The Obelisk Presents: Greenleaf Go to Australia This Fall

Posted in The Obelisk Presents on June 14th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

GREENLEAF

This one makes me happy. Australia’s Your Mate Bookings is bringing Greenleaf all the way from Sweden to do a nine-day tour Down Under and this humble site is among the presenters for the run. I’ve been lucky enough to have The Obelisk present some killer shows and tours at this point, but Greenleaf going to Australia? And doing so on the heels of last year’s Hear the Rivers (review here)? Yeah, that’s something special. And if you read the album’s title in that sentence just now and didn’t hear the chorus of the title-track in your head, I’m going to guess you haven’t yet properly dug into the record itself, which I can only heartily suggest you do at the next available moment. Now works. I’ll wait.

The ascension of Greenleaf this decade has been remarkable. From being a Dozer side-project to a full-time band, to a full-time touring band, they’ve lived up to and surpassed what I think most people expected of them, establishing a solidified lineup and embarking on a creative growth that has helped push heavy blues as a whole forward in Europe’s underground. Even as someone who’s never seen their current incarnation, their reputation precedes them, and as they continue to push ahead stylistically and in their chemistry and dynamic, I’m flat-out honored to be involved in presenting this tour in the small way I am, seeing them expand their geographic reach as well.

Tickets are on sale Monday. Go to the show if you can.

Here are the dates:

greenleaf aus tour

GREENLEAF – AUSTRALIAN HEAR THE RIVERS TOUR 2019

Supported by Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows

Thursday 31/10 Bendigo Hotel Collingwood VIC
Friday 1/11 @Altar Hobart TAS
Saturday 2/11 Northcote Social Club Northcote VIC
Sunday 3/11 Enigma Bar Adelaide SA
Wednesday 6/11 Heritage Hotel Bulli NSW
Thursday 7/11 Transit Bar Canberra ACT
Friday 8/11 The Vanguard Newtown NSW
Saturday 9/11 Crowbar Brisbane Fortitude Valley QLD
Sunday 10/11 Vinnies Dive Gold Coast QLD

Presented by YOUR MATE Bookings Get On The Stage The Bong Shop and The Obelisk

Tickets will be on sale Monday 17/6 through:
https://www.eventbrite.com/
https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/
https://www.oztix.com.au/

Greenleaf, “Good Ol’ Goat” official video

Greenleaf, “The Rivers Lullaby” lyric video

Greenleaf on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf on Instagram

Greenleaf at Napalm Records

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Thee Facebooks

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The Obelisk Presents: THE TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2018

Posted in Features on December 20th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

the-top-30-of-2018

Please note: This post is not culled in any way from the Year-End Poll, which is ongoing. If you haven’t yet contributed your favorites of 2018 to that, please do.

It just wouldn’t be a year if it wasn’t completely overwhelming, right?

2018 has certainly met that standard and then some. The swath of output, whether it’s a new generation adopting and adapting established methods or out and out reinventing the stylistic wheel and then pushing it uphill on a seemingly endless barrage of tours, has been staggering, and it’s still happening. There’s a little more than a week to go in the year. You think a band isn’t putting something out today? Of course they are. It’s every day. It’s all the time.

But this year wasn’t just about quantity either. I think one of my biggest struggles in writing about albums in 2018 — and with the last Quarterly Review and various premieres and video posts that were basically album reviews in disguise, let’s estimate we’re somewhere past 300 records reviewed one way or another — was in conveying just how killer so much of the stuff coming through was. How many times can you say the word “awesome?” Well, I’m sure we’ll see it a few more times before this list is over, so there you go.

I say something like this every time I do a list, but please keep in mind these are my picks and I’m one person. But I am a person. I know there’s the whole internet-anonymity thing, but I assure you, I’m a human being (more of a cave troll, really) typing these words. I’m all for everyone sharing their own picks in the comments, and all for passionate advocating, but please, let’s keep it civil and respectful. These things can spiral out of control quickly, but let’s remember that we’re all human beings and worth of basic courtesy, even if some of us are dead wrong about a good many things. You should definitely punch nazis, though.

Thanks in advance for reading. Here we go:

[UPDATE: You’ll notice the inclusion of an ’18a.’ I had Stoned Jesus in my notes as number 18 initially and they got dropped as I was adjusting things along the way. I’ve added them back in, but it didn’t seem fair to bump everyone else down after the post had already been published. That was the best I could come up with for a solution. If you’re pissed about one more killer record being added, please feel free to email me and tell me all about it.]

30. The Skull, The Endless Road Turns Dark

The Skull The Endless Road Turns Dark

Released by Tee Pee Records. Reviewed Sept. 12.

Chicago’s The Skull had no small task before them in following up their 2014 debut, For Those Which are Asleep (review here) — let alone living up to their pedigree — but their second album demonstrated a creative growth that sacrificed nothing of memorability when it came to songs like “Breathing Underwater” and “All that Remains (Is True).” They got down to work and got the job done, which is what a working band does. 2018 was by any measure a fantastic year for doom, and The Skull were a big part of why.

29. Foghound, Awaken to Destroy

foghound awaken to destroy

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Nov. 21.

The Dec. 2017 murder of Rev. Jim Forrester was tragic. No other way to say it. Foghound, who were in the midst of making Awaken to Destroy at the time, put together an album that not only features Forrester‘s last recorded performance, but pays respect to his memory while the wound is still raw and manages to kick ass all the while. It’s a record that can’t ever be divorced from its circumstances — just can’t — and so it can be a heavy listen in more than just its tones, but it’s basically Foghound proving they’re unstoppable. And so they are.

28. Orange Goblin, The Wolf Bites Back

orange goblin the wolf bites back

Released by Spinefarm Records. Reviewed June 13.

Who among us here today is not a sucker for Orange Goblin? Come forward an be judged. I mean, really. Nine records deep, the London sceneforgers are nothing less than an institution, beloved by boozehounds, riffhounds, doomhounds, and really, a wide variety of hounds the world over. Also dudes. With its essential title-track hook and highlight cuts in “Ghosts of the Primitives” and “Burn the Ships” — or, you know, any of them — they added to one of heavy’s most unshakable legacies with an album as furious as it is welcoming to its generations-spanning fanbase.

27. Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe

fu manchu clone of the universe
Released by At the Dojo Records. Reviewed Feb. 15.

There are two kinds of people in this world, and they’re both Fu Manchu fans. Clone of the Universe turned heads with a guest appearance from Rush‘s Alex Lifeson on the 18-minute side-B-consuming “Il Mostro Atomico,” but really to focus on that instead of “Intelligent Worship,” “(I’ve Been) Hexed,” “Don’t Panic,” “Slower than Light,” etc., is only seeing half the point of the album in the first place. The long-running lords of fuzz hit a new stride with 2014’s Gigantoid (review here), and Clone of the Universe was in every way a worthy successor.

26. Witch Mountain, Witch Mountain

Witch-Mountain-Witch-Mountain
Released by Svart Records. Reviewed May 16.

It was an unenviable task before Witch Mountain in replacing vocalist Uta Plotkin, but founding guitarist Rob Wrong and drummer Nathan Carson found the right voice in Kayla Dixon and solidified the lineup with her and bassist Justin Brown enough to make a declarative statement in Witch Mountain‘s self-titled LP. That’s the story of it. They pulled it off. Met with what was unquestionably a bummer circumstance, they pushed through and moved their sound forward through a new beginning — and not their first one. Watch out when their next record hits.

25. Windhand, Eternal Return

windhand eternal return

Released by Relapse Records. Reviewed Oct. 3.

Richmond, Virginia, doomers Windhand‘s second collaboration with producer Jack Endino produced a marked and purposeful expansion of their sound, encompassing classic grunge influences and a heavy psychedelic swirl that added color their previously-greyscale sonic haze. Resonant in tone and emotionalism, Eternal Return readjusted Windhand‘s trajectory in such a manner that, where one might’ve thought they knew where the band were headed in terms of their progression, they’ve made themselves a less predictable outfit on the whole. For that alone, it’s a triumph. Then you have the songs.

24. Sun Voyager, Seismic Vibes

Sun Voyager Seismic Vibes

Released by King Pizza Records. Reviewed April 18.

I don’t even want to admit how long I was waiting for Sun Voyager‘s first long-player to show up, but when it finally did, the New York trio did not disappoint. Catchy, energetic, fuzzed-out tunes with driving rhythms and a heavy psych flourish, they tapped into shoegaze and desert vibes without losing any sense of themselves in the process, and if the extra wait was so they could be so remarkably coherent in their expression on their full-length, then I wouldn’t want it to have shown up any sooner. An easy pick to stand among 2018’s best debut albums. Now to wait for the next one.

23. Forming the Void, Rift

forming the void rift

Released by Kozmik Artifactz. Reviewed July 27.

It should tell you something that after working quickly to produce three albums, Louisiana’s Forming the Void are still defined by their potential. If I had my druthers, I’d put the recent Ripple signees on tour for the bulk of 2019, across the US and in Europe for festivals and support-slot club shows, really give them an opportunity to hammer out who they are as a band and then hit the studio for LP four. I don’t know if that’ll happen, but they’d only be doing the universe a favor by kicking into that gear. As it stands, their progression is palpable in their material and they stand absolutely ready for whatever the next level might be for them.

22. Spaceslug, Eye the Tide

spaceslug eye the tide

Released by BSFD Records and Oak Island Records. Reviewed June 29.

Aside from the speed at which Spaceslug have turned around offerings — with Eye the Tide following 2017’s Mountains and Reminiscence EP (review here) and Time Travel Dilemma (review here) full-length and their 2016 debut, Lemanis (review here) — the Polish outfit have undertaken significant progression in their sound, moving from pure heavy psychedelic warmth to incorporating elements out of extreme metal as they did on Eye the Tide. Adding to the latest record’s accomplishment is the smoothness with which they brought seemingly opposing sides together, only adding depth to an approach already worthy of oceanic comparison.

21. Conan, Existential Void Guardian

Conan Existential Void Guardian
Released by Napalm Records. Reviewed Sept. 14.

Conan‘s reign of terror has been unfolding for more than a decade now, and each of their albums has become a kind of step along a path of incremental growth. Consider the melody creeping into the shouts of founding guitarist Jon Davis, or the emergence of bassist Chris Fielding as a vocal presence alongside, the two sharing a frontman role more than ever before while welcoming drummer Johnny King to the fold of destructive tonality and doomly extremism. Existential Void Guardian may end up just being another stomp-print on their way to the next thing, but it affirmed the fact that as much as Conan grow each time out, their central violence continues to hold sway.

20. Pale Divine, Pale Divine

PALE DIVINE S/T
Released by Shadow Kingdom Records. Reviewed Nov. 21.

Look. A new Pale Divine record doesn’t come along every day, so yeah, their self-titled was probably going to be on my list one way or the other, but it definitely helps that not only was it their first outing in six years since 2012’s Painted Windows Black (review here), but it had the songs to live up to a half-decade-plus of anticipation. It marked the first studio appearance from bassist/backing vocalist Ron “Fezz” McGinnis alongside guitarist Greg Diener and drummer Darin McCloskey — now both of Beelzefuzz as well — and made a strong argument for how much Pale Divine deserve more than 20 years on from their initial demo to be considered classic American doom.

19. Mos Generator, Shadowlands

mos generator shadowlands
Released by Listenable Records. Reviewed May 11.

The return and rise to prominence of Washington pure heavy rockers Mos Generator might be the underground’s feelgood story of the decade, but it hasn’t by any means been easily won. In addition to rebuilding the band however many albums ago, guitarist/vocalist Tony Reed has put in innumerable hours on tour and worked to actually develop the group creatively in addition to in terms of stage presence. This is shown throughout some of the classic prog elements making their way onto Shadowlands, and perhaps some of the collection’s moodier aspects are born of the aforementioned road time as well. Hard for that kind of thing not to be a slog after a while, but at least they have killer tunes to play.

18a. Stoned Jesus, Pilgrims

STONED JESUS PILGRIMS

Released by Napalm Records. Reviewed Sept. 5.

The only safe bet about Stoned Jesus‘ fourth long-player, Pilgrims, was that it was going to sound different than the third. That 2015 outing, The Harvest (review here), preceded the band touring to celebrate the fifth anniversary and after-the-fact success of 2012’s Seven Thunders Roar (review here), but Pilgrims defied narrative in that instead of incorporating elements from the second record in more of a heavy psych or jam sound, Stoned Jesus instead showcased a tighter, more sureheaded sense of craft than they’ve ever displayed before, and arrived on Napalm Records with a collection of songs that demonstrated the growth and sense of creative will that drives them. While one can take a look at their moniker and think immediately they know what’s coming, Stoned Jesus have made themselves one of the least predictable bands in heavy rock.

18. Backwoods Payback, Future Slum

backwoods payback future slum

Self-released. Reviewed Aug. 15.

“Pirate Smile.” “Lines.” “Whatever.” “It Ain’t Right.” “Threes.” “Cinderella.” “Generals.” “Big Enough.” “Alone.” “Lucky. Mike Cummings, Jessica Baker, Erik Larson. Every player, every song, every minute. If you want to know what heart-on-sleeve sounds like, it fucking sounds like Backwoods Payback. In their line from hardcore punk to grunge to heavy rock, they encompass experiences and emotionalism that are both shown in raw form throughout Future Slum, and build all the while on the chemistry they set out in developing with 2016’s Fire Not Reason (review here), when they welcomed Larson to the lineup on drums and revitalized their mission. Also worth noting, they were the best live band I saw this year. Anywhere.

17. Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown

corrosion of conformity no cross no crown

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Jan. 3

No question the excitement of C.O.C. putting out their first record with frontman Pepper Keenan involved since 2005’s In the Arms of God was one of this year’s top stories in heavy. And No Cross No Crown tapped directly into the spirit of 1994’s Deliverance (discussed here) and 1996’s Wiseblood (discussed here) in terms of direction, while updating the band’s style with a four-part 2LP in mind. In some ways, it’ll be their next album that really gives listeners a sense of where they’re at and where they might be headed, but as welcome returns go, having Keenan alongside Mike DeanWoody Weatherman and Reed Mullin is in no way to be understated, and neither is the quality of their output together, then and now.

16. Naxatras, III

naxatras iii

Self-released. Reviewed Feb. 14.

It is no simple feat to hypnotize an audience and convey serenity while at the same time holding attention with songcraft, so that the listener isn’t actually so much unconscious as malleable of mood and spirit in such a direction as the band suggests. Greek trio Naxatras have worked quickly to become experts at this, and their third full-length fosters tonal warmth and jammy progressions with an overarching naturalism that finds them so committed to analog recording that one can buy direct transfers of the tape master of III. Some acts take classic-style practices as an aesthetic choice. With Naxatras, it seems to be the stuff of life, yet their sound is only vibrant and human in a way that, at least one hopes, is even more representative of the future than the past.

15. Clutch, Book of Bad Decisions

clutch book of bad decisions

Released by Weathermaker Music. Reviewed Aug. 27.

It was time for Clutch to make a change in producers, and the Maryland overlords of groove seemed to know it. Known as a live band, they went with Vance Powell, who’s known a live band producer. The results on Book of Bad Decisions might not have been so earth-shatteringly different from 2015’s Psychic Warfare (review here), which was the too-soon follow-up to 2013’s Earth Rocker (review here) — both helmed by Machine — but the inimitable four-piece indeed succeeded in capturing the electricity of their stage performance and, as ever, treated fans to a collection of songs bearing Clutch‘s unmistakable hallmarks of quirky lyrics, funky rhythms and heavy roll. They may always be a live band, but Clutch‘s studio work is in no way to be discounted, ever, as this record reaffirmed. Plus, crab cakes.

14. Ancestors, Suspended in Reflections

Ancestors Suspended in Reflections

Released by Pelagic Records. Reviewed Aug. 3.

After 2012’s In Dreams and Time (review here), I wasn’t sure Ancestors were going to put out another record. They kicked around word of one for a while, but it wasn’t until the end of last year that it really seemed to congeal into a possibility. And by then, who the hell knew what they might get up to on a full-length? With Suspended in Reflections, in some says, they picked up where they left off in terms of finding a niche for themselves in progressive and melodic heavy, but I think the time showed in the poise of their execution and the control of the material. Suspended in Reflections can’t help but be six years more mature than its predecessor, and that suits its contemplative feel. In tracks like “Gone,” and “The Warm Glow,” they tempered their expansive sound with an efficiency that can only be had with time.

13. High on Fire, Electric Messiah

high on fire electric messiah

Released by eOne Heavy. Reviewed Sept. 28.

The narrative here was hard to beat. Matt Pike spending an album cycle talking about Lemmy Kilmister and paying homage to his dirt-rock forebear and the gods of old? It doesn’t get much more perfect than that. Electric Messiah was the third collaboration between High on Fire and producer Kurt Ballou behind 2015’s Luminiferous (review here) and 2012’s De Vermiis Mysteriis (review here), and while it seemed after the last record that the formula might be getting stale, the band only sounded more and more lethal throughout the latest offering. Even putting aside their contributions to underground heavy, they’ve become one of the most essential metal bands of their generation. Metal, period. Doesn’t matter what subgenre you’re talking about it. If you’re listening to High on Fire, you know it. Usually because you’ve just been decapitated.

12. Yawning Man, The Revolt Against Tired Noises

yawning man the revolt against tired noises

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed July 2.

You know, if you take the time to separate Yawning Man from their 30-plus-year history and their legacy as one of the foundational acts of what later became desert rock, and you listen to The Revolt Against Tired Noises, you’re still left with basically a dream of an album. Mostly instrumental, as is their wont, they nonetheless had bassist Mario Lalli (also Fatso Jetson) sing this time around on a version of the previously-unreleased “Catamaran,” which Kyuss covered once upon a whenever although Yawning Man had never officially put it to tape. But really, that and all other novelty aside, guitarist Gary Arce, Lalli and drummer Bill Stinson are a chemistry unto themselves. I don’t know if they’ll ever be as huge as they should be, but every bit of acclaim they get, they’ve earned, and if The Revolt Against Tired Noises helps them get it, all the more so.

11. Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers

greenleaf hear the rivers

Released by Napalm Records. Reviewed Nov. 26.

Swedish heavy rock mavens Greenleaf have become an entirely different band than they once were. No longer a Dozer side-project from guitarist Tommi Holappa with a rotating cast of players, they’re a solidified, road-tested, powerhouse unit, and Hear the Rivers bleeds soul as a result. Holappa, frontman Arvid Hällagård, bassist Hans Fröhlich and drummer Sebastian Olsson sound like they’re absolutely on fire in the album’s tracks, and far from being staid or formulaic as one might expect a sixth long-player to be, Hear the Rivers built on what the band accomplished with 2016’s Rise Above the Meadow (review here) and came across as all the more vital and nearly frenetic in their energy. I won’t say Greenleaf has seen their last lineup change, because one never knows, but the band as they are today is the realization of potential I don’t think even Greenleaf knew was there.

10. Gozu, Equilibrium

gozu equilibrium

Released by Blacklight Media / Metal Blade Records. Reviewed April 4.

Five records deep into a career into its second decade, Gozu haven’t had a miss yet. Admittedly, some of their early work can seem formative considering where they are now, but still. And after the 2016 rager, Revival (review here), to have the band return to the same studio — Wild Arctic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where strides producer Dean Baltulonis — for the follow-up allows for the four-piece to directly show how their sound has grown more encompassing in the last couple years. And it has. Equilibrium is a rich and varied listen that holds true to Gozu‘s well-established penchant for soulful vibes and crunching, hard-hitting riffs and groove, but while it shares the directness of approach with Revival, it makes moves that a band could only make moving from one record to the next. I expect nothing less their next time out as well, because a decade later, that’s Gozu‘s proven track record.

9. Monster Magnet, Mindfucker

monster magnet mindfucker
Released by Napalm Records. Reviewed Feb. 23.

The battle for the best album title of 2018 ended early when New Jersey everything-rockers Monster Magnet announced the release of Mindfucker. And what else to call a Monster Magnet LP at this point? They’ve stopped writing to genre. They’re driven by the creative mania of frontman/founder Dave Wyndorf, and they’ve seen psychedelic expanses and commercial success the likes of which would serve the tenure of four lesser bands. What’s left to do but whatever the hell you want? So that’s what Monster Magnet are doing. It just so happens that while they’re doing it, they’re still basically outclassing the entirety of the former planet earth as songwriters. As Monster Magnet fan in 2018, there was nothing more I could’ve asked than what Mindfucker delivered. And if you’re still trying to get your brain around it however many months later, you’re not alone. I think that’s the idea.

8. Apostle of Solitude, From Gold to Ash

Apostle of Solitude From Gold to Ash

Released by Cruz del Sur Music. Reviewed Feb. 20.

Best doom album of 2018. The combination of craft and passion behind the delivery. The way the dark tones fed into the emotions so clearly on display and sheer presence of it in listening to songs like “Keeping the Lighthouse,” “Ruination by Thy Name” and “My Heart is Leaving Here.” Apostle of Solitude never seem to be the highest profile band out there, but their work seems never to be anything less than outstanding, and I refuse to accept them as anything less than among the most pivotal American acts out there making traditional doom. And not just making it, but making it their own, with a sense of new pursuits and individualism that extends to playing style as well as atmosphere. I know doom isn’t exactly in short supply these days — figuratively or literally — but if you miss out on what Apostle of Solitude are doing with it, you’ll only regret it later. I’ll say it one more time: Best doom album of 2018.

7. Holy Grove, Holy Grove II

holy grove ii
Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Oct. 31.

Every now and again, anticipating the crap of an album really pays off, and such was the case with Holy Grove II, the Ripple Music debut from the Portland outfit whose 2016 self-titled (review here) seemed like such a herald of excellence to come while also, you know, being killer. Holy Grove II brought the four-piece of vocalist Andrea Vidal, guitarist Trent Jacobs, bassist Gregg Emley and drummer Eben Travis to entirely new levels of composition and execution. In songs like “Blade Born,” the shorter, sharper “Aurora,” the patiently rolling “Valley of the Mystics,” “Solaris” and closer “Cosmos,” which boasted a not-really-necessary-but-definitely-welcome guest vocal appearance from YOB‘s Mike Scheidt, — and oh wait, that’s all of the tracks — Holy Grove entered a different echelon. Anticipation will likewise be high for Holy Grove III, but it’ll be hard to complain with this record to keep company in the meantime.

6. All Them Witches, ATW

all them witches atw
Released by New West Records. Reviewed Sept. 18.

Over five All Them Witches albums, the Nashville four-piece have gone from a nascent heavy Americana jam band to one of the most distinct acts in the US underground. Their development in sound is chemistry-driven, so it was a risk when the founding trio of bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., guitarist Ben McLeod (who also produced) and drummer Robby Staebler welcomed new keyboardist Jonathan Draper into the lineup to take the place of Allan van Cleave. Amid a more naturalist production than that of 2017’s Sleeping Through the War (review here), the revamped four-piece flourished in terms of songwriting and conveying their stage-born sonic personae. From the gleeful fuckery of opener “Fishbelly 86 Onions” to the memorable moodiness of “Diamond” and the back-end jam “Harvest Feast” en route to the stretched-out end of “Rob’s Dream,” All Them Witches essentially confirmed they could do whatever they wanted and make it work.

5. YOB, Our Raw Heart

yob our raw heart
Released by Relapse Records. Reviewed June 7.

Actually, if you want a sample of YOB‘s raw heart, the place to go is probably 2014’s Clearing the Path to Ascend (review here), but whatever the Eugene, Oregon, shapers of cosmic doom might’ve lacked in titular accuracy on their eighth long-player, they made up for in a new, statesman-like posture. Their approach was mature, hammered out to a professionalism working completely on its own terms, and they never sounded so sure of who they are as a band or as confident of their direction. In extended cuts “Beauty in Falling Leaves” and “Our Raw Heart,” they explored new and progressive textures and melodies, and managed to reaffirm their core aspects while finding room for conveying emotion that came across as nothing but ultimately sincere. They have been and still are one of a kind, and as they continue to move forward, they remain a band that makes one feel lucky to be alive to witness their work. Our Raw Heart was perhaps more refined than it let on, but the heart was there for sure, as always.

4. Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman

brant bjork mankind woman

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed Sept. 13.

I’m not going to say I wasn’t a fan of the (relatively) harder-hitting approach Brant Bjork and his Low Desert Punk Band took on 2014’s Black Power Flower (review here) and 2016’s Tao of the Devil (review here), but Mankind Woman brought in some more of his soul influences, and whether it was the subtly subversive funk of “Chocolatize” and “Brand New Old Times” or the callout “1968” and laid back vibes of the title-track and “Swagger and Sway,” Bjork — working with guitarist Bubba DuPree on songwriting and production — offered a definitive look at what has made his 20-year solo career so special and demonstrates not only his longevity and his legacy, but his will to continue to progress as an artist honing his craft. His discography is well populated by now to be sure, but Mankind Woman represents a turn from the last couple records, and if it’s in any way portentous of things to come, it bodes well. Bjork is right at home nestled into classic-style grooves, and his legacy as one of the principal architects of desert rock is continually reaffirmed.

3. Earthless, Black Heaven

earthless black heaven

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed March 15.

They’ve been great, not just good, for a long time now, and as forerunners of the San Diego heavy scene, they’re godfathers to an up and coming generation of bands taking their influence — let alone acts from the rest of the world — but Black Heaven is a special moment for them because of its departure. No, it wasn’t not the first time guitarist Isaiah Mitchell sang on an Earthless recording, but it did represent a tip of the balance in that direction for the band on a studio full-length, and that resulted in a special moment. Album opener “Gifted by the Wind” was one of the best songs I heard this year, and while “End to End” and the all-thrust “Volt Rush” affirmed that more traditional songwriting was well within the grasp of Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba, they still found space for a sprawling jam or two, keeping their claim on the instrumentalism that’s (largely) fueled their tenure to date. Earthless don’t want for acclaim, but every bit of it is earned, and while their primary impact has always been live, Black Heaven saw them construct a traditional-style LP that still bore the hallmarks of their collective personality. It was the best of all worlds.

2. King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain

king buffalo longing to be the mountain
Self-released/released by Stickman Records. Reviewed Sept. 27.

In the dark early hours of 2018, the Rochester, New York, trio of guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson issued the Repeater EP (review here) as a follow-up to their 2016 debut, Orion (review here), so Longing to Be the Mountain didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but even with Repeater preceding its arrival, I don’t think anyone necessary expected King Buffalo‘s second album to have such a scope or to be so engrossing with it. In its melody, patience, atmosphere and heft, it was an absolute joy to behold. Its songs were memorable at the same time they were far-reaching, and while Orion was already my pick for the best debut of 2016, Longing to Be the Mountain realized even more potential than that record had hinted toward. It could be intimate or majestic at its whim, and its dynamic set an individual characterization of heavy psychedelia and blues-style sprawl that the band wholly owned. With production by Ben McLeod of All Them Witches behind them, they worked to serve notice of a progression undertaken the results of which are already staggering and still seem to be looking ahead to the next stage, literally and figuratively. One of the principal standards I use in constructing this list every year is what I listen to most. That’s this record.

1. Sleep, The Sciences

sleep the sciences

Released by Third Man Records. Reviewed May 1.

Obviously, right? To some extent, when Sleep surprise-announced on April 19 they’d release their first album in 15 years the next day, and then did, they took ownership of 2018. Even with records still to come at that point from YOB and Sleep guitarist Matt Pike‘s own High on Fire, there was no way that when the end of the year came around, it wasn’t going to be defined by the advent of a new Sleep record. And even if it sucked, it would probably still be Album of the Year, but fortunately, as Pike, bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros (also Om) and drummer Jason Roeder (also Neurosis) took their long-running stage reunion to the studio, they brought material that highlighted the best elements from all players. Pike‘s wild soloing, Cisneros‘ meditative vocals and Roeder‘s intricate but smooth style of roll all came together in older pieces like “Antarcticans Thawed” and “Sonic Titan” and newer highlights “Giza Butler” and “Marijuanaut’s Theme,” and aside from the excitement at their existence, they showed the mastery of form that Sleep had been demonstrating live since 2009 and which they hinted toward in the 2014 single, The Clarity (review here). A new Sleep full-length was something long-discussed, long-rumored and long-considered, but when it finally happened, I think the results vaporized expectation in a way no one could’ve anticipated. There’s a reason Sleep are Sleep. Having The Sciences as a reminder of that brought about the defining moment of 2018.

The Next 20

Indeed, it wouldn’t be much of a Top 30 at all if it didn’t go to 50. Don’t try to make sense of it, just look at the records.

31. Atavismo, Valdeinfierno
32. Grayceon, IV
33. Clamfight, III
34. Seedy Jeezus, Polaris Oblique
35. Megaton Leviathan, Mage
36. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland
37. Arcadian Child, Superfonica
38. Freedom Hawk, Beast Remains
39. The Machine, Faceshift
40. Messa, Feast for Water
41. Black Rainbows, Pandaemonium
42. Church of the Cosmic Skull, Science Fiction
43. Domkraft, Flood
44. Träden, Träden
45. Mythic Sunship, Another Shape of Psychedelic Music
46. Samavayo, Vatan
47. Foehammer, Second Sight
48. Bongripper, Terminal
49. Mansion, First Death of the Lutheran
50. Sunnata, Outlands
51. Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Come and Chutney

Believe me when I tell you, I sweated over this section more than I did the actual top 30. Mansion should be higher. So should Chubby Thunderous, though something in me thought they might like being #50 on a list of 30. Church of the Cosmic Skull, Clamfight, Black Rainbows, Foehammer, Seedy Jeezus, Messa, Domkraft. All of these were fucking awesome. And there are more (we’ll get there). Eventually numbers add up. I won’t say a bad word about any of these. That’s it.

Honorable Mention

This section always winds up expanded as other people point out things I missed and so on, but here’s what I’ve got in the immediate, alphabetically:

  • Alms, Act One
  • Ape Machine, Darker Seas
  • Belzebong, Light the Dankness
  • Black Moon Circle, Psychedelic Spacelord
  • Blackwater Holylight, Blackwater Holylight
  • Bong, Thought and Existence
  • Carpet, About Rooms and Elephants
  • Churchburn, None Shall Live… The Hymns of Misery
  • Deadbird, III: The Forest Within the Tree
  • Dead Meadow, The Nothing They Need
  • Death Alley, Superbia
  • Drug Cult, Drug Cult
  • Dunbarrow, II
  • Electric Citizen, Helltown
  • Eagle Twin, The Thundering Heard: Songs of Hoof and Horn
  • Evoken, Hypnagogia
  • Funeral Horse, Psalms for the Mourning
  • Fuzz Evil, High on You
  • Graven, Heirs of Discord
  • Graveyard, Peace
  • Green Dragon, Green Dragon
  • Green Druid, Ashen Blood
  • Here Lies Man, You Will Know Nothing
  • High Priestess, High Priestess
  • Horehound, Holocene
  • IAH, II
  • JIRM, Surge ex Monumentis
  • Killer Boogie, Acid Cream
  • Lonely Kamel, Death’s Head Hawkmoth
  • MaidaVale, Madness is Too Pure
  • Moab, Trough
  • Mountain Dust, Seven Storms
  • Mouth, Floating
  • Mr. Plow, Maintain Radio Silence
  • T.G. Olson, Earthen Pyramid
  • Onségen Ensemble, Duel
  • Orango, Evergreen
  • Owl, Nights in Distortion
  • Pushy, Hard Wish
  • Rifflord, 7 Cremation Ground/Meditation
  • River Cult, Halcyon Daze
  • Rotor, Sechs
  • Somali Yacht Club, The Sea
  • Sumac, Love in Shadow
  • Sundrifter, Visitations
  • Svvamp, Svvamp II
  • Thou, Magus
  • Thunder Horse, Thunder Horse
  • Weedpecker, III

Special Note

Somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to include these in the list proper because they’re not really underground releases, but there were two more records I especially wanted to highlight for their quality:

  • Alice in Chains, Rainier Fog
  • Judas Priest, Firepower

Best Short Release of the Year

Normally I’d do this as a separate post, but as a result of being robbed earlier this year, I feel like my list is woefully incomplete. If you have any demos, EPs, splits, singles, etc., to add to it, please feel free to do so in the comments below. Still, the top pick was clear:

  • Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard & Slomatics, Totems Split

Rarely do two bands work in such coherent tandem to their mutual benefit. Here are a few other essential short releases for 2018, alphabetically:

  • All Them Witches, Lost and Found
  • Alunah, Amber & Gold
  • Canyon, Mk II
  • Demon Head, The Resistence
  • Destroyer of Light, Hopeless
  • Ecstatic Vision, Under the Influence
  • Godmaker & Somnuri, Split
  • Holy Mushroom, Blood and Soul
  • King Buffalo, Repeater
  • Minsk & Zatokrev, Split
  • Sleep, Leagues Beneath
  • Stonus, Lunar Eclipse
  • Sundecay, Gale

Looking Forward

A good many albums have already been announced or hinted at for 2019. I in no way claim this to be a complete roundup of what’s coming, but here’s what I have in my notes so far, in absolutely no order:

Kings Destroy, Lo-Pan, Cities of Mars, Heavy Temple, Mr. Peter Hayden, Curse the Son, High Fighter, Destroyer of Light, Year of the Cobra, Buffalo Fuzz, Zaum, The Sonic Dawn, Alunah, Candlemass, Elepharmers, Grandier, Dorre, Abrahma, Mars Red Sky, Eternal Black, Elephant Tree, Atala, No Man’s Valley, Sun Blood Stories, Crypt Sermon, The Riven, Hibrido, Snail, Red Beard Wall, 11Paranoias, Dead Witches, Monte Luna, Captain Caravan (LP), Swallow the Sun, Oreyeon, Motorpsycho, Vokonis, Hexvessel, Saint Vitus, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Kind, Mastiff, Shadow Witch, Om.

Okay, That’s It

Yeah, no, I’m serious. List is done. Everybody go back to your lives. Your families miss you.

Really though, while this is by no means my last post of 2018, I can’t let it pass without saying thank you so much to everyone for checking out the site this year, or for just digging into this, or for sending me music, or hitting me up on social media, sharing a link, anything. Thank you. Thank you. I could never have imagined when it started out where it would be now. Or that I’d still be doing it. Your support means more to me than I can say, and I thank you so much for being a part of this with me.

So thanks.

If you have something to add to the list, please do so by leaving a comment below, but keep in mind as well the above note requesting civility. Please don’t make me feel stupid because I forgot your favorite record. I forgot a lot of people’s favorite records. I’m one dude. I’m doing my best.

And please keep in mind if you’ve got a list together that the Year-End Poll is open and results will be out Jan. 1.

Everybody have a great and safe 2019.

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Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers: Sweet is the Sound

Posted in Reviews on November 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

greenleaf hear the rivers

The transformation Sweden’s Greenleaf have undergone within the last five-to-six years is not to be understated. After years as a side-project for founding guitarist Tommi Holappa from his main outfit, Dozer, and a modus operandi that involved recording with guests, the idea of a stable Greenleaf lineup began to surface really with 2012’s Nest of Vipers (review here), which was their first release after Dozer went to ground following their own 2008 LP. At that point, Holappa had two fellow Dozer bandmates along with him in first-guitarist-then-bassist Johan Rockner and drummer Olle Mårthans, and it was Greenleaf‘s second album to be fronted by Oskar Cedermalm following 2007’s Agents of Ahriman (vinyl reissue review here).

It would also be the last, as Cedermalm left to concentrate on his own main outfit, the now-defunct Truckfighters. Instead of going into hibernation, however, Holappa revamped Greenleaf with the idea of becoming a full touring act, and in just two years’ time, the band released 2014’s Trails and Passes (review here) as Holappa‘s first collaboration with vocalist Arvid Hällagård. It was a transitional record in its sound, very much settling into the chemistry between the founding member and central songwriter and the charismatic newcomer frontman. Greenleaf hit the road hard, signed to Napalm Records, and further established themselves as one of the European heavy underground’s most essential acts.

Their sound continued to evolve to a more modern execution than was found on their classic-style earlier offerings: 2007’s Agents of Ahriman (vinyl reissue review here), 2003’s Secret Alphabets (discussed here), 2001’s Revolution Rock (discussed here) and their 2000 self-titled EP (someday it will be mine), and by the time they got to 2016’s Rise Above the Meadow (review here), they were at last the crucial band they always had the potential to be. After 18 years of existence and five years-plus of working a heavy touring circuit, Hear the Rivers is the first Greenleaf album with what might be considered the stable lineup.

Of course, one uses those words cautiously for a group who’ve been through so many changes and so many different players in the past, but bassist Hans Fröhlich came aboard after the recording of Rise Above the Meadow, and as with Hällagård, this is drummer Sebastian Olsson‘s third album with Greenleaf, having also joined for Trails and Passes. This is Greenleaf, so really anything can change at any time save a departure from Holappa himself, but the idea of Hear the Rivers finally being Greenleaf presenting the outfit that Holappa started to build on Trails and Passes resonates further in the 10 songs included on this album.

This can be heard in barn-burners like “Oh My Bones” or the stomp of “Good Ol’ Goat” or the subdued blues of sneaky highlight “We are the Pawns” and the drift in eight-minute closer “The Rivers Lullaby,” just how far Greenleaf have come in their ongoing evolution, and the fact that the 46-minute, vinyl-ready collection was engineered by Karl Daniel Lidén, who was not only the band’s first drummer but has an enviable pedigree as a producer for Terra TenebrosaDozerSwitchbladeKatatonia and many others, only ties its sound to the history of Greenleaf‘s varied discography. His drum sounds are immediately recognizable and something of a trademark, but as well the spaciousness in a cut like “In the Caverns Below” and how purposefully it seems to slam into the sprint of the penultimate “High Fever,” which follows, seems to bear the mark of a careful recording as well as a careful placement.

greenleaf photo by edko fuzz

Also, as principal songwriter, Holappa seems to be marking something of a special occasion in this material, and he builds on the chemistry already so prevalent last time out with Hällagård and Olsson, while welcoming Fröhlich into the mix with due showcase of the fleet low end winding beneath so much gleeful, rampant fuzz guitar. To call Holappa anything less than a master of the form is to undersell his accomplishments herein, and to call Hear the Rivers anything less than Greenleaf‘s most realized work to-date would be a misstatement of its context and a devaluation of whats’s actually taking place on throughout.

Because as much as Holappa is the central figure in Greenleaf, especially here, he’s met head on by the rest of the band. Consider tailor-made set-launcher and opening track “Let it Out!,” which every bit earns the exclamation point in its title. Hällagård puts his stamp on Hear the Rivers from the very beginning — Fröhlich makes an early impression as well, while we’re talking about it — and continues to be both distinct of voice and a standout presence in the band, but his time on tour has made him all the more confident as a singer, and “Let it Out!” and the subsequent “Sweet it the Sound” find him dipping into bluesman’s soul to welcome and natural effect, with “Good Ol’ Goat” perhaps being the culmination here of that side of his identity in performance.

Likewise, on the straightforward rocker “A Point of a Secret,” he carries the melody while Olsson pops away on a rich-sounding snare behind, and on the side A closer “The Rumble and the Weight,” the entire band sets up symmetry with “The Rivers Lullaby” in digging into a more expansive atmosphere and mid-paced tempo while Hällagård cleverly arranges vocal layers in the chorus and Holappa and Fröhlich match wits for a brief solo section before the midpoint, leading to an even more spacious second-half.

In capping the album, “The Rivers Lullaby” works with a not-dissimilar purpose, demonstrating instrumental vibrancy and a vocal dynamic that builds to the last hook with genuine emotion as well as the sheer technical control to self-harmonize. That finale moves into a wash of noise to round out before swirling effects fade away as the last element to go — a distant cry from the thudding drums from Olsson that opened “Let it Out!,” but that would seem to be the point.

Speaking as a fan of the band — which I am — the achievements here aren’t to be understated, and they go well beyond merely hammering out a recording from the actual current Greenleaf touring lineup. That in itself isn’t nothing, since it contributes to the vitality so rampant all throughout the recording, but if the songs weren’t there in the first place, the band wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, and songwriting has always been at the core of Greenleaf no matter who’s involved. And as far as they have come even in just the past half-decade of a tenure about to hit 20 years, that central factor has never wavered. Hear the Rivers stands among its, and their, finest hours.

Greenleaf, “Good Ol’ Goat” official video

Greenleaf, “The Rivers Lullaby” lyric video

Greenleaf on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf on Instagram

Greenleaf at Napalm Records

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Thee Facebooks

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Greenleaf Post “The Rivers Lullaby” Lyric Video; On Tour Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 14th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

greenleaf the rivers lullaby

I’m going to review this album in the coming weeks — actually it’s slated for Monday, Nov. 26, if you’re curious — but as I watch the wobbly Wonka-esque letters of Greenleaf‘s new lyric video for “The Rivers Lullaby” roll past, I can’t help but be reminded of the clip Truckfighters put out in 2016 for their song “Calm Before the Storm” (posted here) that wound up catching such hell for directly telling the story of a grisly murder that took place in both bands’ native Sweden. It doesn’t seem like Greenleaf are talking to the same circumstance, but in lines like “Came from the shadows” and “I’m gonna have what it is mine,” the sense of threat comes through clearly as they touch on the title of the record itself, which is Hear the Rivers.

They’ve been out supporting the album alongside Samavayo and only have a couple of dates remaining on the tour, but expect Greenleaf to hit the road again in 2019, since that’s basically their modus nowadays. Album cycles. Since 2014’s Trails and Passes (review here), they’ve been a full-fledged touring act, but Hear the Rivers, which follows 2016’s also-righteous Rise Above the Meadow (review here), is their first with the complete lineup of vocalist Arvid Hällagård, bassist Hans Fröhlich and drummer Sebastian Olsson around founding guitarist Tommi Holappa, who has essentially transmuted what might’ve been the continuation of his other outfit, Dozer, onto what was once a side-project while retaining Greenleaf‘s signature classic heavy rock elements.

I haven’t seen this lineup of Greenleaf live, and it’s starting to give me that existential ache. Sadly it won’t happen on this tour — off to Eindhoven! — but hopefully at some point soon the paths will align.

Enjoy the video and the song. The album is out now:

Greenleaf, “The Rivers Lullaby” lyric video

GREENLEAF give a second glimpse of how the rivers sound by revealing “The Rivers Lullaby”. Today the Swedes illustrate the floating stoner groover with a lyric video that underlines the song’s essence in the typical GREENLEAF way.

The band on the new video and their plans for the next weeks: “We feel very happy with the lyric video for “The Rivers Lullaby”. It captures the mood and the essence of the song itself that for the most part describes a reaper’s helpless and weary thoughts. We also can’t wait to get on the road on Thursday and play this beast of a song for a live audience!”

GREENLEAF – Remaining dates w/ SAMAVAYO:
14.11.18 DE – Cologne / Helios 37
15.11.18 UK – London / Underworld
16.11.18 FR – Paris / Glazart
17.11.18 NL – Eindhoven / Helldorado Festival*
*without SAMAVAYO

Line-up:
Arvid Hällagård: Vocals
Tommi Holappa: Guitar
Hans Fröhlich: Bass
Sebastian Olsson: Drums

Greenleaf on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf on Instagram

Greenleaf at Napalm Records

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf at Sound of Liberation

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Greenleaf Solve Lineup Issue in “Good Ol’ Goat” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 9th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

greenleaf good ol goat

So I guess maybe Hans Fröhlich couldn’t make his flight and Greenleaf and video director Peder Bergstrand — a bassist himself — decided to run with it as a video concept? Fair enough. The results are pretty hilarious in the Swedish heavy rockers’ new clip for “Good Ol’ Goat,” which comes from the impending Hear the Rivers, out Nov. 9 on Napalm. The song itself — its bluesy hook with Arvid Hällagård‘s vocals an all the more essential element to their approach and the classic stomp in Sebastian Olsson‘s drums — is kind of lighthearted, so it works on that level, but the story they go with is that because Fröhlich didn’t get there in time, they decide to hold open auditions for a bass player to fill in for the video. Chicanery ensues.

A bunch of first names appear at the end of the video: Jugglo, Kapsylen, Linus, Chris, Rikard, Lena, and so on, but I’d love to see a comprehensive list of who all the people are who show up to “audition” for the bassist role, because I’m willing to bet a couple of them would be familiar. Not to spoil it — though it’s handled pretty cleverly, and I won’t give that away — but it’s all the more fitting that they resolve the issue by having guitarist Tommi Holappa step into the bassist role himself. As the founder and sole remaining original member of the band, who are coming up on 20 years as a unit around Holappa, it’s kind of always been his answer anyway. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Bergstrand does not himself show up for an audition spot. Maybe he didn’t want to give the impression that anything was taking away from the work he’s currently doing in the studio on a long-awaited new album from his band, Lowrider.

In any case, the video rules, and could hardly be a better lead-in for the arrival of Hear the Rivers, a month away. Also a month away is that release tour — and I think at this point I’ve posted these dates at least three times before; watch out, this might not be the last, either — Greenleaf will do with Germany’s Samavayo, who as well will herald a new album.

Clip follows. Have fun:

Greenleaf, “Good Ol’ Goat” official video

Mighty Swedish Stoner force GREENLEAF just released their amazing and amusing music video for “Good Ol`Goat”. The band on their epic movie:

“We wanted to do something funny and entertaining and Peder Bergstand came up with this idea. It’s a very fitting video since it’s packed with dad jokes and some of us recently became fathers. Enjoy the bass!”

On November 9th, Hear The Rivers comes into world via Napalm Records. This album turns out to be quite the mesmerizing bag of tricks that seizes the Swedish Stoner sound and enriches it with so many wonderful things, like the just released unforgettable riff-o-rama “Good Ol`Goat” or the slow soul-feeder “We Are The Pawns”. An absolute gem of an album that is best kept in the family – which is why former GREENLEAF- and Dozer drummer Karl Daniel Lidén (Craft, Bloodbath, Crippled Black Phoenix amongst others) produced it.

Pre-Order HERE!

GREENLEAF – Live w/ SAMAVAYO
08.11.18 DE – Dresden / Beatpol*
09.11.18 DE – Berlin / Musik & Frieden
10.11.18 DE – Stuttgart / Keller Club
11.11.18 AT – Vienna / Viper Room
12.11.18 DE – Munich / Feierwerk
13.11.18 CH – Olten / Coq d’Or
14.11.18 DE – Cologne / Helios 37
15.11.18 UK – London / Underworld
16.11.18 FR – Paris / Glazart
17.11.18 NL – Eindhoven / Helldorado Festival*
*without SAMAVAYO

Greenleaf is:
Arvid Hällagård: Vocals
Tommi Holappa: Guitar
Hans Fröhlich: Bass
Sebastian Olsson: Drums

Greenleaf on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf on Instagram

Greenleaf at Napalm Records

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Thee Facebooks

Greenleaf at Sound of Liberation

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Greenleaf Set Nov. 9 Release for Hear the Rivers

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 6th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

greenleaf photo by edko fuzz

Swedish heavy rock institution Greenleaf will release their seventh album, titled Hear the Rivers, on Nov. 9 through Napalm Records. Among the many reasons this news should make you excited is the fact that Karl Daniel Lidén recorded it. Even just the drum sound immediately bears his signature to the point that, having had a bit of a preview, I knew it was him before I even read it. The guy adds a sense of space to a sound like no one else, and he brings to Greenleaf once again this time around and the results are nothing short of phenomenal. That’s not of course to discount the work of the band itself, which has only grown more stellar as the current lineup has settled in around founding guitarist Tommi Holappa.

I don’t want to say to much about it because we still have two months before November gets here, but the short version is make sure you save some room on your top albums list.

Greenleaf will tour with Berlin’s Samavayo to coincide with the record release, as the PR wire informs:

greenleaf hear the rivers

GREENLEAF – “Hear The Rivers” Comes Into The World In November 2018

Album Pre-Orders Start Now

On November 9th, the mighty Swedish Stoner force GREENLEAF present their latest album “Hear The Rivers” via Napalm Records.

This album turns out to be quite the mesmerizing bag of tricks that seizes the Swedish Stoner sound and enriches it with so many wonderful things, like the unforgettable riff-o-rama ‘Good Ol`Goat’ or the slow soul feeder ‘We Are The Pawns’. An absolute gem of an album that is best kept in the family – which is why former GREENLEAF- and Dozer drummer Karl Daniel Lidén (Craft, Bloodbath, Crippled Black Phoenix amongst others) produced it.

GREENLEAF summarize this record in the following way:

” ‘Hear The Rivers’ is our full length number 7. Lucky number 7? Well, we like to think so! All the songs give us huge smiles on our faces and we are extremely proud of what we have done! As always we try to take our listeners on a trip with our music, make them wanna bang their heads, dance, smile and cry (of happiness of course).
This is easily the biggest sounding record we have ever done and we hope people will enjoy it as much as we do!”

The full track listing of Hear The Rivers reads as follows:
1. Let It Out!
2. Sweet Is The Sound
3. A Point Of A Secret
4. Good Ol´Goat
5. The Rumble And The Weight
6. We Are The Pawns
7. Oh My Bones
8. In The Caverns Below
9. High Fever
10. The Rivers Lullaby
“Hear The Rivers” will be available in the following formats:
-4 Page Digipack
-Double LP-Gatefold
-Digital Album

Pre-Order HERE!

GREENLEAF – Live w/ SAMAVAYO
08.11.18 DE – Dresden / Beatpol*
09.11.18 DE – Berlin / Musik & Frieden
10.11.18 DE – Stuttgart / Keller Club
11.11.18 AT – Vienna / Viper Room
12.11.18 DE – Munich / Feierwerk
13.11.18 CH – Olten / Coq d’Or
14.11.18 DE – Cologne / Helios 37
15.11.18 UK – London / Underworld
16.11.18 FR – Paris / Glazart
17.11.18 NL – Eindhoven / Helldorado Festival*
*without SAMAVAYO

Line-up:
Arvid Hällagård: Vocals
Tommi Holappa: Guitar
Hans Fröhlich: Bass
Sebastian Olsson: Drums

http://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/store/greenleaf
http://shop.napalmrecords.com/greenleaf
www.facebook.com/greenleafrocks
www.napalmrecords.com
www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://www.soundofliberation.com/greenleaf

Greenleaf, “Goin’ Down” (Freddie King cover)

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Greenleaf Announce November Tour Dates & Album Release

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

greenleaf

Can you feel it? Any minute now, the PR wire is going to bring news of a release date for Greenleaf‘s new album, Hear the Rivers. Any minute. The new outing from the mainstay and road-dog Swedish heavy rockers was first announced back in January ahead of the band embarking on an Australian tour in March. They’ve reportedly been in the studio off and on as well as busy with procreating/family life, but they’re still getting out in November for a quick run mostly in Germany that will also include stops in Paris, London and at the Helldorado Festival in Eindhoven. Starting out with a gig in Dresden alongside My Sleeping Karma and Ripple Music upstarts The Necromancers, support for the bulk of the run will come from German trio Samavayo, who also have a new album in the works.

I don’t know if the Samavayo will be out by November — anything’s possible — but the prospect of a new Greenleaf only makes an already amazing 2018 even better. Somehow it’s only been two years since 2016’s Rise Above the Meadow (review here) scorched eardrums and took Greenleaf‘s sound to its greatest accomplishment yet, but I guess it feels like longer because, you know, the record’s timeless. Seriously. I still put it on, and it’s way harder for albums to pass the after-the-year-ends test for me these days. Just saying.

But yeah, so given that, I’m gonna go back to waiting for that Greenleaf press release to come rollin’ in. Any minute now…

greenleaf samavayo tour

New album and tour in November! Are you as excited as we are?!?!

We’re psyched to announce Greenleaf’s “Hear The Rivers Tour 2018”, with Samavayo as support (*) as follows!

08.11.18 (D) Dresden | Beatpol (with MY SLEEPING KARMA & The Necromancers)
09.11.18 (D) Berlin | Musik & Frieden (*)
10.11.18 (D) Stuttgart | Keller Club (*)
11.11.18 (A) Vienna | Viper Room (*)
12.11.18 (D) Munich | Feierwerk (*)
13.11.18 (CH) Olten | Coq d’Or (*)
14.11.18 (D) Cologne | Helios 37 (*)
15.11.18 (UK) London | Underworld (*)
16.11.18 (FR) Paris | Glazart (*)
17.11.18 (NL) Eindhoven | Helldorado Festival

http://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/store/greenleaf
http://shop.napalmrecords.com/greenleaf
www.facebook.com/greenleafrocks
www.napalmrecords.com
www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://www.soundofliberation.com/greenleaf

Greenleaf, “Goin’ Down” (Freddie King cover)

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Greenleaf Recording New Album Hear the Rivers; Touring Australia in March

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 29th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Back in December, Swedish heavy rock mainstays Greenleaf wrapped up a European tour alongside New Jersey exports The Atomic Bitchwax and London desert anthropologists Steak that would seem to have been the final installment of their Euro touring cycle for 2016’s triumphant Rise Above the Meadow (review here) on Napalm. That album, their sixth overall and first for Napalm Records, was an unmistakable forward step from 2014’s preceding Trails and Passes (review here), which introduced the next phase of the band as founding guitarist/songwriter/spearhead Tommi Holappa (see also: Dozer) brought in vocalist Arvid Jonsson and seemed to be a moment whereby the group got its collective feet under them as a result of that shift.

In March, Greenleaf — HolappaJonsson, drummer Sebastian Olsson and bassist Hans Fröhlich — will head to Australia for the first time in their almost-20-year history, but before they go, the band has revealed that they’ve begun work on their seventh studio album, tentatively-titled Hear the Rivers, with longtime producer (and former drummer) Karl Daniel Lidén for a release through Napalm later this year. Over the course of Greenleaf‘s history, each record has built off its predecessor in one way or another, and I’d expect no less from Hear the Rivers, the making of which Jonsson is documenting in a series of vlog updates, because it’s the future and apparently that’s how we do things now. Wish I knew that earlier. Probably could’ve saved me a lot of time typing. Alas.

One more to look forward to as we move deeper into this still-relatively-New-Year. With Holappa‘s long-established approach at its core, Greenleaf‘s songwriting tack is essentially flawless, and if they can capture a fraction of the energy they brought to Rise Above the Meadow — mind you, there’s zero reason to think they won’t given all the momentum they’ve built on tour since that record came out — Hear the Rivers has the potential to stand among 2018’s finest offerings. Can’t wait to hear it.

Find Greenleaf‘s Aussie dates and one of Jonsson‘s studio vlogs below. They’ve been appearing regularly on Greenleaf‘s Thee Facebooks page, if you’d like to keep up.

greenleaf

Greenleaf Australia tour:
03/02 The Bendigo Hotel Collingwood
03/03 Singing Bird Studios Frankston
03/04 Barwon Club Geelong
03/06 Rad Bar Wollongong
03/08 The Chippo Sydney
03/09 Crowbar Brisbane
03/10 Jive Adelaide

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