There’s a lot of good info in the PR wire update below about the new Cities of Mars album, but I feel like the key word at play here is “awesome.” As in, “There’s a new Cities of Mars record? Oh, that’s awesome.” Or, “Golly, that album art sure is awesome.” Or even, “Hey, they have a song streaming too? Awesome!” and the inevitable, “Holy moly, that riff sounds awesome.” And so on.

It was announced last year that the Gothenburg three-piece had inked a deal with Ripple Music, so while that portion of the press release isn’t a huge surprise, it’s still awesome (sorry, that’s the last one, I promise), and as they follow-up 2017’s righteous debut, Temporal Rifts (review here), they’ll do so not only with the new label’s backing, but with the momentum earned through a steady stream of live shows over the last two-plus years. I’ve made no secret that I dig these guys, and if you’re interested to know why, well, “Hydrahead” is streaming at the bottom of this post.

Have at it:

CITIES OF MARS: Swedish Doom Trio team up with RIPPLE MUSIC for THE HOROLOGIST | Stream and share new song ‘HYDRAHEAD’

The Horologist is officially released on 5th April 2019 on Ripple Music

Formed in 2014 in Gothenburg by bassist/singer Danne Palm, guitarist Christoffer Nore?n and drummer Johan Ku?chler, Cities of Mars take a lead from the likes of Mastodon, Kylesa, Sleep and Baroness.

Combining heavy doom riffs, ambient soundscapes and haunting vocals, there’s an unmistakable sci-fi narrative that flows through their music, helping them to push boundaries and channel their unique firebrand of heavy progressive rock.

As chief proponents of stoner metal and corporeal ancestors in a revered lineage of Swedish doom rock history, following the success of their inaugural/self-released digital single ‘The Third Eye/Cyclopean Ritual’ (produced by Esben Willems of Monolord/Berserk Audio) the band wasted no time in setting out to record, Celestial Mistress. Released in 2016 on Suicide Records, this mind-crushing EP – featuring the captivating artwork of Gothenburg-based graphic artist Axel Wide?n – truly signalled the band’s arrival on the underground scene.

Cities of Mars have embarked on numerous European tours since their inception and new shows heralded the arrival of new songs, all of which fed into the release of their debut album, Temporal Rifts (2017). With the lyrics on each song adding a chapter to a continuing story, Temporal Rifts follows the ascent of a Soviet cosmonaut on a covert space mission in 1971 and his discovery of an ancient Martian city that awakens a sleeping conspiracy from the dawn of humanity.

This April the saga continues, following three solid years of writing, jamming and touring under their collective belts. Now working alongside Ripple Music label and the management skills of Blackskull Services, Cities of Mars will unleash their awesome new album The Horologist on 5th April 2019.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Necronograph
2. Trenches of Bah-belon
3. Inner Sanctum Outer Space
4. Hydrahead
5. The Last Electric Dream
6. The Floating Museum
7. Work Song
8. Lines In The Dark

Pre-order the album now at www.ripple-music.com

CITIES OF MARS:
Danne Palm – Bass, Vocals
Christoffer Norén – Guitar, Vocals
Johan Küchler – Drums, Vocals

www.facebook.com/citiesofmars
http://citiesofmars.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/citiesofmars
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://twitter.com/RippleMusic
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Cities of Mars, “Hydrahead”

Listening to TEL‘s 2017 single, ‘Daybreak,’ it’s easy to imagine what an engineer like Garrett Morris (also of Windhand) might be able to bring to their sound in terms of a fullness of tone and a more forward sense of volume. The Richmond, Virginia, outfit have signed to Italy’s Aural Music, thereby becoming labelmates with Messa, Imperial Triumphant and many others, and their approach indeed speaks to a measure of extremity in its doomed feel, drawing on stated influence from the emotionalism of Katatonia and the deathly ways of early Paradise Lost and blending it with the particular air of disaffection that has remained so resonant from those bands’ work in the early and mid 1990s.

The album is set to arrive on March 29, and I’ll hope to have more to come on it around then, but there hasn’t been any official audio or even a tracklist leaked as yet, so, you know, maybe they’re looking to keep it secret. That happens sometimes.

From the PR wire:

TEL sign with Aural Music

Richmond VA sludge/doom metal band TEL have signed with Aural Music and will release Lowlife on March 29 2019. The album was produced by Garrett Morris (the guitarist of Windhand) and mastered by Dan Randall of Mammoth Sound Recordings (Iron Reagan, Ghoul, Cannabis Corpse).

The band commented “We are extremely excited to be releasing this album through Aural Music. Quite a few albums that we love or were inspired by have come from this label. The music on this album is incredibly personal and dear to us, so to have recorded it with one of my favorite songwriters (Garrett Morris of Windhand), and then get to release it with an international label is amazing and surreal for us.”

More information will be made available in the next few days!

TEL is:
Dante DuVall – Vocals
Michael Potts – Guitars
Ed Fierro – Bass
Matt Grigsby – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/TelRVA/
https://telrva.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/auralmusicgroup/
https://www.auralmusic.com/

TEL, “Daybreak”

Burgess Meredith, an actor known for his work in everything from the 1960s Batman show and The Twilight Zone to Rocky, only apparently ever directed one feature film on his own and it was the 1978 B-movie The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go. Needless to say, I’ve never seen it — and you probably haven’t either — but some footage from it appears in the new Arcadian Child video for “The March” from their late-2018 offering, Superfonica (review here), and at very least it does well there in helping set a mood. And mood is pretty crucial when it comes the Cyprus-based heavy psych rockers and their second full-length on Ripple-offshoot Rogue Wave Records, as the band conjures an overarching fluidity in their approach that draws songs together even as those like “The March” itself stand out with languid and engaging hooks.

Most records, I’m sad to say, get shelved once I review them, either figuratively or literally. I don’t listen to them again. No time. Tomorrow is another review (or two) and there’s just too much to go back, even to albums I dig. Superfonica came out on Nov. 23, at a time when most reviewer-types are either looking back on the year that was or looking ahead to the year that will be. Even so, Arcadian Child‘s work has continued to stand out, and I’ve got back to it more than a few times over the last couple months, even despite the ever-present onslaught of other offerings to be considered. It’s become one of those albums I reach for, and the wash that the band craft across its span makes it certainly welcome whenever I get the chance to put it on again. Which, incidentally now, and sure enough, the record’s holding up.

Enjoy “The March” below, then feel free to hit play on the Bandcamp embed at the bottom of the post with the whole record on it, because really, even if you know the record, I don’t think you’re going to regret spending the time.

Here’s to Burgess Meredith:

Arcadian Child, “The March” official video

From sophomore album “Superfonica,, Get it: https://arcadianchildband.bandcamp.com/
Out via Ripple Music and Rogue Wave Records

Produced by Andreas Trachonitis and Arcadian Child
Recorded and Mixed by Andreas Trachonitis
at studio eleven63 in Nicosia
Additional recordings by Mikaela Tsangari
Mastered by Yiannis Christodoulatos at sweetspot productions in Athens

Video edited by Iam Nothe
https://www.facebook.com/IamNotheMMXI/
Features scenes from “The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go”, a film by Burgess Meredith (1978), “Messiah of Evil”, a film by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (1973) and various educational films.

Music by Arcadian Child
Lyrics by Panagiotis I.G

Arcadian Child, Superfonica (2018)

Arcadian Child on Thee Facebooks

Arcadian Child on Bandcamp

Arcadian Child on Spotify

Rogue Wave Records on Thee Facebooks

Rogue Wave Records BigCartel store

Ripple Music website

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Oslo-based heavy rockers Orbiter are set to make their full-length debut on March 1 — two days from now — with Resist, Submit, Repeat on Negative Vibe Records. The offering runs a brisk 28 minutes, and for most of its seven tracks, the operative word there is “runs.” The album’s promo materials, part of which you can see below, tag Clutch and Motörhead as key influences, and listening to the sprinting verse of opener “To the Crows” give way to a more weighted groove in the chorus, I can hardly disagree, but there’s a metallic underpinning of chug in the bridge of “To the Crows” before the gallop resumes that not only foreshadows what will cap the record and serve as its crescendo in the mammoth stomp of the instrumental “Voyage,” but hints toward some of the aggression heard in punkish centerpiece “Dave” or in the brisk 2:44 rush of “Fratican Shitty,” which would seem to be about more than a downer tourist experience. It’s only hard to say for sure because by the time you’ve caught up to the hook, the track is already en route to beating you over the head with the next verse.

Even the vocal patterning there, though, could be argued as derived from Clutch, but that comes more forward in mid-paced swing-rockers like “Six Line” as guitarist Kim Rune Johansen complements the riffing with a gruff, dudely shout that stays on rhythm and ultimately helps set the brash mood of Resist, Submit, Repeat on the whole. In the only two songs that top five minutes long, “Misery Season” and “Mt. Fuzzo,” there’s a little more room to flesh parts out, but that dynamic serves Orbiter well — particularly as “Mt. Fuzzo” directly precedes “Fratican Shitty” — and the overall burl factor is well met by Ivan Reigstad‘s bass and Pål G Sivertzen‘s drumming, which provide the bounce that makes cuts like “Six Line” and “Misery Season” the highlights that they are, as well as being a bit of a drawback from the all-go spirit of the faster material. It’s not an unfamiliar blend on the whole, but Orbiter bend it effectively to suit their purposes, and the chug they dig into periodically throughout becomes a kind of secret weapon waiting to be fully unleashed in the finale.

The stated theme of the album is the process of coping with — or at least losing to — one’s demons, and whether that’s substance abuse, mental illness, etc., it’s fair enough ground for them to trod. Still, listening to the fueled shuffle of “Dave,” I wouldn’t call Resist, Submit, Repeat a downer in the slightest. Its brazen take hints at future melodicism in their sound and it’s less than a half-hour of absolutely pretense-free, high-energy riff-led heavy rock. There’s plenty to get down with if you’re up for it, and really, the bass alone on the closer is right there in gotta-hear status. I’m a sucker for rumble anyway, but that’s the good stuff.

Before that, however, there’s there punch in the face of “To the Crows,” which you can hear premiering on the player below, followed by the aforementioned PR wire info.

Have at it, and please enjoy:

Negative Vibe Records has announced the March 1st album release of Resist, Submit, Repeat. This is the debut full-length from Norwegian muck-rock merchants, Orbiter. Composed of Kim Rune Johansen (guitar/vocals), Ivan Reigstad (bass) and Pål G Sivertzen (drums) this trio splits the difference between the stoner grooves of bands like Clutch and the amphetamine riff fury of Motorhead.

In the three years between their debut EP Crooked and the new full-length the band has become a super-tight live fixture on the Oslo music scene. Practicing and refining some of the new tunes through years of rehearsal and performances. Johansen said of the difference between releases “there’s a filthy rawness to much of the music which we draw in from the nature around us, however the energy is much more refined on this release, the riffs are bigger and the production is huge!”

Orbiter on Thee Facebooks

Orbiter on Instagram

Negative Vibe Records on Thee Facebooks

Negative Vibe Records website

Here we are, it’s not even March yet, and already the Fall festival season is starting to take shape. We know Amenra will be around celebrating their 20th anniversary, and The Obsessed and Lo-Pan have already had other confirmations as well — possible they’re touring together? — and Mantar continue to get heavy rock bookings despite not at all being a heavy rock band, which is hilarious and ongoing in kind. Up in Smoke, like Keep it Low, is a Sound of Liberation-backed event, so it makes sense to find the likes of agency mainstays Greenleaf and My Sleeping Karma on the bill, and we already know Elephant Tree will have a new album out, so they’ll be touting that as they go. I don’t think they’re anywhere near done announcing bands for the now-three-dayer, but it already looks like a win. Simple as that.

And airfare, I guess.

Announcement from the fest follows, as seen on the social medias:

UP IN SMOKE – AMENRA + THE OBSESSED + MANTAR + LO-PAN + NO MUTE + HATHORS!

Smokers!
We’re back with a new batch of great bands, who are eager to share their great music with you. This time we’re also presenting the first Swiss bands for this year’s festival. Legendary Z7 offers two big stages and a fantastic atmosphere. It’s with big honour that we present the following bands for you;

AMENRA, one of Europe’s leading forces when we’re talking about post metal. Their live performances are legendary and the heaviness from their music will probably make you gasp for oxygen. With six critically acclaimed albums on their CV, lots of splits and a few EP’s there will for sure be expectations and also dedication from you guys. Drum beats that sounds like an explosion, guitar and bass riffs so heavy that they turn your gut upside down and then everything breaks down to a melodic paradise. That’s very much what Amenra is all about.

THE OBSESSED, do they really need an introduction? The band has broken up a few times and somehow Wino has continued to believe in the bands mission and reformed it every time after a few years break. Last time he reformed The Obsessed were in 2016, then he also signed a deal with Relapse records. In 2017, 23 years after “The Church Within”, they released “Sacred” which is their fourth studio album. We are happy to give you the opportunity to experience the bands doomy sound and the great voice of Wino.

MANTAR shocked the metal underground five years ago with their debut album “Death By Burning”. During the past five years the duos extreme music has convinced lovers of heavy music that this is the real deal. You may call the music what you want, the only thing we’re sure of is that it isn’t doom or sludge. The duo’s live performances are an energetic madness that doesn’t leave anybody emotionally untouched. Get ready for heavy riffs, uncompromising music and an intense stage show, these two guys are heavier than most other bands.

LO PAN is the band that you can play on your first date with somebody who say they doesn’t like heavy music. The guys know how to perfectly blend melodies with heavy riffs. There is that intensity in the band’s music and still they manage to keep these melodies in there. A great vocalist that has the power and a great stage personality where he tries to hide behind the drumkit. There is a new album right around the corner and that’s going to be massive. If you can’t wait any longer, just put on “Marathon Man” and push that volume knob to 11.

HATHORS is a trio from Winterthur that has released three albums since their formation in 2010. Sometimes they bring some punk rock herbs to their music, which normally is in the vein of rock/alternative rock. It’s a nerve to their music that infects you, the listener, with energy and the desire jump around and be a part of the party.

NO MUTE is a Swiss rock band formed in 2006. They are from a little town called Olten between Zurich and Berne. Their music is dirty, distorted and energetic, simply put hotter than hell. They go with the classic rock ‘n’ roll line-up with drums, bass, guitar and a spastic vocalist. This is all about the good live performance, they always try to give you the show of your lifetime.

https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte/36-tickets-up-in-smoke-konzertfabrik-z7-pratteln-am-03-10-2019
http://www.z-7.ch/event.php?eventid=1665
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1811016498954043/
https://www.upinsmoke.de

Lo-Pan, Live in Cleveland, OH, Jan. 5, 2019

I should’ve seen this one coming when Heavy Psych Sounds announced multiple venues for its Heavy Psych Sounds Fest this month in Europe — was it this weekend? — playing in three different cities with a changing lineup. Should’ve guessed this was going to be the direction it took. Even if I did though, I don’t think I’d have called a lineup badass enough to bring together Duel, Fatso Jetson, Nebula, Greenbeard, Heavy Temple, Mothership and The Freeks. Among others. Heavy Psych Sounds has become a powerhouse in Europe, promoting bands through the label, booking tours, hosting its fest, whatever it might be. A US package tour under the banner of Heavy Psych Sounds Fest isn’t a small step, but it’s a natural one for an imprint that’s doing such crucial work.

I hope it all goes off without a hitch and they do it on the regular.

From the PR wire:

Red Fang, Yawning Man, Mothership and more team up for inaugural HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST tour in the United States!

Influential heavy rock label HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS expands its sphere into North America, with live shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Austin.

Respected underground rock record label Heavy Psych Sounds is proud to announce the inaugural U.S. iteration of its ‘Heavy Psych Sounds Fest’ series. Set to kick off this May in Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 4-5), Dallas (May 10) and Austin, TX (May 11), the label tour will feature four separate mini-festivals in the four cities, each spotlighting an exclusive selection of Heavy Psych Sounds’ blue-chip roster, including live sets from trailblazing acts Fatso Jetson, Nebula and Yawning Man, as well as special guests Red Fang and more.

Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Heavy Psych Sounds specializes in presenting the best artists in the global heavy psych, doom, fuzz blues and space rock realms, and the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest series will be no exception, spotlighting the ever-growing label’s dedication to its craft. While the first HPS fests were held in Italy, the label has since extended its live reach into the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands with festivals in those territories. Now, Heavy Psych Sounds is set to bring the ROCK to the U.S. with the just-announced special shows. Each stop of the traveling festival tour will feature diverse lineups including both genre leaders and fast-rising acts, all ready to prove their place among the world’s best.

“Being able to finally launch the U.S. version of Heavy Psych Sounds Fest is a dream true,”says label owner Gabriele Fiori. “We’ve been working for a long time to properly break into the U.S. market and this is a clear sign that the hard work is paying off. We have so many great U.S. based bands on our roster that we needed this to happen for all of us. This tour run is a celebration of our growing U.S. presence, which we hope will keep continue to grow. We’re also very happy to have Red Fang as guests, headlining in two of the cities. We hope music fans will come out, support and enjoy these very special shows!”

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST U.S. tour dates:

May 3 – Los Angeles, CA at The House of Machines
Red Fang (special guest) + Nebula + Yawning Man + Duel + Fatso Jetson + House Of Broken Promises

May 4 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Red Fang (special guest) + Yawning Man + Duel + The Freeks + Glitter Wizard

May 5 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Nebula + Hot Lunch + Fatso Jetson + Banquet + Turn Me On Dead Man

May 10 – Dallas, TX at Lola’s
Mothership + Duel + Ecstatic Vision + Crypt Trip + Wo Fat + Heavy Temple

May 11 – Austin, TX at The Lost Well
Duel + Ecstatic Vision + Mothership + Crypt Trip + Greenbeard + Wo Fat + Heavy Temple

Tickets for the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest shows in Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin are on sale now.
Tickets for the San Francisco HPS event will go on sale February 28.

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

Nebula, “Giant” live at SonicBlast Moledo 2018

Los Angeles trio Mountain Tamer continue to elude easy classification with their new single. As they did on last year’s sophomore full-length, Godfortune // Dark Matters (review here), and the prior 2016 self-titled debut (review here), they offer psychotropic signals to the converted in waves of guitar effects casting out over a wide soundscape, but there’s something darker about “Death in the Woods” — certainly the title carries a sense of threat as well — lurking beneath the surface’s more shimmering aspects. Its low end is grim, its vocals just a bit throatier, so that as the song moves further into its crash-laden freakout, the screams that come aren’t entirely unexpected.

Mountain Tamer accomplish this in efficient time, as “Death in the Woods” is only about three and a half minutes long. They’ve tested waters in such a manner before, of course, whether it was their 2015 Mtn Tmr demo (review here) that preceded the first album or 2017’s Living in Vain (review here) that preceded the second. And we won’t know just how much of a foreshadow “Death in the Woods” is casting until their next release — it’ll reportedly be an EP — arrives, but the troubling undercurrent in Mountain Tamer continues to give them an edge that so much of West Coast psych simply doesn’t have. It’s not for the bro-down, skate-so-you-can-work-on-your-social-media-brand set. It’s up to something entirely more sinister.

It’s kind of a curious case with Mountain Tamer. Every time I stop listening to the band, especially the last album, I think to myself, “Nah, you’ve got it wrong,” and I go back trying to hear it with different ears, like maybe the party vibe is there and I’m just not getting it — would not be the first time I wasn’t invited to the party, by any means — but no. Even putting aside the name of it, if you listen to “Death in the Woods,” what you’re hearing is Mountain Tamer — Andru Hall on guitar/vocals, Dave Teget on bass and Casey Garcia on drums — take elements from the modern West Coast heavy psych movement and twist them toward their own ends. And those ends indeed seem to be twisted. As Hall intones in the verse, “It’s okay to be afraid.” So be it.

Mountain Tamer hit the road next month alongside Salem’s Bend, heading to SXSW and elsewhere. You’ll find those dates under the player below, as well as some quick comment from the band.

Please enjoy:

Mountain Tamer on “Death in the Woods”:

‘Death In The Woods’ is about surviving on primal instincts, and how in the end we are all wild animals. The song helps showcase the heavy groovy psychedelic sound Mountain Tamer has been honing in for years as well as gives a taste of an upcoming EP that is in the works.

Mountain Tamer Tour Dates:
3/7 – Las Vegas, NV – Vamp’d
3/8 – Ogden, UT – Brewski’s
3/9 – Denver, CO – Bar Bar
3/10 – Wichita, KS – The Elbow Room
3/11 – Oklahoma, OK – Blue Note Lounge
3/12 – Fort Worth, TX – Lola’s
3/13 – Houston, TX – Rudyard’s
3/14 – Austin, TX – Spiderhouse (SXSW Stoner Jam)
3/15 – San Antonio, TX – The Mix
3/16 – San Angelo, TX – Deadhorse
3/17 – El Paso, TX – Frank’s Rockin’ Cigar Bar

Mountain Tamer is:
Andru Hall – Guitar/Vocals
Casey Garcia – Drums
Dave Teget – Bass

Mountain Tamer on Thee Facebooks

Mountain Tamer on Instagram

Mountain Tamer on Bandcamp

Magnetic Eye Records website

Nasoni Records website

Something of a surprise announcement from UK doomers Alunah in that they’ve parted ways with original guitarist David Day and brought in Dean Ashton to fill that role. Of course, one recalls that late in 2017, the Birmingham-based outfit bid farewell to guitarist/vocalist Sophie Day — also a founding member — and subsequently brought aboard Siân Greenaway as a standalone singer making her first appearance on last year’s Amber and Gold EP (review here).

The departure of David Day is one more level of intrigue surrounding what will become of Alunah on aesthetic terms. The EP answered some of the questions how the change on vocalists might play out, but now of course there’s an entirely new level of mystery surrounding the band and what Ashton might bring to the fold.

They’ve got some choice live dates booked to start to answer that question, and reportedly there’s new label news forthcoming as well for their next album.

Here’s what they had to say:

Alunah are honoured to confirm we will be joining Doom Rock Pioneers The Obsessed on their July UK tour. These dates, alongside our previously announced appearance at Manor Fest with Orange Goblin, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons and a very special headline show at Birmingham O2 Academy3, will see us showcase material from our new album to be released later this year.

These upcoming shows will also feature our new guitarist and friend Dean Ashton (current bass player in NWOBHM legends Diamond Head). Some of you will already be aware that David Day left at the turn of the year to concentrate on life outside of the band and we wish him all the best for the future.

Those wishing to see Alunah prior to the above dates will be able to on March 22nd as we have been invited to join A Pale Horse Named Death at the London Islington O2 Academy2. As APHND, Type O Negative & Life Of Agony Famiglia fans this is again something we are very excited about.

Further details on the new Alunah album & label signing will follow shortly. As always, we thank our followers for the continued support and look forward hitting the road with new material once more.

Alunah UK shows:
22.3 London Islington 02 Academy 2 w/ A Pale Horse Named Death
17.5 Birmingham headline show 02 Academy 3
18.5 Bradford Manorfest w/ Orange Goblin

UK tour w/The Obsessed:
17.7 Coventry The Arches
18.7 Glasgow Audio
19.7 Manchester Rebellion
20.7 Bristol Exchange

Alunah is:
Siân Greenaway – Vocals
Dean Ashton – Guitar
Daniel Burchmore – Bass
Jake Mason – Drums

http://www.facebook.com/alunah.doom
http://twitter.com/#!/alunah_doom
http://alunah.bandcamp.com
http://www.alunah.co.uk

Alunah, Amber and Gold (2018)