Posted in Whathaveyou on September 25th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I’m digging the art designs for next year’s Euro Desertfests. As Berlin and London roll out their first announcements and Oslo confirms Elder — with more to come all around, of course — you can get something of a darker picture than some years past in terms of design, and while I don’t think a normal person sees strange orbs and gritty splatters and thinks to themselves, “Well this looks like a good time, I think I’ll buy a weekend ticket,” it speaks to the community without stonerly pandering and, in the case of Desertfest Berlin 2025’s sphere-shaped feature, feels somehow cosmic. If that’s an object about to slam into the Earth, well, that’s a pretty heavy experience. No doubt the festival will be one too.
Elder, Lowrider and Castle Rat are the first names. Elder‘s tour has been announced — the band quote below is making the rounds, assuring of moving forward even as they celebrate 10 years of a landmark record — and I’ll assume Castle Rat dates are forthcoming. I’m curious whether Lowrider will be at either the Oslo or Berlin Desertfests, but I’m not cool enough to have that kind of insider knowledge, and really anytime you get Lowrider to do a show anywhere, it’s a win. Should they turn out to be Berlin-only, good for Berlin.
Here’s what went out on socials a bit ago, emojis and all:
Desertfreaks, we proudly present our first 3 confirmed bands for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2025:
⚡️ELDER ⚡️
Lore 10th anniversary show
Some thoughts from Elder: Lore is turning 10 years old. This album marked a point of departure for Elder upon a path which the band is still walking now. For us, this is the record where the band came into its own as a unique voice in the heavy rock underground. As we approach our second decade as a band, we feel it’s appropriate to look back on this landmark for us and acknowledge it properly, which is why we’re doing a tour performing the entire album along with some other tracks from our earlier catalog; we’ll give this era of the band a proper celebration before turning our attention once again toward the future and the next album, currently being written.
⚡️LOWRIDER ⚡️
Their Instagram bio simply states: ‘Rock and/or Roll from Sweden. Apparently guilty of being James Hetfield’s fav band.’ And we have nothing more to add to Lowrider🔥
⚡️CASTLE RAT ⚡️
Castle Rat is a Medieval Fantasy Doom Metal band hailing from Brooklyn, NY, and led by Riley Pinkerton — ‘The Rat Queen’. On her mission to expand and defend ‘The Realm’ from those who seek to destroy it, The Rat Queen is joined by Henry Black — ‘The Count’ and Ronnie Lanzilotta — ‘The Plague Doctor’, and Joshua Strmic — ‘The Druid’. Together, they face the relentless wrath of their arch nemesis: Death Herself — ‘The Rat Reaperess.’
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 16th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
You know what’s rad about the new Lowrider video for “And the Horse You Rode in On?” Well, the song, for one. Also the video itself. But also also the fact that they made it like a week ago. I saw on social media the band was doing some filming and kind of assumed it was for the next video, whatever and whenever that might be, but no. As straight-ahead as “And the Horse You Rode in On” is in terms of both message and structure, the clip would seem to have shared a similar sans-bullshit mentality. This is a thing to appreciate.
If it needs to be said, the first part of the idiom is “fuck you,” and Lowrider aren’t shy in getting the point across. Following behind Elephant Tree‘s “Long Forever” as a single from the split LP, The Long Forever, that the two bands will share next month on Blues Funeral — it’s the last PostWax release for the second wave; I did liner notes for it that last I heard will be available with the regular edition as well — the arrival of “And the Horse You Rode in On” means that the LP’s opening and closing tracks are both out there. I don’t need to tell you to listen. I have no doubt you already have.
In the PR wire info, Peder Bergstrand mentions it’s the first music video Lowrider have done. That may be true in terms of one featuring the band themselves, but if you’ll recall, the one they put out for “Red River” (premiered here) in 2021 was a gem as well, however you want to count it.
Enjoy:
LOWRIDER share new track off upcoming split album with Elephant Tree, out October 25th on Blues Funeral Recordings.
Swedish stoner rock heroes LOWRIDER share their new single “And The Horse You Rode In On” on all streaming services today! The song is taken from “The Long Forever”, their eagerly anticipated split album with London psych-doom royalty ELEPHANT TREE, to be issued on October 25th through Blues Funeral Recordings.
“We just wanted to do something different,” says LOWRIDER frontman Peder Bergstrand. “How do you follow up the 11 minute closing track everyone loved on our last album? I have no idea, but a two-and-a-half minute punk banger on the current state of the world seemed like the only way” he chuckles. “Weirdly enough it’s also our first music video ever. I’ve done more music videos for others than I can remember (for Greenleaf & Dozer among others) but somehow this is our first. Feels nice to have ripped that bandaid, 25 years into the career haha!”
“We just wanted people to see the raw energy of the band. And Niclas’ tshirt is a slight nod to current events and kind reminder to take care of your pets and not eat them… and also to not believe everything you see on TV” he adds with a smirk.
Watch Lowrider’s new video “And The Horse You Rode In On” + listen to the single on all streaming services:https://lnkfi.re/lowriderhorse
Elephant Tree and Lowrider have come together to present the collaborative album “The Long Forever”, easily one of the most eagerly awaited split releases in heavy rock history. Arriving in the wake of their landmark 2020 releases, “The Long Forever” finds both bands at critical junctures: each has a broad and expanding influence, each is revered onstage and off, and each is about to deliver its first proper new music in four years to tremendous anticipation.
“The Long Forever” takes its title from the nickname Elephant Tree singer and guitarist Jack Townley gave to the multi-week coma he was kept in for medical reasons following a near-fatal biking accident in early 2023. Dreaming without waking and losing all sense of time as his mind attempted to process and cope with the ordeal, that lyrical description can only hint at the enormity of Jack’s experience. And yet, the year or so that followed manifested a musical freedom in the bands’ respective approaches. Lowrider has grown more complex and expressive, while Elephant Tree has chosen a rawer, set-up-the-mics-and-go approach. “The Long Forever” is the vehicle through which the bands meet, subverting and superseding the expectations on them, with a traumatic nexus as the gravitational singularity around which the entire LP orbits, bending and shaping every note that escapes forth.
Stress, trauma, time, gravity, sound, joy, catharsis and texture all find a place across the record’s 43 minutes, but what resonates is the stridence with which Elephant Tree and Lowrider meet at the convergence of timelines and complement each other in evolving listeners’ ideas of who they are. In the end, perseverance, healing and stubbornness of passion are what made “The Long Forever” a reality. We invite fans to listen with open minds and love in their hearts. Check out the album’s debut single with ELEPHANT TREE and LOWRIDER’s collaborative track “Long Forever”!
TRACKLIST: 1. Lowrider – And The Horse You Rode In On 2. Lowrider – Caldera 3. Lowrider – Into The Grey 4. Lowrider – Through The Rift (feat. Elephant Tree) 5. Elephant Tree – Fucked In The Head 6. Elephant Tree – 4 For 2 7. Elephant Tree – Long Forever (feat. Lowrider)
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Not going to feign impartiality here. The upcoming Elephant Tree and Lowrider split LP, The Long Forever, is one I’ve lived with for a while. It’s the final release of Blues Funeral Recordings‘ PostWax Vol. II, and a while in the making to say the least. As As has been the case since PostWax’s inception, I’ve handled liner notes — they’ll also be included with the wider release this time, which is fair in context — for the offering, and I don’t mind telling you it was the most difficult time I’ve ever had putting such a thing together.
I spoke to Elephant Tree‘s Jack Townley and Lowrider‘s Peder Bergstrand, and I count both as friends, but it was a hard story to tell between Jack nearly losing his life in a biking accident and the pressure on both bands to deliver after second albums one could arguably call landmarks arriving in much different contexts, both trying to do new things in terms of sound. There being more narrative than room to recount it was only part of the problem. Yeah. I’ll be honest. The notes got turned in like a month and a half ago and I’m still kind of sweating over being dissatisfied with my end of the work. I both hope I get a copy of the CD (in addition to the PostWax edition vinyl) and never see the finished product of those notes printed. A familiar-enough anxiety, heightened in this instance.
Fortunately, I’m relieved to say that backdrop has done precious little to sap my enjoyment of the tracks themselves, which put The Long Forever in obvious, feel-dumb-even-saying-so contention for the best short release of the year (yes, it’s full-length, but I count splits as short releases; if you care, next time we meet in person you can punch me in the face over it). Elephant Tree‘s video for “Long Forever” is streaming now, and I encourage you not to delay in checking it out. I’ll shut the fuck up in order to facilitate.
Info from the PR wire:
Like two timelines converging, ELEPHANT TREE and LOWRIDER come together to present the collaborative album “The Long Forever,” easily one of the most eagerly awaited split releases in the history of heavy rock.
Arriving in the wake of two landmark 2020 releases (“Habits” from Elephant Tree and “Refractions” from Lowrider), “The Long Forever” finds both bands at critical junctures: each has a broad and expanding influence, each is revered onstage and off, and each is delivering its first proper new release in four years to tremendous anticipation.
Despite that pressure, Elephant Tree and Lowrider have seized the opportunity to redefine who they are and declare where their musical voyages will go next.
Bringing these bands onto a shared collaborative platter would be an event regardless of the surrounding circumstances. As it is, though, the significance of this album is even greater.
“The Long Forever” takes its title from the nickname Elephant Tree singer/guitarist Jack Townley gave to the multi-week coma he was kept in for medical reasons following a near-fatal biking accident in early 2023. Dreaming without waking and losing all sense of time as his mind attempted to process and cope with the ordeal, that lyrical description can only hint at the enormity of Jack’s experience.
And yet, the year or so that followed manifested a musical freedom in the bands’ respective approaches. Lowrider has grown more complex and expressive, while Elephant Tree has chosen a rawer, set-up-the-mics-and-go approach.
“The Long Forever” is the vehicle through which the bands meet, subverting and superseding the expectations on them, with a traumatic nexus as the gravitational singularity around which the entire LP orbits, bending and shaping every note that escapes forth.
In the end, perseverance, healing and stubbornness of passion made “The Long Forever” a reality. We hope fans will listen with open minds and love in their hearts!
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 14th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
With Pentagram at the top of its thus-far bill playing what will reportedly be their final Swiss show ever on a retirement tour that will also stop through Desertfest Berlin 2024 this Spring, the Sound of Liberation-associated Up in Smoke Festival has made the first lineup announcement for its 10th anniversary edition. Set for Oct. 4-6, it is at the spearhead of what will almost certainly be a busy month on the European underground touring circuit. And as one expects news to follow shortly from other October festivals throughout Western Europe — Keep it Low in Munich, Desertfest Belgium in Antwerp, Høstsabbat in Norway that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to a couple times, and so on — knowing that the likes of Truckfighters, Monolord, Lowrider, Greenleaf and Slomosa will be out on the road, at least the latter two of them behind new records, warms the heart in February’s drear. Will I be there? Probably not, barring a miracle or some kind of grant that doesn’t exist, but someone will be, and that’s rad enough of a thought to get me through the end of this sentence, so I’ll take it.
Wonder if we’ll see new stuff from Gnome this year, and I think Messa were beginning the process this winter of their next LP. October is far enough away that just about anything can happen between now and then, and I guess that’s part of the fun in posting these things in the first place. Thanks for talking that one through with me.
And while we’re here, happy 10th anniversary to Up in Smoke, and many happy returns.
Here’s the latest:
⚡️UP IN SMOKE FESTIVAL 2024 – FIRST BAND ANNOUNCEMENT⚡️
Hey Smokers,
Today, we are thrilled to announce the first bunch of amazing bands for the 10th-anniversary of our beloved Up In Smoke Festival!🖤
None other than Bobby Liebling and his crew in Pentagram will be joining us to celebrate their last show in Switzerland ever! 🔥
So great to see our Scandinavian friends Truckfighters, Monolord, Slomosa, Greenleaf and Lowrider joining the madness with exclusive Switzerland shows.
In addition to this, we are introducing the dark, haunting sounds of the female-fronted doom outfits Messa and Wolvennest, along with the experimental rockers Djinn, Belgium’s one and only Gnome, and the UK riffmasters Psychlona.
Up in Smoke takes place near Basel and Switzerland offers some excellent bands as well! Check out Tar Pond, Preamp Disaster, Norna, No Mute and Glue.🇨🇭
Make no mistake, this was just the beginning!👀
Up in Smoke 2024 will be a massive heavy rockin’ birthday bash and the stoner party of the year!🪩
Line Up:
Pentagram *last Swiss show ever* Truckfighters Monolord Lowrider Greenleaf Slomosa Messa Wolvennest Gnome Psychlona Djiin Tar Pond Preamp Disaster Norna No Mute Glue & many more
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 31st, 2023 by JJ Koczan
There’s comment from project participants Bob Balch (who spearheaded the idea), Esben Willems (who drums on the entire record) and Peder Bergstrand (who plays bass on all but one track, sharing space with Scott Reeder) below, and when you can hear from members of Fu Manchu, Monolord and Lowrider, I sincerely doubt any comment I might make matters. Those three speak below on how Slower — the conceptual covers project that, yes, dooms up select Slayer tracks both originally speedy like “War Ensemble” streaming below or, duh, slower, like inevitable closer “South of Heaven” — came together, and with Year of the Cobra‘s Amy Barrysmith on vocals for the majority and The Discussion‘s Laura Pleasants (also ex-Kylesa) taking over for the aforementioned finisher, it’d be a release of note no matter who they were taking on.
Maybe next time out they’ll do Duran Duran. Or maybe they’ll finally unveil the insistent creep at the heart of “Raining Blood.” I won’t claim to know, but given both personnel and source material, I expect this will be a beacon as the underground emerges from the generally-dead doldrums of January and takes on 2024 in earnest. Looking forward to it, in other words.
But album preorders are up now, so don’t let me keep you. Heavy Psych Sounds announced last week it had snagged the oops-kind-of-a-supergroup outfit for this release, and Jan. 26 is the listed arrival date. By all means, dive in. From the PR wire:
Heavy Psych Sounds to announce SLOWER upcoming debut album – presale starts TODAY !!!
– new super band feat. members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Lowrider, Monolord and Year Of The Cobra – SLAYER tracks in a SLOWER mood
Today we are stoked to start the presale of the upcoming SLOWER self-titled debut album !!!
RELEASED IN 10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL 100 ULTRA LTD SIDE A – SIDE B BLACK/ORANGE/WHITE VINYL 150 ULTRA LTD COLOR IN COLOR TRANSP. BACK. RED/SPLATTER BLACK VINYL 500 LTD NEON GREEN VINYL BLACK VINYL DIGIPAK DIGITAL
TRACKLIST SIDE A War Ensemble – 10:39 The Antichrist – 8:13
SIDE B Blood Red – 6:30 Dead Skin Mask – 6:08 South Of Heaven – 7:11
Bob Balch from FU MANCHU here. The idea for the SLOWER project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play “South Of Heaven” by SLAYER but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought “someone in the doom community should do this and name it SLOWER.”
A few years later I befriended Steven “Thee Slayer Hippy” Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea. He was backstage at a FU MANCHU show. Oddly enough I was wearing a POISON IDEA shirt and he told me that my shirt sucks. I asked who he was and why he was in our backstage. He told me and I felt stupid. We started drinking whiskey and talking about music. We stayed in touch over the next year or so and during Covid I told him about my SLOWER idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I’m glad I got to know him even for a few years. He was a monster musician with a giant heart.
He will be greatly missed.
I shelved the project for a while after that. One day Esben from MONOLORD posted about musical collaborations. I love MONOLORD so I thought what the hell. I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums. So I sent more. Then more. Shortly after that we started reaching out other musicians to get them involved. That’s how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can’t thank them enough.
This project has been a long time coming and I’m beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn’t have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it! I’m a giant SLAYER fan so it’s been a treat to dig into these classic songs. Hopefully we can do another record in the near future. Look out for shows because they will happen!
Esben Willems – When Bob first approached me with the idea and I heard his scratch guitars, my first thought was “This is genius”. Those iconic tracks we all know by heart suddenly unveiled an unexpected dimension. I’m really proud of how this turned out.
Peder Bergstrand – “This might be blasphemous considering the circumstances, but when Bob reached out and asked if I’d want to play bass on sludged-out Slayer covers, I had to admit some of these tracks were brand new to me.
That made the experience even more special though, hearing and playing on the Slower version first, and then comparing to the original. Bob has really transformed these songs into something totally their own, and on a personal level I feel the rest of the band’s insane performances pushed me to my most inspired playing to date.
So incredibly stoked for people to hear this album.”
CREDITS
“War Ensemble” “Dead Skin Mask” “Blood Red” “The Antichrist” Esben Willems (drums) MONOLORD Peder Bergstrand (bass) LOWRIDER Amy Barrysmith (vocals) YEAR OF THE COBRA Bob Balch (guitars) FU MANCHU
“South Of Heaven” Esben Willems (drums) MONOLORD Scott Reeder (bass) KYUSS Laura Pleasants (vocals) KYLESA Bob Balch (guitars) FU MANCHU
SLOWER is: Esben Willems (drums) MONOLORD Peder Bergstrand (bass) LOWRIDER Amy Barrysmith (vocals) YEAR OF THE COBRA Laura Pleasents (vocals) KYLESA Bob Balch (guitars) FU MANCHU Scott Reeder (bass) KYUSS
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Well yeah, I mean, you look at the cast of characters here and you know those riffs are monstrous. Slower‘s kind of a no-brainer, and I’m not trying to be clever and knock the concept, because actually I know the concept works. Someone, at some point, has sent you some YouTube clip of Slayer slowed down. It sounds killer. That Bob Balch — already signed to Heavy Psych Sounds as part of Big Scenic Nowhere and Yawning Balch, also of Fu Manchu, PlayThisRiff.com, ex-Minotaur, and so on — decided to do it for real with Esben Willems (Monolord, Studio Berserk) on drums, and Laura Pleasants (The Discussion, ex-Kylesa) and Amy Barrysmith (Year of the Cobra) sharing vocal duties, well, I mean, well yeah. Yeah. Of course. Yeah.
I wouldn’t have minded if Peder from Lowrider — who shares bass duties with Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Goatsnake, The Obsessed, etc.), as he should — got a song to sing, as his voice is perfect for something airy and open, which some of Slayer‘s material could be (re-)interpreted to be, but Heavy Psych Sounds just signed the band and both the label and Balch say they hope more is coming, so maybe that’s a future possibility. Balch also mentions live shows. That’d be a fun one to see at a festival in some field somewhere, hopefully properly hydrated.
If you can dig it, and oh, I think probably you can, here’s the info from the PR wire:
Heavy Psych Sounds to announce SLOWER (feat. members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Kylesa etc.) signing for their debut album !!!
*** SLOWER *** – brand new project feat. members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Monolord, Lowrider and Year Of The Cobra –
We’re incredibly stoked to announce that the brand new super band SLOWER signed to Heavy Psych Sounds Records for their debut album !!!
ALBUM PRESALE + FIRST TRACK PREMIERE: October 31st
BIOGRAPHY
Bob Balch from FU MANCHU here.
The idea for the SLOWER project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play “South Of Heaven” by SLAYER but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought “someone in the doom community should do this and name it SLOWER.”
A few years later I befriended Steven “Thee Slayer Hippy” Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea. He was backstage at a FU MANCHU show. Oddly enough I was wearing a POISON IDEA shirt and he told me that my shirt sucks. I asked who he was and why he was in our backstage. He told me and I felt stupid. We started drinking whiskey and talking about music. We stayed in touch over the next year or so and during Covid I told him about my SLOWER idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I’m glad I got to know him even for a few years. He was a monster musician with a giant heart.
He will be greatly missed.
I shelved the project for a while after that. One day Esben from MONOLORD posted about musical collaborations. I love MONOLORD so I thought what the hell. I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums. So I sent more. Then more. Shortly after that we started reaching out other musicians to get them involved. That’s how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can’t thank them enough.
This project has been a long time coming and I’m beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn’t have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it! I’m a giant SLAYER fan so it’s been a treat to dig into these classic songs. Hopefully we can do another record in the near future.
Look out for shows because they will happen!
SLOWER is: Esben Willems (drums) MONOLORD Peder Bergstrand (bass) LOWRIDER Amy Barrysmith (vocals) YEAR OF THE COBRA Laura Pleasents (vocals) KYLESA Bob Balch (guitars) FU MANCHU Scott Reeder (bass) KYUSS
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 25th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Over the weekend, UK melodic heavy prog rockers Elephant Tree put out word that guitarist/vocalist Jack Townley was having medical complications after a severe accident earlier this year and that as a result they’d be canceling all upcoming live activity for now. That’s a bummer of a reason not to play a show, a festival, anything, but of course, one wishes Townley continued success in his recovery. As to what happened to Shaman Elephant, I’m not sure, but fair enough.
Lowrider will take that lineup spot. You might recall the Swedish four-piece got you through the pandemic with 2020’s Refractions (review here) album, their first long-player in 20 years and a celebration worthy of that time. Again, it’s not a trade you want to be making in the first place, especially under the circumstances with Elephant Tree, but if you’re getting Lowrider out, at least you know things will be okay. And there’s always 2024 for Elephant Tree. And me.
One endeavors to keep these things in perspective:
HØSTSABBAT 2023 – Lowrider
Yes, there is absolutely NO reason to weep because of last night’s cancellations. Just look to the east, and what do you see? Sweden.
Can you believe we only have one Swedish band on the lineup so far?
Far too few for an anniversary addition of Høstsabbat!
Lowrider is most likely familiar to most of you, as they have been a quintessential force in the European stoner scene for what feels like ages, and rightfully so.
Bursting into the scene with a split with Nebula back in 1999 already, these guys have never looked back. They are a classic example of what continuous grinding will do to a band. They never lean on previous endeavours, but continue to expand their sonic palette with every release, and it has been a true joy to follow them over the years. Their visit to church feels way overdue.
Lowrider never disappoint, and is a live beast well worthy of the recognition they have gained. Airy compositions combined with progressive structures, killer riffs, and of course an always present monster groove makes them one of the bands not to be missed this year. And the vocals also need to be mentioned. They have an ethereal quality, almost like a velvet roof in a Mustang.
As you know, our love for all those Swedish bands has been a pivotal part of making Høstsabbat what it is today. It feels both right and great to keep that tradition alive moving forward.
We are humbled and stoked to welcome Lowrider to our Church of Riffs!
