Weed Demon’s latest slab of heaviness, The Doom Scroll, is a beast that drags you through stoner doom’s swampy trenches while tossing in some unexpected death and thrash metal punches. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, these guys have been grinding out sludgy, riff-driven tunes for years, and their new album feels like they’ve decided to kick the door down rather than just knock. It’s still got that fuzzy, slow-rolling doom core they’re known for, but this time, they’ve spiced it up with some wild twists that hit hard.
The album’s sound is a thick, gritty stew of massive riffs that lumber along like a stoned giant, paired with moments of pure aggression that rip through the haze. You’ll be nodding along to those tar-soaked grooves one second, then jolted awake by a thrashy riff or a death metal growl the next. It’s jarring at times – those transitions don’t always flow smooth as butter – but there’s something exciting about the chaos. It’s like they’re daring you to keep up.
These creepy, atmospheric passages float in like fog rolling over a graveyard, giving the whole thing a weird, psychedelic vibe that I didn’t see coming. It’s not overdone, either; just enough to make you feel like you’re drifting through some dark, cosmic headspace before the next riff crushes you back to earth.
The vocals fits the slow, heavy parts perfectly, but when the pace picks up, they turn into this feral snarl that’s honestly kind of addicting. The production ties it all together – recorded at Stoneripper Studios, it’s got that raw, dirty edge I love in stoner doom, but it’s clear enough to let every layer shine.
It’s not a record for everyone; if you’re all about pure, no-frills doom, the thrash and death detours might throw you. Me? I’m into it. It’s bold, loud, and keeps me coming back to peel apart its layers.
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Released by Electric Valley Records on January 31, 2025
