Dave Wolff

Reviews written for issue #5 of Reborn From Ashes zine ( http://www.rebornfromasheszine.webs.com), released mid to late July 2011.
 
DAWNSIGHT Crisis Times
Although I have heard few Turkish extreme metal bands recently, Dawnsight has re-sparked an interest in the scene over there. Having formed a couple years ago, Dawnsight is basically a death-doom band relying on slower pounding rhythms as opposed to relentless blast. Readers of Impact Drill zine, likewise from Turkey, might be familiar with drummer Semih since he is its editor. I heard Impact Drill is currently inactive; perhaps it will restart at some point.  With Sonic Splendour it was worthwhile and had that certain cultish dedication to encourage people to become acquainted with more underground bands. The other members are guitarist/bassist Onur who handles the material with a sound that is abrasive but tight, and vocalist Volkan who mostly has a rich guttural approach to the lyrics but unexpectedly switches to clean vocals to create a different atmosphere for the material. All in all a decent start to this band’s recording career. -Dave Wolff
 
SOL NEGRO The 9th Conjuration
Sol Negro was formed in 2000 of musicians who, according to the MySpace profile listed as an internet location, have worked with the likes of Satyricon, The Chasm, Bloodspaked. I figured this would be one of those demos showing how seasoned the band members were, having gained experience of this kind. Since their inception they have released a few other demos and EPs; this one was recorded in 2010 and presumably released shortly afterward. The band has chosen to keep the location where the CD was recorded a secret, opting only to list the tracks and credit the photographer and cover artist along with their MySpace address. The production is raw, perhaps just a little too raw, with a generous bass rumble that tends to slightly distort the material. However the songs are tight and display their professionalism as they handle the time changes and melodic sections as well as they handle the thrashier and doomier parts. A sample from Kubrick’s The Shining with Jack Nicholson is added as an intro to “They Came From Darkness.” -Dave Wolff
 
CLAGG Lord Of The Deep
Clagg from Melbourne, Australia is a doom metal band that differs from the average doom metal fare by harboring a death metal vibe in their material. I perceived this mostly in the vocals, and to a lesser degree in the guitars. Most of the songs gracing Lord Of The Deep exceed the ten-minute mark. This is something I sometimes found redundant and boring about doom metal recordings by bands following the same Black Sabbath influenced formula that many other doom metal bands followed in the 90s. The Sabbath influence alone is an aspect of modern doom metal that has become so common it’s too often run-of-the-mill. Especially when there are several other bands from that period that can be drawn from even if not as well known, such as Coven who were playing occult rock at least a couple years before the first Sabbath album. Here the band help to break up the monotony a little, as this album has enhanced guitar heaviness besides several time changes and somber guitar breaks to hold my interest a little longer than it would have been held otherwise. One of these guitar breaks, for example, is to be found at the beginning of the first track “Carrion.” Here the band does a more than admirable job building the tension to the breaking point before launching into the song. -Dave Wolff
 
SHELLFIN Secondhand Family
Shellfin is another doom metal/stoner rock band based in Australia; specifically the capital of Brisbane. For the most part I have found stoner rock less redundant and plodding than doom metal, especially if the songs were shorter in duration. But as stated earlier there are many bands to draw inspiration from besides Sabbath to produce a memorable album. Shellfin go a little further in this direction; enough for people to notice. Aside from the Sabbath vibe you’re bound to hear in doom metal and stoner rock, they draw inspiration from the stoner rock band Kyuss who were active in the early to mid 90s. I’ve only heard one or two songs by Kyuss so I am not as big on them as most fans of stoner rock would be. But Shellfin make efforts to break the mold of the genre in fairly obvious ways, while harboring a bitter resentment of conformity and stupidity that is more subtle underneath the grinding chord progressions and melodic breaks. As I heard elsewhere there are some moments where Shellfin likewise show inspiration in Metallica and Soundgarden and potential to develop it their own way. I’d only stress the importance of looking to a wider spectrum of bands to base your root sound on. -Dave Wolff