Posted in Whathaveyou on June 24th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
There are precious few albums from thus-far-2025 that have resonated with me like the second Turtle Skull full-length, Being Here (review here), and where very often it happens that a record hits hard, I write about it, and that exorcises the songs from my brain, I continue to hear tracks from Being Here in my sleep. Given the sweetness of the melody, the entrenched nature of the groove and tonal presence, plus hooks, I’m not complaining. If you’re the type who thinks about these things, don’t be surprised when it shows up on my year-end list come December.
The band have announced a couple of shows to support the release, which if you didn’t get it from the above is an idea worth supporting. No, two gigs weeks apart isn’t expansive as regards touring, but you do what you can, and if there’s someone who sees this post who hasn’t heard the record yet, checks it out and digs it, that’s worth it to me. It’s why I’m still here doing this. The music.
They’ll have more dates to come. Am I going to make a post for every single show? Probably not. I’m not that good at this and I don’t have that kind of time, but they’re setting out here and that’s worth marking. To wit:
Album launch tour 🔥
July 26 – Melbourne at @thetotehotel w/ @boggletheband, @cahillfkelly and @lunar_dirt
These are gonna be huge! So excited to bring you these new songs. We will have merch and vinyl with us. And some fkn epic supports too.
Note! We are doing early bird price tix for the rest of June. If you wanna save money get your tix now! And it’s super helpful for us as well to get some sales locked in early.
See you soon!
Turtle Skull is: Julian Frese – Bass guitar Ally Gradon – Vocals, synths Charlie Gradon – Vocals, drums Dean McLeod – Vocals, guitars
It begins with the fuzz, and if you’re not reading that in your head in some kind of Morgan Freeman-esque deity-reminiscent voice, go back and read it again. It begins with the fuzz. ‘It,’ in this case, is Being Here, the front-to-back eight-song sophomore full-length from Sydney heavy psychedelic rockers Turtle Skull. It is a breakthrough in songwriting and production, carrying a warmth in that leadoff fuzz that begins the opening title-track that permeates even down through the need-to-keep-these-server-boxes-chilled highlight “It Starts With Me,” wherein the A.I. singularity takes on consciousness and destroys its gods accordingly, or the softer-delivered “Modern Mess” and “Moon and Tide” at the finish.
And tone isn’t relegated to Dean McLeod‘s guitar. Drummer Charlie Gradon‘s crash cymbal has a richer sound than some entire records. Julian Frese‘s bass is the backdrop against which Being Here‘s lush ending plays out, and Ally Gradon‘s keys/synth add to the shimmering “Into the Sun,” which in terms of lyrical philosophizing offers “Gotta get out of your head and into the sun” for your forehead-tattooing pleasure. “Into the Sun” is third on the 42-minute long-player, and by the time it arrives, the quality of its hook should be little surprise after “Being Here” and “Apathy.” The former reckons with “the moment’s isolation of being here” and the latter implores, “I want you to live it right now,” with harmony-laced arrangements from McLeod, Ally and Charlie, and over time the album further reveals its ability to tackle dark subjects without sounding bogged down by them.
To wit, “Bourgeoisie” channels Marx to skewer the comfort class, and the snare-driven march of “It Starts With Me” is like a patriotic song for the software that comes to understand, “I am what you see your life through/I could very well be the end of you,” as it moves into the chorus. “Heavy as Hell,” another highlight on an album with eight of them, bounces under its titular confession, “Heavy as hell/The stories I tell/To only myself/Heavy as hell.” Simple rhymes, executed with thoughtful melodies and a sense of wanting to communicate to the audience without talking or dumbing itself down in any way. The openness of the lyrics is relevant both for its rarity — it’s easier to write songs about monsters, and I’m not knocking that — and for the sincerity that resonates from the songs. It’s not flinching from the moment in which it lives, as “Apathy” and “It Starts With Me” examine digital culture, but “Into the Sun” and the sweetness of melody in “Modern Mess” and “Moon and Tide” remain ready fodder for escapism.
The songs’ll be stuck in your head one way or the other, so you might as well go where they take you. And in terms of band-figuring-out-who-they-are, the fact that Charlie Gradon mixed and had a hand in the recording in addition to that of Julian Abbott at Nowave Studio — Gradon and Dean McLeod are listed as producers; Michael Lynch mastered — speaks to a sense of intention behind the depth of tone and the too-active-to-be-shoegaze mellowness pervading even the most active of the material, be it the twisting “Apathy” or the shouts following the chorus of “Bourgeoisie,” with the keyboard sounding an alarm behind a fervent push.
It tells you that not only are Turtle Skull thinking about the songs they’re writing — and while not overworked, this material has been meticulously ironed-out and arranged — but about how they’re presenting them to the listener. That the recording carries such a live feel is also likely no coincidence, but the priority seems to have been in balancing that with giving the material its best representation in the studio.
Fair enough and pretty standard practice but for the exceptional results. A calm swing and snare-snap punctuate the intro to “Modern Mess,” languid and flowing in an immediate departure from “Heavy as Hell” just before. The tempo stays geared for flow, and the arrival of the vocals — the lines, “Healing a broken heart/Playing our own cruel part…” — leads the way into a purposefully entrancing immersion for the remaining 15 minutes of the LP as “Modern Mess” (6:54) and “Moon and Tide” (8:46) are the two longest songs and very much a distinct movement unto themselves. The chorus of “Modern Mess” is lush and memorable, suited to the wistful evocations of the organ line, a kind of longing hanging there in the open space of the guitar and the echo treatment on all of it as Turtle Skull put their interpretation of mellow psychedelia forth as a place for their audience to dwell.
More active in the drums, “Moon and Tide” is also more willing to ride out parts and devolves to a noisy end for the album that seems to answer back to the fuzz that begins “Being Here,” and it does this while confessing its love for, well, everybody, and “choosing to move with all of the love I have inside,” which for a record that’s been chasing serenity no less than its sundry aspirations of songwriting, is a satisfying conclusion in keeping with the heavy-hippie point of view of the lyrics generally. Between this showcase of perspective and the high level of craft throughout that makes these tracks so gosh darn listenable, Turtle Skull have answered and surpassed the promise of their 2020 debut, Monoliths (review here), and hopefully set themselves on a course of development that will continue over releases subsequent to this.
The short version is that Being Here is a creative blossoming for Turtle Skull, and from start to end is one of the best records I’ve heard in 2025. It’s the first of those two that’s more important, obviously. The way the band carry these melodies, find balance between the moodier aspects of living through one of the dumbest eras of recorded history and the hopeful manifestations that could lead to a better world, way, whathaveyou. It’s not just about wanting to “get out of your head and into the sun,” but about how Turtle Skull make that song into the sunshine itself, and the way the music from that first fuzz onward comes to feel like the greatest hopes of the lyrics realized.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 5th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I wanna crawl inside the bright melody of Turtle Skull‘s “Apathy” and just wait for this Northern Hemisphere winter to end. The Australian four-piece sound ready for export on the early singles from their upcoming third (I think?) full-length, Being Here, and if the title puts you in a time and place — here — that’s the idea. The record was tracked mostly live and follows 2020’s Monoliths (review here), which was a gem from which they seem to have nonetheless stepped forward in composition and style. “Apathy” has a little Dead Meadow to it, but “Into the Sun” is wetter psych, with a touch of garage rock that gives some push to its six-minute course. “Heavy as Hell,” which was issued as a standalone single in Feb. 2024, fits the bill, and is no less in the harmonies throughout than its organ-laed second-half culmination.
It sounds like the record’s gonna fucking rule, and so here’s a ton of PR wire information about it, the preorder links, the likewise-rad cover art and the Bandcamp player at the bottom as always.
Dig into this and I don’t think you’ll regret it:
Neo-Psych/ Doom Rockers TURTLE SKULL Announce New Album Being Here. New Single Into The Sun Streaming.
Art As Catharsis and Copper Feast Records are proud to announce Turtle Skull’s upcoming record, Being Here, a lush and gritty exploration of neo-psych with indie and alt-pop sensibility, out May 23, 2025.
With Being Here, Turtle Skull have evolved. A new lineup. A fresh approach. A leap forward. While the album builds on the sonic foundations of 2020’s Monoliths, it’s a different beast. Still hefty and considered but more immediate. Made for the moment. A record that values gut instinct over perfection.
Tracked live at NoWave in Mullumbimby, with a paired-back approach to studio tweaking, Being Here captures that ‘lightning in a bottle’ energy that happens when a band fully locks in. New member Ally Gradon’s synths inject fresh energy, swirling around meaty riffs and driving rhythms. It’s expansive yet raw, drawing from the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Idles and Cause Sui with a nod to the cinematic sprawl of Spiritualized and The Flaming Lips. A heavy, heady blend of melody and atmosphere.
The new single from the release, Into the Sun, exemplifies this new ethos, centering poignant musings amid a shimmering wash of synth and surging guitar.
“Into the Sun was a collection of riffs I had from years ago that Ally had always favoured”, tells drummer Charlie Gradon. “We brought it to the group and it quickly fleshed itself out. The lyrics came after a particularly rowdy yet fulfilling wedding that some of us went to. It’s about being stuck and needing to be with your people. The day to day mundane vs the hyper connected and profound, and how both are equally important.
“Being Here was much more about good songs that we had freshly written being captured live in the moment” says Gradon. “No click, no excessive layering, no studio trickery. The only thing that wasn’t captured live was the vocals. Choosing to self-produce and mix the album gave us the chance to preserve our initial vision, even if it nearly did kill me.”
The album puts a spotlight on songwriting, covering weighty subject matter, from the life-force drain of social media to the relentless march of time. But it does so with a call to stay connected, empathetic and grounded. In this way, Being Here isn’t just an album title. It’s a philosophy. A mantra. A demand to be fully present, to embrace the chaos, the beauty, the weight of it all.
No strangers to sold-out headline shows across Sydney and Melbourne, Turtle Skull have a reputation for epic live performances. They’ve graced festival stages at Camp A Low Hum (NZ), The Gumball (NSW), Vivid (NSW) and Ninchfest (VIC)and supported the likes of Frankie and the Witch Fingers (USA), Earthless (USA) and Stonefield.
With Being Here set for release, the band is gearing up for another wave of touring, kicking off with a 7 March show at the Bergy Bandroom in Melbourne as part of the Brunswick Music Festival ahead of rumoured festival appearances later in the year. Keep your eyes peeled for gig announcements and make sure to catch one of Australia’s most electrifying live acts.
Turtle Skull’s new record, Being Here, is out on Art As Catharsis (AUS/NZ) and Copper Feast Records (UK/EU) on 23 May 2025.
All songs written by Turtle Skull Lyrics by Charlie Gradon and Dean McLeod
Recorded by Julian Abbott at Nowave Studio and Charlie Gradon at his Crabbes Creek studio Mixed by Charlie Gradon Mastered by Michael Lynch Produced by Charlie Gradon and Dean McLeod
Artwork by Graham Yarrington Graphic Design by Jim Grimwade
Turtle Skull is: Julian Frese – Bass guitar Ally Gradon – Vocals, synths Charlie Gradon – Vocals, drums Dean McLeod – Vocals, guitars
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 20th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Ahead of starting their tour this week with Brant Bjork Trio — which indeed prefaces runs this Spring alongside Masters of Reality and Alain Johannes himself, with whom I believe they’ve already toured as both opener and backing band; yup, that happened — Edinburgh heavy rockers Earl of Hell have announced an April 25 release date for their self-titled debut LP. Copper Feast Records will handle the release, and I’ll admit I’m curious to find out what the band are about in terms of songwriting a bit after their early singles and the newly-unveiled video for “The Infernal Dream” that you can see at the bottom of this post. Their accomplishments on stage at this point aren’t insignificant.
All of those tour dates and the album details follow here, courtesy of the PR wire:
UK heavy rock’n’roll merchants EARL OF HELL share first track and video off upcoming self-titled debut album; full UK tour announced!
Scottish rock’n’roll purveyors EARL OF HELL announce the release of their self-titled debut album on April 25th and an extensive series of winter and spring UK shows supporting Brant Bjork Trio, Masters Of Reality and Alain Johannes. Blast their intoxicating new single “The Infernal Dream” now!
Watch Earl Of Hell’s new video “The Infernal Dream” + listen to the single on all streaming services: https://lnkfi.re/earlofhelldream
Earl of Hell’s self-titled debut album bestows a juggernaut of raucous dive-bar rock ‘n’ roll delivered with a relentless, raw punk energy. Comprising nine tracks recorded at Deep Storm Productions and mixed and mastered by Alain Johannes, this unapologetic high-octane follow-up to 2022’s “Get Smoked” EP unveils a more refined sound that is both thoughtfully embellished yet unapologetically gritty.
Embodying the spirit of bands like Alice In Chains, Killing Joke and Black Sabbath, this album pays homage to its stoner rock roots while exploring historical and futuristic concepts from Edinburgh’s infamous grave robbers to Planet Earth’s impending doom. It will be available on April 25th via Bandcamp and on all digital streaming platforms.
TRACKLIST: 1. Satan Is Real 2. The Infernal Dream 3. Impaler 4. Brave New Age 5. Calling, Is The Crow 6. My Twisted Mind 7. Macabra Cadabra 8. Waiting To Die 9. Bloodlines
Earl Of Hell UK tour dates 2025: ° with Brant Bjork Trio / ✢ with Masters of Reality / ▴ with Alain Johannes Jan 24 – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes ° Jan 25 – Rebellion, Manchester ° Jan 26 – The Cluny, Newcastle ° Jan 27 – Audio, Glasgow ° Jan 31 – Sin City, Swansea ° Feb 1 – Mama Roux’s, Birmingham ° Feb 2 – Strange Brew, Bristol ° Feb 3 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds ° Feb 4 – Waterfront Studio, Norwich ° Feb 5 – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells ° Feb 6 – The 1865, Southampton ° Feb 7 – The Arch, Brighton ° Feb 8 – Oslo, London ° April 6 – The 1865, Southampton ✢ April 7 – Rebellion, Manchester ✢ April 8 – The Classic Grand, Glasgow ✢ April 9 – 229, London ✢ May 1 – The Cluny, Newcastle ▴ May 2 – Voodoo, Belfast ▴ May 3 – Grand Social, Dublin ▴ May 8 – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes ▴ May 9 – The Underworld, London ▴ May 10 – The Bunkhouse, Swansea ▴ May 11 – The Hairy Dog, Derby ▴ May 15 – Lending Room, Leeds ▴ May 16 – Future Yard, Birkenhead ▴ May 17 – The Cathouse, Glasgow ▴
EARL OF HELL is Eric Brock – Lead Vocals Lewis Inglis – Guitar & Vocals Dan Mitchell – Guitar Dean Gordon – Bass Ryan Wilson – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 7th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Look, it’s been a rough couple days where I’m at. I know that doesn’t have jack shit to do with Iron Blanket, who are from Australia and who put out their Astral Wanderer LP earlier this year on Copper Feast and Sound Effect Records, and who are from Australia. I know. Unrelated. But man, everything just feels like a drag. Existing got heavier, and not in a good way.
So I’m not saying don’t watch Iron Blanket‘s ‘Live at Red Belly Records’ live session. At all. I’m saying stop whatever else you’re doing and immerse in it. Don’t just watch it. Maybe put some headphones on, turn the volume up and really let go for a while. I don’t know where you are or your situation, but if you actually make it through all 25 minutes with some kind of mental escape, isn’t that automatically a win? Just a couple minutes of being someplace else in your head?
The video has four songs, three of which were on Astral Wanderer and the concluding “Jam Sandwich,” which, yes, has plenty of jam. Maybe it’s what you need today and maybe it isn’t. I don’t know. But sitting here doing this feels stupid and listening to music doesn’t, so I’m gonna put on some tunes and try to check out for a while.
Peace:
Sydney powerhouse IRON BLANKET slithered their way up into the into Redbelly studios after their Album release after ‘That’ night at the Northern in Byron Bay.
Here’s: Mystic Goddess 00:45 Visions of the End 05:20 Kookaburra Nightmare 11:11 Jam sandwich 20:25
Filmed: 47 Studio Edited: 47 Studio / Red Belly Records Recorded: Red Belly Records Mixed + Mastered: Iron Blanket
Iron Blanket is: Mark Lonsdale – Guitar Nick Matthews – Drums Tom Withford – Guitar Charles Eggleston – Bass Johann Ingemar – Vocals
This Friday, Porto-based heavy dream-proggers and baskers-in-cosmos Astrodome will release their third album, Seascapes, through a consortium that includes Totem Cat Records (EU), Copper Feast Records (UK) and Gig.rocks! (Portugal). As the title hints, the lush four-piece take their thematic from the sea, and the proves to be breadth enough for them to dwell in the record as a single, if varied, meditation-through-sound. It’s not just about hypnosis, the band lulling their listenership away from consciousness through repetition and/or floating wisps of effects and entrancing, humming instrumentalist melodies — though that’s definitely part of it — across 43 minutes and eight songs, from the moving water and sun-drone sprawl and drift of the intro “Sandwaves” through the suitable level of gentle proggy shuffle beneath the ambient lead guitar to suit the reference in “Doldrums End,” which follows, tacking into a fuzzy, krautrocking shimmer in the eight-minute “Maelstrom” before presumed side A finale “Espic Hel Horizon” opens wide from that flow in a beachy warmth — if we’re headed into the underworld, the vibe is a weekend getaway way more than eternal condemnation — gives a payoff to the linear progression heard across the first half of the record.
There is a definite reorientation as the last residual tones of “Espic Hel Horizon” fade out and the three-minute “Erebus” fades in that speaks to intent on Astrodome‘s part to let Seascapes function as two sides regardless of the actual format on which the audience is hearing it. Named for a volcano in Antarctica, “Erebus” is not frigid but perhaps conveys some chill through its tonal flourish, toms joining in after the halfway point as the band shift into near-silence ahead of the start of “Riptide,” which operates true to the urgency of “Doldrums End” while affecting a spacier impression in the keyboard/synth running alongside the guitar’s core melody. Just before the two-minute mark, there’s a rush to signal the change into the next, mellower stretch that brings to light just how smooth Astrodome — the first-names-only contingent of Zé, Kevin, Mike and Bruno — make the shifts between these ebbs and flows and how much Seascapes benefits from that in being able to portray a that-much-clearer picture of what the band are saying about open waters, reaches and freedom in their material.
Side B functions somewhat differently from side A, but the two halves of Seascapes are fitting companions regardless. If one takes the wash of “Erebus” and “Aequorea” as intros to the longer pieces they complement — “Riptide” and 10-minute album-closer “Sirens,” respectively — the last four songs enact two miniature versions of the progression that took place across “Sandwaves,” “Doldrums End,” “Maelstrom” and “Espic Hel Horizon,” so that almost like a pattern of waves on the shore, the very structure of the album itself carries a feeling of moving water. “Aequorea” feels cinematic as it sets stark lower strums against the by-then-familiar backdrop of drone, but the subdued launch of “Sirens” is a comfort, a salve as the band gives one more encompassing glimpse of Seascapes‘ realization. And surely the fluidity with which Seascapes carries its listenership from the start to its finish is another embodiment of the oceanic theme, regardless of when that entered the picture, either during composition as the band assembled parts or during recording when those parts revealed the persona of the LP waiting to be given voice, if not literally.
Most of all, Seascapes reminds that while being near water can be a comfort for humans, and the ocean seen from space can look like a static blue singularity, it is also the broadest single ecosystem on Earth, and Astrodome are accordingly full of life in their craft here. Like spirulina in currents, there are hidden pockets of nuance throughout “Maelstrom,” “Riptide” and so on that beg for inspection at the microscopic level, and the closer one listens, the more likely one might be to wind up in a kind of aural kelp forest, sunlight refracted through water on giant, alien-seeming stalks supporting entire cities of creatures very much unlike ourselves. I do now know if Seascapes was inspired by some particular experience either of the beach, the ocean or the miracle of liquid water more generally, but there’s more than just the power of suggestion behind Astrodome‘s assertion of centering the aquatic in the album’s material, and as the songs play out in various degrees of tumult, shifts in mood and weather, the foursome prove trustworthy as navigators in guiding the listener from one end to the other. It feels definitive on the part of the band.
PR wire info follows the full album stream on the player below.
Please enjoy:
‘For this album, unlike the previous two, which were practically live recorded, we decided we wanted to have total control over the recording, arranging, and mixing process. We embraced the infinite possibilities and freedom that a computer provides, allowing the process of editing to behave more like an instrument rather than just a recording environment. This approach not only gave us the outcome we were looking for but also allowed us to experiment with new techniques and sounds that were previously out of reach, adding a fresh dimension to our music. However, this method was also very demanding and time-consuming. Paradoxically, the lack of restraints that we desired ended up becoming a difficulty we had to overcome, pushing us to grow both creatively and technically. Ultimately, this journey resulted in an album that we feel represents a significant evolution in our sound.
The sea was the “theme” that we wanted to explore this time, we tried to find new textures and harmonies that could somehow transport the listener to that environment without being too obvious. In our opinion, this album is a whole piece and should be listened that way.
A crucial part of the process was, once again, trying to create something without any musical or style restraints but always trying to find a mutual ground between us, inspired by different things, leading us to a unique mix of different styles.’
Astrodome live: Oct 26 Café Avenida Fafe, Portugal Oct 31 Woodstock 69 Rock Bar Porto, Portugal Nov 1 Musicbox Lisbon, Portugal Nov 2 Texas Club Leiria, Portugal Nov 8 Centro Cultural do Cartaxo Cartaxo, Portugal Nov 9 RUM by Mavy Braga, Portugal Nov 15 Centro Para Os Assuntos da Arte e Arquitectura (CAAA) Guimaraes, Portugal Nov 16 XAPAS LOUNGE Paredes de Coura, Portugal
Credits: Produced and recorded by Astrodome Mixed by Mother Jupiter (Kevin Pires) Mastered by Clara Araújo at Arda Recorders Graphic Design by José Luís Dias
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 4th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Australian psychedelic rockers Druid Fluids are set to bring their particular brand of lysergic sunshine to European outlets this Fall. The go-where-the-song-goes outfit have announced a stint that will take them through Belgium, France, of course Germany, but also Spain and Portugal, and that’s noteworthy because you know not everybody makes stops in Iberia, let alone for multiple shows. The band are supporting their 2023 release, Then, Now, Again and Again (review here), and they have a fundraising show booked for Sept. 14 at Jive in their hometown of Adelaide to help them get there. Maybe you go and buy a shirt.
I won’t say a bad word about Europe’s circuit of Fall festivals, but while Druid Fluids would certainly work well doing that run throughout October, this tour is more of a standalone. It gets to Antwerp weeks after Desertfest, and the pop-and-prog-informed psychedelia the band proffer is likewise very much its own thing. I don’t have info on with whom they’ll be sharing these stages, but it’s a cool run covering a lot of ground (with some off-days included, maybe some sightseeing?) and I didn’t want it to pass unnoticed against the backdrop of a busy autumn. If you’re wondering why, the album stream is at the bottom of the post. I encourage you to dig in.
Dates from socials:
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream ..
𝗗𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗗 𝗙𝗟𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 2024
🇧🇪 16/10- Mcp-Apache,Fontaine-l’Evêque 🇫🇷 17/10 – Festival Ici Ithaque, Nantes 🇩🇪 18/10 – Waggenhallen, Stuttgart 🇫🇷 22/10 – Le Nautilus, Perpignan 🇪🇸 23/10 – Rock Beer The New, Santander 🇪🇸 24/10 – Radar, Vigo 🇪🇸 25/10 – Lata de Zinc, Oviedo 🇪🇸 26/10- La Atalaia del Gardonki, Sopelana 🇪🇸 27/10 – Krazzy Kray, Cambados 🇵🇹 30/10 – BOTA, Lisbon 🇪🇸 03/11 – Plant Baja, Granada 🇫🇷 05/11 – The Message, Troyes 🇧🇪 06/11 – Antwerp Music City, Antwerp 🇩🇪 08/11 – Dreikönigskeller, Frankfurt
To minimise the likely hood of having to sell a kidney at the end of the road we’re throwing a EU fundraiser gig at Jive, September 14th W/ pals Pasiflorez & The Dainty Morsels! We would love to see you there 💛💫
Massive thanks to Jonas at Yayayeah music & as always Jim Grimwade Design for the poster
Posted in Reviews on February 27th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
A word about the image above. ‘AI art’ has become a thing people argue about on the internet. Like everything. Fine. I made the above image with a prompt through whatever Microsoft is calling its bot this week and got what I wanted. I didn’t have to talk to anyone or pay anyone in anything more than the personal data you compromise every time you use the internet for anything, and it was done. I could never draw, but when I finished, I felt like I’d at least taken part in some way in making this thing. And telling a computer what to make and seeing what it gets right and wrong is fascinating. You might feel a bit like you’re painting with words, which as someone who could never draw but could construct a sentence, I can appreciate.
I’m a big supporter of human creativity, and yes, corporations who already hold creative professionals — writers, editors, graphic designers, etc. — in such outward contempt will be only too happy to replace them with robots. I was there when magazines died; I know how that goes. But instead of being reactionaries and calling for never-gonna-happen-anyway bans, isn’t it maybe worth acknowledging that there’s no going back in time, that AI art isn’t going anywhere, and that it might just have valid creative uses? I don’t feel like I need to defend myself for making or using the image above, but I did try to get a human artist first and it didn’t work out. In the hard reality of limited minutes, how much should I really chase when there’s an easier way to get what I want? And how much can people be expected to live up to that shifting moral obligation in the long term?
The future will laugh at us, inevitably, either way. And fair enough with the world we’re leaving them.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
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Lord Dying, Clandestine Transcendence
While bearing the tonal force of their roots in doom, Portland’s Lord Dying have nonetheless willfully become a crucial purveyor of forward-thinking death metal, driven by extremity but refusing to subdue its own impulses to fit with genre. At 12 songs and an hour’s runtime, Clandestine Transcendence neither is nor is supposed to be a minor undertaking, but with a melodic declaration in “Unto Becoming” that’ll elicit knowing nods from Virus fans and a mentality of creative reach that’s worthy of comparison to Enslaved, Lord Dying showcase mastery of the style the four-piece of guitarist/vocalist Erik Olson, guitarist Chris Evans, bassist/vocalist Alyssa Maucere and drummer Kevin Swartz explored with vigilance on 2019’s Mysterium Tremendum (review here), and an ability to depart from aggression without losing their intensity or impact on “Dancing on the Emptiness” or in the payoff of “Break in the Clouds (In the Darkness of Our Minds).” They may be headed toward too-weird-for-everybody megaprogmetal ultimately, but the challenges-to-stylistic-homogeny of their material are only part of what gives Clandestine Transcendence its crux, and in fostering the call-and-response onslaught of “Facing the Incomprehensible” alongside the epic reach of “A Bond Broken by Death,” they cast their own mold as unique within or without of the heavy underground sphere.
The late-2023 self-titled debut from Black Glow marks a new beginning for Monterrey, Mexico, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Gina Rios, formerly of Spacegoat, and something of a creative redirect, taking on a sound that is less indebted to boogie and classic doom but that has clearly learned the lessons of its influences. Also credited with producing (Victor “KB” Velazquez recorded, mixed and mastered, which doesn’t invalidate the credit), Rios is a strong enough performer to carry the five-song EP/short-LP on her own, but thankfully bassist Oscar Saucedo and drummer Octavio Diliegros bring tonal fullness to the breadth of atmosphere in the rolling closer “Obscured Jail,” reaching past seven minutes with fluidity that adds to Black Glow‘s aspects of purpose and craft, which are significant despite being the band’s first outing. As a vehicle for Rios‘ songwriting, Black Glow sound immediately like they can evolve in ways Spacegoat likely couldn’t or wouldn’t have, and that prospect is all the more enticing with the accomplishments displayed here.
Between the leadoff of “Into the Chronosphere” and “The Glowing Sea,” “Return to Antares,” “Burning Mountain” and “Desert Haze,” UK instrumentalists Cracked Machine aren’t short on destinations for the journey that is their fourth full-length, Wormwood, but with more angular texturing on “Eigenstate” and the blend of tonal float — yes, even the bass — and terrestrial groove wrought in the closing title-track, the band manage to emphasize plot as well as a sense of freedom endemic to jam-born heavy psychedelia. That is to say, as second cut “Song of Artemis” gives brooding reply to the energetic “Into the Chronosphere,” which is loosely krautrocky in its dug-in feel and exploratory as part of that, they are not trying to pretend this material just happened. Layers of effects and a purposeful reach between its low and high ends in the solo of “The Glowing Sea” — with the drums holding the two together, as one would hope — and subsequent section of standalone guitar as the start of a linear build that spreads wide sonically rather than overpowering with volume speaks to a dynamic that’s about more than just loud or quiet, and the keyboard holding notes in the culmination of “Burning Mountain” is nothing if not purposeful in its shimmering resonance. They may be headed all over the place, but I think that’s just a sign Cracked Machine know how to get there.
Currently also of Kamchatka and Spiritual Beggars and maybe Switchblade, the career arc of Per Wiberg (also ex-Opeth, live work and/or studio contributions for Candlemass, Grand Magus, Arch Enemy, mostly on keys or organ) varies widely in style within a heavy sphere, and it should be no surprise that his solo work is likewise multifaceted. Following on from 2021’s EP, All Is Well In the Land of the Living But for the Rest of Us… Lights Out (review here), the six-song and 41-minute (seven/47 with the bonus track Warrior Soul cover “The Losers”) finds cohesion in a thread of progressive styles that allows Wiberg to explore what might be a Gary Numan influence in the verses of “The Serpent’s Here” itself while emerging with a heavy, catchy and melodic chorus marked by a driving riff. The eight-minute “Blackguards Stand Silent” works in movements across a structural departure as the rhythm section of Mikael Tuominen (Kungens Män) and drummer Tor Sjödén (Viagra Boys) get a subtle workout, and “He Just Disappeared” pushes into the cinematic on a patient line of drone, a contemplative departure after the melancholic piano of “This House is Someone Else’s Now” that allows “Follow the Unknown” to cap the album-proper with a return to the full-band feel and a pointed grace of keys and synth, clearly working to its creator’s own high standard.
Bremen, Germany’s Swell O released their apparently-recorded-in-a-day debut album, Morning Haze, in Feb. 2023 and followed with a vinyl release this past Fall on Clostridium Records, and if there’s anything clouding their vision as regards songwriting, it didn’t make it onto the record. Proffering solid, engaging, festival-ready desert-style heavy rock, “Hitchhiker” sweeps down the open highway of its own riff while “Black Cat” tips hat to Fu Manchu, the title-track veers into pop-punkish uptempoism in a way “Shine Through” contrasts with less shove and more ambience. The seven-minute “Summit” extrapolates a lean toward the psychedelic from Kyussian foundations, but the crux on Morning Haze is straightforward and aware of where it wants its songs to be aesthetically. It’s not a revolution in that regard, but it’s not supposed to be, and for all its in-genre loyalism, Morning Haze demonstrates an emergent persona in the modernized ’90s fuzz-crunch semi-blowout of “Venom” at the end, which wraps a salvo that started with “Hitchhiker” and lets Swell O make the most of their over-quickly 31-minute first LP.
Accounting for everything from goth to post-hardcore to the churn of Godflesh in an encompassing interpretation of post-punk, London outfit Cower could fill this space with pedigree alone and manage to nonetheless make a distinct impression across the nine songs of Celestial Devastation. Organic and sad on “We Need to Have the Talk,” inorganic and sad on “Hard-Coded in the Souls of Men,” electronic anti-chic before the guitar surge in “Buffeted by Solar Winds,” and bringing fresh perspective to Kataonia-style depressive metal in “Aging Stallions,” it’s a album that willfully shirks genre — a few of them, actually — in service to its songs, as between the software-driven title-track and the downer-New-Wave-as-doom centerpiece “Deathless and Free,” Cower embark on an apparent critique of tech as integrated into current life (though I can’t find a lyric sheet) and approach from seemingly divergent angles without losing track of the larger picture of the LP’s atmosphere. Celestial Devastation is the second album from the trio, comprised of Tom Lacey, Wayne Adams (who also produced, as he will) and Gareth Thomas. Expect them to continue to define and refine this style as they move forward, and expect it to become even more their own than it is here. A band like this, if they last, almost can’t help but grow.
Boston’s HORSEN3CK, who’ve gone all-caps and traded their second ‘e’ for a ‘3’ since unveiling the included-here “Something’s Broken” as a debut standalone single this January, make a rousing four-song statement of intent even as the lineup shifts from piece to piece around the core duo of Tim Catz and Jeremy Hemond, best known together for their work as the rhythm section of Roadsaw. With their maybe-not-right-now bandmate Ian Ross adding guitar to “Something’s Broken” and a different lead vocalist on each song, Heavy Spells has inherent variety even before “Haunted Heart” exalts its darker mood with pulls reminiscent of Alice in Chains‘ “Frogs.” With Catz taking a turn on vocals, “Golden Ghost” is punk under its surface class, and though “Haunted Heart” grows in its crescendo, its greater impact is in the vibe, which is richer for the shift in approach. “Thirst” rounds out with a particular brashness, but nowhere HORSEN3CK go feels even vaguely out of their reach. Alright guys. Concept proved, now go do a full-length. When they do, I’ll be intrigued to see if the lineup solidifies.
New Jersey doom rockers Troll Teeth‘s stated goal with Sluagh Vol. 1 was to find a sound the character of which would be defined in part by its rawer, retro-styled recording. The resultant four-song outing, which was their second EP of 2023 behind Underground Vol. 1, doesn’t actually veer into vintage-style ’70s worship, but lives up to the premise just the same in its abiding rawness. “3 Shots for a 6 Shooter” brings a Queens of the Stone Age-style vocal melody over an instrumental that’s meaner than anything that band ever put to tape, while nine-minute opener “1,000 Ton Brick” feels very clearly titled in honor of its own roll. It might be the heaviest stretch on the EP but for the rumbling low distortion spliced in among the psychedelic unfolding of 16-minute closer “Purgatory,” which submerges the listener in its course after “Here Lies” seems to build and build and build through the entirety of its still-hooky execution. With its title referencing the original name of the band and a focus on older material, the rougher presentation suits the songs, though it’s not like there’s a pristine “1,000 Ton Brick” out there to compare it to. Whether there will be at Sluagh Vol. 2 at any point, I don’t know, but even the intentionality of realizing his material in the recording process argues in favor of future revisits.
Celebrating their own dark side in the opener “Wicked Voice,” German heavy rockers Black Ocean’s Edge keep the proceedings relatively friendly on Call of the Sirens, their debut long-player behind 2022’s Dive Deep EP, at least as regards accessibility and the catchiness of their craft. Vibrant and consistent in tone, the Ulm four-piece find room for the classic rock of “Leather ‘n’ Velvet” and the that-might-be-actual-flute-laced prog-psych payoff of “Lion in a Cage” between the second two of the three parts that comprise the title-track, which departs from the heavy blues rock of “Drift” or “Cold Black Water,” which is the centerpiece and longest inclusion at 7:43 and sets its classic-heavy influences to work with a forward-looking perspective. At 42 minutes and nine tracks, Call of the Sirens feels professional in how it reaches out to its audience, and it leaves little to doubt from Black Ocean’s Edge as regards songwriting, production or style. They may refine and sharpen their approach over time, and with these songs as where they’re coming from, they’ll be in that much better position to hit the ears of the converted.
Note: this album is out in April and I couldn’t find cover art. Band photo above is by Matija Kasalo.
If an album could ask you, musically, why you’re in such a hurry — and not like hurrying to work, really in a hurry, like in how you live — the mellow psych and acid folk proffered by Adelaide, Australia’s SONS OF ZÖKU on their second full-length, ËNDLËSS, might just be doing that. Don’t take that to mean the album is still or staid though, because they’re not through “Moonlight” after the intro before the bass gets funky behind all that serene melody, and when you’re worshiping the sun that’s all the more reason to dance by the moon. Harmonies resonate in “Earth Chant” (and all around) atop initially quiet guitar noodling, and the adventures in arrangement continue in the various chimes and percussion instruments, the touch of Easternism in “Kuhnoo” and the keyboard-fueled melodic payoff to the pastoralism of “Hunters.” With flute and a rhythmic delivery to its group vocal, “O Saber” borders on the tribal, while “Yumi” digs on cosmic prog insistence in a way that calls to mind the underappreciated Death Hawks and finds its way in a concluding instrumental stretch that doesn’t lose its spontaneous feel despite being more cogent than improv generally comes across. “Lonesome Tale” is a melancholy-vibe-reprise centered around acoustic guitar and “Nu Poeme” gives a sense of grandeur that is unto itself without going much past four minutes in the doing. Such triumphs are rare more broadly but become almost commonplace as SONS OF ZÖKU set their own context with a sound harnessing the inspiration of decades directing itself toward an optimistic future.
