Live Review: Planet Desert Rock Weekend V – Night 3

Posted in Reviews on February 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan

Mos Generator (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Afternoon – Before Show

“Freelance Fiend” stuck in my head. I’ll talk about why tomorrow. You could do so much worse, though. Eternally.

Tonight is the apex of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V. Six bands, front-to-back with Green Desert Water opening, Omega Sun, Solace, The Watchers, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Mos Generator. A thing to look forward to, and I have been since the day-splits were announced. As has been the case over the last two nights, there will be ties between one set and the next, I expect, and I’m curious how it will all play out, though however it goes, holy mackerel, it’s gonna rock.

It’s also a venue switch, moving from Count’s Vamp’d, where nights one (review here) and two (review here) went down, to The Usual Place, which I know John Gist — of Vegas Rock Revolution; this is his fest — has done a bunch of stuff at, including as part of past PDRWs. I came here trusting it was going to be a good experience, expecting to have a good time, and it has exceeded that. I am fortunate to be here. Happy to be here. If I’ve mentioned that before, it’s worth repeating. Tattoo it in block letters on my forearm.

The room itself is bigger than Vamp’d — I’m not sure I can call it that having only been there twice, but I’m gonna throw it out there and see if I get in trouble — and it’s another cool spot; would expect no less. Gorgeous desert sky on the way in, with impossible blues and oranges and such like something off a non-denomonational-but-definitely-‘inspirational’ wall calendar. At the same time, it was probably as close as I’ve come to what people think of when you say you’re in Las Vegas, still at reasonable remove from the Strip itself, but a fun juxtaposition either way. Yes, I was good and stoned.

It was a relatively early start for club shows and still unlike the bulk of fests worldwide for its manageability, 6:30 or so, and there was some technical issue requiring a new bass head, but two minutes and a fog machine blast later, here’s how it went:

Green Desert Water

Downright electric was the heavy boogie blues and fuzz roller energy wrought by Spain’s Green Desert Water to open the night. It seemed early to bring the house down, but the three-piece called everyone up to the stage to party for Saturday, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the running theme for the evening hadn’t just revealed itself. I don’t know about you, but I dug the gosh darn heck out of the band’s 2021 LP, Black Harvest (review here), and they opened with the title-track, meeting old-soul vibes with not-old-yet energy, guitarist/vocalist Kiké Sanchis a frontman of classic leading-a-trio presence, impeccably suited to the songs, which are class in the leads and shuffle in the bass of Juan Arias García and drummer Dani Barcena, the latter of whom also backed Sanchis on vocals. They mellowed out mid-set and the bass held it with warmth while the guitar went stepping and every molecule coming out of that fog machine felt earned. They were here in 2019, so maybe it’s no surprised they were so comfortable on the stage now, but at a certain point, chemistry is chemistry. Green Desert Water were duly fluid, but what made them perfect to start was the fact that they were electric on stage. Engaging the crowd, thanking Scott from Small Stone Records (who’s here and I haven’t seen him in like 12 years and I got to hug him and it was wonderful), locking in a succession of monster blues nods and changing it up when it served the song, modern in spirit but coming from a classic place in influences. Plus soulful shred and thick low end. Sounds killer, right? They absolutely were. “The Whirl” was a highlight, but speaking as someone who’s had “Freelance Fiend” in his head all day, the strut in “Shelter” was no less suited to cap their set than they were to start the night.

Solace

I did not write one word during Solace. Not one. First time in three days I wasn’t writing during the set. That’s who Solace are to me. Tell your friends you love them. They’ve been on the road since last week. Their tour was over as of the end of the set, and though apparently two-fifths of the band were sick, they brought it as only Solace could, their stoner metal, hardcore intensity and ’90s tonal crunch still so much its own blend. A band able to be joyous while punching you in the face, and not in like some schlock Joker kind of way, I mean the music is a joy even at its hardest hitting — often especially at its hardest hitting — and while I’m not going to pretend I’m impartial about Solace. I have memories with those songs going back over 20 years, even aside from the Jersey connection, doing shows together, and so on. Just as a fan. Whether a club show or a fest, Solace was always the band who played last and blew it out. To have them play second — I thought Omega Sun were on after Green Desert Water; have not yet found out what happened there or if I was just wrong; you can imagine which is more likely — was different in my mind, but as with Green Desert Water, Solace did in fact blow out, they just started doing so before 8PM. Fair fucking enough. Accuse me of playing favorites if you want; you’re absolutely right and that’s the point. As long as Solace are a band forever we’re fine.

The Watchers

Definitely we’re working with the blowout as the narrative. The Watchers, whom I’ve never seen, carried forward a bit of Solace’s ’90s crunch in their dudely heavy grooves, and put it to a classic heavy swing with a thick charge. They went back to the band’s beginnings with “Today,” and gave a showing to the more metallic side of last year’s Nyctophilia (review here). John Gist, again, the guy throwing the party, likes a frontman. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a standalone singer like Goins from Solace or Tim Narducci from The Watchers, but someone with presence and a voice. At least that’s what comes through in the curation to me. I’ve always kind of been on the fence with the band, if we’re being honest, but there was no question going into the set they’d bring it, and they’re songwriters, so you know the songs by the end whether you know the record or not. I bet it was warm up there in a leather jacket, but The Watchers not only held their own after Solace, they brought the momentum of the webbing evening forward with force. They made it a party and closed out with “Sabbath Highway,” because duh. And I’m still hoping Omega Sun will show up sooner or later.

Sergeant Thunderhoof

Come over from the UK hot on the heels of last year’s The Ghost of Badon Hill (review here), Sergeant Thunderhoof brought Desertfest vibes to Planet Desert Rock Weekend V, and in the melody and presence, they were both a logical follow-up to The Watchers and in the role of adding texture to the night in a way that, granted, is less psych-based and more solidified as heavy rock/prog, felt like kin in purpose to JIRM last night or MR.BISON the night before. Sergeant Thunderhoof’s name isn’t all-caps, but their sound has a breadth and range, and the vibe is that much richer for what they’re bringing to it. They did “Blood Moon” and “Salvation for the Soul” (catchy catchy catchy and they nailed it; harmonies on point) from the new album, but they’ve got a catalog to draw from at this point and they’ve never been here before, so it makes sense they’d want to represent more than just the latest LP, which they did anyway. Some metal-feeling roots came through for sure, but they weren’t lacking for swing despite the push and sprawl and purpose behind each of their turns. The singer wrapping himself in a US flag near the end left me cold, but such are the times we live in. I have to wonder if they won’t be back in the US before too long.

Mos Generator

I was talking to someone earlier this evening about oldschool bands, second-gen stoner if we’re on the fourth now, maybe, not getting their due. Hi, Mos Generator. Draw that line right to Fireball Ministry headlining as well. My first time seeing the Mk. I lineup of the Port Orchard, Washington-based stalwart heavy rockers, with Shawn Johnson drumming and Scooter Haslip on bass, Tony Reed of course holding down guitar and vocals. Special band, and no, they’ve never really gotten their due. Their latest work, with the new lineup — Jono Garrett on drums, Sean Booth on bass — leans more into prog and is more introspective in spirit, but onstage they dove in hard. Reed: “I feel like boogieing, you feel like boogieing?” And then they go ripshit on “Breaker” from Electric Mountain Majesty (review here) — “Don’t waste your time trying to save my life/ I’m dying now the way I want to” — and even as dark as that sentiment is, that song just moves and moves. They followed it with the roll of “Step Up” and jammed out the solo a bit, which ruled, and then before I knew it they were wrapping up saying they needed to immediately drive 24 hours straight to get I’m not quite sure where and split. Get in, kick ass, get out. They could give a shit for getting their due. Places to go.

Omega Sun

Found them! Turns out the Slovenian trio were closing out in a post-headliner position. They appeared lower on the poster, hence my confusion. In any case, they held a fair amount of people in the room and the songs left no question why. This is their second time here, but my first, and they brought big-groove riffs in classic desert rock fashion. Nothing too fancy — bassist/vocalist Igor Kukanja, guitarist Aris Demirović, drummer Sebastian Vrbnjak — but they’ve got riffs, melody, hooks and volume and they know what they’re doing with them. Their second full-length, Roadkill (review here), came out in 2023, and though it was late by the time they were done, the showing they gave was righteous. If you’re in this for more than five minutes, you know that desert rock outgrew Californian geographic exclusivity decades ago, so a Slovenian desert band isn’t super-crazy, but you sure don’t get to see one kill it as Omega Sun did every day, even if you’re entrenched in the country’s native underground. They shouted they last song out to John, as will happen, and hit into a drive that was both of-genre and their own chemistry, stamp and tone. One last big-riff finish, and it was over, a final emphasis for the day on the idea of community; people from different places coming together to share common interest and experience. In that, they were no less suited to cap than Green Desert Water had been to open, and the flow of the night in sound, style, idea and logistics was ideal, right unto the thanks and goodnight. They bought a $100 Epiphone guitar to play their tour and gave it away when they were done.

This was a really, really good day.

I still kind of have “Freelance Fiend” in my head, but I’m too tired to strut. More pics after the jump, and more words tomorrow as Planet Desert Rock Weekend V moves back to Count’s Vamp’d to close out.

Thank you for reading.

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Planet Desert Rock Weekend V Adds The Watchers; Lineup Complete

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan

planet desert rock weekend v banner

That’s a wrap on the bill for Planet Desert Rock Weekend V in January. The Vegas-based, somehow-not-overwhelming four-dayer is set for Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, 2025, and promises to be a banger with a lineup that’s been hand-picked from front to back. The final act to be added is The Watchers from San Francisco, who’ll be there supporting their earlier-2024 album, Nyctophilia (review here), on Ripple Music. Sure enough, they’ll play the third night of the fest, which also boasts Mos GeneratorSolace, the UK’s Sergeant Thunderhoof, and if that’s not enough, two more European acts rounding out, Omega Sun (returning to play PDRW for the second time) and Green Desert Water, coming from Spain for a fest-exclusive appearance.

Killer night, and not too much. I like how Planet Desert Rock Weekend and its dedicated curator, John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution, isn’t trying to book everybody and everything, but selecting what makes sense next to each other and building out each evening as its own progression. I don’t have a flight yet, but this is very much how I want to and plan to start a busy 2025. Gonna be a good one, I think.

From the PR wire:

Here you go!

For our final band announcement, we really wanted a band that is at or near the top of their genre as far as songs go. There is little doubt that Bay Area band The Watchers have that in spades! We had this stellar band booked for PDRW v2 but sadly frontman Tim Narducci lost his father. The Watchers released an early EP (Sabbath Highway) that brings it so good if left everyone wanting more. Their 2018 release “Black Abyss” took the #1 spot on Vegas Rock Revolution’s End of the Year list and now their 2024 album ” NYCTOPHILLIA” landed #7 on The Doom Charts for May.

This album as well as Black Abyss were produced and engineered by rock producer legend Max Norman who has had his hands in albums by Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Y&T, Armored Saint and many more. 2 out of 4 of the members of The Watchers have played PDRW previouslyplanet desert rock weekend v night 4 poster-2000 as frontman Tim Narducci and Chris “Cornbread” Lombardo played PDRW IV with Spiralarms reunion show. They will be playing on the 3rd night at The Usual Place.

Also playing on February 1st is long time heavy rockers Mos Generator led by the mighty Tony Reed who is one of the premier players in the scene. His recent venture with Big Scenic Nowhere with Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch, Yawning Man’s Gary Arce and others is top shelf music. Tony and the boys will be playing the early years of Mos Generator so expect a lot of killer tunes from albums Nomads, Electric Mountain Majesty and others.

United Kingdom’s Sergeant Thunderhoof cruises over for an exclusive USA show for our lucky showgoers. There recent album release “The Ghost on Badon Hill” is already being talked about as potential album of the year. NJ stoner metal legends Solace will be making their 1st southwest shows on this journey. Honored to have these wild men out to Sin City! Slovenia’s Omega Sun and Spain’s Green Desert Water return to PDRW. Green Desert Water (Exclusive USA show) will be kicking off the evening with their high energy set and Omega Sun will be final band of the evening as they take us to …the Omega.

Ticket Link for Night 3: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planet-desert-rock-night-3-saturday-feb-1-at-the-usual-place-tickets-1098543054849

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

The Watchers, “Haunt You When I’m Dead” video premiere

The Watchers, Nyctophilia (2024)

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The Watchers Premiere “Haunt You When I’m Dead” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 18th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

the watchers

Californian heavy rockers The Watchers offered a darker turn to their core straightforward sound on their second full-length, Nyctophilia (review here), and as we move toward the close of 2024, the mood continues to suit and the songwriting remains sharp. “Haunt You When I’m Dead” — video premiering below — is a side B highlight of a record full of powerful hooks and commanding presence. As on their first album, 2018’s Black Abyss (review here), the band worked with producer Max Norman, who produced Ozzy‘s first three solo records, has worked with Death Angel and a slew of others classic and obscure over 40-plus years, and the sound both accounts for the raw soul of heavy rock in the vocals of guitarist Tim Narducci and pushes the boundary of aggression between rock and metal in terms of delivery.

This feels like exactly what “Haunt You When I’m Dead” wants to do, and honestly, the band — Narducci, guitarist Jeremy Von Epp, bassist Chris Lombardo and drummer Nick Benigno — have always come across more concerned with putting their stamp on traditional forms than trying to thread microgenre needles. On the record (which of course is streaming at the bottom of this post; not everything about the future is terrible) whether it’s the brash nod of “They Have No God” or the spacious roll that opens up as “Taker” progresses later on, The Watchers are unflinchingly solid and convey a style that’s both considered in terms of its craft — the songs are not lazily written or recorded and they’re not as tight as they are by coincidence — and that still sounds free in terms of the groove. It’s a balance one can trace back in well-made heavy rock for more than the last half-century, and Nyctophilia revels in leaning into bleaker atmospheres as the band succeed again in making classic methods their own.

The band have been plugging the release of the video for weeks now on socials, which I guess is how things are done these days, at least when you’re doing them right. In any case, to suit the immediacy of a cut like “Haunt You When I’m Dead,” I’ll put a cork in the blah blah blah and turn you over to the clip. I don’t know if this had anything to do with their motivation in making it, but year-end time is creeping up, and if this is The Watchers‘ way of reminding their fanbase of what they had on offer, fair enough. Otherwise, a bit of fog, the woods, a bit of Ouija ritual, I’m pretty sure Narducci gets murdered. All in good fun.

As always, I hope you enjoy. PR wire info follows:

The Watchers, “Haunt You When I’m Dead” video premiere

Directed and shot by Mike Sloat (Machine Head, Testament)

Following their 2018 debut album “Black Abyss” and the recent live EP “High and Alive”, high-octane San Francisco American metal purveyors THE WATCHERS are now ready to unleash their sophomore album “Nyctophilia” upon the world. Brilliantly capturing the foursome’s towering musicianship and anthemic songwriting, this new album melds the raucous spirit of classic heavy metal with sizzling guitars, loud grooves and Tim Narducci’s searing vocals. The Californian rifflords are back sounding louder and sharper than ever, ready to annihilate everything in their roaring path! “Nyctophilia” was produced and engineered by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth).

Formed in 2016 in the Bay Area, THE WATCHERS is a conglomerate of members from Spiral Arms, White Witch Canyon, Black Gates, Systematic, and Vicious Rumors. The band signed to California powerhouse Ripple Music in the early days and released their long-sold-out debut EP “Sabbath Highway” the same year, which led to an invitation to play US major heavy event Maryland Doom Fest.

THE WATCHERS is:
Tim Narducci – Vox/Guitar
Jeremy Von Epp – Guitar
Chris Lombardo – Bass
Nick Benigno – Drums

The Watchers, Nyctophilia (2024)

The Watchers on Facebook

Ripple Music website

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Quarterly Review: Ufomammut, Insect Ark, Heath, The Cosmic Dead, The Watchers, Juke Cove, Laurel Canyon, Tet, Aidan Baker, Trap Ratt

Posted in Reviews on May 21st, 2024 by JJ Koczan

The-Obelisk-Quarterly-Review

Good morning and heavy riffs. Today is day 7 of the Quarterly Review. It’s already been a lot, but there are still 30 more releases to cover over the next three days, so I assure you at some point I’ll have that nervous breakdown that’s been ticking away in the back of my brain. A blast as always, which I mean both sincerely and sarcastically, somehow.

But when we’re done, 100 releases will have been covered, and I get a medal sent to me whenever that happens from the UN’s Stoner Rock Commission on Such Things, so I’ll look forward to that. In the meantime, we’re off.

Quarterly Review #61-70:

Ufomammut, Hidden

ufomammut hidden

Italian cosmic doomers Ufomammut celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2024, and as they always have, they do so by looking and moving forward. Hidden is the 10th LP in their catalog, the second to feature drummer Levre — who made his debut on 2022’s Fenice (review here) alongside bassist/vocalist Urlo and guitarist Poia (both also keyboards) — and it was preceded by last year’s Crookhead EP (review here), the 10-minute title-track of which is repurposed as the opener here. A singular, signature blend of heft and synth-based atmospherics, Ufomammut roll fluidly through the six-tracker check-in, and follow on from Fenice in sounding refreshed while digging into their core stylistic purposes. “Spidher” brings extra tonal crush around its open verse, and “Mausoleum” has plenty of that as well but is less condensed and hypnotic in its atmospheric midsection, Ufomammut paying attention to details while basking in an overarching largesse. The penultimate “Leeched” was the lead single for good reason, and the four-minute “Soulost” closes with a particularly psychedelic exploration of texture and drone with the drums keeping it moving. 25 years later and there’s still new things to discover. I hear the universe is like that.

Ufomammut website

Supernatural Cat website

Neurot Recordings website

Insect Ark, Raw Blood Singing

insect ark raw blood singing

Considering some of the places Dana Schechter has taken Insect Ark over the project’s to-date duration, most of Raw Blood Singing might at times feel daringly straightforward, but that’s hardly a detriment to the material itself. Songs like “The Hands” bring together rhythmic tension and melodic breadth, as soundscapes of drone, low end chug and the drumming of Tim Wyskida (also Khanate, Blind Idiot God) cast a morose, encompassing atmospheric vision. And rest assured, while “The Frozen Lake” lumbers through its seven minutes of depressive post-sludge — shades of The Book of Knots at their heaviest, but still darker — and “Psychological Jackal” grows likewise harsher and horrific, the experimentalist urge continues to resonate; the difference is it’s being set to serve the purposes of the songs themselves in “Youth Body Swayed” or “Cleaven Hearted,” which slogs like death-doom with a strum cutting through to replace vocals, whereas the outro “Ascension” highlights the noise on its own. It is a bleak, consuming course presented over Raw Blood Singing‘s 45 minutes, but there’s solace in the catharsis as well.

Insect Ark website

Debemur Murti Productions website

Heath, Isaak’s Marble

Heath Isaak's Marble

Laced through with harmonica and organic vibes, Netherlands-based five-piece Heath make their full-length debut with the four extended tracks of Isaak’s Marble, reveling in duly expansive jams keyed for vibrancy and a live sound. They are somewhat the band-between as regards microgenres, with a style that can be traced on the opening title-cut to heavy ’70s funk-boogie-via-prog-rock, and the harmonica plays a role there before spacing out with echo over top of the psychedelia beginning of “Wondrous Wetlands.” The wetlands in question, incidentally, might just be the guitar tone, but that haze clears a bit as the band saunters into a light shuffle jam before the harder-hitting build into a crescendo that sounds unhinged but is in fact quite under control as it turns back to a softshoe-ready groove with organ, keys, harmonica, guitar all twisting around with the bass and drums. Sitar and vocal harmonies give the shorter-at-six-minutes “Strawberry Girl” a ’60s psych-pop sunshine, but the undercurrent is consistent with the two songs before as Heath highlight the shroomier side of their pastoralism, ahead of side B capper “Valley of the Sun” transitioning out of that momentary soundscape with clear-eyed guitar and flute leading to an angular progression grounded by snare and a guitar solo after the verse that leads the shift into the final build. They’re not done, of course, as they bring it all to a rousing end and some leftover noise; subdued in the actual-departing, but still resonant in momentum and potential. These guys might just be onto something.

Heath website

Suburban Records store

The Cosmic Dead, Infinite Peaks

The Cosmic Dead Infinite Peaks

The Cosmic Dead, releasing through Heavy Psych Sounds, count Infinite Peaks as their ninth LP since 2011. I’ll take them at their word since between live offerings, splits, collections and whatnot, it’s hard sometimes to know what’s an album. Similarly, when immersed in the 23-minute cosmic sprawl of “Navigator #9,” it can become difficult to understand where you stop and the universe around you begins. Rising quickly to a steady, organ-inclusive roll, the Glaswegian instrumental psilocybinists conjure depth like few of their jam-prone ilk and remain entrancing as “Navigator #9” shifts into its more languid, less-consuming middle movement ahead of the resurgent finish. Over on side B, “Space Mountain” (20:02) is a bit more drastic in the ends it swaps between — a little noisier and faster up front, followed by a zazzy-jazzy push with fiddle and effects giving over to start-stop bass and due urgency in the drums complemented by fuzz like they just got in a room and this happened before the skronky apex and unearthly comedown resolve in a final stretch of drone. Ninth record or 15th, whatever. Their mastery of interstellar heavy exploration is palpable regardless of time, place or circumstance. Infinite Peaks glimpses at that dimensional makeup.

The Cosmic Dead website

Heavy Psych Sounds website

The Watchers, Nyctophilia

The Watchers Nyctophilia

Perhaps telegraphing some of their second long-player’s darker intentions in the cover art and the title Nyctophilia — a condition whereby you’re happier and more comfortable in darkness — if not the choice of Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Death Angel, etc.) to produce, San Francisco’s The Watchers are nonetheless a heavy rock and roll band. What’s shifted in relation to their 2018 debut, Black Abyss (review here), is the angle of approach they take in getting there. What hasn’t changed is the strength of songwriting at their foundation or the hitting-all-their-marks professionalism of their execution, whether it’s Tim Narducci bringing a classic reach to the vocals of “Garden Tomb” or the precise muting in his and Jeremy Von Epp‘s guitars and Chris Lombardo‘s bass on “Haunt You When I’m Dead” and Nick Benigno‘s declarative kickdrum stomping through the shred of “They Have No God.” The material lands harder without giving up its capital-‘h’ Heavy, which is an accomplishment in itself, but The Watchers set a high standard last time out and Nyctophilia lives up to that while pursuing its own semi-divergent ends.

The Watchers on Facebook

Ripple Music website

Juke Cove, Tempest

juke cove tempest

Leipzig’s Juke Cove follow a progressive course across eight songs and 44 minutes of Tempest, between nodding riffs of marked density and varying degrees of immediacy, whether it’s the might-just-turn-around-on-you “Hypnosis” early on or the shove with which the duly brief penultimate piece “Burst” takes off after the weighted crash of and ending stoner-rock janga-janga riff of “Glow” and precedes the also-massive “Xanadu” in the closing position, capping with a fuzzy solo because why not. From opener “The Path” into the bombast of “Hypnosis” and the look-what-we-can-make-riffs-do “Wait,” the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mateusz Pietrzela, bassist/vocalist Dima Ogorodnov and drummer Maxim Balobin mine aural individualism from familiar-enough genre elements, shaping material of character that benefits from the scope wrought in tone and production. Much to its credit, Tempest feels unforced in speaking to various sides of its persona, and no matter where a given song might go — the watery finish of “Wait” or the space-blues drift that emerges out of psych-leaning noise rock on “Confined,” for example — Juke Cove steer with care and heart alike and are all the more able to bring their audience with them as a result. Very cool, and no, I’m not calling them pricks when I say that.

Juke Cove on Facebook

Juke Cove on Bandcamp

Laurel Canyon, East Side EP

laurel canyon east side

A little more than a year out from their impressive self-titled debut LP (review here), Philly three-piece Laurel Canyon — guitarist/bassist/vocalist Nicholas Gillespie, guitarist/vocalist Serg Cereja, drummer Dylan DePice — offer the East Side three-songer to follow-up on the weighted proto-grunge vibes therein. “East Side” itself, at two and a half minutes, is a little more punk in that as it aligns for a forward push in the chorus between its swaggering verses, while “Garden of Eden” is more directly Nirvana-schooled in making its well-crafted melody sound like something that just tumbled out of somebody’s mouth, pure happenstance, and “Untitled” gets more aggressive in its second half, topping a momentary slowdown/nod with shouts before they let it fall apart at the end. This procession takes place in under 10 minutes and by the time you feel like you’ve got a handle on it, they’re done, which is probably how it should be. East Side isn’t Laurel Canyon‘s first short release, and they’re clearly comfortable in the format, bolstering the in-your-face-itude of their style with a get-in-and-get-out ethic correspondingly righteous in its rawness.

Laurel Canyon on Facebook

Agitated Records website

Tet, Tet

tet tet

If you hadn’t yet come around to thinking of Poland among Europe’s prime underground hotspots, Tet offer their four-song/45-minute self-titled debut for your (re-)consideration. With its lyrics and titles in Polish, Tet draws on the modern heavy prog influence of Elder in some of the 12-minute opener/longest track (immediate points), “Srebro i antracyt,” but neither that nor “Dom w cieniu gruszy,” which follows, stays entirely in one place for the duration, and the lush melody that coincides with the unfolding of “Wiosna” is Tet‘s own in more than just language; that is to say, there’s more to distinguish them from their influences than the syllabic. Each inclusion adds complexity to the story their songs are telling, and as closer “Włóczykije” gradually moves from its dronescape by bringing in the drums unveiling the instrumentalist build already underway, Tet carve a niche for themselves in one of the continent’s most crowded scenes. I wonder if they’ve opened for Weedpecker. They could. Or Belzebong, for that matter. Either way, it will be worth looking out for how they expand on these ideas next time around.

Tet linktr.ee

Tet on Bandcamp

Aidan Baker, Everything is Like Always Until it is Not

aidan baker Everything is Like Always Until it is Not

Aidan Baker, also of Nadja, aligns the eight pieces of what I think is still his newest outing — oh wait, nope; this came out in Feb. and in March he had an hour-long drone two-songer out; go figure/glad I checked — to represent the truism of the title Everything is Like Always Until it is Not, and arranges the tracks so that the earlier post-shoegaze in “Everything” or “Like” can be a preface for the more directly drone-based “It” “Is” later on. And yes, there are two songs called “Is.” Does it matter? Definitely not while Baker‘s evocations are actually being heard. Free-jazz drums — not generally known for a grounding effect — do some work in terms of giving all the float that surrounds them a terrestrial aspect, but if you know Baker‘s work either through his solo stuff, Nadja or sundry other collaborations, I probably don’t need to tell you that the 47 minutes of Everything is Like Always Until it is Not fall into the “not like always” category as a defining feature, whether it’s “Until” manifesting tonal heft in waves of static cut through by tom-to-snare-to-cymbal splashes or “Not” seeming unwilling to give itself over to its own flow. I imagine a certain restlessness is how Aidan Baker‘s music happens in the first place. You get smaller encapsulations of that here, if not more traditional accessibility.

Aidan Baker on Facebook

Cruel Nature Recordings on Bandcamp

Trap Ratt, Tribus Rattus Mortuus

Trap Ratt Tribus Rattus Mortuus

Based in the arguable capitol of the Doom Capitol region — Frederick, Maryland — the three-piece Trap Ratt arrive in superbly raw style with the four-song/33-minute Tribus Rattus Mortuus, the last of which, aptly-titled “IV,” features Tim Otis (High Noon Kahuna, Admiral Browning, etc.), who also mixed and mastered, guesting on noise while Charlie Chaplin’s soliloquy from 1940’s The Dictator takes the place of the tortured barebones shouts that accompany the plod of 13-minute opener/longest track (immediate points) “The Sacred Skunk,” seemingly whenever they feel like it. That includes the chugging part before the feedback gets caustic near the song’s end, by the way. “Thieving From the Grieving” — which may or may not have been made up on the spot — repurposes Stooges-style riffing as the foundation for its own decay into noise, and if from anything I’ve said so far about the album you might expect “Take the Gun” to not be accordingly harsh, Trap Ratt have a word and eight minutes of disaffected exploration they’d like to share with you. It’s not every record you could say benefits aesthetically from being recorded live in the band’s rehearsal space, but yes, Tribus Rattus Mortuus most definitely does.

Trap Ratt on Facebook

Trap Ratt on Bandcamp

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Ripple Music and Vegas Rock Revolution Release The Revolution Lives! Benefit Compilation

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 21st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

I don’t know how much cash a name-your-price comp is bringing in ultimately, but the not-cynical part of me wants to think supporting bands is still something humans are interested in doing, so here’s another way to do that. And if you name your price and your price is nothing, that’s not me trying to guilt you. Over 800,000 people filed for first-time unemployment insurance last month in the US. England has super-covid. Shit is tough everywhere and for everyone. There’s a reason it’s name-your-price and not $35.

As for critical observation, here’s one: John Gist does good work, Ripple Music does good work and these bands do good work. Stay tuned for more heavy hitting insights on the next episode. Make sure you like and subscribe.

All of the following comes from Bandcamp:

va ripple vrr the revolution lives

The Revolution Lives ***A Benefit for the Bands!***

In this day of the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of live shows, Ripple and Vegas Rock Revolution wanted to join forces to rejoice about all the great live music we’ve experienced. Based in Vegas, John Gist, running VRR has created a heavy underground scene where none existed! From his infamous Planet Desert Rock weekends to his numerous shows at Danny Koker’s Count’s Vamp’d, the Beauty Bar, and Bunkhouse Saloon among others, VRR has brought tons of Ripple bands to Vegas to rock the hell outta the desert.

So, now let’s celebrate. Think of this compilation as a virtual show… holding space until the real ones can resume.

Dig into this free comp, made just for you, summarizing all the Ripple family that has journeyed to the desert to play for VRR. Gist himself chose this tracklist and the incomparable Kyrre Bjurling provided the stellar art.

Although the album is “pay what you want” any proceeds raised for the purchase of this compilation will go to help out all the bands that have missed out on being able to perform live shows.

Dig in, and let’s unite when this is over to rock the hell out once again!

Tracklisting:
1. Brutal Winds – Freedom Hawk 04:54
2. Oklahoma Black Magic – The Watchers 04:29
3. Nothing to Lose – Void Vator 03:43
4. Chopper Wired – War Cloud 03:34
5. City Nights – Mothership 05:22
6. Lonely One Kenobi – Mos Generator 05:06
7. Into the Shredder – Ape Machine 03:56
8. Ain’t Trying to Go Down Slow – Shotgun Sawyer 03:16
9. Sun and Mist – Salem’s Bend 05:16
10. Hour Glass – High Priestess 06:46
11. Isolation – Wino 04:12
12. Three Minutes to Midnight – Wo Fat 06:20
13. Fathoms – Horseburner 08:12
14. Sunshine of Your Love – Blackwulf 03:38
15. The Grace of Time – Mr Bison 07:22
16. Light of Day – The Hazytones 03:56
17. Hypnotized – Red Desert 04:17
18. Fog of Whores – Cortez 04:55
19. Cactus Highways – Red Mesa 03:09
20. Better Off Alone – Fuzz Evil 04:42
21. Low Tide – Chiefs 03:48

https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/
https://www.instagram.com/vegasrockrevolution/
https://vegasrockrevolution.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

VA, Ripple/VRR: The Revolution Lives (2020)

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Ripple Music Announce 10-Year Anniversary Party in San Francisco

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 5th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

ripple music 10th anniversary party banner

10 years of Ripple Music is nothing to sneeze at. I could rattle off a list of albums they’ve issued over that time, but frankly, I think you’re probably already doing that in your head. Bands like Mos Generator, Mothership, Wo Fat, from Stubb to Salem’s Bend, Ape Machine to Zed, they’ve shown a rare consistency of mission and quality that’s helped establish them as the standard bearers of straight-ahead heavy.

They’ll do it up in grand fashion in San Francisco at Brick and Mortar for two nights on June 12 and 13. It’s the release show for the new Wino album, the original lineup of Mos Generator is reuniting to play Nomads, The Watchers are celebrating an upcoming live release, and Mothership and Wo Fat are both rolling in from Texas to headline the second night. That’s a goddamn party, is what it is. And of course there’s more, but if you’re not gonna be there, I wouldn’t want to make you sad by continuing on.

Here’s everything:

ripple music 10th anniversary party

A Decade of Doom: Ripple Music Ten Year Anniversary Party – June 12 & 13

Brick & Mortar Music Hall – 1710 Mission St, San Francisco, California

Ripple Music is celebrating a full Decade of some of the best Stoner, Doom and Heavy Psych on the planet and you’re invited! There’s so much going on here it’s hard to put it all into words, but how’s:

1) The reunion of the original Mos Generator to play their Ripple release “Nomads” in its entirety
2) Wino album release party for the legend’s new acoustic LP
3) The Watchers release party for their new Live recording, High and Live
4) Some of Ripple’s best and heaviest bands
5) Exclusive sneak peek of a clip from the upcoming animated full-length Planet of Doom movie, with a meet and greet with the creators
6) Entire event MC’d by Chasta from 107.7 The Bone!
7) Exclusive Ripple, Band, and Planet of Doom merch
8) Charity auctions of signed drumheads,
9) special VIP entry (only 10 per night) which includes attendance at sound check, 2 posters and exclusive merch, and tons more planned!

FREE Limited Edition 10- ear anniversary compilation CD given to every ticket holder at the door!

A once in a lifetime event.

Friday
Mos Generator (Nomads album in it’s entirety)
Wino (album release show)
Ape Machine
The Watchers (album release show)
Blackwulf
The Ghost Next Door

Saturday
Mothership (exclusive California Appearance)
Wo Fat (exclusive California Appearance)
ZED
Salem’s Bend
Lowcaster
Plainride (from Germany)

Both nights will feature the world-premiere clip from the upcoming, full length animated feature film Planet of Doom. Meet the creators.

TICKETS INCLUDING SPECIAL VIP PASSES AVAILABLE AT: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/a-decade-of-doom-ripple-brick-and-mortar-music-hall-tickets/10489655?pl=brickmortarshp

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
ripplemusic.bandcamp.com
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Mos Generator, Nomads (2012)

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Planet Desert Rock Weekend 2 Set for May 16-19; John Garcia & Radio Moscow to Headline

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 30th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

John Gist, who is the gentleman behind the promotional company Vegas Rock Revolution and the Planet Desert Rock Weekend festival getting ready to hold its second edition this May, has passion to spare. Passion enough to spread around and have plenty leftover. There’s a little bit of that guy-who-runs-a-fest urgency about him as well — as one would hope for such an event to be successful — but he’s someone who knows his rock and wants everyone else to know it too. The primary driver is passion.

Planet Desert Rock Weekend 2 ups its predecessor this past November in terms of ambition. With a third headliner still to be announced, Gist will bring John Garcia back for a headlining spot and see the other go to Radio Moscow, who will play the first night at Count’s Vamp’d. In addition to this, he’s already got four — one, two, three, four — European bands on the bill in the form of Mr. Bison, Kaiser, Monsternaut and Green Desert Water, and to my knowledge none have played the US before. That’s a significant risk from a booking standpoint — those are good bands, but recall it took Truckfighters half a decade of laying groundwork for their first US tour — but there may indeed be more import acts added as well, since one way or the other, the lineup isn’t done.

Passion rarely is.

Info and links:

planet desert rock weekend logo

The time is near to start announcing Vegas Rock Revolution’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend 2 for May 16-19….

Desert legend John Garcia and 17 bands from all over the country …..very tightly selected lineups to showcase top bands from the long storied history of rock of heavy rock melded with hot younger acts. Oh yeah and cannabis is legal in Vegas !

The Lineup for Planet Desert Rock Weekend v2 so far is:
John Garcia and the Band of Gold — Friday
Radio Moscow — Thurs at Count’s Vamp’d
Nebula
Black Water Rising
Ape Machine Thurs at Count’s Vamp’d
The Watchers – Friday
Red Stone Souls
Sundrifter
RIFFLORD
Shotgun Sawyer
Jason Walker and the Majestic 12

European Showcase Bands:
MR.BISON
Kaiser
Monsternaut
Green Desert Water

Presale Tickets for just $20 for first 100 fans!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v2-radio-moscow-tickets-55384782375

Only 300 tickets will be sold to this intimate show in one of the most premier rock clubs in the country. Count’s Vamp’d is owned by Danny “The Count” Koker from Counting Cars on the History Channel. All rock all the time and very good food also. Unique cool environment!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2193967267598051/
https://www.facebook.com/events/545651042582860/
https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

John Garcia and the Band of Gold, Live at Planet Desert Rock Weekend, Nov. 2018

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Live Review: Maryland Doom Fest 2018 Night Two, 06.23.18

Posted in Features, Reviews on June 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

maryland doom fest 2018 night two poster

This scene is staggering. In terms of enclaves of hard and heavy, Maryland doom might be rivaled only by Floridian death metal and New York hardcore for longevity, and I’m pretty sure neither of those dates back to the early ’70s. Think about that. For almost as long as there’s been an idea of “heavy,” there’s been Maryland doom. And the number of lifers in bands and out boggles the mind. At best, I’m an interloper here, and I’d never claim otherwise. Every year or two or three, I’m lucky enough to come down for a fest or something like that, poke my head around and be humbled by the spirit that lives in this place. To actually be a part of it? I can’t imagine.

Maryland Doom Fest has taken on the responsibility not only of representing its native creatives, but in providing the scene a bridge to the outside world as well. The second day of Maryland Doom Fest 2018 did like day one and branched out in geography and sound, the scope of the festival increasing each year even as it maintains its ties to the place whose banner it flies. There’d be plenty of doom, but noise and heavy rock as well, metal both tangible and intangible, and more besides. You bet your ass it’s overwhelming. Maryland Doom Fest comes but once a year. Gotta make it count.

Another rainy day in Frederick set the gray-sky tone for a bill that would start out dark and work its way to the murkiest finish of all with Windhand headlining. Here’s how it happened:

Electropathic

Electropathic (Photo JJ Koczan)

As with Unorthodox last night, the new band fronted by Gary Isom, guitarist in Weed is Weed and former drummer in Spirit Caravan, Pentagram, Valkyrie and others, is a cross-generational affair. Along with drummer Ronnie Kalimon (formerly of Asylum, Unorthodox, etc.), Electropathic features young bassist/backing vocalist Zak Suleri and lead guitarist Eli Watson, both of Et Mors, and with Isom in the frontman role, they ran through a set of classic Maryland doom. Defined in no small part by their lack of pretense, they seemed to still be feeling out where they were ultimately headed as a band. They formed in the back half of last year by all appearances, so while none of them is a stranger to the stage, they’re in the process of developing their chemistry and sound. Likewise, Isom was still internalizing his position at the fore — even in Weed is Weed, he’s off to the side of the stage. He held it down though and their riffs resounded like a clarion to the converted still making their way in — time to go to church, school, whatever. Just time to go.

Molasses Barge

Molasses Barge (Photo JJ Koczan)

Hailing and hauling from Pittsburgh, Molasses Barge reaffirmed the connection between Steel City and Maryland doom that’s been there since the days of Dream Death‘s original run and probably even before that. The five-piece released their self-titled album in 2017 on Blackseed Records and had songs from that and new material in tow, which frontman Brian “Butch” Balich announced from the stage saying drummer Wayne Massey “calls this one ‘Tin Snake,'” or something thereabouts (hard to read the notes, sorry if I’ve got the title wrong). Balich is a formidable presence on his own, as he’s proven over the years in Penance, Argus and most recently Arduini/Balich, and in Molasses Barge he sets his powerful voice the task of cutting through the low end tone rollout from guitarists Justin Gizzi and Chuck Forsythe and bassist Amy Bianco that, presumably is what gives the band its name. Classic heavy riffs and a touch of metal underpinning, they were unsurprisingly met with welcome by the early crowd, and brought out Iron Man frontman Dee Calhoun to co-front a cover of that band’s “On the Mountain” to pay righteous homage to founding guitarist “Iron” Alfred Morris III, who passed away earlier this year.

Shadow Witch

Shadow Witch (Photo JJ Koczan)

I said as much to vocalist Earl Walker Lundy after their set, but I’ve always sensed something a little weird in Shadow Witch. Across the Kingston, New York, four-piece’s two albums to-date, last year’s Disciples of the Crow (review here) and 2016’s Sun Killer (discussed here), there’s been an edge of something standing them out from the pack. Having now seen them live, I feel like I have a better sense of what it is. In no small part, it’s Lundy himself. He carries across his vocals with utmost conviction and purpose, and backed by bassist David Pannullo, guitarist Jeremy Hall and drummer Doug Thompson, he ran his voice through a range of effects and performed barefoot — a bravery in itself considering the amount of spillage I’ve seen on that stage over the last two days — as free in is movement physically as his voice was to carry across the songs. They dwell in a between-genre space and remaining excitingly difficult to classify, but what matters is they carried their passion over to the audience, who met it with welcome. Good band. Better band than people know. Better band than I knew.

Doomstress

Doomstress (Photo JJ Koczan)

Speaking of bands I should’ve seen already, I went into Doomstress‘ set with the distinct impression that their recorded material to-date has yet to do them proper justice. They tour regularly on week and week-plus runs and had been on the road for four nights already en route to Cafe 611, so it seemed likely the Houston four-piece would be on top of their game. Not to toot my own horn, but I was right. They’re a better band than they’ve shown on either of their short releases. It’s a question of balance in their sound. Not just between tonal heft and aggression/attitude or the commanding stage presence of Doomstress Alexis on bass and vocals with guitarists Brandon Johnson and Matt Taylor and drummer Buddy Hachar (also of Greenbeard), or of between the classic and the modern, but between the actual instruments themselves. The live wash of tone suits them, with Alexis‘ vocals cutting through, where on their recordings thus far there’s more separation of instruments. It’s dirtier live, and for the high quality riffs they play, that dirt fits really well. Especially coupled with the fact that their performance was so tight, it was like they were daring the crowd to match their energy level.

The Age of Truth

The Age of Truth (Photo JJ Koczan)

Another band it was my first time seeing (that’s five in a row!), Philly four-piece The Age of Truth had been hanging out all weekend and getting down with some shenanigans the first night of Maryland Doom Fest, but when they got on stage, it was all business. Well, mostly business. One seems to recall vocalist Kevin McNamara saying something before they went on about taking his shirt off and rubbing his nipples on the microphone — it didn’t happen, though it might’ve been an interesting bit of performance art; “what do those nipples signify?” and so on — but with the start of the set, he, guitarist Mike DiDonato, bassist Bill Miller and drummer Scott Fressetto launched into the most noise-rocking set the festival has thus far featured. Their blend of heavy rock groove and crunching tones and riffs made their Kozmik Artifactz-delivered debut, Threshold (review here), an aggro joy, and their live interpretation of those songs as well as the new cut “Palace of Rain” was all the more engaging for the ferocity of its realization. The slow-rolling-int0-quicker-shuffle of “Caroline” was a highlight, but I won’t take anything away from the impact of “Honey Pot” or anything else either. With an injection of melody into the newer stuff, they left some intrigue as to where they might be headed — a proper tease of something to watch for. It’ll be worth keeping an eye out.

Switchblade Jesus

Switchblade Jesus (Photo JJ Koczan)

Before Switchblade Jesus took the Cafe 611 stage, I was asked by Borgo Pass drummer and all-around-excellent-human-being Joe Wood what they sounded like. The first two words that came out of my mouth were “Texas” and “riffs.” To be fair, that’s not by any means all the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Eric Calvert, bassist/vocalist Chris Black and drummer Jon Elizondo have to offer, but if you’ve never heard them before, it’s a start. They made an encouraging self-titled debut (review here) in 2013 and followed up last year with a contribution to Ripple Music‘s The Second Coming of Heavy split series (review here), which took the foundation of that initial offering and expanded it significantly, pulling back on some of the burl in favor of a more nuanced approach. Their set in Maryland? With Calvert and Black sharing vocal duties and Elizondo pounding away behind, they rose to the occasion. In front of the stage, the crowd headbanged and raised fists and dug in nearly as much as the band itself, whose set was flawless near as I could tell. I’ve seen them twice now, been impressed both times, and could only expect that trend to continue for the next round, whenever that might be.

Foghound

Foghound (Photo JJ Koczan)

The weekend’s emcee, Dave Benzotti, choked up in reading his intro to Foghound, which also served as a remembrance of those the Maryland doom scene has lost over the last year, including bassist Rev. Jim Forrester of Foghound (also Serpents of Secrecy, ex-Sixty Watt Shaman, etc.), and reasonably so given the tragedy of the circumstances of his passing. The inevitability of that loss working its way into the current chapter of Foghound‘s life as a band was thick as the Baltimore four-piece got going, but if they were working toward catharsis, they were doing so with volume and intensity as their means. Their third album, Awaken to Destroy,on which Forrester performs bass and new bassist Adam Heinzmann contributes vocals alongside those of drummer Chuck Dukeheart III and guitarists Dee Settar and Bob Sipes, is done and in the can, and they played material from it both during their own set — the title-track — and afterwards through the P.A., which went unnoticed by many by Dukeheart later explained was a way to get Forrester‘s playing heard even if people didn’t realize they were hearing it at the time. As they also played with a portrait of Forrester signed by many with messages of love (I didn’t have the courage), his presence and absence were both deeply felt by the room, but the music was a fitting tribute and a comfort alike.

Cavern

Cavern (Photo JJ Koczan)

Prog prog prog. Also, prog. It’s fun to watch a band who so delight in being bizarre or outside the norm, and while local instrumentalists Cavern were for sure the odd men out on the bill, that suited them remarkably well and I can only imagine it wasn’t the first time they’ve found themselves in that position. Drummer Stephen Schrock played a kit with his toms out flat before him while Zach Harkins ran his guitar through one of the most elaborate pedal boards I’ve seen this weekend and still had room on stage for a Moog to add atmosphere to the intricate and complex songs they played. Denizens of Grimoire Records, they were a perfectly timed departure. Following Foghound with another straight-up rock band would only be doing said band a disservice, but Cavern were coming from somewhere else completely, so there was no real comparing the two outfits. A jolt to the flow of the night that only served Cavern well, since with all their looped parts, woven-through noise and underlying groove, “jolt” seemed to be the whole idea. It would be all-go riffing from here on out, but whether one considers them on their own merits or in the context of the Maryland Doom Fest 2018 lineup, their efforts toward the bizarre were duly appreciated.

The Watchers

The Watchers (Photo JJ Koczan)

The second Ripple Music act on the bill to have made the trip from the Bay Area behind ZED, four-piece The Watchers delivered one of the most professional sets I’ve seen so far this weekend. I mean, The Obsessed were pro-shop, right? And so were ZED, since they’ve been mentioned, but The Watchers had it all down — from riffs to looks to delivery to vocalist Tim Narducci and guitarist Jeremy Epp working the crowd with natural showmanship while bassist Cornbread and drummer Carter Kennedy locked in groove after groove of rock-solid heavy rock, playing selections from this year’s Black Abyss (review here) as well as the preceding EP, Sabbath Highway (review here). They had a near-commercial level of catchiness, but since that’s not a thing that exists anymore, I’ll just note that as much clear effort as they put into their presentation, the accessibility of the songs came from the songs themselves and the quality of their construction. Were they up there selling it? Absolutely. And kicking ass while doing so, but if the material itself wasn’t so strong the whole thing would’ve fallen flat. The foundation of the entire show was the material itself, and accordingly that show was an utter joy to watch.

Earthride

Earthride (Photo JJ Koczan)

I actually went back and looked up the last time I saw Earthride. It was at Days of the Doomed in 2012 (review here). I also recalled seeing them in Brooklyn in 2011 sharing the stage with When the Deadbolt Breaks, which was a noteworthy coincidence since that band’s guitarist/vocalist, Aaron Lewis, happened to be playing bass in Earthride, having joined just prior to the Maryland band’s just-ended tour with The Skull. Still, six years (and eight days) of not seeing Earthride? Far too fucking long. Dave Sherman, who’d been hanging out all weekend, took the stage in celebration of the welcome-home party that their set was, and with Lewis, guitarist Greg Ball and drummer Eric Little behind him, he held court for what was an absolute highlight of the fest as a whole. I’d been thinking of them as headliners the whole day, and while they didn’t play last, there was definitely a main-event feel going into their set, which started out with “Earthride,” boasted the new single “Witch Gun” (discussed here), the title-track to 2010’s Something Wicked (review here) and capped with “Fighting the Devils Inside You” from 2005’s sophomore LP, Vampire Circus (discussed here). Sherman held the audience and never relinquished his grasp on their attention, and the crowd was as switched on as I’d seen the whole fest. Like I said, they weren’t the headliners in name, but really, they kind of were. And rightly so.

Castle

Castle (Photo JJ Koczan)

Man, I want to hear Castle‘s new album. So bad. The core duo of bassist/vocalist Elizabeth Blackwell and guitarist/vocalist Mat Davis will issue that long-player through a yet-to-be-announced label, but they’re a touring band at their core. They get out. In talking to Davis after their set, he called their current stint a “quick one.” To put that in perspective, it’s a cross-country tour with 12 dates. I’m assuming what he meant was that it was nothing like the weeks-long voyages that will invariably follow the new full-length’s release, and I guess that’s fair, but 12 dates isn’t nothing either. Last time I saw Castle was Maryland Doom Fest 2016 (review here) as they were marking the release of that year’s Welcome to the Graveyard (review here), and though I knew it was coming, I was still blindsided by their intensity. Thrash, doom, classic metal, heavy groove and delighted pummel. Think of them as extreme traditional metal. They bring a classic sound to bear in their material — a number of classic sounds, actually — but have a ferocity to their execution of that which sets them apart from anything that might be considered “retro.” Coupled with the willful eeriness of their atmospheres and cultish themes, they can be all over the place, but that only makes them harder to pin down, and thus, all the more a thrill to watch. As the penultimate act of the evening, they were a last-minute kick in the ass before things got as far out as they would go, and though it had been a long day by then, Castle revived the spirit even as they seemed to herald its demise.

Windhand

Windhand (Photo JJ Koczan)
Windhand were the night’s headliner. They could’ve slinked in late, hid themselves backstage, got on, done their set, collected whatever there was to collect afterward and been on their way. Instead, the Richmond, Virginia, four-piece, who are arguably the most successful East Coast doom band of their generation and whose influence only continues to spread — trying to come up with another name and can’t; if you have one, I’d love to talk it out — hung around all day. They were back and forth through the venue, watching bands, meeting people, this and that. They had the option to take part or not to take part and they took part. And for a group at their level, on Relapse, having toured the world, etc., that’s not nothing. When they finally got on stage and got going, their fog-drenched riffs were as overwhelming as I remembered, and even though they’ve pared down from a five-piece, there was no discernible gap in volume from vocalist Dorthia Cottrell, guitarist Garrett Morris, bassist Parker Chandler and drummer Ryan Wolfe, who produced a soulful, lurching onslaught the likes of which Maryland Doom Fest had not yet known. Their new album, Eternal Return, was announced in April and will be released by Relapse as the follow-up to 2015’s Grief’s Infernal Flower (review here). No doubt it’s one of the most anticipated doom records for the rest of 2018 and whenever it rears its head will be yet another grueling landmark in a catalog that, at this point, teems with them while also constantly showcasing Windhand‘s progression. It was late, but in front of the stage was a press of humanity, and Windhand justified the urgency with a wash of volume and low end that was on a level all its own. A headlining slot well earned.

It’s almost 1PM on Sunday as I wrap this up and I still need to sort photos, shower and change clothes before I head out from Sparks to Frederick, so I’ll turn you over quickly to the pics after the jump and just say thanks for reading.

Because really, thanks for reading. More tomorrow, if you can believe it.

Read more »

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