With a name like Dopethrone, it's a safe bet that this Canadian band is heavily influenced by Electric Wizard, or mary jane, or both. Hochelaga, their fourth album, features not just a positively filthy guitar tone and throatscraping vocals but truly memorable tunes as well. This is better than anything the increasingly overrated Wizard has released in the last 10 years. [$6.66]
Opium Lord may have a drug reference in their name as well, but are cut from a different cloth than the aforementioned bands. With its driving bass and skronking guitar lines, Eye Of Earth has heavy shades of the mighty Unsane with some psychedelia thrown in. A pretty unique take on sludge metal. [$7.50]
Portugal's Vaee Solis is as dark and unsettling as you'd expect from a band named after the first Scorn album. Adversarial Light combines depressive black metal, doom drone and Sophia J.Galrito's unsettling screams to create a black hole of misery and despair. Fans of French band Monarch should definitely give this a listen. The album is available as a "name your price" download.
"Crushing, Hypnotic, Doom Metal" just about sums up Sacremento's Church. Their debut album Unanswered Hymns employs shambling chord progressions, simple guitar leads and haunting vocals to eerie effect. With three songs running at almost 45 minutes, don't make any plans, unless those plans include Nyquil. [$6.66]
