Dozer Interview Pt. 4: Vultures

Posted in Features on February 23rd, 2021 by JJ Koczan

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The reissue of Swedish heavy rockers Dozer‘s 2013 offering, Vultures (review here), is out now on Heavy Psych Sounds. With new artwork by Peder Bergstrand (also Lowrider) and an extra track that finds Dozer taking on Sunride‘s “Vinegar Fly,” it is the closest the band has come to issuing new material since their fifth and final full-length, 2008’s Beyond Colossal (discussed here). Issued as an EP, its six original tracks — plus the cover makes seven — were culled from demos for the band’s 2005 album, Through the Eyes of Heathens (discussed here), recorded by close ally Bengt Bäcke, whose history with the band helming their first sessions has meant they’ve always sounded way better than “demo” might imply.

Vultures was never a live-to-tape-in-the-rehearsal-space kind of affair, and eight years after its original release by the band, tracks like “The Blood is Cold” and “To the Fallen” have no trouble holding up. Bassist Johan Rockner talks below about the band having a glut of material and wanting to get it out in some form, with Vultures enabling them to do that. Then newly signed to Small Stone Records, the four-piece already had three records to their credit in 2002’s Call it Conspiracy (discussed here; also discussed here), 2001’s Madre de Dios (discussed here) and 2000’s In the Tail of a Comet (discussed here), as well as sundry tracks from earlier splits that continue to beg for an early-works compilation. When it arrived, their fourth album would continue a progression toward more aggressive, harder-hitting grooves, and Vultures represents the moment between Call it Conspiracy and Through the Eyes of Heathens as Dozer sought out the places they wanted their sound to go.

It is entirely to the band’s credit that Vultures is anything more than a fan-piece or curio for the converted. Guitarist Tommi Holappa, guitarist/vocalist Fredrik NordinRockner on bass and Karl Daniel Lidén on drums bring a full sound to these tracks and in its substance it’s less a demo than a series of alternate takes. Dozer posted a short while that they were in the studio for a yet-unnamed reason. The fact that Vultures holds up as well as it does even for being material that didn’t get released when it was recorded, only serves as another example of why the possibility of their doing something new is so exciting.

Interviews with Rockner about Through the Eyes of Heathens and Beyond Colossal will follow this week.

In the meantime, enjoy and thanks for reading:

DOZER VULTURES

Vultures Q&A with Johan Rockner

Tell me about the demo process for what became Vultures. Even when the songs were first released in 2013, they seemed remarkably finished. Did Dozer always do this kind of preproduction?

At this time we’re really creative. We had a lot of songs, and these demo songs were a part of the demos for Through the Eyes of Heathens. We had 16 songs to choose from for the Through the Eyes of Heathens. And we made demos of all of them.

We had a studio in the building where we used to rehearse. Same studio where In the Tail of a Comet and Madre de Dios were recorded. So, when we had three-four, good and ready songs, we recorded them as a pre-production/demos for ourselves.

What did you learn from these demos that you took into the recording/writing for Through the Eyes of Heathens?

I think we’ve always felt that it’s good to make demos, to be able to listen to the song over and over and see if it works or needs more love. It’s a good working progress.

Is there more material from this session or where these songs it? Obviously you and Daniel Lidén already went back a long time. What were these sessions like?

No, this is it! :) That’s why we released Vultures in the first place. These songs are too good to be laying around. We also think that our music should be out there for people to hear. That’s why we also release “Vinegar Fly” (the Sunride cover) for this vinyl/digipack release.

The sessions were great, Daniel is such a great guy with a good music ear. He brought in some new fresh energy into the band which I guess reflects the creativity at this time.

Dozer was appearing at Desertfest around 2013 when these songs were released. What did it feel like to see the response to these tracks when they came out?

It’s always nice to see and hear people’s reaction to something the band does. Good or bad, it’s a matter of commitment and interest in the band, and that’s why we do this. To make music we love and hope others do as well.

Anything in particular you’d like to add about Vultures? Any other standout memories to share about this time in the band?

Great artwork by Peder!

Dozer, Vultures (2021)

Dozer on Thee Facebooks

Dozer on YouTube

Dozer website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Thee Facebooks

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Dozer to Reissue Vultures, Beyond Colossal and Through the Eyes of Heathens

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 12th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

There isn’t really a wrong answer to the question of what’s your favorite era of Dozer, but golly, their later work? I love that shit. 2005’s Through the Eyes of Heathens (discussed here), and 2008’s Beyond Colossal (discussed here)? I won’t say a bad word about their first three records unless you count cursing when I say “holy shit this is good” but the Small Stone era is what I most often reach for when I need that Dozer fix. The more aggressive punch of their songwriting, the ferocity of their forward drive that’s so much their own. Sign me up for that every time.

And the Vultures EP (review here) that came out digitally in 2013 and was taken from pre-production work for Through the Eyes of Heathens was like the icing on that particular cake. An unexpected bit of “hey you know that thig you love well here’s some more of it” that no one knew was coming. Or I didn’t, at least.

Heavy Psych Sounds, which already oversaw reissues of the first three Dozer LPs, will now stand behind the first physical pressing of Vultures — with revamped art by Lowrider‘s Peder Bergstrand — and reissues of Through the Eyes of Heathens and Beyond Colossal in February. Preorders are up now. I think my position on whether or not you should place one would be obvious.

From the PR wire:

DOZER VULTURES

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is really proud to start the presale of HPS147 – DOZER – Vultures

– first time printed on vinyl and digipak with bonus track –

Today we are extremely proud to start the presale of the DOZER album VULTURES – printed for the first time on vinyl and digipak !!!

We are also repressing two DOZER albums: Through The Eyes Of Heathens + Beyond Colossal

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS147

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 12th

RELEASED IN :
10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
200 ULTRA LTD CORNETTO white background/purple stripes VINYL
400 LTD GOLD VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK

TRACKLIST
The Blood Is Cold – 5:12
The Impostor – 4:11
Last Prediction – 3:21
Vultures – 3:42
Head Ghosts – 4:45
To The Fallen – 5:07
+ unreleased bonus track
Vinegar Fly (Sunride cover) – 4:35

ALBUM DESCRIPTION

Vultures is a first time pressed EP of the swedish stoner band Dozer. Recorded in 2004-2005 at Rockhouse Studios in Borlänge, these six tracks were used as pre-production demos for what would later become the fourth Dozer album, 2005’s Through the Eyes of Heathens.

The album is now released for the first time on vinyl and digipak with a very special unreleased bonus track, a cover of the Sunride song Vinegar Fly. Vultures is a real heavy-stoner explosion, something that only Dozer can provide..

The amazing artwork is made by Lowrider leader Peder Bergstrand.

HPS148 *** DOZER – Through The Eyes Of Heathens***
– REPRESSED in brand new coloured versions –

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS148

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 19th

RELEASED IN :
10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD QUAD orange/blue VINYL
200 LTD BLOODY RED VINYL
200 BLACK VINYL

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Drawing Dead – 4:38
Born A Legend – 3:24
From Fire Fell – 2:39
Until Man Exists No More – 5:08
Days Of Future Past – 3:45

SIDE B
Omega Glory – 5:00
Blood Undone – 4:44
The Roof, The River, The Revolver – 3:07
Man Of Fire – 3:16
Big Sky Theory – 8:28

HPS149 *** DOZER – Beyond Colossal***
– REPRESSED in brand new coloured versions –

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS149

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 19th

RELEASED IN:
10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD HALF-HALF yellow/black VINYL
200 LTD TRANSPARENT GREEN VINYL
200 BLACK VINYL

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
The Flood – 3:50
Exoskeleton (Part II) – 6:33
Empire’s End – 3:54
The Ventriloquist – 4:56
Grand Inquisitor – 4:12

SIDE B
Message Through The Horses – 3:00
The Throne – 3:25
Fire For Crows – 3:57
Two Coins For Eyes – 6:55
Bound For Greatness – 3:29

https://www.facebook.com/dozerband
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Dozer, “The Blood is Cold”

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audiObelisk Transmission 029

Posted in Podcasts on August 27th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Click Here to Download

 

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

Been a while, right? Tell me about it. Although I love, love having The Obelisk Radio streaming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I’ve been wanting to bring back podcasting for a while now. I always thought it was fun, it just got to be time consuming and to be perfectly honest, the response over time took something of a shit.

Well, the idea here is to start with a clean slate. Anyone who’s listened to audiObelisk podcasts before will notice this one doesn’t have a title. There’s no theme running throughout — though I wanted to keep it focused on new stuff as much as possible — and though others ranged upwards of four hours long, this one clocks in at just under two. I gave myself some pretty specific limits and wanted to start off as basic and foundational as possible. I haven’t done this in a long time, and it seemed only appropriate to treat it like a new beginning.

Something else I’m keeping simple is the intro, so with that said, I hope like hell you download at the link above or stream it on the player and enjoy the selections. Here’s the rundown of what’s included:

First Hour:

Mystery Ship, “Paleodaze” from EP II (2013)
Carousel, “On My Way” from Jeweler’s Daughter (2013)
Ice Dragon, “The Deeper You Go” from Born a Heavy Morning (2013)
Black Mare, “Tearer” from Field of the Host (2013)
Beast in the Field, “Hollow Horn” from The Sacred Above, The Sacred Below (2013)
11 Paranoias, “Reaper’s Ruin” from Superunnatural (2013)
Vàli, “Gjemt Under Grener” from Skoglandskap (2013)
Beelzefuzz, “Lonely Creatures” from Beelzefuzz (2013)
Dozer, “The Blood is Cold” fromVultures (2013)
Toby Wrecker, “Belle” from Sounds of Jura (2013)
Shroud Eater, “Sudden Plague” from Dead Ends (2013)
Luder, “Ask the Sky” from Adelphophagia (2013)
Eggnogg, “The Once-ler” from Louis (2012)

Second Hour:

Colour Haze, “Grace” from She Said (2012)
Borracho, “Know the Score” from Oculus (2013)
The Flying Eyes, “Raise Hell” from Split with Golden Animals (2013)
Demon Lung, “Heathen Child” from The Hundredth Name (2013)
Vista Chino, “As You Wish” from Peace (2013)
Across Tundras, “Pining for the Gravel Roads” from Electric Relics (2013)
Black Pyramid, “Aphelion” from Adversarial (2013)
Church of Misery, “Cranley Gardens (Dennis Andrew Nilsen)” from Thy Kingdom Scum (2013)

Total running time: 1:57:54

Thanks for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 029

 

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Dozer, Vultures: Before the Eyes of Heathens

Posted in Reviews on August 6th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Excluding a limited split 7″ with NYMF that heralded its coming, Vultures is the first outing from Swedish rockers Dozer in five years since they released 2008’s Beyond Colossal. That album, their fifth and second for Small Stone, became the capstone on Dozer‘s career when an indefinite hiatus was announced Fall 2009. After guitarist Tommi Holappa and drummer Olle Mårthans and bassist Johan Rockner played together (the latter on guitar) as part of the Greenleaf lineup for 2012’s triumphant Nest of Vipers album (review here), with TruckfightersOskar Cedermalm on vocals and bassist Bengt Bäcke, who engineered Dozer‘s first two albums and worked with other formative Swedish heavy rockers like Demon Cleaner — not to mention a guest appearance from Dozer guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Nordin on that record’s closing track — it was announced Dozer would return to the stage at Desertfest 2013. This was a welcome surprise even after Greenleaf played there in 2012 — Dozer‘s set was preceded by a Lowrider reunion in London and it has been one of the high points of my year so far — and while the immediate next question was when Dozer‘s next studio release would surface, Vultures arrives as a semi-complete answer to the question. Recorded in 2004-2005 at Rockhouse Studios in Borlänge, these six tracks were used as pre-production demos for what would later become the fourth Dozer album, 2005’s Through the Eyes of Heathens. They arrive here with a mastering job from Karl Daniel Lidén (who may or may not also play drums on them) and cover art by William Ede as a digital-only-for-now 26-minute EP that at very least shows Dozer have a continued interest in being Dozer. And if Vultures is a stopgap issued in order to keep their name in the minds of their fans while Holappa continues to write and record with a partially-revamped Greenleaf lineup, being one of those fans, I’m more than happy to take it. The Through the Eyes of Heathens era was a pivotal one in Dozer‘s progression, continuing the shift from the desert-style heavy of their first two albums — 2000’s In the Tail of a Comet and 2001’s Madre de Dios — that began to show itself on 2002’s Call it Conspiracy and pushing Dozer‘s style to individualized territory not yet heard from the band.

In any case, after five years, it was high time Dozer got something out, and Vultures provides a fascinating look at their creative process. For one thing, the songs are remarkably put together despite their “demo” tag. I don’t know for sure if Bäcke engineered this recording — he helmed their first two records and prior demos at Rockhouse — but from the sound of the tracks, I’d believe it. Nordin‘s vocals are layered, the drums have a crisp pop to them, Rockner‘s bass rumbles with fuzzy conviction and the guitars layered and driving in that style that was so quickly becoming Dozer‘s own at this point in their career. Dozer would ultimately take to Seawolf Studios on an island off the coast of Finland to record the final album, and it’s perhaps most curious of all that not one track from Vultures was used in full. There are pieces here in songs like “The Imposter” and closer “To the Fallen” that one familiar with the finished record might be able to recognize, at least in spirit if not note-for-note, but nothing on Vultures was directly ported to Through the Eyes of Heathens. The effect this has is two-fold. First, it makes the new EP that much more of a new release — it is genuinely unheard material. Second, it makes Vultures even more intriguing as a look into Dozer‘s creative process. Was this something that had never happened before, that the songs took such drastically different forms by the time they were finished? Was the original intent to get these tracks on tape so as to write new material using them as a base to work from? What was it about a song like opener Vultures “The Blood is Cold” that didn’t make the final cut, or was it not even an issue of that, and rather, the band knew all along these tracks wouldn’t be on the record but wanted to have them documented anyway for just this future purpose? These questions abound, but what’s most pivotal about Vultures as a standalone release is that it captures Through the Eyes of Heathens-style songwriting with production more akin to Madre de Dios and In the Tail of a Comet, making it a wholly unique entity within Dozer‘s catalog, which if it needs to be said, is one of the finest and most essential the Swedish heavy underground has ever produced.

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