It’s always a good day when a new issue of Italian ‘zine Vincebus Eruptum shows up. My fandom of the long-running print mag should be well known to anyone who’s been stopping by this site for a while, and Editor Davide “Davidew” Pansolin and the staff under him continue to deliver top quality work with Vincebus Eruptum no. 20, the latest issue. Pressed up with cover art by Kabuto that brings to mind Jawas, the speeder bike that Rey had in The Force Awakens and the cover of the Southern Lord version of Sleep‘s Dopesmoker — all of which is certainly cool by me — the actual physical size of the thing never tells the story of the scope within, as Vincebus Eruptum continues to cover highlights from the international underground in psychedelia, heavy rock, doom, fuzz, garage and more.

Last time around, Vincebus Eruptum took a kind of educational turn and in the midst of a feature about The Linus Pauling Quartet — whose latest album, Ampalanche (review here), was released on Vincebus Eruptum Recordings, the ‘zine’s label arm — gave background on a swath of players and acts from the Texas noise/weirdo rock scene of the 1990s. Cool idea, and Pansolin has clearly decided to run with it. While Vincebus Eruptum no. 20 has fewer interviews than did the prior issue, it makes up for that with two specially-themed features — one on Maryland doom and another on Ireland’s heavy scene. The scope of Maryland doom, of course, is massive. It spans decades and there are so many players involved that to list them all would leave no room in the issue for anything else, but Klaus Kleinowski does well in finding the balance between narrative and detail, and though he speaks from the perspective of someone out of the region, his knowledge comes through clearly and is information worth seeking for anyone who thinks they know that scene or who’d like to know it.

I like to consider myself pretty familiar with Maryland doom, so after digging that piece, I shifted right over to “Emerald Haze: A Brief History of Irish Fuzz” by Sid Daly and Matt Casciani, which gives a similar, if shorter, treatment to the Irish underground, dedicating space to letting Iona Death Cult bassist Ste O’Connor and Mount Soma bassist Conrad Coyle — both Dublin natives — run down lists and descriptions of their favorite countryman heavy albums. Yes, Slomatics make the cut, amid names like Electric Taurus, Wild Rocket, Weed Priest, Astralnaut, Venus Sleeps and Triggerman. Reading Vincebus Eruptum is always a bit like getting a homework assignment of stuff to check out — in a good way; I was never much for doing homework — and to have them go to experts directly to pick out bands for their readers is a shift in approach that I hope they continue. I’d love to see a piece on the boom in the Ukraine rock scene, for example, or to get their perspective on the West Coast of the US’ surge in heavy psych of the last several years. There’s an entire planet to cover, since ‘heavy’ exists just about everywhere.

From there, time to dig into the interviews. Leading off are Kevin Starrs of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Gianmarco Iantaffi of Void Generator — Vincebus Eruptum, as ever, bringing Italian bands to the fore — and both have plenty to talk about. New Void Generator is reportedly in progress, and Starrs talks about some of his favorite Italian film noir directors, the Giallo set, which inspired the band’s 2015 fourth album, The Night Creeper (review here). There are also chats with Abbot and Domovoyd, two Finnish bands with very different takes between them — Abbot leaning toward classic prog/heavy and Domovoyd blending psychedelia and black metal — but who nonetheless share an adventurousness of spirit and songwriting that serve them well. Top it off with a feature looking at Fruits de Mer Records‘ catalog, the usual batch of worldwide reviews — Goatsnake and Snail alongside Nightslug and Bretus, among many more — and it’s another jam-packed installment from Vincebus Eruptum, which if I haven’t gotten the point across by now should be essential reading for novices and lifer experts alike when it comes to all manner of things weighted in tone.

Vincebus Eruptum Recordings has an upcoming release by Sendelica called I’ll Walk with the Stars for You, and as Pansolin notes in his editorial, he’s also opened a physical venue (300 capacity) where bands can play. Congratulations to him on that — way to live the dream — and here’s looking forward to the next Vincebus Eruptum, to which in the same breath he once again doubles-down on his commitment. I can’t wait to see what the associazione culturale does next.

Vincebus Eruptum website

Vincebus Eruptum store

Vincebus Eruptum on Thee Facebooks

Is there such a thing as psychedelic extremity? Finnish four-piece Domovoyd aren’t through the opener of their self-titled sophomore LP before they make a case for it. Granted, “Domovoyage” is 17 minutes long in leading off Domovoyd‘s Domovoyd, which is out May 8 on respected purveyor Svart Records, but I think the point holds despite the substantial runtime. And “Domovoyage” is hardly a completely summary of what the double-vinyl has to offer, the subsequent “Ambrosian Perfume” reinventing pre-New Wave proclamations atop repetitive wah and far-back strumming before shifting into grunge riffing and echoing shouts, a solo taking hold at 6:15 that carries through the remainder of the track’s 9:41. The rules of songwriting are flung open across Domovoyd‘s freaked-out 59-minute span, and whether it’s a perversely weird turn, as in “Ambrosian Perfume,” or a sprawling exploration like the bookending 17-minute closer “Vivid Insanity” — otherwise known as “side D” — the returning lineup of guitarist/vocalist Oskar Tunderberg, guitarist Niko Lehdontie, bassist Dmitry Melet and Axel Solimeis offer a resonant progression from the debut, their penchant for weirdness matched by their command of sound.

“Caustic Afterglow” mounts tense spoken word drama over pervasive, swirling drone, but at four minutes long and providing a severe end to side B, it’s more than an interlude. On the CD and digital versions of the album, “Caustic Afterglow” leads into “Mystagogue,” a buzzing and exploding jam that, like that riff that took over “Ambrosian Perfume,” has some basis in grunge to go with its weighted tonality. More than the earlier cut, however, “Mystagogue” builds to and hits an apex within its 4:38 pays off the prior trades between restraint and release, Tunderberg‘s vocals shifting between semi-spoken parts and rougher shouting, Domovoyd never quite allowing themselves to give completely over to space rock impulses, but always seeming to be way up in the atmosphere anyhow. “Mystagogue” makes a fitting summary of some of the noisy psych the opener also has on offer, but there isn’t really one single track that encapsulates the scope of the record, as “Amor Fati” proves almost immediately with a darker, thicker roll, choice snare work from Solimeis and a break into off-kilter strumming from Ledontie and Tunderberg, who’s backed in the verse by a high falsetto so deep in the mix as to make you wonder if it’s really there. I’d give you a definitive answer on that if I had one.

Sub-screaming and noise wash caps “Amor Fati,” but there’s a final spoken line from Tunderberg as well that I won’t spoil here, and “Vivid Insanity” takes hold following a few seconds’ silence with a quiet guitar figure that develops peacefully over the first seven minutes, drums coming in, effects lightly swirling around, but a stop at 8:40 brings the full-toned chaos of a verse, and the heft and madness continues to churn its way forward in leads and shouts and rumble and thud as Domovoyd push toward the 14th minute and a gradual comedown in intensity, finally ending with a stretch of brighter droning and other noise, not abrasive, but humming out a waveform on a long fade to close out. The title of the closer is perhaps a fitting descriptor for Domovoyd‘s overarching perspective throughout the album, but both words in it are worth emphasizing, and by that I mean that the foursome not only craft this strange, varied, at-times-bludgeoning, at-times-intricate brew, but do so with an underlying sense of purpose to their work and consciousness unrelenting, making the album both a fascinating listen and at times utterly terrifying. For what it’s worth, Domovoyd seem to be perfectly comfortable in that alternate-dimension morass, and the more one hears the record, the more it makes sense they’d put it out as a self-titled. Speaking sonically, that psychedelic extremity is their home.

Today I have the pleasure of hosting the premiere “Mystagogue” from Domovoyd‘s Domovoyd for streaming. Please find it below, followed by more info on the album, and enjoy:

The young psychonauts of Domovoyd are onto their sixth year of existence in this dimension, and, having taken many acid heads by surprise with their debut album Oh Sensibility (2013), are ready to deliver a second transmission from worlds beyond and within. Scheduled to appear on the planet on May 8th, the album is self titled and it will be available on CD, double vinyl and digital.

Domovoyd’s eponymous 60-minute behemoth pays tribute to progressive rock masterpieces of yesteryear in the sense that it is, for lack of a better word, a concept album. Storytelling and mythmaking in the works, if you will, but distilled through an overdriven stack of amplifiers.

The album’s six tracks deal with inner discovery of the psychedelic kind and ultimately with the loss and destruction of all conceptions of self and the world. Old ego is a too much thing, as Charlie Manson once said.

Domovoyd on Thee Facebooks

Domovoyd on Bandcamp

Domovoyd’s website

Domovoyd at Svart Records

Two things I immediately like about Domovoyd‘s self-titled album opener, “Domovoyage,” which you can hear below: First, it’s trippy as fuck and then some. Second, even the “shorter version” of the song is 13 minutes long. Hell yes. The Finnish outfit k-i-l-l-e-d it on their 2013 Svart Records debut, Oh Sensibility (review here), and they seem primed to push the ritual even farther out with Domovoyd, which is due out May 8, also on Svart. Expect a layered, effects-driven freakout and don’t be surprised when those expectations are exceeded.

Raw vibe, anything goes, psychedelic fuckall. Hard to beat. PR wire brings news of doom from space:

DOMOVOYD set release date for new SVART album, premiere first track

The young psychonauts of Domovoyd are onto their sixth year of existence in this dimension, and having taken many acid heads by surprise with their Svart debut album, Oh Sensibility (2013), the band are ready to deliver a second transmission from worlds beyond and within. Scheduled to appear on the planet on May 8th, once again via Svart Records, the album is self-titled and it will be available on CD, double-vinyl, and digital.

Domovoyd’s eponymous 60-minute behemoth pays tribute to progressive rock masterpieces of yesteryear in the sense that it is, for lack of a better word, a concept album: storytelling and mythmaking in the works, if you will, but distilled through an overdriven stack of amplifiers. The album’s six tracks deal with inner discovery of the psychedelic kind and, ultimately, with the loss and destruction of all conceptions of self and the world; old ego is a too-much thing, as Charlie Manson once said. For those who are looking for a quick fix while waiting for the album to hit, Domovoyd have prepared a shorter version of the album’s opening track “Domovoyage” HERE. Ease on out of your mind with Domovoyd! Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Kesä’s Kesä
1. Domovoyage
2. Ambrosian Perfume
3. Caustic Afterglow
4. Mystagogue
5. Amor Fati
6. Vivid Insanity

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/domovoyd
www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords
www.youtube.com/svartrecords
www.twitter.com/svartrecords

Domovoyd, “Domovoyage”

Today, Oct. 11, marks the Svart Records release of the debut Domovoyd full-length, Oh Sensibility. It is a work of vast-ranging psychedelic cacophony, shield-your-eyes bright tonality underscored by devastating heft. They might as well have called it, “Oh Sensibility, I Can’t Believe We Just Melted You With Psychedelic Guitars.” Songs are given to lumber as much as rolling, nodding heavy grooves, but there are points — set up by the fittingly-titled introductory opening track — when the wash of noise comes to a head and Domovoyd seem to be swallowed whole in the swirling torrent they’ve crafted. There are touches of neu-er Electric Wizard in some of their stretches of riffy triumph, both early on in shorter cuts like “Lamia” and later in the sprawling 16-minute closer “Argenteum Astrum,” but by and large, Domovoyd are on a totally different trip.

Primarily, what makes Oh Sensibility such a rich listen over the course of its 52 minutes is the tones and the interaction between guitarists Oskar Tunderberg and Niko Lehdontie. The former manages to hold together already-liquified riffing in kind with bassist Dmitry Melet — whose own tone is not to be underappreciated — and the dynamic drumming of Axel Solimeis, and this allows Lehdontie the space to add a barrage of effects to the fray. He’s not shy about it. Each crescendo throughout the album and each moment of atmospheric cosmos-worship is brought to a fuller breadth through the chaos, and there are stretches as on “Incarnation” when it seems like Tunderberg‘s vocals have already been consumed by the tide. Following the abrasive rise of “Introduction,” “Incarnation” takes hold with equally vicious feedback and riffing, leading to the more languid druggery of “Lamia” en route to the epic trio of “By Taking a Breath” (9:33), “Effluvial Condenser” (13:38) and the aforementioned “Argenteum Astrum” (16:13), but though Domovoyd veer into abrasion when they so choose, Oh Sensibility never loses its psychedelic vibe, resulting in a creative blend that pulls you in from the very start.

And yeah, there are times where it just sounds fucked up, like “Lamia”‘s Godflesh-gone-stoner cacophony, and the Nirvana reference that shows up halfway into “By Taking a Breath,” but that only adds intrigue to the proceedings, which stand as a remarkable accomplishment particularly for the Seinäjoki foursome’s first album. Perhaps the most telling moment of all on the record is early into “Effluvial Condenser” when the words “electric charge” are repeated in whispers that cut through the space-rock din surrounding. If that’s what’s doing it for Domovoyd, who of course then embark on a massive album-unto-themselves push with that song and the fittingly oppressive apex-fuzz provided by “Argenteum Astrum,” sign me up. Tune down, plug in, crash galaxies.

Do your frontal lobe some damage by checking out the entirety of Oh Sensibility on the player below:

Domovoyd‘s Oh Sensibility is available now on Svart Records. The band have a couple gigs lined up in November to support the LP:

Nov. 20th – Nuclear Nightclub (OUL) w/ Oranssi pazuzu
Nov. 21st – Rytmikorjaamo (SJK) w/ Oranssi pazuzu
Nov. 30th – Secret party (secret location)

Domovoyd on Thee Facebooks

Svart Records