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Quarterly Review: Iron Monkey, Deadsmoke, Somnuri, Daira, Kavrila, Ivan, Clara Engel, Alastor, Deadly Vipers, Storm of Void

Posted in Reviews on January 11th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Lodewijk de Vadder (1605-1655) - 17th Century Etching, Landscape with Two Farms

Day Four of the Quarterly Review! Welcome to the downswing. We’re past the halfway point and feeling continually groovy. Thus far it’s been a week of coffee and a vast musical swath that today only reaches even further out from the core notion of what may or may not make a release or a band “heavy.” Is it sound? Is it emotion? Is it concept? Fact is there’s no reason it can’t be all of those things and a ton more, so keep an open mind as you make your way through today’s batch and we’ll all come out of it better people on the other end. Alright? Alright. Here we go.

Quarterly Review #31-40:

Iron Monkey, 9-13

iron monkey 9-13

I’ll admit to some level of skepticism at the prospect of an Iron Monkey reunion without frontman Johnny Morrow, who died in 2002, but as founding guitarist Jim Rushby (now also vocals), bassist Steve Watson (who originally played guitar) and new drummer Brigga revive the influential UK sludge outfit with the nine songs of 9-13 on Relapse, it somehow makes sense that the band’s fuckall and irreverence would extend inward as well. That is, why should Iron Monkey find Iron Monkey an any more sacred and untouchable property than they find anything else? Ultimately, the decision will be up to the listener as to acceptance, but the furies of “OmegaMangler,” “Mortarhex,” “Doomsday Impulse Multiplier” and the nine-minute lumber-into-torrent closer “Moreland St. Hammervortex” make a pretty resounding argument that if you can’t get down with Iron Monkey as they are today, it’s going to be your loss and that, as ever, they couldn’t care less to see you stick around or see you go. So welcome back.

Iron Monkey on Thee Facebooks

Relapse Records on Bandcamp

 

Deadsmoke, Mountain Legacy

deadsmoke mountain legacy

Mountain Legacy, which is the second Deadsmoke album for Heavy Psych Sounds, might be the heaviest release the label has put out to-date. For the band, it marks the arrival of keyboardist Claudio Rocchetti to the former trio, and from the lumbering space of aptly-titled post-intro opener “Endless Cave” to the later creeping lurch of “Wolfcurse,” it’s an outing worthy of comparison to the earlier work of Italian countrymen Ufomammut, but still rooted in the gritty, post-Sleep plod the band elicited on their 2016 self-titled debut (review here). The central difference seems to be an increase in atmospheric focus, which does well to enrich the listening experience overall, be it in the creepy penultimate interlude “Forest of the Damned” or side A finale “Emperor of Shame.” Whether this progression was driven by Rocchetti’s inclusion in the band or the other way around, it’s a marked showing of growth on a quick turnaround from Deadsmoke and shows them as having a much broader creative reach than expected. All the better because it’s still so devastatingly weighted.

Deadsmoke on Thee Facebooks

Heavy Psych Sounds website

 

Somnuri, Somnuri

somnuri somnuri

To call Somnuri a formidable trio is underselling it. The Brooklynite three-piece is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Justin Sherrell (Blackout, ex-Bezoar, etc.), bassist Drew Mack (ex-Hull) and drummer Phil SanGiacomo (Family), and the noise they make on their Magnetic Eye-released self-titled debut is as progressive as it is intense. Recorded by Jeff Berner and mixed my SanGiacomo, cuts like “Kaizen” and “Same Skies” land with a doomed heft but move with the singular fury of the Northeastern US, and even as eight-minute closer “Through the Dead” balances more rock-minded impulses and seems to touch on a Soundgarden influence, it answers for the ultra-aggro tumult of “Pulling Teeth” just before. A flash of ambience in the drone interlude “Opaque” follows the plodding highlight “Slow Burn,” which speaks to yet another side of Somnuri’s potential – to create spaces as much as to crush them. With an interplay of cleaner vocals, screams, growls and shouts, there’s enough variety to throw off expectation, and where so much of New York’s noise-metal history is about angry single-mindedness, Somnuri’s Somnuri shows even in a vicious moment like “Inhabitant” that there’s more ground to cover than just being really, really, really pissed off.

Somnuri on Thee Facebooks

Magnetic Eye Records website

 

Daira, Vipreet Buddhi

daira vipreet buddhi

Time to get weird. No. Really weird. In the end, I’m not sure Mumbai semi-improvisationalist troupe Daira did themselves any favors by making their sophomore LP, Vipreet Buddhi, a single 93-minute/16-track outing instead of breaking it into the two halves over which its course is presented – the first being eight distinct songs, the second a flowing single jam broken up over multiple parts – but one way or another, it’s an album that genuinely presents a vibe of its own, taking cues from heavy psych, jazz, funk, classic prog, folk and more as it plays through its bizarre and ambient flow, toying with jarring stretches along the way like the eerie “Apna Ullu Seedha” but so dug in by the time it’s jammed its way into “Dekho Laal Gaya” that it seems like there’s no getting out. It’s an overwhelming and unmanageable offering, but whoever said the avant garde wasn’t supposed to be a challenge? Certainly not Daira, and they clearly have plenty to say. Whatever else you listen to today, I can safely guarantee it won’t sound like this. And that’s probably true of every day.

Daira on Thee Facebooks

Daira on Bandcamp

 

Kavrila, Blight

kavrila blight

Chest-compressing groove and drive will no doubt earn Hamburg four-piece Kavrila’s second album, Blight (on Backbite Records), some comparisons to Mantar, but to dig into tracks like “Gold” and “Each (Part Two)” is to find a surprising measure of atmospheric focus, and even a rage-roller like “Abandon” has a depth to its mix. Though it’s just 24 minutes long, I’d still consider Blight a full-length for the two-sided flow it sets up leading to the aforementioned “Gold” and “Each (Part Two),” both being the longest cut on their respective half of the record in addition to splitting the tracklisting, as well as for the grinding aspects of songs like “Apocalypse,” “Demolish” and “Golem” on side B, the latter of which takes the rhythmic churn of Godflesh to a point of extremity that even the earlier thrust of “Lungs” did little to foretell. There’s a balance of sludge and hardcore elements, to be sure, but it’s the anger that ultimately defines Blight, however coherent it might be (and is) in its violent intent.

Kavrila on Thee Facebooks

Backbite Records webstore

 

Ivan, Strewn Across Stars

ivan strewn across stars

Employing the session violin services of Jess Randall, the Melbourne-based two-piece of Brodric Wellington (drums/vocals) and Joseph Pap (guitar, bass, keys) – collectively known as Ivan – would seem to be drawing a specific line in the direction of My Dying Bride with their take on death-doom, but the emotionalist influence goes deeper than that on Strewn Across Stars, their second LP. Shades of Skepticism show themselves in opener and longest track (immediate points) “Cosmic Fear,” which demonstrates a raw production ready for the limited-cassette obscurism the band conjured for their 2016 debut, Aeons Collapse, but nonetheless fleshed out melodically in the guitar and already-noted, deeply prevalent string arrangement. The subsequent “Ethereal” (12:41), “Hidden Dimensions” (12:25) and “Outro” (8:18) dig even further into plodding shattered-self woefulness, with “Hidden Dimensions” providing a brief moment of tempo release before the violin and keys take complete hold in “Outro” to give listeners one last chance to bask in resonant melancholia. A genre-piece, to be sure, but able to stand on its own in terms of personality and patience alike.

Ivan on Thee Facebooks

Ivan on Bandcamp

 

Clara Engel, Songs for Leonora Carrington

clara-engel-songs-for-leona-carrington

Toronto singer-songwriter Clara Engel pays ambient folk homage to the Mexican surrealist painter/author with the five-tracks of Songs for Leonara Carrington, fleshing out creative and depth-filled arrangements that nonetheless hold fast to the intimate human core beneath. Engel’s voice is of singular character in its melding of gruff fragility, and whether it’s the psychedelic hypnosis of opener and longest track (immediate points) “Birdheaded Queen” or the seemingly minimalist drift of the penultimate “The Ancestor,” her confident melodies float atop gorgeous and sad instrumental progressions that cast an atmosphere of vast reaches. Even the more percussively active centerpiece “Microgods of all the Subatomic Worlds” feels informed by the gradual wash of guitar melody that takes hold on the prior “Sanctuary for Furies,” and as Engel brings in guest contributors for drums, bass, guitar, theremin and choir vocals alongside her own guitar, pump organ, flute and singing, there seems to be little out of her reach or scope. It is a joy to get lost within it.

Clara Engel on Thee Facebooks

Wist Records website

 

Alastor, Blood on Satan’s Claw

alastor-blood-on-satans-claw

I don’t know whether the title-cut of Blood on Satan’s Claw, the new two-songer EP from dirge-doomers Alastor, is leftover from the same sessions that bore their 2017 debut album for Twin Earth Records, Black Magic (review here), but as it’s keeping company with a near-11-minute take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” the four-piece’s return is welcome either way. Unsurprisingly, not much has changed in their approach in the mere months since the full-length was issued, but that doesn’t mean the swing of “Blood on Satan’s Claw,” the central riff of which owes as much to Windhand as to Sleep as to C.O.C.‘s “Albatross” as to Sabbath, isn’t worth digging into all the same, and with psychedelic vocals reminiscent of newer Monolord and flourish of creeper-style organ, its doom resounds on multiple levels leading into the aforementioned cover, which drawls out the classic original arrangement with a wilfully wretched tack that well earns a nod and raised claw. Alastor remain backpatch-ready, seemingly just waiting for listeners to catch on. If these tracks are any indication, they’ll get there.

Alastor on Thee Facebooks

Alastor on Bandcamp

 

Deadly Vipers, Fueltronaut

deadly-vipers-fueltronaut

Give it a couple minutes to get going and Fueltronaut, the debut full-length from French four-piece Deadly Vipers, is more than happy to serve up energetic post-Kyuss desert rock loyalism that’s true to form in both spirit and production. Shades of earliest Dozer and the wider pre-social media older-school Euro heavy underground show themselves quickly in “Universe,” but in the later mid-paced reach of “Stalker,” there’s more modern bluesy vibing and as the mega-fuzzed “Meteor Valley,” the driving jam of “Supernova,” and the let’s-push-the-vocals-really-high-in-the-mix-for-some-reason “Dead Summer” shove the listener onward with righteous momentum toward pre-outro closer “River of Souls,” each track getting longer as it goes, the melody that emerges there indeed feels like a moment of arrival. My only real complaint? The intro “Fuel Prophecy” and (hidden) outro, “Watch the Road End.” Especially with the immediacy that strikes when “Universe” kicks in and the resonant finish of “River of Souls” at its six-minute mark, having anything before the one and after the other seems superfluous. A minor quibble on an impressive debut (one could also ramble about cartoon tits on the cover, but what’s the point?) and showcase of potential from an exciting newcomer outfit clearly assured of the style for which they’re aiming.

Deadly Vipers on Thee Facebooks

Deadly Vipers on Bandcamp

 

Storm of Void, War Inside You

storm-of-void-war-inside-you

Tokyo duo Storm of Void make their full-length debut with the nine-track/48-minute War Inside You, a full-length that might first snag attention owing to guest vocal spots from Napalm Death’s Mark “Barney” Greenway and Jawbox’s J. Robbins, but has no trouble holding that same attention with its progressive instrumental turns and taut execution. Released by Hostess Entertainment, it’s instrumental in bulk, with eight-string guitarist George Bodman (Bluebeard) and drummer Dairoku Seki (envy) coming together to deliver brisk and aggressive prog metal centered around chugging riffs and a tension that seems to take hold in “Into the Circle” and let up only for the momentary “Interlude” in the midsection before closer “Ghosts of Mt. Sleepwalker” finally allows for some exhalation. As for the guest spots, they’re nothing to complain about, and they break up the proceedings nicely placed as they are, but if Storm of Void are going to hook you, it’s going to be on their own merits, which are plentiful.

Storm of Void on Thee Facebooks

Hostess Entertainment website

 

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Iron Monkey Announce UK Shows in Manchester and London

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 30th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

The response to Iron Monkey‘s return opus, 9-13, has been a considerable slather. To the point that one wonders if the band finds it gross or gratifying. Either way, the barrage of hyperbole holds a mirror to the resurgent UK sludgers’ barrage of riffs, and at this point there’s no stopping the inevitable next step, which is live shows. Three have been newly announced — two in Manchester, one at The Underworld in London — for next April, and though one might’ve speculated that an appearance would be in the cards, I saw confirmation the other day that indeed Iron Monkey will not appear at Roadburn 2018. Can’t help but feel like that’s a mistake on the band’s part, but they seem to be doing alright without, I guess, and if they gave a fuck generally-speaking, it just wouldn’t be Iron Monkey, would it?

Here’s info from the PR wire:

iron monkey

IRON MONKEY Announces 2018 UK Live Dates

Cult UK doom/sludge unit IRON MONKEY has announced three headlining shows the UK this coming April. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 29th at 10:00am GMT. A full list of confirmed shows is available below.

IRON MONKEY will be supporting their 9-13 full-length, recently issued via Relapse Records. Recorded in their hometown of Nottingham in Spring 2017 A.D. with producer Johnny A. Carter, 9-13 is nine songs and forty-eight minutes of total nihilism. Now older, more cynical and more isolationist, IRON MONKEY are back to usurp the scene, then crush it’s skull. Without question, their most focused, aggressive and direct material to date, 9-13 is an all-out assault of violent hatred and nightmarish negativity. Recommended listening for fans of pain, suffering, and misanthropy.

9-13 is out now on CD, LP, and digital formats via Relapse Records. Physical packages and digital orders are available via Relapse.com HERE and all retail outlets HERE.

IRON MONKEY:
4/13/2018 Rescue Rooms – Manchester, UK
4/14/2018 The Underworld – London, UK
4/21/2018 Ruby Lounge – Manchester, UK

The band reformed for no reason in the winter of two thousand sixteen with original members J. Rushby and S. Watson, with the addition of current Chaos UK drummer Brigga, forming the shape of an inverted black triangle of vitriol and phase two of operations. IRON MONKEY do not care about your scene, bands, or opinions… ELECTROCUTION, DOOM, OMEGA OMEGA OMEGA.

https://ironmonkey.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/IRONMONKEYBAND/
http://bit.ly/IronMonkey
http://www.relapse.com/
http://www.facebook.com/relapserecords

Iron Monkey, “Toadcrucifier – R.I.P.PER” official video

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Iron Monkey Post “Toadcrucifier – R.I.P.PER” Video; 9-13 out Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 7th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

iron monkey

There has to be some kind of calculation one could do in order to figure out the percentages of band reunion likelihood. Original-member-vitriol-over-time-multiplied-by-success-in-their-first-run-over-subsequent-influence or something like that? The latter — the ‘subsequent influence’ part would seem to be what did the trick for Nottingham sludgers Iron Monkey. They’d certainly gained a reputation in the UK during their initial run, but after calling it quits in 1999 owing to the death of vocalist Johnny Morrow, they went on to ignite a vast swath of metallic sludge fuckall in an extreme underground that continues to flourish to this day. Their comeback album, 9-13, was released last month via Relapse with original members Steve Watson and Jim Rushby joined by new drummer Brigga, and could easily be seen as an attempt to capture a piece of the scene they helped inspire.

I’m not sure Iron Monkey have ever been completely understood outside of England, but talking to those who were there during the band’s first go, there’s a sense of reverence in tone for what they were able to bring to Britain when it came to translating the unhinged fury of acts like Eyehategod for a pre-internet audience who’d never had the chance to experience it before in that way or take it on its own level. I don’t think US response or maybe even Mainland European response matters to the band, if anything does, when their home country was where so much of their impact was made in the first place. Of course, that was 20 years ago, and again, there’s been plenty of sludge in the UK since, so while their return was unlikely, it will remain to be seen what the effect of Iron Monkey‘s reunion will ultimately be.

Though maybe that doesn’t matter. They could book tours in Europe and fests from now until forever and people would probably still show up, so good on them for taking advantage of the opportunity. At least they put out a record first. And yeah, maybe that’s a cynical viewpoint. Do you really think the band would have it any other way?

The video below for “Toadcrucifier – R.I.P.PER” comes with a flashing lights warning, so if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, beware. Otherwise, feel free to dive in and enjoy. Info follows beneath courtesy of the PR wire:

Iron Monkey, “Toadcrucifier – R.I.P.PER” official video

IRON MONKEY was beaten to life in the year of your Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety Four, at the location of Nottingham, England. Band reformed for no reason in the winter of Two Thousand and Sixteen with original members J. Rushby and S. Watson, with the addition of current Chaos UK drummer Brigga, forming the shape of an inverted black triangle of vitriol and phase two of operations.

Cult UK doom/sludge outfit IRON MONKEY return with 9-13, their first new full-length in almost two decades. After disbanding in 1999 due to the death of their original singer J.P. Morrow, the group has reformed for phase two of their mission. Recorded in their hometown of Nottingham in Spring 2017 A.D. with producer Johnny A. Carter, 9-13 is 9 songs and 48 minutes of total nihilism. Now older, more cynical and more isolationist, IRON MONKEY are back to usurp the scene, then crush its skull. Without question, their most focused, aggressive and direct material to date, 9-13 is an all-out assault of violent hatred and nightmarish negativity.

Directed by Jack Atherton
http://jackatherton.com/

Iron Monkey on Thee Facebooks

Iron Monkey on Instagram

Iron Monkey on Bandcamp

Relapse Records on Thee Facebooks

Relapse Records website

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Iron Monkey to Release 9-13 Oct. 20; Stream New Song “OmegaMangler”

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 15th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

iron-monkey-photo-ralph-barklam

Hey there sludge heads. Here’s the first new Iron Monkey song in 18 years. Kind of a big deal.

Today, the reformed trio from Nottingham — who aren’t quite singularly responsible for the proliferation of sludge in the UK but definitely have played a major and continuing role in that despite breaking up following the death of vocalist Johnny Morrow in 1999 — have unveiled their new single “OmegaMangler,” as well as the tracklisting and oh-so-familiar cover art for their upcoming album, 9-13, which will be released on Oct. 20 via Relapse Records. Mark your calendar, get your preorder. Do whatever you gotta do. Whatever side of the argument you’re on as regards this reunion, you at very least know you’re curious to hear that song.

So I won’t delay. It’s down there at the bottom of the post under the PR wire info. Hit it:

iron monkey 9-13

Cult UK doom/sludge outfit IRON MONKEY return with 9-13, their first new full-length in almost two decades. After disbanding in 1999 due to the death of their original singer J.P. Morrow, the group has reformed for phase two of their mission. Recorded in their hometown of Nottingham in Spring 2017 A.D. with producer Johnny A. Carter, 9-13 is 9 songs and 48 minutes of total nihilism. Now older, more cynical and more isolationist, IRON MONKEY are back to usurp the scene, then crush its skull. Without question, their most focused, aggressive and direct material to date, 9-13 is an all-out assault of violent hatred and nightmarish negativity. Recommended listening for fans of pain, suffering, and misanthropy.

9-13 is set for release on October 20th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages and digital orders are available via Relapse.com HERE and all retail outlets HERE.

9-13 Tracklisting:
1. Crown of Electrodes
2. OmegaMangler
3. 9-13
4. Toadcrucifier – R.I.P.P.E.R.
5. Destroyer
6. Mortarhex
7. The Rope
8. Doomsday Impulse Multiplier
9. Moreland St. Hammervortex

IRON MONKEY was destroyed sometime in nineteen ninety nine.

Vocal terror J. P. Morrow died of a heart attack in June of Two Thousand and Two. Rest in noise.

The band reformed for no reason in the winter of Two Thousand and Sixteen with original members J. Rushby and S. Watson, with the addition of current Chaos UK drummer Brigga, forming the shape of an inverted black triangle of vitriol and phase two of operations.

IRON MONKEY do not care about your scene, bands or opinions… ELECTROCUTION, DOOM, OMEGA OMEGA OMEGA.

https://ironmonkey.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/IRONMONKEYBAND/
http://bit.ly/IronMonkey
http://www.relapse.com/
http://www.facebook.com/relapserecords

Iron Monkey, “OmegaMangler”

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