Ohio classic heavy rockers Electric Citizen release their new album, EC4, June 27 through Heavy Psych Sounds. It’s very subtly been seven years since the Cincinnati now-five-piece put out 2018’s Sateen (review here), their third and final offering for RidingEasy Records, and although I’m not sure why, EC4 feels like something of a comeback.

It’s in the energy as “Mire” crashes into its chorus, maybe, or the insistent jab of the riff to “Static Vision” and the organ-laced proto-metal charge of “Smokey” topped with Laura Dolan‘s signature croon, and the way “Traveler’s Moon” taps into a psychedelia of mood before the layer-topped payoff of its build. It’s in the confident, not overly showy way the band go about their business. Being a good band and not sounding like jerks about it — whether through overplaying or competing with each other, neither of which Electric Citizen have ever really done — are not new for them, but there’s a corresponding stylistic realignment on EC4 that puts the band back in touch with its garage-heavy roots, and that does feel different.

Granted it was a while ago now, but Sateen pulled away from the push of a song like “Static Vision” or the later “Lizard Brain,” and it’s not so much that EC4 ignores that in favor of sounding like the band’s earlier work, but that they’ve found ways to incorporate that growth in craft into their thankfully-unpretentious songwriting. But EC4 isn’t just shoving ’70s-via-’10s boogie either. The longest song at 6:22, “Traveler’s Moon” sets up the shift into the acoustic-led centerpiece “Tuning Tree,” departing the rockers-up-front initial impression of the record for the more psychedelic-flavored “Moss,” and reorient with the hooky-riffy ground-touch of “Lizard Brain” before “Other Planets” drifts into solo-topped doom rock majesty and “Flower of Salt” finishes with a blend of acoustic and organ that reminds of Lamp of the Universe. So yes, there’s more than one thing going on.

A varied sound isn’t new for Electric Citizen either, but it’s a question of refinement here. EC4 collects different moods and offers a sense of range, but whether it’s “Smokey” or “Traveler’s Moon” or “Other Planets,” the band aren’t just evoking divergence for its own sake, but adding with each piece to the scope of the whole album. Accordingly, in nine songs and 39 minutes, Electric Citizen hone a deceptively sharp approach, keyed in on what they want their sound to be and unwilling not to explore around those ideas in order to find new places to go. It is perhaps the most Electric Citizen that Electric Citizen have ever sounded.

“Smokey” premieres on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire including just-announced East Coast tour dates (including at Autodidact in my hometown!). Please enjoy:

Electric Citizen, “Smokey”

SAYS THE BAND: “As we slip through time’s grip and chase the meaning in chaos we give this offering from the haze. Light it up, Smokey.”

SMOKEY is the second single taken from ELECTRIC CITIZEN upcoming new album.

The release will see the light June 27th via Heavy Psych Sounds.

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS358

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

Seven years after their last release “Helltown”, Electric Citizen returns with their fourth album “EC4” — a powerful statement of renewal and raw energy. Written by Ross Dolan with contributions from the full band, the album was meticulously crafted over several years and recorded with Mike Montgomery and John Hoffman at Candyland Studio in Dayton, KY. It was mixed by Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) in Detroit and mastered by JJ Golden (Ty Segall, Calexico) at Golden Mastering in California. The album art was created by Neil Krug (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, Weyes Blood), who the band worked with for their first album “Sateen”.

Tracklisting:
1. Mire
2. Static Vision
3. Smokey
4. Traveler’s Moon
5. Tuning Tree
6. Moss
7. Lizard Brain
8. Other Planets
9. Flower Of Salt

ELECTRIC CITIZEN live:
July 10 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary
July 11 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
July 12 Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Tavern
July 13 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
July 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
July 16 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
July 17 Morris Plains, NJ @ Autodidact
July 18 Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye
July 19 Easthampton, MA @ Marigold Theater
July 20 Baltimore, MD @ Metro
July 21 Raleigh, NC @ Pour House
July 22 Charleston, SC @ Lo-Fi Brewing
July 23 Atlanta, GA @ 529
July 24 Knoxville, TN @ Open Chord
July 25 Nashville, TN @ The ’58
July 26 Louisville, KY @ Portal

ELECTRIC CITIZEN is
Ross Dolan – Guitar
Laura Dolan – Vocals
Nick Vogelpohl – Bass
Nate Wagner – Drums
Owen Lee – Keyboards

Electric Citizen, “Static Vision”

Electric Citizen, EC4 (2025)

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San Fran psych rockers The Spiral Electric pull back the veil on their new single “In Too Deep” tomorrow, May 16. The six-minute piece feels like ’60s psych-rock pulled through a filter of ’90s revivalist edge as something slightly sinister drips from the molten tone of the initial guitar quickly topped by Clay Andrews‘ layered vocals. The vibe is mellow, intentionally oversweet to set up a fuller-toned chorus that now we call shoegazey but six decades ago would’ve just been rock and roll.

My touchstone for drifty, lose-yourself-in-it psychedelia of such fluid order is defunct Canadian nodders Quest for Fire, and I know that the place The Spiral Electric reside for “In Too Deep” isn’t where they always dwell, but they pull off the single with especially hypnotic aplomb as Andrews (guitar and synth in addition to vocals), lead guitarist Nicolas Percey, bassist Ryan McKnight and drummer Marias Drago flow through a heady depth of mix resolving in a transposed “Sweet Dreams” riff as they make their way out.

Both the 1960s and the 1990s were a long-ass time ago, and it’s not my intention to oversimplify or generalize what’s going on in The Spiral Electric‘s sound in the face of the more complex aural truths therein. That is to say, don’t just go by the numbers. Their previous single “Shadow in the Dark” (premiered here) and their 2019 self-titled double-LP (review here) likewise had their more soothing moments, but “In Too Deep” goes further such that even when it ‘gets loud’ as the wash takes hold a bit before the three-minute mark going into the hook, the serenity of the vocal melody is maintained, and so the direction of the song abides correspondingly, even as the tambourine literally and figuratively brings shake to the procession.

So is it? ‘In too deep,’ I mean. Have the band meandered too far into the ethereal? Hard no, from where I sit. Instead, The Spiral Electric make striking a difficult balance sound easy as “In Too Deep” ebbs and flows, and the chorus here is delivered gently and memorably both times it cycles through. My honest hope at this point is that eventually “In Too Deep” and “Shadow in the Dark,” which came out in 2023, make their way onto a follow-up to the self-titled, and that seems to be the plan. The album, titled The Overview Effect, was being recorded with Dead Meadow bassist Steve Kille prior to his passing last year. I do not know if it’s done or what the status is, but if you notice this and “Shadow in the Dark” are both tagged as the ‘single version.’ This implies ‘album versions,’ and yes, those apparently exist, if not yet in the public sphere.

Instead, for now, maybe take a breath and let the rest worry about itself later. There’s plenty to keep busy with worrying, for sure, but it’ll still be there in six minutes. See if you can get yourself to this one and meet the melody on its own level. If not, it’ll still be there later. Contrary to what the streaming services and content-driven social media tell you, this stuff doesn’t expire.

Enjoy:

The Spiral Electric, “In Too Deep” track premiere

“This is one of the last tracks fully engineered and mixed by Steve Kille before his illness overtook him,” says Clay Andrews. “I edited a couple of minutes out for the ‘single version’ with the help of Daniel Dietrick (Ozean), the full version will be on the album.”

Produced by Clay Andrews & Steve Kille
Engineered & Mixed by Steve Kille at Wiggle Room Studio
Additional engineering by Daniel Dietrick
Mastering by Tim Green / Louder Studios
Cover artwork by Matias Drago / Logo by Alan Forbes / Layout by Clay Andrews
Music : Clay Andrews & Nicolas Percey
Lyrics : Clay Andrews

The Spiral Electric:
Clay Andrews : Vocals / Guitar / Piano / Percussion
Nicolas Percey : Guitars
Ryan McKnight : Bass
Matias Drago : Drums

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Swedish conceptualist atmospheric doomers Cavern Deep push deeper with their third full-length, Part III – The Bodiless, out this week through Majestic Mountain Records and their own Bonebag Records. The plot thread is somewhat obscure, which will happen when you get into cave-goth ambience and start weaving storylines and themes across successive releases. To wit, 2023’s Part II – Breach (review here) took the listener to depths only hinted at by the band’s 2021 self-titled debut (review here), so of course they begin by soaring with “The Bodiless” to draw the audience into the procession of these six tracks of slow-churning, consuming, claustrophobic darkness.

Marty Harvey, drummer/vocalist of Northern Irish crushers Slomatics, cuts through the low tonality of Cavern Deep‘s slog to guest on lead voice early in “The Bodiless,” thereby introducing the central character of the album, who seems to undergo a sort of transformative obliteration that, well, sounds pretty lovely if fraught in the making. Monsters of Lovecraftian proportion and purpose are met and overcome — “Queen Womb,” “Putrid Sentry” — but rebirth means death first. Intended as the final installment of what at some point in the last four years became a trilogy, Part III – The Bodiless feels every bit like the culmination it’s supposed to be, while at the same time demonstrating just how much Cavern Deep have carved an identity for themselves in its 38-minute span, whether that’s guitarist Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg and bassist Max Malmer (I think he’s a bass vocally as well) — I think maybe drummer Dennis Sjödin gets in on the action too — creating character and drama through the vocal arrangement of “Queen Womb,” or the solo topping the plodding culmination of the penultimate “Galaxies Collide.”

The keyboard of Johannes Behndig (Sarcophagus Now), who was a guest player on Part II and is now a member of the band, plays an accordingly larger role in setting the scope, as the backdrop for the Martin Ludl saxophone solo in “Mosktraumen” showcases, but if all the plunge and bleakness and slow-big-metal-gears-grinding of Part III – The Bodiless is leading to something — and, good news, it is — it’s to closer “Full Circle.” This not only represents the moment of rebirth for the record’s sans-body protagonist, but is a densely-weighted outbound march that underscores the grim psychedelic cast of Cavern Deep‘s brand of doom; ethereal like swirling smoke but poisonous to breathe. Granted they’ve been writing songs about monsters hiding in dark underground spaces for circa half a decade at this point, but Part III – The Bodiless does not overplay its hand in horror. It doesn’t need to.

Being able to tell a story in impressions is something else Cavern Deep have been working toward all along, but it’s been a strength from the first album on, and the then-trio-now-four-piece have always had a willful-seeming push toward individualism. They’re not just heavy, they’re their kind of heavy, and the difference is one of playing to genre or using elements thereof to shape something more your own. Cavern Deep continue to refine their songwriting processes in the latter methodology, and they’ve grown accordingly more spacious and broader in their reach for that. And no, I don’t just mean in terms of adding keys. The vocal arrangements are bolder and more confident here than they’ve ever been, and with two prior LP’s (plus other short releases, videos, etc.), Cavern Deep sound more sure of the plan they’re following than they ever have, and aspects of their sound that felt exploratory before feel internalized in this material. They’ve learned from what they’ve done up to now, in other words.

All of this ideal in terms of Cavern Deep realizing their project — the stated trilogy — even if it leaves one curious as to what whims they might follow next. Suitably enough, “Full Circle” ends the tale back where it started, with one archeologist and 49 miners headed below the surface to begin the whole cycle, as at the start of the self-titled. Literally and figuratively, Cavern Deep are a different band than they were when they made that first album, and if they are in fact leaving this storyline behind — plans can and do change — they do so with purpose and a sense of continued growth and artistic progression. This is why, whatever horrors might unfold from here, their trilogy as manifest is such a triumph.

Part III – The Bodiless streams in full below. Please enjoy:

Swedish doom/psych explorers Cavern Deep return with the final chapter of their epic concept album trilogy. Titled “Part III – The Bodiless”, the album is set for release on May 9, 2025 via Bonebag Records and Majestic Mountain Records, marking the conclusion of a story that has taken listeners on a dark and otherworldly journey since the band’s self-titled debut in 2021.

Formed in 2019 by members of Zonaria and Gudars Skymning, Cavern Deep has built a reputation for crafting captivating, atmospheric doom soundscapes, blending crushing heaviness with eerie psychedelia. Their debut album, released via Interstellar Smoke Records, introduced a unique storytelling approach that continued with “Part II – Breach”, a critically acclaimed release on their own Bonebag Records.

Now, with “Part III – The Bodiless”, Cavern Deep brings the saga to a dramatic and haunting close, pushing their sonic boundaries further into the abyss. The album is expected to deliver the band’s signature slow, hypnotic riffs and cavernous atmospheres, while weaving a final chapter that explores themes of transcendence, transformation, and the unknown. It features Marty Harvey from Slomatics as the vocalist of the title-track “The Bodiless”, and Martin Ludl on saxophone playing on the track “Moskstraumen.”

—

The concept synopsis is as follows:

1. The Bodiless

The transformation is complete. It enters the ungodly realm through the pulse, now without physical form. A shimmering image of nerves, energy, and vibrant rage moves through starless space. The bodiless is greeted by the never-ending hordes of shapeless beings, awoken for the sole purpose of ending its journey. They will all perish.

2. Queen Womb

Traveling between nodes of passage, covering the vast distances of void, the queen rises. Its children disintegrated, now itself decaying. Facing the bodiless with the desperation of a grieving mother, it unleashes a spewing tidal wave of pure hatred. It is futile. The struggle is short. All that remains is an empty husk. A floating dead mass.

3. Putrid Sentry

Enter the looming watcher of the outer rims, the putrid one. Bestower of unfathomable grief. The commander of a million shapeless minions now gone. It spreads its dark, suffocating energy across the vastness, like a mighty bellow. It wants to consume all. The bodiless seeps into its veins like a lethal promise, soon rendering its deadly cloak pierced and useless, shattered throughout dead space.

4. Moskstraumen

The bodiless slowly drifts into the maw of the maelstrom. Almost depleted. Nearly spent. Soon its purpose is fulfilled. This is the cradle of prime evil. As the ancient swirling mass begins to gnaw away at every ethereal nerve ending of the bodiless, its final offering is released in its full glory: the last light. Burning. Consuming. The grip on the entire realm withers away as the great whirlpool bellows in dying agony.

5. Galaxies Collide

As oozing wounds of ungodly matter bleed out and fade, space itself starts to crumble. Violently colliding with itself, tearing rifts in the very fabric of existence. The bodiless is pulled towards the dead black center of it all. The eye of the storm. Drifting to sleep. In peace. Flickering like a dying lantern.

6. Full Circle

The fail-safe. The curse. The testament. The bodiless is sucked into the deep at the center of the chaotic collapsing reality surrounding it. It is trying to draw breath. It is becoming. Images are rushing back like an unstoppable flood. There is flesh… One archaeologist and 49 brave men stand at the gates, staring down into the bowels of the mountain. It is time to begin the descent.

Line-up:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars & Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass & Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums & Backup Vocals
Johannes Behndig – Keys

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New York’s Northern Heretic this week unleash their fourth single “And One More…,” and on May 16, the three-piece will open at Le Poisson Rouge (the ol’ redfish) for Paradise Lost and Trouble in Manhattan. Hot shit, what a slot. That’d be a good get for a band who’s been around for 20 years, let alone one that just has soon-to-be-four songs publicly released — but it’s also their first show. Imagine that for a minute.

The context of the band’s pedigree gives some explanation. Guitarist/vocalist Ken Wohlrob, who leads a chugging march in the early verses of “And One More…” and makes a hook of the key lyric, “Throw one more on the fire,” was in Eternal Black and now handles guitar in End of Hope, in which bassist Davis Schlachter also features, while drummer Rob Sefcik — now also of Thinning the Herd — is in Begotten and Kings Destroy besides. But this is the part where I tell you Northern Heretic doesn’t really sound like any of those, and that’s true for the most part. “And One More…” feels more obscure in its atmosphere than Sept. 2024’s “Ghosts in the Hills” (premiered here), or the prior “Angrboda” (premiered here) and 2023’s “Killing Floor” (premiered here), stretching across the 10-minute mark with a raw presentation, avant lumber in its first half and a dark-feeling-but-maybe-because-of-the-cover-art (not a complaint) psychedelic jam that comprises most of the second.

You could call it consistent with its predecessor singles since it comes from the same 2023 session, but as Wohlrob says in the ‘wheres and whys’ below, part of the point of “And One More…” is that it’s open. Whether it’s in the repetitions earlier on or the meditative exploration of the jam later, “And One More…” sounds like the kind of piece that might be different every time a band plays it — it feels malleable in its structure, able to shape itself to suit a moment’s interpretation. The recording, then, is one example. Perhaps Le Poisson Rouge will get treated to another next Thursday.

And then I assume their second show will be opening for Judas Priest at some arena or other.

Get your head right and dig in. And you should know that despite the band’s urbane origin story, “And One More…” makes an oddly fitting complement to screaming coyotes in the middle of the night.

Enjoy:

NORTHERN HERETIC to release 4th single “And One More…” on May 9, 2025.

Making their live debut opening for Paradise Lost and Trouble in New York City on May 22, 2025.

NORTHERN HERETIC – the New York-based heavy rock trio with members of Kings Destroy, Eternal Black, End of Hope, and Begotten – are releasing their fourth single “And One More…” on Friday, May 9, 2025 via all streaming platforms and their Bandcamp page (northernheretic.bandcamp.com). The band will make their live debut as the opening act for doom legends Paradise Lost and Trouble at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on May 22, 2025.

Formed in April 2022, NORTHERN HERETIC consists of Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten) on drums, Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, End of Hope) on bass, and Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope) on guitar and vocals. “And One More…” follows three previous singles: “Killing Floor,” “Angrboda,” and “Ghosts In The Hills,” which were released on November 10, 2023, April 12, 2024, and September 27, 2024, respectively.

THE WHERES AND WHYS AND WHAT FORS (AS TOLD BY NORTHERN HERETIC)

“Simple words remind me of ###t” – Pepper Keenan, 1994

Damn straight. Keep it simple. Say a lot with a little. Pepper has always been a wise man. So we followed his advice. This one goes all the way back to Birmingham circa 1969, but it doesn’t try to sound retro. It is us, here and now, reflecting what we see and hear out in the world. The goal was to draw you in with simple elements that carry great weight.

“And One More…” is different every time we play it. It starts with a meditative structure, then goes where it wants to go. What you hear is one version recorded live in the studio, as if you were standing there with three of us on that day in April 2023. This one is near and dear to us because of its unique qualities. We hope you feel the same.

The track was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York State. Once again, we worked with Joe Kelly, who helped us to achieve the sonic nuance we wanted for this song. The cover art for “And One More…” is by New York artist Melissa Pracht, who also created the paintings and illustrations for all our releases and merchandise.

~~

“And One More…” written by Northern Heretic
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Joe Kelly
Spiritual Advisor: Kol Marshall
Recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios, April 2023
Cover art by Melissa Pracht
© 2025 Northern Heretic / All Rights Reserved
Golgotha Records

Northern Heretic is:
Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, End of Hope): bass, backup vocals
Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten): drums
Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope): guitars, vocals

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Heavy psych rockers Madmess release their new LP, The Third Coming, on May 9, through an international consortium of independent labels including gig.Rocks! in their native Portugal, Kozmik Artifactz throughout Germany and the rest of Europe, and Glory or Death Records, based in the US. Their bases thusly covered, the Porto three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Ricardo Sampaio, bassist Vasco Vasconcelos and drummer Pedro Cruz are free to explore and refine their partially-instrumental crux, taking and adapting what came together on 2021’s Rebirth (review here) and their prior 2019 self-titled debut to retain its spaciousness and partially-improvised spirit while at the same time taking on a more direct delivery.

What on earth does that mean? For one thing, the longest song on The Third Coming, “Widowmaker” (7:17), is roughly equal in runtime to the two shortest cuts on Rebirth, which was filled out otherwise by three nine-minute jaunts. But fear not. The Third Coming retains its jammy sensibility, and if it’s expanse you seek, “Widowmaker” picks up from the wah-fuzz burner opening given through “Death by Astonishment,” and begins a stretch through “Velvet Nebula” — second best song title I’ve seen in the last 12 months — and the album’s most hypnotic, immersive unfolding, “Endless Cycles,” that should tick any quota you’ve got for ‘getweird.’ And if not, the motorik pulse behind closer “Sauerkraut” still manages to speak to classic space rock trance-induction while not actually taking up any more than three and a half minutes of Earth time. This kind of efficiency is usually a showcase in itself. For Madmess, the focus is so much more on the impression the music makes than the intent behind it. That is, they’re not showing off or simply indulging in craft. They made the record for you, the listener.

Actually, “Death by Astonishment” reinforces that idea well, while “Endless Cycles” contrasts those grounded aspects at the start of the vinyl’s side B. This comes ahead of the exclamatory “Burnt!,” the second half which precedes the proto-metallic shove of “Hazy Morning” with a particularly resonant shimmer in Sampaio‘s guitar and the roll and pull and tonal wobble that hits a serene moment in the heavy psych tradition. Earthless are a factor in that, and in some of the grit of “Hazy Morning,” one can hear aspects of the ’70s-minded riffage that took hold in San Diego circa 2015-2020, in no small part inspired by the aforementioned. In such a way, The Third Coming is fluid in its movement without being static in terms of style, and it doesn’t ultimately end up anywhere one would come close to calling lost. Indeed, “Hazy Morning” and “Sauerkraut,” paired at the end as they are, only seem to herald further stylistic adventures to follow. Or at least that’s the hope in hearing it.

Whatever instigated this readjustment of balances in Madmess‘ sound to bring about songs that can be shorter and more direct, it feels like a realization on the part of the band as The Third Coming plays less to genre while remaining organically aligned to it. To say the very minimum, it is a record that understands, appreciates and makes solid use of its creative freedom, and if you heard either of their first two and thought the band had potential, these songs both answer that and leave the same impression afterward. Madmess continue to sound like they’re just getting started, and that vibrancy is becoming a key part of what they have to offer.

Album streams in full below, followed by more from the PR wire, including live dates announced the other day.

Please enjoy.

Always dynamic, always electrifying, and as powerful as ever, Portuguese powerhouse trio Madmess is gearing up to release their latest LP, “The Third Coming,” on May 9th via Glory or Death (USA), Kozmik Artifactz (EU), and gig.ROCKS! (PT).

Once a well-kept secret in Europe’s psychedelic music scene, their anonymity may soon fade. The single “Velvet Nebula,” the first preview of Madmess’ forthcoming third album, offered a taste of what’s ahead, following a year filled with touring highlights, including performances at Krach am Bach (Germany), ArcTanGent (UK), Freak Valley Xmas (DE), and Sonic Blast (PT).

Previously under the radar but with a devoted fanbase eagerly awaiting new songs, the album leans into a more classic sound, merging Bonham-inspired drumming with contemporary psychedelic melodies across seven mesmerizing tracks. These riffs are destined for live stages across Europe and beyond, where they truly come alive.

A strictly limited vinyl edition of only 300 copies on heavy clear/black dust coloured vinyl is available for (pre)ordering here: https://kozmik-shop.com/MADMESS-The-Third-Coming-crystal-clear-black-dust-LP

Tracklist:
1. Death by Astonishment 5:55
2. Windowmaker 7:15
3. Velvet Nebula 5:22
4. Endless Cycles 4:54
5. Burnt! 6:11
6. Hazy Morning 3:00
7. Sauerkraut 3:37

Announcing our next run of shows presenting “The Third Coming” in Europe, with dates in Portugal, Spain & France 💫

10.05 – Socorro, Porto 🇵🇹
20.05 – Wurlitzer, Madrid 🇪🇸
21.05 – El Bunker, Alicante 🇪🇸
23.05 – Sideral Fest, Capbreton 🇫🇷
24.05 – La grange Baffignac, Castres 🇫🇷
27.05 – La Ley Seca, Zaragoza 🇪🇸
28.05 – Dio Bar, Barcelona 🇪🇸
29.05 – La Rayuela, Miranda de Ebro 🇪🇸
30.05 – Rock dos Romanos, Coimbra 🇵🇹

Recorded at Hertzcontrol Studio by Marco Lima in Caminha, Portugal
Produced/Mixed by Marco Lima
Mastered by Alvaro Galego
Artwork by Lory Cervi

MADMESS are:
Guitar/Vocals: Ricardo Sampaio
Bass Guitar: Vasco Vasconcelos
Drums: Pedro Cruz

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Drone soloist Mark Kitchens, who operates under the moniker of Slow Draw with the experimentalist project, is on cusp of an April 29 release for his new five-song LP, The People’s Department of Governmental Checks and Balances. From the tense dub of its opening chapter “A Misleading Sense of Direction,” which sets its low-key beat and weaving line of synthesizer drone as a backdrop for a sample from air traffic control that I’m pretty sure returns backward on closer “Trying to Land,” the 35-minute work sets itself forth as a kind of resonant, individualized psychedelia distinct from what Kitchens has done with Slow Draw up to this point, but very much born out of those root creative impulses.

Consider that most drone you hear is made by guitarists. Kitchens handles a range of instruments in Slow Draw, but is also the drummer in Stone Machine Electric, and so that organic and electric beatmaking would be a part of his approach makes sense, even as the 12-plus-minute “Paradise of Fools” seems to be so much about the SunnO)))-style tonal overwhelm of its guitar. And fair enough, but while Kitchens spends a decent amount of the total runtime in that space, it’s still only part of the overarching impression, and Kitchens is no less purposeful in leaving the reaches open for most of “Inventing Scapegoats,” taking the placed-far-back vocals buried in the mix of the song prior and putting them as the swirling monasterial fog of the ongoing ritual exploration. Where “Paradise of Fools” was only missing drums to give a full-band feel — accomplishing a Megaton Leviathan-style avant drone-gaze in the meantime — “Inventing Scapegoats” is much quieter, to a point of minimalism early on, but does tip over to manifesting that full-band feel.

That in itself isn’t necessarily new. Kitchens had guitar/bass/drum solo arrangements on 2023’s The Mystic Crib (review here), and that rhythm would be part of the ideology even in a drone project for a drummer should be taken as no surprise. It’s the way Kitchens brings drone, psych and a kind of meditative feel together. “A Misleading Sense of Direction” is part of it in terms of setting the atmosphere, and “Paradise of Fools” reminds of Author & Punisher at its noisiest, so I’m not complaining about that either, but in “Inventing Scapegoats” and “Data Corrupter,” the latter of which sounds like it was recorded on a room mic filtered through a ColecoVision, Kitchens realizes something different in heavy psych and drone. It’s not quite drone-gaze, or heavy-gaze or whatever the difference might be between the two, but it draws from that as well as from the likes of Om and, in the case of the latter, its rough sound and samples make it sound all the more like a garage-psych dispatch from the apocalyptic now.

Each piece on The People’s Department of Governmental Checks and Balances — and if you find the implications of the cover art shocking, grow up; even David Brooks is calling for a popular uprising — adds something to the procession of the whole, and the kind of drummer’s-drone point of view can be heard in the jazzy motion of “Trying to Land,” which would seem to bookend with the leadoff, but in terms of Slow Draw making ‘songs,’ with vocals and changes and arrangements and so on, the album is an immediate standout in Kitchens‘ growing catalog. His journey to this point has brought him to a place of what feels like genuine stylistic discovery and a nascent process emerging in a project that has made experimentation a founding principle. I’m curious as hell to know where Kitchens might take Slow Draw from here, and his move toward songwriting is a big part of why.

The album streams in full below. Please enjoy:

The next Slow Draw work arrives April 29th with the new album “The People’s Department of Governmental Checks & Balances”.

IN THE BAND’S OWN WORDS:

“This album is a continuation of the frustration with current times and events as expressed in the recent release ‘Living in a Land of Scarecrows’. Things seem to be going in reverse, and nothing is logical, so, this mess of songs reflects that kind of chaos and frustration.

Since 2017, Mark Kitchens (one third of Stone Machine Electric) has been steadily releasing a series of singles and albums through his solo project Slow Draw. Informed by drone, ambient, psychedelia, and more, Slow Draw creates patient, exploratory soundscapes. At times unsettling, at others peaceful, Kitchens navigates his way through space and noise with unwavering intent.

Slow Draw is:
Mark Kitchens

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The fuzz runs strong in This Summit Fever‘s self-titled debut full-length, released this week through Majestic Mountain Records. The UK-based duo of guitarist/vocalist Andy Blackburn and drummer Jim McSorley make it a party on their first long-player, with eight songs and 29 minutes of crash ‘n’ bash raucous heft, tempered a bit by some mellower stretches, but rich in tone in a way that calls to mind marauder two-pieces like Big Business or Telekinetic Yeti, while remanining distinct in how they manifest their ideas. But for closer “It Haunts Us,” every song on the record is under four minutes long — the finale is a sprawling 4:45 — and with worship-hued fuzz worthy of Valley of the Sun, “Breathe You In” welcomes listeners to the procession with due force and energy, letting “Currents” pick up with an even hairier roll.

Clearly momentum is a factor on a record that’s purposefully comprised of such short, tight cuts, but tempo and modus are both malleable throughout This Summit Fever, and so they make it a ride in addition to being a collection of songs. “Currents” airs out the melody in its fluid verse and “Hooks” introduces a bit more stomp in McSorley‘s drums as the guitar shifts between twist and roll before the wah hits in the solo en route to the big-nod ending and the more immediate into-the-verse beginning of “Superfluous,” the slower presumed capper for side A. Answered back to by “It Haunts Us” later on, which likewise takes it a bit easier on the volume and/or throttle but veers closer to psychedelics, “Superfluous” is perhaps titled in honor of the crescendo following its mellower outset, but don’t take that to imply it’s too much. Overload is the whole idea.

Far back drums lead the way into “Voices” like the old metalcore kids used to do, and what unfolds is a highlight riff and steady movement into the watery verse. There’s a bit of drama in the solo later on, and the vocals take a moodier cast, but it’s still cohesive and any perceived divergences are mitigated by the fact that the songs are so short. It’s one thing into the next into the next; they keep moving, even if sometimes that motion is molasses-paced. “Voices” is hookier than “Hooks,” and it leads into the tempo-kick of “Party to Blame,” which takes a classic-style stoner rock shuffle and turns it atmospheric with spacey vocal reverb, slows down in the chorus, and sets up the mid-tempo immersion of the penultimate “Only Quiteness” with consistent fluidity. The stops in “Only Quiteness” are a distinguishing feature, but again, well in play as they move into “It Haunts Us” with hand percussion and softer electric guitar ambience and a breathy vocal to match.

To their credit, “It Haunts Us” doesn’t at any point burst into full-toned riffing in some grand finale. While it might be rad if they did, of course, the reason it works as-is is that it reaffirms This Summit Fever are in the process of growing and realizing different intentions through their sound. There’s little in their self-titled debut that’s revolutionizing genre conventions, but that’s not the priority here. They’re laying out what they do in terms of songwriting and giving themselves a strong foundation thereof from which to continue to move forward. That momentum? It breaks the fourth wall, because as the band have spent the last five years meting out singles and a couple EPs, they’ve been making their way here, and now that they’ve arrived at the debut LP — a critical moment in the life of any band or artist, obviously — they meet the moment head-on while still keeping one eye on what’s coming next. By the time the record’s done, I can’t help but be curious in that regard too.

The album streams in full below, followed by more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Andy Blackburn on This Summit Fever:

“Our self titled debut album represents who we are as a band and who I am as a songwriter in 2025. I have no interest in trying to be the next.. whichever band. I want to make our own path and embrace influences from different genres. For me, creating music has to come from the heart. There HAS to be emotion, be that anger, sadness, regret, fear or happiness. It’s a way to express difficult feelings about life’s challenges in a positive way. If someone else can relate, then that’s a huge bonus.”

This Summit Fever, the riff-worshipping fuzz rock duo, is set to unleash their self-titled debut album on April 4, 2025, via Majestic Mountain Records. With a sound that sits comfortably between Fu Manchu, The Melvins, and Queens of the Stone Age, the UK-based duo delivers a raw, high-energy mix of fuzz-drenched riffs and thunderous grooves, proving that two people can make a mountain-sized sound.

Originally formed as a lockdown project by guitarist/vocalist Andy Blackburn, the band quickly gained momentum when longtime friend and drummer Jim McSorley joined. What started as home-recorded demos soon evolved into a fully realized, high-impact fuzz rock machine, fueled by the duo’s love for massive riffs and powerful rhythms.

Recorded with a self-imposed limitation mantra, This Summit Fever strips away excess production, focusing instead on authentic, hard-hitting songwriting.

“As a songwriter, I’ve come to embrace our limitations as a duo. It forces us to be more creative with riffs, melodies, and arrangements. We decluttered the production, focusing only on what the songs truly needed.” – Andy Blackburn

The album dives into the complexities of the human condition, exploring personal struggles, resilience, and emotional turmoil, all wrapped in thick walls of fuzz, pounding drums, and hypnotic grooves.

This Summit Fever has built a reputation for their ferocious live performances, proving that what they lack in numbers, they make up for in sheer sonic force.

THIS SUMMIT FEVER – 2025 TOUR DATES
Friday, April 11 – Wolverhampton, Dive (Album Launch)
Saturday, April 12 – Bournemouth, Dorset Doomsday
Wednesday, April 16 – Manchester, Night and Day (Headline Show)
May 2-4 – Shrewsbury, Loopfest
Sunday, May 18 – London, Desertfest
Friday, June 20 – London, The Dev (Headline Show)
Saturday, September 13 – London, The Black Heart

This Summit Fever’s Linktr.ee

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Majestic Mountain Records store

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The Elven will release their debut album, Solstice, this week through Spinda Records, Clostridium Records and Echodelick Records. If that seems like a mighty consortium for a newcomer outfit, it’s worth noting that the band is comprised of members of Spain’s Saturna — bassist Rod Tirado and guitarist/vocalist James Vieco — collaborating with Earthless guitarist Isaiah Mitchell. With the lineup completed by keyboardist Tabatha Puig and drummer Javi Gómez, the full band came together as a pandemic-era divergence on the part of Tirado and Vieco, and while I don’t know the timing on at what point in the last five years it was actually put to tape — which really only matters if you’re curious how long it took the songs to come together and how long they’ve been sitting on the release, which I am — the sound of the band speaks to a timeless encapsulation of classic and heavy rock. Suddenly three labels to cover different geographic regions doesn’t seem like too much.

Opener “Shine” begins with a stretch of standalone guitar and vocals, offering immediately organic tonality and a recognizably strong, ’70s-style vocal from Vieco that will continue to mesh well with the proceedings throughout. There are flashes of proggier effects, synthy flashes from Puig‘s keys and leans into psychedelia amid the low-end warmth of the underlying riffing, varying in fuzz and tone and of course every now and then taking off on an ace solo or two — unavoidable given personnel and not a thing about which to complain — but what’s most striking about it is the cohesiveness of character. “Shine” resolves in a purposeful, soulful chorus and lets the listener loose on the rest of the album with high expectations that the strum and circa-’68 bottom-of-mouth-style verse and subsequent classy scorch of “Far Beyond” begins to meet.

Whatever the original impetus might’ve been — one assumes plague restlessness — behind the formation of The Elven, the band remain striking in their blend of influences from a span of decades, letting “Closer to Freedom” follow “Far Beyond” as a slower, drumless melodic divergence before the shuffle renews in “New Pair of Wings,” which answers the textural elements of hte songs preceding with a purposefully light, airy pastoralia of tone. Even the solo sounds nostalgic, and it’s supposed to, so that’s a win. Further to the purposeful nature of the entire affair, Solistice‘s eight tracks/34 minutes play out in a back and forth of longer and shorter songs, the longest of which is side B opener “Stand Right Next to Me” at 6:20.

There’s a sax, or what sounds like one, in “Stand Right Next to Me,” and that adds to the fullness of the jam that follows the earlier verse, which sets the vocals deeper in the mix for a broader sound. The band are well comfortable in the swing and the finish is classic enough that it sounds like they’re ending the intro to a late-night talk show, by which I of course mean they’re both pro-shop and on-fire, and the realignment toward the shorter and more straight-ahead “Out the Door” does nothing to lessen that impression. Somewhat crunchier in tone — nothing here comes close to aggression; for context, there’s still room for a honky-tonk sound from the keys — it recalls early ’70s blues-boogie without aping either structure or production, conveying a clarity of sound as well as an aesthetic of humility despite the arrangement outreach. The abiding lack of pretense and/or extraneous bullshit serves them well throughout.

The last longer-shorter pairing is “Wherever I Go,” duly rambling and Joe Cocker-esque in its throaty melody and sway, and the 2:23 “All of a Sudden,” which is a quieter outro based around the guitar with flourish of keys to complement. A subdued ending to a record that’s never quite let it all loose but that instead has skillfully and gracefully carried the listener from one end to the other, still remaining balanced between intention and execution, by which I mean nothing is overwritten or overplayed for what they’re trying to do. Again, pro-shop. Those who come into Solstice with the context in mind of who these players are and their prior work will probably get their hopes up going into it, but regardless of where you think the music might go because you know Saturna or Earthless, part of what The Elven accomplish on this first album is to create a vibrant persona of the band’s own.

The album is out April 3, which is Thursday,  and can be ordered now. You’ll find it in full on the player below, followed by more info from the PR wire. I didn’t mention it in the review proper, but credit to Jondix for the badass art.

Enjoy the stream:

‘Solstice’ will be available on April 3, 2025, and will be released exclusively in digital format and on vinyl; in a limited edition of 300 copies in marbled yellow, which can already be pre-ordered at spindarecords.com.

What began at the end of 2020 as an irrational need to compose music by Rod Tirado and James Vieco from Saturna soon took on a different identity when they brought in their friends Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) on lead guitar, Tabatha Puig on keyboards, and Javi Gómez on drums. In just one month, they wrote the 8 songs that make up this debut album, titled ‘Solstice’, which they recorded with all the freshness and spontaneity of the moment at the Analog Drive-in Studios, alongside Christian A. Korn at the controls and Dani Pernas as co-producer. Pernas would later handle the mixing before passing the project on to Estanis Elorza for mastering.

For the graphic design, they once again enlisted an illustration by Jondix (Tool, Black Sabbath, High on Fire, Electric Wizard) and the design by Jalón de Aquiles for a vinyl edition that will be released by Spinda Records (ES), in a new collaboration with Clostridium Records (DE) and Echodelick Records (US), who previously worked together on the debut album by Loma Baja.

Solstice
1. Shine
2. Far beyond
3. Closer to freedom
4. New pair of wings
5. Stand right next to me
6. Out the door
7. Wherever I go
8. All of a sudden

THE ELVEN is:
Rod Tirado: bass
James Vieco: guitars, vocals
Isaiah Mitchell: guitars
Tabatha Puig: keys
Javi Gómez: drums

The Elven, “Shine” official video

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Clostridium Records on Instagram

Clostridium Records website

Echodelick Records on Facebook

Echodelick Records on Instagram

Echodelick Records on Bandcamp

Echodelick Records website