Posted in Whathaveyou on April 26th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Alongside their previously announced West Coast tour set to kickoff May 16 in San Francisco, Hippie Death Cult will this summer head to Europe and the UK for a solid month of road time as they continue to support their 2023 long-player, Helichrysum (review here), which marked the beginning of their trio-era in terms of studio releases and was badass besides.
There are still a decent amount of open slots at least as of when I’m posting this, but you can see Blackdoor Fest, Stoomfest, the venerable Stoned From the Underground, Woodrock Festival, Blue Moon, and so on spread throughout, so no one can accuse them of not making the most of their time. And of course, if you’re in a position to help with a TBA, I encourage you to do that both as a matter of general principle and so you can see Hippie Death Cult live, which you’re not likely to regret if you’re still reading this paragraph.
I’ve included the West Coast dates here too, and if you’re on the US Eastern Seaboard like myself, heads up they’ll be at Desertfest New York this September and it’s not a huge cognitive leap to think they’ll be touring around that as well, given their obvious knack for it.
Off you go:
Hey all, we are stoked to announce that our heavy fuzz riffers HIPPIE DEATH CULT will tour Europe this Summer !!!
!! STILL FEW OPEN SLOTS !!
BOOK YOUR SHOW WRITE TO info@heavypsychsounds.com
*** HIPPIE DEATH CULT European Tour 2024 *** FR 28/06/2024 IT BOLOGNA – Freakout SA 29/06/2024 DE PASSAU – Blackdoor Fest SU 30/06/2024 ***OPEN SLOT*** MO 01/07/2024 UK *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 02/07/2024 UK NOTTINGHAM – Ye Olde Salutation Inn WE 03/07/2024 UK PRESTON – The Ferret TH 04/07/2024 UK SHEFFIELD – Yellow Arch Studio FR 05/07/2024 UK HUDDERSFIELD – Northern Quarter SA 06/07/2024 UK LONDON – Stoom Fest SU 07/07/2024 UK SWANSEA – Elysium Gallery & Venue MO 08/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 09/07/2024 FR LILLE – Le Bulle WE 10/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TH 11/07/2024 DE MANNHEIM – FR 12/07/2024 DE ERFURT – Stoned From The Underground SA 13/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** SU 14/07/2024 DE MUNCHEN – Unter Deck MO 15/07/2024 DE MAINZ – Kulturcafe TU 16/07/2024 NL NIJMEGEN – De Onderbroek WE 17/07/2024 DE KOLN – Stereo Wonderland TH 18/07/2024 DE DRESDEN – Chemiefabrik FR 19/07/2024 DE KARLSRUHE – Das Fest SA 20/07/2024 PT FIGUEIRA DA FOZ – Woodrock Festival MO 22/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 23/07/2024 SK BRATISLAVA – Garaže WE 24/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TH 25/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** FR 26/07/2024 DE COTTBUS – Blue Moon Festival SA 27/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** SU 28/07/2024 SI LJUBLJANA – Channel Zero
𝐩คc𝕚𝐟Į𝓬 𝕠Ⓓｙ𝕤Ｓ𝐞𝓎 ŦᗝỮя ➁ʘ２➃ 5.16 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – @sfeagle 5.17 COSTA MESA, CA – @wayfarercm 5.18 OCEANSIDE, CA – @pourhouseoceanside 5.19 LOS ANGELES, CA – @permanentrecordsla 5.20 LAS VEGAS , NV – @the_dive_lv 5.21 RENO, NV – @lobarsocial 5.22 BRENTWOOD, CA – @thebrentwoodemporium 5.23 REDDING, CA, – @thedipredding 5.24 CRESENT CITY, CA – Enoteca 5.25 PORTLAND, OR – @coffinclubpdx 6.14 EUGENE, OR – @johnhenryseugene 6.15 SEATTLE, WA – @clockoutlounge Ticket Links for West Coast: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/12709196-hippie-death-cult
HIPPIE DEATH CULT is: Laura Phillips – Bass/Vocals Eddie Brnabic – Guitar Harry Silvers – Drums
New York’s Geezer and Genoa, Italy’s Isaak are set to issue their split LP, Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, on May 17. As labelmates on Heavy Psych Sounds, they are united in dedication to groove and weighted tones, and they’re certainly both acts you’d call ‘heavy,’ but from one side of the platter to the other, there’s no question they each stand on their own as well.
Geezer open side A with “Acid Veins” (lyric video premiering below) as one the first of four characteristically grooving inclusions. It and the capping “Oneirophrenia” were recorded with David Andersen at The Artfarm, while the middle two, “Little Voices” and “Mercury Rising,” were tracked during the sessions for the band’s most recent album, 2022’s Stoned Blues Machine (review here), which were helmed by Chris Bittner at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, NY, near the band’s hometown of Kingston. I’m not sure when “Acid Veins” and “Oneirophrenia” were tracked, but they fit well in bookending the Interstellar Cosmic Blues portion of this split, with “Acid Veins” sweeping in on a quick rush of noise and digging almost immediately into its verse riff in an easy nod and swing from guitarist/vocalist Pat Harrington, bassist Richie Touseull and drummer Steve Markota that holds for the duration through the first of their four choice hooks and into the fuzz-drenched twister solo section that carries them out in classic stoner rock style.
Perhaps in comparison to Isaak, whose stated purpose here is to branch out in sound and personnel alike (give me a minute, we’ll get there), Geezer‘s four cuts might not come off as outwardly pushing boundaries in the same way, but in “Acid Veins,” “Little Voices,” which might be about depression or might be about having kids — take your pick; either way, “sometimes it gets dark” — and “Mercury Rising” they bring to emphasis the more straight-ahead songwriting that on their albums has done so much to complement and sometimes ground their jammier and more psychedelic material.
“Mercury Rising” is a little longer and starts out with a mellow jam for its first minute-plus, but picks up from there around a rolling riff and verse/chorus trades. It’s a hook I remembered instantly from being in the studio when Stoned Blues Machine‘s basic tracks were put down, and it’s a highlight here as well. Rounding out, “Oneirophrenia” — the title in reference to the semi-hallucinatory dream-state between being awake and asleep; you know, brain stuff — grows insistent in its shove as it moves through its halfway point, but closes Geezer‘s stretch with a condensed exploration of low-key spacey vibing, giving some representation to the reach that might show up near the end of an LP. Hypnotic by the end of its six minutes, it’s the proverbial ‘big finish’ perfectly scaled-down to suit the context in which it arrives. Sometimes a song just finds its place. That happens four times on the first half of Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes.
The plot thickens with the start of Isaak‘s “The Whale,” as the core four-piece of the band — vocalist Giacomo Boeddu, guitarist Francesco Raimondi, bassist Gabriele Carta and drummer Davide Foccis — waste not a second of their circa-15-minutes and transfigure the crunch of a song like “OBG” from last year’s Hey (review here) long-player onto a careening gallop that, particularly with the bellow that tops it, feels more born of the Baroness school of riffing. Welcoming the first of three guests in Fabio Cuomo (Gotho, Liquido di Morte), they calm it down somewhat momentarily in the bridge before building up to a charged finish, but are very obviously working to expand the perception of the band as The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, and both “Crisis” and “Flat Earth” follow suit in methodology and the shirking of expectation.
As to how recent Isaak‘s tracks are, I don’t know that either, but as vocalist Fabio Palombi (Burn the Ocean, Nerve) joins in for “Crisis” and Ufomammut drummer Alessandro “Levre” Levrero guests on “Flat Earth,” they both help the cause. “Crisis” sets out on an initially angular course of riffing before settling into the verse with Foccis on the bell of the ride, Mastodonic in thickness of tone in a way that feels not so far removed from what Hey wrought and daring a bit of shuffle in its chorus. The twist comes with the departure first into acoustic-inclusive heavy, almost-folkish push before they surge forward with the post-hardcore shouts of Palombi overtop, which give an intensity that Isaak answer by shifting back to the verse and chorus to round out. The sense of their trying new ideas, branching out in terms of sound, is palpable, but they’ve neither dropped their lead-with-riffs modus or the momentum of “The Whale” just before, and as Boeddu‘s own vocals have always had a bit of burl to them and certainly do here as well, it’s not too much of a leap to Palombi‘s part that it derails the song. It works, in other words.
They crash into the start of “Flat Earth” and set out across the split’s final track with a marked tension in the guitar. The pace isn’t quite as thrust-minded as “The Whale,” but the first of Isaak‘s three songs still affects the momentum of the last, and while they’re a bit more in line with what they’ve done before, when the chorus hits, what in many contexts would be a desert rock riff takes on a new persona and energy. It is both a blast and wall-‘o-tone heavy; the snare punctuating turns in the guitar and bass at the end of bellowing measures. Right at three minutes in, the guitar solo starts and the rhythmic pattern follows, but they’re back in the chorus soon enough and build from there into the ending section — which I’m pretty sure is where Levrero joins Boeddu — which both answers back to Geezer‘s ceremonious closeout and underscores the vibrancy behind the surprises from The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, who just might need to add a ‘+’ to their side B descriptor.
The bottom line for Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudesas a whole is quality work from established acts each with their own chemistry and intent for the release. They are nowhere near close enough in style to be competing with each other, but if you put one on loud, certainly the next will benefit from that same volume. Kind of a no-brainer for those who know the bands, maybe, and for those who don’t — that’s not a judgment on my part, ever; I’m not talking down to anyone — in Geezer‘s display of craft and Isaak‘s willful progression of style, they both play to strengths in an engaging summary of what they do. Yeah, the split’s got a long title, but hell, it also covers a lot of ground.
Enjoy “Acid Veins” below, followed by more info from the PR wire:
ACID VEINS is the third GEEZER single taken from the split album Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes. The release features Geezer and Isaak and will see the light on May 17th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
SAYS THE BAND: “Acid Veins is about life on the road. The good, the bad and the ugly side of touring in an underground rock band. While it is (in many ways) the best experience in the world, it ain’t for the faint of heart and it sure as hell ain’t always fun and games. We love what we do and we don’t take anything for granted. This one’s for the road dogs, for the lifers. Much love and safe travels!”
TRACKLIST SIDE A Acid Veins (Geezer) Little Voices (Geezer) Mercury Rising (Geezer) Oneirophrenia (Geezer)
SIDE B The Whale (Isaak feat Fabio Cuomo from Gotho & Liquido di Morte) Crisis (Isaak feat. Fabio Palombi from Nerve & Burn the Ocean) Flat Earth (Isaak feat. Levre from Ufomammut)
GEEZER are: Pat Harrington – vocals/guitar Richie Touseull – bass Steve Markota – drums
ISAAK is Giacomo Boeddu – vocals Francesco Raimondi – guitars Gabriele Carta – bass Davide Foccis – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 10th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
As much as I’ve gotten used to following the word Duel in a headline with some geographical region or other the Austin-based heavy rockers will be touring — and no doubt I’ll be back to that in soon enough — I’m glad to see word of their fifth album, Breakfast with Death, come down the PR wire. It hasn’t been that long since 2021’s notably driven In Carne Persona (review here), and even less since their 2023 live album, Live at Hellfest (review here), so cheers to them on continued restlessness. Taking on the first single, “Satan’s Invention,” believe them when they call it a “Thin Lizzy sequel,” and if you can’t get on board with the charge they bring to that, well, you’re probably not reading this in the first place, so whatever. That’s life in the age where everyone curates their own shit.
For the rest of us, “Satan’s Invention” has a little more room in the recording for Duel to unleash that charge, and reminds that while they’ve always been straight-shooters in terms of structure, their output has never wanted for atmosphere alongside its physicality. They are among the finest good-times-in-dark-sounds stage bands the US heavy rock underground has to offer, and their records have consistently brought that electricity to bear. I would expect no less going into Breakfast with Death, as they continue to work to their own high standard.
From the PR wire:
Austin heavy metal revelers DUEL share first track off new album “Breakfast With Death”, coming out July 5th on Heavy Psych Sounds.
Austin, Texas heavy rock spearhead DUEL will release their fifth full-length “Breakfast With Death” this July 5th on Heavy Psych Sounds, with a rip-roaring first track streaming right now.
Look who got up on the wrong side of the bed! “Breakfast With Death” is the fifth studio album by Austin Texas stoner metal riff dealers DUEL: nine angry, blistering tracks flexing the faster and heavier side of the thunderous foursome. Every song is a beer-soaked banger capturing the ferocity of the band’s legendary live performances.
About this fist-pumping new track, the band comments: “I don’t believe in the devil! Hell is a place here on Earth! Satan’s invention is a 4-minute Thin Lizzy-sequel rocker exploring the evils of man and the illusions of life. The countless lies we are fed from birth to death. All at a beat you can dance to!”
New album “Breakfast With Death” Out July 5th on Heavy Psych Sounds (LP/CD/digital)
TRACKLIST: Side A: 1. Ancient Moonlight 2. Satan’s Invention 3. Chaos Reigns 4. Fallacy 5. Pyro Side B 6. Berserker 7. Tigers of Destruction 8. Greet The Dead 9. Burn The Earth
Recorded and mixed by Jeff Henson at Red Nova Ranch Produced by Jeff Henson and Tom Frank Mastered by Alberto de Icaza all songs by DUEL
DUEL is Tom Frank – lead vocals & guitar Jeff Henson – lead guitar & backing vocals Patrick “Scooch” Pascucci – Drums Drew Potter – bass & backing vocals
Not that you need one in the first place, but if you would look for an excuse as to what might bring SoCal heavy psychedelic rock forebears Nebula and Italian cosmosblasters Black Rainbows together, both will be on tour in Europe in the coming months, Nebula are well documented heroes of founding Black Rainbows guitarist/vocalist Gabriele Fiori, and the split is listed as #300 in the catalog of Fiori‘s label, Heavy Psych Sounds, which has also stood behind Nebula‘s two post-resurgence LPs, 2022’s Transmission From Mothership Earth (review here) and 2019’s Holy Shit (review here).
Each act contributes three songs for a short but full-length-enough runtime of 32 minutes. Black Rainbows‘ tracks, as noted below, come from the sessions for their latest album, 2023’s Superskull (review here), while Nebula‘s side is newly recorded. Led off by Nebula‘s “Acid Drop” as the first single — it premieres below — the outing has been given the cumbersome title In Search of the Cosmic Tale: Crossing the Galactic Portal, which I have no doubt it has absolutely earned.
And if you’ve already stopped reading at the mention of the premiere below, or you skipped outright to the player, you won’t hear me argue. It’s a pretty straightforward proposition to bring these two together, however winding and/or spaced the course of the actual music may turn out to be, and something of a no-brainer to keep on your radar as summer starts to heat up. Nebula were in Europe last Fall as well, so I don’t know whether they’ll make the return trip to meet up with Black Rainbows at the Heavy Psych Sounds Fests in Germany, but it’s a universe of infinite possibility.
The raw crunch-punk fuckery of “Acid Drop,” with its blown-out vocals and swirling jam into the fade, follows on the player below. Beyond that, the PR wire takes over.
Dig if you dig:
Nebula, “Acid Drop” track premiere
HPS300 – NEBULA / BLACK RAINBOWS – In Search Of The Cosmic Tale: Crossing The Galactic Portal
There’s not much to add, two of the greatest Heavy Psych bands of the scene join the forces to give birth to an incredible Split Album.
Packed with 32 minutes of the highest quality heavy rock you can find out there; a joint venture which can happen only once every 100 years!!
Heavy Psych king-pioneers Nebula bring to life three brand new songs, recorded expressly for this incredible project. Three new gems which follow their latest “Holy Shit” and “Transmission….”
Black Rainbows add in three songs of their own, handpicked from the recording session of their latest success “Superskull”, released back in 2023. Delivering two Stoner in-your-face Heavy Fuzz pieces and one Heavy Space tune to celebrate this awesome collaboration!!
The cover art pairs perfectly with the vision and vibe of the album and is credited to the mighty Simon Berndt.
NEBULA 1. Acid Drop 2. Eye of the Storm 3. Ceasar XXXIV
Recorded at “High Desert Sound Studios “ Spring Equinox 2024. Produced and Mixed by Nebula Mastered by Claudio Pisi Gruer at Pisi Studio
Eddie Glass : Guitars, Vocals, Drums Ranch Sironi : Bass, Vocals, Mix Down Warzone Speedwolf : Drums
BLACK RAINBOWS 1. The Secret 2. Thunder Lights on the Greatest Sky 3. Dogs of War
Recorded 11-12-13 May 2022 at Forward Studio, Rome, Italy by Fabio Sforza and Andrea Secchi Vocals, Synths, Overdubs Recorded in November and December 2022 At Forward Studios and Channel 5 Studio by Andrea Secchi and Gabriele Fiori Mixed and Engineered by Fabio Sforza Mastered by Claudio Pisi Gruer at Pisi Studio All Songs, Music and Lyrics written by Gabriele Fiori
BLACK RAINBOWS are Gabriele Fiori — Guitars & Vocals Edoardo “Mancio” Mancini — Bass Filippo Ragazzoni — Drums
BLACK RAINBOWS European shows 2024 03.05 – Barcelona (SP) 62 Club 04.05 – Vidiago (SP) Vidiago Rock Fest 07.06 – Winterthur (CH) Gaswerk – Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 14.06 – Genova (ITA) TBA 28.06 – Clisson (FR) Hellfest 29.06 Passau (DE) Blackdoor Fest 13.07 – Trieste (IT) TBA 10.08 – Bagnes (CH) Palp Fest 12/13.10 – Berlin (DE) Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 27/28.10 – Dresden (DE) Heavy Psych Sounds Fest
NEBULA European Tour 2024 TH. 06.06.24 IT PRATO – OFF TUNE FESTIVAL FR. 07.06.24 IT BERGAMO – ROCK IN RIOT SA. 08.06.24 CH MARTIGNY – HPS FEST CH SU. 09.06.24 IT ***OPEN SLOT*** MO. 10.06.24 IT ZERO BRANCO – ALTROQUANDO TU. 11.06.24 SL LJUBLJANA – GALA HALA WE. 12.06.24 HR ZAGREB – THE VINTAGE INDUSTRIAL TH. 13.06.24 DE RAVENSBURG – IRISH PUB SLAINTE FR. 14.06.24 DE ***OPEN SLOT*** SA. 15.06.24 DE MUNSTER – RARE GUITAR MO. 17.06.24 FR SEIGNOSSE – THE BLACK FLAG TU. 18.06.24 ES SAN SEBASTIAN – DABADABA WE. 19.06.24 ES MADRID – WURLIZER TH. 20.06.24 ES BARCELONA – SALA UPLOAD FR. 21.06.24 FR BORDEAUX – LA FETE DE LA MUSIQUE SA. 22.06.24 FR ***OPEN SLOT*** SU. 23.06.24 FR BOURLON – ROCK IN BOURLON FR. 28.06.24 FR CLISSON – HELLFEST SA. 29.06.24 FR MANIGOD – NAMASS PAMOUSS FESTIVAL SU. 30.06.24 FR CHAMBERY – BRIN DE ZINC MO. 01.07.24 FR PARIS – SUPERSONIC WE. 03.07.24 UK ***OPEN SLOT*** TH. 04.07.24 UK SHEFFIELD – YELLOW ARCH STUDIO FR. 05.07.24 UK LONDON – STOOMFEST SA. 06.07.24 UK NOTTINGHAM – ROUGH TRADE
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 9th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Two sides, two shows, one from 2008 and one from late last year. To my knowledge, Live will be the first captured-on-stage offering from long-running Portland trad-metal rockers Danava, as well as their first collaboration with Heavy Psych Sounds — their 2023 LP, Nothing But Nothing (review here), came out through Tee Pee — and considering how much touring they’ve done since their mid-aughts outset, they’re well due. Seems pretty clear the intent in dividing Live between ‘then’ and ‘now-ish’ is to give their latest work and current lineup some deserved documentation — i.e., the album ruled — while the A side offers longtime followers a chance to remember where they came from. What’re you gonna do, argue? It’s Danava. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already ordered. If not, not. They’ll keep going regardless.
But if you’re here, before you move onto the next thing, click off, get distracted, whatever, take a listen to “Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun” below. It’s the first single from Live and the song that starts the 2023 gig. Before the song starts, you’ll hear the crowd being welcomed and, just before the music kicks in, “We’ve been ready.” I think once you hear what follows, you’ll agree, even if you’ve never listened to Danava before today. That’s why you put out a live record.
From the PR wire:
DANAVA to release “Live” album on June 21st via Heavy Psych Sounds; first track and preorders available now!
Pacific Northwest’s proto-heavy revelers DANAVA announce the release of their “Live” album this June 21st through European powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds and present a thunderous first excerpt with “Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun”.
Capturing the frenzy of their European tours in 2008 and 2023, this new album from the revered proto-heavy merchants is a must-have for fans old and new! Featuring a live recording from Whelan’s in Dublin and 007 Strahov in Prague, the tracklist is a testament to DANAVA’s prowess on stage. From the hypnotic rhythms of ‘Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting’ to the raw energy of ‘Let The Good Times Kill,’ each song is a journey through the band’s dynamic universe!
With two decades of relentless dedication, the Portland-based rock’n’roll overlords have endeavored to unleash their authentic and electrifying fusion of hard rock and heavy metal upon a world burdened by strife and turmoil. Their mission is to harness music’s power as a beacon of hope, uniting lives and imaginations as one collective force. Join them on this journey toward a vibrant existence amidst the chaos we never chose to inhabit. Together, we rise. Together, we create. Don’t miss the chance to embark on this exhilarating ride as DANAVA ushers in a new era of fluidity before we vanish into the ether!
Described as a concoction reminiscent of Rainbow, Dio, Thin Lizzy, early Maiden and Judas Priest, DANAVA’s sonic brew promises a bold assertion of dominance in the current rock and roll landscape. As acclaimed musician Mike Scheidt of YOB puts it, Danava has always exemplified excellence in their craft, and this latest release is no exception.
TRACKLIST: Side A – Recorded at Whelan’s, in Dublin (4/13/08) 1. Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting 11:59 2. Maudie Shook 8:41 Side B – Recorded at 007 Strahov, in Prague (11/11/23) 1. Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun 5:57 2. Nothing But Nothing 4:14 3. Longdance 7:55 4. Let The Good Times Kill 3:31
DANAVA is Gregory Meleney – vocals/guitar Levi Campbell – vocals Kerby Strom – guitar Dominic Casciato – bass Matt Oliver – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 4th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
It’s something of a surprise to see Slower touring. The Slayer covers project helmed by guitarist Bob Balch released its self-titled debut (review here) through Heavy Psych Sounds earlier this year, and even then, the lineup was broadly cast enough to make live performances seem less likely. In addition to Balch, Amy Tung Barrysmith and Esben Willems — who will be the on-stage incarnation of the band — the album also featured Peder Bergstrand (Lowrider), Laura Pleasants (ex-Kylesa) and Scott Reeder (Kyuss, The Obsessed, etc.), so you might be forgiven if the possibility of Slower as a touring entity didn’t occur to you either.
And certainly not even among the three players heading out, no one’s lacking for goings on. Balch is about to release a new Fu Manchu album this Spring, Barrysmith recently finished recording the next Year of the Cobra (awaited), and Willems put out his first-ever solo LP like a week ago. Oh, you’re gonna go tour with a completely different band playing rearranged thrash songs in Europe? Yeah, cool. I mean, if you’re not busy or anything.
The prospect is no less badass for being unexpected, however, and if this is a testing of waters for more to come and Slower will be ongoing, so much the better. Between the three of them, they could get up there and do “Wheels on the Bus” and it’d be heavy. I’ll look forward to the video that hopefully someone at a show gets.
Doomstar Bookings posted the following:
Slower announce their European Tour 2024! Check out all dates below!
Slower states: “Everything in this project just fell into place naturally, even though none of us really knew what to expect going in, other than being inspired by the idea. Now that the album has become reality, it feels like a given to get these songs on the road. Cannot wait to play them live, this one is gonna be a blast.”
Dug-in Athenian riffchuckers Acid Mammoth are set to issue their fourth LP, Supersonic Megafauna Collision, on April 5 through Heavy Psych Sounds. It arrives three years after their duly rolling 2021 offering, Caravan (review here), and feels no less self-aware in highlighting its elephantine nature, a largesse of sound that begins in the opening title-track — catchy, doomed but not necessarily miserable, more reveling in the worship of volume and tone, a nodding testimony — and follows where the smoke goes throughout its six-track/41-minute entirety.
And if you’re expecting me to drop a reference here to that smoke leading to the Riff-Filled Land, well, I guess that’s reasonable enough. But don’t let that take away from the fact that Acid Mammoth have been declaring their brand of stoner-doom dogma since their 2017 self-titled debut caught the attention of Heavy Psych Sounds in the first place. And along with the over-the-top, heavy-speaking-to-heavy title underscoring the latest outing’s aural heft in language the genre-converted should have no trouble understanding — that is, it feels like one is supposed to look at Supersonic Megafauna Collision and/or the Branca Studio cover that adorns it and rightly anticipate being flattened by the proceedings — the overarching crush that gets a bit more down and dirty in “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” (video premiering below) becomes not a downer slog, but instead a vital celebration of its own motion.
This is an aspect of the work the band themselves acknowledge in the PR wire info below — thinking specifically of “all that enthusiasm and excitement,” etc. — and part of it might just be down to that the record, with the exceptions of 11:53 closer “Tusko’s Last Trip” and the trade-volume-for-hypnosis “One with the Void” (4:35) before it, keeps its songs to about six minutes in length, keeps its energy high, and feels in its bulk specifically composed to be played live. Through the title cut, “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming),” the Electric Wizardly slough of “Garden of Bones” on which Marios Louvaris seems to keep the momentum going in part by peppering in double-kick amid the tempo comedown riffery, and “Atomic Shaman,” which leads off side B in what feels like direct complement to the catchiness that began in “Supersonic Megafauna Collision,” Acid Mammoth dare to bring vibrancy to a style of doom that in the hands of many outfits in Europe and elsewhere has a hard time getting out of the way of its own misery. Among the many other things Acid Mammoth accomplish on Supersonic Megafauna Collision, they make it fun to play in the mud.
The vocals of Chris Babalis, Jr., which are Sabbath-rooted but have never wanted for their own character in that — Babalis on guitar/vocals and Louvis on drums make up half the returning lineup with guitarist Chris Babalis, Sr. and bassist Dimosthenis Varikos are another piece of what carries that fervor through to the listener. This is true even as one waits for the volume burst in “One With the Void” that doesn’t actually arrive until after the riff of “Tusko’s Last Trip” enacts its own build, and as infectious as the earlier pieces are in their choruses and brighter mood, it’s the vocals that provide consistency as the second half of the record departs from “Atomic Shaman” into the last two songs, fostering tension in “One With the Void” that “Tusko’s Last Trip” pays off in its outbound march and the gritty low end that leaves space for lead guitar to cut through before and after they set up and execute the concluding, jammier procession, an especially scorching solo over brash plod that could probably have just kept going all day like that providing the album’s final statement before the quick fade brings it down.
While consistent in tone, “Tusko’s Last Trip” is purposeful in delivering on the trope of a harder-hitting, broader-in-scope capstone, and it ends up hitting its mark — not unexpectedly, considering it’s Acid Mammoth‘s fourth full-length — in a way that also calls out the clarity of big-riff-party intent throughout Supersonic Megafauna Collision‘s early going. And yet, if they wrote it for Caravan, it would’ve been a completely different song three years ago. The band have never sounded tighter than they do in these songs, and while that’s part of the appeal, they neglect neither the atmospheric scope nor the raw impact crucial to engaging the audience whose passion for the form they so readily share. All of these elements, plus melody, chemistry, aesthetic and craft, align just right to let Supersonic Megafauna Collision present a fresh take to those with ears willing to hear it. Whatever else they do or don’t do from here, they’ve captured a moment.
Enjoy the clip for “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” — which is mostly safe for work, if that helps? — below, followed by some words from the band on it and more from the PR wire:
Acid Mammoth, “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” video premiere
Acid Mammoth on “Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)”:
“Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming)” is the third track of our upcoming new album ‘Supersonic Megafauna Collision’. It is a witchy track, filled with fuzzy riffs and an unholy atmosphere. Debauchery is taking place in the wickedest of covens, with smoke and blood transcending your soul. Join the coven and relish its serpentine bliss!”
About their upcoming fourth studio album “Supersonic Megafauna Collision”, vocalist and guitarist Chris Babalis Jr. says: “While the previous album was composed and recorded during a state of total COVID lockdown in 2020, our new album was composed and recorded after the world had gotten back to a new state of normalcy after we had toured and played shows all over Europe, and all that enthusiasm and excitement we gathered while touring was put into this new album. We wanted to record a heavy and explosive album with lots of fuzz, that retains what made our sound great in our previous releases but take it a few steps further, and that’s exactly what we did. The album starts as a celebration of all things fuzzy with the title track, and it just gets darker and darker as the album progresses, until it concludes in complete and utter heartbreak with the song “Tusko’s Last Trip”, telling the heart-wrenching real story of Tusko, an elephant who was murdered as a result of cruel human experimentation.”
“Supersonic Megafauna Collision” was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Descent Studio, with drums recorded at Ritual Studios. The artwork was created by Branca Studio.
*** ACID MAMMOTH *** EUROPEAN TOUR 2024 SA 27/04/2024 IT TORINO – Blah Blah SU 28/04/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** MO 29/04/2024 ES BARCELONA – Razzmatazz 3 TU 30/04/2024 ES MADRID – Wurlitzer Ballroom WE 01/05/2024 ES PORTUGALETE – Sala Groove TH 02/05/2024 FR MARSEILLE – Le Molotov FR 03/05/2024 FR CHAMBERY – Brin de Zinc SA 04/05/2024 CH ALTDORF – Vogelsang SU 05/05/2024 IT BOLOGNA – TBA MO 06/05/2024 IT *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 07/05/2024 IT *** OPEN SLOT ***
TRACKLISTING: 1. Supersonic Megafauna Collision (6:38) 2. Fuzzorgasm (Keep on Screaming) (6:12) 3. Garden of Bones (6:28) 4. Atomic Shaman (6:12) 5. One With the Void (4:35) 6. Tusko’s Last Trip (11:53)
ACID MAMMOTH is Chris Babalis Jr. – Vocals, Guitars Chris Babalis Sr. – Guitars Dimosthenis Varikos – Bass Marios Louvaris – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 19th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Surprised that Hippie Death Cult are rolling out this Spring for West Coast dates supporting their 2023 album, Helichrysum (review here), or that they’re heading off anyone who’d do the social media thing where people complain tours aren’t coming to their houses like Amazon deliveries by saying there’s more to come in North America and Europe? Yeah, I’m not really either. Touring is a big part of what they do and remained such as they restructured their lineup around the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Laura Phillips, guitarist Eddie Brnabic and drummer Harry Silvers, and that includes fostering a rawer, more-live-feeling sound on last year’s aforementioned LP.
The news is no less welcome for being not-unexpected, however, as Hippie Death Cult set themselves to hitting stops up and down the Pacific Coastline, dipping inland for Las Vegas, Reno, etc. Having already pulled off the sonic pivot of Helichrysum decisively and with rare freshness of perspective for something that’s not actually a debut, maybe this can be something of a victory lap for that. Or, you know, if not, maybe the next tour, because history paints them as honest when they say there’s more to follow.
In the meantime, this took me a couple days to post because I suck at this whole thing, but here’s what they had to say about it, fancy fonts and all:
Pacific West Coast !! Get ready⚡️We are kicking off our 2024 tour season with a special run up and down the coast this May & June !! Like always, each n’ every show is a 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝 h͎i͎g͎h͎ ͎v͎i͎b͎r͎a͎t͎i͎o͎n͎a͎l͎ ͎m͎o͎j͎o͎ ͎s͎h͎i͎f͎t͎e͎r🫨 See y’all SOON!
Tickets on sale today at 10am PST!! Don’t miss out !!
Get your tix, tag your friends, See y’all soon !!
𝐩คc𝕚𝐟Į𝓬 𝕠Ⓓｙ𝕤Ｓ𝐞𝓎 ŦᗝỮя ➁ʘ２➃ 5.16 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – @sfeagle 5.17 COSTA MESA, CA – @wayfarercm 5.18 OCEANSIDE, CA – @pourhouseoceanside 5.19 LOS ANGELES, CA – @permanentrecordsla 5.20 LAS VEGAS , NV – @the_dive_lv 5.21 RENO, NV – @lobarsocial 5.22 BRENTWOOD, CA – @thebrentwoodemporium 5.23 REDDING, CA, – @thedipredding 5.24 CRESENT CITY, CA – Enoteca 5.25 PORTLAND, OR – @coffinclubpdx 6.14 EUGENE, OR – @johnhenryseugene 6.15 SEATTLE, WA – @clockoutlounge
