The first thing the record tells you to do is quit. “Throw in the towel/Wait for the sequel” is the hook and title line for “Throw in the Towel,” and lyrics so efficiently encapsulating a perspective aren’t easy to come by. It’s not about fighting back, or overcoming a thing, or manufacturing triumph from failure by learning a lesson or whatever. Fucking quit. At least they say there’ll be a sequel. That’s more than you get in “Me and My Shadow.”

By 2009, when they released Bridges to Burn at the dawn of their ongoing collaboration with Relapse Records, then-Los-Angeles-now-San-Diego-based sludgecore slammers 16 had already quit once. Founded in 1991, the band honed their disaffection to an ever-sharper point across four full-lengths and more than a handful of shorter releases; singles, splits and EPs. They called it a day after 2002’s Zoloft Smile, but came back ahead of their 12-track fifth full-length with the lineup of vocalist Cris Jerue, guitarist Bobby Ferry, bassist Tony Baumeister and drummer Jason Corley.

Of those, only Ferry still remains in the band. Corley (also Fistula, King Travolta, Scumchrist, etc.) was gone in summer ’09. Baumeister (also The Cutthroats 9, Æges) had joined in 1993 and after 2012’s Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds was replaced by Barney Firks. Jerue made it to 2020’s Dream Squasher (review here) before taking his rasp, seethe, bellow and screams and going home. Trading out members of the rhythm section and even the odd second guitarist along the way was nothing new for 16 by then, but the band has persisted, much to the aggro-benefit of those fortunate enough to have been crushed by the riffage since.

Meeting cynicism and disillusion with hardcore-born chug and charge like that of “Monday, Bloody Monday” (“It’s the worst day of my life/I fucked up again”) and burning the ground with feedback before “So Broken Down” (“Suicidal deathwish/All because of you”) unveils its almost thrashy tension, the inward and outward trajectories of 16‘s loathing end up in a kind of balance — they hate themselves as much as they hate you as much as they hate everything — but the punk/core spirit underlying never lets them dwell too long in one place. “Me and My Shadow,” with its massive breakdown in the middle, is the longest song at just over five minutes, and they back it with the all-go pummel of “Man, Interrupted” (As I sharpen the blade now/I think of you”) at 2:41.

What comes through, then, is an immediacy that’s still resonant 15 years later, and a sound that for the band was the heaviest-landing production they’d ever had. It was recorded and mixed by Jeff Forrest (Scott Hull mastered), who has helmed everything the band has done, and in comparison to Zoloft Smile, it trades out rawness for impact, fuller in the low end (aren’t we all?) but still able to move on a track like “Permanent Good One” through the rhythmic punches and caustic distorted vocals. Raging on “What Went Wrong?” and “You Let Me Down (Again),” Bridges to Burn grants no boons and offers only the shortest moments of respite before the next attack. It is cognizant of its harshness, and the lack of letup across its span is as purposeful as the circle-pit shove of “So Broken Down.”

It’s a special kind of fuckall, and Bridges to Burn was the beginning of a new era for 16. Signing to Relapse and a studio comeback — even one just a few years after they stopped playing shows and extended the omnidirectional middle finger that defined their ethic as a band to the band itself; it’s not like they were gone for decades — was a big deal, and the band delivered a work that has in some ways helped shape everything they’ve done since. They were more metal than they’d been before, but still linked in style to both sludge and hardcore, and tighter in terms of the performances captured in a way that allowed both the storytelling of the lyrics and the outright bludgeon of the instruments behind Jerue‘s gutted-out vocals to be focal points for the listener in a mix with broader dimensionality. Always heavy, always mean, they got heavier and meaner, and while Bridges to Burn wasn’t a radical departure from Zoloft Smile, it felt like declarative in stepping up to meet the moment of its arrival.

16 have had four albums since Bridges to Burn — the aforementioned Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds, 2016’s Lifespan of a Moth (review here), and in this decade, Dream Squasher and 2022’s Into Dust (review here), the latter of which made the pivotal change of Ferry taking over on vocals feel like just another day in Doomtown — and they had four albums before it. It won’t be the case whenever they eventually follow-up Into Dust, if they do — one never knows — but Bridges to Burn is the centerpiece right now of their nine-full-length-deep discography, and it makes sense in that position. It’s where they left behind the band they’d been and started to evolve into the band they’ve become.

And I guess in some ways, it’s the lack of platitudes that seems to refreshing about Bridges to Burn. Yeah, you wait for the sequel in “Throw in the Towel,” but there’s no guarantee you aren’t gonna get your ass kicked again when that sequel comes. Listening now, 16 feel like a bomb dropped on toxic positivity — the kind of self-congratulations and empty affirmations you buy on t-shirts at Target and Wal-Mart; “I’m trying my best” and “Kindness matters” sloganeering as if to highlight the unspoken messaging, “I’m feeling crushed by life” and “Everyone is an asshole” — saying the quiet part out loud when the quiet part is “fuck everything.” It’s not the kind of record you reach for every day, but when the drums go half-time in “Me and My Shadow” and the chug gets stately, there’s no denying the righteousness of 16‘s assault. A decade and a half later, it still resonates in worldview, groove and abrasion.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Which I say knowing that’s like enjoying being punched in the face. Either way, thanks for reading.

—

The Patient Mrs. began her Fall teaching semester yesterday and The Pecan starts first grade on Tuesday following the Labor Day holiday, so a long and busy summer is coming to an end. The start of school isn’t without some anxiety after the sheer clusterfuck that was Sept.-Dec. 2023 in that regard, but the sincere hope is that the momentum that she had by June — all that not-hitting she was doing — can continue into the new year. We’ll see how it goes.

I’ll be home alone, then. Me and the dog, anyhow. In two weeks I’ll be devastatingly lonely, but especially after The Patient Mrs. spent the bulk of this week at her office after being out every night last week for social or professional obligations, it’ll be a welcome break to have some restorative-boredom alone time. I’ll write. I’ll play Zelda. I’ll smoke a pre-noon bowl and take a 90-minute shower. And I’ll breathe a bit in a way that is possible when one isn’t doing the cruise-activity-directorship that is modern parenting.

I have reviews slated all next week starting with Delving on Monday, but we’ll see how it goes. Until then, my time is up and I am not in a position to argue for more. I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Thanks again for reading.

FRM.

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By my count, Ashes and Bone will be the second full-length Floridian heavy blues rockers The Electric Mud — named of course after the landmark electrified Muddy Waters album released in 1968 — have issued through Small Stone Records, coming some four years after 2020’s Burn the Ships (review here) with 2021’s Black Wool EP (review here) in between. That makes the thanatos-themed offering due Oct. 4 the band’s third long-player overall, as they got their start with 2018’s Bull Gator, and if the lead single “Top of the Tree” is anything to go by, they haven’t forgotten where they come from in terms of vibe or the purposeful style of their songwriting. To wit, “Top of the Tree” is three minutes long, builds up to a central charge and still manages to underscore that with a bluesy, classic-heavy character.

That blend of urgency and swing serves well in the short sample, and a hook with some melodic flourish doesn’t hurt either, and I’m curious if the rest of the record bears out its relative immediacy. When I find out I’ll let you know, but in the meantime, if you’ve got three minutes to dedicate to no-nonsense heavy rock and roll — and I believe you do — the track’s down at the bottom, under the info sent by the PR wire. Note I’m not sure if Kozmik Artifactz is co-releasing this one or not. They did for Burn the Ships and have had a bunch of joint releases with Small Stone handling Europe, but yeah, that’s a thing I don’t know yet. I’ll try to find out by the time I review.

Here’s that info:

THE ELECTRIC MUD To Release Ashes And Bone Full-Length October 4th Via Small Stone Recordings; New Track Streaming + Preorders Available

Florida-based heavy rock unit THE ELECTRIC MUD will release their Ashes And Bone full-length on October 4th via Small Stone Recordings!

It’s been three years since the release of THE ELECTRIC MUD’s Black Wool EP and, encouraged by friends, family, and the brass at Small Stone, the band is excited to announce their return. They believed they had more to say, and that their best music was still in front of them. They believed the ideas and creative philosophy that brought the band to life and to the precipice of so many exciting things just a few short years ago had to be carried to the next point in their evolution. A new full-length album, it was decided, was the best way to make that statement.

During the writing sessions, a theme emerged: Mankind’s obsession with its own destruction. Where did it come from, and where will it take us? THE ELECTRIC MUD intended to examine some of the darker angels of our nature, and set it to a heavy, post-apocalyptic soundtrack. Decamping to Juniper Recordings in Cape Coral, Florida, and bringing Caleb Neff aboard not just to engineer the record but produce it created an open and creative environment in the studio that’s integral to the sound. There is a deep collaborative bond stitched into the fabric of the record, a collection of heavy sounds and ideas that are truly egalitarian in nature. The point is emphatically driven home with a fantastic mix by Ben McLeod, studio wiz by day, guitar demigod for All Them Witches by night. The resulting record, Ashes And Bone, has been a labor of love, and a reminder of what they love about music and each other.

Boasting a heavier, more aggressive sound that owes as much to the sludgy, prog inflected ferocity of Soundgarden or Mastodon as it does the eerie proto-metal riffing of Black Sabbath and soulful energy of Graveyard, Ashes And Bone is a firmly taken musical step forward into the future as much as it is the sound of a band taking care of unfinished business.

In advance of the record’s release, today THE ELECTRIC MUD unveils their first single, “Top Of The Tree.” Comments Constantine Grim, “‘Top Of The Tree’ was chosen for its pace, energy, and because it serves as connective tissue for the theme of the record: a look into humanity’s obsession with its own destruction through varying perspectives through our history. ‘Top Of The Tree’ is a look in on the end of the world from a position of plenty and privilege, set to an apocalyptic soundtrack for the ages.”

Ashes And Bone, which features album artwork and design by Alexander von Wieding, will be released on CD, LP and digital formats.

Find preorders at the Small Stone Recordings Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION: https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/ashes-and-bone

Ashes And Bone Track Listing:
1. Silent Gods
2. Top Of The Tree
3. The Crown That Eats The Head
4. Gone Are The Days
5. Wrath Of The Mighty
6. Ashes And Bone
7. The Old Ways
8. Manmade Weather
9. Pillars
10. Ace

THE ELECTRIC MUD:
Constantine Grim – guitar
Pierson Whicker – drums, percussion
Peter Kolter – vocals, guitar
Tommy Scott – bass

Special Guests:
Joe Reppert – organ and keys on “Wrath Of The Mighty”
Jon Meek – synths on “Wrath Of The Mighty” and “Ace”

http://www.facebook.com/TheElectricMud
http://www.instagram.com/theelectricmud
http://www.theelectricmud.com

http://www.smallstone.com
http://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords
http://www.instagram.com/smallstonerecords
https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/

The Electric Mud, Ashes and Bone (2024)

I think maybe Acid Magus are just going to be one of those bands where every record does something different. That’s nothing to complain about, of course, but as they look to follow 2023’s Hope is Heavy (review here) with an impending third full-length, the conversation once again changes in terms of where they’re coming from. They’re not doing black metal like all of a sudden the psychedelia is gone and they’re playing Satyricon tunes or some such, but there is an extreme element to the atmosphere, if one accompanied by a rampant, growing melodic reach.

The underlying point there is that Acid Magus are getting harder, not easier, to predict with time, and that seems to be a purposeful thing. That their songwriting remains engaging while they consistently explore various sides of their persona in sound is, well, it’s fortunate for the listener taking them on, for sure, but it’s emblematic of the band’s priority on craft, which to-date has been a unifying factor. In the case of “Wytch,” vibe is a big part of it over that solid foundation, and it further marks the debut in the band of new drummer Jethro Vlag, who wins names to a degree that is likewise rare and admirable.

No release date or title or other details yet, so for all I know the record isn’t done yet, but here’s the announcement for the single, fresh off the PR wire:

ACID MAGUS UNVEILS “WYTCH” – FIRST SINGLE FROM UPCOMING THIRD STUDIO ALBUM

Prepare to descend into the depths of sonic chaos and transcendence as Pretoria’s very own Acid Magus releases their latest single, Wytch, from their eagerly anticipated third studio album out via Mongrel Records. Known for their self-proclaimed “garage doom on shrooms” sound, the band takes listeners on an intense journey that blends the psychedelic energy of psych rock with the crushing weight of doom metal.

Wytch marks the introduction of the protagonist in what promises to be a compelling concept album. This track sets the stage for a narrative steeped in corruption, loss, and the indomitable strength of community. The rise of an empire and the birth of an unlikely people’s champion are explored through haunting melodies, frenetic rhythms, and the band’s signature doom-laden riffs.

For the first time in their discography, Acid Magus delves into the dark, abrasive world of black metal, adding a new layer of intensity to their already formidable sound. The inclusion of new drummer Jethro Vlag has brought a fresh dynamic to the band, with his prowess behind the kit elevating the music to new heights. Vlag’s contributions shine throughout Wytch, capturing a sound that oscillates between frenetic energy, simple beauty, and bone-crushing weight.

Buy / Stream Wytch: https://orcd.co/wytch

Acid Magus’ upcoming album is shaping up to be their most ambitious project yet. While details of the full album remain under wraps, Wytch offers a tantalizing glimpse into what fans can expect— an aural exploration of epic proportions that pushes the boundaries of what doom metal can be.

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
https://mongrelrecords1.bandcamp.com/

Acid Magus, “Wytch”

Acid Magus, Hope is Heavy (2023)

Madrid-based fuzzbenders Free Ride released their sophomore LP, Acido y Puto, on Aug. 9 through Small Stone Records. Led by the guitar work and songcraft of Borja Fresno Benítez — also vocals, percussion, production and the sitar near the start of the record in the mellow opening jam of “Space Nomad” — with Victor Bedmar on bass and Carlos Bedmar on drums, the trio offer Nebula-style heavy psychedelic rock on a per-slab basis, swaying into more tonal warmth around a desert-style foundation and, for the first half of the tracklisting, trading between longer and shorter songs.

“Outsider,” with a video premiering below that, yes, makes Alf a metaphor for feeling ‘other’ in life — perhaps this was true of the tv show as well; pardon me if I don’t do a rewatch — is more straight ahead and veers into a gruffer and more aggressive section of riffing and harder vocals, but that volatility becomes part of the appeal of the album as a whole, along with the variety that emerges between the psychedelic and the stoner rocking, “Kosmic Swell” picking up from the end of “Outsider” for three minutes of watery guitar jamming before the riff kicks in, riding that down a scorching desert highway to resolve in solo-on-solo layering and tumult before its own crashout brings the next song, next change.

Maybe it’s not that radical, but it is rad, and it heats up as it goes. I don’t know if tripping and fucking are themes in the lyrics as the title presents them, but fair enough. The way it works is each of the nine tracks — whether it’s the back and forth that culminates in centerpiece “Nazaré,” which follows the dreamy-start-into-fuzzy-roll pattern of “Space Nomad” and “Kosmic Swell” and is particularly smooth in the realization of that, or the crunch and wah in “Steamroller” and the succession that song starts. Running 53 minutes in linear formats — that’s your downloads and compact discs (the format of the future if the future is 1986, which it is) — the vinyl tumbles the tracklisting some, putting “Kosmic Swell” at the end of side A with “Nazaré” opening side B, which makes sense since “Space Nomad” still opens.

In either case, the flow is consistent and largely uninterrupted; you wouldn’t call Acido y Puto less hypnotic for putting the two longer songs next to each other. Sacrificed for time are “Joy” and “Living for Today” — am I crazy or is there a meta-statement being made there? — and those are worth hearing for the burner desert swagger of the former and the ease with which Benítez intertwines riffs and leads and the turn to acoustic-electric blend in “Living for Today,” underscoring the post-Eddie Glass vibe that pervades to various degrees throughout. Not that “Blackout” — the shortest song at 3:42 — doesn’t work as a closer in its catchy “fucked to the bone” pining for Sin City chorus and Echoplex-noise swirl before it ultimately blacks out, but it is a change in character that plays into the overall mood of the record, one to the other.

However you might hear it — the stream’s at the bottom of this post, down near the links, if you’re still reading — it’s to Free Ride‘s credit that the character is there at all to be changed. Whether one chooses to dwell in the quiet intro stretches of “Space Nomad,” “Kosmic Swell” and “Nazaré” or be duly bowled by the Fu Manchuey riffing of “Steamroller” and the initially-languid-later-guttural swagger of “Outsider,” Acido y Puto undersells its diversity of intention but encapsulates a cohesive interprettion of psych-leaning heavy rock and roll. It’s not without atmosphere or scope, but as each component song finds its own space within that, the front-to-back listening experience is bolstered by what in a less-envisioned setting might just feel incongruous. Outwardly, they’re keeping it simple — “What’s it about?” you might ask, and the name of the record would be the answer — but the way they build around a groove is endearing as much as familiar-in-part, and immersive in its unfolding regardless of format. Open your heart and let riffs in.

The aforementioned video for “Outsider” premieres below and is a good time. As always, I hope you enjoy:

Free Ride, “Outsider” video premiere

Born from the smoky depths of underground jam sessions in generator parties, Free Ride emerged from the haze with a thunderous blend of stoner rock, psychedelic grooves, and cosmic vibes. Formed in Madrid (Spain) by childhood friends Borja Fresno (vocals/guitar), Victor Bedmar (bass) and Carlos Bedmar (drums), the band came together in 2016 with a shared passion for heavy riffs and mind-expanding melodies.

For their second album, ‘Acido y puto’, the band sought to capture the raw energy that flourished within the confines of their humble rehearsal room. Armed with nothing but their instruments, a few microphones, and an insatiable desire to create, they set out to capture the essence of their sound in its purest form. Produced by Borja himself and mixed and mastered by Matt Dougherty in Chicago, IL, the band’s DIY ethos permeates every aspect of the recording process, from engineering their own sessions to experimenting with different mic placements and recording techniques.

‘Acido y Puto’ it’s a sonic exploration of the human psyche and the depths of the unknown. This album delves into the mysterious and often unsettling aspects of existence, inviting listeners to confront their fears and embrace the darkness within. Musically, is a sonic journey that defies categorization, blending elements of psychedelia, punk-rock or even surf-rock into a fascinating soundscape. The result is an album that shimmers with crude intensity and cosmic energy, where each track is a testament to the band’s unyielding dedication to their craft.

Tracklisting:
1. Space Nomad 8:34
2. Outsider 4:23
3. Kosmic Swell 9:34
4. Vice 3:50
5. Nazaré 9:30
6. Steamroller 4:32
7. Joy 4:31
8. Blackout 3:42
9. Living for Today 4:24

Vinyl Tracklisting:
Side A:
Space Nomad: 8:34
Outsider: 4:23
Kosmik swell: 9:34

Side B:
Nazaré: 9:30
Vice: 3:50
Steamroller: 4:32
Blackout: 3:42

All songs written by Borja Fresno Benítez.
Recorded in Madrid, Spain by Borja Fresno Benítez.
Produced by Borja Fresno Benítez.
Mixed and mastered by Matt Dougherty, Chicago, IL.
Vinyl mastering by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs, Ann Arbor, MI.
Artwork by Borja Fresno Benítez and Carlos Bedmar.

Video credits:
Written & directed by Free Ride
Actors in costume – Álvaro Valadés and Sara Hernández
Cameras & Gaffer – Carlos Paris and Mariana Aznar
Edit – Carlos Bedmar

Free Ride is:
Borja Fresno Benítez: vocals, guitars, synthesizer, percussion, sitar
Víctor Bedmar Lam: bass
Carlos Bedmar Lam: drums

Free Ride, Acido y Puto (2024)

Free Ride on Facebook

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Free Ride on Bandcamp

Small Stone Records on Facebook

Small Stone Records on Instagram

Small Stone Records on Bandcamp

Small Stone Records website

Siss are a new band — they’ve got their first demo up and are about to make their live debut; yup, that’s new-band stuff — but you might recall vocalist Laura Dolan and guitarist Ross Dolan from Cincinnati-based classic heavy rockers Electric Citizen. That band’s own debut full-length, Sateen (review here), came out a decade ago (wow.) through RidingEasy Records, who would also stand behind their two subsequent LPs, 2016’s Higher Time (review here) and 2018’s Helltown (review here), the latter of which remains their most recent offering.

In addition to their Dolan contingent, Electric Citizen was a full four-piece featuring bassist Nicholas Vogelpohl and drummer Nathan Wagner, while you’ll notice that with Siss, the configuration is… a full four-piece featuring bassist Nicholas Vogelpohl and drummer Nathan Wagner! Yeah, it’s the same band in terms of the players involved, and obviously some things will have carried over from one band to the next in no small part as a result of that. But at least based on the two streaming tracks “New Drag” and “Prospector,” the vibe I get is more like a reset. Helltown was a bold stepout stylistically, so maybe they thought it was better to leave the progression of Electric Citizen where it was and start over with a new name and new, rawer, more garage-style ideas. I’ll be interested to hear where doing so takes them.

If you’re in town and also curious, the first Siss show takes place this weekend in Cincinnati — info is below. Get video if you go. In the meantime, I don’t know what the band’s plans are as regards touring or making albums or what their preferred deli order is or any of it, but at least in my head, you don’t just drop an established name for no reason, so Siss‘ emergence out of Electric Citizen is notable even before you get to the songs sounding cool.

And speaking of that, here’s this:

Demos are live on bandcamp! More streaming platforms coming soon. Demos Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Brian Niesz.

Tracklisting:
1. New Drag 03:22
2. Prospector 03:38

First Show Saturday, Aug 31 at MOTR Pub Cincinnati with The Harlequins.

Siss are:
Ross Dolan: guitar
Laura Dolan: vocals
Nicholas Vogelpohl: bass
Nathan Wagner: drums

https://www.facebook.com/sisstheband
https://www.instagram.com/sissband
https://siss.bandcamp.com/

Siss, Demo (2024)

Seven minutes of deathly splendor in Oryx‘s new single “Myopic.” The Denver trio founded by the partnered team of guitarist/vocalist Thomas Davis and drummer Abigail Davis and now completed by bassist Joshua Kauffman are set to release their four-song long-player, Primordial Sky, this Fall through Translation Loss. That same label released the band’s last outing, Lamenting a Dead World (discussed here), and if you heard that record and reasonably wondered where on earth one might possibly go from there, the answer “Myopic” seems to provide is ‘deeper.’

Deeper and perhaps more open. I won’t count on the single to speak for the entirety of the album even if it’s a quarter of the tracklisting, but as immersive as “Myopic” is, it’s also spacious and fluid. The crashes before its post-midsection acoustic break come across as particularly fervent, but they’re no less accounted for in terms of scope than the strum that follows and serves as the foundation for the onslaught that follows. Shit is heavy, kids. If you prefer your records noncorporeal, the digital release is Oct. 18. Vinyl hounds wait until Nov. 22, but surely that will come with additional anticipation and self-congratulations at defying the instant gratification of our age, and what feels better than that kind of self-appointed moral superiority? I won’t tell you how to hear it, or even to hear it — I’m not your boss — but the arguments in favor of doing so are myriad, and the stunning John Harris cover art begs to be held.

I have more to say on this one, and I’ll hope the time between now and Oct./Nov. provides a chance to do so. Either way, here’s the info for the album and the all-crucial preorder link, courtesy of the PR wire:

Denver Doom Masterminds Oryx Announce Primordial Sky!

Denver doom/sludge masterminds Oryx announce Primordial Sky, the bands fourth studio album, for release on October 18, 2024 (digital) via Translation Loss Records.

Primordial Sky shows the trio, comprised of husband-and-wife duo Thomas (guitars & vocals) and Abigail (drummer) Davis, joined by bassist Joshua Kauffman – embracing a powerful statement of sonic devastation. Amidst a mood of profound contemplation, the lyrics delve into subjects capturing the struggle of mortality and existence. With a penchant for creating an oppressive atmosphere, Primordial Sky delivers slow-burning behemoths that ascend to staggering crescendos. Oryx is the sonic embodiment of desolation, a monolithic wall of sound that demands to be experienced at full volume.

About the track and the album release, vocalist & guitarist Thomas Davis shares:

“Lyrically, “Myopic” is a requiem portraying a state of conflict with the human condition amidst a deep-seated psychosis that demands immediate gratification, simultaneously speeding towards an extinction event of our own creation. Writing this song involved a multi-faceted approach, incorporating bass and guitar harmonies, an acoustic interlude, and pummeling drums. This song is one of Primordial Sky’s most aggressive and energetic tracks, while still featuring the intricate layering embodied throughout the rest of the album. Primordial Sky is ORYX’s pinnacle offering to date, showcasing each member’s best work and a surgical collective approach to exploring deeply expressive songwriting. Writing and recording these songs has been an immensely cathartic journey, one that we are eager to share with the world.”

Primordial Sky features stunning album artwork by world renowned Sci-Fi/NASA artist, John Harris.

The album will be released digitally worldwide on October 18, 2024 and on vinyl November 22, 2024. Three limited edition vinyl variants will be avail via Translation Loss Records.

Pre-order is available now HERE: https://translationloss.com/

– VINYL –

Pink Edition (limited to 300 copies)

Bone White with Splatter Edition (Limited to 100 copies)

Custom Three Color Merge with Splatter Edition (Limited to 100 copies)

Track Listing:
1. Primordial Sky
2. Myopic
3. Ephemeral
4. Look Upon The Earth

Recording Details:
Recorded in January 2024 at Archive Recordings in Salt Lake City, UT.
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Wes Johnson.
Promo photo by Mitch Kline.

ORYX is:
Thomas Davis – all guitars, vocals, synth
Abigail Davis – drums
Joshua Kauffman – bass

https://www.facebook.com/theeoryx
https://www.instagram.com/thebandoryx/
https://oryx.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/
https://www.instagram.com/translationlossrecords/
https://translationloss.com/
http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/

Oryx, “Myopic”

Oryx, Primordial Sky (2024)

Vienna post-heavy four-piece Chorosia are heading out this Fall with sludge-punker countrymen Grimms Eye for a 10-date stretch starting Oct. 3. Have you ever heard either of these bands? It doesn’t matter. That’s the whole fucking point. There’s so much out there — this planet we’re on is so small compared to the rest of everything as we know and/or imagine it, and yet the rush of living on it feels endless. I don’t care if you never heard Chorosia or you spent two weeks last summer sleeping on the couch of their rehearsal space. What matters is you’re here now, reading this. What matters is if you listen now, when you have the chance.

And no one on the internet will tell you this, but you know what? If you miss it now, you’ll probably have another chance too. I know that’s not the thing you’re supposed to do in your little internet-self-branded-fiefdom. I should be trying to activate your FOMO on everything and hyping the shit out of every riff that comes my way because if I don’t I won’t get clicks and then step one steal underpants step two… … … step three profit. Well fuck that shit. Experience life at your own pace. These shows aren’t until October. Even if you happen to live in the path of the tour, or are going to be there by some fortunate happenstance, you’ve got time. Everybody relax.

Chrosia‘s video for “Hands, Switchblades and Vile Vortices” is streaming below. I put Grimms Eye‘s 2022 LP, Throne down there as well for your perusal/enjoyment. So peruse, and enjoy at your leisure if you so choose:

Chorosia & Grimm’s Eye: Grim Vortices Tour 2024

The Vienna-based prog/sludge riff masters Chorosia and their hometown HC punk/sludge colleagues Grimm’s Eye are embarking on an EU tour this October.

Chorosia and Grimm’s Eye have just announced the Grim Vortices 2024 tour taking place in early October. Spanning from Czechia to The Netherlands, the bands will embark on a 10-day journey across the continent. Find the full date list below.

Chorosia’s highly acclaimed latest release “Stray Dogs” was published in September last year and it was praised for its unique blend of styles and genres. The band has released two albums prior, self-titled in 2018 and “A Call To Love” in 2021.
As for Grimm’s Eye, the sludge-punk outlet released their second studio album “Throne” in early 2022 as the follow-up to their debut “Act!” from 2019.

Oct 3 – Brno, CZ @ Sibiř
Oct 4 – Görlitz, DE @ BASTA
Oct 5 – Hildesheim, DE @ Thav
Oct 6 – TBD / Feel free to contact the bands
Oct 7 – Utrecht, NL @ Trapop!
Oct 8 – Hasselt, BE @ Nocturna
Oct 9 – Belvaux, LU @ MK BAR
Oct 10 – Strasbourg, FR @ Le Local
Oct 11 – Munich, DE @ TBD
Oct 12 – Passau, DE @ Tabakfabrik

https://www.facebook.com/chorosia/
https://www.instagram.com/chorosia.doom
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8fOksvdGOFpHjEdnNOgsuA
https://chorosia.bandcamp.com/

Chorosia, “Hands, Switchblades and Vile Vortices” official video

Grimms Eye, Throne (2022)

UK instrumentalist duo Wall release their debut album, Brick by Brick, tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 30, on APF Records. The 54-minute 13-tracker follows behind two successful EPs in 2021’s Wall (review here) and Vol. 2 (review here), and is an exercise in riff-forward ethics from “Wrath of the Serpent” onward, wrought by the Oxford-based brotherly team of guitarist Ryan Cole and drummer Eliot Cole, best known for their work together in heavy rockers The Grand Mal and the aggro stomping Desert Storm. Most of it, including “Wrath of the Serpent,” which opens, is culled from the EPs, but side B’s “Masking My Contempt,” “Cirrhosis” and “Filthy Doner Kebab on a Got Full of Lager” would seem to be more recent — the album credits state it was recorded between 2020-2024 — and as they provide some pointedly crushing moments to echo earlier pieces like “Sonic Mass” and “Avalanche.”

The covers — “Nineteen” by US Midwestern sans-vocal pattern-setters Karma to Burn and “Electric Funeral” (premiered here) by the grandmasters Black Sabbath — are telling as regards overall methodology, and if Wall‘s next outing included a take on Mastodon‘s “Mother Puncher” or some other earlier, gnarly-angled onslaught, it would be likewise fitting with some of the brasher and more winding fare on Brick by Brick in songs like “Legion” and ‘The Tusk,” which twist and chug and hair-pin turn through their processions where “Speedfreak” offers more forward thrust and “Obsidian” layers lead flourish over its righteously slowed-down, lumbering central figure. Clearly Wall know where they’re coming from, and while Brick by Brick is a debut, that consciousness shouldn’t be a surprise given the Coles’ 15-plus-year tenure in Desert Storm.

They’re brothers, so do I really have to say the band is tight? They’ve probably been making music together since before they knew what music was. Accordingly, Brick by Brick works as well as it does in no small part because of the unflinching and organic chemistry between the instruments, and while the songs are structured in the Karma to Burn tradition — as opposed to being jams or snippets of jams edited down — the span of time perceived throughout as one cluster of EP material mingles with the other and gives over to “Cirrhosis” and “Filthy Doner Kebab on a Gut Full of Lager” before “Electric Funeral” closes out (guest vocals from Dave Oglesby of The Grand Mal included) gives a sense of variety in terms of intention, though the purpose underlining the material front-to-back is consistent. Once again, Wall have a solid idea what they’re going for, as they’ve demonstrated is the case all along for the better part of the last half-decade.

Coincident to that is a lack of pretense that becomes a defining feature of Brick by Brick. Yeah, they’ve got riffs. They know it, you know it. The sample from American Beauty at the start of “Masking My Contempt” that goes, “My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and, at least once a day, retiring to the men’s room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn’t so closely resemble hell,” is a standout moment for the fact that it’s a human voice, but it’s a choice that perhaps tells the listener something about where Wall‘s motivations lie. Life isn’t short on bullshit now, and it certainly wasn’t when Eliot and Ryan started putting these songs together, so if there’s some escapist factor in their clarity to go with the restlessness that birthed the project in the first place, fair enough. One way or the other, Brick by Brick is duly solid — derp — but still feels free as it rides one groove into another across its span.

And I guess by “free” I don’t mean in the jazz sense, but free as in that feeling you get when you know that the only thing restraining you most of the time is yourself and you’re able to move past it, even for just a while. Whatever the future might manifest as the Coles move forward with Wall and their other bands, collecting the EP material and coupling it with some newer songs gives a portrait of growth in process and a dynamic taking shape, but while that may be true, even saying so feels like a too-lofty description of what’s happening throughout. At its core, it’s brothers sharing a love of heavy music and making it together. They don’t need words to communicate it — and if the words they do have are the lyrics to “Electric Funeral,” well, that’ll probably do the job too.

Brick by Brick streams in its entirety below, followed by more info courtesy of the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Elliot Cole on Brick by Brick:

Our debut album is here today, and we’re really pleased for you all to hear it. If you are a fan of heavy music and riffs in general, then we hope you will enjoy it, and that this album is for you! As an instrumental band, it’s all about the power of the riff, and this album is full of them. ‘Brick by Brick’ is built with 10 tracks of our own and two covers on the album – paying respect to two bands that have been a huge influence on us, firstly, the best band of all time – Black Sabbath, we covered Electric Funeral, and then the kings of Instrumental stoner rock – the much missed ‘Karma To Burn’ we covered ’19’. So, buy the album, stream the album, play loud and spread the word! Get to a show and follow us on our social media pages. Thanks for the support.

Pre-order link: https://apfrecords.co.uk/bands/wall

WALL – An instrumental 2-piece heavy fucking riff machine, built brick by brick & riff by riff by twin brothers and Desert Storm members Ryan & Elliot Cole.

Released on 30th August via APF Records (Desert Storm, Video Nasties, Barbarian Hermit), their debut album ‘Brick by Brick’ is overflowing with unashamed Iommi-worshipping, instrumental, sludge/doom metal. With the band taking inspiration from the first 6 Black Sabbath albums as well as being influenced by the undisputed kings of instrumental stoner rock – the much missed Karma To Burn, drummer Elliot Cole comments on some of the other artists they were listening to at the time while writing the album,

“Torche, High on Fire, Elephant Tree, and The Sword were on heavy rotation a lot. I also was listening to a fair bit of Power Trip at the time too. But as well as the rock/metal stuff, we were listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Radiohead which helped in a way with some of the more spacey & ambient sections on the album.”

Like many recent projects WALL was born during lockdown with the two brothers living together in a small flat. With both of them furloughed, this left the duo with little else to do but write music to distract themselves from the boredom of being stuck at home.

Ryan wrote riffs on an unplugged Gibson SG, whilst Elliot tapped out the drum rhythms on his lap. The first time the twins heard how the songs would sound properly was when they were in the studio tracking their initial first two EPs, as they couldn’t arrange a proper rehearsal due to restrictions.

While originally starting out as a side project, WALL began to evolve into a more serious proposition following shows at Bloodstock Open Air, Desertfest London, Masters of the Riff alongside shows with Discharge, Will Haven and European dates in Germany, Czech Rep & Slovakia.

Now following these shows and 2 Eps on APF Records, the next step for WALL is the release of their debut album ‘Brick By Brick’. Recorded at Shonk studios / Warehouse Studios – Oxford, by Jimmy ‘Evil’ Hetherington & mastered by Tim Turan @ Turan Audio, ‘Brick By Brick’ is essential listening for any fan of slow, crushing riffs.

Tracklisting:
1 – Wrath of the Serpent
2 – Sonic Mass
3 – Obsidian
4 – Legion
5 – Nineteen (Karma to Burn cover)
6 – Avalanche
7 – Masking My Contempt
8 – The Tusk
9 – Speedfreak
10 – Falling from the Edge of Nowhere
11 – Cirrhosis
12 – Filthy Doner Kebab on a Gut Full of Lager
13 – Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath cover)

Recorded & mixed by Jimmy Hetherington at Shonk Studios / Warehouse Studios between 2020 & 2024.
Mastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio.
Artwork / layout by Chris Benoist.
Front cover photograph by Pete Marler.

Upcoming Shows –
08.09.24 | UK | London | New Cross Inn

WALL are:
Ryan Cole – guitar
Elliot Cole – drums

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