Solace & Solarized, Jersey Devils Split (1999)

Hit the right store on the right day and you might still run into a copy of the 1999 Jersey Devils split between Solarized and Solace. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen one around somewhere in the last year, anyhow, and it’s one that if, you run into it, it’s well worth taking note. Both bands wreck it. Like they got invited to a fancy dinner party and smashed the china, cracked the stemware and made off with the good silver so they could pawn it and buy more amps to blow out. Like something out of an ’80s metal video except played by punk rockers who decided at some point to get heavy. Released through Freebird Records and MeteorCity, Jersey Devils combined an EP from each outfit — both based in my beloved Garden State — into one eight-track/45-minute CD, and managed to document a particular moment in the scene around the Central Jersey Shore area, from Asbury Park to Long Branch.

The same region, small, densely-packed, crowded in summer, intense in the peculiar way of the Northeastern US, but still very much a “beach town” atmosphere, had already launched the likes of Core, Monster Magnet and The Atomic Bitchwax, and unsurprisingly, the members of Solarized and Solace were a part of that sphere as well. Though their roots, as noted, came from punk, Solace guitarist Tommy Southard and bassist Rob Hultz (now also of Trouble) played in the prior outfit Godspeed in the mid-’90s — also in a ton of other bands — and Solarized followed a similar path, with guitarist Jim Hogan playing in Dirge before establishing himself in Daisycutter and, with drummer Reg Hogan as the second in a core duo surrounded by a revolving cast of bassists and guitarists including Lou Gorra of Halfway to Gone, eventually landing in the fuzzier aesthetic of later-’90s stoner rock.

Timing-wise, Jersey Devils could hardly have hit at a better moment. Both bands were still a bit off from making their full-length debut, so the split was as much an introduction as it was a showcase, and taking the first turn, Solarized brought out the four tracks of what they called the Eight Ways to Sunday EP, a sub-15-minute work on the rawer end of heavy rock and roll, fueled by a propulsive straightforwardness that spoke to Hogan‘s sonic origins despite its thicker tones. Song titles “Slide,” “Drifter,” “Crucible” and “Sugar Bag” likewise served notice of a lack of a sans-frills approach, more concerned with momentum and attitude in the immediate start of “Slide” and post-grunge thrust on “Drifter” than with fleshing these pieces out as much as even Solace would do during their portion of this release. It was a mean sound, but not without its groove or play on tempo, as “Slide” and “Crucible” took on a more mid-paced push and “Drifter” and the quick-turning 2:45 instrumental “Sugar Bag” offered a belted-out summary of where they came from and where they were headed, and the predilection for winding rhythms — something they held in common with The Atomic Bitchwax, whose first album also surfaced around this time — that would continue as they careened into their Neanderthal Speedway long-player on Frank Kozik‘s Man’s Ruin Records, which like many titles on that long-defunct imprint, remains woefully in need of a reissue.

As regards Solace, here’s some quick math: If Jersey Devils is 45 minutes long — and it is; 45 minutes flat — and Solarized take just less than 15 of those 45 for their four inclusions, that leaves Solace with more than two-thirds of the release for their own material. Balance? Fuck it. Not when you can include a live cover of James Gang‘s “Funk #49” at the end after three originals, the first two of which are longer than what the band before has done. Solace basically ate Jersey Devils alive, is what I’m trying to say. And in so doing, they characterized the brazenness that would become an essential facet of their personality as a group and gave a preview of both of their first two albums, with “Heavy Birth/2-Fisted” going on to appear as the finale of 2000’s Further and “Try” showing up again on 2003’s 13 (discussed here). I’ll never try to feign impartiality when it comes to their work — because make no mistake, I’m a fan — but through “Heavy Birth/2-Fisted,” “Dirt,” “Try” and the aforementioned “Funk #49,” Solace tore ass and had a party doing it. Even the quiet stretch of guitar led by Southard‘s psychedelic jamminess at the start of “Dirt” seemed like a precursor to a riot, and sure enough, it was. Vocalist Jason was on fire and drummer Kenny Lund (or is it Bill “Bixby” Belford here?) no less adaptable building the tension in the midsection of “Heavy Birth/2-Fisted” than to holding the ground beneath the solo at the end of “Dirt” or the all-out intensity of “Try”‘s explosive payoff.

Neither group would ultimately be defined as a whole by the work they did on Jersey Devils, but the split was pivotal in setting the course of both. Solarized would release Neanderthal Speedway also in ’99, roughly concurrent, and follow-up with their second record, Driven, in 2001 — their swansong to-date. They’d continue to play local shows for years and rotate their lineup around Jim and Reg to one degree or another, and the pair can now be found in the hardcore-punk-tinged Defiance Engine, whose latest single, “Capitol Hell,” came out in 2014. Solace, in the meantime, stomped through Further and 13 and a handful of shorter offerings before their 2010 masterstroke, A.D. (review here), preceded a period of hiatus. In 2015, they returned with drummer Tim Schoenleber and vocalist Justin Goins joining Southard, Hultz and guitarist Justin Daniels, and earlier this year they released the cassingle Bird of Ill-Omen (review here) and were confirmed to take part in Magnetic Eye Records‘ Pink Floyd tribute compilation (info here), as well as Pittsburgh’s inaugural Descendants of Crom fest in September (info here) — all hopefully as a precursor to a new full-length somewhere down the line.

I’m not saying hold your breath, but hey, it could happen.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

—

After spending all of last week on the road — to Maryland, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and Connecticut; East Coast tour! — The Patient Mrs., the impending Pecan, the Little Dog Dio and I got back home to Massachusetts this past Tuesday. We brought my mother north with us from NJ last Saturday and she’s been staying here since, helping us get ready for the baby in October. It’s been fantastic having her around, and we’re kind of laid back, which I think she’s appreciated at least in a nice-place-to-visit-but-if-I-lived-here-I’d-be-bored-out-of-my-fucking-mind kind of way, which is fair. Anyway, we rarely get quiet time together, so I’ve really enjoyed it. Got a lot done for the Pecan — changing table and pack and play (mostly) accomplished — so all the better. Tuesday I made a taco-flavored ground-chicken meatloaf as well, and that ruled.

Today — probably around the time this post goes live, actually — we’ll head back south to Connecticut again. My mother will likely be picked up by my sister and go home either tomorrow or Sunday, but The Patient Mrs. and I will stay at the beach probably at least until the middle of next week. I’ve packed enough underwear to get through Wednesday. After that, I either need to come home, do laundry, or buy more boxers. It being between semesters and my being unemployed, there isn’t really any call to be anywhere at any given moment, and for now, that’s been nice.

That trip south was harrowing at times, and I’ve been I think justifiably beat as a result, but a couple days back up here at home have been restorative. Watched some Star Trek: The Next Generation, tried a new-to-me local health food store that was pretty good, wrote, and, again, got a lot done for the Pecan. You should’ve seen me take the dresser out of The Patient Mrs. car by myself yesterday. Looked like a damned fool.

With all the back and forth though, I’ve decided to push the Quarterly Review back another week. That gives me next week to prepare and it’ll start on Monday, July 10. Do you care? Probably not. We’ll get there. My desktop is too crowded not to do it, so it’ll happen. In the meantime though, next week has filled up well, especially considering the holiday.

Here’s what’s in the notes, subject to change without notice:

Mon.: The Midnight Ghost Train review/lyric video premiere; video premiere from Hypertonus; new track from Thee Iron Hand.
Tue.: Radio Adds (for America!); Blackout video.
Wed.: Venomous Maximus review/track premiere; maybe a video premiere from Salem’s Bend.
Thu.: Six Dumb Questions with Demon Head; The Great Beyond video.
Fri.: Lowrider Ode to Io vinyl reissue review with a premiere of an exclusive side-by-side comparison mix to the original version (it’s gonna be cool).

Like I said, busy week. There’s news and such and sundry as well. It’ll be good. Stick around. It’ll be good.

Please have a great and safe weekend. If you’re in the US and celebrating the July 4 holiday next Tuesday, don’t blow off your hand with fireworks. If you imbibe alcohol or anything else, do so carefully. Have fun. Have all the fun. But no casualties, please.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget the forum and radio stream.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

[Click play above to stream the new split single from Bible of the Devil and Leeches of Lore. Copies are available now from the bands.]

“Got no time to lose” is one of the lines tossed out in the call and response hook to Bible of the Devil‘s “Still on Top,” which is their contribution to a new split 7″ single with Albuquerque’s Leeches of Lore. It might be true in the case of both bands, but for the Chicago outfit it seems especially so. After years of road-dogging, the antic-prone two-guitar four-piece have played it decidedly lower key since the release of their most recent album, For the Love of Thugs and Fools (discussed here), via Cruz del Sur in 2012. They’ve done periodic tours in the Midwest and hit local fests like Alehorn of Power, but where the aughts and early ’10s found them belting out album after album, tour after tour, and a succession of splits with the likes of Valkyrie, Slough Feg and Winterhawk, the half-decade since the last full-length has been comparatively quiet.

One single, of course, isn’t going to make up for lost time, but “Still on Top” comes across very much as a song with a message, taking a workingman’s rocker perspective and assuring both the listener and the band that yes, they’ve still got it. Interestingly, it comes accompanied by Leeches of Lore‘s “Mountain of Mom,” which may or may not be the final recorded output from a group who recently and willingly gave that same “it” up. Following their to-date pinnacle work in 2015’s Toshi Kasai-produced Motel of Infinity (review here), the avant rockers led by guitarist/vocalist Steve Hammond played what was to be their last shows in May 2017, making this, at least technically, a posthumous offering. For what it’s worth, they hardly sound dead at all.

So in terms of communication, what Bible of the Devil and Leeches of Lore present in “Still on Top” and “Mountain of Mom” is — at least potentially — hello and a goodbye. One hesitates to speculate on the future of either group, particularly since the latter have said they’re done and since it’s been so long since the former had any other output, but that’s how it looks on the surface, and for a release that runs neatly under the nine-minute mark and comprises just two tracks, it’s a pretty efficient check-in. Accordingly, both groups play solidly to their strengths.

For Bible of the Devil, that means a classic-sounding blend of rock and metal, with guitar work by Nathan Perry (also vocals) and Chris Grubbs in the spirit of the NWOBHM as most informed by Thin Lizzy-style good times, and an upbeat hook propelled by the rhythm section of drummer Greg Spalding and bassist/vocalist Darren Amaya. On the basic level of its approach, it could hardly be more their own if it was about “the night,” but while the method and structure may be familiar, a rawer production than one necessarily might expect from Bible of the Devil after For the Love of Thugs and Fools or the preceding 2008 triumph, Freedom Metal, gives a live feel to the proceedings such that there’s almost a garage sensibility to the initial chug and the verse, before the background vocals or harmonized guitar lead take hold.

This might make “Still on Top” an even more fitting complement to “Mountain of Mom,” as Leeches of Lore have always been (or “always were,” depending on the tense in which one wants to categorize them) a rawer band, even under the guidance of Kasai, taking cues from noise rock, punk, country, extreme metal and the great anti-genre beyond where few dare to tread. Their final lineup consisted of Hammond, Kris Kerby, Noah Wolters and Andy Lutz, but whether or not that’s who appears on the single I don’t actually know. In any case, like Bible of the Devil before them, Leeches of Lore are very much at home in the 4:09 “Mountain of Mom,” working quickly even with the title to make the listener ill-at-ease as only good art can in terms of just what the hell they’re talking about and whether or not it actually has anything to do with the song itself.

That’s a question that remains as Hammond moves vocally between cleaner singing, falsetto, and harsher shouts and the band around him between circuitous lumbering marked out by its transitional drum fills and sustained pulls of guitar and a last-minute delve into lead guitar and organ that comes close enough to punk rock cabaret to recall some of Leeches of Lore‘s more offbeat aesthetic aspects, even if the basic structure it keeps to is relatively straightforward. If indeed it is their final output — again, one never says never in rock and roll — it’s a suitable weirdo-metal farewell with early screams leading to talk of the end of the world and traffic jams and so on. One might call it “the usual,” but in the grander scheme, there’s hardly anything usual about it, and of course that’s a big part of the fun.

Like much of Leeches of Lore‘s work during their time together, “Mountain of Mom” benefits from longer-term digestion over multiple listens, but those repeat visits are well-enough earned by the quickened feel and the front-to-back linear transition the band undergoes. As was the case throughout their tenure, their reach remains underrated and underappreciated, and despite a more immediate take, the same could easily be said of Bible of the Devil, the quality of whose work has always made them something of a well-kept secret within the American Midwest. If there’s anything tying the two bands together, it’s probably that most of all, but neither should one discount the fact that throughout their careers — one maybe restarting, the other maybe over — neither of them has been willing to compromise who they are at their root or give up exploring outward from their sonic foundation. Their split may be short, but there’s no lack of substance whatsoever.

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Bible of the Devil on Bandcamp

Bible of the Devil website

Leeches of Lore on Thee Facebooks

Leeches of Lore on Bandcamp

Leeches of Lore website

New Jersey legends Monster Magnet will issue a new album before the end of 2017 on Napalm Records. Their next full-length will follow two redux releases that reworked prior material — 2015’s Cobras and Fire (review here), which took on 2010’s Mastermind (review here) and 2014’s Milking the Stars (review here), which expanded on the impulses behind 2013’s triumphant return to weirdness, Last Patrol (review here) — and will be the band’s fifth and reportedly final offering through Napalm.

A release date, title, art, tracks, etc., for the new outing have all yet to be revealed, but hopefully that will be coming soon, and in the interim, Napalm has announced it will also put its stamp on the remasters of Spine of God and Tab that were originally put out during the band’s time on SPV. I recall when those came out they weren’t particularly well received, but I never had any complaints either way. Frankly, any opportunity to go out and buy another copy of Spine of God and I’m a happy man. I can think of few better uses for money than that.

The PR wire brings confirmation of the new record and info on the reissues, which are available to preorder now, vinyl and CD:

Monster Magnet release re-issues of “Tab” and “Spine Of God”

1989 marks the year of birth of New Jersey’s spacerock legends MONSTER MAGNET. Three years after their first EP on Glitterhouse, the band released their official debut album “Spine Of God” on Caroline Records, which became a full on genre classic literally in an instant. The original debut album “Tab” was recorded a year earlier then “Spine of God”, but only saw the light of day because of the overwhelming success of its actual successor. The drug hazed heavy sound of both releases helped in cementing MONSTER MAGNET’s reputation of being the only legit descendants of the likes of psychedelic and stoner rock Godfathers Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, and their electrifying punk siblings in MC5. Following those groundbreaking records, the band centered around charismatic master mind Dave Wyndorf went on to issue their first major label release “Superjudge”, followed by critically acclaimed albums “Dopes To Infinity” and “Powertrip”. That’s how MONSTER MAGNET transformed themselves into the Olympus of modern power rock and became legends themselves. The rest is history…

Napalm Records now proudly presents the re-issues of those legendary musical beginnings of this incredible band that no doubt can be considered the founding fathers of Stoner Rock. Both classic albums “Tab” and “Spine Of God” will be released on September 1 worldwide and can be pre-ordered HERE! The albums will be available on vinyl and CD!

MONSTER MAGNET will also release a brand new studio album later this year, so stay tuned for more info!

“Tab” track listing:
1 Tab
2 25
3 Longhair
4 Lord 13

“Spine Of God” track listing:
1 Pill Shovel
2 Medicine
3 Nod Scene
4 Black Mastermind
5 Zodiac Lung
6 Spine Of God
7 Snake Dance
8 Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother
9 Ozium
10 Ozium (Demo Version)

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http://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/store/monstermagnet
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Monster Magnet, Spine of God (1991)

Monster Magnet, Tab (1991)

High among the myriad pleasures offered at this year’s Roadburn festival in the Netherlands was the chance to see Twentynine Palms, California’s Atala play not one, but two sets (reviews here and here), both of them rife with new material from their forthcoming Labyrinth of Ashmedai album on Salt of the Earth Records. And among the new songs aired — cuts like “Death’s Dark Tomb” and “Infernal” — a decided standout was the raw thrust of “Grains of Sand,” for which the three-piece now present a corresponding video that also marks the reveal of the studio version of the song, which stands among their most aggressive and lumbering works to date.

Between their 2015 self-titled debut (review here) and its 2016 follow-up, Shaman’s Path of the Serpent (review here), the three-piece showed considerable sonic progression, and Labyrinth of Ashmedai would seem to hold that line. Produced once again by Billy Anderson, the third Atala long-player comes across as more sure of its direction and more confident in its approach than anything the band has done before, giving the impression that they’ve found the path they want to walk and are setting about leaving considerable footprints behind them as they go.

I’ll hope to have more on it as we get closer to the release — I’m still not sure of the exact date, but it can’t be too far off at this point — but you can check out the clip for “Grains of Sand” below, which gives the track a rehearsal-room showcase and recalls glory-days Crowbar videos in some of guitarist/vocalist Kyle Stratton‘s clawing at his own face and copious beardage. Good fun all the way around.

Enjoy:

Atala, “Grains of Sand” official video

Grains of Sand off the soon to be released Atala album. “Labyrinth of Ashmedai ” coming soon on Salt Of the Earth Records.

Filmed: Brooke Valls
Edited: Think Infinite Productions

ATALA is:
Kyle Stratton (Guitar and Vocals)
Jeff Tedtaotao (Drums)
John Chavarria (Bass)

Atala on Thee Facebooks

Atala on Bandcamp

Atala website

Salt of the Earth Records on Thee Facebooks

Salt of the Earth Records website

If there’s one thing you can rely on desert rock adventurers Blaak Heat to do it’s go far, far out. Their 2016 outing, the Tee Pee-issued Shifting Mirrors (review here), pushed the boundaries of mania in its progressive turns, keeping an Eastern influence in its underlying groove but offering an array of riffs and melodies that was absolutely dizzying. Their new single, The Arabian Fuzz, is set to release in August via Svart Records, and true to narrative, it’s far, far out.

I hear tell the band is soon to reveal a new video for one or the other of its tracks, so I won’t spoil too much about either of them, but yeah, I’ve dug in at this point and it’s fair to say they’re continuing to push themselves onto new sonic ground. Bit of an understatement there, maybe.

Basic info and some descriptive words came down the PR wire. Have at it:

New BLAAK HEAT 7″ – The Arabian Fuzz (Svart Records)

BLAAK HEAT returns with an oriental heavy psych manifesto, THE ARABIAN FUZZ! The band furthers its signature East meets West grooves by blending intricate Spanish guitars, surf rock, and Middle Eastern psych.

With Jordanian ethno-musicologist Fareed Al-Madain on vocals, MARR EL KALLAM is an homage to 1960s underground Turkish and Persian psychedelic pop. The climactic line of the song, “The shit who owns a weapon will kill”, as performed in Arabic by a US-French-Jordanian-Greek-Canadian lineup, rings ominously true in 2017 America. Along with the traditional lineup of guitars/bass/drums, BLAAK HEAT mastermind Thomas Bellier plays acoustic oud, and percussionist Peter Valsamis rounds up the band on doumbek.

AL-ANDALUS is a heavy surf rock explosion, a mind-blowing exploration into reverb fuzz wilderness led by astounding musicianship. It’s retro, yet futuristic – dig it!

The songs were recorded in Los Angeles by Jason Schimmel (of Secret Chiefs 3) and produced/mixed/mastered by Bellier.

https://www.facebook.com/blaakheat/
https://www.instagram.com/blaakheat/
http://www.blaakheatshujaa.com/
svartrecords.com/shoppe/

Blaak Heat, “Sword of Hakim” official video

Italian sludgers Deadsmoke will issue their second album for Heavy Psych Sounds this September. With the title set as Mountain Legacy, and newly-unveiled artwork keeping on theme with their 2016 self-titled debut (review here), it seems pretty safe to expect the same kind of formidable tones and riffs that album promulgated in cuts like “Endless Cave” and “Wolfcurse.” Some songs just sound heavy before you even hear them, and certainly the stated thematic the record will examine is one of considerable heft. We’ll see how it goes, I guess.

Either way, one looks forward to hearing Mountain Legacy when the time comes. Presales start Sept. 1, as the PR wire informs:

HPS Records & Booking presents a new release: DEADSMOKE – Mountain Legacy

THE NEW ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 29TH

PRESALE START SEPTEMBER 1ST

Mountain Legacy is an album exploring something fundamental to humanity: ISOLATION

The illusion of silence, which is a natural non-existing concept, is perfectly described by synthetized sounds and noises of the newly acquired band member Clavdio Rocchetti (In Zaire). These sounds are missing on the first self-titled release of Deadsmoke, so now the old tracks have been enriched and new ones have been composed providing a consistent psych-disturbed synthetized sound.

Everybody experiencing isolation and solitude on the mountain knows that the mind is constantly speaking. With a language made of noises. And the mountain itself is speaking. With a language made of slow, deep, grating, growling movements. This is what we try to represent with this album: a translation of how isolation can be felt. This is a precious legacy. The legacy of the previous album, the legacy of the mountain.

TRACKLIST

MALEVOLENT PATH
ENDLESS CAVE
HISS OF THE WITCH
EMPEROR OF SHAME

WOLFCURSE
FOREST OF THE DAMNED
MOUNTAIN LEGACY

Deadsmoke is an Italian doom sludge band that sounds like amplifiers buried in the deep, with down-tuned monolithic guitar riff scraping the soil down to the core of the earth.
Slow, hypnotic, dissonant cadences recall the eternal need for isolation and the atavistic fear of nothingness. Sub-frequencies corrode the one last trace of human cognition, apprehension and judgment.

Your soul is already burned, smoke is what remains.

https://www.facebook.com/deadsmokedoom/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

Deadsmoke, Deadsmoke (2016)

US black metal aesthetic pioneers Wolves in the Throne Room launched their Artemesia Records imprint with the release in 2014 of Celestite (review here), which was intended as a full-length complement to their 2011 studio outing, Celestial Lineage. On Sept. 22, the Washington natives are set to issue Thrice Woven, their fifth proper long-player, through the same label. The band toured Europe earlier this year, playing Roadburn and Desertfest London, and having just recently performed at Northwest Terror Fest, they’re also set to take part in Psycho Las Vegas this August, still well ahead of the new offering’s release date.

Wolves in the Throne Room have never wavered in their commitment to sonic progression or let go of the atmospheric elements of their approach, and the trailer at the bottom of this post for Thrice Woven would seem to indicate that’s still very much the case. This’ll be one to watch for as 2017 starts to wind down its best-of-the-year list contenders.

From the PR wire:

Wolves In The Throne Room return with a brand new album, Thrice Woven (Artemisia Records, 22 Sept)

Wolves in the Throne Room re-imagine black metal as an ode to rain storms, wood smoke and the wild energies of the Pacific Northwest. They are considered as one of the most potent and highly regarded bands in heavy metal today. Now, a portal into their mythic ethereal heathen landscape opens once again. On September 22nd the band will release THRICE WOVEN on their own label Artemisia Records. It is a glorious return to the blazing and furious Black Metal that they alone can create.

The album begins with “Born From the Serpent’s Eye” a true thrashing black metal epic that is bisected with a haunting northern lament sung by Swedish star Anna von Hausswolff. The band worked with metal documentarians Peter Beste and Nico Poalillo to create a video for this track which captures a bonfire-lit performance in the forest near their Olympia compound. More on this very soon, to tide us over, there’s a trailer which hints at what is to come…

“The Old Ones Are With Us” opens with the crackling of a fire and the voice of Steve Von Till (Neurosis) invoking the springtime thaw. It then storms into a dirge inspired by 90’s Finnish doom with lyrics that celebrate Imbolc, the holy day which marks the end of winter and the first stirrings of spring. Figures from Norse mythology intertwine with personal heartbreak and rebirth in the bleak “Angrboda”. The song is named after a frost giantess who birthed Fenrir Wolf, a beast who was destined to destroy the world and murder the gods.

Fenrir Wolf also appears on the cover of Thrice Woven in a painting by Russian occult artist Denis Forkas. Forkas’ obscure medieval painting techniques perfectly compliment the music of Wolves in the Throne Room, you can explore the glimmering painting at the bottom of this post.

A raven’s wings stir the air in the interlude “Mother Owl, Father Ocean”. Anna von Hausswolff returns in a duet with Turkish harpist Zeynep Oyku, forlorn industrial atmospheres haunt the mix, Hausswolff’s lyrics, sung in Swedish, echo over a barren grey seascape. “Fires Roar in the Palace of the Moon” is the classic Cascadian Black Metal epic, the third eye opens to see holy rivers being born from the ice on the tallest peaks, the lyrics offer blessings to the waters of the earth as they flow from the high places to the source of darkness, the ocean.

When the band returned to the road in summer 2016 long-time touring guitar player Kody Keyworth was welcomed as a full member of Wolves in the Throne Room. On Thrice Woven, Kody contributes raven’s screams and some of the most brutal and dark riffs. The live line-up also features Peregrine Somerville (Sadhaka) playing 3rd guitar and Brittany McConnell (Wolvserpent) on keyboards and percussion. The effect of three guitars on stage is mesmerising and reflects the dark psychedelia of the band’s albums. Check out upcoming live dates below…

UPCOMING LIVE DATES:
Thu 03/08/2017 RO Arad – Dark Bombastic Evening
Fri 04/08/2017 SL Ljubljana – Kino Siska
Sat 05/08/2017 PL Katowice – OFF festival
Sun 06/08/2017 SK Bratislava – Randal Club
Mon 07/08/2017 HUN Budapest – A38
Wed 09/08/2017 CZ Josefov – Brutal Assault
Fri 11/08/2017 CH Le Locle – Rock Altitude
Sat 12/08/2017 BE Kortrijk – Alcatraz festival
Mon 14/08/2017 RU Moscow – Volta
Tue 15/08/2017 RU St Petersburg – Opera

TRACK LIST:
1. Born from the Serpent’s Eye
2. The Old Ones Are With Us
3. Angrboda
4. Mother Owl, Father Ocean
5. Fires Roar in the Palace of the Moon

http://wittr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wolvesinthethroneroom/
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https://artemisiarecords.bandcamp.com/

Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven album trailer

So, uh, would you be surprised if I told you shenanigans ensue in the new video from a band called The Fat Dukes of Fuck? I certainly hope not. The Las Vegas-based four-piece, which features members of Demon Lung and who recorded with the team of Dead Nephews — Dale Crover of the Melvins and Toshi Kasai — will release their new album, A Compendium of Desperation, Morality and Dick Jokes, on Aug. 25, and in checking out the clip premiering below for “Whiskey and Bathwater,” I’ve little doubt the record will live up to its weighty, somewhat cumbersome title. Sometimes you just have to get weird. If only to remind yourself how much fun it can be.

And with tracks like “Full Metal Jack Off” and “No Single Men,” The FDOF offer plenty of opportunity to do just that, reminding at times of how a group like Strapping Young Lad used to toy with the conventions of heavy metal to their own fucked-in-the-head purposes, but still keeping a decided sonic bent toward heavy rock. The results veer toward the dudely — how could they not? — but don’t get anymore lost in poo-poo-pee-pee cliché than they want to be, and hey, David Yow from Jesus Lizard shows up too and did the artwork. It’s nice to have friends, or so I’m told.

As for “Whiskey and Bathwater” itself, the video gets bonus points for the headbands and the song gets bonus points for the unabashed reference to Judas Priest‘s “Turbo Lover,” and I don’t know what that brings the score to, but it’s an almost woefully catchy good time anyway. A Compendium of Desperation, Morality and Dick Jokes is available now to preorder from The FDOF‘s Bandcamp page, and under the clip you’ll find some comment from vocalist Brent Lynch about where the song is coming from lyrically. Spoiler alert: murder.

Hope you enjoy:

The Fat Dukes of Fuck, “Whiskey and Bathwater” official video

Brent Lynch on “Whiskey and Bathwater”:

A bit of a departure for us both musically and lyrically. I decided to try and write a few songs on this record that were not just about dicks. This is one of those songs. The tune made me think of murder so this is the story I came up with. It’s about a serial killer. He celebrates a “victory” by drinking a glass of whiskey, for his mixer, the bloody bathwater of his victim. Don’t look at me like that, I was totally fine just writing about dicks.

Taken from the new Fat Dukes record ‘A Compendium of Desperation, Morality and Dick Jokes’ out 8-25-17.

Featuring: Penix Krumpdique & The Deanster.

pre order now at: https://thefatdukesoffuck.bandcamp.com/album/a-compendium-of-desperation-morality-and-dick-jokes

The album was recorded by production team the Dead Nephews aka Dale Crover of the Melvins and Toshi Kasai (Qui, Melvins, Big Business) at Sound of Sirens Studios in Los Angeles. “We ate giant, heart shaped doughnuts, laughed a lot and made a great recording,” Crover says. Kasai adds “You will love it if you can tolerate thousands of profanities.” David Yow (Jesus Lizard) enthused “While The Fat Dukes of Fuck, from my hometown of Las Vegas, NV, aren’t, in fact, dukes, they are talented musicians. And mighty fun. And they rock!” Matt Cronk of Qui concludes “It’s not easy pull off their type of cheeky humor and shredder-metal. Most bands who try consistently fall flat. Yet the FDOF manage to make it endearing rather than stupid.”

“This album was written in a small sweaty room a few years back,” vocalist and band co-founder Brent Lynch explains. “We enlisted the help of The Deaf Nephews to record and help tweak the weirdness of it. It’s a bit darker than our previous records. Toshi and Dale both make appearances by way of voice or instrument on almost every track. We were able to convince David Yow to lend his voice to one track. He also did all the artwork and drank a few of our beers. Our friends Matt and Paul from Qui help out with a ton of the backup vocals as well. When those two sing together it almost makes us cry, but then we remember we are big strong men and push down our emotions like our fathers taught us. Making this album made a lot of our teenage dreams (and adult dreams) come true. We had a lot of fun making it and we hope there are at least a few assholes out there who will enjoy listening to it.”

The Fat Dukes of Fuck is:
Brent Lynch on vocals
Jarrod Miller on guitar
Jason Lamb on bass
Jeremy Brenton on drums

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