What can you say when an icon like Ozzy Osbourne passes? All the achievements, all the landmark moments in a career, all the pieces of a lasting legacy are there for us to cherish. What we lost is the man himself. The man who rose from working-class beginnings in Birmingham, England, to create an entirely new form of music and then shape its sound over the next 50-plus years.
“It was only a matter of time before I found a group from my hometown to write about. Operating in Salt Lake City, Utah, Hibernaut plays a mixture of doom, stoner, sludge, and psych. Though the band is newer—having formed in 2020—its members have plenty of prior experience in the metal underground. Two of them, Dave Jones and Zach Hatsis, were even part of the now defunct SubRosa at one point. Hibernaut’s sophomore album, Obsidian Eye, relates a sci-fi/horror story about a mysterious interdimensional entity that infects, kills, and reanimates people in order to spread its influence.” Eye infections.
“A great singer can be a game-changer, and Edinburgh doom outfit King Witch is lucky enough to have an exceptional one in Laura Donnelly. Combining the grit of Janis Joplin, the range of Chris Cornell, and the tonality of Ann Wilson (Heart), Donnelly is currently one of the best in the game thanks to her commanding delivery. But there’s no “I” in “band,” and every great singer needs instrumental prowess to back them up. Enter guitarist/producer Jamie Gilchrist and bassist Rory Lee, whose earthmoving riffs—rooted in doom, 70s rock and grunge—perfectly augment Donnelly’s gifts.” Witch rules to follow.
“Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime.” Cryptic.
“Of all the genre labels, doom metal is probably the one that most often prompts me to investigate further. This isn’t because it’s my favorite per se, but rather because doom and its myriad subgenres can sound so wildly different from one another, so I try to ensure I don’t miss something good. This time it paid off when I found Aganoor, a brand new doom group from Rome, Italy. Formed as recently as summer 2023, they wasted no time writing and recording a debut LP, Doomerism, which promises an intriguing blend of classic doom, stoner, heavy psych, and goth rock.” Doom for expansion.
February was a filthy, dirty month and the Filter Techs are gonna tell you all about it,
“With the recent slate of studies linking alcohol to cancer, Weed Demon is here to remind you there are other mind-altering drugs at your disposal. Their latest dispensary of choice is The Doom Scroll, the third full-length LP by these Ohioans. While weed-infused band names are a dime bag a dozen in the stoner metal scene, you might be surprised to learn these guys have been at it for a decade. Like the drugs that inspire the music, stoner metal is meant to help you relax, maybe bob your head a little, and occasionally pull off the perfect Keanu “Whoa!” Weed is the mind chiller.
“What better way to bounce back from a week of depressive, melancholic doom than to marinate oneself in a hard-rocking retro stoner/occult release by an act totally unknown to me? Texas-based Warlung boast a spectacular name and though The Poison Touch is their 5th album, they’ve managed to evade my metal detector until now. Their sound is a mix of 70s rock, stoner doom, and occult metal with flashes of NWoBHM-inspired rowdiness sprinkled throughout.” Iron lungs.
“Pentagram don’t get the respect they deserve considering their place in metal history. Rising from the primordial ooze of the Virginia music scene in 1971, they can arguably claim to be the first American heavy metal band and it’s indisputable that they were the first American doom act. Despite this rarefied standing, they remain a truly underground act to this day.” Lightning in the crypts.
A brand new Avatarium brings TWO staffers to the yard. Will the latest from this doom rock project thrill or be a sleeping pill?
