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Blaak Heat Shujaa New Album Documentary Series: Episode 4

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 29th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

For past installments in the series, click here.

This time around in Andrew Baxter and Cole Jenkins‘ serial documentary on the recording of Blaak Heat Shujaa‘s Tee Pee Records debut, the band break from working on the album with Scott Reeder to head into the desert for a couple gigs with poet Ron Whitehead before hitting up Los Angeles and a show with Fatso Jetson and Mondo Generator. Enjoy:

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Kylesa to Open the Vaults on Nov. 20

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

I don’t know about you, but for me, the news that Savannah, Georgia, progressive sludgers Kylesa will release a new collection called From the Vaults Vol. 1 begs more questions than it answers. I mean, I didn’t know Kylesa had vaults. How many vaults do they have? Are they man-sized like Dick Cheney‘s was? What do they keep in them? Are they room temperature or refrigerated?

While we wait for the answers to those questions and one or two others, here’s this from the PR wire:

 

Kylesa Rarities Collection, From The Vaults, Vol. 1, Set For Nov. 20 Release Via Season Of Mist

Twelve-Song Release Features One New Song, Previously Unreleased And Alternate Versions Of Songs From Band’s Catalogue

Kylesa is set to release From The Vaults, Vol. 1,  a twelve-song collection featuring unreleased, new and alternate versions of songs spanning their catalogue including one entirely new song (“End Truth“) as well as the band’s legendary cover of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” on Nov. 20 (Nov. 16 in Europe).

“This project has been a labor of love,” explained guitarist/singer/producer Phillip Cope. “We have spent over a year going through old songs, covers, etc. and collected those we felt went well together; remixing and finishing them up.  We didn’t want to release something just thrown together so we put a lot of thought and time into it.  I am really happy about how this came together.  I think it is a good representation of Kylesa’s different styles from early on to present day.”

The Savannah-based band recently wrapped up a European tour, which included stops at the Wacken Open Air and Area 4 Festivals,  and will enter the studio to begin work on a new album for 2013.  Kylesa’s most recent release, 2010’s Spiral Shadow, was revered by fans and critics alike as a “record that trashes everything you might expect from the genre” (Pitchfork) and  is “as sweaty as a south Georgia summer” (Spin).  Singer/guitarist Laura Pleasants was recently featured on the cover of Decibel Magazine‘s inaugural Women in Metal issue.

From The Vaults, Vol. 1 track listing:
1.  Intro  **
2.  Inverse  **
3.  111 Degree Heat Index ***
4.  Between Silence and Sound II ***
5.  Paranoid Tempo  **
6.  End Truth *
7.  Bottom Line II ***
8.  Wavering **
9.  Bass Salts **
10.  Drained **
11.  Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun **
12.  Drum Jam **

* New
** Previously unreleased/limited availability
*** Alternate Version

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Live Review: Eggnogg and One Inch Giant in Brooklyn, 08.27.12

Posted in Reviews on August 28th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

Monday night, huh? I’ve passed up some pretty great shows in my time, simply because they happened on a Monday. More often than not, Monday nights find me tired and feeling beat to shit, retreating back to my humble river valley to nurse my wounds and sacrifice some manner of livestock in the name of a mildly productive Tuesday. However, I wasn’t going to miss Eggnogg at the Saint Vitus bar in Brooklyn, playing with One Inch Giant, Nevereven and Eyes of the Sun, and even though I felt a little guilty going to a show on a Monday that wasn’t a Precious Metal gig, I nonetheless took the by-now quite familiar route across Manhattan and through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel to get across the Pulaski Bridge into Brooklyn. I can do it on auto-pilot at this point.

You know how sometimes you go to a show to see one band and everything that isn’t that band’s set seems to just kind of be in the way? Well, I’ve no doubt that on any other night I’d probably have been way more into show openers Eyes of the Sun and Nevereven, but I was pretty locked into what I was looking for. Nonetheless, Eyes of the Sun‘s abrasive post-metal was well-met by the dual flat-screens they set up on either side of the stage, showing edited-together clips of the earth from space with scenes of sundry atrocities — factory farming, genocide, pollution, slavery — spliced between. Came on a little thick, maybe, but I can’t argue the principle. People are awful.

Also Brooklyn natives, Nevereven were catchy and straightforward hard rock, the sort that would’ve had a shot 15 or 20 years ago at commercial viability when such a thing was still possible. Some progressive elements at work in the guitar, and plenty tight, but landed kind of flat despite the best efforts of frontman Gary Pickard. Both bands drew a solid crowd and garnered a solid response, again, it just wasn’t where my head was at.

My head was primed for catching Eggnogg for the first time. Their Louis EP (review here) was still pretty fresh in my head, and I was surprised to find Bill O’Sullivan on bass and Justin Karol on guitar — I’d thought it was the other way around, and re-reading their current bio, it lists both players as guitarists, so maybe they switch off — though it worked pretty well, Karol playing through a Marshall half-stack and O’Sullivan running an Acoustic combo amp through the Saint Vitus bar P.A. while drummer Jason Prushko, who was the most stoned-looking dude in the room if he wasn’t actually high, slammed away behind, filling in for Ryan Quinn.

Having summarily dug the hell out of both the 2012 EP and the 2011 Moments in Vacuum full-length (review here) before it, I was stoked for the set. Really stoked, actually. I know I hear new music a lot, but it’s not often I encounter a band who seems to have so much potential, and even more, not often I get to see a band like that while they’re still getting their bearings. That’s exciting to me. Eggnogg are young, and in their formative stages, but the heavy psychedelic funk that’s made its way into their sound over the course of their last couple releases — hardly there on their 2009 self-titled but already an essential facet by Louis — and their penchant for grunge melodicism makes for a fascinating combo, and seeing that live for the first time was something I’d been looking forward to since I saw they were starting to play out again while continuing to work on their next record.

They played four songs. Two from each full-length. From Moments in Vacuum, there was the opener, “Magog” and the lurchingly infectious “Wheel of the Year,” and from the self-titled, the heady jam “Northern Lights” and set closer “The Gods Will (Destroy the Hive).” I’d streamed the self-titled through Palaver Records‘ site, but no question the material from the second album was more familiar.  The stomp in both of those songs was right on, Prushko‘s drumming more at the forefront in a live setting than Quinn‘s on the recordings (nature of the beast, not a statement on Quinn‘s playing), and Karol‘s guitar having the same kind of start-stop immediacy, made all the more intricate by upstroke picking and quick mutes.

The room wasn’t full by any stretch, but the people who were there were into the set, myself included. I noted that the members of One Inch Giant, in town from their native Gothenburg, Sweden, ahead of a performance this weekend at Stoner Hands of Doom XII in Connecticut, were right up front for most of the time, and rightfully so. Eggnogg‘s sound was no less organic on stage than it has been on their recorded output to date, and O’Sullivan‘s vocals showcased a rare ability to make a stoner rock gruffness not sound like a burly put-on. His croon and throaty shouts were both effective, and as Karol let loose a burgeoning stoner rock softshoe during the extended solo of “Northern Lights” — it was a kind of Naam-esque two-step/waltz at this point, still very cool — everything seemed to be coming into place.

And that was what I was there for: A band in progress. Their grip on their aesthetic was firm and, by the end of the set, commanding, and but for the want of some louder gear — I shudder to think of “Wheel of the Year” coming through full stacks — they seemed ready to hit the road. I mean that. There’s a certain point where a band has laid the groundwork and established what they want to do, and Eggnogg seemed to be right there, so what’s left is refining and reinventing that process through songwriting and touring. They can only get stronger for the experience, whatever else it might bring them, and their relative youth is an asset working in their favor. When they finished, I was even more stoked on their possibilities than I was when they started.

I bought a copy of the self-titled from Karol, and waited for One Inch Giant to round out the night, which they did in pristine Euro heavy rock fashion. It didn’t occur to me until I spent a while staring at the cover of their Malva EP that I’d heard them before, but they did alright by Sweden, putting on a rock show full of movement for a crowd that was by then sparse at best. Bassist Axel Berglund wore a Suffocation shirt, vocalist Filip Åstrand had Morbid Angel, and guitarist Gabriel “Abbe” Lugo Méndez held and played his instrument like someone well schooled in extreme metal, so I wondered what the band’s roots were in that regard. They broke out some blastbeats in one of their songs and I felt somewhat vindicated at having noticed.

I’ll confess I didn’t stay for their full set. The knowledge that I’d see them again this weekend at SHoD made doing so seem somewhat less urgent, excited though they clearly were to be playing the string of shows they were just beginning. Of the trip out of the city, I’ll say I usually won’t listen to music after a show, finding it — like eating a bag of potato chips after dinner — to be bad for the digestion, but I was still riding high enough on Eggnogg‘s set that I put on the self-titled and let its doomly pulsations guide me through Rt. 3 traffic and home to The Patient Mrs., still awake and still working upon my arrival shortly after midnight. Forgetting to take out the garbage, I went to bed with the distorted strains of “The Gods Will (Destroy the Hive)” still in my head.

A couple extra pics after the jump. Thanks for reading.

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Album of the Summer of the Week: Wight, Through the Woods into Deep Water

Posted in Features on August 28th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

I know it hasn’t yet been a full month since I reviewed Wight‘s Through the Woods into Deep Water, but it actually arrived much earlier than that, and in a lot of ways, the second album from the German stonerly trio has summed up the crux of my summer. It’s languid in some parts and unrepentantly heavy in others, and as we round out this weekly feature and approach Labor Day — the traditional end of summer here in the States, at least as regards back-to-school time and vacationing — there doesn’t seem to be a single record that comes to mind more than Wight‘s as having been such a regular feature throughout the season.

Whether it was the bleak weirdness of “Kiss Your Friends Goodbye” or the reconfigured Pentagram riffing of “I Spit on Your Grave,” the sleepy psychedelia of the title-track or the dirty blues of “You!,” Wight‘s jam-ready platter made for an easy go-to, suitable to any number of moods and atmospheres. In the car, in the yard and in the office (where I was more than anywhere else these past few months), the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Rene Hofmann, bassist/saxophonist Peter-Philipp Schierhorn and drummer Michael Kluck proved malleable to whatever was going on at the time, and the songs made a reliable fit, no matter what.

If you go back over the past Album of the Summer of the Week picks, you’ll notice that none of them were from this year. A couple from 2011, and others scattered throughout the past few decades, but Through the Woods into Deep Water is the only 2012 pick for this whole series of posts and that’s on purpose. There are a ton of records I’ve been immersed in for review and just general listening purposes, but Wight has been a consistent presence throughout the last couple months and I continue to appreciate its varied and rich atmospherics even as I tilt my head back and just let the riff of “Master of Nuggets” carry me where it will.

In case you’ve not yet had the chance to be carted off by their boogie shuffle or bass heavy grooving, here’s Wight‘s Through the Woods into Deep Water in its entirety, courtesy of their Bandcamp page, where the album is available in an array of CD and LP editions: 

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Grifter Working on New Album

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

This kind of news is always welcome by me, and not just because The Obelisk is mentioned in the press release (though that never hurts). It’s great to see that a killer band like Grifter both have a new album in the works and are so clearly psyched about how it’s coming together. Writing and being happy with what you’re writing is one of the most exciting parts of being in a band, and I’m looking forward to what the UK trio put forth next time out.

Ripple Music sent the following word down the PR wire:

GRIFTER Gear Up for Extended Studio Time to Record Follow-up to Their Critically-Praised Ripple Music Debut

They stormed the stage at Deserfest. They laid wasted to the the ears and minds of the U.K. on tour with Orange Goblin. They created a crater sized hole where the stage used to be at Freak Valley. They were called to lend their brand of hard-rawking, Harley blooze n’ roll to the American television show, Dog, The Bounty Hunter.

Now the story continues.

Following up on a year that found Grifter releasing one of the best albums of 2011 (according to notable rock resources The Soda Shop. The Obelisk. The Ripple Effect. Heavy Planet. Chybucca Sounds, Steaming Heathen, and Sonic Abuse), U.K.’s own oil-and-chain sweat rockers are aiming to take their hard-hitting sound higher and farther than ever before.

In between times sharing the stage with Orange Goblin, Roadsaw, Black Pyramid, Leafhound, Truckfighters, Valiant Thorr, Gentlemans Pistols, Colour Haze, Stubb, and XII Boar (and having a song appear on a recent Stargun British Rock Compilation CD) Grifter have been making time in the studio writing and recording the eagerly anticipated follow-up to their chart-busting debut.

As main Grifter, Ollie tells it, “Writing for the album has resumed in a big way. In the space of one practice we have written a new song that has totally blown my balls off called Fire Water. It’s pretty epic, I think it could be a centrepiece of the new album. We also started jamming ideas for another new tune that should come together very quickly called Big Man Blues which is utterly filthy, you’ll need to take a shower afterwards!!! It’s heavy as hell but all done on slide with a gnarly blues vibe and a stomping beat that could raise John Bonham from the grave.”

That means Grifter will be delievering just what their legions of growing fans are yelling for: more gritty, dirty, and bloozy, hard-driving, riff-mad rock n’ roll!

While the anticipation builds, don’t forget to check out Grifter‘s one-foot-in-the-gutter debut for hard-rock specialty label, Ripple Music. And don’t forget that Grifter’s riff rock first appeared on the Ripple roster on the Heavy Ripples, Vol. 1 compilation with the band contributing two barnstorming, high-octane rock classics!

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Ufomammut Interview with Urlo and Video Premiere: Drinking in the Sulphurdew

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features on August 28th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

I’m not sure how much there is left to say about the magnitude of the work Italian space doom trio Ufomammut has done. The sense I get now in listening to the two full-length albums that comprise the whole of Oro, their Neurot Recordings debut, is that they’ll probably have another record out before this one is fully comprehended. One might have said the same thing about 2010’s Eve as well, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Broken into the two parts Oro – Opus Primum (review here) and Oro – Opus Alter (review here), Ufomammut‘s latest outing has them continuing to plunder the reaches of tonal space. Their sounds are far-out psychedelic even as they seem to bear a tectonic crunch, like plates moving continents. Bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Urlo, guitarist/keyboardist Poia and drummer Vita have persistent as a set trio since 1999, and have never failed to outdo their prior work on the subsequent outing.

The strata that’s put them into, however, is entirely their own. Eve– which was preceded by 2008’s Idolum, also one of that year’s best — was one long composition broken into individual pieces. Oro is one album broken into two releases. Do you see where this is going? In a few years, Ufomammut will be issuing 10LP box sets each time out. Maybe not, but what matters most of all is that as the scale of their work has expanded, so has their creative scope, and Oro is the most vibrant Ufomammut release to date. One would have to expect no less.

I waited to interview the band until Oro – Opus Alter was released so that the full project could be discussed, and today I have the sincere pleasure of hosting both that Q&A and a video premiere for Ufomammut‘s self-made clip for the track “Sulphurdew.” Similar to how opening track “Empireum” from Oro – Opus Primum made its way to the public, “Sulphurdew” arrives as a YouTube clip constructed by the Malleus Rock Art Lab, of which Urlo — who fielded these questions — and Poia are a part.

You’ll find both the “Sulphurdew” video and the complete Q&A after the jump. Please enjoy.

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Roadburn 2013: Pilgrim Added to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 27th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

The good news continues to pour in from the Netherlands. This time, it’s hotter-than-hell Rhode Island youngins Pilgrim added to the Roadburn bill. They’ll be at SHoD this weekend as well, so maybe I’ll just have to say congrats to The Wizard in person. Way to go, gents.

Rhode Island’s Doom Disciples Pilgrim To Bring Misery To Roadburn 2013

We’re excited to announce that Pilgrim will be appearing at Roadburn Festival 2013 on Thursday, April 18th at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.

Remember the time when the great bands of the Seventies—Wishbone Ash, Rainbow and Led Zeppelin, to name but a few—wrote their tunes around mythical stories involving swords, sorcery and magic? For those of us who are hungry for epic music that tells of majestic tales, look for the Misery Wizard (Metal Blade), the debut long-player from Rhode Island’s disciples of doom, Pilgrim!

The trio of drummer Krolg, the Slayer of Man, bassist the Soothsayer and guitarist / singer the Wizard combine the chest-caving sounds of Pentagram and the mountain-moving tempos of Reverend Bizarre and tie it all together under the spiritual guidance of the grand masters of doom, Black Sabbath. Deep within the thick sonic walls, listeners can hear the Wizard tell tales about ancient beings from the sky, timeless heroes and the eponymous Misery Wizard.

Gather ‘round at the 2013 Roadburn Festival and be immersed in the power and might of Pilgrim and the Misery Wizard!

Roadburn Festival 2013 will run for four days from Thursday, April 18th to Sunday, April 21st, 2013 (the traditional Afterburner event) at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.

 

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Buried Treasure: Olde Growth’s Tour EP 2012 and the Imperial Impulse

Posted in Buried Treasure on August 27th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

I consider myself pretty progressive, politically speaking. As in all facets of my existence, I’m at very least an opinionated dick. But even though I’ll rant about wealth redistribution and the need for violent uprising among the American working and middle classes against the corporate fascists and right wing demagogues stealing their potential for social advancement and polluting their bodies and minds, there’s still a part of me that gets all imperialist when it comes to limited runs and “I have it and you don’t.”

That being the case, I was all the more stoked when Massachusetts stonerly doom stompers Olde Growth sent over a copy of their Tour EP 2012, a limited-to-50 tape release that they brought with them on their Spring 2012 tour. I almost got to see them on that string of shows (almost-review here), but even though I creeped myself out in the process, the band was kind enough to mail in the last remaining copy of the cassette, along with a CD version of earlier mixes of the tracks that apparently wasn’t ever for sale.

The tape, which is hand decorated as you can see above, is blown way the fuck out. Like, into the next room blown out. Like, went down the street to the deli blown out. I guess when bassist/vocalist Stephen LoVerme and drummer Ryan Berry had James Plotkin master the thing, they didn’t share the info that it was going to be a cassette. I like that about it, but the gnarl is strong in this one, running through each of the four tracks that, though Berry‘s snare is a little high and raw in the mix, sound much clearer on CD.

Apart from the whole appeal of having it, though, I wanted to post about Olde Growth‘s Tour EP 2012 specifically to note the quality of the songs themselves. There are four tracks on the tape — “Brother of the Moon,” “Warrior Child,” “Tears of Blood” and “Edge of the Sea” — and even in relation to their 2010 MeteorCity self-titled debut, growth is evident in their songwriting and overall approach. LoVerme‘s vocals are clearer, and cleaner, the melodies more prevalent, and though the songs are kind of barebones in terms of the recording itself, there’s a natural feel that sounds recorded live, and the songs are almost instantly familiar, the opener and closer being particularly memorable.

There’s noise to bridge the gaps between the cuts, and it you didn’t get the chance to get Tour EP 2012 when Olde Growth were on the road earlier this year, rest easy, as I hear there’s a vinyl release in the works for 2013. One imagines it’ll get a different name between now than then — any one of the four would do for a title-track, though “Brother of the Moon” has a special ring to it — but either way, the EP is a more than suitable follow-up to what was an impressive debut, and something to look out for when it comes to vinyl. In the meantime, I’m stoked to have my nerdly completist greed sated and glad I got to hear these songs.

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