ZOM - Fear And Failure (Album Review)

Release Date: March 11th 2022. Record Label: StonerFly Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Fear And Failure - Tracklisting

1.Washed Away 04:58

2.Long Way Gone 03:33

3.Showtime 04:36

4.Third Life 04:16

5.Running Man 03:55

6.Stone 05:38

7.August 04:26

8.Another Day to Run 03:28

9.Down The Highway 03:17

10.The Plunge 04:50

Members

Gero Von Dehn: Vocals/Guitar

Sam Pesce: Bass

Ben Zerbe: Drums/Percussion

Matthew Tuite: Guitar

Review

Fear And Failure is the new album by Grunge/Stoner Rockers ZOM and arrives four years after their last acclaimed release Nebulos. This album has allowed ZOM to bring a heavier and riffier style of delivery with their music that echoes of bands such as CLUTCH and Soundgarden.

The record has also been mastered by Grunge Legend Jack Endino with Jason Jouer handling the mixed, recording and engineering duties. So the album sounds excellent and with ZOM recording this album during the start of the pandemic. To ZOM’s credit the album remains a super upbeat experience with not many “darker” moments held on this record.

Moving between modern day Psych Stoner Rock and an almost classic Grungy Hard Rock outlook, ZOM explode aggressively at the right time with superior moments of Blues Rock based grooves that you can fully experience on Washed Away, Long Way Gone and Showtime. The vocals have that modern Stoner Rock/Metal feel whilst having an classical 80’s Hard Rock feel.

ZOM do take a few songs to inject a few trippy guitar solos into the mix with Showtime being the first standout track on the album. Showtime has an exciting “CLUTCH” approach that ZOM appear to adapt for the rest of the album but with a grungy swagger that works well with their Psychedelic grooves they lay down for this release.

Other standout tracks are: Third Life, Stone, August, Another Day To Run and Plunge

KUDOS must also goto ZOM for covering NEBULA’s classic track Down The Highway. As most bands tend to go for the more “well known” bands and I’m glad NEBULA were given the respect they fully deserve. ZOM’s cover is an interesting choice and they do their own thing with the song. Sure, it doesn’t stray far from the original but I did enjoy their “more” aggressive take on this track.

Fear And Failure is perhaps not breaking any new creative ground. However, this album is quite a relentless blend of Psych Rock, Grunge and Stoner Rock that leaves you wanting more whilst kicking your ass with huge stadium sounding grooves along the way.

What more could you possibly want….

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy Fear And Failure from StoneFly Records on Vinyl now

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Elk Witch - Beyond The Mountain (Album Review)

Release Date: March 18th 2022. Record Label: StoneFly Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Beyond The Mountain - Tracklisting

1.Cape Foulweather 04:58

2.The Woodsmen 06:55

3.Llao's Island 06:59

4.Coyote and the Wind's Daughters 05:37

5.Greybeard Arsenal 06:11

6.The Plight of Valus 06:24

Members

Deven Andersen - Guitar / Vocals

Darren Wostenberg - Bass

Joe Coitus - Drums

Review

Beyond The Mountain is the new release from Doom/Stoner Rockers Elk Witch and is a reworking and re-recorded version of their 2021 debut release The Mountain. This release now has two new songs being added into the mix. I never found the time to review The Mountain but I did enjoy the hell out of it with Elk Witch employing a classical style of Psych Doom/Stoner Metal with Prog Rock/Metal flourishes to give Elk Witch a more muscular presence.

Beyond The Mountain is a much richer audio experience with Elk Witch employing a heavier style of delivery compared to the original release. The album is more grounded with better production values but still allowing Elk Witch to stay true to the vision of the original EP.  If you dig legendary bands such as Black Sabbath, The Obsessed and The Sword then Elk Witch will embrace you with open arms on this release. You can tell from the stunning opening track Cape Foulweather that these guys know how to DOOM ON with their lovely homage to Black Sabbath and The Sword that just moves along at its own creative rhythm. The Psychedelic vibes gives Elk Witch an almost modern day feel but the majority of the music is mostly rooted in classic 70s and 90s Doom/Stoner Metal.

The album has some epic guitar solos coming your way from one of the album's standout tracks The Woodsmen. Moving between The Obsessed classic Doom Metal sound and bringing The Sword’s riffs still allow this song to be quite exciting and original in its own right. Throw in some Psychedelic Boogie based grooves and Elk Witch are starting to fully get in the mood of playing their own stylish sounds on this release.

Llao’s Island is a little bit more laidback with the opening sounds before adding more subdued levels of Psychedelic Stoner Rock with an ever so cautious Gloomy approach. There is a buoyant Post-Rock energy with this song and the instrumental work is perhaps the best of this release for myself personally. The vocals could have done with more volume but this is another standout track to include to the mix. There is a more aggressive element to this album when the band starts playing the heavier DOOMED OUT riffs towards the end of the song.

Fourth track Coyote and the Wind’s Daughters is up before them. This is a track that is perhaps the most SABBATHIAN based track on the album. With vocals, lyrics and music reminding myself yet again of that great band but at least Elk Witch do inject their own creative flavour into the mix with a rawer and distorted style of music.

The two new tracks Greybeard Arsenal and The Plight Of Valus are perhaps the main attraction for this release and they don’t disappoint either with Elk Witch offering almost thirteen minutes of more of the same great Doom/Stoner Metal riffs that has preceded it. Greybeard Arsenal is the strongest of the two new tracks with everything a bit more clearer on this part of the album.

Elk Witch have now released the definitive version of their acclaimed debut EP that has better production values and the additions of the two new songs make this an outstanding release in its own right.

Words by Steve Howe

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