Edinburgh three-piece Hair of the Dog are currently in the process of making their fourth album and second for Kozmik Artifactz, tentatively titled Vol. IV, and they’ve been posting videos assembled from footage captured in the studio. Funny faces, snacks, dudes laughing, playing songs with headphones on — all that stuff. They have two episodes out so far, and beneath all that goofery, what you’re seeing in them is a group creative process at work, the dudes in the band and the crew at Chamber Studios coming together to work as a team toward common ends. In the second episode, as drummer Jon Holt listens back to something he just recorded, there’s a quick moment where he hears something in his playing that no one else thinks is a big deal. The inevitable question: Does he want to re-record it? I don’t know whether they’d punch him in or if the whole trio — Adam Holt on guitar/vocals and Iain Thomson on bass — would have to lay down the song again, or if he’d work with scratch tracks or what, but this experience is completely universal.

If you’ve ever been in the studio with a band, this has happened. I don’t care if you were there recording, or if you were engineering the session, or if you were delivering a god damn pizza. If you were there for more than five minutes, you’ve seen this. There’s always one thing that somebody hears. Maybe no one else even hears it, but to them, it’s glaring. And I’m not going to invalidate that position either, by the way. I’ve been there too. Been that guy. But it’s inevitable that it happens. And usually it’s a not a big deal. What, the band plays the song again? Or even just the one person who heard the one thing plays that one part? Easy. But when a band is recording, these decisions feel huge. Maybe we should leave it because it’s a good mistake? Maybe we don’t want it to sound perfect. Maybe it was meant to be. All this stuff gets in your head while you’re recording and it’s really easy to lose perspective when you’re in the control room listening back to what’s about to become the definitive version of a song.

That kind of pressure is part of making a record, and that’s part of why you see Hair of the Dog laughing it off the rest of the time, because that levity helps alleviate some of the pressure they’re putting on themselves. So when they mug for the camera or make jokes about their shoes or whatever it is, understand there’s a current of purpose behind all that. It can be fun, and ideally it is, but it’s work too, and clearly what they’re doing matters to them enough to get the details just how they want them to be.

There are very likely more of these coming, but you can see the first two below. Hair of the Dog‘s last album, This World Turns (review here), was released in 2017.

Please enjoy:

Hair of the Dog, Making Vol.IV – Studio Diary – Day 1

Hair of the Dog, Making Vol.IV – Studio Diary – Day 2

Hair of the Dog return to Chamber Studios, Edinburgh, to record their fourth studio album on Kozmik Artifactz. The have just finished recording with Graeme Young of Chamber Studios, and have made the decision to mix and produce the album themselves, within lead guitarist/vocalist, Adam Holt’s, home studio.

Speaking of the album Adam said:

“We’re taking this one in a new and exciting direction. The HOTD sound is still very much a part of the mix, but we’re exploring heavier sounds and influences. We always try to hint within each album, where the next album might go in terms of sound, and we think This World Turns paved the way for us to introduce some of our metal roots. The world is so fucked up right now and this has definitely resonated with us, we’ll be addressing much of our opinions of life in 2019 on this new record.”

Whilst we are currently in hiding as we mix our new record, we are happy to announce that we will be headlining Red Crust Festival in Edinburgh on the 4th May alongside some killer bands from across the UK – including 1968 and our dear sisters Juniper Grave.

Attendees will be treated to some exclusive performances of our new material.

The currently un-named record, will be out later this year via German purveyors of killer sounds, Kozmik Artifactz.

Hair of the Dog on Bandcamp

Hair of the Dog on Thee Facebooks

Hair of the Dog on Instagram

Kozmik Artifactz website

Kozmik Artifactz on Thee Facebooks

Extra credit for Tube Cult Fest 2019 not making a single joke about this being the edition that ‘goes to 11.’ Way to play it with class. The Italian festival headed by Davide Straccione of Skeptic Events is indeed in its 11th incarnation this April, with Zaum, Coltsblood, Wayfarer and Entropia serving in headliner roles and killer Italy natives like Oreyeon, Sherpa and Tuna de Tierra, among others, obviously, rounding out the bill. I’m generally a fan of writing/daydreaming about fests in far-off (to me) places, but I feel compelled to add there are a few bands here I don’t know, and given the quality of the names that are more familiar, posting the full lineup here is as much a note to myself about homework to do as it is anything else. Like a to-do list. “Don’t forget to check out The Marigold,” and so on. I have little doubt I’ll be glad I did.

The full announcement from the festival follows here, courtesy of the PR wire:

Tube Cult Fest is a true celebration of the Underground, an amp-worshipping ritual based in the coastal city of Pescara in the heart of Italy, delving deep into the realm of Heavy Psychedelia since its inception in 2008. The festival has seen a consistent growth throughout the years incorporating Stoner Rock, Doom, Sludge, Drone, Psych Rock, Post Metal as well as some of the most experimental and atmospheric forms of Extreme Metal, while keeping the same original spirit unchanged. In the previous 10 editions this little city on the Adriatic Sea has been touched by the likes of Weedeater, Ufomammut, Samsara Blues Experiment, Monkey3, 1000mods, Belzebong, Karma To Burn, Los Natas and many more.
Chapter 11 will be once again split in the two tiny venues Scumm and MamiWata, hosting 14 bands in 2 days:

Friday 19 April
WAYFARER (USA)
ENTROPIA (PL)
IMPURE WILHELMINA (CH)
THE MARIGOLD (IT)
OREYEON (IT)
THE BLACK CANVAS (IT)
DRESDEN WOLVES (MEX)

Saturday 20 April
ZAUM (CAN)
COLTSBLOOD (UK)
SHERPA (IT)
GORILLA PULP (IT)
S A R R A M (IT)
TUNA DE TIERRA (IT)
KATASTAH (IT)

DJ Aftershows by Moos (https://www.facebook.com/volksradiomoos666) and La Peligrosa (https://www.facebook.com/liathepeligro)

A juicy Free Entry Warm-Up is scheduled for Thursday 18 April always at Pescara’s Scumm with the Philadelphia Stoner-Doom Rockers HIGH REEPER.

Tickets can be reserved by sending an email to tubecultfest@gmail.com

Friday 19 April= 10 €
Saturday 20 April= 10 €
2-DAY PASS = 15 €

http://www.facebook.com/tubecultfest
https://www.instagram.com/tubecultfest
https://www.facebook.com/events/368216713728711

Zaum, Eidolon (2016)

I’ve had the fortune of seeing Mammoth Storm live, and though they were playing as a four-piece at the time, the once-again trio is still led by bassist/vocalist Daniel Arvidsson — also guitarist in Draconian — and they’re newly signed to Argonauta Records for the release of their impending second long-player, Alruna. Their first album, Fornjot, came out in 2015 and was followed by the single “Giants” in 2017. Both of those featured a robed mystic with a Cthulhu mask on their covers, so one imagines Alruna will as well, though I guess it’s always possible they go in a different direction. More pivotal, they crush riffs like beer cans on fratboy foreheads. Argonauta puts out an awful lot of stuff these days, but this one will be a good time.

If you’re feeling up to such things, you can stream “Giants” at the bottom of this post. No solid release date yet for Alruna, so stay tuned for more to come.

Till then, the PR wire:

MAMMOTH STORM SIGNS TO ARGONAUTA RECORDS!

And return with brand new album this year!

The Swedish doom heavyweight MAMMOTH STORM is back: The trio has inked a worldwide deal with the ever-growing Argonauta Records, and return with a brand new album during 2019!

Formed in 2012, MAMMOTH STORM left an impressive first stamp with their critically acclaimed debut EP, Rite Of Ascension, followed by numerous shows all over Europe alongside acts such as AHAB and many more. Fornjot, the band’s first full-length album released in 2015 with Napalm Records, gained MAMMOTH STORM the well-deserved, high praise by both fans and critics alike, while pursuing heavy as hell riffs in the name of doom.

Four years later, the band featuring Daniel Arvidsson (also in Draconian) on bass and vocals, drum & organ wizard Emil Ahlman and guitarist Christer Ström return to the scene with their sophomore storm of a mammoth album, Alruna.

Says the band: ”Mammoth Storm are proud to announce that Argonauta Records will release the long awaited second LP ”Alruna”. A collaboration that will mark a new exciting chapter for us. We’re humbled to finally have a suiting home to address the new album and it´s with great anticipation that we now can move forward and reveal this heavy news. To close this deal means that we´re confident to give you the release date for our second strike soon.”

Named after the mythical plant Mandragora, Alruna is the enigmatic sequel to the highly appreciated debut album Fornjot. The album holds five new songs sprung from the same source as its predecessor but shows a broader range of expression and a somewhat different sound. The production has a rare deadly punch that animates the progression of MAMMOTH STORM into a new earth shaking experience. The deceptive silence has ceased, the storm is approaching!

Stay tuned for many more news, details and first album tunes to be revealed soon, when the MAMMOTH STORM will finally lumber again!

www.facebook.com/MammothStorm
www.mammothstorm.bandcamp.com
www.argonautarecords.com

Mammoth Storm, “Giants”

Denver doom exports Khemmis have inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. You might recall their 2018 album, the wide-lauded Desolation (review here), came out in the US via 20 Buck Spin and Nuclear Blast in Europe, so the difference now is they’re a Nuclear Blast band all the way, as A&R legend Monte Conner continues to mine some of the underground’s finest acts and bring them into the label’s fold. Khemmis right now are labelmates with the likes of Witchcraft, Kadavar, Graveyard, as well as a slew of landmark metallers any of whom would make just as likely tourmates for a band like Khemmis as the rock acts just mentioned.

Probably kind of inevitable, but emblematic of the surge that has been Khemmis‘ career to this point. I saw the note on the PR wire and said, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Here’s the announcement:

KHEMMIS SIGN TO NUCLEAR BLAST WORLDWIDE!

Nuclear Blast are proud to announce the now worldwide signing of Denver, Colorado based doomed heavy metal quartet Khemmis. Welcome to the global family! Khemmis released their third studio album Desolation in June 2018, to rapturous praise from fans and media alike. They are currently working on new material, and are planning to tour throughout 2019.

Khemmis commented on the news: “We are honored and excited to join the Nuclear Blast roster alongside so many legendary artists. Endless thanks to Monte Conner, Mark Palmer, Yorck Eysel and the rest of the amazing team at Nuclear Blast for sharing in our vision for the future. We also send our unending gratitude to Dave Adelson of 20 Buck Spin, who not only took a chance on us when he released Absolution in 2015 but also became a true friend and brother to us over the last few years. Finally, thanks to everyone who has supported us by seeing us live, snagging a shirt, and/or picking up a CD or LP. Without all of you, none of this would be possible. We’ve got some very exciting announcements about tours, festivals, and new music coming soon. Cheers!”

Khemmis’ passion for progressive and soulful heavy music is more evident than ever in 2018’s Desolation. Though undeniably influenced by doom and classic metal, to tag the quartet with those labels doesn’t do justice to what they’ve accomplished; a perfect representation of modern heavy metal that integrates the past in a way only possible with the faculty of hindsight. It’s impossible to ignore the lengths that the four piece goes to in order to master their craft and produce a highly unique form of heavy sound. Their magnificently uplifting, yet sorrowful groovy riffs weave the listener along on an unparalleled journey. Desolation is not just the best Khemmis record to date but a testament to the quality and evolution that heavy metal is still capable of.

Having worked for the third time with Dave Otero of Flatline Audio in Denver, the band and producer achieved a deep mutual understanding, able to arrive at the perfect symbiosis of song writing, arrangement, and production value.
Formed in Denver in 2012, Khemmis have released three albums to date. 2015’s Absolution and 2016’s Hunted painted a unique portrait; encompassing spiraling progressive doom, fuzz-toned stoner riffs, syrupy sludge and churning classic grooves. They transcended traditional doom forming elegant yet dramatic tracks, conveying their unique sense of melancholy edged with a sense of foreboding.

With latest record Desolation, Khemmis have finally reached a more international audience, winning over hearts and minds across the globe.

Khemmis are:
Phil Pendergast // guitar, vocals
Ben Hutcherson // guitar, vocals
Daniel Beiers // bass
Zach Coleman // drums

http://www.facebook.com/khemmisdoom
http://khemmis.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/khemmisdoom
www.nuclearblast.de/mydyingbride
https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastusa

Khemmis, “Isolation” official video

A few reasons for posting this one. First and foremost is that Thunderbird Divine‘s debut album, Magnasonic (review here), is awesome, and I’m happy for a chance to revisit it while I put this post together. Second is I like the thought of Adam Scott‘s cover art on an LP sleeve. It would seem to have been made for just that purpose. Third, it gives me a chance to say how much I’m looking forward to seeing the Philly four-piece this Spring when they play New England Stoner and Doom Fest in Connecticut, because hell’s bells, that’ll be a good time.

I’m the kind of guy who keeps a running list all the time of the year’s best first albums and the year’s best albums more generally. It’s early yet into 2019, but Thunderbird Divine are on both lists.

Info for the vinyl comes from the PR wire:

Philly’s THUNDERBIRD DIVINE’s Album ‘MAGNASONIC’ Set for Limited-Edition Vinyl Pressing via Interstellar Smoke Records; Pre-order Starts February 21st!

The Poland-based Interstellar Smoke Records is set to release Philadelphia’s Thunderbird Divine’s debut, ‘Magnasonic’ on limited-edition vinyl pressing.

“I have few bands with whom I want to cooperate, and I make a list of these bands,” says Jacek Trepko, president of Poland’s Interstellar Smoke Records. “From this list of bands, I choose the ones I would like to release first. This decision is taken by listening a material several times in a loop. I look at the graphics of cover to have an idea how the physical edition should look. In this particular case, I liked the album cover, the music content fit my label profile and the music material was the best of the rest of the bands.”

The debut album, which was initially released in January on CD by Salt of the Earth Records, will bear Interstellar Smoke Records’ imprint for 300 copies. These 300 pressings will be made available in three different vinyl colors (transparent purple, transparent yellow, and black), each color limited to 100 copies. A different poster and sticker will be included in each color run.

“This is a pretty cool thing,” says Erik Caplan, guitarist/vocalist of Thunderbird Divine. “There’s really no other way to say it. Jacek got in touch with us because he heard the record, loved it and wanted to be involved. That’s an extremely vindicating feeling–to have someone you’ve never met want to work with you based on the strength of your work. We’re excited.”

Pre-orders will begin February 21, 2019, from Interstellar Smoke Records at https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/

– 100pcs black with poster A2
– 100pcs transparent yellow with poster A2
– 100pcs transparent purple with poster A2

All three editions come with insert and band stickers.
Each edition is unique and comes with a different A2 poster.

This debut album is a 30-plus-minute exploration of riffs and psychedelia, featuring custom art design by the band’s bassist, Adam Scott. “The inspiration for Magnasonic’s artwork stems from classic optical and psychedelic line art,” Scott explains. “It then evolved to the stargate space exploration of graphic symbolism, which we feel reflects the music’s loud vibrance.”

https://www.facebook.com/thunderbirddivine
https://www.instagram.com/thunderbird_divine/
https://www.facebook.com/SaltOfTheEarthRec/
www.SaltOfTheEarthRecords.com
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/

Thunderbird Divine, Magnasonic (2019)

Ahead of a previously announced appearance at Denver’s Electric Funeral Fest IV, Boston heavy rockers Gozu will head out this coming weekend for a three-pack of shows alongside Kings Destroy — who are celebrating their new album release on a tour co-presented by The Obelisk — and Forming the Void. The targets are Geno’s in Portland, Maine, Middle East in Boston and Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, and at the latter gig, as part of NYC Beer Week, they’ll be unveiling a new, limited edition Gozu beer in collaboration with Alewife Brewing.

The cans, as you can see below, use the cover art from Gozu‘s 2018 album, Equilibrium (review here), and while I’ll admit I don’t know much about the particulars of what makes a Gose a Gose when it comes to brewing — coriander? — but a Gozu Gose could hardly be more appropriate, and it looks pretty awesome with the can art, so mark it a win. Gozu will also be touring to later this year in conjunction with the trip out to Colorado. Dates on that will be along in good time. The fest is in June, so we’ve got a minute.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen these cats, and I’ll be at the latter two of these shows, so I’m looking forward to it:

We are excited to rage with our homies in Kings Destroy and Forming The Void!!

2/28 Portland ME, Geno’s
3/01 Cambridge MA, Middle East
3/02 Brooklyn NY, St Vitus

The pre show for the Kings Destroy Saint Vitus album release show with Clamfight and Forming The Void is pretty banging!! We will have a special edition Gozu “Gose” on hand with a collaboration with Alewife Brewing!! The Six Most Metal Breweries Presents:
NYC Beer Week Bangover!

Saturday, March 2nd @ Saint Vitus Bar

Unlimited pours from 6-8pm with Kings County Brewers Collective, Barrier Brewing, Finback Brewery, Nightmare Brewing, Sing Sing Kill Brewery and the most metal Gozu collaboration beer by Alewife Brewing. So stop by!!

https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666
https://twitter.com/GOZU666

Gozu, “They Probably Know Karate” official video

Maybe you’ve been wondering what Stockholm heavy blues-jammers Snowy Dunes have been up to since the release of their second album, Atlantis (review here), in 2017. Well, changes. As in, going through them. Their label folded in what by most reports I’ve seen was an unceremonious clusterfuck — as that kind of thing sometimes is — and they’ve not only swapped out drummers, but added a fifth member in keyboardist/guitarist Alex Gatica, so yeah, combined with playing shows all the while and writing new material, that’s probably enough to eat up a year or so.

2019, then, is the inevitable bounce-back. Snowy Dunes have a batch of new songs and more in the works with intentions toward a yet-unnamed third long-player, and their new single, “Let’s Save Dreams,” carries just as much of a sense of self-reflection as it does an outward psychedelic shimmer. The underlying current of heavy tonal presence is still there, but “Let’s Save Dreams” tips the balance in Snowy Dunes‘ sound even more toward classic fare, the contributions of Gatica on organ alongside guitarist Christoffer Kingstedt, bassist Carl Oredson, new drummer Jonathan Wårdsäter and vocalist Niklas Eisen, do much to stand out the song from Atlantis and the band’s preceding 2015 self-titled debut (discussed here), expanding the scope of their sound even as Eisen‘s vocals keep it grounded in a hook that delivers the title line not only in imploring fashion, but in such a way as to excite one as to the possibilities of doing just that.

One could hardly ask more of what’s essentially a teaser single and a heads up to their audience that they’re on their way back from what, if it wasn’t the brink, probably looked a little bit like it for a while there. You can check out the suitably trippy and colorful video for “Let’s Save Dreams” below, followed by some comment from Oredson filling everyone in on what’s been happening in the land of Snowy Dunes.

Please enjoy:

Snowy Dunes, “Let’s Save Dreams” official video premiere

Carl Oredson on “Let’s Save Dreams”:

In October, 2017, our drummer, Stefan Jakobsson, left the band to pursue his own musical projects. We decided that we wanted to continue as Snowy Dunes and reached out to Jonathan Wårdsäter (Mamont, Bad Acid) to see if he was interested. Luckily for us, Bad Acid where beginning to fold and he immediately jumped on board.

We had, for some time, considered adding someone who could play keys and also handle some guitar work so we contacted Alex Gatica (Carubine, Rymddröm) and he gladly stepped into that position. Both Jonathan and Alex are amazing musicians who quickly learnt our back catalogue and withing a couple of weeks we did our first gig with the new lineup.

We dedicated a lot of rehearsal time to jamming and trying to come up with ideas for new songs and realized we suddenly had a plethora of new ideas. A couple of these ideas morphed into Let’s Save dreams, our first co-written song with the new members.

“Let’s Save Dreams” is a bit of a departure for us from the heavy, stoner riffage, as all of us draw a lot of inspiration from the late ’60s and early ’70s. The melodic psych vibes just came naturally to us. We also continued to work with the amazing graphical artist Robin Gnista for this single release. Robin has done our previous two album covers and did the cover for the latest Brant Bjork album.

We are currently working hard on writing for our as of yet untitled third album, which we plan on recording this fall. In the meantime we hope everyone enjoys our new single and video!

Snowy Dunes are:
Christoffer Kingstedt: Guitars
Carl Oredson: Bass
Niklas Eisen: Vocals, etc.
Alex Gatica: Keys, Guitars, Vocals, etc.
Jonathan Wårdsäter: Drums

Snowy Dunes on Thee Facebooks

Snowy Dunes on Instagram

Snowy Dunes on Twitter

Snowy Dunes on Bandcamp

Snowy Dunes website

I wholeheartedly feel like it is to the benefit of everyone everywhere that these two records stay in print for as long as possible. Especially if you haven’t heard them before, they’re absolutely essential, both for sheer listening and for educational value. Especially now that we’re a full decade removed from their last proper studio album — there have been a couple collections since then, but nothing new — it seems like their contributions to heavy rock are in danger of being forgotten in place of an easy “it all came from California” narrative that’s taken hold. Not only for their influence in South America, but across Europe and the US as well, and for the continuing quality of these records, they’re just gotta-have. Both of them.

So get both.

That’s my take.

Info and links follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

LOS NATAS announce album re-issues with Argonauta Records!

Argentinian psychedelic rock trio LOS NATAS has announced a batch of album reissues with powerhouse label Argonauta Records! The band’s first and critically acclaimed debut album, Delmar, originally released in 1998, has sold out every single copy to date. Argonauta Records is proud to reissue LOS NATAS’ pathbreaking album in a second repress, coming in exciting Vinyl editions and remastered from the original tapes, on the 28th of June 2019!

Following up to the successful release of their ’98-full length debut, a year later LOS NATAS released their second studio album, Ciudad De Braham. Still featuring the original master by Dale Crover, Argonauta Records will be as well re-releasing Ciudad De Braham in a first repress since 1999!

Says vocalist & guitarist Sergio: „Since I met Gero and all the Argonauta Records crew I instantly felt them as family, and being part of something bigger than you, in any music and artwork experience, feels great and like home. I think we share a common truth, we have never done this for the reward or the recognition of the crowd, we always did it as a necessary way to keep our demons out, and also to share our joys and personal wars with other people.

20 years later here we are, re-printing our two first albums ever, with this great crew delivering premium quality LP vinyl and CD to the world. Its a true fact and reality we could have never dreamed of when we were kids, just delivering heavy riffs and deep trips into soundscapes. Hope you all enjoy these great releases and being part of our family too, and keep on sharing it with you people as well. From Argentina I personally wish you the best. Just for today let your past behind, let your mind enjoy the little nice things, let you spirit shine with the ones you love and care.“

Delmar tracklist:
1. Samurai
2. 1980
3. Trilogia
4. I Love You
5. Soma
6. Mux Cortoi
7. Delmar
8. Windblows
9. El Negro
10. Alberto Migre

Ciudad De Braham tracklist:
1. Carl Sagan
2. Meteoro 2028
3. Tufi Meme
4. La Ciudad De Braham
5. Siluettle
6. Brisa Del Disierto
7. Paradise
8. Alohawaii
9. Adolescentes
10. 999
11. El Resplandor
12. Rutation
13. Polvaredo
14. Nadha

Formed during 1994 in Buenos Aires, LOS NATAS various musical influences draw from the base of the raw and psychedelic sounds of 70’s bands such as The Doors, Black Sabbath, The Who, Pink Floyd and Hawkwind among many others. LOS NATAS take us on a journey made of basic elements: vintage instruments and equipment to diverse, laid-back and groovy songwriting skills, while the band incorporates the use of the senses and perception of the listener to be part of a sonic trip.

LOS NATAS creates music that changes constantly, dedicated to long and intense jams that give their sound a different meaning and magic every time they execute them, with a sense of freedom in the way of interpreting their tunes, making this experience extremely related to the sensations that both the musicians and the audience receive every time a show begins. LOS NATAS is the pure essence of what should became and titled Stoner Rock.

Mark your calendars, when Argonauta Records will reissue both first albums by LOS NATAS in new and stunning LP + CD editions June 28th! The pre-order for both records, which belong in every well-sorted psych and heavy rock record collection, has just started at: www.argonautarecords.com/los-natas-announce-album-re-issues/

https://www.facebook.com/LOSNATAS/
https://twitter.com/LOSNATASTWITER
www.natasrock.com
www.argonautarecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords/
https://twitter.com/argonautarex
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/

Natas, Delmar (1998)

Natas, Ciudad de Brahman (1999)