Heavy Planet Stoner Rock Blog

New Band To Burn One To: NARCOIRIS

2012-02-13T04:20:00.001-05:00

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...NARCOIRIS!

Bio:

Fernando “Finger” Figueiras – Guitar / Vox
Mariano Bertolazzi – Bass
Sebastián “El Bonzo” Romani – Drums

What is it? A heavy rock trio inspired by the true classic rock sounds of Sabbath, Zeppelín, The Beatles and many 70s Argentinean heavy rock pioneers such as Pappo and Color Humano. It’s heavy, dark, slow but also it’s got a heavy melodic edge.

Hailing since 2006, Narcoiris was re-born in late 2008 when founding members Fernando “Finger” Figueiras and Mariano Bertolazzi –after playing many shows in the Buenos Aires area- suffered the desertion of a previous drummer, that’s when they crossed paths with old school drummer Sebastián Romani (former Stonerwitch, Buffalo and Humo Del Cairo among others) And decide to hit the road once again with a renewed approach and idea.

In less that 6 months they come up with 10 brand new songs which 6 of them are selected to be recorded for the first Narcoiris EP entitled “Cazador” released freely on the internet. Heavy, gloomy yet classic and powerful, Cazador was well received and quickly became the first taste of the band’s sound and helped to set foot into the local scene and to set the path to come. After an entire year of playing shows around the city, in 2011 Narcoiris hit the studio once again to record its first full length album. The result is “Temporal” a dense and thick album which hits harder than the previous effort with booming, dense drums, heavy dirty basses, down-tuned roaring guitars and mellow vocals, which take you back directly to the early bands of the Argentinean classic rock movement of the 70s.

Recorded entirely on 2’’ analog tape, and mastered in the US it is a powerful sample of the sound and ideas behind Narcoiris. We invite you to listen and make up your mind.

Because it’s not stoner, it’s not doom, it’s not psychedelic. It’s just rock.

Thoughts:

"Narcoiris is apparently a band that does not lend well to genre labeling and I don't blame them. Fortunately for us this Argentinean 3-piece is well adept at combining the best elements of stoner and doom making for one hell of a heavy rock sound. With a clean vocal style and lyrics sung in their native tongue, Narcoiris pounds out some fine slow-grooved head-bobbing. If all "rock" were this good we wouldn't have to put up with shit like Nickleback and Three Days Grace."

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MARCH BANDNESS 2012 Coming Soon...

2012-02-12T11:07:00.000-05:00

Heavy Planet and our friends from The Soda Shop have once again teamed up to bring you an exciting contest based on the NCAA March Madness tournament. Get in on the action now to keep up with all of the 64 bands involved. More details on March Bandness 2012 coming soon...

Go "like" the Facebook page to keep up with all of the action!

Sunday Sludge: Black Skies - "On The Wings Of Time"

2012-02-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

My wife has said I mix the worst drinks she's ever tasted. Not enough whiskey, too much tequila, the substitution of RC for Coke... She's never impressed. I like my sludge pretty straight-forward, so adding splashes of psychedelia, stoner metal, and whispers of Moroccan belly-dance normally don't sweeten the sting. North Carolina's Black Skies, however, have wrung out their bar rags and dripped a tasty flight of eight long, smooth libations on their latest, On The Wings Of Time.

The minute this review is posted, I'm buying new speakers. Rebirth is wholly responsible for an ashy, lo-fi grumble that my stock equipment couldn't handle. Churning rhythms, complete with grainy home-movie margins and weathered kit assaults, establish a dark swirl of moods that hit too frequently and too heavily to be enjoyed at low volume. Parity between Kevin Clark's gruff snarl and Michelle Temple's elfin pleas is an immediate standout, however, and serves the album as importantly as any instrument.

Let's examine that choral balance. Darkness & Disguise may be the most suitable title on the album, given the hopeful ensemble meeting Clark's nasty purr. Splice the harmony with sharp solos, and listeners are left with spitting roman candles inches above the grinding tempos. The buzzy break is awesome, but its interruption by fuzz warble steals the show from plodding jams.

Where elements break and genre-definition gets hazy is on tracks like The Other Side of the Mountain. The slow, Southern pluck comes off smooth and easy, while that vocal tandem joins hands instead of butting heads. The song marches until cymbals storm and sludge bricks drop. Jesus, what's going on? Choppy, dreamy star shots amidst muddy riffs? The stormy, splintered burst of sludge doesn't negate the misty bliss, it complements it. Ultimately, the track makes its rounds with an onslaught of knee-busting riffs and pained passion. The creeping, hovering vibrations of Weightless echo Mountain's Southern drawl, thunderous and ominous as it is. Despite all the makings of an effective intermission, there's also an undeniable grip when the song's based on its own minimalistic merits.

The cymbal-heavy, Zeppelin-esque Valley of the Kings is filled with enough stoner peaks and sludge valleys to inspire Heavy Planet hard-ons for months. Good thing Clark's guitars drift between harems, almost laying down a soundtrack for grape-eating power-trippers to get their joints copped. Ambitious and confident, Valley grows majestic as the pace maintains its chug. But Clark's guitar focus and Tim Herzog's slow cymbal boil hold steady and create one of the album's most amazing sequences.

Keeping up with Persia's high-ranking perverts, Earth Choker's evil, loose intro succumbs to the album's quickest tempo. Licks punctuate rhythms, sludge is hurried, nearly implying desperation. Black Skies perhaps give in to the verse-chorus-verse structure, but they'd rather not. Temple's bass stays low and loose, rhythm slows to a chug, guitars grind themselves into powder. Essentially, Earth Choker sets fire to the path it was expected to take.

Finally, the slow and fuzzy lilt of The Sleeping Prophet employs tambourines and interwoven drums to set pace for this strange, gorgeous closer. Clark's guitar gets star billing, but rhythms hook into guitar udders and drag with matched pace. The psychedelia that hits introduces a swirling, tie-dyed demon emerging from a cloud of blown smoke. Clark's guitar doesn't have time to apologize for the falling embers, it's busy building toward a fine denouement that's been promised for nearly 50 minutes.

As On The Wings Of Time rolls like a spring storm, it also manages to slip some boomers into your pocket. The stoner-sludge repetition, head-bobbing groove, shifting moods, and otherworldly guitar calliopes add dimensions to sludge I had not only previously dismissed, but also discredited. The bounce brings riffs back to earth, while stirring atmospheres send us to sticky, distant realms. Sludge's end result, here, is coated with as much spice as I'd allow.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://blackskies.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-wings-of-time"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;On The Wings Of Time by Black Skies&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Band Site | Facebook | Bandcamp

Review: Mother Mars-Fossil Fuel Blues

2012-02-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Mother Mars: Fossil Fuel Blues

Ken Elliott

I don’t know exactly how many times listening through the entire 8 tracks of Mother Mars’ Fossil Fuel Blues it took me to reach a point where I knew I was listening to something special, but it wasn’t many. The first time through the album was certainly enjoyable, with heavy, determined, grinding guitars, adept vocals, pounding and insistent rhythms, and melodies that were instantly recognizable as such without eliciting the ‘here we go again’ feeling you get with some new music (usually mainstream rock). No, this was rock that was quickly recognizable as something fun to listen to, worthy of playing as many times as a busy schedule would allow, and I was certainly looking forward to familiarizing myself with it.

After a couple of times through, letting the music move inside my head, move through my core, and gaining a nice level of comfort and familiarity, I began to realize these guys were able to construct something truly meaningful, something that goes beyond simple song structure, style, and melody, something that becomes quite complex and interesting, wonderfully intertwined, diving deep down to the soul of an old rocker wannabe, and stirring those wonderful feelings and emotions associated with speed, with power, with an almost hypnotic and tribalistic experience through the beat and wail of effort and sweat.

The classification of Mother Mars’ music as having "fuzzed-out riffs, stoner grooves, and psychedelic adventures with detours through the valley of doom", as it states on their bandcamp.com page, is definitely an accurate description for the quality music they have concocted. Their songs are as described and more, reflecting an intelligence and a knack for constructing songs worthy of playing, worthy of listening to, and certainly worthy of owning. In 8 tracks they deliver quite the package, with wonderfully lengthy selections (only one song is less than 4 minutes in length, with the average being eight and a half minutes) that take you on an unforgettable and sublime journey through a tableau that is truly . . . rock and roll.

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New Band To Burn One To:Tuber

2012-02-10T04:20:00.002-05:00

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To" ...Tuber!

Bio:

Tuber is an instrumental rock band from Greece, consisting of brothers Yannis Gerosthathos (guitars), Nikos Gerostathos (drums) and Paris Fragkos (bass guitar). The three of them came together for a first time in 2010 and a few months later they started recording their first -self titled- EP, at Paris recording studio in Serres. In July of the same year Tuber released their independent debut album in digital form, through their web page in Bandcamp (http://www.tuber.bandcamp.com/). The EP received stunning reviews from various webpages and blogs worldwide such as the SirensSound, the Sodashop, the Sludgeswamp and more. At January of 2012 Tuber released their new digital single called “Smoked Up Notes” in great acclaim. Tuber’s sound has been described as a combination of different music genres and styles from post rock and alternative rock to dessert and stoner rock enhanced with a psychedelic atmosphere and a romantic mood.

Thoughts:

"Every once in a while there comes a time when a band for what ever the reason slips through the cracks here on Heavy Planet. Today that band happens to be Greece's very own instrumental 3-piece Tuber. As you bat away at the swirling fog of heavy smoke a luminous energy mesmerizes and captivates. The band manages to take you on an endless journey through the hot desert sands while propelling you into outer space all within the same song. This is the music that I want listen to and chill out to all freakin' day. Blissfull and devastating! Check out the track below called "Smoked Up Notes" from their forthcoming CD."

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Album Review: Junius - "Reports from the Threshold of Death"

2012-02-09T04:20:00.000-05:00

Given the slew of dark, earthen sludge and doom I've gushed and fawned over in recent months, it's a different approach taken when an album celebrates and obsesses over life rather than death. Muddled plod and whiskey-drenched rasp is today traded straight up for clean exaltation and layer after layer of cool, dreamy awe.

Reports from the Threshold of Death is the sophomore full-length from Boston space-rockers Junius, who meld fuzzy shoegaze with moon bounce under a gorgeous hooded hum that'll make short work of enlisting fans. Leaving behind excess and caveman-clubbed grind, the album takes art metal in directions where ambition often drowns effective songcraft. Despite its cosmonaut navigation, the album's organic maturity is what busts through the seams.

An otherworldly congregation of voices is joined by the crunch of guitars on Betray the Grave, the album's surprisingly hopeful opener. Sure, there's a low, drudging rhythm shadowed beneath Joseph Martinez's gentle, rolling vocals. But the parity of sounds and moods leaves you wondering where this band is headed. You may just want Junius to cradle you in a rocking chair and sing you to sleep.

Keys and synth are heavy on All Shall Float, a sonic dreamscape of clouded bliss. Anyone familiar with Hybrid's Wide Angle may stagger under the track's broad scope and choir of layered hymns. Dance on Blood is more reserved, as Martinez's vent dips and softens over low rumble hits. Dana Filloon's drumwork lays a foundation of laid-back rhythms that build to a pounding salvation. The track adds sonic panels one after another, while A Universe Without Stars enters to peel them away. What's revealed may appear as post-grunge groove, but thankfully there's no shiny whine licking these boots. The lyrics preach complacency as Filloon's skins again pummel and marry the hovering synth and brooding guitars.

The album's thorax is as emotionally charged as it is ethereally longing. Haunts for Love is an early morning mist of perfectly executed time signatures, though the lyrics grow painfully personal and steal the song. The buzzy, creeping feedback of The Meeting of Pasts is a soaring feat, delivered on strings between soup cans. The pauses, followed with the undeniably heavy drop of rhythms, may just be the album's most effective moments.

The ambient (Spirit Guidance) is a ghostly, buzzing intermission before the album's closing triptych enters. Towering, lucid beauty floats, though there's no aimless wander on A Reflection of Fire. A shrill hum ribbon sets the tone and Joel Munguia's bass feeds tempos with excellent restraint and assault. The song is hopeful and thankful, pleading for further help. The vocal and rhythmic menagerie of Transcend the Ghost shifts under Michael Repasch-Nieves' light, lilting guitar. Buzzing and intermittent, elements of Hum are only semi-evident as the song drifts and melts away into itself.

The cosmic warble of Eidolon & Perispirit grows under a tapestry of space odyssey keys, fuzzy with intensity. Imagine those movies where snotty kids build backyard space stations and somehow find a way to shoot through the atmosphere. You can feel the track building toward a coup, and the stormy blast that follows, though predictable, is perfect. Your ears were ringing before the album even closed.

For all its progressive technological realizations, Reports from the Threshold of Death's finest moments are its most natural and most human. We'd be missing the point if we didn't highlight the album's messages of hope and existentialism. Each of these ten tracks, though born of harrowing loss, manages to uplift and enchant. Consummately, the album is daunting and wildly fulfilling. Open up, pull those heart strings, and give this slick, snowy collection your most honest gasp.

All Shall Float Video | Facebook | Band Site

Zac's "Double Dose" - Gandhi's Gunn / Head For The Sun

2012-02-08T04:20:00.005-05:00

Gandhi's Gunn : Thirtyeahs

I love Heavy Planet... why you ask? Because I have the perks of getting emails from excellent bands, I would have had no idea existed, like Gandhi's Gunn, part of todays Double Dose. Then, to top it off, I get to share the tunes with all of you!

Gandhi's Gunn are an heavy stoner metal quartet, headquartered in Genoa, Italy. Finding tremendous inspiration from early stoner rock, Gandhi's Gunn sealed their sound by venturing into 'more visionary and psychedelic territories'. Propelling forth truly bold riffs and one of the most robust voices in modern metal, the foursome have devised a concept worth more than just a listen.

Thirtyeahs is their first full length album, released back in 2010. Now, before I'm attacked for 'old news' and 'repost', I thought it was important to bring Gandhi's Gunn into the spot-light here at Heavy Planet to announce their forth-coming album. At this time the album is untitled and due late this spring. In the mean-time, take a listen to what quickly became my favorite track, Club Silencio.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://gandhisgunn.bandcamp.com/track/club-silencio"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Club Silencio by Gandhi's Gunn&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

**For those interested the former bass player, Kabuto, also is the band's art-designer. I'm sure you've seen his work on some gig posters. See more of his work here: Kabuto: Art Lab

Members:

Andrea Tabbi De Bernardi - Drums
Francesco 'Scazzi' Raimondi - Guitar
Giacomo 'Hobo' Boedu - Vocals
Massimo 'Dale P' Perasso - Bass

I bandcamp I facebook I myspace I reverbnation I store I web I

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Head For The Sun: Live! at Stoner Rock Blog 3rd Birthday Fuzztival

Whose Hungary for fuzz?! Our second serving of today's dose, Head For The Sun, comes all the way from Budapest, Hungary. Head For The Sun, are technically in their infant phase, with a birth-date of October 2011. Don't be fooled by their youth, Head For The Sun know exactly what the almighty riff is and just how fuzzy we like it. Professor of Fuzzometry, Mr. Rico RokkaRolla is the songwriter and fellow stoner blogger over at stoner.blog.hu. Be sure to check out their live EP at bandcamp. While you're there, you might as well download the entire EP... its FREE!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://headforthesun.bandcamp.com/track/another-day"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Another Day by Head For The Sun&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Members:

Badi - Bass
Dani - Drums
Rafko - Vocals
Rico RokkaRolla - Guitar

I bandcamp I facebook I youtube I

New Band To Burn One To: Zodiac

2012-02-07T04:20:00.005-05:00

HEAVY PLANET presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...ZODIAC!

Bio:

Once Drummer Janosch Rathmer (Long Distance Calling) started jamming with guitar-wizard Nick van Delft in 2010 both decided that the songs that rose from their sessions had to meet the ears. So they soon joined forces with Stephan Gall (Guitar) and Robert Kahr (Bass, Organ) (both play also in Rocketchief) to form the bluesdriven, heavy and sometimes psychedelic rockformation that should go by the name of ZODIAC.

The four musicians combine a longtime experience in the game and a common will to create interesting music. You can hear the influences of the classics: Zeppelin, Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Maiden just to name a few.

But it is more than that:

ZODIAC’s songs live on their performers’ passion for handmade, pure and inspiring music. Willing to bring their tunes to the people, ZODIAC want to play live as much as possible. This urge already allowed them to share the stage with Graveyard and Church of Misery — but they want a lot more! And now that the first five songs found their way on an record (awarded as demo of the month in visions magazine (01/2012) , it is time to set the course!

Thoughts:

"Echoes of seventies rock heavyweights ring true throughout the sound of German band Zodiac. This heavy blues entrenched rambling is highlighted by sparkling fretwork, steady driving beats and an uplifting epicness with some songs almost reaching the 8-minute mark. The songs groove with a sometimes dirty grime but eventually shine with a ton of cool riffs, melody and general ass-kickin'. Tracks "Drown" and "Upon the Stone" are the standout tracks on this demo."

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The Cliches 831: New Band To Burn One To

2012-02-06T04:20:00.005-05:00

HEAVY PLANET presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...THE CLICHES 831.

Bio:

Sam (guitar/vocals) and Jas (drums/vocals) were raised in the slums of Santa Cruz and their only salvation was listening to Wu Tang and Stooges albums. Obviously their record collection expanded with age, but they would never forget where they came from. One day in 1996 the two brothers were walking down Ocean street and found a brand new set of drums, guitar, and halfstack on the side of the street. They immediately started playing ear splitting rock and roll. Did they invent the garage style? No, but they could have. Fuck your yankee blue jeans.

Thoughts:

"I have always enjoyed the fact that a band can be so minimalistic and yet have such a huge attitude. An attitude that spark a flame under the ass that is Rock and Roll. These two dudes from Cali-for-ni-a play a stripped down and very raw punk-inspired form of garage rock. Never has a band described their sound so dead on..."The sound comes from a fuzzy, broken take on rock and roll. The energy comes from punk rock. The spirit comes from the garage. Take it or leave it, but you should probably take it."...I think I'll take it! Check out their version of 90's one-hit-wonder Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy". Fuck yeah!"

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Sunday Sludge: Rising - "To Solemn Ash"

2012-02-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

Is it safe to say we've all had our fill of Super Bowl XLVI? A perfect counter to today's endless coverage of Tom Brady's good looks and Eli Manning's dopey posturing is Sunday Sludge. Luckily, a great majority of metal fans don't have to suffer the media saturation we experience in the states. In fact, we might conclude Copenhagen's Rising have more fans in Denmark and all of Scandinavia than does the NFL. Regardless, the band's To Solemn Ash is today's best excuse to turn off televisions.

Though the Danish three-piece leaves plenty of thick sludge caked under our nails, Rising's debut album contains excellent elements of thrash, doom, stoner, and even power metal. Where most sludge is driven by rhythms, To Solemn Ash's ten piercing shards are heavy on the riffs and short on disappointment.

From Mausoleum's crusty door-busting entrance to the fat grind that carries home Seven Riders, listeners can hit play with the confidence they'll enjoy all of the disc's forty-seven minutes. The album's opener wastes no time in dropping doom-riffs and quickly laying a low groove. You may wonder how the band isn't from Savannah, given the sticky swamp attributes. But the buzzing tornado of guitar fuzz keeps the influences and comparisons to shallow minimums and allows Rising to establish an identity all their own.

Henrik Hald's bass licks highlight Sea of Basalt, while his vocals (not unlike Ben Ward's) remain gruff and boggy. Fiery riffs and steadily-trotting drums manage to keep up with Hald's low-end on a buzzing, battered mire party. If you listen just beyond the creepy, foggy creekbed of Hunter's Crown, you can almost hear a posse assembling to deliver their own brand of southern justice. Hollow basslines echo, contributing to bouncing, thunderous rhythms shifting in and out of the shoreline's thickness.

Cavernous and remote, Under Callous Wings contains some of the album's grimiest moments. The grainy grind sustains, vocals growl, and the mossy jams ride a mud-skipping mule straight into themes of isolation and abandonment. Jacob Krogholt's licks effectively carry the track upward, but listeners can still count on sweat hitting the soil with crushing repetition.

The grooves and hooks of The Vault stay low and cool as the grind is kept at bay with quicksand guitar solos, varying tempos, and even some dreamy atmospherics. There's an iciness in the sound, perhaps attributable to Jacob Johansen's drumwork (cymbals, specifically). The album's bruiser, Through the Eyes of Catalysis, boasts blistered skin-thumping and immediately leaves knees and elbows rubbed raw. Rising get themselves dirty without haste, while cosmic solos are quick to coat listeners in napalm.

The sludge jam Cohorts Rise is To Solemn Ash's best track, rife with chewy plod and Krogholt's best solo. Slower and more fully-realized than any other song on the album, here Rising prove they can remain effective at a tamed pace. The dual vocal is weathered but perfectly complemented with heavy, otherworldly drums. And the best chaser for incendiary solos is a jammy marriage of riffs and pestled grime.

Speaking of a balance struck between chords and carrion, Seven Riders is Rising's ultimate statement of lightning licks greeting bayou mudslinging. The song breaks up the sludge roll with intermittent, spacy riffs. There's no shortage of distorted buzz, leaving us sun-baked and listless. As the track slows, adopts the true sludge tag, and tries to carry itself home, axes punctuate by stabbing the grind square in the side.

Failing to cloak themselves with any one label has given Rising a safety net from genre traps. They haven't sharpened their sound too finely, though they've pared the excess to near-brilliance. To Solemn Ash is as solid a sludge record as you'll find, but Rising is willing to shed their skin and step away from their comfort zone. Any metal fan can find something to enjoy here. Thick without growing dull, sharp without being shrill. Almost sounds like a beer commercial.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rising.bandcamp.com/album/to-solemn-ash"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;To Solemn Ash by RISING&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

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KingBathmat-New Band To Burn One To

2012-02-03T04:20:00.001-05:00

HEAVY PLANET presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To"-KINGBATHMAT

Bio:

KingBathmat are a powered up independent/psychedelic/progressive/alternative rock band, hailing from Hastings in England. Initially started by singer/songwriter John Bassett, the band have now independently released five albums to date “Son of a Nun” (2003), “Crowning Glory” (2004), “Fantastic Freak Show Carnival”(2005), Blue Sea, Black Heart (2008) and Gravity Field (2009). The 3 piece band comprises of John Bassett (bass,vocals), Lee Sulsh (guitar) and Bernie Smirnoff (drums).

Thoughts:

"Well not exactly what you would call a "new" band, KingBathmat have been tweeking their unique sound since 2003. While not a huge prog fan, I must say I found KingBathmat rather enjoyable. The band layers in elements of stoner, psych and experimental amidst lush arrangements and quirky bits of noise. Dreamy passages interlaced with heavy foot-stomping beats and odd transmissions engulf your earwaves with a mighty sonic rush. Although primarily instrumental, the music never gets tiresome. There is always something lurking around the corner on this amazing amalgamation of sonancy. The band intends on releasing free songs throughout the year so stay tuned..."

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Album Review - Admiral Browning: Battle Stations

2012-02-02T04:20:00.002-05:00

Instrumental bands are an interesting lot. With no lead throat to stand out front and suck up all the attention, the instruments are laid bare…placed solely in the spotlight for listeners to experience, digest and ponder. Admiral Browning, from Middletown, Maryland, is just such a trio. Consisting of guitarist Matt LeGrow, bassist Ron McGinnis and drummer Tim Otis, this is a band that is perfectly content to let their instruments speak for themselves. And on Battle Stations, the band’s latest musical statement, those instruments have quite a lot to say.

The album begins with a robotic voiceover sounding straight out of some campy 70’s sci-fi flick…”their power is great, enough to ruin our plans”...after which Admiral Browning proceeds to unload a series of well orchestrated stops and starts that flow into mesmerizing guitar solos, fluid bass runs, jackhammer drum fills and yes…riff upon glorious riff. This is the oh-so-appropriately titled album opener, “Riff Crisis”. And right on its heels comes the near eleven minute epic “The Binary Language of Moisture Vaporators”, which proves two things about this band. One…they can flat out jam and two… they are some serious Star Wars geeks. (Don’t worry guys…I didn’t have to look up "moisture vaporators" to know they’re critical to life on Tattoine.) This one meanders along for the first five minutes with LeGrow carelessly noodling away while Otis pounds out a tribal beat and McGinnis runs up and down his frets with reckless abandon. And then just as the song appears on the verge of collapsing into complete chaos, someone yells “1…2…3…4”, and the trio erupts into a controlled groove that will have all you heavy fuzz lovers grinning from ear to ear.

“One Lucky Canary” scales back the intensity, opening with the subtle and introspective plucking of a guitar overlaid by a jazzy backbone of drum and bass. The three instruments build in intensity, at times appearing to be headed in different directions, but always managing to merge back together. And that’s the beauty of Admiral Browning…their uncanny ability to meld what often seems to be haphazard and almost disorganized noise into cohesive pieces of music that are carefully and intricately woven together. Even the brief “Interlude” displays a knack for toeing the line between standard song structures and loose improvisation with its combination of Middle Eastern sounds and otherworldly effects.

But it’s the finale “Dreams of Hammurabi” that not only ties the album together, but best showcases Admiral Browning’s instrumental prowess. With a run time of just under thirteen minutes, this song covers the gamut of all the band’s tricks and techniques. Take for example the first two minutes in which the trio unleashes a nasty metal riff with enough speed and precision to induce whiplash. But just as soon as you wrap your head around the intensity, it disappears…fading into a voiceover about the Babylonian king for which the song is named. What follows is a lush dreamscape of sound created by the guitar and bass, while Otis hammers away at a militaristic beat as if to remind you that Admiral Browning is never far from the edge of musical insanity. And this of course continues to build and build into a crescendo and when the band finally levels out and the song gallops forward...well, it’s safe to say that speakers…and minds…will be blown.

With a lot of instrumental bands, it isn’t immediately noticeable why they’ve decided not to incorporate vocals into their sound. Not so with Admiral Browning. Adding a singer to this mix would only serve to overshadow or perhaps even detract from the intricacies of the music. Keeping the listener focused on the interplay between each instrument…the tempo shifts…the signature changes…the myriad stylistic shifts…are all crucial components of becoming engrossed in this music. Keep that in mind next time you're buzz is righteously killed by some over the top vocalist drowning out an otherwise kick ass groove. When that time comes…and it will come…I suggest that you be prepared to man your Battle Stations.

Track Listing:

01 Riff Crisis
02 The Binary Language of Moisture Vaporators
03 One Lucky Canary
04 Interlude
05 Dreams of Hammurabi

Band Members:

Tim Otis – Drums
Matt LeGrow – Guitars
Ron (FeZZy) McGinnis - Bass

Website|Facebook|My Space|ReverbNation last.fm|Buy Here

Zac's "Double Dose" - The Enthusiasts / One-Eyed King

2012-02-01T04:20:00.005-05:00

The Enthusiasts: Sinkin/Risin 7"

The Enthusiasts pack a punch of raw punk energy while embodying the soul of classic rock. While one may classify them as a 'garage rock' band, The Enthusiasts offer so much more substance. This New York trio seems to be the culmination of rock (...and roll) from the 50's through the 70's, right up to present day. This classic psych and blues sound is a welcome listen to my ears, giving a well needed rest from all of the heavy doom and sludge in recent memory. The Enthusiasts are one you will have to catch at a club or house show. Check out my favorite tune, Joanne, below, and if you're diggin' it head over to their bandcamp for a free download!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theenthusiasts.bandcamp.com/track/joanne-3"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Joanne by The Enthusiasts&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Members:

Dylan Handelman - Drums / Vocals
Joey Farber - Guitar / Vocals
Matt Giordano - Bass

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One-Eyed King: Santa Carla

I love One-Eyed King's self sound description, Thought-provoking-stoner-groove-bar-fight-music. They most certainly win the 2011-2012 Best New Genre award! All joking aside, One-Eyed King know how to bring the heavy, with a fistful of grooves and intuitive lyrics. The music is bass and guitar driven, dark, yet somehow cheerful, creating the ideal atmosphere to hear their message. I know comparisons get hokey, but I hear a Clutch-vibe from One-Eyed King. Its the cohesive instrumental intensity that Danny, Gaetano, and Pat perform while Geoff blitz our ear-drums with his powerful bark. This entire album is solid and unquestionably worth a listen, or two. I'll leave you with my favorite jam, Box of Tsunamis!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://one-eyedking.bandcamp.com/track/box-of-tsunamis"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Box of Tsunamis by One-Eyed King&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Members:

Danny - Bass
Gaetano - Guitar
Geoff - Vocals
Pat - Drums

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As The World Burns-New Band To Burn One To

2012-01-31T04:20:00.006-05:00

HEAVY PLANET presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To"-AS THE WORLD BURNS

Bio:

AS THE WORLD BURNS (formerly RUST) is a Norfolk, VA. based hard rock/metal band, and consists of five guys, longtime friends, John Ferreira – Lead Vocals, Rich Clark – Lead Guitars, Evan Swenson – Guitar, Jim Vandale - Drums and Barry Couch – Bass Guitar.

AS THE WORLD BURNS was formed in early 2005. We are all seasoned musicians. A.T.W.B. has a strong rhythm section and lead guitar and vocals that really set us apart from the others.

We sound like Megadeth had a one night stand with Ozzy and were raised by Steve Vai and David Gilmour. Bands we would fit with, style wise, range from rock like Skid Row- Guns and Roses to Metal such as Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth ect. Always difficult to label yourself. We sound like the sum of our collective influences which is quite broad and which give us our unique sound.

We play regionally. On the east coast mainly. We frequently open for national acts at The NorVa in Norfolk, Va. (the premiere place to play in our area.) Other venues worth mention are Jaxx in Springfield, Va- Alley Katz in Richmond- Sonar in Baltimore and Lamoure's in N.Y.C. We have acquired a healthy following over the years.

Some band's we have played with include- George Lynch, Kix, Duff McCaggen's Loaded, White Lion, Devil Driver, Finger 11, Doro Pesch, Airbourne, Veil of Maya, Emmure and a slew of tribute bands.

Late spring ’08 we released a 4 song Demo CD, “Let it Rust”, that was been well received. Our full length debut CD was released May 12th, 2011. Currently available at all digital retail outlets. Including iTunes and Amazon.

Thoughts:

"As The World Burns is a tremendous band from Norfolk, VA. The band's unique blend of melody and bombast are intriguing, most notably the fiery guitar work of Rich Clark and gritty southern vocal style of John Ferreira. Plenty of heavy guitar crunch provide the backbone to a sound that lies somewhere between eighties heavy rock to today's heavy metal. Throw up your horns and bang yer fuckin' head to As The World Burns!"

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Gesso-New Band To Burn One To

2012-01-30T04:20:00.004-05:00

HEAVY PLANET presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To" GESSO!

Bio:

We are Gesso, a psychedelic stoner rock band from Portugal. We are recording our first EP and searching for a record label. We are Ruben Sequeira on drums, Flávio SA on bass and Joel Fausto on guitar. Our sound is strong and transcendental ones with a gross rock.

Thoughts:

"With their fuzzed-out vibe, trippy guitar effects and pulsating repetitious grooves, Portugal 3-piece Gesso thrust the listener head first into a glowing interstellar cloud of space dust. Clumping together pieces of doom, stoner and psychedelic space warble, the band leaves behind a magnificent trail of cosmic debris."

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Sunday Sludge: Monarch - "Omens"

2012-01-29T04:20:00.001-05:00

Loosen up your stomachs, folks. Today's featured band is France's Monarch, and their sound could be called "boues funérailles dimanche." To categorize the band as "sludge" would be wholly misleading. The absolute gut-wrench of doom steals marquee billing here, and you can almost hear light snow tapping cold headstones. This is mournful sludge kneeling at the precipice of an open grave.

While the sound at most funerals is one of either sadness or reflective celebration, Monarch's Omen is a shrill, haunting drone that blankets listeners with hovering guitar buzz, torturously distant vocal delivery, and painstaking rhythmic grind. From beginning to end, the three-track, thirty-five minute lamentation is veiled in black sludge dirge, slowed to a crawl as if to allow for a pensive search for answers we won't soon find.

Hollow, ghastly, spooky. Take your pick, but adjectives won't do justice to the crunchy knell of Blood Seeress. A misty choir echoes just beyond the riverbed as crushing blows are delivered in beautiful succession. Emilie Bresson's screams are slow, bruised, and ten miles beyond casket-crawling anguish. Whether she's holding a burning cross, a melting candle, or a thorn-riddled Fleur-de-lis is of no consequence. Atmospheres are kept eerie with distant drone and Rob Shaffer's arduous drumwork is a tithe for your sins. The fuzzy sludge is just enough to help you remember these sounds are in your headphones, not your mind. But be careful.

Transylvanian Incantations is an intermission of sorts. The dead haunt this vacant corridor and you can almost hear flickering candles amongst the sustain. It's strange to think of something this spooky as a cleft in the filthy, tormented canvas of the tracks bookending Omens. But whatever the intentions were for this track, Monarch seem to get it just right.

Building slower than your dusty grandfather's sex-drive, Black Becomes the Sun is damn-near twenty minutes of pounding, buzzing. Shiran Kaidin's guitars are crunchy and magnetic without being outdone by a cathedral's echoes. The track's sludge/doom/drone is, however, broken down into an even slower, fuzzier purr. The Sunn 0))) influence begins its whispers, but the throaty hiss of fecund evil counters preconceptions. MicHell Bidegain's bass underlay drives the tempo into scorched, blackened earth, though the sludge maintains an almost lilted buzz. The song's second chapter, however, is the strongest representation of vocal balance between whispers and screams. The mood is one of woe and heartache, but lush, barbaric fury has its place as well. We didn't think humans were capable of creating these auras. Actually, we didn't think ANYTHING was.

Omens is like that cold you feel in your bones. You can light a fire, crank the thermostat, and wrap yourself in flannel, but that damp ache just won't let you be. If the rhythms here were any faster, they wouldn't be as gorgeously troubling. Monarch haven't lost all hope, but on their sixth album they cement their footing as funeral-drone kings of the most melancholy nature. The spirit is troubled, and you can bet your ass you won't sleep well tonight.

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JOY-New Band To Burn One To

2012-01-27T04:20:00.002-05:00

Heavy Planet presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To"-JOY!

Bio:

Joy is the newest, loudest tune meltin' power-trio-trip band to come screaming outta Southern California. Since their formation in 2010, Zachary Oakley (Vox, G), Trevor Mast (B), and Taylor Charter (DR) have dialed in a spaced-out-sonic-groove-ride all their own. Their live shows conjure musical spirits of the past in the form of improv-jams and unapologetic volumes and wild stage energy. Fans of Blue Cheer, Cream, Jimi, acid and freestyle-psych take note: JOY will have their first full-length out early in the year 2012 on San Diegan label Cavepunk Records.

Thoughts:

"One word that truly describes this band: Intense. This power trio from San Diego simply known as JOY steps on the gas and never lets up. With reach for the sun guitar soloing, bouncy moving bass lines, and a hypnotic groove, JOY takes their cue from many of the heavy psych legends of the seventies. I would imagine seeing these guys play live would be an absolutely exhilarating experience."

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Truckfighters Fuzzomentary: A Film Review

2012-01-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

The drone of winter isn't exclusive to mid-America. The cold, packed earth crunches under my Chuck Taylors just as it does under those of Truckfighters' Ozo (Oskar Cedermalm, bass/vocals). It's easy to immortalize three guys who play on an elevated stage or craft a sound so huge that your chest rattles if you get too close. When documentaries explore the backstage, on-the-road, and at-home lives of rockers you can't get enough of, so rarely is found symmetry between god-like stage persona and sound humility.

Where many rock-docs sag is where this Truckfighters Fuzzomentary sails. Perhaps the small-stage sphere is more appropriate for capturing the intimacy between band and fan. Viewers aren't witness to cock-rock bravado following a gig at Wembley hosting 90,000 (no fist-pumps, no inflated egos). The meat of this film takes place in clubs where 25 screaming fuzz-o-philes are shoved into sweaty one-anothers and don't give a shit if they're leaning against amps. And how refreshing is it to see a frontman agreeing to play a show in return for "gas money, food, and somewhere to stay"?

The humble beginnings only serve as a tributary to Truckfighters' humble present and future. Narrator Chris Cockrell (of Kyuss, no less) introduces the film as "a good story about three down-to-earth guys." These are men with jobs, children, bills, fights, car-problems, and serious fucking ambition. It's impossible not to fall in love with a band so determined, so tireless, and so thankful for every listener they've enlisted with their expansive, focused buzz. What's not clear, however, is how they haven't managed to become the most important band in the fucking world.

The 8mm handheld approach is a perfect parallel to the band's sound. Spliced throughout grainy live footage is no shortage of campy 70's pulp, complete with spinning faux magazine covers, trippy Atari-sequences, and dickloads of wispy, smoke-filled monologue interviews. Joerg Steineck manages to perfectly complement the fuzzed-up sonic blast of Truckfighters with the bumpy, gritty filmstock characteristic of fat mustache porn. The marriage works, and we can almost imagine ourselves in dusty trailers on outskirts of small towns. I guess Truckfighters have more in common with my mom's sisters than I'd ever imagined.

Based in Örebro, Sweden, Truckfighters never get too wrapped up in themselves to focus on making woolly mammoths of records. The film demonstrates a unique and brotherly relationship between Ozo and Dango (Niklas Källgren, guitars), one that can only result from a shared path and vision. Late to the film is Pezo (Oscar Johansson, drums), who holds a clearly different approach from his mates. Sure, jest is made of his quasi-religious pleas to God for the strength to drum and his argument that "the clock is not a real thing. It's just made up by man." But the divide between Pezo and the Ozo/Dango tandem begins to punctuate the film's point. Honestly, what fan doesn't mind waiting a few extra minutes when Truckfighters open a set with a live fuckin' Desert Cruiser? And when the amp breaks, audiences are privy to an improvisational jam. Works for us.

As non-linear as the film may appear, distinct moods, methods, and motivations emerge. Nine chapters form the film, though the final two chew the bulk of both time and relish. Pezo's self-critical preoccupation rises just alongside the band's allure, as larger stages and audiences loom. Sure, Truckfighters serve a loyalty to the fans filling local venues. But the band's reach is becoming undeniable. Cameras again take viewers backstage following a club show where Pezo enjoys the atmosphere as much as anyone. So when the film abruptly announces Pezo has quit, it's as much a kick to the nuts of viewers as it is to Ozo and Dango. Though critical of Pezo's practice and time management, they can't deny he's "a hell of a drummer."

Oozing humor, the film is almost a counter to the gravity of the band members' everyday lives, Pezo's departure, and the struggle to find his adequate replacement. Recruiting a roster of A-list stoner rock heroes (Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Vic Du Monte, Rob Oswald, Alfredo Hernandez), Truckfighters lament never fulfilling their dreams of stunning audiences in the U.S., Japan, and Australia. Laugh all you want when Josh Homme claims the band influenced Kyuss, but nobody's convincing Josh to say that shit for a band that hasn't EARNED his accolades. The end sequence is so tongue-in-cheek that you don't need to seriously question it. But it doesn't take long for listeners to realize Truckfighters won't be "their band" for long.

Truckfighters plays up the band's "stoner" and "desert" labels plenty. But it paints a picture different from the band-focused documentaries to which you've grown accustomed. It's certainly no Stop Making Sense-like concert film. We're going deeper than that. Nobody's getting stabbed like they did in Gimme Shelter. You won't find any of these three Swedes shooting heroin, self-destructing on stage, or developing a God-complex a la Anton Newcombe in Ondi Timoner's Dig!. And as for Some Kind of Monster, well... this film nurtures a respect for the subjects.

Beginning with Örebro's wintry fields, moving through the mundane "coma" of everyday life, and ending on fuzzy, promising highlights, the Truckfighters Fuzzomentary never loses sight of the priorities of the everyman. The band is never over-inflated or over-indulgent, nor is the film. The style so well delivers the band's dogma that anyone who's never heard of Truckfighters will love both film and band regardless. Steineck's countless hours sidelining the trio, trimmed to 84 minutes, is as effective a paradigm as there is in terms of focus, perspective, and influence. If every rock band could be more in love with the music and less with themselves, we might realize a broader escape from the jobs and lives that kill us. I don't know what I'll do if this band doesn't conquer the world. Maybe just move to Örebro.

Film Site | Band Site | Facebook | Joerg Steineck

Zac's "Double Dose" - Alegionnaire / Sea of Zyn

2012-01-25T04:20:00.010-05:00

Alegionnaire: Realms

Alegionnaire began as an instrumental metal quartet in 2007. In 2009 the four some decided to take an experimental approach to their metallic creation, and what we have here, 'Realms' was formed. Realms integrates a stoner riff and down-tuned doom foundation with sonic interludes and barbaric vocals. Envision, if you will, the bastard-spawn of Pelican and Amon Amarth, with a touch of Randy Blythe's vocal influence. Give my favorite track, Clinging to the Titans Beard, a spin. If you dig it, head over to bandcamp and download the entire album, its free!

**Alegionniare is currently on hiatus. Aaron Todd is currently working on a solo / collaborative effort project entitled Audible Burst. Adam Nicholson and Chris Clough are working on a doom project, with Realms producer Jay Brafford, called Below. Both worth listen!

Members:

Aaron Todd - Bass / Vocals
Adam Nicholson - Guitar
Chris Clough - Drums / Vocals
Phillip Claunch - Guitar / Vocals

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Sea of Zyn: ...In the Key of Sinners

Sea of Zyn is a dynamic duo, The Rev and Zyn, from the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. While they have worked together in the past, this particular project came together in 2008. Largely inspired by their love for their home-town, the music is full of pounding percussion, strings, and brass sections, while the vocals are powerful and poetic (a strange mixture of Wino, Mike Patton, and Chris Cornell) . "They [Sea of Zyn] nod to nearly everything birthed in this great music city." Really, in the end Sea of Zyn are just a great rock band. My personal favorite track is 'Idolatry'. From the intros patriotic proclamation, to the classic riff-age, and the chorus 'bleed it dry, you're bleeding it dry, you bled it till it withered and died.' The song is solid through and through, with some lyrical substance that truly cohere with the instrumental side.

Members:

Jason Seaman "The Reverend"
Jeffrey Golzynski " Zyn"

with the addition of

Eric Fischer: Drums on Atrophy, Panacea, & Light.
John Piasentin: additional guitars on Light.
Art Peitsch: additional vocals on Idolatry
Danny Methric: additional guitars on Fearless & Idolatry
Eddie Baranek: additional guitars on Deliverance
Glenn Bengry: horns on Poppies & Deliverance

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Diablo Strange-New Band To Burn One To

2012-01-24T04:20:00.007-05:00

Heavy Planet presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To"-DIABLO STRANGE

Bio:

Diablo Strange formed in 2010 as a power trio with a vision of making old school heavy rock with a modern twist. The band has taken influences ranging from classic rock, metal, blues and punk and fused them all together tastefully to create their own sound. With catchy melodies, powerful rock riffs, vocal harmonies and lively drumming, Diablo Strange shows variety by delivering songs that tell stories of tap dancing outlaws to an escape from a mental institution.

The chemistry between members Matt Cormier (Lead Vocalist/Bassist), Marty Surette (Lead Guitar/Backup vocals) and J-D Thibodeau (Drummer) is undeniable in both their explosive live performance and the creation of their own heavy yet groovy brand of bar rock. The growly vocals comparable to Clutch, bass and drum rhythms similar to Queens of the Stone Age, and the head-bobbing guitar will surely give all fans something they can relate to. Diablo Strange is getting ready to release their first self-titled EP containing 6 tracks in early 2012.

Thoughts:

"Canadian band Diablo Strange charges ahead with a trashy brand of what I would call stonerockabilly. Pounding rythyms, scorching guitar work, sing-a-long choruses, and infectious melodies rise through the flames and into your soul. I really like what I hear, especially the gruff cigarette ravaged vocal-style of Marty Surette. Check out the two songs the band has posted on Bandcamp for your listening pleasure."

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Church of Wolves-New Band To Burn One To

2012-01-23T04:20:00.009-05:00

Heavy Planet presents...today's "New Band To Burn One To" CHURCH OF WOLVES.

Bio:

Hitherto, a monolithic beast ravaged and raped the stewards of the simple life. He had seven heads, the gullet of a serpent, and a wolfs body. Cries of agony echoed to the village from the dark and dense forest. Finally the day for retaliation came, and the monks summoned an even greater beast to battle their foe. Church of Wolves was born, in blood and under a heavy moon to aggressively seek justice for all.

We formed in Durham NC and have members around the triangle area of NC. Consist of Alex Kokawski(vocals and guitar), Chris Walls(guitar and vocals), Bret Mcgraw(bass and vocals), and Rick Moras(drums).

Thoughts:

"This band from NC known as Church of Wolves sets an ominous mood by resonating goose-pimple inducing feedback from their speakers. The band churns out some pretty sick stoner groove-laced sludge jams. Along with thundering drum wallops, devastating low end, a fuzzed-out tone and a devout vocal unholiness, Church of Wolves unmercifully devours through the meaty flesh right down to the bone. This shit reeks of pure fuckin evil!"

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Sunday Sludge: Godhunter - "Wolves"

2012-01-22T04:20:00.000-05:00

It's nearly impossible to get lost in the woods anymore. I'd think no matter how far you wandered, you'd be able to catch the hum of an engine or stretch your neck to find a distant porch light. But if you're worried you won't make it home in time for dinner, lock yourself in a closet and crank Godhunter's Wolves. The layered, haunting sludge holds more than enough unease to pin you down and bloody your lip.

On Wolves, Tucson's most eligible quintet craft five stoner-sludge boulders of undeniable weight, unwavering non-conformity, and unrelenting brutality. Commencing with the strangely clean, creepy buzz of (Stop Being) Sheep's opening licks, the sound wastes no time in warning listeners of scorched-earth desperation. Spyro's drums trample fuzzy expectations and progress toward spooky tablesaw grind. Acute, pained vocals via Charlie Touseull only magnify the beautiful discontent. And we're just getting started.

Maintaining gradual silt build-up is Wolves of the North. Marching militantly behind dual-vocal shouts, the caked sludge thickens, grows deeper, and nearly breaks under the weight of its own sonic shifts. These wolves sound like they're getting closer with each passing beat, though the attack also seems to be coming from every direction. You're left no choice but to embrace the madness.

Southern riffage burns Red State/Black Crusade. The vocal tandem remains, as lyrics channel Charlton Heston and David Rodgers channels his inner Dimebag with groove and pullback. Shifting, hitting cruise, and later bulldozing itself into a landfill, this track ultimately meets the backwoods unrest. Chaos melds with slugging rhythms and listeners begin to enjoy this malevolence.

Powerbelly is a fuzzy, pensive, progressive burn without even a hint of subtlety. You'll never quite get your footing on this dense roll that sticks low to the leaves. Godhunter slow to a squirm after days of dense repetition, but you'd better have a good explanation for all those pulsating bruises. No cop is ever gonna believe you fell down the stairs last night.

Revving the motor and crunching dry bone come effortlessly for the album's closer, (Dead Hooker by the side of) The Road. Peel back the skin and find Matthew Davis hanging hope at the clearing. The keyboards balance the Phil Anselmo influence through more than a few tempo shifts. Slowing to a soldier's cadence, the stomp of Spyro's drums and the stutter of Dick's bass take a moment to grab your greasy collar and shout in your face. The song (and the album) walks off and doesn't turn back to see the rubble.

This band is hunting more than God. I'm not sure what's happening out in the Arizona desert, but Godhunter have hit their stride and found their teeth. Wolves, for all its defamation, showcases the promise of sludge giants shedding their skin. This chilling collection is a statement of heavy, jaw-jacked sound and the itching of eager ears should relent with the first note. Leave a trail of breadcrumbs and keep an eye on the falling sun. Wolves WILL leave you with no compass, be it magnetic or moral.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://godhunter.bandcamp.com/album/wolves"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Wolves by Godhunter&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
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Heavy Planet Interviews Corrosion of Conformity's Woody Weatherman

2012-01-21T04:20:00.003-05:00

I'm not gonna waste the world's time introducing Corrosion of Conformity, and I certainly won't pretend you don't know that Woodroe "Woody" Weatherman is the only member found on every recording the band ever laid to tape. Thankfully, I won't toot my own horn stating I recently had the incredible fortune of talking music with one of the greatest guitarists (and greatest inspirations to countless musicians) of the last thirty years. Woody Weatherman does far more than shred.

What I will do is tell you the band's new album hits shelves on February 28th, their tour commences March 1st, and the three-piece C.O.C. is as dynamic and blistering as they've ever been. Woody had plenty to say about the recording, the tour, the three-piece dynamic, and pretending not to be the coolest motherfucker on the planet. It went something like this:

HP: The new album's due out February 28th. There's a lot of excitement about it. You guys spent about a year recording it?

WW: "We actually recorded it really quickly, but we kept on interspersing live dates in-between, y'know, little snippets of working on it. So we kind of recorded the whole thing back in March and then toured all summer long and wound up goin' back out.... I think it was right at the end of October, first of November... and finished things. So we didn't really work on it that long, it just took us that long to get done 'cause of all the live shows, y'know?"

HP: When you guys are writing, is it more of a collaborative effort all at once or do you and Mike and Reed write your own material and bring it together later?

WW: "This time around, a whole lot of it was all of us just sort of had songs in our minds that we were ready to bust out. So we all kind of showed up with songs ready to go and just showed 'em to each other. Of course, there's a couple of Frankenstein songs where, y'know, say I might have two riffs that fit good together and I'm like 'Well, I got these two riffs. What do you got?' Mike Dean would bust out the other two riffs and the next thing you know you've got a song, y'know? There was a lot of that. Of course, Reed had three or four songs as well, so he contributed quite a bit this time, too."

HP: And you guys recorded at Studio 606 in LA, right?

WW: "We did, and mixed it there as well."

HP: What's that place like?

WW: "Ah, man! Y'know, it's Dave Grohl's place so you can imagine he's got a lot of cool vintage gear, a lot of amps, tons of guitars. And when we first went in, I wasn't sure how much he was cool with us using it. I know he invited us to use the studio but when we got there I was like 'Now, you know there's like 300 guitars back there and about 50 amps. Is it cool if we, y'know, can we use any of that?' and he was like 'Yeah!' So we did! And as usual, I always kind of find this tone I really like and wind up stickin' with it. So 90% of the guitar tracks were done on a little Orange Tiny Terror-kind of amp. Which I've never used before, but it wound up sounding pretty cool for this album."

HP: Cool! And what's the atmosphere like when you guys are recording. Is it laid-back, is it pretty focused and hunkered down?

WW: "This time around, it was really casual 'cause it's just the three of us. We've recorded together an awful lot through the years. Plus, the songs were ready to go. By the time we made it into the studio we'd already had some touring under our belts playing a lot of the songs live and we were just really prepared. So really, the basic tracks only took us about six days, we did it really quickly."

HP: And you guys worked with John Custer again, huh?

WW: "Yeah, man! You gotta have Custer! I've said it a couple times before, he's sort of like a quality control agent. He tells us if something's f'ed up or not. Y'know, he's one of those producers, at least when he's working with us, that doesn't try to change songs or change us at all. He'll just say 'Okay, go do what you do and see how it sounds." And we go do what we do and usually he likes it pretty good. He just makes sure the tones are right and all that kind of stuff, he doesn't really mess with the songs, per se, much."

HP: There's a lot of people talkin' about the lineup now, and it's goin' back to the Animosity lineup. Was that really on your minds when you were writing and recording, did that play into it at all?

WW: "Well, it did. And plus, especially since it was the three of us contributing... I mean, Pepper (Keenan) is a big, creative force. Whenever we're workin' with him he comes to the table with quite a bit, too. So Mike, Reed, and I gotta step up, y'know? These songs are geared for a three-piece. They're simple, the structures... Whenever we make a record we wanna make sure we can play the songs live and it not sound so dramatically different than what we created for the studio. We always have that in mind."

HP: Pepper's busy with Down, but his absence certainly doesn't detract from the record at all. It's a fuckin' great record! He had a hand in everybody kind of getting back together in the first place, didn't he?

WW: "Yeah, he did. Reed had been out of the band for awhile, he'd had some trouble with his back, a bunch of other things. And so Mike and Reed have a little side project called Righteous Fools they were workin' on. And Pepper had called us all up individually and said 'Y'know, I've been out with Down and there's some interest in C.O.C. comin' over to Europe and doin' some festival shows and what-not.' So Mike and Reed and I, of course were all three down in Raleigh, close together... we got together and started rehearsing and messing around, jammin' a little bit possibly in preparation for doing that and it just never materialized. But we kept on jamming as a three-piece. So it's kind of like Pepper initiated getting everybody back together and that was pretty cool, man."

HP: And the tour starts March 1st, is that right?

WW: "It does, yeah. We've got Torche, Valient Thorr, and A Storm of Light rollin' out with us on this little trek. It'll be awesome, it's cool to travel with an interesting feel like that. Everybody's not doing the same thing, but yet it fits together pretty good."

HP: I'm hoping to catch you guys in Chicago. Are the shows gonna feature mostly new stuff or are you gonna have any stuff from Animosity, Eye for an Eye...?

WW: "We're gonna reach back. Of course we're gonna do some of the Animosity and Technocracy stuff. We'll probably pick and choose a few from each period. Pluck a thing or two off of Deliverance or Wiseblood, but we're gonna be pretty heavy on the new record, too. That's what we're touring in support of, we like it. So we wanna do a bunch of it live, but we're not gonna leave the old-school fans out in the cold, that's for sure."

HP: I heard your interview with Jeff Olson from the other night...

WW: "Ohhh, what a cool guy, man!"

HP: He's somethin' else, man... He's awesome. You guys were talkin' a little bit about takin' no hiatus after this tour, just going into the next record or whatever. So we can expect some further material soon, huh?

WW: "That's what we all wanna do. We have said that before and then we wound up taking a three or four year hiatus or whatever, but we don't want that to happen again. I think we've got too much interest in the band right now and we're too excited about it to let that happen. Plus, we kinda got that work ethic right now where we're into jammin', we're into playin' shows, so I think it'll continue."

HP: What'd you do with that last hiatus? How'd you spend your time?

WW: "Mike and I actually worked on a lot o' tunes during that time. And if you heard the thing with Jeff Olson the other day, we chatted a little bit about my little farm. That kinda keeps me busy a little bit, we've got the animals and what-not. And I do have a son, I've got a three year-old boy now, so he ate up a little bit of that down time. We always find ways to stay busy somewhere with music even if C.O.C.'s not out on the road. We're thinkin' about stuff, messin' with stuff, Mike always keeps a studio goin'... a practice pad. So we get a few ideas, we put 'em on tape, y'know."

HP: You guys did a few albums on Sanctuary, now you guys are with Candlelight. What took you there?

WW: "What took us to Candlelight was they had an interest, they seemed to know what they were doing. It just seems like a pretty good fit so far and they seem to be doin' a good job."

HP: Goin' to the new record, what's the mood on a day when you record el Lamento de las Cabras versus a day when you record River of Stone? You've got two completely different sounds, so how do you approach those? What mindset do you take into the studio, does it even matter?

WW: "Yeah, it does. You mentioned the instrumental there... That's one of the instances that I busted out and got into some of the Foo Fighters' guitars back there. We found some kind of crazy 12-string electric that I wound up utilizing on that. It might take us a few minutes to figure out a tone, but generally you just kind of sit down and do it. Maybe in the morning you do that, you finish, then you take a little burrito break. Then come back and do Psychic Vampire in the afternoon."

HP: Yeah, that's not a 7am song, really.

WW: "Yeah, it depends on how the night before was goin'! You take a burrito break in-between each stage!"

HP: Man, you guys have done this for thirty years. How do you keep it up? So many of your contemporaries have just fallen off or just aren't around anymore. You guys have done it for three decades. How have you guys maintained?

WW: "I know, it's pretty amazing. The thing that is amazing about it is the people that keep coming to see us through the years. That's the difference, y'know? We've got the kind of fans that don't really forget about us, they tend to remember. Even if we do take a four or five year break, they're there the next time. They seem to be pretty loyal. That's the thing that's granted us the opportunity to keep doin' it; because of those fans that hang in there for us, y'know?

HP: You've done some collaborations with people, you were talking about it with Jeff the other night...

WW: "I didn't really get to talk much about Stanton Moore from Galactic when I was chattin' with him. That was another pretty cool collaboration we had on the In The Arms of God album.

HP: Is there a dream collaboration of yours that you haven't done that you'd like to someday?"

WW: *Laughs* "I think they'd all be so unrealistic, y'know, haha..."

HP: I don't think so! Look at the ones you've worked with already! You talk about Warren Haynes and James Hetfield and you're recording in Dave Grohl's studio...

WW: "That's true, y'know... I don't really think about it. Those are things that just sort of popped up... great opportunities we followed up with. Y'know, to be honest... having Reed back in the band has really been a big boost for me. Goin' back and workin' with him after about a ten or eleven year absence has made a giant difference. The ease of playing, especially the older songs, and the ease of writing the new songs... I mean, literally, whenever you bust out a riff he starts playing the drums behind it as you envisioned. You don't have to spend any time goin' 'Man, I need a roll here, I need you to do that. Slow it down.' There's none of that stuff, it's just automatic. That's my dream collaboration, gettin' back with Mullin."

HP: And you guys grew up together, is that right?

WW: "Yeah, around Raleigh and what-not. Reed and I went to school together up through junior high and high school and all that kind of stuff. That's kinda where we started the band. Mike wound up moving up to Raleigh from Charlotte around that same time period. We all grew up listening to a lot of the same kind of music and all that. I think that ties in to the ease of being able to write stuff together 'cause we all can say 'Y'know that part in that song on Presence when Bonham does this, the so-and-so, such-and-such,' and it's 'Oh yeah! Let me try that!' We just have little things like that that just make it work."

HP : You guys always get along perfectly then, right?

WW: "Awww, man! There's the occasional rift. After traveling... really, what I think tears a lot of bands up is hitting the road. They don't know how to handle the road life. And you've got the give and take and not gettin' in people's face, givin' everybody room, or whatever. What everybody needs to make the road life happen and stay happy and all that so it's pretty easy for us, man."

HP: So you're takin' the family with ya?

WW: "Well, I have before. But nah, not really. The boy's too young to really come out to any shows, so maybe later."

HP: I know you guys do a lot of interviews and probably hear a lot of the same questions. Is there a question you've never been asked that you've always waited for someone to ask you?

WW: "I don't know, um... I'm usually really open to whatever people wanna ask. And they've asked a lot of funny and different kind of things, y'know... Off the wall stuff. But nothin' pops into my head. I mean, heck... Come up with somethin' and see if I'll answer, y'know? *Laughs* Nothin' scares me. I can't think of anything but I'm sure there is...

HP: You were talking with Jeff about the Allagash beers. I'm no beer connoisseur, by any stretch. But I like the microbrews. Where should I go? What's the best you've had?

WW: *Laughs* "To be honest, man... As many great small breweries as there are in America, I think Belgium has really... That's their life over there. You find totally good beers in Belgium. Travels over there will tell you that and there's all those abbey beers and all that. Yeah, I'm like you, man. I'm not really a connoisseur I just enjoy having a beer when I get thirsty, which is fairly often."

HP: I like a cask ale now and then but I'll drink Old Milwaukee sometimes.

WW: "That's what I'm sayin', man! Give me a PBR on a nice, hot summer afternoon and I'm happy as a bug in a rug!

HP: Haha, hell yeah. This new record's great. There's an eleven-track and a thirteen-track version of the album, right?

WW: "Yeah, they've got the bonus tracks on vinyl and special edition, so we did two extra songs for that."

HP: Well, I've got all thirteen tracks, so I'm doin' pretty well!

WW: "You've got the whole she-bang! You're good to go!"

HP: You guys have been doing this for so long, you've been doin' it well... As a fan, just let me say thank you, Woody! I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today! If there's anything you need from us, from Heavy Planet, just let us know.

WW: "Will do, brother! I appreciate you takin' the time to chat with me today!"

Anyone reading Heavy Planet knows the importance and relevance of a band like C.O.C. If I hadn't spent my formative years with bands like this, I'd probably be jockeyin' a register in New Jersey. When a band from your youth crafts an album that so well blends fresh sounds with nostalgia, you'd better do your best to buy their albums, hit their shows, and wait for incredible things to happen. Look for Toby's review of C.O.C.'s self-titled, arriving on Heavy Planet faster than you can say "Loss for Words."

C.O.C. site | Facebook | ReverbNation

Album Review - King Giant: Dismal Hollow

2012-01-20T00:01:00.004-05:00

King Giant is a band whose music, lyrics, imagery, mood...hell everything that defines who and what they are…can be attributed to the solemnity, the tranquility and the aura of the Appalachian foothills where they call home. It was true on their debut album Southern Darkness and I believe it to be an even more accurate statement after having listened to this, their sophomore release. There’s a foreboding something about their songs that gives off a sort of nostalgia…like hearing granddad tell you some haunted tale from his past…you want to believe its fiction, but there’s this nagging suspicion that it just might be grounded in truth. And the thing is there’s a lot of history surrounding old Appalachia…and a whole lot of ghosts. With Dismal Hollow, the guys in King Giant are out to make damn sure those restless souls get their stories told.

Take the album opener “Appomattox” as an example. The small Virginia town is of course famous for being the location of the final battle of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia…a battle that ended with Lee’s surrender and ultimately led to the end of the American Civil War. Knowing that bit of history is crucial to feeling the weight of David Hammerly’s vocals as he roars the album’s opening lines…”C’mon boy…headed to meet your maker, on a windswept field of glory…in the Shenandoah Valley.” I cannot begin to describe to you the momentousness…the significance you’ll feel when those words are combined with the dual guitars of Todd Ingram and David Kowalski. Hairs will stand on the back of your neck as bassist Floyd Lee Walters III and drummer Brooks level the rhythm section and King Giant marches forward with this instant classic, which even includes a quote from the Union Brigadier General Joshua L. Chamberlain on his impressions as he watched the Confederate soldiers march past in defeat…”as if it were the passing of the dead.” Shit man…all history lessons should be this engaging.

“Tale of Mathias” will immediately sweep you away with its catchy guitar, steady beat and a groove that is unmistakably Southern. You’ll feel shivers up your spine as you listen to this account of an abused woman’s vengeance and scorn, which is made all the more realistic, and consequently disturbing, by the inclusion of female vocals courtesy of Alexia Church, that sort of merge with Hammerly’s as they sing “he coughed and then he died…last time he ever laid a hand on me.” That theme seems to carry right on over into “A Steward’s Prayer” which features the chorus “revenge of the innocents”. The track is built around a sinister doom riff that doesn’t so much advance as it does lurch the song forward. The guitars swirl with melody, as they do throughout Dismal Hollow, giving each song a recognizable quality that simply demands repeat listening.

“Pistols and Penance” opens with the subtle plucking of a lone acoustic guitar that is eventually joined by the sheer heaviness (heavenliness?) of the entire King Giant ensemble. This one, another macabre tale of Appalachian woe, features a bludgeoning rhythmic backbone thanks to Walters III and Kowalski and accented by Brooks’ steady use of the crash cymbals and a hypnotic guitar solo from Ingram that comes off…at times…like a second vocal track…mesmerizing. And speaking of ensemble…and mesmerizing…the song’s coda sort of merges back into the acoustic guitar only this time it’s joined by a haunting cello (credited to Jonathan Stark) adding even more atmosphere to an already distinctive piece of music. Yeah…you’re gonna dig this one.

The pace of Dismal Hollow picks up on “6 O’clock Swill”, which opens with a bluesy guitar riff that becomes the rallying point for the other instruments as Hammerly bemoans “you have failed me.” In my review of King Giant’s Southern Darkness two years ago, I said that the vocals “sound like they’ve been marinated in whiskey for weeks.” Well as with anything else, the longer you marinate, the better it gets and people, it’s been two years…the vocals now sound a touch raspier…an octave lower…and ultimately a hell of a lot darker and more intense…think Kirk Windstein after a pack of Camels.

You can hear it on the following track, “The Fog” as well, when the vocalist sings over a brooding riff, lyrics that tell a tale of bootleggers running liquor “through the hills of the Old Dominion”…that’s Virginia boys and girls. This song perhaps best defines Dismal Hollow more than any other, with its carefully structured flow from a lumbering doom riff to a melodic chorus…”sins and transgressions”…into a spoken word bridge featuring what I assume to be a well placed pun…”God bless America, but God save the King”… and finally ramping up into a full blown tempest featuring another phenomenal guitar solo by Ingram. And speaking of Ingram, he's the man in the spotlight on "Road to Eleusis", a guitar driven, instrumental ode to a place often associated with the Greek mysteries surrounding life after death.

Then in true King Giant fashion, Dismal Hollow concludes with "O' Drifter", a story slightly more twisted than "Mississippi River" from their debut, about a wandering pick-up artist that no woman ever wants to meet…"by the end of the day, the side of the road would be her resting place." Hammerly sings the demented lines like a raspier version of Ian Astbury, which is to say he sounds like Jim Morrison in the middle of a week long bender. Meanwhile, Brooks, Kowalski and Walters III lay down a tormented rhythm of controlled cacophony. And with another oh so appropriate chorus…"I am the king, of all these highways…or a devil in disguise", the last of King Giant's latest LP fades away.

Listen…it’s obvious that these guys have matured as a band since we last heard from them in 2009. I distinctly remember drawing comparisons to others who traverse a similar sonic landscape when I reviewed Southern Darkness. But with this album, I don’t hear anyone other than the band who created it. They’ve found a sound that is all their own…a signature sound…and these eight tracks perfectly define that niche. This is what it takes to stand out amongst your peers. This is what it takes to carry your music beyond the confines of a regional audience. Here's hoping that the tales of Appalachian decadence and discontent found on Dismal Hollow will turn King Giant into troubadours for all the world to hear…because, by God this album deserves to be heard.

Track Listing:

01 Appomattox
02 Tale of Mathias
03 A Steward’s Prayer
04 Pistols and Penance
05 6 O’clock Swill
06 The Fog
07 Road to Eleusis
08 O' Drifter

Band Members:

David Hammerly – Vocals
Todd Ingram – Lead Guitar
Brooks – Drums
Floyd Lee Walters III – Bass Guitar
David Kowalski – Rhythm Guitar

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Heavy Planet Podcast #04 - THE MID-ATLANTIC UNITED STATES

2012-01-19T00:01:00.012-05:00

It's that time again...time for another Heavy Planet Podcast on Grip of Delusion Radio! This month we'll be featuring stoner rock, doom and sludge bands from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. You'll hear some all time classics alongside up and comers...songs you know by heart and songs you probably didn't even know existed. So tune in this Sunday, January 22nd from 4:00 to 6:00 PM EST to take a ride with us up the Eastern seaboard of the United States, from North Carolina to New Jersey...this is gonna be one wicked trip!

BANDS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC UNITED STATES

DJ-Toby

North Carolina:

01 Corrosion of Conformity - "Vote With A Bullet" (Raleigh)
02 Valient Thorr - "Man Behind the Curtain" (Chapel Hill)
03 Buzzov*en - "To A Frown" (Wilmington)
04 Weedeater - "Gimme Back My Bullets" (Wilmington)

Virginia:

05 Freedom Hawk - "Edge of Destiny" (Virginia Beach)
06 The Crimson Electric - "Shake the Dead" (Virginia Beach)
07 Alabama Thunderpussy - "Motor Ready" (Richmond)
08 King Giant - "Appomattox" (Pimmit Hills)
09 Pentagram - "Dying World" (Arlington)

Washington DC:

10 Borracho - "Grab the Reins"

Maryland:

11 Clutch - "The Regulator" (Germantown)
12 Lionize - "You're Trying to Kill Me" (Silver Spring)
13 Earthride - "Fighting the Devils Inside You" (Potomac)
14 Sixty Watt Shaman - "Seed of Decades" (Baltimore)
15 The Obsessed - "Streetside" (Potomac)
16 The Hidden Hand - "Screw the Naysayers" (Potomac)
17 Nitroseed - "Molt" (Laurel)

West Virginia:

18 Karma to Burn - "20" (Morgantown)

Pennsylvania:

19 91s - "Hold Out" (Harrisburg)
20 Kingsnake - "Feel Like Dying" (Philadelphia)

New Jersey:

21 Infernal Overdrive - "Electric Street Cred" (Red Bank)

Click HERE to download previous podcasts.