Sleep - Dopesmoker (2003)

The saga of Sleep's Dopesmoker was already almost ten years in the making by the time of its belated release in 2003. Originally slated to follow closely behind their second album of a decade earlier, the landmark Sleep's Holy Mountain, it lingered in unreleased limbo instead -- the subject of a vicious legal dispute between the Northern California trio and their record company, London, which refused to release Dopesmoker as delivered by the band -- that is, a single, 60-minute-long song! The impasse eventually led to the stubborn band's ignominious dissolution circa 1997 rather than conform to the label's demands, leaving fans waiting for an album that most assumed would never be heard. But come 1999, an incomplete, disjointed version of the recordings was cobbled together and released by Rise Above Records with the title Jerusalem. Unfortunately, this version sounded oddly ragged in places, with senseless digital song divisions and an abrupt, obviously chopped-off ending; so for all intents and purposes, the ideal work as envisioned by Sleep clearly remained unrealized. Thankfully, all these glitches were finally corrected for the definitive, band-sanctioned 2003 edition of Dopesmoker, which bears a top-notch production job courtesy of Billy Anderson (Helios Creed, Natas, etc.) to boot. Revealed here at last, in all of its colossal glory, Dopesmoker is at once an instant doom metal classic -- some might even say a masterpiece -- as well as an impossibly dense, nearly impenetrable listening experience for unprepared fans (just to give you an idea, the first vocals only arrive 16 minutes in). Meticulously composed in the style of Gregorian chants as interpreted through the ears of Black Sabbath, "Dopesmoker" esoterically describes -- get this -- the "Weedian" people's pilgrimage to the "riff-filled land." But lyrics aside -- and there are precious few here to justify stressing over them -- what skeptical listeners must take into account here is that "Dopesmoker" is in fact a single song, not a series of song snippets stitched together progressive rock style. As such, this initially daunting edifice of snarling riffage requires quite a bit more patience and dedicated sampling before its secrets are unlocked and its riddles unraveled, but therein lies the crux of what is ultimately a very rewarding experience. And for Jerusalem owners still reticent to part with their hard-earned cash for this new and improved edition, Tee Pee Records has added a bonus treat in the form of a live recording of unreleased track "Sonic Titan."
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/3482db

Sleep - Jerusalem (1999)

Jerusalem is the ultimate celebration of smoke-filled nights spent zoning out to Black Sabbath. The album is a lyrically sparse 52-minute song that details the journey of "the weedian" to the "riff-filled land." The slow lumbering riffs in this land do the Obsessed, Blue Cheer, and the Sabs proud. Jerusalem is pure unpretentious heavy pleasure -- a smile and a nod to all who joyously kneel before the altar of Iommi with "bong in hand" in spirit and in actuality.
(Matthew Kantor, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/e4d494

Sleep - Volume Two (1992)

Volume Two, já sem Justin Marler na guitarra, não é um lançamento oficial. O EP conta com cinco músicas, sendo duas versões diferentes para faixas do primeiro disco (Anguish e The Suffering), duas demos de Sleep's Holy Mountain (The Druid e Nain's Baptism), que sairia só no ano seguinte e, claro, um cover de Lord of This World. É, a capa diz tudo.


Download: http://lix.in/1830cb

Sleep - Volume One (1991)

Volume One, primeiro lançamento do Sleep, é o único álbum da banda gravado com um segundo guitarrista. Justin Marlen, o guitarrista em questão, largou o grupo e decidiu se dedicar ao estudo para se tornar um monge. Talvez por, na época, contar com doze cordas de guitarra, o Sleep ainda não tivesse caído de cara nas influências Sabbathicas (ou sei lá, quem sabe seja só merda da minha cabeça mesmo). A arte na capa do disco é um auto-retrato de Salvador Dali.


Download: http://lix.in/246a46

Witchcraft - Roadburn Festival (2006)

Witchcraft ao vivo no Roadburn Festival, em 22/04/2006. Sem tracklist, pra não estragar a surpresa.

E tem nova música rolando. Como aperitivo para o novo disco, chamado The Alchemist, a banda jogou a música Walk Between the Lines no seu MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/witchcraftswe). O terceiro álbum do Witchcraft deve sair ainda este mês.


Download: http://lix.in/3a5915



* Upload por Vinícius.

Pagan Altar - Volume 1 (1982)

If I were to just say they are Sabbathy heavy metal I might give the impression that they are just another proto-stoner band like Witchfinder General, but that's not quite right at all. Imagine a band heavily influenced by the riff-stylings, songwriting/arrangement, and magical/occult imagery of Sabbath, but completely without all of the psychedelic and drug influence. They don't tune down, so the doomy rumbling sound isn't there, and the songs don't go for heaviness so much as...'otherworld-liness', maybe? From what I gathered from the band's website this album is thematic and is focused on occult themes, and the music manages to grab that atmosphere of unreality and the terror a person feels when faced with something forbidden (I guess I'm thinking of Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" where the good puritan guy goes into the woods and finds his whole town in an occult orgy...).

The music on this album seems timeless, in a way. The music is very faithful to the OLD style of heavy metal like early Sabbath and Priest, both in the riffs/arrangements and the way the bass and drums play off the guitar work. The vocals also seem very 'vintage' - frontman Terry Jones is definitely NOT a 'metal' singer, with his very high, thin vocals that actually call to mind OLD occult/rock acts like Black Widow or early Pentagram - he sounds much more 'rock' than metal in his timbre, but the vocal melodies he weaves into the songs just fit perfectly. The production helps reinforce that 'timeless' sound (though I doubt it was deliberate - this was 1982, after all...) - it's a bit brittle, like slightly overdriven analog recording equipment, with gritty but slightly thin guitars, a big, fat bass sound, and clean-but-dry drums like on the first couple of Priest albums. You could have told me this came out in 1972 and I'd believe it.
(Vic, Metal Archives)

Download: http://lix.in/722f74

Rising Dust - Rising Dust (2005)

RISING DUST is a Doom trio comprised of David (guitars/vocals), Steff (bass) and Malek (drums) – from France. Their roots clearly lie at: BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, THE OBSESSED, TROUBLE and DEATH SS, classical Doom that is. (...) It’s old-fashioned as hell, the production stale and the song titles really clichéd in a nice way. The vocalist sounds as weird/original as Steve Sylvester in DEATH SS’ glory days. And yet I like this album better than many tuned and ho so technically boasting works… RISING DUST have soul and like to play and they come across as credible. They don’t have an image, no special outfit, they play Doom coming right from the heart! (Ralf, The Metal Observer)


Download: http://lix.in/455b3e

Pale Divine - Eternity Revealed (2004)

I think I’ve had the promo for this monster for 4 months. For some reason I couldn’t put the feelings into words. OK, and time was a factor too, I’m a busy guy, I got other shit going on, but mostly it was the ‘feelings to words’ thing. Sometimes I get awed enough by the magic of music to become aphasiac.

Eternity Revealed is massive. That’s the word that always comes to mind with I listen to the record. There is a lot to get your head around, and its full enjoyment potential doesn’t materialize until several listens in. The full scope and immensity just has to seep in, little by little. Eternity Revealed is the Three Mile Island of metal.

Pale Divine’s gift to doom-tinged metal is adding in a 70’s heavy psych flair and an unreal comprehension of the metal jam. I’ve always maintained these guys are the Allman Bros. of metal, and Eternity Revealed does nothing, thankfully, to change my mind. The complexity of the jams contained within are head-spinning, but the emotional power behind both these jams and the songs themselves are truly a gift.

Whereas their previous effort, Thunder Perfect Mind was an excellent work, it was hampered by…uh… less than austere production. This time they enlisted famed engineer to the DC scene, Chris Kozlowski, and the result is amazing. Eternity Revealed also has a more ‘metal’ feel than TPG, less groove and more dire. The fact that the PD’s also pulled a couple of tunes off of the famed (and also very dire) Crimson Tears demo and retooled ‘em a bit, helped color Eternity…. a bit darker than it’s predecessor.

And riffs… there is more riffs per song on ER than most modern Death Metal opuses. It’s staggering. Each song is a friggin’ rollercoaster with highs, lows, plateaus, sudden twists and sudden drops… massive. That’s it. Massive.

An exceptional release, definitely in my top ten for the year.
(Chris Barnes, Hellride Music)


Download: http://lix.in/f1c5e9

The Obsessed - The Church Within (1994)

There's a certain AC/DC quality to the Obsessed; one knows what to expect and it's okay. Though there's some damn-near thrash moments on The Church Within, the record stays true to the Obsessed blueprint of Volume 4: riffing, monotone vocals, and expressive, intelligent lead playing. Far from sounding tired, the formula is used for maximum effect -- check out "Blind Lightning," perhaps the hardest crush the group have ever committed to tape, or the dissonant doom of "Mourning" for examples. Originally released stateside as their major label debut, it's comforting that the Obsessed didn't change or conform their sound one bit on The Church Within -- it's heavy without apology.
(Matthew Kantor, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/c82e36

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late (1986)

Born Too Late is undeniably a defining effort in the spirit of the early, now considered "classic" doom metal sound. The marriage of vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich, founder of Maryland's D.C. area legends the Obsessed and L.A.'s own legendary doom pioneers Saint Vitus, produced a sound and lyrical landscape that was not commercially successful in its own right, but which has inspired and continues to influence myriad popular culture figures such as the Melvins, Nirvana, L7, Fugazi's Ian McKay, Black Flag's Greg Ginn (owner of SST, Saint Vitus' label) and Henry Rollins, Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Electric Wizard, Eyehategod, Grief, Sleep, Cruevo, and a list of bands, musicians, and genres too long to list without writing a novel. Long after Black Sabbath had shifted their sound away from the bombastic, sludgy riffing of classics like Paranoid, Masters of Reality, Vol. 4, and the like, Saint Vitus and the Obsessed rose from regions that were birthplaces and breeding grounds for early-American hardcore punk. While identifying intensely with the independent and socially critical nature of those scenes, Saint Vitus's sound was deeply rooted in the gloomy ballistics of early Sabbath. Born Too Late's sludgy, ultra-slow riffs never break out into the galloping rhythms of, say, "Children of the Grave," however. This album is like Black Sabbath on Quaaludes and wearing lead suits underwater. Each chord rains down like a hammer, and each progression takes an eternity to resolve. In the early '80s, while everyone in the pop music culture was looking for the new sound, be it new wave or hardcore, Saint Vitus were decidedly retro. You don't even need more than the name of the album's title track, "Born Too Late," to get the point. But Wino drives it home anyway, with the lines "every time I'm on the street/people laugh and point at me/they talk about my length of hair/and the out of date clothes I wear." The lyrics go on to point out that while "they say [his] songs are much too slow," they also "don't know the things [he] knows." That's for sure. Before almost anyone else had even realized that rock was on its death bed, Saint Vitus were looking back on the '70s with nostalgia. Throughout, the album is what might be considered a cliched retrospective of that bygone era's heavy metal sentiments. Dragons, psychedelic drugs, images of war, and severe alcohol abuse dominate the landscape. The most important consideration with this album, though, is not the originality of the approach. What separates Born Too Late from nearly all heavy metal up to that point was the outright admission that the band's passion - slow, heavy music - not only lacked commercial viability, but was in fact itself a source of the ridicule and social alienation the music speaks to. The punk rock style integrity of the band's commitment to that sound and image was in direct opposition to the money and chicks attitude of L.A. glam metal of the day. While the impact Saint Vitus made with Born Too Late at the time was minimal, the legacy of that early dedication has influenced and changed the world of music. For all fans of grunge, stoner rock, and doom metal, this album is a classic.
(Paul Kott, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/ebdf44

Electric Wizard - We Live (2004)

2004's We Live witnessed the birth of Electric Wizard Mark II, as lone remaining founding member Jus Osborn -- tired of years of internal strife -- decided to "upgrade" the doom metal stalwarts from a power trio to a twin-guitar quartet. However, with or without the cosmetic improvement brought on by the addition of second guitarist Liz Buckingham, it's important to point out that this incarnation of Electric Wizard has little in common with the original article of ten years prior. Rather, as previewed by 2002's slightly more subdued Let Us Prey opus, this, the Wizard's fifth album finds the Dorset doom masters' original, overwhelming force largely replaced by a deep-seated sense of dread. Here, said vibe is established by the sphinx-like, ten-minute, two-part opener "Eko Eko Azarak: 1. Invocation; 2. Ritual," which quickly puts that second six-string to good use with minor key melodic lines backing up the band's characteristic power riffing. Then again, the ensuing title track, with its spoken word intro undoubtedly lifted from some crappy hammer horror movie, will surprise none among the band's devotees; and the fact that it goes on a little longer than necessary may be less a factor of bad form than overt familiarity with Electric Wizard's habits (again, depending on the listener). Both the typically sloth-like "Flower of Evil a.k.a. Malfiore" and the requisite "fast number," "Another Perfect Day?" also have their share of memorable moments -- but not enough, and the second in particular definitely overstays its welcome with useless repetition. So it's with great relief that this rare swoon is vengefully redeemed by two positively awesome compositions: the bottomless despairing "The Sun Has Turned to Black," where the band's second guitar is put to its best use yet; and the final, devastating mass that is 15-minute monolith "Saturn's Children," which spins back the clock to sit comfortably alongside Electric Wizard's greatest achievements of yore. Taken as a whole, however, We Live's clearly uneven attributes will probably not see it going down as Electric Wizard's finest hour; but even so, and taking into account the group's recent transformation, it does offer conclusive proof that, even on a mixed day, this band never drops too far off the top of the doom class.
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)


Download (Remastered CD Version): http://lix.in/7d74af
Download (LP Version): http://lix.in/7a20e2


* Upload por Felipe

Electric Wizard - Let Us Prey (2002) [Remaster]

A band whose creative process has often been as lethargic as their drawn-out doom dirges, Electric Wizard surprised many fans when they announced the imminent release of their fourth album, Let Us Prey a mere year and a half after 2000's monolithic Dopethrone -- itself preceded by nearly four years of silence. Probably for this very reason, Let Us Prey weighs in at a comparatively trim 45 minutes or so and makes for a significantly easier meal to digest than its epic predecessor; but it also falls short of Dopethrone in delivering what many consider to be the final word in doom metal. In fact, it appears that, having stuffed those four years of frustration into Dopethrone's perfectly colossal mass, the world's most doleful trio used Let Us Prey to take a concerted step back from the edge, and allow themselves the privilege to explore a few new directions. A good case in point, first track "A Chosen Few" immediately finds them scaling back their extreme volume and feedback in order to make room for added guitar textures; and second offering "We, the Undead" sees them stepping on the gas and embarking upon a manic thrash-out the likes of which they've rarely attempted (topped by ultra-distorted screaming from singer Jus Osborn). Both are also uncharacteristically short and to the point, but the two-part instrumental "Master of Alchemy: I. House of Whipchord/II. The Black Drug" is more familiar. At nearly ten minutes, it resurrects the vintage, head nodding Wizard of old, and may just qualify as the greatest incidental horror movie soundtrack ever committed to tape. Sadly, its also the album's last unquestionable winner, as subsequent stoner epics "The Outsider" and "Priestess of Mars," while still offering plenty of doom for your buck, start to sound somewhat automatic and recycled. Also, separating the two is an eyebrow-raising anomaly called "Night of the Shape" consisting of piano and saxophone mood music (shock!) splayed out over a nearly electronic drumbeat. Ultimately, Let Us Prey's riskier experiments and occasional inconsistencies, however small, are bound to disappoint Electric Wizard fanatics accustomed to magnum opus after magnum opus; but the fact of the matter is that it still leaves most competitors coughing in the band's pot smoke.
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/f40530 *


* Upload por Felipe

Electric Wizard - Supercoven (1998)

Electric Wizard purveys the sort of grungy, sludgy, psychedelic heavy metal epitomized in the 1990s by Monster Magnet (and pioneered by Black Sabbath and Hawkwind). Supercoven is only 32 minutes long, but it provides a concise, concentrated burst of the band's signature, druggy sound.
(Steve Huey, AllMusic)

Supercoven is an EP by doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was originally released in 1998 by Bad Acid, and then re-released in 2000 by Southern Lord with two extra tracks: Wizards of Gore from the band's 1994 demo, and Electric Wizard from a live recording in Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
(Wikipedia)


Download: http://lix.in/08200f *


* Upload por Felipe

Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (2000)

As Deep Purple's Roger Glover once said, "Heavy isn't about volume, it's about attitude." And no band better illustrates this statement than England's Electric Wizard -- the reputed heaviest band in the universe -- whose every album has managed to push the boundaries of down-tuned, grinding, monolithic doom metal to unprecedented depths. Sure, they pack plenty of volume as well, but none of it could possibly work without the band's uncompromising worship of weed and all things gothic and malevolent. After a long hiatus (during which they were no doubt traveling the cosmos without ever leaving their parent's basements or putting down their bongs), Electric Wizard finally returned to action in the year 2000. The resulting dirge masterpiece, Dopethrone, delivers walls of sound so dense that at first they seem too big to fit into your ears. At a paltry three minutes, the opener "Vinum Sabbathi" may be the Wizards' first true candidate for an actual "single," but it really serves as a teaser for what's to come. Introduced by short spoken intros taken from B-movies a la White Zombie, extended riff-monsters like "Funeralopolis," "I, the Witchfinder," and the three-part colossus "Weird Tales" are vintage Electric Wizard. Though they never exceed a snail's pace, they somehow manage to build in intensity, from single note guitar lines to huge power chords with deliberate, maddening certainty. First-time listeners will find it easier to cope with more compact offerings like "Barbarian" and "We Hate You," but with time, they'll see the light and embrace the obscenely heavy title track, with its patented "Iron Man" oscillating riff. In short, with Dopethrone, Electric Wizard has raised the bar for doom metal achievement in the new millennium -- good luck to the competition.
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)

[UPDATE]
Download: http://lix.in/2c6673
Download (REMASTERED Edition): http://lix.in/ff696c *



* Upload por Felipe

Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics... (1997) [Remaster]

Upon its release, Electric Wizard's excellent debut carved a Titanic-sized swath through the heavy metal landscape, burying much that had come before under an avalanche of amp distortion, detuned riffs, and billows of marijuana smoke. And yet, impossible as it may seem, the band's absolutely colossal second effort, Come My Fanatics..., while somewhat less immediate than its predecessor, somehow upped the sonic ante through a wall of sludge so thick that even the most experienced of metal heads couldn't help but be overwhelmed by its power. Opening number "Return Trip" is quite simply a heavy metal landmark, from its sudden, feedback-induced (and bowel-releasing) opening chord to the anguished screams of main man Jus Oborn through to its final coughing denouement ten minutes later. The barely discernible lyrics to second track "Wizard in Black" (another monster at eight minutes) gradually emerge from the trio's cyclopean grind, intoning "I am a God...I am the One" -- and by gum if by now you're not ready to believe just that! Ensuing acid-metal behemoths like "Doom-Mantia" and "Son of Nothing" (the album's shortest track at almost seven minutes) will test the patience of uninitiated listeners before drifting into focus through billowing clouds of smoke, but the ultimate religious experience is well worth the lengthy conversion process. And though less memorable, instrumentals like "Ivixor B/Phase Inducer," (a full-fledged space rock feedback freak-out) and closer "Solarian 13" slot right into the album's imposing mass. Essential doom.
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/380eb3

Electric Wizard - Electric Wizard (1995)

"When Electric Wizard first emerged, seemingly fully formed from the hallowed wombs of the doom metal gods (well, Dorset, England, anyway), all most listeners could do was stand in dumbfounded awe -- such was the power and magnitude with which the trio delivered its monolithic epics. Taking up the torch from doom pioneers like Saint Vitus, Sleep, and more recently Britain's own Cathedral, the eternally stoned-out trio went about setting a new standard for slothful, detuned heavy metal noisemaking; yet -- amazingly, compared to subsequent efforts -- their eponymous debut's crushing wall of sludge would soon seem almost lightweight. Most of the songs on Electric Wizard crawl along at a snail's pace, their mind-numbing riffs exploring the lowest imaginable sonic frequencies still within human range. Except for the trippy space rock guitar of "Mountains of Mars," the entire record revels in the purest, uncompromising post-Sabbath doom metal dirge, a great part of which may prove too sluggish and impenetrable for inexperienced listeners. But for knowledgeable consumers of the genre, weed-worshipping anthems like "Stone Magnet," "Devil's Bride," and the group's awesome namesake, "Electric Wizard" (which is introduced by a long, highly suspicious exhaled breath), amount to a mind-shattering experience...prepare to be enlightened."
(Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/8bee45

Electric Wizard - BBC Maida Vale Studios (2005)

BBC Session da considerada por muitos a banda mais pesada do mundo. Para a sessão, em Janeiro de 2005, a banda gravou três músicas: 'Dopethrone', do disco homônimo, e 'We Live' e 'Another Perfect Day?', do até então último disco de estúdio do grupo, We Live.


Download: http://lix.in/354cf8