Agonhymn - Doom Jazz (2007)

From last.fm:


"Agonhymn are a crushing, extremely detuned 2 piece from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Originally a breakaway from an earlier Bendigo-based stoner rock band, Zuul, Liam (drums) and Dav (vocals/melodyhorn/samples/baritone guitar) decided there was much to be said for 2 guys sounding heavier than 6. The band has released a demo tape (Telekinesis) and a full length (Doom Jazz), the latter of which which is available on the Heathen Skulls label. Their second album, Blues Grind, is currently in production."


Not quite sure of the origin of how I discovered them but their name caught my eye so I decided to look them up. They released an album entitled "Doom Jazz" and was like OH SWEET! I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY SOME JAZZ INFESTED DOOM METAL!! Unfortunately, I was wrong. :< Sorry to let you down folks. That doesn't meant they still aren't kick ass though! Each track on this album has the prefix "Doom Jazz pt." followed by whatever track name it is. I'm not really sure what's up with that but I like their style! I'd be incredibly too lazy to name my tracks so I'd do the same. I don't think it was because they were lazy though, I think it's some kind of concept or something or other. The intro starts out with a slightly picked baritone guitar with a melodica/melodyhorn/keyboard harmonica/whateveruyouwanttocallit, which is quite unusual and experimental for a doom metal band. I like to see bands like Agonhymn, who take instruments otherwise unused within their styling of music, and create something that is totally enjoyable and isn't just a gimmick either. As the album progresses, many different elements of other metals come into play, with some very sludge-like down tempos and stoner-esque riffs. I think a lot of this has to do with their previous band, Zuul, where they played a lot stoner rock stuff. I can't decide which track is my favorite because the album flows very smoothly as if they're piggy backing off one another. Some of my favorite parts include the jazz-like riffs in part 3, the sampled waves crashing and seagulls in part 5, and the unforgettable stoner-esque vibe in part 6 that sounds like that song The Druid by Sleep. They seem to really incorporate that whole BUM BUM BUM BUM BUUUM BUM BUM BUM slow style of picking and it works to their advantage. If you guys are looking to switch it up with a different style of doom metal I'd highly suggest Agonhymn. 

Download HERE