Ogre
Seven Hells
Band: Ogre BUY NOW!
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Maine's heaviest trio, Ogre returns with
their second studio full-length album "Seven Hells". Although not as recognized as many other acts in the Stoner/Doom
sub genre, Ogre is a serious contender to the hemp encrusted throne. The group
does this by creating greasy, grimy guitar licks pushed out of vintage tube
amps combined with a plethora of peddles and effects played with utilizing the
principles of Black Sabbath, Pentagram (they do a cover of Pentagram's "Review
your Choices"), Clutch, and AC/DC.
The track "Sperm Whale" is a prime example of how to use effects to create cosmic soundscapes. Like many places through out the album, this track begins with laid back grooving jams. Drummer Will Broadbent kicks out a wailing drum solo, which recalls the glory days of arena rock. He travels down his drum kit, pounding the highs and lows. Guitarist Ross Markonish follows these highs and lows with fading phaser effects. The phaser marks the oncoming oceanic, sonic journey. Vocalist Ed Cunningham begins reciting a microcosmic poem about the sperm whale. After each verse, Markonish cut in with other worldly guitar solos, which he might have created by a slide guitar and peddle. These effects mimic the bizarre underwater call of whales. The next track "Flesh Feast" continues on the cerebral path of its predecessor. Just like the bands past effort "Dawn of Proto-man", the last track is the darkest and heaviest. Also like the prior album, the group looks to diabolic doom metal to put into motion one of history's grimmest tales. Even though this track bears a different title than the album, the words "Seven Hells" are included in the lyrics. Also considering Gustave Dore's grey scale cover art showing three sailors braving tempestuous waves fits the song's story, this track could be considered the title track. "Black Death" ended "Proto-man" on a bleak note by reliving the horror of the Black Plague, which ravaged the dark ages, told with dark doom in the grand tradition of "Black Sabbath". "Flesh Feast" is an epic and psychedelic doom masterpiece of man versus nature and the depths of depravity man will endure to survive (cannibalism). Ritualistic keyboards choirs, sea gull calls, and sludgy, sinister doom riffing introduce the song. The doom riff rings out until Markonish bends his strings in true Tony Iommi fashion. Cunningham's vocals steadily become more irate as the music gets more intense. An undulating, ascending power chord shows the band hitting it crescendo of heaviness. Both of Ogre's albums show a deep appreciation and understanding of history. "Soldier of Misfortune" is told from the point of view of a Vietnam vet whose father was killed in World War II and nephew killed in Iraq. This track examines the horrors and morality of war through the character reliving his time in the jungle as a P.O.W. and the torture, bloodshed, and massacre of innocent Vietnamese that he witnessed. The narrator sums his experiences with war with the line, "you tell me some wars are just...I guess, but let me tell you this, most are just war". "Soldier of Misfortune" is similar to Black Sabbath's "The Hand of Doom" in its steady, calm groove that picks up strength and also in the subject matter. This track reflects well the feeling of ‘70s Vietnam rock. "Seven Hells" shows Ogre treading the same path as the previous recording, but the group displays marked technical improvements. Both albums are exceptional, land mark Stoner/Doom albums for the new millennium. Fans of the heavier side of Stoner Rock cannot go wrong in picking up any piece of music bearing the Ogre stamp. Darren Cowan
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