The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Thomas Colley of Forming the Void (Lafayette, Louisiana)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
We’re pretty much in a holding pattern at the moment. I’m recovering from a broken arm that happened right when the virus started to hit pretty hard so we haven’t been able to do any live streaming like others are doing, or even get together as a band and jam. Our plans have been totally turned on their head, like everyone else’s. We were supposed to leave next week for our first European tour. Health-wise, we’re all good, other than the aforementioned broken arm.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
Where we’re at in South Louisiana all non-essential businesses are closed. Schools are out for the rest of the school year. Lots of areas have curfews. And essential businesses like grocery stores and hardware stores are limiting the number of customers in the store at one time. Basically just trying to keep large groups of people from being in one place at one time.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
The biggest thing I’ve noticed, both around me and in the music business, is the loss of jobs. Where we live the oilfield industry is huge and it’s been hit really hard. And also lots of friends who made their living from music have had their lives upended.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
We can’t wait to get back out on the road and play some shows. But, until then, we have a new album coming out on May 8 and hopefully once I’m healed up enough we might do a bit of live streaming. *fingers crossed* Also, stay strong. We’ll get through this. It may take a while, but we’ll make it.
[Click play above to stream the premiere of ‘Ancient Satellite’ from Forming the Void’s Reverie. Album is out May 22 on Ripple Music.]
While Lafayette, Louisiana, four-piece Forming the Void have shown increasing progressive tendencies to this point in their relatively-prolific tenure, it’s not a stretch to think that with their fourth album, Reverie, they reach something of a put-up-or-shut-up moment. Over the last half-decade, they’ve served in the role of upstarts in an emergent sphere of progressive heavy rock, with their three also-single-word-title full-lengths — 2016’s Skyward (review here), 2017’s Relic (review here) and 2018’s Rift (review here) — successively bringing more complex use of melody and structure, increased tonal presence, and a deceptive rhythmic patience that, when the band decides to roll, makes that groove utterly consuming. They toured a fair share to support Rift and signed to Ripple Music ahead of Reverie, with guitarist/vocalist James Marshall, guitarist Shadi Omar Al-Khansa and drummer Thomas Colley (who came aboard for Rift) welcoming in the meantime new bassist Thorn Letulle to the fold.
Low end is not a minor consideration in Forming the Void‘s sound, so the shift feels all the more noteworthy, but as the now-fully-revamped rhythm section settles in behind Al-Khansa and Marshall‘s guitars, Forming the Void meet that significant moment for the band head on. Removed from the quick succession of their first three records — each of which felt like a step en route to the next — it was time for them to make a declaration of who they are in terms of aesthetic and the substance of their craft, and to showcase the lessons they’ve learned not only on tour and through restructuring the lineup, but as songwriters with an increasing amount of experience in the studio. Reverie, then, is the put-up in put-up-or-shut-up, and if it indeed is to be that declaration, they could hardly have titled it more appropriately than to make it a wake-up call. Comprised of seven songs running an ultra-manageable 36 minutes, it is a work of striking dimensionality and purpose that pays off the band’s potential while also seeing them set up avenues for future growth in terms of melody and arrangement.
Most crucially, their growth has not come at the expense of their songwriting. Just the opposite. Songs like album-opener “Sage,” “Trace the Omen,” the oud-inclusive “Manifest,” the faster push of “Electric Hive” and the largesse-shove of the penultimate “Ancient Satellite” — with its uptick the melody in the chorus and corresponding shimmer in the guitar — are the most resonant the band has conjured to-date, taking the lessons of a song like “On We Sail” from Rift and expanding the form to suit multiple moods and tempos throughout Reverie. All seven tracks hover on either side of the five-minute mark, and though none of the final three — “Electric Hive,” “Ancient Satellite” and closer “The Ending Cometh” — actually pass five minutes long, Forming the Void never sound rushed. “The Ending Cometh” is perhaps the most patient of the inclusions on Reverie, with Al-Khansa‘s lead stretching over a drawl of a rhythm that feels almost like it’s running in slow motion in all the right ways.
Among the strengths the songs ultimately reinforce is to prove once more what a massive difference the right drummer can mean to a band. Not the most technical drummer. Not just a boogie or a swing drummer. But the right drummer in the right songs. What Colley brings to Reverie, from kicking off “Sage” to providing the ground beneath the floating midsection of “Trace the Omen” to punctuating the utterly massive, righteous stomp of “Ancient Satellite” and holding that last momentum over to the finale, is not to be understated. His work is not by any means the only point of evolution on the part of the band — Marshall‘s confidence as a frontman has lead to an increased melodic reach and his stepping away from the direct rhythm of the riffs in his lyrical patterning, and Al-Khansa‘s lead work has yet to seem so fluid either in tone or soulful expression, while Letulle leaves no shortage of impression in the resounding thickness of the material — but it is a particular thrill to behold. He does not overplay, or underplay. Quite simply, he nails it, and Forming the Void as a whole is stronger for that.
From the depth of the lowest bass frequency to each pop of the snare and the winding ringout of guitar in the mellow beginning of second cut “Onward Through the Haze,” Forming the Void show themselves to be masters of their approach, and whether it’s the volume trades between verses and choruses, or the atmospheric reach of “Manifest” as the centerpiece, their control does not waver. At the same time, it’s worth highlighting once again that while Reverie is this point of arrival for Forming the Void in terms of their sound — it is the landmark toward which they’ve been building all along — its impact is so powerful because of the songwriting at work across its span. Their songs are not “part-showcases” — they’re songs. And for all the progressive nuances on display throughout and for all the intent that comes through so clearly in establishing a sense of mood and ambience, the fact that it’s songs doing that work still gives Reverie an unpretentious feel.
Forming the Void have grown as a unit on every level — in purpose, craft and performance — and Reverie stands as testament to their accomplishment to this point. It simply puts them in a different class of band. They’re not the upstarts anymore, and they’re not quite “veterans” yet — this Spring would’ve been their first touring in Europe, but of course those plans were scuttled like everyone’s plans for everything in Spring 2020 — but the work they’re doing right now is essential to the forward progression not only of themselves, but to American heavy rock as a whole. I mean it. There have been many who’ve loudly sung Forming the Void‘s praises over the last five years or so, and Reverie demonstrates just how right they were to do so. One of the year’s best albums, no question, and a rare moment of creative realization captured and preserved.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 18th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Louisiana-based heavy progressive rockers Forming the Void have announced the details of their forthcoming album on Ripple Music, titled Reverie. Metal Insider had the track premiere of the first single to the follow-up to 2018’s Rift (review here), and you can see the cover art — gorgeous — below, courtesy of the PR wire. The four-piece are currently wrapping up a tour with Church of Misery and they’ll head to Europe for the first time to hit the road with Spaceslug on a run that coincides with Reverie‘s release.
Easily one of the year’s most anticipated records. I have high expectations and no reason to think they won’t be met on every level. Certainly the new song streaming doesn’t hurt my argument.
From the PR wire:
Progressive doom voyagers FORMING THE VOID premiere new single; new album ‘Reverie’ due out May 8th on Ripple Music!
Louisiana-based astral doom purveyors FORMING THE VOID are ready to release their fourth album ‘Reverie’ this May 8th on Ripple Music! Enter another sonic dimension with first single “Trace The Omen.”
FORMING THE VOID’s new single “Trace The Omen” is a divine ode to modern psychedelia, weaving its way through your subconscious with its alluring and highly resonating Eastern-infused melodies, and a slow, fuzzed-out buildup. If you weren’t familiar with FTV’s progressive and above all expansive brand of heavy, then this is an official invitation.
“Trace the Omen was an esoteric one to write and record. With the atmospheric songs we go deep into exploring sounds, layers and dynamics to create a mystical vibe and cosmic energy flow. Hope everyone enjoys it!” the band comments. With fourth full-length ‘Reverie’, FORMING THE VOID seeks to further explore aspects of the sound they’ve shaped on their previous outings, guided by a desire to strike a balance between organic and intentional. The result is an album that reaches new levels of refined depth, mystical energy and cosmic transcendence.
‘Reverie’ is out on May 8th through Ripple Music on coloured and black vinyl, CD and digital. You can preorder it right now from North America and Europe/rest of the world.
FORMING THE VOID ‘Reverie’ Out May 8th on Ripple Music
TRACK LISTING: 1. Sage 2. Onward Through The Haze 3. Trace The Omen 4. Manifest 5. Electric Hive 6. Ancient Satellite 7. The Ending Cometh
Forming the Void w/ Spaceslug: 30.04 Wroclaw PL TBC 01.05 Dresden DE Groovestation 02.05 Nijmegen NL Sonic Whip Festival 03.05 Copenhagen NL Stengade 05.05 Berlin DE Toast Hawaii 06.05 Cologne DE MTC 08.05 Coventry UK Arches 09.05 Edinburgh UK Red Crust Fest 10.05 Edinburgh UK Red Crust Fest 11.05 London UK The Black Heart 12.05 Bristol UK The Lanes
Forming the Void w/ Church of Misery & Black Wizard: 2/18 Toronto ON @ Hard Luck 2/19 Chicago IL @ Reggie’s 2/20 Minneapolis MN @ Skyway Theatre 2/21 Milwaukee WI @ Cactus Club
Forming The Void: James Marshall – Guitar/Vocals Shadi Omar Al-Khansa – Guitar Thorn Letulle – Bass Thomas Colley – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
There are more dates to be announced, but what a show this would be to catch. Louisiana’s Forming the Void and Poland’s Spaceslug are exceedingly well paired for what they bring in terms of blending melodic breadth and sheer tonal heft, and with some of Forming the Void‘s more progressive elements and Spaceslug‘s forays into more extreme styles of metal as heard on their recent offerings, there are still plenty of elements at play to distinguish each on their own while complementing the other. Kudos to whoever put that one together — the shows are presented by Blackskull Services, so they’d be a good bet — but yeah, that’s going to work really well on stage. I know Forming the Void have been working on a new record, and Spaceslug seem to be perpetually doing the same, but if they had some songs leftover for a split, that’d be a win.
Before Forming the Void hit Euro soil for the first time, they’ll be on tour starting this weekend in the US with Church of Misery and Black Wizard, meeting up with Truckfighters and Valley of the Sun and Wizard Rifle along the way, which is, in the parlance of probably five years ago, epic. Those dates are here as well as a refresher.
I do not think this will be the last time Forming the Void go to Europe, but it only happens first once.
Behold:
Forming the Void- – European Tour with Spaceslug
This May universes collide. Forming The Void and Spaceslug will travel Europe spreading sounds of cosmic void. Prepare to be taken on a journey beyond the sky, driven by wall of noise and dreamy soundscapes. Join this ship across the galaxies.
Forming the Void w/ Spaceslug: 30.04 Wroclaw PL TBC 01.05 Dresden DE Groovestation 02.05 Nijmegen NL Sonic Whip Festival 03.05 Copenhagen NL Stengade 05.05 Berlin DE Toast Hawaii 06.05 Cologne DE MTC 08.05 Coventry UK Arches 09.05 Edinburgh UK Red Crust Fest 10.05 Edinburgh UK Red Crust Fest 11.05 London UK The Black Heart
Forming the Void w/ Church of Misery & Black Wizard: 2/9 Austin TX @ Barracuda 2/11 Wilmington NC @ Reggie’s 2/12 Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel 2/13 Philadelphia PA @ Underground Arts 2/14 Brooklyn NY @ Gold Sounds 2/15 Brooklyn NY @ Kingsland 2/16 Boston MA @ Middle East 2/17 Montreal QC @ Bar LeRitz 2/18 Toronto ON @ Hard Luck 2/19 Chicago IL @ Reggie’s 2/20 Minneapolis MN @ Skyway Theatre 2/21 Milwaukee WI @ Cactus Club
Forming The Void: James Marshall – Guitar/Vocals Shadi Omar Al-Khansa – Guitar Thorn Letulle – Bass Thomas Colley – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 12th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Hey, I’m down for a Kirk Windstein record. Why the hell not? After 30-plus years of sludging it out in Crowbar, I’d say the dude has well earned the right to give it a shot. And the title-track for Windstein‘s Dream in Motion is streaming now and it sounds cool a little bit more mellow kind of way than Crowbar has been for the most part over their last couple records, which have veered more toward an aggressive modern metal sound, but what I really want to hear is The Man Himself taking on “Aqualung.” I love that record. And who the hell wouldn’t want to hear Windstein‘s voice telling that story? That’s an anchor for the record right there, but I’m intrigued at the whole thing as well, of course. If the title-track is anything to go by, what started as an impulse to do an acoustic record clearly became something much more complex.
The PR wire brings details and that video:
Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein to Release Debut Solo LP, ‘Dream in Motion’, January 24, 2020
Revered Southern Metal Progenitor Unveils Music Video for Highly-Anticipated LP’s Title Track; Album Art and Track Listing Revealed
Kirk Windstein, the highly respected sludge metal pioneer and unmistakable earthmoving bellow of Crowbar, stomps forward as a solo artist for the very first time. On January 24, 2020, Entertainment One (eOne) will proudly release ‘Dream in Motion’, Windstein’s singular debut and a recording that sees the Dark Lord of the Southern Riff stretch his creative wings and strengthen his indelible legacy.
A first taste of what Kirk’s solo debut holds in store can be experienced now as Windstein drops a video for the record’s title track. Directed by Justin Reich (Black Label Society, Royal Thunder), “Dream in Motion” makes its debut via Consequence of Sound/Heavy Consequence. Watch Kirk Windstein’s “Dream in Motion” video at this location.
Recorded in Windstein’s native Louisiana over a period of two years between tours and over holidays, ‘Dream in Motion’ is a powerfully moving recording that pulls from every corner of the riff king’s three-decade-plus career. The LP owns a lyrical depth, emotional weight, and musical muscle forged from the fires of thousands of worldwide live shows, a well-earned reputation for creating the melancholic melody that has become synonymous with New Orleans heavy metal, and a reflection on a life well-lived. Windstein’s solo foray is a heartfelt throwback to album-oriented-rock supremacy, eschewing the predictable acoustic record route for a more straight-ahead guitars approach, albeit one that’s no less soulful or meditative than Crowbar fans expect. Kirk handled all vocal duties, guitars, and bass on the album, with drums and effects by longtime producing partner and collaborator, Duane Simoneaux (Crowbar, Down, Exhorder).
The idea to record a solo album started out as, ‘I’m going to do an acoustic record,’ but that’s just so cliché, you know?” says Windstein. “Nothing against that, but It’s been done a million times. But I had been thinking about doing something a little more mellow for some time. It’s something I wanted to do, I needed to do. It’s another side of my songwriting, my personality. It’s another side of me. It’s something I did for myself. It’s not even that this isn’t heavy, because there are bits and pieces that are very heavy. But even the heaviest riff on this is something I couldn’t really do in Crowbar. If some Crowbar fans don’t like it, I’ll understand. But I hope people dig it.”
The end result is simply stunning. Single note guitar work, simple power chords, clean tones, thundering five string bass guitar, and standard tuning with nary a “drop” to be heard. “Dream in Motion,” which opens the record, is a barn burning rock n’ roll song with just a taste of aggressive attitude. “Hollow Dying Man” is all vibe, with huge melodies and a hardscrabble blue-collar authenticity. The record closes with a faithful rendition of one of Windstein’s most enduring favorites: “Aqualung,” the title track of Jethro Tull’s 1971 conceptual masterpiece.
Track listing:
1.) Dream In Motion 2.) Hollow Dying Man 3.) Once Again 4.) Enemy In Disguise 5.) The World You Know 6.) Toxic 7.) The Healing 8.) Necropolis 9.) The Ugly Truth 10.) Aqualung (Jethro Tull cover)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 18th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
This very evening marks the beginning of Forming the Void‘s West Coast-bound latest round of tour dates. Joining them in the endeavor are Witch Ripper, from Seattle, and of particular note is the appearance this weekend at Heavy Mash in Arlington, which is co-presented by this site and for which I can only recommend attendance. Make a day of it. Make two days of it. Do whatever you want. Follow the bands on tour. But you know, tell them you’re doing that. Don’t just randomly show up and lurk at each gig. I think at that point you could probably say hi and it’d be cool.
Forming the Void were originally slated and I think I mentioned around here at some point — yup, sure did — that they had studio time booked to record their next album. Well, plans change. They’ll reportedly knuckle down after this run and get to work on the thing, but in the meantime will take part in Magnetic Eye Records‘ tribute to Alice in Chains, the Dirt [Redux], as part of a busy slate next year that will also see them play their first show on the other side of the Atlantic, appearing at Edinburgh’s Red Crust Festival in May (info here). Should make a day of that too, maybe. Or three.
Current tour dates follow. Go see this band:
Forming the Void & Witch Ripper – Void Ripper Tour Dates
We’re heading out west with Witch Ripper! Let’s hang!
10/18 Baton Rouge, LA – Phil Brady’s 10/19 Arlington, TX – Heavy Mash at Division Brewing 10/20 Wichita, KS – Elbow Room 10/21 Denver, CO – Tooey’s 10/22 Salt Lake City, UT – Greek Station 10/23 Boise, ID – The Olympic Venue 10/24 Spokane, WA – Red Room * 10/25 Seattle, WA – Funhouse * 10/26 Olympia, WA – Le Voyeur * 10/27 San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge * 10/29 Santa Cruz, CA – Blue Lagoon * 10/30 Los Angeles, CA – Redwood * 10/31 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar* 11/1 El Paso, TX – RCBG @ Thunderbird 11/1 Berkeley, CA – The Five and Dime + 11/2 San Antonio, TX – Faust 11/2 Eureka, CA – Sirens’s Song Tavern + 11/3 Portland, OR Twilight +
*w/ Witch Ripper + No Forming the Void
Forming The Void: James Marshall – Guitar/Vocals Shadi Omar Al-Khansa – Guitar Luke Baker – Bass Thomas Colley – Drums
Posted in Reviews on March 19th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I used to be pretty artsy and write poetry. Let’s give it a shot:
There was an old man who wore no-toe shoes.
He said, I’mma go do 60 reviews.
He was out of his head,
Should’ve gone back to bed,
But he loves him some dirty psych blues.
Years from now, when I link back to this post for a “(review here)”-type scenario, I’m going to see that and I’ll still think it’s funny. The planet’s dying. I’d say a bit of silly is more than called for.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
Kungens Män, Chef
Krautrockers, assemble! Or, you know, whatever krautrockers do — I assume it involves homemade spacecraft that, yes, absolutely fly. Perhaps one of these days I’ll ask Stockholm’s Kungens Män, whose latest outing for Riot Season, simply titled Chef, is an outbound delight of psych-infused progressivism. Beginning with the opening throb of “Fyrkantig Böjelse” and moving into the volume swells, steady drum line and wandering guitar that starts “Öppen För Stängda Dörrar” on side A, its four extended tracks craft otherworldly textures through a meld of organic instrumental flow and waves of synth, the second cut building to a tense wash of distortion all the while keeping that hypnotic march. The two corresponding 10-minute-plus cuts on side B waste no time in offering cosmic boogie in “Män Med Medel” with a more active rhythmic flow, and closer “Eftertankens Blanka Krankhet” — longer than the opener by one second at 11:24 — fades in on meditative guitar and explores a serene minimalism that only underscores the all around joy of the album.
The self-titled, self-released debut full-length from Kiel, Germany’s PFUND arrives and departs with a guesting horn section, and while that inevitably adds a bit of grandeur to the proceedings, the bulk of the outing is dedicated to straightforward, semi-metallic heavy rock, held to ground even in the seven-minute “Spaceman” by a considered sense of structure and an earthy drum sound that draws the songs together, whether it’s the classic riff rock in “Sea of Life” or the moodier sway in the earlier “Lost in Rome.” Dual guitars effectively multiply the impact, and the vocals showcase a nascent sense of melody that one imagines will only continue to grow as the band moves forward. At nine songs and 44 minutes, it shows some breadth and nuance in “Exhaustion” and “Paranoia,” the former tapping into an edge of progressive metal, but the primary impact comes from PFUND‘s heft of groove and how it blends with a rawer edge to their production. The Kyuss-referencing centerpiece here might be called “Imbalance,” but that’s hardly representative of what surrounds, horns and all.
Three songs, 11 minutes and three distinct vibes from the aptly-titled Demo demo of North Carolinian three-piece Crystal Spiders. On “Tigerlily,” “Flamethrower” and “Devil’s Resolve,” the trio of bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath (also Lightning Born), guitarist/vocalist Mike Deloatch and drummer/backing vocalist Tradd Yancey careen from bluesy spaciousness to hard-driving catchiness and end up — because why not? — in repeating cult-sludge chants, “Come to the devil’s resolve!” like Black Widow trying to lure people to the sabbat, except shouting. If the purpose of a demo is for a new band to try different methods of working and thereby take a first step in discovering their sound, Crystal Spiders are well on their way, and for what it’s worth, there isn’t anything within their scope as they present it that doesn’t work for them. There are edges to smooth out, of course, but that too is a part of the process starting here.
If you’d asked, depending on which part of Deathspiration was on, I’d probably have called The Misery Men a bass/drum duo, but nope, that’s guitar. Tonally one is reminded of At Devil Dirt from Chile, but the Portland, Oregon, two-piece of vocalist/guitarist Corey G. Lewis and drummer Steve Jones are entirely more barebones in their craft, eschewing digital involvement of any sort in the recording or mixing process and sounding duly raw as a result throughout the subtle earworm of “C.W. Sughrue” and the lumbering “Harness the Darkness.” The subsequent “Night Creeps In” brings a Northwestern noise payoff to quiet/loud trades and the near-10-minute closer “Stoned to Death,” well, it seems to meet an end befitting its title, to say the least. As their stated intent was to capture the most organic version of their sound possible, and made a point of working toward that ideal in their recording, one could hardly fault them for the results of that process. They wanted something human-sounding. They got it.
Some — not all — of what one needs to know about Hubris‘ EP #II Live is right there in the title. Indeed, it’s their second EP. Indeed, it was recorded live. And indeed, like using a ‘#’ sign with a Roman numeral, there’s something about the way the three included songs from the Toulouse, France-based outfit sound that’s just a little bit off-kilter from what you might expect. “Zugzwang” (7:19), “Tergo” (19:58) and “Biotilus” (27:04) are arranged shortest to longest, and while the opener starts off like Queens of the Stone Age on an Eastern-tinged psychedelic bender, the lengthy jams that follow — the first of them with a fervent drum punctuation, the second a gradual intertwining of synth and guitar with hardly any percussion at all until after its 22nd minute. The instrumental flow that ensues from there is almost like a hidden bonus track, at least until they Hubris get to minute 26 and the whole thing explodes in crash and plod. The underlying message, of course, is that if you think you’re safe at any point, you’re not.
Lumbering fuckall pervades the debut full-length, Slake, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sludgers Woorms — also stylized all-caps — which incorporates past singles “Find a Meal Find a Bed Find a God” and “Mouth is a Wound” amid the sample/noise barrage of “Our Lady of Perpetually Shitfaced” and the willfully brash “Racist Kevin” that follows. There’s an edge of Melvinsian chug to the proceedings, but Woorms‘ take, though presented in finished compositions, comes across as almost nihilistic rather than making a show of its experimentalism. That is, they’re trying to say they don’t give a fuck, and in listening, they make it kind of easy to believe, but there’s still something about the cohesiveness of “Veni Vidi Fucki” and “Rice Crispy” and the saved-the-best-nod-for-last finale “Sore Afraid” that undercuts the notion even while making the listening experience all the more pummeling, and from the intro “Corpse Corps” through “Urine Trouble Now”‘s echoing shouts and the closer’s unmitigated stomp, there’s still plenty of exploration being done.
Rebranded since their 2016 debut, Builders of Cosmos (discussed here), from their more phonetically intuitive original moniker, Orion, Italy’s Oreyeon issue a cosmically expansive spacescape follow-up in their six-song/40-minute sophomore outing, Ode to Oblivion, also their first release through Heavy Psych Sounds. Echoing vocals pervade “Big Surprise” after the introductory “T.I.O.” and “Trudging to Vacuity” establish the wide-cast mix and anti-grav rhythmic density, and the nine-minute side A finale title-track runs mostly-instrumental circles around most of what I’d usually call “prog” only after it lays down a sleek hook in the first couple minutes. After “Big Surprise,” the 8:45 “The Ones” trades volume back and forth but finds its breadth at about the sixth minute as the dramatic lead turns on a dime to desert rock thrust en route to wherever the hell it goes next. Honestly, after that moment, everything’s gravy, but Oreyeon lay it on thick with closer “Starship Pusher” and never neglect melody in the face of nod. Worth a deeper dig if you get the chance.
Sometimes you hear a record and it’s like the band is doing you a favor by existing. To that, thanks Melody Fields. The Gothenburg psych troupe lace their lysergic flow with folkish harmonies and an open sensibility on their self-titled debut that comes coupled with enough tonal presence to still consider them heavy not that it matters. They break out the sax on “Morning Sun” to welcome effect, and the sun continues to shine through “Liberty” and the garage-buzzing “Run” before “Rain Man” turns water droplets into keyboard notes and Beatlesian — think “Rain” — voice arrangements atop soothing instrumental drift, every bit the centerpiece and an excellent precursor to the acoustic-based “Fire” and the 10-minute “Trädgränsen,” which is the crowning achievement of this self-titled debut, which, if I’d been hip to it in time, would’ve made both the 2018 best albums and best debuts list. They cap with a reprise of “Morning Sun” and underscore the solid foundation beneath the molten beauty of their work throughout. To ask for another album seems greedy, but I will anyway. More, please.
Okay, look, enough screwing around. It’s time for someone to sign Mammoth Grove. The Calgary natives have been putting out quality heavy psych rock since their 2011 self-titled debut (review here), and their latest long-player, the four-song Slow Burn is a righteous amalgam of peace-thru-rock that lives up to its freewheeling vibes in “Seasons” after the methodical opener “Valleys” and rolls out a bit of melodic ’70s biker rock bliss in “Black Meadow” before the side-B-consuming “Gloria” (18:42) asks early if you’re ready to go and then goes like gone, gone, gone, and gone further. Given the analog mindset involved and the heart on display throughout, there’s something fitting about it being pressed up in an edition of 100 hand-screenprinted LPs and 100 CDs likewise, but the more people who could hear it, the merrier, so yeah, some label or other needs to step up and make that happen, and I dare you to listen to the solo that hits past the 14-minute mark in “Gloria” and tell me otherwise. Dare you.
Since pared down to a trio from the four-piece incarnation they present here, Austin’s Crimson Devils first released their debut, A Taste for Blood, in 2017, but gave it a vinyl revisit last year and it’s little mystery why. The record comprises 11 sharply-composed tracks of Small Stone-style heavy rock, taking cues from Sasquatch in modern-via-classic modus, picking and choosing elements of ’70s and ’90s rock to conjure formidable groove and engaging hooks. There’s considerable swagger and weight in “They Get It,” and while opener “Dead and Gone” seems to show an influence in its vocal patterning from Elder, as the album unfolds, it’s more about the blast of “Captain Walker” or the penultimate “Nothing to Claim” and the straight-ahead vibes of “Bad News Blues” and “No Action” than anything so outwardly prog. There’s plenty to dig in the rock-for-rockers mindset, and it’s the kind of offering that should probably come with an octane rating. However such things are measured, safe to say it would not be low.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Can it really be true that Crowbar have never been to Australia? They’ve been a band for nearly 30 years — longer if you count their time as The Slugs circa 1989 — and they’ve toured hard for much of that tenure. Not for Time Heals Nothing or Broken Glass? Damned odd.
But there you have it. The coming July stretch of three shows will reportedly be the New Orleans sludge kingpins’ first on Aussie soil, and having seen them less than a week ago as well as a few months back, I’ll happily note it’s a good time to catch Crowbar live. The band are locked in and the sets run a gamut from new material to old, and whether or not you think of Crowbar as a classic band, I guarantee by the time Kirk Windstein is done singing “Planets Collide,” you’ll be converted. Still pretty astounded they’ve never been there before, but hey, if the PR wire says it, who am I to argue?
Cheers to Your Mate Bookings on making it happen.
Dates follow:
Crowbar – Australia Tour 2019
Your Mate Bookings in conjunction with Get on the Stage and Fuzz Factory Touring proudly present the Pioneers of Sludge Metal, all the way from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA…. CROWBAR.
With a career spanning close to 30 years of astonishing sorrow and heavy riffage, Crowbar will finally make their debut in Australia this coming July 2019.
Releasing 11 studio albums, coupled with singles and music videos on various labels across the globe, Crowbar are inarguably considered in the heavy metal world as the undisputed heavyweight kings of Sludge. Current members of Crowbar include the Beard of Doom himself Kirk Windstein (Ex-DOWN feat Phil Anselmo) on guitar and vocals, Matt Brunson (Ex-Kingdom of Sorrow) on guitar, Tommy Buckley on drums and Shane Wesley on bass.
With only three shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne at their respective venues this tour is sure to sell out and stand as one of the most monolithic doses of sludge Australia has ever witnessed.
Crowbar Australia 2019: Thursday July 25th – Crowbar, Brisbane Friday July 26th – Crowbar, Sydney Saturday July 27th – Max Watts, Melbourne
