September 12, 2012 by A.S. Van Dorston

Along with Colour Haze’s She Said and Ice Dragon’s Greyblackfalconhawk, there’s a bunch of other great heavy rockin’ releases this week.

Castle, Blacklands (V/Prosthetic Records)
Initially released on German’s V label back on April 28, this San Francisco doom band’s second album is finally available domestically on Prosthetic Records. This ranks near the top of a slew of great releases this year metal bands lead by women, including Christian Mistress, Royal Thunder, Black Moth, current tourmates Witch Mountain, and Alunah. The latter two are most similar as far as their approach to doom that’s manages to be traditional yet fresh. Read more here.

Hexvessel, No Holier Temple (Svart)
A self-proclaimed “psychedelic forest folk” band from Finland, Hexvessel follows up their acclaimed debut, Dawnbearer just a year later. Inspired by 70s prog and space rock like Amon Düül II, Van Der Graaf Generator and Ultimate Spinach, they pay tribute to the dark forests of their homeland with fittingly eerie, sometimes doomy music that incorporates elements like jazz, violins and even Jim Morrison inspired chants. Not your typical reindeer songs. | Buy

The Graviators, Evil Deeds (Napalm)
This Swedish band’s self-titled debut album has been floating around a couple years, recently reissued and making an impact. While there’s some doom and classic elements on the new one, the band sounds more contemporary than retro, packing a hard whallop for a rocking good time. | Buy

Serpentine Path, Serpentine Path (Relapse)
Founding Electric Wizard bassist/guitarist Tim Bagshaw joins up with New York’s Unearthly Trance for a sort of death-doom supergroup. The death metal influence puts a far more energetic spin than the aforementioned bands or Bagshaw’s more recent band, Ramesses. Fun stuff.

Svölk, Nights Under the Round Table (Napalm)
Another solid Swedish rock release on Napalm, Norway’s Svölk’s second album is an interesting mix of heavy American southern rock and what they call “bear metal,” which somehow brings to mind a burlier, hairier but less lyrically crazed version of early Turbonegro. | Buy

Hooded Menace, Effigies Of Evil (Relapse)
To be honest I hadn’t heard many bands that mix their death ‘n’ doom, but Finland’s Hooded Menace have also come up with a compelling hybrid. There’s no shortage of bands influenced by Sabbath and Cathedral, but not so many that mix it with classic 80s death metal like Asphyx and Autopsy. It’s kind of amazing, and may creep up my year-end lists as I absorb it.

The xx – Coexist (Young Turks)
The opposite of heavy but still worth checking out. When the xx debuted with their self-titled album over three years ago, they beguiled with their mellow, stripped down music influenced by post-punkers like Young Marble Giants and Durutti Column, and hushed male-female vocals inspired by both Robert Smith of The Cure and 70s soul filtered through 80s 4AD acts, Everything But The Girl and Tricky. It’s a cool, mysterious sound that is increasingly touched on by the likes of How To Dress Well, Washed Out and The Weeknd. Like Trip Hop, this variation of dream pop could easily tip towards yuppie easy listening wallpaper sold at Starbucks, but on first listen Coexist, may be more of the same, but that’s good news for those who love the debut.