Blessed Black – ‘Seasons Vol.2’

Doom

Independent Release

Release Date – April 26^th 2024

Review By Smudge

Here we go with the second instalment from Ohio’s best Blessed Black. Volume one was released last year and a mighty EP it was too, this follows with the same quality.

They don’t waste any time getting into ‘Asunder’ with a massive riff, pounding mid-tempo drums and a desperate vocal melody. It’s a stoner, it’s doom and it’s heavy heavy rock with some blinding axework from Jake Stone. It’s a gentle start for ‘Serpentine Sisters’ but they soon step on the gain pedals and the power chords come crashing in with a subtle organ weaving through the heft.

Singer/Guitarist Joshua Murphy has a powerful, masculine and soulful voice that rises and falls with the huge grooves and again Stone shows he has a deft touch, this is stirring stuff. ‘Solve et Coagula’ is another with a slow start that builds emerging into a rolling beast, simple and heavy with another subtle organ line underneath. Bassman Brad Bellamy leads the way before Stone and Murphy tinker with a twin melody line here and there.

I cannot rate this highly enough. Is it a stoner? Is it doom? I suppose you could put into both camps but there is so much more to it – the vocal melodies are dark and catchy; the riffs are all there and the lead breaks are superb as are the rhythms and grooves that Bellamy and drummer Ray Bates put down. If you’re a fan of Black Sabbath or heavy rock in general, then this is definitely for you. My only criticism would be that it’s only got three tracks, but I suppose that’s me just being greedy and wanting more.

Track List –

1 – Asunder

2 – Serpentine Sisters

3 – Solve Et Coagula