Amarok – Devoured


It’s taken eight years for US tortured Doom activists Amarok to create an album but, finally, here it is. With four tracks clocking in at almost 70 minutes you know that Devoured (Translation Loss) is going to be a long ride, but the news here is that it’s an emotionally draining one also.Continue reading


Lesbian – Hallucinogenesis


 

 Lesbian – Hallucinogenesis ghostcultmag

Doom metal continues to evolve and impress me even though it has been around just as long if not longer than any other subgenre of heavy metal. One such fantastic example of this is the latest release from progressive doom group, Lesbian. Hallucinogenesis (Translation Loss) is a forty-six minute trip through endless riffs and psychedelia. The album is a perfect length for what Lesbian was looking to do here as it does not seem to drag on, nor did I feel shorted once the last track ended.

The first track, ‘Pyramidal Existinctualism’, starts off the album with a bang. The guitar riffs are frantic and right in the front of the mix, giving off a feeling like your hallucinogenic journey has suddenly began without any warning. The next track off of Hallucinogenesis is the longest on the album and maybe my favorite, ‘Labrea Borealis’. This song has one of my favorite elements that only the best of doom writers can do and that is to get their listener to absolutely lose themselves in the song. By the time the first riff pattern ends and the second part of the song hits, nearly five minutes has come and gone, but yet it does not feel dragged out or stale. The third song, ‘Kosmoceratops’, is one of the more upbeat songs on the album that is sure to get your fist pumping with the snare hits. Right as your arm gets numb from that, around two and a half minutes in is a nice breakdown (no deathcore here, chill out) which is sure to get the rest of your body moving. The closer, ‘Aqualibrium’, does a great job of bringing your drug induced journey to an end. The last-minute or so has an effect where it feels like the listener is getting sucked out of this psychedelic dream world right before the last refrain of the main riff and fade out that really caps off the album well.

Lesbian is another doom/sludge band that easily made their way into my music library and will continue to reside there. Hallucinogenesis only has four tracks but are different from one another enough to make each track feel fresh and a new leg of the adventure that the album seeks out to send you on. The only portions of some of the songs that had me confused were the almost black metal screeches that occasionally popped up. The first few times I listened to the album, they felt out-of-place. Overall, this late summer doom release should leave a mark on all fans as we approach autumn.

Buy the album here: https://amzn.to/3yYfV80

7.5 / 10

TIM LEDIN

 

 

 


Starkweather Reissuing Crossbearer and Into The Wire As Deluxe Reissue


starkweather

Philadelphia hardcore punk/metal crossover outfit Starkweather will be reissuing their classic underground albums Crossbearer (1992) and Into the Wire (1995) as a deluxe two CD package on April 21, 2015 via Translation Loss Records.

The reissue includes the two albums that have been completely remastered, have new cover artwork, and repackaged by BCHC along with extras that are no longer in print. The track listing is as follows:

starkweather crossbearer+into the wire

Crossbearer tracklist:

01. Tumult
02. Mean Streets
03. Rest the Soul
04. Lazarus Runs
05. Murder in Technicolor
06. Shards
07. Unto Me
08. Picture It Obsidian
09. The Rift
10. Above the Rafters

Into the Wire tracklist:

01. Shroud
02. Shards
03. Unto Me
04. Murder in Technicolor
05. Into the Wire
06. Slither
07. Mainline
08. Desolate
09. The Divine Art of Exquisite Torment
10. Bitterfrost
11. Hushabye and Goodnight
12. Taming Leeches with Fire

Starkweather 2015 is: Rennie Resmini (vocals), Jim Winters (guitar), Harry Rosa (drums), Sean Jacobs (bass) and Vincent Rosa (bass).

http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/product/starkweather-crossbearer-into-the-wire-2cd-reissue-preorderartwork…

Posted by starkweather on Saturday, March 21, 2015