Posted in Whathaveyou on September 26th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Comprised of two three-minute bangers and a title-cut that’s longer than both of them put together, Narcoleptic Hallucinations was posted as a guess-what-here’s-this surprise offering from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, heavy rockers End of Age. I’m not sure as to the origin of the tracks — I’m assuming they recorded themselves at Wilderness Exile Recording, but the whos and whens of that are elusive; I asked guitarist/vocalist Ben McGuire for some comment/background — but the band continues to offer depth in a rich and organically-produced blend of classic and modern impulses. To wit, the Mellotron and roll of “Narcoleptic Hallucinations” itself, which arrives after a stretch of soulful melancholy and groove weighted of both emotion and tone in the spirit of Graveyard, but very much an American interpretation of that kind of ideal.
To contrast, “Spring of Nothing” has a dream-jangle to its swing and although “Shoved Through the Window of Consumption” hard-punks its fuzz like some lost Oliveri track circa Songs for the Deaf, it follows suit in remaining very much End of Age‘s own. The particular reason I’m curious as to when the songs were recorded is because in early 2023, End of Age joined Ontario’s Gypsy Chief Goliath on Ripple Music‘s Turned to Stone Ch. 7 (review here), part of the label’s ongoing series of split LPs. If these three come from the same sessions as the five songs that were included there — this leaves out End of Age‘s 2023 standalone single “Don’t Let it Bring You Down,” but it doesn’t have to — that paints something of a full-length picture of who End of Age are as McGuire and company pick up from where prior outfit Black Cowgirl left off.
McGuire got back to inform that the tracks have been sitting around for a year, so probably around the time of “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” or shortly thereafter. Either way, new End of Age is a welcome surprise, and I’m glad that the note that came in spoke as well to the intention to do more. For now, Narcoleptic Hallucinations streams below the minimal announcement and tracklisting that follow here:
Surprise. Check out our 3 song EP below.
“We recorded “Narcoleptic Hallucinations” about a year ago at our studio Wilderness Exile in Lancaster County PA. We kind of forgot about these 3 songs as we have been writing and recording constantly over the last year. We just rediscovered the tracks a few weeks ago and decided to release them as a surprise EP. We were dormant for a very long time and are very excited to keep the productive momentum going now!” – Ben McGuire
Album art: Adam Burke
Tracklisting: 1. Spring Of Nothing 03:53 2. Shoved Through The Window Of Consumption 03:21 3. Narcoleptic Hallucinations 09:20
End of Age live lineup: Ben McGuire – guitar/vocals Mark Hanna – drums Bruce Ewell – bass Wyatt Kring – guitar
The seventh installment of Ripple Music‘s Turned to Stone split series, featuring Windsor, Ontario’s Gypsy Chief Goliath and Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s End of Age, will be released this Friday, Jan. 20. Curated this time by Bucky Brown of Doom Charts fam, the coming together of the two acts represents roads taken and arrivals in unexpected places, drawn around a 39-minute listening experience that’s more like two coinciding EPs than either a front-to-back linear outing or the hodgepodge sampler platter that splits sometimes are. That it isn’t haphazard should be no grand surprise — it is the seventh chapter of Turned to Stone, and Turned to Stone is Ripple‘s second split series — but both bands are newer embodiments for some familiar players, be it Gypsy Chief Goliath‘s Al “The Yeti” Bones, of Mister Bones, Georgian Skull and The Mighty Nimbus, or End of Age‘s Ben McGuire and Mark Hanna, who used to play together in a called Black Cowgirl.
Gypsy Chief Goliath bookend their five tracks with an intro and outro, starting with “Loup Garou” and ending with a mellow figure at the close of “Shadows of a Solar Love.” Between those, they’re likely to fill any quota you’ve got for piss and vinegar with “Demons Suffer” and the hard-hitting instrumental “Black Dwarf,” while “High Priest” takes a less gutted-out approach vocally and “Shadows of a Solar Love” ties it all together with force and groove, the five-piece making the most of their opportunity to showcase some variety in their take on heavy, be it the Sabbathian initial rollout of “Demons Suffer” or the bruiser dudeliness that follows, the band who were last heard from studio-wise with 2019’s Masters of Space and Time (discussed here) finding an organic sense of breadth without sacrificing traditional songwriting for atmosphere.
It just so happens they’re an act who can write more than one kind of song. Tense in its chug, “High Priest” is less metal ultimately than either the lead lines atop the beginning of “Demons Suffer” before or the nodding impact of “Black Dwarf” after, and even if the combination of the intro “Loup Garou,” “Black Dwarf” and the final stretch of “Shadows of a Solar Love” — dig that fuzz, kids — makes the band seem less grounded than they otherwise might be, it’s a ruse. Whatever else they have going on, Gypsy Chief Goliath are songwriters, and the variety is on purpose. In just 19 minutes, they present a style that’s classically heavy but not beholden to any single notion of what that means. Bones is a distinct frontman presence, but the band behind him are more than able to hold their own for the instrumentals and in standing up to the challenge of the verse/chorus tunes. Solid band. Hard-hitting, no pretense, no bullshit. Rock for rockers.
Over on side B, End of Age also present five songs, and while one can listen to Hanna‘s snare on “Want to Go” and “Yelling Tree” and hear roots in self-titled Queens of the Stone Age, there’s a decided punk rock undercurrent to the band on the whole. Not so much in McGuire‘s vocals, which in themselves are more clenched-throat and would fit just as well over sludge, but in the combination of riffs and grooves on “Cat’s Blood,” I just can’t escape a hint toward Social Distortion or maybe even Bad Religion — that kind of punk that the metal kids liked in high school. True to Gypsy Chief Goliath on side A, End of Age don’t just do one thing for 19 minutes and punch out, but their sound is more united by McGuire‘s vocals at least until they get around to “Aestivation,” which builds on the psychedelic emergence later in the penultimate “Dormant Hibernation” with acoustic and far-back electrics, synth, and a higher-register voice that, if it’s McGuire at all, is a pointed departure from some of the shout-derived-but-not-shouting prior.
Respect for that, either way. In addition to the previous ’90s allusions, there’s some Thin Lizzy swing to “Cat’s Blood” as well, while “Want to Go” is more forward push, poppy in its backing vocals (there they are; that’s the setup to “Aestivation”), and “Yelling Tree” makes a rawer, in-the-room studio feel part of its direct listening experience. According to the narrative (blessings and peace upon it), part of the reason this is End of Age‘s first outing after Black Cowgirl‘s final release in 2014 is because McGuire and Hanna spent years building their own recording space, and if this is the level of output they’re able to hone there, then their time has not been wasted. The chemistry throughout, the spaciousness and psychedelic lean in the back half of “Dormant Hibernation” and the shift between that and “Aestivation” are all emblematic of the duo’s past playing together, and while I don’t know what their next step is or how many songs they might already have in the can after so many years, they sure as shit sound ready to make a record. Hopefully sooner than later.
So, like I said at the outset, “unexpected places.” Keep that in mind as you dig into the tracklisting below, and take some time with each half of Turned to Stone Ch. 7. The release earns that, I think, through the quality of its songwriting from both groups, from the differences between them, and the fluidity of style they share without actually sharing much in terms of style beyond basics like, “have riffs, have songs,” and so on. In the interest of straightforwardness, this is a worthy inclusion in a series that’s already produced a few gems, and will surely help put Gypsy Chief Goliath and End of Age‘s music into the ears of those most likely to appreciate it being there.
North American heavy rock units GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH and END OF AGE join forces for the release of the ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ split album, to be issued this January 20th on Ripple Music. Listen to a gritty first track now with GCG’s “Demons Suffer”!
Get ready to welcome the seventh chapter of Ripple Music’s ‘Turned To Stone’ series of thematic split releases, curated here by Bucky Brown (Doom Charts). Combining the multi-faceted talents of Ontario-based heavy mongers GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH and Pennsylvania’s proto-metal duo END OF AGE, ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ offers a generous 10-track journey through the ages of heavy. GCG effortlessly sprinkle their loud stoner metal assaults with adventurous 70s hard rock, in a rowdy Corrosion Of Conformity-meets-Thin Lizzy approach. On side B, END OF AGE delivers a frenzy of 70s-infused heavy drenched in unforgettable melodies and exquisitely progressive at times.
TRACKLIST: 1. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Loup Garou 2. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Demons Suffer 3. Gypsy Chief Goliath – High Priest 4. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Black Dwarf 5. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Shadows Of A Solar Love ——————– 6. End Of Age – Want To Go 7. End Of Age – Yelling Tree 8. End Of Age – Cat’s Blood 9. End Of Age – Dormant Hibernation 10. End Of Age – Aestivation
Gypsy Chief Goliath: Al “The Yeti” Bones (The Mighty Nimbus, Georgian Skull, Mister Bones) – vocals/guitar Adam Saitti (Georgian Skull, Ol Time Moonshine) – drums John Serio – lead guitar Jeff Phillips (Thine Eyes Bleed, Kittie) – lead guitar Jagger Benham – Bass
End of Age: Ben McGuire – vocals/guitar Mark Hanna – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 17th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
I like that John Gist‘s curated Ripple splits — this’ll be the third I know of, though if you told me he’s helmed the whole series to-date, I’d only be able to say job well done — work in themes. The theme that brings together Windsor, Ontario’s Gypsy Chief Goliath and Pennsylvania’s End of Age? ‘Dudes you might know from other bands.’ In the case of Gypsy Chief Goliath, that’s frontman Al “Yeti” Bones, formerly of Mister Bones, as well as The Mighty Nimbus and Georgian Skull. For End of Age, it’s Ben McGuire and Mark Hanna, who stopped operating as Black Cowgirl in the middle of the last decade — probably a good idea — and have apparently spent the last few years building a studio in which to create.
Both outfits are proven in my mind as regards songwriting, and if you managed to read that review today of Turned to Stone Ch. 6, you already know I hold this series in pretty high esteem. I expect this to be nothing of cool and encourage you to do the same. Gypsy Chief Goliath have a song streaming at the bottom of this post, as though to prove the case outright.
From the PR wire:
Gypsy Chief Goliath and End Of Age to release ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ split on Ripple Music; stream first track “Demons Suffer” now!
North American heavy rock units GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH and END OF AGE join forces for the release of the ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ split album, to be issued this January 20th on Ripple Music. Listen to a gritty first track now with GCG’s “Demons Suffer”!
Get ready to welcome the seventh chapter of Ripple Music’s ‘Turned To Stone’ series, the thematic split releases curated by John Gist (Vegas Rock Revolution, Doomed & Stoned Show). Combining the multi-faceted talents of Ontario-based heavy mongers GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH and Pennsylvania’s proto-metal duo END OF AGE, ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ offers a generous 10-track journey through the ages of heavy. GCG effortlessly sprinkle their loud stoner metal assaults with adventurous 70s hard rock, in a rowdy Corrosion Of Conformity-meets-Thin Lizzy approach. On side B, END OF AGE delivers a frenzy of 70s-infused heavy drenched in unforgettable melodies and exquisitely progressive at times.
‘Turned To Stone Chapter 7’ will be available on January 20th in two limited vinyl editions as well as on digital, with preorders available now through Ripple Music.
TRACKLIST: 1. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Loup Garou 2. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Demons Suffer 3. Gypsy Chief Goliath – High Priest 4. Gypsy Chief Goliath – Black Dwarf 5 – Gypsy Chief Goliath – Shadows Of A Solar Love ——————– 6. End Of Age – Want To Go 7. End Of Age – Yelling Tree 8. End Of Age – Cat’s Blood 9. End Of Age – Dormant Hibernation 10. End Of Age – Aestivation
Among the most bizarre names in Rock & Roll, GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH has much more dynamic chemistry, fused with pure electric potency and enough volume to make the eardrums crumble. This Canadian five-piece has been ripping stages apart since 2009. Often described as a stoner metal band, there are simply too many layers to classify them as such, when with each year that passes, G.C.G seem to evolve into a greater beast than the last inception. Charged by the creative forces of soulful meets primal vocals, dual harmony guitar lines, a massively heavy rhythm section, and rustic keys from time to time, the band showcases their brand of hard rock, heavy metal, and blues all rolled into one masterful delivery. Fronted by Canadian stoner rock notable, vocalist/guitarist AL The Yeti Bones (The Mighty Nimbus, Georgian Skull, Mister Bones), the band also consists of Adam Saitti on drums (Georgian Skull, Ol Time Moonshine), John Serio lead guitar, Jeff Phillips lead guitar (Thine Eyes Bleed, Kittie) and Jagger Benham on Bass.
END OF AGE was formed by vocalist/guitarist Ben McGuire and drummer Mark Hanna formerly of the band Black Cowgirl. Soon after Black Cowgirl ceased to exist in 2015, McGuire began construction of a recording studio within a 150-year-old barn in Lancaster County Pennsylvania with the sole purpose of having a place to record without the time constraints of a traditionally paid studio session. Unfortunately on the first day of renovations the barn was discovered to be structurally unsound and needed to be entirely torn down. Distraught and defeated McGuire briefly considered using gasoline to solve the problem after finding a newspaper article dated 1885 under the floorboards that detailed a local arson from 130 years prior but wisely ignored the “sign” and decided against it making the decision to disassemble the cursed barn and immediately start the slow process of collecting material to build a new structure. This unforeseen obstacle coupled with multiple other unexpected life events delayed End of Age from recording and playing more than a few shows for a couple of years while the new studio took shape. The pair recorded 5 songs for Ripple Music with a makeshift studio set up in 2020 during lockdown as construction continued on the permanent location.
Finally, to the elation of Hanna and McGuire the final studio they are calling Wilderness Exile was completed in early 2022. What first appeared to be a crippling misfortune proved to be a blessing in disguise. McGuire and Hanna now have a place that provides limitless experimentation and creativity for their projects as well as other musicians. END OF AGE already knew they could lay the musical foundation for a tune and construct a real doozy of a ditty. Now they know they can literally lay the foundation for a physical building and construct the piss out of one as well. They temporarily traded their drums and guitars for hammers and nails assuming the role of blue-collar warriors on the warpath for riffcraft. Now that their fortress of sonic excess has been realized auditory experimentation can begin.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 16th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I’ll readily admit I haven’t heard Callus‘ A Breath of Flesh Air in full at this point. While we’re being brutally honest, I had the word “fresh” in the title when I started writing this post. So yeah, I’m not going to claim to be O.G. on the Lancaster, UK, heft-bearers who released their debut full-length, Hogpocalypse, in 2019. But I took a listen to “Ka-tet” as the lead single from the impending Trepanation Recordings release — out Oct. 29, up for preorder, and so on — and that was enough to convince me to dive further. The words “Produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Fielding at Foel Studios” didn’t hurt either, frankly.
And neither did the art, which could damn near hang out front of a tech-death record but for the band’s logo. If you, like me, take a listen to “Ka-tet” and find it’s the kind of thing you’re interested in, you should probably note that when they talk about “limited edition” for physical media, Callus aren’t screwing around. 50 CDs, 25 tapes, and that’s it. And while I’m not generally the type to plug a band’s merch, I’ll add they have bundles available with shirts boasting the aforementioned cover, which as you can see is pretty nifty indeed.
It looks like this:
‘A Breath of Flesh Air’ by Callus Released 29th October 2021
CALLUS is a HEAVY band formed in Lancaster UK in 2013. Taking their influence from Stoner, Thrash, Punk, Doom, and Instrumental Space Rock ‘A Breath of Flesh Air’ is a hard album to pin to any particular genre and is all the better for it!
Encompassing seven hard hitting and heavy tracks, ‘A Breath of Flesh Air’ is the bands second album proper, after 2019’s ‘HOGPOCALYPSE’, and sees them hone their sound even further. The recording of this behemoth was undertaken by Chris Fielding at Foel Studios in February 2021 so you know it sounds top notch!
Callus have gigged up and down the length of the UK, from Brighton to Dumfries so are no slouches when it comes to the live performance department. They have also played Bloodstock Festival, Hammerfest Festival, Mammothfest Festival and supported both the likes of Tombstones and Witch Mountain.
As well as digital download this release will be available on limited edition CD (limited to 50 copies) and cassette (limited to 25 copies). You can pre-order your copy here:https://callus117.bandcamp.com/album/a-breath-of-flesh-air
All music written and performed by CALLUS. Guest backing vocals on Molar Crown featuring Chris Fielding. Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Chris Fielding at Foel Studios, Wales, February 2021. Album painting by Ryan Hancock.
Posted in Reviews on December 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan
You know how this goes by now, right? Well, okay, except that because I skipped the Quarterly Review that I otherwise would’ve done in September (or, more likely, October), I’m doubling-up this time. 100 reviews instead of 50. Two full weeks of 10 albums per day. Will I survive? Yeah, probably. Will it be completely overwhelming? Already is. Thanks for asking.
I’ll save the summaries of the year that was for list-time, which is fast approaching, but consider the fact that there are well more than 100 albums I could include in this roundup emblematic of just how vibrant heavy rock and doom are in the US, EU, UK, Australia and elsewhere. It’s a universal thing, and accordingly, there’s a whole universe of it to explore. This is just a sampling.
But yeah, time’s a wastin’, so let’s get to it.
Quarterly Review #1-10:
Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Stakes n Scale
An acoustic EP from Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight — who, let’s face it, were way ahead of the curve when it comes to the UK scene’s thing for long and ridiculous band names — is a considerable departure from where they were two years ago on their split/collaboration with GurT (review here), but those familiar with the band might recall their past penchant for the occasional unplugged cover recorded for YouTube. Chris West (also Crawling for Carrion, Glanville, etc.), who engineered the recording and plays guitar, and vocalist Peter Holland (also Elephant Tree) revamp Trippy Wicked‘s “Up the Stakes” from 2012’s Going Home (review here), and cover “Scale the Mountain” by Stubb, of which both were members when the song was written. Together, they make for a nine-minute showcase for the character in Holland‘s voice and the melodies and craft at root in both tracks, and while its arrival feels like kind of a one-off, it’s certainly no less welcome for that.
The novelty of new bands playing through vintage gear in order to capture a heavy ’70s sound may have faded, but like all subgenres, as time goes on, the retro-ist style continues to shift and change as bands like Dunbarrow bring new character to established tenets. Their second LP for RidingEasy is aptly-titled II and sways between honoring the likes of Pentagram and acts like Witchcraft who’ve helped craft that band’s hindsight-founded legacy. Dunbarrow‘s noodly style, restrained rhythmic shove and ride-the-riff melody on “Weary Lady” and the foresty creep of “The Demon Within” capture the vibe well, the latter occurring in a second half of II populated with “The Wolf” and “Witches of the Woods Pt. II,” a sequel to the closer of their 2016 self-titled debut (review here) that here leads to the more severe roll of the finale, “On this Night,” emblematic of the changing character of the band even as it reaffirms in its tense midsection the roots from which they sprung.
With their third record and second for Nuclear Blast, Icelandic trio The Vintage Caravan affirm not only their passion for the boogie of old on cuts like “The Way” and the strutting “Hidden Streams,” but secure a place as being worthy of the consideration they’ve been given to a degree by the wider Continental European heavy underground. They are strikingly mature in their approach for still being a relatively young band, and their albums have worked quickly to develop a character that is becoming more and more their own. They do the fests and they tour, and so on, but they seem to be engaged in building their listenership one pair of ears at a time. Having a metal-major label behind them hasn’t hurt their promotional cause, but frankly, they’re not as big as they should be for the level of work they’re doing, and even with songs like “Reset” and “Reflections” and the composed-strictly-for-vinyl-sounding closer “Tune Out” to their credit, they’re still largely a word of mouth band, especially in the US. Well, consider this your word of mouth. If you haven’t heard Gateways yet, you should get on that.
Post-metallic powerhouses Minsk and Zatokrev — both of whom hit their 15th anniversary last year — teamed up for a European tour this Fall. To mark the occasion, Consouling Sounds and Czar of Crickets celebrated with Bigod, a split with two tracks from each band arranged in alternating order — Minsk, then Zatokrev, etc. — intended to highlight the symmetry between them not just of circumstance and root influence in the Neurosis school of atmospheric sludge, but the fact that they share these commonalities despite their origins in Illinois and Switzerland, respectively. Each band opens with a longer track (double points) in Minsk‘s “Invoke/Revive” and Zatokrev‘s “Silent Gods,” each of which push past 13 minutes as likely at any moment to be pummeling as ambient, and follows with two shorter cuts, Minsk‘s “Salvatore” swelling theatrically from its minimalist beginnings while Zatokrev‘s “The Chalice and the Dagger” seems to explode from the foundation the prior band laid out. It must have been a hell of a tour, but whether you saw it or not, the split is a welcome conglomeration from two of post-metal’s strongest acts.
Self-recording guitarist/vocalist Simon Tuozzoli (Vestal Claret, ex-Guerra, etc.) leads Connecticut-based three-piece Owl Maker through a complex thematic of Native American folklore and heavy metal classicism. The NWOBHM plays a strong role in his riffing style, but one of the two tracks included on the two-songer single Sky Road, “Owl City,” also veers into more extreme territory with a departure from clean vocals to harsher screaming. All told, it’s about eight minutes of music, but Sky Road nonetheless follows Owl Maker‘s earlier-2018 EP, Paths of the Slain (review here), with an uptick in melodic presence in the vocals of Tuozzoli and bassist Jessie May and progression in the chemistry between the two of them and drummer Chris Anderson, and with the fluidity of their transitions between various styles of heavy, their scope seems only to be growing. To wit, “Sky Road” itself is only 3:42, but still demonstrates a clear-headed compositional method based around storytelling and a subtly encompassing range. Whether it’s early warning for what they do next or a conceptual one-off, its quick run seems just to be begging for a 7″ pressing.
The Londonderground continues to produce acts ready and willing to worship at the altar of riffs. Orbital Junction‘s self-release debut EP makes an impression not only because of the markedly pro-shop production by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studios and the cover art by SoloMacello, but the hooks to live up to those high standards. “6 ft. 2” follows opener “Space Highway” with a bit of dudely chestbeating — note: I don’t know how tall any of them actually are — but the swing of EP centerpiece “Devil’s Double” and the bounce of “Gypsy Queen” speak for the four-piece’s roots and appreciation of straightforward heavy, void of pretense and tapping into an easy mid-paced fluidity that slows up somewhat on closer “Pagan” without really losing the central groove of the offering overall. They’ll have their work cut out for them in distinguishing themselves over the longer term amongst London’s burl-fueled hordes, but their first outing shows their instincts headed in the right direction in terms of songwriting, performance and presentation.
Crisp but warm in its tone and presentation, rife with melody and carrying a laid back spirit despite a fervent underlying groove — the bass on “El Sendero” rests well within gotta-hear-it territory — Spanish purveyors Bourbon emobody some of the best of post-Viaje a 800 Andalusian heavy rock and roll on their third LP, Fuente Vieja (on Spinda). Their fuzz makes its presence known early on “Si Véis La Luz, Corred” and continues as a running theme as tracks like “A Punto de Arder” and the side-A-capping title-cut grow increasingly progressive. There’s room for some shuffle, of course, as side B begins with “La Triste Realidad,” and the slower “Hacia el Sol” gracefully blends electrified wah and acoustic guitars beneath a well-timed standout vocal performance, but the highlight might be eight-minute closer “Destierro,” which seems to bring everything else under one roof while tapping into a poppier structure early — acoustics and electrics aligning effectively circa two minutes in — while providing the album with a graceful and fittingly organic-sounding finale.
Birnam Wood don’t have time for bullshit, but they do have time for a bit of shenanigans. Thus the 1:44 surge of opener “Time of Purification” leads into the sample-laden roller groove of “Richard Dreyfuss” on their as-of-now-self-released Wicked Worlds, and the “Hole in the Sky”-style “Dunsinane” shifts into the more blown-out “Early Warning,” which, by the time its tectonic low end kicks in, is indeed something of a clarion. At seven-tracks/34-minutes, Wicked Worlds is somewhere between an EP and an LP, but I’d argue it as the latter with the flow from “Greenseer” into the massive “A Song for Jorklum” and the seven-minute finale “Return to Samarkand” making for a righteous side B, but either way, it’s a Boston-crafted assault of grit-tone and aggro doom that finds the band not overwhelmed by the heft of their own tones but able to move and manipulate them to serve the purposes of their songs. Those purposes, incidentally, are mostly about kicking ass. Which they do. Copiously.
It would not seem to be a coincidence that UK self-aware four-piece Wytch Hazel — guitarists Conlin Hendra (also vocals) and Alex Haslam, bassist Matt Gatley and drummer Jack Spencer nod to Wishbone Ash‘s Argus with the cover of their second LP, II: Sojourn (on Bad Omen). They do a lot of that kind of nodding, with a sound culled from a valiant blend of classic progressive and early NWOBHM styles that makes the point of how closely related the two have always been. “The Devil is Here” starts out at a fervent gallop with just an underpinning of Thin Lizzy, while the later “See My Demons” shifts from its steady roll and rousing hook into an acoustic/electric break that seems to pull from Jethro Tull as much as Scorpions. At 10 tracks/45 minutes, they have plenty of time to flesh out their ideas, and they do precisely that, whether it’s the careful unfolding around the keys and acoustics of closer “Angel Take Me” or the over-the-top instrumental push of “Chorale” or the moodier “Wait on the Wind,” the wah solo of which is a highlight on its own. There are some burgeoning harmonies in Hendra‘s vocals, which is an impulse he should follow as it would only enhance the material, but after making their debut with 2016’s Prelude, II: Sojourn finds Wytch Hazel sounding comfortable and well established in their niche.
Progressive, expansive and engaging, the sixth album from Spanish sextet The Soulbreaker Company, Sewed with Light (on Underground Legends), taps into classically Floydian influences on songs like “The Word, the Blade” while still keeping a foot in heavy rock on the prior “Together,” and setting a quick course into a varied sonic persona via the seven-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Inner Dark.” Hypnotizing not necessarily with drift but with sheer willful exploration, The Soulbreaker Company work with a variety of key sounds and craft-minded ranging guitar in order to effect an atmosphere of thoughtful songwriting even in their most outwardly trippy moments. The sneering semi-psychedelic rock of “Avoid the Crash” and the more stripped-down roll of “Arrhythmia” (video premiere here) lead the way into closer “In the Beginning,” which marks yet another departure with its grandeur of string sounds and electronic beats leading to a chugging big finale. As with the bulk of The Soulbreaker Company‘s work, it requires an active ear, but Sewed with Light both encourages and well earns consideration as more than background noise.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 8th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Indeed, seven years. Seven years and a week, if you want to go by the last time I wrote about Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, sludge rockers Electric Horsemen. The occasion was a review of a split they had out with Count von Count (review here), and that was the last I heard from the offshoot of heavy rockers Black Cowgirl until a couple days ago. As it turns out, Electric Horsemen last month posted a single called “Milk Coma.” It was recorded back in 2008, but you can hear it below and it neatly encapsulates the density that was at root in their appeal way back when.
I don’t know where they’re actually at with new material — they say below there are plans to record “sometime this year” — but they’ve got a couple shows booked in Eastern PA next week with Backwoods Payback, and, well, it’s just kind of cool thinking they might get back to it, all hot pickled eggs and whatnot.
Confession time: I’ve never had a hot pickled egg. Not sure I could hang. Mostly these days I eat protein bars and chicken caesar salads without croutons. Rock and roll, y’all.
The band sent this down the PR wire:
Electric Horsemen – Back from Hiatus
Lancaster County Pennsylvania’s Electric Horsemen is ending a 7 year hiatus starting with two shows in February with fellow Pennsylvanians and friends Backwoods Payback. The band founded in 2006 is hoping to get back in the studio to record new material sometime this year. The lineup includes 2 current and 1 former member of Black Cowgirl, former bassist Chris Casse, current bassist Wyatt Kring and vocalist/guitarist Ben McGuire as well as original Electric Horsemen drummer Barry Lupacckino.
The band made a reputation for themselves in the myspace era for playing feedback-laden Crowbar influenced-riffs and being the heaviest band to ever come from Lancaster County PA (there was no competition) as well as having the market cornered in hot pickled egg sales. They are back in action, heavier than ever and filling jars with hot pickled eggs in preparation for their return!
February 17 – The Alternative Gallery (Allentown PA) Electric Horsemen w/Backwoods Payback and more! February 18 – REX’s (West Chester PA) Electric Horsemen w/Backwoods Payback and more!
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
From the description Black Cowgirl sent down the PR wire, it sounds like a nightmare scenario that led them to release “The Traveler” as a pay-what-you-want download. The song was originally put to tape as the first cut for their Restricted Release debut. They went in the studio, put “The Traveler” down, took it home unfinished and then never heard from the engineer again. After putting the time in to write the songs, rehearse them, get everything where you wanted it to be, find someone to record, get to the studio, set up, get drum sounds, bass sounds, guitar sounds, vocal sounds, and then actually begin the process only to have it cut off like that — it sounds awful. What a waste.
It’s twice the bummer because the song sounds awesome. Their two-EPs-into-one-full-length self-titled was a cool listen, but already in “The Traveler” it’s clear the Lancaster, PA, four-piece were looking to take their tonal warmth to new heights and build on the steady heavy rock bounce they honed their first time out. I believe they had started working on the album in January, so hopefully they found someplace else to record, because “The Traveler” definitely warrants accompaniment.
For now though, it’s what we’ve got:
New free BLACK COWGIRL song!
Black Cowgirl entered a studio for one day in the dead of winter with the intent to begin recording their follow up their 2013 self titled release on Restricted Release Records. One song was recorded. The band went home that night with a unmixed, unfinished copy of a song called “The Traveler”. The plan was to go back and complete “The Traveler” and then record the rest of the album. Unfortunately the studio engineer mysteriously disappeared. Therefore the song cannot be finished and to celebrate the circumstances Black Cowgirl has made the demo for “The Traveler” available for free on band camp.
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 8th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Pennsylvanian heavy rockers Black Cowgirl had a pretty busy 2013, what with getting their own beer, playing The Artie Lange Show, putting out their self-titled debut on Restricted Release and so on, but rather than rest on their laurels — which, though guitarist/vocalist Ben McGuire makes light of them in the announcement below, are considerable — the four-piece have gotten to work on a sophomore outing to be recorded later this winter. The final touches are being put on the songs now, so chances are they’ll break out a couple new ones on Feb. 15 when they play The Depot in York, PA, with Borracho, Backwoods Payback and Kingsnake.
Good bill. Free pizza makes it even better. The PR wire presents details:
Black Cowgirl new album news
Lancaster County Pennsylvania’s practitioners of riffcraft Black Cowgirl are finishing writing their second album and preparing to record it later this winter. The album to be recorded will be the follow up to their self titled LP that received a national release last summer via Restricted Release Records.
2013 was a big year for the band, as Black Cowgirl imposed total domination of the Canadian AM radio charts for a almost a month pushing the legendary Black Sabbath out of the #1 spot for a bit. Last year also saw the release of South County Brewing’s Black Cowgirl Double Black IPA, and the bands first drunk television appearance which took place on The Artie Lange show.
Guitarist/vocalist Ben McGuire of the band had this to say: “If it was the 1970’s when AM radio was still a rock and roll delivery system to be reckoned with and the whole world was Canada and the signature Black Cowgirl beer was released by Miller Light or whatever our Dad’s were sipping on in the Nixon era and it was Black Sabbath vol. 4 that was pushed off of it’s throne and not Rick Rubbinz 13……then we would be quitting our jobs and hitting the road forever, but it is 2014 and I have to be at work in a hour.”
No word on what label will be releasing the next album yet but a vinyl version is expected regardless and shows to follow.
Black Cowgirl will be playing their first show of 2014 at The Depot in York PA February 15th. The show is FREE and will also feature FREE PIZZA! Backwoods Payback, Kingsnake, and Borracho will also be there.
