Druid Stone - The Living Dead

 

 

Druid Stone - The Living Dead 
Self-released - 2026 
Doom, Psychedelic, Rock, Pop 
Rated: ****½ 

Usually I'm not fond of solo projects where one person plays all instruments, as more often than not you hear a major or minor gap between the mastering of each instrument that results in a lack of coherency. Also having to do everything yourself might stand in the way of being able to channel the right amount of energy needed to make an impact. Not in the case of Druid Stone that is. Demeter Capsalis does it all to a high degree. Her seventh album 'The Living Dead' (my first encounter with Druid Stone) bleeds tons of energy and sounds as raw and direct as any album that's been recorded live in a studio with a full band. But here it's one person with a guest (Ilana Ruth Singer) who is responsible for well-placed angelic vocals on three songs. 

Opener 'Death for You, Undeath to Me' is a pinnacle of modern day traditional doom with a lowdown main groove that serves as a fluid center point where everything else swerves around in a game of push and pull wherein the clean vocals and creative, disorienting lead guitar demand full attention. It's a mere setup for what's to come. And that's a lot, because there are no boundaries, no suffocating limits, no forcing oneself to stay within the confinements of what a doom metal record should sound like. Therefore it's possible you encounter a slow, laidback psychedelic pop tune like 'Vampyros Lesbos '26' one moment and be thrown into a lengthy psychedelic doom trip with an occult edge, as proven by the stunning 'We Gave the Ram Head', while providing room for contemplation by presenting a three and a half minute acoustic interlude titled 'The Strange Voice of Mrs. Wardh'. But whichever path is chosen, there's always an intensity that's hard to put into words, as even in the softer songs there are different angles being used and little things to discover. It makes 'The Living Dead' one hell of a spellbinding album and one of the biggest surprises so far this year.

"PS: for your information and to explain the band pic… live Druid Stone is a full powerhouse doom trio."

(Written by Ronny Dijksterhuis)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram