Behold! The Monolith - Defender, Redeemist (2012)

One of those hidden favorites back in the good ol' days. Found out about this band through the Sludge Swamp when it was still going strong. Their debut album left me highly impressed with heavy riffs, raw vocals & unholy psyched out elements. Now, Behold! The Monolith's second album just took me by surprise... Defender, Redeemist is definitely a winner in the stoner/ doom genre for this year. It's original, sludgy, heavy & well-produced. Add some incredible artwork as a finishing touch & you have a classic! Check it out & read another great review at Doommantia.

beholdthemonolith.com

Physical needs: beholdthemonolith.bandcamp.com

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Christian Mistress - Agony & Opium (2010)

Retro heavy/ doom metal from Olympia, WA. This band is causing quite a stir with their latest album "Possession" (released this month). Don't let the cheesy bandname fool you, this is female fronted doom at it's most vintage. Expect a really old school rockin' sound in the likes of Saint Vitus & Pentagram. "Agony & Opium" is the band's debut from 2010, released on CD & LP through 20 Buck Spin. Get a taste of the Mistress & grab their latest asap!



christianmistress.com

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Venomous Maximus - The Mission (2011)

Venomous Maximus is a fresh band hailing from Houston, TX. They play a distinct style of retro 70's fueled stoner rock & doom metal. Their grooves are just too doomy for the sound of stoner rock (and the other way around), I would leave them somewhere in the middle.

"The Mission" is the band's dedut EP on Cutthroat Records, after previously releasing a 7'' single. The vinyl version comes with 4 tracks that cry to be played on an old, dusty turntable. To describe the overall sound; somewhere between the lo-fi crackling production of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and the old school grooves of The Sword & Black Pyramid. This is rusty doom rock, essential for all you obscure 70's riff addicts out there! Curious what Venomous Maximus will do on their upcoming full-length, expected around spring/ summer 2012...



The CD version of "The Mission" comes with 2 bonus tracks (including the first single) & alternate artwork.

facebook.com/VenomousMaximus
myspace.com/cutthroatrecs

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Chest - EP (2011)

Another amazing Bandcamp discovery. Chest is a furious stoner/ doom/ sludge metal band from Finland, this is their debut EP from last year. Hard hitting riffage with some clever tempo changes, nothing new & fancy, just plain awesome grooves influenced by all the good stuff...



chest.bandcamp.com

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The 11th Hour - Burden Of Grief (2009)

Here's an interesting 2-man doom band from the Netherlands. Formed by Ed Warby (Gorefest, Hail Of Bullets) with Rogga Johansson as second vocalist (Revolting, Paganizer, Demiurg). These 2 giants crawl from the old school pits of death metal to make some epic, thematic doom metal. The 11th Hour has a really smart & distinct sound going on. You get the dramatic and emotional vocals of Ed Warby, taking us back to early Candlemass & Solitude Aeturnus in combination with the absolutely evil growls of Rogga. Epic, orchestral doom/ death for the open minded! -Their new 2012 album 'Lacrima Mortis' is recently released through Napalm Records.



Physical needs: Amazon/ Napalm Records

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Black Rainbows - Twilight In The Desert (2007)

Debut album on Longfellow Deeds records.



Physical needs: ATIH

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Black Rainbows - Supermuthafuzzalicious!! (2011)

"Formed in 2005 Black Rainbows are an heavy psych, stoner, rock n’roll power trio." Italy's Black Rainbows have been around for a while now, their latest; Supermuthafuzzalicious!! is another solid release I sadly missed in 2011. This band started back in the day as a 'joke' to jam to some heavy desert grooves. They released 3 full-length albums so far, quite an achievement! Their 2007 debut (coming up next) was a mix of different styles in the stoner rock genre. From MC5, Blue Cheer & Black Sabbath to Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Nebula & Monster Magnet. Real tasty desert grooves to say the least... This fine album builds upon the earlier sound with a more mature & distinct touch. I've read some mixed reviews for this one, and I'm personally digging the sound on this one. I think this is currently one of Italy's finest offerings if your looking for hot, spacy stoner jams. Check it out...

theblackrainbows.com

Physical needs/ merch: Black Rainbows store (CD & LP)

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