Orchard was formed in late 2007 in Sackville NB,Canada inspired by bands such as Kyuss,Sleep and Cathedral.The original lineup was Marcel B. - Vocals,Bruce Zwicker - Drums,Kyle Arsenault - Bass and Sylvain Francoeur - Guitars.There were many practices during this lineup and songs started taking structure fast,i was there for a few jams and engineered their first recording,pretty soon we were talking about me joining in on second guitar.We tried this out once and i found the songs structures on guitar a bit to advanced for me,though i was certain i could pull the vocals off.As the band covered "Utopian Blaster" by Cathedral and me being a longtime Cathedral fanatic they eventually parted with Marcel and took me in as singer.It was in 2008 that we made the recordings with my cousin Ian Ryan of Slough of Despond days as engineer.Things didn't go all that great with the recording, there were a few complications and we did the best we could with what we had to work with.The end result was really poorly mixed and uploaded on myspace anyway and it did get us some notability.In February of 2009 we played the first and last show with Orchard,not really knowing it was gonna be our last.Though the show that nite had went down extremely well for us,our plays on the myspace player went up a considerable amount and there was a buzz going around the Orchard name for a bit.Bruce and i had done a interview with Earthdog promotions (aka Doommantia) prior to doing the show.Well its really sad to say that Orchard didn't live on to make a full length album as tensions with members arose and a spiraling demise was evident.Bruce and i have continued on playing doom metal with Father,while Sylvain went on to join his cousins band Dischord and Kyle played with These Colors Bled.Recently i put the songs through a small editing process cleaned up what i could and added bass and compression to the mix.I think it turned out ok definitely better then the first mixes so i updated the myspace with the new revamped tracks.Here is a video i made with pictures of the show we played and the song Ride through the decay.
Alright folks a lot has to be said about Cathedral,as some of you know this year will be the last year for Cathedral playing live.After being a band for 22 years the band has decided to call it quits.With 9 studio albums and a handful of ep's and singles the UK doomsters have had quite a prolific career as pioneers of doom metal.I remember hearing Cathedral in around late 1993 for the very first time.The video single for "Midnight Mountain" used to air alongside Monster Magnet's "Twin Earth" on Much Music's Power Hour and i remember really digging it then, i just didn't know where to get this music from at the time being only 13.It was only years later in around 1997 when the "Supernatural Birth Machine" album came out.I read a review of the album in Exclaim a free publication news paper here in Canada.All i remembered and thought to myself,this was the band that i used to sing along to their disco doom style video on tv.So i then proceeded to go out and buy this new album,this is where my interest in collecting and discovering doom metal bands started.I got my friend who was a long time fan since Cathedral started to sell me some of his Cathedral stuff.I basically got all the early stuff that i was missing and after that point i followed and bought each album they released.It also should be mentioned that they opened many doors musically for me.From reading Gaz' cosmic vibes list of obscure 70's proto doom bands, i made it my mission to discover each one of these bands.Each album that i got of Cathedral was always an exciting experience,because i would always want to examine the Dave Patchett artwork while listening to the album.I found that it made listening to the album an experience one doesn't forget so easily.The band has also been a metamorphosing entity right from it's inception in early 1990 to this day.There had been quite a few lineup changes and collaborations over the years,working with names like Pentagram,Trouble,Venom and Repulsion members.In the late/mid 90's they started writing songs based on some of their favorite cult horror movies mostly Hammer horror movies like Witchfinder General and Italian horror trilogy Tombs of The Blind Dead.Some other movies like Planet of the apes and Captain Clegg were also points of inspiration for Cathedral's evolving sound.Since 93' Cathedral had always wanted to produce an album like a YES album,colorful and progressively orientated.It was on 2006 "Garden of Unearthly Delights" and mostly 2010 "The Guessing Game" they finally achieved this concept in my opinion.Both albums were released on Nuclear Blast USA and was a little bit more prog oriented as their previous albums.Last year the band celebrated a 20th year anniversary with two sets @ 02 Academy Islington (London) the first set of which they played the first album with original recording line-up, a second set followed up with current line up.As it stands today from what i read Scott Carlson of Repulsion is back on bass to finish up the last few shows with the band and a new album is in the works for 2012.Until then i will anticipate the release of this last album and i am utterly grateful for having discovered this timeless doom band.Listening to Cathedral broadened my horizons up, from getting into acid folk to 70s proto metal and nwobhm.I am ultimately blessed to have heard their music growing up.And i will cherish my collection until my death,until then i will keep on blasting the utopian sludge.Eventually i will dedicate a whole program on my Doomedimension Radio show as a tribute and celebration to this long lasting UK band.I will make a announcement of this once i organize everything,for 4 hours or more i will try to encompass the whole discography as well as the various rareties and singles.Also as i am posting this last nite was Cathedral's last show in America @ mdf 2011 hopefully we will get to see some decent footage of the doom masters laying down the concrete soonish.I only wish i could have had the chance to see this splendid & majestical band live once, but travelling outside of Canada has always been quite impossible for me to afford.Also was hoping to catch Pentagram in August in NY, but if i couldn't to go to Maryland to see the mighty Cathedral i sure hells cant afford to go to NY to see the mighty Ram's head!! such a doleful feeling knowing that i am missing out so i will end the post with my video edit of Night of the Seagulls.
Slough of Despond formed around late 1997 in Cap-Pele New Brunswick,Canada.The band idea came together when me and a few highschool friends wanting to play psychedelic doom metal in the vein of Cathedral and early Electric Wizard.Got together and started jamming on original material.In November of 1998 we recorded our first 4 track demo with local friend and musician Claude "Krall" Doiron.In 1999 another recording session was done with just me and drummer Ian Ryan we recorded and mixed this session ourselves.Later these songs were added with the 98 November session and named "November's Grief demos 98-99".Unfortunately Slough of Despond was short lived and never played any shows.there was a show with Necropolis that we were supposed to do but it never happened for us.Not long after this the band fell apart one attempt was made in 2000 to reform but didn't work out.Again in 2007 i took decision to reform the band with new members and new sound,with no avail this was a complete disaster.The band again was booked for a show that we didn't play.therefor it was Doomed to begin with another chapter in Slough of Despond history closed.There is still a myspace site with the early demos up and running,you can find the link here at the bottom of the blog page.This is a video Ian and i edited just a few years ago with scenes of Tales from the Crypt's Demon Knight of our song Dragonslayer!!
Necropolis was from right here in NB Canada and formed sometime around early 1997.Featuring my childhood friends Joe and Dale and myself on bass with Seb on drums.The early stages of Necropolis was mostly a thrash speed metal oriented sound.Heavy influences from both Slayer and Sepultura could be clearly heard.We played the first show together at Noise Fest 98.Soon not long after that event the recordings for Destined Regrets began,eventually i was given leave before adding bass tracks and started focusing on my doom band Slough of Despond.Paul who played guitar in Slough of Despond respectfully filled the the bass spot for Necropolis and played in both bands.After the album was finished cd's were made and the band started playing more shows.Some of the bands they played with were local band Earth A.D. and Initial Distrust and later a metal fest in Halifax NS with Quebec technical thrash metallers Martyr.This created a local buzz around the band and a certain mystique around the band name.Everywhere in the local scene people where talking about Necropolis.Eventually the band evolved their sound into a Machine Head type sound and recorded a second demo in this style which was never released.Over the last few years since 2007 Dale and i have been archiving as much stuff as we can and i have helped put together a myspace page and a facebook group page.So here we are 14 yrs later Dale & Joe are still playing in a band called Red Savannah!
In the early mid 90s in a small part of England sprouted a doom metal band called Blessed Realm.Back in early 97 around when i started listening and making my own research on unknown doom metal bands,Blessed Realm was a named that invoked a certain air of mystique and drab gloominess that i certainly approved of.The idea for Blessed Realm came about in mid 1993. Three friends Steve( now Kat), Garry and Johnny from the middle of nowhere North-Eastern England town of Spennymoor had a mutual love for heavy doom metal-doomrock bands such as Saint Vitus,Trouble,The Obsessed,Pentagram,Candlemass,Revelation,Penance,Stillborn,Cathedral etc.and decided that they wanted to play heavy music influenced by bands such as that,Michael (Steve's younger brother) completed the line up in 1994 wihch was Steve Gillham(Vocals) , Michael Gillham (Drums) , Johnny Sugden (Guitar) and Garry Sugden (Bass).The band recorded a handful of demos and played as openers for such bands as Solstice(UK),Rise and Shine(SWE),Cathedral(UK),Mourn(UK) and Orange Goblin(UK).They also had a song featured on the doom metal compilation "At the Mountains of Madness".Very little is known about them even to this day.The constantly evolving sound could have been an undermining factor why this band never got the recognition they deserved.The first demos where a much more traditional sounding doom metal vein,but it seemed some of the songs were hinting at a more stoner sound.The maryland DC doom sound was something very prevalent in their sound which i think suited them more,thus the biker doom look was born!! Certainly this is what traditional doom is about!! I have been corresponding with Kat online for a few years since 2006-07 and have helped with transfering some songs on to youtube.We hope to generate an interest in this often overlooked UK traditional doom band!
here is something different Grindmaster Dead!! Pre-Skyforger band originaly from Latvia.They released a demo in 1994 called "Stronger than Love" very dark sombre death/doom with flutes! This is a video i edited with scenes from the movie Navigator:a medieval story to the song At the wizard's Sabbath.
Here is a band that really kicked my ass when i saw them live in 2009 Zoroaster from Atlanta,Georgia USA.This three piece reminded me of what you would get if you blended The Melvins and Celtic Frost together.They were really heavy!! so heavy i had to step back all the way up to the balcony area!! the wall of Sunn amps and Orange stacks they had really blew my mind.The drummer Dan Scanlan was pounding a sky blue Ludwig vista lite drum kit.They also use a few 70's style moog synthesizer's and oscillator effects live.The guitarist Will Fiore and Bassist Brent Anderson both handle the vocals.I have to say listening to this band months before seeing them live i wasn't really getting it then.But after seeing them live changed my opinion about them totally.When i re-listened to the albums i found many great songs that i like alot.And they are now one of my favorite Stoner/Doom bands!! and a band that gets a lot of airplay on my radio show! Overall Zoroaster has enough fuzz and doom to satiate any doomsters thirst.Make sure to check em out!!
n Ryan of Slough of Despond days as engineer.Things didn't go all that great with the recording, there were a few complications and we did the best we could with what we had to work with.The end result was really poorly mixed and uploaded on myspace anyway and it did get us some notability.In February of 2009 we played the first and last show with Orchard,not really knowing it was gonna be our last.Though the show that nite had went down extremely well for us,our plays on the myspace player went up a considerable amount and there was a buzz going around the Orchard name for a bit.Bruce and i had done a interview with Earthdog promotions (aka Doommantia) prior to doing the show.Well its really sad to say that Orchard didn't live on to make a full length album as tensions with members arose and a spiraling demise was evident.Bruce and i have continued on playing doom metal with Father,while Sylvain went on to join his cousins band Dischord and Kyle played with These Colors Bled.Recently i put the songs through a small editing process cleaned up what i could and added bass and compression to the mix.I think it turned out ok definitely better then the first mixes so i updated the myspace with the new revamped tracks.Here is a video i made with pictures of the show we played and the song Ride through the decay.
