Taz Danozoglou has a great pedigree and it surprised me that he seemed to be musically quiet for so long. Obviously he is known as a renowned tattooist and his time in Electric Wizard but I really really dug Satan’s Wrath whose “Galloping Blasphemy“ was one of my fave releases of 2012. He is back with Friends of Hell and has swapped the black thrash of SW for a more traditional Doom sound recruiting Albert Witchfinder ex Reverend Bizarre on vocals. With Taz on drums here the bass is handled by Tanelli and Jondix is on guitars. As soon as the first track “Out with the Wolves” canters out of the speakers you can guess what label this is on. Could it be anything other than Mister Dorian’s Rise Above?
This is mid paced Doomy fun swathed in incense, pot smoke and soft focus. Tongue firmly in tattooed cheek I find myself grinning and singing along with Witchfinder as he implores someone to “Come come, won’t you come ? Come inside my coffin!” Giggedy!
Witchfinder has a great voice as evidenced in his time with Reverend Bizarre and more recently in Opium Warlords. Unlike many Doom singers he doesn’t do the Ozzy thing and is not afraid to hold a note for a while to wring the emotion out of the words. Jondix throws some thrashy guitar solos into the mix giving a Mercyful Fate / Venom jolt to the darkness. The track that borrows its name from the band is a bassy sexy number that sounds like a candlelit orgy on crushed velvet throws. I hope someone has plenty of stain remover.
Evil They Call Us is a groovy little number with a psychedelic edge and massive splashy drums. The drums throughout the whole album sound great, warm and big which you would expect for this kinda doom especially where the leader is on the throne.
There is of course a thread of Cathedral mid period sound throughout the album so anyone who misses those days up the Midnight Mountain should definitely give this a listen. There isn’t a bad track on the album even the Anvil like “Orion’s Beast“ with its “Six Six Six Seven heads rise from the sea” doesn’t put me off too much. “Belial’s Bell” has the kind of rhythm that would be good to row to – either in a gym or to conquer a land across a churning sea.
The fact of the matter is Friends Of Hell have recorded 9 tracks of classic Doom metal that scratches the itch that Cathedral and Candlemass fans often get. It does not break any moulds but when something is as tried and tested as those greets then why not pay tribute and get those flares a swaying in the spring breeze?
(8/10 Matt Mason)
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