Named for a type of butterfly, California’s Lorquin’s Admiral have taken a suitably winding course to bringing their debut full-length to fruition. The project has its roots in the collaboration between UK heavy progressives Sons of Alpha Centauri, once instrumental and seemingly always down to work with somebody news, and Dandy Brown of The Fuzz Fuzz, Hermano, and so on.

Both parties took part in the last Yawning Sons LP, and Lorquin’s Admiral would seem to have come about from there, with Country Mark Engel and Hermano and Luna Sol‘s David Angstrom adding guitar, Dawn Brown (who has worked with Dandy across a few projects, including being life-partners) sharing vocal duties and Steve Earle (The Afghan Whigs, Hermano) on drums. I don’t know if they’d call themselves a supergroup so much as nobody’s first time at the dance, but the results are pretty super in songs like “My Blue Wife,” “Could Have Been Forever,” “Burn and Heal,” “These Lovely Things,” and so on, with an emotive crux and varied arrangements around a central fuzz and desert-style sound.

Heads up on it, I guess. I’ve heard the record and I think might be premiering a single in about a month (it currently has a question mark next to it in my notes, so I’ll need to check/confirm that it’s a go) as the Hermano family tree continues to grow and Lorquin’s Admiral take flight therefrom. One way or the other, more to come.

For now, this from the PR wire:

Lorquin’s Admiral Signs with Argonauta Records for Highly Anticipated Debut Album

Argonauta Records proudly announces the signing of Lorquin’s Admiral, a groundbreaking heavy-psychedelic collaboration that promises to captivate audiences across the globe. Featuring a stellar lineup of current and former members of Afghan Whigs, the Fizz Fuzz, Hermano, Luna Sol, Orquesta del Desierto, Sons of Alpha Centauri, and Yawning Sons, the band delivers a unique blend of soul-stirring harmonies, mesmerizing riffs, and unforgettable hooks.

Building on the critically acclaimed writing partnership between Marlon King, Nick Hannon, and Dandy Brown (first established on the widely celebrated Yawning Sons album Sky Island), Lorquin’s Admiral encapsulates the essence of psychedelic rock while pushing the genre into exciting new territories. The band’s debut album highlights the stunning vocal interplay of husband-and-wife duo Dawn and Dandy Brown, and the commanding rhythms of celebrated drummer Steve Earle, creating an immersive sonic experience that is both heavy and hypnotic.

Adding to the album’s allure, guitar virtuosos David Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol) and Country Mark Engel lend their distinctive touch, enriching the record with lush, textured guitar landscapes. Angstrom’s contributions span seven tracks, while Engel’s masterful work graces two.

Drawing inspiration from desert rock pioneers while seamlessly incorporating elements of blues, psychedelic, and alternative music, Lorquin’s Admiral appeals to fans of Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Fatso Jetson, as well as admirers of the Cranberries, Screaming Trees and Garbage. The band carves out a unique space in the heavy-psychedelic scene, proving that rock music remains a powerful and evolving force.

Lorquin’s Admiral Signing Statement:

“We are incredibly excited and honored to be a part of the Argonauta stable of bands. When we were looking for a place to call home for the Lorquin’s Admiral album, our goals were simple: to find a team that had a track record of not only getting behind and developing their artists but also a label that believes strongly in expanding and promoting bands that push the envelope and explore multiple paths of expression. Gero and Argonauta have been doing just that for the past thirteen years, and it is thrilling to have our debut album released by a team that stays loyal to their roots while looking to the future with ears and eyes tuned to the unique and spirited. We can’t thank Argonauta enough for believing in what we’ve created, and we look forward to everyone having a chance to hear it.”

Stay tuned for the release date of Lorquin’s Admiral’s debut album and follow Argonauta Records for updates, singles and exclusive previews.

www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/
https://argonautarecords.bandcamp.com/

Yawning Sons, Sky Island (2021)

It hasn’t been that long since Early Moods were last out on the Pacific Coast supporting their 2024 album, A Sinner’s Past (review here), but by the time April comes around, November will have been an eternity ago. The doomly upstarts have begun the shift from opening to headlining, and if their trajectory holds, it would make sense to see them in the years to come with more tours like this one, a quick 10-date regional jaunt supported by an upstart band on their label, RidingEasy Records. The Fall tour, I’ll note, was co-headlining with Castle Rat, and it’s Maryland’s boogie-prone heavy classic rockers Magick Potion playing first on this run, so Early Moods continue to keep good company and find ways to hold onto the momentum they’ve been riding for at least the last three years since they started touring.

Europe in 2025? Almost certainly, as Early Moods have already been confirmed for Freak Valley Festival in Germany this June and will likely have dates around that. Their sound, familiar in its doomly pastiche but energetic and modern in presentation, speaks directly to the doomly converted but has the power to reach across metallic subgenres as well. This has let them become one of the underground’s most hopeful prospects, and if they keep going the way they are, they might elbow their way to the forefront of an up and coming generation of doom that’s barely starting to take shape in their wake. I’d love to find this post again in five years and see what I think. I’ll set a reminder in my phone.

Dates came from Nanotear‘s social media:

West coast we have not forsaken you! Early Moods + Magick Potion are coming…

All shows on sale now: https://linktr.ee/earlymoods

4/06 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High
4/08 – Seattle, WA @ Clockout Lounge
4/09 – Vancouver BC @ Wise Hall
4/10 – Bellingham, WA @ Shakedown
4/11 – Portland, OR @ Twilight Cafe
4/12 – Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s
4/15 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial
4/16 – Reno, NV @ LoBar Social
4/17 – Oakland, CA @ Stork Club
4/18 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing

https://linktr.ee/earlymoods
https://www.instagram.com/early_moods
https://www.facebook.com/earlymoods/
https://earlymoods.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.instagram.com/easyriderrecord/
https://www.facebook.com/ridingeasyrecords/
http://www.ridingeasyrecords.com/

Early Moods, A Sinner’s Past (2024)

Okay, no surprise I’m like, “DERP NEW 16 OMG COOL,” because I’m a dork like that. I was lucky enough to be asked to do some bio writing for 16’s upcoming onslaught, Guides for the Misguided, some of which is kind of interspliced with the promotional text below, the quotes and such. I assume the rest sucked. Fine. I hadn’t interviewed Bobby Ferry before, but dude was a sans-bullshit riot as I kind of expected, and was thankfully amenable to letting me rant about how fucking undervalued I think his band is. Because they are.

Having served in a backing capacity for decades in addition to playing guitar, Ferry took over on lead vocals for 16‘s last album, 2022’s Into Dust (review here), and while much of the story since the now-San Diego-based band began their second run with Bridges to Burn (discussed here) has been about the incremental progression they’ve undertaken in that time — also dat chug! — Guides for the Misguided includes clean, melodic singing in a way Into Dust didn’t, and is so purposeful in the doing that, more than three decades from their outset, one can only stand, point a finger at 16 and accuse the band of trying new things. Perish the thought.

Don’t worry. It’s not too pretty. Actually, from where I sit, the cleaner vocals make 16 a stronger band, without question. Another tool in the shed, sure, but the expansion of their dynamic results in richer songs, in material that can cover more ground from its brutalist foundations, and in the case of Guides for the Misguided, it feels like a conscious change, but an organic one helping them to make the album what they want it to be.

You get a preview in the first single “Proudly Damned,” for which a video is streaming below. Don’t be scared. You can handle it. And if you don’t come out the other end looking forward to this record… well, that’s a position with which I respectfully disagree and I think it might be advisable for you to revisit it. Sorry to be so harsh.

More to come, but that’s enough for now. You get the idea. Here’s word from the PR wire. Video’s at the bottom. Don’t skip this band or be put off if you don’t know their work. I’m not fucking around when I tell you this will be on my year-end list for 2025. Yeah, I know January is a week old. See “dork like that” above.

Go:

-(16)- To Release Guides For The Misguided Full-Length February 7th Via Relapse Records; “Proudly Damned” Video/Single Now Playing + Preorders Available

Nearly thirty-five years on, -(16)- remains one of the most enduring, hardest sounding rock and metal entities from North America. The San Diego band redefines heavy on their new album, Guides For The Misguided, set for release on February 7th via Relapse Records!

Bobby Ferry returns at the helm as the band’s visceral vocalist and guitarist, and in true -(16)- fashion, belts out stories of pain and unhinged anguish. Standout tracks like “Proudly Damned” see the band playing at the crowd while Ferry shares tales of personal strife and depression: “To defile and offend/These are the demons found within/The sullen face of communion’s alarm/It’s an incentive to do more harm.” Ferry is absolutely seething while the band plows through a virulent mix of rock, metal, and sludge. Dion Thurman’s pounding drum set, Ferry and Alex Shuster’s heavier-than-anything-else guitars, and the lowest low end from bassist Barney Firks herald tones so low they’re nearly apocalyptic.

Stream “Proudly Damned”: https://orcd.co/16-guidesforthemisguided

Guides For The Misguided will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find preorders at Relapse.com HERE: https://www.relapse.com/pages/16-guides-for-the-misguided

Guides For The Misguided Track Listing:

1. After All
2. Hat On A Bed
3. Blood Atonement Blues
4. Fortress Of Hate
5. Proudly Damned
6. Fire And Brimstone Inc
7. Desperation Angel
8. Resurrection Day
9. Give Thanks And Praises (Bad Brains cover)
10. Kick Out The Chair
11. The Tower (Bonus Track – Superchunk cover)

-(16)- frontman Bobby Ferry comments on Guides For The Misguided, “The album came together after we wrapped the final mix of our last one, Into Dust. It’s all about harnessing creative momentum when it strikes and we’ve been in a kind of creative autopilot for about a decade. When inspiration is there, the rest seems to fall into place effortlessly. Thankfully, we’re still driven to write and perform even after all these years. There’s no grander meaning behind it than simply following that primal urge to create — put your head down and just make something.

“Age has of course given us a fresh perspective,” he continues. “In the eight years since Lifespan Of A Moth, our lineup has shifted. We lost a singer, gained Alex Shuster on lead guitar/producer, and I slid into the lead vocalist rhythm guitarist spot. Lyrically, we’ve moved beyond the personal and inward grievances of our earlier work and embraced broader themes of conflict, like the hypocrisy of religion and its negative effects on the psyche.

“There’s a song called ‘Blood Atonement Blues’ that delves into the story of Ervil LeBaron, often referred to as the ‘Mormon Manson,’ while ‘Proudly Damned’ explores addiction and how it turns into a Pagan Ritual with a witch-like character posing as the opiate – both in substance abuse and the spiritual realm – in parallel. In many ways, this album might be the closest we’ve come to creating a concept record. Including the two covers on the album is meant to lessen this heavy hand and lighten the focus.

“Musically, we are still grasping for the perfect riffs married to the most ideal arrangements. We’re not afraid to lean into the stuff we love: noise, classic rock, hardcore, doom metal, and thrash. We are well aware we are not reinventing the wheel but lovingly fashioning something from us and basically for us, first and foremost.”

Guides For The Misguided closes with the soberingly titled “Kick Out The Chair.” While the track sounds like a culmination of a thirty-five-year career, the band shows no signs of stopping; although the road ahead looks bleak, -(16)-‘s unrelenting trajectory continues upward.

-(16)- Live:
1/31/2025 Scumm – Pescara, IT
2/01/2025 Pippo Stage – Bolzano, IT
2/02/2025 Freakout – Bologna, IT
2/03/2025 Altroquando – Zero Branco, IT
2/04/2025 Vintage Industrial – Zagreb, HR
2/05/2025 Explosiv – Graz, AT
2/06/2025 Kabinet Muz – Bmo, CZ
2/07/2025 Liverpool Club – Wroclaw, PL
2/08/2025 Rockhouse – Salzburg, AT
2/09/2025 7er Club – Mannheim, DE
2/10/2025 V11 – Rotterdam, NL
2/11/2025 Gasttatte Ziller – Goppingen, DE
2/13/2025 Kuudes Linja – Helsinki, FI
2/14/2025 Raindogs House – Savona, IT
2/15/2025 Blah Blah – Torino, IT

– 16 – is:
Bobby Ferry: Guitar, Vocals
Alex Shuster: Lead Guitar
Barney Firks: Bass
Dion Thurman: Drums

http://www.facebook.com/16theband
http://www.instagram.com/16theband
http://www.16theband.bandcamp.com

http://www.relapse.com
http://www.instagram.com/relapserecords
http://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords
https://relapserecords.bandcamp.com/

16, “Proudly Damned” official video

16, Guides for the Misguided (2025)

It would seem to have worked out the first time if the somewhat exhausted but contently familiar faces of Salem’s Bend and Sons of Arrakis in the photo are anything to go by. At least those you can see. The two bands, from Los Angeles and Montreal, respectively, set out together this past February and March on a run of six joint Canadian shows, and this West Coasty stint coming up at the end of January would seem to be a fitting answer to that.

Further impetus, of course, is provided by the stopthrough in Las Vegas for Sons of Arrakis to play the opening night of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V, but it’s always nice to know that two bands enjoyed each other’s company enough to want to ever speak or play a show together again, let alone potentially share space, gear and/or van stink for upwards of a week’s time.

One difference between this year (2025) and last is that in 2024, Sons of Arrakis released Volume II (review here), which is certainly a thing to consider. Oh, and I didn’t actually see a poster for the tour, which is called ‘Great Scattering Part II,’ but there’s a credit for one to Bill Kole in the social media post below. If you read this and have it, I’m happy to add it to the post after the fact. Thanks.

Please note that all event links below are live. It took me an embarrassingly long time this morning to cut and paste hyperlinks between tabs, so yes, I’m pointing it out. I probably got them wrong, so heads up there too, I guess:

⚡️Great Scattering Tour Part II⚡️

One month to go before we hop on a plane to Los Angeles to reunite with our friends from Salem’s Bend ! Visas are sorted, gear is ready, and we’re fired up!

We had so much fun on our Great Scattering tour through Québec and Ontario earlier this year that we just had to make a Part II ⚡️

Cheers to our partners at Ripple Music, Black Throne Productions and Vegas Rock Revolution for making it happen!

Scope the dates below and we’ll see you on the road!

Jan 28th – Palmdale (CA) Transplants Brewing Company w/ Salem’s Bend X SuperDope 76
Event : Sons of Arrakis X Salem’s Bend X SuperDope76

————————————————————–

Jan 29th – San Diego (CA) Til Two Club w/ Salem’s Bend and Formula 400
Event : SONS OF ARRAKIS / SALEM’S BEND / FORMULA 400

————————————————————–

Jan 30th – Las Vegas (NV) Count’s Vamp’d for Planet Desert Rock Weekend V – Jan. 30+31+ Feb. 1 in VEGAS
Event : Planet Desert Rock Night 1- Unida/Mr. Bison/Sons of Arrakis/Samavayo Thurs January 30 at Vamp’d

————————————————————–

Jan 31st – Los Angeles (CA) The Slipper Clutch w/ Salem’s Bend X Formation Ritual
Event : Sons of Arrakis X Salem’s Bend X Formation Ritual

————————————————————–

Feb 1st – San Francisco (CA) Thee Parkside w/ Salem’s Bend X LAZER BEAM X Star Decay Band
Event : Trixie Rasputin Presents: Sons of Arrakis, Salem’s Bend, Lazer Beam, & Star Decay at Thee Parkside!

————————————————————–

Poster : Bill Kole
Photo : Rémi Deschenes

https://salemsbend.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/salemsbend/
https://www.instagram.com/salemsbend/

https://www.sonsofarrakis.com/
https://sonsofarrakis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sonsofarrakisband
https://www.instagram.com/sonsofarrakis/

Salem’s Bend, “No Blood in Bone” (2021)

Sons of Arrakis, Volume II (2024)

The Parker Griggs-led classic hard psych-funk rockers El Perro will head back to Europe in 2025, and maybe that’s not a huge surprise since they’ve been on the road more or less since the band’s inception earlier this decade — lockdown notwithstanding — and, if you see them, doing it live is definitely a big part of the point they’re making. They note in the tour announcement below that after this run, which will put them in Euro clubs ahead of the Spring festival season, they’ll solidify their studio plans, which to me says maybe by the end of 2025 they’ll have something in the can unless they’ve got a backlog of recordings they’re using, and release either toward the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.

Of course, once they plug in and hit it, the recording process itself likely won’t take all that long — see “doing it live” above — but there are a slew of logistical concerns in addition to things like finishing the songs that are to be considered. It’ll happen when it happens, I suppose is the bottom line. Cool that it’s even mentioned here. Oh, and in the blue text below, I’m assuming “dog things coming” is autocorrect for “big things coming” or the band playing off the name, but I left it in case that’s some kind of new slang the kids are using that I wouldn’t know about because I’m old and haven’t looked up from my laptop screen in a decade.

That might indeed be another European tour, as El Perro have already been confirmed for Bear Stone in Croatia (July 3-6) and Stoned From the Underground (July 10-12) and will likely have shows between if not also on either or both sides. Guess we’ll find out when we do. They’ll probably have US touring too this year. Madness.

From socials:

MARCH 2025 EUROPE TOUR! 🇪🇸 🇫🇷 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇩🇪🇨🇭

Hitting some all new spots this time around, stoked to see you out there soon! Shortly after the tour, making plans for the studio and to start laying down El Perro album number 2, to be released in 2025 🙂. Now and until then just been cooking on new songs and home demos, getting all ready. More news on all these things coming soon. Lots of dog things coming in 2025! Merry Christmas from the Perros!

Thanks to @jalondeaquiles for the amazing poster!

DATES!
10.03.25 SP Castellon, Sala Because
11.03.25 SP Valencia, 16 Toneladas
12.03.25 SP Barcelona, Sala Upload
13.03.25 SP Portugalette, Groove
14.03.25 SP Madrid, Wurlitzer Ballroom
15.03.25 SP Aviles, Factoria Sound
16.03.25 SP Navia, Secret Spot
17.03.25 FR Seignosse, Black Flag Bar
18.03.25 FR Nantes, Cold Crash
19.03.25 FR Lille, Le Brat Cave
20.03.25 NL Nijmegen, Merleyn
21.03.25 NL Breda, Mezz
22.03.25 BEL Harze, Misery Beer Co.
24.03.25 DE Recklinghausen, Backyard Club
25.03.25 DE Onsabruck, Bastard Club
26.03.25 DE Münster, Rare Guitar
27.03.25 SWI Seewen, Gaswerk
28.03.25 SWI Winterthur, Thurbinä
29.03.25 SWI TBA

https://www.facebook.com/elperrotheband
https://instagram.com/elperrotheband

https://www.facebook.com/AliveNaturalsoundRecords/
https://www.alive-records.com/

El Perro, New Song, Live in Köln, DE, July 30, 2024

The pedigree of drummer Mike Amster is pretty significant at this point. Having been part of Abrams alongside his brother Zach, Mike Amster has drummed for studio and live incarnations of Nebula, Mondo Generator and Blaak Heat Shujaa, and so might be called a ‘journeyman’ if the journey in question was mostly around the Californian desert. A cruiser of said desert, at the very least.

Another impressive line on Amster‘s CV is added as he takes over drum duties for the Brant Bjork Trio, sliding into the rhythm section with bassist Mario Lalli (also Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man, etc.) as Bjork himself handles vocals and guitar. That Amster can hold his own in the material is without question — as a player he’s readily up to the significantly grooving task before him, to be sure — but it’s worth noting he has significant shoes to fill in the role previously held by Ryan Güt, who had been a part of Bjork’s prior solo band and the trio Stöner with bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri as well.

Stöner is a connection here too, since Oliveri fronts and Amster drums in Mondo Generator, so although Bjork and Amster haven’t been in a band together before so far as I know, everybody’s kind of in the same orbit of each other.

Brant Bjork Trio‘s upcoming 2025 live dates follow. Their post revealing the new lineup was just the photo (which I’ve cropped for sharing purposes), the names and the UK dates. The US shows were announced earlier this month, and if you need to be reminded, the band’s Once Upon a Time in the Desert (review here) was just featured among the best albums of 2024 here, because duh of course it was.

The raw data:

BBT 2025
Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli, Mike Amster

BRANT BJORK TRIO – UK & IRELAND TOUR – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2025
FRI 24 JAN: THE CRAUFURD ARMS, MILTON KEYNES, UK
SAT 25 JAN: REBELLION, MANCHESTER, UK
SUN 26 JAN: THE CLUNY, NEWCASTLE, UK
MON 27 JAN: AUDIO, GLASGOW, UK
WED 29 JAN: GRAND SOCIAL, DUBLIN, IRE
THU 30 JAN: LIMELIGHT 2, BELFAST, N. IRE
FRI 31 JAN: SIN CITY, SWANSEA, UK
SAT 01 FEB: MAMA ROUX’S, BIRMINGHAM, UK
SUN 02 FEB: STRANGE BREW, BRISTOL, UK
MON 03 FEB: BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS, UK
TUE 04 FEB: WATERFRONT STUDIO, NORWICH, UK
WED 05 FEB: THE FORUM, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, UK
THU 06 FEB: THE 1865, SOUTHAMPTON, UK
FRI 07 FEB: THE ARCH, BRIGHTON, UK
SAT 08 FEB: OSLO, LONDON, UK

Stateside Boogie !
Get tix at https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

03.07 Kansas City MO Record Bar
03.08 Minneapolis MN Turf Club
03.09 Milwaukee WI Shank Hall
03.10 Grand Rapids MI Pyramid Scheme
03.11 Columbus OH King of Clubs
03.12 Youngstown OH Westside Bowl
03.13 Baltimore MD Metro Gallery
03.14 New Hope PA John & Peter’s
03.15 Brooklyn NY TV Eye
03.16 Providence RI Alchemy
03.19 Detroit MI Small’s
03.20 Newport KY Southgate House
03.21 Louisville KY Portal+Artportal
03.22 Chicago IL Reggies

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Mike Amster – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
https://brantbjork.bandcamp.com/
http://www.brantbjork.com

http://www.dunarecords.net/
https://dunarecords.bandcamp.com/
https://duna.indiemerch.com/

Brant Bjork Trio, Once Upon a Time in the Desert (2024)

The inevitable story of Dead Meadow‘s upcoming full-length, Voyager to Voyager, is that it will be the long-running heavy psych/gaze rockers’ last with bassist Steve Kille, whose health was reportedly already in decline when the recording was made and who passed away earlier this year. The band, with guitarist/vocalist Jason Simon and drummer Mark Laughlin, have not announced who, if anyone, will be handling low end when they take to the stage — they were recently confirmed for Freak Valley and will likely have other plans besides — but the new label, new record, live bookings and the streaming single “The Space Between” certainly answer the question of their future.

There’s some noteworthy tension early in the seven-minute opening cut from Voyager to Voyager, and it gets a payoff that’s certainly earned and feels purposeful from a songwriting standpoint, but the overarching impression remains Dead Meadow in its languidity and in Simon‘s calm, melodic vocal searching. The band’s last studio release was the PostWax/Blues Funeral experimentalist work Force From Free (discussed here), and this will be their first offering through Heavy Psych Sounds.

You probably already saw this. I don’t care. I want it here because it’s relevant and for my own future reference, so it’s here. From the PR wire:

DEAD MEADOW share first single off new album “Voyager To Voyager”; out March 28th on Heavy Psych Sounds

US heavy psychedelic rock luminaries DEAD MEADOW present their new single “The Space Between”, taken from their upcoming tenth studio album and final recording with late bassist Steve Kille. “Voyager To Voyager” will be released worldwide on March 28th and available to preorder now through Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Dead Meadow’s highly anticipated tenth studio album Voyager to Voyager marks a defining moment in their illustrious 26-year journey. Revered as a pioneering force in the heavy psychedelic rock scene since their formation in the late ’90s, the band delivers not only their most emotionally charged and sonically expansive album to date but also a powerful tribute to their brother, late bassist Steve Kille, whose battle against cancer and untimely passing in early 2024 has made it the poignant end of a chapter in the band’s history.

“The Space Between” is the opening track on the band’s most compositionally eclectic and sonically adventurous album to date. The song opens with thirty seconds of droning synth strings, underpinned by a haunting four-note synthesizer melody, building to an anxious crescendo. Jason Simon’s vocals — dark and compelling, the inimitable phrasing instantly recognizable — are put to the service of lyrics exploring interstellar themes and imagery; the dance of matter and anti-matter, expansion by negation, emptiness seething with activity, the expanding Universe and the space in-between.

While the song traffics in the heavy riff-rock that has always been the band’s musical grounding, “The Space Between” adds a jazzy, prog-rock sophistication that suggests new directions for the band, perhaps a portal opening in the space-time continuum that is the Dead Meadow Universe. In the song’s final movement, Simon introduces guitar harmonies that conjure up the best of Deep Purple and Iron Maiden, before unleashing a positively kaleidoscopic guitar solo that ranks with his very best. The song ends with layers of guitar riffs peaking like exclamation points and inviting the listener into the deep end of Dead Meadow’s latest invention.

New album “Voyager To Voyager”
Out March 28th, 2025 on Heavy Psych Sounds – Preorder: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

TRACKLIST:
1. The Space Between
2. Not The Season
3. The Unhounded Now
4. A Wave Away
5. A Question of Will
6. Dead Tree Shake
7. Small Acts of Kindness
8. Voyager to Voyager

Written and recorded across three intense sessions in downtown LA’s Ultrasound Studios, Voyager to Voyager perfectly encapsulates Dead Meadow’s raw energy and creative chemistry. During the sessions, the band worked quickly, using only the first or second take to preserve the immediacy found in their live show, with drummer Mark Laughlin delivering some of his best performances to date.

Its creation, however, was shaped by personal hardship. In early 2023, the trio began writing and recording, but it wasn’t until later that year that bassist Steve Kille’s health began to decline. In January 2024, just weeks before the final tracking sessions, he was diagnosed with cancer but remained steadfast, fueling the band’s resolve to stay on course and finish the album. As they entered Dave Grohl’s legendary Studio 606 to mix the record, Steve’s health continued to deteriorate, yet his creative influence and presence were felt throughout the process, even as he was confined to a couch during the final mixing sessions. However, the final mixes didn’t quite capture the magic they had hoped for. Guitarist and vocalist Jason Simon reflects, “The famed Sound City Neve board did impart a certain mojo but jumping into an unfamiliar space can be tricky and some of the mixes didn’t feel quite right. So I decided to start over, mixing the record at my own studio. The task was herculean, but in the end the new mixes felt like they should, like classic Dead Meadow. I’m really happy with how each song turned out, and I know Steve would agree.”

The result is an album that is unmistakably Dead Meadow: expansive, melody-driven, and deeply rooted in their unique sound — one that honors both their roots and the cosmic imagery that defines Voyager to Voyager. Lyrically, the album delves into themes of space, isolation, and human connection, with the opening track, “The Space Between,” drawing from the theory of the universe’s continual expansion as a metaphor for strained relationships. The title track “Voyager to Voyager” reflects Simon’s fascination with the two Voyager spacecrafts — humanity’s farthest traveling creation, now venturing into interstellar space as well as representing a message between travelers, an understanding shared between those who have embarked on a genuine journey, whether together or apart.

Steve Kille’s passing in April 2024 has made this whole album all the more meaningful. “We’ve lost a bandmate, a brother, a friend, and a creative partner on this voyage of 26 years as Dead Meadow,” Simon says. “We are so very thankful to have this LP of new material, as Steve laid down his final bass line shortly before he became too sick to really play.” While Voyager to Voyager is anything but a tribute album, it does ultimately stand as a celebration of Kille’s immeasurable legacy. His unique and endlessly creative bass playing helped shape Dead Meadow’s sound while his singular artistic vision created iconic album covers and defined the band’s visual identity.

With Voyager to Voyager, Dead Meadow once again affirms their place in the pantheon of modern psych rock by pushing their sound to new heights, all the while honoring the deep creative bond they have shared through nearly three decades of melting minds worldwide… and perhaps even beyond that time and space continuum. The end of a chapter and a cosmic journey we shall embrace fully.

DEAD MEADOW is
Jason Simon – vocals, guitars
Steve Kille – bass
Mark Laughlin – drums

https://www.facebook.com/DeadMeadowOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/thedeadmeadow/
https://deadmeadow.bandcamp.com/
http://www.deadmeadow.com/

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

Dead Meadow, “The Space Between”

The third full-length from Yawning Balch, titled Volume Three in keeping with their output to this point, will be released through Heavy Psych Sounds on Feb. 21, 2025. To coincide with the opening of preorders, the band and label are unveiling “The Taos Hum – Part 1,” which is a seven-minute selection taken from the first of the two side-long slabs of molten heavy desertdelic jamming comprising the album. And normally I might tell you something like, “Oh hey, if you’ve got time in your busy day” or something like that, but let me instead convey some urgency on this one. This is hurry-up-and-relax stuff. Put it on now for realignment to your brain’s proper configuration.

If you caught wind of either Volume Two (review here) or Volume One (review here) last year, Volume Three probably isn’t going to be a shocker, either on “The Taos Hum” (20:26) or “Winter Widow” (14:02), but it does reintroduce Mario Lalli to the rhythm section with drummer Bill Stinson and to the sphere of Yawning Man, Big Scenic Nowhere, and so on, and it features the collaboration of Yawning Man‘s Gary Arce and Fu Manchu‘s Bob Balch (also Sun and Sail Club, Slower, etc.) in a new session from which its pieces were carved out. It happened April 20 this year because obviously whatever you were doing just wasn’t stoned enough.

That said, I could watch five hours of this happening regardless of that given afternoon’s lucidity quotient. Volume Three lands in February but you can order now before “The Taos Hum – Part 1” hypnotizes you and you lose consciousness for the rest of your day. Enjoy that, by the way.

Links and PR wire info follow:

Yawning Balch, “The Taos Hum – Part 1” premiere

THE TAOS HUM – part 1 is the first YAWNING BALCH single taken from the upcoming brand new album VOLUME THREE.

The release will see the light February 21st via Heavy Psych Sounds.

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

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

“Volume III” was captured on April 20th 2024 during a five hour jam session in Joshua Tree, CA. No overdubs were needed.

Recorded at Gatos Trail
Engineered by Dan Joeright
Mixed by Dan Joeright
Mastered by Kent Stump at Crystal Clear Sound
Artwork by John McGill
Logo by Pia Isaksen

Yawning Balch are:
Gary Arce – Guitar
Bob Balch – Guitar
Mario Lalli – Bass
Bill Stinson – Drums

https://www.instagram.com/yawning_balch/

https://www.facebook.com/yawningmanofficial/
https://yawningman.bandcamp.com
http://www.yawningman.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bigscenicnowhere/
https://www.instagram.com/bigscenicnowhere/
https://bigscenicnowhere.bandcamp.com/releases
https://bigscenicnowherestore.bigcartel.com/

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

Yawning Balch, Volume Two (2023)