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Ruff Majik Touring South Africa Starting Next Week

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 9th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

ruff majik

South African good times/bad times heavy rockers Ruff Majik are set to head out on a tour of their home country beginning June 16. They go supporting The Devil’s Cattle (review here), which is only fair since it’ll be the first real domestic stint they’ve had since the album came out in 2020. Between South Africa’s pandemic situation and the band’s own goings on, that record has been waiting to get its due for a while now, even as the band — who may or may not actually be sponsored by a sunglasses company, mind you — has started work on the follow-up. They’ve gone pretty quickly from one LP to the next over the last few years, and that momentum helped them leading into The Devil’s Cattle, but of course when the world stops you kind of have to stop too or you might fall off.

In any case, glad they’re hitting it now. I have to assume a return to Europe was planned for sometime in 2020, so it could be that might happen this Fall, or maybe next year when/if that next record surfaces. I’ll take it as it comes, and in the meantime, if you didn’t check out their comic book, that’s linked below the dates as well just for fun.

From social media:

Ruff Magick Tour South Africa

Introducing: THE GREAT TREK!

Our first inaugural bi-annual tour of South Africa! (We told you we were gonna do it, we weren’t lying).

Come catch us on the road in June and July at these fantastic spots!

In association with Mongrel Records, Plug Music Agency, Marshall Music SA, M-PIRE MUSIC, Planet Karavan and No Reason Clothing!

Our fabulous shades, as always, sponsored by Pit Viper!

Amazing poster by Cic•a•trix !

Ruff Majik live:
16.06 Cape Town Woodstock Brewery Next Fest
17.06 Cape Town Open Sesame
18.06 Stellenbosch Daisy Jones Raised by Riffs
19.06 Cape Town M-Pire Records
20.06 Swellendam Karoo Saloon
22.06 Knysna Ad’s Pub
23.06 Bloemfontein Chillax
24.06 Parys The Picked Pig
25.06 Pretoria Railways Fuzigish
01.07 Johannesburg The Irish Uncle Mother’s Yndian Mynah
02.07 Durban Robsons Real Beer
03.07 Durban The Westville Warehouse
05.07 Port St. Johns Jungle Monkey
06.07 Mdumbi Mdumbi Backpackers
07.07 Morgans Bay Yellowwood Forrest Backpackers
08.07 East London Gonubie Sports Club TBC
09.07 Port Alfred Guido’s Beach Bar
10.07 Kenton on Sea The Den
14.07 St. Francis Christy’s Seafood and Grill TBC
15.07 Port Elizabeth Eddie Mac’s
16.07 J-Bay @Work Rocking Sports Bar
17.07 Cape St. Francis Joefish Restaurant at the Cape St. Francis Resort
29.07 Potchefstroom Dia Bebados

Read the next issue of PULP here: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/pulp/list?title_no=657983

http://www.ruffmajik.com
http://www.facebook.com/ruffmajik
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik

http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records

Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle (2020)

Ruff Majik, “Heart Like an Alligator” official video

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Ruff Majik Post “Heart Like an Alligator Video”; New Pulp Comic Out

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 30th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

First, you should watch Ruff Majik‘s new video for ‘Heart Like an Alligator.’ It’s fun, the song’s a ripper, and the clip ends with an almost-subtle Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference. All of two and a half minutes you will not regret spending. It’s at the bottom of this post.

When you’re done with that, read their new Pulp comic. It also doesn’t ask much of your time and delivers a product well worth the investment. Linked below too, but here it is, just to make it easy.

And after that? Well, if you haven’t gotten distracted and gone about your business, maybe had a snack or whatnot, their 2020 long-player, The Devil’s Cattle (review here), is streaming. No reason not to enjoy yourself. Make a day of it.

Really though, the clip and the comic are a good time. “Heart Like an Alligator” is the last single from The Devil’s Cattle, so here’s looking forward to new stuff to come and future issues of Pulp as well. Crowdfunding for a print edition? I’d give some cash to preorder that.

The PR wire has it all like this:

ruff majik

Ruff Majik share the animated video for Heart Like An Alligator plus new issue of PULP

South African powerhouse rock cult Ruff Majik have released the animated video for their track Heart Like and Alligator. The track will be the last single taken from their critically acclaimed 2020 full length album The Devil’s Cattle before the band start releasing new material towards the end of the year.

“The lyrics for Heart Like An Alligator were written after a long and excruciating late night slog through the streets of Berlin, somewhere in 2019. Inspiration was taken from the classic Hunter S. Thompson novel, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, and the whole song was meant to emulate the feeling of dread and encroaching doom that goes hand in hand with a night of partying (too hard).” Says vocalist and guitarist Johni Holiday.

He goes on to explain the idea behind the video – “The video was a fun animation project. Created by our long-time illustrator, Anni from Ale & Cake Illustration – it follows the story of desert trash on a psychedelic trip through a wasteland.”

Buy / Stream Heart Like An Alligator
https://orcd.co/heartlikeanalligator
https://mongrelrecords1.bandcamp.com/track/heart-like-an-alligator-2

Read the next issue of PULP here: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/pulp/list?title_no=657983

http://www.ruffmajik.com
http://www.facebook.com/ruffmajik
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records

Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle (2020)

Ruff Majik, “Heart Like an Alligator” official video

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Ruff Majik Post “Swine Tooth Grin” Video; Announce Pulp Singles & Comic Project

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Stay with me here, because this is a lot of info. First, South African heavy rockers Ruff Majik — whose own Johni Holiday has taken it upon himself to curate a series of recommendations of bands from his home country in The Obelisk Collective; thanks much to him for that — have a new video up for “Swine Tooth Grin.” Track comes from their Fall 2020 full-length, The Devil’s Cattle (review here), which is a thing you should hear if you haven’t. Album stream and new video both included at the bottom of this post. The other three videos the band has done for the record and a recent interview with Holiday are here.

Second, they’re kicking off a new series of singles and comics called Pulp. This is ultimately leading to a next long-player/graphic novel/video series in 2022, but the comics are set to come out monthly along the way (which seems ambitious), and they’re going to be doing a Kickstarter for the whole thing because, well, yeah, I should hope so.

Third, there’s another video coming out on July 30 for “Heart Like an Alligator.” That’s easy, right? Seems they’re wasting no time.

Holiday was pretty tight-lipped on upcoming projects when we did that interview, and I guess now we know why. Patience is a virtue. I look forward to seeing the comic and being a little disappointed when I don’t get to be in it.

The PR wire has all the relevant details. Here’s to the heavy lifting:

ruff majik

Ruff Majik and announce PULP, their new single and comic series of releases

There is no white magic, there is no black magic, there is only Ruff Majik. Pulp Rock fandom, here we come.

Ruff Majik has never been a band to do the same thing twice. From trying out different production styles for every release, playing mixtures of genres ranging from soul to black metal, to releasing a season-based EP series (later compiled into a full album), the band has always strived to keep themselves (and their fans) on their toes.

It should come as no surprise then that Johni Holiday has dreamt up yet another mad hatter type plan for their upcoming release.

After the release of The Devil’s Cattle in October 2020, the band found themselves at a crossroads. Ruff Majik had just increased their membership to a five piece, the album was well received critically, and sold well in terms of vinyl, but didn’t reach the lofty heights the band were aspiring to. As fate would have it, the band pressed for their first breakout release just as COVID-19 hit the world.

Says Johni: “It’s a bummer you know. We had just singed to Mongrel Records and had this festival ready album, with the best production value we’ve ever attempted, big eye-catching music videos, everything. And then the world stopped. I guess you could argue that we had a captive audience, hahaha, but I don’t think that’s completely true. The world was so oversaturated with online activity that everything just became engulfed. Too much news to follow, too many amazing artists releasing amazing productions due to their newly found time off. Just too much of everything. Being able to tour would have made a world of difference.”

The band needed to make a plan to ensure their future endeavours would generate some heat. So, what then? What is the logical step forward for a small South African band, still hell bent on world domination, but humbled by a global pandemic? Enter PULP – Ruff Majik’s rebirth, re-brand, and singles campaign. Based on the idea of early 1900’s pulp fiction magazines, which are described as:

“A genre of racy, action-based stories published in cheaply printed magazines from around 1900 to the 1950s. It got its name from the paper it was printed on. Magazines featuring such stories were typically published using cheap, ragged-edged paper made from wood pulp. These magazines were sometimes called pulps.”

Says Johni: “So then the idea hit me. I’m a consumer of all things crazy, b-grade and wonderful. Our band name even came from a failed pilot for a b-grade adaption of an H.P. Lovecraft story (Rough Magik). One thing I’ve always been very invested in was the history of pulp fiction, not the Tarantino film, but where it actually got its name from. Just these crazy stories that were printed in mass on terrible, low grade paper, that gave rise to many different genres of fiction, and were even the ancestors of comic books. I always kind of felt like that was what Ruff Majik was doing with our music, we were always playing ‘pulp rock’. It just didn’t come out regularly enough and lacked the storytelling capacity that a short novel would. So, then I thought, why not have comics? Why not have animated features to go along with the singles and give us a sense of the world around the music? Why not turn us into an animated band, like Dethklok or Gorillaz?”

Therefore, Johni set forth to create a universe of pulp literature, to go along with their music, old and new.

The new PULP series kicks of today with a web comic telling the story between their videos “Who Keeps Score” and “Swine Tooth Grin”, along with a visualizer video for “Swine Tooth Grin.” The single is the second to last to be released from their album “The Devil’s Cattle”, and features undertones of the blues with battering heavy riffs. It will also be the final single to feature a non-animated video (at least for a while).

Read first issue here: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/pulp/who-keeps-score/viewer?title_no=657983&episode_no=1

This will be followed up on the 30th of July with another interim comic and an animated music video for their single “Heart Like An Alligator”.

From there, the band plan to start releasing a monthly issue of “PULP”, which will chronicle stories from their past and future discography, released along with a range of animated music videos. The comics will feature the band, including all members and recording members, some other South African musicians, and even musicians in the greater stoner/desert/doom/rock scene.

The newest singles will form part of a full album set for release in 2022 and will be released on a monthly basis along with videos, short online comics and exclusive merch. A release date has been set for June 2022, and announcements thereof and a pre-order are said to follow “soon” (along with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign). What we do know is that the full vinyl/CD release will include multitudes of artwork, as well as a full print version of PULP with all the monthly online comics compiled into one.

If you want to keep up with the PULP chronicles, follow Ruff Majik on Webtoons, Facebook and Instagram, or check out their website for all relevant links. You can also buy merch for the current singles, with artwork centred around new PULP characters, monthly from the band’s Big Cartel storefront.

If you want to contribute to the creation of PULP, you can keep an eye out for their Kickstarter campaign which is launching soon.

If you want to contribute or assist in any other way, you can contact the band at: ruffmajik@gmail.com

The Devils Cattle is out now on Mongrel Records, available on 140g vinyl (single gatefold with splattered coloured vinyl and a pull out A2 poster) and Digipak CD via Just Direct (South Africa) and Black Farm Records (Europe / North America)
Buy // Stream The Devils Cattle: https://orcd.co/thedevilscattle

http://www.ruffmajik.com
http://www.facebook.com/ruffmajik
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records

Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle (2020)

Ruff Majik, “Swine Tooth Grin” official video

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Video Interview: Johni Holiday of Ruff Majik on Making Records, Brewing Pandemic Beer & More

Posted in Bootleg Theater on May 24th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

ruff majik

Who’s in Ruff Majik? According to Johni Holiday, founding guitarist/vocalist of the Lydenburg, South African rockers Ruff Majik, it kind of depends on the day. He definitely is. And longtime producer Evert Snyman — whose name I almost learned to pronounce correctly in the interview below — is a pretty reliable presence one way or the other. The latter was never more present than on the band’s 2020 third album, The Devil’s Cattle (review here), released last Fall, contributing to songwriting and piano and vocals as well as production, working alongside Holiday at a time when usual compatriots Jimmy Glass (bass) and Benni Manchino (drums) were separated by a strict pandemic lockdown. Somehow during this process, Ruff Majik became the five-piece you see above: HolidaySnymanGlassManchino and keyboardist/guitarist/etc.-ist Cowboy Van, and there were other players involved as well, such as Vincent Houde of Montreal’s Dopethrone turning in a guest appearance on “Born to be Bile.”

That, ultimately, is the ‘majik’ of The Devil’s Cattle — you never know quite where it’s going to head next. With influences that span decades and continents as well as styles and multiple songwriters, Ruff Majik‘s sound has never come across as broader than it does on The Devil’s Cattle, and as with many excellent albums released in the last year-plus, it’s a record that’s had to go largely unsupported. Sure, they’ve put out videos — there’s another one coming in June, so heads up on that — but to hear Holiday talk about tour plans that, in addition to Europe, might’ve brought them to the US for the first time, well, that’s a bummer. It’s a global pandemic, you feel for everybody. I tend to specifically feel for bands who put out killer records and didn’t get to hand-deliver them to audiences on tour. The truth of the matter is people are going to spend years mining stuff they missed in 2020, myself included.

Holiday talks a bit about the pandemic, including the South African government’s banning of alcohol and cigarettes during heavy lockdown — that led to him brewing his own beer, as he mentioned here last Spring — and the possibility of another wave hitting the country. But he also talks about writing the band’s next record, including with some varied points of inspiration and, yes, personnel, as well as bringing Snyman into the band itself for The Devil’s Cattle, also playing on Snyman‘s 2021 solo album, Hot Mess (review here), needing to quit smoking — c’mon, man — and more.

Though we’ve been in touch before, this was the first time Holiday and I have spoken face-to-face (as it were), and it was a good chat. I’ll look forward to talking with him about going goth next time out.

Enjoy:

Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle Interview with Johni Holiday, May 20, 2021

Ruff Majik‘s The Devil’s Cattle is out now through Mongrel Records. You can see the videos from it so far as well as stream it below.

Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle (2020)

Ruff Majik, “Lead Pills and Thrills” official video

Ruff Majik, “Who Keeps Score” official video

Ruff Majik, “All You Need is Speed” lyric video

Ruff Majik website

Ruff Majik on Facebook

Ruff Majik on Instagram

Mongrel Records website

Mongrel Records on Facebook

Mongrel Records on Instagram

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The Obelisk Presents: THE BEST OF 2020

Posted in Features on December 31st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

london-news-etching-1854-newcastle-upon-tyne

[PLEASE NOTE: These are not the results of the year-end poll, which is ongoing. If you haven’t contributed your list to the cause yet, please do so here.]

Invariably, the ultimate measure of 2020 will be in lives and livelihoods lost around the world. I have nothing to add to the discourse of the COVID-19 pandemic that others haven’t said in more articulate and precise language. Suffice it to note that 2020 was the year that the very concept of “unprecedented” itself became trite.

One does not have to look far to find positives amid the devastation. Creativity continues to flourish. Art cannot be killed. Even locked away from each other in quarantine, artists will continue to reach out, to collaborate, to fulfill the human need for expression that has driven the species since cave drawings and will no doubt be the ruins we leave behind us when we’re gone.

In underground music, it was simply overwhelming. And though I’ll admit it was hard at times to listen to music and divorce it from the larger context of what was happening in the world — it was there like a background buzz — this year reinforced how necessary music is, not only as an escape or a source of income for those who make/promote it, but as an integral component of life and community. Absences have been keenly felt.

I won’t try to sate you with platitudes, to say “things will get better.” Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. One year turning to the next does not fix broken systems and it does not cure raging plagues. It’s just a number. Arbitrary except as a convenient marker for things like this, births, deaths, and so on. Bookkeeping.

Before I turn you over to the lists: Please be kind in the comments if you choose to leave one. To me. To other people. To yourself. These lists are culled from my listening preference and what I consider of critical importance. But I’m one person. If there’s something you feel has been left out, say so. I ask you only to do so in a spirit of friendship rather than argument. Thank you in advance.

ukmedsnorx.com/zopiclone
ukmedsnorx.com/zolpidem

Okay:

The Top 50 Albums of 2020

#50-31

50. Sun Crow, Quest for Oblivion
49. Atramentus, Stygian
48. Arcadian Child, Protopsycho
47. Fuzz, III
46. Jointhugger, I Am No One
45. Dirt Woman, The Glass Cliff
44. Switchblade Jesus, Death Hymns
43. Foot, The Balance of Nature Shifted
42. Hymn, Breach Us
41. IAH, III
40. Lord Fowl, Glorious Babylon
39. Acid Mess, Sangre de Otros Mundos
38. 1000mods, Youth of Dissent
37. Deathwhite, Grave Image
36. Soldati, Doom Nacional
35. Cortez, Sell the Future
34. Kadavar, The Isolation Tapes
33. Black Rainbows, Cosmic Ritual Supertrip
32. Shadow Witch, Under the Shadow of a Witch
31. Insect Ark, The Vanishing

Notes: To say nothing of the honorable mentions that follow the rest of the list below, immediately we see the problem of so-many-albums-not-enough-space. People talk about a top 50 as ridiculous, like there’s no way you can like that much music. Bullshit. I agonized over how to fit Sun Crow on this list because their Quest for Oblivion felt like it deserved to be here. Ditto that for Arcadian Child. And the achievements of bands like Kadavar, 1000mods and Switchblade Jesus and Insect Ark in breaking the boundaries of their own aesthetics deserve every accolade they can get, and likewise those who progressed in their sound like Cortez, Shadow Witch, Lord Fowl, Hymn, Foot, Black Rainbows, Deathwhite and IAH. Add to that the debuts from Atramentus, Dirt Woman, Jointhugger, Acid Mess and Sergio Ch.’s Soldati, and you’ve got a batch of 20 records — some born of this year’s malaise, some working in spite of it — that vary in sound but are working to push their respective styles to new places one way or the other.

30. High Priestess, Casting the Circle

high priestess casting the circle

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed May 5.

There was no shortage of anticipation for what L.A. cultists High Priestess would do to follow their 2018 self-titled debut (review here), and the three-piece did not disappoint, instead gave a ritual mass that included the 17-minute concept piece “Invocation” alongside infectious and ethereal melodies like “The Hourglass.” And now that the circle’s been cast? Seems like they can do anything.

29. Polymoon, Caterpillars of Creation

Polymoon Caterpillars of Creation

Released by Svart Records. Reviewed Oct. 12.

High-powered cosmic metal from Finland pulling apart heavy psychedelia on an atomic level with an urgency that speaks of youth, progress and an ingrained need for exploration? Sign me up. A lot of bands on this list put out their first album this year. There are few for whom my hopes are as high as they are for Polymoon. If you haven’t yet heard Caterpillars of Creation, do.

28. Sons of Otis, Isolation

Sons of Otis Isolation

Released by Totem Cat Records. Reviewed Sept. 30.

Of the sundry horrors 2020 wrought, a new album from long-running Toronto three-piece Sons of Otis was an unexpected positive, and their ultra-spaced, murky riffs on their first studio album since 2012’s Seismic (review here, also here) launched like a slow-motion escape pod of righteous doom (s)tonality. There will never be another Sons of Otis. Be thankful for everything you get from them.

27. Lamp of the Universe, Dead Shrine

Lamp of the Universe Dead Shrine

Released by Projection Records. Reviewed May 25.

Organ, Mellotron, sitar, acoustic and electric guitars, various percussion elements, and of course the inimitable fragility in Craig Williamson‘s voice itself — the ingredients for Lamp of the Universe‘s Dead Shrine were familiar enough for those familiar with the one-man outfit running more than two decades, but the lush acid folk created remains a standout the world over. Dead Shrine was a much-needed gift of peace and meditation.

26. BleakHeart, Dream Griever

bleakheart dream griever

Released by Sailor Records. Reviewed Nov. 18.

The debut album from Colorado’s BleakHeart collected pieces united by melody and overarching atmosphere, positioned stylistically somewhere around heavygaze or heavy post-rock, but feeling less limited to genre bounds than some others working in a similar sphere. As a first outing, it brought a promise of things to come even as the depths of its mix seemed to swallow the listener entirely, equal parts serving claustrophobia and escapism.

25. Pale Divine, Consequence of Time

Pale Divine Consequence of Time

Released by Cruz Del Sur Music. Reviewed June 3.

There is not enough space here to properly commend Pale Divine founding guitarist/vocalist Greg Diener on how much he opened up the band by bringing in his and drummer Darin McCloskey‘s former Beelzefuzz bandmate Dana Ortt on shared guitar, vocal and songwriting duties. Completed by Ron “Fezz” McGinnis on bass/vocals, Pale Divine are a refreshed and ready powerhouse of American traditional doom.

24. Uncle Woe, Phantomescence

uncle woe phantomescence

Released by Packard Black Productions. Reviewed Oct. 21.

One is going to have to get used to the idea of Uncle Woe residing in the places between, I think. An inward-looking cosmic doom that’s likewise morose and reaching, opaque and translucent, Phantomescence could be almost troubling in its feeling of off-kilter expression. Yet that’s exactly what multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Rain Fice was going for. Thriving on contradiction, exploratory, and individualized. Start from doom, move outward.

23. REZN, Chaotic Divine

rezn chaotic divine

Released by Off the Record Label. Reviewed Oct. 15.

I don’t feel like I’m cool enough to offer any substantive comment on what Chicago’s REZN do, but their sax-laced heavy psychedelia comes across warm and is invitingly languid while still delivered with a sense of energy and purpose. It rolls and you want to roll with it, so you do. They were clearly hurt by not being able to tour this year, as were audiences for not seeing them. Call them neo-stoner metal or whatever you want, these songs deserve to be played live.

22. Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle

ruff majik the devils cattle

Released by Mongrel Records. Reviewed Oct. 29.

A revamped lineup for South African desert-ish heavy rockers Ruff Majik brought producer Evert Snyman in as co-conspirator with frontman/principal songwriter Johni Holiday, and found the former trio working as a five-piece with a broader sound underscored by an electric sense of purpose and willingness to push themselves to places they hadn’t gone before. Their third record, it seemed as well to be a new beginning, and they met the challenge head-on.

21. Curse the Son, Excruciation

Curse The Son Excruciation

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed June 8.

The underheralded children of rolling fuzz riffage, Connecticut’s Curse the Son found new depths of emotion to bring to Excruciation — and I do mean “depths.” Dark times for dark times. Fueled by personal hardship, turmoil, motorcycle accidents and a pervasive sense of struggle, the LP was nonetheless a triumph of their songwriting and brought new melodic character to their established largesse of tone. Your loss if you missed it.

20. The Atomic Bitchwax, Scorpio

The Atomic Bitchwax Scorpio

Released by Tee Pee Records. Reviewed Aug. 26.

Business as usual in ferocious heavy/speed rock from The Atomic Bitchwax on Scorpio — and that was only reassuring since the band’s eighth full-length marked the first since the departure of guitarist/vocalist Finn Ryan and his replacing with Garrett Sweeny, a bandmate of founding bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik and drummer Bob Pantella in Monster Magnet. They barely stopped to cool their heels and yet still managed to be catchy as hell. How do they do it? Jersey Magic.

19. Cinder Well, No Summer

cinder well no summer

Released by Free Dirt Records. Reviewed July 21.

Such pervasive melancholy could only be derived from Irish folk, and so it was on Cinder Well‘s No Summer, which managed to move between singer-songwriter minimalism from Amelia Baker and arrangements of deceptive and purposeful intricacy. Wherever it went, from traditional songs “Wandering Boy” and “The Cuckoo” to originals like “Fallen” and the nine-minute “Our Lady’s,” it was equal parts gorgeous and sad and resonant. It remains so, despite the fleeting season.

18. Pallbearer, Forgotten Days

pallbearer forgotten days

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Dec. 24.

Their fourth album and first since crossing the decade-mark since their inception, Pallbearer‘s Forgotten Days wasn’t just heavy, emotional or big-sounding; it was the most their-own of anything they’ve done. It felt exactly like the record they wanted it to be, and reconfirmed that the generation of listeners being introduced to doom by their music is going to be just fine if they follow the cues laid out for them here.

17. Slift, Ummon

slift ummon

Released by Stolen Body and Vicious Circle Records. Reviewed March 26.

Less a reinvention of space rock than a kick in its ass, Slift‘s Ummon pushed well past the line of manageability at 72 minutes and reveled in that. The French outfit were greeted as liberators when they released the album, and with the way the respect has been maintained in the months since they’ve given themselves a high standard to meet, but there’s only promise to be heard as you get lost in the nebular wash of this sprawling 2LP. They’ll have two more records out before this one’s fully digested.

16. My Dying Bride, The Ghost of Orion

my dying bride the ghost of orion

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Feb. 25.

The first album in half a decade from long-established UK death-doom forebears My Dying Bride found vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe coping with his daughter’s cancer diagnosis and translating that into the morose poetry for which the band is so well known and with which they’ve been so influential. My Dying Bride has never wanted for sincerity, but to call them affecting here would be underselling the quality of their craft and the heart they put into it. Follow-up EP is already out with extra non-album tracks.

15. Causa Sui, Szabodelico

causa sui Szabodelico

Released by El Paraiso Records. Reviewed Nov. 11.

Denmark’s Causa Sui may be on a mission to unite jazz and heavy psychedelia — and blessings on them for that — but the mellow jammy vibes they conjured on Szabodelico only emphasized how much it’s the character of what they do and the chemistry they’ve brought as bandmates that has allowed them to branch thusly in terms of aesthetic. It was the kind of album you wanted to put on again even before it was over, and its sweet instrumentals felt born to a greater timeline than a single year can encompass.

14. All Souls, Songs for the End of the World

All Souls Songs for the End of the World

Self-released. Reviewed Sept. 21.

I’m not a punk rocker, but All Souls make me wish I was. Their emotive and engaged heavy rock looks out as much as in on Songs for the End of the World — their second LP behind a 2018 self-titled debut (review here) — but it’s undeniably punk in its foundation, and what the four-piece of Antonio Aguilar and Meg Castellanos (both ex-Totimoshi), Erik Trammell (Black Elk) and Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson) have put together builds on that in exciting, inventive and individualized ways, while staying nonetheless true to its roots.

13. Kind, Mental Nudge

kind mental nudge

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Oct. 20.

Five years after their debut album, Rocket Science (review here), Boston four-piece Kind return with Mental Nudge. And despite the different situations in which it finds the band’s members — bassist Tom Corino is now ex-Rozamov, drummer Matt Couto now ex-Elder — the group’s focus remains on carving memorable, mostly structured tracks out of ethereal heavy psychedelia, guitarist Darryl Shepard (Milligram, etc.) and vocalist Craig Riggs (RoadsawSasquatch, etc.) adding space and melody to the crunching, driving grooves.

12. Molassess, Through the Hollow

Molassess Through the Hollow

Released by Season of Mist. Featured Aug. 17.

Founded by vocalist Farida Lemouchi (ex-The Devil’s Blood) and guitarist Oeds Beydals (ex-Death Alley, also ex-The Devil’s Blood) and commissioned as a project for Roadburn Festival 2019 (review here), Molassess are inextricably tied to Lemouchi‘s groundbreaking former outfit and its tragic ending, but the musical branching out into darkened progressive textures on Through the Hollow isn’t to be understated. It was an album that pushed past the past, not overlooking it, but finding new ways of moving forward in life and sound.

11. Tony Reed, Funeral Suit

tony reed funeral suit

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Sept. 28.

While of course the Mos Generator frontman is no stranger to writing or recording on his own, Funeral Suit was Tony Reed‘s debut as a solo artist and it carried his progressive stamp in melody and arrangement. It was not just a guitarist playing acoustic instead of electric, and it was not a manifestation of self-indulgence. Whether it was reworking a Mos Generator song like “Lonely One Kenobi” or pursuing a new piece like the title-track or “Waterbirth,” Reed found balance between personal and audience, evoking traditional songsmithing even as he reminded listeners of his dual role as a producer.

10. Geezer, Groovy

Geezer Groovy

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed May 18.

Spectacular showing from Kingston kingpins Geezer with Groovy as their first offering for Heavy Psych Sounds. Led by guitarist/vocalist Pat Harrington, the three-piece brought material that flowed with the organic feel of jams despite being structured and catchy songs. In pieces like “Dead Soul Scroll” and “Drowning on Empty,” they melded stonerized groove with what felt like genuine emotional expression, and “Dig” and “Groovy” still managed to be a heavy fuzz-blues party. And they still had room at the end to jam out on “Slide Mountain” and “Black Owl.” It was nothing but a win, rising to the occasion on every level.

9. Big Scenic Nowhere, Vision Beyond Horizon

big scenic nowhere vision beyond horizon

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed Jan. 29.

So Bob Balch from Fu Manchu and Gary Arce from Yawning Man have a band. They get Tony Reed from Mos Generator on board. Mario Lalli from Yawning Man/Fatso Jetson comes and goes. Nick Oliveri comes and goes. Bill Stinson from Yawning Man plays drums. Alain Johannes sits in on vocals. Reed does a bunch of vocals; his kid does a track too. Per Wiberg from Spiritual Beggars, Opeth, Candlemass, etc., lends some keys. What do you call such a thing? Who cares? You call yourself lucky it exists. They called the record Vision Beyond Horizon. Can’t wait to find out what they call the next one.

8. Elder, Omens

elder omens

Released by Armageddon Shop and Stickman Records. Reviewed April 27.

Omens marked a new beginning for Elder as the band pushed deeper into the realm of progressive rock and beyond their weightier beginnings. The arrival of Georg Edert (also Gaffa Ghandi) on drums in place of Matt Couto shifted the band’s dynamic in a number of ways, providing not a swinging anchor for the rhythm section necessarily, but another avenue of prog fluidity. Bassist Jack Donovan brought a steady presence in the low end as guitarist/vocalist Nick DiSalvo and guitarist/keyboardist Mike Risberg embarked on new melodic explorations while staying loyal to the band’s established penchant for sweeping changes. Omens may live up to its name as a sign of things to come, but either way, it was a strong display of the band’s will to pursue new ideas and methods.

7. Forming the Void, Reverie

forming the void reverie

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed April 15.

First words that come to mind here: “eminently listenable.” With seven tracks and 36 minutes, Reverie may not have taken up much of your afternoon… once. But by the time you gave it its proper respect and listened through three times in a row, the situation was somewhat different. The Lafayette, Louisiana, four-piece gracefully brought together structured songwriting with proggier leanings and were able to bring together rampaging hooks like “Trace the Omen” and “Manifest,” casting a sense of sonic hugeness without forgetting to add either melody or personality along with that. The band — who here welcomed bassist Thorn Letulle alongside guitarist/vocalist James Marshall, guitarist Shadi Omar Al-Khansa and drummer Thomas Colley — have worked quickly and evolved with a sense of urgency. Is Reverie the goal or another step on that path?

6. Grayceon, MOTHERS WEAVERS VULTURES

grayceon mothers weavers vultures

Released by Translation Loss Records. Reviewed Nov. 18.

Vocalist/cellist Jackie Perez Gratz (interview here), guitarist Max Doyle and drummer Zack Farwell comprise Grayceon, and with their fifth record, the band looks around thematically at environmental devastation through the lens of record-breaking California wildfires from their vantage point in the Bay Area. Even as the world shifted priorities (at least most of it did) to yet another global crisis in the COVID-19 pandemic, genre-melting-pot songs like “Diablo Wind,” “The Lucky Ones,” and “This Bed” reminded of the horrors humanity has wrought on its battered home, and still managed to find hope and serenity in “And Shine On” and “Rock Steady,” a closing duo that shifted to a more personal discussion of family and one’s hope for a better future for and by the next generation. 2020 had plenty of horror. At least we got a new Grayceon record out of it.

5. Brant Bjork, Brant Bjork

brant bjork brant bjork

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed April 28.

When Sho’Nuff asked Bruce Leroy “who’s the master?,” dude should’ve said Brant Bjork. It would’ve been a confusing end to Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, but ultimately more accurate, as Brant Bjork‘s homegrown kung fu was unfuckwithable as ever on the album that shares his name. After two decades of solo releases in one form or another, Bjork is not just a pivotal figurehead for desert rock, he’s a defining presence, as well as one of its most treasured practitioners. Brant Bjork, the album, brought initial waves of funk in “Jungle in the Sound,” explored weedy worship in “Mary (You’re Such a Lady)” and toyed with religious dogma in offsetting that with “Jesus Was a Bluesman” while still tossing primo hooks in “Duke of Dynamite” and “Shitkickin’ Now” ahead of the more open “Stardust and Diamond Eyes” and the acoustic closer “Been So Long.” With Bjork recording all the instruments himself, a due feeling of intimacy resulted, and yet he still found a way to make it rock. How could it be otherwise?

4. Enslaved, Utgard

enslaved utgard

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Sept. 29.

Why do I feel the immediate need to defend this pick? I’m not sure. Norway’s Enslaved are an institution, not just of black metal, but of bringing an ideology of creative growth to that style that often willfully resists it. They are iconoclastic even unto their own work. Utgard was released as the band stood on the precipice of 30 years together and yet it stood as their most forward-looking offering yet, as co-founders Grutle Kjellson (bass/vocals) and Ivar Bjørnson (guitar/sometimes vocals), as well as longtime lead guitarist Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal backed up the change from 2017’s E (review here) that brought in new keyboardist/vocalist Hakon Vinje with the incorporation of drummer Iver Sandøy, who doubles as a vocalist (and triples as a producer). The “new blood” made all the difference on Utgard, allowing Enslaved to piece together new ranges of melody in their work and offset instrumental shifts into and out of krautrock-derived progressions. Simply the work of a band outdoing itself from a band who does so at nearly every opportunity.

3a. Colour Haze, We Are

colour haze we are

Released by Elektrohasch Schallplatten and Ripple Music. Reviewed Dec. 3, 2019.

Every year I allow myself one addendum pick, and this is it. We Are was on last year’s list because it was digitally released, but the vinyl came out this year and it received its North American release this year as well, so it seemed only right to acknowledge that. So here it is in its proper place.

3. All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal

All-Them-Witches-Nothing-as-the-Ideal

Released by New West Records. Reviewed Sept. 3.

This is a band controlling their own narrative. Instead of Nothing as the Ideal being ‘the one they made as a three-piece,’ the Nashville outfit decided to make it ‘the one they recorded at Abbey Road.’ Were they thinking of it on those terms? Yeah, likely not, but it goes to demonstrate all the same just how much of themselves All Them Witches put into what they do musically, since not only are they continuing to refine and define and undefine their approach, but they’re setting the terms on which they do it. Each of their records has been a response to the one prior, but that conversation has never been so direct as to make them predictable. So what are they chasing? Apparently nothing. I’m not entirely sure I buy that as a complete answer, but I am sure I love these songs and the experiments with tape loops and other sounds that fill these spaces. Whatever they do next — or even if nothing — their run has been incredible and exciting and one only hopes their influence continues to spread over the next however many years.

2. Elephant Tree, Habits

elephant tree habits

Released by Deathwish Inc.. Reviewed April 13.

There was a high standard set by Elephant Tree‘s 2016 self-titled debut (review here), but their second LP, Habits, surpassed even the loftiest of expectations. With vocals centered around harmonies from guitarist Jack Townley and bassist Peter Holland, the former trio completed by drummer Sam Hart brought in guitarist/keyboardist John Slattery (also sometimes vocals), and the resultant breadth gave the material on Habits spaciousness beyond even what the first album promised. Drifting, rolling, unflinchingly melodic and somehow present even in its own escapism, Habits was not just an early highlight for a rough 2020, but a comforting presence throughout, and the further one dug into tracks like “Sails,” “Exit the Soul,” “Faceless,” “Wasted” and the acoustic “The Fall Chorus,” the more there was to find — let alone “Bird,” which I’ll happily put against anything else one might propose for song of the year. As their former UK label crumbled, Habits emerged unscathed and Elephant Tree‘s future continues to shine with ever more hope for things to come. Being able to say that about anything feels like a relief.

2020 Album of the Year

1. Lowrider, Refractions

Lowrider Refractions

Released by Blues Funeral Recordings. Reviewed Jan. 24.

Twenty years ago, Sweden’s Lowrider put out what would become a heavy rock landmark in their 2000 debut, Ode to Io (reissue review here). A follow-up years in the making even after the band got back together to play Desertfest in London (review here) and Berlin in 2013, Refractions first saw limited release in 2019 as part of Blues Funeral‘s PostWax series (discussed here), but its proper arrival was in early 2020, and there was really no looking back after that. It wasn’t just the novelty of a new Lowrider album that made Refractions such a joy, but the manner in which the band went about its work. There was no pretending that 20 years didn’t happen. There was no attempt to recapture the bottled lightning that was the first record, and Lowrider did not sound like a band “making a comeback” rife with expectations and fan-service. Refractions acknowledged the legacy of Ode to Io, sure enough, but as a step toward adding to it in meaningful and engaging ways. The songs — “Red River,” “Ode to Ganymede,” “Sernanders Krog,” “Ol’ Mule Pepe,” “Sun Devil/M87” and the 11-minute finale “Pipe Rider” — were fashioned without pretense and came across as the organic output of a band with nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. They made it their own. In a wretched year, Lowrider shined.

The Top 50 Albums of 2020: Honorable Mention

Yeah, okay. There are a lot of these, so buckle in. Last year I just threw out a list of bands. This year I’m a little more organized, so here are bands and records alphabetically.

Across Tundras, LOESS ~ LÖSS
Across Tundras, The Last Days of a Silver Rush
Alain Johannes, Hum
Arboretum, Let it All In
Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin, Stygian Bough Vol. 1
Black Helium, The Wholly Other
Boris, No
Brimstone Coven, The Woes of a Mortal Earth
CB3, Aeons
Celestial Season, The Secret Teachings
Crippled Black Phoenix, Ellengæst
Cruthu, Athrú Crutha
Domo, Domonautas Vol. 2
DOOL, Summerland
Dopelord, Sign of the Devil
Dwaal, Gospel of the Vile
Elder Druid, Golgotha
Ellis Munk Ensemble, San Diego Sessions
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, May Our Chambers Be Full
EMBR, 1823
Familiars, All in Good Time
Forlesen, Hierophant Violent
Galactic Cross, Galactic Cross
The Heavy Eyes, Love Like Machines
Hum, Inlet
Human Impact, Human Impact
Humulus, The Deep
Jupiterian, Protosapien
Kariti, Covered Mirrors
Khan, Monsoons
Kingnomad, Sagan Om Ryden
King Witch, Body of Light
Kryptograf, Kryptograf
Light Pillars, Light Pillars
Lord Buffalo, Tohu Wa Bohu
Lord Loud, Timid Beast
Lotus Thief, Oresteia
Malsten, The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill
Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter
Motorpsycho, The All is One
Mountain Tamer, Psychosis Ritual
Mr. Bison, Seaward
Mrs. Piss, Self-Surgery
Mugstar, GRAFT
Murcielago, Casualties
Oranssi Pazuzu, Mestarin Kynsi
Paradise Lost, Obsidian
Parahelio, Surge Evelia Surge
The Pilgrim, …From the Earth to the Sky and Back
Pretty Lightning, Jangle Bowls
Psychlona, Venus Skytrip
Puta Volcano, AMMA
Ritual King, Ritual King
River Cult, Chilling Effect
Rrrags, High Protein
Shores of Null, Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying)
Sigiriya, Maiden – Mother – Crone
Six Organs of Admittance, Companion Rises
16, Dream Squasher
Slomosa, Slomosa
Somnus Throne, Somnus Throne
Steve Von Till, No Wilderness Deep Enough
Stone Machine Electric, The Inexplicable Vibrations of Frequencies Within the Cosmic Netherworld
Sumac, May You Be Held
Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Red Tide
Temple of Void, The World That Was
The Kings of Frog Island, VI
Tia Carrera, Tried and True
Turtle Skull, Monoliths
Uffe Lorenzen, Magisk Realisme
Ulcerate, Stare Into Death and Be Still
Vessel of Light, Last Ride
Vestal Claret, Vestal Claret
Vinnum Sabbathi, Of Dimensions and Theories
Wight, Spank the World
Wino, Forever Gone
Yatra, All is Lost
Yuri Gagarin, The Outskirts of Reality

By no means is that list exhaustive. And to look at stuff like Psychlona, Oranssi Pazuzu, Wight, Wino, Puta Volcano, Kingnomad, Ellis Munk Ensemble, Paradise Lost, Alain Johannes, Arbouretum, Uffe Lorenzen, Tia Carrera — on and on and on — I can definitely see where arguments are to be made for records that should’ve been in the list proper. I can only go with what feels right to me at the time.

Together with the top 50, this makes over 110 albums in the best of 2020. If you find yourself needing something to hang your hat on, be glad you’re alive to witness this much excellent music coming out.

Debut Album of the Year

Molassess, Through the Hollow

Molassess Through the Hollow

Other notable debuts (alphabetically):

Atramentus, Stygian
Bethmoora, Thresholds
BleakHeart, Dream Griever
Crystal Spiders, Molt
Dirt Woman, The Glass Cliff
Dwaal, Gospel of the Vile
Electric Feat, Electric Feat
Familiars, All in Good Time
Galactic Cross, Galactic Cross
Human Impact, Human Impact
Jointhugger, I Am No One
Light Pillars, Light Pillars
Love Gang, Dead Man’s Game
Malsten, The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill
Might, Might
Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter
Mrs. Piss, Self-Surgery
Parahelio, Surge Evelia Surge
Polymoon, Caterpillars of Creation
Ritual King, Ritual King
SEA, Impermanence
Slomosa, Slomosa
Soldati, Doom Nacional
Somnus Throne, Somnus Throne
SpellBook, Magick & Mischief
Spirit Mother, Cadets
Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Red Tide
The Crooked Whispers, Satanic Melodies
White Dog, White Dog

Notes: I sparred with myself every step of the way here. The last couple years I’ve tried to give the top-debut spot to not just a new band, but a new presence. Green Lung, King Buffalo, etc. Molassess, with members from The Devil’s Blood, Death Alley and Astrosoniq, isn’t exactly that. So what do I do? Do I go with something newer like Polymoon, Dirt Woman, BleakHeart, SEA, White Dog or The Crooked Whispers, or something with more established players like Molassess, Soldati, or even Light Pillars?

In the end, what made the difference was not just how brilliant the songs on Molassess’ Through the Hollow, but how honestly the band confronted the legacy they were up against. The songs had a familiar haunting presence, but they were also moving ahead to somewhere new. It was that blend of old and new ideas, and the resonant feeling of emotional catharsis — as well as the sheer immersion that took place while listening — that ultimately made the decision. Turns out I just couldn’t escape it.

And why not a list? Because this feels woefully inadequate as it is. I reviewed over 250 records this year one way or another — and that’s a conservative estimate — but a lot gets lost in the shuffle and somehow it just seemed wrong this time around to call something the 13th best first record of the year. I wanted to highlight the special achievement that was the Molassess album, but really, all of these records kicked my ass one way or the other.

Short Release of the Year 2020

King Buffalo, Dead Star

King Buffalo Dead Star

Other notable EPs, Splits, Demos, etc.:

Big Scenic Nowhere, Lavender Blues
Coma Wall, Ursa Minor
Conan/Deadsmoke, Doom Sessions Vol. 1
Fu Manchu, Fu30 Pt. 1
Grandpa Jack, Trash Can Boogie
Howling Giant/Sergeant Thunderhoof, Masamune/Muramasa (split)
Oginalii, Pendulum
Kings Destroy, Floods
Lament Cityscape, The Old Wet
Limousine Beach, Stealin’ Wine +2
Merlock, That Which Speaks
Monte Luna, Mind Control Broadcast
Mos Generator/Di’Aul, Split
Pimmit Hills, Heathens & Prophets
Rito Verdugo, Post-Primatus
Rocky Mtn Roller, Rocky Mtn Roller
Spaceslug, Leftovers
10,000 Years, 10,000 Years
The White Swan, Nocturnal Transmission
Thunderbird Divine, The Hand of Man
Witchcraft, Black Metal

Notes: If you were wondering why King Buffalo’s Dead Star (review here) wasn’t on the big list, this is why. It was pitched to me as an EP and that’s how I’m classifying it. I’m taking the out. Is it an EP? Not really, but neither is it a full-length album, given its experimental nature and focus around its extended two-part title-track. Whatever it was, it was the best that-thing, and this is the category where such things go.

Again, tough choices after King Buffalo. Thunderbird Divine’s EP was wonderfully funk-blasted and woefully short (new album, please). The newly-issued Spaceslug EP branches out their sound in fascinating ways as a result of the lockdown. Witchcraft’s acoustic EP, Coma Wall’s EP and Big Scenic Nowhere’s EP all signaled good things to come, and Howling Giant’s split with Sergeant Thunderhoof was a highlight of the most recent Quarterly Review. There really isn’t a bummer on the list there, from the bitter psych of Oginalii to the industrial metal of Lament Cityscape, the unadulterated riffery of Merlock to the live-captured rawness of Monte Luna.

So again, why no list? Same answer. I want to highlight the progression King Buffalo made in their sound and leave room open elsewhere for things I missed. Please let me know what in the comments. Cordially.

Live Album of the Year 2020

Yawning Man, Live at Giant Rock

yawning man live at giant rock

Other notable live releases:

Ahab, Live Prey
Amenra, Mass VI Live
Arcadian Child, From Far, for the Wild (Live in Linz)
Author and Punisher, Live 2020 B.C.
Cherry Choke, Raising Salzburg Rockhouse
Dead Meadow, Live at Roadburn 2011
Dirty Streets, Rough and Tumble
Electric Moon, Live at Freak Valley Festival 2019
Kadavar, Studio Live Session Vol. 1
King Buffalo, Live at Freak Valley
Monte Luna, Mind Control Broadcast
Orange Goblin, Rough & Ready: Live and Loud
Øresund Space Collective, Sonic Rock Solstice 2019
Pelican, Live at the Grog Shop
SEA, Live at ONCE
Sumac, St Vitus 09/07/2018
Sun Blood Stories, (a)Live and Alone at Visual Arts Collective
Temple Fang, Live at Merleyn
YOB, Pickathon 2019 – Live From the Galaxy Barn

Notes: In this wretched year (mostly) void of live music, marked by canceled tours and festivals, the live album arguably played a more central role than it ever has, whether it was a band trying to keep momentum up following or leading into a studio release, taking advantage of the emergence of the Bandcamp Friday phenomenon or just trying to maintain some connection to their fans and the process of taking a stage. Or even playing in a room together. Or not a room. Anything. What was once a tossoff, maybe an afterthought companion piece became an essential worker of the listening experience.

You might accuse desert rock progenitors Yawning Man of playing to their base with Live at Giant Rock (featured here), and if so, fine. At no point in the last 50 years has that base more needed playing-to. And in the absence of shows, being able to hear (and watch, in the case of the accompanying video) Yawning Man go out to the landscape that spawned them and engage with their music was a beautiful moment of reconciliation. An exhale for the converted that didn’t fill one with empty promises of better tomorrows or tours to come, but served to remind what’s so worth preserving about the spirit of live music in the first place. The fact that anything can happen. A replaced note here, a tuning change there — these things can make not just an evening, but memories that go beyond shows, tours, to touch our lives.

There were a ton of live records this year. Some were benefits for worthy causes between saving venues, Black Lives Matter, voting rights organizations, and so on. And whether these were new performances from captured livestreams (Monte Luna, Kadavar) or older gigs that had been sitting around waiting for release at some point (Sumac, Dead Meadow), this, very much, was that point, and these live offerings kept burning a fire that felt at times very much in danger of being extinguished.

Looking Ahead to 2021

A list of bands. Some confirmed releases, some not. Here goes:

Dread Sovereign, Sasquatch, Year of Taurus, Apostle of Solitude, Weedpecker, Borracho, Love Gang, Jointhugger, Demon Head, Iron Man, Greenleaf, Samsara Blues Experiment, The Mammathus, Evert Snyman, Wo Fat, Conclave, Here Lies Man, Kabbalah, Komatsu, Hour of 13, Wedge, Amenra, La Chinga, Spidergawd, Wolves in the Throne Room, Vokonis, Freedom Hawk, Masters of Reality, ZOM, Eyehategod, Sanhedrin, Green Lung, The Mountain King, Albatross Overdrive, Elder, King Buffalo, Sunnata, Howling Giant, SAVER, Conan, Slomatics, Ruff Majik, Kind, Mos Generator, Yawning Sons, Lantlôs, Brant Bjork, Spiral Grave, Crystal Spiders, Lightning Born, Samavayo, Wovenhand, Merlock, Comet Control, The Age of Truth, Eight Bells, BlackWater Holylight, DVNE, Monte Luna.

Thank You

You’ve read enough, so I will do my best to keep this mercifully short. Thank you so much for reading — whether you still are or not — and thank you for being a part of the ongoing project that is The Obelisk. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have such incredible support throughout not just this year, but all the years of the site’s existence. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you most of all to The Patient Mrs. for her indulgence in letting me get this done. I’m amazed forever.

More to come.

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Review & Full Album Premiere: Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on October 29th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

ruff majik the devils cattle

[Click play above to stream Ruff Majik’s The Devil’s Cattle in full. Album is out Oct. 30 on Mongrel Records and can be ordered here: https://orcd.co/thedevilscattle]

Well then. With their first offering for new imprint Mongrel Records, The Devil’s Cattle, South African heavy rockers Ruff Majik not only complete a three-albums-in-three-years trilogy, but they do so by working at a completely new level in terms of their craft and composition. Formerly the trio of guitarist/vocalist Johni Holiday, bassist Jimmy Glass and drummer Benni Manchino, the lineup has now expanded to a five-piece to include keyboardist/backing vocalist Cowboy Van (also guitar, bass, harmonica on the LP) and guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Evert Snyman, who also produced and mixed the band’s first two full-lengths, 2019’s Tårn (review here) and 2018’s Seasons (review here), and returns to that role here as well.

Perhaps even more crucially, Snyman and Holiday seem to share songwriting duties throughout, and with swaps back and forth in lead vocals like that of “Lead Pills and Thrills,” and shifts in instrumentation between fuzzed-addled guitar, various keys and piano, periodic samples, etc., it’s hard to judge whether The Devil’s Cattle is more brazen in the step forward it takes conceptually or in all-out speed rockers like the opener “All You Need is Speed” — which, suitably enough, begins with tires peeling out — and subsequent thrusters “Heart Like an Alligator,” “Jolly Rodger,” “Who Keeps Score” and “Trading Blows.”

All told, the 13-track offering tops 51 minutes, which is an uptick from Tårn‘s unassuming 36, but Ruff Majik legitimately sound like a band with plenty to say, and as Holiday and Snyman play off each other as creative foils, the dynamic that emerges — as well as some of the tones, rush, arrangements, and Ale and Cake Illustration cover art — recalls Queens of the Stone Age circa Songs for the Deaf, with The Devil’s Cattle benefiting in a similar fashion from the multiple-personalities behind its songwriting. Who’s Oliveri and who’s Homme and who’s Mark Lanegan in all that mix seems to depend on the track — and when they slam into the scream-topped sludge of the seven-minute “Born to be Bile” late in the proceedings (a seeming sequel to “Seasoning the Witch” from the last record), nobody’s anybody — but most important of all is that as Ruff Majik have entered this next stage of growth, they’ve accorded themselves creative freedom to coincide.

Having previously handled all writing on his own, Holiday opening the floor to give any space whatsoever for Snyman for anyone else in that regard is a huge decision in terms of how The Devil’s Cattle plays out, whether it’s early mid-tempo groovers like “Swine Tooth Grin” and “Shrug of the Year” — the dual solos in the back half of which make it a highlight — or the funkified, handclap-inclusive “Gregory,” which precedes the starts, stops, twists, shifts and rolls of the title-track. It does nothing less than to make Ruff Majik a richer, less predictable outfit, and with guests Xan Stewart and Timothy Edwards on drums, Christiaan Van Reenen on keys and Vincent Houde on vocals (for “Born to be Bile”), further personality outside the founding trio is added to the proceedings and the Holiday/Snyman chemistry, which is central here as GlassManchino and Van don’t seem to appear on the album.

ruff majik

As regards timing, it’s worth noting that’s not a choice related to pandemic concerns; The Devil’s Cattle was recorded between Sept. 2019 and Feb. 2020, so before any lockdown would’ve come into effect. And what it might portend in terms of future incarnations of the band as a whole, I don’t know, but Holiday and Snyman both handling multi-instrumentalist/vocalist duties certainly works here, with the manic “Go with the Flow”-esque key line behind the shove of centerpiece “Jolly Roger” leading into the back half of the album, backed by the solid hook, strut and run of “Who Keeps Score,” the late break in which likewise stands out in post-Homme fashion, and “Lead Pills and Thrills,” which is a high point in bringing together Snyman and Holiday in a genuine vocal arrangement. Momentum by that point in The Devil’s Cattle is well set and maintained, and “Trading Blows” rounds out a four-songs-under-four-minutes succession with a slowdown and shouts that not only pull forth some of Ruff Majik‘s underlying metal influences, but act as further setup for “Born to be Bile,” a bleak gateway to the final stage of The Devil’s Cattle.

Vocals switch back and forth between Holiday‘s higher register — there are times on the record where he reminds of Axl Rose meeting John Garcia — and what are presumably Houde‘s guest screams, given a kind of gurgling compression effect, and to go with that is a tortured lumbering of the sort that most bands simply wouldn’t dare having spent so much of their time otherwise rocking out. But it’s not necessarily out of character for Ruff Majik, and one way or the other, they’ve clearly decided that The Devil’s Cattle is not a time to hold anything back. That continues to be the case as “Born to be Bile” fulfills its final cacophony and the subdued “God Knows” begins its linear build quietly paying off in equal amounts of fuzz and emotion, and the plod resumes with “Hymn No. 5,” the closing instrumental that’s topped with nothing but samples.

Crushing in a seeming answer to “Born to be Bile,” “Hymn No. 5” is as suitable an ending for The Devil’s Cattle as anything else one might come up with, since it’s unexpected right down to its final march outward, feedback, tom runs and cymbal wash, coming apart like the very opposite of “All You Need is Speed” and seeming all the more intentional for that. It’s hard to know what The Devil’s Cattle might portend in terms of Ruff Majik‘s lineup circumstances, if they’ll keep the five-piece configuration for live performances (and that’s before you get into who-the-hell-knows-when-tours-will-happen) and move forward with Holiday and Snyman along with others in the studio, or what their next LP might bring in terms of sound and development along the lines of songwriting and arrangement. But isn’t that also what makes it so exciting?

At least part of it. Certainly the sheer energy conjured throughout The Devil’s Cattle has a role to play in that regard, but there is something extra satisfying about not knowing where Ruff Majik might go next. That plays out across this collection of songs — and, indeed, often within the songs themselves — and in the bigger-picture sphere of who they are and their aesthetic. And even as they realize the potential of their first two full-lengths in such encompassing fashion, they may yet still just be getting started. It is astonishing to think their first EP only came out five years ago.

Ruff Majik, “Lead Pills and Thrills” official video

Ruff Majik, “Who Keeps Score” official video

Ruff Majik, “All You Need is Speed” lyric video

Ruff Majik website

Ruff Majik on Thee Facebooks

Ruff Majik on Instagram

Mongrel Records website

Mongrel Records on Thee Facebooks

Mongrel Records on Instagram

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Ruff Majik Post “Lead Pills and Thrills” Video; The Devil’s Cattle out Oct. 30

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 30th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

ruff majik

Led by piano from band-newcomer Evert Snyman, who also handles lead vocals in the track with guitarist Johni Holiday taking over for the hook, “Lead Pills and Thrills” follows behind “All You Need is Speed” and “Who Keeps Score” as the third video the South African former-trio-now-five-piece have done leading up to the Oct. 30 release of their third album, The Devil’s Cattle. The band aren’t strangers to video media by any stretch, but the cinematic nature of “Lead Pills and Thrills” only seems to underscore the new dynamic that inevitably is embodied in the record, as Snyman and Holiday share vocalist and songwriting duties and bassist/guitarist Jimmy Glass shares those roles with Cowboy Van, who also adds backing vocals, keys and harmonica to the proceedings, while Benni Manchino drums. Madness of an even richer variety than that which took place across 2019’s Tårn (review here).

Though I’ll confess I’ve got it on as I write this, I’m going to resist the temptation to start talking about The Devil’s Cattle in full as I’m hoping to set up coverage closer to the release. Still, “Lead Pills and Thrills” puts emphasis on Ruff Majik‘s progression, and that would seem to be where the emphasis belongs, those for anyone who picked up on them via Tårn or 2018’s Seasons (review here), they remain almost instantly recognizable. The clip below, rife with zombies in all their visual-metaphor glory, is on theme from the Flash-animated “Who Keeps Score,” the charm of which extended all the way down to the “Thriller” dancing happening before the final confrontation. I’ve posted that, as well as the lyric video for album-opener “All You Need is Speed” below, in case you want to get caught up on all of it. And, again, as I’m listening to the album right now, you probably do.

The PR wire’s got plenty to say about it. Find that under the video below.

And please enjoy:

Ruff Majik, “Lead Pills and Thrills” official video

DOWNLOAD / STREAM: https://orcd.co/leadpillsandthrills

Album Pre-Order / Pre-Save: https://orcd.co/thedevilscattle

“Lead Pills And Thrills” is the third single to be released from our upcoming album “The Devil’s Cattle”. It’s the first one to feature both Evert and Johni front and centre on vocal duties, and also the first time the band experimented with piano driven rock ‘n roll. Lyrically, the song deals with crippling addiction (to both lost love and alcohol).

The video is the conceptual follow up for the animated feature “Who Keeps Score”. Jimmy and Johni are both out in the wasteland, being pursued by zombies. Evert has been taken hostage by a zombie horde to be the personal piano man for their bar – and Jimmy and Johni set out to rescue him. Once there, they discover they have fallen right into a clumsily planned trap.

“Lead Pills And Thrills” (as with the previous videos and album art) is a love letter to B-grade horror and action movies, and this vision was captured perfectly by Tiger And Lilly Productions.

“When hell is full, the dead will walk the earth – turns out they like rock ‘n roll too.” – frontman, Johni Holiday

VIDEO CREDITS:

Starring: Johni Holiday, Evert Snyman and Jimmy Glass.
Also starring: Ella, Anni, Brendon, Innes, Finn, Terry, Gert, Scrone, Allas, Wilco, Henkie, Bez, Cassie, Eaton, Katja and Roelof as zombies.
Art Direction and M.U.A: Karien Goosen and Jessica Young
Video Production: Tiger and Lilly Productions
Poster design and title design: Annemarie Buchner

Special thanks to Terrence, Iggy and Casey for the use of Shamrock, and to Tiaan for the use of the worlds biggest motorcycle.

RUFF MAJIK:
Johni Holiday – guitar, vocals
Cowboy Van – guitar, bass, backing vocals, keys, harmonica
Jimmy Glass – bass, guitar
Evert Snyman – guitar, vocals, keys, percussion
Benni Manchino – drums, percussion

Ruff Majik, “Who Keeps Score” official video

Ruff Majik, “All You Need is Speed” lyric video

Ruff Majik website

Ruff Majik on Thee Facebooks

Ruff Majik on Instagram

Mongrel Records website

Mongrel Records on Thee Facebooks

Mongrel Records on Instagram

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Days of Rona: Johni Holiday of Ruff Majik

Posted in Features on May 26th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

The ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the varied responses of publics and governments worldwide, and the disruption to lives and livelihoods has reached a scale that is unprecedented. Whatever the month or the month after or the future itself brings, more than one generation will bear the mark of having lived through this time, and art, artists, and those who provide the support system to help uphold them have all been affected.

In continuing the Days of Rona feature, it remains pivotal to give a varied human perspective on these events and these responses. It is important to remind ourselves that whether someone is devastated or untouched, sick or well, we are all thinking, feeling people with lives we want to live again, whatever renewed shape they might take from this point onward. We all have to embrace a new normal. What will that be and how will we get there?

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Johni Holiday Ruff Majik

Days of Rona: Johni Holiday of Ruff Majik (Lydenburg, South Africa)

How have you been you dealing with this crisis as a band?

Well, none of us have seen each other in about two months, which is a bummer. But we’ve been keeping in contact as much as possible, and planning for when things return to normal.

As an individual?

Got a bit of cabin fever at the start, but circled back around to normal after I started brewing my own liquor (which became essential after our government banned booze).

What effect has it had on your plans or creative processes?

Plan-wise, it wrecked everything -– but that’s okay, we’ll figure it out when we can. Creatively I’d say it’s done us some favours, which you might pick up on in our future releases.

How do you feel about the public response to the outbreak where you are? From the government response to the people around you, what have you seen and heard from others?

Well, it’s a really tough subject in our home country (where we are right now). We have widespread poverty and large parts of the country live in absolutely horrid conditions, so I think everyone is just trying their best to survive. The government did ban alcohol and cigarettes though, which I don’t think is reasonable, but a lot of people will disagree with me on that. All things considered though, I think we’ll pull through.

What do you think of how the music community specifically has responded? How do you feel during this time? Are you inspired? Discouraged? Bored? Any and all of it?

A combination of everything really. I think everyone is being extremely supportive, and the bands are doing their absolute best to stay afloat. We just want to get out there and play again.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything? What is your new normal? What have you learned from this experience, about yourself, your band, or anything?

Well, we haven’t quit yet. We could’ve, ‘cause things have gotten hard around here. But instead of quitting we decided to face the storm head on, release new music, new videos, all that jazz. So yeah, we’d want people to know we’re still here, and we will be for a long time to come.

http://www.ruffmajik.com
http://www.facebook.com/ruffmajik
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
http://mongrelrecords.com
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