Posted in Whathaveyou on July 25th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Italian heavy space rockers Orion have released their first full-length, Builders of Cosmos, with some pretty impressive backing. Not like they’re secretly on the corporate dole or anything — though that would be interesting too; espionage and subversion in the heavy rock underground, as if anything at all with financial stakes was taking place — but just in terms of the sheer number of labels: Taxi Driver Records, Brigante Records, Acid Cosmonaut, Sailors Overdrive, and The Smoking Goat, which seems to be affiliated with the studio where Builders of Cosmos was recorded. It’s not of course a guarantee for what you’re going to get when you press (or click) play, but usually when something has that many people feeling that strongly about it, it’s going to make an impression one way or another.
See what you think:
ORION: Italian Psychedelic Stoner Rock Unit Releases Builders Of Cosmos Via Taxi Driver Records
Taxi Driver Records, in conjunction with The Smoking Goat Recording Studio, Acid Cosmonaut Records, Sailors Overdrive Records, and Brigante Records, are pleased to unveil the debut from psychedelic stoner rock alchemists, ORION.
Fittingly titled Builders Of Cosmos, the six-track offering was captured at The Smoking Goat Recording Studio, mixed by guitarist/vocalist Matteo Signanini, mastered at LRS Studio Factory, and comes shrouded in the mystical cover art of Luca SoloMacello.
ORION is Matteo Signanini (Woodwall) on guitar and vocals, Andrea Ricci (former Mexican Mud, Peawees) on guitar, Richard Silvaggio (former Mexican Mud) on bass, and Pietro Virgilio (former Army Of Angry Youth) on drums. Builder Of Cosmos is out now on CD and digital formats, and available at Taxi Driver’s online store HERE, Taxi Driver’s official Bandcamp page HERE where it’s streaming in full as well as through the band and other label pages listen below.
Builders Of Cosmos Track Listing: 1. Intro 2. Alone With You 3. Lucid Dream 4. Builders Of Cosmos 5. Over & Over 6. Lost Again
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 1st, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Cult rockers Psychedelic Witchcraft released their debut full-length, The Vision, this spring on Soulseller Records. The Italian outfit has followed up that offering with a reissue of their 2015 EP, Black Magic Man (review here), that includes a bonus track Sam Gopal cover tracked as a tribute to Lemmy Kilmister, who played in the band prior to joining Hawkwind, and features new cover art, clearly digging the psych vibe of the songs on the EP.
The PR wire has it like this:
PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT: Italian Occult Rock Conjurors Reissue Black Magic Man EP On Limited-Edition Twelve-Inch Purple Vinyl Via Taxi Driver Records
New Pressing Includes Bonus Cover Track/Lemmy Tribute
Italian occult rock conjurors PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT — who recently announced their disbanding — released their critically lauded debut EP, Black Magic Man, last Summer via Taxi Driver Records.
Initially issued as a limited-edition ten-inch and now long sold out, Taxi Driver recently repressed the EP on twelve-inch purple vinyl with an etched B-side. Limited to three-hundred copies, the release comes with updated cover art by British poster artist Matt Wilkins as well as a bonus cover track tribute to Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister titled “The Dark Lord” originally released in 1969 by psychedelic rock band Sam Gopal (which featured Ian Willis AKA Lemmy).
Comments PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT leader Virginia Montisais, “I’m so excited for the reissue of Black Magic Man. I really wouldn’t expect a sold out and a second pressing when I first uploaded ‘Angela’ on YouTube. I’m very happy again to collaborate with Taxi Driver for the release of this new edition, because they’re the ones who made the PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT project possible and they always supported me in good and bad times from the beginning. We decided to add the cover of ‘The Dark Lord’ by Sam Gopal, that we play live very often, as a bonus track, a thought that came to mind after the tragic news of Lemmy’s death. For us, and everyone I think, Lemmy has been such an inspiration not only for his music, but also as an artist and person, and our best way to honor him was to include one of his songs in our EP’s reissue.”
PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT’s Black Magic Man EP is now available via the Taxi Driver webstore HERE as well as BandCamp at THIS LOCATION where you can hear a stream of the EP.
Black Magic Man Track Listing: 1. Angela 2. Lying On Iron 3. Black Magic Man 4. Slave Of Grief 5. The Dark Lord
Posted in audiObelisk on March 10th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Italian four-piece Sonic Wolves are gearing up for the release of their debut album this Spring, and as a way of laying the foundation for its arrival, Taxi Driver Records has gotten behind a 7″ single for Record Store Day featuring the songs “He Said” and “Song for the Earthbound.” The band, which features bassist/vocalist Kayt Vigil (ex-The Hounds of Hasselvander and ex-Pentagram) and drummer Vita (Ufomammut) as well as guitarist/vocalist Paolo Melotto and guitarist Diniz and formerly worked under the moniker Tsutar, offered up their debut demo, titled Wolfwitch, last year, and “He Said” featured on that as well, but He Said b/w Song for the Earthbound brings them to a more established feel in production and, as an introduction to the long-player to come, it shows a range of styles Sonic Wolves incorporate pull from various sides of heavy psychedelia and deep-toned fuzz. It’s a quick listen, of course, but Sonic Wolves acquit themselves well throughout.
“He Said” is a studio recording, where “Song for the Earthbound” was tracked live, and the A-side establishes an almost immediate sense of depth. The rhythm is languid, an easy flow bolstered by near-shoegazing effects on the guitar, but Vigil‘s vocal echoes overtop in a way that’s somewhat more blown out, and that gives a looser, garage-style feel as “He Said” unfolds, a steady drum progression pushing it along until it crashes into the solo section, the bass fuzzing heavy under a nodding freakout that cuts suddenly to go back to the verse, somewhat more tense after what it’s just been through. Engaging, catchy in a lysergic kind of way and fluid, it still only tells part of the story, as “Song for the Earthbound” takes hold. The B-side, which didn’t feature on the demo, offers a fuller-toned push, some cowbell from Vita, and vocal tradeoffs between Vigil and Melotto as well as more straightforward guitar interplay and an emergent roll in its back half that leads to a return to the hook with both singers delivering. That dynamic doesn’t show up in “He Said,” so between the swapping of heavy/psychedelic influences and the dual-vocalist dynamic, Sonic Wolves set themselves up across He Said b/w Song for the Earthbound to go into an album of wide-ranging and intriguing possibilities.
And no doubt that’s the intent behind the single in the first place. Record Store Day (April 16) is the release date for He Said b/w Song for the Earthbound, and if you’re feeling groovy, it’ll be streaming for the next couple weeks to let you get a taste on the player below. More info on it follows from the PR wire.
Enjoy:
Sonic Wolves are a “heavy dirty rock” band from Alessandria (Italy). The project started in 2012 by bassist Kayt Vigil (previously in The Hounds Of Hasselvander and Pentagram, currently also in Rogue State) and drummer Vita (currently also in Ufomammut and Rogue State), under a different name (Tsutar), and it developed with a line-up transformation with also Paolo Melotto (previously in Psyconauts and also Tsutar) on lead guitar and voice, and Diniz (currently in Temple Of Dust and Mexican Chili Funeral Party) on rhythm guitar, both joining the band.
Before their first album that will be out in late spring, Taxi Driver Records is going to release a 7inch 45-rpm single titled “He Said” for Record Store Day 2016 (16th April), limited to 150 hand numbered copies (first 50 copies on large central hole vinyl version).
Tracklist: Side A: He Said Side B: Song For The Earthbound
“He Said” was recorded and mixed by Stefano Tocci at Ampire Studio, Pistoia (Italy), and it’s a “radio edit” version. The extended track will be included in the upcoming full lenght. B-side “Song For The Earthbound” is a live recording by Alessandro Levrero. Both tracks were mastered by Riccardo “Paso” Pasini. Cover artwork curated by Seals Of Blackening (Michele Carnielli, frontman of Italian doomsters Kröwnn).
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Italy’s Sonic Wolves will issue their debut album this Spring through Taxi Driver Records. Really, that’s about the extent of what’s known about it at this point. It’s been recorded, it’s got eight tracks, and they’re holding out on giving away stuff like the title, names of the songs, artwork and audio. Sonic Wolves, which features Kayt Vigil (The Hounds of Hasselvander) and Vita (Ufomammut), released their Wolfwitch demo last year and they’ve had a few lineup changes since that the PR wire details below, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the album had at least some of the same material to it, since the band made it pretty clear their first time out that they knew what they were doing.
From the PR wire:
TAXI DRIVER RECORDS ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF THE FIRST ALBUM BY SONIC WOLVES IN SPRING 2016
Taxi Driver Records announces the release of the first album by Sonic Wolves, planned for Spring 2016.
Sonic Wolves are a “heavy dirty rock” band from Alessandria (Italy). The project started in 2012 by bassist Kayt Vigil (previously in The Hounds Of Hasselvander and Pentagram, currently also in Rogue State) and drummer Vita (currently also in Ufomammut and Rogue State), under a different name (Tsutar), and it developed with a line-up transformation. In December 2014 Sonic Wolves recorded their first demo at Ampire Studio (Pistoia, Italy). It was Kayt Vigil on bass/vocals, Vita on drums and Stefano Tocci (currently in Deaf Eyes and previously in Incoming Cerebral Overdrive) on guitars. The eight song demo titled “WolfWitch” was recorded by Tocci and was released in April 2015. In July 2015 Paolo Melotto (previously in Psyconauts and also Tsutar) joined Sonic Wolves on lead guitar and voice, followed in August 2015 by Diniz (currently in Temple Of Dust and Mexican Chili Funeral Party) on rhythm guitar.
The sound of Sonic Wolves is an infusion of heavy and dirty rock, with elements of metal and psychedelic influences permeating each song. They take rock to a louder and nastier level.
At the end of 2015 Sonic Wolves recorded their first full length, once again at Ampire Studio in Pistoia, with Stefano Tocci serving as studio sound engineer. The album includes 8 tracks and will be out in Spring 2016 on Taxi Driver Records. Artwork, tracklist and title will be revealed in the next weeks.
Lots to get to on this holiday week, but I didn’t want to let the Radio Adds slide any longer than I already have. As ever, there’s a lot of good stuff joining the ranks, and hopefully if you listen, you find something you dig. That’s what it’s all about. Also about giving me a never-ending playlist to listen to while I vacuum, apparently. But still, definitely both.
You’ll note six adds instead of five this time around. Every now and then there’s just too much going on to play by your own limits.
The Obelisk Radio Adds for July 3, 2014:
Blues Pills, Blues Pills
The awaited self-titled debut from Blues Pills arrives via Nuclear Blast in August and finds the four-piece with the blazing rhythm section of bassist Zack Anderson and drummer Cory Berry culled from the former ranks of Radio Moscow, French guitarist Dorian Sorriaux and Swedish frontwoman Elin Larsson almost frighteningly cohesive and cognizant of their blues rock lineage. Larsson does a solid Tina Turner on opener “High Class Woman” — as much as anybody can — and Sorriaux quickly proves himself a wunderkind in classic shuffle. Blues Pills offer all the heavy ’70s influence one could ask with less of the retro aesthetic, giving their first record a refreshing charge, though closer “Little Sun” has plenty of Graveyard-style melancholy for those looking to hear it. A relatively subdued midsection in “Black Smoke,” “River” and “No Hope Left for Me” adds emotional depth, but when Blues Pills decide to tear it up, as on “Devil Man,” they’re more than able to do so. A dynamic first full-length from an obviously powerful four-piece. On Thee Facebooks, Nuclear Blast.
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Major Kong, Doom for the Black Sun
A two-years-later limited vinyl issue of Polish instrumental stoner doomers Major Kong‘s Doom for the Black Sun debut long-player courtesy of Transubstans Records should be a welcome advent for those who worship riffs, as the trio clearly do. The tracklist is shifted some from the original release and the artwork has changed, but Major Kong are true to the Kyuss reference of their album’s title in their commitment to heavy nod ‘n’ roll. Fuzz abounds and the grooves are smooth as “Witches on My Land” opens up into “The Swamp Altar,” each song getting progressively longer until bassist Domel, guitarist Misiek and drummer Bolek arrive at the 11-minute finale of “Primordial Gas Clouds,” a huge jam peppered by airy psychedelic soloing that doesn’t so much build to a grand finish as it does melt the album down into a molten stew of reverb and fermented buzz. Major Kong released a subsequent single, “Sequoia” early in 2013 and a follow-up full-length in Jan. 2014’s Doom Machine, so there’s plenty of ground to cover for further investigation. On Bandcamp, on Thee Facebooks, Transubstans Records.
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Moab, Scion A/V Presents Billow
There are a lot of bands who balance riffs and melody, but few sound as natural or as fluid as Moab in doing so. The L.A.-based three-piece follow their 2011 Kemado Records debut, Ab Ovo (discussed here) with Billow, a self-produced nine-track collection presented by Scion A/V that furthers the noise-rock crunch of their guitars while also branching into languid heavy psychedelic washes (“Said it Would”), tribal-style percussive insistence (“I Concede”) and generally bigger, wider-sounding sonic spaces. Guitarist/vocalist Andrew Giacumakis holds mostly to a subdued delivery no matter the madness unfolding behind him — witness the stomp with bassist Joe Fuentes and drummer Erik Herzog on “No Soul” — and in addition to proffering some infectious hooks along the way, the approach also gives Billowa sense of purpose beyond heaviness for its own sake, Moab‘s element of restraint putting their material in league with Radiohead as much as the Melvins, while offering something that should appeal to fans of either, both or neither. Here even more than on the first record, they’ve crafted their own sound, and they’re giving it away for free. On Thee Facebooks, download Billow.
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Monobrow, Big Sky, Black Horse
Big Sky, Black Horse is the third self-released vinyl from large-riffing Ottowa trio Monobrow following 2012’s Bennington Triangle Blues and their 2010 self-titled debut (review here), and immediately the instrumentalists set about knowing their business when it comes to putting the riffs front and center and backing up with strong, forward-pushing rhythmic drive. Parts of Big Sky, Black Horsefeel derived from Karma to Burn‘s all-straightforward-all-the-time mentality, but by and large, Monobrow have a more upbeat approach, and even on a mid-paced groove like “These Mountains Don’t Want us Here,” the 8:27 second track of the total eight, they use their longer runtimes to showcase fluidity in pacing and genre-minded stylistic depth. It’s an easy record to dig, and I dig it, whether it’s the bass-led thud of “Old Man Mouthbreather” or the go-anywhere 11-minute apex the album receives in its title-track, which starts big, ends big and is big in the middle. Beware the quiet parts in that song and a cut like “Ancient Arctic Wanderer,” as stretches of silence only seem to presage the next round of riffy pummeling. Monobrow seem comfortable working in either modus, and their third offering is a primo boon to fellow riff-heads. On Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.
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Mope, Mope
Put into the right hands and through the right effects pedals, a saxophone can be a formidable tool in the psychedelic woodshed. Slow-rolling Italian foursome Mope clearly realize this on their three-track self-titled full-length debut CD, which comes in a digipak with gorgeous Snailking-esque black and white art from guitarist Jessica Rassi. They’re not long into opener “Old Grey Street” (7:32) before Sara Twinn distinguishes herself in adding a smoky melody atop the doomly vibes unfolding from Rassi, bassist Stefano Parodi and drummer Fabio Cuomo, and the dreamy-but-still-very-very-heavy mood Mope establish in the first track holds firm on the subsequent “Doomed to Feed the Ground” (12:58) and “La Caduta” (9:58) as well, the instrumental band sticking to a balance between psychedelic and stoner-doom impulses. Hypnosis ensues. The centerpiece is perhaps the most immersive of the three inclusions on the Taxi Driver Records outing, with its surprise piano at the beginning and sparse, minimalist ending, but across the board, Mope hone an engaging depth of presentation by which it’s a pleasure to be subsumed. Ending slow and jazzy on “La Caduta,” Mope‘s Mopeis one to close your eyes and just go with. On Thee Facebooks, at Taxi Driver’s Bandcamp.
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Prisma Circus, Reminiscences
I don’t know how many times I’ve said it over the years, but, oh, what a difference a great drummer can make. Spanish classic heavy rock power trio Prisma Circus separate themselves on their World in Sound debut full-length, Reminiscences, from the scores of post-Graveyard retro worshipers thanks in no small part to the unmitigated swing in drummer Alex Carmona Blanco‘s playing. Couple that with the fiery leads of guitarist Oscar Garcia Albizu and warm, steady fills and bluesy exultations of bassist Joaquín Escudero Arce and Prisma Circus bang out thick-cut chops on their eight-track outing, starting with longest cut “The Mirror” (immediate points) and tapping into some Radio Moscow-style psych-blues volatility along the way. “Born in a Red House” slows the proceedings some, but Blanco kicks out a drum solo on the subsequent “Napalm” that lives up to the title, and the lighter back-half acoustics of “Cain” and the power trio thrust of “Onyx Star” ensure that Reminiscences stays satisfying to the bitter end, capping off with the smooth roll-out of “Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man),” which turns tempos fast enough to require multiple listens just to keep up. They may not be innovating the style at this point, but Prisma Circus are tight enough to stand out anyway. On Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp, World in Sound.
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Righteous though these grooves are, this is less than half of everything that joined The Obelisk Radio playlist this week. See the updates page for the complete list.
Posted in On the Radar on March 15th, 2011 by JJ Koczan
There’s an underlying weirdness to The PEK‘s debut album, Heroin, that doesn’t come out until the very end. For the most part, the Italian rockers sound like they should have called the record “Beer,” since the kind of gaunt, tortured side of addiction is all but absent from what they’re doing, but then the closer, “Follow,” devolves into a kind of barrage of screaming voices and sharp-cutting noise. It’s definitely a surprise, and I’m still not sure if it alone justifies calling the album what they did (there’s a narrative thread in the lyrics, but whenever I think of heroin in music, my mind goes immediately to Alice in Chains‘ Dirt, and I don’t know if it’s possible for a band to make an album more aurally representative of addiction than that), but the heavy rocking six tracks beforehand still have an appeal anyway, especially when you take into account the current strength of the Italian scene.
Bands like OJM, Gandhi’s Gunn, and Black Rainbows (all of whom The PEK has played with), Ufomammut, Void Generator, Oak’s Mary and plenty of others have ensured that Italy has grand representation on the larger scale of the European underground scene, and with Heroin, hopefully The PEK can start the process of joining their ranks. The trio, which formed in 2007, have Heroin opener “Fold” and fifth track “Neo” streaming on their MySpace page and Facebook profile, and the video for the mid-pace stoner groove of “Neo” can be seen below by anyone interested in checking them out. Enjoy.
There’s an underlying weirdness to The PEK‘s debut album, Heroin, that doesn’t come out until the very end. For the most part, the Italian rockers sound like they should have called the record “Beer,” since the kind of gaunt, tortured side of addiction is all but absent from what they’re doing, but then the closer, “Follow,” devolves into a kind of barrage of screaming voices and sharp-cutting noise. It’s definitely a surprise, 
