Smoke / Doomsday Profit Split LP (Album Review)

Release Date: October 25th 2024. Record Label: Olde Magick Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Smoke / Doomsday Profit - Track Listing:

1.Smoke - Appalachian Black Magic 08:26

2.Smoke - Scavenger 05:25

3.Smoke - Hellish Rebuke 05:37

4.Doomsday Profit - No Salvation 05:22

5.Doomsday Profit - I Am Your God 04:41

6.Doomsday Profit - Void Ritual 05:26

Doomsday Profit Members

Kevin See (lead guitar, vocals)

Ryan Sweeney (bass, vocals)

Bryan Reed (rhythm guitar, vocals)

Tradd Yancey (drums, percussion)

Smoke Members

Ben Gold (guitar)

Stephen Tyree (bass)

Alex Thurston (drums)

Dalton Huskin (guitar, vocals)

Review

We have two of the best upcoming bands from the Doom/Sludge/Stoner underground scene with Smoke and Doomsday Profit teaming up for this epic sounding split album release. Both bands try their hand at performing new sounds we haven’t heard from them before with each band offering three new tracks. Smoke’s music runs for around twenty minutes with Doomsday Profit going slightly shorter at around sixteen minutes.

Smoke are up first with their batch of tracks with Appalachian Black Magic, Scavenger and Hellish Rebuke with their NOLA fuelled take on Sludge/Stoner grooves. There’s an essence of classic sounding DOWN appearing within Appalachian Black Magic with a demonic and smokey SOUTHERN BOOGIE beat that soon sees the band change into a style of Southern Metal with an aggressive Stoner Metal beat. The vocals from Dalton Huskin have an essence of Proto-Doom behind them especially with how he delivers some of his lyrics behind a masquerade of finely tuned WEEDIAN smoke.

The songs are superbly constructed and aggressively melodic with moments of distorted grooves with the quieter moments of all the tracks. Appalachian Black Magic and Hellish Rebuke are the standout tracks from Smoke with a fine amount of hard rocking movements that powers through the barrage of modern day Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal with even time for Psychedelic energy starting to form with a glorious devilish FUZZ ROCK swagger. I admire the level of SONIC DISTORTION the band delivered with the superb second track Scavenger especially when matched against the Swamp Blues Metal sound they opt for the majority of their music.

Doomsday Profit are no strangers to the blog as I’ve featured them multiple times and you can call me a fan of their music and they don’t disappoint here. Their music is firmly rooted within the Sludge Metal sound with a gloriously downbeat DOOM METAL approach with that eerie flexible Psychedelic Stoner Metal edge that allows the band to play a classic style of Heavy Metal guitar solos along the way. There’s some influences from bands such as High On Fire, Mastodon and Motorhead being played here especially within their outstanding opening track No Salvation which has sublime harsh growls and vocals throughout. Though, it’s the music that impresses the most especially when the band blends distorted harmonics and multi-layered screeching guitars with a killer rhythm section adding more volume to the sound.

The other two tracks of I Am Your God and Void Ritual easily match the dark theatrics of No Salvation but there’s an even more despairing dirge ridden Sludge Metal vibe that feels like it was created within the pits of hell. However, the band’s vocals take a delightful and melodic turn whilst still having a DEVIL-ISH quality to them. The lyrics are primarily DOOM METAL obsessed but the band’s clever use of SONIC and PSYCHEDELIC textures allows Doomsday Profit to become part of the Post-Stoner or Post-Metal world at times before returning to their own dark domain.

Smoke and Doomsday Profit have delivered the fucking goods with this excellent split album release. This album gives both bands the chance once again to prove why they’re both worth giving a damn about and perhaps gain some more fans along the way. This is another standout split album release being released in 2024 and I implore you all to add this album to your record collection now. 

This is an unmissable release. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Smoke / Doomsday Profit split record is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Olde Magick Records.

Doomsday Profit Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Smoke Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Album Premiere Of Psych Stoner Rockers KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON & DUNDDW Split Album

Two European bands. One record. 100% improvised music. Kombynat Robotron and DUNDDW join forces to show the world two different visions of psychedelic rock, a music genre in which a wide range of styles have a place; from classic rock to progressive metal, passing through garage, kraut, prog rock, drone and even electronic music.

The truth is that there are times when a band goes into the recording studio with quite elaborate songs and with a perfect idea of what the band members want to do. There are also other times when the band goes into the studio without any idea of what they are going to do... And that must have been te case of Kombynat Robotron and DUNDDW when they decided to go into the studio to try to capture the purest essence of their particular way of understanding modern psych rock.


You can hear the stunning album in full with this cool album premiere

KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON: is a three-piece psych-kraut rock from Kiel (Germany) formed by Jannes Ihnen (guitars, synth, vocals), Claas Ogorek (bass) and Tommy Handschick (drums, percussion). All members were playing at other bands when first started jamming in 2018. Since then, they have put out 12 titles between own records and split albums, always sticking to the premise of improvised music halfway between kraut-rock and psychedelia based on repetitive patterns.

DUNNDW: is also a power trio from The Netherlands formed by Peter Dragt (drums), Huibert der Weduwen (bass), and Gerben Elburg (guitars). Coming from band such as Bismut and Mt. Echo, the three musicians started playing together in order look for the creative purity that you can get thanks to the inspiration of the "here" and "now" - they went into the studio with no previous ideas but playing around psychedelia, so whatever was happening there was instantly recorded. In 2022 they self-released their debut album 'Flux'.

The vinyl record is estructured in a way that each band has one side. The Satellite side (Kombynat Robotron) was recorded at Dickfehler Studio in Germany; then mastered by Hanno Janßen. The Moon side (DUNDDW) was recorded at Studio 888 in The Netherlands; then mastered by Pieter Kloos at The Void Studio.

The album, whose artwork is by Phosphor Visuals, is coming out on 9th June 2023 on a limited edition to 400 copies on two vinyl records variants through the collaboration of European indie labels Spinda Records (SP) and Sunhair Music (GE).

TRACK-LIST:

Gamma (by Kombynat Robotron) - 07:34
Delta (by Kombynat Robotron) - 07:31
VIII (by DUNDDW) - 21:58

KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON online: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook

DUNDDW online: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook

Domkraft/Slomatics - Ascend/Descend (Album Review)

Release Date: April 22nd 2022. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Ascend/Descend - Tracklisting

1.Domkraft - The Core Will Pull You Home 07:56

2.Domkraft - The Brush Descends the Length 03:39

3.Domkraft - And Yet it Moves 08:03

4.Slomatics - Positive Runes 08:02

5.Slomatics - Buried Axes on Regulus Minor 03:54

6.Slomatics - Dustrider 04:52

Review

Ascend/Descend is the new split album from underground Doom/Stoner Metal heroes Domkraft and Slomatics. Throw in the added bonus of both bands covering each other's music with Domkraft performing Slomatics classic And Yet It Moves with Slomatics performing Domkraft classic Dustrider.

Both bands are in splendid gloomy form with heavy spaced out grooves that everyone is known for. These guys do feel like different sides of the same coin and this release proves that point superbly well with Domkraft playing a more multi-layered Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal sound. The standout song from their side of the album is The Core Will Pull You Home. 

With that song being a heavy monolithic spell of Doom fused Psych Stoner Metal with lashes of ambient noises and great vocals to match. Their cover of And Yet It Moves is a stunning rendition which manages to be quite different to Slomatics original but still highly recognisable as well. Perhaps a bit more “out there” than the original but a fantastic cover in its own right.

Slomatics bring their usual “A” game to the split with an inspired vocal performance from Marty who has been trying different vocal styles over the last couple releases. If you’re a fan of Slomatics then the two new songs Positive Runes and Buried Axes On Regulus Minor carry a similar vibe heard on their last acclaimed album Canyons. Their trademark FUZZ heavy SPACED OUT sound remains intact with thunderous drive and energy but with perhaps a less is more approach when the heavier moments appear. 

Their cover of Domkraft’s Dustrider is excellent and feels like a Slomatics track through and through with the band giving it a Spaced Out Doom makeover. This version is on twice the length of the original with Slomatics slowing things right down for a more droned out effort compared to the original.

Ascend/Descend has the potential to be the standout releases of the year. It's seriously that good. With this being released via Majestic Mountain Records then you seriously need to add this album to your record collection.

This is simply a masterclass of Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal by two of the finest bands the Doom/Stoner Metal scene has to offer.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered LIfe PR and Majestic Mountain Records for the promo

Ascend/Descend is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records and the bands respective merch pages.

Domkraft Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Slomatics Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

The Second Coming Of Heavy Song Premieres - SWITCHBLADE JESUS & FUZZ EVIL BATTLE IT OUT FOR STONER ROCK SUPREMACY

Ripple Music are releasing another epic slice Stoner Rock/Metal in their ever popular The Second Coming Of Heavy. Ripple are now onto Chapter 7 and they've brought out the big guns with this record.

In one corner you have - SWITCHBLADE JESUS. And the other - FUZZ EVIL

I may have not featured Ripple Music's ongoing popular The Second Coming Of Heavy recently. Though I'm a huge fan of the previous chapters that Ripple Music have released so far.

I have to say that this maybe one of the best and most exciting chapters to date. Both Swtichblade Jesus and Fuzz Evil play top-notch Stoner Rock/Metal sounds.

If you're new to the world of SWITCHBLADE JESUS and FUZZ EVIL then this is the best place to start. With Ripple Music proving why they are the Premier Record Label within the Doom/Stoner Metal community.

As I've been given the chance to premiere two fantastic songs from Chapter 7.

SWITCHBLADE JESUS with Wet Lungs



FUZZ EVIL with Flighty Woman




The Second Coming Of Heavy Chapter 7 will be available to buy from Ripple Music on CD/DD/Vinyl from December 8th 2017.

Thanks to Alex at Grand Sounds PR for the premiere. Thanks to Richard At Sheltered Life PR for the promo as well.

Fuzz Evil Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Swtichblade Jesus Links:

Facebook | BandCamp