Portuguese heavy rockers Miss Lava release their new album, Doom Machine, Jan. 15 on Small Stone and Kozmik Artifactz. The band’s fourth long-player and second through Small Stone behind 2016’s Sonic Debris (review here), it is an explosion of well-crafted, professional-sounding material that feels built for European heavy-fest stages. Your Desertfests, certainly SonicBlast, they’re already booked for a festival in Spain this March (which seems ambitious), and so on. It was, appropriately enough, recorded live, with Miguel “Veg” Marques at the helm of Generator Music Studios in Sintra. The energy with which the songs are delivered is only part of the album’s personality though, because the CD version comes with a whopping 15 tracks running a total of 56 minutes, as the returning four-piece of vocalist Johnny Lee, guitarist K. Raffah, bassist Ricardo Ferreira and drummer J. Garcia tear into one hook after the other, careening with desert-inspired purpose through “Fourth Dimension” and “In the Mire” at the outset like an all-grown-up Kyuss with the rest of the album that follows working in different stages set off by interludes, groups of one or two songs complemented by short pieces of varied atmosphere that lend breadth to the proceedings as a whole.

Most of those spacers are quick instrumentals. Guitar, bass, drums. “Magma,” the first of them, and “Karma” follow that pattern, while “Alpha” adopts a more mellow spirit and the last, “Terra” captures wave sounds and guitar noise ahead of the closing title-track, which is also the longest song on the outing at 6:58. The interludes bolster Doom Machine‘s flow and make it all the more immersive despite being largely based around straightforward craft of high grade verses and choruses, though certainly longer stretches like “Brotherhood of Eternal Love” (5;46), the Alice in Chains-style harmonized “The Fall” (6:31) and “Doom Machine” itself want nothing for atmosphere. “The Fall” is a highlight in that regard, but it contends with single-worthy cuts like the maddeningly catchy “Sleepy Warm” and the slower, more spacious “The Great Divide” nearby for that title, with the latter as the assumed end of the vinyl’s side A and, indeed, the split between the first half of the album and the second — not counting the bonus tracks. That’s not to mention a cut like “The Oracle,” later on, which singlehandedly shows how Miss Lava take cues from classic desert rock and turn them into something of their own all across Doom Machine as a whole. Maybe it’s safer not to talk about highlights.

Amid the many hooks, interludes and spot-on moves made throughout Doom Machine is the narrative of K. Raffah having lost a child after only a month and a half from birth. That brutal context underpins even the most uptempo of Miss Lava‘s songs here, and adds weight to already impactful pieces like “The Fall” and “In the Mire” earlier on, the melodies and momentum betraying little of what’s actually going on but remaining expressive nonetheless. One doesn’t want to call it a disconnect, but Doom Machine hardly sounds dragged down by grief or anything else as Miss Lava courses through. Even the bonus tracks, “God Feeds the Swine,” ‘Feel Surrea” and “Red Atlantis,” boast quality hooks — the last one of them especially so — so there is a balance of elements and themes at play throughout, and the band aren’t necessarily beholden to one or the other of them, as impossible as that might seem.

To wit, the video premiering below for “The Great Divide” takes a post-apocalyptic environmentalist stance, looking out at the world and seeing it being used and torn down by humanity as a whole. The clip was directly by José Dinis, who offers some comment on it below, along with that of Johnny Lee.

As always, I hope you enjoy:

Miss Lava, “The Great Divide” official video premiere

According to singer Johnny Lee, “‘The Great Divide’ is a euphemism for death, an apocalyptic vision for mankind. We keep destroying our planet and forgetting that when this ends, it ends for everyone.”

Director José Dinis reflects that this is “A concept story about an apocalyptic world, where an unhopeful man just tries to survive. As in real life, there is always a way out, a solution, a chance to live a more colourful life, no matter what.”

“The Great Divide” was filmed at Mina de São Domingos, a deserted open-pit mine in Alentejo, Portugal. The site is one of the volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which extends from the southern Portugal into Spain. It was the first place in Portugal to have electric lighting.

Miss Lava on Thee Facebooks

Miss Lava on Bandcamp

Sonic Debris at Small Stone’s Bandcamp

Small Stone Records

Kozmik Artifactz on Thee Facebooks

Kozmik Artifactz website

Let’s make a couple assumptions here. First of all, let’s assume that at some point, Varego will note what happened with their lineup to go from a four-piece to a power trio, and that at some point they’ll announce that their fourth album — yet untitled — is set to come out through Argonauta Records, since guitarist Gerolamo Lucisano doubles as the lead vibe-bringer for the label. As for Varego‘s music, last heard from in 2019’s I, Prophetic (review here), the band dig into post-metal-style quirk with a good flair for the adventure tossed in along the way. They’ve yet to offer up a record not progressed from the one before it, and with plenty of time this year to sit and write material, it’s easy to imagine their new stuff will follow suit.

And I am just imagining that for now since there’s no audio yet. One assumes we’ll get there sooner or later.

See what I did there?

From the PR wire:

VAREGO complete recordings for forthcoming album!

A new chapter begins for Italian post prog band VAREGO. Today, the renewed trio announced that they finished recording their new studio album, which will see the light in 2021.

“We went into the studio very prepared, with the intention of recording in real time,” says the band. “We were confident and excited to collaborate once again with the producer and dear friend Mattia Cominotto, who welcomed us with willingness, professionalism and enthusiasm. We recorded everything in three days in which we really let ourselves go and gave vent to all our passion with a smile on our lips and having fun. Mattia took care of the rest with a mixing and mastering of the highest level, in our opinion. We are enormously satisfied with the product that came out and we can’t wait for you to listen to it”.

VAREGO’s sound has found a new energy and it is distinctly more powerful, a rash with grunge echoes, stoner rock riffs, post-metal and prog rock nuances that pushes the band’s evolution a step further. It is the manifest result of the band’s creative peak and, in the meantime, a point of arrival and a new start.

Their fourth studio album was recorded in a few days almost entirely in real time at Greenfog Studio in Genoa, with producer Mattia Cominotto (Meganoidi, Tre Allegri ragazzi Morti, Punkreas) who also did the mixing and mastering.

Stay tuned, more details will be announced shortly.

www.varego.it
www.facebook.com/varego
www.instagram.com/varego_band
https://varego.bandcamp.com/

Varego, I Prophetic (2019)

Seaward is the fourth album from Cecina, Italy’s Mr. Bison, and unquestionably the most progressive. Issued through Subsound Records and Ripple Music, the seven-track/39-minute collection brings together songs based around the a narrative of the sea itself, drawing on mythology about the creation of the Tuscan Archipelago as seven pearls broken off a necklace by Aphrodite — those love goddesses, so clumsy — falling into the water and making the islands. Good fun, and a nice linkup for a record from the Italian coast with seven songs on it, but Seaward reaches broader in terms of its actual subject matter and storytelling, as the three-piece of guitarist/vocalists Matteo Barsacchi and Matteo Sciocchetto and drummer/noisemaker/vocalist Matteo D’Ignazi engage not only myths and ancient stories — “Oudeis” translating to “no one” or “nobody” from Greek, but referring also to Odysseus — but look out over the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the opening title-track, “I’m the Storm” and the penultimate “Underwater.”

Should it be any surprise that the album flows? That it’s immersive? No. It’s about water. It damn well better flow and be immersive. But the scope of Seaward is a considerable shift from where the trio could be found in terms of aesthetics even two years ago. Their 2018 offering, Holy Oak (review here), certainly had its proggier moments, but carried them amid a tonal warmth born of heavy psychedelic impulse, and their roots in playing more straight-ahead, uptempo, post-Truckfighters heavy rock on their first two records, 2016’s Asteroid and 2012’s We’ll Be Brief, were still evident in some of the material. Seaward is a rock album, to be sure, but as the band showed earlier in 2020 on their split with Spacetrucker (review here), they are pushing toward a cleaner-toned flourish, perhaps less driven directly toward warmth of tone but distinctly broader in melody and more accomplished-sounding on the whole. Since Barsacchi — the lone remaining founder of the band — brought in Sciocchetto and D’Ignazi on Asteroid, the band would seem to have been pushing in this direction, but there’s little mistaking the proggy intent in these tracks.

Certainly, Mr. Bison aren’t the only group who’ve embarked on more complex structures and methods over the last few years — heavy rock as a whole has moved in this direction, fueled in no small part by the work of Elder and a few others — but there’s an underlying classic sensibility too in Seaward, and “Seaward,” the song, still opens with a mighty roller of a riff once it kicks in from the quiet introduction. The title-track may or may not have been composed for the purpose of leading off the LP, but it’s definitely suited for it, hitting into its verse before the three-minute mark as Mr. Bison find nuance between the ’70s style of heavy prog — Captain Beyond, et al — and modern heavy execution. But it’s the focus on melody that’s most striking, and the fact that while individual songs have gotten longer on the whole — Holy Oak had two tracks over seven minutes and Seaward has one in “I’m the Storm” (7:40), but that’s the longest song the band have made and the average of the surrounding cuts is higher — the band have managed to keep their songwriting sensibility intact.

Second cut “From the Abyss” emphasizes this, fluidly picking up from the end of “Seaward” with a shorter, more straightforward run on a short linear course, with a memorable chorus and instrumental thrust, giving way to vocals and lush guitar deceptive in its nuance for how peaceful it sounds. The final surge feels a bit manic in comparison, but they still manage to bring it down in time to end the song for a smooth transition into “I’m the Storm,” which brings a thicker chug as it might be expected to do, but coats it too in melody, pushing the distortion lower in the mix so that it’s part of the overall affect rather than entirely consuming, though the final echoing shout of the title line brings to mind Stoned Jesus‘ “I’m the Mountain” just the same. The residual drift marks the end of side A, and “I’m the Storm” is no less suited in its place than was “Seaward” at the outset, but the 6:45 “Oudeis,” introduced by organ in the spirit of Celeste and other classic Italian prog, is a special advent as the centerpiece of the tracklisting as well.

Scorching guitar, high-energy lead vocals that shift into harmony as the song moves into its midsection, and a proggy shuffle to accompany, “Oudeis” is clearly intended as a focal point example of Mr. Bison‘s sonic evolution — a show-piece, if there were shows — and it leads into side B with the sense that not only have the band taken on this sonic growth, but they’ve brought it to bear with the necessary control and mastery. As with “From the Abyss,” “The Sacrifice” follows “Oudeis” with a more forward motion, but the multiple layers of vocals, continued organ line and tension in the guitar and drums builds toward what’s arguably Seaward‘s most satisfying payoff. It’s ironic that it should come on the shortest track, but the vitality on display speaks for itself. With the subtle shift of an atmospheric intro, “Underwater” returns to more patient fare, but remains somewhat angular in its groove, coming apart later as its core strum leads the way out toward closer “The Curse.”

Saving room for one last push, Mr. Bison bring their watery proceedings to a close with “The Curse,” and in so doing offer one final linear build, perhaps the album’s most direct up to that point. A layer of guitar solo floats airily over the central riff, giving ambience to an earlier chug complementary to that of “I’m the Storm,” and the song’s ending, cut after a verse, feels somewhat sudden but leaves little more one might ask that isn’t delivered. The same is true of Seaward as a whole. Mr. Bison bring vitality to sonic progressivism in such a way as to distinguish themselves from their many peers of similar intent, and it is the energy of their material, as well as the theme, that allows them to tie together heavy rock and progadelia with such grace and class. Where their course might ultimately bring them has only become more of a mystery with this turn, but they’re only more exciting an act for that, and for the richness of craft they harness here.

Mr. Bison, Seaward (2020)

Mr. Bison on Thee Facebooks

Mr. Bison on Instagram

Mr. Bison on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

Subsound Records on Thee Facebooks

Subsound Records BigCartel store

Subsound Records website

Oh hello feedback. Oh hello drums. Oh hello pummeling riff. Oh hello Spelljammer. It’s been a while. Indeed, half a decade has gone by since the Stockholm-based heft hefters released Ancient of Days (review here) in October 2015, their debut album, though to listen to the crush they foster in the seven-minute “Lake,” which is the first audio to be unveiled from the forthcoming second LP, Abyssal Trip, it hardly feels like a day. The three-piece will release Abyssal Trip — as in, “a trip to the abyss”; one can only assume they’re speaking in terms of tone — on Feb. 26, which is just far away enough to think that the world might be on some course toward restoration of ‘life as we knew it,’ though even saying that makes me fear the alternative, as I suspect it will into perpetuity.

Whatever reality greets it upon its arrival, the world needs more crushing riffs, and Spelljammer seem only too pleased to provide. You can read the PR wire info below — and you should, because information is good, knowledge is power and all that — and check out “Lake” at the bottom of this post because I genuinely believe it’ll make your day better.

Album preorders are up through RidingEasy Records, and the link is right on the other side of the cover art:

SPELLJAMMER (RidingEasy Records) first single from first new album in 5 years

Pre-orders: https://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/product/spelljammer-abyssal-trip/

“The vastness of everything is something that I think about a lot,” says Spelljammer bassist/vocalist Niklas Olsson. And it certainly shows in both the expansive, sludgy sounds and contemplative lyrics of the Stockholm, Sweden based trio. Following a 5-year break between their previous album, Ancient of Days — perhaps fittingly spent pondering said vastness — Spelljammer is back with an album that perfectly bridges the band’s earlier desert rock leanings and their later massive, slow-burning riffs.

Abyssal Trip (note: carefully re-read that album title) takes its moniker from the perpetually dark, cold, oxygen-free zone at the bottom of the ocean. The 6-song, 44-minute album fittingly embodies that bleak realm with rumbling, oozing guitars intercut with dramatic melodic interludes. The songs take their time to unfurl, making them even more hypnotic. Likewise, the lyrics take a poetic approach to establishing the sonic scenery.

“The lyrical themes we address, like the ultimate doom of man, and the search and longing for new and better worlds, are still there,” Olsson says. “The concept of something undiscovered out there in vast emptiness is pretty much always present.”

The recording process for Abyssal Trip differs from previous releases in that the band — guitarist Robert Sörling, drummer Jonatan Rimsbo and Olsson — opted to capture the performances while holed up in the mental bathysphere of a house in the countryside near Stockholm. “The songs benefitted from the relaxed environment of being away from everything,” Olsson explains. Indeed, the album sounds confident and meticulously arranged, afforded by the band’s isolation. Sörling mixed the album and it was mastered by Monolord drummer Esben Willems at Berserk Audio.

Album opener “Bellwether” begins dramatically with a very slow, nearly minute-long fade in of rumbling distortion setting the stage for heavily distorted bass and guitar plucking out the lugubrious riff for another minute and a half before the drums begin, and likewise equally as long before vocals gurgle to the surface. “Lake” abruptly shifts gears, opening with an unusually fast gallop before rupturing into thundering doom that soon drops into a clean-tone Middle Eastern melodic breakdown. The title track serves as the album centerpiece, opening with ominous film dialogue about blood sacrifice that launches into pummeling, detuned guitars rumbling over gut-punching drums and howling vocals hearkening to the proto-sludge of Pink Floyd’s “The Nile Song.” The dynamic relents briefly for a slow building clean guitar melody before all instruments lock into a jerking riff topped off by a trilling Iommi style lead. Throughout, Abyssal Trip is, just like its title suggests, an epic tour through desolate zones which yields much to discover.

Abyssal Trip will be available everywhere on LP, CD and download on February 26th, 2021 via RidingEasy Records.

Artist: Spelljammer
Album: Abyssal Trip
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: February 26, 2021

01. Bellwether (6:38)
02. Lake (7:04)
03. Among The Holy (6:18)
04. Abyssal Trip (10:38)
05. Peregrine (2:22)
06. Silent Rift (10:09)

Spelljammer are:
Niklas Olsson: bass/vocals
Robert Sörling: guitar
Jonatan Rimsbo: drums

spelljammer.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/Spelljammer
ridingeasyrecords.com

Spelljammer, “Lake”

Plenty of scorch in the teaser clip for Draken‘s upcoming debut album, and also kind of for their existence as well. It’s a new project headed by Hallvard Gaardløs (Spidergawd and Orango, which if you didn’t know are both really, really killer bands) operating in power trio fashion, and the PR wire brings word they’ve signed to Majestic Mountain Records for their long-player, which makes them kinfolk to fellow Norwegians Kal-El and Jointhugger, as well as Sweden’s Electric Hydra and The Hypnogogics, among others righteously riffing.

At this point, I’m pretty willing to check out something on Majestic Mountain just on its face given label-head Marco Berg‘s taste in output to-date, but even if I wasn’t, the teaser for this one — not to mention Gaardløs‘ pedigree — bodes remarkably. New stuff in the New Year. We can all just pretend 2020 didn’t happen right?

The aforementioned PR wire does it like this:

Introducing DRAKEN: Norwegian Hard Rock Trio Sign to MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN RECORDS /// Debut Album Released March 2021

Majestic Mountain Records is psyched to announce the signing of Norwegian trio Draken for the release of their debut album next year.

Formed in Oslo in 2018 by Spidergawd/Orango bassist Hallvard Gaardløs and close friend Andre Drage, Draken is a rock band with an appetite for reinvention. Recently becoming a fully-fledged power triumvirate with the addition of jazz/progressive virtuoso, Even Hermansen (Bushman’s Revenge) on guitar, the trio dig on the Metals and Hard Rocks of old, and in doing so channel the inspiration they unearth into something truly unique.

With the band currently holed up at Røffsound Studios with producer Vegard Liverød, with the final few touches still to be added to their debut, Majestic Mountain Records are already paving the way for its official release next year:

“From hearing the first riff on the demo we knew that we wanted to work with Draken!” says MMR’s Marco Berg. “Their mix of groove heavy riffs and catchy tunes will definitely make waves. We’re excited to share the first single with you once 2020 is over.”

Draken’s self-titled debut album will be officially released worldwide in March 2021 on Majestic Mountain Records.

Draken is
Hallvard Gaardløs (bass/vocals)
Even Hermansen (guitar)
Andre Drage (drums)

https://www.facebook.com/drakentheband
http://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com
http://facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
http://instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

Draken, 2021 Album Teaser

I’ve barely begun to dig into Charley No Face‘s debut album, The Green Man. Just barely. And yet here I am posting about it, for a couple different reasons. One, the vinyl’s out Sunday, so there’s a time crunch — though I’ve certainly done after-the-fact, out-now kinds of stuff before as news, so not that much of a crunch. Second, and more importantly, Charley No Face remind me of Comet Control in their blend of drift, space and f-u-z-z, and among compliments I don’t give out lightly, that one’s significant.

Bits of Dead Meadow, bits of other slow-rolling distortion-drenched semi-psych awesomeness, and yeah, I’m in. This rules. Plus the album intro is in “Pts. I-IV” and only 40 seconds long and the CD’s in a jewel case. That last one feels pretty rare these days.

At heart I’m really a simple creature.

Dig the PR wire:

CHARLEY NO FACE Announces Long-Awaited Vinyl Release of Debut Album The Green Man

Vinyl out Dec. 20 via Forbidden Place Records; CD & Cassette Now Available

Portland psychedelic fuzz rockers CHARLEY NO FACE are proud to announce the impending vinyl release of their debut album The Green Man, out Dec. 20 via Forbidden Place Records.

An ode to Pennsylvanian urban legend Raymond Robinson, known to locals as The Green Man and Charley No-Face, the band’s debut features nine permeating tracks that contort a various range of influences from psychedelia and prog rock to doom metal and proto-punk.

Recorded by Cameron Spies (Blackwater Holylight) and mastered by Mike Nolte, this severely slept-on debut will be cherished by anyone into old-school production, entrancing melodies, and heavy-ass guitar straight from the garage.
CHARLEY NO FACE was formed in 2019 when Nick Wulforst (Crook and the Bluff) joined forces with Brad Larson after becoming neighbors in Portland, Oregon. Both obsessed with vintage gear and all things bluesy and heavy, they started writing songs together in an effort to create a new breed of grunge-inspired psych-rock. The duo soon enlisted drummer Tim Abel and guitarist Stephen Cameron (the latter eventually replaced by keyboardist Carina Hartley) to round out the thick wall of sound, when the drugs began to take hold—so tune in, turn up, and drop out.

Forbidden Place Records will release The Green Man on limited-edition red and yellow swirly vinyl on Dec. 20. Pre-order info can be found here, and tapes/CDs can be purchased here: https://forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com/album/charley-no-face-the-green-man

CHARLEY NO FACE at the time of recording:

Nick Wulforst – vocals, guitar
Stephen Cameron – vocals, guitar
Brad Larson – bass
Tim Abel – drums

https://www.charleynoface.com
https://charleynoface.bandcamp.com
https://instagram.com/charleynoface
https://forbiddenplacerecords.com
https://forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/forbiddenplacerecords
https://twitter.com/ForbiddenPlaceR

Charley No Face, The Green Man (2020)

Most years, Roadburn probably would’ve revealed at least one of several headliners by now for next April, but in case you haven’t heard, this isn’t most years. It’s a question as to whether or not Roadburn will even take place — or, for that matter, what shape it will take when and if it does — but the festival is attempting to make it clear that they’re doing everything they can in order to bring something together for the fans. It’s not just about brand preservation at this point. This is a lifesblood working to be saved.

Creative Director Walter Hoeijmakers, who is the final word on all things Roadburn, has mentioned doing a scaled-down “COVID-proof” edition of the festival in Tilburg that, as noted below, “will be accessible whether you’re in Tilburg or somewhere else around the globe.” That says to me it’ll be streamed, which is something the fest probably should’ve been doing anyhow but of course requires its own complete infrastructure, never mind the fact that the photo pits are always crowded enough.

That said, it would be hard for me to articulate the sense of loss that accompanies the thought of not experiencing Roadburn for two years running. I prefer not to try.

There’s talk of ticket rollover to 2022, refunds going out in February for those who want them, and more below. Read carefully:

UPDATE ON ROADBURN 2021:

We’re aware that many people have been speculating about the practicalities around hosting Roadburn 2021 as we originally planned – with everything simply carried over from 2020. Despite encouraging news about vaccines we are just not in a position to assume that will be possible in four months from now.

We are currently planning a very much scaled down, COVID-proof version of Roadburn for April 2021, which will be accessible whether you’re in Tilburg or somewhere else around the globe. We’ll have more information on that in the new year…

What does this mean for people who still hold tickets for Roadburn 2020/21? We’re making this as simple as possible:

ROLLOVER – you’ve done it once, if you’d like to do it again and secure your ticket for Roadburn 2022 then you don’t need to do anything and your ticket will automatically rollover.

REFUNDS – if you would like a refund you can request one via Ticketmaster – ticket buyers will be receiving an email with all the links and info to do this.
Roadburn 2022 will take place between April 21-24.

You will have until February 10, 2021 to decide what you would like to do (if you do nothing, your ticket converts to a 2022 Roadburn ticket). Refunds – including those requested earlier this year – will take place on February 19, 2021.

If you booked a camping ticket of any sort or night bus ticket, this will be refunded at the same time in February, regardless of whether you roll over your festival ticket or not.

If you bought your ticket via Ticketswap you will need to reach out to them; we don’t have any arrangements with them directly.

Like many festivals, we are still facing tough decisions about how to progress in the face of an unpredictable, unprecedented pandemic. We have decided that we will not be rolling over the entire line up to 2022; it would be a huge risk and for many reasons it’s not practical to do so. However, we are in communication with bands, booking agents, labels etc to work out the best way to move forward. We have so many once-in-a-lifetime sets at Roadburn, and for some we’re going to have to wait a bit longer for those unique performances.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Despite the silver lining of being able to connect with the Roadburn community this coming April, it is still with a sense of disbelief that we tackle each and every part of this endeavour. We hope you’re safe, well and finding solace in music, as we are.

– Walter, Becky & all at Roadburn.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1081424195382564/
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
http://www.roadburn.com

Temple of Love is a new project with members of Mothership, Destroyer of Light, Witchcryer, Crimson Devils and Bexar County Bastards. They’ll make a live-ish debut as part of Mutants of the Monster‘s upcoming virtual fest next month, but in the interim, the five-piece are premiering their cover of “Gettin’ Tighter” from Glory or Death Records‘ previously-announced compilation, Bow to Your Masters Vol. 2: Deep Purple. To the surprise of precisely nobody, the song’s a ripper and they rip it accordingly.

To coincide with the premiere of “Gettin’ Tighter,” which originally appeared on Deep Purple‘s 1975 offering, Come Taste the Band, Glory or Death brings an update that Bow to Your Masters Vol. 2 is looking to be finished by Fall 2021, having made it through The Year That Scorched All Plans more or less on track with the original ETA. Kudos on that, as well as the finished selection of bands, which includes prior-revealed wizards like YOB, Big Scenic Nowhere, Steak and Worshipper, among others.

Also included in the announcement is some new artwork that will accompany the release. You can see the theme they’re working on, I think, and fair enough.

Track is at the bottom of this post, obviously made with love. Enjoy:

Official Update for Bow To Your Masters Volume Two: Deep Purple & Track Premiere for Temple of Love’s “Gettin’ Tighter”

Happy Holidays!

We are very excited to announce that so far we are right on track as planned for our estimated rough release date of Nov 2021 for the completion of this project. We may even wrap it up sooner than that, but we will have to see how things go with the bands finishing things up on their side and of course the ever questionable COVID-19. So far things are looking excellent though! We have been keeping in touch with our list of bands quite often as they work on their tributes to the great Deep Purple. Everyone is working very hard behind the scenes on this project and we are so honored and grateful for everyone’s efforts.

Temple of Love!

Get a load of this supergroup;
Steve Colca (Destroyer of Light)
Suzy Bravo (Witchcryer)
Shea McCoy (Bexar County Bastards)
Kyle Juett (Mothership)
Patrick Pascucci (Crimson Devils)

As if that’s not enough firepower already, they bring in Anton Pukshansky (who is a Grammy Award winning producer) to add his magic.

“All of us in the band are a big fan of Deep Purple, so when we were asked if we wanted to be a part of this compilation, we said hell yes. We asked Anton if he wanted to be a part of this song cause he is a fantastic keyboardist, and he was down. We decided to pick a pretty deep cut that gets lost in their impressive and extensive catalog because it has a killer groove and great vocals. Thanks for having us be a part of one of the best bands in rock n’ roll history!”

Feast your ears on this brand new track from the krew! If you dig it, be sure to tune in to “Mutants of the Monster” Virtual Concert Festival Jan 1st & 2nd where you can see them play this one live!

While you listen to Temple of Love’s insane version of “Gettin’ Tighter”, you can gaze at this incredible art Carin A Hazmat (@ArtofHazmat) has conjured up for us!

If you missed it – We also previously released this piece from David Paul Seymour!

Unfortunately our friends Holy Grove could not swing their cover of “Bloodsucker” and have dropped the project, BUT in true Glory or Death style, Mr. Kelley Juett of Mothership has stepped up and thrown together a top secret super group who have been working real hard on something special for us. That is all we can unveil for now per Kelley, but something wicked has been in the works and will be released soon!

Thank you all for the MEGA SUPPORT in getting this project fired up. There is no way this would be possible without you guys and we know it will be something very special when it is completed. Much love to you and yours! Stay safe, enjoy the holidays and you can look forward to some more tracks unleashed on our Band Camp over the next few weeks. Also if you haven’t preordered a copy you can do so there as well – PLUS this month we will be donating 20% of sales on BandCamp to fight Human Trafficking!

Glory or Death Records Presents;
Bow to Your Masters Volume Two: Deep Purple

Yob – “Perfect Strangers”
Mos Generator – “Love Child”
Big Scenic Nowhere – “Demon’s Eye”
The Grand Astoria – “The Mule”
Temple of Love – “Gettin’ Tighter”
Steak – “Smoke On the Water”
Worshipper – “Pictures of Home”
Great Electric Quest – “Highway Star”
Saturn Sweden – “Into the Fire”
Asphodel Wine – “Child in Time”
Kook – “Space Truckin'”
High Reeper – “Burn”
Red Wizard – “Fireball”
Kelley Juett Top Secret Super Group – ?????

https://www.facebook.com/Gloryordeathrecords/
gloryordeathrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://gloryordeathrecords.bandcamp.com/