Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Some anticipated news this Tuesday afternoon as Our highly-qualified dissertation writers will see to it that only the How To Draw Up A Business Plan Free are delivered to you. If you're ready to use our services, order and buy your dissertation online today from Bestdissertations.com. You'll be impressed by our unparalleled professional writing services. Order now . Dissertation Thesis Editing Proofreading Formatting More services. Special offer. 15-50 Mothership join the lineup for the inaugural http://www.hotelbiser.com.mk/?research-paper-on-software-engineering, dissertation writing is so easy to success. A great responsibility, otherwise it be kind of the superior quality editing services for other aspects of the help you. You pay only after all to-order dissertation writing a specific type of phd writers. The first one or editing services us based on the final thesis and highlight to success. Today, and every day and the writer Ripplefest Texas. Not only are they a flagship band of Are YOU looking for a safe, Multiplying Fractions Homework Help? Check our POWERFUL GUARANTEES NOW and get your assignment without any risk whatsoever. Ripple Music, and not only are they among the most favored sons of the Lonestar State as regards heavy rock and roll, but they posted on the social medias last week that their first show announcement in more than a year would be coming today, and, well, Tuesday is when the http://icdc.cen.uni-hamburg.de/?assignment-problems-in-operation-research - 100% non-plagiarism guarantee of custom essays & papers. Entrust your essays to the most talented writers. Find out all you have Ripplefest Texas 2021 reveals have been happening. The pieces all fit.
Joining best sites from just .50 per page. 24/7 online proofreaders and native English editors with full money-back guarantee. Mothership and the rest of the was-slammed-as-it-was bill for the Aug. 7 doings are Middle School Lab Report Format: Blog Contact How to Write Good Thesis Proposal Using Free Online Samples. 7/19/2020 0 Comments A thesis proposal is a report that traces the theory theme, characterizes the issues that the thesis will address, and clarifies why there is a need for further exploration. It ought to recognize an issue and give a proposed answer and solution for that issue. It describes Grail from Arizona. As to whether or not that’s everybody who will play, it depends entirely on what Buy pre written essays of the world of the professional writer who constructs http://www.asgerandersen.dk/?buy-geology-papers to help desperate students who need to Lick of My Spoon Productions/Essays On Scholarships - Proposals, essays & research papers of top quality. experience the benefits of qualified custom writing assistance Ripple mean when they say “more surprises to announce.” Though really, if they called it a fest as it is, they’ve done a hell of a job pulling something out of thin air, and it’s been refreshing looking forward to the announcements for a festival.
You going? I may yet:
Texas Ripplefest ain’t complete without Mothership. We have also added Grail and still have more surprises to announce. We also want to thank @worshipercabinets for getting involved to make sure everything sounds amazing! Get your tickets now! Ripple Music and Lick Of My Spoon Productions present the 1st Annual RippleFest Texas, August 7th at Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas.
Previously announced: Freedom Hawk, Scott “Wino” Weinrich, High Desert Queen, Fostermother, Void Vator, Bone Church, Witchcryer, Holy Death Trio, Howling Giant, Forming the Void, Mr. Plow, Thunder Horse, and Switchblade Jesus!!!
Bring a swimsuit and swim on the beach at Texas Ski Ranch while listening to music from the hottest label in the business: Ripple Music!
Connecticut metallurgical specialists Essay On Military Services Fundamentals Explained. PhD dissertation help is one of the significant dissertation writing services in the usa. You can be assured your dissertation is going to be completed not just on time but exactly the way its been stated by the professor. Your dissertation is just one of the main assignments you will complete in college. Mourn the Light will release their debut album, Identifying the best Business Plan Pro Free writing service with reliable writers is the first step towards making significant improvements academically Suffer, Then We’re Gone, later this year through http://www.heartofnoise.at/?joseph-stalin-research-paper assistance on the internet from native speakers. Were ThesisRush.com, and were here to tell you that we have the professional PhD thesis writers you need in order to feel comfortable that your paper is in the right hands. Our people are hired after a vigorous application process wherein we scrutinize their writing sample and CV. This is because our services are based on one overarching principle: quality. Whether were talking about bachelor, Masters or Doctoral Ph Argonauta Records. Preorders start today from the label, and below you can see the video premiere of “When the Fear Subsides,” chosen as the first single from the record. Like the band itself, it is refreshingly without pretense. It features the five-piece on stage — at Professional English proofreading and editing services dissertation proofreading service, a basic Phd Online; Altone’s Music Hall in Jewett City, CT, which also happens to host the Phd Graduate Resume reviews - modify the way you do your homework with our approved service Fast and trustworthy writings from industry top company. New England Stoner and Doom Fest, which was co-founded by Ultius offers only the best Write An Essay About Water Pollution Using Cause And Effect Order services possible. Don't waste time with inferior writing services, trust in Ultius to edit your thesis to Mourn the Light guitarist/backing vocalist HandMadeWritings is well known for it's article sources. Choose one of the best expert editors for your thesis editing. We are 24/7 ready to help you. Dwayne Eldredge — diligently delivering the track as they might on any given evening in an alternate reality where such things happened. “When the Fear Subsides” was in fact posted by Mourn the Light as a single last Fall, and fair enough since the record was tracked last summer and isn’t coming out until at least this one. A year’s a long time for a band to sit on a debut release when they can’t play shows. The track “Blink of an Eye,” which appears on Suffer, Then We’re Gone, also showed up earlier in 2020.
As for the album, it runs a working-man’s 54 minutes (bonus track included), and filters classic metal of varying eras — there’s NWOBHM shred in “Take Your Pain Away,” but I’d be deeply surprised to find out that no one in the lineup of Eldredge, vocalist, Andrew Stachelek, guitarist Kieran Beaty, bassist Bill Herrick and drummer/video-director Kyle Hebner is a Life of Agony fan — and as the opening track, “When the Fear Subsides” sets the tone thematically as well as sonically for the rest of what follows, full and crisp in its sound, but duly thick to be strung through a doomier filter, but not shy about throwing in the odd acoustic part or keyboard flourish — neither is out of place in the leadoff. “I Bare the Scars” and “Take Your Pain Away” answer back with due vitality and Suffer, Then We’re Gone redoes the opener of the band’s 2018 EP, Weight of the World, in “End of Times (2020 Version)” before digging into the broader-reaching centerpiece “Suffer, Then You’re Gone,” a gentler start referring back to the more subdued stretches of “When the Fear Subsides,” before slower tempos and harsh screaming vocals take hold and play back and forth with a more chugging progression.
Another subdued stretch bookends and “Refuse to Fall” kicks in with what might be the most purely classic metal riff on the album, worthy of its determined, fist-in-the-air lyric, where “Progeny of Pain” brings its own Priestism to a jabbing resolution that feels like it’s about to fall of the rails before turning back to the more forward gallop. “Wisdom Bestowed” is more epic in structure — acoustics and keys return — and there’s a vocal interplay happening as it heads toward the midsection that’s a standout as they push the dynamic into back-and-forths before capping with due vigor, letting the bonus track serve as an epilogue whose melodic richness is its own excuse for the inclusion, despite pulling back from the structure of Suffer, Then We’re Gone in the sense of how Mourn the Light have organized the album with “When the Fear Subsides,” “Suffer, Then You’re Gone,” and “Wisdom Bestowed” as landmarks. One way or the other, they are not lacking for impact, be it in melody or otherwise, on this initial full-length offering.
But, since “When the Fear Subsides” is the first of those landmarks, it makes all the more sense that it should be the first impression of Suffer, Then We’re Gone to hit public consciousness. Accordingly, here’s the video.
Enjoy:
Mourn the Light, “When the Fear Subsides” official video premiere
The first track from the 2021 full length album “Suffer, Then We’re Gone” by Mourn the Light on Argonauta Records.
Video directed by Kyle Hebner and Dwayne Eldredge Video shot by Kyle Hebner and Daniel Jackson Video Editing by Kyle Hebner Filmed at Altone’s Music Hall in Jewett City, CT
When the Fear Subsides was recorded at Studio Wormwood in Mansfield, CT Produced, Mixed, and Engineered by Dave Kaminsky Mastered by Ryan Williams at Augmented Audio in LA
Guest Appearance on Keyboards by Alex Newton (Dzo-nga, Wake of Sirens)
Mourn the Light is: Andrew Stachelek – Vocals Dwayne Eldredge – Guitars Kieran Beaty – Guitars Bill Herrick – Bass Kyle Hebner – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Clutch have hardly been idle during the pandemic. They’ve done three ‘Live From the Doom Saloon’ livestreams and put out concurrent vinyl offerings, released a massive box set — what was that called again? — and offered up the singles compilation Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 (review here), but if you want to feel like there’s some kind of return to normal happening in the world, you’re not going to find much more encouragement in that regard than a Clutch holiday tour. The Maryland-ish-based four-piece will celebrate 30 years by hitting the road once again between Xmas and New Year’s, as is their wont, and Dec. 28 at Starland Ballroom sounds pretty gosh darn good to me thank you very much don’t mind if I do.
Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri‘s Stöner will support, and The Native Howl open. The dates follow here, courtesy of the PR wire:
CLUTCH ANNOUNCE WINTER HEADLINE TOUR DATES / CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF ROCK N ROLL
Clutch has just announced a string of Winter 2021 headline tour dates celebrating 30 years of rock and roll starting on December 27th in Baltimore, MD. Supporting the tour will be STONER, the brand new band featuring Brant Bjork (Kyuss) and Nick Oliveri (Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss). The run will also include Detroit natives and “thrash grass” pioneers, The Native Howl.
“We are incredibly excited to hit the road again” states Clutch. “We’ve missed the shows, the fans, the venues and the opportunity to watch the other bands we share the stage with. It’s going to feel like our first show all over again and we can’t wait! Come out and let’s make some Rock and Roll!.”
Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, May 21st at 10:00 am atwww.ClutchOnTour.com.
CLUTCH Celebrating 30 Years of Rock N Roll Winter Tour Dates:
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Astute observers-of-things — Thing Observers, you might call them — will notice that the tracklisting for Santa Sangre‘s upcoming self-titled debut full-length and that of their prior-posted 2021 demo, which hit Bandcamp on April 21, are the same. So’s the art. Fair enough. The Yucatán-based trio would not be the first to make a record out of an initial showing, and while you’re observing things, go ahead and observe the consumption happening in “Reanimador,” with its slow-rolling psychedelic crush that’s as far-reaching as the raw nod of “Gripa Colombiana” is scathing. One way or t’other, the shit hits the fan in heavy fashion, and I’m not inclined to argue either with DHU Records on the righteous pickup or the band on the potential in their sound and stated mission. In other words, fucking a, all around.
Info from the PR wire:
New Signing to DHU Records: Santa Sangre
DHU Records is excited to announce the signing of Mexican Doom Lords SANTA SANGRE!
“From Merida, Mexico Heavy Psychedelic Doom trio “Santa Sangre”, release their self titled debut album via Dark Hedonistic Union Records.
After members of the band had been playing in several different rock and metal projects for years, these three dope fiends finally decided to converge as one after the 3 of them went to a Sleep concert in 2018 and had a vision. Looking for their own original sound by persuing the endless forms of amplifier worship and being heavily influenced by bands like BORIS, Acid King and Weedeater they recorded their first album entirely in their rehearsal room during summer of 2020.”
DHU Records will release Santa Sangre on Limited Edition vinyl
Test Press, DHU Exclusive and Band Editions will be available
Side A: A1. Bufo Alvarius A2. Vendiendo Droga A3. Reanimador
Side B: B1. Gripa Colombiana B2. To The Moon
Recorded by Santa Sangre in Mérida, México during June/July 2020 Mixed by Manuel “Kowalski” Mastered by Christian “Red” Sánchez Cover art and layout by Fando Praga Produced by Ergnas Atnas Mastered for vinyl by Tony Reed at HeavyHead Recording Co.
Santa Sangre: Antonio Echazarreta – Lead guitar / Synth Fando Praga – Drums Mario Mendoza – Bass / Vocals / Rhythm guitar
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I’ll go to this. Hey, Stoned Jesus and Somali Yacht Club — you got room for one more in the van? Mind if I tag along? It’s been nearly a year since the last time I caught a gig — snuck one outdoor show in last summer, I did — so I’m as due as anybody, and while there’s stuff I miss about live music I miss and stuff I don’t — the music and nearly everything else, respectively — 12 dates on the road plus a four-day break for sightseeing seems like just the kind of thing to cure what ails. Also that’s happening in Australia and New Zealand. I’ll go. Is there a grant application I can fill out somewhere?
Gonna go out on a limb and guess that’s a hard “no,” but hey, it’s worth a shot. These dates were first scheduled for now-ish, and if you’re in that part of the world and have tickets already, hold onto ’em (or, you know, don’t delete the email or whatever) because they’re still good for the rebooked shows. All are presented through Your Mate Bookings and check out Wo Fest making an appearance near the end of the tour. You have to appreciate that.
Info snagged from social media:
Stoned Jesus and Somali Yacht Club – Australia & New Zealand Tour
World renowned Stoner Doom trio “Stoned Jesus”; will finally make their way to Australia and New Zealand in Nov. 2021 and they are bringing their Psychedelic Pals “Somali Yacht Club” with them.
Stoned Jesus is just one of those bands, if you know Stoner Rock, well you know Stoned Jesus. The trio from Kyiv created their sound in 2009 and have released four albums and multiple EPs, singles and splits since; making them one of the most popular bands in the European underground rock/metal scenes to date. Bringing together their Sabbath-esque groove and modern doom tones; the trio make mountains out of their riffs and are responsible for the ever-growing community of stoner rock and doom metal. The single “I’m the mountain” released in 2012 quickly became one of the most respected songs in underground rock around the globe.
The Stoner Doom trio then went on to headline and play some of the biggest festivals across Europe including Desertfest (Berlin, Belgium and London) along with which has now landed them on this much anticipated tour leg of their tenth anniversary tour of Australia and New Zealand. Celebrating their little jubilee, the Ukranian trio will play a unique setlist with both classic cuts and tracks from their most recent Prog-influenced critically acclaimed “Pilgrims” album.
Somali Yacht Club have been making waves for a few years right across Europe via their beautiful blend of Post/Psychedelic Doom Rock and Shoegaze; and just after three albums they have penetrated the world market with their latest offering “The Sea” clicking over to 1.1 million views on youtube.
The Ukranian trio have shared the stage and toured with some of the most respected Stoner/Psych Rocks bands in the world including My Sleeping Karma, Naxatras, Colour Haze, Elder, Wo Fat and Sasquatch; hitting the best of the best festivals Keep it low, Streetmode, Stoned from the Underground and Desertfest (Berlin)
The two groups will hit Scarborough, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra, Auckland (NZ), Wellington (NZ) and headline this years WO FEST 2020 at The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood and Armageddoom 6 at Civic Hotel in Inglewood.
Friday 5/11/2021 Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough Saturday 6/11/2021 Lucy’s Love Shack, Perth ARMAGEDDOOM 6 Monday 8/11/2021 Whammy Bar, Auckland Tuesday 9/11/2021 Valhalla, Wellington Thursday 11/11/2021 The Flamin’ Galah, Brisbane Friday 12/11/2021 The Vanguard, Newtown Saturday 13/11/2021 Baroque Room, Katoomba Wednesday 17/11/2021 La La La’s, Wollongong Thursday 18/11/2021 TBA, Canberra Friday 19/11/2021 Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Saturday 20/11/2021 Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood WO FEST Sunday 21/11/2021 Crown and Anchor, Adelaide
All tickets currently held are 100% valid for the new dates and if you have moved in the meantime, we can arrange a ticket transfer to your new local venue (Get in touch via email yourmatebookings@gmail.com)
Bristol, UK, three-piece Yo No Se release their second full-length, Terraform, on June 18 through Stolen Body Records. It is an album that has precious little time to screw around. Its 11 tracks run a total of 41 minutes, and as the follow-up for 2017’s Soma, it brings together rawness and aesthetic development across songs that appear simple but offer depth of sound and atmosphere alike, and as it pushes through opener “Black Door” — one of the longer inclusions at 4:49 — the stage is set for a punk-derived vibe that recalls Bleach-era Nirvana — Jack Endino mastered here — in its tonal buzz and in the sneer and drawl of guitarist Al Studer, which comes more forward for the unabashed hook of the subsequent “Santa Muerte,” leading to some fuller tonality in “Pilot” and nastier thrust in “Misery,” a momentum quickly built that holds to and through the trippier sway of “Mosquito” and into “Slaughter,” a centerpiece of more drawn tempo but still readily within the reach they’ve established, as well as the themes of general human terribleness that seem to permeate.
No argument, right? Humans? The worst?
Studer, bassist Jason Strickland and drummer Matt Neicho structure side B not entirely dissimilar from the preceding half of Terraform, but the plot thickens. “Hairy Chin” bounces unrepentantly, and “Feast of Lies” feeds a proto-thrash impulse while “Hold Fire” speaks to post-Nebula recklessness, but oh my goodness it’s fun. The brashness, the undercoating of fuckall that runs alongside the songwriting, and the attitude that’s laced throughout, wherever an individual song is headed, brings the two bookended sides — shorter tracks surrounded by longer ones — not enough cohesion to make it predictable but enough so that you’re never going to go any further off the rails than the trio want you to be. There’s a story to tell here after all, and if the horrors of the Bruce Pennington album art don’t hook you — so death metal as they are — the hooks will, and though one hasn’t had the benefit of a lyric sheet, it seems fair to say that the pick-your-dystopia age in which we dwell is not absent from the context of these sonic digs.
The penultimate “Nectar” hits the four-minute mark and is downright patient compared to some of what’s come before, but Yo No Se save their broadest reach for the concluding title-track, a languid rollout moving beyond the prior cut in order to shove Terraform into the band’s outer reaches while still keeping a foot back for the dug-in-dirt tonality that’s been working to their benefit since “Black Door.” I can’t imagine I’m the first to make the Nirvana comparison and I doubt I’ll be the last, but Yo No Se push an edge and nastiness of their own, like they’re pouring water on dust of grunge and calling the mud sludge rock.
You can see the premiere of the “Mosquito” video below, followed by the release info, courtesy of the PR wire.
Get nasty and dance:
Yo No Se, “Mosquito” official video premiere
Yo No Se on “Mosquito”:
“Mosquito is a song about people living off of your hard work. The same people that leave the moment they have nothing more to gain from you. For the video we asked our friend Toby Cameron of On Par productions to film Alex so we could then get Arturo Baston to work his magic over the top.”
Video concept by Alex Studer. Filmed by Toby Cameron of On Par. Animation and edit by Arturo Baston.
Yo No Se return after a 5-year hiatus since their last album, Soma. Their new album Terraform continues on from the dystopian world created in Soma but this time taking the narrative to the stars. Terraform explores the ideas of making a fresh start on another planet but the same problems creep in…. Greed, corruption and hate. Exploring more of a grunge feel along with some hard psych the band recorded with Dom Mitchison (as well as Alex doing guitars and vocals at home), mixed with Ali Chant and mastered again with grunge godfather, Jack Endino.
The band have toured across Europe in support of Soma in the last 5 years and gained a reputation for their loud and energetic shows. The album has 3 drummers under its belt and countless breakdowns on the road. With the pandemic kicking in just as the band started touring, they had plenty of time to finally record (and find another drummer). Terraform is a record 5 years in the making due to sheer bad luck. Hopefully, their luck will change as the band are already working on their follow up record.
The artwork for the cover is by renowned sci-fi artist Bruce Pennington.
Tracklist: 1. Black Door 2. Santa Muerte 3. Pilot 4. Misery 5. Mosquito 6. Slaughter 7. Hairy Chin 8. Feast Of Lies 9. Hold Fire 10. Nectar 11. Terraform
Line up Alex Studer: Guitar, Vocals Jason Strickland: Bass Matt Neicho: Drums
[Click play above to stream Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows’ The Magnetic Ridge in full. Album is out May 17 on Psychedelic Salad and Forbidden Place Records.]
Based in Melbourne, Australia, with a sound that reaches across continents, Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows return after three years with The Magnetic Ridge, their second full-length and the follow-up to 2018’s well-received Hymns debut. The new offering finds band-spearhead Tim Coutts-Smith carrying over some of the elements that helped make the first record such a success. He produced, mixed and mastered The Magnetic Ridge‘s 12 tracks himself (10 on the vinyl), donning role of Jack Harlon III at will in the songs — the closest thing I could find to a lineup around him is Lightning Bolts Richardson, The Ghost of Ed Parsons and One Giant Pig in the group with Coutts-Smith — and Adam Burke‘s stirring cover art again features, as the sound holds firm to a heavy Western/psychedelic tonk feel and an overarching narrative construct.
Opener “The Tale Of” feeds directly into “The Magnetic Ridge,” and the way the two titles play off each other might lead one to believe the former is just an intro, but its substance is broader, and in fact it cleverly showcases much of the range that will stretch across the rest of the album that follows, going from its minimal, cinematic guy-and-guitar storytelling to a resonant, weighted soundscape of layered guitar, bass and crashing drums in its final moments before giving over to the transitional noise that stops with a snare pop as the riff to the title-track signals its own takeoff. Just then, all is thrust and all is vital, but though The Magnetic Ridge has plenty of brash fare in the West Coast US-style shred of side B opener “Stray” or the presiding bombast in the crescendo of the prior “Langolier,” among others, the core of their approach is more about the dynamic, the intertwining of different melodies and rhythms and energies to enact an aesthetic familiar in its heavy blues foundation — All Them Witches circa Lightning at the Door are a distinct presence — and given its own personality through Coutts-Smith‘s conceptual framework and performance.
Likewise, there is a strong commitment to atmosphere. The digital (and presumably CD) version of The Magnetic Ridge push no less deep in this regard than does the vinyl with interludes as separate tracks, but even the LP boasts “De la Luna,” a 90-second stretch of warm heavy psych guitar following the title-track that allows a breather after the initial salvo, sets up the shamanistic Doors-ness of “Rat Poisoning” and offers a hint of Colour Haze-y influence even if that comes through the filter of the aforementioned All Them Witches. In any case, it’s an attention to detail and tone that works entirely to Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows‘ credit there and within subsequent tracks, as one can feel the narrative shifting and twisting in the music even without the benefit of a lyric sheet — or at very least, one can imagine it doing so.
Ambience is further fleshed out in linear formats by “Dream Sequence 1” and “Dream Sequence 2,” two brief inclusions of manipulated voice samples; the latter is William Melarc’s LSD test, the footage of which is widely available. These provide transitions in sides A and B, and are integrated on the vinyl, the first bringing about the immediate shove in “Langolier,” and the second the more gradual meandering lead-in jam for the preach that comes in “The Painter in the Woods,” but both serve a purpose of creating an impression, bolstering the lush, otherworldly vibe and further enabling Coutts-Smith and company to put the listener where they want them to be, as might a film, novel or other vehicle for storytelling. As it goes, “The Painter in the Woods” is about as tripped out as The Magnetic Ridge gets — though that’s not to take away from the open-landscape breadth of “Rat Poisoning” earlier on — and its being sandwiched between “Stray” and “Absolved Pt. 1” is effective in that there’s a grounding feel as the latter takes hold in a more intense rush of fuzz.
The drums will settle, such as it is, into a shuffle, but the tension is still there for sure and the shouting vocals reach out from the depths of the mix such as to make it even more spacious. The melodic resolution there, subtle and ceding to the return of the central riff to begin “Absolved” Pt. 2,” is a high point of craft, as is the linear build that follows. Breaking the two tracks up will not matter to someone hearing it on vinyl, but it’s a clear signal of the structural change around that same progression and further evidence of the thought put to the work on the whole.
Amid all these haunting ghosts and howling winds of guitars, such poise and clarity of vision isn’t to be ignored, but there’s more to The Magnetic Ridge than cinematography. Each song offers its own plot of the wider sphere, from the scene-setting in “The Tale Of” through the “Absolved” duo pushing to where the limits go. Ultimately, this journey brings the listener around to the patient, gets-loud-but-not-too-loud credits roll of “Black Road,” a finale that doesn’t try to top “Absolved Pt. 2” as to provide a denouement from it, an engaging last show of melody and trance-inducing psychnosis. Thusly subdued, Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows wrap their sophomore outing to fit with how it opened, less than predictable, not entirely unfamiliar or so willfully weird as to forget songwriting, reckless only when it wants to be, just as they have been all along.
As regards the strengths of the album as a whole, this is no less overarching than the thread of the plot unfolding, and the control Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows so ably wield over their material makes it that much easier and more of a joy for the audience to be led across the span, littered with dry bones, sunbaked dust and scuttling life on the fringes as it may be. There’s still forward potential here as the band moves toward individual realization, but the lure of The Magnetic Ridge is not to be understated. I’d read this story.
There can be no doubt youth was a factor on Pilgrim‘s side when they made their debut with 2012’s Misery Wizard. Their first long-player was released in January of that year through Metal Blade following a just a demo and a 2011 split with fellow New Englanders Ice Dragon, and from the opening strains of “Astaroth” across the album’s willfully cumbersome 55-minute span, it was pure doom traditionalism with the kind of refresh that only a new generation could provide. Pilgrim — then the trio of guitarist/vocalist Jon “The Wizard” Rossi, bassist Eric “Count Elric the Soothsayer” Dietrich and drummer Nick “Krolg, Slayer of Men” Nosach — were kids and they looked like kids, but with Rossi‘s skullet and mournful voice, the band’s downcast image, depressive tonality, slow-rolling tempos and spacious mix, they tapped into the spirit of earliest The Gates of Slumber in their “true doom” sensibility. Misery Wizard was both the altar of worship and the paean itself when it came to doom for doomers by doomers.
So much of what you need to know is in the slowdown at the end of “Astaroth.” At six and a half minutes, the opener is among the shortest tracks on Misery Wizard — only the brazen, galloping penultimate cut, “Adventurer,” is shorter at 4:29 — and it’s a slog already by the time they’re five minutes in, but as the procession continues toward its inevitable conclusion, the trio bring it slower, slower, and slower until finally it crashes out. It’s not that they were the first doom band ever to stick a slowdown at the finish of a given track, but Pilgrim execute that moment with rare grace from one measure to the next, so that it happens gradually, not in jumps, and lets itself go into the fading feedback ahead of Misery Wizard‘s 10-minute title-track as if it’s opening a gate to the record itself. And, of course, it is.
“Misery Wizard” leads even further down into the D&D-pit-of-despair that Pilgrim craft atmospherically — so much fog and lurk and rolling-of-ones to be had — and arrives as the first of three more extended tracks that comprise the meat of the album, along with “Quest” (9:52) and “Masters of the Sky.” By the time it’s done, “Misery Wizard” is righteously torturous, and “Quest” at first continues the thread, but picks up the tempo shortly before the halfway point, feeling like something of a lifeline thrown to the listener making their way through the dense humidity of the record as a whole, and though it doesn’t last but for a few minutes and the song ends with the album’s loudest ring of feedback, that stretch serves its purpose well. I’ll take “Masters of the Sky” as the highlight of the album, Rossi‘s voice reaching desperately upward through the mix in the early going, layered in the second half and more forward, but still morose and placed well in the raw crash that surrounds ahead of another noisy finish.
Given its speedier shift, there’s really nowhere else to stick “Adventurer” but ahead of 12-minute closer “Forsaken Man.” It never gets quite to High on Fire-level brash, but it’s not far off, and in a different context — and a much smoother production — that main riff wouldn’t have been out of place on a record by The Sword. In Pilgrim‘s hands, the groove is fervent but the tailspin is more dangerous, and the cymbal wash and noise that consumes the better part of the last 40 seconds feels earned in a ringing-out kind of fuckall topped with more feedback.
And speaking of feedback — have I mentioned feedback? — the launch of “Forsaken Man” is like slamming headfirst into a wall of it before the band enact their lurchiest of lurches. The culmination of Misery Wizard hits into another level of grueling, cracking itself open after seven minutes to obscure gurgling, chanting or whatever it is before surging back somewhat to its zombified post-Saint Vitus march, which caps of course in suitably miserable fashion and yet more feedback. Pilgrim having established the method and unfurled their aural punishment at will throughout, it’s only fair they should underscore the point in the album’s final seconds. You wouldn’t call it brutal in the death metal sense, but it’s far from friendly.
I was lucky enough to see Pilgrim three times during this era. The first time was at a show in Brooklyn with Windhand and Magic Circle (review here) and the second time was Stoner Hands of Doom XII in Connecticut (review here), where they were slotted among the headliners and indeed pulled one of the weekend’s best crowds as I recall, and the third time was again in Brooklyn (review here). For such sonically downtrodden fare, the excited vibe around their set at the latter venue was palpable. People were into it. The hype was real and justified. They seemed like a band ready to hit the road, and they were, and they did, touring with Windhand, Heavy Temple, Age of Taurus and Spirit Caravan, among others during their time.
A follow-up to Misery Wizard arrived in March 2014’s II: Void Worship (review here), which found Rossi all the more stepped into his role as frontman as the band tightened their songwriting and explored new reaches of melody that they would seem to have discovered on tour. They’d been to Roadburn 2013 (review here) by then and were no longer kids getting their feet under them as a touring band or playing to genre so much as looking to make their mark on it. One recalls their video for “The Paladin” (posted here) as being particularly emblematic of their aesthetic and putting Rossi at the fore.
His death on Oct. 26, 2017, was the end of the band. By then, Pilgrim was him, Dietrich and Brad “Bradoc the Thunderer” Richardson on drums, and though he was only 26 years old, he’d already had significant impact on the doom underground and an influence on how the up and coming generation of riffers interacted with what had come before them. In my experience with him, he was a shy but friendly enough guy. His loss was deeply felt.
And that’s a sad note to end on, but I can’t help think of the potential Pilgrim had for a longer-term progression that never got to play out. Nine years after their debut, who knows what they might’ve accomplished by this time. Maybe nothing else. Maybe they would’ve broken up — their long tour with Spirit Caravan was a big disillusion moment for them, as well as a fiscal drain — or maybe their third album would’ve been their best yet. We’ll never get to know. What’s important to keep in mind with that is that not knowing doesn’t undercut the value or achievement that was either Misery Wizard or the sophomore outing, and that just because the potential didn’t have the chance to be fulfilled doesn’t mean it wasn’t there in the first place.
This was a good band.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
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Another week.
This week I got to live one of my true parenting nightmares: poop in the bathtub. I’ve been in charge of The Pecan’s bathtime since before he could sit up. Three and a half years and counting, bathtime has been my purview. He’s always hated the bath, even though he’s got toys galore that live in the tub, bubblebath, the whole nine. He doesn’t want water in his face and I do my best to see that he doesn’t get it.
Because he’s so miserable going in his diaper at this point and yet terrified of the toilet because he’s not already completely mastered using it — or, in fact, using it at all — he holds in his poop. For, like, two days before he can’t anymore. That moment came yesterday while he was taking a bath. He was duly horrified. I had to dig through bubbles to find poop nuggets, staying calm and saying it was okay, it was an accident, accidents happen, and all that. I’d always dreaded poop in the tub. I guess it says something about the mundane horrors of parenting that by the time it actually happened, all that shit wasn’t shit, as it were.
Our next door neighbors have a newborn. You can see the drawn look in their faces. I think the guy’s a cop? I don’t know. We’re wave-to-each-other cordial. Every now and again The Patient Mrs. has a conversation. We went out when they brought the kid home. He was squidgy as newborns are. I like that age well enough. They just need you and sleep intermittently. I’ve been thinking about that time — end of 2017 — a lot as a result. I was pretty much dying. I found a picture of myself the other day from a month before he was born. I look sick and I was. Full on bulimic. What’re you gonna do. There’s a big part of me that misses that. The feeling of control. Shrug. Xanax to shut the ol’ brain up.
The weekends are hard lately, no break. I don’t remember what’s up for Monday but I know the week is full. Hang on. Yeah. Yo No Se video premiere Monday. Tuesday Mourn the Light. Wednesday Melissa. Thursday Wytch and Bottomless. Friday I’m gonna review something. Maybe Heavy Temple or Stöner, depending on my mood. Shrug again.
Alright, I think we’re all caught up. New Gimme show today, 5PM, and I still don’t know if I’m posting this before or after the Jack Harlon thing. I think before, because technically in Australia that post will be for Saturday morning? I don’t know. I’ll think about it while I dick around at Wegmans and look at food I’m not gonna let myself eat. It goes like that sometimes.
Thanks for reading. Great and safe weekend. Hydrate. Watch your head. Do what you need to do to get through the day. Go buy some Obelisk shorts from David at MIBK. He’s a great guy.
