I still remember getting a shipment of vinyl from Twin Earth Records to sell at the inaugural Doomed & Stoned Festival in 2016, and among the haul was the self-titled debut LP by HAUNTED. At the time, they seemed like Italy’s answer to Windhand, which was at the peak of its popularity, and I was quite excited about what they had to bring to the table.

Two years later came the excellent ‘Dayburner’ (2018), then the band went into the shadows for six years. Little did I know they had signed to Ripple Music for a third album, 'Stare At Nothing’ (2024), which sees the light of day after the big thaw this spring. Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a look at the band in action, as we view the music video of their first single, “Catamorph.”

Dank, surly low-end from bassist Frank Tudisco and bluesy doom riffage from guitarist Kim Crowley join thundering drums from Luca Strano, that seems to conjure the ebb and flow of the sea. This contrasts powerfully with Cristina Chimirri’s sublime vocals and gorgeous melodic lines on the new spin, which is a monument to the exquisite emotional expressiveness and statuesque might of doom metal. A beautiful record, through and through.

Look for Haunted’s Stare At Nothing coming out on vinyl, compact disc, and digital format on April 19th (pre-order here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

The conceptual gestation of the album 'Stare At Nothing’ has deep roots. The seeds are study, listening and experience. HAUNTED have tried to tell their journey of self-awareness, of reunion, of pacification, of ideological freedom, of recognition of the Self and its complete destruction.

They didn’t want to create nothing, and so they just stared at it. In the lyrics they talk about what they saw: the Man who chooses, who sees and accepts himself, who doesn’t come to terms with the Universe, with a God, with the Infinite, but only with himself – through a reverse mystical journey.

The compositional climax took place on the Summer Equinox of 2023. Hired Kim Crowley on guitar and Luca Strano on drums, they lowered themselves headlong, sinking into the dark cavities of the ground.

Their music then had to be vibrant, magnetic, deep, dark and powerful. They relied on the darker shades of heavy rock and the furious poetry of grunge, composing sharp rhythms on evocative metrics.

Many of you have already heard about the four-label, cross-continental compilation that goes by the name ‘Skull Mountain’ (2018). I have had my copy for a couple of weeks now and am still floored by how great the music sounds on the vinyl. I was going to review it, and this is still a review, but I wanted to dig for a little more in-depth detail about how this one of a kind compilation came into existence. So, being the intrepid little journalist I am, I asked Ripple Music head Todd Severin about how Skull Mountain came to be.

Concerning the origin of the project, Todd says, “The idea started when I was talking with Ric from Twin Earth Records about how we could maybe work together on a project. I’ve always believed that cooperation and collaboration helps the scene grow and a 'rising waters lift all boats’ sort of philosophy. As we were chatting, the idea of a split LP came up with one band from each label. However, with time, the idea continued to grow so that it was two USA labels and two European labels, then each label getting its own side to showcase its bands. It was agreed that it would be a standard compilation, but a showcase of all-unreleased tracks.

“From there,” Todd continues, “DHU and Kozmik Artifactz came on board quickly and all four of us brainstormed and worked together. We’d played with the idea of a four-element theme, with the obvious Ripple, Twin Earth and Kozmik being water, earth, air. DHU had already been associated with fire, so it worked out well and we commissioned Steve Janiak to create the interior gatefold based on a tarot card concept of the four elements. We’d commissioned Erskine Designs to incorporate the four-element theme into the cover art, but in the end, we changed it to the art reflecting the name, 'Skull Mountain.’ It was a year-long project, much smoother than you could imagine.”

This labor of love, over a year in the making, spawned four sides of absolutely killer music from bands like Vokonis, The Watchers, Haunted, Disenchanter, Youngblood Supercult, and many others we’ve featured in these pages over the years. The album is packed with amazing music. I purchased my copy from Ripple, so the vinyl itself is a blue-themed water element. Purchasing from the other labels will net you a different color for each, which obviously coincides with the elemental theme of the inside gatefold art.

Speaking of the art and layout, that was also a joint effort, with Youngblood Supercult’s Bailey Gonzalez doing the layout and DHU head Robert Black being the art director. Steve Janiak did the tarot card art inside, and Mark Erskine was responsible for the front and back covers. Skull Mountain is a true collaboration in every aspect of the word and something that those of us lucky enough to acquire will always treasure as an integral part of our collection.

Musically, the sound is as enormous as the footfalls of a thundering herd of brontosaurus. The tone does change a bit from side to side, likely due to each label’s choice to cater to a different style: doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, etc. The sonics of each side are very much in sync with that idea. My personal favorite is the Ripple Music side, but each one is equally as impressive as the one before it, though for differing reasons. Tony Reed of Mos Generator and his Heavy Head Recording Company does an admirable job of mastering for vinyl and bringing a feeling of cohesiveness to all four sides.

If you can manage to still snag one, each label has only 125 of their respective theme and color (500 in sum). Available at Ripple Music, Twin Earth Records, D.H.U Records, and Kozmik Artifactz. Doomed & Stoned will be giving away a copy on our Facebook page this week, so if you’re not subscribed to it, now’s the time!

Track Listing

WATER:   Ripple Music

• The Watchers – “Starfire” (Cosmic Nebula Mix)
• Kingnomad – “Dewer’s Hollow”
• Blackwülf – “The Tempest” (Black Tide Mix)
• Vokonis – “Celestial Embrace”

EARTH:   Twin Earth Records

• Alastor – “Blood on Satan’s Claw”
• Kabbalah – “Abomination”
• Stars That Move – “Give It All Away”
• Haunted – “Crossmoth”

FIRE:   DHU Records

• Disenchanter – “More Evil Than Thou”
• Dawn – “Day of the Lord”
• Witch Ritual – “Drawing Down The Moon”
• Youngblood Supercult – “Sticky Fingers”

AIR:   Kozmik Artifactz

• The Heavy Eyes – “Home”
• Devil Electric – “Devil’s Bells”
• Red Spektor – “Devil’s Keeper”
• Hair Of The Dog – “My Only Home”

Two years have passed since HAUNTED released their self-titled debut on Twin Earth Records. Now, the Sicilian doomers return with perhaps their most moving album to date, certainly their most grim and esoteric.

‘Dayburner’ (2018) is the kind of record that will resonate with both those who feel deeply and those who are altogether numb – such is the power of doom to shake up our insides and jostle them all around. In an interview with Doomed & Stoned, Haunted spoke of how naturally doom comes to them as a band and this is certainly something I picked up on while listening to Dayburner. In a word, the songs have an effortless sense of flow, though never losing the feeling of earthiness that makes Haunted so accessible, so relatable.

“When we started to develop the songwriting process of Dayburner, singer Cristina Chimirri reflects, "We wanted to talk about the unexplored passage between the beginning and the end. Without necessarily imposing fixed points, but tracing a material circle and an anti-material, ascensional progression.”

The album’s title actually turns out to be key in understanding the rhyme and reason behind its vision. Bassist Frank Tudisco explains, “Dayburner is actually the representation of a day – not properly a day as we commonly know it, but something that becomes immediately night right after the first flashes of the sun. The light of this sun is too weak and can’t afford to challenge the strength of the darkness. Only thanks to minimal differences in tonal contrasts we are able to distinguish the sun from the moon. We can actually say that all the proper attributes of the day miserably fail here.”

I heartily concur. Songs like “Waterdawn” and “No Connection With Dust” exude an overwhelming sense of murkiness. The feeling of gray clouds surrounding us is pervasive as we venture from “Morning Sun” to “Lunar Grave,” becoming progressively more dense and dreamlike as the record progresses. Yet, all told, this is an extraordinarily beautiful album, as the title track most fittingly demonstrates. The contrast of light and dark works effectively as the high-low contrast of Chimirri’s siren vox juxtapose with Francesco Bauso and Francesco Orlando’s damning riff play (especially noteworthy in “Vespertine”). The rhythm section stands out strongly on Dayburner, as well – the joint effort of bassist Frank Tudisco and an exceptional new drummer, Dario Casabona.

The new album was record by Carlo Longo at NuevArte Studio in Catania and mastered right here in my own backyard of Portland, Oregon at Audiosiege Engineering by Brad Boatright, a name you Doomers & Stoners will doubtless be familiar with from previous projects like Sleep and Yob, among many others.

Dayburner releases June 8th on CD via Twin Earth Records and on cassette tape via Graven Earth Records. Later this fall, we can look forward to a limited edition vinyl release on DHU Records. In the meanwhile, don’t miss your chance to get a hold of one of the greats, available for pre-order on CD and digital formats here and via cassette here.

And now, Doomed & Stoned proudly presents the debut of Dayburner. I think you’ll find the new record extraordinarily engrossing from start to finish – an atmospheric gem that sweeps us up into the mysterious corridors of mooncast shadow and, eventually, utter darkness.

Give ear…

A Very Haunted Interview

By Billy Goate

Tell us, how did it all start for you?

Francesco Bauso: The band’s birth goes back to a midnight walk in the woods on the slopes of Mount Etna, when Frank Tudisco and I started to talk about this. The original idea has resulted in a series of events that involved all the members of our line-up.

What is it that attracts you to the doom metal sound?

Cristina Chimirri: The black shades, the horror spectre, and the possibility of dilating time. Doom metal sound provides the “right” outlet for our creative and emotional ability.

Francesco Bauso: Basically, within the band there are distinct personalities with very different tastes and backgrounds. If we refer to the doom metal genre, in particular, some of us are pretty fascinated by contemporary bands and consequently a more modern sound and way of understanding this genre nowadays. In the same way, there are others who remains more attached to the past and to the great classics and who have even an incredibly introverted and not always tangible approach to the medium. Nevertheless, this is a genre that unites us all and allows us to compose quite naturally. I don’t want to say that it’s extremely easy to put all the pieces together, but today more than ever, I realize that Haunted’s music comes from this variety of thoughts. We all listen to a huge amount of different music and we have probably found in doom the so-called “keystone,” which is a way to filter our influences through that kind of heaviness.

“The new songs are heavier, darker, more introspective than ever.”

Was the second record easier to compose than the first?

Cristina Chimirri: If by “easier” you mean “more conscious,” then I can say the composition and realization of the second album truly was. We all pointed in the same direction, projecting into a common vision.

How would you compare the two albums, stylistically?

Francesco Bauso: I think that Dayburner is a slightly more mindful a record than the previous one, but in the same way also extremely spontaneous. I can’t say if the compositional process of this album has been easier than the first one, but this time we were all focused on the same goal and willing to create in some ways more mature music than in the past. Thanks to the addition of a new personality within the band, the entry of Dario as drummer and arranger, we were able to let us be driven by our feelings and moods. The new songs are heavier, darker, and above all more introspective than ever. In the album there are two tracks that we had already in the pipeline for some time and that could have appeared in the first full-length, but deliberately we preferred to leave them in the lap and bring them together in a context more suited to their nature, which turned out to be this new record.

Finally, can you walk us through each track on the new album and relate the significance or the story behind each?

Cristina Chimirri: It is a non-journey, a day that is repeated endlessly. “Mourning Sun” marks the starting point and the ineluctable truth of the non-return: everything is inside and outside of itself at the same time and in the same space. “Waterdawn” is the dawn and the call to origin, to the Mother Goddess. “Dayburner” represents the ascent, the procession to a different dimension and the last glimpse of the abyss, to what has been and definitively sanctioned the initial transition of change.

“Communion” is the first gate and takes us to “Orphic”, the invitation to search for this otherness by working the destruction of the material realm. “Vespertine” closes eyes to the traveler, who is finally ready to descend into the dusk, because he has found the Night inside of himself. The second gate is “No Connection With Dust” and that leaves us to the last track, “Lunar Grave”, of which I limit myself to this excerpt from a verse: “Sky is beyond this mirror that blinds my mind…I rejoin what I am.”

We’ve been wanting to get to know Italian doomers HAUNTED since they emerged from relative obscurity to release an excellent eponymous debut on Twin Earth Records last fall. Today, we present Mari’s interview with the members of Haunted (Mari put together our recent compilation ‘Italy Strikes Back!’ available here). Coming from various bands and varying backgrounds, and drawing upon a rich heritage of epic Italian doom, Haunted demonstrate a passion for downtuned dirges and the esoteric world of magick. (Billy)

Haunted are a newly formed band. Would you tell us how you met and how the project was born? Introduce yourself to the Doomed & Stoned readers, if you will.

Cristina Chimirri: We only joined a year ago, but were always interconnected before then. A fortuitous series of meetings, a flame and a flare sparked in Frank and Bauso, then spread to me and Orlando. We are all made of that self-same fire. We have found ourselves all wired in a tight knot – a knot made of heavy sounds and low frequencies, of underwater worlds and psychedelic spirals.

Francesco Bauso: I knew just Frank at the time, as we played together with our previous band Pestem. Ever since we first met we both nourished a passion for a certain kind of sound, both past and present. It wasn’t too hard to see immediately what stylistic direction to take. We wanted a slow and heavy sound and so we contacted Valerio for the drums, already addicted to this kind of sound with his sludge band Torpore. What we wanted strongly from the beginning was a singer in a position to know how to give that magic touch and guide our heavier “sound carpet.” Then Cristina came out of nowhere. She wasn’t overshadowed by the intention of having another guitar, and consequently a fuller sound and dynamic. After some auditions, we found ourselves with Francesco Orlando, an old friend and companion of Frank in their previous grunge band, Hog Truck.. Thus was born Haunted.

Your debut received great reviews from a panorama of international blogs, magazines, and music sites. Are you satisfied by the feedback obtained? Also, how do you feel about working with Twin Earth Records?

Francesco Bauso: We had put a few clips of our songs online, recorded live in the rehearsal room and we were contacted by Ric Bennett, who proved quite interested in our project. We are extremely pleased by the work done by Ric with his Twin Earth Records, which apart from the release of the album, has managed to usher us into the world of doom by supporting our music very well.

Cristina Chimirri: Twin Earth Records is essentially Mr. Ric Bennett. We are proud to have met a person and a professional of such capabilities. It gave us confidence to work with someone who cares about our music, we couldn’t have wished for better. We are excited and amazed by the rogue waves of positive feedbacks. We got what we wanted: to communicate who we are with the world and share the music we love so dearly with fans of heavy music.

Francesco Orlando: It was really a nice surprise for us, we were not expecting much and we are happy. Working with Twin Earth Records proved to be a good thing, we found in Ric the one who fit the bill – a reliable, serious, professional person – and we also found in him a good friend.

Your music has many influences, but you able to keep a distinct personality as a band. Are all the members involved in the writing of your compositions and the birth of new songs?

Cristina Chimirri: A composition is the combination of all our suggestions, a kind of osmotic process. Usually, it finds its roots in the guitar riffs, then the trunk forms from bass and drums, and finally the fronds are the vocal lines. Our songs are the product of insights and improvisation in a semiconscious state, which manifest in structure and dynamics, standing over a free atmosphere of pure air.

Francesco Orlando: Naturally, everyone has his influences that determine the way he plays his instrument. The best thing is that each one of us affects the other in some way, with a riff, a rhythmic pattern, a vocal line, and so forth. In that way, each band member is involved in the composition. We always start from an initial idea and develop it together over and over again. Finally, Cristina enriches everything with her melodies. We always enter the creative process in a state of openness and empathy, and all flows quite naturally from there.

Francesco Bauso: We all come from other bands, listen to different genres, and have different tastes and influences. Having right now clear ideas about what to do, it wasn’t too complicated. We just scramble and merge all of these diverse influences through heavy and monolithic riffs. The creation of our songs takes place in the most obvious and simple way: it always starts from the riffs then begins to form into a song. Each of us plays a vital role in adding a personal ingredient to the soup, so we are all involved 100% in the creative process.

Is this a concept album? What are the lyrics talking about and what do you want communicate through your songs?

Cristina Chimirri: It’s not properly a concept album, but throughout the record there is an epiphany that a spirit haunted us during the creation of the album. The lyrics reflect the idea of a man immersed in Nature, because he is Nature himself – part of a cosmic order. Lyrics are the synthesis of dichotomies: sleep/wake, life/death, night/day. The lyrics are everything and are one.

Francesco Bauso: We’re not going to touch one particular theme, though there is a strong magical component to Haunted. Esotericism and occultism have found a place in the song “Watchtower,” for example. We are inspired by everything that can be described as aberrant, claustrophobic, and whatever takes your breath away. All this is filtered from the soul poetry of Cristina, who can be vague, mysterious, and sometimes not so easy to understand. This is my idea of magick. She’s very protective of her lyrics. In fact, at this time we decided not to publish them within the LP.

Francesco Orlando: There is not a main theme in the album, at least not intentionally. Our songs talk about the human condition and our fears, all surrounded by the fairly perceptible veil of occultism. I think that everything is meant to be interpreted very personally by our listeners.

The album was recorded in your hometown of Catania, at the NuevArte Studio, while for the mastering you have chosen a super professional, James Plotkin. How did you get in contact with him and how was it was working with such talent? And, speaking about the artwork by Sadro Di Girolamo, did you give him the initiative to create the concept or develop it collaboratively with the artist?

Frank Tudisco: Our idea is that everyone should take care of what he does best. We chose Carlo Longo because he was and currently is the best sound engineer I’ve worked with so far. We had the pleasure and good fortune to be assisted by Davide Oliveri of Uzeda as a drum technician, as well. And then as far as the mastering, we rely upon another great expert. We’ve kept an eye on James Plotkin for quite some time, as he’s worked with like-minded bands such as Conan and Electric Wizard, to name a few. At first, we left him free to work as he knew now, then with some more information dictated by our feelings we gave input on the final master. We believe he has done a magnificent job and also we found him incredibly easy to work with and very personable.

Francesco Bauso: As for the artwork, we entrusted Sandro Di Girolamo to create the kind of cover evoked by the sound of the album. The image depicts a coven of witches who rule over a helpless body, intent to perform a ritual. The skull that emerges from nothing lends itself to interpretations of all kinds, as indeed the larger image in general. In addition, a more careful eye can find a small gem that could give pleasure to many fans of the genre.

Cristina, your vocals play a very important role in the band’s sound. It’s central to all five songs. How did you develop your singing skills? Had you other projects before Haunted?

Cristina Chimirri: Actually, I never took singing lessons. All that I have is the result of years of listening. For year, my voice was confined within the four walls of my room, and then about a decade ago came the invitation to join a cover band, and it all began.

In recent years, the Italian scene has grown exponentially. Are there other bands from Italy that you like? What are your musical tastes, overall?

Francesco Orlando: Uzeda in the first place. Besides being our fellow citizens, Uzeda have been for me a keystone. Through them I realized the importance of carefully crafting one’s sound as a band. As a child, I used to listen to Morricone and Pink Floyd records. I think these have affected my musical preferences, leading me to this day to appreciate genres such as drone, ambient, noise, and of course doom.

Frank Tudisco: I really like a lot of stuff and I’m always looking for new music to discover. In recent years especially, several things sparked my curiosity and finally in Italy things seem to have changed for the better. Apart from the already established trio Ufomammut, that deserve due attention, I really dig Calibro 35, Naga, and the debut album by Messa – who we’ll have the pleasure to share the stage soon.

Are you planning some gigs soon to perform your new songs live?

Frank Tudisco: We are doing our best to bring Haunted’s music to the public. We’ve made some lifestyle choices that will enable us to stay away from home for long periods, so we’re trying to do it in the safest possible way. Fortunately, in recent months we have received the support of some promoters and organizers interested in working with us. So to properly answer your question I would say, yes we are!

Cristina Chimirri: One date that can be announced regards our participation at Into The Void Fest in The Netherlands in October.

Finally, one last question: what are your plans for the future? Another album in the works, perhaps?

Cristina Chimirri: Tour and promotion, first. A split album with Witchhelm from Ohio is in the works, then a second full-length album. We don’t even know if the future holds enough time for all we have planned! Lastly, we would like to thank you Mari, and all the Doomed & Stoned staff, for the attention and support. This has been one crazy ride and we consider it a privilege.

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