Freitag, 29. Aug 2014, 4:39
Going through my records of 2002 gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. The five picks below make it obvious that stoner rock and doom metal were dominating the first half of the 00's. That scene was on fire back then but now it seems to have died down. *shrug*
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Brant Bjork & The Operators - Brant Bjork & The Operators
I had kind of forgotten about this record even though it's definitely one of my favorites. One of those feel good summer albums, if I had a convertible this album would never leave the car. Brant Bjork & The Operators fuses laid back 70's rock à la Steve Miller with modern desert rock sounds. The result is very pleasing indeed. For hit material, check out "My Ghettoblaster" and "Cheap Wine".
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'Stoner doom' doesn't get much more literal than this. Bongzilla might seem like a one trick pony with every song being about cannabis but they pull it off very well. Gateway is a masterpiece of fuzz-heavy jams. And best of all you don't have to be a smoker to enjoy this record (though I'm sure it adds to the experience). Give "Keefmaster" a try, it's as close to a single as this album has.
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Down II is like a rainbow compared to the relatively uniform shades of grey of their debut album. The band embraces their New Orleans heritage and effortlessly mix their heavy metal with blues, southern rock and psychedelia. It's a trip. While this may not pack the same kind of punch as their previous effort, Down II is overall their most interesting album to date. There are bigger hits on the record but still two of my favorite tracks are the less obvious "Stained Glass Cross" and the short but sweet "Doobinterlude".
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This is one of the few instances when buying an album based on just hearing the single did not bite me on the ass. I saw the video for "Spiritraiser" on TV and it sounded good enough that one time. I bought the album (paid full price too) without any better knowledge and how about that, the album was full of even better songs! These unsung heroes of the Finnish stoner rock scene never got the success they deserved but they won a permanent place in my heart. The two most notable members in the band's lineup were bass player Olli-Pekka Laine (original member of Amorphis, currently plays in Barren Earth) and singer Jani Muurinen (of Xysma).
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Let's not beat around the bush, Place Of Skulls is a christian metal band. Got a problem with that, go ahead and fuck off. This band kicks ass and Nailed is a terrific debut. The mastermind behind the band is doom metal rifflord Victor Griffin of Pentagram fame. As good as the original material is, I will always associate Nailed with a killer rendition of the classic song "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" - you'll be surprised how well it works in doom metal form.