Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Is it surprising that King Buffalo have pushed their 2020 tours off until next year? No. The US broke a new record in COVID-19 cases yesterday, hitting nearly 37,000 new reported in a single. fucking. day. Aside from being disgraceful, that just means that traveling in this country right now is taking your life in your hands. Maybe you’ll be fine, maybe not. True, we roll the dice every time we leave the house anyway — never know when that piano’s gonna fall on your head — but there are factors of relative dangers to take into account. States will be relocked-down by the time the band would hit the road anyway. That seems inevitable, though the staggering amount of irresponsibility displayed thus far in terms of the governmental response makes anything possible, I suppose.
Mostly fucking death is what it makes possible.
King Buffalo released their righteously forward-thinking Dead Star EP (review here) earlier this Spring, and made the most of their time in lockdown with their four Quarantine Sessions videos, all of which I’ve posted below, because if you take the rest of your day and watch King Buffalo jam out, that’s probably a good way to spend that time.
Here’s the latest from the band:
Hey Friends,
We wanted to give everyone an update on what’s happening. As many of you might have guessed, it’s looking likely we will be postponing the majority of our shows until 2021. In this scenario shows would start up in January and continue from there. As soon as we have more details we will let you know. If your situation allows, please hold onto your tickets.
Since we recorded the Quarantine Sessions, we’ve been writing A LOT. We actually had to stop ourselves because we amassed almost 24 hours of jam sessions. Suffice to say, we will have material for multiple LPs in the coming future.
You’ve been keeping us busy by buying merch from our big cartel and bandcamp. We can’t thank you enough for your support! This will go to good use for future releases. We’ll be announcing something in the next couple months.
Lastly what ideas/comments do you guys have? Besides new material what would guys like to see? Let us know! Please take care of each other and stay safe. We will have more news for you soon.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Hey, At Devil Dirt. It’s been a while. I like the new logo. New song too? Even better. Don’t mind me, I’ll help myself.
Chilean two-piece At Devil Dirt released their most recent album, Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución (review here), in 2013 through Bilocation Records/Kozmik Artifactz. In 2015, the band’s rehearsal space was brutally robbed and all their gear stolen. A single followed in 2016 called “Help Us” that was an attempt to begin anew and maybe acquire some funding for new equipment.
It’s been four years. The Mapuche people are indigenous to regions of Chile and the surrounding nations, and as guitarist/vocalist Néstor Ayala explains below, they are a population that has actively worked against colonization for centuries. That struggle continues now as groups battle for things like land rights and official recognition. I won’t claim any expertise on the conflict, but it seems fair enough ground for At Devil Dirt to peruse and a people from whom the band might take inspiration as they continue their own trials.
“We are Mapuches” runs 12 minutes — because if you haven’t done a new song in four years, make it count — and has a psych-drone feel to it that’s distinct from the tone-forward riffing that defined much of the band’s past work. What this will lead to, if anything, I haven’t a clue, but as it had been so long, I was just glad to see they had something new together. My initial reaction to the Bandcamp email is right there in the first line on this post. True reportage.
Here’s the release info:
AT DEVIL DIRT – WE ARE MAPUCHES
Araucaria forest, … A calm lake and the mountain range, closed off by the immensity of the landscape. Here lives a kind of human being in perfect balance of wisdom, the way of living the land, the natural order Man above things
We Are mapuches
How can I explain to people why I should be proud of the mapuches Epic Poem they are, noble people, high sense of human dignity and freedom…
The have have resisted 4 centuries defending their land…
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Spanish heavy rockers Horizon will release their third album, The White Planet Patrol, through Cursed Tongue Records this Fall. I’m not allowed to show you the cover for it yet or I would — it’s pretty cool — and there isn’t any audio yet to go with the announcement — the audio’s pretty cool too — so I guess you’re going to have to take my word for it at this point. The LP version that Cursed Tongue is putting out runs eight tracks and the CD/DL has two more cuts on top of that, bringing the full beast up to 53 minutes long, but the Alicante, Spain, trio spend their time and yours wisely, meting out heavy rock with a fluid variety in pacing and intent and atmosphere. It’s the kind of thing that, if you dig it, you’re gonna dig it. That’s about all I can tell you.
If you’re up for some tunes, you can check out Horizon‘s 2019 EP, Pigs, at the bottom of this post. I’m sure you’ve already heard it, because you’re down with the Bandcamping like that, but just in case.
Here’s the announcement:
SPACE STONER ROCKERS HORIZON SIGNS TO CURSED TONGUE RECORDS FOR A GLOBAL VINYL RELEASE OF THEIR THIRD ALBUM OCTOBER 16 2020
Cursed Tongue Records is very happy to announce the signing of Alicante, ES based trio Horizon and look forward to release their new album entitled ‘The White Planet Patrol’ on premium vinyl. Horizon is no new acquaintance to Cursed Tongue Records as we have been fans of the band for years and were among some of the first to support the band and buy their debut album ‘Last Man in Terminus’ back in 2014 once it (initially self-released by the band) was put out on vinyl.
We were mesmerized already back then, by the groove and riffs a plenty that seem to flow from the band in endless streams. It thus only requited little to no brain-activity (a pleasant change, ha ha) to decide on a collaboration when the band approached the label some months back earlier in 2020. We can, with confidence say that ‘The White Planet Patrol’ is the most accomplished, coherent and straight-out rocking material the band has conjured up to date and we super excited for all of you to hear it when the floodgates opens in October for the full ordeal.
Luckily, you will not have to wait that long as the band has prepared a nice release schedule with lots of chunks of tasties along the road to the release in October. This way it has seeped from the Horizon HQ that a first single should be ready and dropping in early July.
This album will once more remind the Heavy Underground why this Spanish trio is not easily forgotten and why they are a fuzz tour-de-force to be reckoned with. On this their third album Horizon delivers their most focused and heavy album to date, packed to the brim with metal-tinged, yet warm and fuzzy riffs, pulsating bass and hard-hitting grooves. The White Planet Patrol takes you on mind-melting trip through familiar territories to the outskirt of our planet of stoned out heavy retro desert rock.
While Cursed Tongue Records handles the vinyl only release, the band has kept busy and ensured that, the Spanish labels La Rubia Producciones, Aneurisma Records, Aladeriva Records, and Surnia Records undertake the CD format release of ‘The White Planet Patrol’. As novelty act, the album also releases on cassette tape by the Polish label Three Moons Records.
Horizon’s third full-length album ‘The White Planet Patrol’ releases digitally on Bandcamp and all major streaming outlets on October 16 2020. Same day sees the release of the album in all sort of tangible media including 180 grams vinyl, CD and cassette tape formats – Get Psyched!
ALBUM BACKGROUND
“The White Planet Patrol” is the name of Horizon’s third full-length album of which we cannot give you any further details yet, but those who have been fortunate enough having been given the opportunity to listen to it and to give it some thought can testify that we are still faithful to our constant riff salad style.
Recorded in Red Records Estudios and mastered by Tony Reed (Mos Generator) and counting again with the artwork of Creu Estudio (“Pigs”) this album also counts with the collaboration of two greats of the scene and already known as they are Judit Aliaga (Violins) and Juan Angel Slang (Synths). Mastered for optimal vinyl playback by Tony Reed (of Mos Generator, Seedy Jeezus, many more) at HeavyHead Rec.
Horizon is: *Paula Dominguez // Drums *Nicolás D’Andrea // Voice and Guitars *César Tenorio // Bass and Synths effects
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Boris aren’t wrong. About anything. Basically ever. Their new album is called No. It’s out July 3 through their Bandcamp. They’re using it as a means of questioning implicit bias. If anyone can do that with a record, I have to believe it’s Boris. Because they’re fucking Boris.
That’s all I have to say about it. They say plenty. Here’s info:
A message from BORIS:
“International borders are ‘closed’ now.
All kinds of anxieties, fear, sadness, anger, and hatred have arisen to drive the world apart. Everyone is in a process of trial and error, doing what they can to live. The critical state of the world has placed culture, art, and other means of expressing ourselves into a dilemma as well. We decided to start managing our band ourselves again a few years ago, so we even more keenly aware of the current situation.
It was our actions up to this point and our methodology, various cultural influences, as well the connections and support we received from people around the world that led us to create this latest album.
Culture is lore that is not bound by blood, in other words ‘Non Blood Lore.’
We have put all of our influences and connections into this album so that they may be passed on circulated. That is our current stance now as Boris, our role and mode of action.
The title of this album is NO. People have a system whereby they unconsciously grow accustomed to things and adapt to them. But, this same system is also cursed in the way it allows inconvenient or troubling things to be disregarded as if they were never there to begin with and goes by other names such as ‘resignation,’ ‘subordination,’ and ‘forgetfulness.’ We renounce this system. ‘Is this something I felt on my own? Is this idea something I came up with on my own? Is this something I chose to act upon myself?’ Everything begins with questioning and denying oneself. That is the proper stance for people to adopt.
Music and culture possess incredible power. The anger and discontent we had no outlet for in our youth shone through in our music, helping us to channel negative energy channeled towards creative ends and leading us to new means of expression and artistry. We hope this latest album can be a mirror that gathers and reflects people’s negative energy at a different angle, one that is positive. That is the power and potential of the dark, extreme, and brutal noise music that we have experienced up to this point. Today’s society is littered with words that may or may not be true, making it easy to want to just not listen to what anyone has to say. But, that’s all the more reason why we hope that you will at least open your ears to these songs sung in the language of another land. These shouts that have no proper meaning as words will help release the raw, unshaped emotions within you. This is ‘extreme healing music.’
International borders are ‘closed’ now. When we’re able to travel again, it will be proof that the world has moved forward. We pray for the day when we can share the same time and place again.
Boris
PS. NO includes a cover of the song ‘Fundamental Error’ by Japanese hardcore punk legends GUDON, who were active during the 90’s in Hiroshima. The same track also features guest guitars by Katsumi, the former of guitarist of similarly legendary Japanese hardcore punk bands OUTO and CITY INDIAN and now a member of SOLMANIA. This album is also being released completely D.I.Y. and without the help of any label.
‘The answer we have been given doesn’t change anything, and this album is not an answer either.’”
Look for Boris NO to be released July 3rd on Bandcamp and pre-orders are available now. More news + music coming soon.
Boris, NO track listing: 1. Genesis 2. Anti-Gone 3. Non Blood Lore 4. Temple of Hatred 5. ? -Zerkalo- 6. HxCxHxC -Parforation Line- 7. ????? -Kiki no Ue- 8. Lust 9. Fundamental Error 10. Loveless 11. Interlude
Boris is: Takeshi: Vocals, Guitar & Bass Wata: Vocals, Guitar & Echo Atsuo: Vocals, Percussion & Electronics Guest Guitar: Katsumi on Track 09 Recording: Fangsanalsatan at Sound Square 2020 Mix & Mastering: Koichi Hara (koichihara-mix.com) “Fundamental Error” Originally Perfomed by GUDON Logo Type: Kazumichi Maruoka Design: Fangsanalsatan
[Click play above to stream Wino’s Forever Gone in full. Album is out Friday on Ripple Music with preorders here for US and here for EU.]
It is overwhelming to consider the tumult of the decade between Scott “Wino” Weinrich‘s 2010 debut solo album, Adrift (review here), and this follow-up, Forever Gone. The dissolution of Shrinebuilder, the acoustic collaboration with German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs, the tenure fronting Saint Vitus that ended in an arrest in Norway for amphetamine possession and subsequent ban from Schengan Area countries in Europe — which was a five-year sentence, but still resulted in his being unable to tour there last year — as well as reunions first with The Obsessed, then Spirit Caravan, then Spirit Caravan becoming The Obsessed and changing its lineup before putting out their first album in two decades. Through all of this and the inevitable whatever-it-was I left out, Weinrich continued to perform solo acoustic shows, and so the notion of a second album was never completely absent, but apparently it took some doing to make it happen.
But if it was Weinrich‘s goal to channel living through those years into the craft and performance of Forever Gone — released through Ripple Music where Adrift was on Exile on Mainstream — it comes through as a palpable emotional and atmospheric weight in songs like the opening title-track, “No Wrong” and “Lavender and Sage,” and the penultimate “Was, Is and Shall Be,” the latter two of which feature guest vocals. Thinking of arrangements as compared to the 2010 offering, Forever Gone feels much less restricted to a guy-and-guitar aesthetic. There’s the slide in “You’re So Fine,” drums and electrics on “Dark Ravine,” an electric solo woven into early highlight “Taken” and vocal layering used sporadically throughout. The effect this has is to make minimalist moments like “The Song’s at the Bottom of the Bottle” and “Dead Yesterday” — which if nothing else certainly feels like a thematic answer to “Forever Gone” itself — stand out all the more, conveying the loneliness, regret and contemplation at root in some of the material while still leaving room for hope in more expansive pieces like “Dark Ravine” or the closing Joy Division cover “Isolation,” which comes through almost as a full-band, with drums, electric and acoustic guitars, and multiple layers of voice.
That finale should be readily enough familiar to those who’ve kept up with Wino‘s solo work live in the last eight or so years, and it’s also one of several of the pieces throughout Forever Gone that draws from the Wino & Conny Ochs collaborations. “Isolation” appeared on their Labour of Love 2012 Latitudes session (discussed here), while “Dead Yesterday” and “Dark Ravine” appeared on that same year’s full-length debut (also on Exile on Mainstream), Heavy Kingdom (review here), and “Crystal Madonna” and “Forever Gone” itself featured on Freedom Conspiracy (review here) in 2015. As Forever Gone is serving double-duty as the beginning of a series of acoustic-based Ripple releases called ‘Blood and Strings,’ it’s not like anyone’s trying to pass these off as brand new — Wino isn’t “getting one over” or anything like that — but the familiarity of some of the material and the refresh on the arrangements gives them new life and while obviously Weinrich is at the center of all the material, the work of producer Frank “The Punisher” Marchand isn’t to be ignored when it comes to the finished product of Forever Gone.
Whether it’s intertwining electrics and acoustics at the start of “Taken” or giving a sense of space through subtle vocal echo thereafter, or highlighting the classic blues rock feel of “You’re So Fine” to bring a moment of joy between the more melancholic “Dead Yesterday” and “Crystal Madonna,” each strum is as crisp as it wants to be, and Wino‘s voice comes through with no less instrumental detail, the product of decades of living and singing hard manifest in making the languid melody of “Lavender and Sage” feel like something earned rather than simply adopted as a stylistic choice. Part of that of course stems from the narrative of Wino‘s career itself, but if ever there was a place for such context and for his personality to come through as sharply as it does, Forever Gone would seem to be it, and Marchand is due much credit in making that happen.
Weinrich‘s in-genre legacy is well established through his work in The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, The Hidden Hand, etc., and doesn’t need to be recounted here anymore than it already has. What comes through most on Forever Gone is that, rather than seeing an artist resting on his laurels and self-indulgently pushing through 11 songs and 45 minutes of assembled material, Wino here brings the unmistakable character of songwriting and passion of performance that has made him the figurehead he is. It is an indelible mark of his work and whether it’s in the relatively uptempo version here of “Dark Ravine” or in “Crystal Madonna” — which was a highlight of Freedom Conspiracy and is one on Forever Gone as well — it is the foundation on which these songs, new and old alike, are built. With the variety in arrangements and guests in and out adding to Weinrich‘s vocals and guitar, there is a sense of completeness about Forever Gone that feels progressed forward from Adrift even as it stays loyal to the form.
It is impossible to know where the next decade might take Wino as a performer or a human being, but with this collection, his place as America’s Godfather of Doom is reaffirmed even as he breaks the confines of doom itself; though anyone who tells you Forever Gone isn’t heavy needs to recheck their definition of the word. As vibrant as this material is, and as much as it brims with the passion and creative intensity that brought it to bear in the studio, there continues to be a heft that is either underlying or at the fore, moving no less dynamically than the arrangements of the songs throughout, and no less crucial to the understanding of what this record is. I’ve said before, on plenty of occasions, there’s only one Wino. That’s where the count remains. And if Forever Gone is his way of marking the passage of the last 10 years, it is of due substance to be up to that task.
Seeing its first official release since it was recorded some 50 years ago, Ice‘s first and only full-length, The Ice Age, will be released by RidingEasy Records on July 10. It was originally supposed to come out in April, but frankly after half a century do a few more months really matter? By now, the narrative of the-great-heavy-’70s-lost-classic is well enough familiar. How many times has that story been told? Hundreds? Thousands maybe? RidingEasy are certainly no strangers to the era, between their Brown Acid archival compilation series and their Randy Holden reissue, not to mention supporting those who likewise worship that moment in time like Dunbarrow, BUS, Svvamp and so on. Ice‘s The Ice Age is different though.
Think of it this way: Yeah, there are thousands of those records out there, from Atomic Rooster and Cactus to Spooky Tooth and Rare Earth. The heavy ’70s are a treasure trove, and an entire universe of formative heavy rock and roll and proto-metal exists waiting to be discovered by anyone who might want to take the time. Fine. How many of those bands have unreleased recordings? At this point? Far fewer. And how many entirely lost albums are there? Far fewer, let alone those that are as complete and as righteous front to back as The Ice Age, which digs into burly hooks on “Copper Penny” and rocks hard on opener “Gypsy,” but reminds of some of Bang‘s balladeering on the six-minute penultimate (and longest) cut “He Rides Among the Clouds,” pulling back on the brash swagger of “Running High” which is no doubt written in homage to how tight these dudes wore their bell-bottom jeans. One way or the other, they manage to make an impression as the five-piece that was, the prominent organ work of Barry Crawford (als0 vocals) sounding ahead of its time owing perhaps in some measure to the modern ears that mixed it here, but still engaging alongside John Schaffer‘s lead guitar on the mellower “3 O’Clock in the Morning,” which follows the initial push of “Gypsy” and “Satisfy” at The Ice Age‘s outset — or dawning, as it were.
Crawford, rhythm guitarist Richard Strange and bassist Jim Lee handle vocals throughout — the latter in the lead position — while Mike Saligoe rounds out on drums, and the interaction between different singers bolsters the songwriting even unto a later cut like “Run to Me,” which is an upbeat but still laid back straightforward heavy rocker, Lee‘s voice gruff in the verse giving way to a more melodic chorus. This along with the semi-early-prog instrumental climbing of “Copper Penny,” the post-McCartney bounce in the second half of “3 O’Clock in the Morning” and the sweeter and more accessible take of “I Can See Her Flying” help assure that the 10-song/37-minute LP brings enough dynamic to sustain itself, and it does to a striking measure, closing out with “Song of the East,” the early organeering of which gives way to lockstep guitar and organ leads in a rhythmic march that seems like it’s going to carry The Ice Age to its finish before the band sharply brings the song back to its central progression.
So what the hell was it, right? Isn’t that the question? What stopped Ice from releasing The Ice Age in the first place? Was there no one around in their native Indianapolis who’d get behind the album for even a private press edition that collectors now could fawn over like so many others? How did The Ice Age end up languishing for 50 — five-zero — years while countless other records have been heralded to a point of revising the history of rock and metal to see to their inclusion in it? Hey Ice, where you been all my life?
I don’t have the answer to any of that — sorry to disappoint. Band recorded, band broke up. Zukus!, who were featured on a Brown Acid release noted below, were the same band as Ice, but the bulk of this material never came out before. Rest assured, it’s been treated lovingly and with due reverence for this release; it’s hard to imagine those tapes sounding this clean when they came off the shelf or out of whatever cardboard box or closet they lived in for all that time. But if The Ice Age didn’t warrant that, it wouldn’t have been chased down in the first place. So here we are.
Will The Ice Age rewrite rock history? No. It never came out, so it’s not like it had some massive but undervalued influence. But it is a curio among curios, and it is of a quality that deserves to be heard, and frankly to have been heard all this while. Better late than never? Yeah, that too.
You can dig into the premiere of “Gypsy” on the player below and find more background from the PR wire beneath that.
Please enjoy:
As RidingEasy Records’ highly successful Brown Acid series (now at 10 volumes and counting) proves, there is a massive amount of incredible heavy psych and proto-metal music that has been lost to the sands of time. Case in point, the astoundingly great 50-year-old album The Ice Age by Indianapolis quintet ICE was never even released upon its completion.
In the late 1960’s five young men formed a rock & roll band on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana. They chose the coolest name possible: ICE. The group consisted of vocalist/keyboardist Barry Crawford, lead vocalist/ bassist Jim Lee, drummer Mike Saligoe, lead guitarist John Schaffer and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Richard Strange. They was among the first bands to perform an all original set throughout the Midwest at high schools, colleges & concert venues. They opened for national acts like Three Dog Night, SRC, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others in arenas and theaters.
In 1970, the band recorded 10 original songs at 8-Track Studios in Chicago Illinois, only to break up shortly thereafter. Two of the tracks were eventually released as a 45 in 1972, but confusingly under a different band name, Zukus! The A-side of that single was featured on Brown Acid: The Ninth Trip, which led RidingEasy Records to discover when licensing the track that an entire album had been languishing in obscurity all of this time. The 2-inch master tapes had been shelved and forgotten until recently when The Ice Age tracks were converted to digital and remixed, preserving the sounds of the original vocals & instruments. Finally, half a century later, this 10-song album of radio-ready rock will finally see light of day.
The Ice Age will be available on LP, CD and download on July 10th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 24th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
I don’t know about you, but I take some measure of comfort in the fact that Italian imprint Heavy Psych Sounds has gone back to snag-mode. Last week the venerable label announced it had picked up Mountain Tamer (info here) and they’re following that up with Warlung from Houston, Texas. The four-piece have made a splash with their two records to-date, the latest of which, Immortal Portal (review here), was issued in 2019, and they’ll make their debut on Heavy Psych Sounds with their third overall LP, Optical Delusion, this October. I would expect preorder and album info to follow soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Warlung aren’t Heavy Psych Sounds‘ last announcement for the Fall season that seems to be catching up a bit from the last Spring and early Summer. The more the merrier.
News came down the PR wire:
Texas Heavy Rockers WARLUNG Sign Worldwide Deal With HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS!
Italy’s cult and fuzz rock label, Heavy Psych Sounds Records, is proud to welcome Texas heavy rock unit WARLUNG to their eclectic artist roster. Formed by longtime friends and brothers in 2016 and inspired by a vintage sound, WARLUNG create heavy, catchy songs with a psychedelic twist. Following the band’s sophomore, 2019- album Immortal Portal, the band will release their third full-length album titled Optical Delusions via Heavy Psych Sounds in October 2020!
“We are excited and honored to be a part of the Heavy Psych Sounds family.“ The band comments. “We couldn’t think of a better place that represents who we are. A special thanks to Gabe Fiori for giving us the opportunity to expand our music worldwide. We can’t wait to see where this road takes us!”
WARLUNG took the heavy rock world by storm in 2017 with the release of their debut album, Sleepwalker. Playing festivals such as End Hip End It Fest and opening for acts like Wo Fat and Dead Meadow, they quickly gained a cult following and high praise by both fans and critics alike.
Less than a year later, they entered the studio to record their second album, which was released in February 2019. WARLUNG continued to host various breweries and festivals alike SXSW, and quickly became a fan favorite within the local rock community and abroad. Their audience grew as they opened for bands such as High Reeper, Forming the Void or King Buffalo.
Their upcoming, hotly anticipated album, Optical Delusions, is slated for a release in October 2020, with a pre-sale to start on July 2nd with Heavy Psych Sounds. Watch out for many more news and album tunes to follow in the days ahead!
WARLUNG is: George Baba: Guitar/Vocals Philip Bennett: Guitar/Vocals Chris Tamez: Bass Ethan Tamez: Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 24th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
They open the record with a song called ‘Hippie on a Slab,’ so if there was any doubt London psych freaks Black Helium meant business, that should set the matter at least somewhat to rest. Of course, if such concerns existed at all, it probably wasn’t from those exposed to the band’s 2018 debut, Primitive Fuck (review here), which was every bit the outsider rowdiness one might expect from its name while still taking the time to play with atmospheres like somebody melting a Sabbath record onto a turntable and somehow playing it. It was a weirdo rager, through and through.
One’s expectations are accordingly high for the follow-up, The Wholly Other, which is out next month on Riot Season Records. I haven’t yet, but I’m going to do everything in my power to hear it, as I think out might be just the kick in the ass I need. And by what’s in my power, I mean I’ll probably try to send an email. Hear me roar, and such.
Take it away, PR wire:
BLACK HELIUM RELEASE 2ND LP ‘THE WHOLLY OTHER’ WITH RIOT SEASON RECORDS
Black Helium aim to deliver a lysergic heterogeneous sprawl on this, their second LP ‘The Wholly Other.’ From the blunt thunderous groove of ‘Hippie On A Slab’ to the narcotic tranquillity of ‘Teetering On The Edge’, via the hypnotic ascension of ‘Pink Bolt’. ‘The Wholly Other’ was recorded live over two loud, sweat drenched days in August 2019 by Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse Studio (Green Lung, 11PARANOIAS, Casual Nun), just before the band embarked on a UK tour with Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs.
Black Helium are a four-piece psychedelic rock group, based in London. Never afraid to stray from the beaten path, they traverse aural hallucinatory soundscapes; from detuned Neanderthal rock to deep oceans of introspective blissed out psychedelia. Influences include, amongst many: Amon Duul II, Loop, Hawkwind, The Stooges, The Groundhogs, Spacemen 3 and Electric Wizard.
ARTIST Black Helium TITLE The Wholly Other CATALOGUE REPOSELP093 LABEL Riot Season Records RELEASE DATE 24th July 2020
SIDE A 1 HIPPIE ON A SLAB (7:12) 2 TWO MASTERS (5:05) 3 DEATH STATION OF THE GODDESS (10:03)
SIDE B 1 ONE WAY TRIP (5:02) 2 PINK BOLT (10:27) 3 TEETERING ON THE EDGE (4:03)
BLACK HELIUM are Stuart Gray (vocals, guitar) Beck Harvey (bass, vocals) Diogo Gomes (drums) Davey Mulka (guitar)
