Candlemass

Capilla Ardiente – Where Gods Live and Men Die Review

Capilla Ardiente – Where Gods Live and Men Die Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on October 29, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 27 comments

“The only thing more metal than the glimmer of bloodied blade in the setting sun is the barbaric howl that reverberates afterward as a determination of victory. Early in heavy metal’s history, that kind of bravado embodied by the epic escapades of Iron Maiden, marching jams of Manilla Road, or the regressive rambunctiousness of Manowar separated that true spirit from burgeoning radio-friendly sounds in similarly incepted acts. In the modern day, the epic tag has carried on through the spirit of traditional heavy and doom-leaning acts—the Aceruses and Stygian Crowns of this world, among others. Capilla Ardiente too has carried the flag.” Swords are your destiny.

Funeral – Gospel of Bones Review

Funeral – Gospel of Bones Review

By Cherd on October 22, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Funeral Doom, 24 comments

“It’s a tricky business being the only remaining original member of a band more than thirty years after its creation. I don’t know how many members you have to replace before you’re in Ship of Theseus Paradox territory, but surely Anders Eek is there with his long-running Norwegian doom outfit Funeral. I suppose it’s one thing if the last remaining OG is the vocalist, since the human voice, unfairly or not, will always be the default through-line. It almost doesn’t matter what the music is doing, if the voice is familiar, it’s easy to say “See? It’s the same band.” But Anders Eek is not the vocalist. He’s the drummer.” Stepping over the bodies of the past.

Warpriest – Gloombreaker Review

Warpriest – Gloombreaker Review

By GardensTale on September 21, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 92 comments

“According to an informative biography, Mr. Wilson—a traditional metal aficionado and Warpriest mastermind—played in a few unnamed bands in the early ’90s before starting a family and giving up music for several decades. A couple of years ago he dusted everything off to mess around in Garageband, and his attempts to refine the results are what became Warpriest. Seldom is a band’s conception story so audible in the music.” Good thing they brought a healer.

AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö: Questing Beast – Birth

AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö: Questing Beast – Birth

By Dolphin Whisperer on September 20, 2024 in Angry Metal Guy's Unsigned Band Rodeo, Doom Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 38 comments

““AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö” is a time-honored tradition to showcase the most underground of the underground—the unsigned and unpromoted. This collective review treatment continues to exist to unite our writers in boot or bolster of the bands who remind us that, for better or worse, the metal underground exists as an important part of the global metal scene. The Rodeö rides on.” Altered and questing beasties.

Crypt Sermon – The Stygian Rose Review

Crypt Sermon – The Stygian Rose Review

By Steel Druhm on June 13, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 120 comments

“Over the last few years, I’ve slowly morphed from the traditional/trve/doom metal guy into the rancid death metal guy. It seems 85% of the promos I grab these days are death-related or death-adjacent. Questionable tastes aside, I was still excited to change things up and bask in the latest from Philly’s doom wardens Crypt Sermon. When last we saw them nearly 5 years ago, they’d released their sophomore outing The Ruins of Fading Light. While I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was with their killer Out of the Garden debut, it had some stellar moments and it’s grown on me over the years. I hoped The Stygian Rose would trend more toward the debut, but instead, the band found a slick middle ground between the classic doom of the debut and the more exploratory style of The Ruins.” Into Crypt of YAYS!

Altar of Betelgeuze – Echoes Review

Altar of Betelgeuze – Echoes Review

By Dear Hollow on March 27, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 30 comments

“Echoes is the quartet’s third full-length since the act’s conception in 2010. While featuring the armaments and cavernous bellows of Incantation or Winter, it also is armed with a stoner doom fuzz and vocal influence from Candlemass. However, you can be sure that the “married iguana” haze does not subtract from Altar of Betelgeuze’s intention of crushing your skull in.” Betelgeuze!

Stygian Crown – Funeral for a King Review

Stygian Crown – Funeral for a King Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 23, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 56 comments

“The clamor of zhangu, taiko, ahuli, tabor—even the timpani in a modern orchestral context—the steady hammering of the battlefield finds a comfort, an attachment to the mallet metronome of such simple instruments. In memory of sorrow, the rhythm of death metal through one of its most bass-rumbling pioneers, Bolt Thrower, finds that war-like march not just in pounding kicks but also weighted guitar harmonies and bass-throttled grooves that stir the warrior’s heart. Stygian Crown in their idiosyncratic expression of the metal arts embodies in part that low-end fueled, sword-rattling thunder. But as the title Funeral for a King may imply, and as the Steel One himself has explored before, Stygian Crown doesn’t just riff, they doom. Oh, do they doom!” Crown Thrower.

Distorted Reflection – Doom Rules Eternally Review

Distorted Reflection – Doom Rules Eternally Review

By Kenstrosity on February 9, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 19 comments

“Formed by Sorrows Path co-founder Kostas Salomidis, nascent Greek epic doom metal trio Distorted Reflection are so new that they don’t even have a Metallum profile up yet. Established in 2022, the young band follows Kostas’ vision of epic doom metal after nearly thirty years with his original band.” Reflections of depression.