Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 5th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Swedish cultists Year of the Goat are getting ready to release their new seven-incher Song of Winter this Friday, Dec. 9, via Napalm Records. They made their debut in 2015 through the same imprint with their second full-length, The Unspeakable, and with the leadoff A-side of the single, they’re moving forward from that album toward their next one and an early-2017 push that will find them on the road in Jan./Feb. alongside countrymen/labelmate doomers The Order of Israfel and Norwegian heavy-hitters Tombstones, keeping their momentum going from the last few years and perhaps making sure the proper demons are exorcized and/or represented in new material before they hit the studio to bring their third album to fruition.
One can hear traces of the original version of “Song of Winter” in Year of the Goat‘s version. Released by Parisian singer/actress/model Francoise Hardy on 1969’s One-Nine-Seven-Zero, it has a duly haunting melody bolstered by the Norrköping six-piece’s arrangement of guitar and Mellotron and a light, poetic simplicity to the lyrics that speaks to the era from which it comes and resonates even now, the better part of half a century later. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for any song that features lines like, “I’m a misty rainbow.” In any case, “Song of Winter” earns its art deco cover, and if it’s offering a glimpse at where Year of the Goat might be headed, then the modern sensibility they bring to the classic structure bodes well to say the least. Presumably we’ll see how it all works out sometime before the end of 2017.
The band offers some insight on “Song of Winter” under the lyric video, which you’ll find below. Also down there are the dates for the aforementioned tour, should you happen to be or find yourself in that part of the world when it’s happening.
Please enjoy:
Year of the Goat, “Song of Winter” lyric video
Year of the Goat on “Song of Winter”:
“For many years Francoise Hardy has been part of our playlist while on the road. As soon as ‘Song of Winter’ played, the thought that we really should do a cover of it at some point always presented itself. Lyrically we find it going very well with the theme of our first album and also with the one we’re planning at the moment. The B-side on the other hand lyrically draws more towards our second album, The Unspeakable. One could probably say that the wonderful and talented Francoise Hardy is helping us build a bridge between our last album and the one to come.”
Year of the Goat, “Song of Winter” limited gold 7″ 1. Song of Winter (Side A 2. Strange Shadows (Side B)
Strictly Limited Napalm Records Mailorder Edition to 200 Copies in GOLDEN Vinyl. EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE VIA THE NAPALM RECORDS MAILORDER AND ONLINE STORE.
Year of the Goat European tour w/ The Order of Israfel & Tombstones: 28.01.17 DE – Berlin / Badehaus 29.01.17 DE – Osnabrück / Bastard Club 30.01.17 DE – Hamburg / Hafenklang 31.01.17 DE – Wiesbaden / Schlachthof 01.02.17 NL – Arnhem / Willemeen 02.02.17 UK – London / Underworld 04.02.17 TBA 06.02.17 CH – Olten / Coq D’Or 07.02.17 IT – Milano / Lo Fi 08.02.17 DE – Munich / Backstage 09.02.17 AT – Vienna / Viper Room 10.02.17 DE – Leipzig / UT Connewitz 11.02.17 DE – Siegen / Vortex
Year of the Goat is: Thomas Sabbathi – vocals, guitar Jonas Mattsson – guitar Don Palmroos – guitar Fredrik Hellerström – drums Joona Hassinen – bass Pope – mellotron, vocals
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 18th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Swedish progressive heavy fuzz rockers Skraeckoedlan aren’t that far removed from their last album — their second, Sagor (review here), it came out about a year ago as their debut on Razzia Records — but the Norrköping four-piece have apparently wasted little time in looking forward. Come January, they’ll release a new two-song 7″ titled Pärlor that leads with a titular cover of long-running countrymen Kent. Coupled with “Eldfagel,” which was recorded during the Sagor sessions and by artwork from Johan Leijon, the new single is very much Skraeckoedlan‘s own despite being a cover. One can hear their Truckfighters-meets-Mastodon sonic blend pushing forward melodically in the hook of “Pärlor” itself, even as their penchant for tonal density and crash continues unabated.
Skraeckoedlan‘s last video, for the Sagor track “El Monstro” (posted here), found them working at a more cinematic level than they had before, and their new clip for “Pärlor” follows suit. Directed by Mats Ek, it seems to tell the tale of a pilgrimage and ultimately an offering being made, though to whom or for what, I’m not sure. Along the way we see a lot — I mean really, a lot — of snow falling on gorgeous Swedish forests and hills, beautiful countryside through which our journeying protagonist traverses at his apparent peril. Sleeping in the snow looks cold as hell, is all I’m saying. But he endures and seems to get where he’s going, and “Pärlor” ends on a creepy enough note to make me wonder if it wasn’t intended to be a sequel in some way to “El Monstro,” which Ek also helmed and still had some performance footage in it, where this one seems to have left that conceit behind entirely.
Bottom line, as the band explains below, is this is their way of paying homage to Kent, who are calling it quits this year after more than a quarter-century of work. Preorders for the 7″ version of the single are available now, and you’ll find those links underneath the clip itself, which I’m thrilled today to be able to premiere.
Please enjoy:
Skraeckoedlan, “Pärlor” official video
The song is a cover version of “Pärlor” written by Sweden’s biggest rock band Kent, who after 26 years together have decided to call it quits. Through a farewell tour this Fall, covering most of Scandinavia they are saying their good byes to a whole generation of people deeply touched and influenced by their music.
For Skraeckoedlan it started out as a somewhat crazy idea that grew more and more intriguing and eventually the song was recorded in an old missionary church in Dalarna, a region in the midst of Sweden very close to their hearts. By recording this version the band was able to try something new and invited them to get in touch and explore their admiration for pop music. By putting their specific stamp on the song this is a shout out to the great masters – Kent – and a tribute to Swedish music in general.
Skraeckoedlan on Kent and “Pärlor”:
During their 26-year long career Kent has really made a huge impact on the music scene in Sweden.
Their way of composing music has always felt free and without rules and I think that’s why this song in particular attracted us so much. I’ve always considered it a heavy and mighty song and it was so much fun to put our stamp on it.
Even though this cover started out as a goofy idea, it turned out to be so much more for us. A tribute to Swedish music and one of the biggest bands this country has ever produced.
The video is made by the amazing Swedish film maker Mats Ek and is also a tribute. We wanted it to portrait the beauty of Sweden – the glorious nature, from which we get so much inspiration from as a band.
So here you go, a homage to the place where we grew up – both musically and visually.
Skraeckoedlan is: Henrik Grüttner (Guitaring, backup singing) Martin Larsson (Drumming) Robert Lamu (Singing/guitaring) Tim Ångström (Bassing/backup singing)
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 12th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Squidman’s ink is hardly dry on Skraeckoedlan‘s new album, Sagor (review here), but the Norrköping and Borlänge four-piece today premiere a brand new video for “El Monstro,” and it’s a title proportional to the fuzz wall Skraeckoedlan build in the song itself. Their second full-length, Sagor is a logical step forward from their 2011 debut, Äppelträdet (review here), but it pushes even deeper into the band’s world of massive riffing and suitably monstrous creatures. In addition to “El Monstro” and “Squidman,” we get “Mothra,” “Gigantos” and others, and all of these beasts seem to do battle as Sagor‘s high-impact 53 minutes play out in swells of triumphant tone and neo-progressive blood and thunder.
I’ve likened Skraeckoedlan to some combination of impulses garnered from Truckfighters and Mastodon before, and I stand by that in terms of what they bring tonally and in the sheer largesse of their groove, but as “El Monstro” ultimately demonstrates, they’re readily able to create something of their own from these core elements. Joining vocalist/guitarist Robert Lamu, guitarist/vocalist Henrik Grüttner, bassist/backing vocalist Tim Ångström and drummer Martin Larsson on the track in question is Matilda Mård, whose singing plays back and forth off a central riff in airier verses, the band showing themselves as capable of subtlety as well as pummel — though there’s plenty of that to go around.
Further along that same point, check out the song about 5:30 into the video’s total 6:33, the way it volume-swells in and out, almost like distorted tape, but obviously on purpose and with the intended (and successful) effect of adding nuance to what’s essentially repetition of that same central riff. Instead of just rolling through measures, Skraeckoedlan find a way to make their material do more work for them, and both “El Monstro” and Sagor as a whole are stronger for it.
Sagor is out now on Razzia Records. Please find “El Monstro” below, followed by some more info and comment from the band, and enjoy:
Skraeckoedlan, “El Monstro” official video
Swedish fuzz/sludge rockers SKRAECKOEDLAN are releasing the music video for “El Monstro”. The track is the second single from the band’s critically acclaimed album Sagor – released via Razzia Records – and features guest vocals from Matilda Mård. The video is directed by Mats Ek.
“We wanted to create a imaginative feeling and show the beauty of the Swedish evergreens. There is something very magical about our deep forest.”
Posted in Radio on November 2nd, 2015 by JJ Koczan
You already know, but it’s November as of yesterday. Last time I did a round of adds to The Obelisk Radio was June 5. Granted we’ve had two Quarterly Reviews since then, so not everything has fallen through the cracks in terms of being written up, but even some of that stuff has built up a backlog waiting to be added to the playlist.
Accordingly, there are over 130 records joining The Obelisk Radio today. You can see the full-list here.
That is a massive number for one shot, and some of it is new and some older stuff fills in gaps, mostly in the Black Sabbath catalog. but either way, after five months, it seems like a fair amount to come back with. I’m not sure I’ll be able to schedule a round of Radio Adds every week from here on out — I couldn’t before, if you’ll recall — but as ever, I’ll do my best. As you might expect, five months later, there are some really great records to talk about. We’ll start with the newest one.
The Obelisk Radio Adds for Nov. 2, 2015:
Sun Blood Stories, Samhain Variations
A special Halloween release, the complete title of the latest from Sun Blood Stories is Samhain Variations: In Flight Raid Wake up I Don’t Know, and sure enough at the beginning of “Samhain Variation 1” (15:30), lap steel guitarist/vocalist Amber Pollard gives a cabin announcement welcoming listeners aboard “Trip Airlines Flight 666 bound to your brain” as she and guitarist Ben Kirby set out an immediately experimental-sounding foundation of plucked notes, feedback, drones and other noises. What follows from there — mind you that’s about the first 10 seconds — across “Samhain Variation I” and it loop-drum-infused counterpart “Samhain Variation II” (26:50) is a twisted barrage of alternately hypnotic and assaulting sounds, feeling like an exponential expansion of some of the ambient back end of summer-2015’s Twilight Midnight Morning (review here) full-length, with which I remain enamored. The difference is that where those were smaller pieces that, at times, seemed to touch back down to solid footing reminding of the album’s more straightforward beginning movement, Samhain Variations is an ethereal wash that trades back and forth between melodic and amelodic, touching on the memorable “West the Sun” at the launch of “Samhain Variation II,” but ultimately shaping itself into an unrecognizable form. The second part is harsher than the first and substantially longer, but both reinforce the open creative process the band showed a couple months back on Live at the Banana Stand (posted here), and of course, on the album that preceded it. They remain a band to which more people need to get hip, and Samhain Variations is a flight worth taking. Sun Blood Stories on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.
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Zaum & Shooting Guns, Himalaya to Mesopotamia
Moncton ritualizers Zaum will reportedly have a new full-length out in 2016 to follow their impressive 2014 debut, Oracles (review here). In the interim, they’ve partnered with freakout-prone Saskatoon heavy psych rockers Shooting Guns for a split titled Himilaya to Mesopotamia that is out on vinyl this week. With one track from Zaum, the extended “The Serpentshrine” (19:07), and three from Shooting Guns all over six minutes, it’s well substantial enough for a 12″ and gives its audience plenty to dig into from each act, the two-piece Zaum gracefully and gradually unfolding Eastern inflections and immersive drones on “The Serpentshrine” across a hilltop-shaped, parabolic build that swells to greater impact in the middle and recedes to chants and drones at the end from the psychedelic doom march that emerges. Their work remains fluid and progressive, and “The Serpentshrine” fits well alongside Shooting Guns‘ “Super Himalaya,” “Dirty Needle” and instrumental closer “Ultimate Nullifier,” which between them establish an album-style flow that goes from far to farther out, melding space rock, noise, and psych fuckall into the potent nod of “Dirty Needle,” casting a wide cosmic berth of echoing guitar and thrusting rhythm. Shooting Guns tip hat to “War Pigs” in “Ultimate Nullifier,” but by then the vibe is so lysergic that it’s really just one more ingredient in the cauldron. Might get under general-public radars, but a gem of substantial pulsation. Zaum on Thee Facebooks, Shooting Guns on Thee Facebooks, Zaum on Bandcamp, Shooting Guns on Bandcamp.
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Skraeckoedlan, Sagor
The awaited follow-up from Swedish stonerplodders Skraeckoedlan on Razzia Records, Sagor answers the big riffing of the band’s 2011 debut, Äppelträdet (review here), with a more progressive realization of some similar ideas, the tones still post-Truckfighters, the largesse still post-Mastodon, but the band impressively carving out their own dynamic within their not-quite-metal-but-still-viciously-weighted approach, songs like the post-intro “Gigantos” (7:27) and “El Monstro” pummeling out melodically conscious heft (the latter with guest vocals) while pieces like “Awen” (1:08), the structurally forward “Flod” (2:46) and even the longest cut here, “Squidman” (8:09) managing not to lose track of a consistent atmosphere amid all the unbridled feel. At 53 minutes, Sagor is not a minor undertaking, but somehow, for an album about giant monsters and built on top of likewise proportioned riffs and grooves, it makes a kind of conceptual sense, and I won’t fight against the sway of “Epos” (5:47) or the poise that “Odjuret” (6:39) seems to showcase in the vocals, switching between full-sounding shouts in the chorus and a Greenleaf-style verse, duly fuzzed and engagingly heavy. Originally titled Gigantos and recorded at various different studios, Sagor seems to have been an adventure in the making, but however daunting the process may have been, Skraeckoedlan have come out of it with a sophomore outing that answers the potential of their debut and finds them refining a sound that one hopes only continues to become more their own from here. Skraeckoedlan on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp, Razzia Records.
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Mount Desert, Mount Desert
Based now in San Francisco with roots in Maine, two-piece newcomers Mount Desert impress on their debut two-song demo with the spaciousness they bring to their tracks. What feels like a 7″ in the making, the pair of “Blue Madonna” (4:45) and “Fear the Heart” (6:36) showcase stylistic cohesion on the part of guitarist/vocalist Scott and drummer Jordan, an overarching reverb seeming to take hold on the first song and continue into the second. These are initial explorations — demos by any other name — but Mount Desert tap into psychedelia with a corresponding earthiness that reminds of the first Sigiriya record in its blend, and feels neither nostalgic nor like it’s trying overly hard to position itself within the West Coast heavy psych sphere’s jammy infatuations. It will not feel out of place genre-wise to first time listeners who take it on, but neither are Mount Desert completely familiar. “Blue Madonna” and “Fear the Heart” work quick and efficient, but retain atmospheric resonance as well, and while their real tests are ahead of them, the molten beginnings of “Blue Madonna” and the crunching finish of “Fear the Heart” give an encouraging sense of range, and while exciting for how Mount Desert might build on them, that excitement comes from what the duo have already accomplished here. Mount Desert on Thee Facebooks, Mount Desert on Soundcloud.
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Merchant, Seismic
Together for just about a year at the time of its release in May, Aussie sludge-plus four-piece Merchant make their presence felt with “Seismic” (9:36), an initial single released as a name-your-price download that seems geared toward announcing their arrival on the fertile ground of Melbourne’s heavy scene. They’re not without their psychedelic flourish, but vocalist Mirgy offers throaty growling — here reminding of New Zealand’s Beastwars, there delving even further into gutturalisms — to top the rolling undulations of guitarist Ben, gotta-hear-this-tone bassist Wilson and drummer Nick and that ensures Merchant never stray too far from the muck toward the cosmos. Ben takes a fuzzy solo in the back half, but Merchant bring their first sally to a crashing finish, lumbering out a few final hits before the amp noise squeezes the last air out of the room. Melbourne heavy is about as multi-faceted as a scene gets — see also Portland, Oregon — but Merchant show also that it’s still growing and that there are those within the city limits looking to push the boundaries of extremity beyond their breaking point. For being just under 10 minutes, “Seismic” tells us an awful lot about Merchant and their intentions over the longer term, and it seems like a warning listeners will want to heed. Merchant on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.
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Thanks for reading. I hope you find something you dig, and if you want to see the full list of the 130-plus records added to the server today, check out The Obelisk Radio Playlist and Updates page.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 10th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Swedish outfit The Unquiet Grave issued their debut release, Cosmic Dawn digitally in June, and Caligari Records has stepped in on the quick to follow that up with a physical pressing. There are 125 tapes made for the three-song offering, and the format seems like a good fit for the Norrköping-based project, reportedly helmed in its entirety by Micael Zetterberg, drummer for black metallers Aggressive Mutilator and former bassist/current drummer of death thrashers Terrorama, as well as the founder of Walking Lizzy Records, which released the 2012 Mesozoikum EP from Skraeckoedlan on vinyl.
A pretty varied background, and one that sets up The Unquiet Grave as an endeavor to be clear-headed in what it wants to accomplish. Information is minimal in terms of what’s given from Caligari or the band’s Bandcamp page — like more and more acts these days, The Unquiet Grave is reacting to the social impulse by playing it tight with the raw data of who’s involved, how, etc. — but Zetterberg keeps a near-retro vibe throughout Cosmic Dawn‘s three cuts, classic-style doom riffing meeting with a more languid impulse that the label seems to relate to folk. I’m not inclined to argue.
It’s a cool vibe either way, so while not much is really out there about the band, or where Zetterberg might ultimately be headed with it as a project, there are the songs, and they’re what matters.
The announcement from Caligari Records came down the PR wire and seemed right in line with The Unquiet Grave‘s minimalist sensibilities. It follows here:
THE UNQUIET GRAVE – Cosmic Dawn – Out Now
Swedish doom rock with a folk influence. An intro, three songs and an outro. All sublime and subtle, craftily made and joyously played. First recording, 2015. Limited to 125 copies. Pro Tapes / Pro Covers.
It won’t take long into Skraeckoedlan‘s “Flod” for the point to sink in. The song, which comes from their awaited second album, Sagor, boasts Truckfighters-style fuzzy smoothness, and a densely-weighted roll, melody and catchy vibe. My impression from what they say about working with different producers is that the record is actually pretty varied, but in giving a first impression, “Flod” — the title of which translates to “river” — seems to get things off to a solid start.
When the Swedish four-piece decided to change the title of their upcoming LP from Gigantos to Sagor, I’m not sure, but they’ve aligned themselves to Razzia Notes, a label headed by In Flames vocalist Anders Fridén, so they’ve no doubt gotten a bit of a push leading up to the June 10 release. Sagor will be the follow-up to 2011’s Äppelträdet (review here), and no doubt the complexity of the recording process will turn out to have been a factor in its somewhat delayed arrival.
Better late than never, though, and even if you didn’t hear the first outing, “Flod” should still be able to find solid footing. The video shows off a predilection toward classic sci-fi — they’ve begun to use the phrase “fuzzience fiction” — and spaced out themes, and that only adds to the charm of the song itself.
Clip follows here. Please enjoy:
Skraeckoedlan, “Flod” official video
Skraeckoedlan is ready to release their new album, titled “Sagor”. It was recorded in multiple studios during a two year period and features collaborations with several technicians and producers such as Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah) and Niklas Berglöf (Ghost, Den Svenska Björnstammen). Erik Berglund has done the mixing and has been an integral part in finding the sound of the album.
When working with “Sagor”, Skraeckoedlan got in contact with Anders Fridén and his record label Razzia Notes, who will release the record.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 2nd, 2013 by JJ Koczan
Not too many details have surfaced about the recording of Skraeckoedlan‘s second album and the follow-up to 2011’s Äppelträdet(review here). The title Gigantoshas surfaced, and presumably the LP will be out through Transubstans like the debut sometime in 2014, but I don’t know exactly when, and though Skraeckoedlan have done some decent roadtime since the first record came out, the live-in-studio footage below is the first new material I’ve seen from them. Of course, that only makes it more worth taking out the fog machine for.
Particularly interesting is the update that the band have recorded in several different studios. Äppelträdetwas recorded by Truckfighters bassist/vocalist Oskar Cedermalm and had a very particular sonic stamp on it, so it should be interesting to hear how Skraeckoedlan‘s fuzz comes across from a different point of origin. Studio Underjord, where the live session below was recorded, found them working with Joona Hassinen, whose credits include Mammut, Midlight and The Black Explosion.
What might that mean for Gigantos itself when it arrives? Well, if you’d like a better idea of where the four-piece have gone sonically in the last two years, there’s 17 minutes worth of information relayed in the clip below. Groovy, one song instrumental and two with vocals, but overall dialed back on some of the aggression from Äppelträdet, it nonetheless remains plenty heavy and plenty fuzzed.
One more to look forward to. Here’s the video and an update from the band:
Skraeckoedlan, Live at Studio Underjord, Oct. 2013
Skraeckoedlan has been working on their follow up album to their succesful debut “Äppelträdet” all of 2013. They have worked together with a lot of awesome people, in different studios. One of their collaborators is Joona Hassinen from Studio Underjord, were they put down the guitars and bass for the record. Here is a live-session shot at Studio Underjord October 2013, in wait for the new album.
Posted in Radio on September 12th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
On the surface, there probably isn’t much about the Swedish four-piece Dront. If I told you they were a new band from Norrköping with a debut demo out that had some vague Graveyard influence, you’d probably punch me in the stomach and say, “So’s everyone, jerk! Now find me something new!” And that’s fair enough. One way or another, I’d probably have it coming. Still, the Norrköping four-piece, who make their self-released debut with the brief OzymandiasEP — three tracks/nine minutes — avoid the trap of retro rock, instead working in influences from punk and thrash to get a garage-type sound that holds a basis in heavy rock, but is bolstered by a gritty edge that most who embark on the mission of analog worship wouldn’t touch.
Again, Ozymandiasprovides just a small, quick sample, but Dront — guitarist/vocalist Rikard, guitarist William, bassist Therese and drummer Kim — display a nascent songwriting prowess and a deceptively firm grasp on where they want to go as a band. The tones are gnarly, the ideas hardly progressive, but the groove is there as “Afraid to Die” kicks in, and formative as the song is, there’s more melody to it than many would dare include. I don’t know if Dront is the first band for these players, but the bassline after the chorus reminds some of a dirtier Dozer, and the fact that already their songs are so lean — no extras, no frills — speaks well of the genuine nature of their punk influence. They keep it raw. Ozymandias‘ title-track is the highlight of the bunch, reminding directly of the Misfits at their proto-punk best, all brash arrogance and innate shuffle. A slowdown that’s almost eaten alive by cymbal wash gives “Ozymandias” some more nuance than “Afraid to Die,” with an airy guitar lead that nods for just the briefest moment at post-rock before the rush begins anew.
That they’d return to that faster progression instead of just jamming the track to a messy finish says something of their songwriting intent, and even if it’s structured, the vibe is still pretty swinging and loose. Closing out, “Aquatic” is even messier sounding, but ultimately more precise. Vocals are loud in the chorus as they’ve been the whole time, but the rawness of the song, the bass tone and the way the guitar solo cuts through make it an intriguing listen all the same, and for being a minute longer than other of the other two — the closer is a sprawling 3:45 — it doesn’t feel any more inflated than its companion tracks. “Aquatic” ends and the demo ends with an unpretentious final crash, and though it’s clear Dront have growing to do in terms of hammering out their approach and finding the balance between crispness of songwriting and primitiveness of aesthetic, their first outing at least makes that project seem like it would be worth undertaking. I wouldn’t ask anything else of a first demo.
Hear Ozyandiasnow as part of The Obelisk Radio‘s regular rotation playlist, streaming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or if you’d like a more direct showcase, give it a stream on the player below, snagged from the Dront Bandcamp:
