Review: Genie Cries - The Limits of Deviation

Genie Cries is a British progressive rock trio consisting of three brothers: Ian, Neil, and Gary Gordon. You might be familiar with Ian Gordon’s work as he is the mastermind behind HorrorBabble, a channel of horror audiobooks. Ian narrates classic horror stories from the masters—H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, to name a few—as well as contemporary horror, featuring some of his own writings, including his series about paranormal investigator Peter Van Melsen. I highly recommend lending your ear to it if you’re a fan of horror literature. You’ll find a link to HorrorBabble at the bottom of this review. Ian is also involved in solo musical projects for which I’ll also post a link below.

Back to Genie Cries. The Limits of Deviation is the band’s debut album which explores a broad range of concepts. If you’ve missed the days of classic prog rock, then you’ll be thrilled with this album. I hear influences from Yes, Genesis, Kansas, Styx, and Rush on this LP. From the get-go, “Stand Your Ground” reminded me of modern-day Kansas’ output; it’s a beautiful song to get the record going. It’s got a cool piano and synths intro as well as a catchy chorus. “Sink” is one of the highlights of the album with its head-bobbing riffs and poppy vibe; definitely one of the most accessible songs on here. “Light That Splits the Cloud” is a slower number and a beauty of a song channeling Rush at times. “Take the Time” is a gentle ballad with some terrific heartfelt vocals from Ian. “Seven Boats” is 7 minutes of very proggy rock, and features familiar synth passages drawn from classic prog blueprints. “Verbrennen”, which is German for “burn” or “to burn”, is another strong track with a gorgeous string section. “Windows” is a solid cut divided into different movements with superb guitar parts and solo. “Palace in the Sky” is a 12-minute epic, both in length and in scope, paying homage to video games where the hero must rescue his princess. Done in the tradition of classic lengthy prog epics, it’s my pick for my favorite track on the record. The album comes to an end with “Landslide”, which isn’t a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, but rather a warm, slow song that perfectly wraps up this musical journey.

The Limits of Deviation is a breath of fresh air. Running at 55 minutes for its nine songs, it’s a wonderful throwback to the good old days of prog rock from the late ‘70s/early ‘80s that I personally am very fond of. The Gordon brothers complete each other splendidly and have crafted a gem of an album. From their first-rate musicianship to their dreamy songwriting, Genie Cries provides its listeners with a warm sonic landscape that you’ll want to revisit often.

Genie Cries’ Bandcamp page: https://geniecries.bandcamp.com/album/the-limits-of-deviation

HorrorBabble’s Bandcamp page: https://horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/

Ian Gordon’s Bandcamp page: https://iangordon.bandcamp.com/ 

Review: Earl of Hell - Get Smoked

There are some albums that instantly grab you from the second you hit the “Play” button and don’t let go of you until the very last note is played. Get Smoked is one of those albums. Earl of Hell is a four-piece (soon to be five) band out of Edinburgh, Scotland formed in 2020. They play a unique brand of fuzz/stoner/punk rock, and there are even some rockabilly and surf vibes at times, with shades of Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, and Iggy & The Stooges. After two single releases in 2021, Get Smoked is the band’s first EP. It will be released on April 29 via Slightly Fuzzed Records.

By the way, the band’s name “Earl” is a rank of the nobility in the UK, akin to a “Duke” title. Just to say that it’s a really cool name for a band, which can be a challenge to find nowadays as there are so many bands popping up all the time. The gorgeous album artwork tells you everything you need to know about what’s inside: a fiery, relentless, fuzzy rock offering. A high-energy affair from the get-go, Get Smoked consists of six songs about death and vengeance, making it a concept album of sorts. “Hang ‘Em High” blows the gates open like a spinning ring of fire. It’s a terrific punk-rock song with a fun sing-along chorus. “Parasite” isn’t a cover of the famous KISS song, instead we’re served a one-two punch of stoner rock with a pulse-pounding bassline. “I Am the Chill” wears its title well, a perfect song to chill to—drink up and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. “Bitter Fruits” is a revelation! Damn, this one’s got layers and textures, opening with piano and strings, spiraling into growling vocals and synth wizardry. A definite stand-out track. “Blood Disco” is the most fun song of the EP—and that’s saying a lot since they’re all hella fun! It’d be a good choice for a title song to a Grindhouse-type horror flick. The riff alone will have you bobbing your head until tomorrow. “Kill the Witch” has bewitched me. My favorite song on this little gem of an EP. I was walking back from work after dark alone in the park in the harsh winter when I first heard it and the opening spoken words by the titular witch genuinely gave me goosebumps! A spooky song with an addictive chorus that brings Get Smoked to a close on a strong note.

Get Smoked will smoke your ass! What a brilliant debut and fun times from this band—“fun” being the operative word here. I’d love to see them perform live as they sound tight and give me the impression that it’d be one hell of a party to attend one of their shows. How is it that this band has only been together for less than two years? They have such a polished sound that usually takes years of playing together to achieve. Earl of Hell have crafted a phenomenal set of songs, with high production values, musical skills in spades, and bucket-loads of horror imagery. Go ahead and run to pre-order this smokin’ hot EP, you won’t want to be left out in the cold!

Earl of Hell’s Official Website: https://earlofhell.com/

Earl of Hell’s Bandcamp page: https://earlofhell.bandcamp.com/

Slightly Fuzzed Records: https://slightlyfuzzed.bigcartel.com/

Audiobook: Fantastic Four - Redemption of the Silver Surfer

At the beginning of the year, I said I’d have a few surprises and new projects in store for you in 2022. This is one of them: discussing and reviewing audiobooks. I’m a fiction writer myself and I listen to audiobooks on a daily basis. Audible is my go-to place for books. I’ll focus on discussing and reviewing books that might cater to readers of the Harbinger of D.O.O.M. blog and listeners of doom/stoner/metal music. I’m thinking comic book-related, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy novels. From Star Wars and Star Trek to Marvel’s line of superhero prose books, for instance.

My pick to get things going is one of Marvel’s reissues of those old novels from the 1970s and 1990s, being published in audiobook format for the very first time. There’s a ton of them slated for release throughout the rest of the year featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Hulk, and many more. But first, let me give you a little info on my background with comic books. I collected comics from around 1982 to 1998 (age 7 to 24). I had my very own comic book store for a year back in the ‘90s here in Montreal. I no longer collect comics, nor do I care much about the Marvel cinematic universe. I’ve seen a bunch of the movies, of course, out of curiosity or due to tagging along to the theatre with friends and ex-girlfriends, but I don’t have much interest in them or in what Marvel Comics have become in this day and age. I’m old school and my favorite eras are the Silver Age (1956–1970) and Bronze Age (1970–1985) of comics, no matter how dated, cheesy, or simplistic it might feel to modern readers or someone who was born in the 21^st century. This is why when Marvel started releasing those old treasures of out-of-print books on Audible, it got me giddy again to read (listen) to them.

So, yeah, nostalgia is a big factor here, but also a lot of these books (especially some of the ones published in the ‘90s) were actually damn good stories written by awesome writers who were familiar with the Marvel Universe or worked at Marvel Comics like Peter David, Chris Claremont, Tom DeFalco, David Michelinie, and Greg Cox, to name a few.

The book I’ll talk about today is Fantastic Four: Redemption of the Silver Surfer. Written by Michael Jan Friedman and first published in 1997, the official synopsis of the book reads like this: “When three of the Fantastic Four are lured into the Negative Zone by the evil Blastaar, the Invisible Woman enlists the Silver Surfer to help. But they face an even greater threat: Prodigion, a destroyer of worlds akin to Galactus, the planet devourer to whom the Surfer was once Herald. Can the Surfer atone for his past actions with Galactus? And is Prodigion truly a Negative Zone version of Galactus ... or is the truth deadlier than even the world's greatest heroes can imagine?” The audiobook is narrated by Andrew Eiden and was released on February 8, 2022.

Cover art for the 1997 print edition

Friedman is no stranger to comic books and genre fiction, having written a plethora of DC comics and Star Trek novels in the ‘90s. His grasp of the Fantastic Four is solid and this book feels like a story that could’ve been written in comic book form. You can easily picture some of Jack Kirby or John Byrne’s wonderful artwork in your mind as the story unfolds. In order to enjoy this book though, you have to be a fan of the Fantastic Four, and I’d even argue that you’d have to be partial to the Silver Surfer as well. There’s a reason why the Surfer figures so prominently on the book cover—this is a Surfer-centric story, and at times it almost feels like the FF are supporting characters. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re a Marvel fan, but some readers might feel cheated by not having enough of the very first team of Marvel superheroes show up in their own book. For the record, the Fantastic Four have always been my favorite superhero team and I’m especially fond of John Byrne’s lengthy run in the ‘80s. It’s also one of the reasons why I use their arch nemesis, Doctor Doom, as my avatar on the blog and on Twitter. Also, this is one of the more spacey FF stories. There were typically two kinds of stories where Marvel’s First Family was concerned: 1) tales set in and around New York, on Earth where they fought villains like Doctor Doom and the Mole Man and, 2) stories in space where they battled Galactus and the Skrulls which at times felt more like sci-fi comics. Redemption of the Silver Surfer definitely falls in the latter category.

The FF by John Byrne in the 1980s

That being said, this book is a fun read and has aged better than I had anticipated. In terms of new villains, we get Prodigion, a similar entity as Galactus (the devourer of worlds) but who actually does the opposite of what Galactus does, being a life-giver. I won’t get into details not to spoil it for you, but there’s a nice twist in the third act. Instead of heralds to seek out worlds for him, he has a group of Outriders. We also get one of my favorite Lee/Kirby creations, Blastaar, a villain from the Negative Zone who causes mayhem as usual. Silver Surfer gets into a bit of a romance in this one, and the FF are portrayed the way we’ve come to know and love them: Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) is the father figure and scientist looking for answers, Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), his wife, is always resourceful, Johnny Storm (Human Torch), Sue’s younger brother, can be impulsive at times but gets the job done, and last but not least, Ben Grimm (The Thing), the lovable monster who never fails to provide quotable quips. Andrew Eiden does a terrific job as narrator; he has a pleasant voice, a good reading pace, and changes his voice from time to time to depict the different characters.

Blastaar by Jack Kirby

It’s a simple and straight-forward story that should satisfy fans of the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Marvel Comics in general, and even sci-fi enthusiasts with the caveat that it’s a product of its time and it isn’t as layered and elaborate as what modern-day readers are used to. If you grew up or were collecting comics in the ‘70s, ’80s, and ‘90s, then I’d wager that you’ll have a blast with this audiobook. Redemption of the Silver Surfer is a fun trip down memory lane to simpler times when comic books weren’t as mainstream and as big a part of pop culture as they are today.

Rating: Four stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible

Review: The AoD - REMAIN

The AoD (formerly The Art of Dethronement) is a 6-man Hungarian metal band from Budapest. After recording a song together in 2019 titled “Down on My Knees”, they now present us with their debut EP, REMAIN.

REMAIN is a brisk 4-song EP that lasts 19 minutes, but the band doesn’t waste any time in showing us what they’re made of on this well-crafted set of songs. A fiery number opens the EP, “Do We Remain”, with a catchy chorus, a wall of synths and guitars, including a cool guitar solo. “The Vortex Scheme” has to be the most accessible track on the album, with shades of Dream Theater and a beautiful piano section. Next up is “The Inevitable”, a song about longing, my least favorite of the pack but still a solid tune that’s harder-edged than the rest, featuring a deluge of drums and guitars. Things come to an end with “Doom”; now, a song titled “Doom” has to be awesome, right? And it absolutely is! Maybe my favorite track of the EP with a hell of a cool riff and some tight playing all around from the boys.

REMAIN is an EP that I enjoy a little more with each new spin. I have to admit, it was a bit of an acquired taste the first two listens but after that, it became a bunch of songs that really click with me and I enjoy them a lot. And something must be said about the gorgeous album cover art, wow! The musicianship is superb, the choruses are memorable and stay with you long after the music stops. If you like melodic metal with prog tendencies played by a talented group of musicians with a bit of Doom in their veins, then The AoD’s REMAIN is bound to hit the spot.

The AoD’s online presence: https://linktr.ee/theaodband 

Review: Wizard Master - Phasmatis

Some albums strike a chord the minute you hear them. Such is the case with Rome, Italy’s Doom duo Wizard Master with their debut album Phasmatis. It’s sinister, fuzzy, and draped in the occult.

Phasmatis is a concept album that opens with a foreboding instrumental track titled “Extradimensional Being” in which we hear a paranoid and perturbed caller to a radio show babbling about the aforementioned extradimensional beings. It sets the tone perfectly for everything that follows throughout this musical séance. “Know the Wizard” is a groovy cut, straight out of the seventies, and an absolute gem of a song. Maybe the best of the album with its distorted sound and doomy atmosphere. For a song that’s over seven minutes in length, it never overstays its welcome. “Wicked Eye” is a meaner song with blistering guitar and hypnotic rhythms. This one sizzles and also remains relevant during the entirety of its eight minutes. “This Is Black Sabbath” is slower-paced, full of stoner vibes, turning into a ceremony of musical mayhem. I love the vocals on this one! The penultimate track, “Solve et Coagula”, (Latin for “Dissolve and Coagulate”), the action of breaking apart and coming together, draws its inspiration from alchemy and Satanist imagery. Riff-laden, catchy, yet evil, it serves as a bridge to the end of the record. “Phasma Phasmatis”, the album’s epilogue, expands on the recurring musical motifs and lyrical themes previously established. It will get you nodding your head, I guarantee it.  

Wizard Master has put together a masterful (no pun intended) set of tunes for their inaugural album. It’s doomy to the max, has plenty of retro moments, extensive instrumental passages, wears its occult aspirations on its sleeve, and could just as well be the soundtrack to a demonic sci-fi/horror film. It’d be a perfect record to listen to on windy October nights leading up to Halloween, but it’s also a deliciously enjoyable album to put on any other night. Let the hypnotic cover artwork draw you in and step inside the world of Wizard Master—you won’t want to come back!

Wizard Master’s Bandcamp page: https://wizardmasterband.bandcamp.com/

Forbidden Place Records’ Wizard Master Bandcamp page: https://forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com/album/wizard-master-phasmatis 

Review: Inner Missing - Dead Language

Inner Missing’s ninth album, Dead Language, will be released on February 25. I reviewed the gothic doom metal duo’s eighth album, Deluge, last year, which you can read here. This new record follows the Russian duo of Sigmund and Melaer in the same vein as their previous effort, with a distinct sound of their own.

Dead Language opens with the title track, a song that is, in my opinion, the best off of their two last albums combined. Ominous, quiet, melodic, and hypnotic. I love hearing Melaer sing along with Sigmund and do backing vocals. I wish she’d be more present vocally on Inner Missing’s albums. The second song is the first single, “The Quest”, inspired by the iconic Aleister Crowley. It gives off a bit of a Queensryche vibe and is one of the highlights of the album. Song number 3, “Empty Rooms”, is pretty good with its dominant bassline. Though it features long instrumental sections that sometimes drag the song’s momentum down. “Long Odds” has a more aggressive, percussion-driven opening. A nice departure from the typical Inner Missing sound. Feels kind of like a rhapsody in structure. “Mute” is a slower track with a catchy beat to kick things off. It’s a shorter song than the rest which benefits from its shorter running time in not overstaying its welcome. The record closes with “At Sea”, a good yet unmemorable track.

Overall, Inner Missing’s Dead Language should amply satisfy the band’s fans as they maintain their signature sound. With a short running time of 36 minutes, the album’s six songs are each quite lengthy, sometimes to their detriment. I wish they would’ve experimented more though and not played it safe. I’d say it’s just a notch under their previous record, Deluge, but still remains a solid effort with many high points—the title song alone is fantastic.

Inner Missing’s Bandcamp page: https://innermissing.bandcamp.com/ 

The Return of Bandcamp Friday!

Bandcamp Friday returns at last! If you recall, it had gone AWOL last month without any info on whether it would return or not. To continue to give you readers and listeners a monthly roundup of music suggestions, I had come up with Harbinger Friday, which I will keep doing whenever BC Friday disappears. By now most of you are familiar with the concept of Bandcamp Friday: a day where Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels. Bandcamp has stated on their Website that BC Friday would take place at least on the following dates in the near future: February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, and May 6^th.

Numero uno on my list of releases is Italian Doom duo Wizard Master who just released this week a sinister, fuzzy, and incredibly enjoyable album titled Phasmatis via Forbidden Place Records. And you know what the best part is? It’s a Name Your Price release, so send them some cash and pick up the album here.

Number two with a bullet is the heavy metal thunder of Titanosaur with Absence of Universe which I’ve reviewed here. I’ve also had a lengthy conversation with Geoff, the one-man army behind Titanosaur, which you can read here. As for the album, released through The Swamp Records, you can get it here.

Number three, no Bandcamp Friday list would be complete without a release from the roster of the mighty Ripple Music. Obsidian Sea unleash their fourth album, Pathos, a masterclass of Proto-Doom. It’s out now right this way.

Fourth, how about a new single that destroys everything in its path? Hard and heavy rock 'n' roll trio DemonScar’s got you covered with their song “Human Condition” which you can pick up for a dollar right here.

Fifth and last, but certainly not least, Boise, Idaho’s Ealdor Bealu are opening up the pre-orders for their upcoming album set for release on April 22, titled Psychic Forms. This new record from the progressive/heavy psych quartet promises to be tremendous, so head over here and pre-order now to get the first single, "Be Ye Gone", instantly.

That’s it, folks! Long live #BandcampFriday! I hope you find something you fancy and discover some new music in the process while maximizing your support of the bands and labels we love. Until next time, enjoy and have a great weekend!

A Conversation with Titanosaur

Time for another conversation with a band! This time we’re chatting with Geoff Saavedra, the mastermind behind the one-man heavy metal/hard rock band Titanosaur on the heels of the release of their new album Absence of Universe on The Swamp Records. I recently reviewed the album here.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: First off, congrats on the excellent new album! It fires on all cylinders. You handle all duties as Titanosaur. How and when did you get started as a musician and what was the first instrument you picked up?

Titanosaur: Thank you!  I always aim for "all killer no filler".

One could say I got started when I was born…. But, I'll say I started playing the guitar around 12ish.  I think.  My mother got me an acoustic guitar and had me take classes.  I wasn't really into it until I got my Fender Strat when I was about 16.  That's when it all went downhill!

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Where did the name “Titanosaur” come from and how did you decide to have a mascot like Titano as a symbol for the band?

Titanosaur: When I decided to do something different from The Raygun Girls (the project I had been doing since 2004), I knew I wanted it to be loud and heavy.  So, I started brainstorming names that evoked that feeling and dinosaur names came up, but most good dinosaur names are already taken.  Then I remembered having recently watched a documentary about a new species of dinosaur that was the biggest ever found—the titanosaur.  It was perfect.

Now, the titanosaur actually looks like a bigger brontosaurus, so not very threatening.  So, for the logo I went with a T-Rex head instead.  Since the logo was a T-Rex, I thought about getting a mask to give myself another voice that I would feel comfortable speaking in. So, I got myself a T-Rex mask and went with it.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Your South American roots are represented musically on this album and on your previous EP, Inti Wañu. You even sing a few lyrics in Spanish. Would you ever want to do an entire album in Spanish or a crossover genre that focuses more on your Hispanic heritage?

Titanosaur: My mother used to be the one who would translate my lyrics for me to be able to sing in Spanish.  She was a professional translator and understood translating lyrics as poetry, paying attention to rhythm.  She passed away about four years ago.

I have a Spanish version of "Super Colossal Spanish Queen" on the Bandcamp version of Inti Wañu.  A friend helped by translating all the lyrics and then I went through and changed some words to fit better.

I speak Spanish, and understand Spanish, but I don't know it well enough to be able to write lots of songs in Spanish.  But I would definitely do more full songs in Spanish if I had the lyrics.

And, for me Santana is a GIGANTIC influence from when I was a kid, and Sepultura came in later.  I love mixing Hispanic rhythms with heavy guitars.  I'm all about tribal beats—groove… music and rhythms that make you move.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Your videos are always a lot of fun and you get to dress up as Titano. You shoot them yourself; do you have a background in film or is it a skill you picked up along the way to be more self-sufficient?

Titanosaur: Most everything I do is stuff I have picked up by necessity.  I had guitar lessons for a few years, but most of what I know, I taught myself.

I record all my music on my own, and I've taught myself using YouTube tutorials and reading articles and listening.

Same goes with making music videos.  I'm a fan of media, so I use that as a base.  It takes longer to learn, but that's how my autistic brain works—I learn better by doing.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: With the state of the pandemic right now, live shows are often limited or on hold. Are you planning to do any local shows or hit the road with a back-up band in the near future or when the pandemic subsides?

Titanosaur: I would love nothing else than to be able to play these songs live, with a band, on a stage.  Unfortunately, due to my health, I can no longer do that.  In 2009, I had emergency heart surgery (my third heart surgery), and I have not been on a stage since then.

I am, however, planning a sort of "live" stream for February 4th, to celebrate the release of Absence of Universe.  An old friend, Doc, will be playing drums.  Doc played with me in The Raygun Girls for a couple of years.  He's a great guy and I'm really looking forward to hearing a few of these songs played with an actual drummer, rather than programmed.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and I wish you much success with the new record!

Titanosaur: Thank you so much for your continued support of Titanosaur.  Your kind words in your reviews are VERY much appreciated.  And thanks for giving the chance to answer your questions here!

Join the Titanosaur Absence of Universe Release Party on Bandcamp this Friday, February 4, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST

Titanosaur on Bandcamp

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