Labelled “extremely brutal” by Eyehategod guitarist/Down drummer Jimmy Bower, Ravine pull no punches when it comes to delivering a heavy riff. The Oregon band’s brand of sludge/doom and hardcore mightn’t reach the insane levels of heaviness set by Byzanthian Neckbeard or Dopethrone, but the best moments on their 2025 release ‘Chaos and Catastrophes’ are on a par with many a great and muddy sounding, riff wielding act.
Tag Archives: doom
SNAKEMOTHER – Snakemother
Snakemother are a four piece band who relish in sharing a mix of heavy riffs and gloomy atmospherics. Within in the vast landscapes of doom metal – often populated by bearded figures with guttural tones – Snakemother really stand out, since the four musicians are unafraid to blend their extremely slow and heavy sound with a relatively clean vocal, which gives the six tracks on their self-titled release a pleasing feeling of balance.
BOX – Born To Crawl EP
When it comes to chosen names, ‘Box’ feels rather cheeky. This one man band’s work refuses to be kept tidy, or easily placed within a genre. Or any kind of box. Beyond “cold, arty rock”, the songs on ‘Born To Crawl’ refuse to conform to any label, and certainly don’t fit any pre-conceived ideas you may have about a musician who has previously been associated with US punks Poison Idea. There are moments that, perhaps, fall a little further in line with multi-instrumentalist Andrew Stromstad’s work with blackened doom band Atriarch but, again, at its best, the Box sound feels very different. It’s certainly less heavy and although it feels more experimental, it’s actually more accessible than some of his past works. The heart of Box definitely shares like a fresh sound for Stromstad, making it the perfect side project.
THE PALE HORSE RITUAL – Enchantress EP
Some projects take a while to get off the ground and become a concrete reality, but Ontario’s Pale Horse Ritual (formerly The Pale Horses) took the idea of not rushing anything to extremes. The earliest line up of band the dated back to the late 90s when they were an on/off project for the musicians involved, but it wasn’t until 2024 that a stable line up was formed and the band finally entered the recording studio. They might have taken an age to reach the world’s ears, but the ‘Enchantress’ EP (released via Black Throne Productions (home of Sons of Arrakis and AAWKS) is a real treat.
BLUE HERON – Everything Fades
Blue Heron’s debut release, the 2022 double single ‘Black Blood of The Earth’/‘Everything Fades’ introduced a band who really didn’t skimp when it came to a heavy riff. Their sound, a hearty mix of classic doom and sludge, created a monstrous noise; an intensity that made the tracks instant genre classics, despite vocalist Jadd Schickler’s “gargling with concrete” styled approach occasionally making the Blue Heron sound rather more marginal than some of their peers. A swiftly delivered full length release (‘Ephemeral’) really capitalised on their heavy abilities, but also showed off a band who were also capable of a hefty, bluesy swagger, bringing more of a desert rock/stoner quality. Between these bleak moods, Blue Heron appeared to have the full spectrum of heavier stoner vibes covered…and with aplomb.