Demon Head-The Resistance

The Sign Records
2018

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Demon Head is a five-piece band that self-describes itself as "Diabolic Rock". The group is fronted by Ferreira Larsen (Alucarda, Scavenger Brats) and they have been active since 2012. On April 20th, 2018 this (spooky/sinister) hard & heavy rock/doom metal outfit with release the EP "The Resistance". Limited to a mere 500 copies, this atmospheric 7" includes the songs "River of Mars" and "The Resistance". That is the running order on my promo link so we will tackle the two tracks in that manor. With truly inspired lyrics and eerie rock music to match the mood, "Rivers of Mars" is the first single from this EP and arguably the better number of the two tracks. As the promo material correctly explains, this four minute plus song will haunt you long after the EP ends! Blessed by a vocalist that would make Glenn Danzig crack a crooked smile, Demon Head has constructed a true masterpiece with "River of Mars! This two-track release is well-worth it's weight in gold for that number alone!! With that being said, the title track of this 7" is great in it's own right. The aptly-titled "The Resistance" is a slow & steady (classic rock-infused) goth rocker that (ever so slightly) flirts with doom rock and vintage psychedelic rock. There's also a little bit of jingle-jangle guitar playing going on with the title track. When you put these two cool tracks next to each other you get a slick soundtrack for this retro outfit that is bound & determined to make it's own mark in the world. Serving as my first official taste of Denmark's Demon Head, "The Resistance" is a 7" that I plan on adding to my personal collection. For anyone that likes (seventies-inspired) hard & heavy rock/doom rock I would highly-recommend that you do the same thing too.  

Coffin Hunters-Coffin Lord

Self-Release/Independent
2017


Formed in early July of 2016 and comprised of Eric (vox), Sean (guitars), Brian (bass), and Jorge (drums), Sonoma County, California's Coffin Hunters have blown me away with their debut EP! It is entitled "Coffin Lord" and at 19 or so minutes in length Coffin Hunters' first studio recording finds me wondering how long it will take before some label comes in and swoops this young band up as their next big thing!! Opening up with the N.W.O.B.H.M. meets rogue garage metal rocker "Petrol God", "Coffin Lord" expertly combines elements of classic heavy metal, doom metal, proto-metal, and eighties metal (see note below). Over the course of the EP's four numbers you will discover a band that is capable of completely rewiring your previously held views on what heavy metal is and what it all means. When the Black Sabbath meets (solo) Dio title track (which just so happens to clock in at over nine minutes!) closes this EP out it is all but a guarantee that you will not only hit play again, but that you'll find yourself with a gaping mouth and the pondering question as to where has this metal band been all your life! As a fan of heavy metal I couldn't be happier about this group if I tried. I love everything about this band's sound and style. I am completely blown away by this recording! That's my reaction as somewhat who loves the genre first and foremost. I've always lived by that code (fan first and writer second).  All of which makes me ashamed of this next part. I would never want to be someone to jump on the bandwagon at the very last second, but based upon this group's EP here...well, this is a winning lottery ticket just waiting to be cashed. If I wasn't a single father of two that is baring making ends meet I would throw every dollar that I had behind this group! With the right marketing behind them and the proper support system in place we could easily be looking at the next big thing in metal. It kills me to say that I see dollar signs in front of this four-piece, but man alive, Coffin Hunters are on FIRE! The group's debut was just released this month and it is free to download on CD Baby. If it was me though I would buy it on CD at four dollars. As far as straight-up heavy metal at it's finest goes, "Coffin Lord" is like the "No Life 'Til Leather" of this generation. That's a bold statement I realize, but I hear new metal bands all the time and this California band just screams "SUCCESS"! I've said it before and I will say it again. If I had one wish in life (obviously other than a better life for my kids) it would be to have my own record label for when I stumble across acts like this. As it stands now I am just going to be happy that I heard this band before a million others. And when they do get signed I do hope that it is by a label that believes in them as much as I do. 


*By "eighties" metal I mean more than just the U.S. metal scene of yesterday. In Coffin Hunters I hear traces of what was happening worldwide during those glory days! It's not just in the U.S. and Europe, but everywhere that young people were picking up guitars and reinventing heavy metal as this vibrant new movement. On the band's debut I pick up on (vintage) Swedish heavy metal as much as I do the first wave of post-N.W.O.B.H.M. British metal groups. There's so much to discover about this branch of the group's sound. When you're looking at just this area it seems endless. Imagine how epic it is when these sounds merge successful with traditional heavy metal and vintage doom. It is unreal. I am super stoked about this band and what they will sound like as they grow and evolve. Wow....


You can find Coffin Hunter's online by heading here.

Free Metal Monday: Twin Earth Records Label Sampler

Twin Earth Records
2017
  
There's nothing I love more than a good doom rock/metal sampler. It's even better when it's essentially free! This particular (name your price) sampler comes courtesy of the good folks over at Twin Earth Records. It starts off with a righteously cool song by the female-fronted Kabbalah ("Phantasmal Planetoid") and then keeps on rolling until Black Betty brings things home with "Evil Once Again". Variety being the spice of life and all, Twin Earth Records Label Sampler covers a lot of ground (doom-wise) over the course of it's 13 tracks. Ultimately it left me wanting to find out more about this record label and all the bands involved with this wicked sampler!

UfosonicGenerator-The Evil Smoke Possession

Minotauro Records
2016

Formed in 2011, UfosonicGenerator (one word?) is a somewhat strange yet fascinating Italian metal band whose leisure-time activities included "Fuckin', Punchin', Smoke & Heavy Drinkin', and Rockin' & Rollin' all over". The spooky fun "The Evil Smoke Possession" serves as this quartet's full-length debut and while it is nowhere near as eerie or foreboding as it initially appears, UfosonicGenerator's first full-length release is still a home-run recording for this up-and-coming band. With eight devilish numbers to it's name, "The Evil Smoke Possession" is well-written and performed and it joins a back-catalog that includes two 7" EPs, "Harold The Addicted, Pt.1" and "Harold the Abducted, PT.2". More or less a smooth mixture of 70's hard rock, proto metal, stoner rock, and doom, "The Evil Smoke Possession" is apparently what happens when you put four rather-different personalities in a locked studio and then force them at gunpoint to create a TV soundtrack that is a little bit doom and a whole lot of rock in roll! In addition to some downright sick bass notes that would make both Geezer Butler and Lemmy Kilmister proud, "The Evil Smoke Possession" benefits from beer-soaked guitar licks that split the difference Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath. Meanwhile there's some cool, old-school rock and roll drumming going on here and, best of all folks, you have a kooky lead vocalist named Gojira whose "Lustful screams from Japan" sound like a more ghoulish (and possible less stoned?) Ozzy Osbourne! Add in a vintage production job and there is literately no way that you can go wrong! Due out in Late November, "The Evil Smoke Possession" is a great starting point for this odd name band from Italy. It is also one recording that I plan to keep in heavy rotation for the foreseeable future...

Gravelhead-Gravelhead II

Self-Release/Independent
2016

Released on January 29th, "Gravelhead II" is the latest recording from this Rochester, New York-based heavy metal/hard rock band. With a run-time that is over the fifty minute mark(!), "Gravelhead II" serves as  the natural follow-up to the group's 2010 self-titled debut and finds this heavy metal/hard rock band channeling it's vast array of influences into what ends up being one highly-recommend album! The group is lead by guitarist BrAiN (sic) and as a result of his Ozzy-like vocal delivery one can't help but point towards not only Osbourne's solo work, but Black Sabbath in general. Of course (musically-speaking) the rest of Gravlehead helps out greatly in this regard as this New York band as a whole channels solo Ozzy & Black Sabbath. Still, Black Sabbath is just one of many influences for this solid hard & heavy act as "Gravelhead II" offers up flashes of everyone from Metallica to Rush and in no way whatsoever is that a bad thing! Currently the band is rounded out by Jared Niedermaier (guitar/vocals) and Tom Bittner (drums) and for now at least "Gravelhead II" is only available as a digital download. With a price tag of only $5 (!) it is an absolute steal as "Gravelhead II" is not only an amazing step-forward as far as the group's skill level is concerned, but it is a prime-time example of how effective hard rock/heavy metal can be when you take the time to make sure that your album has the perfect balance of pristine melodic passages and flashy guitar-rock leads! For more information on this exceptionally-talented (and for some reason vastly-underrated!) New York band be sure to check out their Facebook page. 

Clouds Taste Satanic-Your Doom Has Come

Kinda Like Music Inc.
2015

Last year Brooklyn, New York's Clouds Taste Satanic treated us to the excellent "To Sleep Beyond The Earth". A devilishly delicious combination of doom metal and post-rock, "To Sleep Beyond The Earth" proved to be a fantastic debut outing for this skilled instrumental act and it was justifiably meet with high-praise from critics and fans. Now Clouds Taste Satanic (Because...you know...why not?) are back for round two with the forthcoming "Your Doom Has Come". It drops in September and this wicked slab of heavy (and once more quite versatile!) post-rock/doom metal builds on the foundation of album number two while adding in a few more twists and turns! Formed in 2013, Clouds Taste Satanic has steadily improved with each passing year, but this new album really finds the four-piece making the leap from the side-show to the evening's main event! Once likened to Sleep and other similar-themed stoner rock/doom metal bands, Clouds Taste Satanic has developed a key sound and it's one that should be experienced by stoners and doomsters alike. You can find out more about this quartet by heading here.

Free Metal Monday: Beastmaker-Beastmaker

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Beastmaker is a heavy rock/doom metal band that worships at the alter of Black Sabbath. Despite sounding incredibly British in nature this psychedelically-enhanced trio actually calls Fresno, California home with the name- your-own-price "Beastmaker" looking as if it's the group's sole release to date. With only three tracks in all (incl. the strong opener "Eyes Are Watching"), "Beastmaker" is admittedly a short affair, but it's a lite firecracker all the same! You can find the band on Facebook by heading here.