The Traditional Doom Metal Thread
Pentagram - "Pentagram" (1985)
Firstly, unless you own the original 1985 vinyl, then you haven't heard "Pentagram" as it was originally released because this version has never been re-issued. The version most people (myself included) know is the 1993 Peaceville reissue which has a resequenced track listing which matches that of the 1982 " All Your Sins" demo from when the band were still called Death Row and which featured new artwork and a title change to "Relentless". As I am sure most doomheads know, Pentagram had originally formed in 1971 and gone through many lineup changes and tribulations that saw them issuing very little by way of official product with a 1972 seven-inch of "Be Forewarned" probably being the most significant. This meant that despite being around for so long, Pentagram's debut was pre-empted by the likes of Trouble and Saint Vitus who were already leaning further into doominess than the genre's godfathers Black Sabbath, so for many "Pentagram" could be seen as a backward step.
Pentagram's sound paid massive homage to Sabbath, who must have been a huge influence on sole remaining founding member Bobby Liebling back in the early 70's, which meant that they didn't lean as heavily into the slow, dirgelike pacing of Saint Vitus' debut, but more akin to that of the NWOBHM, particularly the likes of Witchfinder General. However I am not convinced that ultra-slow pacing is the be all and end all of traditional doom metal, with the riffs and guitar tone playing as much a part in creating the aesthetics of doom and here there can be no doubt of Pentagram's success with the shitty production lending a decidedly grimy filthiness to the riffs that feed fittingly into the album's occult aesthetic. A track such as "All Your Sins" could almost be a demo of an unused track from "Master of Reality" - and I mean that in the best possible way. The quickest tracks are where the band depart most from the accepted doom aesthetic with "Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)" or "Relentless" kicking out riffs more reminiscent of "Stained Class"-era Judas Priest than "Master of Reality" or "Saint Vitus" and closer "20 Buck Spin" is essentially straight-up hard rock or heavy psych at best. Now this isn't an issue for me per se, being a big fan of late-70's Priest and early 70's heavy psych, but I must admit that the doomier stuff such as "The Ghoul" and "All Your Sins" are where it scores highest with me.
"Pentagram" must really be viewed as a band with a lengthy history finally getting to release their material in full-length form and can possibly be viewed as them 'clearing the decks' so that they could move forward now that they had a record deal. It must be put into context that, despite the emergence of bands like Saint Vitus and Trouble, "Pentagram" was released into a musical environment dominated by the aggressive high energy assault of thrash or the sleazy decadence of glam metal and didn't gain a huge following first time around, recognition not coming until the Peaceville re-release in the early Nineties. Personally, as an old 70s vintage metalhead, I think there are some good tracks here and, despite it's 1980s release date, it gives a perspective on the metal underground from the 70's that not everyone is necessarily au fait with, so it should at least be given some acknowledgement and respect within doom circles as well as the wider context of metal history.
4/5
Saint Vitus - "Die Healing" (1995)
Los Angeles doom metal legends Saint Vitus are definitely one of my favourites from the more traditional end of the genre but I hadn't heard their highly praised seventh full-length until now. That's a shame because I think it sits pretty comfortably alongside the band's more widely celebrated releases like "Saint Vitus" & "Born Too Late". It's arguably one of Saint Vitus' most doomy records & is full of very simply structured but infectiously heavy riffs. Front man Scott Reager's vocal performance is likely quite divisive though as he takes the overblown theatrics to extremes at times while guitarist Dave Chandler gives zero fucks that he can't really play lead guitar, instead doing his usual bit by turning his wah pedal on & playing as many notes as possible in a short period of time. "Born Too Late" is my pick of Saint Vitus' work these days with "Saint Vitus" coming in second but I've been really impressed by "Die Healing", particularly the incredible "Sloth" which is one the band's crowning glories in my opinion. It's a pity that closer "Just Another Notch" is so underwhelming though.
For fans of Pentagram, Black Sabbath & The Obsessed.
4/5
Reverend Bizarre - Harbinger of Metal EP (2003)
"Harbinger of Metal" was released in 2003 as an EP between the trio's first two albums and in the midst of a spate of split releases with the likes of Minotauri and Orodruin. I say it was released as an EP because it has a runtime of over 73 minutes, more than most full-length albums, but was still steadfastly labelled an EP by the band themselves. I am not sure why this would be because most of the material is consistent with that on the three main full-lengths, but then again Albert Witchfinder tended to do things his own way and for his own reasons so who am I to question the decision.
Anyway, there is some great stuff on here, with Strange Horizons and its awesome doom-laden riff (one of the band's best) being my pick. Of the seven tracks available three are quite short with "Harbinger" being a kind of introductory scene-setter and "The Ambassador" and "Into the Realms of Magickal Entertainment" being little more than interludes, so the bulk of the hour and a quarter is taken up by just four tracks, which is pretty much par for the course with the Reverend. To say that Reverend Bizarre know their shit when it comes to traditional doom metal is an understatement. During the mid-2000's they pretty much wrote the book on producing epic-length trad doom sagas and are still very much the yardstick against which I personally measure any other trad doom act of the last 25 years. The simple fact is that if a band are going to produce tracks that rely so heavily on the lengthy repetition of riffs then those riffs need to be pretty damn good and in this regard Rev Biz have very few equals. It is very hard to think of any other doom metal band that manage to do so much with so little but the sheer ponderous momentum they achieve with Witchfinder's prominently mixed bass boosting the crushing weight of Peter Vicar's riffing is a marvel to behold. That said, if you are of a more impatient mindset then maybe RB aren't the band for you because they really do like to draw things out and sometimes go to extremes on this front, repeating a riff over and over, well past the point of comfort, a charge which could certainly be levelled at the first part of "From the Void", at least until it turns into an Earl of Void drum solo! I am not the biggest fan of drum solos, so the five minutes in the middle of the track here is a bit of a challenge even for me I must admit. Things are certainly redeemed though with "The Wandering Jew" being another classic slab of doom metal goodness with yet another top RB riff. For this track and "Strange Horizons" alone the EP is well worth the entry fee, but throw in Rev Biz's hulking, doom-laden interpretation of Burzum's "Dunkelheit" that adds crushing weight to the icy, frigid melancholy of the original and we have another doom metal winner on our hands.
Reverend Bizarre truly were one of the finest traditional doom metal bands ever with a distinctive and authentic sound (and sometimes a wicked sense of humour) that pushed trad doom to its extremes whilst still remaining exceedingly listenable. Whilst this EP may not be their best release with, admittedly, a couple of weaker moments, which the band may have realised themselves hence the reason why it was separated from the main full-lengths by the EP designation, when it is good it is absolutely top drawer and as such is definitely worth the time of any discerning doom head.
4/5