The impending Volume EP, Joy of Navigation, follows behind a 20th anniversary edition of the band’s Requesting Permission to Land, and sees a new lineup of the group led by guitarist/vocalist Patrick Brink that includes guitarist Ed Mundell (The Ultra-Electric Mega Galactic, ex-Monster Magnet, etc.), Dave Catching (Queens of the Stone Age, etc.) and Mike Amster (Nebula, Mondo Generator, etc.). That’s a pretty enticing prospect alone, and made no less so by the album’s title-track, which is streaming now. Golden Robot and Kozmik Artifactz have the release, and whether it’s the names and legacy that bring you in or the song itself, I don’t think you’ll be wrong in checking it out.

If you’re experiencing a disconnect between the lineup mentioned above and the photo of the band, it’s because the pic is likely the live lineup rather than that which recorded. I was squinting to see if that’s Amster in the back, but yeah, no. Different group altogether. The good news though is that a live-lineup means live shows. I wouldn’t expect Volume to go coast-to-coast at this point, but there’s a date listed below and more will likely follow to some degree or other.

The PR wire has details:

VOLUME share first single from forthcoming album ‘Joy of Navigation’

29 Palms, CA Desert/Stoner Rock supergroup led by Patrick Brink (Fu Manchu), Ed Mundell (Monster Magnet), Mike Amster (Nebula, Spoon Benders), Dave Catching

Pre-save HERE: https://orcd.co/joy-of-navigation

Pre-order HERE: https://kozmik-shop.com/

Twentynine Palms, CA band VOLUME shares the first single (and title track) to their forthcoming album Joy of Navigation today on all streaming services. “Joy of Navigation” is live on all DSPs HERE & Bandcamp.

The band is VOLUME and it deals primarily in density: Thick and weighty as the abundant sand surrounding their Twentynine Palms, CA hometown, but also comprised of a mass of fine grit that can sear the skin with a gust of wind, and quickly dissipate into the ether.

Yes, that is to say, VOLUME are purveyors of Heavy Acid Rock. Doomy psychedelia, but with more raw 70s punk brash than masquerading metal. VOLUME draw musical influences from bands such as The Stooges, MC5 and Black Flag to name a few, while also crafting their own distinctive heavy psychedelic identity. And, with Joy of Navigation, the band ventures into heavier, more psychedelic tones, while also keeping powerful hooks as the focus.

Originally formed in 1993 by ex-Fu Manchu singer Patrick Brink, the band has featured a revolving set of collaborators, with ex-Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell playing leads on the forthcoming Joy of Navigation mini-album. David Catching (QOTSA, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop) co-produced the tracks with Brink, as well as playing synth on the recording. Mike Amster (Nebula, Mondo Generator, Spoon Benders) plays drums on the mini-album. The current live lineup includes Mingus on drums, bassist Jason Hernandez and lead guitarist Derek Christiansen.

Brink founded the band in order to take the lead and steer the musical reins down psychedelic rocking routes. Having performed with a number of acts including the aforementioned vocals for Fu Manchu in their early days, VOLUME offered Patrick a new creative outlet. Over their career the band has shared stages with Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and Goatsnake, and performed at festivals including Emissions of the Monolith and Stoner Hands of Doom (SHoD).

Brink’s upbringing in the secluded desert town east of Joshua Tree and 60 miles north of Palm Springs had a huge impact on his songwriting. It is a place of beauty and harsh realities, and those contrasts are present throughout Patrick’s lyrics and songs. After getting into punk rock by accident in high school Patrick started his first band a couple of years later with the only other punks in town. This early love of punk rock inadvertently led him to the heavier bands on SST Records such as Wurm, SWA, DC3 and St. Vitus.

Heavy As Fuck (1996) and Love Is A Mountain And Heavy As Fuck (1998) were the band’s first recordings. In the Fall of 1998, the seven inch Check This Planet I’m Gone… was released on Superkool Records. Requesting Permission To Land (High Beam Records) was recorded with the help of Mike McHugh (Train, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion). Each song was recorded in one or two takes to retain the original heart and soul of the piece.

“It’s rock and roll. Not brain surgery,” says Patrick of the recording process. The end result is a potent blend of thirty-plus minutes of psychedelic fuzzfest freakout and perhaps some of the rawest riffs you’re likely to hear.

VOLUME draw inspiration from a time when music was truly experimental and free. They see themselves as rock’n’roll torch bearers whose duty it is to bring the flame, intact, into the future. They invite you to join in that endeavor, for the Joy of Navigation.

Joy of Navigation will be available for download/streaming on November 1st, 2024 via Golden Robot Recordings, and on LP via Kozmik Artifactz. Pre-save HERE: https://orcd.co/joy-of-navigation, Pre-order HERE: https://kozmik-shop.com/

VOLUME LIVE 2024:
08/17 San Diego, CA – Til Two Club

Artist: VOLUME
Album: Joy of Navigation
Label: Golden Robot (digital) / Kozmik Artifactz (vinyl)
Release Date: November 1st, 2024

01. Joy of Navigation
02. Mercury
03. Heavy Sunshine
04. Golden Age
05. Space Baby

https://www.facebook.com/volumerocksofficial
https://www.instagram.com/volume_rocks/
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCSG1_Fr1lJvqGxsb-2QUyuA
https://volume-rocks.bandcamp.com/

Volume, “Joy of Navigation”