Now having spanned multiple years since starting way back in 2016, this Quarterly Review ends today with writeups 51-60 of the total 60. I’ve said I don’t know how many times that I could go longer, but the fact of the matter is it would hit a point where it stopped being a pleasant experience on my end and I’d rather keep things fun as much as possible rather than just try to cram in every single release that ever came my way. Make sense? It might or it might not. I can’t really decide either. From the bottom of my heart though, as I stare down the final batch of records for this edition of the Quarterly Review, I thank you for reading. Let’s dive in.

Quarterly Review #51-60:

Crippled Black Phoenix, Bronze

Nine albums and just about 10 years on from their 2007 debut, A Love of Shared Disasters, the UK’s Crippled Black Phoenix arrive on Season of Mist with the full-length Bronze and remain as complex, moody and sonically resolute as ever. If we’re lucky, they’ll be the band that teaches a generation of heavy tone purveyors how to express emotion in songwriting without giving up the impact of their material, but the truth is that “Champions of Disturbance (Pt. 1 & 2),” “Deviant Burials,” “Scared and Alone” and take-your-pick-from-the-others are about so much more depth than even the blend of “heavy and moody” conveys. To wit, the spacious post-rock gaze of “Goodbye Then” gives a glimpse of what Radiohead might’ve turned into had they managed to keep their collective head out of their collective ass, and the penultimate “Winning a Losing Battle” pushes through initial melancholia into gurgling, obtuse-but-hypnotic drone before making a miraculous return in its finish – then closer “We are the Darkeners” gets heavy. Multi-instrumentalist, founder and chief songwriter Justin Greaves is nothing shy of a visionary, and Bronze is the latest manifestation of that vision. One doubts it will be the last.

Crippled Black Phoenix on Thee Facebooks

Season of Mist website

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Zed, Trouble in Eden

Nothing shy about Trouble in Eden, the third full-length from San Jose heavy rockers Zed and second for Ripple Music. From its hey-look-guys-it’s-a-naked-chick cover to the raw vocal push from Pete Sattari –which delves into more melodic fare early on “The Only True Thing” and in rolling closer “The Mountain,” but keeps mostly to gruff grown-up-punker delivery throughout – the 10-tracker makes its bones in cuts like “Blood of the Fallen” and the resonant hook of “Save You from Yourself,” which are straightforward in intent, brash in execution and which thrive on a purported “rock the way it should be” mentality. Well, I don’t know how rock should be, but Zed – Sattari, guitarist Greg Lopez, bassist Mark Aceves and drummer Rich Harris – play to classic structures and seem to bring innate groove with them wherever they go on the album, be it the one-two punch of “High Indeed” and “So Low” or the Clutch-style bounce in the first half of “Today Not Tomorrow,” which leaves one of Trouble in Eden’s most memorable impressions both as a song and as a summary of their apparent general point of view.

Zed on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music website

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Mark Deutrom & Dead, Collective Fictions Split LP

Limited to just 200 copies on We Empty Rooms and Gotta Groove Records, the Collective Fictions split 180g LP between Melbourne noise duo Dead and Mark Deutrom (Bellringer, Clown Alley, ex-Melvins) is a genuine vinyl-only release. No digital version. That in itself gives it something of a brazen experimentalism, never mind the fact that one can barely tell where one track ends and the next track starts. Purposeful obscurity? Maybe. It’s reportedly one of a series of four LPs Dead are working on for the next year-plus, and they present two cuts in “Masonry” and “In the Car,” moving through percussion and mid-range drone to build a tense jazz on the former as drummer Jem and bassist Jace make room for the keys and noise of BJ Morriszonkle, which continue to play a prominent role in “In the Car” as well, which is also the only inclusion on Collective Fictions to feature vocals, shortly before it rumbles and long-fades snare hits to close out Dead’s side of the LP, leaving Deutrom – working here completely solo – thoroughly dared to get as weird as he’d like. An opportunity of which he takes full advantage. Over the course of four tracks, he unfurls instrumentalist drone of various stripes, from the nighttime soundscaping of “The Gargoyle Protocol,” which seems to answer the percussive beginning of Dead, through the spacier reverb loneliness of “Presence of an Absence,” like a most pastoral, less obtuse Earth, dreamy but sad in a way that denotes self-awareness on the part of the title, or at very least effective evocation thereof. Likewise, “Bring the Fatted Calf,” with its gong hits, Master Musicians of Bukkake-style jingling and minimalist volume swells, is duly ritualistic, which makes one wonder what the prog-style keys at the open of “View from the Threshold” are looking at. Deutrom moves through that side-closer patiently but fluidly and ends at a drone, tying up Collective Fictions as something of a curio in intent and execution. By that I mean what seems to have brought the two parties together was a “Hey, wanna get weird?” impulse, but each act makes their own level and then works on it, so hell yes, by all means, get weird.

Mark Deutrom website

Dead website

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Ol’ Time Moonshine, The Apocalypse Trilogies

Any record that starts with a narration beginning, “In the not too distant future…” is going to find favor with my MST3K-loving heart. So begins The Apocalypse Trilogies: Spacewolf and Other Dark Tales, the cumbersomely-named but nonetheless engaging Salt of the Earth Records debut full-length from Toronto’s Ol’ Time Moonshine, whose 2013 The Demon Haunted World EP (review here) also found favor. The burl-coated outing is presented across three chapters, each beginning with its own narration and comprising three subsequent tracks – trilogies – tying into its theme as represented in the cover art by vocalist/guitarist Bill Kole, joined in the band by guitarist Chris Coleiro, bassist John Kendrick and drummer Brett Savory. They shift into some more complex fare on the instrumental “Lady of Light” before the final chapter, but at its core The Apocalypse Trilogies remains a (very) heavy rock album with an undercurrent of metal, and whatever else Ol’ Time Moonshine bring to it in plotline, they hold fast to songwriting as the most crucial element of their approach.

Ol’ Time Moonshine on Thee Facebooks

Salt of the Earth Records webstore

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Ufosonic Generator, The Evil Smoke Possession

Italian four-piece Ufosonic Generator (also stylized as one word: UfosonicGenerator) make themselves at home straddling the line between doom and classic boogie rock on what seems to be their debut album, the eight-track The Evil Smoke Possession, released through Minotauro Records. Marked out by the soaring and adaptable vocals of Gojira – yup – the band offer proto-metal shuffle on shorter early cuts “A Sinful Portrait” and the rolling nod of “At Witches’ Bell,” but it’s the longer pairing of “Meridian Daemon” (7:47) and “Silver Bell Meadows” (6:53) on which one finds their brew at highest potency, sending an evil eye Cathedral’s way without forgetting the Sabbathian riffery that started it all or the Iron Maiden-gallop it inspired. They cap with the suitable lumber of their title-track and pick up toward the finish as if to underscore the dueling vibes with which they’ve been working all along. Ultimately, the meld isn’t necessarily revolutionary, but it does pay homage fluidly across The Evil Smoke Possession’s span, and as a debut, it sets Ufosonic Generator forward with a solid foundation on which to progress.

Ufosonic Generator on Thee Facebooks

Minotauro Records on Bandcamp

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Mother Mooch, Nocturnes

Issued digitally in late-2015 and subsequently snagged for a 2016 vinyl issue through Krauted Mind, Nocturnes is the debut full-length from Dublin five-piece Mother Mooch, and in its eight tracks, they set their footing in a genre-spanning aesthetic, pulling from slow-motion grunge, weighted heavy rock, psychedelic flourish and even a bit of punk on the shorter, upbeat “My Song 21” and “L.H.O.O.Q.” Those two tracks prove crucial departures in breaking up the proceedings and speak well of a penchant on the part of vocalist Chloë Ní Dhúada, guitarists Sid Daly (also backing vocals) and Farl, bassist Barry Hayden and drummer Danni Nolan toward sonic diversity. They bring a similar sensibility to the closing Lead Belly cover “Out on the Western Plain” as well, whereas cuts like opener “This Tempest,” “Into the Water” and “Misery Hill” work effectively to find a middle ground between the stylistic range at play. That impulse, seemingly innate to their songraft, is what will allow them to continue to develop their personality as a band and is not to be understated in how pivotal it is to this first LP.

Mother Mooch on Thee Facebooks

Krauted Mind Records website

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The Asound, The Asound

To my knowledge, this only-70-pressed five-song tape release is the second self-titled EP from off-kilter North Carolina heavy rockers The Asound following a three-songer back in 2011 (review here). Offered by Tsuguri Records, the new The Asound starts with its longest track (immediate points) in the 6:54 “Moss Man” and touches on earliest, most righteous High on Fire-style brash, but holds to its own notions about what that that blend of groove and gallop should do. Through splits with Flat Tires (review here), Magma Rise (review here), Lenoir Swingers Club (review here) and Mark Deutrom (review here), the trio of Guitarist/vocalist Chad Wyrick, bassist Jon Cox and drummer Michael Crump have always had an element of the unpredictable to their sound, and that’s true as centerpiece “Human for Human” revives the thrust of the opener coming off “Controller”’s less marauding rhythm, but the sludgy rollout and later airy lead-work of “Pseudo Vain” and chugging nod of closer “Throne of Compulsion” speaks to the consciousness at play beneath the unhinged vibes that’s been there all along. They’ve sounded ready for a while to make a full-length debut. They still sound that way.

The Asound on Thee Facebooks

Tsuguri Records website

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Book of Wyrms, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Immediate bonus points to Richmond, Virginia’s Book of Wyrms for titling a track on their full-length debut “Infinite Walrus,” but with the Garrett Morris-recorded tones they proffer with the seven-song/53-minute Sci-Fi/Fantasy (on Twin Earth Records), they don’t really need bonus points. The five-piece of vocalist Sarah Moore Lindsey, six-stringers Kyle Lewis and Ben Coudriet, bassist Jay Lindsey and drummer Chris DeHaven mostly avoid the sounding-like-Windhand trap through stretches of upbeat tempo, theremin and other noise flourish, and harmonies on guitar, but they’re never far from an undercurrent of doom, as opener “Leatherwing Bat” establishes and the long ambient midsection and subsequent nod of centerpiece “Nightbong” is only too happy to reinforce. “All Hallows Eve” gets a little cliché with its samples, but the dueling leads on 11-minute closer “Sourwolf” and included keyboard noise ensure proper distinction and mark Book of Wyrms as having come into their first long-player with a definite plan of action, which finds them doing well as a showcase of potential and plenty immersive in the here and now.

Book of Wyrms on Thee Facebooks

Twin Earth Records on Bandcamp

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Oxblood Forge, Oxblood Forge

Despite the sort of cross-cultural ritualism of its cover art, Oxblood Forge’s self-titled debut EP has only the firmest of ideas where it’s coming from. The Whitman, Massachusetts-based five-piece boasts former Ichabod vocalist Ken MacKay as well as bassist Greg Dellaria from that band, and guitarist Robb Lioy (also in Four Speed Fury with MacKay) alongside guitarist Josh Howard and drummer Chris Capen, and in a coherent, vigilantly straightforward five-tracker they touch on aggressive fare in “Lashed to the Mast” as their Northeastern regionalism would warrant – we’re all very angry here; it’s the weather – and demonstrate a knack for hooks in “Inferno” and “Sister Midnight,” the latter blending screams and almost Torche-style melodies over clam chowder riffing before closer “Storm of Crows” opens foreboding with Dellaria’s bass and moves into the short release’s nastiest fare, MacKay sticking to harsher vocals as on the earlier “Night Crawler,” but in a darker instrumental context. They set a range here, and might be feeling things out in terms of working together as this band, but given the personnel involved and their prior familiarity with each other, it’s hard to imagine that if a follow-up is in the offing it’ll be all that long before it arrives. Consider notice served.

Oxblood Forge on Thee Facebooks

Oxblood Forge on Bandcamp

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The Heavy Crawls, The Heavy Crawls

Ukrainian trio The Heavy Crawls set out as a duo called just The Crawls and released a self-titled debut in 2013 that was picked up in 2015 by ultra-respected German imprint Nasoni Records. Under the new moniker, they get another stab at a first album with the 10-track/42-minute classic rocker The Heavy Crawls, the three-piece of founding guitarist/bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Max Tovstyi, drummer Inessa Joger and keyboardist/vocalist/percussionist Iryna Malyshevska evoking spirited boogie and comfortable groove on “She Said I Had to Wait” and the handclap-stomping “Girl from America.” Elements of garage rock show up on “Too Much Rock ‘n’ Roll” and the soul-swinging “I Had to Get Away,” but The Heavy Crawls are more interested in establishing a flow than being showy or brash, and the payoff for that comes in eight-minute closer “Burns Me from Inside,” which stretches out the jamming sensibility that earlier pieces like the organ-laced “One of a Kind” and the staccato “Friday, 13th” seem to be driving toward. Some growing to undertake, but the pop aspect in The Heavy Crawls’ songcraft provides intrigue, and their (second) debut shows a righteous commitment to form without losing its identity to it.

The Heavy Crawls website

The Heavy Crawls on Bandcamp

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We continue with day four of the Quarterly Review. This batch is numbers 31-40 of the total 60, not that the numbers really mean anything. I know it’s list season — believe me, I know — but there’s no actual ranking going on. It’s just basically so I can keep track and remember what day it is. That’s not to say this is done off the cuff. Actually, there’s an embarrassing amount of planning behind these things. Months. And when I start actually getting the posts ready and realize I’ve slated the same record on two different days — something that’s happened no fewer than three times so far, needing each time to be corrected — it’s a clear demonstration of the value of my planning. Ha. Anyway, we press on. Together. Into the thick of it. Thanks for reading.

Quarterly Review #31-40:

Crowbar, The Serpent Only Lies

More than 25 years and 11 albums into a landmark career that helped prove the existence of the hairy beast known as “sludge metal,” Crowbar don’t owe anyone anything, and since returning to activity with 2011’s Sever the Wicked Hand (review here) and 2014’s Symmetry in Black, they’ve played like it. Their third post-resurgence outing is The Serpent Only Lies (on eOne Heavy), and though it works largely to form – that is, Crowbar are going to sound like Crowbar: low, slow, seeming to lurch even when dug into fits of gallop on “I am the Storm” or the early going of “The Enemy Beside You” – one still finds progression especially in the vocal approach of frontman and founder Kirk Windstein, who self-harmonizes effectively on the title-track’s standout hook as well as the later pair “On Holy Ground” and “Song of the Dunes,” the latter also resoundingly spacious in a way that offsets much of The Serpent Only Lies’ head-down intensity. This might be flourish or a companion to the core Crowbar sound that remains intact throughout, but the truth is it’s not like it needs to be there – Crowbar’s audience would still go to the shows even if the band stopped growing – but it’s entirely to the credit of the New Orleans legends that more than a quarter-century later they continue to progress. I guess that’s how Crowbar gets to be Crowbar.

Crowbar on Thee Facebooks

eOne Heavy on Thee Facebooks

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Katatonia, The Fall of Hearts

Depending on what you count as a full-length, The Fall of Hearts (on Peaceville) is either the 10th or 11th studio record from Sweden’s Katatonia. It follows 2013’s acoustic Dethroned and Uncrowned, which reenvisioned 2012’s Dead End Kings and brings forth over an hour of new material from founding duo Jonas Renkse (vocals/guitar/etc.) and Anders “Blakkheim” Nyström (guitar/backing vocals), as well as Niklas Sandin (bass) and Daniel Moilanen (drums), who, working with engineer Karl Daniel Lidén (ex-Greenleaf, Demon Cleaner), continue to proffer resonant melancholy in abundance. As a band, Katatonia have had a number of different phases over the years, from their deathly beginnings through the later moves into melody, but as it stands on songs like “Decima,” with its acoustic and mellotron arrangement, and the seven-minute “Serac,” which plays back and forth between serene and some of The Fall of Hearts’ most intense thrust, they remain among heavy metal’s most recognizable acts. There is no one else who sounds like them, and they sound not quite like anyone else. This collection might be more about gradual steps forward than radical shifts in approach, but Katatonia have found a way to preach to their converted and keep growing at the same time, and that’s to be commended.

Katatonia on Thee Facebooks

Peaceville Records website

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Ethereal Riffian, I am Deathless

Issued via Robustfellow in a range of physical editions from an oversized CD digipak to cassette bundles, the two-song I. AM. Deathless EP from yet-underrated Ukrainian progressive ritualists Ethereal Riffian warrants the ceremony with which it arrives. Its two tracks, “Drum of the Deathless” (6:19) and “Sword of the Deathless” (9:57) closed and opened, respectively, the prior 2016 live outing, Youniversal Voice (review here), and in their studio form they bring to bear a vision of psychedelic metal given to atmospheric breadth that comes at the expense neither of purpose nor impact. The opener proves the more immediate of the pair, but as “Sword of the Deathless” plays out, it finds prog-metal swirl amid low-end starts and stops intertwined layers of multi-channel spoken word, acoustic and electric guitar and percussive tension, so that as it heads into its payoff and melodic finish, the resolution is both satisfying and something of a relief from the cacophony preceding. Forward-thinking and of marked substance, I. AM. Deathless offers a quick glimpse at the band’s scope and invites listeners to dive deep therein.

Ethereal Riffian on Thee Facebooks

Robustfellow Productions on Bandcamp

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Dot Legacy, To the Others

There isn’t much that’s off-limits to Parisian heavy rockers Dot Legacy. To wit, the near-rap-rock mania of opener “Horizon” from their second LP, To the Others (on Setalight Records), and the laid-back psych-lounge vibes that follow on “Grey Cardinal,” only to be swept away in crashes and chants later, leading to the driving desert punkery of “211.” Three songs, three distinct feels, and Dot Legacy only get weirder from there as they toy with fuzzed momentum on “5314” and “Dakota” before the dreamy post-rock meandering of “The Twelve,” the prog-pop of “Story of Fame” and piano-laden psych-drama of closer “Pioneer.” In 35 minutes, the four-piece cover more ground than most bands do in their whole careers, but that becomes even more admirable in that they manage not to just be all over the place, but to provide a consistent quality of songwriting to complement all that quirk. Add to that the attention to detail in vocal harmonies and arrangements, and as they follow-up their 2014 self-titled debut (review here), they reveal a clear sense of a master plan at work under all the brashness and genre-hopping.

Dot Legacy on Thee Facebooks

Setalight Records website

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Salem’s Bend, Salem’s Bend

Self-released by the Los Angeles trio in late-2015 and picked up for a vinyl issue through Ripple Music, the self-titled debut from Salem’s Bend leaves little wonder as to why with its classic sensibility and the vibe proliferated by the natural-toned nod of a song like “Silverstruck.” Though still prone to a bit of Hendrix-style shred when it comes to lead guitar, the three-piece of Bobby (guitar/vocals), Kevin (bass) and Zach (drums) depart from some of the post-Radio Moscow all-thrust boogie in favor of more laid back fair and on that cut and the later “Sun and Mist,” which hits into a satisfying apex in its second half without feeling overcooked, as well as the six-minute finale “A Tip of Salem,” which nods through its initial movement before bursting out toward the end. In a crowded SoCal scene, just about anything Salem’s Bend can do to stand apart will serve them, and the fluidity they hone across these seven tracks sets them up to do just that.

Salem’s Bend on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

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Thonian Horde, Thonian Horde

Given the personnel involved, the black ‘n’ roll extremity of Thonian Horde’s self-titled debut full-length will no doubt come as a surprise to listeners. Formed in Boonsboro, Maryland, by bassist/vocalist Ron “Fezz” McGinnis (Pale Divine, Admiral Browning, etc.), guitarists Darren “Dirty” Waters (Weed is Weed) and Dan “D-Mize” Mize (Faith in Jane), and drummer Tyler “The Beast” Lee (Weed is Weed), one might expect high-order Frederick-style post-The Obsessed doom. Thonian Horde have more in common with Immortal on their centerpiece track “Darkest Nights Shadow,” and even as the closing “Psychonaut” finds a rock groove in its chorus, it does so with the hooky edge of Satyricon more than any of the members’ other outfits. No doubt that’s the point: doing something different. Indeed, the nine-tracker is a refreshing aesthetic reboot for the scene from whence it comes, holding fast to their region’s crucial lack of pretense even as they brazenly walk their own path – left-hand, of course.

Thonian Horde on Thee Facebooks

Thonian Horde on Bandcamp

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Second Sun, Tachyonregenerator

I don’t know about you, but I missed out on Hopp/Förtvivlan, which was the 2015 debut full-length from Swedish rockers Second Sun, so to have Gaphals provide gentle encouragement to check it out by getting behind the two-songer single Tachyonregenerator is most welcome. Both cuts included – “Tachyonregenerator” and “Tror Faktiskt På Dig” – bask in classic vibe without being overly showy when it comes to retroism, and are marked out by the inclusion of organ amid the natural-sounding guitar, drums and bass, the vocals presented in Swedish across both pieces. It’s a quick eight-minutes perfect for the 7” pressing it’s been given, but again, makes enough of an impression that one is inclined toward further investigation, and given that, I can’t call it anything other than a success. I’ll go ahead and chalk up one more quality Swedish act to keep track of, because Second Sun offer tight-knit progressive leanings in a crisp package on Tachyonregenerator, and even if I’m late to the party, I’m glad I got to hear it.

Second Sun on Thee Facebooks

Gaphals Records website

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Ten Ton Slug, Brutal Gluttonous Beast

Some pretty clear self-awareness demonstrated in Ten Ton Slug’s self-released debut EP, Brutal Gluttonous Beast. The Galway, Ireland, five-piece had a prior live-recorded two-tracker, but these four songs mark their first studio outing, and as they draw together massive sludge riffing and more extreme, death metal-style growls, there’s precious little one might say to more accurately describe a track like “Trollhunter” – the opener and longest on the release (immediate points) – than that it lives up to the title, its second-half slowdown lurch prefacing a similar move in “Bloodburns” before the more rampaging “Subterranean” and noise-soaked burl of “Unit” take hold. Intense and vicious, but not necessarily unhinged, Brutal Gluttonous Beast finds Ten Ton Slug sounding remarkably sure in their approach, and one will await the news of their traveling to England to record with Chris Fielding at Skyhammer, since that seems to be the kind of presentation for which the tonal onslaught here is begging.

Ten Ton Slug on Thee Facebooks

Ten Ton Slug on Bandcamp

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Komatsu, Recipe for Murder One

A half-decade after releasing their self-titled EP (review here), Eindhoven heavy/noise rockers Komatsu reemerge on Argonauta Records with the follow-up full-length, Recipe for Murder One. Boasting a guest appearance from Nick Oliveri on the suitably tumultuous “Lockdown,” the album leaves little to wonder what’s in that recipe in the darker-desert vibe of “So How’s About Billy” and “There Must be Something in Your Water,” which teases airy serenity in its first half only to go full-throttle for the second, but as the bass-driven lumber of the title-track and subtle melodic expansion of “The Sea is Calm Today” show, Komatsu haven’t wasted the last five years, instead constructing their own take on sonic density and sludge impulses that seems to hit with formidable impact regardless of tempo or tension level, both of which prove to be fluid elements at the four-piece’s disposal. They get the point across quickly in the stomp of “The Long Way Home,” but find suitable resolution in the nod of closer “Breathe,” rounding out a debut of significant character and depth with one last surprise in ambience it’s only fair to call progressive.

Komatsu on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records website

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The Blue Sunshine Family Band, The Blue Sunshine Family Band

A double-guitar instrumental four-piece from Santa Rosa, California, The Blue Sunshine Family Band make their debut with a six-song/51-minute self-titled. Tracks presented as Roman numerals “I” through “VI,” though whether or not they’re actually the first six pieces the band has written, I couldn’t say. Either way, the impression immediately draws from “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” – that great king of nod riffs – and first-name-only guitarists Billy and Kevin, bassist Matt and drummer Quinten build outward from there, dipping below the eight-minute mark only on “V” (7:14) as they unfurl solid grooves and tonal heft, seeming to leave room for vocals either consciously or not. The converted will find engagement and immersion in the crash and swinging turn of “IV,” as well as the David Paul Seymour cover art, and if The Blue Sunshine Family Band is the sound of this foursome getting their feet under them, they manage to accomplish that preliminary feat and then some in these tracks.

The Blue Sunshine Family Band on Thee Facebooks

The Blue Sunshine Family Band on Bandcamp

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It hasn’t been all that long since last we heard from Ukrainian heavy rockers Stoned Jesus, who in late-November made public their intentions toward a fourth full-length for 2017 to follow-up on their 2015 outing, The Harvest (review here), as well as to tour playing 2012’s sophomore album, Seven Thunder Roar (review here), in full to mark its fifth anniversary and continued interwebular resonance. That was — if that sentence wasn’t run-on enough to convey it — plenty of news to go on.

The Kiev trio offer another update and the first batch of Seven Thunders Roar dates, which will take place as a Baltic tour alongside Polish troupes Dopelord and Sunnata. More than solid company to keep between crushing riffs and more progressive fare, and as Stoned Jesus move forward from The Harvest, they do so seeming just as likely to proffer one as the other. To-date, each of their records has had something different to offer from its predecessors, and the band seem to keep a willful progression in mind with everything they do. Hard not to respect that, especially as it comes coupled with and probably derives from significant work put in on the road.

Guitarist/vocalist Igor Sidorenko mentions the poster for the tour below and I’ve linked to it rather than include it in the post on account of cartoon tits. If you’re dying to see cartoon tits, click the link. Otherwise, whatever. I’m tired of looking at them and tired of populating this site with them, thereby supporting the objectification cultural complex. So yeah, that’s why the poster isn’t included outright. I give bonus points for the Terminator 2 reference, though.

Dates follow:

The sequels usually suck, but this one is a “Terminator 2”!

This cool poster by Maciej Kamuda signifies our return to Poland and Baltics with Dopelord (they release a new LP in January) and sunnata (“Zorya” was simply mindblowing) for THE PROCESSION II tour.

THE PROCESSION II dates:
27/01 – Vilnius, Peleda
28/01 – Tallinn, Rockstars
29/01 – Riga, Nabaklab
30/01 – Warsaw, Hydrozagadka
01/02 – Krakow, Zet Pe Te
02/02 – Wroclaw, Klub Firlej
03/02 – Poznan, U Bazyla
04/02 – Gdynia, Ucho

And YES we’ll be playing “Seven Thunders Roar” in full – plus some other HITS!

https://www.facebook.com/stonedjesusband/
http://stonedjesus.bigcartel.com/
http://instagram.com/stonedjesusband
http://twitter.com/StonedJesusBand
https://stonedjesus.bandcamp.com/

Stoned Jesus, The Harvest (2015)

Ukrainian heavy rockers Stoned Jesus have been on the road in Europe with 5R6 since Nov. 17, still supporting last year’s third offering, The Harvest (review here), while paving the ground for their next work. Today they make official that the inevitable fourth long-player is in progress for a 2017 release, and that they’ll tour next Spring playing their 2012 sophomore outing, Seven Thunders Roar (review here), in full to mark its fifth anniversary and the continued resonance and cult following it has found through word of mouth (i.e. sharing) on the interwebs so long after its release. A sleeper hit in the truest sense with “I’m the Mountain” at 4.5 million YouTube views.

I bothered guitarist/vocalist Igor Sidorenko to talk a little bit about that record’s growing legacy and what went into the decision to play it out in its entirety, as well as where they might be headed for the fourth album. You’ll find what he had to say under the band’s announcement below:

Stoned Jesus Working On A Fourth LP, Playing ‘Seven Thunders Roar’ In Its Entirety On Tour In 2017

A new dawn is on the horizon for Stoned Jesus in 2017, because we begin to work on our 4th full-length album this December! But Spring 2017 also marks the 5th anniversary of “Seven Thunders Roar” release – you know, the one with that indian on the cover – the exactly same LP that brought you “I’m the Mountain”, the most popular stoner/psych/doom song in the history of the interwebs. We thought we’d give you we’ve never done before: we’ll be playing “Seven Thunders Roar” in its entirety during the first half of 2017 on EVERY show! And we’ve already got a bunch of them booked, so stay tuned for tour dates and updates soon. Love, StJ

Igor Sidorenko on playing Seven Thunders Roar and the new album in progress:

“It may look like we’re hopping on this hype train with the whole ‘playing-their-legendary-record-from-A-to-Z. thing, but truth is loads of people haven’t heard these songs live — apart from “I’m the Mountain,” which we play on every show. Revisiting your own material that stood the test of rapidly changing trends is also something that may help us with our fourth record. Also hey, it’s not that legendary… yet!

“It’s pretty early to say anything, but I guess this is gonna be another challenge for us and for our listener. We definitely don’t want to repeat ourselves, but there are certain things you can’t escape, hah. What I know for sure is this is not gonna be a direct sequel to ‘The Harvest’ — we’re not that much angry this time around. #StJFourthLP”

Stoned Jesus current tour remaining shows:
22.11 – Innsbruck (AT) PMK
23.11 – Bologna (IT) Freak Out
24.11 – Erba (IT) Centrale Rock
25.11 – Collegno (IT) Padiglione 14
26.11 – Trieste (IT) Tetris
27.11 – Belgrade (SRB) Bozidarac

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Stoned Jesus, “I’m the Mountain”

[Click play above to stream Krobak’s Nightbound in its entirety. Album is out Nov. 4.]

Resonance is the key. Wherever Krobak decides to take their third full-length, Nightbound, at any given moment in terms of arrangement, whether it’s violin, wisps of effects-soaked guitars, or hypnotically rhythmic outside meandering across the four mostly-extended tracks, it’s a sense of resonance that ties them together — sonic and emotional.

The Kiev, Ukraine, outfit were last heard from on 2013’s Little Victories (discussed here) and began life as a side-project from Igor Sidorenko of Stoned Jesus looking to explore a more post-rock style of sound, basking in the influence of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the like on the 2008 solo outing, The Diary of the Missed One. Sidorenko‘s guitar still takes the fore in what’s become a full-band lineup, though I wouldn’t minimize the contributions of bassist Asya, violinist Marko or drummer Natasha, who add to the depth and textures of this material and make Nightbound all the more of an immersive experience.

Its four inclusions — “Stringer Bell” (13:21), “No Pressure, Choice is Yours” (7:04), “So Quietly Falls the Night” (11:21) and “Marching for the Freedom We Have Lost” (10:13) — only total just under 42 minutes, but they are indeed immersive, and though there are some tense moments in “No Pressure, Choice is Yours” and the apex of “So Quietly Falls the Night,” the prevailing sensibility is patient, the prevailing mood melancholic, and Krobak never seem to lose the control they’re quick to establish on “Stringer Bell,” which curiously takes its name from a character on the tv show The Wire.

Sidorenko‘s guitar begins the opener and longest cut (immediate points) with circa-five minutes of trance-inducing guitar soundscapery. The effect that initial movement has on the listener isn’t to be understated. If approached with due patience — that is, so long as you know you’re not waiting for the song to “start,” and that you’re already in it — the subtle intertwining of layers, periodic washes of cymbals, and outstretching reverb are a joy in which to bask.

At about 2:30, it breaks to just the guitar again as the foundation is laid for what will become the remainder of “Stringer Bell”‘s run, a gradual march joined by soft ride and snare, and bass, with the arrival of what might be the violin (I’d also believe a horn of some kind) a couple minutes later. By then, the opener is moving toward the halfway mark and a build is clearly in progress.

More distorted tones push through in the second half, and there’s even a bit of faster thrust, some winding turns, and finally, a release of the tension before a final swirling surge, but Krobak never lose that patience in their execution, and as otherworldly effects noise rounds out the last minute-plus of “Stringer Bell” and fades to lead into the more immediately organic, string-led opening of “No Pressure, Choice is Yours,” that patience sets the tone for the entirety of Nightbound that follows.

As noted, the second cut is more active — at one point in the early going, it borders on surf rock — but it maintains a multifaceted feel with the guitar and violin working in and out of tandem with each other, serving similar purposes perhaps, but individually, as guitar, bass and drums gallop through the halfway point, Asya adding a choice fill right around 3:45, and finding common ground in the chugging build of the second movement, which ends cold and manages to feel short at seven minutes.

If one assumes a vinyl structure to Nightbound, that seven-minute runtime makes sense in fitting on a single, 20-minute side with “Stringer Bell,” and likewise, the pairing of “So Quietly Falls the Night” and “Marching for the Freedom We Have Lost” on side B works to fit not only in practical terms but thematically as well.

Two such evocative titles, positioned next to each other, invite the audience to provide their own context, but the prevailing vibe does so even more — a thoughtful moodiness, never quite despairing, but certainly wistful, almost nostalgic. Hard to position, but it runs deep in both the quiet early going and the later swell of “So Quietly Falls the Night,” which hits its crescendo in progressive guitar work and forward rhythmic charge, never out of control, never any more over the top than it wants to be before it gives way to the noise that once again rounds out.

Likewise for “Marching for the Freedom We Have Lost,” which, despite being instrumental like the rest of Nightbound actually finds Krobak naming the thing that has gone — in this case, freedom. In light of the conflict in the Ukraine over the last couple years, one can interpret that title in a number of ways, but sonically, it does indeed live up to being a march, if a subtle one. Natasha‘s drums form a consistent pattern around which the rest of the band moves, and even clearer than “So Quietly Falls the Night” or “Stringer Bell,” the finale holds to a linear pattern that proves to have an impact despite remaining somewhat understated as it peaks.

Most of all, it underscores the fluidity at hand across the release as a whole, the dreamy otherplaceness, and the underlying purposeful nature of the direction Krobak follow at any given point. Some might take it on just to get lost in its wash, and some might be drawn in by its ebbs and flows, but Nightbound stands up to multiple levels of engagement, and as looped snare leads the fading way out of “Marching for the Freedom We Have Lost,” it reminds once more of the balance between cohesion and sprawl that Krobak have brought to bear so organically throughout.

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If you were in Kiev-based heavy psych ritualists Ethereal Riffian, how could you not tilt your head back and hold your beard aloft to the sky over your head? I mean, unless you don’t have a beard, in which case I should think a bare chin would do. Point is, they’re clearly a group looking to commune with the music they’re making, and on their 2016 two-song EP, I AM. Deathless, it’s easy to argue they get there. With just “Drum of the Deathless” and the longer B-side “Sword of the Deathless,” the core four-piece plus a couple guests on djembe and didgeridoo engage worship-ready psych fervor and a depth of atmosphere that only adds to the appeal that the overarching weirdness of it all provides.

And they’re incredibly purposeful about all of it. If you don’t believe me, check out the documentary they premiered here back in August. See how they talk and think about what they’re doing. While I’d still definitely call it exploratory music, they’re not just throwing ideas out for public consumption. This material is built, put together in such a way that represents a mentality as progressive as it is heavy. The video for “Drum of the Deathless” extends this even to its visual cues. The first two and a half minutes lead you in — a constant stream of inward motion of band shots. The middle section is all swirl and circles around the group. And for its ending section, just as they lock in the big finish for the last minute or so, it begins to pull back outward again, returning the viewer to their own reality.

You can check out and read more about the clip, which was directed by Victor Priduvalov, below.

Please enjoy:

Ethereal Riffian, “Drum of the Deathless” official video

Ethereal Riffian presents the visualization of their song “Drum of the Deathless.” The video was created by an iconic Ukrainian director – Victor Priduvalov and Re:Evolution Film team at the Mental Drive Studio. For the time being, this work is the brightest flash in the band’s history that uncovers the idea of their mini-album “I AM. Deathless” to the greatest possible extent. This album was released on a CD in unique format for collectors, as well as on tapes in association with Kyiv-based label Robustfellow Prods.

Mystical song “Drum of the Deathless” tells about the deathless nature of human being and refers the listener to Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Collaboration with Victor Priduvalov over “Drum of the Deathless” is certainly the new experience for Ethereal Riffian that opens a new path to the next stage of development. For the audience, it is the opportunity to reach the Light, expand their consciousness and move to the fourth dimension.

Ethereal Riffian is:
Val Korniev – guitar/vocal/didgeridoo
Olexander Korniev – bass
Max Yuhimenko – lead guitar
Nikita Shipovskoi – drums

Guest Musicians:
Maha Tretyakova – djembe
Yaroslaw Kaminskiy – didgeridoo

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Robust Fellow Productions on Bandcamp

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The proper name for the clip is ‘Robust Rehearsal Vol. II: Bobina Records & Ethereal Riffian,’ and in a nearly edited half-hour, it tells the story of Kiev-based heavy rockers Ethereal Riffian, splicing in live-in-the-studio rehearsal footage with interview snippets covering the five-year history of the band. It extends to the composition of their first two albums, 2011’s Shaman’s Visions and 2014’s Aeonian, and showcases work from their latest offering, the I am.Deathless EP, released in 2016 by Robustfellow Productions, along with the Youniversal Voice (review here) live album. Moving back and forth between shots of them rocking out and talking about their methods and the reasoning behind them, it gives a concise look at the Ukrainian outfit while also plunging into some depth about their themes of spirituality and the perils of ignorance on all levels.

It’s also completely in character for Ethereal Riffian, and by that I mean that the band has proven to be one putting considerable thought and effort into the expressiveness of their work. One can see this even in the packaging in which their latest EP and live album arrive — elaborate, thought-out, individualized even unto its very construction — and in the fact that their second full-length came with a narrative story to complement the music. These steps help distinguish Ethereal Riffian from an increasingly crowded Ukrainian and Eastern European heavy rock scene, but ultimately it needs to be the songwriting and performance carrying their ideas forward to their audience. One obviously gets the best sense of that listening to their records and presumably seeing them play live — I can’t say I’ve done the latter — but to hear the passion of guitarist/vocalist Val Korniev and guitarist Max Yuhimenko, bassist Alex Korniev and drummer Nick Shipovskoi as they explain where they’re coming from as a band goes a long way toward understanding the core drive that seems to bleed into everything they do.

Thanks to Robustfellow and Ethereal Riffian for allowing me to host the premiere of the documentary, which I think tells an interesting story even if you’re not familiar with the band. You’ll find the full video below, followed by its credits.

Please enjoy:

Robust Rehearsal Vol. II, Bobina Records & Ethereal Riffian

ROBUST REHEARSAL vol. II
Bobina Records & Ethereal Riffian

This Episode was shot in Kyiv, 24th October 2015

ROBUSTCREW

PhillO))) – idea, general management, interviewer

VIDEO CREW
Eugene Kredenster – director of photography, interviewer
Artem Isaev – camera operator

BOBINA RECORDS
Dmitry Homulko (aka Bob)
Max Litvinchuk (aka Poops)

ETHEREAL RIFFIAN
Val Korniev – guitar/vocal
Max Yuhimenko – lead guitar
Alex Korniev – bass
Nick Shipovskoi – drums

Sound recording and mixing by Max Poops @ Bobina Records. Video production by Nikita Longinov and Eugene Kredenster. Subtitles by Val Korniev and Julia Kornieva. Final audio-mixing by Max Yuhimenko.

Live performance used in the documentary was shot on the 31st of May, 2015 at MonteRay Live stage by Kirai Gigs team. Sound was mixed by Max Poops at Bobina Records.

Tracks by Ethereal Riffian used in this video (in order of appearance):
“Voice of Reason” (performed at Bobina Records, from “Shaman’s Visions” LP, 2011)
“Thugdam” (performed at Bobina Records, from “Aeonian” LP, 2014)
“Sword of the Deathless (Intro)”/”Beyond” (performed at MonteRay Live Stage on 31st of May 2015, from “I AM. Deathless” EP, 2016 and “Shaman’s Visions” LP 2011)
“Drum of the Deathless” (performed at Bobina Records, from “I AM. Deethless” EP, 2016)
“Dkyil Khor” (used in credits, from “Dkyil Khor” single, 2012)

Robustfellow Prods. 2016
PEACE. LOVE. HEAVINESS.

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Prior to releasing their third album, The Harvest (review here), in the early hours of 2015, Ukrainian trio Stoned Jesus offered a collection of jams and song skeletons called The Seeds Vol. I in 2013 to help finance the recording, pressing, etc. When Stoned Jesus jam, they jam, so like the prior release, Seven Thunders Roar (review here), it was well received. Today, it’s my pleasure to host a premiere of the seven-and-a-half-minute exploration “Starshine Harvest” as an announcement that The Seeds Vol. II is on its way as a precursor to a proper fourth full-length.

The running theme of seeds and harvests provides immediate intrigue — the cuts on The Seeds Vol. I didn’t have titles, just numbers — so right away “Starshine Harvest” is something of a departure, but its fuzzadelic vibe should feel right at home for anyone who either heard the first The Seeds or who can get on board with a psych jam generally. Recorded live before Stoned Jesus made their debut with 2010’s First Communion, it features guitarist/vocalist Igor Sidorenko, as well as bassist Nick Kobold and drummer Alex EphirZ, since replaced by Sergey “Sid” Slusar and Viktor Vitamin, respectively. Being upwards of six years old, obviously it’s not necessarily a glimpse at where Stoned Jesus are headed on the follow-up to The Harvest, but it makes a fitting look back at where they come from all the same and digs into low-end groove and spacious guitar that I’m not likely to complain about either way.

More on The Seeds Vol. II when I hear it. Until then, you can check out “Starshine Harvest” on the YouTube player below, followed by some background courtesy of the band:

Stoned Jesus, “Starshine Harvest”

“Starshine Harvest” is an old idea we were having fun with back in 2010. While it had never been properly recorded by Stoned Jesus MKI, it was regularly featured on our setlists, partially or as a full jam thing. This particular version is taken from our pre-“First Communion” Kharkiv concert, and by uploading it we want to say “The Seeds, vol.II” are coming!

Since the very first rehearsals Viktor, the new drummer, always kept his portable recorder turned on, and soon we got literally gigabytes of jams and improvisations, mostly played between actual songs just to keep us sharp. Some of them were rather cool and even if we wouldn’t use them as the future songs’ basis, we’d love to share them with you all. We decided to upload some cuts for you on BandCamp.

Again, this is NOT the actual studio album, just a download-only collection serving as a fundraising weapon for our new full-length. We’re not much into the “just donate”-campaigns, ‘coz we understand people always need to get something for their bucks, so here’s the deal – for $5 only you’re getting the whole thing. And attention to those who donate $40 and more, get ready to find your names inside the future album’s booklet in the THANK YOU section!

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