Canadian blackened doom quintet Ensorcelor have teamed up with UK punk infused sludge act Moloch to create what could possibly be described as the greatest fucking thing to ever be created in the history of things that have ever been fucking created. On just about every split there is always one band that stands above the others, be it through a more concise recording, or just sheer talent, we rarely get to see multiple outstanding artists on a single release…until now. The tandem energy these two bands utilize create the flowing atmosphere that makes this album one that is engaging, encapsulating, and just as intriguing no matter how many times you spin it.

Ensorcelor comes out first with a creeping display of sundering lows that are veritably torn apart by harsh vocal onsets and haunting melodies that carry an uneasy feeling throughout the entirety of their 20 minute offering. Trapping a landscape that differs its way from a blackened pool of infinitesimal hate into a realm of endless sadness and confusion. Allowing for a more emotionally rapturing soundscape to pour into the empty spaces of silence that surround and convey while still retaining the reflecting overtone of utter and complete irrelevance. The track bores its way into your subconscious and delves into what would remain after all sorrow has subsided, a full on confrontation between body, mind, and soul. The song fades into a harmonious departure that does not end but simply stops, leaving no room for your senses to return before the next track begins.

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All photos & text by Luana Magalhães

The Black Heart Rebellion
Roadburn kicked off strongly, with the Belgians’ emotional, passioned display, fully confirming all the great things they did with their second album ‘Har Nevo’.

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Wreck & Reference have always played by their own rules, which has made them a CVLT Nation favorite since day one of this site. They have another genre-bending record coming out on The Flenser next month, a 7 inch called No Content. Today Wreck & Reference just released a killer video for “Absurdities and Echos” off of their new record which will hit the streets on May 21st. If you have never heard this band, check them out because they will cut new holes in your being and inject them with abstract passion!…Pre-order No Content 7″ HERE!

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Santa Cruz doesn’t seem to be a place to invoke the most grim and gloomy kind of black metal. But with Leucosis, the story is different. The band made its debut back in 2011 with the amazing “Pulling Down The Sky” that pulled off really impressive reviews along its way. The level of black metal presented then by the band, through the quality of the tracks and their sound, really caught up the attention of many out there, including myself, in such a way that i had to put “Pulling Down The Sky” in the altar of my favorite releases of that same year. This year they mark their return with another brilliant milestone into their young, yet prolific career. A self titled album made out of six amazing chapters which have a total of more than one hour of length. Although it’s a long release, I assure you that it’s one of the most well spent hours you will have. At this point, before i go further into the album i must warn the fans of “Pulling Down The Sky” that here they may be a little bit disappointed or even upset by Leucosis sound on this album. It all depends on how you like your black metal and how open-minded you are. I believe that this evolution in Leucosis sound is quite good as the songs themselves, united by different nodes that culminates into something quite interesting and innovative. It becomes a bit difficult to classify Leucosis sound with this new record. Atmospheric Black Metal Doom? Cascadian Blackened Doom? Whatever. It’s clearly black metal that drinks from cascadian and atmospheric fountains of inspiration and obviously some doom. Whatever the result, the way it’s made and how it sounds, it’s awesome.

The album begins with “Anaesthesia“, which is the perfect track to begin this album with. An epic track that contains 14 minutes of the most perfect doom infused black metal where the rhythm ranges from slower sludgier/doom rhythms to the most cascadian influenced black metal stretching even to some beautiful instrumental territories with melodic contours that all together, offer an excellent gateway to what is a brilliant album. If we dissect this track we will see that 80% is merely instrumental, the voice when marks its presence, it shouts from way beyond, in total despair all caught up in this whole mix. But what really amazes me is how Leucosis take all of these different influences and create this unique harmony. Immediately glued “Calcinate” whose initial tone reminds me a snippet of “Time as Automation” from Buried Inside. Sweet and melodic notes are gently released as they slowly build a scenario that aims to be, at least, epic. The tone that the band injects into their tracks really has that dramatic charisma and melancholy that is so simple yet so brilliant. The tone increases before a deluge of thick blackness drowns us all. The voice is quite creepy as it echoes through this impenetrable wall of sound.
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Roadburn 2013 has come to an end and it looks like Walter and crew have put on another perfect fest! CVLT Nation salutes all of the bands who performed this weekend and everyone who went to Roadburn! Today check out our first video essay featuring some of our favorite bands. Also, stay tuned for CVLT Nation exclusive photos of Roadburn 2013 by Luana Magalhaes in the very near future. In the meantime, peep radical footage of GODFLESH, LORD MANTIS and ELECTRIC WIZARD now!

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Picture glowing embers and the charred remnants of razed buildings. Raging fires and smoke-filled skies. Ash drifting in the hot winds like some sort of contemptible snow. Complete and utter desolation. Slow-motion hopelessness in a black sand desert. Picture this and you’ll have pictured something strikingly similar to Santa Fe’s doom metal/drone masters Drought. Their self-titled four-track album might as well be the soundtrack to the apocalypse; offering a guided tour to our horrific ultimate demise.

Drought formed in 2008 and features current members Luke Sheppard (drums), Hoagie (guitars/vocals) and — since 2010 — Bones (bass). The band plays mostly instrumental tunes, successfully conjuring images of vast, uninhabitable landscapes and the feelings of loneliness and despair that would no doubt accompany such places. Feelings of certain, inevitable doom. Epic mid-tempo dirges with soaring guitar passages give way to churning blast-beats now and again, keeping things interesting. The songs, ‘Nightwalker,’ ‘Penitente,’ ‘Peyote Priestress,’ and ‘Canyons,’ range from 8 to 19 minutes but never fall prey to stagnancy. Drought infuse each track with an energy and potency that belies the slow tempo that typically defines the doom genre. Sheppard’s drumming is massive, intricate, and spot-on. Hoagie’s guitar work is crushing, atmospheric, and, at times, quite beautiful. Bones’ bass tone is clear, the lines are supportive, and it sits nicely in the mix. All in all, the record is brutal, thought-provoking, and extremely cohesive. Why this band is unsigned is beyond me; a situation that should be rectified immediately.

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4:20 is almost upon us, so I wanted to represent with a post from a band that always elevates my high: WEEDEATER. In 2012, they gave a bongadelic performance at Churchill’s in Florida and today we would like to share the whole stoneriffic event with you! CVLT Nation salutes South Florida Hardcore for always filming the killer shows!

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I haven’t had a TV since I was 11, so in my mind Ozzy will always be a long-haired doom god and the leader of one of the best bands in existence. But I never imagined that Black Sabbath would come back and create music in my lifetime. I am fucking stoked that Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne have reunited not just to make some money off of their existing catalogue, but to reignite the fires of hell that drove Black Sabbath to become one of the most legendary bands of the 20th Century. They are coming out with a new LP, 13, (pre-order HERE) in June 2013, and they are streaming a track off that new album, “God is Dead.” Check out the tune and tour dates below. What do you think??

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Late last month, the TODAY IS THE THE DAY tour rolled into Vancouver with their tour mates BLACK TUSK and KEN MODE. Our comrade in photography Ted Reckoning was on hand and captured the whole ballistic event. We are hyped that he shared his raging photos with us because you can almost hear the bands’ riffs blazing out of the flicks! Enough of me talking, check out this insane photo essay after the jump!

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Excuse me as I exhale out sticky green riffs that come from smoking the new BELZEBONG track “Dungeon Vultures”! These Polish stoners know how to grow THC-infused baselines that give you the munchies for more of their music. This new tune is from the new BELZEBONG 12 inch EP that is coming out Instant Classic on April 20th (pre-order HERE!). CVLT Nation is fucking stoked that we have been given the honor of streaming “Dungeon Vultures” in full below! Also, check out their upcoming European tour dates after the jump! Now spark one for BELZEBONG!!!

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