Lizzard Wizzard - Dankrupt

'Dankrupt'
Lizzard Wizzard
2015

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Doom Metal, Sludge, Stoner Doom
For Fans Of: Conan, Sleep, Dopefight, Clagg, Church Of Misery

Brisbane's undisputed kings of low brow humour and bone shattering doom riffs are back with a two track EP and it fucking rips (cones).
Much like their self titled debut, Dankrupt balances tongue in cheek lyrics with GIGANTIC walls of fuzz and feedback, played at glacial pace and with just enough menace to offset any misconceptions that may have arisen from looking at the album art.
Delivered in a very similar style to Conan or Sleep's Dopesmoker, the multiple vocalists draw out and layer their vocals on top of the instruments, in a way that adds to the repetitive, driving force behind each track - and while they may be singing about weed induced comas or hirsute wrestlers rising from the dead, it still sounds incredibly powerful.
My only gripe with this release is that it's only two songs long, and not ten, but otherwise it's everything I look for in a sludge/doom release and with its own unique spin of the typical genre conventions.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Dankrupt
2. The Ghost Of Randy Savage

Bandcamp
Download

Ohmu - Let Nothing Grieve You Beyond Measure

'Let Nothing Grieve You Beyond Measure'
Ohmu
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Doom Metal, Drone Metal, Sludge, Ambient, Post Rock
For Fans Of: Khanate, Corrupted, Nortt, Earth, Old Man Gloom, Neurosis

Ohmu are a band from Stockholm, Sweden who were described to me via email as a 'drone/doom/postrock thing'. Upon listening I was greeted by a fifteen minute long track of ambient post-rock, with no signs of any of this drone/doom action I was promised. On track number two however, Ohmu stayed true to their promise, sucker punching me with absolutely bowel rupturing walls of gnarled fuzz,  springing out at me from the rank depths from which they were surely conjured. Much like Japan's resident sloth metal band Corrupted, Ohmu play at oppressively slow speeds - letting each note ring out until they feedback, just before crushing it with yet another monolithic chord. Fuck, this is slow and miserable enough to count as funeral doom in my book - yet it has much more flavour than your average one-man-gloom-machine - most evident in the post rock sections.
Vocally, Let Nothing Grieve You Beyond Measure is pretty diverse - death growls are met with DSBM-esque howls, spoken word, throaty screams and clean singing, which again elevates Ohm against most other, straight-forward drone/doom bands. Thrown together, these elements make for a pretty bleak and terrifying listen, even more so when juxtaposed with the ambient, melancholic sections.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Karilemin
2. Skyfall Pt. 1
3. Skyfall Pt. 2
4. Gills

Download

Umor - Held Us Silent For A Moment

'Held Us Silent For A Moment'
Umor
2014

(Band Submission)

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Doom Metal, Post Metal
For Fans Of: Earth, Harvey Milk, Joy Division, Isis, Melvins, Suffocate For Fucks Sake

AAAAAGGGHHH
I tried to contain my excitement, but alas it has escaped me, no thanks to the subject of this post - Croatian band, Umor.
...Don't get me wrong, I get great band submissions all the time here, but every once and a while you get albums like Held Us Silent For A Moment that come along and not only exceed your expectations - but beat them to a bloody pulp, feed them into a mulcher and spray their fine, visceral remains all over the place. Thank you Umor.
Held Us Silent... contains most of the ingredients found in many other doom/post metal band formulas - the giant brooding riffs, a dash of melody and nice, clean production  - what sets Umor apartis their flawless vocal delivery. I can draw comparison to both Ian Curtis, AND Glenn Danzig, but this guy really makes it his own, rising and falling with the gigantic, doom-y cascades that serve as the backing to Umor's mournful, atmospheric music. Doom and Post Metal are both genres ridden with hackneyed impostors and boring musicians but Umor put a unique spin on their dirges, and an impressively unique take on the quiet/loud dynamic.
While I'm still picking my jaw out of my lap, maybe you should check Umor out - I'd wager that there's something here for any fan of slow, heavy music - drone, doom, sludge or post metal, and you know what, I reckon the post punk fans could get on this too. Held Us Silent..., as well as a few other releases are available for download - FOR FREE - on their bandcamp, all the more reason to check it out.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Stowaway
2. Opportunity To Be Heard
3. Sandstone
4. He Spun A Dozen Times
5. Cotton Rose
6. Vinous Red

Bandcamp

Golden Bats - VI

'VI'
Golden Bats
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Sludge, Doom
For Fans Of: Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, Satan's Satyr, Rwake

Golden Bats is a sludge/doom project from Brisbane, Australia from singular, 'Golden Bat' Geordie Stafford. As the title may suggest, this is his sixth release (seventh if you count the split with Dumb Numbers),and it's a fine of example of someone making much more noise than a singular person has any business doing. Not that that's a bad thing at all. While it's a one man band, that doesn't stop Golden Bats from sounding like any other fully fleshed out musical project, with Geordie handling vocal and guitar, and a machine handling the drumming - both in studio and live.
VI pairs Sabbath style doom riffs with the harsher elements of sludge metal to great effect. The plodding  dirges also dive into melodic territories, offering harmonizing guitar lines and synth deviations that are surprisingly uplifting given the downtrodden nature of the tunes. Vocal wise, Golden Bats are more akin to the more abrasive side of sludge, with a hoarse throaty bellow coated in a tasteful layer of reverb. Together it's a formidable slab of dark vibes, tasty riffs and a kick-ass Autopsy cover.
VI and all of Golden Bats' other releases are available for your listening and downloading pleasure on their bandcamp - which I highly suggest you go visit now.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Mountain Eyes
2. Block Out The Sun
3. Rast Blast
4. Ridden With Disease (Autopsy)
5. Jenny Haniver

Bandcamp

Earth - Phase 3: Thrones And Dominions

'Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions'
Earth
1995

Review by Elek Malcolm-Madill

Genre/s: Drone, Stoner/Doom Metal
For Fans Of: Om, Sunn O))), Melvins

Formed in the late 80s in Seattle, Earth is a quintessential- or even plausibly the quintessential drone band, which could be easily argued after hearing “Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions”. Sunn O))) have cited them as a major influence on their music and it's easy to see why with their repeated use of extremely slow, heavy guitars that demand to be blared at an extremely high volume (while you're also extremely high). However unlike their titan of drone metal influences, Earth comes at their flavour of drone from a much more melodic perspective, dishing out a rather clean brand of the genre with simplistic yet amazingly addictive riffs best exemplified in “Tibetan Quaaludes” and “Song 4”. Although this is only one side of Earth, after pressing further into the album on tracks like “Phase 3: Agni Detonating Over the That Desert...” and “Thrones and Dominions” it's much easier to see where Sunn O))) found their inspiration. All in all, Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions is a must for any self respecting drone, doom, or stoner metal fan.


TRACKLISTING:
1. Harvey
2. Tibetan Quaaludes
3. Lullaby (Take 2: How Dry I Am)
4. Song 4
5. Site Specific Carnivorous Occurrence
6. Phase 3: Agni Detonating Over The Thar Desert...
7. Thrones and Dominions
8. Song 6 (Chime)

Download

Coffins - Buried Death

'Buried Death'
Coffins
2008

Genre: Death Metal, Doom Metal
For Fans Of: Autopsy, Obituary, Winter, Convulse

Coffins are a metal band straight outta Japan who play a devilish mix of traditional death metal and doom metal. By taking the groove pioneered by Floridian death metal bands in the late 80s/early 90s and adding in the sinister, diminished tones of doom (a la Autopsy), Coffins have concocted a purulent, pulsating metal monster. The grunted, guttural vocals add an extra element of menace and 'grossness' to the album, masking it in the unmistakable stench of death and dread.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Under The Stench
2. Buried Death
3. Cadaver Blod
4. Altars In Gore
5. Mortificiation To Ruin
6. Deadly Sinners
7. Purgatorial Madness
8. Frozen Styx

Altars In Gore

Boris - Vein (Both Versions)

'Vein'
Boris
2006

Genre: Hardcore, Noise, Noise punk, Drone, Crust, Doom metal
For Fans Of: Confuse, Gauze, Earth, Incapacitants, Macronympha, Sunn O))), D Clone


I love Boris. I really do. They've explored so many different genres in their 21 year old career - whether it be doom metal or J-Rock. Their constant evolution and disregard for typical music is a massive inspiration to me, and this album is an excellent example of their ability to explore new genres. Vein is probably Boris's most noisiest, abrasive release to date and is a homage to their various hardcore and crust influences. Released in two different versions, Vein explored the realm of drone metal, noise, hardcore and crust punk. The drone version features two lengthy tracks, devoid of vocals, drenched in an ungodly amount of feedback and noise. Vein's Hardcore version however features short, noise-punk tracks with harsh, screamed vocals courtesy of drummer Atsuo. All in all, this is a very different kind of release from Boris, not surprising given their highly unconventional approach to releasing and creating music. Vein  is a raw, ugly beast of an album and both versions are well worth your time.

Vein

Burmese - A Mere Shadow And Reminiscence Of Humanity

'A Mere Shadow And Reminiscence Of Humanity'
Burmese
2003

'Filthy, filthy noise'

Burmese sound like they've just crawled out of the most dirty, filth encrusted sewer in hell. The bass heavy (and only) band mix some highly volatile noise rock/noisecore with doom riffs and menace to create an ungodly racket. With some odd vocals (grunts, growls, spoken word, manic warbling etc) and some pretty scary song titles,  Burmese have molded evil into an art form.

Broken Legs, Broken Face

Melvins - Lysol

'Lysol'

Melvins 

1992

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Doom, Drone Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal
For Fans Of: Earth, Sunn O))), Electric Wizard, Eyehategod

Album number 2 in (the) Melvins' golden three (the other two being Bullhead and Houdini), Lysol is an epic sonic trip into the realms of doom, sludge and drone metal. An unbroken 30 minute track, consisting of 6 different songs. The two highlights on Lysol are probably 'Hung Bunny' and 'Roman Bird Dog'. Hung Bunny could very well be one of the first drone metal songs ever created (same riff for about ten minutes, very, very slow) while Roman Bird Dog is actually the best doom metal song in existence (suck it Electric Wizard). Additionally you get two Alice Cooper covers, an excellent cover of Flipper's 'Sacrifice' and another Melvins' original. If you consider yourself a doom fan, or if you think Dopethrone is the best doom album out there, you need to sit right down and give Lysol a listen. Now.

TRACKLISTING:
Contained within the one track are:
1. Hung Bunny
2. Roman Bird Dog
3. Sacrifice (Flipper)
4. Second Coming (Alice Cooper)
5. The Ballad of Dwight Fry (Alice Cooper)
6. With Teeth

Download

Corax - Self Titled

'Corax'
Corax
2012

'Hopelessness, dread and despair incarnate'

I have a love/hate relationship with doom. On one hand I enjoy the slowness and repetition off the riffs and the crushing heaviness of the music in general  and on the other the other, most doom bores me very, very quickly. While repetitious and drawn out,  Corax, have just the right amount of variation. With vocals alternating between deep, hoarse growls and high, black metal shrieks and dense, murky guitar tone, the two piece band from South Africa have a winning doom formula. If you're a fan of Dystopia's brand of nihilistic crusty sludge or if 40 minutes of utter despair in aural form sounds like your kind of thing, by all means, listen to this.

Invoke Them
Bandcamp