Welcome to the Quarterly Review. I’m not sure which quarter it is, and actually it’s been less than two full months since the last time we did this, but I had this crazy idea to NOT fall 50 records even further behind in covering stuff, so I decided to run one now. Maybe I’ll do another in July. Maybe a piano will fall on my head.

You know the drill by now. 10 releases per day covered. I think I’m going to keep this to 50 total, but I might tack on another day or two if I get through it and still have a bunch more on the docket. We’ll see. But time’s a crunch, so we gotta move.

Quarterly Review #1-10:

Abrams, Loon

When the postmortem is done on this generation of heavy rock and roll, Abrams might be among its most underrated bands in terms of songwriting. The Denver unit led by guitarist/vocalist Zachary Amster offer the taut 10-song/37-minute run of Loon as further argument in their favor, basking in a heavy and post-hardcore blend and working with Godcity Studio and Kurt Ballou (Converge, High on Fire, etc.) to foster a more aggressive sound in pieces like “Glass House,” “While Walls,” “Said and Done,” and so on, bordering on noise rock while bringing grunge melody to “A State of Mind” and blasting double-kick drumming to closer “Remains.” At this point, I’m wondering if they’re too good. Are they too polished, is Amster too capable a singer? Is the songwriting too tight? In the immortal words of Will Ferrell, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Once again, Abrams do nothing wrong. One hopes the added charge wakes up more ears to what they’re doing. Or even better, instead of snagging jaded oldheads, put this shit on TikTok and let the 17 year olds learn about melody from it. That’s how it works now, right?

Abrams on Bandcamp

Blues Funeral Recordings website

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Buzzard, Take the Tyrant Down (Acoustic) b/w Hunchback, Vicar & Wizard

Two cuts from Massachusetts solo artist Buzzard, aka Christopher Thomas Elliott, whose voice and point of view for me personally has been salve in terrible times and for that a marker of the era. Late last year, Elliott released the EP Everything is Not Going to Be Alright (review here) with a plugged version of “Take the Tyrant Down,” which is stripped down here of its later chug and “Down down down/Sic semper tyrannis” vocal bridge. Perhaps too heavyhanded? It becomes a quiter contemplation of overcoming oppression, and its ultimate victory is no less sweet. The (digital) B-side is “Hunchback, Vicar and Wizard,” which wraps itself in an acoustic central line like “Doom Folk Fury” from the EP (which has also been expanded to an LP this year, heads up) but is less of a chorus surge, letting the Mellotron bring atmospheric backing to the lyrical tale of cathartic justice for the abuse victims of clergy. Yes, I’m talking about killing priests who rape children. Or Elliott is anyhow, in his increasingly solidified and yet malleable doom-folk aesthetic, with craft likewise prolific and purposeful.

Buzzard on Bandcamp

Buzzard on Instagram

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Masheena, Let the Spiders In

As I understand it, Masheena have traded out half their lineup since recording Let the Spiders In with producer Machine (Clutch, etc.) in early 2024, but either way, the Bergen, Norway, heavy rocking four-piece bring expansive melodies to sharp structures in hooky cuts like “Going to the Mountain” and “One Good Eye,” taking bluesy energy in pieces like “Been Waiting” and “Don’t Tell Her” and the chug of the penultimate “Riffy” and fostering a sound that’s straightforward and accessible while not lacking at all in variety. It’s their second LP, and though on “Sara Lost Her Way,” they edge close to the big-stage energy of countrymen Spidergawd, the thickness in “Riffy” and the subsequent, nonetheless shuffling closer “You Owe Me,” as well as the generally bluesier foundations, aid in distinction. The album is paced comfortably at 34 minutes but never in any danger of overstaying its welcome. Can’t help but be curious how the dynamic has changed with the new lineup. It’s certainly solid in this material.

Masheena website

Majestic Mountain Records store

Ripple Music website

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Sergio Ch., Last Dance of a Dying Man

As Buenos Aires-based singer-songwriter Sergio Chotsourian (aka Sergio Ch., of Los Natas, Ararat, Soldati, etc.) has developed his solo approach, it’s satisfying to hear him working with a drum machine on “Last Dance,” the first cut on this two-song EP, paired with the 12-minute “The Journey.” It highlights a modernized bedroom-folk intimacy that’s always been in his experimentalist craft, and lets the guitar become the source of tension in the piece, which it does righteously. “The Journey” is more synth-based and is instrumental for most of its stretch, but there are late-arriving vocals. He also seems to be trying something new with his voice, though that might just be a result of returning to English-language lyrics after however long it’s been since last time. Note the guitar figure consistent beneath the keys of “The Journey” as well. Last Dance of a Dying Man is Sergio being Sergio, but part of that is pushing his own boundaries, and that can clearly be heard in these songs.

Sergio Ch. on Instagram

South American Sludge Records on Bandcamp

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Vestjysk Ørken, LSDREI

LSDREI, a combination of LSD and ‘drei,’ as in ‘three,’ is indeed the third LP from Danish jammers Vestjysk Ørken, and it begins with a long monologue over foreboding backing drone spoken by the drug itself, maybe from an old propaganda film? In any case, this first eight minutes set the mood before a burst-in of heavy fuzz after the eight-minute mark starts what’s presumed to be ‘Violets and Yellow’ in the six-parts-presented-as-a-single-36-minute-track of the LP. The full course is listed as “The Traveler / Violets & Yellow / Drei / Running My Head / (Backwards) Like A Mirror / Lovely Colours Shimmering,” and though immersion has always been a top priority for the Esbjerg outfit — theirs and yours both — they’ve never sounded quite so intentional in their exploration. The lumber gives way to shimmering lead guitar, more speech and a light but bassy boogie as they pass the halfway point, and plays back and forth from there between airy verses, ebbs and flows, more samples and, in the last few minutes, both shove and a massive concluding roll finishing with vague but angry shouts of a populace. It gets weird, kids. Actually, starts weird and gets weirder. For best results, recommend you do likewise.

Vestjysk Ørken Linktr.ee

Vestjysk Ørken on Bandcamp

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Liminal Sky, All Tomorrow’s Darkness

Liminal Sky is presented as an extension of the work drummer, guitarist and keyboardist Jaime Gomez Arellano (also a noted producer in London) and guitarist, bassist, keyboardist Daniel Knight did together in the band Messenger, but the debut album All Tomorrow’s Darkness takes on an identity of its own, thanks in no small part to vocal collaborations with Mat McNerny (Hexvessel, Grave Pleasures), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) and Karin Park (Årabrot), as well as a slew of instrumental contributors too many to list in this space. This amalgam results in an emotionally resonant, post-genre melancholia, kin to the beauty in darkness in pieces like “Algebra of Unknowing,” “Penance” and “Forget Me Not,” the latter of which hits into a satisfying crescendo without giving up its core expressive purpose. It is not a minor undertaking in the substance of its songs, but Arellano and Knight create an entire world for this material, and the listener, to dwell in.

Liminal Sky on Bandcamp

Karisma Records website

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The Quill, Master of the Skies

Professional-grade delivery from a professional band. Master of the Skies is the 11th album in the 35-plus-year tenure of Sweden’s The Quill, and if they’re exploring themes of mastery, you could hardly find a better theme to coincide with their sound. With expert hand and worldly care, they gracefully guide the listener through a diverse 45-minute collection, with rockers and ballads and acoustic numbers and the nine-minute volume-trade sprawl of the penultimate “Mastodon,” part Sabbath as they go, but more of a decades-meld of heavy rock ideologies so that “You Can Not Kill My Soul” hits with triumphant melody and side B opener “If Tomorrow Never Comes” wraps itself up in chugging largesse. The band — vocalist Magnus Ekwall, guitarist Christian Carlsson, bassist Roger Nilsson and drummer Jolle Atlagic — are unflinching in the refinement of their approach, but even when they reprise lead cut “Master of the Skies” to finish, there’s no pretense, just some of the most solid craft a band could hope to stand on.

The Quill website

Metalville Records website

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Greenthrone, The Greenthrone EP

Unearthed from the depths of Columbus, Ohio’s underground, Greenthrone‘s The Greenthrone EP was put to tape in 2010 and 2011 as a series of demos from what was then the bombastic duo of Danny Bays (guitar/vocals) and Lisa Bella Donna (drums/production), the latter also of much-missed progressive heavy explorers EYE. A five-song collection, it is brash and raw and finds Bays‘ vocal delivery somewhere between Matt Pike and Chuck Schuldiner on “The Sentinel” and “Beyond the Veil,” and that’s before they get into the sludgy push/roll of centerpiece “Hidden in Plain Sight” or the righteously-tin-can “Brujo,” and “Feather Crown” to close. There’s an audible shift in sound there ahead of the last two tracks, but there was point of view in the band even 15 years ago. Bays got a new lineup going at some point, a trio, and hopefully there’s more to follow sooner or later.

Greenthrone Linktr.ee

Greenthrone on Bandcamp

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Dave Heumann, Chimes of Freedom // Further Adventures of Big Ten

Two at least semi-covers; one straight up take on Bob Dylan, the latter transmogrified reportedly from The Grateful Dead and David Crosby, and either make a fitting place for Arbouretum frontman Dave Heumann to dwell in for a while. The fragility of his voice in Dylan‘s lyrics on “Chimes of Freedom” makes that song feel all the more like a song for the people — in both the folk music and political senses, because they’re linked — while “Further Adventures of Big Ten” feels more like an exploration, being instrumental and set atop a drone and backed with hand-percussion as it is. “Chimes of Freedom” is the more straightforward, I guess, but its organ line and way-back-there gentle drums feel emblematic of the 1964 original, captured at the precipice of the birth of the psychedelic era. You could say a lot about the choices one way or the other, but from where I sit it’s five more minutes of Heumann singing and about 11 of him playing and I’ll take what I can get, thanks. He’s like if you gave the National Park System a voice.

Dave Heumann website

Dave Heumann on Bandcamp

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A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, Towers of Silence

Most of all, Towers of Silence sounds like the beginning of a rich and creative plunge into sound. Netherlands-based four-piece A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers take a sludgy angle on post-metallic lurch on this three-songer, and as “The Massacre of Flour” unfolds, it seems like it’s going to be all-onslaught until they hang a louie into a psychedelic midsection framed on the other side by a punishing return. “I Fuck People” follows and is noisier and more chaotic, but still manages to find room for saxophone in its second half, while the nine-minute title-track wraps by flipping the script into volume trades between meditative melodic contemplation and heavier bashing-away. The message that comes through is A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers aren’t restrained by genre ideology. Breaking out of it on three songs, they’re at the starting point in developing the individual creative expression one hears in this material. The prospects for where their journey might take them are exciting.

A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers on Bandcamp

Lay Bare Recordings website

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Pro-shop band. It wasn’t a surprise finding that out in-person at Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI (review here), of course. I’ve heard The Quill records. I know the story. They were there when the thing was just becoming a thing. Of course they’re professional. I have to imagine in their 35-plus years they’ve been on every size stage you can imagine.

I was into 2024’s Wheel of Illusion (review here), which leaned hard into classic rock influences, and interviewed Christian Carlsson (feature here) for the prior release, 2021’s Earthrise, and at least on this site it goes back a decade before that but I’ll spare you the link dump. The new record is called Master of the Skies, and if they’re saying it’s a bit darker, well so is the world, so that makes sense. Doesn’t mean it won’t have hooks.

Album art and info follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

THE QUILL’s set release date for new METALVILLE album

Some bands chase trends. Others outlive them.

Swedish hard rock veterans The Quill return with their new studio album Master of the Skies on May 8th via Metalville.

Master of the Skies marks another chapter in a long-running conversation between groove, weight, melody, and muscle — this time with a darker tint.

The songs move through light and shade, tightening the screws one moment and opening the throttle the next. It’s heavier without being blunt, moodier without losing swing — heavy rock with depth lines and character, earned the hard way.

The Quill is a band comfortable in its own skin, writing music because they still mean it, not because anyone asked. Think Sabbath’s sense of gravity, the groove-heavy swagger of classic heavy rock, and the lived-in confidence of musicians who’ve been there, done that — and kept the amps on anyway.

The band once again teamed up with Erik Nilsson at 491 Studios, a place that by now knows their sound almost as well as the band does.

No reinvention. No nostalgia trip. Just The Quill doing what they’ve always done best: writing heavy rock songs that stand on their own feet.

The sky is still the limit — and The Quill remains its master.

Quotes about Master of the Skies:

Magnus Ekwall: “We focused a lot on atmosphere. Some songs needed space and restraint, others wanted to explode — I liked letting the light and darkness decide how far to push it.”

Christian Carlsson: “This time, we didn’t force a ‘Quill sound’ onto the songs. We let each track build its own identity, even if that meant going down unfamiliar paths.”

Roger Nilsson: “The big difference on this album is how much it came together as a band. Everyone shaped the songs, and the contrasts grew naturally from that.”

Jolle Atlagic: “We experimented more in the studio than usual. Some ideas stuck, some didn’t — but that trial-and-error is what gave the album its movement.”

Tracklisting for The Quill’s Master of the Skies
1. Master of the Skies
2. Dark City
3. You Can Not Kill My Soul
4. It’s Over
5. Son of Light
6. If Tomorrow Never Comes
7. Now You Are Gone
8. Light Turns Low
9. Mastodon
10. Master of the Skies (Reprise)

LINEUP
Magnus Ekwall – vocals (Ayreon, Mountain of Power)
Christian Carlsson – guitar (Cirkus Prütz)
Roger Nilsson – bass (Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy, Firebird)
Jolle Atlagic – drums (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird)

https://www.thequill.se
https://www.instagram.com/thequillsweden
https://www.facebook.com/thequillsweden

https://www.metalville.de
https://www.instagram.com/metalvillerecords/
https://www.facebook.com/metalville

The Quill, “Wheel of Illusion” official video

Returning with their fourth album since 2022, Patriarchs in Black have fostered a particular, unique kind of stability over their relatively short time. By rights, I don’t know how many actual three- or four-person lineups one could make out of the number of players appearing on a given record. With just Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Vessel of Light, Cassius King, etc.) on guitar and Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, recently Sun Don’t Shine, etc.) on drums, they’d be busy, but they are anyway as they once again bring in an assortment of heads — some returning, some new — to feature across the 15 songs and 58 minutes of an album they call Home as if to emphasize that having 11 different singers and at least seven different bassists on your record (those numbers might be low) is their version of normal.

Because it is, or at least that’s what it’s become. Rather than hammer out a stable trio or four-piece band, Patriarchs in Black take more of a compilation-type approach. Call it ‘logistics doom.’ This can unsurprisingly lead to some uneven results throughout an album, and across the span of Home, there’s room for that as well, but even as they welcome back the likes of Kyle Thomas (Exhorder, Trouble, Alabama Thunderpussy, etc.) and Karl Agell (C.O.C. Blind, Lie Heavy, Legions of Doom, etc.) and Mark Sunshine (Unida, Riotgod, etc.), Kelly Abe (Resection, Sicks Deep), and DMC (Run DMC), the latter of whom made his first appearance on 2023’s My Veneration (review here), and whose guest spot on Home is fleshed out with vocals and flute by Sarah Sovak and violin by Jonathan Eng, they’re continuing to take risks, pushing themselves forward and setting their own context. If they’re at Home in this process, it’s practice that’s let them get to that point.

For reference, here is the full tracklisting of the album with the corresponding guests on each track. This is as complete as I could make it and I’ll be glad to fill in more as need be:

1. Hymns for the Heretic 02:54 – Kyle Thomas vocals, Dave Neabore bass
2. The Call 05:43 – Karl Agell vocals, John DeServio bass
3. Burn Through Time 04:06 – Mark Sunshine vocals
4. Frisson 01:14 – Jason “Dewey” Bragg vocals, Jonathan Eng viola, Eric Morgan strings
5. Kaos 04:21 – Kelly Abe vocals, Rob Moschetti bass
6. Storm King 03:41 – Joe Ferrara vocals, Johnny Araya bass
7. Celestial Yard 03:30 – Mark Sunshine vocals, Emma Smoler violin, Damon Trotta bass
8. Where You Think You’re Going 04:13 – DMC vocals, David Freis vocals, Sarah Sovak vocals and flute, Jonathan Eng violin, Damon Trotta bass
9. Beline 04:39 – John Kosco vocals, Eric Morgan bass
10. Pointed Fire 03:54 – Mark Sunshine vocals, Emma Smoler violin
11. Enough of You 04:28 – Frankie Diaz vocals
12. Ready to Die 03:52 – Kelly Abe vocals, Damon Trotta bass
13. Shadows Grasp 04:46 – Rob Traynor vocals
14. Sweet Blood 06:15 – Mark Sunshine vocals, “Iron” Lou Strachan bass
15. The End 01:07

As you can see, there are a couple repeat appearances. However many bands one might make out of Patriarchs in Black‘s amorphous manifestations, one of them is for sure fronted by Mark Sunshine. The celebrated voice that took up John Garcia‘s mantle in Unida make highlights of “Burn Through Time,” “Celestial Yard,” “Pointed Fire” and “Sweet Blood,” and he and Kelly Abe (Resection, Sicks Deep, etc.), who brings a more aggressive feel to “Kaos” early on and sort of tough-guy raps on “Ready to Die” later, are the only vocalists to show up on more than one track. This lets Sunshine become something of an anchor for the proceedings — the Kyle Thomas-fronted, oldschool doomery of “Hymns for the Heretic” opens and “The Call” answers that with Candlemassian sweep, but as Sunshine cuts through the thickened guitar and bass tones of “Burn Through Time,” it just fits, and while it’s a sliver of the band’s project ultimately, it’s a significant one, even if the trudging finale “Sweet Blood” — with “Iron” Lou Strachan (Iron Man, Spiral Grave, etc.) on bass, no less — feels at a world’s remove from the string-laced acoustic arrangement behind “Pointed Fire” with Emma Smoler‘s violin. That scope becomes part of the scope of the album, and perhaps-not-shockingly for a 2LP with a list of personnel north of 20, scope is a big part of the idea.

But the point is this: it works for them. It didn’t take Lorenzo and Kelly six years to put out Home. Their third album, Visioning (review here), came out last July. It’s barely been a year, and they’ve managed to turn around another extended full-length of material cutting a swath across heavy rock and doom. It’s not half-assed. It’s not sloppy. It’s confident in its craft and the textures of its arrangements, whether that’s the bluesy take of Frankie Diaz (who previously appeared on Visioning) on “Enough of You,” which pairs well with “Ready to Die” in the tracklisting, or the melodic croon of John Kosco (Revel at Dusk, Saint Caine, Dropbox) complementing the lead guitar on “Beline.” That foundation is enough for ‘the band’ — whoever that involves at the time — to create a flow within and between the songs. And change becomes the norm. The layered harmonies of Kill Devil Hill‘s Jason “Dewey” Bragg and strings behind on the 74-second “Frisson” give over to the immediate growl and chunk-riffing of “Kaos” and Joe Ferrara (The Andretti) makes burl soar on “Storm King.” The listener proceeds, carried through by the vividness of the band’s realizations.

Impressively, Home exists. More impressively, it exists as a collection of coherent, purposeful songs written to embody a range of sounds and textures, from the slower ’70s softshoe of “Burn Through Time” to the roller nod of the “Shadows Grasp” with Rob Traynor (Black Water Rising) over top. There is nowhere Home goes that it doesn’t make itself feel that way, which might be another reason for the title — though certainly the word has enough potential for evocation that no other reason is really needed — and as they foster their own kind of multifaceted progression, growing tighter together while pushing genre boundaries and refining the riffs on which the songs are based, they’ve become their own entity in doom and underground heavy. I suppose the lesson is that sometimes making things really, really hard for yourself pays off.

Patriarchs in Black, “Celestial Yard” official video

Patriarchs in Black on Instagram

Patriarchs in Black on Bandcamp

Patriarchs in Black on Facebook

Metalville Records website

Metalville Records on Facebook

The credits here speak for themselves, as Patriarchs in Black — at its root, the collaboration between guitarist Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Vessel of Light) and drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, etc.) — continue to embrace the methodology of swapping out frontmen as they go. Home is the band’s fourth long-player, and they welcome back Karl Agell (Lie Heavy, Legions of Doom, etc.), DMC from Run DMC, Kyle Thomas of Trouble, Exhorder and Alabama Thunderpussy fame, as well as Mark Sunshine of Unida, RiotGod, and so on. There are others — it’s a packed house — but cool to see “Iron Lou” Strachan of Iron Man/Spiral Grave show up on bass. That’s never gonna hurt your LP.

All the info came down the PR wire. No audio yet, but Patriarchs in Black released both a studio album and a covers EP last year, so you’ve got plenty to go on between those. Here’s the latest:

PATRIARCHS IN BLACK set release date for new METALVILLE album, reveal cover & tracklisting – features members of DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE, HADES

Metalville announces August 15th as the international release date for Patriarchs in Black’s highly anticipated fourth album, Home.

Former Type O Negative / Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly and guitarist and riff-writer Dan Lorenzo (Hades / Non-Fiction) founded Patriarchs in Black at the end of 2021. Their debut single “Demon of Regret” was released in January 2022, and the debut album Reach For The Scars was released in July 2022. Their second album, My Veneration, was released in October 2023, followed by Visioning in July 2024.

As with their previous releases, Dan and Johnny managed to secure some outstanding artists as guest musicians for their fourth long-player, Home.

Dan Lorenzo says about Home: “Did you ever see the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray is forced to live the same day over and over. How boring, right? I love pizza, but I don’t want to eat it every meal. With our new album, you will find our ‘usual’ doomy riffs, but we also took some chances. There’s acoustic guitars, violin, flute, and of course, lots of heavy riffs. Diversity – it keeps things interesting.

“I picked the title Home because as much as I love to travel, it’s always nice to come home.

“Johnny’s mom died last year. Some would say the Lord took her Home.

“Johnny and I recorded 17 new songs, but we couldn’t fit them all on this album.

“We are honored that some of the best vocalists and bassists worked with us to lend their talents. We hope you love Patriarchs in Black’s Home.” Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Patriarchs in Black’s Home
1. Hymns for the Heretic
Written by Lorenzo/Thomas
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
Kyle Thomas – vocals
Dave Neabore – bass

2. The Call
Written by Lorenzo/Agell
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
Karl Agell – vocals
John “JD” DeServio – bass

3. Burn Through Time
Written by Lorenzo/Sunshine
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitar/bass
Mark Sunshine – vocals

4. Frisson
Written by Dan Lorenzo
Dewey Bragg – vocals
Johnny Kelly – drums
Jonathan Eng – viola
Eric J. Morgan – strings

5. Kaos
Written by Lorenzo/Abe
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
Kelly Abe – vocals
Rob Moschetti – bass

6. Storm King
Written by Lorenzo/Ferrara
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitar
Joe Ferrara – vocals
Johnny Araya – bass

7. Celestial Yard
Written by Lorenzo/Sunshine
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – acoustic guitar
Mark Sunshine – vocals
Emma Smoler -violin
Damon Trotta – bass

8. Where You Think You’re Going
Written by Lorenzo/DMC
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
DMC – vocals
David Freis – vocals
Sarah Sovak – vocals/flute
Damon Trotta – bass
Jonathan Eng – violin

9. Beline
Written by Dan Lorenzo
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
John Kosco – vocals
Eric J. Morgan – bass/string arrangement

10. Pointed Fire
Written by Lorenzo/Sunshine
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars/bass
Mark Sunshine – vocals
Emma Smoler – violin

11. Enough Of You
Written by Dan Lorenzo
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars/bass/backing vox
Frankie Diaz – lead vocals

12. Ready To Die
Written by Lorenzo/Abe
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitars
Kelly Abe – vocals
Damon Trotta – bass
Kelly, Dan, JROD – gang vox

13. Shadows Grasp
Written by Lorenzo/Traynor
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitar/bass
Rob Traynor – Vocals

14. Sweet Blood
Written by Lorenzo/Sunshine
Johnny Kelly – drums
Dan Lorenzo – guitar
Mark Sunshine – vocals
Iron Lou Strachan – bass

https://instagram.com/patriarchsinblack
https://patriarchsinblack.bandcamp.com/

www.metalville.de
www.facebook.com/metalville

Patriarchs in Black, “Destroyer” (Twisted Sister cover)

Just five months out — to the day — from the Oct. 6, 2023, release of their second album, My Veneration (review here), Patriarchs in Black announce they’ve signed with Metalville Records (home to The Quill, Siena Root, and scores of others) to issue their third LP this summer. And even if that turned into Fall — note “should” below — that’s still just a year from the sophomore LP and a pretty quick turnaround for the project that has its core duo in guitarist/songwriter Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Vessel of Light, etc.) and drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, etc.), as well as on-pace with their debut, Reach for the Scars, which came out in 2022.

Coordinating between Kelly and Lorenzo would be plenty, but the range of guest players and singers continued to expand on My Veneration, with Karl Agell (currently of Lie Heavy and Legions of Doom, also ex-C.O.C. for the Blind album) and Mark Sunshine (now also in Unida, once signed to Metalville with RiotGod) contributing vocals along with Darryl McDaniels from Run-DMC, and bass work from JD DeServio of Black Label Society, Dave Neabore from Dog Eat Dog, and others. Putting out a record every year when everybody lives in the same house is one thing. I know working remote has become easier, but there are a lot of threads to align in Patriarchs in Black, and man, email is a pain in the ass. You might be that doomed too if you were trying to digitally chase down bassists and vocalists from various continental corners.

But that oldschool urgency is part of who Patriarchs in Black are, so I have not the slightest doubt the follow-up to My Veneration will manifest sooner than later. The PR wire brought the signing announcement ahead of later details of the recording and release. My favorite part is when Lorenzo, in all-caps for emphasis, says it’s, “FUN FUN FUN.” No doubt that’s a very particular idea of a good time, but it’s one I share.

Dig:

PATRIARCHS IN BLACK sign with METALVILLE, prepare new album for summer – features members of DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE, HADES

Today, Metalville Records announces the signing of Patriarchs in Black. The first fruit of this union shall be the band’s highly anticipated third album, which should see international release this summer.

Former Type O Negative / Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly and guitarist / riff writer Dan Lorenzo (Hades, ex-Non-Fiction) formed Patriarchs In Black at the end of 2021. The project included well-known guests on vocals and bass, including Karl Agell ( COC Blind / Lie Heavy) , Jimmy Gnecco, Dewey Bragg ( Kill Devil Hill / Bill Ward) among others. Their debut single “Demon of Regret” came out January 2022, and the debut album Reach For The Scars was released on July 1st, 2022. Their second album, My Veneration, was on October 6th, 2023 with multiple guest vocalists and bassists.

For the forthcoming third studio album (and first for Metalville), Dan Lorenzo has already written ten new songs. As always, Johnny Kelly on drums and lots of amazing singers and bassists will contribute. “It’s SO fun, and not putting too much pressure on singers to come up with one or two amazing lyrics and melodies a year. I write a LOT of riffs / music. Our third album came together very easily. FUN FUN FUN,” says Dan.

More Patriarchs in Black news to be announced shortly. For more info, consult the links below.

https://instagram.com/patriarchsinblack
https://patriarchsinblack.bandcamp.com/

www.metalville.de
www.facebook.com/metalville

Patriarchs in Black, My Veneration (2023)

Well then, here we are. Day two of the Spring 2022 Quarterly Review brings a few records that I really, really like, personally, and I hope that you listen and feel similar. What you’ll find throughout is a pretty wide swath of styles, but these are the days of expanded-definition heavy, so let’s not squabble about this or that. Still a lot of week to go, folks. Gotta keep it friendly.

Deep breath in, and…

Quarterly Review #11-20:

Arð, Take Up My Bones

Hard to know at what point Winterfylleth‘s Mark Deeks decided to send his historically-minded solo-project Arð to Prophecy Productions for release consideration, but damned if the six-song Take Up My Bones doesn’t feel quintessential. Graceful lines of piano and strings give way to massively-constructed lumbering funeralia, vocals adding to the atmosphere overall as the story of St. Cuthbert’s bones is recounted through song, in mood perhaps more than folk balladeering. Whatever your familiarity with that narrative or willingness to engage it, Deeks‘ arrangements are lush and wondrously patient, the sound of “Boughs of Trees” at the outset of side B building smoothly toward its deathly sprawl but unrelentingly melodic. The longer “Raise Then the Incorrupt Body” and “Only Three Shall Know” come across as more directly dramatic with their chants and so on, but Arð‘s beauty-through-darkness melancholy is the center around which the album is built and the end result is suitably consuming. While not incomplete by any means, I find myself wondering when it’s over what other stories Deeks may have to tell.

Arð on Facebook

Prophecy Productions website

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Seremonia, Neonlusifer

Oh, Seremonia. How I missed you. These long six years after Pahuuden Äänet (review here), the Finnish troupe return to rescue their cult listenership from any and all mundane realities, psych and garage-fuzz potent enough to come with a warning label (which so far as I know it doesn’t) on “Neonlusifer” and the prior opener “Väärä valinta” with the all-the-way-out flute-laced swirl of “Raskatta vettä,” and if you don’t know what to make of all those vowel sounds, good luck with the cosmic rock of “Kaivon pohjalla” and “Unohduksen kidassa,” on which vocalist Noora Federley relinquishes the lead spot to new recruit Teemu Markkula (also Death Hawks), who also adds guitar, synth, organ and flute alongside the guitar/synth/vocals of Ville Pirinen, the drums/guitar/flute/vocals of Erno Taipale and bass/synth/vocals of Ilkka Vekka. This is a band who reside — permanently, it seems — on a wavelength of their own, and Neonlusifer is more than welcome after their time out of time. May it herald more glorious oddness to come from the noisy mist that ends “Maailmanlopun aamuna” and the album as a whole.

Seremonia on Facebook

Svart Records website

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The Quill, Live, New, Borrowed, Blue

Swedish heavy rockers The Quill mark 30 years of existence in 2022 (actually they go back further), and while Live, New, Borrowed, Blue isn’t quite an anniversary release, it does collect material from a pretty broad span of years. Live? “Keep it Together” and an especially engaging take on “Hole in My Head” that closes. New? The extended version of “Keep on Moving” from 2021’s Earthrise (review here), “Burning Tree” and “Children of the Sun.” Borrowed? Iron Maiden‘s “Where Eagles Dare,” November‘s “Mount Everest,” Aerosmith‘s “S.O.S.” and Captain Beyond‘s “Frozen Over.” Blue? Certainly “Burning Tree,” and all of it, if you’re talking about bluesy riffs, which, if you’re talking about The Quill, you are. In the narrative of Sverige heavy rock, they remain undersung, and this compilation, in addition to being a handy-dandy fan-piece coming off their last record en route to the inevitable next one, is further evidence to support that claim. Either you know or you don’t. Three decades on, The Quill are gonna be The Quill either way.

The Quill on Facebook

Metalville Records website

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Dark Worship, Flesh of a Saint

Though it’s just 20 minutes long, the six-song debut from Ohio’s Dark Worship offers dark industrial heft and a grim psychedelic otherworldliness in more than enough measure to constitute a full-length. At the center of the storm — though not the eye of it, because it’s quiet there — is J. Meyers, also of Axioma, who conjures the spaces of “Culling Song” and “We’ve Always Been Here” as a bed for a selection of guest vocalists, including Nathan Opposition of Ancient VVisdom/Vessel of Light, Axioma‘s Aaron Dallison, and Joe Reed (To Dust, Exorcisme). No matter who’s fronting a given track — Reed gets the lion’s share, Dallison the title-track and Opposition the penultimate “Destroy Forever (Death of Ra)” — the vibe is biting and dark in kind, with Meyers providing backing vocals, guitar, and of course the software-born electronic beats and melodies that are the core of the project. Maybe hindsight will make this nascent-feeling, but in terms of world construction, Flesh of a Saint is punishing in its immersion, right up to the howling feedback and ambience of “Well of Light” at the finish. Conceptually destructive.

Dark Worship on Facebook

Tartarus Records store

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More Experience, Electric Laboratory of High Space Experience

Nature sounds feature throughout More Experience‘s 2021 third album, Electric Laboratory of High Space Experience, with birdsong and other naturalist atmospheres in opener “The Twilight,” “Beezlebufo,” closer “At the Gates of Dawn,” and so on. Interspersed between them is the Polish troupe’s ’60s-worship psych. Drawing on sonic references from the earliest space rock and post-garage psychedelics — think Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, King Crimson’s “Epitaph” is almost remade here as the penultimate title-track — band founder Piotr Dudzikowski (credited with guitars, organs, synthesizers, backing vocals, harmonium, tambura, and cobuz) gets by with a little help from his friends, which means in part that the vocals of extended early highlight “The Dream” are pulled back for a grain-of-salt spoken word on “The Trip” and the later “Fairy Tale.” The synthy “The Mind” runs over nine minutes and between that, “The Dream” and the title-track (9:56), I feel like I’m digging the longer-form, more dug-in songs, but I’m not going to take away from the ambient and more experimental stuff either, since that’s how this music was invented in the first place.

More Experience on Facebook

More Experience on Bandcamp

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Jawless, Warrizer

Young Indonesian riffers Jawless get right to the heart of heavy on their debut album, Warrizer, with a raw take on doom rock that’s dead-on heavy and classic in its mindset. There’s nothing fancy happening here other than some flourish of semi-psych guitar, but the self-produced four-piece from Bandung kill it with a reverence of course indebted to but not beholden to Sabbathian blues licks, and their swing on “Deceptive Events” alone is enough proof-of-concept for me. I’m on board. It’s not about progressive this or that. It’s not about trying to find a genre niche no one’s thought of yet. This is players in a room rocking the fuck out. And they might have a bleak point of view in cuts like “War is Come,” and one does not have to look too far to get the reference in “The Throne of Tramp,” but that sense of judgment is part and parcel to originalist doom. At 50 minutes, it’s long for an LP, but as “Restrained” pays off the earlier psychedelic hints, “Metaphorical Speech” boogie-jams and “G.O.D.” rears back with each measure to spit its next line, I wouldn’t lose any of it.

Jawless on Facebook

Jawless on Bandcamp

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The Heavy Co., Shelter

Adding a guest guitar solo from Earthless‘ Isaiah Mitchell wasn’t going to hurt the cause of Indianapolis duo The Heavy Co., and sure enough it doesn’t. Issued digitally in 2020 and premiered here, “Shelter” runs a quick three minutes of psych-blues rock perfectly suited to the 7″ treatment Rock Freaks Records gives it and the earlier digi-single “Phoenix” (posted here), which had been the group’s first offering after a six-year break. “Phoenix,” which is mellower and more molten in its tempo throughout its six minutes, might be the better song of the two, but the twang in “Shelter” pairs well with that bluesy riff from guitarist/vocalist Ian Daniel, and Jeff Kaleth holds it down on drums. More to come? Maybe. There’s interesting ground here to explore in this next phase of The Heavy Co.‘s tenure.

The Heavy Co. on Facebook

Rock Freaks Records store

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Sound of Smoke, Tales

All that “Witch Boogie” is missing is John Lee Hooker going “boom boom boom” over that riff, and even when opener “Strange Fruit” or “Dreamin'” is indebted to the Rolling Stones, it’s the bluesier side of their sound. No problem there, but Freiburg, Germany, four-piece Sound of Smoke bring a swagger and atmosphere to “Soft Soaper” that almost ’70s-style Scorpions in its beginning before the shuffling verse starts, tambourine and all, and there’s plenty of pastoral psych in “Indian Summer” and 10-minute “Human Salvation,” the more weighted surges of which feel almost metallic in their root — like someone between vocalist/keyboardist Isabelle Bapté, guitarist Jens Stöver, bassist Florian Kiefer and drummer Johannes Braunstein once played in a harder-focused project. Still, as their debut LP after just a 2017 EP, the seven-song/43-minute Tales shows a looser rumble in “Devil’s Voice” behind Bapté, and there’s a persona and perspective taking shape in the songs. It’ll be hard work for them to stand out, but given what I hear in these tracks, both their psych edge and that sharper underpinning will be assets in their favor along with the sense of performance they bring.

Sound of Smoke on Facebook

Tonzonen Records website

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Red Mesa, Forest Cathedral

Coming off their 2020 full-length, The Path to the Deathless (review here), Albuquerque-based trio Red Mesa — guitarist/vocalist Brad Frye, bassist/vocalist Alex Cantwell, who alternates here with Frye, and drummer/backing vocalist Roman Barham, who may or may not also join in on the song’s willfully lumbering midsection — take a stated turn toward doom with the 5:50 Forest Cathedral single. The grittier groove suits them, and the increasing sharing of vocals (which includes backing), makes them a more complex act overall, but there’s not necessarily anything in “Forest Cathedral” to make one think it’s some radical shift in another direction, which there was enough of on The Path to the Deathless to warrant a guest appearance from Dave Sherman of Earthride. Still, they continue to do it well, and honing in on this particular sound, whether something they do periodically to change it up, never touch again after this, or see as a new way to go all-in, I’m content to follow along and see where it goes.

Red Mesa on Facebook

Desert Records BigCartel store

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Margarita Witch Cult, Witchfinder

In keeping with the tradition of over-the-top weed-doom band names, Margarita Witch Cult crawl forth from the birthplace of sonic weight, Birmingham, UK, with their debut two-songer cassingle-looking CD/DL Witchfinder. That’s not the only tradition they’re keeping. See also the classic riffer doom they capture in their practice space on the not-tape and the resulting rawness of “The Witchfinder Comes” and “Aradia,” bot nodders preaching Iommic truths. There’s a bit more scorch in the solo on “Aradia,” but that could honestly mean the microphone moved, and either way, they also keep the tradition of many such UK acts with goofball monikers in actually being pretty right on. Of course, they’re in one of the most crowded heavy undergrounds anywhere in the world, but there’s a lot to be said for taking doom rock and stripping it bare as they do on these tracks, the very least of which is that it would probably work really well on tape. If I was at the gig and I saw it on the merch table, I’d snag and look forward to more. I’ll do the same with the Bandcamp.

Margarita Witch Cult on Facebook

Margarita Witch Cult on Bandcamp

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In the wreck that was 2020, I somehow missed that long-running Swedish classic heavy rockers Siena Root had put out a new album. Frankly I’m embarrassed to admit that. Nonetheless, when Revelation follows The Secret of Our Time as the group’s second album with Zubaida Solid on vocals and Johan Borgström stepping in as their lone full-time guitarist, I’m not about to make the same mistake twice.

The band have signed to Metalville Records for the new outing and while there’s no audio from Revelation yet, the fact that it’s not coming out until Aug. 19 — the second half of next year, already — means there’s plenty of time for such things before we get there. I won’t pretend to know what the world will look like by then or what the state of vinyl pressing will be.

Still, new Siena Root is good news in whatever contextual apocalypse it might show up. Here’s word from the PR wire:

SIENA ROOT sign with METALVILLE, prepare new album

Metalville Records is proud to welcome Siena Root to its roster. The band’s new studio album, Revelation, will be released on August 19th, 2022.

“Dynamic Root Rock Experience” is the term Siena Root use to describe their music. And it is exactly this experience that makes the Swedes’ new album Revelation, so attractive to the listener: an uncompromising mixture of hypnotizing rhythms, heavy riffs, beautiful solos, and emotional vocals. The band fuses eastern acoustic folk melodies with hard rock and Nordic wilderness.

In 20 years of band history, Siena Root have constantly worked on something new, changed their approach, and experimented a lot.

Revelation has become the most versatile in Siena Root’s career; the band jumps between strong melodies and beautiful harmonies, led by a fantastic female voice. For this, the band used exclusively analog equipment, as usual. With their incredible range of different styles, the 11 tracks show the band’s musical ingenuity, recorded by experienced musicians who have a perfect sense for the right moment when handmade root rock is to be served.

Tracklisting and first track to be revealed in time. Cover artwork for Revelation is as follows.

DISCOGRAPHY
The Secret of Our Time – Album (2020)
In the Fire – 7″ Single (2019)
A Dream of Lasting Peace – Album (2017)
Pioneers – Album (2014)
Conveniently Blind – 7″ Single (2013)
Root Jam – Double Live Album (2011)
Kalejdoskop – Live DVD (2010)
Different Realities – Album (2009)
Far From The Sun – Album (2008)
Kaleidoscope – Album (2006)
Mountain Songs – 7″ Single (2005)
A New Day Dawning – Double Album (2004)

SIENA ROOT lineup
Sam Riffer – bass
Love Forsberg – percussion
Zubaida Solid – vocals
Johan Borgström – guitar

https://www.facebook.com/sienaroot
https://sienaroot.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sienaroot/
http://www.sienaroot.com/
www.metalville.de
www.facebook.com/metalville

Siena Root, The Secret of Our Time (2020)

Earlier this year, guitarist Christian Carlsson of Swedish heavy rockers The Quill discussed being in the band for 30 years and how those relationships have shaped his life over that time. The Quill‘s latest studio album, Earthrise, is a modern wonder for lovers of classic heavy; the band, who’ve never seemed short on swagger thanks in no small part to the soaring vocals of frontman Magnus Ekwall nonetheless holding to the structural traditions of rock and roll craftsmanship. One might call them straightforward, but that says little of the quality of their work or the manner in which their approach has developed over the last three decades.

Good band? Yes, thanks for asking. New rare-and-unreleased collection coming out in January? Works for me. With as much history as they have to cover, who’s gonna complain? Jerks. Jerks and goons will complain. For the rest of us, Jan. 28 is the release date.

From the PR wire:

The Quill – Live, New, Borrowed, Blue

Metalville Records announces January 28th, 2022 as the international release date for The Quill’s Live, New, Borrowed, Blue, a personal selection of unreleased song treasures from their long career.

Digging through old boxes, you find stuff you’ve totally forgotten about – and every once in a while, you find old nuggets well worth rediscovering again. And when you’ve been active as a band for a long time, you always find songs that didn’t fit into the usual album format.

For the reasons we know, The Quill had a lot of free time last year to look through the remaining tracks to shorten the waiting time for the next studio album for the fans. Live, New, Borrowed, Blue contains tracks from the sessions for the last album Earthrise as well as some cover songs that The Quill recorded in the late ’90s for various tribute albums that are now long out of print. As a kind of icing on the cake, there are also two live tracks from the Sweden Rock Festival 2019, as a reminder of this fantastic performance.

First track premiere to be revealed shortly.

Tracklisting for The Quill’s Live, New, Borrowed, Blue
1. Keep On Moving (Extended Version)
2. S.O.S. (Too Bad)
3. Children Of The Sun
4. Where Eagles Dare
5. Keep It Together (Live)
6. Mount Everest
7. Burning Tree
8. Frozen Over
9. Hole In My Head (Live)

THE QUILL lineup
Magnus Ekwall: vocals (Ayreon, Mountain of Power)
Christian Carlsson: guitar (Cirkus Prütz)
Roger Nilsson: bass (Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy, Firebird)
Jolle Atlagic: drums (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird)

https://www.facebook.com/thequillsweden/
http://twitter.com/thequillsweden
http://www.thequill.se/
https://www.facebook.com/Metalville/
https://twitter.com/metalviller
http://www.metalville.de/

The Quill, “Keep on Moving” official video