I was fortunate enough to catch wind of Philly duo Deathbird Earth‘s Mission demo (review here) last year, and was glad I did for the weirdoblast anti-genre take on offer. The band’s debut album, Objective Consciousness, feels likely to be a brainmelter, and the first single from it, “Take My Blood,” bears that out with post-yourface wash and a powerful sprawl.

What’s in store for the rest, I don’t know, but even the whole album is just part of the story as in a truly avant garde decision as regards running the business end of your band, the two-piece’s first LP is just part of the story of their releases coming out this Spring. Detailed below are also two collaborative session offerings, one of which includes Yanni Papadopoulos of Philly instrumentalist legends (yes, this is the second time in the last weekd I’m calling them legends; will do every time from here on out; this is actually a decision I made a while back) Stinking Lizaveta in the mix, and that surely will be a thing to look out for. And if it seems like they’re running a risk of undercutting themselves — which they are — I don’t think ‘maximizing audience share’ is the top priority here. More creativity, less internalized capitalistic mindset in expectations. I dig that.

Shows are lined up and listed below, and if you get turned around in all the PR wire info, confusion is part of the intent. Go safely:

Philadelphia heavy space & noise rock duo Deathbird Earth announce debut album “Objective Consciousness” on SRA Records; lead single “Take My Blood” out now!

Debut album “Objective Consciousness” out April 3rd on SRA Records; Lead single “Take My Blood” released February 12th

Preorder: https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-objective-consciousness/

Collaboration session LPs out March 12th:
“Deathbird Earth + Planet-Y”
“Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi”

“Objective Consciousness” is the debut album from Deathbird Earth, a 2 piece band based in the city of Philadelphia on the planet of Earth, consisting of BJ (Hulk Smash, Dialer, Dangerbird) and Dave (Psychic Teens, Gholas, Exmaid). Deathbird Earth’s sound tends to eschew typical genre classification but is made from a mix of heavy drums and distorted bass layered with keyboard sounds that may or may not be lifted from your favorite classic science fiction films. The album is available from SRA Records (Soul Glo, Stinking Lizaveta, HIRS) on translucent “black ice” vinyl, CD and tape.

The album was recorded at Red Planet and features more collaborators than actual band members. On Side A, two tracks were born out of full-blown collaborative sessions. “Mission: Planet-Y” was recorded with experimental duo Planet-Y which features Yanni Papadopoulos (Stinking Lizaveta) & Pete Wilder (EDO), and “Mission: Nick Millevoi” was laid down with guitar virtuoso extraordinaire Nick Millevoi (Basic, Many Arms, Desertion Trio). Both sessions yielded a full 40 minutes worth of improved music and will each be released on limited LPs and cassettes (available via SRA Records!) March 12th.

In the band’s own words:

BJ:
“It was important to us that this record be raw and represent what we do live. To that end we didn’t use a click track, drum replacements or auto tuning. But we decided to take it a step farther and also did no drum edits at all, instead opting for doing multiple takes until we got it ‘close enough’. We are firmly against the use of AI in art and used none of it in our creative process.

Dave:
“The group of songs that make up ‘Objective Consciousness’ feels very immediate to me. BJ and I wrote them together in our practice space in just one year from first practice to the start of recording. I think it allows them to still feel fresh and not ‘overworked’ which is important in keeping the energy and original intent behind the songs intact.”

Upcoming releases:

Armed with an abundance of material born out of album recording sessions and late night collaborations, Deathbird Earth lead their descent upon Terra with:

Deathbird Earth Winter 2026 shows:

3/12: Two longform collaborations, with Nick Millevoi and Planet-Y

4/3: Album “Objective Consciousness”

More music video and single dates coming soon!

Fri Feb 13 @ 1901 House, Huntington WV

Sat Feb 14 @ UCRP, 2 Piece Fest Chiacgo IL

Sun Feb 15 @ Harmony Gym, Bloomington IN

Fri Feb 20 @ Flemington DIY, Flemington NJ

Sat Feb 21 @ Ukie Club, 2 Piece Fest Philadelphia PA

Sat Feb 28 @ Mobtown Ballroom, 2 Piece Fest Baltimore MD

Physical pre-orders on SRA Records:

Objective Consciousness (Vinyl, CD cassette): https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-objective-consciousness/

Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi (Vinyl, cassette): https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-nick-millevoi-collaborative-album/

Deathbird Earth + Planet Y (Vinyl, cassette): https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-planet-y-collaborative-album/

—

All songs written by Deathbird Earth except Christchurch 281 written by Deathbird Earth and Eleni Kostiopoulos. Mission: Planet-Y improvised by Deathbird Earth and Planet-Y. Mission: Nick Millevoi improvised by Deathbird Earth and Nick Millevoi

Deathbird Earth is:
BJ – Bass, Synthesizers, Vocals
Dave – Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer

[Photo by Dan Cohoon.]

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

https://srarecords.com/
https://srarecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/srarecords/
https://www.facebook.com/SRArecords

Deathbird Earth, Objective Consciousness (2026)

As you’ll be able tell with all the atsigns and applicable emojis, the following lineup announcement for Hoflärm 2026 came out through social media and I was lucky enough that the algorithm put it in front of my eyeballs. Swedish rockers Blues Pills and Poland’s Dopelord — the latter of whom are on tour now with Napalm Death right now — headline the announcement, but with newcomers Kardeathian and Scott Hepple and the Sun Band as well as the doomly Void and the Nothingness and exploitation-themed heavymakers Mephistofeles rounding out, there’s plenty here to dig into even before you get to the context of the first announce, which brought Kylesa, Kadavar, Conan, Dead Meadow and others. You can see the full poster below. The names are many, varied, rad, and there are apparently more to come.

The three-dayer helmed by Caspar Orfgen (also of Daevar) is set for Aug. 13-15 in Marienthal, Germany. Here’s the latest:

⚡️ @hoflärm 2026 – 2nd Bandwave – Day Tickets Available ⚡️

Alright… we’ve got some big news for you.

Our final headliner for this year is:

@bluespills – High-energy rock with soul, grit and serious stage presence. Fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Elin Larsson, they blend vintage psychedelia with modern edge and live, they hit even harder.

And the second wave doesn’t stop there:

@dopelord_666
Massive riffs, crushing doom and the kind of low-end that shakes you to the core. Pure heavy worship.

@mephistofelesmetal
Fuzzy, dark and beautifully trippy. These guys deliver gritty stoner rock straight from the underground.

@scottheppleandthesunband
Garage-psychedelic goodness with groove and heart. Catchy, wild and made for late summer festival nights.

@voidnothingnessdoom
After sharing the stage with Daevar multiple times, the young band is set to play their festival debut at Hoflärm 2026. FFO Uncle Acid & Electric Wizard – dark, hypnotic, riff-heavy.

@kardeathian.doom
We can’t wait to welcome this new trio, formed by well-known faces from the Dortmund scene, to their festival debut at Hoflärm. Expect fresh energy, heavy vibes and a set that will leave a mark.

🎟️ Day Tickets are available now – don’t sleep on it.

📅 Final Day Split + more band announcements are coming your way very soon.

Background Photos: @blackout_fg
Poster: @caaspar.o

https://www.hoflaerm.de/
https://instagram.com/hoflaerm/
https://www.facebook.com/Hofcafe.Hoflaerm

Dopelord, Songs for Satan (2023)

Wait? A heavy rock and roll band? From London? Please, give me a second to control my dryly sarcastic surprise.

Yes, Okay You Win emerge from one of the most crowded heavy underground scenes the world over — other places go in waves; London is constant and has been for at least the last 15 years — but my thinking here is, especially since the four-piece only have a 2023 live release out, that Blues Funeral Recordings knows something we don’t. And by that I mean they’ve heard the record in question here, and if you’re new to the band like me and haven’t seen them live yet — they’ll be at Desertfest London this year, with more shows reportedly to follow — and are wondering how they got picked up, I’m betting the record is what’s going to be the answer.

No audio yet, but keep an ear out, is my advice. This one came down the PR wire:

London heavy rockers OKAY YOU WIN sign to Blues Funeral Recordings

Blues Funeral Recordings are pleased to welcome London heavy rock quartet OKAY YOU WIN to their roster, with their debut album set for release later this year.

Four-piece heavy rock band Okay You Win came together in London in 2023. Over three years, the band has built a solid reputation on the UK underground heavy rock scene, bringing a double hit of heavy riffs and soaring vocals.

Rooted in influences from Seattle grunge, Californian desert rock, 90s alt-rock and classic British heavy metal, OKYW blends psychedelic stoner rock and doomy breakdowns with driving rock riffs. The band has just recorded its debut full-length album at The Nave in Leeds with producer Andy Hawkins (Psychlona, Grave Lines, The Damned) and mastered by Alain Johannes.

Okay You Win have had a stellar 2025, playing shows across the UK and a short run in Northern Spain, with a Desertfest London appearance confirmed for May 15th, 2026, and further UK and European dates to be announced shortly.

About signing to Blues Funeral Recordings, they state: “Our recent signing with Blues Funeral marks a major step forward for us, and in our journey together as a band. To be releasing our debut album on such a well-respected label, and alongside such an exceptional roster of heavy bands – bands we have literally ‘looked up to’ from the pit – is something we are extremely proud of. We hope that this album, and these songs, will help us to earn our own rightful place in the international heavy community.”

https://okayyouwin.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/okayyouwinofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/p/Okay-You-Win-UK-61565193494648/

bluesfuneral.com
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blues.funeral/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/

Okay You Win, Live From the Pit (2023)

As it’s drawn together by an overarching lushness of melody and a vinyl-minded warmth of sound that extends even to Pedro Lopes‘ snare drum, one would not accuse Portuguese psych rockers Summer of Hate‘s sound of lacking variety. Across the band’s second full-length and label-debut for Tee Pee Records, Blood and Honey, the Espinho-based six-piece tangle with ’60s pop, doom, shimmering shoegaze, Iberian folk and Middle Eastern sounds — the opening title-track and the finale “The Gospel (According to Summer of Hate)” have a bit of a goth infection, melodically — except that it isn’t a tangle at all. It’s a cogent, individual expression of purpose and songwriting, and from the outset of that same title-track, there is nowhere Summer of Hate go that they don’t either find or make into solid ground. Blood and Honey is the band’s follow-up to 2022’s Love is Dead, Long Live Love, and in its 48-minute/seven-track run, one finds disparate-seeming ambitions realized in pieces that work toward their own ends while unquestionably enriching the whole.

Vocalist Laura Calado and founding guitarist João Martins would seem to be the team leading the unit as regards songwriting, but with Xavier Valente and Ricardo Fonseca (also keys) on guitar, bassist Fábio Pereira, the aforementioned Lopes on drums, plus guest contributions from Thomas Attar (ex-Blaak Heat Shujaa), who produced the ‘Blood’ side, on second cut “El Saif” and guest percussion from Regina Faria, there is no want of persona throughout. And the breakdown into two sides, which isn’t even as it seems centerpiece “Mayura” — one of three longer inclusions with “Blood and Honey” and “The Gospel (According to Summer of Hate)”; they’re placed as landmarks along the way with two five-to-six-minute songs spaced between; none of it lacking substance or intent — ends the ‘Blood’ portion before the Rafael Silva-produced ‘Honey’ starts, may just owe its distinction to the shift in who recorded, but once you know, there is a perceptible shift as “Além” takes hold subsequent to the so-blown-out-it-that-in-another-context-it-would-be-black-metal crescendo and handclap finish of “Mayura” (they cover a lot of ground in that eight minutes, if you couldn’t tell), twisting into an organic wash that’s more ’80s than ’60s, more Duran Duran than Beatles, and catchy even in Portuguese for someone who doesn’t speak the language.

But even the turn from ‘Blood’ to ‘Honey’ — which moves into the penultimate “Joy” with an intro that had me wondering the first time on a blind listen if I was about to hear a cover of A-Ha‘s “Take on Me” (which no doubt Summer of Hate would nail) before the patiently-unfolding epic-strum expanse of “The Gospel (According to Summer of Hate)” rounds out — doesn’t necessarily interrupt the front-to-back fluidity that emerges from the moderated tempos, the melodies, and the noted warmth of tone. Summer of Hate aren’t pop, but they’re influenced by pop from across decades enough that my Northeastern ears can’t help but hear Type O Negative in the second half of “Blood and Honey” and the dreamy latter reaches of the closer — you’ll recall the Beatles-plus-Black–Sabbath formula there; it would seem to apply here as well, if only as part of the broader stylistic pastiche — and in “El Saif,” they speak to the history of Mediterranean psychedelia in the movement and scales employed, but Calado‘s voice ties the track to “Blood and Honey” just before, and here too, a hook helps. “El Saif,” immediately notable for its inflection in the guitar, is a big jump in physicality from the rolling chorusmaking of “Blood and Honey” as well, but it is executed artfully and in such a way as to make a statement early in the record that Summer of Hate aren’t going to be tied to a single idea or sound. Or if they are, they’re setting their own varied terms for what that means and how it manifests.

Thus is Blood and Honey often beautiful. It changes hue from moment to moment, but is never not rich with color, and as “Ashura” follows “El Saif,” some of that song’s Middle Easternism is answered in the guitar and rhythm, but as the second half unfurls, it’s as much about atmosphere as motion, and that leads into the foreboding start of “Mayura,” with more prominent bass and guitar pushed back in the mix for ambient effect behind the verse; a not-exactly-subtle-but-not-beating-you-over-the-head change and the beginning point of a build that happens creatively and smoothly as the tension mounts in the plunge of a chorus, “Chase me in circles/And tear me down/Chase me in circles/And wear me down,” and the memorable lines, “Hey, chase me around/And open every door in my house/Hey, what are you looking for/I’ve got nothing for you, nothing more.” They’re still a ways from the actual payoff at that point, which speaks to the whole side as much as its own progression, but the going is satisfying enough that when they let go into the drifting midsection, the distorted guitar that hits right at 5:37 after the quick stop is a clarion that immediately tells the listener ‘you have arrived.’ The rest of the song bears that out.

That’s a crucial moment of culmination, but upped a degree by “The Gospel (According to Summer of Hate),” which is the longest inclusion at nearly 10 minutes and caps Blood and Honey with an emotionality that reaches for authenticity like ’90s revivalism but is both working to a terrestrial structure (that is to say it’s played in a grounded manner) while being ethereal in its affect. There’s a plan, but one might be forgiven for closing ones eyes and just following along at that point in the album; the band make the going such an encompassing pleasure, after all. Perhaps most of everything, they underscore how much identity there is in their work — drawing influence from such a range of elements, it would’ve been easy for Summer of Hate to fall flat if the craft and effort weren’t there to draw their songs together — and just how much it is their own. I wouldn’t hazard to predict what they might do from here or when. I find myself genuinely unconcerned with these things while listening, and whatever else might eventually come or not, I’m just really happy this exists. Recommended.

Summer of Hate, “El Saif” feat. Thomas Attar official video

Summer of Hate, Blood and Honey (2026)

Summer of Hate on Bandcamp

Summer of Hate on Instagram

Summer of Hate on Facebook

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records Linktr.ee

Tee Pee Records on Bandcamp

Tee Pee Records on Instagram

Tee Pee Records on Facebook

As is their wont, Philadelphia experimental psych heads Rope Trick have lined up a slew of Northeast regional shows between now and the I-swear-it’s-going-to-happen-at-some-point beginning of summer. It’s a tour comprised of weekenders and nights out of town, and will take them as far as Richmond, Youngstown and Boston, so they’re covering a decent amount of ground, and you an see between the likes of Clamfight, Sinister Haze, Coma Hole, Almost Honest and the legends Stinking Lizaveta that they’ll be keeping sound company along the way.

They did some traveling as well around the 2024 release of their latest EP, Red Tide, which you can stream below, and I haven’t heard anything about new music from them, but either way, these will be good, weird gigs, and that’s the kind I like best.

Dates came down the PR wire:

ROPE TRICK, the heavy psych duo from Philadelphia, is poised once again to tear a new rift in the fabric of the Northeast US, bringing their acid-fried cosmic rock to 14 shows in 9 states, ranging from Boston to Pittsburgh to Richmond.

ROPE TRICK burst out with the acclaimed “Red Tide” EP in 2024, and rumour has it: they’ve just finished recording their first long playing studio album. Indy Shome (guitar/vocal) and Nate Totushek (drums) have been musical co-conspirators since 2010, including in QUEEN ELEPHANTINE. The pair has evolved a symbiotic sound that is so much more than the sum of its parts. The synergy is electric. The chemistry is explosive.

3.6 Philadelphia @ Cousin Danny’s Lounge w/ Clamfight
3.12 Washington @ Comet Ping Pong w/ Shadow Riot
3.13 Richmond @ Fuzzy Cactus w/ Sinister Haze
3.14 Baltimore @ Zissimos w/ Early American
4.10 Philadelphia @ Vox Populi w/ Sweepers
4.12 Brooklyn @ Hart Bar w/ Chaser
4.24 New Haven @ Cafe Nine w/ Human Fund
5.8 Boston @ Faces w/ Major Stars
5.9 Providence @ AS220 w/ Coma Hole
5.16 Philadelphia @ Common Beat w/ Stinking Lizaveta
5.22 Pittsburgh @ Brillobox w/ Rated Eye
5.23 Youngstown @ Westside Bowl w/ Rated Eye
5.24 York @ Collusion Tapworks w/ Almost Honest

(Photo by Ben Stas/Noise Floor)

Rope Trick are:
Guitar + Vocals by Indy Shome
Drums by Nate Totushek

http://ropetrickband.com
ropetrickband.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/ropetrickband/
https://www.facebook.com/ropetrickband

Rope Trick, “Neptune” live at Somergloom 2024

Rope Trick, Red Tide (2024)

I had never seen Memphis heavy rockers The Heavy Eyes until a couple weeks ago at Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI (review here) in Las Vegas. They were killer, I guess, is the key insight. So much the better that they’re taking the show on the road in Europe, playing Wasted! Open Air, Blackdoor Music Festival and SOL Sonic Ride, the latter put on by Sound of Liberation, whereas Total Volume is presenting the tour.

Of course the fests are an occasion unto themselves — they’re bookending the tour; this is how it’s done these days; fortunately there is a festival somewhere every weekend — and it’s not like the band needs a record to tour on, but it’s been six years since The Heavy Eyes released Love Like Machines (review here), for which they also toured in Europe in 2022, so if there’s an announcement coming, you might say they’re due for a new record. Some simple math also reveals that 2026 is the 15th anniversary of the band’s 2011 self-titled debut, and what would also be a thing to celebrate if they’re so inclined.

Could pause here to reflect on flying time, but will spare you. While you sigh with relief at having dodged that one, by all means peruse the dates below. Their announcement was crisp and straightforward and came from the social medias. Here’s to requesting cheese:

Europe, we’re crossing the pond this summer. Prepare for our arrival with exotic cheeses and wine please. See y’all out there.

13.06 DE Wasted! Open Air
14.06 NL Arnheim Cafe Bosch
17.06 NL Amsterdam De Tanker
18.06 NL Dordrecht Bibelot
19.06 UK London Oslo
20.06 FR Paris Supersonic Records
21.06 FR Lille La Bulle Cafe
23.06 DE Lichtenfels Paunchy Cats
24.06 DE Munster Rare Guitar
25.06 DE Jena Kuba
26.06 DE Blackdoor Music Festival
27.06 DE Wiesbaden SOL Sonic Ride

http://theheavyeyesmemphis.bandcamp.com
http://www.instagram.com/theheavyeyes
http://www.facebook.com/TheHeavyEyes

http://kozmik-artifactz.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kozmikartifactz

The Heavy Eyes, Love Like Machines (2020)

At some point this year, maybe even by July when StonerKras 2026 is set to take place, Stoned Jesus will issue the second installment of their intended triptych in the form of Songs to Moon, following the 2025 highlight Songs to Sun (review here) and preceding 2027’s intended Songs to Earth. If you like good news — and you know I do — that should certainly qualify.

That Stoned Jesus are the first band confirmed for StonerKras Fest in Trieste, Italy — hence the ‘+TBA’ on the poster below — tells you they’ll probably be on tour at the time, coming from Germany where the Ukraine-rooted band are now living (because endless war), but it also tells you StonerKras is going to be killer. I assume Stoned Jesus will headline, since the lineups for StonerKras have tended to be low-key killer, doable-with-a-family, all-dayer-type affairs complete with vending and such, but I don’t actually know that, so will look forward to seeing who else is taking part.

Looks like a good time to me:

Rocket Panda Management to announce StonerKras Fest 2026 – FIRST BAND ANNOUNCED TODAY !!

*** STONERKRAS FEST 2026 ***
– 11.07.2026 – Prosek-Prosecco (Trieste, ITA) –
V edition

FACEBOOK EVENT: https://fb.me/e/6EZVl43ZR

TICKETS: https://stonerkras.it/tickets.html

StonerKras Fest is a psychedelic music gathering based on stoner, doom and heavy psych music. The festival has an international footprint but with the aim of enhancing the local heavy scene (both Slovenian and Italian) while attracting spectators from the region but also from neighboring countries.

Youth aggregation and cultural exchange accompanied by good music.

The festival will celebrate it’s 5th edition with an amazing lineup that will be unveiled in the next weeks.

!! FIRST BAND ANNOUNCED TODAY !!
!! VERY EXCLUSIVE SHOW FOR NORTH-EAST ITALY, SLOVENIA AND CROATIA IN THIS 2026 !!

*** STONED JESUS ***
stoner prog from Ukraine

We are stoked to announce the first confirmed band for our StonerKras Fest 5th edition.
The mighties stoner prog wizards STONED JESUS will perform with a very exclusive show for North-East Italy, Slovenia and Croatia in 2026 !!

Stoned Jesus is an Ukrainian stoner prog-rock trio formed in Kiev in 2009 by Igor Sydorenko.

They are considered one of the the pillars of the European heavy rock scene, known for popularizing the genre with epic, extended songs like their cult classic “I’m the Mountain.”

GRAB YOUR TICKET HERE:
https://stonerkras.it/tickets.html

MORE BANDS WILL BE UNVEILED IN THE NEXT WEEKS..

** FOOD & DRINKS **
** MARKET STANDS **
** PSYCHEDELIC LIGHT SHOW **
** MASSAGE-SHIATSU AREA **
** FREE AFTERPARTY DJ-SET ***
+
** OVERNIGHT AREA **
** SUNDAY AFTERPARTY with LIVE MUSIC **

Artwork made by Mirkow Gastow

https://www.stonerkras.it/
https://www.instagram.com/stonerkrasfest/
https://www.facebook.com/StonerKrasFest

Stoned Jesus, “Shadowland” official video

The truth of the matter is I could sit here and pile up words until I’m blue in the fingertips and it still wouldn’t necessarily come close to capturing the effect The Action is Go (previously discussed here) has had — continues to have — on heavy rock and roll and the lives of its devotees. Released Oct. 7, 1997, as the San Clemente, California, four-piece’s second full-length for Mammoth Records (under the Atlantic umbrella for a while, later bought by Disney, who I guess still own it?), the 14-song/55-minute offering is for sure of its era in structure and the crunch of its production, but it set a standard for fuzz that looked beyond the accomplishments of, say, Kyuss, Clutch and Monster Magnet, pushing toward a future for the genre and actively shaping it. Many listners will know or will have been exposed to The Action is Go simply because opening track “Evil Eye” was on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 in 2000. Others will have come to it later, either through osmosis or having chased through Fu Manchu‘s catalog to get there, but it’s an album people cite as a favorite, and it is no less a generational landmark for the casual cool with which it unfolds.

One lesson The Action is Go teaches is that where strides Brant Bjork, groove follows. You might recall that the then-Kyuss drummer produced 1994’s No One Rides for Free (discussed here), Fu Manchu‘s first album. He would stay with the band through 2001’s California Crossing, while in the meantime launching his solo career in 1999 and releasing Ché‘s Sounds of Liberation (review here) in 2000. That he and still-in-the-band lead guitarist Bob Balch both made their first Fu full-length appearances on The Action is Go can be heard in the personality of the record. Up to that point, the shred had been handled by Eddie Glass — who after parting from Fu Manchu formed Nebula with fellow ex-members Ruben Romano (drums; now of The Freeks) and Mark Abshire (bass) — but Balch was and is a different kind of player, and as Fu Manchu began to expand on the shove that was 1996’s In Search Of… (review here), the malleability of his style let him adapt to what a given song needed. Thus the wah howl at the start of “Evil Eye” finds natural complement in the ending of “Urethane,” which follows, even though the two songs are working toward markedly different goals.

And that in itself is an important distinction. The first two tracks of The Action is Go set up a back and forth in tempo that runs throughout the tracklisting. The title-track is a shove, and “Burning Road” trades that for a slick, funky verse opening into a bigger sounding hook. It’s not all so black and white as they dig in, but the brashness of “Unknown World” and the outright funk of “Laserbl’ast” still apply, and the nascent heavy psych of “Saturn III” and punk thrust in 75-second finale “Nothing Done” (an SSD cover) perhaps make the statement most dramatically at the album’s conclusion. Fu Manchu were growing, had already grown much from their hardcore origins as founding guitarist Scott Hill already was the lone remaining founding member of the band — bassist Brad Davis had joined for 1995’s Daredevil (discussed here), locking in an essential piece of the puzzle — and in Bjork, they broadened their sound further with mid-tempo cuts like the start-stop nodder “Anodizer” and its bluesy complement “Trackside Hoax,” sounding aware of themselves in the doing in a way that speaks to maturity without actually being mature. That is to say, what they were chasing was still new at the time, to them and to the audience, and The Action is Go carries forward the urgency of its title regardless of a given track’s meter.

Balch gets something of a showcase in “Laserbl’ast,” but is right there with Hill tonally for the central riff of “Hogwash,” more patiently holding back for the solo to come. Even that choice, to momentarily hold back — don’t worry, there’s plenty of shred for everybody — is a shift in personality from where Fu Manchu had been to that point. “Hogwash,” “Grendel, Snowman” and “Strolling Astronomer” separate “Laserbl’ast” and “Saturn III.” The latter two are still featured in setlists, the three others not so much, but “Grendel, Snowman” brings a thicker, broader-sounding riff and “Strolling Astronomer” ignites at its start with an energy that is, well, about as classic Fu as you get; a skater/slacker vision of cool that rock and roll never managed to successfully replace. The flow these songs create between them, as a subsection of that of the album as a whole, isn’t to be understated, and it’s all the more crucial with “Saturn III” tucked away for the record’s apex of outreach.

I would put “Saturn III” in league with songs like Clutch‘s “Spacegrass” or Kyuss‘ “Whitewater” — a cosmic-toned jam that, for Fu Manchu, who came from punk and continue to foster a strong sense of structure in their work, was a departure in more than just its long fadeout. It brims with purpose on The Action is Go. It is a willful jam, included specifically to be a jam, and to be the grand ending ahead of the epilogue cover (again, that contrast, purposeful); it lets loose in a way Fu Manchu weren’t always willing to do. A special moment, preceded by a slew of shifts in character throughout the material, built toward and executed with vitality that remains satisfying 29 years after the fact. You could say the same of the whole record, I guess, and that’s a big part of what’s given it its staying power.

Because at least for heavy rock, The Action is Go doesn’t sound dated. It sounds quintessential. Exemplar. It is a record people are still finding — if you’ve never heard, please leave a comment, I’d love to know — and learning from, and it’s one that unmistakably helped set the path Fu Manchu would walk subsequent to it. Every accolade you’ve ever seen for it was earned.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

—

I’m really glad I reviewed that Abronia record. Next week, Summer of Hate (which is late, I know; welcome to The Obelisk), and premieres for Craneium, L’Ira del Baccano (full album) and Sun Voyager. That’s right. Pretty killer. Things have picked back up a bit after the January lull. I don’t know that I’m ready for it, but I kind of never am, so whatever. It’ll be fun.

Yesterday was The Patient Mrs.’ birthday. She didn’t have to go to campus, which was nice, but we ended up working most of the day anyhow and she had a school board meeting at night. The Pecan and I went shopping after school on Wednesday to get her a couple ridiculous little things — a floating jellyfish lamp that The Pecan subsequently tried to adopt, then yesterday forgot about; the fleeting joys of an ADHD childhood — and this morning I came with her to work just to hang out for the commute and run some errands when she’s done in class. A little shake to my own routine, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

I think the president (and a slew of cohorts humanity ironically refers to as “elites”) raping children might be the worst thing in the world. At least this week. Surely some fresh new horror is on the way.

What’s the point of anything, I wonder. If there was a party that was “burn it all down” that wasn’t also terrible and racist, they’d have my vote. Was thinking I might run for office on a guillotine ticket, but I’ve shared too many of my actual opinions publically to be electable. Also I know nothing, but that doesn’t seem to stop others from governing. Not sure why it would hold me back, especially as a white dude in 2026.

A Zelda update: I beat Wind Waker again. Not really an accomplishment, but fun. I modded the game to get things like a fast sail and to negate having to chase down heart pieces across the Great Sea, put in cheat codes for infinite arrows and bombs, so it wasn’t like a ‘clean playthrough,’ but I was just trying to have a good time and did. I don’t know that I’ll do the Second Quest anytime soon, but I started playing it again because I lost the other game I had, so might do it eventually. In the meantime, I started a game of Link’s Awakening on the OLED Switch, since The Pecan isn’t interested in it in the moment and it’s relatively short and, unlike the open-air games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom), not such a commitment of time or emotional labor. And I really like the style, the chibi Link and environment. I played A Link Between Worlds and I still want them to remake A Link to the Past with that aesthetic. It lags on the Switch, but so does everything.

I didn’t watch this week’s Starfleet Academy yet. It’s over an hour long, just the one episode, so when I loaded it up last night after bedtime (which is when The Patient Mrs. and I, also going to bed, will often put on a Star Trek together before actually going to sleep), I decided it was too much. I ended up conking out during Deep Space Nine‘s tribble episode — it was the lady’s birthday, after all; special occasion warrants special absurdity — and didn’t at all feel like that was a loss. I’ll get there either tonight or tomorrow.

Probably tonight, since tomorrow Nine Inch Nails are playing New Jersey and The Patient Mrs. and I were planning to go to that. I wasn’t going to review. I’ve seen NIN twice over the years, once for The Fragile (my favorite album) and once after that during the With Teeth era. Both times kinda sucked. I approach this show with a bit of trepidation, but I’ve seen the sets are focused around The Downward Spiral and such, and of course that record’s a classic, so we’ll roll the dice again.

The Pecan’s off from school Monday and I’ve got a boatload of homework for Hungarian class(es), but I’ll do my best to write as much as I can blah blah. Until Monday, then, have a great and safe weekend, unless you’re a bootlicker, in which case (1:) go away, you’re not welcome here and (2:) you can fuck yourself off the side of a cliff for all I care.

The rest of you, remain wonderful.

FRM.

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