Showcasing the fattest, fuzziest, grooviest, and heaviest riffs hard rock has to offer.
2012 brought us boat-loads of fuzz, and though I must have listened to a hundred different albums, there’s no way I could possibly hope to remember even half of them. Here are a few that managed to make enough of an impact that I can still recall them today.
Fuzzbreak - White Walls by Elder
For all of you stoner/doom/sludge-heads out there, take some time for yourself and enjoy 7 minutes of thick thundering riffs from their self-titled debut EP.
If this tickles your fancy, perhaps the prettied-up production of their sophomore effort Dead Roots Stirring will touch you in your special place.
Continuing in the vein of “European instrumental stoner/doom/metal bands with face-melting riffs”, I give you one of my latest addictions: Netherlands’ own Tank86.
For those of you that worship the almighty riff, it will not take you long to see why I’ve got their debut album RISE in full rotation.
I caught this gem on random this morning and thought that I should share it with you guys. Not only is the tune full of sludgy, doomy, fuzzy, goodness; it’s catchy as hell and the video is pretty cool too.
When I heard this song for the first time I immediately went digging around for some more of their work. I was not disappointed in what I found! This is what a stellar stoner-doom-metal band sounds like. They have plenty of riffs, hooks and fuzz to go around. They rarely drone out and the music and vocals are highly accessible in terms of listen-ability.
If you like that tune, check this one out too! In fact, a quick youtube search will yield enough results to whet your appetite! Do it!
There’s no question that Black Sabbath was one of the founding fathers of the entire Doom/Stoner “genre”. Hints of Ozzy and Iommi can be found in every nook and cranny, if one were to listen closely enough.
When it comes to Sahg, this may be a massive understatement.
While Black, Thrash and Doom metal influences are very evident as well, it’s hard not to hear that distinct classic Sabbath sound when you listen to Sahg. Their riffs are catchy, the song structures are well conceived and the execution is excellent.
There is plenty of opportunity for head-bobbing and foot-tapping while listening to this Norwegian foursome, but that’s not to say that they don’t slow it down; the dark overtones that are present in their upbeat singles get even darker when they pull the reigns on their tempo.
In a nutshell, you hard rock and metal fans are in for a treat if you’ve never heard of these guys before. Enjoy!
Godless Faith - Sahg I (2006)
Pyromancer - Sahg II (2008)
Mortify - Sahg III (2010)
If I didn’t share this one with you, it would totally defeat the whole purpose of this blog. I just happened to stumble across this gem as a suggested video on youtube.
There’s an unbelievable amount of soul and groove stuffed into this 70’s throwback. Mix in a little psychedelic doom and you’ve got a recipe for some gooooooood tunes!
A little digging around led me to a few of their tunes on SoundCloud. Check them out!!
Loud, fat and fuzzy. I could be talking about your mother-in-law, but I’m not. Thank God!
No, I’m talking about something that I’m sure you’ll be far more interested in — An instrumental doom-metal duo from Belgium. I swear that the back-to-back posts containing Belgian bands was completely coincidental.
While 2-piece hard-rock bands are pretty hard to come by, finding one with a sound this massive is almost unheard of. No pun intended. About the only other decent 2-piece band anywhere close to this “genre” that comes to mind is Big Business, whom I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing live as they opened for Tool a few years ago.
When I first heard a SardoniS tune on youtube, I was immediately reminded of Karma to Burn. This is due largely in part to the fact that they are an instrumental band, but more so because they write some catchy bloody riffs! They’re like the Karma to Burn of doom.
Feast your ears on this doomy sludgy goodness… mmm…
…and one with a bit more tempo, fuck yeah!
This last one takes a little while to ramp up so be patient. When those massive thundering riffs of doom come crashing down on you, you will know what Hulkamania must have felt like. The difference is that your prayers and vitamins won’t do you any good.
If you like what you hear, be sure to check them out on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sardonis666
I like fuzzy riffs. If you’re reading this, there is a good chance that you do too!
That’s awesome!
Even better is the fact that, here, you will be able to find some commentary and information on the fattest and fuzziest riffs known to [this] man.
I’ll dabble in some album reviews, maybe some “must-listen” lists, and share with you whatever has my ear at any given time. In return, I hope that you readers will expose me to even MORE groovy, thundering, neck-cramping riffs. If you know of a band, album, or even a tune that you think fits the bill, drop it in my ASK box!
Keep it fuzzy!
