock anthem where the instrumental work leads the way for the first minute or so before Mads Melvold atmospheric classic vocals appear. Taking a Spaced Out sound that would make KADAVAR proud. Saint Karloff ease their Stoner themes into the Vintage Doom/Space Rock stylings that can be wonderfully LOUD, AGGRESSIVE and CATCHY at the same time. The Psychedelic and Cosmic leanings of the track allows Saint Karloff to play more Blues Rock based extended instrumental jams with a cool sideline in moments of blissful Psychedelic Freakouts.

Third song Among Stone Columns is a subdued Post-Doom/Post-Rock instrumental song which is quite reflective and perhaps meant as a fitting tribute to Ole. As the song has a wonderfully peaceful sound that offers moments of remembrance and clarity with the semi-acoustic nature of the track. One of the standout moments musically speaking with Saint Karloff playing a different style of music to engage you more on a spiritual level.

Fourth song Bone Cave Escape throws Saint Karloff back front and centre into the Doom/Stoner Rock stratosphere with the music being more fast-paced but with a Classic Hard Rock and Garage Rock edge. The sound ultimately remains WEEDIAN based but the stunning rebellious vocals from Mads Melvold have quite a soulful 1960's edge to them. Shades of The Who and Led Zepp appear on this track with Saint Karloff paying homage to the Classic Hard Rock era with moments of Heavy Stoner Rock beats being wholly melodic from start to finish.

The final three tracks of Nothing To Come, Death Don't Have No Mercy and Supralux Voyager allows Saint Karloff  to embrace styles of Prog Rock, Acoustic Rock and Folk Rock on this part of the album especially on Nothing To Come. Fans of Jethro Tull and Deep Purple will no doubt love Nothing To Come with the different musical styles, vocal harmonies and guitar sounds that appear on this track. 

Death Don't Have No Mercy and Spuralux Voyager allows Saint Karloff to return to their boisterous and highly energetic form of Psych/Doom/Stoner Rock grooves with a more ferocious drive to the music which is another winning style for the band to impress their fanbase with.

Aided by first rate production values, Paleolithic War Crimes is a fitting and loving tribute to Ole Sletner and allows Saint Karloff to release one of their most engaging,technically impressive and brilliantly entertaining albums to date. 

Paleolithic War Crimes is another must have release from Saint Karloff who are fast becoming one of the most essential acts from the Underground Doom/Stoner Rock scenes.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR and Majestic Mountain Records for the promo.

Paleolithic War Crimes will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records and Cassette via Evil Noise Recordings from Friday June 02nd 2023.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram