Bourdeaux, France, progressive heavy psychedelic rockers Mars Red Sky are drawing closer to the April 28 release of their new collaborative EP, Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow, set to issue through their own Mrs Red Sound imprint and Vicious Circle Records. The trio’s first work since 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), it sees Helen Ferguson, aka folk solo artist Queen of the Meadow, step in on lead vocals for the tracks “Maps of Inferno” (7:17) and “Out at Large” (5:39), with an edit called “Maps of Inferno (Shortcut)” (4:44) rounding out as a reprise.

All told, they’re done in under 18 minutes, and that is the source of my only complaint about Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow — it’s not enough. Unless they’re planning a series of these releases as a four-piece with Ferguson up front alongside Mars Red Sky guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/sometimes-vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathew “Matgaz” Gazeau, two originals and the ‘shortcut’ just don’t cut it. From the wah-drenched solo in “Out at Large” and the density of the low end that feels so true to the band’s roller-fuzz beginnings to the Joni Mitchell-esque declarations delivered firmly by Ferguson in “Maps of Inferno” — long or short — and back again, the EP feels complete in its own terms with the focused-on-structure bookend they give it, but those terms leave one wanting more in a visceral way. There’s further they can go into that wash at the end of “Out at Large,” more to do with the bounce in “Maps of Inferno,” and certainly exploration to be done in the harmonies from Pras and Ferguson together.

EPs often precede LPs for Mars Red Sky — their discography is a big ol’ back and forth between long and short offerings — and this wouldn’t be the first time the band have expanded beyond their core lineup before going back to it for their next record, but the richness of “Maps of Inferno” begs to be fleshed out across at least one full-length, building as it does on an established partnership between Ferguson and Pras — on multiple levels; they may or may not be married — the latter of whom who has produced albums for the former and featured on guitar and vocals. Combining that spirit with the tonal weight of Mars Red Sky feels like a bolster to the band’s approach, influential as they’ve been in bringing together an abiding lushness in the sweetness of Pras‘ vocals and the heft of their increasingly complex grooves, which is something else “Maps of Inferno” demonstrates in its mellowed-out ambient break, peppered with sparse guitar as it moves fluidly through a swaying jam en route back to the central riff from whence it came, Matgaz‘s drums thudding the change.

There’s a lot of 2023 left, I understand, but Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow are the standard to which I’ll be comparing EPs for the rest of the year, and right now that feels like a pretty mammoth ask of, well, anybody. As of this writing, I haven’t seen the video yet for “Maps of Inferno,” and honestly I don’t even know if it’s the long or short version of the track yet, but what matters here is that the collaboration between Ferguson and Mars Red Sky has resulted in something special beyond what one might’ve expected of the elements involved, and it is a release that demands to be heard no less than it demands a follow-up. I hope it gets both.

Enjoy the clip and, most importantly, the song:

Mars Red Sky, “Maps of Inferno” official video

When the power of psychedelic heavy meets the depth of dark folk harmonies, it results in a complex and exhilarating flavor. The daring combination opens up the genres to a whole new dimension. MARS RED SKY’s new EP, soberly entitled “Mars Red Sky & Queen Of The Meadow”, exalts and enhances the trio’s magic formula: namely, the blend of a robust and determined rhythm section with jagged and ambitious vocals, all evolving within a unique soundscape. The two tracks of the record suggest a disturbing journey through an immense maze directly inspired by mad architect Piranesi and his towers with terrifying staircases. Real melodic narrative, Queen Of The Meadow’s vocals carve out an unexpected intensity. Mars Red Sky offers here an abyssal production, polished and unheard of.

Produced, recorded and mixed by Benjamin Mandeau at Cryogène Studio, Bègles (France).
Mastering: Ladislav Agabekov at Caduceus Studios, Gimel (Switzerland).
Band photography: Jessica Calvo (photography), Fluor_99 (artwork).
Cover: Machado Leão (artwork), Brett Kielick (photography).
Layout: Floriane Fontaine

All songs composed, written and arranged by Mars Red Sky and Queen Of The Meadow:
Helen Ferguson: lead vocals and melodies
Julien Pras: guitars, back-up vocals
Jimmy Kinast: bass
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums

Mars Red Sky on Facebook

Mars Red Sky on Instagram

Mars Red Sky on Bandcamp

Mars Red Sky merch store

Mars Red Sky website

Queen of the Meadow on Facebook

Queen of the Meadow on Instagram

Queen of the Meadow on Bandcamp

Queen of the Meadow on YouTube

Mrs Red Sound on Facebook

Mrs Red Sound on Twitter

Mrs Red Sound on Instagram

Mrs Red Sound website

Vicious Circle Records on Facebook

Vicious Circle Records on Instagram

Vicious Circle Records on Bandcamp

Vicious Circle Records website

Athens-based progressive heavy rockers Godsleep will release their new full-length, Lies to Survive, on April 7 through Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings and Threechords Records. It is their third album overall and second to be fronted by Amie Makris behind 2018’s Coming of Age (review here), which set a more varied course from the fuzz that launched them with 2015’s Thousand Suns of Sleep (review here) — it’s also their first for the 1000mods-adjacent label, if you want to do the full three-two-one — and it argues quickly that perhaps half a decade ago the band hadn’t really come of age as much as that title indicated.

With Lies to Survive, Makris, guitarist Johnny Tsoumas, bassist Fedonas Ktenas and (making his first appearance) drummer Dennis Panagiotidis, answer the expansion that Coming of Age brought in exponential style, breaking out of genre confines to bring in elements of pop, hip-hop, electronic music, space rock, noise, punk, sociopolitical themes all drawn together by a prevalence of attitude that pushes over to righteous arrogance across 11 songs and a CD-era-reminiscent 56-minute runtime somehow squashed onto a single LP (I actually don’t know that all songs are on the vinyl, but it looks like there are 11 listed in the gatefold lyrics of the mockup from their Bandcamp, as shown here; maybe some tracks are edited?).

But if Godsleep are pushing the limits of format, that’s just one on the longer list of limitations being exceeded. Fuzz riffing is still at least a definite part of their foundation, and plays a significant role in songs like the punker “Pots of Hell” (video premiering below), “Room 404,” the careening “Cracks,” or “Egonation” a short time later, as well as the penultimate “Permanent Vacation,” but in each of those songs, the job of the guitar goes further than ‘establish riff, play riff, repeat riff’ by a broad margin. To wit, “Pots of Hell” greets its rhythmic shove with rants and raps and resolves in an intensity that leaves Makris no choice but to let out a scream and drop the mic before it gets to its willfully choppy but immersive finish, while “Room 404,” which follows immediately, is an even more expansive nod, interrupting itself early with timely hits on snare and guitar that come across like they’re meant to be intrusive before opening to a vaster fuzz in the hook.

Yeah, sure, then they introduce the keyboard at about three minutes in and by the time they’re done, they’re in a psych-guitar-topped dub jam. Meanwhile, “Cracks” leans aggro in its hook in paying off the hint dropped by the punch of Ktenas‘ bass in the verse, dropping to stick clicks after its second chorus only to tear itself open and let the fuzz back out at a run before it’s three minutes into its grand total of four, “Egonation” uses up-strummed twanger fuzz at its outset but becomes a lesson in how to build tension and bring it to a point of explosion, and “Permanent Vacation” goes prog metal in its construction, vaguely Tool-ish but more restless (not a complaint) until maybe-probably-electronic percussion beats begin a midsection shift that grows larger until it opens to a triumphant play on Sabbath‘s “Hole in the Sky” before slipping back into the verse with a nigh-on-motorik thrust and more hypnosis that seems somehow also to answer the trance resulting from the dug-in ending of “Pots of Hell,” demonstrating the lethal consciousness at work behind Lies to Survive‘s sometimes manic procession.

And if it seems like I’m bouncing around the tracklisting here (you can see it listed below in order for reference), that’s not a coincidence. The songs are in part united by the tour de force performance put on by Makris, whose anarchist declarations in the initially-keyboard-backed leadoff “Booster” — “You won’t find an apologist here” among them — work to quickly establish a defiant tone that Godsleep reinforce by shifting within that three-and-a-half-minute cut to a crunch born of noise rock executed around the first but by no means last pattern of circular guitar from Tsoumas — see also “Pavement,” “Breakfast,” and the aptly-titled capper “Last Song,” where every now and then a little flourish is thrown in to remind that no, it’s not a loop — before “Pots of Hell” takes this cue and runs with it, the drums, bass and accent guitar backing Makris for the forceful, semi-spoken verse before the next bombastic hook.

It is by no means the last surprise in store on Lies to Survive, with “Saturday” dropping ’90s alt rock references lyrical and instrumental, delving into Soundgarden-ism in layered vocal harmonies before riding a suitably long guitar solo but shifting back to its chorus before it’s done, or the toying with pop and techno in the outset of “Better Days” prior to its own introduction of the guitar, a mini-epic for side B that feels at distant remove from, say, “Breakfast,” with its good-fun Casio-style backbeat and a rare fadeout to transition into “Pavement,” which ends its first verse with the line “Now it’s time to party” and seems very much to mean it if the brash and funky groove that ensues is anything to go by, topped with another impressive rant in the spirit of “Pots of Hell.”

In addition to Makris‘ standout work and the marked increase in stylistic range throughout, Lies to Survive is also the first Godsleep album not to be recorded by George Leodis (also of 1000mods), as the band partnered with John Sotiropoulos on production (John Fuho also co-engineered) and mixing at Wreck it Sound Studios in Corinth, and that choice very much becomes a part of the character of the whole work, whether it’s the bass emphasis in the last build of “Booster” or the forward vocal layers at the start of “Better Days” or even the ambient stretch that caps the record after the end of “Last Song,” where Makris enters at 6:45 into an otherwise instrumental eight-minute stretch to deliver a resonant epilogue to the proceedings. The production is another tie bringing the songs together, but that proves ultimately to be as much about consciousness of the choices being made as the tones or overarching flow, each song feeling thought-out and considered, getting what it needs in terms of arrangement while mainlining far too much adrenaline to be anything close to staid.

Lies to Survive is not a record one would have predicted eight years ago that Godsleep would ever release, even before changes in lineup are considered. Still audible are the riffy roots and a current of Mediterranean roil, even as “Last Song” begins its long adventure through keyboard storytelling and proggy stomp, but the most powerful impression Godsleep make on third full-length is of having the ability to be genuinely untethered by genre considerations, to be free to go where the tracks — and, deeper, the parts of those tracks — take them, and to know when indeed to let the songs lead themselves. They do not sound at all like they’re finished exploring, but no question Lies to Survive is a landmark for them in unveiling the scope of their intent as it is today, pairing awareness of that with the knowledge born of experience that not all of their audience is going to be on board for the sundry turns in the material. The album is bolder for that, and its boldness might be the greatest unifier of all.

The video for “Pots of Hell” premieres below, followed by more from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Godsleep, “Pots of Hell” official video premiere

Formed in 2010, Godsleep have been working relentlessly since then, walking their way to entering the heavy rock pantheon. Having been described as one of the most promising bands of the heavy/psychedelic rock sound, from their very beginning, the Athenian heavy rock roller-coaster based its very existence on powerful live appearances, including the participation in high profile rock festivals all around Europe and a full European tour in support of their critically acclaimed debut album “Thousand Sons of Sleep” (Rock Freaks Records, 2015).

2018 welcomes the release of “Coming of Age”, Godsleep’s sophomore full length album, which was released by legendary Greek underground rock record label The Lab Records and garnered strong reactions from both press and fans. Having kept the core ingredients of their sound intact: heavy/fuzzy guitars, thick bass lines and powerful groovy drumming, Godsleep enriched their songwriting with uniquely addictive female vocals which vary from psychedelic howls and haunting melodies to throat-ripping edgy screams.

Now five years later, Godsleep return with their third album “Lies to Survive” to be released by “Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug” Records in April 2023. This new effort showcases the band’s penchant for layering fuzzy, infectious riffs with engaging melodies, yet time is also shows their eagerness to branch out into other areas bringing in elements of noise-rock and even punk-rock elements like on the raucous “Pots of Hell”.

Tracklisting:
1. Booster
2. Pots of Hell
3. Room 404
4. Saturday
5. Cracks
6. Breakfast
7. Pavement
8. Better Days
9. Egonation
10. Permanent Vacation
11. Last Song

All music written, arranged and performed by Godsleep
Produced by John Sotiropoulos & Godsleep
Mixed by John Sotiropoulos
Engineered by John Sotiropoulos & John Fuho
Recorded at Wreck it Sound Studios, Corinth, GR
Mixed at Wreck it Sound Studios, Corinth, GR
Mastered by John Sotiropoulos at Wreck it Sound Studios, Corinth, GR

Godsleep on Facebook

Godsleep on Instagram

Godsleep on YouTube

Godsleep on Bandcamp

Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings on Facebook

Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings on Instagram

Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings website

Threechords Records on Facebook

Threechords Records on Instagram

Threechords Records website

The forthcoming six-songer from Berlin-based sludge-plus aficionados Grin — here pared down to just the core duo of Sabine and Jan Oberg — puts down the guitar in favor of a purely low end assault, and remains atmospheric despite dedicating itself largely to pummel across its span of just 10 minutes. That it follows on in such raw fashion from last year’s more expansive Phantom Knocks (review here) feels like a willful contrast, but following that impulse is well in line with Grin‘s broader methodology, never mind that the band is one of three ongoing projects from the Obergs alongside Slowshine and EarthShip, each with a distinct sound and style.

Self-recording as always and self-releasing through their The Lasting Dose Records imprint, Grin will issue Black Nothingness on April 7, and if you’ll allow the plug, I’ll be playing the lead track on the big Gimme Metal show this Friday, though of course it’s also streaming below, should you not want to wait that long.

By all means, have at it:

Dive into the Psychedelic Abyss with GRIN’s “Black Nothingness”

Experience the Heavy Psych-Doom Odyssey with GRIN’s Upcoming Album “Black Nothingness”

Immersed in an atmospheric haze of intensely amplified bass drones and haunting, layered vocals, heavy psych-doom outfit GRIN ventures deeper into their psychedelic mythology with a concise display of sheer heaviness and DIY ethos in their latest release, ‘Black Nothingness’.

Comprising six compact compositions, ‘Black Nothingness’ departs from the duo’s signature use of guitar flourishes, opting instead to focus on their distinctive and powerful drum and bass sound. By returning to the core of their sonic identity, GRIN unveils the ecstatic essence of their music, inviting listeners to join them on a mesmerizing journey through the astral plane and beyond.

The foundations of GRIN’s iconic heavy drum and bass sound can be traced back to their 2018 debut album ‘Revenant’. It comes as no surprise that the power couple, Jan and Sabine (Earth Ship / Slowshine), have been crafting riff-heavy tunes for over a decade. Their sophomore album, ‘Translucent Blades’ (2020), further reinforced GRIN’s sludgy psychedelic doom metal sound by incorporating high-pitched guitar drones and eerie soundscapes. Recorded once again at Jan Oberg’s Hidden Planet Studio, ‘Phantom Knocks’ (2022) retained the earth-shattering intensity of its predecessors while showcasing even greater vividness and power, aptly demonstrating the Berlin-based duo’s refined chemistry.

Through ‘Black Nothingness’, GRIN persistently unravels the intricate threads of their psychedelic mythos with a focused exploration of overwhelming heaviness and DIY principles.

Artist: Grin
Release Title: Black Nothingness
Label: The Lasting Dose Records
Release Date: April 7th, 2023
Formats: Digital, CD

Tracklist:
1. Nothingness
2. Gatekeeper
3. Midnight Blue Sorrow
4. The Tempest Of Time
5. Talons
6. Deathbringers

Recording Info: Produced, mixed & mastered by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studio. Berlin Artwork by Doomolith.

Line-up:
Sabine Oberg – Bass Guitar
Jan Oberg – Drums, Vocals

http://www.facebook.com/GRINCULT
https://www.instagram.com/grincult
https://www.grincult.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/thelastingdoserecords/
https://thelastingdoserecords.bandcamp.com/

Grin, Black Nothingness (2023)

Grin, Phantom Knocks (2022)

Well, hot shit. Looks like Hippie Death Cult‘s new drummer is the real deal. Stand back from your screen as you watch Harry Silvers‘ sticks fly during the cover of Black Sabbath‘s instrumental swingfest “Rat Salad” from Paranoid, lest one of those sticks breaks the fourth wall to poke you in the eye. It was only mid-January when the Portland, Oregon-based outfit welcomed Silvers to the fold, their lineup having been revamped around bassist Laura Phillips and guitarist Eddie Brnabic since the release of 2021’s Circle of Days (review here), paring down from four to three players, shifting Phillips to a dual role as lead vocalist (and bassist, duh) and seeing Silvers take over on drums.

Those aren’t minor changes, but they seem not to have slowed the band’s momentum in the slightest. Already since this clip was recorded earlier this month, the trio hit California to play Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in San Francisco and Joshua Tree, and they’ll be at RippleFest Texas later this year with more dates sure to coincide. When Silvers came on board, the band posted a quick clip of his playing, but as a proof-of-concept demonstration of instrumental chemistry, “Rat Salad” is a piece well chosen with its bluesy bounce, burner guitar solo, essential fountain of bass, and, in the original, Bill Ward‘s madcap hit-hard-jazz tumult. To this, Silvers does justice, and frankly that’s one of the nicest things I can think of to say about any drummer, anywhere, at any time. I think if you watch the video, you’ll find it’s not a compliment lightly given. Ain’t nobody half-assing, but the kid absolutely shreds the drum solo to the point that, when it’s done — and at under three minutes, it’s deceptively efficient — it feels a little like an injustice that they don’t segue immediately into “Fairies Wear Boots.”

And I’m not sure what the occasion is here beyond the video turned out awesome, but that’s certainly enough excuse when it comes to Hippie Death Cult as far as I’m concerned. Whether you’re gonna see them this year or not — I’m hoping I am at some point, though I’m not sure when — this is worth the couple minutes to see why maybe you should.

Enjoy:

Hippie Death Cult, “Rat Salad” live in Portland, OR, March 17, 2023

Clips of Hippie Death Cult performing Black Sabbath’s “Rat Salad” live at Dante’s in Portland, Oregon on 3/17/2023.

Footage:
Eddy Vazquez
Triangles Around Us
Shady Hallow Media

Edits & Audio Mix:
Spirit Eye Photography

HDC is:
Laura Phillips : Vocals/Bass
Eddie Brnabic : Guitar
Harry Silvers : Drums

Hippie Death Cult on Bandcamp

Hippie Death Cult on Instagram

Hippie Death Cult on Facebook

Hippie Death Cult on Soundcloud

Hippie Death Cult website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds on Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Philadelphia’s Laurel Canyon make their self-titled full-length debut on March 31 through Agitated Records. The narrative is murky — which fits, aesthetically, even though the band isn’t — but the 10-song/37-minute offering fuzz-buzzes with immediate swagger on well-placed opening cut “Drop Out,” tapping indie chic screwall with garage rock swing and heavy grunge impulse and a point of view in the vocals and wah-overload of guitarist/bassist Nick Gillespie and guitarist/vocalist Serg Cereja of persistently lacking the fucks that might otherwise be given.

It’s a hard line to walk, let alone have drummer Dylan DePice bash away under the throaty moans of “Madame Hit the Wire” — which may or may not be about prostitution; haven’t seen a lyric sheet, and whoever between Cereja and Gillespie is singing lead, there’s a heroic dose of drawl in the delivery; again, fitting — but Laurel Canyon, though they take their name from the Los Angeles epicenter of 1960s folk-rock/prog exploration, are way more Seattle circa 1989, and on “Drop Out” and side B’s two-minute in-room “Tangiers,” they’ve got the Steve Albini production to prove it, lest we forget dude tracked In Utero, while other songs were helmed by Bryce Goggin, whose massive discography includes work with The Lemonheads, Pavement, earlier and later Swans, among scores of others.

There’s a fair amount happening at any given time, but the will toward rawness is palpable. Don’t take that as indication that the arrangements are unconsidered, as throughout the record Laurel Canyon again and again dare to underscore that kind of fall-asleep-standing-up-or-am-I-nodding-out attitude with solidified (sub) pop structure and accessibility. Not an easy balance to strike, and the fact that “Eczema” brazenly taps “Come as You Are” creeper-verse vibes before its chorus explodes with more of a ’70s Detroit burst and “Tangiers” seems to translate the bassline of “Lithium” to guitar assures that the message gets through.

In 2021, the band issued two startup digital singles, “Two Times Emptiness” and “Enemy Lines,” both of which featured a style more born out of post-punk, but kick enough dirt on it and the shift between those songs and “Daddy’s Honey” — which was the lead track on early-2022’s Victim EP that featured Dylan Loccarini on bass and also featured “Eczema,” “Shove,” “Victim” and “Sade,” all included here, the latter closing — makes a kind of sense in the timeline. If they’re shy about anything, it’s the conscious choice that was inevitably behind the shift in approach, but the sort of full-volume post-Reagan hopelessness in the penultimate “Take Your Cut,” the jangle of guitar there when the distortion isn’t in its more consuming fullness, is the best argument in favor of itself, the trio coming across genuine in having arrived at grunge the way grunge arrived in the first place: punks too lazy or stoned to fit themselves in that genre’s rigid definition reveling in grit and the looking-around-for-the-first-time cynicism of a generation coming of age in an increasingly awful, dying world.

Does it matter that they were maybe-born when Kurt Cobain roamed the earth? Only if you’re an asshole. Relative youth — that is, pre-30 — is an asset across Laurel Canyon, freeing the band to speak to these influences while filling in the inevitable gaps with their own stylistic character, which, thankfully, they do, in the blowout jam of “Victim” and elsewhere. Of the 10 inclusions, “Madame Hit the Wire” and the probably-not-coincidentally-preceding “A Man About Town” and “Take Your Cut” seem to be the only ones not previously released, but the value of having it all in one place isn’t to be understated, even as the march through “Daddy’s Honey,” “Tangiers,” “Shove” and “Take Your Cut” feels all-in on loose-wrist three-chord strum, variously interpreted as it may be with “Shove” letting in a bit more sunlight while “Tangiers” comes through demo-tape barebones and “Take Your Cut” meets wobbly wah with stage-born reverb and feedback, its intensity showing itself in the fact that they’re in and out in under three minutes as much as in the tube-blowing scorch of the finish.

Side A’s primo hooks in “Drop Out,” “A Man About Town,” “Madame Hit the Wire” (also the longest song at 5:33, with due strut), “Eczema” and “Victim” manifest character as well as style, burgeoning individualism of craft alongside deceptively clear, resonant artistic purpose. A reboot disdainful of reboot culture, in some ways at least, the album lends fresh perspective to what was while casually dropping encouraging clues as to what might or could be. The kids — swallowed whole by rampant corporate greed amid mass shootings so normalized they barely register anymore and in a decade still very much with the shadow of plague cast over it — may or may not be alright, but they can write a tune, and they’re only correct to be pissed off, burnt out, and as disillusioned as they seemingly are.

So yeah, punk rock, and likely to be embraced more by arthouse than warehouse for its disposition, but that’s hardly their fault. It’s not a perfect release and if it was it would be wrong, but listening to the shine on that initial guitar of “Drop Out” and the understated tumult that ensues, Laurel Canyon leave little question that they are what they need to be in terms of time, place and attack, playing softer-landing verses and no-kicks-slam-dancing choruses off each other like it’s Reading Festival in 1992, except it’s not that thing and fuck your Gen-X nostalgia anyway. Ultimately, Laurel Canyon has more to say about the future than the past, especially about the band itself, who even as they round out with “Sade” still sound like they’re about to come flying apart. Where does this go 10 years from now, one wonders, since that’s the part of the story that’s never been told before.

And who the hell knows if it’ll be told this time either; universe of infinite possibility and all that. Laurel Canyon can call it quits tomorrow and be done before their first album is even released, but the point here goes beyond their potential or the revivalist aspects of this work. It’s the sense of exploration in the material that makes it exciting, the feeling that the songs — despite being a couple years old — are new to the band as well as to the listener, and with the added intrigue of how they got to where they are sound-wise, the abiding impression is that there’s further they can push it and themselves as they move forward. Here’s hoping.

Laurel Canyon‘s Laurel Canyon is streaming in full below, followed by more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Strap yourself in people, we have here the debut full length from Philly’s Laurel Canyon; after some online EP releases, and a (now) sold out 7″ with Savage Pencil, Agitated Records is excited to announce the release of their self-titled album! Guitars are drenched in an Asheton worshipping haze and pummel, melded alongside a Velvets chug and mid-to-late 80s Pacific Northwest guttural / primal howl… this is American primitive music at its most powerful. Pigeonholers beware, this album takes its cues from all the most potent places… Funhouse, Loaded, Green River, early Sub Pop, all providing valid reference points.

In amongst this over-amped harmonious murk are 10 visceral and catchy pop songs practically screaming for attention, the core members of Serg, Nick, and Dylan have created a beast of a record.

Some tracks were recorded with Steve Albini, some with Bryce Goggin and all were mastered by Howie Weinberg.

The band played 40 chaotic shows in 2022 alone from New York City to Los Angeles, where they opened for Agent Orange and Strawberry Alarm Clock on two separate occasions at the Whisky a Go Go.

Laurel Canyon are:
Nicholas Gillespie – guitar, bass, vocals
Serg Cereja – guitar, vocals
Dylan DePice – drums

Laurel Canyon on Facebook

Laurel Canyon on Instagram

Laurel Canyon on Bandcamp

Laurel Canyon Linktree

Agitated Records on Facebook

Agitated Records website

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: Noah Bruner, Taylor Christian and Joe Peet of Temple of the Fuzz Witch

—

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

Taylor: It’s hard for me to define what I do because really, I just see myself as a guy who beats on shit and calls it music. I was introduced to drumming at a young age, by my dad actually who showed me rock and metal music at such a young age, and it’s something I’ve always been able to go to as therapy and making myself feel as if I have a purpose.

Noah: It’s really just a form of mostly negative expression. Spewing the hatred. It’s kind of a release in a form at times.

Describe your first musical memory.

Joe: My first musical memory comes from my mom. I used to be a real shithead to get ready in the morning so to coax me out and get me motivated she’d put on music. I grew up in Indy so the big station for us was X103.3. Listening to stuff like Alice in Chains before being dropped off for grade school is something I really look back on fondly.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Taylor: In terms of being at a show, being smashed up against the barrier in front of Jus Oborn of Electric Wizard yelling the end of “Funeralopolis” right into my face. Absolute mind melting moment; couldn’t hear a thing for a good few days.

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

Joe: I was fortunate to be from a family that was pretty open minded when it comes to religion. I was never explicitly forced to go to church on Sunday. But my parents were really open to me investigating religion and seeing where, if anywhere, I felt like I could belong. So I tried out the youth group thing for a bit in high school, and honestly the peer pressure there was worse than any party or show I went to. Just the sheer amount of judgement really put me off and caused me to drop it pretty quick. I think my parents’ openness really paved the way for me to do what I do, and I’m really thankful for it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Noah: Sometimes you can tap into something you can get to “that place.” It’s pretty much just chasing it.

How do you define success?

Noah: Well there’s success on many levels. Anything from having a good guitar take in the recording process. On a bigger scale, releasing an album or playing a really good show.

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

Noah: Too many things, but those things make me what I am today. I take pride in it in a morbid way.

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

Joe: I’m a huge nerd, and a big sucker for concept albums. Outside of music I’m a writer, and I really want to create an album that ticks all the boxes that a good story does.

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

Joe: Again, cliché, but I think it’s an agent of change. The artist creates something that’s pulled from inside of them, then it’s taken in by the audience and starts making internal changes.

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

Taylor: Seeing where life takes me. Life is a hell of a journey and I’ve got a long way to go with so many stones yet to be turned.

https://www.facebook.com/ToTFW/
http://www.instagram.com/templeofthefuzzwitch/
https://templeofthefuzzwitch.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/

Temple of the Fuzz Witch, “A Call to Prey” (2022)

I do sincerely wish that more signing announcements were inclusive of the purple heart emoji. It is the most doomed emoji. Jessica Ball, known for her work fronting Welsh cosmic megadoomers MWWB — né Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard — announced her then-solo-project Eye a while ago. Might have been during lockdown, even? I don’t think I’m the only one who’s been waiting for word of a release, though I won’t take away from MWWB having issued The Harvest (review here) in 2022 — also through New Heavy Sounds — as their maybe-final album and there being so much to dig into there.

So far as I can find, Eye — you might recall the classic-style prog band from Ohio; they were really cool, but this isn’t that and I’m pretty sure they’re broken up — don’t seem to have anything out yet, though I say that while admitting I haven’t scrolled back through Facebook because, well, doing that is fucking depressing (on any page) and there are only so many hours in a day, month, life. I thought mine might be better spent actually putting this post together. But in light of that, I thought about including the MWWB Bandcamp player for The Harvest, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate in full knowledge that Eye are a different kind of band. And also, apparently, a band now.

But if you didn’t hear it when it came out, you should, and this too when the opportunity presents itself. For now, the signing announcement:

I’m so happy to announce that we’ve signed a record deal with London-based New Heavy Sounds ! (#128156#)(#128065#)️(#128156#)

Some of you may know, I have worked with them for years under Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, and I’m beyond excited that they want to continue working with me on my next musical venture.

We will be announcing more exciting news soon. In the meantime if you’re in Cardiff, you can catch us this Saturday at Clwb Ifor Bach with Half Happy (#128156#)

Big love from Jess, Jonny and Gid x

https://www.facebook.com/eyeeyeeyemusic
https://www.instagram.com/_e_y_e_b_a_n_d/

https://www.facebook.com/newheavysounds
https://www.instagram.com/newheavysounds

I’m not going to pretend to have heard every band in this 16-strong announcement from Portugal’s SonicBlast Fest 2023, and honestly, that’s part of the appeal as far as I’m concerned. And if you’re looking for bigger names, certainly bringing in The Black Angels and Thuston Moore of Sonic Youth ought to qualify. But check out Mythic Sunship being confirmed, Mirror Queen heading abroad once again from their home in New York, Dozer supporting their first album in 15 years, Crippled Black Phoenix bringing their thoroughly English gloom to the otherwise sunshiny proceedings, Sasquatch pushing their forever-tour further presumably after completing the recording of their next LP, Danava and Love Gang both supporting new releases, on and on.

Is this the part where I tell you how killer the lineup looks and perhaps list off the various parts of my body I’d cut off in order to attend? Yeah, probably. But my own escapism aside, you can see for yourself what SonicBlast has put together in terms of a diverse range of sounds based around a unifying heavy ideal, and between the new names and those previously confirmed, it seems like it’s going to be a special couple days for those attending as well as the bands actually playing the thing. Maybe that could be you too.

Here’s the latest from social media:

We’re so proud and honored to announce 16 more bands that’ll blow our minds this summer, at SonicBlast Fest 2023 — The Black Angels, Thurston Moore Group, Bombino, Dozer, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX (official), Imarhan, Hällas, Scowl, SPY, Sasquatch, LOVE GANG, Mythic Sunship, Etran de L’Aïr, DANAVA, Mirror Queen and scatterbrainiac!!

Join us in this crazy heavy psychedelic weekend by the ocean at Praia da Duna dos Caldeirões, Âncora, Portugal!

*** many more to be announced soon ***

Full festival tickets are already on sale at BOL (https://garboyl.bol.pt/Comprar/Bilhetes/114471-sonicblast_fest_2023-garboyl_lives/Sessoes) and at masqueticket.com

Artwork by Branca Studio

https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://www.instagram.com/sonicblast_fest
https://sonicblastfestival.com/