Weed Demon- Astrological Passages (EVR015)

This is a very intense record from Columbus, Ohio based quartet Weed Demon. Their first release Stoned to Death is fro 2005 and you can hear it on bandcamp. The band have evolved quite a bit since then though. It features 5 (My CD-R promo only has 4 though and no song titles on the CD or promo sheet so I had to use the times on bandcamp to figure out the order, which is different from the bandcamp site) intense stoner doom. The title track starts things off with a powerful track with some ultra intense in your face vocals (drove my dogs out of the room and my least favourite part of the track). Powerful riffs and hypnotic stoned stuff then at 6:40 the mood changes for a brief period with some nice more effected guitar and then the power doom slowly grows as the vocal returns again. Sigil of the Black Moon starts with some horror film soundtrack and then slowly builds on a simple guitar and bass line. Ominous to start and then the vocal and more heavy guitar kicks in. The riff is very familiar but I can not place it?? Anyway, the track gets very hypnotic and repetitive for several minutes and then at 5:40 we get the first guitar solo of the album, with a slow bluesy stoned feel. Cool. The doomy sound is very spaced out at the end of this track yet also traditional. Great track. Quite psychedelic. Primordial Genocide kicks in super heavy and doomy to start. At times the vocal is a bit like Sons of Otis but more death metal with less effects. 3mins in the guitar becomes clean and a new melodic section begins which takes you to a totally different place than the dark evil, we have been. By 5:30, it is gaining in intensity again with the main riff returning but also a spaced out guitar on top. Psyched out. A bit like Dark Budda Rising at times. Dominion of Oblivion (not on my promo CD) reminds me a bit of BONG meets SLEEP. Jettisoned is an instrumental track with doom but a more melodic effected guitar over the top of most of the track giving it a very cool sound. This track builds up and is by far the most rocking on the album and has a surprise acoustic ending. Nice. Intense record. Wow.. Check it out..

http://smokeweeddemon.bandcamp.com

http://electricvalleyrecords.com