REVIEW: Wo Fat - Noche del Chupacabra

PsychedelicDoom from the USA
Wo Fat - Descent Into The Maelstrom


Leave it to a little band from Texas to name a record after a mythological Mexican monster.  While the multilinguist in me wonders whether the Chupacabra is of the masculine or feminine gender, the heavy-riff enthusiast is really digging this five-track package, served with a hearty helping of downtuned doom.

“Bayou Juju” serves up some river-deep southern grooves, with a slight southern twang in the vocals, which seem a bit buried in the profound riffage.  “Descent Into the Maelstorm”goes down like a knife into butter, its wah-fuzz attack assaulting the senses at a casual, deliberate pace. “Common Ground” lets off the clutch a bit, with a fuzzy southern blues that sounds like SRV after a coupla bong hits, and “Phantasmagoria” continues with the laid-back, heavy blues vibe.

The title track is a swirling 15-minute epic with some jazzy drumming and spaced-out guitars.  It serves as a showcase for the heavy blues soloing heard throughout, while ending the album on a HIGH note.
For those who like their doom of the dirty, southern variety, this album's well worth a listen.

Reviewed by Gruesome Greg 

Nasoni Records   *  Kozmik Artifactz  *  Myspace  *  Website  *  Bandcamp

Tracklist

01 Bayou Juju

02 Descent Into The Maelstrom

03 Common Ground

04 Phantasmagoria

05 Noche del Chupacabra

REVIEW: Wight - Wight Weedy Wight

PsychedelicDoom from Germany
Wight - Let Me Know When You Found God

When you see a full-length release with only six songs on it, you know it's either gonna be an epic meditation on astral physics, a long, dreadfully boring slog—or simply shameless Sleep/YOB worship.  In that regard, Wight Weedy Wight really leans toward the latter.  While not as good as the originals, if your lazy, half-baked ass can't make it to Holy Mountain, Wight is a whole lot better than drinking New Coke.

In opening track “Cosmic Rhythm #1,” Wight wears both its influences on its sleeve in a five-minute, drugged out, space-jam instrumental.  Then they get into the really long stuff.  “All Beyond the Piend(!?) of Being” begins as a cosmic blues, before a signature Al Cisneros bass groove joins the fray amidst some trippy riffing. A few spaced-out solos—guitar and bass—complete with spaceship sounds later, and we have a nine-minute meditation on...what?  I'm not quite sure.

“Let Me Know When You Found God” (Oh, the grammar!) is equally long and slow, but unfortunately, it's also more structured and less interesting, although there are some redeeming moments to be found within its 10-minute, 10 km/h journey.  For one, it contains a true guitar solo without any backing instruments.  You don't hear those every day...

Perhaps the piece de resistance is the 12-minute title track.  Driven by a rock-solid bass groove and fueled by lotsa wah, tis a solid spacey instro tune—for a good eight and a half minutes, anyways.  The vocals don't really add much to the proceedings, but without checking, I'm assuming their singer also plays the bass.

Singer kicks it into Steven Tyler mode on “Shaman Woman,” a rather pedestrian blues rocker that's hindered by the piercing vocals. Fortunately, it's over in less than four minutes.  “Hammer Boogie” barely eclipses the four-minute mark, and has a bit more balls, not to mention a freakin' saxophone solo!  Still, it seems strange that they wouldn't end with an epic number.  Guess they were running outta time at the recording studio, or something.

Reviewed by Gruesome Greg 

Website
Myspace
Kozmik-Artifactz

 

Tracklist

01 Cosmic Rhythm #1

02 All Beyond The Piend Of Being

03 Let Me Know When You Found God

04 Wight Weedy Wight

05 Shaman Woman

06 Hammer Boogie

REVIEW: Gniyrg Gnaarg – From Mother Sun Demo

PsychedelicDoom from Finland
Gniyrg Gnaarg - Big Bang


Gniyrg Gnaarg—try saying that four times fast! Alas, this doomy album contains four tracks that move rather slowly, each hovering around the 10-minute mark. Vocals are delivered in a thick, droning Eastern European accent which adds an otherworldly quality to the music, though they seem to be a little too high in the mix at times, coming in too loud over the riffage in these ears, particularly on the first song.

Opening track “Awaiting the Sunlight” sounds part Kyuss, part Sleep and part Scandinavian sea shanty. The vocals add a pirate-like effect, but I could really do with less “oohs” and “yeahs.” “Enter the Dungeon” has their singer simultaneously channeling Al Cisneros and Tim Baker (of Cirith Ungol fame) on a slow, plodding doom number that's pretty decent.

“Earth Fire” is another slow-moving creature with a chorus that brings guttural death metal vocals into the mix and a guitar tone that makes the dentist's drill of Boston's Tom Scholz sound pleasant by comparison—to say nothing of the kindergarten lyrics that fit the Cookie Monster vocals to a T. “Big Bang” ends the album with a fizzle, a mish-mash of Sleep, The Obsessed and (insert influential doom band here). The vocals channel Cisneros' meditative OM delivery at times--which works quite well--but the music is pretty bland, aside from one recurring Winoesque riff that's not too bad.

Now, Gniyrg Gnaarg hails from Finland, home of legendary true doomsters Reverend Bizarre. However, this record resembles the Bizarre Reverend about as much as The Blues Brothers playing “Gimme Some Lovin'” sounds like a Hank Williams tune. Maybe Gniyrg Gnaarg's frontman should see if Albert Witchfinder gives singing lessons, that would be a start.

Reviewed by Gruesome Greg 

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Track List 

01 Awaiting the Sunlight

02 Enter the Dungeon

03 Earth Fire

04 Big Bang

DEMOLAND: STONENROW - Magic Bong

PsychedelicDoom from Greece
Stonenrow - Magic Bong


First off, there was a man and his need to create. Somehow that was the reason we ended up playing together.
Met on Myspace and the next day went to a jam session at the studio, that it was. From now on we would be known as STONENROW...

Myspace
Reverbnation

Track List

01 Funeral

02 Magic Bong