Saint Vitus
Saint Vitus (CD) 1984 SST
When this first album from Saint Vitus came out on Henry Rollins' SST label, it was something of a shock for the whole metal community as it was totally opposite to what metal was about then, especially in the California scene (where St. Vitus are from). At that time, thrash was in expansion and everybody tried to play faster than the others. Saint Vitus did not care for the scene, on the contrary they played the slowest possible. The description of their sound could be long, slow, heavy songs with a huge, raw guitar sound of Dave Chandler. The solo's are peculiar as they are noisy, psychedelic with a lot of guitar effect and they are another trademark of Chandler's style. The accent of the songs lays on horror lyrics, which create a creepy atmosphere due to the radical change of Scott Reagers' vocals from theatrical to harsh screams. The song names could give an idea of what the lyrics are about: 'White Magic/Black Magic', 'Zombie Hunger', 'The Psychopath'. The pace of the songs slows down as the album progresses. The opener 'Saint Vitus' is the fastest (maybe of everything they've done) and it sounds like an anthem of the band. And in the closer 'Burial At Sea' I can see their influence on many funereal doom bands around today. There is a little up tempo part in it reminding me of Celtic Frost. This album is certainly the rawest of their entire catalogue and it is a must for doom freaks and those interested in the roots of slow dirge-like doom.	1. Saint Vitus 2. White Magic / Black Magic 3. Zombie Hunger 4. The Psychopath 5. Burial At Sea Approx. 35 minutes
Guest reviewed by: baron-sam
Born Too Late (CD) 1987 SST
To my own distress I recently noticed that one of my favourite all time bands has almost no reviews on dm.com. To make it all even worse my favourite album by them 'Born too late' was missing like a gaping black hole on the website. So I mean to set this right with this review. For the review I took the CD version with also includes the 12" 'Thirsty and Miserable' EP. Without much doubt St. Vitus is one of the most influential Doom bands of all time. Few doom bands are more pure than St. Vitus. Being ultra slow and absolutely miserable I've even heard a few misguided newer doom-fans describe them as .... boring! *gasp*! This heresy must not spread! Especially if you consider the wide number of Doom bands of both past and present that have been influenced by the mighty Vitus. Because of being one of my favourite all time records I continue to find it hard to actually describe St. Vitus’ sound in a clear and objective way. Generally I simply revert to terms such as "great!", "wonderful!", "uber doom!" and more of such rather non-descriptive terms used to express my enthusiasm about this band. I fear too much ado that this review will also head this way. If you never heard St. Vitus it's hard for me to explain to you exactly how they sound. First you have Wino's characteristic vocals. These take some getting used to, but fit perfectly. The raw, crude vocals work perfectly, at first sound they might sound monotonous, but there is a lot of hidden expression in them. Then there is the music itself, slow and raw most of the time. No traces of Death-metal or anything of the sort. This is the purest of pure Doom-metal. Slow plodding, creeping forward DOOOOooooommm! Everything crawls forward at a snails pace, like a record being played too slowly. No atmospheric elements, no ambient sounds... just pure Metal, just ultra slow and ultra Heavy. Which might be quite different then what newer Doom fans might be accustomed too. 'Born Too Late' is one of those albums you just need to put on repeat and just let the music engulf you. It's thick, it's heavy, it's slow and most of all it's miserable: raw, uncompromising misery. Not whiny, not spacey, not atmospheric... just miserable! And of course a bit thirsty as well! This album is a must-have and a must-hear. There simply is no excuse known to man for you not owning it. This is one of the greatest records ever recorded by man and part of Doom-metal's history. So I will simply conclude this review with "great!", "wonderful!" and "uber doom!".	1. Born Too Late 2. Clear Windowpane 3. Dying Inside 4. H.A.A.G. 5. The Lost Feeling 6. The War Starter 7. Thirsty And Miserable * 8. Look Behind You * 9. The End of the End * Approx. 48 minutes
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel
V (CD) 1990 Hellhound
I believe that reviewers should be up-front about their biases, don't you? To that end, I have to mention that I'm a stone(d) Wino fanatic. So it will be no surprise that I view St. Vitus' 'V' as one of their very best albums, since Wino takes front and center as the vocalist. Dave Chandler provides hisinimitable guitar buzz and songwriting abilities, and stalwarts Mark Adams (bass) and Armando Acosta (drums) provide rhythm. This album brings forth one old-school doom classic after another: the kick-ass 'Living Backwards,' the slow, doomy 'Jack Frost,' the psychedelic 'Mind Food,' they just keep comin'!  The only sour note in my opinion, is Dave Chandler's short spoken-word tune 'When Emotion Dies.'  The paired female background vocals sound incongruous with the rest of the album.  But the subject matter does not; indeed the record is a testament to social alienation, confession, and doom, doom, doom!! If you long for strong emotional content, then the songwriting and Wino's soulful vocals will fill the bill. Track "V" down and discover one of the old school's most successful records!	1. Living Backwards 2. I Bleed Black 3. When Emotion Dies 4. Patra (Petra) 5. Ice Monkey 6. Jack Frost 7. Angry Man 8. Mind-Food Approx. 37 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin Mchugh