Those familiar with the work of Jessica Ball from her time in MWWB, or Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard as they were more fully known before their last album, 2022’s The Harvest (review here), shouldn’t be too thrown off by the stylistic shift being made with EYE, taking that band’s synth and melodic foundation and extrapolating it to new ends in an exploration less tonally dense but able to reach that much further as a result. “In Your Night” is the first single from EYE‘s upcoming debut LP, Dark Light, and as you’ll hear on the player below, Ball leads her new outfit with patience through heavy post-rock ambience and lays out the melody on vocals before the band dig into more aural crush in the second half.

I haven’t heard the full record yet — it’s out April 26 on New Heavy Sounds, preorders, etc. — so I can’t speak to how much “In Your Night” represents the entirety. But if the intention was maybe to give listeners who know Ball from her prior outfit something to latch onto to ease the transit of fandom from one project to the next, I don’t hear anything in it that pulls me out of the experience, and I think probably those who caught on to what MWWB were doing at any point in their tenure should well be able to get on board here. Which probably makes the single a win for more than just actually being cool.

It was kind of a heavy chat, but Ball spoke in an interview here in 2022 about EYE and her intentions with the band coming out of MWWB. I look forward to hearing how Dark Light unfolds.

From the PR wire:

EYE – THE NEW BAND FROM MWWB SINGER-SONGWRITER/MUSICIAN JESSICA BALL – UNVEILS HER EAGERLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT ALBUM ‘DARK LIGHT’ & FIRST SINGLE

Pre-order now:
Bandcamp: https://eye-uk.bandcamp.com/album/dark-light
Cargo: https://cargorecordsdirect.co.uk/products/eye-dark-light
Digital: https://lnk.to/iw6VA6

EYE – the new band from Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (MWWB) singer-songwriter/musician Jessica Ball – has announced the arrival of their eagerly awaited debut album, ‘Dark Light’ set for release on 26th April via New Heavy Sounds (Shooting Daggers, MWWB, Blacklab)

“These songs have been many years in the making… Some of these ideas were crafted before MWWB, this is something I’ve always wanted to do. Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent some time on finishing and crafting these ideas and pieces of music into songs. Some were snippets of lyrics from my early twenties which reflect on what seems like a different person. I think it’s quite poetic how it’s all come together now.

I was also encouraged after finding musicians who understood the vision and style I was trying to achieve, and of course my experience of being in MWWB. I’m a guitarist above all, and I loved reconnecting with guitar again. It feels like all my influences and favourite styles have come together in this album. Shoegaze, doom, folk, dream pop… It’s a real mix bag but as a whole, it represents many different stages of my life and tells a story.

The album ultimately is quite introspective yet lyrically loose enough to be open to interpretation – I’ve always been a fan of songs that seem to perfectly slot into the situation I’m experiencing and not too specific to one person’s experience… I think that comes across in this album.”

Jessica relocated from Wrexham to join her new partner, veteran Welsh musician Gid Goundrey (Gulp, Ghostlawns, Martin Carr), in Cardiff just as the pandemic era dawned. Confined to their small Grangetown flat, they quite naturally began making music together.

Having earned acclaim and a fervent fan following for her role in MWWB, Ball took the opportunity to compose songs that were all her own – nuanced, lyrical, and hypnotically distinctive.

Triggered in part by the existential dread looming outside as well as the sudden ill health of her dear friend, MWWB guitarist Paul “Dave” Davies, then fighting for life after a Covid-related stroke.

With Goundrey on drums (for the first time in his musical career) and joined by keyboardist Johnny TK, Eye experimented with sounds to match Ball’s melodic songs, traversing a diverse spectrum of dark folk, dreampop, IDM and psychedelic doom, to create sometimes heavy and foreboding drones, alongside spare but still richly textured sonics.

The result is their debut album ‘Dark Light’. An intensely atmospheric fusion of emotionally charged songcraft and inspired sonic energy. The clue is in the album’s paradoxical title. Chilling and even bleak melodies with arrangements daringly and deliberately stripped down and minimal. Revealing a kinship with sonic bed-fellows Mazzy Star, Chelsea Wolfe or even Portishead, which can be heard on first single ‘In Your Night’.

Jessica comments, “Our first release ‘In Your Night’ represents Eye musically, conceptually and lyrically and I’m proud for this to be the first song that everyone hears from us… Light and dark, night and day, quiet and loud is the running theme throughout this song and album as a whole. Whether you’re up close to a song, or listening to the album as a whole, these themes will be ever present throughout. We’re playing around with these two extremes sonically and what these represent emotionally and mentally. I feel that nothing takes you on a journey more effectively than a good build up, or something happening unexpectedly, much like real life. We are just the eye that witnesses it all.”

Listen to ‘In Your Night’ – https://eye-uk.bandcamp.com/album/dark-light / https://lnk.to/hGgZYhyO

Songs like “The Other Sees”, “Respair”, “See Yourself” are chameleonic and commanding, wielding snaky, chiming guitar back to back with fuzzed out riffs. Vocal melodies may be sweet but melancholic, amidst tightly contrasted spatial dimensions, and Ball’s signature vocals are at the forefront, sometimes soaring but also with a heart of darkness. Of the two ‘heavier’ numbers “In Your Night,” slowly builds to a brooding fuzz-groove like a down-tuned Yo La Tengo until a huge space-doom riffs carries you home while with “See Yourself” the contrast from folk delicacy to tripped out sub-bass fuzz riffage is astounding.

So, whilst not strictly speaking ‘Doom’ or ‘Metal’ fans of Jessica’s previous work with MWWB will not be disappointed. Along with producer Chris Fielding (MWWB, Conan) EYE have produced something otherworldly, which is at times heavy and epic, yet still deeply intimate and dark. A striking debut.

‘Dark Light’ is due to drop on 26th April 2024, and as with all New Heavy Sounds releases, will come in a deluxe limited vinyl edition. Green/Purple half and half effect vinyl, with full download included as well as limited edition CD and at all digital platforms.

https://www.facebook.com/eyeeyeeyemusic
https://www.instagram.com/_e_y_e_b_a_n_d/
https://eye-uk.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/newheavysounds
https://www.instagram.com/newheavysounds
https://newheavysounds.bandcamp.com/
https://www.newheavysounds.com/
https://linktr.ee/NewHeavySounds

EYE, Dark Light (2024)

So I kinda wanted to hear some old shit alongside all the new shit, which I guess I feel okay about. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like every second of every show has to be super-recent as much as possible to get word out about new bands again as much as possible — and again again as much as possible to the extent of whatever the audience for this show is; I honestly have no idea — but that’s not even close to being true in reality. I could play Death, no one would give a shit.

I should play Death. Next show if I remember, which I’m saying up front is like 70/30 no.

Anyway, so old High on Fire into new Dozer and Altered States’ recent “The Crossing” crossing with The Hidden Hand’s “The Crossing” from their brilliant 2004 opus, and JAAW feeding into Celtic Frost feeding into Vape Warlök. Fucking a. This show’s pretty good. I hope I don’t ruin it by, you know, talking.

A few albums here I’m looking forward to knowing better. Swanmay for sure, JAAW absolutely, and I might even say that of Dozer, perhaps into perpetuity or at very least until long after I’ve reviewed it and hailed it as one of the best albums of the year — which I don’t even feel shy in saying because it’s a fucking given — and Bongzilla, because they’re Bongzilla and I’m glad they’re putting out records. They’re a needed reminder of how even the heaviest things can be made to float.

Thanks if you listen to this show. If not, it happens, but thanks for reading anyhow. If you stumbled here and have no idea what I’m talking about, you might still consider checking out a band or two from the playlist and find something to make your day better.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.31.23 (VT = voice track)

High on Fire	10,000 Years	The Art of Self-Defense (2001)
Dozer	Dust for Blood	Drifting in the Endless Void
Devoidov	Stab	Stab
MiR	Altar of Liar	Season Unknown
VT
Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow	Maps of Inferno	Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow
Black Rainbows	Superhero Dopeproof	Superskull
Lammping	Better Know Better	Better Know Better
Oceanlord	2340	Kingdom Cold
Arriver	Azimuth	Azimuth
Altered States	The Crossing	Survival
The Hidden Hand	The Crossing	Mother Teacher Destroyer (2004)
Iress	Ricochet	Solace
Grin	Nothingness	Black Nothingness
Bongzilla	Hippie Stick	Dab City
MWWB	Logic Bomb	The Harvest (2022)
Swanmay	Stone Cold	Frantic Feel
VT
JAAW	Rot	Supercluster
Celtic Frost	A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh	Monotheist (2005)
Vape Warlök	Inhale Death	Inhale Death (2022)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 14 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

Picking up from last time, and leading into next time, this episode continues the Some of the Best of 2022 coverage for ‘The Obelisk Show,’ and I feel reasonably comfortable assuming that would come through clearly even if I didn’t say it outright.

You’ll note this one starts pretty heavy and aggro with 16. That’s on purpose. My timeslot on Gimme Metal follows artist-guest specials, and I’ve felt at times in the past like it’s a really abrupt shift from most of those — sometimes death metal, grind, and otherwise extreme — and what I do, which is different. I know that’s the point, but I wanted to see if I could make that transition smoother than it otherwise can be. We’ll see how it goes, I guess.

From there, there’s a good amount of branching out, and while this is by no means all of the killer stuff that 2022 has wrought, my hope is that at least some of the sprawl comes through, some of the combination of new and old bands, and so forth. Next episode, which will be #100 and the last one of the year — bit of an event in the life of the show — will continue the thread.

Thanks for listening if you do, thanks for reading if you are.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 12.09.22 (VT = voice track)

-(16)-	The Floor Wins	Into Dust
Telekinetic Yeti	Rogue Planet	Primordial
Cities of Mars	Towering Graves	Cities of Mars
Colour Haze	See the Fools	Sacred
VT
Moura	Lúa vermella	Axexan, Espreitan
Ufomammut	Pyramind	Fenice
MWWB	Logic Bomb	The Harvest
King Buffalo	Avalon	Regenerator
Geezer	Stoned Blues Machine	Stoned Blues Machine
Charley No Face	Big Sleep	Eleven Thousand Volts
My Sleeping Karma	Prema	Atma
Kadavermarch	The Eschaton	Into Oblivion
Ruby the Hatchet	Soothsayer	Fear is a Cruel Master
UWUW	Landlord	UWUW
Caustic Casanova	A Bailar con Cuarentena	Glass Enclosed Nerve Center
Hazemaze	Ceremonial Aspersion	Blinded by the Wicked
VT
E-L-R	Forêt	Vexier
Temple Fang	Jerusalem	Jerusalem/The Bridge

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Dec. 23 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

I don’t know what day it is. The holiday here in the States has me all screwed up. I know it’s not the weekend anymore because I’m posting today, but really, if this is for Tuesday or Wednesday, I’m kind of at a loss. What I do know is that it’s 10 more records, and some quick math at the “71-80” below — which, yes, I put there ahead of time when I set up the back end of these posts so hopefully I don’t screw it up; it’s a whole fucking process; never ask me about it unless you want to be so bored at by the telling that your eyeballs explode — tells me today Wednesday, so I guess I figured it out. Hoo-ray.

Three quarters of the way through, which feels reasonably fancy. And today’s a good one, too. I hope as always that you find something you dig. Now that I know what day it is, I’m ready to start.

Quarterly Review #71-80:

MWWB, The Harvest

It’s difficult to separate MWWB‘s The Harvest from the fact that it might be the Welsh act’s final release, as frontwoman Jessica Ball explained here. Their synth-laced cosmic doom certainly deserves to keep going if it can, but on the chance not, The Harvest suitably reaps the fruit of the progression the band began to undertake with 2015’s Nachthexen (review here), their songs spacious despite the weight of their tones and atmospheric even at their most dense. Proggy instrumental explorations like “Let’s Send These Bastards Whence They Came” and “Interstellar Wrecking” and the semi-industrial, vocals-also-part-of-the-ambience “Betrayal” surround the largesse of the title-track, “Logic Bomb,” the especially lumbering “Strontium,” and so on, and “Moon Rise” caps with four and a half minutes of voice-over-guitar-and-keys atmospherics, managing to be heavy even without any of the usual trappings thereof. If this is it, what a run they had, both when they were Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard and with this as their potential swansong.

MWWB on Facebook

New Heavy Sounds website

—

 

Righteous Fool, Righteous Fool

Look. Maybe it’s a fan-piece, but screw it, I’m a fan. And as someone who liked the second run of Corrosion of Conformity‘s Animosity-era lineup, this previously-unreleased LP from the three-piece that included C.O.C. bassist/vocalist Mike Dean and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin (R.I.P.), as well as guitarist/vocalist Jason Browning, is only welcome. I remember when they put out the single on Southern Lord in 2010, you couldn’t really get a sense of what the band was about, but there’s so much groove in these songs — I’m looking right at you, “Hard Time Killing Floor” — that it’s that much more of a bummer the three-piece didn’t do anything else. Of course, Mullin rejoining Dean in C.O.C. wasn’t a hardship either, but especially in the aftermath of his death last year, it’s bittersweet to hear his performances on these songs and a collection of tracks that have lost none of their edge for the decade-plus they’ve sat on a shelf or hard drive somewhere. Call it a footnote if you want, but the songs stand on their own merits, and if you’re going to tell me you’ve never wanted to hear Dean sing “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown),” then I think you and I are just done speaking for right now.

Righteous Fool on Facebook

Ripple Music website

—

 

Seven Nines and Tens, Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers

I agree, it’s a very long album title. And the band name is kind of opaque in a kind of opaque way. Double-O-paque. And the art by Ahmed Emad Eldin (Pink Floyd, etc.) is weird. All of this is true. But I’m going to step outside the usual review language here, and instead of talking about how Vancouver post-noise rock trio Seven Nines and Tens explore new melodic and atmospheric reaches while still crushing your rib cage on their first record for the e’er tastemaking Willowtip label, I’m just going to tell you listen. Really. That’s it. If you consider yourself someone with an open mind for music that is progressive in its artistic substance without conforming necessarily to genre, or if you’re somebody who feels like heavy music is tired and can’t connect to the figurative soul, just press play on the Bandcamp embed and see where you end up on the other side of Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers‘ 37 minutes. Even if it doesn’t change your life, shaking you to your very core and giving you a new appreciation for what can be done on a level of craft in music that’s still somehow extreme, just let it run and then take a breath afterward, maybe get a drink of water, and take a minute to process. I wrote some more about the album here if you want the flowery whathaveyou, but really, don’t bother clicking that link. Just listen to the music. That’s all you need.

Seven Nines & Tens on Facebook

Willowtip Records website

—

 

T.G. Olson, II

In March 2021, T.G. Olson, best known as the founding guitarist/vocalist for Across Tundras, released a self-titled solo album (review here). He’s had a slew of offerings out since — as he will; Olson is impossible to keep up with but one does one’s best — but II would seem to be a direct follow-up to that full-length’s declarative purpose, continuing and refining the sometimes-experimentalist, sometimes purposefully traditional folk songwriting and self-recording exploration Olson began (publicly, at least) a decade ago. Several of II‘s cuts feature contributions from Caleb R.K. Williams, but Olson‘s ability to build a depth of mix — consider the far-back harmonica in “Twice Gone” and any number of other flourishes throughout — is there regardless, and his voice is as definitively human as ever, wrought with a spirit of Americana and a wistfulness for a West that was wild not for its guns but the buffalo herds you could see from space and an emotionalism that makes the lyrics of “Saddled” seem all the more personal, whether or not they are, or the lines in “Enough Rope” that go, “Always been a bit of a misanthrope/Never had a healthy way to cope,” and don’t seem to realize that the song itself is the coping.

Electric Relics Records on Bandcamp

—

 

Freebase Hyperspace, Planet High

Issued on limited blue vinyl through StoneFly Records, Freebase Hyperspace‘s first full-length, Planet High, is much more clearheaded in its delivery than the band would seem to want you to think. Sure, it’s got its cosmic echo in the guitar and the vocals and so on, but beneath that are solidified grooves shuffling, boogieing and underscoring even the solo-fueled jam-outs on “Golden Path” and “Introversion” with a thick, don’t-worry-we-got-this vibe. The band is comprised of vocalist Ayrian Quick, guitarist Justin Acevedo, bassist Stephen Moore and drummer Peter Hurd, and they answer 2018’s Activation Immediate not quite immediately but with fervent hooks and a resonant sense of motion. It’s from Portland, and it’s a party, but Planet High upends expectation in its bluesy vocals, in its moments of drift and in the fact that “Cat Dabs” — whatever that means, I don’t even want to look it up — is an actual song rather than a mess of cult stoner idolatries, emphasizing the niche being explored. And just because it bears mentioning, heavy rock is really, really white. More BIPOC and diversity across the board only makes the genre richer. But even those more general concerns aside, this one’s a stomper.

Freebase Hyperspace on Facebook

StoneFly Records store

—

 

Melt Motif, A White Horse Will Take You Home

Not calling out other reviews (they exist; I haven’t read any), but any writeup about Melt Motif‘s debut album, A White Horse Will Take You Home, that doesn’t include the word “sultry” is missing something. Deeply moody on “Sleep” and the experimental-sounding “Black Hole” and occasionally delving into that highly-processed ’90s guitar sound that’s still got people working off inspiration from Nine Inch Nails‘ The Downward Spiral even if they don’t know it — see the chugs of “Mine” and “Andalusian Dog” for clear examples — the nine-track/37-minute LP nonetheless oozes sex across its span, such that even the sci-fi finale “Random Access Memory” holds to the theme. The band span’s from São Paulo, Brazil, to Bergen, Norway, and is driven by Rakel‘s vocals, Kenneth Rasmus Greve‘s guitar, synth and programming, and Joe Irente‘s bass, guitar, more synth and more programming. Together, they are modern industrial/electrionica in scope, the record almost goth in its theatrical pruning, and there’s some of the focus on tonal heft that one finds in others of the trio’s ilk, but Melt Motif use slower pacing and harder impacts as just more toys to be played with, and thus the album is deeply, repeatedly listenable, the clever pop structures and the clarity of the production working as the bed on which the entirety lays in waiting repose for those who’d take it on.

Melt Motif on Facebook

Apollon Records on Bandcamp

—

 

Tenebra, Moongazer

Moongazer is the second full-length from Bologna, Italy-based heavy psychedelic blues rockers Tenebra, and a strong current of vintage heavy rock runs through it that’s met head-on by the fullness of the production, by which I mean that “Cracked Path” both reminds of Rainbow — yeah that’s right — and doesn’t sound like it’s pretending it’s 1973. Or 1993, for that matter. Brash and raucous on its face, the nine-song outing proves schooled in both current and classic heavy, and though “Winds of Change” isn’t a Scorpions cover, its quieter take still offers a chance for the band to showcase the voice of Silvia, whose throaty, push-it-out delivery becomes a central focus of the songs, be it the Iommic roll of “Black Lace” or the shuffling closer “Moon Maiden,” which boasts a guest appearance from Screaming Trees‘ Gary Lee Conner, or the prior “Dark and Distant Sky,” which indeed brings the dark up front and the distance in its second, more psych-leaning second half. All of this rounds out to a sound more geared toward groove than innovation, but which satisfies in that regard from the opening guitar figure of “Heavy Crusher” onward, a quick nod to desert rock there en route to broader landscapes.

Tenebra on Facebook

New Heavy Sounds website

Seeing Red Records website

—

 

Doom Lab, IV: Ever Think You’re Smart​.​.​. And Then Find Out That You Aren’t?

With a drum machine backing, Doom Lab strums out riffs over the 16 mostly instrumental tracks of the project’s fourth demo since February of this year, Doom Lab IV: Ever Think You’re Smart​.​.​. And Then Find Out That You Aren’t?, a raw, sometimes-overmodulated crunch of tone lending a garage vibe to the entire procession. On some planet this might be punk rock, and maybe tucked away up in Anchorage, Alaska, it’s not surprising that Doom Lab would have a strange edge to their craft. Which they definitely do. “Clockwork Home II (Double-Thick Big Bottom End Dub)” layers in bass beneath a droning guitar, and “Diabolical Strike (w/ False Start)” is a bonus track (with vocals) that’s got the line, “You’ll think that everything is cool but then I’ll crush your motherfucking soul,” so, you know, it’s like that. Some pieces are more developed than others, as “Deity Skin II” has some nuanced layering of instrumentation, but in the harsh high end of “Spiral Strum to Heaven II” and the mostly-soloing “Infernal Intellect II,” Doom Lab pair weirdo-individualism with an obvious creative will. Approach with caution, because some of Doom Lab‘s work is really strange, but that’s clearly the intention from the start.

Doom Lab on Bandcamp

—

 

White Fuzzy Bloodbath, Medicine

What you see is what you get in the sometimes manic, sometimes blissed-out, sometimes punk, sometimes fluid, always rocking Medicine by White Fuzzy Bloodbath, which hearkens to a day when the universe wasn’t defined by internet-ready subgenre designations and a band like this San Jose three-piece had a chance to be signed to Atlantic, tour the universe, and eventually influence other outcasts in their wake. Alas, props to White Fuzzy Bloodbath‘s Elise Tarens — joined in the band by Alex Bruno and Jeff Hurley — for the “Interlude” shout, “We’re White Fuzzy Bloodbath and the world has no fucking idea!” before the band launch into the duly raw “Chaos Creator.” Songs like “Monster,” “Beep-Bop Lives” and “Still” play fast and loose with deceptively technical angular heavy rock, and even the eight-minute title-track that rounds out before the cover of Beastie Boys‘ “Sabotage” refuses to give in and be just one thing. And about that cover? Well, not every experiment is going to lead to gold, but it’s representative on the whole of the band’s bravery to take on an iconic track like that and make their own. Not nearly everybody would be so bold.

White Fuzzy Bloodbath on Facebook

White Fuzzy Bloodbath on Bandcamp

—

 

Secret Iris, What Are You Waiting For

With the vocal melody in its resonant hook, the lead guitar line that runs alongside and the thickened verse progression that complements, Secret Iris almost touch on Euro-style melancholic doom with the title-track of their debut 7″, What Are You Waiting For, but the Phoenix, Arizona, three-piece are up to different shenanigans entirely on the subsequent “Extrasensory Rejection (Winter Sanctuary),” which is faster, more punk, and decisively places them in a sphere of heavy grunge. Both guitarist Jeffrey Owens (ex-Goya) and bassist Tanner Grace (Sorxe) contribute vocals, while drummer Matt Arrebollo (Gatecreeper) is additionally credited with “counseling,” and the nine-minutes of the mini-platter first digitally issued in 2021 beef up a hodgepodge of ’90s and ’00s rock and punk, from Nirvana grunge to Foo Fighters accessibility, Bad Religion‘s punk and rock and a slowdown march after the break in the midsection that, if these guys were from the Northeast, I’d shout as a Life of Agony influence. Either way, it moves, it’s heavy, it’s catchy, and just the same, it manages not to make a caricature of its downer lyrics. The word I’m looking for is “intriguing,” and the potential for further intrigue is high.

Secret Iris on Facebook

Crisis Tree Records store

—

 

Formerly known as Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Welsh atmospheric space doomers MWWB released their fourth album, The Harvest, last week through New Heavy Sounds. One thing you need to know right away about the discussion below with vocalist/synthesist Jessica Ball below is that when she’s talking about their guitarist, Dave and Paul are the same person. If you’re not familiar with the band, it’s Paul Michael Davies on guitar, Ball on vocals, Stuart Sinclair on bass and Dom McCready on drums. But the name Dave comes from Davies‘ surname, and it feels important to make that distinction, lest the interview be confusing as shit.

The Harvest may indeed be the final offering from MWWB, even if it is the first under their new name. The reason Davies is so much a topic of conversation is that in 2021, he suffered a stroke as a result of long-covid, and though the album was slated to release a year ago, it was put aside in order to focus on health issues. His survival was in question. It was not a minor thing. Actually, to hear Ball tell the story, it’s horrifying, and of course one wishes Davies, Dave, Paul, or any other names he may have lying around, continued recovery and strength. It is fortunate for all that MWWB were able to get to the point where they were comfortable putting the record out.

Not the least for the achievements of the songs themselves. 2019’s Yn Ol I Annwn (review here) basked in otherworldly energies that will be recognizable throughout The Harvest as well, but the band pushes forward into cinematic fare with interludes that allow them to touch on genres outside that which might be termed “mammoth” or “weedian,” processing beats, diving into unknown dronescapes, and so on. It is, as per Ball, the harvesting of all the seeds MWWB have collectively planted over the course of the last seven years since their first demo Nachthexen (review here) surfaced in 2015. To say it plainly, it’s the most encompassing work they’ve done to-date. And if it’s their swansong, one could ask no more of it than MWWB give.

There was a lot to cover here ahead of the album, including floating my theory as to how they came to shorten the name from Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard to MWWB, and I was beset by technical issues because that’s just the kind of professional I am, but Ball was gracious with her time and honesty, and that is appreciated. Look out new stuff from her ungoogleable solo-project Eye soon.

And please enjoy:

MWWB Interview with Jessica Ball, March 17, 2022

MWWB‘s The Harvest is out now on New Heavy Sounds. More info at the links.

MWWB, The Harvest (2022)

MWWB on Facebook

MWWB on Bandcamp

MWWB store

New Heavy Sounds on Facebook

New Heavy Sounds on Bandcamp

New Heavy Sounds website

About five minutes after I sent in this playlist, a mass email went out from Gimme Metal to reinforce the guidelines for how to make shows in terms of length and allowing room for promos, voice tracks, and so on. If in fact that’s more than coincidence, I won’t say I didn’t earn it, considering. Some of this stuff I’ve played before — Apostle of Solitude, Uncle Woe, Scott Kelly probably — but a lot of it is new too. If you’ve been on the site at all this week, you’ve probably already seen premieres for Soldat Hans, Uncle Woe and Ealdor Bealu (the latter today), and Moura and that new Geezer were recently featured here as well. You see? It’s all about cross-promotional synergy between varying sides of the massive corporate machine that is The Obelisk. We own Coca-Cola now, if you didn’t know. A recent pickup.

Keep an ear out for the shift from MWWB to Tau and the Drones of Praise. There’s some weirdo back and forth in the playlist here that I love, especially in that middle block of music. I tried to talk less and cram in as much music as I could. You know how it is. Next time, I’ll try to keep it to the established timeframe. I try to be good. And no, The Obelisk didn’t really buy Coca-Cola. Not that I would if I could, but I can’t even afford a can thereof, let alone the company itself.

Thanks if you listen, thanks if you’re reading. Thanks in general.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.18.22

Apostle of Solitude	Apathy in Isolation	Until the Darkness Goes
Crowbar	Zero and Below	Zero and Below
Geezer	Broken Glass	Stoned Blues Machine
VT1
Deathwhite	Earthtomb	Grey Everlasting
Daisychain	How Can I Love You	Different Shades
Moura	Baile do dentón	Axexan, Espreitan
Ealdor Bealu	Mirror Reflecting Mirror	Psychic Forms
MWWB	The Harvest	The Harvest
Tau and the Drones of Praise	Already Written	Dream Awake: Live at Roadburn Redux
Atlas789	El Despertar – Luz Y Sombra	El Despertar – Luz Y Sombra
Dark Worship	Culling Song	Death of a Saint
Scott Kelly & the Road Home	The Field That Surrounds Me	The Forgiven Ghost in Me
Famyne	Once More	II
Kaleidobolt	I Should Be Running	This One Simple Trick
VT2
Uncle Woe	We Plant the Seeds for Things We Know Will Never Grow	Pennyfold Haberdashery & Abbatoir Deluxe
Soldat Hans	Anthaupt	Anthaupt
E-L-R	Opiate the Sun	Vexier

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 1 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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There’s a lot going on here. A lot to unpack, in the parlance of our times, but I’m gonna keep it short because I always feel like I screw these posts up by making it more than the list of bands and encouragement and thanks for listening that it should be. Hey, guess what? I think the songs I picked for the show I made don’t suck. If that wasn’t going to be the case, why would I pick them?

As for the voice breaks here, I barely remember what I said other than I was awkward. My wife was giving our son a bath at the time and I was worried he tub sounds would show up in the recording. That’s my rock and roll lifestyle. I’ve been considering a cocaine addiction so I can convince myself I’m fun again. Maybe go to a show.

Thanks for listening. Or reading. Whatever, really. Just thanks.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 02.04.22

Author & Punisher	Maiden Star	Kruller
Purple Dawn	Death to a Dying World	Peace & Doom Session Vol. II
Eric Wagner	Maybe Tomorrow	In the Lonely Light of Mourning
VT
Madmess	Stargazer	Rebirth
Stone House on Fire	Waterfall	Time is a Razor
Hazemaze	Ceremonial Aspersion	Blinded by the Wicked
Spaceslug	Spring of the Abyss	Memorial
Mt. Echo	These Concrete Lungs	Electric Empire
VT
Slugg	Yonder	Yonder
KYOTY	Ventilate	Isolation
JIRM	You Fly	The Tunnel, the Well, Holy Bedlam
Carcaňo	I Don’t Belong Here	By Order of the Green Goddess
Ascia	Eternal Glory	Volume II
VT
MWWB	The Harvest	The Harvest
All Them Witches	Blacksnake Blues	Baker’s Dozen

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 18 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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It’s been just over a year since Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard were first announced as having changed their name to the acronym MWWB.  At that point the Wrexham cosmic doomers advised “Hang in there Bastards” to those waiting for their fourth album, which was due in March 2021. For those of you playing along at home, it’s now 2022. I know the years seem to be bleeding into one another in a kind of post-pandemic blur of time, but before you know it, it’s gonna be 2035 and that shit will be history that kids don’t care about, so keep up.

The Harvest is due out March 25. Great. Honestly. Fucking yes. Sign me up. I can’t imagine what the band has been through between medical issues and sitting on a record in the can for more than a year, but I’ll take it as it comes. MWWB or Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, fine. Whatever. Can I hear it yet?

Some of it, actually. The title-track is streaming at the bottom of this post — and that’s nine minutes long, so not nothing — along with the band’s 2019 third album, Yn Ol I Annwn (review here), just for fun. Album art and info for The Harvest came down the PR wire:

MWWB ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘THE HARVEST’ RELEASED 25TH MARCH (NEW HEAVY SOUNDS) / LISTEN TO TITLE TRACK NOW

New Heavy Sounds is proud to present the new album by MWWB. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard is no more.

Long live MWWB.

There has been some speculation amongst fan circles that the final part of the trilogy of albums that preceded this, marked the end of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard’s five-year mission. Not so.

We can categorically confirm that having officially slimmed their name down to the acronym, MWWB are continuing their voyage through the far reaches of the galaxy.

The first phase of that journey is their new album ‘The Harvest’.

‘The Harvest’ which is set for release on 25th March (New Heavy Sounds) is the band’s fourth album, and of course it is a record shot through with the trademark MWWB sound, however it also sees the band adding more experimentation, a progressive approach, and going a bit more left-field conceptually. Vocalist Jessica comments on the album’s title track which the band have shared today.

“The Harvest, both as a song and an album, represents an array of emotions.. it wasn’t planned. It is a raw, real-time experience of processing difficulties in both personal and general life. It’s emotionally scatty; much like the spectrum of reactions and feelings we go through in response to being alive. In relation to our other albums, The Harvest feels to us like we are reaping what we’ve sown.”

Listen to the track now: https://mammothweedwizardbastard.bandcamp.com/album/the-harvest

Nine tracks flowing into one another. Space age riff monsters segueing into shorter musical interludes, where John Carpenter, rubs shoulders with Pink Floyd and a maelstrom of moog and mellotron. There are surprises, and of course a bucketload of heavy shit.

Originally planned for release in March last year the album had to suddenly be delayed after guitarist Dave suffered a severe, almost life ending stroke at the beginning of the year after contracting COVID. Vocalist Jessica explains,

“Happy new year! I just wanted to give our fans a long-awaited update regarding Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard.

If you’ve been following our posts on social media, you’ll be aware that our guitarist Dave sadly suffered quite a severe stroke back in the beginning of 2021 after contracting Coronavirus.

It’s been a long and arduous road for him ever since. He had to be put into a medically induced coma while the doctors battled to keep his oxygen levels up. It was touch and go for many months, and at one point we were told to say our final goodbyes to him.

As we all waited for that awful day to come, Dave had other ideas. Against the predictions of the doctors, he came back fighting. Fast forward to today, and Dave is doing exceedingly well in rehabilitation and once again surpassing the expectations of everyone around him. Despite the life-altering effects of having a stroke, including relearning speech and movement, Dave has worked his hardest at every challenge presented to him and it shows. He is visited regularly by his partner Charlie and their son Zeke, who have been nothing but incredibly strong and positive for all of us through this time.

I’m so happy to say that the album we recorded before Dave fell ill will be released in March, and we can all share in the experience together. Thank you so much to all our fans who have been patient with us and stuck around. This album is for you! Sending my thoughts, love and utmost strength to all those who have been affected by this virus.”

With ‘The Harvest’ MWWB have refined and honed their sound, it’s a carefully crafted distillation of ideas, written, conceived and sequenced to be listened to in its entirety (preferably in one sitting). MWWB have always loved film scores and this new album is in many ways, the soundtrack to a film. MWWB provide the musical narrative (the song titles also providing a pointer) and the listener’s imagination does the rest.

This is the album the band say they have always wanted to make, and it is in many ways a pivotal one for them. Not least because this is a record that has also been marked by the adversity and upheaval that has affected the music scene in 2020. The name change may have been on the cards, but the pandemic has meant that the band’s personnel was reduced to the core unit of Jessica Ball, Paul Michael Davies and Stuart Sinclair, guitarist Wes Leon and drummer ‘Carrat’ Carrington being unable to take part on this album. However, the band all look forward to working together on future endeavours when the time is right.

So, with Dom McCready, old friend and erstwhile drummer of labelmates Black Moth superbly handling the drum chores, we can confidently say that despite these setbacks, MWWB have produced an essential document and possibly their finest album to date.

‘The Harvest’ will be released on 25th March 2022 through New Heavy Sounds on limited edition deluxe coloured vinyl in two colour variants as well as cd and digital formats. Pre-order now:

https://cargorecordsdirect.co.uk/products/mammoth-weed-wizard-bastard-the-harvest

MWWB are
Jessica Ball, vocals and synths.
Paul Michael Davies, guitar and synths.
Stuart Sinclair, bass.
Dom McCready, drums.

Photo above by Tim Rooney Photography.

https://www.facebook.com/mammothweedwizardbastard/
https://mammothweedwizardbastard.bandcamp.com/
https://mammothweedwizardbastard.bigcartel.com/
http://www.facebook.com/newheavysounds
https://newheavysounds.bandcamp.com/
http://www.newheavysounds.com/

MWWB, The Harvest (2022)

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Yn Ol I Annwn (2019)