21 9 Copies Left.

Once again, if you’ve managed to pick up a copy of Clamfight‘s new CD, I Versus the Glacier, either using the Paypal button above or through the Maple Forum BigCartel store, you have my sincere thanks as well as that of the band.

We’re in the home stretch — a scant 21 copies remain in my possession and they’re going at a steady pace. If you’ve been on the fence, it’s a get-it-now-or-regret-it-later kind of deal. The Maple Forum doesn’t do second runs. It’s in the charter. Okay, there isn’t a charter, but seriously, the discs are moving, so thank you for that and they won’t be around for much longer. I guess that’s the point.

If you’re in Philly this coming weekend, as I know I’ll be, catch them Saturday, March 30 at Kung Fu Necktie with Borracho, Been Obscene and Supervoid. Friday, they’re at Cafe 611 in Frederick, MD, with Ichabod, War Injun, Beelzefuzz and Hollow Leg, and the band has sent along word of more shows to come, including confirmation that they’re looking to hit the West Coast this summer and news about new material in progress!

Anyone can bring you a Clamfight update with show news. Here’s one from drummer/vocalist Andy Martin that has a unicorn:

Forgive me for the bullet points folks, but I’m bashing this out on a borrowed laptop in a hotel somewhere deep in the wilds of Pennslytucky, and time is of the essence…

Shows:

• We’ve got two great shows this weekend, we’re at Cafe 611 in Fredrick Maryland with Ichabod, War Injun, Beelzefuzz, and Hollow Leg on Friday the 29th, and we’ll be hooking up with Supervoid, Been Obscene, and Borracho at Kung Fu Necktie in Philly on Saturday, March 30.
• April 6th we’re atThe Depot in York PA with Crobot, Kingsnake, and Witch Hazel.
• April 25th we’re back at Kung Fu Necktie with Holly Hunt, Sunburster, and the mighty Shroud Eater, in a show that’s sure to start our great southern weekender off with aching heads and rumbly tummies.
• April 26th-29th with our bosom chums/band-I-am-also-in, Heavy Temple, we’ll be rampaging through the southeast. Friday the 26th sees us both at the Oasis in Charleston, South Carolina, with Compel, Greenseer and possibly one more TBA, Saturday will likely see us in Virginia (details still getting ironed out on that one), and Sunday the 29th we’ll be wrapping it up with the Akris at Lallo’s in Knoxville Maryland.
• The other massive (for us anyway) show news is that we will be slipping the surly bonds of the east coast this summer. We can’t say when or with who but trust us, Clamfight will be heading west this summer.

The final bit of big news is that we are actively writing the next record. We’ve demoed about 25 minutes of material and have rolled out one new song, “Block Ship” live. Obviously things are very premature at the moment but we’re aiming to be in the studio by next winter. Saying much more would almost feel like cursing a process that’s been going really, really well for us, so we’ll just say this, we aim to be studio bound not long after hitting Richmond, Virginia, for Stoner Hands of Doom XIII this November.

Speaking of SHOD and “Block Ship,” we’ll be heading back to Gradwell House as soon as our schedules allow to record both “Block Ship” and a reworked version of a tune that shall remain nameless (for the time being) from our first record for our special SHOD-only split with Wizard Eye and Allthing.

Finally we’d just like to say one last thanks to Thump Box, Brain Candle, The Workhorse 3, Black Hand, and the many, many friends who came out to see us in Delaware last week. Delaware’s somehow always been incredibly cool to us and due to our show/my digging schedule last week’s show may have been our last in Delaware till the fall. Fear not first staters… We shall return.

Buy Clamfight’s I Versus the Glacier

Whatever else you might want to say about Cathedral‘s catalog as it’s developed over the course of their massively influential more than 20-year run, the band has always made the album they wanted to make. Even during the British doom legends’ mid- and late-’90s period of wandering through the stoner rock wilderness — see 1996′s Supernatural Birth Machine and 1998′s Caravan Beyond Redemption – they didn’t wind up there by happenstance. Still, their legacy will always be for morose, stomping, thoroughly British doom, and it’s that side of their approach that their fans have most clamored for over the years. Their last studio outing, 2010′s The Guessing Game (review here), offered two discs of classic prog-influenced songs that asked much of their audience but offered much in return. Where the prior full-length, 2005′s The Garden of Unearthly Delights, had sought to marry some of the rock and doom sides together, The Guessing Game marked the band’s 20th anniversary with a bold and uncompromising progression of their sound. The results were never going to be as heralded as the band’s earliest works on landmark albums like 1991′s Forest of Equilibrium debut (presented in its entirety on the Anniversary live album; review here) or the subsequent offerings The Ethereal Mirror (1993) and The Carnival Bizarre (1995), but again, it was the album Cathedral felt compelled to write, and that was what mattered at the time.

Now Cathedral have called it quits, played their last live show, made their last video and the somewhat cleverly titled The Last Spire (released through Rise Above/Metal Blade) is reportedly to be their final album. One never knows for sure — surely over their time together the band must have amassed suitable fodder for rarities collections, live albums, greatest hits, cover records and so forth — but if it actually is the end of their run, The Last Spire is also the point at which the album Cathedral wants to make meets with the album that fans want to hear. It is an 56-minute victory lap that — far from actually sounding like one — presents eight songs of the dark, dreary doom that has come to be thought of as traditional in no small part because of Cathedral‘s crafting of it. The band’s lineup of vocalist Lee Dorrian, guitarist Gary “Gaz” Jennings, bassist Scott Carlson and drummer Brian Dixon present some progressive moments reminiscent of or at very least nodding toward The Guessing Game – the synth interlude that interrupts the sluggish lumber of “An Observation” comes to mind; David Moore‘s contributions of Hammond, Moog, synth and mellotron aren’t to be understated in establishing The Last Spire‘s murky atmosphere — but in their structure and in their intent, cuts like the early “Pallbearer,” “Cathedral of the Damned” and “Tower of Silence” underline the doomed feel for which Cathedral have become so known both in their home country and abroad. They are Cathedral at their most Cathedral. And rightly so. One couldn’t possibly hope for more of them than that.

The aforementioned trio occur sequentially following the intro “Entrance to Hell,” which finds Dorrian repeating the phrase “Bring out your dead” — which in my mind always goes right back to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but he sells it well — over suitably plague-addled atmospheres, with “Pallbearer” as the longest track on The Last Spire at 11:39 and marked aside from its strong hook by the backing vocals of Rosalie Cunningham behind Dorrian‘s signature semi-spoken delivery and the chorus of “War, famine, drought, disease” repeated to memorable effect. There’s a mournful acoustic break in the middle, but by and large, Jennings, Carlson and Dixon sound big, thick and threatening, and when the acoustics (backed by organ) give way to the resurgent groove and faster push of the song’s peak movement, the effect is fluid and entirely metal. They end slow and offer a more mid-paced distortion on “Cathedral of the Damned,” which is marked out by the spoken guest vocal by Chris Reifert of Autopsy and the line “Living in the shadow of a damned cathedral,” which may or may not be Dorrian dealing with his own legacy and the prospect of moving on after ending the band. Either way, it’s the riff and the buzzsaw guitar tone that stands out most as the band meet their longest track with the shortest full song (that is, non-interlude or intro), slamming head-on into the chorus as they do with no diminished returns on the subsequent “Tower of Silence,” the pair affirming Cathedral‘s potency on all levels as they round out The Last Spire‘s first half, whether it’s the vocals, Jennings‘ righteous solo, the heavy nod of the bass and drums, or the overarching catchiness of the chorus itself: “A tower of silence/Is waiting for me/Looming before/An astral sea.”

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Among the least regrettable purchases I’ve made this year is Toner Low, III — the Dutch trio’s heaviest and stonedest album yet. The three-piece occupy a region of low end that few can claim to know. Conan, Ufomammut sometimes, and that’s pretty much it. III is the first new Toner Low album since 2008′s II, and I was fortunate enough to be able to grab a CD copy at this year’s Roadburn. It’s been caving my skull in ever since.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and again I encounter a record for which the volume — whatever it might currently be — never seems like enough. Toner Low‘s III isn’t without its droning moments, harkening back to what the second album brought in terms of development from the more straightforwardly Sleep-derived 2006 self-titled debut, but one needs only to look at the bright, vivid, weedian imagery of the artwork (awash in secret, intricate hieroglyphs and containing the sound advice, “listen to Ween“) to get a beginning semblance of where the band is coming from. The four extended tracks — titled as “Phase Six” through “Phase Nine” — are no less stoned.

Mostly instrumental throughout their course, Toner Low nonetheless work in a few shouts on the opening “Phase Six” from guitarist Daan, before his voice like the rest of the universe gets swallowed in the seemingly unstoppable churn of low end. They keep a solid clip in the 10-minute opener (also the shortest track on III) but ride an ultra-slow lurch for most of the first half of “Phase Seven” before devolving the piece from its rumbling crash to minimal bass malevolence from Miranda and sporadic guitar notes while drummer Jack takes a break until just before the seven-minute mark, at which point he marches in the thick swirl of one of III‘s most righteous grooves, which they continue to push until well past 11 minutes in, at which point the swarming noise and effects take over and become abrasive at points, only to be drowned out by the re-emergent riff. Once again, like the rest of the universe.

Even at their slowest, most plodding point, Toner Low aren’t lacking movement, and that remains true in the subdued opening of “Phase Eight,” which begins with the guitar and drums before the bass returns to hint at some of the massiveness to come. Both Toner Low and II had their quiet moments, but here the trio uses the atmospheric take as the beginning point for an effective build, a wash of static gradually mounting with the rumble, airy guitar and steady drum beat, before at 3:45, the bass claims the lead position as the guitars wander off, and even Jack and Miranda come to an eventual halt before bringing the song to full impact just past five minutes into its total 13. The tonal brunt unveiled, the only thing left to build is the pace, and the trio sets to it almost immediately, winding up in a gear similar to that of the opener, but sounding more unhinged as the track shakes itself apart back to the initial guitar line and (relatively) peaceful feel.

Fall for it at your peril. Closer “Phase Nine” clocks in at 17:47 and is practically an album unto itself, with psychedelic effects, more of Miranda‘s ultra-low bass and the distinct impression that the only reason Toner Low didn’t decide to play this riff for an hour solid was they got bored and decided to get a snack instead. To call it Dopesmoker-worthy doesn’t feel like overstating it, though after the vibrations doled out by III‘s first three tracks, the last one might get lost on already-dazed listeners. If you need to break the record up into multiple sessions, it’s worth it. At 4:27, the band shifts into fuller motion, guitars spacing out over the consistent, hypnotic repetitions, and with a slowdown, drone-out and open-sounding section with vocals, they set the stage for a payoff riff that carries them past 12 minutes, at which point the song commences its own destruction, pushed past whatever sonic event horizon, into a surprising final few minutes of piano that are the finishing point.

A simple rule for life is anytime you run into a Toner Low record, you should buy it. In the case of III — which is out through an allegiance between the band’s own Roadkill Rekordz, Kozmik Artifactz and Freebird Records — it was one I knew I wanted even before I heard the first note, and I continue to be astounded that the three-piece can both be that heavy and manage to make the songs move at all. One listen to their tones and it just seems like something so mammoth a human being shouldn’t be able to make it go. But they do, when they choose to, and III winds up a listen that satisfies as much as it pummels. And that’s saying something, because this shit is seriously pummeling. Not to be missed.

Toner Low, III (2013)

Toner Low on Bandcamp

Toner Low on Thee Facebooks

The new album by Portland-based heavy rockers Ape Machine, Mangled by the Machine, was released May 14 on Ripple Music. Next Friday, the band starts a run of shows alongside Greek riffers Nightstalker (new video here) that includes a stop June 1 at the Freak Valley fest.

Kudos to the band for getting out and getting their passports together and all the rest of it. Mangled by the Machine is available to stream following the PR wire info below, courtesy of the Ripple Music Bandcamp:

APE MACHINE Gearing Up For European Tour

Portland, Oregon heavy rockers APE MACHINE are set to kick a 13-date trek across Europe next week in support of their newest release, Mangled by the Machine.

The tour, which begins on Friday, May 31st in Münster and includes an appearance at the Freak Valley Festival (June 1st in Netphen - www.freakvalley.de) will see APE MACHINE providing direct support for Small Stone recording artists NIGHTSTALKER. Tour dates are as follows:

MAY 31st – Münster @ Rare Guitar
JUNE 1st – Netphen @ Freak Valley Festival
JUNE 2nd – Antwerpen @ Antwerpen Music City
JUNE 4th – Paris @ Glazart
JUNE 5th – Leuven @ Rockbar
JUNE 6th – Aachen @ Wild Rover
JUNE 7th – Hasselt @ Carpe Diem
JUNE 8th – Würzburg @ Immerhin
JUNE 9th – Salzburg @ Rockhouse
JUNE 11th – St. Gallen @ Rümpeltum
JUNE 12th – Feldkirch @ Graf Hugo
JUNE 13th – Erfurt @ Stadtgarten
JUNE 14th – Berlin @ Dazzle Berlin

Mangled by the Machine was released on May 14th via Ripple Music. This already critically-acclaimed album was immediately made available on CD, black vinyl and digital formats. Earlier this week, Ripple Music issued a limited edition (100 copies only) Splatter Vinyl that comes with a signed poster of the album’s original cover concept. To order, visit ripplemusic.bigcartel.com.

A conceptual album that mixes animal aggression and technical precision, APE MACHINE’s Mangled by the Machine carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock’s glorious early years, and infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the pissed-off, protest-minded lyrics lock in with the band’s stone-cold groove, APE MACHINE demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock. A true four-piece, the group has been called real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation that delivers true guts and glory rock and roll. Mangled by the Machine will be available as CD, digital, and vinyl releases. For Fans of: Quicksand, Led Zeppelin, The Sword, Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Jethro Tull, and The Rival Sons.

Ape Machine, Mangled by the Machine (2013)

In 2011, Oslo acid folk rockers Spirits of the Dead marked their arrival with the release of their sophomore outing, The Great God Pan. The follow-up to a 2010 full-length, The Great God Pan (review here) was striking in aesthetic as much in performance, the four-piece showcasing a rare ability throughout to blend classic ideology and modern sonics to both the benefit of the material and any and all ears who might hear it and be tired of the retro cultism and post-Coven candlelit Satanic silliness that so often accompanies.

Happy to say, the forthcoming third release from Spirits of the Dead, Rumours of a Presence follows suit and sees the returning lineup of frontman Ragnar Vikse, guitarist Ole Øvstedal, bassist Kristian Hultgren and drummer Geir Thorstensen keeping to a sense of warm tonality without losing sight of either clarity of sound or purpose. In anything, Rumours of a Presence is even more rock-based than was The Great God Pan. Some of the pagan mentality remains — see the “Dance of the Dead” interlude or the earlier “Golden Sun” — but Spirits of the Dead part ways with some of their folkish roots in favor of classic rock swagger and thematic linearity, the album dealing with mortality and the sea lyrically while tracks like “Wheels of the World” nod at Rush and “Song of Many Reefs” mounts an 8-track ready psychedelic apex.

It’s the latter song that I have the pleasure to premiere today from Rumours of a Presence, which is out June 25 on The End Records in North America. “Song of Many Reefs” offers not only one of Spirits of the Dead‘s most memorable grooves, but also an excellent example of their crisp modern approach, which when combined with Øvstedal‘s classic lead work and the stomp of Hultgren and Thorstensen makes for a potent brew not to be taken lightly.

You can check out the track on the player below, followed by some words from Ragnar Vikse about the song’s origins:

Ragnar Vikse on “Song of Many Reefs”

“Song of Many Reefs” is one of our favorite tracks on the album. We had a clear vision about the first part of the song before we went into the studio, while we left the rest more open and loose to unfold as we were there. Lyrics were also made while we were in the studio. It is a song open for interpretation for everyone, but I would say it’s more or less about a traveler with a highly “driven” desire to travel.

Spirits of the Dead on Thee Facebooks

Album Preorder at The End Records

We all knew it was coming, but Vista Chino, formerly Kyuss Lives! have officially announced that they’ve signed with Napalm Records and will release a new album this fall. The first taste of that record is posted now on their Thee Facebooks page in a studio version of “Dargona Dragona,” previously available as a live clip.

Vista Chino is John Garcia, Brant Bjork, and Bruno Fevery. Curious not to see Nick Oliveri listed in the lineup, but that’s probably a different press release entirely. Behold:

VISTA CHINO Sign to Napalm Records

VISTA CHINO the band formed by John Garcia and Brant Bjork (formerly of Kyuss) have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The album is set for an early fall release. More details, including album title, artwork and track listing will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Vocalist John Garcia said the following:

“Kyuss Lives is now VISTA CHINO!…it feels great just to write that….and to say it out loud, feels even better. Now that our relationship with Napalm Records is official; it’s time to forget about the past year, move forward, and execute our original plan, which was to make kick ass music and tour the world!

Drummer Brant Bjork added:

“We look forward to working with Napalm Records and we anticipate great support in rolling out the VISTA CHINO rock.”

Thomas Caser, Head Of A&R at Napalm Records commented on the signing:

It’s with great pride we announce the signing of VISTA CHINO. After all the band has been through they are ready to rock! We at Napalm Records are thrilled to work with such talented artists and look forward to a long-lasting cooperation!

Today Napalm Records and VISTA CHINO are excited to debut the first song from VISTA CHINO’s highly anticipated first full length album. The song entitled “Dargona, Dragona” is available as an exclusive stream on the VISTA CHINO Facebook Page. When visiting the facebook page, clicking the “like” button will enable the audio.

Rising from the desert sands that birthed Kyuss Lives, VISTA CHINO’s sound is instantly familiar. With the trademark soulful vocals of John Garcia, the songwriting and production of Brant Bjork (drums) and the fuzz-laden riffage of imported guitarist Bruno Fevery, VISTA CHINO’s debut is one of the year’s most anticipated heavy rock albums. A new band born of a storied past, right now it’s about these players playing these songs.

VISTA CHINO’s first North American performance will take place at this year’s “Orion Festival” in Detroit, MI curated by Metallica. VISTA CHINO will play on Sunday June 9th on the “Frantic Stage”. A full North American tour will be announced shortly.

VISTA CHINO Live:
6/9: Detroit, MI @ Orion Festival
7/25: Tienen, Belgium @ Suikerrock
7/26: Feldkirch, Austria @ Poolbar Festival
7/29: Vienna, Austria @ Rock Im Wald Festival
7/31: Pinarella di Cervia, Italy @ Arena
8/3: Lierpop, Holland @ Rock Planet
8/7: Munich, Germany @ Backstage (Free & Easy Festival)
8/8: Geneva, Switzerland @ Usine
8/9: Puttlingen, Germany @ Rocco del Schlako
8/10: Eschwege, Germany @ Open Flair Festival

For More Info Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/VistaChinoMusic
http://www.vistachinomusic.com
http://www.napalmrecords.com

Vista Chino, “Dargona Dragona” Live in Sydney, Feb. 27, 2013

In the two years since, Candlemass‘ Epicus Doomicus Metallicus performance live at Roadburn 2011 has become my go-to example of the kind of thing one finds at the Tilburg-based fest and pretty much nowhere else on earth. To date, the Swedish doom legends’ reunion with vocalist Johan Längqvist is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen at a show, so my question is this: Is it possible to resist the proposition of Candlemass, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus Live at Roadburn 2011 because I don’t want to have to buy it on LP, or is it time to get over the self-imposed embargo, cope with The Patient Mrs.‘s rolled eyes and just get the damn thing? I guess we’ll just have to see where I end up.

Epicus Doomicus Metallicus Live at Roadburn 2011 is due out June 14 on Svart. The PR wire offers considerable temptations:

Today, SVART RECORDS announces June 14th as the international release date for CANDLEMASS’ vinyl-only Epicus Doomicus Metallicus – Live at Roadburn 2011 album. CANDLEMASS’ debut album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is a genre-defining classic if there ever was one – the starting point of modern epic doom metal, even. In 2010 and 2011 CANDLEMASS invited the original Epicus vocalist Johan Längqvist back into the fold for a few select shows celebrating the album’s 25th birthday. This vinyl-only release captures the band performing Epicus Doomicus Metallicus album live at the sold-out Roadburn Festival in Holland, April 2011. Mixed from a professional 32-track recording and mastered vinyl under the supervision of band founder/mainman Leif Edling, this is the ultimate live version of the classic.

The SVART release has the album spread over three sides of vinyl and an etching on side D. The two LPs are wrapped in a gatefold jacket, and the set is available on black or white vinyl. Both versions are limited to 400. Comments Leif Edling: “No volcano could stop us this time to perform the Epicus album at the Roadburn festival in Holland. It was a very special day, filled with great music, incredible fans, and a band that had a lot of fun doing this! After 25 years original, Epicus singer Johan Längqvist is onstage with us to perform something that people say is one of the doom metal classics. And I think we did a pretty good job there at Roadburn. We played well, and the show was a total success! So here it is, CANDLEMASS live at the Roadburn festival…as it was, no overdubs…recorded on 32 channels…a fine slice of legendary doom released on big, fat, double-packed vinyl!”

MORE INFO:
www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords

Candlemass, “Solitude” Live at Roadburn 2011

French fuzz rockers Mars Red Sky will start a five-day run of gigs tonight in Dijon with White Fence before meeting up with Glowsun for a couple nights and playing on the 30th with Dinosaur Jr., which sounds like a cool way to spend an evening in Bordeaux should you happen to be out that way. This run kicks off the trio’s summer of shows in support of the new Be My Guide EP (review here), the rest of the dates for which you can find below, joined by the excellent news that Mars Red Sky will be recording a new full-length in the coming months and that they’re hoping to return to the US for a few West Coast dates later this fall, as well as hit South America for the first time.

As I don’t live in any of those places (perhaps most regrettably Bordeaux), the new record is what has my interest piqued, but take a look at the update the band sent down the PR wire and see where you’re at:

MARS RED SKY – News

Please find some infos about MRS !

- Next Shows :
05.22 DIJON (21) Le Deep Inside with White Fence
05.23 STUTTGART (D) Keller Club with Glowsun
05.24 ST GALLEN (CH) Rümpelturm with Glowsun
05.25 GRIES AM BRENNER (A) Floiten Jam with Glowsun
05.26 GRENOBLE (38) Drak-Art
05.30 BORDEAUX (33) Le Krakatoa with Dinosaur Jr
07.07 AUBANGE (Bel) Festival Wave
07.18 LILLE (59) La Péniche
07.20 WARSAW (PL) Day of Ceremony Festival
08.02 OR 03 STAMSRIED (D) Void Fest
08.10 GEEL (Bel) Yellowstock Festival
08.23 SANTA MARIA DEL PARAMO (SP) Taberna Belfast
08.24 MOLEDO (Pt) Sonic Blast

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband

- We’ll record the new album in a few months and do some shows this next fall in Europe.

- We also working on a tour project in South America and West Coast of the US for end of sept/beg of october.
Feel free to propose / share some cities / clubs / contacts….

- EP Vinyl still available here : http://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/

Mars Red Sky, Be My Guide EP (2013)

Caked in dudely burl and post-Church of Misery riffage, Phoenix, Arizona, sludge rockers Twingiant follow their 2012 full-length, Mass Driver, with the brash dual-guitarisms of the Sin Nombre EP. The five-track collection is self-released and built on cement-solid riffs from guitarists Dave Natkin and Nikos Mixas and the beard-filtered growls of bassist Jarrod LeBlanc, who takes a cut like the shorter “La Haine” and pushes it beyond riff rocking into territory more aggressive, yes, but also more engaging in its stomp, duly punctuated by drummer Jeff Ramon.

Modern stoner metal has produced a number of acts working in a similar vein, but Twingiant prove able to navigate the EP without sounding redundant or losing the listener’s attention, the seven-minute “Cloaked in Black” taking Alabama Thunderpussy-style riffs out of the heartland and into a beating with a later slowdown and Ramon‘s fervent crash, answering back the thud of the opening “Pelisneros,” somewhat friendlier in its initial fuzz and early Down (think “Stone the Crow” in a different, less whiteboy-soul context), with Twingiant‘s angriest blows. I realize there are a couple Southern metal comparison points, but Sin Nombre doesn’t operate entirely in that sphere and it’s the contrast the vocals bring to a cut like “Pelisneros” that makes it harder to classify — the sweet leads and brutal growls playing off each other as the groove takes off and the ensuing “Fossilized” actually winds up working in a similarly creeping atmosphere to some of what New Zealand’s Beastwars were able to bring to their latest work, Blood Becomes Fire, with LeBlanc‘s bass playing an especially prevalent role in the second half of the song amid rasping, guttural growls and swirling leads.

But any way you slice it, Sin Nombre is heavy as hell and it knows it. It was made to be heavy and it turned out to be exactly that. A sample of serial killer/hitman Richard Kuklinski – that’s him talking about hate in the break of “Pelisneros” — only furthers the Church of Misery feel, but closer “Ricky X R.I.P.,” which seems to be a recording of someone (presumably the titlular Ricky X, in whose memory the track is dedicated) doing a radio show — and pretty recently, going by some of what he played — gives a surprisingly poignant end to a release full of ballsy riffs and brash grooving.

You can hear Sin Nombre now as part of the regular rotation on The Obelisk Radio, as well as check it out on the player below, snatched viciously from the Twingiant Bandcamp.

Twingiant, Sin Nombre EP (2013)

Twingiant on Thee Facebooks

Twingiant on Bandcamp

I really, really don’t have a spare grand-plus lying around at this point, but golly that’s a cool lineup posted for Stoned from the Underground this year in Erfurt, Germany. It seems Lowrider‘s reunion — they were a highlight of the London Desertfest in a one-two punch of Swedish awesomeness completed by a set from Dozer immediately following — continues, which is unmistakably good news, and along with the likes of Earthless, Acid King, Troubled Horse, The Gates of Slumber, Pelican and the many others listed below, it seems like it’s going to be a killer weekend July 11-13. The kind of weekend I’d like very much to see, let’s say with a camera and laptop in tow. One of these years, maybe.

Indulge a bit of escapism with me, won’t you?

Welcome to the Mother of all German Stoner Rock Meetings

July 11th , 12th & 13th – Alperstedter Lake near ERFURT

Festival founded in 2001 and located in the very geographical center of Germany, in the area of Erfurt (Thuringen): Stoned From The Underground grew from a one day indoor event with 400 visitors in 2001 to a 3 days outdoor event with 3000 visitors last year !

Located a few kilometers away from the city, in a nest of nature bordered by the Alperstedter Lake, the festival is the perfect location for a very first relaxing summer weekend !

Whether you want to sit in the grass, puffing up clouds of smoke, sipping a beer while checking out the best Rock & Stoner acts of the moment,

Or whether you want to chill out laying on your belly on the sand of the beach with your toes cooling down in Lake’s water…..

STONED FROM THE UNDERGROUND is the place where all your dreams will come true.

LINE- UP 2013:
EARTHLESS ( Usa)
MUSTASCH (Swe)
POTHEAD (Ger)

TRUCKFIGHTERS (Swe)
THE GATES OF SLUMBER (Usa)
BEEN OBSCENE (At)
LOWRIDER (Swe)
HORISONT(Swe)
TROUBLED HORSE (Swe)
ISOPTERA (Ger)
LORD VICAR (Fin)
MIRROR QUEEN (Usa)
ACID KING (Usa)
PELICAN (Usa)
THE OPERATORS (Ger)
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX (Usa)
FIVE HORSE JOHNSON (Usa)
SARDONIS (Bel)
HYNE (Ger)
DEVILLE (Swe)
BLACK BOMBAIM (Por)
HERKULES PROPAGANDA (Ger)
TRECKER (Ger)

Stoned from the Underground 2013 Trailer

In addition to performing as the headlining act with The Obsessed, Wino joined Conny Ochs last September at the 2012 South of Mainstream fest for a set of material from their Heavy Kingdom album, released earlier in the year. That they’d appear at the German fest is only fitting – Wino & Conny Ochs‘ Heavy Kingdom came out on Exile on Mainstream, the imprint which also curates the festival, and it was the label that brought the two together for a tour in the first place, when Wino was out in Europe supporting his Adrift solo acoustic debut. Alongside labelmates Black Shape of Nexus, Darsombra, Stinking Lizaveta and many others, the duo took part in an eclectic three-day happening that, by all the accounts that I’ve seen, lived up to its name. Right on.

By the time they played “Crystal Madonna” on Sept. 7 at South of Mainstream, Wino & Conny Ochs had already given the new song — that is, written after the release of Heavy Kingdom or at very least not included on the album — considerable road time on their US tour. They played it when I saw them in Brooklyn, and its ultra-moody vibe was certainly palpable then. It would seem the couple weeks since that gig didn’t diminish the spirit of the song any, if the video of the South of Mainstream performance is anything to go by. The sound is just a little blown out — just a little — but especially in washed out black and white, both the classic songwriting and the depressive spirit of the piece really shine through. I heard rumors kicking around not too long ago of a second Wino & Conny Ochs album, and hopefully that materializes sooner or later. If this is a look at what a sophomore outing might entail, it seems like a worthy undertaking.

Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Wino & Conny Ochs, “Crystal Madonna” Live at South of Mainstream 2012

I ask you, who among us has not awoken in the woods and been compelled by strange forces to build a stone circle and, behooded, take a quick nap within it? Also, it happens in black and white? Brooklyn-based experimental solo act Insect Ark – being the nom de drone of Dana Schechter of Bee and Flower – have recently unveiled a new video chronicling this very phenomenon for the title-track of the new Insect Ark EP, Long Arms.

Long Arms is out via Geweih Ritual Documents on hand screened 10″ vinyl and available for streaming on the Insect Ark Bandcamp. The clip for “Long Arms” was directed by Chris Carlone and — I’ll be darned — here it is:

Insect Ark, “Long Arms” official video

Well, this is good news:

RED FANG ANNOUNCE THIRD STUDIO ALBUM OUT THIS FALL VIA RELAPSE RECORDS

RED FANG return this fall with their as-yet-untitled third studio album on Relapse Records. The Portland-based group is currently in the studio finishing the disc with the producer Chris Funk (Decemberists) and mixer Vance Powell (White Stripes, Raconteurs, Kings of Leon). This same team worked on RED FANG’s last album Murder the Mountains, tagged by NPR as “a sleeker style of riff-heavy metal” (April 2011) and Alternative Press magazine as “a near masterpiece of tangled tar pit riffs and whisky-and-bong-hit vocals” (April 2011).

“We’re hyper excited about this new album. The basic tracks are like rabid monkeys we’re wrangling at Type Foundry in our hometown of Portland, OR. Producer Chris Funk has almost been amputated twice. Surprise guests abound! We’re in the final moments before all systems are go on this sucker. Dig people!” -Red Fang

On Friday, May 24th, RED FANG will head to the picturesque Gorge Amphitheater outside Seattle for their first festival appearance this year at Sasquatch! The band will then hit the road for European trek through mid July with festival stops at Sonisphere, Download, Hellfest, Reload, Full Force, Open Air and Eistenaflug among others. Expect the group to announce a full U.S. run for late summer.

Formed in 2005, RED FANG–Bryan Giles (Guitar/Vocals), Aaron Beam (Bass/Vocals), David Sullivan (Guitar), John Sherman (Drums)–has two albums under their belt: their 2009 self-titled debut on Sargent House and 2011’s Murder the Mountains on Relapse Records. Listen to both of the above albums streaming on www.redfang.bandcamp.com.

The band spent the past few years touring the world and wining over audiences at clubs and festivals like All Tomorrow’s Parties, Rock on the Range, Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival and Metallica’s Orion Music & More Fest. After more high-profile tours with Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Helmet, Saint Vitus and more, the band expanded their global footprint with a European trek and festival appearances across the continent. 2013 promises to be the biggest year yet for the Portland, OR-based group who show no signs of slowing down. Their intense live performances–along with their unique brand of humor, catchy songwriting and independent attitude–are sure to turn a few heads in 2013 and beyond.

Red Fang, Murder the Mountains (2011)

Almost nothing is certain, and when it comes to doubly-drummed Georgian progressive sludgers Kylesa, even less than that. Yet when it comes to approaching their sixth full-length and second for Season of Mist, the 11-track Ultraviolet — or really any new Kylesa album — the one thing the listener can be sure of going into it is that it will be a step beyond its predecessor. At this point, I don’t think the band would release a record that wasn’t. Ultraviolet‘s predecessor was 2010′s Spiral Shadow (review here), which changed their course from jagged, crunching sludge to a more smoothed out and progressive sound — a shift that they’d built toward on 2009′s Static Tensions (review here) in some ways but come nowhere near materializing as completely — and one that, as ever, divided their fanbase into those who could get on board and those who couldn’t. This seems to happen on a nearly per-album basis with the Savannah natives.

While we’re talking about expectation, I’d anticipate no less for Ultraviolet in the long run, but Kylesa have never had a problem picking up new fans along the way to fill the spots of those who couldn’t get past one period or another of their ongoing progression; they’ve maintained a reputation as a hard-touring band for years and rightly so. Rooted in the work of guitarists/vocalists Phillip Cope (also theremin and production) and Laura Pleasants, there are consistencies of sound to be heard between full-lengths, and sure enough between Spiral Shadow and Ultraviolet as well, but save for very few moments throughout the latest, the band would be all but unrecognizable to anyone who jumped from 2005′s To Walk a Middle Course or 2006′s Time Will Fuse its Worth right to it, and no doubt that’s the intent: Progress. Joined by drummers Carl McGinley and Eric Hernandez and bassist Chase Rudeseal (the latter of whom may or may not have actually played on the recording), Pleasants and Cope have never failed to draw a distinct line from one outing to the next, and though it’s an outgrowth of elements from Spiral Shadow like the pop hook of “Don’t Look Back” or the dreamy ambience underlying “To Forget,” that’s no less true of Ultraviolet than it has ever been.

Single-word titles on five of the 11 cuts on the 39-minute album — namely opening trio “Exhale,” “Unspoken,” “Grounded,” and closing duo “Quicksand” and “Drifting” — would seem to hint at some stripped-down sensibility or simplicity of approach, but the fact is Kylesa have never been so melodically switched on or engaged. Cope and Pleasants trade vocal parts immediately and effectively on the insistently-riffed “Exhale,” chugging distortion creating a jabbing tension topped by call and response shouts before a swirl takes hold that the drums(s) underscore with a thud less frantic than it has been in the past, but still indicative of two players at work. I suppose on a structural level, Ultraviolet‘s opening salvo is somewhat simplified, but the atmosphere becomes more complex as “Unspoken” opens with subdued guitar and a wash of effects, Cope coming in as the song kicks off with a semi-spoken line that Pleasants — whose ascent as a vocalist continues unabated — answers back with layered melodies. The most memorable stretches of Ultraviolet are still to come, but the momentum “Unspoken” helps create and its prog-toned guitar solo in the second half act as a precursor to some of the album’s most intriguing moments, giving way to the familiar winding structure of “Grounded”‘s central riff, readily accessible to anyone who’s followed the post-Mastodon course of Southern US heavy metal, Pleasants handling the verse and Cope taking what probably would be the ensuing chorus if it was ever repeated. Instead, they build on the instrumental for a bit and round out with layers of Pleasants‘ vocals, ending with just her voice to set up the shift to the more thickly toned and aggressive “We’re Taking This.”

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The only thing I don’t get about the new video for the title-track of Dead Rock Commandos — the 2012 Small Stone debut from long-running Greek rockers Nightstalker — is the kidnapping. Okay, so Nightstalker are getting chased through the woods by mysterious gasmasked paramilitary forces. I got that. But then they get kidnapped, the hoods over their heads and the whole bit, and marched single-file to an also-mysterious white room with instruments… and they start rocking out.

So the part I don’t get is, weren’t Nightstalker going to rock out anyway? Why would these commandos need to bring them into this room? And what is the room? Could it be that the volume from their heavy riffing output is being harvested to power some kind of sinister death ray? Or worse, that Nightstalker are being set up as some kind of exhibit in a terrible post-apocalyptic rock and roll zoo? Truly, there are many questions still to be answered.

What’s way clearer in watching “Dead Rock Commandos” is that Nightstalker have the stoner thing on lockdown. The video premiered today, and Nightstalker will bring the rock directly to the people starting May 31 with Ape Machine supporting. Dates follow the clip below:

Nightstalker, “Dead Rock Commandos” official video

Including an appearance at the 2013 Freak Valley Festival, Nightstalker will be heading out on a European tour in support of 2012′s Dead Rock Commandos. The ultra-catchy riff-fest was released by Small Stone last year and found the long-running Athens outfit right at home in classic heavy fuzz ‘n’ roll.

Nightstalker tour dates:
May 31 Munster, DE Rare Guitar
Jun 1 Netphen, DE Freak Valley Festival
Jun 2 Antwerpen, BE Antwerpen Music City
Jun 4 Paris, FR Les Combustibles
Jun 5 Leuven, BE Rockbar
Jun 6 Wild Rover Aachen, DE
Jun 7 Hasselt, BE Carpe Diem
Jun 8 Wurzburg, DE Immerhin
Jun 9 Salzburg, AT Rockhouse
Jun 11 St. Gallen, CH Rumpeltum
Jun 12 Feldkirch, AT Graf Hugo
Jun 13 Erfurt, DE Stadtgarten
Jun 14 Berlin, DE White Trash

In addition to the launch of a new album, Across Tundras also mark the launch of a new label with the forthcoming/already-out Electric Relics. The Nashville harvest rockers have made the full-length available for streaming via their Bandcamp page (which is, as I recently discovered, something of a treasure trove) and will issue it on 180 gram vinyl next month as the first release on their new label, also called Electric Relics.

The last Across Tundras album was 2011′s Sage (review here), which was released by Neurot, and in March, the band also released a split with like-minded Illinois outfit Lark’s Tongue (streaming here). Here’s news and the stream of the latest:

ACROSS TUNDRAS To Release New LP On Band’s Own Label

Western U.S. Tour With Hellbender Confirmed

Following their lauded Sage album, released in 2011 by Neurot Recordings, the new LP from Nashville trio ACROSS TUNDRAS is set for harvest on the band’s newly founded D.I.Y. label.

On the new LP Electric Relics, ACROSS TUNDRAS take their ever-expanding style of modern Americana further into the same westerly direction they’ve been traversing for the past few years, organically fusing their swells of post-doom into Spaghetti Western soundtracks and meandering blues/rock jam sessions. A wide variety of sounds seamlessly mingle throughout the slow motion base founding guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tanner Olson, percussionist Casey Perry and bassist/vocalist Mikey Allred (Hellbender) lay down, Allred also contributing pianos/organs, synthesizers, mellotron, trombone and more, and his brother Joey (Hellbender) contributing guest slide guitar and vocals. Additionally, Perry hand constructed the scale model landscape for the cover art, with Olson handling the graphic design and layout. ACROSS TUNDRAS recorded Electric Relics at their expansive Ramble Hill Farm in February, and is releasing it on their own label of the same name, making it a fully self-managed D.I.Y. release.

As the band states: “Electric Relics is our humble offering placed at the crossroads of past, present, and future tense. Age-old energies and three phase electric power intersect to reveal hidden truths of bygone times, modern mysticisms, and sound the alarm for uncertain days to come. We walk through this shadowy land in search of a spark to light the fire and illuminate the depths of consciousness.”

Electric Relics is available for free/name-your-price download now via Bandcamp, where orders for the deluxe vinyl edition — being pressed on 180-gram virgin vinyl and bearing gatefold jackets — can also be placed.

In support of the album, ACROSS TUNDRAS are hooking up with their cohorts in Hellbender for a Western U.S. tour, kicking off with a hometown show on June 6th and winding out through the West Coast and back through the Midwestern states.

ACROSS TUNDRAS Western USA Tour w/ Hellbender:
6/06 The Groove – Nashville, TN
6/07 3 Angels – Memphis, TN w/ Tanks
6/08 The Conservatory – Oklahoma, City, OK w/ We the Undead
6/09 Synchro Studios – Albuquerque, NM w/ Shiva
6/10 The District – Tucson, AZ w/ Psygoat
6/11 Palo Verde – Phoenix, AZ w/ Sorxe
6/12 Five Star Bar – Los Angeles, CA w/ The Withers, Arms of Tripoli
6/13 Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA w/ Name
6/14 Casa Da Chaos – Sacramento, CA
6/15 Herb Stomp – Portland, OR w/ Rolling Through the Universe, Hungers
6/16 Highline – Seattle, WA w/ Lightning Kills Eagle, Scriptures
6/17 Tiny Tavern – Eugene, OR w/ Rivers of Mercury, Opossum Head
6/18 TBA/HELP – Northern CA
6/19 Jub Jubs – Reno, NV
6/20 Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT w/ Before the Eyewall, Dwellers
6/21 TBA/HELP – Denver, CO
6/22 The Lulu House – Wichita, KS w/ Serpent Overlord

Electric Relics Track Listing:
1. Pining for the Gravel Roads
2. Den of Poison Snakes
3. Kiln of the First Flame
4. Driftless Caravan
5. Seasick Serenade
6. Castaway
7. Solar Ark
8. Unfortunate Son

ACROSS TUNDRAS:
Tanner Olson – guitars, vocals, drones, lyrics
Casey Perry – drums, percussion
Mikey Allred – bass, vocals, piano, organ, synthesizers, mellotron, trombone
Joey Allred – slide guitar on “Solar Ark”, vocals on “Unfortunate Son”

http://www.acrosstundras.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ACROSS-TUNDRAS/67862323857
http://acrosstundras.blogspot.com
http://acrosstundras.bigcartel.com

Across Tundras, Electric Relics (2013)