Tag: stoner doom

Astralnaut – In the Gaze of the Gods [2013; self-released]

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On their second EP, the Irish group of Astralnaut turn in five tracks of energetic stoner doom, with the riffs doing the heavy lifting for the songs.  Some sparky drumming spices things up a bit, but for the most part, it’s pretty standard stuff, though it does lean a little harder towards regular rock song-writing (instead of metal patterns) than most stoner doom.  The overwrought vocals end up deflating the music more than they help sell the atmosphere, and the guitar gets a little too cock-rocky at times, but the basic trappings work well enough, particularly if taken as a garage rock form of the usual fare.

Kafka Rex – Heir to the Drone [2015; self-released]

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On the first release from the one-man band of Kafka Rex, four tracks of stoner doom metal are served up, with fat-bodied bass, pedaled guitar, throaty vocals, and wobbly synth embellishment coming together with a smear of psychedelia to all gel in a very satisfying way.  Between the track title, “The Electric Witch”, “Satan’s Skin”, and “High Priestess of Eventual Fuck”, the names of the songs communicate a good humor about the nature of the material, meshing well with the generally laid-back grooves.  Just short enough to leave listeners wanting more, and long enough to keep them from feeling shorted.