Thoroughly Stirred...

Runescarred - We Are (2018)

With their debut EP, the Austin-based trio of Runescarred put their years of experience in previous bands to work in the service of creating metal that pulls from a variety of the genre's sub-styles, ranging from death metal-flavored beats and guitar tone, to British heavy metal vocals, doomy bass-lines, power metal solos, and thrashy breaks. It's a fast-moving mix with a lot of depth to its action, and it makes sense for the band to let curious listeners get a toe wet with the three songs of this EP before throwing a full album at them.

Still, though the songs duck and weave through their knots of style-merging, they keep a firm emphasis on melody and listener-friendly song-shaping. The leaps aren't blind, they're built from the preceding structures of the songs, though it takes some attentive listening to pick up the clues. That attention to detail makes it a great pick-up for those who like digging into their music, though, and should keep them tided over until the group's first full LP arrives. Until then, try to catch the band live if you happen to be in Texas, and stay tuned for big things from them.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Artension, Gamma Ray, Rhapsody of Fire, Symphony X, Twilightning

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Runescarred - This is Mine (320 kbps)

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Moonlit Escapism...

Mist - Free Me from the Sun (2018)

We first heard the Slovenian band of Mist back in 2013, with their succinctly-titled Demo. Two EPs and five years later, the group has their first full album ready to share with the world, and in its ten tracks, the quintet show how they've developed their style over half a decade. Big sound, bold riffs, and a solemn atmosphere typify the album, with assertive guitar-lines and rich vocals providing the main guidance to the melodies. There's very much a 'retro doom' vibe to the songs, with traces of the more somber giants, like Candlemass and Saint Vitus, evident in the deliberation shaping mood and bass shading.

As such, while the usual aggression common to metal does show up regularly, its in the music's slower and more thoughtful moments that it really shines (“December” being a prime example). The heaviness is more of a means to an end than the be-all, end-all of something like Ommadon, but it's also deployed with effective dedication and thoughtfulness, wrapping around the core melodies with impressive bonding for what it is. A little more resonance or up-mixing of the bass would have been nice, but considering the need to balance five members' contributions, the end result is understandable. In any event, it's a pleasure to see this group finally put out an LP, and for something five years in the making, it certainly doesn't disappoint.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Blood Ceremony, Demon Head, Disenchanter, Pilgrim, Saint Vitus

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Mist - December (320 kbps)

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Handshakes And Heartaches...

Gray Dog - The Deal (2017)

While this may have been released last year, the efforts the band went to in order to get a physical copy to me (intercontinentally, and relayed from one old address to the next) were enough to win me over into doing a review for it anyway.

So, this is the first EP from the Belarusian duo of Gray Dog, who are currently operating out of Poland (good company there). The EP's five tracks unearth some blues of the dirty and heavy variety, with twanging strings and wounded yells forming the main thrust of the music. Regret and pain are the main themes, as is commonly the case with blues, and the fretwork is nimble, sparing, and stylish. The production is likewise kept uncluttered, though the grimy tint comes through undimmed, and the growls and strings both get their full register across in fine clarity. Percussion is limited to thumps on the guitar's body (and a couple slaps of a background tambourine), which helps keep the sense of physical immediacy strong. There's a real sense of life to it (especially when they start baying like coyotes), and it's a welcome change-up from the dense posturing all too common in heavy rock. If you've been looking for something off the beaten path, but still truly heavy, here's your prescription.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; The Barnburners, Cebo))), The Midnight Ghost Train, Muddy Moonshine, T.K. Bollinger & That Sinking Feeling

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Gray Dog - The Pray of Hangover (320 kbps)

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Purge And Binge...

Ancient Altar - Cosmic Purge / Foie Gras (2018)

Over the course of the two songs on this EP, the LA-based outfit of Ancient Altar unpack about 24 minutes of stern doom metal, building from firm bass and drum foundations up through growls, toothy guitar-work, and clear but imposing singing. The first half, “Cosmic Purge”, works up to a powerful momentum, with a few breaks scattered in among the otherwise unrelentingly heavy roll-along. There's tunefulness threaded in, though the aggressive weightiness stays at the fore-front, and it carries itself well for its ~11-minute size. “Foie Gras”, the second and longer track, picks up from it with a little more emphasis on the riffs, and a little more speed to its crashing impacts. It's a nice twist from the atmosphere set by the first, and its faint touches of psychedelic exoticism on the guitar's solos lend things an appreciable expansiveness. Between the two tracks, it's a solid and enjoyable release, one which bodes well for the subsequent album on their own Transcendental Void Records label. Hopefully that'll arrive before too long, but in the meantime, get yourself acquainted well with this EP, and soak up the menace.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Abstracter, Bell Witch, The Munsens, Raedon Kong, Wounded Giant

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Ancient Altar - Foie Gras (320 kbps)

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Stars And Bars...

Black Elephant - Cosmic Blues (2018)

Back with their third album since debuting with 2012's Spaghetti Cowboy, the Italian quartet of Black Elephant have spent the four years since their last LP honing their heavy stoner rock hooks, and it certainly shows in the seven tracks of Cosmic Blues. Hot guitar grooves, echoing slides, mellowed-out bass that swings in for kicks, and drums that firmly lay down the beat are all at play, showing the fusion of blues, rock, and consumption-tuned psychedelic flavors in fine form. Once the band launches into a riff, it leads to a slew of others, slipping and sliding out to a finish until the momentum carries them right into another riff train. It's heavy but fast-moving, a little bit funky in the right places, and the guitar tones have such a nice seasoning to their twang, it's nice that the band lets them hold sway over a good stretch of instrumental passages. Grab this one if you've been hungering for some solid stoner rock with an emphasis on big riffs and tuneful cruising.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Daily Thompson, Farflung, Fatso Jetson, Mos Generator, Stone Machine Electric

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