In the beginning of Metal, there was a band that was playing that fusion between occult themes (and aesthetics) with Psychedelic Rock: COVEN. It’s obvious that there’ll be the endless debate of how the North American act influenced BLACK SABBATH (what Tony Iommi always denied). And many bands with female vocals with an Occult Rock aesthetics appeared on the past 20 years (one fine example is THE DEVIL’S BLOOD), and here is another one, the UK quartet DRUIDESS, here with “Hermits and Mandrakes”, its first EP. The production was done by Daniel Downing (the band’s guitarist, bassist, keyboards’ player and drums programmer, who worked on the artwork as well along with Steph Downing), and the mastering is signed by Xennon Easton.

The sonority is nearer what early Doom Metal acts did, focusing on something organic and filthy, but with everything on its due places (what means that it’s not extremely hard to understand what’s being played). The weight depicted on “Hermits and Mandrakes” is something so huge that many psychedelic aspects of their music could be hidden from unwarned hearers (and they’re presented on moments on “Knightingales”), and one could say that they’re just another Doom Metal act (what they really are, but not so rigid on the genre, as can be heard on the occult and psychedelic melodic appeal of “The Hermit of Druid’s Temple”). It’s heavy and full of energy, with some catchy melodies, and it’s really a promising band, indeed.

The band shows on “Witches’ Sabbath” (a strong and slow song into a classic Doom Metal way, with bitter guitar riffs oppressing the ears and bones), “Mandragora” (where some groove inherited from Stoner Rock appears on the rhythms created by bass guitar and the programmed drums, and what catchy melodies), “Knightingales” (under such oppressive weight one can hear the psychedelic elements on the guitar’s arrangements, and what somber and sirenian singing of the vocals), “The Hermit of Druid’s Temple” (a dynamical song with doses of Stoner Metal and Psychedelic Rock and some Hard Rock melodies), and “The Forest Witches’ Daughter” (a bitter song with many influences from BLACK SABBATH on its early age, but tempered with excellent melodies) that it’s really a valuable new name for fans of Doom Metal, Occult Rock, Stoner Rock/Metal and other tendencies. They can become better, it’s clear, but they’re on a very good level by now.

Listen to “Hermits and Mandrakes”, and let DRUIDESS seduce your senses…