https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

The Sword Disband

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan

I guess I kind of missed out on The Sword. I had some experience with them early, their demo, the subsequent Age of Winters (discussed here), and I gave 2018’s Used Future a short and entirely-superfluous-to-the-universe review, but there’s not much coverage for them to be found in these ‘pages,’ and as founding guitarist/vocalist John D. Cronise draws the curtain on the band — am I right in thinking they broke up for a short time previously? was it when Trivett Wingo left? — it occurs to me that, yeah, they kind of did a whole cycle of success that I basically whiffed on. Can’t catch ’em all, whatever the Pokémon trainer says.

The last time I saw them was in 2011, so you’re not going to find me claiming any real expertise, but they were and may someday again be a band that a lot of people loved, so their breakup is certainly noteworthy. They did Ripplefest Texas this year, Psycho Las Vegas last year. They’ve been around, and put in years of hard road time. I don’t think they’ll be the last of their generation to kind of age out over the next few years — they’re not the first, for that matter — but if they’re really done, they achieved more than most ever do in spreading the word of heavy riffs, and for that one can be only grateful.

Cronise’s statement from social media follows here:

The sword

Hello friends,

I find it my duty to inform you that, after much contemplation, I have reached the difficult conclusion that it’s time to bring The Sword’s long and storied career to a close. When I started the band back in 2004, I could’ve only hoped for the successes we’ve enjoyed, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to do it for a living for almost two decades. In that time everything I ever wanted to say and do with The Sword creatively has been said and done, and so the time has come for me to move on to other endeavors.

Thanks to everyone who’s ever come to a show, bought our albums and merch, and supported
us over the years. Thanks to everyone who’s teched, tour managed, done sound, or sold merch for us. Thanks to all the bands who’ve taken us on tour and to all the bands we’ve taken on tour.

Thanks to the promotors and venues who booked us and let us play. Thanks to the producers and recording engineers who worked on our albums and to the labels that released them.

Thanks to Josh our booking agent and Mark our business manager, whom we are glad to count
as friends. And most of all thanks to my bandmates, Kyle, Bryan, Jimmy, and Trivett, for having faith in me and allowing me to realize my vision. You dudes are true legends.

It’s been a helluva journey. Now it’s time for the next chapter…

— John D. Cronise

https://instagram.com/theswordofficial
https://www.facebook.com/theswordofdoom
https://theswordofficial.com/

The Sword, Conquest of Kingdoms (2022)

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RippleFest Texas 2022 Lineup Finalized

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Back for its second year and with a fourth day in tow, Ripplefest Texas 2022 confirms its full lineup, a total beast of legends and newcomers. Really, I don’t even know what to say here except that if you’re lucky enough to go, it’s probably the kind of thing you’re going to remember for a long gosh-darn time, and it’s the kind of lineup that serves as lording-over fodder on the part of those who were there to those who weren’t. Well, at least it would if the heavy underground weren’t too cool to each other for that kind of gatekeeping nonsense. In any case, this looks like a massive undertaking to put on, and the roster of assembled acts gets a hearty ‘fucking a’ from my corner of the universe.

Tickets for all four days will run you $150, but I feel like the festival earns that on both quality and quantity of product.

Here’s the announcement, info and links:

ripplefest texas 2022 final poster

RIPPLE FEST TEXAS – The Far Out Lounge – July 21-24

4-day passes available now!

RippleFest Texas 2022 is back and the lineup is as big and hot as Texas itself! 4 days of blistering hot music at Austin’s premier music venue The Far Out Lounge. There will be everything from crushing heavy riffs, to acoustic and banjo picking, to improvisation jam sessions and puppet shows! So many legends and great music that this will be a 4 day weekend you will not want to miss!

TICKETS:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefaroutloungestage/639551

FULL LINEUP:
Eagles of Death Metal, The Sword, Crowbar, Mothership, Big Business, The Obsessed, Stöner, Spirit Adrift, The Heavy Eyes, Sasquatch, REZN, Fatso Jetson, Heavy Temple, J.D. Pinkus, Lord Buffalo, Lo-Pan, Wino, El Perro, Void Vator, Hippie Death Cult, Howling Giant, Doctor Smoke, Nick Oliveri, High Desert Queen, Destroyer of Light, Ape Machine, High Priestess, Dryheat, Rubber Snake Charmers, Sun Crow, Holy Death Trio, Bone Church, Horseburner, Spirit Mother, Thunder Horse, Mother Iron Horse, The Age of Truth, Salem’s Bend, Las Cruces, All Souls, Kind, Fostermother, The Absurd, Godeye, Ole English, Mr. Plow, Snake Mountain Revival, Blue Heron, Grail, Formula 400, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Eagle Claw, Bridge Farmers.

The Far Out Lounge is located at 8504 South Congress. Winner of Best New Venue at the Austin Music Awards 2020.

http://www.thefaroutaustin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ripplefesttexas
https://www.facebook.com/LOMSProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Lo-Pan, Live at the Grog Shop, Cleveland, Ohio, Feb 18, 2022

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Psycho Las Vegas 2021 Announces Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 24th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

If you’re looking for insight into the Psycho Las Vegas 2021 lineup, I have precious little to offer. What started out being accused of being an American answer to Roadburn has become a spectacle unto itself, operating at a scale that’s more in competition with the likes of a heavy metal Riot Fest or Coachella, and has likewise developed a community of its own. As for what catches my eye here, Cephalic Carnage for sure, as well as a few carryovers from what would’ve been 2020, and the likes of The Sword, who I guess are back together now? Fair enough. Oh, and the GZA, for good measure. Katatonia and Mercyful Fate and Elder and a couple others aren’t making the trip, but there’s certainly plenty here to occupy your weekend. If the Vegas-in-August heat don’t melt your brains, the riffs surely will.

What’s a guy gotta do to get invited to do a DJ set at Psycho Las Vegas? I’m gonna send Nate Carson an email and see if he’s got any tips.

Ty Segall next to Satyricon. Fatso Jetson and Profanatica. Immolation and Dengue Fever. The Flaming Lips and Cannibal Corpse. If you’re asking for it to make sense, you’re doing Psycho wrong. This is an event that defines its own parameters.

Approach thusly:

psycho las vegas 2021 banner

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 Lineup

America’s rock n’ roll bacchanal returns to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino August 20th through August 22nd, with another resort-wide casino takeover unlike any of its kind.

Now approaching its fifth year in the swirling neon decadence of Las Vegas, PSYCHO will feature over seventy artists across four stages including the world-class Events Center, the iconic House Of Blues, Mandalay Bay Beach, and the vintage Vegas-style Rhythm & Riffs Lounge in the center of the casino floor.

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 will continue to redefine America’s conception of what a festival can be.

Psycho Swim “The Official Psycho Las Vegas Pre-Party”
Old Man Gloom, Bongzilla, Death Valley Girls, Polyrhythmics, The Skull, Blackwater Holylight, Here Lies Man, DJ Scott Seltzer

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 Lineup:
Emperor, GZA, Mayhem, Obituary, Ty Segall, Satyricon, Watain, Paul Cauthen, The Sword, Cephalic Carnage, Health, The Bridge City Sinners, MGLA, Intronaut, Exhorder, Pinback, King Dude, Khemmis, Mothership, Toke, Lord Buffalo, Psychlona, Claude Fontaine, Hippie Death Cult, Foie Gras, ALMS, Mother Mercury, DJ Ethan MCCarthy, DJ Scott Seltzer, DJ Nate Carson, DJ Painkiller, Danzig, The Flaming Lips, Thievery Corporation, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Red Fang, Cursive, Pig Destroyer, Poison the Well, Eyehategod, Primitive Man, Death by Stereo, Curl Up & Die, Boysetsfire, Fatso Jetson, Profanatica, Adamantium, Silvertomb, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Withered, Flavor Crystal, Highlands, Vaelmyst, Black Sabbitch, The Tim Dillon Comedy Hour, Down, Exodus, High on Fire, Osees, Amigo the Devil, Drab Majesty, Crippled Black Phoenix, Weedeater, Full of Hell, Midnight, Repulsion, Cult of Fire, Zola Jesus, Tsol, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Guantanamo Baywatch, Immolation, Dengue Fever, Creeping Death, Kanga, Warish, Glacial Tomb, Relaxer, Vitriol, DJ Scott Seltzer, “Ask Doc” Q&A with Doc Mcghee

https://www.facebook.com/events/2513255765662644/
http://www.vivapsycho.com
http://www.facebook.com/psychoLasVegas
http://www.instagram.com/psycholasvegas

Psycho Las Vegas 2019 aftermovie

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Friday Full-Length: The Sword, Age of Winters

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 12th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

The Sword, Age of Winters (2006)

 

When The Sword released Age of Winters through Kemado Records in 2006, I interviewed the band for Metal Maniacs‘ up-and-coming section. It was a short thing, maybe a page long? I had seen the Austin, Texas, natives on their home turf either a year or two before, opening a Relapse Records showcase at SXSW which I’m pretty sure was at Room 710 — did Cephalic Carnage play that night? I think so — and dug what they were doing well enough. They were already hitting the road at that point pretty hard and getting a good response for it, so you know, you do the thing.

At the time, there weren’t a lot of younger bands breaking through, and the generation of heavy rock that was already there was well established. Here came The Sword with their long hair parted on the side, definitely of Millennial ilk, and they got tagged pretty early on as “hipster metal.” That interview I did wound up quoted in some very, very long online article raging against the metallic impurities being wrought by the next generation, as though I was part of some great conspiracy to undo the work of the trvly kvlt heavy and to sell it out to… well, I guess I didn’t read that far. Whoever? Corporations? You know they’ve been dying to get their hands on the stoner rock demographic — dudes for whom $500 is a lot of money. That’s a precious customer base.

For YouTube extremists, maybe. Also, $500 is a lot of money.

Looking back on it now, if The Sword were hipster metal, then the fucking hipsters at least right about Age of Winters. Led by riffs derived from the Melvins and Matt Pike, they mastered early the ability to make a groove sound huge by half-timing the drums, and in songs like “The Horned Goddess” and “Freya,” “March of the Lor” and the prior, eight-minute “Lament for the Auroch,” they distilled a sense of the epic in their lyrics, rhythm, and vocal and guitar harmonies to the whims of a still-raw take on heavy rock and roll. Then comprised of guitarists J.D. Cronise (also vocals) and Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo, they sounded like a band who were hungry, who wanted to engage an audience, and who were ready to speak to a generation coming of age in a way that older bands either couldn’t or refused to do. They had indie cred, definitely, and they used it to ignite a massive swath of killer heavy riffs and become arguably one of the most influential American acts of the last decade-plus.

Age of Winters wasn’t the launch of a corporate conspiracy to be fought back in a get-off-my-lawn pseudo-ownership of heavy metal. It was a rock record. And a really good one at that.

the sword age of wintersI would see The Sword here and there over the years as their ascent to the forefront of heavy rock continued. I seem to recall a show at Webster Hall at some point, which would make sense, and then I caught them with Kyuss Lives! in 2011 (review here) after they had released Gods of the Earth in 2008 and Warp Riders in 2010, trying to bridge a gap between their epic tales, sci-fi and heavy rock in a way that nobody’s still really pulled off, though plenty of noble efforts have been made along the way. In 2010, they lost Wingo on drums, which seems to have been a turning point for them stylistically and in general circumstance, as they signed to Razor & Tie for 2012’s Apocryphon and 2015’s High Country, both of which seemed to get a mixed reaction as popular bands will. 2016’s acoustic Low Country, 2017’s Greetings From… live album and last year’s Used Future found them continuing to push themselves to new ground, but I guess by then the band was 15 years on from their start and kind of running their course in the way of courses and things running them.

The Sword took a break, went on hiatus, disbanded, etc., following the release of Used Future, and in light of that, it seems all the more appropriate to look back on what they accomplished with Age of Winters, which was so solidified in its approach that it was easy to forget it was their first album. From “Celestial Crown” and “Barael’s Blade” on through the rest of the nine-song/42-minute offering, they brimmed with an energy and vitality that helped show a path forward for heavy rock and roll. “Winter’s Wolves,” the driving “Iron Swan” and the even more tense “Ebenthron” were able to take what had been done before and turn it into something fresh.

And look back at the last 15 years of heavy metal. Go ahead, I’ll wait. I’m not saying it’s all garbage or whatever, but wasn’t it time for something else? Even in the mid-aughts, metal was stagnant, and I know there are bands out there now and always doing cool stuff, but I guarantee that whatever’s pushing that sound forward isn’t someone’s idea of what “real metal” should be. That’s how it fucking happens. That’s how heavy metal happened in the first place.

My experience of The Sword, my primary association for the band in terms of what I think about when I think about them, will always be that one dude on the internet who decided he needed to write a 7,000-word screed to decry the work of a new generation, and who felt strongly enough about it to drop my name in the piece. I didn’t really listen to the band after that, so yeah. Well dude, wherever you are, whatever you’re up to, you were dead fucking wrong. The corporate infiltration you were trying to fight was already in your house, and all The Sword did was record albums and tour. Heavy metal was never threatened and even if it was, it probably deserved it. I hope you and whatever passed your rigorously constructed standards were very happy together, because you missed out on some cool shit while you were caring so hard about where someone’s hair was parted.

For the rest of everyone, as always, I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

It’s just about 5AM, starting to get light out. I think that’s been happening earlier? Maybe later? I don’t know which of the day is getting shorter yet. But the baby is still asleep, and I’ve got my second cup of coffee going and that’s pretty killer, so yeah, I’ll take it. I got up at 3:10 this morning, which actually gave me about 40 more minutes of sleep than I got Wednesday night. It was after 9PM when I fell out — that’s kind of late for me these days — so I’ll probably crash at some point this afternoon, but whatever. You take the day as it comes. Mine came early. Go figure.

Had a stomach thing this week. Something I ate, maybe, or I don’t know what. Sucked. Uncomfortable. Old. Farty. Sad.

Sad.

Someone I respect posted something on the social medias about kind self-talk. I don’t do that. I tend toward the other end of the spectrum, which feels more real to me. Why the hell should I be walking around saying nice things to myself? “Oh, it’s okay that you’re self-centered dickhead because, what again?” “Oh you’re bringing down an entire house full of people with your radioactive negativity again? that’s cool.” Blech. I can only think that if I tried that kind of thing in earnest I’d hate myself all the more for the saccharine nature of the sentiments it would produce.

But today’s Friday. I don’t have any extra writing projects on this weekend that I can remember, no liner notes or bios immediately due or anything like that, so that’s good. I’m gonna take today and try to listen to some music and read when the baby naps if I can and not answer any email that comes in past 10AM, and let that be the day. Do I deserve it? No, but I’m doing it anyway. Real self-talk.

Which is like “real talk,” which I think was a thing the kids used to say like six years ago. Whatever.

We’ve set the dates in August to finalize the move from Massachusetts to New Jersey. My beloved Garden State welcomes us back with open arms, fresh tomatoes and a wide variety of home improvement projects to be undertaken. Windows will be replaced. Carpets will be laid. Hopefully sooner than later, I’ll get a new kitchen with a dishwasher. Then the real party can start. Two ovens, motherfucker. Two sinks. Pantry. Granite counter. Coffee nook. My own personal slice of the American dream. I’ll want to die in this house, thank you very much. Maybe not for another couple weeks. Ha. Either way, this is it. The big one.

What’s up next week? I don’t know. Do you care? There’s a Plague of Carcosa stream, an interview with The Mad Doctors, a Nibiru video premiere, a CHICKN lyric video premiere. Might try to review that Burning Gloom album unless something takes the Friday spot. We’ll see. Lots of stuff though. You know the drill. There will be posts. Lots of them, probably.

Alright, time for me to tap out and get my head into the day. Everyone have a great and safe weekend. The Obelisk Show isn’t on Gimme Radio today, but there’s an older episode airing on Sunday at 7PM Eastern if you’ve got the chance to listen. Next Friday I’ll be back with a new episode celebrating Maryland Doom Fest.

Thanks for reading. Forum, radio, merch.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

The Obelisk shirts & hoodies

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Kyle Shutt of The Sword Announces First Solo Album Due in 2019

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 12th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

As always when a band calls it quits, there’s some question as to what’s next for its component members. Some do nothing. Some form other groups with other former members of other former bands. Every now and again, someone goes solo, and that would seem to be the intent — or at least one of the intents — of The Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt, who in the wake of his main outfit going on hiatus is both taking his heavied-up Pink Floyd tribute project Doom Side of the Moon on the road for select dates this Fall and embarking on a first-ever, he-plays-everything solo album set to release in May 2019. He’s got a crowdfunding campaign set up for the album now wherein, among other assorted rewards, he offers for $3,000 to cover any song you want, and in the video he dares someone to raise the money on GoFundMe and make him do “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Fair.

The PR wire brings word of these sundry doings and more:

kyle shutt (Photo by Mateo Leyba)

The Sword Guitarist Kyle Shutt Announces Plans to Release Solo LP

Acclaimed Musician Launches Incentive-Driven Kickstarter Campaign to Fund Solo Debut; Album Slated for May 2019 Release

Celebrated guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Shutt has announced plans to release his first-ever solo album in the spring of 2019. Shutt, who has spent the last 12 years touring the world as guitarist for the award-winning hard rock band The Sword, and just last year launched Doom Side of the Moon: a Heavy Metal Tribute to Pink Floyd, plans to play all of the instrumentation on the solo release and handle vocals, as well. The musician has launched a fan-friendly Kickstarter campaign to fund the project, which is slated for a May, 2019 release date. For full details on the campaign, which runs through October 31, visit this location.

“I love producing albums and rolling up my sleeves to tackle big challenges,” says Shutt. “While wondering what to do with a mountain of material not necessarily fit for any band that I am in, I heard a tiny, very loud voice telling me to make a solo album in that very sense, solo! I’ll be hitting those drums, slapping that bass, singing those lyrics, and absolutely shredding that guitar. If there’s something that makes a noise I like, I’m playing it. Now, while making albums is a load of fun, it’s also a load of work that, in 2018 doesn’t come cheap. That’s why I thought I’d ask you all be a part of the launching of this wacky solo career, which isn’t just stopping with this initial album. I’m starting with this record and will go wherever my inspiration takes me.”

“It‘s not easy being an artist these days, and I truly couldn’t do this without your support,” Shutt continues. “So if you have the faith in me to do my part in saving rock ’n’ roll, pick up a record and a shirt and LET’S DO THIS THING!

Shutt’s Austin-based Doom Side of the Moon project will perform its first-ever national live shows this December with just-announced gigs in Dallas, Denver and Brooklyn in addition to an encore performance in ATX. The autumn itinerary is as follows:

Doom Side of the Moon tour dates:

November 30 Austin, TX Emo’s
December 1 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Live!
December 3 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
December 4 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw

“Taking Doom Side of the Moon on the road, and to the sky for that matter for these fly in dates, is certainly the biggest project I’ve ever attempted, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Shutt states. “I can only imagine what Pink Floyd felt like taking a show like ‘The Wall’ on the road. Those guys had such astounding ambition, I hope I do them justice by putting on the best tribute I can to their timeless catalog.”

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kyleshutt/kyle-shutt
https://www.facebook.com/DoomSideoftheMoon/

Doom Side of the Moon album visualizer

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Quarterly Review: The Sword, Mountain Tamer, Demon Head, Bushfire, Motherslug, Dove, Treedeon, Falun Gong, Spider Kitten, Greynbownes

Posted in Reviews on April 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Quarterly-Review-Spring-2018

Okay then. We got past the first day and I thought it went reasonably well. No casualties. Nobody’s brain melted from trying to find another word for “riffs” for the 19th time, so yeah, mark it a win. There’s a good spread of stuff in today’s batch — a little of this, a little of that — so hopefully somewhere in the mix you’re able to run into something you dig. Hell, I’ll say the same for myself as well. Come on, let’s go.

Quarterly Review #11-20:

The Sword, Used Future

the sword used future

Now-veteran Austin heavy rockers The Sword have gotten a mixed response to the more progressive approach their recent work has taken, and I doubt Used Future (on Razor & Tie) is going to be any less polarizing, but its crisp 13 tracks/43 minutes are pulled off with professionalism. Yes, it has its self-indulgent aspects in “Sea of Green” or the earlier instrumental “The Wild Sky,” but The Sword have never done anything other than deliver accessible heavy rock and tour like hell, so while I get the mixed response, at this point I think the band has at very least earned a measure of respect for what they’ve accomplished as ambassadors of underground heavy. They wanna throw a little John Carpenter influence into “Nocturne?” Fine. They’re not hurting anybody. The unfortunate truth about The Sword is that neither polarized side is right. They’re not the end of heavy metal as we know it; some crude ironic take on what metal should be. And they’re not the greatest band of their generation. They have a good record deal. They write decent songs. Where’s the problem with that? I don’t hear it on Used Future.

The Sword on Thee Facebooks

Razor & Tie website

 

Mountain Tamer, Living in Vain Demo

mountain tamer Demo 2017

If it was Mountain Tamer’s intention to get listeners excited about the prospect of a second full-length from the Santa Cruz, CA three-piece, then the Living in Vain demo serves this purpose well. Their 2016 Argonauta Records self-titled debut (review here) expounded on the potential they originally showed with 2015’s Mtn Tmr demo (review here), and though it’s only two songs, Living in Vain would seem to do the same in building on the accomplishments of the album before it. The opening title-track is labeled “Living in Vain Pt. 1” and nestles easily into a mid-paced shuffle before shifting into psychedelic lead layering and a more jammed-out spirit, from which it returns in the last 30 seconds to hit into a more solidified ending riff, leading to the immediately slower “Wretched.” More spacious, more of a march, it plays into an instrumental hook and holds to its structure for its entire 5:40, ending with guitar on a quick fade. Obviously the intention with a release like this is to entice the listener with the prospect of the band’s next album. Living in Vain does that and more.

Mountain Tamer on Thee Facebooks

Mountain Tamer on Bandcamp

 

Demon Head, The Resistance

demon head the resistance

Returning just about a year after issuing their second album, Thunder on the Fields (review here), Copenhagen-based proto-metallers Demon Head offer a new two-songer single titled The Resistance that at least to my ears speaks to the current political moment of populism opposing liberalism – as much at play in Europe as in the US, if not more so – and the fight for an open society. They present it as a six-plus-minute languid groove with flashes of militaristic snare; something of a turn from the cult rock of their two-to-date long-players. One could say the same of the sci-fi themed “Rivers of Mars,” though like its predecessor, it remains sonically on-point with the band’s vintage aesthetic, fostered through naturalist guitar and bass tones, bluesy, commanding vocals and classy, creative drumming. Actually, apply that “classy” all around. As Demon Head continue to come into their own sound, they do so with poise that’s all the more striking for how raw their presentation remains.

Demon Head on Thee Facebooks

The Sign Records

 

Bushfire, When Darkness Comes

bushfire when darkness comes

When Darkness Comes is German heavy rocking five-piece Bushfire’s follow-up to late-2013’s Heal Thy Self (review here), and it retains the Darmstadt-based outfit’s penchant for quality riffcraft and a showcase for the vocals of frontman Bill Brown, which hit in bottom-of-the-mouth melodies and gruff shouts fitting to cuts like “The Conflict” and the swinging “Shelter.” Bushfire are no strangers to a semi-Southern element in their sound, and that remains true on When Darkness Comes from the opening title-track through the later “Another Man Down” and closer “Liberation.” Somewhat curiously, that closer is instrumental, and where the vocals play such a role in the overarching impression the record makes, it’s an interesting twist to have them absent from the final statement, leaving guitarists Marcus Bischoff and Miguel Pereira, bassist Vince and drummer Sascha to finish out on their own. If groove is the measure, they’re certainly up to the task, but then, that was never really in doubt.

Bushfire on Thee Facebooks

Bushfire on Bandcamp

 

Motherslug, The Electric Dunes of Titan

motherslug the electric dunes of titan

I’m sorry. I don’t see how you could dig anything calling itself “stoner” and not be down with what Motherslug are doing with their second long-player, The Electric Dunes of Titan. Plus-sized riffing all over the place, languid rollouts, excursions into psychedelic splendor (see “Followers of the Sun,” etc.), explosions into massive groove (see “Staring at the Sun”), a nod to High on Fire in “Tied to the Mast” and a Sleep-style march on closer “Cave of the Last God” that’s probably the best I’ve heard since the Creedsmen Arise demo in 2015. Really, if Motherslug doesn’t do it for you, nothing will. Five years after they initially released their self-titled EP (review here), which was later expanded into their debut album for NoSlip Records (review here), the Melbourne outfit charge back with what should be a litmus test for riff-heads. In all seriousness, from tone to structure to songwriting to production to the cover art, there’s just nothing here that doesn’t deliver the message. Should’ve been on my best of 2017 list.

Motherslug on Thee Facebooks

Motherslug on Bandcamp

 

Dove, Dove Discography

dove discography

In the wake of Floor’s disbanding, drummer Henry Wilson formed Dove. They were around for about five years, did some touring (one remembers picking up their self-titled in a Manhattan basement with $2 Rolling Rocks calling itself The Pyramid), and disbanded to a cult status not so different from that which Floor enjoyed prior to their own reunion, if to something of a lesser degree. As the title indicates, Dove Discography compiles “every listenable track” the band ever put out, including their self-titled, Wilson’s original demo for the project, compilation and 7” material. All told, it’s 20 tracks and just under an hour of documentation for who Dove were and the kind of punk metal they were about, never quite stoner, but heavy rock to be sure, and definitely of the Floridian ilk that produced both Floor and Cavity and a style Wilson has progressed with House of Lightning. Dove could be blazingly intense or they could plod out a huge riff, holding a deceptively wide purview that was only part of the reason they were so underrated at the time.

Dove on Bandcamp

House of Lightning on Thee Facebooks

 

Treedeon, Under the Manchineel

treedeon under the manchineel

To anyone who might complain that all sludge sounds the same, I humbly submit Treedeon, whose second album for Exile on Mainstream, Under the Manchineel, is a work both noise-laden and righteously avant garde. Perhaps even more ferocious than its 2015 predecessor, Lowest Level Reincarnation (review here), the seven-track/44-minute outing offers a touch of melody in “Breathing a Vein” and buried deep in the midsection of 16-minute closer “Wasicu,” and arguably in guitarist Arne Heesch’s delivery in opener “Cheetoh” as well, but he and bassist Yvonne Ducksworth mostly keep to harsh shouts as they create consuming washes of noise over the madcap drumwork of newcomer Andy Schuenemann, who punctuates every punch of Ducksworth’s gotta-hear-it bass tone on album centerpiece “No Hell” as Heesch goes lands the chorus with the line “No hell can hold me” as its standout line. Bringing a sense of themselves to an established style to a degree that’s rare, rarer, rarest, Treedeon are no less aggressively weird than they are aggressive, period.

Treedeon on Thee Facebooks

Exile on Mainstream website

 

Falun Gong, Figure 1

Falun Gong Figure 1

There are some post-Electric Wizard shades that emerge in the debut single from London’s Falun Gong by the time it reaches its feedback-soaked finale, but really, “Figure 1” is much more about digging into its own cultistry than that of the Obornian sort. Still, the overarching impression is somewhat familiar, and will be particularly to those who were fans of The Wounded Kings, but the duo who remain anonymous present themselves with a clearheaded intent toward maximum sonic murk, and with the lumbering misery they trod out in “Figure 1,” they seem to achieve what they’re going for. I don’t know who they are, but I’d guess this isn’t their first band, and as crowded as London’s heavy underground has become over the course of this decade, acts like Falun Gong are fewer and farther between than some others, and during these 10 minutes, they make a striking first impression. One hopes for “Figure 2” sooner rather than later.

Falun Gong on Bandcamp

 

Spider Kitten, Concise and Sinister

https://theobelisk.net/obelisk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/spider-kitten-concise-and-sinister.jpg

Intended as a thematic continuation to some degree of 2016’s Ark of Oktofelis, the four-song Concise and Sinister finds long-running multi-genre UK outfit Spider Kitten bookending two extended crushers around two shorter pieces, one of which is a cover of Hank Williams’ “Alone and Forsaken” (also memorably done by 16 Horsepower) and the other of which is a noise-punk assault that lasts 46 seconds and is called “I’m Feeling So Much Better.” Whether fast or slow, loud or quiet, the intention of Spider Kitten doesn’t seem even at its most abrasive to be to punish so much as to challenge, and whether it’s the cinematic elements dug into the march of opener and longest track (immediate points) “A Glorious Retreat” (11:33) or the harmonies that accompany especially-doomed 10-minute closer “Martyr’s Breath,” Spider Kitten and founder Chi Lameo demonstrate a creativity acknowledging that bounds exist and then simply refusing to accept them, making even the familiar seem unfamiliar in the process.

Spider Kitten on Thee Facebooks

Spider Kitten on Bandcamp

 

Greynbownes, Grey Rainbow from Bones

greynbownes grey rainbow from bones

Comprised of guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Lukas, bassist Martin and drummer Jakub, Greynbownes hail from Moravia in the Czech Republic and the moniker-explaining Grey Rainbow from Bones is their self-issued debut full-length. It is comprised of nine tracks of inventive heavy rock, pulling elements from grunge and ‘90s-era stoner noise on cuts like “Across the Bones” while veering into fare more aggressive, or psychedelic or jammy in the trio of six-minute tracks “Seasons,” “Death of Autumn Leaves” and “B 612” that precedes the closing duo of the funky “Sitting at the Top” and the mellow-but-still-heavy finisher “Weight of Sky,” which feels far removed from the opening salvo of “Boat of Fools,” the fuzz-punker “Madness” and the fuckall-chug of “What is at Stake.” Yes, it’s all over the place, and one might expect Greynbownes’ sound to solidify over time, but to the trio’s credit, Grey Rainbow from Bones never flies apart in the way that it seems at multiple points it might, and that’s an encouraging sign.

Greynbownes on Thee Facebooks

Greynbownes on Bandcamp

 

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King Buffalo Announce West Coast Tour with The Sword

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Rochester trio King Buffalo recently sold through the test pressings of their latest EP, Repeater (review here), at their BigCartel store — I mean, they were there and then they were gone, just like that — and I assumed it was because the psych rockers were looking to get together funds ahead of an impending return trip to Europe to once again tour alongside Massachusetts heavy prog forerunners Elder on a stint that includes stops at Desertfest Berlin and Desertfest London, but it seems that was only part of the story.

Newly announced today is the fact that King Buffalo will hit the road on the West Coast to tour with Austin, Texas, riff veterans The Sword. Not to take anything away from the stints King Buffalo have done in the US with All Them Witches or anyone else, but I think this qualifies for sure as the highest-profile US touring they’ve done to-date, and of course one wishes them all the best as they continue to turn heads everywhere they go. Dudes are killing it.

Dig the specifics:

King Buffalo on their upcoming tours:

KB from the outset was always determined be a touring band. In the four years since our creation we’ve never been to the west coast. Something for whatever reason always seemed to elude us. We’re excited to be making our maiden voyage with some absolute legends in The Sword.

King Buffalo w/ The Sword west coast tour:
3/21 Austin, TX – Mohawk
3/23 El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
3/24 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
3/25 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
3/26 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
3/27 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
3/29 Seattle, WA – Neumos
3/30 Spokane, WA – The Pin
3/31 Boise, ID – Neurolux
4/2 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
4/3 Grand Junction, CO – The Mesa Theater
4/4 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre (Englewood)
4/6 Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
4/7 Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
4/8 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
4/9 Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
4/10 Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge
4/11 Baton Rouge, LA – Varsity Theatre

King Buffalo w/ Elder European tour:
24.04.2018 DK – Copenhagen, VEGA
25.04.2018 SWE – Stockholm, Undergången
26.04.2018 NOR – Oslo, Parkteatret
27.04.2018 NOR – Bergen, Landmark Bergen
28.04.2018 NOR – Stavanger, Folken
30.04.2018 SWE – Gothenburg, Sticky Fingers // Göteborg
01.05.2018 GER – Hamburg, Hafenklang
03.05.2018 PL – Kracow, TBA
04.05.2018 PL – Warsaw, Klub Hydrozagadka
05.05.2018 DE – Berlin, Desertfest Berlin
06.05.2018 UK – London, Desertfest London
07.05.2018 B – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique – AB
08.05.2018 NL – Haarlem, Patronaat Haarlem
09.05.2018 CH – Winterthur, Gaswerk
10.05.2018 F – Gueret, Festival Metal Culture(s) VIII
12.05.2018 ES – Madrid, Kristonfest
18.05.2018 IS – Reykjavik, Gaukurinn

http://kingbuffalo.bigcartel.com
https://www.facebook.com/kingbuffalolives/
http://www.twitter.com/_kingbuffalo
http://www.instagram.com/_kingbuffalo
http://kingbuffalo.com/
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https://www.facebook.com/Stickman-Records-1522369868033940/

King Buffalo, Repeater (2018)

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Extolling Ignorance: The Top Five Albums I Didn’t Hear in 2012

Posted in Features on January 10th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Just yesterday I was reading a news story about how scientists are regrowing hair cells (pictured above) in mice to restore hearing damage caused by loud noises. Nifty stuff and certainly something that would come in handy if and when they can actually make it work for people, but it still wouldn’t do me any good, because I’m not just talking about records I didn’t hear because I saw SunnO))) that one time without earplugs — I’m talking about albums that I didn’t hear because, for one reason or another, our paths didn’t cross at all. If you want to talk about the other kind of not hearing, ask The Patient Mrs. how loud I keep the tv at night.

But as regards those reasons: In the past when I’ve done this list, it’s usually been with some measure of shame. Last year, I had to admit I hadn’t heard Argus‘ album because I knew I’d like it and wind up buying a copy (which I finally did), and had to admit that I slept on Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. This year it’s a little different. Most of the records on this list I could’ve easily heard — if I’d wanted to hear them. In 2012, it wasn’t just that I missed stuff (though I did, I’m quite sure), but also that some stuff I just couldn’t be bothered to download the promo mp3s. You’d be amazed how often that happens.

So with that in mind, I humbly and ignorantly present my Top Five Albums I Didn’t Hear in 2012. I hope if I missed anything essential, you’ll let me know.

1. Soundgarden, King Animal

It’s a pretty rare thing for me to get a request for a review from someone neither in nor representing a band (i.e. PR or a label, etc.), and I got more than one for Soundgarden‘s reunion full-length, King Animal. I heard the record was great, but seriously, whatever. I was never a huge Soundgarden fan, and the whole tone of their getting back together left me cold — people calling them brave for putting out a rock album that everyone knows is gonna sell like mad and talking about playing arena shows in front of thousands of fans like it’s a bold decision. Sorry, but the bold decision would be for Soundgarden to have stayed broken up and for Chris Cornell to work with Timbaland again. King Animal could’ve been the best rock record of 2012 for all I know, but I’m pretty sure all I’d hear would be tuned vocals and sampled drums. Pass.

2. Baroness, Yellow and Green

I give Georgia natives Baroness the utmost respect for the heap of shit they ate as regards their luck last year, but even their tenacity in recovering from a bus accident — along with the vehement recommendations of, well, the universe — wasn’t enough to get me on board for their third album, Yellow and Green. Here’s a fun fact: Up to this point in the band’s career, I’ve owned just about everything they’ve put out, because I figured that sooner or later, I’d come around. I saw them at Emissions from the Monolith years back and picked up the First and Second EPs because I was like, “Yeah, I’ll probably start digging this band and when I do, I’ll be glad to have these.” I keep waiting for that switch to flip and it just hasn’t yet. Loves me some Valkyrie though, for what that’s worth.

3. The Sword, Apocryphon

While I’m talking about old shows, I caught Austin’s The Sword opening a Relapse Records showcase at SXSW when all they had out was a demo and thought they were bloody brilliant. I even dug Age of Winters when it came out, but my interest level diminished on the quick. I didn’t bother with 2010’s Warp Riders either, and as they made their Razor and Tie Records debut with Apocryphon in October, I barely blinked. These guys get consistent support, and I’ll give it to them that they put in their work on the road supporting what they do and always have, but in terms of what I’m going to listen to for a week straight before I review it, there’s gonna be no shortage of other Sword reviews out there and I doubt very much mine’s going to have anything revolutionary to say, so yeah, there are better ways to spend my time.

4. Rival Sons, Head Down

Maybe I could’ve climbed on board for what SoCal-based Rival Sons had to offer, but frankly the whole thing seemed a little too reality show. Like the headline says, I didn’t hear the record, but with their major label hair, purported classic rock sound and press hype, it just seemed like they were a band I was supposed to like, as if you took what makes kickass heavy rock and broke it down to Lego parts, adding a standalone moustache. I’ve heard from some reliable sources that they are indeed the shit, but the contrarian in me just wasn’t having any of Head Down. Maybe I’m wrong and next time they put out an album I’ll take a listen and have to eat my words. Wouldn’t be the first time.

5. Mark Lanegan Band, Blues Funeral

This one I legitimately regret not hearing. Former Screaming Trees vocalist and frequent Queens of the Stone Age collaborateur, Mark Lanegan has one of those voices that he probably won’t have grown into until he’s 65 years old. You know how Johnny Cash was finally old enough for his voice when he started putting out the American series, or how Tom Waits hit that line in 2011 and everyone was like “holy crap Tom Waits is the best thing ever?” I’m pretty well convinced Mark Lanegan will get there sooner or later. I got a promo of Blues Funeral, but it was a download so I didn’t bother. Too late to review it now, but maybe I’ll pick it up somewhere along the line. Maybe not. Doesn’t seem like Mr. Lanegan‘s hurting either way, unless, you know, you count the existential agonies present in his vocal delivery.

Okay, that’s it. Everything else I heard in 2012 so there you go. No, of course that’s not true. As always, there were tons of albums I missed out on — one of these days I’m gonna sit with Heavy Eyes and give them a real chance — because I’m only one man, I only have two ears, and those ears are only so willing to listen to stuff that’s not Neurosis.

Anything essential you think I missed, or anything essential that you missed that you want to add? Leave a comment below.

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