LIVESTREAM REVIEW – Crowbar


Directed by Mike Holderbeast (Exhorder/High on Fire) what you see (and hear) from “Crowbar from New Orleeeaanns!” third slab of live streamage is what you’d expect to get… Crowbar playing a bunch of songs in an empty bar. Continue reading


LIVESTREAM REVIEW: En Minor Live at the Orpheum


En Minor is a project that had been rattling around in Philip H. Anselmo“s head since he was a child; they are an unexpectedly emotional and deeply serious sound that freefalls out of the genres most of the band members are associated with, including Anselmo himself, and into uncharted territory. Unconventional and, in many ways, experimental, their 2020 release, When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out (Housecore Records) is steeped in reverence to the Jazz tradition in New Orleans, and maybe more markedly serves as a morose interpretation of a Jazz Funeral March with hints of Vaudeville; an unironic gothic twist on Tom Waits that Anselmo has since self-described as Depression Core.

Continue reading


STREAMING CONCERT REVIEW: Down’s Quarter Century Throwdown


To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their now-iconic debut album NOLA (Elektra Records), the band Down originally planned a tour at select venues worldwide before a global pandemic shut down the normal cadence of life as any of us ever knew it for the foreseeable future. Not to be silenced on such a momentous occasion, the guys took to the stage at a private location instead to stream The Quarter Century Throwdown as a global virtual concert. Featuring vocalist Phil Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower and Pat Bruders on bass, the event aired live with two encore performances in the days following the livestream for ticket holders.

Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: In The Company Of Serpents – Lux


Denver Stoner/Sludge outfit In The Company Of Serpents has spent most of its eight years as a fluctuating two-piece, with only vocalist and guitarist Grant Netzorg as the constant. The arrival of Vermin Womb‘s JP Damron to the drumseat has seen an expansion to a trio with the addition of ex-Black Sheep of Kali stringman Ben Pitts and, maybe as a result, fourth album Lux (Self-Release) adds elements of invention and atmosphere to the core sound, demonstrating welcome growth.Continue reading


Kirk Windstein to Reunite with Down for Their 25th Anniversary Tour


In a new interview with Revolver, Kirk Windstein has confirmed he will reunite with Stoner Metal supergroup Down for the bands’ upcoming 2020 shows to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of their debut album NOLA. Kirk stepped down from the band in 2013 to focus on Crowbar and his family life. He also has his debut solo album coming in 2020. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN’s former guitar tech who was previously in Gahdzilla Motor Company, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Watchtower), and Honky.Continue reading


Down Books Appearance At Graspop Metal Meeting For “NOLA 25 Tour”


The long-rumored Down reunion is in effect for 2020! The first date of a presumed world tour celebrating the Stoner-Doom supergroup’s legendary debut album NOLA releasing twenty-five years ago next year will begin at Graspop Metal Meeting. The band features current and former members of southern metal greats Pantera, EyeHateGod, COC, Crowbar, Honky and more. The fest takes place June 18-20 in Belgium and added seventy new bands to the bill today, including Down. The announcement comes less than a month after singer Philip Anselmo revealed that the band was in talks to reunite in 2020 for some shows in celebration of the 25th anniversary. No word if former members like co-founder Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdomm of Sorrow, Rex Brown (Pantera), or the recently retired again Todd Strange will participate. Continue reading


Eyehategod – The Obsessed – Antiseen Live at Little Harpeth Brewery Nashville, TN


Resting in one of the more industrial parts of East Nashville is the beloved Little Harpeth Brewery. They serve award-winning German lagers and occasionally host some of the best heavy metal shows in town. Their rugged, warehouse space filled with kegs and fermentation equipment makes a rather enjoyable environment for live music. Friday night their spacious taproom was abuzz with anticipation for one of the most notable NOLA acts in the world, Eyehategod. Along with the legendary groups, The Obsessed and Antiseen, Nashville was in for a real heavy treat. Continue reading


Woven Man – Revelry (In Our Arms)


Those of us who developed a fondness for sludgey goodness back in the days of its infancy will have a soft spot for Welsh sluggers Acrimony, who blazed (!) an early trail for the sub-genre in the UK. While most of that band went on to found the Stoner grooves of Sigiriya, Lee ‘Roy’ Davies has drifted through guises until settling in the present day, and Woven Man: an outfit tipping its cap to The Wicker Man and aspects of his former band, which shine throughout debut album Revelry (In Our Arms) (Undergroove).Continue reading


Barbarian Hermit – Solitude and Savagery


Since their inception in 2013, Manchester quintet Barbarian Hermit has focused the vast majority of its Sludge grooves on live audiences around its home city and the rest of the UK. After two years of upheaval which has seen one original member return and two leave, debut album Solitude and Savagery (self-released) sees the band set out toward a brave new horizon.Continue reading


Bill & Phil – Songs of Darkness and Despair


If you find yourself seeking a soundtrack to a belligerent, drug fuelled weekend look no further than Songs of Darkness and Despair (Housecore Records), the new collaboration between the iconic Phil Anselmo and horror movie mainstay Bill Moseley.Continue reading