What’s up, foos? Your old boy Waldo here with all the new releases that are fit to hate/love or otherwise are just OK. Since it’s Halloween season, I’m going to TRY to do some spooky stuff… probably not, though.
Atlanta’s Cloak are back at it with their brand of black ‘n’ roll. Season of Mist has really strong run of releases lately and The Burning Dawn is no exception. So, even though there is a lot of “rock ‘n’ roll” here, this is way heavy on the “black” and just kinda heavy in general. The first thing to notice here is that this is a NOT a derivative record, I mean, there are a lot of varying influences here. There’s a certain type of melancholy and moroseness that is pretty indicative of more current BM bands and yet still has references to second wave of black metal and trad metal, of course. The one gripe I have with this record is it seems that the acoustic and ambient passages can be a little much at times but all in all this record kicks my feathered ass. I’m pecking digging this. 8 Fucking Pecks.
WOW, how do I review a band that’s been around 20 years and I’ve NEVER heard of. Portland’s Ogre is releasing their fifth release Thrice as Strong. Interesting name as they are a 3 piece, but I digress. So, Ogre is billed as a “death/doom” band, and there are certainly those aspects of that in the music… BUT there’s more. There’s a ’70s rock vibe here and a BIG trad metal thing going on. Think CIRITH UNGOL (a little bit). The recording here is, well… retro, BUT I might add that it pretty much lends to the production. The songs can be long, but they rock enough to make it seem like there are manageable as a listen. I kinda like this. 6 Fucking Pecks.
If you haven’t heard of Savage Master yet then… I dunno. Do you love ’80s classic heavy metal? If you do, then Myth, Magic and Steel is for you. This is very fun, that kind of retro metal that makes you want to dust off your jean jacket, pound some PBR’s and bang your head. While CERTAINLY not breaking any ground, this is a good listen. Heavy metal in its purest form. 7 Fucking Pecks.
By the time you read this, discounted early-BIRD tickets for Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly 2020 will be on sale! Don’t sleep on this!
