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Quarterly Review: Corrections House, Antimatter, Colossus, Bastard Lord, Monocluster, Valley, Shatner, Australasia, The Moth Gatherer, Super Witch

Posted in Reviews on January 6th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk quarterly review winter

Well, this is where we hit and pass the halfway point. It’s been a good week so far. Busy, but good. I hope you’ve found something that you dig or agree with or whatnot. I know it’s kind of hard to dig through 10 releases at once, but even if you see cover art that strikes a nerve, going with that impulse is rarely a bad idea, particularly when the level of commitment involved is clicking play on a Bandcamp player to get a taste. Pretty wide range today, so let’s dig in.

Quarterly review #21-30:

Corrections House, Know How to Carry a Whip

corrections house know how to carry a whip

Since they made their debut as a unit in 2013 with Last City Zero (also on Neurot), the don’t-call-it-a-supergroup Corrections House – vocalist Mike Williams (Eyehategod), guitarist/vocalist Scott Kelly (Neurosis), saxophonist/vocalist Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest) and programmer Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea) – have spread their bleak gospel of totalitarian industrial vehemence to audiences in the US and Europe. Their second offering, Know How to Carry a Whip, is bolder sound-wise and retains a very human, punk rock core with Williams’ sneer playing off Kelly’s gutturalism on “White Man’s Gonna Lose” and nearly goes goth in doing the same with Lamont in the later “When Push Comes to Shank,” but across the 45-minute span, the songs remain in the key of abrasion, and ultimately that’s what most unites them. As noisy as closer “Burn the Witness” gets, I can’t help but think of the acoustic, Lamont-led centerpiece “Visions Divide” as the bleakest moment of the record, twisting folkish conventions into a dystopian soundscape, but Williams’ spoken drug-poetry on “I was Never Good at Meth” provides stiff competition.

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Neurot Recordings

Antimatter, The Judas Table

The Judas Table

Lush in its arrangements and doling out extreme measures of melancholy across its 56 minutes, Antimatter’s sixth album, The Judas Table (on Prophecy Productions), brings sonic depth to bear in rich textures of electric and acoustic guitars, keys, and the strength-through-fragility vocals of remaining founder and songwriter Mick Moss. The group’s last offering, 2012’s Fear of a Unique Identity (review here), pushed them into fuller tones, and an early cut like “Killer” builds on that, but the crux of The Judas Table is in subdued and brooding pieces like “Little Piggy,” remorseful and seething in kind as it moves through an acoustic-led arrangement marked out by strings and a sense of grace. “Integrity” asks the question, “What’s the point if no one else has any?” and sets a depressive run through one of the record’s grader builds, but Antimatter are hardly contained to one style here, as the New Wave inflection on “Can of Worms” or the rumbling apex of highlight “Stillborn Empires” demonstrate.

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Prophecy Productions

Colossus, The Breathing World

colossus the breathing world

Not to be confused with their Swedish countrymen who operated under the same moniker and whose lineup included a post-and-pre-Candlemass Messiah Marcolin, Stockholm’s Colossus play a decidedly progressive blend of Peaceville-style doom and metal, the trio of guitarist/vocalist Niklas Eriksson, bassist Peter Berg and drummer Thomas Norstedt adding a near-immediate inflection toward the epic via Primordial-style vocal patterning on opener “Yehi Aour/Wanderers” that holds for much of their 48-minute sophomore outing, The Breathing World (on Perennity Records). “Darkling Root” and more so the chugging “Fuga Mundi” delve into blackened fare in the guitar, but it’s just one of an array of genres in Colossus’ arsenal and in the case of the latter, soon enough complemented by Opethian prog noodling and soulful vocalizing. These turns, which more often than not happen in an instant, are a great strength of The Breathing World, but would fall flat without the crisp, confident delivery the band provides leading to the grand sprawl and long fade of 10-minute closer, “The Silent City.”

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Colossus on Bandcamp

Bastard Lord, Bastard Lord

bastard lord bastard lord

One thing we’ve learned about Twin Earth Records thus far into the long-established label’s recent surge of activity is that it knows tone when it hears it. Thus comes treading Bastard Lord out of Buffalo, New York, whose four-song self-titled debut was initially self-released and remastered for a CD issue, rumble-fuzzing a murky Sabbath worship that oozes from the amps of bassist/vocalist David Braymiller and guitarist Mike Hermann – hard to tell at times in 13-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Cimmerian” where the one instrument ends and the other begins – and set to a suitable plod by Jeremy Coupe’s drumming. It’s little surprise when they pay homage to “Snowblind” in “Wormwood,” but the psychedelic edge in Braymiller’s vocals – drowned in effects, buried in the mix; both appropriately so – gives Bastard Lord a personality of its own the holds even into the faster closer “Into the Sea,” a Toner Low-style lysergic depth unflinching through that song and “Summoner” before it as Bastard Lord emerge from the mire with their intentions clear.

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Twin Earth Records

Monocluster, Monocluster

monocluster monocluster

One might be forgiven for entering into Monocluster’s self-titled, self-released debut album with an expectation for traditional stoner rock, between the band’s moniker and album cover – and if that’s what came through in playing the 35-minute, five-track outing, I very likely wouldn’t complain – but the German-language four-piece subtly veer into and out of spacier interludes in cuts like “Dantes Inferno” and “8 Stunden” and the later “Ich Atme” pushes even further along those lines, jamming out vast and echoing over a foundational bassline that holds the track together before it stops outright and resurfaces with Monocluster’s most righteous single nod. Centerpiece “Straße” demonstrates a touch of Colour Haze influence as well, but on the whole the Cologne four-piece seem headed in a different direction, and as the 10-minute closer “12 Minuten” ranges farther and heavier than everything before it, I’m only more intrigued to find out where they might end up. Heavy psych that’s not afraid to tighten up and make a more pointed impact when it feels one is needed.

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Monocluster on Bandcamp

Valley, Sunburst

valley sunburst

I have two reasons for writing a review of Valley’s Sunburst EP, and they are both ridiculously simple. Yes, the Swedish five-piece were featured in two podcasts (one here, one here) and mentioned in the roundup of 2015’s best short releases – however, reviewing Sunburst now gives me another excuse to put it back on and it gives me something to fall back to later when I’m praising the crap out of whatever they do next and want to link a past review. Simple reasons. If you haven’t yet heard the 2015 debut outing from the Stockholm post-heavy rock instrumentalists, basked in the warm, organic psychedelia of “Tunguska” and “Kiro” or the peaceful folk-jam of “Dream Shooter, Golden!” and the tense-and-release percussion and sample-topped progressive course of “Picture Puzzle Pattern Door,” then you have quite simply missed out. I’m sure plenty have and plenty more will liken it to a desert sound – in no small part because of the cover art – but the smooth melodicism goes beyond landscape here and is made to be appreciated regardless of climate or locale.

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Version Studio Records

Shatner, EP

shatner ep

An edge of Northeastern aggression is unmistakable at the core of Shatner’s 20-minute self-released six-track EP. Based in Boston, the tree-piece boasts guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey (Black Thai, We’re all Gonna Die), bassist/backing vocalist Jesse Sherman (We’re all Gonna Die) and drummer Rob Davol (Cocked ‘n’ Loaded), and so a touch of anger isn’t unexpected given the personnel – even Healey’s acoustic work has brooding tension underlying – but if “Special” and “Black Market Liver” are variations on an ongoing theme, they’re of consistent quality in terms of songwriting, and the Thin Lizzy cover “Bad Reputation” is positioned well just past the halfway point to add variety amid a slew of potent hooks. Not their first time working together, but Healey and Sherman’s voices complement each other well on “Dead in Your Eyes” and “Death Reheated,” and with the solid foundation that Davol provides throughout, Shatner’s EP is an encouraging start to what’s hopefully an ongoing development.

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Shatner on Bandcamp

Australasia, Notturno

australasia-notturno

Harvested, sometimes manipulated samples and synthesized textures permeate Notturno, the mostly-instrumental second album from Italian atmospheric project Australasia. Comprised solely of Gian Spalluto, it’s somewhat more surprising that songs like the cascading “Lumen” and “Kern” are able to conjure such full-band progressions, but layering was bound to be a factor one way or another in Australasia’s approach, so if it’s Spalluto’s vision at play, so be it. Sonically, the impression of much of the material – including the guest-vocalized centerpiece “Invisibile” – winds up somewhere between the dystopian ambience of Red Sparowes and the brighter aspirations of post-black metallers Alcest, but songs like “Haxo” and the closing title-track, a (mostly) solo piano piece, have a cinematic edge as well. Rather than play one side against the other, Spalluto brings them together in one overarching flow that engages conceptually and sonically throughout a nine-track/39-minute course that willfully refuses to acknowledge a line between post-rock and post-metal.

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Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings

The Moth Gatherer, The Earth is the Sky

the moth gatherer the earth is the sky

Synth ambience and distorted severity meet head-on with the second full-length from Swedish post-metallers The Moth Gatherer, The Earth is the Sky (on Agonia Records). Produced over a two-year span with Karl Daniel Lidén (Greenleaf, VAKA, etc.), it punishes intensely on “The Black Antlers” with no less underlying fluidity than it had on the quietly atmospheric “Dyatlov Pass” preceding, the four-piece of bassist/vocalist Alex Stjernfeldt, guitarist/vocalist/programmer Victor Wegeborn, guitarist Ronny Westphal and drummer Svante Karlsson finding a place sound-wise that swaps between peaceful and threatening, delving into extreme progressive metal and electronica in kind on “Attacus Atlas” while setting up the consuming, gradual push of 11-minute closer “In Awe Before the Rapture,” which seems in conversation with the synth of the earlier “Probing the Descent of Man” in creating a layered structure of sound, while also attempting to marry the various impulses displayed throughout. Familiar to a degree, but immersive in its bringing earth and sky together.

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Agonia Records

Super Witch, Super Witch has Risen

super witch super witch has risen

You might wonder just what kind of neighborhood it is that would pair “The House that Dripped Blood” next door to “House of Warlocks” – perhaps that street is on the “Island of Lost Souls” – but then you probably wouldn’t get the crux of Memphis heavy punk foursome Super Witch’s debut full-length, Super Witch Has Risen, which has tales of horror front to back, “Spaceship Cadillac” notwithstanding. The Tennessean outfit dip into garage grunge on “Night of the Hunter” and stomp out call and response and Melvins chug on on “The Need,” show some more patient swing on “Smash Your Own Face,” but it’s “Army of Werewolves” and the opening “Super Witch Has Risen” that tell the story of the band’s intent more than the semi-swirl of “Smash Your Own Face” or the all-the-way swirl of closer “With the Lights Out,” as satisfying as the closer is in pulling off a rare feat – psychedelic punk. Split between two recording sessions, there are some changes in sound throughout, but it would take a supernatural force to derail Super Witch from their underlying purpose.

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Super Witch on Bandcamp

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Super Witch Post Video for “The Need”; Debut Album Released

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 5th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

super witch

Memphis heavy punkers Super Witch seem to have an affinity for the video-making process. Their first album, Super Witch has Risen, was just released the other day, but “The Need” is already the third clip to come from it after one earlier this summer for “House of Warlocks” and one that was first posted last year for “Army of Werewolves.” Their prior EP, The Sun, also produced a video for “Tales of Madness” that was posted here, so “The Need” is more like the latest in an ongoing series than a standalone release unto itself. That said, it is the first one they’ve done since Super Witch has Risen came out, which, again, was just the other day, so that makes a difference as well.

The record, self-released, is available digitally through Super Witch‘s Bandcamp at a name-your-price rate, which makes it priced to sell. It was recorded half at Rocket Science Audio and half (give or take) at M.A.P. Studios, both in Memphis, and the video for “The Need” captures a pretty live-in-studio feel. I don’t know if it was filmed as they were making the album or not — my sense is not, but you never know — but it has that vibe, anyway. If you’re somebody sensitive to things like quick cuts and flashing lights, you might want to keep your hand on the mouse, since they get down with some of that, but the song’s worth checking out in any case, so if you need to pop open another window, fair enough.

It goes a little something like this:

Super Witch, “The Need” official video

Super Witch Music Video for “The Need” off the new full length album “Super Witch has Risen”. Recorded at The Mighty Aw Poots studio and Rocket Science Audio in Memphis, Tn.

Super Witch on Bandcamp

Super Witch on Thee Facebooks

Super Witch on Twitter

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Super Witch Premiere Video for “Army of Werewolves”

Posted in Bootleg Theater on April 1st, 2014 by JJ Koczan

“Beware the wolfen blitzkrieg” is some fairly sound advice, and if nothing else, Memphis, Tennessee, four-piece Super Witch seem to know what they’re talking about when it comes to matters of monsters. Right in time for April Fools, the heavy horror rockers have unveiled a new single called “Army of Werewolves,” and as you might guess, the song is about werewolves, in an army, attacking the populace. In case you were wondering.

Super Witch, comprised of Joey Killingsworth, Eldorado Del Rey, John Pickle and Chris Mccoy, released their four-track The Sun EP earlier this year, taking the name from Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios, where it (plus a bunch of stuff by Elvis and Johnny Cash, etc.) was recorded in 2013. “Army of Werewolves,” however, is newer than that, recorded at Rocket Science Audio and taken from the band’s debut full-length, which is reportedly coming soon.

For not having been recorded in a space where pop culture history was made, “Army of Werewolves” certainly lacks nothing for sonic punch. Guitars, bass and drums hit heavy with a blend of noise and stoner influences, and the double-layered vocals give a punkish edge to the proceedings matched by the track’s stripped-down structure and efficient use of the under-three-minute runtime. If you’re interested in getting a good look at the band, however, the Pickle-directed clip for  “Army of Werewolves” (there wolves. there castle.) keeps them mostly anonymous, focusing instead on the instruments at work, save for when vocal lines are delivered. Even then, no eye contact. Makes for an interesting take on the usual performance video. One doesn’t generally think of that as a way to stay anonymous.

Please find the clip for Super Witch‘s “Army of Werewolves” below and enjoy. More to come on their full-length, and in the meantime, the single and 2013’s The Sun EP are available to download through their Bandcamp.

Super Witch, “Army of Werewolves” official video

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Super Witch on Bandcamp

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Super Witch Film Video for “Tales of Madness” at Sun Studio

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 3rd, 2013 by JJ Koczan

I’ve only been fortunate enough to get to Memphis once up to this point, but a visit to the legendary Sun Studio — where Elvis got his break and Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and many more than can be counted followed suit — was a must. I felt like a supreme badass just taking the guided tour, so I can’t imagine how it might’ve been for local four-piece Super Witch, who actually put four songs to tape there at the end of last month for an upcoming EP release. Probably awesome? Just a guess.

Having stood in that space, I can tell you it’s not huge. Not nearly as sprawling or high-ceilinged as one might expect of a hall so hallowed — remember it was 60 years ago — so as you see the video for “Tales of Madness” from the aforementioned forthcoming Super Witch EP, understand that there’s not a lot of room left over for fancy camerawork. Oddly enough, they didn’t have music videos in mind when Sun Studio was built. I know, right?

As for what to expect in the song itself, there’s a tinge of grunge to the tones of the guitars, but vocally they come right out of the post-Kyuss school of heavy rock, and while it’s definitely a live take, “Tales of Madness” should give some idea of what we might expect whenever Super Witch‘s debut outing surfaces. Note the picture of the “Million Dollar Quartet” — Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash — on the wall on the right side at the start. Just in case you weren’t feeling any pressure as you recorded your horror-influenced sludge in a rectangle haunted by gods. Ha.

More on these dudes as I hear it. Until then, enjoy “Tales of Madness” live:

Super Witch, “Tales of Madness” Live at Sun Studio, August 2013

Super Witch on Thee Facebooks

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