Portland, Oregon’s Mane of the Cur will mark the release of their new album, Retreat of the Glaciers, at this year’s Ceremony of Sludge on March 9, where they’ll join the likes of Disenchanter, Witch Mountain, Usnea, Will and many others at the two-night shindig made all the more special by the coming of their new record. If you can dig it — and oh, I believe you can — the progressive heavy rockers have newly unveiled the eight-plus-minute single “9 Lives” as a precursor to the full-length’s arrival. It’s the second song from Retreat of the Glaciers behind “1000 Years,” which went up for stream and download to mark the beginning of preorders for the limited cassette version of the long-player, which will be limited to 100 copies.

I’m sorry — and don’t get me wrong, tapes are awesome — but I have to believe someone will pick this up for a CD and/or vinyl release at some point soon if that’s not already in the works. You can stream both advance tracks at the bottom of this post and I think you’ll pretty immediately hear where I’m coming from in that assessment. I’m hoping to have more coverage of Mane of the Cur and Retreat of the Glaciers as we get closer to the March release date, so stay tuned. Till then, the band was kind enough to send the following along the PR wire:

Mane of the Cur – Retreat of the Glaciers

Portland, Oregon’s heavy rock quintet, Mane Of The Cur announces release of 2nd full length Album, Retreat Of The Glaciers. See them live at Ceremony of Sludge VII at Tonic Lounge March 9th 2018.

Heavy rockers, Mane Of The Cur are proud to announce the release of their second album, Retreat of the Glaciers. This 2 year in the making album will have its release date at the next annual heavy music festival, Ceremony of Sludge VII on March 9th, 2018. A pre-sale of ROTG will begin Tuesday January 30th from the band’s Bandcamp website.

In addition to the pre-sale order of the Retreat Of The Glaciers at www.maneofthecur.bandcamp.com, a 2nd full length track, 1000 years, will be available for unlimited streaming and download. This song has a touch of 80’s hard rock vocals with not-so-subtle lyrical political commentary. MOTC released its 1st single, 9 Lives in December 2017 and it is currently streaming and available for download. This “single” has a slightly more doomy and contemplative timber, clocking in at a cool 9 minutes. The band is very happy with the direction that they have taken with this new release both collaboratively and musically.

MOTC will be donating 40% of sales of this single to the non-profit organization, Music Unites (musicunites.org) in memoriam of Samuel Lennon. Music Unites is an organization dedicated to bringing music education to underprivileged children in underfunded inner city school systems.

Mane Of the Cur was originally formed in 2012 in Portland, OR and the current line-up of Blaine Burnham (Lamprey, Hot Won’t Quit), Cory DeCaire (Old Junior, Hound the Wolves), Nathan Baisch (Ghostmob), Shawn Mentzer (Ghostmob) and Melynda Amann (Jamais Jamais, Eight Bells) has been playing together since February 2015. MOTC have opened for heavy hitters such as Lord Weird Slough Feg, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Witch Mountain and Holy Grove and played local festivals, Hoverfest and Ceremony of Sludge.

Tracklisting:
1. Retreat of the Glaciers
2. Uncovering Time
3. 1000 Years 04:19
4. White Beard
5. 9 Lives
6. Reefer Magnus (Lonely Mountain)
7. 1 Bullet
8. Tiberious

maneofthecur.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/maneofthecur/

Mane of the Cur, “9 Lives”

Mane of the Cur, “1000 Years”

You really wanna know what took me so long to come around to Somnuri‘s Somnuri (review here)? Why I wasn’t immediately on the Brooklyn trio’s Magnetic Eye self-titled debut the way I should’ve been? Is the suspense killing you?

Probably not, but the truth is I knew that when it came to Somnuri, a three-piece featuring guitarist/vocalist Justin Sherrell (Blackout, ex-Bezoar, etc.), bassist Drew Mack (ex-Hull) and drummer Phil SanGiacomo (Family), there was just about no way I wasn’t going to dig the album. Then it was just going to be one more CD that I really wanted that I couldn’t really afford to shell out for, and that would only lead to frustration and ultimately I didn’t immediately give the digital promo the time of day it very much deserved because, well, it was going to kick ass. And you know what? It did.

Released in Sept. 2017, Somnuri‘s Somnuri builds outward atmospherically from the traditions of intensity that permeate New York’s particular brand of noise rock. One can hear shades of modern progressive metal noodling in Sherrell‘s guitar — I don’t know this for a fact, but he strikes as the kind of guy who can pick up just about any instrument in front of him and wail on it — and the accompanying turns in Mack‘s bass and SanGiacomo‘s drumming. The proceedings are furious and contemplative in kind, a thoughtful onslaught that runs about 40 minutes and yeah, makes me want to pick up the CD as soon as possible.

Because, by the way, I still buy CDs. Maybe you’ve got room for all your vinyl in that mansion of yours, but I’m working with what I’ve got here.

Somnuri, who could’ve easily blown my ass off and been like, “yeah buddy, you’re way late on our record and you suck therefore bite it,” were kind enough to tackle the following short interview to give some background on how the songs and the album came together, and where they might be headed from here.

Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

Six Dumb Questions with Somnuri
—

Tell me about Somnuri getting together. How did the band form and how did the sound start to take shape? Was there a concept behind the sound before you got started?

Phil SanGiacomo: We all knew each other from playing in local bands and it was probably bound to happen. Justin had a longtime project he wanted to bring to life and asked me to try some drum grooves over his ideas. We’re both natural drummers that play guitar, so the dynamic was great. I was really into the rawness and rhythmic intensity of the riffs and tried to emulate them as best I could on drums. Drew came in to play second guitar but I think we all quickly realized that the low end was priority. Being an adaptive and versatile player, Drew filled this role perfectly and added more texture. We all agreed that we liked the rigidness of the power trio and we were on our way. We’ve never really discussed any defining concepts, but those things do develop naturally over time. Nothing is off the table with Somnuri and in many ways, the sound has shaped itself.

What was the songwriting process like for the self-titled? How long did it take for the album to come together and how much did everyone contribute to the tracks?

Justin Sherrell: I had been writing riffs knowing that they wouldn’t necessarily fit with bands I was in at the time and kind of putting them in the vault. At some point, the vault started to get to full, so when Drew and Phil came in the mix there was maybe three or four pretty complete tunes with skeletons of a few more. It was a little difficult at first, being able to take criticism on things that I never intended for anybody to hear. It didn’t take long to settle into our perspective roles and really push and pull each other to get new, fresh takes on ideas that were kind of just sitting around. All in all, it took about two years to write and record this album. At the end of recording, we ended up with more material than could fit on a record, which we plan on using for a split or an EP. Or fuck it, maybe just give it away.

How was your time in the studio with Jeff Berner? He did the guitars and drums, but who did the bass and vocals? How long were you in the studio altogether and what was the vibe like as the album started to take shape?

Drew Mack: Recording in Studio G with Jeff Berner was like meeting some lost lover in a newly built version of your favorite bar. We all immediately became good pals and Jeff really didn’t seem to mind how much nerding out we did over all of Studio G‘s extensive gear selection. We were however on somewhat of a time crunch/budget so the idea was to mainly just get drums in an awesome room and do most of everything else in our practice space. As it turned out, not only did we settle into the process so easily and quickly, we also have a complete beast of a drummer who does everything in one take with no clicks, no flubs, no prisoners. So we just kept moving right along and decided to track some of the guitars there as well! I think we basically had a total of three whole days in Studio G and then moved on to our practice space where we could spend as much time as we wanted capturing more guitar, bass, and all the vocal layers. Having Phil mix the record gave us a lot of freedom to experiment and get the right takes. Most importantly, we feel we captured our sound well.

Talk about the cover art. The piece by Miriam Corothers is striking and gives the album a very progressive look. Where did it come from and how was it chosen to represent the record? What is the significance of its use to the band?

PS: We loved Miriam’s enthusiasm about the music and ultimately trusted her vision, which was a sort of collage of different shapes, each containing juxtaposed elements of nature. The result was a dreamscape like image. I think it’s a great visual representation of how fluid our sound can be, but still bold and unforgiving.

You guys cast a pretty broad sound throughout these tracks. Can you give me any idea where Somnuri might head from here in terms of sonic direction? Is there anything in particular you want to try next time around coming off of this record?

DM: I personally find it extremely exciting to cast a large sonic shadow over all the silly, albeit usefully coined genres in heavy music today. I think all three of us listen to an extensive range of music styles and personally, I find it more difficult in these sonically saturated times to remain excited throughout an entire album. My only hope in moving forward is that we continue to explore ways to stay excited and proud of the music we create, and, for me, that usually means we have to try to remain DIFFERENT.

Any plans or closing words you want to mention?

JS: Our plans at this point are to keep writing new tunes and keep it fresh! We‘re gonna start hitting the road more and playing out of NYC. Right now, starting with East Coast runs and then putting together some more extensive tours. We’re excited to meet new bands and potential fans alike.

Somnuri, Somnuri (2017)

Somnuri on Thee Facebooks

Somnuri on Bandcamp

Magnetic Eye Records on Thee Facebooks

Magnetic Eye Records website

Mind you, I don’t know if in the process of putting it out on compact disc, Texas duo Stone Machine Electric are actually re-titling their limited 2014 cassette — initially dubbed Garage Tape (review here) — as Garage Tape, er, CD?, but being relatively familiar with the Lone Star twosome’s work over the last however many years, I’d absolutely believe it. In fact, it’s precisely the kind of weirdo charm in which Stone Machine Electric specialize, and as one awaits further word of their next album, I’ll happily take whatever comes from these two deeply underrated psych jammers.

If you didn’t hear it the first time around, Garage Tape was comprised of two side-consuming, sprawling jams that came with a bonus track in the digital form. I don’t know if that will be included on the CD or not, but the chance to hear it all together as one flowing jam session seems like a pretty righteous opportunity, so yeah, here’s the info. Ships in March, apparently. That seems like forever from now, but apparently is very much not that thing:

STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC – Garage Tape, er CD?

Texas heavy duo, Stone Machine Electric, is re-releasing the mind-bending “Garage Tape” onto, what else, but CD. This is by semi-popular demand. Sshhh, yes, vinyl would be nice, we know.

You can pre-order this fabulous format at: https://stonemachineelectric.bandcamp.com/album/garage-tape

Garage Tape tracklisting:
1. Side A 20:52
2. Side B 21:38

Improvised live on July 26, 2014 in Kitchens’ garage.

Expect these to start shipping beginning to mid-March.

For further information, contact the band at band@stonemachineelectric.net

Stone Machine Electric started in the summer of 2009 with founding members Mark Kitchens and William (Dub) Irvin. Dub had asked Kitchens if he’d be interested in helping him start a band since the two had been in other bands together in previous years.

https://www.facebook.com/StoneMachineElectric/
https://twitter.com/SME_band
http://stonemachineelectric.bandcamp.com/
http://www.stonemachineelectric.net/
www.offtherecordlabel.com

Stone Machine Electric, Garage Tape (2014)

It does not take long for the purity of madness to show itself on the aptly-named second full-length from Swedish heavy rockers MaidaVale. The Stockholm-based outfit issued their debut in 2016’s Tales of the Wicked West (review here), and while classicism of form remains a prevalent element throughout the new nine-track/38-minute offering — sure enough titled Madness is too Pure and set to land via The Sign Records — the band is far, far less indebted to genre, particularly blues rock, which they actively veer away from in both the alternarocking “Walk in Silence” and the electronica-beat-infused later cut “Trance, as well as others.

That in itself is a noteworthy departure, and deeply encouraging as one looks to dig further into the record ahead of its release in March via The Sign Records. In contrast to the later atmospheric spaciousness and underlying thrust of “Späktrom” and the drift of the subsequent six-minuter “Dark Clouds” a subtly powerful opening to Madness is too Pure hits with the immediacy of scorch in “Deadlock,” which stomps out its hook centered around the vocal performance of Mathida Roth, whose already formidable command the last time out only comes more forward as she weaves through the chorus en route to the reinforcement that arrives so soon on the following, exclamatory “Oh Hysteria!”

I have every intention of covering Madness is too Pure more as we get closer to the release on March 23. Also look or MaidaVale to tour France next month to herald the arrival. Like I say, more to come.

Enjoy “Deadlock” in the meantime. It gets a little bit mad at the end:

MaidaVale, “Deadlock” official video premiere

Deadlock by MaidaVale is from the upcoming album “Madness Is Too Pure” that will be released by The Sign Records in 2018

Video by Lisabi Fridell.
Produced / Directed / Editing by: Lisabi Fridell lisabifridell.com
Cinematographer: Nina Fridell

The music on ”Madness Is Too Pure” is deeply rooted in the monotone union between the rhythm section of Johanna Hansson and Linn Johannesson and the hypnotizing vocals of Matilda Roth. Adding Sofia Ströms dazzling guitar playing gives depth to the musical landscape of MaidaVale. ’Madness Is Too Pure’ moves MaidaVale closer to bands such as NEU!, Amon Düül II, Public Image Ltd and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The album was produced and mixed by Jari Haapalainen who has previously worked with artists such as Ed Harcourt, Camera Obscura, Johnossi, Sahara Hotnights, True Moon and The (International) Noise Conspiracy. The album was recorded during six days in November 2017 at The End Studio outside of Lund, Sweden, engineered by Tommy Tift (Vånna Inget, True Moon).

Live gigs:
10/02 – NORRKÖPING, Sweden – Where´s The Music
14/02 PARIS, France – Le Supersonic
15/02 CLERMONT FERRAND, France – Le Raymond Bar
16/02 BARBERAZ, France – Le Brin de Zinc
19/02 – LYON, France – Hard Rock Café
21/02 BORDEAUX, France – Le Voïd
22/02 MELLES, France – Le Café Boulevard
23/02 LORIENT, France – Le Galion
24/02 ANGERS, France – Le Joker’s Pub

European Tour in May
4/5 – BERLIN, Germany – Desertfest Berlin

Members:
Matilda Roth – Vocals
Johanna Hansson – Drums
Linn Johanesson – Bass
Sofia Ström – Guitar

MaidaVale website

MaidaVale on Thee Facebooks

MaidaVale on Twitter

MaidaVale on Instagram

MadidaVale on Spotify

The Sign Records website

The Sign Records on Thee Facebooks

The Sign Records at Freight Train Distro

Man, who’s gonna argue with a new record from The Freeks? Details are just about nil as yet, but all that’ll come soon enough, and in the meantime, Heavy Psych Sounds brings word that the Los Angeles heavy punk rockers will head back to tour Europe once more support the impending release, whatever it’s called and whenever it’s out. These preliminary announcements have kind of become a pattern for the Italian imprint, and they’re kind of exciting in a way, even if they’re light on actual info, which tends to trickle out in subsequent press releases. What does that mean to you? Probably not a lot. For me it just means a longer time anticipating the record.

Preorders, art, details, tour dates, all that stuff. We’ll get there. Just not there yet.

From the PR wire:

HPS NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: coming back of the screaming fuzzed psychedelic rockers The Freeks with the NEW ALBUM !!!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is really proud to announce the coming back of the screaming fuzzed psychedelic rockers The Freeks!!!

The band has a new record ready to be released via Heavy Psych Sounds and will tour Europe this spring.

More info coming soon!!!

BIOGRAPHY
Everything has a beginning, whether it by accident or by design. A journey consists of trials and errors until finally reaching a full circle…ever evolving, revolving over and over again. Set in constant motion, the gathering of speed reaching ultimate vibrations until it’s all “SHATTERED!” This can also be said in regards to Los Angeles, CA based quintet “The FREEKS” as they return from yet another complete orbit with their third full length LP, “SHATTERED”. What started as an accident, brought on a thought, which then began a project that grew into a solidified unit of sonic purification! The FREEKS, led by Ruben Romano, has consistently moved upward since its conception in 2007 and have gracefully matured since their first Self-Titled LP release in 2008 on CARGO GERMANY RECORDS. While the initial project collaborated with players from around world, in 2010 Romano gathered together a more local unit of musicians, all baked under the L.A. heat, to achieve a consistent flow of creation. This was followed by The FREEKS critically acclaimed 2013 Sophomore LP “FULL ON”, released on the band’s very own label “FREEK FLAG RECORDS”.

In 2016,The FREEKS prepared to sling shot and extend the trajectory of their already existing orbital path by joining forces with “HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS RECORDS” and released this latest revolution! The FREEKS are fully ready to shake it until it’s all “SHATTERED.”

THE FREEKS are
Ruben Romano – guitar/vocals
Bob Lee – drums
Esteban Chavez – keys
Jonathan Hall – guitars

https://www.facebook.com/TheFreeks/
https://twitter.com/The_Freeks
http://www.thefreeks.com/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS044

The Freeks, Shattered (2016)

I’ve made no attempt to hide my fandom for Buenos Aires trio Ararat in the past, and neither will I do so now. Still, it’s something of a surprise, maybe to have a new video from the Argentine group show up at this point. Their most recent album, Cabalgata Hacia la Luz (review here), was issued in 2014, and it’s been an another two years since their last clip showed up, that one for “Los Escombros de Jardin” (posted here). So what gives as regards the timing? Hell if I know. I’m just the guy who puts up posts. If you want scheduling, that’s a whole different department.

Of course, we know that Ararat frontman Sergio Chotsourian has kept plenty busy over the last several years between reissues from his former band, Los Natas, founding and developing the raw rock trio Soldati and embarking on a solo drone-folk career under his Sergio Ch. moniker across multiple releases. Add to that the fostering of continental output he does through his South American Sludge label and I guess it didn’t seem unreasonable to think Ararat were on the backburner at least for the time being if not permanently. One new video — this one for the track “El Camino del Mono” — doesn’t necessarily change that, and it doesn’t mean there’s a new record in the works or anything like that, but hell, at least it’s a signal that the band still exists. Bottom line is I’ll take it.

Ararat is comprised of Chotsourian on bass and vocals, guitarist Tito Fargo and drummer Alfredo Felitte. You can see “El Camino del Mono” below, and when/if I hear of more doings on the part of the band, I’ll keep you posted. you know the drill.

Enjoy the video in the meantime, and if you haven’t yet picked up Cabalgata Hacia la Luz, it’s never too late.

Dig:

Ararat, “El Camino del Mono” official video

New video premiere of Ararat “El Camino del mono”. directed by Martin Busacca!

VIDEO OFICIAL DEL DISCO DE ARARAT – “CABALGATA HACIA LA LUZ”
PRODUCIDO POR TITO FARGO
VIDEO DIRIGIDO POR MARTIN BUSACCA

OUI OUI RECORDS
SOUTH AMERICAN SLUDGE RECORDS

Ararat on Thee Facebooks

Sergio Ch. website

South American Sludge website

One of these days — probably not today, but maybe tomorrow or the next day or the day after — Clutch are going to start putting out the details about their next album. I’m talking about things like the title, the songs that’ll be included, the cover art. It’s gonna happen. Hell, there might even be video. Mark my words, we’ll get there, and I’ve got a feeling once audio starts coming out from it, this one’s going to be a banger. After two records in a row with Machine at the helm, they’ve switched up producers and I wouldn’t be surprised if that as a significant effect on the outcome of the album as a whole. Clutch‘s studio work has always had that as a factor. Think of the differences in sound between Elephant Riders and Pure Rock Fury. Or Strange Cousins from the West and Earth Rocker.

Anyway, a new Clutch record is going to happen, and if you’re not stoked, get that way. The Maryland foursome just announced a quickie Midwestern run with The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry for the Spring. Maybe a warm-up for a larger tour? Maybe a lead-up to a second installment of their own festival? Maybe an album-release celebration? I have the feeling we don’t know all the details yet, but the PR wire brings what we’ve got to go on:

CLUTCH ANNOUNCE SPRING HEADLINE TOUR DATES

Clutch has just announced a string of Spring headline tour dates starting on April 27th in Chattanooga, TN. Supporting the tour will be The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry. Fan club pre-sale tickets will go on sale today, Tuesday, January 30th at 2:00 pm and will be available through Thursday, February 1st at 10:00 pm. Fan club tickets will be available at https://www.mt.cm/clutch Password: fans1. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, February 2nd at 10:00 am at local outlets as well as at pro-rock.com and www.facebook.com/clutchband.

The band is currently in the studio working on their new record with producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Old 97s, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Red Fang) at Sputnik Sound in Nashville.

Clutch, The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry Spring Tour Dates:
*Festival date
04-27-18 Chattanooga, TN The Signal
04-29-18 Jacksonville, FL Welcome To Rockville*
04-30-18 Athens, GA Georgia Theater
05-02-18 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
05-03-18 Birmingham, AL Iron City
05-04-18 Memphis, TN Beale Street Music Fest*
05-05-18 Lexington, KY Manchester Music Hall
05-06-18 Charlotte, NC Carolina Rebellion*

CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion

www.facebook.com/clutchband
www.instagram.com/clutchofficial
www.twitter.com/clutchofficial
www.pro-rock.com
www.youtube.com/user/officialclutch

Clutch, “Electric Worry” Live at Starland Ballroom, Dec. 28, 2017

In the immortal words of David Spade in Tommy Boy: ‘Did I catch a niner in there?’ Indeed you did. The Obelisk is nine years old today.

Kind of difficult to believe we’re at the end of January 2018 already — or, you know, at 2018 in general, which still sounds like and definitely is the scary future to my increasingly dated ass — but the calendar hasn’t started lying to me yet that I know of, and the last weekend of the first month is traditionally when I mark the occasion that Slevin registered the domain, installed the WordPress back end and let me loose upon my own self-indulgence to begin this project that, now entering its 10th year, has consumed a major, major portion of my life and identity.

I had no idea what I was getting into. I’ve always been a compulsive person. Always been prone to setting up routines, forming habits, rituals, etc., but I think if you look back on the last nine years of my life and see defining moments in everything from professional shifts to life changes, moving from my beloved Garden State of New Jersey to my significantly-less-beloved-even-though-there-are-a-lot-of-good-people-here Bay State of Massachusetts, the birth of my son just over three months ago and the shift I’m undergoing now in addressing long-seeded issues of mental illness while also working to become the best stay-at-home dad I can be for The Pecan — it’s been The Patient Mrs. and The Obelisk (very much in that order) as the two constants in my life. Whatever else I have going on in a given day, I’d have a hard time not feeling lucky in considering that.

It’s not always easy. It’s a lot of work, and I get overwhelmed, especially just being one person behind the site on the writing end, but I am lucky to spend every minute of the day that I can writing. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and I know plenty of people who dream of doing one thing and lose all their days doing something else. I fail to see it far too often, but I am deeply, deeply fortunate.

It is worth acknowledging this every chance I get.

I owe my life, my time and my heart to The Patient Mrs. She is the cornerstone and the foundation of everything I am, and while she may or may not ultimately want to include that line among the many accomplishments of her CV, it’s true just the same. Deep and heartfelt thanks as well to Patrick Slevin, whom I miss desperately and don’t see nearly enough (I’ll be in Jersey in March; lunch? dinner?) and remains instrumental in keeping this place up and running. And to Behrang Alavi, who since taking over hosting duties has absolutely killed it in that regard and this weekend even oversaw the awaited implementation of a mobile-optimized version of the site. That’s right. If you’re reading this on your phone, you might notice it doesn’t look like crap.

There are so many others. My family, whose support is endless. Walter and Becky from Roadburn. Everyone who reads and shares links. The bands who get in touch. The labels and PR firms who support this project. The promoters and groups who bring me on board to present shows and tours.

I say I didn’t know what The Obelisk would turn into nine years ago, and that’s very much true, but I also had no idea what The Obelisk would be now a year ago, and likewise, I have no idea now what it will be in another year. That’s what makes this exciting.

Believe it or not, I’ll be hitting 10,000 posts on this site pretty soon, so I’ll save more thanks and whatnot for that, but really, I can’t tell you how much your ongoing support means to this site and to me personally. Thank you for being part of this. Let’s keep it going.

All the best,
JJ Koczan

https://www.facebook.com/theobeliskdotnet/
https://twitter.com/hptaskmaster
https://www.instagram.com/hptaskmaster/