My chief issue with destructive Chicago outfit Lair of the Minotaur has always been memorability. For each of their three albums prior to the latest, Evil Power (their first on self-release label The Grind-House Records), I’ve been psyched to get the disc, put it on, rocked the fuck out, usually woken up in a puddle of someone else’s blood not knowing where I’ve been or what I’ve done, then put the record on the shelf and completely forgotten about it. It’s happened three times now, and more if you count the Cannibal Massacre EP from 2005.

Back then they were on Southern Lord, and the hype around their brutal attack was palpable. Now people know what to expect from a Lair of the Minotaur album and dress accordingly — Kevlar, chain mail, bicycle helmets, etc. What that means is the trio, now consisting of guitarist/vocalist Steven Rathbone, bassist Nate Olp (Demiricous) and drummer Chris Wozniak, have to change things up a little bit.

On Evil Power, they do. Their sound is still based on some of the most pummeling metal the US has ever produced, but several of their tracks show an affinity for hard rock riffing that reminds of Entombed (Rathbone’s vocals also help in this regard; see “Hunt and Devour” and “Attack the Gods”) even as it reaches down your throat to pull out organs both vital and incidental. Whatever it can find, really.

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Aside from their having been the first interview posted on The Obelisk, I have sentimental attachment to Chicago hellraisers Bible of the Devil because, uh, they rock. They rock often and they rock hard. Would be nice if we saw a new record from them this year, but one can only imagine the run of dates they’re doing with Slough Feg will produce one if not more new songs about “the night,” so on that level, it’s all for a good cause.

The band checked in with this update. Note the Chicago show with Paul Di’Anno is happening tonight, Feb. 25:

Attention BOTD fans!  Here’s what we having coming up in the next two months:

February 25th Thurs. Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Live w/Paul Di’Anno, Icarus Witch, Desolate Sky $12 adv/$15 dos Doors 8pm BOTD plays at 9pm sharp!!!  We also will have limited edition screenprint posters available for $10 to commemorate this occasion.
March 12th Fri. Iowa City, IA @ The Picador w/Snow Demon, Bloodcow
March 13th Sat. Chicago, IL @ Quenchers w/American Draft

Parched in the Western World US Tour April 2010:
April 1st Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge w/Slough Feg, Hay Perro
April 2nd Madison, WI @ The Frequency w/Slough Feg
April 3rd Louisville, KY @ Third Street Dive w/Slough Feg, The Vibrolas
April 4th Carbondale, IL @ PK’s w/Slough Feg, Zuul
April 5th Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Café w/Slough Feg
April 6th Austin, TX @ Emo’s w/Slough Feg, Radio Moscow, Naam
April 7th San Antonio, TX @ Nightrocker Live w/Slough Feg
April 8th Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad w/Slough Feg, Leeches of Lore
April 9th Scottsdale, AZ @ The Rogue w/Slough Feg
April 10th Los Angeles, CA @ TBA w/Slough Feg
April 11th San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside w/Slough Feg, Orchid
April 13th Portland, OR @ Rotture w/Dark Black
April 14th Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
April 15th Missoula, MT @ The Palace w/Rooster Sauce
April 16th Rapid City, SD @ Roman’s Pub w/Woman is the Earth
April 17th Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/Bloodcow, The Dinks, Desire to Destroy

Check out our new video for “Warrior Fugue” from our 10 year anniversary show!!  The video was shot and edited by Derek Ashbaugh and friends who also did “The Turning Stone” video. You can see the video here:

Not sure quite what the hell I expected from Dismal Times, the 2009 debut demo EP from Chicago traditional doom outfit Earthen Grave, but I am pretty sure the problem was with my expectation. Having heard a lot of top notch trad doom lately from the likes of The Wounded Kings and Apostle of Solitude, it’s hard to think of a reason I shouldn’t have dug immediately into Earthen Grave’s first half-hour of output as well, but something about the five tracks the six-piece outfit delivered just didn’t sit right in my head.

Maybe the bar was set too high in my mind because of how much Trouble’s name has been tossed around in companion to Earthen Grave’s. Sure, the band features former Trouble bassist Ron Holzner, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Dismal Times is going to be Manic Frustration. His mere presence (and neither that of Trouble’s Jeff “Oly” Olson nor Rick Wartell) wasn’t enough to save Wet Animal, so I don’t know why it would make so much of a difference in Earthen Grave.

Or maybe it was the violin thing. Earthen Grave aren’t the first band to tout strings, and Rachel Barton Pine’s talent is obvious from the outset, but there’s something gimmicky about it, isn’t there? Like, “Hey, check us out, we have this thing, and that makes us different?” so it can be a songwriting crutch? It’s possible that’s what did it, and all the more so because Pine rarely steps out of the parameters of the riffs of guitarists Tony Spillman and Jason Muxlow (The Living Fields), or even when she does, as on the solo of “Life Carries On,” it doesn’t do much to enhance the song another guitar solo couldn’t have accomplished. I’m sure it’s exciting to watch live, stringed instruments in a rock context usually are, but the standout factor isn’t really there on the recording. It works in some spots and is awkward in others. That’s life.

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By the hairy shoulders of Zeus, it’s Chicago crusher-killers Lair of the Minotaur! Verily, they are one of the most brutal, violent acts in these United States, sure to rip the faces off many an unsuspecting boozer in basements all across the land! And what’s this? They have their own label now and a new album? Certainly this is a reason to hide in the bunker you dug into your back yard last summer and subsist for several months on canned peaches and recycled water.

The PR wire incites a panic:

The Greek mythology-inspired carnage continues on Lair of the Minotaur’s upcoming fourth full-length, Evil Power. The CD and digital download will be released on April 13, 2010 on The Grind-House Records, an independent record label started by Steve Rathbone, Chris Wozniak (both from LOTM) and Josh Diebel (former head of Alleysweeper Records). The record will be distributed by Southern Lord Records, who have released the band’s previous three albums on CD and vinyl, two EPs and DVD.

Evil Power lays all in its path to waste with an approach as heavy as the Kraken, while showing off the band’s heavy rock and punk influences. A deluxe LP version will be released in late summer 2010, featuring a bonus track not available on CD or digital download. Check out the Scott Jackson cover art, and hear the track “We are Hades” at the band’s MySpace page now: http://www.myspace.com/lairoftheminotaur.

Evil Power CD tracklist:

1. “Attack the Gods”
2. “Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers”
3. “Riders of Skullhammer, We Ride the Night”
4. “Evil Power”
5. “Goatstorm”
6. “Hunt and Devour”
7. “Metal Titans”
8. “Blood from the Witch’s Vein”
9. “We are Hades”
10. “Death March of the Conquerors”
11. “The Violent Iron Age of Man”

The album was recorded in the dead of winter in Chicago at Semaphore Studios by Sanford Parker, and mastered by Scott Hull. Rathbone states, “If War Metal Battle Master was the war, Evil Power is the party after a bloody victory.” The album features new bassist, Nate Olp (vocalist/bassist of Demiricous) and guest backing vocals by General Diabolical Slaughter (Usurper), bringing mucho mayhem to the fold.

A new video for the title track, Evil Power, will be released with the album. Rathbone warns, “There will be blood! This video is unrelentingly brutal.” Directed by Ryan Oliver, the special effects master behind the “War Metal Battle Master” video and head of Chicago based Deathblow Productions. The video’s horror theme graphically details the torment of some unlucky virgins, sacrificed to the mighty Minotaur. An uncut version will be available on the web (also in HD), and a TV edit will be shown on MTV2/Headbangers Ball, Fuse and On Demand.

Coinciding with the release, the band is headlining a US tour through the Midwest and East Coast in April:
4/16/2010 Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN
4/17/2010 Peabody’s - Cleveland, OH
4/19/2010 M Room - Philadelphia, PA
4/20/2010 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
4/21/2010 The Charleston – Brooklyn, NY
4/22/2010 Velvet Lounge - Washington DC
4/23/2010 Broadway Joe’s - Buffalo, NY
4/24/2010 The Summit – Columbus, OH

It suddenly occurs to me that I never reviewed The Atlas Moth’s Candlelight debut, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky. What a dick. While it’s a little late, I may or may not rectify the situation sometime soon (that vague enough?). While I’m weighing out the pros and cons, check out these tour dates from the PR wire:

Cerebrally pulverizing Chicagoan quintet The Atlas Moth will be blazing a good chunk of the East Coast and Midwest on the road this March with Coalesce and Harvey Milk. The low-end triple-guitar thunder the band are well-known for creating on stage is as massive as it is mesmerizing, as witnessed on their 2009 live with Dark Castle, Wetnurse, Black Cobra, Nachtmystium, Pentagram, Javelina and countless more.

The Atlas Moth w/ Coalesce, Harvey Milk:
3/05/2010 Rex Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA
3/06/2010 Kung-Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
3/07/2010 The Ottobar – Baltimore, MD
3/08/2010 Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
3/09/2010 Middle East [Downstairs] – Boston, MA
3/10/2010 Il Motore – Montreal, QC
3/11/2010 Wreckroom – Toronto, ON
3/12/2010 Smalls Bar – Hamtramck, MI
3/13/2010 Subterranean – Chicago, IL

The Atlas Moth at SXSW 2010:
3/18/2010 East End Tattoo – Austin, TX @ Chronicyouth.com showcase
3/20/2010 The Metropolis – Austin, TX – early show
3/20/2010 21st CO OP – Austin, TX – late show
3/21/2010 Red 7 – Austin, TX – Goodbye Southby

I’ll be perfectly honest, I haven’t gone back to Raise the Red Lantern’s self-titled At a Loss debut once since reviewing it. I don’t know if that’s more of a statement about the busyness of my schedule or the mediocrity of that record, but it’s the truth one way or another. Nonetheless, if the Chicago act are willing to brutalize their egos and collective well-being with even a short Midwestern tour in January, they at least have my respect. Here’s what the PR wire has to say about it:

At A Loss Recordings metallians Raise the Red Lantern hit the road this week on their way to join the later half of the ongoing Translation Loss Records Tour with Battlefields and City of Ships. The band also meet up with killer acts including Racebannon, Struck by Lightning, Chord and Mouth of the Architect along the way.

1/25/2010 Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH w/ Battlefields, City of Ships
1/26/2010 Carabar – Columbus, OH w/ Battlefields, City of Ships, Struck by Lightning
1/27/2010 Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL w/ Chord, Battlefields
1/28/2010 The Afterdark – Steven’s Point, WI w/ Battlefields, City of Ships
1/29/2010 Eagles Nest – Milwaukee, WI w/ Mouth of the Architect, Northless, Savior for a Fallen Hero
1/30/2010 The Picador – Iowa City, IA w/ Snow Demon, Identity Crisis
2/13/2010 Elva’s – South Bend, IN w/ Mouth of the Architect

Raise the Red Lantern’s self-titled full-length was released in October via At a Loss Recordings. Recorded in their hometown by Sanford Parker (Minsk, Nachtmystium), the unit have unleashed their most blistering release yet. A bombardment of metallic rock and roll riff shredding and distorted, low-end thunder, all topped with utterly savage throat-shredding bellows.

Peer pressure, I guess. Assassins Part I had some pretty good songs, including “Your True Enemy,” the chorus of which is still stuck in my head regularly (up to and including most of the day yesterday), so yeah, Chicago black metallers Nachtmystium make the cut. What the hell. Can’t be Kyuss clones all the time. Actually, it probably could. There’s enough of them out there.

Anyhoosier, Century Media via the PR wire has info on Assassins Part II. Looks to be a star-studded affair:

This vicious, uncompromising group, led by mastermind Blake Judd are currently recording with Sanford Parker (Minsk) at Volume Studios. They have also enlisted the talents of Wrest (Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice, Twilight) to record all drum tracks, as well as Will Lindsay (Wolves in the Throne Room, Middian) on bass for the much anticipated Assassins Part II, which was hailed by Decibel as “One of the 25 most anticipated albums of 2010.”

Nachtmystium kicks off their 2010 touring cycle by joining up with German thrash legends Kreator so head over to www.myspace.com/nachtmystium to view their complete touring itinerary.

Judd further describes his excitement over this upcoming album: “Our love for post rock and industrial (à la Ministry, Killing Joke, etc.) is even more present this time around. We’re hoping to make a record that will continue to push extreme music into uncharted territories. We hope to see you all soon.”

As indicated in the review, Pelican’s new record did a number on the part of my central nervous system geared toward appreciating that which is pretty. I haven’t returned to What We all Come to Need on a daily basis (hey, it was the holidays, I was busy), but as if to serve a reminder of how cool the album was, the band have just released a new video for the vocal-inclusive album closer, “Final Breath.” The clip was directed by Matt Santoro.

Also included with the press release was info about some Scion-sponsored thing (not the fest), but I’m not promoting a car company. If you’re interested enough, Google it. Here’s the video. It, too, is pretty:

Unless that Blue Cheer disc shows up in the mail tomorrow, I just received the final album I will have purchased this decade. It was Trouble, by Trouble. I bought it off Amazon used, but as close to mint as anything I’ve seen, spent $30 of an Xmas gift card and $18 of my hard-earned on top of that to get it. Worth every penny, virtual and otherwise.

The 1990 release is widely regarded as the apex of Trouble’s career, and with tracks like “Psychotic Reaction,” “At the End of My Daze” and “Black Shapes of Doom,” it’s hard to argue. The classic lineup of vocalist Eric Wagner, guitarist Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell, bassist Ron Holzner and drummer Barry Stern (RIP) captured a defining moment in doom which even 20 years later many bands still emulate without the same kind of effect on the listener.

Whatever they’ve done since — the lineup changes, naming their yet-to-be-released new album The Dark Riff, etc. — there’s no denying the presence of Trouble, and two decades on, the power of these tracks still speaks for itself. It is an acquisition most welcome, and a fitting end to 10 years of rampant expenditure without regard for credit rating, checking account balance or common sense.

Speaking of, anyone got a lead on a CD copy of the Saint Vitus live record on Hellhound? There’s a couple extra tracks they left off the Southern Lord reissue I’d like to get my hands on.

Chicago post-metallers Angel Eyes have since released a split with Germany’s A Fine Boat, that Coffin!, but on their EP …And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars (Underground Communique), the five-piece works quickly to execute two extended tracks of thinky thinky heaviness, showing a considerable Isis influence in the process. The atmosphere is paramount on both “One” and “Two” (you’ll never guess which is first), and as much as the troubled screams and evocative lyrics firmly engage the listener, so too do the wispy guitar lines and background electronics noises enrich the emotionality of the experience.

This will be familiar territory for most fans of the genre, though like City of Ships, Angel Eyes seems to come from a more emo-centric position — one of these dudes sounds like the guy from Thursday when he screams. Doubtless that will repel some listeners looking for a “meatier” sound à la Through Silver in Blood, but …And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars should not be immediately counted out. After all, with two tracks at 16:44 and 10:03, respectively, it’s not like Angel Eyes are writing three minute pop-punk songs for radio play and use in sneaker commercials.

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I usually don�t put much stock in label promospeak when it comes to an impartial evaluation of an album they�re releasing. A good press release is generally well-written, informative for biographical information, etc., but sometimes they�re full of hyperbole about how the new album from Band X is the best shit ever and makes Reign in Blood look like Indigo Girls blah blah blah. Not faulting the labels here; that�s their job. They�re passionate about their product and they want to sell it. That�s the way the world works.

In the case of the press release that came with the digipak of Raise the Red Lantern�s self-titled At a Loss Recordings debut, it�s worth quoting here, if only for the math involved. I submit the delightfully passive aggressive final line:

�Our label constantly puts out releases by bands you dig! You just wait until they go to another label — Black Cobra, (-16-), Baroness, Minsk, Rwake, Kylesa, etc�. Maybe get on board early!�

If you think about it, it�s true. At a Loss has helped break bands that have gone on to become some of this generation�s best and most heralded. Whether or not that means the same thing is destined for Raise the Red Lantern, I don�t know — they certainly wouldn�t be out of place on the Relapse roster — but there�s no denying the label�s impact on the underground heavy throughout this decade. Something worth thinking about, however it might skew your feelings on Raise the Red Lantern now.

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Yes, that title is sarcastic. Touring is hard, grueling work. Yes, you get to play music, but unless you’re rich, pretty much everything else about it blows. I still don’t know how I feel about Chicago wunderkinds The Atlas Moth, or their Candlelight debut, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky, but if a band’s going to get out there and sell their wares one person at a time on the road, you have to at least respect that no matter what you think of the music. The PR wire sent these updated tour dates in and I thought I’d pass them along for your perusal.

With A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky out now on Candlelight Records, the band is currently on tour promoting the release, with a long list of killer shows alongside Dark Castle, Wetnurse and more along the way:

11/03/2009 The Kickstand – Gainesville, FL w/ Dark Castle
11/04/2009 Brass Mug – Tampa, FL w/ Dark Castle
11/05/2009 Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
11/06/2009 The Warehouse – Jacksonville, FL w/ Dark Castle
11/07/2009 Lenny’s� – Atlanta, GA w/ Across Tundras, Dark Castle
11/08/2009 The Hangar – Greenville, SC w/ Dark Castle
11/09/2009 The Reservoir – Carrboro, NC
11/10/2009 The Triple – Richmond, VA
11/11/2009 Starlight Ballroom – Philadelphia, PA w/ Wetnurse
11/12/2009 Sidebar – Baltimore, MD w/ Wetnurse
11/13/2009 Court Tavern – New Jersey w/ Wetnurse
11/14/2009 The Sweatshop – Providence, RI w/ Wetnurse
11/15/2009 Unit 11 – Allston, MA w/ Wetnurse
11/17/2009 Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY w/ Dark Castle, Wetnurse
11/18/2009 The Spot – Akron, OH w/ Dark Castle, Sofa King Killer, Rue
11/20/2009 Elbow Room – Ypsilanti, MI w/ Dark Castle, Ganon
11/21/2009 Mac’s Bar – Lansing, MI w/ Dark Castle, Ganon
11/22/2009 Carabar – Columbus, OH w/ Dark Castle, Struck by Lightning
11/23/2009 Belvederes – Pittsburgh, PA w/ Dark Castle, U.S. Christmas
11/24/2009 The Vollrath – Indianapolis, IN w/ Dark Castle
11/25/2009 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL w/ Dark Castle, Black Tusk, Black Cobra, Plague Bringer

I try not to swipe too much news from StonerRock.com, since I imagine there’s a pretty decent overflow of traffic from this site to over there (I have no demographic data to back that up), but when it pertains to Chicago’s Bible of the Devil, and especially when it pertains to them doing something awesome — which it usually does — I just can’t help myself. This time, the four-piece are celebrating their 10th anniversary as a band with a special show in their hometown. Check it out:

Thousands of miles of bad road, hundreds of shows raging, questionable or both, countless broken hearts and battered eardrums, and infinite beers later, Chicago’s Bible of the Devil will commemorate 10 years of toiling in the rock ‘n roll wars November 7 at Cobra Lounge in Chicago.

Yes, it was ten long years ago when singer/guitarist Mark Hoffmann and drummer Greg Spalding began woodshedding the blueprint for what would become Bible of the Devil in a crappy apartment in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.� As a nod to our loyal fans, whom we can only assume are legion, we have decided to take song requests in advance for the first time ever.� We know there’s tunes people� may want to hear that we haven’t played in ages, so hit us with requests now and we can be prepared when the chips are down on November 7.� Send any and all requests to bible_of_the_devil@yahoo.com or botdmusic@gmail.com.� If we can remember it, we’ll try to play it.

Saturday, November 7: Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland)
Bible of the Devil
Ironhead (Virginia Beach, VA)
High Spirits
Doors at 9 pm. FREE!

See you there!
Mark, Greg, Nate, and Darren

Caught in just the right sunlight, the musical sprawl of influential Chicago instrumentalists Pelican is downright beautiful. Fortunately, it seems to be the exact appropriate time of day on their fourth full-length (first for Southern Lord), What We all Come to Need.

Taking cues from their earlier days with Australasia, much of urbane crunch that seemed to typify 2007�s City of Echoes is replaced here by open soundscaping and lush dynamics. That�s not to say Pelican are repeating themselves by any stretch. The growth of the band is evident in the careful structuring of opener �Glimmer,� and What We all Come to Need only gets more complex from there. But to do a time comparison, both albums have eight tracks, City of Echoes was 42 minutes, What We all Come to Need is 51. There�s clearly been a shift in focus.

A Greg Anderson guitar contribution to second track �The Creeper� is immediately identifiable, and Anderson is but one of several guests throughout the LP. Isis� Aaron Turner shows up in a similar capacity on the title track, Harkonen�s Ben Verellen donated bass to the opener, and The Life and Times� Allen Epley contributes vocals (!) to closer �Final Breath.�

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Cello experimentalist Alison Chesley is set to launch a US tour in two weeks to support her second album under the banner of Helen Money, In Tune (review here). Her label debut for Radium/Table of the Elements, In Tune builds on the creative success of 2007’s Helen Money, on which Chesley showcased her talent for composing rich cello-based pieces around a multitude of effects. On In Tune, as she explains in the interview following, she attempts to up her songwriting technique and steer away from relying to heavily on her array of pedals.

A solo instrumental performer, Chesley as Helen Money crafts an engaging and hypnotic atmosphere on In Tune, and given the progress and confidence displayed from one album to the next, I’m already looking forward to her third outing. In the meantime, Oct. 31-Nov. 30 tour dates are posted on her MySpace, and she was kind enough to take time out for the phoner transcribed here after the jump. Please enjoy.

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