After crisscrossing rumors and speculation, the April 29 passing of founding Karma to Burn guitarist Will Mecum has been confirmed. Mecum suffered a fall and resultant head injury. His death — even before it actually happened — has caused and outcry of tributes and love that only emphasize the community to which he and his work were so important.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and Karma to Burn were the straightest line to heavy rock and roll one could imagine. Between 1994 and 2014, the Morgantown, West Virginia-based outfit would release some seven full-lengths, including a re-recording of their first. Their influence, like their final lineup, was international, but the band always maintained a forwardness of their approach — instrumental, with Mecum on stage, his hat pulled down over his eyes, hitting it hard — nothin’ too fancy, in a great Appalachian folk tradition embodied no less by the working class riffs that, titled largely by number, populated their records.
The band had this to say about Mecum’s passing:
Dear friends, we come with very heavy hearts to tell you that Will Mecum is no longer with us. Earlier this week, Will suffered a traumatic head injury from an accidental fall. On the evening of April 29th, Will passed on to the next realm. His spirit will live on through his music, and as an organ donor his spirit will live through others who may need help. Words cannot describe how much we appreciated the amount of love and support all of you showed the band throughout the years, it was truly an honor to share the experience of celebrating Will’s riffs all over the world. Rest in Power, Will.
Karma to Burn made their debut in 1997 with their self-titled album, and the transition the band underwent between that record and 1999’s landmark Wild Wonderful Purgatory might be the most enduring key to their legacy and influence. Fronted by Jay Jarosz at the behest of Roadrunner Records, Mecum, then-bassist Rich Mullins and then-drummer Rob Oswald jettisoned their singer and decided on no permanent replacement. Over the years they would flirt with various vocalists, including John Garcia (ex-Kyuss, etc.), Daniel Davies of Year Long Disaster, and others, but when they took the stage and for the vast bulk of their recorded work, they were instrumental. Pointedly so.
And in that, they did no less than set forth a blueprint of how to do heavy rock without a singer that others continue to build on more than 20 years later. Karma to Burn became the model for others to follow, and many have. The band ceased activity for a few years after their third album, 2001’s Almost Heathen, but returned in 2009 following the success of their Mountain Mamas box set and rededicated themselves to the cause of writing music and touring, resulting in 2010’s declarative Appalachian Incantation, 2011’s V and 2012’s Slight Reprise, the latter a prior-alluded fully instrumental redux of their self-titled debut.
That string of records set them on tour for years, largely in Europe. They would also issue a string of splits with friends and tour mates, including Sons of Alpha Centauri (three splits, in fact, recently compiled into a box set) and ÖfÖ Am, as well as live records, a self-titled EP on Heavy Psych Sounds, work with the side-project Treasure Cat and what would be Karma to Burn’s final full-length, 2014’s Arch Stanton. Their most recent release, Thee Rabbit Hole, brought the band full circle in remixing and remastering their earliest demos circa 1995.
H42 Records’ Juergen Berndt, who released the outing, said of Mecum, “Got to know Will since 2014 and got in contact with him while working on the first split 7” together with Nick [Hannon] from Sons Of Alpha Centauri. Three more and a compilation box followed in the last seven years. In the last few months I phoned a lot with Will ’cause working on the album Thee Rabbit Hole (released April 2nd). Of course sometimes it was difficult to work with him when it came to production/art questions but at the end he never put himself in the foreground and at least you just couldn’t be angry with him. I will remember that he had a very special sense of humor, sometimes mostly naturally under the belt line.”
The final incarnation of Karma to Burn continued to tour, featuring Mecum alongside drummer Evan Devine and bassist Eric Clutter, and their status and influence met the waiting eyes and ears of a new generation of fans at club dates and festivals alike. Through it all, the band remained singularly humble — treasured by an international underground fanbase but largely unknown outside those circles — and set themselves to the work that needed to be done.
Mecum is a standalone figure in underground heavy and his contributions will continue to ripple out across generations of artists and listeners. On behalf of myself and this site, I offer condolences to his friends, family, bandmates, and all who knew him. He will be and already is missed.
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 26th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I know it’s not what you’re supposed to say, but I like that first Karma to Burn record (discussed here) with the singer Roadrunner made them get. I also like them instrumental, so take that for what you will. And I know these are demos, but they sound pretty rad too. You’ll recognize the riffing of “Ten” even in the has-vocals form it arrives in the crunchy “Soylent Green Eyes.” This is early KTB stuff, but the ’95 demo songs that open are clean and clear and full, and even the Jim Davison stuff is cool to hear. It’s different. It’s different than you think of hearing Karma to Burn, but for fans who might not’ve been in the room circa 1994, it makes an interesting listen.
Karma to Burn have grappled one way or the other with having/not having a singer for over 25 years. Somehow, founding guitarist Will Mecum has always struck me as a fighter.
To the PR wire:
KARMA TO BURN – THEE RABBIT HOLE (H42 RECORDS)
For most people the earliest enduring image engrained in their minds from instrumental luminaries Karma to Burn is that of a porcelain statue of a girl on a motorcycle. That was the iconic cover of the debut album released on Roadrunner Records in 1997.
The self-titled record featured singer Jason Jarosz was hired under pressure from the record but shortly thereafter, the band separated from singer to go fully instrumental.
However, before Roadrunner Records – Jason Jarosz was not the first singer for Karma to Burn. The band were pursuing vocals and ideas recorded songs with singer Jim Davison. The three tracks that were recorded in Kentucky and had long been a mystery whether or not they even existed. After 27 years in the vault of guitarist Will Mecum and original drummer Nathan Limbaugh they are finally published in full on the new album Thee Rabbit Hole.
Before then in 1993 Karma to Burn recorded their first demo recordings in West Virginia with the original and classic line-up William Mecum, Nathan Limbaugh and Rich Mullins. The 4 tracks of the demo, which were released as demo tape in 1995, can now also be heard for the first time on vinyl on full on the new album Thee Rabbit Hole.
The entire demo recordings from the early days of Karma to Burn have been remastered from the original masters and will be released on H42 Records on APRIL 2nd 2021 / Presale start FEB 25th 2021. The original graphic designs have been updated and upgraded by long term collaborator Alexander von Wieding.
This release has been remastered by John McBain (Desert Sessions, Monster Magnet) and is presented as a deluxe inside out printed gatefold sleeve with two sided Poster, 1994 Promotion Photo and tarot card with three different color formats – white, clear and traditional black on 12” vinyl!
Posted in Reviews on October 9th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Today is what would be the last day of the Fall 2020 Quarterly Review, except, you know, it’s not. Monday is. I know it’s been a messed up time for everybody and everything, but there’s a lot of music coming out, so if you’re craving some sense of normalcy — and hey, fair enough — it’s right there. Today’s an all-over-the-place day but there’s some killer stuff in here right from the start, so jump in and good luck.
And don’t forget — back on Monday with the last 10 records. Thanks for reading.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Mrs. Piss, Self-Surgery
If “Nobody Wants to Party with Us” as the alternately ambient/industrial-punk fuckall of that song posits, most likely that’s because they’re way too intimidated to even drop a text to invite Mrs. Piss over. The duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist Chelsea Wolfe and guitarist/bassist/drummer/programmer Jess Gowrie issue Self-Surgery as an act of sheer confrontation. The screams of “You Took Everything.” The chugging self-loathing largesse of “Knelt.” The fuzzed mania of ‘M.B.O.T.W.O.,” which, yes, stands for “Mega Babes of the Wild Order.” The unmitigated punk of “Downer Surrounded by Uppers” and the twisted careen-and-crash of the title-track. The declaration of purpose in the lines, “In the shit/I’m sacrosanct/I’m Mrs. Piss” in the eponymous closer. Rage against self, rage against other, rage and righteousness. Among the great many injustices this year has wrought, that Wolfe and Gowrie aren’t touring this material, playing 20-something-minute sets and destroying every stage they hit has to be right up there. It’s like rock and roll to disintegrate every tired dude cliché the genre has. Yes. Fuck. Do it.
As progressive/technical death metal enjoys a stylistic renaissance, New Zealand’s Ulcerate put out their sixth full-length, Stare into Death and Be Still and seem right in line with the moment despite having been around for nearly 20 years. So be it. What distinguishes Stare into Death and Be Still amid the speed-demon wizardry of a swath of other death metallers is the sense of atmosphere across the release and the fact that, while every note, every guitar squibbly, every sharpened turn the 58-minute album’s eight tracks make is important and serves a purpose, the band don’t simply rely on dry delivery to make an impression. To hear the cavernous echoes of the title-track or “Inversion” later on, Ulcerate seem willing to let some of the clarity go in favor of establishing a mood beyond extremity. In the penultimate “Drawn into the Next Void,” their doing so results in a triumphant build and consuming fade in a way that much of their genre simply couldn’t accomplish. There’s still plenty of blast to be found, but also a depth that would seem to evoke the central intention of the album. Don’t stare too long.
Nine songs running an utterly digestible 38 minutes of fuzz-riffed groove with samples, smooth tempos and an unabashed love for ’90s-style stoner rock, Shroom Eater‘s debut album, Ad.Inventum feels ripe for pickup by this or that heavy rock label for a physical release. LP, CD and tape. I know it’s tough economic times, but none of this vinyl-only stuff. The Indonesian five-piece not only have their riffs and tones and methods so well in place — that is, they’re schooled in the style they’re creating; the genre-converted preaching to the genre-converted, and nothing wrong with that — but there are flashes of burgeoning cultural point of view in the lead guitar of “God Isn’t One Eyed” or the lyrics of “Arogant” (sic) and the right-on riffed “Traffic Hunter” that fit well right alongside the skateboarding ode “Ride” or flourish of psychedelia in the rolling “Perspective” earlier on. Closing with “Dragon and Tiger” and “Friend in the High Places,” Ad.Inventum feels like the work of a band actively engaged in finding their sound and developing their take on fuzz, and the potential they show alongside their already memorable songwriting is significant.
I’m not usually one to think bands should be aggrandizing their initial releases. It can be a disservice to call a demo a “debut EP” or album if it’s not, since you only get one shot at having an actual first record and sometimes a demo doesn’t represent a band’s sound as much as the actual, subsequent album does, leading to later regret. In the case of Cork, Ireland’s Astralist, it’s the opposite. 2020 (Demo) is no toss-off, recorded-in-the-rehearsal-space-to-put-something-on-Bandcamp outing. Or if it is, it doesn’t sound like it. Comprised of three massive slabs of atmospheric and sometimes-extreme doom, plus an intro, in scope and production value both, the 36-minute release carries the feel and the weight of a full-length album, earning its themes of cosmic destruction and shifting back and forth between melodic progressivism and death-doom or blackened onslaught. In “The Outlier,” “Entheogen” and “Zuhal, Rise” they establish a breadth and an immediate control thereof, and their will to cross genre lines gives their work a fervently individualized feel. Album or demo doesn’t ultimately matter, but what they say about Astralist‘s intentions does.
Lost in the narrative of initial singles released ahead of its actual arrival is the psychedelic reach Dortmund trio Daily Thompson bring to their fourth album, Oumuamua. Yes, “She’s So Cold” turns in its second half to a more straightforward heavy-blues-fuzz push, but the mellow unfurling that takes place at the outset continues to inform the proceedings from there, and even through “Sad Frank” (video posted here) and “On My Mind” (video posted here), and album-centerpiece “Slow Me Down,” the vibe remains affect by it. Side B has its own stretch in the 12-minute “Cosmic Cigar (Oumuamua),” and sandwiched between the three-minute stomper “Half Thompson” and the acoustic, harmonized grunge-blues closer “River of a Ghost,” it seems that what Daily Thompson held back about the LP is no less powerful than what they revealed. It’s still a party, it’s just a party where every room has something different happening.
Following up 2018’s Touch Taste Destroy (review here), Ontario’s The White Swan present their fourth EP in Nocturnal Transmission. That’s four EPs, in a row, from 2016-2020. If the trio — which, yes, includes Kittie‘s Mercedes Lander on vocals, drums, guitar and keys — were waiting to figure out their sound before putting out a first full-length, they were there two years ago, if not before. One is left to assume that the focus on short releases is — at least for now — an aesthetic choice. Like its predecessor, Nocturnal Transmission offers three circa-five-minute big-riffers topped with Lander‘s floating melodic vocals. The highlight here is “Purple,” and unlike any of the other The White Swan EPs, this one includes a fourth track in a cover of Tracy Bonham‘s “Tell it to the Sky,” given likewise heft and largesse. I don’t know what’s stopping this band from putting out an album, but I’ll take another EP in the meantime, sure.
A quarantine project of Dmitri Mavra from Skunk and Slow Phase, Dungeon Weed is dug-in stoner idolatry, pure and simple. Mavra, joined by drummer Chris McGrew and backing vocalist Thia Moonbrook, metes out riff after feedback-soaked, march-ready, nod-ready, dirt-toned riff, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the doomier tolling bell of “Sorcerer with the Skull Face” or the tongue-in-cheek hook of “Beholder Gonna Fuck You Up” or the brash sludge that ensues across the aptly-named “Lumbering Hell,” all layered solos and whatnot, the important thing is that by the time “Mind Palace” comes around, you’re either out or you’re in, and once you make that choice there’s no going back on it. Opener “Orcus Immortalis/Vox Mysterium” tells the tale (or part of it, as regards the overarching narrative), and if ever there was a band that could and would make a song called “Black Pudding” sound heavy, well, there’s Dungeon Weed for you. Dungeon Weed, man. Don’t overthink it.
The challenge of rendering songcraft in the nude can be a daunting one for someone in a heavy band doing a solo/acoustic release, but it’s a challenge Thomas V. Jäger of Monolord meets with ease on the home-recorded A Solitary Plan, his solo debut. Those familiar with his work in Monolord will recognize some of the effects used on his vocals, but in the much, much quieter context of the seven-song/29-minute solo release — Jäger plays everything except the Mellotron on the leadoff title-track — they lend not only a spaciousness but a feeling of acid folk serenity to “Creature of the Deep” and “It’s Alright,” which follows. Mixed/mastered by Kalle Lilja of Långfinger, A Solitary Plan is ultimately an exploration on Jäger‘s part of working in this form, but it succeeds in both its most minimal stretches and in the electric-inclusive “The Drone” and “Goodbye” ahead of the buzzing synth-laced closer “The Bitter End.” It would be a surprise if this is the only solo release Jäger ever does, since so much of what takes place throughout feels like a foundation for future work.
Change has been the modus operandi of Cavern for a while now. They still show some semblance of their post-hardcore roots on their new full-length, Powdered, but having brought in bassist/vocalist Rose Heater in 2018 and sometime between then and now let out of Baltimore for Morgantown, West Virginia, their sonic allegiance to a heavier-ended post-rock comes through more than ever before. Guitarist/synthesist Zach Harkins winds lead lines around Heater‘s bass on “Grey,” and Stephen Schrock‘s drums emphasize tension to coincide, but the fluidity across the 24-minute LP is of a kind that’s genuinely new to the band, and the soul in Heater‘s vocals carries the material to someplace else entirely. A song like “Dove” presents a tonal fullness that the title-track seems just to hint at, but the emphasis here is on dynamic, not on doing one thing only or locking their approach into a single mindset. As Heater‘s debut with them, Powdered finds them refreshed and renewed of purpose.
Droneroom is the solo vehicle of guitarist Blake Edward Conley and with …The Other Doesn’t, experiments of varying length and degree of severity are brought to bear. The abiding feel is spacious, lonely and cinematic as one might expect for such guitar-based soundscaping, but “Casual-Lethal Narcissism” and “The Last Time Someone Speaks Your Name” do have some measure of peace to go with their foreboding and troubling atmospherics. An obvious focal point is the 15-minute dronefest “This Circle of Ribs,” which feels more forward and striking than someone of Droneroom‘s surrounding material, but it’s all on a relative scale, and across the board Conley remains a safe social distance away from structural traditionalist. Recorded during Summer 2020, it is an album that conveys the anxiety and paranoia of this year, and while that can be a daunting thing to face in such a way or to let oneself really engage with as a listener — shit, it’s hard enough just living through — one of the functions of good art is to challenge perceptions of what it can be. Worth keeping in mind for “Home Can Be a Frightening Place.”
Posted in Reviews on October 7th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Day three of the Quarterly Review. Always a landmark. Today we hit the halfway point, but don’t pass it yet since I’ve decided to add the sixth day next Monday. So we’ll get to 30 of the total 60 records, and then be past half through tomorrow. Math was never my strong suit. Come to think of it, I wasn’t much for school all around. Work sucked too.
Anyway, if you haven’t found anything to dig yet — and I hope you have; I think the stuff included has been pretty good so far — you can either go back and look again or keep going. Maybe today’s your day. If not, there’s always tomorrow.
Quarterly Review #21-30:
Hum, Inlet
One has to wonder if, if Hum had it to do over again, they might hold back their first album in 23 years, Inlet, for release sometime when the world isn’t being ravaged by a global pandemic. As it stands, the largesse and melodic wash of the Illinois outfit’s all-growed-up heavy post-rock offers 55 minutes of comfort amid the tumult of the days, and while I won’t profess to having been a fan in the ’90s — their last studio LP was 1997’s Downward is Heavenward, and they sound like they definitely spent some time listening to Pelican since then — the overarching consumption Inlet sets forth in relatively extended tracks like “Desert Rambler” and “The Summoning” and the manner in which the album sets its own backdrop in a floating drone of effects make it an escapist joy. They hold back until closer “Shapeshifter” to go full post-rock, and while there are times at which it can seem unipolar, to listen to the crunching “Step Into You” and “Cloud City” side-by-side unveils more of the scope underlying from the outset of “Waves” onward.
Oslo’s Hymn answer the outright crush and scathe of their 2017 debut, Perish (review here), with a more developed and lethal attack on their four-song/38-minute follow-up, Breach Us. Though they’re the kind of band who make people who’ve never heard Black Cobra wonder how two people can be so heavy — and the record has plenty of that; “Exit Through Fire”‘s sludgeshuggah chugging walks by and waves — it’s the sense of atmosphere that guitarist/bassist/vocalist Ole Rokseth and drummer Markus Støle bring to the proceedings that make them so engrossing. The opening title-track is also the shortest at 6:25, but as Breach Us moves across “Exit Through Fire,” “Crimson” and especially 14-minute closer “Can I Carry You,” it brings forth the sort of ominous dystopian assault that so many tried and failed to harness in the wake of Neurosis‘ Through Silver in Blood. Hymn do that and make it theirs in the process.
Carried across with excruciating grace, Atramentus‘ three-part/44-minute debut album, Stygian, probably belongs in a post-Bell Witch category of extreme, crawling death-doom, but from the script of their logo to the dramatic piano accompanying the lurching riffs, gurgles and choral wails of “Stygian I: From Tumultuous Heavens… (Descended Forth the Ceaseless Darkness)” through the five-minute interlude that is “Stygian II: In Ageless Slumber (As I Dream in the Doleful Embrace of the Howling Black Winds)” and into the 23-minute lurchfest that is “Stygian III: Perennial Voyage (Across the Perpetual Planes of Crying Frost and Steel-Eroding Blizzards)” their ultra-morose procession seems to dig further back for primary inspiration, to acts like Skepticism and even earliest Anathema (at least for that logo), and as guttural and tortured as it is as it devolves toward blackened char in its closer, Stygian‘s stretches of melody provide a contrast that gives some semblance of hope amid all the surrounding despair.
As it clocks in 27 minutes, the inevitable question about Zyclops‘ debut release, Inheritance of Ash, is whether it’s an EP or an LP. For what it’s worth, my bid is for the latter, and to back my case up I’ll cite the flow between each of its four component tracks. The Austin, Texas, post-metallic four-piece save their most virulent chug and deepest tonal weight for the final two cuts, “Wind” and “Ash,” but the stage is well set in “Ghost” and “Rope” as well, and even when one song falls into silence, the next picks up in complementary fashion. Shades of Isis in “Rope,” Swarm of the Lotus in the more intense moments of “Ash,” and an overarching progressive vibe that feels suited to the Pelagic Records oeuvre, one might think of Zyclops as cerebral despite their protestations otherwise, but at the very least, the push and pull at the end of “Wind” and the stretch-out that comes after the churning first half of “Rope” don’t happen by mistake, and a band making these kinds of turns on their first outing isn’t to be ignored. Also, they’re very, very heavy.
It’s all peace and quiet until “Psionic Static” suddenly starts to speed up, and then like the rush into transwarp, Kairon; IRSE!‘s Polysomn finds its bliss by hooking up a cortical node to your left temple and turning your frontal lobe into so much floundering goo, effectively kitchen-sink kraut-ing you into oblivion while gleefully hopping from genre to cosmic genre like they’re being chased by the ghost of space rock past. They’re the ghost of space rock future. While never static, Polysomn does offer some serenity amid all its head-spinning and lobe-melting, be it the hee-hee-now-it’s-trip-hop wash of “An Bat None” or the cinematic vastness that arises in “Altaïr Descends.” Too intelligent to be random noise or just a freakout, the album is nonetheless experimental, and remains committed to that all the way through the shorter “White Flies” and “Polysomn” at the end of the record. You can take it on if you have your EV suit handy, but if you don’t check the intermix ratio, your face is going to blow up. Fair warning. LLAP.
The second 2020 offering from Hurst, Texas’ Slow Draw — the one-man outfit of Mark “Derwooka” Kitchens, also of Stone Machine Electric — the four-song Quiet Joy is obviously consciously named. “Tightropes in Tandem” and closer “Sometimes Experiments Fail” offer a sweet, minimal jazziness, building on the hypnotic backwards psych drone of opener “Unexpected Suspect.” In the two-minute penultimate title-track, Kitchens is barely there, and it is as much an emphasis on the quiet space as that in which the music — a late arriving guitar stands out — might otherwise be taking place. At 18 minutes, it is intended to be a breath taken before reimmersing oneself in the unrelenting chaos that surrounds and swirls, and while it’s short, each piece also has something of its own to offer — even when it’s actively nothing — and Slow Draw brims with purpose across this short release. Sometimes experiments fail, sure. Sometimes they work.
It took all of a week for the married duo of Ana Muhi (vocals, bass) and Sven Missullis (guitars, vocals, drums) to announce Might as their new project following the dissolution of the long-ish-running and far-punkier Deamon’s Child. Might‘s self-titled debut arrives with the significant backing of Exile on Mainstream and earns its place on the label with an atmospheric approach to noise rock that, while it inevitably shares some elements with the preceding band, forays outward into the weight of “Possession” and the acoustic-into-crush “Warlight” and the crush-into-ambience “Flight of Fancy” and the ambience-into-ambience “Mrs. Poise” and so on. From the beginning in “Intoduce Yourself” and the rushing “Pollution of Mind,” it’s clear the recorded-in-quarantine 35-minute/nine-song outing is going to go where it wants to, Muhi and Missullis sharing vocals and urging the listener deeper into doesn’t-quite-sound-like-anything-else post-fuzz heavy rock and sludge. A fun game: try to predict where it’s going, and be wrong.
Following a stint on Metal Blade and self-releasing 2018’s What Was and What Shall Be, West Virginia’s Brimstone Coven issue their second album as a three-piece through Ripple Music, calling to mind a more classic-minded Apostle of Solitude on the finale “Song of Whippoorwill” and finding a balance all the while between keeping their progressions moving forward and establishing a melancholy atmosphere. Some elements feel drawn from the Maryland school of doom — opener the melody and hook of “The Inferno” remind of defunct purveyors Beelzefuzz — but what comes through clearest in these songs is that guitarist/vocalist Corey Roth, bassist/vocalist Andrew D’Cagna and drummer Dave Trik have found their way forward after paring down from a four-piece following 2016’s Black Magic (review here) and the initial steps the last album took. They sound ready for whatever the growth of their craft might bring and execute songs like “When the World is Gone” and the more swinging “Secrets of the Earth” with the utmost class.
Take the brutal industrial doom of Author and Punisher and smash it together — presumably in some kind of stainless-steel semi-automated contraption — with the skin-peeling atmosphere and grueling tension of Khanate and you may begin to understand where All Are to Return are coming from on their debut self-titled EP. How they make a song like four-minute centerpiece “Bare Life” feel so consuming is beyond me, but I think being so utterly demolishing helps. It’s not just about the plodding electronic beat, either. There’s some of that in opener “Untrusted” and certainly “The Lie of Fellow Men” has a lumber to go with its bass rumble and NIN-sounding-hopeful guitar, but it’s the overwhelming sense of everything being tainted and cruel that comes through in the space the only-19-minutes-long release creates. Even as closer “Bellum Omnium” chips away at the last remaining vestiges of color, it casts a coherent vision of not only aesthetic purpose for the duo, but of the terrible, all-gone-wrong future in which we seem at times to live.
I saved this one for last today as a favor to myself. Originally released in 2016, Los Acidos‘ self-titled debut receives a well-deserved second look on vinyl courtesy of Necio Records, and with it comes 40 minutes of full immersion in glorious Argentinian psicodelia, spacious and ’60s-style on “Al Otro Lado” and full of freaky swing on “Blusas” ahead of the almost-shoegaze-until-it-explodes-in-sunshine float of “Perfume Fantasma.” “Paseo” and the penultimate “Espejos” careen with greater intensity, but from the folksy feel that arrives to coincide with the cymbal-crashing roll of “Excentricidad” in its second half to the final boogie payoff in “Empatía de Cristal,” the 10-song outing is a joy waiting to be experienced. You’re experienced, right? Have you ever been? Either way, the important thing is that the voyage that, indeed, begins with “Viaje” is worth your time in melody, in craft, in its arrangements, in presence and in the soul that comes through from front to back. The four-piece had a single out in late 2019, but anytime they want to get to work on a follow-up LP, I’ll be waiting.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 22nd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Aug. 21 is the release date of the fourth Brimstone Coven album, The Woes of a Mortal Earth, which will also be their first on Ripple Music. The richly melodic Wheeling, West Virginia, cult heavy rockers have a new lyric video up now for “The Inferno,” the and finds guitarist Corey Roth and bassist Andrew D’Cagna working in fluid harmonies on vocals no less than one has come to expect from the band, who proved there was life after Metal Blade and life after losing their lead singer with 2017’s declarative What Was and What Shall Be. The answer, as it happens, is that what was, was, and what shall be is a new record. Go figure.
Definitely hear some Mountain in “The Inferno” and that’s not at all a complaint.
Preorders are up for the album now, and the PR wire brings details:
Occult rock trio BRIMSTONE COVEN unveil details for new album ‘The Woes of a Mortal Earth’ on Ripple Music; preorder and stream first single now!
US occult hard rockers BRIMSTONE COVEN share all details for their upcoming fourth album ‘The Woes of a Mortal Earth’, due out August 21st and available to preorder now on Ripple Music. Join the magic circle with “The Inferno” lyric video!
While summoning eerie forces from the past, from the timeless heaviness of Sabbath and Coven to the wholehearted rock force of Led Zeppelin, BRIMSTONE COVEN craft a timeless and wholehearted brand of sonic witchery that will hold any soul captive inside its magic circle. The past and future collide in a dazzling big bang, melding foreboding atmospheres with a bright and intoxicating vocals from Corey Roth and Andrew D’Cagna.
The West Virginians have recently signed a worldwide deal with Ripple Music, for the release of their fourth album ‘The Woes of a Mortal Earth’ on August 21st and available to preorder in the following formats:
– Rare Test Pressing LP – Worldwide Edition Classic Black Vinyl LP – Limited Edition Colored Vinyl LP (200 copies)
BRIMSTONE COVEN “The Woes of a Mortal Earth” Out August 21st on Ripple Music –PREORDER
TRACK LISTING: 1. The Inferno 2. When The World Is Gone 3. Live With A Ghost 4. The Darker Half 5. Secrets of The Earth 6. Song of Whippoorwill
Hailing from eastern Ohio, the band was conceptualized by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Corey Roth in 2011, quickly joined by John Williams (vocals), Andrew D’Cagna (bass) and Justin Wood (drums). A five song? EP was self-released in 2012, followed by a full length in 2013. 2014 saw the band signing a two-album deal with veteran underground label Metal Blade Records. The first two recordings were repackaged and released under Metal Blade as one album, followed by the album ‘Black Magic’ in early 2016. 2017 proved to be a transitional year for BRIMSTONE COVEN. The band parted ways with Metal Blade, as well as original vocalist John and drummer Justin. Dave Trik joined soon after to take over drumming duties and the band collectively decided to forge on as a trio. New songs were penned and the album ‘What Was and What Shall Be’ was released independently in 2018. Fans responded very positively to the lineup change and new material. Three successful US tours to promote the album soon followed, covering the Northeast, Midwest and Southern states.
The rest of 2019 was spent honing a new batch of songs and the band entered the studio in early 2020. The result would prove to be BRIMSTONE COVEN’s darkest sounding album to date, ‘The Woes of a Mortal Earth’. The new year also saw the trio signing a new deal with the venerable label Ripple Music. Despite the foreboding atmosphere of their new album, the future of Brimstone Coven has never looked so bright.
BRIMSTONE COVEN is Corey Roth – Guitar & Vocals Andrew D’Cagna – Bass & Vocals Dave Trik – Drums
Posted in Features on April 20th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Adam Nohe of Horseburner (West Virginia)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
In the grand scheme of people’s lives and, you know, all these dire elements, our little musical world seems small. But it definitely has temporarily derailed quite a bit of work. We had to cancel our first European tour which we’d been working on for over half a year with Howling Giant, never mind the years of work to get to that point. We had to cancel a couple gigs in Ohio and Pennsylvania as well. We have five shows in May we’ve been looking forward to, including one opening for one of our favorite bands, that I have a real bad feeling about. And then we were working on a three week June tour that hadn’t even been announced yet that I’m starting to wonder if it’s going to happen now as well. And we can’t effectively start rescheduling anything yet because we don’t know if there’s an end in sight. Honestly, it’s a complete mess right now and it’s disheartening to see all of our work just come to such an abrupt halt.
I was thinking we’d at least have time to really do some work writing, everything is mic’d up in the basement right now. We demoed a new song, recorded a few covers we’ve been wanting to do, but now that this Stay at Home rule is in effect we can’t really do that anymore either. We want to work, but we also want to be smart.
Jack and I both left full-time employment to really focus on music and touring this year. I’m a substitute teacher in two counties in WV and wait tables in the evenings, and I can’t do any of that right now. Jack’s focused more on recording bands, can’t really do that. Seth’s restaurant closed down for the time being. I think Matt’s the only one of us still getting a regular paycheck.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
All the nonessential businesses are closed, and even grocery stores are all shutting down earlier than they normally do so there’s time to clean. We’re supposed to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
You know, West Virginia was celebrating being the last state with any cases of the virus, but we also weren’t testing anyone for the longest time. It seems like a lot of people in these parts still think it’s a hoax or not that serious. I’ve had to make a couple supply runs, and I swear I actually see more people out at the stores that are still open. Grocery stores are packed. Home Depot is packed. I’m really hoping people around here start taking it more seriously.
The greater music community is suffering for sure. I’m worried about some of our favorite venues making it. But I will say this, I’ve seen a ton of people really step up and support bands and artists online right now. I know we got a bunch of orders the day Bandcamp waived their fees, and something like 4 million dollars were spent on music that day around the world. Honestly, it’s kind of beautiful. I hope people keep that love and fighting spirit once we’re all out in the world again.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
I just want everyone to try to stay positive through this. We’re trying hard to, even if some of us are going a bit stir crazy. But we are not alone. We may be isolated, but this entire community is in this together. If people take this seriously and do what they’re asked, we can get back to our lives. I’m hoping to see some positive societal change come from this. People are learning, many for the first time, that a lot of our systems don’t have to be the way they are forever. It can get better for all of us.
And man, I cannot wait for that first show post-quarantine. It’s going to be magical.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 19th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Having marked the 30th anniversary of the band’s existence on Valentine’s Day, West Virginia by way of Long Island sludgers Negative Reaction, who serve at the behest of founding guitarist/vocalist Kenny Bones, will release their new album, Astrophilia, on this very evening to mark the arrival of the Spring solstice. If you like your heavy heavy, you probably already know that’s good news, but Bones and Company offer further intrigue in unveiling that the new record is a follow-up to their 38-minute epic “The Moon Song.”
The megatrack originally appeared as the opener among the three cuts on 2000’s The Orion Chronicles — the other two pieces were “Hypothermia” and the Hawkwind cover “Lord of Light,” if you’re curious — but this time around, “A Song for the Sun” stands entirely on its own, and given Bones‘ well-established affinity for Star Wars references and related content, I’m going to assume the name of the character ‘Luke’ as seen below isn’t a coincidence. I’m not saying it’s Luke Skywalker, but most likely that’d be where the name comes from. Just saying.
So how’s the record? I guess we’ll find out tonight:
Negative Reaction – Astrophilia
The new full length album for NR is finished!
The new album is titled “Astrophilia.”
The release date is Thursday March 19th at 11:49PM Eastern Time.
It can be digitally downloaded through bandcamp.
CD copies are also available through the NR Facebook page.
It is a part 2 of the legendary “Moon Song.”
It is a concept on what happens after the earth is destroyed in the story of “The Moon Song.”
The concept… A handful of people survive and travel through space looking for a new home………. Or not.”
Track listing….. “A song For The Sun”…….. Ch1 “Solar Flare” Ch 2 “Europa” Ch 3 “Luke’s Ascent” Ch 4 ” Order 66″ Ch 5 “Solar Wind / Luke Has Landed” Ch 6 ” Eclipse” Ch 7 “Moonbase Alpha” Ch 8 ” Luke’s Colony”
Negative Reaction are: Sir Ken-E Bones: Founder/Singer/Guitars Trey Crane: Bass Ryan Aliff: Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 13th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
You don’t need me to tell you these are uncertain times, but kudos to West Virginia’s Horseburner for being smart enough to pull the plug on what would’ve been a nightmare trip to Europe instead of going over there and being thoroughly screwed without shows or money, etc., because that’s the kind of crap that breaks up good bands. So better they put off the tour than do it wrong.
And hey, if you want to take something positive from the story below — it is quite a story — at least it’s not just COVID-19 that’s their reason. Apparently whoever was booking their tour — they seem purposefully not to name said individual or entity — just didn’t do it. That’s a rough one. They were set to play Ripplefest Cologne with a bunch of other good bands and I assume like the rest of existence that’s up in the air now as to whether it’s even happening, but yeah. From how they tell the tale, it’s easy to see why they’re waiting. It’s the right call.
Here’s what they have to say:
When this band started touring, our goal was to make it over to Europe within 5 years. We’ve been actively touring since 2011. If you know us, if you’ve followed us, you know some of the struggles we’ve had. Life gets in the way of keeping a band together. And the older you get, the more difficult it is. People’s goals change. Their ideals change. To be honest, I think most people would call us idiots for sinking as much of ourselves for so long into a band that is still touring and playing some empty rooms. The truth is we are total idiots who believe too much in what we’re doing to give up. But we’re lucky that we’ve found like minded idiots along the way, like Seth and Matt and and Rob and Scott and Mike and Chad, etc, who share this vision and tenacity. So even though we’ve had to postpone goals along the way, we’ve continually refused to give up. And because of that refusal to give up, we finally got our opportunity to take our music overseas this year.
We now have the unfortunate duty to announce that we will not be playing Ripple Fest in Cologne, Germany later this month. I really don’t want people to think we just easily threw in the towel, so here’s what we’ve gone up against in the past few months. Hope you’re ready to get a sneak peak into the struggles of a DIY band.
Due to a laundry list of reasons that are not in the slightest bit his fault, we found out Seth was not going to be able to go. This was heartbreaking because Seth has worked his tail off for this band, and he deserves to have all the amazing experiences a tour like this should bring. But as sad as we were, we are lucky to have excellent friends. Scott from Bridesmaid was going to fill in for the tour just as he has many times in the past. Then one day Scott called with some potential terrible news and suddenly we didn’t know if he could go either. Strike two. After a few weeks of back and forth, some fingers crossed, and lots of positive vibes, Scott called and said everything was a go. Only now, we had a different problem. We only had one show (Ripple Fest).
The person who was hired to book the tour… didn’t. We were scheduled to be overseas for nearly three weeks, hoping to play as many shows as possible. As amazing as it would be to simply go explore Europe, we were going to work, not vacation. So as of two weeks ago, we had one show. The smart thing to do would have been to cancel as soon as we found out there was no tour. But we had already bought plane tickets and we’re not smart. So Ripple and Blues Funeral rallied the troops, and we had an amazing crew of true brothers and sisters go into hyperdrive, and as of yesterday, we had nine shows. Are we the type of people who will fly to a separate continent to play a handful of shows that have not even been advertised with insane drives due to emergency routing? Truthfully, yes. Yes we are. But now on top of all of this, some European countries are now closing off their borders and encouraging people to avoid public gatherings. So the show that came together in Italy was going to be canceled. And it really looks like other countries are going to be following suit in the coming weeks. There are too many uncertainties and too much risk of shows getting canceled last minute, and we’d still be sunk for thousands and thousands of dollars for renting gear and a van for the tour. Or even worse, getting stuck quarantined in a foreign country and not able to get home, not able to get back to our families or our jobs after the tour, and any other awful situation you can imagine. So here we are.
I don’t think any of us have ever been this disappointed. But we’re doing what we always do, we’re looking to the future. This is not the end of the road, this is just one more obstacle we’re going to overcome. We’re going to reschedule this tour, and as soon as we have news, we’re going to share it with you.
Lastly, we want to send our deepest gratitude to the folks who banded together over the last couple weeks and put together what should have been an amazing time. All our love to Buddy from Great Electric Quest and Mikaela from Loitsu Booking who did the bulk of the work the last couple weeks, Todd from Ripple and Jadd from Blues Funeral, Matt Bacon, Electric Avenue Music, Max from Plainride, Doza from Lightning Born, Tom from 20 Watt Tombstone, Nick from Stonecutters, and anyone else who tried to help us out. Lastly, to Howling Giant. Our plans for world domination will have to wait a few months, but we love you dudes and we’ll make this work eventually.
As always, we’ll see you on the road… in the US. Stay dirty.
Horseburner: Adam Nohe – Drums/Vocals Jack Thomas – Guitar/Vocals Matt Strobel – Guitar Seth Bostick – Bass
