For a long time now the Maryland / DC region has had a rich underground music scene, specializing in the kinds of music we now refer to as 'stoner' and 'doom' and which gave it the nickname 'doom capital of the world'. Now the Crucial Blast label has released this appropriately titled compilation showcasing some of the current talent in said scene. There's some familiar names. Most of you will probably be aware of CLUTCH's pounding groove rock, EARTHRIDE's mean-spirited MOTÖRHEAD-meets-SABBATH growl and INTERNAL VOID's shimmering SABBATH psychedelia. Therefore, none of you should be surprised if I say that all their contributions are excellent. This is also certainly the case with Scott 'Wino' Weinrich and his current group THE HIDDEN HAND which contributes the outstanding "Rebellion" to this compilation. As anyone familiar with their album "Divine Propaganda" already knows, THE HIDDEN HAND play a genre all of their own. There's really no comparison to their combination of dark, unpredictable rock and paranoid lyrics, although in terms of atmospherics I'm sometimes reminded of some of VOÏVOD's later work. But since even that comparison doesn't really do them justice you'll just have to listen to it yourself.

Since these four giants take care of the opening tracks one would be inclined to think it would be pretty hard for the somewhat lesser known (at least to me) bands to follow in their footsteps. Luckily, that's not the case. Of course some of the lesser-known bands on this "Doom Capital" assortment feature some of the same members as the previously mentioned bands. But I decided not to look up who, how and where (yet) since I wanted to let the music speak for itself.

What I really like about this comp is that the people behind it apparently have a pretty broad definition of what 'doom' is. So there's the thunderous hard rockin' grooves of LIFE BEYOND and UNORTHODOX next to the post-punk leanings of LEVIATHAN A.D. and CARRION. WAR INJUN takes care of the darker stuff with their gloomy "Dangerous Prayer" while both COUNTERSHAFT and KING VALLEY have a sound that's pretty close to traditional hard rock. There's also an instrumental stoner track from NITROSEED, and BLACK MANTA contribute the rowdy "Days Of Yore", which sounds like KYUSS with Glen Danzig on vocals. It's a band called LOS TRES PESADOS that delivers the standout track though (next to THE HIDDEN HAND that is) with a tune called "The Ruler", an excellent piece of ol- fashioned bluesy hard rock which also serves as a quite appropriate album closer.

If this album is any indication the music scene in Maryland/DC is in pretty good shape, since this is an excellent compilation.

- Van Hoften

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