V/A: Doom Capital : Maryland / DC Heavy Rock Underground

V/A

Doom Capital : Maryland / DC Heavy Rock Underground

© 2004 Crucial Blast (634479911521)

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Doom Metal and crushing stoner rock from the Maryland and DC area.

tracks

1 CLUTCH Sea Of Destruction
2 EARTHRIDE Grip The Wheel
3 THE HIDDEN HAND Rebellion
4 INTERNAL VOID Black Wings Of Deceit
5 LIFE BEYOND Rising Sunn
6 NITROSEED Class War
7 UNORTHODOX Lifeline
8 COUNTERSHAFT Black Sky
9 WAR INJUN Dangerous Prayer
10 BLACK MANTA Days Of Yore
11 LEVIATHAN A.D. Breathing Rust
12 KING VALLEY $2 Brain
13 CARRION Damned To Know
14 LOS TRES PESADOS The Ruler

notes

DOOMED FROM THE BEGINNING.....
For over 30 years, the hills of Maryland and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. have been a breeding ground for a unique brand of crushing, post-Black Sabbath doom rock and bluesy psychedelic metal. Long before the "stoner rock" trend became a relatively high-profile movement in underground music, the doom capital had been churning out waves of bulldozing riffs whose reverberations have been felt across the globe. Pure fucking thunder.
The ashen foundations of the doom capital can be traced all the way back to 1971, when Bobby Leibling formed the legendary proto-doom outfit Pentagram in Arlington, Virginia. Considered by many to be one of the all-time classic doom bands, their influence on heavy metal and doom rock has spread globally throughout the following decades. Their eerie slabs of grim fuzz sorcery helped create the template for true Doom, driven by walls of overdriven guitars and bass alongside Leibling's wicked vocals. Far ahead of their time, Pentagram sowed the seeds of the slow n' low, and even in the early years of their existence, the strength of the band's material was felt outside of the DC area despite the lack of any real touring; in the mid-70's, Bobby Leibling was approached by KISS, who had expressed interest in purchasing two Pentagram songs for the Destroyer album (Leibling declined). Amazingly, throughout four decades of tumultuous lineup changes and label problems, Pentagram has persevered, and now features founding member Leibling continuing to unleash the Doom with members of Internal Void and Penance, and the past few years has seen much of the band's back catalog re-issued on labels such as Relapse and Southern Lord.
Another founder of what was to become the aesthetic of the doom capital, Northern Virginia's Bedemon was not a band in the typical sense of the word. Randy Palmer formed Bedemon in 1973 as an outlet for his original music which fell squarely in the style of early doom rock that Pentagram was also forging, heavily influenced by Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath. The divisions between Bedemon and Pentagram have always been blurry, as members of Bedemon also played in Pentagram, and some Bedemon songs were re-recorded by Pentagram. The band never released an album proper, and most of its recorded material was released on self-produced cassette tapes. Regardless, Palmer and Bedemon's contribution to the evolving doom sound is irrefutable. The band began working on recording and releasing Bedemon material again starting in the late 90's, but sadly Randy Palmer tragically passed away in 2002 following a car accident.
Yet another band intertwined with the complex history of Pentagram (and the early Doom Capital scene) was Death Row, a hard hitting doom outfit from Knoxville,TN formed in the late 1970's by guitarist Victor Griffin and bassist Lee Abney. The band relocated itself to the DC area soon after forming, and eventually joined with Pentagram members Bobby Liebling and Joe Hasselvender; Death Row officially changed their name to Pentagram in 1983, ushering in a new era for the band. The only release from the original incarnation of Death Row is the All Your Sins demo (1981) and a live LP entitled Death Is Alive (2000, Game Two Records). Both Griffin and Abney can now be found in the doom metal powerhouse Place Of Skulls.
A few years prior to the Death Row/Pentagram merger, a group of teens from the suburbs of Gaithersburg, Maryland formed a band after witnessing the crushing power of Black Sabbath in concert. Headed by guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich alongside bassist Mark Laue and drummer Ed Gulli, The Obsessed unleashed a torrent of raw, rocking doom delivered through monstrous riffs and thoughtful subject matter laced with mysticism. The band was an incredibly influential force in the early DC area underground scene alongside contemporaries Minor Threat and Bad Brains. While they never made the immediate transition to national reknown that those outfits achieved, The Obsessed would soon become one of the defining bands in the Doom aesthetic. They made their debut with a three-track EP, Sodden Jackyl, which was released on their own Invictus label, but primarily relied on live shows and the circulation of demo tapes to establish their reputation. After several years of effort ,the band dissolved and Weinrich left for Los Angeles to join Saint Vitus, replacing vocalist Scott Reagers.
During the mid-to-late 1980's, the influence of the Obsessed and Pentagram fueled a pack of vital new bands that sprung up throughout the Maryland/DC area. By the early 90's, the scene had generated interest from German label Hellhound, who had already released seminal albums from Saint Vitus and The Obsessed. Label reps from Hellhound flew to the US to check out the growing Maryland Doom sound, and this venture to the doom capital resulted in the signing of Iron Man, Wretched, Internal Void, Unorthodox , and Revelation. Although the label imploded at some point in 1995, it did manage to release some of the most powerful Doom metal to emerge from the area at this point in history.
Unorthodox (whose Lifeline can be found on this compilation) hailed from the Wheaton/Rockville, MD, area, and delivered one of the finest albums released on Hellhound, 1995's Balance Of Power, a heavy dose of psychedelic Doom. Iron Man began in 1988 as a Sabbath tribute (as their name would attest)...but as the band developed their sound, they evolved into an established traditional doom metal outfit whose original material was loaded with crushing riff mastery. They released two classic albums on Hellhound, 1993's Black Night and 1994's The Passage, for which they toured as support for Pentagram and Cathedral. The late 90's saw the band's return with the release of 1999's Generation Void on Brainticket Records.
Another player in the Hellhound Records "doom explosion" in the early 1990's, The Wretched were an old school riff machine. While their sound had elements of heavy psychedelia, the Obsessed and Saint Vitus influence was unmistakable. The Wretched's music was full of unconventional structures, and led by the gruff, Lemmy-esque vocals of Dave Sherman. Their 3 albums on Hellhound, 1993's Life Out There, 1994's Psychosomatic Medicine, and 1995's Center Of The Universe, were all consistent blasts of high quality Doom. Members went on to play in Unorthodox, Life Beyond, Earthride, and Spirit Caravan.
Combining the crushing power of Black Sabbath and Trouble with the experimental nature of Voivod and Rush to create a progressive style of Doom, Maryland's Revelation were one of the most unique bands in the region. Another Hellhound survivor, Revelation released a handful of demos throughout the late 1980's and early 1990's, culminating with the release of 1991's Salvation's Answer, 1993's Never Comes Silence, and 1995's Yet So Far. Members of Revelation went on to play in such bands as Oversoul and Place Of Skulls.
Around this time, one band emerged whose roots in the heavy rock underground mutated wilder than any other outfit from the region. Clutch took the area by storm in 1991 with a savage concoction of hardcore fury, fierce riff-driven rock, and Neil Fallon's quirky vocal delivery. Within two years the band had signed to a major label, and is one of the most well-known bands to emerge from the area. Clutch's material throughout the 90's has continued to evolve and experiment, while consistently delivering a devestating rock groove. Their lyrical concepts and mythos are indelibly linked to the Maryland/West Virginia region, and collaborations with Scott "Wino" Weinrich and Baltimore's Southern rock/metal overlords Sixty Watt Shaman on 2001's Pure Rock Fury made clear their connections to the DC/Maryland heavy doom/rock scene.
In 1990, Hellhound Records also released the eponymous album from The Obsessed, who now shared the label with Saint Vitus. This release immediately drew attention from the heavy music underground that the band had lacked during its early years, and subsequently put into question Weinrich's tenure with Saint Vitus. Forced to make a choice by guitarist Dave Chandler, he elected to re-form the Obsessed with bassist Scott Reeder and drummer Greg Rogers. The intense Lunar Womb showed a band fiercely revitalized, but issues with Hellhound Records delayed the band's progress until Columbia/Sony signed the band and released 1994's The Church Within. But after continued label problems, The Obsessed called it a day in 1993. The past few years have seen the re-release of older material through Tolotta Records and Southern Lord Records, and Wino went on to form Spirit Caravan, while the rhythm section of Greg Rogers and Gary Pinhas went on to form LA doom rockers Goatsnake.
When Spirit Caravan unleashed their thunderous vision in 1997, the band was widely considered to be one of the best doom/rock outfits to come out of the DC/Maryland scene. Spirit Caravan was adored by fans of both traditional doom metal and stoner rock, which at this point was achieving a modicum of mainstream success. Wino, along with bassist Dave Sherman and drummer Gary Isom, released a slew of EP's and CD's throughout Spirit Caravan's five year existence before disbanding in 2002, including 1997's Shine EP (under the band's original name), 1999's Dreamwheel, 1999's Jug Fulla Sun, and 2000's Elusive Truth. A retrospective discography is now available from Meteor City Records.
By the turn of the century, the region had already unleashed another torrent of uncompromising heavy underground rock, much of which is featured on this compilation. Bands like Earthride, Black Manta, and War Injun continued to evoke grim visions from the abyss. Life Beyond and King Valley channeled the light through their eruptions of mind-expanding rock. Upstarts such as Carrion, Countershaft, and Leviathan A.D. integrated new influences as diverse as post-punk and industrial metal into their delivery of crushing distortion. Instrumental visions found themselves harnessed by Nitroseed. The Hidden Hand marked the return of Wino to a new power trio that has already changed the face of heavy rock with their informed social criticism and adventurous songwriting.
And still the Doom Capital lives and breathes, extending it's black tendrils of heavy psychedelia, fury, and crushing riffs over a new generation of heavy music fans. This compilation will hopefully serve both as a primer for those new to the Maryland/DC doom scene, and a collection of new and unreleased music for longtime fans of the rock. Doom on!
- Crucial Blast, 2004


COMPILATION ARTIST NOTES

CLUTCH Sea Of Destruction
It's futile to place a tag on Clutch's unique mutant rock vision; the band's alchemical style references everything from Led Zeppelin to John Coltrane to Chuck D. Since forming in the Maryland suburbs in the early 1990's, Clutch (Dan Maines-b, Tim Sult-g, Jean-Paul Gaster-d, Neil Fallon-v/g) has forged an eccentric sound rooted in heavy duty riffs and ferocious experimentation, and you can hear the swinging blues-inflected groove of their brethren in the Maryland doom and heavy rock underground laced throughout Clutch's six albums. 2004 sees the release of Blast Tyrant (DRT Records), a monolithic exercise in explorational power and fury. Crushing, cerebral, and warped, Clutch continue to redefine the limits of heavy rock.

EARTHRIDE Grip The Wheel
Another newer band made up of veterans of the doom capital scene, Earthride was formed in 1997 by ex-Internal Void drummer Eric Little, Kyle Van Steinberg (g), Joe Ruthvin (b), and Dave Sherman (v). The band has become renowned for their brand of brooding "biker doom" laced with apocalyptic imagery and personal reflection, and fueled by speedfreak breakouts and heavily downtuned sludgy riffcrawls. Southern Lord Records released the band's debut full length, 2002's Taming Of The Demons. Grip The Wheel was originally slated to appear as a single, and is the last track Joe Ruthvin recorded with the band. His position has since been filled by current bassist Rob Hamsphire. EARTHRIDE appear courtesy of Southern Lord Recordings.

THE HIDDEN HAND Rebellion
A new power trio fronted by Scott "Wino" Weinrich (Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Place Of Skulls) formed alongside producer/bassist/singer Bruce Falkinburg and drummer Dave Hennessy (Ostinato) after the demise of Spirit Caravan. More fastpaced and eclectic than Wino's previous bands, The Hidden Hand fuses elements of prog, noise rock, psychedelia, and punk to their arsenal of battering-ram riffs and precision rhythms, tempering the rock assault on 2003's Divine Propaganda (Meteor City/Exile On Mainstream) with intricate, moody instrumentals and intelligent, defiant social/political criticism.

INTERNAL VOID Black Wings Of Deceit
Formed in 1987, Internal Void burst onto the international doom metal scene in 1992 with the release of Standing On the Sun (Hellhound/Nuclear Blast), and quickly established themselves as a powerful force within the heavy rock underground with a three week tour US tour in support of SAINT VITUS the following year. After 1994 however, the band saw the departure of drummer Eric Little as well as the disintegration of Hellhound Records, and there was little activity from the Void front over the next few years. With the addition of drummer Ronnie Kalimon (Unorthodox / Iron Man / Asylum, later replaced by Penance drummer Mike Smail) in 1995, the band began to regain lost ground, releasing the demo Window To Hell in 1996, followed by the 2000 full length Unearthed (Southern Lord), a titanic slab of infectious and inventive bluesy doom rock. In January of 2003 Internal Void re-entered the studio to record Matricide, a new album to be released in 2004. Internal Void is Kelly Carmichael (guitars), Adam Heinzmann (bass), Mike SmaIl (drums), J.D. Williams (vocals)

LIFE BEYOND Rising Sunn
More veterans of the doom capital, Rockville, MD power trio Life Beyond rose from the ashes of The Wretched, Indestroy and Vortex Of Insanity in 1999 to create a heavy, spiritual form of melodic (but gritty) doom. Dynamic and strongly rooted in both the blues and 70's rock, the band has released a self titled CD, 2000's Ancient World, along with their Sweden Rock debut, 2003's Thousand Vision Mist. Life beyond is Danny Kenyon (guitars/vocals), Gus Basilika (drums), Louis Strachan (bass).

NITROSEED Class War
This group came together in 2002 to create evocative heavy rock instrumentals powered by dual guitar melodies and crunching riffs. Doom veteran Gary Isom (Spirit Caravan, Iron Man, Unorthodox, Wretched, Pentagram) took over the drum stool the following year, alongside bassist Rob Hampshire (Earthride, Unorthodox), and guitarists Shane Balloun and Tucker Orr. As of early 2004, the band has released a 4 song demo.


UNORTHODOX Lifeline
Originally called Asylum before changing to Unorthodox, this four piece from the Wheaton / Rockville, MD area were one of the Hellhound Records signings in the early 1990's. Like the rest of the Maryland doom family, there is a definite Black Sabbath influence in the bands heavy style of riff driven haze, but Unorthodox was more psychedelic and progressive in nature than most of their contemporaries, crushing out some seriously potent and melodic hypno-doom rock. Fronted by the raw soul of singer / guitarist Dale Flood, the band released two full lengths on Hellhound, 1993's Asylum, and 1995's Balance Of Power. UNORTHODOX are back in 2003 after a period of prolonged inactivity, playing the occasional live show in the DC/MD area with the current lineup of Flood, drummer Michael Phillips, bassist Johnny Wretched "K", and guitarist Jeff Parsons. The band has supported the likes of Saint Vitus, Clutch, and Pentagram, and is one of the most influential bands from the Maryland doom scene.

COUNTERSHAFT Black Sky
This Northern Virginia outfit, formed in 1999, has developed a commanding heavy sound over the past few years. Countershaft combines it's doom influences with the driving pummel of post-industrial rock and the headiness of neo-psychedelia. Guitarist Greg Turley brings a heavy pedigree to their riff assault, having previously done time in Place Of Skulls with uncle Victor Griffin, as well as the 90's incarnation of Pentagram. Backed by Rodney Davidson's rugged vocals and Ryan White's spare, pounding drumming, Turley's Countershaft brings a mechanistic chug to their raw doom.

WAR INJUN Dangerous Prayer
WAR INJUN was formed in 2002 by singer J.D. Williams and guitarist Kenny Staubs (formerly of Outside Truth), along with drummer J.B. Matson and Kyle Van Steinberg (Earthride), later recruiting Dave Sherman on bass soon after the demise of Spirit Caravan. Dangerous Prayer is a pulverizing sludge anthem showcasing War Injun's gnarly brand of doom overdrive, far grimmer than any of the member's other bands. Live, this band is deafening....a brutal blast of blackened tar from the lungs of Maryland Doom. As of early 2004, War Injun has recorded and released a 7 song demo.

BLACK MANTA Days Of Yore
These freaked out Maryland metal disciples released a couple of crushing demos in 1997 and 2000, delivering freaked-out /jacked-up doom rock with nods to the likes of Sabbath, Pentagram, and Internal Void. Days Of Yore features singer Skull, bassist Walter, and guitarist Hillel, along with legendary drummer Joe Hasselvander (Pentagram, Raven). Cthulian cosmic waves of bomb rock from the void !

LEVIATHAN A.D. Breathing Rust
Newcomers to the doom capital, Leviathan A.D. came together in 2001 in Hagerstown, MD and combined ultra down-tuned doom metal with post-punk melody and hardcore ferocity. Comprised of guitarist Dave (Beyond Fatal), singer / guitarist Adam (ex-Strong Intention), drummer Andy (ex-Strong Intention), and bassist Nathan, Leviathan A.D. recorded and released a 3 song demo in 2001.

KING VALLEY $2 Brain
Heavy, stomping, and soulful psychedelic doomrock out of Frederick,Maryland, KING VALLEY formed in 2002 with drummer Tommy Carr, bassist Guy Lane, singer T.C., and guitarist Greg Clarke.


CARRION Damned to Know
DC area trio Carrion fuses venomous noise rock and angular melody with heavy stoner rock influences and hyperkinetic drumming. Pummeling post-Am Rep workouts, huge whiskey-soaked riffs, and vicious vocals assault the listener on their self-titled 7" (Lysergic Soul Drain) and 4 song CDEP Baptized by Fire. Carrion continued to become heavier and more spastic with their Beggar 7"And 2003's The Crime of Idle Hands full length (both on McCarthyism Records), delivering spiraling explosions comparable to a mutant fusion of Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and King Crimson. Members Nick Skrobisz (g/v), Nate Simms (d), and Dustin Swanson (b) have toured throughout the US, supporting the likes of The Hidden Hand, Spirit Caravan, and Mastodon.

LOS TRES PESADOS The Ruler
The Pesados (Dale Flood of UNORTHODOX, Dave Sherman of EARTHRIDE / SPIRIT CARAVAN / WAR INJUN / WRETCHED),and Jean Paul Gaster (CLUTCH / THE BAKERTON GROUP) got together during the summer of 1993 to lay down The Ruler, a ferocious little blast of heavy psychedelia specifically written for the Doom Capital compilation project. But after tapping the potential in this new musical equation, there's a chance that we may see more tunes from the Pesados down the road...and maybe even a live show, if we keep our fingers crossed !

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