Think they’re really from New Zealand? Maybe yes, maybe no. I won’t claim to know either way, but the no-names/no-pics/all-lowercase post-whathaveyou troupe postcards from new zealand will release their new album, city lights, through Italian imprint Mandrone Records, and as the label’s own Dan Murroni said here earlier this week, “We opened Mandrone Records because we wanted to release our stuff and friends’ stuff.” So maybe they’re from Italy. Or maybe they’re from right next door. Shit, maybe the call’s coming from inside the house! Again, I simply don’t know. Universe of infinite possibilities. They could be from nowhere.

They formed in 2008 and their Bandcamp page (linked below) is a trove of impressionist sonics. You won’t regret taking a dip if you’re feeling open of mind.

As per the PR wire:

postcards from new zealand sign to Mandrone Records and announce new album “city islands”

Faceless outfit, postcards from new zealand (all lowercase please) sign to Mandrone Records with their new album ‘city islands’ releasing on the 2nd of July 2021. Exploring beyond the limits of genre boundaries and creating vast, intense soundscapes is a huge part of their identity. Their sound ranges from the heavy hitting hardcore through to progressive electronics. Since forming in 2008, postcards from new zealand have released 21 full lengths and an EP through Bandcamp.

Listen to the pfnz Sampler via Mandrone Records: https://mandronerecords.bandcamp.com/album/mndr-sampler-postcards-from-new-zealand

Statement from Dan of Mandrone Records:

“After noticing that they released physically just one album, I approached them via bandcamp asking if they had unreleased material. They sent a shared google drive with the album ‘city islands’, which is the chapter three of ‘we watch them devour’, one of their sagas. I absorbed this record from the first listen, captured by the blends of soundscapes, distorted guitars and drumming in which I’ve found echoes of King Crimson and cinematic music. This is the exact reaction that clicks things in Mandrone Records.

I asked if they were interested in releasing the album through the label. Their reply was like:

“Yes. Mandrone Records can physically release ‘city islands’.
Few rules
In a limited quantity.
The band name is always lowercase ‘postcards from new zealand’.
Album name is lowercase too: ‘city islands’.
Don’t expect to get special treatment – you’ll never get any member information, no names, no faces, no places.”

This increased my interest in them. I wanted them. I sent the contact to a PO Box, they replied with an NDA which I had to sign and send back. Now that everything is settled, I’m really excited to share the news and welcome postcards from new zealand in Mandrone Records’ roster and to release their awesome ‘city islands’ in Digipack and Musicassette. Limited quantities. I’m pretty sure listeners will love them, especially the ones not afraid to listen to something different than the usual.”

https://www.facebook.com/postcardsfromnewzealand/
https://postcardsfromnewze.wixsite.com/pfnz
https://postcardsfromnewzealand.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/pfnz1269
https://www.facebook.com/mandronerecords/
https://www.instagram.com/mandronerecords
https://mandronerecords.com/

postcards from new zealand, the mare (2020)

Nashville progressive heavy rockers Howling Giant are set to tour around their appearance at RippleFest Texas 2021, and they’ll have good company in Bone Church, High Desert Queen and Thunder Horse as they make the trip. You’ll also note that the first gig is at the Freetown Boom Boom Room, which is basically the homebase of Forming the Void — also playing RippleFest TX — so it doesn’t seem unlikely that there might be others showing up at one or another of these dates as well. Maybe playing, maybe hanging out, maybe it’s a big ol’ sweatydudeparty in and around New Braunfels that week. I don’t know. I ain’t gonna be out here trying to predict the weather.

Howling Giant recently released their Alteration EP and as they say below, are at some stage or other in the writing of their next, second, full-length album. It boggles my mind these dudes have one LP. They’re such an established act in my mind. I guess that’s what happens when a band works its collective ass off. They’re looking to get back out in 2022 to tour and do more of the same. They’re just crazy enough to do it, too.

They posted the following on the social medias:

Putting finishing touches on one of our last quarantine projects before we get back into writing the new record. We have some very cool collaborations headed your way to tide you over while you wait for Album Two.

Little #ripplefamily love for ya. High Desert Queen, Bone Church, Thunder Horse, and yer bois to RippleFest Texas 2021 and back!

August 5 – Lafayette, LA
August 6 – Galveston, TX
August 7 – New Braunfels, TX (Ripplefest Texas)
August 8 – Houston, TX

HOWLING GIANT is
Tom Polzine – Guitar and Vocals
Zach Wheeler – Drums and Vocals
Sebastian Baltes – Bass and Vocals
Marshall Bolton – Keys and Synths

howlinggiant.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.instagram.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/
bluesfuneral.com
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Howling Giant, Alteration EP (2021)

The hook line of Mama Doom‘s new single is, ‘I’m having a black mass and nobody came.’ Consider me hooked. I certainly know that every black mass/soirée/childhood-birthday-party I’ve ever thrown has gone unattended, by Satan or otherwise, so yeah, I can relate to “Oh, Lucifer” for sure. The Newburgh, New York-based three-piece caught my eye earlier this year when they were announces as the first US band to sign with Majestic Mountain Records, and “Oh, Lucifer” is the catchy preface to their upcoming album, Ash Bone Skin ‘n’ Stone, which the same label will release on July 23. Preorders — if you’re the type who likes to get a jump on such things — are available now.

I’m almost universally a sucker for charm, and “Oh, Lucifer” has that working in its favor to be sure, but its cultish aspects — and being a sendup of same still counts, if that’s what’s playing out across the LP; haven’t heard it, don’t know — still mark a turn from the more straightforward blues rocking aspects of the prior 2018 offering, From Blue to Bone. I’d have called it an EP. The PR wire calls it their debut album. Take your pick. In any case, the trio of keyboardist/vocalist D.Lolli, bassist Chuckie Rumbles and drummer Smak have been rolling for well over half a decade, and “Oh, Lucifer” would seem not to be their first foray into a darker thematic, but it’s telling that it’s also the first thing they’re putting out from the full-length to come. And as to what’s taken so long to put out a record? Shut up. Good food takes time.

As one might expect/hope, the video is a wild time, with witchy this-and-that, some stuff filmed out in the woods, and the devil showing up to make it right. You get the sense that, despite the apparent cold discussed below, they had a good time making it, and as I can’t help but say the title of the song in sitcom-mom voice — “oh, Lucifer!” followed immediately in my head by canned laughter on WPIX from a black and white box tv set — that would seem to be in the spirit of things.

More to come on the record, but for now, enjoy:

Mama Doom, “Oh, Lucifer” official video premiere

Mama Doom on “Oh, Lucifer”:

“‘Oh Lucifer’ is a love song between a woman and Lucifer. Lucifer represent one’s power to believe in themselves and not worry about what everyone else thinks or expects of them. Go against the grain and love yourself. The video concept was all from the minds of Anne and Dave from Gratuitous Productions. They wanted to create a short film about a girl summoning Lucifer who was followed by a deranged man with prejudice due to her beliefs. He torments her until something unusual happens; he mysteriously falls to his death. Lucifer arrives to save the day of course! We had two full days of shooting. Day 1 was at our rehearsal spot and Day 2 was outside in the woods above a cemetery.

“COVID didn’t really stop us filming but the snow did as we had to wait over a month to film the outside stuff because everything was covered. Once the snow eventually melted, we were set but it was freezing! Gratuitous Productions said there was so much great footage to choose from and some comical stuff. We are hoping a blooper reel eventually shows up. We will be working with them in the future since they not only did an amazing job with this video but because they have more ideas on other tracks from the album. Interestingly too, there will be a lunar eclipse on Wednesday (Blood Moon), so it really is a perfect day for the video release!”

Majestic Mountain Records – Sweden’s leading proponents of hard-hitting psych, rock and heavy metal – is thrilled to announce the release of Ash Bone Skin N Stone; the sophomore album by haunting hard-rockers, Mama Doom.

Formed in Newburgh, New York in 2016, last year the trio become the first US band signed to the Swedish, joining the ever-growing ranks of impressive acts like Grand Cadaver, Saint Karloff, and Electric Hydra.

With the release of their exceptional 2018 debut, From Blue to Bone, Mama Doom traded guitars in for keyboards and ethereal vocals, and by so drove deep grooves into the dominion below. Forming a perfect union with crushing bass and drums, their sound is at once familiar to fans of doom, but at the same time offers a strangely unfamiliar and unique tone, given its impressive component parts.

Traversing a spectrum that spans traditional blues, heavy doom, and ego-death metal and fronted by the supremely gifted High Priestess, D. Lolli, make no mistake that Mama Doom are a serious force to be reckoned with.

Ash Bone Skin N Stone will be released on Friday 23rd July 2021 and can be pre-ordered here – https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com/product/mama-doom

Track Listing
1. Batshit Crazy
2. Vodka
3. Blood Moon
4. Indigo
5. Oh, Lucifer
6. Werewolf
7. Slither
8. Cherry

Mama Doom is:
D.Lolli – Vocals & Keys
Chuckie Rumbles – Bass
Smak – Drums

Mama Doom on Facebook

Mama Doom on Instagram

Mama Doom on Bandcamp

Majestic Mountain Records webstore

Majestic Mountain Records on Facebook

Majestic Mountain Records on Instagram

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Sander Haagmans of The Whims of the Great Magnet (ex-Sungrazer)

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I make rock music, teach guitar and I’m a father. So basically that puts me in the dad rock corner. I got my first Steely Dan record last year. Countdown to Ecstasy. Pretty neat. The way I came to make music was just by making sounds and noise from an early age on, like everybody does actually. As a young kid I already felt the need to make songs, record them and make albums out of it. Those first albums, which are cassette tapes that we put in a cigar box and then decorate the outside and inside, are probably my most precious releases to date.

Describe your first musical memory.

My memory is terrible. But I do know I had a poster near my bed with children’s songs that I loved to sing before I went to bed. And later I remember dancing on the table with my best friend to “Walk of Life” from Dire Straits. Or singing with my dad in the car the string parts of “Strawberry Fields.” There’s too many good memories, but I can’t recall the first.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Maybe that was listening to Nirvana as a teenager as loud as possible in a small bedroom with my best friend Willem. He also let me hear “Vortex Surfer” from Motorpsycho for the first time when we were, I don’t know, 20 or something. It was late at night and we had a big hifi soundsystem there. I once talked to a soundguy that used that song for soundchecking the P.A. at shows. Enough low end there, pfff.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

A firmly held belief, eh? I think I first need to think about the answer to the question ‘when was the last time you had a firmly held belief’ or ‘did you ever have a firmly held belief’ or ‘did you ever believe in something’ or ‘did you ever held anything firmly’. Well that’s a lot to think about. Not really though. But let’s stick to your question. I could have skipped that first part of my answer that led to nothing but this. But this is also a way of just writing down words and getting into some really meaningless bullshit that could actually be something I believe in. Well there you go. I think I always believed in a lot of bullshit and now I realize it’s not bullshit, but the truth. No no no no, get that out. Ok, I always believed you should not make any corrections to what you just put down. But I’m seriously having second thoughts about that right now. No…wait… it’s gone. I still believe in it. Damn it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

For me it leads to musical freedom, improvisation, magical unique moments in jams combined with that chorus or hook that will make you laugh and cry and stay with you till the end of time. In other words it’s just about having some fun and see what happens. These progressions always change and I guess I just try to go with that.

How do you define success?

When there’s a cool result when you tried something or even when you didn’t try.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

You’re a father too. You know it’s the cartoons kids watch nowadays.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A monster.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Getting laid, getting high, getting rich, I can’t choose. Art made the world and everything. And everything is everything only if it’s not. But, man what a question. Good one. Really, this is not something you write down. This is bar talk. Or can bar talk be written down? Of course it can. If it can’t be written down it’s not writable on anything. I could dance you the answer.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Yes.

https://www.facebook.com/TheWhimsOfTheGreatMagnet
https://thewhimsofthegreatmagnet.bandcamp.com/

The Whims of the Great Magnet, “Share My Sun”

This is the first time I’m ever hearing Bulgarian post-metallers TDK, whose 2019 album, Upseh, has been released on limited vinyl through Greek imprint Made of Stone Recordings. You can hear the Amenra comparison coming through in some of the howling screams of the record’s closer — and rest assured, these titles all appear in Cyrillic and I’ve just never been able to make those characters show up in WordPress because I suck at internetting — but that’s really only a piece of what they’re doing, and the vibe is more experimental throughout, with Radiohead-style ebbs and dives into willful chaos in like that which caps “Dom” earlier in the outing. I know nothing of Bulgarian separatist movements or the language being spoken here, but “Avariya” is gorgeous and pummeling just the same. Guess I have some reading to do, so let me get on that.

You can of course hear the record below, and TDK‘s socials and Bandcamp are linked for further digging. The vinyl is available now from Made of Stone, also linked:

TDK release “Ycnex” via Made Of Stone Recordings

Bulgarian sonic separatists TDK release their post psychedelic metal gem “Uspeh” via Made Of Stone Recordings in limited coloured vinyl

TDK is a band from the Separatist Republic of Dobrina, formed between the teeth of a martyr.

TDK’s musical style can be defined as a constant struggle to overcome ones limits. Ranging from the calmness of the ethereal Mogwai-ish post rock vibes, heading straight down to the harsh frit of the pitch black darkness presented by the likes of Swans, Cult of Luna and Amenra – TDK’s music is for cleansing. A very specific cleansing. It can leave you startled and confused. And yeah, all the lyrics are in Bulgarian as well.

TDK is the cross section of the social experiment in Bulgaria which we call “the transition”. The band’s music is a complex composition which recreates sonically the effect of a street lamp flashing frenetically moments before it dies out. Some of the songs are deeply influenced by traditional Bulgarian music and others are crunched by the gasp of the acid sound. All the lyrics are heavily inspired by the late new-wave poet Dimitar Voev. TDK’s music is one of paradoxes and extreme emotions, one to capture the senses and the mind alike.

Recorded by: Jesse Gander from Rain City Recorders (Vancouver, BC, CAN) and Black Dolphin Productions (Sofia, BG).

Mixed by: Jesse Gander from Rain City Recorders

Mastered by: Alan Douches – West West Side Music

Tracklist
1. Royak 102.9
2. Avariya
3. Nie Govorim S Ratsete
4. Dom
5. Mladost
6. Tih Trud

https://www.facebook.com/TurDomKean
https://www.instagram.com/theofficialtdk_dokolkotomoje/
https://turdomkean.bandcamp.com/
http://turdomkean.com/

https://www.facebook.com/madeofstonerecordings
https://www.instagram.com/madeofstonerecordings/
https://madeofstonerecordings.bandcamp.com/

TDK, Uspeh (2019/2021)

Look, just stream the track. I could go on here about Acid Magus taking grunge rock and blasting it into a spaced-out shoegaze oblivion on Wyrd Syster, or talk about mountains and sunrise or whatever the hell, but I won’t pretend anyone gives a crap. What you need to know is that “Wyrd Syster” opens the four-piece’s debut album and sets the vibe tonally and melodically, but that in subsequent jams like “Rituals” or the particularly consuming “Conscientious Pugilist,” they get jammier, more cosmic and more daring, so that by the time “Red Dawn” quiets down in its second half, you just know that hit is coming back and then it does and it rules because glory glory rock and roll and all that happy mountain stuff. I can’t tell you how to live your life. I can tell you that if you track down this record when it comes out it’ll make your day better. What you do with that is up to you.

From the PR wire:

Acid Magus – Wyrd Syster – RELEASE DATE 30th JULY 2021

In the faint light that separates dreams from reality, lies from truth and heaven from hell, lives the Acid Magus. Meditating, surrounded by darkness and light, energising the air with electric anticipation. Come forward and listen, stay awhile, there are no sins…

Acid Magus is an experimental rock outfit from Pretoria, South Africa. Doom, stoner, punk, psych, and classic rock are all common themes. As huge fans of the rock greats (Zeppelin, Sabbath), stoner/desert rock behemoths (Kyuss, Sleep) as well as the tripped out psychedelic stylings of modern “psych” bands like Slift. Acid Magus take inspiration from all kinds of great music, spanning the entire gamut from 60s Hendrix/The Doors to Hawkwind and Scorpion at their heaviest, all the way to pretty much everything inspired by Black Sabbath today. All this with maybe a little Alt Rock sensibility thrown in for good measure. With an uncompromising, DIY approach to writing, Acid Magus promises to offer up only the best, most impassioned musical works. Long, slow, heavy, soft, it’s all there, and it comes from the heart…

Track Listing:
1. Wyrd Syster
2. Rituals
3. Conscientious Pugilist
4. Virgo
5. She Is The Night
6. Evil
7. Red Dawn

Line Up:
Keenan Kinnear: guitars
Jarryd Wood: bass guitar
Roelof van Tonder: drums
Christiaan Van Renen: vocals

https://www.facebook.com/acidmagus
https://www.instagram.com/acidmagus/
https://acidmagus.bandcamp.com/
http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records

Acid Magus, “Wyrd Syster” (2021)

We’re a month away now from the June 25 release of 10,000 Years‘ deceptively-titled debut album, II, and the band have newly unveiled the second of presumably three tracks they’ll showcase before the big day comes. “Gargantuan Forest” is the second of the eight songs on the record and follows behind the previously-streamed “March of the Ancient Queen” with a new video that starts out in the woods and ends up in the band’s rehearsal space — also seen in the photo above (and in color!) as well as here — as they rock out and deal with being haunted by some unknown but apparently highly referential malevolence. You know, like you do.

It is good fun and accompanies the lyrics-when-we-feel-like-itn sludgily-shouted verses of the track well, bassist/vocalist Alex Risberg‘s gruff approach in a higher register but no more off-putting than it necessarily wants to be. His bass gets a highlight moment as the proceedings — the narrative as well as the song — lumbers into its second half and Erik Palm‘s guitar drops out to noise, leaving Espen Karlsen‘s drums and the low end to hold the tension in its place. They pick up again and riff the track to a suitably loud finish, and introduce listeners to the “Espbeast” in the process, finding that rare combination of drummer and mascot that makes the truly special bands stand out.

According to my notes for such things, I’m slated to stream II in its entirety on June 22, three days before it’s out. Stay tuned for that as you enjoy this, and you’ll also find “March of the Ancient Queen” at the bottom of the post for good measure.

Dig:

10,000 Years, “Gargantuan Forest” official video

The second single from our upcoming album ”II”.

In this ABSURD (1981) video 10,000 Years enter a FOREST OF FEAR (1980) as they access THE BEYOND (1981) and enter a BLOODBATH (1971) with THE BOOGEY MAN (1980), otherwise known as the Espbeast. The Espbeast stalks and haunts the bodies and minds of the characters in this C-grade homage to the horrormovies of yesteryear.

The characters FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (1976) through insane NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981). If they survive the AXE (1977) they may still end up in an INFERNO (1980) and risk to be EATEN ALIVE (1976). All the same risks face the viewer, so don’t watch with the lights out, don’t watch by yourself and DON’T GO IN THE WOODS ALONE (1981). Because after all, isn’t there an Espbeast in all of us?

Picking up right where the EP left off, “II” continues the story of the ill-fated Albatross-mission and its exploration of time and space through a skullcrushing mixture of stonerrock, doom- & sludge metal.

The album was recorded in the legendary Studio Sunlight with the equally legendary Tomas Skogsberg manning the controls.

10,000 Years:
Erik Palm – Guitars
Alex Risberg – Bass/vocals
Espen Karlsen – Drums

10,000 Years, II (2021)

10,000 Years on Facebook

10,000 Years on Instagram

10,000 Years on Bandcamp

Interstellar Smoke Records on Facebook

Interstellar Smoke Records store

Death Valley Records on Facebook

Ogorekords website

Olde Magick Records on Bandcamp

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: David Pais of Sullen

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’m a musician, gamer, cinema and comics lover. All of these are intertwined and it’s interesting to see how all of my passions are so important as an inspiration which allows me to create music. I stumbled in music by pure accident, as I was passionate about sound design when I was a little kid. You see, my dad had this VCR plugged into two tape decks, and as a tiny kid I thought it was a good idea to record movies into K7 tapes and listen to them while I went riding my bike. That was the gate for soundscape exploration which sparked my interest in cinema and later on, music.

Describe your first musical memory.

Learning my hometown’s hymn by ear and performing it at a school event when I was 7.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

This is a real pickle. I have two moments that I can’t shake out of my head and I can’t reduce to one. The first was listening to Issues from Korn, from top to bottom and crying when the album ended. The second was Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory from Dream Theater. It got me hooked from the first second and when the album ended I had to listen to it again immediately. I was mesmerized and couldn’t believe what I just heard.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I would have to say when I became a fully-fledged atheist. I went into a long introspective journey and felt all my faith completely shaken and ultimately destroyed. But in a good way. Still, that was an intense struggle, trying to justify my existence without an “omni-presence”, which in lieu of the circumstances and serious analysis is nothing but a zombie-analogy that enslaved my mind for a long period of time.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Evolution of oneself, allowing the mind to grow, mature and expand on subjects that were unknown before. Evolution as a whole species as well, I believe.

How do you define success?

When your passion becomes your work. Then you know you’re successful, regardless of actually being successful in the eyes of other people.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?.

My Covid-belly. I’m pregnant. Now seriously. Watching as one old computer of mine was “dying”, and all of my musical projects were there, and I had no way of transferring the files at the time. I lost a lot of work. I still have shivers when I think about it.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A video-game. And also co-writing an album with Skynd. I’m particularly fascinated by her complexity and expression, and I would love to spend hours talking with her about her work and to debate what’s in the mind of serial killers and explore it musically. It’s a subject that intrigues me and I love their music, so that’s something I’d love to create.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To reflect the vicissitudes of existence and to make us reflect about ourselves with someone else’s work. I don’t mean by objectively analyzing it, but by absorbing its content and dwelling in the meaning of it.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Perhaps becoming a father and finishing my video game. Not necessarily at the same time or in any particular order. Also, the end of this pandemic.

http://www.facebook.com/sullenpt
http://www.sullenpt.bandcamp.com
http://www.youtube.com/sullenpt
http://www.instagram.com/sullenpt

Sullen, Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion (2021)