Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 24th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Someone’s gonna need a new band photo now that he’s got a band. Still fresh off the release earlier this month of the second album, Usurper of the Universe (review here), through Forbidden Place Records, San Francisco’s SÖNUS have announced a new lineup. Or maybe I should say a lineup at all, since it was formerly a solo-project wielded at the behest of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, songwriter, etc. David Wachsman. As of today, right now, here, this sentence, SÖNUS are a four-piece, and not to point out the obvious, but it seems highly unlikely Wachsman would bother forming a band if the intention was not to bring SÖNUS to a stage as a live act sometime in the presumably near future.
It’s cool watching projects take shape. This may have been Wachsman‘s plan all along, and I’ve no doubt SÖNUS as a unit will benefit from playing live as nearly every band does, but it’s important to consider as well that additional members will invariably have an effect on the studio dynamic as well. He wasn’t entirely alone on Usurper of the Universe — you can see the credits for the album below — and through layering, the recording lacked nothing for a full sound, but when you put someone new in a group, that group is inevitably changed as a result. I’ll be interested to find out how SÖNUS‘s next work plays out and what differences will result from the shift in construction. I assume we have some time before we get there.
In the meantime, the clip for “Nuclear God,” which opens Usurper of the Universe, is full of suitably apocalyptic imagery. There’s kids getting under their desks for a nuclear bomb drill — which my mother did and still remembers — clips from They Live, Dr. Strangelove, the public domain (obviously) and other choice sources, and plenty of mushroom clouds to spare as Wachsman, speaking for Planet Earth itself, lets humanity know just how the world feels about them. I won’t spoil it for you.
Physical versions of Usurper of the Universe will be out April 20 — because duh — and you’ll find more from Wachsman after the video below about the new lineup.
Enjoy:
SÖNUS, “Nuclear God” video premiere
The CDs and Cassettes should be available on 4/20, naturally (barring any plant delays or shipping mishaps).
About the new members:
Seated atop the drum throne is Colin Drake Jaramillo, my best friend and fellow archaeologist- we’ve travelled the world together for years working on Archaeological sites, I was his best man in his wedding, and now I’m delighted to welcome him aboard and confident knowing he has my back on the Drums.
Filling out the rhythm section, on the Bass, we welcome groove master and bringer of thunder, Dave Reno.
Sharing (and shredding) Guitar duties with me is the venerable Vishwam Aggarwal. And with that, SÖNUS is a one-man-band no longer! I am beyond-delighted to welcome these talented people to the group, and to hear what they bring to these songs. We are working hard to bring our brand of sensational space rock to you as soon as we can!
SÖNUS are: David Wachsman: guitar/vocals Vishwam Aggarwal: guitar Dave Reno: bass Colin Drake Jaramillo: drums
SÖNUS on ‘Usurper of the Universe’: David Wachsman (Composition/Lyrics/Rhythm Guitar/Lead Guitar/Bass/Synths/Vocals/General Mania and Questionable Sanity) with; Tyler Hovestadt (Tracks 3 & 6: Additional Synths, Piano, and SFX; Track 5: Drums), Eduardo Salazar (Drums, except for track 5), and Jaymi McGinn (backing vocals on track 6)
Posted in Radio on January 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Yeah, this is a good one. A lot of this comes from stuff that’s been and is being covered around here over the last couple weeks, and suffice it to say I’ve got no regrets about choosing any of these tracks. I was worried about White Manna getting lost in the Quarterly Review shuffle, so consider this an extra nod to check that out, and celebrating the new Big Scenic Nowhere, Lamp of the Universe, Weedpecker and Pia Isa records feels about right, as well as the Electric Moon collection, Phase, which put “The Loop” right back in my head like it had never left.
Upcoming stuff from Seremonia, Obsidian Sea, Fostermother, and SÖNUS give a glimpse of things to be released over the next month-plus, and the hardest part about including an Author & Punisher track is not rambling incoherently for 20 minutes about how great the rest of the record from which it comes is. I suppose there will be time for such things.
For now, I thank you for listening as always if you do and I’m grateful you see these words either way.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 01.21.22
Pia Isa
Follow the Sun
Distorted Chants
SÖNUS
Pay Me Your Mind
Usurper of the Universe
Weedpecker
Endless Extensions of Good Vibrations
IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts
VT
Fostermother
Hedonist
The Ocean
Frozen Planet….1969
Diamond Dust
Not From 1969
Author & Punisher
Drone Carrying Dread
Kruller
Wormsand
Carrions
Shapeless Mass
Dream Unending
In Cipher I Weep
Tide Turns Eternal
VT
Obsidian Sea
Mythos
Pathos
Lamp of the Universe
Descendants
The Akashic Field
Electric Moon
The Loop
Phase
Papir
7.2
7
Seremonia
Unohduksen Kidassa
Neonlusifer
White Manna
Monogamous Casanova
First Welcome
VT
Big Scenic Nowhere
The Long Morrow
The Long Morrow
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 4 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
San Francisco-based mostly-solo-project SÖNUS will release their second album, Usurper of the Universe, on Feb. 5 through Forbidden Place Records. Thus it is that multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and co-producer David Wachsman and drummer Eddie Salazar follow-up late 2020’s well-received Worlds Undreamed Of and arrive at a form of sometimes-psychedelic heavy rock that at points signals a metallic underpinning, as in Wachsman‘s gutted-out vocal delivery on “The Golden Path.” All told, the collection amasses six tracks for a deceptively-sharp 35 minutes, working from a masterplan on Wachsman‘s part that — particularly as he crowns himself as the titular usurper of the universe in the track that shares the album’s name — brings to mind mid-’90s Monster Magnet, though that doesn’t account necessarily for the spaced-out penultimate instrumental “Amáranthine,” so take it for what it’s worth. Grains of salt the size of asteroids making tidal waves of dug-in riffs when they crash into tonal oceans undulating the grand universal nod. Or some such.
“Pay Me Your Mind” (video premiering below) is the second single from Usurper of the Universe behind the hooky prior-alluded title-cut, and it serves as the middle piece of what might be side A’s three-song salvo, with opener “Nuclear God” laying out the foundation in its thick riffing and lines like “You know the whole damn thing feels like a sick joke/The human race has all gone insane/Nothing left to do but take a big toke/And dive into the right side of my brain.” Soon enough, “Usurper of the Universe” will follow by standing astride the throne of god having slain titans, and that may well be a reference out of sci-fi/fantasy — closer “Tanelorn,” for example, draws from the work of Michael Moorcock; Blind Guardian also wrote a song about “Tanelorn” one time that was pretty darn catchy, though they and SÖNUS are by no means the only two to visit that continuity — and while I don’t know where/if Wachsman might have a vinyl split in mind, the three shorter opening tracks hit an especially resonant mania on “Pay Me Your Mind.”
It’s a rocker, to be sure, and with its repetitions of the title and verses like “Now you’re looking to your leaders for some hope to survive/As they stare into the blazing sun/Well you’ve been pulling all nighters at the charnel house/And now your nose is starting to run,” the relevance is unquestionable and the spirit of delivery is heavy punk. This too could be likened to Monster Magnet if you really want, but Wachsman and Salazar bring an energy of their own to it, including in the furious guitar solo that underscores much of the second half of the song, where the overwhelming repeating lines become so purposefully overwhelming. In the parlance of our times, “it do be like that,” and one can hardly argue with Wachsman when, at the end, he says “There ain’t shit.” That “Usurper of the Universe” opens with a bong rip and synth from Tyler Hovestadt (who appears throughout the album and drums on “Amáranthine”) before its grandiose riff kicks in feels like, well, of course. That, in itself, is a kind of social critique.
There is a shift between “Usurper of the Universe” and “The Golden Path,” which opens up with a layer of hard-strummed guitar and a forward, space-rock-derived progression met with barked vocals that are contrasted and complemented in kind by “Amáranthine” subsequent, which lets “Tanelorn” close out on a shorter linear build that moves into a wash of guitar, synth and vocal melody that fades into the album’s finish, leaving the resonant impression of Usurper of the Universe as a clean, considered and mindful execution, bordering on the progressive at its most over-the-top, but not in the end pretentious enough to be off-putting. It feels like SÖNUS and Wachsman are doing the initial explorations of world-building, and the overarching atmosphere of Usurper of the Universe may well lead to further development of storytelling in lyrics/music to come. Maybe, maybe not. When you’ve taken over the universe, you can pretty much do what you will. I look forward accordingly to see where Wachsman and company go next.
You’ll find suitably spastic video for “Pay Me Your Mind” below.
Please enjoy:
SÖNUS, “Pay Me Your Mind” video premiere
David Wachsman on “Pay Me Your Mind”:
Written in December of 2020, “Pay Me Your Mind” is my ’70s proto-punk-inspired rebuke of the utter insanity of our times- from ineffectual to downright stupid, corrupt politicians and world leaders; bloated, propped up systems teetering on the verge of collapse; the world’s climate in total upheaval; people in the throes of complete mental and economic despair; chaos, death, and violence are a blasé everyday occurrence as a nation grows ever-more desensitized to the brutality it abides in its own culture; an unending plague combined with utterly batshit conspiracy theories perpetuated by social media conglomerates who evade responsibility and propagate relentless stupidity.
Now, a little over a year after the January 6th insurrection, I feel the song is more relevant than ever. Accompanying it is an absolutely brutal and intense visual interpretation from Darksprite Videos that I believe perfectly captures the chaotic energy and the themes of the song wrapped together with references to some of the horror movies I love that helped keep me sane over the past couple years.
From The album “Usurper of the Universe” coming February 5th from SÖNUS and Forbidden Place Records. Music and Lyrics by David Wachsman, with Eddie Salazar on Drums. Produced by David Wachsman, with Tyler Hovestadt. Mixed and Mastered by Simon Jameson at Black Art Audio. Video made by Darksprite videos: https://www.instagram.com/darkspritevideos/
SÖNUS on ‘Usurper of the Universe’: David Wachsman (Composition/Lyrics/Rhythm Guitar/Lead Guitar/Bass/Synths/Vocals/General Mania and Questionable Sanity) with; Tyler Hovestadt (Tracks 3 & 6: Additional Synths, Piano, and SFX; Track 5: Drums), Eduardo Salazar (Drums, except for track 5), and Jaymi McGinn (backing vocals on track 6)
Posted in Questionnaire on November 16th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: David Wachsman of SÖNUS
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I’d define what I do as basically trying to create my ultimate band; a mix between Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, The Stooges, Motörhead, Monster Magnet, etc. I discovered Hawkwind through falling in love with Motörhead; a few trips (in the chemical sense) around the cosmos later and I would forever be a convert. Space Rock, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Heavy Metal, Rock N’ Roll, perhaps touch of Chaos Magick… Call it what you will, but as far as I’m concerned, I just want to take the noises I hear in my head and share them with all you lovely people!
I came to it by being introduced to Rock and Roll by my father before I was even born. It was planted like a seed in my psyche when I was just a little bit more than a seed myself, and it grew with me as I grew. This incredible music, the unfathomable power of it! One day my mom gave me an electric guitar and an amp for Christmas and well… here’s the result of that decision all these years later — the gift that keeps on giving! I taught myself how to play, developed my style, dabbled in a few bands and projects and put it aside to finish my degree until one day the whole world closed down and I had nothing but time… and so my first (and upcoming second) albums came to be!
Describe your first musical memory.
My first musical memory is hearing my Dad play Led Zeppelin on one of his many post-divorce weekend visits with me. I don’t know how old I was exactly, but aside from playing them for me in the womb, my dad would always bring a few albums to listen to on the long drive up to San Francisco where I’d stay with him every other weekend as a kid. What can I say, it was quite formative! As I grew he would introduce me to more and more amazing bands that would coalesce into my taste in music; Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Ozzy, Blue Öyster Cult, etc., etc.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Perhaps my best musical memory (and I’ve been fortunate enough to have quite a few great ones) was meeting Nik Turner of Hawkwind before a club show he played in San Francisco. As he shook my hand he asked me what song I hoped to hear that night, to which I replied “Ejection!” He smiled and thanked me for coming and then walked away to get ready for the show — I was awestruck! But it doesn’t end there… As they played their electrifying set of classic Hawkwind Space Ritual-era tracks, I was moshing with this middle aged man who was clearly an old school punk by the way he was thrashing around. He was a nice guy, we were singing, grinning, and moshing along with each other for some time.
At a certain point in the set he put his arm around my shoulder and said “Hey man, what do you want them to play?!” I replied with “Ejection!” To which he assured me that he had heard they weren’t playing that one on this tour. It wasn’t really disappointing as I loved all their songs anyway (and I do mean all — Hawkwind is nearly a religion for me). Well, wouldn’t you know it but just as that middle-aged punk got done telling me they weren’t playing “Ejection,” from the stage Nik Turner says “…and now I’d like to introduce my friend Jello Biafra to the stage…” and so the old punk turned to me and smiled before rushing to the stage!
I shook Nik Turner’s hand, and moshed with freakin’ Jello Biafra! AND they played a goddamn incendiary version of “Ejection!” It almost seems like a fantasy, but it happened! To make that night more legendary — I had just recovered from an inner ear injury which had me bedridden with intense vertigo for a month about a week before the concert; being so discombobulated, I managed to headbang so hard that night that I gave myself whiplash and a minor concussion from rocking out so goddamned hard. To this day I still say it’s well worth the occasional neck pain and tension headaches for that absolutely legendary experience; I’m just glad I was able to remember it given the concussion!
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
My mother raised me as a Christian until I finally accepted that I was an atheist, or an agnostic at age 16, much to my father’s relief. She took me to church every Sunday, and I went to the youth group where I befriended a very sweet and kind girl who was six years older than me. She dated a boy from the church who was two years older than her. They gave talks about practicing abstinence… of course it was inevitable that one day she was brought before the congregation to announce that she was a filthy sinner, and that she had given into lust and had become pregnant.
Now, the boy was not brought up to face the scorn of the congregation with her, mind you, he was seated uncomfortably with his head hung in shame on a pew on the other side of the church. I watched this kind girl cry and plead for forgiveness — for the restoration of her soul — for salvation from the fires of hell. I saw in her eyes the shame, the fear, the self-disgust. I saw the judgement and a peculiar sense of what I later realized was conniving joy in the eyes of those around me — they loved every salacious second of it. They loved the way it made them feel morally superior to sit in judgement of this young girl as if they sat on the very throne of god himself. I thought, is this the mercy of Christ? Is this the love of god? And of course, that’s when they sent the donation baskets around… That’s when it all clicked in my young mind and I learned a truth about the relationship between human nature and power that I would not forget.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Hopefully to new sources of inspiration and fulfillment weaving into a sense of pride and satisfaction in what you’ve managed to create. Hopefully people will take interest in the unknown and the uncomfortable; hopefully they will appreciate the challenge and join you for the journey, but as long as you believe with conviction that you are pursuing your art and expression, then you can and must go, perhaps alone if need be, into the uncharted reaches of your imagination and the very limits of your capabilities and there you must batter down the walls that seek to hold you in and limit you, time and time again.
How do you define success?
Being able to live a life of contentment and relative comfort with those you love. Inner peace in the face of outer turmoil. Remaining uncompromising in your art.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
I’ve seen a few disturbing sights in my time. Before turning to music, I studied as an Archaeologist and Anthropologist; I’ve worked around California as well as Ecuador and Ireland, and I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around a fair amount. I’ve seen the ways in which people live in affluence and in poverty, I’ve seen the ways in which people are exploited or abused by governments and business interests both foreign and domestic. I’ve seen life, death, joy, and sadness and I would not wish away any of it as each experience, pleasant or unpleasant, contained a lesson.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d really like to one day write some short stories; sci-fi, sword and sorcery, horror — I have a deep love for those genres as is obvious to anyone who’s ever listened to my music. I think that’d be a lot of fun, and it’d be great to expand upon certain ideas I’ve had lying around for years.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Art is the expression of an individual’s soul — the attempt to encapsulate a fragment of the totality of their being. A landmark in time proclaiming your existence. A rebellion against the anonymity forced upon us by the unstoppable march of the ages, and perhaps one of the few good things to manifest from the ego.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Seeing the ways in which our society is altered (hopefully for the better) after the fallout of this pandemic, hopefully seeing the nations of the world work together to combat the many forces that threaten our continued existence. But barring that, I’m looking forward to the Next Michael Moorcock Elric novel to read as the world either slides deeper into the shit, perhaps actually improves its condition, or merely limps along into the next era with all of the requisite hopes and horrors therein, after this dark period.
