doom

Profile: Los Angeles’ Caustic Death/Doom Quintet Civerous

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civerous band 2024


Are you shocked that we here at Nine Circles are fans of the death metal? Particularly the soiled filth attack that routinely comes out of the 20 Buck Spin stables and – even more specifically – the unique onslaught brought to bear by Los Angeles five-piece Civerous. Our own Vince reviewed their debut album Maze Envy here, and hell – even I got in on the action after picking up the vinyl over on my own site. Bassist Drew Horton took some time away from engaging the world with his sick tone (seriously – check out the bass sound on “Shrouded in Crystals”) to answer our Profile questions, expounding on the joys of seeing younger faces in the scene, and lighting the torch for some Kook Keith. Check it out after the jump and don’t sleep on Maze Envy…it’s a killer.

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Album Review:  Zelenaya — “Folk Songs”

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Combining powerful harmonies of Eastern European polyphonic folk vocals with sludge, doom, and death metal, Zelenaya brings a unique and compelling debut album, Folk Songs. Songs are derived from Ukrainian village polyphony, southern Poland, the general Pale of Settlement, further east in the Balkans like Serbia, and even the Caucasus region. Not only are the songs diverse and impressive, but so are the musicians in the band. The bio of each person is inspiring and it is no surprise that this collection of individuals have found their way to each other and joined forces to create this magical album. Having roots in the arts, education, mysticism, non-profits, and more, these four individuals are making the world a better place with everything they do including sharing their gifts together as Zelenaya.

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INTERVIEW: Josh Graham of GUILTLESS on new EP “Thorns,” the dual-edged sword of AI, and much more!

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What do you get when you combine members of Generation of Vipers, A Storm of Light and Intronaut, then get their collective creative juices flowing about, well… a lot of really heavy shit? (Think global warming, AI, the slow decay of human society in real time… you know! Fun stuff!)

Well, you get GUILTLESS! (And also, you get one hell of a heavy listen.)

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Album Review: Goat Major — “Ritual”

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Escaping the dark shadows of reality to get lost in music and create something powerful with childhood friends is exactly how Goat Major coped with the 2020 pandemic.  Having grown up near each other in Wales resulting in a longtime friendship, this trio decided to pull their talents and love of doom to create a 2023 EP and now a debut full-length, Ritual.  Describing their style as “occult doom metal” this release combines stoner metal, classic doom, and some heavy rock with lyrics and themes focusing on the occult.  There is a rawness to it giving Ritual the feel of a live performance.  It is a solid debut making Goat Major a band to keep an Evil Eye on.

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Album Review:  Oldest Sea — “A Birdsong, A Ghost”

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Oldest Sea - A Birdsong A Ghost

Channeling raw emotions into a haunting doom album with otherworldly vocals and marching tempos to sink into and savor is no small endeavor.  Deliciously dark doom duo Oldest Sea has achieved this with their latest release A Birdsong, A Ghost.  Pulling in atmospherics, funeral doom, and a hint of folk with an underlying current of gloom, this album is one to experience open heartedly and let it carry you through to the end.  Oldest Sea started in 2017 as a solo project of Samantha Marandola with a focus on folk.  Now, she is joined by her husband Andrew as she explores (and conquers) heavier music resulting in their first full-length album.  A Birdsong, A Ghost is a dark work of art to dive into and devour.   

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