Despite their melodic foundation and ready use of vocal harmonies, Undersmile never made for easy listening. The Oxfordshire-based four-piece released their debut EP, A Sea of Dead Snakes, in 2010 and followed it with a split with Caretaker in 2011. By the time they got around to issuing 2012’s full-length debut, Narwhal (review here), through Future Noise Recordings and Tartarus Records, their methodology of grim atmospherics, a nautical thematic and duly weighted, undulating, oceanic progressions was well set. That Narwhal peppered its 79-minute run with interludes and shorter pieces did not lessen its impact.

Comprised then and now of vocalist/guitarists Hel Sterne and Taz Corona-Brown, bassist Olly Corona-Brown and drummer Tom McKibbin, Undersmile in 2012 would do something I can think of few other heavy acts doing in quite the same way. They went acoustic. By starting another band. And then they released a split with themselves the next year, with Wood and Wire (review here) appearing through Shaman Recordings and Future Noise.

Eight, nine years later, there’s still a part of me that wonders if Coma Wall needed to be a separate band, and there are arguments to be made on either side. Hel and Taz have done Coma Wall appearances as a duo over the years, and certainly it’s a more attractive moniker for a gig poster than Undersmile (Acoustic) or something like that. At the same time, doesn’t spinning Coma Wall off into another band limit what Undersmile could be? I guess Jo Quail might show up on cello for either incarnation, but what if Coma Wall wants to plug in and get heavy? What if Undersmile wants to do an unplugged set? How strict do the lines become between one and the other?

But they’re not really separate and I don’t think they were intended to be. Otherwise they’d probably have done the split with someone else. With full-band arrangements, Coma Wall made their first offering with Wood and Wire, the title of the six-songer (three tracks per band) hinting at the interplay of acoustic and electric-based fare that played out across its 42-minute span. In “Summer,” “You Are My Death” and “Cutter’s Choice” — the latter an Undersmile cover from the first EP, because of course — Coma Wall put together full-band unplugged arrangements. At the time I likened it to ’90s-era MTV Unplugged — not at all a jibe in my mind — and specifically, to Alice in Chains‘ performance in that series. The harmonies between Sterne and Corona-Brown in “You Are My Death” follow a cascading pattern that a plucked banjo punctuates along with the snare drum set back in the mix, the bass rolling alongside in a way that comes across as not quite as full as “Summer” before it, but still in a similar vein.

Both pieces have hooks to provide memorability despite their slow unfurling, and “Cutter’s Choice” in Coma Wall‘s hands becomes a welcome highlight of intricate guitar work and a roll that immediately calls Sap to mind; dark in atmosphere, organic in execution. When Undersmile take over with “Soil,” “Killer Bob” and “Hives,” the procession is very much one of having been built up — that is, one band is meant to lead to the other — and “Soil” starts quiet before kicking in. Still, that initial burst of tone is jarring — one imagines less so when an actual vinyl platter is flipped between “Cutter’s Choice” and “Soil,” but I spare you pretending I’m not listening to the digital version — and those same harmonies from “You Are My Death” that made the idea seem almost sweet become part of a densely droning effect.

These songs are actually on the shorter end for Undersmile, though “Hives” tops eight minutes. Narwhal readily went past a 10-minute mark without blinking. But what matters is the plod. Undersmile were never just about being slow, and their lumbering on Wood and Wire is essential to creating the particular downer ambience of their style of doom. Even with its all-the-volume-you’ve-got-worthy distortion, “Soil” remains righteously melodic, and the same is true of “Killer Bob,” which turns for seven and a half minutes to a tempo that’s so excruciating you almost have to laugh about it.

The drone, though. It’s the drone. Earth-style drone. That’s what stands out to me in revisiting Wood and Wire, and it comes out in “Killer Bob” and the down-to-minimal stretch of “Hives” that answers its plunging trajectory with further willful plodding — and is that some acoustic guitar to tie it all together? — as the four-piece convey an utterly hopeless landscape. You can see the trees and the water (and the wolves) on the cover art. By the time “Hives” is finished, the feeling is more that the forest in the background has been burned away and ash and trunk parts are all that’s left. Not so much a rising fog as residual smoldering.

No, Undersmile were never easy listening. They were, however, consistently undervalued. In 2015, the band released their second long-player, Anhedonia (review here), through Black Bow Records, having recorded with Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio. Broader in scope and massive in sound to match, it would be their final release before their breakup the next year. So it goes, right? Two good records, some cool shows, played Desertfest here and again. A decent run across seven or so years. More than a lot of bands get. Fair enough.

Well, they’d reunite late in 2019, which was great news except that nobody knew the world was about to end. Coma Wall released three songs recorded by McKibbin in 2020’s Ursa Minor EP, but like everybody’s everything, any and all larger-scale 2020 plans were scuttled owing to the pandemic. To my knowledge, the show Undersmile would have played on Oct. 24 as part of a three-day weekend bill dubbed Restart the Heart at Camden Town’s famous The Black Heart (no babies allowed; I’ve tried) venue alongside Jo Quail, Conan, Trippy Wicked, Wren, Gurt and many more, would have been their first post-reunion, but alas, they canceled last month.

So it goes in a time of “another time.” In the meantime, Taz and Olly Corona-Brown, as well as McKibbin and Tom Greenway double (triple?) in the sometimes-banjo-laden hardcore weirdo outfit Drore, who have been releasing tapes since 2016 and whose latest single “Lone Ranger by Kittens,” is up now for streaming at Bandcamp.

Whatever comes, if anything, will or won’t. What is, is.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

—

I don’t remember what had me thinking of Coma Wall and Undersmile this week. Or last week. Probably something in the Quarterly Review put it in my mind, but I can’t recall what off the top of my head. You know, I wrote 70 reviews for that thing. 70. And the first message I got about it was from some dude being like, “So I guess I didn’t make it, huh?”

Yeah, I had said that I’d work his record in. But come on. I didn’t even get a day to feel like I accomplished something when it was over. I’m sorry that the guy was disappointed — now I am too. Because I did 70 records in 10-per-day installments back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back and it wasn’t enough. I said to The Patient Mrs. last night it’s the first time I’ve done a Quarterly Review and felt like it wasn’t worth the effort. I guess after doing it for more than six years, that’s a pretty decent track record though. Enough that I’ll do another in December or January, anyhow.

But god damn, that kind of became the tone for my whole week: “What the fuck am I doing?”

There were so many other releases I didn’t get to either, and more stuff came in all last week through the contact form. I had specifically slated a premiere for Wednesday so I’d have to stop. I wish I hadn’t. I could’ve used the extra day to cover stuff like Enslaved, Ascia, No Mute, Nothing is Real, Doctor Smoke, Dome Runner, Wooden Fields, Wooden Earth, Trip Hill, Octopus Ride — there, that’s 10. And that was a quick glance at my desktop.

It is intensely frustrating. And I know there’s an entire league of stuff out there that I can’t get to. I wish I had an outlet for just putting something there and being like, “okay, this exists,” but I don’t. There’s no keeping up with an algorithm like Spotify or YouTube channels with tens of thousands of subscribers who just put records out there and people get notifications and then watch some record and buy merch or whatever. Even if I had the time I don’t think I’d do that, but shit it looks efficient.

I have the Gimme Metal show, but come on. I don’t have any listener statistics or anything, but I see mostly the same heads in the chat room every other Friday — and I appreciate that, make no mistake — but I can just imagine a whole ton of people clicking right off as soon as the first riff of whatever weirdo shit I’m playing kicks in.

It’s been 12 years of my life. This is my life’s work. For what?

For music, I guess.

Have a great and safe weekend. Have fun, watch your head. Hydrate. Gimme show next week, plus way more premieres than I actually have time to write. Look out for Black Willows on Monday. Record is a beast.

Thanks for reading. Please buy a t-shirt.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

The Obelisk merch

 

I had a terrible thought yesterday: What if this one… went to 11? That is, what if, after 10 days of Quarterly Review ending today with a grand total of 100 records reviewed since last Monday, I did another batch of 10? Like a bonus round? Like I said, terrible thought.

Pretty sure it won’t happen. I’ve already got a review and a video premiere booked for next Monday, but I definitely had the thought. It was easy, of course, to fill out another 10 slots, and who knows, maybe this weekend for the first time ever I wind up with some extra time and energy on my hands? Could happen, right?

Again, I’m fairly certain it won’t. Let’s proceed with the assumption today’s the last day. Thank you for reading. I hope you have found something cool in all of this that has really hit home. I certainly have. We cap very much in last-but-not-least fashion, and if nothing’s resonated with you yet, don’t count yourself completely out. You might just get there after all. Thanks again.

Quarterly Review #91-100:

Surya Kris Peters, Ego Therapy

Those feeling technical will note the full title of the album is Surya Kris Peters’ Ego Therapy, but the point gets across either way. And even as Christian Peters — also guitarist/vocalist for Samsara Blues Experiment — acknowledges the inherent self-indulgence of the proverbial “solo-project” that his exploration of synth and classically progressive textures under the moniker of Surya Kris Peters has become, with Ego Therapy as his second full-length of 2018, he branches out in including drums from former Terraplane bandmate Jens Vogel. The 10-song/53-minute outing opens with its longest cut (immediate points) in the 15-minute “Angels in Bad Places,” a spaced-out and vibrant atmosphere more cohesive than psychedelia but still trippy as all hell, and moves through a bluesy key/guitar interplay in “Wizard’s Dream” following the dancey thriller soundtrack “Beyond the Sun” and into the Blade Runner-style grandeur of “Sleeping Willow” and the video game-esque “A Fading Spark” before bookending with the sci-fi “Atomic Clock” at the close. I don’t know how ultimately therapeutic Peters‘ solo offerings might be, but he only seems to grow bolder each time out, and that certainly applies here.

Surya Kris Peters on Thee Facebooks

Electric Magic Records on Bandcamp

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Lewis and the Strange Magics, The Ginger Sessions

How are you not gonna love a release that starts with a song called “Sexadelic Galactic Voyage?” Barcelona vamp rockers Lewis and the Strange Magics embrace their inner funk on the 23-minute self-released EP, The Ginger Sessions, finding the place where their uptempo ’70s fusion meets oldschool The Meters-style rhythm, digging into the repetitions of “Candied Ginger” after the aforementioned instrumental opening burst and then holding the momentum through “Her Vintage Earrings.” Some departure happens on what might be side B of the 10″, with “The Shadow of Your Smile” turning toward pastoral psychedelia, still rhythmic thanks to some prominent wood block and xylophone sounds, but much calmer despite a consistency of wah and keys. “Suzy’s Room II” follows in fuzzy fashion, bridging the earlier cologne-soaked, chest-hair-out vibes with garage buzz and a heavier low end beneath the synthesized experimentation. Mellotron shows up and continues to hold sway in closer “Witch’s Brew,” playing the band outward along with layers of drifting guitar for about two and a half minutes of bluesy serenity that feel cut short, as does the release on the whole. One hopes they don’t lose that funky edge going into their next album.

Lewis and the Strange Magics on Thee Facebooks

Lewis and the Strange Magics on Bandcamp

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Lair of the Minotaur, Dragon Eagle of Chaos

Once upon the mid-aughts, Chicago’s Lair of the Minotaur roamed the land as the long-prophesied American answer to Entombed, as much classic, dirt-covered death metal as they were laden with heavy groove. Their tones filthy, their assault brutal all the while, war metal, ultimate destroyers. The whole nine. They released their last album, Evil Power (review here), in 2010. The two-songer Dragon Eagle of Chaos follows a 2013 single, and was released to mark the occasion of perhaps a return to some measure of greater activity. I don’t know if that’ll happen, but as both “Dragon Eagle of Chaos” and “Kunsult the Bones” affirm in about seven minutes between them, Lair of the Minotaur remain a wrecking ball made of raw meat when it comes to their sound. The madness that seemed to always underline their material at its most effective is present and accounted for in “Dragon Eagle of Chaos,” and the stripped-down production of the single actually helps its violent cause. Will they do another record? Could go either way, but if they decide to go that route, they clearly still have the evil power within.

Lair of the Minotaur website

Lair of the Minotaur on Bandcamp

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Sonic Wolves, Sonic Wolves

Eight tracks/34 minutes of smoothly-arranged and well-executed doom rock brought to bear with an abiding lack of pretense and a developing sense of songcraft and dynamic — there’s very little not to dig about Sonic Wolves‘ self-titled LP (on Future Noise and DHU), from the Sabbathian stretch of “Ascension” down through the bouncing low-key-psych-turns-to-full-on-wah-overdose-swirl in the penultimate “Heavy Light.” Along the way, bassist/vocalist Kayt Vigil (ex-Pentagram, etc.) — joined by guitarists Jason Nealy and Enrico “Ico” Aniasi and drummer Gianni “Vita” Vitarelli (also Ufomammut) — gallop through the traditional metal of “Red Temple” and ride a fuzzy roll in “Tide of Chaos,” leaving the uptempo shuffle of “You’ll Climb the Walls” to close out by tapping into a “Wicked World”-style vision of heavy blues that casts off many of the tropes of what’s become the subgenre in favor of a darker approach. If their self-titled is Sonic Wolves declaring who they are as a band after making their debut in 2016, the results are only encouraging.

Sonic Wolves on Thee Facebooks

DHU Records webstore

Future Noise Recordings webstore

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Spacelord, Indecipher

There is an immediate sensibility drawn from classic heavy rock to the vocals on Spacelord‘s second record, Indecipher, like Shannon Hoon fronting Led Zeppelin, maybe? Something like that, definitely drawn from a ’70s/’90s blend. Produced, mixed and mastered by guitarist Rich Root, with Chris Cappiello on bass, Kevin Flynn on drums and Ed Grabianowski on vocals, the four-piece’s sophomore LP is comprised of a neatly-constructed eight songs working around sci-fi themes on bruiser cuts like “Super Starship Adventure” and the particularly righteous “Zero Hour,” as opener and longest track (immediate points) “For the Unloved Ones” sets forth the classic vibe amid the first of the record’s impressive solos and resonant hooks. Something about it makes me want them to go completely over the top in terms of production their next time out — layers on layers on layers, etc. — but the kind of false start Grabianowski brings to the ultra-Zepped “New Machine” has a charm that I’m not sure it would be worth sacrificing.

Spacelord on Thee Facebooks

Kozmik Artifactz website

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Nauticus, Disappear in Blue

Six years after the release of their second album, The Wait (review here), Finnish atmospheric progressive metallers Nauticus effect a return with the 78-minute Disappear in Blue, which following the relatively straightforward opening with “Magma” casts out a vast sprawl in accordance with its oceanic theme. Longer tracks like “Claimed by the Sea,” “Strange Sequences/Lost Frequencies,” “Arrival” and “Hieronymus” are complex and varied but united through a deep instrumental dynamic that’s brought to light even in the three-minute ambient post-rocker “Desolation,” which is something of an interlude between “Strange Sequences/Lost Frequencies” and the tense build of “Singularity.” Other ambient spaces “Jesus of Lübeck” and the later “Whale Bones” complement and add reach to the longer-form works, but it’s hardly as though Nauticus‘ material lacks character one way or the other. Overwhelming in its length, Disappear in Blue might take some time to wade through, but what a way to go.

Nauticus on Thee Facebooks

Nauticus on Bandcamp

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Yuxa, Yuxa

As the greater part of anything related to post-metal invariably does, UK outfit Yuxa have their “Stones from the Sky” moment in “Founder in Light,” the opening cut from their self-titled debut EP, that most formative of progressions making itself known in modified form to suit the double-guitar four-piece’s intent with dramatic screams and shouts cutting through an ably-conjured surge of noisy adrenaline resolving in winding chug and crash en route to “Exiled Hand,” the seven-minute cut that follows and serves as centerpiece of the three-tracker. “Founder in Light,” “Exiled Hand” and nine-minute closer “Peer” are arranged shortest to longest, and the effect is to draw the listener in such that by the time the angular, purposeful lurch of the finale begins to unfold, Yuxa‘s rhythmic hypnosis is already well complete. Still, the straightforward arrangements of guitar, bass, drums and vocals give them a rawer edge than many synth- or sample-laden post-metallic cohorts, and that suits the atmospheric sludge with which they close out, harnessing chaos without giving themselves over to it. A quick sample of a creative development getting underway, though it’s telling as well that Yuxa ends with a sudden buzz of amp noise.

Yuxa on Thee Facebooks

Yuxa on Bandcamp

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Forktie, EP

The first EP release from Forktie — who stylize their moniker and titles all-lowercase: forktie — is untitled, but contains five tracks that tap into proto-emo post-hardcore and ’90s alt rock sensibilities, finding a place between heavy rock and grunge that allows for Aarone Victorine‘s bass to lead toward the hook of centerpiece “Decomposition Book” with a smooth presence that’s well complementary the vocals from guitarist Dom Mariano, their presence low in the mix only adding to the wistful feel of “Anywhere but Here” and “September Morning,” before the shorter “Spores” lets loose some more push from drummer Corey LeBlanc and closer “Ph.D. in Nothing” reinforces the underlying melancholy beneath the thicker exterior tones. It’s a new project, but Forktie have worked their way into a niche that suits their songwriting well, and given themselves a space to grow within their sound. Members experience in bands like UXO, Test Meat and textbookcopilot will serve them in that effort.

Forktie on Thee Facebooks

Forktie on Bandcamp

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Ohhms, Exist

As a fan generally of bands opening albums with the longest song included, I can get on board with UK heavy progressive metallers Ohhms opening Exist with the 22-minute “Subjects.” Immediate points and all that. Far more consequential, however, is the substance of that launch for the four-song/43-minute Holy Roar LP, which is the band’s fourth in four years. It’s a vast, broad and complex offering unto itself, consuming side A as vocalist Paul Waller embodies various entities, “I am wolf” (preceding a Duran Duran reference, perhaps inadvertent), “I am child,” and so on. Those proclamations are just the culmination of a progression that, frankly, is an album unto itself, let alone a side, and maybe should’ve been released as such, though the absolute post-metallic crush of “Shambles,” the seething of “Calves” and the heavy post-rock reach of “Lay Down Your Firearms” need no further justification than a simple listen provides, the last of them pummeling side B to a then-sudden stop. Ohhms are no strangers to longform work, and it suits them well enough to make one wonder if they couldn’t be headed toward a single-song LP in the near future.

Ohhms on Thee Facebooks

Holy Roar Records on Bandcamp

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Blue Dream, Volume Blue

Chicago four-piece Blue Dream issued their first LP, Volume Won, early in 2018 and follow with Volume Blue — as opposed to “two”; could ‘Volume Tree’ be in the works? ‘Volume Free?’ — which collects nine neo-psych-mit-der-funky-grooves cuts chic enough to be urbane but fuzzed out enough to make the freakouts more than just a come on. They open peaceful enough with “Delta,” before the hook of “9,000 lb. Machine” defines the course and cuts like “Thank You for Smoking” and the almost woefully catchy “She’s Hot” expand the parameters. I’ll take the dream-tone shimmer of “Kingsbury Goldmine” any day in a kind of self-aware reflection of British folk and/or the garage rock of “Shake the Shake,” but the dense roll of “Viper Venom” that immediately follows reimagines grunge as more than just an influence from three popular bands and something that could genuinely move forward from the perspective of a new generation. Hearing Blue Dream close out with the boogie of “The Glide,” one hopes they do precisely that, though I’d by no means limit them to one avenue of expression. They’re clearly able to harness multiple vibes here.

Blue Dream on Thee Facebooks

Blue Dream on Bandcamp

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Tomorrow marks the release of the first single by Oxford, UK-based five-piece Bad Blood Recovery, whose sound takes bluesy groove and melds it together with a thorough heavy rock vibe. Releasing through Future Noise Recordings, the band has already unveiled the track “Silver Shroud” in a recently-posted video that you can see below, and the whole affair is designed as a teaser to set the stage for a debut EP to be issued sometime next year. I don’t know what their show plans are or what the rest of their material might sound like — heavy blues leaves a lot of room between the words “heavy” and “blues” for bands to go a-wanderin’ — but “Silver Shroud” has a cool feel and a central riff that’s already stuck in my head, so yeah, it made sense to me to share it. I’ll hope to have more to come on these guys as we get toward the EP release in 2019.

Until then, the PR wire takes you home:

Bad Blood Recovery “Silver Shroud” Single

Oxford based Bad Blood Recovery will release their debut single, Silver Shroud, on November 30th via Future Noise Recordings, from their forthcoming EP, to be released in 2019.

Bad Blood Recovery were born from a chance conversation between Sean and Jimmy. Their previous bands had disbanded, and discussing plans, influences and the concept of heavy raw blues was inspirational and exciting. Muddy Waters’ Electric Mud and the Howlin’ Wolf album were ground zero for the initial creation.

With the addition of Sean’s former bandmates Alex and Ed, the vision started to take shape. Jimmy’s former cohort Dave on bass completed the solid line up. Fusing malevolent guitars and a powerful rhythm section Bad Blood Recovery was unleashed.

Lyrical inspiration taken from illness and a long battle with cancer, tales of modern living, love, lust and redemption. Classical imagery woven throughout the music all add up to heavy, raw, honest music from the soul. Our families are our driving force; this music is a tribute to them and our life experiences.

Bad Blood Recovery is:
Sean – Vocals/Svengali
Jimmy – Lead Guitar/Noise
Dave – Bass
Alex – Drums/Percussion
Ed – Rhythm Guitar/Noise

facebook.com/bad.blood.recovery
twitter.com/BBRdeathblues
Instagram.com/badbloodrecovery
https://www.facebook.com/Future-Noise-Recordings-141470275887035/
www.future-noise.co.uk

Bad Blood Recovery, “Silver Shroud” official video

I’ve barely — barely — started to dig into Sonic Wolves‘ self-titled second album, which is being released next month through DHU Records and Future Noise Recordings in order to coincide with a round of European touring that includes a stop at Desertfest Belgium 2018, but from what I gather thus far, the sleek, smoked-out groove of “Heavy Light” alone is worth the price of admission, whatever that costs these days. Taken in combination with the brash rocker “Tide of Chaos” and the quick-nodder “Cheatin’ Death” that follows and the vibe only gets thicker. Again, I’m just hearing it all for the first time as I write this, but I’ll be digging in deeper hopefully as we get closer to the release. Like maybe a review kind of digging in. You know how it goes.

There’s no audio for the record out yet for public consumption, but I’m going to find out if there might be something I can do to change that. In the meantime, Sonic Wolves‘ 2016 debut, Before the End Comes, is streaming below, following some background from the PR wire.

Dig if you dig:

Sonic Wolves are back with new album

Few things beat touring with a new album in tow- as will be the case for Sonic Wolves this fall. This upcoming EU tour and coinciding album release mark a return of the heavy-psych-dirt rockers, following the 2016 release of the “He Said” 7″, the “Before The End Comes” full length,as well as a 2017 EU tour with Belzebong (PL). The new album was recorded at Trai Studio in Milan, and was produced by Femore Prod. (they produced Ufomammut) in February 2018.

This album explores different psychedelic territory while maintaining heavy grooves. Steady riffs with a down-tuned mission to add their own blend of thundering drums, fuzz-laden bass and guitar and soaring vocals are what put “Sonic Wolves” a step beyond their last album. It will be released on D.H.U. Records (vinyl) and Future Noise Recordings (CD) on September 25th, 2018. Sonic Wolves is an Italian-American heavy rock’n’roll band, formed by drummer Vita (Ufomammut, Rogue State) and bassist/ singer Kayt Vigil (Rogue State, ex-Pentagram and The Hounds of Hasselvander, with members of Raven, Venom, Carcass). Jason Nealy (Bleeding Eyes, Inverted Matter) and Enrico “Ico” Aniasi (The Broken Finger) on guitars complete the line-up.

Tracklisting:
1. Stonefaced General
2. Ascension
3. Grim Reaper
4. Tide of Chaos
5. Cheatin’ Death
6. Red Temple
7. Heavy Light
8. You’ll Climb the Walls

https://www.facebook.com/SonicWolves/
https://sonicwolves.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_wolves/
www.sonicwolves.com
https://www.facebook.com/DHURecords/
https://www.facebook.com/Future-Noise-Recordings-141470275887035/

Sonic Wolves, Before the End Comes (2016)

Sonic Wolves, Sonic Wolves album trailer

This coming May, Future Noise will bring together a pairing of abrasive UK sludgers for a split 12″ of considerable nastiosity. The Sleeping Shaman streamed two tracks from it today, and the combination of Bastard of the Skies and Grimpen Mire works out to be basically like asking the audience whether they’d prefer to the punched in the left side of the face or the right. I don’t know if there’s any letup over the course of the 12″, but there certainly doesn’t seem to be much in “Yarn” or “The Hollow Wreck,” as you can hear via the link below.

Dig it:

BASTARD OF THE SKIES & GRIMPEN MIRE To Release 12” Via Future Noise; Track Stream From Both Bands Now Available!

Future Noise is ecstatic to announce the coming together of 2 of the UK’s rising heavyweights in the form of Blackburn’s Noise Rock deviants BASTARD OF THE SKIES and Birmingham’s filth mongers GRIMPEN MIRE for a limited Split 12” which will see the light of day in early May 2014.

Both sides for this behemoth of a release were recorded by BASTARD OF THE SKIES guitarist/vocalist Matt Richardson at his own Full Stack Studio, mastering was handled by the ever faithful James Plotkin while artwork was realised by illustrator Michael Cowell.

And today, The Sleeping Shaman is honoured to be streaming a track from both bands, ‘Yarn’ by BASTARD OF THE SKIES & ‘The Hollow Wreck’ by GRIMPEN MIRE, now press play below to be devastated by the aural assault you are about to hear…

Tracklisting for the split is as follows:

BASTARD OF THE SKIES side:
A1. Yarn
A2. Bao Fu
A3. Wounder
A4. Old Vessels

GRIMPEN MIRE side:
B1. The Hollow Wreck
B2. Vermin Hive
B3. Fragments of Forgotten Craft

More news on Pre-Orders and release date will be announced soon!

http://www.facebook.com/bastardoftheskies
http://bastardoftheskies.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/grimpenmire
http://grimpenmire.bandcamp.com
http://www.future-noise.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Future-Noise-Recordings/141470275887035
http://futurenoise.bandcamp.com

UK outfit Monolith Cult, which features former members of Lazarus Blackstar and Solstice, have released their debut album today. Run from the Light is available now on Future Noise Recordings. The album was added to The Obelisk Radio last month, and the band has already made a positive impression on a number of critics, so as they gear up for the release show this Friday, look for them to take a shot at parlaying that critical success into a growing fanbase.

The news, links and the catchy eponymous tune “Monolith Cult” follow here, as dictated by the PR wire:

MONOLITH CULT “Run from the Light’ out TODAY!, Release party this Friday 26th July

MONOLITH CULT album ‘Run from the Light‘ is out today!, limited to 300 copies on white vinyl & CD, so give yourself a big heavy treat and pay a visit to our online store, we’re also offering a vinyl + CD deal, big thanks to everyone who has pre-ordered a copy shipping has already started. Future Noise Big Cartel store http://futurenoise.bigcartel.com (reviews at the bottom of this message).

And if you didn’t know the Monolith Cult release party is this coming friday in their home town of Bradford on 26th July at The Black Swan, Thornton Road. The bill will also included the monstrous B*STARD OF THE SKIES and RISE TO THUNDER. This triple bill of heaviness will cost you nothing as it’s FREE ENTRY, doors 7pm, starts 9pm, we are advising people to get there early, any press or photographers wishing to cover this gig please get in touch asap!

Also as part of the build up to this show we are giving away some free tracks by B*STARD OF THE SKIES and a full live set from RISE TO THUNDER via the Future Noise bandcamp.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monolith-Cult/469161969792692
http://www.future-noise.co.uk

Monolith Cult, “Monolith Cult” from Run from the Light

No word on whether UK four-piece Monolith Cult had contradicting Trouble in mind with the title of their forthcoming debut LP, Run from the Light — as opposed to Trouble‘s 1987 third album, Run to the Light — but there’s a clear undercurrent of traditional doom in the Bradford heavy rockers’ approach. They’re not through “Sold Down the River,” the opener of the record, before guitarist Lee Baines, also of Lazarus Blackstar, has turned the riff to C.O.C.‘s “Albatross” on its head, showing clear knowledge of where the border between rock and doom lies and as much willingness to cross it both there and throughout the album.

They follow the strong opener with their infectious namesake tune, “Monolith Cult,” on which bassist Ian “Izak Gloom” Buxton, also of Solstice and Lazarus Blackstar, underscores Baines‘ guitar with considerable rumble while vocalist Bry Outlaw recites the hook like the incantation threat it is. After drummer Damian Clarke picks up at the end, they nod back in the direction of the chorus without going fully back to it, and it proves enough to give some hint of their songwriting acumen, which shows itself further as they bury a “Hole in the Sky” boogie deep within the reaches of “Blind Watchmaker,” repurposing a classic idea to suit their own ends, the vocals lending emotional weight without being over-the-top in either their bluesiness or performance.

Tracks keep a lengthy ethic — none so much as “Sold Down the River” at 9:43 (immediate points for putting the longest song first) — but don’t give much of a sense of wandering from the central ideas grounding them. “Blind Watchmaker” has a verse riff that were it not quite so viscous could prove to be a shuffle in a faster tempo, and “Violent Movements” proves even more Sabbathian in the guitar and bass work, but avoids sonic cliche deftly with fervent crash propelling the verse, an unexpected level of bombast leading to the more melodic chorus, catchy but not quite as insistent as that of “Monolith Cult.” Nor does it need to be. A slower break once again introduces a doomier vibe, and Bry Outlaw adjusts his vocals to match, so that as “Human Cull” begins, Monolith Cult are at their most plodding and doomed yet.

So of course it’s a ripper. A sample of a 1964 Lyndon Johnson campaign commercial threatening nuclear holocaust begins the track, and from there, Monolith Cult embark on a dark boogie that seems to sum up some of their apocalyptic framework while also stomping out their most rocking material. They’re not thrashing or anything, but they get their point across and manage to keep the pervasive moody atmosphere even at the increased pace, keeping the big slowdown of the intro to closer “Suicide and Heroin” — announced righteously by Buxton‘s bass — consistent despite the brakes being applied.

“Suicide and Heroin” winds up reveling in faster chugging and one of Run from the Light‘s most potent blends of heavy rock and doom, leaning more to one side, then the other as Bry Outlaw‘s vocals follow the groove and add an extra layer for the chorus. But for the opener, the finale is the longest piece on the album, and it ties together everything Monolith Cult are able to accomplish throughout as one might hope, also giving a glimpse of where the foursome might be able to go with the sound their next time out. At around five and a half minutes in, it kicks into a steady thud that finishes the album with a moment of ultra-satisfying groove, giving a last-minute surprise to what’s already proven an impressive debut.

Future Noise Recordings will release Monolith Cult‘s Run from the Light this summer. You can hear the album as part of the regular playlist now on The Obelisk Radio and check out the track “Monolith Cult” below, which the label has made available for streaming and download:

Monolith Cult, “Monolith Cult” from Run from the Light

To be fair, I don’t think bands making albums available as downloads existed in 2008 like it does now. Who can remember? Sure you could sell some mp3s with Paypal on your MySpace page and email individual buyers links, or kow tow to the gods of iTunes or Amazon, but yeah, it’s probably overdue that UK riff bashers Rise to Thunder should make their ’08 long-player, Slagnoramus, and its curiously Rastafarian-color-schemed artwork available as a download for the first time through a newly-minted Bandcamp page. Better late than never.

Cheers to Lee Edwards from The Sleeping Shaman for putting me onto these cats, as their super-heavy three-song salvo has been punching me in the gut all afternoon. Here’s the news swiped from that venerable outlet and hosted here, mostly as an excuse for posting the Slagnoramus tracks, which — if the point hasn’t gotten across yet — are heavy heavy. That’s twice-over heavy.

Rise to Thunder have a new one due out this year on Future Noise Recordings, so there’s no time like the present to get caught up:

RISE TO THUNDER: 2008’s ‘Slagnoramus’ Now Available As A Digital Download

Stoke-on-Trent’s warriors of psychedelic doom RISE TO THUNDER have been quiet of late, but rest assured the 3 piece are scurried away writing & recording their, as yet untitled, new album which will be released via Future Noise Recordings in 2013.

As a stop gap, until this haze fuelled recording is released, the band have now set up a Bandcamp page and made their 2008 opus ‘Slagnoramus’, which was originally released via Negatropolis Records, available as a Digital Download for the measly sum of £2, now stream it below and download from their Bandcamp page HERE.

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http://risetothunder.bandcamp.com
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