Gate 9, Moon Ranger Gone Evil (2002)

I don’t care if you know this record, if you don’t. If you like it, if you don’t. If you’ve heard of Gate 9 or if you haven’t. This ain’t clickbait, this is rock and roll. You might say Gate 9‘s 2002 outing, Moon Ranger Gone Evil, is something of an obscure pick. Yeah, it is, but when I was first getting deep into heavy rock in a “Well that sounds cool” kind of way, this was an album that really resonated with me in ways I don’t think at the time I really even understood. I heard it in what was probably a two-year genre-immersion project into heavy rock — just picking through label rosters and anything I could get my hands on from the All That is Heavy store (newly redesigned) — while doing college radio at WSOU in New Jersey. Likely the connection is Underdogma Records, whose honcho, Carlton Duff, I’m sure I emailed from my .edu account and bothered for a free CD as I did for his other bands, We’re all Gonna Die, Solace (though their EP was a little later), Crom, Wooly Mammoth‘s first EP, and so on, and listening back to Moon Ranger Gone Evil now, I can hear what Mr. Duff no doubt heard in Gate 9 that caused him to pick them up in the first place. It’s in the fluid tempo changes, the play between stoner and doom, and the fact that though Gate 9 were from Norway, they had a clear Wino influence in their sound that they were willing to work within and around, whether that’s through layering samples into “Queen of Hades” or indulging proto-ritualizations in the later “Mantra of Doom.”

The latter is a highlight in concept and execution and a moment at which the trio of bassist/vocalist Jan M. Sørensen, guitarist Are Branstad and drummer/lyricist Jon A. Magnæs, were probably years ahead of their time. 14 years later one doesn’t blink at the thought of sonic heft as an act of worship, but for them to draw so direct a line across such a moody track is a standout. Add that to the rolling nod and spaciousness of centerpiece “Empress of Andromeda” — like Spirit Caravan-plus, that one — and you begin to get a more complete picture of what Moon Ranger Gone Evil has to offer in terms of scope. I’m not saying these guys reinvented heavy rock and roll or anything like that, but they put together a 43-minute flow of stoner, doom and edged toward psychedelia in a way that made the record even broader on their debut album at a time when many were just getting their feet wet in fuzz. To wit, the closing Monster Magnetism of “Transmission Overload” that jams out in a way one wishes Monster Magnet had dared to do at the time, which shows the experimentalism that the European scene would continue over the next decade to bring to the genre, extensions of which still reverberate (not to mention ring in the ear) to this day.

Having gone on at length about the era of heavy rock lost to the pre-social media age — though I’m sure there’s a Gate 9 MySpace page archived out there somewhere if anyone wants to go find it; an even bigger loss as regards these guys is probably StonerRock.com — I’ll spare you that rant this time, but even if you manage to get as far as the grunge-psych of “La Stranda Astra” some four tracks in, I think you can hear that Moon Ranger Gone Evil was at very least a debut with potential for the band to keep growing. Gate 9 released one more album, titled In the Kingdom of Vulgaria, in 2006 that had a Nazareth cover on it (they did “Holy Roller”) and to the best of my knowledge have done nothing since. If you wind up searching for them on Thee Facebooks, you get a band from South Australia who seem to be completely unrelated. Just a heads up.

Either way, Moon Ranger Gone Evil‘s still out there and relatively cheap on the secondary market, so if you’re feeling it, it’s easy enough to come by. As always, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

—

These posts just keep getting longer. I can’t seem to stop myself from writing album reviews.

Got up very, very early this morning. Like four. And while I’m not sure how that’s going to play out in terms of overall energy level by the time 8 or 9PM rolls around, I’m glad I did because it allowed me to get that Slo Burn announcement together in time. Pretty awesome get on the part of Freak Valley 2017 and I can’t help but wonder what other shows the band will be doing — looking at you, Psycho Las Vegas. I wouldn’t expect Roadburn, but you never know. One should remember that it was Roadburn 2010 where John Garcia premiered Garcia Plays Kyuss, which begat Kyuss Lives!, which begat Vista Chino, which begat his solo band, and so on leading to his acoustic record, which is out in January.

Anyway. You’ll have to pardon my nerding out.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I expect it’ll be pretty slow as a result, at least as regards news about American bands, but as I say that, Monday and Tuesday are already full, so shows what I know. Let’s look at the notes:

Mon: Full album stream and review of the new Øresund Space Collective, new All Them Witches video.
Tue: Review of the new Wasted Theory.
Wed: New podcast (yup, that’s right) for you holiday travelers. Also for myself. Also premiere of a new Ordos single.
Thu: Probably nothing.
Fri: Release announcement/track stream from Buried Feather, interview with Truckfighters.

The Patient Mrs. and I are traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, as we usually wind up doing at one point or another for most occasions. I’m looking forward to it. With my work and her dug deep into her own with the semester and all, it’s been a long time since we’ve been down to New Jersey to see my family — my grandmother is 101 years old and I haven’t seen her since her birthday brunch in June, for example; it’s a guilt worthy of that third digit — so it’ll be good. I’ve got a lot of stuff I want to listen to on the way too, so all the better.

Whether you’re celebrating next week or not, I hope you have a great and safe weekend and subsequent week (and, you know, general existence all the time). I’ll be around this weekend writing and catching up on email from some laptop downtime this week that held me back, but am looking forward to a couple quiet minutes as well before the rush of the holiday season begins. Gotta get those best-of lists started.

Thanks again for reading. Please check out the forum and radio stream.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

Boston heavy rockers Hey Zeus will reportedly feature the track “Caveman” on an upcoming Underdogma Records split seven-incher with The Humanoids sometime this summer. The four-piece of vocalist Bice Nathan, guitarist Pete Knipfing (ex-Lamont), bassist Ken Cmar (head of Wonderdrug Records) and drummer Todd Bowman (ex-Lamont) have trickled out digital singles over the last couple years, as well as a split 7″ with fellow Beantowners White Dynomite (review here), and it would seem the intent is to keep momentum going and build up a catalog of material en route to the eventual debut album. No word on the timing for that, but that’s he impression I get, anyway.

Their style is rife with the straightforward, classic delivery and harder edge that has been brought to fruition in Boston acts like Roadsaw and Cortez, but a quick listen to “Caveman” — and “Caveman” is a quick listen — and it’s readily apparent they have their own personality as well, defined through a blend of swaggering rhythms, party-ready vibe and an underlying punkishness in Nathan‘s vocals during its verses. The hook is essential and delivered with purpose, and though “Caveman” is done in under four minutes, it’s the kind of soon you loop back to the start and give another runthrough to better digest, only to find the chorus ringing in your head later, along with subtle flourishes like the layering in Knipfing‘s short solo or the double-kick and cowbell that Bowman works into the second half.

Admittedly, it’s been a while since I last caught them live, but their vibe at the time was much the same — ready to knock back a few beers and raise some hell but with more than chops enough underlying to give their delivery some force. They have a couple shows booked for this summer, presumably the single will show up at some point during the warm months as well, and more to come in terms of singles and a video to follow, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, you can find the stream of “Caveman” below.

Please enjoy:

Hey Zeus live:
07.15 Hey Zeus w/ Black Helicopter & Wolfsmyth @ Obrien’s, Allston
07.22 Hey Zeus w/ Scissorfight, Murcielago and The Road Trash Band @ Higher Ground, Burlington, VT

Hey Zeus on Thee Facebooks

Hey Zeus on Bandcamp

Parisian heavy rockers Abrahma remain among my most positive impressions from last year’s Roadburn festival. I mean, I dug the band before, but their set (review here) last April put that in a new light, and what was so doubly engaging about it was that not only were they heavy — hell, everybody’s heavy, right? — but they were able to really bring to life the atmospheres and open spaces of their second album, Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird (review here), in a manner that made their sound all the more immersive. And to go with that, they had scope, a melodic presence that stayed through the set even in its most aggressive moments. Heavy rock bands sometimes cast all that off in favor of an all-out assault live. I won’t take anything away from that approach when it works, but Abrahma‘s style was right not to sacrifice its dynamic moodiness for impact.

The Nazareth cover “Witchdoctor Woman” was put to tape last July and is set to be included on the Go Down Fighting tribute that’s been in the works for a while now from Underdogma Records (info here). I’m not sure what led to Abrahma posting it on their own, whether or not it’s in advance of a release for the compilation that will also include Calamus, Långfinger and Against the Grain, but having enjoyed the excuse to revisit how much ass they kicked when I was fortunate enough to see them last Spring, I’ll take what I can get. You’ll hear pretty quickly that Abrahma manage to make the song their own, lending a deep-toned psychedelia to the original, which opened Nazareth‘s 1971 self-titled debut.

Enjoy:

Abrahma, “Witchdoctor Woman” (Nazareth cover)

Discover our cover track of “WITCHDOCTOR WOMAN” from NAZARETH

Soon to be released on “Go Down Fighting” a riff rock tribute to Nazareth!

Song recorded in 2015 by Benjamin Colin at HAKESOUND STUDIO (Romainville, FR)
Produced by ABRAHMA
Mixed by Benjamin Colin
Mastered by James Plotkin @ PLOTKINWORKS

Coming soon
“Go Down Fighting” – a riff rock tribute to Nazareth!
Limited Edition Colored Vinyl.

Track List:
“Miss Misery” – The Rubes
“Sunshine” – Calamus
“Razamataz” – The Humanoids
“Changing Times” – The Heave-Ho
“Please Don’t Judas Me” – Argus
“Whiskey Drinking Woman” – Shatner
“Witchdoctor Woman” – Abrahma
“Expect No Mercy” – Against The Grain
“Empty Arms, Empty Heart” – Resande Man
“Alcatraz” – Wild Eyes
“Light My Way” – Långfinger
“Beggar’s Day” – Bozeman’s Simplex

Also possible contributions from RAGING SLAB, Left Lane Cruiser, Solace, Daniel Davies, Gideon Smith, Contra, Mothership, Magic Jove, and surprise special guests!

Abrahma on Thee Facebooks

Abrahma website

Underdogma Records on Thee Facebooks

Underdogma Records website

Boston trio Shatner have booked studio time at Amps vs. Ohms to track their cover of Nazareth‘s “Whiskey Drinking Woman.” The three-piece, which features members of We’re all Gonna Die — guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey and bassist Jesse Sherman — and Cocked ‘n’ Loaded — drummer Rob Davol — are just over a month removed from the release of their debut EP. Called simply EP, that five-track outing was also recorded in Cambridge, MA, at Amps vs. Ohms, and in addition to the Nazareth tune, which will be included in Underdogma Records‘ upcoming tribute, Go Down Fighting, the band will reportedly be putting down a few new originals as well.

That Shatner would be taking part in the Underdogma tribute to Nazareth makes sense, as We’re all Gonna Die released their three full-lengths through the label between 2004 and 2008. While that band played a could reunion shows last year, Davol‘s band, Cocked ‘n’ Loaded called it quits last Fall after building a considerable reputation locally. How or if that momentum will carry over into Shatner remains to be seen. They have shows booked for later next month and November in New Hampshire and Allston, but more interesting is that they’re talking about hitting the road in 2016. I’ll look forward to seeing how that pans out and just how much touring they’re looking to do.

For now, here’s their update:

Shatner Update

Hey Everyone…Here’s a Shatner Update!

We recently released our first EP online: http://shatnerband.bandcamp.com/releases

We are heading back into Amps VS. Ohms at the end of this month to record our cover of “Whiskey Drinking Woman” by Nazareth for the upcoming Underdogma Nazareth tribute release.

We will also be recording couple of new originals as well. We have a few local/regional shows coming up (10/29 – Shaskeen in NH, 11/1 O’Brien’s) , but plan on doing some roadwork in 2016, so stay tuned!

Jim Healey – Guitar and Vocals
Jesse Sherman – Bass and Backing Vocals
Rob Davol – Drums

http://shatnerband.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.shatnerband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shatnerboston

Shatner, EP (2015)

It’s been a minute, but there was a time when Underdogma Records proliferated a brand of heavy rock that stood right in line with their contemporaries in the likes of Small Stone and Tee Pee. Between about 2000 and 2009, Underdogma belted out killer offerings from bands like Sunnshine, The Rubes, Ironboss, Gate 9, Crom, Throttlerod and We’re all Gonna Die, spanning a genre range of heaviness that had its underlying identity in a running theme of grit and aggression. Tee Pee went psych, Small Stone got fuzzier, but Underdogma‘s trade was generally in dirtier, meaner fare.

Their Judge Not compilation from 2000 is still worth tracking down if you can find it, boasting cuts from Solace, Solarized, Calamus, The Quill, Satellite Circle, Raging Slab, Pale Divine and many, many others, and knowing that is part of why the announcement of Underdogma‘s return with the Go Down Fighting heavy rock tribute to Nazareth caught my attention. No release date has been named yet — and I wouldn’t want to try to pin something like that down — but a partial tracklisting has been posted, and with the likes of Abrahma, Against the Grain, Shatner and Argus involved, among many others of course, and more to come, it seems like they could come back with plenty of wallop.

That tracklisting follows here. Note the prospect of Solace recording a new track for the tribute. Makes one wonder just how much of a return to activity theirs might be:

Underdogma, brain step-child of Grant Williams and Carlton Duff, started out as a high school science project and has remained that way ever since…

Coming soon
“Go Down Fighting”
a riff rock tribute to Nazareth!

Limited Edition Colored Vinyl.
Track List:
“Miss Misery” – The Rubes
“Sunshine” – Calamus
“Razamataz” – The Humanoids
“Changing Times” – The Heave-Ho
“Love Hurts” – Easy Jesus Coe
“Please Don’t Judas Me” – Argus
“Whiskey Drinking Woman” – Shatner
“Witchdoctor Woman” – Abrahma
“Expect No Mercy” – Against The Grain
“The Ballad Of Hollis Brown” – Lifetime Shitlist

Also possible contributions from
RAGING SLAB, Left Lane Cruiser, Solace, Daniel Davies, Gideon Smith, Contra, Mothership, Magic Jove, and surprise special guests!

https://www.facebook.com/Underdogma
https://twitter.com/carlton_duff

The Rubes, “Wonder Why”

It’s been six years since Boston’s We’re all Gonna Die released their third and to-date final outing, Kiss the Ground, Curse the Sky on Underdogma Records, and a half-decade since they last played a show. In the interim, drummer Scott Healey has played in the crusty sludge/thrash outfit Gut, bassist Jesse Sherman has moved onto Tired Old Bones and guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey has been fronting Black Thai and performing as a solo artist. Not like these dudes haven’t kept busy in the meantime, but after five years, We’re all Gonna Die are about due to book a gig or two.

Or three. They’ll play in Allston, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine, over the next month, a Saturday series that will be further marked by the release of new single “Pleurisy,” which was written during their initial run but never released. Among heavy rockers in the middle part of the last decade, We’re all Gonna Die was always a little darker, a little more aggressive than the stoner bunch, but still more melodic than outright sludge would warrant. They toed that line well, and it’ll be good to see them again after so long.

The PR wire brings confirmation:

AFTER FIVE-YEAR HIATUS, BOSTON FAVORITE HARD ROCK TRIO WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE REUNITES FOR THREE SUMMER SHOWS AND RELEASES NEW SONG “PLEURISY”

SPECIAL LIVE IN-STUDIO RADIO PERFORMANCE — BOSTON EMISSIONS, WZLX 100.7, SUNDAY, JULY 13, 11PM

Boston hard-rock favorite trio WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE reunites this summer for three shows at Great Scott (Allston, MA), The Shaskeen (Manchester, NH), and Geno’s (Portland, ME). To celebrate they will also release a new song, “Pleurisy,” recorded this spring and be a special guest performing live on WZLX’s Boston Emissions.

Saturday, July 19, 2014 Great Scott Allston, MA Doors @ 8:30pm $10 21+
with special guests Cocked N’ Loaded, Murcielago, The Humanoids, and Wolfsmyth

Saturday, August 2, 2014 The Shaskeen Manchester, NH Doors @ 9pm 21+
with special guests Thunderhawk and Hey Zeus

Saturday, August 9, 2014 Geno’s Portland, ME 21+
with Murcielago and special guests Blackwolfgoat

WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE formed in 1998, recorded three full-length albums on Underdogma Records: Kiss the Ground, Curse the Sky (2008), The Wreck of the Minot (2005), and Go to Hell (2004). They toured the U.S. and Ireland before going on hiatus after their September 2009 performance at the Stoner Hand of Doom festival in Frederick, MD. The trio’s current line-up features Jim Healey on vocals and guitars (also plays in Black Thai and the Jim Healey Band), Jesse Sherman on bass (also plays in Tired Old Bones), and Scott Healey on drums (also plays in Gut and Give Up!).

“We haven’t played in 5 years,” says WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE front-man Jim Healey. “I felt it was time to get together, play a few shows, and see where things went from there. The band will probably only ever play a few shows a year, but it’s great to play together, and see the fans.”

“We recorded a ‘new’ song (written in 2007, but never rerecorded) called “Pleurisy,” Healey says. “It will be available for download along with 5 other unreleased WAGD tracks, spanning the history of the band in all its member formations.”

For more WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE information:
http://www.wereallgonnadie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wereallgonnadieboston
http://wereallgonnadieband.bandcamp.com/
http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/show/boston-emissions/

We’re all Gonna Die, Kiss the Ground, Curse the Sky (2008)

That riff! It’s been a while since I’ve had occasion to put on 2006’s The Temporary Nature, the lone studio full-length from Washington, D.C. trio Wooly Mammoth, but it doesn’t take long into 11-minute closer “Mammoth Bones” before that riff re-implants itself on the brain. Released on Underdogma, The Temporary Nature followed Wooly Mammoth‘s 2004 split with The Hidden Hand, Night Letters. The two bands did a lot of shows together back then as well, so as they were putting The Temporary Nature together and jamming out the ending of “Mammoth Bones,” one can only imagine it wasn’t much of a leap for the band to wonder how it might sound with Wino ripping a ridiculously awesome solo over top.

Wooly Mammoth also put out an EP through Underdogma in 2002 called Ten Ton Baby, but for my money, The Temporary Nature was where it was at for them. Fuller tonally, the band had caught on early to some of the post-Mastodon hugeness of sound that soon enough would be ubiquitous. They’d go on to dirty up their sound some by replacing bassist Kyle Connolly with Jason Daniloski of underrated stoner/grinders Meatjack — who was so. fucking. loud. on stage (it was awesome) — but guitarist/vocalist Zac Eller and drummer Phil Adler, who’d later join Maryland-based instrumentalists Nitroseed, always seemed to know what they were going for in their songs, proffering modern heavy rock with more classic influence than it might’ve seemed on first listen, and in the case of “Mammoth Bones,” a stomp that few at the time were prepared to match.

Like a lot of groups before and since, they maybe didn’t get the attention they were looking for from the album and fizzled out. Not sure what became of Eller or Daniloski (if the name looks familiar, his brother and former Meatjack bandmate, Brian Daniloski, plays in Darsombra), but Wooly Mammoth were a quality band in their day, and if nothing else, I’m glad to have the excuse to revisit the irresistible nod of “Mammoth Bones.”

Hope you enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Wooly Mammoth, “Mammoth Bones” from The Temporary Nature