Even as we see pagan elements weaving their ways into much of our media, it’s not terribly often that we’re given something that can come even close to being called ritualistic or even shamanistic when it comes to much of what the metal underground has to offer. While we’ve seen plenty of the pagan threads finding their way into plenty of styles of black metal and the vast majority of folk metal, the realms of doom are wont to every so often dip their toes into the mix to show us what all is still possible within the sound. Some are more leaning towards the tendencies like Zaum, but it’s stil ..read more

Where the boundaries of wild and wonderful begin to blur oftentimes do daring and dangerous come into the fold. That can apply to many things with metal music certainly being one of them as we delve through the depths of the underground to eventually come upon acts that very much so go against the grain and bring forth material that can only be considered unorthodox, weird, and sometimes downright bewildering to look upon. At some point, those within the underground trying new things sonically come to territory that’s built on loose footing at best with only the quick and the adept able to co ..read more

For all the different forms that doom metal can take, there’s always something to be said for when it knows when to pull back. Almost channeling the more classic vein of the sound, there’s a certain charm to it all that very few other sounds are able to bring to the table in any similar form with there arguably even further bands that are able to bring the style to justice yet again. For their debut creation, Druidess more than delivers on that very premise. Simple but immense effective is oftentimes the way of doom metal the further back you stretch into the style’s history, and yet, somehow ..read more

Oftentimes do we see plenty of acts come around trying to bring some sense of atmosphere to metal with there always being varying levels of success even when we’re dealing within the veins that tend to have more luck in the matter. Even then, some of the more nuanced styles can leave something to be desired as it can sometimes feel as though there’s no soul or impact within the material in question even if there’s more than enough space. As such, plenty of performances come back lacking and feeling hollow. A more recent act to come upon the scene of doomgaze, Leaving is already showing off it ..read more

For all that the Japanese metal scene has strived to become over the decades, there is at least one name that has rightfully towered over them all through sheer craftsmanship and overwhelming intensity: Coffins. It’s been over two decades since the band returned for a temporary hiatus to come back and bring to us a tremendous run of death-doom the likes of which was felt the world over, and I find it fortunate that they’re seen as representatives for what the Asian scene as a whole is capable of while many still find themselves focused on what the other side of the world is able to bring to m ..read more

To sift through all that the modern landscape of doom metal has to offer is to wade through an immense ocean of talent, power, heaviness, and atmosphere with all of those components changing from one band to the next. There so much to offer for just one listener in the scene as a whole, and it would be a gross understatement to claim that there are bands new and old that continue to follow through on that potential to not only keep people coming back, but continuously show us how much there is still to be done within the worlds of doom. With their brand new debut album, Daytripper certainly e ..read more

Any gap of time between releases can just as easily signal great things for a band as much as it can herald the end. Seven years is quite a long time by all accounts, but life can easily get in the way for any of us with it only being a mild setback for the kind of band that is singular in their passion of delivering music be it for the masses or for themselves. I have been waiting for a new work from Altar of Betelgeuze for years now and I never thought it would be a full seven years before we heard again from the act, and yet I find myself willing to wait another seven if we’re guaranteed t ..read more

We’ve seen thousands of different bands rise to prominence over the years with all sorts of approaches and attempts carefully crafted to show us what is still possible in the vast spectrum of metal. By all accounts, the results vary greatly in quality. However, it’s since day one of their own excursion into the underground that Acid Mammoth has remained consistent in more ways than one. Unashamed Sabbath worship done immense justice time after time; this is an act that has only gotten better with time. For their fourth effort, Acid Mammoth shows their dominance in the underground yet again. O ..read more

It’s no secret that the intersecting realms of heaviness and psychedelia have made for some of the most memorable and intoxicating works of music that both metal and rock music have seen in years virtually without exception. We could sit here for days and go over all the different names that have crossed our paths and delivered greatness on levels that were previously unheard pf with few before or since able to deliver such magnificence. As such, there are throngs of rising names out there that are striving to make their mark upon the scene or those who seek to continue a streak of excellence ..read more

Already, 2024 has been blessed in the ways of quality doom metal with the instrumental reaches of the sound being particularly bountiful thanks to the likes of Clouds Taste Satanic, Mountain Caller, and Black Sky Giant. Every single one of those have been bastions of what happens when the sound is taken to new voiceless regions with no less than a staggering level of class, and there is always room for more talent to be had with such a promising style. It was four years ago that Qilin took its first steps into the sound, but it is now with their second offering that they really show us what t ..read more