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Gateway to Hell Premiere “Tin Roof” from Clovers EP

Posted in audiObelisk on July 6th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

gateway to hell

Baltimore doom rockers Gateway to Hell make a raucous entry on July 21 with their five-track Clovers EP. The band, currently comprised of vocalist Jerrod Sydnor, guitarist Alex Briscoe, bassist Eric Smythe and drummer Dan Petruccelli, have aligned with Unholy Anarchy Records for the release, which marks their most substantial outing to-date behind their 2014 demo and the subsequent digital-single “Scorched Earth,” which also appears on Clovers as the finale of the ultra-manageable 22-minute run. From the start of the opening title-track (posted here), Gateway to Hell demonstrate a keen sonic blend somewhere between trad metal, doom, burly Southern heavy and — because why not? — sludge, but the material comes tied together through a steady purpose of songcraft and structure, and goes out of its way to create an album-style flow as “Clovers” moves through “Tin Roof,” centerpiece “The Drizzard,” the acoustic interlude “Rain for Days” and the aforementioned capstone.

The interlude is of particular note, and not just because it is well-placed ahead of “Scorched Earth.” By includinggateway to hell clovers even just a sub-two-minute number of layered acoustic plucking, Gateway to Hell — grim in moniker but ultimately more varied in execution and less outwardly abrasive than one might think based on that — signal an intent toward future progression of sound, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them either adding vocals to something similar (Sydnor could carry an acoustic-backed melody, easily) or working in acoustic layers to a harder-hitting song their next time out. Point is they’re setting themselves up for growth, which is never a bad thing, and they do so amid the thrust of “Tin Roof” and the crisp groove of “The Drizzard”; already showcasing a grip on where they want to be in terms of delivery. I thought on my initial listen to “Clovers” that the balance of the mix was off in putting the vocals too far forward, but to listen again, I’m ready to revise my position. May have just been whatever speakers I had it on the first time through. Certainly by the time “Tin Roof” and “The Drizzard” give way to “Rain for Days” and “Scorched Earth,” if there was an issue at all, it’s no longer a factor.

As you make your way through the track premiere below, pay specific attention to the atmosphere the song conjures — dark and heavy, but still given to motion and created not through self-indulgent flourish but through solid and traditional songwriting and a well-conveyed sense of direction. That holds true for the entirety of Clovers and is among the factors that most bodes well for Gateway to Hell as they move ahead toward their inevitable first full-length.

Unholy Anarchy has preorders up now for Clovers ahead of the July 21 release. That info, more background and some word directly from the band follow the premiere itself, which you’ll find immediately following.

Please enjoy:

Gateway to Hell on “Tin Roof”:

“Tin Roof” is our take on the dread conjured every time you turn on the TV news or pick up a newspaper. There’s an overwhelming sense that society as we know it is on a downward curve and that the ones up top are just completely oblivious as the world crumbles around them.

The title is a shout-out to “Love Shack” by the B-52s. We felt the pause in the song would be the perfect opportunity for Cindy Wilson to belt out the “tin roof, rusted!” from “Love Shack,” so “Tin Roof” was what we named the early demo tracks and it just stuck. We felt it fit thematically — years of neglecting the simple upkeep leading to a full collapse of the house.

This song is about as political as we’ll ever get but we tried to be careful not to be too specific, as there’s nothing more boring than when a singer sounds like they are reading from a newspaper. As always, the riff comes first…

Clovers will come available digitally and on limited edition vinyl July 21 in three color variations (orange/pink merge, clear with blue splatter, and standard black) via Unholy Anarchy Records. Preorders are currently available RIGHT HERE.

Gateway to Hell is:
Jerrod Sydnor – vocals
Alex Briscoe – guitar
Eric Smythe – bass
Dan Petruccelli – drums

Gateway to Hell on Thee Facebooks

Gateway to Hell on Bandcamp

Unholy Anarchy Records on Thee Facebooks

Unholy Anarcy Records website

Unholy Anarchy Records webstore

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Gateway to Hell Set July 21 Release for Clovers EP

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 29th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

gateway to hell

Baltimore’s severely-named Gateway to Hell will issue their debut five-track EP, Clovers, via Unholy Anarchy Records on July 21. The band have posted the grim-looking cover art by Ru Gomez and the tracklisting, as well as the opening title-track, which you can stream at the bottom of this post, and which leaves little to wonder about where the PR wire’s noted Danzig influence stems from.

“Clover” isn’t quite Maryland-style doom, and by that I mean it doesn’t necessarily sound like The Obsessed, and while I can’t speak for the rest of the EP, the roll in the title-cut seems to work well for the band. Dig in and see what you think. You’ve got a couple minutes to spare.

Art, info and audio from the PR wire:

gateway-to-hell-clovers

GATEWAY TO HELL: Baltimore Doom Metal Unit To Release Debut EP Via Unholy Anarchy Records; New Track Streaming

Baltimore doom metal unit GATEWAY TO HELL – fittingly self-described as a, “groovy, ghoulish mix of doom metal and the laughter of ugly children, with a touch of inebriation and shame – will release their debut EP next month via Unholy Anarchy Records.

Slated to drop on July 21st, the five bottom-heavy ragers comprising Clovers were captured at Developing Nations with Kevin Bernsten on their home turf and douses its listeners with heavy riffs, an exceptional vocal attack, and sheer, unrepentant catchiness. The Maryland four-piece conjure loud music about things that matter. Whether it’s a slow burning, existential lament or a fast-paced scorcher about regrettable, late-night, drunken food orgies, GATEWAY TO HELL draws influences from all over the musical spectrum including Deep Purple, Danzig, and of course, Black Sabbath.

Clovers will come available digitally and on limited edition vinyl in three color variations (orange/pink merge, clear with blue splatter, and standard black). Preorders are currently available RIGHT HERE.

Clovers Track Listing:
1. Clovers
2. Tin Roof
3. The Drizzard
4. Rain For Days
5. Scorched Earth

GATEWAY TO HELL was forged in 2013 when drummer Dan Petruccelli and bassist Rudy Gomez started jamming in the basement of an otherwise reputable Baltimore cake shop. Taking cues from John Carpenter soundtracks, Type O Negative, and Ministry, they realized they were onto something fun and brought in Jerrod Bronson on vocals and Jo K. on guitar to complete the initial lineup. The band released a self-recorded demo in October of 2014 and shows with the likes of The Skull and Crypt Sermon ensued.

By 2015, Gomez moved to Austin, Texas but remains an integral part of the band as the painter responsible for much of the band’s artwork. Eric Smythe was brought in on bass and later Alex Briscoe joined as a second guitarist. Together, they played shows regionally opening for Valient Thorr, The Bronx, Mac Sabbath, and Mondo Generator. In the spring of 2016, they recorded the soon-to-be-unleashed Clovers EP featuring five songs of atmospheric and crushing metal that fuses their many metal and punk influences. Later that year, Jo K. fled the band to pursue new projects. The band remains a four-piece. GATEWAY TO HELL’s catalog includes a self-titled demo, one single titled “Scorched Earth,” and their upcoming 2017 debut EP Clovers. The band is currently writing new material for their next album.

Gateway to Hell is:
Jerrod Sydnor – vocals
Alex Briscoe – guitar
Joe Koffler – guitar
Eric Smythe – bass
Dan Petruccelli – drums

http://www.facebook.com/Gatewaytohellbmore http://www.gatewaytohell.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/Unholy-Anarchy-Records-Distro
http://www.unholyanarchy.com
http://www.unholyanarchy.aisamerch.com

Gateway to Hell, “Clovers”

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Musket Hawk Releasing Desolate May 6

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

musket hawk

Unholy Anarchy Records will issue Desolate, the second album from Baltimorean groovegrinders Musket Hawk, on May 6. I’ll admit, this one’s a little out of my usual purview, but the PR wire isn’t kidding around when it puts the words sludge and grind next to each other in describing the band. They’ve got a tonal thickness and overarching sense of groove derived from the former and the intensity and blast of the latter, so what the hell, yeah, I’ll post about that. Who said it was all stoner rock around here anyway? Gotta mix it up every now and again.

If you’re not awake yet, you will be:

musket hawk desolate

MUSKET HAWK: Baltimore’s Sludge/Grind Assassins To Release Sophomore Full-Length Desolate Via Unholy Anarchy; New Track Playing

Baltimore, Maryland-based sludge/grind assassins MUSKET HAWK will spew forth their sophomore full-length, Desolate, later this Spring via Unholy Anarchy Records.

A vile, near half-hour-long exploration into the underbelly of sonic filth, MUSKET HAWK’s self-produced, fittingly-titled Desolate was mastered by Dan Randall (Ghoul, Annihilation Time, Impaled etc.) and delivers eight decaying tracks of chaos, disorder and monolithic gloom.

Check out the caustic sounds of “Space-Ray Houska” HERE.

Desolate Track Listing:
1. Pollute Your Throat
2. Reluctant Punk
3. Jeweler
4. The Grove
5. Connois Sewer
6. Space-Ray Houska
7. Tweed After Dark
8. Candidate For The Knife

MUSKET HAWK formed from the ashes of A Warm Gun in 2011. After self-producing a series of demos, the band’s debut full-length The Form Of Disgust, which Disposable Underground hailed for being, “heavy, but not in a jovial way,” further elaborating, “You might find yourself bobbing your head or pounding your fist to the band’s jams, but with a furrowed brow instead of a smile,” was released via SMS Records in November 2013. Since then, MUSKET HAWK has released a live demo and a 7″ split with Philadelphia’s Sunburster (2015, Unholy Anarchy Records).

The band continues to refine and explore the depths of extreme music, and in conspiracy with Baltimore’s Unholy Anarchy Records and Australia’s Goodtimes Records, offer up their long awaited sophomore effort, Desolate set for release on May 6th, 2016.

MUSKET HAWK will be on tour supporting the Desolate release alongside longtime friends and Aussie grind miscreants Disparo! in late May and June. Stay tuned for dates and venue information. Future rituals include a split release with Disparo!, which will be recorded at The Jam Room in South Carolina while on tour this Summer, as well as a split release with New York City’s Sangharsha, which will be recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago.

MUSKET HAWK is:
Gary – screams and bass
Martin – growls and guitar
Jason – drums

http://www.muskethawk.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/MusketHawkBaltimore
http://www.facebook.com/Unholy-Anarchy-Records-Distro

Musket Hawk, Live Demo (2013)

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The Obelisk Radio Add of the Week: Sinister Haze, Demo

Posted in Radio on October 17th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

They may or may not have pared down to a trio since, but it appears that for the bulk of their short tenure, Richmond, Virginia’s Sinister Haze were fronted by Brandon Malone, also of Fire Faithful. He’s not listed as being in the band now — the current lineup given is guitarist/vocalist Brandon Marcey (Cough), bassist Sam Marsh (Dry Spell) and drummer Joe Dillon (Balaclava) — but Malone‘s low, Southern metal soul delivery definitely has left a mark on Sinister Haze‘s aptly-titled 2013 Demo, whether it’s the bluesy Church of Misery-style swagger of “Changin’ Ways” or the loose Electric Wizard affiliation shown through the nine-minute “Black Shapeless Demon.” Marcey‘s own vocals are mostly screams that come forward more on the shorter “Betrayed by Time,” which closes out the three-song affair, but there are times especially on the first two tracks when it’s pretty clear there are two voices working in tandem, and presumably that’s a result of Malone and Marcey both contributing, not just different layers on the Griffin IV-recorded CD and tape, which is set for release through Unholy Anarchy Records in time for the band’s headlining gig at the first night of this year’s Autumn Screams Doom at The Ottobar in Baltimore, Oct. 25.

If it seems strange that a band just putting out their first demo of whom there seems to be no record going back any further than the start of 2013 would be playing last for the night at a fest that also features Negative Reaction, Weed is Weed, Iron Man, Wizard Eye and Serpent Throne — all of whom have been around considerably longer and are not without pedigree of their own in varying degrees — one might chalk it up to the immediately recognizable and acknowledged Saint Vitus influence in Marcey‘s guitar, delivered in kind with Dillon‘s bombastic crash. Or hell, maybe they know someone. Point is it’s a fucking quality demo, full of Southern grit without the post-Down dudely posturing, and raw and fucked-up sounding without making a lo-fi caricature of garage doom. “Black Shapeless Demon” is probably my pick of the three cuts here, but “Betrayed by Time” has a creeper catchiness to it that begs for repeat listens and even “Changin’ Ways” makes a hook out of its chorus, as oddly dismantled as it might seem. If nothing else, they make it apparent that their interest in fucking around is slim to none.

And with the prospect of what could be a different configuration that’ll either position Marcey as the frontman or bring someone else into the band to replace Malone, there’s even more intrigue for Sinister Haze as they move past their Demo, but most importantly for their first time out, these songs are heavy as hell and show Sinister Haze as being more than able to take the reins on a drunken sludge lurch. Always a welcome find, and bonus if it leads to further distorted misanthropy down the road.

You can hear Sinister Haze‘s Demo now streaming as part of the 24/seven The Obelisk Radio playlist, or check it out on the Bandcamp player below:

Sinister Haze, Demo (2013)

Sinister Haze on Thee Facebooks

Sinister Haze on Bandcamp

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