Goatess were a band from Stockholm, they released three albums of heavy riffing doom in 2013, 2016 and 2019 ripe in the Swedish heavy sound.
After that they went on a bit of hiatus with founding guitarist Niklas leaving the group, but remaining members vowed to carry on so with a slight change of name we have the 'debut' from Goddess, which really is the fourth album from Goatess, you with me? Good!
It may seem flippant calling it this but Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof, not only has goat imagery all over it it also continues the fuzzy musical path of their previous moniker, freshly signed to Majestic Mountain Records, this is stoner/doom with massive grooves and mountainous riffs and bellowed vocals.
Goddess come from the Swedish school of Monolord and Spiritual Beggars on Inquisition and Blood Fever. Throwing in some occult drone of Electric Wizard on Godless, Sleep on To Be King and anthemic nature of Orange Goblin on Devil's Reef.
Goddess will trample you under their cloven hooves and while the names have changed the songs remain the same, so turn up the volume and worship. 8/10
The Dead Collective - The Dead Collective (Self Released)
We've been following the exploits of Oli Brown in this publication since he was a young hot shot blues player, having massive recognition and success in the blues rock sphere, admittedly a but too much for such a young musician.
People get older, and they change, Oli formed heavy rock band Raveneye, where blues met hard rock, this made Brown a bigger success moving away from being a blues prodigy into a fully fledged rocker but as the pandemic hit Raveneye faded and The Dead Collective was born.
Brown joined by guitarist Sam Wood and drummer Wayne Proctor and again their music shifts with alt rock being the biggest influence on these four tracks. Well I say alt rock but I actually mean Chris Cornell as Brown's vocals have aged into a delivery similar to the much missed master of heavy grunge.
The emotion and power perfectly balanced on Goliath, where the atmosphere is soaked in the introspective anthemia of Cornell's solo sound. However opener Cracks brings the heavy style of Muse, Estranged moves in ambience, some emotive singer songwriter influences driven by the electronic beats.
Album closer Falling continues with the electronics, building from inauspicious beginnings into an anthemic last moment of this self titled EP. With The Dead Collective, Oli Brown drops his name from the project but expands his remit beyond what has come before. 8/10
Beggars Bliss - Beggars Bliss (Self Released)
I'm not quite sure what to do with this one. As keen as I am on bands in the NWOCR, listening to this record I had to do a double take a few times as there are riffs and melodies that have been ripped off other more famous rock bands.
Now having a style similar to a band like Zeppelin, The Stones, etc is all fine, it's reinventing these influences for a new audience and a new era while appealing to the original fans. However playing something that is exactly the same grates a little, though that may be my slightly spicy brain, I think there's something to be said for imitating a style rather than just copying it.
Beggars Bliss are a blues rock band from Derby and their influences are obvious, it's The Stones, The Black Crowes, Free and more recent bands such as Rival Sons. Their debut album kicks off with the strutting I Am I and they've got just what you want, big riffs, gritty vocals and plenty of organ, Peaches N Cream is a filthy rocker with lyrics from the 70's, exactly the time period where Beggars Bliss pitch their rock n roll.
Then the groovy Forbidden Fruit half inches Crosstown Traffic, Train Song sounds suspiciously like Pressure & Time as the beginning of Sunshine takes the solo from Thin Lizzy's Dancing In The Moonlight. These are the only ones though as most of the record wears it's influences very clearly but never strays into copying. Dusk 'Till Dawn adds a Allman ambience but is all their own as I'm On Fire slithers, Spiralling is the the heaviest song here while the closer Rabbit Hole is extremely similar to Pearl Jam.
Beggars Bliss' debut record is the sound of a band with a lot of experience on stage but still looking to lock down their own identity, they will definitely do that on future releases and there's a lot of great blues rock here. 7/10
Black Revelation – No Light Upon Us All (Nine Records)
Black Revelation are a heavy doom band from Germany but they borrow their sound from bands like Manilla Road, Candlemass, Witchfinder General etc, you know those bands that play 15 minute tracks that are just at the apex of classic heavy metal and epic doom. It’s the band’s second album and they’ve gone bigger than on their debut Demon.
Over an hour but still only six tracks, well five and a cover of One Mind by Saint Vitus, No Light Upon Us sees this four piece increasing the vocal histrionics, elongating the riff fests, slicing through the doom fog with some heavy metal guitar heroics. It’s epic doom alright, both heavy and groovy but also melodic and what you get out of the album depends on your opinion of this style of doom.
I personally love a record that’s clad in leather and bathed in the occult, drums carrying the steady headbang as the bass fuzzes beneath leading the gallops when the tempo moves to classic metal muscle on say Veil Of Eternal Night which is as close to a new Mercyful Fate song as you’re going to get. Black Revelation is epic doom with a heavy metal grunt and No Light Upon Us should be in your rotation if you dig it. 7/10
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