Posted in Whathaveyou on February 28th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Pick your poison here, it’s all killer. Makes sense when you think about it, too. If you’ve been waiting to have a party for two years, don’t you want to do it up? Thus it is that Sound of Liberation‘s plague-delayed 15th anniversary celebrations have become 17th anniversary celebrations — and frankly, having survived those extra two years is no mean feat either for a booking concern, or, you know, anyone — and the parties will be held June 10-11 in Munich and June 24-25 in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Simply put, the lineups aren’t fucking around. Colour Haze, Fu Manchu, High on Fire, 1000mods, Elder, Ufomammut, My Sleeping Karma, Yawning Man, Monkey3, The Well, Toundra, Villagers of Ionnina City, DVNE, Slomosa, Stoned Jesus, Lucid Void, and more to be announced. That pushes beyond “killer party” and into “this is actually a festival” territory, and after so much delay, I seriously doubt any of the concerned parties have a problem with that.
These will be significant evenings. If you’re going, drink it in.
As posted on socials:
17 YEARS SOUND OF LIBERATION FESTIVALS 2022
*** New Bands *** Day Splits *** Warm-Up Show ***
Dear friends and fans, we are excited to share a bunch of amazing news for our SOL Birthday Bashes in Munich and Wiesbaden with you.
We added some more outstanding acts to our line-ups and there’s an additional warm-up evening happening in Wiesbaden!
17 years Sound of Liberation • Backstage Munich
We’re stoked to finally share the day-splits with you!
Friday, 10th June 2022 Backstage, Munich (GER) Line-Up: Colour Haze, High On Fire, Elder, UFOMAMMUT, Villagers of Ioannina City, Toundra, DVNE + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Saturday, 11th June 2022 Backstage, Munich (GER) Line-Up: Fu Manchu, 1000mods, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Yawning Man (Official), monkey3, The Well + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Single-Day Tickets & Weekend Tickets are available.
17 years Sound of Liberation • Wiesbaden
Our party does now start a day earlier!
We’re proud to welcome no other than mighty UFOMAMMUT (ITA) and rising stars Slomosa (NOR) (+ one more band TBA) to rip down the Kesselhaus at Schlachthof Wiesbaden on June 24th and warm-up our neck muscles for the following full festival day!
Friday 24th June 2022 Official Festival Warm-Up Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER) Line-Up: UFOMAMMUT, Slomosa + 1 more band TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Saturday 25th June 2022 Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER) Line-Up: 1000mods, Elder, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Stoned Jesus, The Well, Lucid Void + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
We can’t wait for June, this is happening for real! Grab your tickets and join us in Munich and / or Wiesbaden
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 14th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
As one might expect, High on Fire frontman and Sleep guitarist Matt Pike is keeping good company on his forthcoming debut solo release, Pike vs. the Automaton. The newly announced record — really, the press release just came in — follows Pike‘s illustrated book of lyrics and the announcement that Sleep will return for at least a few shows next year. This, plus awaited word of the next High on Fire LP adds up to one busy heavy icon.
And Pike is that, make no mistake. As much as anyone could be without having actually been in Black Sabbath, he’s an influence on generations of acts across a range of styles. High on Fire earned that Grammy. Needless to say, this is anticipated.
I could go on, but here’s this from the PR wire:
High on Fire’s Matt Pike to Release Debut Solo LP, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, February 18, 2022
Iconic Heavy Metal Guitarist, Frontman Unleashes Diverse, Skyscraping Album Constructed during COVID-19 Pandemic; New Video “Alien Slut Mum”
From rewriting the hard rock rulebook with his Grammy award-winning trio, High on Fire, to reverse engineering doom metal with his genre-defining trio Sleep, Matt Pike has channeled his natural talents and chiseled a steely path straight to the heart of modern-day metal’s molten core. On February 18, Pike will release his debut solo LP, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, via MNRK Heavy. Pre-orders are live at PikeVstheAutomaton.com.
Born out of the challenges brought on by a worldwide pandemic, birthed under hellish red-orange skies bred from rampaging west coast wildfires, and built amidst the yearlong political riots and rallies in Portland, OR, Pike’s solo debut, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, is both a musical and emotional release. The record was written by Pike with drummer Jon Reid, features contributions from a slew of family and friends, and was recorded with longtime conspirator Billy Anderson, the producer who brought the best out of Pike previously on touchstone titles such as ‘Surrounded by Thieves’ and ‘Sleep’s Holy Mountain’.
“I was just going bonkers during the pandemic. It was like really, truly miserable. And then all the riots here in Portland and all the political shit. I was trapped in my garage, which was the only place I could go and jam and do anything,” confesses Pike. “I was trapped in there ’cause I couldn’t go jam with High on Fire, I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do that, no one could fly. I was going crazy. My friend Jon Reid, who was the original drummer for Lord Dying, had moved to Portland and was babysitting my dog, Crom, and he was drumming for my wife’s band, so he had his drums already set up at my place. I finally said, “Dude, do you want to come over and just start jamming? So, I just started this thing with my friend Jon. I was like, “Dude, fuck it. Let’s start a side band and we’ll just demo this and act like we’re starting it as teenagers, you know?”
‘Pike vs. the Automaton’ is advanced by the bizarrely titled track “Alien Slut Mum”.
When asked for comment on the clip, Pike cryptically replies, “Four friends enter the woods, for a getaway, little did they know they would never return! Dogmen, Sasquach, Reptilians, or alien slut mum?!?! Where have they gone??” Feast your eyes on “Alien Slut Mum” at this location.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is a well-known proverb that has proven itself true time and time again. When the need for something becomes imperative, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it. In this true story, the need for Pike was to create and play music with others at a time when that lifelong love was seemingly out of reach. Guest musicians on ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’ include Alyssa Maucere-Pike (Lord Dying / Grigax), Chad “Chief” Hartgrave, Brent Hinds (Mastodon), Steve McPeeks (West End Motel), Josh Greene (El Cerdo), Todd Burdette (Tragedy), and High on Fire’s Jeff Matz, who lays down Turkish electric saz on the album’s towering closing track “Leaving the Wars of Woe”.
‘Pike vs. the Automaton’ track listing:
1.) Abusive 2.) Throat Cobra 3.) Trapped In A Midcave 4.) Epoxia 5.) Land 6.) Alien Slut Mum 7.) Apollyon 8.) Acid Test Zone 9.) Latin American Geological Formation 10.) Leaving The Wars Of Woe
The album title, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, wasn’t an ego thing for me,” says Pike. “Billy and Jon said, “Dude, you should use your name in this. This is your solo project.” I said, “I don’t want to do that”. The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In ‘Jason and the Argonauts’, Jason and the Argonauts have to battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.'”
“I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike continues when asked for a CliffsNotes description of ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I definitely think it’s interesting; it has D-Beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record.”
Posted in Radio on November 26th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I had two ideas in my head for this episode. The first was to do a stuff-to-look-forward-to-next-year playlist, which I did, and the second was to do a me-spending-your-money-on-Black-Friday-Bandcamp-recommendations edition, which I did not do.
Was it the right choice? I don’t know, but it kind of feels like a victory for the good guys every time I get to play All Souls, or King Buffalo, or Sasquatch — or Gozu, or Conan, Stöner, Colour Haze, etc. — and there’s some small chance anybody will hear it, so I won’t exactly say I regret going the way I did. There will be other Bandcamp Fridays, I think.
And to be perfectly honest, I like thinking about this stuff, about new records coming out. I like to wonder what bands will come up with, song-wise, sound-wise, how things will have changed since their last record, how the identity of a group can shift over time. Think of High on Fire. Think of Dozer! A new Dozer album after 14 years. Who the hell knows what that’s going to sound like?
So yeah, that’s what I went with. And since preorder is up for some of this stuff — 40 Watt Sun, the PostWax series of which Dozer are a part, Naxatras, Messa, Earthless — I guess maybe you could spend some money anyway here. Plus there’s always older records to buy. It’s a big planet. There are a lot of albums on it.
Thanks for listening if you do and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 11.26.21
Dozer
The Flood
Beyond Colossal (2008)
Some Pills for Ayala
Space Octopus
Space Octopus (2021)
Gozu
They Probably Know Karate
Equilibrium (2018)
Wo Fat
There’s Something Sinister in the Wind
Midnight Cometh (2016)
VT
Sasquatch
Destroyer
Maneuvers (2017)
Earthless
Electric Flame
Black Heaven (2018)
Stöner
The Older Kids
Stoners Rule (2021)
Långfinger
Silver Blaze
Crossyears (2016)
King Buffalo
The Knocks
The Burden of Restlessness (2021)
Torche
Times Missing
Admission (2019)
All Souls
Winds
Songs for the End of the World (2020)
Conan
Volt Thrower
Existential Void Guardian (2018)
High on Fire
Freebooter
Electric Messiah (2018)
Messa
Leah
Feast for Water (2018)
40 Watt Sun
The Spaces in Between
Perfect Light (2022)
VT
Colour Haze
Life
We Are (2020)
Naxatras
Land of Infinite Time
III (2018)
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Dec. 10 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 12th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
God damn, Desertfest.
Importing Stoned Jesus, Green Lung, Planet of Zeus and Orange Goblin (as much as the latter count as an import; they’ve certainly been here before) to play alongside Baroness, High on Fire and Monster Magnet, Red Fang, C.O.C. and Torche?
That’s a big frickin’ deal.
If Desertfest NYC 2019 was a testing of waters to see if such a think could succeed and be feasible over a longer term, Desertfest NYC 2022 is an immediate play to become the preeminent heavy festival on the Eastern Seaboard of the US. To be a genuine Desertfest, in other words, of no less scale than Berlin, London, or Belgium. I’m glad to see Sasquatch and Fatso Jetson will be coming from the West Coast — I’d expect Fatso Jetson will be touring with Planet of Zeus, as that was supposed to happen in the long-long ago — and Somnuri are sure to represent NYC well and Stinking Lizaveta and High Reeper likewise for Philly, while The Atomic Bitchwax headlining the Vitus Bar pre-show warms my Garden Stater heart no end.
There are more to be announced (I have a couple picks of my own, not that anyone asked), but already this is the best heavy fest lineup for New York City in recent memory. It will be something special to behold. I hope there’s a photo pit at the Knockdown Center.
Behold Arik Roper‘s gorgeous poster art below, followed by the announcement:
Desertfest New York announces Baroness, High on Fire, Monster Magnet, Red Fang + more for second edition in 2022
Europe’s leading stoner rock collective Desertfest returns to New York in 2022.
Taking place in the unique arts space of the Knockdown Center from May 13th – May 15th, with an exclusive pre-party at Saint Vitus Bar on May 12th. Desertfest are firmly planting their feet back into New York’s underbelly with a mammoth line-up celebrating the very best of heavy music.
Welcoming home-grown talent such as BARONESS, MONSTER MAGNET, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY & TORCHE alongside acts from across the pond like Ukraine’s STONED JESUS, Greek groovers PLANET OF ZEUS & a debut US performance for English doom maestros GREEN LUNG, Desertfest NYC are pushing their second edition to new levels.
Saint Vitus kicks off proceedings as THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX, PLANET OF ZEUS, FATSO JETSON & DRUID warm up the engine for the weekend ahead. Followed by 3 monumental days as Knockdown Center hosts the likes of Grammy-award winning trio HIGH ON FIRE, British heavy metal icons ORANGE GOBLIN, a rock’n’roll bacchanal from RED FANG, insanity from INTER ARMA and much, much more.
4-day passes (includes access to Saint Vitus pre-party on Thursday 12th May) & 3-day passes (Knockdown Center only) are on sale now via the following link –https://desertfest.eventbrite.com
With more to be announced, including day splits, Desertfest are most certainly back with a bang. We highly recommend getting your tickets ASAP, don’t say we didn’t warn you…
Full Line-Up Knockdown Center May 13th – May 15th 2022 Baroness | High on Fire | Monster Magnet | Red Fang | Corrosion of Conformity | Torche | Orange Goblin | Dead Meadow | Inter Arma | Big Business | Green Lung | Stoned Jesus | Left Lane Cruiser | Sasquatch | Silvertomb | Telekentic Yeti | Stinking Lizaveta | High Reeper | Holy Death Trio | Yatra | Somnuri | Leather Lung
Saint Vitus Bar May 12th 2022 The Atomic Bitchwax | Planet of Zeus | Fatso Jetson | Druids
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 19th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
But wait, there’s more! On the very day it begins hosting its 2021 festival, Psycho Las Vegas has announced a new label imprint, Psycho Waxx. Sadly I don’t think they’re hiring A&R, otherwise I’d surely apply for the job and clog there roster with Swedish bands who won’t sell. Shame though.
Instead, they throw their hats into the tribute compilation game — who doesn’t like a gritty reboot? — with Löve Me Förever, a suitably umlauted homage to Motörhead that will boast new recordings from High on Fire, Blackwater Holylight, Mothership, Nick Oliveri and a slew of others. One expects that by the time it’s out it will be completely over the top, because Psycho is nothing if not on-brand in how they do.
One would remiss not to note that Löve Me Förever isn’t the first of recent heavy underground Motörhead tributes. Midwestern label The Company exceeded a Kickstarter goal to produce Ferociously Stöned: The Company Tribute to Motörhead, which it released in April and has out on physical as well as digital formats, with Keef Mountain, Hyborian and others in the label’s sphere taking part. While we’re on the subject, Psycho Waxx‘s Motörhead tribute probably won’t be the last either. These kinds of thing are going to be happening for a long time. At least as long as they sell, if not longer.
What follows came from social media:
PREORDERS are now open for LÖVE ME FÖREVER, a @psychowaxx tribute to one of the greatest rock ‘n roll bands of all time.
Motörhead is embedded deep in Psycho’s DNA, which is why we’ve got a slew of this year’s bombers hitting our Downtown Vegas studio during the fest to lay down their love in epic homage to the undeniable legends.
Löve Me Förever arrives on lavish double vinyl in 2022, with insane Motörhead cuts from the likes of HIGH ON FIRE, MIDNIGHT, EXHORDER, BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT, EYEHATEGOD, CEPHALIC CARNAGE, MOTHERSHIP, FOIE GRAS, HOWLING GIANT, CREEPING DEATH and more, plus an all-star collaborative take on “Ace of Spades” featuring Phil Anselmo, Gary Holt, Chuck Garric, Nick Oliveri and Dwid Hellion, among others. It’s everything you’d expect from Psycho as we throw down the gauntlet on our first official release.
2021 Psycho Las Vegas attendees pre-ordering on site at the fest will take home a limited edition cover art print, and receive a deluxe Psycho Waxx slipmat with record shipment. Art prints can be picked up at the Psycho showroom on Sunday, August 22 at 3 PM, held under the name on your pre-order.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 20th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Not going to sit here and pretend I know what the next year will bring. Or the next 15 minutes. Shit, I live with a three year old. Every day is a new reality to face down. Maybe announcements like this are grasping at straws for a life that’s gone now. I don’t know. But isn’t it worth it, especially in light of the universe of bullshit that has unfolded over the last year and a half — and don’t fool yourself, is still unfolding — to err on the side of optimism?
So yeah, Heavy Psych Sounds is announcing lineup info for its fest next year in Winterthur, Switzerland, at the famed Gaswerk venue. High on Fire, Elder and Duel (who had a recent song premiere here) are the first three names, and that’s awesome. It’s a two-day event, and probably one of at-least-several-if-not-many the Italian label will unveil in the coming months, and though the chances of my being there are approximately nil, it still makes me feel good to think this might happen, so I’m posting about it. That’s all. I just want to actively think positively about a thing.
Here goes:
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS RECORDS announces HIGH ON FIRE, ELDER and DUEL for HPS FEST SWITZERLAND 2022!
After last year’s cancellation, Heavy Psych Sounds Records is proud to finally reveal the first bands for their Swiss edition of the renowned HPS Fest- series, taking place between June 3 – 4, 2022 at the Gaswerk in Winterthur!
Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Heavy Psych Sounds specializes in presenting the best artists in the global heavy psych, doom, fuzz blues, sludge and space rock realms such as BRANT BJORK, NEBULA, NICK OLIVERI, YAWNING MAN, STÖNER, BLACK RAINBOWS, ACID MAMMOTH, BELZEBONG, WEDGE, THE SONIC DAWN among many more, and their festival- series shows no exception, spotlighting the ever-growing label’s dedication to its craft. While the first HPS Fests were held in Italy, the label has since extended its live reach into the UK, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria and even the USA: The underground cult label is not only THE adress for all heavy rock record collectors, but has also become an essential part of the live scene with a brisk participation from heavy music fans all over the world. More than a long year without live shows, today Heavy Psych Sounds announced the first big names for their Swiss 2022- edition, and have confirmed metal icons HIGH ON FIRE, progressive psych rock overlords ELDER, and Texas‘ heavy rockers DUEL to play HPS FEST Switzerland!
“We are so stoked to finally get back on the road with our HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FESTs !“ Says Heavy Psych Sounds staff member Rajko Dolhar. “After bringing our heavy psych vibes in the EU and the USA in recent years, we wanted to take on Switzerland too. Last year the pandemic put a hitch in our giddy up but we are pretty sure that in 2022 we will succeed. The lineup is one of the best so far with HIGH ON FIRE, ELDER, DUEL and many more yet to come, so grab your tickets and see you soon in front of the stage again !!”
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 24th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
If you’re looking for insight into the Psycho Las Vegas 2021 lineup, I have precious little to offer. What started out being accused of being an American answer to Roadburn has become a spectacle unto itself, operating at a scale that’s more in competition with the likes of a heavy metal Riot Fest or Coachella, and has likewise developed a community of its own. As for what catches my eye here, Cephalic Carnage for sure, as well as a few carryovers from what would’ve been 2020, and the likes of The Sword, who I guess are back together now? Fair enough. Oh, and the GZA, for good measure. Katatonia and Mercyful Fate and Elder and a couple others aren’t making the trip, but there’s certainly plenty here to occupy your weekend. If the Vegas-in-August heat don’t melt your brains, the riffs surely will.
What’s a guy gotta do to get invited to do a DJ set at Psycho Las Vegas? I’m gonna send Nate Carson an email and see if he’s got any tips.
Ty Segall next to Satyricon. Fatso Jetson and Profanatica. Immolation and Dengue Fever. The Flaming Lips and Cannibal Corpse. If you’re asking for it to make sense, you’re doing Psycho wrong. This is an event that defines its own parameters.
Approach thusly:
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 Lineup
America’s rock n’ roll bacchanal returns to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino August 20th through August 22nd, with another resort-wide casino takeover unlike any of its kind.
Now approaching its fifth year in the swirling neon decadence of Las Vegas, PSYCHO will feature over seventy artists across four stages including the world-class Events Center, the iconic House Of Blues, Mandalay Bay Beach, and the vintage Vegas-style Rhythm & Riffs Lounge in the center of the casino floor.
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 will continue to redefine America’s conception of what a festival can be.
Psycho Swim “The Official Psycho Las Vegas Pre-Party” Old Man Gloom, Bongzilla, Death Valley Girls, Polyrhythmics, The Skull, Blackwater Holylight, Here Lies Man, DJ Scott Seltzer
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2021 Lineup: Emperor, GZA, Mayhem, Obituary, Ty Segall, Satyricon, Watain, Paul Cauthen, The Sword, Cephalic Carnage, Health, The Bridge City Sinners, MGLA, Intronaut, Exhorder, Pinback, King Dude, Khemmis, Mothership, Toke, Lord Buffalo, Psychlona, Claude Fontaine, Hippie Death Cult, Foie Gras, ALMS, Mother Mercury, DJ Ethan MCCarthy, DJ Scott Seltzer, DJ Nate Carson, DJ Painkiller, Danzig, The Flaming Lips, Thievery Corporation, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Red Fang, Cursive, Pig Destroyer, Poison the Well, Eyehategod, Primitive Man, Death by Stereo, Curl Up & Die, Boysetsfire, Fatso Jetson, Profanatica, Adamantium, Silvertomb, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Withered, Flavor Crystal, Highlands, Vaelmyst, Black Sabbitch, The Tim Dillon Comedy Hour, Down, Exodus, High on Fire, Osees, Amigo the Devil, Drab Majesty, Crippled Black Phoenix, Weedeater, Full of Hell, Midnight, Repulsion, Cult of Fire, Zola Jesus, Tsol, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Guantanamo Baywatch, Immolation, Dengue Fever, Creeping Death, Kanga, Warish, Glacial Tomb, Relaxer, Vitriol, DJ Scott Seltzer, “Ask Doc” Q&A with Doc Mcghee
Posted in Reviews on October 1st, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Another day, another batch of 10 reviews on the march to 50 by the end of the week. Will we make it? Yeah, probably. I mean, I think there was once when I had to skip a day or something but even then I made up for it and there’s never been an instance where the Quarterly Review fell apart. The one quarter I decided to nix it (was it last year?) I made up for it by doing 100 reviews instead of 50 the next time out, so we got there eventually. It being Tuesday, the end of the week looks far off, but indeed we’ll ge there eventually, and there’s a lot of good music between now and then, so let’s hit it.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
High on Fire, Bat Salad
A limited vinyl EP released as part of Record Store Day 2019, High on Fire‘s Bat Salad comprises three songs: an original instrumental and two covers, one of Celtic Frost and one of Bad Brains. And I won’t take away from the “Rat Salad” Sabbath-does-blues-jazz-jam-except-it’s-High–on–Fire-so-it-sounds-nasty-as-hell spirit of “Bat Salad” at all, but the real highlight here is hearing Matt Pike‘s gravel-throated vocals take on “Into Crypts of Rays.” Celtic Frost have always been a central factor in what High on Fire were doing stylistically, so to have the band take them on directly seems long in the making. They approach Bad Brains‘ “Don’t Bother Me” with due reverence as well, careening through an intense three-minute burst of energy with the grit and underlying precision one has come to expect from these singular masters. Soon enough, bands will be covering High on Fire with the same spirit of fan homage. Doubly notable for being founding drummer Des Kensel‘s last recorded appearance alongside Pike and bassist Jeff Matz in the band.
Guitarist/vocalist Johni Holiday, bassist Jimmy Glass and drummer Ben Manchino return with Tårn, Ruff Majik‘s second album on a quick turnaround from their 2018 debut, Seasons (review here). Aligned with Lay Bare Recordings for the vinyl release, the deceptively quick and even more deceptively complex seven-track/36-minute offering finds Ruff Majik digging into dirt-caked tonality and classically punkish sneer in Holiday‘s vocals. There are moments where they sound like Queens of the Stone Age (“Speed Hippie”) and moments where they sound like Black Flag (parts of opener “Schizophrenic”), but as a roller like “Heretically Happy” or the earlier post-Zeppelin stoner sneak of “Gloom & Tomb” show, Ruff Majik are perhaps most interested in sounding like themselves. They’re gleeful as they toy with doomed vibes on closer “Seasoning the Witch,” and the seven-minute “I’ll Dig the Grave” earlier thrills with changes drawn together by a pervasive and righteous groove. With Tårn, Ruff Majik have found their wavelength, and it suits them.
Be it heretofore established that sax-laced Kansas City psych-doomers Merlin don’t give a fuck. They don’t give a fuck what you expect, they don’t give a fuck what everyone else is doing, they don’t give a fuck if they meme the crap out of their own band. They’ve got their thing and they’re doing it. And you know what? They’re right. The Mortal is their fifth full-length in six years, following as a sequel to early-2018’s The Wizard (review here), and with flourish galore in arrangements of organ, sax, flute, percussion, accordion, trumpet, etc., alongside the foundation of songcraft that comes through the guitar, bass, drums and always-theatrical vocals of Jordan Knorr, the band recount tales along a dark-magical mystery tour of gorgeously flowing and still-weighted psychedelic plunder. They have become a buried treasure of weirdo/geek rock, and whether it’s the peaceful drift of “Ashen Lake” or the cacophonous heavy riffing of “Basilisk,” the stage-setting prog of “Towerfall” or the consuming swell that carries out the apex of closer “The Mortal Suite” — King Crimson chase and all — Merlin‘s work has never sounded so masterful. Will there be a third installment in the tale? Nothing quite like a trilogy.
They’ve since added a third party in bassist Helen Storer (Fireball Ministry, among others), but Workshed‘s self-titled Rise Above Records debut LP was recorded as the duo of guitarist/vocalist Adam Lehan and drummer Mark Wharton. More than a quarter-century ago, both Lehan and Wharton played on Cathedral‘s pivotal first two albums, but in Workshed, and certainly there are some shades of doom on a stomper like “Anthropophobic” here, but the bulk of Workshed‘s nine-song/47-minute first offering is given to post-Entombed buzzsaw noise sludge, riffs crunched one into the next in an aggro, punk-rooted fashion that rife with a sense of willful punishment that comes through in sheer impact from front to back. Vocals call to mind Tom G. Warrior immediately and are suited to the social commentary of “If This is How it Is” and “This City Has Fallen,” while the grueling march of “A Spirit in Exile” leaves room for some atmosphere to eek through, which it does. They trash out in centerpiece “On Sticks of Wood” and chug their into a last fade on closer “It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way,” but by then they’ve long since made their statement and left a trail of destruction behind them. Would they have been signed to Rise Above without the Cathedral connection? Probably not. Does the album earn their place? Absolutely.
With their first full-length, Mænad, Swiss post-metallers E-L-R cart a gorgeous and textured course through patient and progressive songweaving that lends itself to hypnosis through its churning rhythm as much as its overarching melodies seem to evoke other worlds. It is not without its sense of challenge and certainly plenty heavy in its tone and groove — at least where it wants to be — but it’s also rich and provides a level of depth to its mix that should have others in the genre asking how they did it. A transitional drone at the end of “Devotee” brings about the 10-minute “Above the Mountains There is Light” and a long contemplation begins, working from the ground up on a pilgrim’s path to the eventual payoff. The resonance there is something unto itself, but even as “Ambrosia,” “Lunar Nights” and “The Wild Shore” find the stylistic footing that opener “Glancing Limbs” and “Devotee” seemed to hint at earlier, E-L-R maintain both an ambient sprawl and a consuming sense of passion that makes their work here all the more thrilling. This is a debut, following only a single 2018 demo that had two of the same tracks. What that tells me is look out for this band, because this kind of potential doesn’t come along every day and when it does, you want to be there for the follow-up. The impeccable taste of Prophecy Productions pays dividends once again.
Otherworldly doom rock marked by echoing vocals oozing out from deep in the mix and gotta-hear-it bass tone complemented by choice riffage and a fervent thud in the drums, even if the aesthetic of Richmond’s Sibyl is familiar enough, there’s plenty to dig about their debut EP — what one might’ve called a “demo” in eras past — The Magic Isn’t Real. The stylistic elephant in the room is RVA’s own Windhand, but Sibyl take a more psychedelic path to heavy oblivion, and with four tracks in the range of four to five minutes, The Magic Isn’t Real comes across as well focused in its songwriting despite the ethereal touches in the actual sound. Cool vibe, and as they work some noisy shuffle into “Spinning Webs,” they show themselves as being less restricted than otherwise might be the case if they were purely committed to doomed drudgery. I’ll give bonus points as well for naming the penultimate track “Sexpionage,” just on principle, but it’s in stretches like the subdued creeper opening of “Blood Moon” and the engrossing, still-somehow-moving wash of “Pendulums” that Sibyl really showcase their intention.
London heavy noise duo Golden Legacy offer five tracks and 23 minutes of anti-genre, adrenaline rock to follow-up their 2016 self-titled EP. There’s a strong undercurrent of modern punk and indie to their sound, which is what gets them the “anti-genre” consideration, but it’s the energy of their delivery carrying them one way or the other as they drive through the harsh snare of “Cut and Crash” following the chunkier tone of opener “Moon” and just before centerpiece “Dirty Mouth” finds its way into grunge-style howling beastliness. Comprised of drummer/vocalist Lorena Cachito and guitarist Yanni Georgiou, the two-piece find winning momentum in “Salvation,” while closer “Thirsty” opens with a mellow drum progression gradually joined by the guitar and builds into more progressive and dramatic movement, casting off some of the rawness of the songs before it in favor of more complex fare. It still manages to soar at the end, though, and that seems to be what counts. They might be rawer now than they’ll eventually turn out, but that suits most of what they’re doing in adding to the emotionality on display in Cachito‘s vocals.
Saint Karloff & Devil’s Witches, Coven of the Ultra-Riff
Alright, look. I don’t even think I have the full thing, but whatever. Saint Karloff and Devil’s Witches came together to release the Coven of the Ultra-Riff split — it can be so hard to find the right coven for your family; have you considered the Ultra-Riff? — and they each play an original track and then they cover each other’s songs and then Saint Karloff introduce the progression of “Supervixen (Electric Return)” and Devil’s Witches take up the mantle and run with it on “Supervixen (Acoustic Return),” so yeah, it’s pretty awesome and kind of all over the place but whatever. Get your head around it and get on board with whatever version you can grab. Vinyl came out through Majestic Mountain Records and tapes were through Stoner Witch Records and I’m fairly certain it’s all sold out already and probably stupid expensive on Discogs, but do what you need to do, because this is what Sabbath worship in the year 2019 is supposed to sound like. It’s bombed out of its gourd and has long since dropped out of life. It’s exactly where and what it wants to be.
I’m not going to pretend to have the grounding in post-hardcore to toss off the influences under which Burden Limbs are working, but to listen to the blast of noise in “How Many Times Must I Reset” and the near-industrial wash of noise they conjure in the subsequent “Hypochondriac,” it’s clear they’re working under one influence anyway. There is No Escape (released through Glasshouse Records) runs 24 minutes and carries four songs, but in that time the band around founding figurehead and guitarist/vocalist Chad Murray manage to challenge themselves and the listener alike to keep up with their turns and emotional resonance. Murray is joined by two bassists, another guitarist, keyboards/synth and drums, so yes, there’s something of a busy feel to it, but even echoing cavernous as they are, the vocals seem to draw the songs together around a central presence and add a human core to the proceedings that only makes them all the more affecting as would seem to be the intent.
Sometimes these things take a while, but El Supremo was formed by now-ex-Egypt bassist Chad Heille has a solo-project and released a self-titled demo in 2008, to which Clarity Through Distortion is the follow-up full-length. Now joined by guitarist Neil Stein (also ex-Egypt, and who also played some on the demo) and organist Chris Gould as well as bassist Cam Dewald who came aboard after the album’s completion, the instrumentalist full-band incarnation of El Supremo waste no time diving into dead-on tonal and riffy righteousness, taking classic heavy cues and running with them in modern production richness, sounding clear but natural as a jam like “Moanin’ & Groanin'” turns into a shuffler as it moves into its second half, or the mellow sway of the 14-minute “Supercell” at last runs head-on into the lumbering motion that will carry it through to the end. I don’t know how much clarity — at least of the existential sort I think they mean in the title — they might’ve found by the time the bluesy “Lotus Throne” rolls over into the shreddy “Outro” that caps, but if the method is distortion, they’ve certainly got that part down.
