My train from London arrived in Sheffield to clear blue skies and a very nice temperature. Not the most doom-like weather it must be said but definitely a great omen for the superb performances that were to follow at the third annual instalment of HRH Doom v Stoner.
Interview commitments with Paul and Max from OHHMS (more about them later) meant that the first band I caught was LA’s Ancestors, who I’d only really discovered on the run-up to DvS. Ancestors latest album “Suspended in Reflections” is one of my finds of the year so I was looking forward to hearing the tracks live. Unfortunately there seemed to be issues with the sound at the start of the set, which didn’t do justice to the gorgeous vocal harmonies and intricate guitar passages that the band are known for. Thankfully this did improve as the set went on and new tracks such as “Gone” and “The Warm Glow” grabbed the attention of the ever building crowd. Ancestors are most definitely a band that I’m keen to check out again in the live environment.
Ancestors
After catching a bit of sets by both the excellent Desert Storm and The Grudge it was time to make my way back down to the main stage to watch fellow Kent lads OHHMS. In my interview with Paul and Max earlier in the day they’d revealed that they were going to do a 4 song set, which would start with a new 26 minute long epic called “Subjects”! I’d been told that this was Chainy’s masterpiece and consisted of 7 movements/songs all joined together, which sounded very intriguing! Given that this was only the second time that it had been played (Arctangent being the first) it sounded absolutely incredible and manages to cram in so many twists, turns and styles into its 26 minutes. Paul in particular put in a superb vocal performance throughout and the climax of the song is met with huge cheers. Sandwiched in between another new (and much shorter!) track “Calves” are two of the prime cuts from last years successful debut album “The Fool” in the shape of “The World” and “The Magician”. Both tracks are enthusiastically gobbled up by the crowd and sound HUGE. OHHMS are definitely a band who are currently at the very top of their game and with the release of their sophomore album “Exist” on 9th November are only going to go from strength to strength.
OHHMS
I immediately sprinted up the stairs to the second stage to be faced by the wall of doom noise that is Gevaudan. Whilst “king of the flares” guitarist Bruce Hamilton and vocalist Adam Pirmohamed are the main focal points of the band, the sound is definitely superbly underpinned by the monstrous drum and bass (not that one!) rumble provided by David Himbury and Andy Salt. Rightfully pulling in a sizable crowd the band are obviously having a great time as they plough their way through tracks from “Litost” (“The Ninth Circle” and “Lord of “Decay”) and “Message for the Damned” (“Cursed Undead” and “Lament of the North”) along with a sprinkling of new songs (“Ronin” and “Saints of Blood”) that also sound great. Gevaudan are one of the bands flying the flag for trad doom and I eagerly await their next release as my appetite was definitely whetted by what I heard at DvS.
Gevaudan
Next up on the main stage are London’s heavy psychedelic doom mongers Elephant Tree, who pull in one of the biggest crowds of the whole weekend. What I love about these guys is that they always look like they’re having a great time on stage, no more so today than when they drag on Stoned Jesus vocalist Igor for guest vocals. Playing a set that includes tracks from both their albums (“Theia” and “Elephant Tree”) to date, the band sound superb with “Attack of the Altaica” and my favourite “Aphotic Blues” being particular highlights. Finishing the set with one of the best Black Sabbath cover versions I’ve ever heard was a very fitting finale. Elephant Tree make “Paranoid” their own by stamping their identity all over it to the point that it took me a while to identify what song they were playing! I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that they get to record their version of Paranoid – great stuff lads!
Elephant Tree
The second stage was absolutely rammed for headliners Cybernetic Witch Cult (keep your eyes peeled for my interview with them) to the point that I could only cram myself in and catch a couple of tracks. What I could see and hear sounded great though and the crowd and band were all clearly having a whale of a time!
Sub-headliners on the main stage were Ukraine’s Stoned Jesus, who I’d be seeing for the first time at DvS. I wasn’t that familiar with SJ so took a bit of a crash course in their back catalogue prior to the weekend. I must admit that I wasn’t totally enamoured by the first couple of tracks played from their latest album “Pilgrims” (Distant Light” and “Excited”). However, from there onwards I was gradually sucked into their psychedelic stoner rock vibes, which climaxed with their 16 minute epic “I’m the Mountain” that was absolutely superb and got the whole crowd nodding along. This truly was one of the tracks of the weekend and they completed their set with another new track “Apathy”, which capped off a fine overall performance.
Stoned Jesus
As mentioned in my DvS preview, Elder are one of my favourite bands and their headline Saturday set was the one that I was most looking forward to seeing. It has to be said that these four guys get better every time I see them, which is no mean feat as they are always on great form. However, this performance in particular was nothing short of amazing. Playing an hour and a half set that covered all 3 of their albums plus “Spires Burn” from the ep of the same name, the sound throughout was superb (big well done to the soundman) and kept the huge crowd enthralled throughout. Kicking off with heavy hitter “Dead Roots Stirring” we were then treated to “Sanctuary”, the aforementioned “Spires Burn” and “Starving Off Truth” before we reach their piece de resistance from the “Lore” album in the form of “Compendium”, which is 10 plus minutes of perfection. Throughout the band are in total harmony and are clearly enjoying themselves. Lead singer/guitarist Nick DiSalvo in particular is on fine form and is clearly a master of his instrument as he cranks out awesome riffs and solos throughout the set. The set is completed by stunning renditions of “III” and “Thousand Hands” before it’s brought to a close with a stunning rendition of “The Falling Veil” from latest album “Reflections of a Floating World”. The band leave the stage to tumultuous applause and bring the Saturday of DvS III to a close in great fashion. Sunday, you’ve got a lot to live up to!!
Elder
Opening up the main stage on the Sunday afternoon is an unenviable task as you’ll undoubtedly be playing to a fairly small crowd, all of whom will be nursing hangovers from the Saturday night! However, trad doom metallers Desolate Pathway cope admirably with the situation and play a great set of Candlemass influenced tracks to a fair sized and ever increasing in numbers crowd. Playing a good mix of old and new material it’s immediately apparent that the addition of Jonathan Seale (of Iron Void fame) on bass has added a great heavy doom swagger to the band. He superbly augments the sounds of original members Vince Konrad (vocals and lead guitar) and Mags (drums), which can be heard best on yet to be released tracks “The Suffering”, “Deadly Beauty” and “Vampires Kiss”. Older tracks such as “Trojan War” and “Gods of the Deep” also sound great, with Vince’s vocals in particular being on top form. I look forward to hearing the new material when it’s released.
Desolate Pathway
As I prepare for an interview with Jon from Conan in the upstairs balcony Morass of Molasses sound great on the main stage below. Frontman Bones is on fine form and keeps the crowd amused with his between song banter as they batter out tracks from debut album “These Paths We Tread”, with “Serpentine” and “Centralia” sounding absolutely crushing.
Morass of Molasses
Sticking out like a sore thumb at a festival called Doom v Stoner are one of the metal bands of the year Conjurer, whose debut album “Mire” will definitely be an album of the year contender. Conjurer are another band who get better every time I see them and this performance feels like a ground-breaking moment for them as they batter the crowd into submission with their heavy progressive metal onslaught. Playing all of the superb “Mire” along with “Scorn” and “Frail” from their “I” ep, their set is an absolute whirlwind of riffs and dual vocals from Dan and Brady. Once again the sound is superb throughout and the set comes to a fitting finale with closer “Hadal”, complete with disgustingly heavy riffs and screamed vocals. Performance of the festival? You bet it was!
Conjurer
Interview commitments again mean that I only catch a bit of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard’s set but what I do see includes the superb “The Master and his Emissary” from their awesome recent split with Slomatics, which sounds amazing, and set closer “5 Days in the Abyss”. I’m gutted not to have seen more but will undoubtedly catch MWWB again soon.
MWWB
It’s straight upstairs to catch the end of Tuskar’s set and I’m pleased to report that this 2 man wrecking ball of a band were on their usual cracking form as they destroyed the second stage. Finishing their set with a triple whammy from “Arianrhod” in the shape of “Where Strides the Colossus”, “Moon-Hooch” and “Crimson Skull”, Tuskar once again prove that they are most definitely one of the up and coming bands not to be missed.
Tuskar
Next up on the main stage are the mighty practitioners of Caveman Battle Doom that are Conan. With superb new album “Existential Void Guardian” only being out for a couple of weeks I was keen to hear how the new tracks would sound live. I was not to be disappointed as their 9 track set included no less than 5 new songs, kicking off with “Prosper on the Path” and “Eye to Eye to Eye”. Sounding heavy as hell the three-piece of Jon, Chris and Johnny then launched into old favourites “Throne of Fire, “Gravity Chasm” and “Foehammer” before airing further new tracks “Volt Thrower” and “Vexxagon”. The new material fits in really well with the older songs and sounds like a seamless progression in the Conan sound, with the vocal interaction between Jon and Chris working really well. The set closes with old favourite “Satsumo” from “”Horseback Battle Hammer” and the very unlike-Conan grindcore assault of “Paincantation”, which brings the set to a feedback drenched finale. Hail Conan!
Conan
I’m starting to flag big time by this stage but do manage to catch a bit of the brilliant 1968 on the second stage, who impressed me with their retro classic rock sound. Lead singer James has a great set of pipes on him and is superbly backed by the rest of the band. I’ll definitely be checking out their “Ballads of the Godless” debut album after DvS and suggest that you do the same.
1968
The honour of closing out the DvS III festivities goes to New Orleans sludge metal legends Crowbar. Led by the instantly recognisable Kirk Windstein, Crowbar play a set that covers their entire 28 year career to a sizable crowd of well-oiled revellers. These guys sure still know how to put on a show as they crack out genre classics such as “All I Had (I Gave)” and “Planets Collide” to the sheer joy of the crowd. Encoring with “High Rate Extinction” from their self-titled album sends the crowd out on to the streets of Sheffield with huge grins on their aching faces. What a way to complete another superb DvS weekend!
Crowbar
Many thanks to Claire Lloyd and all in the HRH team for once again organising a fantastic weekend. See you next year everyone!
Keep your eyes peeled for my interviews from DvS with Paul and Max from OHHMS, Jon from Conan and the guys from Cybernetic Witch Cult.
Jules Throne 