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Ichabod Post “The Strong Place/Two Brothers Rock” Video From Merrimack LP

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 31st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

ichabod (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Begun with the seething, dying-to-get-heavy acoustic swamp blues tension of “The Strong Place,” Massachusetts-based sludge-plus metallers Ichabod released their sixth full-length, Merrimack (discussed here, review here) in 2014. One more time for those in the back: 2014.

That’s pre-Trump, pre-covid, pre-AI, before the war in Ukraine. Shit, it’s even before Lemmy died. I’m not saying it was a golden age — it wasn’t — but yeah. I was living in Massachusetts, having moved north the year before from my beloved Garden State — that’s New Jersey, for anyone outside the US or not familiar with state nicknames; it’s also my beloved Fuck-Off State’ — worked from home and was getting settled after moving again from one town around my wife’s work to East Bridgewater, where we’d spend, I guess the next five years or so. I was glad I got to see Ichabod a few times in that span.

Am I nostalgic for it? Not really. I love being anywhere with my wife, and it was nice to go into Boston and have friends there every now and again, but we were otherwise fairly isolated with our nearest family two-plus hours south in Connecticut. Once we had the baby, the course came into focus and we started to think for real about heading back down south to the Mid-Atlantic, but I distinctly recall putting on Ichabod‘s Merrimack a lot during that time. That record is so Massachusetts. In everything. In its title, in the sharpness of its production, the purity of its autumnal, New England-style intensity in its heaviest moments and vocalist John Fadden‘s clean/harsh vocal swaps. It was beautiful and the weather was punishing and the people were as proud and dug into being from there as people are everywhere. It was a great many things, just not my home.

With the distance of the over four years since we moved into the house in NJ where we are now, and in no small part because we made money when we sold the condo and we didn’t move into that house that had the underground gas leak our lawyer found (which was incredible of her), there are things I miss, and part of the appeal of this nine-years-later multimedia indulge is that wistfulness, since I have to wonder if maybe Ichabod themselves — Fadden on vocals, founding guitarist Dave Iverson, guitarist Jason Adam, bassist Greg Dellaria, and drummer Phil MacKay; the latter made the video — is precisely that. The song and record are about remembering the place you’re from, especially the opener “The Strong Place,” which is mashed up here with the song that follows on Merrimack, “Two Brothers Rock.”

It’s a real place, of course. Ichabod interpret it and tell a story through a sort of psychedelic sludge metal that I haven’t heard from anybody else in the last nine years — and I’ve heard a fair amount of sludge, psych and not, in that time — and the video takes performance photos and video from an age before camera phones were pro gear, and still represents the band, album and song(s) fluidly. Some of the mountains in the clip look too pointy to be the Blue Hills and the sleepy, ancient and eroded, rolling Appalachians of New England, but it works to capture the idea of a storm to match the later volume surge in “Two Brothers Rock,” and serves as a visual reminder of “Squall,” which is track three.

And if they wanted to do a video for that nine years after the fact, or get a whole visual album together to celebrate the 10th anniversary next year, I’m here for it. Thematic or conceptual LPs are rarely so memorable on a song level while still proving so expansive and tumultuous.

So please, enjoy:

Ichabod, “The Strong Place/Two Brothers Rock” official video

The first two songs from the Merrimack album, performed by Ichabod.

New produced video for the opening act of our 2014 concept album MERRIMACK by Ichabod. Produced and edited by Phil MacKay.

Written by Ichabod & John Fadden. Recorded at Amps vs Ohms by Glen Smith. 2014 Rootsucker Records.

Ichabod, Merrimack (2014)

Ichabod on Facebook

Ichabod on Bandcamp

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Album Review: Kind, Close Encounters

Posted in Reviews on August 9th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

kind close encounters

It’s not that expectations weren’t high for Close Encounters. By virtue of their lineup’s pedigree, Kind‘s output has been anticipated since before their first release, and their two albums to-date, 2015’s Rocket Science (review here) and 2020’s Mental Nudge (review here), set and lived up to a high standard for craft and melody, gleefully, mischievously kicking ass all the while since first getting together a decade ago.

I won’t take away from either of the first two records. They’re both some of the most essential heavy rock that’s come out of Boston, Massachusetts, in the last eight years. Rocket Science showed that the chemical formula resulting from the combined elements of vocalist/synthesist Craig Riggs (also drums in SasquatchRoadsaw frontman, etc.), guitarist/synthesist Darryl Shepard (so many bands and more all the time; he’s also a brilliant conceptualist standup comedian), bassist Tom Corino of newer-school sludge metallers Rozamov, and drummer Matt Couto (ex-Elder, also Aural Hallucinations) could function as a group rather than just players culled from elsewhere, and Mental Nudge reaffirmed it.

Where Close Encounters — because it’s the third Kind record; get it? — goes further is in extending a sense of progression to the individual sound of Kind. That is, with these nine songs and 48 minutes, Kind and returning producer Alec Rodriguez (who recorded at Mad Oak in Spring 2022 and also mixed) refine the identity of Kind as their own band, identifiable in their melodicism, psych-leaning groove and tonality, and not even through opener “Burn Scar” (premiered here) before they’re trying new ideas, crushing in tone and spacious in breadth, vocals delivered in layers as they draw the listener deeper into the album’s unfolding.

The pattern continues through rolling highlight cut “Favorite One,” which joins closer “Pacino” as the only other inclusion on Close Encounters to hit seven minutes. That’s a shift in approach from Mental Nudge, which worked back and forth between longer and shorter tracks, but the band want nothing for flow either way. “Favorite One” finds Riggs delving into a fairly spot on Jerry Cantrell-circa-Facelift-style hook, backed by the synchronicity of Couto‘s snare and the punch of Corino‘s bass, and a drifting vocal melody after Shepard‘s solo that reminds of Snail, but is recontextualized to suit Kind‘s purposes of structured exploration.

The point of “Black Yesterday” seems to be to capture a sense of vastness, as evidenced by the reverb soaking the midsection before it hands off to Shepard for a particularly fuzzed lead section, but it’s also the last part of a three-song opening salvo that builds up the momentum that will carry Kind through the remining six pieces. “Snag” is a big help in that regard, with a stripped-back runtime — at 3:58, it is one of three Kind pieces to clock in under four minutes; the still-to-come “Power Grab” is the shortest song they’ve written at 2:56 — and a chorus that stands up well to being leaned on as it is, heavy and atmospheric, with the vocals seeming to sort of surf the riff as the band move into the crescendo hook and subsequent ending section, some ‘additional percussion’ credited to Riggs marking the change.

kind

‘Just a rock song’ — in quotes because I’m someone whose life has been changed and in many ways shaped by rock songs — on paper, “Snag” is given space, character and dimension through the guitar and bass tones, the mix, and the echo treatment on the drums and vocals. This is emblematic of Kind‘s approach generally, but captured with particular efficiency and accessibility. They follow it with the centerpiece, named “Massive” presumably in honor of Corino‘s bassline, and swinging with a thickened strut that is at once classic heavy rock and a stylistic signature from Couto. Marked by vital nod, “Massive” sits well between “Snag” and “Power Grab,” both of which are faster and the latter of which is Close Encounters‘ most fervent push.

I’m not sure where the vinyl sides split, but if either “Massive” (seems more likely timing-wise) or “Power Grab” starts side B, then fair enough as it leads into the last section of the record, which begins explosive as “Of the Ages” bursts to life from its standalone-riffed intro. Quick into the verse, quick into the chorus, it follows suit from “Snag” and even “Massive” in terms of structural traditionalism, and so does “What It Is to Be Free,” but each has its own persona, with “Of the Ages” seeing itself out with a multi-stage solo atop its swaying lumber, and “What It Is to Be Free” finding an especially brash groove and a guitar melody in its intro that meets bombast with due swagger. It is not the sort of tune Kind would or maybe could have written together in 2015, but they sure make it sound easy now (and for all I know the song was written in 2015).

“Pacino” rounds out with what seems to be shimmy in surplus — no complaints — and a tension resulting that’s balanced through complementary twists led by Shepard on guitar and a stretch in the second half of more forward push. The key word is ‘push,’ though. Shepard takes a lead before Riggs returns with a last verse and chorus, and as it comes apart, “Pacino” spends not quite its full last minute in a lightbath of melodic psych drone carved out of residual comedown noise. Where much of Close Encounters up to that point has been about movement between parts, the flow within and between songs, and expansion on Kind‘s prior modus of craft and performance, “Pacino” dwells more in that boogie, riding the central chug for the vast majority of the proceedings and wrapping the album so that still kinetic in nature, but changed in shape and underlying makeup.

And while it’s a sidestep from some of the other material, it is consistent in both sound and atmosphere and well within their style, so not awkward or out of place. It’s like the rest of Close Encounters: the work of a band who have built their identity from the ground up, who know who they are, and who are working actively to evolve their processes and sound. I said when it was announced that Close Encounters is the best offering from Kind. It is. It weaves smoothly through complex changes and is soothing even at its heaviest, accomplishing a rare malleability of stylistic balance. More than anything though, it is Kind, and it broadens the scope of what that means.

Kind, Close Encounters (2023)

Kind on Facebook

Kind on Instagram

Kind on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Instagram

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

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Blood Lightning: Self-Titled Debut Due Oct. 20 on Ripple Music

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 31st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Blood Lightning

Following up on a video for the track “Blankets” that was unveiled in June with the first word of Blood Lightning‘s self-titled debut, Ripple Music has confirmed an Oct. 20 release for that album. The metal-leaning heavy project from members of — yes I’m doing the list; it’s a fun list — Gozu, We’re all Gonna Die, Sam Black Church and Worshipper (among others) got their start as a live one-off and, whoops, I guess somebody started writing songs. Then recording them. They’ve been trickling out singles since late 2021 with “The Dying Starts,” and that track will open the album, so that’s two out of five originals already public. A not-insubstantial sampling for a record that’s still the better part of three months out. And yeah, I’d be up for hearing them take on Black Sabbath‘s “Disturbing the Priest.” Of course.

Blood Lightning join a busy Fall for Ripple. In addition to the new LP from Blood Lightning‘s fellow Bostonians Kind out Aug. 11, recent announcements have been made for albums from Moon Coven (Aug. 25), Fire Down Below (Sept. 8), Dead Feathers (Sept. 22), La Chinga (Oct. 6) and Appalooza, who share Blood Lightning‘s release date of Oct. 20. It’s to the label’s credit that none of these releases steps too hard on the toes of the others sound-wise, and if you don’t think we’re living in a guilded age for heavy music, well, think about a leading label putting out stuff basically every other week from now until mid-Fall with more maybe to come before the end of the year, and then get back to me.

The PR wire has it like this:

Blood Lightning self titled

Boston heavy metal supergroup BLOOD LIGHTNING to release debut album on Ripple Music this fall; watch new video “Blankets” now!

Boston-based heavy metal supergroup BLOOD LIGHTNING (with members of GOZU, Sam Black Church, Worshipper, We’re All Gonna Die) team up with US powerhouse Ripple Music for the release of their self-titled debut this October 13th. Watch their brand new video for “Blankets” now!

Watch Blood Lightning’s fire it up on new “Blankets” video
Single available now on all digital streaming services

Formed in December 2020, Blood Lightning brings together the talents of vocalist Jim Healey (We’re All Gonna Die), guitarist Doug Sherman (GOZU), bassist Bob Maloney (Worshipper) and drummer J.R. Roach (Sam Black Church). What began as a 2019 Halloween show playing the entire Black Sabbath “Born Again” album just for fun has culminated in the release of original material by four veterans of the Boston metal/hardcore community.

Blood Lightning was formed with one thing in mind: get back to the real essence of heavy metal. No pretense. No subgenres to fit into. Only badass, straightforward, hard-hitting heavy metal with a nod to old school NWOBHM with contemporary firepower. They teamed up with award-winning producer and engineer Benny Grotto (Rolling Stones, Aerosmith), and mastering legend Alan Douches (Motörhead, Mastodon, High On Fire) to record five original songs and one Black Sabbath cover over the course of 2021 and 2022.

They were also honored to be nominated in 2021 and 2022 for Metal Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards. The band recently signed with acclaimed Stoner/Doom/Metal label, Ripple Music, and is excited to take the next step in that partnership to bring some new music to the masses.

BLOOD LIGHTNING “Blood Lightning”
Out October 20th on Ripple Music

TRACKLIST:
1. The Dying Starts
2. Hitting The Wall
3. Bananaconda
4. Face Eater
5. Blankets
6. Disturbing The Priest

BLOOD LIGHTNING is
Jim Healey – Vocals
Doug Sherman – Guitars
Bob Maloney – Bass
J.R. Roach – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/bloodlightning
https://bloodlightning.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzK8wKH5BET_4DWg_2Hp3hw

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Blood Lightning, “Blankets” official video

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Quarterly Review: Bell Witch, Plainride, Benthic Realm, Cervus, Unsafe Space Garden, Neon Burton, Thousand Vision Mist, New Dawn Fades, Aton Five, Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes

Posted in Reviews on July 18th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

the-obelisk-qr-summer-2020

Welcome to day two of the Summer 2023 Quarterly Review. Yesterday was a genuine hoot — I didn’t realize I had packed it so full of bands’ debut albums, and not repeating myself in noting that in the reviews was a challenge — but blah blah words words later we’re back at it today for round two of seven total.

As I write this, my house is newly emerged from an early morning tornado warning and sundry severe weather alerts, flooding, wind, etc., with that. In my weather head-canon, tornados don’t happen here — because they never used to — but one hit like two towns over a week or so ago, so I guess anything’s possible. My greater concern would be flooding or downed trees or branches damaging the house. I laughed with The Patient Mrs. that of course a tornado would come right after we did the kitchen floor and put the sink back.

We got The Pecan up to experience and be normalized into this brave new world of climate horror. We didn’t go to the basement, but it probably won’t be the last time we talk about whether or not we need to do so. Yes, planet Earth will take care of itself. It will do this by removing the problematic infection over a sustained period of time. Only trouble is humans are the infection.

So anyway, happy Tuesday. Let’s talk about some records.

Quarterly Review #11-20:

Bell Witch, Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate

bell witch future's shadow part 1 the clandestine gate

Cumbersome in its title and duly stately as it unfurls 83 minutes of Billy Anderson-recorded slow-motion death-doom soul destroy/rebuild, Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate is not the first longform single-song work from Seattle’s Bell Witch, but the core duo of drummer/vocalist Jesse Shreibman and bassist/vocalist Dylan Desmond found their path on 2017’s landmark Mirror Reaper (review here) and have set themselves to the work of expanding on that already encompassing scope. Moving from its organ intro through willfully lurching, chant-topped initial verses, the piece breaks circa 24 minutes to minimalist near-silence, building itself back up until it seems to blossom fully at around 45 minutes in, but it breaks to organ, rises again, and ultimately seems to not so much to collapse as to be let go into its last eight minutes of melancholy standalone bass. Knowing this is only the first part of a trilogy makes Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate feel even huger and more opaque, but while its unrelenting atmospheric bleakness will be listenable for a small percentage of the general populace, there’s no question Bell Witch are continuing to push the limits of what they do. Loud or quiet, they are consuming. One should expect no less in the next installment.

Bell Witch on Facebook

Profound Lore Records website

 

Plainride, Plainride

plainride self titled

Some records are self-titled because the band can’t think of a name. Plainride‘s Plainride is more declarative. Self-released ahead of a Ripple Music issue to accord with timing as the German trio did a Spring support stint with Corrosion of Conformity, the 10-song outing engages with funk, blues rock, metal, prog and on and on and on, and feels specifically geared toward waking up any and all who hear it. The horns blasting in “Fire in the Sky” are a clear signal of that, though one should also allow for the mellowing of “Wanderer,” the interlude “You Wanna…” the acoustic noodler “Siebengebirge,” or the ballady closer “The Lilies” as a corresponding display of dynamic. But the energy is there in “Hello, Operator,” “Ritual” — which reminds of Gozu in its soulful vocals — and through the longer “Shepherd” and the subsequent regrounding in the penultimate “Hour of the Mûmakil,” and it is that kick-in-the-pants sensibility that most defines Plainride as a realization on the part of the band. They sound driven, hungry, expansive and professional, and they greet their audience with a full-on “welcome to the show” mindset, then proceed to try to shake loose the rules of genre from within. Not a minor ambition, but Plainride succeed in letting craft lead the charge in their battle against mediocrity. They don’t universally hit their marks — not that rock and roll ever did or necessarily should — but they take actual chances here and are all the more invigorating for that.

Plainride on Facebook

Ripple Music store

 

Benthic Realm, Vessel

Benthic Realm Vessel

Massachusetts doomers Benthic Realm offer their awaited first full-length with Vessel, and the hour-long 2LP is broad and crushing enough to justify the wait. It’s been five years since 2018’s We Will Not Bow (review here), and the three-piece of bassist Maureen Murphy (ex-Second Grave, ex-Curse the Son, etc.), guitarist/vocalist Krista Van Guilder (ex-Second Grave, ex-Warhorse) and drummer Dan Blomquist (also Conclave) conjure worthy expanse with a metallic foundation, Van Guilder likewise effective in a deathly scream and melodic delivery as “Traitors Among Us” quickly affirms, and the band shifting smoothly between the lurch of “Summon the Tide” and speedier processions like “Course Correct,” the title-track or the penultimate “What Lies Beneath,” the album ultimately more defined by mood and the epic nature of Benthic Realm‘s craft than a showcase of tempo on either side. That is, regardless of pace, they deliver with force throughout the album, and while it might be a couple years delayed, it stands readily among the best debuts of 2023.

Benthic Realm on Facebook

Benthic Realm on Bandcamp

 

Cervus, Shifting Sands

Cervus Shifting Sands

Cervus follow 2022’s impressive single “Cycles” (posted here) with the three-song EP Shifting Sands, and the Amsterdam heavy psych unit use the occasion to continue to build a range around their mellow-grooving foundation. Beginning quiet and languid and exploratory on “Nirvana Dunes,” which bursts to voluminous life after its midpoint but retains its fluidity, the five-piece of guitarists Jan Woudenberg and Dennis de Bruin, bassist Tom Mourik, keyboardist/guitarist Ton van Rijswijk and drummer Rogier Henkelman saving extra push for middle cut “Tempest,” reminding some of how The Machine are able to turn from heavy jams to more structured riffy shove. That track, shorter at 3:43, is a delightful bit of raucousness that answers the more straightforward fare on 2021’s Ignis EP while setting up a direct transition into “Eternal Shadow,” which builds walls of organ-laced fuzz roll that go out and don’t come back, ending the 16-minute outing in such a way as to make it feel more like a mini-album. They touch no ground here that feels uncertain for them, but that’s only a positive sign as they perhaps work toward making their debut LP. Whether that’s coming or not, Shifting Sands is no less engaging a mini-trip for its brevity.

Cervus on Facebook

Cervus on Bandcamp

 

Unsafe Space Garden, Where’s the Ground?

Unsafe Space Garden Where's the Ground

On their third album, Where’s the Ground?, Portuguese experimentalists Unsafe Space Garden tackle heavy existentialist questions as only those truly willing to embrace the absurd could hope to do. From the almost-Jackson 5 casual saunter of “Grown-Ups!” — and by the way, all titles are punctuated and stylized all-caps — to the willfully overwhelming prog-metal play of “Pum Pum Pum Pum Ta Ta” later on, Unsafe Space Garden find and frame emotional and psychological breakthroughs through the ridiculous misery of human existence while also managing to remind of what a band can truly accomplish when they’re willing to throw genre expectations out the window. With shades throughout of punk, prog, indie, sludge, pop new and old, post-rock, jazz, and on and on, they are admirably individual, and unwilling to be anything other than who they are stylistically at the risk of derailing their own work, which — again, admirably — they don’t. Switching between English and Portuguese lyrics, they challenge the audience to approach with an open mind and sympathy for one another since once we were all just kids picking our noses on the same ground. Where’s the ground now? I’m not 100 percent, but I think it might be everywhere if we’re ready to see it, to be on it. Supreme weirdo manifestation; a little manic in vibe, but not without hope.

Unsafe Space Garden on Instagram

gig.ROCKS on Bandcamp

 

Neon Burton, Take a Ride

NEON BURTON Take A Ride

Guitarist/vocalist Henning Schmerer reportedly self-recorded and mixed and played all instruments himself for Neon Burton‘s third full-length, Take a Ride. The band was a trio circa 2021’s Mighty Mondeo, and might still be one, but with programmed drums behind him, Schmerer digs in alone across these space-themed six songs/46 minutes. The material keeps the central duality of Neon Burton‘s work to-date in pairing airy heavy psychedelia with bouts of denser riffing, rougher-edged verses and choruses offsetting the entrancing jams, resulting in a sound that draws a line between the two but is able to move between them freely. “Mother Ship” starts the record quiet but grows across its seven minutes to Truckfighters-esque fuzzy swing, and “I Run,” which follows, unveils the harder-landing aspect of the band’s character. The transitions are unforced and feel like a natural dynamic in the material, but even the jammiest parts would have to be thought out beforehand to be recorded with just one person, so perhaps Take a Ride‘s most standout achievement — see also: tone, melody, groove — is in overcoming the solo nature of its making to sound as much like a full band as it does in the 10-minute “Orbit” or the crescendo of “Disconnect” that rumbles into the sample-topped ambient-plus-funky meander at the start of instrumental closer “Wormhole,” which dares a bit of proggier-leaning chug on the way to its thickened, nodding culmination.

Neon Burton on Facebook

Neon Burton on Bandcamp

 

Thousand Vision Mist, Depths of Oblivion

Thousand Vision Mist Depths of Oblivion

Though pedigreed in a Maryland doom scene that deeply prides itself on traditionalism, Laurel, MD, trio Thousand Vision Mist mark out a progressive path forward with their second full-length, Depths of Oblivion, the eight songs/35 minutes of which seem to owe as much to avant metal as to doom and/or heavy rock. Opener “Sands of Time” imagines what might’ve been if Virus had been raised in the Chesapeake Watershed, while “Citadel of Green” relishes its organically ’70s-style groove with an intricacy of interpretation so as to let Thousand Vision Mist come across as respectful of the past but not hindered by it creatively. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Danny Kenyon (ex-Life Beyond, Indestroy, etc.), bassist/backing vocalist Tony Comulada (War Injun, Outside Truth, etc.) and drummer Chris Sebastian (ex-Retribution), the band delves into the pastoral on “Love, the Destroyer” and the sunshine-till-the-fuzz-hits-then-still-awesome “Thunderbird Blue,” while “Battle for Yesterday” filters grunge nostalgia through their own complexity and capper “Reversal of Misfortune” moves from its initial riffiness — perhaps in conversation with “We Flew Too High” at the start of what would be side B — into sharper shred with an unshakable rhythmic foundation beneath. I didn’t know what to expect so long after 2018’s Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow (review here), which was impressive, but there’s no level on which Thousand Vision Mist haven’t outdone themselves with Depths of Oblivion.

Thousand Vision Mist on Facebook

Thousand Vision Mist on Bandcamp

 

New Dawn Fades, Forever

New Dawn Fades Forever

Founded and fronted by vocalist George Chamberlin (Ritual Earth), the named-for-a-JoyDivision-tune New Dawn Fades make their initial public offering with the three-songer Forever, which at 15 minutes long doesn’t come close to the title but makes its point well before it’s through all the same. In “True Till Death,” they update a vibe somewhere between C.O.C.‘s Blind and a less-Southern version of Nola-era Down, while “This Night Has Closed My Eyes” adds some Kyuss flair in Chamberlin‘s vocal and the concluding “New Moon” reinforces the argument with a four-minute parade of swing and chug, Sabbath-bred if not Sabbath-worshiping. If the band — whose lineup seems to have changed since this was recorded at least in the drums — are going to take on a full-length next, they’ll want to shake things up, maybe an interlude, etc., but as a short outing and even more as their first, they don’t necessarily need to shock with off-the-wall style. Instead, Forever portrays New Dawn Fades as having a clear grasp on what they want to do and the songwriting command to make it happen. Wherever they go from here, it’ll be worth keeping eyes and ears open.

New Dawn Fades on Facebook

New Dawn Fades on Bandcamp

 

Aton Five, Aton Five

aton five self titled

According to the band, Aton Five‘s mostly-instrumental self-titled sophomore full-length was recorded between 2019 and 2022, and that three-year span would seem to have allowed for the Moscow-based four-piece to deep-dive into the five pieces that comprise it, so that the guitar and organ answering each other on “Danse Macabre” and the mathy angularity that underscores much of the second half of “Naked Void” exist as fully envisioned versions of themselves, even before you get to the 22-minute “Lethe,” which closes. With the soothing “Clepsydra” in its middle as the only track under eight minutes long, Aton Five have plenty of time to develop and build outward from the headspinning proffered by “Alienation” at the album’s start and in the bassy jabs and departure into and through clearheaded drift-metal (didn’t know it existed, but there it is), the work they’ve put into the material is obvious and no less multifaceted than are the songs, “Alienation” resolving in a combination of sweeps and sprints, each of which resonates with purpose. That one might say the same of each of the three parts that make up “Lethe” should signal the depth of consideration in the entirety of the release. I know there was a plague on, but maybe Aton Five benefitted as well from having the time to focus as they so plainly did. Whether you try to keep up with the turns or sit back and let the band go where they will, Aton Five, the album, feels like the kind of record that might’ve ended up somewhere other than where the band first thought it would, but is stronger for having made the journey to the finished product.

Aton Five on Facebook

Aton Five on Bandcamp

 

Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes, In a Sandbox Full of Suns

Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes In a Sandbox Full of Suns

Their second LP behind 2020’s Everwill, the five-song In a Sandbox Full of Suns finds German four-piece Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes fully switched on in heavy jam fashion, cuts like “Love Story” and “In a Sandbox Full of Suns” — both of which top 11 minutes — fleshed out with improv-sounding guitar and vocals over ultra-fluid rhythms, blending classic heavy blues rock and prog with hints and only hints of vintage-ism and letting the variety in their approach show itself in the four-minute centerpiece “Dead Urban Desert” and the suitably cosmic atmosphere to which they depart in closer “Time and Space.” Leadoff “Coffee Style” is rife with attitude, but wahs itself into an Eastern-inflected lead progression after the midpoint and before turning back to the verse, holding its relaxed but not lazy feel all the while. It is a natural brand of psychedelia that results throughout — an enticing sound between sounds; the proverbial ‘not-lost wandering’ in musical form — as Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes don’t try to hypnotize with effects or synth, etc., but prove willing to take a walk into the unknown when the mood hits. It doesn’t always, but they make the most of their opportunities regardless, and if “Dead Urban Desert” is the exception, its placement as the centerpiece tells you it’s not there by accident.

Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes on Facebook

Interstellar Smoke Records store

 

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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Scott O’Dowd from Cortez

Posted in Questionnaire on July 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Scott ODowd from Cortez

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Scott O’Dowd from Cortez

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

First and foremost, I’m a music fan. I have a voracious appetite when it comes to music, I can never get enough. Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by music. I think that it has to do with how it makes me feel. I associate songs with different memories and feelings that I have experienced. Somewhere along the way, this love of music led me to want to play an instrument, which ended up being the guitar. Playing guitar sort of naturally led to writing songs. 35-40 years later, I’m still at it.

Describe your first musical memory.

I don’t have one specific memory per se. I have lots of memories of being, like four years old and hearing The Beatles and Beach Boys around the house. Also, lots of FM radio hits of the day. A few songs that I really remember being drawn to for whatever reason were “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright, “Evil Woman” by ELO, and “Miracles” by Jefferson Starship.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I don’t know if there is a ‘best’ musical memory, but a fun one is being on tour with our Belgian friends Solenoid, and our brothers in We’re All Gonna Die. We were pulling into a rest stop somewhere, we had all of the van windows open and were blasting ‘Balls To The Wall’ by Accept. It got to the part where it breaks down to just drums and bass, everyone spontaneously started singing the ‘Ah-ah- ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah’ chanting part at the top of their lungs. We all burst out into hysterical laughter afterwards.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

The belief that anything is guaranteed. Over the last year, I have been dealing with serious back issues, which at times have made it almost impossible for me to walk. Sometimes I wonder if the physical limits of my own body may force me to stop playing music. Which is an absolutely unbearable thought.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

True artistic progression will ultimately lead to the next set of challenges. Whether they be external or internal. I’d like to think that the ultimate end would be a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, but I think there is always the drive to eclipse, or expand on the previous song, album, or performance.

How do you define success?

I define success as doing what you want, and being happy.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

My mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most horrific thing I have ever had to endure.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

The next song.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I think that the most essential function of art is to make you think. Whether it’s just getting your synapses firing, and experiencing different emotions, or really making you question things on a deeper level.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Traveling, spending time with friends and family.

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https://www.cortezboston.com/

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Cortez, Sell the Future (2020)

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Elder Announce US Tour with REZN and Lord Buffalo

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Progressive heavy rock forerunners Elder have announced the second leg of US touring to take place this September, following on from the stint with Ruby the Hatchet and Howling Giant that wrapped up on June 3 in Connecticut. The new round of tour dates covers the East Coast and some of the Midwest, hitting basically where the last tour didn’t go — there are some states they’re not hitting this time either; these things happen; I hear social media is a really good and super-helpful place to complain about that? — while putting the mostly-Berlin-based four-piece in the company of Chicagoans REZN and Austin, Texas, heavy moodmakers Lord Buffalo. Elder’s latest full-length, Innate Passage (review here), came out last year through Stickman Records and Armageddon Shop. It was my pick for the best album of 2022; a selection I happily stand by.

It should be noted that this tour is snuck in ahead of a previously announced UK and European tour set for October and November. The band will get home from this run, have a couple weeks off and then head back out for the Euro Fall fest season, wrapping in Berlin on Nov. 18. They’re also booked for at least Krach am Bach in Germany and SonicBlast Fest in Portugal this August, so fair to say it’s a busy year. That also doesn’t count Nick DiSalvo and Mike Risberg‘s participation in the side-project Weite, whose debut LP, Assemblage, is out July 14, also on Stickman.

Booked by Heavy Talent, the dates were posted by the band as seen below:

elder rezn lord buffalo tour

ELDER – US TOUR with REZN and Lord Buffalo

We’re headed back out on tour in the States this September and extremely happy to be joined by the excellent REZN and Lord Buffalo!

Our last tour Stateside was excellent and we’re so excited to come back to all these cities we didn’t manage to hit last time. See you in a few months!

Tickets are on sale now at www.beholdtheelder.com/tour


9/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
9/06 – Brooklyn, NY @ Monarch
9/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
9/08 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
9/09 – Chicago, IL @ Avondale Music Hall
9/10 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
9/12 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips
9/13 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
9/14 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse
9/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
9/16 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
9/17 – Orlando, FL @ The Conduit
9/19 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House
9/20 – Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar
9/21 – Syracuse, NY @ The Song & Dance
9/22 – Portland, ME @ Portland House Of Music
9/23 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East / Downstairs

Elder is:
Nick DiSalvo – Guitars, Vocals
Mike Risberg – Guitars, Keys
Jack Donovan – Bass
Georg Edert – Drums

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http://armageddonshop.com

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Elder, Innate Passage (2022)

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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tom Corino of Kind

Posted in Questionnaire on June 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Tom Corino of Kind (Photo by Tim Bugbee)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tom Corino of Kind

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’ve spent the majority of my life playing bass in bands. Before I even owned an instrument I had agreed to be in a band so my skills on the bass took some time to catch up with my first skill which was being a bandmate. I’ve been lucky enough to develop my own style of playing over the years and I’ve also been to be surrounded by musicians who gave me the platform do my own thing in one form or another.

Describe your first musical memory.

The first time I heard music and it really clicked for me was being exposed to Black Sabbath in high school. A friend of mine got the Reunion live album as a gift and lent it to me for a trip to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets lose. I popped it in my walkman and it’s been all downhill from there.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Honestly it’s pretty hard to choose. I’ve been really fortunate that music has afforded me so many opportunities over the years. I’ve gotten to see most of the US and met some of my absolute heroes thanks to playing music (Opening for Slayer with Rozamov comes to mind).

That said, playing Desertfest London with Kind was a total trip. The reaction we got from that audience was just unreal. I also got to share the experience with my wife and explore the city for a bit which is not something that happens very often as anyone who has done any touring will tell you.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Having a child completely dismantled most of my firmly held beliefs. It changed everything and it’s hard to explain to people who haven’t experienced it themselves. Certain things I used to take so seriously are now completely trivial and things I once took for granted are now of utmost importance. Frankly, I look back at my former self in pity at how ignorant and self involved I was.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I think everyone’s progression is different, and the journey is way more important than wherever it “leads” to. I’m not really sure it leads anywhere, artistic progression should never end if you’re doing it right.

How do you define success?

Success is enjoying the process.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Watching loved ones deal with serious mental health hurdles is the most debilitating thing ever and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I’ve always wanted to run a studio or venue of some kind. I have exactly none of the expertise needed for either venture but hey… maybe someday we’ll do it.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To allow the artist and audience to lose themselves collectively and have a respite from the outside world for some stretch of time, however brief.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

All of my son’s “firsts”.

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https://www.instagram.com/therockbandkind/
https://kindrocks.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Kind, Close Encounters (2023)

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Kind Premiere “Burn Scar”; Announce Close Encounters Due Aug. 11

Posted in audiObelisk, Whathaveyou on June 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

kind

Boston’s Kind will release their third album, Close Encounters, this August through Ripple Music. The band — comprised of guitarist Darryl Shepard (ex-Milligram, The Long Wait, Blackwolfgoat, Hackman, etc.), bassist Tom Corino (Rozamov), drummer Matt Couto (ex-Elder) and vocalist Craig Riggs (Roadsaw, also drums for Sasquatch, etc.) — are about as heavy on riffs as they are on pedigree, and having been fortunate enough to have heard the full album at this point I’ll tell you two things about it. First, it’s their best work to-date. Second, if you’re the end-of-year-best-of-list type, you’re going to want to save room. I’ll review the record down the line, but just a heads up. It’s one to keep an ear out for.

Lucky enough, you don’t have to keep that ear out for it for very long since the first single is premiering below. “Burn Scar” doesn’t account for every move the band make on the Alec Rodriguez-recorded offering, which hits hard and stretches out over some pretty vast distances as well, but it’s enough to give you a basic idea of where they’re at in terms of tone and melody, though if you caught 2020’s Mental Nudge (review here) you know they’re not shy about changing things up as they make their way through a collection. I’ll reiterate, Close Encounters is their best record yet, and please know that I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t genuinely believe it. The rest we can handle later.

One note and I’ll let you go. This is the first single from Close Encounters, but it’s not the first track to be released. “Favorite One,” track two of nine, was featured on the Nebula Ripples benefit compilation to support Nebula bassist Tom Davies in his struggle against cancer (on Bandcamp here). Put the two together and you’ve got almost a third of the record to go on already. Not too shabby. That track is also streaming at the bottom of the post, along with a full live set (same show from which the picture above seems to have been taken) from New Hampshire this past December that also has some new material. Because MAXIMALISM.

For now, enjoy “Burn Scar.” Preorder links and PR wire info follow below:

Kind, “Burn Scar” track premiere

kind close encounters

Preorder: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/kind-close-encounters

Close Encounters is the third KIND full length, following their debut Rocket Science (2015) and sophomore album Mental Nudge (2020), all released on venerable underground heavy rock label Ripple Music. Once again, KIND recorded with engineer Alec Rodriguez at Mad Oak Studios, and the eye-catching cover art was created by renowned artist Alexander Von Wieding in his lair in Germany. Close Encounters contains nine songs of heavy stoner/doom/psych rock with some additional elements, furthering the scope of KIND’s musical vision. Prog-rock leaning opener “Burn Scar”, the almost-but-not-quite pop of “Snag” and the Krautrock inspired closer “Pacino” bring some variety to the proceedings, with additional percussion, Mellotron and synth blended into the mix.

The locked-in rhythm section of drummer Matt Couto and bassist Tom Corino and the heavy-as-bricks riffing of guitarist Darryl Shepard are topped off with the powerful and melodic vocals of Craig Riggs throughout, creating a cohesive sound regardless of where the band ventures musically. KIND never stray from their mission, which is to write and perform top-shelf heavy rock. Mental Nudge ended up on several year-end best-of lists and topped the Doom Charts in September of 2020. Close Encounters ups the ante in several ways, showing the versatility of these four seasoned musicians who have performed with KIND and previous bands at festivals such as Roadburn, Hellfest, Desertfest and many more. But as the saying goes, “writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. The best thing to do is to throw on a copy of Close Encounters and turn the volume way up.

About the album, guitarist Darryl Shepard says: “When we started recording Close Encounters the pandemic was still going on, and then Russia started bombing Ukraine the week before, so the war was just starting and nobody knew what the hell was going to happen with that. Was it going to turn into World War III or something? Nobody knew at that time. And I remember just feeling that everything going on was very heavy and we were in the studio recording while Russia was invading another country and nuclear facilities in Ukraine were burning. All of that definitely seeped into my playing on this album. It was absolutely on my mind, and Alec and I were talking about it while setting up to record. It was definitely a heavy period and I think some of that is in this record.

Album credits:
All songs written & arranged by KIND, copyright 2023 (BMI)
All lyrics by Craig Riggs
Synths – Craig and Darryl
Additional percussion – Craig
Piano – Darryl

Produced by KIND & Alec Rodriguez
Recorded & mixed by Alec Rodriguez
Recorded at Mad Oak Studios, Allston, MA between March and July of 2022
Mixed thereafter by Alec Rodriguez
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios

Artwork, layout & logo by Alexander von Wieding, zeichentier.com

KIND lineup:
Tom Corino – Bass
Matt Couto – Drums
Craig Riggs – Vocals
Darryl Shepard – Guitars

https://www.facebook.com/KINDtheband
https://www.instagram.com/therockbandkind/
https://kindrocks.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Kind, Close Encounters (2023)

Kind, Live at the Stone Church, New Market, NH, 12.03.22

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