THE CIMMERIAN - An Age Undreamed Of review

THE CIMMERIAN - An Age Undreamed Of 

Self Released

This release falls into my category of give it a couple of listens and think ahead as well as the possibilities. This is the debut full length by THE CIMMERIAN a three piece act from Los Angeles, California. Sorry about the wild fires guys and I hope you're alright. 

Musically the genre tagline here is Sludge Metal / Stoner Rock which automatically I'd be bored with from the onset especially if it was your average stuff. But what makes THE CIMMERIAN a cool listen is that their bassist / vocalist Nicolas Rocha and guitarist Dave Gein where both in the Thrash / Crossover band SEPTIK ONSLAUGHT. So their sound has a lot of that going on within it. 

Let's add to that with the fact that on a couple of cuts this band reminds me in a way of some of my Midwest Doom favorites. We're talking epic fantasy stuff. So you've got thunderous bass lines and these gruff vocals. The guitar work is cool as fuck. "Silver and Gold" and "Darkwolf" are probably my favorite tracks on here. But hey with eight tracks altogether, seven of em long epic numbers with the opener an instrumental, it's all damm good. 

If I had a complaint it's that there are times when the drum work gets clicky if you know what I mean. Music like this needs to be totally organic sounding. With that said I won't be surprised if this release is re-pressed on a major Metal label later this year and THE CIMMERIAN are the next big thing. Don't laugh because I'm 50/50 on those types of predictions. Anyways good stuff here so check em out. Although I can't say anything nice about the album cover art. WTF?

LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:

https://thecimmerian.bandcamp.com/album/an-age-undreamed-of-2

 

EARLY MOODS - A Sinner's Past review

 

EARLY MOODS - A Sinner's Past

RidingEasy Records

So here we have the long awaited, well for me at least since it came out in March, second album by Los Angeles, California's EARLY MOODS. This is an amazing Doom Metal band that I originally saw in 2022 open up for SAVAGE MASTER at a club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. That year they released their self titled debut full length also on this label. 

The best way to describe EARLY MOODS' brand of Doom is a band influenced by the old ways but delivered with youthful enthusiasm. As far as the old goes think PENTAGRAM, TROUBLE and CANDLEMASS with an obvious salute to the almighty SABBATH. If you thought their debut album was amazing then A Sinner's Past will have you thinking perfection.

Just listen to the opening cut "Last Hour" and you'll believe it sounds like something from SABBATH's Volume Four. And that's one of many times this album provides a cool new take on classic sounds of Doom's past which we know and enjoy. Now before any naysayer jaded pieces of shit weigh in. Let me make this clear again. The EARLY MOODS are not the usual grave robbers of the past. 

This band not only honors the past with influences but brings it to the modern Doom metal music world with a force that's been lost by so many before them. The title track comes across like PENTAGRAM meets CANDLEMASS with old Ozzy vocals touched with aggressive harsh screams. Add to that the musicianship on this album is full blown exceptional.  

I mean the riffs are melodic and crunch heavy. The rhythm section is fucking dynamic as hell. The guitar soloing is Tony Iomni approved. But hey the vocals are just cool as fuck. The song structures are all about the occult / horror side of themes. But what's cool is that the band are not pushing the campy bullshit. Listen to "Hells Odyssey" which is the most epic track at eight plus minutes in length on here and you'll be in awe.

This second album by EARLY MOODS is also cool because it slightly progressives from their debut. Their love and appreciation of the old shows in their creative trials to come up with great sounds without being a copycat. With that said yeah the are my favorite Doom metal band of late. And this album is the best Doom album of the year. Come on look at the album cover? They look like a Doom version of the MC5. Hey guys Tony Iomni needs to contribute a solo on your next record. I mean he would love your sound.

https://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://earlymoods.bandcamp.com/album/a-sinners-past

CULTUS PROFANO - Sacramentum Obscurus review

CULTUS PROFANO - Sacramentum Obscurus

Debemur Morti Productions




So it's the closing days of February aka: Black Metal History Month. Yeah I know the whole BMHM thing is kind of a joke. Diehard fans resent it, the mainstream metal media uses it to mock the genre but for me I use it as a excuse to post music from Youtube by obscure BM on Facebook. So with that said it is fitting that here we have a new band that is the epitome of black metal especially in the old school sounding sense.

CULTUS PROFANO is a black metal male/female duo hailing from Los Angeles, CA. Ah yeah I know plenty in the extreme BM community who throw hate on black metal from places like Los Angeles as well as New York, San Fran and Seattle, especially Seattle. I won't argue against that because there's good reason for the hate. It's all about hipsters or phony losers trying to capitalize on a popular music genre. But CULTUS PROFANO has more street cred than I'd say most of the haters. 

This duo, which began in 2016, consists of Advorsus (drums & vocals) and Strzyga (guitar & vocals). Advorsus (aka: Arthur Mendiola) is also the drummer for long time death metal act SADISTIC INTENT as well as a bunch of other extreme acts. There's your street cred and yeah I have an old release by them so forget the hate and listen to the music. Which by the way sounds like Norwegian black metal 1992.

On a whole this somewhat reminds me musically of Wrath of the Tyrant era EMPEROR meets A Blaze in the Northern Sky era DARKTHRONE. The vocals are shared but Advorsus' is rough and grunt whereas Strzyga's is pure venomous sounding. She kinda reminds me of Ihsahn's screams. Listening to these nine cuts it's hard not to think of pure darkness with two sinister white faces staring back at you. The riffs are icy and sharp with a cool flair tempo and speed change ups giving certain cuts this enveloping feeling. Drumming is mostly typical blast beating but sound-wise they're muffled in order to not overwhelm. 

If CULTUS PROFANO's beginning vision with Sacramentum Obscurus was to create an absolutely perfect black metal album then they succeeded. This is blasphemy in it's purest sense.


https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

https://cultusprofano.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/CULTUS.PROFANO

GRAVESPAWN - Inexorable Grimness review

GRAVESPAWN - Inexorable Grimness 

Folkvangr Records



Whenever I see that a black metal band is from California I look around my desk for a straight razor blade. Seriously, black metal from California? Let me slit my wrists! Like we haven't laughed enough about that one. But hey this is another re-release by Folkvangr Records so given the label's track record for putting out good stuff I give em the benefit of the doubt.

The synth opening on "Old Dragon's Domain" had me thinking Hammer Horror opening trailer intro which in a way was a good sign. From that point onward this Los Angeles, California act shows that they're into the whole symphonic black metal theme. By their second cut, "Oath of the Annihilator", I was thinking Wrath of the Tyrant era EMPEROR. Hyperbole on my part, maybe a bit but the use of the synths, the cool rasp of the vocals and even the tremolo riffs are a reminder of Norway's black metal days of yore. 

This is just a five song EP put out by a band that actually started out as a solo project back in 2004 by multi-instrumentalist Seth Brooke. They're a three piece now, hmmmm? But anyways while any metal media mope might cry "copycat" I say nay since the whole symphonic black metal trend died out in 2009. Also that trend in BM was because of DIMMU BORGIR's popularity. GRAVESPAWN are striving for something more grim and harsh. I expect more greatness from them in the future.


https://folkvangrrecords.bandcamp.com/album/inexorable-grimness

https://www.facebook.com/GravespawnOfficial