There’s little question that Armageddon Shop makes its bones in the vinyl trade, and that’s cool. I’ve come to accept it at stores that what was for a time the format of record has in turn been replaced in prominence by the LPs that it originally took that position from. Turnabout. All good. Everything comes back around in time, or doesn’t, and I don’t mind craning my head to look at the spines on the wall of CDs in the basement store in Cambridge, my knees cracking as I crouch to see the shelves lower to the floor. It’s a reminder of the calisthenics I should be doing instead of buying albums in the first place.

My buying power is low at this point and I know it, but if you’ve been either to the Boston or Providence store, you know it’s not easy to walk out of there empty-handed. They’re gonna get you with one thing or another. This time around, it started for me with a used copy of Amorphis‘ lackluster 2011 outing, The Beginning of Times. Not an album I really cared to pick up, but for six bucks, I figured I could give it a home on the shelf and maybe find something in listening to it I missed initially. Next thing I know, here’s a copy of Zeke‘s second album, 1996’s Flat Tracker for $4.99, and the 1999 He’s No Good to Me Dead five-way split between Bongzilla, Grief, Negative Reaction, Sourvein and Subsanity for $11. That’s just over two dollars per band. How could I refuse?

The answer, of course, is I couldn’t. I was pleased to find later that I didn’t already own the split, which was released on Game Two Records, but even if I had, it would’ve been worth the asking price to revisit some early Sourvein — three of their five tracks here would show up the next year on their self-titled debut — and live Bongzilla cuts, along with Negative Reaction and Grief in immediate succession. That one-two punch would probably fill any sludge quota a given day might present — 15 decabongs — but with Subsanity in the center role, and Bongzilla and Sourvein following, you’re basically getting a 74-minute overdose. Easy listening it is not. The only one of these acts who wouldn’t go on to craft a significant legacy in the genre is Subsanity, whose third and final LP, Future is War, was also issued in ’99, but even they prove vicious in keeping with their company, all of whom are raw the way you think of oozing, scraped skin as being raw.

And Zeke? Well, Zeke were the super-fast punk band it was cool to like if you were into slow music. They always had a bit of strut to them, as “Daytona” from Flat Tracker will attest, and when they signed to Relapse to release 2004’s ‘Til the Living End, that just sealed their appeal. I remember seeing them at CMJ in NYC at some point around then and they had the fastest count-ins I’d ever heard, and then they actually played that fast. Flat Tracker is in and out in under 18 minutes and its 15 tracks are liable to leave you sucking wind as you try to keep up, but it’s also a lot of fun. Along with their 1994 debut, Super Sound Racing, Flat Tracker was reissued by Relapse, but the Scooch Pooch Records version has the original art, which is all the more killer for the fact that the lineup comes with each member of the band’s Mexican takeout order. Guitarist/vocalist Blind Marky Felchtone will have, “two chicken soft tacos, one bean burrito and a medium Coke.”

All discs considered, I still got out of Armageddon Shop on the cheap. There was more — and yes, I did flip through the vinyl section and drool at the assorted heavy ’70s and more modern wonders — but ultimately I resisted such devilish temptations and skipped out. I had my eye on a few other odds and ends on that wall though, so I have the feeling it won’t be too long before I’m back. Hope not, anyway.

Zeke, “T-500” from Flat Tracker (1996)

Armageddon Shop’s website

Armageddon Shop Boston on Thee Facebooks

This evening — it’s probably already in progress, what with the hours they’re ahead; impossible to keep up — Gothenburg heavy rockers One Inch Giant will kick off their European tour in Copenhagen. The four-piece are out supporting the April 2013 release of their second full-length, The Great White Beyond, on Soulseller Records, and they’ll hit up a swath of European countries over the next nine days, winding up in Hungary after crossing borders back and forth between it, Germany and the Netherlands. Some pretty crazy routing on paper, but I’m sure it makes more sense once you’re actually making those drives. Or maybe not. I was never much for cartography.

One Inch Giant sent along word of the tour and dates for anyone who happens to be in that part of the world:

Greetings fellow rockers! Our European tour is closing in and we’re really stoked about getting out on the road, playing you songs from our new record!

This time we’ll pay Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Austria a visit.

These are the dates :

21 Nov (thu) – KB18 – Copenhagen, Denmark
22 Nov (fri) – Rathausbunker – Kiel, Germany
23 Nov (sat) – Café Mukkes – Leeuwarden, Netherlands
24 Nov (sun) – Gasolina – Waregem, Belgium
25 Nov (mon) – The Last Waterhole – Amsterdam, Netherlands
26 Nov (tue) – Subway to Peter – Chemnitz, Germany
27 Nov (wed) – R33 – Budapest, Hungary
28 Nov (thu) – Kilele Music Café – Kecskemét, Hungary
29 Nov (fri) – Roter Gugl – Hartberg, Austria
30 Nov (sat) – Veszprém, Hungary

https://www.facebook.com/oneinchgiant/
http://oneinchgiant.bandcamp.com/
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/

One Inch Giant, The Great White Beyond (2013)

If you’ve got the time, The Golden Grass have the vibe. Their 456th Div. tape is available now on In for the Kill Records in a limited edition of 50. I don’t know what of that number are left — the Brooklyn trio were taking Paypal orders on their Thee Facebooks — but considering there weren’t that many to start with, it’s likely there aren’t that many remaining, but even though the audio is fairly rough, 456th Div. offers listeners something different even from the band’s more official debut, the One More Time b/w Tornado 7″ single. That release has clean studio versions of two songs, and the A-side appears here as well, but it arrives coupled with two April 2013 demos — one for “Please Man” and one for “One More Time” — and the live track “Stuck on a Mountain” that, to date, I haven’t come across anywhere else. Between that and the Boy Scout-esque patch with which the cassette arrives, it proves a fitting curio both for collectors or someone interested in the development of the band in their early going.

“One More Time” is almost maddeningly catchy. With lead vocals from drummer Adam Kriney (La Otracina) and backing tracks from guitarist Michael Rafalowich (Strange Haze), it’s a smooth summertime roll that comes on friendly and stays crisp front to back. In its finished, studio form, it’s a classic rocker all the way, comfortably paced and worthy of the sing-alongs for which the chorus seems to be asking. The demo version that closes here, as expected, is more bare-bones, without the vocal interplay. Fortunately, throughout all the material but most especially the live track “Stuck on a Mountain,” which was recorded at Brooklyn’s St. Vitus bar on Sept. 6, bassist Joe Noval comes through at the fore, where all too often with tape compression the low end suffers most. Of course a lot depends on your system and equalizer, but he’s there. This being my first exposure to “Stuck on a Mountain” and “Please Man” — both of which may or may not show up on The Golden Grass‘ full-length debut, reportedly tracked last week with Jeff Berner (Naam) — the songs didn’t have the immediate familiarity of “One More Time” (there’s nothing to make you feel like you know a song like listening to it a bunch of times), but were immediately engaging nonetheless and fitting with the positive spirit and classic rock warmth that seems to typify all of The Golden Grass‘ material that I’ve encountered thus far.

I already alluded to it, but the actual sound of 456th Div. is raw. If it’s going to be your first exposure to the band, the 7″ is probably the way to go, but as a further precursor to the LP and a complement to the single, it makes sense. The four-song program repeats on sides one and two of the plain white tape, and at louder volumes, there’s a considerable hiss. This would seem to be less in the interest of the songs themselves, though particularly for the demo cuts and the live track it makes sense in that, “Dude, my buddy just dubbed this for me” kind of way, and if the options are no physical pressing of this material or 456th Div., I’d certainly rather have the than not, hiss or no. As The Golden Grass move quickly into the making of their debut, one might think of 456th Div. in combination with the 7″ as a document of their beginnings, and on that level as well as getting a whatever-the-aural-version-of-a-sneak-peak-is at two yet-unheard songs, I’m glad to have gotten a copy.

The Golden Grass, One More Time b/w Tornado (2013)

The Golden Grass on Thee Facebooks

In for the Kill Records

Cleveland heavy rockers Threefold Law have announced a program that will automatically update listeners with new material. Pay once, get everything, and apparently get it for more than one lifetime. The “Lifetimes Membership” costs $19.95, which seems like a lot until you consider you get the band’s entire catalog, plus everything they might ever put out. It’s an interesting idea, and consistent with Threefold Law‘s penchant for interesting modes of delivery, whether it’s selling USB sticks with mp3s or packaging CD releases with books put together by frontman J. Thorn.

They’ve already released a new single, and have another one in the works for next month, as the PR wire explains:

CLEVELAND BAND THREEFOLD LAW CREATES NEW DELIVERY CHANNEL

Lifetimes Membership – No downloads. No updates. No hassle. For eternity.

Threefold Law today introduced a new delivery channel, “Lifetimes Membership”. Without the need to download or install, fans of heavy music get instant access to the entire Threefold Law catalog, for eternity. The songs stream directly to any device connected to the internet including computers, laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, Android phones, and more. In addition, new songs by Threefold Law will automatically appear in the player as soon as the band publishes them with no action required by the listener. Priced at just $19.95, the revolutionary delivery channel is competitive with most digital music purchases with nothing else to buy, ever.

“Listening trends continue to show a desire for immediate, streaming content from any device,” says J. Thorn, lead singer of Threefold Law. “The lifetimes membership delivery channel creates a new way for us to deliver music to our fans instantly and as soon as it’s available. We’ll still release our material on traditional CDs, but we’ve also got our eye on the future of the music industry.”

“Lifetimes Membership” can be purchased directly from Threefold Law via PayPal or credit card and comes loaded with the brand new song, “Birth to Death” with another new song, “Khan” coming in December of 2013.

http://www.threefoldlaw.com/demo
www.threefoldlaw.com
www.facebook.com/threefoldlaw

Norwegian trio Tombstones have released four albums in the last four years. Red Skies and Dead Eyes, on Soulseller Records, is the latest of them, and if the band works quickly, take it as a sign they also know what they’re doing. The six songs on their recorded-live fourth long-player clock in at a vinyl-ready 44 minutes, and whether it’s the Sleep-style thud of opener “Black Moon” or the later divergence into post-Electric Wizard terror-groove in “The Other Eye,” the Oslo-based three-piece of vocalist/guitarist Bjørn-Viggo Godtland, bassist/vocalist Ole Christian Helstad and drummer Jørn Inge Woldmo always seem to keep in mind a steady injection of individuality into the material. Part of that comes through the cave echo on Godtland and Helstad‘s vocals, which at times seem like just another rhythmic element at work to follow the riff — not a complaint; the riffs are worth following — but moreover, it’s about the atmosphere of Red Skies and Dead Eyes, which is full of darkened stoner metal idolatry that never quite veers completely into cult rock. It knows where that line is though and seems to enjoy straddling it, though when it comes to a song like “King of Daze,” Tombstones seem more preoccupied with the chugging itself than mystical posturing — true riff worship. But for the 10-minute “Obstfelder” and the 7:20 title-track, songs hover somewhere between six and a half and seven minutes long, which is roughly consistent if a little shorter on average than the cuts on 2012’s Year of the Burial, which set Tombstones to touring Europe and found them performing at Desertfest in London this spring, and the sampled wind that starts “Black Moon” both calls to mind YOB‘s “Burning the Altar” and sets the album to a rumble that continues throughout the rest of its course, the tones being consistent and large but malleable to the various moods in which the band puts them to use.

One could argue Red Skies and Dead Eyes is structured to work in vinyl sides — at very least it splits about even with three songs in each half — but it works well as a CD, whereby the shift into darker atmospherics on the later tracks seems more linear and gradual. When it comes to “Black Moon” and “King of Daze,” the focus is pretty clearly on riffing. Godtland leads with low, full fuzz, and Helstad‘s bass enhances the already mud-covered push while Woldmo offers a march on his snare. They may be looking unto the rays of the new stoner sun rising, but they’re doing so from their own angle, and though Gotland‘s vocals are somewhat buried — as they should be for this kind of tone-minded fare — when Helstad joins in, a dynamic is enacted that undercuts some of the superficial simplicity of what’s basically a shouting approach. Further, with about a minute left in “Black Moon,” they pull a quick instrumental turn into a different riff and tempo, and though there’s almost a hiccup at that point, it speaks to the instrumental chemistry the trio have developed over the course of their time together. A light touch of insistent High on Fire-style push at the start of “King of Daze” opens wide to one of the album’s most engaging grooves, and is in turn driven headfirst into a slowdown to more massive riffing and crashing, Woldmo keeping steady on what sounds like a considerably proportioned ride until the pace picks up again somewhat and the verse starts. Helstad takes the fore on vocals near the halfway point with Godtland joining shortly, and they cycle through again, this time skipping the slowdown to go right back into another verse that enacts a lumber all its own, ending big, ending faster than one might expect, and leading to the from-the-ground-up build of “Obstfelder,” which rounds out the first half of Red Skies and Dead Eyes with a few lead lines from Godtland (Billy Anderson, who’s also credited with additional engineering, is listed as having contributed “additional bending and feedback,” perhaps here, along with Petter Svee, who engineered and mixed in cooperation with the band), something largely avoided on the first two tracks.

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I’ve expounded at some length before about the virtues of stoner rock charm, and with nerd-tastic references to South Park and Game of Thrones and role-playing games — they bill themselves both as “turn-based” and “four-player” — Brisbane, Australia’s quadruply-zedded Lizzard Wizzard most certainly have that working in their favor. The four-piece band self-released their 37-minute self-titled debut this week, and from the Dopesmoker-esque beginnings of “Twilight of the Terminator” to the almost unfortunately catchy lurch of “Total Handjob Future” — this is not a song you want to be singing as you walk, say, through the aisles of a grocery store on a weekday afternoon — the vibes are as lighthearted as the tones are heavy. Guitarist/vocalists Michael Clarke and Nick McKeon, bassist/vocalist Stef Roselli and drummer Luke Osborne find a nod-worthy balance of humor and crushing riffs, and while something in me seriously doubts that closer “Dogs Die in Hot Cars” was titled after the Scottish indie band of the same name, the awareness of pop culture only adds to the appeal of the album.

To wit, the gang-shout chorus of “Don’t forget your towel!” cribbing Towlie lines from South Park arrives over molasses grooving in the midsection of centerpiece “Bong Dive,” and only underscores what Lizzard Wizzard‘s Lizzard Wizzard is all about: Not taking itself too seriously but still being heavy as hell. Couple that with production that’s both huge and professionally crisp, and while they might be goofing around, Lizzard Wizzard ultimately come off as having a clear understanding of what they want to do as a band and how to do it. With “Game of Cones,” a sample of someone sparking a joint (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) and inhaling echoes over feedback before an oddly familiar riff begins and introduces what turns out to be the theme song of the HBO series based on George R. R. Martin‘s fantasy books redone as doom — a heavy genre that, if I may be so bold, has been sorely lacking in dragons for some time. The screaming verse and feedback in “Chaaaaarles” mounts a palpable tension that only starts to see release once the undulating bastard of a riff gets moving, so even though Lizzard Wizzard are obviously enjoying what they’re doing, they’re also crafting well-structured and effective material.

If that song’s making a reference to something other than a band in-joke, I don’t know what it is, but with talk of an “adamantium boner” and some accusations regarding illicit trying on of blouses, it’s pretty scathing. Meanwhile, “Twilight of the Terminator” breaks out “hail Sagan” and “Dogs Die in Hot Cars” actually winds up making a threat to those who’d abuse animals — the lines “Better be good to your pooch/Or you’ll taste my fuckin’ gooch” epitomize the mindset heard throughout — and while the emphasis is clearly on riffs across the board, the lyrics are a big part of what’s making the tracks stand out from each other and from the bevvy of fuzz-worshipers across various inhabited continents, even if the chanted “bongs, bongs, bongs” makes up three of the total five words included in “Reptile Dysfunction” (six if you count “yeah”). Sometimes that’s all you need to say.

Alright, maybe I’m a sucker for wordplay and big riffs, but I know I’m not alone. All seven tracks of Lizzard Wizzard are playing now in The Obelisk Radio‘s constant, unceasing stream, and you can hear them there and check out the album and grab a free download courtesy of the Bandcamp player below. However you go, go Sagan:

Lizzard Wizzard, Lizzard Wizzard (2013)

Lizzard Wizzard on Bandcamp

Lizzard Wizzard on Thee Facebooks

This is some of the best news I’ve seen in a while: Good band signs to good label. In the case of UK heavy rockers Stubb and Ripple Music, it’s a perfect match. They were made for each other, and though it’s a ways down in the press release, you’ll also note that when Stubb head into the studio come January to record the follow-up to their righteously fuzzed 2012 self-titled debut (review here), they’ll do so at Skyhammer Studios, which is the recording space owned and built by Jon Davis of Conan, who seems to be wasting no time leaving a mark on the UK scene beyond even the considerable footprint of his own band.

Definitely one to watch for come the New Year. Look out for more as we get closer to the release date (including when that might be), and check out the announcement below in the meantime. Kudos to all parties involved:

UK Retro-power Rockers STUBB Sign Worldwide Deal With Ripple Music

RIPPLE MUSIC is proud to announce the signing of acclaimed, hard-hitting UK-based retro-heavy rockers, STUBB to their ever-expanding roster!

Stubb was formed in 2006 with Jack Dickinson on guitar and vocals, Aaron O’Sullivan on drums and Isa Bruni on bass. The power trios of the late 60’s and early 70’s were the blueprint for their loud driving, fuzzed up heavy blues rock. In 2009, Chris West joined on drums and Peter Holland on bass (both also members of Trippy Wicked), solidifying the first classic line-up. The band recorded their first full length album for Chris West’s label Superhot Records, and hit the road, gigging with such heavy rock luminaries as the Gentlemans Pistols, Firebird, Cherry Choke, Steak, Sungrazer and The Machine as well as appearing at Desertfest to a packed house Purple Turtle. Making the trip over to Europe twice with Stone Axe from the USA further cemented Stubb’s reputation as a solid live act with some serious chops.

“We are delighted to be signing with Ripple Music, who are one of the hardest working independent labels on the scene,” Dickinson said. “To be alongside the likes of Mos Generator, Mothership, Stone Axe and Grifter as labelmates is an honour and a pleasure. The new record will bring you the sound of Stubb that along with a whole load of new shades and surprises. We hope to come and play in front of new audiences and treat you all to the loud sound of three guys doing what they love.”

With the departure of Chris West, the band recruited Tom Fyfe (ex-Olde Crone) as the new drummer. Tom brings another new sound to the powerful rhythm section as they prepare to head to Skyhammer Studios with Chris Fielding, January 26 – 30 to record their Ripple Music debut. The album will mixed and mastered by Mos Generator’s Tony Reed at Heavy Head Studios, guaranteeing a sonic explosion of heaviness.

For the growing legions of Ripple fans, known as the Waveriders, Stubb will be another must-hear addition to the ranks of bands that already include such heavy rockers as Mos Generator, Devil to Pay, Mothership, Trucker Diablo and Ape Machine. You can bet that the combination of Stubb and Ripple Music will be a combustible mixture!

Be sure to catch Stubb live:
11/29 @ Hard Rock Hell Festival – Wales

https://www.facebook.com/Stubbrock
www.ripple-music.com
www.heavyripples.bigcartel.com

Stubb, Under a Spell 7″ (2013)

Milwaukee trio Moon Curse left a sizable impression at this year’s Days of the Doomed fest back in June, and today brings the news that they’ve inked a deal to release a new pressing of their 2012 self-titled debut through Bilocation Records. The band has done two vinyl editions of the album already — both limited, the first completely gone — but the Bilocation version, in addition to being 180 gram, will also feature the bonus track “Seminary Woods” and a new mastering job from Tony Reed of Mos Generator, et. al. No word as yet on when the three-piece might have a follow-up to the self-titled in the works, but in the meantime, a Bilocation release should be a good way for new ears to be introduced.

The PR wire sends its regards on the subject:

Milwaukee doomsters MOON CURSE sign with Bilocation Records/Kozmik Artifactz

Beneath the faded light of Milwaukee’s infamous “polish moon” clock tower (a structure built for the sole intent of dominating the night sky and the view of its immigrant residents), three bleary eyed mystics brew stoner hymns dedicated to baphomet bongsmoke, Pontiac muscle and 70’s rock n’ rollers. following a DOOMED path, tred by true HEAVY fanatics before them, a path that will always remain for those dedicated to the riff; MOON CURSE walk with intent to play loud and proud! Keith bangs the drums, Rochelle strums the Squier P bass, and Matt breaks Orange amplifiers and howls. One could cite Sabbath (duh!), Zeppelin, or a handful of other protometal-fuzz-stoner-whatever-rock as influnces, but you get the idea! You know it! You love it! so.. GET CURSED!

We are proud to announce that mighty doomsters Moon Curse signed with us for an expanded re-release of their epic debut LP!

The album will feature the yet unheard exclusive track “Seminary Woods” and will be vinylmastered by Tony Reed (Mos Generator).

The album will be available in 2014 – of course on high quality 180g vinyl and housed in a heavy gatefold cover…all handnumbered and limited!

http://kozmik-artifactz.com/artist/moon-curse/
http://mooncurse.bandcamp.com/

Moon Curse, Moon Curse (2012)