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Album Review: Conan, Evidence of Immortality

Posted in Reviews on August 29th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

conan evidence of immortality

Rest assured, Conan will put down their double-sided battle axe when you come and take it from their cold, dead hands, and that’s going to be hard to do since, as the first track of their fifth album, Evidence of Immortality, asserts, “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots.” In continued association with Napalm Records, the boots-covered-in-red-mud UK three-piece of founding guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis, bassist/vocalist/producer Chris Fielding and drummer Johnny King return from the field with six tracks for a 50-minute double-LP that reassert the band’s sheer aural dominance.

It’s been a long, insane four years since the trio unveiled 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here), and Conan are past 15 years as a band but show little interest in settling into a comfortable veteran status. True, they know who they are as a band and Davis has driven a consistent vision for what he wants that to mean since before their landmark 2010 EP, Horseback Battle Hammer (discussed here; review here), with a sound based on unmatched riff largesse, minimalist lyrical narratives — often just words used as evocations; I’m actually a big proponent of Conan‘s lyrics as an undervalued aspect of their work, and not even just for the efficiency — turned in this case to a world where ideas like “Levitation Hoax” can be taken from real life and turned to the band’s bludgeoning purposes, Davis‘ shouts and Fielding‘s growls rising up from amid King‘s blasting drums and their own furious assault of groove in that single following the aforementioned 10-minute opener.

That lead song stakes its riff like a flag in the ground, not so much to question what’s real, but working to turn the confusion of our age into an aural metaphor of its own ridiculousness. Plus to destroy. These things Conan do with grim determination, cheeky revelry, and a craft recognizable from miles away. They are inimitable and influential in kind, and whether it’s the lumbering force of “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” or the build of intensity from “Levitation Hoax” into the galloping of “Ritual of Anonymity,” their pattern of holding to their central stylistic purpose while offering instances of forward progression holds plain across the span. “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” takes about two and a half minutes to settle into its rolling-over-your-skull central/verse riff, and by that point, Evidence of Immortality has already let the audience know it is in the hands of masters.

Circa 2022, Conan are nothing if not that, from Davis‘ riffs and shouts to Fielding‘s production and backing barks — the call and response in the first half of “Levitation Hoax” is a particular joy — to King matching his cymbal crashes to the guitar’s chug later in “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots.” But there are instances of reach too. The band’s underlying influence of ’90s crunch metal and noise rock comes through, and the sheer amount of feedback on Evidence of Immortality isn’t necessarily anything new from them, but it is prevalent. After the shove shove shove that culminates in “Ritual of Anonymity,” side B brings “Equilibrium of Mankind” and “Righteous Alliance,” both eight-minute crushers that reinforce the central message of Conan‘s return after the longest break between albums of their career (the extenuating circumstances go without saying): if you counted them out, those’ll be your limbs on the floor. You’ll probably want help picking them back up for reattachment.

Conan (Photo by Charley Shillabeer)

The construction of Evidence of Immortality is further proof of Conan‘s intention. The three songs on the first side clearly fit together toward a united purpose. Same is true of the lurching, deathly shout-along in “Equilibrium of Mankind” and its companion, the we-took-a-doom-riff-and-made-it-kill “Righteous Alliance,” which drops out to feedback and cymbal wash at about 5:20 into its total 8:35 to dedicate the remainder of its time to a glorious, marching celebration of slog. Slog worship. And a fitting lead-in for 14-minute instrumental closer “Grief Sequence,” which is easily, hands-down the most atmospheric work Conan have ever done, unfolding a five-minute mire before lumbering through the next five minutes until a John Carpenter-style keyboard line — it’s actually former bassist David Perry (now of Dead Void in Denmark) — picking up from the ambient organ-style sounds that have run alongside the guitar, bass and drums to that point.

If you’re looking for firsts on a band’s fifth record, that’s a first. Though Davis has delved into synthesized sounds in other projects, working that into Conan both feels and is new. And if you’re listening digitally — as likely most will — it is a hypnotic finish to a collection that has found Conan playing to what have always been the band’s strengths while branching outward from there. On vinyl, it’s somewhat different, since the limitations of the format mean “Grief Sequence” appears standalone on side C with an etching on side D. This leaves one to wonder how many will, having heard and processed “Grief Sequence” as it is in relation to the rest of what’s come before it, swap out an entire LP just for that rather than simply go back to “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” after “Righteous Alliance.” Depends on the listener, obviously, and with digital as the main means by which Evidence of Immortality will be consumed — or through which it will consume — it’s a non-issue. Still, vinyl being what it is leaves “Grief Sequence” a bit out in the cold.

Given the song’s experimental feel, that’s all the more something to watch out for as a listener, because its further establishing of Conan as a forward-thinking veteran act isn’t to be discounted. I have to think that if they didn’t want it to be there, it wouldn’t be. That is, if Evidence of Immortality ended after “Righteous Alliance,” they could’ve easily written a shorter interlude or something like that to fill it out past a 36-minute runtime. “Grief Sequence,” on practical and aesthetic terms, is much more than that. More than a decade and a half on from Davis‘ starting the band, Conan are willing to take risks as well as to sound the familiar war horns of devastating tonal heft, higher-in-the-throat/lower-in-the-gut shouted vocals, and a general aura of violent threat. If that isn’t commendable, nothing is.

I guess this is where I’m supposed to wrap up by calling them immortal or making some clever-but-still-cliché remark about their work living forever. Well fuck that. Everything fucking dies. Everything decays. Everything ends. Evidence of Immortality isn’t asserting otherwise so much as pointing out the folly of believing the plainly stupid. In other words, watch your fucking head.

Conan, “Ritual of Anonymity” lyric video

Conan, “Righteous Alliance” official video

Conan, “Levitation Hoax” official video

Conan website

Conan on Facebook

Conan on Instagram

Conan on Bandcamp

Conan on Twitter

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Facebook

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Conan Post “Righteous Alliance” Video from Evidence of Immortality

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 18th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Conan (Photo by Charley Shillabeer)

UK crushmasters Conan edge closer to the Aug. 19 release date of their new album, Evidence of Immortality, with the video below. “Righteous Alliance” is the second single to come from Conan‘s fifth full-length — you can see their prior clip for “Levitation Hoax” hear the bottom of this post — and it brings a fresh(ly decayed) eight and a half minutes of outright crush presented wrapped in a video wherein Jon Davis, founding guitarist/vocalist, goes to buy a guitar — quick plug for Sam’s in Chester (not London as I initially thought) — and a cheeky Wayne’s World reference at the end in if-you-know-you-know fashion.

But by the time “Righteous Alliance” is done, you won’t really know anything except that Conan continue to dominate sound with a rare cruelty and that the rawness and dirt that comes through their tones this time is 100 percent owned. It’s theirs. “Righteous Alliance” sounds like it was recorded onto sweat more than a hard drive, and the live footage that makes up most of the video — black and white first, then color and mirrored, etc. — is grainy and a likewise fitting context for the song.

Hey guess what? Conan are really fucking heavy. If you’re saying, “yes we know that,” you’re right. And I’m not taking away from the band’s ethic of consistency. Despite shifts in the rhythm section before they settled on the trio of Davis, bassist/vocalist/producer Chris Fielding and drummer Johnny King (also Dread Sovereign), they’ve always stuck to the central tenet of putting heft first, and that has suited them and allowed them to build a reputation for aural impact that’s nearly unmatched. There’s grit in “Righteous Alliance” though, and with it being longer than prior single “Levitation Hoax,” there’s room for it to flesh out and really tell the listener something about the record from which it comes.

A bit of humor in the clip doesn’t hurt either. I asked Davis what kind of guitar he picks up at Sam’s and he said, “The guitar is made by Tttides guitars (David from Luxembourg). It’s his take on the BC Rich Ironbird, but the body is just slightly smaller,” just in case you’re curious. It certainly seems to get the job done.

Enjoy:

Conan, “Righteous Alliance” official video

Following their much acclaimed 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, and their Live at Freak Valley record released just last year, England’s doom metal masters CONAN strike back again! The trio’s fifth studio album, entitled Evidence of Immortality, drops August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records.

New Album out August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records. Pre-Order HERE: https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/conan

“‘Righteous Alliance‘ is another track that we have been playing live,“ guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. “It is all about war, and the hopelessness of it. However, a hero is coming and just as death is imminent, an unflinching savior enters the fray and the day is saved, for now.

We were keen to include some fan footage from over the years, thankfully they came through so thanks to everyone for being a part of it.”

“Evidence of Immortality was written between December 2019 and late 2021. As such, it has absorbed a lot of the emotions that were flowing through our lives then,” Davis explains. “The lyrics were written on the eve of the war in Ukraine so, naturally, they deal with subjects such as victory and defeat, loss and hope, pain and determination, fear and hatred. Movies such as Conquest, Lord of The Rings, Fire and Ice, Krull, Beast Master and Clash of The Titans once again provided inspiration for the themes of the songs, as we maintain our determination to not write about real-world events. You want to escape? Throw this record on, turn the lights off and turn it up until your fucking ears bleed.”

CONAN live:
12th August – Sonic Blast, Portugal
3rd September – Septembro Negro, Brazil
23rd September – Homme Sauvage, France
14th October – ManorFest, UK
12th November – Tyrant Fest, France

Line up:
Jon Davis – vocals, guitar (2006-present)
Chris Fielding – bass (2013–present)
Johnny King – drums (2017–present)

Conan, “Levitation Hoax” official video

Conan website

Conan on Facebook

Conan on Instagram

Conan on Bandcamp

Conan on Twitter

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Facebook

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Conan Announce New Album Evidence of Immortality; Post “Levitation Hoax” Video

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

conan

Hard to mess with Conan being Conan, and as they announce the slated Aug. 19 release of their sixth long-player, Evidence of Immortality, the three-piece share a video for “Levitation Hoax,” the first single from the record. Sign me up. You can hear the concrete-crumble-riffing that is their trademark, as well as the vocal interplay in call and response and all-in-assault from guitarist Jon Davis and bassist/producer Chris Fielding while drummer Johnny King assures that the underlying procession matches the tonal intensity. All well and good. Later in the song though — you’ll note the video takes a turn as well — there’s a bit of overarching guitar kind of layered on top, and that feels new to me. I’ll have to go back and revisit 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here) to be sure, but that might be using space in a different way. Floating guitar would make sense in a song about levitation though, or fake levitation, as it were.

There will be tour dates, more songs and probably videos, and blood. For now, this just came down the PR wire:

conan evidence of immortality

Bow Down and Hail CONAN! – England’s Doom Metal Masters Strike Back with Brand New Album, Evidence of Immortality

First Single “Levitation Hoax” + Video Out Now

New Album out August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records

Pre-Order HERE: https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/conan

Following their much acclaimed 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, and their Live at Freak Valley record released just last year, the trio has announced the release of their fifth studio album, entitled Evidence of Immortality, due out on August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records.

As first album single proves, on their upcoming magnum opus, the British kings of brutally heavy slowness push their down-tuned axes and cranked pedals to the limit, crushing ears and minds when huge, rumbling chords and malevolent riffs muscle their way in over lances of infinite distortion and drums that pummel and thunder like the hands of a god against the gates of hell.

First single “Levitation Hoax” showcases CONAN’s trademark sound combined with fast-paced riffage and a pounding groove in epic doom metal grandeur, before dragging you deep into a black hole, as you scream in silence.

“‘Levitation Hoax’ grew from a riff that was created in December 2019, when we were on tour with Cavalera Conspiracy”, guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. “The song begins as a thrash metal onslaught and just gets heavier and heavier as it progresses. It was a fun track to write, and has some of my favourite lyrics from the album.”

“Evidence of Immortality was written between December 2019 and late 2021. As such, it has absorbed a lot of the emotions that were flowing through our lives then,” Davis continues. “The lyrics were written on the eve of the war in Ukraine so, naturally, they deal with subjects such as victory and defeat, loss and hope, pain and determination, fear and hatred. Movies such as Conquest, Lord of The Rings, Fire and Ice, Krull, Beast Master and Clash of The Titans once again provided inspiration for the themes of the songs, as we maintain our determination to not write about real world events. You want to escape? Throw this record on, turn the lights off and turn it up until your fucking ears bleed.”

Evidence of Immortality was produced by Chris Fielding and mastered by James Plotkin. The album also sees former band member Dave Perry perform on the track “Grief Sequence”. The album’s artwork was provided by the skilled hand and mind of Tony Roberts, architect of the CONAN visual style since day one and their debut release, Horseback Battle Hammer. Bow down and hail CONAN, as their sound will live forever on the battlefield of doom. Their new album will be the ultimate Evidence of Immortality!

Slated for a release on August 19, 2022 through Napalm Records, Evidence of Immortality will be available in the following formats:

– Digisleeve
– 2LP Gatefold BLACK (ltd 300)
– 2LP Gatefold MARBLED CLEAR/BLACK (ltd 300)
– 2LP Gatefold GLOW IN THE DARK (Band exclusive)
– Cassette Tape Edition
– Album Cover Shirt & Digisleeve Bundle (European webstore only)
– Digital

Evidence of Immortality track listing:
01. A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots
02. Levitation Hoax
03. Ritual Of Anonymity
04. Equilibrium Of Mankind
05. Righteous Alliance
06. Grief Sequence

CONAN live:
13th July – Obscene Extreme, Czech Republic
12th August – Sonic Blast, Portugal
3rd September – Septembro Negro, Brazil
23rd September – Homme Sauvage, France
14th October – ManorFest, UK
12th November – Tyrant Fest, France

CONAN is:
Jon Davis – Guitar, Vocals
Chris Fielding – Bass
Johnny King – Drums

http://www.hailconan.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hailconan/
https://www.instagram.com/hailconan/
https://conan-conan.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/hailconan

https://www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://label.napalmrecords.com/

Conan, “Levitation Hoax” official video

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Duncan Patterson to Release Grace Road in March; New Song Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 28th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Something perhaps of niche appeal here, but I consider myself part of the niche, so whatever. Duncan Patterson, original bassist of Anathema whose catalog also includes work as a founding member of Antimatter and Alternative 4 and Íon, has a new solo album due in March through Strangelight Records. His last solo offering was 2016’s The Eternity Suite, which built out arrangements from Anathema‘s 1996 landmark, Eternity, into atmospheric orchestral interpretations, and the upcoming Grace Road feels immediately more traditionally song-based — at least if the first song is anything to go by.

“The Amber Line” was posted on Xmas and puts Patterson in collaboration with vocalist Enas Al-Said. Certainly one can hear the keyboard choral and sparse guitar that were an integral part of The Eternity Suite, but the presence of two singers signals a change of approach, though of course how much “The Amber Line” speaks for the rest of the record is a mystery. An intriguing one, at that. All the more since the selected single is one of only five inclusions on the full-length, from which one might extrapolate that there’s some longer-form work being done than even across the six minutes here. For those unfamiliar with Alternative 4 or Patterson‘s storied past in general — first of all, please take this post as encouragement to go exploring — and second, you’ll find the melancholy on display here is a hallmark of his craft.

I’m curious to see Strangelight releasing and not Prophecy Productions, which has handled plenty of Patterson-inclusive fare in the past, but we live in a new age, and weirder things have definitely happened than someone putting out a record on another label than the one I immediately and probably needlessly associate them with in my head.

Info from social media, audio from Bandcamp:

Duncan Patterson Grace Road

DUNCAN PATTERSON – Grace Road

Liverpool born songwriter Duncan Patterson returns after a five year absence. The new album, titled ‘Grace Road’, is scheduled for a March release through Strangelight Records. The first track ‘The Amber Line’, featuring vocalist Enas Al-Said, will be available for free/name your price via Bandcamp on December 25th. Grace Road is Patterson’s second solo album, following The Eternity Suite in 2016.

https://duncanpatterson.bandcamp.com/

Duncan Patterson – Grace Road (Strangelight Records – DUBH008)

Absolut Absolutum
The Quiet Light
Walking Between Worlds
The Amber Line
Grace Road

http://www.facebook.com/duncanpatterson.music
http://www.instagram.com/duncanpattersonmusic
https://duncanpatterson.bandcamp.com/

Duncan Patterson, “The Amber Line”

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Quarterly Review: Carcass, LLNN, Smiling, Sail, Holy Death Trio, Fuzz Sagrado, Wolves in Haze, Shi, Churchburn, Sonolith

Posted in Reviews on October 1st, 2021 by JJ Koczan

the-obelisk-fall-2016-quarterly-review

Welcome to Friday. I’m glad to have come this far in the Quarterly Review, and even knowing that there are two days left to go — next Monday and Tuesday, bringing us to a total of 70 for the entire thing — I feel some measure of accomplishment at doing this full week, 10 reviews a day, for the total of 50 we’ll hit after this batch. It has mostly been smooth sailing as regards the writing. It’s the rest of existence that seems intent to derail.

But these are stories for another time. For now, there’s 10 more records to dive into, so you’ll pardon me if I do precisely that.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Carcass, Torn Arteries

carcass torn arteries

The original progenitors of goregrind return in gleeful fashion with their first full-length since 2013’s Surgical Steel. They’ve toured steadily over the intervening years, and Torn Arteries would seem to arrive timed to a return to the road, though it also follows the 2020 EP, Despicable, so make of that what you will. One way or the other, the 10-track/50-minute offering is at very least everything one could reasonably ask a Carcass record to be in 2021. That’s the least you can say of it. Point of fact, it’s probably much more. Driven by Bill Steer‘s riffs and solos — which would be worth the price of admission alone — as well as the inimitable rasp of bassist Jeff Walker, Carcass sound likewise vital and brutal, delighting in the force of “Kelly’s Meat Emporium” and the unmitigated thrash of “The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing,” while scalpel-slicing their way through “Eleanor Rigor Mortis” and the 10-minute “Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Limited,” which, yes, starts out with acoustic guitar. Because of course it does. After serving as pioneers of extreme metal, Carcass need to prove nothing, but they do anyway. And bonus! Per Wiberg shows up for a guest spot.

Carcass on Facebook

Nuclear Blast Records website

 

LLNN, Unmaker

LLNN Unmaker

Some concerned citizen needs to file assault charges against Copenhagen crushers LLNN for the sheer violence wrought on their third full-length, Unmaker. Comprised of 10 songs all with single-word titles, the Pelagic Records release uses synth and tonal ultra-heft of guitar and bass to retell Blade Runner but starring Godzilla across 39 minutes. Okay so maybe that’s not what the lyrics are about, but you’d never know it from the harsh screams that pervade most of the outing — guitarist Christian Bonnesen has a rare ability to make extreme vocals sound emotional; his performance here puts the record on another level — which renders words largely indecipherable. Still, it is their combination of whiplash-headbang-inducing, bludgeoning-like-machines-hitting-each-other, air-moving weight and keyboard-driven explorations evocative enough that LLNN are releasing them on their own as a companion-piece that makes Unmaker the complete, enveloping work it is.

LLNN on Facebook

Pelagic Records on Bandcamp

 

Smiling, Devour

Smiling Devour

I’m not sure it’s fair to call something that was apparently recorded five years ago forward thinking, but Smiling‘s melding of post-punk urgency, violin flourish, the odd bit of riot-style aggression, psychedelia and poppy melodic quirk in varying degrees and at various points throughout the debut album, Devour, is that anyway. Fronted by guitarist/songwriter Annie Shaw, Smiling makes a cut like even the two-minute “Other Lives” feel dynamic in its build toward a swelling-rumble finish, immediately shifting into the dreamier psych-buzz of “Forgetful Sam” and the melancholy-in-the-sunshine “Do What You Want.” Yeah, it goes like that. It also goes like the rager title-track though, so watch out. The earlier “Lighthouse” swings like Dandy Warhols, but the closing trilogy of “FPS,” “Take Your Time” and “Duvall Gardens” — also the three longest songs included — showcase a more experimentalist side, adding context and depth to the proceedings. So yeah, forward thinking. Time is all made up anyway.

Smiling website

Rebel Waves Records webstore

 

Sail, Flood

Sail Flood

The track itself, “Flood,” runs all of three minutes and 18 seconds, and I do mean it runs. The Taunton, UK, four-piece of guitarist/vocalists Charlie Dowzell and Tim Kazer, bassist/harsh-vocalist Kynan Scott and drummer Tom Coles offer it as a standalone piece and the track earns that level of respect with its controlled careening, the shouted verses giving way to a memorable clean-sung chorus with zero sense of trickery or pretense in its intention. That is to say, “Flood” wants to get stuck in your head and it will probably do precisely that. Also included in the two-songer digital outing — that’s Flood, the release, as opposed to “Flood,” the song — is “Flood (Young Bros Remix),” which extends the piece to 4:43 and reimagines it as more sinister, semi-industrial fare, but even in doing so and doing it well, it can’t quite get away from the rhythm of that hook. Some things are just inescapable.

Sail on Facebook

Sail on Bandcamp

 

Holy Death Trio, Introducing…

Holy Death Trio Introducing

Austin’s Holy Death Trio have the distinction of being the first band signed as part of the collaboration between Ripple Music and Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (bassist for Ozzy Osbourne, etc.), and Introducing…, the three-piece’s debut, is enough of a party to answer any questions why. Gritty, Motörheadular riffs permeate from post-intro leadoff “White Betty” — also some Ram Jam there, I guess — underscored by Sabbathian semi-doomers like “Black Wave” and the near-grim psychedelia of closer “Witch Doctor” while totaling an ultra-manageable 33 minutes primed toward audience engagement in a “wow I bet this is a lot of fun live” kind of way. It would not seem to be a coincidence that the centerpiece of the tracklist is called “Get Down,” as the bulk of what surrounds seems to be a call to do precisely that, and if the bluesy shuffle of that track doesn’t get the job done, something else is almost bound to.

Holy Death Trio on Facebook

Ripple Music website

 

Fuzz Sagrado, Fuzz Sagrado

fuzz sagrado self titled

Having put Samsara Blues Experiment to rest following the release earlier this year of the swansong End of Forever (review here), relocated-to-Brazil guitarist/vocalist Christian Peters (interview here) debuts the instrumental solo-project Fuzz Sagrado with a three-song self-titled EP, handling all instruments himself including drum programming. “Duck Dharma,” “Two Face” and “Pato’s Blues” take on a style not entirely separate from his former outfit, but feel stripped down in more than just the lack of singing, bringing together a more concise vision of heavy psychedelic rock, further distinguished by the use of Mellotron, Minimoog and Hammond alongside the guitar, bass and drum sounds, complementing the boogie in “Pato’s Blues” even as it surges into its final minute. Where Peters will ultimately take the project remains to be seen, but he’s got his own label to put it out and reportedly a glut of material to work with, so right on.

Fuzz Sagrado on Facebook

Electric Magic Records on Bandcamp

 

Wolves in Haze, Chaos Reigns

wolves in haze chaos reigns

It’s 10PM, do you know where your head is? Wolves in Haze might. The Gothenburg-based three-piece of vocalist/guitarist Manne Olander, guitarist Olle Hansson and drummer/bassist/co-producer Kalle Lilja set about removing that very thing with their second record, Chaos Reigns, working at Welfare Sounds with Lilja and Per Stålberg at the helm in a seeming homage to Sunlight Studios as reinvented in a heavy rock context. Still, “In Fire” and “The Night Stalker” are plainly sinister in their riffs — the latter turning to a chorus and back into a gallop in a way that reminds pointedly of At the Gates, never mind the vocals that follow — and “Into the Grave” is as much bite as bark. They’re not without letup, as “Mr. Destroyer” explores moodier atmospherics, but even the lumbering finish of the title-track that ends the album is violent in intent. They call it Chaos Reigns, but they know exactly what the fuck they’re doing.

Wolves in Haze on Facebook

Majestic Mountain Records store

Tvåtakt Records store

 

Shi, Basement Wizard

shi basement wizard

They work a bit of NWOBHM guitar harmony into the solos on “Rehash” and “At Wit’s End,” and the centerpiece “Interlude” is a willful play toward strum-and-whistle Morricone-ism, but for the most part, Louisville’s Shi are hell-bent on destructive sludge, with the rasp of guitarist Bael — joined in the effort by guitarist Jayce, bassist Zach and drummer Tyler — setting a Weedeater-style impression early on “Best Laid Plans” and letting the rest unfold as it will, with “Lawn Care for Adults” and “We’ll Bang, OK?” and the chugging fuckery of the title-track sticking largely to the course the riffs lay out. They make it mean, which is exactly the way it should be made, and even the sub-two-minute “Trough Guzzler” finds its way into a nasty-as-hell mire. Sludge heads will want to take note. Anyone else will probably wonder what smells like rotting.

Shi on Facebook

Shi on Bandcamp

 

Churchburn, Genocidal Rite

churchburn genocidal rite

Oh, that’s just disgusting. Come on now. Be reasonable, Churchburn. This third LP from the Providence, Rhode Island, extremists brings them into alignment with Translation Loss Records and though it’s just five songs — plus the intro “Toll of Annihilation” — and 33 minutes long, that’s plenty of time for guitarist/vocalist Dave Suzuki and company to pull you down a hole of blistering, vitriolic terrors. Where does the death end and the doom begin? Who gives a shit? Suzuki, bassist/vocalist Derek Muniz, guitarist Timmy St. Amour and drummer Ray McCaffrey take a duly mournful respite with “Unmendable Absence,” but after that, the onslaught of “Scarred” and the finale “Sin of Angels” — with Incantation‘s John McEntee sitting in on vocals — is monstrous and stupefyingly heavy. You’ll be too busy picking up teeth to worry about where the lines of one microgenre ends and another begins.

Churchburn on Facebook

Translation Loss Records webstore

 

Sonolith, Voidscapes

Sonolith Voidscapes

Have riffs, will plod. Voidscapes, the three-song second EP from Las Vegas’ Sonolith lets the listener know quickly where it’s coming from, speaking a language (without actually speaking, mind you) that tells tales of amplifier and tonal worship, the act of rolling a massive groove like that central to nine-minute opener “Deep Space Leviathan” as much about the trance induced in the band as the nod resultant for the listener. Close your eyes, follow it out. They complement with the shorter “Pyrrhic Victory,” which moves from a subdued and spacey opening line into post-High on Fire chug and gallop, effectively layering solos over the midsection and final payoff, and “Star Worshipers,” which slows down again and howls out its lead to touch on Electric Wizard without being so overt about it. At about three minutes in, Sonolith kick the tempo a bit, but it’s the more languid groove that wins the day, and the concluding sample about traveling the universe could hardly be more appropriate. Asks nothing, delivers 21 minutes of riffs. If I ever complain about that, I’m done.

Sonolith on Facebook

Sonolith on Bandcamp

 

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Friday Full-Length: Firebird, No. 3

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 6th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Guitarist Bill Steer will invariably always be best known for his work in goregrind progenitors Carcass. No getting around that. When those storied Liverpudlian medical dictionary aficionados broke up following 1996’s undervalued Swansong, Steer went on to form Firebird in 1999, releasing a self-titled debut that year through Lee Dorrian‘s Rise Above Records and offering Deluxe through the original Music for Nations (R.I.P. 2004) in 2001. By the time No. 3 came out in 2003 on SPV/Steamhammer, Steer had already been through multiple lineups of the band and had already proven his mettle in classic heavy rock songwriting. Dude may have cut his teeth exhuming to consume, but he could boogie with the best of ’em.

Unsurprisingly, lead guitar is a major presence throughout the Firebird discography, and No. 3 is no exception in that regard. Joined by drummer George “Jolle” Atlagic and bassist Roger Nilsson, both also of Sweden’s The Quill, Steer offered a bevvy of guitar-led styles, from the particularly Mountain-esque opener “Cross the Line” and “Hard Hearted,” to the mellow finale “Friend,” never quite touching on Cactus or Humble Pie directly, and certainly never as grandiose as Led Zeppelin or as proto-doomed as original-era Black Sabbath, but digging into ’70s heavy rock in a way that was still prescient in 2003, never mind in 1999, complicating — also reinforcing, considering two-thirds of the band’s geography at this point; but Steer was doing the core craft — the narrative that vintage-style heavy rock was a Swedish invention.

No. 3 is warm throughout its 10-song/47-minute flow, classy even in more riotous moments like “Tumbling Down” or “End of the Day,” and across its span, it offers a sound so organic and material so wholly unpretentious one would think Steer had never played anything else. Why on earth would he? From the John Lennon-meets-Nick Drake album cover to the softshoe-worthy that is side B’s “Dream Ride,” coming as it does after the dulyfirebird no 3 rolling “Long Gone” and the back and forth volume swells of “Off the Leash,” both of which top six minutes and are the two longest inclusions in succession — a purposeful-feeling move endemic to classic rock B sides, Steer drawing the listener deeper into the album’s scope as it broadens.

And while No. 3 is for sure a ‘guitar’ album, with songs written by a guitarist, one would be remiss not to consider the organ work throughout — especially effective on “Off the Leash” — or the harmonica that adds bluesy flourish to “Hard Hearted,” or even the slide guitar (is that slide or is Steer just that damn smooth a player?) in “Station” and the percussion in the extra-hooky, uptempo “Stoned Believer,” an early highlight chorus that rounds out the leadoff salvo behind “Cross the Line” and “Tumbling Down.” Particularly in the keys — some by Steer himself, some by Tomas Pettersson — there’s a richness to No. 3 that goes beyond riffs or leads. “Station” brings that out after the initial push of the first three tracks, but it’s introduced in “Tumbling Down” and it becomes a defining element of the record, enhancing the melody, allowing the guitar space to breathe, and complementing the work of the rhythm section, playing intricately into “Hard Hearted” and making the groove all the more complex for doing so ahead of “End of the Day”‘s more brash take ending side A. Maybe that’s setup for what comes around with the more patient take of “Long Gone” and “Off the Leash,” the first of which doesn’t have keys as a focal point and the second which most definitely does, but hell, if it works, why argue?

“Off the Leash” could have easily closed the record. It’s quiet at the very end, but by then the payoff has been completed and the vibe of the entirety of No. 3 well reinforced on just about every level. The subsequent “Dream Ride” might feel like an epilogue as a result, but its layered back-half solo, semi-Southern, way bluesy — still with room for organ — is its own excuse for being, and while “Friend” is hardly a grand finale or anything in terms of its overarching energy, it picks up the thread of “Off the Leash” and carries a melodic resonance that’s worth underscoring in the album’s final moments, a kind of melancholy that feels less performative or tacked on than like it’s been there all the while and is at last (literally) surfacing.

Firebird were an undervalued band, and No. 3 is an undervalued album. I guess that’s the core of it. In my mind there’s nothing too flashy about what they did, and Bill Steer was certainly never one for vocal histrionics, but on the songwriting and performance level, there was nothing they left the audience wanting. They did more, of course. No. 3 was the halfway point in a six-LP/decade-plus run that soon found them back on Rise Above Records, which would handle their final three full-lengths. Hot Wings was released in 2006, Grand Union (review here; interview here) in 2009, and their own swansong, Double Diamond (review here), in 2010. I had been fortunate enough to see them live in 2009 at Roadburn in the Netherlands, and it was a joy. The lineup was different — Ludwig Witt on drums, I recall — but the naturalist affect and the feeling of celebrating the roots of heavy rock were palpable. It was there waiting to be dug. I dug it.

At that point, Carcass had already been reunited for a few years. I saw them too somewhere in their earlier re-going — maybe with Napalm DeathStarland Ballroom in NJ? was that the same show? — before they put out 2013’s Surgical Steel, and was a little bummed out at how comparatively staid Steer was in comparison to what I’d witnessed with Firebird however long before. Not that I expected him to boogie down to “Corporal Jigsaw Quandary,” but it seemed to me a kind of through-the-motions thing. Maybe it was an off night. Carcass has certainly had a successful run since then — hype for their forthcoming Torn Arteries is part of what sent me back to No. 3 in the first place — and I haven’t caught them since, so I can’t comment on that. Maybe if they tour I should go. Probably.

In any case, Firebird called it a day in 2011, a decade ago, and I’m not expecting a reunion anytime soon — though if Steer wanted to, he certainly could — but their work stands up exactly as the best of classic heavy should.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

My alarm was set for 5AM. I woke up at 4:35 and was out of bed at 4:38 after three minutes of agonizing over the decision/convincing myself to be awake. The Pecan has three more weeks of camp, then a week and a half off before school starts up. By the time that break comes, I want to be up at 4:30 daily if not 4AM, so I figure I’d better start the transition now, ease myself into it rather than the usual shock and awe approach I take. I don’t know if it’s better or worse, but I’ve been waking up at 5:30 regularly and that’s been luxurious enough to get me spoiled. If I’m up sooner than that, the extra time to work will go to use.

Though as I found this morning, the work pretty much takes as long as you’ve got anyhow. The above was written before dropping The Pecan off at camp, this after. So wakeup, breakfast for him, brush teeth, change clothes, all that between about 7-8AM, then dropoff and back here at circa 8:30 and dig back in. It’s a quick morning but can be intense for that. Today was okay. The other day was a nightmare, biting and scratching to get him to put on the bathing suit that Apple Montessori wants them to wear when they show up. I have cuts on my arm. Fine. I’ve learned in parenting that every day is a new reality. Some of them are bound to be terrible. Lots, in fact.

This was a busy week, writing-wise. Next week is too. I’m falling into a pattern of doubling up on premieres each day, and I’ve done this long enough to see it happening. Some are longer reviews, some shorter, but yeah. That’s getting to be a lot and it’s just kind of becoming the mode in which I work. I used to avoid it like the plague, doing more than one. Now, without as much news to focus on, largely without tours and such, there’s room. I wish I had more Obelisk Questionnaires in though. That’s fallen by the wayside a bit and I’d like to bring it back around again.

But Monday, one premiere and I think an interview. Tuesday, two premieres. Wednesday, premieres, one with a review, one with an announcement. Thursday, one premiere so far. Friday, another interview. I’ll probably have more booked for Thursday or Friday by the time the weekend’s out. I’m thankful anyone gives enough of a shit about what I do that they want to work with me. That’s worth getting out of bed for. Plus the coffee’s good.

New Gimme show 5PM Eastern today. Please listen: http://gimmeradio.com

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Have fun, stay hydrated, watch your head, all that stuff. Thanks if you buy Obelisk merch. Thanks for reading either way.

FRM.

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Weather Systems: Post-Anathema Project Streams Demo “Still Lake”

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 29th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

If you too were bummed when Anathema called it a day after three decades late last year, you might find some consolation in the fact that the family tree remains quite active. To wit, guitarist/vocalist Daniel Cavanagh recently announced he’d be putting out a solo record, and seemingly in addition to that, he’s also got the new project Weather Systems, which will make its debut in 2022.

The name — if you’re still reading this you probably already know — comes from Anathema‘s 2012 album, Weather Systems (review here), and the intention behind the band seems to be to pick up in some ways where Anathema left off. That, specifically, was 2017’s The Optimist (review here), a record that, even for a band not shy about engaging with their past — having reworked old material and so on — took on their prior output in a new and fascinating way while continuing to move inextricably forward in its own sound.

I don’t know what Weather Systems will hold when Ocean Without a Shore — the upcoming LP — shows up next year, but I know enough to know that one song never represents the entirety, so I listen to the newly posted demo (he calls it ‘low quality,’ inviting contradiction) “Still Lake” not expecting to hear a summation of the total aesthetic so much as a teaser of a fraction thereof. Still, you’ll pardon me if I take what I can get. Curious to see who else is involved in Weather Systems, how it relates to Cavanagh‘s solo record, and who might be releasing the album when we get there. I hope I get to hear it.

From Anathema’s social media:

weather systems ocean without a shore

A low quality demo of the first song from the album ‘ocean without a shore’ to be released next year. This song is not complete, and neither is the album cover, just showing you a work in progress. You deserve it after lockdown. Dedicated to all who lost someone during the pandemic.

Click here: https://bit.ly/3A5wMWC

Many blessings to all

https://soundcloud.com/user-107730380/
www.facebook.com/anathemamusic
www.instagram.com/anathemamusic.com
www.twitter.com/anathemamusic
www.anathema.ws

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Conan Announce July UK Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 4th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

conan

Go boldly, gentlemen. If anyone might be tapped to charge axe-first into the barren post-touring wasteland, well, at least Conan have plenty of history as regards conquering. The UK trio will hit the road supporting their recent Live at Freak Valley (discussed here) offering through Napalm Records. It’s something of a stopgap, maybe, but fits smoothly in a take-what-you-can-get kind of scenario, this altered timeline in which we exist and they’ve yet to unveil their follow-up to 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here) as they otherwise might have done last year.

Forgive the speculation, but I’m wondering if Conan won’t be looking to release their next full-length sometime this summer, either before or following this tour. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to think they’ll be getting their feet back under them here as they head out for what will be the first time in more than a year — certainly the longest break they’ve had since they started touring — and between pandemic regulations and Britain leaving the European Union, I have no idea what further tours this might lead to, if it even happens at all — they’ve been confirmed for a fest in Sweden in August, if that helps — but since they are pushing to hit the road, doing so to support a new album makes even more sense to me, though nothing has yet been announced in that regard and as ever, I’ve zero info to share.

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, then, but it’s nice to think wishfully for a change. Conan posted the tour dates on their social medias with the appropriate event links:

conan uk tour july 2021

CONAN – UK TOUR JULY 2021

!!!UK TOUR – JULY 2021!!!
15.07 London – https://fb.me/e/4JOAi9mmI
16.07 Sheffield – https://fb.me/e/1bGpgrifB
17.07 Nottingham – https://fb.me/e/22aZA5AHb
18.07 Edinburgh – https://fb.me/e/432ZwP3qf
19.07 Southampton – https://fb.me/e/17WDyIPDq
20.07 Bristol – https://fb.me/e/1ds5cMWVU
21.07 Glasgow – https://www.facebook.com/events/477948890240298/
22.07 Swansea – https://fb.me/e/1fqNcajME
23.07 Birmingham – https://www.facebook.com/events/1624399791083231
24.07 Huddersfield – https://fb.me/e/21Fb7XtCC
25.07 Preston – https://www.facebook.com/events/792840121330264

Lineup:
Jon Davis – vocals, guitar (2006-present)
Chris Fielding – bass (2013-present)
Johnny King – drums (2017-present)

http://www.hailconan.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hailconan/
https://www.instagram.com/hailconan/
https://conan-conan.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/hailconan
http://label.napalmrecords.com/

Conan, “Satsumo” live at Freak Valley Festival 2019

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