Album Review: Swamp Fiend – Smoke Weed, Hail Satan (Adirondack Black Mass)

Hailing from Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada & Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA, Swamp Fiend is a collaboration between two prolific musicians, Joe Caswell (Burden of Ymir, olim, Drowstorm, Vintertodt, Mantic Tower) and Josh Hines (Starer, Bihargam, Primeval Well, Chest Rockwell, Dos Cobros and more), joining forces to create stoner metal with influences from black metal and blues. Their debut album ‘Smoke Weed, Hail Satan’ releases on Adirondack Black Mass digitally and on CD June 16th with vinyl to follow.

It doesn’t get more ‘stoner’ than this, but it also doesn’t get as different in this genre as this. Swamp Fiend want you light up, lean back, and let the noisy groove wash over you. The molasses-covered tempo of the title track is certainly not a ‘get up and move’ sound, even if your head will be nodding along regardless. With some thick riffs, clever blending of clean and aggressive vocals, and thumping moments of blacker intensity, it’s a killer start to this album.

There are touches of fuzzy playfulness in Order of the Green Leaf, but this is a massive track because of how it combines addictive groove with bursts of black metal. Seriously, it shouldn’t work, but Swamp Fiend make it sound as natural as hemp.

The riffs of Summoned in Smoke are extremely devilish, as though Swamp Fiend have managed to conjure up some twisted being to play the guitar. Yet, once again, this is a track with so many layers, most notable as being one of the more rough and raw sounding on the album. Whereas Stoned in the Swamp is stoner heaven, with a hit of doom-infused hell within. Nasty, extremely heavy, and wonderfully infectious.

Take a deep hit of the bong, Swamp Fiend certainly have as they blow hazy smoke into the mind with Blade of Grass. The highlight of this track being a solid guitar solo. Before Ritual Haze creates some ambience, and finds Swamp Fiend get a bit experimental with a super-chilled bluesy sound. It’s an incredibly clever closing track, the perfect thing to let the mind wander to.

Weed based stoner rock and metal isn’t anything new but the way in which Swamp Fiend combine the darker and heavier aspects of metal means this record stands out from the pack.

Swamp Fiend – Smoke Weed, Hail Satan Track Listing:

1. Smoke Weed, Hail Satan
2. Order of the Green Leaf
3. Summoned in Smoke
4. Stoned in the Swamp
5. Blade of Grass
6. Ritual Haze

Links

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