Click here to listen.

A couple big names making their way onto the playlist this week, with Melvins guitarist/vocalist Buzz Osborne‘s first solo album and the new record, IX, from the Animosity-era lineup of C.O.C.. Some other cool stuff as well from Blackout, Dwell and Pale Horseman, so if you get to check any of it out, it’s worth digging further than what you might already recognize. But that’s almost always the case. Here we go.

Adds for May 23, 2014:

Buzz Osborne, This Machine Kills Artists

If you were to sit down and draw up a blueprint for what an acoustic solo record from Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne might sound like, This Machine Kills Artists would probably be it. Especially if your blueprint just had the words, “Like the Melvins, but acoustic,” on it. For someone who’s long since been the master of his sonic domain to step out in any fashion from the formula is interesting — and Buzzo makes a habit of doing so, usually in the company of Dale Crover — but on his own, the 17-track collection he’s produced is mostly predictable if also largely inoffensive. Songs like “Everything’s Easy for You,” “Laid Back Walking” and “The Blithering Idiot” are easy enough to imagine as Melvins tunes, and I had to check twice to make sure “The Ripping Driving” wasn’t one, but nothing overstays its welcome, and if Osborne is beginning a creative exploration branching off from his main outfit, it doesn’t seem fair to begrudge him starting from the root. The constant critical suckoff of anything Melvins-related notwithstanding, This Machine Kills Artists could be the start of an intriguing progression of Buzzo as a solo artist, or it could be a whim dabbled in and left to rust. Melvins fans will be on its junk either way, so I doubt it matters. On Thee Facebooks, Ipecac Recordings.

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Corrosion of Conformity, IX

There was a news story the other day floating around the interwebs where Pepper Keenan said the name Corrosion of Conformity or something and people started getting all gooey about the possibility of a reunion. Uh huh. In the meantime, the actual band C.O.C. have put together a second full-length of unmitigated kickassery sans-Keenan following their 2012 self-titled (review here) and subsequent Scion A/V-sponsored Megalodon EP, and while I get the loyalty to one lineup or another for any band, to discount the quality of what Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman and Reed Mullin are doing right now — right this second — is just fucking stupid. IX, released by Candlelight, is more cohesive, more grooved out than was the self-titled, but songs like “Denmark Vasey” and “Tarquinius Superbus” still retain their crossover hardcore edge. Elsewhere, “The Hanged Man,” “The Nectar” (which gets a reprise as the album’s leadout), and opener “Brand New Sleep” touch off high order Sabbathian sludge rock and make fools of those pining for records that dropped 20 years ago. This band is vital, this record a triumph. On thee Facebooks, Candlelight Records.

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Blackout, Converse EP

So apparently Converse have access to a studio in BBQ aficionados Blackout‘s native Brooklyn, which makes sense in this brave new world of corporate patronage of underground heavy, and they invited the three-piece down to record a couple cuts last week. Yup, last week. And the EP’s out now. Welcome to the future. Three tracks capture Blackout in raw, pretty live form, more fuckall tossoff than was their 2013 We are Here debut (review here), but doubtless that owes to the circumstances. Tones are huge all the same. They begin with the insistent push of an eponymous song, a heavy roller that’s short at 3:34 compared to the farther-ranging “Tannered,” which follows in likewise thickened Melvinsian form, some screams and growls thrown in for good measure lead to a plodding slowdown at the end, and for a sendoff, Blackout offer a take on Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain” that’s probably less ironic than it seems on the surface. Kind of a stopgap release, but it’s a free download and heavy as hell, so you’ll get no complaints out of me when it comes to Blackout‘s bacon-wrapped riffage. On Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

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Pale Horseman, Mourn the Black Lotus

Mourn the Black Lotus, the second long-player from Chicago bruiser rockers Pale Horseman comes topped with a Godfleshy Justin K. Broadrick remix of the song “Fork in the Road” from their 2013 self-titled debut. Not exactly representative of the burl in earlier cuts like “Running for the Caves” or “Conquistador,” both of which have riffs that seem retooled from ’90s-style hardcore, but a neato ending anyway, and it does provide some different context for the echoes on the throaty vocals throughout. Pale Horseman aren’t light on groove or really anything else, and the bulk of Mourn the Black Lotus is given to pummeling weight, though it’s not without atmospheric moments as well in lead sections. A clicky kick-drum aside, the album has a clean, crisp, metallized sound, but the groove in “Grudgulence” belies some crustier heritage. This is consistent with their first outing, which was also put to tape with Bongripper guitarist Dennis Pleckham at Comatose Studios, though there’s some progression in their aggro-sludge push. On Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

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Dwell, Far Dark Helm

Slow, as dark as its cover would indicate and straddling the line between post-metal angularity and doomed atmospherics, Far Dark Helm from Oakland, CA, trio Dwell — likely not named for the interior design magazine — periodically shift from the nod of “To Scry on Lamentations” into blastbeaten extremity. It doesn’t last too long, and if you’re previously hypnotized by that track’s repetitions, you might miss it, but it’s there and the changes add depth to the band’s approach. Far Dark Helm is comprised of four tracks, all between nine and 10 minutes long, and the remaining three make up installments of a title-track that don’t necessarily bleed into each other directly, but flow well nonetheless. Samples strewn about a rough production give Dwell‘s second full-length a sludgy edge, but the three-piece seem most in there element when exploring a grueling churn like that which rounds out the second “Far Dark Helm” leading to the sharp turns of the third. Including the opener seems to draw away from the theme of the record, but the ambience is consistent. On Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

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Also added this week were records by Harsh Toke, The Cult of Dom Keller and Begravningsentreprenörerna. For the complete list of updates, click here.

I’m not gonna lie, part of the reason I’m posting about Begravningsentreprenörerna is because, at 26 letters, theirs is by far the longest single-word band moniker I’ve ever featured on this site. Doesn’t hurt either that they come from an island off the coast of Finland and play heavy motorpunk with an eye toward garage groove and Swedish lyrics. The four-piece have signed on to release their self-titled (what else would you call it?) debut EP on Ektro Records this July 3, and the track “Anden I Flaskan” is available now for you to check out. It’s raw but not shy about kicking ass.

In case you’re wondering how Begravningsentreprenörerna translates, the Googles puts it as “Funeral Contractors,” which, though still decent, is nowhere near as cool as what they have. If you need me, I’ll be working syllable by syllable to continue to pronounce it, no doubt incorrectly.

Should you like to try your luck, the PR wire sends this:

BEGRAVNINGSENTREPRENÖRERNA set release date for EKTRO debut

Today, EKTRO RECORDS sets July 4th as the international release date for BEGRAVNINGSENTREPRENÖRERNA’s Begravningsentreprenörerna 10″ vinyl EP. Formed a year ago, the four misfits of BEGRAVNINGSENTREPRENÖRERNA – with members of Obnoxious Youth, Vorum, and Tinner – stitched their rock ‘n’ roll denim together and are now making their debut release a self-titled three-track EP. Like the roar from a bloated V8 that echoes through the wastelands filling the air with its toxic exhaust, BEGRAVNINGSENTREPRENÖRERNA play loud rock music with high-octane guitars that stink of liquor and cigarettes. The weighty ingredients in the lyrics delivered in Swedish kicks the dust of alcoholism, anxiety, death, and loneliness and migrates on the desolate highway towards the sunset, into desperation. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for BEGRAVNINGSENTREPRENÖRERNA’s Begravningsentreprenörerna
1. Du Skulle Se Mig Nu Din Fan
2. Anden I Flaskan
3. Snaran och Stålet

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/entreprenorerna
www.ektrorecords.com
www.soundcloud.com/ektrorecords
www.facebook.com/ektrorecords

Begravningsentreprenörerna, “Anden I Flaskan”

Excellent news out of the Midwest today as Indianapolis trad doomers Apostle of Solitude have inked a deal to release their newly-recorded third album, Of Woe and Wounds, on Cruz del Sur Music. This makes the Indy four-piece labelmates with the likes of Vestal Claret and Argus, among many others, and the long-awaited follow-up to their 2010 sophomore outing, Last Sunrise (review here), is set to arrive in October. It will do so preceded by their 2012 Demo (stream/review here), which still gets pretty regular spins around these parts, and the track “Whores Wings,” which premiered here last July. Of Woe and Wounds — not to be confused with the Les Claypool solo outing, Of Whales and Woe — will also mark the first album appearance of guitarist/vocalist Steve Janiak, also of Devil to Pay, who joined after the second record was released.

Kudos to the band and the label. Seems like a good fit all around. Apostle of Solitude will also appear at Days of the Doomed IV next month. Poster and info on that follow with the announcement below, which comes via Cruz del Sur:

APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE signs deal with Cruz del Sur Music

Cruz Del Sur Music proudly announces the inking of a deal with US doomsters APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE for the release of their new album “Of Woe and Wounds”.

The album was recorded by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana (USA) in May 2014, and is the first album featuring new members Steve Janiak and Dan Davidson. The addition of Davidson and Janiak has opened the classic Apostle of Solitude sound to new depths, vocal dynamics, and dimensions. Cover artwork for the album is currently being done by David Csicsely.

“Of Woe and Wounds” will be AoS third full length studio album after their 2008 release “Sincerest Misery” and “The Last Sunrise” (2010) and will be released in compact disc, vinyl and digital in October 2014 on Cruz del Sur Music.

Apostle of Solitude will be performing new songs from the upcoming release at the Days of the Doomed fest IV, in Cudahy, WI (USA) June 20 and 21.

http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
http://apostleofsolitude.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/apostleofsolitude
https://www.facebook.com/events/407651189366176/

Apostle of Solitude, 2012 Demo

A guitar line echoes, swells, is met with a quick wash of cymbal, and almost before you realize it, Dwellers have eased you into the pulsing “Creature Comfort,” the opener of their second album for Small Stone, Pagan Fruit. The Salt Lake City, Utah, three-piece have refined the stylistic ideas put forth on their 2012 debut, Good Morning Harakiri (CD review here, vinyl review here), and the result is a molten nine tracks/48 minutes of graceful, patient, heavy psychedelic blues. Front to back, it is neither haphazard nor overly constructed feeling, guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano (ex-Iota) leading the sway with the rhythm section of bassist Dave Jones and drummer Zach Hatsis (both also of SubRosa) helping to steer the material as much as ground it. Songs like the cello-infused “Spirit of the Staircase” drive into exploratory vibes, spaced out and ethereal, but there’s a melancholy at work underneath that, in combination with a more confident vocal and instrumental approach, gives Pagan Fruit a genuine sense of consciousness. It holds to these even in its most swaggering moments, say “Rare Eagle” on side A, “Devoured by Lions” or the penultimate “Waiting on Winter,” and finds its most vivid emotional ground in its moments of pleading, as on the rolling second cut, “Totem Crawler,” with its chorus, “Oh, my queen/To whom I crawl,” or the CD centerpiece “Son of Raven,” which begs, “Come home,” in repeated fashion. These songs are a far cry from any sort of toughguy mentality or dudely let’s-get-drunk-on-beer-and-write-songs-about-whiskey posturing, and ultimately it’s that sincere vibe paired with the memorable songwriting itself that makes Pagan Fruit such a satisfying, engaging experience.

It has its raucous stretches, and a steady flourish of organ from Jones and synth, vibraphone and Rhodes from Hatsis adds depth to the arrangements, and while its songs hit with no shortage of impact — recorded by Toscano‘s former Iota bandmate Andy Patterson, Hatsis‘ kick feels like it’s coming from inside your brain — Pagan Fruit is not a bombastic album. In pacing and execution it is patient and carefully done, a song like “Return to the Sky” finding its soul as much in the raindrop melody of its keys as in Toscano‘s lyrics. Guitar and bass tones are warm, perhaps most of all on the two longer cuts, “Rare Eagle” (7:10) and the closer “Call of the Hallowed Horn” (8:33). The first of the two, fourth of the total nine songs and likely the side A/B split, departs in its midsection to a psychedelic jam with subdued vocals over top, but picks up into insistent riffing, a space-rocking push emerging as organ, soloing and effects are layered in. They jam “Rare Eagle” to its finish, leading fluidly into the album-highlight “Son of Raven,” but “Call of the Hallowed Horn,” which brings in goth-rock singer-songwriter Raven Quinn for a guest vocal spot, reinterprets its chorus over its own sprawling, slow-rolling psych jam, bookending the song and album alike and showing Dwellers‘ care toward varying structures. Of course, by then, the band has done that for 40 minutes, so maybe the point is made, but they underline it well anyhow with the finale, further variety arriving earlier through elements like Toscano‘s harmonica on the swing-heavy “Devoured by Lions,” the steadily shifting key sounds or even just the changes of mood from song to song, all of which remains impeccably arranged and executed with a natural, organic feel, making non-traditional vibes and approaches sound immediately familiar.

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Set to release their debut LP on Napalm Records this September, the dudely dudes in London heavy rockers Steak have been announced as the latest addition to the formidable lineup of the first Desertfest Belgium, set for Oct. 10-12 in Antwerp. They join a cast of some of the heaviest heavy, with Electric Wizard, YOB, Pallbearer and All Them Witches accounted for and presumably more to come, but it all seems to be part of Steak‘s plan for global domination, as the four-piece drop hints in the PR wire info below of further Euro touring this fall in addition to the dates they already have lined up with Swedish rock masters Greenleaf.

Get yourself informed so you know when and how they’re coming for you:

STEAK confirmed to play Desertfest Belgium 2014

London’s finest stoner rockers STEAK are confirmed for the first edition of Desertfest Belgium in Antwerp, along with Electric Wizard, Yob, Brant Bjork, Kadavar and many more.

Within two years, STEAK have established themselves as one of the British stoner rock scene’s most satisfying acts. Following the sandy steps of their American elders Kyuss or Fu Manchu, STEAK’s music is driven by ballsy riffs and contagious grooves, tinged with moments of pure cosmic escapism.

After their two critically acclaimed EPs Disastronaught and Corned Beef Colossus and a serie of successful gigs across Spain, France, Switzerland and the UK, the fuzzy foursome flew out to Palm Springs’ very own Thunder Underground studio this winter to record their first full-length record, due out on September 4th via Napalm Records.

The album was produced by Harper Hug (Vista Chino, Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri) and co-produced by Unida’s guitarist Arthur Seay, and will feature guest vocals from desert rock legend John Garcia. Before going on a full European tour this fall, Steak will hit the stage of the first Desertfest Belgium edition to introduce their new tunes to the crowd. Not to be missed!

The band will also play UK’s brand new music event ALT-FEST, as well as a couple of gigs to support the release of their first full-length, due out September 4th via NAPALM RECORDS.

UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS
08.16.14 – ALT-FEST (UK) Kettering
09.04.14 – CARDIFF (UK) Moon Club **
09.05.14 – MANCHESTER (UK) Kraak **
09.06.14 – LONDON (UK) The Borderline ***
10.10.14 – DESERTFEST BELGIUM (Antwerp) Trix Centrum ***
** w/ Greenleaf
*** w/ Greenleaf and Sedulus

(Full European Tour coming in November)

After the undeniable success of both Desertfest London and Berlin, the brand expands a bit more with the first edition of DESERTFEST BELGIUM in Antwerp this October. Get ready for three days of stoner rock, doom, sludge and psychedelia in a super friendly and chilled atmosphere.

DESERTFEST BELGIUM
October 10-11-12th in Antwerp (Belgium)
Tickets and infos on www.desertfest.be

www.facebook.com/steakuk
steakmusic.bandcamp.com
www.napalmrecords.com

Steak, “Glanshammar” official video

I’m not gonna tell you to only listen to one of these sets, because frankly, there’s a lot of really awesome stuff in this first batch of audio streams from this year’s Roadburn festival, which took place the beginning of April in Tilburg, the Netherlands. What I am going to say instead is that if you’re lost for a place to start, definitely dig into the Lenny Kaye & Harsh Toke jam. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see the name of the band without thinking of Kaye saying, “Harsh Toke makes good smoke,” but I haven’t been able to get them out of my head since, to the point that I went back and revisited their 2013 Tee Pee debut, Light up and Live, just to hear them jam out some more. Kind of a specialty appeal for a physical pressing, but I can’t imagine there was anyone in that room who didn’t leave that set wanting it pressed to vinyl or CD. I’d take either.

And in the meantime, the audio stream is doing well to suffice. “Harsh Toke makes good smoke,” as Kaye is handed a joint passed up from the crowd. Fucking awesome. Hopefully when they put that out, they call it Good Smoke: Live at Roadburn 2014. Got my fingers crossed on that one.

In the meantime, huge respect as always to Roadburn for preserving all these sets and the many that are sure to come for posterity. As with years past, these were helmed by Marcel Van De Vondervoort of Torture Garden Studios, whose new band, Fire Shrine, I’ve been digging. They’ve got an EP on Bandcamp if you get a second to check it out between all this madness.

Enjoy:

Lenny Kaye & Harsh Toke – Live at Roadburn 2014

The Shrine – Live at Roadburn 2014

Ron van Herpen’s Jam Session: Louisiana Voodoo Centre – Live at Roadburn 2014

Mantar – Live at Roadburn 2014

11Paranoias – Live at Roadburn 2014

Papir – Live at Roadburn 2014 (Friday, April 11th)

The Great Old Ones – live at Roadburn 2014

Goatess – Live at Roadburn 2014

Thanks as always to Roadburn for letting me host the streams.

Roadburn’s website

Marcel Van De Vondervoort on Thee Facebooks

Exciting and interesting news out of the Ripple Music and STB Records camps in that the two imprints have announced they’ll partner up. STB, which to date has specialized in high-quality limited runs of vinyl, will continue to do so, but they’ll team with Ripple on digital distribution for those albums. Doubtless this will bleed over into how records are promoted as well, the labels both having garnered much loyalty over the last couple years in the American heavy underground.

What remains to be seen is how deep the collaboration will go and if maybe this is just the beginning of further efforts bridging Ripple and STB. Though STB‘s vinyl rules — their latest is the self-titled Ancient Warlocks — they’ve never put anything out on CD, whereas Ripple can be relied on for a quality jewel case for most of what they’ve put out, up to and including their own latest release, Volume IV‘s debut, Long in the Tooth (review/stream here). A logical next step beyond having Ripple do the digital distro is to partner up to bring STB stuff to Ripple CDs at least in some limited number, but I guess I’m getting ahead of where the deal currently stands between the two imprints. And maybe I’m just the last person on the planet who gives a crap about a sturdy jewel-case compact disc.

Be that as it may, STB announced the alliance thusly:

Attention!

Exciting announcement.. STB Records and Ripple Music have joined forces!!.. The best part is nothing changes. Just two awesome DIY labels working together to make the best releases even better. Now STB Records releases will all be available on all digital formats via Ripple Music. STB brings the vinyl as always, and now Ripple Music takes it to the next level and get its for you all on digital format..

Really excited to see what the future brings with this union..

DIY!! Music Lovers for Music Lovers

https://www.facebook.com/pages/STB-Records/471228012921184
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ripple-Music/369610860064

Ancient Warlocks, Ancient Warlocks (2014)

Volume IV, Long in the Tooth (2014)

The problem with reviewing a Fu Manchu show is picking highlights. “Uh, yeah, the best part was when Fu Manchu showed up and played. That kicked ass.” Review over.

With Ohio Sabbath devotees Electric Citizen and supporting and Boston’s own Gozu — who played with Fu Manchu their last time through as well, also at The Sinclair, if I’m not mistaken — as the opener, the evening promised a three-band bill with no filler. My first time at The Sinclair — getting to know venues has been both terrifying and exciting — it turned out to be a cool space. Pro shop. The location is all Harvarded-out. I laughed seeing a kid get on a college shuttle bus carrying a 30-pack of Keystone Light at the notion of “higher” education, but restaurants and bars and whatnot line kind of a side-street near the same square where one finds Armageddon Shop. You go up stairs outside to enter and a couple more to step up to the stage area. There’s a balcony in back that seemed like prime real estate, and the stage, high, well-lit, boasted solid sound even up front. It was a cool place to see a show, and a cool show to see. I felt like I’d won just by virtue of being there.

Of course, that feeling only amplified once Gozu went on. Back less than a month from a European tour that took them from Roadburn, where they destroyed, to Desertfest Berlin, they were still in excellent form, and while it was early, they got a hero’s welcome from the local types present as they ran through a well-oiled set that included the regulars “Irish Dart Fight” and the always-appreciated “Jan-Michael Vincent,” as well as the Locust Season closer “Alone” to round out. That song, slower, longer, distinct from a lot of Gozu‘s other material, seemed to show particularly how much fun bassist Joe Grotto and drummer Mike Hubbard are apparently having in the rhythm section. Their styles are well-suited to each other, Hubbard‘s seemingly inherent swing a vast departure from former drummer Barry Spillberg (Wargasm)’s metallized precision. Grotto rides those grooves well, and as Gozu are probably the band I’ve seen most since moving to the area last year, I’ve dug being able to watch that dynamic develop.

It wasn’t a particularly long set, but it was precise, and guitarists Marc Gaffney and Doug Sherman offered crunch tones and shredded leads to start the night off right. It was Tuesday — as one ultra-clever showgoer near the front would tell Scott Hill later, it was “Fu-Manchuesday” — so I don’t know how many people were in it for a party to start out, but Gozu laid the foundation for one anyway and their tightness gave Electric Citizen a heavy lead-in. The Ohio foursome had a different vibe, and after checking out their debut EP last year and their newer Light Years Beyond 7″ released for this tour ahead of their first long-player, Sateen, which is due in July, I was curious to see how their retro mindset would play out on stage. There aren’t a lot of bands in the States — at least not nearly as many as seem to be floating around Europe these days — who’ve picked up on what the likes of Graveyard have done to revitalize ’70s heavy. The model is less firmly planted here. I wondered how that might affect Electric Citizen‘s delivery.

In short, it didn’t. I guess between acts like Blood Ceremony, Blues Pills, Jex Thoth, etc., there’s enough for a new band like the Cincinnati troupe to match with their own creative whims in terms of aesthetic. If there was any continuity from Gozu, it was in drummer Nate Wagner‘s swagger and swing, though Electric Citizen put it to more boogie-fied use. On stage, they came across as even more Sabbathian than their recorded material, to the point that I was somewhat surprised to see guitarist Ross Dolan playing through Oranges instead of Laneys, but he got his point across anyway. His leads seemed to do that Iommic double-layer effect, though of course he was only playing once, and well-fringed vocalist Laura Dolan carried the rush-grooves with more than capable melodicism. A more subdued presence, bassist Nick Vogelpohl was the anchor around which the rest of the band boiled, and in addition to “Shallow Water” from the new album, they made a highlight out of the single “Light Years Beyond,” ending their set with its memorable bounce and stomp. The vibe was a bit rawer without the organ that accompanies their recorded output, but Electric Citizen made plenty of new friends anyway.

And, well, Fu Manchu, right? I mean, if you know the band, you know what you’re going to get. For two decades, they’ve been among the top ranks of fuzz purveyors, beaming in riffs from the cosmos to vibe out earthlings everywhere. Their new one, Gigantoid (review here), was the occasion, but as with any band that has such a backlog of killer material, it was really just an all-around celebration of what they do. Highlights? Yeah, there were some. I’ll never, ever, complain about hearing “Boogie Van” live, or “Evil Eye” from 1997’s The Action is Go, or anything from 1996’s In Search Of…, from which “The Falcon Has Landed” and “Regal Begal” were aired, but seriously, it was Fu Manchu. Whatever they wanted to play, they’ve got more than enough to fill a set. Dudes up front kept yelling for “Hotdoggin'” from 2000’s King of the Road — guitarist/vocalist Scott Hill finally had to address it: “We’re probably not gonna play ‘Hotdoggin’,’ that’s right, I’m the asshole” — but who was about to argue with “Weird Beard” or “Hell on Wheels?” Nobody, if the crowd-surfing and moshing were anything to go by. Further proof that picking tunes for the set is best left to the professionals.

That said, there were a couple requests honored as the Fu tore through their planned set. “Weird Beard” was one, and “Superbird” from the band’s 1994 debut, No One Rides for Free (recently reissued on vinyl; review here), was another, and they broke it out like it was nothing. “Oh yeah, here’s a 20-year-old song that we had no intention of playing, watch us completely nail it.” So, playing in front of a backdrop of the Keiron Copper cover art and Peder Bergstrand logo for Gigantoid the band did leave a bit of room before closing out with “King of the Road,” leaving stage and coming back for an encore of “Saturn III” from The Action is Go, the song seeming in context like a jammy precursor to the new album’s finale, “The Last Question,” guitarist Bob Balch swirling out effects while Brad Davis and Scott Reeder held down the groove and Hill headbanged like a man with stock in Advil. They didn’t play “The Last Question” — no need to double up on the jam — but “Invaders on My Back,” “Dimension Shifter,” “Triplanetary” and “Anxiety Reducer” represented the new album well. I’d been hoping for “Radio Source Sagittarius,” but again, there’s that issue of there simply being too much Fu Manchu for one show. They should do two nights in every city they play.

Vinyl for Gigantoid, which the band has released on their own At the Dojo Records label, is reportedly forthcoming, though they had No One Rides for Free at the merch table. I bought a CD of the new record and made my way back out into a chilly spring night to walk down the block to where I parked. It wasn’t too long before I cracked open that copy of Gigantoid and put it on, either. Some bands, you just can’t get enough.

More pics after the jump. Thanks for reading.

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