The last time I saw long-running Brooklynites Type O Negative was at New Jersey‘s Starland Ballroom last year. They were headlining a Jagermeister show with a bunch of crappy bands opening; by the time they went on I had wished I?d stayed in my car to listen to the Yankees game. I sat in a chair on the side of the venue, up in the back by the bar, and watched the evening unfold, and when Type O finally took the stage, it looked like bassist/vocalist Peter Steele was just about on his last legs as far as the band was concerned. An on stage exchange between he and guitarist/vocalist Kenny Hickey concluded like this:

Kenny: ??Yeah but you got all the money.?
Peter: ?I put it all up my nose. I?ve snorted a mansion.?

Everyone laughed, but as the show wore on and Steele snarled and yelled unintelligible syllables instead of lyrics, it was clear from the faces on Hickey, keyboardist Josh Silver and drummer Johnny Kelly that the antics had worn thin. Of course, people have been counting Type O Negative out for a decade and the ?00s have produced some of the best songs of their career, but it wouldn?t surprise me at all if that show winds up being the last time I ever see them.

Whether or not that?s the case, Hickey and Kelly have formed Seventh Void with guitarist Matt Brown and bassist Hank Hell, and their first album, Heaven is Gone (released through Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul‘s Big Vin Records), is doom by default. That is, I doubt any of the members would call it a doom record, let alone stoner, but with a strong influence from the likes of Black Sabbath and Trouble, there?s really no getting around it. Even ?Descent,? which sounds more like Dirt-era Alice in Chains than anything else (at least as regards the music) is a doom song. That?s just the way it goes.

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Congratulations to Brooklyn psych rockers Naam for signing with Tee Pee Records. Dig this PR news from the label:

We are pleased to announce that Brooklyn, NY heavy psych trio Naam have signed with Tee Pee Records and will release their debut album with the label this Fall.

In advance of the full length release Naam will be releasing the Kingdom EP this Spring available digitally and on limited edition vinyl.

Good news from Richmond, VA‘s Throttlerod, whose new album I’ve been waiting to hear since they released Nail in 2006. Hopefully it’s out before the end of the year. Here’s the update from the band:

We are very happy to announce that we are putting the final touches on the new record. Listening to these songs next to Hell and High Water and Nail, it is clear that this is the biggest sounding record we’ve done! There is no release date yet but we should know something fairly soon.

In other news, we are playing shows in May, including one with Clutch. These will be the first shows we’ve done since October, so we`re really looking forward to getting back on stage.

5/21: Norfolk, VA – The Norva, with Clutch, Wino and Maylene & the Sons of Disaster
5/22: Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
5/23: Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor
5/24: Greenville, SC – The Handlebar

The second among the ranks of this year’s goofily-titled releases by legendary doom acts (the other two being Heaven and Hell‘s The Devil You Know and Trouble‘s still-to-come The Dark Riff), Swedish gods Candlemass present their sophomore full-length in their incarnation fronted by Robert Lowe of Solitude Aeturnus, Death Magic Doom. Considering the vivacious sound the band had on 2007’s King of the Grey Islands — despite the fact that Lowe joined the band just shortly before it was recorded and all the material had long since been penned by bassist Leif Edling — Death Magic Doom has a lot to live up to, but with tales of demons and death, they present eight solid tracks in their trademark classic style.

Ideally, I’d like to construct a narrative about how these songs were written differently with Edling considering the power of Lowe‘s voice specifically as regards the vocal melodies, but I just don’t think that’s the way it went down. Rather, I think Lowe was picked as a replacement for Messiah Marcolin precisely because his voice already fit what Candlemass was doing; there was no adjustment necessary. On that level, Death Magic Doom continues their already well-suited coupling. After some time on the road together, Lowe does sound assured and confident of his role in the band, but it’s not like King of the Grey Islands was unsure vocally. It’s just a good match.

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“Infernal” Keith Bergman — drummer/vocalist of The PB Army, former editor of InfernalCombustion.com (Wiffley Snidegarb!), contributor to Blabbermouth and numerous other outlets and regular feature in the stoner rock scene — has opened an eBay shop called Exile Toledo. While perusing the tubuwebs recently I came upon an original Man’s Ruin promo copy of 1999’s The Art of Self Defense by High on Fire, not even knowing it was Keith selling it, and it was simply too cool to not buy.

Yes, I know it seems like a long time ago, but before they were the overlords of beast metal, blessing black wings and communing with Death himself (or herself if you read Saramago), High on Fire were just the nascent offshoot of stoner kings Sleep. They were just getting going, and the promo for The Art of Self Defense was the first exposure a lot of people had to them. There may have been press releases beforehand with their self-titled EP, maybe a live track on Napster or something, but remember, there was no Facebook or MySpace, and if you were a member of the media, unless you were really searching it out, you’d be hearing “Blood from Zion,” “10,000 Years” and “Fireface” for the first time. How fucking awesome is that?

Needless to say, thanks to Keith for the listing and prompt shipping (positive feedback ahoy) and I’m happy to share with anyone who feels free to click the “Read More” link the bio that came in the back cover of High on Fire‘s first record.

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As time rolls on and the extreme by necessity has to become more extreme and, in doom, the frequencies get lower and slower and the use of synth noise to flesh out songs is increasingly commonplace, it’s possible for a duo like Saint Augustine, Florida‘s Dark Castle to be a full band. The songs are thick and rich, viscous, heavy and — as much as I know several bassists who won’t want to hear it — don’t sound like they’re missing anything, despite the character and diversity that another instrument can bring to a given track or movement. Of course, with studio technology one person can make an entire record alone (Sweden‘s Forest of Shadows comes to mind as an example of it in the doom world, though of course there are a ton of one-man black metal acts), but those albums rarely feel complete and are often on the other side of the line between brilliance and self-indulgence.

Whereas, as in the case of Dark Castle‘s full-length debut, Spirited Migration (At a Loss), guitarist/vocalist Stevie and drummer/vocalist Rob, who also handles synth, the band achieves an entirely developed atmosphere that borders on prog ambience with instrumental centerpiece “Weather the Storm,” while maintaining a stripped-down aesthetic that confidently snarls in the direction of Oceanic-era Isis and younger, rawer Crowbar. Their demo, Flight of Pegasus (still available for purchase on their MySpace page) feels underdeveloped in comparison to the album, which given the amount of touring the duo has done since its release is exactly the way it should be. Stevie and Rob are a solid unit writing solid songs, even if the title of their album reminds me of “Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary” from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

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Holy crap. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but I’m going to Roadburn next week, and the reason I’m going is because Saint Vitus are playing. Seeing this set list for the show they did on Saturday in New Orleans, I’m even happier to have booked that flight.

01. The War Starter
02. Living Backwards
03. I Bleed Black
04. Look Behind You
05. The Lost Feeling
06. Clear Windowpane
07. The Troll (guitar solo & drum solo)
08. Mystic Lady (extended)
First Encore:
09. Saint Vitus
10. Dying Inside
Second Encore:
11. Born Too Late

God damn, this is going to rule. For anyone interested, Blabbermouth has a link to some pictures, and I’d post them, but seems kind of scummy considering I don’t even know who took them to give credit. Apparently Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan and Jimmy Bower joined the band on stage. Not too shabby.

No, it’s not Xena: Warrior Princess fan fic, though given how much of a nerd I am for just about everything Pittsburgh‘s Shadow Kingdom Records puts out, it might as well be. The young label, aside from having signed on to release the new album from way underground Maryland doom mavens Iron Man has put on one of the best and most genuine reissue stints I’ve ever come across — and I say “genuine” because the records are genuinely cool and the kind of stuff that no one would dig up just for the cash. The band is Altar of Oblivion, the album is called Sinews of Anguish, and the label checked in with this news:

A brand new Epic Heavy Metal band with Doom touches has emerged from the great Denmark. I received their Demo in 2007 and was blown away by the potential this band had. Martin (guitarist/songwriter) has a really unique riffing style that I love. The riffs are really catchy, heavy, and choppy (for lack of a better word). When you finally get used to his guitar playing you?ll find out it?s a signature sound that he developed. The combination of the Epic styled songwriting with some really subtle Doom-y sections mixed with the very young, talented, and uniquely distinct Mik on vocals puts this band to the top of the Epic Heavy/Doom metal scene. If you liked the demo at all (by the way ?Wrapped In Ruins? is again featured on this new album) the new album is definitely were you would have wanted the band to be by this time because the songwriting has exceeded the expectation. This album is a full-on conceptual, emotional trip about the pain, suffering, and horrors of war. With that in mind, expect nothing but crushing riffs filled with sorrow, despair, and with powerful vocals with so much emotion, depending on your mood might bring a tear to your eye. Altar of Oblivion are keeping the Epic Doom torch aflame that was started by the great and well respected bands like Candlemass, Solstice, Solitude Aeturnus, Revelation, Trouble, etc.

1. The Final Pledge (5:23)
2. Wrapped in Ruins (6:15)
3. Behind the Veil of Nights (7:19)
4. My Pinnacle of Power (9:12)
5. A Retreat into Delusions (6:17)
6. Casus Belli (5:35)
7. Stainless Steel (7:08)
8. Sinews of Anguish (11:08)

Check them out (keep in mind the master sounds a lot better) : http://www.myspace.com/altarofoblivion

Shadow Kingdom Records