Making the case for justice in the universe is the supergroup Shrinebuilder, which the PR wire confirms will be releasing their self-titled debut on Neurot in October. Just in time for it to be album of the year. In case you’ve missed out and don’t know who the band is, here’s the full story, plus some November live dates and the album track list. I’ll see you at the NYC show at the Red Fish.

The first Shrinebuilder performances have been announced! The group have announced several US shows taking place this November. The confirmed shows as of now include a double set (early and late performances)?at Chicago‘s Empty Bottle on November 14th. Following that very next day will be the newly announced show at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan.

11/14/2009 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL (8 PM and 11 PM performances)
11/15/2009 Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY

The much-anticipated?upcoming debut album?from the unit will be released on Neurot Recordings this October. Featuring Dale Crover (Melvins),?Scott “Wino” Weinrich (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan), Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and?Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep), the album is a powerful?culmination of it’s members’ distinct styles that coalesce into an entity of it’s own. Comprised of five?epic passages showcasing this group’s grandiose merging of soulful doom dirges, spiritual mantras, monstrous buildups and chest-collapsing grooves, the self-titled debut is truly a must-hear album of 2009. The record’s stunning cover art comes from Josh Graham (A Storm of Light, Neurosis‘ visual media artist).

Shrinebuilder tracklisting:
1. Solar Benediction
2. Pyramid of the Moon
3. Blind for all to See
4. The Architect
5. Science of Anger

When I called Dusted Angel frontman, Clifford Dinsmore, for the following interview, the Santa Cruz singer was out riding his bike. As he’d shortly inform me, he was about a block away from raging wildfires that were, as he put it, “Like riding your bike in the middle of a camp fire.” I was largely unable to imagine the heat, discomfort and threatened feelings such a situation might produce.

Nonetheless, the former BL’AST and Gargantula frontman was willing to give up some of his time to discuss his latest project, Dusted Angel, who recently issued their self-titled debut 7″ (review here) through Corruption Recordings. Rooted in doomed-out, old school simplicity and foreboding riff-led atmospheres, the five-piece has already amassed a considerable following taking into account their still-nascent status.

After the jump, the veteran vocalist discusses the formation of Dusted Angel, their recording process with the much-revered Billy Anderson, and what they have planned for the future. Followers of a traditional doom aesthetic and a new school sensibility will want to take note. Enjoy.

Read more »

Even looking at the two titles with which he?s chosen to represent his first solo outing apart from Los Natas, it?s plain to see Sergio Chotsourian is working to reconcile two sides of himself. For a band moniker, he?s chosen Ararat, the highest mountain in and national symbol of his ancestral Armenia (actually it?s located in Turkey now, but everyone pretty much considers it Armenian anyway), and for an album title, Musica de la Resistencia, which is inextricably linked to the Latin American revolutionary ideal. The Argentine guitarist/vocalist lets loose this cross-cultural interplay across seven mostly experimental tracks on Ararat?s MeteorCity debut, making a marked sonic departure from his main outfit — at least mostly.

There are two extended tracks on the mostly instrumental Musica de la Resistencia, and the first of them is opener ?Gitanoss,? named for the Romani peoples of Spain. The song begins with an echoey sample and high desert tones with drums underneath before devolving into more ambient territory. Chotsourian wastes no time establishing the fact that Ararat is not going to be a band with one particular approach and a darker track such as the organ-infused ?Gitanoss? is only one face he might choose to show at any given time. Surprisingly, he follows it with an exact port of ?Dos Horses? from Los Natas? latest album, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad (Small Stone). The tones that began and ended that record appear here almost as a flotation device to keep listeners from drowning in the dreariness of the 14 minutes prior, although one wonders if Chotsourian was looking to connect Musica de la Resistencia with Nuevo Orden de la Libertad, he couldn?t have taken the central musical theme of ?Dos Horses? and put it into a new context. The piece has already shown itself malleable enough to be used for multiple purposes, but this is a small gripe.

Read more »

They?re based in the UK, but there?s really no telling where planet-hopping space rockers Litmus might end up in or out of this feebly-armed galaxy by the end of their third album, Aurora, and where they might take you likewise. Their second album on Rise Above Records (2004?s You are Here came out on aptly-named Space Records), Aurora follows the mellotronned spirit of 2007?s Planetfall, but delves even further into an unmined quarry of retro prog and Hawkwindy sonicspheres.

?Beyond the Sun,? ?Miles Away,? ?Stars? and album highlight ?Kings of Infinite Space? let you know Litmus are interested in distance and journey, and their music follows suit, with delicately composed — but heavy — progressions of technically complex riffs and rhythms. The multiple vocals of drummer Marek, guitarist Fiddler and bassist Martin work in tandem to affect a ?70s-style harmonized patchwork, enhanced on record by liberal reverb and backed by the already noted mellotron and other psychedelic swirlings of resident noisemaker Anton and keyboardist Oli. With these two members focused entirely on ambience around the traditional power trio, Litmus bravely rock their way into a difficultly navigated asteroid field on ?In the Burning Light? while floating through the outer reaches of anti-gravity with ?Eos? only minutes later, allowing for twists sound-wise for which other bands simply aren?t equipped.

Read more »

It’s looking like what’s really gone forever from this site crashing are the two live reviews from this past week, namely Negative Reaction and Moth Eater out on Long Island at Fin’s Pub and The Atomic Bitchwax and Shovelhead in New Jersey at the Brighton Bar. Kind of a pisser to see them go, since I thought they were pretty good, but if there’s one thing that happens, in the immortal words of Chris Goss, “It’s shit.”

Instead of trying to recreate the moment or fake the reviews again — which I could probably get away with since I doubt anyone’s paying attention — I’ve decided to play the hand I’m dealt and just do a quick chronological rundown of the bands and what went down during their sets. Here goes:

Negative Reaction: These guys usually kill and they killed. Had a projector set up showing scenes from space, adding a little psych to the sludge mayhem. Long set, but they played well. Was that a new song I heard?

Moth Eater: First I’d seen them, but it was only their second show. Their singer sounds like the dude from Lamb of God, but the riffs are cool and the vibes are upbeat, so it’s a good time anyway. Sounded scarily tight for it being their second show.

Shovelhead: Reports are they have a new album coming out not soon enough. Best rock band in Jersey. Missed most of their set, but caught Mike Scott‘s drum solo. For a dude who just had back surgery (and basically in general), he kicked ass and so did the rest of the band.

The Atomic Bitchwax: Were heavier than at Roadburn, definitely in their element at the Brighton. Sizable crowd for them, Bob Pantella held it down. Finn Ryan looks really happy to be alive when he’s playing guitar. Threw “Shitkicker” and “Hope You Die” in the set. No complaints about that.

I guess since the rest of the universe is jumping on the hype bandwagon for supergroup power trio Them Crooked Vultures — comprised of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), it’s high time I did too. Here are the two videos currently making the rounds, first a studio clip of the song “Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I” and then a live one of “Dead End Friends.” Rumor has it these guys are going to put out an album one of these days. Personally, I think a better move would be to just keep leaking clips online and building anticipation for the record until finally all of it is out there and the audience has to synch up YouTube pages to hear complete songs. That would be fun.

Because it?s gorgeous out, and because it?s Friday, and because I?ve got an interview in 15 minutes (you?ll find out with whom on Monday), and then after that I need to make my way down to Red Bank in summer Friday evening Parkway traffic, I?m thinking throwing up the review I?d been hoping to might not be in the cards immediately. Maybe later on. In the meantime, here?s a video of drone lords Earth playing a new song in Germany. It?s pretty pastoral sounding, which is a good thing for them.

I?m hardly the world?s biggest Saviours fan, but I will say they tour like bastards, which whether or not you break out the records every day, you?ve got to respect. I?ve also seen them live on more than one occasion and they basically crush. So nothing against them on that level either.

Just a couple short days after announcing they?re going to be opening for the legendary Saint Vitus on their three-day East Coast run, Saviours let it be known they?re doing a US run with fellow van-dwellers Kylesa. Pretty good considering what they?re touring to promote is three 7? singles.

Here?s everything they?ve got coming up:

Read more »