https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Biblical Premiere “The Last Thing I Remember”; The City that Always Sleeps Due Sept. 15

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on August 31st, 2017 by JJ Koczan

biblical

Toronto heavy space rockers Biblical release their new album, The City that Always Sleeps, Sept. 15 via Tee Pee Records. The band’s second full-length behind 2014’s Monsoon Season and a prior 2012 self-titled EP (review here), it is an eight-track/37-minute excursion that makes mincemeat of various heavy vibes, here explosive in its noise-punker tension, there serene with flowing piano and fluid rhythmic push, shifting into languid drifts of space-bound guitar, Floydian grace and Hawkwindian thrust meeting head-on with harsher impulses as led by vocalist/bassist Nick Sewell. Dynamic in sound and genuinely broad in its reach — that is to say, it’s not just heavy and heavier riffs; there’s real variety between songs like “Regicide” and “Gallows Humor” and “Spiral Staircase” and “House of Knives” — it lets pieces like the penultimate title-track hold a feeling of expanded consciousness and expanded spaciousness while still remaining relatively compact in the actual delivery.

That cut, on which Sewell‘s vocals emerge and recede like an effects-laden ghost of humanity washing up on some abandoned shore, find the bassist as well as guitarist/synthesist Andrew Scott, guitarist Matt McLaren and drummer Jay Anderson (also of Tee Pee labelmates Comet Control) easing their way toward a dramatic pinnacle that gives into feedback and keyboard textures before transitioning into closer “House of Knives,” touching off a subtle cast of progressive New Wave that’s foreshadowed in “Regicide.” No song passes the six-minute mark — the title-track is closest at 5:57 — but the amount of ground Biblical cover throughout is nothing short of staggering, and the confidence behind their delivery makes it so that wherever they tread in a given section, as shown in the one-two punch of blistering/howling opener “Mature Themes” and the drifting, dreamily cascading second track “The Last Thing I Remember,” they carry the listener with them on this outward journey of such righteously cosmic proportion.

biblical the city that always sleepsLikewise, no single song speaks for the entirety of The City that Always Sleeps. With its proggier initial bounce, harsher vocals, emergent wash of noise and antigravity-feedback finish, “House of Knives” might come close, but even that doesn’t necessarily convey the patient spirit Biblical demonstrate in “Fugue State” — arguably their most space-rocking installment, brilliantly paying off early drum tension with a triumphant second-half guitar solo from McLaren — or the hypnotic melodicism of “The Last Thing I Remember,” let alone the Farflung-style, could-go-anywhere desert jangle of “Gallows Humor,” on which a far-back vocal from Sewell echoes out behind a vast landscape of guitar, bass, drums and keys. It wouldn’t be right to call Biblical experimental, because while they may have those roots in their composition, they’re not just throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks; their songs feel meticulously constructed, detailed down to the balance of the guitar squibblies, strum and keyboard notes that cap the aforementioned “Gallows Humor” and lead the way into the piano-over-waves start of “Spiral Staircase,” and that impression remains consistent no matter where an individual part finds them.

In fact, that might be what most ties the material together on The City that Always Sleeps and lets the album flow as a single work. While there’s no question Biblical convey an exploratory sensibility, their overarching purpose still lies in songwriting. It just so happens to be they’re capable of multi-tiered expression through that on a level that, simply put, not every band can or does reach. No doubt The City that Always Sleeps will fly under the radar for many. It’s not Tee Pee‘s highest-profile release of 2017 by any stretch, and it’s easy to imagine the complexity across its span requires a level of engagement and attention that not everyone will be willing to give it. That doesn’t mean Biblical aren’t having a conversation with their listeners here, just that it’s an intelligent one and that they’re asking questions in addition to laying out declarations in the songs. In other words, it’s worth staying awake for it. For those who do take the record on and give it its due, the results should be accordingly satisfying, as the band hone a sonic persona that is truly their own and offer a style bold in reach and tightly executed. There isn’t a moment here that doesn’t brim with the fullness of its realization.

Below, you can hear the premiere of “The Last Thing I Remember,” followed by some comment from Sewell on the track’s panned drums and inspirations. One more time, Biblical‘s The City that Always Sleeps is out Sept. 15 on Tee Pee.

Please enjoy:

Biblical, “The Last Thing I Remember” official premiere

Nick Sewell on “The Last Thing I Remember”:

“The Last Thing I Remember” ended up being one of my favorite songs on the record. But sometimes it’s tough to figure out what a song wants to be. We actually toyed with keeping this song instrumental, but once we got the idea for those creepy group vocals with the repeating delay we knew we had the missing ingredient — like a cult, chanting.

The mix was also challenge. With rock records, there’s a tendency to go with a very symmetrical mix where you double track everything and pan it out. While that can give you a solid mix, it can also be a little bland. We decided to take chance and hard pan the drums opposite those big minor chords to give it an early ’60s vibe. We’re all big David Axelrod fans, so that was a little nod to him.

Lyrically, the song is pretty much exactly what the title implies: rummaging through memories, picking up individual shards and holding them up to the light.

Biblical on Thee Facebooks

Biblical on Twitter

Biblical on Bandcamp

Biblical website

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records on Thee Facebooks

Tee Pee Records on Twitter

Tee Pee Records on Bandcamp

The City that Always Sleeps preorder at Tee Pee Records

Tags: , , , , ,

Biblical Post “Mature Themes” Video; The City that Always Sleeps out Sept. 15

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 1st, 2017 by JJ Koczan

biblical-Photo-by-Nic-Poullot

Brash, heavy, and marked out with just a little bit of psychedelic depthmaking, Biblical‘s first revealed audio from their new album, The City that Always Sleeps bodes pretty well for the record due out in September on Tee Pee. It’s not without its atmosphere or a sense of movement, and to go with tube-amp howl, there’s a harsher bite to the vocals and a punch of fuzzy bass that, yeah, that’ll do nicely. The clip for “Mature Themes” isn’t much to look at really — some old manipulated footage out of either the educational public domain or propaganda or both — but in a brisk run of under three minutes, Biblical cast their lot in punker boogie and rhythmic jabbing, making for a combo that’s easy to dig but not without an edge when it hits your ear.

Does “Mature Themes” speak for the whole of The City that Always Sleeps? Beats me. As the album opener, it might, or it might just be an initial rocket-fire to bring the three-piece into the orbit where they dwell for the remainder. We’re still about a month and a half out from the release date — though much, much longer from when the record was first announced back in February — so I’d doubt this is the last preview we’ll get before it lands, but even if it is, it serves well to intrigue and leave its audience wanting more while also no doubt establishing a good deal of initial momentum to carry into the songs that follow. At least it seems that way to me. When it ends, I feel like I’m ready for the next song to start, in other words.

See if you feel the same. More info follows the clip, courtesy of the PR wire:

Biblical, “Mature Themes” official video

Toronto rock and roll band BIBLICAL will release its new album, The City that Always Sleeps, on September 15 via Tee Pee Records / New Damage. The band’s sophomore full-length is a deep dive into sludgy psych rock that explores spaces, textures and tones beyond the outer limits. In advance of the record’s release, BIBLICAL debuts the new single and video, “Mature Themes”, which vocalist / bassist Nick Sewell calls, “a meditation on buried things; buried ideas, buried feelings, buried people.”

In addition to Sewell, the quartet features in its ranks guitar / synth player Andrew Scott (both Scott and Sewell played with Death From Above drummer Sebastien Grainger in his Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains project), lead guitarist Matt Mclaren and drummer Jay Anderson (also of COMET CONTROL). Before and since the 2014 release of its full-length debut, Monsoon Season, BIBLICAL has toured and / or rocked stages alongside DFA1979, Eagles of Death Metal, Fucked Up, Kyuss Lives! and Red Fang among many more.

The City that Always Sleeps tracklisting:
1.) Mature Themes
2.) The Last Thing I Remember
3.) Regicide
4.) Fugue State
5.) Gallows Humor
6.) Spiral Staircase
7.) The City That Always Sleeps
8.) House of Knives

Biblical on Thee Facebooks

Biblical on Twitter

Biblical on Bandcamp

Biblical website

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records on Thee Facebooks

Tee Pee Records on Twitter

Tee Pee Records on Bandcamp

The City that Always Sleeps preorder at Tee Pee Records

Tags: , , , , ,

Biblical to Release The City that Always Sleeps on Tee Pee Records

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 16th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

There ain’t much as reliable in this unreliable-ass universe as Tee Pee Records knowing their shit when it comes to picking up heavy psych bands. The long-running New York-based imprint has announced intentions toward releasing the second full-length from Toronto outfit Biblical, and a September release date has been set for The City that Always Sleeps, which follows behind 2014’s first full-length, Monsoon Season, as well as their prior 2011 self-titled EP (review here).

Goes without saying that’s a ways off, so there’s no audio yet or anything like that, but keep an ear out. It’s been a while since I saw their name kicking around, but it would seem Biblical were biding their time and they’re ready to roll out over the course of this summer and into the autumn leading up to the release. You’ll note as well the Comet Control connection. Never hurts.

Good stuff:

biblical-Photo-by-Nic-Poullot

BIBLICAL Signs with Tee Pee Records

Toronto Dark Psych Gang to Release New LP This September

Toronto heavy rock band BIBLICAL has signed with NYC independent label Tee Pee Records. The group will release its sophomore LP, The City That Always Sleeps, advanced as “a deep dive into sludgy psych rock that explores spaces, textures and tones beyond the outer limits”, this September.

“We’ve been fans of Tee Pee for ages,” says bassist / vocalist Nick Sewell. “The label has put out so many awesome records, it really is the perfect fit and we can’t wait to share our new LP. It’s got all things that you want in a BIBLICAL record: ‘Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue.'”

Formed in 2010, BIBLICAL is a hard rock band with psych undertones that creates catchy, heavy songs that unfold rather surprisingly. In addition to Sewell, the quartet features in its ranks guitar / synth player Andrew Scott (both Scott and Sewell played with Death From Above drummer Sebastien Grainger in his Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains project), lead guitarist Matt Mclaren and drummer Jay Anderson (also of COMET CONTROL). Motivation for the band’s name is rooted in the “Ghostbusters” quote from Peter Venkman: “This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions!”

Before and since the 2014 release of its full-length debut, Monsoon Season, BIBLICAL has toured and / or rocked stages alongside DFA1979, Eagles of Death Metal, Fucked Up, Kyuss Lives! and Red Fang among many more.

https://www.facebook.com/BIBLICALBAND/
https://twitter.com/BIBLICALBAND
https://biblical.bandcamp.com/album/biblical
http://www.biblicalband.com/
teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://twitter.com/teepeerecords
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Biblical, “Monsoon Season” live in Ontario

Tags: , , , , ,