Seven Sisters of Sleep
Seven Sisters of Sleep
A389 Records/Southern Lord

Belly-squelching full-length debut from California’s Seven Sisters of Sleep, who have one of those amazing band names that offer a dark promise, and in this case that dark promise is a hellish renaissance of doom and gloom. Sure enough, these Sisters deliver, conjuring up a hardcore sludge that contains all the Gothic madness of an Albrecht Dürer woodcutting come to life through walls of black fuzz. Now, the eight songs here only run for about 20 minutes, which ain’t really your conventional method for dispensing doom metal, but then again, this doom metal just happens to be wrapped in a cloak of aggression, so it makes sense. In as much, Seven Sisters of Sleep strikes a chaotic balance; the majority of the riffs toe the brutal line, rolling slow and deadly, while the beat and vocals run rabidly ahead and sniff out the corpses. In some cases (“Tide is Rising,” CCEC,” and “Swamp”) it’s all grind and gnash, the hunting party descending upon you without hesitation, ruining your life.

Listen to “Monasteries” from Seven Sisters of Sleep!

Premonition 13
13
Volcom Entertainment

And here we are with Scott “Wino” Weinrich’s latest band, Premonition 13. The last couple of years saw the DOOM LEGEND without a band as he collaborated with friends (and legends in their own right) Al Cisneros, Scott Kelly, and Dale Crover in Shrinebuilder and released a couple of solo albums, including the acoustic effort Adrift. But now the man who’s left a trail of awesome bands behind him like no other is back in front of a stack once again with long-time friend Jim “Sparky” Karow, with whom he’s been jamming in the California desert since his days in The Obsessed. Well, the two have taken the fruits of those labors, and a mutual interest in magnetism, Mesoamerican history, and ancient cultures, and poured it into 13, a psych-doom tapestry of simple, heavy riffs and acid-fried grooves. It is, obviously, distinctly Wino, meaning songs like “Hard to Say,” “Clay Pigeons,” and “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” contain the captivating menace of fireside stories told by the most respected, feared, and battle-scarred elder/warrior of the tribe, but there are times when Wino finds himself treading some weird n’ wild territory, like on the nine minute opener “B.E.A.U.T.Y.,” “Senses,” and “Peyote Road,” each of ‘em altered states of a proud, monolithic craft. Also of note is the way Premonition 13 dips their long grey hair into Motörhead’s dirty pool on the bloozy, tongue-in-cheek tune “Deranged Rock N’ Roller,” the daringly melodic “Modern Man,” in which Wino’s vocal prowess shimmers with the slightest pop sensibilities, and the fact that, with the exception of Shrinebuilder, this is the first time Wino hasn’t completely owned guitar duties in a band, and the consequence of freedom is evident. For some, Premonition 13 might be just another Wino band, but it sounds to me like the cult hero who left blood-drawn paintings on cavern walls all those years ago has returned to reveal their true meanings.

Listen to “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” from 13!

The BellRays
Black Lightning
Fargo Records

Have The BellRays really been around for nearly 20 years? Goodness, and what better way to celebrate than a stab at a former glory and an attempt to erase the damage done by the low key and rather ho-hum last couple of records. Black Lightning, then, has the beard-approved name and artwork, and backs it up with a bunch of songs (title track, “Hell On Earth,” “On Top,” “Living a Lie,” “Everybody Get Up”) that hearken the raw electricity of the early years. While I’m still clamoring for that super-fuzzed garage mayhem of In the Light of the Sun, Let it Blast, and Grand Fury, I am consoled by the fact that Black Lightning has found both a hard edge (“Close Your Eyes”) and some killer pop melodies (“Power to Burn”), which take the sting out of over-played soul numbers without completely demolishing the band’s bluesy essence. Lisa Kekaula is in fine, afro’d form, and it looks like she and her California crew of misplaced Motown hit-makers have found their groove once again. That’s all right by me, man.

Listen to “Black Lightning” from Black Lightning!