Editor’s Note: Longtime reader Remi VL is a regular guest contributor to our Release Day Roundup posts! He submitted several of the albums listed below. Join his Facebook group for more recommen... Read More...
As a genre, stoner doom has some fairly definitive characteristics: slowed-down tempos, rumbling low-end bass and rhythm, a focus on mountainous, hypnotic riffs, and a certain intangible haze cast over it all, creating a psychedelic-glazed listening experience. But perhaps most importantly, stoner metal worships at the altar of marijuana. Proudly wearing its influence on its sleeve (and name), stoner metal varyingly employs marijuana as a muse, a political rallying cause, an artistic aesthetic, and generally as the raison d'etre for the (sub)genre as a whole. From the smoke-filled cough intro in Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” to Sleep’s epic journey to Jerusalem to Dopelord carrying the genre’s torch in one hand and a bong in the other, stoner doom is fundamentally and un-apologetically intertwined with marijuana. And yet, as firm of a grip as the green leaf has on the genre, there are contingents within the stoner doom scene that don’t embrace weed with the same fervor as their counterparts. Indeed, as counter-intuitive as it seems, examples abound of bands in the stoner doom realm that either explicitly or implicitly eschew the very association with marijuana that the scene largely views as a prerequisite.
Look, Lizzard Wizzard is about as straightforward a band as you could really expect with a sophomore album called TOTAL WAR POWER BASTARD (henceforth TWPB); that is to say, this is not a group that spends any t... Read More...
If you're in the northern hemisphere like most of you who read this site, then you're no doubt enjoying the benefits of natural seasonal changes as the nightmare that was winter 2015 has given way to a beautifu... Read More...
Today, the most glorious of days for herb enthusiasts, it only seems proper to pay homage in proper fashion. Listed below, we have the finest selections from a vast collection of weed-themed rock and metal ... Read More...
Bad news, everyone: Chicago's blackened doom outfit Indian --- who released the stunningly bleak From All Purity just a year ago --- have apparently called it quits.
... Read More...
With three stages full of furious riffing, the UK's Temples Festival has shaped up to be one of the most thirsted after performances of 2015. Featuring the likes of Pig Destroyer, Converge, NAILS, Trap Them... Read More...
This irregularly posted column is brought to you today by the letter B, because I definitely didn't need an excuse to post a Sesame Street video.
B Is For Belzebong
Huge wheezing stoner riffs,... Read More...
Weedeater
Jason... The Dragon
01. The Great Unfurling
02. Hammerhandle
03. Mancoon
04. Turkey Warlock
05. Jason... The Dragon
06. Palms And Opium
07. Long Gone
08. March Of The Bi-Polar Bear
09. Homec... Read More...