On June 13th, Portland doomsters Witch Mountain are coming to town, playing the Hard Luck Bar on Dundas. I’ve been dying to see ‘em ever since I first heard South of Salem, their comeback album, which ended up topping my year-end list last year. The sultry, soulful, otherworldly vocals of Uta Plotkin really give the songs a big boost. And on this occasion, her band will be joined by another pair of female-fronted doom units in Blood Ceremony and Castle–a Toronto exclusive for both acts. Thus, in anticipation of this estrogen-laced triple bill, I figured it was time to count down my Top 10 Female-Fronted Stoner/Doom Bands Going Today.
6. Reino Ermitaño
Their I Hate labelmates Jex Thoth may get all the hype, but gimme this Peruvian foursome any day! Reino Ermitaño has been going strong for about a decade, and they just issued their fourth full-length via the Swedish label in April. Their sludgy, Sabbathian stomp is often interspersed with classical guitar interludes–they were even adding flute to their doom as far back as 2006′s Brujas del Mar (Witches of the Sea) album. Mouthpiece Tania Duarte may not be a classically trained singer, but her eerie sneer (en español, ¡por supuesto!) adds a certain air to the proceedings. Incidentally, the band’s name translates to Hermit Kingdom, a term that’s been often used to describe North Korea. Look out for their evil weapons of DOOMstruction in this recent live clip:
