The digital edition of Paralyzed‘s second album, Heavy Road, will be released this Friday, July 15, through StoneFly Records. The same date marks the opening of vinyl preorders ahead of a slated Oct. 15 arrival, which puts it precisely one year to the day since the Bramberg, Germany, heavy bluesin’ four-piece issued their self-titled debut (review here) on the same imprint. That in itself should tell you something about the classic-minded ethic under which the band work — one year, one record — but their vibe throughout the eight songs of Heavy Road is more than enough to get the point across in less subtle fashion. The swing of “Pilgrim Boots” like an organ-laced Rolling Stones discovering fuzz in its payoff. Or the opener “Devil’s Bride,” which may or may not be a sequel to “Lucifer’s Road (My Baby and Me)” from Paralyzed, unfurling across 7:38 as the longest track on the album (immediate points) and its anchor lyric, “I do believe she died by the sword,” over-the-top midsection and dramatically shredded finish.
As one would hope, Heavy Road was recorded live at least in its basic tracks, with engineering, mixing and mastering by Jörg Völker at Voelker Studio Bamberg, and it brings the band not only into conversation with the heavy ’70s and the retro-idolizations of various vintage amp hounds from Graveyard on down the line to today’s various practitioners, but also with themselves, building on the accomplishments of the first record in what sounds like a direct, wilful drive to move forward creatively.
This is evident in the songwriting from the outset. Though one might say lead guitarist Michael Binder lays it on a bit thick vocally in that midsection — and I think that’s the point — there’s no question “Devil’s Bride” sets the mood and tempo for the rest of what follows. Binder, along with guitarist/organist Caterina Böhner, bassist Philipp Engelbrecht and drummer Florian Thiele bring past and present together fluidly in their style, and the engagement with color in the lyrics throughout, whether it’s “Orange Carpet,” whatever’s purple in “Mayday,” or “Black Trees Pt. 1” and “Black Trees Pt. 2,” and contrasting closer “White Jar” broaden the Doorsy spirit of “Coal Mine,” which builds from its open beginning into one of Heavy Road‘s most satisfyingly shoved directives.
The vocals are a major unifying factor across Heavy Road‘s span, with Binder‘s throaty approach more forward perhaps than on the self-titled, but likewise more confident. In the strutting garage rock of “Mayday” and “Black Trees Pt. 1,” one is reminded particularly of Baltimore’s The Flying Eyes, while “Pilgrim Boots” meets its Morrisonian slurring of words with an expanse of guitar soloing, not as urgent as, say, “White Jar” at the finish, or the brazen boogie of “Black Trees Pt. 2,” but not far off either. Whatever else it may do or be, Heavy Road is a stomper, energetically wrought and conceived in connection with classic heavy but developing its own take within that, showing progression in the short time since the debut even in the increase in organ quotient, with Böhner taking on what were guest duties last time around and featuring keys on “Devil’s Bride,” “Orange Carpet,” “Pilgrim Boots,” and “White Jar” — half the record, at least.
Not every song has room for those sustained organ notes — “Black Trees Pt. 2” walks by and waves — but where they fit, they fit well, and it demonstrates Paralyzed‘s interest in continuing to try new ideas, moods and atmospheres, which is something that Heavy Road further bears out in the builds of “Black Trees Pt. 1,” “Devil’s Bride” (is that you, Phantom of the Opera riff?) and the particularly hard-driving finish of “Coal Mine” ahead of “White Jar” closing out. The careening from one moment to the next, the way the album sets and knocks down its targets, the fact that there’s a plan underneath while it sounds like they just rolled up and let rip — it’s all testament to Paralyzed‘s conveyance of aesthetic and purposeful craft. These elements served the group well a year ago, they serve them well on Heavy Road, and one suspects that if they have another LP ready for Oct. 2023, they’ll do likewise then too. Some things are just timeless.
In advance of Heavy Road‘s release on Friday the album is streaming in full on the player below.
Please enjoy:
StoneFly Records is honored to announce the return of Bamberg, Germany based quartet PARALYZED for their newest album on 180g vinyl. Heavy Road is the highly anticipated follow up to their much-lauded self-titled album.
Paralyzed are proud to present you their brand-new full-length studio album called HEAVY ROAD. It´s a wild mixture of Heavy Blues Rock, 70´s Rock and Stoner with loads of shimmering straight organ and psychedelic wafting wah wah guitar sounds backed up with solid stamping bass lines and fogging drum sounds. The album was live recorded at the Voelker Studio in Bamberg. Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Jörg Völker.
Paralyzed – Heavy Road will be released digitally on July 15th, 2022.
Vinyl Pre-Order will go live at the same date on July 15th, 2022.
Vinyl will be officially released on October 21st, 2022.
Stonefy Records is very excited to give this album a spectacular vinyl treatment. The vinyl edition has been mixed and mastered by Jörg Völker. We open the doors for the vinyl pre-orders on July 15th, 2022, at 19:00 CET/1pm EDT/10am PDT/6pm BST.
Tracklisting: 1. Devil’s Bride 2. Orange Carpet 3. Mayday 4. Black Trees Pt.1 5. Pilgrim Boots 6. Black Trees Pt.2 7. Coal Mine 8. White Jar
PARALYZED is: Michael Binder – Vocals & Solo Guitar Caterina Böhner – Rhythm Guitar & Organ Philipp Engelbrecht – Bass Guitar Florian Thiele – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 6th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Preorders are up now for the Tony Reed-remixed/remastered vinyl edition of German vintage heavy rockers Paralyzed‘s debut album. Released digitally by the band earlier this year, the self-titled outing (review here) will mark the first release from new label StoneFly Records, a logical offshoot from StoneFly Effects, who of course are no strangers to bringing the fuzz. The record will be out in two editions, a spotty/swirly one limited to 100 and a stark red that’s 200. Either way, you’ll note that’s not very many for an album that from everything I saw about it was only well received. Release date is Oct. 15, as the headline says.
Really, what you need at this point is the link, right? Well, that’s under the pretty picture of the vinyl below, and if you already know the record and want to skip the rigmarole, you’re forgiven. If you didn’t hear it, the full stream is at the bottom of this post, and there’s plenty to dig into here with the label announcement and full background on the band. As introductions go, it’s a solid one.
Behold:
HEAVY BLUES/ STONER ROCK QUARTET PARALYZED SIGNS TO STONEFLY RECORDS FOR A WORLDWIDE VINYL RELEASE OF THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM ON OCTOBER 15 2021.
StoneFly Records is privileged to announce the signing of Bamberg, Germany based quartet PARALYZED and look forward to release their self-titled debut album on 180g vinyl. This album will be the very first release made by StoneFly Records and aim to make a remarked entrance in the Heavy Underground world with this flawless album that already stands among the very best of 2021.
In April 2020, PARALYZED released a single: ‘This Woman (Pariah Music Studios Version)’ which I missed out at this moment. So, it was only later in January 2021 that I first heard the PARALYZED self-titled album. It was an instant love matter. I was taken over by the both soulful and powerful vocals that were floating in between Jim Morrison and Danzig. A perfect album where Heavy Blues meets Stoner Rock in a grandiose way. 70’s Hard/Psychedelic Rock influences are pouring out like a liquid fire. At this moment the StoneFly Records project was still at its primary stages. I didn’t felt I was ready to pick up my first band; so, I pitched them to few label mates. Few weeks after, PARALYZED were still unsigned; so I decided to reach them. I deeply wanted PARALYZED on my label.
Here’s a fun fact. Back in 2019, towards the end’s year, I stated that their EP ‘Hidden Sun’ was one of the album that should have been released on wax. This never happened. However 2021 is back with a vengeance!
The self-titled debut album is channeling the magic of the seventies while incorporating proto-doom elements to the whole chemistry. Close your eyes, you’re not only hearing accomplished musician, you are hearing living legends! A sizzling warmness emanates from this album made of dreams.
PARALYZED’s self-titled debut was digitally released January 29, 2021
BAND BIO PARALYZED is a German rock band from Bamberg, founded in spring 2019. Their retro style incorporating blues rock and stoner rock is compared to bands of the 1970s hard rock era.
The members Michael Binder (guitar and vocals), Caterina Böhner (guitar), Philipp Engelbrecht (bass) and Florian Thiele (drums) were moved by the legacy of giants such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and quickly recorded their first EP ’Hidden Sun’ in September 2019.
The result is a unique mixture of Binder’s guitar work with swooping wah solo’s, combined with his powerful vocals. Engelbrecht´s booming, growling bass lines sit just beneath Böhner´s crunching power chords and single note riffs. Additionally, Thiele’s solid, tight and punchy percussion contribute the groove into the live-recorded EP.
ALBUM BACKGROUND
In October 2020 they again entered the studio to record their debut album. They stayed true to their line and relied on the energy of live recording and the spirit of the seventies. Being a breed of 70s Vintage Rock, Heavy Blues and Stoner Rock, this album unites several different influences in itself.
Straight forward rock, dark melancholy paired up with optimistic sounding rock ballads.
Stonefly Records is damn proud to give this album a much needed vinyl treatment. The vinyl edition has been re-mixed and mastered by Tony Reed at HeavyHead Recording Company. We open the doors for the vinyl order on September 10 2021.
[SFR-001: PARALYZED – “PARALYZED” official album vinyl release: October 15 2021 ]
Tracklisting: 1. Paralyzed 2. Lucifer’s Road (My Baby And Me) 3. Prophets 4. Noise On The River 5. Golden Days 6. Lowlands 7. Green Eyes 8. This Woman 9. Mother’s Only Son 10. Parallel
PARALYZED is: Michael Binder – Vocals & Solo Guitar Caterina Böhner – Rhythm Guitar Philipp Engelbrecht – Bass Guitar Florian Thiele – Drums
If you’re paying attention at all — and fair enough if you’re not — you had to see this one coming, right? No way I wasn’t going to follow up that massive Quarterly Review with a playlist for The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal. Had to happen. Honestly, I covered enough stuff in that 110-record span that I might do two shows out of it. Have to see what I can pull together for next time.
To answer your next imginary question, yes, it is somewhat bittersweet after two all-Neurosis episodes to be playing anything else. It was bound to happen eventually, some return to normalcy. Such as it is. Fortunately the selections here are killer if I do say so myself, and if you think it’s a coincidence that I reviewed so many albums and this playlist is starting with a cut from the Maha Sohona record, I promise you it is not. That one might’ve been my pick of the whole thing. Also took the excuse to play the Spaceslug track here again, just because it rules and fits that vibe too.
Thanks for listening and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 07.23.21
Maha Sohona
Leaves
Endless Searcher
The Crooked Whispers
Hail Darkness
Dead Moon Night
Filthy Hippies
I’m Bugging Out
Departures
Paralyzed
Golden Days
Paralyzed
VT
Alastor
The Killer in My Skull
Onwards and Downwards
Spelljammer
Bellwether
Abyssal Trip
Spaceslug
The Event Horizon
The Event Horizon
Los Disidentes del Sucio Motel
Horizon
Polaris
VT
Hellish Form
Shadows with Teeth
Remains
Vouna
Grey Sky
Atropos
Rose City Band
World is Turning
Earth Trip
Moanhand
The Boomerang of Serpents
Present Serpent
VT
Methadone Skies
Retrofuture Caveman
Retrofuture Caveman
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Aug. 6 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Day Three. The kinds of material covered have varied, but it’s been pretty good so far, which as you can probably imagine makes this whole process much, much easier. Today would traditionally be hump day, where we hit and surpass the halfway mark, but since this is a double-size Quarterly Review, we’re only a quarter of the way there. Still a long way to go, but I’ve got decent momentum in my head at this point and I’ve taken steps not to make the workload crushing on any given day (this mostly involved working last weekend, thanks to The Patient Mrs. for the extra time), so I’m not feeling overly rushed either. Which is welcome.
In that spirit, let’s get to it.
Quarterly Review #21-30:
The Vintage Caravan, Monuments
To every sorrowful head who bemoans the state of rock and roll as being dead, who misses big songs, bands unafraid to groove, to engage their audience, to change things up and stay anchored to a vital spirit of the live experience, the answer is The Vintage Caravan. Monuments is the Icelandic trio’s follow-up to 2018’s Gateways (review here) and it opens with a righteous four-song mission-statement salvo from “Whispers” to “Dark Times” before mellowing out in “This One’s for You” and diving into the eight-minute centerpiece “Forgotten” — later answered by the more subdued but likewise proggy closer “Clarity” — before the hard-hitting shuffle renews on side B with “Sharp Teeth,” “Hell” and “Torn in Two” try to outdo each other in has-the-most-swagger and “Said & Done” sneaks in ahead of the finale to walk away with that particular title. Suitably enough. Momentum is almost a detriment to the proceedings, since the songs are worth individual attention, but among the classic tenets here is leave-’em-wanting-more, and The Vintage Caravan do, no question.
First thing to note? Oslo Tapes are not from Oslo. Or Trondheim, for that matter. Founded by Marco Campitelli in Italy, the band is a work of homage and exploration of ideas born out of a trip to Oslo — blessings and peace upon the narrative — and ØR, which is Norwegian for “confusing,” is their third album. It arrives loaded with textures from electro-krautrock and ’70s space modernized through to-day’s post-heavy, a breathy delivery from Campitelli giving a song like “Kosmik Feels” an almost goth-wave presence while the harder-landing “Bodø Dakar,” which follows, shifts with pointed rhythm into a textured percussion jam in its second half, with ethereal keys still behind. The shimmering psychedelia of “Norwegian Dream” comes paired with “Exotic Dreams” late in the record’s eight-track procession, and while the latter emphasizes Oslo Tapes‘ can-go-anywhere sensibility with horn sounds and vague, drumless motion, the hard dance in closer “Obsession is the Mother of All” really seems to be the moment of summary here. That must’ve been some trip.
Clocking in at 15 tracks and 77 minutes of deeply varied cosmic fuckery, from the motorik push of “Your Are the Sun” to the ’90s Britgaze stylizations of “Mystified” to the twanging central guitar figure of “The Air is Poison” and onward into the blowout kosmiche echo “Sweet Dreams and Nicotine” and chic the-underground-is-actually-made-of-velvet “Like a Halo” ahead of the Hawkwind-on-ludes “I’m Buggin’ Out,” Filthy Hippies‘ Departures at very least gets points for having the right title. Departs from everything. Reality, itself, you. The whole nine. The good news is the places it goes have a unifying element of grunge laziness woven throughout them, like Filthy Hippies just rolled out of bed and this material just happened — and maybe that’s how it went — and the journey they make, whistling as they go on “Among the Wire” and ending up in the wistful wash of “Empty Spaces” is a joy to follow. Heady. More purposeful than it’s letting on. Not a minor investment, but not a minor reward either.
Long since in command of their aesthetic, Norway’s Dunbarrow embark on III, their third long-player, with a full realization of their purpose. Recorded by the five-piece in Spring 2020 and left to gestate for a year’s time, it’s having been unearthed is suitable to the classic doom vibe wrought throughout the eight tracks, but Dunbarrow‘s sound is more vintage in structure than production at this point, and the shifting balance between ‘then’ and ‘now’ in what they do imagines what might’ve been if self-titled era Witchcraft had retained its loyalty to the tenets of Sabbath/Pentagram while continuing to grow its songcraft, such that “Worms of Winter” both is and is decidedly not “Snowblind,” while “Lost Forever” embarks on its own roll and “Turn in Your Grave” makes for an organ-laced folkish highlight, fitting in its cult atmosphere and setting up the rawer finish in “Turns to Dust.” This is who Dunbarrow are, and what they do, they do exceedingly well.
The year is 2076. The world’s first Whole Earth parliament has come together to bask in the document Transmission, originating in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the behest of an entity known only as Djinn and respected purveyor Rocket Recordings. It is believed that in fact Transmission and its eight component freak jazz psychedelia tracks were not written at the time of their first release some 55 years earlier, but, as scholars have come to theorize after more than a half-century of rigorous, consistent study, it is a relic of another dimension. Someplace out of place, some time out of time as humanity knows it. So it is that “Creators of Creation” views all from an outsider’s eagle eye, and “Urm the Mad” squees its urgency as if to herald the serenity of “Love Divine” to come, voices echoing up through the surcosmic rift through which Djinn sent along this Transmission. What was their purpose? Why make contact? And what is time for such creatures? Are they us? Are we them? Are we alone? Are we “Orpheus?” Wars have been fought over easier questions.
Their third album, Shevils‘ Miracle of the Sun renews the band’s collaboration with producer Marcus Forsgren, which obviously given the sound of the record, was not broken. With a tidy 10 songs in 32 minutes, the Oslo-based four-piece deliver a loyal reading of heavy hardcore riffing minus much of the chestbeating or dudely pretense that one might otherwise encounter. They’ve got it nailed, and the break as “Monsters on TV” squibblies out is a forceful but pleasant turn, especially backed by the pure noise rock of “Scandinavian Death Star.” The band plays back and forth between heft and motion throughout, offering plenty of both in “Wet Soaking Wet” and “Ride the Flashes,” hitting hard but doing more than just hitting at the same time. Topped with fervent shouts, Shevils feels urgent in manner that to my ears recalls West Coast US fare like Akimbo, but is nonetheless the band’s own, ranging into broader soundscapes on “No More You” and anti-shred on “It Never Ends,” the only two cuts here over four minutes long. No time to screw around.
If they haven’t been yet — and they may have — it’s entirely likely that by the time I’m done writing this sentence some record label or other will have picked up Paralyzed to release their self-titled debut album on vinyl. The Bamberg, Germany-based four-piece bring classic heavy metal thunder to still-Sabbathian doom rock, casting their lot in with the devil early on “Lucifer’s Road (My Baby and Me),” which feels like as much a statement of aesthetic purpose as it does a righteous biker riff. It’s by no means the sum-total of what’s on offer in a more extended piece like “Prophets” or side B’s rumble-and-roll-plus-wah-equals-doom “Mother’s Only Son,” but the brash fare they bring to light on “Green Eyes” and the post-lizard king-turns-Purple spirit of “Golden Days” tie in well with the toss-your-hair-in-the-wind, how’d-that-hole-get-in-my-jeans spirit of the release on the whole. They start instrumental with the eponymous “Paralyzed,” but vocals are a focus point, and as they round out with the rawer “Parallel,” their command of ’70s heavy is all the more evident. They signed yet? Give it another minute, if not.
Admittedly, I’m late to the party on Black Spirit Crown‘s 2020 debut full-length, Gravity, but as one will when in orbit, it’s easy to be pulled in by the record. The Ohio-based two-piece of Dan Simone (vocals, guitar, theremin, dulcimer) and Chris Martin (vocals, keys & programming, bass) — plus guitar spots from Joe Fortunato (Doomstress, ex-Venomin James) — flourish over longform progressive heavy rock pieces like “Doomstar” and “Orb,” both over eight minutes, and the 21:10 closing title-track, which well earns having the album named after it for its consuming balance between aural weight, darkness of atmosphere and tone, and breadth. Before the last several minutes give way to droning noise, “Gravity” counterbalances the metallic underpinning of “Saga” and the rush of the penultimate “Teutates,” its patience singular even among the other longer cuts, balanced in alternating fashion with the shorter. Peppered-in growls make the proceedings less predictable on the whole, and feel like one more strength working in favor of these complex compositions.
Intraveineuse, Chronicles of an Inevitable Outcome
Parisian instrumentalists Intraveineuse make a strong statement with their 32-minute/single-song debut EP, Chronicles of an Inevitable Outcome, the feeling of aftermath — regret? — permeating the goth-doom atmosphere coming through in tectonically-dense riffs as well as the piano that offsets them. France would seem to have a post-Type O Negative standard-bearer in Hangman’s Chair, but to discount Intraveineuse on that basis is to miss out on the flowing, immersive progression the band emit on this already-sold-out tape, working in three distinct movements to find their own place within the style, building momentum gradually until the last payoff cuts itself short, as if to emphasize there’s more to come. Hopefully, anyhow. EP or LP, debuts with this kind of scope are rare and not to be overlooked, and though there are stretches where one can hear where vocals might go, Intraveineuse ably steer “Chronicles of an Inevitable Outcome” through its various parts with natural-sounding fluidity.
Grim, gritty and ghastly, Void Tripper is the debut full-length from Brazil’s Void Tripper, comprised of five tracks marked by the shared/alternating vocals of guitarists Mário Fonteles and Anastácio Júnior. The former gurlges on opener “Devil’s Reject” while the latter complements with a cleaner take on the subsequent “Burning Woods,” setting up the back and forth that plays out in the remaining three tracks, “Hollow,” “Satan & Drugs” and “Comatose.” With the lumbering bass and drums of Jonatas Monte and Gabriel Mota, respectively, as the thickened foundation beneath the riffs, there are shades throughout of Electric Wizard and other acts to be heard, but it’s Sabbath-worshiping sludge one way or the other, and Void Tripper willingly head into that void with a dense fog preceding them and a bleak mood that does nothing if it doesn’t feel suited to our times. Riffy disaffection writ large. You wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but you’d nod the fuck out.
Got my laptop back. Turned out the guy had to give me a new hard drive entirely, clone all my data on it, and scrap the other drive. I’m sure if I took it to another technician they’d have said something completely different, either for better or worse, but it was $165 and I got my computer back, working, in a day, so I can’t really complain. Worth the money, obviously, even though it was $40 more than the estimate. I assume that was a mix of “new hard drive” and “this is the last thing I’m doing before a four-day weekend.” Either way, totally legit. Bit of stress on my part, but what’s a Quarterly Review without it?
This ends the week, but there’s still one more batch of 10 reviews to go on Monday, so I won’t delay further, except to say more to come.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Nocebo
A rare level of triumph for a first album, Elizabeth Colour Wheel‘s aesthetic scope and patience of craft on Nocebo result in a genre-spanning post-noise rock that maintains an atmospheric heft whether loud or quiet at any given moment, and a sense of unpredictability that feels born out of a genuinely forward-thinking songwriting process. It is dark, emotionally resonant, beautiful and crushing across its eight songs and 47 minutes, as the Philadelphia five-piece ebb and flow instrumentally behind a standout vocal performance that reminds of Julie Christmas circa Battle of Mice on “Life of a Flower” but is ultimately more controlled and all the more lethal for that. Bouts of extremity pop up at unexpected times and the songs flow into each other so as to make all of Nocebo feel like a single, multi-hued work, which it just might be as it moves into ambience between “Hide Behind (Emmett’s Song)” and “Bedrest” before exploding to life again in “34th” and transitioning directly into the cacophonous apex that comes with closer “Head Home.” One of the best debuts of 2019, if not the best.
Ancients is the third full-length from Baltimore’s Black Lung, whose heavy blues rock takes a moodier approach from the outset of “Mother of the Sun” onward, following an organ-led roll in that opener that calls to mind All Them Witches circa Lightning at the Door and following 2016’s See the Enemy (review here) with an even firmer grasp on their overarching intent. The title-track is shorter at 3:10 and offers some post-rock flourish in the guitar amid its otherwise straight-ahead push, but there’s a tonal depth to add atmosphere to whatever moves they’re making at the time, “The Seeker” and “Voices” rounding out side A with relatively grounded swing and traditionalist shuffle but still catching attention through pace and presentation alike. That holds true as “Gone” drifts into psychedelic jamming at the start of side B, and the chunkier “Badlands,” the dramatic “Vultures” and the controlled wash of “Dead Man Blues” take the listener into some unnamed desert without a map or exit strategy. It’s a pleasure to get lost as Ancients plays through, and Black Lung remain a well-kept secret of the East Coast underground.
This just fucking rules, and I feel no need to couch my critique in any more flowery language than that. Driving, fuzzy heavy rock topped with post-Homme melodies that doesn’t sacrifice impact for attitude, the self-released, self-titled debut from Perth, Australia’s Giant Dwarf is a sans-pretense 35 minutes of groove done right. They may be playing to genre, fine, but from the cover art on down, they’re doing so with a sense of personality and a readiness to bring an individual sensibility to their sound. I dig it. Summery tones, rampant vocal melodies in layers, solid rhythmic foundation beneath. The fact that it’s the five-piece’s first album makes me look less for some kind of stylistic nuance, but it’s there to be heard anyway in “Disco Void” and the bouncing end of “High Tide Blues,” and in surrounding cuts like “Repeat After Defeat” and “Strange Wool,” Giant Dwarf set to the task before them with due vitality, imagining Songs for the Deaf with Fu Manchu tonality in “Kepler.” No big surprise, but yeah, it definitely works. Someone should be beating down the door to sign this band.
Land Mammal‘s debut outing is a 14-minute, proof-of-concept four-songer EP with clarity of presentation and telegraphed intent. Marked out by the Robert Plant-style vocal heroics of Kinsley August, the band makes the most of a bluesy atmosphere behind him, with Will Weise on wah-ready guitar, Phillip PJ Soapsmith on bass, Stephen Smith on drums and True Turner on keys. On opener “Dark with Rain” and closer “Better Days,” they find a pastoral vibe that draws from ’90s alternative, thinking Blind Melon particularly in the finale, but “Earth Made Free” takes a bluesier angle and “Drippin’ Slow” is not shy about nor ashamed of its danceability, as its lyrics demonstrate. For all the crispness of the production, Land Mammal still manage to sound relatively natural, which is all the more encouraging in terms of moving forward, but it’ll be interesting to hear how they flesh out their sound over the course of a full-length, since even as an EP, this self-titled is short. They have songwriting, performance and production on their side, however, so something tells me they’ll be just fine.
Even before they get to the ultra-“N.I.B.” patterning of second track “Stand in the Sun,” Skunk‘s Sabbathian loyalties are well established, and they continue on that line, through the “War Pigs”-ness of “Goblin Orgy” (though I’ll give them bonus points for that title), and the slower “A National Acrobat” roll of “The Black Crown,” and while that’s not the only influence under which Skunk are working — clearly — it’s arguably the most forward. They’ve been on a traditional path since 2015’s mission-statement EP, Heavy Rock from Elder Times (review here), and as Strange Vibration is their second album behind 2017’s Doubleblind (review here), they’ve only come more into focus in terms of what they’re doing overall. They throw a bit of swagger into “Evil Eye Gone Blind” and “Star Power” toward the end of the record — more Blackmore or Leslie West than Iommi — but keep the hooks center through it all, and cap with a welcome bit of layered melody on “The Cobra’s Kiss.” Based in Oakland, they don’t quite fit in with the Californian boogie scene to the south, but standing out only seems to suit Strange Vibration all the more.
Like countrymen outfits in Vokonis or to a somewhat lesser degree Cities of Mars, Gävle-based riffers Silver Devil tap into Sleep as a core influence and work outward from there. In the case of their second album, Paralyzed (on Ozium Records), they work far out indeed, bringing a sonic largesse to bear through plus-sized tonality and distorted vocals casting echoes across a wide chasm of the mix. “Rivers” or the later, slower-rolling “Octopus” rightfully present this as an individual take, and it ends up being that one way or the other, with the atmosphere becoming essential to the character of the material. There are some driving moments that call to mind later Dozer — or newer Greenleaf, if you prefer — such as the centerpiece “No Man Traveller,” but the periodic bouts of post-rock bring complexity to that assessment as well, though in the face of the galloping crescendo of “The Grand Trick,” complexity is a secondary concern to the outright righteousness with which Silver Devil take familiar elements and reshape them into something that sounds fresh and engaging. That’s basically the story of the whole record, come to think of it.
Comprised of guitarist/vocalist/engineer Vessel 2 and drummer/vocalist Vessel 1 (also ex-Mühr), Sky Burial release their debut EP, Sokushinbutsu, through Break Free Records, and with it issue two songs of densely-weighted riff and crash, captured raw and live-sounding with an edge of visceral sludge thanks to the harsh vocals laid overtop. The prevailing spirit is as much doom as it is crust throughout “Return to Sender” (8:53) and the 10:38 title-track — the word translating from Japanese to “instant Buddha” — and as “Sokushinbutsu” kicks the tempo of the leadoff into higher gear, the release becomes a wash of blown-out tone with shouts cutting through that’s very obviously meant to be as brutal as it absolutely is. They slow down eventually, then slow down more, then slow down more — you see where this is going — until eventually the feedback seems to consume them and everything else, and the low rumble of guitar gives way to noise and biting vocalizations. As beginnings go, Sokushinbutsu is willfully wretched and animalistic, a manifested sonic nihilism that immediately stinks of death.
One finds Montana’s Wizzerd born of a similar Upper Midwestern next-gen take on classic heavy as that of acts like Bison Machine and Midas. Their Cursed Tongue Records-delivered self-titled debut album gives a strong showing of this foundation, less boogie-based than some, with just an edge of heavy metal to the riffing and vocals that seems to derive not directly from doom, but definitely from some ’80s metal stylizations. Coupled with ’70s and ’90s heavy rocks, it’s a readily accessible blend throughout the nine-song/51-minute LP, but a will toward the epic comes through in theme as well as the general mood of the riffs, and even in the drift of “Wizard” that’s apparent. Taken in kind with the fuzzblaster “Wraith,” the winding motion of the eponymous closer and with the lumbering crash of “Warrior” earlier, the five-piece’s sound shows potential to distinguish itself further in the future through taking on fantasy subject matter lyrically as well as playing to wall-sized grooves across the board, even in the speedy first half of “Phoenix,” with its surprising crash into the wall of its own momentum.
The core of Ian Blurton‘s Signals Through the Flames is in tight, sharply-executed heavy rockers like “Seven Bells” and “Days Will Remain,” classic in their root but not overly derivative, smartly and efficiently composed and performed. The Toronto-based Blurton has been making and producing music for over three decades in various guises and incarnations, and with these nine songs, he brings into focus a songcraft that is more than enough to carry song like “Nothing Left to Lose” and opener “Eye of the Needle,” which bookends with the 6:55 “Into Dust,” the closer arriving after a final salvo with the Scorpionic strut of “Kick out the Lights” and the forward-thrust-into-ether of “Night of the Black Goat.” If this was what Ghost had ended up sounding like, I’d have been cool with that. Blurton‘s years of experience surely come into play in this work, a kind of debut under his own name and/or that of Ian Blurton’s Future Now, but the songs come through as fresh regardless and “The March of Mars” grabs attention not with pedigree, but simply by virtue of its own riff, which is exactly how it should be. It’s subtle in its variety, but those willing to give it a repeat listen or two will find even more reward for doing so.
“Lackland” is the first new material Berlin three-piece Cosmic Fall have produced since last year’s In Search of Space (review here) album, which is only surprising given the frequency with which they once jammed out a record every couple of months. The lone 8:32 track is a fitting reminder of the potency in the lineup of guitarist Marcin Morawski, bassist Klaus Friedrich and drummer Daniel Sax, and listening to the Earthless-style shred in Morawski‘s guitar, one hopes it won’t be another year before they come around again. As it stands, they make the eight minutes speed by with volcanic fervor and an improvised sensibility that feels natural despite the song’s ultimately linear trajectory. Could be a one-off, could be a precursor to a new album. I’d prefer the latter, obviously, but I’ll take what I can get, and if that’s “Lackland,” then so be it.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 6th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I was having a conversation a couple weeks ago about being jaded. I won’t say I never feel burnt out — shit, I was burnt out 16 years ago; that’s kind of how I got into heavy rock in the first place — but in light of that conversation, here’s a post about Silver Devil. They’re a band from Sweden whose second album, Paralyzed, is being given a North American release on June 7 with a bonus track, and they’re a band I’ve never written about before. They put out a self-titled debut in 2011 and toured with Skraeckoedlan and haven’t really been heard from since until Paralyzed showed up in February of this year. I’d never heard them before the info below came down the PR wire and had all the right dogwhistles to pique my interest.
And they rule. Yeah, I get exhausted. Pretty much daily. But there’s another part of me that’s in continuous awe of the fact that all I have to do is open up my email and here’s some more badass shit from a group of people who I didn’t even know existed until I bothered to look. This kind of thing happens all the time. It’s incredible. So yeah, there are days where it’s drudgery and days where I’m dragging ass. Plenty of them. But there’s always more out there, and there’s always something new and something fresh if you’re willing to put in the minimal effort to engage it. The human race is a cruel, horror-filled shitshow. But on the other hand, riffs.
All of Paralyzed except the aforementioned bonus track can be streamed below — I wonder if they’d want to premiere it? — and if you have a second to bask in its Swedishy Swedishness, it’s well worth it.
Dig:
Silver Devil – Paralyzed
After a successful European release, Silver Devil will now officially release their new album Paralyzed in North America on June 7th 2019.
Two cars drive at each other, one manned by a rock n’ roll rifflord, the other by a smoked-out hesher. The resulting collision explodes in a fireball starts rolling down the highway, drenched in fuzz, kerosene, and melancholy. Welcome to the world of Silver Devil, a Swedish troupe formed, as many are, from the ashes of other bands in a prolific scene. After an exploratory début that netted them a dedicated fanbase, they headed out on the road, taking them across Europe with Skraeckoedlan.
From the opening moments of “Howl”, it’s clear that Silver Devil mean business – the track wastes no time getting straight into the meaty riffs. Echoes of vintage Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age and Dozer permeate, but there’s also a touch of despondency in numbers like “Nightwalker”, as the solo dances in front of the stomping backdrop. Meanwhile, the vocals are a plaintive cry soaring in the background over a wall of fuzzy strings and crashing cymbals. Colorful guitar tones interplay beautifully, showcasing a chemistry built up over their decade-plus existence, until it all comes to a head in the freak-out at the end of “Hypersleep”.
It’s been a few years since their self-titled début, brought about by a much-needed break and an urge to get things right. Letting the tracks marinate has done Silver Devil good – the combination of punch and psychedelia, fuzz and fury, makes a potent blueprint for the band to follow. Paralyzed in an important pillar in the band’s development, and it would be wise for people of a riff-minded persuasion to give this a spin.
Silver Devil are: Vocals: Anders Löfstrand Guitar: Jonas Hamqvist Guitar: Otto Molin Drums: Marcus Ström Bass: Erik Bergkvist
Tracklisting: 1. Howl 2. Rivers 3. Paralyzed 4. Nightwalker 5. No Man Traveller 6. Octopus 7. Beast 8. Hypersleep 9. The Grand Trick (Bonus Track)
directives.
