As a logical next step after their self-titled 2012 debut, Head of the Demon further entrenches themselves in heavy metal of the various occult shades. Their bare-boned metal with an eldritch shape, akin to Sabbath meets Mortuary Drape, vibrates on a solid foundation with a poetic, less-is-more approach. “Sathanas Trismegistos … is about as epic as doom metal can get,” says Metal Extreme. “[A]n undertone of black metal … drives this album alongside its mainly doom metal overture…. [It fuses] elements of psychedelic rock … without eliminating the evil sounding vibes.” Every hard-ripping riff oozes magnificence. Thickly atmospheric, black auras and “an evil energy … dwell in this album…, channeling spirits from another realm or dimension” that hypnotize, desensitize, and cast a spell. “Sathanas Trismegistos is a uniquely rich experience that holds no comparison. This is one of those albums that is going to change the way the genre of doom is thought about.” The panorama is wide open and the pillars are easily distinguishable outside of the field of vision. Truths lay wide open and in plain view for those who which to reflect and partake.
LP $20.25
10/07/2016
CD $13.00
05/20/2016
MP3 $6.99
05/20/2016
FLAC $7.99
05/20/2016
***Sepulchral and doom-laden, Lovecraftian in intent, and aimed at the abyss, HEAD OF THE DEMON's hypnotic and honed debut plays mainly on the rawness of riffs and cyclically repeated chants. Psychedelic vertigo is assured, and with it the stimulation of perceptions that open windows to mysterious parallel dimensions. Vocals recall a mentally dissociated Tom Warrior while the guitars constantly seek oblique pathways of expression without foresaking metal altogether—creeping ominously between proto-doom Sabbathetic realms and the atmosphere of Mortuary Drape’s cenotaph—but it’s the ancient and mysterious sound of an organ which gives additional character to such ritualistic music, making the result extremely gruesome.
CD $10.50
05/20/2016