With a weird brand of upbeat doom metal, which also means that there’s a fair amount of thrash metal, West Coast slingers, Saviours, will unleash their new album, Palace of Vision, tomorrow, October 30th.

As the press release states, Palace of Vision is dark yet simultaneously driving and anthemesque, the band’s first proper full-length in four years was captured at Type Foundry in Portland, Oregon, with Billy Anderson (Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Eyehategod, Taurus, Ommadon, etc.) and delivers nine tumultuous tracks of herculean riffs, quaking rhythms and galloping guitar harmonies twined around a fixation on the apocalypse, the occult, psychedelics, and the arcane.

If that sounds appealing, and it should, head on over to Metal Sucks to stream the album in full.

Following the release of Palace of Vision, Saviours will kick off a North American tour this fall supporting Corrosion of Conformity and Brant Bjork and The Low Desert Punk Band. The trek will commence on November 16th, and run through December 10th, with additional support provided by Mothership. From there the band will level 10 more stages from December 11th to December 20th to close out the year.

Saviours Tour Dates:

w/ Corrosion Of Conformity, Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, Mothership
11/16/2015 Pub Rock – Scottsdale, AZ
11/17/2015 Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
11/18/2015 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
11/19/2015 High Water Marl – Portland, OR * SAVIOURS only
11/20/2015 Venue Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
11/21/2015 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
11/23/2015 The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
11/24/2015 The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
11/25/2015 Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
11/27/2015 Rtr 20 – Racine, WI
11/28/2015 The Odeon – Cleveland, OH
11/29/2015 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
11/30/2015 Firehouse Saloon – Rochester, NY * SAVIOURS only
12/01/2015 Opera House – Toronto, ON
12/02/2015 Machine Shop – Flint, MI
12/03/2015 Altar Bar – Pittsburgh, PA
12/04/2015 Gramercy Theater – New York, NY
12/05/2015 Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA
12/07/2015 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
12/08/2015 Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
12/09/2015 Shaka’s Live – Virginia Beach, VA
12/10/2015 Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
SAVIOURS Headlining Dates:
12/11/2015 The 529 – Atlanta, GA
12/12/2015 The Nick – Birmingham, AL
12/13/2015 Siberia – New Orleans, OR
12/14/2015 Boondocks – Houston, TX
12/15/2015 611 E. 7th – Austin, TX
12/16/2015 Three Links – Dallas, TX
12/18/2015 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
12/19/2015 Flycatcher – Tucson, AZ
12/20/2015 All Star Lanes – Los Angeles, CA

Rock Hard \m/

Pre-order With the Dead here.

About With the Dead:

Like the product of some sort of alchemical alignment or a diabolical modern demon summoned by a whispered incantatory spell, With the Dead were formed on All Hallow’s Eve 2014, by the founding rhythm section of occultist doom overloads Electric Wizard guitarist/bassist Tim Bagshaw and drummer Mark Greening, a pair once notorious for the sheer brute heaviness of their bowel-shaking sound and early extra-curricular activities that involved excess, injury, and low-level criminality (arrests for the theft of a crucifix from a church roof and drunkenly robbing an off-licence to name but two). Both have also played together in Ramesses.

Completing the triangle is frontman Lee Dorrian, co-founder of doom pioneers Cathedral, former frontman with grindcore legends Napalm Death and owner of Rise Above Records.

Rock Hard \m/

Portland’s doom metal outfit, Red Fang, have covered The King’s (aka, Elvis Presley) song “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” It’s totally not what you’d expect, putting such a sobering tone on one of rock’s greatest love ballads. Check it out over at Loudwire and let us know what you think.

The band said about the song:

We were asked to cover an Elvis song a while back and none of us are really Elvis fans so we were kind of at a loss. We had this dark and doomy jam we’d been kickin’ around for a while and we thought ‘what if we just record our own song and see if we can make the lyrics fit somehow?’ And to our surprise it turned out pretty rad! Maybe Elvis is spinning in his grave, but I dig it.

The cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” will appear alongside a cover of Fraggle Rock’s “Why” on a limited edition 7″ to be released by Volcom in conjunction with the band’s upcoming U.S. tour. 500 copies of the 7″ on red/black splatter will be available exclusively via Volcom, while 500 copies on red vinyl and 1,000 copies on black vinyl will be available with the band on tour (see below for tour dates).

Red Fang Tour Dates:

***All dates with Whores and Wild Throne***
Sep 30 Missoula, MT The Palace Lounge (No Whores)
Oct 01 Billings, MT Pub Station
Oct 02 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge w/ Caspian, Whores, Wild Throne
Oct 03 Ft. Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
Oct 05 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
Oct 06 St. Louis, MO Firebird
Oct 07 Chicago, IL Subterranean
Oct 08 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups
Oct 09 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
Oct 10 Brooklyn, NY Palisades
Oct 11 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
Oct 13 Raleigh, NC Kings
Oct 14 Atlanta, GA Masquerade – Hell
Oct 16 New Orleans, LA Siberia
Oct 17 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Live
Oct 18 Austin, TX Mohawk
Oct 19 Houston, TX Warehouse Studio
Oct 21 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
Oct 22 Phoenix AZ The Rebel Lounge
Oct 23 San Diego, CA Casbah
Oct 24 San Bernardino, CA Knotfest (no support)
Oct 25 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival @ Gibson Ranch Park (no support)

Rock Hard \m/

While we all wait in desperate anticipation for Philadelphia’s doom metal legion, Wizard Eye, to deliver their new self-titled album on October 10th, let us enjoy the latest offering, the low-end and fuzzed out grooves of “Flying Falling.” Go now to Noisey to stream the heavy track. As you learn in the below statements from vocalist/guitarist Erik Caplan, the track just might be a tad more philosophical than you thought.

Caplan talks about the track:

This song took root two or more years ago, and it’s a bit uncommon for us because [bassist/vocalist] Dave [Shahriari] and I sing every lyric together. The combined texture of our voices — Dave’s being lower and more melodic and mine being higher and raspy — was interesting to us, so we decided to spread that dynamic across the entire song. It was a departure for us when we wrote it, but we plan to explore that area in greater depth in the future. The pulsing nature of the groove is kind of deceptive. While it seems fairly straightforward and simple, we threw a few challenging timing elements into the mix to entertain ourselves. The idea was to keep it from being predictable without disturbing the constant flow and feeling of the overall song. It is to [drummer] Mike [Scarpone]’s credit that he takes what could be fairly disparate sections and glues them together with a dead-solid pocket. The guitar solo and outro solo sections were a definite nod to Tony Iommi with obvious doubled fuzz-wah guitars, but the half-time psychedelic theremin freak-out at the very end ranges more into Hawkwind and Monster Magnet territory. I remember giggling a lot as I double-tracked wildly divergent theremin parts to create a maelstrom of sonic ridiculousness. [Engineer] Steve Poponi said it sounded like giant birds attacking. He’s kinda right.

Caplan continues to discuss the song’s lyrics:

Lyrically, this one was a collaborative effort. Dave wrote the first verse, including the wise-assed, ‘Flying is just like falling/Except for the end,’ which is obviously where we got the title. I wrote the chorus and the second verse, and I always felt the disparities between our lyrical approaches really illustrated our personalities well. Dave’s verse is analytical, smart and focused, whereas my contributions are more emotional, descriptive and exaggerated. That’s essentially the nature of our relationship within the band as well. It works for us.

Rock Hard \m/

If you’re feeling like me today, the last few weeks actually, then you might find solace in the new track from funeral doom metal practitioners Tyranny, “Voice Given Unto Ruin.” It’s playing now at Decibel, and it’s very trance-inducing, almost meditative. So if you need some of that in your life, ’cause we all know the other options are just sinful, then have a turn at the latest from Tyranny.

The track comes off the band’s upcoming LP, Aeons in Tectonic Interment, which sees release on September 18th, and can be pre-ordered here.

Rock Hard \m/

Japan is the last place most people consider when they think of pounding, relentless industrial doom/death metal. But the Land of the Rising Sun is exactly where this ferocious and brutal duo, Legion of Andromeda, calls home.

Legion of Andromeda’s debut LP, Iron Scorn, has already been released on vinyl (via Unholy Anarchy in North America and At War With False Noise in Europe), and now the dark tyranny will be available on a four-panel gatefold jacket digipak CD on September 11th, via Crucial Blast. Pre-order the CD here, and the digital version here.

If, however, you prefer to hear what you’re getting into, you can stream Iron Scorn in its entirety on Bandcamp. The constant and omnipresent hammering, much like a blacksmith’s pounding, is off-putting at first, but trust me when I say that it soon becomes a crucial element to the album’s overall tone, if not endearing and desired by the hypnotized listener.

Rock Hard \m/

Every riff, every note, every sound on Dead Quiet — whether it’s soft and light or hard and heavy — carries with it a purposeful weight, a sense of urgency, and a command for the audience to listen. Just as the lyrics range from the occult to self-reflection, the music also ranges from sludgy psychedelic doom metal to blues-based rock to modern, straight-forward heavy metal to almost radio-friendly pop rock to even incorporating hillbilly country influences.

Stream and order Dead Quiet here.

The Black Sabbath influence is apparent, but a close listen will also reveal something of KISS and Machine Head, and probably a host of others that I’ve missed. Indeed, Dead Quiet is a mixed cauldron of of influence, but the band blends it all with seamless precision.

Album opener, “The Sorceress,” which praises a pagan goddess, really does its job well to inform the listener of what’s to come. The first minute of the track is consumed in a slow, sludgy doom that climaxes with twin guitars before exploding into a frenzy of Black Sabbath-like riffing.

“Foul Words,” as many other songs on the album do, continues what “The Sorceress” started, if not, in this case, being a bit more psychedelic. But, by the time “Remaining Remains” begins its almost funeral march, and as the heavy, deliberate, stoner grooves commence, you’ll be thinking Machine Head. The song also contains a wonderful outro that’s kicked off by the bass guitar.

Then there’s the fuzzy, highly melodic “Home Is Where You Go to Die,” which has a very catchy, almost happy sing-songy rock-radio-ready chorus despite the gravity of the lyrics. Of course, around the track’s midpoint, things take a turn for a bit more intensity, and also the pounding heartbeat delivered by the bass, which sounds reminiscent of the bass line in KISS’ “Christine Sixteen.”

My favorite track on the album is the banjo-tinged hillbilly-ish tale of personal anguish and destitution, “The Fall of Me.” It’s deeply pensive and saddening, and towards the end it takes a turn through a near-progressive rock interlude that precedes a blast of emotion before return to its refrain. Truly a masterful track.

Another favorite has to be “A Thousand Lives,” which has a sea-shanty vibe, and definitely a mellow early Black Sabbath feel to it. It’s actually quite haunting how much vocalist Kevin Keegan sounds like a young Ozzy with scratchy vocals.

Saviours have just released their newest rager, “Burning Shrine,” in anticipation of the California band’s upcoming album, Palace of Vision. Although “Burning Shrine” starts off with an occultish, black magic vibe, it quickly jumps into the fire and hits you over the head like a sledgehammer with it’s almost Slayer-esque thrashing. Head on over to Cvlt Nation to spoil your ears.

Palace of Vision will be released via Listenable Records on October 30th. A four-year project, the album was recorded at Type Foundry in Portland, Oregon, with Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Eyehategod, Taurus, Ommadon, etc.) at the helm.

Drummer Scott Batiste commented on the album:

It’s a natural and logical continuation of where we left off with [2011’s] Death’s Procession. There are some doomy crushers and faster ragers.

And about the track, Batiste also said:

‘Burning Shrine’ is about watching the world burn as it is ruined by religious zealots. Crank it up, live evil or die!

If you’re wondering about the wonderfully intricate artwork on the album cover, it was designed by Derrick Snodgrass (Obliterations, Lecherous Gaze).

Palace Of Vision Track Listing:

1. The Mountain
2. Flesh Of Fire
3. Devil’s Crown
4. Palace Of Vision
5. Burning Shrine
6. Hell’s Floor
7. The Beast Remains
8. Cursed Night
8. The Seeker

In related news, Saviours will bring their riffs to the stage with a pair of East Coast/West Coast fest performances with additional live incursions to be announced in the coming weeks.

Saviours Live Dates:

9/05/2015 Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous Festival @ The Wick – Brooklyn, NY
11/1/3015 Day Of The Shred Festival @ The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA

Rock Hard \m/

The “Foul Words” video was directed by the band’s vocalist, Kevin Keegan, and edited by Liam Mitchell, filmed on the streets of Vancouver, and features cameos by members of 3 Inches Of Blood and Waingro.

Order Dead Quiet here.

Dead Quiet Track Listing:

1. The Sorceress
2. Foul Words
3. God Was Wrong
4. My Finest Hour
5. Remaining Remains
6. Home Is Where You Go To Die
7. The Fall Of Me
8. Let It Die

Rock Hard \m/

For the first time, Heavy Montreal is on for three days, and here we are on Day 1. We arrived just in time for the third band of the day at the four-stage event, and that band was Brothers of the Sonic Cloth playing their set. Shit was heavy, and everything a shoegazing stoner could want: heavy riffs, nice distortion, and wailing vocals. We couldn’t stay for the entire set, as we had to set our shit up, but what we saw of them performing to a near empty attendance, was pretty damn amazing. All in all, it’s a nice start of mellow heavy to a day of intensity.

Rock Hard \m/