Foehammer to Debut New Lineup at Grim Reefer Fest in Baltimore

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 9th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Rest assured that in any likely incarnation, Foehammer will remain devastating. The Virginian extreme-heavy specialists released their 2022 sophomore outing, Monumentum (discussed here), through Silent Pendulum Records and seem e’er-ready to unleash their raw death sludge on whoever might be in their path. Led by founding guitarist/vocalist Jay Cardinell, the band was a two-piece on that record and as they move inexorably toward their third sometime in the next however long, they’ve reemerged as a trio. Wouldn’t it be fun if for every record they put out, they got to add another player to the band? Like, that’s the game? What would a six-piece Foehammer sound like?

Loud. They would be loud. They’re loud now, so maybe they can save the trouble.

Newly arrived to the lineup are drummer Ben Proudman (Thonian HordeBlack Blizzard, etc.) and bassist Tim Reaper. This manifestation of Foehammer will make their live debut at Grim Reefer Fest in Baltimore in three weeks, playing alongside YatraBlack LungWeedeaterLeather LungTelekinetic Yeti, Haze Mage and more. Details on that are here. No doubt more will follow. I have no idea if they’re working on new material or anything yet, but either way, they might want to get a set sorted out first, which no doubt they already have.

Cardinell put the following on the ol’ sociables, and I do believe him in the assessment he offers of the new lineup:

foehammer

Very excited to finally announce this. We have an all new lineup featuring two old friends of mine – Tim Reaper @timreaper666 taking up the bass duties 💪🏻 and Ben Proudman @tattoosbyprdmn stepping up to the drum throne!! 🥁🤘🏻 Believe me when I tell you, this shit is heavy, y’all.

We will debut this new abomination with a special set at the swiftly upcoming @grimreeferfest , Saturday 4/27 at Ottobar @theottobar . We go on somewhat early in the day so make sure to come out for the whole thing!

Foehammer 2024:
Tim Reaper – Bass
Ben Proudman – Drums
Jay Cardinell – Guitar / Vox

https://www.facebook.com/foehammerva/
https://www.instagram.com/foehammer_band/
https://foehammer.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/SilentPendulumRecords
https://www.instagram.com/silent_pendulum_records/
https://silentpendulumrecords.bandcamp.com/

Foehammer, Monumentum (2022)

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Foehammer Announce Spring Tour Dates Supporting Monumentum

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 2nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Couple TBAs here, in Richmond, Columbus, Cincinnati. That should be easy enough to fill, considering it’s Foehammer. [EDIT MARCH 2: And yeah, it was easy enough to fill. The poster and dates have been updated.] The Virginian crushers will head out on April 28 to support late 2022’s Monumentum (review here), which came out through Silent Pendulum Records as the atmospherically punishing follow-up to 2018’s debut, Second Sight (review here). It’s a Midwestern tour, hitting Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis before circling back through Ohio and Pittsburgh, the latter a third show in Pennsylvania after the two tour openers in Harrisburg and Harrisonburg, which yes I do find harrilarious thank you for asking.

Joining guitarist/vocalist Jay Cardinell for the run on drums will be Zak Suleri, also of Et MorsCerulean Room and a bunch of others. I’m not sure what’s up with Ben Price, who played on Monumentum — that is, if he’s still in the band — but the “for this tour” in the announcement below makes me think he is, since Suleri‘s filling in.

In any case, here’s the tour as it stands now, as posted by the band on the ol’ sociables:

foehammer tour poster updated

FOEHAMMER – Monumentum Spring Tour 2023

Very excited to announce this today as it’s been a long time coming! In just over 8 weeks Foehammer will embark on our first tour in six years! It would be an understatement to say we’re stoked for these shows and the amazing acts we get to play with.

Sick poster art by the GOAT (#128016#) Matt Scott aka @vinumsabbati

On drums for this tour will be Zakir Suleri @cerulean_room singer / guitarist of the amazing @et_mors

Still looking for help on these TBA’s so if you know of anything good going on in Richmond, Columbus, Cincinnati, or the surrounding areas please let us know!

More specific show announcements and flyers to come so keep your (#128065#)️(#128065#)️ peeled!

Foehammer live:
04.28 Harrisburg PA JB Lovedraft’s*
04.29 Harrisonburg VA Crayola House
04.30 Raleigh NC School Kids*
05.01 Louisville KY Highlands Tap Room
05.03 Columbus OH Spacebar
05.04 Chicago IL Reggie’s
05.05 St Louis MO Platypus
05.06 Indianapolis IN State Street Pub
05.07 Akron OH Buzzbin**
05.08 Pittsburgh PA Blackforge Coffee**
* with False Gods
** with Altar and the Bull

https://www.facebook.com/foehammerva/
https://www.instagram.com/foehammer_band/
https://foehammer.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/SilentPendulumRecords
https://www.instagram.com/silent_pendulum_records/
https://silentpendulumrecords.bandcamp.com/

Foehammer, Monumentum (2022)

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Foehammer Premiere “The Disk”; Set Nov. 18 Release for Monumentum

Posted in audiObelisk, Whathaveyou on September 16th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Foehammer (Photo by Ben Price)

Oh, what a grim and wretched pleasure it is to share some new Foehammer with you this morning. The occasion is you, marking your calendar with an old-style felt-tip pen to note the Nov. 18 arrival date for the Virginia sludge extremist duo’s second full-length, Monumentum, and if you weren’t yet looking forward to that, behold the grueling lumber of “The Disk” below.

The band announced last month they’d signed with Silent Pendulum Records for their new release, and it’s been a whopping four years since their counterintuitively titled debut album, Second Sight (review here), darkened skies in 2018. All the more fair to call Monumentum “awaited” in light of that, and also the fact that word was first put forth about its release in June 2020, at which point it was noted that it was the band’s first outing with Ben Price on drums alongside Jay Cardinell‘s vocals and guitar.

I don’t know if Monumentum has been finished for two years and sat on waiting to be issued, but “The Disk” lumbers forth with timeless weight at its core and a deathsludge lurch to coincide. At eight minutes, it’s one of I-don’t-know-how-many songs on the forthcoming collection, and its impact is near immediate in the stick-in-your-eye snare and massive, raw sounding crush that ensues, but it’s worth listening for the angularity that emerges in the last couple minutes as well; “The Disk” has plenty of it but is not at all limited to bludgeoning. Somewhere between compression sickness and blister-raised burn, the duo drive their point across in twisted, dense thud and rot-smelling resonance. There’s something dead in the woods. Always.

And by that I mean “enjoy”:

Foehammer, “The Disk” track premiere


foehammer-monumentum

Jay Cardinell on “The Disk” and Monumentum:

“Lyrically, “The Disk” is based on a Jorge Luis Borges short story, El Disco, a surrealist piece wherein two men are struggling for control of an ancient artifact, The Disk Of Odin. I am a big fan of Borges and this story in particular struck me and I wanted to try to evoke the feeling through the song. As for the songwriting, “The Disk” is one where Ben and I really came together and the songwriting is about 50% from each of us.”

Monumentum is a term that just came into my brain like a lightning bolt. Upon researching it, I found Monumentum was a Latin word used by the Romans in their carvings, especially when listing the achievements of an Emperor. The word itself can have varied meanings such as “remembrance”, “tomb” or literally “monument.”

Pre-order physical: http://silentpendulumrecords.com

Pre-order digital: https://silentpendulumrecords.bandcamp.com/

Foehammer’s new album Monumentum will be released November 18th on Silent Pendulum Records. Engineered and mixed by Foehammer drummer Ben Price. Mastered by James Plotkin.

Monumentum follows a self-titled demo (2014), a self-titled EP (2015, Australopithecus Records), and a 2XLP titled Second Sight (2018, Australopithecus Records).

Foehammer is:
Jay Cardinell (guitars, vocals)
Ben Price (drums)

https://www.facebook.com/foehammerva/
https://www.instagram.com/foehammer_band/
https://foehammer.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/SilentPendulumRecords
https://www.instagram.com/silent_pendulum_records/
https://silentpendulumrecords.bandcamp.com/

Foehammer, Second Sight (2018)

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Foehammer to Release New Album Monumentum This Summer

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 17th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

foehammer (Photo by Ingrid Cardinell)

Worried that you don’t see an exact release date for Foehammer‘s new album, Monumentum? Don’t sweat it — I’m sure you’ll feel the ground shaking well in advance of the record’s arrival sometime this summer. The Northern Virginian rumble-riffers haven’t been heard from much since their 2018 debut, Second Sight (review here), and there have been some lineup changes to perhaps account for some of that. Monumentum finds Foehammer working as the two-piece of founding guitarist/vocalist Jay Cardinell and new drummer/recording engineer Ben Price. I can’t profess to having heard any of the record as yet — and golly, I’d be glad to — but the suitably grim cover art has been unveiled and whenever it might actually show up, Monumentum will be a welcome arrival as far as I’m concerned.

If you need a refresher as to why, you’ll find the Second Sight Bandcamp stream at the bottom of this post.

Heavy days call for massive riffs, and Foehammer bring those to bear with expertly-wielded crawling tempos and a deathly ferocity that they quickly made their own. As to what their new incarnation might hold, I expect misery to persist and be perhaps all the more resonant as the band’s recording process has become self-contained. They may grow even more massive-sounding as they dig into their own mire of tone. Can’t wait.

Here’s their announcement, quick and to the point:

foehammer-monumentum

Foehammer – Monumentum

Foehammer return from the depths, announcing their sophomore full-length and first new material in two years, Monumentum. Returning listeners will find the band going down new darkened paths, while still staying true to their funereal drone roots.

This album is the first to feature Ben Price (At the Graves, Immiseration, Elagabalus) at the drumset (and engineering/mixing) as well as returning guitarist and vocalist Jay Cardinell.

Featuring original artwork and design respectively by Rebecca and Brian Magar (Wailing Wizard Art, Cultic, The Owls [ANWTS]).

https://www.facebook.com/foehammerva/
https://foehammer.bandcamp.com/

Foehammer, Second Sight (2018)

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Quarterly Review: Eight Bells, Öken, Brimstone Coven, Pants Exploder, Shallows, Monumentum, Famyne, Ethereal Riffian, Wet Cactus, Forming the Void

Posted in Reviews on March 29th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk quarterly review spring 2016

I thought yesterday went pretty well, by which I mean I didn’t receive any complaints that somebody’s name was spelled wrong (yet), so I feel alright going into the second batch of releases for the Quarterly Review. Today mixes it up a bit, which is something I always enjoy doing with these, and while I’ll take pains to emphasize that the list of releases today, as with every day, isn’t in order, there was no way I wasn’t going to start with the first record below. Some albums just demand top placement.

Quarterly Review #11-20:

Eight Bells, Landless

eight bells landless

However you define the word “heavy” as it relates to music, Eight Bells are it. The Portland, Oregon, trio release their second album and first for Battleground Records in the form of the five-track Landless, and from the opening sprawl and lumber of “Hating” through the crawling-plus-blasting chaos of “Touch Me,” a strong progressive current underscores the material – most notably the 13-minute title-track, but really the rest as well, which flows gracefully even in its harshest moments, the blackened rush in the second half of “Landless,” for example, which follows psychedelic drones and harmonies just minutes before, or the similar thrust of centerpiece “Hold My Breath,” which works in tighter quarters but manages to span genres all the same. “The Mortal’s Suite” provides some respite in airy guitar and airier vocals, giving new drummer Rae Amitay a break while showcasing the harmonies of guitarist Melynda Jackson (ex-SubArachnoid Space) and bassist Haley Westeiner. As open atmospherically as the band is in their creative scope, there just isn’t a level on which Landless isn’t superb.

Eight Bells on Thee Facebooks

Battleground Records

 

Öken, Öken

oken oken

Swedish four-piece Öken do themselves huge favors by refusing to be easily categorized on their 2015 self-titled Ozium Records debut full-length, which runs an immersive 62 minutes and blends doom, classic heavy/desert rock and forest psych with subtle grace throughout its eight tracks, each of which is fleshed out in an overarching naturalist atmosphere. “Väktaren” dives headfirst into boogie only after initial minimalist teasing, and “Crimson Moon” bursts to life after a hypnotic psychedelic opening to find its crux in later runs of dueling guitars. The two closing cuts, “Under Vår Sol” and “Cuauhtémoc” are an album unto themselves, the former nodding initially at Sungrazer’s serene vibes before pushing into even more open psychedelic territory, and the latter proffering riffy largesse en route to a striking classic prog finish. That Öken make these elements work side-by-side and transition from one to the other fluidly is emblematic of the confidence at work in the band, and they carry their scope with organic-sounding ease.

Öken on Thee Facebooks

Ozium Records

 

Brimstone Coven, Black Magic

brimstone coven black magic

West Virginian roots doomers Brimstone Coven made their debut on Metal Blade in 2015 with a self-titled EP compilation (track stream here), and Black Magic is their first full-length. Its 10 tracks/54 minutes take cues varyingly from classic heavy rock, doom and the less majestic side of the NWOBHM, but Brimstone Coven’s approach is marked out by the extensive use of vocal harmonies on cuts like the prog-tinged “Beyond the Astral,” the later moments of raw-roller “Upon the Mountain” and “The Plague.” Black Magic’s production is barebones enough that this singing – credited solely to “Big John” Williams, while Corey Roth handles guitar, Andrew D’Cagna bass and Justin Wood drums – doesn’t really soar so much as nestle in and enhance the begging-for-vinyl analog-worship of the instruments surrounding, a proliferation of cultish themes distinguishing Brimstone Coven even as a song like “The Seers” finds them inheriting a trad-doom soulfulness from The Gates of Slumber.

Brimstone Coven on Thee Facebooks

Metal Blade Records

 

Pants Exploder, Pants Exploder

pants exploder pants exploder

Between its vicious aggression, inhumane chug and have-fun-enduring-this stomp, the self-titled, self-released debut LP from Pants Exploder could just as easily be definitive New York noise, but the low-end heft of their assault right from opener “It’s Ok, I’m Wiccan.” (punctuation included in title) has an element of early-Mastodonic lumber, and that’s a thread that continues throughout “End of the World” and “You Don’t Strike Me as a Reader,” which offsets its slab-of-concrete-on-your-chest push with moments of respite, but remains driving in its intensity. As in, driving your head into the ground. Also the ground is pavement. It’s fucking heavy, is the point. To wit, the mega-plod of “Um, I Curated an Art Show in College, So…” and thrust of “God Has a Plan for Me.” Capping with the seven-minute “You Smug Bastard,” Pants Exploder pays off the tension they build in a noise-wash fury that is as impressive as it is scathing.

Pants Exploder on Thee Facebooks

Pants Exploder on Bandcamp

 

Shallows, The Moon Rises

shallows the moon rises

The rather ominous The Moon Rises EP is the first non-demo offering from Asheville, North Carolina, four-piece Shallows, who blend heavy psychedelic and grunge influences across its five tracks, opener “Shimmering” and closer “Distance” mirroring each other’s spacious push while between, “Zero,” “A Mile Beneath” and the Earth-influenced “The Barn Burning” enact gorgeous vocal harmonies between Cameron Zarrabzadeh and HannahLynn Cruey atop atmospheric heavy rock, hitting into Alice in Chains-meets-Kylesa territory on the centerpiece, “A Mile Beneath,” which is a fair bit of ground to cover. That cut is the high point in showcasing Shallows’ potential, but the Western take with “The Barn Burning” and meandering post-rock echoes and organ of “Distance” only add to the breadth of this impressive, too-short collection. With a focus consistently kept on ambience throughout, The Moon Rises flows like a full-length album, and so bodes that much better for what Shallows will be able to accomplish when they get there. I’ll look forward to it.

Shallows on Thee Facebooks

Shallows on Bandcamp

 

Monumentum, The Killer is Me

monumentum the killer is me

Even before they get to the all the aggro fuzz riffing, there’s a distinct threat of violence in Monumentum’s The Killer is Me. Its four songs, “Noose,” “Whore,” “Fiend and Foe” and “Killer Me,” each seem to find the Norwegian band doling out noise-influenced heavy rock, driven by some underlying dissatisfaction on this, their first EP. Released on vinyl through Blues for the Red Sun Records, it offsets being so outwardly pissed off through groove, the starts and stops of “Killer Me” and the rolling seven minutes of opener and longest track “Noose” (immediate points) both marked out for both their tonal weight and the force with which Monumentum push their material forward – not speedy, though “Whore” is by no means slow, but dense and emitting a residual tension all the same. Somewhat unipolar in its mood, The Killer is Me still manages to give an initial impression of what Monumentum are about sound-wise, and provides them with a solid start to work from.

Monumentum on Thee Facebooks

Blues for the Red Sun Records

 

Famyne, Famyne

famyne famyne

While the UK isn’t at all short on doom or sludge at this point, Canterbury five-piece Famyne distinguish themselves on their self-titled first EP with a traditional take and the at-times theatric harmonies of vocalist Tom Vane. Along with guitarists Alex Tolson and Alex Williams, bassist Chris Travers and drummer Jake Cook, Vane nods at Alice in Chains on lumbering opener “Enter the Sloth” without going full-on “hey whoa momma yeah” and provides a considerable frontman presence, particularly for a debut recording. Comprising three songs with the speedier bonus track “Long Lost Winter” as an add-on download with the CD version, Famyne’s Famyne EP finds its crux in the nod and push of the 10-minute “The Forgotten,” which takes a cue atmospherically from The Wounded Kings but finds its own, less-cultish niche in bringing new energy to classic doom and setting in motion a progression that already puts an individual stamp on established tenets.

Famyne on Thee Facebooks

Famyne on Bandcamp

 

Ethereal Riffian, Youniversal Voice

ethereal riffian youniversal voice

There’s patient, and then there’s Ethereal Riffian, whose riffy ritualizing and exploration nonetheless brims with some intangible energetic sensibility on their new live outing, Youniversal Voice. Heavy psychedelic wash, thick riffs, theatric vocals and guitar effects, stoner roll and the occasional fit of shredding, one might hear any of it at a given point in over-12-minute cuts like “Wakan Tanka” and “Anatman,” the latter which arrives as the penultimate of the eight-song/56-minute set. The clarity, for being a live album, is remarkable, and Ethereal Riffian add to the experience with a CD version that includes a candle, elaborate packaging and artwork, and tea, so the multi-sensory impression is obviously important, and where many live outings are throwaways or a means of bowing to contractual obligation, Youniversal Voice adds to Ethereal Riffian’s studio work a substantial ambassasorial feel, conveying an onstage vibe with a fullness of sound and clarity of mind not often heard.

Ethereal Riffian on Thee Facebooks

Ethereal Riffian on Bandcamp

 

Wet Cactus, Wet Cactus

wet cactus wet cactus

Desert rock trio Wet Cactus don’t make any bones about where they’re getting their influence from on their late-2015 self-titled second EP. By the time they get around to the penultimate “The Road” on the five-track/24-minute outing, they’ve dug themselves in deep into the worship of crunchy Kyuss-style riffing, and you can throw in looks for Unida, Queens of the Stone Age, Slo Burn and whoever else of that milieu, but Kyuss is at the root of it all anyway. Less grand in their production than UK outfit Steak, who operated in similar territory on their 2014 debut LP, Slab City, Wet Cactus keep it natural in the tradition of their forebears, and while there’s room for them to grow into a more individual approach, the hazy fuckall in closer “World’s Law” has a stoner charm before and after it kicks into a punkish push to close out. Cool vibe either way, and the tone is dead on. If these cats go jammier, watch out.

Wet Cactus on Thee Facebooks

Odio Sonoro

 

Forming the Void, Skyward

forming the void skyward

I won’t say a bad word about the artwork of David Paul Seymour in the context of this review or any other, but ultimately, Louisiana doomers Forming the Void are coming from someplace much more in line with progressive metal than the three-eyed goat and robed figures on the cover of their second album, Skyward, might represent. Again, that’s not a knock on Seymour, or for that matter, the band, just that the look of the record is deceptive, dogwhistling stonerisms even as moody cuts like the opening title-track and “Three Eyed Gazelle” – while thoroughly doomed in their vibe – prove more lucidly constructed. That holds true through the chugging centerpiece “Saber” as well, marked out by vocal harmonizing, and “Return Again,” which rolls through atmospheric metal and an ambient interlude to enact the record’s most memorable payoff and set up the linear course of the more patient closer “Sleepwalker.” Cohesive in mood and clearly plotted, Skyward is ultimately darker and more driven than it might at first appear.

Forming the Void on Thee Facebooks

Forming the Void on Bandcamp

 

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