Possessor: Stay Dead (2015)

I am approaching this band in reverse order apparently.  I have previously covered their 2019 album and yesterday, did their 2017 album.  This is an EP the band released early on in their existence from 2015. 

As this release is so early in the band's history, it reflects a much more raw sound.  The songs are mostly short and simple, revolving around one primary riff.  Only one song lasts longer than three and a half minutes, that being the closer "Lights Out/Crypt of the Sorceror", which is kind of two songs combined anyway.  The group's penchant for memorable, rocking riffs is present, even this early in the band's history. 

The EP, while very short, is a pretty good indicator of what Possessor would sound like later on.  Though it does not match the quality of their 2019 album, it is nevertheless an intriguing listen to a group that is just getting under way.

Possessor: The Ripper (2017)

After being thoroughly impressed by UK stoner doom metal band Possessor's 2019 release, Gravelands, I sought out a couple of their earlier releases.  This is their 2017 album, their third overall album.  At this point in time, the band was a duo with one member playing drums and the other doing everything else.  For their most recent album, they added a full-time bassist.

Possessor stands out a bit from other bands in the genre with their ability to mix in thrash metal influences with the rumbling, rollicking rhythms.  This is especially evident on tracks like "Conjure and Possess" and "Guillotine".  Otherwise, the songs rock hard with catchy riffs and hooks that make it easy to headbang along to.  The lyrics generally deal with horror themes and there is the occasional sample back that up.  The songs do tend to run together at times and it becomes somewhat difficult to tell which song is which.

This is a fun album to listen to.  I was not quite as impressed by it as I was by Gravelands, mostly due to the lack of a real standout track.  Gravelands has "Breathe Fire", which is just a great song and really grabs the listener's attention.  This one does not have that one killer track that brings me back for more.  It is still a very good album, just not quite exceptional.

Possessor: Gravelands (2019)

Sometimes, there is nothing better than listening to a really good stoner doom metal album.  And I am talking about those bands who do not meander too much and incorporate a lot of psychedelia.  I am referring to the bands who have a lot of rock elements, with grooving riffs and rumbling bass.

Here we have one such band, London's Possessor.  Possessor combines elements of thrash metal into their stoner doom, sounding more like a punkier version of High on Fire than anything else.  Possessor sounds like they are having an absolute blast playing these songs.  They are energetic and generally fast-paced, and with a lot of groove to the riffs, it is guaranteed to get heads banging.

The highlight on the album is the frantic crunching riffs in "Breathe Fire".  The song flies by with the best riff on the album (which is saying something), incorporating a rollicking bass line and spaced-out vocals.  The solo is not to be missed either. 

I was incredibly impressed by my first shot listening to Possessor.  So much so that I picked up what I could by the album.  This is a whole lot of fun.

Witchfinder: Witchfinder (2017)

With a name that references either a Cathedral song, a Vincent Price movie, or one of the original doom metal bands, you can bet that this is going to be some form of doom metal.  And then there is the hazy-looking band logo and thus stoner doom becomes the obvious conclusion to be drawn.  And so it is with France's Witchfinder.

This is just a four-song album, but each song lasts somewhere around ten minutes.  Witchfinder's influences are pretty clear right from the first fuzzed-out riff.  Take a little Cathedral, mix in some of the most psychedelic offerings from Electric Wizard, some Dopesmoker-era Sleep and a whole shitload of weed and voila, Witchfinder.  The songs are slow dirges with spacy, bass-heavy riffs and smoky vocals that sound like they were recorded in a cave.  Every so often, the band throws in a curve, like the crunchy mid-paced riff early in "Smoke a Weed Prayer", but by and large this is a band emulating the reefer madness of the aforementioned Sleep and Electric Wizard.

Despite the fact that I have never (and I mean absolutely never) used marijuana, or any other drug besides alcohol in fact, in my life, I absolutely love stoner doom.  At least when it is done well.  Witchfinder is highly derivative of some of the genre legends, but that does not mean that they do not do a damn fine job.  There may be no real discernible difference between this and Dopethrone, but it is still damn fun to listen to.  That's all I really want from my metal.

Electric Wizard: Wizard Bloody Wizard (2017)

With an album title like that, it is pretty clear that the band is making some type of homage or reference to the great Black Sabbath.  And it is obvious that Electric Wizard have created a much more retro-sounding album, one that would have sounded perfectly natural if it had been released in the 1970's. 

Electric Wizard has never really been one of my favorite bands.  I have certainly enjoyed them in small doses, and I still love the song "Dunwich", but I have been mostly reluctant to get deep into their prior catalog.  Their psychedelic brand of stoner/doom metal simply does not speak to me as much, though I can definitely see the appeal others might see.  I have really been turned off by portions of songs where the band simply meanders along with their slow, fuzzed-out riffs for several minutes at a time.  But that is where this album mostly differs.  Electric Wizard have tightened up their sound significantly and delivered their most cohesive record, at least of the ones I have heard.

The only real problem is that the band is unable to reach the heights of some of their earlier material.  There is no "Dunwich" on this album.  No song that stands head and shoulders above the rest as a true highlight on this album.  And there are still a couple of throw-away tracks, including "The Reaper" which disappointed me greatly.  I was hoping my dog would have a new theme song (yes, his name is technically The Reaper).

None of this is to suggest that this is a bad album, it just does not really grab attention.  Electric Wizard will likely continue to be more of an occasional treat for me, which is mostly a shame, because I really want to like them more than I do.  I love their mystique and image, the music just does not totally grab me.   

Lovijatar: Pimean Tuoja (2013)

Huh.  Of all of the subgenres of metal to combine into a new sound, I would never have expected stoner doom and folk metal to be entwined.  What's next?  Actually, I can't even think of a more unlikely combination.  Thrash metal and funeral doom I suppose.  That is now going to be the genre of my one-man band.  I will call it Speed Reaper.

Before I get to composing though, we need to talk about Lovijatar.  The name comes from Finnish mythology, as might be guessed.  Lovijatar is the blind daughter of Tuoni, the Finnish god of death.  The band is made up of members of Battlelore, a band for whom I am familiar, and Elephant Bell, a band for whom I am not.  Lovijatar is a true combination of those two bands' sounds apparently as Battlelore comprises the folk metal influence and Elephant Bell the stoner doom influence.

The riffs are thick and meaty with a lot of bass.  The stoner doom influence is very evident in the guitar riffs.  The folk metal influence permeates everything else, from the lyrics and vocals to the interludes to the extra instrumentation that is sometimes present.  Some of the melodies are also clearly folk-influenced, at least those that are not driven by the heavy stoner doom riffs.

The songs on this album are shockingly catchy and infectious.  I found myself tapping my foot along with it quite frequently.  The musicianship is incredible and the vocals really drive the album, the dual vocals on "Uhrilehto" in particular.  Some of the songs are much softer and far more folk-influenced, but then something like the High on Fire-esque riff in "Kulje Kuu Pala Paiva" happens, dragging it clearly back into the metallic.

I really enjoyed this album.  Apparently stoner doom and folk metal mix quite well when done by musicians of this caliber.

Initial Impressions: Electric Wizard: Black Masses

This one took me awhile to finally track down.  I have gotten away from ordering albums online unless I really want them.  This did not interest me enough to go that route although I did love Witchcult Today.  But as much as I did enjoy that album I have to be in the right mood for it.

Electric Wizard sounds like the soundtrack to some old 1970's low-budget occult horror movie.  I think that is part of the idea in fact.  I remember an interview with Jus Osborn in Metal Maniacs a few years back (obviously) in which there was a special segment of movies that he recommended.  They were mostly obscure films with the exception of Suspiria.  I checked a few of them out, all the ones I could find on Netflix.  These are the types of movies that I can imagine an Electric Wizard soundtrack to.

The major complaint I have had about Electric Wizard in the past and the reason I have to be in the right mindset to listen to them is their repetitiveness.  The band will frequently drone on and on with one idea with little variation.  Othertimes they will start in on a psychedelic section that will go on for a very long time.  For the most part on this album, the band tends to avoid that.  Most of these tracks are complete and straightforward songs without a lot of meandering parts.  The second half of the album drags a little bit at times and seems to lose steam.  The more interesting songs come in the first half.

This is still very slow music, but that is to be expected.  Electric Wizard has always relied on crushing grooves and extremely heavy riffs.  Those are definitely present here.  They have always been at their most interesting when those riffs move at a little bit of a faster pace and there are some songs on here that do that.  I did have a little bit of an issue with the nasally vocal delivery on "Venus in Furs" at first but it gradually grew on me.

As a full album I think I enjoy this one more than Witchcult Today.  It is a bit more accessible due to the lack of overly-long, drawn-out psychedelia.  However, it does not have a track that stands out far in my mind.  Witchcult had "Dunwich" which is such a terrific song.  This one came close with the title track, but it is just not quite there.  Overall though this is a better album than their previous one.  That has been the extent of my Electric Wizard experience thus far.

Initial Impressions: High on Fire: De Vermis Mysteriis

I have been a fan of High on Fire since I first heard Death is this Communion.  Unfortunately something about their last album rubbed me the wrong way and I think it had to do with the production.  It just seemed too thin and clean for a band of this type.  The songs were great, the production was just kind of bad.  So I was hoping this time around for a meatier production to really bring out this band's strengths.  Luckily I got it this time around.

This is the High on Fire that I am a fan of.  Big, meaty, doomy-sounding riffs, rough and weathered vocals, and heavy pounding drums.  The band also does a very good job of keeping things interesting.  There is a lot of variety in the songs here.  One minute there will be a fast-paced crushing song and the next will be a much slower, but equally massively heavy track.

High on Fire has risen to the top of the stoner doom metal scene and with good reason.  They definitely show that reason here.  High on Fire do a great job of never really falling victim to some of the traps that other stoner doom metal bands do.  They change things up a bit and they never get into a long, drawn-out psychedelic segment.  They keep things interesting and therefore do not lose their listeners.

This is a return to form for High on Fire.  Their last album was good musically but was missing something on production.  This time around that issue has been fixed which has allowed the sound of the band to truly come through.  Definitely a good thing.