#epic doom

Another drawing of the band Castle rat!

Four our latest Monster Riff republication, Patrick Schober takes a deep dive in to the history of one of metal's most widely enjoyed and influential genres, doom metal. He looks at the progression and expansion of the genre from 1970 to today, examining everything from Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, to Candlemass, SLEEP, Electric Wizard, My Dying Bride, YOB and more. So if you want something heavy to listen to today why not explore this brief history lesson.

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album Art by Nate Vaught/Brainvault Illustration

If LAVABORNE sounds like an epic name for a band, it's for very good reason. Not only is the Midwest outfit inclined towards epic themes, they have also ignited the use of a descriptor that has been neglected by most music journalists to date: power doom.

You pick up on the spirit lyrically, just as much as musically, in the new music video "Prove Your Worth" (the third single to be released from the Indy handful's forthcoming full-length, Black Winged Gods). The song's ominous opening chords and crooning guitar lead ready us for a tale grandiose, inspired by ancient mythological lore that still has its soul-stirring way with our imaginations.

"Prove Your Worth," says vocalist Chris Latta (who you might recognize from the now defunct doom operation Spirit Division) "was one of the last songs that was finished before we started recording the album. [Guitarist] Brandon Signorino wrote the riffs for this one, with the rest of us filling out the arrangements as it went along. I love how it goes between from the slower first half to the faster climax all while maintaining a triumphant air throughout. The Viking-themed lyrics that I paired with it seemed to be a pretty good fit. This is one of our favorite songs on the album. I want it played at my funeral -- pyre and longboats optional."

I love where his head is at! Surely I'm not the only one who has daydreamed about which songs I'd want played at my wake (while morbid, it is nonetheless a strange bit of fun to work on a playlist of songs echoing one's life journey). The music video not only relays the timeless theme of life triumphing against the odds, but gives us a behind the scenes look at the band in action, whose full line-up includes: Chris Latta on vocals, Brandon Signorino and Freddie Rodriguez manning the guitars, completed by the rhythm section of Brandon Davis and Freddie Rodriguez on bass and drums.

Look for 'Black Winged Gods' (2021) to drop on October 1st, with a CD and cassette release via Wise Blood Records (pre-order here). Stick this in your rotation with Candlemass, Witchfinder General, and Armored Saint and you'll find it a fine companion to epic doom, NWOBHM, and power metal.

Give ear...

Lavaborne - "Prove Your Worth" (music video)

Some Buzz

Indianapolis warriors Lavaborne forge their riffs in the magma of classic metal. Flashback with us to the early and mid-'80s, when Iron Maiden was writing a new classic album every year and Candlemass lit their first flame.

When vocalist Chris Latta and guitarist Brandon Signorino first formed Lavaborne, they envisioned a blend of doom and power metal. Slide on your studded gauntlets and listen to Lavaborne’s Black Winged Gods, a spirited offering of self-described Power Doom that’s a modern ode to epic heavy metal.

“The darker tone and theatrical vocals are rooted in doom, while the faster drums and guitar harmonies are very inspired by more traditional heavy metal,” vocalist Chris Latta describes. “Our core influences are Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, and the eighties Black Sabbath albums. We also take inspiration from more contemporary bands like Crypt Sermon, Khemmis, and Visigoth, among others.”

Black Winged Gods by Lavaborne

You can hear an array of those influences charging throughout Black Winged Gods. But Lavaborne owe their sound to no single genre or metal legend. Their riffs clash swords on distant battlefields and stomp through the swamps of doom and sludge. But this doesn’t sound like a band searching for their voice. After the original duo slowly recruited three members from local maniacs Mask of Sanity, they used the past two years sharpening the timeless choruses on Black Winged Gods. Drummer Max Barber recorded the album like an alchemist turning heavy metal into sonic gold. While the songs are populated with adventurers and mythic beasts, Latta’s lyrics translate fantasy themes with a philosopher’s quill.

“The lyrics on Black Winged Gods are primarily based on fantasy, religion, and mythology,” Latta explains. “[There are] a lot of standard metal tropes, but they come with certain twists or questions rather than playing them straight. A song like “The Great Reward” turns the idea of dying in a war for one’s country on its head. “Mortal Pride” uses the Tower of Babel to question religious authority. And “Master of Medusa” invites the listener to see the true face behind the monster.”

Lavaborne will ascend from the flames when Wise Blood Records release the album digitally and on CD/cassette formats on October 1st. Punch the sky and join the Power Doom quest of Lavaborne’s Black Winged Gods.

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