Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Seven minutes. That’s all it takes for Pittsburgh noisemakers T-Tops to inflict the searing aggression of their new EP, Disease, and if I’m perfectly honest, the job’s done before the songs are actually finished. The trio have a couple strings of dates coming up in the Midwest and on the East Coast — you can basically pick and choose where you want to go when you live in Pittsburgh — and they’ll release Disease soon after in conjunction with Magnetic Eye Records. It’s got three songs, they’re all pissed, and none of them touch three minutes long. Noise rock, man. It’s like anger as a lifestyle. I’ve got Disease on as I write this and it’s like being ground down into puddly ex-human goo. Obviously that’s the point.
So needless to say it’ll be interesting to hear their Floyd cover.
Time and places for such things. For now, here’s this from the wire of PR:
NEW RELEASE: T-Tops “Disease EP”
Pittsburgh’s T-TOPS deliver their latest clutch of full-stack, full-throttle noise-rock, the 3-track EP DISEASE, on September 28th, with tour dates and an unexpected Pink Floyd cover rounding things out.
T-Tops started jamming when Pittsburgh guitarist/vocalist Patrick Waters, who fronted well-regarded and spastic-rock group The Fitt, joined up with bassist/vocalist Jason Orr (Holy Rivals).
Struggling at first to find the right drummer, the pair nearly gave up before coming across a post on a local message board by Jason Jouver, a recording engineer at +/- Studios on the city’s South Side and multi-instrumentalist from bands including Don Caballero, Teddy Duchamp’s Army and German Shepherd. They knew the name but hadn’t even realized he played drums, and gave it a try.
In no time, ravaging riffs, gravely vocals, and thundering beats came together to produce T-Tops’ signature soundtrack for high-velocity destruction.
“There’s not really a theme,” Waters says of the in-your-face, sludgy, hooky heaviness that resulted. “We’re just trying to write catchy, loud, heavy songs.”
The trio’s experience in other bands certainly comes across in both their songwriting and prolific output. Despite moving through a series of drummers, T-Tops have issued a half-dozen EPs, 7-inches, and split releases in just a few short years. Their latest, the Disease EP, is the band’s most urgent helping of raw, furious, garage rock yet, a slab of power best heard at full volume.
T-Tops will be touring to support this killer new EP in September, and also managed to slip an angy, roaring take on Pink Floyd’s “Nile Song” onto the digital version of Magnetic Eye Records’ upcoming Best of Pink Floyd [Redux] project, which lands in November.
Disease releases digitally and on 7-inch via the band in association with Magnetic Eye Records on September 28th.
1. Disease 2. Incest 3. Mouth for Hate
Tour Dates: Aug 30 Akron, OH @ Hive Mind Aug 31 Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub Sept 1 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Sept 2 Chicago, IL @ Reed’s Sept 3 Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl Sept 12 State College, PA @ The Brewery Sept 13 NYC @ El Cortez Sept 14 East Windsor, NJ @ Toxic Cleanse Sept 15 Philly, PA @ Century
T-Tops: Patrick Waters – Guitar/Vocals Jason Orr – Bass Austin Bowen – Drums
[Click play above to stream ‘And Let it Die…’ from Fvzz Popvli’s Magna Fvzz. Album is out Oct. 5 on Heavy Psych Sounds.]
Roman ‘u’-averse scuzzriffers Fvzz Popvli return on a quick turnaround with their second album for Heavy Psych Sounds, Magna Fvzz. The follow-up to last year’s Fvzz Dei (discussed here) arrives after multiple rounds of touring and an appearance at Duna Jam in Sardinia and finds the fuzz of the masses taking the form of a blender of modern influences from the likes of Kadavar, Uncle Acid, Black Rainbows and Electric Wizard, as well as a swath of US West Coast heavy jams brought through a filter of distance and the three-piece’s other component elements. It’s a fascinating and enticing blend, and Fvzz Popvli — the trio of Francesco “Pootchie” Pucci (see also: Beesus and The Wisdoom), bassist Datio Palatio and drummer Doncalisto — put it all together to emerge with a burgeoning personality of their own on dug-in cuts (cvts?) like “Rvmpletvm” and opener “And Let it Die…,” the total seven-track/39-minute offering rounding out with the 12-minute closer “Magna Fvzz” with Bazu from psych rockers Giöbia sitting in on synth.
That song is led into by “Rvmpletvm” and “Cherry Bowl,” which are the only two other tracks over five minutes long, so there’s a distinct feeling of pushing further along an outward path leading into the finale, and with the uptempo garage dirt in the tones of “And Let it Die…” and the bounce and swing of the subsequent “Napoleon,” the outset of Magna Fvzz is immersive enough to make sure the listener is brought on board for the trip. “Napoleon” more fully unveils a penchant for rolling groove that the more brash leadoff hinted at, and that only lets the trio build a more fervent momentum pushing through one song into the next on the way to the instrumental closer, which, again, is where everything seems to find its far-out limit, as much as there is one, with space being endless and all that.
More than anything else, Fvzz Popvli sound like a band moving in the right direction. They’re headed toward finding a niche between their points of inspiration that is becoming their own sound, and in the meantime, an emerging sense of songwriting and aesthetic craft serves them well on this sophomore outing. Magna Fvzz is somewhat more humble (hvmble? okay, I’ll stop) in its aesthetic than the grandiose title might lead one to believe, but the willful arrogance there, the use of the superlative, doesn’t feel accidental. It speaks to an underlying influence out of classic punk — The Stooges walk by and wave — that Fvzz Popvli manifest amid the grit of Pucci and Palatio‘s tonality and the blown-out effects on the vocals. To wit, the speedy “The Deal” rolls out with bruise-leaving fuckall, its 3:35 run the shortest on the album not for any radical change in structure so much as tempo, and finds Pucci tearing into a solo that’s one of the highlights of the record and perhaps the most direct tie to the Pacific Coast underground; bands like Radio Moscow and Earthless seeming to inform its jammed-out, off-the-cuff vibe.
Following “And Let it Die…” and “Napoleon,” “The Deal” seems to be the culmination of this aspect of the band’s personality, as the remaining four-tracks will push into new territory. That’s a classic mullet of an album structure — business up front, party in the back — but Fvzz Popvli wear it like a band-logo trucker hat and bring their sound to life with due vibrancy and naturalism, an organic live feel permeating the proceedings and adding to the flow between the songs as well as the impact of them individually, each seeming to bring something different to the collection as a whole while also offering standout moments like the “na-na-na” hook of “And Let it Die…” or Doncalisto‘s kick into a gallop in the second half of “The Deal.” All of this works together to give Magna Fvzz the feel of being the work of a group in the process of coming into their own, and as with Fvzz Dei and their initial single, Lost in Time (discussed here), before it, the potential for where Fvzz Popvli might end up is writ large in this material.
Perhaps nowhere more than in the centerpiece “Get Me,” which would seem to be the gateway to the back end of Magna Fvzz and with a 4:20 runtime emits a decidedly grunge feel early on, a mellow start with Pucci‘s still-effects-drenched vocals highlighting some melody while enacting a build that launches into fuller tone shortly before the halfway point and continues to build as it goes forward, a buzzsaw lead taking hold just before the three-minute mark seeming to be the culmination of the filth-laden side of Fvzz Popvli‘s sonic persona, and Pucci‘s vocals answer back with a particularly Obornian sneer. The subsequent “Rvmpletvm” is more patient but still plenty grime-caked in its low-end fuzz, though some layered-in acoustic guitar adds nuance and a sense of subtlety one might not expect for an album that has thus far been so pointed in its intent. Thus Magna Fvzz‘s sonic expansion is underway, and “Cherry Bowl” continues it with a more direct vocal melody and swirling guitar over a swinging and hypnotic progression on a long, minute-plus fadeout leading to the title-track’s initial noise-barrage and drum-led unfolding.
I don’t know if “Magna Fvzz” itself is improvised, but even if they went into the studio with a general plan, a good deal of it would seem to be captured live, and that comes through especially with the wash of synth added to the core three-piece’s sound. One almost wishes there were vocals somewhere in its mire to tie it more to the six songs preceding, but neither would I trade the noise-barrage after seven minutes in and the final build that follows from the ground up, a nodding and resonant finish that leads to noise and a cold stop as though everyone just decided they’d gone far enough. I’m not inclined to argue. Fvzz Popvli had an encouraging debut and answer it here with a purposeful sense of creative progression underway. Their greatest impact may still be yet to come — recall the band only formed two years ago; whatever bands their members were in before, they’re still relatively new as a group — but the potential in their scvzz fvzz is right there waiting to be heard.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Being a gentleman of a certain age, I remember 20 years ago when Pokémon Red and Blue were released on Game Boy. I was in high school at the time, working at KB Toys store #1051 at the intersection of Rt. 10 and 202 in Morris Plains, NJ, and spent a decent amount of time stoned out of my gourd. As a fan of old-school menu-based RPGs — Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and the like — it was easy enough to get into, and on my brand new Game Boy Color that I bought with my employee discount, I killed time in science class turning my Charmander into a Charizard and so on. I don’t even remember what I was supposed to be learning, but needless to say, I derived a more satisfying life experience from the video game, and I got to see what all the fuss was about with the kids to whom I was selling the game. No regrets.
If you were going to name a band with any relation to doom whatsoever after a Pokémon, Snorlax would probably be the one to go with, so kudos to the Brisbane, Australia, one-man project of Brendan Auld. Snorlax‘s debut Splintering Demo is raw and nasty and released on cassette in an edition of 150 tapes by Caligari Records, who put Snorlax in their proverbial Pokedex with a host of other extremity-bent cassette-ready acts.
Info and audio from the PR wire:
SNORLAX Splintering Demo – Out Now
Four tracks of black doom destined of the highest order; destined to pummel and destroy, yet because of its moniker also destined to beffudled the dorkiest of metalheads, those obsessed with darkness and badassness, yet totally hooked on playing Pokemon at their daycare playtime.
Limited to 150 copies and delivered on the most durable format: cassette!
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Whittled down from an apparent glut of material — 30 songs is not inconsiderable — the forthcoming long-player from Danish classic-psychedelic trio The Sonic Dawn will be released early next year via Heavy Psych Sounds. Why the delay? Well, one expects with pressing times, the label’s schedule, putting together art and all the standard pre-album hoopla — preorders, track streams, videos if they go that route, etc. — it would be a few months anyway, and I don’t know how to say this because it seems utterly impossible, but a few months from now is like November/December, and it makes sense that The Sonic Dawn would rather wait until the New Year to get their record out rather than have it arrive around the holiday season when most folks’ minds are elsewhere. It’s a deceptively quick jump between now and early 2019, however much that might sound like the future.
Fortunately, The Sonic Dawn sound a good bit like the past, you know, to balance things out. Yet untitled, their new record follows Spring 2017’s Into the Long Night (review here), which was the three-piece’s first for Heavy Psych Sounds after making their debut in 2015 with Perception (review here), issued by Nasoni Records.
The PR wire brings announcement of work completed:
Danish psychedelic trio THE SONIC DAWN completes new album; to be released early 2019 on Heavy Psych Sounds Records.
Good news for all fans of the psychedelic sounds! The Sonic Dawn just finished recording their third LP, the culmination of a full year’s labor. Following their first two album releases, the Danish trio has toured Europe more or less constantly, only returning home to focus on this, their most ambitious project to date.
“This past year, we’ve been forced to deal with the shadow side of life. We turned feelings of loss, self-doubt and fear into a deeply personal record, finding hope and strength in the process. You hear a shift from darkness to light in these songs, picked from over 30 tracks we wrote. It’s our biggest work ever.” states Emil Bureau (guitar/vocals).
The Sonic Dawn recorded their new album in The Village, Denmark’s best analog studio, with producer Thomas Vang, coming directly from album sessions with Roger Waters.
While the album title and release date is yet to be announced, it is expected to hit record stores and online platforms in early 2019, followed by an extensive album tour. The Sonic Dawn will release their upcoming record world-wide on Heavy Psych Sounds Records.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Swedish doom rockers Alastor renew their not-so-humble invitation to die in fire with their RidingEasy Records debut album and second overall full-length, Slave to the Grave, the maddeningly catchy title-track of which they’re streaming now ahead of the Oct. 31 release. The new record follows last year’s three-songer LP, Black Magic (review here), which was released via Twin Earth Records, and the subsequent Blood on Satan’s Claw EP (review here), which found the four-piece dooming out a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover in “Bad Moon Rising.” Good times. In fire. Slave to the Grave would seem to continue their penchant for fuckall-laced darkened themes, and in addition to the unveiling of new, clever stage names where formerly each member only went by a single-letter initial, the mere fact that the new record boasts seven tracks would seem to speak to a change of approach. To wit, at just over seven minutes, “Slave to the Grave” is the shortest song they’ve ever done.
As to how the rest of the LP will play out, one can only look forward to knowing. Halloween’s the date, but preorders are up now from the label if you’re the type to take care of that kind of thing early. I bet you pay bills on time, too. Way to go on that.
From the PR wire:
Alastor premiere title track from forthcoming RidingEasy Records debut Slave To The Grave
Swedish depraved heavy doom hearkens to early occultist hard rock
Alastor hearken to the days when heavy rock was the music of the rebel, the occult adherent and lurker in the shadows, not hipster bros. Theirs is the doom sound for those who discovered it on the edge of town, in the cold rain, perhaps, as an escape from the squares who’ll never understand.
Alastor is heavy doom rock for the wicked and depraved. Drenched in heavy, distorted darkness and steeped in occult horror that will make your skin crawl and ears cry sweet tears of blood, Slave To The Grave pulls no punches in the Swedish band’s unabashedly bleak themes.
“It’s an album that circles around the concept of death,” explains lead guitarist Lucy Ferian. “It’s about death in both its spiritual and personal meaning — how death is a part of our everyday life. How it affects our thoughts and actions. How some of us spend our entire life in fear of death, while some seek it. But no matter how you live your life and no matter what you achieve here on this earth. You are still just a slave to the grave.”
Alastor formed under a bad moon in 2016, consisting of Dharma Gheddon (vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and organ), Lucy Ferian on lead & acoustic guitar and organ, Terry Fying on guitar and Levi Athan on drums. Yes, those are their given birth names, why do you ask?
The quartet released its epic 3-song debut album Black Magic in early 2017 via Twin Earth Records, followed by the 2-track “Blood On Satan’s Claw” EP on Halloween the same year. Joining forces with RidingEasy Records in 2018, Alastor hunkered down to summon the 7-track hateful gospel Slave To The Grave with engineer Magnus Sörensen.
The album opens with the dramatic spoken intro “I döden är vi alla lika” (In death we are all equal) backed by rolling thunder and a clanging church bell to set the stage for the rumbling dirge “Your Lives Are Worthless.” Forlorn vocals and drop-tuned guitars seep like murky syrup as the song slowly morphs through varying riffs across the nearly 10-minute song as it builds to an epic crescendo of squealing guitar notes and pummeling half-tempo drums. “Drawn To The Abyss” is a swinging anthem punctuated by haunting backing vocals and scraping wah-wah guitar sounds leading into a powerful double-time outro. “N.W. 588” is the hook-laden melodic centerpiece sounding like an apparent nod to Technical Ecstasy leading into the flamenco-themed acoustic ballad “Gone.” The anthemic album title track rings out with pliant lead guitar notes countering the dark lyrics and behemoth, propulsive rhythms that can only foreshadow the heft of 17-minute album closer “Spider of My Love” which brings the album to a fittingly massive and funereal close. Perfect.
Slave To The Grave will be available on LP, CD and download on Halloween, October 31st, 2018 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
rtist: Alastor Album: Slave to the Grave Label: RidingEasy Records Release Date: October 31, 2018
01. I döden är vi alla lika 02. Your Lives Are Worthless 03. Drawn to the Abyss 04. NLW 588 05. Slave to the Grave 06. Gone 07. Spider of My Love
Posted in Reviews on August 27th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Most of all, it’s a good time. With the flag of their home state of Maryland as their banner, Clutch are some 25 years removed from the release of their debut album, Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes and Undeniable Truths, and their latest work through their own Weathermaker Music imprint, Book of Bad Decisions, finds the self-sustaining, ever-touring groove lords in energetic form with a collection of marked character and 15 varied tracks just about all of which would function well in the live sphere as 56 minutes of a probably-longer headlining set. The permanent lineup of vocalist/sometimes-guitarist Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster worked with producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Tinariwen, Buddy Guy, etc.) with the stated intent of capturing a more live-feeling sound, and tonally and in terms of their delivery, they meet that goal.
As in the past, the producer is an important consideration in Clutch‘s overall impression on a given record, and Powell makes a mark here in taking over for Machine, who helmed their last two outings, 2015’S Psychic Warfare (review here) and 2013’s Earth Rocker (review here), the earlier of which seemed very much to be the blueprint the latter followed in terms of structure, sound and component styles. Three years later, Book of Bad Decisions makes a well-timed departure, learning the lessons of its two predecessors but not being beholden all the way through to the patterns they established. Of course, Clutch‘s sound has its established tenets, trademark quirks, etc., and those remain intact. But there’s a shift in approach throughout even straightforward songs like “Vision Quest” and “H.B. is in Control,” and no doubt manifesting that was part of the reason the band traded out producers in the first place. Though Machine manned the board for 2004’s landmark Blast Tyrant (discussed here; reissue review here), after two outings back to back, it was time for a change.
Clutch issued four singles leading up to the release of Book of Bad Decisions, and each one introduces a different side of the album’s personality. They started with “Gimme the Keys,” which opens the album at a speedy clip in the spirit of “X-Ray Visions” and “Earth Rocker” as Fallon recounts a dangerous night on the road in the Midwest, touting a punk rocker’s guilt at the nostalgia all the while — a nostalgia that would seem to inform the subsequent “Spirit of ’76” and the later “Vision Quest” to some degree as well — before “How to Shake Hands” furthered the gonna-be-president theme of “One Eye Dollar” from 1999’s Jam Room and 2007’s From Beale Street to Oblivion (reissue review here) with a memorable hook about putting “Jimi Hendrix on the 20-dollar bill and Bill Hicks on a five note.”
With a mid-paced shuffle and active guitar flourish from Sult atop intricate snare work from Gaster, “How to Shake Hands” is a stage-ready track through and through, and as Maines locks down the groove in still-a-secret-after-all-these-years weapon fashion, Fallon, Fallon even seems to sing along with himself in layers for the chorus. The third advance cut, the slide-guitar-laden “Hot Bottom Feeder” (video posted here) brilliantly plays off the four-piece’s Maryland heritage in lyrics that offer a recipe for crab cakes and makes itself a late-album highlight surrounded by songs like “H.B. is in Control” — the initials standing for Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch — and the shoving “Paper and Strife,” both of which are solid back-end cuts leading to the longer closer of the second LP, “Lorelei,” a slower, bluesier answer to its LP1 counterpart, “Emily Dickinson,” which executes a similar feel and adds a shimmering psychedelic lead late from Sult that’s classic sounding and a departure for Clutch all the same, but among the most welcome advents on the album as a whole.
The fourth single, and perhaps most interesting of all, is “In Walks Barbarella,” which might be the side B leadoff, but in any case resounds after the opening salvo of “Gimme the Keys,” “Spirit of ’76,” the title-track and “How to Shake Hands,” with horns included and lyrics that would seem likewise to be a nod to go-go D.C. funk acts like Parliament (the Mothership makes an appearance), Trouble Funk and Chuck Brown. Hardly Clutch‘s first engagement with funk as a style — it’s an essential component in Sult‘s riffing and Maines‘ classy-as-always basswork, but the level is upped and the genre is called out by name — again on the speedier “Ghoul Wrangler” as well, so if Book of Bad Decisions is marking the advent of ‘C-funk,’ so be it. “In Walks Barberella” is loaded with lyrical references to science fiction, Deep Purple, etc., and has the feeling of another live staple-to-be in kind with Earth Rocker‘s “D.C. Sound Attack,” but again, pushed further.
It’s somewhat telling that three out of the four singles appear within the first five tracks, in that Clutch definitely know how to introduce a release to their fanbase — pro-rock and all that — but songs like the ultra-catchy “Vision Quest,” the boogie-minded “A Good Fire” and the speedy “Weird Times” all offer hooks and signature elements of Clutch being Clutch, the latter dipping a bit into social commentary of the present moment’s confusion and barrage, though the basic image of “H.B. is in Control” is perhaps even more effective in that effort. Of particular note is the return of organ to the band’s arrangement repertoire, something they last included on From Beale Street to Oblivion over a decade ago, parting ways with Mick Schauer prior to the release of 2009’s Strange Cousins from the West (discussed here). It first appears on “Book of Bad Decisions” itself and is peppered throughout, adding bluesy feel to “Emily Dickinson,” “Sonic Counselor” and “Lorelei” in a seeming show that, after three records pointedly without, nothing is off-limits for Clutch at this point.
Such expansions of sound, along with the piano that would seem to be worked into “Vision Quest” and the breadth of moments like Sult‘s guitar at the end of “Emily Dickinson,” are emblematic of the right choices Clutch have suitably enough made on Book of Bad Decisions, and they add depth to the context of the down-to-basics material in “Paper and Strife,” “Weird Times” (though there’s some subtle and effective vocal layering in the verses there; a kind of melodic call and response) and “A Good Fire,” all of which remain excellently composed and rife with hooks and engaging rhythmic turns. Speaking as a Clutch fan, there’s little not to enjoy on Book of Bad Decisions, and though so much of the band’s focus for the last two decades — at least — has been on live performance, the album serves as a reminder of the force they can be in a studio setting as well.
One wonders if they’ll tour again with someone handling keys, but whether they do or don’t, those elements are put to excellent use in across the 2LP’s formidable span, and as much as Fallon, Sult, Maines and Gaster build momentum during their time to carry listeners from one end to the other — or at very least lead the celebratory parade — they also provide distinctive moments to stand their songs out from each other and from past offerings, even if it’s more a question of aspects recombined rather than revolutionized. Ultimately, Book of Bad Decisions is another righteous collection from an American rock institution, a national treasure of groove and one of the most distinguished acts on a forever-touring circuit. They are in it for the long haul, and these songs only further demonstrate how fortunate their audience is for that.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 27th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Got a record, got a tour. Washington-based heavy rockers Mos Generator continue their road-dogging ways in support of their 2018 album, Shadowlands (review here). Issued through Listenable Records, its take on the band’s trademark straightforward, classic style leans a little bit darker and a little bit more progressive than it has in the past, but Mos Generator are still Mos Generator beneath it all, and with stops along the way at Descendants of Crom in Pittsburgh and Doom and Stoned in Indianapolis, this run of headlining dates should be all the more of a success. These shows run into October and I can’t help but wonder if they might be headed back to Europe early next year sometime, either for a winter tour or maybe Spring fests? They seem to get around so much these days it’s hard to keep track of where they’ve been and where they’re headed next.
The answer to that question, incidentally, is everywhere.
From the PR wire:
MOS GENERATOR: Heavy Rock Power Trio Confirms US/Canadian Headlining Tour In Support Of Shadowlands Full-Length
Washington-based power trio MOS GENERATOR will bring their heavy riffing to stages this fall on a US/Canadian headlining tour. Set to commence September 21st in Port Angeles, Washington and run through nearly two-dozen venues upon its conclusion October 13th in Portland, Oregon, the journey includes stops at Descendants Of Crom Fest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as Doomed & Stoned Fest in Indianapolis, Indiana. The latest tour follows the band’s month-long US trek earlier this year which included sixteen dates supporting Fu Manchu as well as an appearance at the 2018 edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France. See all confirmed dates below.
Comments MOS GENERATOR founding guitarist/vocalist Tony Reed, “This will be our first time out on the road with the new album Shadowlands at the merch table. We were hoping to have them on the Road Rats tour with Fu Manchu in May but that didn’t happen, so we’ll make it up to you here and make sure to bring plenty. We will be playing a large majority of the new material as well and that’s a treat for us. This is also our first tour across Canada. There are some hard drives, but we are excited to get to those territories.
MOS GENERATOR released their Shadowlands full-length in North America earlier this year via Listenable Records. Shadowlands was recorded in three sessions – June 2017, November 2017 and January 2018 – at the HeavyHead Recording Company in Port Orchard, Washington and comes swathed in the cover art of Adam Burke (Pilgrim, Satan’s Satyrs, Hooded Menace, Artificial Brain et al).
Find physical ordering info at THIS LOCATION. For digital orders go HERE.
MOS GENERATOR – Tour Of The Shadowlands 2018: 9/21/2018 Little Devil’s Lunchbox – Port Angeles, WA 9/22/2018 Bremerton Raceway – Bremerton, WA 9/23/2018 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA 9/24/2018 The Palomino – Calgary, AB 9/25/2018 Bulldog Pizza – Winnipeg, MB 9/27/2018 Coalition – Toronto, ON 9/28/2018 House Of Targ – Ottawa, ON 9/29/2018 Descendants Of Crom Fest – Pittsburgh, PA 10/01/2018 Bugjar – Rochester, NY 10/02/2018 Pauly’s Hotel – Albany, NY 10/03/2018 Soliday’s – Niagara Falls, NY 10/04/2018 The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI 10/05/2018 Doomed & Stoned Fest – Indianapolis, IN 10/06/2018 Reggie’s – Chicago, IL 10/07/2018 Riot Room – Kansas City, MO 10/09/2018 Streets Of London – Denver, CO 10/11/2018 Press Club – Sacramento, CA 10/12/2018 The Alibi – Arcata, CA 10/13/2018 High Water Mark – Portland, OR
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 27th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
North Carolinian sludge stalwarts Weedeater mourn the loss of one of their own with the passing this weekend of drummer Carlos Denogean. The trio toured this past summer starting in June at Maryland Doom Fest 2018 and performed earlier this month at Psycho Las Vegas. At this time, the cause of death has not been made public, but bassist/vocalist “Dixie” Dave Collins and guitarist Dave “Shep” Shepherd posted a statement on social media to note Denogean’s passing and ask for privacy.
Hi everyone,
There is no easy way to say this. Our dear friend and bandmate Carlos Denogean passed away yesterday. It is with a heavy heart and intense sadness that we bring you this unfortunate news. He left this world far too soon and will be missed immensely by all of us. Anyone that knew Carlos was enamored by his kindness and his warm personality. He was an incredibly talented musician and a real joy to be around. He brought something truly special to the band and we all loved working with him. We simply cannot express how devastated we are by this loss. We don’t know any details at this time and we ask that you please leave us to grieve now along with Carlos’ family. Thank you for all of your kind wishes. Cherish what you have while you have it.
– Weedeater
Having been fortunate enough to see Denogean play in Maryland at the start of Weedeater’s June/July tour, he was an energetic performer who brought character and swing to Weedeater’s established material while playing with a sense of personality that fit well with the long-established chemistry of Collins and Shepherd. Condolences on behalf of this site and myself to Denogean’s family, friends and bandmates in this difficult time. Weedeater have not posted any word about their future plans, and neither would one expect them to so close to this loss.
They were in Europe earlier this spring for appearances at Roadburn and Desertfest in London and Berlin, and were slated to appear in October at Slaughter-Que in Atlanta, Georgia.
Weedeater’s latest album, which preceded Denogean’s arrival to the band, was Goliathan, released in 2015 on Season of Mist.
