Posted in Whathaveyou on May 17th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
If Lo-Pan do anything at all, they keep busy. The Ohio-based fuzz frontrunners — do I need to call them the best American heavy rock band going right now again what I do well okay they’re the best American heavy rock band going — will partner with Capital City riffers Borracho for what I’ve no doubt will be a long weekender of bro downs and fuzz outs. Pennsylvania seems to be the lucky state playing host to most of these shows, but fear not, rest of the country, as I seriously doubt this’ll be the last time Lo-Pan and Borracho pair up. They’re like stoner rock Superfriends.
I wrote this press release, so here’s me quoting myself:
LO-PAN: Ohio Rockers Announce Tour Dates With Borracho
They’re the hardest working band in fuzz, and on July 18, Columbus, Ohio’s LO-PAN will continue their mission to obliterate eardrums nationwide. Late in 2012, the foursome took to stages across the land with High on Fire and Goatwhore, and in June, they joined forces with Torche and KENmode.
As they prepare to headline the Eye of the Stoned Goat 3 fest in Brooklyn on July 27 at The Acheron, LO-PAN be taking Washington D.C. up-and-coming heavy trio Borracho along for a few dates along the Eastern Seaboard. Both bands have new material in the works and will be showcasing material from forthcoming releases.
LO-PAN will share the stage not only with Borracho, but also with Philly riff-slingers Kingsnake, Pittsburgh metallers Sistered and Supervoid and Virginia-based Southern metallers King Giant.
LO-PAN AND BORRACHO ON TOUR: Jul 18, 2013 Pittsburgh, PA Howler’s w/ Borracho, Sistered, Supervoid Jul 19, 2013 Washington D.C. Rock N Roll Hotel w/ Borracho, Kingsnake, King Giant Jul 20, 2013 Stroudsburgh, PA The Sherman Theater w/ Borracho, Kingsnake Jul 21, 2013 York, PA The Depot w/ Borracho
Posted in Reviews on May 9th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
The self-released, self-titled debut full-length from Columbus, Ohio’s Before the Eyewall is the kind of record that’s going to surprise a lot of people who hear it in a very positive way, and by that I mean it’s really fucking heavy. An instrumental guitar, synth, bass and drums three-piece, the band formed early in 2010 after drummer Aaron O’Brien-Eichman and guitarist Garrett LoConti (both also provide synth) split from the post-metal outfit Kenoma (one might recall their 2006 split with Mouth of the Architect) and issued an ambitious 25-minute single-track demo in 2011 and joined forces with engineer Brian Whitten to capture the sonic largesse of the four-song, 43-minute Before the Eyewall, an album whose intricacy is telegraphed by its artwork. Featuring bassist Scott Hyatt alongside O’Brien-Eichman and LoConti, the band runs through three extended tracks and a concluding section of ambience across the course of “Skyrises” (9:18), “Path of Ash and Desperation” (15:52), “Tome of the Concentric Eye” (14:24) and “Skyfalls” (3:28), finding symmetry in its first and last titles and no shortage of tectonic aural crush in between. There are elements of post-metal lurking about in some of the ambient/heavy switchoffs and tidal riffy plod, but even at their most atmospheric, Before the Eyewall don’t succumb to the trap of redundancy in which so much latter-day post-metal is caught, “Skyrises” leading off with a fitting build of feedback hum and cymbal wash before LoConti announces the start of the lurching, angular progression with guitar howl and deep Sunn-amped tonality counteracted by the airier lead work that ensues. Smoothly and patiently, they unfold the interwoven heavy and ambient changes and tempo shifts that will mark the bulk of the next three tracks, repeating parts but never really announcing any singular movement as the chorus or leaving anything unchanged. Still, the flow they create over the course of the nine minutes of “Skyrises” is remarkable and the quiet intro to “Path of Ash and Desperation” suitably hypnotic, giving a sense of tension even at its stillest points.
With the extended runtimes of “Path of Ash and Desperation” and “Tome of the Concentric Eye” and the bookending effect of the titles “Skyrises” and “Skyfalls,” it’s hard not to think of the half-hour plus the middle two tracks represent as the “meat” of Before the Eyewall’s Before the Eyewall, though neither the opener nor the closer lack substance. Still, it you’re going to get lost anywhere within the full-length, it’s probably somewhere in the two longest cuts, the first of which launches after the two-minute mark into a heavy-stomping lumber of a groove that persists and introduces a kind of post-Mastodon (though played much slower) sense of weight before coming to a head and transitioning into a more ambient movement as it makes its way past eight minutes. The atmosphere remains dark without being cartoonish, and the stage is set for an increasingly noisy build that plays out over the course of the second half of the song, Hyatt’s bass rumble at the fore while LoConti’s guitar tosses out atmospheric notes prior to a stop and then resurgence of the full-bore crashing, one more shift into psychedelic ambience and then a faster, concluding push that winds up one of the album’s most memorable riffs, given its due over the course of the last two minutes before stopping cold to make way for “Tome of the Concentric Eye,” which resets the band’s position and essentially starts the build over from scratch. Here too, Before the Eyewall take their time in unfurling the complete heft of the song, but in the meantime, the interplay of LoConti’s guitar and Hyatt’s bass is the best of the record and O’Brien-Eichman does well in holding the progression together with a slow march, ride cymbal flourish and a tension that finds its answer in a slowly chugging riff contrasted by bass melody (yes, it exists) and guitar echoes reminiscent of some of Leviathan’s glorious noodling. There’s a break, as expected, and though the shift isn’t as smooth as the cut before, the effect remains strong thanks to O’Brien-Eichman’s ability to keep the piece in motion with rich cymbal work excellently captured and mixed and a structure to the following build reminiscent of “Path of Ash and Desperation” that remains distinct from it.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 17th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
I was wondering the other day what Ohio-based fuzz rockers Lo-Pan might have up their always-busy sleeves to follow their tour with High on Fire, and then all of a sudden, here’s an announcement that they’re hitting the road for two weeks in June with Torche and KENmode. That’s a pretty badass bill, three distinctly different takes on heavy that should make for a decent complement to each other as Lo-Pan continues to refine new material like the song “Colossus,” which you can check out footage of below.
JUST ANNOUNCED! Lo-Pan will be hitting the road with our buddies Torche and KEN mode for a couple of weeks in June. All current dates listed below.
Sat/06-01 Milwaukee – The Cactus Club Sun/06-02 St. Louis, MO – The Firebird Mon/06-03 Cincinnati, OH – The Taft Tue/06-04 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups Wed/06-05 Cleveland, OH – The Grog Shop Thu/06-06 Detroit, MI – The Magic Stick Fri/06-07 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme Sat/06-08 Toronto, Canada – Lee’s Palace Sun/06-09 Syracuse, NY – Lost Horizon Mon/06-10 Boston, MA – Sinclair Wed/06-12 Providence, RI – AS220 Thu/06-13 West Chester, PA – The Note Fri/06-14 – TBA Sat/06-15 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 11th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
It’s been three years since Ohio post-metallers Mouth of the Architect issued their The Violence Beneath EP, a release that was preceded by a near-complete reshuffling of the band’s lineup. Looks like there have been some more changes, but whoever’s on board with founders Dave Mann and vocalist Jason Watkins, there’s a new album coming in the form of Dawning, which is due out June 25 on Translation Loss.
The label will put out a Lesbian record on the same day (more info on the forum). Here’s the announcement for Dawning off the PR wire:
MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT to Release Dawning June 25th on Translation Loss Records
Artwork and Tracklisting Revealed
This year marks the ten year anniversary of the undeniably spine-crushing band MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT. While many anticipated the apocalypse in 2012, MOTA has been accurately predicting and creating the soundtrack for such a disaster since 2003. There is perhaps no better way to celebrate such a milestone than by releasing a new face melting full-length record, and MOTA has never failed in that regard.
Today MOTA has unveiled the album artwork and tracklisting for Dawning.
In 2004 they released “Time and Withering” with great success and followed up with a split CD alongside another Dayton, OH based band, KENOMA. After releasing the critically acclaimed “The Ties That Blind” in 2006 and the beautifully devastating “Quietly” in 2008, the band underwent about a million member changes before releasing “The Violence Beneath” EP in 2010.
The current lineup consists of drummer Dave Mann, guitarists and vocalists Steve Brooks and Kevin Schindel, keyboardist and vocalist Jason Watkins, and bassist Evan Danielson. The band plans to celebrate its ‘most glorious birthday’ by releasing a psychedelic-tinged sludge-rock masterpiece. Remaining under the long time label support of Translation Loss Records, their new album Dawning bludgeons its way to the top of their long catalog of doom rock greatness. These dudes last proved their heavy-metallic weight in gold when they made it through a volcanic eruption to play the Roadburn Festival on their 2010 European tour in support of “The Violence Beneath.” This year these well-worn road veterans plan on bringing their incredibly loud and extremely hairy brand of post-metal to a venue near you in support of Dawning. Of course, you have to live in the northern hemisphere to get your chance to witness this rock ‘n roll spectacle.
In support of Dawning MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT will be touring this summer with Intronaut and Scale the Summit. The Tour stars June 5th in Seattle, WA and runs through July 6th in Hollywood, CA. A complete list of dates can be found below.
Dawning Tracklisiting: 1. Lullabye 2. It Swarms 3. Sharpen Your Eyes 4. How Will This End 5. Patterns 6. The Other Son
MOTA Lineup: Dave Mann – Drums Evan Danielson – Bass Steve Brooks – Guitar & Vocals Kevin Schindel – Guitar & Vocals Jason Watkins – Keyboards &Vocals
MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT on Tour with Intronaut and Scale the Summit: 6/5: Seattle, WA Highline 6/6: Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater 6/7: Calgary, AB Broken City 6/8: Edmonton, AB Pawn Shop 6/10: Winnipeg, MB Osborne Villae Inn 6/11: St. Paul, MN Station 4 6/12: Chicago, IL Double Door 6/13: Cleveland, OH Now That’s Class 6/14: Rochester, NY The Bug Jar 6/15: Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus 6/17: Montreal, QC II Motore 6/18: Toronto, ON Wreck Room 6/19: West Chester, PA The Note 6/20: Allston, MA Great Scott 6/21: Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery 6/22: Charlotte, NC The Casbah Tremont Music Hall 6/23: Nashville, TN Exit / In 6/24: Atlanta, GA The Drunken Unicorn 6/25: Orlando, FL The Social 6/26: Tampa, FL Orpheum Theater 6/28: Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s-Downstairs 6/29: Austin, TX Red 7 6/30: Dallas, TX Club Dada 7/2: Santa Fe, NM Warehouse 21 7/6: Hollywood, CA Roxy Theater
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 9th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
If you’re gonna do it, do it in style. Ohio rockers Red Sun are celebrating 10 years as a band, and along with a good bit of history to catch anyone up who maybe hasn’t been along for the whole ride, they’ve sent over an announcement of their April 20 anniversary show, set to take place across two venues in Columbus and to feature a lineup of Lo-Pan, Mockingbird, Before the Eyewall, Biipiigwaan and Matter of Planets. For a whopping seven bucks, it’s a hell of a lineup.
And it’s a considerable announcement. As you make your way through, you’ll find the poster for the April 20 gig and Red Sun‘s 2011 split with Mockingbird. Dig in:
Red Sun Are Celebrating Ten Years of Poor Life Choices!
Heavy stoner/sludge/doom band Red Sun — founded April 20, 2003 in Warren, Ohio — are celebrating their tenth anniversary by throwing a huge concert in Columbus, OH, on Saturday April 20, 2013.
The band — consisting of Zach Germaniuk (guitar/vocals), Joseph Rosenblum (drums/vocals), and Roger Vincent (bass/vocals) — has come a long way over the past ten years and a lot of stories have come out of that: according to Germaniuk, “We started out as three gawky high school kids growing up in Warren, OH (birthplace of Dave Grohl). We’ve had like 5 bass players through that time and I’d say the fact that we kept the band together for ten years through a lot of personal adversity, overcoming addictions, living and working in different cities and still making time for this particular band is a huge milestone in itself. When we started, we were really the only high school band from our town that was actively playing shows in other cities, and I think we really took it to heart at a very young age. I think we’ve made more mistakes than milestones, honestly, but we’re really trying our best to learn from those mistakes and live up to the expectations of our mentors and ourselves, too.”
Red Sun’s members are currently located across the state of Ohio (in Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland) but they consider Columbus their home because that’s where they spent most of their formative years as a band, developing their sound, as well as forging a long-term friendship with fellow Columbusites Lo-Pan. Guitarist Germaniuk explains, “They, more than any other band, are probably why Red Sun didn’t break up years ago. They were our guides when we were 19, 20, 21 years old. Playing shows with them, and being as good as they are, you either have to get better or just quit, because they’re going to blow you off stage. Our feeling was, if we could at least be good enough to not look like complete fools in front of them and their audience, we would be OK.”
Some of the band’s more recent highlights include the release of a split 7″ (2011, Innervenus Music) with Mockingbird from Akron, Ohio, as well as a live EP (2012, Innervenus/Unhallowed Records) that was recorded at Carabar (in Columbus) during the band’s summer 2011 tour with Churches Burn (from Columbus) and Pledge of Cain (from France). They later said that drummer Joe Rosenblum’s grandmother died the day that recording was made, and “there was just a lot of anger and frustration and sadness before the show. So to be able to get onstage and let all of that out was an almost spiritual healing for all of us — you can hear the catharsis in the music when you listen to that recording, for sure.”
Given the fact that all three members live in different cities, they have also found time to work on other projects outside of Red Sun: Joe plays in the hardcore band Swarm and the instrumental unit Matter of Planets, while Zach was invited to sit in on guitar on garage/psych band The Wooly Bullies’ last record, which has since developed into a new minimalist, ambient project called Loner (which expects to have a debut record out sometime in fall or winter 2013). However, since all three guys are such close friends that really enjoy making music together, there are no plans for Red Sun to slow down any time soon. In fact, following their anniversary celebration, they will be heading back into the studio in May to record material for another split release, while also working on writing new material for a future full-length studio album. They’ve described the songs as “a mix of probably our most aggressive and also introspective songs to date, [although] we’ve always been a band with dual personality disorder: we still try to keep a lot of that teenage punk rock energy in our music, even as we get older and write heavier music to fit the shits life has taken on all of us.” In addition, details are currently being finalized for summer and fall touring. A decade in and still going strong, 2013 is shaping up to be Red Sun’s biggest year yet!
“Come help us celebrate a decade of lost brain cells, diminished hearing, and blackened lungs!”
The Red Sun Tenth Anniversary Celebration is being held on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at Cafe Bourbon St. (2210 Summit Street, Columbus OH 43201) and The Summit (2216 Summit Street, Columbus OH 43201)
Admission is only $7 for 7 incredible bands (cover charge is good for both locations). Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 8:30 SHARP at Cafe Bourbon St. Bands will be performing approximately each half hour, alternating between the two venues.
Scheduled to perform:
Red Sun Lo-Pan (Columbus, OH) Mockingbird (Akron, OH) Before the Eyewall (Columbus, OH) Biipiigwaan (Ottawa, ON) Sistered (Pittsburgh, PA) Matter of Planets (Columbus, OH)
Posted in Duuude, Tapes! on March 7th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
Pictured above with the badass package in which it and the new Backdoor Jane/Wooden Nickels 7″ (listen/see here) arrived, the Live at Relaylimited cassette from Ohio space rocking progressives EYE is a wonder of antiquated technology. Not so much the tape itself, but the cosmic expanse that the Columbus four-piece managed to fit thereupon, awash in Moog, synth, Hammond and even a bit of mellotron on side two. The band filmed a session for DonewaitingTV last June, comprised of three jams — “Usurpers” and “Restorers,” both of which appeared on EYE‘s Center of the Sun (review here, track stream here), along with the 19:36 dronedelica soundscape “Dream,” aptly-titled for its otherworldly vibing.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but if you like your Hawks windy and your Floyds a little less than red, more on the Pink side, then EYE is a band to whom you should commence grooving forthwith. Presented in the only-100-copies tape version, the rich bass of Matt Bailey comes through stellar on “Usurpers,” holding down a thick, natural groove while drummerBrandon Smith, Moog/synth/organist Adam Smith and guitarist Matt Auxier combine vocals to add to the progged-out trippery, and while one might think an aesthetic as lush as theirs would suffer on what’s widely regarded as a limited format, the effect the tape has is just making the material sound even more classic than it otherwise might.
Particularly considering this material was captured live — hence Live at Relay– the balance between the patient aspects of EYE‘s sound and their the-space-shuttle-has-just-taken-off-and-you’re-riding-shotgun rush is striking, and with continuous play on, it’s even easier to get lost from one side to the next. Both sides are also almost exactly the same length, right around 19:30, so that helps as well in that there isn’t much delay between them. All told, for about 39 minutes of live EYE, the Live at Relaytape has about everything a would-be sonic cosmonaut could ask of it. Even on “Dream,” when the ground is so far gone you can’t even see the people standing there, the band keeps a sense of someone standing behind the controls, which — as you probably guessed — are set for the heart of the sun.
The aforementioned 7″ is sold out already, but there are still copies of Live at Relayavailable for a whopping seven dollars at EYE‘s Bigcartel store, and consider it an advisable purchase. If you need further convincing, the video of “Usurpers/Restorers” culled from the same session is the way to go:
EYE, “Usurpers/Restorers” Live at Relay Recording Studio
Posted in Bootleg Theater on January 18th, 2013 by H.P. Taskmaster
Columbus, Ohio-based space rockers EYE continue to impress with their latest 7″ single. The two-track outing, featuring the songs “Wooden Nickels” and “Backdoor Jane,” has arrived via Lost Weekend Records and is more diverse in six-plus minutes than most full-length albums. “Wooden Nickels” centers around a lush psychedelic vocal melody backed by sweet synth and gracefully introduced mellotron, while “Backdoor Jane” — true to its title — is a classically rocking jam through and through. Completely instrumental, it works in direct opposition to “Wooden Nickels,” which is so much about the vocal harmonies.
EYE reportedly have a live cassette on the way this month too. If the gig I saw in Philly was anything to go by, their stage show should translate pretty well. Stay tuned for more on that and dig these in the meantime:
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 7th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Cleveland doomers Venomin James announced today that vocalist Jim Meador is out of the band. In the press release below, they cite a desire for a new direction, and considering they had more or less nailed down their sound before, I can’t help but wonder what that might mean. Could be 2013 has a surprise in store from these guys.
While we speculate, here’s the official word from the band regarding Meador‘s exit:
Cleveland doom metal band Venomin James parts ways with vocalist Jim Meador
Cleveland-based doom rockers Venomin James are parting ways with original vocalist Jim Meador. The band cites a change in vocal direction and Meador’s availability as the reasons, and will continue to record and perform live as an instrumental group until a replacement is found. Venomin James’ third album “Unholy Mountain”, which was completed this fall, will be released Q1 2013 on Auburn Records with Meador’s last vocal contributions, marking the end of his tenure in the band.
“We felt like a new direction was needed”, said Joe Fortunato, guitarist and founding member. “There is no ill-will towards Jim, he’s a natural talent and a genuinely good guy. It’s not an easy thing to make this big of a change after 6 years, but we feel like this is the right thing for Venomin James at this point in time. This decision wasn’t taken lightly”
The band completed their third full length album, “Unholy Mountain”, in the fall of 2012, after more than two years of tracking and mixing. This new release is also the last album to feature the drum tracks of original drummer, Jared Koston, who succumbed to cancer in June 2010.
In the near future, the band plans to continue to play instrumental live shows, after overwhelming positive response to a series of instrumental shows performed throughout 2012. Booking will continue as normal until a new vocalist is named. Writing for their fourth album has been underway since Summer 2012, and the band has been performing the material at recent shows.
Meador plans to continue making music, and will be seeking or forming a new project in the near future.
“The last six years have been a very positive and exciting experience with Venomin James, but sometimes good things must come to an end,” said Jim Meador. “ I treasure the memories, relationships and experiences I have shared with Joe, Tom, Erin, Jared, Bill, and most recently Eric. We created three rocking albums to be very proud of, most recently “Unholy Mountain”. I will be moving on, writing songs and exploring new opportunities. Thank you to everyone, family and friends that have supported myself and Venomin James through the years, I am very grateful. The guys will move on and I wish them success in achieving their goals, I will remain one of their biggest fans.”
Venomin James, founded in 2006, is a doom metal band, known for heavy riffs and intricate musical arrangements in the vein of Black Sabbath and “desert rock” bands like Kyuss and Unida. They have released 2 full length albums, and are currently signed to Auburn Records, owned and operated by legendary college radio DJ, Bill Peters.
Posted in Reviews on December 3rd, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Here’s a quick metaphor for how I feel about the city of Philadelphia. I was on my way down to Philly from my office, wanting to get to Union Transfer early to see High on Fire, Goatwhore, Primate and Lo-Pan. And I’m doing my usual not-there-yet stress thing. I’d never been to Union Transfer before, so what if there’s no parking anywhere, what if I can’t find it, what if I drive off the edge of a cliff — all that ultra-reasonable anxiety that sometimes is enough to keep me at home but generally accompanies me one way or another everywhere I go.
Parking space right outside the venue. Maybe 50 feet from the door. Street parking, free because it was after 6:30PM. Once more, Philly, your hospitality astonishes.
It was chilly waiting for the door to open, but I’d listened to enough NPR en route and the cold did me some good. My understanding is UnionTransfer is a relatively recent advent, show-wise, and if it was actually a train station at one point, it makes a decent club. The room was sizable and the stage can be moved either forward or back to allow for more space on the floor. It was pretty far up. Apparently advance sales for the Thursday night show weren’t great, so the balcony was also closed, which was a bummer because that’s probably where I’d have been otherwise.
I grabbed a beer early (it would be my only one of the night) and waited about an hour for Lo-Pan to go on, sitting at one of the side tables killing time to the best of my ability. Gradually I made my way toward the floor and then up front. Though the room wasn’t nearly as full as it would be later, there were already a bunch of people there and I figured better safe than taking pictures of the back of some dude’s head.
Of the four bands on the bill, I really only had more than nominal interest in two: Lo-Pan and High on Fire, the bookends on the bill. That said, I hardly suffered through either Primate or Goatwhore‘s sets. It went down like so:
Lo-Pan
I was especially looking forward to seeing Lo-Pan on this tour, it being the hardworking Columbus, Ohio, natives’ biggest yet. They lined up toward the front of the stage, all in a row, from bassist Scott Thompson on down through drummer Jesse Bartz, vocalist Jeff Martin and guitarist Brian Fristoe. Martin, who’s usually in the back while Bartz is out front — at least that’s how it’s been at every Lo-Pan show I’ve seen and I don’t mind saying I’ve seen a few at this point — was up there with everyone else and held his position well, projecting his powerful, soulful voice upward into the mic in front of him. Pipes for days. They played “Colossus” and “Eastern Seas,” the two new songs they had included in their set at the Small Stone Records showcase in Boston at the start of the month (review here), and though the one right after the other threw me for a bit, the driving “Chichen Itza” from Salvadorwas a highlight and “Dragline” from 2009′s Sasquanautwas something of a surprise. They intended to close with it but were granted some extra time and made the most of it with one more song. It wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve ever seen them, but as the openers, I imagine they’ve made a positive first impression on a lot of heads throughout this tour. They were more than worth showing up early for, and I hope they continue to tour at this level, because they’ve proven that they’re more than ready to carry the flag for heavy rock to a wider audience that won’t know what hit it.
Primate
Seems like the appeal of Atlanta-based grinders Primate was rooted in the fact that the band features Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp and Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher in the lineup. For a more Philly-specific angle, second guitarist Mike Brennan once slung for Philly dirt thrashers Javelina. Whatever the status of that band, his contributions to Primate were in line with the band’s general modus: Play fast, be angry. The barefoot Sharp has nothing to prove as a frontman, and his vocals remained consistently intense throughout the tightly-delivered set. Likewise, Kelliher‘s resume doesn’t exactly need padding at this point either. He made playing fast look like playing slow, hardly breaking a sweat as they went on. A straight-up hardcore punk persisted, and Primate only confirmed their intent with a cover of Black Flag‘s “Rise Above,” which the young dude standing next to me went — pun most definitely intended — apeshit for. He was not alone by any means. Theirs was a different kind of heavy from what I’m used to seeing, but hell man, I’ve done my time with extremity of sound and I can get down with that if need be. Their stuff was pummeling and precise in kind, and when that’s the case, even if it’s not what I’m interested in hearing on a given night, I have a hard time not appreciating it on its own level.
Goatwhore
I’d have to go back and check the archives to be sure, but I think Goatwhore might be the fastest band I’ve ever taken pictures of. Maybe that’s not saying much, considering the context, but still, it was a new experience for me. It’s been more than half a decade since I even really vaguely paid attention to what they had going on, but it didn’t seem at Union Transfer that I’d missed all that much. Frontman Ben Falgoust still had his strangely effective hand gestures and every time I looked at guitarist Sammy Duet, I still just thought to myself, “Wow, he’s the dude from Acid Bath.” So it went. They were pro, though, and made the fine line between metal and capital-h Heavy seem much thicker than it has at other times. Duet spit on the stage at one point and I caught some ricochet, but other than that, it wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest. Despite all the time that’s passed since I heard one of their records, I recognized the breakdown in “Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult,” and that was as much landmark as I really needed. The crowd I guess wasn’t as into it as Falgoust was hoping for, since at one point he reminded from the stage that, “It’s cool to like metal again.” I didn’t know it was ever cool to like metal. Someone better tell Shakira to get on that shit, lest she lose her pop relevance. Either way, when they were done, they broke down their own gear, and for a band who’ve been around as long as they have and toured as much as they have, I found that admirable.
High on Fire
Near as I can tell from the small sample I’ve seen, here’s the difference between watching Matt Pike sober now and Matt Pike not at all sober before: Earlier in his career, he came out on stage like he was swinging a double-sided battle axe and conquered the stage, claiming the heads of any and all who opposed him as though anyone would be foolish enough to attempt such a thing. He was a shirtless madman. That’s enjoyable but hardly sustainable for a career. Now when Matt Pike comes out on stage, it’s not even a question whose stage it is. The battle axe need not apply. He just owns it. That’s not to say High on Fire were in any way lacking their trademark sonic fury, just that it had direction, knew where it was headed and the band — Pike, bassist Jeff Matz and drummer Des Kensell — were smarter with the tools of their trade. They fucking killed. Most of the set came from this year’s De Vermiis Mysteriis (review here), set opener “Serums of Laio” even more riotous on stage than it is starting off the record. “Last” and especially “10,000 Years” from the recently-reissued The Art of Self-Defense were highlights, and the moments of slower groove on “DII” or “Madness of an Architect” came as welcome changes of pace from the ripping likes of “Spiritual Rites,” “Fury Whip” or “Devilution.” High on Fire have a catalog of five strong albums to draw from — “Speedwolf” represented 2002′s Surrounded by Thieves — but it was the title-track to 2010′s Snakes for the Divinethat did the closing duties, and with its grandiose lead work, it seemed suited to the task. By then I’d long since moved to the back of Union Transfer to extricate myself from the violence up front, but wherever you were, there was no getting away from the fact that High on Fire have pushed themselves forward and that watching them now, there’s no doubt who the headliners are. Pike was more subdued in his stage persona, as one would have to expect, but he still played to the crowd, as did Matz, and Kensell was so buried in his kit you could only really see the top of his head, so if High on Fire have a rock star aura about them, it’s certainly one cast in their own image. However derailed they may have seemed or whatever hit their momentum may have taken earlier this year by their ducking out on the commercial exposure Mayhem fest would’ve brought, they’re back rolling hard and they seem clear-headed and ready for whatever could be coming their way. The stage looked small around them.
I’d taken Friday off from work, but a drive to Boston awaited in the morning and I had a two-hour trip home to my humble river valley, so I was out of there pretty quick once the house lights came on. Of course, it was Philly, so I had no trouble getting to where I was going, hit no traffic and made it home in record time. God damn I love that city.
Posted in Reviews on November 19th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
[NOTE: Five Horse Johnson will play Small Stone’s Obelisk-presented Detroit showcase on Dec. 1 at the Magic Stick, with Halfway to Gone, Sasquatch, Freedom Hawk and Luder. Also note: You should go.]
It has been a quick six years since bluesy Ohio stalwarts Five Horse Johnson released The Mystery Spot. In that time, frontman Eric Oblander toured the world with Clutch during what I’ve come to think of as their “family band” period that also included an organ and was brought in to sing for Sorcen, a partial Necros reunion. Guitarist Phil Dürr (also of Big Chief) joined forces with Luder, Five Horse Johnson’s Small Stone compatriot act which also features label head Scott Hamilton on guitar. And Jean-Paul Gaster, who played drums on The Mystery Spot, also happens to play in Clutch. The ties especially between Five Horse Johnson and Clutch prove pervasive throughout the former’s upcoming seventh album, The Taking of Black Heart. Gaster makes a return appearance on drums for the 11-track outing, and the record was produced in everything but Oblander’s vocals by longtime Clutch engineer J. Robbins at The Magpie Cage in Baltimore. Robbins, also of Jawbox, also contributes organ and percussion throughout The Taking of Black Heart, and Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander steps up for a take on Rod Stewart’s “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want to Discuss It)” that trades off the parenthetical “Discuss” for the more genial “Talk About.” Through several of its tracks, The Taking of Black Heart seems to rely on some consistent lyrical thematic, though if there’s a narrative arc to the tracks, I don’t know what it is. Nonetheless, on opener “The Job,” Oblander mentions his horse, named Mexico, which appears a short time later on the track “Mexico” and tracks like “Black Heart Baby,” “Smash and Grab” and the closing pair of “Shoot My Way Out” and “Die in the River” seem to work in a successive progression toward the unhappy ending of the last cut, and the atmosphere remains relatively close to the Western-style vibing evident on the cover art. So if nothing else, there’s a lot of context behind Five Horse Johnson’s seventh, though the songs themselves arrive with as little pretense as possible, coated in blues influence and driving heavy rock that, unsurprisingly, finds a lot of common ground with latter-day Clutch.
There are, however, numerous distinctions to be pointed out between the two. A huge factor in Five Horse Johnson’s sound is Oblander’s blues harp. Filling the space between verse lines, doing call and response with Dürr and Brad Coffin’s guitars on “Keep on Diggin’,” taking the occasional solo throughout the record, it’s a defining element of what the band does, no less an instrument at play than either of the guitars, Gaster’s drums or Steve Smith’s bass. Another difference is influence. While Gaster is bound to be a consistent element, and his snare work early into “Black Heart Baby” or the later highlight “Hangin’ Tree” (not a Queens of the Stone Age cover) is easily pegged as his style, the songs he’s playing on are more straightforwardly influenced by classic rock. Clutch’s funky guitar progressions are all but absent here, and even when blatant commonalities show up, as they do toward the middle of the record on “Beating in My Hand” – Robbins’ organ helps drive the comparison as well – or the following “Quick on the Trigger,” which treads close in its bounce to “Electric Worry,” the track on Clutch’s 2007 outing, From Beale Street to Oblivion, on which Oblander’s guest appearance led himto tour with the band in the first place, those elements have a different stylistic context. Five Horse Johnson’s blues come stuffed tight into classic rock swagger on The Taking of Black Heart, and in that way, the album makes a solid follow-up to The Mystery Spot, and one can hear that the last six years has furthered the maturity level that that album showed coming off of 2003’s The Last Men on Earth, though were it not for the consistent quality of songwriting I’d be hesitant to even compare the two with so much time having elapsed between them. Nonetheless, “Mexico” and the ultra-catchy “Beating in My Hand” and “Quick on the Trigger” carry the record through its halfway point and Five Horse Johnson offer a new-feeling take on their trademark brashness, sounding all the more dynamic for the realization that you don’t necessarily have to go as hard as possible at all times.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 9th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
…Because really, if you’re going to start the biggest tour of your career to date, you don’t want to do it on a Monday. Lo-Pan head out beginning Nov. 13, this coming Tuesday, to meet up with High on Fire and Goatwhore in Austin. From there, the three bands and periodically others like Mastodon/Brutal Truth-offshoot Primate and C.O.C. – whose Eye for an Eye reissue came out this week — will storm the countryside, and as if the tour wasn’t long enough, Lo-Pan have some off-dates booked as well.
If you have even a passing interest in American heavy rock, you probably don’t need me to tell you how crucial Lo-Pan is at this point. Just go to the show and make sure you get there early.
This from the PR wire:
LO-PAN: Ohio Road Burners To Kick Off North American Tour With High On Fire
Ohio road burners, LO-PAN, are readying for their next round of live assaults supporting heavy metal juggernauts High On Fire. The full North American takeover will commence on November 15 in Austin, Texas and is slated to run through December 22 in San Francisco, California. Additional support will come from Goatwhore as well as special guests Primate (featuring Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher and Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth) and Corrosion of Conformity on select dates. Additionally, LO-PAN will be picking up a few off dates in surrounding cities. Check the full itinerary below.
Don’t miss LO-PAN on their final dates of 2012!
LO-PAN Tour Dates 2012: 11/13/2012 Buccaneer – Memphis, TN 11/14/2012 Downtown Music – Little Rock, AR 11/15/2012 Emo’s – Austin, TX w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/16/2012 Korova – San Antonio, TX w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/17/2012 Tree’s – Dallas, TX w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/18/2012 Happy Hippie – Lake Charles, LA w/ Large Marge 11/19/2012 One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/20/2012 Vinyl Music Hall – Pensacola, FL w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/21/2012 Jinx – Savannah, GA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 11/23/2012 Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/24/2012 Sinclair – Boston, MA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/25/2012 The Bug Jar – Rochester, NY w/ Primate 11/26/2012 Opera House – Toronto, ON w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/27/2012 La Tulipe – Montreal, QC w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/28/2012 Port Street Music Hall – Portland, MA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/29/2012 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 11/30/2012 Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 12/01/2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, Primate 12/03/2012 Mohawk – Buffalo, NY w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/04/2012 Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/05/2012 Aces of Cups – Columbus, OH w/ High Ow/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/06/2012 Firebird – St. Louis, MO w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/07/2012 Double Door – Chicago, IL w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/08/2012 Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/09/2012 High Noon – Madison, WI w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/10/2012 The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/11/2012 Bluebird – Denver, CO w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/12/2012 Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT 12/13/2012 Nerolux – Boise, ID w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/14/2012 Neumos – Seattle, WA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/15/2012 Dante’s – Portland, OR w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/16/2012 The Venue – Vancouver, BC w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore 12/18/2012 The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, C.O.C. 12/19/2012 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, C.O.C. 12/20/2012 Slidebar – Fullerton, CA Slidebar w/ Goatwhore 12/21/2012 Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore, C.O.C. 12/22/2012 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA w/ High On Fire, Goatwhore
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 19th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Ohio sludge! The nastiest of the nasty, Cleveland-based Fistula have a new record out called Northern Aggression, and to support it, they’re hitting the road starting tonight, Oct. 19, at The Foundry in their hometown. You’ll notice they’ve also got a house show scheduled in Lansing. Could it be the Postmansion? I’ve seen a couple choice gigs there myself.
Wherever you catch them — I’m considering hitting Brooklyn on Tuesday; Cleanteeth and Generation of Vipers make that a bill worth crawling out from under my rock to see at The Acheron – make sure you do so and consider it a litmus test for how much abrasive sludge you can stand in a live setting. Fucking a.
The PR wire cometh:
FISTULA: Cleveland Sludge Henchmen Release New LP And Take It To The Streets
Cleveland’s long-running sludge kingpins FISTULA have just filthified the planet with their latest dose of resin-coated low-end antagonism.
One of the most constantly productive bands of the modern sludge scene, FISTULA have tortured live audiences abroad and boast a lengthy discography of LPs, EPs, demos, split releases and more since their 1998 inception. Recorded in May and June with Eric Braunschweigerat Rogue Mobile Recording in Massachusetts (the vocals were recorded with Big Metal Dave at Broken Back Studios in Cleveland), the band’s latest caustic crusher, Northern Aggression, is out now via PATAC Records. The LP version of the offering is loaded with eight ceaselessly brutal anthems — including an album-closing cover of The Mentors’ “Going Through Your Purse” — while the CD version includes a bonus of FISTULA’s 2010-released six-song Loser EP, adding an additional 28-minutes to the aural beating. For ordering info, point your browser HERE. For limited vinyl and merch pre-orders, go HERE.
In commemoration of the album’s release, FISTULA will take to the streets this week on the Northern Aggression 2012 tour. The melee begins Friday October 19th (today!) in Lakewood, Ohio and will roll through Indianapolis, Chicago, Brooklyn and Cambridge, along the way sharing the stage with Vulture, Coffinworm, Black Goat, Cleanteeth (ex/members Goes Cube, Hull), Generation of Vipers (members of US Christmas) and more.
FISTULA’s Northern Aggression Tour 2012: 10/19/2012 The Foundry – Lakewood, OH w/ Vulture, Mockingbird, Deathcrawl, Pissmongrel 10/20/2012 Indy’s Jukebox– Indianapolis, IN w/ Coffinworm, Black Goat of the Woods, Conjurer 10/21/2012 Double Door – Chicago, IL w/ Coffinworm, Drug Honkey, Cog 10/23/2012 Acheron – Brooklyn, NY w/ Cleanteeth, Generation of Vipers 10/24/2012 Cambridge Elks – Cambridge, MA w/ Nachzherer, Insult
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 24th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Heartfelt congratulations, kudos and generic cop compliments to Ohio foursome Lo-Pan, who will tour all over the frickin’ place with High onFire and Goatwhorestarting Nov. 15. I can’t think of a band of their fuzzy ilk who’ve earned it more with the touring they’ve done and the fantastic records they’ve released, so well done, gentleman. Way to make all that hard work start to pay off. Now go do a bunch more hard work. Ha.
Kind of a wild bill, but heavy is heavy and I’ve no doubt Lo-Pan will make a lot of new friends on the road. Once again, congrats.
Here’s the news from High on Fire‘s point of view:
HIGH ON FIRE Announces North American Headlining Tour
California Power Trio to Storm Stages Across the Continent this Fall!
Oakland, CA heavy metal juggernaut HIGH ON FIRE has announced a full North American tour in support of its new album De Vermis Mysteriis. The eagerly anticipated run — the band’s first since the release of the new LP — will kick off on November 15 in Austin, TX and is slated to run through December 22 in San Francisco, CA. Support on the HIGH ON FIRE headlining tour will come from Goatwhore and Lo Pan with special guests Primate (featuring Mastodon‘s Bill Kelliher and Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth) joining the trek from November 23 to December 1 and Corrosion of Conformity hopping on the caravan from December 18-21. Simply put, HIGH ON FIRE will hit the road with all guns blazing for what will undoubtedly be one of 2012′s best heavy music tours!
On December 20 at the Mayan in Los Angeles, HIGH ON FIRE will headline a special “Power of the Riff” show that will also feature COC and SunnO)))). For more details, visit this location.
HIGH ON FIRE fall North American tour: (all dates include Goatwhore & Lo Pan) (Nov. 23 – Dec. 1 also includes Primate) (December 18-21 also includes COC) November 15 Austin, TX Emo’s November 16 San Antonio, TX Korova November 17 Dallas, TX Tree’s November 19 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks November 20 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall November 21 Savannah, GA Jinx November 23 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel November 24 Boston, MA Sinclair November 26 Toronto, ON Opera House November 27 Montreal, QC La Tulipe November 28 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall November 29 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer November 30 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom December 1 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg December 3 Buffalo, NY Mohawk December 4 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop December 5 Columbus, OH Ace Of Clubs December 6 St. Louis, MO Firebird December 7 Chicago, IL Double Door December 8 Minneapolis, MN Turf Club December 9 Madison, WI High Noon December 10 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room December 11 Denver, CO Bluebird December 13 Boise, ID Neurolux December 14 Seattle, WA Neumos December 15 Portland, OR Dante’s December 16 Vancouver, BC Venue December 18 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst December 19 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick December 20 Los Angeles, CA Mayan (* Power of the Riff w/ COC, Sunn O))) ) December 21 Santa Ana, CA Observatory December 22 San Francisco, CA Slims
Posted in Reviews on September 20th, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Ohioan anti-supergroup Morbid Wizard return with an EP to back up the vicious onslaught they brought with their first album. Even the name of the release, Necrosis of the Eyeball, should be some hint as to the sonic extremity on tap, and though the four-piece (down a guitarist in the missing Bahb Branca) have solidified their approach somewhat over the course of the last year since they issued their 2011 Lord of the Rats debut (review here), there’s still a very real, very palpable threat of violence in what they do. At any moment, they might put their instruments down and cut you. No shit. You might not think so, but that works to the favor of the five-track, half-hour-long Necrosis of the Eyeball, the guitar of Scott Stearns keeping consistent nastiness throughout varied pace while drummer Corey Bing and bassist Mike Duncan underscore already low-end psychopathy with vomitous churn. Recorded separately, vocalist Jesse Kling’s screams are no less caustic than they were last time around or on his work with The Disease Concept on their own Liquor Bottles and Broken Steel EP (review here), lyrics vaguely discernible in the barrage of abrasive tonality. Bing also took part in The Disease Concept, and that’s only the most basic of connections that draws these players together. Over time in acts like Fistula, Rue, Sollubi, Ultralord, King Travolta and Son of Jor-El, they’ve helped typify their own brand of Ohio sludge, but Morbid Wizard might be the most cohesive showing they’ve had of that style, and likewise, Necrosis of the Eyeball brings these elements together with a fluidity and creativity that doesn’t necessarily work against the loose, dangerous atmosphere – only more vivid for the roughness of production – but instead giving an all-too-real sense of conscious choice. The difference between being hit with a hammer in broad daylight and being stalked and subsequently stabbed in the dark, let’s say. The results may be roughly the same bloody mess, but how you got there is the whole story.
Like its predecessor, Necrosis of the Eyeball arrives in a DVD-style case with artwork from Stearns, and though that and the short span between releases – not to mention members’ participation in other projects – might lead one to think there hasn’t been much development between the two, that’s just not the case. The recordings may sound roughly similar and the ethic may be along the same lines, but the execution has grown some, and so as the EP gets started with its slowest, perhaps meanest track, “Grave Chyld,” and Stearns tears through shredding leads and painfully slow riffing, there persists a sense of songwriting at work. A few of these tracks are – seems almost impossible to say it, and yet – catchy. Not so much the 9:29 “Grave Chyld” (the longest track on the release; points for the opener), which begins with a sample invoking Lucifer and is working more on bludgeon and killer soloing than on the memorability of its hook, the three songs that ensue – “Necrosis of the Eyeball,” “Chemical Fog” and the Cinderella cover “Night Songs” – each have a strong chorus, however caked in filth and fucked up that chorus might be. After the plodding, doomed mournfulness in the ending of “Grave Chyld,” the faster push of the title-track is both a surprise and seemingly a respite, though ultimately Morbid Wizard offer no quarter. Kling, who handles the samples, uses another at the beginning of “Necrosis of the Eyeball,” and when the riff is introduced, its metallic progression (punctuated by tom thuds from Bing), if played somewhat faster, wouldn’t be out of place on any number of death metal records, and that might very well be the intent, though when they break and Duncan’s low end rumble leads them to a chugging, lurching repetitive section, it’s all sludge. Extreme sludge, but sludge all the same. More excellent guitar solos persist through the slowdown, and though I was left wondering if they’d bring the pace back up to finish, they just sort of let the song fall apart instead. I guess even working with structures has its limits.
Posted in Buried Treasure on June 22nd, 2012 by H.P. Taskmaster
Click the image above to bask in the full scale awesomeness that was my Midwestern CD haul. Sure, I wrote a little bit about the driving I did last weekend, and a lot about the Days of the Doomed II (seriously, even I was a little surprised at the length Day One and Day Two reviews), but one thing I didn’t mention was the record shopping I did on the way.
I’ll confess that was on purpose. The three stacks above I felt deserved some special attention. Left to right, there are the hauls from Ramalama Records in Toledo, Ohio, Flat, Black and Circular in Lansing, Michigan, and the fest itself, which took place in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Three states, three stacks — a mini-tour of irresponsible spending that served to remind me of why I went back to work full-time in the first place.
Here’s how it went down:
This was my second visit to Ramalama Records in Toledo, and like the first, I found it to be a haven of heavy wares. Last time when I got there, they were playing YOB, and this tie it was High on Fire‘s Surrounded by Thieves, which once again led me to strike up a conversation with the dude working the counter. They’d reorganized some since the last time I was there, but it seems mostly to have been a move to make room for more vinyl, which now takes up the whole left wall when you walk in. Good stuff. They didn’t have a lot used that I was really looking for — lots of metal, some I had, some I wasn’t interested in — but I took the opportunity on my way to Lansing to stock up on a few recent releases I hadn’t yet gotten physical copies of; the special edition of Candlemass being a highlight as well as new albums from Paradise Lost and Pelican and Solitude Aeturnus‘ recent reissue of their early works. The Diagonal and Spaceboy records were used, and I got some Funkadelic in there because that shit is awesome. Not bad for a way to stretch my legs between I-75 and I-280.
I wanted to make sure I stopped in at Flat, Black and Circular (or just FBC to the natives) before I left Lansing to go to the fest in Wisconsin, so last Friday morning, under the careful navigational guidance of Postman Dan — the unofficial mayor of Lansing, Michigan — I hit it up and found that although it’s got a name that hints at vinyl, it’s also a treasure trove of small, rectangular and plastic. Aside from a silver-backed disc Alice in Chains bootleg, I got the Diwphalanx issue of Church of Misery‘s The Second Coming (a double), as well as the newest Master Musicians of Bukkake, the first Six Organs of Admittance, some live Amebix, Yeti by Amon Düül II, the first Saturnalia Temple — which was a surprise — another Funkadelic album, some Unsane on Man’s Ruin, Monster Magnet‘s Tab 25 on Glitterhouse, which is a perfect complement to Hawkwind‘s In Search of Space, a Greenslade disc at random because I liked the cover (album is proggier than expected, but not bad) and the Satan-loving latest album by Lansing locals Beast in the Field, Lucifer, Bearer of Light. Top it off with Unorthodox and you have one of the finest CD hauls I’ve had in a long time. Lot of great shit to happen into and a lot of records there I’m happy to have adopted.
Once I’d effectively space trucked my way through Chicago’s legendary “make you want to stop and eat dinner here” traffic and actually arrived in Wisconsin, I found Days of the Doomed to be a trove of merch that I didn’t yet own that I should own. From Beelzefuzz — the unfortunates who arrived late having blown their tire and then later gave their stuff away for free (I mistakenly said I bought one; nope) to Sanctus Bellum, who were kind enough to give me a copy of the album to review, to Orodruin, whose Epicurian Mass I already owned (it was Claw Tower I needed) to Earthen Grave, whose CD showed up in the mail when I got back to New Jersey, it was hit or miss as regards the outcome of the purchases, but I can’t argue with new Apostle of Solitude demo material (streaming here) or finally getting the chance to pick up Argus‘ Boldly Stride the Doomed, or Earthride‘s new reissue of their self-titled EP with tracks from SHoD last year, I mark the whole thing a win. Picking up Orodruin‘s limited version of In Doom and the Blizaro stuff too was a bonus, and discs from Super Invader and their prior incarnation, Bullets for Baby, have given me something to look forward to checking out. Just as soon as I stop listening to that Apostle of Solitude demo. Any day now…
I could go on, but the fact is, I came out of last weekend with so much stuff, I’m going to use it all to make a new podcast over the next couple days, so I’ll have more up about it one way or another and I’m sure that’ll be good times. Stay tuned for more to come.
