Review by Arek on March 28, 2014.

Domains – "Sinister Ceremonies" is the first release of the Finnish label/zine The Sinister Flame and at the same time it is the first official creation of the three Spaniards. You have got to admit that it is a solid debut. From the first bars you can hear and feel what it is that we have to deal with. A dark, underground death metal, reeking of the devil for miles. Every sound that those three Spaniards create is like a kick; a kick to destroy all the doctrines of Christianity. My subjective ear reminds me of early Immolation releases, although European-styled and with a heavy dose of tarry icing on it. I recommend this release to death and black metal maniacs alike. I don't know whether the final sound result was intended, or if it was purely coincidental, but knowing that we are dealing with a double debut, this is such a dose of bashing that Lucifer himself would not be ashamed of it. There are certain flaws in production, but such is the difference between European and U.S. releases. Skillfully applied reverbs, guitar and bass solos, and other small flavors are almost like bacon and onion bits on potato dumplings, but that reference will be understood only by few. ;-) I rated this album with a small (-) for production and a huge (+) for authenticity and climate.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 10, 2015.

The band Elder is a breath of fresh air for the stoner metal genre. They utilize long songs and plenty of post moments to craft some of the more interesting portions this genre has seen in some time.

Right from the first track Compendium, plenty of energy can be found. This band has an excitement level that is right through the roof and it is detected in this first track alone. The first huge guitar riff that emanates from the album recalls the likes of Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song greatly. One might think that a similar style would be followed throughout, but this band injects more than enough variety to keep the listener captivated at all points. There are also a fair number of dynamic shifts in this album that allows the band to pull its feet out of being completely present in the stoner genre. There are quieter moments on the album that help bridge the gap between portions that contain overwhelmingly huge riffs. Though the band plays large tribute to bands like Kyuss, there are still moments that recall more recent bands like Baroness. However, it’s the constantly changing type of music that is hard to put an overall label on and constantly interests. The band even has psychedelic moments that would make the listener want to lump them in with music from the older days. If there are any weak moments to the band, it’s in the long jam moments. Sometimes Elder wants to keep going with their songs in different directions while a more direct approach could have been used. Also, there are many moments that seem like they are too derivative of other bands present.

The instrumental portions of this album are mostly done with the highest of quality. The vocalist sounds sort of different for this particular genre, but suits the music quite well. Overall, Lore is in direct competition with Royal Thunder’s Crooked Doors for best stoner metal album of the year at this point.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by JD on March 17, 2011.

There is so much bad Hard Rock out there, I have ended up being very jaded when seeing it come across my desk. I had not heard a really solid Hard Rock album since Robot Lords Of Tokyo kicked my ass really good. So much copying and really bad production has put me off of the genre for a long time. Will Crown Of Thorns album simply titled "Faith" be the thing that is needed to get me back into the hard rock way again?

Having one of my all time favourite people in this band made me a little more excited (Jean Beauvoir, of The Plasmatics) at the process of listening to this album. I was not disappointed. Crown Of Thorns is not heavy like The Plasmatics were, but they are a exceptional band that rocks hard while giving you a lesson in what a band can really do when people put there heart into it.

Songs like the title track and the strong lyrics of 'Rock Ready' are mid tempo rockers that you quickly find yourself singing along to. Sadly...there are tracks that are just not as good as most of them, even though they still have a life of their own. The whole album has these shifting sides to it, but then another great track will pop up and get you into it again. All of this does make it a little hard to listen to, but it is hard to ignore that this band is very good. The veteran rockers are showing the younger bands just how to do it..

Despite the up and down way the album is in those spots, "Faith" is still is a very strong Hard Rock album. Jean and the boys should be proud. And I will be waiting for the next album to appear on my desk. I only hope Crown Of Thorns will travel up here to Canada- all of the fans here will eat’ em up.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 8
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 10, 2015.

The band Elder is a breath of fresh air for the stoner metal genre. They utilize long songs and plenty of post moments to craft some of the more interesting portions this genre has seen in some time.

Right from the first track Compendium, plenty of energy can be found. This band has an excitement level that is right through the roof and it is detected in this first track alone. The first huge guitar riff that emanates from the album recalls the likes of Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song greatly. One might think that a similar style would be followed throughout, but this band injects more than enough variety to keep the listener captivated at all points. There are also a fair number of dynamic shifts in this album that allows the band to pull its feet out of being completely present in the stoner genre. There are quieter moments on the album that help bridge the gap between portions that contain overwhelmingly huge riffs. Though the band plays large tribute to bands like Kyuss, there are still moments that recall more recent bands like Baroness. However, it’s the constantly changing type of music that is hard to put an overall label on and constantly interests. The band even has psychedelic moments that would make the listener want to lump them in with music from the older days. If there are any weak moments to the band, it’s in the long jam moments. Sometimes Elder wants to keep going with their songs in different directions while a more direct approach could have been used. Also, there are many moments that seem like they are too derivative of other bands present.

The instrumental portions of this album are mostly done with the highest of quality. The vocalist sounds sort of different for this particular genre, but suits the music quite well. Overall, Lore is in direct competition with Royal Thunder’s Crooked Doors for best stoner metal album of the year at this point.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 10, 2015.

The band Elder is a breath of fresh air for the stoner metal genre. They utilize long songs and plenty of post moments to craft some of the more interesting portions this genre has seen in some time.

Right from the first track Compendium, plenty of energy can be found. This band has an excitement level that is right through the roof and it is detected in this first track alone. The first huge guitar riff that emanates from the album recalls the likes of Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song greatly. One might think that a similar style would be followed throughout, but this band injects more than enough variety to keep the listener captivated at all points. There are also a fair number of dynamic shifts in this album that allows the band to pull its feet out of being completely present in the stoner genre. There are quieter moments on the album that help bridge the gap between portions that contain overwhelmingly huge riffs. Though the band plays large tribute to bands like Kyuss, there are still moments that recall more recent bands like Baroness. However, it’s the constantly changing type of music that is hard to put an overall label on and constantly interests. The band even has psychedelic moments that would make the listener want to lump them in with music from the older days. If there are any weak moments to the band, it’s in the long jam moments. Sometimes Elder wants to keep going with their songs in different directions while a more direct approach could have been used. Also, there are many moments that seem like they are too derivative of other bands present.

The instrumental portions of this album are mostly done with the highest of quality. The vocalist sounds sort of different for this particular genre, but suits the music quite well. Overall, Lore is in direct competition with Royal Thunder’s Crooked Doors for best stoner metal album of the year at this point.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10