When it comes to music, I’m a little bit of a slut. I bounce around between old favorites and new crushes like I have deep-seeded Daddy issues. While music cannot give me the attention and praise that I so desperately need, it sure does help to turn grueling commutes into mini vacations.
Here are 5 albums that have been mainstays on my iPod for the past few months:
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.
The more I add to this blog, the more I realize how much I love sludge metal… and few do it better than High on Fire!
Matt Pike’s vocals remind me of the taste of scotch. Both are also an acquired taste.
It was the heavy, sludgy riff-oriented guitars and thundering percussion that first turned me on to HoF. At first I didn’t think I would be able to cope with the raw I-just-smoked-a-pack vocals, but it wasn’t long before I came around. It’s kinda like Lemmy meets Tom Araya… or something like that.
I’m a huge fan of the way these guys arrange their music, and the tone and texture is really what makes the sound so unique. There’s a low-fi stoner element that, when combined with the crushing riffs, can easily capture the attention of any fuzz-lovin’ metal-head. And those DRUMS… man, wow… man. I am a sucker for sweet tom work.
I know I say it almost every time I write one of these damn things, but it’s a real challenge to pick ONE tune from each of their albums for your sampling pleasure. I suggest you give each and every one a listen. It’s good shit, mang!
Baghdad - The Art of Self Defense (2000)
That classic lo-fi sludge metal sound…
Hung, Drawn and Quartered - Surrounded By Thieves (2002)
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!
