Posted in Whathaveyou on September 5th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Damn, Temptress. That’s quite a tour you’ve got there. The Dallas three-piece released their See album earlier this year, and I’ll tell you what I see, I see a band making a statement. I’ve written about them a few times over the last couple years but apparently whiffed on the record — there’s a good reason I never claim to be anything but terrible at this — but can’t help but think of the band in a different way after encountering a list of dates like this. And more, not only is this a month-plus on the road for the band, but it would seem to have been independently booked as well. It’s just a different scale of work put in than one usually sees, especially since the pandemic. Much, much respect, for what that’s worth.
They’ve got a teaser up for the run, and I’ve put the Bandcamp stream of See down there as well, not even for you — you’ve already heard it, I know — but for myself as a reminder. I’m sorry, but when somebody believes enough in what they do to put together a tour like this to support it, that’s probably something I want to hear. Never too late, whatever the internet’s two-week album hype cycles say.
From the PR wire:
Dallas Heavy Doom Trio TEMPTRESS Announces Fall 2023 Tour!
TEMPTRESS is a crew thunderously tempting fate to boom their way beyond Big Texas at sonic speed. They got together in early 2019, released an EP five months later, and haven’t stalled their velocity for even a moment since.
In less than five years, TEMPTRESS has drawn a loyal fan base and press support for their music, as well as an outstanding list of live performances supporting both legendary acts and current rising stars of the heavy music world (regardless of the recent chaotic fluctuations in the world of touring).
They continue to climb from underground with their first full-length album, SEE, released through Metal Assault Records on March 3, 2023. The trio is eager to resume their travels across the USA roadways and announces a new round of live shows to sustain the momentum for SEE.
Bassist/vocalist Christian Wright dispatches with tour particulars:
“We are excited to take our project through the upper midwest, west coast, and SW this Fall, in support of our latest effort ‘See’, which was released in March via Metal Assault. We can’t wait to catch up with friends, family, and peers both new and old along our journey. We have solid local support for the whole run and are thankful for those who helped in any way through the booking process. Community is key.
Our dear friends Dustlord (Tulsa, OK) will be joining us for the first six dates, and Grail (Phoenix, AZ) will be with us on the three Arizona dates. We extend a very special thanks to them. We are doing “An evening with” in Marfa, TX, which will likely include some heavy psych improv as well as new material. This will be a first for us and a glorious way to re-enter our home state of Texas. We look forward to seeing you out on the road.”
Temptress – Fall Tour 2023: Oct. 04 – Joplin, MO @ Blackthorn # Oct. 05 – Des Moines, IA @ Hull Ave Tavern # Oct. 06 – Madison, WI @ The Wisco # Oct. 07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Studio B # Oct. 08 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s # Oct. 09 – Kansas City, MO @ Minibar # Oct. 11 – Denver, CO @ The Crypt Oct. 12 – SLC, UT @ Aces High Saloon Oct. 13 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Oct. 14 – Moscow, ID @ Mikeys Oct. 15 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse Oct. 17 – Olympia, WA @ Cryptatropa Bar Oct. 18 – Portland, OR @ High Water Mark Oct. 19 – Medford, OR @ Johnny B’s Oct. 20 – Oakland, CA @ The Golden Bull Oct. 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Kilowatt Bar Oct. 22 – Sacramento, CA @ Old Ironsides Oct. 25 – Las Vegas, NV @ Dive Bar Oct. 26 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing Oct. 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Oct. 28 – San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club Oct. 29 – Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room ** Oct. 30 – Tucson, AZ @ House Of Bards ** Oct. 30 – Bisbee, AZ @ The Quarry ** Nov. 01 – ABQ, NM @ (TBA) Nov. 02 – Taos, NM @ Mercury House Nov. 04 – Marfa, TX @ Planet Marfa Nov. 05 – San Angelo, TX @ The Deadhorse
# w/ Dustlord / ** w/ Grail
Temptress: Kelsey Wilson – Guitar, Vocals Andi Cuda – Drums, Vocals Christian Wright – Bass, Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 26th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
After supporting Earth last month and gigging with the touring Cortége in their native Boise, Idaho, melodic progressive heavy rockers Ealdor Bealu entered The Chop Shop to begin recording their fourth long-player, presumably for release sometime next year. The band comprised of guitarist/vocalists Carson Russell (also Ghorot) and Travis Abbott (also Sawtooth Monk), bassist/vocalist Rylie Collingwood and new drummer Cameron Elgart (also guitar in Crush the Monster) are now finished at least with some part of that process, having spent four days working with Andy Agenbroad on the follow-up to 2022’s Psychic Forms (review here), which came out through Metal Assault Records and whose echoing strains I don’t even have to put on to hear in my head. Not a complaint.
Questions abound. What does the new album hold and what’s next and is there more to do — overdubs? on to mixing/mastering? timeline on the release? — and what’s the big show they’re about to announce later this week, perhaps even seven or so minutes after this post goes live if my usual luck for these things holds? Well, this is usually the part where I tell you I sent the band a message or something to find all this stuff out, but the truth is I keep up pretty vigorously on Ealdor Bealu‘s doings, and after a while it kind of starts to feel a little stalker-ish. Like, maybe this band from more than halfway across the country has something better to do than field who-what-when-wheres from my couchbound ass. Maybe for today we can just be stoked the recording is nearly done and leave it at that? Yeah? Cool.
Here’s what they had to say for the time being, emojis and all:
That’s a wrap on 4 incredible days recording at The Chop Shop recording services!! It was such a pleasure to reunite with the legendary Andy Agenbroad, a consummate professional and an excellent human being (#128420#)
One more short session to go next Monday and we’ll have this thing in the bag!! Next up will be Z.V. House of Rabbitbrush Audio on the mix, can’t wait to see this music continue to evolve and grow (#127926#)
Next Ealdor Bealu show will be announced later this week, and it’s gonna be a BANGER!! Stay tuned…
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 10th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
You know what? I’d really like to see this band. Like, right now, for this record. I have no idea if their touring plans would ever bring them to the Eastern Seaboard, but listening back to their 2022 third album, Psychic Forms (review here), I sure wouldn’t argue against showing up if they did. I guess something like the Fire in the Mountains fest is ideal for their sound, but honestly, I’d take it as it comes. Happy to make my own ritual out of whatever show I’m lucky enough to see.
Maybe I’ll run into them somewhere, sometime, ever, but they’ve got three killer records to their credit now, so hell yes. Show up to that show and maybe they’ll tour more. Don’t make me book a thing. Nobody wants that, me least of all.
From the PR wire:
EALDOR BEALU Announce Upcoming Southwest US Tour In Support Of The New Album Psychic Forms
EALDOR BEALU is a progressive stoner rock quartet from the high desert of Boise, ID. With a focus on shifting dynamics from the ambient to the massive and back again, their sound expands beyond the boundaries of genre to create a mosaic of sonic praise. EALDOR BEALU are preparing to embark on their Southwest US tour this Autumn.
The band comments:
“We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming 2022 Southwest US Tour in support of our new record Psychic Forms, out on vinyl/cd/digital via Metal Assault Records! We’ll be hitting a ton of new cities on this run, and can’t wait to venture west for shows with GREEN DRUID, TEMPTRESS, DESTROYER OF LIGHT, and tons of other killer bands!”
The band’s first full-length offering Dark Water At The Foot Of The Mountain (Independent 2017) drew local, regional, and even international praise as a standout debut offering. With the release of EALDOR BEALU’s sophomore full-length album Spirit Of The Lonely Places on July 20th 2019 on vinyl/digital the band has seen new levels of success around the globe. The band took a step further in that direction, with the signing to Metal Assault Records in July 2021. The signing announcement was accompanied by the label immediately issuing Spirit Of The Lonely Places on CD.
EALDOR BEALU made a successful appearance at Treefort Music Fest in their hometown in March 2022, and shortly after, on April 22 2022, the band released their third full-length studio album, Psychic Forms, via Metal Assault Records, on digital, CD and vinyl.
Psychic Forms is streaming on all digital platforms, and is available for purchase on digital download, CD and vinyl formats via ealdorbealu.bandcamp.com.
Tour Dates:
10.6 Pocatello, ID SIXES 10.7 Denver, CO HI-DIVE (with Green Druid) 10.8 Wichita, KS Barleycorn’s 10.9 Dallas, TX RUINS (with Megafauna and Temptress) 10.10 Austin, TX Sagebrush (with Destroyer of Light) 10.11 San Angelo, TX The Dead Horse 10.12 El Paso, TX The Rockhouse 10.13 Albuquerque, NM Moonlight Lounge 10.14 Phoenix, AZ Yucca Tap Room 10.15 Las Vegas, NV The Usual Place
Festival Appearances:
August 27 Crucial Fest 2022 Salt Lake City, UT Metro Music Hall with MIZMOR, MARISSA NADLER, THE OTOLITH, and more
September 23-25 Flipside Fest 2022 Garden City, ID
EALDOR BEALU is: Carson Russell: Guitar, Vocals Rylie Collingwood: Bass, Vocals Travis Abbott: Guitar, Vocals Michael Mulcock: Drums
Ealdor Bealu release their third full-length, Psychic Forms, April 22 as their first offering through Metal Assault Records. The still above comes from one of the very last shots from the band’s video for album-closer “Mirror Reflecting Mirror,” which you can see premiering below, and while certainly the image of guitarist/vocalist Carson Russell (also of Ghorot) holding a sign that reads ‘the end is nigh’ is relevant to the storyline that accompanies the eight-minute track, if you want to get a real sense of where the band are coming from in terms of style and message, look at those fucking mountains behind him. They’re way up, out of town, high Rocky Mountains, their points looming, present even at a distance. If you want to hear those mountains beckoning, Ealdor Bealu — Russell, bassist/vocalist Rylie Collingwood, guitarist/vocalist Travis X. Abbott (also Sawtooth Monk) and new drummer Michael Mulcock — do a pretty good job of translation across the fluidly executed and at times surprisingly lush five songs and 40 minutes that comprise Psychic Forms. They are the very definition of the earthy ethereal. Mountain pastoralism. And they’re not hiding it. It’s right there on the album cover.
Psychic Forms follows three years after 2019’s Spirit of the Lonely Places (review here), and is in some ways less up front about its sense of communion, but as opener and longest track (immediate points) “Be Ye Gone” unfurls with a multi-tiered progression of acoustic and electric guitar and adds vocals not so much to beat the listener over the head with verses and hooks, but to add to the atmosphere, it proves to be Ealdor Bealu‘s most expansive production to-date, reaching outward in ways that the prior release seemed to turn its meditative crux inward. No complaints with that offering, or 2017’s Dark Water at the Foot of the Mountain (review here) for that matter, but Psychic Forms works smoothly to convey high-altitude warmth, the crispness of the guitar evocative of a light breeze, the thoughtful changes and shifts progressive in tone and structure, moving into a solo-topped heavier push that comes together to remind just a bit of Valley of the Sun‘s “Riding the Dunes” in its rhythmic urgency. Given the span of time between Ealdor Bealu‘s second album and the third, one wonders if there isn’t an escapist impulse playing out in the material as well.
The video for “Mirror Reflecting Mirror,” which is the second single from Psychic Forms behind the opener, nods in its narrative to escapism as well, with the band as a supporting cast. Fair enough, frankly. Though like “Fade into Nothing” earlier on, “Mirror Reflecting Mirror” veers into some shredding guitar and bombast before three of its eight minutes are up, the bulk of the impression Ealdor Bealu are looking to make is in the atmosphere and mood of the piece, as the balance of vocals in the mix as well as the more languid groove that takes hold demonstrate. With Collingwood echoing out soothing “ooh”s as they move into the last comedown and strums, any and all freneticism is gone, and just maybe they’ve arrived at that other place for which they’ve seemed all along to present such a longing — even if that’s not necessarily how it works out in the video. In any case, between “Be Ye Gone” and “Mirror Reflecting Mirror,” Psychic Forms heathen dances and twists through “Fade into Nothing,” the centerpiece “Way of the Sudden Storm” and “Laid on Display,” bringing individualist purpose to an aural ideology that is classically heavy and yet brought to bear as informed by the modern prog of Elder, a European folk-metal aesthetic and a deep sense of Americana as well. From the graceful manner in which “Way of the Sudden Storm” executes its midpoint sweep to its last drift into the highlight serenity in the opening moments of “Laid on Display,” which will bring forth its crunch in its own time thank you very much, the forward steps the band are taking as a collective are considered, plotted skillfully, and presented to the listener with an intention toward immersion and communicating identity through sound.
And while Psychic Forms is declarative in that way, it does not impose. The shove in “Be Ye Gone” is gentle — answered with nearly-subconscious-seeming symmetry in “Mirror Reflecting Mirror” — and even at its most forceful, “Fade into Nothing” uses heft and intensity — you’ll note the screams late for a touch of blackened extremity amid the solo — as means rather than ends, and for however much time they spend exploring the air around them, Ealdor Bealu refuse to lose their footing. This dynamic, perhaps with Mulcock shifting the chemistry somewhat as a new member of the band, still feels built off their prior accomplishments, but the fluidity of “Way of the Sudden Storm” alone is enough to demonstrate the clarity with which they approach their craft. Psychic Forms is consciousness speaking to the organic. Not light on ambition by any means, but the scope of shimmering highs and dug-in lows realizes the aims of Psychic Forms in such a way as to be wholly satisfying and almost impressionistic in its brush strokes. They are not necessarily telling you at any moment where they’re putting you, but you end up there and they’re ready to greet you just the same. The listening experience is ultimately rewarding in proportion with the effort one puts into it. To engage and be engaged.
As to Russell‘s message in the sign above, I might only argue that ‘the end,’ such as it is, is neither one thing nor ‘near’ as much as unfolding on multiple fronts before our unwilling-to-see-it eyes. No shortage, then, of fodder for escapism. May the world that Ealdor Bealu seem to find in this music actually come to pass.
And if there’s any message being delivered here, it is the old adage: quit your fucking job.
Off we go:
Ealdor Bealu, “Mirror Reflecting Mirror” video premiere
We’re thrilled to finally announce that our new album Psychic Forms will be released into the world on Friday, April 22nd on Vinyl/CD/Digital via Metal Assault Records!! Recorded in Boise, ID by Z.V. House of Rabbit Brush Audio and mastered by the legend himself James Plotkin, Psychic Forms is the strongest album Ealdor Bealu has ever achieved in all aspects of song craft, performance, and production. It is also our first offering with new drummer Michael Mulcock steering the rhythm section to prolific and uncharted territory, as well as our first to be fully supported by a record label. Metal Assault Records has an incredibly creative and formidable roster, and we’re honored to be able to work with this rapidly growing label on our new album.
The majestic, sprawling gate-fold artwork for the record was created by Italy’s Leoncio Harmr, and lends itself perfectly to the diverse and unpredictable album it bears. Always with a mind toward the natural world around us, but steeped in the intricacies of our own human existence and struggles, Psychic Forms delves deep into the path Ealdor Bealu has carved out over these past 7 years all the while pushing toward bold and surprising new realms.
Track Listing:
Be Ye Gone 9:28 Fade into Nothing 8:15
Way of the Sudden Storm 7:05 Laid on Display 7:04 Mirror Reflecting Mirror 8:07
Recorded & Mixed by Z.V. House @ Rabbit Brush Audio (Boise, ID) Mastered by James Plotkin Album Art by Leoncio Harmr Album Layout by Adam Rosenlund
Ealdor Bealu is: Carson Russell: Guitar, Vocals Rylie Collingwood: Bass, Vocals Travis Abbott: Guitar, Vocals Michael Mulcock: Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 10th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Brazen in its forward reach, the upcoming third album, Psychic Forms, by Boise, Idaho, four-piece Ealdor Bealu, is set to release April 22 through Metal Assault Records. And oh my goodness. Its five tracks run a particularly gorgeous and progressive 40-minute stretch, and with preorders coming Feb. 18, I know word’s out early here, but wow this record right on. With vocal contributions from guitarists Carson Russell (also Ghorot) and Travis X. Abbott (also Sawtooth Monk) as well as bassist Rylie Collingwood — I never realized how many double-letters there were in this band; I wonder if drummer Michael Mulcock feels left out, though at least he’s got some alliteration — their earthen psychedelic procession has never sounded more vital or patient in its flow and you’ll pardon me if I just cut to the chase, save the review for the review, and tell you that it’s already on my best of 2022 list.
So think of this as a heads up, or a keep-your-eyes-peeled or just a more-to-come if you want. Whatever gets you there. There’s no audio from Psychic Forms yet to share, much to my chagrin — opener “Be Ye Gone” makes the point beautifully and will serve as the lead single next month — but 2019’s Spirit of the Lonely Places (review here), which was also one of that year’s favorite offerings, is streaming below to give you a base to work from as it seems they’ve also done.
Go ahead:
EALDOR BEALU – Psychic Forms – April 22
New Full-Length Album(3rd): Psychic Forms Release Date: Friday April, 22nd 2022 First Single/Vinyl Pre-Order: Friday February, 18th 2022
Record Label: Metal Assault Records (LA) Medium: 200 Multi-Color Vinyl, 200 CD, Digital Recorded and Mixed by: Z.V. House @ Rabbit Brush Audio (Boise, ID) Mastered by: James Plotkin Album Artwork: Leoncio Harmr
We’re thrilled to finally announce that our new album Psychic Forms will be released into the world on Friday, April 22nd on Vinyl/CD/Digital via Metal Assault Records!! Recorded in Boise, ID by Z.V. House of Rabbit Brush Audio and mastered by the legend himself James Plotkin, Psychic Forms is the strongest album Ealdor Bealu has ever achieved in all aspects of song craft, performance, and production. It is also our first offering with new drummer Michael Mulcock steering the rhythm section to prolific and uncharted territory, as well as our first to be fully supported by a record label. Metal Assault Records has an incredibly creative and formidable roster, and we’re honored to be able to work with this rapidly growing label on our new album.
The majestic, sprawling gate-fold artwork for the record was created by Italy’s Leoncio Harmr, and lends itself perfectly to the diverse and unpredictable album it bears. Always with a mind toward the natural world around us, but steeped in the intricacies of our own human existence and struggles, Psychic Forms delves deep into the path Ealdor Bealu has carved out over these past 7 years all the while pushing toward bold and surprising new realms.
The first single from Psychic Forms, Be Ye Gone, arrives on Friday, February 18th as well as the Vinyl Pre-Order kickoff via Metal Assault Records. Follow us on all platforms for tons of new content over the coming weeks and months as our album release draws closer!!
Track Listing:
Be Ye Gone 9:28 Fade into Nothing 8:15
Way of the Sudden Storm 7:05 Laid on Display 7:04 Mirror Reflecting Mirror 8:07
Ealdor Bealu is: Carson Russell: Guitar, Vocals Rylie Collingwood: Bass, Vocals Travis Abbott: Guitar, Vocals Michael Mulcock: Drums
Posted in Reviews on December 14th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Day two, huh? Don’t know about you, but I’m feeling positively groovy after yesterday’s initial round of 10 records en route to 50 by Friday, and maybe that’s all the better since there’s not only another round of 10 today, but 50 more awaiting in January. Head down, keep working. You know how it goes. Hope you find something cool in this bunch, and if not, stick around because there’s more to come. Never enough time, never enough riffs. Let’s get to it.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
Khemmis, Deceiver
Denver’s Khemmis are everything an American heavy metal band should be in 2021. The six-song Deceiver is the fourth LP from the band — now comprised of guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson, guitarist/vocalist Phil Pendergast and drummer Zach Coleman — and it soars and crushes in kind. It is no more doom than thrash or epic traditional metal, with sweeping choruses from opener “Avernal Gate” onward, and yet it is intense without being boorish, accessible without being dumbed-down, dynamic in presentation. It commits neither to genre nor structure but is born of both, and its well-timed arrangements of more extreme vocalizations on “House of Cadmus” and “Obsidian Crown” are no less vital to its sonic persona than the harmonies surrounding. Even more here than on 2018’s Desolation (review here), Khemmis sound like masters of the form — the kind of band who’d make a kid want to pick up a guitar — and are in a class of their own.
Somebody in Toronto’s Low Orbit likes Dr. Who, as signaled by inclusions like “Tardis” and “Timelord” on the trio’s third album, Crater Creator. Also huge riffs. Working with their hometown’s house helmer Ian Blurton (Rough Spells, Future Now, Biblical, etc.), guitarist/vocalist Angelo Catenaro, bassist Joe Grgic and drummer Emilio Mammone proffer seven songs across two-sides bent toward largesse of chug and spaciousness of… well, space. The opening title-track, which moves into the lumbering “Tardis” and the driving side-A-capper “Sea of See,” sets an expectation for massive tonality that the rest of what follows meets with apparent glee. The fuzz-forward nature of “Monocle” (also the cowbell) feels straightforward after the relative plod of “Empty Space” before it, but “Wormhole” and “Timelord” assure the mission’s overarching success, the latter with aplomb fitting its finale position on such a cosmically voluminous offering. Craters accomplished, at least in eardrums.
One assumes that the Cthulhu figure depicted breaking a lighthouse with its cthrotch on the cover art of Confusion Master‘s Haunted is intended as a metaphor for the coming of the German four-piece’s engrossing psychedelic doom riffery. The band, who made their debut with 2018’s Awaken (review here), owe some debt to Electric Wizard‘s misanthropic stoner nihilism, but the horrors crafted across the six-song/56-minute sophomore outing are their own in sound and depth alike, as outwardly familiar as the lumbering central riff of “The Cannibal County Maniac” might seem. It’s amazing I haven’t heard more hype about Confusion Master, with the willful slog of “Jaw on a Hook”‘s 11 minutes so dug in ahead of the sample-topped title-track you can’t really call it anything other than righteous in its purpose, as filthy as that purpose is on the rolling “Casket Down” or “Under the Sign of the Reptile Master.” Shit, they don’t even start vocals until minute six of 10-minute opener “Viking X.” What more do you want? Doom the fuck out.
Sludge metal punishment serves as the introductory statement of Los Angeles’ Daemonelix, whose Devil’s Corkscrew EP runs just 18 minutes and four songs but needs no more than that to get its message across. The band, led by guitarist Derek Phillips, are uniformly brash and scathing in their composition, harnessing the punkish energy of an act like earlier -(16)- and bringing it to harsher places altogether, while still — as the motor-ready riff of “In the Name of Freedom” demonstrates — keeping one foot in heavy rock traditions. Vocalist Ana Garcia Lopez is largely indecipherable in her throaty, rasping growls on opener “Daemonelix” and the subsequent “Raise Crows,” but “In the Name of Freedom” has a cleaner hook and closer “Sing for the Moon” brings in more atmospherics during its slower, more open-feeling verses, before crushing once more in a manner that’s — dare I say it? — progressive? Clearly more than just bludgeoning, then, but yes, plenty of that too.
While I’ll admit that Wooden Fields had me on board with the mere mention of the involvement of Siena Root bassist Sam Riffer, the Stockholm trio’s boogie-prone seven-song self-titled debut earns plenty of allegiance on its own, with vocalist/guitarist Sartez Faraj leading the classically-grooving procession in a manner that expands outward as it moves through the album’s tidy 38 minutes, taking the straight-ahead rush of “Read the Signs” and “Shiver and Shake” into the airier-but-still-grounded “Should We Care” before centerpiece “I’m Home” introduces a jammier vibe, drummer Fredrik Jansson Punkka (Witchcraft, etc.) seeming totally amenable to holding the track together beneath the extended solo. The transition works because no matter how far they go in “Don’t Be a Fool” or “Wind of Hope,” Wooden Fields never lose the thread of songcraft they weave throughout, and the melodies of closer “Endless Time” alone establish them as a group of marked potential, regardless of pedigree and the familiarity of their stylistic foundation.
Surging forth with lush progressive heavy psychedelic rock, Plaindrifter‘s debut full-length, Echo Therapy, showcases an awareness of the context in which it arrives — which is to say the German three-piece seem to be familiar with the aesthetic tropes they’re working toward. Still, although their emphasis on bringing together melody and heft may result in flashes of Elder in the extended “Prisma” or the closer “Digital Dreamcatcher” or Elephant Tree in “New World,” with opener “M.N.S.N.” making its impression as much with ambience as tonal weight and centerpiece “Proto Surfer Boy” sneakily executing its linear build in space-creating fashion before its long fadeout, there’s an individual presence in the material beyond a play toward style, and from what they offer here, it’s easy to imagine their forward-thinking course will lead to further manifest individualism in subsequent work. That may be me reading into the possibilities cast by the melodies of “M.N.S.N.” and in the quieter break of “Proto Surfer Boy,” but that’s plenty to go on and by no means the sum of Echo Therapy‘s achievements.
The kind of release that makes me want to own everything the band has done, Spawn‘s Live at Moonah Arts Collective enraptures with four tracks of meditative psychedelic flow, beginning with “Meditation in an Evil Temple” and oozing patiently through a cover of “Morning of the Earth” — from the 1971 Australian surf film of the same name — before “Remember to Be Here Now” issues that needed reminder to coincide with the drift that would otherwise so easily lead the mind elsewhere, and the 13-minute “All is Shiva” culminates with a spiritually-vibing wash of guitar, sitar, bass, drums, keyboard, tabla and tantric vocal repetitions. Based in Melbourne, the seven-maybe-more-piece outfit released a studio EP in 2018 on Nasoni Records (of course) and otherwise have a demo to their credit, but the with the sense of communion they bring to these songs, studio or live doesn’t matter anymore. At just under half an hour, it’s a short set — too short — but with the heavier ending of “All is Shiva,” there’s nothing they leave unsaid in that time. This is aural treasure. Pay heed.
Formed as a solo-project for Sterling DeWeese, the lo-fi experimentalist psych of Ambassador Hazy‘s Glacial Erratics first showed up in 2020 after four years of making, and with a 2021 vinyl release, the 14-track/39-minute offering would seem to be getting its due. DeWeese — sometimes on his own, sometimes backed by a full band or just drummer Jonathan Bennett — delights in the weird, finding a place somewhere between desert-style drift (his vocals remind at times of mellower Mario Lalli, but I doubt that’s more than coincidence), folk and space-indie on “Ain’t the Same No More,” which is somehow bluesy while the fuzzy “Lucky Clover” earlier taps alterna-chic bedroom gaze and the subsequent “Passing into a Grey Area” brings in full backing for the first time. Disjointed? Yeah, but it’s part of the whole idea, so don’t sweat it. No single song tops four minutes — the Dead Meadowy “Sleepyhead” comes closest at 3:51 — and it ends with “The World’s a Mess,” so yeah, DeWeese makes it easy enough to roll with what’s happening here. I’d suggest doing that.
A wildly ambitious debut — to the point of printing up a novella to flesh out its storyline and characters — The Birth of Billy Munro follows a narrative spearheaded by Mocaine guitarist/vocalist Amrit Mohan and is set in the American South following its title-character through a post-traumatic mental decay with material that runs a gamut from progressive metal to psychedelia to classic Southern heavy rock and grunge and so on. In just 43 minutes and with a host of dialogue-driven stretches — also samples like Alec Baldwin talking about his god complex from 1993’s Malice in the soon-to-be-churning “Narcissus” — the plot is brought to a conclusion on “The Bend,” which touches lighter acoustics and jazzy nuance without letting go entirely of the ’90s flair in “Psylocybin” a few tracks earlier, as far removed from the swaggering “Pistol Envy” as it seems to be, and in fact is. However deep the listener might want to explore, Mocaine seems ready to accommodate, and one only wonders whether the trio will explore further tales of Billy Munro or move on to other stories and concepts.
Toronto riffers Sun Below would like to be your entertainment for the evening, and they’d probably prefer it if you were also stoned. Their 71-minute self-titled debut long-player arrives after a series of three shorter offerings between 2018-2019, and after the opening “Chronwall Neanderhal,” the 14-minute “Holy Drifter” lets you know outright how it’s gonna go. They’re gonna vibe, they’re gonna jam, they’re gonna riff, and your brain’s gonna turn to goo and that’s just fine. Stoner is as stoner does, and whether that’s on a shorter track like “Shiva Sativa,” the shuffling “Kinetic Keif” and the rumbling “Doom Stick,” or the 18-minute “Twin Worlds” that follows ahead of the 12-minute closer “Solar Burnout,” one way or the other, you get gargantuan, post-Pike riffage that knows from whence its grooves come and doesn’t care it’s going to roll out an hour-plus anyway and steamroll lucidity in the process. Is that a bongrip at the end of “Solar Burnout” or the end of the world? More to the point, can’t it be both?
Posted in Questionnaire on October 27th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
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: Derek Phillips of Daemonelix
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I would have to say I am a musician first. Most things in my life revolve around music and have provided opportunities to connect with a lot of unique individuals.
Describe your first musical memory.
The them to Buck Rodgers.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
A Pantera concert where I met Layne from Alice In Chains and caught Vinnie Paul’s drum stick at the end of their set.
Slayer at the L.A. sports arena. People were tearing the seat cushions off their chairs and tossing them around like frisbees. Biggest mosh pit I have ever seen in my life.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I tend to be rather passive. Playing music with other people, you have to be open to their interpretation of the music you make with them. It’s not going to be exactly how you envision it. That goes for people’s personalities & beliefs as well. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts. My beliefs have changed over the years. I try to be open minded about life.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Happiness.
How do you define success?
Making a living doing what you love.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
A video clip of a man getting his hand/ foot sliced off for stealing. It ruined my evening.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
The worst album ever created. I’m sure it will be a huge success and that’s what I’ll be known for, that turd of a record, and have to go out and play the worst music ever created for weeks on end.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To bring people together.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 9th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Good pickup. Don’t look now, but Metal Assault Records seems to be making a play into heavy-underground territory over these last few months, and snagging Bengaluru sludgers Bevar Sea for the 2022 release of the band’s return album, The Timeless Zone — you might recall they posted the title-track as a single earlier this year — and more releases beyond is just the latest of them. Old Blood, Circle of Sighs, Ealdor Bealu, Solar Haze, and now Bevar Sea — there’s a lot to dig about both the stylistic variety among that list of acts and the overall quality of work they represent. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out, if the Los Angeles-based imprint keeps the thread going from here, and if so, who might be next.
I like watching labels build rosters over time. Especially good ones. I like it when nice things happen to cool bands. So yeah, I’m grooving on this announcement. Kudos all around. Can’t wait to hear the record.
The PR wire has it:
India’s premier stoner doom rockers BEVAR SEA sign with Metal Assault Records
New album ‘The Timeless Zone’ expected early 2022
Metal Assault Records is thrilled to announce its first international signing. All the way from Bangalore, India stoner/doom metal band BEVAR SEA joins the Metal Assault Records roster. Stalwarts of the Indian stoner doom scene for well over a decade in addition to carrying a solid fanbase internationally within the heavy underground, BEVAR SEA has inked a multi-album deal with Metal Assault Records and will release the band’s third full-length studio album, The Timeless Zone, in early 2022. Album pre-orders will be launched in Fall 2021. The stunning cover artwork created for the album along with its track-list were unveiled earlier this week by BEVAR SEA and can be seen below. More details surrounding the pre-orders for The Timeless Zone including available formats and exclusive merchandise bundles will be made available in the coming weeks. For a preview of The Timeless Zone and a taste of the BEVAR SEA sound, stream the official lyric video for the album title track and lead single below.
The Timeless Zone track listing: 1. The Timeless Zone 2. Alpha None 3. Sterilise The Divide 4. The Circle 5. Kiss The Sigh 6. Cadaver Awake
On signing BEVAR SEA, Metal Assault Records owner Andrew Bansal states: “This one is special, and close to home (literally). When I briefly moved from Los Angeles to India in 2012-13, little did I know that I’d get to discover this amazing band. I happened to attend a gig in Mumbai wherein I got to see Bevar Sea live for the first time. It was their debut album release show and they left an indelible impression on me with their musicianship and performance that night. I made sure to attend as many of their shows as I could, particularly the ones in their hometown of Bangalore. Even after moving back to the US in 2013, I kept track of Bevar Sea’s progress and stayed in touch with the band members. Fast forward to 2021, they are now signed to my label and I could not be more excited!”
BEVAR SEA issued the following statement in celebration of their signing with Metal Assault Records. “Having managed the first two releases ourselves and having seen where most of our fans and orders come from, we looked out for a North America or Europe based label to release The Timeless Zone, essentially to fix some of the issues we’ve had with worldwide distribution and logistics, and also to allow us to focus more on the music itself. We’ve known Andrew as a friend and a fan for many years, and quick trivia, he was also our manager for a short while back in 2012, so his label and its diverse roster is an ideal match for us for this album and beyond.”
Established in 2008, BEVAR SEA roared into the live scene in 2011. The following year, their eponymous album was released and earned them rave reviews worldwide along with the title of “Best Emerging Act” at the Rolling Stone Metal Awards India. BEVAR SEA also snapped up a performance slot at the coveted Maryland Deathfest in 2013. Their debut album was mixed and mastered by the legendary Billy Anderson. The enthralling 45-min hook-ladened stoner/doom experience quickly garnered the band a firm reputation among fans in their country and internationally. Album track “Abishtu” which tells the story of a serial killer out for hipster blood and on the run from the law quickly became a live show favorite among fans while the 14-min track “Mono Gnome” about a short-statured man and his love for a witch turned out to be the pick in the doom circles.
BEVAR SEA followed up their debut album with Invoke the Bizarre in 2015. Drifting into new sonic territories, the band recorded at a breakneck pace over 10 days at Adarsh Recording Studio to complete the album. Mixing and mastering duties were handled by Matt Lynch (LA’s Mysterious Mammal Recording, also from the incredible band Snail). Invoke the Bizarre was well received by music media and fans alike for its intricate song arrangements, unique story-telling and mature, well-rounded execution. Now, five years after releasing Invoke the Bizarre Bangalore’s BEVAR SEA utilized the Covid-19 imposed lockdown as an opportunity to regroup and begin working on their third studio album, The Timeless Zone. Against backdrop of enigmatic lyrics portraying a tryst with the consciousness of man during a period of deep introspection; The Timeless Zone pays homage to the glory years of the 70s and 80s hard rock era while keeping things heavy handed in a gloomy haze of gnarly guitar riffs, raspy vocals and apocalyptic fuzz. Expect even more crushing from BEVAR SEA amidst the arrival of The Timeless Zone slated for release early 2022 on Metal Assault Records.
BEVAR SEA The Timeless Zone lineup (2021): Ganesh Krishnaswamy – Vocals Srikanth Panaman – Guitars Michael Talreja – Guitars Avinash Ramchander – Bass
