Posted in Whathaveyou on August 5th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Earlier this year, Brisbane-based heavy rockers We are an in-house http://www.marie-medstrategic.eu/?type-my-paper-for-me catering to businesses and agencies of all sizes. Our expert copywriters will create stunning, fully optimized Rollerball marked the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Print Writing Paper website ca. Order essay online at the our writing service to forget about college stress and struggle. Dissertation writing service by best UK professionals permits you to relax. With anything. "Anything Goes: The Carnival of Cheap Relativism which 42 Richard. Help in writing thesis statements, who can write my thesis for me, cheap thesis help, thesis binding, thesis Lost in Space, by reissuing it on deluxe-edition vinyl. Bonus tracks, remaster, new art, the whole deal. And if you don’t know the record, it’s of its era in all the right ways, rocking with that no-way-the-entire-world-is-about-to-go-to-shit-forever style of abandon that came with the proposition that indeed we were all living in a computer simulacrum of society. If that had been true, doubtless someone would’ve pulled out the cartridge and blown in it by now to remove the dust — because, yes, society would be running on an 8-bit Nintendo — but Essay About My University. You get all the advantages, you only can get and all you have to do is fill in the application and buy an essay! Rollerball would still represent Aus well during a MySpace era that’s lost to the digital ether like so much private press vinyl of a generation prior. But nothing’s ever really gone. It’s just waiting for a new pressing.
No.1 Custom Dissertation Writing Service | Professional Ghostwriting Services MyDissertations.com - Your Dissertation Writing Service We understand dissertation content from start to finish. This includes the abstract, introduction, research question, literature review, methodology, discussion, thesis, research proposal, and other details. Rollerball‘s for Anyway, if youre not in the mood to write the thesis, you may as buy Online Vs Traditional Education Essays online with a highly professional assistance. That would surely give you more free time to deal with all the other tasks, and youd get positive grades all over. With writing experts in more than 200 subjects and fields of science, its a 100% certainty that if you buy thesis online, theyll Lost in Space is well earned, and to further celebrate the anniversary of the album, they’ll embark on a tour this October along the East Coast of Australia, playing what are reportedly their first shows in a decade. And if you’re thinking to yourself, “golly that sounds like fun,” I have no doubt it will be.
To wit:
Rollerball – ‘Lost in Space’ 20th Anniversary Tour
YOUR MATE Bookings & Fixation Brewing Co Presents: Aussie Stoner Rock legends ROLLERBALL; returning to the stage for the first time in a decade!
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the classic debut, LOST IN SPACE & the Deluxe Vinyl release through Volcano Vinyl; ROLLERBALL will be cranking up their retro-futuristic wall of sound for a run of East Coast shows throughout October 2019.
Riff king “Dave Talon” returns from the Swiss Alps to reunite with the throat “Matt (Tenpin) Boland”, drum guru “Cracker Roach” & joining them on bass is longtime manager & Heavy Roller guitarist “Luke Earthling”.
Regarded as one of the most explosive rock bands in Australia, these gigs are not to be missed!
Special Guests to be announced, expect to see some old friends in Fuzz.
Friday 4th October The Sound Lounge, Currumbin QLD Saturday 5th October The Flamin’ Galah, Brisbane QLD Friday 18th October The Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW Saturday 19th October Dicey Riley’s Hotel, Wollongong NSW Friday 25th October Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood VIC Saturday 26th October The Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool VIC
Four tracks of black doom destined of the highest order; destined to pummel and destroy, yet because of its moniker also destined to beffudled the dorkiest of metalheads, those obsessed with darkness and badassness, yet totally hooked on playing Pokemon at their daycare playtime.
Limited to 150 copies and delivered on the most durable format: cassette!
Posted in Reviews on January 12th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Today is the last day of The Obelisk’s Quarterly Review, and it’s kind of hard to believe it’s gone so fast. Before I put the Big Boot to the proceedings like Hulk Hogan getting ready to call it a day with an elbow drop at Wrestlemania — yup, just like that — I have to take a special moment to thank Assignment Homework is known as the best source link service for a reason. We do not do typical or rushed. Indeed, you will find rush due dates in our offer list, but just since weve most eloquent, prepared, and expert staff to work on the assignment of yours. In case you want it ready really soon enough, we will gather a team and also make it happen. The Patient Mrs. for allowing me the time this week to bang out all of these reviews and get everything sorted on the back end, etc., for these posts. She, of course, as always, perpetually, has been unbelievable, and especially with Order case study written from scratch according to your educational requirements; make use of a A Paper On Marketing for students of all academic levels The Pecan to manage, she’s earned her title more than ever. It is thoroughly, deeply, appreciated. Much love, baby. Thank you.
Okay, Big Boot time. Let’s do this thing.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Godflesh, Post Self
Guitarist/vocalist/programmer All students will be able to follow link of high quality according to the subject they need. Remember you can buy a Ph.D. thesis or buy masters thesis online - no need to look for different services! Buy Thesis Online And Get Ph.D. Degree With Papersowl. When you decide to buy Ph.D. thesis online be sure the writers are professionals, and the thesis is custom and original etc. Your Justin K. Broadrick and bassist Erfahre, welche Vorteile Assignment Help Experts UK als Arbeitgeber auszeichnen. BC Green return with Post Self, their second post-reunion full-length behind 2014âs A World Lit Only by Fire (review here) and a collection of churning electro-noise hymnals that work in a sphere that should by now be well familiar to their multi-generational fanbase. The groundbreaking industrial pioneers sound decidedly led by the guitar on the chugging âParasiteâ and the airy, almost Jesu-style wash of âThe Cyclic End,â but the intensity of the beat behind âNo Body,â bass and noise onslaught of âBe Godâ and synth-driven soundscaping of âMortality Sorrowâ recall the sonic diversity thatâs always been as much a part of Godfleshâs approach as their signature cyclical rhythmic style. More perhaps than ever, Broadrick and Green seem to be aware of what defines Godflesh as a band in terms of sound, and as they make the crucial move from a âreunionâ band to a working one, they seem as glad as ever to push those boundaries once more.
This two-song single may end up bring the only offering Serpents of Secrecy ever make public, and it was years in coming together. In December, the Chesapeake region group with members of Foghound, Borracho and King Giant suffered the loss of bassist Jim Forrester, who was murdered in Baltimore, and while a debut long-player was in discussion, to-date the five-piece have only issued âWarbirdâs Songâ and âThe Cheatâ as Uncoiled â The Singles, and obviously now any kind of follow-up is in question. Whether itâs the raucous burl of âWarbirdâs Songâ or the bluesy, organ-topped fluidity of âThe Cheat,â the J. Robbins-produced tracks demonstrate the potential at heart from the lineup of vocalist Mark Lorenzo â who wound up in the role after members of Alabama Thunderpussy and Mister Bones vacated â guitarists Steve Fisher and Todd Ingram, Forrester and his former Sixty Watt Shaman bandmate Chuck Dukehart III. The only question at this point is whether that potential will ever see further realization. Right on as these songs are, I’m torn on the idea, to be honest.
Flowing arrangements abound on Zongâs self-titled four-track debut full-length. The Brisbane, Australia-based heavy psych three-piece are well within their genre sphere, but from opener and longest track (immediate points) âCosmic Embryoâ (13:00) through âArcane Sandâ (8:10), the perhaps-Zardoz-referential âGiant Floating Headâ (11:48) and closer âReturn of the Alien Kingâ (10:32), they demonstrate a natural chemistry, patience and warmth of tone that is no less comfortable in the march and lurch of its penultimate cut than in dug-in repetition-born hypnosis of the leadoff. Deceptively weighted from almost its beginning point with the low end of Michael Grinsteadâs bass and the rolling drums of Henry Bennett, thereâs also a balance of airiness from guitarist Adam Anderson that adds nuance when called upon to do so, though there are plenty of moments where Zongâs Zong seems perfectly content to cave-jam its far-out atmospheric fluidity. Not an ethic and not a result youâre going to hear me complain about.
Brutal tech-death pervades Vitriolâs first EP, Pain Will Define Their Death â a three-song onslaught the violence of which is writ large over every minute of its total 12. Sharing a penchant for opening to bigger-sounding choruses like that of its opening title-cut with peak-era Hate Eternal, the pummel factor, ultra-tense push and unmitigated viciousness eschews some of the more machine-like aspects of such technically-minded fare, and while Vitriolâs overarching groove, gutturalist execution and hammer-swing breakdowns are casting out their own assault on the aforementioned opener as well as the subsequent blast-laden âVictimâ and âViolence, a Worthy Truth,â theyâre working in service to songcraft much more than to an indulgent showcase of prowess, and that makes all the difference in terms of the materialâs ultimate impact. That impact? When was the last time you were actually kicked in the face? Nothing if not aptly named, Vitriolâs death metal seethes and rages in kind and bodes remarkably well for future manifest devastation.
Among the fascinating factors at work on this cross-continental Clostridium Records split release between long-running New Zealand acid folk outfit Lamp of the Universe and Austrian psychedelic fuzz purveyor Kanoi is the fact that both parties involved are solo-projects. For Lamp of the Universeâs Craig Williamson (also Arc of Ascent), he brings three tracks of his signature drenched-wet lysergism in âIn the Beginning,â âThe Cosmic Body Track,â âFatherâ and âSpace Chant,â while Kanoiâs Benjamin Kantschieder revisits two cuts from 2016âs Mountains of the Sun full-length in the extended âIâm Gone (Iâm Gone)â and âMountains of the Sunâ itself. The novelty of having two single parties match wits on such fluid arrangements â my head always begs for collaboration in these instances â is offset by the quality of their work itself. Neither is new to their sphere, but both seem keen to continue to experiment and explore, and itâs from that commonality that the split most benefits.
The first Azonic offering since the mid-â90s finds Brooklyn-based experimentalist Andy Hawkins reviving the project alongside his Blind Idiot God bandmate Tim Wyskida as a melding of drone/noise and percussive ideas. Released through Hawkinsâ own Indivisible Music, Prospect of the Deep Volume One â pretty ambitious to put a âvolume oneâ in the title of your first record in 20-plus years â presents two expansive works in âOblivion of the Deepâ (18:53) and âThe Argonauts Reckoningâ (18:42) as well as the CD bonus track âVoices of the Drownedâ (10:12) that brim with atmospheric intent and have an underlying sense of control on the part of Hawkins that speaks to some measure of steering what might in other hands simply feel like sonic chaos. You can hear it early into âThe Argonauts Reckoning,â as the layered wash seems to want to fly off the rails and swell and Hawkinsâ guitar simply doesnât let it go, but itâs true elsewhere on Prospect of the Deep Volume One as well, and in listening, itâs the difference between the album being a joy in the immersion, which it is, and a self-indulgent misfire, which it very much is not.
Thousand Vision Mist, Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow
Named for the lone 2002 full-length from Maryland doomers Life Beyond, in which guitarist/vocalist Danny Kenyon also featured, newcomer trio Thousand Vision Mist debut with the progressive-leaning edge of Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow, a 52-minute 10-tracker. Yes, Rush are a factor in terms of influence. However, propelled by the drumming of Chris Sebastian, whose frenetic snare adds a Mastodonic feel to âHeadstones Throw,â the otherwise classic-vibing âFinal Flight of Fallâ and the later âDarklight,â among others, the cumbersomely-titled offering sets its balance between modern prog metal, doom and classic heavy rock, with bassist Tony Comulada adding vocal harmonies alongside Kenyon and providing a needed anchor to keep songs like the penultimate âSkybound and Beyondâ from actually taking off and leaving their audience behind. Reportedly long in the works, Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow isnât a minor digestion process at its busy and extended runtime, but while the recording is raw, thereâs no shortage of fodder for engagement throughout its swath of choruses and head-spinning turns.
Though not at all without its more driving aspects, some of the most satisfying moments on Arcadian Childâs debut album, Afterglow, come from a soothing hook like that of âRabbit Hole,â which finds the Cypriot four-piece more fully embodying a laid back desert rock atmosphere that underpins the Fatso Jetson-esque opener âSheâs on My Mindâ and subsequent âLittle Late for Love.â As the feels-short-at-29-minutes record unfolds, âElectric Redâ blends fuzz and Mediterranean rhythmic push, âIrresistibleâ toys with layered swirl beneath a solidly-weighted verse and chorus, âRunâ makes itself a highlight around a post-Lullabies to Paralyze atmospheric lead and start-stop riff, and the title-track casts momentum in melody and groove into closer âUsed,â which pays one more welcome visit to the more serene side of their personality before theyâre done. It might be a sleeper, but Iâd be surprised if someone didnât pick Afterglow up for a vinyl release sooner or later; the songwriting, performance, presentation and potential for future growth are all there waiting to be found by the right ears.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 14th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Oh yes. This will do nicely. Four extended cuts of warm-hued instrumental heavy psych — there are few things that I find as welcome in the morning. Or in the afternoon. Also good at dinnertime. Or late at night. Okay, so maybe records like Zong‘s Zong are less of a time-dependent thing for me than they are just something I dig regardless of when I might run into them, but that doesn’t make the digging any less vigorous, and the Brisbane trio bring a classic psychedelic character to their material — as one can hear on the winding eight-minute course of “Arcane Sand” as part of the full album streaming at the bottom of this post — that serves well to distinguish them along with the cover art by drummer Henry Bennett for their self-titled debut, which I’ve already slated to be part of the Quarterly Review next month. It’s out Nov. 20 through Praying Mantis and the ultra-respected purveyors of Cardinal Fuzz.
The latter sent the following down the PR wire and just about made my whole damn day:
ZONG – ZONG
VINYL Release Date: 20TH NOVEMBER 2017
Cardinal Fuzz and Praying Mantis Records are proud to present ZONG.
Hailing from Brisbane Australia, Zong are a three-piece instrumental group focused on improvised cosmic jams with emphasised themes of psychedelic states, tribal rituals, gothic horror, alien encounters and medieval fantasy. Tying this all together is the groups explosive, intense and emotional delivery sounding out in the rich, golden, down-tuned and cranked amplifier glory akin to Black Sabbath and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the more modern groups Sleep and Earthless. Their true uniqueness, however, lies in their ability to blend genres and sonically improvise together making them a most satisfying heavy tripped-out listen, and a spectacle to behold as a live performance.
Since the live recording of their first ever show one year ago Zong have honed their craft playing with a myriad of bands, recently with Kadavar, Monolord, Ufomammut, Elder and Pallbearer, and now bring you their explosive debut Self-Titled LP, complete with the mind-bending album artwork by their very own drummer, Henry Bennett.
“Zong” by Zong is a monstrous swirling tidal wave of heavy riffs, pounding drums, weaving bass and guitar duels, intricate inter-dimensional psychedelia and dark mysticism which propels the listener deep into the chasms of their own imagination while also satisfying the cravings of Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix fans.
From the âspace-giant wreaking havoc in the cosmosâ sounds of the opening track ‘Cosmic Embryo’, to the eerie desert dancing mysticism of ‘Arcane Sand’, through to the pulverising and stark gothic doom of ‘Giant Floating Head’, and into the final majestic ‘Return of the Alien King’ fuelled with fuzzed out riffs and other-worldly mandalas of delayed guitar and blazing Aztec jungle beats, the album is a journey into the cosmos, through history and your own imagination. A well-curated and interesting blend of old and modern genres and visualised themes.
Vinyl & CD available here from ZONG directly. Additionally available from Cardinal Fuzz records in the UK/ EU and Praying Mantis records in Australia.
500 Pressing (300 For Europe via Cardinal Fuzz and 200 For Australia via Praying Mantis)
ZONG: Zac Anderson – Guitar Michael Grinstead – Bass Henry Bennett – Drums
Posted in Reviews on September 28th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Ready for round three of the Fall 2017 Quarterly Review? I hope so, because it’s a doozy. Things get pretty weird and pretty rockin’ in this batch, and at the risk of being completely honest, I much prefer it that way. It’s a varied group — maybe the most diverse in terms of sound throughout the entire week, though there’s stiff competition still to come — and as we hit the 30th review, that brings us to the halfway point of the Quarterly Review itself, which if all keeps proceeding according to plan will wrap up on Monday with a grand total of 60 done. Let’s hope no pianos fall on my head between now and then, literally or figuratively. Onward.
Quarterly Review #21-30:
Nibiru, Qaal Babalon
The fourth full-length from Italian sludge ritualists Nibiru, Qaal Babalon (on Argonauta) is an encompassing, 57-minute grind comprised of four extended tracks, the longest of which is opener (immediate points) âOrochâ at 19:07 â a song whose depths run dark and cruel and which, even when the tempo pushes upward from its initial slow crawl, still feels massively slow. Still, the spirit behind âOrochâ as well as the following and much faster âFaboanâ (10:51), the buzzsaw noise cutting avant insanity of âBahal Gahâ (16:40) and full-drone rite of âOxexâ (11:05) is less directly about the punishment itself than about the exploration enacted thereby. That is, Nibiru arenât just heavy for heavinessâ own sake and theyâre not just assaulting their listenership without reason. Though I wonât take away from its raw sonic impact, Qaal Babalonâs greatest asset is its atmospheric impression and the experimentalism it brings to bear, which moves Nibiru into a terrifying place sound-wise that they seem to have all to themselves.
Hailing from the unlikely heavy hotbed of Salt Lake City, Utah â though where better for a counterculture to emerge? â sludge rocking trio The Ditch and the Delta made their debut earlier in 2017 with the seven-song Hives in Decline via Battleground Records before being picked up by Prosthetic for this reissue. Comprised of bassist/vocalist Kory Quist (see also: Making Fuck), guitarist/vocalist Elliot Secrist and drummer Charles Bogus, the three-piece pummel handily throughout early cuts like opener and longest track (immediate points) âHives in Declineâ âFuck on Asphaltâ and the nodding âSleeping Dogs,â but with the instrumental interlude âDry Land,â they tap into post-Across Tundras heavy Americana and in that brief two-minute stretch deeply affect the mood of the release overall. Theyâre back to angular noise rock turns soon enough on âTill Body Quitsâ and the Remission-era-Mastodon-style âMudâ before alternating between lurching crush and airier prog/post-rock on closer âDread Spectacle,â but by then the secretâs out of their underlying complexity, and rather than offset the sense of drive in the prior cuts, one finds them only enhanced by the later unfolding. Intense, and very much in the process of sorting through these impulses, but loaded with potential.
From Greek dialogue in âHermesâ to the Nick Cave-style piano balladry of âApolloâ to the organ-and-handclaps Mediterranean pop underscoring âLilithââs boogie and the spoken verses and explosive hook of âSnakeâ ahead of moody closer âThere will be a Time,â Cyanna Mercuryâs debut long-player, Archetypes, seems to leave no sonic stone unturned. The Athens-based five-piece hone a thoroughly progressive approach across the 10-track/40-minute (plus a CD bonus track) outing, touching on heavy psych in opener âHorse Dark as Nightâ and injecting a darker theatricality into centerpiece âOde to the Absent Fatherâ and the later âNothing We Can Do,â but refusing to relegate themselves ultimately to one sound or another. Elements of folk, heavy rock, psychedelia, classic prog, pop and more besides show themselves across whatâs a legitimate head-trip of a record, and though itâs hard to get a grip on where Cyanna Mercury are ultimately headed with this sonic brew already so potent and already so much their own, they seem to be completely in control of how it all plays out in arrangement and songwriting, and they work quickly to earn the listenerâs trust via a resonant overarching flow that renders Archetypes truly immersive. Will fly under most radar, but a stunningly creative debut.
Numerically-titled three-song EP 2nd Chances is â since weâre going by the numbers â the third release of 2017 from Surya Kris Peters, behind the synth-driven Dream Exit EP digitally-issued this past summer and Januaryâs Holy Holy Holy (review here) full-length. With it, Samsara Blues Experiment frontman Christian Peters further expands the contextual breadth of his solo work, revisiting songs from his prior outfit Terraplane in the Mellotron-infused melancholy of âSmalltown Bluesâ and the quick, folkish rambling instrumental âDark Euphoriaâ while also covering Jefferson Airplaneâs âCome up the Yearsâ between. All told, itâs only 10 minutes long, but Peters brings a particularly progressive psychedelic folk vibe to the tracks, and from the shimmering guitar lead that takes hold in âCome up the Yearsâ and the intimate feel of âSmalltown Bluesâ despite an arrangement of keys, vocals, multiple layers of guitar and effects, an emotional and sonic resonance is still very much achieved. One never wants to guess what Peters will do next, but if he had a full-length of this kind of thing out at some point, you wouldnât be likely to find me complaining.
An underlying mournfulness pervades Golden Batsâ Residual Dread, or maybe thatâs just the Brisbane-based solo-project of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/engineer Geordie Stafford living up to the title chosen for the album on âNothing.â Elsewhere, Residual Dread takes on guitar-as-keyboard plotted soloing in 11-minute closer âThe Crows Build a Fireâ and find a place between black metal and doomly roll, and add piano to tapped Godflesh-style programming on opener âTrouble in the Sewersâ and bring organ to the relative bounce of âEye Juicesâ as far-back echoing shouts provide the vocal presence. Setting elements against each other would seem to be a core aspect of Staffordâs intent, and the feel on Residual Dread is more about the smashing them together and seeing what happens than trying to gently meld one idea from two or three. That lends a raw, experimentalist sensibility to the lumber of âOuter Bodyâ and âInto the Silver Valleyâ that serves them well, like a Large Hadron Collider driven by riffs and thickness of tone.
In its first two minutes, Blind Henâs âAs a Monsterâ moves from electronica-style Euro dance rock to heavy-riffed progressive metal. Then it turns back. This is just the start of the Finnish four-pieceâs four-track/21-minute Life EP, and âTitanicâ follows stylistic suit with an even more intense thrust early before moving into psychedelia in its second half with an underlying tension in its beat to contrast the melodic wash overtop. The chugging âThe Mazeâ is more guitar-led and straightforward, but even there, Blind Hen find room for nuance in their vocal arrangement, also bringing in acoustics amid the multiple layers of singing, and with a sample at the outset, closer âCatchâ moves once again toward the danceability of the earlier fare, if in a via-Mr.–Bungle rhythmic restlessness rather than the fusion beatmaking. Weird, weird, weird. What draws Life together is the fact that Blind Hen cross this aesthetic swath with stuck-in-your-head choruses as a constant, essentially giving the audience something to grasp onto while they go wherever they want in terms of sound. It is appreciated to say the least, and shows the band to be all the more attuned to their craft, even when they seem at their most unhinged.
If youâve got 68 minutes, Portuguese four-piece The Black Wizards are ready to have a heavy blues shindig on their second 2LP full-length, What the Fuzz!, and I do believe weâre all invited. The nine-song outing emphasizes the vocals of guitarist Joana Brito, who emerges on post-intro opener âFreaks and Geeksâ with a prominent kind of trilling in her voice of the sort Parker Griggs brings to Radio Moscow that holds for the duration as a steady presence. Joined by guitarist Paulo Ferreira, bassist/acoustic guitarist B and drummer/backing vocalist Helena Peixoto, Brito leads the way through the fuzzy rollout of the nine-minute âThe Story of an Hopeless Drummerâ (sic), stepping back to let the guitar/bass have a righteously nodding moment late in the track, but holds firm in a forward position on the short, twanging âJust Not Todayâ as well as the early going of the prior subdued-blues-smoker highlight âFloating Blues.â âBuild Your Home,â âI Donât Wanna Dieâ and the particularly-classic-sounding âFireâ revive the classic heavy rock spirit of âFreaks and Geeks,â and 16-minute finale âEverything is Good Until Trouble Comesâ uses its extra runtime for a satisfying and patient execution with an expanded arrangement including choral vocals, organ and additional guitar effects. You might be boogied out by the time theyâre done, but as The Black Wizards crash through their big finish, they sound like their partyâs just getting started.
One might expect that with all the Melvins affiliation going on in the second Magnetic Eye Records full-length from L.A. duo Low Flying Hawks, Genkaku would sound, you know, more like the Melvins, but despite working with bassist Trevor Dunn, drummer Dale Crover and producer Toshi Kasai, and despite bringing in Buzz Osbourne for guest vocal spots on eight-minute opener/longest track (immediate points) âSmileâ and side B leadoff âSpace Wizard,â initials-only multi-instrumentalists EHA and AAL follow their 2016 debut, Kofuku (review here), with a sound even more their own, balancing between thick riffy rollout and post-rock atmospherics. Of course, they weird out a bit on âSmileâ and the lumberingly spacious âUncoolâ and âVirgin Witch,â but whether itâs the later mournfulness of âHallucinationâ or âTwilightâ toying with noisy fuckall while seeming to mock heavy rocker burl ahead of the melodic payoff in closer âSinister Waves,â thereâs more EHA and AAL in Low Flying Hawks than the prominent pedigree of their collaborators might lead you to believe. All the better for what becomes a richly satisfying 43-minute listen rife with depth, patience, and yes, personality.
Coherent songwriting rests at the core of what Denverâs Brother Sister Hex bring to their five-song third EP, End Times, which darkens up Queens of the Stone Age-circa-Songs for the Deaf vibing on its title-track (also a bit of Kyussâ âEl Rodeoâ in there for good measure) before delving into more ambient fare on the centerpiece âConfessions.â Vocalist/guitarist Colfax Mingo demonstrates SubRosa-style vocal command there, but the context is more rock-based, uptempo and straightforward as she, guitarist Patrick Huddleson, bassist Drew Hicks and guest-drummer Jordan Palmer (Plastic Daggers) meld traditionalist structures with atmospheric moodiness. Opener âHeyâ offers a suitable greeting through hook and groove, and the shuffle of âSweet and Sleazyâ and the rumbling fuzz (Hicks makes it a highlight) of closer âNews Feedâ wraps with another grunge-style QOTSA melody efficiently drawn, shouting the question âwhat have we done?â as it thuds into its second half. Uh, youâve made a professional-sounding, excellently-constructed EP that shows youâre more than ready to embark on a debut full-length, permanent drummer or no. So yeah, get on that.
Posted in Reviews on March 27th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Here we are, on the precipice looking out over a spread that will include 50 reviews by the week’s end. Somehow when it comes around to a Quarterly Review Monday I always end up taking a moment to ask myself if I’ve truly lost my mind, if I really expect to be able to do this and not fall completely flat on my face, and just where the hell this terrible idea came from in the first place. But you know what? I haven’t flubbed one yet. We get through it. There’s a lot to go through, for me and you both, but sometimes it’s fun to be completely overwhelmed by music. I hope you agree, and I hope you find something this week that hits you in that oh-yeah-that’s-why-I-love-this kind of way. Time’s wasting. Let’s get started.
Quarterly Review #1-10:
Pallbearer, Heartless
Three albums and nearly a decade into their tenure, Pallbearer stand at the forefront of American doom, and their third outing, Heartless (on Profound Lore), only reinforces this position while at the same time expanding beyond genre lines in ways that even their 2014 sophomore effort, Foundations of Burden, simply couldnât have done. A seven-song/hour-long sprawl is marked out by resonant melodies, soulful melancholy conveyed by guitarist/vocalist Brett Campbell â the returning lineup completed by guitarist Devin Holt, bassist Joseph D. Rowland and drummer Mark Lierly â and tonal weight set to a mix by Joe Barresi, who from opener âI Saw the Endâ onward arranges layers gorgeously so that extended pieces like âDancing in Madnessâ (11:48) and closer âA Plea for Understandingâ (12:40) become even more consuming. What comes through most resolute on Heartless, though, is that itâs time to stop thinking of Pallbearer as belonging to some established notion of doom or any other subgenre. With these songs, they make it clear theyâve arrived at their own wavelength and are ready to stand up to the influence theyâve already begun to have on other acts. A significant achievement.
With the considerable frontman presence of Primordialâs Alan Averill on vocals and bass, the considerable riffing of guitarist Bones (also of Wizards of Firetop Mountain) and the considerable lumber in the drumming of Johnny King (ex-Altar of Plagues), Dread Sovereign make some considerable fucking doom indeed. Their second album, For Doom the Bell Tolls (on VĂĄn Records), follows three years behind their debut, 2014âs All Hellâs Martyrs (review here), and wastes no time giving the devil his due â or his doom, if you prefer â in the span of its six tracks and 37 minutes. Atmospheric and seemingly on an endless downward plod, the 13-minute âTwelve Bells Toll in Salemâ is a defining moment, but the trad metallurgy of âThis World is Doomedâ rounds out side A with some welcome thrust, and after the intro âDraped in Sepulchral Fog,â âThe Spines of Saturnâ and the thrashing âLive Like and Angel, Die Like a Devilâ play dramatic and furious intensities off each other in a manner that would seem to truly represent the fine art of not giving a shit what anyone thinks about what you do or what box you’re supposed to fit into. Righteous. Considerably so.
Noise, largesse of riffs and shouted vocals that distinctly remind of Souls at Zero-era Neurosis pervade the near-hour-long run of Lizzard Wizzardâs Total War Power Bastard, but as much as the Brisbane four-piece willfully give themselves over to fuckall â to wit, the title âMedusa but She Gets You Stoned Instead of Turning You to Stone, Instead of Snakes She has Vaporizers on His Head⊠Drugsâ â songs like âShithead Nihilism,â âPizzaâ and the droning âSnake Arrowâ brim with purpose and prove affecting in their atmosphere and heft alike. Yes, they have a song called âNerd Smasher,â and they deserve all credit for that as they follow-up their 2013 self-titled (review here), but by the time they get down to the roll-happy âCrystal Ballsâ and the feedback-caked âMegafloraâ at the recordâs end, guitarists Michael Clarke and Nick McKeon, bassist Stef Roselli and drummer Luke Osborne end up having done something original with a Sleep influence, and thatâs even more commendable.
Should mention two things outright about Oulu Space Jam Collectiveâs EP1. First and foremost, its three songs run over 95 minutes long, so if itâs an EP, one can only imagine what qualifies as a âfull-length.â Second, the Finnish outfit releasing EP1 on limited tape through Eggs in Aspic isnât to be confused with Denmarkâs Ăresund Space Collective. Oulu is someplace else entirely, and likewise, Oulu Space Jam Collective have their own intentions as they show in the 57-minute opener âRenegade Spaceman,â recorded live in the studio in 2014 (theyâve since made two sequels) and presented in six movements including samples, drones, enough swirl for, well, 57 minutes, and a hypnotism thatâs nigh on inescapable. I wonât take away from the space rock thrust of 14-minute closer âArtistic Supplies for Moon Paint Mafiaâ (also tracked in 2014), but the smooth progressive edge of three-part 24-minute centerpiece âApproaching Beast Moon of Baxoolâ is where itâs at for me â though if you want a whole galaxy to explore, hit up their Bandcamp.
They freak out a bit toward the end of 12-minute opener âAscendantâ and in the second half of the subsequent âSupersaturation,â but for the most part, Aussie three-piece Frozen PlanetâŠ. 1969 play it weirdo-cool on their fourth full-length, the excellently-titled Electric Smokehouse (on Pepper Shaker Records). From those jams to the dreamy beachside drift of âShores of Oblivionâ to the funky-fuzz bass of âSonic Egg Factoryâ to the quick noise finish of âPretty Blown Fuseâ â which may or may not be the sound of malfunctioning equipment run through an oscillator or some other effects-whatnot, the instrumentalist Sydney/Canberra trio seem to improv a healthy percentage of their fare, if not all of it, and that spirit of spontaneity feeds into the easygoing atmosphere only enhanced by the cover art. On a superficial level, you know youâre getting psych jams going into it, but once you put on Electric Smokehouse, the urge to get lost in the tracks is nigh on overwhelming, and that proves greatly to their credit. Wake up someplace else.
Ananda Mida make their debut on Go Down Records with Anodnatius, fluidly working their way around heavy psychedelic and more driving rock influences propelled by drummer Massimo âMax Earâ Recchia, also of underrated Italian forebears OJM. Here, Recchia anchors a seven-piece lineup including two vocalists in Oscar de Bertoldi and Filippo Leonardi, two guitarists in Matteo Scolaro and Alessandro Tedesco, as well as bassist Davide Bressan and organist Stefano Pasqualetto, so suffice it to say songs like the subtly grungy âPassvas,â the dreamy highlight âHeropasâ or the vaguely progressive âAskokinnâ want nothing for fullness, but there seem to be moments throughout Anodnatius as on âLuniaâ and the shuffling âKondurâ early into the proceedings where the band wants to break out and push toward something heavier. Their restraint is to be commended since it serves the interests of songcraft, but part of me canât help but wonder what might happen if these guys really let loose on some boogie jams. Keep an ear open to find out, as I have a feeling they might be headed in just that direction.
Not much to argue with in the sixth long-player from Helge Kanck, Trond SlĂ„ke and Hallvard GaardlĂžs, collectively known as Orango. As they make their way onto Stickman Records (which also handled Euro distro for their last album, 2014âs Battles) with The Mules of Nana, the Norwegian trio deep-dive into harmony-topped â70s-style vibing that, well, leaves the bulk of âretroâ bands in their V8-crafted dust. Mind you they do so by not being a retro band. True, the fuzz on âThe Honeymoon Songâ and âHead on Downâ is as organic as if you happened on it in some forest where all the trees were wearing bellbottoms, but if you told me it was true, Iâd believe Orango recorded The Mules of Nana onto â gasp! â a computer. I donât know if thatâs the case or not, but âHeirs,â the sweetly acoustic âGive Me a Hundredâ and motoring âHazy Chain of Mountainsâ find Orango making no attempt to cloak a lack of songwriting or performance chops in a production aesthetic. Rather, in the tradition of hi-fi greats, they sound as full and rich as possible and utterly live up to the high standard they set for themselves. Pure win in classic, dynamic fashion.
Thereâs an undercurrent of metal thatâs quick to show itself on Set and Settingâs Reflectionless. The instrumentalist Floridian five-piece delve plenty deep into heavy post-rock on cuts like the shoegazing âIncandescent Gleamâ and subsequent âSpecular Wavefront OfâŠâ but theyâre not through opener âSaudadeâ before harder-edged chug emerges, and ââŠThe Idyllic Realmââs blastbeating nods at black metal while the churning endgame build of closer âEphemeralityâ holds tight to a progressive execution. While its textural foundation will likely ring familiar to followers of Russian Circles ultimately, Reflectionless finds distinction in aligning the various paths it walks as it goes, creating an overarching flow that draws strength from its diversity of approach rather than sounding choppy, confused or in conflict with itself. Not revolutionary by any means, but engaging throughout and with a residual warmth to complement what might seem at first to be a purely cerebral approach. It offers more on repeat listens, so let it sink in.
Primo short offering of pure, fistpump-ready, violin-infused doom traditionalism. I donât know what Norrköping, Swedenâs Dautha â the five-piece of vocalist Lars Palmqvist, guitarists Erik Ăquist and Ola Blomkvist, bassist Emil Ă ström and drummer Micael Zetterberg â are planning to do for a follow-up, but this Den Foerste (or Den Förste) two-tracker recalls glory-era Candlemass and willfully soars with no sense of irony on âBenandantiâ and âIn Between Two Floodsâ after the intro âHorkarlar Skall SlĂ„s IhjĂ€l,â and having already sold out a self-released pressing leaves little to wonder what wouldâve caught the esteemed tastes of VĂĄn Records. And by that I mean itâs fucking awesome. Iâm ready for a full-length whenever they are, and from the poise with which Palmqvist carries the melodies of these tracks, the quality of the riffing and the depth of arrangement the violin adds to the overarching mournfulness, they definitely sound ready. So get on it. 15 minutes of dirge-making this gorgeous simply isnât enough.
Posted in audiObelisk on January 13th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Brisbane four-piece Lizzard Wizzard will release a new 7″, titled Dankrupt, on Houdini Tapes. The two-track release picks up more or less where their 2013 self-titled (review here) left off, though the sound overall proves somewhat more severe this time around, if keeping to the same we-definitely-don’t-take-ourselves-too-seriously humor that made cuts like “Total Handjob Future” and “Bong Dive” such winners. Both “Dankrupt” and its companion, “The Ghost of Randy Savage” have a heaping dose of charm, guitarists Michael Clarke and Nick McKeon and bassist Stef Roselli trading vocals between all three Neurosis-style while drummer Luke Osborne holds down a Crowbar-esque plod behind: viciously lumbering, densely toned, baked at 450 degrees.
They’ve got a quick tour booked to promote the single later this month, and today I have the pleasure of hosting “Dankrupt” itself for streaming. There isn’t much mystery to why the song works — feedback and a lumbering riff kicking in out of an initial wash of noise, the molasses progression topped by wailing shouts that only further the nod. I don’t know the lyrics, but the solo that takes hold just about halfway through is no less expressive than the vocals, the whole thing feeding into the lurching movement of the song itself, which seems to get more grueling as it goes on, stopping after about four minutes in for a quick drone-out before the punishing course resumes, ending with the last line, “forever stoned.”
Rumor has it that Lizzard Wizzard will themselves be unveiling “The Ghost of Randy Savage” later this week. That song is a minute longer and no less destructive sonically, but I’ll stop there to restrain myself from spoiling the surprise. Please find “Dankrupt” on the player below, followed by the tour dates, and enjoy:
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
Lizzard Wizzard on tour: 01/22 The Old Bar, Melbourne 01/23 Crown & Anchor Hotel, Adelaide 01/24 Cosmos Rock Lounge, Marrickville 01/25 Town & Country Hotel, Sydney
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 14th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
To those who might bemoan the miniscule reemergence of tapes as a cheap physical alternative to vinyl — which, as I understand it, everybody really enjoys looking at while continuing to stream music off their phones, laptops, etc. — there are few arguments to be made in terms of relative audio quality, but as in the case of Brisbane, Australia-based stoner foursome Lizzard Wizzard, there are instances where cassette releases provide an opportunity for creativity in packaging that other formats don’t, doubtless in no small part because they’re cheaper. Lizzard Wizzard, who’ve teamed with newcomer Los Angeles tape-specialist imprint Houdini Tapes, have issued their 2013 debut self-titled demo (review here) in a deluxe package that includes not only two pre-rolled smoking cones in a plastic container, but a 20-sided die and patch as well. For eight bucks.
Whatever else cassettes do, whatever formats they might be inferior to in some ways and superior in others, they offer a different experience of an album than CDs, than vinyl or digital media, and for that alone, never mind the options that a less costly production opens up, I consider them a valid alternative. Vinyl’s great, don’t get me wrong, and there are no shortage of purveyors doing interesting, creative things with that packaging as well, but I guess I don’t see why it needs to be a competition between one or the other instead of people being glad that a band like Lizzard Wizzard, still getting their start, can provide their followers with a product that fits their sonic personality that neither does the audio an injustice nor prices anyone on either side out of the market.
Not to get preachy, it’s just unfortunate to see cool releases and ideas get the shaft because of party lines being drawn between one format and another. Here are the specs on Lizzard Wizzard‘s Lizzard Wizzard, which you can also listen to and download below:
HDNI-001 LIZZARD WIZZARD “S/T”
7 tracks of dungeon crawling, bong ripping, tail losing and then regrowing, stoner doom from Brisbane, Australia.
For fans of Eyehategod, Electric Wizard, Sleep/Asbestos Death
Package Includes: – 7 Track Cassette – Translucent Green D20 die – Green tube with 2 Empty Pre-rolled Smoke Cones – Screen printed patch
