Metal Reviews

On the 26 I am going on a huge cd shopping Binge (does that make sense?) And I am really starting to get into Doom Metal, but I need some more. I would like to maybe get like 2 cds in the doom field on that trip. Where should I start? I already know of Candlemass and St. Vitus and such, but I dont know where to start with these bands. So some help would be nice.

i love reverend bizarre's II: crush the insects. black sabbath meets rock n'roll

Candlemass - Get Epicus Doomicus Metallicus or Nightfall if you can find them, but their new self titled is also kickass and should be pretty easy to find.

Saint Vitus - Get Born Too Late or the Heavier than Thou compilation, which is a good overview.

Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium is the best choice.

Sleep - Dopesmoker or Sleep's Holy Mountain.

Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics... or Dopethrone.

I second the Reverend Bizarre recommendation, though any of their albums would be a good choice.

That's a pretty good overview of traditional and stoner doom for starters.

If you're looking for doomdeath/funeral doom, try anything by: Evoken, Mar de Grises, Shape of Despair, Winter, Skepticism, Novembers Doom, Esoteric, or early My Dying Bride (I'm not big on them, but Turn Loose the Swans is a good one.)

I tried to stick to bands that should be fairly easy to track down. Good luck!

Well thank you for your suggestions so far, but all I want right now is just straigt forward doom (that is a horrible way to put it) but I dont want stoner or doomdeath or funeral doom, I want to start with just plain old doom then after I have dirtied my boots with that I will explore more into the other "sub-genres". What about Pentagram? I heard they are good, and I always saw a couple of their cds available at the local cd store but never picked them up, then the day when I actually want to get them they are gone. just my luck...but are they worth checking out to?

Any Solitude Aeturnus album is a good buy. Not sure if you'll be able to find them, though.

You will be surprised what I can find at this storre, there was a lot of shit I didnt think I would find last year when I went, but I was proven wrong and very happy that I was! What would be a good album to start with for Solitude Aeturnus?

Pentagram is probably best to try first because the vocals may put you off. They did for me, at least, and that's why I never bought anything of theirs.

That's fine, if you remove Sleep and Electric Wizard from the top section of my recommendations, you are left with a who's who of traditional doom (which I believe is what you're referring to). You can add Psalm 9 or The Skull by Trouble as well.

As far Pentagram, start with their early stuff (Relentless or Day of Reckoning). rio is correct on the vocals, though.

With Solitude Aeturnus, start with Beyond the Crimson Horizon, though if you can find Through the Darkest Hour or Downfall those are good choices as well.

I would actually avoid Downfall as a starting point. It's a great album, but it's more of a metal album first, doom second. Plus the mix is terrible. The band despises the mix on this one. Apparently it sounded killer in the studio, but when they turned it over to Pavement they sent it off to a hack job to mix and then it went to press, the band was helpless. Sadly, the jackass that used to own Pavement still owns the rights and has the masters, so unless I win a huge lottery the band won't be able to get those masters back any time soon.

So, while it's a great album, it's probably not the album you'd want to be introduced with. I'd say Through The Darkest Hour is the best choice. It's got all the doom you could ask for, plus some of their more metal leanings. If you do, however, find Beyond The Crimson Horizon or Into The Depths Of Sorrow, make sure they're the Brainticket reissues with the bonus tracks (harder to find, though).

Check this out:

SOLITUDE AETURNUS - THE 9TH DAY: AWAKENING

Now wipe away the drool!

Yeah, it doesn't sound great, but its still a pretty good album. At least I think it is. It is easily the worst of the three releases I listed though.

Place of Skulls for polished sounding traditional doom.

Anyhoo, my favourite is Cathedral, and my favourite album by them is Endtyme. Seems to me to be their darkest and slowest.

Even though the band members are douchebags, I'll recommend The Gates of Slumber.

Also Last Chapter, Las Cruces and While Heaven Wept are some of my favorites.

While there might be some controversy about their ummm... domminess... I feel that they are pretty much Traditional Doom. Wolf's Return would be the disc I recommend.

I'll second Crush the Insects as well.

Ok I am keeping track of all the suggestions and thank you all. So what is the deal with the vocals on Pentegram, I have never heard them.

It's hard to describe exactly. They're clean vocals, they just sound pretty exaggerated and corny, and pretty nasal.

Anyway here's a myspace link that will give you a good idea of how they sound

http://www.myspace.com/brokenvows