The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Phil Hey of Psychlona (Bradford, UK)

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Eternity - Will Be Assigneds in Fairview Heights, reviews by real people. Yelp is a fun and easy way to find, recommend and talk about what�s How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

It’s been a bit tricky for us as we’re currently recording our new album which is scheduled for release in August. It’s nearly finished but we’ve had to grab days here and there and go to the studio separately to record our relevant instruments. Will be worth the effort though as it’s sounding cool so far. Think pretty much all our live stuff we had planned for the year will be cancelled which sucks as we had a few major festivals lined up. The main thing is getting through all this together, there’s always another year. All of us have managed to remain virus free so far…

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We’re currently on lockdown here in the UK which is okay so far but I see a lot of people not taking it seriously and bending the rules. Rules are usually there to be broken but not this time. I was over in Spain a couple of weeks ago and was on lockdown there for a week also.

Cover letters are a vital part of the job application process. Check out CVpal�s cover blogs to secure your next interview. How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

It’s all been pretty positive so far with many bands doing the live streaming n stuff. It’s not so good for us as we haven’t got a live set at the moment due to the time consuming writing and recording for the album. I hear of some small venues closing their doors maybe for good already which is sad. We need to have a massive party at the end of all this to get things moving again.

http://www.eumed-ict.eu/?james-baldwin-essays-online Service 2018 that guarantees timely delivery. Order online best Thesis help for students. Experts researched & high quality custom What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

We love playing music but the world is in bad shape at the moment. We’ll all be there after all this has passed. Speaking for Ppsychlona as a collective I’ll just say love, respect, peace and we’ll see you at a venue as soon as possible. stay safe.

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Heading out from their home base in Portland, Oregon, heavy rockers  dissertation help ireland gumtree and Writing Services Online. Coming up with an authentic annotated bibliography paper can be a tasking venture Hippie Death Cult will do a weekender this month headed into Washington for a couple dates that will serve as a precursor to broader ranging as Spring takes hold. They’re booked on consecutive April nights at Constant Content's more connects you the best freelance blog writers online. Hire a blog writer today and start ordering great unique Electric Highway Fest and  When You Can�t Complete Your Dissertation with Quality, Just Tell Us, �do homework for me do homework for me� and We�ll Get it Done for You the Way You Like! Rocky Mountain Riff Fest in Calgary and Montana, respectively, and they’ll continue to peruse the West Coast later in May en route to  Bestessayexperts - Trusted Academic and Read More Here Thank you so much for this medical school dissertation. It is fabulous! Please thank Stoned and Dusted in Joshua Tree while they and the rest of the universe await the advent of 2020’s  We are one click away ready to help you round-the-clock. Authored by S. Expertwritinghelp.com provides services http://shkafpodrugi.by/?biology-homework-help-ks3 on custom Psycho Las Vegas, which is sure to be the endtimes madness you and I and everyone we know have been craving all along. Certainly nice to seeing them do more than twiddle their thumbs until that arrives, however, as their  Looking for a safe and trusted way to see post? We can handle all of your class writing assignments and more. Cursed Tongue Records-issued debut,  Hire professional article help writing a paper for colleges to ensure the quality and readability of your articles while giving them a unique new twist! Hire our article 111 (review here), was both well received and a cause worthy of supporting.

So get out there, you crazy kids, and do that rock and roll thing. I think it’s gonna be big. Like Hula-Hoops big.

PR wire me ASAP:

Portland Oregon’s heavy Rock N’ Roll outfit Hippie Death Cult have announced upcoming tour dates in western US and Canada for this spring and summer in support of their debut record “111” (Cursed Tongue Records).

As part of the trek, the band will be appearing at Calgary, Alberta’s The Electric Highway Festival, The Rocky Mountain Riff Fest in Kalispell, Montana, Stoned And Dusted in the Mojave Desert and Psycho Las Vegas 2020 this summer. The band will be joined by an array of local and touring bands city to city. More information regarding each line up will surface in the coming weeks and months.

Though there is no official release information at this time, the group has confirmed that they will be entering the studio intermittently between these dates to record a follow up to “111”. They have also confirmed that they will be peppering in new material during their live sets throughout the tour.

Guitarist Eddie Brnabic comments on the new music:

“We are extremely excited about this new material. Some of it is heavier and faster, some of it is more mellow and trippy … it’s definitely us, but it doesn’t sound like anything on “111”. I hope everyone else will dig it as much as we do. There’s certainly a lot of love and passion going into it and I personally couldn’t be happier with how the band is maturing and evolving together”

3.19 Chehalis, WA @ McFiler’s
3.20 Seattle WA @ Substation
3.21 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
3.22 Eugene, OR @ Sessions
4.5 Portland, OR @ Lola’s Room w/King Buffalo
4.15 Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper
4.16 Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
4.17 Calgary, AB @ Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 (Electric Highway Fest)
4.18 Kalispell, MT @ Eagles 234 (Rocky Mountain Riff Fest)
4.30 Seattle, WA @ El Corazón
5.1 Vancouver, BC @ East Van Live
5.2 Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown
5.8 Reno, NV @ Jub Jub’s
5.9 Oakland, CA @ Elbo Room w/ Psychic Hit
5.10 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
5.21 Las Vegas, NV @ Count’s Vamp’d
5.22 Anaheim, CA @ Doll Hut
5.23 San Diego, CA @ Pour House
5.24 Joshua Tree, CA @ Stoned & Dusted Fest
8.7 Portland, OR @ Star Theater w/ Elder
8.14 Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Las Vegas 2020

Poster art by Eddie Brnabic
Photo Credit : Mick Olorsky

Hippie Death Cult is:
Eddie Brnabic – Guitar
Laura Phillips – Bass
Ryan Moore – Drums
Ben Jackson – Vocals & Keys

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Hippie Death Cult, “Treehugger” official video

They’re keeping some info close to their (battle) vest, but with the announcement of the May 22 LP release of  http://www.clickmedia.gr/?top-professional-resume-writing-services Service at PapersOwl. We offer Unlimited Support, 100% Plagiarism Free, Full Confidentiality, and On Time Delivery. Any type of Wolftooth‘s second album,  For only 9, you can work directly with your own buy research paper. All of our Writers are MBA Graduates and are experienced in business. Valhalla, comes word that not only will  Our custom http://www.playyear.fr/hsc-creative-writing-tips/s team will submit your report before the set timelines. We value our customer�s time more than anything. Cursed Tongue Records be handling that vinyl, but that tapes will be done through new imprint  Custom Essay is a premium http://cheapessaywritings24.com/write-paper-for-me/ service with over 20 years of experience providing quality essays by expert writers to satisfied clients. Ice Fall Records, and indeed  Ripple Music, which reissued the band’s 2018 self-titled debut (review here), will be on board as well for the CD. The multi-format approach covering all flanks is only fitting for a release so concerned with battles among the gods, and though they’re a ways out from unveiling a single, the tracklisting, or even the cover art, rest assured that all of these things are duly epic. If you don’t want to take my word for it, consider the quality of the label endorsements they’ve earned.

Preorders May 1, as the PR wire informs. Please expect more to come on this one:

RICHMOND, IN RIFF-WELDERS WOLTOOTH RE-SIGNS TO CURSED TONGUE RECORDS FOR A GLOBAL VINYL RELEASE OF THEIR SOPHOMORE ALBUM MAY 22 2020

Cursed Tongue Records is super pleased to announce the re-signing of Richmond, IN based riff-welding behemoth Wolftooth and look forward to release their sophomore album entitled ‘Valhalla’ on premium vinyl come May 2020. This release will be a joint venture between a glorious trinity of Cursed Tongue Records (vinyl), Ripple Music (CD/digital) and Ice Fall Records (Cassette Tape) that all have joint forces to bring forth a tangible testament to ‘Valhalla’.

On their sophomore album Wolftooth has truly upped the ante, expanded on their already tested and tied formula, added more layers of sound and variation in the song writing and overall musical execution. The production has improved markedly and the tracks oozes of the much attention that has gotten into capturing both detail, feel and vibe during the recording. As the band members themselves express it: “We started work on this album back in August 2019; it is our masterpiece haha.”

‘Valhalla’ is everything you would come to expect from a follow-up album to Wolftooth’s über popular self-titled debut album – and then some! And even more! Seriously we have been heavy-nodding, head-banging and fist pumping on a daily bases since these four hoosiers submitted their new stellar opus. God damn ‘Valhalla’ is great, oh yeah! As if there would ever be a more suiting set of rock hymns to accompany the Aesir Gods to their sacred halls at Asgard after having slain all giants (Jætter, ed.) at the battlefield it has to be ‘Valhalla.’

Wolftooth’s Valhalla’ album is out May 22 2020 on premium vinyl (Cursed Tongue Records), CD/digital (Ripple Music) and Cassette Tape (Ice Fall Records). Vinyl pre-orders open May 1!!

It is with much joy, that Cursed Tongue Records can roll out the red carpet and give this utterly blatant head-banging, neck-snapping, skull-cracking, fist-pumping HM, riff-rock fest a well-deserved vinyl treatment. We open the doors for the vinyl pre-order on May 1 with official vinyl release May 22 2020.

Time of Victory Is Nigh, a Warrior on His Horse Ascending, the Throne of Valhalla to Claim

Wolftooth is:
Chris Sullivan Guitar/ Vocals
Terry McDaniel Bass
Jeff Cole Guitar
Johnny Harrod Drums/Vocals

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Wolftooth, Wolftooth (2019)

What, you thought just because they’re not a band anymore that might stop a vinyl release? Oh no, no, no, my friends. Because while the members of Vienna classic-style proto-metal-tinged heavy rockers Pastor may have already moved onto new bands like Ryte, Mothers of the Land, White Scorpion, Avalanche and Galactic Pot Healer, they did so by posting their second and final album, Unveil, on Bandcamp like it wasn’t no thing. Except it was a thing. It was a cool record. And cool records get vinyl releases on Cursed Tongue. That’s just the way of life.

So don’t expect to see Pastor anytime soon on a bunch of festival lineups or think there’s a long list of tour dates coming, because really what the May 8 vinyl issue of Unveil is doing is serving as a proper sendoff and a thanks-for-kicking-ass-while-you-did to the four-piece, who released their 2015 debut album, Evoke (review here) and prior 2014 single, Wayfaring Stranger/The Oath (review here), on Who Can You Trust? Records, earning kudos all the while for their combined manner of boogie and shred. Whether or not the band end up doing anything else at any point down the line, I don’t think you can listen to Unveil and not agree it earns its platter.

Preorders start April 3, as the label informs:

HEAVY PSYCH RIFF ROCKERS PASTOR SIGN TO CURSED TONGUE RECORDS FOR A GLOBAL VINYL RELEASE OF THEIR NEW ALBUM ‘UNVEIL’ MAY 8 2020

Cursed Tongue Records is very happy to announce the signing of Vienna, AU based riff-4some Pastor and look forward to release their sophomore and (potentially last) album entitled ‘Unveil’ premium vinyl. Pastor has yet again created an energetic, engaging and riff-heavy psych rock album full of heft and groove. ‘Unveil’ will kick your face in, knock you over, shred your skin to pieces, melt your brain and crush your skull to powder and all that will be left is your burned skin, shattered bones and knackered grinning skull.

Pastor is no new acquaintance to Cursed Tongue Records, as we have known about this band since their brilliant debut album ‘Evoke’ was released some 4+ years ago. So, when news about the digital release of a sophomore album pierced our radar, there was no hesitation and the quest for a vinyl release of this new album quickly formed in the deep dungeons at CTR headquarters. It didn’t take long for band and label to reach a common understanding that the world needed this album on the paramount medium and we quickly engaged in a plot to unveil the new album on vinyl.

The plot thickens, the plans solidify, and come May 8 2020 ‘Unveil’ will hit doom street and the Heavy Underground can rejoice in the heavy riffage that’s about to commence. Pre-orders for vinyl will run one months prior with a launch date scheduled for April 3rd 2020.

ALBUM BACKGROUND

‘Unveil’ is Pastor second album following a successful debut album entitled ‘Evoke’ released via Austrian label Who can you trust? Records in 2015. The band has the following insight to the story behind the creation of the follow-up album ‘Unveil’:
“So after our first record ‘Evoke’ was released we started gathering some songs. We did a couple weekenders here and there and ended up being on tour for a couple of weeks. During that time our tunes got slightly darker and more psych and we wanted to write songs reflecting the heavier side of our influences. It seemed we were going the direction we wanted to in the first place. “Unveil” documents this process very well, as we find.

In July 2017 we ended up again in lower Austria, where our first 7” was done and recorded there again. Bazoka Jürxn, who was our man of choice this time, captured perfectly what we wanted. Lots of beers were slammed and this time recording was way more of a party than a studio experience. We guess it was just because we knew what to expect and what we exactly wanted.

After the record was done we sort of mellowed out for a while. We started some new bands and Pastor kind of went on hiatus. The songs didn’t come naturally and we called it an end before writing stuff we couldn’t really identify with anymore. Our time was just up. We wanted to release “Unveil” somewhere, somehow and so we ended up putting it on Bandcamp. From there the good people from Cursed Tongue Records got aware of us and our last album and Niels was crazy enough to engage in releasing a record by a band that just split up.

We are more than happy that our last release is finding its way on vinyl, which was the way we wanted it to be right off the bat! So, sit back, grab a beverage of your preference and enjoy our last jams as Pastor called ‘Unveil’ Pastor was arik, shardik, alex & georg.”

Pastor might be done as a band (for now) in its current constellation, but the music lives on and we in Cursed Tongue Records firmly believe that music of this order demands a vinyl release no matter the situation – and we are pretty convinced that you, after having listened to ‘Unveil’, will testify to this as well! So in that in that we spirit we say: “For those about to riff, we salute you”!

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Pastor, Unveil (2019)

[Click play above to hear the premiere of ‘Wizard Slayer’ from Sleepwulf’s self-titled debut, out digitally March 6 with LP preorders up the same day.]

Traditionalist heavy rock has itself become a generation-spanning tradition, most especially in Sweden, where more than 20 years ago, early purveyors of hyper-stylized heavy ’70s analog-worshipers began to coalesce an aesthetic that continues to resonate with bands domestic and international. Though many of the microgenre’s once-lead advocates in acts like Witchcraft and Graveyard and last-decade comers like Blues Pills and Kadavar have moved on to more modern sounds in their particular approaches, there have been plenty of others to pick up the slack in bands like Dunbarrow, Demon Head, MaidaVale or any number of Sverige boogie acts. Newcomers Sleepwulf take a doomier approach to vintage vibes on their self-titled Cursed Tongue Records debut long-player.

Having signed to the label following two well-received singles spread widely through social media word of mouth, the Kristianstad four-piece of vocalist Owen Robertson, guitarist Sebastian Ihme, bassist Viktor Sjöström and drummer Carl Lindberg present nine tracks and 36 minutes of proto-doomed songcraft, willfully familiar as it should be but marked out nonetheless by warmth of tone, catchiness of the songwriting and the band’s clear ability to affect a mindset in their listener. Sleepwulf, which includes the two singles “Lucifer’s Light” and “Misty Mountain” on sides A and B, respectively, is a beginning point of what one hopes will be a longer-term progression, but its fluidity speaks to the band’s commitment to what they’re doing in style as well as the substance of the tracks themselves.

They are not dabbling, not getting their feet wet. They’re schooled in the methods and the modes, and whether it’s the sweeping groove of closer “One Eyed Jailor” or the shuffling jive of pieces like “Beasts of Collision” and “Tumbling Towers,” Sleepwulf effectively convey the tenets of vintage heavy doom without losing sight of bringing something of themselves to the proceedings, whether that’s in Ihme‘s soloing style or the melodies of Robertson‘s vocals, Sjöström‘s bass tone or Lindberg‘s clever snare work.

These are, again, familiar elements, and the spectre that looms over much of Sleepwulf‘s Sleepwulf is that of Pentagram‘s First Days Here, their ultra-seminal collection of early and/or lost recordings which, compiled in 2004, helped ease the path to set a generation of retro heavy in motion. And the dictates of trend have perhaps left vintage doom behind over the last few years, but that suits a band like Sleepwulf just fine as they roll through the immediately nodding riff of “Wizard Slayer” at the outset or tap Witchcraft‘s “Her Sisters They Were Weak”-riffing for their own finale.

The album as a whole is not necessarily slow in terms of pace, but seems to crawl just the same, or perhaps ooze as its tones unfurl themselves in the songs, and that makes its actually-downtempo stretches all the more effective. Cuts like presumed side A capper “Standing Stones” are spacious and emblematic of the patience that might emerge in Sleepwulf‘s sound over time, and even as it picks up pace to stand next to the likes of “Beasts of Collision,” there’s a sense of the return pending that does nothing to undercut appreciation for it when it arrives.

That’s a skill in itself — to telegraph a thing and then pull it off anyway — but it speaks to the quality of the turns Sleepwulf are able to make all throughout the tracks here. They didn’t give much indication of such proclivities in “Lucifer’s Light,” keeping largely to a bouncing rhythm for the abidingly-unpretentious three-minute single, but the more insistent feel that comes to a head in “Misty Mountain” offers some clue as to where they’re coming from overall, though the subsequent “Wicked Man” — the opening line, “You were born a wicked man,” immediately bringing to mind Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats‘ “I’ll Cut You Down” — turns back to a more dead-ahead, hairy-toned style of riffing.

Rather, it’s in moments like the centerpiece interlude/side B opener “God of the Gaps” that Sleepwulf reinforce the atmosphere in which they’re working, and having done so, they’re all the more free to let loose a moment of boogie in “Tumbling Towers” as they do. You can have all the gear in the universe, record live to tape in a cave 5,000 meters below the surface of the earth with microphones made of mammoth bones or in the moldiest of decrepit low-ceiling basements, but the most necessary component to pull off a vintage approach is vibe, and that’s exactly what Sleepwulf have working most in their favor on their debut album.

Of course, the last remaining question about the band and their impressive debut is what will come next. There are a couple newer acts out there — the above-cited among them — who to one degree or another have carried across retro stylizations without losing their edge or creative progression, even if those who helped forge the path have largely let it languish. But it can be a tricky balance, and as ever, even more than the commitment to genre tenets, what’s going to help Sleepwulf most in the longer term is their songwriting, which is readily on display throughout these tracks, if in nascent form. The real trick will be to discover how Sleepwulf grow their doom over time. Will their sound expand to incorporate outside elements? What will that inherently do to the shuffle and roll that serves them so well here? Can they twist the tradition of traditionalism?

Naturally, it’s hard to even guess at this point, but even the simple curiosity should speak to the quality of the work Sleepwulf are doing and the fact that their project, whatever it ends up being, is worth pursuing, wherever it might lead. For what it’s worth, if one reads into the self-titled the idea that the prior singles were written earlier, then some of the material that surrounds, particularly in the longer side-ending tracks, does find a way to balance sonic complexity without giving up the basic sonic foundation underscoring the record as a whole. It’s another angle at which Sleepwulf‘s potential can be seen, but really, through any you might view, the picture is the same.

Sleepwulf, “Lucifer’s Light” official video

Sleepwulf on Thee Facebooks

Sleepwulf on Instagram

Sleepwulf on Bandcamp

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Cursed Tongue Records on Thee Facebooks

I have to say, there’s a piece of me that kind of feels like Michael Corleone in the third Godfather flick when it comes to retro heavy at this point. How could it not be surpassing salty fish among Swedish exports? I don’t have the figures to back that supposition up, but if you’re coming here for hard economic data, you’re on the wrong site. I’m the “likes riffs” guy.

So anyway, I’m all, “Just when I think I’m out…” and then Sleepwulf come along with their super-organic, live recorded, sleek-ass riffing on “Lucifer’s Light” and their self-titled debut pulls me right back in. Clocks in at nine songs/36 minutes, wants nothing more than to toss in a bit of boogie with the First Daze Here vibes and god damn, I’m into it. There ain’t much mystery to the thing on paper — it is what it is — but there’s character here and no pretense and I dig it, I dig it, I dig it. This sound has become a microgenre unto itself, and I am sucker for it.

Maybe this kind of thing has fallen out of favor with whoever decides which brand of heavy rock is hip this week, I don’t give a shit, and I take the fact that Cursed Tongue Records has picked up Sleepwulf for a vinyl release of the album only as affirmation that I’m right not to. They’ve got the vibe nailed and the songs to back it up. Sold.

LP is out April 10. Preorders and digital release March 6.

To the PR wire:

SLEEPWULF – CURSED TONGUE RECORDS

EARLY DOOM ROCK QUARTET SLEEPWULF SIGNS TO CURSED TONGUE RECORDS FOR A GLOBAL VINYL RELEASE OF SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM APRIL 10 2020.

Cursed Tongue Records is very happy to announce the signing of Kristianstad, SE based quartet Sleepwulf and look forward to release their self-titled debut album on premium vinyl. This album will kick down the door to the Heavy Underground as it will, by ways of the old, bring new and fresh songs that will appeal to any fan of late 60’s / early 70’s doom rock. Brace yourself for all retro, organic and vintage!

When we first heard Sleepwulf’s first single ‘Lucifer’s Light’ back in July last year it instantaneously wormed its way into our mind and soul and left us humming the chorus for a week. Cause that was about the time span before the band decided to drop their second single ‘Misty Mountain’. And if the first single was a cracking example on how to bring new life into a proved and tested formula of early doom rock, it was little compared with the full-fledged doom rock riff fest that the second single demonstrates. There’s no denying that a possible third single or even a full-length album would be any less excellent nor relevant to today’s doom rock scene.

With these two first singles the three Swedes and a Scot proved that they fully understand how to utilize the wisdom and strength of the old titans like Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Leaf Hound and Cream all while keeping it fresh and present. There were no doubt in the cave of the Cursed Tongue that a new doom child had emerged on the international heavy underground scene and it was one we could not miss.

The self-titled debut album is a tour de force in retro-tinged, organic played vintage sounds that take you right back to the late 60’s where British band Earth transformed into its latter and more known constellation. At play on Sleepwulf’s debut are blues-rooted, doom-flavored, riff-based rock of the absolute highest order. Musicianship on par with the contemporary scene’s greats such as Dunbarrow, Graveyard, Asteroid, Burning Saviours, Clan, Demon Head, Doublestone. In fact, we have little trouble comparing the quality of Sleepwulf’s debut album with Witchcraft’s ‘Alchemist’ album. Yup, it’s that good.

Sleepwulf’s debut album releases digitally on Bandcamp and all major streaming outlets on March 6 2020.

Track listing:
1. Wizard Slayer
2. Beasts of Collision
3. Lucifer’s Light
4. Standing Stones
5. God of the Gaps
6. Tumbling Towers
7. Misty Mountain
8. Wicked Man
9. One Eyed Jailor

Inspired heavily from the work of renowned occultist John Dee, this album attempts to rekindle his vision of a united cosmos. “The moon and sun of our monad desire their elements, in which the Denarian proportion will rule, to be separated, and this is to be done with the ministry of fire.” From conception, every aspect of this album is routed in these core principles and can be traced back to each of these foundations.

The entire album was recorded live in the studio, no overdubs or retakes!

The front cover artwork is drawn by the singer’s father Iain Robertson while living in the forest near Loch Ness. It’s likely influenced by numerous mushroom journeys.

It is with much joy, that Cursed Tongue Records can roll out the red carpet and give this early doom rock inspired album a dire needed vinyl treatment. We open the doors for the vinyl pre-order on March 6 with official vinyl release April 10 2020.

Sleepwulf is:
Carl Lindberg – Drums
Owen Robertson – Vocals
Sebastian Ihme – Guitar
Viktor Sjöström – Bass

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Sleepwulf, “Misty Mountain”

Sleepwulf, “Lucifer’s Light”

The riff that opens Hippie Death Cult‘s 111 (review here) sounds so much like Alice in Chains‘ “Junkhead” to my ears that I keep half-expecting Layne Staley to start in with the “yeah-yeah”s over the lumbering guitar of Eddie Brnabic. He doesn’t, of course, but the key word there is “keep” — as in, I keep listening. To that song, to the album in general, and to the rampant praise that’s flooded over 111 before and since its release on vinyl through Cursed Tongue Records.

Usually that kind of thing is an immediate turnoff for me, and indeed, all the “holy shit!” around the work of Brnabic (who also recorded, mixed and mastered the album initially; Tony Reed did vinyl mastering, as he will), vocalist/keyboardist Ben Jackson (also of the undervalued Sioux), bassist Laura Phillips and drummer Ryan Moore (who was also in Nether Regions) had me hesitant to really dig into the record. And I’m not saying my opinion means anything one way or the other, because it doesn’t, but the fact is there is a draw to 111 that not only holds attention in the immediate, but keeps the listener coming back, in part to figure out what that draw is.

Near as I can estimate, it’s the balance of Brnabic‘s tone, which is very much at the forefront of the band’s sound and sets their range in terms of depth of mix, driving both their heaviest moments and the acoustic centerpiece interlude “Mrtyu,” etc., and Jackson‘s soulful, at times gruff, vocals. The singer brings a bluesy sensibility that, in a song like the penultimate “Treehugger,” for which you can see a video premiering below — if you didn’t already see it premiering on YouTube at midnight Pacific last night; always love getting the exclusive, thanks y’all — almost touches on country, as though Hippie Death Cult were filtering a Texas heavy rock mindset through Portland’s attention to detail when it comes to tones and riffy tradition. With subtle lyrics touching on issues of faith and politics in opener “Sanctimonious” and elsewhere, there’s all the more depth to explore for the audience.

You’ll note the rhythm section has gone yet-unmentioned. That’s because their work is an utter given. Phillips, who also did some of the camera work in the video, alongside Brnabic and Alice Kollinzas, and Moore nail down and fill out the grooves of 111 with an understated fluidity that is never overly showy but is also never anything less than it needs to be. The balance, in other words, is just right, and in the respective eight- and nine-minute side A and B finales, “Unborn” and “Black Snake,” the full band works to enhance each other’s contributions so that it’s not just about the guitar or the vocals or the bass, drums or keys. It’s all of it, together. Considering 111 is a first album as the title would seem to indicate, this accomplishment isn’t to be understated.

Preorders are up as of today for the Cursed Tongue repress of 111, and you’ll find that info under the video for “Treehugger” below, courtesy of the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Hippie Death Cult, “Treehugger” official video premiere

CURSED TONGUE RECORDS IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE: PRE-ORDER AND OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR THE REPRESS OF GRUNGY STONER DOOM ALBUM ‘111’ BY HIPPIE DEATH CULT

REPRESS RELEASE FEBRUARY 14TH 2020

PRE-ORDER STARTS JANUARY 17TH 6PM CET* ON:
http://cursedtonguerecords.bigcartel.com/

Stream/Buy: https://hippiedeathcult.bandcamp.com

Due to continued high demand for the vinyl release of HIPPIE DEATH CULT’s debut album ‘111’ that has sold out completely from the label and all distros, we are thrilled to announce the REPRESS of this belter of an album!

HIPPIE DEATH CULT have been hitting it hard since laset summer both live on the stage and in the online spheres, where they have amazed many heavy heads across the globe as well as received an impressive amount of high ranking scores on a wide array of Best Of 2019 charts. Now a new year has begun and more new endavours lie at the feet of the death cult hippies in 2020.

The REPRESS of “111” on dark ‘Treehugger Green’ vinyl will see the light of day on February 14 2020 via Cursed Tongue Records with pre-orders starting later today!

This premium vinyl release boasts high quality 180 grams vinyl plated and pressed in Germany, housed in 6mm spine full colour gatefold cover with smoking hot artwork by the singer Ben Jackson in collaboration with guitarist Eddie Brnabic. This CTR Exclusive REPRESS is ltd. to just 300 copies and comes with a super rad A3 sized poster by Shane Horror Design (ltd. 100 copies) and digital download coupon for the full album plus two kickass stickers.

So if you missed out on the 1st pressing or simply want to add this sick REPRESS edition to your vinyl collection, now is time to start your engines!

Video produced, Shot & Edited By : Eddie Brnabic
Additional footage shot by Laura Phillips & Alice Kollinzas

Hippie Death Cult live:
Feb 07 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Mar 19 McFiler’s Chehalis, WA
Mar 20 Substation Seattle, WA
Mar 21 High Water Mark Lounge Portland, OR
Mar 22 Sessions Music Hall Eugene, OR
Apr 15 The Big Dipper Spokane, WA
Apr 16 Badlander Missoula, MT
Apr 17 Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 Calgary, AB
Apr 17 Rocky Mountain Riff Fest Kalispell, MT

Hippie Death Cult are:
Eddie Brnabic : Guitar
Laura Phillips : Bass
Ryan Moore : Drums
Ben Jackson : Vocals/Keys

Hippie Death Cult, 111 (2019)

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[Click play above to stream the premiere of ‘Shadow in the Night’ from Hazemaze’s Hymns of the Damned. Album is out November 22 through Cursed Tongue Records and Ripple Music.]

Vinyl preorders for Hazemaze‘s Hymns of the Damned start Nov. 1 through Cursed Tongue Records for a Nov. 22 LP/DL release. Ripple Music is putting the Swedish troupe’s second album out on CD as well, and the band have announced two release shows that are six days apart from each other, so one way or another, you might say the new record from Hazemaze is coming soon and choose your angle of approach accordingly. While there may be several threads involved in the arrival of the eight-track/41-minute follow-up to the Stockholm trio’s 2018 Kozmik Artifactz-delivered self-titled debut (discussed here), the LP itself is a heavy amalgam much easier to process in its garage-doom churn and dug-in riffage, informed by heavy blues but not beholden to them and bearing a persistent atmosphere of threat that speaks to an affinity for classic doom, particularly in songs like “Green River” (premiered here) and the subsequent weighted boogie of the penultimate “Reverend Death.” Those two cuts, as well as the raucous finisher “Forever Trapped in Hell” are shorter, in the three-to-four-minute range, than the five cuts prior that make up side A and the start of side B, and the effect is almost like Hazemaze have reversed the plot of many LPs and put the opening salvo in the closing position and turned the B side into the A side and the A side into the B side. The bottom line? If the release dates don’t disorient you, they’re going to get you one way or the other.

Actually, when it comes to what’s going to “get you,” it’s probably the songwriting. Hazemaze — guitarist/vocalist Ludvig Andersson, bassist Estefan Carrillo and drummer Nils Arkitekten Einéus — might not be revolutionary in aesthetic terms, but what they do, they do well and with the confidence of a band of much longer standing. There’s some element of Monolord-style atmospherics to the vocals on “Shadow in the Night,” the opening track and new single premiering above, but though certainly riffy, Hazemaze‘s trip is rawer in form and more about roll than crush. What “Shadow in the Night” sets in motion continues through the end of Hymns of the Damned in terms of forward momentum and classic affinity. There’s plenty of nod-fodder, to be sure, but as Hazemaze lead the way into “Morbid Lust” on a swinging bassline, there’s no question that movement is a focal point for the band and crucial to their approach. Einéus is duly beastly on his crash cymbal, adding uptempo flair to Andersson‘s riffing and languid vocals, while Carrillo‘s low end lurks beneath the distortion, carrying the weight that is so essential to the proceedings in mood and the sheer delivery. By the time they’re into “Thrill Seeker,” the course is set in terms of overarching groove and the sound and general spirit of the offering, which is ultimately to the band’s credit in terms of their efficiency conveying the grim (but still kind of a good time) ambience through the early tracks.

That might be an effect of the noted A/B swap method, or it might just be a consequence of knowing what they want out of their material more generally, but on either level, it only makes Hymns of the Damned more immersive and engaging on the whole for those willing to take it on. “Thrill Seeker” brings chug and violent threat in its verse alike in the Uncle Acid spirit with Andersson touching on layered self-harmony in the vocals, and “Lobotomy” stands among the most outwardly catchy of the inclusions as it rounds out the first half of the tracklist with a hook that continues the momentum set up on the first several tracks. Hazemaze‘s sense of movement might be subtle — that is, it doesn’t feel like they’re shoving you through one track to the next — but it’s there if not brazen in its intensity. They set a balance between atmosphere and push that works well across the span and, again, highlights the contributions particularly of Einéus and Carrillo to the songs on the whole. And though I haven’t seen a lyric sheet, even “Solicitor of Evil” — the longest cut at 6:56 and the presumed side B leadoff — doesn’t seem to be explicitly about killing women, so that’s a plus too if we’re thinking in the sphere of post-Uncle Acid garage doom. Certainly not every band can say the same. I like to think of “Solicitor of Evil” like a devilish attorney, but I’ll say again, I haven’t seen a lyric sheet to confirm that. Would be fun though.

On a lot of records, “Solicitor of Evil,” with its late wah bass and ultra-swing, would be the grand finale, but on Hymns of the Damned it’s just an introduction to the next stage, with “Green River,” “Reverend Death” and “Forever Trapped in Hell” reigniting the riffy momentum — and cowbell — of “Shadow in the Night” and bringing about a more bounding conclusion. In terms of general sound, there’s isn’t so much of a radical shift, but especially across multiple listens, the change is evident as “Solicitor of Evil” gives way to “Green River,” the storytelling aspect of which — “Walking down that dusty road…,” etc. — likewise signals a change of angle. Like the structure of the album generally, it’s not a move a less confident band could pull off, but Hazemaze do it by simply doing it, and that in itself is a statement of who they are as a group. As their second album careens to its brash finish with “Forever Trapped in Hell,” the more active and tightened craft only seems to underscore the point of Hazemaze‘s momentum earlier on the LP, their last hook giving way to a winding charge with a solo in the last minute and a series of hits that uses every single one of the track’s four minutes and 11 seconds. It is righteous and portentous in kind, since Hazemaze come across in the end like a band that still has much more to say; “leave ’em wanting more,” and all that. They do, even with the rest of Hymns of the Damned leading into “Forever Trapped in Hell,” and one can’t help but think that whatever the three-piece do from here, they’ll only have benefited from being so sure and so correct in the decisions they made with and within this material.

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Cursed Tongue Records webstore

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Ripple Music website