“I want you/And I need you/And I’ll bleed you.”

In a lot of ways, the first chorus lines to opener “I’ll Cut You Down” sum up a lot of what’s happening on Blood Lust, the second full-length from Cambridge trio Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. And I do mean “happening.” As much as it can be in this genre, the hype behind this band and Blood Lust in particular has been stifling. So much so that at the end of 2011, they topped my “Top 5 Albums I Didn’t Hear” list. Suddenly I felt as if I’d neglected some great duty. I was out of touch. My life was about to change and all the hyperbole about best this-and-that was only a scale on the back of this Godzilla-sized monster of malevolent stoner doom.

Whatever. I gave in to the peer pressure and bought the record. The appeal was immediate when I first put it on. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats sounds like Electric Wizard‘s blown-out cousin getting off on oldie cult horror. Blood Lust practically draws a pentagram on its own notebook. The riffs are distorted in extrema and the vocals, cooed with a malevolent melodicism, follow catchy structures so simple they can’t help but get stuck in your head. That’s especially true of songs like “I’ll Cut You Down,” “Death’s Door” and “13 Candles,” but the swing of “Over and Over Again,” though it’s not as instantly memorable, has a hook all its own.

From what I’ve been able to tell from listening, though, a big part of the appeal with Blood Lust is the familiarity of it. Riffs are recognizable without being easy to directly place, and the whole record brims with an occult ’70s vibe that’s mirrored in the artwork. If you took a survey of doomers and stoner heads and you asked them what they wanted to hear, you might come out of it with the mournful plod of “Curse in the Trees” or the mid-paced organ-laden stonerly chug of “Withered Hand of Evil.” That said, one of the most engaging aspects of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats on these tracks is that they’re not immediately accessible to outsiders. Play this stuff for someone unfamiliar with the genre, and you’re going to get stared at — and that’s clearly on purpose. The band are preaching solely to the already-converted, and clearly it’s working. I paid $25 for this record.

Reportedly, that’s better than some have done on eBay. And simple though it is, Blood Lust shows several directions Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats‘ progression could take. The progressive shuffle of “I’m Here to Kill You” is not only the best performance from drummer Red (Kat rounds out the lineup on bass), but also a bold stylistic departure from the rest of the album (maybe less so from “Ritual Knife,” but still). The same applies to the acoustic bonus track on the Killer Candy Records CD version, “Down to the Fire,” which takes Uncle Acid‘s psychedelic snarl and recontextualizes it over sweet Zeppelin melodies and percussion. That Blood Lust follows a lyrical narrative — about a murder — could also foretell development to come. They could just as easily “go prog” as so many did in the early and mid ’70s as they could stick to the formula of soot-covered distortion that works so well for them here.

Whatever the case, I don’t regret the purchase, which is a rarity for me when it comes to albums I’m buying because someone else (in this case multiple people) thinks I need to hear them, and for what it’s worth, if I was going to do my top 20 today, Blood Lust would probably be on it. Should be interesting to see where Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats go from here, and wherever that might be, I’ll try my best not to let it slip through the cracks.

Exactly one month ago today, Boston melo-sludge upstarts The Proselyte premiered their song “Grey Lady” through this very site. Pleased now to post the day-old news that the foursome have announced a tour they’ll be embarking on tomorrow. Waste no time, gentlemen. Best of luck on the road.

In addition to kicking some ass in their own right, they’re also playing with some killer bands, so I’d advise you also pay attention to what comes after the “w/” as you skim through. Here’s the info from the PR wire:

Hard-hitting, hard-rocking Massholes The Proselyte are pleased to announce that their brand-new record, Sunshine, is out yesterday on TDB Records. The band leaves Oct. 7 for an extensive fall tour, covering the east coast, south and midwest and sharing stages with the likes of Thrones, Danava, Thou, and many more!

Tour Dates:
10/07 Philadelphia, PA O’Reilly’s Pub w/ Ape!, Rouge House, Nine Fingered Thug
10/08 Brooklyn, NY Don Pedro w/ Tidal Arms, Yorba Linda, Lunglust
10/09 Silver Spring, MD MATINEE Quarry House w/ Midnight Eye, Akris
10/10 Raleigh, NC King’s Barcade w/ Thou, Make
10/11 Greenville, NC Help
10/12 Atlanta, GA Archive Gallery w/ The Creamers
10/13 Orlando, FL Hoops Tavern w/ Abuse, Knife Hits, Flying Snakes
10/14 Miami, FL The Cave
10/15 St Pete, FL Fubar w/ Flying Snakes, God Harvest, Sumo Szyslak
10/16 Beach Day Off!!!!
10/17 Tallahassee, FL AF Haus
10/18 New Orleans, LA Siberia Nola w/ Mortals, TBA
10/19 San Antonio, TX Night Rockers w/ Lions of Tsavo, Rust, Old and Ill, Deguello
10/20 Austin, TX Red Seven w/ Bridge Farmers, The Vessel
10/21 Dallas/Emory, TX No Thanks Fest w/ Stymie, Wiccans
10/22 Columbia, MO Cafe Berlin w/ In Defense, Creaturezoid, The Phaggs
10/23 Appleton, WI House Show w/ Perversion, The Parish
10/24 Madison, WI The Wisco w/ Eagle Claw
10/25 Chicago, IL Debonair
10/26 Ft Wayne, IN Tiger Room w/ Castles, Antlers as Roots
10/27 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups w/ Artillary Breath, Savage Pinkos
10/28 Upstate, NY/Central, PA – Help
10/29 Boston MA TBA with Thrones, Danava

Summer may have officially ended with the passing of Labor Day yesterday, but The Proselyte clearly haven’t gotten the message. The Cambridge heavy rocking four-piece will issue their debut full-length, Sunshine, through Teenage Disco Bloodbath in October, and it’s an album that lives up to its name.

Maybe the most striking thing about The Proselyte is the band’s immediate skill at vocal arrangement. They move into and out of harmony smoothly, offsetting the accessible nature of their approach with heavier growls immaculately captured on Sunshine by drummer/vocalist Alec Rodriguez, who recorded the album at New Alliance Audio in the band’s hometown.

I said the other day that I wanted to introduce some new bands with track premieres. The Proselyte definitely fall into that category, and their mix of heaviness and melody make them an immediate standout. I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to take my pick of songs to host from Sunshine, and I selected “Grey Lady,” which I think sums up the album nicely.

Hope you agree. Press play below to hear the track, and feel free to peruse some info on the band below that, courtesy of the label’s website.

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Playing around the Boston area for five years, The Proselyte have recently managed an enormous sonic overhaul for an upcoming TDB Records release. The band’s sound has truly come into their own, offering riffy swagger, bomb-string heaviness and massive multi-layered vocal harmonies on the new LP. It’s almost like Alice in Chains discovering the first two Baroness EPs, or maybe the Melvins covering the Beach Boys.

Titled Sunshine, The Proselyte’s full-length will be out on vinyl and digital formats in October. Sunshine was recorded at New Alliance in Cambridge, MA, by drummer/vocalist Alec Rodriguez and the band features guitarist/vocalist Nicholas Wolf from Phantom Glue. The lineup is rounded out by Bradford J. Macomber on bass and Mitchell C. Belch on guitar/vocals.