Showing posts with label Viral Propaganda PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Viral Propaganda PR. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Svjetlost - The Forever Silent (Album Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Shadow Of Sorrow Records. Released. Formats: DD

The Forever Silent - Tracklist

1.Above the Mountains

2.Lands of Suffering 

3.The Golden Lilies

4.Between the Peaks


Members


All instruments and vocals by Jamie Kobić


Review


The Forever Silent is the debut album from Sludge/Doom/Stoner/Post-Metal entity Svjetlost which is the creative project from Jamie Kobić who also happens to be the lead vocalist/drummer for Doom/Post-Metallers Garvan. This project takes a slightly different route to Garvan as Svjetlost is primarily inspired by a form of music called Sevdah. Sevdah is the traditional music of Bosnia with minimal, slow and folk based rhythms which transform into different atmospherics and progressive chords. 


Svjetlost adds a heavy and pulsating style of Doom, Drone, Sludge and Stoner Metal for this record which spans across four individual tracks running for almost fifty six minutes in length. Each track tells a different story to each other where the dominant Sludge/Stoner Metal sound delivers the dense instrumental passages to crush your hearing with. However, Jamie uses a lush style of Ambient Rock, Drone and Post-Rock where that more restrained style of melody becomes the dominant factor. 


This record is inspired by the likes of SLEEP, OM, Shrinebuilder and High On Fire but given a unique Folk Rock sound which allows elements of acts such as Neurosis, Russian Circles and Pelican to give The Forever Silent a fever-pitch experimental energy. Though, the music is brilliantly riff-centric with opening track Above The Mountains traversing the finer realms of Space Rock and Cosmic Doom with that grounded Folk Rock relevance appearing within the vocals and sudden shift to amplifier distorted Post-Metal delivery. 


The lyrics are completely off the charts with some cool strands of weirdness appearing but Jaime does write some deeply meaningful reasons behind them that touch upon his own heritage and close links to Bosnia and Herzegovina in general. Svjetlost works best when the music drifts into Ambient Post-Rock and tranquil Shoegaze movements which gives a sense of calm before the record explodes in a loud aggressive Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal stance.


There’s a great use of different sound effects and trippy themes that feel inspired by the classic Post-Rock/Post-Metal scene especially on tracks Lands Of Suffering and Golden Lillies. These parts can be quite melancholic with a brooding self imposed style of reflection before the mood changes dramatically for an intense onslaught of Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves. The Forever Silent isn’t always about the heavy destructive journey and even though that’s some of my favourite aspects of the record, you have to experience the lovely therapeutic Post-Rock surroundings that transport you to another time and place.


The vocals are absolutely exquisite and quite heartbreaking in places especially within the quieter moments. Jamie does a wide range of different vocal styles that matches the mood the music brings throughout each individual track’s massive run time. The sound can be quite abstract with a classic “LESS IS MORE” presence before transforming into a commanding Sludge Metal delivery when you least expect this. 


The later stages of The Forever Silent starts merging the early tone of the record with perhaps a bleak and sombre message that results in some epic long drawn out grooves formed by the Atmospheric Sludge and Psychedelic Stoner Metal domains within the standout tracks of The Golden Lillies and Between The Peaks.


Svjetlost have crafted a rich and brilliantly original style of underground music that easily allows the record to be considered as one of the best debut albums to be released this year. The trippy and ambient effects become even more powerful with every repeated listen that leaves The Forever Silent a breathless and unforgettable AUDIO experience.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.


The Forever Silent is available to buy digitally now from all good digital stockists.


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
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Friday, 26 June 2026

Dutch Doom-Metal Project Svjetlost Releases New Track "Above the Mountains"


Dutch doom project Svjetlost, the solo project of Gavran guitarist/vocalist Jamie Kobić has shared a visualizer video for "Above the Mountains," the lead single from the forthcoming debut album The Forever Silent, due out on July 24 via Shadow of Sorrow Records.

The video is now playing below 



Decibel Magazine, who describe the track as "a lumbering 13-minute crusher in the Sleep vein," introducing listeners to Svjetlost's unique fusion of hypnotic doom riffs, vast atmospheres, and the emotional depth of Bosnian musical tradition.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the song, Kobić explains: "This song is about the pyramid-shaped mountains found in a small town in Bosnia over a decade ago. Where an ancient civilization might have lived that had built these structures to come into contact with aliens or maybe even supernatural forces. Although this is heavily disputed, obviously it's a great story to tell in a song like this."

The Forever Silent marks the debut full-length from Jamie Kobić, guitarist of Dutch post-metal outfit Gavran. What began during the isolation of the pandemic as a personal songwriting project gradually evolved into something far more ambitious, merging the crushing weight of doom and stoner metal with the haunting melodies and emotional richness of Sevdah, the traditional folk music of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although inspired by the monumental heaviness of Sleep, OM, and High on Fire, Svjetlost quickly carved out its own identity by weaving Bosnian musical heritage into slow-burning riffs, vast atmospheres, and deeply emotional compositions.

The album's themes draw heavily from history and personal experience. Songs explore war, displacement, memory, and cultural identity, while paying tribute to Bosnia's landscapes, folklore, and the stories passed down through generations. The result is an album that feels equally intimate and monumental, transforming personal history into a meditation on resilience, loss, and belonging.

Recorded by Freek van Rooyen (Gavran), mixed by Marius Prins (Throwing Bricks), mastered by Alan Douches, and featuring artwork by Tinus Kardolus, The Forever Silent delivers a distinctive take on modern doom, balancing immense heaviness with rich atmosphere and emotional storytelling.

The Forever Silent will be released on July 24 via Shadow of Sorrow Records.


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Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt & Kaiser - Four Altars of Sin (Album Review)

Release Date: June 26th 2026. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Four Altars of Sin - Tracklisting

01 - Doomherre - Blood Relics of Old - 6:51

02 - Ordos - Inferno - 10:50

03 - Hexjakt - Svartkonst - 6:38

04 -  Kaiser - Sonic Satan - 11:14


Review


Majestic Mountain Records are releasing Four Altars Of Sin which is a compilation record featuring four of the most outstanding bands from the Scandinavian Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal underground scene. The four bands Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt and Kaiser offer one unreleased track each. All of the bands have featured on the blog multiple times so it’s good to hear them contributing for this superb release.


All of the tracks are what we expect from the bands involved with some subtle stripped back sounds being played to the listening audience. The album runs for thirty six minutes and I offer my thoughts here on each track below.


Doomherre’s track Blood Relics Of Old merges Old School Doom, Proto-Metal and Stoner Metal melodies with an underlying Occult Rock energy merging with an epic modern day psychedelic sound. The vocals tap into the classic heavy metal world with a great perspective that’s grounded at the same time. The music becomes quieter and restrained for the final moments with a classic Grunge element holding back the dark heavy forces of Doom and Stoner Metal with only small amounts appearing allowing Doomherre to close the song superbly well.


Ordos’s track Inferno is the second longest track running over ten minutes which gives the band plenty of time to create an unsettling Post-Doom and Gothic atmosphere. Shades of Type O Negative can be heard within the first few moments as they capture a bombastic and overblown style of Doom Metal which works to the band’s favour. As the music becomes heavier, weirder and moving into deeper progressive waters. Flashes of Seventies Rock is spliced with that modern Post-Doom narrative. 


Ordos do bring their well known HEAVY METAL persona into the mix as the music and vocals becomes a bit frenzied with flashes of sludgy guitars sealing the deal. This is another stunning track from Ordos who are in absolute blistering form with some fantastic instrumental passages being played through the track with all the hallmarks of a great underground band waiting to be discovered for the very first time.


Hexjakt’s track Svartkonst could have easily fitted on their 2025 debut album Blessing Of The Damned with the band exploring a heavier CAVEMAN DOOM sound compared to the other tracks on the album. Things start slowly with Hexjakt laying down the Sludge/Stoner Metal framework to pulverize listeners with. The violent FUZZ METAL riffs once again have a certain High On Fire aspect to them. 


However, Hexjakt once again embraced a heavier Doomed Out and Cosmic attitude into the mix. The song is played at an aggressive slow-to-mid pace where a sullen distorted energy once again is played with an almighty conviction. The song becomes more vibrant when Hexjakt lean heavily into their psychedelic influences which results in some of the best melodies and sludgy movements on the whole album.


Finally, it’s Kaiser’s turn to impress with the longest track on the album with Sonic Satan which continues the sonic journey laid out on their acclaimed 2025 album 2nd Sound. The AMPLIFIED sounds opens the song is reminiscent of the mighty SLEEP with areas of pure distortion that’s set against a dominant religious sermon and speech which hammers the message of this track quite close to the home of the underground. Though, we would just light a BONG and just journey into the next dimensional abyss with Kaiser laying on heavier Space Metal sounds to a highly explosive style of Fuzz, Sludge and Stoner Metal. 


The song just becomes a force of nature as Kaiser opens the door into some of the heaviest sounds we’ve heard from them. The vocals are quite GRUNGE based with a sublime Nineties flow rising upto the surface. With this being the longest track on the album, Kaiser plays around with different levels of Fuzz Rock that’s spliced with that monolithic Sludge Metal energy that becomes quite droned out, disjointed and broken down into brilliant individual soaring SONIC ROCK odysseys that leave you brilliantly refreshed.


Four Altars Of Sin is a surprisingly bleak and brilliantly heavy release featuring the very best music the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene has to offer. Though, it also shows the amazing work that Majestic Mountain Records brings to the underground scene to this day and by releasing this great album everyone should be applauded for joining forces for such an outstanding compilation record that may rank as one of the very best ones that will be released this year.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.


Four Altars Of Sin is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.


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Friday, 5 June 2026

Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt & Kaiser Join Forces for Four Altars of Sin


Four of Scandinavia's heaviest underground forces have joined together for a special release that celebrates everything we love about doom, stoner rock, fuzz, and atmosphere.

On June 26, Majestic Mountain Records will release Four Altars of Sin, a split featuring exclusive and previously unreleased tracks from Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt, and Kaiser.

Check out the album's teaser now!


More than a compilation, Four Altars of Sin feels like a gathering of kindred spirits. Across four brand-new songs, these bands explore different corners of the heavy spectrum, from classic doom and occult psychedelia to blackened atmospheres, crushing fuzz, and hypnotic riff worship.

Representing Stockholm, Doomherre deliver their trademark brand of classic doom metal, channeling the spirit of Candlemass, Trouble, and The Obsessed through towering riffs and deliberate, uncompromising heaviness.

From Uppsala, Ordos continue their descent into darker and more oppressive territory. Combining stoner doom, blackened textures, and cosmic psychedelia, their contribution marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band and showcases a heavier, more focused incarnation of their sound.

One of the newest names on the release, Hexjakt have quickly emerged as one of Sweden's most promising doom acts. Massive fuzz-drenched guitars, cavernous low end, occult themes, and an overwhelming sense of atmosphere define a track that further establishes the trio as a force to be reckoned with.

Completing the quartet are Finnish heavyweights Kaiser, whose blend of desert rock, stoner doom, punk energy, and psychedelic grooves has earned them a devoted following across Europe and beyond. Their contribution brings another dose of the colossal riffs and larger-than-life fuzz that have become their trademark.

Together, these four bands create a journey through the darker, heavier, and more atmospheric corners of the Scandinavian underground, united by a shared devotion to volume, groove, and the transformative power of heavy music.

Four Altars of Sin will be released on June 26 via Majestic Mountain Records on vinyl and digital formats. Pre-orders are now available here.

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Monday, 1 June 2026

King Potenaz - Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 2 (Album Review)

Release Date: June 12th 2026. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: DD

Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 2 - Tracklisting

1.Sumerian Nights

2.Lord Of The Rust

3.The Nothingness

4.A Crack In The Void (The Empty Hand pt. 2)


Members

 

Vocals/Guitars: Giuseppe Guarini

Bass: Francesco Pensato

Drums/Synths: Piero Schiavone


Special Guest:


Anna Carla Del Prete: cello on “Sumerian Nights” intro


Review


Doom/Stoner Metallers King Potenaz returns with Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. Two which is being released a year after the critically acclaimed first volume was released to the world. That record showed how King Potenaz leaned heavily into the Cosmic, Occult and Space Rock vortex of the Doom/Stoner Metal world. Volume 2 takes up a similar journey with King Potenaz playing even more lucid and strange Psychedelic sounds with a fine level of distorted paranoia appearing within the epic opening track of Sumerian Nights.


There’s a sense of mystery that builds up behind the scenes which allows the band to be more focused and perhaps leaning into the Sludge Rock aspects of their overall sound. The music can be slightly fractured and disjointed compared to Volume One but there’s a familiar distorted flow that holds everything together. Sometimes the atmosphere can be cautiously slow with long drawn out instrumental passages especially with the intense down tuned FUZZ based grooves. 


King Potenaz dictate their music with real doomed out precision with a chainsaw effect developing within the thrilling and highly cinematic second track Lord Of The Rust. Taking small inspiration from the likes of KYUSS, SLEEP, MONOLORD and BLACK SABBATH for small parts of the record, there’s a subtle Punk Rock ethic appearing with how the vocals and melodies are fully delivered. The amplified movements have a classic Seventies and Nineties feeling that manifests into some epic bursts of Doom, Stoner and Cosmic Metal that pull no punches with how HEAVY the whole record becomes. 


The album has an infinite amount of different sounds and trippy effects that constantly overlap each other which remind me of SLOMATICS and UFOMAMMUT in places. The final two tracks of The Nothingness and A Crack In The Void (The Empty Hand pt. 2) once again sees King Potenaz bring a heavier, violent and apocalyptic sound to the party with areas of Progressive themes becoming quite dominant and perhaps at the forefront of how the band deliver their music.


With the band willing to experiment with melody, tones and textures on Volume Two, there’s some excellent use of Post-Doom, Post-Stoner and Ambient structures which really transports the listener into the far reaches of the Occult World and even beyond into the Cosmic domain. With rich storytelling aspects appearing within the lyrics, the vocals are delivered superbly by Giuseppe Guarini once again. The later stages of Volume Two can be quite “out there” with Giuseppe sounding like he’s been possessed by an evil entity but the Space Rock themes allows everything to be quite over the top and brilliantly outlandish. Though, there’s a sense of grounded realism that still manages to be one of the albums main strengths.


There’s plenty of outstanding riffs, grooves and instrumental sounds for listeners to sit back and enjoy the wild cinematic ride that Volume Two contains. Once again the album has been recorded by Stefano Manca and with Marc Urselli handling mixing and mastering duties. It was this winning combination that made Volume One such a great record to listen to and they pull off the same incredible work here.


Majestic Mountain Records are once again on board by releasing the album and once again proving why they’re one of the best labels currently out there alongside the likes of Ripple Music, Heavy Psych Sounds, Argonauta Records, Blues Funeral Recordings and Magnetic Eye Records. 


Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.2 is an absolute triumph and closes this magnificent two part musical adventure on a complete high. What more could you possibly want!!!


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.


Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.2  is available to buy now on Digital Download via Majestic Mountain Records.


Links

https://www.facebook.com/KingPotenaz666
https://www.instagram.com/kingpotenaz666
https://kingpotenaz.bandcamp.com
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Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Doom/Stoner Metallers GODDESS Superb Debut Album RITUAL OF THE CLOVEN HOOF

Emerging from the ashes of Goatess, Goddess usher in a new chapter for the Stockholm-based band following the departure of founding guitarist Niklas. While the name has changed, the essence remains intact, a towering blend of crushing, riff-driven doom, thick stoner grooves, soaring vocals, and a dark, psychedelic edge.

Drawing from the legacy of Goatess’s acclaimed releases, Goatess (2013), II: Purgatory Under New Management (2016), and Blood and Wine (2019), Goddess push that unmistakable Swedish doom sound forward, tighter, sharper, and more driven than ever.

Channeling the spirit of Electric Wizard, Sleep, Saint Vitus, Count Raven, and classic Black Sabbath, while carving its own path forward.

Now signed to Majestic Mountain Records, Goddess are set to deliver a record that captures both the legacy of their past and the vision of what comes next, heavy, hypnotic, and uncompromising. 

You can hear the amazing album in full thanks to the cool folks over at Viral Propaganda PR and Majestic Mountain Records.

 

Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.


Follow Goddess


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Tuesday, 19 May 2026

Goddess - Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof (Album Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

No King - Tracklisting

1.Godless

2.Inquisition

3.To Be King

4.Blood Fever 

5.Born Again Heathen

6.Devil's Reef


Members


Karl-Martin Buhre: Vocals and guitar

Kenta Karlbom: Drums

John Jansson: Bass

Anders Martinsgård: Guitar


Review


Doom/Stoner Metallers Goddess is the band formed from the ashes of the much missed Goatess who released three amazing albums in their epic career. The founding guitarist of Goatess (Niklas) left the band where the remaining members re-grouped as Goddess and the business of creating epic sounds forged from the legendary sounds of the Seventies Doom Metal scene with a heavier modern Cosmic flavour remains intact. Their debut album Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof takes up the mantle of what the band achieved with Goatess and elevates their sound more closely to the likes of SLEEP, MONOLORD and ELECTRIC WIZARD.


There’s still that classic Proto-Metal and Doom Metal energy heard on the previous Goatess records but Goddess has a more refreshing Psychedelic and stripped back sound. The sound is almost rooted in Sludge Rock and Spaced Out folklore with some classic vocal interplay from Karl-Martin Buhre moving from the classic eras of Ozzy and DIo fronting Black Sabbath. The music is quite melodic with that thrilling Seventies Hard Rock energy developing within the multiple examples of intense musical solos especially from the sludgy sounds that both Karl-Martin and Anders Martinsgård lay down on their excellent guitar solos.


Kenta Karlbom on Drums and John Jansson on Bass keep things grounded with a stunning rhythm section that remains quite closely guarded to the classic GOATESS template whilst moving onto new sonic pastures under the guise of GODDESS. The tracks written for this record are heavier and progressive with Goddess more comfortable with their COSMIC DOOMED OUT surroundings with flashes of first rate Stoner Metal delivery being played very early on tracks such as Godless, Inquisition and To Be King. There are the classic Doom Metal influences that you can hear from the likes of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed but you can also detect that winning Swedish Stoner Metal creative mentality holding everything together.


Goddess aren’t afraid to show that the highly polished style of modern day Doom/Stoner Metal has a real place in their highly cinematic style of music that’s superbly riff-driven on the later stages of the album mostly on the tracks Blood Fever and Born Again Heathen. The lyrics are sometimes outlandish but they fit the Proto-Metal and Classic Doom Metal narrative amazingly well with some wicked levels of Amplifier and Fuzzed Out Heaviness making a wonderful appearance.


Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof perfectly allows Goddess establish themselves Doom/Stoner Metal masters of their own creative domain with a spellbinding record that’s quite dark which you only admire further every time you listen to the album. The production values are sublime with Joona Hassinen handling almost everything and I’ve been a fan of Joona’s work for such a long time. He’s been involved with a multitude of great bands over the last decade or so and perhaps helped establish the Swedish Heavy Metal scene to where it is today. 


Goddess debut album is a masterful album on every level which will no doubt allow them to achieve a similar style of acclaim as Goatess if they keep releasing great records such as this. Goatess maybe dead but LONG LIVE GODDESS!!!


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.


Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
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Thursday, 23 April 2026

Swedish Doom Merchants GODDESS (Formerly Goatess) Announce New Album Ritual of the Cloven And Reveal Lead Single “Blood Fever”


Rising from the ashes of Goatess, Swedish doom merchants reborn as Goddess will release their debut album on May 22 via Majestic Mountain Records, and today offer a first glimpse with the release of lead single “Blood Fever.”


Emerging from the ashes of Goatess, Goddess usher in a new chapter for the Stockholm-based band following the departure of founding guitarist Niklas. While the name has changed, the essence remains intact, a towering blend of crushing, riff-driven doom, thick stoner grooves, soaring vocals, and a dark, psychedelic edge.

Drawing from the legacy of Goatess’s acclaimed releases, Goatess (2013), II: Purgatory Under New Management (2016), and Blood and Wine (2019), Goddess push that unmistakable Swedish doom sound forward, tighter, sharper, and more driven than ever.

The new single “Blood Fever” offers the first glimpse into this next phase: slow-burning, monolithic, and steeped in atmosphere, channeling the spirit of Electric Wizard, Sleep, Saint Vitus, Count Raven, and classic Black Sabbath, while carving its own path forward.

Now signed to Majestic Mountain Records, Goddess are set to deliver a record that captures both the legacy of their past and the vision of what comes next, heavy, hypnotic, and uncompromising. Pre-orders will be announced this Friday.

Follow Goddess


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Saturday, 7 March 2026

Clouds Taste Satanic - Berlin 2023 (Album Review)

Release Date: March 06th 2026. Record Label: Kinda Like Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Berlin 2023 - Tracklisting


1.Second Sight 21:05

2.Sun Death Ritual (Parts I-III) 10:39

3.Spirits of the Green Desert (Part IV) 04:15

4.Beast From the Sea 05:14


Review


Instrumental Doom/Psych/Stoner Metallers Clouds Taste Satanic offer a new “LIVE” record with Berlin 2023, though this time round this performance was captured live in a studio performance which the PR blurb below provides all of the necessary info:


“Recorded at Big Snuff Studios in Berlin in May 2023, the album is a no-overdub, live-in-the-room document of the band’s European tour setlist from that year, capturing their sound at its most raw, direct, and immediate.”


The whole performance is undeniably raw and is perhaps the closest you’ll likely experience hearing Clouds Taste Satanic on the live stage. The band is super focused performing four classic tracks sourced over the last eleven years or so of their legendary back catalogue. Clouds Taste Satanic put in a very committed performance which can be quite frightening at times especially when they start adding gloomy sound effects that offer a real APOCALYPTIC vibe into the whole performance and that’s only within the first five minutes of the stunning opening track Second Sight. 


With there being no overdubs being used for this performance, the whole sound is very stripped back and quite solitary which allows the listener to become fully immersed with the whole record. The band feel like their channelling fellow instrumental heavyweights PELICAN, EARTH, BONGRIPPER, KARMA TO BURN and OM whilst keeping their own original sound highly intact.


The music can be quite slow-paced and highly methodical at times especially within Second Sight and Sun Death Ritual where they feel quite different to their studio counterparts whilst keeping a similar sound at the same time. Clouds Taste Satanic try changing certain themes and technical aspects of each track which adds a new sense of creative freedom with this musical performance which takes you ever so closely to achieving the legendary mindset of “INTER-DIMENSIONAL SPACE GOAT”.  


Berlin 2023 does see Clouds Taste Satanic show once again why they’re one of the best storytellers within the whole Doom/Stoner Metal scene where they weave COSMIC energy into a transcendent and meditative style of music that very few bands can achieve such as YOB. You feel this COSMIC energy throughout the whole album which mostly comes through within Second Sight and Sun Death Ritual (Parts I-III).


The final two tracks Spirits of the Green Desert (Part IV) and Beast From the Sea allows the band to concentrate on playing compact grooves and a more straightforward style of riff-centric songs. Though, they are in full-on deconstruction mode with some sections broken down into distorted passages and violent psychedelic soundscapes that leave you questioning what is real. However, along the way they will still show you how the band are great at combining Doom, Stoner, Sludge, Psych and Post-Rock with a highly articulate style of free-form melodies being used at the same time. 


Clouds Taste Satanic have nothing left to prove but continue to explore different musical ideas that most bands dare come up with even with tracks that fans already know, love and admire. Berlin 2023 is another classic “LIVE ALBUM” from Clouds Taste Satanic which proves once again why they’re considered “LEGENDS” and “HEROES” to so many within the Doom/Stoner Metal scene.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR and Clouds Taste Satanic for the promo.


Berlin 2023 is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.


Links 


Linktree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
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Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Mother Crone - Embrace The Death (Album Review)

Release Date: March 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Embrace The Death - Tracklisting

01 - Unseen Way - 8:10

02 - Fever Stone - 7:05

03 - Embrace The Death - 7:12

04 - Unto the Dawn - 4:20

05 - Eye Of Providence - 6:59

06 - Inner Keep - 11:09

07 - Celestial Light - 3:59

    

Members


Preston Wilson (bass)

Charlie Romano (drums)

Edoardo Curatolo (guitar)

Joe Frothingham (guitar/vocals)


Review


Doom/Stoner/Sludge/Thrash Metallers Mother Crone return with their second album Embrace The Death which is their first album in over eleven years. The band have sharpened their THRASH metal instincts with a great style of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal arriving to add a level of metallic clarity to their music compared to their 2015 debut album. You can hear the band taking influence from the likes of Baroness, Mastodon, Shrinebuilder and High On Fire though the band do explore other musical avenues such as 

Grunge and Psychedelic Metal.


Mother Crone do rely on some classic sounding Progressive and Thrash Metal riffage to hammer home the heavy melodies throughout the album which remains constantly grounded. Though expect some Post-Doom and Classic Hard Rock delivery which fans of THIN LIZZY will adore within the early stages of the record on the opening tracks of Unseen Way and Fever Stone.


There is still a great style of modern day Sludge/Stoner Metal exploration with some Thrash Metal vocals aligning themselves to Mother Crone’s stellar Pitch Black vision that’s contained within lyrics. Embrace The Death becomes quite aggressive and superbly violent when Mother Crone starts playing a highly volatile Thrash Metal sound with a twinge of Hardcore and NOLA melodies. 


The band never rests on their creative laurels as they maximize their full musical potential by drawing upon the likes of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden within the grungier aspects of the record that appears in different stages. With a Post-Doom / Post-Rock narrative suddenly appearing within the quieter and emotionally engaging melodies of the album, this allows the whole mood to be quite dramatic on tracks such Embrace The Death, Unto The Dawn and Inner Keep. However, the majority of the album relies on Mother Crone to deliver a neverending style of punishing grooves and intense soundscapes which delivers the knockout punch to ultimately lose yourself in.


This is the type of record that I wish BARONESS would make today as I’ve been so disappointed with their most recent albums but Mother Crone are their own band and it’s their willingness to experiment with different Psychedelic textures and Progressive landscapes that makes this such a thrilling experience throughout. There’s a multitude of different styles that’s being played at you but Mother Crone never forget to unleash “HELL ON EARTH” when the heavy Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds fully take complete control.


The album itself is quite stripped back with Mother Crone offering a raw aesthetic into the mix which is perhaps down to the excellent production values that captures the band in an almost “LIVE GIG” setting. The sound can be ugly in places but it adds to the overall experience of this EPIC sounding album. 


Embrace The Death is everything you want to hear and fully experience from the underground Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene. This is an unmissable album and you should add this to your collection at the earliest opportunity. You won’t regret it!!!


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.


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