I'm not even going to try and describe whats going on with this one. Expect to rock, groove, fall into a trance, get shot across the galaxy... who knows what else could happen. If you're in the mood for some seriously far out, smoking hot psych rock, look no further.
Todays menu features a heavy dose of crusty, cello-driven sludge metal. Dark, gloomy riffs build slowly into more rocking sections and back again, with quite a few moody instrumental pieces and ambient atmospherics in between. The song-writing seems really thought out and well put-together. Throat-shredding female vocals trade off with the lower, gruff sounding voice of the bassist but both are used sparingly and exactly where they should be. The cello parts add that extra eerie, haunting feel which really puts things over the top for me. The production is thick and gritty, with everything still being perfectly audible. In short, if you like your music dark, pissed off and depressing, give this a listen. Malachi are one of the better bands doing the epic crust/sludge with cello thing these days.
For the longest time, I only associated Crowbar with Pantera and shitty bros who watch too much Headbangers Ball. Upon actually listening to Crowbar, I immediately realised what a mistake I had made. So if you're in the same boat I was, get ready to have your world collapse. This is the album that changed my mind, and from the moment "Planets Collide" started I knew I was in for some seriously heavy sludge. I started hearing these incredible down-tuned and burly riffs that also contained a lot of really sad melodies. Then came Kirk's throaty, soulful singing which relayed suffering, struggle, and life's hardships. I was sold and haven't looked back since. They quickly became one of those "soundtrack to your life" kind of bands. Historically, this was Crowbar's fifth studio album (1998), and it marked the beginning of a thicker, cleaner sounding production, as well as a move in a slightly more melodic direction. That said, it still manages to be heavier and darker than anything the band had done previously. Highly reccomended. Hail NOLA.
This one might require a bit of patience at first, but it's infinitely rewarding. These two songs (which fall just under an hour total) display some of the finest (very minimalist) doom you'll ever come across. Things start off at the pace of a snail with a riff being played so sparsely that it almost just feels like a bunch of single notes. After a while things quiet right down and start to really build into something which you just know is going to be fucking immense. And oh god, is it ever. If for some reason that first climax wasn't enough for you, things quiet down again afterwards as the rise and fall begins once more, this time with guest vocals from Yoshiko Ohara of Bloody Panda which actually end up being one of the more throat-shredding, heartbreaking performances I can think of. That said, Ocean's vocalist displays some really great and powerful ranges as well throughout the album. And all that is just the first song! Of The Lesser builds into an equally(if not more) satisfying (HEAVY!!!) dirge which will leave you emotionally exhausted as it plods along.
I wouldn't say that this album is underrated, as people who love this really love it. Maybe underappreciated by the general population of heavy music fans is more appropriate. Think Black Flag meets Black Sabbath, coming together to sound like a more coherent Eyehategod. Basically this is some really heavy, pissed, and rocking sludge from the swamps of Florida. The band really got their shit together for this one. It's so well done that it feels like one of those totally classic records that you can throw on at any time and vibe out to. And trust me, if you're skeptical, this stands miles above every other typical stoner/sludge band that just ends up sounding like Bongzilla. Theres a lot of energy here, and it's a lot of fun. For the curious, members were/have been/are in Floor, Torche, and Black Cobra..jpg)
Heres some absolutely blistering psych rock from this Santa Cruz, California band. The album freaks out, grooves, and will have you floating along the astral planes in no time. "The Righteous Path Through The Forest Of Old" concludes with one of the finest riffs that will ever be conceived by anyone, after it settles into an almost Sabbathian groove. "The Outer Rim" is a spaced out jam that will take you just where it says it will. And "Dragon Of The Deep" was so massive that they had to divide it into two parts, the first having a lot more, dare I say, funk, and the second slowing down quite a bit as it plods along to it's massive conclusion which ever-so-slightly brings to mind Sleep's "Dopesmoker". Absolute riff mastery. This album should appeal to fans of space and stoner rock alike, so take a gamble. I guarantee that by the end of the first track you won't be disappointed. Serious rocking will occur. Far out.
I always felt that the material I had heard from Graves At Sea was never that special, and kind of uninspired. But whatever the problem was, they took care of it here on what ended up being their last recorded output. They're certainly not breaking any boundaries, yet these two songs are just so well done that I can't help but groove along. The vocals actually end up being one of the highlights for me, as they're satisfyingly evil and tormented. There's also a few legitimately awesome riffs in "Pariah" which stand out quite a bit. If you like the sound of Burning Witch meets Eyehategod or something along those lines, look no further. Crushing and evil doom.
U.S. Christmas was founded in 2002, and hail from the mountains of northern Carolina. If you're not already familiar with them, imagine Neil Young colliding with Hawkwind on a really dark acid-trip into outer-space. If that doesn't sound good to you, I don't kow what else to say. Basically, this is some really dark and gloomy psychedelic rock (emphasis on the ROCK, as there is a lot of rocking going down.) As opposed to drugs, astral planes and other psychedelic cliches though, USX focus more on nature, paranoia, loss, and subjects of that ilk. This a very unique and powerful album that I can't reccomend enough, as it's sure to satisfy any fan of heavy and psychedlic music (readers of this blog). If you listen to it when you're in a bit of a darker mindset, you'll inevitably be consumed. 
