Posted in Whathaveyou on February 28th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This will be a thing I’ll enjoy owning. The Obelisk All-Dayer was an event I put together starting in 2015 for Aug. 20, 2016. It was held at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn. Heavy Temple and King Buffalo opened. Mars Red Sky headlined. Death Alley (now defunct), Kings Destroy and also-disbanded Ohio proggers EYE featured, and it was with a particular personal joy that Snail agreed to make the trek from their respective homes in Washington and Southern California to make their first East Coast appearance(s), playing Boston and Rhode Island as they made their way south to NYC.
I had been lucky enough to see Snail previously, on a 2010 trip to San Francisco (review here), where I also met the then-four-piece-now-trio for the first time, and I could gladly go on about how rad that was, but the bottom line is that even asking Snail to play was something I was doing as a fan of the band, and as they had released their stunning Feral (review here) LP in 2015, the timing couldn’t have been better.
It’s humbling to think it was special for them too. Most of all, I’m glad it happened and I’ll be glad to have this as a document of it. It’s digital-only for now, but I bet you could convince them to make some tapes if the downloads do well enough. We’ll see. Either way, I’m grateful it exists and for the kind thoughts the band express below.
Maybe 2026? I’ll think about it. For now, two tracks from Thou Art There are streaming below to mark the launch of preorders and the band’s 2021 LP, Fractal Altar (review here), is down there too in order to facilitate further digging.
So by all means, dig:
It was early Spring of 2016, and Snail had just come off the long-awaited release of Feral, when they got an email from JJ Koczan of the heavy psych blog The Obelisk. JJ was putting together a festival called ‘The Obelisk All-Dayer’ and wanted to know if they would be into playing. Without a second thought they were on board; this was destined to be a gathering of the tribes that no one wanted to miss!
Fans and bands came from all over – as far away as France – to play and be a part of it. This was Snail’s first tour on the East Coast, and the welcome couldn’t have been warmer. After playing shows in Boston and Rhode Island, Snail arrived at the club, devoured the catered veggie tacos and began meeting fans that they had only interacted with online. Everyone was so genuinely nice and positive, the music was HEAVY, and the energy in the club and city was electric.
Snail was exhilarated being on stage and playing for what felt like their “people.” Having loosened up with previous shows, they was now firing on all cylinders and vibing off the crowd. Seeing JJ head-banging in the front when the riff dropped for set closer ‘Thou Art That’ was like attaining heavy-music realization and the entire room resonated together.
So if you were there, we hope this recording puts you right back to that day and lives up to the memory. And if you weren’t, this is a chance to check out what all the fuss was about. Thou Art There.
Posted in Reviews on February 16th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Guitarist Bob Balch would seem to be on something of a creative binge, between an impending Fu Manchu 2LP and recent releases from Yawning Balch and Big Scenic Nowhere, and with Slower he presents a manifestation of the ultimate beer-drunk band idea. “What if, like, you took Slayer, and slowed it down?”
That’s what Slower is on paper. The songs of seminal Californian thrashers Slayer, played slower. The reality of Slower, which is the Balch-led project’s Heavy Psych Sounds-delivered debut album, is a selection of five covers that offers a richer experience than the math of the band’s purpose might lead one to believe. The Slayer originals they’ve chosen to rework — “War Ensemble,” “Blood Red,” and “Dead Skin Mask” from 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss, “The Antichrist” from 1983’s Show No Mercy and, to close, the title-track of 1988’s South of Heaven — are classics within the sphere of metal, and are treated with due respect even as they’re rearranged and turned into something pointedly not what they originally were.
This is done with care and love of the source material, and a sense of curation that is all the more resonant with the lineup Balch assembled for the project. Drummer Esben Willems (of Monolord; he has a solo album coming in addition to appearing here) in Gothenburg, Sweden, vocalist Amy Tung Barrysmith (Year of the Cobra) in Seattle, and bassist Peder Bergstrand (Lowrider) in Stockholm comprise the ‘main band’ on the record, developing a persona of their own even on covers through means of the rearrangement process. That is, they took the songs and reworked them. No one here is inexperienced or incapable. If you believe in supergroups, Slower‘s pretty damn super even before you get to Laura Pleasants (The Discussion, ex-Kylesa) and Scott Reeder (currently Sovereign Eagle, ex-Kyuss, The Obsessed, Goatsnake, needs to do another solo record, etc.) swapping in on vocals and bass, respectively, for “South of Heaven” at the finish. A goofy, fun idea for a band/album as Slower might be, the end result is pointedly not bullshit where it very easily (perhaps with different personnel) could have been.
Underlining the point: Slower is not a tossoff. It’s not a joke band. While indeed the songs are largely reduced in tempo, there is an aspect of the project that feels a bit like the impetus behind it was Balch wanting to take on playing both the Kerry King and Jeff Hannneman (from whose 2013 death the band never really recovered) solos, which he does with all suitable respect for the personalities of Slayer‘s two guitarists, whammy squeals and speed enough to speak to thrash. If that was the case, fair enough for the homage. It’s just a thing not everyone could do at the level it’s done here. Some of those shredfest ripper solos are no less iconic than the lyrical declarations of the choruses to “War Ensemble” or “Dead Skin Mask,” and they are put on a pedestal along with a treasure trove of groove that was lurking beneath the furious intensity of the originals. “War Ensemble,” opening here as it does on Seasons in the Abyss with some transposed urgency, unveils its central riff as a righteous nodder with Bergstrand bringing new tonal presence to the verse, Willems‘ casual double-kick giving an easy ride into the stop, and Barrysmith in immediate command.
The five-minute original becomes the 10-minute cover (it is both opener and longest track; immediate points), and as a lead-in for “The Antichrist,” “Blood Red” and “Dead Skin Mask,” “War Ensemble” blends the familiar — it was one of Slayer‘s many landmarks and a live-set feature for decades before the band ‘ended’ (never say never) in 2019 with 12 records and enough influence to make a project like this happen across microgenres — the surprises it holds and affirmations it makes are crucial to what follows. One doesn’t necessarily think of Slayer as an atmospherically-minded band, though they were at times (and perhaps a second Slower LP could honor Slayer and Sabbath both in opening with the storm at the start of “Raining Blood”; uniting worlds or at least disparate ends of the same one), but Slower dig into “The Antichrist” and find a gritty slog that becomes insistent in a chorus that takes the already-doubled vocals and adds backing tracks to emphasize a depth that is Slower‘s own in a song that, being a deeper cut — as opposed to a Slayer ‘hit,’ I guess? they did used to play their music videos on the tee-vee sometimes — allows Balch (who trips out the midsection admirably taring toward psychedelia), Barrysmith, Bergstrand and Willems to flesh it out and find a new path to the rotted-soul ascension of its title figure.
The melody emergent in “The Antichrist” is expanded upon in “Blood Red,” the centerpiece of the CD and presumed side B opener on the LP, as the verse riff becomes a strut and the chorus opens to a breadth Slower have been holding in reserve. It’s an un-pop singalong, complete with backing ‘oohs’ for “You cannot hide the face of death/Oppression ruled by bloodshed/No disguise can deface evil/The massacre of innocent people,” which are lines that sadly retain their relevance these 34 years after the fact, and are more sinister for the sweetness of Barrysmith‘s delivery. With “Dead Skin Mask” and “Seasons in the Abyss” still to come, “Blood Red” has a harder road making an impression, and that was true with Slayer‘s version as well in 1990, but amid the forward roll and chug of the verse and the arrival-point feel of the hook, it is the vocals even more that distinguish it as an unexpected highlight.
And I know Slayer have a ton of iconic tracks, from the prior-mentioned “Raining Blood” through “Disciple,” “Angel of Death” — maybe better to leave that one alone? — and “Piece by Piece,” but especially the first and maybe only time out, pairing “Dead Skin Mask” and “South of Heaven” at the end of Slower‘s Slower feels natural. The latter came before the former, and is arguably the most ‘doom’ Slayer ever got, where “Dead Skin Mask” showed up on the next album and refined those very purposes. Both are the kinds of songs dudes get tattoos of, but as they have all along, Slower tread carefully in terms of balancing respect for where the songs came from and taking them where they want to go. Not to be understated is the subversive element of a woman delivering the lyrics to “Dead Skin Mask,” which was never explicit but strongly implied misogynist violence, and Barrysmith resounds in the chorus, where “Dance with the dead in my dreams…” becomes a chant and all the more consuming for that. While I wish they repeated that finish four or five more times, I’m happy to take what I can get.
As noted, “South of Heaven” brings a lineup switch, Reeder stepping in for Bergstrand — the inclusion of those two speaks as well to Balch wanting to bring a new sense of presence to the low end; he could easily have handled bass himself as an afterthought; as is, bass becomes an essential part of the character of the band in a way Slayer‘s Tom Araya probably wouldn’t have expected — and Pleasants taking over for Barrysmith. Dark toned, Balch begins on guitar and Reeder and Pleasants soon join for the opening build, ending of course with the line “Before you see the light” stretched to fill the new spaces in the riff before the guitar, bass and drums stop cold to let Pleasants croon the second part of the lyric: “You must die.”
Shit, I’m ready. Let’s go. If you could get audio tattooed on your person, that moment might be worth carrying around for the rest of your life but it’s already ingrained in the heads of Slayer fans, so take that as you will. Pleasants toys with the verse arrangement somewhat, perhaps covering some awkwardness in the patterning born of the change in pace with effects and layering, but it’s nothing that feels out of line with the mood or atmosphere Slower bring to “South of Heaven,” the stinkface-inducing stomp of Willems‘ drums glorious in manifesting a sense of methodical aggression over the chaos referenced in the chorus — “Chaos rampant/An age of distrust/Confrontations, impulsive habitat (or ‘sabbath’)” before they got right down to it, “On and on, south of heaven” — as Balch likewise digs deeper to find a nastiness of tone that is undeniable. It ends, as it invariably would, with shred given over to noise and a tease of the thuds at the end of “Postmortem” that, on 1986’s Reign in Blood, mark the transition into “Raining Blood” itself. The message seems to be: maybe next time.
Generally speaking and across a wide range of contexts, I suck at fun. Accordingly, I was a little apprehensive in taking on Slower because I felt like maybe it would be a party and I wouldn’t really be able to get my head into the right space for it. That’s not how it went, either in terms of the atmosphere of the record or my listening experience with it. I don’t know that Slower will or won’t do more — certainly no one involved lacks other projects to focus on — but I hope they do, and as a love letter to Slayer, the execution of these songs and the obvious heart and thought put into them, Slower resonates, however familiar you may or may not be with the originals.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 15th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
So I know folks out there are just lining up to call me out on reusing the above image from when Vape Warlök revealed their collective mortal form in their video for “Inhale Death” (posted here) last year, and hey, I get that. That’s not the kind of premium, value-added content this site’s come to not really be all that known for over the last 15 years. Nonetheless, looking at the artwork for the L.A. lobotomy sludgers’ debut album, …And His Skull Shall Make My Bong, I’ll note my only reason for using the same pic as last time is I don’t want to deal with being reported on social media. Does that make me a hack? Probably. A clown? Certainly. Lazy? Most of all.
“Inhale Death” was the title-track from 2022’s Inhale Death EP (review here), which was the first release from the band founded by Collyn McCoy, also of Circle of Sighs and a slew of other projects, plus bass in Unida. As regards the follow-up long-player, I have precious little information of substance to share. Not none! There’s a title. A could-be cover. Some titles, gloriously dumb, and a Q&A that seems to be between McCoy and himself. Fair enough. Did I mention this is a supergroup? No? Well, fuck it.
My skull should be so lucky:
Coming in 2024.
Vape Warlök = “… and His Skull Shall Make My Bong.”
Five songs, 40 minutes, putrid and unlistenable sludgy stoner-doom.
Track List 1. Satan’s Succubus 2. …and His Skull Shall Make My Bong 3. Meth Slave 4. Satanalingus: The Devil’s Tongue 5. Bongmaster General
Q: Will the production be any better this time around? A: No, if anything it will be worse.
Q: Will I be able to make out any of the lyrics this time? A: No.
Q: Will you hire a professional artist to render a real cover? A: No, this is as good as it’s going to get.
Q: Will Kiki help out with the lyrics again? A: Yes of course. If it’s about unicorns, rainbows, and kittens who have unicorn-type horns that shoot rainbows, Kiki wrote it. If it’s about weed, Satan, or murder… daddy wrote it.
Not that you’ll be able to make out any of the lyrics. Just know that they exist and are just as likely to be about something awful as something adorable. But you’ll never know which is which.
Q: Is this a joke band? A: No more or less than any other band. Is CCR a joke band? Oasis? The Doobie Bros? Are you a joke band?
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 7th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I guess probably if you’re Ruben Romano, and you’ve done the thing since the thing started doing in bands like Fu Manchu, Nebula and The Freeks, the thought that you might make a record, send it out to a bunch of people as a gift, and have someone send back a proper mastered version might seem normal. I’m going to speculate that upwards of 99 percent of the current earth population would never experience that kind of thing — someone just being like, “oh hey, thanks for album; I finished it for you” — but maybe you and I should go make friends with Sacha Goepel, who regifted the mastered version of Romano‘s first solo LP, The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile, which ended up being released this past Friday.
Would the release have happened if not for Goepel‘s fortuitous efforts? Maybe, but probably not right now. Those familiar with The Freeks‘ psych-prone take on heavy blues will find Romano‘s own work prone to some similar meandering, but he’s not kidding with the whole ‘imaginary soundtrack’ thing here, as at least some of the instrumentalism provided — and I heard the record for the first time this morning, so bear with the accordingly superficial impression — has a score-ish feel, but Romano doesn’t quite fully take himself away from verse/chorus structures either. I’m doing a Quarterly Review at the end of the month — BECAUSE DAMN YOU I WILL OBLITERATE MY CONSCIOUSNESS UPON THIS HEAVY ROCK AND ROLL — and it’ll be in there. Might call it …Twenty Graves Per Mile though. Only so many words to fit in a review.
Here’s the story from Romano himself via the PR wire. You know that’s just my email, right? Right?
Okay. Good:
Ruben A Romano – ‘The Imaginary Soundtrack To The Imaginary Western’ Twenty Graves Per Mile’ OUT NOW on Freek Flag Records
Freek Flag Records and “Mastering Engineer” Sascha Goepel have paired up to assimilate a major Apollo 11 mission with the launching of this rocket-size full-length. Prior to its humble public release on the first Bandcamp Friday of 2024, Ruben opted for a discreet unmastered prescreening to a select few as a “Holiday Greeting Gift” and it was Sascha Goepel who returned the gift fully mastered, bringing to light the clarity of Romano’s greatest escape from LA yet. While tumbleweed stirred, Twenty Graves Per Mile crept off into wild abandonment, stretching past the first song, “Load The Wagon” and on into its reprise. Stonerocks’ magic drummer blazed his own trails through canyon country on this round coming off as a sundering soundtrack that’s been soundproofed and thoroughly examined before released to the masses on midnight.
Ruben recorded the imaginary “film score” , in and out of his home studio as well as rehearsal room in between practices with The Freeks; another band of Ruben’s who are a blast from the outer space rock past. Much of the inspiration behind Ruben’s conquest is to mesh imagery with harmony. ‘The Imaginary Soundtrack To The Imaginary Western’ is an authentic, balanced composition hinting towards Ruben’s Latin lineage and somewhere along the lines of entrancing love songs about the pioneering westward expansion, more so than a spaghetti western that critics are calling it. It is structured around the envision of a memoir set to cinematic splendor.
Freek Flag Records, which is the headquarters to Ruben Romano’s heart, has released all the “The Freeks” full-length albums digitally as well as hard copy versions of some within its house. The label is flying its freek colors once again and coming out of the closet in order to digitally release this record. Ruben Romano (who has more than completed his rock’n’rock homework) has ten solid tracks delegated for the release. Cassettes are expected to surface later through Northern Haze, while Ruben’s other side hobbies demonstrate his super-sonic-to-the-max video art directing.
This record will go down as another album notch under Ruben’s belt and discographic career. All homophonic compositions were written, recorded, and produced by the drummer turned composer. Instruments used in the recording range from guitar to synth, harmonica to drum tracks, as well as murchunga jaw harp together with minimal chorus lines, all created by a master who needs no master class let alone in any furthermore introduction.
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 31st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
In addition to announcing this tour, Los Angeles doom metallers Early Moods have also specifically named the hometown date at Permanent Records Roadhouse as the release show for their impending sophomore full-length following-up their 2022 self-titled debut (review here), which was also on RidingEasy. An April 20-ish release, then? They wouldn’t be the only ones out there laying claim to Friday, April 19, but I’m more concerned with the what rather than the when of their next offering, since that’s invariably the part one would be hearing.
I’m not sure what I want from a second Early Moods full-length. I’d be cool if they had some radical jump in sound, like they did the first album, toured, and figured out what they wanted to be, or a continuation of the thread from the first. They were nothing if not purposeful there; I’m not sure what might lead them to some kind of redirect, let alone how they might actually pull that off. That is, I’ll take it as it comes, when it comes, and be glad I got the chance to hear it.
This won’t be the last tour they announce. I’m hoping they do Europe in the Fall and knock everyone on their ass:
[NOTE: I had the album release as April in the header and RidingEasy corrected me to say it would be March, so now it’s March. The release show is still April 20 as per the band. Fair enough.]
EARLY MOODS – Tour Announcement!
We’ll be hitting the road this March/April in support of our new album! Select dates with our friends in @morbikon Tickets are on sale now:https://linktr.ee/earlymoods
Sat 3/16 – Ojai, CA @ Deer Lodge Sun 3/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Yucca Tap Mon 3/18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar Tue 3/19 – El Paso, TX @ Rosewood Fri 3/22 – Houston, TX @ Hell’s Heroes Tue 3/26 – Savannah, GA @ Wormhole* Wed 3/27 – Wilmington, NC @ Reggies* Thu 3/28 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro* Fri 3/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (early) Sat 3/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus* Sun 3/31 – Boston, MA @ Middle East* Tue 4/1 – Albany, NY @ Fuze Box* Wed 4/03 – Youngstown, OH @ West Side Bowl*# Thu 4/04 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups* Fri 4/05 – Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary* Sat 4/06 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid* Sun 4/07 – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle (matinee)* Mon 4/08 – Chicago, IL @ Live Wire* Tue 4/09 – Cudahy, WI @ X-Ray Arcade* Thu 4/11 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck Fri 4/12 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive Sat 4/13 – Salt Lake City @ Aces High Sat 4/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Fri 4/26 – Oxnard, CA @ Mrs. Olson’s
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Announced last week as signing to Heavy Psych Sounds with intention toward a debut album, Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers, will release Folklore From the Other Desert Cities on March 19 as their recorded debut. The four-jam outing was recorded in Gold Coast, Australia, as part of a video stream for Desert.TV that you can see below, and was originally pressed to a limited-to-50-copies cassette called Forgetting Out Loud by Northern Haze Records.
I’m pretty sure ‘Other Desert Cities’ is what it says on some highway sign or other — the 101? the 10? — but the bottom line here that you’re getting a couple of Californian desert rock’s most primo ambassadors caught in the act pursuing their integral diplomatic function. And if you’d be like, ‘well how come they’re releasing a thing under a different name when it was already out and why would I buy it when I can stream it and and and…,” relax. They’re releasing a thing under a different name because it’s worth releasing and they wanted to give it what they felt would be a representative package for CD/LP distribution in more than 50 copies — that’s not a rag on Northern Haze at all; those tapes are beautiful and I could spend hundreds of Canadian dollars on that site if only I had them — and you should buy it even though you can stream it because that’s how everybody keeps getting to do what they do. You gotta put the coin in the hat.
Here’s the info and the video, which, duh, is groovin’. Have fun:
Heavy Psych Sounds to announce MARIO LALLI & THE RUBBER SNAKE CHARMERS – ‘Folklore From The Other Desert Cities’ !!!
New super-band featuring desert rock legends Mario Lalli, Brant Bjork, Sean Wheeler and Ryan Güt !!!
The first release from this band of pioneering Desert rock musicians captures the band and its purest form exercising the desert born ethic and approach of rock improvisation, psychedelic and flowing, heavy and explorative.
The foundation of Mario Lalli’s grooving heavy bass lines and meditative themes with a intuitive guitar work with Brant Bjork and percussion of Ryan Güt set the scene for Sean Wheeler’s poems and songs capturing the dark and beautiful stories and images of life in the Mojave desert of Southern California.
Tracklisting:
1. Creosote Breeze 2. Swamp Cooler Reality 3. Other Desert Cities 4. The Devil Waits For Me
Recorded live at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast Australia by Guy Cooper and mixed and mastered by Mathias Schneeberger at Donner & Blitzen Studios, California. The band’s first release features BRANT BJORK, SEAN WHEELER, RYAN GUT and MARIO LALLI, capturing the band in a engaging special performance in Gold Coast Australia.
MARIO LALLI & THE RUBBER SNAKE CHARMERS is: Mario Lalli – bass and vocal Sean Wheeler – vocals and poetry Brant Bjork – Guitar Ryan Güt – Drums Mathias Schneeberger – keys
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I don’t know about a ‘moment’ in heavy music, but it was certainly a moment in my life. It was Aug. 20, 2016, at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn and I planned it over the course of about two years. Heavy Temple and King Buffalo opened, which is funny now. Mars Red Sky headlined. They were over from France to play Psycho Las Vegas. Death Alley too. They’re not even a band anymore. Same goes for EYE, from Ohio, who progged out in the middle of the day in a contrast to Kings Destroy‘s confrontational riffing. Steve from KD got a couple trays of tacos. Funeral Horse weirded everyone out. Snail came east. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had at a show.
I’m coming up on 15 years of doing this site and was hoping to put together another show to celebrate. I won’t have that together in time, but at some point I’ll try to get something happening again, if only for fun. I’m not a promoter and I don’t like being on the hook to anyone for money — which a promoter inherently is — but there’s definitely something to be said for curating the experience you want to have. The Obelisk All-Dayer was a chance for me to do that, and having Snail there was ridiculously special for me. The last decade has seen a lot of pulling together of airy melody and weighted tone. Snail were there 14 years ago and about 16 years before that, too. They remain an undervalued band, but even 2021’s Fractal Altar (review here) was a thrill of lysergic energies and nasty-face riffs. They roll, and roll, and roll.
All of the above, I suppose, is my way of justifying or, more kindly, giving context to, posting the announcement that Snail are releasing their set from the Vitus Bar sometime in the coming months. I remember vividly headbanging during “Thou Art That.” Would love to have the chance to do so again some day. In the meantime, I’ll be glad to have the proof after the fact that the All-Dayer happened. More proof anyway than the posters I have leftover upstairs at home.
From the band on social media:
Been to Saint Vitus Bar lately?
Argonauta Records will release our first live album – Live at The Obelisk All-Dayer (Brooklyn NYC 8-20-2016)! The All-Dayer was a ‘moment’ in heavy music and we were honored to play. More details to come…
Snail is: Matt Lynch (Bass/Vocals) Marty Dodson (Drums) Mark Johnson (Lead Vocals/Guitar)
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 10th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Some new Fireball Ministry would be just fine, thank you very much. The long-running Cali heavy rockers join the roster of Ripple Music some six years after the release of their what’s still their latest LP, 2017’s Remember the Story (review here), which came out through Cleopatra Records, and just a day after the label announced the beginning of a new series called ‘Beneath the Desert Floor,’ focusing on reissues for albums from the pre-social media era of the late ’90s and aughts. So I guess some old Fireball Ministry would be just fine too, since that seems to be what’s up here.
Led by guitarist/vocalist Jim Rota, with Emily Burton on guitar, some dude named Scott Friggin’ Reeder That’s Who on bass and John Oreshnick on drums, the current incarnation of Fireball Ministry appeared at Psycho Las Vegas (review here) in 2018 to support the 2017 album, and though I was fresh off the plane as they were on stage, they still killed it. They’ve never been the highest profile unit, but they’ve likewise never been anything but solid in their delivery and songwriting, and if there is another studio record in the offing, Ripple will be a good home for introducing it to a listener base who might not have realized how much they were waiting to hear it.
Fingers crossed we get there. Ripple made it official in short-and-sweet style on the socials:
FIREBALL MINISTRY sign to Ripple Music for upcoming reissues
Los Angeles heavy rock heavyweights FIREBALL MINISTRY join the Ripple Music roster for the reissue of their most iconic albums as part of the label’s new “Beneath The Desert Floor” series.
Says the band: “Fireball Ministry is thrilled to join forces with Ripple Music to release some of our classic albums on vinyl, and share our music with new ears through the ‘Beneath The Desert Floor’ series.”
Founded by by James A. Rota II (The Company Band, Dream Widow), Emily J. Burton (Black Sabbitch), Scott Reeder (ex-Kyuss, The Obsessed) and John Oreshnick, Fireball Ministry has truth and rock n’ roll valor imprinted in their DNA, with a mixture of East Coast and Midwestern roots stirred into their California melting pot. From the outset, the band has aggressively steered clear of pretension. They move ever forward with a clear focus on bottom-heavy tunes, channeling timeless hard rock without falling into the traps of mere imitation or novelty. As such, they have earned the respect of many fellow artists, and a legion of dedicated fans has built in their wake.
Following on from the recent launch of its “Beneath The Desert Floor” series, Californian label Ripple Music is happy to welcome Fireball Ministry to its roster for the upcoming reissue of some of the band’s iconic records…
Fireball Ministry is: James A. Rota II – Vocals/Guitar Emily J. Burton – Guitar/Backing Vocals Scott Reeder – Bass John Oreshnick – Drums
