The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Kamille Sharapodinov of The Grand Astoria, The Legendary Flower Punk & Slovo Mira (St. Petersburg, Russia)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
All my bands had to change plans to some degree. The one that suffered the most is The Legendary Flower Punk, we had to cancel the whole 16-shows european tour in support of the new record. Slovo Mira got problems of different character – LPs and CDs with the new album are now stuck in Estonia at our friend’s house and there’s no way we can get them until the crisis ends. Release date is 24th of April so there’s almost no chance we will pick them by that time unfortunately. With The Grand Astoria we were going to finish vocal overdubs for our new EP, planned for release during autumn 2020. Luckily, we still can do that at home. Hello neighbors! All my guys are feeling fine, I personally don’t know anyone who got the virus but we are taking the situation seriously anyway.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
April 7 the so called “quarantine holidays” were prolonged until 1st of May by the president of Russia. I am leaving home once in three-four days to get the fresh bread and vegetables, trying to keep distance from the other people on the street and grocery
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
Mostly it’s a huge financial breakdown for all the artistic folks out there. So, I’d like to encourage people who are still getting paid to support their favorite musicians, bookshops, record stores or any other nice small local business ventures in the hour of need. There are tons of ways to do that so go ahead please!
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
I’d like to share some positive news concerning all my current music projects.
Three weeks ago it became clear that our voyage with The Legendary Flower Punk is not going to happen so I came up with this idea to make a virtual tour. We recorded 16 sets of music (each set as the complete show that we planned to play in the respective city, from Vilnius to Hamburg) live in our rehearsal room and we plan to publish them every day since 9th of April up to 26th. So next week everybody is more than welcome to our special live series bandcamp page for a daily dose of psychedelic jam rock: https://theflowerpot.bandcamp.com/
The Grand Astoria is busy with the new album called From the Great Beyond due to release also during October-November 2020. It’s 35 mins of genre-bending music again, ranging from psychedelic art rock to obscure heavy metal.
Track listing is as follows:
1. From the Great Beyond
2. Wasteland
3. Njanatiloka
4. Anyhow
5. Us Against the World
6. Ten Years Anniversary Riff
That’s pretty much it. Looks like a lot of things are happening for me and I really hope that these turbulent times will pass quickly cos I miss the road very much! All the best for everyone in the world! Support each other with kind words and don’t panic.
Posted in Features on April 30th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Bomg (Kyiv, Ukraine)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
As anybody does, staying at home, trying to keep the distance, everything is on pause. Now there is no point in scheduling anything, up to what time? Who knows… We haven’t scheduled events in the nearest month or two, so nothing much to rework, but it seems like all summer live shows that were being discussed are gone for now. Heath-wise we’ve been okay so far. No way to test it though, only people with severe symptoms are being tested right now.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
The rules are basically the same as in many countries: state of emergency, social distancing orders, essential businesses are only allowed etc. However, you can use means of personal transportation, not without occasional document checking.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
It’s a bummer to see bands canceling tours and whatnot: EHG were in Kyiv and they had to leave the same day a show was scheduled, how unfortunate is that? Hope they’re doing well. As for the community, many people on the streets seem not to care about the situation, which raises concerns about the next month. Pharmacies have almost none of the masks, hand sanitizer – all of it gets hoarded the minute the pharmacy opens. All means of municipal transportation are for essential workers only, the borders are closed. Overall the country lacks funding and medical infrastructure, so without these measures, everything may go south very quickly. The thing is steadily spreading across the country. It’s a mess, but relatively normal in terms of reaction and measures.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
I hope that this situation will be solved, and the opportunity to live to the full extent, travel, play live music, meet friends and family will be restored and appreciated on whole another level. Stay healthy. And don’t let the fear sink in – it is the worst disease.
Posted in Features on April 29th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Somali Yacht Club (Lviv, Ukraine)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
We’re all alive and well! Could say the crisis isn’t so crucial for us (Desertfests in London and Berlin have been canceled, Australian tour was postponed to November), but rather untimely. We got a good boost after the autumn tour and we feel that it is worth to tour more now. In addition, the autumn will be full of concerts. It is already difficult to find a free date.
We are now actively using the time to record a new album. This is our almost our only reason for leaving home.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
Most people work from home or at quarantine. All establishments are closed except supermarkets / grocery stores, pharmacies and banks. We must wear a mask in crowded places. Authorities do not restrict people from walking, but after warm weekends imposed penalties for picnics. People are enough responsible — they are queued at a distance from each other, the city center is empty. Only in sleeping quarters are quite crowded.
Worried about the increase in police force on the streets and possibly tougher quarantine rules. There is a feeling that these measures are exaggerated and will be used to strengthen positions of power (e.g., for suppressing unwanted rallies). Let’s see.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
The impact of quarantine is obvious — musicians, organizers, venues, etc. just stopped. As I see it, people are just waiting. Someone is immersed in creativity (is engaged in music, mastering tracks, etc.), someone is trying to establish business in new conditions (acquaintances from renting musical equipment shoot live shows). The whole is ecosystem stopped and can’t earn money. Quarantine losses will depend on its duration.
At the highest level, we have the situation that the government is seriously (more than half!) reducing the cost for cultural development. There is never a time for culture in Ukraine and now it will take a few steps back.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
From us — we are actively recording demos, for you — just stay at home as much as it’s possible and survive in this interesting time.
Posted in Features on April 16th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Nijat Hasanzadeh of Pyraweed (Baku, Azerbaijan)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
It of course came unexpectedly. We had just finished recording our new album a few months before this started. Now we are just working on final bits prior the release.
The access to our base is forbidden. Concerts and tours that had been planned for the next several months are cancelled. Thankfully, we are all well and trying to use the quarantine time exploring new ideas.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
Rules are changing rapidly, it started with some pre-caution and awareness measures by the government, and just now it has been announced that we should stay at home except for an urgent need like medical care, going to a grocery store, etc. Luckily, we don’t have too many covid-19 cases in Azerbaijan.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
This situation has a huge impact on all spheres of life. Some people are depressed or apathetic.
A lot of musicians who used to earn money by playing in cover bands or giving music lessons have temporarily lost their jobs. Many have lost inspiration to create, especially considering that rehearsals are banned. Not too many musicians have facilities to play the music at home.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
Stay home and get ready for the 420 album’s release on 20.04.2020.
Posted in Reviews on January 10th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Hey all, we made it to the final day of the Winter 2020 Quarterly Review, so congrats to ‘us’ and by us I mean myself and anyone still reading, which is probably about two or three people. On my end today is completely manic in terms of real-life, offline logistics — much to do — but no way I’m letting one last batch of 10 reviews fall by the wayside, so rest assured, by the time this goes live, it’ll be complete, even though I’ve had to swap things out as some stuff has been locked into other coverage since I first slated it. Plenty around waiting to be written up. Perpetually, it would seem.
But before we dive in, thank you for reading if you’ve caught any part of this QR. I hope your 2020 is off to an excellent start and that finding new music to love is as much a part of your next 12 months as it can possibly be.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Sunn O))), Pyroclasts
The narrative — because of course there’s a narrative; blessings and peace upon it — is that drone-metal progenitors Sunn O))), while in the studio recording earlier-2019’s Life Metal (review here) with Steve Albini, began each day doing a 12-minute improvised modal drone working in a different scale. They used a stopwatch to keep time. Thus the four tracks of Pyroclasts were born. They all hover around 11 minutes after editing, which settles neatly onto two vinyl sides, and it’s the rawer vision of Sunn O))), with just Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley‘s guitars, rather than some of the more elaborate arrangements which they’ve been known to undertake. That they’d put out two studio records in the same year is striking considering it had been four years since 2015’s Kannon (review here), but I think the truth of the matter is they had these tapes and decided they were worth preserving with a popular release. I wouldn’t say they were wrong, and the immersion here is a good reminder of the core appeal of Sunn O)))‘s conjured depths.
Traditional doom rarely sounds as vital as it does in the hands of Crypt Sermon. The Philly five-piece return with The Ruins of Fading Light on Dark Descent Records as an awaited follow-up to 2015’s Out of the Garden (review here) and thereby bring forth classic metal with all the urgency of thrash and the poise of the NWOBHM. Frontman Brooks Wilson — also responsible for the album art — is in command here and with the firm backing of bassist Frank Chin and drummer Enrique Sagarnaga, guitarists Steve Jannson and James Lipczynski offer sharpened-axe riffs and solo scorch offset by passages of keyboard for an all the more epic vibe. The rolling “Christ is Dead” is pure Candlemass, but the galloping “The Snake Handler” might be the highlight of the 10-track/55-minute run, though that’s not to take away either from the Dehumanizer chug of “Key of Solomon” or the melodic reach of the closing title-track either. Take your pick, really. It’s all metal as fuck and glorious for that. If they don’t sell denim jackets, they should.
The Neptune Power Federation, Memoirs of a Rat Queen
“Can you dig what the Imperial Priestess is laying down?” is the central question of Memoirs of a Rat Queen, the first album from Sydney, Australia’s The Neptune Power Federation to be released through Cruz Del Sur Music, and it arrives over an ELO “Don’t Bring Me Down”-style arena rock beat on leadoff “Can You Dig?” as an intro to the rest of the LP. Strange, epic, progressive, traditional, heavy and cascading rock and roll follows, as intricate as it is immediately catchy, and whether it’s “Watch Our Masters Bleed” or “I’ll Make a Man out of You,” the Imperial Priestess Screaming Loz Sutch and company make it easy to answer in the affirmative. Arrangements are willfully over the top as “Bound for Hell” and “The Reaper Comes for Thee” engage a heavy rocker take on heavy metal’s legacy, maddened laughter and all in the latter track, which closes, and the affect on the listener is nothing less than an absolute blast — a reminder of the empowering sound of early metal on a disaffected generation in the late ’70s and early ’80s and how that same fist-pump-against-the-world has become timeless. No doubt the costumes and all that make The Neptune Power Federation striking live, but as Memoirs of a Rat Queen readily steps forward to prove, the songs are there as well.
Have Chron Goblin been here before? The title of their album speaks to a kind of creepy deja vu feeling, and that’s emblematic of the Canadian band’s move away from the party rock of their past offerings, their last LP having been Backwater (review here) 2015. Fortunately, while they seek out some new aesthetic ground, the 11 tracks of Here Before do maintain Chron Goblin‘s penchant for straight-ahead songcraft and unpretentious execution — and frankly, that wasn’t at all broken. Neither, perhaps was the let’s-get-drunk-and-bounce-around spirit of their prior work, but they sound more mature in a song like the six-minute “Ghost” and “Slipping Under” (premiered here) successfully melds the shift in presentation with the energy of their prior output. Maybe it’s still a party but we watch horror movies? I don’t know. They’ve still got “Giving in to Fun” early in the tracklisting — worth noting it follows the swaying “Oblivion” — so maybe I’m misreading the whole thing, or maybe it’s more complex than being entirely one thing or the other might allow for. Perish the thought. Either way, can’t mess with the songs.
Ukrainian heavy rockers Ethereal Riffian make a pointed sonic shift with their Legends album (on Robustfellow), keeping some of the grunge spirit in their melodies as the eight-minute “Moonflower” and closer “Ethereal Path” show, but in songs like “Unconquerable” and the early salvo of “Born Again,” “Dreamgazer” and “Legends” and even the second half of “Kosmic” and “Pain to Wisdom,” they let loose from some of the more meditative aspects of their past work with a fiery drive and a theme of enlightenment through political and social change. A kind of great awakening of the self. There’s still plenty of “ethereal” to go with all that “riffian” in the intro “Sage’s Alchemy,” or the first half of “Kosmic” or the CD bonus “Yeti’s Hide,” but no question the balance has tipped toward the straightforward, and the idea seems to be that the electrified feel is as much a part of the message as the message itself. The only trouble is that since putting Legends out, Ethereal Riffian called it quits to refocus their energies elsewhere in the universe. Are they really done? I’m skeptical, but if so, then at least they went out trying new things, which always seemed to be a specialty, and on a note of directly positive attitude.
A second long-player behind 2015’s Para Solem, the eight-song/35-minute Nemesis is not only made for vinyl, but it’s made for rockers. Specifically, heavy rockers. And it’s heavy rock, for heavy rockers. Based in Linz, Austria, the double-guitar four-piece Parasol Caravan have their sound and style on lockdown, and their work, while not really keeping any secrets in terms of where it’s coming from in its ’70s-via-’90s modern take, is brought to bear with a clarity that seems particularly derived from the European heavy rock tradition. Para Solem was longer and somewhat fuzzier in tone, but the stripped down approach of the title-track at the outset and its side B counterpart, “Serpent of Time” still unfold to a swath of ground covered, whether it’s in the subdued instrumental “Acceptance” or “Transition,” which follows the driving “Blackstar” and closes the LP with a bit of a progressive metal edge. Even that has its hook, though, and that’s ultimately the point.
The title Fimbultýr translates to “mighty god” and is listed among the alternative names of Odin, which would seem to be who Oslo’s Golden Core have in mind in the leadoff title-track of their second album. Issued through Fysisk Format, it is not necessarily what one thinks of as “Viking metal” in the post-Amon Amarth or post-Enslaved context, but instead, the eight-song collection unfolds a biting modern sludge taking an edge of the earlier Mastodon lumber and bringing it to harshly-vocalized rollout. The 11-minute “Runatal” and only-seconds-shorter “Buslubben” are respective vocal points around which sides A and B of the release center, and each finds a way to give like emphasis to atmosphere and extremity, to stretch as well as pummel, and much to Golden Core‘s credit, they seem not only aware of the changes they’re presenting in their material, but in control of how and when they’re executed. The resulting linear flow of Fimbultýr, given the shifts within, isn’t to be understated as a victory on the part of the band.
Harbinger may well be just that — a sign of things to come. The debut offering from Black Smoke Omega wraps progressive death-doom and gothic piano-led atmospherics around a thematic drawing from science-fiction, and while I’m not certain of the narrative being told by the Dortmund, Germany-based band, their method for telling it is fascinating. It’s not entirely seamless in its shifts, and it doesn’t seem like the band — seemingly spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jack Nier, though Ashley James (The Antiquity) plays guitar on “A Man without a Heart” and Michael Tjanaka brings synth/piano to “Kainé” — want it to be, but there’s no denying that by the time “Falling Awake” seems to provide some melodic resolution to the often-slow-motion tumult prior, it’s doing so by bringing the different sides together. It’s a significant journey from the raw, barking shouts on “The Black Scrawl” and the lurching-into-chug-into-lurch of “The Man without a Heart” to get there, however. But this, too, seems to be on purpose. How it all might shake out feels like a question for the next release, but Black Smoke Omega seem poised here to leave heads spinning.
While on the surface, Liquid Orbit might be on familiar enough ground with Game of Promises for anyone who has encountered the swath of up-and-comers working in the wake of Blues Pills, the Bremen, Germany, five-piece distinguish themselves through not just the keyboard work of Anders alongside Andree‘s guitar, Ralf‘s bass, Steve‘s drums and Sylvia‘s vocals, but also the shifts between funk, boogie, and edges of doom that play out in songs like “Shared Pain” and “Please Let Her Go,” as well as the title-track, which starts side B of the Nasoni Records-issued vinyl with a highlight guitar solo and an insistent snare tap beneath that works to bring movement to what’s still one of Game of Promises‘ shorter tracks at six and a half minutes, as opposed to the earlier eight-minute-toppers on side A or the psych-prog finale “Verlorene Karawane,” which translates in English to “lost caravan” and indeed basks in some Mideastern vibe and backward-effects vocal swirl. Bottom line, if you go into it thinking you know everything you’re getting, you’re probably selling it short.
As the title hints, the name-your-price Black Volume III is the third EP release from Toronto’s Sun Below. All three have been issued over roughly a year’s span, and the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Jason Craig, drummer/backing vocalist Will Adams, bassist/backing vocalist Garrison Thordarson — who as far as I’m concerned wins this entire Quarterly Review when it comes to names; that’s an awesome name — and two have featured covers. On their debut, they took on “Dragonaut” by Sleep, and on Black Volume III, in following up the 12-minute nod-roller “Solar Burnout,” they thicken and further stonerize the catchy jaunt that is “Wires” by Red Fang. They’ve got, in other words, good taste. Black Volume III opens with “Green Visions” and thereby takes some righteous fart-fuzz for a walk both that and “Solar Burnout” show plenty of resi(n)dual Sleep influence, but honestly, it’s a self-releasing band with three dudes who sound like they’re having a really good time figuring out where they want to be in terms of sound after about a year from their first release, and if you ask anything else of Black Volume III than what it gives, you’re obviously lacking in context. Which is to say you’re fucking up. Don’t fuck up. Dig riffs instead.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 16th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I like to think that usually when I put something up like this, it might catch eyes from a range of people, or if not, at least I don’t have a specific person in mind. This is not one of those posts. This post is made for one person in particular, and whoever you are, you all know that person. They’re the ones who piss and moan about how everything new sucks and there’s nothing good coming out like when they were 12 or whatever and nothing is cool and blah blah blah. Everyone knows that person. Sometimes I think we’ve all been that person, but there’s never been less of an excuse for being that person than there is now. New music is everywhere. Everywhere. Not only is it waiting to be discovered, it’s pretty much throwing itself in your face and screaming “HERE I AM AND ALSO I’M PROBABLY FREE AT LEAST TO STREAM!”
Short of new music showing up at your doorstep carrying a tray of warm blueberry muffins, I find it hard to think of ways in which it could be made easier than it is in this day and age. It’s one of the fringe benefits of the apocalypse in which we reside.
Case in point, here comes Ukrainian imprint Robustfellow Productions with a 42-track/three-plus-hour label sampler bringing together past releases with exclusive songs, upcoming stuff and a whole mess of styles rammed together for your, well, sampling convenience. Frankly, if you — yes, you — make it past Eternal Elysium and Thunderchief and are still complaining there’s nothing good out there, the problem isn’t the rest of the world, but even if they’re not your thing, there’s a ton of stuff here and I won’t even pretend to know it all. It just takes the smallest amount of digging through, that’s all.
So go on. It’s waiting for you:
Robustfellow Prods. is happy to present FREE music sampler featuring finest representatives of the robust scene for the recent times. Listen to the highlights form Robustfellow’s roster., Robust Digital releases that being streaming during this year plus a preview of what’s to grab in Robust Shop for next year.
Cup of robust tea full of psychedelic, sludge, prog, stoned, grunge, death, metalcore, black metal and all the celebrated genres.
Cover artwork by ????????? ????? Design by Konstantin Bikmulin Sounds “AS IT IS”
Robustfellow Prods., 2019
Robustfellow Samper 2019 from A to Z:
Backchat [Kyiv, UA] War and Plague Cold Shell [Kyiv, UA] You Think Too Much About Death* Death Pill [Kyiv, UA] Go Your Way* Dépaysement [Kyiv, UA] Ground Arms* Doomed City (previously 5R6) [Kharkiv, UA] No Heroes Eternal Elysium-official [Nagoya, JP] Burning A Sinner* Ethereal Riffian [Kyiv, UA] Unconquerable Freeky Cleen [Kyiv, UA] Done Time* Gamardah Fungus [Dnipro, UA] Fetus Crying* House Of Flowers [Dnipro, UA] Dawn ??? [Kharkiv, UA] ??? Knifeman [Kharkiv, UA] ????? ??ntur [Kyiv, UA] ??, ???? ??????? ??????? La Horsa Bianca [Kharkiv, UA] Da cao Love’n’Joy [Kyiv, UA] Come about Merzotna Potvora [Kyiv, UA] ?erne?* ???? [Kyiv, UA] ?.?.?.?. NoT [Kharkiv, UA] A Penny (????????) ????? [Uzhgorod, UA] Ad Civitas Solis One Magic Megawatt [Kyiv, UA] Die Every Night* OOZE [Vasylkiv, UA] Backend Pustosh [Vasylkiv, UA] Nespravzhni Pyraweed [Baku, AZ] Man of the mountain Red Eyed Hyena [Ivano-Frankivsk, UA] Tale of Marvin Heemeyer Septa [Odessa, UA] The Tin Man Shiva the Destructor [Kyiv, UA] Nirvana Beach* Slice & Dice [Mykolaiv, UA] Filthy Basement Sons of Alpha Centauri [London, UK] SS Montgomery (James Plotkin Remix) stonefromthesky [Kyiv, UA] Confined Straytones [Kyiv, UA] Dark Lord Swörn [Turin, IT] Electric Saint The Anchor Stones [Kyiv, UA] Love It The COW [Kyiv, UA] PLATO The Glober [Kharkiv, UA] Space Harmony THUNDERCHIEF [Richmond, Virginia, US] Stone House Tungu [Chernihiv, UA] ???????? ?????????* Urgalia [Cherkassy, UA] GhostFloor* Volver Stone [Zhytomyr, UA] Wasteland VOVK [Kyiv, UA] The Last Ship Above the Sky Vykroutas [Kyiv, UA] ??????? ???i? – ????? ?? ?i?* Warningfog [Kyiv, UA] II. The Cow We The Censors [Kyiv, UA] Keep It Up
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 5th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
As I sit here and type this post out, I’m watching a Judiciary Committee hearing about impeaching my country’s president for his whether-they-impeach-him-or-don’t-they’re-still-shady-ass dealings with his counterpart in Ukraine. It’s not exactly thrilling television, but I kind of feel like it’s history happening and should probably be seen since, while I doubt it’s the last time it’ll happen before I’m dead — which in itself is kind of sad — it doesn’t happen all the time. At least not yet. I kind of already feel for the next Democrat elected to lead the executive branch of the US government, whoever and whenever that might happen, unless, you know, it never happens again because, well, descent into totalitarianism and all that.
Much more enjoyable, frankly, is this new EP from Vasylkiv-based heavy progressive post-rockers Ooze. It’s called Cableway and it came out yesterday through respected purveyor Robustfellow Productions. I’m not sure if it’s newly released or a reissue, or something maybe that came out earlier this year around the time they released the video for “Pillars of Creation” that you can also see below, but the news about the release came down the PR wire and I checked it out owing to my general trust in the label’s taste and dug what I heard. Simple as that. It’s a quick reminder as both sides of the debate I’m watching deify the slave owners who founded my country’s government in order to prove their disparate points, that there are many, many things that resonate beyond the reach of current events. Just at this moment, that reminder, is particularly welcome.
I don’t want any favors for posting about it.
Bottom line: We’re all screwed, but music’s still good:
Robustfellow Digital presents the debut full-length from multi-genre band OOZE
OOZE is a Vasylkiv-Kyiv multi-genre music band which is releasing its debut EP ‘Cableway’ via Robust-fellow Prods. Earlier this year the band has presented the self-released music video for the track ‘Pillars of Cretion’ which on a certain level conveys the idea of the band’s formation.
The band finds its musical style on the periphery of different heavy genres that sometimes touch ambient and symphonic soundscapes. The latter is embodied on the second, yet unreleased album of the band which can only be heard live. OOZE leaves the definition of the genre to the listeners and critics and if they have different opinions about it, it is exactly what should be expected.
Says the band: “Soon we will all meet winter, but the ooze team is not afraid to freeze due to the warmth of further news and events. We are pleased to announce the launch of joint activities with the Kiev label robustfellow – this is great news, or even a toast, and we are grateful that they shook hands on the way to common development.
“Now and immediately, we are ready to announce our first step – the long-awaited, but not forgotten: the release of the debut album titled ‘Cableway’ of the vasylkovo-Kyiv Band Ooze will be held on December 4 on all world platforms! There are 4 tracks waiting for you, each of which advocates its grotesque position and declares itself, unexpectedly complementing the organic unity of the album.”
Back in May, Ukrainian heavy rockers Ethereal Riffianpremiered the first single of their upcoming album, Legends, which was the title-track, here. With it, the Kiev-based four-piece showed a marked shift in aesthetic, adjusting the balance between the “ethereal” and the “riffian” portions of their sound to affect a much more straightforward attack than one had come to expect from their meditative, slowly unfolding contemplations prior. “Unconquerable,” which is the third single from Legends, with “Kosmic” having come out in June, follows suit in its relatively direct approach, and its chorus lyric, “No one can put the limit on fearless spirit,” summarizes the general perspective from which it’s working. The band have never been shy about stating their intentions and motivations, and clearly this time around the aim is to capture that indomitable thing in humanity that compels us to move forward, to explore and reach new places and new ideas. It is an optimistic vision of both the future and the present, perhaps written from a place of encouragement, like an existential pep talk to a world that — and I don’t think this is overstating it — only continues to feel more thoroughly fucked by the day.
I’ll forego talking about politics or culture on any grander scale — both because I find it personally exhausting and because if I had any insight into any of it, I’d probably be running for office instead of writing about Ukrainian rock videos — but yeah, it’s pretty clear that along with Ethereal Riffian‘s more grounded sound on Legends, they’re also engaging real-world issues in a straightforward manner. More power to them — as well as to the people. It can be hard when living in a moment to place it in a historical context. That is to say, everything now feels urgent because we don’t know yet to what it will lead. We see this in America with a systematic dismantling of democratic norms, and certainly the Ukraine has more than its share of conflict at present as well. That Ethereal Riffian see the line of human progression as being that — one of progress — is encouraging in itself, but as the uptempo kick of “Unconquerable” demonstrates, it’s as much a motivation for the future as well as a reflection on the past. Their aim is to tap into that very spirit and manifest it as an answer to this pivotal-seeming and undeniably troubled age.
One thing and then I’ll let you get to the video: It’s a common misconception — bred in no small part by the purposeful narrative — that Rosa Parks was just an old, tired lady on a bus who refused to move for a white man. She may indeed have been that, but she was also a civil rights activist for more than a decade at that point, and way more of a freedom fighter than the bystander history sometimes casts her as being. She was, then, even braver than she’s often credited for being. Just a thought in response to the quote below from the band.
Enjoy the video:
Ethereal Riffian, “Unconquerable” lyric video
Please welcome the third single from ‘Legends’ album.
Official lyric video for ‘Unconquerable’ from ‘Legends’ album. Video by Anastasia Homenko.
“Behind every legend, there’s a legendary act. Behind every legendary act, there’s an unconquerable spirit. Spirit devoid of any fear, doubt and indecisiveness. It’s an invisible force that made Terry Fox run 5,373 kilometers with one leg to raise awareness of cancer. It’s what inspired tender woman Rosa Parks to stand up for the rights of black people in one of the most racist states of America. It’s the inner strength that made a man in a loincloth named Gandhi to unite the Indian nation despite incredible opposition. It’s the spirit that our times need most. The spirit that awaits to be awakened in each of us.”
Thanks to: Beachfront, Magges, Tony, NASA, Motion Digital, Taylor Mefford, Simon Maldoct, Motion Places, Mark Schellenberg, Stockfootage, William Ehrendreich, Creative Film, Val Kornev Photography
Ethereal Riffian is: Val Kornev (aka Stonezilla) – guitar/vocal/lyrics Alexander Kornev (aka SAF) – bass Max Yuhimenko (aka Southman) – lead guitar Nikita Shipovskoi (aka Ship) – drums
