Posted in Whathaveyou on February 18th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Richmond, Virginia-based anti-genre extremists Inter Arma will release their fourth album, Sulphur English, April 12 through Relapse Records. That’s pretty much what you need to know. There’s a new Inter Arma record. It’s coming out. If that isn’t enough of an immediate argument in favor of itself, the band have posted the new song “Citadel” with a march and underlying groove straight out of classic death metal to further their position. Their consistent refusal to settle into one style or another would seem to remain prevalent, and that’s just fine, especially because you can expect a decent amount of “Inter Arma announce tour dates” news stories forthcoming. These guys never hang around for too long.
They’ll mark Sulphur English‘s arrival at the Decibel Metal and Beer Fest — where I hear they’ll have both metal and beer — and continue to slaughter the unsuspecting from there while no doubt remaining persistently underrated for the value of the work they do in the studio and on stage.
Death. March. To oblivion:
INTER ARMA: Announce 4th-Studio Album Sulphur English Coming April 12; Share New Song “Citadel”
Richmond’s INTER ARMA, reigning masters of the slow build, continue to trace a distinctly ambitious trajectory through modern metal. Today, the band announces their 4th full-length offering Sulphur English, coming April 12th, 2019, and share the first single entitled “Citadel”.
Vocalist Mike Paparo comments:
“The lyrics to “Citadel” were written as a sort of clarion call to myself about overcoming depression and the demons that manifest with it. It, like most of the lyrical content on the record, is deeply personal to me.
For the band as a whole, Sulphur English is an ill-tempered, unrepentant act of defiance towards stagnation and complacency. We create this music on our own terms and we refuse to compromise our collective vision, for better or worse.”
Sulphur English is due out April 12th on CD/2xLP/Digital. Physical packages are available for pre-order via Relapse.com HERE. Digital Downloads / Streaming Services are available HERE.
Additionally, INTER ARMA have been announced for Decibel’s Metal & Beer Fest Pre-Fest and celebrate the release of Sulphur English with labelmates Integrity, Full of Hell & Devil Master. Stay tuned for more INTER ARMA live announcements in the near future.
Sulphur English Tracklist: 1. Bumgardner 2. A Waxen Sea 3. Citadel 4. Howling Lands 5. Stillness 6. Observances of the Path 7. The Atavist’s Meridian 8. Blood on the Lupines 9. Sulphur English
INTER ARMA are: T.J. Childers – Drums, guitars, lap steel, keyboards, synthesizers, noise, vocals Trey Dalton – Guitars, keyboards, vocals Andrew Lacour – Bass Mike Paparo – Vocals Steven Russell – Guitars
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 2nd, 2019 by JJ Koczan
The surviving members of Iron Man have announced a new project together, as vocalist “Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun, bassist Louis Strachan and drummer Jason “Mot” Waldmann have joined with guitarist Willy Rivera, who until this past summer was one of the essential figures behind heavy thrashers Lord. The new band is called Spiral Grave, and it will mark the first outing from Waldmann, Strachan and Calhoun together since the death last January of Iron Man founder “Iron” Alfred Morris III. Calhoun and Strachan — the latter of whom seems to have inherited the “Iron“ in front of his name, and rightly so — have continued working together on Calhoun‘s solo-project, but Spiral Grave seems much more of a full-band entity than the singer-songwriter-gone-metal-isms of Dee‘s two to-date records.
Iron Man‘s final album was 2013’s South of the Earth (review here), issued by Rise Above Records and a fitting-if-unfortunate capstone on the band’s career of more than 20 years. Lord meanwhile announced their breakup last year even as they were getting ready to release their finest album in Desperation Finds Hunger in All Men (review here), which found their oft-chaotic approach on its most solid ground while giving up none of it razor-sharp edge. Spiral Grave would seem to draw from both sides in terms of its groove, though at least in the posted rehearsal room demo for “Nothing,” the band seems to lean much more toward doom than extreme sludge or thrash, as Lord sometimes would.
But they’re a new band, so it’s up in the air where their sound and exploration of influences might take them. They’re reportedly set to hit the studio next month for a single, and then I suppose it’s on from there. The start of a New Year is always supposed to hold some kind of promise of good things to come, so here’s this:
Spiral Grave is the collaboration of the members of two legendary mid-Atlantic bands: Iron Man, who disbanded in early 2018 following the death of their guitarist and founder Al Morris III, and Lord.
In mid-2018, former Lord guitarist Willy Rivera reached out to longtime friend and former Iron Man voice “Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun about forming a new project, something that Willy described as “doom meets Dehumanizer.” Former Iron Man rhythm section “Iron” Louis Strachan (bass) and Jason “Mot” Waldmann (drums) came onboard, and Spiral Grave was born.
In February 2019, Spiral Grave will record their first single, and will take to the live stage.
Spiral Grave is: Screaming Mad Dee – voice Willy Rivera – guitars “Iron” Louis Strachan – bass Jason “Mot” Waldmann – drums
Posted in Reviews on December 6th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
There isn’t enough coffee in the universe, but I’ve got mine and I’m ready to burn the living crap out of my tongue if that’s what it takes to get through. We’ve arrived at Day 4 of the Quarterly Review, and though we’re less than halfway to the 100-album goal set by some maniac sitting at his kitchen table with a now-burnt tongue, there’s been an awful lot of good stuff so far. More even than I thought going into it, and I slate this stuff.
That said, today’s list is pretty killer. A lot of these bands will be more familiar than maybe has been the case or will be on some of the other days of this Quarterly Review. It just kind of worked out that way as I was putting it together. But hey, a few bigger bands here, a few “debut EP” demos there. It’s all good fun.
So let’s go.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Earthless, From the West
Bonus points to whatever clever cat correctly decided that Earthless‘ 2018 studio album, Black Heaven (review here), needed a companion live record. With artwork mimicking a Led Zeppelin bootleg of the same name, From the West arrives through Silver Current and Nuclear Blast capturing the most powerful of power trios earlier this year in San Francisco, and it’s like the fire emoji came to life. With Mike Eginton‘s bass as the anchor and Mario Rubalcaba‘s drums as the driving force, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell starts ripping holes in the fabric of spacetime with “Black Heaven” and doesn’t stop until 64 minutes later as “Acid Crusher” dissolves into noise. Of course “Gifted by the Wind” from the latest LP is a highlight, and suitably enough, they cover Zeppelin‘s “Communication Breakdown,” but I’m not sure anything tops the extended take on “Uluru Rock” from 2013’s From the Ages (review here) — and yes, I mean that. Of course they pair it with the 1:48 surge of “Volt Rush,” because they’re Earthless, and brilliant is what they do. Every set they play should be recorded for posterity.
Encased in cover art that begs the Spinal Tap question, “what’s wrong with being sexy?” and the response that Fran Drescher gave it, Virginia classic heavy rockers Satan’s Satyrs return with their fourth full-length, The Lucky Ones (on RidingEasy and Bad Omen), which also marks their first record as a four-piece with guitarist Nate Towle (Wicked Inquisition) joining the returning lineup of bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess, guitarist Jared Nettnin and drummer Stephen Fairfield, who, between the fact that Burgess founded the band and played in Electric Wizard, and all the lead guitar antics from Nettnin and Towle, might be the unsung hero of the band. His performance is not lost in the recording by Windhand‘s Garrett Morris or Burgess‘ own hefty mix, and as one would expect, Satan’s Satyrs continue to deliver deceptively refined ’70s-heavy vibes caked in cult biker horror aesthetics. Some songs hit more than others, but Satan’s Satyrs‘ dust-kicking approach continues to win converts.
One generally thinks of Hamburg duo Mantar as having all the subtlety of a bone saw caught on video, and yet, in listening to “Seek + Forget” from their third album, The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze (on Nuclear Blast), there are some elements that seem to be reaching out on the part of the band. Guitarist Hanno‘s vocals are more enunciated and discernible, there is a short break from the all-out blackened-sludge-punk assault that’s been their trade since their start in 2012, and “Obey the Obscene” even has an organ. Still, the bulk of the 12-track/48-minute follow-up to 2016’s Ode to the Flame (review here) is given to extremity of purpose and execution, and in pieces like the churning “Anti Eternia” and the particularly-punked “Teeth of the Sea,” they work to refine their always-present threat of violence. Closer “The Funeral” brings back some of the quiet moodiness of intro “The Knowing” and underscores the point of sonic expansion. I hope next time they use a string section.
It took me a few minutes to get to the heart of what my problem with Child‘s I EP is. Really, I was sitting and listening to “Age Has Left Me Behind” — the first of the three included tracks on the 20-ish-minute 12″ — and I had to ask myself, “Why is this annoying me?” The answer? Because it’s not an album. That’s it. It’s not enough. Kudos to the Melbourne, Australia, heavy blues trio on having that be the biggest concern with their latest release — it follows 2016’s righteously-grooved Blueside (review here) — and kudos to them as well for their cover of Spirit‘s “The Other Song,” but of course it’s the 10-minute jam “Going Down Swinging” on side B that’s the immersive highlight of I, as Child‘s balance of softshoe-boogie and expansive mellow-psych is second to none in their subgenre. It’s not an album, and that’s kind of sad, but as a tide-ya-over until the next long-player arrives, I still does the trick nice and easy. And not to get greedy, but I’d take a II (or would it be You?) whenever they get around to it.
T.G. Olson, Wasatch Valley Lady & The Man from Table Mountain
Across Tundras frontman T.G. Olson, who by now has well lapped that band’s output with his solo catalog, would seem to have sat down with his guitar sometime in the last week and put two songs to tape. The resulting 10-minute offering is Wasatch Valley Lady & The Man from Table Mountain, its component title-tracks stripping down some of the more elaborate arrangements he’s explored of late — his latest full-length, Riding Roughshod (review pending; it’s hard to keep up), came out in October — to expose the barebones construction at root in his Rocky Mountain country folk style. “Wasatch Valley Lady” and “The Man from Table Mountain” make an engaging couple, and while Olson has a host of videos on YouTube that are similarly just him and his acoustic, something about the audio-only recordings feel like a voice out of time reaching for human connection. The first seems to have a natural fade, and the second a more prominent rhythm showcased in harder strum, but both are sweet melodies evocative as ever of open landscapes and wistful experience.
The Deep Purple-referential Mk II title of Canyon‘s second EP, also the follow-up to their 2017 debut LP, Radiant Light, refers to the lineup change that’s seen Dean Welsh move to drums so that he and guitarist Peter Stanko can welcome bassist/vocalist Fred Frederick to the fold. The three included songs, the hooky “Mine Your Heart,” expansively fuzzed “Morphine Dreams” and bouncing “Roam” make a hell of a first offering from the reconstituted trio, who capture classic heavy naturalism in a chemistry between players that’s mirrored in the songwriting itself. Canyon‘s 2016 self-titled debut EP (review here) held marked promise, and even after the full-length, that promise would seem to be coming to fruition here. Their tones and craft are both right on, and there’s still some gelling to do between the three of them, but they leave no doubt with Mk II that this incarnation of Canyon can get there. And, if they keep up like this, get there quickly.
One man jams! Psych-jam seekers will recognize Daniel Sax as the drummer for Berlin-based trio Cosmic Fall. Circle of the Sun is a solo-project from Sax and Jams of Inner Perception collects six tracks for 39 minutes of adventuring on his own. Sax sets his own backbeat and layers bass and “effectsbass” for a full-lineup feel amid the instrumental creations, and those looking to be hypnotized by the space-rocking jams will be. Flat out. Sax is no stranger to jamming, and as one soaks in “Jamming in Paradise” or its nine-minute predecessor “Liquid Sand,” there’s little mistaking his intention. Curious timing that Circle of the Sun would take shape following a lineup change in Cosmic Fall — perhaps it was put together in the interim? — but whether Jams of Inner Perception is a one-off of the beginning of a new avenue for Sax, its turn to blues noodling on “Desert Sun,” thick-toned “Moongroove” and fuzzy roll on “Acid Dream” demonstrate there are plenty of outer realms still to explore.
Mythic Sunship, Another Shape of Psychedelic Music
The simplest way to put it is that Mythic Sunship‘s Another Shape of Psychedelic Music lives up to the lofty ambitions of its title. The Danish band is comprised of guitarists Kasper Stougaard Andersen and Emil Thorenfeldt, bassist Rasmus ‘Cleaver’ Christensen, drummer Frederik Denning and saxophonist Søren Skov, and with Causa Sui‘s Jonas Munk — who also produced the album — sitting in on the extended “Backyard Voodoo” (17:41) and “Out There” (13:53) as well as overseeing the release through El Paraiso, the band indeed makes there way into the far out reaches where jazz and psychedelia meet. It’s not about pretentiously saying they’re doing something that’s never been done. You’ll note it’s “another shape” and not a “new shape” or the “shape to come.” But immersion happens quickly on opener “Resolution” (14:23), and even quicker cuts like “Last Exit,” “Way Ahead” and “Elevation” carry the compelling spirit of forward-thinking creativity through their dynamic course, and if Mythic Sunship aren’t the shape of psychedelic music to come, it’s in no small part because there are so few out there who could hope to match what they do.
Islands / Öar — the second word being the Swedish translation of the first — is the 40-minute debut full-length from Gothenburg atmospheric heavy post-rock instrumentalists Svarta Stugan, who demonstrate in influence from Hex-era Earth on the opener “Islands III” but go on in subsequent tracks to pull together a sound distinct in its cinematic feel and moody execution. Five out of the seven component tracks are “Islands” pieces, which are presented out of order with “Islands IV” missing and “Islands Unknown” perhaps in its place, and the respective side A/B finales “Inner Space” and “Prospects Quatsi” standing apart. Both bring to bear a style ultimately consistent with the melancholy so rife throughout Islands / Öar as a whole, but they’re obviously intended as outliers, and so they seem to be. The LP release follows a couple shorter outings, issued over the past six-plus years, and it’s clear from the depths and range on display here in the build-to-crescendo of “Inner Space” alone that Svarta Stugan haven’t misspent their time in their progression to this point.
Largesse of scope and largesse of tone work in tandem on Bast‘s Nanoångström full-length on Black Bow, as they bring together aspects of post-metallic churn and more extreme metal methods to hone a style highly individualized, highly weighted and as much cosmic as it is crushing. Through six tracks and 57 minutes, the London trio (plus two guest spots from Chris Naughton of Winterfylleth) careen and crash and set an atmosphere of chaos without actually being chaotic, their progressive craft working to tie the songs together into a larger impression of the work as a consuming entirety. It’s the kind of record you pick up and still hear new things in by the time they put out their next one. Production from Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio only helps creates the heights and depths of their dynamic, and whether they’re rolling out the severity of closer “The Ghosts Which Haunt the Space Between the Stars” or laying out the soundscape of “The Beckoning Void,” Bast shape the tenets of genre to suit their needs rather than try to work within the barriers of any particular style. Nanoångström is all the more complex and satisfying for their efforts in that regard.
Posted in Reviews on October 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan
A quick search through the album announcement and tour press releases thus far for Windhand‘s Eternal Return shows that, from either the label or the Richmond, Virginia, natives themselves, the word “doom” appears zero times. Listening to the nine-song/62-minute offering, that hardly feels like a coincidence. Instead, Eternal Return — which stands as Windhand‘s fourth album behind 2015’s Grief’s Infernal Flower (review here), their 2013 Relapse Records debut, Soma (review here), and their 2012 self-titled debut (streamed here) — has been positioned amid heavy psychedelia and seen highlighted an influence from ’90s alternative and grunge rock. Fair. There are definitely some of those elements at work tonally and in the songwriting, but as the group renews its collaboration with producer Jack Endino, who also recorded Grief’s Infernal Flower, and sees further continuity in Eternal Return‘s Arik Roper cover art, there’s still plenty of doom to the proceedings in songs like “First to Die,” “Eyeshine,” in which vocalist Dorthia Cottrell delivers the album’s title line, and “Red Cloud,” which nonetheless stands among the faster pieces here.
The tones of Garrett Morris and Parker Chandler are still molasses thick, and drummer Ryan Wolfe still pushes the atmospheric murk forward with consistent and creative rhythm. But there is a change as well. Between Grief’s Infernal Flower and Eternal Return, Windhand have gone from a five- to a four-piece, losing guitarist Asechiah Bogdan. I don’t know how much Bogdan (also formerly of Alabama Thunderpussy) was involved in the songwriting for Windhand, but even if he wasn’t really at all, a change in dynamic is to be expected with any shift in lineup on the part of a given group, and that might be what’s happening with Windhand as different influences come to the surface. Certainly if the band were “bored” of doom, that would be well enough earned — it’s ground they’ve well covered across their three prior full-lengths and other releases like their earlier 2018 split with tourmates Satan’s Satyrs (discussed here) — and Eternal Return does on the whole play to the psychedelic aspects of their sound, but it’s not as if those aspects are appearing out of nowhere. Windhand‘s otherworldly sensibility has been there all along. It’s part of what’s stood them out from their early influences and helped define them stylistically.
Okay. But to listen to “Grey Garden” (video posted here), or even the eight-minute opener “Halcyon” that directly precedes it, there’s definitely something different happening. And the positioning is correct: it’s derived from grunge. Generationally speaking, the genre feels like fair enough game, and in “Red Cloud,” the mellow acoustic-led “Pilgrim’s Rest” and especially in closer “Feather,” in Cottrell‘s vocals and in the rhythmic lurch, there’s a reinterpretation of early ’90s aesthetics happening, but the key there is it’s reinterpretation. Windhand aren’t simply donning a flannel and tucking their jeans into their Doc Martens — they’re taking the influence of grunge and working it into their own sonic context, just as they’ve always done with their influences. The penultimate “Diablerie” (video posted here) shows this integration well and offers a fair summary of all sides that Eternal Returnhas on offer. Its leads are clean and shine through the low-end murk surrounding with a particularly spacious shimmer, Cottrell‘s voice leads the way through a resonant, said-as-plainly-as-possible hook with some subtly layered-in harmonies, and the overarching groove is fluid en route to a jangly finish that leads the way into “Feather.”
And though it’s relatively buried with 50 minutes of densely-weighted material before it and positioned way down at the end of side D, “Feather” is the truly standout moment on Eternal Return in terms of stylistic progression. It seems to follow directly the lead-in that “Diablerie” gives it, with a hard-strummed guitar line tapping into that particular downerism before a Cantrell-esque lead line enters the mix. Nirvana have been a strong presence throughout, but as “Feather” dips into minimalist atmospherics about four and a half minutes through its total 13, ahead of the full-tonal kick to come, it sets up a middle section of the track that seems especially geared toward Alice in Chains, with Cottrell playing both the Staley and Cantrell roles vocally, self-harmonizing over a lumbering riff. Though the track grows more mournful as it proceeds toward a long-fading noisy washout, I’d gladly argue that midpoint as the culmination of Windhand‘s expansion of style on Eternal Return, and it shows not only how far they’ve come — spoiler: they’ve come pretty far — but how far they can still go should they desire to do so.
And really, that’s the main question as regards Eternal Return: Cool, you can do this? How far are you going to take it? Invariably that’s not something that can be answered at this point or within the next album cycle or even two should they get there, but while the band got their start a decade ago, one of the steadiest aspects of their work has been the fact that it has always seemed to lead one to look ahead to what’s coming next, and in that regard, Eternal Return feels all the more transitional. With the change in lineup behind them and a thus-far busy tour schedule ahead, what will come of Windhand‘s foray into grunge and their retipping the balance toward psychedelia? Will their next album still have the same kind of bottom end one hears in the plodding “First to Die,” or is the swirling centerpiece interlude “Light into Dark” a tell for a continuing shift underway that will make them less immediately recognizable to their fanbase?
Because, if nothing else, Windhand are that, and it’s to their credit how much they’ve taken their early influences from the likes of Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, etc., and internalized and reshaped them into an identity of their own. That’s never been more the case than it is on Eternal Return, but Windhand don’t sound like they’re finished coming into their own, and ultimately, this record may prove over the longer term to be as much departure as it is an arrival. If that’s the case, so be it. For the moment, these songs legitimately push Windhand onto new ground and move them into a niche all the more their own. There’s still doom in the heart of their sound, but increasingly, they’re defining for themselves just what that means and how it manifests.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 1st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
This week marks the release of Windhand‘s new album, Eternal Return. It is the Richmond, Virginia, unit’s second full-length with Jack Endino at the board as producer — why go anywhere else? — and it marks something of a shift in their sound toward a more grunge-derived feel to their riffing, melded with a psychedelia born of their always murky approach to doom. They are already slated to supporting the living crap out of the record, with previously announced runs through the US (beginning a week from today) and Europe (beginning March 7), and now they’ve decided to do another short run through the Southeast, hitting D.C., North Carolina, Florida and Georgia on an eight-date stint that I guess amounts to a get-out-of-the-house warmup tour for Windhand but is still longer than many of the tours I post about here. It’s like their version of a weekender and it’s eight dates. Hilarious.
The PR wire has the details of their daunting schedule:
WINDHAND: Announce US Headlining Winter Tour Dates w/ GENOCIDE PACT
Eternal Return is due out October 5th on Relapse Records
Virginia’s WINDHAND announce US headlining tour dates throughout January 2019 with label-mates GENOCIDE PACT. The brief tour begins on January 24 in Washington D.C. and ends January 31 in Charlotte, NC. A full list of tour dates are available below. Tickets are on sale Friday, September 28th at 10am EST.
Stream WINDHAND’s recently released track “Diablerie” now on all streaming services. Embodying the album’s more reflective side, “Diablerie” fully captures the band’s artistic growth and the juxtaposition of genre-bending, heavy psychedelia that’s apparent throughout Eternal Return.
Additionally, watch WINDHAND’s previously released “Grey Garden” video, the lead single off their forthcoming album Eternal Return, AT THIS LOCATION.
WINDHAND’s 4th studio album Eternal Return is due out October 5th on CD/2xLP/CS/Digital on Relapse Records. Physical packages are available for pre-order HERE and Digital Downloads/Streaming AT THIS LOCATION.f
WINDHAND LIVE DATES:
— All Dates Jan 24-31 w/ Genocide Pact — Jan 24 Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall Jan 25 Durham, NC @ Pinhook Jan 26 Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall Jan 27 Miami, FL @ Las Rosas Jan 28 Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar Jan 29 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub Jan 30 Savannah, GA @ The Jinx Jan 31 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
— 2018 US Tour Dates w/ Satan’s Satyrs — Oct 08 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Oct 09 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Oct 10 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Oct 11 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Oct 12 Austin, TX @ Barracuda Oct 14 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Oct 15 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Oct 16 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre Oct 17 Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Oct 19 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre Oct 20 Vancouver, BC @ Venue Oct 21 Seattle, WA @ Neumos Oct 23 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge Oct 24 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room Nov 01 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Nov 02 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Nov 03 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Nov 04 Montreal, QC @ Le Belmont Nov 05 Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern Nov 07 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Nov 08 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe Nov 09 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Nov 10 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi Nov 11 Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Nov 12 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar Nov 13 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Nov 15 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
— All Dates March 07-24 w/ Grime — Mar 07 Vienna, AT @ Arena Mar 08 Munich, DE @ Feierwerk Mar 09 Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie Mar 10 Paris, FR @ Boule Noire Mar 12 Bristol, UK @ Exchange Mar 13 Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute Mar 14 Glasgow, UK @ Audio Mar 15 Nottingham, UK @ Bodega Mar 16 London, UK @ Underworld Mar 17 Brussels, BE @ AB Mar 19 Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat Mar 20 Eindhoven, NL @ Effenaar Mar 21 Cologne, DE @ MTC Mar 22 Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Mar 23 Berlin, DE @ Musik & Frieden Mar 24 Leipzig, DE @ Werk 2
[Click play above to stream the premiere of Druglord’s video for ‘Blood and Body.’ Their third album, New Day Dying, is out Sept. 14 on Sludgelord Records.]
It’s gonna get ugly. Pretty much from the moment “Blood and Body” starts, actually. The leadoff cut on Druglord‘s third full-length and first for Sludgelord Records, New Day Dying, is indicative of the kind of harsh, shimmering dankness the band emits, though it doesn’t necessarily speak for the album as a whole, as the organ lines of “Walk with God” (I suppose that could be a guitar effect) and the faster push in the first half of nine-minute side A finale “Rot of This Earth” — I see what you did there — find guitarist/vocalist Tommy Hamilton, bassist Julian Cook and drummer Bobby “HufKnell” Hufnell offering some standout factor from the surrounding tracks such that the Richmond, Virginia-based trio’s six-song/40-minute march to a swampy death never seems to be any more redundant than it intends.
That is, to take on the cyclical, rolling riffs of “Blood and Body,” topped with Hamilton‘s vocals that howl like an Ozzy Osbourne driven by the gutturalism of Matt Pike and Mike Scheidt with more than a hint of Southern sludge, is to expect a certain amount of repetition, and that is gleefully delivered across the LP’s two sides, basically even split at three songs apiece and each finishing with a longer piece: “Rot of This Earth” at 9:04 and the capstone title-track at 8:20. Druglord have dwelt in a post-Electric Wizard sphere since the days of their 2010 self-titled demo (review here), but on New Day Dying, they push their particular hazy fuckall into a place all their own, finding a niche in extreme sludge and an atmosphere that moves deeper even than their two prior long-players, 2014’s Enter Venus (review here) and 2011’s debut, Motherfucker Rising(review here), conjuring a feeling of pressing on into opioid tragedy as “Buried Demons” and “The Flesh is Weak” lead inexorably to the dirt-caked march of the closer, the swirling, noisy payoff of which seems to emphasize the “final” in “finale.” It’s fucked up. It sounds fucked up. It’s supposed to; that’s the idea. But they got there for sure.
Aiding in that cause is the production of Windhand guitarist Garrett Morris at Phantom Sound Recording and Reproduction. Morris and Druglord have worked together since Enter Venus — he also helmed 2015’s Deepest Regrets EP (review here) — and the ongoing collaboration pays dividends throughout New Day Dying in the spaciousness of the mix and the wretched heft that occupies that space. There is an underlying clarity to the songwriting of New Day Dying that Druglord have never had before to such a degree, and Morris plays a large role in bringing that to bear without losing focus on the filthy tonality from Hamilton and Cook that plays such a significant role in the band’s approach. It’s not about sounding huge — at least it’s not just about sounding huge; they get there anyway — so much as psychologically brutal, and where records of all sorts might evoke a sense of place or time, New Day Dying culls the hopelessness of depression, that it’s-always-been-like-this-and-there’s-no-point-at-which-it-won’t-be-like-this feeling that seems to accompany some of life’s darkest moments.
Aesthetically, it’s not trying to perform this — that is, I don’t think Druglord set out to write an album about coping with mental illness; if anything, anti-dogmatic themes seem to persist in cuts like “Blood and Body” and “Walk with God” and “Rot of This Earth,” etc. — but there is that overarching disillusionment all the same, and as the opener begins to unfurl its liquefied onslaught, that mood holds firm throughout all that follows. Yet there’s a structure to it as well. Sides A and B mirror each other somewhat in form with “Buried Demons” finding a grim dirge to answer back “Blood and Body” while retaining the central breadth of tone, and “Walk with God” and “The Flesh is Weak” both offer hints of melody, the former in layered-in keys and the latter in its second-half guitar solo, though admittedly, the chug that surrounds threatens to consume all, even that lead which seems to cut through. Likewise, “Rot of This Earth” and “New Day Dying” share not just a prospective outlook — things are grim, folks — but a summary of the proceedings and a culmination thereof. Druglord seem to save their most punishing moments for these longer songs.
And fair enough. “Rot of This Earth” and “New Day Dying” itself are fitting examples of how Druglord have grown in the four years since Enter Venus stunned with artwork and craft alike, and as the first outing with Cook in the lineup in place of Greta Brinkman, New Day Dying epitomizes the creative nexus that has been at root in the band all along — the fact that Hamilton knows what he wants their style to be and knows more than ever how to bring that to life in the studio with Morris. These songs were recorded over a year ago, so one imagines Druglord either have more new material in the works or at very least have become even tighter as a unit since they were made, but either way, New Day Dying still hones resonant miseries across its span, and in the lumber of “The Flesh is Weak,” the impact of each of Hufnell‘s kicks in “Walk with God” and the rolling psych-osis in the noise wash of “Buried Demons,” the band finds a new apex of a style that wrangles chaos without losing itself completely in it and is all the more theirs than anything they’ve done before.
The title-track starts its ending at about minute six, and the remaining two-plus minutes are given to Sabbathian solo layering and a thrust of low end that begins gradually to deconstruct itself to feedback during a series of hits from the drums and a declining riff. It doesn’t quite pull itself apart willingly as much as it gives over to the destructive impulse that’s been lurking in the album all along. It’s hard to think of a more fitting end to New Day Dying than to have the song that shares its name actually die as it closes out, and that’s only further emblematic of the consciousness behind what Druglord do here. Their approach isn’t just happenstance and their manifestation of it is a revelry for the depraved.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
I usually try to keep myself distant from the din of new-album hype out there. The promo-speak and hyperbole is as endless as the string of new releases itself, and while I don’t always succeed — hey, we all get excited; that’s part of the fun — I do my best to keep my head on waiting for records to show up. I gotta say though, when it comes to the new Windhand, I’m feeling it. Sure, I’ve dug them all along and been continually intrigued as they’ve become one of the foremost acts in US doom, but with the sonic turn that seems to be heralded in their new one, Eternal Return — out Oct. 5 on Relapse as their second collaboration with producer Jack Endino — I’m really excited to hear where they take their sound.
The video that you can watch below for “Grey Garden” is a big part of the reason why. It’s the first real sampling they’ve given from Eternal Return and its ethereal doom grunge unfolds with a trippy spaciousness that adds even further depth and character to their by-now-trademark miasma. The Richmond outfit previously announced a US run for this Fall and they’ll be in Europe in March — interesting that they’d go before the Spring fest season begins; one wonders if they’ll be back that way in Autumn 2019 — touring with the gleefully filth-caked sludge extremists Grime.
Dates came down the PR wire like so:
WINDHAND: Announce 2019 European March Headlining Tour Dates
Eternal Return is due out October 5th on Relapse Records
Richmond, Virginia’s psychedelic heavyweights WINDHAND announce 2019 European headlining tour dates with Italy’s Grime. The tour begins March 7th in Austria and ends March 24th in Germany. All confirmed tour dates are available below.
WINDHAND’s 4th studio album Eternal Return is due out October 5th on CD/2xLP/CS/Digital on Relapse Records. Physical packages are available for pre-order HERE and Digital Downloads/Streaming AT THIS LOCATION.
Artwork By Arik Roper
WINDHAND LIVE DATES: — All Dates March 07-24 w/ Grime —
Mar 07 Vienna, AT @ Arena Mar 08 Munich, DE @ FeierwerkM Mar 09 Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie Mar 10 Paris, FR @ Boule Noire Mar 12 Bristol, UK @ Exchange Mar 13 Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute Mar 14 Glasgow, UK @ Audio Mar 15 Nottingham, UK @ Bodega Mar 16 London, UK @ Underworld Mar 17 Brussels, BE @ AB Mar 19 Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat Mar 20 Eindhoven, NL @ Effenaar Mar 21 Cologne, DE @ MTC Mar 22 Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Mar 23 Berlin, DE @ Musik & Frieden Mar 24 Leipzig, DE @ Werk 2
— 2018 US Tour Dates w/ Satan’s Satyrs —
Oct 08 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Oct 09 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Oct 10 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Oct 11 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Oct 12 Austin, TX @ Barracuda Oct 14 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Oct 15 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Oct 16 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre Oct 17 Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Oct 19 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre Oct 20 Vancouver, BC @ Venue Oct 21 Seattle, WA @ Neumos Oct 23 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge Oct 24 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room Nov 01 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Nov 02 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Nov 03 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Nov 04 Montreal, QC @ Le Belmont Nov 05 Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern Nov 07 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Nov 08 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe Nov 09 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Nov 10 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi Nov 11 Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Nov 12 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar Nov 13 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Nov 15 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 14th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Been a minute since we last heard from Druglord, but the Richmond dirge-doomers are back with a new album, titled New Day Dying following up on their 2015 EP, Deepest Regrets (review here), and despite a shift in lineup, they sound as miserable and misanthropic as ever. Proof, you ask? Well, you can check out the track “Walk with God” now via the Bandcamp player below courtesy of the trio’s new label, Sludgelord Records, and hear the special kind of madness for yourself. Their new allegiance with Sludgelord follows putting out Deepest Regrets and their prior full-length, Enter Venus (review here), on STB Records, after their 2011’s debut Motherfucker Rising(review here), which was self-released.
Other art and info follow here, courtesy of the social medias:
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Druglord were formed in 2010 and during June 2011, the band recorded 6 songs at Etching Tin Studios, which were intended for demo purposes but ended up being released as the “Motherfucker Rising” LP on Last Anthem Records in October 2012.
This activity resulted in STB Records offering to release the next LP. In July 2013, the band began recording with Garrett Morris of Windhand in his former recording space known as The Darkroom, and the result was the “Enter Venus” LP, which was released in Feb. 2014. The band would also release the “Deepest Regrets” EP on STB Records in December 2015.
in Feb 2017 the band started recording 6 new songs (their first with new bassist Julian Cook) with Garrett Morris in his current space, Phantom Sound Recording And Reproduction. Fast forward to 2018 and these recordings will be released as “New Day Dying”, their first album in 4 years set for release via Sludgelord Records on 14th September 2018.
Sludgelord Records 2018 (SLR012) preorder is live.
Tracklisting: 1. Blood And Body 2. Walk With God 3. Rot Of This Earth 4. Buried Demons 5. The Flesh Is Weak 6. New Day Dying
Recorded by: Garrett Morris @ Phantom Sound Recording & Reproduction Mastered by: Bill McElroy @ Slipped Disc Audio Artwork by: Maxime Taccardi
Druglord is: Julian Cook | Bass Tommy Hamilton | Guitars & Vocals Hufknell | Drums
