WARHORSE - AS HEAVEN TURNS TO ASH... (2001)

In 1970, ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist Nick Simper formed WARHORSE, a keyboard-heavy Yes-esque prog rock outfit.

This is not that WARHORSE.

This is, for my money, the heaviest fucking album ever recorded.

Hailing from Worcester, Mass, WARHORSE released this slab of doomsday goodness in 2001, prompting AllMusicGuide to annoint the band "...as serious a challenge to Electric Wizard as the US has managed to produce". Much like the highly-regarded WIZARD, there is a lot more to WARHORSE than snail-paced tempos and sheer heaviness. Let's be frank - there is a lot of shitty doom metal out there. In order to keep things interesting, a certain degree of experimentation, as well as an understanding of musical dynamics, is essential. As Heaven Turns to Ash... gets it right, second, in my opinion, only to EW's Dopethrone. The instrumental interludes dispersed throughout the album serve as much-needed relief from the onslaught of bottom-heavy riffs...and they probably saved a life or two over the past six years. Bottom line: this is not for amateurs, but it's a genre-defining release.

NOTE: I believe this album is now officially out of print. It's no longer listed on the Southern Lord site, and is either N/A or backordered on every retail site I checked. I would assume that Southern Lord would eventually reissue this release, as its notoriety and appeal seem to have broadened over the last six years. Keep an eye out.

1. Dusk
2. Doom's Bride
3. Black Acid Prophecy
4. Amber Vial
5. Every Flower Dies No Matter the Thorns (Wither)
6. Lysergic Communion
7. Dawn
8. Scrape
9. ...And the Angels Begin to Weep

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