Like the album it’s meant to herald, the new video from Spanish trio Atavismo is deeply colorful, expansive, and underscored by a live-feeling performance. The record is called Inerte (review here), and it’s due out April 7 via Temple of Torturous, which also released the band’s stellar 2014 debut, Desintegración (review here), and the song in the clip is “La Maldición del Zisco,” the centerpiece of the five-track offering. Making use of ascending and descending scales throughout, it makes a particularly resonant impression in putting emphasis on the more progressive take Atavismo show this time around, but amid the headphone-ready synth swirl, layers of vocal melody and winding guitar figures, there are also bouncing drums and a funky bassline, and neither seems the slightest bit out of place. This is among the core factors in what makes Inerte work so well.

I’ve gone on — at length, and multiple times — about this band and how I think they’re onto something special. I know sometimes it’s hard to wade through. The internet is a place full of hyperbole and it’s easy for things to get lost in the wash of opinions, noise and distraction. Still. Take a couple minutes and check out “La Maldición del Zisco,” especially if you haven’t had the chance yet to listen to Atavismo or if you missed the “Pan y Dolor” premiere that went with my review linked above. Aside from the fact that I wouldn’t say these things about Atavismo or about Inerte if I didn’t think they were true, I genuinely believe that good music has the power to make your day, week, month, life better. I believe good art enriches who we are as people, and part of the reason I’m going to encourage you to check out this track as I have Atavismo‘s work all along is because I think it offers the kind of warmth that improves one’s existence. Maybe it’s not for everyone. That’s cool too. At least you will have tried.

That’s my spiel. Until the next one.

Please enjoy “La Maldición del Zisco” below. Inerte is out April 7 on Temple of Torturous, which posted the info you’ll find under the video:

Atavismo, “La Maldición del Zisco” official video

Video produced by: Cesar Marquez (http://baudarketypes.cl/).

Hailing from Spain, and with a critically acclaimed debut album, Desintegración, already under their belts, ATAVISMO are exploring new territories with their second full length release. Breaking away from the space rock jams of their debut, ATAVISMO have maintained a psychedelic edge, only this time around the evolution of the band is reflected in their more compact, progressive sounds.

The writing process starts with a jam session – as many great creations have – before a firmer structure is applied to the songs. Lysergic lyrics revolve around soulful feelings, love, and bad dreams which the band describe as “existential poetry”. The result, among other things, is a submersion into the Andalusian rock legacy of the legendary band Triana, without losing sight of more current means of understanding psychedelic or progressive rock from bands like Black Mountain, Wolfpeople or Motorpsycho.

Inerte was recorded in October 2016 at Trafalgar Estudios, El Palmar (Cádiz), Spain.

ATAVISMO are:
Poti: Guitar and vocals
Sandra: Drums and vocals
Mateo: Bass and vocals

Atavismo on Thee Facebooks

Atavismo on Bandcamp

CD at Temple of Torturous

Black LP at Temple of Torturous

Clear LP at Temple of Torturous

Temple of Torturous on Thee Facebooks

[Click play above to hear the premiere of ‘Pan y Dolor’ from Atavismo’s Inerte. Album is out April 7 via Temple of Torturous and can be preordered on CD, black vinyl and clear vinyl.]

Expectations for the second album from Spanish trio Atavismo were set pretty high following their gorgeously cosmic and serene 2014 debut, Desintegración (review here). Inerte makes short work of them. Expanding from four to five included tracks, it sees guitarist/vocalist/synthesist Jose “Poti” Moreno (ex-Viaje a 800, Mind!), bassist/vocalist Mateo and drummer/vocalist Sandri Pow (also ex-Mind!) push brazenly past the fluid textures of their first outing and hold onto some sense of ethereal psych-jazz jamming — hola, “El Sueño” — as they find ultimately more progressive footing.

Released like its looser-feeling-in-hindsight predecessor through Temple of Torturous, Inerte answers some of the questions the band posed with the space-rocking single “Haribo” (discussed here) and affirmed for their audience that they’ll not necessarily be defined by one course or another, one sound or another, and that their goal is far more individualized than to simply execute the tenets of heavy psychedelia, space or prog rock, even as their aesthetic pulls from each of those and more besides. Songs like “Belleza Cuatro” and opener “Pan y Dolor” offer distinctive moments of resonance marked by beautiful melodies and rhythm that can either be insistent and winding, as in “Pan y Dolor”‘s first half, or barely there at all, something carrying the song forward like a gentle river current, as in the drifting guitar-led midsection of the aforementioned, 11-minute “El Sueño.” This nuanced blend is presented with a lush but natural production captured this past October at Trafalgar Estudios in Cádiz, and does nothing across its 42-minute span to rescind the invitation to the listener issued by its in medias res launch.

The tighter feel of Inerte and the uptick in progressive influence from Atavismo is as immediate as that launch itself. A quick, fuzzy lead line careens into forceful Iberian acoustic strum as the vocals arrive for the first verse. It happens fast, but is welcoming nonetheless, and a play back and forth between the electric and acoustic ensues between chorus and verses for the next several minutes, Moreno and Pow and Mateo singing together in classically prog form as a kind of mini-chorus themselves — an element of space rock willfully repurposed and put to excellent use. Shortly before the halfway point of its eight-and-a-half-minute run, “Pan y Dolor” breaks into a wash of guitar and keys/Mellotron that is as hypnotic as it is joyous, with just an undercurrent of foreboding, cutting itself off at 6:48 in order to reintroduce the acoustic strum and resume the song’s prior course, as if to say, “don’t worry, it was just a dream.” It may well have been, and if so, it wasn’t the last.

“Pan y Dolor” builds to its conclusion and “El Sueño” kicks in with lower tone and a deceptively fast tempo, Mateo‘s bass more prominent in the mix. This is the bed over which vocals soar for another soon-arriving verse, and their being somewhat more drawn out — notes held longer — than the opener prefaces the turn into calmer fare that the second track makes at about the 4:20 mark, the tension Atavismo have thus far mounted seeming to let itself go in favor of more improvised-sounding jamming driven by fuzzed-out psychedelics and effects flourish that settles in a delight of meandering wah and builds to an apex over its last couple minutes as it recalls its own early going without necessarily returning to it outright. That jam carries Inerte‘s longest inclusion to its finish and the finish of side A, ending in a cymbal wash and surge of guitar noise that emphasizes the live feel it has fostered all along.

Centerpiece “La Maldición del Zisco” backs sparse guitar with a steady bass and drum progression and fills out its arrangement with keys, using the guitar more as an outward-ringing accent to its early verses, spacious and patient, before it at last launches into what one might call its chorus right around three minutes in. It’s a moment of taking flight through sound and Atavismo make the most of it in terms of thrust, but they’re still not forcing the song to go anywhere it doesn’t want to go.

They dip back into the verse easily and return to the mostly-instrumental chorus quicker the second time through, then proceed to jam their way out of the track, fading to silence just before the seemingly complementary “Belleza Cuatro” — the two are the shortest cuts on Inerte at 6:18 and 5:18, respectively — takes hold in a soothing trance of liquefied guitar and keys. Its importance in being positioned as the penultimate track before 10-minute closer “Volarás” shouldn’t be understated, and as Moreno, Mateo and Pow drift toward that grand finale, they do so with no less purpose behind them than they had rushing at the outset of “Pan y Dolor.” Vocal harmonies echo under sweet lines of guitar and softly-thudding drums, and a louder, fuller tone rises in the second half, but they still cap quietly, which gives the percussion/keyboard opening of “Volarás” an even more dramatic sensibility. This is something of a ruse, on the band’s part — another dream, maybe — because just after three minutes of building to who knows what, they juke left and shift into a particularly Floydian blend of lightly-strummed guitar, keys, bass and drums, a memorable keyboard line serving as the core around which the rest is placed.

This will be the movement that carries Atavismo out of their second record, and it seems to be a final highlight of the point that their progression is by no means a settled issue. It is striking how many different looks the band gives in these five tracks and how able they are to tie them together as a single flowing work. As “Volarás” quietly makes its way out, Inerte seems to have done as much through understatement as through its reaching new heights, and if it’s in that balance that Atavismo will find their place, then all the better. Whatever they do going forward — Moreno and Pow also have a new four-piece project in the works with former Viaje a 800 guitarist Jose Angel “Oceano” Galindo called Híbrido, adding intrigue to this release — Atavismo have exceeded the potential their debut showed with Inerte and given their listeners a work of depth and breadth that should be treasured for years to come.

Atavismo on Thee Facebooks

Atavismo on Bandcamp

CD preorder at Temple of Torturous

Black LP preorder at Temple of Torturous

Clear LP preorder at Temple of Torturous

Temple of Torturous on Thee Facebooks

If you need to, take a second and get your brain properly excited for how good the second Atavismo album is going to be. Remember how frickin’ excellent their 2014 debut, Desintegración (review here), was when that arrived, and then go ahead and picture something even broader in its scope and with more depth of melody and tone. Something more progressive but not necessarily less ethereal. I’m telling you it’s one of the best records you’re going to hear this year, and yes, I say that having heard it. I’m usually shy about saying that kind of thing, but I got this one early and it’s just pure immersive bliss. It’s out April 7. I’ll be reviewing it Feb. 21 with a track premiere, so watch out. I’m already stoked to be able to share some of it with you.

The PR wire brought art and other details, and when I see preorder whatnots, I’ll pass those along as well. The release is through Temple of Torturous, as you can read below:

ATAVISMO confirm details of upcoming album, ‘Inerte’

Progressive power trio, ATAVISMO, have today announced details of their upcoming sophomore album, entitled Inerte. The five-track album will be released on April 7, via Temple of Torturous Records.

Hailing from Spain, and with a critically acclaimed debut album, Desintegración, already under their belts, ATAVISMO are exploring new territories with their second full length release. Breaking away from the space rock jams of their debut, ATAVISMO have maintained a psychedelic edge, only this time around the evolution of the band is reflected in their more compact, progressive sounds.

The writing process starts with a jam session – as many great creations do – before a firmer structure is applied to the songs. Lysergic lyrics revolve around soulful feelings, love, and bad dreams which the band describe as “existential poetry”. The result, among other things, is a submersion into the Andalusian rock legacy of the legendary band Triana, without losing sight of more current means of understanding psychedelic or progressive rock from bands like Black Mountain, Wolfpeople or Motorpsycho.

Already considered one of the most exciting and eclectic bands emerging in their home country, Inerte looks set to secure ATAVISMO similar acclaim world wide.

Inerte was recorded in October 2016 at Trafalgar Estudios, El Palmar (Cádiz), Spain.

Inerte track listing
1. Pan Y Dolor
2. El Sueño
3. La Malediction Del Zisco
4. Belleza Cuatro
5. Volarás

ATAVISMO are:
Poti: Guitar and vocals
Sandra: Drums and vocals
Mateo: Bass and vocals

Inerte will be released via Temple of Torturous on April 7. Information regarding pre-orders will be available in the coming weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/Atavismo-233096556878903/
https://atavismo.bandcamp.com/
http://templeoftorturous.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ToTRecords/

Atavismo, “AtardecerNaranjaInfierno”

I’d hardly call myself an expert on Germany’s Valborg at this point, but the more I hear, the more I like. The dark metal three-piece will issue a new EP, titled Werwolf, on Sept. 23 through Temple of Torturous, and if you want to hear what I’m talking about, by all means dig into “Ich Bin Total” below, the churning metallic riff and lurching vibe of which should bring a recall of the best of peak-era Paradise Lost though the band undeniably bring their own spin to it as well.

It took me a bit to catch onto it, but their 2015 album, Romantik, is a gem of atmospheric bleakness and the band released the collaborative EP, Karbon Winter, earlier this year, working directly with Costin Chioreanu‘s Bloodway project. Werwolf — normally I’d say something smartass about “therwolf, thercastle” but in light of Gene Wilder’s recent passing will let it go this time — will be out as a limited 7″ and “Ich Bin Total” is one of two tracks being featured. I’d sure as hell be interested in hearing the other one.

Preorders are up now. From the PR wire:

Valborg – German Dark Metal Trio Reveal New EP Details Share First Single “Ich Bin Total”

German dark metal trio VALBORG have announced a new EP titled “Werwolf”, due out on September 23rd via Temple Of Torturous.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Marius Costache at Studio 148 in Bucharest, Romania, “Werwolf” follows up their critically-lauded fifth album “Romantik”, released last year through Temple Of Torturous and sees the German trio fulfilling their fans’ wishes who were constantly requesting the recordings of two of the most acclaimed songs from their live set, “Werwolf” and “Ich Bin Total”. Originating from the pre-Romantik era those songs represent the best of what Valborg stands for and also offer a glimpse of what is about to follow on the sixth full-length record, which is already in the making. Pre-orders are available here.

Jan Buckard – Bass, vocals
Christian Kolf – Guitars, vocals
Florian Toyka – Drums

http://www.valborg.de
http://www.facebook.com/valborgband
http://www.templeoftorturous.com
http://www.facebook.com/ToTRecords
http://www.templeoftorturous.bandcamp.com

They were known as Soon just a couple scant months ago when they released their debut album, Vol. 1 (review here), through Temple of Torturous, but apparently sometime between then and now, they’ve added the someone-threatened-to-sue A.D. to the moniker. Thus, Soon A.D. have a new video. Fine. My question here is who the hell owns the word “soon?” Is there another band out there called Soon? Was the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, four-piece just completely tired of being Googleproof? I’d be very interested to know what happened there. Soon A.D., however, seem to prefer being shrouded in mystery.

If you got the chance to hear Vol. 1, there’s a high probability “Gold Soul” was one of the most resonant impressions. Like the bulk of its surroundings, it’s coated in effects and given a melodic depth to match, but its central riff is a particular standout and likely to get in your head and not get out. Soon A.D. wander around here and there during the midsection of the song, but the verses have a kind of lumber to them that usually doesn’t come hand-in-hand with their brand of accessibility. It’s the key blend — heavy, melodic, psychedelic, poppy — that defines Soon A.D.‘s first offering, and it would seem to be the groundwork for future stylistic expansion. At least that’s the hope.

Album is out now. Might be a sleeper, but I think if you take the time to check out “Gold Soul” below, you’re not likely to regret it.

Enjoy:

Soon A.D., “Gold Soul” official video

Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based transcendental rock unit, SOON A.D., (formerly Soon), is very pleased to unveil the stunning new video accompaniment to “Gold Soul.”

What SOON A.D. has manifested with Vol. 1 is multifaceted, melodic and adventurous. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based quartet pulled from a deep well of influence and experience in crafting its eight-song LP spending a concentrated week of revising and tracking, plus two months of tinkering, at the Greensboro studio Legitimate Business with engineer Kris Hilbert (Torch Runner, Between The Buried And Me, The Body) at the helm.

Soon on Thee Facebooks

Soon on Twitter

Soon at Earsplit Compound

Soon at Temple of Torturous

Temple of Torturous on Bandcamp

[Click play above to hear “Burning Wood” from Soon’s debut, Vol. 1. Album out March 4 on Temple of Torturous.]

Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based four-piece Soon offer up their aptly-titled debut full-length, Vol. 1, on March 4 via Temple of Torturous. As 35 minutes/eight tracks, it is a substantial-enough long-player, but it covers a scope even broader than its runtime might lead one to believe, and while the group trace their lineage to more indie-minded outfits The Love Language, Bitter Resolve and Grohg, the explorations contained here, from the rolling groove of opener “We are on Your Side” to the drone ritual closer “Rise,” feel geared most of all toward establishing, developing and generally screwing around with a new sonic identity. That is to say, Vol. 1 is a varied collection of tracks that doesn’t feel hindered by genre one way or another, and a decent portion of its persona comes from that will to move beyond various sonic boundaries.

That Soon — the four-piece of guitarist/vocalists Stuart McLamb and Mark Connor, bassist/vocalist Robert Walsh and drummer/vocalist Thomas Simpson — do this while sounding natural in their songwriting and changes makes the debut all the more impressive. A couple plucked acoustic notes intro “We are on Your Side” before the full-toned electric guitar kicks in, and a shoegazing verse takes hold around a minute in to build tension before the chorus, which uses multiple singers and has a doom-pop anthem feel to it, tripping into late-’60s guitar soloing as if they hadn’t already melded enough styles together. After another verse and chorus, they end acoustic and the sub-three-minute “Burning Wood” takes chugging hold backed by keyboard and a driving riff that somehow still acts as a vocal showcase. The second cut is steadier and more stylistically settled, but “See You Soon” fleshes out a grungier side and makes it clear that Soon haven’t yet shown their full breadth. So it is that “Gold Soul” includes particularly impressive vocal harmonies and strings to add a post-Morricone vibe to its dense riffing and additional percussion behind its guitar solo in the second half, none of which sounds overly kitchen-sink or out of place.

No small feat to create a mix deep enough to accommodate, but Soon have a decidedly tossoff feel to nearly everything on Vol. 1, like they plugged in that day and that’s what happened to come out. In fact, that may be true, but as “Gold Soul” gives way to the more stripped down, snare-heavy “Glass Hours,” another side of their blend of psychedelic sludge, thick tones and melodic consciousness comes to the fore, partially reviving the likes of “Burning Wood” and “See You Soon,” but also given a different context through the subsequent “Mauveine,” which also features a string arrangement but is centered around melancholy acoustic strumming and a wistful vocal line. The underlying sense of space keeps it cohesive with its surroundings, but “Mauveine” is a conscious departure from a lot of what Vol. 1 aims toward, and that’s very clearly the idea. It also sets up the closing tracks, “Datura Stramonium” and “Rise,” which are the two longest inclusions and wildly different from each other. Harmonized vocals again tie “Datura Stramonium” to the rest, but there’s a howl and sparkle in the guitar that I can’t seem to separate in my mind from U2 from when they were (allegedly) good, though atop a flurry of tom runs they deliver both a scorching psychedelic wash of noise and a satisfyingly weighted finish, which lets “Rise” round out the album with a six-and-a-half-minute drone/chant assault, marked out by sporadic turns in the guitar and a SunnO)))-style backing for choral melody.

I won’t say the pairing doesn’t work, because it does, but it’s a challenging finish nonetheless, and this too is quite obviously intentional. In combination with its surroundings, “Rise” serves to point out the sort of dual nature of Soon‘s debut, which is that it has these complex aesthetic ideas that it portrays as though they were the simplest thing in the world. Well of course you’d go from the acoustic downer into weighted alt psych-pop into the drone metal finish! It’s almost too obvious! Meanwhile, the listener’s head is left spinning after the band has capped “Rise” with immersive low end and finished the record cold. It is an ambitious first offering preceded only by a couple digital demos, and it seems to so easily accomplish what it sets out to do that it’s deceptive the first couple times listening, you have to go back and make sure you heard what you just heard. Fortunately, they make those return trips worthwhile in the richness of the album as a whole.

Soon on Thee Facebooks

Soon on Twitter

Soon at Earsplit Compound

Soon at Temple of Torturous

Temple of Torturous on Bandcamp

You might have had to work to find them, but Soon have had a couple demos posted on YouTube since July 2014. Both of those tracks, which you can hear below, will appear on the drone-psych-heavygaze four-piece’s debut, Vol. 1, which is due out on March 4 via Temple of Torturous. Presumably the band and the album will answer the question of when then will be now, but either way, the demos provide a decent first glimpse at what probably will have reshaped some in the interim but is still a pretty significant breadth, drawing on Eastern themes and SunnO)))-style droning alike. I doubt that’s the entire scope of the record, but it’s significant for two tracks.

For more info, we turn to the PR wire, which if nothing else makes me feel as out of the loop as I am for not knowing the indie bands that the members of Soon also play in. Whoops:

SOON: Transcendental Rock Unit Featuring Members Of The Love Language, Bitter Resolve And Grohg To Release Debut Full-Length Via Temple Of Torturous March 4th; Artwork + Track Listing Revealed

It’s easy to reduce SOON to superficial contradictions. After all, who would’ve thought singer/guitarist Stuart McLamb and drummer Thomas Simpson of indie stars The Love Language would emerge with this righteously heavy offshoot?

However SOON’s Vol. 1 debut, set for release via Temple Of Torturous this March, quickly dissolves the easy narrative of acclaimed popsmith taking the left hand path toward heavy metal. What’s more obvious is the immediate chemistry between McLamb and Simpson, bassist Rob Walsh (Bitter Resolve) and guitarist Mark Connor (Grohg).

Though SOON employs the heavy, distorted riffing and contemplative pacing of doom, the band shares none of the genre’s antagonistic, abyss-gazing tropes. It’s dynamic, melodic and adventurous. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based quartet pulled from a deep well of influence and experience in crafting its eight-song LP. SOON spent a concentrated week of revising and tracking, plus two months of tinkering, at the Greensboro studio Legitimate Business with engineer Kris Hilbert (Torch Runner, Between The Buried And Me, The Body) at the helm.

If SOON has a signature, it’s the unlikely pairing of heavy doom and elegant melody. Simpson and Walsh conjure storms in the low-end, while McLamb and Connor balance mettle and melody, shading these songs with psych-rock textures and melodic finesse. Rather than using their low, slow riffs as dredging sinkholes, deliberate momentum turns meditative-with strong forward pushes devoid of any dead weight. Airy melody and psychedelic flourishes keep these songs nimble and even pop-oriented. The balance of power and grace evokes more triumph than decay, but never sacrifices its grand heft. Standout tracks “We Are On Your Side” and “See You Soon” are bursting affirmations that ride heavy groundswell for a powerful uplift. Eager to push their boundaries, “Mauveine” is a stately dirge that uses sparse acoustic strums and somber strings to showcase McLamb’s rich croon. While “Rise” summons a deep otherworldly drone to form a foundation for a funereal incantation.

SOON is undoubtedly a departure from any of its members’ past efforts, but the band’s casual formation and openness to exploration yields a compelling new entity. SOON’s enveloping debut is as much a product of deliberate focus as it is the offspring of laid-back jam sessions and weekend cookouts. [words by Bryan C. Reed]

Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. We Are On Your Side
2. Burning Wood
3. See You Soon
4. Gold Soul
5. Glass Hours
6. Mauveine
7. Datura Stramonium
8. Rise

SOON’s Vol. 1 will see release on CD, LP and digitally via Temple Of Torturous on March 4th, 2016 with preorders and track premieres to be announced in the coming weeks.

http://www.soonisonyourside.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/soonisonyourside
http://www.instagram.com/soonisonyourside
http://www.twitter.com/SOON_NC
http://www.templeoftorturous.com
http://www.facebook.com/ToTRecords
http://www.templeoftorturous.bandcamp.com

Soon, “Datura Stramonium” demo

Soon, “Rise” demo

If you didn’t get the chance to hear Atavismo‘s four-track debut release, Desintegración, late last year when it was streamed and reviewed here — and it’s entirely possible; these things happen — I’m going to go ahead and recommend you click that link and at least press play on the stream or press play on the Bandcamp embed below to check it out and hear a bit of what you previously missed. The Algeciras four-piece work with progressive textures and a heavy psychedelic sense of open creativity to craft atmospherics that are engrossing front to back, and even as each song has its own personality, that personality feeds into the overarching whole of the album itself.

Previously released on CD, Desintegración gets the vinyl treatment this month from Temple of Torturous. The edition is 300 copies, and I can’t speak to how long they’ll last, just how good the record is/was. In the meantime, Atavismo have stated their intent to start writing their next release, which — not that I’ve started such a thing, because one would have to be a madman to do so — is already on my most-anticipated list for 2016. And yes, I do have one. If you need to shake your head, I understand.

News on the vinyl comes off the PR wire:

Algeciras, Spain-based experimental space rock collective, ATAVISMO, will release their Desintegración debut Via Temple Of Torturous this June. Featuring within their ranks former members of Viaje a 800 and Mind!, ATAVISMO’s compositions are sprawling and consuming; echoing and hypnotic recalling the cosmic, jam-laden plumage of bands like Earthless, Motorpsycho, Wand and Dead Meadow.

Desintegración Track Listing:
1. Blazava
2. Kraken
3. Oceánica
4. Meeh

ATAVISMO:
Pot – guitar, synth
Pow – drums
Matt – bass

Initially released on CD last year on Not On Label Records, ATAVISMO’s Desintegración will be given the vinyl treatment via Temple Of Torturous on June 16, 2015 and come in a gorgeous gatefold packaging limited to 300 copies. Preorders to be available in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

https://atavismo.bandcamp.com/album/desintegraci-n
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atavismo/233096556878903
http://www.templeoftorturous.com/shop/

Atavismo, Desintegración (2015)