Posted in Reviews on February 14th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Though informed by doom, grunge, garage rock, heavy post-rock, progressive rock and an outlier weirdoism that spans generations, Möuth‘s debut album, Global Warning, wants nothing for cohesion. Delivered through Bonebag Records, the album sees the Stockholm-based three-piece of guitarist Martin Sandström, drummer Fredrik Aspelin and bassist/vocalist Erik Nordström — the latter two formerly of psychblasters S:t Erik, whose From Under the Tarn LP came out on Solitude Productions in 2009 — running through nine smoothly-transitioning tracks across 40 minutes that are in conversation with each other even as they shift between different styles and bring arrangement flourish to their strong foundation in songwriting. As a title, Global Warning feels most of all like it’s talking about the band itself, and the warning that comes through is duly urgent. There’s something here. Don’t miss it. The music is its own best advocate.
Opener “Holy Ground” strikes a relevant metallic first impression in its guitar, and sure enough, that kind of float becomes a theme that will carry throughout the rest of what follows. The song is nonetheless direct in its verse delivery, despite a somewhat spinning impact. It feels early for cosmic triumphs, but if you’re going to do it the start of the record is as good a place as any, and with the later proggy synth adding to the atmosphere as no less a prelude than the underlying metal or overhead lead work, “Holy Ground” serves as an efficient, effective partial summary of the band’s scope, hinting at things to come without revealing too much of the actual shape of the thing. It is also the first of three instrumental takeoffs, as Möuth depart halfway to ride a groove and bask in repetition as they don’t quite jam it out, but dig into a part and see how doing so changes its shape. Like when electrons don’t exist until you observe them. Quantum mechanical shit happening.
“Sheep,” which is the presumed finale of side A and “In My City,” which caps the record as a whole follow suit with similar drop-everything-and-go excursions, and by the end of the latter, the thread woven throughout makes the album that much stronger and purposeful-feeling. A stop after “Holy Ground” brings on “Dirt,” which feels like an Alice in Chains reference but isn’t musically or thematically, with a ’70s rock shimmer and proto-punk drive, a declarative stomp and a darker chorus. Notably, in Sandström‘s layered guitar, one channel has the rhythm while the lead pokes itself out in front of the mix. He’s pulling notes, and it seems like it might be fuckery, but it works and “Dirt” benefits by having a secondary instrumental hook behind that chorus, Nordström letting out a Dave Wyndorf/Lorenzo Woodrose-style “yeah!” as they get into the solo section, pushing all the while.
The focus on movement in “Dirt” eases the turn into “Speed of Life,” which reinvents the riff to Pentagram‘s classic “Forever My Queen” toward its own ends, with a soulful shredder of a solo and a backbeat dutifully held to accommodate it. Not short on dynamic, Möuth work their way into and around a party vibe — the songs are celebratory on mathematical balance, but not trying to align to one particular heavy niche or another — but are as much doom, and “Sheep,” which is the longest track at 6:39, an obvious focal point and a memorable standout besides, isn’t the first and won’t be the last time a tambourine sneaks in to give extra sense of motion to the material. “Sheep,” is metal-adjacent in its melancholy at the start, but for the toms, and it accounts for some of what “Holy Ground” laid out. It’s bottom-end heavy and melodic to remind one of Torche without trying to be them, and while the final line, “We’re all sheep,” is a funny message ahead of “Alike” later on, at least they’re counting themselves among the number as that lyric affirms. Three minutes in, they drop to a bassy break and dive into the instrumental shove echoing the opener, never quite losing the progression of the song as they go.
That’s an exciting moment, but as “Sheep” gets an epilogue in the quiet “Dream On”-meet-post-rock interlude “World Pain,” Möuth set about expanding the context for Global Warning as a whole with the procession of the album’s second half. “Appetite” is a high point for heft, picking up from the quiet of “World Pain” with a classic Sabbath-circa-Dehumanizer riff with due swing behind from Aspelin on drums, whose work throughout serves as yet another example of the difference the right drummer can make in the right band. Darker and simpler in its stylistic ideology, “Appetite” has immediate appeal and balances the burl of its tone and chorus stating, “I’ve got an appetite,” across a variety of applications thereof, with a sleekly black-hued psych guitar, like Messa or Iron Jinn might, so that it feels neither like a put-on nor like somebody confessing they’re a sexual predator, which is an oddly fine line across which heavy rock and roll sometimes stumbles. Möuth know what they’re about, and hold the momentum built in “Appetite” over to “Alike,” where the guitars go island-style about a minute in to set up the verse and a Phil Collins-y vocal delivers a message of universalism before the song explodes.
Like the unpredictable turn to the solo in “Holy Ground,” “Alike” offers thrills through the depths of its execution. Tonally, melodically, in the arrangement that comes to a head and bursts before it eases back into the shuffling verse with post-punk moodiness, “Alike” leads into “Mantra,” which hides its punkish breakout in reserve alongside its urbane central groove. There’s some synth in there too unless I’m imagining things — possible. — and the sound generally feels like it’s looking to expand from here even as “Mantra” branches out from what its companion pieces have accomplished, moving into an ’80s rock vibe and sounding like a different band than the one that gutted out “Appetite” just two songs ago. This, it turns out, is another strength on the part of the band. They are malleable. “Mantra” ‘gets heavy’ as it goes, and that’s just fine, thanks, and when the three-piece arrive at “In My City,” the sense of landing is palpable. You have reached your destination, as your satnav might tell you.
Second in runtime only to “Sheep” at a still-crisp 5:45, “In My City” feels like it’s taking its time to establish the groove, but in real life it’s about 40 seconds before they’re in it. Big lean on the hook and a strong enough hook to support it; by now it’s a familiar situation. Respectably, “In My City” could have been a disco song, but it isn’t. They keep some ’80s flair in it, but it’s darker than dance. The riff builds right about at the midpoint, and breaks down to set up one last instrumental ride, the movement around a theme once again giving Möuth a platform to hypnotize the listener. One more time, the lead guitar pulling notes over top. One more time, the tambourine. One more time, Möuth use what they have with thought, care and wisdom to convey an individual impression of who they are and their intentions, present and future. The potential they showcase is striking, and the palette they’re working with is very much their own. Global Warning pulls the audience into its movement, not sweeping and pretentious, but with the band confident that what they’re doing is right. And it works, so they must be.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 30th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Swedish newcomers Möuth have posted the second song from their upcoming full-length debut, Global Warning, which is set to arrive on Valentine’s Day 2025 with the backing of Bonebag Records, and “Dirt” offers an infectious fuzzy shove to follow-up on this summer’s “Holy Ground” (posted here). The band are already veterans of the by-now-legendary Duna Jam in Sardinia, and well, that’s not nothing. I wish I could say the same for myself.
Regardless of how much time they’ve spent in Stoner Paradise, Möuth will still just be releasing their first album, but I think you’ll agree one could do a lot worse than to lead into your LP with now-two strong singles — both are streaming at the bottom of this post — and I’m looking forward to hearing this record. I keep notes for this kind of thing. Möuth is in there.
From the PR wire:
MÖUTH: Stockholm Rockers Share New Single ‘DIRT’ | Debut Album Due for Release on BONEBAG RECORDS in February
Sample another offering of raw energetic rock with the second single from Sweden’s rising underground stars’ debut album, Global Warning…
Bringing together a wealth of experience from diverse musical backgrounds, Bonebag Records is thrilled to release the debut album from rising Stockholm-based trio Möuth; a band fast establishing themselves as ones to watch for 2025.
Made up of long-time friends – Erik Nordström, Martin Sandström and Fredrik Aspelin – the band formed a union in the fall of 2023, bonding over a shared passion for proto-metal, psych, and doom. Crafting a potent blend of raw, energetic rock, Möuth’s forthcoming debut album, Global Warning, has been officially announced for release on 14th February 2025 and promises to deliver a sonic onslaught, covering themes that range from personal liberation to societal critique.
“We are we very proud to welcome Möuth into the Bonebag Records family!” says label owner, Max Malmer. “I was lucky enough to catch Möuth at Duna Jam this year and was completely blown away so I knew there and then that we would have to sign them.”
‘Dirt’, the second single from the album showcases a faster, more garage rock-oriented side to the band while staying true to their heavy roots. Delving into the theme of a toxic relationships it’s a no-nonsense, hard-edged shiv of a single whose central riff will cut through your heart without apology.
Global Warning, the debut album from Möuth will be released 14th February 2025.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Stockholm newcomers Möuth have signed to Bonebag Records to release their debut album, Global Warning, either later this year or early in 2025. Let’s assume Winter 2025 to be on the safe side, with the acknowledgement that if it happens sooner, that’s not a hardship. The announcement came through last week, and when I tried to find some audio or video to go with it through the ancient Gen-X technology that used to be called ‘googling,’ none was to be had. I hit Bonebag honcho Max Malmer (who also plays in doom conceptualists Cavern Deep) to ask for some assistance in that regard, it turned out not just to be my standard incompetence but also the fact that there wasn’t any. “Holy Ground,” which you’ll find premiering on the player below, would seem to be their first single.
I don’t know much more about the band than is in the post from Malmer under the YouTube embed — their singer’s name is Erik, and apparently he went to Duna Jam, so at least I know I’m jealous — but they’ll play Krökbacken in Dalarna, Sweden, this week (July 25-27) alongside Maha Sohona, Astroqueen, Siena Root, Ocean Chief, I Am Low and a slew of others, and “Holy Ground” gives some idea of what they might be about in a relatively straight-ahead shove spanning four and a half minutes that has something a little more sinister underlying its central riff. You can hear a little stately black metal twist in the lead lines of the intro, which comes back around after the first verse/chorus, and the organ that comes forward after the break/stop likewise speaks to some darker atmospheric aspect amid the heavy rock thrust. They top it off with a mix of solo and stomp and land in feedback to finish, and when it’s done I find myself waiting for the next piece to kick in as it might on Global Warning when it arrives. Momentum, then, is already on their side.
Before I turn you over to the track, I’ll note that Möuth are not to be confused with German heavy progressive/psych rockers Mouth (sans umlaut), who’ve been written about a fair bit around these parts. New band, coming from someplace else both geographically and stylistically. Just a heads up to avoid any confusion.
And you know what? I like new bands. I like new music. Check out something you haven’t heard before today. Maybe it’ll resonate. Maybe you’ll hear that claw-ready edge here and wonder how it pans out on the record to come, or just what it is they’re warning the globe about. “Holy Ground” is an evocative introduction. Let yourself go with it and see where you end up. I ended up looking forward to more.
As always, I hope you enjoy:
Möuth, “Holy Ground” track premiere
We are we very proud to welcome Möuth into the Bonebag Records family!
I got shown Möuth by the singer Erik at Duna Jam this year and was completely blown away and knew there and then that we would have to sign them.
They are performing [this] week at Krökbacken and the plan is to put out some music with them before that and their full debut album will release here on Bonebag Records 2024/2025.
Bringing together a wealth of experience from diverse musical backgrounds, the dynamic trio of long-time friends united forces to birth Möuth in the fall of 2023. Infusing their passion for proto metal, psych, doom and alternative rock with a flair for skillful song-craft and a rebellious punk ethos, Möuth crafts a potent blend of raw energy and refined artistry. Their forthcoming debut album, ‘Global Warning’, slated for release in 2024/2025, promises to deliver a sonic onslaught of themes ranging from personal liberation to societal critique, all underscored by Möuth’s signature fusion of directness and sophistication.
Rain’s back on early in the day. I forewent Doom Yoga and hotel breakfast in favor of sleeping an extra hour. Time will tell on that choice. My head is swimming in last-day logistics; how I’m getting back to the hotel tonight, how and when I’m getting to Frankfurt Airport tomorrow, on and on. So yes, wet and scatterbrained. One or the other would be enough on its own. Poncho may yet make an appearance.
A few people have asked how my mother is doing. First, thank you for reading. I feel like I’ve transposed the haphazardly way this trip ended up being undertaken onto a kind of overarching mania of the experience, but one way or the other, it’s still restorative. She’s recovering from having her knee replaced on Wednesday, is walking, had started physical therapy. These things are months in the healing, but she’s strong and inspiring.
Though it shows little sign of it at the moment, the rain is supposed to stop this afternoon. We’ll see. I was sitting before the start of the show in the smoking tent; the wafting of joint smoke inexplicably cut with tobacco as is the method. Not my thing. I barely had the batteries in the camera when Volker took the stage and it was time to roll, so take that, last-day blues. Good thing my new Freak Valley hoodie is warm.
Sorry in advance for the typos.
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Splinter
Thank you to Splinter for being the day’s reminder that everything’s okay when the music starts. The Netherlands based classic-heavy four-piece fronted by Douwe Truijens had the Hammond, the boogie, enough sleaze in some of their lyrics to feel like a #metoo waiting to happen (looking at you, “Soviet Schoolgirl,” et al), but there’s no denying the life in their performance. Rain pouring down on the early crowd, Truijens was nonetheless on fire strutting and dancing around the stage with moves drawn from an arena-ready playbook, plus shorty-shorts for the last song because when you’re doing a thing, you go for it. They were tight in addition to putting on a show, and “Every Circus Needs a Clown” from last year’s Role Models (review here) was a highlight in presentation and from-speaker force to go with the conceptual foundation of what they do. That is to say, they’re a band with a plan. And that’s not a negative at all. The songs are catchy and uptempo, fun if you can get on board with euphemism, and it’s over-the-top in just the way it’s supposed to be. Echoing the energetic start of yesterday, pushing it further, Splinter made a field on a cold, rainy afternoon feel like a sweaty nightclub, and for that, one can only be grateful.
Gravy Jones
Uh oh, I think I might dig this band. Another full-size Hammond on stage, cult-ish, classic-ish riffy vibe. I recall digging the Norwegian four-piece’s 2018 debut, Funeral Pyre (review here), for the quirk it brought to genre tropes, but the apparently-don’t-do-this-all-the-time outfit were more cohesive on stage, solid in groove, hinting or maybe more with that organ toward retroist dark-boogie, and on point in the interplay of the keys and guitar. The bluesy but not caricature vocals specifically reminded me of Buffalo, but if Gravy Jones only want you for your body, they’re almost certainly nefarious in that intent. At least some of what they played was taken from an impending follow-up to Funeral Pyre, as was announced from the stage, and wherever/whenever, I take that as good news in terms of such a thing existing at all. Because I just might end up a fan of this band. You know how that happens? Hear a thing. “Oh that’s cool.” Six years pass. You see them. “Oh shit that’s cool.” It was kind of like that watching them close out with “Mountains of Madness.” If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go see if they’ve got anything going at the merch.
Deathchant
My prevailing impression of L.A.’s Deathchant holds firm from seeing them last August at SonicBlast in Portugal (review here), and to save you the time following that link, I’ll just say it’s thar they kick ass. Two guitars that can lean into Thin Lizzy harmonies or thrash out at will, doomly in the title-track of Thrones, which they released last Fall, but gnarly and ripping at any speed, it’s like they play both the Heavy and the Metal sides of heavy metal, but they’re not doing some bullshit disaffected-white-dude aggro thing either. They get on stage, hit it, and groove with tonal presence regardless of a given part’s intensity, drawing from metal and rock on the way, charged and precise, but not so clear in sound as to lose their edge. Perhaps they’re subject to the perils of the band in-between, when it comes to style: too metal for some rockers, too rock for some metallers, but shit, I like bands who don’t fit (also bands who do; in no way does it have to be one or the other, remember), and they played a yet-untitled shouty new song and decided on the spot to call it “Freak Valley.” It ruled and I hope they keep the name. They should probably also have six or seven live records out by now, by rights. I’ll hope to see them again at Desertfest New York later this year.
Mouth
It didn’t take Mouth long to reroute the momentum from Deathchant’s raw Motõrheaded thrust to suit their proggier psychedelic purposes, and the sun came out for them, which can only be called appropriate. I did some liner notes recently for their Vortex Redux semi-reissue LP, and well, I’ll tell you truly, they’re not a band I ever really expected to see live. I mean, it’s a universe of infinite possibility, right? So a thing always could happen, but that doesn’t mean it will. And they were so much fun. Into the music, not trying to convince you that being on stage and playing their songs isn’t the most fun thing in the world. A positive vibe, energy front to back. There was one point where guitarist/vocalist Christian Koller went on his back on the stage while playing a solo and all I could think about was how much of John Dwyer’s dried-up spit from last night must be on there, but beyond that, not a worry in the world while watching them, and their affinities for ’60s psych, ’70s prog and multiple eras of heavy rock came through with poise and passion alike. The keyboard and snare jabs in “Into the Lines” and the slew of builds throughout were exciting and well crafted, and they put everything they had into the show. They weren’t a surprise for me, but it’s kind of a relief sometimes when you see a band you’ve followed for a while and they validate the reasons you liked them in the first place. Mouth did that and improved the weather. That’s a high point in any day.
Black River Delta
Swedish mellow heavy blues rock. Oldschool in ideology, modern in tone. It always takes me a second to stop listening for the stoner to show up when Freak Valley breaks out the bluesier stuff, but Black River Delta did well in the dinnertime slot. And immediately upon thinking of it as that, I realized I was starving. No goulash, but a vegan curry — no I’m not vegan, but probably should be, not the least because it would allow me to subsist exclusively on a variety of homeground nut butters — was the thing. Green beans, carrots, broccoli, onions and peppers of course, but most crucially there were four — yes, I counted, it was four — bites of cauliflower. Cauliflower! For upwards of six minutes while Black River Delta nestled into one comfortable flow after another, I found paradise. By the time another 15 minutes had passed, they’d be finished with their sharply composed and executed fare, delivered smoothly and suited to the style bringing together contemporary and classic as so many here have, but in their own way. And soon after that, the rain would start again, but since it was between bands and Black River Delta were so classy anyhow, I won’t hold it against them. It poured for a minute there, though.
Godsleep
And stopped doing so about 35 seconds after I ran away from the photo pit to get away from the deluge coming down from the roof overhang in front of the stage while Greece’s Godsleep were getting going. I was curious what series of circumstances brought a Rutgers football t-shirt into vocalist Amie Makris’ life — I got a MFA from Rutgers Newark, and my wife did her Ph.D. in New Brunswick; you don’t see a lot of Newjerseynalia in other countries [edit: I asked her later at the merch area and she said she got it from her sister] — but the shirt didn’t last much longer than the rain, and Godsleep’s material had so much push and sweep that the thought was in and out of my head like some kind of asshole who just flies in for the festival and then is gone. They slowed down a bit for the delightfully ’90s-reminiscent “Saturday,” which was a highlight of last Spring’s all-over-the-place-and-only-more-rad-for-it Lies to Survive (review here), but as that record will demonstrate, there’s no lack of variety in what they do regardless of tempo. Not being exclusively sad, slow and miserable, there are aspects of Godsleep’s aesthetic I can relate to more than others, but almost any in-genre boundary pushing is good news as far as I’m concerned, “Permanent Vacation” sort of bridges worlds between explosion-happens-now and more methodical whathaveyou. I found that their harsher moments were complement rather than contrast to the odd bit of desert riffing and sundry other lessons in kicking ass on display. Split LP with Ruff Majik post-haste, please. Both with some screaming, while I’m making requests. Dizzying but undizzied, intermittently furious, deceptively intricate, and rad. They finished by bringing it all back around to the riffs and were better than the veggie curry. Yup. That’s the review.
Speck
Mellow molten instrumentalism from Vienna trio Speck, whose expanses soothed with considerably more cosmic warmth than is offered by, say, actual space. It was my first time seeing the band, whose second album, Eine Gute Reise, came out last Fall, and it took them a while to get going, sure enough, but more, it took me a couple minutes to warm up to it, but all of a sudden I looked up and they were killing it. They’d continue to do so even as a torrential, bucket-style downpour took hold, adding another layer of soak to the already saturated everything and causing a scramble for shelter for some and a very pointed not-scramble from others, which I can respect. Rockpalast has a small tent set up outside the production truck backstage with a tv showing the livestream feed, right next to Lulu’s Garden, and I took advantage of that to wait out the deluge. It didn’t last — it couldn’t or it’d be Freak Lake Festival — but it was harder even than the rain before, and if you were caught in it, you know that’s saying something. I eventually made my way further back to sit someplace drier, but listened as Speck brought their set-long build to its payoff, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the livestream mics picked up the sound of the rain pounding down. If so, all the more reason they should make it into a live record. People mud-moshing like a hippie version of whatever Woodstock that was.
Amyl and the Sniffers
Thrills and such from brash, hard-hitting Aussie punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers. When they were announced as a headliner, it kind of had me scratching my head, but obviously seeing them you get it in a different way. Their frontwoman, Amyl, came out in an overcoat and stripped it off to reveal her undies while singing a line I interpreted as “I like power,” so yes, if that’s what it was, then clearly. Not gonna take away from the statement or the volume that coincided, but on my coolest day I was never cool enough to be a punker, and today’s certainly not my coolest day. Still, can’t really argue with the ass kicking meted out, and after a certain point, loud groove is loud groove. They shouted out countrymen outfit C.O.F.F.I.N., who played the other day, which was nice, en route to the next onslaught. Rain stopped and started, as it has for most of the day.
I just kind of hung around and let both the noise and the water falling from the sky — because this planet is incredible and to our present knowledge completely unique in the universe in being able to support life and water is why and we treat it like shit; by the way I’m getting on a plane tomorrow morning, so I’m not indemnifying myself, rest assured; if you’re alive to read this you’re complicit there — wash over me while making the rounds saying a few quick goodbyes/hope-to-see-you-next-years. The harsh reality of needing to head to the airport early tomorrow has set in, so better to take care of that earlier than to feel bad about it later. There are a lot of very nice people here, and they are kind to me, and talk to me. I don’t have the kind of brain that always translates being happy to see someone into a smile on my face, but even if you just said hi this weekend, please know it was appreciated. I guess I’m saying goodnight there, too. Guess I got sidetracked talking about Amyl and the Sniffers. Okay.
Kadavar
The one and only. Because as many imitators as they’ve spawned, Kadavar on a level of their own. I knew to expect good things from their still-relatively-recent four-piece incarnation from seeing them play last summer at the aforementioned SonicBlast (review here), and god damn, they’re about as headliner as you get when they take the stage at something like this. They’ve been recording — for what, I don’t know, but I’ve got my hopes — rather than the old tour-tour-tour thing, while it was killer to hear Lupus Lindemann up on stage speak to the crowd in his (and most of their, I assume) native language. He, Tiger, Dragon and Jascha Kreft — last I checked, the ‘new guy’ hadn’t chosen a spirit animal — took the stage to defy the supposition that rock and roll has no more heroes, and while they’re a professional band putting on a show for an audience, on doing so, they throw down like no one else in this thing. “Doomsday Machine” into “Come Back Life” at the start? Come on. I hung around for a few songs, which was a choice facilitated by either the rain mostly stopping or my new Freak Valley hoodie just being soaked enough that I didn’t notice, then made my way out with more than a tinge of sadness at it being over, but secure in the knowledge I’ll see Kadavar again this summer, barring disaster, and as I arrived at the hotel after hailing a cab like the New York metro, throw-your-arm-out-just-at-the-right-time-to-catch-the-driver, it occurred to me to put on the Rockpalast stream. So I got to watch “I Fly Among the Stars” and so on that way. Scrolling back told me I missed “Black Sun” and the clap-along to “Die Baby Die” while in transit, which is a little sad, but I’m grateful for what I got.
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The same applies to the festival as a whole. I’m grateful for everything I saw and heard — whether it was in accord with my everyday listening habits or not — over the last three days, grateful to Jens for having me over, for Falk watching out for me in the photo pit, to Alex, Marcus, Jamie, and Basti for the rides, and to you for reading any of it if you did. As she often is concerning a wide variety of subjects, The Patient Mrs. was right to give me the push out the door I needed. Such as I’m a duck, I’m a lucky one.
If I have time, I’ll do kind of an epilogue tomorrow, if not, probably Friday, which is probably what I’d prefer to allow for a little actual-processing/distance. We’ll see. Either way, thank you again. More pics after the jump.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This past Friday, classically progressive heavy rockers Mouth released Vortex Redux through This Charming Man Records. And though ‘redux’ in a heavy context has come to be associated with Magnetic Eye Records‘ ongoing album-tribute series, no, this is not Mouth or anyone else covering their own album. Remastered with the included bonus track “Turn the Lie” (video premiering below) and liner notes by yours truly.
The Köln-based trio — now comprised of guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Christian Koller, drummer/keyboardist Nick Mavridis and bassist Thomas Johnen, who made his first appearance on last year’s Getaway (review here) in the role previously filled by Gerald Kirsch — originally released Vortex (review here) in 2017 through Al!ve/Blunoise Records as an eight-years-later follow-up to their debut, Rhizome, but really, it was the point at which their proggy intent found its fruition. With underlying influence from the heavier end of the style and a modern cast on vintage ideologies, they’ve been able to position themselves in both worlds as a band whose foundation is in prog textures with keys and retro organs and synth and melodies and all that stuff mixed with the occasional let-loose of a thicker shove.
It’s a fine line and Mouth dance all over it, but you’ll pardon me if I leave the analysis there. I’ve both reviewed this album AND I wrote the liner notes below in blue — as opposed to the usual ‘bio I wrote’ tag I apply in situations where editorial and promotional lines are blurred (always uncomfortable; full disclosure, I actually don’t remember if I was compensated or not for the below writing; I’m terrible with money and knowing things generally; see also ‘incompetent’) — that begin with “Welcome…” and end where they end. Seems like plenty, so if you’re still reading at all and haven’t already started the clip, I’ll just say that that whole “prog + fun” equation alluded to above is exactly what comes to life here, and in close-up style.
Plenty more of my blah blah blah follows — I didn’t even know they were using the notes as promo copy until the record was out, but fair enough — and the clip’s three minutes and weird and kind of lo-fi, which somehow makes it more of a good time. But you’re right in the box with them, so I hope you’ve showered recently. Nobody wants to be the one stinking up the practice space.
Please enjoy:
Mouth, “Turn the Lie” video premiere
This is the bonus track of the redux version of MOUTH’s second album VORTEX. Order the new mastered and reworked album here:
Welcome to the definitive Vortex. The LP you’re holding has been on a journey, and no, not just shipping. Mouth’s second after 2009’s Rhizome, Vortex was mostly recorded in 2011 and 2012 over five sessions in a small space where the band rehearsed. Material was pieced together intermittently over a period of 11 months with Chris Koller handling guitar, keys and bass and Nick Mavridis on drums. That’s where it started. Two construction projects: the studio and a recording that would help define the course of the band in classic and melodic progressive rock, happening almost simultaneously in a creative meta-narrative that could easily stand as analog for the depth of pieces like “Into the Light” or the sprawling “Vortex” itself, which opens the record (new and old editions) in an encompassing display of impulse and fluidity
Through experiments in atmosphere like “March of the Cyclopes” and toward the finish of “Epilogue,” Mouth married sounds that in other contexts would come up disparate, like finding a hidden magnetism between two north poles.
Most of the Vortex songs were created on the spot in the studio.There would be no way to know it at the time, but this process would result in a collection of songs with a broad range, within as well as between the component tracks. “Parade” taps Sly Stone on the shoulder and asks if he wants to party (he does), while the penultimate “Soon After…” resonates with its smoky, mellow-jazz vibe. “Vortex” itself happens over six movements and was put together across different sessions, while “Epilogue” happened in a day.
Dissatisfaction with the original mix – and when an album has as much put into its arrangements as Vortex, that balance matters – would lead Mouth to offer Out of the Vortex in 2020 as a collection of alternate versions of pieces like “Mountain” and “Parade,” as well as the unreleased “Ready” and “Homagotago’s Paddle Boat Trip,” the latter an apparent successor to a cut from Floating. But sometimes a thing nestles itself into the back of your head and just won’t leave, and Mouth’s pursuit of a finished Vortex would lead them into the studio again.
Koller handled the remix himself in Oct. 2023, and in addition to helming the new master, krautrock legend Eroc (who drummed in Grobschnitt) brought a gong to mark the beginning of “March of the Cyclopes.” Like a lot of the finer touches on this Vortex, be it a hashed-out stretch in the title-track built on a drum/bass jam or just pulling the vocals and Hammond down a bit in “Epilogue,” the result is a stylistic flourishing that was there all along throughout the journey and now can finally shine as the band intended. – JJ Koczan / Dec. 2023
Pressing Info: 100 copies black (mailorder edition) 400 copies purple transparent wax -> all copies come with a fold out poster
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I have every intention of being at Freak Valley Festival 2024 when it takes place next May into June, and given the first 11 acts to be announced for its lineup, I’m already glad for that. Yes, no doubt Monolord will crush and I just saw 1000mods like a week ago so I know they’re killing it, but the chance to see the likes of Daevar or Fuzzy Grass, Speck, Mouth, Full Earth (begat by Kanaan) and Slomosa, the young Norwegian outfit at the potential spearhead of a new generation of Euro heavy rock — the kind of band who’ll be headlining in a few years if they keep putting the work in like they are and the songs hold up. Already there’s stuff I never thought I’d see, stuff I’ve seen and know will be awesome, and stuff I haven’t seen that I want to see. Call that a win for a first announcement.
I wrote a decent portion of the below, but some was added, so I’m not gonna take full credit or anything like that. Nonetheless, as posted on socials:
Freak Valley Festival 2024 Lineup Announcement!
Ladies and gentlemen, freaks of all ages, get ready to rock your world at Freak Valley Festival 2024! We’re thrilled to unveil the first part of an incredible lineup featuring some of the most electrifying bands from around the globe. Freak Valley 2024 is set for May 30 – June 1.
You’ve already seen that Early Freak Tickets are on sale for Sept. 30 at Vortex Surfer in Siegen, and Regular Tickets again Oct. 2. Online sales start Oct. 3 and tickets hit local shops on Oct. 4. But enough about that!!
You’ve been waiting, we’ve been waiting, and the first band we’re ready to unveil for Freak Valley Festival 2024 is MONOLORD.
The Swedish kingpins of plus-sized riffs were last with us in 2019. Will they be back with a new album next summer? It’s cool to hope so, but either way, you can’t go wrong when Monolord come to crush, which they always do.
They’ll be joined by Greek heavy rock kingpins 1000MODS, Norwegian upstarts SLOMOSA — whose second record will be out by June — and ALEX HENRY FOSTER who you might remember was supposed to play in 2023, as well as DŸSE, SPECK, DAEVAR and FUZZY GRASS from France.
Newcomer Kanaan-offshoot FULL EARTH will join us from from Norway and long-running Chilean sludge outfit DEMONAUTA will grace our stage for the first time.
Rounding out this first announcement closer to home, we’ll bring Köln heavy prog stalwarts MOUTH on board, heralding this year’s ‘Getaway’ LP, which is must-hear if you haven’t!
(#128266#) Here’s the star-studded lineup:
Monolord – 1000mods – Dÿse – Slomosa – Alex Henry Foster – Mouth – Speck – Demonauta- Full Earth- Fuzzy Grass – Daevar
All killers, no fillers. That’s how we do it, freaks. Get your tickets now because they’ll be gone before you know it.
Prepare for an unforgettable weekend filled with mind-blowing performances, heavy riffs, and an atmosphere that’ll keep you rocking all night long. Freak Valley Festival 2024 is set to be an absolute musical extravaganza!
A bit of drift to start and soon enough, “Getaway” is gone. The organ is the tell. Movement, in movements. Soon, German trio Mouth are fully immersed in the classic prog boogie of the title-track to their fourth full-length. Getaway is comprised of six tracks and totals 44 minutes, 22 of which are dedicated to “Getaway” — all of side A — which serves as opener and longest cut (immediate points) as well as the beginning of the narrative that plays out across the total span. To put it to scale, the next longest piece on side B is “Asylum/Sea” at 5:59, so it’s a significant jump in methodology from one half of the record to the other, but the Cologne-based Mouth have been at this a while now, and though bassist Thomas Johnen (also some guitar) makes his first studio-LP appearance here alongside guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Christian Koller and drummer/keyboardist Nick Mavridis, he’s actually been in the band since 2019, taking the place of Gerald Kirsch, who remains credited with at least some of the low end on the album.
Either way, Mouth know what they’re doing. Self-produced by the band and mixed by Mavridis and Johnen (Eroc at Mastering Ranch mastered), Getaway follows five years after Mouth‘s last full-length, 2018’s Floating (review here), although they did release the Past Present Future (review here) compilation in 2019 and reissue their 2009 debut, Rhizome, in 2020. Still, as Floating arrived just a year after 2017’s Vortex (review here), the five-year stretch between LPs is notable, but readily explained between the lineup change and global catastrophe.
One might also wonder over just how long a period Getaway was recorded and, particularly in the case of its title-track — an obvious focal point since it takes up half the record and shares its name — how it was built up to flow as smoothly as it does, working through classic prog boogie into psych rock and coming out clean on the other side with a smoothly punctuated verse 16 minutes in, organ and acoustic and electric guitar all intertwining behind storytelling that, whether it’s ’70s or ’90s-inspired is anyone’s guess, but that feels natural when the solo starts and wouldn’t have been out of place 10 years ago on Elektrohasch; yes, I’m thinking of Hypnos 69.
The hidden message of “Getaway” — which blows itself out vocally on the repeated line “We dance in the underground” (please note: we do not all dance) before gradually hypnotizing around various melodies, some Mellotron floating in, light vocals, and so on, in its last three minutes — is one of plot. That solo (it begins at 17:37) is only a few measures long before the distorted vocals take over, but it underscores the point that even so far into such a willfully expansive piece they’d still hold firm to their intention. Part of the ending feels improvised, from about 19:15 through 20:15, but the keyboard and quiet vocals, organ, et al, that pick up from there to finish are both a welcome build and a mapped-out course. Mouth are not lacking structure really in any of Getaway, and even in letting go, the title-track stands as a clear demonstration of what they can do within the given sprawl of their sound.
Platter flip and “On the Boat” (premiering above) leads off side B and rocks harder around a comparatively straightforward central groove and hook, the vocals picking up with the farther-back-and-distorted; think “Cat’s foot, iron claw/Neurosurgeon screams for more” à la King Crimson, but with a heavy push from the drums and an insistent progression of organ, guitar and bass to coincide, twisting into the falsetto chorus, looping back through toward a solo and final chorus to end, transitioning smoothly to the instrumental “Asylum/Sea.”
So, quickly momentum takes a different form on side B, and there’s a narrative to Getaway that’s apparent just from the names of the songs — “Getaway” on side A, while side B is “On the Boat,” “Asylum/Sea,” “Purge and Hunt,” “Once” and “Drowning” — and if Mouth are writing about Europe’s ongoing refugee crisis, fair enough for their not forcing a happy ending where one doesn’t always go. “Asylum/Sea” finds its melodic stretchout in the Mellotron, and Mavridis‘ snare is tight and cuts through, but not so much as to disturb the quiet of the waves that surround it, where “Purge and Hunt” is more urgent in its organ-rock shove and more purposefully brash in its crashes and lead twists of guitar initially.
A break after about 2:40 into the total 5:41 marks the launch point for an exploratory part that’s mellower and seems to have some Rhodes or other kind of vintage-sounding keys worked in around sustained guitar drone and jazzy drums, but it’s the organ line that holds past the finish and that lets the funky “Once” pick up from there with its short but atmospheric bounce. It might be garage rock but for all the keyboards, but you’d never know it with the finer detailing that surrounds, and that keeps it consistent with the material prior, be it “Purge and Hunt” or “Getaway” itself.
The layers of keys, gentle melodicism and drumless rhythm of “Drowning” lend it something of an epilogue feel, but if that’s how the story ends — i.e. with the depicted refugees drowning — then it is an essential facet of the story itself. There are no lyrics, so they leave it at least somewhat open to interpretation, but as with “Asylum/Sea” finding a calm moment between the excitement of “On the Boat” and “Purge and Hunt,” Mouth imbue “Drowning” with a sense of melancholy for its sub-three-minutes that rises from silence, establishes its layers of organ/synth, holds its dirge, and drops to silence as if to leave you asking what happens next.
Ideally we all give money to Greenpeace and like-minded organizations, but either way, that the story being depicted throughout aligns naturally with what the instruments and lyrics are doing is another level of showcase through which Getaway feels so well considered. It is not overwrought or too thought out, not flat or lacking passion, but there’s a thread woven through the songs that brings them together, an energy in the listening, that makes the entire procession feel carefully sculpted, even in its off-the-cuff moments. This may be business as usual for Mouth on paper, but in hearing the album, their sense of guiding the audience through the songs — instrumentally and in terms of the narrative — is palpable, and whether they’re psyched-out, dug-in or just plain ol’ heavy rocking, they remain sure in what they want to do. The results are all the more satisfying for that.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Heretofore undervalued classic progressive rockers Mouth would seem to be at the starting point of the promotional cycle for their next album. Their fourth studio LP overall, it’s titled Getaway, which bodes well for anyone perhaps seeking escapist pastoralia, and will see release this summer as their first collaboration with the of-venerable-taste This Charming Man Records. I know precious little about the record to be issued beyond the title, but the Köln-based trio have been dutifully posting social media updates on its status, and it looks like the show they played on Feb. 11 doubled maybe as a celebration of having finished the mastering. If that’s not true, then at least they’re close to it. “Finishing touches,” and all that.
The otherwise latest release from Mouth — also stylized all-lowercase: mouth — is 2020’s Out of the Vortex, which featured alternate versions and off-LP tracks from the sessions for their direction-defining 2017 sophomore full-length, Vortex (review here), which set them on a path of warm and spacious prog, linked in aesthetic to the early ’70s and readily acknowledging that as a key influence. The band’s roots go back to the turn of the century, which was celebrated on 2019’s compilation, Past Present Future (review here), and one looks forward to hearing four years after that how the ‘future’ portion might manifest on Getaway. May we all have a lounger reserved for us on Prog Island.
The band posted the following announcement on the aforementioned socials, keeping it quick and to the point. Hopefully I’ll have more to come on the album before summer gets here.
Dig:
We are proud to announce we are now part of the THIS CHARMING MAN familiy. We signed the contract for our 6th release (4th longplayer studio album) GETAWAY said to be released on vinyl on this magnificent record label this summer!
MOUTH: Christian Koller: vocals, guitars & keyboards Thomas Johnen: bass Nick Mavridis: drums, keyboards
