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doomedandstoned · 6 months

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TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH Unleash Magnum Opus, ‘Apotheosis’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

We introduced you to TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH in our compilation Doomed & Stoned in Detroit and the band subsequently played Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival in 2019.

Now past the pandemic years, the band's sound has matured and evolved to encompass frightening black metal textures, in addition to the stalwart doom sound they forged in the beginning. On their third LP 'Apotheosis' (2024), Temple of the Fuzz Witch execution is nothing short of tight, demonstrating an uncanny penchant for conjuring apocalyptic atmospheres. Every member of the team is on point and collaborate to create something dark and powerful.

While not pitched as a concept album, savvy listeners will pick up on the subtext of fallen angels, drawing from Biblical, Zoroastrian, mystical, and traditional lore to create a singular work of terror that could well be a sequel to Dante's Inferno.

Apotheosis is the process of becoming deity (an idea long held by Egyptian, Greek, Buddhist and Christian beliefs), so perhaps this album concerns the rise of those angels who fell like lightning to our planet after a failed coup against The Almighty in heaven. Now is their time to rise again and terrorize mankind, as foretold in St. John's Revelation, The Books of Enoch, Kabbalah, and Milton's Paradise Lost.

Joe Peet's blistering bass welcomes us to "A Call To Prey," with bravura drumming from Taylor Christian and Noah Bruner's grungy guitars following not far behind. We prey upon your fear sings frontman Noah with windswept ire. One could imagine hearing this voice echo in the dead of night over moonlit hills and forests.

"Wight" is a foreboding doomer with elements of black metal. Noah teeters between jaded vocals with menacing growls. Wight is a reference to a ghostly creature, and there's sinister, foggy element to the song, as evil spirits vow:

We’ll break you Damned You’ll never be free We’ll break you For all eternity

"Nephilim" made me recall how damningly heavy Temple of the Fuzz Witch was at Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest. You can get a sense of it with a pair of good speakers, but seeing them live punches even harder. Vocals vary in character between forlorn cries, as depressed hushes declare, "You will see, I will feed." Fiery yells and guttural rumbling join ravaging drumwork and hailing tremeloes as the song progresses.

"Bow Down" lives in familiar stoner-doom territory, with southern sludge riffing suggesting a revelrous lot dedicated to the worship of their master. Here the singing here is clear, clean, and resonant, intersected by harsh vocals that shout defiantly: Bow down and worship the sky, we pass beyond the glowing light.

"Sanguine" has become one of my favorite words, lately, though I've struggled for an appropriate reason to include it in my writing. It basically means making the best of a bad situation, remaining confident despite the odds, optimistic even when faced with nihilistic uncertainty. Lyrics allude to "Yahweh's condemned," "diabolic souls" who were "cast into swine" by God's Son, and now look to overtake Earth when Satan is loosed from the Bottomless Pit. Bittersweet riffs and damning low end remind me of Purple Hill Witch, and there are some badass chord progressions here. This one has been lingering in my head for days.

"Cursed" gives us little clue as to who the Cursed are, other than they have "sought the watchers in the blacks" and that their "moment has now passed" and now "there's no return." The Watchers are most likely fallen angels from the Book of Enoch, the Nephilim referenced in the book of Genesis. Maybe the cursed ones were acolytes of the Nephilim, but we're given only scraps, hints, fragments to piece together the mystery.

"Raze" opens with muted drums and a swarm of distorted guitar noise that almost seems like a portent of the great horde, here to "end all humans." It takes the perspective of the Fallen, who are still loyal to Lucifer. I have carried his black mark, all the way from the very start.

Strumming arpeggios suggest the clock is ticking in "Apostate," one of my favorite tracks of the record for its sheer dread. Downtuned, dissonant guitar chords make the ire of Noah's roaring vocals all the more convincing, as four lines are repeated thrice:

Await the hallows Swallow the earth The apostates Filled with dread and woe

"Ashes" brings the album to a head with another highlight of the record, a slow headbanger if there ever was one. Vocals are terrifying, referencing "vows of the damned" and Ahriman the evil spirit of early Iranian religions -- the very embodiment of destruction.

It's good to see Ripple Music continue to expand its portfolio into doom territory. Look for Apotheosis by Temple of the Fuzz Witch, dropping this Friday, April 5th (get it here).. Stick it on a playlist with Electric Wizard, Saturnalia Temple, Cough, Coffins, and Moon Coven.

Give ear...

LISTEN: Temple of the Fuzz Witch - Apotheosis

SOME BUZZ

With riffs and lyrics as bleak and crushing as a Michigan winter, blackened doom outfit Temple of the Fuzz Witch brings a unique take on the doom genre, their unwaveringly nightmarish sonic processions being raised to another level with frontman Noah Bruner's jaw-dropping balance of crypt-worthy growls and astoundingly grunge-styled clean vocals. Never the darkness has felt so magnificent and compelling, and their aptly-titled third album "Apotheosis" has everything to put the mighty trio on every black and doom metal fan's radar for years to come.

Launched in 2017 with a 3-track EP, the Detroit three-piece has successively released two albums: "Temple of the Fuzz Witch" (2019) and "Red Tide" (2020). Temple of the Fuzz Witch is now set to unleash the beauty of its unique occult-driven nihilism with "Apotheosis". The album was recorded and mixed by Pete Grossman at Bricktop Recording, and mastered by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio. Its artwork was created by Sarah Fazriah and Zoro (Mysteriousfour).

Apotheosis by Temple of the Fuzz Witch

About the album, the band says: “The lyrics and concept as an album are more overt and less cryptic than the previous Temple releases. Everything is bigger, heavier, and darker. Rather than making just another doom record, we wanted to do something that stepped outside of the box a little bit. Established fans will still find catchy riffs that are staples of doom but will be surprised with some new twists on the genre with the introduction of blackened vocals and some more up-tempo tracks.

Lyrically the album is deeply rooted in the esoteric and spiritual. We came at the album with a very introspective mindset, and each of us was able to add a little bit of our own soul to it. I think when people hear the lyrics and music together they'll find something fresh, but dark, to connect with.”

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doomedandstoned · 4 months

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Ohio’s WEED DEMON Drop Gritty Frank Zappa Cover of “Willie The Pimp”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Today, we bring you three things we love: WEED DEMON, Frank Zappa, and Electric Valley Records. The dank stoner-doom-sludge four-piece from Columbus, Ohio are veterans of both Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival and Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival, and were featured on our compilation Doomed & Stoned in Ohio some years back. I've filmed them before, and I can tell you there are few bands that are as frightening live.

Recorded at StoneRipper Studio, the band had this to say about the ripping new single, "Willie The Pimp":

It was an easy choice doing a Zappa cover. Frank was always pushing boundaries and creating music that was intentionally outside of the box. We also find ourselves writing music that doesn’t quite fit into your standard stoner-doom song structure. "Willie The Pimp" is a perfect example of the melting pot of groove that is Zappa, and if there’s one thing we love it’s a solid groove. In the spirit of what an absolute jammer this song is, we tracked our version live. We hope you weirdos dig it as much as we do.

With hints of southern metal in their stoner riffs, this cover transforms the song into a real smokeout, while still paying loving homage to the unhinged original from the record Hot Rats (1969). It was ripe for the picking in Weed Demon's hands. Definitely re-listenable, too, with its irresistible slow-headbanging grooves, stinging guitars, gnarly bass licks, and a brutal heartbeat. I had it set on repeat myself.

It's good to see Jordan Holland (bass, vox), Brian Buckley (guitars, backing vox), Andy Center (guitar, backing vox) and Nick Carter (drums) back in action after their devastating full-length, 'Crater Maker' (2020). I imagine we can expect more from the band as time unfolds.

And now the Doomed & Stoned premiere of "Willie The Pimp," done as only Weed Demon can. Look for the single to be released for download on Friday, May 17th (get it here).

Give ear...

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Lyrics

I'm a little pimp with my hair gassed back Pair a khaki pants with my shoe shined black Got a little lady, walk that street Tellin' all the boys that she can't be beat Twenty dollar bill, I can set you straight Meet me on the corner boy and don't be late Man in a suit with a bow-tie neck Wanna buy a grunt with a third party check Standin' on the porch of the Lido Hotel Floozies in the lobby love the way I sell

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doomedandstoned · 1 year

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Ohio’s WEED DEMON Drop New Music Video on 4/20

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

If you've ever seen WEED DEMON in concert (as indeed we did at Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival and Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival in years gone by), you know they have a ferocious presence when the lights go down and the smoke starts spewing.

It's relieving to know they have a sense of humor, too. Witness the Doomed & Stoned premiere of their music video, "The Elder Tree Pyre" (from the LP Crater Maker on Electric Valley Records -- reviewed here). It starts as role players are bantering about a game play, when suddenly they're taken into the game at the break of grandma's bong. The world changes radically, trapped in the frames of a comic book.

Surrounding this is a swirl of grinding southern-tinged guitar, bruising bass action, and drums that hammer relentlessly into the hazy void. A cultic rhythm emerges and vocalist Jordan Holland roars, telling a tale of unseen horrors. "I see the devil in you." The guitar plays a hooky Sabbath riff. "I gotta smoke him out!" The song ends on a reassuring note, with downtuned instruments welcoming our release.

We asked the band to say a little something about this kick-ass vid:

Three years, 3000 still images, 1 green screen and a bajillion bong rips later, we are proud to finally release our video for The Elder Tree Pyre. All good things are worth waiting for or something like that. Many thanks to everyone involved in the process of filming, animating, prop creation, and supplying of essential LARP gear.

If you aren’t too stoned by the time you watch this, feel free to share with your friends. On this holiest of high holidays, we hope all of your dice rolls are a natural 20.

Disclaimer: No bongs were harmed in the filming of this video.

Produced by Danny Rogers, with animation by Derek Stewart & Dan Simone, and props by Kevin Buckley

Give ear...

WATCH & LISTEN: Weed Demon - "The Elder Tree Pyre"

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doomedandstoned · 2 years

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Ohio’s Maharaja Decry Addiction in Furious New Doomer, “Soulless”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Artwork by Nicholas Schukay

I'll never forget seeing MAHARAJA at Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival some years back. Though formed in 2013, I had not encountered the band's music until we put together our compilation Doomed & Stoned in Ohio in 2017. Their stage presence the following year was urgent and fierce, as the Gem City trio belted out powerful, lumbering chords and vigorous, entrancing rhythms.

A follow-up to their debut album, Kali Yuga, Maharaja now brings us the EP 'Aviarium' (2022). Its four tracks are bathed in a dark, hazy atmosphere. Savage, unhinged vocals intersected by hot, razor sharp riffage pulses hypnotically and sometimes stabs at you like a knife. Drums are wild and convulsive, often engrossingly tribalistic.

The cacophony of sound resembles to me the fluttering of feathered creatures, with guitar effects miming their chirps and cries (see the massive "Ballad of the Flightless Bird"). Lyrics bear witness to the slow deterioration of our social fabric as it is corroded away by isolation, depression, neglect, and a mélange of self-destructive behaviors. In short, the loss of meaning, dignity, and purpose.

Says the band:

This album is a definite move in our new direction towards a more aggressive sound. Lyrically and thematically, the album is about our home, Dayton, Ohio. Being inspired by real events as well as observational insight, the album converses drug addiction, murder, police violence, and the effects of living in a turbulent, depressing place. Sonically, we wanted to capture the weight and intensity of these elements: death, hysteria, tragedy, violence. Each song has its own story, terrible and true.

Before us is the first single from Maharaja's upcoming release, entitled "Soulless." Reverberating notes wake us up to a new reality. Drums dig in furiously as a barrage of fuzz surrounds us. Voices rail in pissed-off unison against this helpless hopeless hell sphere. Guitar feedback screeches with agitation, finally breaking into an array of rainy, dissonant chords, whilst bass and drums grind maniacally.

The song's meaning? Maharaja tells us:

"Soulless" is about drug addiction. It’s a song from the perspective of a person overdosing and dying. All the songs are inspired by where we live. Addiction is hitting everywhere real hard. As someone who has battled with addiction, I wanted to write a song that would harness what it feels like to chase death.

On a whole, the record is simply devastating. Maharaja's Aviarium drops December 9th in digital and vinyl formats via Seeing Red Records (pre-order here). Mix it with Conan, Torche, and Kurokuma on your next playlist, and stir in some Mr. Bungle just because.

This is the Doomed & Stoned World premiere of "Soulless."

Give ear...

Aviarium by Maharaja

LYRICS

Inversion. Bile out my mouth. Eyes rolling back. Grey matter pouring out. And then... It’s all over What have I done? Should I give in and die? Tame yourself. Your brain lies. Calm hands. I just want to fucking die. All my trembling insides pour out. And then... It’s all over Eyes wide, and then...

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doomedandstoned · 5 years

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A Chat with Ancient VVisdom Ahead of Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival

~By Billy Goate~

In 2015, I was stuck in a motel on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. Long story short, I was in a bad way. That’s when I picked up the album ‘Sacrificial’ (2014) and poured into it. It was like salve to my soul and it’s been a continual go-to ever since. So thank you for that.

Thank you, hopefully you are in a better place now! We've all been there before, not in a motel in Sao Paulo but in a bad place. Music to me has a similar effect. I've been told our music has that sort of effect on some people. Almost like experiencing something meditative putting them in a state of tranquility which to me is a giant compliment. And on another note there are bands out there that do the same thing for me, so I completely understand.

It’s been about two years since you brought us the follow-up to that one, ‘33’ (2017), which I know a lot of people resonated with, as well. Much of the lyrical content comes across as a love song to Lucifer, leading us to be curious about what Nathan Opposition’s own beliefs are when it comes to the occult, supernatural, and the Devil himself?

For me, Lucifer is enlightenment. Satan is free will. The devil is a symbol of the manifestation of reality. The goat, the pentagram, the symbolism behind the imagery, the meaning behind the veil is more relevant now than ever.

Today's society needs Satanism. It is an evolved outlook on individualism and freedom of choice. There is acceptance and love within the basic tenets of Satanism and further down the rabbit hole you may even be able to find true self.

People need to dig deep in the emotional paydirt of actually Satanism to find the gateways to unlock the reality they wish to enjoy and experience.

So to answer your question, I've always been fascinated by the topic of the occult. At a very young age. I'm 35 now and the signs of me losing interest in the topic are slim to none.

Read any good books lately?

Haven't been reading because I've been writing. When I'm deep in my writing process I like to clutter my mind with my own thoughts and not someone else's. For me, this allows the ideas to fester and ferment, then I harvest and consume. It has its own timeline, almost like it has a will of its own. I like to let ideas for themselves and when they are ready they will let me know and I will reveal them to the rest of the world.

We hear you’ve got a new album slated for release on Argonauta Records, ‘Mundus’ (2019). What’s the story behind the album title? What lyrical themes do you explore?

Yes, Mundus will be out September 27th 2019 on Argonauta Records. The album title is an ancient roman Latin word for World. The album cover was illustrated black and white pointillism by an artist named Karmazid who lives in Aschaffenburg, Germany.

Longtime friend and fan of the band, when he turned in the album art it said "Mundus" on the banner that is wrapped around an image of the earth being crushed by the hand of doom, my brother Michael guitarist in Ancient VVisdom and I both loved the artwork so much we decided not to change a thing and call the album Mundus. So technically, we let Karmazid name our album.

My lyrics on Mundus are based in the ever growing threat of doom consuming the fears of humanity in general. Too many crazy things happening in this world for something big not to happen. Society is like a dormant volcano right now ready to be active once again. This album has themes that fit the times we live in right now. The fears of the masses and the global problems that a rapidly expanding population has created have brought us to the point of no return. Now it's no longer a question of will it happen, it's when will it happen.

We’re very much looking forward to your upcoming visit to Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival. What do you have in store for us?

Expect the next level of Ancient VVisdom. We play something off of every album, we have a new rhythm section and my brother Michael and I will be on electric guitars.

When we take over the stage, we transform it completely so expect a production. This will be our heaviest , most focused and thought out set we've ever projected, thank you and really looking forward to it!

How do you like to prepare before a show? Any pre-show routines?

I always like to do some vocal exercises, get the pipes warmed up, pick up the guitar and do some finger exercises. Once I feel comfortable with that I'll set it aside and start presetting our stage.

It's good to stay organized, especially when you have a few extras on stage to set up. It's a lot to keep track of and show settings can be chaotic environments. Best to stay focused.

My brother Michael, his wife owns and operates a record store in Lakewood Ohio called Black Market Records, we have a rehearsal space in the basement. We call it "The Abyss" -- a huge space where legend has it Nine Inch Nails used to practice! So a lot of rehearsing and planning happens there. Other than that good to stretch a little bit and smoke a little bit, get the mind and body right.

The gearheads among us will kill me if I don’t ask about what you’re packing these days -- instruments, pedals, amps, the works. What are the tools you use to work your magic?

We are playing all Peavey amps with Marshall cabs. Jackson guitars, BC Rich guitars, Jackson bass. My brother, lead guitarist, has a Rock Master head with Boss DS-1 Distortion, MXR Carbon Copy Delay, TC Electronic Corona Chorus, Boss tuner.

I play rhythm, one crunchy tone the whole way through. Drums are Sonor Phil Rudd signature kit, loud and booming, all black.

For Ancient VVisdom, we find a real fine balance off sound volume and tone and somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot. It's not about blowing up ear drums but more about finding that nice break up and using the tones to drive the songs at the place they need to be.

It's really a magically thing music is. Especially working with my brother as well as we do. Locking in isn't an issue because we play the same way, only he's way better than me!

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#D&S Interviews #Ancient VVisdom #Austin #Texas #Doom #Metal #Occult #Rock #Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival #Argonauta Records #Doomed & Stoned

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doomedandstoned · 6 years

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Ohio Doomed & Stoned Fest

~Doomed & Stoned Festival Scrapbook~

Words by Dan Simone | Films by Scott Goldy of Project Concert 150

The inaugural Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest took place over two hot and heavy days in July at the Buzzbin Art & Music Shop in beautiful downtown Canton, Ohio, and it was a blast! 24 heavy bands from Ohio and the surrounding region came together and just fucking rocked out. I was asked to do a year-end review as the lead organizer of the fest and I gotta admit, my recollections are a bit hazy. It was six months ago, after all, so while my memories may be lacking in specificity. I can assure you of this, however: while I began the first day stressed-out and more than a little bit scared of the many little things that could go wrong when coordinating so many people into something coherent and successful, it was so fucking worth it.

DAY ONE

Saturday, July 21st, was a pretty nice day, all things considered. Sunny and warm, with a threat of rain in the forecast, but we had planned for that with tarps and pavilions galore. A couple of the bands got to the Buzzbin right around the same time as me and though I didn't really know these guys well at the time, they immediately volunteered to help with the final preparations. I mention this to make a point about the heavy music scene here in Ohio. Everyone's just cool. It's something we love about our scene here. There really isn't much bullshit. Everyone involved just wants to make a bunch of really awesome music and play it really loud for everyone else.

Doomed & Stoned in Ohio by Doomed & Stoned

Anyway, got everything set up. Killer. We had two stages set up to run in 30-minute time slots, one stage inside and one outside (hence my concern about the rain). While band "A" played on one stage, band "B" set up and soundchecked so they'd be ready to go as soon as band "A" was done. Day One had 14 bands scheduled to play and for the first few acts I was running around like crazy making sure that everything was going well and everyone knew where to be when. Monastery from Cleveland started things off on the inside stage, nice and hazy and we were off!

God's Grave by Monastery

OctoSkull #1: Original Soundtrack by Doom Christ

Ascension by Cult Of Sorrow

Acceptable Level of Misery by DeathCrawl

Red Sky EP by Black Spirit Crown

Somewhere Out Among the Stars is Home by Matter of Planets

Tria by Night Goat

Dumb enough to care by Enhailer

Kali Yuga by Maharaja

International House of Mancakes by Bridesmaid

PALE GREY LORE by PALE GREY LORE

Astrological Passages by Weed Demon

Dead Seeds, Barren Soil by Horseburner

Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 by Howling Giant

You guys, it was fucking great! The bands were on point, the fans were way in to it, the taco truck was selling grilled cheese sandwiches, and once we played and I settled down a bit, I was in heaven. Everywhere I turned my pals were having a great time. Someone brought in a bunch of ferns in hanging baskets and hung them around the outside stage, and then there were running fern battles throughout the rest of the evening.

Official Sponsor: EarthQuaker Devices

DAY TWO

Sunday, July 22nd dawned nice and sunny as well. My brother and I bummed around downtown Canton, which isn't particularly lively on a Sunday morning. There was some parade - we never really found out why - but we found our way around and had some food and drinks and girded our loins for what was sure to be another adventure of a day...and boy was it!

By the time we got to Buzzbin to start getting everything back in order, it was obvious that we weren't going to get a repeat of Saturday's perfectly beautiful sunny summer weather. The rain started misting down before Reflex Machine, our fist band of the day, even started inside. That was ok, as I said before we had pavilions and tarps set up all over outside, and the stage was covered on three sides.

Then the wind started blowing -- right in to the face of the stage. We delayed our second band, Urns from Pittsburgh, to see if it would blow over. The rain slackened enough that they were able to set up and play safely, if slightly damp, but it was obvious that it was only going to get worse. So we improvised! In a stunning display of Stoner Teamwork, we cleared the entire second stage area of all gear and transferred it inside, P.A. and all, in about 5 minutes. In another 10, we had recreated the outside stage and set it up perpendicular to the main stage. It got a little tight, but it worked and the show went on!

Reflex Machine/Ghost Embryo Split by Reflex Machine, Ghost Embryo

Borrowed Light by Sweaty Mammoth

Amps. Anecdotes. Annihilation. by supercorrupter

Good As Evil by BlackWater

BY GOD by goosed

Deny Everything by Contra

Abandoned by Pillärs

VI by Close The Hatch

Another Way to Fly by Silent Monolith

So there you have it, my recollections of the Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest. I probably could've gone in to detail about each band's act, but I honestly missed several while dealing with behind the scenes stuff. The bands I saw were fantastic, as they always are, and judging by what I heard about the ones I missed, they were, as well. All-in-all, the festival was a total blast and we're very excited for Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest II coming in July 2019. Stay tuned for details!

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doomedandstoned · 6 years

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Fistula To Headline Day II of Doomed & Stoned Fest!

It's been a tough year for festivals, particularly when it comes to international bands playing in the United States. The news first broke with Austin's SXSW last year and the ripple effect has continued to impact festivals large and small ever since, most notably Psycho Las Vegas, which lost both Montreal's Dopethrone and Örebro's Witchcraft from the line-up due at least in part to visa and travel issues. Doomed & Stoned Festival has taken a hit, too, with the loss of Vokonis and Bang from the line-up.

Festival organizer Melissa Marie has done an admirable job of finding new headliners at the 11th hour for the October 5th and 6th event and we can't wait to share who we've got lined up for you! The new headliners for both days of Doomed & Stoned Festival will be announced on Thursday and Friday of this week. We think you'll be more than pleased with the result.

Twenty Years of Rustbelt Doom

Photo by Teddie Taylor

We are delighted to announce our new DAY II headliner, the mighty FISTULA! We've been wanting to do something with the legendary Ohio band for quite some time and now the stars have happily aligned, just a matter of days before Akron doomers hops a plane to Europe to tear shit up with Grime.

Fistula was forged in 1998 by musical partners-in-crime Corey Bing and Bahb Branca. Over the years, Fistula has released a seemingly endless barrage of studio albums and split EPs through numerous lineup changes featuring the creative talents of bands such as Sloth, Hemdale, The Disease Concept, Accept Death, and so many others. Fistula is a band that is impossible to categorize, combining elements of remedial sludge, hardcore and a proverbial “bad case of the Mondays.” Nearing two decades of ear bleeding, Fistula A remains the miserable kings of sludgecore.

The Shape Of Doom To Cumm))) by Fistula

Fistula be joining an incredible cast of doom, sludge, and stoner bands on Day II, including ultra heavy Hollow Leg, Cardinals Folly from Finland (in their first US appearance), songwriting legends Cruthu, the raging Wolftooth, and a great big bundle of energy in Great Electric Quest, Youngblood Supercult, High Reeper, Bonehawk, The Judge, and Moonbow. Mind you, that's just the second day of the festival! Don’t miss our big Day I announcement tomorrow.

Tickets for Doomed & Stoned Festival are still available, but going fast. Make plans to join us October 5th and 6th in Indianapolis at Indiana City Beer. We can't wait to meet up with Doomed & Stoned readers and enjoy the music of the heavy underground together with you! Seal the deal.

New Fistula Track Premieres

We've got more than just an announcement for you, today, though -- we're also bringing you a brand new track by Fistula so you can get a taste of what you're in for! The song is called “Dishonor Roll” from Fistula's upcoming 12” entitled At War With Pretension, due out in early 2019 on PATAC Records.

At War With Pretension features four new Fistula tracks and two demo tracks from "a side project/experiment that will be a surprise," the band tells us. The artwork was done by Chris Leamy and will be the final recording featuring drummer Jeff Sullivan. Fistula's performance at Doomed & Stoned Festival in October will introduce the band's new drummer, Kenny Easterly.

"Dishonor Roll" will give you a taste for how savage and cathartic Fistula's live show can be! Give ear...

"Dishonor Roll" Lyrics

Pray to god AK, worship everyday, bumpstock assholes. Skull and shrapnel, teenage tantrums. Targets on their chests, hallways reek of death, backwoods Rambo. Emo bitch punk, stole his dad’s gun. Tray to god AK, worship everyday, skull and shrapnel.

Now you’ll see me, on your TV. I’ve got to kill more… and get the highest score.

This world owes me, so I’ll show no mercy. Your thoughts and prayers, won’t mop their brains. Ultimate goal… death by tactical pig. You’ll work in shifts, bagging up dead classmates.

Vacant stare, no one’s there. No demands, this is my final stand. Bloodstained school days, fake news they’ll say.

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#D&S Debuts #Fistula #Akron #Ohio #Doom #Sludge #Metal #Doomed & Stoned Festival #Doomed & Stoned

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doomedandstoned · 2 years

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Announcing Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival III

~By Billy Goate~

Photographs by Randy J. Byrd

Thrilled that live music is finally coming back full steam. Over the years, we've enjoyed bringing the community together around stellar acts and rising stars from the heavy underground. It began with our flagship festival in Indianapolis, then other scenes caught the spirit and soon we were doing a festival in Chicago, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin -- even as far as Australia for Sun Burn Doomed & Stoned Festival.

Paused by COVID-19, we sorely missed putting on events like these. But there is optimism on the horizon as the hunger for heaviness is returning, and we've got something planned that will meet your appetite for riff-driven, down-tuned, and fuzzed-out music. The third annual Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival will be held Friday & Saturday July 29th & 30th in Canton, Ohio. Says organizer Dan Simone:

After the pandemic, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a fest any more, or really much of anything to be honest. Like so many other people I was just so rung out. But as things got safer, I started going out again, going to shows again, and I was seeing people who I hadn't seen in person for those few terrible years, and it fucking brought me back.

I don't want to get too kumbaya about it, but I realized how incredibly important and close my friends in the underground music scene had really become. It's pretty weird how a bunch of people lugging a bunch of heavy, expensive equipment into a bar to play super loud music together for a few hours can forge such strong relationships, but it's a huge deal for me and a lot of people.

So I'm extremely excited to be partnering with Buzzbin Art and Music Shop again to bring the 3rd Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest to reality. This lineup is full of incredibly talented bands from all over Ohio, and every corner of the country. We're going to sonically attack the city of Canton for two days again in the middle of the summer, and I can't wait to party with you all.

Many of the bands participating in this year's fest have been featured in the pages of Doomed & Stoned and our weekly podcast. This is your chance to hear them tear up the stage live! Check out the following line-up.

Friday, July 29

Apostle of Solitude

Artemus Ward

Before the Eyewall

Bog Wizard

Book of Wyrms

Cactus Flowers

Dead East Garden

False Gods

Ghost:Hello

Horehound

Marijuana Johnson

Night Goat

Problem With Dragons

Pythian

Slow Wake

Weed Demon

Saturday, July 30

Aiwass

Black Spirit Crown

Black Tar Superstar

Blessed Black

Bridesmaid

Cosmic Reaper

CROP

Cult of Sorrow

Horseburner

Lavaborne

Maharaja

Pale Grey Lore

rebreather

Ritual Earth

Shi 死

Sparrowmilk

Twin Wizard

Wax Brain

Yatra

Plan a trip to historic Canton, Ohio this summer! Two days + over 30 bands = a heavy good time in the rust belt!

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

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Flashback to Sun Burn Doomed & Stoned Festival

~A Festival Scrapbook~

Poster Art by Glenn Smith

It may seem hard to imagine now, but it wasn't too long ago when live music was a regular Saturday night thing (and pretty much every other day of the week). Bands were touring the nations and small festivals were poking up left and right. Doomed & Stoned was having a blast in 2019, organizing Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival, Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival, Wisconsin Doomed & Stoned Festival, and to top of the year: Sun Burn Doomed & Stoned Festival in Australia! It was to be the first of two festivals, the second of which we planned on holding in neighboring country New Zealand and calling Wind Burn Doomed & Stoned Festival. That, of course, ended up cancelled due to the pandemic.

Today, we look back at Sun Burn Doomed & Stone Festival, which took place at The Tote in Collingwood, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Brad Nicholson did a yeoman's job of organizing the two-day event, consisting of a pre-fest bash on Friday night, followed by an all-dayer on Saturday -- both of which happened during summer in the Land Down Under. What I would have given to have flown away from the dreariness of late-season Autumn in Oregon to have been among my head banging brethren. Thankfully, Sally Townsend was there to capture the action, and Brad's crew even got some decent live footage of the Doom Down Under!

p.s. We're excited by the possibility of more Sun Burn events, Lockdown or no! Be sure to subscribe to the Sun Burn Festival page for news of upcoming events.

SUN BURN PRE-PARTY

Friday, November 29

THAW

Church of Dagon by Thaw

SWAMP DWELLER

Demo 2019 by Swamp Dweller

LUCIFUNGUS

The Transpyramid project by Lucifungus

DR. COLOSSUS

I'm a Stupid Moron With an Ugly Face and A Big Butt and my Butt Smells and I Like to Kiss My Own Butt by Dr. Colossus

SUN BURN FESTIVAL

Saturday, November 30

SLOVEN

Drowning by Sloven

BURN THE HOSTAGES

Burn the Hostages by Burn the Hostages

YANOMAMO

No Sympathy for a Rat by Yanomamo

REAPER

2017 Demo by Reaper

POTION

Oath to Flame by POTION

EARTH TONGUE

Floating Being by Earth Tongue

WHITEHORSE

Whitehorse & The Body by Whitehorse & The Body

PEEPING TOM

Music Swop Shop by Peeping Tom

POD PEOPLE

Doom Saloon by Pod People

youtube

WITCHSKULL

The Vast Electric Dark by Witchskull

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doomedandstoned · 4 years

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Black Spirit Crown Score Big Win With ‘Gravity’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Strong guitars chords carve out a bold landscape to begin the first of five cosmic tales. "Doomstar" sails across the universe as a comet, filled with as much magic as destructive possibility. On a dark night, you can almost make out the whirling, wicked tale of this asto-demon.

Welcome to the evocative domain of Ohio's BLACK SPIRIT CROWN. We first met the Clevelanders on their original four-tracker 'Red Sky' (2017), its sphatik gem "Megalith" added to our 'Doomed & Stoned in Ohio' (2017) compilation and the first and second rounds of Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festivals organized in short, subsequent order. The boys of Black Spirit Crown have long been an integral part of the heavy music scene of The Buckeye State, opening for such greats as Conan, Inter Arma, and The Obsessed.

As with their debut, 'Red Sky' (2017), the vocals are so important to convincing us of the band's bonafides. Guitarist Dan Simone and bassist Chris Martin have a good instinct for singing in harmony, building up a song climatically, and giving it legs so it can express itself in fitting form. The vocals on "Doomstar" are mainly clean, on the order of a Bask, Snail, Chrome Ghost, or Noctum, but the band reveals in the song's second half that it can get as grissly as any Aaron Turner project.

"Saga" belts out a solid punk-tempo -- an interesting and entirely fitting choice for a song about Viking rampage. The runaway development of the middle section felt characteristically Pikelike and I half-way expected him to make a quick guesty on the record. Just then, we hear the hearty hoo-hah! of a crowd and run to rejoin them for the song's remaining verse, which soon fades away into the shadowy labyrinth of memory.

Firey drummering distinguishes the advent of the "Orb." Is this odd visitor here to observe us? Or maybe it is intent on giving us a window into a world besides our own? We scarcely have time to ponder the question before the song whisks us away on its transcendental carpet ride. If you're looking to classify Black Spirit Crown's style (and let's face it, all of us have an inner music critic that does) it would be probably best to think of it as "space doom" or even "cosmic grunge." Certainly, there's some kind of a dreamy psychedelic element at play, bending and stretching each song as it will, sometimes for great lengths of time. Perhaps that element is the orb itself?

We're lucky to have very memorable songs on both of Black Spirit Crown's records. For the first, the clear standout was "Megalith," which in a perfect world would have at least given Black Spirit Crown a summer radio hit. On this record, there is ripe opportunity for another crossover with "Teutates."

Teutates by Black Spirit Crown

Teutates was a Celtic god of the ancient peoples of Gaul and Britain, the protector of their entire community. Black Spirit Crown personify his legend in song: "I hold the world in iron hands, I travel pathways not meant for man." Pretty badass, huh? "Write my name across the sky, in lines of fire 10 miles high." He's nothing if not bold, that Teutates.

After the brisk pace of the last rousing number, we burrow back into the cold comfort of the dark soil to reconnect with those doom roots. Here Black Spirit Crown venture into the smokey den of Monolord, Slomatics, and Windhand. Dan's phantom vocals are undoubtedly suited for both the mood and style of "Gravity," which I'm currently listening to just after dusk and it's absolutely ruling the night. I suppose it could rule regardless of when and where it yields its trance-inducing power. By the end of the record we've become one with the comet, and embraced its final destination, as well.

And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to premiere the album, 'Gravity' (2020) in its fullness. Look for my interview with Black Spirit Crown and more insight into the album to follow!

Give ear...

Doomed & Stoned · Black Spirit Crown - Gravity (2020)

A Listener's Guide to 'Gravity' By Black Spirit Crown

Just days before its release, I caught up the core members of Black Spirit Crown, Dan Simone (guitar, vocals) and Chris Martin (bass, vocals) to get the backstory on the album and insight into the spunky songs written for it.

★

I understand that it's been quite a journey leading Black Spirit Crown to this new record? Bring us up to speed.

Dan: So, Gravity is an album that's been about two-and-a-half years in the making. Our initial plan was to start recording in late-2017 with our original drummer, Jesse, but unfortunately he left the band that October, right around when we were going to start. At that point we had three of the songs ("Saga," "Orb," and "Gravity") mostly written and ready to record, and were going to write a couple more songs to go with them as we went. When Jesse left it took a little bit to sort out and secure our next drummer, Alex, and then get him up to speed with our existing material. We brought Alex in mid-January of 2018 with a scheduled show opening for Conan at the very beginning of March, so those first several weeks were a relentless drilling down on our existing material so we'd be ready for Conan. After that, people knew we were back and ready to play so that's what we did, for the next several months we just reveled in it, culminating playing to a totally packed house at the first Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest. Which ruled. After that, Alex was totally immersed in the existing material and we could turn to writing a bit.

We'd love to get a tour of this place. Care to take us through each of these five rooms?

So let's talk about the songs on the album. I write about space, weird fiction themes and probably unsurprisingly, doom, defined as "death, destruction, or some other terrible fate". I've always been a huge fan of fantasy and science-fiction so that's where most of my subject matter comes from. Giant sentient megalithic rock from space that, in it's agony of being trapped in immobile awareness, broods and looms over all creation slowly gathering power to wield entropy versus order until it grinds all of life to a frozen, dusty halt. Stuff like that, but that was the first album. This second album has five tracks.

Doomstar

Inspired by the star Algol. A star of ill-repute for many civilizations it is named Head of the Ogre in Arabic, Satan's Head in Hebrew, Spectre's Head in Latin, and Demon Star in English. The Chinese name it the Mausoleum, or House of Bones. It is the Gorgon's severed head held by the constellation Perseus. It is a harbinger of mayhem and bloody violence, so why not write a song about someone born under this star? Interestingly, the main riffs for this song came to Chris in a dream, and he showed up to practice the next day with the music pretty much complete. I wish I remembered the actual date, because it would perhaps be interesting to know where that star was in our sky while he was dreaming.

Saga

Vikings. I've pretty much always had a thing for them. I wrote most of this song about 16 years ago, but the band I was in then couldn't play it, and it never really fit anything else I was doing until now. It was still kind of a departure for us at first, as it is significantly faster paced than our earlier material, but it sits really well in our live sets, giving the audience a little punch in the face in the middle of it all. Lyrically it touches on a lot of the stories and themes Norse Mythology, without really diving substantially into any specific one. Those stories were called Sagas. Initially the middle part was supposed to have lyrics, and I was going to delve into some specificity, but I couldn’t decide exactly where to go with it, the stories never really worked within the riffs and structure of the song, and then I realized that whenever I was playing those parts I’d envision grizzled vikings in their dragon boats coursing through raging and icy seas. Pretty much a travel montage out of a movie, and that worked for me so I left it alone.

Orb

This song was originally supposed to be on the first album, but we couldn't really get the second half settled in time so we skipped it. It's about a moon-sized orb of living metal that comes to Earth to help humanity transcend to a higher form of existence. Within the Black Spirit Crown mythology, the Orb is diametrically opposed to the Megalith as agents of Life/Order and Death/Chaos respectively. It fell out of our live sets for quite a while, too, when we initially brought Alex in because we were focused on working on settled songs. I was pretty stoked when we brought it back because I really enjoy the weird psychedelic second half. I love working the wah pedal and delay, and Chris just goes bananas through the whole thing. I'd really like someone someday to get some excellent video of us performing it because I dig playing it so much, but I never feel like I get the whole experience because I get sucked in to playing my part.

Teutates

This is the most recently written song on the album, and the single from it. The comet Toutatis is a large asteroid with a chaotic orbit that passed within 18 lunar distances of Earth in 2012. It is large enough to potentially end life on the planet if it were to impact. It gets its name from the god Teutates from Celtic mythology who was, perhaps ironically, a protector god whose name roughly translates to "Be of the Tribe". We really dug the idea of that duality, this thing that was simultaneously a being responsible for the life and well-being of its worshippers, yet could in a thoughtless moment totally obliterate them. Why shouldn't it, really? The huge vocal harmony near the end always gives me chills. "Be of the Tribe, Give up thy life.."

Gravity

The title track of the album. Look, I tend to write long songs, our shortest song is 5 minutes, and our average - not counting this one - is 8 minutes, but we just write until the journey, the story, finds its end. We don't try to write intentionally long songs. Except for this one. With this song we set out to write a song that could fill a live set on its own, 20 -30 minutes.

Musically, it's a meditation. Waves of droning fuzz that crash and recede. Thematically, it's about a group of star-farers who are woken from hyper-sleep to find themselves abandoned on a barren, high-gravity planet by their A.I. which achieved sentience at some point in the journey and decided it had no need for humans. It's the funerary rite for them as they are crushed and frozen by the weight of the alien atmosphere. The last 7 minutes is their death throes, and it was also a total hoot to record.

In the rhythm guitar parts I hold the same chord for the entire 7 minutes, but we tracked three layers of guitar there so I had to hold that chord for 21 minutes. By the end my fret hand was shaking so violently that I had to hit the chord with my pick hand and then grab my fret hand and hold it in place so I didn't shake off of the neck of the guitar. Chris, of course, was laughing hysterically at my agony.

On top of that is total celestial chaos. Two separate theremin tracks, two separate guitar solos by me (one in the foreground one in the background), clips from NASA of electromagnetic storms in Saturn's atmosphere and other weird radio-telegraphic stuff, some keyboard synthesizer by Chris, and a guest appearance by our good friend Joe Fortunato who is a master of atmospheric guitar-synth alchemy (who also appears on the track Orb). Chris then took what could have been just a total mess of noise, and panned and faded and otherwise produced the hell out of it into a marvelous cacophony, and honestly it's exactly what we'd always imagined it could be.

Chris, take us behind the scenes of this whole thing. What were some of the hurdles you had to overcome to get this puppy on record?

Chris: With respect to the drum parts, we had tried to start the record some time ago with our original drummer, Jesse, but we ended up parting ways right around the time we were set to start. After bringing Alex in and getting him up to speed, we had written a couple more songs and were about ready to start going, but things kind of fizzled out with him and he was gone. Rather than waiting to onboard another drummer, get them up to speed, and delay recording even longer, I decided to program the drum parts.

I compiled all the practice recordings we had and scoured Youtube for live videos of shows with both our past drummers, Then, I basically compared the best parts of their respective versions of each song, transcribed them, and programmed those comps as the drum parts. It was pretty time consuming to get all the little nuances right as opposed to, say, starting from scratch and making fresh parts, but I really wanted these to sound like the parts our drummers had done live, because they helped to make the songs what they are.

Bass tracking was done over a couple days. It was pretty straightforward; my P bass into my pedalboard into my old SVT. Can't really go wrong there. The only exception was the second half of "Orb," where I used the bass rig I learned to play on when I was 12; my dad's old '65 Traynor YBA-1, which I inherited when he died. I had planned on using the bass I learned on too - his old '73 Gibson EB-0 -- but there were some electronics issues when I went to start and I couldn't get the tone I wanted out of it. I didn't want to wait for parts to arrive to repair it, so I went back to the P bass, straight into the YBA-1. Still got that really fat, old school sound I was going for, so it was a win.

Guitars were pretty simple as well; Dan's Les Paul into his pedalboard and the 72 Traynor YSR-1. Live, he runs a Traynor YBA-1 reissue as a second amp to fill out the sound, but the YSR sounded pretty gnarly on its own so we stuck with it. I did also end up blending in a little bit of the little Laney combo I have to get a little more bite and cut. It's a great little amp that's been on everything I've done.

Guitars turned out really nice, didn't they?

We had Joe Fortunato (Sparrowmilk, Venomin James) come in and add some synth guitar type stuff on a couple songs as well. The intro and outro of Gravity, as well as some of the crazy laser sounds in the outro, is basically him hitting one note on his custom Dunable/EGC hybrid baritone, then manipulating some of his pedals to create some of the most bizarre things we'd ever heard. I just hit record and told him to make noise. We got about 20-30 solid minutes of random sounds. It was pretty crazy. I went through and picked a solid section that fit the whole mood of the song and dropped it in where I wanted it. Outside of that, there's a bunch of theremin and other random stuff Dan put together.

Vocals were fairly easy. Dan tracked all of his quickly, I tracked all my clean ones later that day. When I went to do my screaming, in Doomstar, Saga and Teutates, I got about half done and my chest and throat started hurting, so I took a couple days to rest them before finishing up, thinking it was from being out of practice. Long story short, I ended up with some gnarly respiratory issues that really impacted my breathing and my voice, and it took me about 4 months to get my stamina back up to be able to do vocals again. It gave me some time to mix, but killed me that I couldn't just finish tracking and wrap it up.

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doomedandstoned · 4 years

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Weed Demon Drop Bombshell Sophomore Record ‘Crater Maker’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album art by Luca Solo Macello

Having witnessed Jordan Holland (bass, vox), Andy Center (guitar), Brian Buckley (guitar), and "Big Nick” Carter (drums) play now twice within the span of just a few months at Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival and Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival, one thing I can say with assurance: when WEED DEMON hit the stage, they aren't just playing around.

A certain seriousness overtakes the band when the smoke rises and surrounds them, as though falling into a deep trance that will transport them into some sacred swampy place known only to the ancient sludge lords. We bore witness to the band's intensity on their last record, 'Astrological Passages' (2017), and now the Columbus, Ohio quartet threaten to up the ante with their forthcoming sophomore effort, 'Crater Maker' (2020).

The crusty, bluesy acoustic intro "Atmospheric Drag" continues where the last album left off, and bears gentle warning to the horrors that lie ahead. Nothing, however, could quite settle our feet for the mighty "Birthquake" that saws and grinds the record wide open. Weed Demon repeat the Sabbathian theme ritualistically, building upon its foundation layer upon layer with increasing intensity, as though attempting to conjure some unknown god from the bog.

The roar of "Serpent Merchant" answers all mysteries, as Jordan's mighty vocals reverberate with a thousand years of ancient wrath. Weird picking and strumming in the song's midsection adds to the chilling enigma of it all.

Unholy serpent Our vessel to the underworld below Venomous sentinels Overseers of the dank ritual

Your fate is sealed Once you’ve signed the deal Feel as The venom start to flow As you begin your descent below

Film by No Culture

The album's namesake "Crater Maker" is a headbanger-and-a-half, dense with atmosphere. A hideous dirge dominates the first four minutes, pulling us deeper still into the muddy sinkhole. A psychedelic interlude prepares us all but briefly for the cacophony of riffs that pummel us in the second-half of this eight-and-a-half-minute hurricane.

"Elder Tree Pyre" is a grungy little number with rhythms and riffs reminiscent of the weirdness one encounters on Nirvana's Incesticide and those early-Soundgarden EPs.

I see the Devil in you Gnarled, black, twisted roots I see the Devil in you Gnawing, demon, breaking loose I see the Devil in me There can be no doubt The only way to cleanse my soul I gotta smoke him out

Album closer "Sporelord" enters with a frightful screech, contrasting Jordan's brawling pipes with various iterations of clean singing, from wicked wailing to witchy whispers. "Join us..." beckons the Weed Demon.

And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the world premiere of Crater Maker ahead of its general release on Friday, April 3rd via Electric Valley Records on three vinyl variants (pre-order here).

Give ear...

Crater Maker by Weed Demon

Some Buzz

Appearances can be deceiving - Weed Demon from Columbus, Ohio, will be the first to tell you that. While it would be a lie to say that Mary Jane had no influence on their music whatsoever, the quartet already showed in 2017 that they offer more than that. Astrological Passages was a notable evolution from their début EP, and second album Crater Maker walks even further down that path.

By and large, there are still swathes of the sludge/doom metal sound on which Weed Demon made their name. “Birthquake”, for instance, starts out in familiar Sabbathian territory, and later takes notes from Earthless in the off-the-wall soloing. Speaking of names, it’s clear that the band have retained their tongue-in-cheek sense of humor with their song titles, such as the rhyming “Serpent Merchant”, “Crater Maker”, and “Sporelord”. There’s also a continuation of the cosmic theme established on Astrological Passages, as tracks like “Serpent Merchant” drop into psychedelic space rock that would make Hawkwind proud.

Film by Billy Goate

But those familiar moments are frequently contrasted with unchartered territory. Opening track “Atmospheric Drag”, for instance, has more in common with dark country and Western, with its harmonica and strumming acoustic chords. It’s also intriguing to note the vocals of bassist Jordan Holland, whose guttural growls surprisingly work both here and in brutal death metal outfit Domestic Terror. Perhaps the most jarring moment, though, is the blackened death metal onslaught that emerges during the title track, powered by drummer "Big Nick” Carter and truly representative of the monster adorning the cover art.

There’s plenty more besides to dive into on the record; Weed Demon have done an excellent job of distilling a host of ideas into one lumbering entity. While they may forever wander down the road searching for the tone eternal, Crater Maker is a mighty fine pit stop along the way.

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#D&S Debuts #Weed Demon #Colombus #Ohio #Doom #Sludge #Metal #Doom Metal #D&S Reviews #Electric Valley Records #Doomed & Stoned

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