Calgary 420 Fest Lineup: Wo Fat, Black Mastiff, Anciients, Chron Goblin, Mammoth Grove and More to Play

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 6th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

wo fat necro blanca photography

Appropriately enough, the Calgary 420 Fest starts on April 20 and will feature a host of stoner and other heavy types of acts across its three-day stretch. Among the notables is Wo Fat (above), who’ll be making their debut appearance in Canada as headliners for the final evening, along with Black Mastiff and Anciients on the nights preceding, and a slew of native Canadian bands to go along with, from Mammoth Grove and Chron Goblin to the sludgy likes of Lavagoat and the classic heavy rock of La Chinga. There’s also a bunch of weedian whathaveyou going on as a part of it, as the PR wire details below, food trucks and a beard contest, so seems like a good time on any number of levels.

Details follow:

calgary 420 fest lineup

Calgary’s 420 Music & Arts Festival Announce Concert Line Up w/ Wo Fat, Anciients, Black Mastiff and more!

April 20, 21, 22 @ Distortion
3828 MacLeod Trail S., Calgary, Alberta T2G 2R2

Big Rock Brewery & METALHEADS UNITED Presents the 420 Music & Arts Festival at Distortion – Live Music Venue in Calgary, AB, Canada, April 20, 21 and 22, 2017.

The 420 Music & Arts Festival is a three day celebration featuring 22 Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Doom & Sludge Metal and Fuzzy, Kick Ass Rock n Roll bands surrounding the culture that is 420. Headlining this inaugural year all the way from Dallas, TX for their first Canadian performance, stoner legends WO FAT, Vancouver’s ANCIIENTS and Edmonton/ Vancouver based BLACK MASTIFF.

In addition to all the rad music, festival attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase the work of select local artists, artisans and craftsman at the 420 Expo, Saturday, April 22 at Distortion from 10am-4pm. Interspersed with vendors of interesting and eclectic wares will be information on medical marijuana and hemp products and even more 420 enthusiasts. Select vendors, artists and marijuana related companies will be available in the evenings at the festival as well. NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) will be in attendance to answer questions.

You will be able to indulge your desire for munchies with a variety delectable culinary creations from some of Southern Alberta’s best food trucks. If that isn’t enough, each night of the festival there will be an opportunity to show off your glorious facial hair in our beard contest. Celebrity judges will decide who moves onto the final round on the last night of the festival where one beard will rule them all!

* Big Rock Beer is exclusive beer for the 420 Music & Arts Festival

* 420 Music & Arts Festival will be the very first Canadian performance by Dallas, TX stoner rock legends Wo Fat

Festival Lineup:

Overall Festival Event Link (Main Link) www.facebook.com/events/226953177757584/

Wednesday, April 19 – Pre-Fest – FREE SHOW + Advance Pass Pick Up

Ten Dead Crow
Terminal Human Condition

Thursday, April 20
FB Event www.facebook.com/events/240616399708945/

Black Mastiff (Edmonton, AB/Vancouver, BC)
HighKicks (Calgary, AB)
La Chinga (Vancouver, BC)
The Electric Revival (Calgary, AB)
Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary, AB)
Hypnopilot (Calgary, AB)
Set & Stoned (Crossfield, AB)

Friday, April 21
FB event www.facebook.com/events/1702426476734012/

Anciients (Vancouver, BC)
Dead Quiet (Vancouver, BC)
Lavagoat (Saskatoon, SK)
Orbital Express (Regina, SK)
ChronoBot (Prince Albert, SK)
Lordosis (Calgary, AB)
Hunted By Ravens (Red Deer, AB)

Saturday, April 22
FB event www.facebook.com/events/795080193963870/

Wo Fat (Dallas, Texas, USA) First ever appearance in Canada
Chron Goblin (Calgary, AB)
Cowpuncher (Calgary, AB)
Mammoth Grove (Calgary, AB)
NVGR (Nikki Valentine & Gypsy Riders) (Calgary, AB)
Black Thunder (Regina, SK)
Brown Dwarf (Red Deer, AB)
Bazaraba (Calgary, AB)

Ticket links:

Available at http://www.420musicandartsfestival.ca/store-2/ and on FB page on the festival store https://store10885031.ecwid.com/.

https://www.facebook.com/events/226953177757584
http://www.420musicandartsfestival.ca/
http://www.twitter.com/420FestivalYYC
http://www.facebook.com/420MusicAndArtsFestival
http://www.instagram.com/420MusicandArtsFestival

Wo Fat, Midnight Cometh (2016)

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Last Licks 2014: The Re-Stoned, Anthroprophh, Lavagoat, Ketch, Eternal Khan, Mount Carmel, Pocket Size, Zoltan, The Garza, Dot Legacy

Posted in Reviews on January 2nd, 2015 by JJ Koczan

Yesterday was pretty rough. Some excellent stuff in that batch of 10 discs, but man, by the end of it I don’t mind telling you I was dragging more than a bit of ass. I guess that’s to be expected. Still, I think that, as a project, this was worthwhile. There was a lot of stuff — too much — sitting around that was going to go undiscussed coming out of 2014, and now here we are, it’s the New Year, and I feel like at least a small percentage of what came my way got its due. Small victories.

So this is it. Reviews 41-50. After this, there isn’t much from 2014 that I’ll be looking back on; it’s mostly stuff to come, which is a different matter entirely. I’m sure we won’t be out of Jan. before I’m behind again in a major way, but what the hell, at least I’m trying, and at least there’s 50 discs that showed up on my desk that can be put on the shelf instead. Yes, it’s a very complex filing system. Ask me sometime and I’ll tell you all about it. Until then, let’s finish it like the final battle from Highlander. There can be only… 10… more…?

Okay maybe not.

Thanks for reading.

The Re-Stoned, Totems

the re-stoned totems

Helmed since 2008 by the multifaceted Ilya Lipkin, Moscow mostly-instrumentalists The Re-Stoned release their fourth album in the form of Totems on R.A.I.G., a 58-minute wide-breadth journey into heavy rock groove with touches of psychedelia, plotted jazz-jamming and a raw tonal sensibility. Wo Fat guitarist/vocalist Kent Stump contributes a noteworthy solo to “Old Times,” and along with bassist Alexander Romanov, Lipkin (who himself handles the artwork design, guitar, bass, shaman drum, jew’s harp, mandala and some voice work) employs a guest drummer, percussionist and didgeridoo player, so there’s a measure of variety to the proceedings, be it the jerky pauses in “Shaman” or the earlier effects-laden exploration of “Chakras.” “Old Times” has a bit of funk to it even before Stump’s arrival, and the acoustics of “Melting Stones,” which follows, border on cowboy Americana. They’ve never had the most vibrant production, but The Re-Stoned manage to convey a natural feel and confidence as they progress, the creative growth of Lipkin always at the center of what they do.

The Re-Stoned on Thee Facebooks

R.A.I.G.

Anthroprophh, Outside the Circle

anthroprophh outside the circle

For his second album under the moniker Anthroprophh, guitarist/vocalist Paul Allen (also of The Heads) brings in a rhythm section to aid him in his time-to-get-really-weird purposes. Thus, bassist Gareth Turner and drummer Jesse Webb, who together form the duo Big Naturals, add to the strangeness of songs like “2013 and She Told Me I was Die” on Anthroprophh’s Outside the Circle, a 45-minute excursion into warped sensibilities and things meant to go awry. Songs are made to be broken, and that happens with drones, sudden shifts in atmosphere, some smooth transitions, some jagged, all designed to transport and ignite stagnation. It does not get any less bizarre as Outside the Circle moves toward its nine-minute title-track, but one doesn’t imagine Allen would have it any other way, and one wouldn’t have it any other way from him. I call a fair amount of music adventurous for deviating from the norm. Anthroprophh makes most of that sound silly in comparison with its buzzsaw guitar and raw experimental display.

Anthroprophh on Thee Facebooks

Rocket Recordings

Lavagoat, Weird Menace

lavagoat weird menace

Saskatoon four-piece Lavagoat continue to challenge themselves even as they bludgeon eardrums. Their single-track CD EP, Weird Menace, pulls together six individual songs recorded mostly live in their rehearsal space with a purposeful drive toward rawness and a horror thematic. Sure enough, where their 2012 LP, Monoliths of Mars (review here) and 2010 self-titled debut (review here) offered increasing stylistic complexity, Weird Menace steps forward atmospherically by pulling back on the production value. Murky screams permeate “Ectoplasm” only to be immediately offset by the low growls and deathly groove of “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” presented as nasty as possible. There are still some touches of flourish in the guitar – one can’t completely cast off a creative development, even when trying really, really hard – but to call Weird Menace’s regressive experimentalism anything but a success would be undervaluing the turn they’ve made and how smoothly they’ve made it. Note: a follow-up LP, Ageless Nonsense (actually recorded earlier than this EP), has already been released.

Lavagoat on Thee Facebooks

Lavagoat on Bandcamp

Ketch, Ketch

ketch ketch

Limited to 50 CD copies and presented in an oversize sleeve, soon-to-be-picked-up-by-somebody Colorado five-piece Ketch’s self-titled debut demo/EP is death-doom brutal and doom-death grooving. Vocalist Zach Salmans and guitarist Clay Cushman (who also recorded) trade off growls and screams over plus-sized, malevolent riffs and guitarist Jeremy Winters, bassist Dave Borrusch and drummer David Csicsely (also of The Flight of Sleipnir) only add to the pummel, which hits a particularly vicious moment in the grueling second half of “Counting Sunsets,” a dirge of low growls giving way to churning, nodding despair. Beginning with 9:18 longest cut “Shimmering Lights” (immediate points), Ketch deliver a precision extremity that even on this initial offering makes its villainous intent plain with volume and overarching drear. The midsection stomp of “Chemical Despondency” and the gurgle in closer “13 Coils” affirm that Ketch have found their stylistic niche and are ready to begin developing their sound from it. One looks forward to the growth of this already maddening approach. Bonus points for no obvious Lovecraft references.

Ketch on Thee Facebooks

Ketch on Bandcamp

Eternal Khan, A Poisoned Psalm

eternal khan a poisoned psalm

Somewhere between death, black and doom metals, one finds Rhode Island three-piece Eternal Khan exploring cosmic, existential, literary and mythological themes on their self-released debut full-length, A Poisoned Psalm, the jewel case edition of which includes both lyrics and liner note explanations of each of its seven tracks. It’s an ambitious take from a trio who seem destined at some point to write a concept album – maybe based on Faust, maybe not – but the actual songs live up to the lofty presentation, be it the suitable gallop of “Raging Host,” despondent push of centerpiece “The Tower” or double-kick bleakness of “Void of Light and Reconciliation.” Guitarist/vocalist N. Wood, guitarist T. Phrathep and drummer D. Murphy mash their various styles well, but there’s room to grow here too, and I’d wonder how “The Black Stork” might work with an element of drone brought into the mix to add to the atmosphere and provide contrast to the various sides of Eternal Khan’s extremity. Even without, A Poisoned Psalm serves vigorous notice.

Eternal Khan on Thee Facebooks

Eternal Khan on Bandcamp

Mount Carmel, Get Pure

mount carmel get pure

Rife with ‘70s swagger and easy-rolling blues grooves, Get Pure is the third record from Columbus, Ohio trio Mount Carmel, and it goes down as smooth as one could ask, the guitar work of Matthew Reed, bass of his brother, Patrick Reed (since out of the band and replaced by Nick Tolford) and drums of James McCain meshing with a natural, classic power trio dynamic only furthered by the vocals, as laid back as Leaf Hound but with an underlying bluesiness on cuts like “One More Morning” and “No Pot to Piss.” At 11 tracks and a vinyl-minded 35 minutes, neither the album as a whole nor its component tracks overstay their welcome, and late pushers like “Hangin’ On” and “Fear Me Now” leave the listener wanting more while closer “Yeah You Mama” bookends with opener “Gold” in hey-baby-ism and irrefutable rhythmic swing. Comfortable in its mid-pace boogie, Get Pure offers a party vibe without being needlessly raucous, and its laid back mood becomes one of its greatest assets.

Mount Carmel on Thee Facebooks

Alive Naturalsound

Pocket Size, Exposed Undercurrents

pocket size exposed undercurrents

One could hardly accuse Stockholm classic proggers Pocket Size of living up to their name on Exposed Undercurrents, their second album. Even putting aside the expansive fullness of their sound itself, there are nine people in the lineup. It would have to be some pocket. The group is led by guitarist Peder Pedersen, whose own contributions are met by arrangements of saxophone, Hammond B-3, flute, theremin and so on as the 11 tracks of Exposed Undercurrents play off intricately-conceived purposes to engaging ends. One is reminded some of Hypnos 69’s takes on elder King Crimson, but Pocket Size have less of a heavy rock stylistic base and are more purely prog. A clean production – this is clearly a band that wants you to hear everything happening at any given moment – serves the 54-minute offering well, and though it’s by no means free of indulgence, Exposed Undercurrents is imaginative in both the paths it follows and those it creates, the joy of craftsmanship clearly at the core of its process.

Pocket Size on Thee Facebooks

Pocket Size website

Zoltan, Sixty Minute Zoom

zoltan sixty minute zoom

Though it’s actually only about 41 minutes, I doubt if Zoltan’s Sixty Minute Zoom would benefit from the extra time in terms of getting its point across. The instrumental London trio of keyboardist Andy Thompson, bassist/keyboardist Matt Thompson and drummer/keyboardist Andrew Prestidge revel in ‘70s synth soundtrack stylizations. For good measure I’ll name-check Goblin as a central influence on “Uzumaki,” the second of Sixty Minute Zoom’s five inclusions, but John Carpenter’s clearly had a hand as well in brazenly cinematic texturing of synth and the late-‘70s/early-‘80s vibe. The various washes culminate in the side B-consuming 21-minute stretch of “The Integral,” which is broken into separate movements but flows smoothly between them, pulsations and drones interweaving for a classic atmosphere of tension and balance of the chemistry between the Thompsons and Prestidge and the progressive, immersive sound they create. Fans of earlier Zombi will find much to chew on, but Zoltan dive even further into soundtrack-style ambience. All that’s missing is Lori Cardille running down a dimly lit hallway.

Zoltan on Thee Facebooks

Cineploit Records

The Garza, The Garza

the garza the garza

Offered as a nine-track full-length plus a four-song bonus EP, the self-titled debut from Madison, Wisconsin’s The Garza meters out noise rock punishment with sludgy ferocity. A trio of notable pedigree – drummer/vocalist Magma (Bongzilla, Aquilonian), guitarist Shawn Blackler (Brainerd, Striking Irwin), and bassist Nate Bush (ex-Droids Attack, ex-Bongzilla) – they fluidly pull together post-hardcore elements and Crowbar-esque turns while retaining a core of punk rock. “Rage” is a solid example of this, but it’s true of just about all of the album proper, which largely holds to its approach, adding some melody to the seven-minute pre-bonus-tracks closer “Kingdoms End” and varying tempo here and there around its destructive central ideology. The four bonus tracks are of a similar mind as well, Magma switching up his vocals every now and then to add variety to proceedings that otherwise prove vehemently assured of their position. I’m not sure if the extra cuts help reinforce the album’s rawness or detract from the closer, but The Garza aren’t exactly light on impact either way.

The Garza on Thee Facebooks

The Garza on Bandcamp

Dot Legacy, Dot Legacy

dot legacy dot legacy

Dot Legacy’s self-titled Setalight Records debut, particularly for a green-backed CD with vinyl-style grooves on front, is not nearly as stoned as one might think. The Parisian foursome of Damien Quintard (vocals/bass/recording), Arnaud Merckling (guitar/keys/vocals), John Defontaine (guitar/vocals) and Romain Mottier (drums/vocals) employ a broad range on the 46-minute album’s nine tracks, from the shoegaze post-rock of “The Passage” to the driving heavy psych of “Gorilla Train Station,” all the while holding firm to a creative reasoning geared toward individuality. If they wound up adopting “The Midnight Weirdos” as a nom de guerre, I wouldn’t be surprised, but in fact there’s little sense that at any point Dot Legacy aren’t in full command of where their material is headed. All the better for the surprising opening duo of “Kennedy” and “Think of a Name,” which shift between reverb-soaked meditation and vibrant, hook-laden heavy rock. A fascinating and original-ish debut that could be the start of something special. They should hit the festival circuit hard and not look back.

Dot Legacy on Thee Facebooks

Setalight Records

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Reviewsplosion: 10 Records, One Post

Posted in Reviews on July 3rd, 2012 by JJ Koczan

About six weeks ago, I had a major change in my work situation, and what was a part-time job that took up very little of my day-to-day became a much bigger factor in terms of how I spend my time. I’ve mentioned it here in bitching posts mostly on Fridays, but it’s been a big shift that’s meant a lot of late nights working and still trying to keep up with The Obelisk and still see The Patient Mrs. every now and again.

I tell you this because in an effort to catch up with the humongous backlog of reviews I have, I’ve decided to tackle 10 at once. Whether or not this is the most responsible use of my limited time, I don’t know, but it’s something I’m trying and hoping it works out. It’s going to be a challenge (how many different ways are there to say “heavy?”), but these are records that I don’t really have the time I thought I did to dedicate when I said I’d review them, and that were sent to me in physical form. If they were digital, I’d probably just let them go and say screw it.

And I know this isn’t going to be the deepest analysis I’ve ever done, but hopefully it’ll be enough to convey what’s going on with each release. Thanks to the bands for submitting their hard work, and as ever, to you for reading. Deep breath and dive in:

Demon Lung, Pareidolia

For being named after an Electric Wizard song, Las Vegas foursome Demon Lung aren’t nearly as weedian as one might expect. Rather, the band (who formed last year) keep to a pretty traditional-type doom style on the four tracks of their self-released debut EP. The guitars are high in the mix, but they’ve more or less got the formula down here — riff out and do it slowly. “Death Mask” has a satisfying chug in its closing moments and the more ambient finish the EP gets with its title-track speaks well of where they might go from here. No complaints. Demon Lung on Bandcamp.

 

Elmi, From the Ground

An experimental/noise/drone Norwegian duo who are short neither on volume nor tone, Elmi take bass indulgences and mash them headfirst into Hammond and mellotron. Extended pieces like the 19-minute “Nyaraladronetep” and 14-minute “Unhappy is He to Whom the Memories of Childhood Bring Only Fear and Sadness” are unrepentantly abrasive, but the experiments vary. In comparison, the sample-led “Maciara’s Revenge” is almost sweet. Limited to a physical pressing of 121 copies in honor of its vocal-droning closing track, the From the Ground has already been followed up by a live album of which only five CD copies remain. Elmi on Bandcamp.

 

Large Marge, Large Marge

It’s ass-kicking Southern heavy grooves, dual-riffing, screams and yowls and no shortage of feedback to dirty it up, and the more I hear Large Marge’s self-titled, self-released debut full-length, the more it earns its Johnny Weills-era Alabama Thunderpussy comparison. That’s a good thing. The dudely Louisiana-based foursome are pro-produced and do right by the mix to keep Aaron Myers’ vocals subsumed beneath his and Luke Duke’s guitars, making them sound even bigger. “Black Coffee” isn’t a Black Flag cover, but by the time they get around to the psychedelically ranging “Stoned Waltz” and “Up in Smoke,” I’ve forgotten that and the rest of my woes. Large Marge on Facebook.

 

Lavagoat, Monoliths of Mars

Their 2010 full-length (review here) also impressed with its complexity, and Saskatoon four-piece Lavagoat’s second outing, Monoliths of Mars, greatly expands the scope. Four tracks and 45 minutes, the crush of “Forge of Vulcan” is offset by spaced-out atmospheric noise and a continuation of the Cathedral-style vocal cadences that showed up last time out on “Planet of the Dead.” Wonderfully varied in its approach and monstrously heavy, the album culminates with the 21-minute title-track, which unfortunately drops to feedback and drones after seven minutes in, but revives near the end for a bit of psychedelic exploration. Recommended. Lavagoat on Twitter.

 

Mammoth Grove, Taste of What’s to Come

A bit of a sampler EP from this Calgary outfit, but still worth a look for the quality of songcraft and raw but still lush feel the four tracks elicit. Mammoth Grove inhabit a pastoral sphere and without forcing one second of what they do on Taste of What’s to Come, manage to engulf the listener before the 2:47 of instrumental opener “Hazey Wave” is over. “Talon” and “Million Miles” are more classically progressive than was some of their also-humble 2011 self-titled EP, and rawly produced with the vocals high in the mix of closer “Emerald,” but it’s still enough to get the titular taste of where they’re headed, and I continue to be intrigued. Mammoth Grove on Bandcamp.

 

Misty Morning, Saint Shroom

Released on limited-to-250 transparent red 12” vinyl by Doomanoid Records, the Saint Shroom 22-minute EP by Roman doomers Misty Morning offers two extended tracks of ceremonial doom, thick riffs and gruff vocals peppered with synth flourish and deft tempo shifts. Both “Saint Shroom” and “Jellotron” work in a similar vein (the latter is most post-Cathedral, vocally), but the release is really too short for the formula to get tired. I wonder how it would hold up on a full-length, and I wonder if there isn’t a way to play up the weirdness that shows up at the end of “Jellotron” more in the songwriting. Misty Morning on Bandcamp.

 

Mothership, Mothership

The self-titled and self-released full-length debut from Texas trio Mothership was recorded by Kent Stump of Wo Fat and holds much of the same fuzzy appeal as that band, if put to a use more directed at early metal than heavy rock. It’s balls-out, either way. Righteous solos from Kelley Juett well complemented by Kyle Juett’s bass and Judge Smith’s drumming, the songs get somewhat redundant after a while, but I might be single-minded too if I was this good at one thing. Cool shit, professional production from Stump and a bastard of a groove on “Elenin.” And everywhere else. Mothership on Bandcamp.

 

Muffler Men, Trigger and Fly

A pop-minded Belgian threesome heavily indebted to Queens of the Stone Age, Ghent’s Muffler Men have a highlight for their first LP, Trigger and Fly, in opener “Daily Taste of Summer,” and the only trouble with that is that then you have the rest of the record to get through. Fortunately a track like “Mistakes” offers a landmark, but by the time the horns kick in on closer “All Dressed Up,” it’s so “I Think I Lost My Headache” that I’m wondering why I’m not listening to that song in the first place. Not bad for what it is, and crisply executed, but there’s room to grow stylistically. Muffler Men on Facebook.

 

Nauticus, The Wait

Kudos to Finnish progressive metallers Nauticus for making an album that’s as rich visually as it is sonically. The Wait’s art is striking, and the music of the double-guitar five-piece follows suit, bending a Tool influence ever so slightly to make it more their own. At 59 minutes, it’s an album that requires full attention to be really appreciated, though it should say something that after listening to it for an hour I’d still be up for such a thing. They broadcast their self-indulgence, but a slew of guest appearances and complex arrangements make each song as fascinating on its own as when taken together as a whole. Nauticus on Bandcamp.

 

Thunderfist, Thunderfist

With songs so simple they’re like AC/DC on amphetamines – which I guess is how heavy metal was made in the first place – boozy, sleazy rockers Thunderfist hail from the serenity of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That may or may not account for the havoc they wreak on this self-titled outing through ECG Records, but their upbeat, unironic fuckall is appreciated in any case. Tracks are short and sweet and unafraid to leave bruises. A bit of classic rock ‘n’ roll misogyny takes away from the charm, but that kind of thing is apparently inevitable. I’ll take the rolling groove of “The Wizard’s Lament” over the more forced-sounding “None of Your Business,” but that’s me. You may feel differently. Thunderfist on Facebook.

Thanks again for indulging me. Back to normal tomorrow.

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Lavagoat, Lavagoat: Metal up Your Doom

Posted in Reviews on June 21st, 2011 by JJ Koczan

Canadian metal! Saskatoon heavy four-piece Lavagoat defy expectation almost immediately on their 2010 self-titled by not just reveling in punkish Eyehategod-style sludge, as their name would lead one to expect they might. Rather, Lavagoat’s Lavagoat draws liberally from the well of post-Mastodon metallicism, mostly shirking off the “progressive” snobbishness in favor of raw angular pummel. In other words, drummer Graham (the whole band is first-name-only) keeps his feet busy. But even that isn’t the whole story with Lavagoat. The Cathedral-esque clean vocals that come across on cuts like “Magma,” the later “The Witch,” or even a bit cadence-wise on opener “Puritan” show that not only is Lavagoat offering more than the gruff, throaty, rhythmic growls of “Old Man and the Sea,” but that perhaps multiple songwriters are at play behind the material. The liner notes credit the full band, and both bassist Sean and guitarist Graeme handle vocal duties – Lavagoat is rounded out by guitarist Jimi – but there’s enough diversity at play here to make me think the riffs driving the songs have more than one source. Provided a band can pull the different parts together enough to make something cogent from it (which I’d argue Lavagoat do pretty well here), that’s never a bad thing.

But they are heavy. Whatever road they take to get there, Lavagoat don’t ever lose sight of the metal side of stoner metal, even working a section of crushing riffs into “Magma” and a scathing solo into the building instrumental part collection “Interstellar Deserts Azathoth” – perhaps the most aptly-named track on Lavagoat for its varying moods. The aforementioned “Old Man and the Sea” and middle-album slice “The House” find the band at their most metallic, the latter playing off it with a kind of self-aware use of pig screaming (that could be a sample, or it could be guest vocalist Simon Braun). That said, “Rome,” which starts out more ethereally doomed, later boasts death growls amid one of the most Leviathan-derived riffs Lavagoat here concoct – so it’s not necessarily just a case of compartmentalizing the band’s heaviness into this track or that – the metal can show up anywhere. When it does, it’s well met by Lavagoat’s stoner side, “The Witch” meeting the aftermath of “Rome” head on and complementing it with thick groove and a heathen lyrical schematic.

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