With their issue of Horseback’s The Invisible Mountain full-length, Relapse gets a shot at exposing a vital and relative newcomer to a wider audience. First released through Utech Records last year, The Invisible Mountain is a stylistic amalgamation pulled off with striking poise by Horseback, the band moniker taken on by Chapel Hill, North Carolina, artist Jenks Miller, who combines ambient drone and the occasional bout of stoner riffing with harsh black metal vocals. The Invisible Mountain is Horseback’s second full-length (Miller also releases material under his own name), and with four tracks all over six minutes long, it’s an album that takes its time unfolding but has a sense of immediacy nonetheless.

In many ways, it’s saved by the mix. Were Miller’s vocals not relatively buried and were the ambient guitar layers not brought to the fore, The Invisible Mountain would be completely intolerable. As it is, fans of Grails and post-metal types will find plenty to latch onto with Horseback. I wouldn’t go as far as to call the music experimental, because Miller isn’t really doing anything that hasn’t been done in any of the styles he’s toying with and melding, but on a conceptual level, Horseback could be breaking new ground. Opener “Invokation” doesn’t seem to be anything special, just a doomy riffer with some thick bottom end and rolling drums, but when Miller comes in with the vocals, it gets obvious real quick that Horseback isn’t just another post-doom outfit. Think darker Wino guitars with Attila Csihar singing over them and you’ll have some idea of where “Invokation” is going.

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News to me they were reuniting at all, but Kirk Fisher of North Carolina sludgers Buzzov*en issued an update in April and there were recently some tour dates posted, so it’s on. Can a Buzzov*en reunion ever live up to the chaos and volatility that has by now become the legend of their shows? I suppose we’ll all have to find out together.

Here’s the news from Fisher (who these days goes by Kirk Lloyd) and the dates, as found on the Tone Deaf Touring site:

So as time flies by as it does so often these days we are coming closer to the preparation of the upcoming US tour this fall. Guitar player from the EP The Gospel According to… Craig Baker recently appeared after I had presumed him dead or lost for good and it’s possible he may be playing on the Fall gigs. At a Loss is almost ready to hit the shelves again but this time with the addition of vinyl. Emetic Records is reissuing it. And on another note Hydra Head Records is finally gonna officially release Revelation:Sick again hopefully by the time we do our first shows in September. Things are coming together and I will also be doing some k.lloyd shows during some of these outings with Buzzov*en so stay tuned as dates should be announced here very soon. Also new merch is coming under a new merch company run by us. This should be up and new designs available within the next month or so. Thanks to everyone for their support and I’m hoping to see all of you this fall out on the road. Later, Kirk Lloyd

09/25 Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte NC
09/29 Reggies Rock Club, Chicago IL
09/30 Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard the Temptress, New York NY
10/01 Ottobar, Baltimore MD
10/02 Emo’s, Austin TX

Speaking of bands heavily influenced by Hawkwind, the PR wire informs that North Carolina upstarts U.S. Christmas — who as I understand it are all the rage with the kids these days — will have a new album out on Neurot come September 20. I still consider myself in the “I just don’t get it” camp when it comes to these guys, but rumor has it they’ve got a whole new lineup, so maybe Run Thick in the Night is the record that’ll turn me around.

Here’s the latest:

Neurot Recordings is proud to unleash the latest full-length from psychedelic, high-volume blues rock ensemble U.S. Christmas on September 20. Titled Run Thick in the Night, the band’s fifth long player was recorded by Sanford Parker at FahrenheitStudio in Johnson City, Tennessee, mixed by Parker and USX members Nate Hall, Matt Johnson and Josh Holt at Semaphore Studios in Chicago, IL and mastered by Collin Jordan.

Run Thick in the Night track listing
1. In the Night
2. Wolf on Anareta
3. Fire is Sleeping
4. Fonta Flora
5. Ephraim in the Stars
6. The Leonids
7. Suzerain
8. Maran
9. The Quena
10. Deep Green
11. Devil’s Flower in Mother Winter
12. Mirror Glass
13. The Moon in Flesh and Bone

U.S. Christmas will kick off the weekend performing two special shows with Corrosion of Conformity before heading out on a handful of one-off performances in September throughout North Carolina including at stop at the Hopscotch Music Fest in Raleigh. The fest features countless artists from all genres including Weedeater, Harvey Milk and Public Enemy. Confirmed dates below. Further dates TBA.

U.S. Christmas live:
7/30/2010 Stella Blue – Asheville, NC w/ Corrosion of Conformity (Animosity lineup), Zoroaster, Righteous Fool
7/31/2010 The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC w/ Corrosion of Conformity (Animosity lineup) Black Tusk, Righteous Fool
9/05/2010 Static Age Records – Asheville, NC w/ Body and Enoch
9/11/2010 Hopscotch Music Fest – Raleigh NC
9/16/2010 Legitimate Business – Greensboro, NC w/ Caltrop
9/17/2010 The Milestone – Charlotte, NC w/ Caltrop

U.S. Christmas is:
Nate Hall – Guitars, Words, Vocals
Matt Johnson – Synthesizers, Guitars, Sounds
Chris Thomas – Guitars, Bass
BJ Graves – Drums
Justin Whitlow – Drums, Experimental Sounds
Josh Holt – Bass, Drones
Meghan Mulhearn – Violin

I gotta be honest, I don’t know what I like more about Hog, the free-for-all sludge or the name. It’s so simple, but it says so much about who the band are and what they do. If I came up to you on the street (wouldn’t that be awkward) and said, “Hey man, you gotta check out this band from North Carolina, they’re called Hog,” you’d have a pretty good idea of what you were getting into, right? I think that’s killer.

Hog have two demo tracks posted on their MySpace, “On the Eve of War” and “A Word is Born,” and yeah, they definitely sound like demos, but the recordings are clear enough for you to get an idea of what Hog are going for. They play a kind of post-Mastodon thrashing sludge (think Javelina, but a little riffier), hitting tempo changes on the quick to keep listeners on edge and making good use of R. James‘ lead guitar. They’re new school, yeah, and there are other bands out there doing this kind of thing, but I ask you, are they named Hog? No they are not. So there you go. Hog wins.

And it’s not like they’re annoyingly derivative. They just have some growing to do. According to the MySpace, they’re slated to head into the studio for a session with none other than Kylesa‘s Philip Cope at the helm. One imagines that someone of his boardly prowess should have no problem bringing the best out of a band like Hog, and that the righteous groove that caps off “A Word is Born” will be all the more lethal for time spent getting it right. Here’s looking forward to hearing how it all comes out.

It’s humid as hell here in the valley, where I’ll be staying until Sunday when I head back up to Vermont until August 7. Something about this weather always makes me think of sludge. It’s the water in the air and the feeling like there’s no escaping its brutality. Sourvein would seem to emphasize that musically, so here’s Tom Denney‘s video for “Seamerchant.” Sourvein are slated to have a new album out this Fall.

This weekend the August podcast goes up. Don’t miss it.

Anyone who’s around, I’ll be at the Lo-Pan/Devil to Pay show tomorrow night at Ace of Clubs in NYC. Going to be a fantastic time, I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I’ve seen Lo-Pan twice now and both times they’ve killed it, and when last I caught Devil to Pay, I walked out having bought three of their albums. So there you go. Hope to see you there.

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a great and safe weekend.

We close this week with a track off what’s commonly regarded as C.O.C.‘s worst album, America’s Volume Dealer. I chose it for a reason I’d rather keep personal (nothing tragic). There’s another version on the YouPipes with a picture of thrash band Hirax that stays up the whole time the song plays. I very nearly put that one up instead of this, just because it’s funny.

Plus, it’s America Weekend, and we all know there’s nothing more American than C.O.C. They’re like apple pie topped with smartbombs plastered with advertisements for penis enlargement capsules. That’s how American they are. Are you that American? I’m not. Next to C.O.C. I’m practically Uzbek.

Tumult next week as I make the aforementioned move to Vermont for a month, but that doesn’t happen until Wednesday so stick around anyway. I’ll have that interview with Zoroaster posted and a writeup on my visit to the studio with friends-of-the-site Kings Destroy. Good fun to be had.

Please be safe this weekend, and we’ll see you back here Monday.

Having never encountered either Flat Tires or The Asound (which I assume is like the sound, but opposite), I reveled in the chance to check out this Flat Tires vs. The Asound split 7” single on Tsuguri Records, and all the more so once I saw the Jeff Clayton (The Antiseen) cover art, which has Sasquatch fighting a giant eagle on it. If there’s a more perfect metaphor for the current state of affairs in our nation, folks, I don’t know what it is.

Both bands call North Carolina home, Flat Tires in Hickory and The Asound in Connelly’s Springs, so they have that in common. The Asound have a more straightforward riff rock approach and are the younger of the two bands, having formed in 2009, whereas Flat Tires, for all four and a half minutes (two songs) of material they present here, affect a well-established aesthetic combining outlaw country and hardcore punkabilly that’s quick, to the point, and on Flat Tires vs. The Asound, really, really misogynist. Take that, ladies.

Flat Tires opens with “G D Woman,” on which vocalist Clint Harrison, sounding like a combination Hank III, Unknown Hinson and drunken uncle, threatens in the direction of some female, “Get out of my face or I’ll have to punch you in your face,” which I found neither charming nor humorous. The band behind Harrison (Bryon Smallwood on guitar, Jeremy Godfrey on drums and Scott Cline on bass) rocks furious and fast in a heavy honky tonk ZZ Top kind of way on “Crybaby,” which is topped with more lyrical ladybashing, the chorus being, “Cry baby, cry baby, whine, whine, whine.” Uh huh. Okay.

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Apparently Black Skies released an EP called Hexagon last year through I’m Better Than Everyone Records on vinyl only, which explains why I never heard it. Nonetheless, the Chapel Hill natives are headed out on tour and it seems the very least I can do to post the dates. Just because you have no idea who they are doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go see them. Live a little. Check out their MySpace if you have to be prepared for everything.

This just off the PR wire:

North Carolina disciples of doom, Black Skies, are set to embark on a US tour throughout the month of July. Founding members Kevin Clark and Michelle Temple will be joined by ex-Des Ark drummer/Kevin’s former roommate Tim Herzog. Black Skies‘ new material retains the heaviness of their earlier work, with more dynamic song structures and a psychedelic edge creating a more interesting overall sound. Following the tour, the band will begin preparations for recording what they hope to be their best release to date.

Says guitarist Kevin Clark of the upcoming trek: “We’ve had our share of ups and downs over the past 12 months, but getting out West last year was without a doubt one of the better moments. We are thrilled to be heading out there again this summer, seeing the faces and places that made it such a blast. We played with a lot of great bands and met a lot of awesome souls with a true love and hunger for music. Those people are a big part of the drive for us to continue doing what we love to do, and we are eternally grateful for them.”

Black Skies tour dates:
6/27/2010 Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC (pre-tour kick off show)
7/01/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
7/02/2010 The Summit – Columbus, OH
7/03/2010 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
7/04/2010 The Frequency – Madison, WI
7/05/2010 Blue Moose Tap House – Iowa City, IA
7/06/2010 TBA – Lincoln, NE
7/07/2010 3 Kings Tavern – Denver, CO
7/08/2010 Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
7/09/2010 Rocky Canyon – Boise, ID
7/10/2010 The Comet – Seattle, WA
7/11/2010 Rotture – Portland, OR
7/12/2010 TBA – Ashland, OR
7/13/2010 The Hemlock Tavern – San Francisco, CA
7/14/2010 The Stork Club – Oakland, CA
7/15/2010 TBA – Cayucos, CA
7/16/2010 Relax Bar – Los Angeles, CA
7/17/2010 The Rogue Bar – Scottsdale, AZ
7/18/2010 Rio Grande Satanical Gardens – Albuquerque, NM
7/19/2010 TBA – Oklahoma City, OK
7/20/2010 Red 7 – Austin, TX
7/21/2010 TBA – New Orleans, LA
7/22/2010 The Nick – Birmingham, AL
7/23/2010 The Buccaneer Lounge – Memphis, TN
7/24/2010 Springwater Supper Club – Nashville, TN

An offshoot with four ex-members of the much-hyped North Carolinian outfit U.S. Christmas, Tasha-Yar (named for a character on Star Trek: The Next Generation) provide psychedelic ramble à la Lamp of the Universe‘s most active moments while at the same time reveling in the mellow vibes they manufacture. The six-piece played their first show at the end of April and have four tracks — one live, one improv — posted on their MySpace for listening now, which you’ll probably want to check out if you’re a fan of music that comes with its own peppermint swirls.

Spread over nearly nine minutes, “Formation of Being” does in fact have a structure, which builds the song gradually over time before bringing it back down again. Drummer Tim Greene stays more laid back on “Improv I: Time Within Motion,” letting the guitars ring out into cavernous sonic expanses. Vocals show up on the live track, “Flight of the Scanner,” which is shorter and more active in the modern Tee Pee Records sense, sounding like a more tripped-out Nebula, Naam or Ancestors. All of it very psychedelic, very mood-driven, very atmospheric in a natural kind of way.

As a matter of sheer preference and present mood, I’ll take the 6:45 planetary caravan ride of “Twisted Sage” over the jumpier sounds, the tracks seeming to draw the line between the two otherwise disparate sides of the band with John Presnell‘s bass warm and high in the mix, as it should be. With the double-guitar/synth work of Ben Teeter and Chad Davis (who also contributes vocals, though Joe Sample has lead on “Twisted Sage”) and the additional synths of Tom Devlin III, Tasha-Yar have ample room for the occasional freakout but never seem to lose sight of the spaces they’ve created. I don’t know what their plans are for more recordings (they do have a couple shows coming up), but their pedigree and their willingness to explore distant reaches makes them worth keeping on the radar.

If you’re wondering what might motivate three of thinky-thinky metal’s most luminous outfits – Steve Von Till’s Harvestman, Minsk and U.S. Christmas – to come together and put out a three-way split of 11 Hawkwind covers, the answer seems blindingly obvious: They all really like Hawkwind. Duh.

And with good reason, since that British band, who last year celebrated their 40th anniversary, are more or less the foundation on which multiple generations of space rock have been built and have had an unprecedented, unequaled influence on sonic psychedelia. Hell, I can’t even get through a space rock review without mentioning Hawkwind at least once. Why would Harvestman, Minsk and U.S. Christmas want to tribute to Hawkwind? Maybe the more appropriate question is “What took so long?”

What makes Neurot’s Hawkwind Triad unique, at least in a “Hey, we did something different” kind of way, is that the 11 tracks – divided four, four and three to U.S. Christmas, Harvestman and Minsk, respectively – aren’t divided by band. The Hawkwind Triad opens with U.S. Christmas, then follows with Harvestman, then Minsk, and so on, with no band ever having two tracks in a row (and Minsk bowing out after track seven) until the end of the album. The idea is that it should flow like a record instead of a three-way split, and it works in some spots better than others. But since they’re presenting the tracks in such a way as to mesh the three groups, I thought it might be fun to break them back up for a band-by-band review (the “prick” impulse strikes again). Observe:

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I can’t find any confirmation from the band, but according to Blabbermouth, Brian Walsby (of Manchild fame) has reported on his blog that Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman and Reed Mullin are back as a Pepper Keenan-less incarnation of C.O.C., apparently working on new material and scheduling shows.

I’ve always been partial to the post-Pepper stuff myself, but with Keenan having more or less left the rest of the band in the dust to play with Down full-time, it’s good to see Dean and Co. at least doing something. Here’s what Walsby had to say about it:

Corrosion of Conformity have apparently reformed, and are working on a new record. There are even some summertime shows lined up for the West Coast already and a few other things going on. Who is in the band?

For right now, it is the classic Animosity lineup: Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman and Reed Mullin. Really. This is pretty exciting news. Not only that, it is very strange to say the least. It will be pretty interesting to hear what they cook up. Also, Righteous Fool, the other band that Mike and Reed had started with Jason Browning (a really good guitarist in his own right) is still going to happen. A good deal of that band’s material is pretty damn good, with a few twisty turny almost math-rock tunes being quite good. So if that is any indication you should be hearing a lot of music coming from these three or four (or eventually five?) guys coming soon.

If there’s one aspect to all the Southern oppression and working class discrimination in this country, it’s that you just can’t keep some folks down. After blowing off his big toe whilst cleaning his favorite shotgun, one might think Weedeater‘s “Dixie” Dave Collins would just kind of sit back and feel bad about himself and hate the world for a while — you know, more than usual for a sludger. But no, he’s got a full US tour lined up and he’s rescheduled the sessions for Weedeater‘s new album, Jason… the Dragon, with none other than Steve Albini. Here’s to the spirit of persistence, and here’s the PR wire’s take on it:

North Carolina‘s Weedeater – in light of the recent loss of frontman Dave “Dixie” Collins‘ toe due to a self-inflicted gun-cleaning wound — have announced the routing for their upcoming US tour, now officially dubbed the “Nine Toe” Tour. The month long tour kicks off a week before this year’s SXSW, where Weedeater will headline the Tone Deaf Touring showcase on March 20th. Support bands for the tour include Black Cobra, ASG, Black Tusk, The Gates of Slumber, US Christmas, and Struck by Lightning.

The band will also enter with Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Studios in April to record their new release, titled Jason… The Dragon, to be released later this year again on Southern Lord.

Check out a full statement from the band regarding the tour and recording on the band’s MySpace page.

Because there are a lot of them, the tour dates are after the jump.

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I’m willing to wager it’s not homemade chocolate chip cookies, or puppies, or a Thank You card that says “Just Because” on the inside of it. Whatever else they’ve got in their vault, we can only assume it’s ugly, drug-addled and given to physical altercations. Seems to be the way it went with these guys.

They were only together for about a decade, but the chaotic legacy of North Carolinian sludge bastards Buzzov*en endures even as no one since has been able to capture quite the same level of fuck you-itude that seemed to come so naturally from vocalist/guitarist Kirk Fisher and the sundry musicians with which he surrounded himself throughout the band’s tenure. With the new Relapse collection, Violence from the Vault (Alternative Tentacles released the career-spanning Welcome to Violence in 2005), there surfaces five tracks recorded with Billy Anderson in 1995 featuring the same lineup as was on the 1994 Sore full-length.

Some version of “Mainline” was previously released on the 1997 The Gospel According… II EP, and “Nod” appeared on a ’96 split with Sourvein, but “Paintake,” “Breed” and “I Never” seem to have been unearthed for the first time. The sound is raw, with plenty of cassette wobble in “Breed” and a general tin-can feeling throughout, but who ever listened to Buzzov*en for the pristine production value? When I’m waist deep in the nearly 16-minute noise/drone/slow-riff/screaming stretch of “Nod,” clarity of sound is the last thing on my mind. Making it out alive is much more of a primary focus.

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And how did Weedeater frontman “Dixie” Dave Collins blow off his big toe? Oh, he was cleaning his favorite shotgun. For any of you non-American Obelisk attendees out there, let me explain something to you: this shit happens in this country. All the time. We are all fucking insane, and in case you haven’t watched the news, um, ever, incredibly dangerous people, even to ourselves. Hell, especially to ourselves. Especially ourselves and brown people. Actually, to pretty much everyone.

While I don’t necessarily have a favorite shotgun (or a gun at all, let alone many, which would necessitate an entire rack), my heart goes out to ol’ Nine Toe Collins, who obviously didn’t intend on shooting his toe off, and finds his plans to record with Steve Albini similarly obliterated. It’s a bummer all around. Here’s what the band, via the PR wire, had to say about it:

Hi folks,
As most of you know, here in the Weedeater camp we pride ourselves on a long tradition of shooting our band in the proverbial foot right before we’re supposed to do something important. Whether it’s a big tour, a recording session, or whatever else we’re supposed to do, invariably we will find some way to try and thwart our grandiose plans. Well, it’s no different for this recording session, except that this time we really did shoot ourselves in the foot. In fact we regret to inform all of you that this weekend, Dixie Dave shot his big toe off whilst cleaning his favorite shotgun. Yup, that’s right. When reached for comment, Mr. Collins gave a quote that speaks for itself: ‘It wasn’t my intention to shoot off my big toe. This really fucking sucks and the pain is unbearable.’

Mr. Collins’ doctors have advised that he is to be bed-ridden for the next few weeks during his recovery. This will obviously affect the recording session (and the few surrounding shows in Jan./Feb.), which will now have to be postponed until after the March/April “nine-toe” tour. Said tour is still 100 percent on, however, so check back soon for updates on venues and exact dates. It looks like the support bands will be awesome and the band is really stoked to play this new material after touring for so many years on the same basic set. Yeah… we knew that too, sorry but we’re about to make good on it. And of course after all, we gotta keep workin’, like workin’ men do. Shooting your big toe off isn’t free, for fuck’s sake!

So to re-cap…Keko sacrificed his pinkie for Down/Melvins, Shep broke his hand for Today is the Day, and now Dixie has generously offered up his big toe for Steve Albini to nibble on. Unless overtly fond of Limburger cheese and rotten flesh, Master Steve is advised to decline. Good day. — Weedeater

Mankind is unkind, man…

Not to be confused with the recently-reviewed Worm Ouroboros, or any of the myriad other bands out there who spell that self-munching serpent’s name in various ways, this North Carolina four-piece was brought to my attention recently because of a Buried Treasure piece I did a while back on a band from the same area called Soulpreacher, who share with this Orobourus a guitarist named Michael Avery.

Where Soulpreacher‘s album Sonic Witchcraft was bent more toward the Southern-tinged sludge for which their home region is famous, Orobourus have a more straightforward, beery rock sound with elements of Hermano, Down, and metal of the old school (vocalist Antares Nicklow indulging in several high-pitched screams on “The Grinder”) without being overly derivative. They played their debut show last May with Beaten back to Pure and (coincidence divine) Soulpreacher, and judging by the tracks on their MySpace — one of which is instrumental and two of which are improv jams; not necessarily a negative — they don’t have much recorded yet. One assumes they’ll get there.

In the meantime, the jams have that “rehearsal room” feel to them that sounds like there are actual people playing those instruments who are actually having a good time, the instrumental grooves, and the two cuts with vocals, “The Grinder” and “Psych,” hold promise of things to come. Glad to see Avery‘s still in it, and hopefully Orobourus keep rocking with a new demo or EP (or something) sometime soon. Goes without saying at this point, but I will anyway, that they’re on the radar.