Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 10th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
This is my effort to wipe the slate clean in my own brain. City, released in 1997 by Vancouver’s Devin Townsend-led Strapping Young Lad through Century Media, deserves to be in conversation as one of the best metal records of all time. Shit, Gene Hoglan’s drums alone. But that’s not really why I’m listening to it. I’m listening to it because I’ve spent this entire week pissed off at myself, totally unmotivated to write, and I just want something to shake me out of my own head while at the same time pummeling my bones into powder. Accept no substitutes.
Yesterday was a 10-post day. That happened both because relevant news announcements kept coming and because I fucked up on TWO premieres. One I forgot about while putting the day together on Wednesday — had to write the piece Wednesday night after the kid went to bed, which is generally me-and-Patient-Mrs. time — and the other I had to do Thursday morning. Both pieces kind of sucked as a result, but what does it even matter? No one gives a shit. Bands got links to share on social media and a pullquote and there you go. Everybody moves on. Oh hey, there’s Crowbar announcing a record. That’s content!
But really, fuck content.
Except “Room 429.” That’s content I can get behind. And “All Hail the New Flesh,” I suppose. “Detox.” “Oh My Fucking God.” Fucking “AAA.” The rest.
I haven’t been doing the writing I’ve been wanting to do and I’m furious about it. More, I’m furious because I feel like I’m not doing it because I don’t have time. There’s so much shit I feel ‘obligated’ to post about — obligated to whom? for what reason? — that I can’t even keep up with. Today I wanted to review the new Spaceslug. It’s out today. I was going to premiere it at one point and then the band decided to go with someone else. Their prerogative. I’ve done plenty with Spaceslug over their years and will likely continue to. Can’t have ego about that shit or you’ll lose your mind (though I admit sometimes I take it personally; I’ve never been cool enough blah blah blah). I’d love to interview them about the record, actually. But I was going to review the album anyway for today and with all the extra crap held over from Wednesday to yesterday there was just no way to get it done.
Next week, you say? That’s the Quarterly Review. So much for any time for anything else, really, Monday to Friday — actually I already have an interview scheduled I’ll need to post at some point with Jon from Conan, assuming it happens — and then next weekend, as I should be starting work on my own Best of 2021 list and all that, I’m slated to do an in-studio for two days. That’ll be good for getting me out of the house — something I ALMOST did this week to go see All Them Witches and pulled out in the end — but leaves me otherwise lacking time. I am tired and burnt out wondering what the fuck I even bother doing any of this for? Free CDs sometimes? I’m 40 years old. Is this really going to be my life’s work? A fucking blog that hasn’t been updated since 2009? Do I really hate myself this much?
And I just got hit up for something next Wednesday that I can’t really say no to, so in addition to 10 short reviews of discs, that. Ugh.
I pitched a book project to Sound of Liberation for next year covering the entirety of the Truckfighters, Greenleaf and Asteroid 15-date tour in Europe. I don’t know what next year will bring in terms of festivals — if Roadburn will happen, if I’ll be invited, etc.; it’s a whole new world and generally shittier, so I’m not counting on anything — and who knows too what next summer will be like by the time Freak Valley, which I’m dying to get to and should’ve been to years ago already, happens. SOL said yes to the book, which would be made from posts and pics I’d put on this site, edited together as a volume and probably fleshed out a bit by me after the tour, and I’ll be honest, I’m pretty much hanging my hat on that possibility. That’s the thing I’m looking forward to. It feels just a little too much like a daydream to be real, and thus I am skeptical of its reality. Mighty tenuous.
It’s the holidays so of course everything is awful. The kid hates my guts, which is legit because I’m a prick. The Patient Mrs. is stressed about work and money, also legit because we’re paycheck-to-almost-paycheck forever. I want to go to bed for a month and not see or talk to anybody. I hate being in my skin. Tired, old, sad and angry. Damaged and helping nothing.
“So here’s all my hopes and aspirations/Nothing but puke.” God damn this record is amazing.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 12th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Vancouver progressive noise rockers Seven Nines and Tens release their third album, Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers, through Willowtip Records on Jan. 7. The first single from the new record is “Popular Delusions,” premiering a new video below directed by Bobby Markos, and its streaming ahead of a listed Dec. 29 digital issue only brings encouraging considerations for the trio’s first outing since 2017’s Set the Controls for the Heart of the Slums (review here), upping the clarity of their self-production while approaching their floating melodies with additional confidence and a deeper sense of arrangement.
Let’s get two things straight. First, the universe is fucked and everything is awful. Second, I have nowhere near enough education in noise, post-hardcore, ’90s emo, shoegaze or whatever else to properly dissect what Seven Nines and Tens are accomplishing here. To my weary ears, “Popular Delusions” effectively moves from a heavy Western guitar line calling back to Earth or Across Tundras into a proggy melodic wash of post-noise rock, gorgeously lush in its unfolding but as they show about a minute and a half into the 4:43 video, still able to host some volatility of tone.
There are moments of the procession that bring to mind what Hum were able to do after reemerging from the ether last year, but Dave Cotton (guitar/vocals), Max Madrus (bass/vocals) and Alexander Glassford (drums/vocals) bring a harder-edged spin to “Popular Delusions” that builds from where they were four years ago on Set the Controls for the Heart of the Slums. As an opening track and a first showcase for Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers, it is enticing, though given the band’s past, I wouldn’t expect everything else to follow suit with what they’re doing here.
And perhaps when it comes to my own ignorance, it’s not so terrible in this case, since Seven Nines and Tens have so obviously put the priority on individualism, on making something new from their influences, rather than carbon-copying those influences themselves. Stick with “Popular Delusions” all the way through. Both the hypnotic video and the driving, harmonized, multi-tiered payoff of the song itself are more than worth it, and they could hardly be more appropriate to end the song with the repeated line, “In the middle of a fever dream.”
Video, quotes from Cotton and Markos, and preorder info follow.
Enjoy:
Seven Nines & Tens, “Popular Delusions” video premiere
David Cotton on “Popular Delusions”:
We started working with Bobby when he made a video for the Seven Nines & Tens song “Fight for your Right to Partial Relevance” in late 2019. Although the clip is unreleased (it’ll be released eventually) myself and the band were blown away by his work. Upon release of our new single Seven Nines bassist Max Madrus was particularly vocal about working with Bobby again. When Bobby gave a description of his treatment for the clip I was astounded. Our producer Adam Vee said the ending gave him chills. It’s almost uncanny to me how he conveyed the song in images. I feel like his video may complete the song.
Bobby Markos on “Popular Delusions”:
When the band sent me “Popular Delusions” to work with, I immediately began listening to the track while going through archival materials, trying to find a look to use as a jumping off point. I loved the concept of rooms containing impossibly large settings, so I began 3D modeling a modest sized home that would contain a variety of vast landscapes. I eventually modeled seven different room settings and then used some basic arithmetic to line them up linearly on the z-axis. Then, using After Effects 3D camera function, I moved through the entire body of work while syncing up with all of the song’s dynamic points. The final scene is a 3D modeling of the album art for ‘Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers’.
The first single from the 3rd Seven Nines & Tens record “Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers.”
Music, lyrics, and guitar are written by David Cotton. Maximillian Madrus played Bass and sings. Alexander Glassford played the Drums and sings as well. Both contributed to arranging and pre-producing the tune. Matt Roach co-wrote portions of the vocal melodies and lyrics. He also produced the song along with Adam Vee and Cotton. Adam mixed and mastered the tune as well.
While the hard data tells us that Vancouver is located in British Columbia, tucked neatly on the northern side of the US/Canada border along the Pacific Coast, you might be forgiven for watching/listening to Dead Quiet‘s “Of Sound and Fury” and assuming the band is Swedish. The five-piece issued their third long-player, Truth and Ruin (discussed here), on the tail end of last year’s lost summer, and if they’re looking to remind listeners of the record’s sundry strengths — the Scandi-esque fluidity with which they bring together classic heavy rock sounds and modern production and tonality among them, as heard here — “Of Sound and Fury” is a righteous place to start.
Maybe it’s the organ, or the subtle underpinning of precision in delivery that tips hand to the players’ roots in more aggressive fare, but these two are elements working decidedly in favor of “Of Sound and Fury” and Dead Quiet more generally across Truth and Ruin‘s seven component tracks, weaving in and out of classic metal and various other microgenres en route to the sweeping nine-minute capper “Cold Grey Death,” dropping earworm hooks all the while that bring substance as much as style behind them. Hey kid, you like rock and roll? Here’s some. And they got t-shirts.
I say this as someone who’s had “Of Sound and Fury” on repeat in my stuck-in-my-head mental jukebox for the last couple days: no regrets. The song is honestly enough of a sell in itself, but you’ll see too in the video the five-piece seem to arm up with various weaponry, and I think they might be enacting socialist revolution? One of the dudes they take down looks like Grover Cleveland and the other looks like not-Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, and the back-room dealings of capitalism would seem to be what’s being conveyed as they play games with people’s lives. Legit. Their Jeff Bezos lookalike must have been in space that day, lest we forget our modern-day robber barons.
In any case, the best part is when they’re all standing around at the end and it’s just a second or so, but they’re like, “Okay, now what?” Indeed, gentlemen. With sincerity in my heart, I wish the members of Dead Quiet good luck in forming a new provisional representative government. My understanding is that shit gets tricky.
Enjoy the clip:
Dead Quiet, “Of Sound and Fury” video premiere
Forming in 2014, Dead Quiet established themselves quickly with the release of their debut self titled record in 2015. By the time writing commenced for their follow up record, Grand Rites in 2017, Dead Quiet had found their perfect line up in Kevin Keegan (Barn Burner), Brock MacInnes (Anciients), Mike Grossnickle (Hashteroid) and Jason Dana. The release of Grand Rites on Toronto’s Artoffact Records was followed by two European tours, one of which being direct support for John Garcia (Kyuss), as well as numerous festival appearances including Desertfest Belgium and Into the Void (NL), further cementing the band as one to watch out for.
After a rigorous year of touring, the band had no intention of slowing down and swiftly entered the studio to record their third record: Truth and Ruin. Again teaming up with Artoffact, Truth and Ruin saw the addition of Mike Rosen to the band and further broadened the already keyboard laden sound they’d established on previous efforts. Truth and Ruin proves that work ethic and chemistry can truly refine a band’s sound to what they had always been striving for: heavy instrumentation combined with rich melody and uniquely personal lyricism, making Dead Quiet one of the hottest, must-see bands on the Canadian landscape.
Lineup: Kevin Keegan – vocals, guitar Brock MacInnes – guitar Mike Grossnickle – bass Mike Rosen – keyboards, backing vocals Jason Dana – drums
Posted in Reviews on December 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The end of the week for the Quarterly Review is a special time, even if this particular QR will continue into next Monday and Tuesday. Also apparently today is Xmas? Okay. Whatever, I’ve got writing to do. I hope you’re safe and not, say, traveling out of state to see family against the urging of the CDC. That would be incredibly irresponsible, etc. etc. that’s what I’m doing. Don’t get me started.
However you celebrate or don’t, be safe. Music will help.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Celestial Season, The Secret Teachings
Like many of the original death-doom set, Dutch masters Celestial Season gave up the style during their original run, departing toward heavy rock after 1995’s Solar Lovers. At an hour’s run spread across 13 tracks including ambient guitar and violin/cello interludes, The Secret Teachings has no time for such flighty fare. Reunited with original vocalist Stefan Ruiters and bassist Lucas van Slegtenhorst, the band return in grand fashion for their first full-length in 20 years, and songs like “Long Forlorn Tears” and “Salt of the Earth” conjure all the expert-grade morose plod one could possibly ask, as each side of the 2LP begins with its own intro and sets its own mood, from the almost-hopeful wistfulness of opener/longest track (immediate points) “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” at the start to the birdsong-laced “Beneath the Temple Mount” that leads the way into “A Veil of Silence” and “Red Water” at the finish, the latter a Type O Negative cover that fits well after the crescendo of the song before it.
The gift Wren make to post-metal is that even in their quietest stretches, they maintain tension. And sure, the Londoners’ second LP, Groundswells — also stylized all-caps: GROUNDSWELLS — has in “Murmur” its “Stones From the Sky” moment as all works of the genre seemingly must, but the six-cut/44-minute follow-up to 2017’s Auburn Rule (discussed here) casts a scope less about pretense or ambition than largesse and heft, and that serves it well, be it in the shorter “Crossed Out Species” or longer pieces like the opener “Chrome” and the penultimate “Subterranean Messiah,” which injects some melodic vocals into the proceedings and airy string-inclusive prog amid all the surrounding crush. All well and good, but it’s hard to deny the sheer assault of the doomed apex in closer “The Throes,” and you’ll pardon me if I don’t try. Ambience through volume, catharsis through volume, volume all things.
With strength of performance to fall back on and progressive realization in their songwriting, Little Rock, Arkansas’ Sumokem would seem to come of age on their third long-player, Prajnaparadha, answering the flourish of 2017’s The Guardian of Yosemite (discussed here) with an even more confident stylistic sprawl and an abiding patience that extends even to the album’s most intense moments. Not at all a minor undertaking in dynamic or its run of five long songs following the intro “Prologue,” Prajnaparadha manages not to be dizzying mostly because of the grace with which it’s crafted, tied together by ace guitar work and a propensity for soaring in order to complement and sometimes willfully contrast the tonal weight. When the growls show up in “Fakir” and carry into “Khizer,” Sumokem seem to push the record to its final level, and making that journey with them is richly satisfying.
Psychedelia comes poison-tipped with brooding post-grunge atmospheres as Oginalii‘s Pendulum swings this way and that between “Scapegoat” and “Black Hole” and “Pillars” and “Veils” across its too short 24 minutes. The Nashvillainous four-piece explore an inner darkness perfect for these long months of forced-introspection, and though calling something pandemic-appropriate has become a tired compliment to give, the underlying rhythmic restlessness of “Scapegoat” and the crying out overtop, the fuzzy burst of “Veils” and the interweaving drums and guitar noise behind the recited semi-sung poetry of “Pillars” serve the soundtrack cause nonetheless, to say nothing of the two-minute minimalist echoing stretch of “Black Hole” or the oh-okay-it’s-indie-post-rock-but-oh-wait-what-the-hell-now-it’s-furious closer “Stripped the Screw.” Anger suits Oginalii as it comes through here, not in tired chestbeating but in spacious craft that manages to sound intense even in its languid reach. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me.
Toronto’s Völur offer their third album, Death Cult, in cooperation with Prophecy Productions, and it comes in four string-laced tracks that waste little time in pushing genre limits, bringing folk influences in among doom, blackened metallurgy and more ethereal touches. Arrangements of violin, viola, cello, double-bass, keys, and the shared vocals of Laura Bates and Lucas Gadke (the latter also of Blood Ceremony) give a suitably arthouse feel to the proceedings rounded out by the drums and percussion of Justin Ruppel, and it’s far from unearned as the four songs play out across 37 minutes, “Dead Moon” veering into lumbering death-doom in its apex ahead of the jazz-into-choral-into-drone-into-freer-jazz-into-progressive-black-metal of the 11-minute “Freyjan Death Cult,” subsequent closer “Reverend Queen” leaving behind the chaos in its last few minutes for an epilogue of mournful strings and drums; a dirge both unrepentantly beautiful and still in keeping with the atmospheric weight throughout. Bands like this — rare — make other bands better.
Bursting with enough energy to make one miss live music, Wedge‘s third album, Like No Tomorrow, transcends vintage-ism in its production if not its overall mindset, bringing clarity to Deep Purple organ-tics on opener “Computer” while keeping the lyrics purposefully modern. Bass leads the way in “Playing a Role” and the spirit is boogie fuzz until the jam hits and, yeah, they make it easy to go along for the ride. “Blood Red Wine” has arena-rock melody down pat while centerpiece and likely side A closer “Across the Water” at last lets itself go to that place, following the guitar until the surge that brings in “Queen of the Night” indulges purer proto-metal impulses, still accomplished in its harmonized chorus amid the charge. Is that the guitar solo in “U’n’I” panning left to right I hear? I certainly hope so. The shortest cut on Like No Tomorrow feels like it’s in a hurry to leave behind a verse, and sets up the surprisingly modestly paced “At the Speed of Life,” which is lent a cinematic feel by the organ and layered choral vocals that bolsters yet another strong hook, while the nine-minute “Soldier” is bluesier but still sounds like it could be the live incarnation of any of these tracks depending on where a given jam takes Wedge on any given night. Here’s hoping, anyhow.
About a year and a half after issuing Otherworldly (review here), their third album under the moniker Witch Hazel, the dukes of York, PA, are back with a new name and a refreshed sound. As SpellBook, vocalist Nate Tyson, guitarist Andy Craven, bassist Seibert Lowe and drummer Nicholas Zinn push through two vinyl sides of classic heavy f’n metal, less concerned with doom than they were but still saving a bit of roll for the longer centerpiece “Not Long for This World” and the airy, dramatic closer “Dead Detectives.” Elsewhere, “Black Shadow” brings a horns-at-the-ready chorus, “Motorcade” reminds that the power of Judas Priest was always in the basslines (that’s right, I said it), and “Ominous Skies” brims with the vitality of the new band that SpellBook are, even as it benefits from the confidence born of these players’ prior experience together.
Kudos to L.A.’s Old Blood for at least making the classification part easy when it comes to their debut album, conveniently titled Acid Doom, though that category hardly accounts for, say, the piano stretch of second cut “Bridge to Nowhere,” or the heavy rock theatricality in “Heavy Water” or the horn sounds of “Slothgod” a few songs later, but I suppose one has to start somewhere, and ‘acid doom’ is fair enough when it comes to accounting for the sleekery in the vocals of Lynx, the weight of the riffs of C. Gunner, the roll of bassist Octopus and drummer Diesel and the classic-style organ work of J.F. Stone. But if Old Blood want to unfurl something deceptively complex and stylistically intricate on their debut, that’s certainly cool as far as I’m concerned. Production is a strong presence throughout in a way that pulls a bit from what the impact of the songs might be on stage (remember stages?), but the songwriting is there, and Lynx‘s voice is a noteworthy presence of its own. I’m not sure where they’ll end up sound-wise, but at the same time, Acid Doom comes across like nothing else in the batch of 70 records I’m doing for this Quarterly Review, and that in itself I find admirable.
Just because you know the big riff is going to kick in about a minute into opening track “Under the Influence of the Fool” on Jahbulong‘s tarot-inflected stoner doom four-songer Eclectic Poison Tones doesn’t make it any less satisfying when it happens. The deep-rolling three-piece from Verona make their full-length debut with the 45-minute offering through Go Down Records, and the lurching continues in “The Tower of the Broken Bones” and “The Eclipse of the Empress,” which is the only cut under 10 minutes long but still keeps the slow-motion Sabbath rolling into the 15-minute closer “The Eremite Tired Out (Sweed Dreams)” (sic), which plays off some loud/quiet changes fluidly without interrupting the nod that’s so central to the entirety of the album. Look. These guys know the gods they’re worshiping — Sleep, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard maybe, etc. — and they’re not trying to get away with saying they invented any of this. If you can’t get down with 45 minutes of slower-than-slow grooves, maybe you’re in the wrong microgenre. For me, it’s the lack of pretense that makes it.
Heavy Trip. Four songs. Two sides. Three dudes. Instrumental. Accurately named. Yeah, you’ve heard this story before, but screw it. They start out nice and spacious on “Hand of Shroom” and they finish with high-speed boogie in the 13-minute “Treespinner,” and all in between Heavy Trip make it nothing less than a joy to go along wherever it is they’re headed. The Vancouver three-piece make earlier Earthless something of an elephant in the room as regards influences, but the unhurried groove in second cut “Lunar Throne” is a distinguishing factor, and even as “Mind Leaf” incorporates a bit more shove, it does so with enough righteousness to carry through. As a debut, Heavy Trip‘s Heavy Trip might come across more San Diego than Vancouver, but screw it. Dudes got jams like Xmas hams, and the chemistry they bring in holding listener attention with tempo changes throughout here speaks to a progressive edge burgeoning in their sound.
Vancouver’s Dead Quiet will release their third full-length, Truth and Ruin, on Sept. 11 through Artoffact Records. With the advent of “Truth and Ruin,” the title-track of the album, premiering in the video/lyric video below — it’s like a regular video, but also lyrics! — there are now three songs public from the upcoming offering, and they each present some different personality facet of what shape the record might take. To wit, “Forever Unsung” offers organ-laced heavy blues met with post-hardcore crush and a sneaks-into-your-brain hook before they Iron Maiden-out a solo section in classic dual-guitar fashion and turn back skillfully to the verse/chorus to finish. Clever track, and it uses every second of its 4:50 runtime to make its point.
Later in the proceedings comes the six-and-a-half-minute “The Sign of a Sealed Fate”; more spacious in its initial verse, but with an underlying rhythmic tension — double-time hi-hat, and so on — that teases the volume push to come. And of course it does come, followed by a surprising keyboardy prog break and huge-sounding, shout-topped, organ-laced shove that leads to a finish of residual guitar and far-back vocals that finish. I’m not sure I’d call it patient since it’s still plenty brash, but there’s a definite loosing of the structural reins happening.
That brings us around to “Truth and Ruin” itself, which again offers a broader beginning, but has a more melancholy feel. The accompanying video takes us through a day in the life of a werewolf as lyrics like “To be alone is to be myself” highlight the alienated impression presented by the visuals. As outwardly arrogant as Dead Quiet might seem at times with Kevin Keegan‘s vocals up front, Truth and Ruin‘s title-cut effectively flips that on its head, shifting with Solace-like efficiency into a thrashier chug and thrust after some quick shouts, tearing into one and then another solos before returning to the hook. So maybe a bit of each of the other two tracks come together in Truth and Ruin, plus metal, plus a bit of downer vibing offset by instrumental triumph. It ends, of course, with a touch of violin, as it would.
Keegan, formerly of Barn Burner, says in the PR wire quote below that he loves a good hook. That affinity serves him and the band well on Truth and Ruinif what they’ve shown off thus far is anything to go by.
Video and more info follows here. Preorders are of course available.
Please enjoy:
Dead Quiet, “Truth and Ruin” lyric video premiere
DEAD QUIET – Truth And Ruin Title track of Dead Quiet’s third full length album, on Artoffact Records. Available everywhere September 11, 2020. Preorder here:https://deadquiet.bandcamp.com/album/truth-and-ruin
From Vancouver, Canada, comes Dead Quiet. The third full-length album, Truth and Ruin, shows the band at its peak, delivering its arena-ready, proto-metal bacchanal with power and flair. Dead Quiet’s dramatic, organ-heavy songs are saturated with respect for the hard rock and heavy metal titans of the late ’70s and early ’80s – there are traces of blazing Deep Purple jams and hellbent Judas Priest bangers – but the band rocks with a prowess all its own. Dead Quiet respects its elders while fully owning its own craft. It is a fine balance, which brings to mind Ghost, among others.
Of new album Truth and Ruin, frontman Kevin Keegan states: “We just wanted to make a record that was relentless. On Grand Rites we took our time and meandered quite a bit but with Truth and Ruin it was more about ‘point and shoot,’ always keeping us and the listener on their toes. I love a good hook. I like the idea of a song that rips but also gets stuck in your head like a good pop song.”
Truth and Ruin was engineered and mixed by Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung) at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, BC. It was mastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Chelsea Wolfe) at West West Side Music in Hudson Valley, NY.
Tracklist: 1) Atoned Deaf 2) Forever Unsung 3) Of Sound and Fury 4) Truth and Ruin 5) Partial Darkness 6) The Sign of a Sealed Fate 7) Cold Grey Death
Lineup: Kevin Keegan – vocals, guitar Brock MacInnes – guitar Mike Grossnickle – bass Mike Rosen – keyboards, backing vocals Jason Dana – drums
Posted in audiObelisk on July 28th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Vancouver’s Eye of Doom will release their second EP, Curse of the Pharaoh, on Sept. 25. In addition to marking their first offering to be made through Majestic Mountain Records, it’s also something of a shift in approach for the three-piece, whose 2018 self-titled four-songer trafficked in decidedly more metallic and driving fare. With two eight-minute-plus cuts in the opening title-track and the closing “The Scold’s Bride” separated just by the interlude “The Waning” (2:56), the EP hits a 20-minute total listen that’s striking in its push toward atmospherics, with sonar pings backing horror samples and ambient guitar in “The Waning” before the roll that comprised much of “Curse of the Pharaoh” resumes in full nod for the outset of “The Scold’s Bride.” With vocals from bassist Alex Kadhim and guitarist Adam Mattsson atop Derek Staines‘ apparently reliable march, shades of Elephant Tree‘s melodicism show up along with an impact and underlying noise rock influence that calls Cities of Mars and other post-Monolord outfits to mind. Dudes got riffs, in case you were wondering.
Curse of the Pharaoh is strong in its presentation, beginning with a fading in swell of readily immersive tonality. They are perhaps a release or two from bringing to fruition the kind of depth and largesse they hint toward here, but that doesn’t at all stop the material from being engaging on its own level. “Curse of the Pharaoh” crashes in around 1:30 and proceeds to lumber forward in newer-Sleep form, waiting until after three minutes in before introducing the first vocal lines. With a cavernous echo, the verses likewise hint toward a burgeoning reach in what’s being tagged as their “new musical direction,” but they’re smartly mixed to not overwhelm the surrounding guitar bass or drums. Kadhim‘s bass holds true during a short break and soon the guitar solo takes hold in soaring fashion to lead through the apex of the track, the first sonar pings arriving before the shift into “The Waning” is actually complete. That one-into-the-next fluidity is also emblematic of what Eye of Doom are shooting for with their recent doomly conversion, and if the EP is anything to go by, they won’t have any trouble sticking to that — should they want to — when they set themselves to the inevitable task of their full-length debut.
When, how, where, on that, I of course have no idea, but Eye of Doom‘s stated purpose is to give those they’d make their audience an introduction to what they’re all about, and it’s a positive first impression they make, even if that ‘first’ comes with an asterisk. “Curse of the Pharaoh” is streaming on the player below, followed by more info about the release from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
Eye of doom to release ’Curse of the Pharaoh’ on Majestic Mountain Records September 25th
Majestic Mountain Records is very pleased to announce the first release from Vancover, BC based riff masters Eye of Doom. The 3-track EP ’Curse of the Pharaoh is set for release on a 10” premium vinyl in September and this release will be followed with a full length release in early 2021!
This EP is the first introduction to the new musical direction of Eye of Doom.
The riff-molding for Curse of the Pharaoh was produced and recorded by the band in early 2020. The songs on this EP draw inspiration from the grand scenery found in the towering mountain ranges and vast forests of the band’s hometown, as well as exploring existential questions connected to topics such as mysticism, astronomy, paganism, and the occult. This EP is the result of the collaborative efforts from all members of the band and is an honest and true reflection of everything that is Eye of Doom.
’Curse of the Pharaoh’ will be on pre-order at Majestic Mountain Records, August 7th. Vinyl is set for release in end of September and the digital release will be available August 28th.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 24th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Vancouver heavy rock trio La Chinga have signed a deal to release their next album through Ripple Music. The classic-influenced three-piece put out their self-titled debut (discussed here) in 2013 and were picked up by Small Stone for the 2016 follow-up, Freewheelin’ (review here), as well as 2018’s Beyond the Sky (review here). In aligning with Ripple, they follow in the footsteps Small Stone veterans like Wo Fat, Roadsaw, Freedom Hawk and Gozu — though the latter have since moved on — as well of course as Ripple homegrown staples in Mothership, Salem’s Bend, War Cloud, High Priestess, and so on.
All told, it’s a lot of good bands, and as the last few years have seen Ripple grow into the US’ foremost purveyor of underground heavy rock, they’re now in a position to pick and choose the artists they work with more than ever before. So that’s how you get Wino on Ripple. How you get Colour Haze, etc. They’ve simply gone to another level through the quality of what they’ve put out and the audience loyalty they’ve earned over the course of their decade. Bringing La Chinga into the fold definitely isn’t going to hurt their reputation any.
The announcement came through social media:
Ripple Music welcome Pacific Northwest’s wildest 70s-worshipping hard rockers La Chinga to their rifftastic roster for the release of their new album in 2021.
“We are so thrilled to be on Ripple Music, having been big fans of the music they have been cranking out! We are in the studio as I type this, working hard on our Ripple debut album. And we can’t wait to put it out there on such a killer label!” says the band.
Keep your eyes peeled for more La Chinga news, and get ready to blow your speakers with the generous hooks, wicked psychedelic highlights and unequaled firepower of the three Vancouver gentlemen!
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 15th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
I do not know who might be behind the new Hammerheart Records imprint Petrichor — which seems not to be followed by any of the usual “Records” or “Recordings” or “Releases” or “Tapes” or whatever that most labels tack onto their names — but they certainly have their mission statement down, and I can’t argue with their choice of a first signing either. The band in question is Vancouver’s Empress, whose forthcoming debut album, Premonition, was recently written up here. That album, which follows 2017’s Reminiscence EP (review here) and a 2018 split with Piece (review here), was originally set to arrive on July 24.
The Petrichor version of the Premonition has been given an October release. However, what that means is that the originally-stated July 24 arrival of the album is off. “Delays?” you ask, flabbergasted. “In 2020?” I know, but at least it’s for a good reason, and hey, kudos for the band getting their record picked up before it even came out. When it happens at all, some acts wait years for that kind of thing.
So anyway, it’ll be October for Empress. I wouldn’t think it unreasonable if they pulled it down, but for now you can still listen to “Lion’s Blood” on the player below.
Petrichor‘s announcement and background info follows:
First signing for Petrichor: Empress!
It is with great pleasure and pride that we announce Empress to be the first official signing for Petrichor. This amazing sludge/post-metal/doom band from Vancouver, Canada will unleash its debut full length album ‘Premonition’ through Petrichor in early October 2020. The album will be released on vinyl/cd and tape as well as digital. Be prepared, pre-orders will be announced in due time.
Petrichor is a new label manufactured, distributed and marketed by Hammerheart Records. Run by passionate individuals who are defined by their will to bring fresh rain on dried out soil/rock (petra) combined into one label that will deliver the blood of the gods (ichor).
Petrichor will release physical formats of all kinds and digital content as well. Run with dedication, experience and always on the hunt for innovative art and quality. Expect our first releases coming this September.
plenty with Spaceslug over their years and will likely continue to. Can’t have ego about that shit or you’ll lose your mind (though I admit sometimes I take it personally; I’ve never been cool enough blah blah blah). I’d love to interview them about the record, actually. But I was going to review the album anyway for today and with all the extra crap held over from Wednesday to yesterday there was just no way to get it done.
