Coming off their respective debut albums, Nova Scotian cosmic rockers Earth Altar and Toronto sometimes-gonna-doom-but-just-as-likely-to-psych-jam trio Sun Below — whose very monikers seem to tell the story about space, worship, and exploration that pans out in their songs — will issue their joint Inter Terra Solis split LP through Black Throne Productions on Sept. 15. The offering brings together the two Canadian bands for a showcase that runs 40 minutes and gives each act time to make an impression on their respective side, Earth Altar presenting five songs (four and an interlude) in a narrative arc while Sun Below donate two longer tracks and their own interlude heavy jam between. What draws them together across Inter Terra Solis is a shared affinity for melding different styles from under the umbrella of capital-‘h’ Heavy.

The sans-guitar configuration of Earth Altar, with bassist/vocalist Spencer Trout, drummer/vocalist Jon MacIsaac and maybe synthesist/keyboardist/vocalist Katie Wayne — not listed as a member, but there’s definitely synth on the tracks; hence “maybe” — lends an immediately individual feel to their “The Descent” at the outset of the split, bass and drums unfolding in proggy contemplation while higher-end melodies float over top. Never quite tipping over to cinema-style evocation, they are atmospheric just the same, and hypnotic in the circular movement of the basslines, which hint toward a Sabbathism that Sun Below will soon bear out, but give over first to the brighter-hued unfurling of “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” a play of interwoven loops that might just cure your headache keeping largely to its singular procession before the music seems to lie down and stretch out; a savasana moment conveyed through tempo relaxation.

That exhale carries over into the aptly-named 48-second “Interlude,” which sweeps via synth/keys into “In the Growing Light of Anthelion,” which builds tension through a series of beeps that might be Morse Code before digging deeper into a heavy psychedelic movement that calls to mind a not-instrumental version — vocals are used mostly atmospherically, but they exist — of earliest My Sleeping Karma highlighting a Colour Haze influence. The direction is plotted, the journey engaging, and the bassline no less righteous as the second half grows more melodic and the vocals seem to dissipate. Carrying directly into “Transmutation (The Alchemist’s Dream),” Earth Altar follow the pattern of technical nuance and overarching shroomy serenity, capping in a manner that feels resolved even before the synth drone at the finish starts to fade away to the stretch of silence at the song’s end.

It is from there that Sun Below‘s “Red Giant” rises, guitar of Jason Craig (also vocals) howling immediately as if to remind the listener that those things exist. Drummer Will Adams thudding away on his toms behind, bassist Liam “Acid Goblin” Gray — who wins outright as regards nicknames and not just because he’s the only one who has one here — finds room in the mix to make an impression of his own as the riff solidifies and the forward roll begins in earnest. “Red Giant” and closing track “Gravity Tide” both top eight minutes long, and the interlude “Methuselah Star” (2:16) does well to separate them so that the listener doesn’t get any more lost than they might want in the also-mostly-instrumental lumber of the one and then the other, though as might happen when one band has a guitar and one band doesn’t on a split release, Sun Below come across as more riff-based, even as they hold onto some of the spontaneous feel that made Earth Altar‘s work so enticing.

Sabbath is an undercurrent in the leads throughout the second half of “Red Giant,” but “Methuselah Star” seems to speak more in tone and groove to Sleep circa The Sciences, and after it marches out slowly but surely, “Gravity Tide” answers that with an immediately Pikean nod which the band duly rides for most of the first half of the track, vocals buried but echoing when they arrive, cadenced to match the Sleep vibe. It is nonetheless an impressive wall of fuzz they build — sturdy and declarative — and the wall is the point. Sometimes you write a riff that you might want to play for eight minutes, and sometimes you work a little “War Pigs” in there too in the later layers of lead guitar. With Gray splatter-bassing distortion behind and Adams‘ snare punching through with its own admirably dense tonality, “Gravity Tide” is brought to a conclusion no more forced than was anything prior; the unspoken theme of their time an instrumental chemistry on ready display.

I will not claim to have any insight on what either Earth Altar or Sun Below have planned next, if anything. Earth Altar‘s self-titled debut — which they issued as a trio — came out in May 2022, and Sun Below‘s sprawling self-titled (review here) was issued in late 2021, collecting numerous jams from prior short releases and new material. Whatever the future brings for compatriots, they take advantage of the chance on Inter Terra Solis to complement each other’s work without accomplishing the same ends musically — that is, they fit well together without sounding the same — and if the goal here is to give listeners fodder for digging further back into the standalone records and other sundry jams (all of which are of course streaming and immediately available because while the world is terrible the future is also amazing), then both bands succeed outright. You might end up surprised at some of the places Inter Terra Solis puts you.

As it’s a September release, obviously it’s too early to stream the entire split, but I’ve been given permission to host Earth Altar‘s “The Descent” as the first single, and you’ll find it below, followed by more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Preorder link: https://blackthroneproductions.com/en-us/products/inter-terra-solis-black-hole-vinyl-earth-altar-sun-below

The progressive space rock/doom metal hybrid EARTH ALTAR and heavy stoner/doom power trio SUN BELOW unleash a riff-heavy journey across time and the cosmos on their upcoming split album Inter Terra Solis. Having sculpted an epic ride of distorted guitar, vocals and trippy lyrics, the bands explore the labyrinth of the human psyche and the unpredictability of the universe within a ponderous palette of crushing doom and stoner-tinged mystery. The Inter Terra Solis is due out on September 15th via Black Throne Productions.

First on the split, EARTH ALTAR is the interplay between the complex, diverse drum style of Jon MacIsaac and the unique, ethereal bass guitar playing of Spencer Trout. EARTH ALTAR seeks to leave these mundane bonds and ascend through the heavy and the other-worldly. Mixing stoner rock, doom metal, space rock, and psych rock with progressive song structures, cosmic musings, and world-wide influences; EARTH ALTAR sounds uniquely themselves.

Closing out the album with three immense tracks, SUN BELOW is a heavy stoner/doom power trio playing a signature brand of self-described “Sativa rock”: a combination of fuzz, volume, and heavy grooves. SUN BELOW seek to spread their infectious, rollicking sound to the masses and their mission remains to create riff heavy rock fused with the sonic weight of crushing doom. The current lineup of Jason Craig (guitars/vocals), Liam “Acid Goblin” Gray (bass) and Will Adams (drums) blend these elements into long burning jams that worship at the altar of tone, riffs, and smoke.

As above, so below, the duality of the underworld and the cosmos, the microcosm and the macrocosm is thoroughly traversed through the lyrical themes and tones of each band. While EARTH ALTAR and SUN BELOW tackle a different aspect of our reality and nature, each is intimately tied with the other.

Inter Terra Solis Track Listing:
Earth Altar – The Descent
Earth Altar – The Garden of Earthly Delights
Earth Altar – Interlude
Earth Altar – In The Growing Light Of Anthelion
Earth Altar – Transmutation (The Alchemist’s Dream)
Sun Below – Red Giant
Sun Below – Methuselah Star (Interlude)
Sun Below – Gravity Tide

Earth Altar on Bandcamp

Earth Altar on Instagram

Earth Altar on Facebook

Earth Altar on Spotify

Sun Below on Bandcamp

Sun Below on Instagram

Sun Below on Facebook

Sun Below on Spotify

Black Throne Productions on Instagram

Black Throne Productions on Facebook

Black Throne Productions website

Black Throne Productions linktr.ee

Halifax’s Kilmore work themselves into a pretty comfortable groove on their new single, “Tempest,” taken from the their upcoming From the Inside EP that’s set to release sometime in 2023, but there’s a bit of sharper angularity that shows up later in the song as well, a bit of a metallic undercurrent in some of the riffing that if you keep an ear out is easy enough to pick up. One way or the other, the song is a tight sub-four-minute, sans-pretense heavy rock and roller, and I remain fascinated by the Canadian East Coast in general and in Nova Scotia in particular, both because it’s a place I’ve never been, and sometimes it feels like anything to the right of Quebec on the map is like forgotten wild territory.

They’ll be five years removed from their last outing by the time From the Inside arrives, which seems like plenty, but they’ve got a video up to help hold listeners over until the thing arrives. I have no idea on an exact date because, well, life is unpredictable and they don’t give one, but if you’ve got about four minutes to check out the clip at the bottom of this post, Kilmore have an earworm to make it worth your while.

To wit:

Halifax’s KILMORE Summons The “Tempest” To Introduce Their Forthcoming EP “From the Inside” Coming 2023

Digital – https://linktr.ee/kilmore

Halifax, Canada’s Kilmore create a brand of soulful psychedelic stoner rock as a yearning for expression and escapism. Their musical endeavors see them unearthing the realities of life through sounds and wanting to create something new. Featuring magnetically emotive passages contrasted against assaults of groove-forward aggression, the band conveys themes surrounding rebirth, love, hate, frustration, understanding, and the search for truth to permeate their darker-edged sonic palette.

Today, the quartet unveils their latest single “Tempest” accompanied by a music video, which will be featured on their forthcoming EP “From the Inside”, which follows their East Coast Music Award-nominated 2015 EP “City Lights”, and 2018 LP “Call of the Void”, which won the “Loud Recording of the Year”.

Vocalist and guitarist Heather Harris explains the single:

“We planned to have six tracks on our next EP, and ‘Tempest’ was one of the most unyielding to nail down, it took us a while to get the groove of it. To me, it sounded transcendent but chaotic, like a tempest rising. We thought it would be a good first introduction to ‘From the Inside’ as it has a groovy progressive feel.”

“Tempest” is about someone coming into your life like a hurricane. Harris experienced this while welcoming her son into the world, a world that seemed so disrupted at the time. The song speaks of a vigorous figure finding its place in a hectic world while shining brightly through the darkness.

“Tempest” is one of many songs that Kilmore had worked on over the past couple of years while being locked down during the pandemic.

“We have grown a lot musically with each record we have released. ‘City Lights’ was more rock-influenced, ‘Call of the Void’ swayed more in the metal, stoner rock realm, and our upcoming EP ‘From The Inside’ brings both elements.” adds Harris.

“From the Inside” will be a form of groovy, psychedelic rock with metal components. Lyrically, it was written at a time of disarray around the world with internal struggles as well. During its writing process, Heather Harris became a new mother and was searching to find her place in a new reality, which speaks loudly in the vocal and lyrical emotions on the EP. Fans will find themes of destruction while others of hope, each song has its own substance and identity.

“We worked with producer Jon Landry (The Stanfields) who is a seasoned songwriter himself and he really brought in a unique perspective to the songs. We recorded the whole EP in our basement studio which gave us the time needed to craft each song and bring life to the recordings. Musically, some songs came out easier than others, and some needed more time to capture the essence we were looking for. When I wrote the lyrics, the themes were formed from the emotions I felt from the music. This was an intense time for me with the world seeming so unpredictable and disorganized, there were a lot of feelings brewing inside. This comes across in the lyrics and artwork for the album.” says Harris.

More songs will be revealed in lead up to the 2023 release of their EP “From the Inside’.

Photo Credit – Kayla Macaulay Photography

Killmore –
Jon MacIsaac (Drums)
Dan Doran (Guitar)
Neil Spence (Bass)
Heather Harris (Vocals/Guitar)

​https://kilmore.ca​
​https://www.facebook.com/kilmoreband​
​https://www.instagram.com/kilmoremusic

Kilmore, “Tempest” official video

Nova Scotia-based six-piece heavy rockers Elektric Mistress will release their new four-songer Chapter 99 EP, on June 17 as the follow-up to their 2019 self-titled debut (review here). That offering, also an EP, had three tracks, and the band was a five-piece at the time, so really on any level you want to examine, there has been growth. That holds true for the material as well, fortunately, and as the sextet — which, yes, is only fun to write because it has the word “sex” in it; I’m forever in sixth grade; bite me — unfurl the comfortably paced, organ-inclusive groove of “Magic Dust,” they seem just to fade out when the jam takes off at about four minutes in, setting a priority for the release that’s affirmed in the subsequent “Radio” (premiering below) where the rolling hook takes unabashed priority. Perhaps indulging a bit of nostalgia lyrically, “Radio” brings both that slower groove and a synth solo in the midsection that the only word I can think of to describe it is “fun” before the guitar joins in the fray and they efficiently make their way back toward the central progression.

It’s tidier than it at first appears, but one might say the same of the 19-minute outing as a whole. I’m not sure which coke-rock band Elektric Mistress are sending up in the song “Cocaine Johnny” — it would be easy enough to name a few — but they’re clearly enjoying the process even if the lyrics aren’t necessarily about feeling like the life of the party or whatever. The closer is the title-track, and it fulfills the shorter-song-int0-longer-song pattern that “Magic Dust” and “Radio Set,” its riffage full with the double-guitar, organ and bass over the drums, setting itself in a shuffling kind of push that’s not too fast, not too slow, but just right for the hook.

I’m not sure what “Chapter 99” actually is, as in, what apparently-lengthy book we’re talking about, but if you can find an argument against the procession as it wraps up the EP of the same name, you’re one up on me. Elektric Mistress — which I just. can’t. spell. right. — carry over from the self-titled an abiding lack of pretense and an awareness of genre and their place in it, but at its core, Chapter 99 is an unassuming self-made, self-released sub-20-minute outing from a band who clearly are in it because they love the sounds they’re making. Is it gonna change the world? Nah. But it’d make for (part of) a righteous live set, and changing someone’s evening for the better is more than enough to reasonably ask.

You can hear “Radio” on the player below, followed by a few words from the band about the track, EP preorders and all that fun kind of stuff, courtesy of the PR wire.

Enjoy:

Elektric Mistress, “Radio” track premiere

The full EP “Chapter 99” is being released on June 17, 2022.

EP pre-order – https://elektricmistress.bandcamp.com​

Digital pre-save – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/elektricmistress/chapter-99​

“We think any fans who enjoyed the first EP will enjoy our latest release. With the addition of Jason, we have a new layer of sound for fans to experience. ”Radio” is about how music or a song brings back memories of past relationships. It has our most Black Sabbath type riffs, for sure. Riley came up with the main riff on this one.”

Since the last EP, they have added a new guitarist Jason Cantfell, who is the twin brother of current guitarist Kyle Cantfell. The duo leans into their “Twinchronicity”, with mesmerizingly coordinated harmonies, and bolsters their sound with the addition of equipment including an impressive array of guitar pedals, mini megaphones, and synthesizers.

Appealing to the audio nerds out there, the tracks on “Chapter 99” were shoved through the super-rare CLASP system (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processing) at Fang Recordings to capitalize on that old recording sound. They crushed the hell out of that tape to add a unique dimension to their psychedelic sound.

Track Listing:
1. Magic Dust – 4:06
2. Radio – 5:38
3. Cocaine Johnny – 4:24
4. Chapter 99 – 5:47
EP Length: 19:56

EP and Live Band Line Up:
Kyle Cantfell – Guitar
Jason Cantfell – Guitar
Kieran Richardson – Bass
Maxwell Poole: Vox
Riley MacDonald – Keyboards
Valencia Canales: Drums

Elektric Mistress website

Elektric Mistress on Facebook

Elektric Mistress on Instagram

The days grow long, but the Quarterly Review presses onward. I didn’t know when I put this thing together that in addition to having had oral surgery on Monday — rod in for a dental implant, needs a crown after it heals but so far no infection; penciling it as a win — this second week of 10 reviews per day would bring my laptop breaking and a toddler too sick to go to camp for three hours in the morning. If you’re a fan of understatement, I’ll tell you last week was easier to make happen.

Nevertheless, we persist, you and I. I don’t know if, when I get my computer back, it will even have all of these records on the desktop or if the hard-drive-bed-shitting that seems to have taken place will erase that along with such inconsequentials as years of writing and photos of The Pecan dating back to his birth, but hey, that desktop space was getting cleared one way or the other. You know what? I don’t want to think about it.

Quarterly Review #81-90:

Paradise Lost, At the Mill

If Paradise Lost are trying to hold onto some sense of momentum, who can blame them? How many acts who’ve been around for 33 years continue to foster the kind of quality the Yorkshire outfit brought to 2020’s studio outing, Obsidian (review here)? Like, four? Maybe? So if they want to put out two live records in the span of three months — At the Mill follows March’s Gothic: Live at Roadburn 2016, also on Nuclear Blast — one isn’t inclined to hold a grudge, and even less so given the 16-song setlist they offer up in what was the captured audio from a livestream last Fall, spanning the bulk of their career and including requisite highlights from ’90s-era landmarks Gothic and Icon as well as Obsidian features “Fall From Grace,” “Ghosts” and “Darker Thoughts,” which opened the studio LP but makes a rousing finisher for At the Mill.

Paradise Lost on Facebook

Nuclear Blast Records store

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Alastor, Onwards and Downwards

The second long-player from Sweden’s Alastor is a surprising but welcome sonic turn, pulling back from the grimness of 2018’s Slave to the Grave (review here) in favor of an approach still murky and thick in its bottom end, but sharper in its songwriting focus and bolder melodically right from the outset on “The Killer in My Skull.” They depart from the central roll for an acoustic stretch in “Pipsvängen” after “Nightmare Trip” opens side B and just before the nine-minute title-track lumbers out its descent into the deranged, but even there the four-piece hold the line of obvious attention to songcraft, instrumental and vocal phrasing, and presentation of their sound. Likewise, the spacious nod on “Lost and Never Found” caps with a shorter and likewise undeniable groove, more Sabbath than the Queens of the Stone Age rush of “Death Cult” earlier, but with zero dip in quality. This takes them to a different level in my mind.

Alastor on Facebook

RidingEasy Records website

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Zahn, Zahn

Its noise-rock angularity and tonal bite isn’t going to be for everyone, but there’s something about Zahn‘s unwillingness to cooperate, their unwillingness to sit still, that makes their self-titled debut a joy of a run. Based in Berlin and comprised of Felix Gebhard (Einstürzende Neubauten keyboards) as well as drummer Nic Stockmann and bassist Chris Breuer (both of HEADS.), the eight-tracker shimmers on “Tseudo,” punkjazzes on lead cut “Zerrung,” goes full krautrock drone to end side A on “Gyhum” and still has more weirdness to offer on the two-minute sunshine burst of “Schranck,” “Lochsonne Schwarz,” “Aykroyd” and finale “Staub,” all of which tie together in one way or another around a concept of using space-in-mix and aural crush while staying loway to the central pattern of the drums. “Aykroyd” is brazen in showing the teeth of its guitar work, and that’s a pretty solid encapsulation of Zahn‘s attitude across the board. They’re going for it. You can take the ride if you want, but they’re going either way.

Zahn on Facebook

Crazysane Records website

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Greynbownes, Bones and Flowers

Bones and Flowers is a welcome return from Czech Republic-based heavy rockers Greynbownes, who made their debut with 2018’s Grey Rainbow From Bones (review here), and sees the trio foster a progressive heavy flourish prone to Doors-y explosive vocal brooding tempered with Elder-style patience in the guitar lines and rhythmic fluidity while there continues to be both an underlying aggressive crunch and a sense of Truckfighters-ish energy in “Dream Seller,” some blues there and in “Dog’s Eyes” and opener “Wolves” besides, and a willful exploratory push on “Burned by the Sun and Swallowed by the Sea,” which serves as a worthy centerpiece ahead of the rush that comprises much of “Long Way Down.” Further growth is evident in the spaciousness of “Flowers,” and “Star” feels like it’s ending the record with due ceremony in its largesse and character in its presentation.

Greynbownes on Facebook

Greynbownes on Bandcamp

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Treebeard, Nostalgia

One can’t argue with Melbourne heavy post-rockers Treebeard‘s impulse to take the material from their prior two EPs, 2018’s Of Hamelin and 2019’s Pastoral, and put it together as a single full-length, but Nostalgia goes further in that they actually re-recorded, and in the case of a track like “The Ratchatcher,” partially reworked the songs. That makes the resultant eight-song offering all the more cohesive and, in relation to the prior versions, emphasizes the growth the band has undertaken in the last few years, keeping elements of weight and atmosphere but delivering their material with a sense of purpose, whether a give stretch of “8×0” is loud or quiet. Nostalgia effectively pulls the listener into its world, duly wistful on “Pollen” or “Dear Magdalena,” with samples adding to the breadth and helping to convey the sense of contemplation and melodic character. Above all things, resonance. Emotional and sonic.

Treebeard on Facebook

Treebeard on Bandcamp

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Estrada Orchestra, Playground

Estonian five-piece Estrada Orchestra recorded Playground on Nov. 21, 2020, and while I’m not 100 percent sure of the circumstances in which such a recording took place, it seems entirely possible given the breadth of their textures and the lonely ambience that unfurls across the 22-minute A-side “Playground Part 1” and the gradual manner in which it makes its way toward psychedelic kraut-drone-jazz there and in the more “active” “Playground Part 2 & 3” — the last part chills out again, and one speaks on very relative terms there — it’s entirely possible no one else was around. Either way, headphone-ready atmosphere persists across the Sulatron-issued LP, a lushness waiting to be closely considered and engaged that works outside of common structures despite having an underlying current of forward motion. Estrada Orchestra, who’ve been in operation for the better part of a decade and for whom Playground is their fifth full-length, are clearly just working in their own dimension of time. It suits them.

Estrada Orchestra on Facebook

Sulatron Records webstore

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Vestamaran, Bungalow Rex

Even in the sometimes blinding sunshine of Vestamaran‘s debut album, Bungalow Rex, there is room for shades of folk and classic progressive rock throughout the summery 10-tracker, which makes easygoing vibes sound easy in a way that’s actually really difficult to pull off without sounding forced. And much to Vestamaran‘s credit, they don’t. Their songs are structured, composed, engaging and sometimes catchy, but decidedly unhurried, unflinchingly melodic and for all their piano and subtle rhythmic intricacy, mostly pretense-free. Even the snare sound on “Grustak” feels warm. Cuts like “Risky Pigeon” and “Cutest Offender” are playful, and “Solitude” and closer “Only for You” perhaps a bit moodier, but Vestamaran are never much removed from that central warmth of their delivery, and the abiding spirit of Bungalow Rex is sweet and affecting. This is a record that probably won’t get much hype but will sit with dedicated audience for more than just a passing listen. A record that earns loyalty. I look forward to more.

Vestamaran on Facebook

Apollon Records website

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Low Flying Hawks, Fuyu

Three records in, to call what Low Flying Hawks do “heavygaze” feels cheap. Such a tag neither encompasses the post-rock elements in the lush space of “Monster,” the cinematic flourish of “Darklands,” nor the black-metal-meets-desert-crunch-riffing-in-space at the end of “Caustic Wing” or the meditative, post-Om cavern-delia in the first half of closer “Nightrider,” never mind the synthy, screamy turn of Fuyu‘s title-track at the halfway point. Three records in, the band refuse to let either themselves or their listenership get too comfortable, either in heavy groove or march or atmosphere, and three records in, they’re willfully toying with style and bending the aspects of genre to their will. There are stretches of Fuyu that, in keeping with the rest of what the band do, border on overthought, but the further they go into their own progressive nuance, the more they seem to discover they want to do. Fuyu reportedly wraps a trilogy, but if what they do next comes out sounding wildly different, you’d have to give them points for consistency.

Low Flying Hawks on Facebook

Magnetic Eye Records store

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La Maquinaria del Sueño, Rituales de los Alucinados

Cult poetry on “Enterrado en la Oscuridad,” garage rock boogie “Ayahuasca” and classic, almost-surf shuffle are the first impressions Mexico City’s La Maquinaria del Sueño make on their debut full-length, Rituales de los Alucinados, and the three-piece only benefit from the push-pull in different directions as the seven-song LP plays out, jamming into the semi-ethereal on “Maldad Eléctrica” only to tip hat to ’60s weirdo jangle on “Mujer Cabeza de Cuervo.” Guitars scorch throughout atop swinging grooves in power trio fashion, and despite the differences in tone between them, “Enterré mis Dientes en el Desierto” and “Ángel de Fuego” both manage to make their way into a right on haze of heavy fuzz ahead of the motoring finisher “La Ninfa del Agua,” which underscores the live feel of the entire procession with its big crashout ending and overarching vitality. Listening to the chemistry between these players, it’s not a surprise they’ve been a band for the better part of a decade, and man, they make their riffs dance. Not revolutionary, but cool enough not to care.

La Maquinaria del Sueño on Facebook

LSDR Records on Bandcamp

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Ananda Mida, Karnak

A three-tracker EP issued through drummer Max Ear‘s (also of OJM) own Go Down Records, Karnak features an instrumental take on a previously-vocalized cut — “Anulios,” from 2018’s Anodnatius (review here) — an eight-minute live jam with Mario Lalli of Fatso Jetson/Yawning Man sitting in on guitar, and a live version of the Conny Ochs-fronted “The Pilot,” which opened 2019’s Cathodnatius, the cover of which continues to haunt one’s dreams, and which finds the German singer-songwriter channeling his inner David Byrne in fascinating ways. An odds-and-ends release, maybe, but each of these songs is worth the minimal price of admission on its own, never mind topped as they are together with the much-less-horrifying art. If this is a reminder to listen to Anada Mida, it’s a happy one.

Ananda Mida on Facebook

Go Down Records website

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I was fortunate enough to be in the crowd when Paradise Lost celebrated the 25th anniversary of Gothic by playing the album in its entirety at Roadburn 2016. To say the very least of it, it was a show worth remembering. The set, captured like so much of Roadburn by Marcel van de Vondervoort, was released this past Friday because blah blah Bandcamp Friday, but I don’t care what day it is, this is worth your time.

Paradise Lost released their Obsidian (review here) LP last year, continuing a decade-plus run of strong studio work, and joined the masses of bands doing livestreams last Fall to support it. An imperfect solution for an imperfect world, but better than nothing, maybe.

Lot of live albums out there right now? There sure are. This one has the decided advantage though of being Paradise Lost playing Gothic. So there.

Here’s the info that came in on Friday:

Paradise Lost to release ‘Gothic live at Roadburn 2016’ album

Following on from their new album ‘Obsidian’ in May last year and December’s ‘Draconian Times’ 20th anniversary reissue, British gothic metal legends Paradise Lost will release ‘Gothic Live At Roadburn 2016’ digitally and exclusively via Bandcamp this Friday.

The now legendary festival based in Tilburg, Netherlands saw Paradise Lost play their 1991 album in full for the very first time on a line-up alongside the likes of Converge, Cult of Luna and Neurosis in 2016.

Reflecting on the performance vocalist Nick Holmes comments,

‘I remember when we got asked to play Roadburn, I knew of the festival but I’d never actually been. The people that run it have an incredible knowledge and passion for music, so it was a great honour to be asked.

We played Gothic in full for the first time ever, perhaps slightly apprehensive how it would go down live as it’s not really a ‘festival’ set. However I was pleasantly surprised with the audience’s reaction and it was a really enjoyable experience.

The back drop was an animation that had been hand drawn by Costin, and it really helped I think with the overall performance.’

‘Gothic Live at Roadburn 2016’ is released tomorrow as part of Bandcamp Friday, which sees them waive their revenue share to help support the many artists who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic. The album download will also include access to the full stage animations that featured in the original Roadburn performance.

http://www.paradiselost.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/paradiselostofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/officialparadiselost/
https://paradiselostofficial.bandcamp.com
www.nuclearblast.de/paradiselost
https://twitter.com/officialpl
https://www.youtube.com/user/paradiselostuk

Paradise Lost, “Shattered” Live at Roadburn 2016

UK gothic death-doom forebears Paradise Lost are hosting a special streaming event later today in support of their new album, Obsidian (review here). I can’t help but wonder if the band knew then what they know now about how this year would play out of they’d have released it at all, but it’s out there now, and it’s good enough that it’s damn near a tragedy they’re not able to tour it on some 18-month cycle across various continents. But like everyone, they’re working with what they’ve got.

Some day, live music will return. Will it be the same? I doubt it. But as streams have become a go-to gap-filler for so many bands, I don’t think streaming is going away. What I’d love is for pay-per-view videos like this to become part of the pastiche of record promotion. A thing bands do, to do along with live shows, recording, touring, interviews, etc. One way or the other, there’s a lot that needs to shake out culturally before we get there.

And while I’m thinking of it, fuck Boris Johnson too.

The stream info from the PR wire:

Remember remember the 5th of November with PARADISE LOST!

Following on from the release of their new album ‘Obsidian’ in May, British gothic metal legends PARADISE LOST have announced a special live streaming performance and alternative to Bonfire Night on November 5th.

Vocalist Nick Holmes comments,
“Greetings, I hope everyone is well! Just a quick few words to thank everyone for the ongoing great response to our latest album, ‘Obsidian’, and to announce that as there are still no stages for us to play on, we have decided to perform live from our rehearsal studio at ‘The Mill’ In Bradford, West Yorkshire. The stream is due to be aired on 5th November at 20:00 GMT via Stageit.com. We sincerely hope you can all join us in a brief respite from these dark days! Thank you, Nick”

This one time live event will feature a regular set from the band alongside a VIP option, which includes three extra songs plus a pre-recorded interview with the band. The regular set will include the world premiere of 2 new songs from Obsidian, and the VIP set will feature 3. Besides the live stream experience at 12:00 PM PT/3:00PM ET, the band ‘replays’ the performance for their fans in the US at 6:00 PM PT/9:00 PM ET. You can either purchase for the European viewing, the US viewing or buy a ticket to both.

Tickets are on sale now via StageIT on October 20th via Stageit.com

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Paradise Lost, Obsidian (2020)

Last day, you know the drill. It’s been a pleasure, honestly. If every Quarterly Review could feature the quality of material this one has, I’d probably only spend a fraction of the amount of time I do fretting over it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and enjoyed the music as much as I have. If you haven’t found something here to sit with and dig into yet, well, today’s 10 more chances to do just that. Maybe something will stick at last.

See you in September.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Paradise Lost, Obsidian

It is impossible to listen to Obsidian and consider Paradise Lost as anything other than masters of the form. Of course, that they were one of the original pioneers of gothic death-doom helps, but even in the decade-plus since they began to shift back toward a more metallic approach, they have established a standard that is entirely their own. Obsidian collects nine tracks across a palatable 45 minutes, and if the hook of “Fall From Grace” is fan-service on the part of the band, then it is no less righteous for that. In atmosphere and aggression, cuts like “The Devil Embraced” and the galloping “Ghosts” deliver on high expectations coming off 2017’s Medusa (review here), even as side B’s “Ending Days” and “Hope Dies Young” branch into a more melodic focus, not departing from the weight of impact presented earlier, but clearly adjusting the approach, leading to an all the more deathly return on “Ravenghast,” which closes out. Their doom remains second to none; their model remains one to follow.

Paradise Lost on Thee Facebooks

Nuclear Blast webstore

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Vinnum Sabbathi, Of Dimensions and Theories

The narrative thread carried through the six tracks of Vinnum Sabbathi‘s Of Dimensions and Theories is a futuristic sci-fi tale about humanity’s first foray into deep space amid a chaos of environmental collapse and nuclear threat. The real story, however, is the sense of progression the instrumentalist Mexico City outfit bring in following up their debut LP, 2017’s Gravity Works (review here). Tying thematically to the latest Cegvera album — the two bands share personnel — pieces at the outset like “In Search of M-Theory” and “Quantum Determinism” maintain the exploratory vibe of the band’s jammier works in their “HEX” series, but through spoken samples give a human presence and plotline to the alternately atmospheric and lumbering tones. As the record progresses through the airier “An Appraisal” and the feedback-drenched “Beyond Perturbative States,” their dynamic finds realization in “A Superstring Revolution I” and the drum-led “A Superstring Revolution II.” I don’t know about humanity’s prospects as a whole, but Vinnum Sabbathi‘s remain bright.

Vinnum Sabbathi on Thee Facebooks

Stolen Body Records website

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Nighthawk, The Sea Legs EP

Composed as a solo outing prior to the founding of Heavy Temple, the Nighthawk solo endeavor (presumably she wasn’t a High Priestess yet), The Sea Legs EP, is plenty self-aware in its title, but for being a raw execution of material written performed entirely on her own, its four tracks also have a pretty significant scope, from the post-QOTSA heavy pop of “Goddamn” leading off through the quick spacegaze of “I’m From Tennessee Woman, All We Do is Honky Tonk,” into the deceptively spacious “I Can Haz” with its far-back toms, dreamy vocal melody and vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding guitar, and ending with the if-Ween‘s-country-album-had-been-weirder finish of “Stay Gold.” Nighthawk has issued a follow-up to The Sea Legs EP in the full-length Goblin/John Carpenter-style synth of The Dimensionaut, but given the range and balance she shows just in this brief 12 minutes, one hopes that indeed her songwriting explorations continue to prove so multifaceted.

Nighthawk on Bandcamp

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Familiars, All in Good Time

Contending for one of the year’s best debut albums, Familiars‘ All in Good Time offers eight songs across 43 minutes that blend organic-feeling grit with more ethereal, landscape-evocative psychedelics. The Ontario three-piece have a few singles to their credit, but the lushness of “Rocky Roost” and the emergent heft of “Barn Burning,” the fleshy boogie of “The Dirty Dog Saloon” and the breadth of “Avro Arrow” speak not just to Familiars‘ ability to capture a largesse that draws their songs together, or the nuance that lets them brings subtle touches of Americana (Canadiana?) early on and echoing desert roll to the fuzzy “The Common Loon,” but also to the songwriting that makes these songs stand out so much as they do and the sense of purpose Familiars bring to All in Good Time as their first long-player. That turns out to be one of the most encouraging aspects of the release, but in that regard there’s plenty of competition from elements like tone, rhythm, melody, craft, performance — so yes, basically all of it.

Familiars on Thee Facebooks

Familiars on Bandcamp

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Mountain Witch, Extinct Cults

Mountain Witch‘s fourth album, Extinct Cults, brings the Hamburg-based duo of guitarist René Sitte and drummer/vocalist René Roggmann back after a four-year absence with a collection that straddles the various lines between classic heavy rock, proto-metal, ’70s heavy prog and modern cultism. Their loyalties aren’t necessarily all to the 1968-’74 period, as the chug and gruff vocals of “Back From the Grave” show, but the post Technical Ecstasy sway of the title-track is a fascinating and rarely-captured specificity, and the vocal melodies expressed in layers across the record do much to add personality and depth to the arrangements while the surrounding recording remains essentially raw. No doubt vinyl-minded, Extinct Cults is relatively brief at six songs and 33 minutes, but the Priestly chug of “Man is Wolf to Man” and the engrossing garage doom of closer “The Devil Probably” offer plenty of fodder for those who’d dig in to dig into. It is a sound familiar and individual at once, old and new, and it revels in making cohesion out of such contrasts.

Mountain Witch on Thee Facebooks

This Charming Man Records website

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Disastroid, Mortal Fools

You might find San Francisco trio Disastroid hanging out at the corner of noise and heavy rock, looking disreputable. Their first record for Heavy Psych Sounds is Mortal Fools, and to go with its essential-bloody-essential bass tone and melodic semi-shouted vocals, it brings hints of angularity rounded out by tonal thickness and a smoothness between transitions that extends to the flow from one song to the next. While for sure a collection of individual pieces, Mortal Fools does move through its 43 minutes with remarkable ease, the sure hand of the three-piece guides you through the otherwise willfully tumultuous course, brash in the guitar and bass and drums but immersive in the overarching groove. They seem to save a particular melodic highlight for the verses of closer “Space Rodent,” but really, whether it’s the lumbering “Hopeless” or the sharper-toothed push of “Bilge,” the highlight is what Disastroid accomplish over the course of the record as a whole. Plus that friggin’ bass sound.

Disastroid on Thee Facebooks

Heavy Psych Sounds website

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Stonegrass, Stonegrass

I don’t know when this was first released, but the 2020 edition seems to be a remaster, and whenever it first came out, I’m pleased to have the chance to check it out now. Toronto duo Stonegrass brings together Matthew “Doc” Dunn and Jay Anderson, both of a markedly psyched-out pedigree, to dig into experimentalist acid-psych that pushes boundaries stylistic and national, tapping Afrobeat vibes with closer “Drive On” and the earlier 13-minute go-go-go jam “Tea” while “The Highway” feels like a lost psychedelic disco-funk 45, “The Cape” drones like it’s waiting for someone to start reading poetry over-top, and mellow hand-percussion and Turkish psych on centerpiece “Frozen Dunes.” The whole thing, which runs a manageable 39 minutes, is as cool as the day is long, and comes across like a gift to those of expanded mind or who are willing to join those ranks. I don’t know if it’s new or old. I don’t know if it’s a one-off or an ongoing project. I barely know if it’s actually out. But hot damn it’s rad, and if you can catch it, you should.

Cosmic Range Records on YouTube

Cosmic Range Records on Bandcamp

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Jointhugger, I Am No One

Norwegian half-instrumental trio Jointhugger have already captured the attention of both Interstellar Smoke Records and Ozium Records with their four-song debut long-player, I Am No One, and as the follow-up to their 2019 Daemo, it leaves little question why. The more volume, the merrier, when it comes to the rolling, nodding, undulations of riff the band conjure, as each member seems geared toward bringing as much weight to bear as much as possible. I’m serious. Even the hi-hat is heavy, never mind the guitar or bass or the cave-echoing vocals of the title-track. “Domen” slips into some shuffle — if you can call something that dense-sounding a shuffle — and underscores its solo with an entire bog’s worth of low end, and though closer “Nightfright” is the only inclusion that actually tops 10 minutes, it communicates an intensity of crush that is nothing if not consistent with what’s come before. There are flashes of letup here and there, but it’s impact at the core of Jointhugger‘s approach, and they offer plenty of it. Don’t be surprised when the CD and LP sell through, and don’t be surprised if they get re-pressed later.

Jointhugger on Thee Facebooks

Ozium Records webstore

Interstellar Smoke Records webstore

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Little Albert, Swamp King

Stepping out both in terms of style and substance from his position as guitarist in atmospheric doomers Messa, Little Albert — aka Alberto Piccolo — pronounces himself “swamp king” in the opening lines of his debut solo release of the same name, and the mellow ambiance and psychedelic flourish of tone in “Bridge of Sighs” and “Mean Old Woman” and the aptly-titled “Blues Asteroid” offer an individualized blend of psychedelic blues that seems to delight in tipping the balance back and forth from one to the other while likewise taking the songs through full band arrangements and more intimate wanderings. Some of the songs have a tendency to roll outward and not return, as does “Mary Claire” or “Mean Old Woman,” but “Outside Woman Blues” and the closer “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” hold tighter to the ground than some of what surrounds, so again, there’s a balance. Plus, as mellow as Swamp King is in its overarching affect, it’s neither difficult nor anything but a pleasure to follow along where Piccolo leads. If that’s off the psych-blues deep end, so be it. Only issue I take with him being king of the swamp is that the album’s domain hardly seems so limited.

Little Albert on Thee Facebooks

Aural Music on Bandcamp

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Parahelio, Surge Evelia, Surge

Beautiful, patient and pastoral psychedelia fleshes out across the three tracks of Parahelio‘s debut full-length, Surge Evelia, Surge. Issued on vinyl through Necio Records, the three-song offering reportedly pays homage to a mining town in the band’s native Peru, but it does so with a breadth that seems to cover so much between heavy post-rock and psych that it’s difficult not to imagine places decidedly more ethereal. Beginning with its title-track (12:33) and moving into the swells and recessions of “Gestos y Distancia,” the album builds to an encompassing payoff for side A before unveiling “Ha’Adam,” a 23-minute side-consuming rollout that encompasses not only soundscaping, but a richly human feel in its later take, solidifying around a drum march and a heavy build of guitar that shouldn’t sound strange to fans of Pelican or Russian Circles yet manages somehow to transcend the hypnotic in favor of the dynamic, the immersive, and again, the beautiful. What follows is desolation and aftermath, and that’s how the record ends, but even there, the textures and the spirit of the release remain central. I always do myself a favor with the last release of any Quarterly Review, and this is no exception.

Parahelio on Thee Facebooks

Necio Records on Bandcamp

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I’m curious how closely the promotional plan from Nuclear Blast for Paradise Lost‘s new album, Obsidian — which is out May 15 — will follow the pattern of the latest record from My Dying Bride that came out earlier this month. There are, of course, additional factors at play now that weren’t at the beginning of the year as they were rolling out the first of that band’s singles — blah blah blah pandemic — but starting with a narrative-style video and the launch of preorders is on point so far, and likewise the choice of a powerful lead single. In this instance, that’s “Fall From Grace,” for which the video is streamable below, followed, as happens, by the preorder link.

Granted it’s cliché as heckdarnshoot to compare these two acts either sonically or in terms of their respective career trajectories, but now that they’re once again labelmates — Paradise Lost signed to Nuclear Blast for their 2017 album, Medusa (review here), following a long stint on Century Media — it’s hard to avoid since at least one assumes it’s the same teams working behind the scenes on promoting them. My emails come from the same parties, anyhow. Paradise Lost are nothing not a proven commodity, as even the reception to their last offering proved, so maybe that’s me being interested in how the industry works these days — if what comes next is a lyric video, it’ll be on target — but as we’ve all learned to one degree or another in the last month-plus, plans can change in ways not previously anticipated. Still, even on a label with the reach of Nuclear Blast, Obsidian will obviously be a priority.

If the cinematic feel of “Fall From Grace” is anything to go by, that’s how it’s being treated. More to come, I’m sure.

Enjoy:

Paradise Lost, “Fall From Grace” official video

PARADISE LOST RELEASE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FOR “FALL FROM GRACE” + START PRE-ORDER FOR “OBSIDIAN” (MAY 15TH)

The book has been closed but the story is not over: PARADISE LOST sharpen their pens and add another chapter to their dark, glooming history of death doom and gothic metal. In difficult times, the British legend from Halifax is the drug that numbs the pain , the lover that takes away the sorrows, the story that craves to be told.

“Obsidian”, the new album from PARADISE LOST, will be released on May,15th.

You can order “Obsidian” now in various formats here:
https://nblast.de/ParadiseLostObsidian

Nick Holmes states: “As a global crisis, it goes without saying Covid 19 has affected everyone and everything, including every aspect of the music industry. As a result, our record label Nuclear Blast offered us the chance to postpone the launch of our latest album ‘Obsidian’ to a less volatile time later in the year.

Taking this into consideration, and the fact the live music circuit is currently in lockdown, we think it’s unnecessary to postpone the release as we think our fans wouldn’t want to wait. Music can be enjoyed in practically any environment, so therefore we are going ahead with the same release date 15.5.20, and we sincerely hope our new album helps to lift your spirits, and is a beacon of light in the dark during these uncertain times! Thanks for your continuous support through the years and see you on the road!”

Paradise Lost website

Paradise Lost on Thee Facebooks

Paradise Lost at Nuclear Blast website

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Nuclear Blast webstore