March 30Eagle Twin, “Thundering Heard”Utah is not the place that comes to mind when most people think about doom metal, or extreme music in general, but the red deserts of the Beehive State provide the perfect backdrop for the weird Western, blues-tinged album, “Thundering Heard,” the third full length album from Eagle Twin. The album consists of just four tracks, which last a little over 40 minutes. It’s an enjoyable time that goes by quickly. Vocals follow in with a lot of stoner rock/doom metal tropes, but with a dose of Southern drawl that gives “Thundering Heard” a definite sense of character. This album lets Eagle Twin step out of the shadows of a lot of the Black Sabbath worship bands that populate the genre. The absolute highlight for me is “Heavy Hoof”, the third track on the record, which starts with the aforementioned drawl before morphing into some sort of Georgian/Gregorian chant crossbreed. It calls to mind those Tibetan monks who can sing two notes at the same time, and those grandpas you see in movies sitting on porches and spitting into buckets. This wouldn’t be a doom metal review without talking about the riffs, and luckily, Eagle Twin brings them in spades. They creak and moan and slog along, never outpacing the vocals or drums. They truly provide the thunder referred to in the album’s title. This is Eagle Twin’s first record in almost 7 years, and if you have a hankering for Weedeater-style sludge, this will be right up your alley.
Gost, “Possessor”Last week, I talked about Carpenter Brut’s lackluster attempt at melding heavy metal and synthwave, and this week I have the pleasure of telling you about someone who pulled it off. The first thing that caught my attention with this record – the third from Texas-based synthwave producer Gost – was the visual aesthetic of the album cover. Gost has never been coy about his musical themes: Horror, the devil, hell, pain, and salvation all play an important role in the sonic landscape that Gost paints. Instead of the typical reds and blacks that come to mind with those themes, the viewer is greeted with an album cover that’s a stark blend of white and dark blue, with hands contorted into claws and are grasping a human skull. This is the landscape that Gost paints for you. Gost does not hold back on this album, opening with a barrage of newsreel clips and white noise before integrating the screams and synthetic sounds of “Garruth,” created by blending his own voice with the searing keyboards into a new amalgamate – a beast with a hundred mouths – all screaming incoherently. There is a burst of three tracks, “Beliar,” “Legion,” and “16 AM,” which start off with a burst of drums before lurching into the gnarliest and funkiest tracks on the record. At once, there is pounding percussion, which gives way to atmospheric electronics, and then some of the most bombastic electronic music you will ever hear. Ghost Rider would not be out of place at this disco.
Other new releases include Lindi Ortega, Primordial, Kacey Musgraves, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Bettye Lavette, MF Doom and Czarface, Rob Zombie, Mary Chapin Carpenter and more!
Cooper Stapleton
