Posted in Whathaveyou on April 26th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Alongside their previously announced West Coast tour set to kickoff May 16 in San Francisco, Hippie Death Cult will this summer head to Europe and the UK for a solid month of road time as they continue to support their 2023 long-player, Helichrysum (review here), which marked the beginning of their trio-era in terms of studio releases and was badass besides.
There are still a decent amount of open slots at least as of when I’m posting this, but you can see Blackdoor Fest, Stoomfest, the venerable Stoned From the Underground, Woodrock Festival, Blue Moon, and so on spread throughout, so no one can accuse them of not making the most of their time. And of course, if you’re in a position to help with a TBA, I encourage you to do that both as a matter of general principle and so you can see Hippie Death Cult live, which you’re not likely to regret if you’re still reading this paragraph.
I’ve included the West Coast dates here too, and if you’re on the US Eastern Seaboard like myself, heads up they’ll be at Desertfest New York this September and it’s not a huge cognitive leap to think they’ll be touring around that as well, given their obvious knack for it.
Off you go:
Hey all, we are stoked to announce that our heavy fuzz riffers HIPPIE DEATH CULT will tour Europe this Summer !!!
!! STILL FEW OPEN SLOTS !!
BOOK YOUR SHOW WRITE TO info@heavypsychsounds.com
*** HIPPIE DEATH CULT European Tour 2024 *** FR 28/06/2024 IT BOLOGNA – Freakout SA 29/06/2024 DE PASSAU – Blackdoor Fest SU 30/06/2024 ***OPEN SLOT*** MO 01/07/2024 UK *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 02/07/2024 UK NOTTINGHAM – Ye Olde Salutation Inn WE 03/07/2024 UK PRESTON – The Ferret TH 04/07/2024 UK SHEFFIELD – Yellow Arch Studio FR 05/07/2024 UK HUDDERSFIELD – Northern Quarter SA 06/07/2024 UK LONDON – Stoom Fest SU 07/07/2024 UK SWANSEA – Elysium Gallery & Venue MO 08/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 09/07/2024 FR LILLE – Le Bulle WE 10/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TH 11/07/2024 DE MANNHEIM – FR 12/07/2024 DE ERFURT – Stoned From The Underground SA 13/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** SU 14/07/2024 DE MUNCHEN – Unter Deck MO 15/07/2024 DE MAINZ – Kulturcafe TU 16/07/2024 NL NIJMEGEN – De Onderbroek WE 17/07/2024 DE KOLN – Stereo Wonderland TH 18/07/2024 DE DRESDEN – Chemiefabrik FR 19/07/2024 DE KARLSRUHE – Das Fest SA 20/07/2024 PT FIGUEIRA DA FOZ – Woodrock Festival MO 22/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TU 23/07/2024 SK BRATISLAVA – Garaže WE 24/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** TH 25/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** FR 26/07/2024 DE COTTBUS – Blue Moon Festival SA 27/07/2024 *** OPEN SLOT *** SU 28/07/2024 SI LJUBLJANA – Channel Zero
𝐩คc𝕚𝐟Į𝓬 𝕠Ⓓｙ𝕤Ｓ𝐞𝓎 ŦᗝỮя ➁ʘ２➃ 5.16 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – @sfeagle 5.17 COSTA MESA, CA – @wayfarercm 5.18 OCEANSIDE, CA – @pourhouseoceanside 5.19 LOS ANGELES, CA – @permanentrecordsla 5.20 LAS VEGAS , NV – @the_dive_lv 5.21 RENO, NV – @lobarsocial 5.22 BRENTWOOD, CA – @thebrentwoodemporium 5.23 REDDING, CA, – @thedipredding 5.24 CRESENT CITY, CA – Enoteca 5.25 PORTLAND, OR – @coffinclubpdx 6.14 EUGENE, OR – @johnhenryseugene 6.15 SEATTLE, WA – @clockoutlounge Ticket Links for West Coast: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/12709196-hippie-death-cult
HIPPIE DEATH CULT is: Laura Phillips – Bass/Vocals Eddie Brnabic – Guitar Harry Silvers – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 9th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Two sides, two shows, one from 2008 and one from late last year. To my knowledge, Live will be the first captured-on-stage offering from long-running Portland trad-metal rockers Danava, as well as their first collaboration with Heavy Psych Sounds — their 2023 LP, Nothing But Nothing (review here), came out through Tee Pee — and considering how much touring they’ve done since their mid-aughts outset, they’re well due. Seems pretty clear the intent in dividing Live between ‘then’ and ‘now-ish’ is to give their latest work and current lineup some deserved documentation — i.e., the album ruled — while the A side offers longtime followers a chance to remember where they came from. What’re you gonna do, argue? It’s Danava. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already ordered. If not, not. They’ll keep going regardless.
But if you’re here, before you move onto the next thing, click off, get distracted, whatever, take a listen to “Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun” below. It’s the first single from Live and the song that starts the 2023 gig. Before the song starts, you’ll hear the crowd being welcomed and, just before the music kicks in, “We’ve been ready.” I think once you hear what follows, you’ll agree, even if you’ve never listened to Danava before today. That’s why you put out a live record.
From the PR wire:
DANAVA to release “Live” album on June 21st via Heavy Psych Sounds; first track and preorders available now!
Pacific Northwest’s proto-heavy revelers DANAVA announce the release of their “Live” album this June 21st through European powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds and present a thunderous first excerpt with “Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun”.
Capturing the frenzy of their European tours in 2008 and 2023, this new album from the revered proto-heavy merchants is a must-have for fans old and new! Featuring a live recording from Whelan’s in Dublin and 007 Strahov in Prague, the tracklist is a testament to DANAVA’s prowess on stage. From the hypnotic rhythms of ‘Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting’ to the raw energy of ‘Let The Good Times Kill,’ each song is a journey through the band’s dynamic universe!
With two decades of relentless dedication, the Portland-based rock’n’roll overlords have endeavored to unleash their authentic and electrifying fusion of hard rock and heavy metal upon a world burdened by strife and turmoil. Their mission is to harness music’s power as a beacon of hope, uniting lives and imaginations as one collective force. Join them on this journey toward a vibrant existence amidst the chaos we never chose to inhabit. Together, we rise. Together, we create. Don’t miss the chance to embark on this exhilarating ride as DANAVA ushers in a new era of fluidity before we vanish into the ether!
Described as a concoction reminiscent of Rainbow, Dio, Thin Lizzy, early Maiden and Judas Priest, DANAVA’s sonic brew promises a bold assertion of dominance in the current rock and roll landscape. As acclaimed musician Mike Scheidt of YOB puts it, Danava has always exemplified excellence in their craft, and this latest release is no exception.
TRACKLIST: Side A – Recorded at Whelan’s, in Dublin (4/13/08) 1. Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting 11:59 2. Maudie Shook 8:41 Side B – Recorded at 007 Strahov, in Prague (11/11/23) 1. Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun 5:57 2. Nothing But Nothing 4:14 3. Longdance 7:55 4. Let The Good Times Kill 3:31
DANAVA is Gregory Meleney – vocals/guitar Levi Campbell – vocals Kerby Strom – guitar Dominic Casciato – bass Matt Oliver – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 3rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I don’t know at whose house Semuta filmed the video for the first single and title-track from their upcoming debut album, Glacial Erratic, but with that skate ramp in the back yard, a P.A., and plenty of room for an entire crowd of people — plus at least one chainsaw — to chase some dude out, it looks like a pretty killer spot. “Glacial Erratic” is the first I’ve heard of the two-piece with Benjamin Caragol on guitar/vocals and Ben Stoller on drums, but the reason I’m posting about it is that after hearing it, I’m curious to hear more, so take that as you will. The way the descriptions below align to post-metal with some emotive current through it presents an immediate purpose in aesthetic terms. A goal they’re working toward.
Glacial Erratic is up for preorder from the band on Bandcamp, which I’m sure you know because you probably hang out with these guys and you’re probably in the video because you have friends and aren’t alienated from everyone around you including your family sitting right on the other couch as you beeline on your trajectory to being someone’s divorced asshole dad whose kid never speaks to you again — at least I’m liberal — and the video’s at the bottom of the post. I don’t have anything else to add here that doesn’t round out to hating myself while I wait for the gummy to kick in so I don’t have to think about it anymore or at least not with the words moving so fast in my brain, so here you go. Enjoy:
SEMUTA: Portland post-metallers debut title track from new album “Glacial Erratic”; official music video features members of Usnea, Dark Castle, more
Semuta is the duo of guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Caragol and drummer Ben Stoller, former members of noted Rose City bands Burials, Dark Numbers, and more. Together as Semuta, the two summon a mournful strain of sludgy post-metal, marked by enthralling songcraft and passionate execution.
Mixed by Scott Evans at Antisleep Audio (Kowloon Walled City, Great Falls) and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Portrayal of Guilt, Torche), debut full-length Glacial Erratic depicts an ocean of melancholy, punctuated by triumphant swells. Its five songs unfold over the course of 37 minutes, with Caragol’s rich, clean vocals soaring over icy lulls and metallic eruptions. Navigating gentle interludes, tense buildups peppered with odd time signatures, and heroic climaxes, Stoller delivers rock-solid beatings in the Bonham tradition and Caragol unfurls a spectrum of six-string magic, all in service of the songs’ momentum.
Caragol states: “When I was a kid all I really cared about was metal, but around the time I was 15 or 16 I started to branch out. A big moment for me was seeing Radiohead for the first time. I had never seen a group of musicians so willing to dispense with conventions, and explore such a wide array of sounds. After that I was drawn to heavy bands that experimented with sonics, odd times, and emotive melodies; bands like Neurosis, Converge, Godspeed… I really appreciate music that pushes boundaries while maintaining a lot of feeling. I want the music we make to be ambitious, but I also want it to resonate with people emotionally.”
Caragol’s goal, to create music that challenges the mind whilst stirring the soul, has been realized with Glacial Erratic, an album likely to hook the ears of any fan of progressive heavy music, from Russian Circles to Cave In and beyond.
Revealing the themes at play behind the new album, Caragol states: “Most of our songs are about the ways in which human systems are failing us. Governments waging endless war. Corporations hoarding wealth and exploiting natural resources at the cost of an inhabitable planet. The abandonment and persecution of our most vulnerable populations. It’s hard to look at our civilization and not see a gaping wound. And most people bury their heads in the gutter of social media and vapid entertainment; a desperate attempt to hold onto fleeting moments of joy as the world around us falls apart.”
In contrast to the grave messaging, the official music video for the album’s title track sports a lighthearted, B-movie tone. Directed by renowned documentarian of Portland’s metal and punk scenes, Shelby Kray, the video sees a party at a backyard skateboard ramp devolve into hallucinatory horror. Making cameos are a bevy of Semuta’s hometown friends, including members of Usnea, Dark Castle, Armed for Apocalypse, Stoneburner, Nasalrod, and more. “Portland has a pretty thriving music scene,” says Caragol, in regards to the video casting. “There’s a wide variety of bands, and the music community is pretty close knit.”
The Glacial Erratic album artwork was created by Ashleigh Caragol, with design and layout by Justin Cory. The album follows one self-titled EP, released by the band in 2020.
Semuta has announced a string of West Coast dates for the spring, teaming up with such bands as Conan and Heiress along the way.
Apr 18 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (w/ Conan) May 31 – Portland, OR @ The High Water Mark (w/ Yellfire) June 1 – Bellingham, WA @ Make Shift (w/ Melancholia) June 2 – Seattle, WA @ The Sunset Tavern (w/ Heiress) June 8 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Shady Oak (w/ Ex Everything) June 9 – Oakland, CA @ The Stork Club (w/ Ex Everything)
Tracklist: 1) Toeing the Line 2) A Distant Light 3) Glacial Erratic 4) Selective Memory 5) Wounds at the Stem
Lineup: Benjamin Caragol – guitar, bass, vocals Ben Stoller – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 19th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Surprised that Hippie Death Cult are rolling out this Spring for West Coast dates supporting their 2023 album, Helichrysum (review here), or that they’re heading off anyone who’d do the social media thing where people complain tours aren’t coming to their houses like Amazon deliveries by saying there’s more to come in North America and Europe? Yeah, I’m not really either. Touring is a big part of what they do and remained such as they restructured their lineup around the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Laura Phillips, guitarist Eddie Brnabic and drummer Harry Silvers, and that includes fostering a rawer, more-live-feeling sound on last year’s aforementioned LP.
The news is no less welcome for being not-unexpected, however, as Hippie Death Cult set themselves to hitting stops up and down the Pacific Coastline, dipping inland for Las Vegas, Reno, etc. Having already pulled off the sonic pivot of Helichrysum decisively and with rare freshness of perspective for something that’s not actually a debut, maybe this can be something of a victory lap for that. Or, you know, if not, maybe the next tour, because history paints them as honest when they say there’s more to follow.
In the meantime, this took me a couple days to post because I suck at this whole thing, but here’s what they had to say about it, fancy fonts and all:
Pacific West Coast !! Get ready⚡️We are kicking off our 2024 tour season with a special run up and down the coast this May & June !! Like always, each n’ every show is a 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝 h͎i͎g͎h͎ ͎v͎i͎b͎r͎a͎t͎i͎o͎n͎a͎l͎ ͎m͎o͎j͎o͎ ͎s͎h͎i͎f͎t͎e͎r🫨 See y’all SOON!
Tickets on sale today at 10am PST!! Don’t miss out !!
Get your tix, tag your friends, See y’all soon !!
𝐩คc𝕚𝐟Į𝓬 𝕠Ⓓｙ𝕤Ｓ𝐞𝓎 ŦᗝỮя ➁ʘ２➃ 5.16 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – @sfeagle 5.17 COSTA MESA, CA – @wayfarercm 5.18 OCEANSIDE, CA – @pourhouseoceanside 5.19 LOS ANGELES, CA – @permanentrecordsla 5.20 LAS VEGAS , NV – @the_dive_lv 5.21 RENO, NV – @lobarsocial 5.22 BRENTWOOD, CA – @thebrentwoodemporium 5.23 REDDING, CA, – @thedipredding 5.24 CRESENT CITY, CA – Enoteca 5.25 PORTLAND, OR – @coffinclubpdx 6.14 EUGENE, OR – @johnhenryseugene 6.15 SEATTLE, WA – @clockoutlounge
Posted in Reviews on February 27th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
A word about the image above. ‘AI art’ has become a thing people argue about on the internet. Like everything. Fine. I made the above image with a prompt through whatever Microsoft is calling its bot this week and got what I wanted. I didn’t have to talk to anyone or pay anyone in anything more than the personal data you compromise every time you use the internet for anything, and it was done. I could never draw, but when I finished, I felt like I’d at least taken part in some way in making this thing. And telling a computer what to make and seeing what it gets right and wrong is fascinating. You might feel a bit like you’re painting with words, which as someone who could never draw but could construct a sentence, I can appreciate.
I’m a big supporter of human creativity, and yes, corporations who already hold creative professionals — writers, editors, graphic designers, etc. — in such outward contempt will be only too happy to replace them with robots. I was there when magazines died; I know how that goes. But instead of being reactionaries and calling for never-gonna-happen-anyway bans, isn’t it maybe worth acknowledging that there’s no going back in time, that AI art isn’t going anywhere, and that it might just have valid creative uses? I don’t feel like I need to defend myself for making or using the image above, but I did try to get a human artist first and it didn’t work out. In the hard reality of limited minutes, how much should I really chase when there’s an easier way to get what I want? And how much can people be expected to live up to that shifting moral obligation in the long term?
The future will laugh at us, inevitably, either way. And fair enough with the world we’re leaving them.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
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Lord Dying, Clandestine Transcendence
While bearing the tonal force of their roots in doom, Portland’s Lord Dying have nonetheless willfully become a crucial purveyor of forward-thinking death metal, driven by extremity but refusing to subdue its own impulses to fit with genre. At 12 songs and an hour’s runtime, Clandestine Transcendence neither is nor is supposed to be a minor undertaking, but with a melodic declaration in “Unto Becoming” that’ll elicit knowing nods from Virus fans and a mentality of creative reach that’s worthy of comparison to Enslaved, Lord Dying showcase mastery of the style the four-piece of guitarist/vocalist Erik Olson, guitarist Chris Evans, bassist/vocalist Alyssa Maucere and drummer Kevin Swartz explored with vigilance on 2019’s Mysterium Tremendum (review here), and an ability to depart from aggression without losing their intensity or impact on “Dancing on the Emptiness” or in the payoff of “Break in the Clouds (In the Darkness of Our Minds).” They may be headed toward too-weird-for-everybody megaprogmetal ultimately, but the challenges-to-stylistic-homogeny of their material are only part of what gives Clandestine Transcendence its crux, and in fostering the call-and-response onslaught of “Facing the Incomprehensible” alongside the epic reach of “A Bond Broken by Death,” they cast their own mold as unique within or without of the heavy underground sphere.
The late-2023 self-titled debut from Black Glow marks a new beginning for Monterrey, Mexico, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Gina Rios, formerly of Spacegoat, and something of a creative redirect, taking on a sound that is less indebted to boogie and classic doom but that has clearly learned the lessons of its influences. Also credited with producing (Victor “KB” Velazquez recorded, mixed and mastered, which doesn’t invalidate the credit), Rios is a strong enough performer to carry the five-song EP/short-LP on her own, but thankfully bassist Oscar Saucedo and drummer Octavio Diliegros bring tonal fullness to the breadth of atmosphere in the rolling closer “Obscured Jail,” reaching past seven minutes with fluidity that adds to Black Glow‘s aspects of purpose and craft, which are significant despite being the band’s first outing. As a vehicle for Rios‘ songwriting, Black Glow sound immediately like they can evolve in ways Spacegoat likely couldn’t or wouldn’t have, and that prospect is all the more enticing with the accomplishments displayed here.
Between the leadoff of “Into the Chronosphere” and “The Glowing Sea,” “Return to Antares,” “Burning Mountain” and “Desert Haze,” UK instrumentalists Cracked Machine aren’t short on destinations for the journey that is their fourth full-length, Wormwood, but with more angular texturing on “Eigenstate” and the blend of tonal float — yes, even the bass — and terrestrial groove wrought in the closing title-track, the band manage to emphasize plot as well as a sense of freedom endemic to jam-born heavy psychedelia. That is to say, as second cut “Song of Artemis” gives brooding reply to the energetic “Into the Chronosphere,” which is loosely krautrocky in its dug-in feel and exploratory as part of that, they are not trying to pretend this material just happened. Layers of effects and a purposeful reach between its low and high ends in the solo of “The Glowing Sea” — with the drums holding the two together, as one would hope — and subsequent section of standalone guitar as the start of a linear build that spreads wide sonically rather than overpowering with volume speaks to a dynamic that’s about more than just loud or quiet, and the keyboard holding notes in the culmination of “Burning Mountain” is nothing if not purposeful in its shimmering resonance. They may be headed all over the place, but I think that’s just a sign Cracked Machine know how to get there.
Currently also of Kamchatka and Spiritual Beggars and maybe Switchblade, the career arc of Per Wiberg (also ex-Opeth, live work and/or studio contributions for Candlemass, Grand Magus, Arch Enemy, mostly on keys or organ) varies widely in style within a heavy sphere, and it should be no surprise that his solo work is likewise multifaceted. Following on from 2021’s EP, All Is Well In the Land of the Living But for the Rest of Us… Lights Out (review here), the six-song and 41-minute (seven/47 with the bonus track Warrior Soul cover “The Losers”) finds cohesion in a thread of progressive styles that allows Wiberg to explore what might be a Gary Numan influence in the verses of “The Serpent’s Here” itself while emerging with a heavy, catchy and melodic chorus marked by a driving riff. The eight-minute “Blackguards Stand Silent” works in movements across a structural departure as the rhythm section of Mikael Tuominen (Kungens Män) and drummer Tor Sjödén (Viagra Boys) get a subtle workout, and “He Just Disappeared” pushes into the cinematic on a patient line of drone, a contemplative departure after the melancholic piano of “This House is Someone Else’s Now” that allows “Follow the Unknown” to cap the album-proper with a return to the full-band feel and a pointed grace of keys and synth, clearly working to its creator’s own high standard.
Bremen, Germany’s Swell O released their apparently-recorded-in-a-day debut album, Morning Haze, in Feb. 2023 and followed with a vinyl release this past Fall on Clostridium Records, and if there’s anything clouding their vision as regards songwriting, it didn’t make it onto the record. Proffering solid, engaging, festival-ready desert-style heavy rock, “Hitchhiker” sweeps down the open highway of its own riff while “Black Cat” tips hat to Fu Manchu, the title-track veers into pop-punkish uptempoism in a way “Shine Through” contrasts with less shove and more ambience. The seven-minute “Summit” extrapolates a lean toward the psychedelic from Kyussian foundations, but the crux on Morning Haze is straightforward and aware of where it wants its songs to be aesthetically. It’s not a revolution in that regard, but it’s not supposed to be, and for all its in-genre loyalism, Morning Haze demonstrates an emergent persona in the modernized ’90s fuzz-crunch semi-blowout of “Venom” at the end, which wraps a salvo that started with “Hitchhiker” and lets Swell O make the most of their over-quickly 31-minute first LP.
Accounting for everything from goth to post-hardcore to the churn of Godflesh in an encompassing interpretation of post-punk, London outfit Cower could fill this space with pedigree alone and manage to nonetheless make a distinct impression across the nine songs of Celestial Devastation. Organic and sad on “We Need to Have the Talk,” inorganic and sad on “Hard-Coded in the Souls of Men,” electronic anti-chic before the guitar surge in “Buffeted by Solar Winds,” and bringing fresh perspective to Kataonia-style depressive metal in “Aging Stallions,” it’s a album that willfully shirks genre — a few of them, actually — in service to its songs, as between the software-driven title-track and the downer-New-Wave-as-doom centerpiece “Deathless and Free,” Cower embark on an apparent critique of tech as integrated into current life (though I can’t find a lyric sheet) and approach from seemingly divergent angles without losing track of the larger picture of the LP’s atmosphere. Celestial Devastation is the second album from the trio, comprised of Tom Lacey, Wayne Adams (who also produced, as he will) and Gareth Thomas. Expect them to continue to define and refine this style as they move forward, and expect it to become even more their own than it is here. A band like this, if they last, almost can’t help but grow.
Boston’s HORSEN3CK, who’ve gone all-caps and traded their second ‘e’ for a ‘3’ since unveiling the included-here “Something’s Broken” as a debut standalone single this January, make a rousing four-song statement of intent even as the lineup shifts from piece to piece around the core duo of Tim Catz and Jeremy Hemond, best known together for their work as the rhythm section of Roadsaw. With their maybe-not-right-now bandmate Ian Ross adding guitar to “Something’s Broken” and a different lead vocalist on each song, Heavy Spells has inherent variety even before “Haunted Heart” exalts its darker mood with pulls reminiscent of Alice in Chains‘ “Frogs.” With Catz taking a turn on vocals, “Golden Ghost” is punk under its surface class, and though “Haunted Heart” grows in its crescendo, its greater impact is in the vibe, which is richer for the shift in approach. “Thirst” rounds out with a particular brashness, but nowhere HORSEN3CK go feels even vaguely out of their reach. Alright guys. Concept proved, now go do a full-length. When they do, I’ll be intrigued to see if the lineup solidifies.
New Jersey doom rockers Troll Teeth‘s stated goal with Sluagh Vol. 1 was to find a sound the character of which would be defined in part by its rawer, retro-styled recording. The resultant four-song outing, which was their second EP of 2023 behind Underground Vol. 1, doesn’t actually veer into vintage-style ’70s worship, but lives up to the premise just the same in its abiding rawness. “3 Shots for a 6 Shooter” brings a Queens of the Stone Age-style vocal melody over an instrumental that’s meaner than anything that band ever put to tape, while nine-minute opener “1,000 Ton Brick” feels very clearly titled in honor of its own roll. It might be the heaviest stretch on the EP but for the rumbling low distortion spliced in among the psychedelic unfolding of 16-minute closer “Purgatory,” which submerges the listener in its course after “Here Lies” seems to build and build and build through the entirety of its still-hooky execution. With its title referencing the original name of the band and a focus on older material, the rougher presentation suits the songs, though it’s not like there’s a pristine “1,000 Ton Brick” out there to compare it to. Whether there will be at Sluagh Vol. 2 at any point, I don’t know, but even the intentionality of realizing his material in the recording process argues in favor of future revisits.
Celebrating their own dark side in the opener “Wicked Voice,” German heavy rockers Black Ocean’s Edge keep the proceedings relatively friendly on Call of the Sirens, their debut long-player behind 2022’s Dive Deep EP, at least as regards accessibility and the catchiness of their craft. Vibrant and consistent in tone, the Ulm four-piece find room for the classic rock of “Leather ‘n’ Velvet” and the that-might-be-actual-flute-laced prog-psych payoff of “Lion in a Cage” between the second two of the three parts that comprise the title-track, which departs from the heavy blues rock of “Drift” or “Cold Black Water,” which is the centerpiece and longest inclusion at 7:43 and sets its classic-heavy influences to work with a forward-looking perspective. At 42 minutes and nine tracks, Call of the Sirens feels professional in how it reaches out to its audience, and it leaves little to doubt from Black Ocean’s Edge as regards songwriting, production or style. They may refine and sharpen their approach over time, and with these songs as where they’re coming from, they’ll be in that much better position to hit the ears of the converted.
Note: this album is out in April and I couldn’t find cover art. Band photo above is by Matija Kasalo.
If an album could ask you, musically, why you’re in such a hurry — and not like hurrying to work, really in a hurry, like in how you live — the mellow psych and acid folk proffered by Adelaide, Australia’s SONS OF ZÖKU on their second full-length, ËNDLËSS, might just be doing that. Don’t take that to mean the album is still or staid though, because they’re not through “Moonlight” after the intro before the bass gets funky behind all that serene melody, and when you’re worshiping the sun that’s all the more reason to dance by the moon. Harmonies resonate in “Earth Chant” (and all around) atop initially quiet guitar noodling, and the adventures in arrangement continue in the various chimes and percussion instruments, the touch of Easternism in “Kuhnoo” and the keyboard-fueled melodic payoff to the pastoralism of “Hunters.” With flute and a rhythmic delivery to its group vocal, “O Saber” borders on the tribal, while “Yumi” digs on cosmic prog insistence in a way that calls to mind the underappreciated Death Hawks and finds its way in a concluding instrumental stretch that doesn’t lose its spontaneous feel despite being more cogent than improv generally comes across. “Lonesome Tale” is a melancholy-vibe-reprise centered around acoustic guitar and “Nu Poeme” gives a sense of grandeur that is unto itself without going much past four minutes in the doing. Such triumphs are rare more broadly but become almost commonplace as SONS OF ZÖKU set their own context with a sound harnessing the inspiration of decades directing itself toward an optimistic future.
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I said when the Bell WitchEuropean dates went up yesterday that I’d be posting about the tour again, and The Keening are why. The Portland-based dark atmospheric troupe led by Rebecca Vernon, formerly of SubRosa, will support the Seattle death-doom two-piece for three-plus weeks of road time, and as it’s their first trip overseas, it seemed prudent to mark the occasion.
The Keening‘s debut album, Little Bird (review here), came out last Fall through Relapse, and while it’s of course not Vernon‘s first time traveling internationally for shows, it is that for the group she’s assembled around her to bring this material to life on stage, and given the breadth and heart poured into that record, it’s a set I’d like to see. Having Bell Witch on after to turn your melancholy into an abyssal misery is just a bonus.
Oh, and The Keening were also confirmed for Roadburn today playing Little Bird in full. So there’s that, too.
From social media:
We are beyond thrilled to join Bell Witch on three and a half weeks of their seven-week European tour this April and May.
I’m a longtime fan of Bell Witch, ever since my previous roommate Christian Creek shared their 2011 demo and first album “Longing” with me in 2012 or so. I thought they were one of the most authentic bands I’d ever heard, and seeing them live in Seattle soon after cemented that impression. I was intimidated by the sheer dark power they wielded on stage. Their pain seemed too immense for the room. They were making music to survive. It’s been amazing to see Bell Witch grow and expand over the years into one of the most influential doom bands to grace the metal scene.
From Bell Witch: “In March we embark on an 8 week odyssey across Europe. From the frostbitten North to the Hellenic land of myths in the South, the Emerald Isle to the Balkan states we’re playing many cities for the first time ever…
Along the way we’ll be joined for stretches by friends old & new in FVNERALS, Knoll, Esoteric, Thantifaxath & The Keening. We’re excited to share the stage with bands who bring something truly unique & powerful to their music. Tickets are on sale now at the link in our bio. We can’t wait to see new & familiar faces alike.”
Posted in audiObelisk on January 16th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
On Jan. 20, Portland, Oregon, heavy cave-thrash doom trio Ash Eater will release their new single ‘The Siren’s Call’ as a precursor to their soon-to-be-announced six-song sophomore long-player. It is the second track to be featured from the self-issued album behind “Any Port in a Storm,” and a quicker encapsulation of their sound at its fiercest as represented on the 33-minute, title-not-yet-revealed-but-it’ll-be-out-in-March record, picking up from the doomier opener “Earth Must Be Fed” before higher-speed riffs contort and twist in restless thrash tradition with the barking vocals of bassist Kenny Coombs (also of LáGoon and their grungy offshoot Oopsy Dazey) meting out verses like a 1983 demo tape that just happened to invent death metal or something, and a blowout vibe that extends even to the Metallica-style snare militarism of Alden Elias as the song careens to its finish.
“The Siren’s Call” is the shortest of the non-intro cuts on the record, and where “Any Port in a Storm” brings some element of NWOBHM to the guitar, if both dirtied and sped up. The remaining three songs are all longer. “Ritual” explores shifts in tempo around the core roughness of the sound and an especially dug-in solo from guitarist Andrew Pugh, and a delve into heavy jamming that builds over “Breathe the Smoke” and the slow-rolling-until-it-isn’t “The Warrior’s Craze,” which hypnotizes with circa five minutes of Sleepy stonerian march before launching its full assault, which feels Californian in its use of double kick but retains its Pacific Northwestern strut in the lead guitar.
The album may not have a name yet, at least publicly, but it does have a lot more going on than it at first seems, so as you take on “The Siren’s Call” premiering on the player below, keep it in mind as a beginning more than an end, because it very much is, both in terms of understanding Ash Eater‘s stylistic intention — there is essential information in these thrashing riffs! — and in terms of where it sits in the record’s rollout. Short songs or long, jammed out or throw-an-elbow thrashed, the follow-up to Ash Eater‘s debut is marked by an immediate individuality in its presentation, and where one’s head in considering ‘heavy thrash’ as a concept goes to earlier High on Fire, that’s a small piece of what’s happening here.
But, as we’re a good way away from the album’s arrival, a small piece doubles as a convenient sample. Have at “The Siren’s Call, and please enjoy:
Ash Eater – The Siren’s Call – Single to be self-released Jan 20, 2024 on Digital
New LP out this March, to be announced
Boardsliding their way out of the murky depths of the Portland heavy scene, Ash Eater arrive on their wheeled steeds with crushed beer in one hand and a flaming guitar promising nothing but sweet riffs in the other.
The trio of skaters, fronted by the bassist for fellow PDX acts LáGoon and Oopsy Dazey, deal in a ferocious mix of doom metal, thrash, and grubby psychedelia that congeals into a riotous sound as fit for a skate session as it is for a smoke-fogged mosh. Featured in Thrasher magazine and infamous for starting some rowdy pit action in the bowl at Tactics’ Northwest Open skating fest, Ash Eater are climbing the rock ‘n roll mountain, and are set to plant their flag with a second LP due out this March.
Heralding their upcoming album, we’re proud to present Ash Eater’s thrashy second single “The Siren’s Call”, following up the on their first single “Any Port In A Storm” and its classic metal riffing.
IN THE BAND’S OWN WORDS:
“The Siren’s Call – A song for all the ladies lurking in the musty depths of the metal scene and for all the sad saps that think they’re getting lucky tonight. When you catch her eye best say goodbye cause the only way out is to die.”
Ash Eater is: Kenny Coombs – Bass/Vocals Andrew Pugh – Guitar Alden Elias – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Silent in terms of output since the release of their consuming second album Black Terrain (review here) late last year, now-Oregonian progressive post-black metallers Forlesen leave a mark on 2023 in seasonal form with the Type O Negative cover “Red Water (Christmas Mourning).” Originally on the seminal Brooklyn goth/doom metallers’ landmark 1996 LP, October Rust (discussed here), which fuck yes I listened to in high school, the track has been encased in obsidian and buried alive from the sound of the treatment Forlesen give it, but the stately plod of the original is intact within that. This isn’t the only heavy Xmas song out there this year by any means, but if you’re out shopping or some such and that Mariah Carey song comes on, at least you have something to clean the slate afterward.
The PR wire sent the release info. No word on a third Forlesen yet, which if I’m honest is kind of a relief since 2024 is already slammed with releases and the prospect of something that might be more realized than Black Terrain is intimidating. But hopefully they get there sooner or later, and some unexpected fun — yeah, fun — in the meantime is an invite to fans to dig further into the band’s influences. I also heartily approve of doom claiming Type O Negative in hindsight, just so you know.
Song is out Friday, which is in two days. You’ll make it. Here’s that info:
FORLESEN draws from dark ambient, epic doom, black metal and slowcore, to create a dynamic and experimental sound. The quartet are preparing to unveil their black metal cover of TYPE O NEGATIVE’s “Red Water (Christmas Mourning)” on streaming platforms on December 15th.
Vocalist and guitarist Ascalaphus comments:
“TYPE O NEGATIVE were foundational for me, serving as my gateway into doom metal and remaining one of my favorite bands since. In a spirit of Saturnian revelry and sincere mournfulness, we offer this cover of the Drab Four’s grimmest of holiday songs, one that emphasizes the duality that made them such a special band – embers hardly alight after the evening’s celebration, a dark chill entering the room, a sense of both grandeur and nostalgia, along with a very sharp sense of loneliness and despair.
In our cover, then, we simply implemented that duality through the black metal prism. A lushness of melody and atmosphere that provides the backdrop to basically any and every TYPE O NEGATIVE song, cut to the core with the brute strength of raw, piercing, unfiltered emotion. In many ways this is TYPE O NEGATIVE’s bombast taken one step further, and their cruelty and hardship perhaps one step further than that.
TYPE O NEGATIVE did a lot of covers and always made it sound like themselves. There’s an irony to the fact that for a band who could make whatever they touched their own, so many other bands now try (and fail) to imitate them or are fairly literal in their interpretation. So paradoxically, I think the best way to honor what made a song of theirs special is to reinterpret it.
God Jul! Io Saturnalia! Ho ho ho…”
The track has premiered on the Machine Music digital compilation titled Milim Kashot Vol. 5, featuring alongside the likes of PANOPTICON, GNAW THEIR TONGUES and TRHA. All sales of the compilation go to For The Wildlife, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.
About FORLESEN: FORLESEN formed in San Francisco at the end of 2016 and released their debut, Hierophant Violent, in 2020. Comprised of two side-length tracks, it soon found a cult following. Now based in Portland, OR, FORLESEN’s compositional evolution continued with the release of Black Terrain in 2022, which saw the band expand into previously untapped musical realms.
FORLESEN is: Ascalaphus (ex-BOTANIST) – Vocals, guitars, synth, harmonium, bass Bezaelith (LOTUS THIEF) – Vocals, bass, guitars, synth Petit Albert (LOTUS THIEF) – Guitars, synth, Hammond B3 organ, backing vocals Maleus (ex-KAYO DOT, ex-MAUDLIN OF THE WELL) – Drums
