Women of Doom is a collaborative compilation album of all new tunes put together to celebrate the women that help to bring the heavy to this world. Featuring artist such as Nighthawk, Heavy Temple, Miny Parsonz from Royal Thunder, this is an interesting grouping of tracks, all original and meant to highlight the kick-ass females who are often overlooked in a world full of burly men.
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he album opens with an appropriately heavy and epic number, “Astral Hand,” by Nighhawk and Heavy Temple. It’s big, grand, and soaring, the riffs roiling with weed but also a nice touch of the cosmic. “Broken” comes next, by Amy Tung Barrysmith (Year of the Cobra), and is a very introspective and quiet number, mostly piano. Plaintive and dark, this is soothing balm for a shattered soul. The heavy ramps right back up for track number three, “A Curse to be Broken,” by Besvarjelsen, another epic, shifting track, keeping that Doom thing going, chunky and rumbling forward. “A Skeleton is Born” is one of two tracks featuring Miny Parsonz of Royal Thunder, the other being a bonus track called “Broke an Arrow.” “Skeleton” is a tender, gentle acoustic ballad that also somehow manages to be thunderous at the same time. Boy, does she have a powerful voice. “Marrow” by Gwyn Stang and Frayle is up next, a winsome and heavy track that brings with it a sort of ethereal crush. This one is truly light and shade; imagine a bone white feather drifting in a sea of blackness beset by sudden storms. “Bone Dust” by The Otolith (featuring Sarah Pendleton and Kim Cordray of SubRosa) gently rides in, European folk accenting a doomtastic finale. More fiddle follows with “Façade” by Doomstress Alexis. Heavy and brooding, a storm that is always threatening to break carried along by the voice of a siren. When it finally opens up about halfway through, it’s with great relief, the tension broken and riding forth with wild abandon. “Coldclaw” by Lauren Gaynor and Deathbell brings some organ right into the mix, adding some gothic tones before the slow, grooving riffs begin that slow headbang that every Doom fan loves. “A Shadow Covers Your Face” by The Keening (Rebecca Vernon of SubRosa) is the official album closer and is a gorgeous piano instrumental, moody and lovely. “Broke an Arrow” is the bonus track, and features Miny again, this time with a piano for accompaniment. Lilting and uplifting, it’s a great coda to a great album.
Royal Thunder has put together an interesting compilation of original tunes. Most times when we get a comp, it’s of tunes already released or covers arranged around a particular theme. This is an excellent introduction to many, many talented artists, all female, who each have something interesting and unique to share. It’s at times heavy as hell, and at other times as soft and sweet as a lullaby. Recommended for fans of
Doom and for others that want to experiment a bit and stretch their wings.
Available now on Bandcamp and Amazon
Three Buckets of Blood out of Four
Kelly is the author of dozens of stories and dozens of reviews, he likes to write, he likes to read, he likes going to the movies, and he loves to laugh. He hails from the wilds of Kentucky and if you'd like to see more of his work, check out his website: www.kellymhudson.com
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