It’s been a minute since I last reviewed an album on the blog. Apologies for that. Real life has been insanely hectic for your friendly Harbinger of D.O.O.M. these last six weeks and apart from the occasional article and interview, I haven’t had time to properly dedicate my time to doing track by track rundowns of some of the past few weeks of releases. The year is winding down and it continues to be chock-full of stellar releases and album of the year contenders. I’ll do something different for the next couple of reviews; instead of lengthier reviews focusing on a single album, I’ll give you a double shot of shorter reviews for albums that really blew my mind. So, here we go!
Ten days ago, Sweden’s doom quintet Altareth released their fantastic full-length debut album, Blood, on Magnetic Eye Records. Make no mistake though, this band has been around for at least seven years. They seem to have changed directions musically as they veer more towards classic doom/metal with heavy psych and occult references on this release as opposed to the more classic rock sound they had on their excellent demo track “Deconstruction” back in 2015. Blood opens slow and very heavy with its title track, full of fuzz and sludge. The catchy “Satan Hole” follows, a great cut and easily the most accessible of the album. If I had to pick favorites, it’d be the absolutely epic “Eternal Sleep” and the ominous “Moon”, with its great guitar riffs and solos. “High Priest” is certainly the most Sabbath-sounding song here, with singer Strömberg channeling both Ozzy and Trouble’s recently deceased frontman Eric Wagner at times. The seventh and final track, “Empty”, closes out the album at a lengthy 9 minutes.
Blood is everything a classic doom lover could desire. Think Black Sabbath meets Sleep with a dose of Windhand. It’s heavy, menacing, and leaves a lasting impact on the listener after the record is done spinning. I give it my highest possible recommendation.
Altareth’s Bandcamp page: https://altareth.bandcamp.com
Magnetic Eye Records’ Bandcamp page: https://magneticeyerecords.bandcamp.com
Another release that completely slipped away from me in terms of review is Doctor Smoke’s phenomenal sophomore album, Dreamers and the Dead. This one came out at the beginning of September, and one thing led to another and it fell through the cracks for a review. Time to redeem that omission for this album that I can’t stop spinning.
Seven years went by between the Ohio quartet’s debut, The Witching Hour, and Dreamers and the Dead. The band has now signed with the mighty Ripple Music and these boys don’t know the meaning of the expression “sophomore slump”. This record is a barn-burner from beginning to end. It’s reminiscent of the glory days of ‘80s heavy metal and big arena rock anthems, giving the album a feeling of instant familiarity. “Reborn into Darkness” opens this 10-song rock fest with its infectious riffs and rhythms. If we move to the third and fourth tracks, “Waking Dreams” and “Out of Time”, two songs filled with fiery guitars and terrific vocals from Matt Tluchowski (who sometimes sounds like a more melodic Dave Mustaine). “What Lies Beyond” is a sleeper song; the more you hear it, the more it becomes an earworm that’ll have you singing along. The title track might very well be my favorite song on the record but the jury is still out on that one; honestly, we’re spoiled with ten outstanding tracks here! “The Rope” is fun, fast and furious, followed by the final cut, “This Hallowed Ground”, a darker song and in my opinion one of the very best in an album brimming with rock gems.
Dreamers and the Dead is exactly what the doom doctor ordered! A perfect blend of heavy metal and hard rock with some blues on the side, channeling the heydays of the hair metal era and putting a modern spin on it. Doctor Smoke’s mixture of killer guitars, vocals that are a thing of beauty, and a fun atmosphere throughout, what more could you ask for? We have ourselves a definite album of the year candidate here, folks!
Doctor Smoke’s Bandcamp page: https://doctorsmoke.bandcamp.com
Ripple Music’s Bandcamp page for Doctor Smoke: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/dreamers-and-the-dead
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