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Garden of Worm Stream Idle Stones in Full; Album out Today on Svart

Posted in audiObelisk on March 6th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

garden-of-worm

Today marks the release date of Finnish doom rockers Garden of Worm‘s second album, Idle Stones, on Svart. It’s a record that, following half a decade after their 2010 self-titled debut (review here), has already been reviewed here more or less twice (see here and here), so I’ll spare the verbiage this time around and say instead how fortunate I feel to be able to host the stream, because I genuinely think it’s a record that represents something special within its four tracks.

Not just that Garden of Worm have grown since their last time out, but from the initial downer-shuffle of “Fleeting are the Days of Man” through the twists of “Desertshore” and on into the expansive jamming in the 19-minute closer “The Sleeper Including Being is More than Life,” it crosses genre borders so easily as to make the listener forget they existed in the first place, or more, to doubt they ever did.

Easy to mark that out as hyperbole, maybe, but I think Garden of Worm‘s sophomore outing lives up to it. When I streamed “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan,” I said something similar, and remarked on how fluid the material was across the board and how natural the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist EJ Taipale, bassist/vocalist SJ Harju and drummer JM Suvanto sounded moving between parts and showcasing varied sides of their influences.

I stand by all of it, of course, and it’s a big part of the reason why after hosting one track I’m so pleased to be able to follow-up with the album in its entirety. It deserves to be heard front to back, to have each shift experienced in its most proper surroundings, the context of Idle Stones as a whole. I don’t usually do this kind of thing, and if one might think of it as an exception to the rule, consider it also an exceptional album.

And of course, please enjoy:

Garden of Worm‘s Idle Stones is out today, March 6, on Svart Records. The release show is tonight in the band’s native Tampere. More info at the links.

Garden of Worm on Thee Facebooks

Release show event page

Idle Stones at Svart Records

Svart Records on Thee Facebooks

 

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Garden of Worm Stream “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan” from New Album Idle Stones

Posted in audiObelisk on February 11th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

garden-of-worm

Tampere, Finland, trio Garden of Worm will release their second album, Idle Stones (review here), via Svart Records on March 6. It is a much different sort of outing than their 2010 self-titled Shadow Kingdom debut (review here), which was gruffer in its tone and more traditional overall, and is comprised of four tracks split easily into two vinyl sides, each comprised of a shorter and a longer piece, totaling about 42 minutes. The focus this time around seems to be more geared toward space than distorted riffing, and while Idle Stones bears considerable weight tonally and emotionally, it’s the latter that gives opener “Fleeting are the Days of Man” (5:35), “Summer’s Isle” (10:13), “Desertshore” (7:01) and “The Sleeper Including Being is More than Life” (19:49) their full breadth. Five years after an impressive debut, Garden of Worm breathe life into a staid sound and embark on engaging explorations of form that feel not hindered by genre constraints but enhanced by them. You can’t know which lines to cross without first knowing where they are.

Today I have the extreme pleasure of hosting “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan” for streaming ahead of the LP’s release. As the title-hints, it’s a two-parter, and what impresses most about it is the flow from one segment to the next. Garden of Worm — guitarist/vocalist EJ Taipale, bassist/vocalist SJ Harju and drummer JM Suvanto — set up a strong sense of atmosphere throughout Idle Stones‘ first three songs, and the last one which follows makes the most of the spaciousness provided. Following a morose, understated opening that’s deceptively heavy, TaipaleHarju and Suvanto move into a wash of noise that unfolds gradually, gracefully, into a pulsating space rock jam, a psychedelic freakout emerging like a multicolored mushroom from a forest floor. The sound swells and consumes, but it’s not the end.

Over on side B, the dual-vocal thrust of “Desertshore” sets the table for 20-minute closer “The Sleeper Including Being is More than Living” which expands the ideas of “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan” even further, moving from doomly vibing into a psych jam that, just before the 17-minute mark, drops out and Suvanto‘s ride cymbal eases the way back into a kind of epilogue reprise of the song’s earlier melancholy, this time using it as the launch point for what becomes a kind of summary of the piece in its entirety — another mini-freakout building to a head and is brought to a minimalist, contemplative conclusion. It makes a worthy focal point for Idle Stones, but I won’t take away from the achievement of the album as a whole either, whether it’s the cohesive introduction the album is given on “Fleeting are the Days of Man” or the subtle ritualism in “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan” that, as a preface to the closer, boldly rips itself to shreds in a more concise fit of improv-sounding noise. There are those who see doom and heavy rock like church and state, as though they couldn’t or shouldn’t occupy the same ideals. Garden of Worm cut to the root influence and create something of their own from it that is neither and both at the same time, and their command and poise as Idle Stones plays out its progressive sprawl is not to be discounted.

Please find “Summer’s Isle Including Caravan” on the player below, followed by some PR wire background, and enjoy:

GARDEN OF WORM is a trio operating in Tampere, Finland. Having played progressive rock in various groups, in 2003 the group decided it was time to play simple & basic doom metal. Thus the WORM was born. After several releases on several metal labels, the latest being the successful album for Shadow Kingdom Records (2010), the band went into hibernation.

The new album Idle Stones is a product of this long period of quiet life. After the ambitious debut full length the band were unsure for a time regarding the direction their art would take next. Slowly the doomier, grimmer material allowed improvisation to creep in, and the entire work has a newfound sense of spontaneity.

In 2014 GOW is a different beast than the creature of the early days. The band sounds more inspired and relaxed than ever. The doom metal base is still present, but there’s also psychedelic warmness to the sound as well as freedom, like witnessed in the work of improvising rock units such as AMON DÜÜL (II) and TRÄD GRÄS & STENAR.
The freedom also adds to the intensity of the live performances – even though there are always composed songs in the set, the improvisational passages keep the band focused on the moment. Anything can happen.

Garden of Worm on Thee Facebooks

Svart Records

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The Obelisk Radio Adds: Sumac, Garden of Worm, Carpet, Sporecaster, The Devil and the Almighty Blues

Posted in Radio on January 30th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

The Obelisk Radio server, which I’ve taken to calling the “main computer core,” was down most of last week after some kind of unknown surge in the EPS conduits, so with the data stream running on auxiliary power (yes, I’m using Star Trek science lingo; I’ll stop) it didn’t make much sense to do a round of adds. No one would hear the stuff anyway amid all the Sabbath, Kyuss, Goatsnake, Electric Wizard, etc. Sometimes I really like that backup server, but after a few days of listening, a change is welcome. I was pretty happy when we got the primary box back online.

And by “we,” I mostly mean Slevin, to whose technical expertise I am perpetually indebted. While I wouldn’t dare go much farther than doing so, I’m fortunate enough to be able to add files to the server on my own — I’m sure if you gave him five minutes he’d come up with a more efficient method — so we’ll give that a shot, and if the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down, we can consider it a win. Here goes.

The Obelisk Radio adds for Jan. 30, 2015:

Sumac, The Deal

sumac-the-deal

Sumac start out high-profile thanks to the lineup of guitarist Aaron Turner of Isis and Old Man Gloom and drummer Nick Yacyshyn of Baptists and the fact that Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook recorded the low end for their Profound Lore debut, The Deal, but I think even if they were a trio of out-of-nowhere unknown entities, this record would turn some heads. Coated in feedback, blisteringly heavy — in the tradition of older Isis but more assured in its purpose — its six tracks breathe dense tonal life into the pallid post-metal vibe, songs like “Hollow King” (12:21) and “The Deal” (13:41) sounding as complex as they do crushing, wanting nothing in impact or atmosphere. “Spectral Gold” (3:18) and “Thorn in the Lion’s Paw” (8:55) begin The Deal on an ambient note, and the sprawl-drone of “The Radiance of Being” ends it likewise with five minutes of solo guitar from Turner, but in between “Hollow King,” “Blight’s End Angel” (10:17) and “The Deal” work quickly to win over even skeptical ears. Yacyshyn‘s performance is of particular note. Where it would’ve been all too easy to fall into Isis-style patterning to complement Turner‘s riffs, he holds firm to his own personality and The Deal is that much stronger for it. It is a startling and potential-laden debut. Almost enough to make up for the needless dickery Old Man Gloom pulled last year sending a fake record to the press, assuming what I’ve heard from Sumac is actually the real thing. Sumac on Thee Facebooks, at Profound Lore.

Garden of Worm, Idle Stones

garden-of-worm-idle-stones

Tampere, Finland, trio Garden of Worm make their debut on Svart Records via Idle Stones, their second album following 2010’s Garden of Worm (review here) on Shadow Kingdom. Comprised of four songs alternating between shorter and longer before arriving at 19:49 closer “The Sleeper Including Being is More than Life,” the sophomore outing is a richer, more progressive affair, with bassist SJ Harju and guitarist EJ Taipale combining their vocals effectively at the fore of the mix on “Summer’s Isle” (10:13), which follows the rolling opener “Fleeting are the Days of Man” (5:35). With a style that ultimately owes more to Witchcraft‘s tonal understatement than Reverend Bizarre‘s genre-defining traditionalism, they nonetheless shirk the trap of retroism and make an individual showing with a feel both loose and purposeful throughout. The brighter guitar work of “Desertshore” (7:01) makes it a highlight, along with the persistent crash of drummer JM Suvanto, and the freakout that emerges in “The Sleeper Including Being is More than Life” gracefully and boldly flows across the rarely-bridged gap between doom and heavy psychedelia with a naturalness that very much makes me hope it’s not another half-decade before we hear from Garden of Worm again. Garden of Worm on Thee Facebooks, at Svart Records.

Carpet, Riot Kiss 7″

carpet riot kiss

Story goes that German progressive heavy rockers Carpet started writing for their third album, to follow-up on 2013’s Elysian Pleasures (review here), which was released by Elektrohasch, and wound up with some material that didn’t quite fit the concept they were going for. Since they dug it and didn’t want to just toss it, the Riot Kiss b/w Song of Heartship 7″ was born. Two songs, both a little over four minutes long, reaffirm the Augsburg four-piece’s commitment to forward-thinking textures, with “Riot Kiss” as the space-prog A-side and the quieter, atmospheric-but-still-clearheaded “Song of Heartship” emphasizing Carpet‘s range on side B, the cuts having more dynamic between them than many bands show in their career. I don’t know what Carpet — the lineup of Sigmund Perner, Jakob Mader, Hubert Steiner and Maximilian Stephan — are shooting for with their third record that these songs didn’t jibe with, and I guess we won’t know until that album arrives, but Riot Kiss is a stopgap of considerable substance that showcases Carpet‘s ability to present progressive ideas in ways not only palatable but deeply engaging. Carpet on Thee Facebooks, Elektrohasch Schallplatten.

Sporecaster, See Through Machine

sporecaster-see-through-medicine

An experimental drone/psych duo comprised in half by Ron Rochondo of Boston’s Ice DragonSporecaster‘s debut release, See Through Machine, is four tracks/26 minutes of exploratory drone given natural breadth through use of didgeridoo and percussion. The outing was tracked at Ron’s Wrecker Service and has a lo-fi feel despite its spaciousness, and chants out its hypnotism early, opener “Invocation or Incantation” (4:20, by astounding coincidence) wrapping itself around consciousness like some kind of psychedelic serpent, only to have the whistle-blowing “Things are Not What they See” (3:21) and tribal-ish drummed “The False Light” (5:46) push deeper into the moody ambience laid out at the beginning. Closer “You are Transparent” (12:45) makes me wonder what Sporecaster might do working in even longer forms, its drone-out having room for both a jammy drum progression and a continuation of the earlier experimental and improvisational feel. As an early showing of their intent, though, See Through Machine makes it clear that Sporecaster‘s creative process is wide open. Sporecaster on Thee Facebooks, Ron’s Wrecker Service.

The Devil and the Almighty Blues, The Devil and the Almighty Blues

the devil and the almighty blues the devil and the almighty blues

The slow-rolling “The Ghosts of Charlie Barracuda” (7:46) begins the self-titled debut from Oslo-based five-piece The Devil and the Almighty Blues, released on the upstart Blues for the Red Sun Records. That song picks up gradually in the first of several of the six-song full-length’s satisfying builds, but atmospherically sets a laid back tone that tracks like the subsequent “Distance” (4:11) and more active “Storm Coming Down” (10:17) play off of, the band proving equally comfortable in long- or short-form material, nestling into a neo-heavy semi-retro blues rock more in line with Graveyard‘s overarching moodiness than Witchcraft‘s early-days dooming. Well-balanced lead guitars and crooning vocals serve as a uniting theme, but in a classic dynamic, it’s the rhythm section that makes the swing of side B’s particularly thick “Root to Root” (9:48) and “Never Darken My Door” — the singing especially blown-out on the latter — so irresistibly grooved. Wrapping with the classy fuzz of “Tired Old Dog” (6:28), The Devil and the Almighty Blues will come from a familiar place sonically, but as their debut, The Devil and the Almighty Blues boasts a cohesion worthy of its weighty title. The Devil and the Almighty Blues on Thee Facebooks, Blues for the Red Sun Records.

Some of this stuff — Sumac, The Devil and the Almighty Blues, Carpet — was also included in the podcast that went up yesterday, so if you’d like another avenue for getting a sample, that might not be a bad way to go. However you choose to dig in, I hope that you will and hope that you find something that you feel is worth the time and effort.

As always, thanks for reading and listening.

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Garden of Worm Announce March 6 Release for Idle Stones

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 23rd, 2015 by JJ Koczan

garden of worm ice

Five years after making their full-length debut on Shadow Kingdom with their self-titled (review here), Finnish doomers Garden of Worm are set to issue Idle Stones, their second album. The four-song/42-minute long-player promises some shifts in style from the debut, and after half a decade, I believe it. Svart will have the new record out on March 6.

On a side note, the press release below mentions Träd, Gräs, och Stenar. I recently got a copy of their self-titled on CD and it’s awesome. If you have the chance to chase it down, it’s well worth the effort. The name being dropped makes me look forward even more to finding out what Garden of Worm have going for their sophomore outing. When the titles of songs start “including” other songs, you know it’s progressive.

To the PR wire:

garden of worm idle stones

GARDEN OF WORM set release date for new SVART album?

Today, Svart Records sets March 6th as the international release date for Garden of Worm’s second album, Idle Stones. Garden of Worm is a trio operating in Tampere, Finland. Having played progressive rock in various groups, in 2003, the group decided it was time to play simple & basic doom metal. Thus, the Worm was born. After several releases on several metal labels, the latest being the successful self-titled debut album for Shadow Kingdom Records in 2010, the band went into hibernation.

Garden of Worm’s debut for Svart, Idle Stones is a product of this long period of quiet life. After the ambitious debut full-length, the band were unsure for a time regarding the direction their art would take next. Slowly, the doomier, grimmer material allowed improvisation to creep in, and the entire work has a newfound sense of spontaneity.

In 2015, Garden of Worm is a different beast than the creature of the early days. The band sounds more inspired and relaxed than ever. The doom metal base is still present, but there’s also psychedelic warmness to the sound as well as freedom, like witnessed in the work of improvising rock units such as Amon Düül II, Träd Gräs, and Stenar. The freedom also adds to the intensity of the live performances: even though there are always composed songs in the set, the improvisational passages keep the band focused on the moment. Anything can happen. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Garden of Worm’s Idle Stones
1. Fleeting are the Days of Man
2. Summer’s Isle
3. Desertshore
4. The Sleeper including Being Is More Than Life

GARDEN OF WORM is:
SJ.Harju – Vocals, bass
JM.Suvanto – Drums
EJ.Taipale – Guitars, vocals

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/gardenofworm
www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords
www.youtube.com/svartrecords
www.twitter.com/svartrecords

Garden of Worm, “Hollow”

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