#jointhugger

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

I got into JOINTHUGGER through the gentle nudging of my fellow Doom Charts contributors. The single from their debut LP had just recently dropped and I was prepared to greet it with a fair bit of cynicism, which I'm sorry to say is inevitable with our rapidly mushrooming scene. Two things I listen for in every new band I encounter: strong execution (I mean really owning it) and a distinct voice (they can stand out from the pack as memorable). I'm happy to say that the doom metal trio from Norway met the criteria and then some, making them a welcome addition to the heavy underground. Some days later, I encountered their 4/20 show online and witnessed the band pull off their live sound with great heart.

Jointhugger's debut LP, 'I Am No One' (2020), opens with the intriguingly titled "In Dire Need of Fire, Chapter 1." The song begins with gentle smarks, but quickly catches flame and grows in severity until we are confronted with a massive, slow-burning torrent of fuzzy bass, bruising beats, and doleful outbursts of guitar. As the song progresses, the mood turns revelrous as the fire dances, gleefully lighting up the night sky.

Jointhugger are not an "instrumental metal" band, though judging by that first number they could capably hold their own in this evocative, wordless territory. No, we're just getting warmed up, as it were. On to the title track! "I Am No One" follows in the proud stoner tradition of Sleep and BelzebonG, building upon a solitary riff that moves at a groovy, walking pace, then ratcheting it up in volume and intensity, layer upon layer (including some furious tremolo action). Oh, and we get to hear vocals for this one. I could definitely see this song being a crowd favorite to raise fists to.

The fantastic chemistry of the group is showcased further on the third track, "Domen," which turns each player loose to do their special thing -- Tore with his monstrously fuzzy bass tone, Nico with his jazzy, psychedelic riffslaying, and Dan with some damned fine drumming that belies his black metal background.

It's rare to find a band that comes across with such ferocity. You can feel the conviction in every note, the passion in every beat. "We bleed this," the band recently confided to Doomed & Stoned interviewer Svempa Alveving, adding that this album represents "years of angst from pushing so hard to exist, to get by, to fucking survive."

You can really feel that spirit coming alive on the closing track, "Nightfright," which takes its cue from the drums this time around, presenting us with a hammering five-note motif that'll make you feel like the head of the nail (trust me, it's a good thing). Perhaps the most catchy and indelible of the lot for me. I'll surely be revisiting this track in many of my future playlists.

With a name like Jointhugger, I'm sure your stereotypes about stoner-doom have already been triggered. However, it'd be a grave error to pass by these Norwegian heavies. I Am No One has been simmering in the cauldron for some time and is now cooked to perfection, demonstrating some amazing musicianship and stellar songwriting. Today, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to give you an advance listen to the new album in its entirety, which emerges this weekend on vinyl and digital formats via Interstellar Smoke Records (pre-order). For fans of Monolord, Vokonis, Magmakammer, and other standouts of the doom underworld!

Give ear...

I Am No One by Jointhugger

Some Buzz

Jointhugger play heavy, cosmic, forest doom straight from middle earth. Their odyssey into killer doomrock began in 2012, and the underground, Norway based trio have since been known to deliver an immensely deep doom metal experience with a lead-heavy, lo-fi, super psyched out sound.

Incorporating melodic framing with grooved-out black and thrash elements, bluesy tones, wicked fuzz and heavy distortion, Jointhugger deftly interweaves focused and thundering repetitive riff refrains with ernest, compelling vocals and psychedelic instrumental interludes. Evoking a deeply hypnotic state, Jointhugger’s hard-hitting sound throws the listener into a ritualistic journey towards a smokey realm of the occult, tales of self reliance and empowerment, smoking as a means for self exploration, perception and realisation along the road of the human experience and travels through space and time.

Jointhugger has been shrouded in an air of mystery as their super- charged live performances and loyal, local following had created quite a buzz in the underground Norwegian doom scene though since their inception in 2012 they’d not yet released any formal, recorded material to the world.

On April 20th, 2019, their long awaited “Daemo” was unleashed, an authentic DIY display of raw, down and dirty, lo-fi, psych-steeped doom goodness. Soon after the release of “Daemo”, Jointhugger’s track “Domen” was included on the Weedian Vol. 3 Compilation on Blues Funeral Records, and in January 2020 the band were signed to Interstellar Smoke Records. In keeping with the date of tradition, Jointhugger’s highly anticipated, first, full length album is due for release digitally and on vinyl May 1st, 2020.

Jointhugger are full speed ahead on making their mark on the Norwegian doom scene and beyond having shared the stage with the likes of Weedeater, Truckfighters, The Midnight Ghost Train, Saint Karloff, and many more, and have made appearances at Midgardsblot, Svart Oktoberfest and Blitzfest among others.

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