Arik Roper

Nascido em 1973, Roper é um ilustrador e animador americano. É o criador de várias capas para discos de bandas como Sleep, High on Fire, Mammatus e The Black Crowes, além de ser o responsável por vários pôsteres de shows. Grupos como Sunn O))), Witch, Wolfmother, Boris, Om e Dead Meadow já tiveram seus nomes ilustrados por Roper.

http://www.arikroper.com

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

Mark Lanegan - The Winding Sheet (1990)

"...His menacing voice haunts each track as the blues come to life throughout the album. Capturing the melancholy mentality of the Pacific Northwest, his words descend like raindrops upon deep puddles of mud. The undeniable beauty of a song such as "Ugly Sunday" obviously comes from reveling in the mire, something that Lanegan has been all too familiar with as a recovering addict. He finds a kindred spirit in Kurt Cobain as the two join forces to present "Down in the Dark." And his version of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" is as charged as ever with pent-up frustration and jealousy. An emotional journey through the pains of life..." - Robert Gabriel, allmusic.com


Download: http://lix.in/2a1117

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

Siena Root - A New Day Dawning (2004)

A New Day Dawning é o primeiro disco dos suecos do Siena Root. Ainda com Oskar Lundström nos vocais (a bonita voz de Sanya tomou seu lugar logo depois), o debut é tão bom, se não melhor, que o lançamento seguinte, Kaleidoscope. Influências claras - e únicas, até - de hard rock 60/70, com direito até a uma pequena homenagem a War Pigs no final do disco. Moderninhos, esqueçam isso aqui: A New Day Dawning cheira a mofo.


Download: http://lix.in/21bdb9

Bigelf - Money Machine (2000)

I've never been much of a fan of music described as "progressive" - actually, I've avoided it like the plague (what, me narrow-minded?)! But then, something happened. I was standing at the festival area of this year's Sweden Rock Festival, enjoying a beer, talking to some people on my way to the exit and back to the tent. But something made me stop. Something made me stop and think to myself: "what the hell is this"? What I heard was some heavy guitars sliding away into long, down-tuned Sabbath-reminding solos backed up by an even heavier Hammond organ. I felt drawn towards this weird yet compelling sound and suddenly I found myself standing in the crowd, shaking my head to these hypnotic rhythms and on the stage there were three men, all wearing long hair and beards, looking like black-dressed mad prophets. Jesus on acid. Sadly, I had to return to the tent to conduct some personal business (don't ask) so I didn't get to catch the whole concert, but I was impressed with what I had heard. Bigelf, I thought to myself, I gotta remember that name. And I did and when the opportunity came to get my hands on their latest album, "Money Machine", I didn't hesitate. The press release describes the music as "the way The Beatles would have sounded with Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath on guitar and Jon Lord from Deep Purple on organ", and I gotta admit, they really hit the spot with that one! Imagine Beatles during their cannabis-back-to-India era and with a little bit of desperation thrown into their sound, mixed with fat guitars and a corresponding organ. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: don't mix this and don't mix that, it'll all get too chaotic, but trust me: it doesn't! Bigelf are very talented musicians, performing a music that could be described as very technical, still the melodies are clean and very catchy! It takes a certain amount of creativity and genius to make these parts blend together well and these guys are not only pulling it off, but also they do it terrific! The lyrics are pretty simple, yet effective when put to the music. The two first tracks, "Money Machine" and "Sellout" are, for those of you who didn't get that from the titles, a big black boot in the face of the entire music industry - well, the greedy, money-rule part of it, anyway! Corporate assholes, beware! "Neuropsychopathic Eye" (which kicks off with some distorted Ozzy-like vocals) could easily have passed as a song from any Beatles album during their rawer period and has some great baby grand handling from keyboardist Damon Fox. "Side effects" begins with some really down-tuned guitars and turns out to be the most outstanding track of the album - the chorus is so simple, yet it's remarkable! Even your parents will appreciate this! Or at least they should. "Death Walks Behind You" is creepy and atmospheric (once again with some brilliant organ usage and groovy guitars) and the closing track "The Bitter End" is slow-paced with calm vocals, soothing keyboards and long, spiraling guitar solos. Really laid-back and relaxing - a great completion of a great album. If you haven't heard of LA band Bigelf yet, I urge you to check 'em out! It didn't actually convert me to start liking progressive music, but it made me love a band within a genre I had earlier tried to keep away from and that, my friends, requires a certain quality!
(The Damnator, Sweet Suffering)


Download: http://lix.in/209383

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



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Goldfish Memories - EP (2007)

"The music flies around us in every single step"! Com início em janeiro de 2006, o som de Goldfish Memories, que tem influências interessantes de stoner rock e demais estilos do rock como grunge e hard rock,chega na cena com um som carregado de riffs de peso e marcantes, com guitarras distorcidas, mas também com direito a uma viagem louca utilizando variações de efeitos e bateria agressiva!!! Basicamente esse é o som desses goianos que foram considerados como uma das bandas novas que mais se destacou no ano de 2006 em Goiânia – Goiás - Brasil. Banda é formada por: Pablo Villas Boas no vocal, Renato Cunha na guitarra, Danilo Xidan na outra guitarra e nos backing vocals, João Gabriel no baixo e Lucas Manoel na bateria.

"The music flies around us in every single step"! The band activities started at January 2006. Goldfish Memories shows up with great influences of stoner rock and using some grunge and hard rock elements to create a heavy sound with notable riffs, crazy guitars, playing around with effects and powerful drumming. Basically, that’s the sound of this band that was considered one of the greatest new bands of Goiânia/Brazil in 2006. Goldfish Memories is: Pablo Villas Boas(lead vocal), Renato Cunha(guitar), Danilo Xidan(guitar and backing vocals), João Gabriel(bass), and Lucas Manoel(drums).
(do MySpace da banda)


Download: http://lix.in/0cf969

Sonicvolt - Single 2007 (2007)

Poucas bandas têm uma árvore genealógica tão vistosa como a SonicVolt. São galhos contemporâneos vergados ao peso de Queens of the Stone Age e Nebula; um denso e sólido caule do rock ’70 de Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin e Blue Cheer; e raízes tão diversas que vão do pré-punk de Detroit à psicoledia sessentista de cepas vigorosas, como Hendrix e Floyd.

Transitando entre o experimentalismo, a psicodelia e ainda arriscando alguns elementos de punk, esse trio pioneiro do stoner rock no Brasil sabe bem como respeitar essas origens. Exatamente por isso, mantém -- alheio a modismos -- os dois pés fixos no rock de alta-energia, como o próprio nome da banda sugere.
(Wilson Cordeiro, no release da banda)

E seguindo essa linha a Sonicvolt disponibilizou 'Single 2007', último trabalho da banda, com três músicas novas: Atômica Revelação, H.E.N.D.R.x. e Fora de Foco. Eu não sei se é impressão minha, mas cada vez mais eu começo a perceber fortes influências Atomic Bitchwaxianas no som do grupo, e isso é muito bom. Pode ser viagem mesmo, mas pouco importa. Cancele o download do disco daquele tal de Moptop, clique no link abaixo e seja feliz.


Download: http://www.sonicvolt.com.br/mp3/single_2007/
SONICVOLT-single_2007.zip

Site oficial: http://www.sonicvolt.com.br/

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

Bigelf - Closer to Doom (1996)

Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd meets Atomic Rooster meets King Crimson meets The Beatles. Se essa descrição não for suficiente para ouvir com calma o debut do Bigelf, juro que não sei o que você faz neste blog.

You know they say…"downloading is killing cd sales"… bullshit, bad music and homogenized entertainment are killing cd sales, period."
(Bigelf)


Download: http://lix.in/fc7eb5

Soundgarden - Ultramegaunknown

Bootleg que contém um apanhado de demos e lados-b de 93 e 94. E tenho dito.

Músicas: Cold Bitch / Exit Stonehenge / Birth Ritual [Demo] / Like Suicide [Acoustic] / She Likes Surprises / Spoonman [Steve Fisk Remix] / Show Me / New Damage [with Brian May] / Seasons / Birth Ritual / My Wave [Live] / Jesus Christ Pose [Live] / Beyond the Wheel [Live] / Fell on Black Days [Live] / Kickstand [Live]


Download: http://lix.in/7b8961

Bigelf - Hex (2003)

Here they come again!!! After almost three years since "Money Machine" Bigelf is back and in their best form ever! "Hex", in my opinion, is their best album up 'til now. "Madhatter" should take the award for "Best Goddamn Song From The Last Ten Years"! Holy shit, there's no way on earth you can listen to this song and not get psyched. But that's just the beginning of "Hex"! The power-vibe keeps goin' on songs like "Pain Killers" (which should get an award too) and "Carry The Load" with its six minutes of pure tripping heavy music. But hey! There's more, the trilogy of "Bats In The Belfry" is completed now with its 1st and 2nd parts (the third one is on "The Madhatter EP") and now you can play them in sequence and feel the heavy progressive vibe of Bigelf's crazy alchemists. "Disappear" and "Black Moth" are some kind of crossing between psychedelia and heaviness, Syd Barret's Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath era. "Burning Bridges" gets into a Beatlesque kind of mood (there's a part of the song where the keyboards remind me of "Because" from the fab four), with lots of Hammond and blues feelings. "Rock And Roll Contract" and "Sunshine Suicide" follow that Beatle-mood, especially on the harmonies and vocals. There it is, I know this album has just been released, but I can't wait for their next doom opus!! Do as you wish, but HAVE this album in your collection!
(Álcio Villalobos)


Download: http://lix.in/0bd4fb

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

Shocking Blue - At Home (1969)

American listeners tend to remember Shocking Blue as the one-hit wonder behind the chart-topper "Venus," a melting pot of rock rhythms, country guitar licks, organ riffs, and Mariska Veres' heavily accented vocals. Sounding something like a cross between "96 Tears" and "Sugar, Sugar," "Venus" was not entirely representative of the group's first album, At Home. Like their fellow countrymen Golden Earring, Shocking Blue purveyed a mild strain of psychedelic rock, but leaned more toward country and folk music than bubblegum. Guitarist and principal songwriter Robby Van Leeuwen was already preoccupied with Americana at this early stage, from "Harley Davidson" and "California Here I Come" to a surprising rendition of the folk song "Boll Weevil" that sets the traditional lyrics to music reminiscent of the Easybeats' "Good Times." (The group's country music fixation would manifest itself more overtly on later albums). Van Leeuwen's sitar is pictured on the album cover and dominates the instrumental "Acka Raga," but, thankfully, is not overused. "Mighty Joe" and "Never Marry a Railroad Man" were minor U.S. chart hits that few people remember, but "Love Buzz" gained a measure of fame decades later when Nirvana covered it. Veres has great presence -- like a gypsy incarnation of Grace Slick -- but Van Leeuwen's English-language lyrics can be awkward at times. On "Venus," all the components clicked perfectly into place, but there is much more to Shocking Blue than their biggest hit.
(Greg Adams, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/385913

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


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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 *


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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 *


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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 *



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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

Acid King - III (2005)

"This is how it’s done. Acid King’s III is a testament to the heavy. My only complaint is the amount of time it took to get this fucker out.

See, Busse Woods, their previous paean to fluid distortion, came out in 1999. That’s a hell of a long time between albums, more than most bands’ careers. But on III’s seven tracks, Acid King prove - almost effortlessly, I have to add - that they’re among the leaders of psychedelic stoner metal. Less spacey than label mates Sons of Otis, more jam-oriented than doom outfits like Ufomammut and Electric Wizard, Acid King exist in a thunderous low-end that shakes foundations even at the lowest volume. Listening to songs like “”Wheel Nation” or “On to Everafter” is like watching molasses pour out of a jar. It’s thick and viscous, pooling together in a meaty muck.

And like molasses, it sticks to you. III’s one of those albums that refuses to let go of your subconscious. Chalk it up to Lori S’s spectral croon and her dense guitar riffs, or the heavier than thou rhythm section of Joey Osbourne (drums) and Guy Pinhas (bass). It doesn’t really matter. Acid King have tapped into a well of heavy. Let’s hope it doesn’t run dry."
(John Pegoraro @ StonerRock.com)


Tracklist: 2 Wheel Nation / Heavy Load / Bad Vision / War of the Mind / Into the Ground / On to Everafter / Sunshine and Sorrow

Download: hhttp://lix.in/8dcd77

Muse - Black Holes And Revelations (2006)

A banda nesse álbum parece um pouco segura demais quanto as suas capacidades e ao seu som, o que me deu a impressão de não estar ouvindo algo totalmente novo. Nada disso quer dizer que o novo álbum não é bom, na verdade, é um dos melhores do Muse, e a seqüência inicial com "Take a Bow", "Starligth", "Supermassive Black Hole" e "Map of the Problematique" é primorosa.

A temática no entanto é bem mais forte e política, começando pela capa, produzida pelo brilhante designer Storm Thorgerson responsável por algumas das mais memoráveis artes de álbuns, incluindo praticamente todo o trabalho gráfico do Pink Floyd. Na foto, quatro homens estão sentados em uma mesa sobre a qual estão três cavalos em miniatura. A paisagem lembra o solo marciano, o que pode extender a interpretação à última (e uma das mais obscuras) músicas do álbum, "Knigths of Cydonia". Cydonia é o nome de uma região do planeta Marte onde se encontra o famoso "rosto humano". Expecula-se que a capa faça referência aos Cavaleiros do Apocalipse citados na Bíblia, e o começo da música "Knigths of Cydonia" conta com sons de galope de cavalos seguidos de explosões e algo que lembra uma sirene de alarme.
"Take a Bow" por exemplo, traz críticas pesadas, que só posso atribuir aos comandantes supremos do universo, Mr. Bush e o cãozinho de estimação Mr. Blair.
(Pedro Keh, Muzplay)


Download: http://lix.in/208091

Drunk Horse - In Tongues (2005)

"There has always been an egregious misunderstanding about The Dark One and his role in music. Somewhere between the rise of Venom and Slayer, people got to thinkin' that Satan was all wrapped up in heavy metal. Sure, The Devil has his spindly fingers on a few choice thrash records, no doubt, but when it comes to music, those in the know agree on one thing: Satan prefers '70s rock. KISS, Deep Purple, Rainbow and Black Sabbath sure as hell didn't make it to the top on talent alone. Mephistopheles played a role in the rise (and subsequent fall) of each of these fabled bands.

If you didn't know better, a few listens to In Tongues would convince you that you'd unearthed a classic gem from several decades past. Rumbling guitars, heinously long solos, markedly pronounced vocals and bong-tokin' riffs drift by in a seemingly endless supply. One thing's for sure -- Drunk Horse have done their homework when it comes to reliving the past, and they take their stoner-driven classic rock to epic extremes.(...)

You can say this much for In Tongues: it's never boring. Its endless supply of Marshall stack smokin' anthems will bring out the guitar hero worshipper in everyone you know. Without the likes of Drunk Horse, you might think that Satan had given up on rock 'n' roll entirely. And without him, rock 'n' roll just wouldn't be very much fun. Thanks, Drunk Horse!"
(Andrew Magilow, Splendid Magazine)


Download: http://lix.in/1eec22

Siena Root - Kaleidoscope (2006)

"Last year Siena Root played several highly acclaimed performances at big festivals and took the hearts by storm. With this -their second album- the band managed to enhance their honest and natural sound without loosing contact to their musical roots. The amazing and charismatic blues-tinged voice of female singer Sanya gives a real kick to the Siena Root sound. The album is a kaleidoscope with '1970' facets. It's spectrum ranges from tight and bluesy organ-based, psyched heavy rock to beautiful eastern-influenced ragas with sitar and hippiesque flute. Nevertheless there's enough space for some well dosed jamming and improvisational intervals."
(Nasoni Records)


Download: http://lix.in/422fae

Witch - Witch (2006)

"Like all bands of its stripe, they owe an enormous debt to prime Black Sabbath. Thomas' voice isn't as unique as Ozzy's, but by the same token he's not as annoying either. Sabbath's emphasis on Herculean riffs certainly informs the core of Witch's music, but most of the rest of the sound is filled in by influences more from heavy rock than from the increasingly technical and rarefied straits of metal. Saint Vitus and Sleep, yes, but also everyone from Blue Cheer (the chugging “Soul of Fire”) to Comets on Fire (the amazingly molten “Changing”). The lyrics, written by Thomas, are uniformly concerned with sorcery and the supernatural, but anyone who seriously thinks that's a drawback really needs to hear the grinding churn of the guitars on the opening “Seer,” or the end of the explosive “Hand of Glory.”

Witch manage to do a lot more in forty minutes with little more than a bunch of badass riffs and a decent rhythm section than most metal bands these days can do with seventy minutes. Witch is short and sweet and driving enough to inspire some serious grade headbanging; about the biggest worry surrounding this album is the fear that Mascis and Feathers might leave this as a one-off side project. Avant folk's gain would be doom metal's loss: As good as some of the artsier acts in this genre are, Witch is that rare band that focuses on just providing some incredibly heavy rock and roll in such a compelling fashion that they temporarily render all other considerations moot."
(Ian Mathers - Stylus Magazine)


Download: http://lix.in/e87307

Isis - Oceanic (2002)

"Isis is one of the few heavy metal bands recording without regard for convention, and since Tool's debut, few have succeeded in such breathtaking fashion. Turner-- who's invariably screamed at the top of his lungs to this point-- actually sings on the record's closer, "Hym". Always with an ear for the industrial drone dramatized by Swans and Skinny Puppy in the 80s, and kept alive by Neurosis (who Turner has known since starting Hydra Head), Isis have graduated from their status as the best dirge orchestra around, consolidating a number of disparate sounds to create a dynamic far more evocative than mere loud-soft-loud repetition: these are caterwauls offset by meditation."
(Chris Ott, Pitchfork)


Download: http://lix.in/95821e



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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

Procol Harum - Procol Harum (1967)

"This is another one of those seminal proto-prog albums that is so instrumental to prog and music in general. One of those obligatory passages from sixties pop to seventies rock, along with Caravan’s debut, Soft Machine’s first two albums and the Nice’s debut. (...) Some of the tracks are silmply incredibly advanced for the times and still sound so solemnly beautiful nowadays: listen to Oustside The Gates OF Cerdes, Repent Walpurgis, and future hit Conquistador, to get a load on how great these guys were working as a unit and breaking ground with almost every track. To call this album full-blown prog is maybe a little quick, though: Kaleidoscope, Mabel and Captain Clack are tracks full of great psychedelic invention that even Floyd or the Beatles would’ve proudly called their own."
(Hugues Chantraine, ProgArchives)


Download: http://lix.in/bb8802

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)

"Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, the much-anticipated follow-up to Godspeed You Black Emperor's Slow Riot, is a double-disc achievement of four works (each with multiple parts): "Storm," "Static," "Sleep," and "Antennas to Heaven." It is a windfall for any fan of ambient pop, orchestral rock, space rock, or simply lush string arrangements who understands how powerful love, melancholy, and frustration can be. The main complaint voiced by critics of Godspeed's music is that their works just repeat the same pattern: start out sparse and slow, build-build-build, crescendo. While there are certainly crescendos, there is no such predictable pattern repeated among the works on Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven -- it's loaded with dynamics, unexpected sections, strong emotions and beauty."
(Joslyn Layne, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/d332bc

Colour Haze - CO2 (2000)

"I've heard a lot of great music since we started this site, There is so much talent out there in hard music. Even the stuff that isn't so great, you have to tip your hat to because someone had a dream big enough to put it on a CD. Reviewing makes me feel like an asshole sometimes. I don't want to be the one to crush dreams, but as a heshrock journalist, I must calls 'em as I see's 'em. And for every CD I love, someone else is going to trash. That's just how it is. The magic just don't work for everybody.

So lemme call this one as I see's it.. Germany's Colour Haze is fucking incredible.

Colour Haze is head music....a swirling hybrid of Kyuss, Natas and perhaps the hypnotic ambiance of Spacemen 3, but with an originality to distance themselves from all three....slow lazy guitar jams followed by a valley of bass then mountains of pure distortion. Musicians joining together in elation, luckily captured by recording equipment, something the Grateful Dead did on stage at those rare times, something they called the X factor. No explaining, just three musicians coming together in a syncopated harmony of rhythm and distortion. Singer/guitarist Stefan Kogiek's voice weaves in and out of the music, sometimes cool and mellow, other times drenched in adrenaline."Shine", "Inside" and title track "CO2" are the musical equivalents of tantric ecstasy, radiating an brilliant afterglow long after the CD player stops.. A rare and incredible find."
(Chris Barnes, Hellride Music)


Download: http://lix.in/5ece77

Mogwai - Come On Die Young (1999)

Segundo o wikipédia, Mogwai é uma banda escocesa de post rock. Formado em Glasgow em 1995, o grupo é um dos expoentes do estilo, caracterizado por música instrumental carregada de melodias complexas. O nome da banda tem origem nos personagens Mogwai, do filme Gremlins. Pra mim, música de primeiríssima qualidade, arte antes de mais nada.

Este trata-se do terceiro disco dos caras.

Tracklist: 1 Punk Rock 2 Cody 3 Help Both Ways 4 Year 2000 Non-compliant Cardia 5 Kappa 6 Waltz For Aidan 7 May Nothing But Happiness Come Trough Your Door 8 Oh! How The Dogs Stack Up 9 Ex-Cowboy 10 Chocky 11 Christmas Steps 12 Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/Antichrist


Download: http://lix.in/3e61ef

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971)

"Funkadelic was George Clinton's chance to get serious. Unlike Parliament, Funkadelic exhibited topical lyrics and an almost heavy-metal edge, one that included screeching, distorted guitar and unsettling musical turns. This 1971 album, Funkadelic's second release, catches the ensemble in its early prime. The Hendrix-inspired dramatics come courtesy of Eddie Hazel, while Bernie Worrell admirably handles the keyboard chores. Clinton's humorous, sober lyrics address poverty, race relations, and drug use. Musically, the band covers lots of ground: Everything from smooth soul and heavy rock to abstract psychedelia and straight-on funky grooves has a place, and these jarring shifts are what make the album a revolutionary work."
(Marc Greilsamer, Amazon)


Download: http://lix.in/715865

Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

"Jeff Buckley was many things, but humble wasn't one of them. Grace is an audacious debut album, filled with sweeping choruses, bombastic arrangements, searching lyrics, and above all, the richly textured voice of Buckley himself, which resembled a cross between Robert Plant, Van Morrison, and his father Tim. And that's a fair starting point for his music: Grace sounds like a Led Zeppelin album written by an ambitious folkie with a fondness for lounge jazz. At his best -- the soaring title track, "Last Goodbye," and the mournful "Lover, You Should've Come Over" -- Buckley's grasp met his reach with startling results; at its worst, Grace is merely promising."
(Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic)


Download: http://lix.in/319121

Mark Lanegan - Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994)

"Se 'The Winding Sheet', o primeiro álbum solo de Mark Lanegan, era um disco muito promissor, 'Whiskey For The Holy Ghost' assegura um lugar para Lanegan entre os maiores. Trata-se de um belíssimo álbum, que infelizmente foi descoberto por poucos.

Baseado em influências clássicas da música americana, o folk, o rock, o lamento do blues, a simplicidade do country, 'Whiskey For The Holy Ghost' é um disco absolutamente atemporal. Foi lançado em 1994, como poderia ter sido lançado neste ano ou na década de 70. E é um disco emocionado, de sentimentos expostos, explícitos e palpáveis, e talvez por isso, é um disco extremamente acessível embora não seja um trabalho necessariamente popular." (leia mais)
(Alexandre Luzardo, Dying Days)


Download: http://lix.in/e3b99a

Hand of Doom - Live in Los Angeles: Black Sabbath Tribute (2002)

Do encarte: "Hand of Doom is Molly R. Stern on bass, Pedro Yanowitz on drums, Guy Stevens on guitar, Joey Garfield on gongs and turntables and Melissa Auf der Maur as Ozzy."

Precisa dizer mais? Ah, tem participação especial de Nick Oliveri.



Download: http://lix.in/71308f

Auf der Maur - Auf der Maur (2004)

"Melissa Auf der Maur has the best rolodex in rock: She played bass for both Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins; went to school with Rufus Wainwright; and purportedly counts Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Andrew W.K. among her romantic conquests. Her own record better be good. While Auf Der Maur's self-titled debut doesn't sound anything like either her friends or former employers, it's clear she's picked up a few tricks. Standout tracks "Followed the Waves" and "Real a Lie" storm out of the speakers with shameless arena rock bluster and volcanic urgency. Her lyrics stink (think witches and black light unicorn posters) but she compensates with the sort of million-decibel pterodactyl shriek that makes it hard to notice. And when she tries her hand at a bit of '80s-inspired noise pop with "Would If I Could" the results near My Bloody Valentine envelope pushing brilliance. She was obviously born to do this."
(Aidin Vaziri, Amazon.com)


Download: http://lix.in/758328

Melvins - Bullhead (1991)

"After three albums filled for the most part with quick song bursts and the occasional longer track, the eight-song long Bullhead found the Melvins stretching out a bit more at points, this time allowing the heavily stoned tempos plenty of time to really sprawl all over the place. There are fewer sudden shifts between fast and slow moments as well, and a lot more pure lava-flow beat-over-head feedback sludge and noise. It's not all ten mph deliberation, though - "Zodiac" shows the trio at full speed and blasting aside anything that might be so foolish as to get in its way, not to mention one unhinged Osbourne vocal lead. If grunge was achieving breakthrough status in Seattle, it was being perfected in its rawest sense on this album. Opening cut "Boris" does all this in excelsis -- the band's longest recorded song at this point, nearly ten minutes long, it practically drips from the bongwater of eight million potheads, with Osbourne invoking his own brand of demons over the deep crawl of the music. Osbourne here really has got the dramatic, theatrical Ozzy Osbourne attitude down, with the occasional double-tracked vocals adding to the off-kilter intensity of the performances. Crover again shows his worth on the drums -- he plays things slow most of the time but, crucially, never once sloppily -- while Black keeps the bass going, however relatively unheard under Osbourne's guitar attack. "It's Shoved" is the not-so-secret highlight of Bullhead, Crover's brisker drum work and Black's sharp bass playing heralding a wild lead-guitar melody and a great ensemble performance. However, efforts like "Anaconda," with its slowly uncoiling power, and the intense "If I Had an Exorcism," which gets all the more wired and wound up as it goes (Black's bass here is some of her best), are no slouches."
(Ned Raggett, All Music Guide)


Download: http://link.pulsix.com/&/595136

Créditos ao Vinícius pelo arquivo. =D

Os Mutantes - Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol (1974)

"This is the first album for me to judge from OS MUTANTES. I have no comparison with the former released albums with Rita Lee in the line-up. Excepting the portuguese vocals the music sounds very british - space/psychedelic elements have the priority. Especially the guitars are often similar to MAN albums at this time.

Deixa Entrar Um Pouco D'Agua No Quintal is a very good opener with great variety. Pedro de Medeiros takes care of a strong fusion touch with his bass. Pitágoras is an amazing instrumental. The song has a symphonic flavour depending on the good moog and piano playing by Túlio Mourão. Unfortunately the track is only 7 minutes long. Desanuviar is a psychedelic atmospheric ballad and Sérgio Dias Baptista adds some asian feelings with his suitar at the end. Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol belongs to the best songs though the beginning sounds heavily like 'Hold your head up' from ARGENT. But afterwards the band is spinning very sweet melodies supported by beautiful vocals - surprisingly gliding into a groovy bluesy end with guitar playing which remembers me at AGITATION FREE.

The other songs I've not mentioned are also interesting to hear. But not so important for me because they are in a more Rock n' Roll mood. My summary: very enjoyable - an excellent production which can compete with european space/psychedelic productions without any difficulties."
(Uwe Zickel, ProgArchives)


Download: http://www.badongo.com/file/3057116

Down

NOLA (1995)
"The combination of Phil Anselmo and Pepper Keenan should be enough to cause heavy metal fans to drool, but with a full cast made up of members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod, Down is truly a supergroup, and performs as such. Make no mistake, though, the music inevitably comes back to Anselmo and Keenan. NOLA (an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana) takes the two superstars' writing talents and distinctive sounds and focuses them in a feast of Cajun-style heavy metal. Like much of Pantera's music, NOLA is lyrically enigmatic and frequently celebrates the use of controlled substances. Glorification of cannabis aside, the album's true focus is inner melancholy and atonement for earlier sins. Keenan's own brand of crunching axework -- the kind that typifies his work with Corrosion of Conformity -- compliments Anselmo's genuinely sorrowful vocals, and the two propel the album to its logical conclusion without the flashy solos or other excesses that often accompany their separate works. The two also combine in a unique way on "Pray for the Locust," an instrumental that was written by Anselmo but consists simply of Keenan on the guitar. From the highly layered "Stone the Crow," the group's only major radio hit, to the ponderous, introspective "Bury Me in Smoke," the members of Down display their abilities to play quality rock & roll outside the comfort of their individual bands. In terms of consistency and sheer rock power, NOLA surpasses all but the very best of the featured artists' other works, and can proudly be embraced in any of the associated bands' catalogs. This is a landmark album that combines the talents of dedicated rock musicians, and should be included in any collection of heavy metal music."
(David Reamer, AllMusic)


Download: http://link.pulsix.com/&/595130



Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002)
"In 1995, some of rock & roll's most notorious--and well-respected--beer drinkers and hell-raisers stepped outside the bounds of their respective bands to form a sort of underground supergroup. That instantly legendary cult band, Down, featuring Pantera's Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, Corrosion of Conformity's Pepper Keenan, Crowbar's Kirk Windstein and Eye Hate God's Jimmy Bower, shared a common birthplace in New Orleans, a love for Black Sabbath, and if the songs "The Seed" and "Doobinterlude" are any indication, a propensity for a certain leafy substance. On this headbanging, 15-track follow-up to 1995's Nola, Down once again serve up a sludgy, sonic stew of Sabbath-influenced heaviness. Recorded in Louisiana, Down II has the swampy sounds, stoner-rock vibe, and dirt-bag patina of authentic, deeply rooted old-school rock 'n' metal. From the stripped down, gently creepy "Where I'm Going," featuring dobro, farfisa, and Hammond organ to the '70s metallic grind-groove of "Lysergik Funeral Procession" to the Southern-fried midtempo "Stained Glass Cross" to trippier, party-time entries, Down II provides an apt soundtrack for those still celebrating the dazed and confused lifestyle."
(Katherine Turman, Amazon)


Download: http://link.pulsix.com/&/595131

Mammatus - The Coast Explodes

"A quintet out of Corralitos, California (no, me neither), Mammatus wrestle with the legacy of Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, and other progenitors of heavy, brain-glazing rock loco-motion. Plenty of intelligent longhairs trudge down this Orange Amp-strewn path, many doing no more than paying homage while adding nothing new to the style. Mammatus can’t in good conscience be called innovative in this regard, but they do extrapolate on some of the elements laid down by space rock and heavy metal’s pioneers.

Their sophomore album, The Coast Explodes, often curlicues into baroque passages of quasi-classical grandeur with enough panache to straighten Brian May’s hair. On “The Changing Wind,” Mammatus deviate from their norm with a sparse, Wicker Man-like folk ramble featuring pennywhistle (or is it a recorder?), acoustic guitar, and hand percussion. It works surprisingly well, whether you’re into Tolkien or tokin’. This softer, subtler tack—compared to that of Mammatus’ self-titled debut—still casts a potent, eldritch spell. The title track combines this mellower drift with the debut album’s sprawling guitar/bass girth, attaining an expansive, spiritual aura that is usually beyond the grasp of those who throw devil horns unironically. With The Coast Explodes, Mammatus, like labelmates Om, show that ultra-heavy cats can ascend to a higher level of consciousness—bong-assisted or not. "
(David Segal, under Curb Your Cynicism)


Tracklist: Dragon of the Deep Part Three (Excellent Swordfight) / Pierce the Darkness / The Changing Wind / The Coast Explodes

Download: http://www.badongo.com/file/3030333

Fantômas - The Director's Cut (2001)

"Fantomas stand with their feet planted horizontally across the soft dimensions of your face, warping the shape of your skull and shoulders with their off-color explosions. With expectations withering on the floor, leaving a viscous stink, nothing in their hands is concrete. As a follow-up to their 30-song debut, throughout which vocalist Mike Patton never formed a single actual word, Fantomas offer these 16 new creations, all realigned versions of film soundtracks, ranging from the notorious theme to Rosemary's Baby to the obscure and peculiar wank of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. While there are many similarities to the dispersed flip-flopping styles of their earlier work, The Director's Cut breaks new ground with a thick jagged axe. First, most noticeably, are the even more varied vocal stylings; Patton's sweet croon on "Experiment in Terror" is nothing you've heard before from him on a Fantomas recording, along with many of the other croaking, spitting, pissing, screaming noises he excretes. Yet another testament to the unabashed genius of Mike Patton and his co-conspirators, leaving those caught up in the rapture with mouths even more full with thick drool."
(Blake Butler @ allmusic.com)


Tracklist: The Godfather / Der Golem / Experiment in Terror / One Step Beyond / Night of the Hunter (Remix) / Cape Fear / Rosemary's Baby / The Devil Rides Out (Remix) / Spider Baby / The Omen (Ave Satani) / Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer / Vendetta / [Untitled] / Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion / Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me / Charade

Download: http://w12.easy-share.com/871402.html

Anekdoten - Vemod (1993)

""Vermod" was one of albums that re-ignited the Swedish progressive rock revival. Without a question ANEKDOTEN have been heavily influenced by early 70’s KING CRIMSON with their tailored and yet controlled FRIPP-like guitar playing (Nicklas Berg) & loads of mellotron (actually is 2 different mellotron going at some places!) ANEKDOTEN understands the Crimsonic use of contrast, and Vemod is centered on contrasting tempos and dynamics. Guitarist Nicklas Berg turns in a gritty performance on both guitar and mellotron reminding the listener at many points of why one likes this type of music in the first place. The combination of pump organ, Mellotron, and a deeply bowed cello creates a rich dark sound of brooding intensity. Emotionally charged melodic lines and powerful rhythms abound. The percussion on this album is killer with some great deep chops and complex percussion. Filling in the mix is cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg who works with the mellotrons to really bring forth some warm tones."
(James Unger @ http://www.progarchives.com)


Tracklist: Karelia / The Old Man & the Sea / Where Solitude Remains / Thought in Absence / The Flow / Longing / Wheel

Download: http://w12.easy-share.com/863710.html