EVIL SPIRIT - Cauldron Messiah (Album Review)

The pendulum is a torture device in which a thick blade is suspended and swings in a wide arc across the midsection of a victim until the body is halved. It was immortalized by Edgar Allen Poe in “The Pit and the Pendulum”, later adapted by filmmaker Stuart Gordon, arguably the foremost interpreter of the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Poe.

I know Horror Records as the home of Abysmal Grief. They're one of those bands that I binge listen to. They've had releases from other bands I've reviewed and liked, such as Black Oath and Anima Morte for example, but everything else from the label has been tertiary to me ... until I saw this album come up on my bandcamp feed. It's by a band with the ominous name of Evil Spirit. "Okay, I'm listening ..." Their album is called 'Cauldron Messiah'. "You still haven't lost me yet". Then I saw the album cover. "Alright, time to press play". There was only one song up at the time, "Grey Ashes of the Reptile" a razor sharp pendulum of blackened doom (it's since been joined by the title track). It was up for free download so I grabbed it immediately and pondered over the file's contents with hand resting thoughtfully on my (then bearded) chin. Then I waited.

And waited.

And so on. There were delays, the full album didn't go up on the scheduled date. I finally got my grubby mitts on it and the wait was worth it. While waiting I pondered the remaining empty spaces of the album and imagined what they may contain, the ultimate result, that shrouded entity that scientists have classified as 'Cauldron Messiah', was everything I imagined it to be, though not at first.

"Grey Ashes ..." primes a listener's expectations for doom metal. It's a great song, the first five slow-building minutes are doomy, creeping-through-the-musty-old-house-searching-for-the-vampire's-coffin-with-stake-in-clammy-hand music. The closing section of the song is that raucous moment when the creature awakes and the hunter becomes the hunted. It's bloody, it's messy and that sort of thing can be enjoyable in small doses.

The opening song (and short introduction before it) sets the atmosphere to "dense fog of dread". When the next song, "Eve of the Beholder" rolls in, it upsets the atmospheric balance, completely changing how I heard the album over the course of the next handful of listens. It's a quick two minute blast of death metal which re-primes the ear. It's a jarring sequence to say the least. I didn't realize how thoroughly doomy the next two tracks, "Let the Dragon Be My Guide" and "Reino Sangrento" are. Though they are both nearly eight minutes long, their collective mood is eclipsed by the two-minute "Eve ...". Then, just as the ear is re-adjusted, the last half of (also two-minute long) "Push Angie Back Into the Swamp" throws another blast beat at the listener.

It took me quite a few listens to get there but I see how the native language of this album is doom metal. The riffs are blackened in the style of another of my favorite bands, Head of the Demon which this album slightly reminds me of and the blast beats are few and far between. When they do appear, they leave a truly long-lasting impression on the atmosphere of the album, for better or worse. Those tempestuous moments increase tension, and the tension heightens the atmosphere of the album's doomy moments.

'Cauldron Messiah' is steeped in enough tomb-like horrific atmosphere that it could easily qualify for a Horrible Nights post. It's for this reason that I find myself fascinated by this album. I'm drawn to it repeatedly and there's no signs of slowing down yet, the pendulum arcs ever downward.

Rating: ««««½ / 5

Evil Spirit facebook

'Cauldron Messiah' is available on LP and cassette on the Horror Records bandcamp page and from their own webshop

Horror Records webpage

MOON - 20 Hours

Don't shoot The Men Out Of Nowhere. There comes a time when all things meet their maker, and so stoner rock traveled back to the birth place and was introduced to the father, blues. The results are explosive. But don't shoot The Men Out Of Nowhere (MOON) they are only the messengers. This German duo put up the long-awaited follow up to their 2011 self-titled debut today, called '20 Hours'. Presumably that's how long it took to record the album from start to finish, but I have no idea. The resulting 40 minute hayride is fuzzy blues, to be sure, but don't expect some Black Keys by a different name. Moon walks their own path and just as well, there's no telling who's on the road to ambush and intercept the message. I've heard and felt the blues in less capable hands and friend, it ain't pretty. This album is ruggedly handsome indeed, in a dusty, punkish way.

ENDLESS FIRE - Self-Titled

I found this one on Paul Rote's bandcamp page. It's not as hard-edged as some of the other albums you'll hear on this site. This is traditional rock n roll with some modern touches. Fans of Kadavar and Blues Pills may appreciate Endless Fire. The album is punctuated by bluesy moments which spill off into heavier movements. It's easy to tell by listening to this album that Endless Fire loves what they do. It has that fun, excited spirit. They make the kind of music that Small Stone Records digs. There are only four songs on stream at Endless Fire's bandcamp page but the full album download gives you 8 songs in total. That's excellent value for €3.

JUST THE FACTS (according to the band's facebook page):

Founded on 2007

Genre: Hard Rock

Band Members
Jörg, Nicolas, Erik, Berri, Franziska

Hometown: Halle

Short Description
http://www.wirefire.bplaced.net/index.html
http://endlessfire.bandcamp.com/

Bio
It was back in 2008 that Erik (guitar) and I (Joerg - vocals) first met through our former drummer. Without a bass player it was just for fun and we did some cover-songs. Then Erik had to pause for half a year. We did not want to calm down and started to search for another guitarist. After a month, or so, Nicolas joined the band. It started to get more serious and we composed our first songs. Short after Erik’s return our drummer left the band. Once again we were in search for musicians. We found Berri (drums) and later Franzi (bass) who completed the band. Since then we have been trying to get/play as many gigs as possible to increase our proficiency and spread the word. Currently, we are recording demos to bring our music to a bigger audience. All in all: LOTS OF FUN!!!

Artists We Also Like
Led Zeppelin, AC DC, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Kyuss, The Darkness, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Tenacious D,

Band Interests: Musik

Website: http://endlessfire.bandcamp.com/

Press Contact: endless.fire.band@gmail.com

JUST THE MUSIC

THE PYRE - Single

To complete a triple crown that I had no idea I was trying for I bring to you, The Pyre. This German band has an awesome two song single out on bandcamp. Like Psychic Wounds and Worshipper, this one's also PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT and worth every penny, but that's where the similarities end. This is thicker, fuller-bodied stoner rock, belied by a pounding attack. The vocals range from low key to aggressive / downright crazy as the band manage to show quite a variety of styles on just two tracks and if and when a full length album were to arrive I'm sure it would be a critical darling because of it. Just based on this one quick 7 minute outing, I'm willing to call The Pyre a band to watch.

DUNE PILOT - Wetlands

Cover artwork by Florian Fluck.

MrStoneBeliever shared this earlier, I leaped on it. Solid stoner, not overly fuzzy but good tones and quite heavy. As the cover depicts, Dune Pilot navigates the desert side of stoner rock, dropping out, staring at the endless expanse of sky before kicking back into high gear, not entirely unlike The Machine. The album is consistently good so if you like what you initially hear, it's already too late, they got their hooks into you and won't let go. The consistent feel here reminds of some of my favorite recent stoner albums by bands like The Shooters, Miss Lava and to a lesser extent Steak. There's a lot going for this album, at 11 songs and 53 minutes it should keep you busy. Stoner rock fans will want to get on board with Dune Pilot, I'll be in coach waiting for you, taking up all the elbow room ...

KADAVAR - Into the Night

FREE TO DOWNLOAD: Brand new Kadavar tune, lifted lovingly from Soundcloud. Enjoy!