Framed by images of roaches, needles, faceless masks and other visually striking and abrasive imagery, the new video from Spanish noise-slinging sludge duo VOR tells a good portion of the tale. On May 19, the Madrid-based outfit will issue Depravador through a host of involved labels, including Third I Rex, Noizeland Records, Noorirax Producciones, Odio Sonoro, Sacramento Records, Base Record Production and Fuzz T-Shirts, the latter two of which I’ll confess I’m not even sure if they are record labels, but it’s yet more companies standing behind the band’s work and it goes to prove the overarching point that this is material and this is a band that a lot of people really believe in and are willing to support.
The bass/drum filth-revelry of the track “Cudgel,” which is the single for which the new video has been put together, justifies that, I think. It’s a quick blast of ’90s-style sludge intensity, reminiscent maybe of Buzzov*en or Eyehategod in some of their especially biting moments, but the rawness they conjure as only being a two-piece becomes part of the aesthetic in a fascinating way, feeding into the overarching rawness of their approach and making the whole affair even meaner than it started out. I haven’t heard the full record yet — so many cooks in the kitchen on a release, sometimes these things are hard to come by — but once again, it’s easy to understand why people would believe in what VOR are up to stylistically, taking the classic tenets of mud-in-your-eye sludge and bringing something of their own to it. One way or another, it’s noisy as all hell.
My go-to word for this kind of sludge always seems to be “nasty,” and the crust that outlines “Cudgel” much the same way those needles, roaches, etc. frame the video, certainly meets that standard. Depravador, one more time, lands May 19, and it’s with the permission of Third I Rex that I have the pleasure of hosting the premiere of the clip that you’ll find below, with more background beneath, courtesy of the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
VOR, “Cudgel” official video premiere
The Spanish noisemongers VOR bring to the table one of the most corrosive releases of the year. This bass and drum duo is no joke! Coming from projects such as Lazharus, Warchetype, Moho, Cuzo, The Eyes Y and more levels of filth, these guys have got something you should really take a listen to.
Their new album “Depravador” comes after another killer release, the band’s debut album “Tu Clave Es Jonàs”, pressed early in 2017 by another bunch of labels, including some of those collaborating for this new LP. Seven tracks of trippy, abrasive, odd, heavy sludge which, funneled through a punk attitude, is able to take off your face like thick tar on naked skin.
An absolute must listen to for all of the uncompromised sludge supporters, fuzzy doom sounds lovers, punk-fueled hatred preachers, and all of those people out there who wanna listen to something new after tons of boring late releases! “Depravador” will be out on May 19th!
Recorded at La Cortina Roja in 2017. Mastered at Kadifornia Mastering in 2018. Front cover art by Calabaza Cosmica. Photo by Sergio Albert Aviles.
VOR is: Iván: bass, noise & shrieks Edu: drums & noise Anxela (Bala): guest vocals in “Dark Fraga”
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 17th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
The simple fact is that Viaje a 800 were years ahead of their time. Years. After their Diablo Roto De… debut in 2001, the band took more than half a decade to deliver a follow-up in Estampida de Trombones, but they made that wait absolutely worth it. Rife with memorable songs that crossed any and all language barriers with their fludity of groove and memorable melodies, it was a record that, if it came out today in the sphere of social media word-of-mouth, would have them headlining tours and digging into slots at one festival after the next. Don’t believe me? Listen to the record. You’ll understand.
Estampida de Trombones is being given a get-it-while-you-can limited vinyl repressing through Spinda Records that’s up for preorder now and officially out June 5. If there’s any justice in the universe, they’ll be long gone by the time June gets here. Make that happen.
Info from the PR wire and the preorder page:
Viaje a 800 re-edit ‘Estampida de Trmobones’ on vinyl
The stampede returns … YELL!
Exhausted years ago, with skyrocketing prices in the second-hand market and over time become an authentic cult album among the followers of progressive rock, stoner or psychedelic rock, ‘Estampida de trombones’ from Viaje a 800 is re-edited these days through the independent label Spinda Records.
Released: June 5, 2018 Price: € 20 (pre-order offer)
‘Estampida de Trombones’ 11th Anniversary Numbered-Limited Edition Orange-Translucent 12″ Vinyl, including new artwork and lyrics.
Music & Lyrics by Viaje a 800. Special guests: Andeas Papandreus (‘Cáncer Bahía’) & Curro Snortil (‘Estampida de Trombones’). Produced by Viaje a 800 & Spinda Records. Recorded & Mixed at La Casa del Perro (Algeciras) by Curro Snortil. Mastering by J.M. Sagrisa at Estudios Punta Paloma (Tarifa). Photography by Steele-grasza. Artwork by Artidoto.
Track-list: SIDE A 1. Los ángeles que hay en mi piel 2. El amor es un perro del infierno 3. Dios astrónomo 4. Ossario 5. Zé SIDE B 6. Luto 7. Patio Custodio 8. Estampida de trombones 9. Cabezas de tugsteno 10. Cáncer bahía
Vinyl Edition by Spinda Records (5th June 2018)
300 numbered units Vinyl 12 “Gatefold Translucent orange vinyl Includes lyrics Good trip…
If your ears don’t automatically perk up on hearing the phrases ‘classic-style heavy rockers’ and ‘on Small Stone Records‘ in the same sentence, well, to put it mildly they should. Thus we find Spanish classic-style heavy rockers Green Desert Water making their debut on Small Stone Records with their second album overall, Solar Plexus. Quick to make an impression and earn immediate points with the opener and longest track “Open Your Wings,” the band trio channels earliest AC/DC on the swinging heavy blues of “Souls of the Woodland,” and offers a fluid dose of fuzz in “Chaman,” demonstrating a propensity both for hooks and for adding modern flair to the core heavy ’70s influence. The shuffle that emerges near the midsection of “Chaman,” for example, or the tambourine-laced jam in the penultimate “Mother Moon.” These are well-established methods, but as Small Stone has endeavored in recent years to demonstrate, a balance can surely be struck between the classic and the modern. Green Desert Water do this exceptionally well.
Solar Plexus breaks neatly into two vinyl halves, with three cuts on either side: two longer and one shorter to finish. Side B concludes with the title-track, only about a minute shorter than “Souls of the Woodland” or “Mother Moon” before it, but the difference is more striking on Side A, where “The Deepest Sea,” which is the shortest inclusion overall at 4:44, follows “Open Your Wings” and “Chaman,” both of which are more extended. “The Deepest Sea,” however, is an effective condensation of many of the record’s other impulses, with a strong hook, a perfect tempo, and an easy rhythmic swing that’s neither forced nor overstated. It engages quickly and asks little of the listener in terms of indulgences. These traits it shares in common with its surroundings, and while it may not be as long as “Open Your Wings” or “Mother Moon,” there’s no question the song accomplishes its task and represents the album well for its natural-sounding structure, modern production style and energetic delivery.
The three-piece is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Kike Sanchís, bassist Juan Arias García and drummer/backing vocalist Javi Gonzalez and Solar Plexus is out April 27, once again on Small Stone, which has preorders up now. Below, you can see the video premiere for “The Deepest Sea” and get some more background on the band from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
Green Desert Water, “The Deepest Sea” official video premiere
After getting their feet wet in a molten pool of heavy blues on their 2012 self-titled debut EP, GREEN DESERT WATER is ready for their next conquest. The Oviedo, Spain-based three-piece have been making a name for themselves as one of the best-kept-secrets of the Iberian heavy underground, and with Solar Plexus – their second LP – they’ve never sounded readier to let the cat out of the proverbial bag. And by “cat out of the bag,” we mean unleashing classic power trio grooves – all primo, all soul, but heavier and thicker and more modern than the first record.
Solar Plexus was recorded and mixed by Pablo Martínez Pérez at Ovni Estudio, mastered by Kike Sanchís at Green Desert Mastering and comes wrapped in the cover art of Héctor Castañón. The six-track offering will see release on CD, digital, and limited edition vinyl formats on April 27th via Small Stone.
GREEN DESERT WATER: Juan Arias García – fuzz bass Javi González – drums, percussion, backing vocals Kike Sanchís – guitars, vocals Additional guitar on “The Deepest Sea” by Pablo Martínez Pérez.
I’m pretty sure this Quarterly Review — life eater that it is — is going to wind up being six days long. That means next Monday look for sixth installment, another batch of 10 records, which were not hard to come by among everything that’s come in lately for review. I do my best to keep up, often to little avail — some random act’s Bandcamp page starts trending and all of a sudden they’re the best band ever, which hey, they’re probably not and that’s okay too. Anyhowzer, I’m trying is the point. Hopefully another 10 records added into this Quarterly Review underscores that notion.
More coffee. More albums. Let’s rock.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Eagle Twin, The Thundering Heard (Songs of Hoof and Horn)
Consuming tones, throat-sung blues, a wash of lumbering doom – yes, it’s quite a first three minutes on Eagle Twin’s The Thundering Heard (Songs of Hoof and Horn). Released by Southern Lord, it’s the Salt Lake City duo’s first outing since 2012’s The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale (discussed here), which arrived three years after their 2009 debut, The Unkindness of Crows (review here). Once again, the four-song outing finds guitarist/vocalist Gentry Densley and drummer Tyler Smith exploring the natural order and the natural world the 11-minute “Quanah un Rama” and the 14-minute “Antlers of Lightning” bookend “Elk Wolfv Hymn” (8:22) and album highlight “Heavy Hood” (7:21), creating an ever-more immersive and grit-laden flow across the album’s span. It’s hard to know if Densley and Smith are the hunters or the hunted here, but the tones are massive enough to make YOB blush, the rhythms are hypnotic and the use they’re both put to is still unlike anything else out there, ending after the chaos and assault of low end on “Antlers of Lightning” with a moment of contemplative guitar lead, as if to remind us of our solitary place in imagining ourselves at the top of the food chain.
One wonders what it might’ve been like to see Wight on the 2015 tour on which the Bilocation Records-issued vinyl-only Fusion Rock Invasion: Live Over Europe was captured. Still a year out from releasing their third album, Love is Not Only What You Know (review here), the former trio had already become a four-piece with guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist René Hofmann, bassist Peter-Philipp Schierhorn and drummer Thomas Kurek bringing in percussionist Steffen Kirchpfening and already undertaken the funkier aesthetic turn that LP would represent coming off of 2012’s Through the Woods into Deep Water (review here). At least I’d think it would be something of a surprise as the band hit into “Helicopter Mama” and “The Muse & the Mule” and “Kelele,” which comprise side A of Fusion Rock Invasion, but by all appearances listening to the crowd response between songs, they seem into it. Who could argue? Wight’s groove in those songs as well as the older “Master of Nuggets” and Love is Not Only What You Know finale “The Love for Life Leads to Reincarnation” on side B, are infectious in their grooves and the soul put into them is genuine and unmistakable. One more reason I wouldn’t have minded being there, I suppose.
Name your bet someone picks up Sundrifter’s Visitations for a proper release. The Boston three-piece of vocalist/guitarist Craig Peura, bassist Paul Gaughran and drummer Patrick Queenan impress in performance, aesthetic and craft across the nine songs and 48 minute of their for-now-self-released debut long-player, and whether it’s Queenan dipping into blastbeats on “Targeted” or Gaughran’s rumble on the Soundgarden-gone-doom “Fire in the Sky” or the fuzz that leads the charge on the Queens of the Stone Age-style “Hammerburn,” Peura doing a decent Josh Homme along the way, each member proves to add something to a whole greater than the sum of its parts and that is able to take familiar elements and use them to hone an individualized atmosphere. In the wake of melodically engaged Boston acts like Gozu, Sundrifter would seem to be a focused newcomer with a solidified mindset of who they are as a group. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised either if they kept growing their sound. Something about the psychedelic distance in “Fire in the Sky” and “I Want to Leave,” says there’s forward movement yet to be had.
Serenity and presence. There’s no shortage of either on the second Holy Mushroom full-length, Moon. Incorporating the prior-issued digital single “Éufrates,” the five-track/43-minute excursion is rife with natural-toned psychedelic resonance, marked out by organ/piano working alongside the guitar (see “Birdwax Blues”), as well as guest contributions of double bass and saxophone, and other sundry moments of depth-creating flourish. Their trance-effect is palpable, and Moon is an easy album to get lost in, especially as the Spanish three-piece make their way through 12:35 centerpiece “The Preacher,” moving from a dreamy opening line of guitar into funk-laden heft that only pushes forward with Hendrixian abandon through a massive jam before rounding out sweetly with vocals over background organ and sweetly-strummed guitar. “Éufrates” would seem to start the same way, but varies the structure in more of a back and forth format before closer “Grand Finale in the Blind Desert” brings both Holy Mushroom’s most patient execution and their most vibrant jam (sax included), essentially building from the one into the other to end the album in energetic fashion. To say it works for them would be underselling it.
A debut long-player of no-pretense, no-nonsense sludge-infused doom, Petrichor (on Backbite Records) shows German five-piece Iron and Stone as ready to follow where the riff will lead them. The late 2017 album is a solidly-delivered 10 tracks and 43 minutes that strikes mostly in monochrome intent, save perhaps for the acoustic “Interlude” near the midpoint. Their 2015 EP, Old Man’s Doom (review here), was similarly upfront in its purposes, but carrying across a full-length – especially a debut – is a different beast from a shorter outing. Their heavier push on “Monolith” is welcome and the break-then-chug of “Deserts” does plenty to satisfy, but Petrichor might require a couple concerted listens to really sink in on its audience, though as I’ve said time and again, if you can’t handle repetition, you can’t handle doom. Iron and Stone effectively balance traditional doom and rawer sludge groove, playing fluidly to whichever suits their purposes at a given moment.
Sardinian doom cult Black Capricorn push well beyond the limits of the manageable with their 95-minute fourth album, Omega (released Nov. 2017 on Stone Stallion Rex), and that’s clearly the idea. The three-piece of bassist Virginia, drummer Rakela and guitarist/vocalist Kjxu offer grim ambience and tempos that sound slow regardless of their actual speed. That said, the 17-minute “Antartide” is an accomplishment as regards crawl. After a sweetly melancholic opening of guitar, it lurches and lumbers out its miserable heft until a return to that intro bookends. Even shorter tracks like “Flower of Revelation” or “Stars of Orion” hold firm to the tenet of plod, and though the results are obviously a lot to take in, the idea that it should be a slog seems all the more appropriate to Black Capricorn’s style. The band, which hits the decade mark in 2018, churn out one last bit of wretchedness in the nine-minute closing title-track before giving way to an acoustic finish, as if to remind that Omega’s sorrows are conveyed as much through atmosphere as actual sonic heft.
Guitarist/vocalist Simon Tuozzoli, also of malevolent doomers Vestal Claret, leads the new trio Owl Maker, and in the company of bassist Jessie May and drummer Chris Anderson, he embarks on a heavy rock push of six tracks with the debut EP, Paths of the Slain, still holding to some elements of metal, whether it’s the double-kick in opener “Ride with Aileen” or the backing vocals and guitar solo of the subsequent “99.” Songwriting is clearheaded across the EP’s 23 minutes, and in terms of first impressions, “Mashiara” shows a focus on melody that retains a metallic poise without losing its riff-driven edge. The balance shifts throughout “Freya’s Chariot” and the all-go “Witches,” the latter of which touches on black metal in its first half before turning on a dime to mid-paced heavy rock, and closer “Lady Stoneheart” nods in its back end to NWOBHM gallop, as Owl Maker seem to tip their audience to the fact that they’re just getting started on their exploration of the many interpretations of heavy.
When one considers the multiple connotations of the word, Portland’s Troll are definitely going more for “lives under a bridge” than “meddling in elections” when it comes to their sound. Their self-titled debut EP, issued in 2017 before being picked up by respected purveyor Shadow Kingdom Records for a 2018 CD/tape release, is a highlight offering of classic-style doom worthy of Orodruin and Pilgrim comparisons and headlined by the vocal performance of John, who carries songs like opener “The Summoning” and the later, more swinging “Infinite Death” in a manner impressive in both frontman presence and melodic range. His work is only bolstered by the riffs of guitarist Lou and the consistent groove held together by bassist Wayne and drummer Ryan, whose drive in centerpiece “An Eternal Haunting” is neither overdone nor incongruous with the wall its tempo hits, and who meld shuffle and plod on closer “Savage Thunder” with naturalist ease. Potential abounds, and they reportedly already have new material in the works, so all the better.
Some bands, you just have to accept the fact that they’re on a different wavelength and that’s all there is to it. Magma. Master Musicians of Bukkake. Circle. Enter Oakland, California’s Malditos, whose sophomore outing, II: La Réve, arrives via Svart Records. From bizarre psychedelic chants to ritualized repetitions that seems to be daring you to play them backwards on your turntable, the spiritual freakout to songs like “Azadeh” and the penultimate “Momen” is palpable. Reach out and touch it and it will ripple like water in front of you. A sense of space is filled with elements alternatingly horrifying and engrossing, and after they make their way through “Le Passage” and centerpiece “Disparu” and wind up in the title-track to close out, the journey to the final wash of noise gives the distinct impression that for neither the listener nor the band is there any coming back. High order head trippery. Will simply be too much for some, will gloriously expand the minds of others.
The Freak Folk of Mangrovia, Sonic Meditations: Live @ Palach
I don’t know how much improvisation is a factor in the sound of The Freak Folk of Mangrovia, but the Croation collective bring an ultra-organic presence to their perhaps-debut release, Sonic Meditations: Live @ Palach. The group, which seems also to have gone under the names Marko Mushan & the Mangrovian Orchestra and The Free Folk of Mangrovia, was opening for Acid Mothers Temple that night, and Sonic Meditations mostly breaks down into parts – “Sonic Meditation I,” “II,” “III” and “IV” – before the band closes out with “’Mangrovian Summer,” all the while with The Freak Folk of Mangrovia making their way through progressive dreamscapes, dripping with effects and spacious enough to house an entire Mangrovian village, however big that might be. It is otherworldly and jazzy and moves with such fluidity that the entire “Sonic Meditation” becomes one overarching piece, complemented by the closing “Mangrovian Summer,” which ebbs and flows through louder, more active jamming before capping in a wash of noise.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 13th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
The eight-minute psychedelic swirly ‘Open Your Wings’ is the leadoff cut on Green Desert Water‘s second long-player and first for Small Stone Records, April’s gonna-be-here-before-you-know-it Solar Plexus. Not that I’ve heard it or anything — actually, I don’t think it matters in this case, since I also wrote the bio below, so yeah, I’ve heard it — but the record is an excellent blend of classic rock and psychedelic impulses, and like the best of what Small Stone over the label’s many years, its sound is modern nonetheless. Pretense is nowhere to be found, the basstone is gotta-hear-it, and there’s a resonant sense of soul that comes through from vocalist Kike Sanchís that recalls a heavy blues spirit without being directly attributable to one influence or another.
That’s my little take, anyhow. Again, I also wrote the bio below, but here it is circled back through the PR wire:
GREEN DESERT WATER: Iberian Stoner Rockers To Release Solar Plexus Via Small Stone; New Track Streaming + Preorders Available
With the purple sun, the hermit was introduced into the wild, through the mountains and the long desert to back home….
After getting their feet wet in a molten pool of heavy blues on their 2012 self-titled debut EP, GREEN DESERT WATER is ready for their next conquest. The Oviedo, Spain-based three-piece have been making a name for themselves as one of the best-kept-secrets of the Iberian heavy underground, and with Solar Plexus – their second LP – they’ve never sounded readier to let the cat out of the proverbial bag. And by “cat out of the bag,” we mean unleashing classic power trio grooves – all primo, all soul, but heavier and thicker and more modern than the first record.
Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Kike Sanchís, bassist Juan Arias García, and drummer/backing vocalist Javi González, GREEN DESERT WATER sinks its teeth into hellacious boogie on songs like “Open Your Wings” and find the place where Black Sabbath and Mountain could’ve met on “Souls Of The Woodland” – and when it comes to the title-track? Well, at least you know where they’re going to hit you. With six songs split up over two glorious vinyl sides, GREEN DESERT WATER’s Solar Plexus indeed puts itself right in the center of attention – refusing to commit to one single vibe or another as it captures the best energy of classic heavy rock and brings it forward to a modern era where it’s so desperately needed.
Solar Plexus was recorded and mixed by Pablo Martínez Pérez at Ovni Estudio, mastered by Kike Sanchís at Green Desert Mastering and comes wrapped in the cover art of Héctor Castañón. The six-track offering will see release on CD, digital, and limited edition vinyl formats on April 27th via Small Stone.
Solar Plexus Track Listing: 1. Open Your Wings 2. Chaman 3. The Deepest Sea 4. Souls Of The Woodland 5. Mother Moon 6. Solar Plexus
GREEN DESERT WATER: Juan Arias García – fuzz bass Javi González – drums, percussion, backing vocals Kike Sanchís – guitars, vocals Additional guitar on “The Deepest Sea” by Pablo Martínez Pérez.
Despite the somewhat downer title, Spanish four-piece Wet Cactus sound positively vibrant on their impending second full-length, Dust, Hunger & Gloom. The follow-up to their 2016 self-titled debut (review here) is set to release March 15, and the band today premiere the title-track from the new album ahead of the release. I think it makes my case pretty clearly. If they’re talking about the desert, as the cover art would indicate, then fair enough, but that hardly accounts for the bounce in a classic heavy rocker like “Full Moon Over My Head” or its Sabbathian undertones, or the fluid jamming in “Aquelarre.”
If that’s gloom, I’d love to catch Wet Cactus‘ version of upbeat sometime. All the same, there is a bit of melancholy to the start of “Dust, Hunger & Gloom,” the song, which shows the patience that’s developed in the band’s sound over the last couple years and their attempts to fuse psychedelia, classic boogie, consuming fuzz and so on into a sound all their own. They’re young, and they still sound young, but that only helps them throughout the five-track/37-minute offering, which is represented well in the nod of its titular work.
You can and should stream the song at the bottom of this post. You’ll find it down there following the artwork and announcement of the release.
Dig it:
WET CACTUS – DUST, HUNGER & GLOOM – MARCH 15
Wet Cactus is a Stoner Rock and psychedelia band with progressive hints created in the summer of 2013 in Suances, a surfer village located on Cantabria´s west coast (Spain). Formed by four pals born in the early 90s: Daniel Pascual Salvador (93, Bass and vocals), Ernesto Díez Otí (94, Guitar), Óscar Sánchez Marcano (93, Guitar and vocals) y Jaime Pérez Herrera (92, Drums). The local Auditorium was the place where they started to worship a genre which they had been polishing and personalizing throughout time with every single ritual.
Their first album’s sound is clearly influenced by Palm Desert bands as well as influences of other genres of that time (Grunge, Hardcore, Metal…).
These desert dwellers have been nourishing from the 70s and 90s essence. Dry and open mouths are common in their concerts, where they used to start off with incendiary jams to simply burst the stage.
Just about releasing their second studio album and once the basis of their identity are established, they keep going with experimentations: Pink Floyd´s cover, macabre games full of FX … all inside in a huge bong where they could hardly see each other.
Charming and humble music that makes you escape from pollution and not to turn into a fly to feed frogs.
“Dust, Hunger & Gloom” Tracklist: 1. So Long 2. Full Moon Over My Head 3. Aquelarre 4. Dust, Hunger & Gloom 5. Sleepy Trip
Wet Cactus is: Daniel Pascual Salvador – vocals/bass Jaime Pérez Herrera – drums Ernesto Díez Otí – guitar Óscar Sánchez Marcano – guitar/vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 25th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Some bands — one or two labels. Frankly, one is impressive. I know I post all the time about bands getting signed and it’s a thing that happens every day, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Bands and imprints both put in a shit-ton of work, and then they need to find each other, coordinate something everyone can agree on, make a release plan, on and on and on — it can be an agonizing, anxious process.
I mention it because as you look through the PR wire info below about The Dry Mouths‘ forthcoming EP, When the Water Smells of Sweat, you’ll notice there are no fewer than seven different labels standing behind the release. Seven. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that many parties standing behind a single offering. And it’s not even a full-length! I mean, don’t get me wrong — listening to the six-and-a-half-minute closer “Doomental VI: Law Far Low Par,” I get it — but still. That’s a pretty considerable gathering. Imagine getting seven people to agree on anything. Ever.
On the other hand, The Dry Mouths manage to cover a pretty wide swath of sound on the short release, so maybe it’s a case of everyone hearing something different. Whatever got the job done, kudos.
Here’s info off the PR wire:
After 12 years touring around Spain, and five studio albums, The Dry Mouths have made a name for themselves in the Spanish Underground Music Scene.
Over the years, The Dry Mouths have evolved and played their cards between different styles, from psycho rock to alternative rock or stoner. As a result, they bring us “When The Water Smells Of Sweat” (2018), a 6-track EP recorded, produced and mixed at their recording studio, Desert City Studio, and containing the singles “Catalonian Cream” and “Doomental VI: Law For The Law Par”.
“When The Water Smells Of Sweat” is released on 12″ and CD thanks to seven indie record labels: Aneurisma Records, Spinda Records, RadiX Records, Cosmic Tentacles, Surnia Records and Zona Rock Productions from all over Spain, and Tim Tam Records from Germany. The awesome artwork is by local artist Ivan Carreño, who brings the visual experience to the next level, closer to psychedelia.
ALBUM: When The Water Smells Of Sweat YEAR: 2018 FORMAT: EP/MinilP. 12″ Vinyl and CD LABELS (Co-Edition): Aneurisma Records, RadiX Records, Cosmic Tentacles, Spinda Records, Surnia Records, Tim Tam Records, Zona Rock Productions
TRACKUST, 1. Low Clouds (2:13) 2. Catalonian Cream (4:34) 3. The Whip (3:35) 4. When The Water Smells Of Sweat (1:13) 5. This Could Be The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship (3:54) 6. Doomental VI: Law Far Low Par (6:33)
Produced by The Dry Mouths Recorded and Mixed at Desert City Studio Mastering by Mario G. Alberni (Kadifornia) Artwork by Ivan Carreno Music and Lyrics by The Dry Mouths
MEMBERS: Christ O. Rodrigues: Guitar & Vocals Andy Reyes: Bass, Backing Vocals, Synth, Sax Josh Morales: Drums, Backing Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 18th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
To herald the arrival of their debut album, Out of Nowhere, Barcelona-based heavy rockers Fuzz Forward are streaming the new track ‘Despairs’ as the first audio to come from the four-piece. Sure enough, it’s pretty fuzzy, but the name-your-price single has more going on than the guitar tone of Edko Fuzz in Juan Gil‘s post-Alice in Chains vocal melodies and an overarching grunge-style feel to the groove from bassist Jordi Vaquero and drummer Marc Rockenberg. Whether or not or to what degree “Despairs” might represent Out of Nowhere as a whole, I don’t really know, but the track has its house in order to be sure, and if the remainder of the LP is nearly as cohesive in its approach, it’ll be one to watch for as we move out of winter.
The PR wire brings background and streaming audio:
FUZZ FORWARD new song Despairs!
Fuzz Forward was born as a trio in Barcelona by mid-2016 with Jordi (Boveda del Sol, Mindust) on bass and brothers Edko (El Yeti, Rags to Riches) on guitar and Marc (El Yeti, Valiumbitch) on drums. After a few months trying out singers, the band found in Juan the singer to seal a stable line-up by early 2017. Writing songs took the front seat in the band’s schedule and it was during 2017, that the eight songs that will be part of their debut album, “Out of Nowhere” (due for release next March of 2018), came to their final shape. During that stint, the band also started playing live with bands like Sasquatch, Mammoth Mammoth and Electric Monolith.
The music of Fuzz Forward has its roots in 70s hard rock, the alternative sounds of the 90s and the stoner rock of the last decades. These are the ingredients for a strange and exquisite mix with crushing riffs, dark melodies and a touch of space psychedelia.
Produced & Recorded by Fuzz Forward Mixed & Mastered by Jordi Vaquero
Fuzz Forward is: Juan Gil – Vocals Jordi Vaquero – Bass Marc Rockenberg – Drums Edko Fuzz – Guitar
track “Cudgel,” which is the single for which the new video has been put together, justifies that, I think. It’s a quick blast of ’90s-style sludge intensity, reminiscent maybe of Buzzov*en or Eyehategod in some of their especially biting moments, but the rawness they conjure as only being a two-piece becomes part of the aesthetic in a fascinating way, feeding into the overarching rawness of their approach and making the whole affair even meaner than it started out. I haven’t heard the full record yet — so many cooks in the kitchen on a release, sometimes these things are hard to come by — but once again, it’s easy to understand why people would believe in what VOR are up to stylistically, taking the classic tenets of mud-in-your-eye sludge and bringing something of their own to it. One way or another, it’s noisy as all hell.
