Posted in Whathaveyou on February 17th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Nearly two years ago, Descendants of Crom IV did a full unveiling of its lineup for a fest set to take place that October. You know the story from there. That’s the bad news. Good news is that many of the acts announced for that lineup are carrying over to this one. And as that includes the likes of Rebreather, Heavy Temple, Horseburner, Horehound (yeah that’s right; I know it’s her festival; I actually think her band is good), Orodruin and Evoken, the news is even better. The roster of acts was announced the other day, but the schedule is new info — I happen to be somebody who appreciates a good timetable — and tickets are on sale as of right… now.
Hey, you know what? You go right ahead and you have yourself a great day. Maybe that means buying tickets for a thing? Don’t you kind of want to get it all in as quickly as possible before the next variant hits and we’re huddled down again, desperately hoping Costco has the Scott back in stock while trying not to breathe or to inhale from the side of our mouth that that person is standing way too close on? I do. Spend that fucking money.
The fourth annual Descendants of Crom, A Gathering of the Heavy Underground, will be held again this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on both floors of Cattivo Nightclub. The events begin early Friday evening and are followed by an all-dayer Saturday.
The underground scene of heavy music is healthy and Pittsburgh is the perfect location to host such an event. We’re feeding great regional bands to a hungry crowd and utilizing legendary, international fan-favorites to entice music fans in the door with the support of our amazing local artists. Descendants of Crom began in 2017 and has been a strong contender among other established underground music festivals. We aspire to become the premier music event of the Northeast and I invite you to become part of the 2022 event! After all, we are all Descendants of Crom.
This event is 21+, ID Required Your commitment now helps us prepare better so, mark your calendars and get your tickets today!
LOCATION Cattivo 146 44th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
DATE & TIME June 3, 2022, 6:30 PM – June 4, 2022 – 11:30 PM
Pittsburgh instrumentalists The Long Hunt release their second album, Threshold Wanderer, on April 1. And it’s more than an album as well, since guitarist Trevor Richards apparently taught himself 3D animation in order to tell an accompanying visual story in a short film that coincides with the six tracks of the release. “The Tower” (video premiering below) is the point at which the record begins to unfold, with the subdued “Prelude” setting a mood for two minutes before. It introduces the natural distortion and subtle noise vibe behind the riffs, like if earlier Mastodon slowed down to take a breath, and the brightness of the crash cutting through the density of the tones. The three-piece made their debut with 2018’s All Paths Lead to Here and are veterans of the Descendants of Crom festival in their hometown. Threshold Wanderer, as it happens, probably should’ve come out around the time they would’ve played that fest for the second time, in October 2020.
Clearly that didn’t happen — the release or the event — but one could hardly argue The Long Hunt didn’t make the best of their time. Drawing on visual elements both organic and otherworldly, the accompanying videos are a fitting match for songs like “The Golden Bough,” with its subtle Earth influence met by sunshine, a three-eyed deer, or the subsequent 12-minute “Night Falls on Black Wings” with its journey into aural and visual space. Dragons, the whole nine. It’s an immersive multimedia experience that continues as “Crossing the River” courses through post-rock and heavy psychedelic drift and closer “Procession of Dust,” with the flapping raven wings at outset, reminds distinctly of the semi-animated album-video Neurosis put out over 20 years ago for A Sun That Never Sets. As the also-12-minute finale plays out, our evolved protagonist — the aforementioned three-eyed deer — is bathed in light like something out of 2001 and there’s fire, chaos and noise and I’m not really sure what the aftermath is but that’s probably the point. In any case, feedback.
TrevorRichards, bassist Allison Kacmar Richards and drummer Mark Lyons will be back at Descendants of Crom this June 3-4, and since Threshold Wanderer will be out by then, it’s a symmetry of happenstance that somehow makes sense considering the breadth, atmosphere and sense of exploration in the music of these songs. As they’re reportedly no strangers to live projections and such, it doesn’t seem unlikely that either at the fest or at some point thereafter, The Long Hunt would perform with Richards‘ animations accompanying. It all ties together, you see. Impressively. But for that, one feels obligated to point out that while the band’s intent may have always been to complement the audio, it was in fact that audio that came first, and “The Tower” speaks to that with its musical prominence, and the manner in which the video builds off the rhythm and mood of the track with which it’s paired.
Though “Prelude” is the actual entry point to the album, consider the clip for “The Tower” below something of an introduction as well, since it’s the beginning of the actual story that takes place throughout. Musically, it not necessarily tell you everything you need to know about Threshold Wanderer‘s more progressive-tinged intentions, but it’s a place to start. The place, actually. And I promise you, I promise, I promise, I did not know there was a big obelisk shooting lasers into space when I booked this premiere. I promise.
Preorder link and more info follows the video below.
‘Threshold Wanderer’ is the newest album by the Pittsburgh-based instrumental trio The Long Hunt, following 2017’s ‘Wilderness Tales’ EP and 2018’s ‘All Paths Lead to Here’ full-length.
In contrast to the dry minimalism and sparse textures that defined the first two records, the songs on ‘Threshold Wanderer’ are often lush, dense, and verdant. Musical styles range from post-rock to post-metal, heavy psychedelic, doom, drone, and even a few hints of prog and classic rock. ‘Threshold Wanderer’ is all about musical exploration and traveling between worlds.
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in the first quarter of 2020, with the intent to release it later that year. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic, those plans were unfortunately shelved. Not to be deterred by events beyond their control, the band soldiered on behind the scenes.
After a three-month crash course in 3D modeling, using open-source animation software Blender, guitarist Trevor Richards embarked on the monumental task of writing and animating an album-length music video. Eight months and over 1000 hours of work later, the accompanying music video/short film for ‘Threshold Wanderer’ was born.
Expanding on the band’s frequent use of archetypal themes such as nature, life, death, and rebirth, the music video for ‘Threshold Wanderer’ is an epic story-driven visual experience set to the music of The Long Hunt.
Bookending two years of anticipation, the band will release both the album and accompanying music video/short film for ‘Threshold Wanderer’ on Friday, April 1, 2022.
Upcoming Live Shows:
June 3-4 @ Descendants of Crom IV, Pittsburgh, PA
THE LONG HUNT is: Trevor Richards: Guitars Allison Kacmar Richards: Bass Mark Lyons: Drums
Pittsburgh heavy rockers Limousine Beach will release their debut album on April 15 through Tee Pee Records. Which, yeah, that makes sense. The five-piece outfit released their Stealin’ Wine +2 EP (review here) in 2020, and when I first wrote this post over a week ago, the band had low-key announced the signing to Tee Pee on social media and that was that. I put the news together based on that, then along came the offer to premiere “Movin’ On” with the announcement of preorders, and here we are.
To those familiar with David Wheeler‘s work in Outsideinside or Carousel the commitment to when-rock-was-coked remains true, dealing not in early-’70s proto-doom — though “Black Market Buss Pass” has an edge of early metal — but in a form of heavy rock that’s bigger and knows it and is more interested in a good time. Limousine Beach‘s keep-it-simple ethic is a hard thing to capture — three guitarists, someone’s gonna want to play a different note sooner or later — but especially after the EP came out through Tee Pee‘s digital imprint, to have the label step forward to get behind (wait what?) the full-length is reasonable, as noted above.
You can stream the premiere of “Movin’ On” below. It’s a rager, packing about eight minutes’ worth of shred into its 2:44 and leaving room for a hook besides. And if you want more, the tracks from Stealin’ Wine +2 are included on the album — the EP’s well-harmonized title-track leads off the LP, and “Hear You Calling” and “Tiny Hunter” are spread throughout — so by all means chase that down while you wait for them to unveil “We’re All Gonna Get Signed,” which is every bit as glorious as the title suggests.
Audio, preorder links, original signing announcement and whatnot follow, courtesy of the PR wire.
Good times.
Limousine Beach, “Movin’ On” official premiere
Dave Wheeler on “Movin’ On”:
Just like thousands of bands out there, Limousine Beach paused shows and rehearsals during the bowel movement of a year that was 2020. We did, however, try our best to remain productive and the basic riffs for ‘Movin’ On’ were written during this time. It was the first thing we worked on after reconvening in the spring of 2021. The main parts were already in place so finishing it was mostly a matter of everyone jumping in and putting their own stamp on it. The rest of the record was already in the can but we really wanted to include this tune, so we rushed to book some studio time.
I wrote the lyrics in my typical fashion: frantically, the night before the recording session. I have my ideas about its meaning but what anyone takes from it is up to them. Signing to Tee Pee Records means a lot of things. It means being reunited with the folks that released my previous band Carousel’s albums. It means being listed on the catalogue of a label that’s responsible for pressing some of the best hard rock records of the 21st century. Mostly it’s just extremely validating to know that anyone gives enough of a shit about our music to get behind the album. I’ll never take that for granted. It’s the perfect reward for all the time spent dormant.
New York’s legendary underground label, Tee Pee Records, is thrilled to announce the signing of Limousine Beach and the release of the rising hard rock quintet’s debut album this April.
Fronted by towering singer and guitarist, Dave Wheeler, Limousine Beach is a thrilling new guise for the former Outsideinside and Carousel frontman. Especially considering that under the hood of this mighty new beast lies an impeccable assembly of individuals, all of whom are no stranger to acclaim. Formed in Pittsburgh in spring 2018, Wheeler is joined by three members of the metal band Cruces (guitarist Evan Mitchell, bassist Dan Hernandez and drummer Dan Bhutta), along with guitarist Jason Sichi of Fist Fight in the Parking Lot.
Creating a devastating trifecta of proto-glam guitar play, the band make no bones about wanting to spark a sizeable “no nuance” impact on people’s first impressions and second-hand record collections. We’re talking Kiss, The Sweet, Thin Lizzy… Limousine Beach are the swaggering, bastard sons of rock excess.
Following the release in 2020 of the band’s Stealin’ Wine + 2 EP on the digital-archive imprint, Tee Pee Annex, teaming up with the label for their self-titled debut was something of a no-brainer.
“Limousine Beach is arena rock without the cheese,” explains Tee Pee Records’ founder, Kenny Sehgal. “Plenty of loud guitars. Big sounds. We’re psyched to be working Carousel main man, Dave Wheeler again. He’s very much a part of our Tee Pee family. “
Limousine Beach by Limousine Beach will be released digitally and on vinyl on 15th April 2022 via Tee Pee Records. Stay tuned for further updates!
Fronted by vocalist/guitarist Dave Wheeler (Outsideinside, ex-Carousel), the lineup is rounded out by guitarists Evan Mitchell (Cruces) and Jason Sichi (Fist Fight in the Parking Lot), drummer Dan Bhutta (Cruces), and bassist Dan Hernandez (Cruces, Sweat).
Posted in Reviews on January 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Last day. I guess we made it. There was never any doubt it would happen, but I wouldn’t call this the smoothest Quarterly Review ever by any stretch. Weather, canceled school, missed bus, The Patient Mrs. about to start a new semester at work, plus that day that had three noise rock records right in a row — who slots these things? (me) — it hasn’t all been easy. But, if you’ve ever read the QR you might know I’ve developed a tendency to load a bunch of killer stuff into the last day to kind of give myself a break, and here we are. No regrets.
Thanks for reading this week (and any other week if you’ve ever been on this site before). Here’s how we finish.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Dream Unending, Tide Turns Eternal
Beautiful and sad, this first collaboration between drummer/vocalist Justin DeTore (Solemn Lament, ex-Magic Circle, many more) and guitarist/bassist Derrick Vella (Tomb Mold, Outer Heaven) under the moniker of Dream Unending harnesses a classic early ’90s death-doom melancholy, but it’s not as raw as the image of My Dying Bride circa ’92 that might bring to mind. If you want to do mashups, think Novembers Doom meets Alternative 4-era Anathema. Tide Turns Eternal brings together seven songs in 46 minutes and is memorable in stretches like the guitar progression of “In Cipher I Weep” and the crushing chug of the title-track as the Massachusetts/Toronto duo harness the a true sense of classic death metal just ahead of the two-minute weepy guitar interlude “Forgotten Farewell” and the 10-minute closing title-track. Perhaps there’s some inspiration from Bell Witch in the making, but Dream Unending‘s atmosphere and patience are their own.
The title don’t lie. French expat Sergio Garcia, living in Indonesia, concocts 11 instrumental tracks of fuzzy flood, and if he wants to call that soup, then yeah, that’s as good as anything I’ve got. “Razana” opens with two minutes of garage-style strut, while “Back to Origin” crunches and “Fuzz Soup” feels a bit more of a psych freakout with its lead guitar and drums that remind of Witch, all performed by Garcia, who adds organ to boot. “Quest for Fire” is probably more in homage to the movie than band, which is a little sad, but the song brings in some minor scales and droning atmospherics, and “Ride the Mammoth” pushes more straightforward into the languid wah whatnottery of “Argapura” at the presumed start of side B, which feels rawer in “The Shelter” and more chaotic in the buzz of “Surfin’ the Dune” before “The Cheating Mole” turns to nighttime darkjazz, “Tumulous” turns its acoustic start into a hairy march punctuated and grounded by the pop of snare, and closer “Narcolepsy” finishes with a duly zombified, organ-laced take on tape-trader doom. These experiments work well together throughout Fuzz Soup, united by weird and unpredictable as they are.
Gänger is third in a purported series of four EPs by Manchester, UK, four-piece Farfisa, and its four songs solidify some of the more let-go aspects of 2020’s Bravado, taking the folkish shine of a cut like “My Oh My” and turning it into the dug-in garage prog rock of “Honey Badger” and riffing out dirty and fuzzed on “River Rash.” Frankly, I don’t know why, having once conjured tones like those of the penultimate “Clinton” here, which sound like something that would make Ty Segall start a new band, one would ever not do that again, but I won’t claim to know what the fourth EP in the series might bring. One can only hope that, when the series is wrapped, they compile it into some sort of offering — a double-tape or some such — and release the whole thing together. As it stands though, Gänger is my first exposure to the band, and they smash through “Limitator” with due prejudice. I can think of five record labels off the top of my head who’d be lucky to have these guys, but nobody asks me these things.
Fucking a, rock and roll. Reykjavik’s Volcanova aren’t through “Salem,” the lead cut from their righteously titled Cosmic Bullshit EP, before they’ve cadenced Uncle Acid in the verse and broken out the cowbell, so yes, it’s that kind of party. That cowbell comes back almost immediately for “Gold Coast,” which tramps out big riffs like Def Leppard used to make, and “Desolation” brings the bass forward effectively in its hook, the band having already built fervent momentum that will carry through the rest of the 26-minute mini-album. Not to pick favorites, but “End of Time” feels purposefully placed near the middle, and “No Wheels” — yup, more cowbell — splits that and closer “Lost Spot” well, giving a grounded stretch of pure shove before the finale hard-boogies and big-drifts its way to a surprising wash of an ending, organ included. You don’t call your release Cosmic Bullshit if you’re not looking to get attention, and Volcanova certainly earn that with these tracks.
The premier collaboration between Arizona’s Aiwass and Colorado’s Astral Construct — the latter also stylized as ASTRAL COnstruct — is a seven-minute single called “Solis in Stellis” that bridges terrestrial and ethereal heavy psychedelias. At a bit under eight minutes, its melodic flourish and weighted underpinning of low end, drifting guitar and fluid rhythmic progression sound like nothing so much as the beginning of an album that should be made if it’s not currently in the works between Drew Patricks (Astral Construct) and Blake Carrera (Aiwass), who both function as solo artists in their respective projects but come together here to show the complementary potential of each for the other. Lush in atmosphere, patient in its delivery and spacious without being overwrought, “Solis in Stellis” is hopefully the beginning of more to come from these two, who might just end up having to call themselves the Aiwass Construct if they keep going the way they are.
Seven years after 2014’s The Witching Hour, Ohio’s Doctor Smoke return with Dreamers and the Dead, a solid 10-song/42-minute run that makes up for lost time by reimagining ’90s-era Megadeth sneer as dark and catchy heavy rock and roll. The four-piece led by founding guitarist/vocalist Matt Tluchowski may have let a few years get by them — that’ll happen — but if the intervening time was spent hammering out these songs, the effort shows itself in the efficiency with which each cut makes its point and gets out, a song like “These Horrid Things” casting its mood in the verses before opening to the chorus, winding fretwork building tension into and subsequently through the solo. This is a revamp of the idea of a classic metal influence, the first instance of a generational shift I can think of that’s bringing this particular vibe to a heavy rock context — the pounding and sprinting of the title-track might’ve been thrash in the ’80s, but a decade later it was thicker and so it is here as well — and Doctor Smoke make it theirs, no question. One wonders what the next seven years will bring.
Rebranded from their moniker of Sierra, Ontario progressive heavy rockers Willowater bring the four-track/14-minute EP as a quick hello to listeners new and old. Guitarist/vocalist Jason Taylor and bassist/drummer/vocalist Robbie Carvalho (also synth) chug out in early-Tool fashion on the opener “Ultimatum,” and the subsequent title-track answers back in kind with shared vocals and a bit of twisting, pulled squeals of guitar, and so on, while “Fly High” calls to mind Dio-style riffing with a bassline to bolster the classic metal vibe, and “Winter Now” builds a tension in its keyboard-laced 3:26 that, somewhat maddeningly, never pays itself off. Perhaps the message there is of more to come. Hope so, anyhow. Sierra were a quality band, and undervalued. Willowater seem to be taking another shot at catching as many ears as possible. A fresh start. Not so crazy different from what they were doing before, but sometimes a name can make all the difference.
This second EP from the anonymous Dutch outfit All Are to Return reignites the brutality of their 2020 self-titled debut short release (review here), while expanding the stylistic reach. Opener “Carceri” tips into industrial black metal before resolving itself in harsh screams and drones, while “Surveiller et Punir” feels even more experimental/art rock with tortured screams far back under noisy guitar. “Classified” is shorter and more beat-oriented, but the distorted wash of “Postscript on the Societies of Control” (bit of positive thinking there, almost in spite of itself) is abrasive as fuck, such that the quiet, minimal synth that starts “De Profundis” accompanied by more obscured screams seems almost like a relief before it builds to its own post-Godflesh industrialized crush. They finish atmospheric on “Desiring Machines,” blowing out conceptions of extreme music in about the time it takes for you to put on your shoes and jacket so you can go out, wander into the wilderness, and never be heard from again.
Members of Mirror Queen, the just-signed-to-Tee–Pee-proper Limousine Beach (really, I haven’t even had the chance to post the news yet), Zombi, Ruby the Hatchet and Osees coming together for three Mountain covers. Mountain Sides do “You Better Believe It,” “Dreams of Milk and Honey” and “Travelin’ in the Dark,” and they knock it out of the park accordingly. I don’t know that this would ever get to become a real band between the commitments of Morgan McDaniel, David Wheeler and Steve Moore, let alone Owen Stewart (Ruby the Hatchet‘s drummer) or Paul Quattrone from Osees and a geographic spread between New York, Philly, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, but as a quick outing to test the waters, these three songs want nothing for vibe. Of course, being Mountain songs helps, but it almost inevitably would. Still, I’d take a record of tunes they wrote themselves, even if it doesn’t happen for another decade because everyone’s busy.
Serenity in experimentalist drone and psychedelia, marked by the interplay of organic folk and otherworldly elements of fluid aural adventures. The backward, swelling repetitions of “The Alluring Pool” answer the watery worldmaking of leadoff “Rivers are a Place of Power,” the backing chimes reminding of water moving the air, the acoustic guitar on centerpiece “Riverbank” furthering the theme in sweetly plucked notes while Duncan Park (who also collaborates with Seven Rivers of Fire) picks up the journey again on “The Winding Stream” with a current of melody playing beneath the main acoustic lines of the song, instrumental in its entirety. Invoking the Flood, apart perhaps from some warning that might be read into the opener, grows more peaceful as it goes, though Park‘s inclusion of vocals on closer “Over the River” speaks perhaps of other tributaries waiting to be explored. Still, it is a sweet and encompassing, if short, trip downstream with Park here, and if the flood comes, at least we had a good time.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 20th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Whatever else Deathwhite‘s Grey Everlasting might be when it finally surfaces through Season of Mist sometime hopefully circa June 2022, I have little doubt it will be one of the most accurately descriptive titles to see release next year. If you heard 2020’s pre-pandemic opus, Grave Image (review here), you know what I’m talking about. The anonymous, Pittsburgh-based four-piece recorded instrumental tracks with Shane Mayer at Cerebral Audio Productions — who also helmed Grave Image and the band’s 2018 debut, For a Black Tomorrow (review here) — and shifted locales to Mana Recording in Florida to do vocals and mixing with Art Paiz. Some dude named Dan Swanö — no big deal or anything but yes most definitely a big deal — did the master.
No, I haven’t heard it yet, apart from the little mixing snippet posted down under their update below. You think it would be tacky for me to hit up the label this early? Probably. On the other hand, I’ve never really been much for class, and with winter looming, it sure does seem like the kind of thing to keep cold with. Alas, maybe I’ll get there or maybe I’ll chicken out and listen to the last record again instead. Should be interesting to have Grey Everlasting show up in Springtime though, if that’s indeed how it works out.
The band was relatively succinct in confirming completion:
DEATHWHITE – ‘Grey Everlasting’ Album Update
It is with distinct pleasure to share that Grey Everlasting has been handed over to the esteemed Season of Mist for a late spring/early summer 2022 release. While we are sworn to secrecy on the album’s particulars, we can share that it features 11 songs, including an instrumental.
Grey Everlasting is our longest album to date but also includes some of our shortest songs. To coin a term from our U.K. friends, we are properly “chuffed” with the album, but, of course, you, the fair, trusted listening audience, will make your determination in due time. – DW
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 11th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Pittsburgh melancholic doomers Deathwhite are currently recording their new album, Grey Everlasting, for release not nearly soon enough through Season of Mist. Early last year, the mystery-lineup outfit issued Grave Image (review here) as their second long-player. It was some eight months between the announcement of those recordings and the record’s Jan. 31, 2020, release, so if they keep the same timeline, maybe Feb. 2022, sooner if we’re lucky?
I’ll take it whenever it comes, don’t get me wrong, but the sooner the better. The wildly undervalued outfit only solidified their songwriting even as compared to their 2018 debut, For a Black Tomorrow (review here), which if you click that link and even skim the review, you’ll see I was a total dork for. I expect much the same will be the case when Grey Everlasting — not to be confused with Evergrey; whatever happened to Evergrey?; still kicking, apparently — turns up. Here’s looking forward.
And kudos to them not fixing what wasn’t broken in terms of the production team. I was really hoping they’d be on Maryland Doom Fest one of these years, but so far no dice.
From the PR wire:
DEATHWHITE Enters Studio to Record Third Full-Length, ‘Grey Everlasting’
Enigmatic dark metal outfit DEATHWHITE have entered Cerebral Audio Productions with producer/engineer Shane Mayer to track their third full-length album, ‘Grey Everlasting!’
Comments the band: “It is our pleasure to share we are in the throes of recording our third album, ‘Grey Everlasting.’ We have opted for continuity between studio albums: The same people responsible for bringing ‘Grave Image’ to life will do the same for ‘Grey Everlasting.’ This includes the esteemed Mr. Mayer, who, in his third studio go-round with us, is more invaluable than ever. We will be tracking vocals in July at Mana Recording in Saint Petersburg, Florida, under the supervision of Art Paiz. Mastering duties will fall onto the legendary Dan Swanö (BLOODBATH, EDGE OF SANITY). And, lastly, the artwork will be handled by Jérôme Comentale, who has created our prior three albums covers.
“While we have assembled a familiar cast of characters, ‘Grey Everlasting,’ to our ears, is by no means a rehash of ‘Grave Image.’ We have introduced some new elements, some of which can be described as ‘extreme.’ The songs are also doomier and more atmospheric in their approach while retaining our core stylistic traits. We did the bulk of the songwriting during the pandemic’s darkest and most isolating moments. It is our belief such feelings resonate throughout the album’s 11 songs. In the meantime, we greatly look forward to sharing them with you and wish everyone continued safety.”
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 9th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
No audio yet that they’re willing to share, but I’m all for an alter-ego every now and then, and Pittsburgh-based ZOM offer one up in the form of Slo-Valve. New band, same dudes. ZOM have a new full-length in the can — their third — but like a lot of people, guitarist/vocalist Gero von Dehn was hanging around in Summer 2020 with perhaps a bit of creative restlessness happening that he decided either consciously or not to channel in a way that, apparently, was separate enough to be another band. And when it came to finding players? Well, there’s nothing like knowing a good bassist and drummer.
Slo-Valve it is. You can see the story below, courtesy of the PR wire, and I imagine if you keep an eye out you’ll see or hear something from them ahead of the album to be recorded this Fall.
To the blue copy:
Current members of ZOM launch new band, Slo-Valve
Three members of Pittsburgh, PA’s ZOM have formed a new band under the name, Slo-Valve.
Describing their sound as, “Hard rockin’, riff heavy groove,” the trio aims to swing through bluesy, stonery jams with strong song structures and enough dynamics to separate themselves from genre pigeonholing.
Says singer/guitarist Gero von Dehn, “We wrapped recording of the new (as yet unreleased) ZOM record early last summer and after all that intense focus, I needed to change gears. Writing, preproduction and tracking is such an all consuming process that it’s good to get away from it for a bit after being so hyperfocused. I had all of these different ideas coming but they were different from ZOM so I just went with it and within a few months I had a bunch of songs written.
Von Dehn didn’t have to look far to find people to jam the new material with.
“I’m so blessed to have such great musicians around me in ZOM and their versatility has barely been tapped.”
Enlisted were ZOM bandmates Ben Zerbe (drums) and Sam Pesce (bass).
“Ben is such a talent and a student as a percussionist. He can play pretty much any style and do it amazingly well, as anyone who’s heard The Mandrake Project can attest to. Those guys were on a different level.”
Zerbe also played drums in Pittsburgh doom powerhouse, Monolith Wielder with von Dehn.
“Sammy is a monster on bass and a guy everyone in Pittsburgh wants in their band and I was so fortunate he agreed to join ZOM. His playing and his ideas have been incredible and he’s really spreading his wings with the material in Slo-Valve. I may have come in with the original songs but it’s really been a group effort in terms of songwriting and where those ideas went. They were both eager to be part of the entire process, not just their own parts, and it’s really paid off. The songs are quite a bit different from where they started and I mean for the better. I can’t wait for people to hear what we’ve been able to put together.”
Von Dehn says they have enough material ready to go for an album and they hope to record sometime in the fall. That doesn’t mean ZOM has taken a back seat though.
“We’re ultra stoked for the ZOM album to be released because we are so proud of that entire record. I think it’s exactly the rock n’ roll album that’s needed right now. We’re dying to get out and play the new record in front of everyone. I’m just always writing so it was natural to put something else together, especially since it’s with the same guys. They want to jam as badly and as often as I do so we play constantly. It doesn’t hurt that they happen to be awesome dudes and great friends as well.”
Posted in Questionnaire on April 13th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Brendan Parrish of Horehound
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I simply consider myself a guitarist, irrespective of genre or style. Before I knew what guitar really was, I was always drawn to the sound of the electric guitar in songs. I was fortunate to meet a good friend in high school who taught guitar, and he became my guitar teacher after I received my first acoustic for Christmas when I was 18. I took lessons with him consistently for about 5 years. He’s one of my closest friends still and I contact him when I need to learn something in particular, but it’s been a while since I’ve taken lessons regularly.
Describe your first musical memory.
It’s hard to describe the absolute first. I remember getting the self-titled Third Eye Blind album as my first ever CD when I was 10, and subsequently Collective Soul, and Garbage’s Version 2.0. My strongest early musical memory was sitting in the car on the way to my Grandpa’s funeral and listening to the guitar solo from “Hotel California” over and over again. Didn’t even really realize that it was electric guitar, just loved how it sounded.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
This is a tough one, but the memory I keep going back to was playing our song “L’appel Du Vide” live at Gooski’s for the very first time. We had struggled with nailing it consistently in practice, but really liked the song and wanted to see how it went over live. We ended up nailing it live for the first time, in front of a really solid crowd (can’t wait to get back to Gooski’s!), and it just felt great.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I think this one has evolved over time, regarding my opinion of talent and what being a good guitar player means. Historically, I tend to walk into a gig we’re playing, or go to see a local show, and just assume that I’m the least talented guitarist in the room. Now I definitely don’t feel like I’m a hot shot, but I’ve grown more comfortable identifying as a guitarist and feeling competent enough to hold my own.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Artistic progression really leads wherever the artist decides it should. We’ve had discussions about this as a band, regarding what genre we feel we fit into, and how we write. I think we’ve ultimately decided that we have figured out how we want to sound, and it’s more a reflection of our natural writing style, rather than trying to force the ideas into a genre or style. I guess artistic progression leads to being more comfortable and confident as an artist, and not feeling held back by expectations or limits that others might have put on you.
How do you define success?
I think success is more of a spectrum than it is one finite goal. Before starting Horehound, I think my goal of success would probably have been touring and opening for acts that I really respect. And that still is success to me. But now, the goalpost has moved. I’d like to reach a bigger audience, develop as a songwriter and guitarist, and eventually make music my full-time job. I don’t think I’d ever feel happier and more successful than if I could turn this passion into a career.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Oh, there are lots of things. I’ve seen bands be really disrespectful to the venue, sound guy, other bands on the bill, etc. Often by playing longer than they were allotted, or breaking down everything on stage, or just flat out being rude. I hate seeing those things, and when we can all get back out there and play again, I’m hopeful that the shared sense of purpose will minimize a lot of those things going forward.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d like to create something that balances heavy and pretty as well as “Marrow” or “Beauty in Falling Leaves” by Yob. Mike Scheidt’s guitar playing, songwriting, and vocal ability is just so incredibly impressive to me. If I could write something and someone said “That sounds like a Yob tune,” it would be such amazing praise. But I think I’ve got some work to do still.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
I think that’s different for everyone. For me, it’s an escape and a catharsis primarily. I struggle with anxiety pretty heavily, so I’m extremely grateful that of all the things I put off learning, guitar wasn’t one of them. Playing guitar and listening to music just really helps with the anxiety when everything else doesn’t.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to just being able to sit at a bar with friends again. I know the last year has been difficult for everyone, and I’m no exception to that. It’s difficult to overstate how much of our social lives have been put on hold, so I’m just really looking forward to having a drink with some friends at a bar and feeling a small sense of normalcy again.
