#heavybest22

[doomedandstoned]

Give Us BARABBAS: French Doomers Return with New LP

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

BARABBAS had just released Messe pour un chien in 2014 when Doomed & Stoned sprang to life. Now at last, after eight years of silence, the doom 'n' heavy metal troupe are back with their second full-length -- and what a tour de force it is!

The album swings into motion after a creepy public service announcement: "La mort appelle tous les vivants," which means "Death calls all the living." It reminds me just a smidgen of calls to "Bring out your dead!" when the death cart came rolling by during the Black Death -- which was, by all accounts, the most ruinous pandemic in our pockmarked history, claiming more than 75 million souls.

“Je suis mort depuis bien longtemps” riffs on that familiar (if not enshrined) motif to Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf." The song is a great headbanging starter, and while the lyrics are all in French the sentiment couldn't be more relatable. Saint Rodolphe reveals, “I’ve been dead for a long time.” The Barabbas frontman has the pipes to fully convince us, regardless of whether or not we track with his native tongue. The past three years have left so many of us feeling spent, numb, hollow, apart. The organ chimes in with a gravitas that gives the whole thing a dire, Gothic feel.

There's no mistaking the Biblical subtext of a band called Barabbas, for it was he the bloodthirsty crowd called to be set free in place of Jesus Christ, who was then forced to carry his own cross to the Place of the Skull. The five-member Combs-la-Ville crew play up the religiosity of it all, each taking the name "Saint" and even referring to their followers as a cult (tongue-in-cheek, of course).

“Le Saint Riff Rédempteur” is “The Holy Redeemer Riff” and is surging with fist-raising energy. Longtime guitarist Saint Stéphane (who's been a pillar of this outfit since its 2007 inception) and his counterpart Saint Thomas here give us a winteresque mix, with the rhythm section of Saint Jean-Christophe (drums) and Saint Alexandre (bass) charging bravely through the snow-blind madness towards the dim light of New Year.

“De la viande” (“Meat”) reminds us of our frail humanity, juxtaposing the human race with all its pomposity against the cruel grandeur of a universe that cares nothing for Twitter checkmarks, designer clothes, luxury cars, or the creature comforts of central heating and air conditioning. The clock is indeed ticking on mortals and our artificial world. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. As with its predecessor, some of the song's most powerful moments are in the last two minutes, with wicked soloing and maniacal vocals a highlight.

“Le cimetière des rêves brisés” is “The cemetery of broken dreams,” where human desires, ambitions, hopes and visions are interred. Barabbas hold the funeral rites in a hazy, swirling atmosphere of rhythm and melody earnestly, with a clean chorus and grief-struck guitar licks.

“Sous le signe du Néant” (“Under the sign of the Void”) is like a team of horses galloping into the unknown. Here I miss not being bilingual, as the band has revealed in interviews that the song contains a sprinkling of dark humor in addition to its pessimistic overtones. Overlapping screams of anguish arrest us five-minutes in and the song rumbles to a finish with a stinging guitar solo.

We've had some fantastic synthesizer effects throughout the album, accenting each track at the most opportune moments. These come from keyboardist Emmanuel Peyraud from the band NorthWinds (featured along with Barabbas on our 2018 compilation Doomed & Stoned in France). Here, sounds of the flute welcome us to the private hell of “Mon crâne est un crypte (et j’y suis emmuré),” which translates: “My head is a crypt (and I’m trapped inside).” You'll be forgiven for falling into a hypnotic trance under its spellbinding riffmaking. Stay tuned for some beautiful twin guitar harmonies, along with one of the most passionate vocal performances of the record.

It ain't a Barabbas ritual until all the skeletons come out and dance. “La valse funèbre,” therefore, fittingly closes the album. The band tells us inspiration for this track comes from Dance Macabre, the famous composition by 19th century Frenchman Camile Saint-Saens, as well as the surreal 1962 horror film Carnival of Souls. Even though I don't know the song verbatim, my spirit wants to sing along with this damning dirge of death. Saint Rodolphe's crooning is strong and sincere, if not sinister. Devilish guitars and a spritely bass enter at just the right moments to keep us waltzing to the bitter end.

La Mort Appelle Tous Les Vivants by Barabbas is coming out this weekend on December 9 via Sleeping Church Records, who will issue the album digitally and on compact disc (get it here). Stick this on a playlist with Candlemass, Cathedral, Serpent Venom, and Hela.

Give ear...

LISTEN: Barabbas - La Mort Appelle Tous Les Vivants (2022)

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[doomedandstoned]

Bog Wizard take on Froglord in Wicked Collaborative Split

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

I haven't had this good of a time since watching Hell Comes To Frogtown, and more recently the awful sequel Frogtown 2 (which has somehow endeared itself to me). As long as we're talking about frogs, wait'll you get a load of the record we've cued up for you today.

'A Frog in the Bog' (2022) hosts two of doom's dankest acts separated by an ocean's expanse: FROGLORD situated along the River Avon in Bristol, England and BOG WIZARD hailing from the Michigan habor.

Envisioned as a concept album, this split LP relates the story of "the Froglord and his congregation trespassing into the Bog Wizard's swamp, and the ensuing confrontation between the two." High drama ensues! You'll hear several tracks in which vocals are shared, which I think was a master touch as it gives the record a unified and cohesive feel from side-to-side...not to mention that it sounds simply monstrous.

The troupe tells Doomed & Stoned:

We're really proud of what we put together, musically and narratively, it ended up being a lot of fun to do, and we're hoping it will be just as fun for listeners.

There are tons of memorable musical moments too, some of which are imminently quotable, such as the unholy chant: "Bow down to the power of the Froglord." There's even a You son of a bitch! moment that rivals Predator's Arnold Swarzenegger on its delivery. Clever instrumental touches, samples, and pedal effects immerse us fully in the murky mystery of the fetid swamp. "What is it? The bog of eternal stench!" The net experience is not only fun, but quite powerful.

Look for A Frog in the Bog to gurgle up April 1st on limited edition vinyl, CD, and cassette via The Swamp Records (pre-order here, here, or here). In the meanwhile, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a chance to revel in all the mud and magic a day ahead of time!

Give ear...

Bog Wizard vs Froglord: A Frog in the Bog (Split) by Bog Wizard, Froglord

Official Guide to the Battle

A Frog in the Bog is a collaborative concept split album. What that means is that this split has been written from the ground up to tell a cohesive story. Both halves of the split feature shared vocal parts between the bands, in the conclusionary tracks.

Bog Wizard and Froglord are both very narratively driven bands, telling tales of their respective characters. The Froglord is a god-like swamp dwelling being with a congregation of worshippers and followers. The Bog Wizard is an angry hermit wizard whose only preferred company is the creatures he summons to do his bidding, and he’s highly protective of his territory.

A Frog in the Bog tells the story of their fateful meeting, as the Froglord encroaches into the Bog Wizard’s well-guarded territory with his congregation, from each of their unique perspectives. It describes the Bog Wizard’s anger as he realizes this being has intruded on his land, the curiosity of the Froglord as to who and what lies in the swamp, their ultimate battle, and face to face meeting. Who will win?

"Reptilian Death Squad"

With the intention of protecting his domain, the Bog Wizard has set out a lineup of loyal lizardmen to patrol the Swamp of Doom, and the news they bring back is quite the opposite of what he wished to hear.

"The Frog Lord"

The Froglord and his followers have intruded, seeking to gain territory! This cannot stand of course, and after some observation, the Wizard decides to force a confrontation with the group. What will happen? Will one best the other? A true battle of two great powers shall commence!

"The Bog"

After overthrowing the humans and defeating the alien invaders, Froglord stands as ruler and protector of the earth. But rumours of a powerful bog creature begin to rise. Summoning his closest Sages, Froglord sets off to discover the mysterious creature and destroy it before it can rise to power.

"The Wizard"

As Froglord and his Sages enter the great Swamp of Doom after wandering far and wide, the swamp creatures inform the Froglord of a great wizard that lies at the heart of the swamp. As they descend deeper and deeper, shadowy figures dart through the undergrowth...watching...leading them further in.

"The Bog Wizard"

The air grows heavy and stale. As the dense trees begin to part, Froglord and his Sages gaze upon the great swamp. In the centre stands a creature, covered in moss with hollow, empty eyes. The Bog Wizard! Froglord steps into the bog. Battle has begun!

More Bog Wizard

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[doomedandstoned]

South Carolina’s WITCHPIT Bring Home The Goods on ‘The Weight of Death’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album Art by Nino Andaresta

There's something mighty powerful about the WITCHPIT sound and it has everything to do with their thick, syrupy guitar tone. I've been in love with Southern sludge since my first encounters with Down, Crowbar, Hollow Leg, and even sonic transplants in the subgenre like Holy Grove and Demonic Death Judge.

On Witchpit's full-length debut 'The Weight of Death' (2022), the crew dish out a genuine feast for the ears with deliciously downtuned doom devastation that rumbles along like a muscle car, with speeds reaching High on Fire and Motörhead. But this is still Southern sludge, so it'll slow down and just let that engine purr at absolutely the best moments. More than once in my daily shuffle, I've found myself stopping in arrested attention to ask, "Who's this band?!?"

Side A begins with the grinding "OTTR," in which guitarist Thomas White channels his inner Matt Pike for a song that can really chug-a-lug. I'm not sure what "OTTR" means, other than it could be an acronym for "On Time to Requirement" which is a common metric in customer service delivery. I am probably way off base, but roll with me on this train of thought for a moment and imagine it as a portrait of the frantic, mad dash to delivery that our pandemic world has become. Then imagine the desire to escape it all ("Looking at the off-ramp, instead of the highway"). Two minutes in, we're on a groovy smoke break and all is well with the world. Just me and the sunshine, man. That, of course, is just the story I've made up in my head (it's fun, you should try it sometime). One thing's indisputable: those molasses slow riffs are mighty sweet.

"The Blackened Fee" is a favorite I keep coming back to. Frontman Denny Stone's vocals are positively damning, his teeth gritting growls pronouncing judgment on scoundrels. His singing is all the more effective thanks to the hypnotic sway of the guitar beneath each verse. White's riffs cut like a bed of buzzsaws, man. But wait, there's more. In the song's second-half, we are treated to the most delicious example of the band's dark, swampy ire. Ominous strumming leads us to a new theme, and this dirge is a thing of real beauty. It'll get your body to moving like a cobra caught in the rhythm of the snake charmer's pungi.

The title track caps the three-song set, and it's a rousing finish at that. Now, off to the B-side. "Autonomous Deprivation" features bold beats and Sabbathesque trills that play out like a grizzly campfire tale, about that time on a humid summer's eve when the jug gets passed 'round and urban legends are told. "Fire & Ice" is what happens after you've had just enough of the juice to convince you to get up and dance. The exuberance of Harold Smith's off-beat drumming (he of Black Hand Throne & Legba), really gives us the sense of stumbling about the fire -- first in delirious merriment, then in sober realization once scorched by one foot too far in the flame.

The needle finishes the flip side in grand fashion with "Mr. Miserum." Stone's pipes are in full bloom and practically melodic, without ever needing to change his vocal style or strain his cords. As with "The Blackened Fee," this track has a memorable second-half. This one's like a hoedown of skeletons in the graveyard in that album art by Nino Andaresta (a perfect match in composition and color to the album's verve).

The Weight of Death releases Friday, with three limited edition vinyl variants and a six-panel digipak issued by Heavy Psych Sounds (get it here). The band worked with producer Phillip Cope (whose credits include Kylesa and Oakskin) at the Jam Room Recording Studio in Columbia, and the ambience is right on -- robust, but nasty.

Witchpit's freshman offering is a groove-laden headbanger, for damn sure. I've been humming the riffage from it all week and recommend pairing it with High on Fire's Death Is This Communion). While you await the public release, enjoy this Doomed & Stoned exclusive first listen (and dig our recent interview with the band).

Give ear...

LISTEN: Witchpit - The Weight of Death (2022)

SOME BUZZ

Witchpit is a four-piece sludge metal band from South Carolina whose unorthodox approach pushes the genre in exciting new directions. Their sound fuses the influence of high powered stoner rockers like High On Fire with the more moody and thoughtful work of Neurosis. With a heavy dose of tone worship and a passion for vintage gear, the band is able to conjure up classic tones that serve to bring the sound to an exciting new place.

WITCHPIT - The Weight Of Death by HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records

Formed back in 2015 by Thomas White from The Sign of the Southern Cross, Your Chance To Die, and his long lasting relationships from around the South Carolina heavy music community, Witchpit quickly became a serious force in their scene. After recording their first single “Infernal” in 2018 the band started to make waves, releasing the track through Weedian. Over the next few years the band dropped another pair of singles and started to receive some meaningful press and support from around the community. The band Nile has been outspoken in their support of the band and YouTubers Riffs Beards & Gear and Does It Doom have both come out and expressed their love for this project. In the meantime they picked up endorsements from Emperor Cabinets and Black Harbor Strings.

Now, Witchpit are gearing up to release their debut LP, with the help of Heavy Psych Sounds. They’ve worked hard to build up their reputation and refine their sound into something special and emotionally powerful. They’ve got music videos shot and even more on the way. It’s hard not to be charmed by Witchpit’s classic rock infused sludge metal assault. It marks the next step for a unique band who can’t help but to impress. Will you join them in their mission to bring the heavy all across the globe?

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