Posted in Whathaveyou on November 5th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This is the first Orange Goblin date I’ve seen for 2025, and surely won’t be the last fest the UK troupe headline as they continue to support this year’s Science, Not Fiction (review here) in Europe and beyond. At Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Athens — the first time Italy’s Heavy Psych Sounds has put on one of its branded festivals in Greece — Tuber, Belzebong, Black Rainbows and Acid Mammoth will join in the fray of the two-nights/two-clubs event set for March 7 and 8, plus more names still to be unveiled. Of those, Tuber and Acid Mammoth represent the fertile native Greek underground, and it’s unlikely they’ll be the only ones to do so by the time the lineup is done. There’s no lack of bands to choose from between now and the end of winter.
The announcement came through today with what’s probably ultimately about half the bill — unless they’re really packing them in, which is always possible; I don’t know if Arch Club or Universe have more than one stage — but it’s a strong start either way and a way to let the heavy heads of Athens know that a thing is happening as tickets go on presale. This may be the first time in Athens, but it’s not at all Heavy Psych Sounds‘ first time branching into new territory, and you’ll note the partnership here with local producer TMR Entertainment Group, which continues a thread of aligning with regional promoters to ensure things go off with no more hitches than one might generally encounter in stoner-anything.
Another killer two-dayer, and that this sentence started with “another” should be taken as a sign of how utterly spoiled the world is for heavy festivals. Think about where you were and weren’t four years ago.
From the PR wire:
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ATHENS 2025
– FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ATHENS – 7th and 8th MARCH 2025 –
FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED TODAY
THE HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST is landing in Athens for the first time on March 7 & 8, 2025, bringing with it an unstoppable rock earthquake! For two electrifying nights, ARCH Club and Universe will transform into hotspots for the stoner, doom, and psych rock scene, hosting some of the genre’s most legendary names.
Today Heavy Psych Sounds Records in cooperation with TMR Entertainment Group is announcing the FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS !!
– HPS FEST ATHENS 2025 – 7th and 8th March @ Arch Club @ Universe
FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS
ORANGE GOBLIN TUBER BELZEBONG BLACK RAINBOWS ACID MAMMOTH + more TBA
Dug-in Athenian riffchuckers Acid Mammoth are set to issue their fourth LP, Supersonic Megafauna Collision, on April 5 through Heavy Psych Sounds. It arrives three years after their duly rolling 2021 offering, Caravan (review here), and feels no less self-aware in highlighting its elephantine nature, a largesse of sound that begins in the opening title-track — catchy, doomed but not necessarily miserable, more reveling in the worship of volume and tone, a nodding testimony — and follows where the smoke goes throughout its six-track/41-minute entirety.
And if you’re expecting me to drop a reference here to that smoke leading to the Riff-Filled Land, well, I guess that’s reasonable enough. But don’t let that take away from the fact that Acid Mammoth have been declaring their brand of stoner-doom dogma since their 2017 self-titled debut caught the attention of Heavy Psych Sounds in the first place. And along with the over-the-top, heavy-speaking-to-heavy title underscoring the latest outing’s aural heft in language the genre-converted should have no trouble understanding — that is, it feels like one is supposed to look at Supersonic Megafauna Collision and/or the Branca Studio cover that adorns it and rightly anticipate being flattened by the proceedings — the overarching crush that gets a bit more down and dirty in “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” (video premiering below) becomes not a downer slog, but instead a vital celebration of its own motion.
This is an aspect of the work the band themselves acknowledge in the PR wire info below — thinking specifically of “all that enthusiasm and excitement,” etc. — and part of it might just be down to that the record, with the exceptions of 11:53 closer “Tusko’s Last Trip” and the trade-volume-for-hypnosis “One with the Void” (4:35) before it, keeps its songs to about six minutes in length, keeps its energy high, and feels in its bulk specifically composed to be played live. Through the title cut, “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming),” the Electric Wizardly slough of “Garden of Bones” on which Marios Louvaris seems to keep the momentum going in part by peppering in double-kick amid the tempo comedown riffery, and “Atomic Shaman,” which leads off side B in what feels like direct complement to the catchiness that began in “Supersonic Megafauna Collision,” Acid Mammoth dare to bring vibrancy to a style of doom that in the hands of many outfits in Europe and elsewhere has a hard time getting out of the way of its own misery. Among the many other things Acid Mammoth accomplish on Supersonic Megafauna Collision, they make it fun to play in the mud.
The vocals of Chris Babalis, Jr., which are Sabbath-rooted but have never wanted for their own character in that — Babalis on guitar/vocals and Louvis on drums make up half the returning lineup with guitarist Chris Babalis, Sr. and bassist Dimosthenis Varikos are another piece of what carries that fervor through to the listener. This is true even as one waits for the volume burst in “One With the Void” that doesn’t actually arrive until after the riff of “Tusko’s Last Trip” enacts its own build, and as infectious as the earlier pieces are in their choruses and brighter mood, it’s the vocals that provide consistency as the second half of the record departs from “Atomic Shaman” into the last two songs, fostering tension in “One With the Void” that “Tusko’s Last Trip” pays off in its outbound march and the gritty low end that leaves space for lead guitar to cut through before and after they set up and execute the concluding, jammier procession, an especially scorching solo over brash plod that could probably have just kept going all day like that providing the album’s final statement before the quick fade brings it down.
While consistent in tone, “Tusko’s Last Trip” is purposeful in delivering on the trope of a harder-hitting, broader-in-scope capstone, and it ends up hitting its mark — not unexpectedly, considering it’s Acid Mammoth‘s fourth full-length — in a way that also calls out the clarity of big-riff-party intent throughout Supersonic Megafauna Collision‘s early going. And yet, if they wrote it for Caravan, it would’ve been a completely different song three years ago. The band have never sounded tighter than they do in these songs, and while that’s part of the appeal, they neglect neither the atmospheric scope nor the raw impact crucial to engaging the audience whose passion for the form they so readily share. All of these elements, plus melody, chemistry, aesthetic and craft, align just right to let Supersonic Megafauna Collision present a fresh take to those with ears willing to hear it. Whatever else they do or don’t do from here, they’ve captured a moment.
Enjoy the clip for “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” — which is mostly safe for work, if that helps? — below, followed by some words from the band on it and more from the PR wire:
Acid Mammoth, “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” video premiere
Acid Mammoth on “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)”:
“Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” is the third track of our upcoming new album ‘Supersonic Megafauna Collision’. It is a witchy track, filled with fuzzy riffs and an unholy atmosphere. Debauchery is taking place in the wickedest of covens, with smoke and blood transcending your soul. Join the coven and relish its serpentine bliss!”
About their upcoming fourth studio album “Supersonic Megafauna Collision”, vocalist and guitarist Chris Babalis Jr. says: “While the previous album was composed and recorded during a state of total COVID lockdown in 2020, our new album was composed and recorded after the world had gotten back to a new state of normalcy after we had toured and played shows all over Europe, and all that enthusiasm and excitement we gathered while touring was put into this new album. We wanted to record a heavy and explosive album with lots of fuzz, that retains what made our sound great in our previous releases but take it a few steps further, and that’s exactly what we did. The album starts as a celebration of all things fuzzy with the title track, and it just gets darker and darker as the album progresses, until it concludes in complete and utter heartbreak with the song “Tusko’s Last Trip”, telling the heart-wrenching real story of Tusko, an elephant who was murdered as a result of cruel human experimentation.”
“Supersonic Megafauna Collision” was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Descent Studio, with drums recorded at Ritual Studios. The artwork was created by Branca Studio.
*** ACID MAMMOTH *** EUROPEAN TOUR 2024 SA 27/04/2024 IT TORINO – Blah Blah SU 28/04/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** MO 29/04/2024 ES BARCELONA – Razzmatazz 3 TU 30/04/2024 ES MADRID – Wurlitzer Ballroom WE 01/05/2024 ES PORTUGALETE – Sala Groove TH 02/05/2024 FR MARSEILLE – Le Molotov FR 03/05/2024 FR CHAMBERY – Brin de Zinc SA 04/05/2024 CH ALTDORF – Vogelsang SU 05/05/2024 IT BOLOGNA – TBA MO 06/05/2024 IT *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 07/05/2024 IT *** OPEN SLOT ***
TRACKLISTING: 1. Supersonic Megafauna Collision (6:38) 2. Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming) (6:12) 3. Garden of Bones (6:28) 4. Atomic Shaman (6:12) 5. One With the Void (4:35) 6. Tusko’s Last Trip (11:53)
ACID MAMMOTH is Chris Babalis Jr. – Vocals, Guitars Chris Babalis Sr. – Guitars Dimosthenis Varikos – Bass Marios Louvaris – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 11th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
To advance the newly-announced April 5 release of their awaited fourth album, Supersonic Megafauna Collision, Greek doom rollers Acid Mammoth have chosen to unveil the title-track. In its six and a half minutes you will find pure, unadulterated love and worship of riff. It bleeds through the tones of father/son guitar duo Chris Babalis Jr. (also vocals; I met him at SonicBlast and he was super-nice; wish I had seen the band) and Chris Babalis Sr., who are joined in their oft-grim processions by bassist Dimosthenis Varikos and drummer Marios Louvaris, and, well, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the track (and album) ended up titled after the concept of large, probably-prehistoric animals smashing into each other at high speeds. Also it’s catchy.
Heavy Psych Sounds has the release and the PR wire has preorder links and more info below. I’ll hope to have more to come before Supersonic Megafauna Collision comes out, but here’s what’s up:
– brand new album of the greek heavy doom wizards –
Athens doom metal pillars ACID MAMMOTH return this spring with their anticipated fourth album “Supersonic Megafauna Collision”, to be released on April 5th through Heavy Psych Sounds. Blast the title track now courtesy of Metal Injection!
Get ready to be overtaken by a storm of pachyderm-hefty riffs, wooly bass, fierce drumming, and witchy vocals. ACID MAMMOTH’s highly anticipated fourth album is an unholy celebration of all things heavy, and as the album progresses, it just keeps getting doomier. “Supersonic Megafauna Collision” is an evil and explosive album drenched in 666% fuzz!
About this new album, vocalist and guitarist Chris Babalis Jr. says: “While the previous album was composed and recorded during a state of total COVID lockdown in 2020, our new album was composed and recorded after the world had gotten back to a new state of normalcy, after we had toured and played shows all over Europe, and all that enthusiasm and excitement we gathered while touring was put into this new album. We wanted to record a heavy and explosive album with lots of fuzz, that retains what made our sound great in our previous releases but take it a few steps further, and that’s exactly what we did. The album starts as a celebration of all things fuzzy with the title track “Supersonic Megafauna Collision”, and it just gets darker and darker as the album progresses, until it concludes in complete and utter heartbreak with the song “Tusko’s Last Trip”, telling the heart-wrenching real story of Tusko, an elephant who was murdered as a result of cruel human experimentation.”
“Supersonic Megafauna Collision” was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Descent Studio, with drums recorded at Ritual Studios. The artwork was created by Branca Studio.
RELEASED IN 10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL 100 ULTRA LTD SIDE A–SIDE B WHITE/GREEN/ORANGE VINYL 100 ULTRA LTD HALF-HALF TRANSP. GREEN/SPLATTER BLACK/RED VINYL 400 LTD RED VINYL BLACK VINYL DIGIPAK DIGITAL
TRACKLIST SIDE A Supersonic Megafauna Collision – 6:37 Fuzzorgasm (Keep On Screaming) – 6:12 Garden Of Bones – 6:28
SIDE B Atomic Shaman – 6:11 One With The Void – 4:35 Tusko’s Last Trip – 11:53
We are very happy to announce our brand-new full-length album, “Supersonic Megafauna Collision”!
This product of impenetrable evil is coming out on April 5th by Heavy Psych Sounds Records! Get ready to be overtaken by a storm of pachyderm guitar riffs, wooly bass, explosive drumming, and witchy vocals!
“Supersonic Megafauna Collision” is an unholy celebration of all things heavy, and as the album progresses it just keeps getting doomier! It is an evil and explosive album, with 666% fuzz!
Recorded, mixed & mastered at Descent Studio. Drums recorded at Ritual Studios. Artwork by Branca Studio.
ACID MAMMOTH is: Chris Babalis Jr. – Vocals, Guitars Chris Babalis Sr. – Guitars Dimosthenis Varikos – Bass Marios Louvaris – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 20th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Fall incarnation of Into the Void, held in Leeuwarden, took place on Sept. 30 with Alabama Thunderpussy, Howling Giant and scores of others, and that had been announced in April, so there’s a fitting symmetry to unveiling the initial lineup for Spring 2024 even as the autumnal festival season in Europe continues to play out. Look for Truckfighters, Mars Red Sky, Skraeckoedlan, Black Rainbows, Endonomos and Acid Mammoth to be out and about in Winter 2024, as the Dutch fest will be early on the circuit and probably a launch point for tours, and with Netherlands natives like Ter Ziele, Rrrags and Onhou, the regional underground is supported as well. Feb. 24 is the date and there are reportedly three more acts to add.
No, I don’t know who they are, but you might have fun trying to guess based on who has records out now and in the early going of 2024. No shortage of names on that list. But you’ll notice that Endonomos from Austria and Onhou aren’t included in the text of the announcement but are on the artwork, so don’t ask me who’s gonna play when. February is four months out. I’m sure by the time the fest happens it’ll be sorted. Everybody calm down in the meantime.
Lots to dig here, so get diggin’:
After a successful first edition of Into the Void in Rockcity Eindhoven, of course, a second edition can’t be missed. (#128640#) On February 24, 2024, the Effenaar will be submerged once again in a swamp of stoner, sludge and doom.
In this edition we welcome the following bands: BLACK RAINBOWS, Truckfighters, ️ Mars Red Sky,️ Acid Mammoth, SKRAECKOEDLAN, TER ZIELE and RRRags. The final 3 bands including the headliner will be announced soon.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This is gonna sound like I’m kissing ass, but Heavy Psych Sounds is real-deal upping its festival game this year. From the stellar California lineup to Italy to this, it’s been fun to watch as the shows get bigger and more plentiful. El Perro and maybe Acid Mammoth/1782 (?) had this fest in their latest tour dates, so the existence of Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Switzerland isn’t exactly news — and they’re both booked by HPS, so if it was a leak, it wasn’t done without the label knowing it since the bookers and the label are the same people — but the lineup is right on with Truckfighters in the headline slot, the aforementioned El Perro, Acid Mammoth and 1782, Giöbia and Oreyeon ticking any boxes you have for weird, and Deadsmoke for a bit of something nastier. I’ll be interested to see who else gets added — certainly there are plenty of acts on tour in May and with so many festivals happening around then — but if this was it I’d still say it’s a good one. And the poster alone is giving the lineup alone a run for its money.
Shows are in Martigny and Winterthur, and if you need me to say any more about Heavy Psych Sounds, I’m done here, but I’m pretty sure there will be more news from them in about five minutes, so just sit tight.
From the PR wire:
First names and tickets for HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST SWITZERLAND available; May 26-27th on Winterthur and Martigny!
Today, Heavy Psych Sounds Records unveil the first names for the 2023 edition of HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST SWITZERLAND, the stoner, doom and psych rock mini-festival taking place simultaneously on May 26-27th in Winterthur and Martigny. Two days, two cities, same lineup: all the fuzz!
Following on from the recent HPS Fest Italy and HPS Fest California announcements, it’s now time to get ready for the summer season with the yearly Swiss gathering of all things heavy and fuzzy-sounding! As always with Heavy Psych Sounds, some of the finest bands of their label roster will hit the festival’s stage, joined by one or two cornerstone acts of the international heavy rock scene: on this special occasion, Swedish stoner rock icons Truckfighters are confirmed as headliners for this 2023 edition!
All bands announced are set to play both in Winterthur and Martigny across the weekend of April 26-27h of April. Day splits and timetables to be unveiled soon!
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 1st, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Every day it’s something else from Heavy Psych Sounds. Actually, most days at least in the early unfolding of 2023 so far, it’s two something elses. Tours, festivals, releases upcoming. The Italian imprint has been arguably the world’s foremost purveyor of underground heavy, new and old, for a few years now, and while it might sound like I’m complaining about not being able to keep up — to be sure, a nuisance, but one that only makes me annoyed at myself, which is a familiar enough feeling — I’m actually amazed at the level of output. It’s a thing worth appreciating while it’s happening, and as 1782 and Acid Mammoth join forces for a 2023 sequel to their April 2022 joint tour, the pairing of two of the label’s up and comers emphasizes just how broad the imprint’s reach has become.
I don’t know about new Acid Mammoth, but 1782 recently announced their new record, Clamor Luciferi (info here), which will see release concurrent to this run, and that’s for sure something to look forward to. Note as well a few open dates if you’ve got a spot to host.
They’re calling it ‘Doom Tour Vol. 2,’ so, you know, points for accuracy. If they keep this up they’ll have to do a split eventually. Oh wait.
Dates follow:
Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking to announce 1782 + ACID MAMMOTH Doom tour vol. 2 !!!
Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is proud to announce *** 1782 + ACID MAMMOTH *** – DOOM TOUR VOL. 2 –
We are stoked to announce a very special DOOM combo: 1782 + ACID MAMMOTH !!!
*** 1782 + ACID MAMMOTH *** Doom tour vol. 2 TH 06/04/2023 IT OPEN SLOT** FR 07/04/2023 IT BOLZANO – PIPPO STAGE SA 08/04/2023 DE SAARBRUCKEN – HORST SU 09/04/2023 FR LILLE – LA BRAT CAVE MO 10/04/2023 FR PARIS – BLACK DOG TU 11/04/2023 FR NANTES – THE BLACK SHELTER WE 12/04/2023 FR OPEN SLOT** TH 13/04/2023 ES OPEN SLOT** FR 14/04/2023 ES BARCELONA – SALA TEXTIL SA 15/04/2023 FR OPEN SLOT** SU 16/04/2023 FR MARSEILLE – LE MOLOTOV MO 17/04/2023 FR OPEN SLOT** TU 18/04/2023 FR CHAMBERY – BRIN DE ZINC WE 19/04/2023 IT BOLOGNA – FREAKOUT TH 20/04/2023 HR ZAGREB – DVA OSAM FR 21/04/2023 SL OPEN SLOT** SA 22/04/2023 IT PORDENONE – ASTRO CLUB
ACID MAMMOTH is: Chris Babalis Jr. – Vocals, Guitars Chris Babalis Sr. – Guitars Dimosthenis Varikos – Bass Marios Louvaris – Drums
1782 is: Marco Nieddu – vocals/guitar Gabriele Fancellu – drums/back. vocals Francesco Pintore – bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
You’ve got the forerunners of Greek heavy rock in 1000mods as a headliner and Black Rainbows who should have a new record in the can by then, Dutch out-there-searchers Temple Fang and burly Osnabrückian sludge metallers Iron Walrus, Gnome who are frickin’ everywhere right now, Acid Mammoth who crush and I hope have a new LP out this year, Mother Engine, dreamy Darmstadt instrumentalists Lucid Void, plus the eternally weird Beehoover and DŸSE, and did I miss anybody? I don’t think so. In any case, this is pretty strong first announcement from the venerable and long-running Stoned From the Underground Festival in Germany. Set to take place July 13-15, it’s always a spot on the summer’s heavy circuit and an event I’ve admired from afar for a long time even if I haven’t always necessarily covered it. I don’t have an excuse, I’m only one person and I think more than 20 years on from when they started out, the fest needs me to write words about it not in the slightest. They are an institution.
In any case, it’s already a solid assemblage and obviously there’s more to come. Earlybird tickets seem to be on sale now, so if you know you’re going to be in the neighborhood or if you’re putting yourself there for the festival, traveling, etc., you might as well get the bargain. For the rest of us, a bit of daydream fodder:
Dear Stoned community,
So far we’ve been holding back on band announcements, but now we’re really getting started. Enjoy with us:
1000mods BLACK RAINBOWS Temple Fang Acid Mammoth Mother Engine DŸSE Gnome Beehoover IRON WALRUS Swan Valley Heights Lucid Void …and more
Daniela Uhlig is already working at full steam on our new artwork for 2023, which will follow in the next few days – stay tuned!
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 16th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Portugal’s SonicBlast Fest will mark its 11th go in 2023 with a massive, still-more-to-be-announced lineup that spans styles and geographies, from Norway to Greece to Japan and New Orleans to San Diego, Poland and Los Angeles and New York and sludge to psych-jazz and on from there into however many ethers of prog and rock. It’s easy to admire even from across an ocean what SonicBlast has built over its years, and the photos that emerge from each edition — just a bunch of awesome bands playing in paradise, no big deal — are enviable to say the least, and while I don’t want to be engaging too deeply in promo speak or trying to tap anyone’s FOMO, if you’re thinking of making the trip, however far it may or may not be, it’ll probably sell out.
Check out OFF! hitting the heavy fests, huh? Not quite what I’d expect there, but cool to see Acid King getting out, and good to know Naxatras will be back on the road as well next summer along with a host of others. Over the last couple weeks, a lot of the Spring and Summer 2023 festival season in Europe has taken shape, and with the promise of so much more to come, it looks like it’s gonna be a good one. Call it revelry well earned, and let’s all appreciate it whether or not we can actually be there.
To wit:
We’re so psyched to announce the first bands to join us at SonicBlast Fest’s 11th edition: OFF!, Acid King, A Place To Bury Strangers, Earthless, KADAVAR, Elder, EYEHATEGOD, Death Valley Girls, Church of Misery, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Weedpecker, Mondo Generator, Naxatras, Kanaan, BLACK RAINBOWS, Acid Mammoth, Monarch, Spirit Mother and El Altar Del Holocausto!
