RAINBOW BRIDGE - Live at La Cittadella degli Artisti (2022)

I have to admit to being somewhat picky when it comes to buying 'live' albums these days, the sound quality has to be impeccable or as near as damn it, but I always make an exception with bands like Rainbow Bridge. Not that the sound is bad or anything, it isn't but Live at La Cittadella degli Artisti has that certain 'grittiness' that is essential for blues rock bands that are Rainbow Bridge's trademark jams. Coming across as a mix of Hendrix and Rory Gallagher, Live at La Cittadella degli Artisti captures a live setting in all it's flawed glory, intimate yet raw, you can hear sweat dripping onto rough, beer soaked floorboards. Caustic lead guitar cuts, scratches and tears through the incessant throbbing of the rhythm section before lying together, sated, in a  post coital crescendo.

SAMÁN ~ II. Montaña Roja (2022)

From the Andes mountains, Samán has created a landslide of  heavy driving stoner fuzz stretched to breaking point from the  frequent bursts of particularly heavy doom but often tempered with gloriously subtle progressive jams. For example, listen to the track 'Camino a la piedra' and tell me you can't hear Tool in there. The most striking thing about II. Montaña Roja is how seamlessly it switches tempo, the album sounds so smooth even when hitting the brick walls of doom. This is really excellent!

BONGHILL ~ Bonghill (Demo) 2022

 A six track demo of decent quality, drowned in dope, stoner doom with leanings toward Electric Wizard. The band Bonghill has steered away from the current trend of adding elements of psychedelia and progressive passages in favour of  dropping down and pounding out drug addled doom riffs.

Very much worthy of attention.

DEATHRATTLE PODCAST ~ Dirty Dozen (May 2022)

 Deathrattle Podcast's 'Best Of' releases for May 2022

WO FAT ~ The Singularity

Musically, The Singularity ventures outside Wo Fat's well-establish blues-based paradigm, keeping all the heaviness but also tapping into some 70’s fusion influences and more open jamminess.

FAMYNE ~ II: The Ground Below

Famyne combine elements of Doom, Stoner, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelia, Prog and Grunge, and are well known for their hypnotic, energetic live performances.

MORTAL DISMAY ~ Hatred Ahead

Thrash with an Exodus like groove and Slayer like hate.

CHURCH OF DISGUST ~ Weakest Is The Flesh

Featuring eight tracks of ungodly heaviness and the most efficient songwriting around (and a haunting interlude and outro), Weakest is the Flesh is undoubtedly CHURCH OF DIGUST's strongest statement to date. DEATH METAL OR DIE!!! 

WRITHING SHADOWS ~ Writhing Shadows

After a slew of EPs, a demo, and a split, Alabama wardogs WRITHING SHADOWS are finally ready to unleash the full assault.

BESVARJELSEN ~ Atlas

Besvärjelsen (Swedish for “Conjuring”) formed in 2014 by members out of bands like Dozer, Greenleaf, Afgrund, Lastkaj and V.

However rooted in Doom you will find traces of Progressive Metal, Punk, Folk, and simply old classic Rock n’ Roll that has been carefully weaved together to a sound as heavy as it’s sophisticated.

HOREHOUND ~ Collapse

Pittsburgh’s Horehound distills a potent blend of snarling riffs, morose melodies, and rhythmic intricacy that owes equally to doom metal convention and goth/dark ambient atmosphere

ELUSIVE GOD ~ Trapped In A Future Unknown

Fortress of sound equal to the brutal cosmic punch in the face of an ancient disgusting mythological giant awakened from the aeons of eternal sleep by earth-shaking, almost razor-sharp epic riffs

DEMONICAL ~ Mass Destroyer

 "Mass Destroyer" packs a gruesome punch, embodies organic sounding and delivers a truly fiendish experience from well-seasoned old-school death-dealers.

GREY GIANT ~ Turn To Stone

Stoner Rock band from Santander (Spain).

SLOW WAKE ~ Falling Fathoms

Like staring out into the abyss of Lake Erie at sunset on a few hits of acid as the sun burns the water

HEMPRESS ~ Masters Of The Trade

 Hempress delivers heavy, brain melting bass/guitar riffs stuffed with psychedelic influenced lead parts. Lyrical topics going from extra terrestrial beings to murder and drugs, horror and the unknown. Hempress rises from the dead and walks through the smoke in the midst of the night.

COILED AROUND THY SPINE ~ From The Ashes 2022 (Deluxe Edition)

Melodic they said. Well yeah, but most of the melody in this album has been expelled, slashed, battered and bruised, reeling from relentless death metal punishment and lacerating guitar solos.

This album was originally released in 2021 but has now been remixed and remastered, with extra songs, 'Like Hell' (Loudness cover) and 'Bite The Pain'  (Death cover)

VIZARESH ~ In The Depths (2019)

Coagulated riffs, clotted vocals. This is stomach churning Brazilian death metal.

First released in 2019 and now Name Your Price on Bandcamp.

DEATHRATTLE PODCAST ~ Dirty Dozen (April 2022)

 My albums of the month for April 2022

QAALM

Atmospheric Melodic Doom Metal

PHARMACIST

Carcass on steroids

FLAYED DISCIPLE

Brutal thrash metal from the UK

ENRAGEMENT

Neck-breaking death metal from Helsinki, Finland

THE SCUM

Old school death metal from Colombia

END BOSS

Press Start to End.

The End Boss has come to defeat all players. Bring 1000 lives.

SENTIENT HORROR

Sentient Horror are a New Jersey based death metal band who fuse the brutality and savagery of old school death metal with a passion for metal’s melodic roots.

RUNECALLER

Gnarly riffage from the Great Plains of Montana.

STATIC ABYSS

Static Abyss’ debut studio album, ‘Labyrinth of Veins’, presents an unnerving, multi-layered eerie concoction of dirty doom and death, including themes exploring the echoes of insanity manifested through human existence.

MORBID CROSS

Thrash metal from Southern New Jersey. Nothing but booze, bud and blasphemy.

BURNING LOSS

Doom, sludge, stoner band from Moscow.

DEAD HEAD

'Slave Driver' pushes the boundaries of Thrash Metal once again, intense and aggressive in its purest form available.