SubRosa will release SubDued: Live at Roadburn 2017 on Dec. 1 through Burning World and Roadburn Records. Today I have the extreme pleasure of hosting the official premiere of ‘The Mirror,’ and as the entire album has already been reviewed here, I thought I might just take a minute to speak about the experience of seeing the Salt Lake City outfit play in this context. Won’t take a minute.

Het Patronaat is a revamped church included as a venue for the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands. It has stained glass windows, a high, vaulted ceiling, and hardwood floors. When it’s empty, before a band goes on, it feels cavernous. Massive. When it’s full and you’re pressed up against the stage, it can be as intimate as the smallest of Roadburn‘s venues. You’re right there. The band’s right there. And, oh yeah, there are about 700 other people in the room with you, but if you don’t turn around and look, it’s easy enough to pretend you’re in your own world. That’s basically how I watched SubRosa play their ‘SubDued’ set at this year’s Roadburn.

They’d been on the Main Stage the prior afternoon, playing their most recent album, the brilliant For this We Fought the Battle of Ages (review here), in its entirety, but the concept behind ‘SubDued’ being that they’d strip away much of the distortion in favor of a mostly-acoustic presentation made it unmissable from my point of view. The setlist was older tracks — nothing off the latest record — and highlights like “Whippoorwill,” “The Inheritance” and “Cosey Mo” received new life through their revamped arrangements, the focus on meditative melody, raw rhythmic sway and a masterful presentation that turned deeply-weighted goth-tinged post-metal into exploratory neofolk no less complete in its realization. I don’t think any single moment emphasized this so much as when they played “The Mirror” as the second to last song in the set.

In terms of the arrangement, “The Mirror” was as minimal as SubRosa got: voice, drumsticks against microphone stands and a single floor tom for percussion, and that’s it. The violins, flutes, bass, acoustic and electric guitar, and samples/other noises that filled out other inclusions were set aside. Rebecca Vernon led Sarah Pendleton and Kim Pack in harmony as she and drummer Andy Patterson — situated behind a front-line of players that also included bassist Levi Hanna and guest flutist/vocalist Kelly Schilling — kept time together in that seemingly simple fashion. It was beautiful and affecting in kind.

The song itself tells the story of a woman who, by her own admission, “took the easy road.” She gets married and has five kids in five years because that’s what you’re supposed to do where she’s from, but when her husband leaves her, she’s alone and poor and full of regret. In the end, she blames not him for the affair she had, but herself for not seeing the error of the lifepath she chose: the line, “I just look in the mirror and I find I only have myself to blame” stands out in a verse preceding the ultimate moral lesson of, “You gotta push against the current to get somewhere.” It’s a powerful sentiment, powerfully presented.

I’ll admit I wasn’t familiar with “The Mirror” before seeing it performed at Het Patronaat this past April. It comes from SubRosa‘s 2006 demo/EP The Worm has Turned and to my knowledge hasn’t featured on any subsequent release. This would seem to make its inclusion on SubDued: Live at Roadburn 2017 all the more special, since it’s a standout and something kind of exclusive to this form, this time, and this moment for the band. It certainly felt that way when they were playing it, and as I watched and listened, I became utterly entranced in the melody and the storytelling in a way that hasn’t left my mind in the half-year since. I feel fortunate for having been there to witness it and know that, in fact, I was.

Enjoy the premiere of “The Mirror” below, followed by some more preliminaries from the PR wire:

First ever live album by Subrosa after 5 studio albums on labels as Profound Lore and I Hate Records.

Recorded at the prestigious Roadburn Festival 2017 in a packed Patronaat. Mixed and mastered by Andy Patterson of Subrosa.

Vinyl version will follow in early 2018.

TRACKLIST
1. Whippoorwill
2. Borrowed Time Borrowed Eyes
3. Sugar Creek
4. The Inheritance
5. Cosey Mo
6. The Mirror
7. No Safe Harbor

SubRosa website

SubRosa on Bandcamp

SubRosa on Thee Facebooks

SubRosa on Twitter

Burning World Records website

Burning World Records on Thee Facebooks

Burning World Records on Twitter

Burning World Records on Instagram

Oh, how do they ever pack so much rock and roll onto such a tiny platter. Sweet Times Vol. 6 is the latest installment in an apparently ongoing series of seven-inchers curated by Who Can You Trust? Records, and in the span of a barely-started-before-it’s-over 11 minutes, it brings four bands who sound like they’re in the process of heralding a new movement in underground heavy. Consider, if you will, the punks.

But not like the pop-punkers. Consider the early punk and hardcore. Consider young Black Flag and the semi-metallized, bass-present push of earliest C.O.C. That’s what Oakland’s Dealer would seem to be after with “Casino,” while their side A compatriots Char-Man go full-on Ramones with the jangly and uptempo “Freak Rock.” Australia finds representation in the relative sprawl of Hydromedusa‘s three-and-a-half-minute “Falco,” which is more modern in production, but still derives from a blend of heavy rock and classic thrust and arrives topped with biting vocals, and side B caps with the garage-fueled careening of Zig Zags, whose raw chorus in “Blood” reminds of Death Alley tapping into Motörhead, but is even meaner and presented as raw as can be. In other words, it sounds awesome.

Is a stage being set for a new wave of retro punk? Maybe the lessons of groups like Off! are beginning to take hold and some of those bands who a few years back might’ve hit into shuffling early ’70s boogie have now moved onto to what followed and ultimately displaced the initial heavy rock movement. Think ’76-’81 instead of ’70-’74, and you might get a pretty good idea where Sweet Times Vol. 6 is coming from in terms of style.

You can hear a track premiere for Dealer‘s “Casino” at the bottom of this post to get yourself acquainted, and the 7″ is available to order from Who Can You Trust? Records now.

Dig in:

Sweet Times Vol. 6 – Dealer, Char-Man, Hydromedusa & Zig Zags

Ok… you can finally order your very own copy of this greasy, filled to the bursting point, barrel of rock ‘n’ roll goodness!!

Four shiny new tracks by Dealer, Char-Man, Hydromedusa and Zig Zags!!! …WHAT ELSE TO SAY ?!

A raw diamond… a glimmer of light among today’s vintage/retro/nostalgia rock and roll mediocrity… the silver lining you needed more than anything else in your life… maybe that one thing that gives you hope for a brighter future and keeps you going?!

GIVE IT A TRY…

At least you’ll have a sweet time – ANY TIME !!!

This time the artwork has been handled by the one and only Jesse California and i can’t wait to hold the physical thing in my hands, as the whole package is going to look more than sweet!

„SWEET TIMES – Volume 6“ features brand new recordings by Dealer (former Sexless) from Oakland, California… (If you haven’t yet, go and check out their full-length on Wicked World Records!!), Char-Man (feat. Zarian from Lecherous Gaze on vocals!), Hydromedusa (the self-described Rock & Roll parasites from of Adelaide, South Australia!) and (if that wasn’t enough already…) there’s also a shiny new ripper from Zig Zags that’ll find you senseless after the last note, hidden in the deepest corner of the run-out groove!!! OH MY…

http://whocanyoutrustrec.bigcartel.com/product/va-sweet-times-volume-6-7-vinyl
https://www.facebook.com/Who-Can-You-Trust-Records-187406787966906/
https://whocanyoutrustrec.wordpress.com/

It hasn’t been that long since Italian fuzz trio Killer Boogie made their debut via Heavy Psych Sounds with 2015’s Detroit (review here), and they’ve certainly managed to keep busy since then, including four non-album cuts on a four-way split with The Golden Grass, Wild Eyes SF and Banquet (review here) in 2016, as well as the song “Eight Ball” in the Heavy Psych Sounds Sampler Volume II (discussed here) earlier this year. They also played Desertfest Berlin this past April. So, you know, not lacking or anything. They didn’t put out the first record and disappear.

Still, I think especially if you heard Detroit at all, the prospect of a second Killer Boogie long-player should be one for the 2018 most anticipated list. I’d expect a bit of growth within the band’s classic-minded sound, but hope they can retain the kinetic sensibility of the first outing, which seemed to shove listeners through its course in a way that left heads spinning when it was over.

Looking forward to finding out where this one goes, and hopefully I’ll have more to come before its arrival:

Italian fuzzers KILLER BOOGIE coming back with a new album!!!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is really proud to announce the coming back of the italian power retrofuzzriffprotopunkacidblues trio Killer Boogie!

The band is ready with the sophomore album that will be released early 2018 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

More info coming soon!

Fuzz Fuzz Fuzz!!! Killer Boogie is a band well versed in the making of ’70s riff making; a new machine in the retro ’n’ roll scene adept at mixing bluesy frequencies into an extremely fuzzy sound with psychedelic shades.The band is formed by Gabriele Fiori on guitars and vocals, Luigi Costanzo on drums and new bassist Nicola Cosentino who joined the band for the new album in early 2017. Their debut album “Detroit” in early 2015 surprisely recieved much attention and great feedbacks, that bring the band to play at Desert Fest Berlin and Duna Jam. After a split with other cool bands of the scene as Golden Grass, Banquet and Wild Eyes the band wrote a wonderful sophomore album in the spring 2017 and recorded in the summer, and will be released early 2018 via Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

https://www.facebook.com/killerboogie/
https://twitter.com/KILLERBOOGIE666
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

Killer Boogie, “Eight Ball”

[Click play above to stream the premiere of ‘Dead Moon’ from Low Orbit’s Spacecake. Album is out early Dec. on Pink Tank Records.]

Given the associated ideas of thick, consuming fuzz, spaced-out vibes, massive and rolling grooves and a general checked-out-of-life overarching spirit to the proceedings as a whole, one might be forgiven for immediately thinking of Sons of Otis upon hearing that the earth-buzzing sound you hear from the ground originates in Toronto, Ontario. But with their second album and Pink Tank Records debut, the three-piece Low Orbit make a strong case for themselves as practitioners of the riffly form. Spacecake — reminds of Patton Oswalt’s “skycake” bit; look it up — is the suitably molten and somewhat single-minded follow-up to Low Orbit‘s 2014 self-titled debut, and it arrives as a manageable six-track/42-minute LP that ignites a feeling psychedelic drift through tonal density, the guitar of Angelo Catenaro (also vocals) very much leading the way while backed by Joe Grgic‘s bass and synth and Emilio Mammone‘s drums.

From opener “Dead Moon” onward, their intentions as a group could hardly be clearer or presented in a less pretentious manner. Five out of the six cuts included directly reference space or some space-minded element in their title — “Dead Moon,” “Planet X,” “Shades of Neptune,” “Venus,” and “Lunar Lander,” in that order — and even closer “Machu Picchu” nestles itself into repetitions of “burn the sky” from Catanero after lyrics about the stars, new dawns rising and planets laid to waste, etc. I’m not sure where the ‘cake’ portion of the album’s name comes into play except perhaps in some reference to edibles or in terms of the record itself, which feels duly baked and iced, particularly as the title is referenced in the 10-minute “Shades of Neptune,” which is a highlight as it rounds out side A with a particularly resonant lysergic ooze.

The lava begins to churn after a brief bit of introductory synth at the start of “Dead Moon,” and there’s just about no letup from there. In terms of influences, “Dead Moon” nods — and I do mean nods — at the aforementioned propensity for rolling grooves from fellow Torontonians Sons of Otis, and one can hear shades of earliest Mars Red Sky in the ride-cymbal-punctuated bouncing verse of “Planet X,” but at root beneath both of these and much of the rest of Spacecake is post-Sleep riff idolatry, and Low Orbit do well finding a place for themselves within that context. Lead layers emerge over a wash of high and low fuzz in “Planet X,” and though subtle and in some places buried deep in the mix, that current of synth and effects is almost always present in one form or another, and its flourish both adds to the breadth that Low Orbit cast and bolsters the cosmic theme through which their work is seeking to function.

Both “Dead Moon” and “Planet X” offer a tonal warmth that one might take as a contrast to the coldness of atmospheric vacuum, but they’re hardly the first to make that pairing, and as they cut the pace on “Shades of Neptune” to an even more languid push, any and all such grounded concerns more or less dissipate in deference to the groove that emerges. Like the cuts surrounding, one would hardly accuse “Shades of Neptune” of making any revolutionary moves, but it is a more than capable play to style from the trio, whose persona is established within the individual examples of songwriting and in the interplay between them over the flowing and laid back course the band sets into the very heart of the “far out” itself.

With the willful adoption of genre tropes that pervades, one expects side B of Spacecake to mirror and perhaps reinforce the accomplishments of the album’s first half, and to the greater extent, it does precisely that. At five and six minutes, respectively, “Venus” and “Lunar Lander” answer the mid-paced density called out by “Dead Moon” and “Planet X,” and as it reaches just under nine, indeed “Machu Picchu” offers a tempo dip to back up that in “Shades of Neptune.” Fortunately, this is achieved with no discernible decline in the quality of hooks, and as Catanero shouts out the chorus of “Lunar Lander” ahead of the bigger roll that takes hold past the song’s midpoint, it becomes apparent that perhaps Low Orbit haven’t played their complete hand yet in terms of how much they have to offer sound-wise. The closer furthers this supposition with a well-honed-if-self-aware ritualized vibe, led off by Grgic‘s bass and a backing drone to give an immediately Om-style feel. Not at all unwelcome.

A melodic semi-wash takes hold, vocals echo from far off, and Low Orbit find ambient reaches heretofore unknown to Spacecake even as they make their way to a more straightforward march in the chorus. “Machu Picchu” undulates like this throughout its 8:52, coming forward and receding again, and it winds up in a lead-topped crescendo in its last minute that chugs to a sudden-seeming fadeout that one imagines could’ve easily gone on another three or four minutes on its own had the band chosen to have it do so. Perhaps their relative brevity is to be commended, since it would almost be too simple to have Spacecake push into stoner indulgence, and certainly by that time, Low Orbit‘s underlying message has been well delivered. Hidden within a standard subspace signal is a carrier wave to the converted: Come nod with us. It’s warm here and familiar and feels like home.

Low Orbit, “Machu Picchu” official video

Low Orbit on Thee Facebooks

Low Orbit on Bandcamp

Low Orbit website

Pink Tank Records on Thee Facebooks

Pink Tank Records on Bandcamp

Pink Tank Records website

Last we heard from adventurous German rockers Black Space Riders was this past Spring, and the Münster-based heavy progressives were heading into the studio to craft the follow-up to their 2016 EP, Beyond Refugeeum (discussed here), which itself was an answer to the previous long-player, Refugeeum (review here), the band’s tendency toward social commentary becoming more prevalent over time even as their sound correspondingly has grown less and less bound by notions of genre in pursuit of its own identity. I’ll admit happily that the description below of what Amoretum Vol. 1 holds in store has me intrigued, and while I’m not necessarily surprised to find them working in a two-part context, because prog and whatnot, I am interested to hear what develops across and between the pair of 2018 outings to come.

The PR wire has preliminary info:

BLACK SPACE RIDERS Releasing New Album ‘Amoretum Vol. 1’ on January 26

German Riffonauts BLACK SPACE RIDERS are proud to announce the January 26th release of new album Amoretum Vol. 1.

The internationally acclaimed predecessor Refugeeum brought the band renown with its mixture of thoughtful, sensitive themes and hard, atmospheric rock. Two years have passed since then, two years in which the world has not necessarily become a better place in the eyes of most people.

War, terror, displacement, destruction, rejection and nationalism dominate the headlines. Or, as a wise little green fellow once said: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

“All you need is love”, countered the BEATLES in 1967. The response of BLACK SPACE RIDERS in 2018 is Amoretum, a made-up word comprising “amor” and “arboretum” to symbolize a protective garden and a germ seed of love. And so the new song cycle of BLACK SPACE RIDERS is all about the conflict between fear-hate-rejection-darkness on the one hand, and love-empathy-care-light on the other. For, how else should we overcome hate, if not with love?

Musically, this conflict is consistently put into practice by a band that beats its own path and is constantly developing. The electronic experiments of the Beyond Regugeeum EP of 2016 have been reduced sonically and cleverly integrated into the powerfully sounding songs. Between fat, dirty riffs and trippy delays, everything that sounds good is allowed; the album is interspersed with a flowing groove throughout and an ever-present atmosphere that embraces the listener. Heavy, sometimes proggy, often psychedelic, always engaging and almost catchy and danceable, Amoretum Vol. 1 takes us by the hand, shows us the dark side, and then wants to give us the hope back that we so often painfully miss.

The album flows from song to song as if from a single cast. The listener wonders after 45 minutes whether everything is really already over, and wants to go back to the beginning again immediately.

But of course everything is not over after 45 minutes in the world of BLACK SPACE RIDERS. The band also announces a second chapter for 2018 … Amoretum Vol. 2 is waiting for us, while we are looking forward to Amoretum Vol 1.

Distribution partners:
Germany/Austria/Switzerland: Cargo Records
USA/ Canada: MVD Entertainment
UK: PHD (plastichead distribution)
BeNeLux: Suburban records
Scandinavia: Border Music
Italy: Goodfellas
BLACK SPACE RIDERS are:

JE: Lead Vocals, Guitars, Organ, Beats
SEB: Lead vocals
C.RIP: Drums, Percussion
SLI: Guitars
SAQ: Bass Guitar
HEVO: Additional Bass Guitar

www.blackspaceriders.com
Twitter.com/BlackSpaceRider
www.facebook.com/BlackSpaceRiders
www.youtube.com/user/blackspaceriders

Black Space Riders, Beyond Refugeeum (2016)

Based out of Nice, France, and given every now and again to throwing in a Celtic Frost-style ‘ough!’ to signal a turn toward more extreme and shouted fare, the four-piece Pillars recently issued their debut EP, Pyres and Gallows, and with its four tracks began an exploration of traditionalist doom marked out by its overarching sense of atmosphere in the guitar. Setting its own context in the growls of “Cult Seeker” or the classic-horror vibes that persist in opener “Green Magik Ritual” — somewhere between Goatsnake and Cathedral, that one is — the EP knocks on the door of full-length territory at 33 lumber-prone minutes, and particularly in the early unfolding of “Dirty Whoreshippers” and the more patient, slower 10-minute closing title-track, calls to mind the earliest output by now-defunct UK outfit The Wounded Kings.

Now, that’s not a comparison to be made lightly, either in terms of the band The Wounded Kings started out as, the band they became, or the many tumultuous steps they had to undertake to get from one to the other, but as the throaty but melodic echoes of vocalist Klem tops JJ‘s crashing drums in “Pyres and Gallows,” with Djé‘s guitar and Disaster‘s bass ensuring that the mournful arrangement is delivered with due viscosity, I think it’s a fair enough line to draw, and it speaks as well to the progressive potential in general from Pillars, which would only seem to offer further avenues of possible exploration with the more extreme elements put to use at various points throughout. The darkness of the ambience and the nuance that Pillars discover within traditional doom could very well lead them on their own path over time, but wherever that might end up, they’ve sent a clear signal with this first offering that it’s going to be worth finding out.

Today I have the pleasure of hosting “Pyres and Gallows” as a video premiere to coincide with the EP’s official limited cassette release on Seeing Red Records. The label is also hosting the full stream of the tracks via Bandcamp, and they’re at the bottom of the post as well, for further digging.

Enjoy:

Pillars, “Pyres and Gallows” official video premiere

Disaster on “Pyres and Gallows”:

“Pyres and Gallows” is essentially about the Middle Ages, the Inquisition, no rules, and chaos everywhere. In the end, everything ends up burning… “Pyres and Gallows” is our favorite song to play live: epic, massive and chaotic ending. Our new material is definitely more in this vein, less ‘stoner rock’ than older songs… darker and heavier.”

Harnessing the powers of anguish and majesty simultaneously, PILLARS carve a tortured place in the psyche of doom and sludge with an unshakably focused assault on the senses. Harsh, brooding, and calculated, the music drags your soul through the muck and buries you, your screams a part of the choir of devastation. Sacrificing the vintage and retro flare commonplace in the genre as of late and replacing it with the vile discomfort of a forgotten past, Pillars bring only agony and promise only torment. Prepare your grave.

Pillars was formed in 2014 by ex-members of extreme bands from the South of France such as SVART CROWN, IMPERIAL SODOMY, ADDICTED and UNCLEMOSH. When the band began, their sound displayed more of a dark stoner vein, but when Clément (vocals) joined the band in March 2015, they chose to alter their path towards slow crushing doom. “Pyres and Gallows” contains a bit of the old style while teasing their newer direction, both a promising look at what is to come in 2018.

PILLARS is:
Disaster – Bass
Djé – Guitars
JJ – Drums
Klem – Vocals

Pillars, Pyres and Gallows (2017)

Pillars on Thee Facebooks

Pillars on Bandcamp

Seeing Red Records on Thee Facebooks

Seeing Red Records on Instagram

Seeing Red Records website

Seeing Red Records on Bandcamp

Somewhere between impulses classic and cosmic, one finds Sydney-based four-piece belting out a heavy space blues rock as much given to analog-style boogie as it is to topping that boogie with some effects-heavy swirl. It’s been four years since their last long-play outing, Steam Machine Museum, saw release, and Pepper Shaker Records has locked in a Dec. 6 date for the forthcoming On Lunar Highlands, a thoroughly unmanageable 69-minute/11-tracker no less defined by the Hawkwindism of the 13-minute “Woodhollow Green” than by its plucked-banjo interludes “Bean Stalkin'” and “Bean Stalkin’ Again” or by the corresponding freakouts “The Working Mind of the Creator” and “The Heavy Hand of the Destroyer.” Yes, it gets weird. Also, it rocks. Seemingly at will.

The track streaming at the bottom of this post, “The Stalwarts of Saltwort Castle,” summarizes a portion of the overall scope in its nine-minute run, but yeah, even that doesn’t really capture everything. You kind of just need to make your way through the whole record to get the complete picture. One more time: Dec. 6.

From the PR wire:

Mother Mars- New Album ‘On Lunar Highlands’

The forthcoming Mother Mars Album ‘On Lunar Highlands’ is now available for pre-order. The track ‘The Stalwarts Of Saltwort Castle’ is the feature track that comes along with the pre-order!

Four years since the last full release Mother Mars return with their Fourth full length album, 69 minutes of vintage style heavy riff rock, a bluesy psychedelic space trip to the rocky outer realm and back!

The complete album will release on December 6th! Available digitally and on Compact Disc at The Mother Mars and Pepper Shaker Records Bandcamp pages.

Tracklisting:
1. Wrecker’s Reunion Ball
2. Lost Planet Airmen
3. Thought It Best To Cut You Loose
4. Soap Bar Pick-Up Joint
5. The Stalwarts Of Saltwort Castle
6. The Working Mind Of The Creator
7. Woodhollow Green
8. Never Fail
9. Bigger Than Fear
10. On Lunar Highlands
11. The Heavy Hand Of The Destroyer

Mother Mars is:
Frank Attard: drums, percussion, Clavinet, synth, meandering chaos
Paul Attard: guitar, bass, synth, banjo-mandolin, piano, organ, complications
Dave Schembri: vocals, harmonica, mellow vibes
Matthew Slager: lead guitar on ‘Never Fail’

https://www.facebook.com/mothermars/
https://mothermars.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/peppershakerrecords/
https://peppershakerrecords.bandcamp.com/

Mother Mars, On Lunar Highlands (2017)

Among my regular supply of stock phrases I might employ on a given day, I feel like ‘in the hopper’ isn’t one I go to all that often. Nonetheless, that’s where Atala‘s third album, Labyrinth of Ashmedai, has been for at least the better part of a year if not actually a full year’s time. Recorded by Billy Anderson, it was originally set to see release in Spring 2017 via Salt of the Earth Records, but has now been given an official Jan. 26, 2018, issue date.

Makes life a little easier for me, since as I compile my year-end list for 2017 and the most anticipated list for 2018 one is finite and the other can pretty much just keep going at this point, but I honestly doubt the Twentynine Palms, California-based three-piece had that in mind throughout what’s almost certainly been a frustrating delay in bringing the record to public ears. Almost there, dudes.

The PR wire has the latest:

ATALA to Release New Album, “Labyrinth of Ashmedai”, on January 26, 2018

After years of turning heads in the subterranean metal scene, Twentynine Palms, CA-based sludge/doom metal group ATALA are rising above with the release of their most confident album yet – the full-length crusher Labyrinth of Ashmedai – out January 26, 2018 via Salt of the Earth Records. Pre-orders for Labyrinth of Ashmedai are available now via https://saltoftheearthrecords.com/salt-of-the-earth-records-store.

Conjuring grit-laced sludge inspired by their barren and often oppressive desert backdrop, ATALA grips the listener with reflective, crushing doom atmospheres dripping with stoner rock and experimental influences to boot. As with their last record, Shaman’s Path of the Serpent, Labyrinth of Ashmedai was produced by Billy Anderson, recognized for his work with colossal bands such as Sleep, Melvins and Acid King.

ATALA draws inspiration from their local environment, but not in the way other bands from the area do. “Contrary to popular belief, we aren’t from Joshua Tree, the tourist-trap,” starts guitarist/frontman Kyle Stratton. “Unlike our silver spoon-fed, trust-funded neighbors, we’re from the blue collar side of town. Twentynine Palms is a military base area – our surroundings inspire our music in a way that is pretty different from the way other local bands describe their own inspirations. It’s not all meditation and serenity out here.”

Stratton continues, “We feel more sullen in our outlook. Not only do we deal with weather reaching nearly 130 degrees, we see and experience the effects of true struggles – war, poverty, death, drugs, gang violence, prostitution and murder – quite often. Gun stores, casinos, churches, liquor stores, bars, wild animals and greed-based-politics just touch the surface of what our town offers. Without going into too much detail… it’s no easy life for us out here. Our music is a mirror that reflects the truth of our personal life experiences.”

Stratton says working with producer Billy Anderson gives ATALA a great advantage, because not only does he bring out their best, he understands their background on a personal level. “Billy was born and raised in Twentynine Palms, so not only does he understand our feelings of despair, he understands the heaviness we are trying to express musically. He helped mold us; he knows how to package heavy in a palatable way. You can hear his industrial stylings and noise contributions adding to the experimental vibe we have on this record. Because we are so comfortable with him, he is able to push us and bring us to a higher level.”

ATALA, Labyrinth of Ashmedai tracklist:
1. Grains of Sand
2. Tabernacle of
3. Deaths Dark Tomb
4. I am Legion
5. Wilted Leaf
6. Infernal

ATALA is:
Kyle Stratton (Guitar and Vocals)
Jeff Tedtaotao (Drums)
Dave Horn (Bass)

https://www.facebook.com/ataladesertrock/
https://atalarock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.atalarock.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SaltOfTheEarthRec/
https://www.saltoftheearthrecords.com/

Atala, “Grains of Sand” official video