1). CARDINALS FOLLY - Her Twins of Evil - You can say they're underrated or you can just say they're awesome. Cardinals Folly remains one of the more distinctive bands in the world of traditional doom, when these Finns are at their best, they have a knack for finding the fun side of death and damnation and they're at their best here. Their new album, 'Holocaust of Ecstasy & Freedom' is a good party: there's laughs, maybe a cry or two, then a fight breaks out and it's back to bacchanalia ... with sexy results!
***
2). SOURVEIN - Hymn to Poseidon - I've been saying for months now that Sourvein's new album is flawless and I stick by that. It proves that brevity and restraint are always good looks and it feels like an instant classic. 'Hymn to Poseidon' is one of the standout tracks, it's confident and bold with a hint of melancholic regret, the kind of song you'd want to have a beer with if it was sitting at the bar. In a word, it's got character, like much of 'Aquatic Occult'.***
***
4). LORD VICAR - Accidents - This is arguably the most evil song Lord Vicar's recorded yet. When the verse kicks in and the bottom drops out on the drums, you're suspended by a rope over a fathomless abyss and each razor-edged note of the main riff is another frayed fiber. I connected with it in a big way yesterday when I passed a funeral chapel and a Dracula statue on Hastings street (Dracula statue courtesy of Netherworld Collectibles).***
5). BRUTUS - Wandering Blind - It's been a few years since we last heard from these Norwegian retro rockers, their new album 'Wandering Blind' proves that they haven't lost a step. There were about a half dozen songs I would have liked to include here but the opening track really stuck with me. It's five minutes of riffing and wandering so you can really sink your teeth in.***
6). SCORPION CHILD - My Woman in Black - Scorpion Child impressed the hell out of me with their debut single "Polygon of Eyes" back in early 2013, but I found their album to be hit and miss. They try their hand at big rock and roll moves and they don't always pan out, but their ambition is appreciated. They're sort of like, what if the Black Crowes were a hair metal band. Once again though, the lead single from their upcoming second album, 'Acid Roulette' is definitely a big hit here.Side B
7). ALTAR DE FEY - 1975 - There's so much right about this. The new single from punky San Fran goth rockers Altar De Fey's 'Echoes in the Corridor' sounds like a product of the era it's named after. Musically, it's a tour of the dark side of the glam rock scene, the dingy big city club bathrooms, the overdoses swept under the rug. Altar de Fey remind me of 'Three Imaginary Boys'-era The Cure or early Echo & the Bunnymen, which is a nice change of pace, I'm going to keep my eye on this band, "1975" is a standout track on an interesting album.***
8). YETI ON HORSEBACK - Dragged Down to Hell - Here's a hoser band that I was just introduced to by my good buddy Steve Howe of the Outlaws of the Sun webzine. It's a longer track, one you can take off your shoes to and put your feet up. It was released on bandcamp as a standalone track but will be the closing track on their upcoming debut album, 'The Great Dying' (September 23). It's enormous in all ways. The harsh vocals may be a sticking point for some, but Yeti on Horseback are poised to be a breakout hit in the world of sludge for 2016. (Note: 'The Great Dying' album artwork not yet revealed).
9). NAGA - Hyele - I've had the pleasure of watching Italian blackened sludge trio Naga develop from birth and this song sounds like the end of their beginning. The first taster off their upcoming EP captures the sound and feel of a confident band mid-stride. The black metal riff, doomy drums and epic scope documents Naga living up to their early potential.***
10). TERRA TENEBROSA - The End is Mine to Ride - This Swedish band is new to me, the first single from their upcoming 'The Reverses' caught my ear on the ol' PR wire. I usually don't truck with "avant garde" metal, but this tune is less about exploration and more about exploitation. The best label for this would be blackened stoner. Whatever you call it it's just good metal and an end to our mixtape that'll have you pacing back and forth waiting for the next one.
***
Bonus Track:
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX - If I Had a Gun
