The PR wire has gone international, it seems, and that rules because it only just occurred to me the other day that, potentially, there are people reading this site not in the greater Jersey area. Jukka Hätinen, organizer of the Psychotropic Caravan sent over a press release about the second installment of the festival, set to take place in Helsinki, Finland, in February 2010 (that’s the future!) with none other than the British bastards of doom Orange Goblin headlining. Looks like it could be a pretty cool gathering, so I figured I’d share the news. One assumes updates will be available at the fest’s MySpace going forward. Meantime, here’s this:

The first and nearly sold out Psychotropic Caravan was held at Nosturi in February 2009, featuring live performances from Circle, Lord Vicar, Vibravoid and Dark Buddha Rising. The next festival celebrating heavy and psychedelic music will be held on Saturday the 6th of February 2010 with Orange Goblin, The Heads, Litmus and Pharaoh Overlord as the main acts.

The headliner for Psychotropic Caravan II is the stoner rock/biker doom act Orange Goblin. The psychedelic fuzz rock band The Heads and Rise Above Records’ 21st century space rock elite Litmus play in Finland for the first time. Pharaoh Overlord consists of members of Circle and play hypnotic stoner rock.

Temples, Mr. Peter Hayden and Tuliterä will play at bar Alakerta on the ground floor of the venue in between the main stage bands. Psychedelic visuals and cosmic projections will blow your mind on both floors. Psych rock fest veteran DJ Kozmik Ken will spin vinyl at Nosturi, while Psychotropic Zone and Club Planet Caravan DJs are present at Alakerta.

Psychotropic Caravan II Warm-Up is on Friday the 5^th of February at Alakerta. Big Naturals – a loud psych rock duo – and Semtex – green smoke reeking sludge – play gigs and the night culminates in an Open Stage Deep Space Jam Session.

Merchandise and distros will be present on both evenings.

Tickets for Saturday are 26 €, pre-sold at Tiketti (www.tiketti.fi) and Lippupalvelu (www.lippupalvelu.fi). Warm-Up tickets are 7 € and pre-sold at Tiketti. Pre-sales start on Wednesday December 2^nd. The age limit for the festival is 18.

Psychotropic Caravan II
Sat 6.2.2010 19:00
Nosturi & Alakerta
26 €

Orange Goblin (UK)
The Heads (UK)
Litmus (UK)
Pharaoh Overlord
Mr. Peter Hayden
Tuliterä
Temples

Psychotropic Caravan II Warm-Up
Fri 5.2.2010 20:00
Alakerta
7 €

Big Naturals (UK)
Semtex
Open Stage Deep Space Jam Session

In a word: Ballsy.

As much as I’ve tried to come up with other descriptors for Hour of the Wolf, the self-released (through their own Midnight Dreams Productions) full-length debut from New York’s The Resurrection Sorrow, they all boil down to the same thing. This is testosterone driven doom rock that stands out like a high five across the table at a fancy restaurant. Think C.O.C., BLS, Crowbar, some Borgo Pass-style sludge, etc. So yeah, like I said: ballsy.

Bassist Alex Coelho (Tides Within) and vocalist Alex Dementia (After Dark) form the songwriting core of the band, and work tightly together. There is rarely a moment wasted on Hour of the Wolf; a well-suited straightforward approach gives the album an aggressive feel without being silly losing focus. The catchy opener, “Resurrect the Sorrow,” walks a thin line between heaviness and accessibility that makes it clear audience is a consideration for The Resurrection Sorrow, however there is no real pandering to be found there or elsewhere. Likewise, “Buried Dreams” and slower-paced later cut “Plague of the Dying Sun” don’t feel dumbed down or like they should be doing more than they are. They’re well-written pop songs, and they accomplish everything they should on that level.

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After the stink I made when my first copy of Slayer’s World Painted Blood was stolen out of my mail, a review of the album seems the least I can do since Columbia was kind enough to send over another watermarked copy. Even if the review is about a month late. To whatever bastard took that original, first off, thanks for not ripping it and spreading it online, second, screw you anyway and third, I hope you got as much of a kick as I did out of the medical waste bag the disc came in.

World Painted Blood is Slayer’s 11th full-length studio album, and finds the original Bay Area thrashers working well within their element while adding just enough of the (relatively) unexpected to keep things interesting for themselves and anyone in their fanbase who might want to see them step outside their prescribed formula. The opening title track, for instance, shows some signs that the songwriting might be trying to reach beyond the fast-as-hell riffing and soloing. There’s a surprising amount of melody and the general feel more of a Slayer closing track, especially since at 5:53 it’s the longest song the band has put on a record since the title cut of Seasons in the Abyss in 1990.

If there’s one thing Slayer are at this point, though, it’s aware of what’s expected of them. They are workman metallers in the sense that they deliver what the fans want and offer their progressions almost on the sly. While “World Painted Blood” is surprising in how up-front it is ideologically and in its actual placement, “Unit 731” is not much more than an affirmation of Slayer’s influential and long-established methodology. This is the case for several of the cuts throughout, where it’s “Slayer being Slayer.” “Snuff,” the catchier, faster third track, does little to innovate, but satisfies on the grounds that it’s got Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King solos, psychotic Dave Lombardo drumming and Tom Araya’s vocals. It’s cookie cutter, but nearly 30 years later, it’s also still pretty badass.

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Yeah, I know a bunch of videos just went up on Wednesday, but that was pre-Thanksgiving, and this is post-Thanksgiving. Plus, it’s Friday, and I’m trying to work up a tradition here. Anyway, this week we’ve got L.A. rock bringers Sasquatch live at Harper’s Bar and Grill. No, I don’t know where that is, but the band will have a new album out next year on Small Stone. And the video rules. Good for anyone still so full from last night’s dinner that they feel like they can’t move. Yes, I mean me. Gonna go take a nap. Hope the weekend brings recovery.

One has to assume that newborn UK stoner jammers Wiht pronounce their name “white,” like the color, though to my eyes the way they spell it looks more like it should be “wit.” Throw a ‘g’ in there and you might get Wight, which works, but looks kind of silly. Come to think of it, so does Wiht.

But whatever. They’ve got a logo, a guitarist, drummer, bass player and a few rough sample recordings on their MySpace page, ergo they are a band. And a riffy instrumental one, too. Chris Wayper, Rick Contini and Joe Hall (guitar, drums and bass, respectively) don’t screw around with adding flash to their songs and they don’t bother with vocals. Wayper’s guitar leads the charge, and Contini and Hall keep up ably across the MySpace tracks, dooming out on “Into Ruin,” stoning it up on “…And the Thunder Rolls” (let’s assume that’s not a Garth Brooks reference) and adding some appropriate largess to “Vasta.”

Things are almost a little too by the book in listening to these samples, but I don’t doubt Wiht are doing it with conviction. They don’t have CDs available yet, but they’re working on it. In the meantime, judging by what they’ve got on offer so far, they’re probably worth keeping on the radar.

Whilst trolling the StonerRock.com message boards, I came upon the following update from guitarist Brian Harshaw of Fort Worth, Texas, rockers Orthodox Fuzz. When last I checked in on them, they were looking for a singer and drummer. Guess they got that all worked out.

New song called “Black Goat” has been uploaded to the MySpace site, we still want to mix this a bit more but its getting close. Also, a new recording (with new vocalist and drummer) of an old tune called “Don’t Preach.” I left the original up there for comparison.

Anyone in the DFW area who wants to catch Orthodox Fuzz live can do so tonight, Nov. 27, at O’Riley’s. It’s their first gig with the new lineup. Here’s the flier:

The UK has a long, storied love affair with blues-based rock and roll, and stepping right in line with the tradition are Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, a passionately independent trio from St. Albans whose latest full-length, Movin’ On, was recently reviewed here. Comprised of Pete “Trippy Pierre” Holland on guitar/vocals, Dicky King on bass and Chris West on drums, Trippy Wicked harnesses a totally live feel on record while balancing it with clarity of sound and a modern production. Similar to the criminally underappreciated Shovelhead, the dynamic between the three players is as much a part of their sound as the guitar tone.

West was kind enough to take time and field some questions via email about the band, their experience recording at Chuckalumba Studios (Electric Wizard), self-releasing albums in the digital age and bringing the blues into a heavy context. Q&A, as ever, is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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It is hour three of a football game about which you couldn’t care less if they paid you. Your family is just approaching the line of intoxicated where the passive aggression is activated. Your little cousin has just asked you where he or she can score some pot. You were hopeful this year would be different. You need an escape.

Suddenly, you remember The Obelisk posted a buttload of videos for just such an occasion, called it a “Pre-Thanksgiving Media Blitz,” figuring that maybe on this most familial of holidays, heads might need a break from everything, if only for a couple minutes. And is there a better way to spend that break than watching high quality live videos from Kyuss, Dozer, Colour Haze, Alabama Thunderpussy, Dixie Witch, Black Pyramid and — for those whose day is even a little more stressful — Acid Bath? You’ve already hid out in the bathroom long enough to do all the crossword puzzles in that book. Relax and enjoy the entertainment. At least catch your breath.

Truth be told, this is as much for me as it is for any of you who might see the benefit of it. Being the pajama-clad social misfit I am, even the thought of bringing my family together with that of The Patient Mrs. is enough to make me want to crawl into a hole. I fully anticipate excusing myself from the before-dinner goings on to come upstairs and watch at least one of these clips. And to make it holiday-special, I tried to find the best quality stuff I could. The Colour Haze video from DunaJam alone gives me a sense of inner peace, which I anticipate needing on Thanksgiving as much as another glass of wine.

If you’re like me (and if not, congratulations on your well-adjustedness), please enjoy the videos after the jump and remember, no matter what the tv tells you, you don’t actually have to get up at five in the morning to go shopping at Target.

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There is an entire contingent in front of whom you can’t even mention the words “stoner rock” without their immediately saying back, “Monster Magnet.” And for good reason. For two decades, the Red Bank outfit have blazed a trail through all things drugged-out and Satanic (you either would or wouldn’t understand), with ups and downs for sure, but the Monster Magnet brand of rock and roll seems as strong as ever, as this pilfered news from Blabbermouth proves:

Monster Magnet has inked a new worldwide deal with Austria’s Napalm Records. The band will enter the studio in January with producer Matt Hyde to begin recording its new album for a summer 2010 release.

Commented frontman Dave Wyndorf: “I’m really looking forward to joining the roster at Napalm Records and working with them on future endeavors.” Markus Riedler, Napalm Records managing director, added, “It is an honor to cooperate with a scene icon such as Dave Wyndorf! He’s very enthusiastic, full of energy and together we want to rock through the coming years! The new album will be killer and fans should make sure to check out the high-energy live show of the band! 2010 will be the year of Monster Magnet!”

Earlier today, I thought to myself, “Gee, you know, I haven’t heard anything about a ridiculous amount of Clutch releases in a while.” Then, wouldn’t you know it, I come home this evening and sitting on the floor from the PR wire (because, oh yes, the PR wire is a ticker tape machine and definitely not an email inbox) is notification that the seminal Maryland blues rockers are planning digital and physical reissues of their three DRT Entertainment albums through their Weathermaker Music label, a new live DVD and special edition vinyls of, well, a ton of stuff. All for the best. We wouldn’t want the band to sit still for five minutes, now would we?

Here’s the info:

On December 15th, Clutch will issue a double vinyl package of their latest studio effort Strange Cousins from the West through the band’s self owned label Weathermaker Music. This vinyl edition will feature two tracks that cannot be found on the CD version. The first is the recently recorded “Metroliner Special” and the second is an extended version of the band’s latest single and video, “50,000 Unstoppable Watts.” The first 4,000 pieces of Strange Cousins from the West vinyl will include a coupon for a free digital download of all 12 songs through the band’s website, www.pro-rock.com.

Also this Fall, Weathermaker will make available for digital purchase, the former DRT Entertainment catalog which includes Blast Tyrant (2004), Robot Hive/Exodus (2005) and From Beale Street to Oblivion (2007). Weathermaker plans to reissue all three of these in 2010 with a heavy dose of bonus material. Double vinyl packages are in the works for these as well.

For now, look for the digital release of Robot Hive/Exodus on November 30th to be followed by Blast Tyrant on December 18th. Due to the high amount of digital demand for the band’s 2007 single “Electric Worry,” Weathermaker has already issued From Beale Street to Oblivion on November 7th to coincide with the song’s inclusion in the popular video game Left 4 Dead 2 and its television commercial.

To end 2009, Clutch will headline shows in Washington DC, Sayerville, NJ, Charlotte, NC, Boston, MA and Albany, NY. These concerts will be filmed by producer and director extraordinaire Agent Ogden and featured on the Strange Cousins from the West DVD package to be released in the spring of 2010.

Fact: You don’t release eight records independently on your own label if you don’t believe in what you’re doing. Palm Springs, California, real-deal desert rockers Dali’s Llama have done just that, with Raw is Real serving as the latest in a long line and taking a somewhat darker approach than other recent offerings. The album continues Dali’s Llama’s production relationship with Scott Reeder (The Obsessed, Kyuss), who helmed last year’s Full on Dunes and 2007’s Sweet Sludge, and the two entities seem more in step than ever before.

Prior to issuing the album, Dali’s Llama guitarist/vocalist Zach Huskey posited that it was their heaviest yet and (as noted above) darker as well. While I only have the last couple to compare it to, Raw is Real definitely lives up to its name, more ideologically than sonically — it sounds clean but there is a cynical bite to the lyrics of songs like “Theocracy” and the punkish “Grump” that, political or not, adds thematic heft to the proceedings and stands the album out among its predecessors. Dali’s Llama aren’t the first to politicize stoner music to the extent they do so, but within the context of their work and in particular this record, there is a refreshing amount of honesty and forthrightness coming out in these songs. Hey, raw is real, right?

Regarding Reeder’s production, there are moments on Raw is Real that feel flat and moments that positively sizzle. When the guitar solo kicks in on “Hell No,” for example, it’s as though the album has come to life. Likewise, the opening riffs of later cuts “Syphilization” (love the count in with the snare — very death metal) and “Blackout” are prime grooves, highlighted with Huskey and Joe Dillon’s guitars up in the mix, whereas even on the opening title vibe is there but not as palpable. It works for the more mellow, sweet tones of “Always” (a mid-album favorite), but the ending movement in “Eve’s Navel” is begging to stand out more than it does. This is a minor, easy-to-get-used-to gripe, but worthy of note, nonetheless.

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The below has literally nothing to do with stoner rock or doom, but I was asked to post it and I hate the thought of people showing up to the wrong venue in a big city like Los Angeles to see a show, especially because it’s an experience I’ve had myself. I’ll tell you all about it some other time. For now, this came in via the PR wire:

The US Plague Tour, featuring Marduk, Nachtmystium, Black Anvil, Mantic Ritual, and Merrimack that was scheduled to stop at the Key Club on Friday, December 4th, has been moved, due to the Key Club closing it doors to re-model. The new location for the show is the Salon Royal (Royal Hall) in downtown, located at 8637 South Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90002. Parking is provided, with an entrance through the “Steel and Lube” entrance.

A statement from Jordan of Church of the 8th Day, the promoters for the show:

“Since everyone has been asking, what and where the Royal Hall is, I wanted to explain, and send something out to clear things up. The Key Club canceled the show, about two weeks ago, leaving us just a few weeks to move it. Since we had two stages’ worth of bands booked, it was near impossible to move the show to anywhere in Hollywood, at a reputable club, as everything was already booked. We found a place in downtown, which is a banquet hall, and we are going to build it into a venue from the ground up, with two full stages and great sound, full bar, and a BBQ. There have been numerous events held there, including the Bestial Legion Fest. If you purchased tickets through one of the local bands, your tickets will still be valid at the new venue. If you purchased your tickets through TicketMaster, you should be receiving your refund any day. The Key Club said they will be issuing refunds, but they haven’t been responding to us about the progress of it, so if you’d like to call and find out, go ahead. You can now purchase tickets exclusively through our new ticketing website, 8thDayTix.com. We’re sorry about the confusion, and hope to see everyone there. More information can be found at churchofthe8thday.com.”

I can’t figure out why none of the myriad stoner indies out there has jumped on Berlin’s heavy psych rockers Samsara Blues Experiment. The German four-piece have recorded their first full-length, Long-Distance Trip, and sent it over for some preview-type listening, and especially coming off the heels of their two-song demo — which itself was nothing to scoff at — it’s got the kind of trance inducing stoner feel that one would think labels would be all over. Tee Pee? MeteorCity? Hell, even Elektrohasch (although that one might even be too obvious)? These guys toured the West Coast of the US on their own dime! Far worse has been signed for far less. Won’t someone give a quality band a home?

The two tracks from the demo, “Singata Mystic Queen” and “Double Freedom” show up here, the latter closing the album with a stunning 22-minute sprawl and the former serving as the opening movement. Samsara Blues Experiment, like Los Sounds de Krauts-era Colour Haze before them, are just beginning to explore where they can go with their jams, utilizing both heavy riffing and mellow noodling to establish a flow both within each track and one to the next. Long-Distance Trip’s greatest asset might be its ability to pull listeners in and surround them with its encompassing feel. There’s nothing pretentious in it; these dudes are just having a good time and inviting you to trip out with them.

Long solos, wah guitar, adaptable drumming and sparse, far off vocals permeate the 13-plus minutes of “Center of the Sun,” but Samsara Blues Experiment have more on offer than extended psych jams and apex builds. Shorter instrumental tracks “Army of Ignorance” and “Wheel of Life” serve as a respite from the longer material, spaced throughout Long-Distance Trip as if to provide the listener some breathing room. Both also take a slightly different approach musically, “Army of Ignorance” beginning with a doomier, darker riff and “Wheel of Life,” by contrast, offering four and a half minutes of acoustic guitar warmth. These two pieces help establish Samsara Blues Experiment as a band whose breadth is just beginning to show itself. They never take a turn that’s out of place and there isn’t much on Long-Distance Trip that bends the genre or remakes it in its own image, but if that’s a requirement for stoner rock, there’s a lot of acts out there who need to take a second look at what they’re doing.

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You know, it probably should have occurred to me before, but I just didn’t think about it. Ireland’s Mourning Beloveth first came to my attention after reading an interview a while back, and I never put two and two together (you’d think I’d be used to that by now). Mourning Beloveth — My Dying Bride?? It’s pretty much the same shit.

I was at my favorite NYC shop, Generation Records, and grabbed the 2006 Grau Records reissue of Mourning Beloveth’s Dust (2001) basically because I was curious. Whether I actively wanted it is up for debate, but times are tough, and if you’re gonna go into a record store — especially a good one — the least you can do is buy something. Maybe that way they won’t all go out of business.

Whenever it was between then and now that I finally put on Dust for the first time, I literally laughed out loud at how much it sounded like My Dying Bride. Hey, I’m all for the melancholic Euro-doom sound, but this was over the top. Mourning Beloveth has put out three records since, including last year’s A Disease for the Ages, so I won’t profess to knowing how they’ve developed over the course of this decade, but it was uncanny. From the woeful progressions to the hyper-dramatized poetry reading vocals, it was The Dreadful Hours all over again.

And then, finally, I got it. Beloveth equals Bride. She’s already dead, so instead of My Dying, you’re already in Mourning. I don’t know if this is clever on the part of the band, or if they did it on purpose, or if they were just hoping no one would pick up on it. All I know is if it was their intent to sound just like My Dying Bride when they started out, they certainly accomplished that. And even though Mourning Beloveth allegedly formed in 1992 (their first demo wouldn’t come until four years later), that doesn’t mean MDB couldn’t have influenced them as they went along. If anything, all that says is they had more time to hone their own sound and they didn’t.

Again, not saying they couldn’t have become something wholly different in the years since. I genuinely wouldn’t know since I haven’t heard the records. Just saying that I probably should have put a little more thought into contextualizing the name Mourning Beloveth before I bought the album. Six bucks I won’t see again. Hindsight is… something or other.

Personally, I might have stopped booking for Roadburn 2010 after the Goatsnake reunion. That would be enough for me. Then the following dialog could take place between the two sides of my brain:

“Hey, I’ve got a four day festival going on.”
“Oh yeah, who’s playing?”
“Goatsnake.”
“Killer! Anyone else?”
“Nope, just Goatsnake.”
“Well, what are you gonna do for the rest of the four days?”
“Umm, it’s Goatsnake. Who the hell cares?”
“Awesome, see you there.”

And… scene. Fortunately for heads the world over, though, Roadburn organizer Walter is much better at putting together festivals than I would be. And though it’s looking less and less likely that I’m going to be able to make it to 013 two years in a row (The Patient Mrs. has more or less issued a kybosh directive), I’m still pretty psyched for all the goings on in Tilburg next April. A batch of new bands have been announced. Here’s the story from Blabbermouth:

Seminal New Orleans, Louisiana, sludge-legends Eyehategod, along with Outlaw Order and Jarboe, have been added to the Roadburn festival lineup on Thursday, April 15, 2010. In addition, Soilent Green and Sourvein have been confirmed for Roadburn’s special Afterburner event on Sunday, April 18, at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.

In other news, seminal doom legends Death Row will be part of the Roadburn festival lineup on Friday, April 16. Victor Griffin, Joe Hasselvander and Marty Swaney are bringing Death Row back heavier than ever. But this time they’re leaving the elements of deception behind… the darker images, which to some degree blinded them, and tore them apart time and again from the inside out.

Unfortunately, this reformation of Death Row will be without Bobby Liebling. “Parts of the past have certainly left scars on some of us that have yet to heal. Until then, we move forward with best wishes and prayers for Bobby’s success in Pentagram, and in his personal life,” says Victor Griffin. “What you get from this Death Row will be the same true-to-heart heaviness you expect. Songs written during the formative years by Griffin will comprise most of the set list, along with songs penned by Joe, Victor and co-written with Bobby, such as “The Ghoul” and “All Your Sins,” which feature lyrics by Liebling.