Posted in Whathaveyou on April 25th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
When was the last time you put on a record that was Slayer one minute and Earthride the next? Well, I guess if you have those particular listening habits maybe it hasn’t been all that long, but that’s a one-two that comes together at the outset of Olde Grale‘s debut five-tracker Blood of Fools just the same, the riffing of title-track duly thickened to warrant being the work of two bands together. Those two bands? Olde and Grale, of course.
I won’t pretend to know when it happened or what prompted it, but at some point, the Toronto-based outfits got together and made this sub-25-minute crusher with no apparent regrets. Intricate and prog-metallic in “Senile Dementia” before the gallop takes off, alternately chugging and pummeling thereafter, with the slower “Unseen Reaper” backing to emphasize largesse, the EP seems to follow ideas from multiple sources but wants nothing for cohesion, capping with a rush in “Faith Healer” that, even if Grale hadn’t covered Entombed before might be enough to make one think they should.
Does is slow to a crushing finish? No! They end with all good speed and do justice to the thrust shown throughout without necessarily giving up the tonal density one would hope for with two bassists on board. If you’re still reading this, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know why. The player’s at the bottom of this post, and Salt of the Earth has CDs — that’s right, kids: compact discs; they use lasers and are from the future — so by all means, dig in:
OLDE + GRALE = OLDE GRALE
WHEN TWO GREAT THINGS COME TOGETHER = BLOOD OF FOOLS
From caveman sludge through hook-laden smoked-out grooves all the way to razor-sharp thrash, OLDE GRALE is made up of 8 Canadians who care little about labels or rules; they only want to crush you.
“Blood of Fools” is a 5-song trip that runs the gamut of all things heavy. 70s riff rock, monolithic doom, speed metal and thrash, OLDE GRALE bring the goods that any fan of aggressive music should appreciate in spades.
A complete celebration of the underground, step up and get knocked down.
Recorded remotely and at BWC STUDIOS (Kingston) and mixed/mastered by Greg Dawson of BWC Studios. All songs by Olde and Grale.
Guitars: Greg Dawson and Chris “Hippy” Hughes Drums: Ryan Aubin and Kevin Farmer Vocals: Doug McLarty and Daniel Allen Bass: Mark Rand and Cory McCallum
Posted in Questionnaire on November 4th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Cory McCallum of OLDE
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I’d like to think that I’m a creator. Of course, that implies a lot of things (musician, artist, writer, etc.), however it is the combination or culmination of those various things (along with drive, perseverance, the willful ignorance of “the way things are”) that allow for the creation of something new. Calling myself an entertainer wouldn’t be wrong; I like to think that the target audience, no matter how small or niche, is actually entertained by the things I’m involved with, but that part is subsequent to the creation aspect anyway.
I came about being a creator through punk rock. A handful of skate kids in a nowheresville town in semi-rural Ontario, Canada, deciding that we wanted to make music that no one in town was making. Start playing shows, start making albums. Get down to Toronto and start opening up for the touring bands that we loved (and were going to see anyway).
For Olde, specifically, guitarist/producer Greg Dawson tapped me in by announcing his vision of writing and recording some doom, some slow and low metal, after being inspired by a recording session with Sons of Otis (and eventual Olde) drummer Ryan Aubin. Greg wanted the band to be made up of people he enjoyed hanging out with, so that, regardless of content or output, the time would be well-spent and enjoyable (and so it has been).
Describe your first musical memory.
My first memory of music would be listening to Charley Pride records in my living room with my mom. My first exposure to live music (aside from church choirs) would be my dad playing harmonica around the house.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
There’s been a lot of different highlights with different bands over the years.
A fun one was when OLDE was invited to play a studio session at the National Post (a Canadian national newspaper that was developing online content at the time; it’s on YouTube). We played a few songs, at typical OLDE volume, and were pleased to hear that the producers got noise complaints from four floors in each direction AND there were rumours that the sonic onslaught was some sort of terrorist attack on the newspaper’s offices. That was pretty unique.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I’ve had to quit bands before that were populated with people I dearly love because my life (both “real” life and my artistic life) was moving in a different direction at the time. I can’t even say now whether those decisions were the right ones, but they felt necessary at the time. I feel, as a creator, if you aren’t 100% “into” what you are doing, you need to take a step back and assess whether your time and efforts are being used most effectively. And if it ends up they are not, maybe you need to move on, even if it hurts.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Well, I suppose it could and SHOULD lead to the place that the artist is hoping to reach. However, that place itself isn’t a static destination, or, in my opinion, it shouldn’t be. The album I dreamed of making when I started at the age of 17….well, I’d like to think that I’ve well-surpassed what I thought then were unsurpassable goals. However, my targets simultaneously have become more specific and more vague, which might confuse the audience. Heaven knows it confuses me at times. On a project to project basis, I have a new goal each and every time I set out, a new sound I want to capture or a new story I want to tell or a new area I want to explore. At the same time, in the grand scheme of my entire artistic story arc, that’s where things get kind of vague. I feel that every new creation for me should be a challenge, an unveiling of something unknown about myself as a creator, a gift to the audience or a listener that should hold some sort of new and revelatory element and there isn’t any guarantee that they will actually understand it or even enjoy it. I’m not a contrarian; I truly hope that the intended audience DOES enjoy the art. That does not mean I don’t want to challenge them (and their perception of that band or group and the accepted parameters of that “scene”) at the same time.
How do you define success?
Being able to look back at a song, an album, a band’s tenure or a career in music (to speak specifically of music, but this speaks to my opinion of all artistic endeavours) and being able to comfortably and thoroughly say “THAT captured the moment. THAT said and did what I wanted it to.” To be able to make something and feel that no one else could have made it that way at that time. To have offered the world something that would literally NOT EXIST had it not been for you and your friends making it yourselves.
People “liking” it; that never sucks, and some good reviews and a bit of walking-around-money never hurt, but those things are gravy to me. The self-satisfaction aspect is much more essential.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
I’ve watched incredible artists (and good friends) literally ruin themselves trying to figure it all out. I’ve had friends eventually (and literally) die in squalor never having gotten to a place where they could balance their dreams with the world. I’ve watched as friends have made themselves miserable and sick not being able to embrace the fact that shitty art can make a lot of money and great art can make you poor. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but if you don’t learn it, the road, then, is even more horrendous than it is is when can just forget all the lies and trappings of success or money or fame and simply serve the art.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
As an artist, I’m constantly obsessed with making something that doesn’t exist yet…I mean, literally, like the style ITSELF doesn’t even exist yet. I’d love to create something that literally stops people in their tracks and has them saying “What the fuck IS this?”. I’ve had moments, certain albums, certain songs, certain comic books or performances, where I feel I’ve TOUCHED the hem of that, where I’ve challenged myself and my audience and briefly gotten to a new place….but I’ve only visited. It’s a somewhat scary place; I’m not even sure I WANT to live there.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
That answer is so personal to each creator and to each member of every artistic audience. But for me, it’s engagement. Were you ENGAGED by the song/the record? Did it draw you in? Were you able to be IN the moment and the ONLY thing happening in the world were those sounds, those words, those pictures on the cover. The world is moving at breakneck speed; the fact that people have to PRACTICE mindfulness (myself included) is regrettable. For me, that is where the arts are essential as an escape from all of that relentless hullabaloo. A great book or story or song or painting should be able to blur out everything on the periphery and allow you to be able to access a series of feelings within yourself that are inaccessible without the art. As a creator, if you can give the world some of THOSE keys to unlock those spaces within people, you are performing an invaluable service (value definable here by so many different metrics).
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’ve recently co-released a fictional podcast that I had a blast creating (The Boringville Chronicles) and that I truly believe has few peers (that may not be such a good thing!). It is wild and wacky and crazy and challenging and deep and shallow and, really, it’s going to have a hard time finding a home. However, Friendly Rich (one of the art-world’s hardest-working weirdos) and I sincerely believe that there is a weirdo out there looking for this one exact thing. If we have created ONE WEIRDO’s favourite podcast, we will be happy. So, I’m excited to see if Boringville finds some friends in that way.
I’m also looking forward to watching my kids (13 and almost 11) become themselves. It has been fascinating to watch them develop into real people with beliefs and loves and dislikes and styles and personalities not simply based on what is in or around the house. I don’t love it all (gah…some of the music….and the kids’ movies….), but studying how they like it, why they like it, seeing what it does for them and to them, and then reflecting on MY life and my formative years and thinking about my parents….it’s quite a fucking trip.
Posted in audiObelisk on February 16th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Toronto noisebringers Olde will issue their new album, Pilgrimage, on March 19 through Sludgelord Records in Europe and Seeing Red Records everywhere else. One does not have to wonder long where they might’ve found inspiration for the theme of the album’s second single, “Medico Della Peste,” with its story of plague doctors of old. The band, quoted below talking about the track, are right when they talk about things like blending hard rock and heavy metal influences, newschool and old, and so on, but in making it strictly binary they undersell some of the variety of influence in that track and the surrounding seven on the eight-song/42-minute long-player. Sure, there’s a definite foundation in noise rock and sludge, but the opening title-track has lumber enough to remind immediately that drummer Ryan Aubin also features in Sons of Otis, and on the subsequent “A New King,” vocalist Doug McLarty manages to channel modern metal gutturalism in a pattern that most reminds of mid-period Neurosis. Does it make sense? Not on paper, but definitely in the songs.
So there’s more reach going on here than just hard rock and heavy metal, but kudos to Olde on the humility. The guitar tones of Greg Dawson and Chris Hughes and Cory McCallum‘s bass go a decidedly different route, backing McLarty‘s hard-wrought assertions with a duly fervent chug. Humble it ain’t, but who honestly has time for such things by their third album? Olde have developed their sound across 2014’s I (review here) and 2017’s Temple (review here), and even as they bring in Nichol S. Robertson and Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain — the latter of whom is in Voivod and is one of the happiest headbangers you’ll ever see on stage; he is a joy to watch — for guest guitar solos and branch outward with a bit of sax in side B opener “The Dead Hand,” Olde sound like a band come into their own. As “In Defiance” picks up from “Medico Della Peste,” and really across all of Pilgrimage, the progression feels utterly natural. To wit, the rumbling, righteously nodding “In Defiance,” the aggression and heft of which is seamlessly offset by a post-rock-style airy guitar lead line that courses throughout. A break makes the heavy return all the heavier, and the wash conjured at the finish underscores how much more depth there is to Olde circa 2019/2020 — when the album was recorded — than they’re necessarily letting on.
All the better. “The Dead Hand” picks up after the consuming end of “In Defiance,” and has a back-to-bruiser-business vibe… until the sax shows up. It’s a slow roller, but bordering on catchy, and the brass solo in the second half leads directly into the likewise brash finish. It’s from there that the shortest inclusion, “Depth Charge” (3:47), picks up and pushes further into the reaches of lurching riffs, bringing echoing vocals into the chasm of its own making and casting a hypnosis through repetition. Another solo — I’m sorry, I’m not sure by whom — rips into the low end torrent, and the six-minute “Under Threatening Skies” starts quiet in emerging from all that rumble, but soon enough is underway with a Goatsnaker of a riff and somehow even more aggro vocals. A current of melody comes in near the finish, I think from the guitar, but the vibe is suitably dark in a way that gives the impression the title came in response to the music itself, and much as “Depth Charge” pushed further from “The Dead Hand,” so too does closer “Wastelands” seem to answer “Under Threatening Skies,” sonically if not through direct narrative.
Part of this flow is tempo-based, part of it comes from consistent tonality, etc., but Olde make it feel purposeful just the same, and they carry the record to its finish with a sureness and an ending of brief residual hum that leaves nothing left unsaid. And so they do. To their credit, Olde never come out and note directly the pandemic that may have driven them toward some of themes for their third full-length, including “Medico Della Peste,” but that specter isn’t far off from the listener’s consciousness just the same, and even if the recording was begun in the grand before-times — when shows happened and hugs were exchanged willy-nilly between individuals hardly more than casually acquainted — Pilgrimage is suited to the post-apocalyptic context in which it arrives. “Wasteland” might as well be a story about venues closing. It may be a dark future, but there’s some bash-head-against-wall catharsis happening here.
But hey, looking for an outlet that won’t leave bruises? Shout along with McLarty to “Medico Della Peste” on the player premiering the track below.
And enjoy:
Olde on “Medico Della Peste”:
“Medico Della Peste tells the tale of the plague doctors of centuries long past. The Bubonic Plague ravaged Europe, killing millions, and it was the ill-equipped and under-funded Medico Della Peste who were charged with trying to stem the tide of the Black Death. A story as old as time; a race between science and nature to save humanity. Musically, we wanted to marry our sludge influences with the hard rock riffs we grew up with i.e. Judas Priest, Kiss, etc. Science vs. Nature. New School vs. The Old Guard. Medico Della Peste is a toe-tapping neck-snapper, crafted to appeal to fans of hard rock and heavy metal alike.”
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 5th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
The next round of band announcements from the inaugural New England Stoner and Doom Fest confirms that, indeed, the April 2018 event will by no means be limited in its geographic pull. First non-New England group to be added? Wasted Theory. The Delaware heavy rockers are approaching veteran status at this point — one or two more records should do it, frankly — and I imagine they’ll feature pretty high on the bill given the stage presence they bring and their unbridled Southern-styled energy. Also from outside the confines of New England come Olde, from Toronto, who’ll bring their blend of weighted riffs and noise to the proceedings as they support their album on the fest-related Salt of the Earth Records imprint.
And to round out is Oxblood Forge from Massachusetts, featuring original Ichabod vocalist — and apparently my neighbor, over in Whitman, which is like five feet that way — Ken MacKay, whom I’d swear I saw one day rolling around in a sweet-looking old Caddy. Could’ve been someone else — there’s no shortage of beardo dudes around here, despite it being the sticks, but I did a double-take anyway as I drove past.
Also since last time I posted apparently Pittsburgh’s Horehound and Connecticut’s Denim Panther signed on to play. Just didn’t want them to be ignored.
Here’s the latest from the fest:
Wasted Theory
“…Wasted Theory plays their own version of heavy stoner metal with some ’70s swagger, bluesy undertones, mixed with some deep-fried southern doom, and topped with some diesel-laced mountain rock for good measure…”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Olde
Inspired by a recording session with long-time stoner metal stalwarts Sons of Otis, guitarist/producer Greg Dawson (Cunter, Grift, BWC Studios) began to handpick and assemble OLDE, emphasizing a powerful and economic approach to doom music. Enlisting the help of drummer Ryan Aubin (Sons of Otis), bassist Cory McCallum (Five Knuckle Chuckle), guitarist Chris “Hippy” Hughes (Moneen) and vocalist Doug McLarty (Jaww).
Oxblood Forge
Hailing from the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts, Oxblood Forge bring a penchant for roundhouse kicking the listener in the face with their own special sauce of doom and roll with a generous helping of psych, blues and classic rock… aim for big hooks, destructive vocals, and heavy guitars.
So New England, make no mistake about it.. Shits about to get real heavy….
Previously announced lineup: **SCISSORFIGHT **EARTHRIDE **CURSE THE SON **BANTH **HOREHOUND **DENIM PANTHER
All performing at the NEW ENGLAND STONER AND DOOM FESTIVAL 2018
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 9th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
I have on a good many occasions made my feelings known about the compact disc as a format. I’m a fan. Not that I don’t enjoy spending the occasional day listening to vinyl records, but if I’m reaching for physical media, I generally feel way less neurotic about handling even the flimsiest of digipaks before I do the fragile, so-easily-bent corners of even the sturdiest of gatefold LPs. Plus they’re cheaper. Not as cheap as tapes, which are also cool, but still. I’m not going to say a bad word about the vinyl resurgence, because it’s helped a lot of really good music find an entire generation’s worth of ears at this point and of course that’s amazing; I guess it’s just the era I was born into was of the CD, and at this point, while I have a decent amount of 12″ and 7″ and 10″ platters around, the CD is what my archive is based around. It is my format of record.
Why am I going through all of this again? Because I’m glad to see that with an upcoming of-course-gorgeous LP through STB Records and a cassette through Medusa Crush Recordings that also looks pretty rad, Toronto noisemakers Olde will release a CD of their 2017 album, Temple (review here), through Salt of the Earth Records. Nice to not have one’s preferred format left out in the cold, and all the better since it looks like we might get some extra tracks with this version too.
Here’s the announcement from Salt of the Earth:
Olde – Temple – Salt of the Earth
SALT OF THE EARTH RECORDS is rabidly excited to announce the signing of Toronto, Canada’s OLDE.
With the impending vinyl release of their second full length record, “Temple”, through STB Records, and a release on cassette through Medusa Crush Recordings, OLDE sought a home for the CD release of this beastly album. SALT OF THE EARTH RECORDS was a perfect fit.
This special edition CD digipack version of OLDE’s much anticipated “Temple” record will be the first edition of the release to feature all the songs written and recorded for the “Temple” recording sessions – a definitive version of the album presented as it was originally conceived and featuring expanded artwork. These additional tracks really contribute to the overall sonic gravity of the album, making this an essential release for fans of the band. Stick this in your CD player, turn it all the way up, and let the waves of heavy crush you…come worship at OLDE’s “Temple”.
Coming soon to SALT OF THE EARTH RECORDS.
OLDE is: Vocals- Doug McLarty Guitars- Greg Dawson and Chris “Hippy” Hughes Drums- Ryan Aubin Bass- Cory McCallum
It turns out that, yes indeed, I will be able to add another day to the Quarterly Review this coming Monday. Stoked on that. Means I’ll be trying to cram another 10 reviews into this coming weekend, but that’s not exactly a hardship as I see it, and the stuff I have picked out for it is, frankly, as much of a bonus for me as it could possibly be for anyone else, so yeah, look out for that. In the meantime, we wrap the Monday-to-Friday span of 50 records today with another swath of what’s basically me doing favors for my ears, and I hope as always for yours as well. Let’s dig in.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Ecstatic Vision, Raw Rock Fury
Hard touring and a blistering debut in 2015’s Sonic Praise (review here) quickly positioned Ecstatic Vision at the forefront of a Philadelphia-based mini-boom in heavy psych (see also: Ruby the Hatchet, Meddlesome Meddlesome Meddlsome Bells, and so on), and their Relapse-issued follow-up, Raw Rock Fury, only delves further into unmitigated cosmic swirl and space-rocking crotchal thrust. The now-foursome keep a steady ground in percussion and low end even as guitar, sax, synth and echoing vocals seem to push ever more far-out, and across the record’s four tracks – variously broken up across two sides – the band continue to stake out their claim on the righteously psychedelic, be it in the all-go momentum building of “You Got it (Or You Don’t)” or the more drifting opening movement of closer “Twinkling Eye.” Shit is trippy, son. With the echoing-from-the-depths shouts of Doug Sabolik cutting through, there’s still an edge of Eastern Seaboard intensity to Ecstatic Vision, but that only seems to make Raw Rock Fury live up to its title all the more. Still lots of potential here, but it’ll be their third record that tells the tale of whether they can truly conquer space itself.
Issued through Brutal Panda, Too Many Winters is the second full-length from Portland five-piece Norska, and its six tracks/48 minutes would seem to pick up where Rwake left off in presenting a progressive vision of what might be called post-sludge. Following an engaging 2011 self-titled debut, songs like the title-track and “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” churn and careen through Sourvein-style abrasion, vaguely Neurosis-style nod and, in the case of the latter or closer “Fire Patience Backbone,” soundscaping minimalism that, in the finale, is bookended by some of the record’s most intense push following opener “Samhain” and the subsequent “Eostre.” That salvo starts Too Many Winters with a deceptive amount of thrust, but even there atmosphere is central as it is to the outing as a whole, and a penultimate interlude in the 2:22 “Wave of Regrets” does well to underscore the point before the fading-in initial onslaught of “Fire Patience Backbone.” Having Aaron Rieseberg of YOB in the lineup with Jim Lowder, Dustin Rieseberg, Rob Shaffer and Jason Oswald no doubt draws eyes their way, but Norska’s sonic persona is distinct, immersive and individualized enough to stand on its own well beyond that pedigree.
Think about the two choices. You are Not the Ocean You are the Patient. Isn’t it the difference between something acting – i.e., an object – and something acted upon – i.e., a subject? As British Columbian heavy rockers Bison return after half a decade via Pelagic Records, their fourth album seems to find them trying to push beyond genre lines into a broader scope. “Until the Earth is Empty,” “Drunkard,” “Anti War” and “Raiigin” still have plenty of thrust, but the mood here is darker even than 2012’s Lovelessness found the four-piece, and “Tantrum” and closer “The Water Becomes Fire” bring out a more methodical take. It’s been 10 years since Bison issued their debut Earthbound EP and signed to Metal Blade for 2008’s Quiet Earth, and the pre-Red Fang party-ready heavy rock of those early works is long gone – one smiles to remember “These are My Dress Clothes” in the context of noise-rocking centerpiece “Kenopsia” here, the title of which refers to the emptiness of a formerly occupied space – but if the choice Bison are making is to place themselves on one side or the other of the subject/object divide, they prove to be way more ocean than patient in these songs.
With its churning, swirling waves of cosmic death, one almost expects Valborg’s Endstrand (on Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions) to be more self-indulgent than it is, but one of the German trio’s greatest assets across the 13-track/44-minute span of their sixth album is its immediacy. The longest song, “Stossfront,” doesn’t touch five minutes, and from the 2:14 opener “Jagen” onward, Valborg reenvision punk rock as a monstrous, consuming beast on songs like “Blut am Eisen,” “Beerdigungsmaschine,” “Alter,” “Atompetze” and closer “Exodus,” all the while meting put punishment after punishment of memorable post-industrial riffing on “Orbitalwaffe,” the crashing “Ave Maria” and the noise-soaked penultimate “Strahlung,” foreboding creeper atmospherics on “Bunkerluft” and “Geisterwürde,” and landmark, perfectly-paced chug on “Plasmabrand.” Extreme in its intent and impact, Endstrand brings rare clarity to an anti-genre vision of brutality as an art form, and at any given moment, its militaristic threat feels real, sincere and like an appropriate and righteous comment on the terrors of our age. Fucking a.
Probably fair to call the current status of German post-doomers Obelyskkh in flux following the departure of guitarist Stuart West, but the band has said they’ll keep going and their fourth album, The Providence (on Exile on Mainstream) finds them capping one stage of their tenure with a decidedly forward-looking perspective. Its six-song/56-minute run borders on unmanageable, but that’s clearly the intent, and an air of proggy weirdness infects The Providence from the midsection of its opening title-track onward as the band – West, guitarist/vocalist Woitek Broslowski, bassist Seb Fischer and drummer Steve Paradise – tackle King Crimson rhythmic nuance en route to an effects-swirling vision of Lovecraftian doomadelia and massive roll. Cuts like “Raving Ones” and 13-minute side B leadoff “NYX” play out with a similarly deceptive multifaceted vibe, and by the time the penultimate “Aeons of Iconoclasm” bursts outward from its first half’s spacious minimalism into all-out High on Fire thrust ahead of the distortion-soaked churn of closer “Marzanna” – which ends, appropriately, with laughter topping residual effects noise – Obelyskkh make it abundantly clear anything goes. The most impressive aspect of The Providence is that Obelyskkh manage to control all this crunching chaos, and one hopes that as they continue forward, they’ll hold firm to that underlying consciousness.
Former Mayhem/Aura Noir guitarist Rune “Blasphemer” Ericksen leads breadth-minded Portuguese four-piece Earth Electric, and their devil-in-the-details Season of Mist debut, Vol. 1: Solar, runs a prog-metal gamut across a tightly-woven nine tracks and 35 minutes, Ericksen’s vocals and those of Carmen Susana Simões (Moonspell, ex-Ava Inferi) intertwine fluidly at the forefront of sharply angular riffing and rhythmic turns from bassist Alexandre Ribeiro and drummer Ricardo Martins. The organ-laced push of “Meditate Meditate” and “Solar” and the keyboard flourish of “Earthrise” (contributed by Dan Knight) draw as much from classic rock as metal, but the brew Earth Electric crafts from them is potent and very much the band’s own. “The Great Vast” and the shorter “Set Sail (Towards the Sun)” set up a direct flow into the title cut, and as one returns to Earth Electric for repeat listens, the actual scope of the album and the potential for how the band might continue to develop are likewise expansive, despite its many pulls into torrents of head-down riffing. Almost intimidating in its refusal to bow to genre.
After debuting in 2014 with I (review here), Toronto’s Olde return via STB Records with Temple, proffering sludge-via-doom vibes and a center of weighted tonality around which the rest of their aesthetic would seem to be built, vocalist Doug McLarty’s throaty growls alternately cutting through and buried by the riffs of guitarists Greg Dawson (also production) and Chris “Hippy” Hughes, the bass of Cory McCallum and the rolling crashes of drummer Ryan Aubin (also of Sons of Otis) on tightly constructed pieces like “Now I See You” and the tempo-shifting “Centrifugal Disaster,” which reminds by its finish that sometimes all you need is nod. Olde have more to offer than just that, of course, as the plodding spaciousness of “The Ghost Narrative” and the lumbering “Maelstrom” demonstrate, but even in the turns between crush and more open spaces of the centerpiece title-track and the drifting post-heavy rock of closer “Castaway,” the underlying focus is on capital-‘h’ Heavy, and Olde wield it as only experts can.
Based in Athens and self-releasing their debut album, Alarm, in multiple vinyl editions, the four-piece of Panos Gklinos, Dimitris Sakellariou, Antonis Mantakas and George Diathesopoulos – collectively known as Deaf Radio – make no bones about operating in the post-Queens of the Stone Age/Them Crooked Vultures sphere of heavy rock. To their credit, the songwriting throughout “Aggravation,” “Vultures and Killers” and the careening “Revolving Doors” lives up to that standard, and though even the later “Oceanic Feeling” seems to be informed by the methods of Josh Homme, there’s a melodic identity there that belongs more to Deaf Radio as well, and keeping Alarm in mind as their first long-player, it’s that identity that one hopes the band will continue to develop. Rounding out side B with the howling guitar and Rated R fuzz of the six-minute “…And We Just Pressed the Alarm Button,” Deaf Radio build to a suitable payoff for the nine-track outing and affirm the aesthetic foundation they’ve laid for themselves.
The further you go into Saturndust’s 58-minute second LP RLC, the more there is to find. At any given moment, the São Paulo, Brazil-based outfit can be playing to impulses ranging from proggy space rock, righteously doomed tonal heft, aggressive blackened thrust or spacious post-sludge – in one song. Over longform cuts like “Negative-Parallel Dimensional,” “RLC,” “Time Lapse of Existence” and closer “Saturn 12.C,” the trio cast a wide-enough swath to be not quite genreless but genuinely multi-tiered and not necessarily as disjointed as one might expect in their feel, and though when they want to, they roll out massive, lumbering riffs, that’s only one tool in a full arsenal at their apparent disposal. What tie RLC together are the sure hands of guitarist/vocalist Felipe Dalam, bassist Guilherme Cabral and drummer Douglas Oliveira guiding it, so that when the galloping-triplet chug of “Time Lapse of Existence” hits, it works as much in contrast to the synth-loaded “Titan” preceding as in conjunction with it. Rather than summarize, “Saturn 12.C” pushes far out on a wash of Dalam’s keyboards before a wide-stomping apex, seeming to take Saturndust to their farthest point beyond the stratosphere yet. Safe travels and many happy returns.
Massachusetts doomers Birnam Wood have two prior EPs under their collective belt in 2015’s Warlord and a 2014 self-titled, but the two-songer single Triumph of Death (kudos on the Hellhammer reference) is my first exposure to their blend of modern progressive metal melody and traditional doom. They roll out both in able fashion on the single’s uptempo opening title-track and follow with the Black–Sabbath-“Black-Sabbath” sparse notemaking early in their own “Birnam Wood.” All told, Triumph of Death is only a little over nine minutes long, but it makes for an encouraging sampling of Birnam Wood’s wares all the same, and as Dylan Edwards, Adam McGrath, Shaun Anzalone and Matt Wagner shift into faster swing circa the eponymous tune’s solo-topped midpoint, they do so with a genuine sense of homage that does little to take away from the sense of individuality they’ve brought to the style even in this brief context. They call it stoner metal, and there’s something to that, but if we’re going on relative balance, Triumph of Death is more doom-stoner than stoner-doom, and it revels within that niche-within-a-niche-within-a-niche sensibility.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 19th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
If at least one of the names in Onera‘s rather formidable pedigree doesn’t stand out to you, take the sheer abundance of them as a sign that you might want to get introduced. For me, it’s vastly underappreciated doomers Morgion and likewise overlooked heavy rockers Cortez that did the trick. The New Hampshire-based newcomers comprised from former members of these outfits and more have just issued their first release in the form of a three-song melo-doomer title Olde that they seem to be hoping will get picked up either itself for label support or will lead to same for their next offering. Digging into the tracks, they’d seem just as much at home on Cruz del Sur as Candlelight. Kind of a lot of dark-vs.-light playing out within each song, all of it very metal, very doomed.
The PR wire offers the following:
ONERA: Doom Outfit Featuring Morgion, Keen Of The Crow, Cortez, December Wolves, And Watchmaker Alumni Releases EP
New Hampshire-based doom metal quintet ONERA proudly presents their debut EP, Olde, which has just been independently released by the band, and is now streaming in its entirety. Though the entity of ONERA is very new, the outfit unites a team of veterans from a wide array of revered acts including Morgion, Keen Of The Crow, Cortez, December Wolves, Watchmaker, and others who have been active in the scene for several decades.
In September 2015, the members of ONERA entered Amps vs Ohms in Cambridge, Massachusetts to capture their debut recordings. The members’ cumulative resumes and influences intertwine and carve out a unique sound for the band. Mastered at New Alliance East, the three-song Olde EP presents just under thirty minutes of glorious doom metal rapture, rife with heavy, melodic, dynamic, and progressive elements which help create an intense, organic, and primeval aura.
Olde Track Listing: 1. Unruhe 2. Stil As Stone 3. Cold Hand’s Caress
ONERA is promoting the release, shopping their music to labels, and continuing to put on impressive live performances throughout the Northeast.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 7th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Originally released by the band in 2014, Olde‘s debut long-player, I (review here), was picked up for limited vinyl issue through Hypaethral Records late that year. The band, which features drummer Ryan Aubin of underrated fuzz constructionists Sons of Otis, have inked a deal to put the follow-up — could be titled anything, even II — via respected NJ vinyl purveyor STB Records. No word of an exact date yet, but it’s listed as happening sometime this year, and if you heard that first record at all, you know it’s one worth keeping an eye open for.
More to come, but here’s announcement and background for now, as well as the stream of I for a refresher:
STB Records is really pleased to announce the signing of Toronto Canada’s DooM heavy hitterS, OLDE! If you have not had the pleasure of getting your brains crushed by their debut release “I” I HIGHLY suggest doing that immediately. Expect a crushing new album with the full red carpet vinyl treatment this year on STB Records.
Inspired by a recording session with long-time stoner metal stalwarts Sons of Otis, guitarist/producer Greg Dawson (Cunter, Grift, BWC Studios) began to handpick and assemble OLDE, emphasizing a powerful and economic approach to Doom music. Enlisting the help of drummer Ryan Aubin (Sons of Otis), bassist Cory McCallum (Five Knuckle Chuckle), guitarist Chris “Hippy” Hughes (Moneen) and vocalist Doug McLarty (Jaww) OLDE began to take form. The band came in to the studio one by one, having only heard Dawson’s demos, having never laid eyes on anyone else in the band. Soon, the recording was complete and “I” was ready to terrorize the heavy metal countryside. The band eventually met in Dawson’s driveway and everyone got along quite famously.
Eschewing the sometimes meandering mores of the genre, OLDE’s “I” is an exercise in force and restraint. There are no ten-minute guitar solos, space soundscapes, spritely psychedelics or vocal chanting freak-folk interludes. The album is somewhat of an anomaly: it is a Doom record without any one song topping five minutes. These calculated arrangements add to the single-minded and earnest nature of the music. OLDE wastes little time or effort. They are precise, efficient and heavy.
Despite their somewhat-odd origins, this is not some new-school, svengali-created trend-jumper. OLDE is, simply, a handful of old school veterans offering up something new, challenging themselves in order to challenge the music scene itself. This is their battle cry, and, hopefully, it is the first of many.
Vocals- Doug McLarty Guitars- Greg Dawson and Chris “Hippy” Hughes Drums- Ryan Aubin Bass- Cory McCallum
