Doom and goth rock (especially the British variant) have a lot in common musically, both genres rely heavily on their atmospherics and both possess a mournful, almost melancholic, quality which is why it seems strange to Desert Psychlist that there are not more bands out there in the world exploring some sort of middle ground between the two. Well one band who are exploring that ground, as well as some others, are Canada's Hexenbane, Starla Nostraius (vocals); Cody Bobier (guitar), Alex Beaudoin (bass) and Tanner Hartmann (drums), a combo hailing from Nanaimo, British Columbia with a sound influenced not just by the aforementioned genres of goth and doom but also proto-metal, post punk and sludge, a sound they have dubbed "music for the damned" If you are one of those feeling particularly damned and if you are looking for a music that reflects that state of mind then you cannot go far wrong by lending an ear to the bands debut release "Diablo's Prison",
Hexenbane kick off their account with title track "Diablo's Prison", the song starts atmospheric and moody with mellow guitar textures ringing out over low rumbling bass and restrained drumming joined by a breathy low key and utterly seductive vocal. You would not find many complaining if the song continued to its conclusion in this manner but a piercing guitar note sees the band moving the songs groove into more turbulent waters, Nostraius' vocal becoming more insistent and powerful over a backdrop of groove that gradually evolves from bluesy and torch-like to proto-metallic and strident before finally signing out the way it came in, laid back and hazy. Second number "Everything is Bad" sees Hexenbane getting their psych/doom groove on, albeit psych/doom decorated in vocals possessing distinctive dark and husky goth-like tones, while next track "Stick and Stones" is, for us at Desert Psychlist, the standout track of this release, we have no doubt that had this been released as a single in the heyday of the goth movement it would be gracing the playlists, mixtapes and turntables of every pasty faced eyeliner wearing black clad goth on the planet, it has everything, a killer vocal melody, a big chorus, unexpected changes in signature and tempo and a even a drum solo. Why Hexenbane decided to include "The Dirge" on this release is something you will have to ask the band about, the track is more a sound piece than an actual song and for us serves no purpose other than allowing a moment of respite before the gnarly "Resurrection of Evil" invades your headspace, a song that sees Hexenbane adding extreme metal to their curriculum vitae with heavily filtered clean vocals and barely recognisable as human harshness sharing space over a maelstrom of groove that begins and ends in proto doomic territories but in between occupies some sort of deliciously hellish middle ground between metal of a death and black persuasion.
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