Aussie stoner doom merchants, Oceanlord unleash their debut album “Kingdom Cold”. With a story that has become very familiar, the trio put the tracks together during lockdown in their Melbourne home studio. The whole stoner, psyche doom scene is well populated and the band were keen to create their own brand of thunder from Down Under (being a fellow Aussie I can use such crass clichés)
Super fuzzy bass and a lonesome chiming guitar introduce “Kingdom”. Peter Willmott’s vocals have a slight monotone quality similar to those found in underground British bands like Serpent Venom and Moss. This is a quality that sits extremely well, each word enunciated for full effect. There’s a certain hypnotic aura that calls to mind Germany’s Domkraft where the listener is drawn into an atmospheric vortex that builds and builds. That structure blends into the smoky, immersive warmth of ‘2340’. Those soothing, clean vocals are drenched in melancholy accompanied by rich, rubbery bass lines on “Siren” which makes this feel like a centrepiece track. There’s a raw despairing honesty to the tone and when the heaviness arrives, it’s lush and irresistible.
A screech of feedback and an off kilter guitar brings ‘Isle Of The Dead’ to life. This has a more traditional doom sound touching on the likes of Sleep and even a little Dopelord. The riffs are rich and enveloping over a plodding mammoth-sized beat. What is obvious is the bands’ lack of self-indulgence. The tracks are beautifully weighted and crafted without a sense of the overblown. The layered atmospherics of earlier tracks now give rise to a more Sabbath proto-metal heaviness with the macabre, garage styled grit of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats on “So Cold”. Unsurprisingly, closing track “Come Home” brings a sense of the epic. Psyche-prog vibes reminiscent of early ‘70’s Pink Floyd mix with meaty Pentagram styled riffs. When the density hits, this track is a doom metal lovers delight.
What a debut. Oceanlord have put together a work of complexity, warmth and darkness that takes you on myriad journeys. This seems to not be a pigeon-holed band. Yes, there’s doom, stoner and psyche rock but this album is so much more. Atmospheric, thoughtful and definitely one to lose yourself in, this band is one to watch out for.
(8/10 Johnny Zed)
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