Is it Fairy Doom, Bloom Metal, Sludge Gaze???
It’s a beautiful fever dream.
I’ve never been one to really believe in luck. For most of my life, I have recognized cause and effect patterns that often produce good things for a person. Those occurrences can usually be explained as a combination of effort and timing. But sometimes you experience something that feels less like a natural consequence and you have to recognize it as special. You might call them blessings or surprises or crazy random happenstance. Many people very well may say it is luck.
Angelica & The Crooked Path
I recently came into some luck, or received a blessing, or was granted a gift. Mr. Spiers connected me with a band that is a sapling preparing to sprout into a glorious tree. Angelica & The Crooked Path, have released merely two songs that have swept me away into a dream that I must share with you all.
Angelica & The Crooked Path is a 4-piece American Metal band based out of Asheville, NC, U.S. They just joined forces in 2024 from group of eclectic outsiders who were longtime friends from varying backgrounds that didn’t all include doom. Through the prompting of the bands guitar player, Ursula, the vocalist, Esme, was introduced to female fronted doom bands, such as Chelsea Wolfe, Windhand, and King Woman. From there, this elegant mix of sludge, fuzz, stoner metal and fairy doom emerged.
Their first single they bestowed upon this realm is Lily. This track is a spell, starting with a delicious fuzzed out riff that carries through the entire song like a ritual chant. They take their time building layers and when the vocals start, the timing is thrilling! I love watching my friends reactions at that moment when I introduce them to this gem. The clean, sweet vocals are deceptive in that they hid the darkness of the lyrics which tell a foreboding story of murder by a poisonous flower, The Lily of The Valley. While this song is heavy and fuzzy, it’s laced with a few sparkly pop-like hooks that make it catchy. They call this song their Proof of Concept.
Their unique brew, which they refer to as, “Bloom Metal,” (more about that later), ties together heavy, sludge guitars riffs, steady bass, driving drums and blissful female vocals to create a hypnotic dreamscape of fae infused stoner doom that calls for slow head banging.
Shortly after the release of Lily, the next track was posted and it is another master piece. Creatures of Spring is decidedly more doom than the first single. It has a feel similar to that of what we hear from bands like Faetooth and Emma Ruth Rundle; entrancing and immersive.
Ursula explained that it comes from a term used online when discussing the current state of the world. The question is posed that, in the face of all that is sad, wrong, and disappointing in the world, are you a doomer or a bloomer?
-Ursula
I had to connect with these artists so I could learn about how they built these tracks and what they are going to do next. They agreed to an interview and I spoke with Esmé and Ursula. Let me tell you, I was really looking forward to the interview and I was not disappointed. They are intelligent, thoughtful, and imaginative artists with a heart for story telling and spreading a message of inclusiveness and global stewardship, which brings me back to the genre of Bloom Metal.
Bloom Metal
Being unfamiliar with that term, I asked what it means. Ursula explained that it comes from a term used online when discussing the current state of the world. The question is posed that, in the face of all that is sad, wrong, and disappointing in the world, are you a doomer or a bloomer? Meaning, do you look at the mess and think it is hopeless and not worth your effort, or, do you decide to look with an optimistic eye at what could be if you and those around you gave your time, help, and love to the world? I think that is a beautiful concept and one the world should aspire too.
These four are all clearly talented musicians both technically and creatively. But what stands out is the quality of the mix. Considering this band just formed and that they don’t all live close together, meaning they are practicing remotely and they have not yet played a live show together, one would expect an amateur sounding recording for their first singles. That is not the case here. These songs sound incredible on all three of my listening avenues; Raycons, Joy (my Jeep), and the big JVC’s.
I have so much more praise to give, but I will let you find out for yourself by listening to their work and checking out my interview with them. But one last thing I will add is the story of how they got their name as told by Ursula.
“The name was a collaborative effort and sort of emerged fully formed as we were sitting around brainstorming. We were leafing through a book on poisonous herbs (which play a large role in the lyrics for “Lily”) when Esmé came across the term “the crooked path,” which we thought was cool. It’s a philosophy of witchcraft and magick that rejects the “white magick” and “black magic” binary paradigm. As people who aren’t fond of binaries, this appealed to us.
The herb “Angelica archangelica” was a topic of discussion as well. Then Esmé said “Angelica & The Crooked Path?” And we knew pretty much immediately that it was a winner.”
