Exclusive Premiere: Thorr Axe, “Gates of Winter”

You might expect one or both of the following two things from Indiana-based doomsters Thorr Axe, based on their name: 1) Big, doomy riffs that maul you over the head like the hammer of God, 2) Something vaguely related to pagan/folk metal.

Thankfully #2 is completely off-base, although the album cover for Gates of Winter — which the band will self-release in January — doesn’t do much to assuage those fears, but #1 is right on the money. What really caught my attention was not said riffs though, which, while pretty sweet, don’t set the band apart from the crowded doom masses. Around 3:30 in the album’s title track a guitar solo kicks in that absolutely has me floored. Not a Shreddy McShrederson solo, of course, but a real, soulful, honest-to-goodness, you-can-feel-that-shit-in-your-BONES solo, stunningly simple but perfect for a song like this one.

Check out “Gates of Winter” below, from the album of the same name. Follow the band on Facebook and order it here.