Go ahead and take the title of Crawling for Carrion‘s debut EP, Rake and Roads, literally. It’s comprised of two songs, one is “Rake” and the other is “Roads.” Both are covers — of Townes Van Zandt and Portishead, respectively — and both are given a heavy treatment intended to mirror the emotional and atmospheric weight already embedded in them. The rearrangement of “Rake” is premiering now at the bottom of this post, and preorders for the release are up through Giganto Records ahead of its Nov. 9 arrival.

I suppose when you feature in as many bands as Chris West — Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight (who were way ahead of the UK underground’s silly-moniker arms race), Stubb, Landskap, Named by the Sun, Groan for a hot minute, Glanville, etc. — you make a few friends along the way, and as he handles guitar and bass and directs the arrangements, West is joined by members of Stubb, Wight and Vodun, as well as former(?) Trippy Wicked bandmate Peter Holland, now also of Elephant Tree. On “Rake,” it’s Grave Lines‘ Jake Harding on vocals and Thomas Kurek of Wight on drums, and the groove elicited from the Townes Van Zandt original — which should also be well familiar to Scott Kelly and/or Wino fans — gives a new angle from which to view its lyrical narrative.

Giganto Records is West‘s own label, and he by and large records his own work, so there’s really nothing stopping this new project from fleshing out in any number of directions. Blondie by way of doom? Could happen.

Art, info, links and audio follow:

Rake and Roads is the first in a series of releases from Crawling for Carrion. The UK-based project is spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist Chris West (Landskap, Trippy Wicked, etc.), and reinterprets “Rake” by Townes Van Zandt and “Roads” by Portishead with an eye toward bringing out an inner heaviness that’s been there all along.

Releasing through his own Giganto Records and handling production, bass and guitar, West is joined by a rotating cast in Crawling for Carrion. Jake Harding (Grave Lines) handles vocals and Thomas Kurek (Wight) drums for “Rake,” while drums on “Roads” were played by Pete Holland (Elephant Tree), and vocals helmed by Chantal Brown (Vodun) and lead guitar by Tom Hobson (Stubb). Rake and Roads will be issued as individual lathe cut 10” records and only available on a preorder basis. The sleeves will be individually printed and numbered by artist Emmett Casley from a linocut.

Chris West launched Giganto Records in 2017 as a platform to release music that he writes and records himself under various names. Best known for playing in Stubb and Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight, in recent years he has also played with Landskap, Glanville and Named by the Sun.

https://www.facebook.com/crawlingforcarrion/
https://twitter.com/christhewest
https://www.instagram.com/christhewest
https://show.co/3B0Clsk
https://www.gigantorecords.com
https://gigantorecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gigantorecords

Crawling for Carrion, “Rake” official track premiere

Adding to the ever-expanding roster of Argonauta Records is the Swedish troupe Dun Ringill, which boasts in its six-piece ranks members of The Order of Israfel and Silverhorse, among a slew of others. Music is pretty sparse at this point — that is, no demos or anything like that — but there’s a studio snippet they posted on Thee Facebooks you can see below and that sounds plenty doomy. The band take their name either from the Jethro Tull song or the Iron Age fort on the Isle of Skye that inspired it, and either way, the promise of Scandinavian folk with some pro-shop doom sounds pretty right on to me. Their debut album, Welcome, is set for release early in 2019, and I’ll hope to have more to come before then.

The PR wire gives the announcement like this:

DUN RINGILL SIGN TO ARGONAUTA RECORDS!

Feat. members of THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL, DOOMDOGS, LOTUS, SILVERHORSE & many more!

Debut album ‘Welcome’ coming in early 2019!

When The Order of Israfel took a one year break from September 2017, the rhythm section Patrik Andersson Winberg (Bass) and drummer Hans Lilja (also in Lotus), grabbed the chance to create new music again together with Patrik’s old band mate from the Doomdogs era, Tomas Eriksson (Intoxicate and ex Grotesque).

Of what started as a dark and doomy project with Nordic folk influences, creating music with big harmonies and present them with lyrics in the land of evil and darkness that were hiding behind a closed door in the mind of Winberg, became something bigger and your new favorite Swedish Heavy Doom Rock band was born: Welcome DUN RINGILL, who just signed a worldwide deal with Italy’s rising label Argonauta Records!

Says the band: „We in Dun Ringill are super stoked to strike this deal with Argonauta Records! We do believe that Argonauta is the new Black for the doom and hard rock scene and that together with us as a band we will create magic and reach beyond our wildest dreams. Welcome to the land of Dun Ringill!“

To be able to make this project as great as possible the band teamed up with some of the best musicians the Gothenburg scene has to offer: Tommy Stegemann, Guitar (Silverhorse), Jens Florén, Guitar (also in Lommi & ex live guitarist for Dark Tranquillity), as well as Patric Grammann (SFT, Neon Leon) on guitar, a master of melancholy melodies and harmonies.

DUN RINGILL just finished to record their debut album with mastermind Julien Fabré as sound engineer and co-producer together with the band. Titled ‘Welcome’, the band is set for an album release in early 2019 with Argonauta Records. The soon to be unveiled album artwork has been created by Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquility). ‘Welcome’ will also feature songs with guest musicians such as Per Wiberg of Candlemass, Kamchatka and formerly Opeth.

Stay tuned for many more news, live dates & album details coming soon!

www.facebook.com/DunRingillSwe
www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Dun Ringill, studio snippet

You only get a taste of it in the album trailer by Chariot of Black Moth streaming at the bottom of this post, but the 32-minute title-track of Bismuth‘s upcoming second full-length, The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef, is heavy enough that you’ll be mopping your melted brain cells off the floor after they leak out your damaged ears. Provided you still have enough coordination to do so after the onslaught of noise and tonal weight. The Nottingham-based bass/drum duo will release the album Nov. 2 through no fewer than four labels — Dry Cough Records, Tartarus Records, Medusa Crush Recordings and Rope or Guillotine — and hearing it leaves little mystery as to why they’d garner such populous backing. Comprised just of the title-track and the subsequent six-minute scathe of noise-doom in “Weltschmerz,” it works around the theme of climate change and human impact on the planet, so yes, it is quite fucking grim. Quite fucking grim indeed. Just like our prospects for making it out of the next two centuries with a civilization intact. Good work, my fellow fuckwads.

Bassist/vocalist Tanya Byrne, when she’s not rumbling out the extreme-sludge chaos of Bismuth‘s low end alongside drummer Joe Rawlings in a bevvy of splits with the likes of Undersmile, Gnaw Their Tongues and Legion of Andromeda — significant company to keep, all of them — works as a volcanologist, and wrote the lyrics for The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef in consideration of exactly what the title describes. Not subtle, but certainly a devastating aural interpretation of a continually devastated ecosystem. You”ll find some comment from her below relating to the album, followed by the release info, followed by the trailer premiere.

All thanks to the mighty and seemingly-carbon-free-but-still-probably-somehow-toxic PR wire. Remember, kids. We’re all complicit:

Tanya Byrne on The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef:

Last year I’d been reading a lot about climate change and the impacts it has been having on various parts of the world. There are particular habitats that act as warning flags for other ecosystems, because they are more sensitive to subtle changes. The Great Barrier Reef is one such area: It has been experiencing drastic changes due to a rise in global sea temperatures. In recent years, up to 70 percent of the reef has experiencing bleaching. The corals die, and as less survive every year, the extent of the reef decreases.

My hope is that through listening to this album, listeners will be prompted to do their own research into the effects that our species are having on this planet, and to rely less on the over-simplification of this issue that is so often presented by media outlets or political parties. Their soundbites are good for quotes, but not for explaining this complex and interconnected problem. As an environmental scientist, I try to be hopeful for the future, but I feel optimism can only be gained if all countries and political parties stop blaming each other and start working together to prevent further degradation of our planet.

The current political discourse on how to reduce our impact on ecosystems is stuck in semantics, all while these systems degrade. I believe we can reduce our impact, and I am hopeful that solutions will be found. However, many of these solutions are halted, while governments argue over who is to blame. The album title makes reference to the fact that climate change is affecting this habitat extremely, and inaction is one of the biggest causes of its decline.

Heavy/ slow duo, BISMUTH’s upcoming album, titled The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef, will be released on November 2 via a collaboration between four independent labels; Dry Cough (UK), Rope or Guillotine (NL), Medusa Crush (CA), and Tartarus Records (NL) who will jointly share release duties.

The two piece are based in Nottingham, featuring Joe Rawlings on drums and Tanya Byrne on bass/vocals. The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef is their second full length release, and is in many ways a continuation of earlier work; a strong focus on multiple layers and frequencies coming together to create an enveloping and often oppressive sound is very much BISMUTH’s MO.

The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef is a two song opus with quite self explanatory subject matter, lyric-wise. Outside of the band, Byrne, is a volcanologist with a passion for environmental science.

The title track is a 32 minute behemoth, which stays true to BISMUTH’s own description – heavy with a core of fragility. The second track, Weltschmerz is – musically and thematically – a continuation of the first. Whilst their songs lean towards being lengthy, the message and passion behind them never diminishes.

BISMUTH UK tour dates:
23.11 – Nottingham
24.11 – Manchester
25.11 – Glasgow
26.11 – Edinburgh
27.11 – Liverpool
28.11 – Leeds
29.11 – Birmingham
30.11 – Cardiff
01.12 – London
02.12 – Bristol
03.12 – Brighton

All dates are with VILE CREATURE.

The Slow Dying of The Great Barrier Reef is released on November 2nd via Dry Cough (UK), Rope or Guillotine (NL), Medusa Crush (CA), and Tartarus Records (NL).

https://www.facebook.com/bismuthslow/
https://bismuthslow.bandcamp.com
www.drycoughrecords.com/product/bismuth-slow-dying-pre-order
https://ropeorguillotine.bandcamp.com/album/the-slow-dying-of-the-great-barrier-reef
https://medusacrushrecordings.bandcamp.com
https://tartarusrecords.com

Bismuth, The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef album trailer

Whoever keeps the records of these things, let the record state that when I started the very first episode of ‘The Obelisk Show’ on Gimme Radio, it was with this track. The opener from Brant Bjork‘s new album, Mankind Woman (review here), which was also premiered here over the summer, is a clarion to anyone who’d be so bold as to let a little funk into their heart, and frankly, we should all be so lucky to do precisely that. And of course the video keeps it loose, opening up with Bjork turning on the camera and sitting down next to his record player to check out the test pressing of Mankind Woman, only to pick up his guitar and play along to the song before he, as a full band on drums, bass and guitar, jams out the track in its entirety.

That’s a blast in itself, and of course it ends with him lighting up a joint and shutting off said camera after the song has ended, but there’s more going on in the video than just that. It’s loaded with easter eggs and references. To wit, in the opening shot, when Bjork is sitting in his badass retro living room — look at that lamp! — there are two piles of records in front of the cabinet, and facing out from them are the covers for Bob Dylan‘s 1965 album Bringing it all Back Home, on which the then-folk hero went electric, and the 1970 self-titled debut from Funkadelic, which aside from being one of the best albums ever released by anybody — period — relates to the song via the use of “chocolate,” as that same unit, as Parliament, would soon enough issue 1975’s Chocolate City. Bjork might as well be recommending these to viewers, and with Hendrix showing up later on as well, one could hardly argue with his picks.

Note as well the Star Wars action figures in a display case, and the television in the living room where he’s playing bass that has the early Star Trek episode “Shore Leave” on wherein the crew of the Enterprise trips out on some planet’s atmosphere and all conjure various oddities in their mind, for Captain Kirk a certain Cadet Finnegan who used to beat him up at Starfleet Academy. It’s not there for long, but trust me, that’s the episode. Those are both cool inclusions, but perhaps the best of all is the Dylan reference, which continues into the video itself as the song makes its way to the chorus, the trippy visuals of the verse cut out and we see Bjork standing outside switching hats with words from the lyrics on them: “chocolatize,” “right on,” etc. This of course is a nod to Dylan‘s iconic promo video for “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” much referenced for his holding up signs with the words to the song on them. It’s a smart twist and fits the vibe of the track well. He ends with “love” and “dig.,” respectively. Badass.

One might also spot an open gatefold Black Sabbath LP on a shelf and I’m sure there are numerous others to be found. Either way, this is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year — it’s on that list, to be sure — and the more opportunities to dig into it, the better.

So here’s one. Enjoy:

Brant Bjork, “Chocolatize” official video

After the successful release of his critically acclaimed, thirteenth solo album “Mankind Woman”, BRANT BJORK is now premiering a brand new music video for the track “Chocolatize”. Welcome to Brant’s living room, dive with him into the desert and the psychedelic grooves of his brand new album, your trip starts below!

With an unprecedented sense of groove – the one and only Brant Bjork Groove – “Mankind Woman” is BRANT BJORK’s first ever release on European independent powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Already described as his catchiest to date, this 11-track gem presents the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist’s take on 60s and 70s music era. Joined by long-time friend and Low Desert Punk musician Bubba Dupree, Brant Bjork blends the finest of his classic rock, rhythm’n’blues and funk influences to craft a groovy, hook-laden record that adds to a prolific and always heat-warming collection of records from the legendary desert rocker.

Once again, Brant Bjork makes here a record that reminds the listener that it was the ingredients of jazz, blues and funk that makes rock music taste so good.

Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman (2018)

Brant Bjork on Thee Facebooks

Brant Bjork on Instagram

Brant Bjork on Twitter

Brant Bjork website

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Heavy Psych Sounds website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

Chilean heavy rockers Grand Reunion embrace a variety of vibes across the span of their debut long-player, In the Station, which undercuts the fact that it’s self-recorded in their rehearsal space with a surprisingly professional-sounding production, but South American rhythms for sure play a role in cuts like “Gordon Shumway” while the subsequent title-track takes on a more psychedelic feel early before diving into garage-minded, organ-laced fare. They very obviously have a sense of what they want to do and the ability to bring that to the proceedings, but it’s the songwriting that most immediately makes an impression throughout. I’ve put the Bandcamp player at the bottom of this post in case you’d like to dig in. I think it’s worth the time and hope you agree.

PR wire info follows:

GRAND REUNION – IN THE STATION (LP 2018):

Experience and friendship gives shape to “In the Station”, debut LP of 8 tracks on Spanish and English spoken to travel between the most distant situations, eras and feelings expressed, of these six musicians who meet in Grand Reunion, all of them with formation in different genres of rock but where they converge in a unique and broad sound, full of energy, to mystic background and very noisy and fuzzy rock ‘n roll.

Among a wide amalgam of influences; are the psychedelic landscapes, the spirit of the 60-70 classics and even the 80s, the body and weight of garage rock and above all, the Afro-Latin rhythms from South America that differentiate them, all incorporated into a contemporary sound.

Produced and recorded by the Grand Reunion in their rehearsal room “The Station”, this album is about all of that, the origin of their music and that special place of where it is given to birth; the rehearsal room. In this album, these 6 chilean musicians let their ideas and imaginations flow for over 3 years to finally give life to this full lenght, later mixed by Sebastian Venegas in Artisan Studio SCL, and mastered by Paul Logus (Anthrax, Clutch, Lionize, etc.) in PLX Studio NY.

So, very strange female characters, close encounters of the third kind, wild feelings and beliefs, ritual sacrifices, songs for pass-away friends and even a grass goddess anthems! All that and more in the stories that Grand Reunion has to tell you on this LP just launched and available on CD and Digital.

Grand Reunion’s new album ‘In The Station’ 2018 out now!
Order CD (Limited DLX) or Digital Album: http://www.GrandReunion.cl

Grand Reunion is:
Cristóbal Pacheco : Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitars.
Christian Spencer : Lead Guitars & Some Vocals.
Pablo Saveedra : Keyboards & Back Vocals.
Manuel Yañez : Drums & Percussions.
Mario Rodríguez : Bass Guitars & Chorus Vocals.
Javier Tapia : Latin Percussions & Harmony Vocals.

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http://www.GrandReunion.cl
https://grandreunion.bandcamp.com/

Grand Reunion, In the Station (2018)

It’s been five years since Lumbar released The First and Last Days of Unwelcome (review here) on Southern Lord, and that time doesn’t seem to have dulled its impact whatsoever. Reeling from his MS diagnosis the year prior, prolific guitarist Aaron D.C. Edge composed the seven-track album on his laptop and got together with YOB‘s Mike Scheidt and the one and only Tad Doyle to complete it vocally — the band discussed the process here — and The First and Last Days of Unwelcome was an excruciatingly heavy chronicling of Edge‘s mindset, aurally punishing and oppressive in such a way as to put zero distance between the listener and the experience being conveyed. It was and remains a powerful, affecting listen.

Argonauta Records, which has worked with Edge already this year on Bible Black Tyrant, will reissue Lumbar‘s first and only offering on LP and CD Jan. 11, with tapes on Anima Recordings.

The PR wire brings the details:

LUMBAR TO RE-RELEASE CULT ALBUM WITH ARGONAUTA RECORDS!

Feat. Aaron Edge, Yob’s Mike Scheidt and Tad Doyle!

‘The First and Last Days of Unwelcome’ to be re-released on January 11th 2019!

It’s been a tragedy for the world of metal, when the remarkable debut album ‘The First and Last Days of Unwelcome’ has been likely proved to be the first and last work of Lumbar. The trio of metal veterans Aaron Edge (Ramprasad / Bible Black Tyrant / Rote Hexe / Iamthethorn / Roareth / Phemüt), Yob’s Mike Scheidt and Tad Doyle (Brothers of the Sonic Cloth / TAD) released their highly acclaimed debut album back in 2013, when the life of band mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Edge has already changed forever.

Lumbar is Edge’s unique collaboration with the two vocalists — Yob’s Mike Scheidt and Tad Doyle. Edge wrote and recorded the music and penned the lyrics, during one long weekend in Seattle, and they added their voices. At this point, Edge had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

“It’s been five years since I wrote and recorded the Lumbar endeavor (in GarageBand, no less) and that time really did pass quickly.” Edge explains. “It has also been six years since my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, but that time has gone by much too slowly. The pain has not ceased, nor the frustration, and certainly not the fear. But, there are some positive things to focus on: my meds are now dulling some of the nerve trouble, I’m able to play music regularly again, and two labels share my excitement in the re-release of “The First and Last Days of Unwelcome” as hand-numbered 12″ vinyl on Argonauta Records and hand-numbered cassettes on Anima Recordings.

The five year agreement and music license that was held between myself and Greg Anderson, of Southern Lord, ended this month, releasing the control of the recording back into my hands. I’d like to thank Greg, for his belief in the vision and importance of Lumbar for me. He has always shown true friendship, guidance and support and I won’t forget that.

There is a difference in the first release, back in 2013, and the re-release for January 2019; there was first an urgency and now there is a reminder.

The urgency tore me and my marriage apart, it changed my life forever, the MS diagnosis was (at the time) a bleak future. And, to be honest, I’m not optimistic about how my life with the disease will change and morph as I grow older. But, I’m still here. I made it this far. The urgency of the first release of these seven tracks is now a reminder of change… it is inevitable and uncontrollable. Nature does what nature does, she can not be restrained.

I can not thank enough, then and now, the donation of friendship and talent from both Mike Scheidt and Tad Doyle: there’s only a small handful of people on the planet that I know—that I would feel comfortable having them tell my story—and these guys were at the top of the list. I love you two men.

Thank you to Gero of Argonauta and David of Anima for reminding all of us about creative energy, about storytelling. I do hope you all reading this and listening in appreciate the recording, as heavy and dark in subject matter as it truly is, all over again.”

With seven tracks and a runtime of less than 25 minutes, ‘The First and Last Days of Unwelcome’ is a relentless trek through doom metal featuring Scheidt and Doyle, the screamer and singer, who perfectly round up this epos. On January 11th 2019, Argonauta Records will re-release the cult album on Vinyl by a project that has been truly missed in the heavy music scene.

Coming with a re-designed album artwork, ‘The First and Last Days of Unwelcome’ will be available on CD (for the first time ever) and an exciting color LP edition of 300 hand numbered copies.

Pre-Orders are now available at:
LP: http://smarturl.it/LumbarLP
CD: http://smarturl.it/LumbarCD
Bundles: http://smarturl.it/LumbarBundle

Says Gero Lucisano, CEO of Argonauta Records:
“It’s been a year ago when I’ve been lucky enough to team up with Aaron Edge for his new project Bible Black Tyrant, we released on Argonauta in early 2018. A massive sludge blast I’m totally proud of. With Aaron, a hard working musician, I got the chance to speak about many music endeavours and thanks to his positive and propositive attitude it is a pleasure and a honor to work the official reissue of the legendary LUMBAR album. This is not only an impressive work, emotional and intensive, this beast also features the line-up Mike Scheidt (YOB) and Tad Doyle (of legendary TAD), basically my hero of today’s scene and the hero of my youth. Argonauta Records is stoked to welcome the band and album within its range.”

The track list reads as follows:
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven

www.facebook.com/thelumbarendeavor
www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Lumbar, “Day One”

Texas heavy rockers Blood of the Sun are back with a new album and a classic groove. Blood’s Thicker Than Love is the name of the LP, and it’s the first from the outfit featuring founding drummer Henry Vasquez — see also: Saint Vitus — since 2012’s Burning on the Wings of Desire (review here), and it marks the debut of vocalist Sean Vargas, and guitarists Wyatt Burton and Alex Johnson (the latter who also recorded) alongside Vasquez, bassist Roger “Kip” Yma and keyboardist Dave Gryder. The new track “Keep the Lemmy’s Comin'” is premiering at the bottom of this post. Get in there. Just watch out for the hangover when it’s done.

Next month, the band leaves their Lone Star home and head abroad to Europe to make stops at Rockpalast as well as Desertfest Belgium and Into the Void, and to play shows alongside Lucifer, Ancestors and Elder on an efficient nine-date run that still has one show TBA.

You can find those dates along with the official album announcement from Listenable Records below, again, with the new song thereafter.

Goes like this:

BLOOD OF THE SUN: ‘ Blood ’s thicker than Love’

US release date : 11/2

Preorders here: https://www.shop-listenable.net/en/225_blood-of-the-sun

Drawing influences from Deep Purple, Mountain, Humble Pie, Ted Nugent, Led Zeppelin and probably 50 other bands. BLOOD OF THE SUN have been delivering super catchy hard rock over the course of their 4 albums , churning out upbeat 70s radio hits with so much ease and conviction.

Admittedly retro sounding but with such determination and an enthusiasm, BLOOD OF THE SUN have forged an identifiable sound making their influences an original and integral part of their signature sound.

Founded by Henry Vasquez (drums – SAINT VITUS) and Dave Gryder (keys) The pair has previously joined forces with a number of players – including Derek St. Holmes from Ted Nugent’s band.

The band is now back stronger than ever with Sean Vargas (vocals) who came in shortly after their previous album ‘Burning on the Wings of Desire’ and it was a natural fit thanks to his high register wail and just enough grit. Wyatt Burton and Alex Johnson (both guitars) came into the picture around the beginning of 2018, and have added some new but apt elements to the bands sound. These three players have rounded out the lineup of the band’s core, being Dave Gryder on keys, Henry Vasquez on drums, and Roger “Kip” Yma on bass.

The brand new album ‘Blood ’s thicker than Love’ writing process began around the beginning of 2018 with the exception of the track ‘Keep the Lemmy’s Coming’. That song was mostly put together by then but it went through some tweaking and fine tuning when guitar players Wyatt Burton and Alex Johnson joined the band. The songs for this record really got started once they joined as Henry Vasquez comments: “We got in the jam room and everything just clicked, it was pretty smooth sailing after that, minus the Texas heat!”

He continues : “We began tracking the album early July, we recorded at The Lair in Arlington, TX with our guitar player Alex Johnson handling the engineering. We took a straightforward approach, we just got in and laid down our tracks and tried to make a killer hard rock record our way. Alex did an excellent job, not to mention the usual superb mixing and mastering by Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Stone Axe).”

The new album ‘Blood ’s thicker than Love’ debut track particularly stands out for its title as band founder Henry Vasquez explains : ”Keep the Lemmy’s Coming’ was written right after Lemmy passed, the lyrics just came right away. Everyone was talking about how Jack and Coke’s were going to be called Lemmy’s and we thought that a was killer way to pay tribute to him. He’s an absolute legend and a huge influence, especially on our guitar players Wyatt and Alex. Once they joined, they put their own spin on what was there and we came out with what we think is a great homage to the man, myth, and legend of Lemmy. The song is about living in the moment and going all out, there are times when its necessary to go off the deep end and this song is the soundtrack for a time like that, also a killer driving song!”

‘Burning on the wings of Desire’ was more influenced by Southern rock, driven by the initial influences of the band like Bloodrock, Cactus, Mountain, Deep Purple, et cetera. ‘Blood ’s thicker than Love’ is definitely still informed by those influences, but mixed with the crossover of hard rock into the new wave of British heavy metal namely Motorhead, Riot, early Judas Priest, and Thin Lizzy.

LET IT ROLL !

TRACKLISTING :
1 Keep The Lemmy’s Comin’ 05:47
2 My Time 05:59
3 Livin’ For The Night 08:32
4 Air Rises As You Drown 08:20
5 Stained Glass Window 06:02
6 Blood Of The Road 06:35

BAND LINE UP :
Dave Gryder Keys
Wyatt Burton Guitar
Alex Johnson guitar vocals
Roger “Kip” Yma Bass
Sean Vargas vocals
Henry Vasquez Drums vocals

BLOOD OF THE SUN LIVE DATES :
10.10. GER – Bonn, Harmonie, WDR Rockpalast Crossroads TV Show *
11.10. GER – Dortmund, Junkyard *
12.10. B – Antwerp, Trix, Desertfest
13.10. UK – London,The Dome *
14.10. GER – Münster, Rare Guitar, solo show
15.10. GER – tbc
16.10. GER – Berlin, SO36 **
17.10. GER – Osnabrück, Bastard Club, solo show
18.10. GER – Munich, Backstage*
19.10. NL – Leeuwarden, Neushoorn, Into the Void fest
*with LUCIFER
**with ELDER and ANCESTORS

DISCOGRAPHY:
Blood of the sun ( 2004 )
In blood we rock ( 2007 )
Death Ride ( 2008 )
Burning on the wings of desire ( Listenable – 2012)
‘Blood ’s thicker than Love’ (Listenable – 2018)

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Blood of the Sun, “Keep the Lemmy’s Comin'”

[Click play above to hear the premiere of ‘The Gathering’ from The Necromancers’ Of Blood and Wine. Album is out Oct. 5 on Ripple Music.]

Of Blood and Wine is the second full-length from The Necromancers in as many years, and among its accomplishments of songwriting and aesthetic craft, what it does is to bring into focus the direction of the band. Their Ripple Music-issued debut, Servants of the Salem Girl (review here), utilized many of the same stylistic elements — it’s only been a year, after all — but in hindsight was only hinting at the start of a development underway, and while it was easy to get caught up in the blend of cult rock, doom, heavy vibes and ’70s-style boogie that underscored the work of the Poitiers, France, four-piece, with the six tracks and 44 minutes of Of Blood and Wine, they showcase another aspect of their sound that was very much there all along: its forward potential. In some cases, like the swaying groove and bluesy leads in the first-half buildup of the 10-minute penultimate “Lust,” it’s a question of patience and production.

While there’s still an urgency and a tension at work, particularly in its later reaches, “Lust” is emblematic of the development in both, but from the uptempo boogie of opener “Join the Dead Ones” — adding a bit of Ghost in guitarist Tom Cornière‘s vocals during the verse before the gruff chorus takes hold, fueled by his own riffs and the deft rhythmic turns of bassist Simon Evariste and drummer Benjamin Rousseau while Robin Genais‘ leads mark the transition back to the verse afterward — to the consuming fullness of tone brought forth in closer “The Gathering,” The Necromancers hone an engrossing fluidity through a graceful two-sided offering that, even more than the debut, makes their approach their own. To wit, the post-Iron Maiden gallop and “Heaven and Hell” bassline in second track and longest cut “Erzebeth” (12:41) combine with Cornière‘s melodic and shouted vocals and the general warmth of tone in the recording to create something classic in its root but thoroughly modern in presentation.

One gets the sense that these will only continue to become key elements The Necromancers‘ collective sonic persona, but rather than let the listener speculate on where they might go, Of Blood and Wine demands attention in the now, “Erzebeth” stomping toward its midsection beneath a switched-on plotted solo from Genais that leads to proggy shuffle in an instrumental jam and one of the record’s more fervent thrusts. It’s not until nearly 10 minutes in that the vocals return, and from their spoken comeback, The Necromancers cleverly make their way back to the hook to close out and give way to the quiet 2:39 brooder of a title-track, a showcase for Cornière‘s emergence as a frontman — a not insignificant subplot to the album — and a demonstration of the diversity of approach in the core of their songwriting. It is much to their credit that Of Blood and Wine flows as easily as it does, and that they never seem out of place through their stylistic changes or to lose the overarching atmosphere that’s so crucial in tying the songs together.

To an extent, side A and B mirror each other. Both begin with an upbeat 5:44 kick in “Join the Dead Ones” and “Secular Lord,” though the latter dispenses with the first-minute album-intro-style riff in favor of a more immediate push, and then move into longer fare with “Erzebeth” on side A and “Lust” on side B. It’s in the third cut on each side that the real departure happens, since side A rounds out with “Of Blood and Wine” and side B caps with “The Gathering”‘s seven-minute doomery, making its way with due moodiness and a bit of subtlety to the final payoff of the entirety, with extra impact seeming to come from Rousseau‘s bassdrum and Evariste‘s low end as they stomp noisily out, ending with a horror sample of chains and screams and a ringing bell. Witch burning? It would be on theme, if nothing else. Either way, that conclusion comes after The Necromancers find their most active swing on “Secular Lord,” with its catchy central riff and adrenaline-fueled build in the second half, the band leaving behind some of their ’70s-ism in favor of harder-hitting push.

There’s room in “Lust” for both sides to come together, but it’s important again to consider the fluidity with which the band execute their material. They’re not in a rush, and they’re never really still, even on the title-track, but with an excellent sense of tempo and rhythmic motion, they build a momentum in fast and slow, loud and quiet movements that allows for the exploration in the middle third of “Lust” to have a context beyond itself, so that it’s not necessarily about indulgence so much as expanding the atmosphere of the album as a whole. It also serves in its emergent and fleeting heft as a precursor to what the closer has on offer, and one can hear again how the pieces tie to each other as “Lust” hits its climax with a last chorus and “The Gathering” creeps its way in with a first minute not entirely dissimilar from what started “Join the Dead Ones” before its full nod unfurls, topped with chants and turning to a spacious verse that trades back to the full-boar riff and chanting as a kind of semi-hook.

Much of the second half of the finale is given to the capstone movement, and rightly so. When one considers Of Blood and Wine as a whole work, its end in the final three or four minutes of “The Gathering” is nothing if not earned, and it underscores just how clearly The Necromancers intend that the album should be taken in its entirety. I said earlier that one doesn’t want to speculate about where they’ll go sonically their next time out, and I stick by that as they could develop in any number of directions, but a central achievement of their sophomore offering is that it brings their influences together into a cohesive, malleable oneness that is theirs almost entirely, while also highlighting the potential unfolding in their craft. That one should think of their future prospects while hearing these songs is something in itself, but more important is the realization that The Necromancers are already beginning to bring that potential to fruition.

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