“This is not a compilation,” says Tommy Stewart, owner of Black Doomba Records. Plenty of labels do compilations, but his label offers a curation. “Doombanomicon” is Stewart’s first venture into this world, and he has approached it with the same care and methodical approach as he handles the rest of the business.
The music within is of exceptional quality, and showcases a gamut of doom metal’s unsung talent, progressing from the light and melodic to the dark and dingy. No two songs are the same – from the wailing traditional salvos by Negative Wall and Bludy Gyres, through the psychedelic and spacey DayGlo Mourning, the bluesy tones of Doomstress contrasted with the post-punk vein of Dead Register, a nod to the crusty extreme in Coffin Torture and Gravehuffer, before we crash into an eerie finale with Xothun’s noise-drenched drone-doom. It took Stewart six months to hand-pick the right artists for this collection, and as a result of this precision the thirteen tracks all complement each other while highlighting doom’s variety.
Aside from the songs, “Doombanomicon” also boasts fierce artwork of a robotic death dealing creature rumbling on caterpillar tank tracks, an impressive sight on the double-vinyl gatefold. There are two varieties of vinyl color – each boasting three colors apiece – and only 150 of each style available. The full package also comes with a free download card, a Black Doomba Records logo patch, and extra large “Doombanomicon” shirt based on the cover. This extra material will only be available during the pre-sale, and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Doom fans looking for fresh new material will find plenty to dive into on Doombanomicon – Stewart’s efforts have paid off with a memorable selection, wrapped in a special and unusual way. There’s plenty more to be unveiled about this release, so stay tuned for more visual and aural delights.
Read our review here.
