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

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

quarterly review

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

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

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Ocean Chief, Den Tredje Dagen

ocean chief den tredje dagen

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

Ocean Chief on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records store

 

Barnabus, Beginning to Unwind

barnabus beginning to unwind

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

Barnabus on Thee Facebooks

Rise Above Relics store

 

Helen Money, Atomic

helen money atomic

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

Helen Money on Thee Facebooks

Thrill Jockey Records store

 

Elder Druid, Golgotha

elder druid golgotha

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

Elder Druid on Thee Facebooks

Elder Druid on Bandcamp

 

Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter

mindcrawler lost orbiter

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

Mindcrawler on Thee Facebook

Mindcrawler on Bandcamp

 

Temple of Void, The World That Was

Temple of Void The World that Was

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

Temple of Void on Thee Facebooks

Shadow Kingdom Records store

 

Lunar Swamp, Shamanic Owl

Lunar Swamp Shamanic Owl

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

Lunar Swamp on Thee Facebooks

Lunar Swamp on Bandcamp

 

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes, II

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes II

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

Huge Molasses Tank Explodes on Thee Facebooks

Retro Vox Records on Bandcamp

 

Emile, The Black Spider/Det Kollektive Selvmord

Emile The Black Spider Det Kollektive Selvmord

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

Emile on Thee Facebooks

Heavy Psych Sounds store

 

Saturno Grooves, Cosmic Echoes

saturno grooves cosmic echoes

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

Saturno Groove on Thee Facebooks

LSDR Records store

 

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Ocean Chief Post Den Tredje Dagen Title-Track; Album out April 17

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

OCEAN CHIEF

I like the fact that the reason Ocean Chief have a bonus track exclusive to the CD version of their new album, Den Tredje Dagen, is probably because with it included the album would be too long to fit on an LP. The crush-doom Swedish four-piece will put out the record on April 17 through none other than Argonauta Records, and to mark the occasion of unveiling the grim-enough-to-suit-their-atmospheric-purposes cover art, they’ve also posted the title-track, which opens the outing at just under 10 minutes long. It’s a plodder, and a throaty shouter, and yes, a crusher, and frankly, if you can’t get on board with the kind of pummel these dudes are bringing to bear — if this doesn’t get you raising a claw in appreciation — then I promise you it’s your loss. Because Ocean Chief will just go right on bludgeoning without you if they have to.

The PR wire tells it like this:

ocean chief den tredje dagen

Doom Heavy Weights, OCEAN CHIEF, Reveal Album Details + First Single!

Den Tredje Dagen Coming April 17th on Argonauta Records!

Hailing from the contemplative province of Mjölby, Sweden, their music in contrast speaks volumes. April 17th will see doom heavy weights OCEAN CHIEF release their sixth studio album, titled Den Tredje Dagen, via Argonauta Records! After 5 years since their last record, this is a heavy ride through the band’s sound roots between the psychedelic and doom, with a crisp approach and a new hunger! The four-piece, formed in 2001 by Björn Andersson and Tobias Larsson, evolved their sound to perfection in long tracks combined with electronic ideas. Following OCEAN CHIEF’s latest album, Universums härd, today the Swedes are not only sharing the album details about their upcoming magnum opus, but also a first single to the heavy as hell album title. Listen HERE!

“We are very happy to present this album after nearly 20 years as a band.“ OCEAN CHIEF comment. “The intension to stay with our roots, with the heavy riff bonanza, and also to present an even harsher and darker side of the band, has been accomplished to our satisfaction. There are haunting passages on the album that almost make us afraid of ourselves…

The album was recorded during a weekend in the spring of 2019, and we have stayed with the formula of not overworking the final product. This is uncompromising doom, not for the faint of heart! And this is meant to be played LOUD.“

Album Tracklisting:
1. Den Tredje Dagen
2. Hyllningen
3. Dömd
4. Den sista resan
5. Dimension 5 (CD Bonus Track)

Slated for a release on April 17th as CD, Vinyl and in Digital formats, the album pre-sale will be available at THIS LOCATION! In support of Den Tredje Dagen, OCEAN CHIEF will perform live at Gloomy Days Stockholm on April 25th, with many more shows to follow soon.

Ocean Chief is:
Tobias Larsson
Björn Andersson
Christian Sandberg
Magnus Linhardt

https://www.facebook.com/oceanchief.official
https://oceanchief.bandcamp.com/
www.argonautarecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords/
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/

Ocean Chief, “Den Tredje Dagen”

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Ocean Chief Sign to Argonauta Records; New Album Due in 2020

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

Here’s a word to the wise: anytime you run into a band that ever put anything out on 12th Records, that’s a band you want to hear. In the case of Sweden’s Ocean Chief, it was their album Tor in 2006, and sure enough, they’re a band you want to hear if you like your doom spaced out and massively weighted in kind. Fast forward some 13-plus years and the four-piece are newly inked to Argonauta — also not a trustworthy source as far as taste goes — and getting ready to issue what upon its release in 2020 will be their first LP in six years, as yet untitled. Their last outing, 2014’s Universums Härd, was like morbid tales told in a garden of unearthly delights, if you catch my drift, and with more than half a decade to put the new one together, I’d expect no less this time around. Would be a good time to get on board.

The announcement came down the PR wire:

ocean chief

Swedish psychedelica doomsters OCEAN CHIEF sign with Argonauta Records

Hailing from the contemplative province of Mjölby, Sweden, their music in contrast speaks volumes. Psychedelic doom heavy weights OCEAN CHIEF have signed a worldwide deal with Argonauta Records, who will release the band’s sixth studio album in early 2020!

OCEAN CHIEF was formed in 2001 by Björn Andersson and Tobias Larsson. Over the years the band has experimented in a diverse field between the psychedelic and doom, evolving their sound to perfection in long tracks combined with electronic ideas. Their latest album “Universums härd“ was released 5 years ago and is the only album to date that includes more than four songs.

”Ocean Chief are very happy to announce this collaboration with Argonauta Records from Italy!” the band comments. ”As friends we make this deal and that’s the way we like it. No bullshit, just love for music and a positive approach. Enjoy this heavy ride and keep on supporting the underground!”

After a few line-up changes and more than five long years in the making, in early 2020 OCEAN CHIEF will return with their forthcoming epos, that may likely see them going back to their sound roots, but with a crisp approach and a new hunger! Stay tuned for many more details and tunes to follow soon.

Ocean Chief is:
Tobias Larsson
Björn Andersson
Christian Sandberg
Magnus Linhardt

https://www.facebook.com/oceanchief.official
https://oceanchief.bandcamp.com/
www.argonautarecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords/
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/

Ocean Chief, Universums Härd (2014)

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Høstsabbat 2014: Final Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

The bill spans some of the heaviest bands in Scandinavia already, and then they decide to bring in the YOB/Pallbearer tour for a stop on the final day. All the more reason to tip the cap to Norway’s Høstsabbat, now in its second year. In 2013, the Oslo stage was graced by the likes of Tombstones and High Priest of Saturn, and in addition to the aforementioned American acts, Høstsabbat 2014 will be marked — that’s not to say awesomely scarred — by appearances from SumaSaturnalia TempleOcean ChiefKong and many more. It’s going to be a very, very heavy weekend in Norway come Sept. 12-14.

An announcement with the finalized lineup for the three-dayer, courtesy of the PR wire:

Høstsabbat 2014 Final Line Up

Høstsabbat is a newborn initiative, brought to life in 2013 by people involved in the underground scene in Norway.

It’s a DIY-festival, in collaboration with the student-organisation at Betong in Oslo, Norway, focusing on presenting the best underground bands Norway has to offer. This year the formula is pushed a step further, and includes aspiring talent from our brothers in the east as well as an international day on Sunday September 14th.

Over three days you can experience slow and crushing doom, heavy bluesrock, stoner, proto-heavy metal, psychedelic spacerock and prog. The concerts will be held on two different stages, located in the same venue. In addition to this, you’ll find stands, food, beverages and diverse stimulation for your ears and mind. Top Notch DJ’s, including Walter Roadburn himself will accompany your nights with the right soundtrack..

Høstsabbat takes place on Friday 12th through Sunday 14th of September 2014.

Cheap accommodation is located nearby the venue, and the damage for a three-day ticket is about 65 euros.

Lineup:

Friday:
Kongh (SE) – Valhall (N) – SUMA (SE) – Beglomeg (N) – Hombre Malo (N) – Seid (N) – Warp Riders (N)

Saturday:
Årabrot (N) – Saturnalia Temple (SE) – Monolord (SE) – Magister Templi (N) – Elmi (N) – Vidunder (SE) – Arabs in Aspic (N) – Heroinne (N)

Sunday (International Day):
YOB (US) – Pallbearer (US) – Ocean Chief (SE) – Gravmaskin (SE)

www.hostsabbat.no
www.facebook.com/hostsabbat

FB-event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/270304633094049/

Tombstones, “King of Daze” Live at Høstsabbat 2013

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