VARIOUS ARTISTS
Independent
The fanzine/radio station Doomed And Stoned promotes the local doom/stoner/sludge scene in the depths of Portland, Oregon, apparently extensive to the point of housing a great many performing artists. There is a grand total of seventy bands (all completely new to me) on this self-released compilation, so if you’re world weary and angst ridden and you have a couple hours’ free time this is the ideal collection of songs to let out your suppressed frustrations to. As I’m mostly unfamiliar with the Portland scene and disillusioned with the treatment that free expression has received since the turn of the millennium, I consider it a pleasant surprise to discover the number of active musicians involved in bands there. Doomed And Stoned is the brainchild of Billy Goat, your friendly neighborhood music dealer who seems to have his act together promoting these bands at home and outside Portland. The lengthy roster of tracks featured here contain the same underground motif as many comps of local New York bands (the punk compilation NY Thrash is one that comes to mind); people from the city or other locations such as Seattle and Boston might perceive the same vibes among the bands that submitted work for this undertaking. The range in influences varies from band to band; from thrashy with crunch and blast beats to classic Black Sabbath-ish blues to surreal to hypnotic stoner metal transporting you into the ether. This is more than worth checking out for representing the doom metal underground in Portland. -Dave Wolff