There is an ancient Mesopotamian dictum that says, ‘Arguing with catchy songs is the provenance of jerks.’ And I’m nothing if not an adherent to ancient Mesopotamian dictums, thus you’ll not find me debating against Land Mammal‘s “Psychedelic Hand” or the accompanying video below. The song leads off the Dallas-based duo’s impending debut album, Slow Your Mind, which is set to release Sept. 24 through Kozmik Artifactz, and makes a strong statement of intent for the 10-tracker that follows, fostering traditionally-structured heavy rock and roll that touches on modern-style garage doom even as it plays to classic forms.

A guest solo from Earthless‘ Isaiah Mitchell doesn’t hurt — he posted a few I think for general use? not sure if this is one of them or what but who’s gonna say no to him anyway? — and neither does the organ from True Turner, but the core duo of singer Kinsley August and guitarist Will Weise (Bryan David plays drums and bass and co-produced the record) offer weighted-Blind Melon vibes on “Ring the Bell” and a due sense of strut to go with the slide guitar on “Fuzzy Purple Jacket,” so there’s more happening across Slow Your Mind‘s 35 minutes than hooks. But yes, those too, and that’s just fine thank you very much.

With a style that’s way more SoCal sunshine than Texas roughneck, Land Mammal continue the procession of straight-ahead, thoughtfully arranged tracks in the mellower “One Woman to Love” and “Grow,” which presumably rounds out side A, organ — handled by Jake Dexter on most of the record, save the opener and “One Woman to Love,” where it’s Adam Pickrell — again a factor in the latter cut as August‘s vocals are highlighted. It would come as no surprise that the subsequent title-track (presumed side B leadoff) would be more rocking, and it is, but the vibe remains semi-psychedelic, a little more patient in tempo, and that works just as well to expand Slow Your Mind‘s dynamic.

Ultimately, Weise and August are more clearheaded in their intention than most current psych, which resides either on the jammier or drifitier end of that colorful spectrum, but grounded though their craft may be, they’re still able to bring a sense of atmosphere to “Right From the Start” or the sitar-meets-hard-riffs “Full Ascension” and bluesy “Sing Me a Song,” which follows in the penultimate spot. The shaker that accompanies acoustic closer “Better Days” reinforces the earlier Blind Melon comparison — an inherent compliment to August‘s performance as well, as far as I’m concerned — and wraps the album on a less wistful note than “Sing Me a Song,” but with a movement that feels natural from one track to the next, even if it’s a revisit from the band’s 2019 self-titled EP.

Slow Your Mind is well put together and makes few demands of its listenership. The songs are accessible and immediate but mostly not overbearing, and Land Mammal make their mission clear at the outset and then fulfill that through songwriting, their own playing, and the album’s clarity of production. As a first full-length, it is strikingly cohesive. They sound like a band with plans, and leave one wondering only what those might include going forward.

Video and preorder links, etc., follow here.

Please enjoy:

Land Mammal, “Psychedelic Hand” official video

Pre-order the Debut Album from Land Mammal. Available as a limited edition vinyl record (two different colors) and a digital format: https://landmammal.bandcamp.com/album/slow-your-mind

Vinyl records are courtesy of Kozmik Artifactz (Artifact 129). You can also order directly from the record label:
shop.bilocationrecords.com/index.php?a=63356
shop.bilocationrecords.com/index.php?a=63357

Full album release on September 24th.

Song written by Kinsley August and Will Weise, Produced by Land Mammal and Bryan David.

Vocals: Kinsley August, Guitar: Will Weise, Drums/bass: Bryan David, Guitar solo: Isaiah Mitchell, Organ: True Turner.

Land Mammal, Slow Your Mind (2021)

Land Mammal on Instagram

Land Mammal on Facebook

Land Mammal on Twitter

Land Mammal website

Kozmik Artifactz website

Kozmik Artifactz on Facebook

Houston’s Night Cobra have earmarked next February as the arrival of their debut album, Dawn of the Serpent, through High Roller and Irongrip Records. And really, fair enough. I’m not saying it’s not worth looking forward to or anything like that, just that the band — which boasts former members of Venomous Maximus, among others — already put out an EP in 2019, so if you haven’t heard them before, you can, and if you’re going to put out a record coordinated for a worldwide release in the midst of a global pandemic, you might as well plan it right. February puts them past the winter doldrums from late November usually through late January, and while the month is always crowded with new offerings, at least there’s an audience hungry for it. Who the hell isn’t exhausted come December list time?

And not that I even need to say it, but it’s not like they need to rush it out in October to go on tour or something, so sure, February’s as good a time as any. The recordings are done. Do the mix and master right and promote the hell out of it over the winter. Boom. Solid plan. Okay, so we’re a go, right?

I love pretending I’m in A&R.

From the PR wire:

Night Cobra Sign to High Roller Records; Band Completes Work on Debut LP ‘Dawn of the Serpent’

Houston Metalpunk Quintet Readies Release of Highly Anticipated Full-Length Debut; U.S. Release Set for Irongrip Records

Houston heavy metal band Night Cobra has signed to High Roller Records for the release of its debut full length LP, ‘Dawn of the Serpent’; the impending album is set for release on February 11, 2022.

Featuring current and former members of Necrofier, Eternal Champion, Venomous Maximus, Killer Hearts, and The Satanic Overlords of Rock N Roll, Night Cobra plays uncaged music for an age of discontent as heard on its celebrated debut EP, ‘In Praise of the Shadow’. Night Cobra’s fiery blend of scorching rock ‘n’ roll and blistering metal found immediate favor in underground music circles, making ‘In Praise of the Shadow’ one of Bandcamp’s all-time best selling NWOTHM releases and earning the group glowing praise for its “End Times energy befitting a trying year” (Houston Chronicle) and “searing metal with punk rock’s grit” (Houston Press).

Riding a wave of both fan and critical acclaim, Night Cobra then unveiled the five and a half minute mini-film, “Escape From Earth”, a fun flick that takes inspiration from the shelved John Carpenter film of the same name (and the proposed second sequel to ‘Escape From New York’) that would have starred Kurt Russell reprising his famous role as former Special Forces operator/war hero turned criminal Snake Plissken.

With its impending debut full length LP, ‘Dawn of the Serpent’, Night Cobra unleashes dynamic, fiery music forged in the concrete and steel of punk and heavy metal. Ominous cover artwork by Adam Burke for Nightjar Illustration (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats) portends the calamity that the record promises. ‘Dawn of the Serpent’ will see a U.S. release via Irongrip Records with High Roller handling for the rest of the world. Night Cobra features Christian Larson (vocals), Bill Fool and Brandon Barger (guitars), Trevi Biles (bass) and The Mighty Cheech (drums).

“High Roller Records is proud to release the long-awaited debut album of Night Cobra in 2022!,” says label head Thorsten Thormann.

‘Dawn of the Serpent’ track listing:

1.) Run the Blade
2.) The Serpent’s Kiss
3.) Lost in Time
4.) Black Venom Dreams
5.) The Neuromancer’s Curse
6.) For Those Who Walk the Night
7.) In Mortal Danger
8.) Acid Rain
9.) Electric Rite

“High Roller is a premier heavy metal record label. I’ve wanted to work with them for quite some time,” says Night Cobra vocalist Christian Larson. “The stars have aligned and we are very excited to release our full-length debut, ‘Dawn of the Serpent’, with High Roller. With ‘Dawn of the Serpent’, we dive deeper into the underbelly of this depraved world. Many things are happening that align with the tech noir reality that we seem to be living in. All these moments will be lost in time.”

In additional news, Night Cobra will perform live at the 2022 Hell’s Heroes Festival, set for Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall. Presented by Pegstar Concerts, the two day music fest will showcase a hand-picked selection of international underground metal bands that includes both seminal, genre-pioneers, highly regarded modern day groups and more, in a can’t-miss concert event. Night Cobra will share the stage with Grammy-nominated Swedish doom metal legends Candlemass, California thrash metal kings Dark Angel, NYC metal mavens Riot, trad-metal titans Cirith Ungol and more in what promises to be a headbanger’s heaven.

https://www.facebook.com/NightCobra
https://www.instagram.com/nightcobraband/
https://nightcobra.bandcamp.com/
https://irongriprecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.theheavymetalstore.com/
https://www.hrrshop.de/
https://www.facebook.com/hrrecords/

Night Cobra, “Escape From Earth” official video

Swedish heavy rock traditionalists Stew will release their second album, Taste, through Uprising! Records on Nov. 12. It’s a little hilarious, to be honest, to read press releases where bands talk about writing in 2020 and being able to dig deeper into making their material than ever before. Well yeah. What the hell else was going on? It was a good time to be in your house with a guitar since, at least in most of the world, there was nowhere else you could go.

I wouldn’t say it was revolutionary, but I dug Stew‘s 2019 self-titled debut (review here) well enough, and if they’ve gotten into the details this time around, I’ll be interested to find out what that means, since so much of retro-heavy is about capturing an organic sound. You know the influences and where they’re coming from generally — heavy ’70s meets heavy ’10s in these chaotic ’20s — but there’s something to offer here in terms of the songs and the live clip below for “Heavy Wings” sounds right on, so yeah. Who the hell needs a revolution? Well, plenty of people, but not necessarily retro rock. You get the point.

Onward to the PR wire:

STEW release new album “Taste” in November

STEW is set to release their second full-length album, entitled “Taste”, on UPRISING! Records, on November 12th. The band has spent most part of 2020 recording and writing the songs. According to the members themselves they have put more time in to get every detail in the songwriting as well as the producing and studio recording just right. With this album, Stew is ready to take on the world with their retro hard rock.

“Taste” will be released in LP (three different colours) and digital formats by UPRISING! Records on November 12th, 2021. Pre-orders available here: https://targetshop.dk/stew

Hailing from Örebro, Sweden, Stew began jamming together in late 2017. The band is taking their inspiration from the bluesy, hard-rocking bands of the 70s where it was all about making unpretentious music. The tight power rocking trio just loves to express their emotions through the amps, drums, and microphones.

On vocals and bass, there’s Markus Åsland, with his big soulful voice and strong melodies. On vibrant and expressive guitar is Nicklas Jansson, and on groovy tasteful drums Nicklas Dahlgren.

Shortly after self-releasing their first EP “Hot”. The EP got a lot of good attention from all around the world. In October 2019 Stew released their full-length debut album on Ripple Music (US). In early 2020 the band did a well-received German tour and had a second one planned for summer 2020. But it was canceled because of the coronavirus. Now, as the world re-opens, Stew releases the album at the right timing to go outside and show their glorious take on classic riffing rock ‘n’ roll.

Webshop:
https://targetshop.dk/stew

“Taste” tracklist:
1. Keep On Praying
2. Still Got The Time
3. You Don’t Need Me
4. Earthless Woman
5. All That I Need
6. Heavy Wings
7. Stranger In The City
8. New Moon
9. When Lights Go Out

Line-up:
Markus Åsland – vocals, bass
Nicklas Jansson – guitar
Nicklas Dahlgren – drums

https://www.facebook.com/stewsweden/
https://www.instagram.com/stew_band
https://stew1.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/uprising.records.pr/
https://uprisingrecords.de/
https://targetshop.dk/

Stew, “Heavy Wings” live in studio

Toad Venom‘s new single rings sincere in its ’60s-style acid-laced harmonies and organ-ic bounce, but whatever decade you want to pin them to, their melodelia is a welcome arrival. “Swirling Hands” is the second single to make its way to public ears from the Gunnorp — near Linköping, off the E4 that runs between Gothenburg and Stockholm; someday I’ll tour Sweden and see these places — outfit behind June’s “Three Hearts” and while it’s hard to tell if their anonymity is on purpose or they just haven’t gotten around to telling anyone who they are or taking pictures yet, they’ve clearly got their priorities in order. Step one: write cool songs. Step two: record those songs. Step three: rent inflatable cow costume.

Which brings us to step four. The video premiering below for “Swirling Hands” is not at all short on charm, and the wardrobe doesn’t at all hurt that cause as our dear livestock frolic in the fields and, interpretive dance to the track and, you know, rock out until the sun sets before returning, clearly exhausted, to the barn to sleep. The message arrives on-screen as the song begins to wind down: “Toad Venom is best,” each word appearing in succession before being replayed in a different order as “Is Toad Venom best?” with a big “YES!” following shortly behind in the middle. I thought for a second they were going to leave the question unanswered, but I think I like it better this way.

Keep an eye out early for a quick cut of someone watching confusedly out a window, and look out for the melty toad of the band’s apparent mascot to show up a couple times as well, usually when there’s a finger partially over the lens of what I’m going to assume was an iPhone camera. Also the rest of the band in quick cameos. There are various filters, but nothing too harsh on the eyes. It’s silly stuff and it knows it, and fun, but “Swirling Hands” is gorgeous and daydream-worthy and “Three Hearts” was likewise a gorgeous, introduction to who they are. There will be a third single according to Welfare Sounds — studio and label both — maybe sometime next month, ahead of a debut album next year. If you were the sort to keep a running list of things coming out down the line you were looking forward to hearing, that debut would be one to jot down.

So I just did.

Enjoy, and yes, I mean that:

Toad Venom, “Swirling Hands” video premiere

Toad Venom on “Swirling Hands”:

There’s an infamous saying in Swedish that goes “Det är Kaos på Ängen!” which loosely translates into “There’s cows in the meadow!” And what we are is chaos, so we took that to the big screen. Not that any of this make any sense, but what does anyway?

A band, experimenting the void between spaghetti western and psychedelic rock. Trying new recipes such as mixing pasta with lysergic acid diethylamide, cacti with psilocybin and the pretentious nuons are just pouring down!

But to break it down for you. The only type of guitar based music you need in the 2000s. It’s time to start the Roaring Twenties Part 2! Ah, shit, here we go again.

Toad Venom on Facebook

Toad Venom on Instagram

Toad Venom on Bandcamp

Welfare Sounds on Facebook

Welfare Sounds on Instagram

Welfare Sounds store

Odd duck, this one. But no question that’s every bit on purpose. The impending third album from London-based heavy prog absconders The Osiris Club is called The Green Chapel and it’s set to release in varying formats between Aug. 20 (yes that already happened) and Nov. 12. Or at least it was listed as Aug. 20 on Bandcamp? I won’t claim to know. In any case, the band brings together drummer Andrew Prestidge (ex-The Oath, Lucifer, Angel Witch, etc.) with guitarists Roland Scriver (Serpent Venom, End of Level Boss) and Chris Fullard (also ex-Angel Witch), as well as two lead singers alternating, crazy diverse arrangements, flowing songwriting, wonderfully British themes and a general sense of making as well as inhabiting its own reality. I won’t claim to understand it, but hell’s bells it’s interesting.

Previously streaming was opener “Phantasm,” and there’s a new video for “Moscow” that you can see below. Info on the release came courtesy of the PR wire and Bandcamp and YouTube and wherever else I found it.

Dive in:

The Osiris Club – The Green Chapel releases in November

No Profit Recordings and Bad Elephant Music are delighted to announce the dual label release of The Green Chapel, the long-awaited new album from UK-based Watership Doom psych-proggers The Osiris Club.

The album will be released on vinyl via No Profit Recordings on the 27th of September 2021. This will be followed by the release on CD and Digital via Bad Elephant Music on the 12th of November 2021.

The third album by the Osiris Club is a journey into the furthest reaches of psychedelia, prog, doom-folk and genres yet to be named. With the addition of acoustic guitars and Mellotron, the band’s trademark riffage has expanded to encompass influences from British folk horror, classic rock and progressive sounds from the 1960s to the present day.

Unsurprisingly, the ghosts of history lie heavy over this music. Inspired in part by medieval tales of headless knights, blind hares, wild hunts by moonlight and snow-choked English landscapes, the lyrics conjure a world of mysterious powers spilling into reality and ancient forces waiting to be unleashed. Invoking authors such as Arthur Machen and M.R. James, the musical content faithfully mirrors this magical summoning of energies both benign and infernal.

Decide which path you wish to take!

Originally conceived as an instrumental project fusing horror movie soundtracks with avant-metal, The Osiris Club has now morphed into a forbidding unit of musicians. Taking the best parts of 1970s progressive, 1980s post-punk and 1990s extreme rock, they have created a genuinely new sound, radical and uncompromising yet still melodic and accessible.

Watch the official music video for Moscow by The Osiris Club from the album The Green Chapel.

Inspired by Grigori Rusputin who passes on his supernatural abilities to Varvara Rasputina, ‘Moscow’ ties in with the themes of Myths, folklore and legends and Ghost stories and just like the bands name The Osiris Club it ties in with the whole Mike Mignola universe of comic books.

Tracklisting:
1. Phantasm
2. Moscow
3. The Inmost Light part 1
4. The Inmost Light part 2
5. Diamonds In The Wishing Well
6. Count Magnus
7. The Green Chapel I: The Green Chapel
8. The Green Chapel II: Blind Hare & The Pale Lady
9. The Green Chapel III: Winter’s End
10. The Green Chapel IV: My Lord The Sun
11. The Crow

Recorded at Holy Mountain Studios, Bethnal Green, in January 2020.
Engineered and mixed by Misha Hering.
Assistant Engineer – Stanley Collins Gravett.
Mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering.

Art direction and concept by Roland Scriver and Andrew Prestidge.
Sleeve designs by Roland Scriver at Familiar Ink.
Illustrations by Roland Scriver at Familiar Ink and Andrew Prestidge at Morlock Art.

The Osiris Club:
Sean Cooper – lead vocals (1, 2, 5, 6, 11), bass, synthesizers
Simon Oakes – lead vocals (3, 4, 7, 8 ,9, 10), cornet, synthesizers
Chris Fullard – guitars, FX
Roland Scriver – guitars, acoustic guitars
Andrew Prestidge – drums, percussion, guitar, synthesizers
Hanna Petterson – saxophone
Misha Hering – Oberheim 4 Voice

https://www.facebook.com/Osirisclub
https://www.instagram.com/theosirisclub_official/
https://twitter.com/Theosirisclub
https://theosirisclub.bandcamp.com/
https://music.badelephant.co.uk/
https://facebook.com/BadElephantMusic
https://twitter.com/elephantbad
https://noprofitrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://facebook.com/NoProfitRecordings
https://www.instagram.com/no.profit.recordings/

The Osiris Club, “Moscow” official video

The Osiris Club, The Green Chapel (2021)

New Insect Ark? Classic no-brainer interest. Insect Ark exploring synth minimalism in Stockholm and Brooklyn? Coupled with some live improv? Yeah, mark it an EP. I’ll check that out. Duh.

Future Fossils will see release Sept. 24 through Consouling Sounds and follows the full-length The Vanishing (review here) released last Spring through Profound Lore. Though comprised of older material, the upcoming EP brings Dana Schechter‘s once-solo-project back to that status at least in part, as the last of the four inclusions features drummer Ashley Spungin, who appeared on 2018’s Marrow Hymns (review here) before her time in the band was done. As the PR wire tells it, though, the shift away from duo work isn’t permanent — Insect Ark is too experimentalist to commit believably to something like that anyway — as there’s an assortment of new offerings in the works, including collaborations.

Good to know. There’s a teaser up for Future Fossils now that runs all of 24 seconds but at least gives some sample of the synthy sound. First question: Why are you not soundtracking movies?

Not that I was thinking of hitting up Schechter for an interview or anything.

Again, from the PR wire:

INSECT ARK To Release Future Fossils EP Via Consouling Sounds September 24th; Trailer Posted + Preorders Available

INSECT ARK, the long-running exploratory endeavor led by Dana Schechter, will unveil its Future Fossils EP via Belgium’s Consouling Sounds. An alluring collection of solo archived outtakes, excerpts, and live improv tracks born between 2016 and 2018, the entrancing offering will see official release on September 24th with preorders available today.

When Dana Schechter started INSECT ARK as her “true” solo project in 2012, she set out to build desolate and hallucinogenic galaxies of sound entirely on her own. Writing and playing solo offered an escape into the deepest realms of self-reflection, dredging and birthing a hitherto sonic beast that was, it turns out, utterly unhinged and totally liberating. Focusing on experimental, drone, noise, and avant-garde noise, INSECT ARK’s first years produced records that were raw, ominous, and totally unique. While defying comparison, these new sounds possessed Schechter’s distinct musical spirit, woven throughout her twenty-plus years of band/collaboration work.

After three releases (2012’s Collapsar 7”, 2013’s Long Arms 10”, 2015’s Portal/Well LP), INSECT ARK added live drums to the mix, and the resulting albums — 2018’s Marrow Hymns (with drummer Ashley Spungin) and 2020’s The Vanishing (with drummer Andy Patterson) — showed that her singular vision could also expand into heavier and more crushing territory within a collaborative space. The power that live drums brought to INSECT ARK helped gather a new fan base in the heavy-music world, adding another layer to the band’s palette.

Now, after nine years of existence, INSECT ARK has come full circle to once again embrace solo work on 2021’s Future Fossils.

Side A features three all-synthesizer compositions by Schechter. “Gypsum Blade” and “Oral Thrush” were both written and self-recorded in 2018. These tracks were recorded by Schechter on the Buchla 200 Synth on the last day of a Guest Composer residency (for Schechter and Spungin) at the legendary EMS Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm, Sweden. “Anopsian Volta” was written and self-recorded in 2019 at Schechter’s home studio in Brooklyn, New York — the same location which most of her albums, starting from the early 2000’s until 2019, were written and often recorded.

Notably absent on these three “synth” songs are two of Schechter’s “main” instruments: lap steel guitar and bass guitar. But their omission is not a new direction, as much as an alternate facet and an exercise in the spirit of stark minimalism, as INSECT ARK continually grows and metamorphosizes.

The album’s B Side, “Gravitrons,” a live noise improv set, was performed at a converted church in Brooklyn in 2016, with Schechter on lap steel/synths, and Spungin on synths/percussion. This performance was a one-off instance; the two musicians were not accustomed to improvisations together, normally performing in the “band” duo format of bass, lap steel, drums, and synths. “Gravitrons” dates to the period shortly after Spungin joined the band, and prior to their full-length recording together, 2018’s Marrow Hymns.

Future Fossils is the first step in a continuing revisitation of Schechter’s solo work. “I felt now was a good time to do solo work again,” she offers. “I love to collaborate, and always will, but I also relish the sense of discovery, of reaching uncharted territory, and the freedom to adapt and shift at a moment’s notice. Those can only happen when performing alone.”

With two more new albums on the immediate horizon — another all-solo-synth material, as a full-length LP, and a full new “duo/band” LP — Schechter’s musical output as INSECT ARK has once again proven to defy genres, resist trends, and thwart expectations, leaving us all guessing to where she will traverse next.

“Oral Thrush,” “Gypsum Blade,” and “Anopsian Volta” were recorded and performed by Dana Schechter at EMS Studios in Stockholm, Picasso Machinery in Brooklyn, and D. Diamante in Berlin between 2018-2021 and mixed by Simon Goff at Hiddenseer Studios in Berlin, June 2021. “Gravitrons//Live Improv,” was written and performed by Schechter and Ashley Spungin and recorded and mixed by Josh Wertheimer in Brooklyn in November 2016. The EP was mastered by James Plotkin.

Future Fossils will be released on CD, LP, and digitally with teaser tracks to be unveiled in the days to come. Find LP preorders HERE and CD preorders HERE. (Digital orders will be available in the coming weeks).

Future Fossils Track Listing:
1. Oral Thrush
2. Gypsum Blade
3. Anopsian Volta
4. Gravitrons

http://www.insectark.com
http://www.insectark.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/InsectArk
http://www.instagram.com/insectark
http://consouling.be
http://www.facebook.com/ConsoulingSounds
http://twitter.com/consouling
http://www.instagram.com/consouling

Insect Ark, Future Fossils trailer

Given the unenviable task of crafting a follow-up to their 2019 debut, Woodland Rites (review here), Green Lung have gone big. Continuing their collaboration with producer Wayne Adams, the band has surged forward in their awareness of who they want to be as a band. Guitarist Scott Black, still reeling from the band’s performance on the Sophie Lancaster Stage at the massive Bloodstock Festival in the UK, describes it as going from Brian May meets Black Sabbath to ‘evil-Boston.’ Vocalist Tom Templar describes their second LP as their autumnal album, part perhaps of an informal quadrilogy already in progress.

Both are right. Black Harvest (review here) has both arena-ready hooks and a vibe like cool evening air coming through the window, light tinted an orange that’s just impossible any other time of the year. Tracks like lead singles “Leaders of the Blind” and “Reaper’s Scythe” balance their own massive intention with organic roots and countryside-folkloric themes. In songwriting and performance, Black Harvest is the to-date apotheosis of the work they’ve done since their outset, but don’t skip the “to-date” in that, because while they may be hitting their stride in terms of craft — doubly impressive as their usual dudes-in-a-room process was upended by pandemic lockdown; they might think of passing files back and forth as a supplement to the rehearsal space going forward, as it clearly worked this time — they still also sound like a band growing into themselves. And yes, that is a compliment. They brim with potential even as they realize it on Black Harvest.

Already confirmed for Desertfest London 2022 — and so help me gawd, if it happens, I will be there to see it. — and coming off of the packed-house gig at Bloodstock, Green Lung will head out on two short UK tours beginning next month to herald the arrival of Black Harvest. The second is set for early next year, but the first begins Sept. 1 with a hometown London show that’s also being livestreamed. More information on that is here. From there, the group completed by bassist Joseph Ghast, drummer Matt Wiseman and organist/keyboardist John Wright make their way north into Scotland before looping back down through Bristol. They’ll be out again in February, circumstances permitting, and one assumes the discussions for future plans are already underway, even as they’ve already begun putting together material for their next LP. Some trains you don’t stop.

It is an exciting time and they are an exciting band, and I very much appreciated the chance to talk with Templar and Black about what they do.

Enjoy:

Green Lung, Black Harvest Interview with Scott Black & Tom Templar, Aug. 17, 2021

Green Lung release Black Harvest through Svart Records on Oct. 22. More info and preorders, etc., at the links.

Green Lung, Black Harvest (2021)

Green Lung on Facebook

Green Lung on Instagram

Green Lung website

Green Lung on Bandcamp

Svart Records website

Svart Records on Facebook

Also collaborators in the less-cumbersomely-named recent outfit Mansur, Thy Catafalque‘s Martina Horváth (based in Hungary) and Bong-Ra‘s Jason Köhnen (also a founder of Celestial Season in the Netherlands) have announced they’re releasing their debut album under the banner of The Answer Lies in the Black Void, titled Forlorn, on Sept. 24 through Burning World Records. At this time, right now, today, there are two songs from the impending offering streaming; the opener “Mina” and its presumed side B counterpart, “Become Undone,” the latter arriving with a video to accompany. The tracks boast different sounds but are united in atmosphere and an underlying sense of extremity, and while I obviously haven’t heard the full album yet, going from the descriptions below, that would seem to be the intention.

Audio and video are down at the bottom, PR wire info follows here:

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID ANNOUNCE THE DEBUT ALBUM FORLORN

ARRIVING 24TH SEPTEMBER VIA BURNING WORLD RECORDS

The Answer Lies In The Black Void is a collaboration between Martina Horváth (singer for the avant-garde metal project Thy Catafalque) and Jason Köhnen (Celestial Season, Bong-Ra, ex-The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble) born out of their shared passion for doom.

The debut album, Forlorn is an enveloping exploration of the doom genre and the myriad means of expression within it – journeying from a classic old-school sound to something more contemporary, then expanding further into sludge and industrial terrain, also incorporating elements of Martina’s background in Hungarian folk music. The Answer Lies In The Black Void seeks to embrace beauty in darkness and fragility in heaviness.

In their own words, “Forlorn explores the sacred union of the divine feminine and masculine, the light and the dark, the shadows that hide within and the trials of love, lust and loss”

Burning World Records shall be releasing Forlorn on all formats on 24th September.

Forlorn was written and recorded during the pandemic. Mixed and mastered by Daniel Azar Arendarski, and with guest contributions from Tamas Katai of Thy Catafalque and Olly Smit of Celestial Season.

The duo predominantly work together in their music project MANSUR accompanied by Dmitry El Demerdashi (ex-PHURPA) releasing their albums on Denovali Records.

Martina has been part of Thy Catafalque since 2017 and with MANSUR since 2020. Studying Hungarian folk music since the age of five. Participating in traditional folk bands and singing in several choirs including the St. Paul’s Cathedral’s choir in London. Her musical career started with electro/folk band (Zombori), a folk metal band called (Niburta) and her own doom metal band called Nulah.

Jason was a founding member of Celestial Season back in 1992, founding member of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (2001) and the Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation. Jason has performed solo as Bong-Ra since 1998 with which a John Peel Session was recorded and two performances at Glastonbury, and founded MANSUR in 2020.

FORLORN TRACK LIST:
1. MINA
2. BARREN
3. RUBICON
4. MOULT
5. FOR NEVERMORE
6. BECOME UNDONE
7. OKKULTAS
8. WHITE DOVE
9. CURSE

Music : Martina Horváth / Jason Köhnen
Production: Jason Köhnen
Mix/Mastering: Daniel Azar Arendarski
Artwork : Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos
Logo : Karmazid

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The Answer Lies in the Black Void, Forlorn (2021)

The Answer Lies in the Black Void, “Become Undone” official video