I’m not going to be the one to tell you that it doesn’t matter that Albuquerque, New Mexico, duo Gral Brothers — also stylized as GRAL Brothers in honor of combining the first names of component members Greg Williams and Alex McMahon — recorded Dawson Cemetery at least partially in the real-world locale the name of which it bears as its title. Obviously they thought it mattered enough to drag gear into the place and do the thing, and that in itself is value. What I will say is that as you listen to the premiere of “383” below ahead of the download-and-limited-tape-only release’s Halloween arrival, if you’re not actually leaning on some gravestone smoking a clove cigarette like you were when you were 16, it still works.

Ambient experimentalist drone is never going to be everybody’s bag. Nor should it be. It’s not meant to be. If you can put yourself in the right headspace for this, though, the rewards are right there in the listening experience. Like the prior-streamed opener “Underbridge,” “383” is evocative and desolate. The song takes its title from the number of people killed in mine explosions between 1913 and 1923 who are buried there, and what was an actual town surrounding has been gone since the middle of the last century, so yes, with just the cemetery remaining, desolation should be the thematic base from which Gral Brothers are drawing. The site is listed among New Mexico’s “most haunted” — Pennsylvania imprint Perpetual Doom, which is co-releasing Dawson Cemetery with Desert Records, issues a warning that the tapes are as well — and that feel certainly carries over to the wistfulness of the music itself.

But the point here is to go exploring with it and see where it takes you. So do that.

Copious background follows, courtesy of Desert Records.

Enjoy:

Gral Brothers, “383” track premiere

GRAL Brothers ‘Dawson Cemetery’

This is a co-release with Perpetual Doom.

Only available on Bandcamp – digital and cassette tape only.

No streaming services. No distribution.

If you have found your way here, you are on the right path as a true music fan.

https://thegralbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/dawson-cemetery

https://perpetualdoom.bandcamp.com/album/dawson-cemetery

HOW COOL IS THIS?!

The brand new GRAL Brothers album is the true spirit of Desert Records.

Greg (GR) and Alex (AL) took their instruments, microphones, and handheld recording devices to Dawson, NM to record this album in a cemetery.

Dawson Cemetery, in fact.

Then, they took all their recordings and tracks home to Albuquerque, NM and mixed it together with the eerie field recordings they captured.

They got more than just music…listen and hear for yourself.

Side A is the “above” ground side.

Side B is the “below” ground side.

What is it about a cemetery that’s so unsettling?  Silk flowers fading in the sun, cracked weathered granite, stillness and goatheads. Quietness quickly disrupted by creaking gates and birdsong. Moment fading into moment, listening to the metronome of your temple as you consider your mortal fate more and more centered. Feeling small and vulnerable on a timeline that has already seen more seasons than you ever will, and allowing that feeling to oscillate and sustain.

A heavy sadness radiates from Dawson. A lead blanket of wildflowers and stooping bluffs. A small occasional river like the veins of a blue-blood carrying ancient coal dust. A ghost town that’s survived by photos and occasional visitations to swap out silk flowers and offer a moment of solace, realizing you’re standing on top of waves of death and loss that tell a story of a state in which you’d feel alien, even though this place was home to so many. But that’s what this is, listening to a story that you’re provisionally a part of, tangibly apart from. Wondering if in another hundred years people will make this trip out of morbid curiosity and retell this story over a newer, stranger timeline.

We respond to the heaviness, the unknown, the happenchance beauty of bird calls and wrought iron gate squeals. With geophones and field recorders we amplify the voices of this place, we offer a platform to share a story that will continue to be told. Dawson comes to life again, not to descend again into the Stag Canyon Mine but instead to be in the spotlight. One place that holds so much while being so securely out of the way. Five miles north of Highway 64, through Spring Canyon where every season puts on its cyclical display of birth, death and rebirth.

A portable generator gives my amplifier life in a tunnel under the road. A tunnel with names carved in it, dating back to the 1930’s. A tunnel that served as another conduit, offering overtones and reflections from beyond life, echoing the canyon winds and elk calls. The sounds here could never be credited as just our own, instead we’re having a conversation with those who still call Dawson home. In fact, we are really the conduit, responding immediately to what this place makes us feel and following those instincts as far as they’d take us. Transporting us across timelines, relishing temporality and life while honoring death’s certainty and depth. Like stone slowly being worn away by wind and water, we’ve unearthed stories from the Northern New Mexico relic that can now be retold.

-GRAL

Dawson Cemetary

Side A/”Above”
Underbridge
Rail Canyon
Vermijo River
Rork, JD & Trujillo

Side B/”Below”
383
Phelps Dodge
Opera House
Stag Canyon Mine

Album Credits:

All compositions made by Alex McMahon and Greg Williams of GRAL Brothers.

Recorded remotely in Dawson NM at Dawson Cemetery.

Processed, edited and overdubbed in Albuquerque NM by GRAL.

Mastered by Chris Leva.

https://facebook.com/gralbrothersmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/gralbrothersmusic/
https://thegralbrothers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/desertrecordslabel/
https://desertrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://desertrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.instagram.com/perpetualdoom/
https://perpetualdoom.bandcamp.com/
http://www.perpetualdoom.com/

Gral Brothers, Dawson Cemetery tape teaser

Gral Brothers, Dawson Cemetery (2021)

Though one may have seen their name around in the sphere of Magnetic Eye Records ‘Redux’ offerings for Pink Floyd or AC/DC, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Blue Heron will make their standalone debut with the two-songer 7″, Black Blood of the Earth / A Sunken Place, on Dec. 3. And while it could be tempting to think of those comp appearances and even the coming single as a soft opening, doing so hardly accounts for the sonic heft present in the material itself. There are a few lessons to take away from the four-piece’s video for “Black Blood of the Earth,” premiering below.

To wit, first and foremost, let us all be reminded of what a difference a truly great drummer can bring to a lineup. These guys aren’t newcomers by any stretch — you can see vocalist Jadd Shickler (also of Blues Funeral Recordings/ex-MeteorCity, etc.) and guitarist Mike Chavez‘s connection to Spiritu in the info below — and it’s pretty clear they’re not doing anything by accident. That includes filming their first video live on stage. As introductions go, their presence for a hometown getdown at The Launch Pad is no less engaging than the song itself, which is elbows and knees early, brash in its groove, before tripping out later with a whispered spoken vocal on top. As the camera flashes between Shickler, Chavez, bassist Steve Schmidlapp (who wins at t-shirts with Mad Season, as one invariably would) and drummer Ricardo Sanchez, just watch the whole-body-all-in technique of the latter. Dude has the kind of energy in his play that even in a clip like this you can see infects a whole room in the best way possible. Showy? Yeah, but neither is he missing a beat.

And if you can dig that — and yeah, you can — you’re gonna be able to get on board with the rest of the surroundings, which rolls out heavy at first and digs into a well-yes-that-will-do-nicely nod to underscore the solo section before the jam really takes off. If that last movement informs as to anything, it’s that the atmosphere with which “Black Blood of the Earth” caps was there all along. Go back and start the song over and you’ll hear it, or at least take a second to process how not-at-all out of place that jam is and you’ll understand. Either way, that’s classic heavy rock and roll songcraft at work, and with their debut full-length, Ephemeral, apparently already done, it only makes that record something more to look forward to.

That’s my spiel. Thanks for reading.

Enjoy the clip below:

Blue Heron, “Black Blood of the Earth” video premiere

Blue Heron on “Black Blood of the Earth”:

Every new band has that song that comes together and it finally feels like you’re not searching for your sound anymore, and this was that song for us. It morphed and changed a bunch of times and runs the spectrum of what we do, from sludge on steroids to spacey melodies to a sick goddamn breakdown that we don’t ever get tired of. As a way to announce ourselves to the world, it’s pretty perfect, a massive, balls-out mini-epic straight from the New Mexico desert.

Preorder: https://blueheronabq.bandcamp.com/

“Black Blood of the Earth” written by Blue Heron
Taken from the “Black Blood of the Earth / A Sunken Place” 7-inch

Available at: https://blueheronabq.bandcamp.com/

Video edited by J.T. Schmidlapp for BassRezin Studios (@bassrezin)

Filmed by Mike Gerdes and J.T. Schmidlapp at The Launch Pad, Albuquerque, NM, June 11, 2021.

Formed in 2018, Blue Heron is a heavy rock band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and our firsthand relationship with the desert is inextricable from who we are and how we sound. Surrounded by endless horizons that spark a compulsion to fill the vastness with massive volume, we saturate our piece of desert with rolling, thunderous riffs, drums that pummel and swing, deep, thrumming tones and vocals that rip and roar.

Blue Heron’s guitarist and singer were founding members of Spiritu, possibly Albuquerque’s first desert-style rock band, who burned briefly yet brightly with a Jack Endino-produced debut LP, a European tour with Clutch, Spiritual Beggars and Dozer, and a compilation slot next to Entombed and Mastodon.

On December 10th, Blue Heron will self-release our Black Blood of the Earth / A Sunken Place single on 7-inch vinyl and digital formats. We also have a track on Magnetic Eye’s forthcoming Best of AC/DC [Redux] (Dec 3rd), alongside the likes of Supersuckers, Domkraft and Witchskull.

Blue Heron has completed work on our debut album, Ephemeral, and is currently in search of a label.

Blue Heron are:
Jadd Shickler- Vocals
Mike Chavez- Guitar
Steve Schmidlapp- Bass
Ricardo Sanchez- Drums

Blue Heron on Facebook

Blue Heron on Instagram

Blue Heron on Bandcamp

Albuquerque, New Mexico-based heavy rockers L’Uomo Nero will continue their collaboration with Desert Records July 16 with the release of their second EP, Elle, de la Mer. And what they don’t make easy in terms of linguistics — their moniker is Italian, the first EP was 2020’s Andiamo Nel Deserto (review here), its title in Spanish, and this one is French, for “she, of the sea” — they certainly have covered in the actual listening process. Vocals are high in the mix through my speakers (always), but as guitarist Dominic Cagliostro, bassist Robson Guy and drummer Luke Seelau venture past their first offering, they do so with poise and a confident step, bringing together four tracks that launch with “De la Mer,” a song that wastes no time imagining Danzig in the House of the Rising Sun before unfolding to catchy post-grunge heavy blues, setting the tone for “I Know” to push further, its own hook a highlight of the four-song/18-minute release.

L’Uomo Nero manage to make thoughtful structures sound easy. Their material is not unworked-on, but they offer few frills of arrangement beyond a straight-up melody, and to be perfectly honest, they don’t need anything else. “I Know” carries smoothly into its second-half solo, the guitar speaking back to the vocal line in classic form, and even as “Elle” brings a more weighted tone and active kick, the sense of balance remains in the increased fullness of sound, so that as “Too Late too Long” pushes a more garage-style jangle in its riff, the arrival of post-Rolling Stones backing vocals isn’t any more jarring than the band intends it to be. Efficiently putting itself in position for a bigger-sounding payoff, “Too Late too Long” delivers that as the closing track on Elle, de la Mer, and is no less satisfying a trip for knowing where you’re going to end up when it’s done. Same could be said of the EP as a whole, really. L’Uomo Nero, in addition to being multilingual, know what they’re doing when it comes to songwriting.

EP release info follows under the player here, on which you can stream the premiere of “Too Late too Long.”

Enjoy:

New EP “Elle, De La Mer” out July 16 on Desert Records. Preorder: https://luomonero.bandcamp.com/album/elle-de-la-mer

About the second chapter of the trilogy: “She’s not dead, she is from Innsmouth a fictional town in Massachusetts created by American author H. P. Lovecraft and must return to that town and eventually the sea. ”The Innsmouth look” a result of the hybridization of humans with Deep Ones increases with age as does the heed to the call of the sea, there is some sort of hope that they can figure something out to be together, some spell, or a gift from a magical being.”

About the song, Dominic Cagliostro says: “This is a metaphor regarding addiction. The “innsmouth look” is the result of repeated use of drugs and alcohol, the progression with age of the deep ones is the progression of the circumstance of addiction. Before it’s too late, there’s always hope that we/they/she can get help AA, Counseling or treatment or all of the above.”

L’uomo Nero is a desert rhythm and blues rock three-piece hailing from the New Mexican High Desert. Are we helpless victims of unimaginable forces that can drive humans mad by their mere manifestation? Or fearless Investigators and Occult Detectives who confront the minions of darkness in encounters, in which humans, although appear outmatched, defend their sanity uncovering the mysteries of tranquility in defiance of the suffering we experience from the things we cannot manage or restrain.

Occult blues rockers L’uomo Nero play with their band name, ‘The Boogeyman’, to build an intriguing sonic trilogy made of three 4-track EPs: ‘Andiamo Nel Deserto’, ‘Elle, De La Mer’ and ‘Voda Atebo Ohen’. These follow the adventures of occult detectives Nico L’oscuro, Quello Bello and Sentire, and their supernatural and magical practices to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of a woman from New Mexico. Created on a fantastic thriller basis and inspired by true events and by American author H.P. Lovecraft, the three EPs take the protagonist through the stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. All three records together form the framework of a gloomy occult crime investigation illustrated by a special artwork and layouts that reveals some missing clues. The entire trilogy will be issued between fall 2020 and spring 2021, with first EP ‘Andiamo Nel Deserto’ coming out via Desert Records.

L’UOMO NERO is:
Dominic Cagliostro (Domenico L’oscuro) – Vocals and guitar
Robson Guy (Quello Bello) – Bass guitar
Luke Seelau (Sentire) – Drums

L’uomo Nero on Facebook

L’uomo Nero on Instagram

Desert Records website

Desert Records on Facebook

Desert Records on Bandcamp

Desert Records store

Kind of painful to realize, but by the time Om hit the UK and Europe next Spring, they’ll be coming up on almost a full decade’s remove from their 2012 landmark fifth and most-recent long-player, Advaitic Songs (review here). Of course, founding bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros has hardly been idle in the intervening years — except perhaps for the enforced idleness of this past year-plus — having shifted his focus onto Sleep, but still, 10 years without an Om record is a long time. The band issued the vinyl-only BBC Radio 1 (review here) on Drag City in 2019, and if you didn’t get that, I don’t really have much better advice for you than to do so when/if possible. It’s one of those things you’ll be happy you brought into your domicile.

Om‘s last tour was happening as the COVID lockdowns hit in 2020. They were on the road with Wovenhand, which would’ve been a show to see and kudos to those lucky enough to have done so. Doesn’t seem unreasonable to think North American dates will be announced at some point either before or after this trip abroad, and there’ve been rumors of Om recordings in process for years at this point. I know if that if I was in a position of following-up Advaitic Songs, I’d want to take my time too. I have no doubt whenever their next offering comes, it will find welcome.

Here are dates:

Om 2022 UK & European Tour

05.13 Bergen Norway Landmark
05.14 Oslo Norway Kulturkirken Jakob
05.16 Gothenburg Sweden Pustervik
05.17 Copenhagen Denmark Pumphuset
05.19 Berlin Germany So36
05.20 Leipzig Germany Ut Connewitz
05.22 Athens Greece Gagarin 205
05.25 Brighton UK Chalk
05.26 Bristol UK The Fleece
05.27 Birmingham UK The Crossing
05.28 Glasgow UK SWG3 Galvanisers
05.30 Dublin Ireland Button Factory
05.31 Liverpool UK 24 Kitchen Street
06.01 Manchester UK Gorilla
06.02 Leeds UK Brudenell Social Club
06.03 London UK EartH
06.06 Brussels Belgium Botanique
06.07 Brussels Belgium Botanique
06.08 Essen Germany Zeche Carl
06.09 Hamburg Germany Knust
06.10 Utrecht Netherlands Tivoli
06.13 Munich Germany Feierwerk
06.15 Zurich Switzerland Mascotte
06.16 Bern Switzerland ISC Club
06.19 Lille France L’Aeronef

OM lineup:
Al Cisneros
Emil Amos
Tyler Trotter

https://www.facebook.com/om.band
https://om.merchtable.com/
https://omband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.omvibratory.com/
https://www.dragcity.com/

Om, Advaitic Songs (2012)

Albuquerque, New Mexico, three-piece L’uomo Nero will release their debut EP, Andiamo Nel Deserto, on Nov. 6 through Desert Records. The title of the release and the band’s name are both Italian. The former, “Let’s go to the desert,” and the latter, “the boogeyman,” or, more literally, “the black man.” The undertones there notwithstanding the political scrutiny of a sensitive time, the EP explores vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dominic Cagliostro‘s personal-trauma-turned-narrative across four tracks and reportedly serves as the first of three offerings that will flesh out the story being introduced here.

Though there’s obviously still more to be revealed as Cagliostro, bassist Robson Guy and drummer Luke Seelau — either all or some of whom also feature in cosplay rockers The Horned God, who were the first band Desert Records signed — more from Andiamo Nel Deserto into the release-dates-TBA-four-songers Del la Mer and Voda Atebo Ohen, their songwriting and aesthetic intricacy fits with the expanded-definition of desert rock that Desert Records has taken as its mission to champion. It is, then, about more than homage to ’90s fuzz. In the case of L’uomo Nero, far more.

“Nel Deserto,” the first single from Andiamo Nel Deserto and the penultimate of the four tracks, is the most stylistically diverse of the bunch. Closer “Walk Away” sets itself to a particularly strong hook that builds on what the band does earlier with “Afterman,” and “Andiamo” — true to the idea of “let’s go” — feels like an introduction to the band, the release, and the concept as a whole with intonations of the moniker atop a brooding and weighted sensibility that soon pushes into heavier rock territory, Cagliostro‘s vocals forward and soulful in a fashion that calls to mind a Southwestern-vibing Shadow Witch, “Afterman” tapping classic rock en route to “Nel Deserto,” which brings a more choice lyrics about god being “just another stuffed shirt” and the like.

At 4:47, it’s the longest song on the EP, but not by much, and “Walk Away” rounds out afterward with the back-to-ground effect of its chorus and an engaging finish that, one supposes, is serving the dual purpose as a lead-in for the next installment of the story. One of the dangers of a conceptual release — let alone three of them — is that the songs are sacrificed to the story, but L’uomo Nero find a balance there that works for them in terms of not letting the impact of each of their tracks hold its own even as it feeds into the whole. For a relatively short EP, a first one, and a plotline awaiting completion, that is markedly impressive.

You can stream “Nel Deserto” below, followed by some comment from Cagliostro about the tragedy that inspired his songwriting, and more info on the EP release.

Please enjoy:

Dominic Cagliostro on Andiamo Nel Deserto:

“I am a clinical social worker. My friend got murdered, they found her in a river, she had a drinking problem. We were on and off for a few years, and I couldn’t get her to stop partying. When she died… I don’t know… my friend said the courts were trying to get her to testify regarding some drug shit. When I poked around, she told me to stop and not get involved and scared me. So I did. And luckily for me, I am an expert at giving out the tools and helping others deal with this type of stuff: mental health, depression, grief, acceptance, trauma, substance abuse, etc. So instead of getting myself killed or relapsing, I decided to sublimate the negative experience and make music out of it. This is that music.Sublimation, Freud shit to change from this experience in a healthy manner.”

Please welcome to Desert Records Albuquerque’s blues rockers L’UOMO NERO!

First chapter ‘Andiamo Nel Deserto’ will be issued on Nov. 6th through Desert Records, with first single “Nel Deserto” dropping on August 7th.

“So far, we only know that the Flagstaff Police Department is investigating the death of a woman from New Mexico. Private Occult Detective Nico L’oscuro is using supernatural and magical practices to uncover this mystery and others.” Debut single “Nel Deserto” proves to be the centerpiece of a truly groovy and melodic rock opera, with Dominic Cagliostro’s soulful vocals and ardent riffs filling the gap between contemporary heavy and Masters Of Reality’s heritage.

Occult blues rockers ‘L’UOMO NERO’ play with their band name, ‘The Boogeyman’, to build an intriguing sonic trilogy made of 3, four song EPs: ‘Andiamo Nel Deserto’, ‘Del la Mer’ and ‘Voda Atebo Ohen’. The records follow the adventures of occult Detectives Nico L’oscuro, Quello Bello and Sentire, and their supernatural and magical practices to uncover the mystery behind the “disappearance” of a woman from New Mexico. Created on a fantastic thriller basis and inspired by true events and by American author H.P. Lovecraft, the three EPs take the protagonist through the stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. All three records together form the framework of a gloomy occult crime investigation illustrated by a special artwork and layouts that reveals some missing clues. The entire trilogy will be issued between fall 2020 and spring 2021, with first EP ‘Andiamo Nel Deserto’ coming out on Nov. 6th 2020 through Desert Records.

Tracklisting:
1. Andiamo
2. Afterman
3. Nel Deserto
4. Walk Away

L’UOMO NERO is:
Dominic Cagliostro (Domenico L’oscuro) – Vocals and guitar
Robson Guy (Quello Bello) – Bass guitar
Luke Seelau (Sentire) – Drums

L’uomo Nero, Andiamo Nel Desierto EP promo

L’uomo Nero on Thee Facebooks

L’uomo Nero on Instagram

Desert Records on Thee Facebooks

Desert Records on Bandcamp

Desert Records BigCartel store

Welcome to the penultimate day of the Summer 2020 Quarterly Review. I can only speak for myself, but I know it’s been a crazy couple months on this end, and I imagine whatever end you’re on — unless and probably even if you have a lot of money — it’s been the same there as well. Yet, it was no problem compiling 50 records to review this week, so if there’s a lesson to be taken from it all, it would seem to be that art persists. We may still be painting on cave walls when it comes to the arc of human evolution, but at least that’s something.

Have a great day and listen to great music.

Quarterly Review #31-40:

Katatonia, City Burials

Like their contemporaries in My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, the latter-day period of work from Sweden’s Katatonia veers back toward some measure of direct heaviness, as City Burials showcases in cuts like “Rein,” “Heart Set to Divide” and “Behind the Blood,” but more than either of those others mentioned, the Stockholm outfit refuse to forsake the melody and progressivism they’ve undertaken with their sound in the name of doing so. By the time they get to “Untrodden” at the end of the album’s 50-minute/11-song run, they’ve run a gamut from dark electronica to progressive-styled doom and back again, and with the founding duo of guitarist Anders Nyström and vocalist Jonas Renkse at the helm of the songwriting, they are definitive in their approach and richly emotive; a melancholy that is as identifiable in their songs as it is in the bands working under their influence. Their first work in four years, City Burials is an assurance that Katatonia are in firm ownership and command of all aspects of their sound. As they approach their 30th year, they continue to move forward. That’s a special band.

Katatonia on Thee Facebooks

Peaceville Records website

—

 

Marmalade Knives, Amnesia

Boasting production, mixing and percussion from The Golden Grass‘ Adam Kriney, Marmalade Knives‘ debut album, Amnesia, is a delight of freaky-but-not-overblown heavy psychedelia. Oh, it’s headed far, far out, but as the opening narration and the later drones of second cut “Rivuleting” make plain, they might push, but they’re not trying to shove, if you know what I mean. The buzz in “Best-Laid Plans” doesn’t undercut the warmth of the improvised-seeming solo, and likewise, “Rebel Coryell” is a mellow drifter that caps side A with a graceful sense of wandering the soundscape of its own making. The vibe gets spacey on “Xayante,” and “Ez-Ra” touches on a funkier swing before seeming to evolve into light as one does, and the 10-minute “Astrology Domine” caps with noise and a jammed out feel that underscores the outbound mood of the proceedings as a whole. Some of the pieces feel like snippets cut from longer jams, and they may or may not be just that, but though it was recorded in three separate locations, Amnesia draws together well and flows easily, inviting the listener to do the same.

Marmalade Knives on Thee Facebooks

Electric Valley Records webstore

—

 

King Witch, Body of Light

Edinburgh’s King Witch toe the line between classic metal and doom, but whatever you want to call them, just make sure you don’t leave out the word “epic.” The sweeping solo and soaring vocals on the opening title-track set the stage on their second LP, the hour-long Body of Light, and as much mastery as the band showed on their 2018 debut, Under the Mountain (review here), vocalist Laura Donnelly, guitarist Jamie Gilchrist, bassist Rory Lee and drummer Lyle Brown lay righteous waste to lofty expectations and bask in grandiosity on “Of Rock and Stone” and the linear-moving “Solstice I – She Burns,” the payoff of which is a high point of the album in its layered shred. Pieces like “Witches Mark” and “Order From Chaos” act as confirmation of their Euro-fest-ready fist-pumpery, and closer “Beyond the Black Gate” brings some atmosphere before its own headbang-worthy crescendo. Body of Light is a reminder of why you wanted to be metal in the first place.

King Witch on Thee Facebooks

Listenable Records on Bandcamp

—

 

Glass Parallels, Aisle of Light

Eminently listenable and repeat-worthy, Glass Parallels‘ debut LP, Aisle of Light, nonetheless maintains an experimentalist flair. The solo-project of Justin Pinkerton (Golden Void, Futuropaco), covers a swath of ground from acid folk to psych-funk to soul vibes, at times bordering on shoegaze but seeming to find more expressive energy in centerpiece “Asphyxiate” and the airy capper “Blood and Battlegrounds” than any sonic portrayal of apathy would warrant. United by keys, pervasive guitar weirdness and Pinkerton‘s at-times-falsetto vocals, usually coated in reverb as they are, Aisle of Light brings deceptive depth for being a one-man production. Its production is spacious but still raw enough to give the drums an earthy sound as they anchor the synth-laden “March and April,” which is probably fortunate since otherwise the song would be liable to float off and not return. One way or another, the songs stand out too much to really be hypnotic, but they’re certainly fun to follow.

Glass Parallels on Thee Facebooks

Glass Parallels on Bandcamp

—

 

Thems That Wait, Stonework

Stonework is the self-aware debut full-length from Portland, Maine, trio Thems That Wait, and it shoulders itself between clenched-teeth metallic aggression and heavier fuzz rock. They’re not the first to tread such ground and they know it, but “Sidekick” effectively captures Scissorfight-style groove, and “Kick Out” is brash enough in its 1:56 to cover an entire record’s worth of burl. Interludes “Digout” and “Vastcular” provide a moment to catch your breath, which is appreciated, but when what they come back with is the sure-fisted “Paragon” or a song like “Shitrograde,” it really is just a moment. They close with “Xmortis,” which seems to reference Evil Dead II in its lyrics, which is as good as anything else, but from “Sleepie Hollow” onward, guitarist/vocalist Craig Garland, bassist Mat Patterson and drummer Branden Clements find their place in the dudely swing-and-strike of riffs, crash and snarl, and they do so with a purely Northeastern attitude. This is the kind of show you might get kicked at.

Thems That Wait on Thee Facebooks

Thems That Wait on Bandcamp

—

 

Sojourner, Premonitions

Complexity extends to all levels of Sojourner‘s third album and Napalm Records debut, Premonitions, in that not only does the band present eight tracks and 56 minutes of progressive and sprawling progressive black metal, varied in craft and given a folkish undercurrent by Chloe Bray‘s vocals and tin whistle, but also the sheer fact that the five-piece outfit made the album in at least five different countries. Recording remotely in Sweden, New Zealand, Scotland and Italy, they mixed/mastered in Norway, and though one cringes at the thought of the logistical nightmare that might’ve presented, Sojourner‘s resultant material is lush and encompassing, a tapestry of blackened sounds peppered with clean and harsh singing — Emilio Crespo handles the screams — keyboards, and intricate rhythms behind sprawling progressions of guitar. At the center of the record, “Talas” and “Fatal Frame” (the shortest song and the longest) make an especially effective pair one into the other, varied in their method but brought together by viciously heavy apexes. The greatest weight, though, might be reserved for closer “The Event Horizon,” which plods where it might otherwise charge and brings a due sense of largesse to the finale.

Sojourner on Thee Facebooks

Napalm Records website

—

 

Udyat, Oro

The order of the day is sprawl on Udyat‘s recorded-live sophomore LP, Oro, as the Argentinian outfit cast a wide berth over heavy rock and terrestrial psych, the 13-minute “Sangre de Oro” following shorter opener “Los Picos de Luz Eterna” (practically an intro at a bit over six minutes) with a gritty flourish to contrast the tonal warmth that returns with the melodic trance-induction at the start of “Los últimos.” That song — the centerpiece of the five-track outing — tops 15 minutes and makes its way into a swell of fuzz with according patience, proceeding through a second stage of lumbering plod before a stretch of noise wash leads pack to the stomp. The subsequent “Después de los Pasos, el Camino Muere” is more ferocious by its end and works in some similar ground, and closer “Nacimiento” seems to loose itself in a faster midsection before returning to its midtempo roll. Oro borders on cosmic doom with its psychedelic underpinnings and quiet stretches, but its movement feels ultimately more like walking than floating, if that makes any sense.

Udyat on Thee Facebooks

Udyat on Bandcamp

—

 

Bismarck, Oneiromancer

To anyone who might suggest that extreme metal cannot also be forward-thinking, Bismarck submit the thoughtful bludgeon of Oneiromancer, a five-song/35-minute aesthetic blend that draws from doom, death, hardcore and sundry other metals, while keeping its identity in check through taut rhythm and atmospheric departures. Following the chants of opening intro “Tahaghghogh Resalat,” the Chris Fielding-produced follow-up to Bismarck‘s 2018 debut, Urkraft (review here), showcases an approach likewise pummeling and dynamic, weighted in ambience and thud alike. “Oneiromancer” itself starts with blastbeats and a plundering intensity before breaking into a more open midsection, but “The Seer” is absolutely massive. Despite being shorter than either the title-track or “Hara,” both of which top nine minutes, and closer “Khthon” underscores the blood-boiling tension cast throughout with one last consuming plod. Fucking raging. Fucking awesome. Pure sonic catharsis. Salvation through obliteration. If these are dreams being divined as the title hints, the mind is a limitless and terrifying place. Which, yes.

Bismarck on Thee Facebooks

Bismarck on Bandcamp

—

 

The Gral Brothers, Caravan East

I won’t say it’s seamless or intended to be, but as Albuquerque, New Mexico, two-piece The Gral Brothers make their initial move on Caravan East between cinematic Americana and industrial brood, samples of dialogue on “Cactus Man” and violin in the seven-minute soundscaper “In Die Pizzeria” seem to draw together both a wistfulness and a paranoia of the landlocked. Too odd to fall in line with the Morricone-worship of Cali’s Spindrift, “Crowbar” brings Spaghetti West and desert dub together with a confidence that makes it seem like a given pairing despite the outwardly eerie vibes and highly individualized take, and “Santa Sleeves” is beautiful to its last, even if the lone bell jingle is a bit much, while “Silva Lanes” pushes even further than did “Circuit City” into mechanized experimental noisemaking. They end with the birdsong-inclusive “Ode to Marge,” leaving one to wonder whether it’s sentiment or cynicism being expressed. Either way, it’s being expressed in a way not quite like anything else, which is an accomplishment all on its own.

The Gral Brothers on Thee Facebooks

Desert Records on Bandcamp

—

 

Astral Glide, Flamingo Graphics

When you’re at the show and the set ends, Flamingo Graphics is the CD you go buy at the merch table. It’s as simple as that. Recorded this past March over the course of two days, the debut album from Floridian foursome Astral Glide is raw to the point of being barebones, bootleg room-mic style, but the songwriting and straightforward purposes of the group shine through. They’re able to shift structures and mood enough to keep things from being too staid, but they’re never far off from the next heavy landing, as “Devastation” and the closer “Forever” show in their respective payoffs, that latter going all out with a scream at the end, answering back to the several others that show up periodically. While their greatest strength is in the mid-paced shove of rockers like “Space Machine” and “Scarlett” and the speedier “Workhorse,” there are hints of broader intentions on Flamingo Graphics, though they too are raw at this point. Very much a debut, but still one you pick up when the band finishes playing. You might not even wait until the end of the show. Meet them back at the table, and so on.

Astral Glide on Thee Facebooks

Astral Glide on Bandcamp

—

 

New Mexico’s Red Mesa will issue their third long-player, The Path to the Deathless, on June 12 through guitarist/vocalist Brad Frye‘s own Desert Records label. The seven-tracker runs 40 minutes and makes a curious impression on first go, subsequently opening up to the listener in terms of its ambition. That is, as much as Red Mesa pledge allegiance to the idea and ideals of desert rock in their name and that of Frye‘s imprint, they’re not through the two-and-a-half-minute opening intro “Ghost Bell” — the actual bell of which, yes, is answered toward the end of closer “Swallowed by the Sea” — before they’ve introduced elements like harsher shouting vocals behind Frye‘s croon and a flourish of violin that comes up again later.

Certainly the title-track and subsequent “Desert Moon” have their riffy roots right on their sleeve for all to see — the band even notes below that the latter is a direct play on Kyuss — but at the same time, “The Path to the Deathless” echoes out its midsection like drifting Monster Magnet, and Frye, bassist/vocalist Alex Cantwell and drummer/backing vocalist Roman Barham bridge a large flyover gap in bringing aboard Earthride frontman Dave Sherman (also Spirit Caravan, Galactic Cross, Weed is Weed, etc.), who reigns as one of the principal figures in Maryland doom, to sing and provide lyrics on “Desert Moon.”

So clearly we’re not just taking about a desert rock record here.

Pulling the rug out from under expectation isn’t new for Red Mesa. Their 2018 sophomore outing, The Devil and the Desert (review here) manifested half in roaring grooves and half in subdued acoustic form — a stylistic theme The Path to the Deathless centerpiece “Death I Am” continues and pushes further toward country via pedal steel guitar and twanging lead vocals — so they’re obviously comfortable reaching beyond sandier landscapes. And on repeat listens, The Path to the Deathless not only bring those melodic, quieter and heavier rocking sides together in a more cohesive fashion than its predecessor, it continues the outward push.

The violin — contributed by Kristen Rad, who wins as far as surnames go — throws open the context of The Path to the Deathless right at the outset, giving a tie to post-metal à la SubRosa that, like the bell on “Ghost Bell,” also finds an answer and realization as part of the album-encompassing-summary that is the finishing track “Swallowed by the Sea” (there’s more pedal steel there too). At the same time, Red Mesa aren’t shy about their appreciation for the finer things as regards rock. Scott “Wino” Weinrich (Spirit Caravan, The Obsessed, etc.) shreds “Disharmonious Unlife” to bits in addition to contributing vocals to the piece — another East/West tie-in for side B — and Red Mesa strip back to the bare trio for the all-out penultimate thruster “Revelation,” as if to cleanse the palette ahead of the undertaking that is the nine-minute finale to follow.

Bottom line? There’s a lot going on with The Path to the Deathless, and that’s before you even get to the overarching spiritual theme of the work, exploring life and death as the three-piece are, or the fact that this is their first offering with Cantwell in the lineup and the dynamic shift that brings in terms of he, Frye and Barham all working together on vocals and providing further variety there. Can one song on the album hope to capture all of that? Well, the “Swallowed by the Sea” comes close, but even that doesn’t encapsulate the bicoastal aspects of the Sherman and Wino appearances, so when it comes to giving a sampling of the whole, there isn’t really a single track that does the job. So we might as well groove.

Enter “Desert Moon,” which you’ll find premiering on the player below courtesy of Red Mesa‘s Bandcamp. As noted, Frye, Barham and Sherman all check in with some perspective about the track, and you’ll find that down there in blue.

Hope you dig it:

Brad Frye on “Desert Moon”:

“‘Desert Moon’ is Desert Rock meets Doom. The main riff is like a backwards Kyuss riff. The chorus is an ode to Maryland Doom. The bridge is a psychedelic journey. Red Mesa wrote the music, Dave Sherman wrote the lyrics and sung all the vocals. This was pure collaboration magic. Much love to Dave for being on this. He absolutely killed the vocals and nailed the desert vibes.”

Roman Barham on “Desert Moon”:

“We wanted to have some great special guests on our new album. Dave Sherman came up right away since he was a good friend, and both a badass frontman and musician. To have Sherman a part of ‘Desert Moon’ was both an honor and was very humbling. He crushes on this song and makes it come alive. I fucking love his lyrics. East meets West.”

Dave Sherman on “Desert Moon”:

“Recording and performing for the Red Mesa project was so badass because it mixed East Coast and Southwest styles together. This turned out to be a monster song, in my opinion. Having John ‘Johnny Wretched’ Koutsioukis on board tracking it for us made it pure Maryland doom for the brotherhood of music.”

“THE PATH TO THE DEATHLESS” the third studio album by the Albuquerque, NM band will be released by DESERT RECORDS on June 12th.

This album is a concept record about death and beyond. Death and dying are harsh realities of the physical world, but the soul and spirit lives on through the “deathless”.

The album was recorded, engineered, and produced by Matthew Tobias at Empty House Studio (who has recorded albums by (OM, AL CISNEROS, SUPERGIANT) in January and February of 2020. The album was mastered by John McBain (original MONSTER MAGNET guitarist).

1. Ghost Bell
2. The Path To The Deathless
3. Desert Moon (Feat. Dave Sherman)
4. Death I Am
5. Disharmonious Unlife (Feat. Wino)
6. Revelation
7. Swallowed By The Sea

Red Mesa is:
Brad Frye: guitar, vocals
Roman Barham: drums, backup vocals
Alex Cantwell: bass, vocals

Plus:
Wino: Vocals and Lead Guitars on “Disharmonious Unlife”
Dave Sherman: All Vocals on “Desert Moon”
Kristen Rad: Violin on “Ghost Bell” and “Swallowed by the Sea”
Alex McMahon: Pedal Steel on “Death I Am and “Swallowed by the Sea”
Steve Schmidlapp: Acoustic Guitar on “Death I Am”

Red Mesa on Facebook

Red Mesa on Instagram

Red Mesa on Bandcamp

Desert Records on Facebook

Desert Records on Bandcamp

Desert Records BigCartel store

Multi-directional Albuquerque trio Red Mesa, who are just as likely as not to roll with heavy riffing or acoustic bluesy vibes, are done with their new record, which has been given the title The Path to the Deathless. It’s set to release on May 1 as the follow-up to 2018’s debut, The Devil and the Desert (review here). They’re reasonably tight-lipped at this point about what the album actually sounds like, but it’s a concept record or at least seems to be working on a couple of set themes, and it’s got Maryland doom kingpin Dave Sherman from Earthride, Weed is Weed, Galactic Cross, etc., doing guest vocals, so that’s an automatic win in my book.

The band will head east for New England Stoner and Doom Fest this Spring, and I’m kind of expecting a few more dates to be announced around that — it would be crazy to drive from New Mexico to Connecticut for one show, but weirder things have happened in the universe — but nothing’s come through as yet that I’ve seen. Will keep an eye out and The Path to the Deathless is something in itself to look forward to in the meantime.

Here’s the latest off the PR wire:

Red Mesa has finished recording new album “The Path To The Deathless”.

The heavy desert rock band, Red Mesa has finished recording the new songs for their next full length album, “The Path To The Deathless”.

The album was recorded at Empty House Studio in January and early February 2020 with engineer/producer Matthew Tobias. The band had Tobias at the helm for their last three releases including the “Breathe” cover for Magnetic Eye Records’ Best of Pink Floyd, their last full-length “The Devil and The Desert”.

“The Path To The Deathless” will be a concept record about death and eternity. The album will be released on Desert Records on May 1st 2020.

Red Mesa is playing The New England Stoner and Doom Fest in May. Tour dates and album details will be coming in the following months. In the meantime, the band has invited you to watch the recording process via their social media pages.

While the new album is being recorded, the band has officially released a music video from The Devil and The Desert album. The new music video of “Route 666” will keep fans happy and excited for all new material.

The new album will feature bass player Alex Cantwell for the first time as he joins singer and guitarist Brad Frye and drummer Roman Barham in the studio.

Guest appearances! The album will feature guest vocals from Doom veteran Dave Sherman (Earthride, Galactic Cross, Weed Is Weed). Sherman performs the vocals on a “Desert-meets-Doom” song called ‘Desert Moon’. Alex McMahon (GRAL Brothers), who played on the entire first half of The Devil and The Desert, has laid down pedal steel on two tracks. Kristen Rad, a highly talented violinist, contributed to the opening and ending tracks.

“The Path To The Deathless” is the next step of evolution for the band that is heavy and psychedelic, yet unpredictable. Red Mesa says this will be their “heaviest album yet”. By picking up where Side B of “The Devil and The Desert” left off, the next record takes you where Heavy Metal meets Desert Rock meets Doom.

Red Mesa is:
Brad Frye: guitar, vocals
Roman Barham: drums, backup vocals
Alex Cantwell: bass, vocals

https://www.facebook.com/redmesaband/
https://www.instagram.com/redmesaband/
https://redmesarock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/desertrecordslabel/
https://desertrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://desertrecords.bigcartel.com/

Red Mesa, “Route 666” official video