San Fran psych rockers The Spiral Electric pull back the veil on their new single “In Too Deep” tomorrow, May 16. The six-minute piece feels like ’60s psych-rock pulled through a filter of ’90s revivalist edge as something slightly sinister drips from the molten tone of the initial guitar quickly topped by Clay Andrews‘ layered vocals. The vibe is mellow, intentionally oversweet to set up a fuller-toned chorus that now we call shoegazey but six decades ago would’ve just been rock and roll.
My touchstone for drifty, lose-yourself-in-it psychedelia of such fluid order is defunct Canadian nodders Quest for Fire, and I know that the place The Spiral Electric reside for “In Too Deep” isn’t where they always dwell, but they pull off the single with especially hypnotic aplomb as Andrews (guitar and synth in addition to vocals), lead guitarist Nicolas Percey, bassist Ryan McKnight and drummer Marias Drago flow through a heady depth of mix resolving in a transposed “Sweet Dreams” riff as they make their way out.
Both the 1960s and the 1990s were a long-ass time ago, and it’s not my intention to oversimplify or generalize what’s going on in The Spiral Electric‘s sound in the face of the more complex aural truths therein. That is to say, don’t just go by the numbers. Their previous single “Shadow in the Dark” (premiered here) and their 2019 self-titled double-LP (review here) likewise had their more soothing moments, but “In Too Deep” goes further such that even when it ‘gets loud’ as the wash takes hold a bit before the three-minute mark going into the hook, the serenity of the vocal melody is maintained, and so the direction of the song abides correspondingly, even as the tambourine literally and figuratively brings shake to the procession.
So is it? ‘In too deep,’ I mean. Have the band meandered too far into the ethereal? Hard no, from where I sit. Instead, The Spiral Electric make striking a difficult balance sound easy as “In Too Deep” ebbs and flows, and the chorus here is delivered gently and memorably both times it cycles through. My honest hope at this point is that eventually “In Too Deep” and “Shadow in the Dark,” which came out in 2023, make their way onto a follow-up to the self-titled, and that seems to be the plan. The album, titled The Overview Effect, was being recorded with Dead Meadow bassist Steve Kille prior to his passing last year. I do not know if it’s done or what the status is, but if you notice this and “Shadow in the Dark” are both tagged as the ‘single version.’ This implies ‘album versions,’ and yes, those apparently exist, if not yet in the public sphere.
Instead, for now, maybe take a breath and let the rest worry about itself later. There’s plenty to keep busy with worrying, for sure, but it’ll still be there in six minutes. See if you can get yourself to this one and meet the melody on its own level. If not, it’ll still be there later. Contrary to what the streaming services and content-driven social media tell you, this stuff doesn’t expire.
Enjoy:
The Spiral Electric, “In Too Deep” track premiere
“This is one of the last tracks fully engineered and mixed by Steve Kille before his illness overtook him,” says Clay Andrews. “I edited a couple of minutes out for the ‘single version’ with the help of Daniel Dietrick (Ozean), the full version will be on the album.”
Produced by Clay Andrews & Steve Kille Engineered & Mixed by Steve Kille at Wiggle Room Studio Additional engineering by Daniel Dietrick Mastering by Tim Green / Louder Studios Cover artwork by Matias Drago / Logo by Alan Forbes / Layout by Clay Andrews Music : Clay Andrews & Nicolas Percey Lyrics : Clay Andrews
The Spiral Electric: Clay Andrews : Vocals / Guitar / Piano / Percussion Nicolas Percey : Guitars Ryan McKnight : Bass Matias Drago : Drums
Five years after providing the harsh solace of Mothers Weavers Vultures (review here) in the midst of a hellish plague winter, San Francisco’s Grayceon will move forward July 25 with Then the Darkness, their sixth full-length. To be released through Translation Loss on vinyl and their own imprint, We Can Records (DL), I swear to you I’m not going to review the album in this post — I’m not ready and it’s stupid early — but what I’ll tell you is that its 11-song/81-minute run is absolutely all-in.
Whether you’re dug into the 20-minute “Mahsa” or the 13-minute “Forever Teeth,” which as a parent I definitely read as a song about lying to your kids for your own convenience/quality of life and feeling horrible about it — been there — the melodic roll and bite of “One Third” or the stately cello blastthrash and big-riff nod of “Song of the Snake,” Then the Darkness does not shy from being a tour de force of elements that have made this band so special all along. Cellist Jackie Perez Gratz has never sounded more soulful on vocals than in “Forever Teeth,” and the unabashedly sweet, folkish tinge brought to the penultimate “Untitled” feels like an adjustment to the balance of extremity and atmosphere that Grayceon have always managed to strike.
Of course, rhythms are fluid and change on a dime, with guitarist Max Doyle and drummer Zack Farwell as taut as ever whether a part is galloping at a sprint or subdued, ambient and gorgeous as many are. This would be expected of a Grayceon record by now, as the band marks 20 years since their inception as a group, but their intricate, individual and moving craft satisfies and is encompassing on a level all its own. It’s not a minor undertaking and it’s not supposed to be.
“Thousand Year Storm,” with the video by Gratz‘s bandmate in Brume, Jordan Perkins-Lewis, premiering below, is the opening track, and by no means does it speak for the entirety of the record, but it will give you a basic idea of some of the sounds they’re going for this time around in addition to making an enticing first impression for songs like “3 Points of Light” or the instrumental title-track that separates “Mahsa” and “Forever Teeth.” As a fan of the band, I appreciate the chance to host it.
Album info follows the quotes and cover below. Please enjoy:
Grayceon, “Thousand Year Storm” video premiere
“Thousand Year Storm is about breaking — crying out first in pain, then slowly coming to terms, and finally letting go. Like the rest of Then The Darkness, these songs sit in the aftermath — after the damage is done, when all you can do is try to make sense of what’s left and figure out how to keep going.” – Jackie Perez Gratz
“Death is always hard to deal with, but there can also be a comfort to it. The end is often a release of pain and struggle.” – Zack Farwell
Translation Loss Records is proud to announce Then the Darkness, the sprawling and gorgeous sixth full length from Bay-area progressive rockers, Grayceon.
Having meticulously plied their brand of expansive, progressive post metal since 2005, Grayceon have established themselves as a singular entity in the Bay Area scene and beyond. On full length album number six, Grayceon continue to mutate their unique sound and delve even further into the sonic abyss, creating a record of immense vision and gripping emotional peaks and valleys, one that’ll undoubtedly prove to be a cornerstone in their rich, storied history.
Then the Darkness presents Grayceon at their most haunting and visceral. On its eleven tracks, the non-traditional ‘power-trio’ composed of cellist/vocalist Jackie Perez Gratz (Giant Squid, Amber Asylum, etc.), guitarist Max Doyle and drummer Zack Farwell, create labyrinthine yet extremely memorable metallic compositions. Cello and guitar interplay and weave seamlessly to create boundless riffs and rhythms that bore into your psyche, leaving you humming its off-kilter melodies for the rest of the day. Perez Gratz’s vocals act as a guide through the maze of grief and other emotions; anguished shouts and screams give way to folkish singing and are capped off by moments of soaring vocal power. Then the Darkness was masterfully engineered, mixed and mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, etc.), whose natural and roomy production truly brings this powerful album to life.
Album Details: Engineered, mixed and mastered at The Atomic Garden by Jack Shirley from December 2023 to June 2024. Album art/design/photography: General LLC Band photo: Jackie Perez Gratz Video by Jordan Perkins-Lewis, San Francisco, CA.
Tracklist: 1. Thousand Year Storm 2. One Third 3. Velvet ‘79 4. 3 Points of Light 5. Mahsa 6. Then the Darkness 7. Forever Teeth 8. Song of the Snake 9. Holding Lines 10. Untitled 11. Come to the End
GRACEYON is: Max Doyle (he/him) – guitar Jackie Perez Gratz (she/her) – cello, voice Zack Farwell (he/him) – drums
Welcome to the Spring 2025 Quarterly Review. If you’re unfamiliar with the format or how this goes, the quick version is each day brings 10 new releases — albums, EPs, even a single every now and again — that are reviewed at at the end of it everybody has a ton of new music to listen to and I’m a little closer to being caught up to what’s coming out after spending about a season falling behind on coverage. Everybody wins, mostly.
It’s a seven-day QR. As always, some of what will be covered is older and some is new. There are a couple 2024 releases. The 10,000 Years record, for example, I should’ve reviewed five times over by now, but life happens. There’s also stuff that isn’t released yet, so it all averages out to some approximation of relevance. Hopefully.
In any case, we proceed. Thanks if you keep up this week and into next.
Quarterly Review #1-10:
Pagan Altar, Never Quite Dead
Classic metal par excellence pervades the first Pagan Altar album since 2017 and the first to feature vocalist Brendan Radigan (Magic Circle) in place of founding singer Terry Jones, who passed away in 2015 and whose son, guitarist Alan Jones, is the sole remaining founding member of the band, which started in 1978. Never Quite Dead collects eight varied tracks, some further evidence for the line of NWOBHM extending out of the dual-guitar pioneering of Thin Lizzy, plenty of overarching melancholy, and it honors the idea of the band having a classic sound without sacrificing modern impact in the recording. The subdued “Liston Church,” the later doomly sprawl of “The Dead’s Last March” and the willful grandiosity of the nine-minute finale “Kismet” assure that Never Quite Dead indeed resonates vibrant with a heart made of denim.
Somewhere between proto-punk and 1990s alt-rock come Designer with the three-song demo Weekend at Brian’s. Based in Asheville, the band have an edge of danger to their tones, but the outward face is catchy and quirky, a little Blondie but with deceptively heavy riffing in “Magic Memory” and extra-satisfyingly farty bass in “Midnight Waltz” as the band engage Blue Öyster Cult in a conversation of fears, the band wind up somewhere between heavy modern indie and retro-minded fare. “Ugly in the Streets” moves like a Ramones song and I’ve got no problem with that. However they go, the songs are pointedly straightforward, and they kind of need to be for the stripped-down style to work. Nothing’s over three minutes long, the songs are tight, and it’s got style without overloading on the pretense, which especially for a new outfit is an excellent place to start.
The hopeful keyboard of album intro “Orbital Decay” gradually devolves into noise, and from there, Swedish crash-and-bash specialists 10,000 Years show you what it’s all about — gutted-out heavy riffing, ace swing in “The Experiment” and a whole lot of head-down forward shove. The Västerås-based trio have yet to put out a record that wasn’t a step forward from the one before it, and this late-2024 third full-length feels duly realized in how it incorporates the psychedelic aspects of “Ablaze in the Now” with the physical intensity of “The Weight of a Feather” or closer “Down the Heavy Path.” But they’re more dynamic on the whole, as “Death Valley Ritual” dares a bit of spoken drama, and “High Noon in Sword City” reminds that there’s a good dose of noise rock underpinning what 10,000 Years do, and that cacophony still suits them even as they’ve expanded around that foundation over the last five years.
Amber Asylum are a San Francisco arthouse institution, and from its outset with the five-minute instrumental “Secrets,” the band’s 10th album, Ruby Red, counsels patience in mournful, often softspoken chamber doom. The use of space as the title-track unfolds with founding violinist/vocalist Kris Force‘s voice over minimalist bass, encompassing and sad as the song plays out with an emergent dirge of strings and percussion, where the subsequent “Demagogue” is more actively drummed, the band having already drawn the listener deeper into the record’s seven-song cycle. The cello of Jackie Perez-Gratz (also Grayceon, Brume) gives centerpiece “The Morrigan” extra character later on, and it’s there in “Azure” as well, though the context shifts with foreboding drones of various wavelengths behind the vocals. Ambience plus bite. “Weaver” rolls through its first half instrumentally, realigning around the strings and steady movement; its back half is reverently sung without lyrics. And when they get to closer “A Call on the Wind,” the sense of unease in the violin is met with banging-on-a-spring-style experimentalist noise, just to underscore the sense of things being wrong as far as realities go. It’s not a minor undertaking as regards atmospheric or emotional weight, but empathy resounds.
With Fu Manchu as a defining influence, Greek heavy rockers Weevil set forth with Easy Way, their 10-song/42-minute self-released debut album. They pay homage to Lemmy with the cleverly-titled “Rickenbästard” — you know I’m a sucker for charm — and diverge from the straight-ahead heavy thrust on the mellower, longer “The Old Man Lied” and “Insomnia,” but by and large, the five-piece are here to throw down riffy groove and have a good time, and they do just that. The title-track, “Wake the Dead” and “Headache” provide a charged beginning, and even by the time the crunch of “Gonna Fall” slides casually into the nodder hook of closer “Last Night a Zombie” (“…ate my brain” is the rest of the line), they’ve still got enough energy to make it feel like the party could easily continue. It just might. There’s perspective in this material that feels like it might take shape over time, and in my mind, Weevil get immediate credit for being upfront in their homage and wearing their own heavy fandom on their sleeves. You can hear their love for it.
Adventurous and forward-thinking post-metal pervades Swedish trio Kazea‘s debut album, and the sound is flexible enough in their craft to let “Whispering Hand” careen like neo-psych after the screams and lurch of “Trenches” provide one of the record’s most extreme moments, bolstered by guest vocals. Indeed, “Whispering Hand” is a rocker and something of an outlier for that, as Pale City Skin draws a downerist line between Crippled Black Phoenix and circa-’04 Neurosis, “Wailing Blood” finds a way to meld driving rhythm and atmospheric heft, and the seven-minute “Seamlessly Woven” caps with suitable depth of wash, following the lushness of the penultimate “The North Passage” in its howling, growl-topped chorus with another expression of the ethereal. I haven’t heard a ton of hype about I, Ancestral, but regardless, this is one of the best debut albums I’ve heard so far this year for sure. Post-metal needs bands willing to push its limits.
Hard not to think of the 14-minute weirdo-psych jam “Mycelium” as the highlight of Dyp Tid, but one shouldn’t discount the lead-you-in warmth and serenity of opener “Pendelen Svinger,” or the bit of dub in the drumming of “Clock of the Long Now,” and so on as Norway’s Electric Eye — which is a pretty straightforward name, considering the sound — vibe blissful for the duration. The drone “Den Første Lysstråle” is hypnotic, and though the vocals in “Mycelium” are a sample, the human presence periodically sprinkled throughout the album feels like it’s adding comfort amid what might be an anxious plunge into the cosmos. They finish with “Hvit Lotus,” which marries together various kinds of synth over a deceptively casual beat, capping light with vocals or synth-vocals in a bright chorus over chime sounds and drifting guitar. You made it to the island. You’re safe. Gentle fade out.
Multi-instrumentalist and producer Guglielmo Allegro is the sole denizen behind Void Sinker, and while I know full well we live in an age of technological wonders/horrors, that one person could conjure up such encompassing heavy sounds — the way 14-minute opener “Satellite” just swallows you whole — is impressive. Oxygen is the Salerno, Italy, DIY project’s fourth full-length in two years, and its intent to crush is plain from the outset. “Satellite” has its own summary progression of what the rest of the album does, and then “Oxygen” (9:45), “Collision” (15:23) and “Abyss” (13:32) play through increasingly noisy slab-riff distribution. This is done methodically, at mostly slow tempos, with tonal depth and an obvious awareness of where it’s coming from. Presumably that, and a lack of argument from anyone else when he wants to ride a groove for 15 minutes, is why Void Sinker is a solo outfit. One of distinctive bludgeon, it turns out. Like big riffs pushing the air out of your lungs? Here you go.
Draken drummer André Drage leads the group that shares his name from behind the kit, it would seem, but even if only one name gets to be in the moniker, make no mistake, the entire band is present and accounted for. Challenging each other in jazz-prog fashion, Wolves is the second album from the Group in as many months. It leads off with its longest track (immediate points) “Brainsoup,” and by the time they’re through with it, it is. We’re talking ace prog boogie, funky like El Perro might do it, but looser and more improv feeling in the solo of “Potent Elixirs,” giving a spontaneous impression even in the studio, ebbing and flowing in the runs of “Tigerboy” while “Wind in Their Sails” is both more King Crimson and more shuffling-Rhodes-jam, which is the kind of party you want to be at whether you know it or not. The penultimate “Fire” gets lit by the guitar, and they round out with “Nesodden,” a sweet comedown from some of Wolves‘ more frenetic movements. Like a supernova, but not uncontained. This is a band ready to drop jaws.
The Sept. 2024 third album from NYC-based vintage rockers The Mystery Lights skillfully weaves together garage rock and ’60s pop theatrics, giving the bounce and sway of the title-track an immediately nostalgic impression that the jangly “In the Streets” is probably about a ahead from in terms of influence, but the blend is the thing. Regardless of how developed the punk is or isn’t in a given track — I dig the shaker in “Trouble” and it manages a sense of ‘island’ without being racist, so bonus points for that — or how “Cerebral Crack” brings flute in with its extra-fuzzed guitar later on or “Memories” and “Automatic Response” feel more soul than rock in both intent and manifestation, The Mystery Lights benefit from pairing stylistic complexity with structural simplicity, and the 12 songs of Purgatory find a niche outside genre norms and time all the more for the fact that the band don’t seem concerned with anything so much as writing songs that sound like home the first time you hear them.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 3rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
This weekend, dark metallic masters Castle will headline the proceedings at The Electric Highway festival in Calgary (info here), joining a stacked lineup on a bill co-presented by this site. The perennially undervalued doom-tinged rippers are set to then lanch a West Coast tour as they continue to support their 2024 album, Evil Remains (review here), on Hammerheart Records, and after that’s done, they’re off to Europe, where festivals and club shows await. They are no strangers to keeping busy.
In addition to the studio LP, Castle last year also issued the live outing, One Knight Stands: Live in NY, through their own imprint, Black Wren Records. If you’ve never seen them before, they’re killer onstage, and it’s never too long before they’re coming through again since that’s how they do. If you’re at The Electric Highway this weekend, I hope you have a blast, and wherever you get to catch Castle, that’s basically a lock.
From the PR wire:
CASTLE announce more “Evil Remains” tourdates in Europe, USA and Canada!
US/Canadian heavy doom outfit Castle have just announced new tour dates in support of their recent album “Evil Remains”, which was released in September 2024 via Hammerheart Records. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.
Evil Remains North America 04/04 Calgary, AB – Electric Highway Fest @ Dickens 16/04 Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial 17/04 Los Angeles, CA – Knucklehead 18/04 San Francisco, CA – Kilowatt 19/04 Mt Shasta, CA – Vet’s Club 20/04 Portland, OR – High Water Mark 21/04 Seattle, WA – El Corazon 30/04 Toronto, ON – The Garrison 01/05 Detroit, MI – Smalls 02/05 Chicago, IL – Legions Of Metal Fest @ Reggies 03/05 Madison, WI – Gamma Ray Bar 04/05 Pittsburgh, PA – Poetry Lounge 05/05 Brooklyn, NY – The Woodshop 06/05 Boston, MA – Middle East Club 07/05 Montreal, PQ – La Sala Rossa 08/05 London, ON – Palasad 09/05 Hamilton, ON – Doors Pub 10/05 Ottawa, ON – Dominion Tavern
Evil Remains Europe 2025 29/05 Muskelrock Fest @ Tyrolen, SE 30/05 Hamburg, DE – Bambi Galore 31/05 Desertland Fest @ Pumptrack, Berlin DE 01/06 Prague, CZ – Modra Vopice 02/06 Goppingen, DE – Zille 03/06 Düsseldorf, DE – Pitcher 04/06 Rotterdam, NL – V11 05/06 Heerlen, NL – Nieuwe Nor 06/06 GockelScream Fest – near Dresden DE 07/06 Battle Cry Fest @ Turock, Essen DE
Over the years, Castle have maintained a rigorous touring schedule, performing nearly 700 shows between 2012 and 2019. They have shared stages with acts like The Sword, Conan, Intronaut and Pentagram, and have appeared at prominent festivals such as Roadburn Festival and Desertfest.
CASTLE is: Liz Blackwell – bass, vocals Mat Davis – guitar, vocals Mike Cotton – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 27th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Castle announcing a West Coast tour, you say? Sky is blue, you say? Yes, some headlines just roll off the typing-fingers because, well, you’ve typed them out a bunch of times and practice makes a difference. The foremost purveyors of heavy, doom-adjacent darkthrash issued their welcome-back LP, Evil Remains (review here), last Fall on Hammerheart, and it won’t be a surprise when they spend at least most if not all of this year and then some touring behind it. Castle‘s modus operandi has always been mobility, and they’re never more powerful than on stage.
This tour starts at Electric Highway Fest in Calgary, which this site co-presented in years past (I don’t think I’m doing that this year, but if you’re in the neighborhood, you should go regardless), and runs into May with a few days’ break between Seattle and Toronto. The dates follow here as posted on social media, which is why I’m still on social media. Well, band news and making myself feel like I’ve failed in life just because I’m not rich, good looking or successful in any way, anyhow. Wouldn’t want a day to pass without indulging that habit. At least there’s a text list of dates and it’s not just on the poster.
Here you go:
CASTLE – US/CAN Evil Remains Tour ANNOUNCEMENT!
We are stoked to announce the following US and Canada shows this spring. Can’t wait to hit the stage and play the new record live for you all! See you on the road \m/
4/04 Calgary, AB – Electric Highway Fest 4/16 Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial 4/17 Los Angeles, CA – Knucklehead 4/18 San Francisco, CA – Kilowatt 4/19 Mt Shasta, CA – Vet’s Club 4/20 Portland, OR – High Water Mark 4/21 Seattle, WA – El Corazon 4/30 Toronto, ON – The Garrison 5/01 Detroit, MI – Smalls 5/02 Chicago, IL – Legions Of Metal Fest 5/03 Madison, WI – Gamma Ray Bar 5/04 Pittsburgh, PA – Poetry Lounge 5/05 Brooklyn, NY – The Woodshop 5/06 Boston, MA – Middle East Club 5/07 Montreal, PQ – Piranha Bar 5/08 London, ON – Palasad 5/09 – TBA 5/10 – TBA
CASTLE is: Liz Blackwell – bass, vocals Mat Davis – guitar, vocals Mike Cotton – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 22nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Ambient, avant garde San Francisco chamber worldcasters Amber Asylum have posted the title-track of their upcoming 10th full-length, Ruby Red, and it could hardly do more to represent the aural singularity of the long-running project led by founding vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kris Force. It is spacious, unsurprisingly, but leaves a lot of open space around Force‘s operatic voice, the cello of Jackie Perez-Gratz (also Grayceon, Brume, etc.) and the march between Fern Lee Alberts‘ bass and Becky Hawk‘s percussive thud. It’s six minutes long, it’s cinematic in its atmosphere — assuming you like sad movies — and it works in its own damn time, thank you very much. I don’t know how goths don’t fall at their knees for this band, but golly they’re immersive.
The PR wire confirms a Feb. 14 release date thusly:
AMBER ASYLUM reveal details & title track of new album “Ruby Red”
AMBER ASYLUM reveal the title track taken from their forthcoming new album “Ruby Red”. The tenth regular full-length of San Francisco’s neoclassical dark ambient quartet has been slated for release on February 14, 2025.
AMBER ASYLUM comment: “The title track of our new album, ‘Ruby Red’, is a poignant dirge that directly addresses the pain and loss inflicted by the pandemic, riots, war, and the looming specter of death”, frontwoman Kris Force writes. “Its haunting melody resonates with the collective sorrow and anguish felt in the aftermath of recent upheavals. Through mournful vocals and evocative instrumentation, the song serves as a solemn elegy, amplifying the echoes of grief caused by these tumultuous events. Each note carries the weight of collective sorrow, inviting listeners to confront the harsh realities of our world and to find solace in shared experience.”
Tracklist 1. Secrets 2. Ruby Red 3. Demagogue 4. The Morrigan 5. Azure 6. Weaver 7. A Call on the Wind
In times of trouble, women have often had to bear an even heavier burden throughout history. On their tenth full-length “Ruby Red”, San Francisco based all-female quartet AMBER ASYLUM offers a haunting reflection on turbulent eras, and blends instrumental passages with evocative lyrics. “Ruby Red” combines dirges, introspective laments, and powerful songwriting that evoke both despair and hope. The album transitions between themes of pain, loss, empowerment, and mortality, while creating a sonic landscape that is both raw and introspective. “Ruby Red” features bass, classical strings, percussion and kit, modular synthesis and female voices.
“Ruby Red” differs from its predecessor in the expansion of focus and depth. While earlier albums centered more on personal emotions, relationships, and journeys, “Ruby Red” broadens its scope to address global issues such as societal upheaval, war, and human rights. This album navigates both the personal and the global, and aims to illuminate the seen and unseen forces that influence our shared reality.
Musically, AMBER ASYLUM balance driving neoclassical elements with the raw power of pounding bass and drums, adding a potent, rhythmic force that contrasts beautifully with the quieter, brooding strings on “Ruby Red”. The bass and percussion create a compelling pulse that underpins the tracks, adding both intensity and depth to the album’s darker moments.
AMBER ASYLUM have taken inspiration for the lyrical concepts of “Ruby Red” from significant global issues such as the pandemic, riots, war, political turmoil, the threat to women’s rights, and empowerment, all while maintaining a deep connection to the extramundane. It reflects on mortality and the inevitability of death as part of a greater cosmic order, intertwining these global crises with metaphysical reflections on the resilience of the human spirit.
AMBER ASYLUM were conceived by composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Kris Force in the Californian city of San Francisco in 1990. Throughout their ever-changing musical evolution, the band has shifted throughout a variety of styles and collaborated with a host of musicians such as Steve van Till (NEUROSIS), Sarah Schaffer (WEAKLING), John Cobbet (HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE), Leila Abdul-Rauf (VASTUM), among many others.
With “Ruby Red”, AMBER ASYLUM perfectly capture the growing dread and horror of many of a new dark age falling in our time. Yet the Californians balance the eerie and unhinged with a fragile beauty and blossoming of hope. “Ruby Red” is a most fascinating soundtrack of all that is to come. Listen carefully.
Recording by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studio, Oakland, CA (US) Recording by Kris Force at Knobsnob Studio, Oakland, CA. (US) Drum mix by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studio, Oakland CA (US) Album mix & mastering by Kris Force at Knobsnob Studio, Oakland, CA (US)
Cover artwork by Kris Force Layout by Smog Design, LA
Line-up Kris Force – viola, violin, synth, vocals Jackie Perez–Gratz – cello, vocals Fern Lee Alberts – bass Becky Hawk – percussion, vocals
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 22nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Somewhere between jet-black thrash and cult doom violence, but always unto themselves with villainous intent, Castle returned this Fall after a six-year absence to once more put their knife to the throat of metallic mediocrity. A collection of eight taut, purposeful, powerfully-riffed incantations, their new album, Evil Remains, comes through as much as a statement of self as outward fact. The album was produced in Vancouver by Jesse Gander (Anciients, 3 Inches of Blood; “Canadian metal!,” as Fenriz once put it) and the band have live dates in that area next month as well, as you can see below. If you’ve never caught them — they were nomadic for a while, were said to have moved to the Californian desert, may have gone back up to CA since; I honestly don’t know — there’s a whole lot about what they do, including all those intangible sinisterisms in their sound and the resulting atmosphere of their extremity-influenced, groove-heavy approach.
Whether it’s the adrenaline charge of “Nosferatu Nights” or the careen and chug on “Black Spell,” with a riff that earns the gutted-out lead vocal from bassist Liz Blackwell, joined soon by guitarist Mat Davis, as on opener “Queen of Death,” “She” and others throughout. The manner in which they shift vocals can throw you for a loop, as Davis comes and goes depending on the needs of a given track, but Castle have been at this long enough that there’s no confusion of intent in their songs. Or if you’d prefer it with profanity: they know what the fuck they’re about and their craft benefits from it.
“Deja Voodoo,” for which a video premieres below taking footage from the band’s most recent European tour, runs 5:46 and is the longest individual track on the eight-track/37-minute Evil Remains. It presents something of a departure in its bilateral structure, a slower first-half giving way to a speedier second, but as the band has already torn into “Queen of Death” and “Nosferatu Nights” by then, the listener is ready for the pivot when it comes. As they do throughout, Castle wield their sound in a way that’s as much about the whole affect as the nuanced details, but from where I sit, the fact that after 15 years of plunder from Blackwell, Davis and a selection of drummers from various map points — Mike Cotton holds it down on Evil Remains — just how much the band have grown into themselves rather than into a single given microgenre emphasizes how special what they do is.
Maybe you’ve taken on Castle‘s work before. “Deja Voodoo” makes a winning ‘welcome back.’ But specifically for anyone who might see this who’s never listened to the band — it’s okay; engaging with new things and ideas is how we keep our brains from turning into fascist jelly — take a real listen. You might find elements familiar from the likes of Slayer, Celtic Frost, Trouble, Heart, on and on, Castle combine these in a way that remains (ha.) their own, and the latest outing is a duly visceral celebration of that.
Full stream of Evil Remains is at the bottom of the post, and the “Deja Voodoo” video premiere follows here.
Please enjoy:
Castle, “Deja Voodoo” video premiere
“Deja Voodoo” taken from the new album ‘Evil Remains’, released Sept. 2024 by Hammerheart Records.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 18th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Californian heavy rockers The Watchers offered a darker turn to their core straightforward sound on their second full-length, Nyctophilia (review here), and as we move toward the close of 2024, the mood continues to suit and the songwriting remains sharp. “Haunt You When I’m Dead” — video premiering below — is a side B highlight of a record full of powerful hooks and commanding presence. As on their first album, 2018’s Black Abyss (review here), the band worked with producer Max Norman, who produced Ozzy‘s first three solo records, has worked with Death Angel and a slew of others classic and obscure over 40-plus years, and the sound both accounts for the raw soul of heavy rock in the vocals of guitarist Tim Narducci and pushes the boundary of aggression between rock and metal in terms of delivery.
This feels like exactly what “Haunt You When I’m Dead” wants to do, and honestly, the band — Narducci, guitarist Jeremy Von Epp, bassist Chris Lombardo and drummer Nick Benigno — have always come across more concerned with putting their stamp on traditional forms than trying to thread microgenre needles. On the record (which of course is streaming at the bottom of this post; not everything about the future is terrible) whether it’s the brash nod of “They Have No God” or the spacious roll that opens up as “Taker” progresses later on, The Watchers are unflinchingly solid and convey a style that’s both considered in terms of its craft — the songs are not lazily written or recorded and they’re not as tight as they are by coincidence — and that still sounds free in terms of the groove. It’s a balance one can trace back in well-made heavy rock for more than the last half-century, and Nyctophilia revels in leaning into bleaker atmospheres as the band succeed again in making classic methods their own.
The band have been plugging the release of the video for weeks now on socials, which I guess is how things are done these days, at least when you’re doing them right. In any case, to suit the immediacy of a cut like “Haunt You When I’m Dead,” I’ll put a cork in the blah blah blah and turn you over to the clip. I don’t know if this had anything to do with their motivation in making it, but year-end time is creeping up, and if this is The Watchers‘ way of reminding their fanbase of what they had on offer, fair enough. Otherwise, a bit of fog, the woods, a bit of Ouija ritual, I’m pretty sure Narducci gets murdered. All in good fun.
As always, I hope you enjoy. PR wire info follows:
The Watchers, “Haunt You When I’m Dead” video premiere
Directed and shot by Mike Sloat (Machine Head, Testament)
Following their 2018 debut album “Black Abyss” and the recent live EP “High and Alive”, high-octane San Francisco American metal purveyors THE WATCHERS are now ready to unleash their sophomore album “Nyctophilia” upon the world. Brilliantly capturing the foursome’s towering musicianship and anthemic songwriting, this new album melds the raucous spirit of classic heavy metal with sizzling guitars, loud grooves and Tim Narducci’s searing vocals. The Californian rifflords are back sounding louder and sharper than ever, ready to annihilate everything in their roaring path! “Nyctophilia” was produced and engineered by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth).
Formed in 2016 in the Bay Area, THE WATCHERS is a conglomerate of members from Spiral Arms, White Witch Canyon, Black Gates, Systematic, and Vicious Rumors. The band signed to California powerhouse Ripple Music in the early days and released their long-sold-out debut EP “Sabbath Highway” the same year, which led to an invitation to play US major heavy event Maryland Doom Fest.
THE WATCHERS is: Tim Narducci – Vox/Guitar Jeremy Von Epp – Guitar Chris Lombardo – Bass Nick Benigno – Drums
complex aural truths therein. That is to say, don’t just go by the numbers. Their previous single “Shadow in the Dark” (premiered here) and their 2019 self-titled double-LP (review here) likewise had their more soothing moments, but “In Too Deep” goes further such that even when it ‘gets loud’ as the wash takes hold a bit before the three-minute mark going into the hook, the serenity of the vocal melody is maintained, and so the direction of the song abides correspondingly, even as the tambourine literally and figuratively brings shake to the procession.
