Karl Simon was born to sing in a doom metal band. His mighty roar and well-weathered croon are stately, as majestic as the Sabbathian riffs they soar above and as warm as a double shot of bourbon. The tall, proud bearing, the bandana, that mustache—his very being screams "long nights and heavy riffs," and his contributions to the genre have endured even the darkest tragedies. After years of silence, Simon's return to the doomed arena comes in the form of Wretch, a powerful new traditional doom trio he's cobbled together with drummer Chris Gordon and bassist Bryce Clarke to dig back down to his roots and grab hold of the root of it all—Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Cirith Ungol, fuzz, firepower, and pain. Complete with a miserable cover of Judas Priest's "Winter," this is one for the old heads, the doom dogs and the drifters.Doom has missed that voice, which has lain dormant since 2013, when the Gates of Slumber released Stormcrow—an EP that no one thought would be their last, until the news broke that bassist Jason McCash had quit the band. In 2014, he unexpectedly passed away, and Simon closed the Gates forevermore. Simons makes no bones about the inspiration for this album; McCash's death looms large over its recording, but now, finally, armed with a new sense of purpose, Simon seems to be approaching something close to peace.To add more weight to the burden Simon carries, months before the release of Wretch's debut, the passing of former Gates of Slumber drummer J. Clyde Paradis (Cool Clyde to his friends) sent shockwaves through the heavy music community. Death seems to follow Simon, and yet, he perseveres—sworn to the riff, a warrior until the end.Now, Karl Simon stands alone—tall, bloody, but unbowed. Wretch is triumphant, its refined misery, thunderous grooves, vintage tones, and pure grit stoking the flames. Listen to it in its entirety below, and grab the album from Bad Omen Records on August 26. Doom or be doomed.
Kim Kelly is doomed on Twitter.