Posted in Whathaveyou on October 10th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
If they’re really done — that is, if the hiatus that Atavismo have newly announced will stick permanently — then I’m singularly sorry not to have seen the band. The Algeciras-based heavy psych and progressive outfit made their debut with the 2014 album Desintegración (discussed here; review here), and their most recent offering was the single, “Psicopatías del 2021” (premiered here), a reinterpretation of a track by the associated project Mind! that appeared on the Spinda Records 7″ compilation Grados. Minutos. Segundos., sprawling and limited as that was. Their most recent standalone release was 2018’s Valdeinfierno EP (review here), which followed their second LP, 2017’s Inerte (review here).
So you can see maybe it’s been a while, but I have no hesitation in telling you Atavismo was a special band, even never having seen them play. The Algeciras-based four-piece contributed significantly to the progressive course of Spanish psychedelia in the last decade, and the telltale blend of folk and heavy psych influences can in turn be heard in a slew of regional acts who’ve taken cues at least in part from what Atavismo did on their first two albums. I somehow doubt these people are actually done making music. Guitarist/vocalist Jose “Poti” Moreno has a pedigree that dips back to the seminal rock outfit Viaje a 800, while drummer Sandri Pow and bassist Mat both played with Moreno in Mind!, yes, the same band Atavismo covered on what’s now their swansong single.
I don’t know the circumstances behind the disbanding, but given the creative track of the members of Atavismo, the fact that Viaje a 800 were flirting with doing shows again, on and on, there will be more music. I’m bummed I didn’t see them play, but I’m awfully glad they played, and I’ll maybe always feel a bit like they called it quits too soon ahead of what would surely have been a joy of a third album. So it goes.
Their announcement, translated from the original Spanish, follows here. It appeared on social media:
It’s often said that a withdrawal time is a win.. And that’s how we all feel about making this decision.
No one knows what the future will hold for us, but since the only thing we live is the present, we went down here… We’ve decided to park Atavismo indefinitely…
We are still family but we need to be accountable to ourselves and our personal well being.
Thank you so much for being a part of our world, and for your support, as we always say, this would not be possible without you.
Completely understandable if perhaps the thought of undertaking an exploration of the Spanish heavy underground across 12 seven-inch split releases, limited in number, shipping in four separate batches — the third went out last month — and all tied together through mosaic artwork and a unity of purpose seems overwhelming. It’s a lot, and in terms of there being 250 copies made once and that’s it, not a lot of it. But the thing you need to understand about Spinda Records‘ Grados. Minutos. Segundos. compilation is that, with exclusive material from 24 Spanish bands, it’s not just speaking to the current moment. It’s presenting a document for future history.
Think of the box like a time capsule celebrating the vitality of Spain’s creative community. Some of these bands are new to me too, and to pretend otherwise would be missing the point. Coordinated by Spinda big-boss Berto Cáceres, the set speaks to a history in punk rock and DIY, but fleshes it out beautifully in presentation and class, just as the music too has grown up. I’m not in the business of telling you how to spend your money — I’m not in the business of anything, as it happens — but the truth is this is something special, that doesn’t come along every day, year or decade, let alone minutes or seconds.
There’s still one more shipment to go out in March and I’ll hope to wrap this track-by-track series then (past installments are here and here). Thanks again to Berto Cáceres, here’s the track-by-track for part three and the stream of the whole thing:
After the First 16 Stops, This Trip Around the Indie Music Scene Called ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ Continues Now with 6 New Bands: Atavismo, Mía Turbia, Santo Rostro, Cemënteri, The Soulbreaker Company and Domo.
‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you’ll have the chance to understand how’s the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don’t want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.
Grados. Minutos. Segundos. Track-by-Track Pt. 3
ATAVISMO – “Psicopatías del 2021”
“This track is a new vision of an old creation from the past. New language, new performers, same minds at stage. “Psicopatías del 2021″ is bringing our insanity down to the deepest abyss, to be eaten by our own demons and again like a new status of reality. Space-rock and psychedelia dancing together around a crazy sublet beat, while the strings machines are killing the common sense of the harmonies. Enjoy!”
MÍA TURBIA – “Centro de gravedad”
“For this compilation we wanted to write something a bit closer to space rock and all these things inspired by Hawkwind, plenty of synths and tape delays. The track itself came from a previous demo, but twisted it, added some vocals and we got it – we kept things on the dirty side. The song talks about about a lonely traveller who goes down into the depths of the ocean. The world that surrounds us is sometimes so wrong that to be isolated is the only solution.”
SANTO ROSTRO – “Annual”
“We’ve been playing live this song since 2019 and it’s purely Sabbath – we love it! We set up everything in a warehouse close to our rehearsal place and we recorded it live. Then on the studio we added another guitar and some vocal overdubs and we got it. Pretty straightforward, and it sounds live and fresh, if that makes any sense nowadays.”
CEMËNTERI – “El verano más corto”
“Trying to do something different, we went from a noisy intro at the beginning to the quietest music we’ve ever written. Singing spoken-word in this part is also unusual for us. However the end of the song is quite punk and noisy and we personally like this contrast. In terms of lyrics, this song is Covid-19 related. “El verano más corto” (the shortest Summer) goes about how fast the Summer of the year 2020 went and how disappointing it was at the end. After being locked at home for 8 full weeks, we thought Summer could bring great news, but the fact was that it was still crap, with everybody scared and out of their minds – everything was so depressing.”
CEMËNTERI – “El ritmo frenético”
“In here we also tried to do something different and definitely we managed to add something fresh to our style without losing our personality. African influences and a more funky-dance sound get together with punk rock. Drums follow afro-beat stuff whilst guitar goes closer to Tuareg-rock before merging into punk rock half way through the track…
Lyrically the song is an invitation to dance, to go into a room completely packed and surrender to the power of music, the vibration of the bodies and the physicality of music. We finished the song after Covid-19 first lockdown and by that time dancing was completely forbidden and everybody must be seated in bars and live shows. The message was poignant – we were writing about something that we took for granted for decades and we lost it quickly.”
THE SOULBREAKER COMPANY – “Kill the Devil (with his dick)”
“The song tries to create a serious atmosphere since it talks about that kind of men, referring to them as “the Devil” that use sexual workers (In the lyrics a fiction story where that “devil” is killed with his own dick). In terms of melody and harmony, we tried to create a continuous rock beat with unexpected tempo changes which are not very usual in our compositions. This, together with the claps and some extra voices, makes this song a rarity within our discography.”
DOMO – “Aldorassa”
“Aldorassa is one of the highest peaks in the Scandinavian Mountains. When composing our music, we mostly get our inspiration from nature, from its most ancestral and wild side. We truly believe there is a connection between melodies, riffs, rhythms and the vastness of the rocky sceneries shaped by the erosion and passage of time. When we return to dust, music, like mountains, will be everlasting.
Posted in audiObelisk on December 7th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The third shipment of vinyl records from Spinda Records‘ massively ambitious seven-inch box set compilation series Grados. Minutos. Segundos. has gone out, and to celebrate, the Spanish imprint overseeing the project bringing together 24 acts from Spain’s native heavy underground is premiering the inclusion from one of the country’s forerunning psych-prog acts: Atavismo. “Psicopatías del 2021” is a reworking of a song by Mind! — in which Atavismo‘s Pow and Pot and Matt played — called “Cucumbers From Mars.” The original track appeared on Mind!‘s 2013 prog opus Stunde Null (review here), and though the Atavismo take is shorter — it would have to be to fit on a 7″ record — the result is no less spacious and the smooth fluidity of the tones, groove and production are definitively Atavismo‘s own. Considering it’s some of the same players, it’s interesting how much it sounds like a different band.
If you haven’t been following Spinda‘s Grados. Minutos. Segundos. series — hey, it happens; everybody’s busy — it is a work of singular passion and regional pride. A total of 12 two-sided 7″s are being included, shipped out in installments of three singles, each one shared by two bands, which adds up to 24 different acts included in a limited one-time pressing and digital release. The art is beautiful and distinct, and the sense of curation that’s overarching for the whole affair is not to be taken lightly. Even amid an always crowded field of releases, it is something special.
As dug in as it is, it’s not going to be for everybody. I know that. But it’s important work, not just for highlighting acts from the Spanish heavy underground — though definitely for that too — but for the dedication to form. Plus it’s got new Atavismo, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s plenty to get me on board with just about anything. The band’s most recent outing, 2018’s Valdeinfierno (review here), is certainly due for a follow-up, and my understanding is that such a thing is in the works even as they unveil this new single. Nice to imagine another record from them coming sometime next year, though of course that’s wishful thinking on my part and I have no confirmation.
For now, I’m happy to host this premiere, and to continue to offer reminders about Grados. Minutos. Segundos. for as long as the series goes.
After the first 12 stops, this trip around the indie music scene called ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ continues now with 6 new bands: Atavismo, Mía Turbia, Santo Rostro, Cemënteri, the Soulbreaker Company and Domo.
Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ will be made of 12x 7″ vinyl records (to be released in 4 batches from June 2021 to March 2022), being each of them shared by 2 bands with apparently no connection at all.
But in this limited-edition boxset you won’t only find bands coming from Spinda Records roster as it is also open to others in order to get a solid project for the fans to enjoy. From the psychedelia of Acid Mess, Atavismo, Arenna or The Soulbreaker Company to the heavier sounds of Rosy Finch, Adrift, Domo or Santo Rostro; without forgetting the alternative rock of Medicina, Habitar La Mar, The Dry Mouths and Laverge; the hard rock of Partícula, Saturna or Kabbalah; the progressive rock of Moura, Pyramidal, Híbrido or Cró!; as well as new bands such us Cemënteri, Here The Captain Speaking The Captain Band, Battosai, Mía Turbia or Mondo Infiel. Fitting 24 bands in the same project can be tricky, and it is; but Spinda Records are here to have fun… Spinda Records is here for “fiesta”.
The project is limited to 240 hand-numbered boxsets, designed by The Braves Church and including 12x 7″ vinyl records, booklet, download code and stickers, as well as a tee-shirt and tote bag on its deluxe and freak editions. There won’t be reissues, so when they’re gone, they’re gone!
Mind!, “Cucumbers From Mars”
Various Artists, Grados. Minutos. Segundos. (2021)
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 12th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Not that you would need an excuse, mind you, but Atavismo were recently confirmed as taking part in next May’s Kristonfest in Madrid (info here) and next month I’ll be hosting a premiere for a new single they’re releasing as part of Spinda Records‘ mind-boggling Grados. Minutos. Segundos. compilation box set, so I guess the band have been on my brain in the way a band might be when you see there name a bunch of times in a row.
Andalusian heavy rockers Viaje a 800 released their final album, Coñac Oxigenado (review here), through Alone Records in 2012, and two years later, founding member Jose “Poti” Moreno resurfaced on guitar, vocals, mellotron, farfisa and theremin alongside drummer/backing vocalist Sandra Pow (Mind!), also mellotron/farfisa, and bassist/backing vocalist Mateo in Atavismo with the 2014 album Desintegración (review here), the four songs of which saw immediate release through Odio Sonoro on CD with an LP out in 2015 on Temple of Torturous. The link between Viaje a 800 and Atavismo via Moreno isn’t really crucial to know in terms of appreciating the later act’s work, but it’s helpful to note that their pedigree includes one of Spain’s most essential heavy bands, and to understand the shift in direction that Atavismo brought about. Because although Moreno‘s former outfit certainly had their psychedelic and progressive moments, the reshuffling of sonic priorities was plain to hear throughout Desintegración and was an immediately distinguishing factor — from members’ past work as well as the universe at large.
Though representative of some of the organic and folkish underpinnings that pervade the sound, the Antonio Ramirez cover art does precious little to convey just how bright and colorful Desintegración‘s four songs actually are, whether it’s the buildup across the 11 minutes of opener “Blazava,” or the melodic burst around the five-minute mark into “Oceánica” (8:17). Between those two, “Kraken” taps into a deceptively lush take on ’60s-era psychedelia, finding room in a mix led by acoustic and electric guitars to include any number of swirls and effects to fill out its own created space, and bookending as the finale, the 10-minute “Meeh” highlights a meditative procession marked out by the drums and the bass as the guitar drifts in and out around a memorable figure, culminating in a masterfully crafted wash that’s heavy and gorgeous and patient in kind.
All told, Desintegración runs a rather unassuming 37 minutes, but in that time each song offers something of its own while maintaining the overarching flow of the entirety. “Blazava” — and this will probably like hyperbole until you actually listen to the thing — comes across less like a standalone piece than an intro for Atavismo‘s entire career. At 11:24, it’s the longest track on the album, and where “Oceánica” and “Meeh” demonstrate the extent to which vocals are a strength of the band in arrangement as well as performance, the leadoff is entirely instrumental. And it works more or less on a single linear build, starting out with fading-in effects across its first minute-plus and gradually taking shape like the band just happened to wander in the room one at a time and pick up their instruments and do this.
That’s a simplification, of course. The movement of “Blazava” is more dynamic and its layers of guitar are more thoughtfully constructed as the song weaves through one apex en route to its final crescendo — but the vibe is so natural that it’s almost too easy to be subsumed. Hypnotic, but through more than just repetition. “Kraken,” to compare, is markedly straightforward. After the last crashes and thuds and residual swirls of “Blazava” twist into the second track, the electric, multi-layered strum of “Kraken” feels up front. Mellotron and other elements join and the album’s first verse begins with nearly a third of its runtime already past. Doesn’t even matter. The truth is that by the time the vocals come around, you’re already with the drift or you’re not. And you should be, lest you miss out on the not-quite-subtle-but-not-overblown push later in the track; the fuzzy bass almost tapping a Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” feel while the guitar and drums do jazzy laps until finally coming together around a redux of the central riff. It’s relatively short at 6:45, but no less of a journey, and clearly that’s the intention.
I’m not inclined to pick favorites, but the out-wandering-in-the-sun breadth of “Oceánica” is beautiful, with at least Moreno and Pow on vocals over quiet guitar, bass and effects, and the payoff that the song provides is singular. “Blazava” has its back and forth, and “Kraken” and “Meeh” both hit peaks as well, but what happens 4:56 into “Oceánica” is striking in a way of its own. It’s more diving-in-headfirst than crashing-wave, if you want to keep it to watery analogies, but in any case, it is cool and refreshing and it well earns the comedown that eventually follows. In most circumstances, such a thing would turn “Meeh” into an automatic epilogue, but the 10:32 finale works its own magic, distinct in mood from the prior track and anything before it on Desintegración while still lush in melody, languid in groove and reliable in its ultra-organic build. The trio end with a crash and a cymbal wash and a thud, as they might bring down a live set, and in accordance with that mentality, they leave their audience wanting more.
2017’s Inerte (review here) and 2018’s Valdeinfierno EP (review here), as well as other odds and ends and tours, carried the band forward in sound and style, pushing deeper into prog as they went. In 2018, Viaje a 800 made an appearance at SonicBlast Moledo in Portugal and followed that with a slot at Spinda Fest the next year, but Atavismo are active, as noted above, and in early 2020 they noted work underway on their next full-length. Whatever their plans were in that regard were no doubt changed by events beyond their control, but I’ve been more hopeful about less likely stuff than the band putting something out in 2022, so if you don’t mind I’ll keep that pleasant thought in my head for a while until such a thing either does or doesn’t happen.
But this one, in the meantime, was only a joy to revisit. I hope you feel the same.
Thanks for reading.
—
Kind of a chaotic week on my end. A lot of posts. Seven on Wednesday alone. I’d been averaging four for the last however long, but with the glut of returns on my last requests for Questionnaires, touring starting up again, and fest announcements like Desertfest New York today, it’s been a push to keep up even to the minimal extent that I have. I’ve already got a bunch of stuff slated for Monday as well, including an Iah review, which I’d wanted to do this week and had to push back because Tuesday was a wreck already.
Blah blah blah.
The Patient Mrs. is at a conference until Sunday, which is the primary reason I’m not going to Doom & Brews III in Connecticut tonight and tomorrow. I’m thrice vaccinated. I’d wear a mask. These are friends. So it goes. When I signed on to be a full-time parent, that’s the kind of tradeoff I was making, I guess. People have to miss shit for work all the time. Why should I be any different?
The Pecan has been alright though, just him and me. The last few weeks he’s been bucking hard, pushing boundaries, pressing buttons, mad. He straight up threw a punch at me the other day. Not one of his leg-flail kicks or a bite or a pinch, like he wound up and punched. Over some bullshit like putting on socks. I don’t even remember. I was like, “for this, you punch me?”
I went off the other night on him, said we could be the best friends in the world, but he doesn’t listen. He goes, “Like Frog and Toad?” I said, “Yeah man, we could be like Frog and Toad, hanging out, having a good time.” He had had a fit that morning over going to school or something and pinched and hit and tried to bite, and he just loses it. I held him off and then later in the day when he was doing it again, I yelled and held him down and we both just wound up on the kitchen floor trying to take deep breaths and calm down. I said I’d work on being more patient and he agreed to work on listening. Nothing of course is permanent that regard, for either of us most likely, but yesterday was comparatively pleasant. We went to a park in the afternoon, played in some leaves.
He’s at school now and it’s raining. Today’s The Patient Mrs.’ payday (I bought a Sasquatch shirt) and we need house stuff, so we’ll spend most of the afternoon running errands. Wegmans first, then back home to drop off groceries, then Costco for ALL THE PAPER TOWELS IN THE WORLD, then maybe hit Target for a return, then a sneaky loop around to Dick’s Sporting Goods to see if they have any wrist weights that might fit me (I’ve been wearing ankle ones all day while doing stuff around the house; calved of steel), then, if they didn’t have one at Costco, a new Burr grinder from Bed, Bath and Beyond, as my coffee grinder’s fritzing seems to be terminal.
It’s a busy afternoon. I’ll bring peanut butter crackers and the fruit pouches he likes in the car, maybe a bar of some sort. Then home for dinner, the usual round of pre-bedtime tv and brush teeth ritual, maybe go see The Patient Mrs.’ sister and mom in Connecticut tomorrow, let him run around someone else’s house for a while since it’s supposed to rain again. We’ll see.
He doesn’t know the Connecticut part yet. If you say it out loud, it needs to happen and I’m not sure yet on the plan. Right now it’s pouring so hard that I don’t want to go three minutes to the grocery store let alone two hours to New England. Plus I’d feel kind of sad being that close to Doom & Brews and still unable to attend. Again, we’ll see. There are arguments for and against.
Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a great and safe weekend. I’ll be writing Monday stuff and trying to get a jump on the week, so if you need me shoot a message or an email or whatever and I’ll do my best to get back.
Have fun, watch your head, hydrate, enjoy Fall if it’s Fall where you are. This is my favorite season.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 4th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Two shows on successive Saturdays in May will comprise Kristonfest 2022 in Madrid, Spain, and it’s a to-the-heart-of-it lineup that nods at the country’s own ultra-fertile underground in including progressive heavy psych forerunners Atavismo — new record not nearly soon enough — while also bringing on board heavy-hitting headliners like Witchcraft and Earthless, both of whom look set to make the rounds in a significant way next year. One can also expect to see much of Slift and Stöner and Slomosa, and while they’re due for an album, MaidaVale‘s classic take on heavy is nothing but welcome anytime that Swedish outfit happen to be in the neighborhood. Very much down to business. “All killer,” and so on.
Of course, there was no Kristonfest in 2020 — Masters of Reality, Brant Bjork (who’ll be at 2022 with Stöner), Swans and MaidaVale had been set for that, among others — and there was an edition scheduled for 2021 that doesn’t seem to have taken place either, but with the shape the universe seems to be taking, people seem just fed up enough to leave the house again. Can’t argue.
Tickets are on sale, and the festival’s announcement follows, including the buy link.
As per the social media:
First of all, we would like to thank you for the patience that you have shown during all these months, a time that has meant a before and after and that has especially punished our sector, leaving many friends and colleagues on the road with no option of return.
That is why we are especially proud to continue standing and to be able to launch a statement in which 7 artists that we are passionate about will form the line up for the next edition of Kristonfest 2022, which will take place in the Mon venue in Madrid on Saturdays 7 and May 14, 2022. Tickets are already on sale through the festival website:www.kristonfest.com
The first day will be headlined by the Swedish WITCHCRAFT, probably one of the most desired and longed-for bands to see right now. We already had them confirmed for the 2020 and 2021 editions but for reasons that we all know it was completely impossible to enjoy them … it is said that the third time is the charm and we hope so.
Stay with this name, SLIFT, a three-headed sonic whirlwind propelled by The Stooges, Hawkwind, MC5, Kyuss or Can and that looks more contemporary bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Wooden Shijps or Moon Duo in the face. They will come to present their huge “Ummon” that everyone is talking about.
To close the first day we will have ATAVISMO from Algeciras, national pride and band with which any lover of sound exploration, psychedelia and improvisation will enjoy an incomparable cosmic journey.
The second day will feature 4 artists who will offer diversity and enjoyment in equal parts. The legendary EARTHLESS will arrive from San Diego to lead the day and our pulse does not shake when confirming that it is one of the best psychedelic rock bands in the world. We already had them in a last edition in which they left everyone with their mouths open and wanting more. Now Isaiah also plays guitar in The Black Crowes but that didn’t complicate it when we asked them to go back to Kristonfest.
From Palm Springs (USA) another of the highlights will be to see the staging of STÖNER, commanded by two godfathers of desert rock such as Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri, both founders of Kyuss, also Mondo Generator, Ché, Fu Manchu, Bloodcot, etc … and Ryan Gut (drums) from the band Brant Bjork & The Bros. You don’t call your band Stöner if you’ve never heard the word before and, as their track record attests, it’s not the first time these three musicians have embarked on a project of this caliber.
MAIDAVALE were confirmed in the edition that we had to cancel due to the health crisis, so we had a debt with them that we can finally pay off! This quartet from Sweden shines like few others in the psychedelic-rock and heavy-blues skies of the last decade. They drink from the influences that the 1960s left for history, contributing to their set list a more direct, atmospheric and forceful sound.
To complete the line-up, nothing better than new blood, the Norwegians SLOMOSA burst onto the scene with a most interesting and appetizing cover letter: Riffs that take you to the frozen dunes of the Scandinavian tundra, muscular and greasy rock on the path of classics like Fu Manchu and the early Queens Of The Stone Age. A good new generation onslaught that confirms the good health of the European desert-rock scene.
Posted in Features on December 20th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Please note: This post is not culled in any way from the Year-End Poll, which is ongoing. If you haven’t yet contributed your favorites of 2018 to that, please do.
—
It just wouldn’t be a year if it wasn’t completely overwhelming, right?
2018 has certainly met that standard and then some. The swath of output, whether it’s a new generation adopting and adapting established methods or out and out reinventing the stylistic wheel and then pushing it uphill on a seemingly endless barrage of tours, has been staggering, and it’s still happening. There’s a little more than a week to go in the year. You think a band isn’t putting something out today? Of course they are. It’s every day. It’s all the time.
But this year wasn’t just about quantity either. I think one of my biggest struggles in writing about albums in 2018 — and with the last Quarterly Review and various premieres and video posts that were basically album reviews in disguise, let’s estimate we’re somewhere past 300 records reviewed one way or another — was in conveying just how killer so much of the stuff coming through was. How many times can you say the word “awesome?” Well, I’m sure we’ll see it a few more times before this list is over, so there you go.
I say something like this every time I do a list, but please keep in mind these are my picks and I’m one person. But I am a person. I know there’s the whole internet-anonymity thing, but I assure you, I’m a human being (more of a cave troll, really) typing these words. I’m all for everyone sharing their own picks in the comments, and all for passionate advocating, but please, let’s keep it civil and respectful. These things can spiral out of control quickly, but let’s remember that we’re all human beings and worth of basic courtesy, even if some of us are dead wrong about a good many things. You should definitely punch nazis, though.
Thanks in advance for reading. Here we go:
[UPDATE: You’ll notice the inclusion of an ’18a.’ I had Stoned Jesus in my notes as number 18 initially and they got dropped as I was adjusting things along the way. I’ve added them back in, but it didn’t seem fair to bump everyone else down after the post had already been published. That was the best I could come up with for a solution. If you’re pissed about one more killer record being added, please feel free to email me and tell me all about it.]
Chicago’s The Skull had no small task before them in following up their 2014 debut, For Those Which are Asleep (review here) — let alone living up to their pedigree — but their second album demonstrated a creative growth that sacrificed nothing of memorability when it came to songs like “Breathing Underwater” and “All that Remains (Is True).” They got down to work and got the job done, which is what a working band does. 2018 was by any measure a fantastic year for doom, and The Skull were a big part of why.
The Dec. 2017 murder of Rev. Jim Forrester was tragic. No other way to say it. Foghound, who were in the midst of making Awaken to Destroy at the time, put together an album that not only features Forrester‘s last recorded performance, but pays respect to his memory while the wound is still raw and manages to kick ass all the while. It’s a record that can’t ever be divorced from its circumstances — just can’t — and so it can be a heavy listen in more than just its tones, but it’s basically Foghound proving they’re unstoppable. And so they are.
Who among us here today is not a sucker for Orange Goblin? Come forward an be judged. I mean, really. Nine records deep, the London sceneforgers are nothing less than an institution, beloved by boozehounds, riffhounds, doomhounds, and really, a wide variety of hounds the world over. Also dudes. With its essential title-track hook and highlight cuts in “Ghosts of the Primitives” and “Burn the Ships” — or, you know, any of them — they added to one of heavy’s most unshakable legacies with an album as furious as it is welcoming to its generations-spanning fanbase.
There are two kinds of people in this world, and they’re both Fu Manchu fans. Clone of the Universe turned heads with a guest appearance from Rush‘s Alex Lifeson on the 18-minute side-B-consuming “Il Mostro Atomico,” but really to focus on that instead of “Intelligent Worship,” “(I’ve Been) Hexed,” “Don’t Panic,” “Slower than Light,” etc., is only seeing half the point of the album in the first place. The long-running lords of fuzz hit a new stride with 2014’s Gigantoid (review here), and Clone of the Universewas in every way a worthy successor.
It was an unenviable task before Witch Mountain in replacing vocalist Uta Plotkin, but founding guitarist Rob Wrong and drummer Nathan Carson found the right voice in Kayla Dixon and solidified the lineup with her and bassist Justin Brown enough to make a declarative statement in Witch Mountain‘s self-titled LP. That’s the story of it. They pulled it off. Met with what was unquestionably a bummer circumstance, they pushed through and moved their sound forward through a new beginning — and not their first one. Watch out when their next record hits.
Richmond, Virginia, doomers Windhand‘s second collaboration with producer Jack Endino produced a marked and purposeful expansion of their sound, encompassing classic grunge influences and a heavy psychedelic swirl that added color their previously-greyscale sonic haze. Resonant in tone and emotionalism, Eternal Return readjusted Windhand‘s trajectory in such a manner that, where one might’ve thought they knew where the band were headed in terms of their progression, they’ve made themselves a less predictable outfit on the whole. For that alone, it’s a triumph. Then you have the songs.
I don’t even want to admit how long I was waiting for Sun Voyager‘s first long-player to show up, but when it finally did, the New York trio did not disappoint. Catchy, energetic, fuzzed-out tunes with driving rhythms and a heavy psych flourish, they tapped into shoegaze and desert vibes without losing any sense of themselves in the process, and if the extra wait was so they could be so remarkably coherent in their expression on their full-length, then I wouldn’t want it to have shown up any sooner. An easy pick to stand among 2018’s best debut albums. Now to wait for the next one.
It should tell you something that after working quickly to produce three albums, Louisiana’s Forming the Void are still defined by their potential. If I had my druthers, I’d put the recent Ripple signees on tour for the bulk of 2019, across the US and in Europe for festivals and support-slot club shows, really give them an opportunity to hammer out who they are as a band and then hit the studio for LP four. I don’t know if that’ll happen, but they’d only be doing the universe a favor by kicking into that gear. As it stands, their progression is palpable in their material and they stand absolutely ready for whatever the next level might be for them.
—
22. Spaceslug, Eye the Tide
Released by BSFD Records and Oak Island Records. Reviewed June 29.
Aside from the speed at which Spaceslug have turned around offerings — with Eye the Tide following 2017’s Mountains and Reminiscence EP (review here) and Time Travel Dilemma (review here) full-length and their 2016 debut, Lemanis (review here) — the Polish outfit have undertaken significant progression in their sound, moving from pure heavy psychedelic warmth to incorporating elements out of extreme metal as they did on Eye the Tide. Adding to the latest record’s accomplishment is the smoothness with which they brought seemingly opposing sides together, only adding depth to an approach already worthy of oceanic comparison.
Conan‘s reign of terror has been unfolding for more than a decade now, and each of their albums has become a kind of step along a path of incremental growth. Consider the melody creeping into the shouts of founding guitarist Jon Davis, or the emergence of bassist Chris Fielding as a vocal presence alongside, the two sharing a frontman role more than ever before while welcoming drummer Johnny King to the fold of destructive tonality and doomly extremism. Existential Void Guardian may end up just being another stomp-print on their way to the next thing, but it affirmed the fact that as much as Conan grow each time out, their central violence continues to hold sway.
Look. A new Pale Divine record doesn’t come along every day, so yeah, their self-titled was probably going to be on my list one way or the other, but it definitely helps that not only was it their first outing in six years since 2012’s Painted Windows Black (review here), but it had the songs to live up to a half-decade-plus of anticipation. It marked the first studio appearance from bassist/backing vocalist Ron “Fezz” McGinnis alongside guitarist Greg Diener and drummer Darin McCloskey — now both of Beelzefuzz as well — and made a strong argument for how much Pale Divine deserve more than 20 years on from their initial demo to be considered classic American doom.
The return and rise to prominence of Washington pure heavy rockers Mos Generator might be the underground’s feelgood story of the decade, but it hasn’t by any means been easily won. In addition to rebuilding the band however many albums ago, guitarist/vocalist Tony Reed has put in innumerable hours on tour and worked to actually develop the group creatively in addition to in terms of stage presence. This is shown throughout some of the classic prog elements making their way onto Shadowlands, and perhaps some of the collection’s moodier aspects are born of the aforementioned road time as well. Hard for that kind of thing not to be a slog after a while, but at least they have killer tunes to play.
The only safe bet about Stoned Jesus‘ fourth long-player, Pilgrims, was that it was going to sound different than the third. That 2015 outing, The Harvest (review here), preceded the band touring to celebrate the fifth anniversary and after-the-fact success of 2012’s Seven Thunders Roar (review here), but Pilgrims defied narrative in that instead of incorporating elements from the second record in more of a heavy psych or jam sound, Stoned Jesus instead showcased a tighter, more sureheaded sense of craft than they’ve ever displayed before, and arrived on Napalm Records with a collection of songs that demonstrated the growth and sense of creative will that drives them. While one can take a look at their moniker and think immediately they know what’s coming, Stoned Jesus have made themselves one of the least predictable bands in heavy rock.
“Pirate Smile.” “Lines.” “Whatever.” “It Ain’t Right.” “Threes.” “Cinderella.” “Generals.” “Big Enough.” “Alone.” “Lucky. Mike Cummings, Jessica Baker, Erik Larson. Every player, every song, every minute. If you want to know what heart-on-sleeve sounds like, it fucking sounds like Backwoods Payback. In their line from hardcore punk to grunge to heavy rock, they encompass experiences and emotionalism that are both shown in raw form throughout Future Slum, and build all the while on the chemistry they set out in developing with 2016’s Fire Not Reason (review here), when they welcomed Larson to the lineup on drums and revitalized their mission. Also worth noting, they were the best live band I saw this year. Anywhere.
No question the excitement of C.O.C. putting out their first record with frontman Pepper Keenan involved since 2005’s In the Arms of God was one of this year’s top stories in heavy. And No Cross No Crown tapped directly into the spirit of 1994’s Deliverance (discussed here) and 1996’s Wiseblood (discussed here) in terms of direction, while updating the band’s style with a four-part 2LP in mind. In some ways, it’ll be their next album that really gives listeners a sense of where they’re at and where they might be headed, but as welcome returns go, having Keenan alongside Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman and Reed Mullin is in no way to be understated, and neither is the quality of their output together, then and now.
It is no simple feat to hypnotize an audience and convey serenity while at the same time holding attention with songcraft, so that the listener isn’t actually so much unconscious as malleable of mood and spirit in such a direction as the band suggests. Greek trio Naxatras have worked quickly to become experts at this, and their third full-length fosters tonal warmth and jammy progressions with an overarching naturalism that finds them so committed to analog recording that one can buy direct transfers of the tape master of III. Some acts take classic-style practices as an aesthetic choice. With Naxatras, it seems to be the stuff of life, yet their sound is only vibrant and human in a way that, at least one hopes, is even more representative of the future than the past.
It was time for Clutch to make a change in producers, and the Maryland overlords of groove seemed to know it. Known as a live band, they went with Vance Powell, who’s known a live band producer. The results on Book of Bad Decisions might not have been so earth-shatteringly different from 2015’s Psychic Warfare (review here), which was the too-soon follow-up to 2013’s Earth Rocker (review here) — both helmed by Machine — but the inimitable four-piece indeed succeeded in capturing the electricity of their stage performance and, as ever, treated fans to a collection of songs bearing Clutch‘s unmistakable hallmarks of quirky lyrics, funky rhythms and heavy roll. They may always be a live band, but Clutch‘s studio work is in no way to be discounted, ever, as this record reaffirmed. Plus, crab cakes.
After 2012’s In Dreams and Time (review here), I wasn’t sure Ancestors were going to put out another record. They kicked around word of one for a while, but it wasn’t until the end of last year that it really seemed to congeal into a possibility. And by then, who the hell knew what they might get up to on a full-length? With Suspended in Reflections, in some says, they picked up where they left off in terms of finding a niche for themselves in progressive and melodic heavy, but I think the time showed in the poise of their execution and the control of the material. Suspended in Reflections can’t help but be six years more mature than its predecessor, and that suits its contemplative feel. In tracks like “Gone,” and “The Warm Glow,” they tempered their expansive sound with an efficiency that can only be had with time.
The narrative here was hard to beat. Matt Pike spending an album cycle talking about Lemmy Kilmister and paying homage to his dirt-rock forebear and the gods of old? It doesn’t get much more perfect than that. Electric Messiah was the third collaboration between High on Fire and producer Kurt Ballou behind 2015’s Luminiferous (review here) and 2012’s De Vermiis Mysteriis (review here), and while it seemed after the last record that the formula might be getting stale, the band only sounded more and more lethal throughout the latest offering. Even putting aside their contributions to underground heavy, they’ve become one of the most essential metal bands of their generation. Metal, period. Doesn’t matter what subgenre you’re talking about it. If you’re listening to High on Fire, you know it. Usually because you’ve just been decapitated.
You know, if you take the time to separate Yawning Man from their 30-plus-year history and their legacy as one of the foundational acts of what later became desert rock, and you listen to The Revolt Against Tired Noises, you’re still left with basically a dream of an album. Mostly instrumental, as is their wont, they nonetheless had bassist Mario Lalli (also Fatso Jetson) sing this time around on a version of the previously-unreleased “Catamaran,” which Kyuss covered once upon a whenever although Yawning Man had never officially put it to tape. But really, that and all other novelty aside, guitarist Gary Arce, Lalli and drummer Bill Stinson are a chemistry unto themselves. I don’t know if they’ll ever be as huge as they should be, but every bit of acclaim they get, they’ve earned, and if The Revolt Against Tired Noises helps them get it, all the more so.
Swedish heavy rock mavens Greenleaf have become an entirely different band than they once were. No longer a Dozer side-project from guitarist Tommi Holappa with a rotating cast of players, they’re a solidified, road-tested, powerhouse unit, and Hear the Rivers bleeds soul as a result. Holappa, frontman Arvid Hällagård, bassist Hans Fröhlich and drummer Sebastian Olsson sound like they’re absolutely on fire in the album’s tracks, and far from being staid or formulaic as one might expect a sixth long-player to be, Hear the Rivers built on what the band accomplished with 2016’s Rise Above the Meadow (review here) and came across as all the more vital and nearly frenetic in their energy. I won’t say Greenleaf has seen their last lineup change, because one never knows, but the band as they are today is the realization of potential I don’t think even Greenleaf knew was there.
—
10. Gozu, Equilibrium
Released by Blacklight Media / Metal Blade Records. Reviewed April 4.
Five records deep into a career into its second decade, Gozu haven’t had a miss yet. Admittedly, some of their early work can seem formative considering where they are now, but still. And after the 2016 rager, Revival (review here), to have the band return to the same studio — Wild Arctic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where strides producer Dean Baltulonis — for the follow-up allows for the four-piece to directly show how their sound has grown more encompassing in the last couple years. And it has. Equilibrium is a rich and varied listen that holds true to Gozu‘s well-established penchant for soulful vibes and crunching, hard-hitting riffs and groove, but while it shares the directness of approach with Revival, it makes moves that a band could only make moving from one record to the next. I expect nothing less their next time out as well, because a decade later, that’s Gozu‘s proven track record.
The battle for the best album title of 2018 ended early when New Jersey everything-rockers Monster Magnet announced the release of Mindfucker. And what else to call a Monster Magnet LP at this point? They’ve stopped writing to genre. They’re driven by the creative mania of frontman/founder Dave Wyndorf, and they’ve seen psychedelic expanses and commercial success the likes of which would serve the tenure of four lesser bands. What’s left to do but whatever the hell you want? So that’s what Monster Magnet are doing. It just so happens that while they’re doing it, they’re still basically outclassing the entirety of the former planet earth as songwriters. As Monster Magnet fan in 2018, there was nothing more I could’ve asked than what Mindfucker delivered. And if you’re still trying to get your brain around it however many months later, you’re not alone. I think that’s the idea.
Best doom album of 2018. The combination of craft and passion behind the delivery. The way the dark tones fed into the emotions so clearly on display and sheer presence of it in listening to songs like “Keeping the Lighthouse,” “Ruination by Thy Name” and “My Heart is Leaving Here.” Apostle of Solitude never seem to be the highest profile band out there, but their work seems never to be anything less than outstanding, and I refuse to accept them as anything less than among the most pivotal American acts out there making traditional doom. And not just making it, but making it their own, with a sense of new pursuits and individualism that extends to playing style as well as atmosphere. I know doom isn’t exactly in short supply these days — figuratively or literally — but if you miss out on what Apostle of Solitude are doing with it, you’ll only regret it later. I’ll say it one more time: Best doom album of 2018.
Every now and again, anticipating the crap of an album really pays off, and such was the case with Holy Grove II, the Ripple Music debut from the Portland outfit whose 2016 self-titled (review here) seemed like such a herald of excellence to come while also, you know, being killer. Holy Grove II brought the four-piece of vocalist Andrea Vidal, guitarist Trent Jacobs, bassist Gregg Emley and drummer Eben Travis to entirely new levels of composition and execution. In songs like “Blade Born,” the shorter, sharper “Aurora,” the patiently rolling “Valley of the Mystics,” “Solaris” and closer “Cosmos,” which boasted a not-really-necessary-but-definitely-welcome guest vocal appearance from YOB‘s Mike Scheidt, — and oh wait, that’s all of the tracks — Holy Grove entered a different echelon. Anticipation will likewise be high for Holy Grove III, but it’ll be hard to complain with this record to keep company in the meantime.
Over five All Them Witches albums, the Nashville four-piece have gone from a nascent heavy Americana jam band to one of the most distinct acts in the US underground. Their development in sound is chemistry-driven, so it was a risk when the founding trio of bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., guitarist Ben McLeod (who also produced) and drummer Robby Staebler welcomed new keyboardist Jonathan Draper into the lineup to take the place of Allan van Cleave. Amid a more naturalist production than that of 2017’s Sleeping Through the War (review here), the revamped four-piece flourished in terms of songwriting and conveying their stage-born sonic personae. From the gleeful fuckery of opener “Fishbelly 86 Onions” to the memorable moodiness of “Diamond” and the back-end jam “Harvest Feast” en route to the stretched-out end of “Rob’s Dream,” All Them Witches essentially confirmed they could do whatever they wanted and make it work.
—
5. YOB, Our Raw Heart
Released by Relapse Records. Reviewed June 7.
Actually, if you want a sample of YOB‘s raw heart, the place to go is probably 2014’s Clearing the Path to Ascend (review here), but whatever the Eugene, Oregon, shapers of cosmic doom might’ve lacked in titular accuracy on their eighth long-player, they made up for in a new, statesman-like posture. Their approach was mature, hammered out to a professionalism working completely on its own terms, and they never sounded so sure of who they are as a band or as confident of their direction. In extended cuts “Beauty in Falling Leaves” and “Our Raw Heart,” they explored new and progressive textures and melodies, and managed to reaffirm their core aspects while finding room for conveying emotion that came across as nothing but ultimately sincere. They have been and still are one of a kind, and as they continue to move forward, they remain a band that makes one feel lucky to be alive to witness their work. Our Raw Heart was perhaps more refined than it let on, but the heart was there for sure, as always.
I’m not going to say I wasn’t a fan of the (relatively) harder-hitting approach Brant Bjork and his Low Desert Punk Band took on 2014’s Black Power Flower (review here) and 2016’s Tao of the Devil (review here), but Mankind Woman brought in some more of his soul influences, and whether it was the subtly subversive funk of “Chocolatize” and “Brand New Old Times” or the callout “1968” and laid back vibes of the title-track and “Swagger and Sway,” Bjork — working with guitarist Bubba DuPree on songwriting and production — offered a definitive look at what has made his 20-year solo career so special and demonstrates not only his longevity and his legacy, but his will to continue to progress as an artist honing his craft. His discography is well populated by now to be sure, but Mankind Woman represents a turn from the last couple records, and if it’s in any way portentous of things to come, it bodes well. Bjork is right at home nestled into classic-style grooves, and his legacy as one of the principal architects of desert rock is continually reaffirmed.
They’ve been great, not just good, for a long time now, and as forerunners of the San Diego heavy scene, they’re godfathers to an up and coming generation of bands taking their influence — let alone acts from the rest of the world — but Black Heaven is a special moment for them because of its departure. No, it wasn’t not the first time guitarist Isaiah Mitchell sang on an Earthless recording, but it did represent a tip of the balance in that direction for the band on a studio full-length, and that resulted in a special moment. Album opener “Gifted by the Wind” was one of the best songs I heard this year, and while “End to End” and the all-thrust “Volt Rush” affirmed that more traditional songwriting was well within the grasp of Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba, they still found space for a sprawling jam or two, keeping their claim on the instrumentalism that’s (largely) fueled their tenure to date. Earthless don’t want for acclaim, but every bit of it is earned, and while their primary impact has always been live, Black Heaven saw them construct a traditional-style LP that still bore the hallmarks of their collective personality. It was the best of all worlds.
In the dark early hours of 2018, the Rochester, New York, trio of guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson issued the Repeater EP (review here) as a follow-up to their 2016 debut, Orion (review here), so Longing to Be the Mountain didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but even with Repeater preceding its arrival, I don’t think anyone necessary expected King Buffalo‘s second album to have such a scope or to be so engrossing with it. In its melody, patience, atmosphere and heft, it was an absolute joy to behold. Its songs were memorable at the same time they were far-reaching, and while Orion was already my pick for the best debut of 2016, Longing to Be the Mountain realized even more potential than that record had hinted toward. It could be intimate or majestic at its whim, and its dynamic set an individual characterization of heavy psychedelia and blues-style sprawl that the band wholly owned. With production by Ben McLeod of All Them Witches behind them, they worked to serve notice of a progression undertaken the results of which are already staggering and still seem to be looking ahead to the next stage, literally and figuratively. One of the principal standards I use in constructing this list every year is what I listen to most. That’s this record.
Obviously, right? To some extent, when Sleep surprise-announced on April 19 they’d release their first album in 15 years the next day, and then did, they took ownership of 2018. Even with records still to come at that point from YOB and Sleep guitarist Matt Pike‘s own High on Fire, there was no way that when the end of the year came around, it wasn’t going to be defined by the advent of a new Sleep record. And even if it sucked, it would probably still be Album of the Year, but fortunately, as Pike, bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros (also Om) and drummer Jason Roeder (also Neurosis) took their long-running stage reunion to the studio, they brought material that highlighted the best elements from all players. Pike‘s wild soloing, Cisneros‘ meditative vocals and Roeder‘s intricate but smooth style of roll all came together in older pieces like “Antarcticans Thawed” and “Sonic Titan” and newer highlights “Giza Butler” and “Marijuanaut’s Theme,” and aside from the excitement at their existence, they showed the mastery of form that Sleep had been demonstrating live since 2009 and which they hinted toward in the 2014 single, The Clarity (review here). A new Sleep full-length was something long-discussed, long-rumored and long-considered, but when it finally happened, I think the results vaporized expectation in a way no one could’ve anticipated. There’s a reason Sleep are Sleep. Having The Sciences as a reminder of that brought about the defining moment of 2018.
—
The Next 20
Indeed, it wouldn’t be much of a Top 30 at all if it didn’t go to 50. Don’t try to make sense of it, just look at the records.
31. Atavismo, Valdeinfierno
32. Grayceon, IV
33. Clamfight, III
34. Seedy Jeezus, Polaris Oblique
35. Megaton Leviathan, Mage
36. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland
37. Arcadian Child, Superfonica
38. Freedom Hawk, Beast Remains
39. The Machine, Faceshift
40. Messa, Feast for Water
41. Black Rainbows, Pandaemonium
42. Church of the Cosmic Skull, Science Fiction
43. Domkraft, Flood
44. Träden, Träden
45. Mythic Sunship, Another Shape of Psychedelic Music
46. Samavayo, Vatan
47. Foehammer, Second Sight
48. Bongripper, Terminal
49. Mansion, First Death of the Lutheran
50. Sunnata, Outlands
51. Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Come and Chutney
Believe me when I tell you, I sweated over this section more than I did the actual top 30. Mansion should be higher. So should Chubby Thunderous, though something in me thought they might like being #50 on a list of 30. Church of the Cosmic Skull, Clamfight, Black Rainbows, Foehammer, Seedy Jeezus, Messa, Domkraft. All of these were fucking awesome. And there are more (we’ll get there). Eventually numbers add up. I won’t say a bad word about any of these. That’s it.
Honorable Mention
This section always winds up expanded as other people point out things I missed and so on, but here’s what I’ve got in the immediate, alphabetically:
Alms, Act One
Ape Machine, Darker Seas
Belzebong, Light the Dankness
Black Moon Circle, Psychedelic Spacelord
Blackwater Holylight, Blackwater Holylight
Bong, Thought and Existence
Carpet, About Rooms and Elephants
Churchburn, None Shall Live… The Hymns of Misery
Deadbird, III: The Forest Within the Tree
Dead Meadow, The Nothing They Need
Death Alley, Superbia
Drug Cult, Drug Cult
Dunbarrow, II
Electric Citizen, Helltown
Eagle Twin, The Thundering Heard: Songs of Hoof and Horn
Evoken, Hypnagogia
Funeral Horse, Psalms for the Mourning
Fuzz Evil, High on You
Graven, Heirs of Discord
Graveyard, Peace
Green Dragon, Green Dragon
Green Druid, Ashen Blood
Here Lies Man, You Will Know Nothing
High Priestess, High Priestess
Horehound, Holocene
IAH, II
JIRM, Surge ex Monumentis
Killer Boogie, Acid Cream
Lonely Kamel, Death’s Head Hawkmoth
MaidaVale, Madness is Too Pure
Moab, Trough
Mountain Dust, Seven Storms
Mouth, Floating
Mr. Plow, Maintain Radio Silence
T.G. Olson, Earthen Pyramid
Onségen Ensemble, Duel
Orango, Evergreen
Owl, Nights in Distortion
Pushy, Hard Wish
Rifflord, 7 Cremation Ground/Meditation
River Cult, Halcyon Daze
Rotor, Sechs
Somali Yacht Club, The Sea
Sumac, Love in Shadow
Sundrifter, Visitations
Svvamp, Svvamp II
Thou, Magus
Thunder Horse, Thunder Horse
Weedpecker, III
Special Note
Somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to include these in the list proper because they’re not really underground releases, but there were two more records I especially wanted to highlight for their quality:
Alice in Chains, Rainier Fog
Judas Priest, Firepower
Best Short Release of the Year
Normally I’d do this as a separate post, but as a result of being robbed earlier this year, I feel like my list is woefully incomplete. If you have any demos, EPs, splits, singles, etc., to add to it, please feel free to do so in the comments below. Still, the top pick was clear:
Rarely do two bands work in such coherent tandem to their mutual benefit. Here are a few other essential short releases for 2018, alphabetically:
All Them Witches, Lost and Found
Alunah, Amber & Gold
Canyon, Mk II
Demon Head, The Resistence
Destroyer of Light, Hopeless
Ecstatic Vision, Under the Influence
Godmaker & Somnuri, Split
Holy Mushroom, Blood and Soul
King Buffalo, Repeater
Minsk & Zatokrev, Split
Sleep, Leagues Beneath
Stonus, Lunar Eclipse
Sundecay, Gale
Looking Forward
A good many albums have already been announced or hinted at for 2019. I in no way claim this to be a complete roundup of what’s coming, but here’s what I have in my notes so far, in absolutely no order:
Kings Destroy, Lo-Pan, Cities of Mars, Heavy Temple, Mr. Peter Hayden, Curse the Son, High Fighter, Destroyer of Light, Year of the Cobra, Buffalo Fuzz, Zaum, The Sonic Dawn, Alunah, Candlemass, Elepharmers, Grandier, Dorre, Abrahma, Mars Red Sky, Eternal Black, Elephant Tree, Atala, No Man’s Valley, Sun Blood Stories, Crypt Sermon, The Riven, Hibrido, Snail, Red Beard Wall, 11Paranoias, Dead Witches, Monte Luna, Captain Caravan (LP), Swallow the Sun, Oreyeon, Motorpsycho, Vokonis, Hexvessel, Saint Vitus, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Kind, Mastiff, Shadow Witch, Om.
Okay, That’s It
Yeah, no, I’m serious. List is done. Everybody go back to your lives. Your families miss you.
Really though, while this is by no means my last post of 2018, I can’t let it pass without saying thank you so much to everyone for checking out the site this year, or for just digging into this, or for sending me music, or hitting me up on social media, sharing a link, anything. Thank you. Thank you. I could never have imagined when it started out where it would be now. Or that I’d still be doing it. Your support means more to me than I can say, and I thank you so much for being a part of this with me.
So thanks.
If you have something to add to the list, please do so by leaving a comment below, but keep in mind as well the above note requesting civility. Please don’t make me feel stupid because I forgot your favorite record. I forgot a lot of people’s favorite records. I’m one dude. I’m doing my best.
And please keep in mind if you’ve got a list together that the Year-End Poll is open and results will be out Jan. 1.
Atavismo will release their new EP, Valdeinfierno, on July 23 via Adansonia Records. With it, the Algeciras, Spain, outfit present six tracks — well, four with an intro and outro — that to each very one, explore new territory of range and scope. From the flowing Iberian folk in “La Palmosa” to the shuffling tension of “Quejigo” to drifting into Afrobeat-inspired rhythms of the title-track to the Mellotron-inclusive fuzz-prog of “Sapo Sagapo,” Atavismo venture into deeply varied ground and feel their way through ideas both rich in tone, all over place and still somehow able to flow together as an execution of a single idea and spirit. If you have an excuse for not digging them, I’d love to hear it.
The label is new, some of the sounds are new, but Atavismo‘s identity still comes through strong on Valdeinfierno — it just so happens that all that exploration is a huge part of it. Check back July 20 for a review and full stream of the EP, but in the meantime, I’m happy to host the unveiling of “La Palmosa, which you’ll find at the bottom of this post. Led into by the intro “Trompetillas de la Muerte” — which appears backwards as the EP’s outro, “Eteum al ed Sallitepmort” — it presents a fuzzy roll and intricacy that only reveals itself more with subsequent listens, whether it’s the percussion deeper in the mix or the vocal harmonies atop. I sincerely hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for more.
Recording info follows here, courtesy of the band via the PR wire:
This EP was recorded in October 2017 and April 2018 in Trafalgar Studios, the place we always use to record all our stuff. Recorded by Curro Ureba.
Only one song (called Sapo Sagapo) was recorded in Tagarnina Studios by Océano Galindo (aka Jose Angel Galindo, the guitarist of Viaje a 800).
The mastering was made by DJM in “Studio Fleisch” (Germany).
The release of the album will be on 23th July, and, exceptionally, this album will be released by Adansonia records (Germany).
Tracklisting: 1. Trompetillas de la Muerte 2. La Palmosa 3. Quejigo 4. Valdeinfierno 5. Sapo Sagapo 6. Etreum al ed Sallitepmort
Atavismo live: JUL 21 Louie Louie, Estepona, Andalusia, Spain AUG 10 SonicBlast Moledo, Portugal
ATAVISMO are: Poti: Guitar and vocals Sandra: Drums and vocals Mateo: Bass and vocals Koe: Keyboard, Synth & vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 12th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Set for Aug. 11 and 12 in Portugal, SonicBlast Moledo 2018 continues to build a lineup varied in sound but seemingly unified in vibe. That is to say, whether you’re locked into a hypnotic jam from Earthless or getting crushed by Ufomammut or Conan and doomed by Purple Hill Witch, lost in Nebula‘s desert rock bliss or the lush progressive psych of Atavismo, SonicBlast Moledo 2018 strikes as looking to deliver to those fortunate enough to attend a good time through and through. A band can be dark and grim, or coated in melodic sunshine to match what is no doubt a powerful Iberia-in-August heat — though maybe it’s cooler by the shore — and you’re still going to enjoy yourself. It’s okay to have fun. It’s okay to like things. You’re worth it.
I mean that.
And if you are lucky enough to attend what’s clearly a labor of love on the part of the organizers, I hope you do enjoy. I’ll be jealous.
Here’s the latest word from the PR wire:
SonicBlast Moledo 2018 – Second wave of announcements!
SONICBLAST MOLEDO 2018
Stoner Doom Psych Heavy – Sea Beach Camping Pool Surf Skate
With the dates settled for August 10th and 11th, the eighth edition of SonicBlast Moledo is stoked to announce Earthless, Ufomammut, Purple Hill Witch, Atavismo and Ruff Majik! They join the previously confirmed acts Kadavar, Nebula, Conan and Naxatras!
The mighty Earthless. The Heavy Psychedelic Rock masters. The cosmic instrumental warriors whose power influences generations and leaves any soul stunned. Dominating their instruments like no one, Earthless know how induce unique transcendental states of mind, inspired by the eclectic Krautrock, the exotic Japanese Heavy Blues Rock and the ever-lasting presence of musical guides like Jimi Hendrix or Black Sabbath. From their live shows, we can only expect demolisher minutes of acid and ecstatic vibrations, marked by an incomparable caliber, where we set our own astral space as destiny.
Hailing from the Piedmont region, Ufomammut are easily distinguished as the Italian masters of the Psychedelic Doom Metal. With their 8th album already released, the trio keeps demonstrating the power of their cavernous and massive sounds, employing intense riffs and profound ambiences to induce incessant trances.During their live shows, they are frequently supported by Malleus Collective’s multimedia art, creating a whole new visual impact allied to their music.
Coming out from the far way countryside of Norway lands, Purple Hill Witch follow the Sabbathian law of Doom, conjuring up the sheer excellence of proto heaviness with the swirling vibes of Psychedelic Hard Rock, sculpting a flawless presence. Following their 2014 self-titled masterwork, the trio arrives at Moledo with its successor “Celestial Cemetery”, presenting themselves at their full splendor.
Popular for their energetic live shows, the young trio Ruff Majik doesn’t hold back when it comes to rock n roll. Arriving all the way from South Africa, more precisely Pretoria, these three fuzzy souls are ready to brings a lot of Psych Blues Stoner riffs and many good times with them, touring on European soil for the first time ever.
Born from the ashes of well-known underground bands such a Viaje A 800 or Mind!, the Spanish Atavismo are famous for their Progressive Psychedelic Rock, carefully created by the aid of experimental space rock and atmospherical sensations. After releasing their great sophomore album “Inerte”, the band toured throughout Europe, arriving now at the shore of Moledo.
