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The Hazytones Premiere “The Hand that Feeds” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

the hazytones

Just as the skeletal hand grabs the giant floating joint and the bigger riff kicks in and the nuclear bomb goes off, that’s probably when the new video from Montreal four-piece The Hazytones most gets its message across. The song “The Hand that Feeds” is taken from 2018’s II: Monarchs of Oblivion (review here) on Ripple Music and is a fitting showcase of the band’s druggy garage doom style, thicker in its riffing than some and not as lumbering as others, but able to go where it wants when it, you know, decides it’s time to move. But maybe it’ll just kind of sit around for a while instead, man. Anyway, what’s your rush?

Shenanigans ensue in the video, and hey, that’s awesome. I’m a big fan of shenanigans, and stonerly charm as presented in things like dimensional portals, skeletons, green-screen desert backgrounds, nuclear bombs and giant floating doobers is nearly always welcome as far as I’m concerned, but it doesn’t manage to outshine the hook of “The Hand that Feeds” itself, and the ability to write songs so catchy is one of The Hazytones‘ most powerful assets. They’ve been through some lineup changes along the way around guitarist/vocalist Mick Martel, but as they look to embark on a tour of Europe that includes an already-announced stop at Desertfest London — it’ll be their first time in the UK — that’s no doubt an experience that will only serve to further hone what they do in terms of style and structure.

Those dates are forthcoming, but y0u can see the premiere of “The Hand that Feeds” on the player below, followed by some more background from the PR wire, and the Bandcamp stream of the album just for the hell of it.

Please enjoy:

The Hazytones, “The Hand that Feeds” official video premiere

Ripple protégés THE HAZYTONES (psychedelic rock / MTL) deliver their trip-inducing new video “The Hand That Feeds.” The song is taken from their latest 2018 album ‘Monarchs of Oblivion’.

Formed in 2015, The Hazytones’ shadowy sound is the epitome of a “hazy tone”. The band’s black acid-drenched shock rock drips with harmonies that harken back to the trippiest of late 60’s psych and its chained-to-the brain hooks bleed with a palpable, eerie energy that surges and swings in equal measure. Live is where the band really finds its swagger, flinging themselves around the stage and converting new disciples with each and every performance. With full European and North American tours already under their belts, The Hazytones are a developing band on the rise, who delivered a sweeping salvo with the release of their substantial sophomore LP, II: Monarchs of Oblivion.

The band will announce their European tour very soon!

The Hazytones are:
Mick Martel
Gabriel Prieur
Ben Dennis
John Choffel

The Hazytones, II: Monarchs of Oblivion (2018)

The Hazytones on Thee Facebooks

The Hazytones on Instagram

The Hazytones on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

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The Hazytones Touring Next Month; Playing SXSW and More

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 15th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

THE HAZYTONES

Canadian trio The Hazytones will be taking their heavy psychedelic cultistry on the road next month, heading south to swing their way into Texas for a couple dates at SXSW, including the SX Stoner Jam that seems to have become the epicenter of March heavy touring in the States. To get there, they’ll make their way down the East Coast beforehand, stopping in Brooklyn and Philly en route to North Carolina — that’s about eight and a half hours in the car, by the way — and on to New Orleans and Austin from there. A couple brutal rides, it seems, but they go supporting the worthy cause of their second album, II: Monarchs of Oblivion (review here), which came out this past Fall on Ripple Music, so they should have plenty to keep them motivated along the way.

Plus it’s warm in Austin. That should help too.

They head back north via Memphis, Chicago, and Lansing, Michigan, then wrap with dates in Hamilton and Toronto before getting back to Montreal. It’s a good run, and a smart one. They’ll do well.

Dates and whatnot came down the PR wire:

the hazytones tour poster

The Hazytones tour

Formed in 2015, The Hazytones’ shadowy sound is the epitome of a “hazy tone”. The band’s black acid-drenched shock rock drips with harmonies that harken back to the trippiest of late 60’s psych and its chained-to-the brain hooks bleed with a palpable, eerie energy that surges and swings in equal measure. Live is where the band really finds its swagger, flinging themselves around the stage and converting new disciples with each and every performance. With full European and North American tours already under their belts, The Hazytones are a developing band on the rise, who delivered a sweeping salvo with the release of their substantial sophomore LP, II: Monarchs of Oblivion.

The Hazytones live:
03.08 Lucky 13 Brooklyn NY
03.09 Astromonster Records Philadelphia PA
03.10 The Milestone Club Charlotte NC
03.11 Santos Bar New Orleans LA
03.12 Kick Butt Cafe Austin TX
03.14 Spider House SX Stoner Jam Austin TX
03.15 The Mix San Antonio TX
03.16 Kick Butt Cafe Gravity Fest Austin TX
03.17 The Growlers Memphis TN
03.18 Reggies Chicago IL
03.19 Displaced Manor Lansing MI
03.20 This Ain’t Hollywood Hamilton ON
03.21 Cherry Cola’s Toronto ON

The Hazytones are:
Mick Martel – guitar/vocals
Adam Gilbert – bass/backing vocals
Antoine St-Germain – drums

https://www.facebook.com/TheHazytones/
http://www.twitter.com/TheHazytones/
https://www.instagram.com/thehazytones/
https://thehazytones.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
ripplemusic.bandcamp.com

The Hazytones, II: Monarchs of Oblivion (2018)

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Quarterly Review: Blood of the Sun, Evoken, IAH, Asylum, Merlin, The Hazytones, Daily Thompson, Old Man Lizard, Tuskar, Space Coke

Posted in Reviews on December 11th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review

I had to think long and hard just now about what day it is. It’s Tuesday. — See how confident I was in saying that? A mask for insecurity, as always.

Anyway, the QR continues today with 10 more records and a pretty solid mix of whatnot. Some of this I’ve written about before here, but basically want to have another shot at the records themselves, so as we wind down 2018, it seems like the time to do that is now. As always, I hope you find something you dig. Seems pretty likely, frankly. If you go the entire 100 records with nothing but a “meh” to show for it, the problem isn’t likely to be the records. Not trying to insinuate anything, I’m just saying. 100 records is a lot. 10 records is a lot. And that’s what we’re doing today, so let’s get going.

Quarterly Review #61-70:

Blood of the Sun, Blood’s Thicker than Love

blood of the sun bloods thicker than love

Drummer Henry Vasquez (also Saint Vitus) returns to his ultra-Texan heavy rock roots with Blood of the Sun‘s first album in six years, Blood’s Thicker than Love (on Listenable). Driven by his own fervent rhythmic push, the six-song collection is given further classic heavy vibe through the prominent organ/keyboard work of Dave Gryder. Oh, and also the riffs from newcomer guitarists Wyatt Burton and Alex Johnson. Oh, and also bassist Roger “Kip” Yma‘s quick turns on bass. Oh, and also Sean Vargas‘ vocals. So yeah, pretty much the whole damn thing is classic uptempo heavy boogie, produced modern but making no mistake about where its heart lies. Vargas‘ voice has a pre-metal swagger that helps define tracks like “Livin’ for the Night” and the capper “Blood of the Road,” and while the follow-up to 2012’s Burning on the Wings of Desire (review here) is enough to make one wistful for the days when their contemporaries in Dixie Witch once also roamed the land, Blood of the Sun make classic rock their own and give it a vibrancy that’s nothing if not a show of love, regardless of how thick that may be.

Blood of the Sun on Thee Facebooks

Listenable Records on Bandcamp

 

Evoken, Hypnagogia

evoken hypnogogia

Unremitting. Unrelenting. Unforgiving. Whatever else one might say about New Jersey death/doombringers Evoken, it better start with the prefix “un-.” The negativity runs through the 60 minutes of their latest work, Hypnagogia (on Profound Lore), and one would expect no less than the ultra-mournful crush of “To Feign Ebullience” or the buzzing, resonant disdain of “Valorous Consternation,” the string sounds playing such a large role in crafting both the melodies and the relentless nature of their lung-deflating atmosphere. They may only break into speedier sections on rare occasion, but there’s no way to listen to Hypnagogia and call it anything other than extreme metal. It’s so cast down and so grinding that it not only conveys mood but affects it. Evoken are masters of the form, of course, and while Hypnagogia is their first full-length since 2012’s Atra Mors (review here), their history spans more than a quarter-century and time seems only to have made their miseries plunge even deeper.

Evoken on Thee Facebooks

Profound Lore Records website

 

IAH, II

iah ii

In part, the gift that Argentinian trio IAH give with their aptly-titled second outing, II — following their 2017 self-titled debut EP (review here) — is to allow their parts to flesh out naturally across the six-song/38-minute span, so that even as second cut “HH” turns to more weighted chug, that in turn evolves into something no less spacious than the drift brought to bear in the second half of the later “La Niña del Rayo,” which makes its way ultimately through similar interplay. This back and forth is exceptionally smooth throughout II, as the instrumental outfit blend heavy psychedelia and progressive metal with an unflinching cohesion of their songwriting. The longest inclusion is the penultimate “Pri” at 7:35, which caps with massive start-stops en route to closer “Sheut,” which serves as one last showcase of the cosmic doom dynamic burgeoning in the band’s sound, as much ready to depart the earth as leave impact craters on it.

IAH on Thee Facebooks

IAH on Bandcamp

 

Asylum, 3-3-88

asylum 3-3-88

The band who a short time later would evolve into Unorthodox, Asylum have long stood as a testament to the enduring power of Maryland doom. 3-3-88 is the second official issue of their material Shadow Kingdom has stood behind, following 2008’s reissue of 1985’s The Earth is the Insane Asylum of the Universe (review here), and it’s no less a document of the classic metal that’s still very much the foundation of what Maryland doom is. From the Sabbathian opening of “World in Trouble” and the later “Psyche World” to the kind of feeling-out-the-riff happening in “Funk 69” and the concluding instrumental “Unorthodox,” there’s a rawness to the sound that suits it well in the spirit of Pentagram‘s First Daze Here, but even in barebones form, Asylum‘s doomly vibes brook no bullshit and weed out the feint of heart. Straightforward working-class doom grit stripped to its essentials. Hard to ask for anything more when you actually hear it.

Unorthodox on Thee Facebooks

Shadow Kingdom Records website

 

Merlin, Dank Souls and Dark Weed: A Live Experience

merlin dank souls and dark weed

Kansas City doom rockers Merlin expanded to a six-piece early in 2018, and Dank Souls and Dark Weed: A Live Experience, as the title hints, captures this form of the band on stage. They’re playing a hometown gig at the Riot Room, and from the nodding groove that opens with “Abyss” from this year’s The Wizard (review here) to the extended reaches of a 19-minute take on “Tales of the Wasteland” that’s actually shorter than the studio version from 2016’s Electric Children (review here), the band explore reaches that are vast with a patience befitting their quickly-earned veteran status. The recording is remarkably clear and allows for the wash of “The Wizard Suite” to be discernible in its progressive rollout, and as they close with “Night Creep” from the 2016 LP, their energy comes through no less prevalent than the distortion driving it forward. The crowd are right to holler.

Merlin on Thee Facebooks

Merlin on Bandcamp

 

The Hazytones, II: Monarchs of Oblivion

the hazytones ii monarchs of oblivion

Touching on garage-doom influences, Montreal three-piece The Hazytones effectively sleek into the groove of “The Great Illusion” on their second Ripple LP, II: Monarchs of Oblivion, finding a balance between swing, melody and heft that pushes beyond the seemingly-requisite Uncle Acid influence to a place that isn’t shy about working in crisp tones or unabashed vocal harmonies. The title-track is a two-parter, and touches on theatrics-sans-pretense in the first piece while dedicating the second to following a central riff well worthy of the attention they give it toward a galloping solo finish. Opener “Empty Space” sets a creper vibe, and by the time they’re down to finishing out with the “Hole in the Sky”-style riff of “The Hand that Feeds,” that sensibility is reaffirmed as an essential component of The Hazytones‘ aesthetic. Whether it’s the chugging “Hell” or the way-blown-out “The Beast,” they hold firm to that central purpose and work with it to effect a sound that one can hear becoming their own all the more.

The Hazytones on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

 

Daily Thompson, Thirsty

daily thompson thirsty

Three albums in, Dortmund’s Daily Thompson indeed sound Thirsty — or maybe it’s hungry, but either way, the Dortmund trio’s MIG Music offering captures a tight presentation based around nonetheless natural energy born of their time on tour, as the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Danny Zaremba, bassist Mercedes, and drummer Stefan Mengel touch on Spidergawd-style classic heavy rock strut with “Brown Mountain Lights” and make their way through the semi-acoustic drift of “Stone Rose” and toward the later roll of “River Haze” with a trail of hooks behind them. Songwriting is central to what they do, but while Thirsty isn’t a minor undertaking at a CD-era reminiscent 10 songs/53 minutes, the band offer a chemistry between them and a fullness of sound that allows them to play to different sides of their approach, be it the fuzz-blues of “Gone Child” or the final summation “Spit out the Crap” that seems to shove all the more to its cymbal-wash finish. The title Thirsty brings to mind connotations of need, but Daily Thompson sound like they’ve got it all taken care of.

Daily Thompson on Thee Facebooks

MIG Music website

 

Old Man Lizard, True Misery

old man lizard true misery

A strong enough current of noise rock runs beneath Old Man Lizard‘s True Misery (on Wasted State) that leadoff track “Shark Attack” is enough to remind of Akimbo‘s Jersey Shores, and in under two minutes, the subsequent “Snakes” ties that into crawling-paced doom riffery such that the lumbering “Tree of Te?ne?re?” opens like the gaping jaws of some deep-sea trench. From there it unfolds a bit more uptempo than one might initially think, but it shows how fluidly Old Man Lizard shift from one impulse to the other. Accordingly, True Misery plays out with familiar-enough tones put to deceptively subtle and unpredictable purposes, making one-two highlights of the eight-minute back-to-backers “Cursed Ocean, Relentless Sea” and “Misery is Miserable” — which says it all, really — ahead of the finale, well titled “Return to Earth.” A better band than people know, Old Man Lizard bring a progressive touch to what from many others would just be sludge riffing — a bit of Elder on that closer — and manage to do so without losing touch with the righteousness of their groove. True Misery takes a couple listens to sink in, but well earns those and more besides.

Old Man Lizard on Thee Facebooks

Wasted State Records website

 

Tuskar, The Tide, Beneath, The Wall

tuskar the tide beneath the wall

Tuskar‘s second offering through Riff Rock Records arrives titled for its three songs, “The Tide,” “Beneath” and “The Wall,” and comprises three tracks of largesse-minded sludge, burying its shouted vocals beneath mountainous low end. The Tide, Beneath, The Wall sets itself up through noisy churn and a roll that’s somehow misanthropic at the same time it seems well geared to have an entire bar headbanging. Either way, the feedback-worship in “The Wall” — sure enough a massive thing to slam into — makes a fitting end to the 20-minute release that seems to run so much longer, as “The Tide” and “Beneath” each set forth a grueling sprawl of malevolence that touches on the chaos to come without ever fully giving away what’s in store for the finale. At the same time this assault is cast, there’s an atmosphere to the proceedings as well such that Tuskar aren’t simply bludgeoning for the sake of bludgeonry, but finding a place for themselves within that in order to develop their attack. They do that successfully here and sound well up to the inevitable task before them of a debut full-length.

Tuskar on Thee Facebooks

Riff Rock Records website

 

Space Coke, L’Appel du Vide

space coke lappel du vide

I just about never do this, but I’m gonna go ahead and make the call: Space Coke‘s L’Appel du Vide is going to get picked up for a vinyl release in 2019. I don’t know who, how or when, but it’s basically a lock. The Columbia, South Carolina, organ-laced four-piece play classic-as-now heavy rock with right-on songcraft and a hard-hitting presentation that’s begging for some label with ears to hear it and press it to the platter it deserves. Be it the molten unfolding of the title-track or the fuzz-swirl of “Thelemic Ritual” or the cosmic stretch of “Kali Ma,” they’re locked in to a degree that utterly defies the notion that this is their first record, and from the vocal-effects smash in “Lucid Dream” and the samples laid over-top of “Interlude,” there’s never really a sense of where Space Coke — extra kudos for the Cheech & Chong reference — might go next, and yet their sound is cohesive, directed, and well aware of exactly what it’s doing and what it wants to do. Never a guarantee of anything in this world, but with Space Coke‘s take on modern stoner sprawl, I’d be amazed if someone didn’t grab this in the New Year, if not before. Eyes peeled on the PR wire for the announcement.

Space Coke on Thee Facebooks

Space Coke on Bandcamp

 

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The Hazytones Set Oct. 5 Release for II: Monarchs of Oblivion

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 11th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

the hazytones

Aptly-named Montreal heavy psych rocking trio The Hazytones returned at the end of last month from a summer tour that took them on basically a loop through the Midwest to play the Stoned Meadow of Doom fest in Omaha, Nebraska, before swinging east and running up north to finish back in their hometown. They were on the road as well earlier this year supporting their 2016 self-titled debut, and last year they toured Canada too, so they’ve been out a more than fair amount. One has to wonder if that will play into the sound of their upcoming second album, II: Monarchs of Oblivion, which is set to release through Ripple Music on Oct. 5. Ripple also reissued the debut in conjunction with Oak Island Records, though I don’t think the latter is involved in the new one. I could be wrong but that’s the impression I get.

Either way, a record to look forward to as 2018 begins to make its way toward its finish, getting dark early, being autumn and all that. This’ll be one to keep things warm.

From the PR wire:

the hazytones ii monarchs of oblivion

The Hazytones to Release New LP, ‘Monarchs of Oblivion’, October 5

Montreal Psych-Metal Band Digs Deep to Deliver Graven, Gripping New Album

Canadian garage doom band The Hazytones will release their new LP, Monarchs of Oblivion, on October 5 via Ripple Music. The Montreal-based group, whose haunting, hooky sound has been called “Swedish-style stomp”, delivers dark psych-metal, overflowing with stark mood and tempo changes, and haunting, double-tracked vocals that glide over the sinister songs. Monarchs of Oblivion is the follow-up to The Hazytones’ 2017 self-titled debut, hailed as “totally new yet oddly recognizable.”

Formed in 2015, The Hazytones’ shadowy sound is the epitome of a “hazy tone”. The band’s black acid-drenched shock rock drips with harmonies that harken back to the trippiest of late 60’s psych and its chained-to-the brain hooks bleed with a palpable, eerie energy that surges and swings in equal measure. Live is where the band really finds its swagger, flinging themselves around the stage and converting new disciples with each and every performance. With full European and North American tours already under their belts, The Hazytones are a developing band on the rise, set to deliver a sweeping salvo with the release of their substantial sophomore LP.

Track listing:
1.) Empty Space
2.) Hell
3.) The Great Illusion
4.) Spit You Out
5.) Monarchs of Oblivion (part 1)
6.) Monarchs of Oblivion (part 2)
7.) The Beast
8.) The Hand that Feeds

The Hazytones are:
Mick Martel – guitar/vocals
Adam Gilbert – bass/backing vocals
Antoine St-Germain – drums

https://www.facebook.com/TheHazytones/
http://www.twitter.com/TheHazytones/
https://www.instagram.com/thehazytones/
https://thehazytones.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
ripplemusic.bandcamp.com

The Hazytones, The Hazytones (2016)

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