https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

No Legacy Vol. 1 Compilation Brings Together Northern and Southern California

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 8th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Hard not to dig the mission here. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of being in one and the other can probably tell you that Northern and Southern California are fairly different worlds. Forest vs. beach, off-grid pot farmer hippies vs. those hitting the dispensary on their way to whatever charmed adventure next awaits them. Weather vs. no weather. I don’t know, man. I’m from the Northeast. All I know is that driving southward down the Pacific Coastline, there’s a marked shift in ecosystem. To put it another way: things in one place be different from things in another place. Boom. Language economy. You’re welcome.

Anyhoozle, No Legacy Records is a new imprint helmed by L.A.-based Erik Kluiber of the bands Ironaut and Void Vator, and the label’s first release, No Legacy Vol. 1: Socal/Norcal features not only his own groups but a slew of others whose geographical disparities serve here to unite them in one underground. Always cool to see bands like Disastroid and Astral Cult show up, but along with Aboleth, Hazzaard’s Cure and others, the company they’re keeping is both good and plentiful. Like I said at the outset, hard not to dig the mission.

Info follows, courtesy of the PR wire:

no legacy socal norcal vol 1

NO LEGACY RECORDS DEBUTS WITH A FULL-LENGTH COMPILATION VINYL RELEASE ‘VOL. 1: SOCAL/NORCAL’, IN CELEBRATION OF TODAY’S CALIFORNIA HEAVY METAL UNDERGROUND.

Los Angeles, CA’s No Legacy Records formally announces their debut full-length ‘No Legacy Vol. 1: Socal/Norcal’ is available strictly on vinyl pressing. Featuring nine of California’s modern heavy music acts that span the full genre spectrum of ‘heavy’, including Ironaut, Disastroid, Madrost, Astral Cult, Void Vator, and others. There are ‘no legacy’ acts on the compilation, as the label was created to specifically highlight professional up & coming bands not already in popular awareness.

California is long-known for its contributions to the heavy metal music world. Be it bands, venues, and for many eras – record labels. With the digital stream eruptions, physical music sales plummeted and many major labels focused only on their ‘legacy’ artists, or outright folded. This gave smaller, independent labels room to grow and their underground artists found that same sunlight. Recent years sprouted a resurgence of physical format music on CD, Vinyl, and even cassettes. Yet, major labels still tote primarily ‘legacy’ artists, with reissue after reissue of legendary artist releases in every color vinyl in the rainbow.

However, music lovers still attend live music shows, searching for new heavy music that doesn’t carry that hefty legacy price tag. No Legacy Records was launched for this specific purpose. Erik Kluiber, label founder and executive producer of the compilation, knows his way around the California heavy metal scene. Erik is a long time heavy music artist, currently a member of both Void Vater (guitar) and Ironaut (bass and vocals), as well as former guitarist for Gypsyhawk and White Wizzard.

According to Kluiber,
“The title is called No Legacy, because this album features exclusively contemporary up-and-coming bands in the underground California heavy music scene. From my perspective, the heavy metal movement has shifted over to an unhealthy focus predominantly fixated on established legacy acts. Metal has become all about the brands, instead of the bands.”

“I met all of the bands included on ‘No Legacy’ by sharing the stage with them at club shows across California. I hear and see hundreds of bands every year and the good ones stand out. In 2017, I had this idea of the compilation album in my head. I approached bands that made an impression the night I played with them and asked them if this idea of a compilation album was something they would be interested in participating in. I was surprised on the immediate positive feedback. They reminisced about albums like ‘Metal Massacre’ from decades ago and understood the fan crossover potential.”

The “No Legacy Volume 1: Socal/Norcal” compilation is available in a limited edition, first press run of 500 on 180 gram black vinyl, with printed sleeve insert. Executive produced by Erik Kluiber, with assembly and additional mastering by Michael Hateley at Lotus Mastering. Cover artwork, design, and layout by Ryan Bartlett. The album compilation features nine California heavy underground bands, including Ironaut, Disastroid, Madrost, Astral Cult, Void Vator, Aboleth, Grand Lord High Master, Hazzard’s Cure, Tzimani.

“No Legacy Volume 1: Socal/Norcal” Track List:

Side 1
A1. Ironaut – ‘Sick Stupid Lies’
A2. Disastroid – ‘New Day’
A3. Madrost – ‘Scorned’
A4. Astral Cult – ‘Drowning’

Side 2
B1. Void Vator – ‘No Return’
B2. Aboleth – ‘No Good’
B3. Grand Lord High Master – ‘Sludge’
B4. Hazzard’s Cure – ‘Starvation’
B5. Tzimani – ‘Final Hour’

https://www.facebook.com/Nolegacy/
http://www.nolegacyrecords.bigcartel.com/product/no-legacy-volume-1-socal-norcal

Void Vator, “No Return” official video

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Psycho Las Vegas 2018 Reveals Lineup; Dimmu Borgir, Hellacopters, Godflesh, Witchcraft and More to Play

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 23rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Psycho Las Vegas 2018 logo

It’s only taken a few years for Psycho Las Vegas to establish itself as the premier underground festival in the US. All well and good. With 2018’s lineup, though, it’s time to start thinking of Psycho among the best in the world.

Sounds like too much? Consider Godflesh and Dimmu Borgir sharing a stage, both for exclusive West Coast appearances. Think of Sweden’s Witchcraft playing one of the two shows they’ll do in the US at Psycho, and ditto that for Japanese riff-madmen Church of Misery. Think of US exclusives from Lee Dorrian’s With the Dead, or Lucifer, whose Johanna Sadonis will also DJ the Center Bar. The commitment to up and coming underground acts local, domestic and foreign like Temple of Void, King Buffalo, Dreadnought, The Munsens and DVNE. Picture yourself watching Wolves in the Throne Room headline a pre-fest pool party with Elder, Young and in the Way, Dengue Fever, Fireball Ministry and Toke.

2018 is the year Psycho Las Vegas outclasses even itself and pushes further than it ever has in terms of stylistic reach (Integrity walks by and waves… at Boris) and the sheer power of its construction. If you’re looking for the future, you’ll find it in scumbag paradise.

Here’s the lineup:

Psycho Las Vegas 2018 poster

Psycho Las Vegas 2018

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
4455 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169

Tickets: https://www.vivapsycho.com/pages/tickets

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2018 lineup:
DIMMU BORGIR (west of chicago exclusive)
HELLACOPTERS (one of two shows to be played in the USA in 2018)
SUNN 0)))
GODFLESH (west of chicago exclusive)
WITCHCRAFT (one of two shows to be played in the USA in 2018)
ENSLAVED
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
HIGH ON FIRE
ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT
RED FANG
ZAKK SABBATH
CHURCH OF MISERY (usa exclusive 2018 with exception to one other show in San Diego)
TINARIWEN
GOBLIN
CKY
VENOM INC
EYEHATEGOD
VOIVOD
BORIS
COVEN
INTEGRITY
PALLBEARER
WITH THE DEAD (USA exclusive 2018)
MONOLORD
LUCIFER (USA exclusive 2018)
ACID WITCH
SURVIVE
DOPETHRONE
BIG BUSINESS
UNEARTHLY TRANCE
MUTOID MAN
TODAY IS THE DAY
HELMS ALEE
SPIRIT ADRIFT
BATUSHKA
PRIMITIVE MAN
DVNE
ALL PIGS MUST DIE
EIGHT BELLS
WORMWITCH
INDIAN
NECROT
HOMEWRECKER
BRAIN TENTACLES
CLOAK
BLACK MARE
MAGIC SWORD
UADA
TEMPLE OF VOID
DREADNOUGHT
WOLVHAMMER
ASEETHE
DISASTROID
FORMING THE VOID
VENOMOUS MAXIMUS
GHASTLY SOUND
HOWLING GIANT
KING BUFFALO
NIGHT HORSE
THE MUNSENS
GLAARE

Paradise Pool Pre Party
August 16th

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM
ELDER
YOUNG AND IN THE WAY
DENGUE FEVER
FIREBALL MINISTRY
TOKE

Center Bar DJ’s
Andrew W.K.
Nicke Andersson (Entombed/Hellacopters)
Johanna Sadonis (Lucifer)

https://www.facebook.com/psychoLasVegas/
https://www.facebook.com/events/125340824913552/
http://vivapsycho.com

High on Fire, Live at Psycho Las Vegas 2016

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Quarterly Review: Primitive Man, Black Lung & Nap, Zone Six, Spectral Haze, Cosmic Fall, Epitaph, Disastroid, Mastiff, Demons from the Dungeon Dimension, Liblikas

Posted in Reviews on October 2nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk quarterly review

The final round of the Fall 2017 Quarterly Review starts now. 60 reviews done. I think if this particular QR session proves anything it’s that come hell or high water, once it’s set, there’s no stopping this train. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but the site was down for half of last week and we’re still getting to 60 reviews from Monday to Monday. That’s not not impressive from where I sit, especially since I spent that downtime going out of my mind trying to get things up and running again while also trying to write posts that I didn’t even know if they were going to happen. But they happened — thanks again, Slevin and Behrang — and here we are. All is well and we can get back to normal hopefully for the rest of this week. Thanks for reading any of this if you did. Let’s get to it.

Quarterly Review #51-60:

Primitive Man, Caustic

primitive-man-caustic

Primitive Man’s Caustic is the concept of “heavy” taken to the superlative. It is a 12-track/77-minute onslaught for which no less than absolute hyperbole will suffice. In following-up their 2013 Relapse Records debut, Scorn (review here), a series of splits and 2015’s Home is Where the Hatred Is EP (review here), the Denver trio reign in terror as they make Caustic live up to its name in the crushing tones, feedback of and slow churn of “My Will,” “Commerce” “Tepid,” and “Sugar Hole,” the consuming wave of “Victim,” the blastbeating death assault of “Sterility,” and the biting atmospherics of harsh interludes “Caustic,” “Ash” and “The Weight,” which preface the nine minutes of vague noise that close on “Absolutes,” following the grueling slaughter of “Disfigured” and the rightfully-named 12-minute “Inevitable,” which seems even slower and more weighted somehow than everything before it. On the sheer level of heft for that song alone, it’s time to start thinking about Primitive Man among the heaviest bands in the world. I’m serious. Caustic is an overwhelming masterwork of unbridled extremity, and with it, Primitive Man set a new standard both for themselves and for anyone else who’d dare to try to live up to it in their wake.

Primitive Man on Thee Facebooks

Relapse Records webstore

 

Black Lung & Nap, Split

black-lung-nap-split

A heavy blues trio from Baltimore and a progressive boogie outfit from Oldenburg, Germany, might seem like an odd pairing, but by the time the 25 minutes of Black Lung and Nap’s split 12” platter (on Noisolution) are up, the release has come to make its own peculiar kind of sense. In following 2016’s See the Enemy (review here), Black Lung present two new songs in “Strange Seeds” and “Use this Stone” as well we the prior-issued Marvin Gaye cover “Inner City Blues” done in collaboration with rapper Eze Jackson, where Nap answer their debut album, Villa (review here), with the shuffle-into-psychedelia of “Djinn,” the spacious, patient rollout of the airy guitars in “Vorlaut” and the final thrust of “Teer.” Each of the two acts establishes a context for itself quickly – Black Lung brazenly defying theirs in the shift from “Use this Stone” to “Inner City Blues”; Nap expanding between “Djinn” and “Vorlaut” – and though one wouldn’t be likely to mistake one group for the other, their disparate sounds don’t at all hinder the ability of either group to make an impression during their brief time.

Nap on Thee Facebooks

Black Lung on Thee Facebooks

Noisolution webstore

 

Zone Six, Zone Six

zone-six-zone-six

Originally issued in 1998 via Early Birds Records with the lineup of bassist/synthesis/Mellotronist Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt, guitarist Hans-Peter Ringholz, drummer/keyboardist Claus Bühler and vocalist Jodi Barry, the self-titled debut from German space/krautrock explorationists Zone Six sees something of a redux via Sulatron Records to mark the 20th anniversary of the band’s founding. Eight minutes shorter than the original edition at 51 minutes, the new version whittles down the original 13-track presentation to two vinyl sides – titles: “Side A” (27:04) and “Side B” (24:39) – and drops the vocal tracks entirely to make it a completely instrumental release. That’s a not-insignificant change, of course, but let there be no doubt that it works in terms of highlighting the flow, which as it transitions between what used to be one song and another loses not one step and instead simply becomes an engrossing and multifaceted jam. This is truer perhaps to the band Zone Six have become – if you missed their 2015 full-length Love Monster (review here), it was glorious and it’s not too late to catch up – than the band they started out as, but Zone Six have found a way to make an old release new again, and new Zone Six is never anything to complain about, whatever the occasion.

Zone Six on Thee Facebooks

Sulatron Records? webstore

 

Spectral Haze, Turning Electric

spectral-haze-turning-electric

Space rock warriors Spectral Haze return after three years in the Gamma Quadrant with Turning Electric via Totem Cat Records, a six-song sophomore outing behind 2014’s I.E.V.: Transmutated Nebula Remains (review here) that quickly enters a wormhole of Hawkwindian thrust on opener “The Dawn of the Falcon” – perhaps that’s what’s represented on the glorious Adam Burke cover art – and takes a winding but directed course deeper and deeper into interstellar realms for its duration of what on earth is only six songs and 33 minutes. Each of the intended two vinyl sides boasts a longer track, be it “Cathexis/Mask of Transformation” on side A or “They Live” on side B, but whether it’s in those or shorter rocket boosters like the title-track, “Ajaghandi” or the aforementioned leadoff, the Oslo-based four-piece keep it dreamy and kosmiche even unto the doomlier roll of closer “Master Sorcerer,” a collection of final psychedelic proclamations that cuts off quickly at the end as though breaking a transmission from the heart of the galaxy itself. Heck of a destination, and getting there’s a blast, too.

Spectral Haze on Thee Facebooks

Totem Cat Records webstore

 

Cosmic Fall, Jams for Free

cosmic-fall-jams-for-free

Kind of a bummer how Jams for Free came about, but for the reassurance that Berlin heavy psych improvisationalists Cosmic Fall will keep going after what seems to have been an unceremonious split with now-ex-guitarist/vocalist Mathias, I’ll take it. With two new explorations, bassist Klaus and drummer Daniel introduce new guitarist Martin, and those worried they might lose the funk of their original incarnation should have their fears duly allayed by “A Calmer Sphere” (12:19) and “The Great Comet” (8:10), which begin a new era of Cosmic Fall after the remaining founders were forced to stop selling their prior works. If there’s anger or catharsis being channeled in Jams for Free, though, it comes through as fluidity and serene heavy psych, and with the resonant live-in-studio vibe, Cosmic Fall essentially seem to be picking up where they left off. With Martin making a distinguishing impression in the soloing of “A Calmer Sphere”’s second half particularly, the future continues to look bright for the German asteroid riders. Right on, guys. Keep jamming.

Cosmic Fall on Thee Facebooks

Cosmic Fall on Bandcamp

 

Epitaph, Claws

Epitaph-Claws

Doomers of Verona Epitaph trace their origins back some 30 years, but Claws (on High Roller Records) is just their second long-player behind 2014’s Crawling out of the Crypt. Matters not. Theirs is the doom of ages one way or the other, presented in this collection of five songs in traditional fashion with an edge of the Italian bizarrist movement (think early Death SS) and, from the “Neon Knights”-style riff of “Gossamer Claws” to the “After All (The Dead)”/”Falling off the Edge of the World”-style dramaturge of “Wicked Lady,” the nods to ‘80s and early-‘90s Black Sabbath are manifold and executed with what sounds like a genuine love for that era of the band and classic metal in general. Hard to fault Epitaph that influence, particularly as they bring it to bear in the guttural riffly chug of centerpiece “Sizigia,” tonally as much as in the form of what’s actually being played. As a mission, the homage is perhaps a bit single-minded, but as they continue to build their own legacy in these classic sounds, it’s impossible to say Epitaph’s collective heart isn’t in the right place.

Epitaph on Thee Facebooks

High Roller Records webstore

 

Disastroid, Screen

disastroid-screen

The nine songs of Disastroid’s fourth self-released LP, Screen, are drawn together by a songwriting prowess that’s better heard than described and by a heft of tone that, especially on stompers like “Dinosaur” early and “Coyote” later on, proves likewise. Is the point of this review, then, that you should listen to the album? Yuppers. At a crisp 35 minutes, Screen finds the Bay Area trio willfully nestled someplace between heavy rock riffing, noise crunch, punk and metal, and they fly this refusal to commit to one style over another no less proudly than they do the hook of “Getting in the Way” or “I Didn’t Kill Myself,” which along with the push of “Choke the Falcon” and the Melvinsian “Clinical Perfection” make up a series of short burst impressions contrasted by the longer “Screen” and “New Day” at the outset and the six-minute finale “Gunslinger,” though wherever Disastroid seem to go, they bring a current of memorable craft with them, making an otherwise purposefully bumpy ride smooth and a chaos-fueled joy to undertake.

Disastroid website

Disastroid on Bandcamp

 

Mastiff, Bork

mastiff-bork

Ultimately, bludgeon-ready UK five-piece Mastiff might owe as much to grind as they do to doom or sludge – at least if “Nil by Mouth” has anything to say about it – but more than loyalty to any subgenre or other, the Hull unit’s 25-minute Bork full-length (released on CD by APF Records) is interested in presenting an extreme vision of sonic heft. Brutal pummel infects the rolling chorus of “Everything Equals Death” and the initial chug of “Tumour” alike, and where opener “Agony” was content to blast out its cacophony in fury of tempo as much as weight, as they settle in for the mosh-ready six minutes of closer “Eternal Regret,” Mastiff seem to have dug out a position between lumbering doom and early ‘00s deathcore, a telltale breakdown capping Bork in grooving and familiar fashion. Their intensity might prove a distinguishing factor over the longer term, though, and they certainly have plenty enough of it to go around.

Mastiff on Thee Facebooks

APF Records website

 

Demons from the Dungeon Dimension, An Organic Mythology

demons-from-the-dungeon-dimension-an-organic-mythology

The righteously-monikered Demons from the Dungeon Dimension made a striking and individualized – and bizarre – impression in 2016 with the There was Ogres EP (discussed here), a follow-up to the debut full-length, As the Crow Flies, released just weeks earlier. With the new single An Organic Mythology and the five-minute, raw-recorded track of the same name, the Durban, South Africa-based project is laid to rest. A burly opening and thickened distortion lead to a pushing verse with dry vocals over top – sounding very much like a home-recorded demo outright and not trying to be anything else – and soon enough the track shifts into a spoken-word-dissertation over an instrumental build that carries it into its final minute, at which point the verse kicks back in to end. As with the prior EP, which topped 25 minutes, the vibe is willfully strange throughout “An Organic Mythology,” and if this is indeed the last we’ll hear from Demons from the Dungeon Dimension (doesn’t it just sound like something TOR Books would put out?), somehow it seems right we live in an age where the material can reside in the digital ether, waiting to be stumbled on by curious parties soon to be blindsided by what they hear.

Demons from the Dungeon Dimension on Bandcamp

Demons from the Dungeon Dimension on YouTube

 

Liblikas, Unholy Moly

liblikas-unholy-moly

From the initial semi-gothic vibes from vocalist Oliver Aunver to the progressive fuzz rock that ensues on opener “Holy Underground,” Estonian five-piece Liblikas seem to specialize in the unexpected on their second full-length, Unholy Moly. Aunver, guitarists Temo Saarna (also vocals) and Henrik Harak, bassist Joosep Käsper and drummer/backing vocalist Mihkel Rebane, oversee a brisk 45-minute run across eight tracks of genre-spanning grooves, from the chugging almost-doom of “Highest Hound” to the semi-folk experimentalist interlude “Fugue Yeah! (Diary Pt. II),” which follows “Dear Diary, Yeah!” a track that starts out with what might be a Japanese-language sample and psychedelic unfolding to more cohesive, harmony-topped prog rock bounce before the fuzz emerges and meets with forward vocals and effective interplay of acoustics in the chorus. Why yes, there is a six-minute song called “Pornolord” – funny you should ask. It appears before the oud-laced “Ol’ Slime” and nine-minute closer “Keezo,” which embraces the difficult task of summing up the weirdo intensity that’s been on display throughout Liblikas’ songwriting all along, and with wispy guitar leading to a big, noisy finish, succeeds outright in doing so.

Liblikas on Thee Facebooks

Liblikas on Bandcamp

 

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Here are 40+ New Releases to Look for in the Next Three Weeks

Posted in Features on September 21st, 2017 by JJ Koczan

Starting tomorrow, the next three weeks are absolutely stupid with new albums. Over-the-top, ridiculous. An immediately-go-broke amount of music. Nothing less than an onslaught. We’re under attack.

Far be it from me to tell you how to spend your money — also far be it from me not to — but there’s some really killer stuff in here. As to why it’s all landing now? Some of it of course has to do with the timing of when it was recorded, bands hitting the studio in Spring before heading out on the road over the summer, but Fall releases also line up nicely for tours in October and November, heading into the holiday season, when the music industry basically shuts down. This is the last chance for releases to come out in 2017 and be considered for best-of-year lists.

I doubt the likes of Chelsea Wolfe or Godspeed You! Black Emperor or even Kadavar would cop to that as a motivating factor, instead pointing to the timing of Fall touring and so on, but these things are rarely coincidental. You know how there aren’t any blockbusters in January but every movie feels like it’s trying to win an Oscar? Same kind of deal.

Nonetheless, 2017 is laying it on particularly thick these next couple weeks, and as you can see in the lists below, if you’ve got cash to spend, you can pretty much choose your rock and roll adventure. I’ll add to this as need be as well, so keep an eye for changes:

Sept. 22:

Alcest, Souveinirs d’un Autre Monde (10th Anniversary Edition)
Brant Bjork, Europe ’16
Chelsea Wolfe, Hiss Spunthe-flying-eyes-burning-of-the-season
Epitaph, Claws
Faces of the Bog, Ego Death
The Flying Eyes, Burning of the Season
Fvzz Popvli, Fvzz Dei
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Luciferian Towers
Jarboe & Father Murphy, Jarboe & Father Murphy
Monarch, Never Forever
Nibiru, Qaal Babalon
Process of Guilt, Black Earth
Satyricon, Deep Calleth Upon Deep
Spelljammer, Inches from the Sun (Reissue)
Thonian Horde, Inconnu
Trash Titan, Welcome to the Banana Party
Ufomammut, 8
With the Dead, Love from With the Dead
Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven

Sept. 29:

monolord rust
Cities of Mars, Temporal Rifts
Deadsmoke, Mountain Legacy
A Devil’s Din, One Hallucination Under God
Disastroid, Missiles
Jim Healey, Just a Minute More (Sept. 26)
Idylls, The Barn
Kadavar, Rough Times
Lucifer’s Chalice, The Pact
Monolord, Rust
Outsideinside, Sniff a Hot Rock
Radio Moscow, New Beginnings
Scream of the Butterfly, Ignition
Tronald, Tronald (Sept. 30)
Unsane, Sterilize
Wucan, Reap the Storm

Oct. 6:

fireball-ministry-remember-the-storyElder Druid, Carmina Satanae
Fireball Ministry, Remember the Story
Frank Sabbath, Are You Waiting? (Oct. 2)
Himmellegeme, Myth of Earth
House of Broken Promises, Twisted EP
O.R.B., Naturality
Primitive Man, Caustic
Spirit Adrift, Curse of Conception
Spotlights, Seismic
Sumokem, The Guardian of Yosemite
Torso, Limbs
White Manna, Bleeding Eyes

Also:

Oct. 13: Enslaved, Firebreather, I Klatus, R.I.P., Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (reissue), Weird Owl, etc.

Oct. 20: Iron Monkey, Spectral Haze, Bell Witch, The Spacelords, etc.

Something I forgot?

Invariably, right? If you know of something not seen above that should be, then by all means, please leave a comment letting me know. My only ask is that you keep it civil and not call me a fucking idiot or anything like that. I write these posts very early in the day, and if something has been neglected, I assure you it’s not on purpose and I’m happy to correct any and all oversights.

Thanks for reading and happy shopping. Support local record stores.

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Disastroid Announce New Single Love is What You Bring on Home; Both Tracks Streaming

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 25th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

disastroid

San Francisco trio Disastroid have a new short release out this month (better hurry up, January’s almost over) in the form of the two-song seven-incher Love is What You Bring on Home. Titled for its frenetic, mathy, winding A-side, the release is done in about seven minutes and streaming in full now — see below — so we’re not talking about a major commitment here, but gives a fervent sampling of the gamut the band runs in that time. Both “Love is What You Bring on Home” and its companion, the infectious, somewhat longer “Gadabout,” meld mathy impulses with overarching groove, derived from punk and duly jagged but precisely executed on a technical level even unto the quick-scale leads that pepper the first track.

No huge surprise they pull it off as well as they do — Disastroid aren’t exactly newcomers with three albums out — but it’s a fierce approach anyway, as blinding as it is rhythmically exciting. See if you can keep up.

The PR wire has a story to tell, so it tells:

disastroid-love-is-what-you-bring-on-home-cover

Thanks to technology granting us instant information, it’s become that much more convenient and easy for a heavy music fan to discover new bands on a whim. However, the reality being the genre has become heavily saturated with the millennial generation discovering Black Sabbath in the internet age, therefore having great, uncompromising and deserving groups often go overlooked! The San Francisco power trio, Disastroid, is not a name that most would recognize at first on the heavy rock smorgasbord but with a back catalog of three full lengths and a handful of EPs, it’s time that you know who these guys are and what they’re about.

How best to summarize Disastroid? Imagine Helmet’s Strap It On being the soundtrack to an intergalactic battle that pitted the three headed King Ghidorah against Frank Kozik, David Yow and George Carlin. THAT’S Disastroid in quick summary form!

Disastroid is releasing their first offering of 2016 in the form of a 7” E.P. entitled Love Is What You Bring On Home. Two tracks that carry on the power trio’s sound of frantic yet harmonious riffs/chord structures by guitarist/vocalist Enver Koneya, low end counterpart Travis Williams and battery man Braden McGaw. The A-side, being the title track, is an attack on the central nervous system consisting of harsh single note riffing and fast paced time changes. The B-side concludes with “Gadabout”, a harmonious up tempo track that mellows the listener from side A’s onslaught. The album is a solid combination of math rock with some stoner elements in place to calm nerves. Aesthetics of these guys would match very well with a fan of the Man’s Ruin Records and Amphetamine Reptile Records rosters.

True to their nature of supporting local business, all production aspects for Love Is What You Bring On Home was kept within the confines of San Francisco with recording by Josh Garcia at Motor Studios, mastering by John McBain at JPM Mastering and pressed handled by renowned Pirates Press. Cover illustration and artwork the creation of notable Bay Area artist Aaron John Gregory, whose work has been featured on album covers by Giant Squid and Helms Alee.

Love Is What You Bring On Home is due out in January on 7” vinyl and available through all streaming and download providers and is their sixth self release as a band.

Track Listing:
Side A – “Love Is What You Bring On Home” (2:06)
Side B – “Gadabout” (5:05)

Disastroid is:
Enver Koneya (Guitar/Vocals)
Travis Williams (Bass)
Braden McGaw (Drums)

http://www.disastroid.com/
https://disastroid.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/disastroid/
https://twitter.com/Disastroid_SF

Disastroid, Love is What You Bring on Home (2016)

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Disastroid Release New Album Missiles

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

disastroid

If you’re looking for a reference point for San Fran heavy trio Disastroid, think of a thicker-toned, more metallized Fatso Jetson and you might get something of a picture for what they do on their third album, Missiles. The record lobs eight such slabs of projectile rock, taking influence from the deserts to the band’s south but adding a but of noise crunch as well, like the Melvins but less showy in their weirdness, and guitarist Enver Koneya comes straight out of the Mario Lalli vocal school (which I very much wish was an actual school, like, one that I could go to). To wit, the husky soul of “Unsound Mind,” on which Koneya soothes over prog metal chugging and desert rock push. That’s one example and Missiles goes elsewhere on other tracks, but a standout all the same if you’re looking for a place to start.

Details on the album and some background on Disastroid follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

disastroid missiles

Disastroid is a heavy music trio from the San Francisco Bay Area who has carved a name for themselves in the Bay Area heavy music scene with their sporadic releases and intense/atmospheric live shows and complete DIY ethic and approach. Formed in 2007 by Enver Koneya, Travis Williams and Braden McGaw through their shared interest in Kyuss, fuzz pedals and Godzilla movies, the collective interests were then forged into a band that created a sound that one fan has described as: “It sounds like an armada of spaceships blasting across the galaxy in preparation for intergalactic war.” With two full lengths under their belt and a handful of E.P. releases, they guys keep pretty active and have already played alongside the likes of Fu Manchu, Yawning Man, Eagles of Death Metal Church of Misery, Jucifer, Black Cobra and Helmet since their inception.

The latest release from the San Francisco riffers is entitled Missiles and is follow up to their last 7” release Karoshi. Recorded and mixed in the Bay Area with mastering done in Los Angeles by Mike Wells, artwork/illustrations created by bass player Travis Williams. Eight songs of conceptual tone and carefully crafted riffs, it’s a break from what Karoshi brought with its slow sludgy tempo and feel. A faster/frantic pace and melodic sense is prevalent in most of the tracks, without sacrificing any of the characteristics that made them known for the sound they’ve forged for themselves and their audiences. Enver’s playing is much more upbeat with a good mix of clean tone harmonies and sludge infused grooves, Travis’s bass playing never wavering along with Braden’s drumming patterns. These guys musicianship and songwriting capabilities improve and excel with each new release they put out and it shows with Missiles.

Like all their other releases, this was a complete DIY effort in terms of the recordings, mastering and production. Other releases that Disastroid have done include:

Life or Death – 2009
Iris Failure E.P. – 2011
Money & Guilt – 2012
Karoshi E.P. – 2013

Disastroid are:
Enver Koneya – Vocals & Guitar
Travis Williams – Bass
Braden McGaw – Drums

http://www.disastroid.com
https://www.facebook.com/disastroid
http://disastroid.bandcamp.com/
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Disastroid

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