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Quarterly Review: Paradise Lost, Vinnum Sabbathi, Nighthawk, Familiars, Mountain Witch, Disastroid, Stonegrass, Jointhugger, Little Albert, Parahelio

Posted in Reviews on July 10th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

the-obelisk-qr-summer-2020

Last day, you know the drill. It’s been a pleasure, honestly. If every Quarterly Review could feature the quality of material this one has, I’d probably only spend a fraction of the amount of time I do fretting over it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and enjoyed the music as much as I have. If you haven’t found something here to sit with and dig into yet, well, today’s 10 more chances to do just that. Maybe something will stick at last.

See you in September.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Paradise Lost, Obsidian

paradise lost obsidian

It is impossible to listen to Obsidian and consider Paradise Lost as anything other than masters of the form. Of course, that they were one of the original pioneers of gothic death-doom helps, but even in the decade-plus since they began to shift back toward a more metallic approach, they have established a standard that is entirely their own. Obsidian collects nine tracks across a palatable 45 minutes, and if the hook of “Fall From Grace” is fan-service on the part of the band, then it is no less righteous for that. In atmosphere and aggression, cuts like “The Devil Embraced” and the galloping “Ghosts” deliver on high expectations coming off 2017’s Medusa (review here), even as side B’s “Ending Days” and “Hope Dies Young” branch into a more melodic focus, not departing from the weight of impact presented earlier, but clearly adjusting the approach, leading to an all the more deathly return on “Ravenghast,” which closes out. Their doom remains second to none; their model remains one to follow.

Paradise Lost on Thee Facebooks

Nuclear Blast webstore

 

Vinnum Sabbathi, Of Dimensions and Theories

Vinnum Sabbathi Of Dimensions and Theories

The narrative thread carried through the six tracks of Vinnum Sabbathi‘s Of Dimensions and Theories is a futuristic sci-fi tale about humanity’s first foray into deep space amid a chaos of environmental collapse and nuclear threat. The real story, however, is the sense of progression the instrumentalist Mexico City outfit bring in following up their debut LP, 2017’s Gravity Works (review here). Tying thematically to the latest Cegvera album — the two bands share personnel — pieces at the outset like “In Search of M-Theory” and “Quantum Determinism” maintain the exploratory vibe of the band’s jammier works in their “HEX” series, but through spoken samples give a human presence and plotline to the alternately atmospheric and lumbering tones. As the record progresses through the airier “An Appraisal” and the feedback-drenched “Beyond Perturbative States,” their dynamic finds realization in “A Superstring Revolution I” and the drum-led “A Superstring Revolution II.” I don’t know about humanity’s prospects as a whole, but Vinnum Sabbathi‘s remain bright.

Vinnum Sabbathi on Thee Facebooks

Stolen Body Records website

 

Nighthawk, The Sea Legs EP

Nighthawk The Sea Legs EP

Composed as a solo outing prior to the founding of Heavy Temple, the Nighthawk solo endeavor (presumably she wasn’t a High Priestess yet), The Sea Legs EP, is plenty self-aware in its title, but for being a raw execution of material written performed entirely on her own, its four tracks also have a pretty significant scope, from the post-QOTSA heavy pop of “Goddamn” leading off through the quick spacegaze of “I’m From Tennessee Woman, All We Do is Honky Tonk,” into the deceptively spacious “I Can Haz” with its far-back toms, dreamy vocal melody and vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding guitar, and ending with the if-Ween‘s-country-album-had-been-weirder finish of “Stay Gold.” Nighthawk has issued a follow-up to The Sea Legs EP in the full-length Goblin/John Carpenter-style synth of The Dimensionaut, but given the range and balance she shows just in this brief 12 minutes, one hopes that indeed her songwriting explorations continue to prove so multifaceted.

Nighthawk on Bandcamp

Heavy Temple on Thee Facebooks

 

Familiars, All in Good Time

familiars all in good time

Contending for one of the year’s best debut albums, FamiliarsAll in Good Time offers eight songs across 43 minutes that blend organic-feeling grit with more ethereal, landscape-evocative psychedelics. The Ontario three-piece have a few singles to their credit, but the lushness of “Rocky Roost” and the emergent heft of “Barn Burning,” the fleshy boogie of “The Dirty Dog Saloon” and the breadth of “Avro Arrow” speak not just to Familiars‘ ability to capture a largesse that draws their songs together, or the nuance that lets them brings subtle touches of Americana (Canadiana?) early on and echoing desert roll to the fuzzy “The Common Loon,” but also to the songwriting that makes these songs stand out so much as they do and the sense of purpose Familiars bring to All in Good Time as their first long-player. That turns out to be one of the most encouraging aspects of the release, but in that regard there’s plenty of competition from elements like tone, rhythm, melody, craft, performance — so yes, basically all of it.

Familiars on Thee Facebooks

Familiars on Bandcamp

 

Mountain Witch, Extinct Cults

Mountain Witch Extinct Cults

Mountain Witch‘s fourth album, Extinct Cults, brings the Hamburg-based duo of guitarist René Sitte and drummer/vocalist René Roggmann back after a four-year absence with a collection that straddles the various lines between classic heavy rock, proto-metal, ’70s heavy prog and modern cultism. Their loyalties aren’t necessarily all to the 1968-’74 period, as the chug and gruff vocals of “Back From the Grave” show, but the post Technical Ecstasy sway of the title-track is a fascinating and rarely-captured specificity, and the vocal melodies expressed in layers across the record do much to add personality and depth to the arrangements while the surrounding recording remains essentially raw. No doubt vinyl-minded, Extinct Cults is relatively brief at six songs and 33 minutes, but the Priestly chug of “Man is Wolf to Man” and the engrossing garage doom of closer “The Devil Probably” offer plenty of fodder for those who’d dig in to dig into. It is a sound familiar and individual at once, old and new, and it revels in making cohesion out of such contrasts.

Mountain Witch on Thee Facebooks

This Charming Man Records website

 

Disastroid, Mortal Fools

disastroid mortal fools

You might find San Francisco trio Disastroid hanging out at the corner of noise and heavy rock, looking disreputable. Their first record for Heavy Psych Sounds is Mortal Fools, and to go with its essential-bloody-essential bass tone and melodic semi-shouted vocals, it brings hints of angularity rounded out by tonal thickness and a smoothness between transitions that extends to the flow from one song to the next. While for sure a collection of individual pieces, Mortal Fools does move through its 43 minutes with remarkable ease, the sure hand of the three-piece guides you through the otherwise willfully tumultuous course, brash in the guitar and bass and drums but immersive in the overarching groove. They seem to save a particular melodic highlight for the verses of closer “Space Rodent,” but really, whether it’s the lumbering “Hopeless” or the sharper-toothed push of “Bilge,” the highlight is what Disastroid accomplish over the course of the record as a whole. Plus that friggin’ bass sound.

Disastroid on Thee Facebooks

Heavy Psych Sounds website

 

Stonegrass, Stonegrass

stonegrass self titled

I don’t know when this was first released, but the 2020 edition seems to be a remaster, and whenever it first came out, I’m pleased to have the chance to check it out now. Toronto duo Stonegrass brings together Matthew “Doc” Dunn and Jay Anderson, both of a markedly psyched-out pedigree, to dig into experimentalist acid-psych that pushes boundaries stylistic and national, tapping Afrobeat vibes with closer “Drive On” and the earlier 13-minute go-go-go jam “Tea” while “The Highway” feels like a lost psychedelic disco-funk 45, “The Cape” drones like it’s waiting for someone to start reading poetry over-top, and mellow hand-percussion and Turkish psych on centerpiece “Frozen Dunes.” The whole thing, which runs a manageable 39 minutes, is as cool as the day is long, and comes across like a gift to those of expanded mind or who are willing to join those ranks. I don’t know if it’s new or old. I don’t know if it’s a one-off or an ongoing project. I barely know if it’s actually out. But hot damn it’s rad, and if you can catch it, you should.

Cosmic Range Records on YouTube

Cosmic Range Records on Bandcamp

 

Jointhugger, I Am No One

jointhugger i am no one

Norwegian half-instrumental trio Jointhugger have already captured the attention of both Interstellar Smoke Records and Ozium Records with their four-song debut long-player, I Am No One, and as the follow-up to their 2019 Daemo, it leaves little question why. The more volume, the merrier, when it comes to the rolling, nodding, undulations of riff the band conjure, as each member seems geared toward bringing as much weight to bear as much as possible. I’m serious. Even the hi-hat is heavy, never mind the guitar or bass or the cave-echoing vocals of the title-track. “Domen” slips into some shuffle — if you can call something that dense-sounding a shuffle — and underscores its solo with an entire bog’s worth of low end, and though closer “Nightfright” is the only inclusion that actually tops 10 minutes, it communicates an intensity of crush that is nothing if not consistent with what’s come before. There are flashes of letup here and there, but it’s impact at the core of Jointhugger‘s approach, and they offer plenty of it. Don’t be surprised when the CD and LP sell through, and don’t be surprised if they get re-pressed later.

Jointhugger on Thee Facebooks

Ozium Records webstore

Interstellar Smoke Records webstore

 

Little Albert, Swamp King

Little Albert Swamp King

Stepping out both in terms of style and substance from his position as guitarist in atmospheric doomers Messa, Little Albert — aka Alberto Piccolo — pronounces himself “swamp king” in the opening lines of his debut solo release of the same name, and the mellow ambiance and psychedelic flourish of tone in “Bridge of Sighs” and “Mean Old Woman” and the aptly-titled “Blues Asteroid” offer an individualized blend of psychedelic blues that seems to delight in tipping the balance back and forth from one to the other while likewise taking the songs through full band arrangements and more intimate wanderings. Some of the songs have a tendency to roll outward and not return, as does “Mary Claire” or “Mean Old Woman,” but “Outside Woman Blues” and the closer “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” hold tighter to the ground than some of what surrounds, so again, there’s a balance. Plus, as mellow as Swamp King is in its overarching affect, it’s neither difficult nor anything but a pleasure to follow along where Piccolo leads. If that’s off the psych-blues deep end, so be it. Only issue I take with him being king of the swamp is that the album’s domain hardly seems so limited.

Little Albert on Thee Facebooks

Aural Music on Bandcamp

 

Parahelio, Surge Evelia, Surge

Parahelio Surge Evelia Surge

Beautiful, patient and pastoral psychedelia fleshes out across the three tracks of Parahelio‘s debut full-length, Surge Evelia, Surge. Issued on vinyl through Necio Records, the three-song offering reportedly pays homage to a mining town in the band’s native Peru, but it does so with a breadth that seems to cover so much between heavy post-rock and psych that it’s difficult not to imagine places decidedly more ethereal. Beginning with its title-track (12:33) and moving into the swells and recessions of “Gestos y Distancia,” the album builds to an encompassing payoff for side A before unveiling “Ha’Adam,” a 23-minute side-consuming rollout that encompasses not only soundscaping, but a richly human feel in its later take, solidifying around a drum march and a heavy build of guitar that shouldn’t sound strange to fans of Pelican or Russian Circles yet manages somehow to transcend the hypnotic in favor of the dynamic, the immersive, and again, the beautiful. What follows is desolation and aftermath, and that’s how the record ends, but even there, the textures and the spirit of the release remain central. I always do myself a favor with the last release of any Quarterly Review, and this is no exception.

Parahelio on Thee Facebooks

Necio Records on Bandcamp

 

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Little Albert Debut Album Swamp King Due in March on Aural Music

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 19th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

Guitarist Alberto Piccolo is probably best known in heavy circles for his work with Messa, whose atmospheric and moody take on doom has found resonance with an international audience grown outward from their homebase in Treviso, Italy. Piccolo earlier this year unveiled something of an alter-ego in Little Albert, a solo-project exploring bluesy textures without some of the posturing that so, so, so often comes along with even a mere association with the style. I’ve only heard the single “Hard Times Killing Floor Blues” on Bandcamp, but putting it on was an immediate relief when Piccolo, who very clearly is not an 80-year-old Black dude, was also not trying to sound like one. There are an awful lot of players out there who can’t say the same.

The same Bandcamp page that hosts that track — you can go there if you want, but the track is streaming at the bottom here; just under the link, as it happens — makes mention of a debut EP in progress. By contrast, the announcement that follows here that Little Albert have signed to Aural Music talks about releasing a first album in March. I’m not sure if the one grew out of the other or what — I’d assume, but I don’t know that — but either way, so long as Piccolo wants to go about purveying his blues sans racialized caricature, that record’s more than welcome by me, whatever shape it might ultimately take.

The announcement is pretty light on album details, but there’s plenty of time for such things. Here’s what came down the PR wire:

little albert

LITTLE ALBERT SIGN WITH AURAL MUSIC

Little Albert is the Hard Blues project of Alberto Piccolo, lead guitarist of Scarlet Doom disciples MESSA.

The debut album is titled “Swamp King” and will be released worldwide in March 2020.

here’s what Alberto had to say: “Signing for Aural Music seemed to me the best way to give credit to the union between blues and doom permeating Little Albert project. In addition, being Aural Music Messa’s label, the collaboration was born naturally.”

Artwork, tracklist and more details will be revealed in the coming weeks.

http://www.facebook.com/littlealbertblues
https://littlealbertblues.bandcamp.com/

Little Albert, “Hard Times Killing Floor Blues”

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Ananda Mida Announce Fall Dates Supporting Cathodnatius

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 11th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

ananda mida

This very weekend, Ananda Mida play the esteemed Stoned from the Underground fest in Erfurt, Germany, heralding the arrival earlier this year of their new album, Cathodnatius. Though the Italian outfit are somewhat amorphous of lineup, their commitment to progressive sounds remains unflinching, and they were out in the first half of 2019 as well, but the new batch of dates run from this month through October in Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Austria over a series of weekenders and long-weekenders followed by more of a straight-run tour. One way or the other, it’ll be enough to keep them busy as Cathodnatius continues to sink in, and though I’m not sure if they’ll have more shows filled in on some of the off days or not, it’s obviously worth keeping an eye out should you happen to be in that part of the world.

“Cool band playing shows,” is the bottom line, I guess. Pretty simple story, but as you can hear in the album stream at the bottom of this post, it’s a story worth telling.

If you’re going to Stoned from the Underground, enjoy.

Dates:

ananda mida tour

Ananda Mida – Fall Tour Dates

After the first tour in January of the presentation of the second album Cathodnatius, our Ananda Mida return with new dates in Italy and Germany (at the prestigious Stoned from the Underground festival) and for an European tour in September and October.

TOUR:
SAT 13.07 DE – Erfurt – @stonedfromtheunderground
SAT 20.07 IT – Bologna – Fondazione Villa Ghigi
SUN 21.07 IT – Aviano – Bar al Contrario
MON 22.07 SLO – Lubiana – @galahalametelkova
TUE 23.07 IT – Mirano – @miranosummerfestival
SAT 07.09 – IT – Treviso – In Veneto there is no law 5
SUN 08.09 – IT – Carmignano – Karmin Fest
FRI 27.09 – CH – Olten – @coqdor_olten
SUN 29.09 – AT – Salzburg – @rockhouse_bar_salzburg
MON 30.09 – DE – Wiesbaden – @kupawiesbaden
TUE 01.10 – DE – Rosenheim – @asta_rosenheim
THU 03.10 – DE – Berlin – Dunckerclub
SAT 05.10 – DE – Passau – @zauberbergpassau
SUN 06.10 – IT – @punkyreggaepub

Ananda Mida is stoner rock and psychedelia collective, leaded by Max Ear, former drummer of OJM and co-founder of Go Down Records, and Matteo Pablo Scolaro, underground guitarist and curator of Go Down Bands on Tour, with the help of Eeviac artworks.

Since 2015, they have been playing, with different line-ups, from three up to six members, both instrumental or with singers, a seventies sound mixed with desert and psychedelia grooves.

Ananda Mida are:
Davide Bressan: bass guitar
Max Ear: drums
Matteo Pablo Scolaro: electric guitar
Alessandro Tedesco: electric guitar

https://www.facebook.com/anandamidaband
https://anandamidaband.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/GoDownRecords/
https://www.godownrecords.com/
https://vincebuseruptum.bandcamp.com/
http://www.vincebuseruptum.it/

Ananda Mida, Cathodnatius (2019)

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Ananda Mida to Release Cathodnatius Jan. 12; Teaser Posted & Preorders Available

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

ananda mida

Italian heavy rockers Ananda Mida will start out 2019 strong with the release of their second album, Cathodnatius, on Go Down Records and Vincebus Eruptum Recordings. The album is clearly intended to be a complement to the band’s 2016 debut, Anodnatius (review here), which not only shared a similar title but artwork on which the striking new cover builds, facing an arm the opposite way and turning from organic to inorganic components thereof. The approach to the tracks themselves seems to have shifted as we go from songs like “Aktavas” to “Blank Stare,” but I’ve yet to dig into the record to hear if there’s a corresponding shift in sound. The teaser at the bottom of this post seems to be culled from opener “The Pilot” though, and that’s pretty right on, either way.

Preorders are up now if that’s your thing, and the album features some collaboration with singer-songwriter Conny Ochs, known for his solo work as well as his duo with Wino of The Obsessed et al.

Info from the PR wire:

Ananda Mida Cathodnatius

Ananda Mida – Cathodnatius

Go Down Records / Vincebus Eruptum Records
out on 2019.01.12
LP, CD, digital

Pre-orders start 2018.11.24: https://www.godownrecords.com/product-page/ananda-mida-cathodnatius-LPx

CATHODNATIUS is the second chapter of the psychedelic undertaking of Ananda Mida through our cosmos, trying to investigate the soul of the tricerebral beings of our planet, this time examining in particular all the negative forces and the relative subtle vibrations lying outside and inside everything.

Recorded at the Teatro delle Voci Studios in Treviso, it sees the collaboration of singer Conny Ochs, a valid explorer of the mythological cosmos created by the band. Cover by eeviac artworks.

“The pilot turns his head and checks on the controls,
lights turn through green and red, ignition, there he goes.”

TRACKLIST:
1. The Pilot
2. Blank Stare
3. Pupo Cupo
4. Out Of The Blue
5. Doom And The Medicine Man [part I – IV]:
I- Towers And Holes
II- Opening Hours
III- Rude Awakening
IV- The Medicine Man Is Looking For A Cure

https://www.facebook.com/anandamidaband
https://anandamidaband.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/GoDownRecords/
https://www.godownrecords.com/
https://vincebuseruptum.bandcamp.com/
http://www.vincebuseruptum.it/

Ananda Mida, Cathodnatius album teaser

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Friday Full-Length: OJM, Heavy

Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 19th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

OJM, Heavy (2002)

We continue this afternoon with a next installment in the kind of informal series that’s been going on for the last few weeks in these Friday Full-Length posts with another underrated, pre-social media European heavy rocker. Originally released in 2002 through Beard of Stars, the aptly-titled Heavy (also discussed here) is the debut album from Treviso, Italy’s OJM, a band who, at least to someone outside of Europe like me, seem criminally underlooked when it comes to their country’s scene. Today, Italy is booming, with bands like Ufomammut and Black Rainbows and Isaak leading a charge of hundreds of outfits — seriously, if I’ve got email, it’s a one in three shot the band is Italian — but go back to the early aughts and that was much less so the case. OJM formed in 1997, and so were right on the cusp of a wave of post-Kyuss stoner. Granted, by the time Heavy came out, Queens of the Stone Age would have two records under its belt, but in songs like opener “The Sleeper,” the doom-rolling “You Come” and ultra-fuzzed “As I Know,” OJM laid out a stoner rock blueprint that stands toe to toe with what scenes in Germany, Sweden or the Netherlands were producing at the time in both the quality of its songcraft and its affinity for pushing the boundaries of what came before it.

I honestly don’t know how OJM are thought of in Italy. The band celebrated their 18th anniversary last year with a compilation of previously unreleased tracks, and Heavy itself was reissued on vinyl by Go Down Records in 2014, but their last proper full-length was 2010’s Volcano (review here) and I think it’s safe to say that in the last six years the scope of heavy rock’s reach — everywhere — has shifted massively, with a new generation of bands and a new generation of fans discovering the power of riffs and fuzz put to the right use. OJM have played shows steadily these last years, but an album like Heavy, with its noise rocking “Strange Dreams,” its centerpiece Stooges cover “T.V. Eye” and the weirdo experiments of “Mix Up!” — not to mention the spacious desert psychedelia of eight-minute closer “Theorem” — seems to be lost in the shuffle of what’s come since. Maybe it’s hard to get excited about a record that’s 14 years old like one that’s out next month. I accept that. But there’s also a matter of giving respect where it’s due, and the way I see it, OJM are overdue for theirs.

When they released that anniversary comp last year, they said they were taking a “long break.” What that means for their future remains uncertain, but if they’re calling it quits or just not taking the stage for however long, it seems like all the more of an opportunity to appreciate what they’ve done before. Heavy, as one of the best heavy rock records to come from Italy in its era, feels like a great place to start.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

I had Monday off from work, and even without driving to the office that one day, it seems like this week was eternal. The good news is we got two more bands announced for the first-ever The Obelisk All-Dayer and the response was positive. I’m very excited about this thing. It’s been kind of a rough year since I went back to work full-time, and I’ve been trying very hard to find time to listen, write about and otherwise experience music as much as I can, and I feel like something like this takes that effort to a new place. I hope you can make it, and stay tuned, because the rest of the lineup is sick as well.

Next week… Uh… Well, a lot of videos, for one thing. Everybody and their cousin decided this week was when they wanted to put out their video, and call me crazy but I’d rather not post like five per day, so there are videos slated through next Thursday already for BretusQueen CrescentHypnos and Forming the Void. So long as nobody else makes a video, should be fine. Yeah right.

As for premieres, look out Monday for a full stream of the Banquet album, Tuesday for an exclusive track from Blizaro, and next Friday for a track premiere from Dream Death. In between, I’ll be reviewing the new Mars Red Sky album and maybe Church of Misery if I can make it happen before I leave to go to the Borderland Fuzz Fiesta on Friday morning. We’ll see how much I can get done, but you know that whatever I can, I will.

R.I.P. Harper Lee. Literature > death.

I’ve got a good friend in from out of town this weekend, so looking forward to a classic chillout and copious consumption of smoked meat and cheese products. It’ll be a time. Whatever you’re up to, please have a great and safe weekend, and please check out the forum and radio stream.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

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OJM Release 18 Anniversary Compilation

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 28th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ojm

It’s been a little over five years since Treviso, Italy, foursome OJM released their last album, Volcano (review here), so when the PR wire refers to the band’s new 18th anniversary compilation, titled either 18 or 18th Anniversary, depending on where you look — either gets the point across — and notes that it will precede a “long break,” I can’t help but wonder if that means we won’t see a fifth outing from the long-running and perennially underappreciated outfit. After all, it’s been a half-decade. What’s a “long break” on top of that? I guess we’ll find out.

Go Down Records eases that news somewhat with the release of 18, which, yes, has 18 tracks. Those come culled from OJM‘s varied history, some previously unreleased, some singles and rare tracks and so on. You know the deal. Noteworthy off the bat are “I Got Time” and “Jam of Wine” which feature Brant Bjork and “War Abysses,” which boasts an appearance from Italian godfather of weird Paul Chain.

OJM play two anniversary shows this week, presumably before they scuffle off into whatever ether might await them, and those dates and the track info for 18 follow here, as sent along the PR wire:

ojm 18

OJM celebrate 18 years with 2 special gigs, before to take a long break. The band releases “18”, an album with unreleased and classic tracks.

1. Damn 03:08
2. Way Of Pain 07:27
3. You Come 06:23
4. As I Know 03:14
5. Theorem 08:27
6. War Abysses (featuring Paul Chain) 05:00
7. I’ve Got No Time To Waste 05:00
8. To Be A Woman 03:20
9. Desert 06:42
10. I Got Time (featuring Brant Bjork) 02:53
11. Sixties 03:12
12. Stoned Love 04:10
13. Lonelyness 04:51
14. I’ll Be Long (radio version) 04:14
15. Venus 02:38
16. Ocean Hearts 07:13
17. 2012 03:55
18. Jam Of Wine (unreleased with Brant Bjork) 09:25

Tuesday, December 29th 2015 @ Benicio Live Gigs (Giavera del Montello – IT)
?Wednesday, December 30th 2015 @ Sidro Club (Savignano sul Rubicone – IT)

OJM were formed in Treviso, Italy in 1997. Since the very beginning both the Italian music press and rock ’n’ roll scene in general seemed to show a certain interest toward the band due to their personal style displaying rough guitars with a psychedelic touch and hints of Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, MC5 and Grand Funk.

Fifth OJM album, Volcano, released in September 2010 on Go Down Records produced by Dave Catching (Eagles of death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age).

https://www.facebook.com/events/1690187461204397/
https://www.facebook.com/events/111510009215131/
https://www.facebook.com/OJM-6992173391/
http://www.ojm.it/
https://ojmmusic.bandcamp.com/album/18
https://www.facebook.com/GoDownRecords
http://www.godownrecords.com/

OJM, 18 (2015)

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Ivy Garden of the Desert Post New Video for “Please”

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 8th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ivy garden of the desert (Photo by Vic Balica)

Italian three-piece Ivy Garden of the Desert — who’ve gotten way harder to classify as time has gone on than their “we play stoner rock” moniker implies — are getting ready to release their fourth EP later this month. Out Sept. 21, Limen follows a trilogy of shorter releases set up as a running theme but that nonetheless grew increasingly complex from one to the next. The newly-posted video for “Please” from Limen shows the three-piece continuing to progress. I’m not sure if it’s part of the same narrative thread as the trilogy or if they’re onto something else entirely in theme — they call it a “bridge,” so take that as you will — but they’ve clearly worked hard to find a progressive niche for themselves in heavy rock, and more and more they seem to be succeeding.

To wit, “Please” takes a near-industrial rhythmic foundation and sets it against a brooding prog-heavy riff, building and getting louder as it moves forward, but never quite giving up its atmospheric beginning, bolstered through an early stretch of piano and quiet vocals. If it takes a listen or two to fully sink in, that’s pretty clearly the idea, so cheers to Ivy Garden of the Desert for their continuing refusal to be pinned down to one side or the other.

If you’re sensitive to strobe, you might want to watch out for the second part of the video, after it switches from the living room to the blue flashing darkness, but even if you wind up just listening, it’s worth the time to do that. Either way, enjoy:

Ivy Garden of the Desert, “Please” official video

Electric Valley Records is pleased to announce a new release!!!

IVY GARDEN OF THE DESERT – LIMEN

“Limen” is the bridge EP that takes place between the Ivy-Trilogy concept (released by Nasoni Records) and the band’s first full-lenght (2017/2018?).
Release date: September 21th, 2015

Video credits: full production by Paolo Martini & I.G.O.T.D.

Ivy Garden of the Desert on Thee Facebooks

Electric Valley Records

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Ivy Garden of the Desert Make a Monster in New Video for “Life?”

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 5th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

That headline isn’t a question, by they way. Italian heavy rock trio Ivy Garden of the Desert are definitely making a monster in the video, and then they seem to be headbanging with that monster in their underwear? Not really sure how it gets to that point, but it does, and even given that, my favorite part of the entire clip is when it says at the very beginning that it’s based on a true story. It’s true, Frankenstein was a story.

Still, the three-piece from Treviso get down with heavy grooves no less disturbing in the new song “Life?” which comes from their forthcoming Limen EP, their first offering following earlier 2013’s I Ate of the Plant and it was Good, which concluded a series of three extended play releases that also resulted in 2012’s Blood is Love (review here) and the preceding 2011 outing, Docile (review here). Some of the riffing speaks to a kind of dark metal feel like a slightly more psychedelic Cultura Tres, brooding with an underlying aggression that you’re never quite sure when or if it’s going to take off.

And yes, the story of the scientist named “I Doesn’t Care” does end (spoiler alert) with a hilarious headbang session, so kudos to Ivy Garden — guitarist/vocalist Diego Bizzaro, bassist Paolo Martini and drummer Alexander Puntel — for not taking themselves too seriously even when making a video that’s pretty grim up to that point, playing out like a silent horror movie tinted green. They’ve never shied away when it’s been time to get weird, and “Life?” is no exception.

Enjoy:

Ivy Garden of the Desert, “Life?” official video

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