Posted in Whathaveyou on June 6th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I’m not taking away from the rest of the press release below — a signing announcement is an important moment in the life of a band; at very least a big deal to those involved in putting names on a line, band and label alike — but if I may direct your weary eyeballs to the band’s lineup text below, it’s pretty magical. “His voice, a conduit for ancient echoes…” and “…imbued with celestial fire” and all that. There’s something to be said for playing it relatively straight while also going completely over-the-top. Take your fun where you can get it.
Void King‘s arrival to the roster of Argonauta Records comes on the heels of the Indianapolis-based element-invoking four-piece’s 2023 album, The Hidden Hymnal (review here), and while they wouldn’t be out of line to press that up with the Italian label’s stamp on back, or dip back further into their catalog, for that matter, the quick-working outfit are already talking about the proverbial “next record.” Moving forward, in the spirit perhaps of pulsing signals to other worlds or something like that.
There’s no timeline on that record listed below, but 2025 doesn’t seem like an unreasonable expectation given that it’s still far enough away in my head to be the distant future — it isn’t, I’m just old — and The Hidden Hymnal was maybe part of a broader conceptual work to which the follow-up was going to tie in. If that remains the case or not, I guess we’ll find out. “Ears to hear,” and all that.
Smile to your face from the PR wire:
US Stoner Doomsters VOID KING Sign to Argonauta Records
US stoner doom metal band VOID KING sign to Argonauta Records; founded in the crucible of Indianapolis, Indiana, Void King blends stoner rock and doom metal in a way that defies earthly boundaries. Led by the resonant voice of Jason Kindred, their sonic pilgrimage began – a quest to channel cosmic energies through their instruments. Void King, a luminary force in the realm of heavy music for more than a decade, transcends mere mortal soundwaves. Their saga unfolds against a backdrop of amplifiers and fog, where the ethereal meets the visceral.
“Working with Argonauta opens many doors for us that might have otherwise been closed, or hard for us to access. Physical media, distro, and getting us into markets that we might not have seen before are all enormous reasons why we are proud to be working with Argonauta on this next release. Putting out a concept record is a risky proposition, but we feel better about that gamble with Gero and his team on our side. It feels good to know that someone sees our vision and wants to support that.” – says the band
The band continues: “At current time, the band is preparing to play live this summer, starting with a supporting slot for the band Whores. This new batch of songs coming out on the next record are not a departure for us, but they are an evolution of who we were. The songs are cohesive and share an origin story. Each one of them has its own universe, as well as sharing a symbiotic relationship with the other songs on the album. We are excited for people to experience this album as a whole. It should be consumed in its entirety for maximum impact. While the individual songs will do just fine on their own, the record really shines when listened to from start to finish.”
Followers gather in dimly lit venues, shrouded in fog. The faithful raise their hands, eyes closed, as if reaching for salvation. Void King’s live rituals are transcendent—an invitation to commune with the numinous. The air vibrates with the collective pulse of believers and the thrum of burning amplifiers. The sudden blast of white, pure light exists to bring the listener to the promised land.
Void King’s mission transcends mere entertainment. Their music is a portal – a gateway to other dimensions. When you listen, you’re not an audience; you’re an initiate. Let the volume compel you forward, into the heart of the riff.
Void King’s journey continues, guided by unseen hands. They traverse the astral highways, seeking new chords, new revelations. Their legacy? Carved in stone and etched in stardust. As long as there are ears to hear, they shall echo across the ages.
Void King are: Jason Kindred (Vocals): His voice, a conduit for ancient echoes, weaves tales of forgotten gods and lost civilizations. His timbre resonates with both sorrow and defiance. Tommy Miller (Electric Guitar): The strings of his guitar are imbued with celestial fire. His riffs – majestic and mournful – speak of cosmic cataclysms and astral wanderings. Chris Carroll (Bass Guitar): The heartbeat of Void King, his basslines pulse like signals to other worlds. Derek Felix (Percussion): His drums are thunderstorms, primal and unyielding. With each beat, he summons tempests and quakes, invoking the very elements.
It is an age of plenty as regards the underground. Between bands being able to form with members on different continents, to being able to record basically anything anywhere anywhen, the barriers have never been lower. I heard an all-AI stoner rock record the other day. It wasn’t great, but did it need to be?
The point is there’s gotta be a reason so many people are doing the thing, and a reason it happens just about everywhere, more than just working/middle class disaffection and/or dadstalgia. There’s a lot of documentary research about bands, but so far I don’t think anyone’s done a study, book, bio-doc, whatever about the proliferation of heavy sounds across geographies and cultures. No, that won’t be me. “Face made for radio,” as the fellow once said, and little time to write a book. But perhaps some riff-loving anthropologist will get there one day — get everywhere, that is — and explore it with artists and fans. Maybe that’s you.
Happy Thursday.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
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Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Nell’ Ora Blu
My favorite part of the press release for Uncle Acid‘s Nell’ Ora Blu was when founding guitarist/vocalist and apparent-auteur Kevin Starrs said, “I know something like this might have limited appeal, but who cares?” Though it was initially billed as an instrumental record and in fact features Starrs‘ trademark creeper vocal melodies in a few of its 19 tracks, the early “Giustizia di Strada/Lavora Fino Alla Morte” and pretty-Uncle–Acidic-feeling “La Vipera,” and the later march of the seven-minute “Pomeriggio di Novembre Nel Parco – Occhi Che Osservano,” catchy and still obscure enough in its psychedelia to fit, and “Solo la Morte Ti Ammanetta,” though most of the words throughout are spoken — genre cinephiles will recognize the names Edwige French and Franco Nero; there’s a lot of talking on the phone, all in Italian — as Starrs pays homage to giallo stylization in soundtracking an imaginary film. It’s true to an extent about the limited appeal, but this isn’t the first time Uncle Acid have chosen against expanding their commercial reach either, and while I imagine the effect is somewhat different if you speak Italian, Starrs‘ songwriting has never been so open or multifaceted in mood. Nell’ Ora Blu isn’t the studio follow-up to 2018’s Wasteland (review here) one might have expected, but it takes some of those aspects and builds a whole world out of them. They should tour it and do a live soundtrack, but then I guess someone would also have to make the movie.
If “fuck you” were a band, it might be Dopethrone. With six new tracks spread across a sample-laced (pretty sure Joe Don Baker is in there somewhere; maybe “Truckstop Warlock?”) and mostly-crushing-of-spirit-and-tone 39 minutes, the crusty Montreal trio of guitarist/vocalist Vince, bassist Vyk and drummer Shawn pound at the door of your wellness with their scum-sludge extremity, living up to their reputation in gnash and nastiness for the duration. The penultimate “Uniworse” brings in Weedeater‘s “Dixie” Dave Collins for a guest spot, but by the time they get there, the three-piece have already bludgeoned your bones with album-centerpiece “Shlaghammer” and loosed the grueling breadth of “Rock Slock,” so really, Collins is the gravy on the pill-based bottom-hitting binge. From opening single “Life Kills You” through the final punishing moments of “Sultans of Sins” — presumably a side B mirror in terms of heft to “Slaghammer” — and the choice Billy Madison sample that follows, Dopethrone offer a singular unkindness of purpose. I feel like I need a shower.
Where even the melancholy progression of “Song of Greed” is marked by the gorgeousness of its dual-vocal melody and flowing arrangement of strings, guitar, and strings, Eura is the second full-length and Sulatron Records label-debut for Parisian psych-folkies Anandammide. At the core of the diverse arrangements is songwriter Michele Moschini (vocals, synth, organ, guitar, drums), who brings purposefully Canterburyian pastoralia together with prog rock tendencies on “Phantom Limb” and the title-track while maintaining the light-touch gentility of the start of “Carmilla,” the later flow between “Lullaby No. 2” and “Dream No. 1,” or the gracefully undrummed “I Am a Flower,” with synth and strings side-by-side. Though somewhat mournful in its subject matter, Eura is filled with life and longing, and the way the lyrics of “Phantom Limb” feel out of place in the world suits the aural anachronism and the escapist drive that seems to manifest in “The Orange Flood.” Patient, immersive, and lovely, it sees ruin and would give solace.
An awaited first full-length from Portland, Oregon’s Tigers on Opium, the 10-song/44-minute Psychodrama builds on the semi-sleazed accomplishments of the four-piece’s prior EPs while presenting a refreshingly varied sound. The album begins as “Ride or Die” unfolds with Juan Carlos Caceres‘ vocals echoing in layers over quiet guitar — more of an intro, it is reprised to deliver the title line as a post-finale epilogue — and directly dives into garage-doom strut with “Black Mass” before a Styx reference worked into “Diabolique” makes for an immediate, plus-charm highlight. The parade doesn’t stop there. The Nirvana-ish beginning of “Retrovertigo” soft-boogies and drifts into Jerry Cantrell-style melody backed by handclaps, while Thin Lizzy leads show up in “Sky Below My Feet” and the more desert rocking “Paradise Lost” ahead of the farther-back, open swing and push of “Radioactive” giving over to “Wall of Silence”‘s ’70s singer-songwriterism, communing with the “Ride or Die” bookend but expanded in its arrangement; capper-caper “Separation of the Mind” paying it all off like Queens of the Stone Age finding the Big Riff and making it dance, too. On vocals, guitar and keys, Caceres is a big presence in the persona, but don’t let that undercut the contributions of guitarist Jeanot Lewis-Rolland, bassist Charles Hodge or drummer Nate Wright, all of whom also sing. As complex in intent as Psychodrama is, its underlying cohesion requires everybody to be on board, and as they are, the resulting songs supersede expectation and comprise one of 2024’s best debut albums.
Self-identifying as “yacht doom,” How to Think Like a Billionaire is the third solo full-length from Church of the Cosmic Skull‘s Bill Fisher, and while “Consume the Heart” and “Yell of the Ringman” tinge toward darkness and, in the case of the latter, a pointedly doomly plog, what the “yacht” translates to is a swath of ’80s-pop keyboard sounds and piano rock accompanying Fisher‘s guitar, vocals, bass and drums, a song like “Xanadu” sending up tech-culture hubris after “Ride On, Unicorn” has given a faux-encouraging push in its chorus, rhyming “Ride on, unicorn” with “In the valley of Silicon.” Elsewhere, “Overview Effect” brings the cover to life in imagining the apocalypse from the comfort of a private spaceship, while “Lead Us Into Fire” idolizes a lack of accountability in self-harmonizing layers with the thud that complements “Intranaut” deeper in the mix and the sense that, if you were a big enough asshole and on enough cocaine, it might just be possible Fisher means it when he sings in praise of capitalist hyperexploitation. A satire much needed and a perspective to be valued, if likely not by venture capital.
While one could liken the echo-born space that coincides with the gallop of opening cut “Greenland” to any number of other outfits, and the concluding title-track branches out both in terms of tempo and melodic reach, Ascia‘s debut long-player, The Wandering Warrior follows on from the project’s demoes in counting earliest High on Fire as a defining influence. Fair enough, since the aforementioned two are both the most recent included here and the only songs not culled from the three prior demos issued by Fabrizio Monni (also Black Capricorn) under the Ascia name. With the languid fluidity and impact of “Mother of the Wendol” and the outright thrust of “Blood Bridge Battle,” “Ruins of War” and “Dhul Qarnayn” set next to the bombastic crash ‘n’ riff of “Serpent of Fire,” Monni has no trouble harnessing a flow from the repurposed, remastered material, and picking and choosing from among three shorter releases lets him portray Ascia‘s range in a new light. That may not be able to happen in the same way next time around (or it could), but for those who did or didn’t catch the demos, The Wandering Warrior summarizes well the band’s progression to this point and gives hope for more to come.
Indianapolis-based solo-project Cloud of Souls — aka Chris Latta (ex-Spirit Division, Lavaborne, etc.) — diverges from the progressive metallurgy of 2023’s A Fate Decided (review here) in favor of a more generally subdued, contemplative presentation. Beginning with its title-track, the five-song/36-minute outing marks out the spaces it will occupy and seems to dwell there as the individual cuts play out, whether that’s “A Constant State of Flux” holding to its piano-and-voice, the melancholic procession of the nine-minute “Better Than I Was,” or the sax that accompanies the downerism of the penultimate “Love to Forgive Wish to Forget.” Each song brings something different either in instrumentation or vibe — “Homewrecker Blues” harmonizes en route to a momentary tempo pickup laced with organ, closer “Break Down the Door” offers hope in its later guitar and crash, etc. — but it can be a fine line when conveying monotony or low-key depressivism, and there are times where A Constant State of Flux feels stuck in its own verses, despite Latta‘s strength of craft and the band’s exploratory nature.
Not Today, Satan, in either its 52-minute runtime or in the range of its songcraft around a central influence from Queens of the Stone Age circa 2002-2005, is not a minor undertaking. The ambitious debut full-length from Berlin trio Deaf Wolf — guitarist/vocalist Christian Rottstock (also theremin on “Silence is Golden”), bassist/vocalist Hagen Walther and Alexander Dümont on drums and other percussion — adds periodic lead-vocal tradeoffs between Rottstock and Walther to further broaden the scope of the material, with (I believe) the latter handling the declarations of “Survivor” and the gurgle-voice on “S.M.T.P.” and “Beast in Me,” which arrive in succession before “The End” closes with emphasis on self-awareness. The earlier “Sulphur” becomes a standout for its locked-in groove, fuzz tones and balanced mix, while “See You in Hell” finds its own direction and potential in strut and fullness of sound. There’s room to refine some of what’s being attempted, but Not Today, Satan sets Deaf Wolf off to an encouraging start.
Five years on from their also-newly-reissued 2019 debut, We Are Just Floating in Space, French instrumentalist heavy space rock two-piece Alber Jupiter — bassist Nicolas Terroitin, drummer Jonathan Sonney, and both of them on what would seem to be all the synth until Steven Michel guests in that regard on “Captain Captain” and the title-track — make a cosmic return with Puis Vient la Nuit, the bulk of which is unfurled through four cuts between seven and 10 minutes long after a droning buildup in “Intro.” If you’re waiting for the Slift comparison somewhat inevitable these days anywhere near the words “French” and “space,” keep waiting. There’s some shuffle in the groove of “Daddy’s Spaceship” and “Captain Captain” before it departs for a final minute-plus of residual cosmic background, sure, but the gradual way “Pas de Bol Pour Peter” hits its midpoint apex and the wash brought to fruition in “Daddy’s Spaceship” and “Puis Vient la Nuit” itself is digging in on a different kind of vibe, almost cinematic in its vocal-less drama, broad in dynamic and encompassing on headphones as it gracefully sweeps into the farther reaches of far out, slow in escape velocity but with depth in three dimensions. It is a journey not to be missed.
There’s something of a narrative happening in at least most of the 10 tracks of Cleen‘s impressive debut album, Excursion, as the character speaking in the lyrics drifts through space and eventually meets a perhaps gruesome end, but by the time they’re closing with “A Means to an End” (get it?), the Flint, Michigan, trio of guitarist/vocalist Patrick, bassist Cooley and drummer Jordan are content to leave it at, “I just wanna worship satan and go the fuck to sleep.” Not arguing. Their sound boasts an oozing cosmic ethereality that might remind a given listener of Rezn here and there, but in the post-grunge-meets-post-punk-oh-and-there’s-a-scream movement of “No One Remembers but You,” the punkier shove in the first half of “Year of the Reaper,” the dirt-fuzz jangle of “Aroya” and the sheer heft of “Menticidal Betrayal,” “Sultane of Sand” and “Fatal Blow,” Cleen blend elements in a manner that’s modern but well on its way to being their own in addition to being a nodding clarion for the converted.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 25th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Tomorrow, April 26, Indianapolis doomers Apostle of Solitude launch their 20th anniversary European tour at the Grand Paris Sludge festival, embarking on a 14-date run that culminates at the inaugural Desertfest Oslo. The last time the band traveled abroad was in 2018 — the Beforetimes! — and in addition to changes like drummer Corey Webb cutting his hair and losing his beard in favor of a fierce, nigh-on-authoritarian mustache, and bassist Marshall Kreeb joining in place of Mike Naish, let alone being on the other side of a global pandemic, etc., that’s also long enough ago to be before they put out their latest album, 2021’s Until the Darkness Goes (review here). If you were looking for an excuse to see them, the record alone should do it.
As one might when promoting the kind of tour that doesn’t happen every year, the four-piece of Webb, Kreeb, and guitarist/vocalists Chuck Brown and Steve Janiak have posted a new video, for the track “Deeper Than the Oceans” from Until the Darkness Goes. Made in DIY fashion with Kreeb filming and Janiak handling the edits, it’s duly watery in the visuals and a showcase for the song itself, which leads off the second half of the record and is resonant in both its overarching melancholic heft and the emotive crux in Brown and Janiak‘s shared and oft-harmonized vocals.
Over the course of their now-20 years, Apostle of Solitude have always excelled at conveying a sense of defeat or despondency without losing themselves in that musically, and “Deeper Than the Oceans” encapsulates this well. That’s not to say they’re pairing sad-sung verses and choruses with hard-charging thrash — it’s a doom song with water in the title; full-on “big nod coming” dogwhistle for the converted — but while they’re plenty depressive on Until the Darkness Goesand in “Deeper Than the Oceans,” they dwell in more than just that atmospherically, as the build in the midsection after four minutes in demonstrates. They’re never totally hopeless, as brooding or dark as their material might seem.
And believe it or not — and they might take this as an insult but I assure you it’s not meant that way — they’re fun live, too. Yeah, actual fun. Don’t tell them I said that, but if you’re in their path, this tour would be a fitting occasion to show up and find out for yourself as they move on toward a new full-length hopefully sometime in 2025.
Enjoy the video:
Apostle of Solitude, “Deeper Than the Oceans” official video
Apostle of Solitude’s music video for “Deeper than the Oceans” from the album “Until the Darkness Goes” available from Cruz Del Sur Music.https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
Filmed by Marshall Kreeb Edits: S. Janiak special thanks: Mike Naish
Recorded by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording, Bloomington, IN Mixed by Mike Bridavsky Mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room Chicago, Il
Apostle of Solitude 20th Anniversary European Tour: April 26 – Paris, France @ Savigny le Temple, l’Empreinte Grand Paris Sludge April 27 – Martigny, Switzerland @ Les Caves du Manior April 28 – Torino, Italy @ Ziggy Club April 29 – Bologna, Italy @ Freakout Club April 30 – Viareggio, Italy @ Circolo ARCI GOB May 02 – Osnabrück, Germany @ Bastard Club May 03 – Berlin, Germany @ Slaughterhouse Berlin May 04 – Vienna, Austria @ Escape Metalcorner May 05 – Budapest, Hungary @ Robot May 07 – Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof Wiesbaden May 08 – Göppingen, Germany @ Zille May 09 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ Pitcher May 10 – Sebnitz, Germany @ Wonnemond Festival May 11 – Oslo, Norway @ Desertfest Oslo
Apostle of Solitude: Chuck Brown – Guitar, Vocals Corey Webb – Drums Steve Janiak – Guitar, Vocals Marshall Kreeb – Bass
Apostle of Solitude, Full Band Interview, March 3, 2024
(L-R in video: Steve Janiak, Marshall Kreeb, Chuck Brown, Corey Webb)
Apostle of Solitude, Until the Darkness Goes (2021)
Today, Indianapolis doom metallers Apostle of Solitude announce the longest stretch of European touring they’ve done. Anchored by appearances at Grand Paris Sludge, Wonnemond Festival and Desertfest Oslo, it’s not their first time abroad, but it’s special both because they’re going places they’ve never been and it’s how the band are celebrating their 20th anniversary.
Following a pair of formative demos, their debut album, Sincerest Misery (discussed here), came out in 2008 through Eyes Like Snow, and set them on an innovative course that helped define an emotive strain of doom which continues to flesh out today. After the warm-but-for-the-artwork reception their second full-length, Last Sunrise (review here), garnered upon release in 2010, the band offered a pair of splits in 2011 and restructured the lineup around founding members Chuck Brown (guitar/vocals) and Corey Webb (drums), bringing in Bob Fouts (who passed away in 2020) on bass and Steve Janiak of heavy rockers Devil to Pay as a second guitarist and singer.
The addition of Janiak to Apostle of Solitude shouldn’t be discounted as a landmark in the band’s 20-year run. I remember picking up their 2012 Demo (discussed here) at Days of the Doomed in Wisconsin that year and listening to the CD on the long drive home. It wasn’t a full conceptual reset for the band — they were doom before and doom after — but it was the start of a new era, and I’ll gladly put the three records they’ve done since, 2014’s Of Woe and Wounds (review here), 2018’s From Gold to Ash (review here), and 2021’s Until the Darkness Goes (review here), forth as examples of their progression in style and songwriting.
They’ve been talking about their next record for a while now, which is kind of how it goes. In the video interview below, which was conducted this past Sunday afternoon as the band met for rehearsal in Brown‘s basement (recognizable from any number of shared pics over the years), they talk a bit about new material and how they might or might not put it together for a sixth LP, but there’s no concrete recording or release plan at this point, and three years out from the last record, that’s fair. But if it’s 2025 or even 2026 before Apostle of Solitude make their next offering, what, you’re gonna be like, “No, this took too long so I won’t listen?” Probably not.
From Webb and Brown as originals, to Janiak now tenured for 13 years, to bassist Marshall Kreeb, who joined last summer, Apostle of Solitude have a range of perspectives on the band’s history, and I felt fortunate to be able to talk to all of them about it. And let the record show that when called upon to stand up for 20 years of Apostle of Solitude, they indeed stood. I say it to them and I’ll write it here: congratulations on 20 years of Apostle of Solitude.
Enjoy the interview. The tour announcement (fresh today) follows in blue.
Here you go:
Apostle of Solitude, Full Band Interview, March 3, 2024
(L-R in video: Steve Janiak, Marshall Kreeb, Chuck Brown, Corey Webb)
Commemorating their 20th Anniversary, Apostle of Solitude embark on a European tour this spring. The tour begins at the Grand Paris Sludge festival in Paris France on April 26th, and includes 14 shows in 7 different countries (including 5 shows and 2 festival appearances with Eyehategod), concluding at Desertfest Oslo in Oslo, Norway on May 11th. Apostle of Solitude have released five full-length albums since the band’s inception in 2004, the most recent being their 2021 release “Until The Darkness Goes”, on Cruz Del Sur Music.
20th Anniversary EU Tour dates are as follows:
April 26 – Paris, France @ Savigny le Temple, l’Empreinte Grand Paris Sludge April 27 – Martigny, Switzerland @ Les Caves du Manior April 28 – Torino, Italy @ Ziggy Club April 29 – Bologna, Italy @ Freakout Club April 30 – Viareggio, Italy @ Circolo ARCI GOB May 02 – Osnabrück, Germany @ Bastard Club May 03 – Berlin, Germany @ Slaughterhouse Berlin May 04 – Vienna, Austria @ Escape Metalcorner May 05 – Budapest, Hungary @ Robot May 07 – Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof Wiesbaden May 08 – Göppingen, Germany @ Zille May 09 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ Pitcher May 10 – Sebnitz, Germany @ Wonnemond Festival May 11 – Oslo, Norway @ Desertfest Oslo
Apostle of Solitude, Until the Darkness Goes (2021)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 18th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
To answer the question you most definitely didn’t ask, yeah, I was kind of thinking of posting this Apostle of Solitude December weekender as an excuse to check in and see what’s going on with the band. Thank you for (not) asking. Also the poster is cool!
As to that, what’s going on with Apostle of Solitude and these three shows is… there are three shows… and the band will play them… with… other bands. And doom! Yes. Doom! Doom will be had.
Those who’ve been waiting for word from the Indianapolis-based doomers about a follow-up to 2021’s Until the Darkness Goes (review here) can just keep waiting. Good doom takes time. Apostle of Solitude, nearly 20 years on since being founded by guitarist/vocalist Chuck Brown and drummer Corey Webb, more than 10 since they brought in Steve Janiak (Devil to Pay) on guitar and vocals, brought in new bassist Marshall Kreebthis summer to replace Mike Naish, so one imagines it’s taken some time to get Kreeb integrated into the band, to learn the songs and their we’re-really-goofballs-and-everyone-knows-it-but-we’re-very-serious-in-pictures presentation while they continue to write for the inevitable next release.
2024 for that? Not impossible if they hit it hard over the winter, but I’d be more inclined to think of them recording in the middle or second half of next year and releasing in 2025. The three years between 2018’s From Gold to Ash (review here) and Until the Darkness Goes was pretty standard, but if it’s another whole year before they get an LP out, just imagine how doomed the world will feel by the time it arrives. Mmm, an unknowable and invariably threatening future. Plus doom. Things to look forward to.
From social media:
AOS upcoming shows: Thu Dec 7th at 816 Pint & Slice, Ft Wayne IN w Feticide & The Holy Nothing
Fri Dec 8th at Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee, WI w Carbellion & Lost Tribes of the Moon
Sat Dec 9th at Burlington Bar, Chicago, IL w Faces of the Bog, Arriver & Arbogast
Apostle of Solitude: Chuck Brown – Guitar, vocals Steve Janiak – Guitar, vocals Marshall Kreeb – Bass Corey Webb – Drums
That’s it. End of the Summer 2023 Quarterly Review and the last round of this kind of thing until, I don’t know, sometime here or there in late September or early October. I feel like I say this every time out — and I readily acknowledge the possibility that I do; I’ve been doing this for a while, and there’s only so much shit to say — but it is my sincere hope you found something in this round of 70 records that hits with you. I did, a couple times over at least. One of the reasons I look forward to the Quarterly Review, apart from clearing off album-promo folders from my desktop, is that my end-of-year lists always look different coming out of one than they did going in. This time is no different.
But, you know, if you didn’t get there this time, that’s okay too. There’s always the next one and one of the fortunate things about living in a time with such an onslaught of recorded music is that there’s always something new to check out. The Quarterly Review is over for a couple months, yeah, but new music happens every day. Every day is another chance to find your new favorite album, band, video, whatever. Enjoy that.
Quarterly Review #61-70:
Monolord, It’s All the Same
After nearly a decade of hard, album-cycle-driven international touring and standing at the forefront in helping to steer a generational wave of lumbering riffage, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think Gothenburg, Sweden’s Monolord might feel stuck, and “Glaive (It’s All the Same)” seems to acknowledge that. Stylistically, though the lead and partial title-track on the roller trio’s new EP, It’s All the Same, is itself a way forward. It is more spacious than crushing, and they fill the single out with guitarist Thomas V. Jäger‘s sorrowful vocal delivery and memorable early lead lines, a steady, organic rhythm from drummer/engineer Esben Willems and bassist Mika Häkki — worth noting that all three have either released solo albums or otherwise explored solo work in the last two years — and Mellotron that adds a classically progressive flair and lets the guitar focus on mood rather than stomp, though there’s still plenty of that in “Glaive (It’s All the Same)” and is more the focus of “The Only Road,” so Monolord aren’t necessarily making radical changes from where they were on 2021’s Your Time to Shine (review here), but as there has been all along, there’s steady growth in balance with the physicality of tone one has come to anticipate from them. After scaling back on road time, It’s All the Same feels reassuring even as it pushes successfully the boundaries of their signature sound.
Raging not at all unthoughtfully for most of its concise-feeling but satisfying 38 minutes, Somnuri‘s third album and MNRK Heavy label debut, the nine-song Desiderium, is a tour de force through metallic strengths. Informed by the likes of Death, (their now-labelmates) High on Fire, Killswitch Engage, Gojira (at whose studio they recorded), thick-toned and swapping between harsh shouts, screams and clean-sung choruses — and yes, that’s just in the first three minutes of opener “Death is the Beginning” — the Brooklynite trio of guitarist/vocalist Justin Sherrell, bassist Mike G. and drummer Phil SanGiacomo brazenly careen and crash through styles, be it the lumbering and impatiently angular doom “Paramnesia,” the rousing sprint “What a Way to Go,” the raw, vocals-rightly-forward and relatively free of effects “Remnants” near the end, or the pairing of the fervent, thrashy shove in “Flesh and Blood” with the release-your-inner-Cave–In “Desiderium,” the overwhelming extremity of “Pale Eyes” or the post-hardcore balladeering that turns to djent sludge largesse in closer “The Way Out” — note the album begins at “…the Beginning” and ends at an exit; happy accident or purposeful choice; it works either way — Somnuri are in the hurricane rather than commanding from the calm center, and that shows in the emotionalism of prior single “Hollow Visions,” but at no point does Desiderium collapse under the weight of its ambitions. After years of touring and the triumph that was 2021’s Nefarious Wave (review here) hinting at what seems in full bloom here, Somnuri sound ready for the next level they’ve reached. Time to spend like the next five years straight on tour, guys. Sorry, but that’s what happens when you’re the kick in the ass heavy metal doesn’t yet know it needs.
Densely distorted Indianapolis heavybringers Void King have stated that their third full-length, the burly but not unatmospheric 36-minute The Hidden Hymnal, is the first of a two-part outing, though it’s unclear whether both parts are a concept record or these six tracks are meant to start a storyline, with opener “Egg of the Sun” (that would happen if it spun really fast) and closer “Drink in the Light” feeling complementary in their increased runtime relative to the four songs between. Maybe it’s an unfinished narrative at this point, or no narrative at all. Fine. Approaching it as a standalone outing, the four-piece follow 2019’s Barren Dominion (review here) with more choice riffing and metal-threatening, weighted doom, “The Grackle” breaking out some rawer-throat gutturalism over its big, big, big tone. The bassline of “Engulfed in Absence” (tell people you love them) caps side A with a highlight, and “When the Pinecones Close Up” (that means it’s going to rain) echoes the volatility of “The Grackle” before “Brother Tried” languidly swings until it’s time for a 100 meter dash at the end, and the aforementioned “Drink in the Light” rounds out mournful and determined. If there’s more to come, so be it, but Void King give their listeners plenty to chew on in the interim.
At the core of ostensibly Switzerland-based Inezona is multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ines Brodbeck, and on Heartbeat — the fourth LP from her band and the follow-up to 2019’s Now, released as INEZ, and last year’s sans-vocals A Self Portrait — the sound is malleable around its folkish melodicism, with Brodbeck, guitarist/vocalist Gabriel Sullivan, bassist/synthesist Fabian Gisler and drummer Eric Gut comfortably fleshing out atmospheric heavy psychedelia more about mood than effects but too active and almost too expressive to be post-rock, though it kind of is anyhow. Mellow throughout, “Sea Soul” caps side A and meanders into/through a jam building on the smoky vibe in “Stardust” before the title-track strolls across a field of more ’60s-derived folk rock. “Veil” charms with fuzz, while “In My Heart” seems intent on finding the place where Scandinavian folk meets kosmiche synthesizer, and “Midnight Circle” brings Zatokrev‘s Fredryk Rotter for a guest duet and guitar spot that is a whole-album crescendo, with the acoustic-based “Leave Me Alone” and the brief “Sunday Mornings” at the end to manage the comedown. The sound spans decades and styles and functions with purpose as its own presence, and the soothing delivery of Brodbeck throughout much of the proceedings draws Heartbeat together as an interpretation of classic pop ideals with deep roots underground. Proof again that ‘heavy’ is about more than which pedals you have on your board.
It’s odd that it’s odd that Hauch‘s songs are in German. The pandemic-born Waltrop, Germany, four-piece present their first release in the recorded-in-2021, five-song Lehmasche, and I guess so much of the material coming out of the German heavy underground — and there’s a lot of it, always — is in English. A distinguishing factor for the 31-minute outing, then, which is further marked by an attitudinal edge in hard-fuzz riffers like “Es Ist” and the closer “Tür,” the aesthetic of the band at this (or that, depending on how present-tense we want to be) moment drawing strongly from ’90s rock — and no, that doesn’t necessarily mean stoner — in structure and affect, but presenting the almost-eight-minute leadoff “Wind” with due fullness of sound and ending up not too far in terms of style from Switzerland’s Carson, who last year likewise proffered a style that was straightforward on its face but, like Hauch, stood out for its level of songwriting and the just-right nature of its grooves. Lehmasche, the title translating to ‘clay ash,’ evokes something that can change shape, and the thrust in “Komm Nach Hause” and the hard-landing kick thud of centerpiece “Quelle” bear that out well enough. Keeping in mind it’s their debut, it seems likely Hauch will continue to grow, but they already sound ready to be picked up by some label or other.
Setting its nod in a manner that seems to have little time to waste on opener “The Mountain and the Feather” before breaking out with the dense, chugging swing of “The Corenne and the Prophecy Fulfilled,” Kentucky heavybringers El Astronauta bring a nuanced sound to what might be familiar progressions, but the mix is set up in three dimensions and the band dwells in all of them, bringing character to the languid reach of the mini-album Snakes and Foxes, bolstered by the everybody-might-sing approach from guitarist/keyboardist Seth Wilson, bassist Dean Collier and pushed-back drummer Cory Link, who debuted in 2021 with High Strangeness and who dude-march through “The Gambler and the General” as if the tempo was impeded by the thickness of the song itself. Through a mere 17 Earth minutes, El Astronauta carve out this indent for themselves in the side of a very large, very heavy style of rock and roll, but “The Axe or the Hammer,” which bookends topping five minutes in answer to “The Mountain and the Feather,” has a more subdued verse to go along with the damn near martial shouts of its impact-minded chorus, and fades out with surprising fluidity to leave off. The one-thing-and-another-thing titles give Snakes and Foxes a thematic feel, but the real theme here is the barebones greed-for-volume El Astronauta display, their material feeling built for beery singalongs.
With their third full-length behind 2021’s Chosen One (review here) and their 2018 self-titled debut (review here), Texan riff rollers Thunder Horse grow accordingly more atmospheric in their presentation and are that much more sure of themselves in leaning into founding guitarist/vocalist Stephen Bishop‘s industrial metal past in Pitbull Daycare. The keys give “Requiem” an epic feel at the finish, and even if the opening title-track is like what Filter might’ve been if they’d been awesome and “New Normal” and “Monolith” push further with semi-aggro metallurgical force, the wall-of-tone remains thusly informed until the two-minute acoustic “The Other Side” tells listeners where to go when it’s over (you flip the record, duh). “Monolith” hinted at a severity that manifests in the doomed “Apocalypse,” a preface in its noise and breadth for the finale “Requiem,” finding a momentum that the layered-vocal hook of “Inner Demon” capitalizes upon with its tense toms and that the howls of the penultimate “Aberdeen” expand on with Thunder Horse‘s version of classic boogie rock. They don’t come across like they’re done exploring the balances of influence in what they do — and I hope they’re not — but Thunder Horse have never sounded more certain as regards the rightness of their path.
The title “Vīrya” is Sanskrit and based on the Hindu concept of vitality or energy, often in a specifically male context. Fair enough ground for Kansas instrumentalists After Nations to explore on their single following last year’s impressive, Buddhism-based concept LP, The Endless Mountain (review here). In the four-minute standalone check-in, the four-piece remind just how granite-slab heavy that offering was as they find a linear path from the warning-siren-esque guitar at the start through the slower groove and into the space where a post-metallic verse could reside but doesn’t and that’s just fine, turning back to the big-bigger-biggest riff before shifting toward controlled-cacophony progressive metal, hints of djent soon to flower as they build tension through the higher guitar frequencies and the intensity of the whole. After three minutes in, they’re charging forward, but it’s a flash and they’re dug into the whatever-time-signature finishing movement, a quick departure to guitar soon consumed by that feeling you get when you listen to Meshuggah that there’s a very large thing rising up very slowly in front of you and surely you’ll never get out alive. Precise in their attack, After Nations reinforce the point The Endless Mountain made that technique is only one part of their overarching brutality.
There’s some incongruity between the intro “Introspection” (I see what you did there) leading into “Weightless Again” as it takes the mood from a quiet buildup to full-bore tonality and only then gives over to the eight-minute second track, but Ockra‘s Argonauta-delivered debut long-player thrives in that contradiction. Melodic vocals float over energetic riffing in “Weightless Again,” but even that is just a hint of the seven-songer’s scope. To wit, the initially acoustic-based “Tree I Planted” is recognizably parental in its point of view with a guest vocal from Stefanie Spielhaupter, and while centerpiece “Acceptance” is more doomed in its introductory lead guitar, the open strum of its early verses and the harmonies in its second half assure an impression is made. The Gothenburg-based trio grow yet more adventurous in the drone-and-voice outset of “We Who Didn’t Know,” which unfolds its own notions of what ‘heavy prog’ means, with guitarist Erik Björnlinger howling at the finish ahead of the start of the more folk-minded strum of “Imorgon Här,” on which drummer Jonas Nyström (who also played that acoustic on “We Who Didn’t Know” and adds Mellotron where applicable) takes over lead vocal duties from bassist Alex Spielhaupter (also more Mellotron). The German-language closer “Tage Wie Dieser” (‘days like these’) boasts a return from Stefanie Spielhaupter and is both quiet grunge and ambient post-rock before the proggy intensity of its final wash takes hold, needing neither a barrage of effects or long stretches of jamming to conjure a sense of the far out.
What’s another 20 minutes of music to Erik Larson, I wonder. The Richmond-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has a career and a discography that goes back to the first Avail record three decades ago, and at no point in those decades has he ever really stopped, moving through outfits like (the now-reunited) Alabama Thunderpussy, Axehandle, The Mighty Nimbus, Hail!Hornet, Birds of Prey, Kilara, Backwoods Payback, Thunderchief, on and on, while building his solo catalog as well. Fortsett, the 20-minute EP in question, follows 2022’s Red Lines and Everything Breaks (both reviewed here), and features Druglord‘s Tommy Hamilton (also Larson‘s bandmate in Omen Stones) on drums and engineer Mark Miley on a variety of instruments and backing vocals. And you know what? It’s a pretty crucial-sounding 20 minutes. Larson leads the charge through his take that helped define Southern heavy in “Cry in the Wind,” the nodder “My Own,” and the sub-two-minute “Electric Burning,” pulls back on the throttle for “Hounder Sistra” and closes backed by drum machine and keys on “Life Shedding,” just in case you dared to think you know what you were getting. So what’s that 20 minutes of music to Erik Larson? Going by the sound of Fortsett, it’s the most important part of the day.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
So long, Mike Naish, and thanks for the seven years of holding down low end in Apostle of Solitude. Naish, who has also played in Shroud of Vulture, Astral Mass and others, joined the Indianapolis-based doom metallers in 2016, taking the place of Dan Davidson and making his first appearance on record with 2018’s From Gold to Ash (review here) before also performing on 2021’s Until the Darkness Goes (review here). I’ll count both of those as among the finest releases in US doom of the last five years — if you’ve got a list, they’re probably on it, or if not I’d be genuinely interested to know why; and no, I don’t mean that as a challenge — and as Marshall Kreeb, who used to play bass and keys in Devils of Belgrade while also handling engineering, mixing and mastering duties, steps in to fill the role live, the band also reportedly has new music in progress heading toward presumably their next album.
The follow-up to Until the Darkness Goes — whatever it’s called, however completed it is, and whenever it sees release — will be Apostle of Solitude‘s sixth LP overall, and one assumes that it will see release as well in continued alliance with Cruz del Sur Music because, well, that alliance seems to work well for all parties. I don’t know how much touring they’ll do or where, but they have hints in that regard as well, so a bit of general pot-stirring to go with the lineup shuffle. It happened the other day, actually, that I was thinking it had been a few minutes since the last time the band had an update, and I wouldn’t expect a new LP before 2024, but that’s in like six months and not so terribly long from now. When and if I hear more, I’ll post accordingly. Unless I’m told to keep it secret, which also happens sometimes. Shh…
First show with Kreeb is Sept. 1, so they’ve all got some time to get settled in. As per socials:
Friends, due to family and work constraints and commitments, our friend and brother, Mike Naish has unfortunately had to step away from bass duties in Apostle of Solitude. We wish him all the best.
Stepping in to fill that role, Marshall Kreeb (ex-Devils of Belgrade) will join us for our next show at the Melody Inn on Friday September 1st, with Wolftooth and Firebreather (Sweden):https://facebook.com/events/976523766729749/
We have new music, more tour updates and other surprises in the days to come. Thank you for your support.
Posted in Questionnaire on June 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tommy Miller of Void King
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
We’re a loud rock and roll band. But at the end of the day, music is something that has always been a part of our lives. The goal for Void King was always to have fun, drink beer, and really discover what our sound actually was. Our drummer and I are best friends for over 30 years now, and we’ve been playing in bands together forever. Through that whole journey, we really fell into what our sound is. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what “sounding like yourself” means. But once you get there, there’s a real freedom in being able to do what you want with no pressure on yourself.
Describe your first musical memory.
We were driving to Florida and my uncle, who is ten years older than me, made me listen to Back In Black on his headphones. I was six years old at the time and I just remember how it made me feel. I could almost feel my brain rewire itself.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Void King touring Europe. Not only was it the most fun we’ve ever had playing music, we had the best time ever. Amsterdam on Halloween night in the red light district is a good place to be for a stoner rock band. But yeah, the crowds were great. The other bands were incredible. I’m not sure anything even comes close to be honest. Hanging out with our label dudes, drinking Belgian beer in Belgium, and playing great shows. It might be hard to ever top that.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Speaking solely for myself, but I’ve always been pretty anti violence. Not a pacifist per se. But I never thought that fighting or physical protests did much. But I think that in the last few years, I’ve been proven wrong. Sometimes you need to punch a Nazi in the face. It isn’t what I want to do. But sometimes it needs to be done.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Honesty. I hear a lot of people compare their art to other people to get an audience. We all do it on some level at some time. “OH yeah, we sound like soundgarden meets the monkees” or whatever. But as you progress, you hopefully learn that none of that means a thing. If you’re really being honest, artistry is about being vulnerable and showing who you really are. If you don’t, people can see through that bullshit. You can get away with faking it for a bit, but people aren’t dumb and they will look right through your facade.
How do you define success?
The age old question. For me, being able to produce songs that someone else can relate to is success. Would I love Void King to get huge and tour forever? Of course I would. But as we get older, you’d be dumb not to readjust the goals and be super frank with yourself. I’m always going to play music in some capacity. On some level, that is success. But we all have day jobs. We all have bills to pay, families to take care of, and a myriad of other responsibilities. Music is going to be there. If someone wants to pay us to get out there full time, we’d go. Until then, our success means that we continue to write meaningful songs and try to create something of a cult.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
I saw a motorcycle pass me going at least 140 mph on the freeway, get the speed wobbles, and get thrown into the overpass. He hit and slid like a cartoon character. But what fucked me up was watching his shoes fly off. I have no idea why that part sticks with me.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I am working on a solo record and I want to finish it up sooner than later. Void King is my main musical priority, but I have a lot of weird ass ideas with a lot of different instruments and I really want to get those ideas on wax. Some of my work team is in Turkey, and that music has had a big impact on me. I can’t wait to explore it further.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To provoke a reaction. Whether it’s in the consumer or the artist, I love how art makes people feel. Literature, visual arts, music, etc, I love taking in new to me art. The world is a better place when people are arguing over if something is art or not. I actually love that discussion.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’m finishing a book called Between Two Fires right now and I can’t wait to read the end. It’s a book about the black plague and a group’s journey through the French countryside. It is absolutely brutal, and every page is terrifying and perfect.
