It has been 19 years since New York City doomers Blood Farmers released their self-titled debut on Hellhound Records, and while that album and their 1991 Permanent Brain Damage demo were reissued via Japan’s Leaf Hound Records in 2008 and 2004, respectively, and trio have been playing periodic shows for a half-decade if not longer, if a new record was ever going to happen, it was nothing if not due. Thus arrives Headless Eyes, the long-anticipated second offering from Blood Farmers, keeping with the horror-obsessed aesthetic, pushing the sound to places they haven’t taken it before, but keeping a controlled current of tension in its lumbering riffs. The three-piece of vocalist Eli Brown, guitarist Dave Szulkin (who also plays bass here, while Brown handles it live) and drummer Tad Léger have a stripped down approach to the genre, and for the lack of frills throughout its 44-minute course, one might call Headless Eyes minimal, though that hardly does justice to the depth of its production, atmospheric density or attention to sonic detail, as evidenced in the creative use of sampling for a call and response in the chorus of the title-track, or the synth textures that emerge on the penultimate 10-minute instrumental “Night of the Sorcerers” and closing David Hess cover, “The Road Leads to Nowhere,” taken from Hess’ soundtrack to the 1972 horror film, The Last House on the Left.

So rather than minimal, let’s say Headless Eyes has been chased through the woods by some unseen terror and forced to cast off its bullshit along the way. A substantial portion of the record is instrumental, since the aforementioned “Night of the Sorcerers” (nonetheless a highlight) and the earlier “The Creeper” account for about 16 minutes of the runtime, and together with the cover, which is another six minutes, that leaves opener “Gut Shot,” “Headless Eyes,” and “Thousand-Yard Stare” as anchors for an album that draws the listener deeper into its foggy depths before offering the melodies of “The Road Leads to Nowhere” as a way back to reality. It’s no coincidence that “Gut Shot” and “Headless Eyes” lead off. The former is a tortured, slow nod of a riff with Brown recounting a tale of agony to accompany the drawn out notes and Léger‘s careful stomp underneath. Also responsible for the Headless Eyes graphic design, Léger was an original member of Westchester, NY, thrashers Toxik, but that pedigree would seem to serve him little in matching time with Szulkin‘s guitar and bass and Brown‘s carefully positioned verses. Likewise, Szulkin has two album with sludge-thrashers The Disease Concept under his belt, and though it comes out a bit in his leads on “Thousand-Yard Stare” and maybe a touch in “Night of the Sorcerers,” the bulk of Headless Eyes is more mournful than malevolent, though as noted, an atmosphere of threat is never far off.

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Last we heard of Swedish jammy riffers Mamont, the four-piece were Passing through the Mastery Door on their 2012 debut long-player of the same name (review here). That album has had enduring appeal since it hit, the elephantine cover standing in as a representation of the Nyköping rockers’ ability to land a heavy foot when they wanted to and the fact that mammoths are extinct matching with their traditionalist approach. Primarily, their debut established them as a cool band worth keeping up with, so it’s not really much of a surprise they come so well aligned on the follow-up EP, titled The Valleys Below.

Due out May 9, Mamont‘s The Valleys Below will be available on vinyl through Napalm Records, on CD through Ozium Records and in an exclusive transparent blue vinyl pressing through Kozmik Artifactz. Seems there’s no substitute for being in demand.

Mamont will also partner up once again with Mud Walk for a run of shows in Europe. Dates, other info, preorder links, and album trailer follow, culled from Ozium‘s website and Mamont‘s Thee Facebooks:

Mamont’s second ep album revives the sounds of 70’s heavy classic rock. The mix of classic rock, progressive, blues and psychedelic brings the mind back to the days of BLUE CHEER, BLACK SABBATH and LEAFHOUND. The wha-wha, fuzz, slide, double riffs, thunderous drums and a killer voice, it’s all here. MAMONT’s second release has a thick and warm analog overall feel and heavy as it should be. The masterful songwriting and skilled performance is throughout. from High Time exploding right from the start with swelling drums and heavy riffs, in order to beautifully sliding over to a soft and melodic refrain. The ep album is nicely rounded off with the 30 minutes evil, heavy Stooner-ish leaving the listener pleased but craving for more. MAMONT are ready to face their fans with the brand new ep album “The Valleys Below” containing 5 solid hard-hitting, memorable songs. MAMONT carves its own path, and “The Valleys Bellow” establishes the band as one of catalysts aiming to change the face of classic heavy rock music for the better. Release date : 2014-05-09

1. Airbourne
2. Miranda
3. No Pills, No Power
4. Nebula VII
5. Morning Star

Pre-order soon at Napalm Records (Vinyl release).
Exclusive transparent blue vinyl at Kozmik Artifactz.
CD at Ozium Records.

Here’s some sweet news! We will hit the road once again with our lovely friends in Mud Walk this May! More European dates coming up!

Mamont & Mud Walk Tour:
9/5: Helsingborg, The Tivoli (SWE)
10/5: Copenhagen, Ungdomshuset (DEN)
11/5: Berlin, Jägerklause (GER)
14/5: Jena (GER)
15/5: Nijmegen, De onderbroek (NL)
17/5: Nantes, Crumble Fight Fest (FR)

http://mamontswe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mamontswe
http://shop.napalmrecords.com/mamont
http://oziumrecords.com/shop/details/1306
http://kozmik-artifactz.com/

Mamont, The Valleys Below EP Trailer

Well, this one pretty much sells itself. Leave a comment on this post to enter to win a copy of Portland, Maine, trio Ogre‘s new CD, The Last Neanderthal, from Minotauro Records. I’ve got one copy of the album to give away (plus some nifty buttons), and as long as you enter with your email address in the appropriate box in the comment form, you’re eligible to make it yours.

Two things to note: First, I don’t keep email addresses and I wouldn’t know what to do with them if I did, so if privacy is your concern, I have neither the time nor the inclination to violate it perhaps other than with a note to let you know you’ve won the CD. Second, the album (review here) smokes and is well worth your time. Presented with weathered-looking art from drummer Will Broadbent in a sturdy gatefold-style digipak, it’s a doomer’s delight of underground riff worship and heavy groove, up to and including the cover “Soulless Woman,” originally performed by ’70s heavy rockers Ogre. Yup, Ogre covers Ogre. The concept alone should be enough to blow your mind.

If not, be sure to check out the most excellent Lego video for The Last Neanderthal highlight “Nine Princes in Amber,” posted for a refresher of the album’s righteousness and will to not take itself too seriously. Ogre — Broadbent, guitarist Ross Markonish and bassist/vocalist Ed Cunningham — have also just been added to the bill of The Eye of the Stoned Goat 4, which is set to take place May 3 and 4 at Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts. They’ll be in good company alongside the reunited Sixty Watt Shaman, Kings Destroy, Beelzefuzz and many others.

CD winner is chosen at random. Good luck to everyone who enters and thanks for your continued support of this site.

Leave a comment on this post to win! Don’t forget to include your email address in the contact form!

Ogre, “Nine Princes in Amber” Lego video

One thing’s for sure: When boozy Swedish doom rockers The Graviators decided to call their new album Motherload, they weren’t kidding. The 2LP — their third overall and second for Napalm Records — checks in at a massive 76 minutes, and is an undertaking front to back of bluesy classic heavy rocking and pure, traditional-style doom. They’ve got one foot in the grave and one in the arena, in other words, and across Motherload, they put on a show of considerable proportion, beginning right from the start of “Leif’s Last Breath/Dance of the Valkyrie” to showcase a varied but fluid and engaging approach from the four-piece of vocalist Niklas Sjöberg, lead and rhythm guitarist Martin Fairbanks, bassist Johan Holm and drummer Henrik Bergman.

As a frontman, Sjöberg is a steady presence in the mix, but as the opening cut shows, he’s not an overbearing singer and knows when the song is best served by stepping back to let Fairbanks top a building Sabbathian groove with a worthy solo. The shortest of Motherload‘s nine cuts is “Bed of Bitches” at 5:31, so everyone gets plenty of room throughout to ply their trade, whether it’s on the hook-laden “Narrow Minded Bastards” (video premiere here) — Holm‘s bassline alone makes the song a necessity — or the longest form works, “Lost Lord” (11:09) and “Druid’s Ritual” (13:50), each of which serves as the finale for its half of the album and offers a spirited jam to mark the occasion, Fairbanks leading the way on guitar, but both Holm and Bergman exploring as well a jazzy and deep-running rhythm section dynamic that’s obviously developed over the course of The Graviators‘ years since making their self-titled full-length debut in 2009.

Those songs provide a neat summary of the scope, but whether it’s that bass ‘n’ drum swing and spacey guitar, huge riffing, wailing doom defiance, bottle-tipping rush or plodding, feedback-heavy doom, Motherload delivers what Motherload promises, whether it’s the traditional metal of “Tigress of Sibiria,” the eerie spaciousness of “Drowned in Leaves” (note the “Die Young” reference from Sjöberg in the second half), or the floor-shaking siren-topped nod of “Eagles Rising.” The Graviators tie it all together through a clear affinity for big riffs, big tones all things wicked and/or doomed, and even though one could hardly accuse them of brevity, Motherload is never more over-the-top than it wants to be and The Graviators never meander so far that they lose sight of serving the track at hand.

It’s my pleasure today to host a full stream of Motherload for those who’d go wandering through its blue skies and murky depths. The album hits beginning this week (it’s out April 8 in North America), and The Graviators start a European tour to support it on April 21, playing the Berlin Desertfest and Copenhagen’s Heavy Days in Doomtown along the way. More details about the release and tour dates can be found under the player below.

Please enjoy:

After the release of their fantastic and critically acclaimed full length “Evil Deeds” and the split 7″ with their label mates MONKEY3, THE GRAVIATORS return with their latest studio effort “Motherload”. The brilliant vintage analog sound combines the Hard Rock of the Seventies with a good dose of Doom Metal and Stoner Rock. For the very first time, THE GRAVIATORS pay homage to their cultural heritage. The result is the song “Leifs Last Breath / Dance of the Valkyrie”. It is an epic track that could have been written by Quorthon (BATHORY) himself. The songs give off an occult vibe that mainly results from the enthralling vocals. A special bonus is the re-recording of “Druid´s Ritual”, a classic from the band’s back catalogue. The song clocks in at almost 14min and is a testament to the band’s brilliance. “Motherload” is an impressive Doom Stoner Metal album filled with highlights and will elevate THE GRAVIATORS from being an insider’s tip to the top of the scene.

Release Dates:
ESP/SWE/NOR: 02.04.2014
G/A/S, FIN & Benelux: 28.03.2014
EUROPE: 31.03.2014
USA/CAN: 08.04.2014

THE GRAVIATORS on Tour
21.04.14 SE – Stockholm / tba
22.04.14 SE – Lund / Hemgarden
23.04.14 DE – Berlin / Jägerklause
24.04.14 DE – Wiesbaden / Kulturpalast
25.04.14 NL – Groningen / Vera
26.04.14 DE – Berlin / Desertfest
27.04.14 DE – Köln / Underground
28.04.14 DE – Dresden / Ost Pol
29.04.14 DE – München / Feierwerk
30.04.14 DE – Dresden / Ost-Pol
02.05.14 DE – Jena / Black Night
04.05.14 DK – Copenhagen / Heavy Days Doom Town

The Graviators on Thee Facebooks

Graviators at Napalm Records

Kyuss, Welcome to Sky Valley (1994)

Yeah, I know. It’s technically self-titled. But you know, sometimes majority rule renames a record. The White Album was self-titled too, and I consider Welcome to Sky Valley no less pivotal in the influence it’s had in the two decades since its release — the 20th anniversary is June 28, wanna have a party? — bands around the world picking up the elements of what would become desert rock largely in this album’s wake. Kyuss‘ legacy is ongoing in Vista Chino and Queens of the Stone Age and all the groups who’ve taken cues from these tracks, presented in three distinct movements (plus a goofy “bonus” cut), but Welcome to Sky Valley, like any monument, is cast in stone.

Seems like overkill to rant about how great it is. If you’d like more, it’s in the Canon of Heavy, and was voted number one on the list of the Best Stoner Rock Records of All Time in the poll taken here a little while back. I feel like there are very few things that can be universally agreed upon, and Welcome to Sky Valley is one of them. If you’re on this site, reading this sentence, even if you don’t actually press play and listen to the thing, on some level you can probably get into it. At least that’s the hope.

—

So, today was my last day as editor of The Aquarian, which if you didn’t know was the last dayjob from which I hadn’t been laid off. I’m now completely unemployed.

The last couple days I’ve spent applying for different jobs, editor gigs, corporate gigs, one or two public sector deals. Nothing back yet, obviously, but I hear that’s how it goes. It’s been a pretty downer week, to be honest. My boss told me he wanted to talk on Monday and then blew me off until Tuesday. That’s right. I got blown off from getting fired. Imagine how little what you do means when that happens. All of a sudden I was Milton from Office Space. Except he still got a paycheck.

Welcome to Sky Valley is the blanket I’ve pulled over my head. At least it’s warm. I also thought I was getting pinkeye last night, though that seems to have abated.

Things are lookin’ up!

Like I said the last time I lost a job, I don’t know what the future holds for me, this site or anything else. If anyone knows of any professional opportunities, my resumé is here. I’m open to anything.

Hope you have a great and safe weekend. Please check out the forum and radio stream.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

Clearly Doom in June is hitting four years old in style. The Las Vegas-based fest has expanded to two days this year and is incorporating a lineup from the extreme brutality of Satan’s Host to the psych-prog of Bigelf to the contemplative musings of Ides of Gemini. Pretty wild bill, no shortage of rock and roll on it.

Tickets are on sale now, as the PR wire checks in with links and details:

DOOM IN JUNE VOL. 4

MUSIC FESTIVAL ENTERS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

23 Live Bands Over Two Days: Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th, 2014 at The Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV, Thursday, March 21, 2014 — Salem Rose Music is proud to announce Doom in June Vol. 4. For the first time in the festival’s four-year history bands have been booked to perform starting Friday night (June 6th). In keeping with festival tradition, Saturday (June 7th) will feature music all day and well into the night. Doom in June expanded the format to accommodate 23 bands this year. Event is again being held at The Cheyenne Saloon (3103 N Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130). Tickets are on sale now with discounts on 2-day advance passes for $40 HERE.

“I’m proud to be doing Doom in June for the 4th time” explains festival founder Marco Barbieri, “We’ve expanded to a two-day format in order to add more bands. There is a greater diversity of talent and we’ve listened to the fans and made it darker and heavier this year.”

Confirmed artists include (line-up may be subject to change, set times TBA):
Acid Witch
BigElf
Black Prism
Christian Mistress
Deathkings
Demon Lung
Funerary
Godhunter
Ides of Gemini
Lotus
My Ruin
Night Demon
November’s Doom
Pale Divine
Satan’s Host
Secrets of the Sky
SpiralArms
Spiritual Shepherd
Spun in Darkness
The Freeks
Trapped Within Burning Machinery
Whores of Tijuana
Wounded Giant

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/533967
https://www.facebook.com/doominjune

SpiralArms, “Drugs and Alcohol” official video

Tomorrow night, March 22, Baltimore heavyweights Sixty Watt Shaman will take the stage at the Windup Space as headliners for the Moving the Earth 2 festival. It’s a bill they share with a host of others loyal to the Doom Capitol in geography or spirit including Iron Man, Black Lung, Kingsnake and Wasted Theory, among others, and the beginning of a reunion some years in the making. Sixty Watt Shaman called it quits after the release of 2002’s Reason to Live on Spitfire Records, arguably as they hit their peak of notoriety. As bassist Rev. Jim Forrester elucidates, however, it wasn’t so simple as that. To be fair, it rarely is.

Moving the Earth 2 is the first of several fests at which Sixty Watt will appear in the coming months. They’ve been confirmed for Desertfest in both London and Berlin at the end of April, and May 3 will find them at the top of the bill at The Eye of the Stoned Goat 4 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Granted, they’ve played intermittently over the last decade, but it speaks to the continued relevance of Sixty Watt Shaman‘s studio albums that their work precedes them after all this time. Before Reason to Live served as their swansong, 2000’s Seed of Decades and 1998’s Ultra Electric positioned the Marylanders among the forerunners of what was then still a pretty deep underground. They’re a band whose influence has seeped into a lot of East Coast heavy rock, and the response to their return has been appropriately loud.

Comprised of Forrester, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Todd Ingram (who replaced Joe Selby), returned drummer Chuck Dukehart III (also of Foghound), who left in 2000, and guitarist/vocalist Daniel Soren, the reinvigorated Sixty Watt Shaman has hinted at new material of one form or another to come this year, and reissues of their past albums are in the works, though details remain to be solidified. Wherever they head after these fests, as Forrester describes in the interview that follows, the four-piece are taking a more mature, “grown-up” approach. So no, it seems they won’t be crashing on your couch this time around.

This interview was conducted a little while back, but Rev. Jim — whose involvement in post-Sixty Watt projects like Angels of Meth, Soaphammer, The Devil You Know and Serpents of Secrecy as well as his reputation as an all-around good guy precedes him — was kind enough to shed some light on how the Sixty Watt Shaman reunion came about, how it’s been getting back to work with the band, and where he thinks it might all be heading.

Please find the Q&A after the jump, and enjoy:

Read more »

Continuing to proffer mastery of the melancholic arts, UK-based Antimatter have released a new single this week called “Too Late” that, instead of following up on the full-band feel of 2012’s Fear of a Unique Identity long-player (review here), turns back to the intimate and contemplative folk experimentalism of past outings like 2007’s Leaving Eden, finding a midpoint between the two of lush textures and resonant, subdued melodies. Its six minutes are a showcase for arrangement nearly as much as songcraft.

That’s fitting enough, since Antimatter will begin a European tour next week supported by Leafblade on which Moss and Company will play Leaving Eden in its entirety. Aside from shared branch-occupation on the well-populated Anathema family tree, the two acts make for a suitable pair, each having a distinct but deeply atmospheric approach to progressive folk and moodier alternative rock. Leaving Eden has become one of Antimatter‘s signature works, striking a balance between melody and ambience that Moss continues to develop on “Too Late,” which you can hear below courtesy of the Antimatter Bandcamp.

You need info? The PR wire’s got info:

The new Antimatter single ‘Too Late’ is now available to stream from http://antimatteronline.bandcamp.com

The song harks back to the ‘Planetary Confinement’ & ‘Leaving Eden’ days.

Also, in other news …

Antimatter will be touring Europe performing the ‘Leaving Eden’ album in its entirety with a full electric band.

Dates are –
March 28th – ‘Vakaris’, Vilnius, Lithuania
March 29th – ‘Boerderij’, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
March 30th – ‘Rock Café St Pauli’, Hamburg, Germany
April 1st – ‘Alchemia’. Krakow, Poland
April 2nd – ‘Escape’, Vienna, Austria
April 3rd – ‘RudeBoy’, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
April 5th – ‘Potva’, Prague, Czech Republic
April 6th – ‘Thearter’, Berlin, Germany
April 8th – ‘Ucho’, Gdynia, Poland
April 9th – ‘Progresja’, Warsaw, Poland
April 10th – ‘Od Zmierzchu Do Switu’, Wroclaw, Poland
April 11th – ‘Geyserhaus’, Leipzig, Germany
April 12th – ‘Decadance!’, ‘Gent’, Belgium

Tickets are available for all dates from the TOURS page of www.antimatteronline.com

https://www.facebook.com/antimatteronline/
http://antimatteronline.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/MickMoss1975

Antimatter, “Too Late” (2014)