2020 was a crazy year for the entire planet and often at times seemed bleak and uninspiring…but not so much in the realms of stoner and doom music. Musicians from all over the world took this time to hone their craft and find exciting ways of getting new music out to the masses and Colorado was no exception.

I was very excited to be asked to build this compilation from the ground up and also as a way of getting to know the bands a bit more personally. But I was soon faced with the horrors on social media that a lot of these bands had broken up or just haven’t posted anything in months. Something that I had waited to be part of for years seemed like it was going to slip by because of events out of anyone’s control and I was heartbroken to say the least.

Soon the word got around and bands started pouring in over the next couple months and things quickly began to take shape. We ended up with a total of fifty-five bands doing what they do best in the great mountains of Colorado. To honor such an occasion we had famous stoner/doom artist, Steve Yoyada create a one-of-kind cover to capture the raw power coming from this compilation to your eagerly awaiting ears!

Thank you to all the bands involved for their support and patience in getting this compilation out there. Thanks to Forbidden Place Records and Coffin and Bolt Records for their support. Huge thanks to Billy and all the crew at Doomed and Stoned for the love and support.

Keep Dooming On!

Freddy Allen
Project Curator
Doomed & Stoned in Colorado

When the line-up for The Decibel Magazine Tour 2018 was announced, you could say that I was bursting with excitement and in a rush to secure concert tickets the minute they went on sale. Concert day arrived and it also happened to be the last stop for the tour at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California. While all the bands are worth mentioning, Denver’s own KHEMMIS brought with them a powerhouse of a performance that left me wishing that it continued on for much longer.

This was my first time seeing Khemmis live and I must say I was blown away. It is saying something when a band is able to deliver the same emotion and clarity in a live setting that they do on their albums, but multiplied tenfold. With their haul of Orange Amplifiers in the background, the first notes of “Candlelight” rang through the audience and the attention was focused.

The soaring voice of vocalist Pendergast synchronized in perfect harmony with the music, drums pounding forward, bass dripping with doom, and topped off by the infectious guitar harmonies and growls by Hutcherson, which altogether enhanced the overall experience.

The audience was even treated to a new song entitled “Isolation” that sounded like a very promising and inspired work of warrior lore. Khemmis closed the night with a favorite anthem from ‘Absolution’ (2015), “Bereaved,” which only served to further galvanize the hearts of Santa Ana.

Khemmis are definitely a talented group and one that fans of the genre should keep an eye on. These guys have come far and if they ever make a stop in your town, be sure to make it a point to see them as they are definitely worth your time.

Ashley Gould is a fellow metal journalist and owner of The Metal Wanderlust. Follow them on Facebook for more metal news and updates. Catch Khemmis at Roadburn Festival and Doom Over Leipzig in April!

I first took notice of IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS with the 2013 release Of The Flock (their second full-length by that time).   One year later, I had the opportunity of reviewing their subsequent EP, Merging in Light, which I described as massive sludge-infused slab of doom, landing somewhere between Church of Misery and Electric Wizard.

Now the Denver duo are back with their third full-length, ‘Ain-Soph Aur’ (2017), a title that references the Hebrew concept of infinity.   In the mysticism of the Kabbalah, אין סוף (roughly translated “there is no end”) represents the idea of God as an eternal, self-sustaining cosmic entity.   It’s the exact opposite notion to “Your own personal Jesus. Someone to hear your prayers. Someone who cares.”   Ain-Soph is the nameless, faceless Divinity, before revealing himself to the world as “the great I AM.”

Grant Netzorg (guitar and vocals) and Joseph Weller Myer (drummer) lets this concept play out through six tracks characterized by harsh, sludgey tetures, dissonant tonality, and a spacey doom aura – never losing its natural melodic structure, which is as elegant as it is heavy.   The grand-scale sound is captured brilliantly by Dave Otero, who has also worked with fellow Colorado bands Khemmis and Cobalt.   His production is very well-suited to the band’s vision. The Edenic album art of Mike Lawrence encapsulates this vision in a more literal sense, depicting the mystical, intertwining themes that flow freely from one song to another.

Ain-Soph Aur pries open with a poltergeist of haunted notes. “Middle Pillar” bursts forth like a primordial volcano in its worst stages of eruption, spewing a molten flow of fuzzy riffs, pounding drums, and hellfire and brimstone vocals.

“Nothingness” cools everything down with a bare strumming pattern and jarring scrapes reminiscent traditional Japanese music.

Drifting further along into the surreal beyond, we are greeted by acoustic, western-style picking, similar in fashion to those nomadic opening moments of Werewolves on Wheels (1970).   But since this is In The Company of Serpents, we can expect “Crucible” to add layers of atonal chords and rachet up the tension, before fading away again into ethereal silence.

For the following track, Grant continues this unplugged approach and quiet story-telling as he shares the ways of the Ascended Masters.   "Merkabah” is another short number – almost an interlude – but, as with the other songs, it very much feels connected to the record’s flow.

The plucky, backwoods flavor of “Limited Nothingness” is over as soon as it begins, and (as the title implies) is the very opposite of the piece that follows.   “Limitless Light” is the album’s singular masterwork, a 12-minute slow burn filled with crunchy chords and foot-stomping rhythms.   There were actually moments I shivered in the face of its power and beauty.   A magic way to close this most fascinating album.

Ain-Soph Aur   is a record of contrasts.   You feel weightless in some moments and crushed by the weight of the world in others.   By journey’s end, the listener is committed to every note.   The well-conceived balance of mood, from the epic opening to the calming middle section and the album-ending doom storm, makes this one of the band’s most imaginative and accomplished works to date. In The Company of Serpents gives us a hypnotic, out-of-the-body experience that’s unlikely to be matched by other releases this year.

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‘Abbey Rose’ An Excursion Into The Malevolent World of The Munsens

~Review by Billy Goate~

I’ve always had a soft spot for the MUNSENS, going back to the 'Weight of Night’ (2014) days.   My first opportunity to meet and interview the Denver band came during their 2015 tour stop in Eugene, and the performance did not disappoint.   They’re an affable bunch; down to earth dudes who enjoy skating, photography, and leveling concert halls with ripe riffage.

In the intervening years, Mike Goodwin (bass, vocals) and Shaun Goodwin (guitar) have teamed up with a new member to the Munsens clan for a second record, 'Abbey Rose’ (2016) – a dark, dramatic huddle of tracks averaging +/- 10 minutes each.

I asked Mike for some background on the new EP.

“Following the release of Weight of Night we didn’t play for quite a while,” he recounts, “as our original guitarist Jon decided he was going to live in Asbury Park, New Jersey full-time and wasn’t going to be able to come out to Denver to join us permanently, or even periodically, as we’d done throughout the history of the band.”

The hunt was on for a replacement.

“Shaun and I continued to write and were set on finding the right person to join us, rather than rush a new lineup together.   Ultimately, we decided Shaun would move from drums to guitar and we would bring in a new drummer.”   The two met Graham Wesselhoff “through our friends in Cloud Catcher and we’ve been running with it from there.   We are thrilled to have him in the band.”

These mods to the lineup “played a significant part in the construction and sound of Abbey Rose.”

I confess, it did take me a while to get into this record, though I’ve generally found this to be the case with compositions that operate on a grand scale (Dopesmoker being a prime example).   The Munsens are clearly going for the long game with Abbey Rose, preferring a carefully crafted climate of fear and loathing over quick thrills.   These insistent riffs burrow deep into the subconscious, baptizing us into a world of the uncanny.

Stylistically, let me just say how great it is to hear honest-to-goodness, bass-driven doom.   So much of the genre has become dominated by the guitar that it’s easy to forget that the bass is so much more than a compliment to the rhythm section.   The capacity of the bass to step up to a leading role is something that, by now, has been amply demonstrated by duos Swamp Ritual, TVSK, Year of the Cobra, and the great Norwegian quintet Reptile Master.

Now, it’s time we tackle this beastly anthology track-by-track…

1. You’re Next

The album opener is a dank, brooding number, with seething vocals that drip with spite and hint of revenge.   “You’re Next” and the pieces that follow are send backs to the classic ballad.  No, not the power ballads of '80s hair metal fame.   I have in mind dramatic stories set to song, like the unthinkable tale of Goethe’s Erlkönig, scored so powerfully by Franz Schubert.   The tradition reached a pinnacle in the 19th century, but saw revival in early blues and the folktales Bob Dylan.

There’s definitely something sinister afoot in the epic before us.   We feel its stench in the raspy strain of the singing, the prominence of its black hearted baseline, and that dense wall of sound surrounding us.   There’s a real sense of presence here, owing in no small part to the live recording (something the Munsens have insisted on for both EPs).   We have Jamie Hillyer of Module Overload to thank for capturing the ambience, as it were, of an empty church hall draped in shadows.   Dennis Pleckham of Bongripper put on the finishing touches, mastering at his Comatose Studios.

“You’re Next” has developed quite a bit since I filmed the Munsens performing it year before last at Old Nick’s Pub.   “Though it was written prior to Graham’s addition, his drumming has given the song a new feel,” Mike observes.   “Shaun and Jon also have much different guitar playing styles.   Shaun had the structure and theme of that song in his head for quite some time, but it didn’t really take shape until we began jamming it out with the new lineup.”

Wade in the water
Cast your eyes on the sea
Looming in torture
Beyond the still of the leaves

As I listen, my chest tightens; my throat is seized with dread.   Clearly, I’ve become entangled in the tentacles of my own imagination, as I did at 12 years old when I swore that a lanky, medieval Satan was hiding in my closet.   The song “can be probably taken a few different levels,” Mike tells me, “but that’s up to the listener.”

Notwithstanding the ambiguity of interpretation, I found it helpful that the Munsens included lyrics for this release (obscure as they may be).   Personally, it’s beyond annoying when a band withholds the words to their songs.   I understand the reasoning, but it really distracts from the listening experience when I’m left to guess what the hell’s being said.   But I digress…

“We are psyched on how it turned out,” Mike reflects, “though I think we all wish we had a bit more time to work on it, particularly with the drums. We thought they could have been 'larger.’   The lack of time to experiment the way we wished was part of the reason we released Abbey Rose as an EP, despite the running length.”

2. Abbey Rose

Following “You’re Next” comes the record’s namesake, which is “framed around The Abbey Rose, a place that yields the image and world an individual desires, or thinks they desire, at the price of having to live with that persona infinitely.”   The mood is reinforced by Mike Goodwin’s ominous cover photo of an institution frozen in the clutches of night.

The cobblestone is rigid
Yet it yields not a glimpse nor a sound
The street offers no entrance
No, the guests here, go around

The subtext of “Abbey Rose,” we’re told, is “the insufferable narcissism of our modern age, pushed to extremes by digital personas.   The additional irony lies in that the individual is able to attain and admire all they ever wanted, but are unable to present it to the world around them, the reason they desired such an appearance in the first place.”

Curious about this worldview, I pressed Mike for details.   “I imagine a dismal view of the chaos and absurdity around us,” he says.   “Lyrically, I wanted this EP to have something of a common thread, and 'You’re Next,’ 'To Castile,’ and 'Abbey Rose’ are a bit similar in that they address a life spent pursuing something that doesn’t exist.   Or should the outcome indeed exist, is it worth the sacrifices endured to achieve it?”

Ultimately, “Abbey Rose” is an admonition against “flawed personal motivation, the groupthink of society, and religious zeal.”

3. To Castile

“To Castile” takes “the slightly enlightened perspective of someone who has finally realized that it is all just an empty pursuit.   But even when staring the end in the face, they are still wrapped up enough in the bullshit that they continue to play the role.   It has a religious bend, through a fictional letter from Joan of England to her father Edward III from the Port of Bordeaux, while her envoy her swiftly killed by the plague.”

I look from high out in the night
This fright, it will be mine

The smart pacing of this song and its placement on the EP helps to establish an interconnected narrative.   It’s something that really differentiates Abbey Rose from other records.   Admittedly, it is difficult to put something this cohesive together, let alone write a competent concept album that doesn’t come across as a loose collection of songs.

4. The Hunt, Part II

The clear standout of the record for me is its final track, which guitarist Shaun Goodwin says is “about an evil being that haunts a village.”   Part I of “The Hunt” actually began on the prior EP, where “the story is told from the perspective of those haunted by this witch.  They rally to hunt her until finally capturing her ('We’ve got the witch, the high is ours’).”   Part II is told “from the evil being’s point of view, as she returns to haunt those that thought they had defeated her.”

I will never die
I will always rise
I will haunt again
There will be nothing left
This is revenge

As with previous stories, there’s an underlying meaning: “It’s a metaphor for the evils in life that we each encounter – addictions, bad relationships, etc. – and the highs and lows that come along with them.”

Mike elaborates: “Part I tells of the elated feeling after seemingly overcoming these wicked vices.   Part II brings the return of such evils, as they so often do in our lives.   Both tracks, and the riffs/lyrics in these tracks, are structured in such a way that you can feel these high and lows as the witch is hunted, defeated, and then encountered once again in stronger force.”

We definitely get this impression from the guitar play, which now steps up to a more prominent role.   Shaun’s riffmaking is teeming with emotion, building and building to a perfectly choreographed climax.

“Perhaps this metaphor does not hold true for everyone, but it represents a battle that many of us face on a daily basis.   I guess it can be interpreted as 'the hunt’ for mental peace.”

Thus ends our tour through the imposing Abbey Rose. If you dig it as much as I do, there’s more to come.   “I’d say this album is a lot more thought out than anything else we’ve released, but our upcoming full album – out late summer– will feel more complete.”   The band concludes, “We’ve also been looking to further define our individual sound in a realm that can feel increasingly contrived and this EP, in our opinion, is a greater step in that direction.”

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Cloud Catcher the Catch of the Week!

Now this is a fun release. Kick-ass, up-tempo songs with extremely catchy choruses. Some say it reminds them of Rush. Regardless of who you compare the Denver trio Cloud Catcher to, you’re going to enjoy yourself with ‘Enlightened Beyond Existence’ (2015). It’s a well-earned pick-me-up for you hard working Doomers & Stoners our there! Fav track: “Electric Ritual”