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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Nicky Ray from Stonus

Posted in Questionnaire on February 10th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Nicky Ray from Stonus

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Nicky Ray from Stonus

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

First of all thank you for this interview and this opportunity.

Since young kids me and my brother Kyriacos (lead singer) always felt the pull to create music and thus it all started from our bedroom to where it is now and who knows where it will go. Personally I am not a musician but a chemical engineer, although that’s another story… From a young age I was always attracted to music, poetry and art and I constantly felt the urge to create. With time, me and my brother started sharing our creations and along the way we found the rest of the group, Kotsios, Pavlos and Alaa, and formed STONUS which gives us the opportunity to not only create our own material but also share it around in stages all over Europe. In reality we are just five friends jamming around and creating music which by the end of the day is living our childhood dreams and we have to thank all of our supporters and the heavy rock community for allowing this to happen.

Describe your first musical memory.

My first musical memory, that at least I can remember, is finding this old CD player at my parents’ house at the age of 10 together with a dusty CD of Elton John’s “Sleeping with the past” that I kept playing on repeat every night for a whole year! That’s when I truly realized the power of music and the impact it can have on people and since then, I am in constant exploration.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

The best musical memory so far is having the opportunity to tour Europe for the first time with STONUS last September/October. It was a dream come true, especially coming from a small island in the Mediterranean where the chances of playing abroad are extremely low. Nevertheless, we are here to prove that people can achieve their dreams no matter how hard it is, as long as they believe in their selves and they are willing to give everything they’ve got.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

When you are on the journey to achieve something, often obstacles tend to appear to test your will and endurance. For example back in the day, we were invited to take part in a unity event for peace in Cyprus, which is still a divided country unfortunately. Since as individuals we believe in equal human rights we decided that it was right to play the gig although it was emotionally heavy as most of our families are refugees of the same war that caused this division of the island.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I feel that artistic progression leads to beauty and completeness. The ability to translate your feelings and emotions into art is kind of an alchemy and it requires skill and intuition to put the pieces together.

How do you define success?

Success is being able to do what you love freely, being able to be who you truly are and waking up every day with a smile on your face.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

When I was still an undergraduate at a university, after a club night, I was in the unfortunate position to see a student getting run over by a car and dying. This was one of the strongest experiences that occurred to me and made me realize that every moment is precious and needs to be cherished because you never know if you will be here on the next.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

Our new album! We are actually in the process of writing the first drafts and we are more than excited to see how this new side of our selves looks like.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Art has several functions such as to entertain, to uplift and emotionally support and to even start a revolution if necessary. What I believe, is that art is a form of language, a collective of signals and symbols coming from the core of the universe to enter our subconscious. By translating these signals into artistic creations we allow the universe to experience its own “thoughts” guiding us to the single purpose of unity and bliss, evolving us along the way.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Since outside music I am an engineer, in the renewable energy field; I am really looking forward to see how these new technologies will unfold in a try to make earth a more sustainable and supporting place. Personally it is another dream coming true, seeing people uniting and fighting for a single goal, to save the planet…and who knows maybe it is the start of a new era in society where love could finally replace greed.

To whoever is reading I want to thank you for your time and wish you success in your dreams and of course keep being heavy!

https://www.facebook.com/stonerscy
https://www.instagram.com/stonus.band/
https://stonus.bandcamp.com/

http://electricvalleyrecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/electricvalleyrecords
https://www.instagram.com/electricvalleyrecord
https://www.evrecords.bandcamp.com

Stonus, Séance (2021)

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The Obelisk Presents: Stonus & Swan Valley Heights Tour Dates

Posted in The Obelisk Presents on July 25th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Stonus Swan Valley Heights

Quality bands doing the thing is always a win as far as I’m concerned. Cypriot sludgers Stonus and Germany’s Swan Valley Heights have a stretch of dates lined up together for the bulk of September. The former reached out to me, asked if I’d like to be included among presenters for the tour, and while I’ve said no plenty of times in the past to that kind of thing, this was an easy yes.

First of all, I’ve never seen either of these bands but I wish I had. Second, it’s not a huge tour, there’s no major corporate push behind it, and when it’s over, I assume at least most of those involved will go back to their jobs and regular day to day lives. But doing a tour like this means you believe in what you do enough to put your ass out there and do it for real, and if you can’t support that idea, you can’t support music. At least not in any way that involves actually showing up.

Since I can’t show up, I’ll do this instead. Stonus sent the below info over about the tour, and I’m sure I’ll be plugging it again before they launch the proceedings, but I want to make it clear how killer I think these shows will be, even before you factor in the whole two-years-no-shows thing between 2020-2022 thing. If you’re in their path, go:

Stonus Swan Valley Heights Tour poster

Stonus in collaboration with DAREDEVIL RECORDS and Fuzzorama Records’ psychedelic heavy rockers Swan Valley Heights are proud to present the European Co-headline Tour: Portals To the Sun

This time the five piratonauts join forces with the three amigos from Swan Valley Heights on a mission to spread their Sunny fuzzy riffs around Europe!!! Germany, Austria, Czech republic, Cyprus and UK are you ready for the most fuzzed-up mediterranean party?

3 September: Larnaca, Cyprus
13 September: London, UK
16 September: Berlin, GER
17 September: Dresden, GER
18 September: Lubbenau, GER
20 September: Salzburg, AUS
21 September: Munich, GER
22 September: Prague, CZ
24 September: Backnang, GER

More dates to be announced soon!
art by the one and only Soares Artwork

Few words from the band:
“It’s been a rough couple of years, forced to be isolated, desolated and alone. We would never have imagined that the release of our debut album would be followed by a pandemic… But that didn’t stop us from dreaming and we are finally touring Europe for the first time, with fuzzed-up tunes from “Aphasia”, “Seance” as well as older favourites! It’s a dream coming true and we are looking forward to sharing these experiences and connecting on a more personal level with all of you, who keep pushing and supporting us no matter what!
See you all on the road…

Loads of fuzzy love,
STONUS”

For further information visit our website: www.stonusband.com

STONUS “Mediterranean Fuzzed Up Heavy Rock” Stonus are a desert heavy rock quintet originating from Nicosia, Cyprus since 2015 and currently based in London. Their sound can be described as a mixture of desert, psychedelic, alternative and doom rock with pyrotechnic guitars, fuel firing solos, powerful drumming and raw dirty riffs held together by the melodic vocals and coloured by analogue equipment, complimented by high-energy live performances. To date Stonus have released three extended plays, building up to their debut album ‘Aphasia’ released in 2020 which made it into several AOYT lists and getting them a deal with Electric Valley Records and Daredevil Records . Stonus have shared the stage with bands including Conan, Elephant Tree, Riverside, Sunnata, Planet of Zeus and Nightstalker and participated in festivals such as Riffolution Fest in Manchester UK and Soundart Fest in Roumania.

SWAN VALLEY HEIGHTS A fat baby is born in Germany: The Heavy Seed, second album of Munich and Berlin based three-piece Swan Valley Heights. Ranging from three-minute-long instrumental bangers with no other intention than smashing heads to massive psych journeys that almost reach the quarter-hour mark; from big, ugly dissonances to acoustic guitar driven beach vibes – this eclectic piece of fuzzrock found its right home on Fuzzorama Records, even being mixed and mastered by no other than Truckfighters’ Mr. Dango. Releasing their debut album back in 2016, Swan Valley Heights quickly found their booth within the scene. Heavy, unique riffing and a semi-serious take on stoner rock’s clichés are fusing with a fascination for the psychedelic aesthetics and big spaces of the many branches the genre has to offer. Swan Valley Heights has been labeled progressive stoner, psychedelic fuzzrock and space grunge, birthing music that is far away from simply riding standard patterns into oblivion.

Stonus, Séance (2021)

Swan Valley Heights, The Heavy Seed (2019)

Stonus on Facebook

Stonus on Instagram

Stonus on Bandcamp

Swan Valley Heights on Facebook

Swan Valley Heights on Instagram

Swan Valley Heights on Bandcamp

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Quarterly Review: Rotor, Electric Octopus, Randall Dunn, Graven, Near Dusk, Svuco, Stonus, Acolytes of Moros, Lime Eyelid, Tombtoker

Posted in Reviews on December 13th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review

I’ve been doing this for a while, the whole Quarterly Review thing. Not just talking about the last two weeks — though that also feels like a while to be doing it — but over the last few years. And in so doing I have a couple running gags kind of with myself. One obvious one is the “(immediate points)” for bands who put their longest song first on their album. There is no point system. There will be no tally at the end. I don’t grade records. It’s just a way of noting a decision I almost always find to be particularly bold.

Another is the use of “penultimate.” I don’t even know how this happened, but I use that word all the time in these reviews, way, way more than I might in day-to-day life. Somehow I’m always talking about the second-to-last song. Keep an eye out today, I’m sure it’ll be in there.

Indeed, I bring it up because today is the penultimate day of this extended Quarterly Review. We’ll finish out with the last 10 records tomorrow, and no doubt by the end of it I’ll be doling out more “(immediate points)” and talking about the “apex of the penultimate cut” or whatever else it is I do. Hard not to repeat yourself when you’re writing about 100 records. Or, you know, one.

Quarterly Review #81-90:

Rotor, Sechs

rotor sechs

Long-running Berlin instrumentalists Rotor issue Sechs, their aptly-titled sixth album, as their second for Noisolution after 2015’s Fünf (review here), and in so doing blend the best impulses from where they started with where they’ve ended up. Fünf, not without its moments of heavy psych drift, was a deeply progressive album, and Sechs is likewise, but it also brings in a more natural, warmer production sound like some of their earlier material, so that songs like “Vor der Hern” or “Allmacht” come across as nuanced but welcoming all the same. “Allmacht” is a highlight for its classic prog elements, but that’s not to discount the centerpiece “Abfahrt!,” with its raucous second half or the nine-minute penultimate cut “Druckverband,” which finds Rotor pushing themselves to new heights some 20 years on from their beginnings. Or anything else, for that matter, because it’s all brilliant. And that, basically, is how you know you’re listening to Rotor.

Rotor on Facebook

Noisolution website

 

Electric Octopus, Line Standing

electric octopus line standing

Next-level naturalism from Belfast trio Electric Octopus means that not only does the digital-only-otherwise-it’d-be-a-box-set Line Standing top four and a half hours, but those four and a half hours bring the listener into the studio with the band — guitarist Tyrell Black, bassist/keyboardist Dale Hughes and drummer Guy Hetherington — as they talk between jams, goof around and discuss what they just played in quick interludes. Complementing cuts like 35-minute opener “Iliudi,” the 38-minute “Line Standing 23336,” the 24-minute “Room Move” and the three-minute funk-reggae vibe of “Inspired by a Chicken,” the chatter gives Line Standing an even more organic vibe not by trying to capture a live feel, like what they’d do on stage — they have plenty of live albums for that — but by bringing the listener into the studio while they pick up their instruments and improvise their way through whatever it is that’s coming next, which is something that everyone seems to find out together. It’s not always smooth, but neither should it be. This is pure sonic exploration — and not a little of it.

Electric Octopus on Facebook

Electric Octopus on Bandcamp

 

Randall Dunn, Beloved

randall dunn beloved

Randall Dunn, through his production work, collaborations with Sunn O))), founding Master Musicians of Bukkake, etc., is no stranger to experimentalism, and his first solo album, Beloved (on Figureight), finds him evoking cinematic landscapes one at a time in ambient tracks that range from minimalist to consuming by sheer will. His range as a composer means that “Mexico City” shimmers with a near-overwhelming post-Vangelis splendor while “Lava Rock and Amber” is barren enough to make each strike of the piano keys feel like a lifeline before the synth horror takes hold near the end. Dunn brings in several guest vocalists for spots on “Something About that Night” and closer “A True Home,” but there’s hardly a lack of human presence throughout the material anyway, as the nine-minute centerpiece “Theoria : Aleph” resonates with the creative drive that made it. Not by any means a record that’s going to be for everyone, Beloved casts a sound that’s impeccably broad.

Randall Dunn on Facebook

Figureight on Bandcamp

 

Graven, Heirs of Discord

Graven Heirs of Discord

Heirs of Discord, indeed. With guitarist/vocalist Peter Maturi and drummer Chris Csar from the much-missed Swarm of the Lotus and bassist Teddy Patterson of Burnt by the Sun and Human Remains in the up-and-down-the-Eastern-Seaboard lineup with vocalist Jason Borowy, there’s no shortage of discord to go around. Deathly extremity and a pervasive grinding sensibility is conveyed with tones that absolutely crush and a groove that, while not shy with the blastbeats on “I Dreamt You Were Dead” — or the bonus track Human Remains cover “Human,” for that matter — is no less comfortable locked in the nod of the nine-minute “Thieves of Rotted Ilk.” It reportedly took Graven over a year to make the six-song/28-minute LP at various studios (including one two towns over from where I grew up in my beloved Garden State), and one only hopes the no-doubt daunting nature of that task doesn’t dissuade Graven from a follow-up, because whether it’s the angular starts and stops of “Backwards to Oblivion” or the initial assault of “A Failed Mask,” they bring a stylistic nuance to extreme metal that goes beyond the often dry showcase of technical prowess the style can sometimes be. However long it might take to put together, a sophomore outing feels well justified.

Graven on Facebook

Graven on Bandcamp

 

Near Dusk, Near Dusk

Near Dusk Near Dusk

The cleverly-titled “Humboldt Pie” finds them dipping into bluesier fare with some psychedelic effect on guitarist Matthew Orloff‘s vocals, and “We are the Buffalo” has a distinct spaciousness, but the core of Denver trio Near Dusk‘s self-released, self-titled debut is in straightforward heavy rock, and Orloff, bassist Kellen McInerney and drummer Jon Orloff sound well schooled in the ways of following the riff. “That Bastard” chugs out behind a vocal echo and the six-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “No More” introduces the steady factor that is McInerney‘s bass behind some initial guitar noodling that leads to the first of many rolling grooves to come on the seven-track/34-minute outing. The bass again gets to shine in the subsequent “Sweet Home,” setting up the final push for a moment before being joined by the drums and guitar, and the low-end tone is right on, though by the time they close out with “Furnace Creek,” all three of them seem to tease some jammier sensibilities. Near Dusk allow themselves room to develop their approach and perspective, but establish a strong root of songwriting to serve as their foundation as they move forward.

Near Dusk on Facebook

Near Dusk on Bandcamp

 

Svuco, El Gran Mito de SanSaru

svuco El Gran Mito de SanSaru

At least some of the material on Svuco‘s debut long-player, El Gran Mito de SanSaru, dates back a few years. The release includes what was the title-track of their 2015 Mizaru EP as well as the title-track of 2016’s Kikazaru, as well as a number of tracks that also featured on the Iwazaru EP shortly before the album actually arrived. Still, taken in this form and with these recordings, the Granada-based four-piece unfurl a varied 13-song full-length that’s crisp in its production and smoothly constructed to hit hard but with a sense of tonal presence that speaks to a heavy rock influence. That is, there might be a current of noise rock to the ’90s-style chug of “Llorarás,” but “Fuzzia” still has room for organ and acoustic guitar along with its central riff. Later cuts like “Nobogo,” the layered-vocals of “El Color del Sol,” and the almost-industrial pulsations (conveyed through organic instrumentation) of “El Dios del Nuevo Mundo” branch out, but there’s an underlying identity taking shape all the while.

Svuco on Facebook

Svuco on Bandcamp

 

Stonus, Lunar Eclipse

Stonus Lunar Eclipse

Welcoming in its tone and bordering on cosmic in its atmosphere, Lunar Eclipse is the second EP from Cyprus-based troupe Stonus, and for the sprawl of its eight-minute title-track alone, it showcases distinct potential on the part of the band. Intro and outro tracks help set up a flow, but as “Aspirin” and “Spiritual Realities” fuzz their way toward “Lunar Eclipse” itself, it’s hardly like Stonus need the help. The tempo of “Aspirin” tells the tale, taking desert rock to three-quarters speed for an extra laid back vibe, still pushed along by the drums, but chill, chill, chill as it goes. “Spiritual Realities” is a little more tripped out in its lumber, and its vocals are more forward in the mix, but once again, “Lunar Eclipse” is nothing but a joy to behold from front to back, and in large part it defines the short release that shares its name. They close out with the minute of experimentalism on “Euphoric Misery” and only make one hope they don’t lost those impulses by the time they get around to a full-length, because they’ll only help them further distinguish themselves.

Stonus on Thee Faceboks

Stonus on Bandcamp

 

Acolytes of Moros, The Wellspring

acolytes of moros the wellspring

Seven years on from playing their first show, Swedish doomers Acolytes of Moros present their first full-length, The Wellspring (CD on Nine Records), and if that might stand as an indication of their pacing overall, it would certainly apply to the album itself. Presented as four extended tracks with an interlude/instrumental near seven minutes dividing the two halves, it’s a rawly-produced take on doom-death traditionalism with an emphasis on the first part of that equation. Calling it “morose” feels too easy given the band’s moniker, but they’re nothing if not self-aware, and the miseries they portray in “Quotidian” and the 14-minute “A Yen to Relinquish and Evanesce” border on the dramatic without ever really tipping too far in that direction, coming through as much in the grueling riffs as in the vocal declarations and willfully repetitive rhythms. It’s a slog and it’s supposed to be, but Acolytes of Moros eschew the sometimes lush presentation of their genre in favor of a barebones take that loses none of its emotional impact for that.

Acolytes of Moros on Facebook

Nine Records website

 

Lime Eyelid, Week of Wonders

lime eyelid week of wonders

As regards recording narratives, it’s hard to beat the image of Traveling Circle drummer Josh Schultz recording Lime Eyelid‘s debut album, Week of Wonders (as in, The Wonder Weeks?), alone in his kitchen. The resulting limited LP is comprised mostly of numbered instrumental experiments in drone and languid groove, save for “I Saw Waves,” which brings to mind some of Six Organs of Admittance‘s far-out earlier fare, but psychedelia holds a prominent sway and if you ever want a lesson in doing something new with familiar elements, look no further than the watery guitar line of “1” or “3,” with its Earth groove gone processional. The 12-minute soundscape of “4” follows as Schultz moves deeper into the realms of cosmic minimalism — that big, mostly empty, galaxy — but “5” somehow sounds even more piped in from outer space, and closer “6” rounds out with swells of high-pitched volume that seem to be speaking their own language in tone. Pretty vast reaches for a record to hit, having been recorded in the kitchen. One awaits further adventures in the follow-up.

Lime Eyelid on Soundcloud

Lime Eyelid on YouTube

 

Tombtoker, Coffin Texts

tombtoker coffin texts

I don’t know if the band’s moniker refers to one who actually tokes tombs or who tokes in tombs, but neither would surprise me. The Baltimorean five-piece Tombtoker unveil their 20-minute debut EP, Coffin Texts (on Seeing Red, tapes through Metal Swarm), with a melding of doom, sludge and metallic extremity that is righteous in its riffs and malevolent in its purposes. That is to say, they mean harm. “Warfare Revolution” and “Robo Cujo” demonstrate that plainly ahead of the centerpiece “Stenchsquatch” with its oh-you’re-gonna-have-to-play-that-at-all-the-shows lurching midsection of death, while the subsequent “Blood Freak” taps Eyehategoddy swing and closer/shortest track “Globster” (3:21) bludgeons its own riffs before a bit of Slayer-style ping ride late adds even more of that metal-for-metal feel. I’d call it promising, but maybe “foreboding” is a better word. Whether they’re smoking your corpse or just smoking near your corpse, Tombtoker bring a welcome sense of chaos to extreme sludge that hearkens to the genre’s original, unhinged appeal.

Tombtoker on Facebook

Seeing Red Records on Bandcamp

Metal Swarm website

 

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