I’d put the sophomore full-length from Austin, Texas, heavy rockers High Desert Queen, titled Palm Reader, among the year’s most anticipated LPs quickly enough. The four-piece issued their debut, Secrets of the Black Moon (review here), through Ripple Music in 2021 and immediately set about maximizing its impact with stage work. Tours in the US and Europe featured stops throughout 2022 and 2023 at Truckfighters Fuzz Fest (review here), Desertfest in London and Berlin, Ruination Festival, Esbjerg Fuzztival and others, and they have kept a steady social presence as well, with frontman Ryan Garney booking tours and running Ripplefest Texas under the banner of Lick of My Spoon Promotions. They have done more to push themselves and heavy rock in the last three years than most, and on top of that, the first record laid out a desert-informed take on heavy that was rife with personality.

Ahead of returning to Europe in Spring 2023, they released the Turned to Stone Ch. 8: The Wake (review here) split LP with Albuquerque’s Blue Heron, and they’ll venture abroad again this summer as confirmed by appearances at the venerable Stoned From the Underground and Rock im Wald festivals slated among the tour dates below, following the regional — mostly Texas — stint they’ll do around Palm Reader‘s May 31 release on Magnetic Eye Records. No doubt more tour dates will follow, and suitably enough, they’ll perform at this year’s Ripplefest Texas as well, alongside Dozer, Mars Red Sky and what’s taken shape as one of the strongest heavyfest lineups I’ve ever seen in the US. They might tour around that too, even though they’re from Austin. Some bands just keep busy.

But future tour plans are secondary to the album announcement and first track streaming of today. “Ancient Aliens” — if you, like me, can see the guy from the History Channel in your head right now, we’re probably also hearing it said with the same sense of wonder — opens Palm Reader by building up around its riff and pushing through a multifaceted but accessible groove with what feels like energy born of and born for the stage. If live considerations were a factor in the songwriting, fair enough. I get big C.O.C. vibes off the guitar tone, but it’s got a modern and less-Southern forward roll to go with its hook and ample proportion of sound. If Palm Reader isn’t already among your own most anticipated 2024 albums, by the time they’re done riding that nod it might be. And if you need any more display of charm or effort-at-engagement or whatever it might be to get on board, the “Ancient Aliens” video is — inevitably — a They Live parody.

Info from the PR wire:

HIGH DESERT QUEEN release first single ‘Ancient Aliens’ and details of new album “Palm Reader”!

Texas desert rockers HIGH DESERT QUEEN release the video clip ‘Ancient Aliens’ as the first heavy single taken from their forthcoming sophomore full-length “Palm Reader”, which has been slated for release on May 31 via Magnetic Eye Records.

On further news, HIGH DESERT QUEEN announce the first set of many planned live dates for 2024. Please see below for all currently confirmed shows.

‘Ancient Aliens’ is a tongue-in-cheek video take on John Carpenter’s cult movie “They Live” that illustrates the difficulties for musicians in dealing with shifty managers.

HIGH DESERT QUEEN comment: “Our first new single ‘Ancient Aliens’ was also the first song that we recorded for the new album”, guitarist Rusty Miller explains. “When we just returned home from our 2023 summer tour, we were all still a little beat up and road worn. At the same time, we were completely fired up to be in the studio. Playing shows every night for six weeks gave us exactly what we needed for the new album. Our engineer Casey Johns did a great job capturing the raw energy and dynamics of our band with this song. We recorded it live without a click track and no overdubs to make it sound just how we play it live on stage.”

Tracklist
1. Ancient Aliens
2. Death Perception
3. Head Honcho
4. Palm Reader
5. Time Waster
6. Tuesday Night Blues
7. Solar Rain

Guest musician
Emma Näslund (GAUPA) – vocals on ‘Death Perception’

Recorded by Casey Johns at Yellow Dog Studios, Wimberley, TX (US)
Mixed & Mastering by Karl Daniel Lidén at Studio Tri-Lamb, Solna (SE)

Cover art & album design by PabloRR (72826). Photo by @staceylovett

HIGH DESERT QUEEN live:
23 MAR 2024 Austin, TX (US) The Lost Well +The Obsessed +Howling Giant +Gozu
24 MAY 2024 Lafayette, LA (US) Freetown Boom Boom Room
25 MAY 2024 Houston, TX (US) White Oak Music Hall
26 MAY 2024 Arlington, TX (US) Division Brewery
30 MAY 2024 Austin, TX (US) The Far Out Lounge
31 MAY 2024 Bryan, TX (US) The 101
01 JUN 2024 San Antonio, TX (US) The Amp Room
02 JUN 2024 New Braunfels, TX (US) Guadalupe Brewery
13 JUL 2024 Erfurt (DE) Stoned from the Underground Festival
26 JUL 2024 Neuensee (DE) Rock im Wald Festival
21 SEP 2024 Austin, TX (US) Far Out Lounge, RippleFest Texas

HIGH DESERT QUEEN are:
Ryan Garney – vocals
Phil Hook – drums
Morgan Miller – bass
Rusty Miller – guitar

https://www.facebook.com/highdesertqueen/
http://www.instagram.com/highdesertqueen
http://highdesertqueen.bandcamp.com/

http://store.merhq.com
http://magneticeyerecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords/

High Desert Queen, “Ancient Aliens” official video

High Desert Queen & Blue Heron, Turned to Stone Ch. 8: The Wake (2023)

Texas’ Destroyer of Light are ending their run with their upcoming sixth album, Degradation Years, which they’re introducing with the lead single “Cruel World,” an immediate showcase of the progression that’s made them so underrated for more than the last decade. I could go on and on about that, but maybe it’s moot as they unveil what will (allegedly) be the last Destroyer of Light US tour and present the melancholy post-’90s Ozzy melody of “Cruel World” (yes, that’s a compliment) and its melancholy-but-accessible roll.

Guitarist/vocalist Steve Colca notes below in laying band to rest that he and the other members have started taking on different projects — Slumbering Sun‘s debut got some hype last year, Suspiriorum have a debut EP out, and Temple of Love just posted a new single at the end of January — so it’s not at all the last they’ll be heard from, and who knows where their respective paths may lead over the next few years or more. But no one who knows what they’re talking about is ever going to tell you Destroyer of Light didn’t put in their time, and right up to 2022’s Panic (review here), they never compromised on their progression and desire to explore ideas beyond doom’s borders, and they never put out the same record twice. I fully anticipate that will prove the case on Degradation Years as well, and “Cruel World” offers a strong case in that regard.

Good band. Even if they won’t be around anymore as Destroyer of Light, I’m glad they’ve got one more record coming and are getting to finish on their own terms. That is something not everyone gets to do but they have more than earned.

From the PR wire:

Destroyer of Light to Release New Album, ‘Degradation Years’, April 5

Austin Doomwave Band Ascends to New Heights; U.S. Headlining Tour Dates Announced

Hear New Track “Cruel World”

Destroyer of Light creates heavy, heaving doom metal with entrancing guitar harmonies and haunting, ethereal vocals rife with soul, and grit. The Austin-based band, which formed in 2012, will release its new LP, ‘Degradation Years’, on April 5. ‘Degradation Years’, Destroyer of Light’s sixth full-length LP, showcases the unit delivering massive, loud music that is also and beautiful, moving, crushing, and kinetic. The record was recorded at Austin’s Orb Recording Studios (Grimes, The 1975) and mastered by James Plotkin (Voivod, Botch, Thou).

‘Degradation Years’ is the follow-up to Destroyer of Light’s 2022 LP, ‘PANIC’. ‘Degradation Years’ is advanced by the new single, “Cruel World’, which DoL vocalist/guitarist Steve Colca describes as “a tribute to longtime Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell,” and “an emotional song for me to write as I’m a huge Chris Cornell and Soundgarden fan. His death had an affect on me as his lyrics always spoke to my sadness and depression.” Stream Destroyer of Light’s “Cruel World” now at this location.

‘Degradation Years’ track listing:

1.) Cruel World
2.) Waiting for the End
3.) Perception of Time
4.) Failure
5.) Man with No Name
6.) Blind Faith
7.) Where I Cannot Follow

Pre-order ‘Degradation Years’ at this location:

‘Degradation Years’ is an evolution into newer territories for Destroyer of Light while retaining the band’s core elements,” Colca continues. “I grew up listening to a lot of 90s alternative music and those influences show up more in my songwriting here, and we just decided be care free with the direction. You’ll also hear a lot more vocal harmonies, catchy choruses, and some callouts to some of my favorite vocalists. The album cover was inspired by Placebo’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’; I wanted to lay it out there for people to see and digest what they feel it represents. ‘Where am I?’ ‘What am I feeling?’ ‘What am I writing down?’ The back cover and the band photo are a nod to Soundgarden’s ‘Down on the Upside’. What I love about this is it looks like the band isn’t getting along, they are distant from each other. Almost like it’s hinting that this was the end.”

“Which leads to the next news that Destroyer of Light is going on indefinite hiatus,” he continues. “When we found out that Mike was moving to Atlanta, Penny, Keegan, and I decided to talk about our future. Both Keegan and I felt that our songwriting was heading into different directions and we’ve done all we could with Destroyer of Light. Plus, all three of us have other projects that we want to focus more attention on. I have Temple of Love, and they have Slumbering Sun. Also, I am in Tits Out!, Suspiriorum, and Penny is in The Flood. We have one final album to deliver to you, and we felt like this was the way for us to end it proper. So, we give you ‘Degradaton Years’, one final tour, and a local Austin show to close everything out. We appreciate all the support over the last 12 years, it means a lot.”

Destroyer of Light will kick off a U.S. tour in support of ‘Degradation Years’ on April 10 in El Paso, TX. The 17-city run will wrap on April 28. A full listing of DoL tour dates is as follows:

Destroyer of Light tour dates:

April 10 El Paso, TX @ Rosewood
April 11 Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
April 12 Las Vegas, NV @ The Usual Place
April 13 Oceanside, CA @ The Pourhouse
April 14 Palmdale, CA @ Transplant Brewing
April 15 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout
April 17 Portland, OR – High Water Mark
April 18 Seattle, WA @ Substation
April 19 Boise, ID @ Realms
April 20 Salt Lake City @ Aces High
April 21 Denver, CO @ Black Buzzard
April 23 Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
April 24 TBA
April 25 Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar
April 26 Somewhere, AR @ TBA
April 27 Little Rock, AR @ White Water Tavern
April 28 – Arlington, TX @ Growl

Alongside Steve Colca, Destroyer of Light features Keegan Kjeldsen (guitars), Mike Swarbrick (bass), and Kelly Turner (drums).

https://www.facebook.com/destroyeroflight/
http://www.instagram.com/destroyeroflightofficial/
http://destroyeroflight.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/heavyfriendsbooking/
https://www.instagram.com/heavyfriendsrecords/
https://heavyfriendsrecords.bigcartel.com/

Destroyer of Light, “Cruel World”

Destroyer of Light, Panic (2022)

This makes at least 15 different kinds of sense, not the least after the High Desert Queen and Blue Heron split that Ripple put out. This just came down the PR wire. I’ve wracked my brain to find some deeper analysis, to have more thoughts later, but yes, of course it’ll work.

Euro tour dates impending, album news impending. Much to look forward to. No date yet on the album. “First half” below says May or June to me, which works timing-wise with the yet-TBA but sure to come European stint from Stoned from the Underground to Rock im Wald — Germany to Germany, which happens; they could likely fill two weeks in just the one country but more likely won’t — and of course frontman Ryan Garney books Ripplefest Texas as well, so they’ll be among the righteous hordes playing that. I aspire vehemently to attend. If you’ve got a spot with internet and a shower I can crash at, such knowledge would be appreciated, even if it’s a motel suggestion nearby in Austin.

Fresh news. I didn’t even have time to make the names and titles bold. The PR wire delivers with urgency:

HIGH DESERT QUEEN sign with Magnetic Eye Records

HIGH DESERT QUEEN have penned a multi-album deal with Magnetic Eye Records. The Texas desert rockers will release their second album via the label in 2024.

HIGH DESERT QUEEN comment: “We could hardly be more honored and humbled than to become a part of Magnetic Eye Records”, vocalist Ryan Garney writes on behalf of the band. “The label’s roster speaks for itself, and we did not hesitate when we were approached about signing. We love how eclectic their taste is and how many different styles are represented. Plus it doesn’t hurt that some of our favorite bands are already on the label. We feel that Magnetic Eye are the perfect fit to help us continue to grow our own style of Texas desert rock.”

Jadd Shickler extends his welcome: “It’s the holy grail of A&R to find an act whose ambition toward every aspect of being a band matches their stellar live performances”, the Magnetic Eye director comments. “High Desert Queen have only been around for a couple of years, but when I saw their rapid evolution and light-speed ascent by doing things that some groups never even bother to put their backs into, I came away with one certainty: this band will not be denied! High Desert Queen will play massive shows and burn the memory of their live energy into the minds of fans all over the world. Any label smart and lucky enough to strap in and take the ride with them is going to be part of something really special. I’m no dummy, so I made sure we were that label, and I can hardly wait for the scene to hear what a huge leap these guys made in the short time since their last record. To Morgan, Phil, Rusty, and Ryan: welcome to Magnetic Eye! We’ll do our best to keep up!”

HIGH DESERT QUEEN are much more than ‘another desert rock band’. Formed in Houston, Texas by singer Ryan Garney and guitarist Rusty Miller in 2019, the duo soon recruited drummer adding Phil Hook (MONTE LUNA) on drums and relocated to Austin in 2020.

With the addition of Rusty’s daughter Morgan on bass, the band hit the ground running. The lone star shone bright when these four got together as desert rock had already endured a long rather dry spell of stagnation and was parched for an injection of fresh sounds.

HIGH DESERT QUEEN had what it takes to kick the scene into gear again. Their vast musical influences ranging from grunge to funk, old school metal to doom and much more provide an ideal foundation for new ideas and a rejuvenating approach to the genre. Their thunderous, fuzz-drenched anthems are delivered with a healthy dose of groove and catchy melodies, and get a massive boost from an emotional intelligence in their music that’s hard to find. The newly-minted sound is linked to the rich heritage of their environs, inspiring the style tag ‘Texas desert rock.’

Hard work and their obviously burgeoning talent resulted in an fast record deal for HIGH DESERT QUEEN. thanks in part to the help of ZAKK SABBATH’s Rob Blasko. Their debut full-length “Secrets of the Black Moon” arrived in 2021 and was immediately heaped with praise in the US and Europe in 2021, which kicked the doors open to touring and invitations to prestigious festivals both domestic and abroad. In March 2022, the Texans embarked on their first tour in support of SASQUATCH on the US West Coast. Only two months later, HIGH DESERT QUEENhit the roads of Europe as a headliner in June 2022, with a return to Europe with FATSO JETSON in 2023. Underlining the fast rise of this live monster, the newcomers were booked for Desertfest London (UK) and Berlin (DE) and the Truckfighters’ Fuzz Festival (SE) among many others.

Answering the exponentially multiplying requests for new material from their steadily growing following, HIGH DESERT QUEEN flanked their live activities with the “Turned to Stone Ch. 8” split release with BLUE HERON, and contributed a track to “Best of Soundgarden Redux”, the latest installment of the bestselling Magnetic Eye Records Redux series.

With more touring already on the horizon, HIGH DESERT QUEEN will release their sophomore full-length album via the label during the first half of 2024.

HIGH DESERT QUEEN live:
11-13 JUL 2024 Erfurt (DE) Stoned from the Underground
26-27 JUL 2024 Neuensee (DE) Rock im Wald
19-22 SEP 2024 Austin, TX (US) RippleFest

Line-up:
Ryan Garney – vocals
Phil Hook – drums
Morgan Miller – bass
Rusty Miller – guitar

https://www.facebook.com/highdesertqueen/
http://www.instagram.com/highdesertqueen
http://highdesertqueen.bandcamp.com/

http://store.merhq.com
http://magneticeyerecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords/

High Desert Queen & Blue Heron, Turned to Stone Ch. 8: The Wake (2023)

Up to right about now, my official position™ on Austin’s Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol has been ‘they’re probably a live band.’ All the videos of there’s that I’ve seen, all the photos on their socials, and so on, would seem to back this up, but Fall 2022’s Doom Wop (review here) had charm in its songwriting beyond the ‘this would be cool on stage’ impression it made — though it certainly also made one.

The forthcoming Big Dumb Riffs, which is out March 22 through the band’s own Permanent Teeth Records, hones that sense of craft to an even finer point, their low-end-celebrant ethic spreading across 11 heavy-in-momentum-and-tone tracks that are varied, consistent in quality, cheeky in its self-awareness, but with more intelligence behind it than the somewhat-ironic title or the accordingly willfully dopey nü-metal play in “Whip it Around” might imply, though when you’ve got a track like “1800EATSHIT” — so catchy it’s pop, heavy enough to turn off squares, and goofy enough to be the good time that the ultra-Claypool bounce of the subsequent “Papa Pop It” reinforces despite a somewhat grim lyric — the band kind of becomes undeniable.

As the PR wire notes, Primus is a big factor, and hey, I dig that a lot, and from Floor to Hum to Rob Crow‘s Goblin Cock in “Clowntown” and the fuck-yes nod of “Peanut Butter Snack Sticks,” the Austin trio sound like the real deal here, and fair enough for the work they’ve done to this point in their tenure. Some punk, some metal, mosh riffs, headbang riffs, nod riffs, slow riffs, fast riffs, up riffs, down riffs, one riff, two riffs, red riffs, blue riffs, a whole lot of tone and a twist ending; there’s a lot more to dig into than it might at first seem, and as I make my way through again, my second impression of Big Dumb Riffs is bolstered by the songs’ already-familiar feel, so yeah, they’re not making it a challenge to get on board.

Fair enough. First single is “Body Bag,” which should give you an idea, and if they’re new to you, Doom Wop will work to get you further introduced and it’s at the bottom of this post as well. A video or two and plenty more tour dates than even the West Coast run you see below don’t seem like unreasonable expectations to have here, so I’ll hope to have more to come before Big Dumb Riffs is out, but so far, it moves in a way that brings you with it really well. They’ve crisscrossed the US a few times at this point (and also founded their own festival, the Big Dumb Fest). My question is whether this will be the record that takes them to Europe, as that would seem a logical next step.

Until then, the PR wire has this:

“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight.

“We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, the breakdown in Primus’ ‘Pudding Time’ — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.”

Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming.

Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative (song titles like “1-800-EAT-SHIT” and “Body Bag” should be a clue.)

“The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say ‘wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.”

Big Dumb Riffs will be available for streaming and download on March 22, 2024. LP to follow in late Spring.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL LIVE 2024:
02/03 Austin, TX – Sagebrush
03/09 Houston, TX – Moontower Sudworks
03/22 Austin, TX – St Elmo Brew – album release show
03/23 Dallas, TX – Double Wide
03/27 Phoenix, AZ – Linger Longer
03/28 Los Angeles, CA – Resident
03/29 San Francisco, CA – Kilowatt
03/30 Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial
04/02 Seattle, WA – The Funhouse
04/03 Portland, OR – Mano Oculta
04/05 Salt Lake City, UT – Quarters DLC
04/06 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive

https://www.facebook.com/rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol
https://www.instagram.com/rickshawbillieandtheboys
https://rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.bandcamp.com/
http://www.rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.com/
https://taplink.cc/rickshawbillie

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Big Dumb Riffs (2024)

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Doom Wop (2022)

This past weekend was Ripplefest Texas, and I gotta say, even having gone to a fest last friggin’ week, I was looking hard at that lineup and thinking to myself it’d be awfully nice to see a whole bunch of West Coast acts I don’t normally see. Maybe next year.

Wait, who’s thinking about next year when the festival is barely done? They are. Ripplefest Texas 2024 is bringing over Dozer and Mars Red Sky — oh I hope they tour together — and will have The Skull-offshoot Legions of Doom, Boston’s Gozu, The Heavy Eyes, High Desert Queen, Bone Church, Blue Heron, Demons My Friends and, as you might guess looking at the packed lineup that was assembled for this year’s event, many more to come.

Honestly, you had me at either Dozer or Mars Red Sky, but the appeal here goes well beyond those, and in a US festival sphere reeling without a major summer event or two this year it’s gotten pretty used to having around, Ripplefest seems to be stepping in at least to give the heavy rock end of the underground somewhere to flourish. I’ll be interested to see in the next two or three years how it will continue to grow, but also just for next year. I’d imagine there’s a whole bunch of people who’ve already made their travel plans to get to Austin. Can’t say I really blame you.

More to come as we get closer to a year from now, obviously, but they’re throwing down. Pretty sure those earlybird tickets are gone:

DATES AND FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR NEXT YEAR!

DOZER
LEGIONS OF DOOM
MARS RED SKY
GOZU
THE HEAVY EYES
HIGH DESERT QUEEN
BONE CHURCH
BLUE HERON
DEMONS MY FRIENDS

and many many more!

Only 100 Early bird tickets available so get yours now!
www.lickofmyspoon.com

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LOMSProductions
https://www.instagram.com/LOMSProductions/
http://www.lickofmyspoon.com/
https://linktr.ee/Lickofmyspoon

Dozer, “Rising” live at Desertfest Berlin 2023

Based in Austin, Texas, and Mexico City, heavy rocking three-piece Demons My Friends make their full-length debut on Sept. 8 through Gravitoyd Heavy Music with Demons Seem to Gather. The band have been trickling out singles leading up to the release for nearly a year, and as a singe “Inner Slay” (premiering below) follows behind “Ghosts of You,” “Bring the Night,” the closer “We Are the Resistance” and the hooky side B leadoff “Make Them Pay,” so it’s probably safe to say they’re looking to grab attention of an underground listenership, otherwise maybe five singles (so far) from your first record probably isn’t the way you’re going to go.

Taking some cues in atmosphere on “We Are the Resistance,” the crunch of “Fire Mountain” and in the ’90s creep of guitar in verse of “Your Bones” prior from Alice in Chains, the trio bring ideas together from modern emotive doom à la Pallbearer on “Inner Slay,” a broad vocal hook assuring that the vocal stands up to the riffing on display throughout, opener “The Tower Falls” having started out on solid ground rhythm-wise but found room in the mix for an Elephant Tree-style harmony in opener “The Tower Falls” before the start-stop angularity of “Bring the Night” — the chorus delivering the album’s title line — hinting at the metallic underpinning of the project while also sounding more derived from ’00s era punk and post-hardcore. Thus it is that Demons My Friends — guitarist/vocalist Pablo Anton, bassist/vocalist Lu Salinas, drummer Tarro Martinez — stave off the threat of doing just one thing, and instead lay out a creative reach that one expects they’ll continue to refine as they move forward.

While the eight-song/36-minute offering is varied in its approach, the band are consistent in tone and their willingness to veer toward more doomed ends, “Inner Slay” serving as a ready example leading into “Ghosts of You,” which caps side A and pushes further along similar lines, with a central progression to its back half that touches almost on commercial hard rock without losing its foundation in heavy riffing. The production of Duel‘s Jeff Henson assures that fullness of sound and gives the melodic complexity of some of the arrangements — looking at you, chorus-over-solo in “Fire Mountain” — a dimensionality it would otherwise run the risk of lacking, but while Demons My Friends is a new exploration and Demons Seem to Gather is a debut album from a band who as the narrative tells us (blessings and peace upon it) jammed before they were really together, the experience of the players involved assures they’re not flailing in the end product.

Instead, songwriting is at the core of Demons My Friends‘ approach, and whatever original riff-blocks these pieces were carved from, they have been shaped with care and thought, which is something that even the lines topping the apex of “We Are the Resistance” bear out, the band purposefully meeting the largesse of that moment head-on, even as they’re still unfolding it. The proverbial encouraging beginning? Yeah, pretty much. The kind of record you might see five singles released from. It’ll be interesting to hear as Demons My Friends plunge further into the places between rock and doom, the classic and modern and in-between. But one of Demons Seem to Gather‘s strengths is that it knows the field is wide open and it stakes a number of stylistic claims. Maybe they’re settling in for a longer-term evolution, thinking ahead an album, two albums, three. Some bands do that, and if Demons My Friends go that route and build on this backdrop, they’re starting out working from a high standard of craft.

PR wire info follows the player below, on which “Inner Slay” premieres. Please enjoy:

Demons My Friends is an unlikely collaboration between members of Mexican alt-metal band QBO and Washington, DC desert rockers Fellowcraft. The stoner/doom metal trio — Lu Salinas (bass/vocals), Tarro Martinez (drums), Pablo Anton (guitar/vocals)—embarked on their creative endeavor via an impromptu recording session at the SXSW music festival in Austin, TX in 2022 and have consummated the relationship with an upcoming full-length titled Demons Seem to Gather.

Demons Seem to Gather was recorded, mixed and produced by Jeff Henson at Red Nova Ranch, Austin, TX. It was mastered by Alberto de Icaza. It’s set for release on September 8 on vinyl, CD and digitally via Gravitoyd Heavy Music. In the meantime you can stream the band’s singles on all digital platforms

Tracklisting:
01. The Tower Falls
02. Bring The Night
03. Inner Slay
04. Ghosts of You
05. Make Them Pay
06. Fire Mountain
07. Your Bones
08. We Are The Resistance

Shows coming up for Demons My Friends:
October 20th at Valhalla (Austin TX)
October 21st at Black Magic Social Club (Houston TX)

Demons My Friends is:
Pablo Anton – guitar/vox
Lu Salinas – Bass/vox
Tarro – Drums

Demons My Friends on Facebook

Demons My Friends on Instagram

Demons My Friends on Bandcamp

Demons My Friends Linktr.ee

Gravitoyd Heavy Music on Facebook

Gravitoyd Heavy Music on Instagram

Gravitoyd Heavy Music on Bandcamp

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Pablo Anton from Demons My Friends

—

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

I play guitar and sing for Demons My Friends, a Stoner/Doom project based in Austin TX that I founded with two close friends from Mexico City who are seasoned musicians. I’ve been playing in bands since I was 12, and I’ve been an avid extreme music collector since around the same age. I’ve always been enamored with strange sounds and obscure bands from all over the globe.

Describe your first musical memory.

My dad spinning records for me on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. He was into progressive rock, and I distinctly remember the time he played “No Earthly Connection” for me, by Rick Wakeman. The vinyl had a distorted image in the cover that became clear if you held a mirror towards it at the right angle. For some reason that stuck with me.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

In 2018 I got a chance to perform with my former band at a metal festival near the pyramids in Teotihuacan Mexico at night, under heavy rain, right before Alice In Chains and System of a Down. That was a great night. The crowd had an energy that was unlike anything I’ve ever experience before or since.

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

When I became a father. Everything I thought I wanted in life was forever changed. I always thought this was a cliché, but it turned out to be true (for me, at least).

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

For me, artistic progression has led me to the darkest corners of my mind. It has enabled me to release and let go of traumatic memories and feelings that I had been unable to process before by other means. The more time I spend creating music, the more I get to know myself, forgive myself and heal myself.

How do you define success?

I personally define success as an artist as being able to materialize all the dreams and hopes I had for myself when I was a teenager. That’s all I’m trying to do, really. Chase the excitement and deep emotions I felt when I was 15, sitting alone in my room listening to deeply complex and emotional music from the likes of bands like Opeth, Katatonia, Borknagar and many others, and dreaming of being able to one day be at their level. All the “successful” moments that I can think of as a musician relate to moments where I’ve been able to connect with those raw emotions from my past and feel them with equal intensity again.

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

“Two Girls, One Cup”. Eww.

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

A concept album, but every time I’ve tried, I’ve struggled with stretching a plot long enough to last me for multiple songs.

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

Art has the ability of connecting people and bounding us together, while at the same time meaning something completely different and unique to each of us. I don’t think there’s anything else that exists in this life that can achieve that.

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

I always look forward to spending time with my family, whenever I am away from them.

https://www.facebook.com/demonsmyfriends
https://www.instagram.com/demons_my_friends/
https://www.tiktok.com/@demonsmyfriends
https://demonsmyfriends.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/demonsmyfriends

https://www.facebook.com/gravitoyd/
https://www.instagram.com/gravitoyd/
https://gravitoydheavymusic.bandcamp.com/

Demons My Friends, “Make Them Pay” official video

With both their paperwork and riffs in order, Austin, Texas, brash heavy rockers Duel will return to Europe this Fall, hitting Antwerp’s Desertfest Belgium and the two German Heavy Psych Sounds Fests in Berlin and Dresden, as well as sundry club dates and so on. I feel like I’ve gone on at some length at the force this band brings to the stage, and if you are in a position to see them, I urge you to do so.

Their studio work has plenty of attitude — their most recent full-length, 2021’s In Carne Persona (review here), certainly didn’t skimp on threat with its human-as-meat implications — and the live show pushes with even more and obviously much louder aggression. I’m just trying to make your day better. Go see a band.

Heavy Psych Sounds shipped the following down the PR wire, including a couple open slots between Western and Eastern Europe. Help if you can, as always:

DUEL – European Tour 2023

We are stoked to announce DUEL Euro Tour 2023!!

Our Texas based rocknrollerz DUEL will smash Europe in October including the mighties Desert Fest Antwerp and HPS Fests Dresden and Berlin + many other shows!!

*** DUEL *** EUROPEAN TOUR 2023
WE 11/10/2023 FR MARSEILLE – LE MOLOTOV
TH 12/10/2023 FR LYON – LE FARMER
FR 13/10/2023 IT TORINO – BLAH BLAH
SA 14/10/2023 IT BOLOGNA – FREAKOUT
SU 15/10/2023 IT TRIESTE – KULTURNI DOM PROSEK
MO 16/10/2023 IT TREVISO – ALTROQUANDO
TU 17/10/2023 AT KUFSTEIN – VIBES
WE 18/10/2023 DE MANNHEIM – 7ER CLUB
TH 19/10/2023 NL TILBURG – LITTLE DEVIL
FR 20/10/2023 NL ROTTERDAM – BAROEG
SA 21/10/2023 ***OPEN SLOT***
SU 22/10/2023 BE ANTWERP – DESERT FEST
MO 23/10/2023 ***OPEN SLOT***
TU 24/10/2023 ***OPEN SLOT***
WE 25/10/2023 CZ PRAGUE – CLUB KASARNA KARLIN
TH 26/10/2023 CZ BILINA – ROCK PUB MOSKVA
FR 27/10/2023 DE DRESDEN – HPS FEST
SA 28/10/2023 DE BERLIN – HPS FEST
SU 29/10/2023 DE TUBINGEN – NULL08-15

DUEL is:
TOM FRANK – GUITARS/VOCALS
JEFF HENSON – GUITARS/VOCALS
ALEX WEIN – BASS
PATRICK PASCUCCI – DRUMS

https://www.facebook.com/DUELTEXAS/
https://www.instagram.com/dueltexas/
https://duel3.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

Duel, In Carne Persona (2021)