Posted in Whathaveyou on June 29th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
London-based Riff Rock Records makes its mission plain with its first release a free 10-track compilation bringing together a swath of acts from the UK and beyond. Most of the bands on Riff Rock Records Vol. 1 have a demo or an EP out to their credit — Ten Foot Wizard might be the most established, with two albums under their belt, but BongCauldron have been around for a couple years as well. Perhaps the outliers of the whole deal are Howling Giant, who sneak into the lineup as the only American band, being based in Nashville, TN. Near as I can tell, Alpine heavy rockers Mount Hush are the only other band not from England or Scotland.
There are far worse ways for a label to start off, though, than by showing that its ear-to-the-ground extends outside of its native scene. Headed up by Leigh Jones of heavy rock/metal mischief-makers Groan, Riff Rock Records‘ Riff Rock Records Vol. 1 boasts up and comers like Skunk, Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Bad Meat and Tradish, and is available now as a name-your-price download through Bandcamp. Note the three ‘r’s in the logo of the artwork.
More to come as the imprint gets going. With the promise of making public the first signing soon, the compilation announcement was pretty brief, but it went like this:
Riff Rock Records Vol. 1
Our first compilation is now available to download.
The best new unsigned hard rock, stoner, doom and sludge for FREE!
1. Ten Foot Wizard – Up & Away 2. Mount Hush – King Beyond 3. SKUNK – Black Hash 4. Tradish – Nautilus 5. Atragon – Dead Weight of Unimportant Flesh 6. Derelics – Ride the F*ckin’ Snake to Valhalla 7. Howling Giant – Whale Lord 8. Bad Meat – March of the Hawk 9. BongCauldron – Bigfoot Reigns 10. Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters – Mother Chub
Please help us out in these early days by sharing this around if you dig it. Thank you!
In part because its opener has become such a clarion, reliably launching — and I do mean launching — every gig the band plays, and because July marks 10 years since its original release, it’s tempting to view Truckfighters‘ 2005 debut full-length, Gravity X, as a watershed moment or generational swap-out in Swedish heavy rock. The truth of that is more complicated. Even as Truckfighters were stomping their way onto the scene after their first release following two early EPs, a 2003 joint offering with bassist/vocalist Oskar “Ozo” Cedermalm‘s prior outfit, Firestone, titled The Fuzzsplit of the Century (discussed here), that was also Fuzzorama Records‘ premiere catalog entry, bands like Dozer were well into their tenure, releasing Though the Eyes of Heathens the same year, while at the same time, fellow Örebro natives Witchcraft were releasing their second album, Firewood, almost precisely the same day on Rise Above. Nonetheless, if Gravity X‘s arrival through Fuzzorama and MeteorCity has become something of a landmark in the annals of Swedish and/or European heavy rock at large — and it’s pretty easy to argue that it has — that status is a testament to the grueling work that the band has put in in the years since it was first issued, writing and recording, touring incessantly across an ever-widening geographic range, and of course fostering other acts at the helm of Fuzzorama. As much as “Desert Cruiser” seems now to be an immediate and resounding call to those ready to worship at the altar of fuzz, it’s worth remembering it took Truckfighters years of hand-delivering what’s become their signature riff to audiences for it to become that.
The athleticism involved in that delivery notwithstanding, there has always been more to Truckfighters — the core of Cedermalm and guitarist Niklas “Dango” Källgren, as portrayed in the 2012 “fuzzomentary” A Film about a Band Called Truckfighters (review here), along with a cast of drummers that has continued to rotate over the last several years — than jumping around on stage. Even on Gravity X, the reaches of which are considerable with a 67-minute runtime, the band showcased a penchant for instrumental exploration that would continue to serve them well as they progressed through subsequent offerings like 2007’s Phi, 2009’s Mania (review here) and last year’s long-awaited Universe (review here), balanced against a core of songcraft that remained prevalent no matter who happened to be in the band with Källgren and Cedermalm at the time — former drummers Oscar Johansson and Andre Kvarnström have gone on to play in Witchcraft and Blues Pills, respectively — and cuts like “Gargarismo,” “In Search of (The),” “Gweedo-Weedo” and “Manhattan Project” have maintained their vitality over the 10-year span as highlights both of Truckfighters‘ catalog and that of Swedish heavy rock, the one only becoming more and more pivotal to the other over that same stretch. Meanwhile the toying with spaciousness of “Superfunk” seems in hindsight to presage some of the moodier turns of Universe and Mania before it, the band’s dynamic growing as relentlessly as their tour schedule, which has seen them become a fixture of both the European and American circuits particularly over the last half-decade.
Gravity X was compiled with Phi onto what was dubbed the Super 3-LP in 2013 — the band also put out their The Chairman EP that year as a stopgap between Mania and Universe — and of course, as forward as they’ve progressed in the years since, some of this material remains a staple of live sets, and among heavy rock records, I think you’ll find Gravity X has rare staying power, undulled by time. Hope you enjoy.
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Well, next week is it: the Quarterly Review. I’ve been teasing it for about the last month, I’ll be writing reviews all weekend to get a jump on it, and next week, from Monday to Friday, somehow, some way, we’ll have 10 reviews each day for a total of 50. Don’t ask me how that’s going to get done. It just is.
If you downloaded the new podcast this week, that is hugely appreciated.
Not much more to come other than the Quarterly Review, honestly. I’ve got a Mammoth Mammoth video premiere slated for Thursday, but I’m basically trying to keep it pretty stripped down other than the big post each day and whatever news comes down the PR wire. That should be plenty to work with. I’m thinking of doing a vinyl week the next week, just to keep things as complicated and time-consuming for myself as possible. You know, bash my head on the rocks to keep from drowning and all that.
If you’re headed to the Maryland Doom Fest this weekend — should be starting right around now, actually — I hope it’s great. I wish I could be there as well. I’ll look forward to seeing video of Spirit Caravan and hopefully they do a The Obsessed cover or two.
To be perfectly honest, there’s more, but I’m so beat I don’t even know what it is. Long work day, and I’m planning on spending the next two days working behind the scenes on the site, so while nothing’s going to be posted Saturday and Sunday, I’m not so much signing off as checking out for the evening.
Either way, I hope you have a great and safe weekend. See you back here Monday and please check out the forum and radio stream.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 26th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Madison, Wisconsin, four-piece Poney are heading out on tour next month to herald the arrival of their new outing, Pagan Nouveau, which is the follow-up to 2013’s Rorschach. The run heads out from Wisconsin and hits the West Coast before turning inland again, looping back through Denver, Kansas City and the Quad Cities area in Iowa and Illinois, marking something of a return to activity for the band, whose drummer/vocalist Ben Brooks spent the last couple years with Romero.
Announcement of Pagan Nouveau and tour dates follow, as seen on the PR wire:
PONEY ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM AND U.S. TOUR
Poney (ex-ROMERO, Dead Hookers) is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new full length record and a U.S. Tour starting July 8th.
Following their 2013 West Coast run in support of the well recieved “Rorschach” LP and a short jaunt to hang with Kylesa on their “Spiral Shadow” route, Poney took a break from the road to settle up with the judge and write a new full length album.
Titled “Pagan Nouveau,” Poney’s fifth album is in production, and is set to release at the end of the Summer of 2015 on vinyl. The record displays shades of Cave In, Boris, Torche, Melvins, and Baroness.
Head over to the band’s Facebook page for a full listing of tour dates as well as updates on new merchandise, and teasers for the full length film they’ll be showing as a backdrop to their live show on tour!
7/8: The dmV, Madison 7/9: Big V’s Saloon, St. Paul 7/10: VFW Post 1273, Rapid City 7/11: AstroLokiLabs, Missoula 7/12: Victory Lounge, Seattle 7/13: The Voodoo Lounge, Astoria 7/14: The Know, Portland 7/15: Golden Bull, Oakland 7/16: Hemlock Tavern, SF 7/17: TBA, Santa Barbara 7/18: TBA, San Luis Obispo 7/19: Bunkhouse, Las Vegas 7/20: 7th Circle Collective, Denver 7/21: TBA, Kansas City 7/22: Thee Death Tower, Champaign 7/23: TBA, Quad Cities
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 26th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
A wiser person than myself once opined that there are two kinds of people in this world, Rush fans and everyone else. Pittsburgh heavy rockers Carousel obviously know their target demographic lies within the former contingent. Their second album for Tee Pee Records, 2113 — as in, one more than 2112 — will be released on Aug. 28. The Scion Rock Fest veterans will have released their debut on the label almost exactly two years prior in the form of Jeweler’s Daughter (reviewed/streamed here), a record no less leggy than its cover art and which has stood up to any good times its been asked to complement since.
2113 is nothing if not an ambitious title, but with the arrival of Pentagram/The Skull guitarist Matt Goldsborough to the lineup — he’s not the only one with connections to a classic band; drummer Jake Leger doubles in Bang — Carousel look to step out beyond their debut, or at very least troll some Rush fans by covering Joe Walsh, which is no less entertaining.
The PR wire speaks:
CAROUSEL to Release New Album, 2113, August 28
Hard-Rocking PA Group Set to Unleash Follow-Up to Celebrated Debut, Jeweler’s Daughter
Pittsburgh hard rock heroes CAROUSEL will release their sophomore LP 2113 on August 28 via Tee Pee Records. The eagerly-anticipated follow up to CAROUSEL’s revered debut, Jeweler’s Daughter, 2113 is a midnight binge-blur of muscular, dynamic R’N’R, filled with timeless hooks and killer, scorching solos. On the new album, CAROUSEL welcomes new guitarist Matt Goldsborough — also of Pentagram and The Skull — into the band, joining the formidable lineup of Dave Wheeler (guitar, vocals), Jake Leger (drums) and Jim Wilson (bass).
CAROUSEL is a band that knows how to capture your attention; the group has the unique ability to filter the music of their childhood heroes through a contemporary lens. On 2113, the four-piece unleashes charged-up rhythms and wicked dual-guitar harmonies that lay a strong foundation for the shining voice and catchy choruses of front man Dave Wheeler. 2113 is the ultimate nighttime driving music; a head-turning blend of Casablanca-era KISS and prime time Thin Lizzy with one foot in the past and the other firmly secured in the future. 2113 also contains a “hidden” bonus cover of the Joe Walsh classic, “Turn to Stone”.
2113 Track listing: 1.) Trouble 2.) Photograph 3.) Buried Alive in Your Arms 4.) Jim’s Song 5.) Highway Strut 6.) Strange Revelation 7.) Man Like Me 8.) 2113 9.) Turn to Stone (Joe Walsh cover)
No question that Into Your Mind is, in its songwriting and construction and in the stylistic breadth it covers, a step forward for Virginia Beach heavy rockers Freedom Hawk. Named perhaps for being where the songs go, it’s their fourth outing overall and second for Small Stone behind 2011’s Moving On (review here), its 10-track/52-minute run reinforces the classic metal and heavy rock influences under which they’ve been working all along (Ozzy, Fu Manchu, etc.) while also pushing ahead into new ground, subtly psychedelic but still woven around earthy and traditional structures. Perhaps the biggest change of all is that the band are now a trio, having parted ways with guitarist Matt Cave since their last time out and continued to operate as the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist T.R. Morton, bassist Mark Cave and drummer Lenny Hines.
Where the band might have been in the writing for Into Your Mind when that split occurred, I don’t know, but Matt is given a writing credit on opener “Blood Red Sky,” “Journey Home,” “Waterfall” and side B’s “Beyond Our Reach” — the tracklisting broken into sides even on back of the CD and very much operating in that kind of structure despite the format — though he doesn’t seem to have participated in the actual recording, the trio tracking the instrumental portion of the LP live with producer/engineer/mixer Jim Woodling with Morton handling the vocals afterward. Their chemistry comes through what’s still a crisp production across the board, though, and while there still sounds like a layer of rhythm guitar under the solo in “Blood Red Sky,” their operation with their new lineup configuration is fluid and the momentum they build over the course of the first two tracks, that opener and “Journey Home,” carries through to some of the more stylistically expansive material that follows.
One thing to get straight, we’re not talking about leaps and bounds here, but natural, incremental stylistic progression. Reasonable. It begins on side A, though the let’s-get-to-it-ness of “Blood Red Sky” and “Journey Home”‘s hooks signals business as usual from Freedom Hawk, “Lost in Space,” with its more patient intro from all three and keys from Morton, brings a turn that presages some of side B’s more adventurous moments. At its heart, it’s still catchy and largely straightforward, but the shift in atmosphere is palpable from the first two cuts and it begins a broadening process that continues later. The lead on “On Your Knees” is a standout, though more so the turn in approach of the vocals, which will later get a fuller exploration on the title-track, and Hines‘ drumming proves able to push the material along at whatever pace is set or direction it might be headed.
He holds a tension in “Lost in Space” and the later “The Line” and is forward-minded, but definitely not without a sense of swing to coincide. “Journey Home” showcases that and he begins side A closer “Waterfall” with snare work that sets up the song’s more laid-back vibe, the verse arriving later, a few lines tossed out as a precursor to a relatively stripped down chorus compared to that of “Lost in Space” or “Blood Red Sky,” the trio ready and willing to let their chemistry do the talking when it suits them. Side B’s launch, “Radar,” is more of a riff-rocker, but it picks up in its midsection to find more of a rush in which the band seems utterly at home for the bridge before they turn back to the chorus, chugging central nod and surprisingly airy finish. With the shifts that the second half of Into Your Mind brings about, the beginning of that half is still pretty much in line with the cuts preceding. It’s not really until “Beyond Our Reach” kicks in that they fully show their hand.
A jazzy start like something Fatso Jetson might conjure begins “Beyond Our Reach,” and that rhythm holds after the riff and a NWOBHM-style lead progression commence to give an alternate vision of Freedom Hawk‘s brand of heavy rock. Layered vocals seem to mirror guitar harmonies and while the effect is still heavy and a shuffle is present, once again the context has changed. The previously-alluded-to vocal turn on “Into Your Mind” pushes further against expectation — Morton‘s compression-on higher-register vocals are as much a signature as the band has — and they’re not completely gone, but even changing into and out of the chorus establishes a dynamic in an unanticipated way, and “Into Your Mind” also proves to be Cave‘s best performance on bass, his presence in the pocket just behind the guitar only helps in setting that righteous tone.
At 6:51, the penultimate “The Line” is the longest inclusion by nearly a full minute, and they use that extra time for an instrumental drive, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “jam,” since though it finds Hines on his ride, there always seems to be a plotted course being followed. Keys or layered-in background leads pepper the pre-chorus and return later during the extended instrumental part, which is also how they finish before bringing things back to earth for “All Because of You,” a more hook-based start-stopper that seems to be geared toward bookending with “Blood Red Sky,” but honestly, by the time they get there, the opener’s straight-ahead thrust feels like a long time ago and a long ways away. That feeling itself is evidence of the growth Freedom Hawk have undertaken despite losing a player, and though Into Your Mind finds them branching out, it also serves to reinforce the aspects of their sonic personality that have been their hallmarks up to this point in their career. They’re still Freedom Hawk, they’re just working to expand the definition of what that means.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 26th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Italian ritual droners Shabda will release their new album, Pharmakon / Pharmakos, Sept. 7 on Argonauta Records. Last year the three-piece put out the Tummo LP, and proceeds from the new one will go toward aid for victims of the earthquake this past April in Nepal. The lush wash of Tummo can be sampled below, and I think if you haven’t heard it before, you’ll find the three tracks an immersive and worthy investment of time.
Will hope to have more on this one as we get closer to the release. Here’s the news until then:
SHABDA – Cover artwork and album details revealed
Pharmakon / Pharmakos is the third album by Shabda, a year after the highly acclaimed psychic journey of Tummo. Voluntary hermits established in the rural countryside of Canavese, Piedmont, they fulfill, with this work, a rite of foundation, emanating their blanket of dense droning sound to link distant yet compatible musical mythologies. The two suites forming the album shape time, space and repetition building a sound that drives West and East to confront in the field of pure sound: it’s not doom, nor folk, nor drone in strict sense, but the heavy golden thread that structures the homogeneity of compositions draws a monolithic identity, simultaneously saturnine and solar.
Stylistically, Pharmakon is based on Raga Kafi, tinging it in Middle Eastern shades before crashing on the obsessively guitar oriented drift of its climax. Pharmakos gives off its textural essentiality on the vocal and rhythmic cells of Tibetan mantric music, pushing tension towards the void: then its features are stripped to the bones of an overloaded metal behemoth to investigate pre-existence, life, death and continuity.
Pharmakon / Pharmakos speaks about alchemy without using words, through the evocation of pure sound images, vertically ascending the axis mundi. Like Janus, with one face to the west and one to the east.
Also, Shabda in partnership with Argonauta Records will actively support Nepal populations affected by the earthquake by donating 10% for each copy sold of Pharmakon/Pharmakos album to Nepalese children through Save the Children.
Those into Windhand, Mamiffer, Bong, Terry Riley and Popol Vuh will have something to rejoice by September 7th, 2015. Pharmakon/Pharmakos will be released by Argonauta Records on CD/DD.
We’re getting closer to the July 10 release date for Michigan four-piece Bison Machine‘s debut LP for Kozmik Artifactz/Bilocation Records, Hoarfrost (review here). That album, initially a digital self-release, will get its first physical pressing from the German imprints — when will they finally join forces as Kozmik Location Records? — and the Hamtramck outfit have already been on the road to herald its coming; in May, they were out alongside New Yorkers Geezer for a run of shows on the Eastern Seaboard. Given that and the obvious drive to spread the word about what they’re doing, maybe a new video isn’t such a surprise, but it’s a welcome arrival anyway, as it gives more of a look at what Bison Machine are all about.
To that end: Guns, motorcycle riding through scenes of urban decay, antlers on drums, bone-handle hunting knives, wah pedals, weirdly opaque and murderous woodland rituals, fuzz and memorable songwriting. I mean, there’s probably more there, but between the live footage from Smalls in Detroit and the sort of atmospheric visuals set against it, the band present a sense of mood that’s perhaps severe next to the song “Viking Hand” itself, but not necessarily out of place. It gets awfully cold in Michigan, after all. Seems likely that one way or another somebody would wind up with a knife in their back after running into a shrouded tree-worshiper someplace deep in the forest. Oh, and did I mention antlers on drums? Because that’s particularly awesome.
Video is below for the in-digging. Hope you enjoy:
Bison Machine, “Viking Hand” official video
Stream and share the official video for ‘Viking Hand’ by Michigan’s Bison Machine | Debut album Hoarfrost released 10th July
Burning bright with lysergic energy Bison Machine’s Hoarfrost – the band’s debut album originally self-released to notable acclaim among the stoner rock community earlier this year – will get an official release this July through Germany’s Kozmik Artifactz/Bilocation Records, Europe’s leading purveyor of heavy psych, blues and stoner rock.
Worshippers of volume, Bison Machine have gained a reputation for their frenzied, high velocity live shows, welding Graveyard and Pentagram influenced shuffles onto the back of 70s Motor City rock and 90s stoner grooves. If you’re a fan of pounding, colossal blues and heavy Zep-driven riffs then the Hamtramck four-piece’s gnarled and muscular guitar and vocal work on tracks like ‘Cosmic Ark’, ‘Gamekeeper’s Thumb’ and ‘Viking Hand’ will leave you floored, broken and bloodied.
Hoarfrost by Bison Machine will be released on CD and limited, high performance 180g vinyl on 10th July via Kozmik Artifactz/Bilocation Records Bison Machine:
John deVries – Guitar Breck Crandell – Drums Tom Stec – Vocals Anthony Franchina – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
I’m sorry — note: I’m not actually sorry — but this tour is awesome. Electric Citizen, Mondo Drag and Slow Season headed out together? It’s like a missionary effort from RidingEasy Records, and should you happen to be in its path, which is to say if you don’t live in the Boston area, it seems like it would be worthwhile to show up and hear the preaching. Mondo Drag head out a couple nights before the tour-proper starts, and they’re supporting the right-on-ness of their self-titled LP (review here), released earlier this year on Kozmik Artifactz and subsequently picked up by RidingEasy, while Slow Season are out heralding their own debut for the label and Electric Citizen should be teasing their second offering ahead of a release either later this year or hopefully in the earlier portion of 2016.
Tour poster by Dirty Needle and dates follow, scoured from various Thee Facebooks sources:
Check out all the date for our US Tour next month! We’re kicking it off on July 4 and we’ve got dates with Medusa1975, JOY, Feral Ohms, Slow Season, Electric Citizen, Ruby the Hatchet, Blackout, and more!!!
Tour brought to you by RidingEasy Records & KR3W Denim
7/4 San Francisco, CA at Amnesia 7/5 Long Beach, CA at Alex’s Bar 7/7 Denver, CO at The Moon Room* 7/8 Kansas, MO at Riot Room* 7/9 Rock Island, IL at RIBCO* 7/10 Chicago, IL at Reggie’s Side Room^* 7/11 Detroit, MI at Loving Touch^* 7/12 Cleveland, OH at Grog Shop^* 7/13 Rochester, NY at Bug Jar^* 7/14 Pittsburgh, PA at Club Cafe^* 7/15 Columbus, OH at Ace Of Cups^* 7/17 Philadelphia, PA at Underground Arts Black Box^* 7/18 Brooklyn, NY at Saint Vitus^* 7/20 Richmond, VA at Strange Matter^* 7/22 Asheville, NC at Grey Eagle^* 7/23 Atlanta, GA at Masquerade Purgatory^* 7/24 Orlando, FL at BackBooth^* 7/26 New Orleans, LA at Siberia^* 7/28 Houston, TX at Rudyards^* 7/29 Austin, TX at Red 7^* 7/30 Dallas, TX at Club Dada^* 8/1 Tempe, AZ at Yucca Tap Room* 8/2 San Diego, CA at The Tower Bar* 8/3 Fullerton, CA at The Continental Room 8/7 Oakland, CA at Leo’s Music Club ^w/ Electric Citizen *w/ Slow Season
