Posted in Whathaveyou on May 30th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
There are two tracks on South African doomers Demons from the Dungeon Dimension‘s new EP, There was Ogres. One is the titular cut, at a slow-unfolding 21 minutes, and the other is a shorter acoustic take on the same track. The EP follows just weeks behind what seems to have been the band’s full-length debut, As the Crow Flies, though information is pretty sparse on the self-recording and releasing Durban unit’s origins and makeup. Nonetheless, the atmosphere on the track is suitably creeper and the trad-doom inflection of the grammatically-suspect “There was Ogres” comes with an edge of the aesthetically bizarre that, particularly as a free download, easily justifies the investment of time, vocals seeming to nod at Alice Cooper without actually taking too much from him, or anyone else, for that matter.
A purveyor of what I have dubbed “Hillbilly Doom”, There Was Ogres consists of a 21 minute long title track, and a seven minute long acoustic version. Incredible artwork by the immensely talented Geoffrey Smuts which truly captures the overall atmosphere and lyrical content of the music.
The sound is quite different from the debut, “As the Crow Flies”, with much tighter and clearer drums, fuller bass, and a completely different, jangly guitar tone. It does however still stick to a lo-fi, DIY aesthetic.
The guitars are very much so inspired by the playing of Mark Ribot, especially his performance on the Tom Waits album “Real Gone” (check out the song “Hoist That Rag” for an example), while the guitar tone is akin to that used by Queens of the Stone Age on their album “Era Vulgaris.”
Posted in audiObelisk on May 30th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
This invariably happens every year. I’ll grant that the audio streams from Roadburn 2016 seem especially quick in arriving — the last batch was only 10 days ago — but at some point every year there’s a round during which the majority of the bands are ones that I didn’t see. The catchphrase here is “Roadburn means hard choices.” You can’t be everywhere at once, and usually my agenda involves trying to focus on things I’ve never seen before and might not again. Fortunately there’s always plenty of that to go around.
Out of the seven bands included in this third batch of Roadburn 2016 streaming full sets, I only caught one band, and that was CHRCH. Frankly, if it was only going to be one, I’m glad it was them. The West Coast extreme doom powerhouse made their debut through Battleground Records in 2015 with Unanswered Hymns (review here) and received due praise for their efforts, and they were among my most gotta-see bands for this year’s fest, playing in the smallest venue, Extase, around the corner from the 013 proper. They packed that room out through the hallway and just about out the door and closed out my first night of Roadburn 2016 with resonant, swirling darkness that I’m glad to have the chance to revisit.
And of course, getting to hear some of what I missed elsewhere is always part of the fun of hosting these streams, so if you need me, I’ll be digging in. I hope you’ll enjoy doing the same.
Much audio follows:
Bliksem – Live at Roadburn 2016
Chaos Echoes – Live at Roadburn 2016 (Transient in its entirety)
CHRCH – Live at Roadburn 2016
Hell – Live at Roadburn 2016
Naðra – Live at Roadburn 2016
Daniel Payne – Live at Roadburn 2016
Yodok III – Live at Roadburn 2016
Gratitude as always to Walter for letting me host the streams. To hear the first batch of Roadburn 2016 audio streams, click here, to hear the second one, click here, and for all of this site’s coverage of Roadburn 2016, click here.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 30th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Sweet Times Vol. 5 continues Who Can You Trust? Records‘ admirable penchant for packing as much rock as possible onto a relatively tiny platter. This edition features Ragged Barracudas, Queen Crescent, Plant Tribe and Banquet and furthers the thread of upstart boogie rock that prior editions have established, each act offering a quick sampling of their wares, getting in and getting out in quick succession. The longest of them is Queen Crescent‘s “Zodiacal Woman,” at 3:21, if that gives you some idea.
The garaged-out tone of Ragged Barracudas sets a proto-punk course, and that Queen Crescent track follows with a fuller, classically-styled fuzz, while on side B, Plant Tribe‘s churning, building boogie leads smoothly into the similarly-minded but still distinct vibe Banquet bring to the table. Like all the Sweet Times offerings to-date, there’s little to argue with here in concept or execution, and each band basically has enough time to introduce themselves and rush on their way, but as ever, that proves to be long enough to leave an overarching impression.
Info from the PR wire:
VA “SWEET TIMES – Volume 5” 7-Inch OUT NOW !!!
SWEET TIMES for the 5th time… what could I say?
If you’ve made it here, you’re either just walking by, or… you ran through all the previous volumes and know what you’re in for! The formula hasn’t changed as Who Can You trust? is still the same old label you used to love (or not)! …you decide!
On the fifth volume you have to expect a new jam by the Ragged Barracudas from Germany, as well as exclusive recordings by San Francisco’s Banquet, Queen Crescent and Long Beach’s Plant Tribe!”
One might look at In the Tail of a Comet, the pivotal first LP from Sweden’s Dozer, as the closing chapter in a larger movement within heavy rock. Released by Frank Kozik‘s Man’s Ruin Records in 2000 following the band’s initial series of splits with Demon Cleaner and Unida, the album followed landmark debuts like Acid King‘s Busse Woods and Natas‘ Delmar, both issued by the same label in 1999, as well as the first Queens of the Stone Age and Alabama Thunderpussy (both 1998). Granted debuts from Orange Goblin (1997), Colour Haze (1995) and Electric Wizard (1995) also preceded, but in the post-Kyuss surge of heavy rock, by the time 2001 came around, this league of bands would be past first records and onto the work of developing what became a golden age of riffs. Dozer were a huge part of that process in Europe, and In the Tail of a Comet was the beginning point of a stylistic progression that got more charged over the years that followed.
The roots of that are audible in a song like “Cupola” and elsewhere, but the overarching vibe of In the Tail of a Comet is pure desert-style fuzz, very much in the vein of later Kyuss and the style that Man’s Ruin helped foster through releasing works from Suplecs, the Desert Sessions and some of the aforementioned. What really distinguished Dozer from the outset — and what would continue to distinguish them as guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Nordin, guitarist Tommi Holappa (also principal songwriter in Greenleaf), bassist Johan Rockner and then-drummer Erik Bäckwall moved forward — was the songwriting. From opener “Supersoul” through “Lightyears Ahead,” “Speeder,” “Riding the Machine,” “Captain Spaceheart” and so on, Dozer‘s debut stood them out whether they were galloping through “Cupola” or swinging through the crashes of “Grand Dragon,” and where many at this point seemed to be getting their bearings, Dozer burst out of the gate with a collection of songs that helped shape European heavy rock and still ripples out its influence today.
I’ve had arguments back and forth about the merits of In the Tail of a Comet vs. Dozer‘s second album, 2001’s Madre de Dios or their 2003 third LP, Call it Conspiracy (discussed here), but the truth as I see it is they never stopped pushing forward in any of their releases, whether it was those or 2005’s Through the Eyes of Heathens and 2008’s Beyond Colossal (both on Small Stone), the latter of which stands as their most recent outing. Picking favorites is fun, but as their sound became more complex, Dozer never lost the core of craftsmanship that one can hear writ large over In the Tail of a Comet, and that would seem to make the entire body of work all the more admirable.
They’ve played shows sporadically for the last few years and hit the 20-year mark this year, and I keep my fingers crossed they’ll get a new LP out at some point. With Holappa concentrating on Greenleaf as a full-time band — they recently secured a US booking agent — that seems less likely in the near-term, but one can hope at some point they follow-up Beyond Colossal, because as anyone who heard that album can tell you, they still sounded like a band with more to say.
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I did an interview this morning with Tom Geddes in the UK for The Desertfest Podcast that will be posted sooner or later from them. It was a Skype kind of deal, just Tom and I doing a lot of back and forth on how we got into music, some bits about writing, the book, the All-Dayer and so on. Mostly I think we talked about bands, but I love talking about bands, and especially with someone as knowledgeable as Tom, that’s all the more a pleasure. I’ll let you know when the podcast with the interview goes live. Not that you need to hear me run my mouth, but you know.
Also some interesting job news that I’ll talk more about next week, but that’s eaten up a lot of my consciousness for the last day or so. We’ll see how things shake out over this coming holiday weekend. Sorry to be vague, there are just some ducks to get in a row.
Thanks again to everybody who has ordered a copy of the book so far. The post office lost an entire box of signed copies — there were like 60 in it, minimum — so I’ll have more going out this weekend and will be following up on the lost ones to either find them or have more printed with the insurance money from the shipping. I was pissed either way. Still am, for all the good it does me.
Next week: I’ll be posting on Monday, even though it’s a holiday in the US. Plenty of international stuff to write about. Look for a review of Hijo de la Tormenta, followed by one Tuesday for the Earthless/Harsh Toke split, which is out now. Valley of the Sun and Stars that Move are the next two reviews on the list after that, but the plan for this week completely changed as we got into Wednesday and Thursday, so who the hell knows what might actually happen. Not gonna worry about it today. Point is, there will be rock and roll.
Speaking of, The Obelisk Radio broke a new record for listeners-at-one-time today. Thank you if you were a part of that or if you’ve ever checked it out. The Dozer record is done so I’m listening right now and it just went from Beast in the Field to Witch. Seriously some of the best money I’ve ever spent, putting this together. Tell your friends.
I hope you have a great and safe weekend. If you’re celebrating Memorial Day, I hope that celebration doesn’t involve unthinking jingoism — that is, not just remembering why we send our children to die in war, but to whose benefit — and I hope at very least after thinking about that, you’re still able to enjoy the day off. Me? I’m splitting out of the office early and headed to the beach, because you’re god damned right I am.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 27th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Have to chuckle a bit at The Skull calling a tour ‘November of Doom,’ when they’re from Chicago and that same city is host to Novembers Doom, but hey, sometimes coincidences happen. On their latest run of Europe, which follows two earlier this Spring, including one that stopped for a total of three sets at Roadburn 2016, they’ll be joined by Portland, Oregon’s Witch Mountain. As coordination would have it, the two bands share a guitarist in Rob Wrong at this point, so though he’ll be pulling double-duty, the pairing makes an awful lot of sense. The Skull, who are continuing to support their 2014 debut, For Those Which are Asleep (review here), as well as a self-titled follow-up EP (review here), features vocalist Eric Wagner, bassist Ron Holzner, guitarist Lothar Keller and drummer Sean Saley, in addition to Rob Wrong.
To my recollection, this is the first time Witch Mountain will be headed to Europe since acquiring vocalist Kayla Dixon. They toured North America last Spring alongside Enslaved and YOB and are about due for a follow-up to 2014’s Mobile of Angels (review here), their gorgeous and fraught fourth full-length.
Both bands also play Erosion Festival 2016 (info here) in Missoula, Montana, this October.
From the PR wire:
THE SKULL featuring former Trouble members including vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner are returning to Europe in November 2016!
The Skull & Witch Mountain: 11/04 Bristol, UK Exchange 11/05 Milton Keynes, UK Crauford Arms 11/06 London, UK Underworld 11/07 Tilburg, NL Little Devil 11/08 Utrecht, NL DBS 11/09 Karlsruhe, DE Jubez 11/10 Vienna, AT Doom Over Vienna 11/11 Arnstadt, DE Rockjunfer 11/12 TBA 11/13 Drachten, NL Iduna 11/14 Wiesbaden, DE Schlachthof 11/15 Kassel, DE Schlachthof 11/16 Hamburg, DE Hafenklang 11/17 Dortmund, DE Piano 11/18 Würzburg, DE Hammer Of Doom 11/19 Winterthur, CH Gaswerk
As fate would have it, today is the release date of The Philistines‘ full-length debut. Out on The Record Machine, the nine-track The Backbone of Night finds the Kansas City six-piece careening around a wide swath of heavy psychedelia, garage, desert and other assorted rocks. It’s the kind of record you might put on and wonder where the hell the band comes from, at times nodding toward the more cohesive end of West Coast bliss-outs, but also offering more driving moments like “A Twitch of the Death Nerve” or delving into classic-style, cane-sugar-coated pop on “A Heart Like Candy” such that each time the listener thinks they have The Backbone of Night figured out, The Philistines — the lineup of Kimmie Queen (vocals), Cody Wyoming (guitar/vocals), Michelle Bacon (bass/vocals), Steve Gardels (drums), Rod Peal (guitar) and Josh Mobley (keys) — hang a louie and the context for the record as a whole expands once again.
The key distinction to make here is that between amorphousness and nebulousness. It’s not that The Philistines are flailing, like they don’t know where they want their material to go. Granted, they might let it wander, as on jammed-out eight-minute centerpiece “The Accretion Disco,” but they always seem to have a direction at the root for each track and the flow of the album in general, which between the fact that there are six people in the band and that they work with a variety of acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard textures, vocal arrangements and so on, makes The Backbone of Night an all the more impressive first outing.
One of two similarly extended cuts along with the hypnotic dream-echo wash of the earlier “Radiation Drive” — credit to The Philistines for not ending the album with either of them — “The Accretion Disco” is obviously a focal point, but that consideration shouldn’t come at the expense of the other stylistic leaps the band makes, whether it’s from the Western garage psych of “Steep” to the shuffling “1971,” which is the shortest cut here at a buzzing 2:31 propelled by tambourine shake and an upbeat hook as it rushes into the more laid back “Radiation Drive,” an acoustic guitar figure adding earthy substance to what’s otherwise an ethereal rhythmic and melodic push outward. Only a single track separates “Radiation Drive” and “The Accretion Disco,” and that’s “A Twitch of the Death Nerve,” an also-under-three-minute, guitar-led, (relatively) straightforward heavy rocker that sets up a back and forth from the interstellar as though the band wanted to remind their listeners that, yes, there was still somebody steering the ship.
It’s a difficult swap to make, but The Philistines do it simply by doing it, and the fuzz-rocking “A Twitch of the Death Nerve” maintains an effects-prone undercurrent behind the lead guitar sizzle, so when “The Accretion Disco” kicks in, it’s not by any means out of place. Backwards swirl and cymbal wash tap ’60s psych and Beatlesian harmonies only reinforce the vibe, peaceful, ready for meditation of one sort or another. The already-noted jam portion is acoustic-led and takes flight after three minutes in, joined by electric leads after a few minutes as the song subtly heads back to the chorus, fading out quiet into wind/static and an emergent line of foreboding synth, from which “Arecibo” bursts to life.
To go with the album’s most insistent rhythm, strummed out on forward-in-the-mix (on purpose) acoustic guitar, “Arecibo” makes its mark with gorgeous duet vocal croons, and that would seem to be the element that most ties it to “A Heart Like Candy,” which is so unabashedly poppy it almost feels like a faster version of something that would’ve appeared on Twin Peaks — so dripping with sweetness it borders on unsettling, like something from a musical. Enough so that I Googled the title to see if it was a cover, but no, The Philistines seem to have just buried this milkshake-at-the-pharmacy-counter-turned-reverb-tripout in the second half of their album between “Arecibo” and the subsequent “Stygia,” which one might be tempted to call brooding but for the doubled-timed hi-hat keeping a somewhat frenetic sense of motion to it.
A shift back to something more straightforward is in itself jarring, one has to sort of peek around the corner of the song to make sure there isn’t something lurking, but “Stygia” winds up as the first of a two-part bookend with closer “Get Inside,” which follows, answering back to the heavy garage style that “Steep” and “1971” proffered while, particularly in the case of the finale, maintaining a psychedelic thrust as well. That capstone symmetry reinforces the notion that The Philistines have had an idea of what they wanted to do all long throughout The Backbone of Night, and given the significant amount of ground they cover, that’s reassuring. At least partially as a result of that stylistic breadth, I wouldn’t dare to make a prediction where The Philistines might go from here, but it seems to me that they have a foundation of psych, garage and desert-style rock that they can shape as they please, and the control they demonstrate over that process in these tracks bodes remarkably well.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 27th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
One can get a sense of some of the atmospheres in which Philippines-based ambient solo-project Statua is working just by looking at the song titles on the debut album, Celestial Bleakness. Whether it’s “Overcast,” or “Howling Wind,” “Dark Sun” or “Crawl” and “Ghost Town” — certainly “Guitar Improv” is telling as well — the record works quickly to develop an affinity for the corner spaces in atmospheric music, away from light to an extent that winds up someplace between contemplative and brooding. Switching between drums (or programming), guitar, electronics and so on, Statua — aka Samuel Fianza — offers patient and progressive, drama-filled but still relatively subdued pieces that feel born of experiments but definitely fleshed out, for the most part, in the studio. Firenza, as it happens, also recorded the album himself.
Ditto that for the prior 2014 EP, Petrichor, which you can stream and name-your-price download below. No word on a physical pressing at this time, but Celestial Bleakness is set to hit Statua‘s Bandcamp on June 20.
The following came down the PR wire for your perusal:
Statua to release debut album “Celestial Bleakness” this June
Independent experimental musician Samuel Fianza under the name Statua from Baguio City, Philippines is about to release his debut full length album entitled “Celestial Bleakness”. The album will be available on Bandcamp on June 20, 2016.
The music of Statua is hard to categorize in a specific genre but it is recommended for fans of Ulver, Sunn O))), Sigur Ros and also fans of 70’s era bands like Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream. As the title suggests, “Celestial Bleakness” is a perfect soundtrack for the rainy season.
The album is produced independently by Samuel Fianza.
Artist: Statua Album: Celestial Bleakness
Tracklist: 1. Overcast 2. Howling Wind 3. Crawl 4. Swarm 5. Dark Sun 6. Guitar Improv 7. Stone Sculpture 8. Ghost Town
Hamburg-based purveyors of sludgy punishment High Fighter are getting ready to release their debut full-length, Scars and Crosses, via respected purveyor Svart Records on June 10. Like the 2014 EP that preceded it, The Goat Ritual (review here), the album mixes aggressive modern metal with heavy-riffing impulses, the vocals of frontwoman Mona Miluski switching fluidly between raspy screams, low growls and clean-sung choruses naturally, as on the track “Blinders,” for which the five-piece have a brand new video premiering today.
The song is an excellent choice to feature ahead of the album’s release, because it emphasizes the manic sensibility that the band is able to bring to their material. With guitarists Christian “Shi” Pappas and Ingwer Boysen tearing into thrashy riffs as bassist Constantin Wüst and drummer/backing vocalist Thomas Wildelau hold the course together, “Blinders” runs full-speed and seems to time its punch just right to land on the unsuspecting listener’s jaw. Even the video — three solid minutes of a dude walking angrily toward the camera, with various manipulations and so on — has this sense of tension that Miluski‘s quick-changing vocal approach shoves over the line between raucous and raging.
And, as noted, that rage comes accompanied by a fervent sense of melody, particularly in the chorus, which remains catchy and informs a structured feel despite how out of control other parts might seem. It’s something else to witness, so by all means, feel free to do that.
High Fighter recently announced tour dates for July with Earth Ship and Mammoth Storm, and you’ll find them (along with all the other upcoming live shows, including tonight’s), as well as a quote from Miluski giving some thematic insight into “Blinders,” under the video below.
Please enjoy:
High Fighter, “Blinders” official video
Mona Miluski on “Blinders”
Think this track perfectly represents one of the main issues we deal with on our debut record, Scars & Crosses. it’s about a dark past, about the wounds and scars of your soul that life may have given you. It’s about your inner demons, and especially people in society or in any relationships will find your scars as a bad attitude, a bad character. You often need to be a ‘Blinder,’ change yourself until you will be accepted, liked or loved. On this album we say no, having your scars is not bad character and you should not change yourself or try to ignore these scars until you’re “worth” being loved. Learn to also love those who have their scars, we all have them… These darkest days, moments and demons in life, your entire history — our scars engrave us — they belong to you as much as the good sides.
High Fighter live: 27.05 Stadtfest Bad Oldesloe 10.06 Hamburg, Album Release show – with Jucifer & The Moth 17.06 Würzburg – with The Midnight Ghost Train 18.06 Karlsruhe – with The Midnight Ghost Train 02.07 Stadtfest Mücheln
Album summer release tour with Earth Ship & Mammoth Storm: 22.07 Kiel, DE – Kieler Schaubude 23.07 Naaldwijk / Den Haag, NL – De Flatertheek 24.07 Le Havre, FR – Mac Daid’s 25.07 Nantes, FR – Le Ferrailleur 26.07 Köln, DE – Underground 27.07 Weinheim, DE – Cafe Central 28.07 Berlin, DE – Badehaus Szimpla 29.07 Erfurt, DE – From Hell 30.07 Hamburg, DE – Fundbureau
17.08 Summer Breeze Festival 02.09 MetallerGrillen 10.09 Open Air Fraureuth
