Ghost Cult once again brings you “End Of Year” lists, memories, and other shenanigans from our favorite bands, partners, music industry peers, and other folks we respect across the world. Here’s Dennis Sanders of Los Angeles’ most prolific underground rockers, Spirit In The Room. Dennis shares his Top 10 Albums of 2016.Continue reading
Boston heavy rockers Gozu, fresh off of their acclaimed Revival (Ripple Music) album have booked an extensive European tour this fall.Continue reading
Stoner rock boys Gozu has a new album out. It’s called Revival (Ripple Music) and it’s a belter. The Boston unit’s third album sees them continue to ply the same brand of muscular stoner-meets-grunge riffs and melodic vocals they’ve been honing since 2009. But the songs are tighter, the riffs bigger, and the quality vocals are allowed to take center stage.
From the battering ‘Nature Boy’ to the grungy ‘Bubble Time’ and slow groove of ‘Oldie’’ Revival rarely has a note out of place. The guitar work, courtesy of Marc Gaffney and Doug Sherman, stretch from almost Black Label Society-esque shredding to Josh Homme levels of fuzziness. The ability to blend both extremes into one record is one of the things that make the album so enjoyable.
At their best, Gozu sound like Kyuss fronted by Chris Cornell. Marc Gaffney’s turn in front of the mic gives an already quality band that extra edge. From the bluesy ‘Dee Dee McCall’ to the swampy but stadium size ‘Big Casino’ and even the slow jam outro of ‘Tin Chicken’; Gozu know how to craft a great song and fill it with catchy riffs and big solos.
From start to finish, Revival is brimming with energy and a stash of riffs. One of the best stoner albums of the year.
8.0/10
DAN SWINHOE
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So much of working in the music industry thrives on chaos, it’s hard to breathe sometimes. I’m not lamenting the job of the music journalist, but just part and parcel of the this business seems to be powered by anxiety. Labels push bands, PR firms push albums and events, bands promote themselves (if you are lucky) and we the writers push reviews: in hopes that some eager ears find some enjoyment among the dross. Sometimes in all the chaos what you need is the vibe of a band that makes you reevaluate what you have listened to and why. All Them Witches, I’m glad you showed up when you did!
Not he most technical, brutal, fast or screamy music to come across my desk in 2015 and my trusty AKG studio cans this year, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West) just jams. All Them Witches, mashes up the meticulous songcraft of a Jazzier Pink Floyd and Camel with the doomy cadence of Ufomammut. ‘Call Me Star’ eases into things with a laid back guitar swell. Things get weighty with ‘El Centro’, which is hypnotic riffer complete with B3 organ vamps and a dedication the proto-metal a la Sabbath. ‘Dirt Preachers’ steps up tempo wise and is a garage feeling little ditty. This is where the vocals of Chris Michael Parks Jr. come into play. At times channeling J. Macias, Frank Black, Josh Homme and best of all a smoked out sounding Mark Lanegan; so you need to stop what you are doing and listen Chris sing. The album follows a similar ebb and flow the rest of the way, mellow moments, slow simmering blues joints immaculate musicianship, and versatile singing. Sometimes they will remind you of Baroness with their ability to focus on a motif such as on ‘Open Passageways’.
Toward the end of the album ‘Instrumental 2 (Welcome To The Caveman Future)’ sounds like the ending credits of a 70s movie. ‘Talisman’ is a fuzzy out joy full of wailing solos. The final track, the mysteriously named ‘Blood and Sand – Milk and Endless Waters’ will have you thinking of the more space rock Floyd moments again. Do not sleep on this band and spend some time with this album for unexpected rewards.
8.0/10
KEITH CHACHKES
Graced with a cover sporting two shadowy, hooded druid like figures turning away from view, you may be forgiven for expecting This Seed We Have Sown (Ripple) to be one of those occult rock and metal bands that followed the likes of Ghost (remember when it was almost the trendy thing to do?). In actual fact French rockers DoctoR DooM, although retro, actually take their cues from 60’s and 70’s blues rock, which has seemingly as-of-late had quite a resurgence.
Formed out of love of those early greats, on the face of it DoctoR DooM fit that typical vibe and sound, but scratch a little deeper and there is a substantial amount more going on. First aspects that come to mind are the bluesy guitar tones that bring to mind the likes of Thin Lizzy and the Southern rock bands that the likes of Blackberry Smoke and The Cadillac Three worship. Jean-Laurent Pasquet’s vocals sitting somewhere between Phil Lynott and Josh Homme, partly drawling with assured charisma.
The likes of ‘The Sun’ and ‘Truth In The Dark’ even evoke some Black Sabbath like riffs and melancholic yet danceable tone. There are even moments that point towards the 70’s Prog rock greats, with some unconventional song structuring, and most notably, the 7 minute ‘At War With Myself’ with its piercing use of keys.
There are near countless bands that have taken to a classic, retro sound of their idols and some of the timeless greats of rock and early metal, but DoctoR DooM have done so with still an eye on the present and beyond just hero-worship. Familiar sounding enough but with some shades of the unconventional, and most importantly, an arsenal of strong, memorable songs which should hold them as one of the better, traditional sounding bands of the modern era.
7.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL
Starting a rock album with a song about a Motown legend may seem a curious move, but there’s little Detroit Soul here: initially Kings Destroy (War Crimes), the eponymous third full-length from this New York quintet, purveys some Queens of the Stone Age-style Desert stomp. The band’s second album, A Time of Hunting (also War Crimes), raised serious eyebrows, and the crushing yet pacy riffs and rhythms of opener ‘Smokey Robinson‘ expand on those expectations. Steve Murphy‘s voice has that laconic yet soulful delivery of Josh Homme, reaching some heavenly heights when crooning Robinson’s name, but has the right amount of gravel when required.
At the album’s slow points, such as large swathes of ‘W2’, it’s easy to feel that this is a band merely going through the motions, a prosaic structure surrounding the, albeit pulverising, drums and deep, revving riffs. Taking the critical eye away for a second, however, allows the true emotion to bleed through, the passionate vocals and harmonies augmented by the moving solo at the close. There’s more than a touch of Americana too, heightened in the pensive yet affecting segments of ‘Mythomania’: growling intersections adding an element of steel without dwarfing the soulful beauty of the music.
Unfortunately, as is usually the case with Stoner linked sounds, there are ingredients which belong with a really good pub band; the plodding nature of ‘Embers’ possessing the ability and feeling to bewitch such audiences whilst being devoid of any refreshing or inventive quirks that would ensnare other ears, with only another stirring solo enlivening the track to noticeable levels. The band are undoubtedly more impressive at a higher canter and the return to a languid Desert groove of the brief ‘Green Diamonds’, with more Homme-style inflections, gets the body snaking. In a disappointing end, however, early sections of closer ‘Time for War’ are dull, lifeless, and appear a little lazy.
Despite its heavy flaws, and the unlikelihood of appeal to many below a certain age, this is nevertheless an often capable offering for those attracted by easier sounds which still retain a hint of power.
6.5/10
PAUL QUINN
Known for his work with Kyuss in the 1990s and more recently with Vista Chino, Brant Bjork, likewise his bandmate John Garcia, will release the solo album Black Power Flower under the flag of Brant Bjork And The Low Desert Punk Band, via Napalm Records.
Without wanting to compare artists and albums, Brant Bjork also wished to create more personal music with this new album, but on the contrary of John Garcia, Bjork goes more stoner and more traditional within the genre than Garcia went on his solo endeavor. ‘Controllers Destroyer’ opens the record in a conventional way with fat riffs accompanied by reminiscences of the doom sound, but ‘Stokely Up Now’ gets a rockier orientation giving the song a wider soundscape not being so muddy and somehow claustrophobic as usual. However, both directions aren’t always kept away from each other since the track ‘Budha Time (Everything Fine)’ is a fusion between stoner rock and rock’n’roll: if the strong guitar is doing its role in a supportive manner, a cleaner one is constantly breathing solos.
The album also has room for experimentation outside the stoner regular sonority as we have twin-guitars in ‘Ain’t No Runnin’’ and some guitar effects like wah-wah in ‘That’s A Fact Jack’ alternating with heavy riffs and a strong drumming work offering more vigor to the chorus. And finally, a shy desert psychedelic passage is delivered in the last song ‘Where You From Man’ because of the repetitive and somehow hypnotic canvas personalized by the well-paced drums and the several effects played in the guitars.
It seems that after a controversial period between the attempt to re-ignite Kyuss and the lawsuit by Josh Homme (QOTSA), the ex-members of that iconic band are at last enjoying the fruits of their work and reaching the success they deserve for the long time career they’ve built with sweat. Now, let’s wait for another Vista Chino album…
7.5/10
Brant Bjork And The Low Desert Punk Band on Facebook
DIOGO FERREIRA
When they come round to writing the definitive history of progressive rock music in the UK I hope they can find a nice spot, lovingly curated, for Mancunians Amplifier. Not that we should be consigning them to the annals of history anytime soon – anything but – but Amplifier seem to be one of those acts that are held dear to the heart of the already converted, but have yet to make the crossover to broader appeal. It’s hard to understand why as they have already delivered, from the sprawling masterpiece The Octopus (Independent) to the more introspective yet equally worthy Echo Street (KScope), some sublime, intelligent and inventive music.
Mystoria (Superball) doesn’t eschew all of the idea-conjuring that they are renowned for but it has a determined sense of purpose and an effervescent undercurrent that will certainly cement their reputation and should, if there is anything like justice in this tribal, social media dominated world of ours, see them reach audiences and corners of the globe yet to be converted to Mr Balamir and co.
Kicking off with the none-more-prog-rock instrumental of ‘Magic Carpet’, a blend of Focus meets Muse, it’s a gauntlet throwing statement of intent. Amplifier have rediscovered ROCK, kids, and we should all be grateful. ‘Black Rainbow’ continues in similar vein, all hard driven rhythms and evocative lyrics and you can feel yourself air drumming from about 28 seconds in (perhaps that was just me, then). ‘Named After Rocky’ sounds a bit what might happen if early Genesis had met Led Zep for a proper drink. This, for the avoidance of any doubt, is a very good thing.
‘Open Up’ is a seriously moody buzzy riffathon, akin to what would happen if Josh Homme had gotten his stoner rock hands on Matt Bellamy’s muse and, if you will, Matt Bellamy’s Muse. Highlight of the album is the brilliant ‘OMG’. It has a signature riff that Rush would kill for and a deep groove which echoes Led Zeppelin just at the point where they became their most stately and imperious. There’s a swirling pot of ideas being thrown around here, too. This is what Amplifier excel at, the musical plate spinning, often at precarious rates but with not one piece of porcelain being dropped.
Less obviously ambitious than The Octopus, Mystoria appears to be Amplifier’s attempt to distil their essence into manageable slices of aural pie. As Oliver Twist, would surely have said, please Mr Balamir , sir, can I have some more? Satisfying then, culinary friends.
7.5/10
MAT DAVIES
Former …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead member Jason Reece is well known for being an Indie Rock enfant-terrible, destroying equipment and playing squalling discordant alt rock á la Sonic Youth. Yet with Midnight Masses, Reece has looked to produce more gentle, soulful material which still beats with the same black heart of his main act.
Manifesting in 2008, Midnight Masses have been labelled with many genres such as ‘Gothic Americana’ and ‘Grunge Gospel Folk Rock’. Truly there is no easy way to encapsulate this band into a catchy genre sound bite, and they are all the better for it. Singer Autry Fulbright’s take on his band’s multifaceted sound is “The sound of a city… In the middle of a desert” whatever that means.
Amassing over 14 members, Midnight Masses weave hazy psychedelic landscapes with some 1960’s atmospherics, Gospel vocal passages and Krautrock textures. Think Josh Homme, Neu! and Unkle jamming under an isolated desert sky and you’ll be close. As experimental as this all sounds, there are some very catchy tunes on Departures (Superball/Century Media),‘All Goes Black’ has a beautifully catchy chorus despite the melancholy overtones that permeate its every nuance. Since Fulbright wrote their debut to cope with the loss of his father, several other members of the group also experienced the loss of loved ones which accounts for the largely solemn feel.
Introspective and indulgent, painting with a myriad of styles Departures occasionally loses its way. When following the path of gothic alt rock on ‘Am I A Nomad’ or the surprisingly upbeat ‘Clap Your Hands’ provide a much levity from navel gazing to produce moments of true beauty. Undeniably talented, the overall impact is blighted by a lack of cohesion, leaving the mind able to wonder aimlessly when it should be focussed on the journey ahead.
Grief and loss have made some truly extraordinary records, yet the lack of clear direction towards either big city lights of earthy rural darkness leaves us somewhere in no man’s land.
6.0/10.0
ROSS BAKER
The legacy of popular desert rockers Kyuss spans nearly 25 years and attracted a vast audience for its distinctive riff oriented sound. From songs such as ‘Thumb’, ‘Green Machine’, and ‘One Inch Man’, it all featured a style that is distinctively made in the desert. In 2010, band front man John Garcia did a European ‘Garcia Does Kyuss tour’, sparking renewed interest in the band since their untimely demise in 1995. Drummer Brant Bjork and bassist Nick Oliveri both jumped on stage and did ‘Green Machine’ and ‘Gardenia’ with Garcia. This appearance led to a Kyuss Lives! tour in Europe later that same year and leading throughout 2011 across the globe. The band then announced a possible album under the Kyuss Lives! moniker. Following that moment, former members, guitarist Josh Homme and bassist Scott Reeder filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the Kyuss Lives! members in March 2012. This suit attempted them to stop using the Kyuss Lives! name. After the lawsuit stopped them from using the Kyuss Lives! name to record a full length release, Garcia and Bjork revamped under the Vista Chino moniker and recorded their newest release, Peace. Garcia spoke to Ghost Cult Magazine about the lawsuit, restarting as Vista Chino, having new members and life in the desert.
You put on a killer set in Los Angeles. How did you feel about the show?
It was a fun night. I always enjoy playing LA. It’s our hometown so to speak. Thank you. I appreciate that.
How does it feel to finally get the Vista Chino chapter of your life going after everything that’s happened?
It feels really good. What a relief. It was a long hard road, and what it comes down to is the record. That’s why we’re here and it felt good to have a nice, fresh, new beginning and start. As you can imagine, it was welcomed and it feels good.
After what’s happened this past year, was it more frustration on your part over what Josh and Scott did, or was it disappointment with the way this whole thing unfolded?
It was both and extends that to super broad spectrums. It was a bummer. Nobody wants a lawsuit against them. It’s like somebody poking a stick at you. It was a major bummer for me and my family. Again, how awesome to have a fresh new beginning and moving forward. It was necessary. All of that doesn’t deserve the word secondary, because it truly is bullshit. What it comes down to is the record Peace, and that’s what we want, and that’s what we have now. It feels really good.
Were the songs on Peace songs you had brewing before the legal mess began?
I started getting into empty rooms with Brant and Bruno about the time of the beginning of the lawsuit. But it became to a screeching halt once we found that Josh and Scott were suing us. Instead of being in the studio and writing where we wanted to be, we had to do depositions. The appropriate verbiage is everything came to a screeching halt. We had to hold off and jump through some hoops to get to Brant’s studio up in Joshua Tree, where we recorded it. It was a long, hard road, but we eventually got there. When you have a void and it needs to be filled, you will find a way, no matter what you’re going through in life. It’s a necessity and that’s what we did.
Brant produced the record?
Brant Bjork produced the record. I think he did a great job.
What was it about him producing the record? What did he bring to Peace? You had Chris Goss produce for a long time in the old days.
We thought about Chris Goss and Joe Barresi, and a few other producers. We knew what we wanted. It’s not like we’re in our late teens and 20s going through the emotions of capturing that live sound onto tape. We needed somebody to get us there. They were the perfect conduit – Chris and Joe Barresi. But after being in the music business for so many years, you know what you want to sound like, what you want to hear, and what you want to feel. We thought we should very well to do it ourselves. I told Brant to get us there. Everything that you hear on the record was meant to sound as you hear it. If you hear an overdriven distorted vocal line, that’s meant to be there. Find that and exploring that is where the real fun comes in. It’s finding that one particular take and one particular sound that marry well with the guitar, bass and drums, and the rattling in between. After that, it goes into the gambling moose. That was meant to be there. The amount of trust Brant put in me to sing some of his melodies and lyrics, and the amount of trust I put in Brant as a producer into this was equally as heavy. It goes back to the trust thing. I trusted him, he trusted me, we all trusted each other. Not being in the environment for over 15 years and having Bruno [Fevery] in the mix, and having Nick [Oliveri] come in and Mike Dean. Even Brant played bass on this. It was an experience.
You mentioned Bruno, who you worked with in the past. What was it about him that made you want him in Vista Chino? He’s almost like a desert guy who’s not from the desert.
Bruno’s a personal friend of mine. We played together in another band from Belgium called Arsenal. I had already had a relationship with Bruno. What is it about Bruno? It’s his heart. It’s his character. He’s a really sweet guy all the way around. He’s a kind, cool, gentle human being. That’s what I found in Bruno that made our relationship click.
He used to play in a Kyuss cover band years ago?
You know I think he did. I think he did play in a tribute band to Kyuss. One of the main guys in Arsenal, a guy by the name of Hendrik Willemyns, had hired Bruno and he was part of Arsenal. Hendrik came up to me and said ‘you know John. If you ever wanted to play some Kyuss songs and needed a guitar player – that’s your guy.’ I went ‘thanks dude, I’ll keep that in mind.’ That wasn’t high on my priority list at that time when I was playing with Arsenal. I always remembered that and when I started doing Garcia Does Kyuss, he was my first pick and my only pick. I got really lucky with him.
He’s almost like a desert guy who got lost and ended up in Belgium in a weird way.
He’s definitely got the character of a desert guy for sure. It’s a big part of it.
On bass you have Mike Dean. How did he get into the mix considering he’s in Corrosion of Conformity?
When Brant and I knew we had to find a replacement, I told him who was at the top of my wish list and he told me who was at the top of his wish list, and we talked about it. Mike Dean was a perfect match. Luckily he said yes. Brant Bjork, more than me, was a massive C.O.C. fan. He used to draw pictures of Mike Dean on his Pee Chee folder back in high school when I was sitting with him in detention for crying out loud. So it was very clear that we should go with Mike and we’re very lucky. I can’t talk highly enough about that guy. He’s super intelligent and a pretty melodic bass player.
Is Mike a full time Vista Chino member?
Mike’s got commitments too, and he’s still very committed to C.O.C. I know he has some commitments coming up. As long as he’s got some down time we’re very happy to have him. We’re going with the flow now and right now there’s nobody else but Mike Dean. We’re trying to nail down as many dates with Mike, and he’s very much a part of Vista Chino. It’s an open ended question and I’ll leave it open ended for now.
How was the US tour? It’s been a while since you last toured the US.
It’s been a while and under the name Vista Chino there’s some people not knowing about it. There were a few shows that were lackluster attendance wise. Not too many. Whether it were for five people or 50 people or 500 people, when I look over and see Mike Dean and look behind me and see Brant Bjork, and look over to my left and see Bruno Fevery, these guys bring it no matter what. That’s our plight. We very well could still be playing in front of five or 50 people, but we don’t care. We’ve done it before and we’ll keep doing it. It doesn’t make a difference to us. We’re gonna be doing it anyways. It feels good when it’s that much more intimate.
Who came up with the name Vista Chino?
Vista Chino is a street in Palm Springs. We’re very proud of where we come from. Even in Kyuss, it was a big part of who the band was and we’re very proud of not being from Los Angeles. Nothing against LA…although it’s two hours away, it’s still very alienated from that scene and what the city is. When Brant came up with that name, it immediately resonated with me because it was home. As well as the artwork, it’s desert graffiti from where we’re from. The day farmers are very much where we’re from. The name resonates with us and it makes perfect sense.
What do you think makes Palm Springs so magical? Prior to Kyuss, most people’s connection to Palm Springs was Frank Sinatra.
Yeah you’re right! Frank and everyone in The Rat Pack used to frequent out here all the time. Even Humphrey Bogart to Marilyn Monroe all used to come and hang out. There’s Old Palm Springs which is awesome. I love going to where Frank used to hang out and listen to that type of music. Either people get the desert or they don’t get the desert. They come out here and say ‘what’s so magical about this place?’ They see nothing but barren, lifeless death. There’s nothing here. There’s that mentality and there’s people who get the desert. Being born and raised in the desert, I see nothing but life. When I drive through Death Valley, a lot of people see nothing but baroness and death. I see so much life and there’s a certain beauty about the desert, and a certain feeling and emotion that resonates with me. I once moved to Los Angeles for a veterinary diagnostic career, which I was and still am into. I immediately knew I made a mistake. We kept our home out here and I spent about a year out there to finish my commitment. Upon moving back to the desert, what a sigh of relief came over me. I’m not one to say that I go out to the desert, eat a bunch of peyote and turn into the shamanistic Jim Morrison guy. I’m not like that. I’m not a poet. For me to articulate how the desert makes me feel or what’s so special about the desert, there’s only one person who could articulate it better than me – his name is John C Van Dyke and you could pick up his book, appropriately titled The Desert back in the early 1900s. Him and his mule explored the desert from Southern Colorado down to New Mexico and Arizona and spent a lot of time in Death Valley. He put the desert into words that I’m still trying to define in my head.
Aside from Vista Chino, you relaunched Unida. Is this correct?
Well I wouldn’t say relaunching. I would say taking her out for a ride, kind of dusting her off for a bit, putting some gasoline in her and taking her out for a spin again. But it’s fun. I play in a lot of bands. All of them sit in an idling. Depending on my mood, it’s fun to revisit to sing those songs again. To sing “Black Woman” and “Wet” and some of the songs that Unida does is fun for me. I like Arthur [Seay, guitarist] and Mike [Cancino, drums], and I’m super privileged to play with such great musicians. I’m very fortunate to find people like Arthur, and even the guys from Slo Burn like Chris [Hale, guitarist] and Brady [Houghton, drums]. I’m still in touch with them. They’re coming to my son’s fourth birthday party at a park in Palms Springs this Saturday. I still see and talk to these guys. It’s cool to revisit and go back sometimes.
What other bands are you playing with?
I played in Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano, and Vista Chino. I get offers all the time from bands to sing on their stuff. Some of them I can do. Some of them I’m not interested in doing. Mad City Rockers in Italy, The Crystal Method out of Los Angeles…believe it or not I’ve done stuff with them…Danko Jones out of Toronto, Canada. Those guest appearances along with the bands I just mentioned. It’s still fun for me and it’s a passion. I’m lucky to have a wife that allows me to be in that type of an environment I’m in on a nightly basis when I’m on the road with any of these touring acts. My family’s the unsung hero here.
You mentioned the veterinary career. Are you still doing that?
No. I live vicariously through my wife. She’s still in the field. She always tells me ‘anytime you want to come back, you’re more than welcome to…’ That’s also a passion of mine as well. Being a veterinary technician and doing an emergency C-section because a 120 pound Irish wolfhound is in breach at three o clock in the morning – that still interests me. Doing that is still a passion of mine. Maybe one of these days I might go back. I don’t know. I’m committed to Vista Chino and we’re about to embark on a long 40 date tour over in Europe and I leave in less than two weeks. We’re in a good spot now.
Rei Nishimoto