When I called Earthride vocalist and bonafide American doom icon Dave Sherman for this interview, he reported that he was on his way to practice for a side-project with his former Spirit Caravan bandmate Gary Isom and recent ex-Pentagram guitarist Russ Strahan called Weed is Weed. What else can you possibly say to that besides “fan-fucking-tastic?”

Five years in the making, Earthride‘s latest album, Something Wicked (released by the band through Earth Brain Records) follows 2005’s Vampire Circus and continues the group’s veneration of the doomly forms. Reverence for classic acts like Pentagram, Saint Vitus and of course the almighty Sabbath comes out through Kyle Van Steinburg‘s riffs and Sherman‘s lyrical tales of hard times and self-destruction while the thick rumble of bassist/NASA engineer Rob Hampshire (Nitroseed) thickens the sound and Eric Little‘s drums add an inimitable classic groove. It is, as the kids say, a winner.

Anyone who’s ever met the man or spoken with him for more than 15 seconds will tell you correctly that Sherman — “Sherm” for short — is a character like none other, and that certainly proved to be the case as we discussed Something Wicked, his relationships with Pentagram‘s Bobby Liebling and members of Fugazi, Earthride‘s recent tour with Valkyrie and more. There’s only one Sherman, and The Obelisk is proud to bring you this conversation with him.

Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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Dude. As someone who’s listened to Ritual Abuse, the Relapse debut from Richmond‘s Cough, believe me, this shit is heavy. It’s like the omega-doom. They’re the Electric Wizard of the Virginia Colony. Very heavy, very riffy, very doom. Visceral. And the best part? Relapse has allowed The Obelisk to exclusively premiere the new track, “Crippled Wizard,” and I don’t mean “exclusive” like you can also go find it on a bunch of other sites. Hoist a doom claw; this one’s all ours.

Use the player below to bear witness. Cough‘s Ritual Abuse is out Oct. 26 on Relapse.

Cough, Crippled Wizard

Ritual Abuse will be on CD and in 2LP gatefold vinyl in an edition of 556 ashen gray marble and 108 clear records which aren’t for public consumption. Artwork comes courtesy of Glyn Smyth. Here’s what the label has to say about it:

Richmond‘s Cough delivers thoroughly massive, psychedelic doom on their aptly-titled Relapse debut Ritual Abuse. The album’s five epic tracks are impenetrable walls of sludge; at points suffocating and claustrophobic, at others warped and hallucinogenic. Ritual Abuse is an impressive monolith of sound and volume, and one of the finest moments yet of 21st Century doom.

Tour Dates:
Sept. 24 Harrisonburg, VA Crayola House
Sept. 25 Wilmington, DE Barcode (w/Might Could, Pagan Wolf Ritual)
Sept. 26 Philadelphia, PA Mill Creek Tavern (w/Gholas)
Nov. 7 Gainesville, FL Common Grounds
Nov. 8 Orlando, FL Will’s Pub
Nov. 9 Jacksonville, FL The Warehouse
Nov. 10 Miami, FL Churchill’s
Nov. 14 Tallahassee, FL The Farside Collective
Nov. 16 Athens, GA Caledonia Lounge
Nov. 17 Nashville, TN Little Hamilton
Nov. 19 Little Rock, AR Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom
Nov. 20 Vicksburg, MS The Doom Room
Nov. 21 New Orleans, LA Siberia
Nov. 23 Dallas, TX Nightmare
Nov. 24 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
Nov. 27 Las Vegas, NV Meathead’s Bar
Nov. 29 San Francisco, CA The Elbo Room
Nov. 30 Chico, CA Monstro’s Pizza
Dec. 2 Seattle, WA The Highline
Dec. 9 Columbus, OH Carabar

I guess the headline pretty much says it all, but Atlanta doom mavens Zoroaster have made the song “Witch’s Hammer” available for streaming and downloading as part of Adult Swim‘s Metal Swim online compilation, which also features the likes of Jesu, Isis, Torche and Boris.

One can only imagine Adult Swim would rather you checked out the track at their site, and if you’re so inclined, that’s certainly cool by me. If not, however, here’s the song for streaming goodness, followed by the latest off the PR wire:

Zoroaster, “Witch’s Hammer”

Celebrated psych metal band Zoroaster has unveiled the brand new track “Witch’s Hammer” via the just-released [adult swim]/Scion A/V compilation Metal Swim. Described as “a collection of 16 metal tracks from some of the heaviest bands in existence,” Metal Swim features “rare and never-before-released songs from some of the genre’s most notable bands” and is available for free download at adultswim.com/metal now.

Can you wait? I can’t. Black Masses is due out Nov. 1 on Rise Above.

…This guy.

Okay, so maybe you don’t get the full effect of me pointing to myself with my thumbs while I say the punchline, but I think you get the point. It was eBay, it was seven dollars, and with that now-iconic image of the windmill on the front, there was no way I was going to let this promo single for Kyuss‘ “Demon Cleaner” from 1994’s Welcome to Sky Valley pass me by.

I’m more than willing to grant that buying a single song I already own several times over for seven dollars is just plain silly, but the artwork makes it. It was probably a radio single, because the back says it’s a promo — the “import” retail version was two separate discs; the height of major label B-side/ripoff chicanery was CD singles — and it wouldn’t make any sense for a full jewel case one-track single to have gone to press, even back in the economically roaring ’90s. The track, of course, is one of Kyuss‘ most recognized. In all honesty, there aren’t many situations in which I wouldn’t pay seven dollars to hear it.

And hey, at least it wasn’t the “Green Machine” single that went for $15 with nothing but a sticker with some Kyuss/Faith No More tour dates for a front cover. It’s by no means the least responsible CD-buying expenditure I’ve ever made, even as far as Kyuss goes, so I’m just glad to have the cover to stare at and another Kyuss jewel case to put on my shelf. It’s the little things.

Further proof of the international appeal of desert rock arrives in the form of the self-titled debut by young Parisian trio Blaak Heat Shujaa, who — perhaps on a quest for some kind of tonal authenticité — flew all the way to Banning, California, to record with the legendary Scott Reeder (The Obsessed, Kyuss, etc.) at his Sanctuary Studio. Seems a long way for a couple of kids from France to go for desert cred, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t work out in their favor. Blaak Heat Shujaa (released by Improvising Beings) is as much a work of the environment in which it was produced as has been any of the albums by bands who actually come from there. Doubtless that’s thanks in no small part to Reeder. His ability to bring out the best and sweetest in Antoine Morel-Vulliez’s bass tone is enough to justify the flight in itself.

Over the course of his studio work, Reeder has definitely developed a specific style of production for this kind of music, and you can hear some similarities in Thomas Bellier’s guitar to acts like Dali’s Llama, who’ve worked with Reeder in the past. One thing he seems to take extra care with on Blaak Heat Shujaa is finding the right balance of separation in the instruments, which has been an issue before. On later cut “Moon,” you get the feeling that it’s still a work in progress as far as meshing the individual elements into one complete product, but there’s no doubt he’s come a long way and Blaak Heat Shujaa benefit greatly from his involvement. Their desert rock is more akin to Yawning Man than Kyuss — the distinction being mostly in a penchant for more laid back atmospheres and a willingness to ride parts out, rather than speed impatiently from one to the next — and though they’re definitely within the established confines of the genre, their reinforcement of the core elements thereof (the fuzz, the jams, the open spaces, the purples and blues and red night skies) is well-met and ably executed. I wonder if they wouldn’t be rougher, more brash and youthful, live, but they do what they do well on this disc, and as far as this review goes, that’s what matters.

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Jerks. You know, I’m getting awfully tired of all these Crowbar shows (like, all three of them) that are happening nowhere near me. Hey, Crowbar, I will gladly pay bus fare for you guys to come play New York. And not one of those crappy dollar buses either. Greyhound, baby. Rollin’ in style.

Seriously, enough’s enough. Time for Crowbar to tour. I think the last time they came around was with Pro-Pain, when the two bands were on the same label? What was that, five years ago now? Six? Ridiculous. If Crowbar toured like Clutch all would be right in the world.

Here’s PR wire news about a Housecore Records gig in New Orleans with Crowbar, Warbeast and the willfully-uncapitalized haarp. Stupid Nola gets everything — oh wait…

Housecore Records recording artists Crowbar, Warbeast and haarp will join forces on stage on October 1st, 2010, for a label showcase brought to you by Housecore Records and Firewater Productions. With two of the groups hailing from Louisiana and one representing Texas, the showcase is sure to be a southern, dirty metal brawl. Doors open at 8pm, and the event begins at 9pm. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the show.

New Orleans sludge metal masters Crowbar have been known over the years for their low keyed, heavy brand of metal/hardcore fusion. Before forming as Crowbar in 1991, the band existed in many other forms in the New Orleans area. Vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein (also of Down) regarded 2009 as the 20th anniversary of Crowbar. During the span, the band recorded and released many highly reviewed records. A new record is set to be released by the band in 2011.

As 2010 makes ready to jump into the double-digit months, it occurred to me the other day to go back and take a look at my Top 10 of 2009. I remembered a few of the albums that rated off the top of my head, if not the order they were put in, but I thought it might be fun to look through the list and see where I stand on the albums 10 months later. Let’s check it out:

1. YOB, The Great Cessation (Profound Lore)
Yup, this is still the best album that came out last year. Check.

2. Los Natas, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad (Small Stone)
Also still rules. Like YOB, I keep this one on me almost all the time.

3. Masters of Reality, Pine/Cross Dover (Brownhouse)
I think I was just really happy Chris Goss put a new album out, although I’ve started to listen to it again now that it’s getting a domestic US release and there are a couple really quality tracks.

4. Truckfighters, Mania (Fuzzorama)
Every time I listen to this album, I’m reminded of how much I dig it. It’s in the same CD wallet as YOB and Los Natas, but I don’t reach for it as much.

5. Shrinebuilder, Shrinebuilder (Neurot)
I hardly ever listen to this anymore, but killer album, killer performances, killer personnel. Can’t wait to get swept up in the hype for the next one, then do the same thing.

6. Crippled Black Phoenix, The Resurrectionists/Night Raider (Invada)
I like the art so much for this album, I don’t even touch it because I’m afraid of screwing it up or leaving fingerprints. It’s gathering dust on my shelf. Pretty dust though, so that’s alright.

7. Wino, Punctuated Equilibrium (Southern Lord)
Am I the only one who thinks maybe Wino meant “punctured” instead of “punctuated?” I just happen to be wearing my t-shirt of the album cover today, so I guess it still curries favor. “Smiling Road” rules.

8. Yawning Sons, Ceremony to the Sunset (Lexicon Devil)
This one still gets listened to regularly, is in that CD wallet. If I was making this list today, it might be number three.

9. Om, God is Good (Drag City)
Cool album, but I never put it on anymore. Maybe I will now.

10. Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures (Interscope)
Josh Homme could take a dump on my brand new cupcake and I’d still have a man-crush on him, so this one was bound to show up. Needless to say, I went back to the first couple Queens of the Stone Age albums shortly thereafter.

If I had the list to do over, I’d put Blood by Snail on it, and maybe Church of Misery‘s Houses of the Unholy, which has kept its appeal pretty well. Other than that, I stand by most of the picks above. Let me know if there’s something I missed out on or anything you can think of that you never returned to once January hit.