Gravehuffer - NecroEclosion

Labels: Black Doomba Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 15 Jan 2021

Tracklist:

1. Custom Of The Sea

2. Hellhound

3. Sights To The Sky

4. Death Before Disco

5. Stingray

6. Smaller Than Death

7. Ghost Dance

8. Quarantine War Machine

9. Causes

10. Backpack

11. Madwolf

Back again tonight with another new release from Black Doomba Records (USA) and this time it's the third full-length from Gravehuffer, from Missouri. NecroEclosion was officially released last week and it captures eleven songs of all kinds, featuring thrash, grind, crust and doom along the way. Gravehuffer have been plying their trade in various forms since 2008 and this time they welcome guests from Voidvod, Annihiliator and Nevermore amongst others! 

This is a bewildering album, with opening song ‘Custom Of The Sea’ sounding like some kind of crazed thrash metal sea shanty, spliced with grind and death metal. The deep growls are pretty mean, while the instrumentation is menacing and fast, which, makes complete sense when up next to the higher pitched screams that also frequent the song. The samples Gravehuffer use definitely show that their roots are entwined in grind/punk and ‘Hellhound’ goes by super fast, thanks to it’s really upbeat tempo and gung-ho approach. There’s fun to be had with this record, trust me!

Gravehuffer’s influences stretch far and wide, and on ‘Sights To The Sky’ they come full circle thanks to a guest appearance from Voivod guitarist Dan ‘Chewy’ Mongrain, who helps provide a fantastic solo in a way that only he can. The overall song is dedicated to space and the Apollo mission, as you might have guessed from it’s intro. It’s really good and at times reminds me of the most recent songs from Total Fucking Destruction. From there, things get totally weird on ‘Death Before Disco’, where instead of metal you get an homage to The Bee Gees to start with before Gravehuffer flips the song on it’s head and returns back to their nasty, grinding best. 

It’s over all to quickly and you’re immediately dragged into ’Stingray’, which sees all band members providing gnarly vocals while also thrashing away with some real groove. The addition of a top notch solo from Craig Hecht helps raise the entertainment level up further. There haven’t been many opportunities thus far to hear their doom/sludge chops but ’Smaller Than. Death’ is where it’s at if you like it slow. The band do it really well too as it seems to get slower and slower during the first ninety seconds, before it becomes a chugging beast akin to L.D. 50-era Mudvayne, which is certainly no bad thing. There’s another guest appearance here, courtesy of Annihiliator/Nevermore’s Curran Murphy who adds a solo, which comes towards the end of the song and fits perfectly once again.

The second half of the album comes at you in seemingly no time at all and ‘Ghost Dance’ is a no nonsense rager, but one with an accessible groove, which seems to be a characteristic of Gravehuffer’s sound here. ‘Quarantine War Machine’ is the audible equivalent of what most of us are currently screaming in our heads at this moment in time and it’s just a straightforward smash through that metaphoric brick wall. It’s one of the best songs on NecroEclosion in my opinion. ‘Causes’ is another super slab of silly grind that will make you smile from ear to ear. The added horns from Doug Discharry are a super nice touch as well. 

It’s left to the final duo of ‘Backpack’ and ‘Madwolf’ to hammer home exactly what Gravehuffer is all about. ‘Backpack’ is another bouncy yet angry monster, while ‘Madwolf’, complete with additional horns, is more akin to a hardcore song to start with and is quite stirring, and oddly atmosphere-laden for something so brutal. Despite all of the different genres and bands mentioned above, it’s really difficult to truly place Gravehuffer here, so it’s best to take them as they are and enjoy their music, because they clearly do. I also want to shout out the added vocals of Stan Boman, as I realise I didn’t mention them further up due to not knowing where they slotted into the album. In conclusion, this is madcap but so enjoyable and I’m sure plenty of you will like it.

You can stream and purchase NecroEclosion below:-

Gravehuffer - https://www.facebook.com/gravehuffer

Black Doomba Records - https://www.facebook.com/blackdoombarecords

DayGlo Mourning - Dead Star

Labels: Black Doomba Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 10 Feb 2021

Tracklist: 

1. Dead Star

2. The Offering

3. Bloodghast

4. Faithful Demise

5. Ashwhore

6. Witch's Ladder

When this promo hit my inbox, the first thing that struck me was the artwork (created by Montdoom). It's so colourful and pleasing on the eye. I love it when a band marries their music up with such art, which in turn helps build their whole aesthetic. US stoner/doom band DayGlo Mourning are set to release their second full-length Dead Star via Black Doomba Records on 10th February. It follows their debut self-titled full-length from 2018 and their split 12" of the same year, with label mates Bludy Gyres. 

It snowed again today so I’ve got the heating on a bit higher, though nothing beats the warming tones of doom/stoner as part of an evening relaxation routine! Opening with title track ‘Dead Star’, DayGlo Mourning launches into some great and groovy doom rock. They are the archetypal power-trio and it shows here, with a considered yet experimental sound filled with rumbling bass, powerful drums, thunderous melodic riffs (do those two descriptors even work together?!) and semi-clean vocals that hark back to the old days of the genre. A slow and steady start, but one that’s super enjoyable.

Again, the traditionalist will love ‘The Offering’ with it’s nod towards traditional heavy metal, albeit the slower kind. It’s quite a simple song in terms of structure and delivery but more often that not, simple is more effective and the quiet verse/loud instrumental layout makes it all the more nostalgic. The awesome guitar effects towards the end add a cosmic element to the music too, which is no surprise when you gaze at the cover art.

The fuller fuzzy sound of ‘Bloodghast’ takes hold fairly sharpish soon after and the bass tones can be heard loud and proud. There’s something tribal about the percussive rhythm here but it’s only really there during the verses. DayGlo Mourning step through different movements on this seven-minute slab, which is by no means a slow burn. This is going to sound like a very strange thing to say but this album becomes more engrossing when you’re not giving it your full attention. I say that because if you concentrate on it too closely, the riffs don’t have the same impact at all. The music as a whole envelopes you and grips you so tightly, you don’t want it to let go. 

The low-end heaviness of ‘Faithful Demise’ will bring a grin to the face of even the hardest of metal fans, purely by being exactly what it is, heavy. Again, DayGlo Mourning employs the whole quiet/loud dynamic, which works so well for their music. It’s not brash, instead being comforting and approachable, even for newcomers to the genre. That’s a good trait to have I think.

The awesomely title ‘Ashwhore’ is probably the strongest song on Dead Star in my opinion. There’s a real sense of confidence and drive to it right from the start. Also, alongside the clean vocals, harsher vocals join the party and provide some added bite. Instrumentally, it’s super tight and when they dive into that free jazz/groove passage towards then end, it’s truly a dream of a listen. 

The trio ends it all with the sinister and slightly occult ‘Witch’s Ladder’. They threatened this sort of thing earlier on and it does go hand in hand with the chosen musical direction of DayGlo Mourning, but here it’s amplified and gladly received. I guess as a summary, the music would sit right next to the likes of Candlemass and The Devil’s Blood, as well as Kyuss too. Even though people will no doubt try to truly pigeonhole this album, it’s more varied than you think. My advice it to enjoy it for what it is, which is a damn good doom album. 

You can stream and check out the video for album opener 'Dead Star' via bandcamp below, where you can also pre-order the album on cd and digital formats:-

DayGlo Mourning - https://www.facebook.com/dayglomourning

Black Doomba Records - https://www.facebook.com/blackdoombarecords