PINE TAR ~ Burial (2024)

Released in 2024, apparently with little fanfare and slipping under most radars by the look of it, 'Burial'  is the debut release from Montreal's Pine Tar. Five tracks of mange ridden, gooey sludge doom with the added toxicity of death and black metal. Riffs of unbreachable power are staggeringly heavy, achieving near critical mass.

If I was aware of this record at the time it would surely have gained a place in my top releases of 2024 list.

SWEETBEAST ~ Illusions (2025)

BIO ~ SweetBeast is a psychedelic fuzz rock band comprised of four talented musicians who claim to have been placed on this earth for the sole purpose of creating music.

Powerful vocals, fuzz heavy guitars, and a rhythm section that will keep you moving all night long, SweetBeast creates tunes akin to an acid trip in the 70s, ideal for headbanging and perfect for getting lost in

MY THOUGHTS ON ILLUSIONS BY SWEETBEAST ~ A myriad of licks moulded into countless structures, some pitted with acid, some meandering into the far reaches of your consciousness while others are whisked into a sonic frenzy, interwoven through a backdrop of smooth, bluesy, fuzzy heavy psych that  tumbles into stoner territory often etched in weedian doom.

The essence of the band is captured by absorbing, almost crooning vocals complimenting an undulating heavy groove vying with blissful melodies and laced with those amazing jams.

Illusions by Sweetbeast is an absolute delight.

ANOINTING THE SICK #235 ~ Diced, Sliced and Spliced

#235 'Diced, Sliced and and Spliced the latest episode of aural torture from Anointing The Sick is now available to download. Kicking off with one of last years entries into the Doom Charts, the doomgaze of Troy The Band and finishing with stoners Snowburner. In between there are plenty of Name Your Price albums you can pick up from bandcamp, a bountiful harvest from the metal filth pit and a highlight of the year so far from sludgsters Negative 13.

~Embrace The Sickness of ~

Troy The Band              #13 Feb 2024 Doom Charts

Striker

Sinistrum

Ratten

Ghoul

Las Trumien

Pissing Razors

Negative 13

Wildweed                        NYP Bandcamp

Junior Bruce                   NYP Bandcamp

Sun Preachers                NYP Bandcamp

Warpflesh                       NYP Bandcamp

Rot Away                         NYP Bandcamp

Blind Effect                     NYP Bandcamp

Eartheater                       NYP Bandcamp

Snowburner

*DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW HERE*

KLASTOS ~ Born To Ruin (2025)

'Born To Ruin' the new album from Swedish band Klastos has us in its sights on February 14th and I can imagine the band quivering with anticipation at the thought of  unchaining this sludgy powerhouse of an album and setting it loose upon us all.

From the opening track 'Poor Little Thing' which has a thick death metal crunch to it aligned with a groove to die for before culminating in the slow burning, doom leaning final track 'Fatigue Failure' Klastos has concocted a potent coagulate of hulking riffs containing more hooks than a Hellraiser movie and just as deadly, however, instead of being burdened under its own weight 'Born To Ruin' hemorrhages a slick doom/sludge sap.

ANOINTING THE SICK #234 ~ Oscillation Devastation

Anointing The Sick has unearthed another unholy batch of songs to tickle your tinnitus in todays new show 'Oscillation Devastation' Opening with the stoner psych grooves of Tex, I'm continuing to feature bands that made an impression on me last year and you may have missed. The filth pit has spewed forth a bounty of horrors and I'll be highlighting some doom charters and albums that are NYP on Bandcamp until closing with the showpiece track from funeral doomdeath band Aphonic Threnody.

~ Embrace The Sickness~

Tex

Acerus

Deus Ex Machina

Sea Of Consciousness

Byron

Black Groove

Epitaph

Mary Bell

Tumour

Bardo

Moonbather

Chief Of Smoke

Black Magic Rites

Joe Davis Band

Aphonic Threnody

** DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW**

ANOINTING THE SICK ~ Best Of 2024

 

It's difficult to shoehorn a whole years music into a two hour 'Best Of' Playlist but you have to draw the line somewhere so here's 16 bands whose new albums caused such a stir that it prompted me to review them. There are a couple of anomalies. Fireblood feature twice due to the band releasing 2 EP's in a year and Atomic Hand is actually a two band project Iglesia Atomica and Out Of Hand. Unusually one band plays psych jams the other brutal deathgrind. Both sides of this live album are great! 

~ Embrace The Sickness ~

Black Groove ~ Low End Scum

"Contains seven tracks of sluggish, de tuned, sludge caked hatred"

Cannabus ~ Other Side

The fuzz is still thick  but edged with barbs, pierced by blazing reverb and wah both shrieking in agony.

Fireblood ~ Hellaluja and Goatslayer

"The no frills, hard hitting, clunky riffs easily loosen the neck muscles, enabling the listener to bang their head with wild abandon to the sludge leaden groove."

Sun Moon Holy Cult ~ Sun Moon Holy Cult

"Citing influences from bands such as Black Sabbath, WitchFinder General, Acid King and Belzebong"

Severed Arm ~ Reaching Murderous For The Banker's Neck

"A purulent discharge of infected blackened sludge doom"

Demon & Eleven Children ~ Demonic Fascination

"Riffs are mighty, and the multitude of jams have been dipped in the same vat of acid"

Wormthrone ~ Enlightened Through Darkness

"Here lurks a suffocating, toxic album, spewing forth sulphurous riffs from a fermenting tarpit."

Bleed This Earth ~ The Shapes That Stood In Silence

"Straddling the the various emotions of despair between My Dying Bride and Mournful Congregation"

Sangria ~ Esclava De La Ira 

"'Esclavo de la Ira' has a darker, enraged sound to it, reminding me of Triptykon in parts."

Atomic Hand ( Iglesia Atomica & Out Of Hand) ~ Live

Iglesia Atomica ~A constant chatter of barbed jams squeal and shriek from the speakers. Out Of Hand ~ "spits deathgrind of the most poisonous kind."

Vulgarian ~ Eye For An Eye For An Eye

"Hateful sludge bloated with the DNA of slow, stagnant doom"

Harsh Realm ~ Death Carries On

"A coagulate of unemotional death doom encapsulated in a bloody crust."

Volume ~ Joy Of Navigation

"Joy of Navigation' is the band's latest album and contains five songs of immersive psychedelic stoner."

Sea Of Snakes ~ Bow To No One

"There is an abundance of riffs, huge and full of depth for the listener to revel in."

Pyrogaric ~ The Serpent

"Pyrogaric is back with more Welsh stoner doom Druidry"

Monolithic Architecture ~ Our World Grows Worse

"a raw and devastating bombardment of drone infused doom"

DOWNLOAD THIS 'BEST OF LIST' HERE

CRIMSON STORM ~ Livin' On The Bad Side (2025)

 

BIO

"Livin' On the Bad Side", the debut album by Crimson Storm, will be released on January 14, 2025, through Fighter Records. The Spanish speed/heavy metal band Crimson Storm was originally formed in 2009 by guitarist and primary songwriter Lögan Heads in Sardinia, Italy, with the goal of reviving the glory of ‘80s heavy, power, and speed metal. Their name was inspired by Riot’s track "Sign of the Crimson Storm."

Following several lineup changes, Crimson Storm released their first EP, "Motor City Maniac" in 2014, followed by the 7" EP "Speed Hammerin' Metal" in 2015. Later that year, Lögan Heads moved to Barcelona and reformed the band with new members, eventually leading to the release of their second EP, "Outrageous," in 2019. In 2022, the band made a triumphant return to live performances, supporting Stallion in Murcia and playing at Trveheim Festival in Germany and Pyrenean Warriors Open Air in France.

In 2024, Crimson Storm entered the studio to record their first full-length album, "Livin' On the Bad Side." The album features new tracks alongside reworked versions of earlier singles, delivering a mix of nostalgia, rebellious spirit, and the raw energy of ‘80s metal.

MY THOUGHTS

I'm a fairly recent convert to speed, heavy, power metal having been a musical knuckle dragger for many years and I'm so glad I saw the light otherwise I would have ignored this sizzling example of the best and heaviest of 80's US metal and U.K's Iron Maiden. 

What attracts me most to Crimson Storm is how combustible this album is, shying away from anything too syrupy or symphonic, instead  launching riff after rampaging riff, blistering eardrums and causing concussion. The music is diamond hard, tight and dramatic and I love how abundant blazing solo's stitch the album together along with the pummelling rhythm section that somehow manages to keep the tracks from tumbling into speed metal chaos.

Don't wear your bullet belt near this one, it's liable to ignite