Posted in audiObelisk on May 27th, 2011 by JJ Koczan
As ever, I thank Walter and the Roadburn crew for their generosity in allowing me to host the links to the official streams from Roadburn 2011. As we Americans get ready to celebrate Memorial Day, I can think of few better complements for a barbecue than The Machine‘s Hendrixian take on heavy jamming, or, as the evening wears on, drinks are imbibed and fists are raised in triumph, Black Pyramid‘s doomy gallop. And, of course, just in case the universe comes to a crashing end (as my work email account just did), there’s Ufomammut playing Eve in its entirety for sonic complement. You can’t ask for more than that. From life. But there’s more anyway, so enjoy the aural hubris:
These and all Roadburn audio streams were recorded by the vigilant Spacejam team headed by Marcel van de Vondervoort (also of ass-kicking rockers Astrosoniq), so if you see him, please say thanks for all the hard work. Roadburn 2011 took place April 14-17 at the 013 Popcentrum in Tilburg, The Netherlands. If you’d like to read more than you could ever possibly want to read about it, click here.
The much-missed British stoner rock outfit Acrimony released their last studio full-length in 1996’s Tumuli Shroomaroom. Splits followed with Iron Rainbow and Church of Misery, and the Leaf Hound Records compilation Bong on – Live Long! followed in 2007, but the band effectively broke up in 2002, so the return of four out of the original five Acrimony members in the new band Sigiriya is welcome news for any worshiper of the riff, whether they were a fan of Acrimony or not. Only guitarist Lee Davies is missing from Sigiriya’s debut, Return to Earth, (released via The Church Within Records), but the remaining four-piece is no less cohesive for the lack of a second guitar. Because it’s essentially the same band, they’ll inevitably be compared to Acrimony, and on that level, Sigiriya boast a crunchier sound, less geared toward psychedelia or excursions in the stoner caravan of yore. Stuart O’Hara (who was also in Iron Monkey) leads the way with thickened riffs, and vocalist Dorian Walters rides the formidable grooves expertly on Return to Earth’s seven tracks, while bassist Paul “Mead” Bidmead and drummer Darren Ivey inject a surprisingly metallic feel to “Dark Fires” and “Robot Funeral,” marking a serious change in ethic from what one might have expected in an Acrimony offshoot.
But then, it has been nine years, and one expects that if the intent of O’Hara, Walters, Bidmead and Ivey had been to simply recapture Acrimony’s sound, they’d have just reunited under that name, rather than start a completely new band. Sigiriya is clearly meant to be its own entity, and it winds up being just that. Familiar elements show up, but tracks like “Whiskey Song” or the brazenly catchy opener “The Mountain Goat” have an appeal surprisingly distinct from anything Acrimony ever did. Walters’ voice has shifted in feel since back when, though he still has a gruff delivery, and O’Hara’s guitar is more self-assured, less uncertain in its tone. Where in listening to Acrimony’s debut, Hymns to the Stone (1994), one gets the sense that it’s a rock record with metal production, and is a little confused on that level (as one might expect since “stoner rock” was just getting underway as a genre) Return to Earth knows precisely where it wants to be at all times, and the band are comfortable in toying with expectation and adding flourishes to their material to make it distinct. The sound of the album is full and loud and between O’Hara’s guitar and Bidmead’s bass, the classic groove of “Robot Funeral” seems to build with each cycle through the start-stop verse riff, giving Walters plenty of room to complement with his vocals, and I hear very little in these songs that should disagree with stoner metallers at all. As heavy as it is, there’s no sacrifice of melody, as the raucous “Hurricaine” (sic) proves, and though Sigiriya are decidedly modern in their approach, their pedigree sets them up to be neither derivative nor redundant. To be blunt about it (pun totally Nintendo), Return to Earth kicks a fair amount of ass.
It happens rarely these days that there’s an album I can’t put down, but since I first heard the tracks that would become Lo-Pan‘s Small Stone Records debut, Salvador, that’s basically been the case. Of all the records I’ve managed to hear this year (and as we border on June, it’s been a few), Salvador has been a constant — anticipated since the issue of the remixed version of Sasquanaut, its predecessor and no letdown whatsoever from that album’s level of excellence. With Salvador, the Columbus, Ohio, four-piece thrust themselves into the upper echelon of next-gen American stoner rock.
The songs on Salvador — named for the artist Dali, as referenced in the Alexander von Wieding album art — are immediate and affecting. Tracks like “Bleeding Out,” “Deciduous,” “Bird of Prey” and “Struck Match” stay with you even after a first listen, and only grow in appeal with time. The soulfully delivered vocals of Jeff Martin make epics out of what in most hands would become mundane, and the riffs of guitarist Brian Fristoe fuzz out in markedly stoner fashion but have a distinguished sense about them, as though taking the best of what made Fu Manchu‘s earlier work so vibrant and unabashed and giving it a self-aware touch of progress. I could listen to the bridge of “Seed” (just before the solo after three minutes) every day for breakfast and still come out of it wanting more.
If you’ve heard the record, you know the part I’m talking about, where Jesse “JBartz” Bartz (not much of a mystery where the nickname came from) cut to half-time under Fristoe‘s intricate riffing, bassist Skot Thompson‘s running lines and Martin‘s formidable sass. It’s just one highlight moment among many on Salvador, and they come on in forms as varied and diverse as the music itself, which maintains its energy despite tempo and any sonic shift — seven-minute closer “Solo” being no comedown from “Generations” before it. With a vinyl release impending, there’s little doubt that Salvador will emerge from 2011 among the year’s best albums.
Lo-Pan have already taken to the road to support Salvador, which saw its official CD release this past Tuesday, May 24 (you can find a live review here), and it was mostly touring that was covered in my telephonular conversation with Bartz. In a scene where most everyone has day jobs and most acts rarely get on the road with the kind of ravenousness Lo-Pan have, it seemed the thing to talk about. Our chat was brief, at least by the standards of some of the features around here, but Bartz offered plenty of insight on Lo-Pan‘s writing and touring ethic, plans for European touring and much more.
The complete Q&A transcription is after the jump. Please enjoy.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 26th, 2011 by JJ Koczan
As a fan of both these bands and both the releases from which these tracks were culled, I’m all the more excited to be posting the news about this vinyl split between Moth Eater and Black Thai. It’s a limited vinyl picture disc and it looks fantastic and is a great way for people to get introduced to either act, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s definitely worth a look. I’m hoping to have a giveaway for a couple copies up shortly, but in the meantime, it’s available for listening and purchasing through Play the Assassin Records.
This came in on the PR wire:
Finally, Boston and New York can agree on something.
Black Thai, from Massachusetts, released a split with New York’s doomly rockers Moth Eater on April 26, 2011, via Play the Assassin Records. Moth Eater, which features members of DirtyRig (EscapiMusic) and Scar Culture (CenturyMedia), included two tracks from their devastatingly heavy Thunder God of Monster Island EP, and Black Thai, whose lineup boasts members of Roadsaw, Cortez and We’re all Gonna Die, answered back with two cuts from their Blood From on High EP, released late last year.
The split is limited to 250 copies and pressed onto a 10” picture disc vinyl with a free download card included. Six additional bonus tracks not on the record will appear in the download. Full songs are available for streaming and download now at playtheassassin.bandcamp.com. The vinyl can be ordered at playtheassassin.com.
Lowering the Doom vinyl track list:
1.Moth Eater, “Aftermath”
2. Moth Eater, “Our Time”
3. Black Thai, “Blood Dust”
4. Black Thai, “Satan’s Toolshed” (digital only bonus tracks 5-10)
5. Moth Eater, “When Bruises Leave Scars”
6. Moth Eater, “Rocking is my Business”
7. Moth Eater, “Smashing Saturns”
8. Moth Eater, “Moths @ the Round Table”
9. Black Thai, “The Ladder”
10. Black Thai, “333”
If legendary doom guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich has proven anything over the course of his career, it’s that he’s a fan of the trio. Between The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and his Wino solo outfit, there’s obviously something about the chemistry of three players on stage and in the studio that holds great appeal. It’s a classic formula, anyway, and Weinrich is essentially a classic player in a rock sense, and on the heels of his successful Adrift solo acoustic offering and with new albums from Saint Vitus and the supergroup Shrinebuilder still nebulous on the horizon, he unveils Premonition 13, his latest trio band. The twist here is that it’s a four-piece. On their self-titled 7” single, released earlier this year, Weinrich handed bass as well as guitar and vocals, and he does the same on the follow-up full-length, 13, which is also issued by Volcom. Former Meatjack bassist Brian Danilowski (also of the droning Darsombra) was playing with them for a while, but that seems to have dissipated, putting Weinrich in the rhythm section along with drummer Matthew Clark as well as dueling it out on guitar with Jim Karow, whose longtime friendship with Weinrich seems very much to be the impetus behind starting the band.
Karow also adds vocals to Weinrich’s trademark style, and the two offset each other well. In that regard, Premonition 13 has something in common sound-wise with The Hidden Hand, in which bassist Bruce Falkinburg also contributed both lead and background singing in a similar fashion to what occurs with Karow on 13. Still, there’s no question that Premonition 13 is its own unit, and that it’s the double-guitars that make it so. Longtime followers of Weinrich will recognize many of the elements at play immediately – the downtrodden riffing, dynamic shifts, fire-red solos and Wino’s half-snarled/half-crooned singing – but just as people have different personalities, so do bands, and with so much to compare it to, 13 still emerges as somewhat unique within the context of the vast Weinrich catalog. A thread of strong songwriting emerges throughout the nine component tracks, and the two-guitar factor allows more room for the music to breathe, as Premonition 13 shows with subtle psychedelic flourishes in passing moments like the intro to opener “B.E.A.U.T.Y.,” the centerpiece interlude “La Hechicera de la Jeringa (Prelude)” and closer “Peyote Road.” 13 begins with a fade-up of e-bow guitar, giving an ethereal hum for the first two of the song’s total nine minutes (it’s the longest on the album; bonus points in my mind for putting it at the start), before the riffing starts and Karow and Weinrich trade off vocals to excellent affect, following the undulating riff to make the song both engaging and memorable in a way that’s no less so for being what you’d expect.
There are a few genuine highlight cuts on 13 – third track “Clay Pigeons” and the later, infectious “Modern Man” on which Karow takes the lead vocal come to mind most readily – but it’s important to note that Premonition 13’s first LP, is very much that: An LP. It’s structured into sides, and the flow from one song to the next is smooth and easy. In a way, “B.E.A.U.T.Y.” is a microcosm of the album itself, it’s grand, open-string ending sounding huge with Clark’s capable but not flashy drumming behind. Followed by the shorter, more driving “Hard to Say,” the tempo gets a kick and a highlight solo is provided, if one more deeply mixed than it might be on an album that doesn’t have two guitars. There’s another strong chorus that the verse seems to be in a hurry to get to (though maybe that’s just the impatient riff), but “Clay Pigeons” overwhelms its lead-in both in terms of execution and complexity. Weinrich and Karow infuse the back end of the song with some of 13’s best guitar interplay, and the long fadeout sets up the quieter “Senses,” which closes Side A in semi-ballad fashion, with a quiet verse and heavier chorus structure that repeats twice and leads to a bridge and chorus ending that works well. Like a lot of 13, it’s been done before, but is still a boon to the converted.
After nearly missing this show because I thought it was last Saturday and not Friday, I showed up early to NYC‘s Irving Plaza to be sure to catch Anathema‘s set. I know they’ve traveled a great distance from their doomly beginnings as one of the “Peaceville three” — the other two being My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost — but hell, I’ve wanted to see them for at least 14 years now, so yeah, you’re god damned right I’m showing up before doors.
It was just the two bands on the bill, Anathema and Blackfield, which is the kind of high-minded pop project of Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson and Israeli singer-songwriter Aviv Geffen, and that suited me just fine. As a veteran of Porcupine Tree‘s many prog indulgences (some might call them “albums”) and someone who saw Blackfield on their first American run — when most of the band couldn’t get their visas in time to tour and it was just Wilson and Geffen accompanied by Dream Theater‘s Jordan Rudess on keys — it was interesting to see him tackle what’s ostensibly a simpler band with simpler material in a live, full-band setting.
Coincidentally, it was Anathema this time who couldn’t get the whole band into the country — doubtless they were detained at the border and profiled for all their melancholy — so it was just vocalist/guitarist Vincent Cavanagh and guitarist/vocalist Daniel Cavanagh playing acoustically (Rudess was at the show, but didn’t join in). For what Anathema lacked in lineup, however, they more than made up for with excitement and gladness to be where they were. Granted, Daniel had some technical problems before the set got going, but I don’t think they’d have been able to start the set anyway for the cheering and back-and-forthing with the crowd. One guy bragged loudly that he’d seen them the last time they were in the US, for the 2000 Milwaukee Metalfest, impressing Vincent a bit but probably not as much as himself.
Their set was short, woefully short (which is appropriate in a way, given the mood of the bulk of their material), but they made the most of it nonetheless. They started with some newer songs from the most recent release, We’re Here Because We’re Here, opening with “Thin Air,” the first song off the album, and including “Angels Walk Among Us” as well with “Deep” from 1999’s Judgement between. These were well received, but the big guns came out later into their time, when they hit up 1998’s Alternative 4 — as far back as they could feasibly go — for “Lost Control” and “Fragile Dreams,” both of which were subject to epic sing-alongs.
With the crowd sufficiently melted already, “One Last Goodbye” and set finale “Flying” — from Judgement and 2003’s A Natural Disaster, respectively — more or less laid waste to everything around. Amazing to think of a performance with two dudes and acoustic guitars doing that, but it happened nonetheless. Vincent promised they’d be back with the full band (hopefully that happens before another 11 years are gone), and the vibe was thrilling all around. Irving Plaza was pretty packed, and everyone just seemed so happy to be seeing Anathema, and Anathema, likewise, seemed so happy to be there. It was a great time.
The room thinned out somewhat for Blackfield, who took the stage in speedy fashion and opened with “Here Comes the Blood” from their latest album, Welcome to My DNA, which was even more of a sufficient attention-grabber than Geffen‘s jacket, which had rope lights intertwined with the fabric. Fancy costuming aside, Blackfield is essentially a pop act, so that’s what they were. Champion songwriters both, Wilson and Geffen ran through a long setlist of highlights from their three albums, working in tandem on stage as well as they do on the records.
It wasn’t empty by the time they were through, but the night had clearly taken a toll on the audience, and as much of Blackfield‘s material is moody and on the quieter end — despite being unrepentantly pretty — it was a subdued feel, though closing with “Cloudy Now” from the first album did provide a genuine apex, that song’s ending being a high point of the band’s catalog. The crowd was an interesting mix of proggers, metallers, patient girlfriends and sundry other nerds, but those who stayed left happy.
Hard for Blackfield to compete with the event that seeing Anathema was, though. Just by showing up, them Cavanaghs killed, and it would have been hard for any act to follow that. I left Irving Plaza vindicated in my fanboy stubbornness, still wanting very much to see the whole of Anathema at work, and wanting also to revisit Welcome to My DNA to see if I could get a better sense of Blackfield‘s development from album to album. Wilson‘s always been more of a studio presence — his reliance on layering being pivotal in much of his work — but he gave a decent representation live, and that was more than enough for the mass of fans in attendance to see him.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 25th, 2011 by JJ Koczan
We’re not so far removed from last week’s live review of their Philly show with Lo-Pan, but Backwoods Payback have announced a run of new dates with Admiral Browning next month already in advance of their forthcoming Small Stone Records debut. Good times, good band. Hope you get to check them out if they’re coming near you.
This from the PR wire:
Pennsylvania stoner/doom rockers Backwoods Payback, who were forced to cut their tour with Lo-Pan short this past March due to a medical emergency, will return to the road triumphantly this June. Fittingly titled the “June 2011 Back on the Horse Tour,” the trek will run from June 9-25 beginning at the CrayolaHouse in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and include aJune 17 stop in Kenosha, Wisconsin as a part of the Days of the Doomed Fest.The band will be joined by Maryland psych-masters,AdmiralBrowning.
Said guitarist/vocalist Mike Cummings of the impending journey: “The 18-date run serves as a prelude to our much-anticipated Small Stone Records debut, to be released late Summer/early Fall. Joining us for the long haul will be AdmiralBrowning, making this one of the ‘not to be missed’ tours of the year.”
Backwoods Payback – June2011 Back On The Horse Tour: 06/09 Crayola House Harrisonburg, VA
06/10 The Triple Richmond, VA
06/11 The Milestone Charlotte, NC
06/12 The Nick Birmingham, AL
06/13 Little Hamilton Nashville, TN
06/14 The Hi-Tone Memphis, TN
06/16 The Mill Iowa City, IA
06/17 The P.L.A.V. Kenosha, WI
06/18 Cobra Lounge Chicago, IL
06/19 The Summit Columbus, OH
06/20 Mac’s Bar Lansing, MI
06/21 31st St. Tavern Pittsburgh, PA
06/22 123 Pleasant St. Morgantown, WV
06/23 Millcreek Tavern Philadelphia, PA
06/24 The Note West Chester, PA
06/25 Krug’s Frederick, MD
Among the many routes to take, Karma to Burn has always been one of the most direct lines to the riff. The West Virginian trio’s instrumental approach is among the most bullshit-free in all of heavy rock, and that has remained the case following their reunion in 2009. With the release of Appalachian Incantation last year (review here), guitarist Will Mecum, bassist Rich Mullins and drummer Rob Oswald (ex-Nebula) joined forces with Napalm Records and successfully began to incorporate the vocals of Dan Davies of Year Long Disaster, in which Mullins also plays, essentially merging the two bands into one, pulling double duty on joint tours, etc. Appalachian Incantation marked a successful reunion, and the aptly-titled follow-up, V, which sure enough is Karma to Burn’s fifth album overall, takes on the weighty task of re-beginning a creative development on the part of the band.
It’s not an easy thing to do. One reunion album is hard enough to pull off, but by getting back together and releasing a second full-length, you’re more or less saying that this thing has stuck and you’re rolling with it. You’re no longer a reunion band, you’re just a band. The second return album completely does away with the novelty of the first, and you reopen yourself to judgment based not on the fact that people are glad you’re back together again, but based solely on the merit of the work itself.
I doubt it’s anything Karma to Burn has lost sleep over, and if V is any indication, they’re keener on affecting a decent presentation of their sound than doing anything outlandishly new with it. No question that V is the band’s most produced album to date. Recorded by John Lousteau (who’s previously worked on albums by Motörhead, Foo Fighters and Danko Jones) at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606, the songs are crisp and clear – Mullins’ tone in particular sounds better than it ever has on a Karma to Burn record – but still in possession of some measure of the band’s original grit. There’s enough separation to enjoy Mecum’s guitar and Mullins’ bass in equal measure, and Oswald’s drums may have been replaced digitally, but if they were, it’s not offensively synthesized sounding. His snare is low and deep and serves as excellent punctuation for many of the tracks, including the sort-of-centerpiece, “The Cynic,” which is one of the three songs included on V with Davies on vocals.
As ever, I thank Walter and the Roadburn crew for their generosity in allowing me to host the links to the official streams from Roadburn 2011. As we Americans get ready to celebrate Memorial Day, I can think of few better complements for a barbecue than The Machine‘s Hendrixian take on heavy jamming, or, as the evening wears on, drinks are imbibed and fists are raised in triumph, Black Pyramid‘s doomy gallop. And, of course, just in case the universe comes to a crashing end (as my work email account just did), there’s Ufomammut playing Eve in its entirety for sonic complement. You can’t ask for more than that. From life. But there’s more anyway, so enjoy the aural hubris:
