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Doomriders: Darkness come alive

08/01/10 || Khlysty

You know, everybody needs a leeway; a security valve to vent off some of the things that burden or bother him; a way to express himself differently from his everyday activities. Some people use alcohol or drugs to do it. Others use hobbies or “artistic expression”. Others sweat everything off in gyms or tracks. For musicians, I suppose that the best way to vent off is to do something really different from what they normally do. With the exception of black metal (where this type of thing is kind of like the rule of thumb), I think that most side-projects are just that: a way of letting off steam away from the motherband and its demands.

I think that this is exactly what happens with Doomriders, which for a few years now is a side-project by Converge’s bassist Nate Newton. Now, everybody who hasn’t been in a coma for the last ten-or-so years and has even a passing interest in metal at least knows about Converge and their super-spastic, extremely demanding (for musicians and listeners alike) and soul-draining metallic take on hardcore. Having seen the band live, I can testify that the four members are not only awesome musicians, but also give their everything to their art. Which, you know, if it’s something that lasts for a long time (Converge is pushing the Big 20…), might easily drive someone mad.

So, the band members have found ways to vent off tension: Jacob Bannon is a visual artist and co-runs Deathwish Inc. label. Kurt Ballou, when not doing obscure little ambient projects, helms the legendary Godcity Studios. Ben Koller drums here and there. And Newton takes part in crazy-ass experimental bands like Old Man Gloom or plays it as straight as it gets with his own band, Doomriders. See, Doomriders IS metal, but it’s light-years away from the sonic onslaught of Converge. The band retains the DIY punk ethos of Converge, but mixes a really different brew.

The first thing I noticed when I first listened to “Darkness Come Alive” was how “classic” it sounded. If one got The Stooges, MC5, Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, Dio-era Black Sabbath, 1982-1986 Iron Maiden and Black Flag and mixed and matched all the disparate elements of these bands, the final product wouldn’t be far away from Doomriders. Each and every song in this record contains elements of all the aforementioned styles, plus the band’s personal voice and demons, brewing a broth that, basically, makes me want to drop anything I might be doing and start air-guitaring and headbanging and generally act violently, but in a happy way.

So, here, we got twin guitar harmonies, we got a Godzilla-like bass anchoring everything, we got a drummer who’s powerful and versatile, we got angry-shout vocals, we got top-notch production – grace à Kurt Ballou, whaddyaknow…-, but what we basically have is a straight-up-your-ass, unapologetically rocking (in every good sense of the word) record. It’s far removed from the hysteria-inducing angularity of Converge, or from the schizophrenic tendencies of O.M.G.; instead, the four bandmembers seem hell-bent on making a straight-as-a-rapier metal record that would grab the listener by the balls and make him do the Mohobelo, whether he likes it or not.

The genius of the record, though, lies mainly in its execution. Everything here is played simple, hard, fast and with an almost heart-rending earnestness. There’s nothing “post-modern” or “ironic” or whatever with these dudes. They just take elements from music that they love, recombine them in ways that seem fit for their ethos, work hard to make everything click together and, then, there’s just lift-off to the land of Great Fucking Riffery. If you want an analogy, imagine early Mastodon without the overblown pretentiousness, and you’ll be closer than you can ever think to what Doomriders is all about. So, now, with lots of bands doing lots of different shit –with mixed results, most of the time- it’s a great thing to listen to a band which has all of metal’s virtues –talent, dedication, darkness of soul, power of spirit- and none of its pitfalls. Go, ride and shoot straight!

8,5

Information
Released: 2009
Label: Deathwish Inc.
Website: Doomriders MySpace
Band
Nate Newton: vocals, guitar
Chris Pupecki: guitar
John-Robert Conners: drums
Jebb Riley: bass

Tracklist
01. Fade from Black
02. Heavy Lies the Crown
03. Bear Witness
04. Knife Wound
05. Come Alive
06. Night Howler
07. Crooked Path
08. Lions
09. The Equalizer
10. Night Lurker
11. Jealous God
12. Mercy
13. Night Beckons
14. Blood Avenger
15. Bloodsuckers
16. –
17. Rotter

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