Posted in Whathaveyou on March 26th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Note that the poster says Selim Lemouchi’s Enemies and not Selim Lemouchi and His Enemies, in case there’s any confusion. The former will take the place of the latter on the bill for the Roadburn 2014 Afterburner on Sunday, April 13, playing a tribute set to Lemouchi, whose death earlier this month shocked fans the world over. Reportedly this is a one-time event being held for Roadburn in honor of Lemouchi, and all of the contributors who played on the 2013 Selim Lemouchi and His Enemies debut full-length, Earth Air Spirit Water Fire, including Selim‘s sisterand former The Devil’s Blood frontwoman Farida Lemouchi, will be on hand to perform the album in full in what’s sure to be an emotionally and sonically turbulent ride.
The Roadburn Afterburner is now sold out, making tickets completely gone for the 2014 festival. Announcement and explanation of the Selim Lemouchi’s Enemies set follows here, snagged from Roadburn‘s website:
In Memoriam: Selim Lemouchi’s Earth Air Spirit Water Fire At The 2014 Roadburn Afterburner
The Devil’s Blood’s first-ever show at Roadburn 2008 was undeniably one of the great moments in the festival’s history. After the group disbanded in early 2013, guitarist Selim Lemouchi began to channel his considerable creative energies into a new project: Selim Lemouchi & His Enemies.
During 2013, the debut EP Mens Animus Corpus was followed by the release of the full-length Earth Air Spirit Water Fire. The album presentation in December 2013 offered a tantalizing hint of transcendent performances to come, and consequently we at Roadburn HQ were thrilled to add Selim and his new band to this year’s Afterburner bill.
This month, thrill turned to sorrow with the news of Selim’s death. At first, it was impossible to grasp. How could he be gone? The idea of removing his name from the various Roadburn 2014 posters, press releases and website items was too much to bear. Even after being able to talk with his family, even after having had a little time to grieve, it was still incomprehensible that he would not be joining us.
Selim was inspirational both artistically and personally. He was someone who gave us the courage to keep pursuing our chosen artistic path. On a more personal level, he reminded me to stay true to myself. He taught me some valuable lessons about life and death through his music and as a person.
Now, thanks to Selim’s sister Farida, also formerly of The Devil’s Blood, and other musical collaborators involved in his last project, Selim will be a part of the festival. Together, Selim Lemouchi’s Enemies will bring Earth Air Spirit Fire Water to the 2014 Roadburn Festival Afterburner on Sunday, April 13th at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Join us as we celebrate Selim’s music and honor his spirit. The performance is scheduled to start at 3:45pm (15:45), so be sure to get there on time. Doors open: 2.30pm (14:30).
Posted in Reviews on March 26th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
I have yet to see a show at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston and regret having shown up. At this point, that’s a pretty good track record, since I’ve far and away spent more time in that room than anywhere else since moving north last year. Last night was Holly Hunt and Hollow Leg on tour from Florida, joined by Newport, Rhode Island’s Balam and Boston’s own Ichabod for a persistently heavy but still varied four-band bill of doom and sludge. I’d had no coffee owing to a dentist appointment in the afternoon and have no problem admitting that I’m still reeling from being laid off last week from my last remaining income-providing job, but I was ready to see a show, and I got what I went for, Balam starting off with their well-honed take on doom.
Vocalist Alexander Carellas mentioned on stage that he and a couple others in the double-guitar five-piece were sick, but the band sounded no worse for the wear up to and including his own voice, which had also impressed when I saw them last summer with Olde Growth and Keefshovel (review here). They were starting off a week-long stint of shows around the Northeast — Boston, Providence, Portland, Burlington, Poughkeepsie, New Bedford, Providence again — and fresh from a gig at Dusk in Providence with Magic Circle, playing songs from an upcoming full-length for which the recording is reportedly in progress, so it wasn’t really a surprise they were tight, but it made for a solid start to the evening nonetheless, their riffs adding trad doom edge that the sludgier Hollow Leg would contradict almost immediately upon stepping on stage.
My desire to see Hollow Leg was twofold. First (spoiler alert) they’re good. Second, they seem to be in a state of transition. Their 2013 full-length, Abysmal(review here), followed in the muck-caked Southern sludgy footsteps of its predecessor, 2010’s Instinct, albeit with more of a focus on songwriting than the debut. Their 2014 single, “God-Eater,” on the other hand, came with word of seeking out a new direction “sonically, visually and lyrically,” so I was curious to find out how that played next to Hollow Leg‘s ultra-aggressive prior approach. Sure enough, “God-Eater” was pretty easy to pick out as the second song of their set, but it wasn’t necessarily incongruous with what surrounded.
Maybe hearing it once through in a set isn’t the best way to get a feel overall, but from what I heard, the new song worked well next to “8 Dead (in a Mobile Home)” from Abysmal, though I imagine the context of Hollow Leg‘s next studio output will make the shift more obvious. I look forward to finding out, and wasn’t sorry to hear their abusive crunch in the meantime, somewhat cleaner than Sourvein but definitely of that ilk. Last I saw them was before Abysmalwas released, and they had a commanding presence then, but they got on stage and clicked immediately, which was only fitting for being five shows deep into the tour. The duo Holly Hunt, also from Florida and whom I hadn’t seen previously, would soon follow suit.
Holly Hunt also had new material from an EP called Prometheusthat’s set to release next month as the follow-up to the Miami-based instrumental two-piece’s 2012 Year Onefull-length debut. They’re one of those bands that I’ve heard from several reliable sources that “you gotta see.” Sure enough, as heavy as their recorded stuff is, it does little justice to the volume emanating from guitarist Gavin Perry‘s dual Hiwatt heads or the distinct crash of Beatriz Monteavaro, who celebrated her birthday in lumbering style. Sound-wise, they are as elemental as you’re likely to hear — elephantine riffs cycled through in vicious nod, played very, very loud. On paper it’s a simple formula, standing in front it’s enough to shake your ribcage. At one point I heard a crackle and was convinced the O’Brien’s P.A. wasn’t long for this world, but fortunately it held out under the tonnage of tonal heft Holly Hunt supplied.
Given the unromantic duty of closing out a four-bander on a Tuesday night, two-guitar fivesome Ichabod answered Holly Hunt‘s demolition with their own brand thereof, frontman John Fadden shifting with intimidating ease between clean vocals and sit-tight-because-I-can-do-this-all-night screaming, lending the set a sense of drama to go with the alternately rocking and crushing riffs of Dave Iverson and Jason Adam, the steady and inventive bass of Greg Dallaria and the drums of Phil MacKay, which somehow prove to be the uniting force between the band’s space-rock push and their seething, malevolent sludge. Their psycho-delia was fluid through two new cuts from their upcoming LP, Merrimack, as well as favorites “Baba Yaga,” “Huckleberry” and “Hollow God” from 2012’s Dreamscapes from Dead Space, the latter of which closed out the evening on perhaps its angriest note — no small accomplishment considering the company Ichabod were keeping.
With the evening-long assault of volume as a comparison point, Allston seemed especially quiet on my way out of the venue. Holly Hunt and Hollow Leg roll into Brooklyn tonight, March 26, to share a bill at St. Vitus with The Scimitar, Kings Destroy and Clamfight as a benefit show for Aaron Edge of Lumbar to help with medical bills in his continued fight with MS. Info on that gig is here, and no doubt it’ll be one for the ages. Me, I’ll take what I can get, and was glad I got to see these acts at all, let alone on a show that was so dead on, front to back. No complaints.
The Hidden Hand happened at a pretty interesting juncture for American heavy, just when underground riff-worship was really starting to get a foothold in a wider public consciousness beyond what it had been in the days before the widespread instant-gratification of the internet became a way to access just about anyone’s music anytime. Their second album, the stellar Mother Teacher Destroyer, certainly got some attention when it was issued by Southern Lord in 2004 — helped perhaps by the publicity of Dave Grohl‘s Probot project, released that same year, and Wino‘s visible involvement in that on guitar and vocals — but the preceding full-length debut, 2003’s Divine Propaganda, had no such high-profile lead-in. Not to shoehorn it into too convenient a narrative, but it was simply Wino‘s new band after Spirit Caravan broke up.
Listening back now, over a decade later and in light of the two albums The Hidden Hand released after it, Divine Propagandais a standout if somewhat uneven release. Issued by MeteorCity, it was the first studio output from Wino, bassist/vocalist Bruce Falkinburg and drummer Dave Hennessy, and it introduced a lot of the Illuminati/conspiracy/socio-political framework in which a good portion of the band’s lyrics would work for the duration of their tenure, but thanks in no small part to the Weinrich/Falkinburg collaboration in the songwriting, it also pushed into territory that was neither The Obsessed-style doom nor the freewheeling heavy rock of Spirit Caravan. There was something else going on, and that’s evident on Divine Propaganda, even if the trio were still figuring out what they wanted their sound to be and what shape that collaboration would take.
In all honesty, “The Last Tree” — track seven of the record’s total 10 — probably could’ve been a Spirit Caravan song with its rolling groove of a chorus riff, but as the verse shows, The Hidden Hand were already becoming something distinct, and the fuzz that Falkinburg puts on his bass in the track is not to be missed. It’s something of a forgotten gem from the largely underappreciated band, whose timing and whose songwriting continue to intrigue.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 25th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
This won’t be the first time I’ve used a European festival for a bit of mental escapism, but a September weekend in Portugal sounds awfully nice, and it’s hard to argue with the initial lineup for the Reverence Festival, which will be held Sept. 12-13 in Valada, just a bit north of Lisbon. From Hawkwind and Electric Wizard through Naam and Spindrift, it’s going to be a spacey time in Valada. I wouldn’t argue.
Lineup info and a bit of the philosophy of the fest follow, cortesia de PR wire:
Reverence Festival
Valada, Portugal
12th-13th September
HAWKWIND // ELECTRIC WIZARD // PSYCHIC TV // RED FANG // CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX // SWERVEDRIVER // RINGO DEATHSTARR // MAO MORTA // THE WYTCHES // WHITE HILLS // ASIMOV // THE COSMIC DEAD // EXIT CALM // NAAM // SUNFLARE // BLACK BOMBAIM // WHITE MANNA // AIR FORMATION // KEEP RAZORS SHARP // THE QUARTET OF WOAH! // THE OSCILLATION // KILLIMANJARO // THE TELESCOPES // MURDERING TRIPPING BLUES // SPINDRIFT // JIBOIA
On the 12th and 13th September Reverence Festival celebrates the best in psych, stoner, shoegaze, doom, prog, garage and beyond, with some sixty bands playing over two days on four stages, including the hugely influential spacerock titans Hawkwind – performing in Portugal for the very first time.
The resurgence of far out, heavy rock-based music and a booming live music network across Europe has given rise to huge demand, with Reverence already causing a stir online amongst fans bustling with anticipation and excitement.
Reverence offers the chance for like-minded heads from across the world to congregate at one of the biggest and most ambitious events of its kind, one that features a unique line-up of revered titans and rising talent.
The heady, hazy and tripped-out sounds will make for the perfect outdoors summer soundtrack to the balmy and picturesque setting of Valada. When the sun sets, kaleidoscopic lights and psychedelic visuals will adorn the stages, adding an aesthetic accompaniment to the mind-expanding aural delights, which will run all night.
Blazing a trail from the 60s right through to today with unparalleled status, Hawkwind are spiritual and sonic godfathers, whose influence has permeated through hundreds of bands over five decades, not least many of those sharing the bill at Reverence. Formed in 1969, their trademark single ‘Silver Machine’ was a huge hit that brought the band to the attention of the wider public, with albums like ‘Warrior On The Edge Of Time’ and ‘Masters Of The Universe’ lauded as classics.
Joining them at the top of the bill and bringing their own brand of heavy cerebral stoner/doom to the stage are Electric Wizard – writers of some of the most important records of the genre like ‘Come My Fanatics’, ‘Dopethrone’ and ‘Black Masses’.
The bone-crushingly heavy Red Fang fit perfectly with the reverence ethos, along with ambient doom collective Crippled Black Phoenix as bands that have gained cult following for refusing to compromise – an attitude also held by Reverence itself.
More talent comes from local heroes, Mao Morta, arguably one of the most important Portuguese alternative rock bands on the scene, with a career spanning back to the mid-eighties. If all that wasn’t enticing enough, Psychic TV, the respected experimental art and music group fronted by pioneer and visionary Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, will be making an appearance. Not to mention Oxford shoegazers Swervedriver who split in the late 90s only to be met with huge success when they re-emerged in 2008.
Reverence’s powerful line-up is strengthened by their choice to include some of the biggest names in the current shoegaze and garage revival such as dark garage rockers The Wytches, ambient kosmische drone combo Telescopes and motorik spacerockers White Hills.
Many bands that have secured positions on the prestigious line-up have highly respectable followings in their own right, in particular the MBV-style Ringo Deathstarr (who inadvertently got the festival kick-started by inspiring the partnership of Cartaxo Sessions and Club AC30), along with baggy space rockers Exit Calm, psychedelic maestros The Oscillation (featuring Fanfarlo’s drummer) and sludgers Asimov.
Aiming to capture the spirit of early, pre-branded and pre-corporate events, Reverence harks back to the golden age of free spirited festivals, where the music comes first. The choice of said music makes it abundantly clear that Reverence is a festival with integrity, that isn’t a box-ticking exercise where bands from every genre are booked in a ‘throw it all against the wall and see what sticks’ approach, but a labour of love.
The festival features a variety of cult bands that have been bought together not purely for profit, but because a group of promoters wanted to bring something to Valada for the fans. They’re pulling together what they see as the best bands from all over the world, because it’s what the fans want to see and, being fans themselves, what they want to see too.
The event takes place in the relaxed surroundings of Parque de Merendas, which runs along the banks of the Tejo river and includes a fluvial beach, picnic areas and coffee shops. Traditional Portuguese food and drinks including vegan and vegetarian will be available, as well as camping facilities adjacent to the festival site with toilets and showers.
Valada is a small picturesque village, famous for agriculture and wine production. Located approximately 60kms inland from Lisbon and 550km from Madrid, easily accessible via train from Lisbon where shuttle buses will be running from nearest station Reguengo to the festival site.
Reverence is a collaboration between Cartaxo Sessions, Camara Municipal do Cartaxo, Lovers & Lollypops, Club AC30 and Lisbon Club Sabotage.
Early bird 2 day passes: €55.00 // after June 30th: €70.00 // Daily Ticket: €38.00
Posted in Questionnaire on March 25th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
This coming weekend, Detroit’s Small Stone Records hosts two label showcases on the East Coast. The first takes place Friday night at the Middle East in Boston and the second is Saturday at Brooklyn’s St. Vitus bar (info on both here). With Gozu and Freedom Hawk and Wo Fat headed overseas and new releases to come in 2014 from Dwellers, Jeremy Irons and the Ratgang Malibus, Greenleaf, Wo Fat and Lo-Pan, it’s arguable that Small Stone has never had as much of an impact as it’s having now. A foray into the vinyl market seems to have paid off, and with acquisitions from across the pond like France’s The Socks, Italy’s Isaak and Portugal’s Miss Lava, the imprint’s reach only seems to be growing.
In 2015, Small Stone marks 20 years since its inception. It has succeeded against odds, trends and, frankly, logic, thanks to the vigilance and keen ear of its founder and owner, Scott Hamilton, who also plays guitar in the prog/psych rock outfit Luder. As a curator, Hamilton‘s ear is second to none, and his passion for searching out the underground’s best has led to landmark heavy rock from the likes of Dixie Witch, Sasquatch, Dozer, Los Natas, Halfway to Gone, Roadsaw, Acid King and many more. I sometimes feel like a nerd for covering as much Small Stone stuff as I do, but it’s inevitable. There’s no getting around the quality of the work being fostered by Hamilton‘s steady hand.
So I’ll probably keep going with it.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Scott Hamilton
How did you come to do what you do?
I have been obsessed with music for my entire life (both as a fan and as musician), so I am pretty sure that obsession led me into what I do now. I knew in my high school and college years that I wanted to do music in some form for a career (plus you had the added bonus of not needing cut your hair or work in a stuffy office environment), but I had no clue or connections to point myself in the proper direction to make it a reality. After many an odd job in the early ’90s at various music related gigs (playing in bands and working at record stores, radio stations, major record labels, etc.), I discovered that I both wanted and needed to start a record label. Small Stone was born out of this.
Describe your first musical memory.
This is easy… It was my Dad blasting Jimi Hendrix, The Stones, James Brown and Santana in the house on his very vintage hi-fi system. I think by the time I was three, I was actually spinning the records from his collection myself, and mostly likely ruining a few of them in the process… Shortly thereafter, discovering bands like KISS and Aerosmith also have had a very lasting effect on me too.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
There are too many… so I will list my top five:
1. Seeing The Cult in 1985 on the Love Tour when I was a Junior in High School. To this day, one of the best concerts I have ever been too.
2. Playing in my first band in high school was awesome, even if it was the ’80s. It was great discovering that thing my bandmates and I used to call “the buzz.” The buzz is when you and your fellow musicians all lock in, everything clicks, and you go on this crazy spiritual high where the hair on the back of your neck stands up. It is was and is the ultimate feeling that every musician and music fan is always looking for. I sometimes get it with my current band Luder when we are rehearsing and working on new material from time to time.
3. Purchasing my first KISS album… It was KISS Alive, by the way. My mother still says that KISS ruined my life.
4. About eight years ago when I had shitty day job for Live Nation, I got to stand behind Joe Perry’s rig for the majority of the concert, and that was a big deal for me… It also helped that setlist was 95 percent pre-’80s Aerosmith, and for as lame as the band is now, they were fantastic on that evening.
5. Jane’s Addiction… I must have seen them 10 times between 1988 and 1991, and that band had the magic, and also gave that “buzz” I was talking about.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I think that this happens on a monthly basis. It is just part of living, growing, and moving forward. It is usually not a fun experience, either…
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
I think it leads to greatness down the line for any individual that is creating something, be it music, art, whatever. A creative person will always feel the need to keep exploring and learning new things to better sharpen their skill sets. If I had more time, I would spend it writing riffs and melodies, and improve on any and all basic skills when it comes to a guitar, but I have limited time to do that since I have a family and a business that must come first. With that said, I am always humming something in my head, and I will sneak off to the basement for about 30 minutes per day when I can to make some music.
How do you define success?
To me, success means that I get to do what I want for a vocation versus wearing a suit at some soul-sucking corporate job. In that sense, I have great success. But on the other hand it would be nice to break a band on the roster and help get them to a level of a band like Clutch. But that has not happened as of yet, so I just keep on keeping on until I obtain that level of success in the future.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
In 1989 I was driving on the freeway about 20 miles west of Hartford, CT (on my way back to MSU from a Summer working on Nantucket). This convertible Corvette cam flying past me, and seconds later it somehow rear-ended the pickup truck in front of me. The Vette flew up in the air, flipped over the pickup and landed on on the freeway with his roof facing down — but the convertible top was down. The Vette driver was killed, blood, brains, and flesh all over the freeway. That vision has stuck with me ever since.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I would love to be involved in creating a timeless album — a classic if you will. Something that has the staying power of Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zep IV, etc., and more realistically, I would love to create a very large swimming pool in my backyard.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 25th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Persistently nebulous Finnish cultists Mansion — aka I am the Mansion, aka The Mansion Congregation — have announced a new 7″ single due next month through Streaks Records, the imprint which also released their 2013 debut EP, We Shall Live (review here), on vinyl in January. The new two-song release will be out in time for Mansion to appear at Roadburn in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and an audio preview is available now that shows the tracks to be more in a heavy rock vein than was the EP, though a theme of condemnation remains consistent.
Just 100 copies of the single will be pressed. The PR wire offers temptation:
Out Soon: STREAK#22: The Mansion Congregation Hymns Vol. 1 7″ EP
This will be officially out at 4/4/14 !
When I heard the new tunes represented by Jaakob I truly understand what Mikael means with his foreword. It was still a harsh surprise though how filthy and unclean was the result. Still: With believe in the congregations braveness I sort it as a misstep that can be equaled out with their following album that hopefully will mark a return to the true doctrine. While possessed, the congregation created sinful melodies that make oneself feeling dirty while tasting the poisoned apple. It’s addictive, be forewarned! Streaks Records
Mikael says:
Dear child,
The Mansion Congregation Hymns Vol. 1. should be perceived as a warning. This release goes to show that even the most enlightened may be seduced by evil. When Mother Alma with congregation members differing from the familiar Mansion line- up set out to create spiritual hymns glorifying the devotion to our cause, something unexpected happened. The group experienced demonic seduction, which resulted in despicable behaviour manifested in the recording session. Details shall remain confidential.
Two tracks were recorded to accompany my lyrics with music contradictory in nature to the texts. My initial reaction to the hymns was distress. The thought of our Mother as a puppet on the string for the dark one still brings chills to my spine.
These devilish hymns are lustful and flirtatious. The congregation exposes the hymns to the public in shame, but with a solemn hope that it will serve as documentation of forces moving in the shadows ready to lead us astray.
The listener may experience tempting sensations when exposed to the hymns. Use this recording as a reminder that spiritual adversity may lead to detestable acts. Never take heed of temptation. Know the enemy. Stay strong in your faith.
Sincerely, Mikael, main lyricist of Mansion
The Mansion Congregation Hymns Vol. 1.
Performed by: Mother Alma – vocals and organ Aleksanteri- vocals and guitar Jaakob- guitar Roni- bass Veikko Tapio- drums and guitar Joona – mellotron
Tracks: A. Wild Child B. New Dawn
Recorded, mixed and mastered: Joona Lukala in Jan 2014 Released by Streaks Records on 4.4.14
Postage one copy: Germany 2,50 Euro, Europe 4 Euro, World 4 Euro
Posted in Reviews on March 25th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
What sets Brooklyn trio The Golden Grass apart from the hundreds of bands the world over who cull the bulk of their influence from the heavy rock of the early ’70s and/or the original psychedelic era is a relentlessly positive mindset. Where the current retro rock movement — and because of the modern production on the three-piece’s self-titled Svart Records full-length debut, I’d hesitate to even call it “retro” — spearheaded by the likes of Graveyard and the first couple Witchcraft outings has resulted in a slew of acts pretending to worship both the Devil and Jinx Dawson with due candles, incense and pomp, The Golden Grass turn that formula on its head and delight in a boogie free from these thematic constraints and the inherent moodiness they bring to classic rock sound. This was evident from their 2013 debut single, One More Time b/wTornado,and the limited 456th Div.tape (review here), and the upbeat vibes remain consistent throughout The GoldenGrass‘ farthest-out, most wandering moments, which arrive in the 12:51 penultimate jammer “Wheels,” a side B standout on a 36-minute LP that in no way overstays its welcome. As they did for the prior single, guitarist/vocalist Michael Rafalowich (Strange Haze), bassist Joe Noval and drummer/vocalist Adam Kriney (La Otracina) recorded with Andrea Zavareei at Urban Spaceman Studio, and Jeff Berner mixed at Galuminum Foil, and it’s a collaboration whose dividends show themselves in the crisp but natural feel of the songs and the balance that highlights organic tones without sacrificing the clarity of the vocal arrangements.
Those arrangements are a big part of what gives The Golden Grass‘ The Golden Grassits personality. There’s laughter on the album, and though its songs are heavy and relatively extended — the shortest is opener “Please Man” at 5:23 — it’s a friendly, inviting listen that even at its most driving, heading toward the finale of closer “Sugar ‘n’ Spice,” in the early verses of “Wheels” or eliciting the riffy bounce of “One More Time,” the initial single which makes a reappearance here as the centerpiece of the tracklist, is never outwardly aggressive. Rafalowich and Kriney trade off in the lead spot, but whoever’s out front, the other is never far off, and as “Please Man” emerges with a drum fill from its build-up intro wash of psychedelic guitar, it’s not long before the two are working together to get the most out of their harmonic range. The balance of straightforward, catchy rock and psychedelia is something else that shifts fluidly throughout the proceedings, and when they want to, The Golden Grass are well capable of playing one side off the other. “Please Man” does this in Rafalowich‘s opening and subsequent solo sections, as well as the slow, dreamy ending that gives way to the uptempo push of “Stuck on a Mountain,” the call and responses of which seem to be begging for a sing-along. There’s more engaging vocal interplay and Noval offers no shortage of texture in matching and side-stepping the riffs, but the real payoff in “Stuck on a Mountain” is when a build opens up to the chorus and The Golden Grass still don’t get mad.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 24th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Prolific Boston garage-doomers Ice Dragon have issued a new single called “Demons from Hell” in their traditional write-it-record-it-toss-it-out-there fashion. Word arrived last night of the cut, which steps back from some of the psychedelic experimentation of their latest full-length, 2013’s Born a Heavy Morning (review here), and follows in the nastier-riffing footsteps of their prior two-tracker, Steel Veins b/w Queen of the Black Harvest (discussed here), taking a dark and metallic approach to axe-swinging heaviness.
Like everything they do, “Demons from Hell” was recorded by the band at their home studio, Ron’s Wrecker Service, and in addition to underscoring the breadth of sound they’re able to capture on their own — one probably wouldn’t listen to 2012’s Dream Dragonand think “Demons from Hell” was captured in the same room — the new track drives home just how much the lo-fi production sound has become an essential part of their aesthetic, whether it’s Ron‘s howling vocals or the sharp-edged turns of Joe‘s bass, Brad‘s drums and Carter‘s guitar. When the latter takes a noise-caked solo over steady tom runs, you can practically hear the tape hiss, even on the digital stream.
I don’t know whether or not “Demons from Hell” will be part of Ice Dragon‘s next full-length, which is reportedly in the works, or if its sound portends what that album might sound like — when it comes to these guys, any speculation is just setting yourself up to look dumb later — or if it will receive any kind of physical release to make the most of its Zé Burnay cover art, but it’s a catchy, raw cut that stands well with the band’s earlier outings, three of which are due for release on CD through PRC Music in May (plus Ingot Eyefrom ultra-bleak side-project Tentacle). As always, the song is available as a pay-what-you-will download from their Bandcamp page.
