Posted in Reviews on September 13th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Before Show
Desertfest New York 2024 gets underway in less than an hour. The annual pre-party has been held at Saint Vitus Bar for every edition of the caricature festival to-date, but of course the Vitus’ being shut down precludes that, so it’s up to The Meadows to fill those shoes for the evening. That’s no small task. Show me somebody who doesn’t think venue matters and I’ll show you someone who has never felt like a rock show was home. In any case, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Desertfest hasn’t let its attendees down yet.
Four bands tonight. It’s Thursday, and though I find my eyes wandering over the next two days of the schedule above, tonight is a more than solid kickoff, with Legions of Doom celebrating their debut album, The Skull 3, picking up where The Skull left off following the death of The Skull frontman Eric Wagner, as well as Satan’s Satyrs and Mirror Queen, who both have new records out, and Mustafina opening, from whom I could find no audio streaming. Clearly worth putting sneakers on for, despite the sandal-ready weather.
A two-hour dove to get here reaffirmed my decision to stay in the city this year. That’s a choice not without some level of investment, but I tried to do commuterfest last year and it was hard and I sucked at it, so The Patient Mrs. was well on board with getting my ass out of the house during fest time rather than have me try to cover a thing with one foot in domestic life. I am loved and cared for. I will do my best to do justice to that love and care by not getting towed this weekend. Fingers crossed.
Doors at 6 was applied casually, but the line wasn’t bad by any means. I had a few minutes to stand around awkwardly and not know where to put myself. Shit that I should’ve learned before middle-age. Alas.
The night went like this:
Mustafina
They loosened up as the set went on, and the crowd warmed accordingly. Some connection to AmRep, maybe? Obviously it was my first time at the dance with Mustafina, from New York. They bill themselves as psychedelic punk, and that might not be wrong, but there was more to it than that, with quirk and bounce in the bass and a crunch of guitar tone that indeed felt NY-punker in its root — at least mostly; they hit into a couple bluesier nods as well, and that was welcome; “Metasin” might have been one, if I have it right on the setlist, which I assume I don’t — but a healthy dose of grunge mixed in with that and the dude standing next to me (his name is Eric, he’s from Tennessee, works from home, has a badass backyard and it was nice to chat) cited Mr. Bungle, so I guess it’s fair to say the sound was open for interpretation. That’s not a weakness as a new band gets going — and Mustafina are that, whatever else the members have or haven’t done on whichever legendary noise rock label — but there was a definite moment where it all gelled and from there the groove came easy. For knowing nothing about them going into the set, I felt like by the finish they gave a decent sense of their persona and scope, and I’ll keep an eye for the record when the time comes.
Mirror Queen
Their new album is called Dying Days, and its title-track and “Strider” — which guitarist/vocalist Kenny Sehgal said, “only has like 85 parts” — featured in the set along with the more familiar “Riders” and “Scaffold in the Sky” and a closing cover they said was obscure and sure enough, I didn’t know the provenance from which “Lizzy” came. They’re a reliable good time in my mind. I stood by the bass side of the stage, and dug into the bouncing classic progressive heavy that is such a staple of the NYC underground in my mind. Sehgal, who doubles as the head of Tee Pee Records, mentioned it was kind of a label night — which bodes well for Mustafina, I suppose — and the various releases out. It would be very easy to spend a lot of money at Tee Pee’s table this weekend. If I had any, I might be concerned about that. It was by no means the longest set I’ve ever seen Mirror Queen play, but they know how to make a song that has 85 parts (allegedly) still be a good time to a room that doesn’t already know it, and that’s not an easy thing to do or something to take for granted, even though, yes, I very much take Mirror Queen for granted. There has to be some tradeoff for that two-hour drive to get here. New York has to have an upside.
Satan’s Satyrs
Tore it up. That’s the long and short of it. Sean Saley on drums was a treat; 10 years ago I watched him bash and bash his kit in Pentagram on two successive tours, and tonight was the same story, only faster. I said hi. Plus Morgan McDaniel, who had just played in Mirror Queen, doing double duty. Neither is original to Satan’s Satyrs, but hell, the energy, the drive. Killer set. Big change in vibe from Mirror Queen, whose style is downright soothing in comparison to the brashness on display from the Virginian outfit, who were reborn around bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess and guitarist Jarrett Nettnin last year after however long it was since they last did a thing. It wasn’t a huge stage at The Meadows, but they used every inch of it, Burgess back and forth like a ’79s thrash icon if such a thing ever existed or could possibly exist, and the swagger was backed up by the charge of the material itself; yeah, new album. I haven’t really dug into it yet — only so many hours in the day — but if it’s got a quarter of what they brought to the stage they’d still be readily kicking ass. I wondered how Legions of Doom could possibly keep up.
Legions of Doom
Then they came out with Karl Agell fronting the band and opened with “Dance of the Dead” from C.O.C.’s Blind record, which I’ve had in my head since I was about 10 years old, and I don’t know what anyone else did in the room, but I certainly lost my shit. In addition to songs from their aforementioned new album, The Skull 3 — a title that does better with context, yes — and bringing out Scott Reagers (original Saint Vitus singer; he shouted out Saint Vitus Bar) to do “War is Our Destiny” and to trade off fronting the band with Agell, they did a few Trouble cuts in “The Wolf” and set-capper “Psychotic Reaction,” and it was a celebration of all of it, including the new stuff and The Skull’s “For Those Which Are Asleep,” which was a highlight even among the highlights. Agell coming back out, “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have a pressing engagement with your cat or your couch?” They thanked Desertfest and Tee Pee and were a doomed pleasure to behold front to back. The place started to clear out as it edged toward 11PM, so maybe there were a couple couchly appointments to keep, but I knew I didn’t need to drive home after, so sticking around was no problem. I’m glad I did. Reagers and Agell sharing “Psychotic Reaction” was priceless.
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More tomorrow, of course, but it was a rousing start, to be sure. My back? Killing me. Gonna think really hard about whether I need the big lens tomorrow, but I’ve got time to dwell on it. Until then, there’s more pics after the jump, and thanks for reading. If you’re here, lucky you.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 19th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Hell yes I’m down for some new Mirror Queen, and the concept gets even more enticing as initial single “Closing in the Gap” accounts for the various sides of the long-running NYC troupe’s sound in classic boogie and progressive rock melodies, and even some NWOBHM-isms as it answers the initial chug by riding its circa-’75 solo into the fade. The record is called Dying Days and its slated Sept. 27 release comes a mere two years behind the band’s Inviolate (review here). That outing followed similar principles, and I’d expect Kenny and company to keep the balance of elements as fluid as ever, as they’ve long since proven able to lean into one aspect or another of their approach in order to suit the needs of the material and a full-album flow. If you need further demonstration of that, the single is at the bottom of this post.
I’d love to tell you more about the LP, but I haven’t heard it yet. The announcement below is light on details in terms of the who-what-where-when stuff of the recording — expecting a press release five minutes after this post goes live today — but it’s got the preorder link and the song and I guess the rest speaks for itself. At least for now.
Cover art and sundry from social media:
NEW RELEASE /// NYC’s hard psych quartet Mirror Queen return with new album and single on Tee Pee Records
Due for release this fall, Dying Days offers a heady mix of psych, prog, and NWOBHM-isms and counts UFO, Wishbone Ash, and Iron Maiden amongst its influences. Their primary intent is to shoot their audience through a cannon of volume, hooks, and timeless riffs as frontman Kenny Kreisor explains:
“With Dying Days we’ve explored more progressive and melodic aspects of the band, without losing any of that Marshall crunch and metallic sheen. As always, our aim is to craft songs that can be cranked where it matters; live and in your headphones!” 🎧
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 7th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
A righteous dose of lineup additions to Desertfest NYC 2024 today puts High on Fire and Amenra at the top of the bill thus far along with the previously announced Russian Circles, and unveils the bands who’ll play the pre-party as The Skull-offshoot Legions of Doom, Tee Pee Records‘ house classic heavy proggers Mirror Queen, the revamped Satan’s Satyrs, and Mustafina.
All well and good, don’t get me wrong. Killer, all the way through. For me though, the personal highlight here is Spaceslug coming from Poland to play, hopefully on the main stage at the Knockdown Center. Not only is their new album the latest in a string of immersive heavy psych semi-metal explorations, but right around the end of last year, I was angling trying to get myself out to Vegas to see them at Planet Desert Rock Weekend, where they featured this past January. The thought of seeing them in Brooklyn takes some of the sting out of missing their first US appearance, and as that will occur among the likes of Primitive Man, Blackwater Holylight and Spirit Mother, so much the better.
If you’re not from New York and have ever thought about traveling there, take a gander at the following:
DESERTFEST NEW YORK ANNOUNCES HIGH ON FIRE, AMENRA, PRIMITIVE MAN, BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT, SPACESLUG + MORE FOR 2024 EDITION
Performing at the Knockdown Center please welcome… ↠ High On Fire ↠ Amenra ↠ PRIMITIVE MAN ↠ Blackwater Holylight ↠ Spaceslug ↠ Spirit Mother
Who will all be joining the likes of Russian Circles, Acid King, GREEN LUNG, Truckfighters, Dozer, BelzebonG for the 4th edition of our independent East Coast venture, celebrating the best in underground heavy music! With more still to announce, including day splits – which will be released in July.
We are extremely proud of this line-up and the amount of EU bands we are able to bring over to you! Plus we are thrilled to welcome doom metal super-group Legions of Doom (ft. members of Trouble, Saint Vitus, The Skull & COC) to headline our SOLD OUT pre-party, hosted by TeePee Records alongside the return of Satan’s Satyrs, plus local heroes Mirror Queen & Mustafina!
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
After calling off a trip to Europe this month to play alongside Tee Pee labelmates Danava, long-running New York classic heavy proggers Mirror Queen, Sons of Kreisor, Coverers of Captain Beyond, etc., etc. — they are a band with many titles — will return to the road at the end of October. They’ve got a week-long Midwestern tour assembled, and they’ll be joined by Black Moon Cult for it. They go supporting 2022’s Inviolate (review here), which grooved with laid back ’70s heft in a way that was not vintage but definitely picking and choosing its influences and leaving out a few of the crappier decades. You know what I’m talking about.
Before they go, Mirror Queen are set to provide hometown representation at The Kingsland in Brooklyn supporting Freedom Hawk on Sept. 3, which, uh, is this weekend because apparently that’s where we are on the calendar. Last time I saw them was 2019 at the Saint Vitus Bar (review here) with Nebula, Sasquatch and Geezer, and they’re no strangers to picking up the support slot on an out-of-towner-type gig, when they’re not the out of towners themselves, so I expect that’ll be a good time. That was one of the last shows I saw before the pandemic hit. I don’t regret going to it.
The band put the dates up on social media, which is I guess what you do with tour dates. We all are subject to the mercies of the algorithm. In any case, they’ll be at the following wheres and whens:
10.29 Howard’s Club Bowling Green OH 10.30 Buzzbin Akron OH 10.31 Dead City/Halo Live Sandusky OH 11.01 Black Circle Brewing Indianapolis IN 11.02 Livewire Lounge Chicago IL 11.03 McAlpine Meadery Beach City OH 11.04 The Mothership Mansfield OH
Mirror Queen is Kenny Kreisor (guitar/vocals), Jeremy O’Brien (drums), James Corallo (bass/backing vocals) and Morgan McDaniel (guitar).
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I’m not going to pretend to have heard every band in this 16-strong announcement from Portugal’s SonicBlast Fest 2023, and honestly, that’s part of the appeal as far as I’m concerned. And if you’re looking for bigger names, certainly bringing in The Black Angels and Thuston Moore of Sonic Youth ought to qualify. But check out Mythic Sunship being confirmed, Mirror Queen heading abroad once again from their home in New York, Dozer supporting their first album in 15 years, Crippled Black Phoenix bringing their thoroughly English gloom to the otherwise sunshiny proceedings, Sasquatch pushing their forever-tour further presumably after completing the recording of their next LP, Danava and Love Gang both supporting new releases, on and on.
Is this the part where I tell you how killer the lineup looks and perhaps list off the various parts of my body I’d cut off in order to attend? Yeah, probably. But my own escapism aside, you can see for yourself what SonicBlast has put together in terms of a diverse range of sounds based around a unifying heavy ideal, and between the new names and those previously confirmed, it seems like it’s going to be a special couple days for those attending as well as the bands actually playing the thing. Maybe that could be you too.
Here’s the latest from social media:
We’re so proud and honored to announce 16 more bands that’ll blow our minds this summer, at SonicBlast Fest 2023 — The Black Angels, Thurston Moore Group, Bombino, Dozer, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX (official), Imarhan, Hällas, Scowl, SPY, Sasquatch, LOVE GANG, Mythic Sunship, Etran de L’Aïr, DANAVA, Mirror Queen and scatterbrainiac!!
Join us in this crazy heavy psychedelic weekend by the ocean at Praia da Duna dos Caldeirões, Âncora, Portugal!
Posted in Reviews on September 30th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Guess this is it, huh? Always bittersweet, the end of a Quarterly Review. Bitter, because there’s still a ton of albums waiting on my desktop to be reviewed, and certainly more that have come along over the course of the last two weeks looking for coverage. Sweet because when I finish here I’ll have written about 100 albums, added a bunch of stuff to my year-end lists, and managed to keep the remaining vestiges of my sanity. If you’ve kept up, I hope you’ve enjoyed doing so. And if you haven’t, all 10 of the posts are here.
Thanks for reading.
Quarterly Review #91-100:
Hazemaze, Blinded by the Wicked
This is one of 2022’s best records cast in dark-riffed, heavy garage-style doom rock. I admit I’m late to the party for Hazemaze‘s third album and Heavy Psych Sounds label debut, Blinded by the Wicked, but what a party it is. The Swedish three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Ludvig Andersson, bassist Estefan Carrillo and drummer Nils Eineus position themselves as a lumbering forerunner of modern cultist heavy, presenting the post-“In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” lumber of “In the Night of the Light, for the Dark” and “Ethereal Disillusion” (bassline in the latter) with a clarity of purpose and sureness that builds even on what the trio accomplished with 2019’s Hymns for the Damned (review here), opening with the longest track (immediate points) “Malevolent Inveigler” and setting up a devil-as-metaphor-for-now lyrical bent alongside the roll of “In the Night of the Light, for the Dark” and the chugging-through-mud “Devil’s Spawn.” Separated by the “Planet Caravan”-y instrumental “Sectatores et Principes,” the final three tracks are relatively shorter than the first four, but there’s still space for a bass-backed organ solo in “Ceremonial Aspersion,” and the particularly Electric Wizardian “Divine Harlotry” leads effectively into the closer “Lucifierian Rite,” which caps with surprising bounce in its apex and underscores the level of songwriting throughout. Just a band nailing their sound, that’s all. Seems like maybe the kind of party you’d want to be on time for.
Released as a name-your-price benefit EP in July to help raise funds for the Ukrainian war effort, Track by Track is two songs London’s Elephant Tree recorded at the Netherlands’ Sonic Whip Festival in May of this year, “Sails” and “The Fall Chorus” — here just “Fall Chorus” — from 2020’s Habits (review here), on which the four-piece is joined by cellist Joe Butler and violinst Charlie Davis, fleshing out especially the quieter “Fall Chorus,” but definitely making their presence felt on “Sails” as well in accompanying what was one of Habits‘ strongest hooks. And the strings are all well and good, but the live harmonies on “Sails” between guitarist Jack Townley, bassist Peter Holland and guitarist/keyboardist John Slattery — arriving atop the e’er-reliable fluidity of Sam Hart‘s drumming — are perhaps even more of a highlight. Was the whole set recorded? If so, where’s that? “Fall Chorus” is more subdued and atmospheric, but likewise gorgeous, the cello and violin lending an almost Americana feel to the now-lush second-half bridge of the acoustic track. Special band, moment worth capturing, cause worth supporting. The classic no-brainer purchase.
Between Telekinetic Yeti, Mythic Sunship and Limousine Beach (not to mention Comet Control last year), Tee Pee Records has continued to offer distinct and righteous incarnations of heavy rock, and Mirror Queen‘s classic-prog-influenced strutter riffs on Inviolate fit right in. The long-running project led by guitarist/vocalist Kenny Kreisor (also the head of Tee Pee) and drummer Jeremy O’Brien is bolstered through the lead guitar work of Morgan McDaniel (ex-The Golden Grass) and the smooth low end of bassist James Corallo, and five years after 2017’s Verdigris (review here), their flowing heavy progressive rock nudges into the occult on “The Devil Seeks Control” while maintaining its ’70s-rock-meets-’80s-metal gallop, and hard-boogies in the duly shredded “A Rider on the Rain,” where experiments both in vocal effects and Mellotron sounds work well next to proto-thrash urgency. Proggers like “Inside an Icy Light,” “Sea of Tranquility” and the penultimate “Coming Round with Second Sight” show the band in top form, comfortable in tempo but still exploring, and they finish with the title-track’s highlight chorus and a well-layered, deceptively immersive wash of melody. Can’t and wouldn’t ask for more than they give here; Inviolate is a tour de force for Mirror Queen, demonstrating plainly what NYC club shows have known since the days when Aytobach Kreisor roamed the earth two decades ago.
Los Angeles-based four-piece Faetooth — guitarist/vocalist Ashla Chavez Razzano, bassist/vocalist Jenna Garcia, guitarist/vocalist Ari May, drummer Rah Kanan — make their full-length debut through Dune Altar with the atmospheric sludge doom of Remnants of the Vessel, meeting post-apocalyptic vibes as intro “(i) Naissance” leads into initial single “Echolalia,” the more spaced-out “La Sorcie|Cre” (or something like that; I think my filename got messed up) and the yet-harsher doom of “She Cast a Shadow” before the feedback-soaked interlude “(ii) Limbo” unfurls its tortured course. Blending clean croons and more biting screams assures a lack of predictability as they roll through “Remains,” the black metal-style cave echo there adding to the extremity in a way that the subsequent “Discarnate” pushes even further ahead of the nodding, you’re-still-doomed heavy-gaze of “Strange Ways.” They save the epic for last, however, with “(iii) Moribund” a minute-long organ piece leading directly into “Saturn Devouring His Son,” a nine-and-a-half-minute willful lurch toward an apex that has the majesty of death-doom and a crux of melody that doesn’t just shout out Faetooth‘s forward potential but also points to what they’ve already accomplished on Remnants of the Vessel. If this band tours, look out.
Ferocious and weighted in kind, Behold! The Monolith‘s fourth full-length and first for Ripple Music, From the Fathomless Deep finds the Los Angeles trio taking cues from progressive death metal and riff-based sludge in with a modern severity of purpose that is unmistakably heavy. Bookended by opener “Crown/The Immeasurable Void” (9:31) and closer “Stormbreaker Suite” (11:35), the six-track/45-minute offering — the band’s first since 2015’s Architects of the Void (review here) — brims with extremity and is no less intense in the crawling “Psychlopean Dread” than on the subsequent ripper “Spirit Taker” or its deathsludge-rocking companion “This Wailing Blade,” calling to mind some of what Yatra have been pushing on the opposite coast until the solo hits. The trades between onslaughts and acoustic parts are there but neither overdone nor overly telegraphed, and “The Seams of Pangea” (8:56) pairs evocative ambience with crushing volume and comes out sounding neither hackneyed nor overly poised. Extreme times call for extreme riffs? Maybe, but the bludgeoning on offer in From the Fathomless Deep speaks to a push into darkness that’s been going on over a longer term. Consuming.
The second album from Nashville’s The Swell Fellas — who I’m sure are great guys — the five-song/32-minute Novaturia encapsulates an otherworldly atmosphere laced with patient effects soundscapes, echo and moody presence, but is undeniably heavy, the opener “Something’s There…” drawing the listener deeper into “High Lightsolate,” the eight-plus minutes of which roll out with technical intricacy bent toward an outward impression of depth, a solo in the midsection carrying enough scorch for the LP as a whole but still just part of the song’s greater procession, which ends with percussive nuance and vocal melody before giving way to the acoustic interlude “Caesura,” a direct lead-in for the noisy arrival of the okay-now-we-riff “Wet Cement.” The single-ready penultimate cut is a purposeful banger, going big at its finish only after topping its immediate rhythmic momentum with ethereal vocals for a progressive effect, and as elliptically-bookending finisher “…Another Realm” nears 11 minutes, its course is its own in manifesting prior shadows of progressive and atmospheric heavy rock into concrete, crafted realizations. There’s even some more shred for good measure, brought to bear with due spaciousness through Mikey Allred‘s production. It’s a quick offering, but offers substance and reach beyond its actual runtime. They’re onto something, and I think they know it, too.
Stockhausen & the Amplified Riot, Era of the Inauthentic
For years, it has seemed Houston-based guitarist/songwriter Paul Chavez (Funeral Horse, Cactus Flowers, Baby Birds, Art Institute) has searched for a project able to contain his weirdo impulses. Stockhausen & the Amplified Riot — begun with Era of the Inauthentic as a solo-project plus — is the latest incarnation of this effort, and its krautrock-meets-hooky-proto-punk vibe indeed wants nothing for weird. “Adolescent Lightning” and “Hunky Punk” are a catchy opening salvo, and “What if it Never Ends” provokes a smile by garage-rock riffing over a ’90s dance beat to a howling finish, while the 11-minute “Tilde Mae” turns early-aughts indie jangle into a maddeningly repetitive mindfuck for its first nine minutes, mercifully shifting into a less stomach-clenching groove for the remainder before closer “Intubation Blues” melds more dance beats with harmonica and last sweep. Will the band, such as it is, at last be a home for Chavez over the longer term, or is it merely another stop on the way? I don’t know. But there’s no one else doing what he does here, and since the goal seems to be individualism and experimentalism, both those ideals are upheld to an oddly charming degree. Approach without expectations.
Nothing is Real stand ready to turn mundane miseries into darkly ethereal noise, drawing from sludge and an indefinable litany of extreme metals. The End is Near is both the Los Angeles unit’s most cohesive work to-date and its most accomplished, building on the ambient mire of earlier offerings with a down-into-the-ground churn on lead single “THE (Pt. 2).” All of the songs, incidentally, comprise the title of the album, with four of “THE” followed by two “END” pieces, two “IS”es and three “NEAR”s to close. An maybe-unhealthy dose of sample-laced interlude-type works — each section has an intro, and so on — assure that Nothing is Real‘s penchant for atmospheric crush isn’t misplaced, and the band’s uptick in production value means that the vastness and blackened psychedelia of 10-minute centerpiece “END” shows the abyssal depths being plunged in their starkest light. Capping with “NEAR (Pt. 1),” jazzy metal into freneticism, back to jazzy metal, and “NEAR (Pt. 2),” epic shred emerging from hypnotic ambience, like Jeff Hanneman ripping open YOB, The End is Near resonates with a sickened intensity that, again, it shares in common with the band’s past work, but is operating at a new level of complexity across its intentionally unmanageable 63 minutes. Nothing is Real is on their own wavelength and it is a place of horror.
Copenhagen heavy psych collective Red Lama — and I’m sorry, but if you’ve got more than five people in your band, you’re a collective — brim with pastoral escapism throughout Memory Terrain, their third album and the follow-up to 2018’s Motions (discussed here) and its companion EP, Dogma (review here). Progressive in texture but with an open sensibility at their core, pieces like the title-track unfold long-song breadth in accessible spans, the earlier “Airborne” moving from the jazzy beginning of “Gentleman” into a more tripped-out All Them Witches vein. Elsewhere, “Someone” explores krautrock intricacies before synthing toward its last lines, and “Paint a Picture” exudes pop urgency before washing it away on a repeating, sweeping tide. Range and dynamic aren’t new for Red Lama, but I’m hard-pressed to think of as dramatic a one-two turn as the psych-wash-into-electro-informed-dance-brood that takes place between “Shaking My Bones” and “Chaos is the Plan” — lest one neglect the urbane shuffle of “Justified” prior — though by that point Red Lama have made it apparent they’re ready to lead the listener wherever whims may dictate. That’s a significant amount of ground to cover, but they do it.
Existing in multiple avenues of progressive heavy rock and extreme metal, Echolot‘s Curatio only has four tracks, but each of those tracks has more range than the career arcs of most bands. Beginning with two 10-minute tracks in “Burden of Sorrows” (video premiered here) and “Countess of Ice,” they set a pattern of moving between melancholic heavy prog and black metal, the latter piece clearer in telegraphing its intentions after the opener, and introducing its “heavy part” to come with clean vocals overtop in the middle of the song, dramatic and fiery as it is. “Resilience of Floating Forms” (a mere 8:55) begins quiet and works into a post-black metal wash of melody before the double-kick and screams take hold, announcing a coming attack that — wait for it — doesn’t actually come, the band instead moving into falsetto and a more weighted but still clean verse before peeling back the curtain on the death growls and throatrippers, cymbals threatening to engulf all but still letting everything else cut through. Also eight minutes, “Wildfire” closes by flipping the structure of the opening salvo, putting the nastiness at the fore while progging out later, in this case closing Curatio with a winding movement of keys and an overarching groove that is only punishing for the fact that it’s the end. If you ever read a Quarterly Review around here, you know I like to do myself favors on the last day in choosing what to cover. It is no coincidence that Curatio is included. Not every record could be #100 and still make you excited to hear it.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
The first single from Mirror Queen‘s new album, Inviolate, is the title-track, which closes the seven-tracker. Set to release on June 24, Inviolate is the fourth long-player from the NYC-based outfit, whose New Yorkness extends further back with guitarist/vocalist Kenny Sehgal‘s tenure in Kreisor and his position as honcho of the much-respected Tee Pee Records. “Inviolate” itself was premiered here with a video in 2018 as the band began a European tour to support their 2017 full-length, Verdigris (review here).
I don’t know if the album has been in the works for that long and it was pieced together or if it’s a new recording or what, but listening to it now, I’m reminded of just how fluid the band makes mellow classic heavy rock feel. Shifting between proggier fare and more straight-ahead — what used to be called “radio friendly” — verses and choruses, Mirror Queen‘s songs are pulled together by organic performances and a laid back vibe. The riffs abide. I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that.
New album June 24?
MIRROR QUEEN SLATE JUNE 24 RELEASE DATE FOR NEW ALBUM: INVIOLATE
TEE PEE RECORDS RELEASE PREVIEW WITH THE RELEASE OF THE ALBUM’S TITLE TRACK
Mirror Queen, the NY-based stoner rock outfit release their new album, Inviolate, on June 24 via Tee Pee Records.
“On this album we’re continuing to collaborate among the members more so than ever, exploring the riffs, hooks, and melodies – everything from classic pop to favorite prog moves has been fair game to be included in our hard rock stew. Doing our own thing: Inviolate, ” says vocalist/guitar player Kenny Kreisor.
The band, who performed at both the New York and European versions of Desertfest 2019, recorded the self-produced, 7-song collection at Flux Studios in Alphabet City, Manhattan. Album pre-orders are available here: https://bit.ly/MIRRORQUEENINVIOLATE
A late Summer tour will be announced soon, with a record release show slated for June 25 show at Union Pool.
Inviolate cover art by Malleus Art Labs
Inviolate track list:
Inside An Icy Light Sea of Tranquility The Devil Seeks Control Witching Hour A Rider On The Train Coming Round With Second Sight Inviolate
Mirror Queen is Kenny Kreisor (guitar/vocals), Jeremy O’Brien (drums), James Corallo (bass/backing vocals) and Morgan McDaniel (guitar). The New York-based band have released three albums: Verdigris (2017), Scaffolds of the Sky (2015) and From Earth Below (2011).
Posted in Questionnaire on March 15th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Morgan McDaniel of Mirror Queen
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I would say I play the guitar like trying to figure out which is the right doorbell. I enjoy few things more than music and am delighted that I have been presented opportunities to travel and deal high volume riffs to those who wish to listen (and otherwise). I came to do it and continue to do it with an all encompassing word — persistence. You must always work towards whatever it is you want and never be disillusioned by fear of failure, expectation or convention.
Describe your first musical memory.
My first real musical memory is my father introducing me to the Doors and The Kinks at a young age. While that didn’t kick me into full musical gear at that age it certainly left its effects as the latter remains one of my constantly favorite groups to revisit.
The first one of significant impact was the first lesson with second guitar teacher (since clearly the first one didn’t motivate me) Tor Synder, showing me the very barebone basics (string tunings and partial chords). Then before leaving me he (having played an acoustic for the duration of the lesson) asked to see my “Ion” brand strat knock off my parents had bought at Urban Outfitters for $100 (a real quality instrument). He then proceeded to play all of the Hendrix riffs at his disposal. I remember all I knew about Hendrix at that time was the name but I knew exactly whose music I was listening to and that was the thing for me. Side note, the week following he introduced me to Scorpions (Uli Jon Roth years), UFO and Rainbow. The world needs more people like that fella.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Opening for Deep Purple [with The Golden Grass] at Capitol Theatre. Besides the obvious reasons for that being something I look back on fondly, what sticks out most was watching Deep Purple play from every possible vantage point. At one point I found myself watching from the staircase on the balcony (trying not to obstruct any views) when someone tugged on my shoulder. I had figured it would have been a “hey buddy, get out of the way” but was pleasantly greeted by an usher who gave a solid “that was a great set,” then I promptly thanked them, watched for a second longer and got out of the way.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
My first European tour. As a 19 year old with no steady employment, no (formal) college education, a sprained wrist (as a bass player auditioning for a power trio, that was quite the intimidating predicament) and maybe a little over a month to rehearse. The idea of (in a sense) escaping the lack of (in a sense) purpose ‘back home’ was a welcome thought. However, when the reality sets in, relationships break down and at times you don’t know if you are really enjoying yourself then you are really forced to contemplate on whether you made the right choices. Luckily the verdict on my end was it was and I would do the same a hundred times over.
The last show of that tour was to a packed house in the Green Room stage at Roadburn which is a close second on the fondest memory front and the beliefs of right and wrong were null.
Where do you feel artist progression leads?
Up, down, left, right, all around. It leads wherever you want it to and even where you don’t. The ultimate destination being discovery, realization and enjoyment for oneself as well as others.
How would you define success?
Being happy, content yet ambitious in any venture one decides to embark on.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
One stands out vividly but I will save that for my book….
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
The perfectly disguised pop song. An unconventionally structured, familiar but new monstrosity that is as easy at it is to listen to as it is to analyze. Then I’d hope to write a few more in that vein.
Also working on a film score sounds like an arduous yet rewarding project.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
The most essential function of art in my humble opinion is the freedom of interpretation it emanates (solicits/elicits). The term “universal language” is as justifiable as it is cliché when describing music as it acts as a healer, reminder of distant memories both good and bad, an equalizer of interest and anything/everything in between.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Travelling, hanging out with all my friends in a dirty bar, oh and giving my mom a big hug.
