https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Desertfest London 2023 Adds Another 20 Bands; Lineup Complete

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 1st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

desertfest london 2023 final banner

Staring at the poster of the finished lineup, there’s nothing more to do than congratulate the Desertscene crew on Desertfest London 2023. You could spend an entire day at any single stage in any single venue and call it front-to-back a good time. I’ve been posting festival lineups for Desertfest since it started in 2012 and this is the biggest and best it’s ever been. If you’re going, I’ll tell you flat out I’m jealous. It looks like it will be an amazing experience, and right up to the last lineup announcement, it’s quality as much as quantity when it comes to who is playing, on what stage, and when. It is the heavy festival ideal; a lineup that crosses generations and geographies to give those fortunate enough to be there something they’ll never forget.

So that’s it. Go if you can. Here’s the reportedly final update:

desertfest london 2023 final poster

Desertfest London announces final bands and day splits for 2023, including Nebula, Dozer, Fatso Jetson + more

Friday 5th May – Sunday 7th May 2023

Weekend and day tickets on sale now via www.desertfest.co.uk

Desertfest London have announced the final bands and day-splits for 2023’s line-up, which will be taking place across Camden from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th May and promises to be heavier than the King’s coronation crown.

The final few bands to join the already stellar line-up includes the heavy groove rocking trio Nebula, Sweden’s stalwarts of stoner Dozer and the godfathers of the Desert Fatso Jetson. French post-metallers Year Of No Light will also be playing their first London show since 2013.

Also joining the line-up is Antwerp’s Gnome who will bring their dirty riffs, anarcho-punks Bad Breeding to get everyone fired up and acclaimed virtuoso Cellist Jo Quail to bring another dynamic to proceedings.

Electric Funeral will also be keeping the party going with a Sabbath covers set at Friday night’s after party and the festival is completed with Elder Druid, Kurokuma, Firebreather, Earth Moves, Untitled With Drums, Graywave, Mountains, Rosy Finch, Lowen, Homecoming, Wall and Death Wvrm.

Weekend and day tickets are available via www.desertfest.co.uk

The final additions join festival headliners and cult heroes Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats who will be playing the Roundhouse for the very first time. As one of the most widely-requested bands in the Desertfest-sphere, Uncle Acid’s trippy and melodic riff-driven hard-rock is uniquely original, yet an utterly timeless beast and will close Desertfest 2023 in a mystical cloud of doom and awe.

Friday’s headliners are none other than Swedish heavy-blues maestros Graveyard who will draw out raw emotion with their lyrical prowess & introspective compositions whilst Saturday welcomes back Corrosion of Conformity who have not been on UK soil since 2018 so expect big, loud and memorable things from their appearance at the festival!

Full Line-Up for Desertfest London 2023:

FRIDAY 5TH MAY
ELECTRIC BALLROOM
GRAVEYARD
KADAVAR
CHURCH OF MISERY
VALLEY OF THE SUN
SPACESLUG
ELECTRIC FUNERAL (AFTER PARTY)

UNDERWORLD
DISCHARGE
BAD BREEDING
DAWN RAY’D
KUROKUMA
TERROR COSMICO

POWERHAUS
YEAR OF NO LIGHT
SUM OF R
EARTH MOVES
WYATT E
IRON JINN

BLACK HEART
ECSTATIC VISION
PLAINRIDE
LONGHEADS
VINNUM SABBATHI
GNOB
MARGARITA WITCH CULT

THE DEV
DOMMENGANG
UNTITLED WITH DRUMS
MOUNTAINS
TROY THE BAND
DEATH WVRM

SATURDAY 6TH MAY
ELECTRIC BALLROOM
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
CROWBAR
WEEDEATER
DOZER
FASTO JETSON

UNDERWORLD
UNSANE
INTER ARMA
GRAVE LINES
STAKE
TUSKAR
WREN

POWERHAUS
CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL
TELEKINETIC YETI
THE NECROMANCERS
DEATHCHANT
EARLY MOODS

BLACK HEART
SAMAVAYO
HIGH DESERT QUEEN
MR BISON
OUR MAN IN THE BRONZEAGE
TREVOR’S HEAD
TONS

THE DEV
ELDER DRUID
OREYEON
ROSY FINCH
LOWEN
HOMECOMING

SUNDAY 7TH MAY
ROUNDHOUSE
UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS
BORIS
KING BUFFALO
NEBULA
BLOOD CEREMONY

UNDERWORLD
SOMALI YACHT CLUB
GAUPA
MARS RED SKY
GNOME
WEEDPECKER
ACID MAMMOTH
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST (AFTER PARTY)

POWERHAUS
BIG|BRAVE
JO QUAIL
ZETRA
EVEREST QUEEN
GRAYWAVE

BLACK HEART
CELESTIAL SANCTURY
MORASS OF MOLASSES
WARREN SCHOENBRIGHT
VENOMWOLF
BLOODSWAMP
BLACK GROOVE

THE DEV
THUNDER HORSE
FIREBREATHER
THE AGE OF TRUTH
EARL OF HELL
WALL

http://www.desertscene.co.uk/support
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/
https://twitter.com/DesertFest
https://www.desertfest.co.uk/

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Crypt of the Riff Announces July 1 Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 1st, 2022 by JJ Koczan

By my count this is the fifth event to take place under the Crypt of the Riff banner, but I’ll readily admit that count could be off, factoring in various lockdowns, expansions and so on. In any case, the Belfast-based all-dayer boasts a range of regional-type acts, with Ten Ton Slug headlining and Soothsayer, Elder Druid, Nømadus and newcomers True Home rounding out.

I guess if you’re not in the area the likelihood of your making it out is probably minimal, but hey, so is mine. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing what’s happening in different places — it’s kind of notable that Ten Ton Slug headline, as far as I’m concerned — and Ireland and Northern Ireland’s heavy underground is emblematic of a lot of scenes around Europe and the US, self-contained and with an identity of its own, but constantly looking outward for inspiration as well. People off the gets-every-tour circuit making it happen for themselves.

Anyhow, that’s my rant. If you’re in Belfast in July, rock and roll. If not, rock and roll anyway, damnit.

From the internet:

crypt of the riff banner

TEN TON SLUG HEADLINE CRYPT OF THE RIFF

Galway’s riff-driven slimy sludgers Ten Ton Slug make their triumphant return to Belfast to headline Crypt of the Riff on Friday 1st July in Voodoo Belfast.

Support on the night includes the return of Cork’s atmospheric doom metal stalwarts Soothsayer, as well as occult-laced riff dealers Elder Druid, groove metallers Nømadus and the Belfast debut of drone metal duo True Home. Stacked bill of riffs & tone.

Friday 1st July 2022
Voodoo Belfast
11A Fountain St, Belfast, BT1 5EA
Doors: 7pm
Tickets: £12 adv // £15 on the door

Headliners Ten Ton Slug make their long-awaited return to Belfast armed with riff-driven sludge and slime. Ough!

TEN TON SLUG
https://www.facebook.com/TenTonSlug
SOOTHSAYER
https://www.facebook.com/soothsayerdoom
ELDER DRUID
https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
NOMADUS
https://www.facebook.com/nomadusni
TRUE HOME
https://www.facebook.com/TrueHomeOfficial

TICKET LINK:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crypt-of-the-riff-ten-ton-slug-soothsayer-elder-druid-more-tickets-335942351617

RSVP:
https://www.facebook.com/events/379018377493268/

https://www.facebook.com/darkartspromotions
https://cryptoftheriff.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VoodooBelfast/

Ten Ton Slug, “Hunting Ground”

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Riffolution Festival 2022: Full Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 23rd, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Wit a lineup that brooks no argument, Riffolution Festival 2022 is set for mid-September in Sheffield, UK. Note the likes of Truckfighters (whose Spring tour dates are waiting on rescheduling) and Godflesh up at the top, and a broad spectrum of subsequent heavies, from Spaceslug, Slomatics and Boss Keloid the first day to Raging SpeedhornSlabdragger and Mastiff the second. All told it’s 37 bands on three stages — which says to me the schedule is going to be tight, but doable — over the two days, and jeez, if you happen to find yourself in South Yorkshire early this Fall, one is hard-pressed to think of heavier way to spend that time. Hell, Stubb are playing. And King Witch. Right on

This is a lineup where bands will know each other, be familiar, be friendly, be drinking. You should go, join the party. And by you I mean me. Get out into the world again. It’s time, right?

As seen on the internet:

riffolution festival 2022

Riffolution Festival 2022 Lineup

Riffolution Festival 2022 full line-up is here, feast your eyes on our biggest event to date!

37 bands over 3 stages, at our new venue Network in Sheffield.

Big thanks to Scarlet Dagger Design for the amazing work on the poster.

Weekend + day tickets, as well as t-shirt bundles are available through the Riffolution Promotions website, and they’re already flying out.

If you wish to play next years show, we’re happy to listen to suggestions. Submit your details on the website or even show your support by grabbing a ticket and attending.

See you in September! https://www.riffolutionpromotions.com/festival

SATURDAY:
Truckfighters / Naxatras / Spaceslug / Witchrider / Ten Foot Wizard / Swedish Death Candy / AWOOGA / Slomatics / Boss Keloid / KING WITCH / Dystopian Future Movies / Hair of the Dog / Mountain Caller / Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight / Stubb / Psychlona / Suns of Thunder / The Lunar Effect / Elder Druid / Regulus

SUNDAY:
GODFLESH / Raging Speedhorn / God Damn / Palm Reader / Svalbard / blanket / Slabdragger / Mastiff / Dog Tired / PIST / GURT / VIDEO NASTIES / Grave Lines / BEGGAR / Battalions / Gozer / Gandalf the Green

https://www.facebook.com/events/648287296240427
https://www.facebook.com/Riffolution/
https://riffolutionpromotions.bigcartel.com/

Godflesh, Post Self (2017)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Members of Bushfire, Fu Manchu, Bismut, Humulus & More Collaborate on Stoner Rock Worldwide Community Album 2021

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 7th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Bringing together players from Germany, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Austria, Northern Ireland, Italy, Greece, Sweden, the US and Brazil, the Stoner Rock Worldwide Community Album 2021 boasts seven tracks of remote compositions and recordings, with the songs emerging from members having participated in a call to arms during the pandemic. It’s a hugely ambitious project. In regular circumstances, it would be impressive enough to curate a series of bands and players coming together on a new anything. To sort various parties across international borders into working units even in the age of social media, and then to have them work together creatively, is an oh-hell-no kind of job. Kudos to Felix Melchhardt on making it happen.

Pretty astounding stuff. Vinyl’s in the works as we speak, and the stream went live this past Friday. You’ll find it at the bottom of this post, and considering the amount of effort that seems to have gone into every level of making it, the download is dirt-frickin’-cheap.

More info:

Various Artists Stoner Rock Worldwide Community Album 2021

Stoner Rock World Wide Community Album Digital Release out now! 35+ Musicians, Remotely composed and recorded.

Remotely composed, recorded and finally pressed on vinyl together as a worldwide community of heavy rock lovers – The Stoner Rock World Wide Community Album.

26. May 2020: “What if we release an album remotely composed, recorded and finally pressed on vinyl together as a worldwide community of heavy rock lovers? Musicians world wide writing an album for our lovely world wide community, that’s the deal and we think we could make this happen.” – And we did so.

Key Facts
– 7 Tracks – Remotely composed, recorded and mixed by more than 35 musicians spread over the globe. Magic definitely happened, friendships were made.
– Mastered by Niklas Källgren (Truckfighters).
– Once pressed, worldwide distribution via various heavy rock labels.
– Special guests: Bob Balch (Fu Manchu), Papanikolaou Babis (Planet of Zeus), Tolis Motsios (Nightstalker).
– People participating in the project did not know each other before. Only the love for heavy rock connects them. They were brought together by an open call-out to the community by SRWW 2 years ago.
– Groups were brought together via Facebook. They internally organized themselves on how to approach the songwriting process, exchanged ideas and finally put together 7 unique songs.
– Anything that could go wrong, went wrong (really) – but we made it. **ck COVID.
– Pressed on vinyl right now.
– Bandcamp digital release co-finances the master, distribution and further costs.
– Endurance was key. Shoutout to all the people involved.
– Coordinated by Felix Melchhardt in the name of SRWW. (Cone (Band), Blackdoor Music Festival, SRWW)

Personnel:
Track 1 – Dreams of Space
Francesco Bonardi – Guitar (Hackberry, Netherlands)
Eric Frantzen – Bass (Mantra Machine, Netherlands)
Drev – Vocals (Descarado, Sweden)
Miguel Pereira – Guitar (Bushfire, Germany)
Sascha Holz – Drums (Bushfire, Germany)

Track 2 – Remain
Martin Frank – Bass / Vocals (White Noise Generator, Germany)
Thomas Berger – Drums (Timestone, Austria)
Tony Hochhuber – Guitars (Germany)

Track 3 – The All Seeing Sun
Diamond Pr – Guitar / Vocals (The Same River, Greece)
Oscar Flanagan – Guitar (Insonika, Sweden)
Armin Lehner – Keys (Ozymandias, Austria)
Brien Gillen – Drums (Elder Druid, Northern Ireland)
Rafael Denardi – Bass (Rafael Denardi, Brazil)
Special Guest: Papanikolaou Babis (Planet of Zeus, Greece)

Track 4 – Raw
Luke Taylor – Drums (White Noise Generator, Germany)
Derek Fisher – Guitar (Moth66, USA)
Niels van Eldijk – Bass (Ramkoers, Netherlands)
Ben Plochowietz – Guitar / Vocals (Scorched Oak, Germany)
Christoph W. – Vocals (Ozymandias, Austria)
Special Guests: Tolis Motsios Nightstalker (Greece)

Track 5 – Calypso
Tom Maene – Guitar (Motsus, Belgium)
Jeroen Schippers – Drums (Mantra Machine, Netherlands)
Linda Hackmann – Bass / Vocals (Scorched Oak, Germany)
Dimitris Vardoulakis – Vocals (Honeybadger, Greece)
Jonas Hartmann – Keys (Willow Child, Germany)
Special Guest: Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, US)

Track 6 – Stalactite Caves
Alex Pöll – Bass / Vocals (Cone, Germany)
Jakob Aigner – Guitar / Vocals (Timestone, Austria)
Massimiliano Boventi – Drums (Humulus, Italy)
Uwe Halmich – Guitar (Eternal Engine, Germany)

Track 7 – Wastelands
Peter Dragt – Drums (Bismut, Netherlands)
Jake Wallace – Guitar (Elder Druid, Northern Ireland)
Jason Recoing – Bass (Pelegrin, France)
Dale Hughes – Synth / Keys (Electric Octopus, Northern Ireland)
Francois Roze – Guitar / Vocals (Pelegrin, France)

https://www.facebook.com/stonerrockworldwide
https://srww.bandcamp.com/releases
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/stoner-rock-world-wide/id1478558984
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.srww&hl=de&gl=US

Various Artists, Stoner Rock Worldwide Community Album 2021

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elder Druid Post Carcosa Album Art and Details

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 28th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Even if one might accuse Belfast unit Elder Druid of jumping the gun a bit in posting the album art and tracklisting of their new album before they’re finished recording it, mixing or mastering, it’s easy enough to understand why they might be excited-about-a-thing when you look at the Serpent Tusk Studio front cover for the impending release. Factor in as well that it was nearly a year ago that the follow-up to 2020’s Golgotha (review here) was first announced along with their signing to Interstellar Smoke Records, and alright, yeah, fair enough. There’s only so much sitting on hands one can reasonably be expected to do, especially when one is passionate about the work in question, which we already know Elder Druid are. Stick that in your marketing plan.

Carcosa will be out whenever it’s out — I’m told time is a flat circle anyhow, so whatever — and in the interim, an update is welcome. Not quite done, but coming together on multiple fronts, and the cover rules. Until I can actually hear the thing, that’s good enough for me.

From social media:

elder druid carcosa

ELDER DRUID -‘CARCOSA’ TRACKLIST

We thought it was time for another update on our next album, ‘Carcosa’. We’ve had a number of delays in wrapping up the recording but we’re currently nearing the end and are set for a release in 2022.

It will comprise of 6 songs and they are listed below in the order they will appear on record:

1. Armada
2. Carcosa
3. Coffin Dropper
4. Gambit Caster
5. The Ingredient
6. Pandora’s Box

‘Carcosa’ will be released on vinyl via Interstellar Smoke Records and on CD/tape via Galactic SmokeHouse. We will have more information regarding pre-orders once we have the album mixed & mastered.

PERSONNEL:
Gregg McDowell: Vocals
Jake Wallace: Guitar
Mikey Scott: Guitar
Dale Hughes: Bass
Daniel Zanker Ovalle: Bass
Brien Gillen: Drums
Album artwork: Serpent Tusk Studio

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GalacticSmokeHouse
https://www.instagram.com/galacticsmokehouse/
https://galacticsmokehouse.bigcartel.com/

Elder Druid, Golgotha (2020)

Tags: , , , , , ,

Elder Druid Sign to Interstellar Smoke Records; New Album Later This Year

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 3rd, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Heartfelt best wishes to Jacek Trepko of Polish imprint Interstellar Smoke Records, who the other day posted to social media a few genuinely horrifying pictures of the twisted metal clump that used to be his automobile before it was in the kind of crash from which one is lucky to be carried away, let alone walk. Trepko was in the hospital at the time but noted recovery under way, and of course I hope that that’s exactly how it proceeds.

The news isn’t all awful, however, as the label has picked up Elder Druid out of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The band’s second album, Golgotha (review here), was released in early 2020, and it seems that Interstellar Smoke will put out the follow-up sometime later in 2021. Of course that’s subject as everything is to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so who the hell knows anything about anything — if that even needs to be said at this point — but on the most basic level, it’s cool to see a band who’ve been working hard get noticed for that and have someone behind them to press a record. Whenever it might show up.

Elder Druid announced the signing and then followed up with a few words about Trepko‘s auto accident. You’ll find their words below:

ELDER DRUID

ELDER DRUID SIGN TO INTERSTELLAR SMOKE RECORDS

We’re delighted to announce that we have signed a record deal with Polish stoner/doom label Interstellar Smoke Records.

We’ll be releasing album #3 on vinyl through the label later this year. Very exciting times ahead. Many thanks to Jacek Trepko.

After announcing that we had signed to Interstellar Smoke Records yesterday, we woke up to the news that Jacek had been involved in a serious car crash.

His car was destroyed, a lot of records were damaged and he was very lucky to make it out alive.

If anyone would like to help the guy out, head over to the Big Cartel page below and pick up some vinyl from the other bands on the roster:
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/

Elder Druid, Golgotha (2020)

Tags: , , ,

Days of Rona: Jake Wallace of Elder Druid

Posted in Features on May 13th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

The ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the varied responses of publics and governments worldwide, and the disruption to lives and livelihoods has reached a scale that is unprecedented. Whatever the month or the month after or the future itself brings, more than one generation will bear the mark of having lived through this time, and art, artists, and those who provide the support system to help uphold them have all been affected.

In continuing the Days of Rona feature, it remains pivotal to give a varied human perspective on these events and these responses. It is important to remind ourselves that whether someone is devastated or untouched, sick or well, we are all thinking, feeling people with lives we want to live again, whatever renewed shape they might take from this point onward. We all have to embrace a new normal. What will that be and how will we get there?

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

elder druid jake wallace

Days of Rona: Jake Wallace of Elder Druid (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

How have you been you dealing with this crisis as a band? As an individual? What effect has it had on your plans or creative processes?

As a band, we initially did a livestream from our rehearsal space on the 20th March, just before full lockdown came into play in the UK so that was the last time we were all together. It was cool knowing that so many people were sitting at home watching us jam out and within a few days, we had 6k views on the video so we were pretty happy and surprised with that. We’ve all been playing our respective instruments at home and writing bits and pieces but we always need to play together in the room to make it all gel. That has always been the formula.

We got our first ever batch of vinyl at the start of April so that was a bit frustrating as it was probably the worst time to end up with boxes and boxes of records, with no gigs to play and no merch tables to lay them on. We had a few festivals cancelled, as well as main support for Stoned Jesus & Conan on their respective Irish tours. Really shitty luck but everyone is in the same boat so we can’t let it get to us.

Personally I’ve just been buying/listening to a load of new records and playing games on my PS4. Luckily, I’ve been in lockdown with my girlfriend so it’s great to have each other’s company during all of this.

How do you feel about the public response to the outbreak where you are? From the government response to the people around you, what have you seen and heard from others?

Honestly, Belfast seems to be heeding the advice a lot better than other parts of the UK. Northern Ireland has had the least deaths out of the 4 nations in the UK so I guess that’s something. There’s definitely a lot less people on the streets and it’s a weird ghostly atmosphere in the city centre with all the shops/bars etc. being closed. Our local bar/metal venue Voodoo has launched a funding page to help support them through the crisis so hopefully the guys can pull through unscathed as we’ve played more shows there than anywhere else and it’d be devastating to lose somewhere like that.

What do you think of how the music community specifically has responded? How do you feel during this time? Are you inspired? Discouraged? Bored? Any and all of it?

I think it has been very encouraging to see most of the music community trying to support each other as everyone is being hurt in one way or another. Most notably, I really loved the fact that Bandcamp waived their fees on the first Friday of the month to allow artists to earn that little bit more. It’s a great gesture and it really encourages fans to spend, especially with it being straight after payday. At the same time, I’ve seen a lot of bands profiteering off the pandemic and selling masks etc. at extortionate prices and I don’t agree with that at all, especially when they’re just an accessory and not actually useful in stopping the spread of the virus.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything? What is your new normal? What have you learned from this experience, about yourself, your band, or anything?

We’d love everyone to know that we’re gonna be working to reschedule all the shows that have been cancelled over the next few months, as well as booking new shows for later in the year and next year, all being well. I’d say we’ve learned that paying rent for a rehearsal space that we can’t use really sucks and if we’re ever getting a vinyl order in the future, we’ll make sure and do our research on the world’s vulnerability to pandemics and the likes.

If anyone wants to support us by picking up our latest album ‘Golgotha’, it’s available on vinyl/CD/digital over on our Bandcamp page, as well as loads of new shirt designs. Your support is greatly appreciated.

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Quarterly Review: Ocean Chief, Barnabus, Helen Money, Elder Druid, Mindcrawler, Temple of Void, Lunar Swamp, Huge Molasses Tank Explodes, Emile, Saturno Grooves

Posted in Reviews on March 27th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

quarterly review

I’m not saying I backloaded the Quarterly Review or anything — because I didn’t — but maybe subconsciously I wanted to throw in a few releases here I had a pretty good idea I was gonna dig beforehand. Pretty much all of them, as it turned out. Not a thing I regret happening, though, again, neither was it something I did purposefully. Anyone see A Serious Man? In this instance, I’m happy to “accept the mystery” and move on.

Before we dive into the last day, of course I want to say thank you for reading if you have been. If you’ve followed along all week or this is the only post you’ve seen or you’re just here because I tagged your band in the post on Thee Facebooks, whatever it is, it is appreciated. Thank you. Especially given the global pandemic, your time and attention is highly valued.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Ocean Chief, Den Tredje Dagen

ocean chief den tredje dagen

The first Ocean Chief record in six years is nothing if not weighted enough to make up for anything like lost time. Also the long-running Swedish outfit’s debut on Argonauta Records, Den Tredje Dagen on CD/DL runs five songs and 59 minutes, and though it’s not without a sense of melody either instrumentally or vocally — certainly its guitars have plenty enough to evoke a sense of mournfulness at least — its primary impact still stems from the sheer heft of its tonality, and its tracks are of the sort that a given reviewer might be tempted to call “slabs.” They land accordingly, the longest of them positioned as the centerpiece “Dömd” seething with slower-Celtic Frost anxiety and the utter nastiness of its intent spread across 15-plus minutes of let-me-just-go-ahead-and-crush-that-for-you where “that” is everything and “no” isn’t taken for an answer. There’s respite in closer “Den Sista Resan” and the CD-bonus “Dimension 5,” but even these maintain an atmospheric severity consistent with what precedes them. One way or another, it is all fucking destroyed.

Ocean Chief on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records store

 

Barnabus, Beginning to Unwind

barnabus beginning to unwind

Come ye historians and classic heavy rockers. Come, reap what Rise Above Relics has sown. Though it’s hard sometimes not to think of the Rise Above Records imprint as label-honcho Lee Dorrian (ex-Cathedral, current With the Dead) picking out highlights from his own record collection — which is the stuff of legend — neither is that in any way a problem. Barnabus, who hailed and apparently on occasion still hail from the West Midlands in the UK, issued the Beginning to Unwind in 1972 as part of an original run that ended the next year. So it goes. Past its 10-minute jammy opener/longest track (immediate points) “America,” the new issue of Beginning to Unwind includes the LP, demos, live tracks, and no doubt assorted other odds and ends as well from Barnabus‘ brief time together. Songs like “The War Drags On” and “Resolute” are the stuff of ’70s-riff daydreams, while “Don’t Cry for Me My Lady” digs into proto-prog without losing its psych-folk inflection. I’m told the CD comes with a 44-page booklet, which only furthers the true archival standard of the release.

Barnabus on Thee Facebooks

Rise Above Relics store

 

Helen Money, Atomic

helen money atomic

To those for whom Helen Money is a familiar entity, the arrival of a new full-length release will no doubt only be greeted with joy. The ongoing project of experimental cellist Alison Chesley, though the work itself — issued through Thrill Jockey as a welcome follow-up to 2016’s Become Zero (review here) — is hardly joyful. Coping with the universality of grief and notions of grieving-together with family, Chesley brings forth minimalism and electronics-inclusive stylstic reach in kind across the pulsating “Nemesis,” the periodic distortion of her core instrument jarring when it hits. She takes on a harp for “Coppe” and the effect is cinematic in a way that seems to find answer on the later “One Year One Ring,” after which follows the has-drums “Marrow,” but wherever Chesley goes on Atomic‘s 47 minutes, the overlay of mourning is never far off.

Helen Money on Thee Facebooks

Thrill Jockey Records store

 

Elder Druid, Golgotha

elder druid golgotha

Belfast dual-guitar sludge five-piece Elder Druid return with seven tracks/39 minutes of ready punishment on their second album, Golgotha, answering the anger of 2017’s Carmina Satanae with densely-packed tones and grooves topped with near-universal harsh vocals (closer “Archmage” is the exception). What they’re playing doesn’t require an overdose of invention, with their focus is so much on hammering their riffs home, and certainly the interwoven leads of the title-track present some vision of intricacy for those who might demand it while also being punched in the face, and the transitional “Sentinel,” which follows,” brings some more doomly vibes ahead of “Vincere Vel Mori,” which revives the nod, “Dreadnought” has keys as well as a drum solo, and the penultimate “Paegan Dawn of Anubis” brings in an arrangement of backing vocals, so neither are they void of variety. At the feedback-soaked end of “Archmage,” Golgotha comes across genuine in its aggression and more sure of their approach than they were even just a couple years ago.

Elder Druid on Thee Facebooks

Elder Druid on Bandcamp

 

Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter

mindcrawler lost orbiter

I know the whole world seems like it’s in chaos right now — mostly because it is — but go ahead and quote me on this: a band does not come along in 2020 and put out a record like Lost Orbiter and not get picked up by some label if they choose to be. Among 2020’s most promising debuts, it is progressive without pretense, tonally rich and melodically engaging, marked out by a poise of songcraft that speaks to forward potential whether it’s in the coursing leads of “Drake’s Equation” or the final slowdown/speedup of “Trappist-1” that smoothly shifts into the sample at the start of closer “Dead Space.” Mindcrawler‘s first album — self-recorded, no less — is modern cosmic-heavy brought to bear in a way that strikes such a balance between the grounded and the psychedelic that it should not be ignored, even in the massively crowded international underground from which they’re emerging. And the key point there is they are emerging, and that as thoughtfully composed as the six tracks/29 minutes of Lost Orbiter are, they only represent the beginning stages of what Mindcrawler might accomplish. If there is justice left, someone will release it on vinyl.

Mindcrawler on Thee Facebook

Mindcrawler on Bandcamp

 

Temple of Void, The World That Was

Temple of Void The World that Was

Michigan doom-death five-piece Temple of Void have pushed steadily toward the latter end of that equation over their now-three full-lengths, and though The World That Was (their second offering through Shadow Kingdom) is still prone to its slower tempos and is includes the classical-guitar interlude “A Single Obulus,” that stands right before “Leave the Light Behind,” which is most certainly death metal. Not arguing with it, as to do so would surely only invite punishment. The extremity only adds to the character of Temple of Void‘s work overall, and as “Casket of Shame” seems to be at war with itself, so too is it seemingly at war with whatever manner of flesh its working so diligently to separate from the bone. Across a still-brief 37 minutes, The World That Was — which caps with its most-excellently-decayed nine-minute title-track — harnesses and realizes this grim vision, and Temple of Void declare in no uncertain terms that no matter how they might choose to tip the scale on the balance of their sound, they are its master.

Temple of Void on Thee Facebooks

Shadow Kingdom Records store

 

Lunar Swamp, Shamanic Owl

Lunar Swamp Shamanic Owl

Lunar Swamp have spawned as a blusier-directed offshoot of Italian doomers Bretus of which vocalist Mark Wolf, guitarist/bassist Machen and drummer S.M. Ghoul are members, and sure enough, their debut single “Shamanic Owl,” fosters this approach. As the band aren’t strangers to each other, it isn’t such a surprise that they’d be able to decide on a sound and make it happen their first time out but the seven-minute roller — also the leadoff their first EP, UnderMudBlues, which is due on CD in June — also finds time to work in a nod to the central riff of Sleep‘s “Dragonaut” along with its pointed worship of Black Sabbath, so neither do they seems strictly adherent to a blues foundation, despite the slide guitar that works its way in at the finish. How the rest of the EP might play out need not be a mystery — it’s out digitally now — but as far as an introduction goes, “Shamanic Owl” will find welcome among those seeking comfort in the genre-familiar.

Lunar Swamp on Thee Facebooks

Lunar Swamp on Bandcamp

 

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes, II

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes II

The nine-track/42-minute second LP, II, from Milano post-this-or-that five-piece Huge Molasses Tank Explodes certainly finds the band earning bonus points based on their moniker alone, but more than that, it is a work of reach and intricacy alike, finding the moment where New Wave emerged from out of krautrock’s fascination with synthesizer music and bring to that a psychedelic shimmer that is too vintage-feeling to be anything other than modern. It is laid back enough in its overarching affect that “The Run” feels dreamy, most especially in its guitar lines, but never is it entirely at rest, and both the centerpiece “No One” and the later “So Much to Lose” help continue the momentum that “The Run” manages so fluidly to build in a manner one might liken to space rock were the implication of strict adherence to stylistic guidelines so implicit in that categorization. They present this nuance with a natural-seeming sense of craft and in “High or Low,” a fuzzy tone that feels like only a welcome windfall. Those who can get their head around it should seek to do so, and kudos to Huge Molasses Tank Explodes for being more than just a clever name.

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes on Thee Facebooks

Retro Vox Records on Bandcamp

 

Emile, The Black Spider/Det Kollektive Selvmord

Emile The Black Spider Det Kollektive Selvmord

Set to release through Heavy Psych Sounds on the same day as the new album from his main outfit The Sonic Dawn, The Black Spider/Det Kollective Selvmord is the debut solo album from Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Emile Bureau, who has adopted his first name as his moniker of choice. Fair enough for the naturalism and intended intimacy of the 11-track/39-minute outing, which indeed splits itself between portions in English and in Danish, sounding likewise able to bring together sweet melodies in both. Edges of distortion in “Bundlos” and some percussion in the second half’s title-track give a semblance of arrangement to the LP, but at the core is Emile himself, his vocals and guitar, and that’s clearly the purpose behind it. Where The Sonic Dawn often boast a celebratory feel, The Black Spider/Det Kollective Selvmord is almost entirely subdued, and its expressive sensibility comes through regardless of language.

Emile on Thee Facebooks

Heavy Psych Sounds store

 

Saturno Grooves, Cosmic Echoes

saturno grooves cosmic echoes

Sonic restlessness! “Fire Dome” begins with a riffy rush, “Forever Zero” vibes out on low end and classic swing, the title-track feels like an Endless Boogie jam got lost in the solar system, “Celestial Tunnel” is all-thrust until it isn’t at all, “Blind Faith” is an acoustic interlude, and “Dark Matter” is a punk song. Because god damn, of course it is. It is little short of a miracle Saturno Grooves make their second album, Cosmic Echoes as remarkably cohesive as it is, yet through it all they hold fast to class and purpose alike, and from its spacious outset to its bursting finish, there isn’t a minute of Cosmic Echoes that feels like happenstance, even though they’re obviously following one impulse after the next in terms of style. Heavy (mostly) instrumentalism that works actively not to be contained. Out among the echoes, Saturno Grooves might just be finding their own wavelength.

Saturno Groove on Thee Facebooks

LSDR Records store

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,