StormToker

Yeah, I know it’s a bit of a stretch to list a band from Lexington in a piece about local songs. However, it is my opinion that StormToker plays Louisville often enough to be considered local. Honestly, though, I just really love this song and want to turn people on to this band. For the most part, StormToker plays a sludgy mix of stoner metal, doom, thrash, heavy blues, psych and prog rock in downtuned and very heavy, groove-driven songs. They are not really the kind of band you can pigeonhole, but at the same time not a band you’d expect to hear a jangly, upbeat rockabilly tune from. Yet smack-dab in the middle of their latest album, The Mother Tree, there it is! Guitarist/vocalist Anthony Grigsby said: “I got really heavy into Colter Wall. ‘The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie’ blew me away. It was just simple and powerful. I wanted to kind of emulate it.” However, StormToker being StormToker, the tune is rolling right along when all of a sudden the chorus kicks in and you get clubbed over the head with massively heavy doom-ish stoner metal, then right back into the rockabilly verse, leaving the listener wondering what just happened? Lyrically, with the refrain of “Where you’re born is where you’ll die, my friend,” this is a rather blunt and depressing tune about being a wage slave for life. Overall, “Poor Man’s Doom” is certainly a crowning moment for this Lexington trio. —Jeff Polk - LEO Weekly

With a name like StormToker, it’s easy to assume up front what you’re going to get. But pinning down this Lexington trio’s sound is not an easy task. One moment it’s doom, then it’s heavy blues, then sludge, thrash, stoner, psych, Southern rock, prog and beyond. However, it is always heavy. Punishingly heavy. Unrelenting, head-bashing, downtuned, distorted, ugly, Southernfried metal. But make no mistake; there is an underlying groove throughout each song here. A continuous thundering drum attack under thick, fat riffs that grab your attention and do not let go. It’s like if Sleep, High On Fire, The Melvins, Clutch and Eyehategod all got together and combined their favorite riffs from Blue Cheer, Rush, ZZ Top and Black Sabbath tunes. Album highlights come in the form of the doom-soaked “Lord Concrete & the Mother Tree,” the early-GWAR-meetsClutch-sounding “Cold Dice,” and very unexpected rockabilly-tinged “Poor Man’s Doom,” which is already a strong contender for one of my favorite local-ish songs of the year. So turn on, tune in and get your ass beat! - LEO Weekly

The STORM TOKER trio once again show us their skills and wide range of influences with the contents of ‘Toke Two‘. At the same time, they are displaying a real knack for outside-the-box songwriting, while delivering something unique and interesting.-Pat "Riot" Whitaker - Riff Relevant

"You have moments of doom and gloom, ambiance, blues, funk, thrash, punk it’s ridiculous in the best possible way." -Steven Jeffries from AudioVein Entertainment - AudioVein Entertainment

"...Over the span of the ‘Toke One‘ EP’s six songs, we are subjected to a blaze of “highly” energized riffs, super tight rhythms, stunning drumming, and a variety of vocals. These guys keep stuff interesting, blending thrash, punk, alt. metal, and even funk into their potent aural concoction..." -Pat 'Riot' Whitaker, RiffRelevant.com - riffrelevant.com