Some bands shy away from the limelight and create killer music without much fanfare. They do it because they love it and don’t seem to care about social media likes and shares.
This is neither good nor bad; a band being active on social media and wanting to gain a foothold in the heavy underground is a natural instinct. But for those bands that fly under the radar and stay there, there’s a certain delight in stumbling upon their music on Bandcamp. It feels like what you’re listening to is almost a secret – like no one else knows.
I picked up those vibes when I found a stoner metal band on Bandcamp called Dopemancer from Barcelona, Spain. They released Acid Rites (Demo) on June 9, 2023, and from what I could tell, there’s not much chatter online about this three-piece heavy psych/doom act. Granted, this is their first release, which came not too long ago – mere days ago. It’s still early yet.
Dopemancer is unsigned/independent, though they do have an entry on Encyclopedia Mettalum. Acid Rites contains four tracks of sludgy, down-in-the-mud bursts of weed smoke with strong Electric Wizard vibes. It’s slow, punishing doom with plenty of fuzz for all the riff-heads.
It may not be the best doom metal album of the year – or even of June – but I immediately liked it when I heard it. “Nighthunt” begins with old-school horror flick vibes and an audio clip about necromancy. The track then lumbers on with barely discernible vocals and wails and down-tuned heavy goodness.
“Acid Rites” also plays an audio clip at the beginning – something like an old PSA about LSD and psychedelics. This situates the track in the heavy psychedelic category – right up The Third Eye’s alley. We get some weird synthesizer sounds effects, too, like what Ufomammut likes.
“Devil’s Leaf” begins with a creepy ambiance before a killer riff knocked me off my chair. I felt high just listening to this one – like the weed smoke started pouring through my speakers. “Non-Return Trip” begins with a funeral doom feel with the sound of (from what I could gather) an organ. This is the most psychedelic of all four tracks, combining various sounds along with the heavy guitar and bass. “Non-Return Trip” is also the longest track at more than nine minutes, providing space for Dopemancer to flex their psychedelic doom muscles. The strange sound effects throughout the song are disorienting but pretty cool.
The great thing about a band like this: who knows where Dopemancer is heading or what they’ll be up to next? A demo like this drops in the vast ocean of Bandcamp releases, some people pick it up, and life goes on. I hope Dopemancer keeps making music like this, but it’s no guarantee.
I talked to Pat from Monster Riff about this the other day – some bands like King Buffalo just make things happen. They tour relentlessly, promote themselves, build a following, and keep getting bigger. Other bands are okay with just releasing music and seeing where things go.
As mentioned above, there’s no right or wrong way to do it. But I will say this: Dopemancer has created a demo here in Acid Rites that deserves attention – maybe you’ll see it on the Doom Charts this month. If more people listen to it because of this article, great. If not, then you’re in on the secret.
Support Dopemancer by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.
Parting words: “The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog.” – Ambrose Bierce
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