Don’t ask me if the ‘quarter’ in question is Fall or Winter, and I’m still planning another QR probably in early January or even December if I can sneak it, but I was able to sneak this week in while no one was looking at the calendar — mostly, that is, while I wasn’t filling said calendar with other stuff — and I decided to make it happen. I even used the ol’ Bing AI to make a header image for it. I was tired of all the no-color etchings. It’s been a decade of that at this point. I’ll try this for a bit and see how I feel about it. The kind of thing that matters pretty much only to me.

This might go to 70, but for right now it’s 50 releases Monday to Friday starting today, 10 per day. I know the drill. You know the drill. Let’s get it going.

Quarterly Review #1-10:

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Negative Reaction, Zero Minus Infinity

Holy fucking shit this rips. You want sludge? Call the masters. There are two generations of bands out there right now trying to tap into the kind of slow and ultra-heavy disaffection — not to mention the guitar tone — of Negative Reaction, and yet, no hype whatsoever. This record didn’t come to me from some high-level public relations concern. It came from Kenny Bones, who founded Negative Reaction over 30 years ago in Long Island (he and thus the band are based in West Virginia now) and whose perpetual themes between crushing depression and the odd bit of Star Wars-franchised space opera have rarely sounded more intentionally grueling. Across six songs and a mood-altering 46 minutes, Bones, bassist KJ and drummer Brian Alien bludgeon with rawness and volume-worship weight that, frankly, is the kind of thing riff-dudes on social media should be tripping over themselves to be first to sing its praises, the lurch in “Back From the Sands” feeling sincere in its unconscious rifference (that’s a reference you make with a riff) to Saint Vitus‘ “Born Too Late,” and maybe Negative Reaction were, or maybe they were born too early, or whatever, but it’s not like they’ve been a fit at any point in the last 30-plus years — cheeky horror riff chugging in “Space Hunter,” all-out fuckall-punker blast in “I’ll Have Another” before the 13-minute flute-laced (yes, Bones is on it) cosmic doom finish of “Welcome to Infinity,” etc., reaffirming square-peg status — because while there’s an awful lot of sludge out there, there’s only ever been one Negative Reaction. Bones‘ and company’s angry adventures, righteous and dense in sound, continue unabated.

Negative Reaction on Facebook

Negative Reaction on Bandcamp

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Fuzz Evil, New Blood

Arizona brothers Wayne and Joey Rudell return with New Blood, the first Fuzz Evil full-length since High on You (review here) in 2018, and make up for lost time with 53 minutes of new material across 13 songs from the post-Queens of the Stone Age rock at the outset in “Suit Coffin” to the slow, almost Peter Gabriel-style progressivism of “Littlest Nemo,” the nighttime balladry of “Gullible’s Travel” or the disco groove of “Keep on Living.” Those three are tucked at the end, but Fuzz Evil telegraph new ideas and departures early in “My Own Blood” and even the speedier “Run Away,” with its hints of metal, pulls to the side from “Souveneers,” the hooky “G.U.M.O.C.O.,” a cut like “Heavy Glow” (premiered here) finding some middle ground between attitude-laced desert rock and the expansions thereupon of some New Blood‘s tracks. Shout to “We’ve Seen it All” as the hidden gem. All Fuzz Evil have ever wanted is to write songs and maybe make someone — perhaps even you — dance at a show. With the obvious sweat and soul put into New Blood, a little boogieing doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

Fuzz Evil on Facebook

Fuzz Evil on Bandcamp

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Cardinal Point, Man or Island

A second full-length from Serbia’s Cardinal Point, Man or Island asks its central question — are you a man or an island — in the leadoff title-track. I’m not sure what being one or the other delineates, but masculinity would seem to be preferred judging by the Down-style riffing of “Stray Dog” or the heavy-like-1991 “Right ‘n’ Ready,” which feels like it was written for the stage, whether or not it actually was. “Sunrise” borders on hard country with its uber-dudeliness, but closer “This Chest” offers tighter-twisting, Lo-Pan-style riffing to cap. The tracks are pointedly straightforward, making no pretense about where the band is coming from or what they want to be doing as players. The grooves swing big and the choruses are delivered with force. You wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but the Vranje-based four-piece aren’t trying to revolutionize heavy so much as to speak to various among those traditions that birthed it. They succeed in that here, and in making the results their own.

Cardinal Point on Facebook

Cardinal Point on Bandcamp

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Vlimmer, Zersch​ö​pfung

Voices far more expert than mine have given pinpointed analyses of Vlimmer‘s goth-as-emotive-vehicle, semi-electronic, sometimes-heavy post-punk, New Dark Wave, etc., stylistic reach as relates to the Berlin-based solo artist’s latest full-length, Zersch​ö​pfung, but hearing The Cure in “Makks” and “Fatalideal” taken to a place of progressive extrapolation on “Platzwort” and to hear the Author & Punisher-informed slow industrial churn of the penultimate “Todesangst” become the backdrop for a dreamy vocal like Tears for Fears if they stayed up all night scribbling in their notebook because they had so much to say. Vlimmer (né Alexander Leonard Donat) has had a productive run since the first numbered EPs started showing up circa 2015, and Zersch​ö​pfung feels like a summation of the style he’s established as his own, able to speak to various sides of underground and outsider musics without either losing itself in the emotionalism of the songs or sublimating identity to genre.

Vlimmer on Facebook

Blackjack Illuminist Records on Bandcamp

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No Gods No Masters, Torment

Dutch sludge metallers No Gods No Masters may seem monolithic at first on their second full-length, the self-released Torment, but the post-metallic dynamics in the atmospheric guitar on lead cut “Into Exile” puts the lie to the supposition. Not that there isn’t plenty of extreme crush to go around in “Into Exile” and the four songs that follow — second track “Towering Waves” and closer “End” on either side of the 10-minute mark, “Such Vim and Vigor” and “A God Among the Waste” shorter like “Into Exile” in a five-to-six-minute range — as the band move from crawling ambience to consuming, scream-topped ultra-doom, leave bruises with elbows thrown before the big slowdown in “Such Vim and Vigor” and tear ass regardless of tempo through the finale, and while they never quite let go of the extremity of their purpose, neither do they forget that their purpose is more than extremity. Torment sounds punishing superficially — certainly the title gives a hint that all is not sunshine and puppies — but a deeper listen is met by the richness of No Gods No Masters‘ approach.

No Gods No Masters on Facebook

No Gods No Masters on Bandcamp

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Ananda Mida, Reconciler

Italian psych rockers Ananda Mida are joined by a host of guests throughout their third full-length, Reconciler, including a return appearance from German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs on the extended heavy psych blueser “Swamp Thing” (14:52) and the four-part finale “Doom and the Medicine Man (Pt. V-VIII)” (22:09), which draws a thread through the history of prog and acid rocks, kraut and space applying no less to the 12-minute “Lucifer’s Wind” as to the surf-riffing “Reconciling” after — the latter gets a reprise on platter two of the 83-minute 2LP — as Ananda Mida dig deep into the shining thrust in the early verses of “Never Surrender” that give over to thoughtful jamming in the song’s second half, finding proto-metallic resolve in “Following the Light” before reconciling “Reconciling (Reprise)” and unfurling “Doom and the Medicine Man” like the lost ’70s coke-rock epic it may well be in some other universe, complete with the acoustic postscript. It’s two records’ worth of ambitious, and it’s two records’ worth of record. This is exploratory on a stylistic level. Searching.

Ananda Mida on Facebook

Go Down Records website

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Ojo Malo, Black Light Fever Tripping

Lumbering out of El Paso, Texas (where folks know what salsa should taste like), with seven tracks across a 23-minute debut EP, Ojo Malo follow a Sabbathian course of harder-edged doom, thick in its groove through “Crow Man” after the “Intro” and speedier with an almost nu-metal crunch in “Charon the Ferryman.” There’s Clutch and C.O.C. influences in the riffing, but there are tougher elements too, a tension that wouldn’t have been out of place 28 years ago on a Prong record, and the swing in “Black Trip Lord” has an undercurrent of aggression that comes forward in its chugging second half. The penultimate “Grim Greefo Rising” offers more in terms of melody after its riffy buildup, and “Executioner” reveals the Judas Priest that’s been in the band’s collective heart all the while. Bookended with manipulated sounds from the recordings in “Intro” and “Outro,” Black Light Fever Tripping sounds exactly like it doesn’t have time for your bullshit so get your gear off stage now and don’t break down your cymbals up there or it’s fucking on.

Ojo Malo on Facebook

Ojo Malo on Bandcamp

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Druid Fluids, Then, Now, Again & Again

Druid Fluids — aka Adelaide, Australia’s Jamie Andrew, plus a few friends on drums, piano, and so on — inhabits a few different personae out of psychedelic historalia throughout Then, Now, Again & Again, finding favorites in The Beatles in “Flutter By,” “Into Me I See” (both with sitar), and “Layers” while peopling other songs specifically with elements drawn from David Bowie and the solo work of Lennon and McCartney, all of which feels like fair game for the meticulously-arranged 11-song collection. “Sour’s Happy Fantasy” offers sci-fi fuzz grandeur, while “Timeline” is otherworldly in all but the central strum holding it to the ground — a singularly satisfying melody — and “Out of Phase” swaggers in like Andrew knows he was born in the wrong time. He might’ve been, but he seems to have past, present and future covered either way in this material, some of which was reportedly written when he was a teenager but which has no doubt grown more expansive in the intervening years.

Druid Fluids on Facebook

Druid Fluids on Bandcamp

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Gibbous Moon, Saturn V

The years between their 2017 self-titled three-songer EP and the forthcoming 11-track debut full-length, Saturn V, would seem to have found Philly heavy rockers Gibbous Moon refining their approach in terms of craft and process. “Blue Shelby” has a turn on guitar like Dire Straits as vocalist Noelle Felipe (also bass) drops references to Scarface in “Blue Shelby” and brings due classicism to Mauro Felipe‘s guitar on “Ayadda.” That song, as well as “Everything” and closer “Peacemaker,” tie the EP to the LP, but Noelle, Mauro and drummer Michael Mosley are unquestionably more confident in their delivery, whether it’s the bass in the open reaches of “Sine Wave” or the of-course-it’s-speed-rock “Follow that Car” and its punker counterpart “Armadillo.” Space rock is a factor in “Indivisible,” and “Inflamed” is almost rockabilly in its tense verse, but wherever Gibbous Moon go, their steps are as sure as the material itself is solid. I’m not sure when this is actually out, if it’s 2023 or 2024, but heads up on it.

Gibbous Moon on Facebook

Gibbous Moon on Bandcamp

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Mother Magnetic, Mother Magnetic

Arranged shortest to longest between the ah-oo-oo-ah-ah hookiness of “Sucker’s Disease” (3:03), the nodder rollout of “Daughters of the Sun” (5:47) and the reach into psych-blues jamming in “Goddess Land” (7:03), Mother Magnetic‘s self-titled three-song EP is the first public offering from the Brisbane four-piece of vocalist Rox, guitarist James, bassist Tim and drummer Danny, and right into the later reaches of the last of those tracks, the band’s intentions feel strongly declarative in establishing their melodic reach, an Iommi-circa-’81 take on riffmaking, and a classic boozy swagger to the vocals to match. There was a time, 15-20 years ago, when demos like this ruled the land and were handed to you, burned onto archaic CD-Rs, in the vain hope you might play them in your car on the way home from the show. To not do so in this case would be inadvisable. There’s potential in the songwriting, yes, but also on a performance level, for growth as individuals and as a group, and considering where Mother Magnetic are starting in terms of chemistry, that’s all the more an exciting prospect.

Mother Magnetic on Facebook

Mother Magnetic on Bandcamp

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Ripple Music will continue its ongoing split series ‘Turned to Stone’ in January by bringing together Philadelphia’s Ritual Earth and Italy’s Kazak for a shared platter. The first single, from Ritual Earth, is streaming at the bottom of this post. The series has heretofore established a high standard for itself, and last time around with Blue Heron and High Desert Queen (review here) emphasized so much of what works about the format, the bands’ respective works complementary but individualized in their take.

I’ll cop to being less familiar with Kazak than Ritual Earth — Philly’s a lot closer to NJ where I live — but it’s easy enough to get on board with the open-feel of the guitar in “Through the Interstellar Medium,” the accompanying lumber, sharp and decisive punctuation of the drums, and echoing, grainy melody gives over fluidly to a bit of pastoralism before sweeping back to its heavier proceeding. The PR wire drops hints of Om-style meditations from Kazak, and in their latest track “Dimming Lights” one can hear it, but again, I’ve got to dig further.

More to come. For now:

Doom and psych metallers RITUAL EARTH and KAZAK unite for “Turned To Stone Chapter 9” split album on Ripple Music; first track streaming!

Ripple Music announce the next chapter of their “Turned To Stone” split series featuring US and Italian doom and psych metal purveyors Ritual Earth and Kazak, to be released on January 12th. Stream the first track “Through The Interstellar Medium” now!

Launched in 2020, Ripple Music’s “Turned To Stone” split series focus on unique pairings from across the stoner, doom and heavy psych underground and explore the farthest reaches of riffdom. This ninth chapter builds an towering wall of sound, bringing Philadelphia-based monolithic heavy merchants RITUAL EARTH and Italian psych-laden doom duo KAZAK to the forefront for a dark and enthralling sonic experience.

Stream the first single off “Turned To Stone Chapter 9”
with Ritual Earth’s “Through Interstellar Medium”

RITUAL EARTH’s progressive sound lends itself to complex lyrical themes and heavy use of emotions and symbolism. Says the band: “We explored introspection and dove much deeper into personal and darker issues with our unconscious minds to practice spotting our inner shadows. The death of a rival, relapsing and overcoming addiction, navigating the complexities, experiences, and challenges in our lives and the changing world around us are all topics you will find intertwined throughout these three songs.”

“Turned To Stone Chapter 9” will be available on January 12th, 2024 in various vinyl formats as well as digitally, with preorders available now on Ripple Music.

RITUAL EARTH & KAZAK “Turned To Stone Chapter 9” split album Out January 12th on Ripple Music – PREORDER: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/turned-to-stone-chapter-9

TRACKLIST:
1. Ritual Earth – In The Wake
2. Ritual Earth – Through Interstellar Medium
3. Ritual Earth – Ominous Aurorae
4. Kazak – Geometrical Alchemy
5. Kazak – Haze
6. Kazak – Sunset Symphony
7. Kazak – The 25th Hour

https://www.facebook.com/RitualEarthDoom/
https://www.instagram.com/ritualearthdoom/
https://ritualearth.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kazak.duo/
https://www.instagram.com/kazak.duo
https://kazakduo.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Ritual Earth, “Through the Interstellar Medium”

Kazak, “Dimming Lights”

I like this album immediately because it boasts a track called ‘Brain Cells… But Who’s Buying,’ and I enjoy cleverness generally, but if you need to be further disposed toward the work of Philadelphia trio The Company Corvette, how about the fact that guitarist Alexei Korolev and bassist/vocalist Ross Pritchett have been at it for more than a decade and a half. The upcoming Little Blue Guy invites immediate curiosity as to the reference being made — what little blue guy? — and will serve as their fourth full-length following 2016’s Never Enough (review here) with another collection, this time marking the first appearance of drummer Zach Price, recorded with Matt Weber at NJ’s The Gradwell House.

And a side note, condolences to all at Gradwell House for the loss of engineer Steve Poponi (also Up Up Down Down), who passed away on Halloween. I only met Steve once, doing some recording last year with Clamfight, but found him to be personable, knowledgeable, and given to the kind of sarcastic expression common in my opinion to the best producers. Sorry for the loss to his friends, family, colleagues and others who knew or may have worked with him before.

That’s off-topic, I guess, but I don’t get to write about Gradwell House every day, so I take my opportunities when they come. Back to the story at hand, The Company Corvette have posted the raw-rocking “Drag” as a lead single from the record, and while the PR wire makes it seem likely the song is just a small sample of directions the album takes, it’s good to know I’m not the only one who’s apparently spent the last seven years becoming more and more pissed off at the world around me. Also, end cash bail now. End prison while you’re at it.

Behold:

THE COMPANY CORVETTE TO RELEASE ‘LITTLE BLUE GUY’ LP IN DECEMBER

The newest release of a stoner rock band is coming out via Strange Mono Records December 1. Available for pre-orders now.

Strange Mono is announcing the release of the fourth full length record from Philly’s stoned 3 piece The Company Corvette. Alexei Korolev and Ross Pritchett have been at it as The Company Corvette for over 15 years. After 3 albums they welcomed in drummer Zach Price, who proved to be a perfect fit. Their new record ‘Little Blue Guy’ was recorded across the river in NJ, once again with Matt Weber at The Gradwell House. The addition of Zach to the line up, and sticking to what they dig most, their “vision”, if you will, however blurry it may have been, set this album up as their best work to date. As with the last album, the cover features artwork by legendary Drew Elliott (Midnight, Amorphis, Blood Feast, Necrophagia, etc) almost makes it look better than it sounds – and it sounds pretty awesome!

Formed in 2005 The Company Corvette has shared the stage with countless legendary acts – Weedeater, Pentagram, The Obsessed, The Mentors and Truckfighters to name a few– blasting fans with their heavy stoner rock. This new album showcases the band’s pursuit of their singular vision. Covering the spectrum from misery laden doom, sludgy weirdness, heavy metal, dumb’n’fun rock’n’roll. This is stoner rock gone metal-and-back. There are riffs, there’s hooks, there are shreds and roars and psychedelic freakouts and they mean every bit of it.

The titular track ‘Little Blue Guy’ is pure Corvette; a massive dirge of swirling fuzzed out guitars, subdued vocals, and drumming so heavy and precise it’s sure to rattle your chest. “Doom as f*ck. Slow and heavy as we can stand it, with a slab of minimalist psychedelia in the middle – a vacuum of sorts to suck out your brain and then slowly regurgitate it back in. Lyrics stem from that time we ate mushrooms in my(Alexei) old tiny apartment and Ross saw something, or someone.”

As the album progresses tracks like ‘Out Of Control’ and ‘Brain Cells…But Who’s Buying’ ramp up the sludgy rock sound akin to early Melvins with solos. ‘Drag’ stands out with its fast pace, driving riffs, and snarling vocals. “Loosely played thrash metal with a super fun to play guitar solo and lyrics about getting dosed.”

Release: December 1
Genres: stoner rock
Format: 12′ LP, CS, DR
FFO:
Label: Strange Mono Records

Track List:
1. Little Blue Guy
2. Marshmallow
3. Out Of Control
4. Brain Cells…But Who’s Buying
5. Stupid
6. Drag
7. Ted Tedder
8. Lit The Wrong End

The album rounds out with the stoned out “Ted Tedder” and “Lit The Wrong End” basking in psychedelic freakouts and deep sludgy grooves. “What’s your secret to releasing your best work nearly 20 years into existence?”, the band often gets asked. “Why, it’s no secret”, they say. “Everyone knows the trick – you set the bar low and keep ambitions lower. Make up a super awesome logo, play shows with your friends and cool bands, and release albums whenever you got em!”

Proceeds from sales of this album are being donated to the Philly Bail Fund. As the band comments: “Ending the injustice of money bail requires shifting Philadelphia’s bail system from one that is based on wealth to a fairer and more effective system based on a presumption of release before trial, except in the most exceptional circumstances.”

The Company Corvette:
Alexei Korolev – guitars
Ross Pritchett – bass, vocals
Zach Price – drums

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063600971583
https://soundcloud.com/the-company-corvette
https://thecompanycorvette.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/StrangeMono
https://instagram.com/strange_mono
https://strangemono.bandcamp.com/
https://strangemono.com/

The Company Corvette, Little Blue Guy (2023)

Geez, guys. If you wanted to go look at leaves, it’s fine. You didn’t have to book a whole long-weekender in New England to make it happen. But I guess while you’re there…

Both from the Philadelphia-ish area — Oktas in the city proper, Oldest Sea somewhere on the other side of the river in my beloved Garden State — and both supporting ridiculously strong 2022 releases, it would seem that Oldest Sea and Oktas fit well as tour partners despite not having a whole lot in common sonically. Actually, maybe in part it’s because of that disparity in their respective approaches that the match feels like it makes so much sense. Yeah, they’re both under the general umbrella-categories of ‘heavy’ and ‘dark,’ but Oktas dove headfirst into extremity on their 2022 debut, The Finite and the Infinite (review here) while Oldest Sea‘s Strange and Eternal (review here) leaned into folk-tinged doom.

You know, it’s funny. I say those things like they’re two completely different worlds, but people outside of this thing? Outside of the sphere of underground influence? They’d neither know nor care about any aesthetic distance between one and the other here, or about the bands themselves, or the styles more generally. When I drop my kid off at school, I see all these normal people getting ready to go lead normal lives. I don’t think I’m better than anyone for being involved in what might be kindly regarded as a deviant subculture (definitely a compliment given dominant culture), but it sure does feel weird to have a bunch of specified knowledge about something that’s invisible to more than 99 percent of the general population.

Life is weird, is what I’m saying.

I’d do with new releases from both of these bands — gluttony forever — but for now I’m just glad they’re getting out, since the more they can spread the word about what they’ve done so far and what might come next, the better off they and anyone fortunate enough to attend one of these shows will be. I was talking about the many joys of Ralph’s Rock Diner the other day, and not sarcastically. Easily was my favorite venue in Massachusetts when we lived there, and this is exactly the kind of show that’s best to see in that spot.

Wherever you are though, give consideration to something new even if you’re not familiar with the bands. Think about it. Take a listen. Enjoy a bit of adventure. Maybe you want to go see the leaves too:

OLDEST SEA & OKTAS – New England Fall 2023

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT

This November we’ll be heading up to New England with our buds in @oktasband

11.09 – Ralph’s Diner – Worcester MA
11.10 – The Mayday – Providence RI
11.11 – Urban Farm Fermentory – Portland ME
11.12 – The Monkey House – Burlington VT
11.13 – Desperate Annie’s – Saratoga Springs NY

Thanks to @stephasketch for the beautiful flyer artwork (#128420#)

Says Oktas: “We put together a fun New England tour with our friends Oldest Sea this November! Big thanks to Steph Stevenson for lending us one of her paintings for the poster!”

https://www.facebook.com/oldestsea
https://www.instagram.com/oldestsea/
https://oldestsea1.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/oktasband
https://www.instagram.com/oktasband/
https://oktas.bandcamp.com/

Oldest Sea, Strange and Eternal (2022)

Oktas, The Finite and the Infinite (2022)

Another Me is the seventh full-length from Philly-region heavy rockers Bang, who got their start in 1969 and in 1971 released their self-titled debut through Capitol Records. Like many, their history as a group is long and tumultuous, vocalist/bassist Frank Ferrara, guitarist/vocalist Frankie Gilcken and drummer/lyricist Tony Diorio releasing two more records — 1972’s Mother/Bow to the King and 1973’s Music — in their original era, eventually calling it quits and reuniting in time to put out 1999’s RTZ – Return to Zero before the century turned, then following with 2004’s 2LP The Maze. A handful or two of drummers coming and going in the meantime, Bang‘s reputation as a classic band grew to new generational appreciation with the 2010 release of the 4CD box set Bullets through Rise Above Relics, concurrent to a reissue of the self-titled. As Bang returned once again in 2014 and took to touring life in the modern, post-social media underground, the self-titled was also pressed in 2016 through Svart and has an edition arriving alongside the eight-song, 38-minute Another Me, through the trio’s current label, Cleopatra Records.

All of which is to say that even as Bang‘s legend is set in stone and chasing them down, the direction they’re moving is forward. Another Me is led off by its hooky title-track, transposing personal struggle onto clarion riffing that’s as much classic metal as rock, sharper in tone than one might expect having seen them live, but setting an easy groove through its intro, open verse and volume-surge chorus that would, should and does preface in its structure some of what’s to come throughout the subsequent tracks, as in the layered vocal melodies in “Two Angels” in the mirror position at the start of side B, or the finale “This Night,” which works to vary persona and mood while remaining structurally verse/chorus in the tradition of Bang‘s influences, whether some Beatles poking through in the piano and bouncing rhythm of side A’s “Man of God” and the aforementioned closer, which brings tambourine to the mix — Diorio and the band’s new/live drummer Danny Piselli both feature on the album, but I’ve no clue on the actual division of percussive labor — or the late highlight “Tin Man,” which with its harmonies sounds like the skull from whence Uncle Acid sprang, its chorus complemented by a return of the keys from “Man of God,” the band’s arrangements fluid and unforced, like the tempo and the delivery of the material itself.

I’ll admit I may forever have a soft spot in my heart for Bang after seeing them live however many times, and Another Me accounts for their status as a classic underground band — three LPs on Capitol, which you’ll recall also put out The Beatles, is nothing to sneeze at — without trying to pretend the intervening half-century hasn’t happened. The production sound is modern — I’ve never heard an original-era-heavy act put out a new release with vintage-style recording; would be an interesting experiment — and, again, has a bit more edge to Gilcken‘s guitar tone than was anticipated, which only ends up bolstering the overall vitality. Ferrara‘s vocals are clear amid the proto-metal chug of “Drone Pilot,” and whether it’s “Clouds” turning the riff from “Looks That Kill” into catchy biker rock or the clear-eyed psychedelic lean of “Tin Man,” or the way “Broken Toys” builds into its relatively noisy, solo-topped ending, Bang deliver an accessible and welcoming encapsulation of their sound. They’ve never been as outwardly heavy, and they’ve pushed the scale of their melodicism likewise to a level that would seem to have been reached thanks to their time spent on stages around the US and beyond in the better part of the last decade.

How many bands do you know who can trace their tenure back more than 50 years — even if they broke up for part of that, as most do — and are still trying ideas in new material? Three? Maybe five? Having grown up as part of the first generation of rock and roll fans in America, Bang are no less a part of the genre’s legacy for their craft than for the obvious passion that continues to drive them. And they may have been tagged as the US’ answer to Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin in their early going, and one could throw Judas Priest on the pile there for some of the riffs Bang follow here, but Another Me is much more about who Bang are as themselves. Gilcken‘s lead guitar pulling notes in the riff cycles of “Man of God” and soloing in layers around the bass and drums to complement Ferrara‘s vocals, the mid-paced flow of even the the more aggressive “Another Me” and “Broken Toys,” hints of doom abounding there and in the swing of “Tin Man” and the burlier digging-in that takes place across “This Night.” In their atomic-level makeup, Bang are more rock than metal, whatever impact their style may have had on the development of the latter, and Another Me manifests those two sides fascinatingly, with turns of atmosphere and mood that are no challenge to make because of the strength of their songwriting and performances.

That’s not a new formula and I don’t think Bang are hoping to convince anyone otherwise, but as a group whose reputation will precede them for many who take them on, they successfully walk a difficult path in offering Another Me not as the work of Bang circa ’71-’73, but of Bang now. If you’re old enough to answer, are you the same person you were half a century ago? What about 20 years? 10? Another Me isn’t positioning itself as being of any moment other than this one, and maybe that suits Ferrara, Gilcken and Diorio (and Piselli) most of all. Is it their last record? Hell if I know. But 19 years after their ‘most recent’ long-player, Bang are back with a collection that adds to their story rather than pulling away from past accomplishments, and for right now, that’s plenty, more than was expected, and certainly, certainly much more than they owed anyone. Call it a win and be happy it exists.

Bang, “Another Me”

Bang on Facebook

Bang on Instagram

Bang website

Cleopatra Records on Facebook

Cleopatra Records on Instagram

Cleopatra Records on Bandcamp

Cleopatra Records website

When Heavy Temple and Howling Giant were announced in April for Into the Void in Leeuwarden, I noted that I hoped the two bands would tour together. What they most have in common between Heavy Temple‘s hard-fuzz dark boogie and Howling Giant‘s sprawling heavy prog — aside from being labelmates under the banner of Magnetic Eye Records — is that both have only just begun to realize their potential. Doing this tour will help push both acts forward, and more over, doing this tour together is important.

Yeah, they’re playing Up in Smoke, Into the Void, Keep it Low and Desertfest Belgium, but the truth is these two — both with multiple tours under their respective belts — are the kinds of acts who in another decade or decade-plus could very well headline these kinds of events, so their pairing for a run now is an investment in further comity over the longer term of their careers. I hereby — and you know I mean business when I break out “hereby” — formally request on-stage collaboration, abundant guest spots if not the formation of a Heavy Giant Howling Temple family big band. Also video of that. Like, decent video.

And a note to Europe specifically: These bands are two of America’s brightest hopes for next-gen heavy. Skip seeing them now and you may live to regret it later.

Dates came down the PR wire with comment from the bands:

HEAVY TEMPLE & HOWLING GIANT announce co-headlining EUROPEAN tour!

HEAVY TEMPLE from Philadelphia, PA and Nashville, Tennessee’s HOWLING GIANT will both make their first journey overseas for a co-headlining European tour in advance of their upcoming new albums. The tour will include appearances at several key festivals. It kicks off in Switzerland at the Up in Smoke Festival in Pratteln and runs through until October 22 in the city of Antwerp at Desertfest Belgium.

Please see below for all confirmed HEAVY TEMPLE and HOWLING GIANT tour dates.

HOWLING GIANT comment: “We are fired up about this European quest with our shield companions in Heavy Temple,” drummer Zach Wheeler writes. “We’re ready to sling riffs and cross swords with the best of the best beyond the great pond.”

HEAVY TEMPLE add: “We hope that Europe is as ready for us as we are for them!”, bassist and vocalist High Priestess Nighthawk declares. “Can’t think of another heavy-hitting power trio that we’d like to shred across the pond with than Howling Giant.”

HEAVY TEMPLE & HOWLING GIANT Euorpean tour
29 SEP 2023 Pratteln (CH) Z7, Up in Smoke Festival
30 SEP 2023 Leeuwarden (NL) Neushoorn, Into the Void Festival
02 OCT 2023 Siegen (DE) Vortex
03 OCT 2023 Hamburg (DE) Hafenklang
04 OCT 2023 Jena (DE) Rosenkeller
05 OCT 2023 Kassel (DE) Goldgrube
07 OCT 2023 München (DE) Backstage, Keep It Low Festival 2023
09 OCT 2023 Budapest (HU) Robot
10 OCT 2023 Wien (AT) Arena
11 OCT 2023 Bologna (IT) Freak Out
12 OCT 2023 Milano (IT) Barrios
13 OCT 2023 Roma (IT) RCCB
14 OCT 2023 Viareggio (IT) Circolo ARCI GoB
15 OCT 2023 Carmagnola (IT) Circolo ARCI Margot
18 OCT 2023 San Sebastian (ES) Dabadaba
19 OCT 2023 Barcelona (ES) Razz3
22 OCT 2023 Antwerp (BE) Trix, Desertfest Belgium

Heavy Temple:
High Priestess Nighthawk – vocals, bass
Lord Paisley – guitar
Baron Lycan – drums

Howling Giant:
Tom Polzine – guitar, vocals
Zach Wheeler – drums, vocals
Sebastian Baltes – bass, vocals

https://www.facebook.com/HeavyTemple/
https://www.instagram.com/heavytemple
https://heavytemple.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.instagram.com/howlinggiant/
howlinggiant.bandcamp.com

http://store.merhq.com
http://magneticeyerecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords/

Heavy Temple, Lupi Amoris (2021)

Howling Giant, “Sunken City”

Welcome to day two of the Summer 2023 Quarterly Review. Yesterday was a genuine hoot — I didn’t realize I had packed it so full of bands’ debut albums, and not repeating myself in noting that in the reviews was a challenge — but blah blah words words later we’re back at it today for round two of seven total.

As I write this, my house is newly emerged from an early morning tornado warning and sundry severe weather alerts, flooding, wind, etc., with that. In my weather head-canon, tornados don’t happen here — because they never used to — but one hit like two towns over a week or so ago, so I guess anything’s possible. My greater concern would be flooding or downed trees or branches damaging the house. I laughed with The Patient Mrs. that of course a tornado would come right after we did the kitchen floor and put the sink back.

We got The Pecan up to experience and be normalized into this brave new world of climate horror. We didn’t go to the basement, but it probably won’t be the last time we talk about whether or not we need to do so. Yes, planet Earth will take care of itself. It will do this by removing the problematic infection over a sustained period of time. Only trouble is humans are the infection.

So anyway, happy Tuesday. Let’s talk about some records.

Quarterly Review #11-20:

Bell Witch, Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate

Cumbersome in its title and duly stately as it unfurls 83 minutes of Billy Anderson-recorded slow-motion death-doom soul destroy/rebuild, Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate is not the first longform single-song work from Seattle’s Bell Witch, but the core duo of drummer/vocalist Jesse Shreibman and bassist/vocalist Dylan Desmond found their path on 2017’s landmark Mirror Reaper (review here) and have set themselves to the work of expanding on that already encompassing scope. Moving from its organ intro through willfully lurching, chant-topped initial verses, the piece breaks circa 24 minutes to minimalist near-silence, building itself back up until it seems to blossom fully at around 45 minutes in, but it breaks to organ, rises again, and ultimately seems to not so much to collapse as to be let go into its last eight minutes of melancholy standalone bass. Knowing this is only the first part of a trilogy makes Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate feel even huger and more opaque, but while its unrelenting atmospheric bleakness will be listenable for a small percentage of the general populace, there’s no question Bell Witch are continuing to push the limits of what they do. Loud or quiet, they are consuming. One should expect no less in the next installment.

Bell Witch on Facebook

Profound Lore Records website

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Plainride, Plainride

Some records are self-titled because the band can’t think of a name. Plainride‘s Plainride is more declarative. Self-released ahead of a Ripple Music issue to accord with timing as the German trio did a Spring support stint with Corrosion of Conformity, the 10-song outing engages with funk, blues rock, metal, prog and on and on and on, and feels specifically geared toward waking up any and all who hear it. The horns blasting in “Fire in the Sky” are a clear signal of that, though one should also allow for the mellowing of “Wanderer,” the interlude “You Wanna…” the acoustic noodler “Siebengebirge,” or the ballady closer “The Lilies” as a corresponding display of dynamic. But the energy is there in “Hello, Operator,” “Ritual” — which reminds of Gozu in its soulful vocals — and through the longer “Shepherd” and the subsequent regrounding in the penultimate “Hour of the Mûmakil,” and it is that kick-in-the-pants sensibility that most defines Plainride as a realization on the part of the band. They sound driven, hungry, expansive and professional, and they greet their audience with a full-on “welcome to the show” mindset, then proceed to try to shake loose the rules of genre from within. Not a minor ambition, but Plainride succeed in letting craft lead the charge in their battle against mediocrity. They don’t universally hit their marks — not that rock and roll ever did or necessarily should — but they take actual chances here and are all the more invigorating for that.

Plainride on Facebook

Ripple Music store

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Benthic Realm, Vessel

Massachusetts doomers Benthic Realm offer their awaited first full-length with Vessel, and the hour-long 2LP is broad and crushing enough to justify the wait. It’s been five years since 2018’s We Will Not Bow (review here), and the three-piece of bassist Maureen Murphy (ex-Second Grave, ex-Curse the Son, etc.), guitarist/vocalist Krista Van Guilder (ex-Second Grave, ex-Warhorse) and drummer Dan Blomquist (also Conclave) conjure worthy expanse with a metallic foundation, Van Guilder likewise effective in a deathly scream and melodic delivery as “Traitors Among Us” quickly affirms, and the band shifting smoothly between the lurch of “Summon the Tide” and speedier processions like “Course Correct,” the title-track or the penultimate “What Lies Beneath,” the album ultimately more defined by mood and the epic nature of Benthic Realm‘s craft than a showcase of tempo on either side. That is, regardless of pace, they deliver with force throughout the album, and while it might be a couple years delayed, it stands readily among the best debuts of 2023.

Benthic Realm on Facebook

Benthic Realm on Bandcamp

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Cervus, Shifting Sands

Cervus follow 2022’s impressive single “Cycles” (posted here) with the three-song EP Shifting Sands, and the Amsterdam heavy psych unit use the occasion to continue to build a range around their mellow-grooving foundation. Beginning quiet and languid and exploratory on “Nirvana Dunes,” which bursts to voluminous life after its midpoint but retains its fluidity, the five-piece of guitarists Jan Woudenberg and Dennis de Bruin, bassist Tom Mourik, keyboardist/guitarist Ton van Rijswijk and drummer Rogier Henkelman saving extra push for middle cut “Tempest,” reminding some of how The Machine are able to turn from heavy jams to more structured riffy shove. That track, shorter at 3:43, is a delightful bit of raucousness that answers the more straightforward fare on 2021’s Ignis EP while setting up a direct transition into “Eternal Shadow,” which builds walls of organ-laced fuzz roll that go out and don’t come back, ending the 16-minute outing in such a way as to make it feel more like a mini-album. They touch no ground here that feels uncertain for them, but that’s only a positive sign as they perhaps work toward making their debut LP. Whether that’s coming or not, Shifting Sands is no less engaging a mini-trip for its brevity.

Cervus on Facebook

Cervus on Bandcamp

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Unsafe Space Garden, Where’s the Ground?

On their third album, Where’s the Ground?, Portuguese experimentalists Unsafe Space Garden tackle heavy existentialist questions as only those truly willing to embrace the absurd could hope to do. From the almost-Jackson 5 casual saunter of “Grown-Ups!” — and by the way, all titles are punctuated and stylized all-caps — to the willfully overwhelming prog-metal play of “Pum Pum Pum Pum Ta Ta” later on, Unsafe Space Garden find and frame emotional and psychological breakthroughs through the ridiculous misery of human existence while also managing to remind of what a band can truly accomplish when they’re willing to throw genre expectations out the window. With shades throughout of punk, prog, indie, sludge, pop new and old, post-rock, jazz, and on and on, they are admirably individual, and unwilling to be anything other than who they are stylistically at the risk of derailing their own work, which — again, admirably — they don’t. Switching between English and Portuguese lyrics, they challenge the audience to approach with an open mind and sympathy for one another since once we were all just kids picking our noses on the same ground. Where’s the ground now? I’m not 100 percent, but I think it might be everywhere if we’re ready to see it, to be on it. Supreme weirdo manifestation; a little manic in vibe, but not without hope.

Unsafe Space Garden on Instagram

gig.ROCKS on Bandcamp

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Neon Burton, Take a Ride

Guitarist/vocalist Henning Schmerer reportedly self-recorded and mixed and played all instruments himself for Neon Burton‘s third full-length, Take a Ride. The band was a trio circa 2021’s Mighty Mondeo, and might still be one, but with programmed drums behind him, Schmerer digs in alone across these space-themed six songs/46 minutes. The material keeps the central duality of Neon Burton‘s work to-date in pairing airy heavy psychedelia with bouts of denser riffing, rougher-edged verses and choruses offsetting the entrancing jams, resulting in a sound that draws a line between the two but is able to move between them freely. “Mother Ship” starts the record quiet but grows across its seven minutes to Truckfighters-esque fuzzy swing, and “I Run,” which follows, unveils the harder-landing aspect of the band’s character. The transitions are unforced and feel like a natural dynamic in the material, but even the jammiest parts would have to be thought out beforehand to be recorded with just one person, so perhaps Take a Ride‘s most standout achievement — see also: tone, melody, groove — is in overcoming the solo nature of its making to sound as much like a full band as it does in the 10-minute “Orbit” or the crescendo of “Disconnect” that rumbles into the sample-topped ambient-plus-funky meander at the start of instrumental closer “Wormhole,” which dares a bit of proggier-leaning chug on the way to its thickened, nodding culmination.

Neon Burton on Facebook

Neon Burton on Bandcamp

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Thousand Vision Mist, Depths of Oblivion

Though pedigreed in a Maryland doom scene that deeply prides itself on traditionalism, Laurel, MD, trio Thousand Vision Mist mark out a progressive path forward with their second full-length, Depths of Oblivion, the eight songs/35 minutes of which seem to owe as much to avant metal as to doom and/or heavy rock. Opener “Sands of Time” imagines what might’ve been if Virus had been raised in the Chesapeake Watershed, while “Citadel of Green” relishes its organically ’70s-style groove with an intricacy of interpretation so as to let Thousand Vision Mist come across as respectful of the past but not hindered by it creatively. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Danny Kenyon (ex-Life Beyond, Indestroy, etc.), bassist/backing vocalist Tony Comulada (War Injun, Outside Truth, etc.) and drummer Chris Sebastian (ex-Retribution), the band delves into the pastoral on “Love, the Destroyer” and the sunshine-till-the-fuzz-hits-then-still-awesome “Thunderbird Blue,” while “Battle for Yesterday” filters grunge nostalgia through their own complexity and capper “Reversal of Misfortune” moves from its initial riffiness — perhaps in conversation with “We Flew Too High” at the start of what would be side B — into sharper shred with an unshakable rhythmic foundation beneath. I didn’t know what to expect so long after 2018’s Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow (review here), which was impressive, but there’s no level on which Thousand Vision Mist haven’t outdone themselves with Depths of Oblivion.

Thousand Vision Mist on Facebook

Thousand Vision Mist on Bandcamp

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New Dawn Fades, Forever

Founded and fronted by vocalist George Chamberlin (Ritual Earth), the named-for-a-Joy–Division-tune New Dawn Fades make their initial public offering with the three-songer Forever, which at 15 minutes long doesn’t come close to the title but makes its point well before it’s through all the same. In “True Till Death,” they update a vibe somewhere between C.O.C.‘s Blind and a less-Southern version of Nola-era Down, while “This Night Has Closed My Eyes” adds some Kyuss flair in Chamberlin‘s vocal and the concluding “New Moon” reinforces the argument with a four-minute parade of swing and chug, Sabbath-bred if not Sabbath-worshiping. If the band — whose lineup seems to have changed since this was recorded at least in the drums — are going to take on a full-length next, they’ll want to shake things up, maybe an interlude, etc., but as a short outing and even more as their first, they don’t necessarily need to shock with off-the-wall style. Instead, Forever portrays New Dawn Fades as having a clear grasp on what they want to do and the songwriting command to make it happen. Wherever they go from here, it’ll be worth keeping eyes and ears open.

New Dawn Fades on Facebook

New Dawn Fades on Bandcamp

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Aton Five, Aton Five

According to the band, Aton Five‘s mostly-instrumental self-titled sophomore full-length was recorded between 2019 and 2022, and that three-year span would seem to have allowed for the Moscow-based four-piece to deep-dive into the five pieces that comprise it, so that the guitar and organ answering each other on “Danse Macabre” and the mathy angularity that underscores much of the second half of “Naked Void” exist as fully envisioned versions of themselves, even before you get to the 22-minute “Lethe,” which closes. With the soothing “Clepsydra” in its middle as the only track under eight minutes long, Aton Five have plenty of time to develop and build outward from the headspinning proffered by “Alienation” at the album’s start and in the bassy jabs and departure into and through clearheaded drift-metal (didn’t know it existed, but there it is), the work they’ve put into the material is obvious and no less multifaceted than are the songs, “Alienation” resolving in a combination of sweeps and sprints, each of which resonates with purpose. That one might say the same of each of the three parts that make up “Lethe” should signal the depth of consideration in the entirety of the release. I know there was a plague on, but maybe Aton Five benefitted as well from having the time to focus as they so plainly did. Whether you try to keep up with the turns or sit back and let the band go where they will, Aton Five, the album, feels like the kind of record that might’ve ended up somewhere other than where the band first thought it would, but is stronger for having made the journey to the finished product.

Aton Five on Facebook

Aton Five on Bandcamp

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Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes, In a Sandbox Full of Suns

Their second LP behind 2020’s Everwill, the five-song In a Sandbox Full of Suns finds German four-piece Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes fully switched on in heavy jam fashion, cuts like “Love Story” and “In a Sandbox Full of Suns” — both of which top 11 minutes — fleshed out with improv-sounding guitar and vocals over ultra-fluid rhythms, blending classic heavy blues rock and prog with hints and only hints of vintage-ism and letting the variety in their approach show itself in the four-minute centerpiece “Dead Urban Desert” and the suitably cosmic atmosphere to which they depart in closer “Time and Space.” Leadoff “Coffee Style” is rife with attitude, but wahs itself into an Eastern-inflected lead progression after the midpoint and before turning back to the verse, holding its relaxed but not lazy feel all the while. It is a natural brand of psychedelia that results throughout — an enticing sound between sounds; the proverbial ‘not-lost wandering’ in musical form — as Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes don’t try to hypnotize with effects or synth, etc., but prove willing to take a walk into the unknown when the mood hits. It doesn’t always, but they make the most of their opportunities regardless, and if “Dead Urban Desert” is the exception, its placement as the centerpiece tells you it’s not there by accident.

Giants Dwarfs and Black Holes on Facebook

Interstellar Smoke Records store

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In addition to an upcoming reissue of their much-loved 1971 self-titled debut (discussed here), proto-metallic heavy rockers Bang have announced their first full-length in nearly 20 years since 2004’s The Maze. Led off by its title-track, Another Me will release on July 21 through Cleopatra Records. It’s been nearly a decade as well since the band first decided to get going again in early 2014, which led to US and European tours, appearances at festivals like Psycho Las Vegas and Roadburn and Maryland Doom Fest, and a generationally-renewed appreciation for their work generally. Original guitarist Frankie Gilcken and bassist/vocalist Frank Ferrara are joined on the record by drummers Tony Diorio (also lyrics) and Danny Piselli, the latter of whom is new to the band at very least on relative terms.

You can hear “Another Me” at the bottom of this post. They’re so much a heavy rock band in my head, the new song actually hits harder than I would’ve expected, but you’re not going to hear me complain about that. Very much looking forward to the rest of the record, if that needs to be said.

From the PR wire:

Legendary Metal Trio BANG To Release New Album “Another Me”

Often called America’s answer to Black Sabbath, one of the most unsung bands in the history of US hard rock music, BANG, is back with a new album “Another Me”! Featuring all 3 members of the classic line-up: bassist/vocalist Frank Ferrara, guitarist Frankie Gilcken and original drummer/lyricist Tony Diorio along with new drummer Danny Piselli.

“We’re stoked about our new album ‘Another Me’ … It was a labor of love that’s been a long time coming … We went back to our roots to give our fans … in your face rock … all killer … no filler” – BANG

Check out the first single from the album, the killer title track “Another Me” – Stream/download the single: https://orcd.co/bang_anothermesingle

With the heaviness of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, coupled with the groove of Grand Funk Railroad, BANG released three critically acclaimed albums on Capitol Records in the early 1970s before disappearing for a number of years. 2023 marks the 52nd anniversary of BANG’s critically acclaimed debut album which was just reissued last week on a unique, limited edition colored vinyl.

Buy the VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/bang-pink-yellow-marble-vinyl/

In the summer of 1971, BANG, a trio from the Philadelphia area, decided to take a road trip to Florida to try their fortune. While buying some rolling papers in the Sunshine State, they learned about a Faces and Deep Purple concert nearby in Orlando. They showed up at the venue and brazenly declared they were ready to go on stage. The concert organizer asked them to set up and play for him. After a couple songs, he told them they were opening for Rod Stewart and Faces. Before they knew it, BANG was playing with Bachman Turner Overdrive, Deep Purple, Three Dog Night, Fleetwood Mac, Ike and Tina Turner, The Doobie Brothers, and even Black Sabbath. Capitol Records signed them, and three LPs were released.

The 1971 self-titled debut album “BANG” is considered an important forerunner to the early Doom Metal genre. Undoubtedly one of America’s heaviest ‘proto-metal’ bands from the period, BANG also had a strong sense of melodic power. The band’s versatility and songwriting skills are second to none. Highly regarded as a cult act by many for years, it’s now time for this truly amazing rock band to be enjoyed by a new audience worldwide!

It’s been nearly 20 years since the band’s previous studio album, two decades in which they’ve overcome incredible challenges, all to bring this epic slab of heavy, melodic psychedelic metal to their still loyal fanbase!

Track List:
1. Another Me
2. Broken Toys
3. Man Of God
4. Clouds
5. Two Angels
6. Drone Pilot
7. Tin Man
8. This Night

To purchase: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/bang-another-me-cd/

https://www.facebook.com/Bangtheband
https://instagram.com/bang_the_band
http://www.bangmusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords
https://instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
https://cleopatrarecords.bandcamp.com/
https://cleorecs.com/

Bang, “Another Me”