Doomcakes’ Most Listened: December 17

Lists lists lists! This time of year it’s all about the list, and here’s the list for this week. More naughty than nice, though…

Attalla – Attalla

Don’t even ask me how I found this one; I truly don’t remember. That’s primarily because as soon as I hit play, I got lost in these incredibly infectious riffs accompanied by some very melodic yet equally commanding vocals. This little EP is chock-full of goodness, with some tracks leaning either toward doom or proto-metal, or somewhere in between. Unfortunately, Attalla appears to have split up sometime in 2019, but I’m really glad I was able to hear their music. Better late than never, right? 

Favorite track: Lust 

https://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/attalla

Candybar Planet – 32 Bitch

Candybar Planet is a stoner rock band from Eindhoven, Netherlands, who is credited with being a founding member of the Eindhoven Rockcity movement, as well as being a vanguard of stoner rock in Europe. Their album, 32 Bitch, is another one that brings a lot of variety. Generally speaking, you could call Candybar Planet’s style space-infused desert rock with some big 70s rock vibes. With each song, I alternately want to get up and dance, headbang, drive way too fast, or strap on some rollerblades and roll down the boardwalk at the beach. I guess what I’m saying is this one is high energy!

Favorite track: Hummin’ 

Nomestomper – Mossy Cobblestone Candlelight Pagan Nomestomper

I always miss at least one! Every month, there’s a new release that slips through the cracks and I don’t hear it in time to give it a Doom Charts nod. In November, that album was Nomestomper’s Mossy Cobblestone Candlelight Pagan Nomestomer. Once you get past that mouthful of a title, you’ll quickly learn that Nomestomper’s debut album is quite the juggernaut. Mossy Cobblestone Candlelight Pagan Nomestomper is doomy enough for the Sabbath worshippers, proggy enough for the heavy psych fans, and viscous enough for the sludge fans, all while smacking you in the face with some hefty riffs. 

Favorite track: Elder Shell

https://nomestomper.bandcamp.com/album/mossy-cobblestone-candleight-pagan-nomestomper

Sea of Snakes – The Serpent & the Lamb

I’ve heard a lot of male vocalists that sound a bit like the late, great Layne Stayley of Alice In Chains in my time. However, Sea of Snakes vocalist Tracy Steiger undoubtedly takes the prize as the most uncanny sound-a-like I’ve heard thus far. Combine that with the stoner/doom metal meets Kyuss sound the band kicks out, and you have one epic combination. Trust me, it works SO WELL. Oh, and by the way, these guys are currently recording new music, so be on the lookout for that! 

Favorite track: Demon Seed

https://seaofsnakes1.bandcamp.com/album/the-serpent-and-the-lamb

Saturna – The Reset

Now, this is one that a lot of people were patiently (or not so patiently, if you’re me) waiting for, and for good reason. Saturna’s new album, The Reset, for lack of a better phrase, kills it.

This album sounds like it’s from another time, primarily the late 70s or early 80s hard rock/metal era, but it has this imposing quality about it that commands your attention. I think that’s primarily because of the powerful, melodic, yet  husky vocals and the instrumentals that  fully encompass you in a wall of sound, having a tendency to bring some extra heaviness and depth compared to many of those 70s/80s bands that Saturna reminds me of.

You absolutely have to hear this one. No matter what genre or subgenre of the stoner/doom scene you gravitate toward, everyone can appreciate The Reset and the undeniable talent of the musicians who created it. 

Favorite track: Smile 

https://saturna777.bandcamp.com/album/the-reset