Posted in Whathaveyou on January 21st, 2021 by JJ Koczan
After appearing on the second installment of Heavy Psych Sounds‘ split series Doom Sessions (discussed here) last September alongside Acid Mammoth, Sardinia’s 1782 have set From the Graveyard as the title of their sophomore full-length and the follow-up to their 2019 self-titled debut (review here). As the first single “Priestess of Death” readily shows, they’re not fixing what isn’t broken when it comes to their riff-led cultish ways, but there’s a definite uptick in the production value as can be heard with the kicks and crashes a little before the three-minute mark, as well as rolling groove that at last ensues after the hypnosis is complete. It would seem what was a duo has only grown stronger as a three-piece.
Art, info, links, audio and all the rest follow, courtesy of the PR wire:
1782 – From The Graveyard
“From The Graveyard” is the second full length of the Occult Doom band “1782”. In this album there is a leap in quality as the production is much better than the previous releases. Eight tracks and 43 minutes of pure dark Doom, with slow and powerful riffs, and heavy and massive drumming. After the recording of “Doom Sessions Vol.2”, the band immediately enters the studio and records the heaviest tracks they have done so far, and they have done it while maintaining that catchy state they have always had. Here too there are featurings, Nico Sechi on organ (Hammond in “1782” and “Celestial Voices” in the debut album) and Alfredo Carboni’s Synth. As in the eponymous debut album, the artwork was done by the mighty SSCVLT.
“From The Graveyard” was recorded, mixed and mastered in November 2020 by Alfredo Carboni at “RKS Studios” in Ossi, Sardinia (Italy).
TRACKLIST SIDE A A1 Evocationis (Intro) – 1:00 A2 The Chosen one – 4:17 A3 Bloodline – 7:17 A4 Black Void – 8:03
SIDE B B1 Inferno – 5:37 B2 Priestess of Death – 5:54 B3 Seven Priests – 5:01 B4 In Requiem – 6:19
RELEASED IN : 15 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS 25 (of 175 pressing) DELUXE BUNDLE “SIDE A SIDE B” GOLD/BLACK VINYL + T-SHIRT + PATCH + POSTER + SHOPPER + CD 25 (of 175 pressing) BUNDLE “SIDE A SIDE B” GOLD/BLACK + T-SHIRT + PATCH + POSTER + SHOPPER + CD + DEBUT ALBUM IN ULTRA LTD EDITION VINYL and CD 125 (of 175) ULTRA LTD “SIDE A SIDE B” GOLD/BLACK VINYL 400 LTD SPLATTER PURPLE TRANSPARENT – BLACK VINYL BLACK VINYL DIGIPAK DIGITAL
1782 is: Marco Nieddu – Guitar / Vocals Gabriele Fancellu – Drums / Backing Vocals Francesco Pintore – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 16th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Italian cult doomers Black Capricorn released the Solstice EP last November — not quite at the solstice itself, which is in December — but not far off. The version that DHU Records will release contains two previously unreleased tracks to go with the original four, and it’s been given a “late 2020” issue date. Think maybe it’ll be out for the solstice? November would be fitting enough. Really, nobody’s paying attention to anything by Dec. 21. It’s holiday time, everybody’s too busy wondering what to order for each other off Amazon or working late hours to get money to order things off Amazon to be buying records. Even those who get/give records as presents are more likely to go with something already out than new releases.
So if it’s November, on a full-year turnaround from the original EP release, that’d work just fine, and I’m interested to hear those other two tracks of course, but really, I’ll take whatever and whenever when it comes to Black Capricorn, who are weird and underrated in kind. A band who genuinely seem to want to walk their own (left hand) path.
From the PR wire:
New signing to DHU Records: Black Capricorn
DHU Records is proud to welcome back to the fold: Black Capricorn to release their Solstice EP + 2 new unreleased songs!
No introduction is needed when talking about Black Capricorn in the Heavy Underground. Their slow trudging mesmeric Italian Doom is a brand known to many and immediately recognized when immersed into the Discography of the mighty Black Capricorn.
Test press, DHU Exclusive and Band Editions will be available come Autumn/Winter 2020
Side A: A1. Omen (March of the Arcadians) A2. Astrodestroyer A3. Sumerian Summer
Side B: B1. Three Brides of Satan B2. Winterlude B3. Shadows in the Moonlight
Recorded in November 2019 at The Business Consultant Recording Studios by Fabrizio Monni Tracks A2 and B1 Recorded in October 2018/November 2019 (previously unreleased) Mastering by Mirko Toro at the Gameboy Studio New artwork by Fabrizio Monni
Black Capricorn: Fabrizio – Guitars, Vocals Virginia – Bass Rachela – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 3rd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
So let’s assume that Loose Sutures formed with a pretty healthy idea of what they wanted to do as a band. Their self-titled debut full-length, which is out later this month on Electric Valley Records, arrives only months after the group formed in June 2019. And seeing as it’s nine songs, plus five that are listed as interludes and one of which is a cover, that still hardly seems like enough time to even write them all, let alone record them, but I think if you listen to either of the streaming tracks from the record below — one of which is the aforementioned cover — you can kind of get the feel that the Sardinian four-piece are trying to keep things as to-the-point as possible. I haven’t heard the full album yet, but I’ll be interested to hear how the interludes complement the broader tracks.
The PR wire brings the album info:
LOOSE SUTURES: Sardinian fuzzy heavy/garage rockers share new track; self-titled LP sees release this month via Electric Valley Records
Loose Sutures’ self-titled debut album comes on 27th March 2020 via Electric Valley Records. Depicting killer profiles and kinky love stories, this album contains nine tracks (including a cover version of The Laughing Dogs’ “I Need a Million”) and 5 interludes. The track “Lie” features additional guitar contributions from the legendary Trevor Peres (from Obituary).
Artwork: Sscvlt
Formed in June 2019, Loose Sutures is a razor-sharp four-headed machine with lots of evil beats, killer fuzz, and unhealthy lyrics. These 4 Sardinian roughnecks play classic ’70s riffs with a pinch of modern punk attitude, conveying a blend of stoner and garage energy with the spirits of Fuzz, Blue Cheer, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and The Stooges.
The self-titled debut album will be released on Red Vinyl, 50x LTD Marbled Red/Black Vinyl, 25x Ultra LTD “Murder Edition,” and Digital formats via Electric Valley Records.
Recorded: RKS Studios, Sardinia (Italy) Mixed and Mastered: Alfredo Carboni Artwork: Sscvlt Band Photos: Peppe Corronca
Upcoming Shows: 06/19 – Electric Valley Festival in Ossi, Sardinia, Italy October 2020 – European Tour (TBA)
Posted in Reviews on October 3rd, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I’d like to find the jerk who decided that the week I fly to Norway was a good time for the Quarterly Review. That, obviously, was a tactical error on my part. Nonetheless, we press on with day four, which I post from Oslo on CET. Whatever time zone you may find yourself in this Thursday, I hope you have managed to find something so far in this onslaught of whatnot to sink your chompers into. That’s ultimately, why we’re here. Also because there are so many folders with albums in them on my desktop that I can’t stand it anymore. Happens about every three months.
But anyhoozle, we press on with Day Four of the Fall 2019 Quarterly Review, dutiful and diligent and a couple other words that start with ‘d.’ Mixed bag stylistically this time — trying to throw myself off a bit — so should be fun. Let’s dive in.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Total Fucking Destruction, #USA4TFD
Who the hell am I to be writing about a band like Total Fucking Destruction? I don’t know. Who the hell am I to be writing about anything. Fuck you. As the Rich Hoak (Brutal Truth)-led Philly natives grind their way through 23 tracks in a 27-minute barrage of deceptively thoughtful sonic extremity, they efficiently chronicle the confusion, tumult and disaffection of our age both in their maddening energy and in the poetry — yeah, I said it — of their lyrics. To it, from “Is Your Love a Rainbow”: “Are you growing? Is everything okay? Are you growing in the garden of I don’t know?” Lines like this are hardly decipherable without a lyric sheet, of course, but still, they’re there for those ready to look beyond the surface assault of the material, though, frankly, that assault alone would be enough to carry the band — Hoak on drums/vocals, Dan O’Hare on guitar/vocals and Ryan Moll on bass/vocals — along their willfully destructive course. For their fourth LP in 20 years — most of that time given to splits and shorter releases, as one might expect — Total Fucking Destruction make their case for an end of the world that, frankly, can’t get here fast enough.
Issued first by the band digitally and on CD and then by Cursed Tongue Records on vinyl, 111 is the impressively toned debut full-length from Portland, Oregon’s Hippie Death Cult, who cull together heavy rock and post-grunge riffing with flourish of organ and a densely-weighted groove that serves as an overarching and uniting factor throughout. With the bluesy, classic feeling vocals of Ben Jackson cutting through the wall of fuzz from Eddie Brnabic‘s guitar and Laura Phillips‘ bass set to roll by Ryan Moore‘s drumming, there’s never any doubt as to where Hippie Death Cult are coming from throughout the seven-track/42-minute offering, but longer, side-ending pieces “Unborn” (8:24) and “Black Snake” (9:06) touch respectively on psychedelia and heavy blues in a way that emphasizes the subtle turns that have been happening all along, not just in shifts like the acoustic “Mrtyu,” but in the pastoral bridge and ensuing sweep of “Pigs” as well. “Sanctimonious” and “Breeder’s Curse” provide even ground at the outset, and from there, Hippie Death Cult only grow richer in sound along their way.
Heavyweight Glaswegian space jammers The Cosmic Dead present four massive slabs of lysergic intensity with their eighth long-player, Scottish Space Race (on Riot Season Records), working quickly to pull the listener into their gravity well and holding them there for the 2LP’s 75-minute duration. As hypnotic as it is challenging, the initial churn that emerges in the aptly-named 20-minute opener “Portal” clenches the stomach brutally, and it’s not until after about 12 minutes that the band finally lets it loose. “Ursa Major,” somewhat thankfully, is more serene, but still carries a sense of movement and build in its second half, while the 12-minute title-track is noisier and has the surprising inclusion of vocals from the generally instrumental outfit. They cap with the 24-minute kosmiche throb of “The Grizzard,” and there are vocals there too, but they’re too obscured to be really discernible in any meaningful way, and of course the end of the record itself is a huge wash of fuckall noise. Eight records deep, The Cosmic Dead know what they’re doing in this regard, and they do it among the best of anyone out there.
With just three tracks across a 20-minute span, There are More Things (on Acid Cosmonaut) feels like not much more than a sampler of things to come from Italian post-sludgers Greenthumb, who take their name from a Bongzilla track they also covered on their 2018 debut EP, West. The three-songer feels like a decided step forward from that offering, and though they maintain their screamier side well enough, they might be on the verge of needing a new name, as the rawness conveyed by the current moniker hardly does justice to the echoing atmospherics the band in their current incarnation bring. Launching with the two seven-minute cuts “The Field” and “Ogigia’s Tree,” they unfurl a breadth of roll so as to ensnare the listener, and though “The Black Court” is shorter at 5:37 and a bit more straight-ahead in its structure, it still holds to the ambient sensibility of its surroundings well, the band obviously doing likewise in transposing a natural feel into their sound born of landscape real or imagined.
Riffy Sardinians Elepharmers set themselves to roll with “Ancient Astronauts” and do not stop from there on Lords of Galaxia, their third LP and debut through Electric Valley Records. There are some details of arrangement between the guitars of El Chino (also bass, vocals and harmonica) and Andrea “Fox” Cadeddu and the drums of Maurizio Mura, but as Marduk heralds his age on second cut “Ziqqurat,” the central uniting factor is g-r-o-o-v-e, and Elepharmers have it down through “The Flood” and into side B’s classic stoner rocking “Foundation” and the driving “The Mule,” which shifts into laser-effects ahead of the fade that brings in closer “Stars Like Dust” for the last 10 minutes of the 47-minute offering. And yes, there’s some psychedelia there, but Elepharmers stay pretty clearheaded on the whole in such a way as to highlight the sci-fi theme that seems to draw the songs together as much as the riffage. More focus on narrative can only help bring that out more, but I’m not sure I’d want that at the expense of the basic songwriting, which isn’t at all broken and thus requires no fixing.
How do you recognize true misanthropy when you come across it? It doesn’t wear a special kind of facepaint, though it can. It doesn’t announce itself as such. It is a frame. Something genuinely antisocial and perhaps even hateful is a worldview. It’s not raise-a-claw-in-the-woods. It’s he-was-a-quiet-loner. And so, coming across the debut album from Los Angeles experimentalist doom outfit, one gets that lurking, creeping feeling of danger even though the music itself isn’t overly abrasive. But across the 2CD debut album, a sprawl of darkened, viciously un-produced fare that seems to be built around programmed drums at the behest of Craig Osbourne — who may or may not be the only person in the band and isn’t willing to say otherwise — plays out over the course of more than two hours like a manifesto found after the fact. Imagine chapters called “Hope is Weakness,” “Fingered by the Hand of God,” and “Uplift the Worthy (Destroy the Weak).” The last of those appears on both discs — as do several of the songs in different incarnations — as the track marries acoustic and eventual harder-edged guitar around murderous themes, sounding something like Godflesh might have if they’d pursued a darker path. Scary.
The fact that Warish are blasting hard punk through heavy blowout tones isn’t what everyone wants to talk about when it comes to the band. They want to talk about the fact that it’s Riley Hawk — of royal stock, as regards pro skateboarding — fronting the band. Well, that’s probably good for a built-in social media following — name recognition never hurts, and I don’t see a need to pretend otherwise — but it doesn’t do shit for the album itself. What matters about the album is that bit about the blasting blowout. With Down in Flames (on RidingEasy), the Oceanside three-piece follow-up their earlier-2019 debut EP with 11 tracks that touch on horror punk with “Bones” and imagine grunge-unhinged with “Fight” and “You’ll Abide,” but are essentially a display of tonal fuckall presented not to add to a brand, but to add the soundtrack to somebody’s blackout. It’s a good time and the drunkest, gnarliest, most-possibly-shirtless dude in the room is having it. Also he probably smells. And he just hugged you. Down in Flames gets high with that dude. That matters more than who anyone’s dad is.
It’s a double-dose of New England doom as Connecticut’s Mourn the Light and Boston’s Oxblood Forge pair up for a split release. The former bring more material than the latter, particularly when one counts the digital-only bonus cover of Candlemass‘ “Bewitched,” but with both groups, it’s a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Both groups share a clear affinity for classic metal — and yes, that absolutely extends to the piano-led drama of Mourn the Light‘s mournful “Carry the Flame” — but Oxblood Forge‘s take thereupon is rougher edged, harder in its tone and meaner in the output. Their “Screams From Silence” feels like something from a dubbed-and-mailed tape circa ’92. Mourn the Light’s “Drags Me Down” is cleaner-sounding, but no less weighted. I don’t think either band is out to change the world, or even to change doom, but they’re doing what they’re doing well and without even an ounce of pretense — well, maybe a little bit in that piano track; but it’s very metal pretense — and clearly from the heart. That might be the most classic-metal aspect of all.
Swiss heavy rockers Those Furious Flames push the boundaries of psychedelia, but ultimately remain coherent in their approach. Likewise, they very, very obviously are into some classic heavy rock and roll, but their take on it is nothing if not modern. And more, they thrive in these contradictions and don’t at all sound like their songs are in conflict with themselves. I guess that’s the kind of thing one can pull off after 15 years together on a fifth full-length, which HeartH (on Vincebus Eruptum) is for them. Perhaps it’s the fact that they let the energy of pieces like “VooDoo” and the boogie-laced “HPPD” carry them rather than try to carry it, but either way, it’s clearly about the songs first, and it works. With added flash of organ amid the full-sounding riffs, Those Furious Flames round out with the spacey “Visions” and earn every bit of the drift therein with a still-resonant vocal harmony. You might not get it all the first time, but listening twice won’t be at all painful.
This is what it’s all about. Four longer-form instrumentalist heavy psych jams that are warm in tone and want nothing so much as to go out wandering and see what they can find. Through “Hydrogen,” “Atmos,” “Delta-V” and “Heliosphere,” Amsterdam-based three-piece Mantra Machine want nothing for gig-style vitality, but their purpose isn’t so much to electrify as to find that perfect moment of chill and let it go, see where it ends up, and they get there to be sure. Warm guitar and bass tones call to mind something that might’ve come out of the Netherlands at the start of this decade, when bands like Sungrazer and The Machine were unfolding such fluidity as seemed to herald a new generation of heavy psychedelia across Europe. That generation took a different shape — several different shapes, in the end — but Mantra Machine‘s Heliosphere makes it easy to remember what was so exciting about that in the first place. Total immersion. Total sense of welcoming. Totally human presence without speaking a word. So much vibe. So much right on.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 30th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
I usually give bands immediate points for opening a release with the longest song. It’s a continually brave decision, and in my mind, worth highlighting when it happens. Okay, so Black Capricorn‘s new digital outing, Equinox, is an EP. So figure maybe half points. But the song’s also acoustic — an unplugged leadoff on an otherwise-plugged release. That’s gotta be points right there. Plus it’s called “Doom for the Red Sun,” so cleverness points on top of those for the reference. I haven’t done a full tally of the numbers involved, but all told, I think it probably works out to you should take a couple minutes and check out the release, which as fate would have it is streaming at the bottom of this post courtesy of the Sardinian trio’s Bandcamp page.
Equinox follows 2015’s Ira Dei EP (discussed here) and this year’s LP, Cult of Black Friars (review here), and in addition to its doomly red sun blues has tracks that date back even before the band got their start and an uncut version of “The Hound of Harbinger God,” which previously appeared on a single.
The art and info:
Black Capricorn – Equinox EP
This new EP is part of a concept continuing for a second and final chapter later next year.
Equinox is inspired by spring season and the end of the summer time. Consist of an acoustic with an unlikely title song (track 1), an old song written during Cult of Black Friars session (track 2), a very old song written in the mid of the 90s by Fabrizio for his formerly band Wild Duck (track 3) and the uncensored (by the length of the 7″ release) and remastered song (track 4).
tracklist: 1. Doom for the red sun 2. La sella del Diavolo 3. Astroflower 4. The hound of harbinger god (uncutted and remastered)
Recorded 3 days of november at the doomy cottage (Hill de los muertos, Sardinia). Mastered in 666 minutes by the man behind the button: mr. Toro.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 25th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
If you’re wondering why the Doom Over Karalis festival might take place in Cagliari, they’re the same place. Karalis is the ancient name for the Sardinian capital city, and amidst the ruins of the Tuvixeddu necropolis and the hundred steps, headliners Caronte and Fuoco Fatuo will represent different sides of Italian doom while three more local Sardinian acts provide support. It’s a one-night affair set for Oct. 6 at CuevoRock Live and as someone who spends a significant amount of time daydreaming on hitting faraway festivals in likewise faraway places, hopping over to Sardinia for a lineup of darkened Italian metal sounds like a killer time for someone with unlimited funds and the wherewithal to make it happen.
Doom on, everywhere:
Cagliari – DOOM OVER KARALIS VII Festival
6 October 2018, CuevaRock Live, Quartucciu (CA), Sardinia
The “do it your self” festival Doom Over Karalis, which is devoted to Doom and all its sub-genre, reaches its 7th edition.
This Year the festival is dedicated to the Italian Doom and it will bear on the stage of CuevaRock Live, located in Quartucciu (CA), two of the most established Doom bands on the national scene: Caronte and FUOCO FATUO.
CARONTE, Doom / Stoner Band from Parma (2011) will promote their last LP “YONI” (Ván Records, 2017). The Band comes from important festivals as the Desertfest Belgium in Antwerp and the MetalDays in Tolmin.
FUOCO FATUO, Funeral Doom/Death Band from Varese (2011) comes from the major stage of the Roadburn Festival 2018 in Tilburg and the Saint Helena Festival in Munich. The Band will promote their last LP “BACKWATER” (Profound Lore Records, 2017).
The line up will be completed by: – Ilienses Tree (Doom Death Metal from Cagliari), – Greenthumb (Sludge from Alghero), – Doom’s Obsession (Heavy Metal from Iglesias)
The three Sardinian Bands will alternate the stage before the two Headliner.
Everything will be accompanied by resident Dj “Heavy Metal Thunder” and his Old School selection.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 3rd, 2015 by JJ Koczan
If you’re thinking maybe a new EP from Italian doomsters Black Capricorn might be your cup of tea, chalice of vino, glass of sambuca, whatever it might be, then you’re probably going to want to jump on Ira Dei while the jumpin’s good. The trio (live four-piece) will have the three tracks of Ira Dei posted for one week — from yesterday — and then that’s it. Word from the band is that “Evil Horde of Lucifer,” “Zeernebooch” and “The Mammoth March to Alnitak” might be used again at some point for a physically-pressed split or as part of a full-length album, but as far as this EP in this form goes, it’s out for a couple days and then gone. One and done.
Ira Dei is one of two releases Black Capricorn have had out this year, the other being a limited split single with Bretus. Their third full-length, Cult of Black Friars, came out last year on Stone Stallion Rex, and continued their roll-groove take on the traditions of doom, and the new tracks, from the chant-style layered vocals of “Evil Horde of Lucifer” to the feedback swells in “Zeernebooch,” furthers their intricate but thoroughly doomed approach another step.
The idea is to fund their next European run, so if it helps to think of it as a Kickstarter or whatever crowdfunding deal we’re namechecking these days, then fine. Release info and links follow, so have at it:
IRA DEI ep is available from today and for ONLY 1 week on digital download ONLY!!!
tracklist: 1. Evil Horde of Lucifer 2. Zeernebooch 3. The Mammoth March to Alnitak
We do this record in order to collect some money for the next year european tour.
After one week this link will be deleted, we wish to use these songs for further release (split, ep) on physical format.
Posted in Reviews on January 10th, 2012 by JJ Koczan
When it comes to 12th Records, it’s a safe bet that whatever else you’re going to get, the disc is going to have massive tone. The label is the imprint of Electric Amplifiers, which, unsurprisingly, the bands it puts out are using. 12th Records doesn’t issue discs often, but the label has been home to debuts and landmark albums from High on Fire, YOB, Ocean Chief and Starchild, among others, so when they get behind something, it’s worth paying attention. In the case of the Sardinian outfit Black Capricorn, that’s no less true than it’s ever been. Their 2011 self-titled debut keeps with the label’s tradition of engulfing fuzz – rhythm guitarist/vocalist Fabrizio “Kjxu” Monni’s riffs are given front-and-center attention in the band’s sound, and rightly so. On some levels, Black Capricorn is preaching to the converted here, but if it’s going to be stoner rock for stoner rock’s sake, I’m not going to hold it against the groove of “Il Tamburo del Demonio,” which seems to split the band’s attention between worship of the cosmos and worship of the capital-g Goat. Whatever they’re doing thematically, though, it’s the lurching tonal thickness and warmth that’s going to lure you in and keep you for the record’s 46-minute duration, and Black Capricorn – who’ve since added Il Baro on vocals/synth and a full-time lead guitarist in Andrea “Lord Fex” Cadeddu – make the most of it here.
Black Capricorn’s Black Capricorn was recorded in 2009, and Lord Fex does appear on guitar alongside Kxju on the closing duo of “The Maelmhaedhoc O’Morgair Prophecy” and “Liquid Universe,” but he’s credited as a guest musician, as is Claudio Monni (relation to Kxju assumed), who plays on the rest of the songs. The actual lineup is listed as Kxju, bassist Virginia and drummer Rachela, and if the distinction is that the trio recorded live and the other parts were added later, not knowing whether that’s the case or not, I’d believe it, given the natural flow of the material on the album. It is unpretentious in its awareness of genre and style to the point that the sample use on “Capricorn One” – taking its name from the 1978 sci-fi thriller – is more charming than redundant, and that from the opening riff that begins “Sa Bruxia,” Black Capricorn seem less concerned with innovation than exploration of nuance. That is to say, their debut doesn’t do much to reinvent the style of psychedelic stoner rock, but it develops a personality within it and makes the aesthetic conventions work to its advantage, at least for the most part. “Sa Bruxia” features the first of many excellent nod-ready grooves to come, and the integration of Claudio Monni’s lead work is fluid, sounding not at all out of place with the lumbering riffs surrounding.
For the most part, Kxju keeps his vocals to far-back echoes, and that works well in enhancing the album’s psychedelic feel, but on “Capricorn One,” he switches to a gruff, blown-out approach that does well to offer change from the first two tracks – “Perpetual Eclipse” being the second and keeping much the same vibe as the opener, with an added didgeridoo intro from Kxju. That switch is subtle compared to the overall effect of Black Capricorn, which is as though someone was shouting, “Follow that giant riff!” but with the more upbeat instrumental and desert-ed “Il Tamburo del Demonio” following, it has time to sink in before the album highlight “10,000 Tons of Lava” takes hold and blends the two processes. Virginia’s bass, which has warmth to match Kxju’s, should already have been noted as an element working greatly in Black Capricorn’s favor throughout the record, but on “10,000 Tons of Lava,” the contribution is undeniable. Accompanied by the strongest vocal performance here-included and rumbling low beneath a momentary break, it is the stuff of stoner rock dreams and immaculately put to tape. As Kxju’s effects swirl out into interstellar oblivion, I’m more locked in with what Virginia and Rachela are doing behind them, which probably wasn’t the original intent of the song but doesn’t weaken the impression it leaves.
