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Straytones Premiere “Dark Lord”; Beware, Dark Lord! Here Comes Bell-Man EP Due Feb. 22

Posted in audiObelisk on January 29th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

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In the time since the release of their 2017 self-titled debut album, Ukrainian psychedelic rockers — that’s not to say ‘neo-psych,’ because if you’ve been paying attention, it’s not really ‘neo’ to you — have swapped bassists and shifted from a four-piece to a trio, losing their second guitarist. One might expect their three-song offering for Robustfellow Productions, Beware, Dark Lord! Here Comes Bell-Man, to be somewhat rudimentary as founding guitarist/vocalist Artem, founding drummer/vocalist Marina and bassist Vova, who is not the same Vova who played on their 2012 debut EP, move forward following this period of reconstruction. Well, if you want to be technical about it, it is, but when factoring in the band’s penchant for classic garage rock, a bit of rawness should well be part of the aesthetic. Their material nonetheless offers an expanse of naturalist tonal reach and periodic turns to more volatile noise. Oh, and fuzz. Fuzz for days.

The latter shows itself after a quick introduction on opener “Dark Lord,” and a shoegazing melody tops in blown-out fashion as the tube-popping riffery takes hold. There’s a flourish of keys to be found in the second half of the song, but Straytones effectively bring “Dark Lord”straytones beware dark lord here comes bell man toward and through a wash of tweaked out noise in the span of its four minutes, with enough time leftover to let the track devolve into buzzing amp feedback at the end before swirling directly into the synth and bass that starts “Abyss,” which is 1:20 long and basically a weirdo-atmospheric transitional moment between the two longer pieces. “Bell-Man” brings in more driving and direct bass — plus a lead layer overtop — and Marina‘s lead vocals, caked in space echo and meshing with a fervent dive into noise that speaks to acid psychosis and holds an improvised spirit even as her own drums continue to keep solid time beneath. Things settle momentarily to let the band catch their breath before the final outward thrust that leaves consciousness behind, and they make their way out on a fittingly ultra-tripped-out turn.

All well and good, but you’re wondering about the title, right? Fair. Going from the band’s comments below, I’m guessing that at some point when they were bundled up against the winter cold in Kiev, Straytones were making fun of how each other were dressed and the characters Dark Lord and Bell-Man were born. Inspiration can come from anywhere. And kudos to them for taking it a step further and bringing the characters to life in a forthcoming two-part cartoon video what will use the songs on Beware, Dark Lord! Here Comes Bell-Man as its soundtrack. I for one look forward to seeing their costumes, though if the EP’s cover art is anything to go by, it’s going to be way less Saturday-morning-cartoon and way more brain-melting-freakery. I’ll take it either way.

The EP will be out digitally Feb. 22 through Robustfellow and the label was kind enough to give me permission to premiere “Dark Lord.” If you’re up for the ride, you’ll find it on the player below, followed by the release announcement.

Please enjoy:

The third release of Ukrainian finest psychedelic rock outfit Straytones will be distributed via Robustfellow Prods. digitally on the 22nd of February. Following their self-titled album, which was released in the beginning of 2017 and gained many positive reviews in Ukraine and beyond, the new EP demonstrates the band’s masterful knowledge and progression in the psychedelic rock realm.

Remarkably, the EP will be supported by a two-series cartoon music video born of the story that’s uncovered throughout the release. Band members comment:

“The joke about the winter outfits of Straytones band members turned into the idea about two cartoon characters and that’s exactly how the Dark Lord and the Bell-Man came into being. We wrote songs and created a cartoon music-video to uncover a story of an evil mastermind Dark Lord who obtains a powerful artifact and travels to meta-space to become invincible. Eventually he gets overpowered by the Bell-Man whom he encounters there. Mind-bending music combined with a video is a trip to enjoy!”

The EP will be available via all major digital outlets including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play etc.

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