On Jan. 20, Portland, Oregon, heavy cave-thrash doom trio Ash Eater will release their new single ‘The Siren’s Call’ as a precursor to their soon-to-be-announced six-song sophomore long-player. It is the second track to be featured from the self-issued album behind “Any Port in a Storm,” and a quicker encapsulation of their sound at its fiercest as represented on the 33-minute, title-not-yet-revealed-but-it’ll-be-out-in-March record, picking up from the doomier opener “Earth Must Be Fed” before higher-speed riffs contort and twist in restless thrash tradition with the barking vocals of bassist Kenny Coombs (also of LáGoon and their grungy offshoot Oopsy Dazey) meting out verses like a 1983 demo tape that just happened to invent death metal or something, and a blowout vibe that extends even to the Metallica-style snare militarism of Alden Elias as the song careens to its finish.

“The Siren’s Call” is the shortest of the non-intro cuts on the record, and where “Any Port in a Storm” brings some element of NWOBHM to the guitar, if both dirtied and sped up. The remaining three songs are all longer. “Ritual” explores shifts in tempo around the core roughness of the sound and an especially dug-in solo from guitarist Andrew Pugh, and a delve into heavy jamming that builds over “Breathe the Smoke” and the slow-rolling-until-it-isn’t “The Warrior’s Craze,” which hypnotizes with circa five minutes of Sleepy stonerian march before launching its full assault, which feels Californian in its use of double kick but retains its Pacific Northwestern strut in the lead guitar.

The album may not have a name yet, at least publicly, but it does have a lot more going on than it at first seems, so as you take on “The Siren’s Call” premiering on the player below, keep it in mind as a beginning more than an end, because it very much is, both in terms of understanding Ash Eater‘s stylistic intention — there is essential information in these thrashing riffs! — and in terms of where it sits in the record’s rollout. Short songs or long, jammed out or throw-an-elbow thrashed, the follow-up to Ash Eater‘s debut is marked by an immediate individuality in its presentation, and where one’s head in considering ‘heavy thrash’ as a concept goes to earlier High on Fire, that’s a small piece of what’s happening here.

But, as we’re a good way away from the album’s arrival, a small piece doubles as a convenient sample. Have at “The Siren’s Call, and please enjoy:

Ash Eater – The Siren’s Call – Single to be self-released Jan 20, 2024 on Digital

New LP out this March, to be announced

Boardsliding their way out of the murky depths of the Portland heavy scene, Ash Eater arrive on their wheeled steeds with crushed beer in one hand and a flaming guitar promising nothing but sweet riffs in the other.

The trio of skaters, fronted by the bassist for fellow PDX acts LáGoon and Oopsy Dazey, deal in a ferocious mix of doom metal, thrash, and grubby psychedelia that congeals into a riotous sound as fit for a skate session as it is for a smoke-fogged mosh. Featured in Thrasher magazine and infamous for starting some rowdy pit action in the bowl at Tactics’ Northwest Open skating fest, Ash Eater are climbing the rock ‘n roll mountain, and are set to plant their flag with a second LP due out this March.

Heralding their upcoming album, we’re proud to present Ash Eater’s thrashy second single “The Siren’s Call”, following up the on their first single “Any Port In A Storm” and its classic metal riffing.

IN THE BAND’S OWN WORDS:

“The Siren’s Call – A song for all the ladies lurking in the musty depths of the metal scene and for all the sad saps that think they’re getting lucky tonight. When you catch her eye best say goodbye cause the only way out is to die.”

Ash Eater is:
Kenny Coombs – Bass/Vocals
Andrew Pugh – Guitar
Alden Elias – Drums

Ash Eater on Facebook

Ash Eater on Instagram

Ash Eater on Bandcamp

Not so terribly far removed from the Sept. 2023 release of their latest full-length, New Blood (review here), Sierra Vista, Arizona’s Fuzz Evil would seem to have answered the call for some themselves. Founded by brothers Joey Rudell and Wayne Rudell, the band have welcomed Cajun Adam, who is at least their fourth drummer, and multi-instrumentalist/guitarist Preston Jenning, who’ll make their debut with the now-a-four-piece band on the new EP, Smear Merchants. When’s that out? I don’t know, but they covered The Cars‘ “Just What I Needed” — and I’m sorry for getting the song stuck in your head just by mentioning the title, Ric Ocasek‘s magnum opus of catchy is infectious — and that’s a fun nugget to go on for today.

Looking at the below, I’m not actually sure “Just What I Needed” will show up on the EP, either, but I guess we’ll find out sometime in the coming months. Until then, the cover tune and the stream of New Blood are down at the bottom there and you can read more from the PR wire in the blue text.

Enjoy:

Fuzz Evil Expands Sonic Horizon as a Four-Piece Band with New Single and EP Release

Fuzz Evil, the powerhouse three-piece known for their infectious blend of doom and stoner rock, is set to kick off 2024 with a bang. On January 5, the band will drop their latest single, a cover of The Cars’ classic hit “Just What I Needed,” available on all major streaming platforms. This marks a thrilling departure from their signature sound and showcases the band’s versatility.

Following the single release, Fuzz Evil will treat fans to a brand new EP titled “Smear Merchants,” an eagerly anticipated follow-up to their 2023 ,”New Blood ” album. “Smear Merchants” is poised to captivate listeners with its immersive sonic experience, delving deeper into the realms of doom and stoner rock. Serving as a sister record to their self-titled release in 2016, this EP promises to deliver a fresh perspective on Fuzz Evil’s evolving musical journey.

In 2023, Fuzz Evil expanded their sonic horizons by adding two new talented members to their lineup, further enriching their musical tapestry. Preston Jenning, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, joined the band to lend his skills on guitar, baritone, and synth duties. His musical prowess is expected to add new dimensions to Fuzz Evil’s evolving sound. Cajun Adam, the newest addition on drums, brings a rhythmic intensity that complements the band’s dynamic energy.

Fuzz Evil has built a solid reputation in the rock scene, and “Smear Merchants” is poised to be a milestone in their discography. Fans can look forward to a sonic journey that transcends boundaries, blending the familiar with the unexpected.

To stay updated on Fuzz Evil’s latest releases and upcoming shows, follow them on handles here: https://linktr.ee/fuzzevil

https://www.facebook.com/FuzzEvil/
https://www.instagram.com/fuzzevilaz/
https://fuzzevil.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/fuzzevil
https://www.fuzzevil.com/

Fuzz Evil, “Just What I Needed” (Cars cover)

Fuzz Evil, New Blood (2023)

Folk-informed heavy psychedelic blues rockers Holy Fingers are among the best kept secrets in the Baltimorean underground, and their third full-length, the self-released III, is a moment of realization that’s due more fanfare than it is likely to receive. They arrive its Jan. 1, 2024, release date at eight years’ remove from their 2016 self-titled debut, released as the instrumentalist trio of Dave Cannon, Theron Melchior and Josh Weiss prior to guitarist/vocalist Tracey Buchanan joining ahead of 2018’s follow-up, Holy Fingers II (discussed here), and continues a thread of collaboration with producer Kevin Bernsten at Baltimore’s Developing Nations Recording Studio that began on the last record and was most definitely not broken there and as such requires no fixing across the eight-song/circa-40-minute Holy Fingers III, which finds the band pushing further into progressive textures and expanding the reach of their songwriting.

A fuzzy roll arrives just a second after Buchanan starts the first line of opening track “Blood Run Sun,” beginning right after, “You are my…” and before the title itself is delivered. Later pieces like “Astral Anchor” and its complement “Estival” will dig into vibes born of ’60s Britfolk and given semi-retroist heavy life in such malleable fashion as to remind of Graveyard in “Bring Me the Beasts” before the more urgent rhythm of “Hunted” casts that in the Americana-infused neofolk of Wovenhand and leads through the album’s side flip and into the soft shuffle of “Majnac” ahead of “In Warrior’s Stead” and “Hunter’s Moon,” which turn toward heavy post-rock expanse, building on the hints toward Black Math Horseman-style ceremony in “Hunted” and, in the latter, tying that in part to the more folkish side, tying together elements that have been spread throughout but not feeling forced in the doing.

In fact, let’s take that ethic, start it at the start and pull it over the rest of the album like a well-flattened top-sheet (you bedmakers know what I’m talking about): It is unforced. I do not know the circumstances that might’ve led to six years between Holy Fingers‘ second and third full-lengths, but I don’t imagine the band is anyone’s full-time, live-on-this gig, and life happens. Sometimes it happens that a band will turn around after a while and crunch a record together and rush it out to get on tour, etc. That’s not this. The songs on Holy Fingers III feel lived with and lived in. They’re not overthought, but they’ve been smoothly balanced to become what they are, and that worked-on feel extends to the linear fluidity that runs from front to back. Holy Fingers are grooving here as a paramount, and coinciding with that is the focus on melody mostly but not entirely represented in Buchanan‘s vocals.

That is to say, while Buchanan is a strong presence throughout, her voice isn’t the only source of melody. The bouncing slink of “Majnac” is all the more memorable for the way its notes move up and down, a cool born of jazz and turned into classic-style prog, and the lead guitar in “Hunter’s Moon” adds no less drama to the closer’s outward procession than the cave-echo treatment on the vocals. As they draw from different influences throughout and bring ideas together across various songs, the presentation is never quite the same twice and never so outlandish as to be out of place. A shorter cut can be intense as “Hunted” gets or languid like “Blood Red Sun” at the outset, its later jangle like proto-grunge noise played at half-speed with about a quarter of the directionless, would-be-silly-in-context aggression. Longer songs like “Astral Anchor” unfurl a complete build, and “In Warrior’s Stead” — the longest inclusion at 7:28 — accomplishes this while in conversation with the broader sphere of American heavy psychedelia, seeming specifically to work off of some of King Buffalo‘s make-a-world-and-put-a-riff-in-it ideology.

And in all of this, in the places it goes and the stylistic shifts and slight turns it makes along the way, Holy Fingers III is unflinchingly organic. Its pacing isn’t staid or too slow, but it works into a kind of steady nod and even when this is purposefully interrupted, as in the churning push at the end of “Bring Me the Beasts” or in “Majnac” — dig that line of fuzz running through the song; reminds a bit of something Lammping might try, as if my heart were not yet won here, and is indicative of both an intricacy of mix and the attention to detail that makes this all sound so easy in the first place — the momentum built isn’t wasted. If the side split is between “Astral Anchor” and “Estival” — and I think it is but I’m not 100 percent certain — then the first half of Holy Fingers III presses forward through its three shorter tracks into that pond of psychedelic lushness, while “Estival” starts side B with a folkish bent that lends the movement of “Majnac” a complementary Britness ahead of “In Warrior’s Stead” turning back to the far out and “Hunter’s Moon” ending big and expansive like some vision of the American West, complete with Morricone-via-Earth in the resonant and meditative guitars.

There is, just apparently to belabor the point, a lot going on in the material that comprises Holy Fingers III, but the band do not lose sight of their structured intent when faced with the task of moodmaking in their songs, and those songs are that much stronger for it. One could easily argue that it’s the underlying structures that allow Holy Fingers to harness such breadth of sound, but it’s academic as compares to the experience of putting the album on and having Buchanan commandingly lead the way into “Blood Red Sun” as the full band lines up around a classic-but-obscure-enough-to-be-individual groove warm in tone and melody but wanting nothing for heft either and able to pivot in delivery so as to be that much more flexible when it comes to atmosphere overall. There is, of course, also plenty of atmosphere, but like the rest of Holy Fingers III, it is accomplished with rare poise and distinct identity, adding to and taking nothing away from the collection of songs that feels nothing so much as loved in their making.

Holy Fingers, Holy Fingers III (2024)

Holy Fingers on Facebook

Holy Fingers on Instagram

Holy Fingers on Bandcamp

Kudos to Massachusetts-based three-piece Benthic Realm — who play both the doom and the metal kinds of doom metal — on not letting 2023 end without reminding any and all in earshot that their debut album came out this year. Five years and one actual plague after their second EP, 2018’s We Will Not Bow (review here), the band comprised of guitarist/vocalist Krista Van Guilder (formerly of Second Grave, Lucubro, WarHorse, etc.), bassist/keyboardist Maureen Murphy (whose fascinating low end path has seen her work with the likes of Negative Reaction and Dimentianon, as well as Second Grave with Guilder, I’m pretty sure Curse the Son for a bit, and a slew of others) and drummer Dan Blomquist (also Conclave) hoisted anchor and took to dark and undulating seas on an hour-long Vessel (review here). Marked by its grim tones, bleak melodicism and downer nods meeting periodically with a growl, a scream, or a particularly deathly riff, the 10-song collection reveals the band’s extreme underpinnings early in the eight-minute “Traitors Among Us” after the intro “Raise the Banners” set the nautical theme.

And all that takes is one low, guttural growl from Van Guilder and the entire sphere of death metal is fair game at any point on the record. That’s maybe a little dramatic in terms of the framing, and at least on their first record, Benthic Realm aren’t interested in going full-on slip-a-disc-windmill-headbanging death metal gruntery, but listening to Vessel, there’s always the threat they might, however far to the other side they might go with the acoustic interlude “Set Adrift” that sets up the album’s rolling highlight title-track. Melody holds the day in terms of balance, which “Course Correct” makes plain after “Traitors Among Us” with a faster but still ultimately comfortable push and an arrangement of layered harmonies from Van Guilder in its apex, and whether she’s singing ‘clean’ — often at least double-tracked; in closer “As it Burns” with the video below, or “Summon the Tide,” the quiet-till-it-isn’t post-Metallica‘s “One” brooding in the second half of “Veiled Embrace,” and so on — or the band are dug into the one-two pairing of “I Will Wait” and “Summon the Tide,” both of which are just under nine minutes and each of which lays out its own sprawling but thoughtful path through weighted melodic doom metal that’s more Paradise Lost than Saint Vitus, stately and patient, taking on metal’s symmetry over punk’s urgency, her presence as a songwriter, range as a singer and unafraid-to-be-angular style of riffing are defining factors of the material.

You can’t have heavy without groove, and those among the genre-converted know that’s generally going to come from the rhythm section. What Murphy and Blomquist bring to Vessel is more than tonal oomph to support the melodies and a roll on which to gain momentum, but rest assured, both of those are part of it too. Benthic Realm benefit from a single-guitar configuration in that as Van Guilder takes her solo in the penultimate tempo-kicker chug of “What Lies Beneath,” Murphy and Blomquist are able to hold the rhythm underneath, allowing the song to move forward without giving up one of the record’s most infectious movements, instead working like a classic power trio to build a crescendo that, if “What Lies Beneath” closed, I’d probably tell you had no trouble serving as a payoff for the entirety of the release. Just being honest. Benthic Realm push farther with “As it Burns.”

If you want to think of track 10 as Benthic Realm going to 11, fair enough, but they’re never so over-the-top in “As it Burns” as to sacrifice the poised impression they’ve made over the 50-plus minutes prior (and by mentioning runtime again I’m not ragging on Benthic Realm for making a long record; it’s part of the aesthetic), and it’s once again the vocal melody that distinguishes that last peak the band will hit before the closer’s insistent chug — it sounds like producer Apollo XVII said, “Play it like you’re annoyed waiting for the sound to come out of the speaker,” though that’s not an actual quote — seems to finally decide you’ve had enough and put a couple last holes in the wall on its way out. And there you are, a record that just spent so much time in the water ending with fire and just kind of pulling it off because they do and the songs work and when you have that you’ve got everything.

I’ve gone on for too long. Their debut album was a while in the making, and I’m glad it came out this year. Here’s that video.

Please enjoy:

Benthic Realm, “As it Burns” official video

As It Burns from Benthic Realm’s album “Vessel”

Album available at:
https://benthicrealm.bandcamp.com

Directed by George Capalbo
@georgecapalbo9501
https://georgecapalbo.com/

Formed in July of 2016 in Worcester, MA, USA, Benthic Realm conjures melodies and crushing rhythms from the dark abyss. The trio consists of former Second Grave members Krista Van Guilder (WarHorse, Lucubro) on vocals/guitar and Maureen Murphy on bass, and Dan Blomquist (Conclave) on drums.

Benthic Realm, Vessel (2023)

Benthic Realm on Facebook

Benthic Realm on Instagram

Benthic Realm on Bandcamp

Benthic Realm on Spotify

Benthic Realm website

You don’t have to work too hard to make sense of the grunge in Simple Forms‘ new single. Called “Into Midnight,” it’s a four-minute cruncher that puts its double-guitar configuration to progressive use in atmospheric flourish that calls to mind some of what’s happening in European prog-heavy right now, bands like Iron Jinn or even Messa and a slew of others delving into sounds that might be disparate or dissonant in order to bring something specific to a given piece. The Portland, Oregon, five-piece were last heard from in June with the standalone “And Only Days” (posted here) and before that, it was January when they unveiled “Unprecedented Uncertainty” (posted here). You’d almost think these things were run on a schedule.

Naturally, I have no idea either way, but when Simple Forms started rolling out material publicly, it was this way as well. After four songs and much “members of” hoopla given the band’s associations with YOB, Norska, Hot Victory and Dark Castle, , they compiled them into their early 2023 self-titled debut EP (review here), which was a burner. If they’re going the same route — and again, I don’t know this — they’re at three singles, so maybe one more and then another four-tracker. And hey, if you wanna make math of it, you put two four-trackers together and that’s an eight-song LP. Kind of a nice way to make it easy on yourself, at least potentially, and taking their time has allowed Simple Forms (going by appearances on the listening end) to explore different styles around their basic underpinning in generalities like “heavy,” “doom” and so on. Jason Oswald sounding as established as he does here fronting the band is also its own narrative thread.

If you’re feeling, I don’t know, nuts?, I guess you can link back to all the other posts about the other songs — I’m fairly sure they’re all accounted for. If you’re not one for rabbitholes, the stream of “Into Midnight” is below and the rest is on their Bandcamp, which is where the minimal blue text below was sourced:

Music recorded at Red Rockets Glare in Portland, OR
Engineered and Mixed by Dominic Armstrong
Mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph

Simple Forms:
Jason Oswald – Vocals, Synth
Ben Stoller – Drums
Aaron Rieseberg – Bass
Dustin Rieseberg – Guitar
Rob Shaffer – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/Simple-Forms-2159388204175112
https://www.instagram.com/simpleformsnw/
https://simpleformsnw.bandcamp.com/

Simple Forms, “Into Midnight” (2023)

The first Hudu Akil song in half a decade presents itself in three main movements across its readily-consumable six-plus minutes. The first is a hard-landing succession of hits that opens to the main riff, the drums pulled out with some genre-style ghost-shuffle on the snare — drummer Angel Calderon distinguishes himself throughout — before the layered drawling vocals from founding guitarist Zac Crye start the verse. All is rolling as the trio move through the chorus — the lyrics a warning, “It’s coming for us/Hell and high water/It’s coming for us” — and they cycle through again smoothly to end the first movement.

The second part launches immediately, right at 3:14. A stop shifts into quieter layers of guitar and bass noodling before a forward surge brings an extended instrumental course continuing through the next couple minutes. The first time I heard it I thought the song was over and something else had started to play, but as languid and stoned as Hudu Akil are in “El Mirage”‘s first half, the reality they unveil subsequent to that is sharp and precise while still consistent in sound with the first part.

The last movement is another quiet stretch of guitar, this one developing further with some jangly percussion alongside before it flips over and plays backwards in the fade, the lesson learned being that if you think you know what Hudu Akil‘s next album might sound like and you’re not actually in the band, you’re talking out of your ass. I don’t know where “El Mirage” will end up on that record to be, but it’s an enticing first look at something to keep an eye out for in the New Year.

Crye sent the following down the PR wire:

Phoenix Stoner Metal Band Hudu Akil | New Single “El Mirage”

“El Mirage,” is the first release from the band since we dropped our full-length ‘Eye for an Eye’ with Glory or Death Records in 2018. The track precedes an entire new album of music which is currently in the mixing process.

We released the track exclusively to our bandcamp December 1st, and it goes live on all streaming services on the 11th.

“We just wanted to make an offering to everyone before the years’ end. Making music can be a bit of a process at times so we couldn’t wait to finally release something after wokring on these songs for the last two years. The track hits all streaming platforms on 12.11, and we will be dropping a cool video shortly after. Once we finally have the album in the can, we plan to make a lot more noise in the following months!” -Zac Crye, singer/guitarist

We’re not saying much about the album now, just want to share El Mirage with you guys.

El Mirage available here: https://huduakil.bandcamp.com/track/el-mirage

Written by Zac Crye
Recorded at Switchblade Sound in Tempe, AZ
Engineered by Joseph Asselin
Mix and Mastered by Tony Reed at Heavyhead Recordings

Hudu Akil is:
Zac Crye – Guitars, Vocals
Daniel Rangel – Bass
Angel Calderon – Drums

https://huduakil.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/huduakil
https://www.facebook.com/huduakil
https://www.huduakil.com

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https://gloryordeathrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://gloryordeathrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.gloryordeathrecords.com/shop/

Hudu Akil, “El Mirage” (2023)

I don’t know if they’re doing a record or something, but the new Supermoon song is a jam, and watch out for the righteous return late. “Inner Sun” starts out kind of sneaking its way toward the verse before you even really understand the movement that’s taking place, and it keeps that steady, languid procession as it comes to full tonality at around a minute in before receding back to the next verse. The tempo kick comes after the second sans-vocal chorus, a memorable declining figure of guitar matching step with the ride cymbal in heavy psychedelic blossom.

They hold that groove tight, through the tempo shift and everything, and as alluded, there’s time for a slowdown in the second half. The song is intentionally atmospheric, moody without melodrama, so it’s fitting that the video should focus on ambience as well. You’ll find the clip on the player below — don’t have to look too far — and I promise that if I at any point hear about Supermoon getting a full-length together to follow their 2021 self-titled, I’ll keep you in the loop to the best of my admittedly limited capacity.

For now, this. Video info follows, courtesy of the band.

Please enjoy:

Supermoon, “Inner Sun” official video

Supermoon return with a new track and video. Inspired by indigenous medicinal songs, “Inner Sun” is wandering in the forest, across the sea and through the dark, in search of light.

Supermoon are a psychedelic/stoner rock band from Athens, Greece, formed in 2019 by Vasilis Tsigkris. Starting as a solo project, in late 2020 they released their debut album (Made Of Stone Recordings, Southcave Records). They are now a power trio, performing live throughout Greece, opening for Naxatras, playing in the first Mammoth Fest, IMF Festival and more.

Combining heavy psychedelic atmosphere with spiritual lyrics and folkloric musical elements, Supermoon manage to succeed effortless crossovers in music genres, creating a brand new yet intimate musical universe, which stands on the brink of darkness, bathed in light.

Music by Supermoon, Lyrics by Vasilis Tsigkris
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Greg Konstantaras at Ritual Studios
Video by kaziman

Supermoon:
Vasilis Tsigkris, Giannis Tassopoulos, Jim Tsarnos

Supermoon on Facebook

Supermoon on Instagram

Supermoon on Bandcamp

Supermoon Linktr.ee

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tyler Vaillant of Mountainwolf

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’ve created and maintained a very confined space in which I can create and express exactly what I want to do. A decade plus of diligently procrastinating but always moving the stone forward, assembling a team of the greatest and most patient people I know. We play with electricity. Finding new notes and sounds. Creating a song in the moment that can never be played note for note ever again. Screaming “WE’LL BE A BAND FOREVER” at the end of every show. I think I fell into it. I’ve had a band ever since middle school and I don’t know what I’d do without one, I’ve never pictured that scenario.

Describe your first musical memory.

Playing an open E on my mother’s classical guitar. I had just heard Nirvana on the radio. That’s the first time I made my own music (noise). Prior to that I had a cassette tape with a bunch of cowboy songs on it. My neighbor Mikey and I would wear our underwear and cowboy hats and re-create the songs for our mothers. I purchased Will Smith Big Willy Style and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid at a Sam Goody. I would ride a train to South Carolina to visit my grandparents and listen to those albums on compact disks. I was so confused how the solo to War Pigs had two guitars when there was only one guitar player. I heard Kashmir on the radio driving with my Dad to his business in a white pickup truck. It was heavy. My mother signed all of my cousins up for guitar lessons and I wanted nothing to do with it. I was 9. I regretted it 4 years later and signed up for my own. Been hooked ever since. I saw my cousins highs cool band when I was very young, blew me away. He taught me how to play Deliverance on the guitar, just the first couple notes, the “famous lick”. All these kind of mesh into one.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Seeing TOOL was pretty cool. Getting puddled at an Umphreys McGee show was not cool but very psychedelic at the same time. Playing our first sold out show was awesome. Having my grandmother see Mountainwolf live and saying, “That was very sexual darling” was wild. My Mom meeting Lorenza at one of our shows was wild. Playing our first shows in my living room in downtown Annapolis and seeing people crowd surf over my couches was insane. Playing The Whiskey on mushrooms and smashing a guitar was way too psychedelic. Bass amps and PA’s catching on fire was nuts. Losing my shoes and then sifting through a sea of them at an Odd Future show ruled. Almost losing my teeth at Trapped Under Ice sucked. Playing a residency once a week for a month in Baltimore was tite. Recording an entire improvised album and learning how to mix it was stressful but extremely rewarding. Looking over at Tom and Chris when we are dialed in is the best. Playing New Years Eve 2023 surrounded by my favorite people on the planet was electric.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

We’ve always done everything ourselves. For a couple year period we transferred that power to other people. While we got a lot accomplished (and for that I’m ever grateful) a lot of bullshit came along and truly tested the three of ours relationship. Our bond was almost fucked. We’ve kept it contained ever since.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Towards something bigger than ourselves. Something that is constantly being worked on but never truly finished. Hopefully being improved upon and if not, thats’s ok, there’s always the next time. Eventually a sense of Zen where you look back and around and say, I’m proud of this, I hope it lasts as long as I do.

How do you define success?

When I look back and around and say, I’m proud of this, I hope it lasts as long as I do. This is a current feeling.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Pain Olympics. Gore.com. Goatse. Lemon Party. A video of a girl throwing puppies into a river. The early days of the internet were fucked up for a young boi. I hate seeing videos of bad things happen to animals. Beheading videos. Texts on people’s phones I shouldn’t have looked at. Waking up to a person that wasn’t the person I loved at the time. How much money was taken from this band. How much money I’ve spent on this band. An open casket funeral when I was 10. My grandfather shortly after he passed away. Lorenza’s (my fiance) father withering away. Shitty emails from a toxic boss. Dismantling my father’s business in my 20s. Waking up one morning to see our first YouTube channel deleted. Realizing I lost the first five years of content I created for Mountainwolf. The look of disappointment because of something I’ve done. Angry, dead eyes. Sinister, conniving eyes. But mainly that video of the girl with the puppies, absolutely dreadful. I think I lost my innocence that day.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

All our future albums that live in my head. Graphic novels. I wrote a book that I’d like to see published. A youtube fishing channel (work in progress). A warehouse my best friends can come to and create everyday. A vinyl pressing plant. A cheap, shitty light beer that I can drink everyday. Children.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To get the anger out. To get the love out. To get the pain out. To create a cathartic experience that can be enjoyed over, and over, and over et al.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Getting married. The next fish I catch. Sleeping with my puppy. Beer that doesn’t make you hungover. Gambling on bowling with my bois. Getting together with family. The first snowfall in Maryland (if any). Buying my first home (if ever). Getting back into Texas Holdem. Seeing my puppy (Rudy) play with other dogs. Peace, love, and understanding.

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Mountainwolf, Part 1: Thunder Honey (2023)