Tonight in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, booze-doom trio Sinister Haze begin a month-long US tour that will take them coast to coast as they head west for a slot on May 16 at the Psycho California festival before looping back eastward. Today also marks the release of their debut EP, Betrayed by Time, pressed in a 180g LP edition of 300 copies by Heavy Slab Records, and “heavy slab” is about as apt a description as anything I can come up with for the four-song release. More than their three-song 2013 Demo (review here), the EP versions take elements from doom and mid-paced heavy rock groove and set a drunken undertone to the whole affair. Though Richmond is a hotbed for doom, grind, stoner rock and Southern heavy, I wouldn’t necessarily align Sinister Haze to any of them (especially grind), but over the course of “Betrayed by Time” (previously streamed here), “Changin’ Ways,” “Motorhaze” and “Black Shapeless Demon,” seem to tell the tale instrumentally of a night’s party taken perhaps a bit too far and the ensuing weight that can press on the head like so much concrete.

All told, it’s a 23-minute EP, but there’s a definite flow between the two songs of the A side and the two of the B. “Changin’ Ways” is of particular note in the bourbon-breathed narrative — which is something I’m putting to it rather than a concept Sinister Haze have said they’re working with — since it’s both the catchiest track and the moment where one realizes maybe the evening’s imbibing has gotten out of hand. It’s been a while, admittedly, but I’ve been there. Before that, “Betrayed by Time” starts off at a solid roll and winds up in a kind slurred vocal and guitar pairing by its finish, which leaves “Changin’ Ways” and its Earthride-worthy nod to further the boogie, as it most certainly does. The moment where the drink betrays the drinker? Well, it’s somewhere in the instrumental “Motorhaze,” which sways and leans this way and that and finds guitarist/vocalist Brandon Marcey, bassist/vocalist Sam Marsh and drummer Joe Dillon pushing through classic-minded leads and warm tones backed by swinging drums not quite as upbeat as either of the cuts on the first half of the EP, but transitioning smoothly into the eight-minute closer, “Black Shapeless Demon.”

Legend has it, it was such a creature that inspired Geezer Butler to pen “Black Sabbath,” but for Sinister Haze, “Black Shapeless Demon” is more introspective, begin with a sort of wistful, quiet guitar progression joined soon by the bass and drums that unfolds over the first three minutes or so before vocals start the first verse and the build ensues. Much to Sinister Haze‘s credit, while “Black Shapeless Demon” comes to a head, it’s not overblown or cliché in how it does so, and the slow-oozing distortion that takes hold feels drawn in parts from the emotional heft of Pallbearer and the fuckall of Electric Wizard, but is indebted ultimately to neither. Marcey and Marsh work exceedingly well together on vocals — the demo was fronted by Fire Faithful‘s Brandon Malone — and the quiet finish of “Black Shapeless Demon” is all the more effective for the spirited, regret-fueled performance given atop the track’s rumbling payoff. That must’ve been some night.

In honor of the Betrayed by Time EP’s release, you can stream it in full courtesy of the band and Heavy Slab Records. Please find it on the player below, followed by Sinister Haze‘s tour dates, which once again, start tonight.

Enjoy:

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SINISTER HAZE TOUR DATES:

4/28 Richmond Va @ Strange Matter w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers
4/29 Durham NC @ Motor City Music Hall w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers
4/30 Johnson City NC @ The Hideaway w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers & Torch Runner
5/1 Knoxville TN @ Poison Lawn w/ Torch Runner
5/2 Atlanta GA @ 529 w/ Irreversible (Final Show), Order of the Owl
5/3 New Orleans @ Siberia w/ Today is the Day
5/4 New Orleans @ Sisters in Christ
5/5 Houston TX @ Fitzgerald’s w/ Today Is The Day
5/6 Austin TX @ Mohawk
5/7 San Antonio @ Hi Tones
5/8 Austin TX @ The Lost Well w/ Conan
5/11 Amarillo TX @ Yellow City Bomb Shelter
5/12 Albuquerque NM @ Moonlight Lounge
5/13 Tempe/Phoenix AZ @ Yucca Tap Room w/ Sorxe and Goya
5/16 Psycho California Festival
5/18 Oakland CA @ Golden Bull
5/20 Denver CO @ Barbar
5/21 Omaha NB @ O’Leavers
5/22 Minneapolis MN @ Hexagon Bar
5/23 Milwuakee WI @ Quarters
5/24 Chicago IL @ LiveWire Lounge
5/25 Detroit MI @ Corktown Tavern
5/26 Pittsburgh PA @ 31st St. Pub

Sinister Haze on Thee Facebooks

Sinister Haze on Bandcamp

Betrayed by Time at Heavy Slab Records

Heavy Slab Records on Thee Facebooks

Click Here to Download

[mp3player width=480 height=180 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=aot47.xml]

If you listen to these podcasts on the regular, you might notice this one is a little different than other recent editions have been. I was all set to start it off at a raging clip as per usual and then that Bison Machine track stood out to me with that warm bassline and I just decided that was the way to go, start off languid with that and My Sleeping Karma and ease into the rawer and meaner stuff from there. There are a couple jarring moments here and there, but that’s kind of the idea too, and I think overall across the board it flows well across the two hours, the second of which builds across All Them Witches’ jams and Ichabod’s sludge rock right into the atmospheric doom extremity of Bell Witch. Three songs in about 55 minutes. Awesome.

You might also notice the tracklist below has time stamps. Listed is the start time for each song, so if you get lost along the way, that should hopefully provide some point of reference. In case there was any doubt I pay attention to the stuff people say in comments to these podcast posts.

As always, hope you enjoy:

First Hour:
0:00:00 Bison Machine, “Gamekeeper’s Thumb” from Hoarfrost
0:07:12 My Sleeping Karma, “Prithvi” from Moksha
0:13:39 Weedeater, “Claw of the South” from Goliathan
0:19:00 Sinister Haze, “Betrayed by Time” from Betrayed by Time EP
0:24:15 Sun and Sail Club, “Dresden Fireball Freakout Flight” from The Great White Dope
0:26:11 Lasers from Atlantis, “Protectress” from Lasers from Atlantis
0:33:29 Arenna, “Drums for Sitting Bull” from Given to Emptiness
0:39:40 Mirror Queen, “Scaffolds of the Sky” from Scaffolds of the Sky
0:45:47 Les Discrets, “La Nuit Muette” from Live at Roadburn
0:51:02 Cigale, “Harvest Begun” from Cigale
0:54:49 Black Mare, “A Low Crimes” from Black Mare/Lycia Split

Second Hour:
1:00:03 All Them Witches, “It Moved We Moved/Almost There/A Spider’s Gift” from A Sweet Release
1:24:09 Ichabod, “Squall” from Merrimack
1:33:39 Bell Witch, “Suffocation, a Burial I – Awoken (Breathing Teeth)” from Four Phantoms

Total running time: 1:55:50

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 047

Richmond, Virginia, trio Sinister Haze have a new vinyl EP coming out called Betrayed by Time. Three of the four songs, “Betrayed by Time,” “Changin’ Ways,” and “Black Shapeless Demon,” you might recognize from their 2013 Demo (review here), but Betrayed by Time is a new recording entirely — for one thing, they were a four-piece at the time they did the demo — and features a fourth track, “Motorhaze,” which is as accurate a description of the band’s sound as anything I could ever come up with. The vinyl is available to preorder now from Heavy Slab Records.

When it arrives, it will do so on a 180g red swirl 45RPM platter, with numbers limited to 329 copies. To celebrate its coming, the three-piece will embark on a month-long coast-to-coast US tour that includes a stop at the much-anticipated Psycho California fest on May 16. They’ve also got dates scheduled along the way with Conan, US Christmas, Today is the Day, Order of the Owl, Goya and others.

Behold:

Remaining true to heavy rock psychedelia, Richmond VA’s SINSTER HAZE offer their Betrayed by Time EP through Heavy Slab Records. The trio with members of doom and punk backgrounds come together for over 20 minutes of acid laced rock and roll. With the trippy grooves of “Betrayed By Time” and “Changin’ Ways” to the epic hopelessness of “Black Shapeless Demon,” this is music for rockers with a beer and joint in hand and one foot in the grave.

Limited to 300 copies, “Betrayed By Time” has been pressed to 180-gram red swirl vinyl by Heavy Slab Records, this album can be ordered online:
PRE-ORDER THE RECORD FROM THE BAND HERE OR HEAVY SLAB HERE.

Guitar/Vocals – Brandon Marcey (Cough)
Bass/Vocals – Sam Marsh (Dry Spell)
Drums/Madness – Joe Dillon (Balaclava)

TOUR DATES:
4/28 Richmond Va @ Strange Matter w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers
4/29 Durham NC @ Motor City Music Hall w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers
4/30 Johnson City NC @ The Hideaway w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers & Torch Runner
5/1 Knoxville TN @ Poison Lawn w/ Torch Runner
5/2 Atlanta GA @ 529 w/ Irreversible (Final Show), Order of the Owl
5/3 New Orleans @ Siberia w/ Today is the Day
5/4 New Orleans @ Sisters in Christ
5/5 Houston TX @ Fitzgerald’s w/ Today Is The Day
5/6 Austin TX @ Mohawk
5/7 San Antonio @ Hi Tones
5/8 Austin TX @ The Lost Well w/ Conan
5/11 Amarillo TX @ Yellow City Bomb Shelter
5/12 Albuquerque NM @ Moonlight Lounge
5/13 Tempe/Phoenix AZ @ Yucca Tap Room w/ Sorxe and Goya
5/16 Psycho California Festival
5/18 Oakland CA @ Golden Bull
5/20 Denver CO @ Barbar
5/21 Omaha NB @ O’Leavers
5/22 Minneapolis MN @ Hexagon Bar
5/23 Milwuakee WI @ Quarters
5/24 Chicago IL @ LiveWire Lounge
5/25 Detroit MI @ Corktown Tavern
5/26 Pittsburgh PA @ 31st St. Pub

http://www.heavyslab.com/HeavySlab.com/HVYSLB004.html
https://www.facebook.com/SinisterHazeBand
https://sinisterhaze.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heavy-Slab-Records/186805461335299

Sinister Haze, “Betrayed by Time”