Unearthing Hidden Metal History: RidingEasy Records & Early Moods

This one comes highly rated— Early Moods is described on their Bandcamp as a Doom/Heavy Metal band from Los Angeles, CA. On March 8 they dropped their newest release, A Sinner’s Past. It’s nine tracks of delicious fuzz-drenched guitars and echoing vocals right out of sixties psyche metal. 

The album shifts to old Candlemass-style drama and a Witchfinder sound. It’s doom metal with a throwback vibe. The strong tones tie everything together with a constant, low dynamic and a lot of high energy aggression. It’s a pretty balanced sphere of music with its percussive emotion and despairing feeling—more akin to the mystery of witchcraft. They bring a tunefulness of Black Sabbath and Pentagram, being inspired by early heavy metal. 

I found Early Moods along with several other great metal bands from a little label called RidingEasy Records. They’re a gem. In addition to the more modern artists they support, the founders of RidingEasy records are collectors of extremely rare metal and doom greats; there are finds that have collected dust for years under the more artsy flair of bigger names from the 60s and 70s. Lance Barresi, co-owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records and the Permanent Records Roadhouse collaborated with RidingEasy Records to establish the “Brown Acid Series”; a compilation of passionately hunted down artists and old songs of the psyche, doom and acid metal era. 

Alongside Early Moods, there are treasures like The Goners (Good Mourning) and Warish (Runnin’ Scared). It’s definitely worth a look around the RidingEasy website for those out there who love Black Sabbath style nostalgic metal.