Posted in Whathaveyou on May 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
There’s only one snippet posted on Instagram, and I couldn’t even manage to embed that properly — for what it’s worth, the track is called “Daylight in the Dark” — but SoftSun is a new trio featuring guitarist Gary Arce of Yawning Man, Big Scenic Nowhere, Zun, Ten East and copious others on the branches of one of desert rock’s broadest-reaching family trees, bassist/vocalist Pia Isaksen, aka Pia Isa for her solo work, of Norwegian atmospheric heavy nodders Superlynx, and drummer/recording engineer Dan Joeright, who in addition to playing in Earth Moon Earth runs the helm at Gatos Trail Recording Studio, where Yawning Man, Blasting Rod, The Freeks, Behold the Monolith and many more have recorded.
The roots of the collab would seem to be Arce‘s appearance on Pia Isa‘s 2022 album, Distorted Chants (review here), but either way, SoftSun have already been picked up to release their yet-untitled debut LP through Ripple Music sometime in the next however long, and if you do chase down that brief glimpse of “Daylight in the Dark” (which I’d suggest as your next stop), you’ll likely understand quickly why that’s something to look forward to.
Some background and label comment, from socials:
Says Ripple Music: Stoked to be bringing you this amazingly cool project! Please welcome SoftSun to the Ripple family!!
SoftSun is, left to right:
Dan Joeright (drums) who also plays in cosmic rock collective Earth Moon Earth, is a former member of The Rentals and has toured with many bands including Sasquatch and Ed Mundell. He is also the owner of the amazing Gatos Trail – Recording Studio in Yucca Valley where SoftSun record their music, and does the recording and mixing.
Pia Isaksen (bass/vocals) from Moss, Norway has played and written music most of her life and has spent a decade in heavy psych band Superlynx. She also has a dronegazey solo project called PIA ISA, and will release her second solo album this year.
Gary Arce (guitar) from La Quinta, California, known from Yawning Man, FATSO JETSON, Ten East, Dark Tooth Encounter, Big Scenic Nowhere, Yawning Balch etc. Since playing in the desert as young punk kid he has developed a unique style of playing and is known to create the most beautiful and dreamy sounds and melodies that sound like no one else. And he can never get enough foot pedals.
Italian murk-doomers Haunted are set to make their label debut on Ripple Music April 19 with their third album overall, Stare at Nothing. Below, they premiere the third single, “Garden of Evil.” Based in Catania, which rests at the foot of the volcano Mt. Etna in Sicily, the four-piece made their self-titled debut (review here) in 2016 through Twin Earth Records — see also Kabbalah, Valkyrie, Stars That Move; any association with the label helmed by Richard Bennett of Stars That Move and Starchild is an automatic endorsement of quality of tone in my mind — and followed with the dug-in 2LP Dayburner (review here) in 2018, also on Twin Earth Records as well as DHU Records and Graven Earth Records. The jump to Ripple for the nine-song/46-minute lurch, churn and brood of Stare at Nothing comes across as something the band have been building toward, and they meet that moment with due command of their approach, no less doomed for dwelling as it does in ethereal mists.
If you’re wondering why it was two years between their first two albums and it’s been six between the second and third, first of all, time is all pretend. Second, duh, pandemic. Third, it could be that swapping out more than half their lineup had something to do with it. Since Dayburner, Haunted have moved from two guitars to one and brought in a new drummer, leaving vocalist Cristina Chimirri and bassist Frank Tudisco as the remaining members from the debut as new guitarist Kim Crowley takes the mantle of riff-conjuration and Luca Strano sets forth a roll in “Catamorph” after Stare at Nothing‘s intro that becomes a thread through the volume changes of “Garden of Evil” and into the bleakly psych-leaning “Back to the Nest,” drawing together the flow of side A as it heads toward its 7:25 capper “Malevolent” and the bombast it brings to the creeper-vibe melodic doom and surrounding tonal density. Immersion is key to the intent, as the whispers and cultish aural obscurities of “Intro” convey at the outset, and Haunted feel purposeful in that without losing themselves in the consumption of their own making as they stride toward oblivion.
Those who caught wind either of Haunted or Dayburner likely already know that Virginia’s Windhand have been a touchstone comparison point up to now in the band’s output. I won’t tell you that’s not still a factor, but with a greater depth of layering and harmony from Chimirri, the guitar howls that offset the low distortion in “Potsherds” as the song rears back for its next sneakily uptempo verse, the exploration of minimal spaces in “Catamorph,” “Garden of Evil” and the even-more-mournful voice-and-guitar piece “Fall of the Seven Veils,” and the way the title-track seems to stomp that much harder before giving over to eight-minute nod-revelry closer “Waratah Blossom,” Haunted commit themselves to the craft of identity through their material, and the effort pays off in a more individualized sound within the sphere of modern cult doom. While resonating a lost kind of despondency, they nonetheless come across as wholly engaged in what they’re doing. It feels daring to suggest, but they might even be enjoying themselves?
Too far? Okay, fair enough.
In all seriousness, that a passion for the dark arts is so prevalent throughout the atmosphere of Stare at Nothing isn’t really anything new for Haunted or the corners of microgenre in which they lurk, but throughout these songs, they communicate malaise without giving up the immersive tonality that’s been on their side all along, despite the lineup changes. The band recorded last year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if pieces like “Garden of Evil” and “Stare at Nothing” date back longer, as they at least feel like they’ve been stewing and worked on for a while, whether or not that’s actually the case. Alongside the general development Haunted have taken on in terms of their sound throughout the last half-decade-plus, the potential for further growth as a four-piece if in fact they want to keep the current configuration, the consciousness emergent in Stare at Nothing goes beyond actually thinking about where a given part of a song is going to end up, extrapolating across the entirety of the record as a whole, varied landscape no less notable for its melodic reach in the end than for its monolithic riffing.
PR wire info follows the “Garden of Evil” premiere below. Please enjoy:
Haunted, “Garden of Evil” video premiere
From the upcoming full-length album by Italian Occult Doomers HAUNTED – this is the third single, “Garden of Evil.”
The full album, “Stare at Nothing”, will be available thru Ripple Music on Vinyl/CD/Digital on April 19, 2024! Pre-order your copy at one of the links below!
Dark and twisted, the follow-up to 2018’s critically-lauded “Dayburner” dives even deeper into traditional doom territory with Kim Crowley’s ominous Vitus-esque riffs rolling over the listener upon each chord on top of the now-foursome’s sharp and harrowing rhythm section. Vocalist Cristina Chimirri’s mystical siren-like incantations slowly drag you thousands feet deep into the abyss, making “Stare At Nothing” a vibrant pitch-black doom release.
Recorded & Mixed by Carlo Longo at NuevArte Studio, Catania, IT – June 2023 Mastered by Esben Willems at Studio Berserk, Gothenburg, SE – Aug 2023 Album Cover Photo by Kristina Lerner Visualizer Video by Matt Wood of Ripple Music
Haunted is: Cristina Chimirri: Keening Kim Crowley: Guitars Luca Strano: Battery Frank Tudisco: Low
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 14th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
The first single from the third Vitskär Süden full-length, which is called Vessel, is the opening track “Vengeance Speaks,” unveiled the other day by the PR wire with the album’s announcement and streaming below. A space initially left open in the song amid ambient strings and the not-quite-standalone-but-definitely-a-focal-point vocals of Martin Garner — somewhere between Patrick Walker of Warning and David Eugene Edwards in his delivery — give focus ahead of a layer of non-lyric guest singing, a layered heavier chug and droning hum. It finds a flow of its own and is unhurried and progressive in kind. Given what the L.A.-based post-whatnot troupe had on offer with 2022’s The Faceless King (review here), one doubts this or any other cut among the seven included speaks for the record’s entirety — the word is ‘breadth’ — but at very least they’re giving the listener an opportunity to familiarize theirself with its initial immersion.
May 17 is the release date, and Vessel will be out through Ripple Music, which has preorders up and info to share about the making and intent behind it. I believe them when they talk about branching out in terms of arrangement and style, not the least because this too is something “Vengeance Speaks” manifests. They sound like they sweated out the details.
Approach with patience. The song is only five minutes long, but its depth of mix makes it feel bigger, and it’s best heard on its own level:
Los Angeles dark folk and progressive rock unit VITSKÄR SÜDEN to issue new album “Vessel” on Ripple Music this May; stream new single “Vengeance Speaks”.
Vitskär Süden announce the release of their third studio album “Vessel” on May 17th through Californian label Ripple Music. Stream the hypnotic debut single “Vengeance Speaks” on all streaming platforms now!
The opening track of Vitskär Süden’s new album “Vessel” begins with plaintive vocals and a solitary guitar. Hear our plea. Show your presence… “It’s essentially a prayer to the Elder Gods,” says vocalist Martin Garner. “‘Save us from ourselves.’ It’s stark. I’m exposed in a way I haven’t been vocally in our music before, but I wanted the despair of the text to come through. As the song progresses, this character who’s been begging for salvation begins to call for fire, wrath and revenge, and the build the guys created musically really illustrates that.”
The band’s first foray into live strings, “Vengeance Speaks” offers cellist Max Mueller and violinist Emily Moore adding heft and scope, as well as a soaring vocal solo by Kristi Merideth. “With dark angels descending from the heavens lyrically we needed a female voice in play to paint the full picture,” says Garner. “Kristi improvised this amazing solo in a couple of takes. We all heard it for the first time when we were mixing the record in Austin and our jaws were on the floor.”
Vitskär Süden’s new album “Vessel” contemplates the fragility of human life in the form of a weird fiction collection of sorts. From post-apocalyptic, rain-soaked forests and sunken Lovecraftian cities to turbulent seas and marshy battlefields, the record guides listeners through portals to seven distinctive soundscapes. They expand their sonic arsenal with the additions of strings, synth and electronic elements, leaning further into progressive rock territory while remaining singularly themselves all the while. “Sonically we wanted to go further with what we started in The Faceless King, using different instrumentation, more synths, piano, and strings,” says guitarist Julian Goldberger. “I think we all wanted to stretch out a bit and lean into the atmosphere and vibe that was emerging from these dark tales.”
The album continues the band’s collaboration with co-producer/mixer Don Cento and also features guest appearances from cellist Max Mueller, violinist Emily Moore and pianist Rich Martin as well as vocalists Kristi Merideth and Isabel Beyoso.
VITSKÄR SÜDEN – New album “Vessel” Out May 17th on Ripple Music (vinyl/CD/digital)
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 13th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Set for May 18, the inaugural Ripplefest Boston is announced as a new joint effort between Ripple Music and Grayskull Booking, and the lineup is quality front to back. King Buffalo will headline at the Middle East Downstairs — which, in a victory for Beantown weirdos of all stripes, has apparently not yet been turned into condos doubling as luxury dorms — and they’ll come from Rochester, New York, to do so, but lest you worry about homegrown representation, between Blood Lightning, Mother Iron Horse, Kind and Cortez, they’ve got it covered. Curse the Son (new album when?) will head north on I-95 from their home in Connecticut to lead off what I have no doubt will be a rager to remember and hopefully the beginning of a new annual tradition.
Ripplefest of course has long since joined the city-as-franchise model of heavyfest curation. Ripplefest Texas in September has a multi-day assemblage that’s among the finer lineups I’ve ever seen in the US, but they’ve also been doing it for a few years now, so give Boston time to get sorted and see what the response is to this initial edition before scaling up your expectations. In other words, worry about 2026 when we get there. For now just be stoked a thing is happening and don’t forget to actually show up so that it can happen again. I’m still not sure why nobody’s set up one of these in Parsippany, New Jersey, but I guess that’s just me.
The announcement was short and sweet and came from social media:
How much goodness can you take? Been keeping this under wraps, but now the kids gloves have come off. Get ready for RippleFest Boston!
Here’s where we tear it up Ripple Music-style with King Buffalo Blood Lightning Mother Iron Horse KIND Cortez & Curse the Son! Tickets on sale this Friday at 10 AM:
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
What I can’t get over here is how glad I am that Gothenburg’s Cities of Mars put out their 2022 self-titled (review here) before they put the band to bed, seemingly for good. What will now serve as the swansong from the big-riff conceptual/sci-fi themed trio was without a doubt the pinnacle of their progression up to the point of its release, following 2019’s The Horologist (review here) with a marked intentionality in their songwriting and a collection of tracks that reached boldly into new spaces. I’m sorry Cities of Mars won’t get its own foll0w-up, but nine years out from 2015’s initial single, Cyclopean Ritual/The Third Eye (review here), set their plotline in motion beneath the rusty Martian surface, fair enough to consider the tale as told as it’s going to be.
I’ll take a second to wish the band the best, and to say thanks for the work they did and the concrete-sledge-upside-the-head their grooves fostered. They’re very much stating the announcement below as a farewell — “we will miss you all, great people of the heavy underground…,” which does not say to me, “look for our new bands in two weeks” — but whatever they get up to, whether it’s different heavy projects or nothing at all, what they did together as Cities of Mars remains. From my standpoint, they were a joy to write about from the first offering to the last.
Their message is below, and duly up front in its point of view. I bought a shirt on Bandcamp as my own little goodbye. Here you go:
Even good things come to an end.
Following a shared decision between all band members, Cities of Mars is now dissolved.
We had a good run where we achieved more than we ever expected: we made four beautiful vinyl albums, we toured the underground scene in twelve countries, made so many new great friends and had mostly good times (and some bad times too, as it goes). We’ve had the opportunity to visited so many amazing cities and have played cool festivals.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who came to any of our shows, shared a beer, bought a tee, helped us book a gig, promoted a show, gave us food or shelter or in many other ways became a part of our humble journey. Thanks to all the great bands we shared the stage and laughs with and whose company we’ve really enjoyed.
Some extra thanks are required: Roger Andersson, Gero Argonauta, Todd Severin, Ripple Music, Esben Willems, Kent Stump
For us it’s time to move on and do different things but we will miss you all, great people of the heavy underground, where the love of music is real. Be kind to another and be a part of the good fight that is needed in our bleak times.
All the best wishes and again, thank you! /Daniel, Chris & Johan
Cities of Mars: Danne Palm – lead vocals, bass, synths Christoffer Norén – lead vocals, guitar Johan Aronstedt – backing vocals, drums & percussion, sound FX
Posted in Reviews on February 20th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
The Obsessed stand tall as the longest tenured band led by guitarist and vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich, and with Gilded Sorrow — their fifth full-length since 1990, first in seven years, first for Ripple Music, and first as a four-piece — they envision an update of a sound that can only be considered classic. Weinrich, who first brought The Obsessed back to appear at Roadburn 2012 (review here) after fronting a Saint Vitus reunion there in 2009. The path even just across the last 12 years has been winding, never mind that The Obsessed have been active intermittently since circa 1979 as Weinrich has evolved other projects and collaborations like Shine/Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Premonition 13, Shrinebuilder, Probot, and established himself as a solo performer. Weaving through an initial incarnation as Spirit Caravan, The Obsessed came into focus again in 2016, just in time to play Maryland Doom Fest, with drummer Brian Costantino holding position as one band rebranded as the other and The Obsessed set forth on a years-long course of touring around their comeback LP, Sacred (review here), issued by Relapse some 23 years after 1994’s The Church Within, which for a long time was their swansong.
It is in part with the memory of that, thinking of The Obsessed as a band who were gone, that Gilded Sorrow comes across as so vital. While it’s fair to say their sound has always been straightforward, punch-you-in-the-face, on-groove, riff-driven heavy, that pioneering doom rock feels fresh through its nine songs and 36 minutes, with Weinrich‘s riffing and soloing complemented by the guitar of Jason Taylor (Sierra), who joined in 2022 along with bassist Chris Angleberger — more trivia than anything, but Costantino joins Greg Rogers as the only drummer to feature on successive The Obsessed records — such that as the howling echoes of tone give over to the chugging riff of “Daughter of an Echo” that begins the record in earnest, there’s already a depth of atmosphere that is new to the band. In addition to this semi-revamped dynamic — if you’ve never seen him on stage, Taylor is no minor player, and the work he does here feels more substantial than a phrase like ‘second guitar’ or ‘rhythm guitar’ can really convey; his sound is part of the personality of these songs — “Daughter of an Echo” rolls with a rhythmic tension in its snare pops and twisting nod that emphasizes the seething sensibility that’s always been at the band’s core. That’s evident in a particularly up-front vocal from Weinrich as well, with the production of Frank Marchand capturing performances that feel raw and vital but want nothing for clarity.
“Daughter of an Echo” does crucial work in laying out the course of Gilded Sorrow, but it doesn’t necessarily encapsulate the entire album. “It’s Not OK,” which follows directly, does not shy away from physical threat in lyrics that make a hook of the chorus, “It’s not okay/To rip me off/Got your hand in my pocket on the sly/It’s not okay to say that you forgot/Stick a needle in your eye,” reserving the second verse for railing against journalists, “afraid to look me in the eye,” who nonetheless criticize Weinrich‘s outspoken political views; the line “you fucked up” is layered to underline the point. That initial salvo rounds out with uptempo redirect “Realize a Dream,” which offers due push, vocal reach, and a vibe in its open verse that touches on some of what was in Spirit Caravan‘s jug before “Gilded Sorrow” arrives to cap side A with a shift in focus toward atmosphere, a stately tempo and a structural course that feels purposeful in its contrast with its surroundings and justifies itself as the title-track in offering a new take on The Obsessed‘s genre-setting downer march. An effects treatment on Weinrich‘s voice gives a watery presence adjacent to psych but not really tipped over into it in the first half, while the last two minutes of the total 5:34 are dedicated to a slow, ambient instrumental devolution kept active around rumble, feedback, and distant shred, by Costantino‘s punctuating drums as it builds back in volume and foreboding one last time.
Positioned at the outset of side B, “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age” is the actual centerpiece, with an antiwar standpoint framed through governmental exploitation (fair enough) and a roll that meets “Gilded Sorrow” head on, leaving it to the first 36 seconds of “Wellspring/Dark Sunshine,” which follows, to reset the ambience before a snap of snare brings hard reality manifest in heavy riffs. Less verse/chorus than “It’s Not OK” or “Realize a Dream,” with bluesy swagger in its leads and a steamroller of churn that seems to want more volume no matter how much it’s given, “Wellspring/Dark Sunshine” supports the mood of the title-track without necessarily repeating it, pulling in a different direction than “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age” but not so much a contrast as to feel out of place. The subsequent “Jailene” tells a story of drugs, loss and, yes, imprisonment, with the speediest shove since “Realize a Dream,” and perhaps casts addiction as its titular character, feeling more tongue-in-cheek than melancholy or angry. In the end, “Jailene” rips him off, which the album already noted is not okay, but a Thin Lizzy-style verse seems to make everything alright in the end.
Longtime followers might recall “Yen Sleep” as the opener of the 1999 demos/rare tracks compilation Incarnate. Included here on side B before the outro “Lucky Free Nice Machine” wraps Gilded Sorrow with a last 60 seconds of lead-topped nod and march, it is a standout for its older-school crunch and solos that speak to the Lunar Womb era. I won’t claim to know what motivated the band to put “Yen Sleep” on Gilded Sorrow, but it’s a convenient reminder of where The Obsessed come from in terms of doom — i.e., the heart of it — and stripped down in a manner that “Gilded Sorrow,” “Wellspring/Dark Sunshine,” or even its own quick intro aren’t and show no sign of wanting to be. The Obsessed aren’t forgetting their past, but they’re not trying to relive it either, and that combined intent results in a sound that’s full, modern and dense when called for by the material, but able to convey spaciousness around that in new ways. As a generalization, some of it builds on places Sacred went, but with more years of touring ahead of its arrival and the solidification of the current lineup, Gilded Sorrow is a stronger statement of who The Obsessed are than the return-LP inherently could’ve been.
That is to say, if Sacred said The Obsessed were back, Gilded Sorrow is an expansion of who they are as a part of that. It admirably incorporates new ideas into the band’s signature approach and adds to one of American doom’s most essential legacies while refusing to compromise either in sound or the stands its takes lyrically in “It’s Not OK,” “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age,” and so on. I don’t agree with much of the album’s politics, though let’s-have-less-war is a decent common ground to start from, and in the spirit of the album itself I won’t shy away from mentioning it. If that kind of thing is a sticking point for you as a listener — the use of “snowflake” in “It’s Not OK,” or “young AI robots” in “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age,” etc. — then it matters. If not, it doesn’t. In either case, it’s a confrontationalism that’s part of who The Obsessed are at this stage in their career, and it’s been a part of Weinrich‘s persona for decades. What ultimately defines the record is the energy with which its songs, fast or slow, are wrought, and the clever and considered ways The Obsessed build on their history and recast their dynamic with an obvious goal to keep moving forward. If it even needs to be said, Gilded Sorrow is unquestionably among the most essential doom releases 2024 will bring.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, conjurors of tonal warmth Rifflord will release their new album through Ripple Music reportedly this June. The band and label both took to socials to make it official, with Ripple and Rifflord both noting the release month and the band even giving a hint as to the title in their all-caps declaration that “serpent power rides.” Fair enough. Their last record was 2018’s 7 Cremation Ground / Meditation (review here), so if they were to opt for something less opaque as regards a title, they’d probably be well within their rights.
Whatever it’s called by the time it gets released, just give me the thing. While their moniker sells them short in highlighting only their lordliness as regards riffing, I’d add to the list melody, groove and songcraft, though admittedly that makes an awkward thing to call your band and Rifflord rolls off the tongue in a way that Riffsplussongsandgrooveandmelody could never hope to do.
But June will come. I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed Rifflord make an appearance at this year’s Desertfest New York, but I haven’t heard anything in that regard. Just wishful thinking. And I’ll follow-up with more on what will be Rifflord‘s third full-length when I’ve got it. For now, here’s a start:
How much goodness can you take in one day? How about this one. Been keeping this under wraps for a while but now it’s time to bust it open. Please welcome the monsters of heavy, RIFFLORD to the Ripple family. Brand new album coming this June!!
Says Rifflord: “We are ecstatic to announce that we have signed to @ripplemusic for our long awaited upcoming album to be released! Thank you all for the support and following us on this journey! This June SERPENT POWER RIDES!”
Welsh trippy doom metallers Goat Major will release their debut full-length, Ritual, on March 8 through Ripple Music. Comprised of eight songs — “Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent)” wastes no time diving in as the opener; its video premieres below — and running 41 minutes, it is outwardly doom in its cultish downtrodden point of view, but to listen to the guitar at the end of the title-track, a melodic reference to ’60s psychedelia takes hold, and in “Light of the End,” that vibe extends to a druggy ’90s alternativism, growing declarative and sneering as it nods through its six-plus minutes, catchy with backing vocals behind bassist Tom Shortt, who’s joined in the group by guitarist Jammie Arnold and drummer Simon Bonwick, so the proceedings are not as straightforward as they might seem when “Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent)” unfurls the first of Ritual‘s several genuinely righteous rolls, an air of metallic dankness around a Candlemassian creeper of a riff serving double-duty as an intro to the album and a preface to the verse, which calls Electric Wizard to mind without losing itself in an aural fog.
At least not much. Indeed, there’s more going on throughout Ritual influence-wise than it might at first seem. “Power That Be” opens side B (I think) with an acoustic strum but soon moves into the push of a classic stoner rock riff, fuzz and all, distinguished by the change in context that sets it to such doomly purpose. The subsequent “Mountains of Madness” gives some manner of echo to this in a verse the vocal pattern of which is reminiscent of Acid King‘s ur-landmark “Electric Machine,” even if Goat Major take the song elsewhere for the chorus, touching again on the psychedelic in a way that feel far removed from the insistent hook of the title-track back on side A but that is no less crucial in its intention. And “Ritual” has its jammy part too, so these things are all relative, however one might end up blocking them into categories or hearing something here that’s also there, etc. From that, one can take the assurance that Goat Major‘s debut boasts nascent perspective on genre and is unafraid to take inspiration from blatant Sabbath worship early in “Turn to Dust” to the Slomatics-ish drama brought to the same song a short time later by Mellotron.
“Mountains of Madness” is more than half over by the time it gets to the chorus — rules — and has a semi-lysergic break that brings back the hook for a big slowdown ending with laughter over top. Hypnotic as that movement is, “Evil Eye” feels like a regrounding in doom and is a sleeper highlight, encapsulating the doom/fuzz meld and the impulses toward structure and fuckall that seem to be competing in Goat Major‘s sound right now. A side B complement to “Ritual,” maybe, and it’s not the last track — they cap atmospheric with the drumless open-space distortion wash of “Lay Me Down,” vocals far back in that churning ambient melodic hum — and it’s not the longest track, which is “Mountains of Madness” just before, but it says something about who Goat Major are circa their first album, and it is encouragingly their own in its willingness to cross stylistic lines that are awfully sacrosanct for being entirely made up and despite cult themes that will ring as familiar to experienced heads taking it on. I’m not sure they need those, and I find myself wondering what other stories their material might tell, but I’m not about to tell a band making their debut that they should drop the lyrical foundation they’re working from. Seems neither helpful nor useful. Plus I think if I was from Wales I’d probably be into the occult too. It’s like made for it.
That said, part of what makes Ritual engaging in its niche-crossover execution is that the band are exploring and at the beginning stages of their longer-term growth, and that development over time could take them down any number of thematic avenues, including the one they’re currently on, which suits this material fine and offers intricacy without pretense, heavy doom for and by those for whom it serves as a lifesblood. I’ve highlighted the individuality of what they do on Ritual here, and that’s because I believe that even more than the malevolent fuzz on the guitar or the sneer in Shortt‘s delivery, it’s the drive to present themselves as themselves that will serve them best over the course of their tenure, and whatever they’ll ultimately do with their sound, you can hear the roots of it in “Light of the End,” or “Evil Eye” or maybe even “Lay Me Down,” which lays claim to an entire seminar’s worth of mind expansion. Maybe this is the new generation’s statement and innovation — it doesn’t have to just be one or two things, it can be an encompassing whole built from parts that, to players in generations past, were disparate. That sounds like progress to me, and may or may not be the story of Goat Major as told by their next few records, but it certainly feels relevant to mention in light of what they achieve on Ritual.
The aforementioned video for “Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent)” premieres below, followed by more from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
Goat Major, “Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent)” video premiere
The second single from the upcoming Goat Major album on Ripple Music is HERE! This is “Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent)” – enjoy the music video and then hit the links below to pre-order your copy of “Ritual” now – available March 8th on Vinyl/CD/Digital formats!
Hailing from Wales, the land of ancient monuments and Celtic traditions, GOAT MAJOR is a formidably earth-shattering newcomer in the British stoner and doom metal scene. The band was formed during the harsh lockdown of a global pandemic by longtime friends Jammie Arnold (guitar), Simon Bonwick (drums) and Tom Shortt (bass/vocals), who all grew up within half a mile of each other in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in the shadow of the town’s medieval castle.
The power trio worked hard crafting songs of catchy sinister occult doom metal, all while escaping the brutality that was cast upon the world. As restrictions started to lift, GOAT MAJOR began playing shows as an instrumental band before Shortt decided to take up the vocal duties. The band continued fine-tuning their songs with regular shows around the south/west of Wales and further afield in England and consequently started playing higher profile shows around the UK, sharing the stage with the likes of Thunder Horse, Wytch Hazel, Sigiriya, Parish, OHHMS, Made Of Teeth, Inhuman Nature. They also performed at Swansea Fringe festival and headlined Rock the Gwasbah festival in West Wales.
Following the recent release of their “Evil Eye” EP, GOAT MAJOR recently signed to US reference stoner, doom and heavy rock label Ripple Music for the release of their debut album “Ritual” in March 2024.
TRACKLIST: 1. Snakes (Goddess of the Serpent) 2. Ritual 3. Turn to Dust 4. Light of The End 5. Power That Be 6. Mountains of Madness 7. Evil Eye 8. Lay Me Down
GOAT MAJOR is Jammie Arnold – guitar Simon Bonwick – drums Tom Shortt – bass & vocals
