08.23
SP. 027-09 Heavy Lord – The Holy Grail
Format: CD
Release Date: 14.03.2009
Country: Netherlands
Genre: Doom / Sludge
Rerelease of the demo album from 2004 of one of the leading Dutch Sludge-Doom bands. Fanatics of this kind of music chose this as the best album by Heavy Lord. This demo has been mastered by Peter Kloos from the Void Studios and filled with a bonus track, giving the listeners one hour of aggressive, stoned, and ground shaking Sludge. Bonus track “Get Down There You Bitch” has been recorded for this rerelease only. The composition originally comes from year 2004 – The Holy Grail period. This track never made it on the album until now.
Compared to other Heavy Lord albums, this one is a lot more raw and pure, but at the same time aggressive and uncompromised. The one thing that never changed during the years: unearthly energy and ultra heavy riffs.
100% analog recording.
Tracklist:
1. The Holy Grail
2. Dope Smoking Days
3. Magician Of Black Chaos
4. Baphomets March
5. Gods Of Doom
6. F.T.S.S.
7. Get Down There You Bitch (bonus track)
Live 4 Metal
The Dutch four piece have followed up 2008s Chained To The World with another belter of an album. Heavy is still a particularly pertinent word in the description of the band, as this offering growls deeply in the pit of your stomach from the instrumental opener and title track. Never a mention of ‘Aquatic bints distributing swords not being a system of government’ or ‘Knights who say NEE’ before we move into Dope Smoking Daze. Vocals join here, almost as eclectically as python inviting us to ‘Tie your brain to a stone’. However, the odd vocal aside, this track sets the standard for the album and your sub woofer should by now be causing the concrete between bricks to revert to a liquid form in
an attempt to escape. The vocal range is limited in the same way that Lemmy has a limited range, no screaming or screeching, but if you like it, and I do, there are no complaints on that front. Magician Of Black Chaos wrings its opening from my speakers, just concentrate on the drums for the first couple of minutes, not to the exclusion of everything else, but just because you really should. As the vocals open, each word seems to be reluctantly sung, conjuring an image of a man in a black hood extracting them with the use of glowing coals. The pace does pick up when a tempo change is implemented about three quarters of the way into the song, a subtle ploy by someone whose mother was a hamster and whose father smelled of elderberry’s. Baphomets March omits the long instrumental opening to introduce a bit of variation to this area. The vocals do display a bit more range here and there is even the odd patch of an upbeat tempo, however the overall deep and heavy principles are enforced by a brilliant and iconic bass. The same bass begins Gods Of Doom, a substantial intro before the rest of the band join and bring their own talents to bear. In patches the pace picks up, and just for a few bars here and there the tempo rises, but mainly the overriding principles remain. In these days of short tracks to please the MTV generation, F.T.S.S.will really piss someone off with its almost prog endurance of nearly nineteen minutes. But bear with it, grab each element, the guitar being let loose at around the two minute mark is a particular favourite. The bonus track Get Down There You Bitch could be described as experimental in the opening phase as an almost punkish sound emits, but it is thankfully brief before normality [heaviness of the type known only to the shoulders of Atlas] returns. And whilst throughout the album I still find some of the vocals indecipherable, I’m sure there is no lethal rabbit anywhere, and no cardboard cut outs, just genuine substantial usage of big, roughly hewn stone blocks as Heavy Lord produce a musical equivalent of Arthur’s Camelot.
As I leave now to clean Sir Robins armour of stains, let us agree that later, whilst I check the internet to establish the airspeed of an African Swallow, you will check out this excellent band at http://www.myspace.com/heavylord
Review
Kronos Mortus
9/10
27.09.2009
A hollandiai négyesfogat – Jeff (gitár), Steven (ének, basszusgitár), Walter a.k.a. 808 (dob) és Wes Lee (gitár, vokál) – 2004-ben megjelent demóját adta ki újrakeverve, és egy bónuszdallal a Solitude prod. legénysége az idén. Eddig két anyag jelent meg tőlük, 2006-ban a „From Cosmos To Chaos”, majd egy évre rá a „Chained To The World” CD. A súlyos doom metalt játszó srácok zenéjébe füleltem bele.
A címadó The Holy Grail monumentális alapjai nyitják meg a korongot. A füstös, vastag hangzású dal súlyos, lassan hömpölygő ütemei kegyetlenül szabdalják át a horizont fénylő csillagait. Magába zuhanó verze, lehangolt hangszerek, instrumentális világ… ez a bevezető összessége.
A Dope Smoking Daze folyamatos lüktetése egyetlen hangba tömörülve zúg egyfolytában – kegyetlen riffek, lassú, de dinamikus játék, sötéten villódzó kavalkád. A doom-ra jellemző módon nem nagyon lépnek túl bizonyos tempón, ami persze ehhez a zenéhez elengedhetetlen is. Stoner jegyek ugyanígy felvillannak, mintegy „színesítve” a már meglévő alapokat.
A Magician Of Black Chaos karcos hangjai kizúgnak egy ideig, majd halál lassú tempóban zörög tovább a gitár, míg csak el nem ér egy kissé gyorsabb tempóvilágig, amire szép lassan beszáll mindegyik hangszer. Persze nem kell azt hinni, hogy brutális gyorsasággal zúz le minket ez a szám, mert bizony itt is elég jól megkomponált, változatos témavilágra figyelhetünk fel. A tipikus alapok kissé megvariálva bukkannak elő, és mosnak el az útjukból mindent. Az ének heves és lassú egyszerre – ahogy kell.
A Baphomets March dobbal indít, majd beszállnak a reszelős gitárok, a maguk ultranehéz hangulatával. Itt bizony kőkemény darálás lát napvilágot, súlyos témák váltakoznak az aszfaltszürke égbolt alatt, a szerkezet tipikus felépítése mégsem a megszokott jegyeket hordozza csak magában, hanem kellőképp előadott stabil egységet, egyedi ízvilágot is. A basszusgitár búgó-bongó hangjai lüktetnek végig, megborzongatva az idegeket.
A Gods Of Doom folytatja az eddig megszokott utat, bár kissé dallamos hangvételű basszusgitár téma indít, amely elég hosszan maga viszi csak az alapot. A koszos hangzású darab süt a hidegtől, és karakteres hangulatával elvisz minket egy másik tájra. Egyszerre beteg és nyitott ez a világkép, amelyet a zene teremt és temet egyszerre. Katartikus robbanások és visszaverődések tarkítják ezt a valóságot.
Az F.T.S.S. más hangokat képez, – a rituálisan sikoltozó gitárhangok zöreje után beékelődik a monoton fém hangja, a majd’ 19 perces szám egyszerűen képezi a szerkezetét, mégis van a felépítésben valami száraz szadizmus, valami önkontroll nélküli látkép, egy lebegő hangjegy formájában. Erős kompozíció, lassú kordonnal, egy sodrás, ami inkább visszafelé folyik.
A bónusz dal a Get Down There You Bitch címet viseli. Kissé más világ köszön ránk, mind hangzásában, mind a zenei részt tekintve – koszos, de tisztább megszólalás, az ének inkább egy dervis őrületére hasonlít a legelején, mintsem az eddig megszokottra, a zene pedig gyors tempóval és némileg tört ritmussal kápráztat el. Persze ez sem marad meg végig, – visszatérünk a lassan vánszorgó folyam medrébe, és megszokott hangok között vergődünk a sziklákon keresztül a zuhatag felé. Félelem, gátlástalan előretörés, minden kiüresedett vágy ebbe kapaszkodik. Nihilizmus. A stílus rajongóinak mindenképp ajánlom ezt a funeral doom/doom/stoner keverék zenét, de más is nyugodtan belehallgathat.
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ENGLISH VERSION:
This band from the Netherlands consists of four members: Jeff (guitar), Steven (vocals, bass), Walter a.k.a. 808 (drums) and Wes Lee (guitar, vocals). Their label, Solitude Productions has released a mix of their 2004 demo, with a bonus track. Before this, they published two CDs, ’From Cosmos To Chaos’ in 2006, and ’Chained To The World’ a year later. I took a listening to the deep doom metal played by these guys.
The title of the first track is The Holy Grail, just like the title of the album. It has a monumental base frame as it opens the album. The smoky, thick sounding song is a deep one, its slowly billowing beats darken the shining stars on the horizon. A lonesome verse, deeply pitched instruments, instrumental world… this is how the album starts.
The constant impulse of Dope Smoking Daze is like just one sound as it rumbles – powerful riffs, slow but dynamic play, a complex, darkly fluctiating world. The tempo doesn’t exceed a certain level, as it’s needed, since it’s doom metal. We can notice some stoner features, making their music a bit more colourful. The harsh sounds of ’A Magician Of Black Chaos’ can be heard for a while, before the guitar starts to rustle in a deadly slow tempo. Then the tempo changes to a relatively faster world, and step by step, all instruments start to play. We shouldn’t expect a brutal fast song, rather a well composed, various range of themes. They changed a bit the typical doom frames, as they flood everything in their way. The vocals are passionate and slow at the same time, as it should be.
Baphomets March starts with the drums, then the wiggling guitars enter with their super burdensome atmosphere. We can hear rock hard whirling there, while deep and heavy themes change and change. The typical-like construction is not that schematic: it’s a duly stable entity, but it also has a unique taste. The buzzing, rumbling sound of the bass guitar has its impulse from start to end, threatening our nerves. Gods Of Doom continues the previously set atmosphere, though the opening bass theme is a bit melodic, which operates as the base of the song for a long while. The harsh sounding song is stone cold, and with its characteristic atmosphere, we can find ourselves in a distant land. This world is sick and open at the same time, revealed and buried as well by the music. Cathartic explosions and its echoes colour this world.
F.T.S.S. has a different sound – ritual guitar screams with the monotonous sound of metal. This song is almost 19 minutes long, and despite it has a simple construction, I can feel a raw sadism in it, a revelation without self-control, as a note floats in the air. A strong and slow composition, a drifting song, which rather flows backwards.
The bonus track is titled Get Down There You Bitch. A different world unfolds, both musically and atmospherically. Though the sounding is harsh, it’s much cleaner, and the vocals are a bit crazy related to the other songs. The beat is a bit staccato-like, the music is fast. But not till the end, through the end, we return back to the slowly flowing stream atmosphere, taking us with its notes to the waterfall. Fear, unlimited progression, empty desires, fading illusions. Nihilism. If you like this genre, I can strongly recommend this funeral doom/doom/stoner music, but others might like it, too.
Author: Lemezismertetők
Review
ardsounds
8/10
18.06.2009
Cari navigatori di Hardsounds, eccomi pronto a darvi conto dell’ultimo regalo che l’Olanda, terra dei sogni e fucina inesauribile di musica forte e magmatica, ci ha riservato. Sto parlando della meraviglia che risponde al nome di Heavy Lord, il cui nome già mette tutto in chiaro. Un gruppo votato anima e corpo al sacro verbo del doom e che è pronto ad infestare le nostre serate con il loro sound feroce, titanico, gigantesco, tempestato di ritmi aggressivi e che se ne sbattono altamente dei compromessi. Sono assolutamente convinto che, sin dal primo ascolto delle 7 tracce che compongono questo piccolo gioiellino (6 brani originali ed una bonus track), i più esperti, ma anche i meno smaliziati, potranno fare un paragone con gli Electric Wizard e gli Sleep, ma qui siamo lontani anni luce dalla pura, semplice e scontata clonazione in quanto le doti artistiche dei nostri eroi sono assolutamente da osannare, tranne per qualche piccolissima e quasi impercettibile pecca nella struttura vocale, causata quasi sicuramente dalla produzione fortemente analogica. Sebbene questa sia una riedizione dell’originale demo auto prodotto del 2004, l’attitudine del gruppo ad infondere nei loro brani un’energia ultraterrena ed a sfornare una quantità innumerevole di riff altamente heavy è rimasta immutata. I nostri quattro cavalieri dell’apocalisse ci offrono un’ora di doom psichedelico ma al tempo stesso dannatamente ossessivo e pesante. Sin dall’opener “The Holy Grail”, una vera e propria iniziazione ad un viaggio altamente allucinante, fino all’ultima traccia “F.T.S.S”, l’incauto ascoltatore sarà letteralmente travolto dall’alchemica miscela di heavy doom stordente, dominato dal titanico lavoro delle mastodontiche asce del gruppo Jeff e Wes e dalla suadente melodia vocale del carismatico Steven, e psycho sludge doom da panico, scandito dalle inumane ritmiche e dai riff funerei generati dalla sezione ritmica maleficamente condotta dal basso di sua maestà Steve e dalla batteria di sua malvagità Walter. Citazione a parte merita la splendida bonus track “Get Down There You Bitch”, anch’essa risalente al 2004 ma mai inserita in nessun album fino ad ora; un vero e proprio omaggio che i nostri paladini hanno voluto riservare al proprio pubblico. Per concludere posso solo dire che questo è un demo da conservare con cura e da consigliare, magari, sia a coloro che sono nostalgici delle vecchie sonorità doom psichedeliche ma anche a coloro che, non avendo mai avuto l’onore di gustare i piaceri reconditi di questo genere, abbiamo la curiosità di scoprirlo.
Author: Donato “dannyozzy1972″ Tripoli
Review
Metal District
8/10
15.09.2009
Sludge ist der böse Bruder des Dooms geworden. Wo Doom schon edel und mit majestätischer Erhabenheit die Szenerie betritt, da scheppert und klappert der Sludge einem rostigen Kahn, einem zum Sinken verdammten Seelenverkäufer modrig und ohne Hoffnung ins Bild und gewinnt gleich einige Sympathien, wenn er denn gut gemacht ist.
Die Niederländer HEAVY LORD könnten fast Amis sein, so authentisch sludgen sie sich ins Nirvana. UR – SABBATH Riffing, raue, halb gegrollte, halbwegs gesungene Vocals, die auf den Drogenkonsum einer ganzen Armee von Unterweltbewohnern schließen lassen könnten, extrem wuchtige Beats und ein bollernder Bass sind das Grundgerüst ihrer Musik, irgendwo ist da ein Schuss doomiger Melancholie enthalten, irgendwo entspannter 70er Hardrock, irgendwo auch betörende Psychedelik und an manchen Stellen auch das Zerrbild erdigen Bluessounds. Im alles zermalmenden “Gods of DOOM” gibt es sogar etwas treibendere Passagen, die an Boogie erinnern, 70er Style. Aber die bleierne Schwere zieht den Song immer wieder zurück in die Kloake.
Bei “The holy grail” handelt es sich um das 2004er Demo der Band, neu aufgepeppt im Soundbereich mit einem siebten Stück als Bonus. Die ursprünglichen sechs Songs waren schon fast eine Stunde lang, was am 22 Minuten Monster “F.T.S.S.” liegt. Überwältigend! Spielen können die Boys aus Holland, Ideen haben sie erst recht, schon damals in den Demotagen. Wobei sie von der Gründung bis zum Demo satte zwei Jahre Zeit nahmen, der erste Schliff war also schon drin.
Ihr Songwriting ist dementsprechend sehr orthodox, orientiert sich an EYE HATE GOD, ELECTRIC WIZARD, BLACK SABBATH, WARHORSE US, CATHEDRAL in der frühesten Phase, aber da sind einprägsame Songs, da ist Charisma in der völlig wrackigen Stimme und da ist dieses Gefühl von Tod und Wahnsinn, aber auch von Entgültigkeit, wie es eher einer True Doom Band der Marke REVEREND BIZARRE entströmen würde. Vergleiche sind für die Katz, möchte ich mal sagen, Vergleiche. Diese Band wird das Genre nicht innovieren, was HEAVY LORD weiter in die Doomecke bringt, denn Doom ist absolut spirituelle Musik und kann gar nicht so weit aus sich selbst heraus, wenn nicht die ursprüngliche Magie verloren gehen soll.
Eine der besten dirty Underground Sludge Doom Scheiben des letzten Jahrzehnts, möchte ich mal meinen. Auch wenn man viel, viel Geld haben muss, damit man alles kaufen kann, diese Platte hier lohnt sich.
Author: SirLordDoom
Review
Heavy Impact
7.5/10
06.07.2009
Questa ristampa del demo del 2004 degli Heavy Lord, mi ha letteralmente sorpreso, in particolare per due punti. Primo, il lavoro di ri-masterizzazione è praticamente perfetto e non lascia spazio ai classici difetti che affligono le autoproduzioni (rumori di fondo, volumi eccessivamente alti o eccessivamente bassi). Secondo, e più importante punto: The Holy Grail è un lavoro validissimo, un lavoro che mostra una band matura, una band capace di lasciare il segno grazie alla sua miscela di stoner/doom dagli umori alcolici e dal retrogusto oppiaceo.
Sei tracks (più una bounus, registrata per l’occasione), dall’incedere pachidermico, che guardano ai 70’s e che non disdegnano divagazioni sludge e puntate nel calssico stoner rock. Se a tutto ciò si aggiunge, quella attitudine polverosa e malsana che si respira in ogni demo, il risultato è assolutamente stupefacente. Quindi, se siete pronti a perdervi nel groove malato di un pezzo come Dope Smoking Daze o nella oscura e quadrata Baphomets March, questo dico fa sicuramente al caso vostro. In particolare se amate le produzioni pregne di fascino cult. Una citazione particolare, va alla song-manifesto Gods Of Doom, che nei suoi otto minuti, incanta per aderenza agli stilemi di un genere che, per chi scrive, ha sempre dato alle stampe produzioni di alto livello, senza godere mai del dovuto tributo di consensi.
Alcol, oppio, polvere. Questa è la natura degli Heavy Lord, oggi con questa ristampa avete la possibilità di godere appieno di tali elementi.
Author: Anrea Angelino
Review
PAVILLON 666
7.5/10
09.07.2009
Et non chers lecteurs(trices) il n’y a pas en Hollande que des formations à ‘barbies’ ! J’en veux pour preuve le nouvel opus des énergumènes de Heavy Lord , qui en en quelques minutes remettent rapidement les pendules à l’heure ! Oui il existe au Pays Bas autre chose que de la soupe bon marché et autres sucreries douces que certains voudraient nous faire avaler en usurpant l’identité même du rock’n'roll.
Heavy Lord lui ne fait pas dans la dentelle, ni le potage populaire, et se plait à nous servir dans sa marmite tout un tas d’immondices dont l’odeur au relent putréfié ne pourra qu’enchanter les Caligulas et autres Gilles de Raie en herbe ! Car par Belzébuth il y avait bien longtemps que le Doom saupoudré de Sludge n’avait sonné aussi sale ! Certes l’artwork plutôt étrange ne donne à première vue pas vraiment envie de s’approcher de l’objet en question ! Et pourtant à y regarder de plus prêt celui ci représente à merveille le contenu de ce disque, à savoir une musique aussi grandiloquente que simple, sans fioriture inutile et surtout aussi radicale que le dessin ‘douteux’ de la pochette en guise d’affirmation de sa pensée !
Le doute, la curiosité s’installe et on finit en définitive par adhérer complètement aux sensations qui sont étalées là sournoisement au fil des minutes ! Une intro de basse menaçante sur ‘gods of doom’ par ci, une violente et massive déflagration sur ‘get down there your bitch’ où tout un immeuble semble s’écraser sur vous ! Et le très bon ‘baphomet’s march’ tout en retenue, dont la rythmique collée au chant ondule tel une Succube remontant le long de vos jambes et n’aspirant qu’à l’anéantissement total de vote âme ! Le tout supporté par une production en adéquation parfaite avec le style, à savoir du gras à tout les étages, et une mise en valeur des instruments à cordes largement accordés en dessous de la ceinture ! Bien entendu et vous l’aurez compris qui dit doom dit tempos joués le métronome sur zéro, même si quelques petits sursauts de vie se font apprécier par instant, rappelant la filiation presque charnelle de Heavy Lord à des groupes plus installés comme Cathedral, Electric Wizzard ou High on fire, sans pour autant que la ressemblance soit un problème majeur …
‘The holy grail’ est un album plutôt honnête, sans qu’une faute de goût ne vienne gâcher le voyage initiatique au milieu de nombreuses chimères décadentes et oniriques qui vous entoureront tout au long du chemin ! Il suffira à chacun d’oser et de se laisser faire, amis(es) aventurier(es) ce nom Heavy Lord est à retenir… bon voyage.
Author: SINISTRE 13
Review
Metal-Archives
7.5/10
01.08.2009
Heavy Lord is one of those bands that I’ve heard a lot about, read some raving reviews of etc, but never actually heard. So I haven’t heard either of their two fullengths, and here we have a re-release of their 2004 demo “The holy grail”. It would’ve been cool to have heard their later releases, to be able to hear how they evolved from this. But I suppose it’s only natural to have a first encounter be a demo.
This was recorded in a fully analog studio, which fits their agenda perfectly. The old school influences are radiant, and it often sounds like a drugged-out 60ies hippie convention jamming out some radical rock. They declare they’ll be smoking weed until the day they die, but it’s stoner in more than one manner as it clearly transpires stoner metal as well.
Stoner isn’t a very familiar genre to me; sure I know of it and whatnot, but since I don’t listen much to any practicing band I can’t say I’m an expert on it, not even a novice. But to me this is stoner mixed in with loads (and I mean loads) of psychedelic rock, transferring into an experimental sounds that’s not adverse to breaking boundaries. They never stay firmly in one place, and as the slow, churning riffs gets accompanied with powerful drumming and harsh-as-hell vocals, to be replaced by a more rocking approach I could swear I’m hearing Nirvana in both music and vocals. Now don’t get me wrong, this surely isn’t grunge, but it has a certain flavour that’s reminiscent of said band’s earlier days; but maybe it’s just the drug influence (on the musicians behalf, not mine), I don’t know. But heavy, doom-esque stoner is mixed with experimental rock and even some southern vibes, creating quite an unusual sound to be found.
The re-release has “Get down there you bitch” as a bonus track, for which they returned to the same studio to record, giving it a (albeit slightly more powerful) fitting sound. I rarely listen to this type of music, and I generally can’t stand rock, but Heavy Lord is incredibly energetic and invigorating to listen to. It feels weird to use such a description for such a genre, but it really is captivating and indulging. Imagine Black Sabbath in bed with Electric Wizard.
Author: Phuling
Review
Metalglory
7/10
31.08.2009
Via Solitude Productions erfährt das Demo der Holländischen Stoner Doomster Heavy Lord eine Neuauflage. The Holy Grail heißt das Teil und bietet über eine Stunde gutklassigen Doom.
Das erste was einen beim öffnen des Booklets entgegenschlägt sind Bildcollagen rauchbarer holländischer Gartenkräuter. Interessanter Einstieg, der so gar nicht zu den mahnenden Kriegsbildern des restlichen Booklets zu tun haben will. Aber dennoch liefern diese Bilder auch einen ersten Fingerzeig, womit wir es musikalisch zu tun haben. Das die vier fliegenden Holländer sich dem Stoner und Hippie Lager zugehörig fühlen ist nämlich auch in der Musik unüberhörbar verwurzelt. Man doomt sich durch sieben teils überlange Kompositionen wobei man beständig mit einer gehörigen Stoner Schlagseite unterwegs ist. Die psychedelischen Intermezzi dienen dabei eher zur Auflockerung, denn der Sound von Heavy Lord ist vorrangig geprägt von bleiern dahin kriechenden Gitarren und einem druckvollen Bass der alten Schule. Erinnert irgendwie alles an eine Mischung aus Electric Wizard und Cathedral. Lediglich die Teils sehr düsteren, gekeiften Vocals wollen da nicht so recht in diesen Eindruck passen. Besser klingt es da schon wenn der Sänger sich ähnlich traditionell orientiert wie die Musiker. Ein Manko das zumindest auf dem letzten Album nicht mehr zum tragen kommt, womit auch klar sein sollte wo dieses Release einzuordnen ist. Der Bonus Track ’Get Down there you Bitch’ ist übrigens erst 2008 aufgenommen worden und gibt einen Fingerzeig wie die Vocals heutzutage klingen.
Anspieltipps: Magician Of Black Chaos; Gods Of Doom
Fazit: Nettes Re-Release, aber wirklich interessant wohl nur für Komplettisten. Wer sich ernsthaft mit der Band beschäftigen möchte sollte zum Einstieg lieber auf den 2007er Release ’Chained to the World’ zurückgreifen, auch wenn man hier ‘ne gute Scheibe Doom ewerben kann.
Author: Blizzard
Review
Shapeless Zine
7/10
September 2009
Degli olandesi Heavy Lord avevo apprezzato molto l’album del 2007, “Chained To The World”, pubblicato dalla Solitude Prod., la cui recensione и presente negli archivi di Shapeless Zine. Questo quartetto, autore di un doom formidabile e coinvolgente, mi aveva lasciato una buonissima impressione. Ho seguito quindi la sua attivitа nel corso degli ultimi due anni, e ho potuto constatarne l’intensa attivitа dal vivo, penso ricca di soddisfazioni. Ho visto che l’interesse del pubblico nei confronti del gruppo si и accresciuto. Inoltre, il combo di Hellevoetsluis ha avuto il tempo di rispolverare e pubblicare la ristampa del suo primo demo, “The Holy Grail”.
“The Holy Grail” и, di fatto, il terzo album degli Heavy Lord. In effetti, il demo originale и circolato in pochissime copie, ed il gruppo ha voluto renderlo disponibile ai piщ.
La copertina ci mostra Lenin, con un artiglio alzato, e che tiene nell’altra mano un martello insanguinato. Sull sfondo, due energumeni dai capelli lunghi gli guardano le spalle. Il libretto, di sedici facciate, contiene tanti disegni diversi, e fotografie: un campo disseminato di croci con l’ombra di un diavolo in primo piano, una statua che si staglia contro un cielo in bicromia rossa e grigia, e cosм via. Il tutto a metа strada tra l’avanguardia artistica e la psichedelia pura. Una falce e martello campeggia sul retro della copertina. L’unico testo presente recita cosм: “E’ una strada lunga / Il cielo и nero come l’olio / Le emozioni fuggono via / Ombre di paura mi si parano dinnanzi / Questa depressione continua / Dura giа da troppo tempo / Perchи non posso soltanto dimenticare?”.
La formazione che ha inciso il CD vede Steven alla voce distorta ed al basso, Jeff alle chitarre, Wes Lee alle chitarre ed ai cori e 808 (Walter) alla voce ed alla batteria.
Il demo и stato registrato allo studio Yellow Tape di Gent, in Belgio, sotto la supervisione di Pieter Van Der Veire. Le registrazioni hanno avuto luogo nel 2004.
Per me si tratta di una novitа assoluta. In effetti, non avevo mai ascoltato il demo degli Heavy Lord. Ma sono contento di averlo ascoltato ora, perchи di fatto и una figata! Certo, il gruppo и molto maturato nel corso degli anni, perт giа nel 2004, cioи a due anni dalla sua formazione, era giа capace e talentuoso. Nel corso delle varie tracce (ma prendiamone una a caso, “Dope Smoking Daze”) gli Heavy Lord danno vita ad uno doom/sludge sudato e fangoso, marcio e pesantissimo. La voce del cantante и rozza e catarrosa al punto giusto, ideale per creare linee vocali sofferte e tormentate. Ogni tanto, un po’ di gutturale fa la sua comparsata in sottofondo. Ma nel suo insieme, il quartetto dimostra un talento non comune, un’attitudine perfetta. I riff sono sempre pesantissimi e precisi, striscianti e tesi allo spasimo, e la sezione ritmica ligia al suo dovere. Insomma, in questo demo sono giа presenti tutte quelle caratteristiche che gli Heavy Lord svilupperanno, sempre meglio, in futuro. Ci sono ovviamente anche dei difetti. Ad esempio la coerenza stilistica. Si paragoni ad esempio lo sludge puro di “Dope Smoking Daze” con l’inizio di “Magician Of Black Chaos”, la canzone immediatamente successiva: si tratta sempre di metal lento e soffocante, perт lo sludge puro ha lasciato il posto ad un doom lentissimo ed opprimente. Ecco, nel demo (ma questo и prevedibile), questi olandesi hanno dato sfogo a tutto il loro amore per il doom. Sм, questi ragazzi sono cresciuti a pane e doom, e non lo nascondono. Tutto il demo и un tributo al genere piщ pesante del metal. Ed ecco che nel corso di “The Holy Grail” si possono ritrovare un gran numero di influenze. In primo luogo i Crowbar, gruppo che viene in mente ad ogni piи sospinto, ma anche EyeHateGod, Sleep, Down, Corrosion Of Conformity ed Electric Wizard. Si notano anche accenni di stoner, ma abbastanza ridotti. Si consideri invece che tutte le cadenze hard rock e maggiormente psichedeliche, i richiami ai Black Sabbath o ai Cathedral, non sono ancora pienamente presenti. Saranno piщ evidenti ad esempio nell’album “Chained To The World”, ma qui le tracce sono ridottissime.
Tra gli altri difettucci, non sempre i vocalizzi del cantante convincono. Alle volte tende a sguaiare troppo il suo timbro, risultando un po’ fastidioso. Ma ora sappiamo che tutto questo и stato sueprato, e quindi non possiamo che guardare con tenerezza a queste piccole ingenuitа.
Da parte loro, gli Heavy Lord erano giа in possesso di una tecnica sicura. E l’attitudine… beh, l’ho giа scritto! Quella c’и l’avevano giа, eccome! In piщ, gli arrangiamenti sono sempre belli e precisi, nonostante la loro semplicitа. Esemplificativa in tal senso и “Baphomets March”.
Che dire poi dell’inno “Gods Of Doom”? Beh, misteriosa e cupa, non puт che conquistare gli animi piщ oscuri ed affascinati dalla lentezza. Ma anche dal groove e da quell’incedere possente e subdolo tipico di questo genere meraviglioso.
“F.T.S.S.” chiude la lentissima danza della morte, in maniera cupa, torturante, cieca, infinita e -almeno in questo caso – psichedelica. Ventidue minuti… mica pochi! “F.T.S.S.” chiude anche il demo.
Questa ristampa in CD ha perт anche una bonus-track: “Get Down There You Bitch”. Si tratta di una canzone terribilmente veloce in alcuni frangenti, considerato il genere. Perт le solite aperture doom/sludge ci riconducono nei territori sicuri, tipici degli Heavy Lord delle origini.
Mi sono permesso di commentare brevemente queste canzoni, cercando di dare un quadro complessivo della musica contenuta in “The Holy Grail”. Questo perchи la musica presente in questo CD rappresenta i vecchi Heavy Lord, e quindi non avrebbe senso spulciare ed analizzare a fondo ogni singolo brano, testimone del passato di questo gruppo, e non del presente. E’ comuqnue un lavoro prezioso, che rende bene anche come suono, e che mette in mostra il buon valore del gruppo, giа notevole nel 2004. Sicuramente verrа apprezzato dagli amanti dello doom/sludge, e poi и un’uscita Solitude, quindi ha pure la garanzia di qualitа. Se per caso vi sentiste affascinati da questo genere, fate vostro “The Holy Grail”.
Author: Hellvis
Review
Friendhof
7/10
02.09.2009
Aquí tengo de nuevo el primer trabajo de los holandeses Heavy Lord, se trata esta vez de una reedición a cargo de su sello actual. Un trabajo que había sido autoeditado originalmente, dos años después de la creación de la banda allá por el año 2002.
El diseño respeta al cien por cien el del 2004 por lo que tampoco estamos ante una reedición lujosa ni muchísimo menos. Los rusos de Solitude simplemente pretenden darnos la oportunidad de adquirir un trabajo practicamente imposible de encontrar actualmente.
Indudablemente las composiciones denotan que nos encontramos ante un primer trabajo en cuanto a la calidad del sonido y la producción, pero en lo compositivo pasamos de temas que poseen momentos brillantes a otros más prototípicos y que aportan bastante menos.Lo que tenemos entre manos es un buen álbum de música pesada, con mucho de Doom, algo de Stoner y ciertas dosís de macarreo Sluguiano.
Tras un gran comienzo con un riff realmente atrayente, transcurre más de una hora de buena música que tiene como puntos álgidos los temas ”Magician Of Black Chaos” y ”Gods Of Doom”, sin olvidar la bonus ”Get Down There You Bitch” grabada en 2008 y que con un mejor sonido, muestra la faceta más rabiosa de la banda de los Países Bajos.
En definitiva una buena Demo que en su día dejaba claro que teníamos en Heavy Lord una banda interesante para el futuro. En la actualidad, los pronosticos no mentían y cualquier persona que disfrute de Bongzilla, Electric Wizard, EyeHateGod o Sleep entre otras podrá acercarse a estos tulipanes con total seguridad de acierto. De todas formas yo consiguiría ”From Cosmos to Chaos”y ”Chained To The World” que tienen más chicha que este interesante comienzo de la banda de Hellevoetsluis.
Author: Iván C.
Review
Metal.de
7/10
31.08.2009
Im Jahr 2004 veröffentlichten die Niederländer HEAVY LORD ihr erstes und einziges Demo namens “The Holy Grail”, welches dieser Tage remastert und mit einem Bonussong versehen wiederveröffentlicht wird.
Wie der Bandname eigentlich schon verspricht, haben sich die Holländer dem schweren Doom/Sludge Metal verschrieben. HEAVY LORD zelebrieren in ihren ultrazähen, schleppend-groovigen, teils überlangen Hymnen pulsierende, ultrafette, fast schon monotone Lava-Riffs, welche sich ständig wiederholen, druckvoll pumpende Bassläufe, akzentuiertes Schlagzeugspiel. Treibende Passagen sind sehr selten gesät, vielmehr wird hier im Standgas alles kompromisslos niedergewalzt, was sich in den Weg stellt. Durch diese Fokusierung bringt die Band die Essenz dieser Stilrichtung konsequent auf den Punkt, wirklich abwechslungsreiche Musik klingt anders. Für Auflockerung sorgen lediglich einige psychedelische Intermezzi. HEAVY LORD doomen in bester Tradition solcher Vorreiter wie SAINT VITUS, BLACK SABBATH, PENTAGRAM, ELECTRIC WIZARD und CATHEDRAL. Nicht nur instrumental wird für eine dunkle Atmosphäre gesorgt, hierfür tut auch der teils düster gekeifte Gesang sein übriges. Bis auf einige kleinere Schwächen wie der vielleicht nicht immer optimale Gesang oder auch manch schwer verdauliche Stelle ist der charmante Doom Metal schwer in Ordnung, wenngleich natürlich nicht besonders originell und innovativ. Aber darauf kommt es eigentlich auch gar nicht an.
Author: Endres
Review
Metalitalia
6/10
15.07.2009
Gli Heavy Lord sono un gruppo doom/sludge provienente dall’Olanda e questo “The Holy Grail” è il loro demo, inizialmente uscito come autoproduzione nel 2004, che viene ristampato dalla Solitude Production (nome ispirato alla mitica canzone dei Candlemass?) che ha ritenuto l’opera meritevole di riedizione con l’aggiunta di una nuova canzone. Sette tracce, quindi, per circa un’ora di musica, tante carne al fuoco per gli olandesi che si muovono su coordinate sludge. Pesantezza a livello di chitarra, ritmi blandi, voce che si muove su coordinate soft, stoneriane diremmo, molto High On Fire a tratti, tutto registrato in fretta e tutto in analogico. I nostri infatti si vantano di stare in studio molto poco per le loro produzioni, per questo album non hanno fatto mistero di averlo registrato sotto l’uso di erba e altre sostanze. I suoni dei brani sono potenti, frutto di una registrazione che ha beneficiato di molte apparecchiature degli anni ’60 e ’70, dando quindi quel tocco di retrò che in questo genere non guasta affatto. I primi sei brani, quelli del demo originale, sono ancor più lenti e pesanti del nuovo pezzo, più “movimentato” sebbene sempre di doom si parli. La traccia che dà inizio al disco (e anche il nome) è un’intro, basata su un riff lento che poi sfocia sulle note di “Dope Smoking Days”, pezzo lento, cadenzato, e con un riff veramente pesante e indovinato. Presente anche un brano (“F.T.S.S.”) dalla lunghezza record di diciotto minuti, molto vario, con passaggi interessanti all’interno, ma diremmo del tutto improvvisato in studio. La nuova canzone, “Get Down There You Bitch”, è decisamente più energica e coinvolgente. Presenta sempre gli stessi canoni, il trademark degli Heavy Lord, ma suona leggermente più fresca, decisamente più godibile. I suoni sono identici a quelli già descritti. Un nuovo album non dovrebbe tardare molto: band interessante, da seguire se siete appassionati del genere.
Author: Claudio Giuliani
Review
Imperiumi
5/10
03.08.2009
Heavy Lord, tuo suruisan ja hitaammassa keskitempossa kulkevan fuzz-doomin airut, tulee Hollannista. Bändi hoitaa lauluhommat sekä puhtain että örisevin äänensävyin, joista ensin mainittu ei sävyltään ole valitettavasti mieleeni. Vika voi toki olla myös miksauksessa, sillä osa puhtaista lauluista kuulostaa ohuilta, lättänöiltä ja hengittämättömiltä. Myös erot kliinien ja örinöiden välillä ovat turhan korostuneet. Musiikillisesti bändi voisi puolestaan olla tiukempikin, sillä paikoittain bändi hapuilee levyllä jonkin verran.
Pääosin tämä levy koostuu kasasta erinäköisiä raskaita riffejä, joista kuitenkin puuttuvat todelliset koukut, jotka tekisivät niistä muistettavia. Magician of Black Chaosissa pyrähdetään lyhyesti nopeamman poljennon puolelle, minkä pistin mielihyvällä merkille, mutta kyseistä teemaa ei kuitenkaan lopulta rakenneltu sen pidemmälle. Gods of Doomissa ensimmäinen parempi riffi heitetään kehiin vasta reilun kolmen minuutin kohdalla, mikä tekee kappaleesta kuitenkin levyn tähän asti parhaan. “Bonusraita” Get Down There You Bitch käynnistyy puolestaan yllättävästi, vähän kuin Mistress-biisi; nopealla, viiltävällä alulla, mutta ennen pitkää tämäkin kappale taantuu siihen samaan satunnaisten doom-riffien ja heikohkojen laulujen massamenoon. Biisin loppupuolella bändi löytää hihastaan jälleen hieman parempaa riffiä, jonka avulla tempoa ja tunnelmaa kohotetaankin hieman, mutta ainakin minusta tuntuu päätösraidan kohdalla jo siltä, että vain vähän on enää varsinaisesti pelastettavissa.
Levyn tuotanto ei ole mitenkään huippuluokkaa, mikä saattaa toki olla tarkoituksellistakin tietyn ug-uskottavuuden säilyttämiseksi. Siltikin levylle jää monessa suhteessa parantamisen varaa, ennen kaikkea laulun osalta, ja mukaan sietäisi tuoda myös lisää moninaisia melodioita ja käskeviä riffejä, jotka vangitsisivat kuuntelijan huomion.
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Heavy Lord comes from The Netherlands, playing dirgey, mid-tempo to slower doom with thick overtones of fuzz. The clean vocals don’t sound as good as the harsher approach here, which is just a case of tone more than anything else. Perhaps it could be the mix also, but some of the clean vox sound thin, flat and lifeless and that said there is too large of a disparity between the clean vocals and the emphatic vocals. Musically the band could be a tad tighter, as parts here and there don’t sound as though they are entirely played “in pocket.”
Mostly, this album is an amalgam of various heavy riffs, but they are missing the hooks within the riffs to make them unique and stand out. There is a brief respite with faster riff in Magician of Black Chaos that perked my ears for a moment, but that theme was not carried out further to make a difference. Actually, at over 3 minutes into Gods of Doom we get the first riff that stands out with more meat on the bone, making for the best song on this album so far also structurally speaking. “Bonus track” Get Down There You Bitch starts out rather surprisingly, akin to a Mistress track with a faster, screechy beginning before settling back down into much of the same as the rest of this album with random doom riffs and dragging vocals. At least toward the end of the song the band picks up speed with a better riff, but it’s a case of too little too late as the overall feeling here is one of facelessness by and in large.
The production values here are not all that great, which might have been purposely engineered to sound this way for a more underground feel. That said, there is a lot of room for improvement, especially in terms of vocal approach, weeding in diverse melodies and creating more compelling riffs to draw in the listener.
Author: Starbuck
Review
Metal-Norge
4/10
29.04.2009
Å reutgi gamle demoer fra Doom-bands som ikke engang nå er spesielt mye å skrive hjem om, det er naturligvis noe å si nei takk til. Så at belgiske Heavy Lord har fått reutgitt sin 2004 demo “The Holy Grail” er kun for bandets trofaste og geniune fans. Og er det mange av dem ? Det regner jeg med kan fingres med en hånd.
Belgierne har kun sluppet denne demoen før de fikk debutert i 2006 og slapp også et oppfølger album i 2007. Bandets stoner/doom fremtoning er ganske så elementære saker, med en ganske oldschool retning egentlig, hvor et band som Electric Wizard muligens kan gi en pekepinn på hvor det går. Dop-infisert er det garantert, du trenger vel bare å åpne bookleten før to hasjsymboler kommer deg i møte, og vel, denne demoen er egentlig litt inne i tåka for min del, da jeg ikke helt finner noen god linje i det de gjør.
Eksempelvis på “Magician of Black Chaos” hvor vokalisten har blitt rent hysterisk og plager meg til å erkjenne at jeg egentlig ikke vil ha mere med denne å gjøre. Heldigvis har bandet hatt et par hakks forbedring etter denne, men som sagt, det er ikke det helt store enda heller.
Author: haavard
Review
Zwaremetalen
05.08.2009
Dat de heren van Heavy Lord hun inspiratie uit verdovende middelen halen, is een publiek geheim. ‘Smoking dope until I die’, zingen ze en dat is te horen. Al bij de eerste tonen van deze re-release denk je dat het een album van Sleep is wat uit je speakers knettert. Maar nee, het is wat anders, al geeft de band aan geïnspireerd te zijn door Sleep, High on Fire, Electric Wizard en andere sludge-grootheden.
Het zwaartepunt van dit album ligt in de extreem logge riffs die men uit de gitaren ramt. De vocalen zijn wel variabel, er wordt normaal gezongen en gegrunt, maar op de track Magician Of Black Chaos klinkt het alsof de zanger het echt uit z’n onderste teennagel vandaan moet halen. Wat een logheid, lompheid, traagheid, ongelooflijk! Gods Of Doom klinkt dan weer net als Sleep. De andere verrassing zit vooral in het nummer F.T.S.S., dat met 18 minuten de meeste ruimte op de plaat inneemt en dat varieert van lomp tot zeer psychedelisch. De bonus track van deze schijf, Get Down There You Bitch, klinkt heel anders! Het begint snel, met grunts en mag dan met recht een verassing worden genoemd. De sludge komt echter al snel om de hoek kijken en dan gaat het weer traag en lomp verder.
Heavy Lord, een aanrader voor de mens die op z’n tijd een portie übertrage sludge wil verteren, met veel lompe en lage gitaren en een hoog herkenningsgehalte.
Author: Maaike Brinkhof
Review
Metalrage.com
Оценка отсутствует
26.06.2009
On this record I hear the Heavy Lord I got to know many years ago. A damn fine stoner doom band in the vein of bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep, Eyehategod, Cathedral and many more giants of doom. But as I’ve stated before in other reviews of this band, the vocals don’t quite cut it yet, especially the clean parts. Luckily this problem is completely gone on their latest record, but on this first album it’s hard to see past it from time to time. It was the only thing holding them back, but they took care of it two records later. Musically I have absolutely nothing to complain about, I’ve always loved the tunes these guys bust out.
This re-release comes with the bonus track ‘Get Down There You Bitch’ which was recorded in 2008. The sound quality is slightly better than the tracks before, yet I don’t mean to imply that these are poorly recorded for they are already of a more than reasonable level. You can hear the improvements in vocal use by bassist/vocalist Steve, which makes it a nice addition to the album. Yet, I’d still rather play their latest effort Chained To The World, simply because it is way better than this one. Case closed.
Author: DemonDust
Review
Darkside.ru
6/10
27.05.2009
Истинный облик Вождя Пролетарской Революции демонстрируют нам с обложки своей дебютной пластинки голландцы HEAVY LORD. А что бы никто не усомнился в том, что портретное сходство персонажа совершенно случайно, нарисовали на заднике еще и серп с молотом… Впрочем, этим символика не ограничилась: есть здесь и перевернутый крест, и листья конопли, и военное кладбище, и демоны с ангелом впридачу… В-общем, фантазия у мастермайнда группы, а по совместительству – соавтора оформления, Стивена работала буйно, а под действием каких внешних раздражатилей и стимуляторов это происходило – домысливайте сами. Только за разглядыванием прихотливого буклета не забудьте поставить диск в проигрыватель, чтобы шершавые, непричесанные звуки по-настоящему сырого и какого-то первобытного сладж-дума с сильным привкусом стоунера разбудили ваше подсознание и отправили его в психоделическое путешествие, в котором встреча с кровожадным Лениным-маньяком окажется еще не самой причудливой картиной из увиденных. Если кому-то казалось, что два предыдущих (или последующих – беда с этими переизданиями!) альбома голландцев являли собой то, что принято называть английским словом “raw”, то “The Holy Grail” эту самую «необработанность» и прочая демонстрирует в двойном и тройном размере: такое впечатление, что риффы так и топорщатся во все стороны металлическими заусенцами и неснятой до конца стружкой – запросто можно разрезать себе руку до крови или загнать занозу под ноготь со всеми вытекающими, тем более, что и вокал Стивена подобен наждаку, скребущему по ржавчине. Заноза эта еще долго будет потом саднить, заставляя снова и снова вспоминать то о St. VITUS, то об ELECTRIC WIZARD, то о CATHEDRAL и так далее, и тому подобное… Впрочем, это случается почти всегда, когда слушаешь добротный стоунер. Вот только «Святой Грааль» язык не повернется назвать «добротным» (да и стоунером, пожалуй, тоже) – наоборот, здесь все сделано нарочито небрежно, словно бы походя, в промежутках между какими-то куда более интересными делами и фантазиями. Но это совершенно не мешает голландцам записывать пусть и не отмеченные печатью гениальности, но интересные и яркие альбомы. И дебютное демо, которое теперь увидело свет в виде полноценного альбома, ничуть не слабее номерных релизов, а в чем-то (хотя бы в психоделии) их и превосходит. Один только финальный трек “F.T.S.S.” длиной без малого двадцать минут, значительную часть которых занимает совершенно извращенная интерлюдия, чего стоит! Тут никаких дополнительных расширителей сознания не надо, чтобы впасть в нирвану и пускать счастливые сопли под вязкие и порой весьма причудливые риффы HEAVY LORD. И не надо говорить, что в отличие от Голландии у нас в стране курение марихуаны преследуется законом. В Финляндии – тоже, однако это не мешает тамошним REVEREND BIZARRE накачивать своих слушателей психоделией, не зная никаких границ. Голландцы на более поздних работах эти границы обрели, зато здесь царит полная и безграничная свобода. Добро пожаловать, если не боитесь!
Author: old man
The Streets
6/10
30.08.2009
Opprinnelig gitt ut av bandet som en demo i 2004, så da var det kanske passende for Solitude å endelig gi den en skikkelig utgivelse? Kvaliteten på både lyd og prestasjon er iallfall godkjent. Egentlig er det rart at andreskiva, som kom i 2007, ble så uforløst som den ble, for det denne reutgivelsen tydet mest på var at bandet var på vei mot store ting i nær fremtid. Så skjedde ikke og med tanke på hvor enhetlig og renskåret «The Holy Grail» fremstår, må det sies å være meget forunderlig. Det er altså steintøff og seig Stoner Metal det går i, med en vokalist som virkelig rasper strupebåndene sine hese. Soundet er rått og tungt, gitarlyden god og feit, bassen er rundt og mørk, så da er alt såre vel. Bonussporet kunne vært droppet, da spilletiden er lang nok som den er, men noen liker jo slikt og noe nytt må en jo tilby fansen? Musikken lokker ikke frem kreativ adjektivbruk, men må sies å være helt på det jevne. PS. Ny skive er underveis!
Author: Rune
Review
Atmospherc.pl
4.5/5
27.10.2009
Holenderski HEAVY LORD staje się coraz bardziej uznaną marką na scenie stoner/doom, dlatego też wytwórnia Solitude podłapała koniunkturę i zremasterowała, po czym wznowiła na CD pierwsze demo zespołu z roku 2004, pt. „The Holy Grail”, wzbogacając go o niepublikowany wcześniej bonus. Płyta ta umacnia pozycję grupy, gdyż bez wątpienia jest to wydawnictwo bardzo w jej stylu, mocno nawiązujące do wcześniejszych, a tak naprawdę późniejszych dwóch krążków długogrających. Maksimum muzy, w której właściwie najwięcej słychać z gatunków rozkwitających 40 lat temu, czyli psychodelicznego rocka, bluesa czy nieśmiertelnego BLACK SABBATH. Nisko strojone gitary, zaciemnione brzmienie, riffy ciężkie i przybrudzone, przeważnie wolne, pochodowe tempa, specyficzne solówki, przejścia z basem… Powstała z tego forma jest chropowata, ale dla wielu słuchaczy na pewno fascynująca. Tempa niektórych kompozycji HEAVY LORD zdają się czasem być wręcz rozwleczone (jak w „Magician Of Black Chaos” czy „F.T.S.S.”), nasilają się w swojej schizofrenii i przez to są nazbyt przygnębiające. Niemniej w tym kontekście niektóre ożywienia wydają się naprawdę drapieżne, a pulsacyjna rytmika, też częsta obecna na „The Holy Grail”, robi dobre wrażenie. HEAVY LORD nagrał album niczym nie zaskakujący, chociaż… trochę wyróżnia się dodatkowy growl w „Dope Smoking Daze”, fragment w „F.T.S.S.”, gdzie słyszymy tylko spokojne brzdąkanie gitary i szept czy wreszcie finałowy „Get Down There You Bitch”, którego początek z brzydkim wokalem i anarchistycznym duchem później wyhamowuje niczym DANZING. Z pewnością HEAVY LORD to już czołówka stoner/doom metalu. Elita wraz z THE GATES OF SLUMBER, JEX THOTH… I wznowienie „The Holy Grail” to potwierdza.
Author: Kasia
Review
Brutalism
5/5
08.11.2009
The Holy Grail by Dutch Doomster’s Heavy Lord is a re-release of their first demo basically extended to a full length album with the inclusion of a bonus track “Get Down There You Bitch”. Its a real shame that this band is still flying under the radar for most people who are into the whole Stoner Doom genre, its bizarre because they are one of the best exponents of Raw, Dirty Sludged out Doom Metal. The old school influences shine through in the analog recorded dope smoke haze and one listen will tell you they are hardly re-inventing anything within the genre but they are so powerful, the riffs so pulverizing that originality is not a issue that will concerned anyone. Vocals are hoarse and tortured, changing between gravely bellowing and agonized screams and this serves its purpose adequately to create a claustrophobic feeling, and as such the sound is better than average for a what is essentially a demo recording. There is bursts of aggression among the mostly dirge based Stoner Doom and they even manage to squeeze in some Psychedelic touches here and there. Highlights include “Magician Of Black Chaos” which is crushing in its intensity and “Dope Smoking Daze” that has one of the coolest clean then aggressive vocal sections you will ever hear. At times it gets a little repetitive but when they do it in such a trance-like manner like this you cant help but getting suck into the groove. This is obviously a drug-influenced album with lyrics like “Enter the dreamland/Joint in hand and pass it on/And then you’ll roll another one” ( Dope Smoking Daze). I think you can understand where this band is coming from. Another highlight is the eight-minute “Gods Of Doom” begins with a two-minute slow build before bringing everything crashing down on the listener’s head in a Sleep like barrage of a riff.The re-release has “Get down there you bitch” as a bonus track, for which they returned to the same studio to record, giving it a better quality sound and its a great tune. Heavy Lord are a energetic and invigorating band to listen to and even though this has all the qualities of a demo recording, it still is good enough to melt eardrums. If you never bothered to check this band out, now is the time.
Author: ed
Review
Atlantis-Tales
8/10
“А наш дедушка Ленин совсем усоп. Он разложился на плесень и на липовый мед”, как пел покойный ныне Летов. Кто же знал, что его заветы примут так близко к сердцу голландские sludge/stouner-металисты, проиллюстрировавшие, в некотором смысле, озвученный сюжет на обложке своего третьего релиза (вновь вышедшего на Solitude Productions) “The Holy Grail”. После двух внушительных альбомов “From Cosmos To Chaos” и “Chained To The World”, HEAVY LORD вспомнили о своем неизданном дебюте 2004 года и, снабдив его специальным бонус-треком Get Down There You Bitch, наконец-то презентовали публике. “Святой Грааль” оказался более сладжевым, нежели последовавшие за ним работы и звучит он грубее и грязнее (отчасти, наверняка, это объясняется демо-статусом пленки), что, впрочем, для сладжа скорее плюс, чем минус. Самой гипнотической и возможно самой мощной композицией альбома, погружающей в тотальный транс, явилась последняя вещь, F.T.S.S (19 минут!). Но для актуального переиздания HEAVY LORD записали еще одну песню Get Down There You Bitch, предназначавшуюся, но не записанную изначально для “The Holy Grail”. И действует эта малышка (всего лишь каких-то 7 минут) как своеобразный ушат холодной воды на, порядком истлевший организм слушателя, мгновенно выводящий его из состояния забытья, в который он погружался 50 минут основного альбома. Get Down – динамичная и заряженная безумной сладж-хардкоровой энергетикой – звучит еще более выгодно в контрасте с F.T.S.S. В 16-страничном буклете, помимо классической для сладж/стоунера конопляной темы, можно увидеть странноватый фото-арт, олицетворяющий визуальную сторону творчества группы.
Author: Atlantis
Review
MetalFront
8/10
26.11.2009
За провокационной обложкой (уверен, Ленин в стеклянном гробу переворачивается) скрывается очень странный буклет, выполненный в постмодернистском минималистичном ключе. Отдельные элементы в оформлении возвращают нас в совсем недавнюю историю нашей страны, во времена серпа и молота, в СССР. Все это вперемешку с изображениями абсолютно шизофренических и необъяснимых фантазий: кладбище, дьявол, слово «сum», – хотя на первой страничке вроде как присутствует причина – два листочка марихуаны. А как же название второй композиции «Dope Smoking Daze»? Скорее всего, HEAVY LORD поддерживают самый известный стереотип о голландцах – этаких обкуренных типов. Зато от музыки стандартов как раз ожидать не стоит, а вот чего-то необычного – запросто. В ней, действительно, присутствует нечто наркотическое, не обошлось без психоделии, транса. Сразу представляются парни, лениво перебирающие струны, пребывающие то эйфории, то в полной апатии, чуть ли не в отключке, слабо представляющие, что происходит вокруг. У них одна задача – играть не останавливаясь. Встречает нас трек в стиле stoner rock, атмосферный и драйвовый, как и положено вступительной вещице. Плавно переходя во вторую композицию в музыку добавляются тяжелые элементы грязного doom metal. В итоге два жанра на протяжении оставшихся композиций существуют вместе. У такого гибрида даже существует вполне ожидаемое название – stoner doom, это когда сохранено типичное металическое звучание традиционного дума и классические рок-н-рольные нотки предшествующей думу музыки. И знаете, перед нами дьявольская смесь. Вокал варьируется от «чистого» с хрипотцой, который явно преобладает, до гроула и скрима. Где-то в середине восемнадцатиминутной темы был замечен шепот а-ля темная месса. В общем, чтобы по достоинству оценить пластинку нужно находиться в подходящем настроении, либо слегка изменить свое сознание, и получать удовольствие.
Author: Abyss
Review
Darkcity 52\2009
Сентябрь\Октябрь 2009
Говорят, Ленин очень не любил, когда Маркс и Энгельс, подвыпив, принимались меряться с ним бородами. Но ещё больше – когда хаером… Однако на обложку голландского коллектива Heavy
канонам – во всем, кроме вокала. Да, он удивляет нас периодически весьма нестандартными для данного стиля криками и рыками. Ну это “фишка” такая. И ещё звук – сыроватый, нервный, громоздкий… А вот это уже не ‘фишка’. Просто The Holy Grail’ – переиздание первой демо-записи группы с добавлением только одного бонус-трэка, “Get Down You Bitch”. В общем, можете поинтересоваться на досуге как уже на заре своей “карьеры” голландцы всерьез пытались ‘меряться’… чем-то там… с Crowbar, Electric Wizard и даже Cathedral!
Author: Ан.К.
Review
Diabolical Conquest
8.4/10
01.01.2010
Is it yet time to bow down before Heavy Lord, worshippers of stoner doom? Their demo The Holy Grail, now released in spectacular fashion by Solitude Productions, makes a good case for taking to one’s knees, at least for those of us who’ve been to Jerusalem and already been prostrate before the Dopethrone.
Heavy Lord brings a rather interesting sound to their stoner doom. The guitars are heavy, really fucking heavy in fact, but whereas other stoner doom bands usually choose one of two tracks, hard rock riffs massively distorted ala Turambar, or pure doom riffs massively distorted ala Yob, Heavy Lord are pulling some serious sludge into their distortion. The ghost of old Crowbar shows its ugly visage in “Dope Smoking Daze” while “Gods of Doom” trolls the same fetid waters as Bongzilla. The swing and groove in these riffs and thence in these songs, gives this album a propulsive feel that’s a little at odds with stoner doom’s often stoned wanderings; instead this is forceful and mean like great sludge metal.
The eighteen minute plus “F.T.S.S.” is a resin-coated stoner doom monster that encapsulates what I mentioned earlier. Classic rock leads over a nice, heavy riff, play like Ocean Chief on whiskey and downers, then starting at about seven minutes, Heavy Lord slides into a some quiet Sabbathian contemplation (think “Orchid” or “Planet Caravan”) before erupting almost eight minutes later into a Grief-infected slow motion sludge doom beatdown. Few bands can get away with writing tracks this long and even fewer can make them memorable and worth multiple listens. Heavy Lord succeeds by combining serious heaviness with some southern rock styling’s and groove for the best song on a very good album.
If I do have one complaint though, it’s the vocals of Steve. A cross between a clean singing Phil Anselmo, Wino and Kirk Windstein, they can be off-putting at times, not reaching the same force as the music. There just isn’t much power behind them; they lack the range of Mike Scheidt (YOB) and Eric Wagner (Trouble) and they’re not as batshit loony as Dixie Dave (Weedeater) or Muleboy (Bongzilla). The screams of Wes Lee are pretty good, but otherwise the vocals occupy the tepid middle ground of just being listenable. They might not detract from the music, but nether do they add to its power or catchiness (I’ll admit to liking a good sing-a-long chorus in my stoner doom-I love chanting to “The Satanic Rites of Drugula” or howling along to “Champagne and Reefer,” Bongzilla’s awesome cover of the Muddy Waters’ tune).
Solitude Productions did a great job on the packaging for a demo re-release. A sixteen page glossy booklet, full color inlay and a newly recorded bonus track make this an almost mandatory purchase if you like your stoner doom heavy, dirty and mean. Heavy Lord is a name I had seen before, and this CD gives me good reason to check out their newer full lengths.
The Holy Grail may not be the best stoner doom record of the decade, or even the year it was released, but it’s still pretty damn good. Heavy Lord can a write a fuckin’ riff almost as well as anyone active out there in the doom wilderness, and good riffs are what this music always comes down to. While the vocals aren’t to my liking, they really aren’t that bad, I’d just prefer more craziness or more tunefulness. Still, this puts Heavy Lord on a short list of stoner doom bands worth following, and it’s kinda funny that a five year old demo re-release turns out to be on of the better doom records I heard in 2009.
Author: Tim Meisenheimer
Review
Diablical Conquest
8.4/10
01.01.2010
Is it yet time to bow down before Heavy Lord, worshippers of stoner doom? Their demo The Holy Grail, now released in spectacular fashion by Solitude Productions, makes a good case for taking to one’s knees, at least for those of us who’ve been to Jerusalem and already been prostrate before the Dopethrone.
Heavy Lord brings a rather interesting sound to their stoner doom. The guitars are heavy, really fucking heavy in fact, but whereas other stoner doom bands usually choose one of two tracks, hard rock riffs massively distorted ala Turambar, or pure doom riffs massively distorted ala Yob, Heavy Lord are pulling some serious sludge into their distortion. The ghost of old Crowbar shows its ugly visage in “Dope Smoking Daze” while “Gods of Doom” trolls the same fetid waters as Bongzilla. The swing and groove in these riffs and thence in these songs, gives this album a propulsive feel that’s a little at odds with stoner doom’s often stoned wanderings; instead this is forceful and mean like great sludge metal.
The eighteen minute plus “F.T.S.S.” is a resin-coated stoner doom monster that encapsulates what I mentioned earlier. Classic rock leads over a nice, heavy riff, play like Ocean Chief on whiskey and downers, then starting at about seven minutes, Heavy Lord slides into a some quiet Sabbathian contemplation (think “Orchid” or “Planet Caravan”) before erupting almost eight minutes later into a Grief-infected slow motion sludge doom beatdown. Few bands can get away with writing tracks this long and even fewer can make them memorable and worth multiple listens. Heavy Lord succeeds by combining serious heaviness with some southern rock styling’s and groove for the best song on a very good album.
If I do have one complaint though, it’s the vocals of Steve. A cross between a clean singing Phil Anselmo, Wino and Kirk Windstein, they can be off-putting at times, not reaching the same force as the music. There just isn’t much power behind them; they lack the range of Mike Scheidt (YOB) and Eric Wagner (Trouble) and they’re not as batshit loony as Dixie Dave (Weedeater) or Muleboy (Bongzilla). The screams of Wes Lee are pretty good, but otherwise the vocals occupy the tepid middle ground of just being listenable. They might not detract from the music, but nether do they add to its power or catchiness (I’ll admit to liking a good sing-a-long chorus in my stoner doom-I love chanting to “The Satanic Rites of Drugula” or howling along to “Champagne and Reefer,” Bongzilla’s awesome cover of the Muddy Waters’ tune).
Solitude Productions did a great job on the packaging for a demo re-release. A sixteen page glossy booklet, full color inlay and a newly recorded bonus track make this an almost mandatory purchase if you like your stoner doom heavy, dirty and mean. Heavy Lord is a name I had seen before, and this CD gives me good reason to check out their newer full lengths.
The Holy Grail may not be the best stoner doom record of the decade, or even the year it was released, but it’s still pretty damn good. Heavy Lord can a write a fuckin’ riff almost as well as anyone active out there in the doom wilderness, and good riffs are what this music always comes down to. While the vocals aren’t to my liking, they really aren’t that bad, I’d just prefer more craziness or more tunefulness. Still, this puts Heavy Lord on a short list of stoner doom bands worth following, and it’s kinda funny that a five year old demo re-release turns out to be on of the better doom records I heard in 2009.
Author: The Meisenheimer
Review
Deaf Sparrow
3.5/5
17.03.2010
The Holy Grail is the re-release of Heavy Lord’s 2004 self-released demo. It used to be that whenever you heard the word ‘demo’ you would be smart to expect absolutely awful recordings, but times have changed and that’s no longer the case. Even for a recording that is close to seven years old, the Holy Grail, sound wise, stands proudly alongside any other newly recorded piece of doom. To entice the purchase, the nice Russian folks of Solitude Productions have added one bonus track titled “Get Down There You Witch” which was tracked in 2008 and, truth be told, is the best song of all. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Heavy Lord’s From Cosmos To Chaos or Chained to the World, and this songs isn’t featured in either, but if the sounds in question give you a clue of the path these guys followed, then these Dutchmen must be proud.
As it is the case with many debuts, The Holy Grail sounds a bit green. Sure, doom can be simple but its simplicity must be backed by depth. More clearly, some of these tracks lack personality, a clear identity that would separate Heavy Lord from the obvious influencers (from Goatsnake to EyeHateGod and a slew of more darkened acts). “Magician of Black Chaos” has a great title, but the riff that kicks off this 8-minute track sounds like a rehash even when it goes through a couple of phases. More basic but far cooler is the bluesy vibe of “Baphomet’s March” with its warm guitar notes right next to all the low end.
“Gods of Doom” is like 19th century doom, if there was such a thing. Rustic starts of drums and bass build up a song with the classic cut. Nothing new here, in fact this has been heard a few dozen times, but the right attitude and the mean asshole vocals of simply Steve engage in a groove, the final stoner groove that most doom acts are either afraid of stepping into or unable to tap into because of a lack of talent, and the result is the most memorable track of the album.
“Get Down There You Bitch” is the new song and features a reenergized sound. It’s like them boys were bitten by a zombie and got rabid. Yeah, somewhere along the line they fall back to their mean grooves. This time around the riff is grander and the grander the riffs the deeper the cuts. The pace is more assured and the vocals have a bit of Down on them. This is good,. Wise move from the label by tacking this song at the end. Man, I am hurrying off to get the other albums.
Review
Metal Daze
3/5
11.05.2010
HEAVY LORD es una banda holandesa que firmó contrato con Solitude Productions (sello ruso dedicado al Doom, Funeral, Death) y éste le reeditó el primer trabajo en la historia de la banda.
Éste disco había sido lanzado por el grupo en 2004, así que ahora, luego de seis años tenemos la oportunidad de ponerle los oídos a un interesante material.
HEAVY LORD hace Metal, claro, pero con salpicones de Doom, Sludge y Stoner en dosis semejantes; sin agobiar ni “dividiéndose en mil pedazos” sin definirse por un estilo determinado.
Un sonido gordo, poco prolijo, con densas canciones, las cuales se suceden a medio tiempo y con un sostén de corta duración.
El cuarteto nacido en el país de Rudd Gullit y Marco Van Basten saben también de gambetas y tirar caños por lo que se ve y por ello entregan buenos momentos en temas como “Dope Smoking Daze”, ””Magician Of Black Chaos”” y ””Gods Of Doom”” (y sumemos el bonus track, ””Get Down There You Bitch””.
Esta especie de Demo/Producción independiente llevada al disco no va a defraudar a los amantes de Doom mas fumón y ganchero (de este ultimo adjetivo solo hay pasajes, pero bien vale sumarlos al festín).
Así que ya sabes, si te le animas a HEAVY LORD, no te vas a arrepentir pero tampoco pongas demasiado entusiasmo en la espera. Un CD de seis puntos para una banda que por aquellos años (2004) se las ingeniaba más que bien para grabar su opera prima…
Author: Gustavo Piccini