Tag Archives: Psychedelic

High on Fire – Pallbearer – Lucifer – Venomous Maximus: Live at the Royale

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High on fire tour

A summer time Monday night found me at a venue that I had never been to before, the Royale in Boston, MA. It was a good size and actually pretty nice inside with a few large couches and suits of armor hanging on the walls. I’ve since been told that it doubles as a (dance) club, but it makes a fine metal venue as well.

Venomous Maximus, by Evil Robb Photography

Venomous Maximus, by Evil Robb Photography

We kicked things off with a performance by a band new to me called Venomous Maximus based out of Houston. They are yet another one of those bands that deserves to be seen live rather than just compared to their studio recordings. Their studio work is your standard, run of the mill doom-y stoner-y heavy metal. On stage is where the band really starts to come to life. They’re energetic and the music itself is far heavier. A CD or mp3 doesn’t capture that. Next to the masters in High on Fire themselves, Venmous Maximus was the most entertaining band on the bill for me.

Lucifer, by Evil Robb Photography

Lucifer, by Evil Robb Photography

I was not a fan of Lucifer. They had been described to me as a sort of female-fronted Black Sabbath but I found them to be just another generic doom band and lost interest quickly. They did have a projector with some old films running which I’ve always thought can be a nice added touch. To be honest, I probably spent more time watching the movie than I did watching the band’s actual performance.

Pallbearer, by Evil Robb Photography

Pallbearer, by Evil Robb Photography

I had a similar reaction to Pallbearer. I have plenty of friends that worship them, but they are just not my thing. I need something with a little oomph to keep my attention which I guess kind of defeats the purpose of what they’re trying to do but, hey, I need more fuzz and more grooves.

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High on Fire opened their set with ‘The Black Plot’ off of Luminiferous (eOne) and with me foolishly thinking that I would simply admire their performance from the back of the crowd in order to protect my injured wrist. By the end of their second song, I knew that I was nothing but a filthy liar as I ran through the pit and began snaking my way through the crowd towards the front row. Injury or not, I was there for a helping of Pike Juice and it wasn’t long before I found myself in front of Matt Pike yet again. As expected, the set was heavy with songs off of the last album including ‘Carcosa’ and ‘The Dark Side of the Compass’ which are two of my favorite tracks. I would have loved to have gotten ‘Bloody Knuckles’ again as it holds a special place in my heart but there’s always next time.

 

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

 

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE

PHOTOS BY EVIL ROBB PHOTOGRAPHY


Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper

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uncle acid night creeper album cover 2015

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats release their latest album, The Night Creeper, via Rise Above Records in plenty of time for Halloween. I mention this because those psychedelic, doom-y tunes got me wrapped up in reading about Night of the Living Dead while listening to them. ‘Tis the season, after all.

‘Melody Lane’ kicks off with keyboards that I would normally despise, but find myself tolerating in this case. Even with the keys, this still manages to be one of the heavier songs on the album. The guitar solo that starts at about 4:27 is one of only a few on the album. The solo paired with a little more energy overall makes this song stand out to me more than others.

Title track ‘The Night Creeper’ is a great song that commands your attention and forces you to headbang and/or contemplate your entire existence. I have been under the weather lately so I took the latter path. As expected, the song is on the sinister side of things and excellently instills a sense of despair in the listener. I also find it oddly comforting, like a more grown up way to feed your inner goth kid and bring peace to that teenage angst from so long ago.

At just over nine minutes long, ‘Slow Death’ is a beautiful and relaxing piece. The slow tempo, minimal vocals, and sounds of falling rain make it sound like something right out of the sixties. It’s the kind of song that you can throw on at the end of a long day and just let fuzz consume your mind. Listen to it a few times and I think you’ll see exactly what I mean.

The Night Creeper is an album worthy of a place in your doom collection. It’s got all of the darkness and foreboding of regular doom but without putting you (me) to sleep. Keep your eyes peeled for Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats currently on tour with Ruby the Hatchet. See you in Boston!

7.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Fogg – High Testament

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fogg high testament

High Testament (Tee Pee/Under the Gun Records) is the latest release from Texas fuzz trio, Fogg. They’re a little softer than anticipated but that’s not a bad thing if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I like to be moved by what I listen to.

The song ‘Seasons’ is easily my favorite track off the of the album as it’s heavier than the rest, particularly once you hit the 4:05 mark and it turns into something that actually resembles a stoner anthem. That’s when the band just lets the instruments do the talking for them and you start getting the fuzzed out riffs and groovy bass lines that I love.

‘Mountain’ follows suit with a touch of something a little more sinister sounding. The organ really fits in well with this song and adds extra depth and life to the song when the vocals just aren’t enough. That’s not to say that Brandon Hoffman is inadequate in any way, I would just prefer a voice that is less light and fluffy, and a lot more emotion.

If you’re looking for a decidedly chill record, this is a good pick. It’s quiet and soothing, possibly too much, in my opinion. I prefer things to have a little more energy, but when these boys do kick things into high gear, they do it well. It would have been nice to hear more of that rock and roll sound with less of the whole flower child vibe to break up how monotonous the album can be.

6.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Graveyard Unveil Tracklisting For Innocence And Decadence Album

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graveyard innocence and decadence album cover

Hot off the heels of their acclaimed US tour with and Clutch and Mastodon, Graveyard has revealed their track listing for their upcoming album Innocence & Decadence, due out on September 25th via Nuclear Blast. Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden at Atlantis Studios with Janne Hansson (Abba, The Hives, Opeth) and Johan Lindström (Tonbruket) the album promises to build on the bands previous stoner rock and psychedelic style.

Graveyard released a statement about their new album:

“Got a new album coming your way in September called Innocence & Decadence. It’s gonna be an album filled to the rim with a little bit of this – and for all of those who might wonder or worry – there will be quite a lot of that on it as well. We’ve had a great time recording the album at the “gemytliga” Atlantis Studios in Stockholm together with Janne Hansson and Johan Lindström. And after kinda being away from our daily routine as a touring band and the thrill of a new album on its way ….. we wanna leave you with…
Good to be gone, great to be back and let there be September!“ Axel, Joakim, Jonathan & Truls aka Graveyard

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Innocence & Decadence – formats and track listing: (vinyl look digipak, digital download, black/clear/splatter/orange/green/bi-coloured vinyl as well as a T-Shirt/CD bundle)

Limited edition DIGI:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
7. From A Hole In The Wall
8. Cause & Defect
9. Hard-Headed
10. Far Too Close
11. Stay For A Song
12. The Hatch (bonus track)

VINYL:
Side A:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
Side B:
1. From A Hole In The Wall
2. Cause & Defect
3. Hard-Headed
4. Far Too Close
5. Stay For A Song

CD / DIGITAL / STREAMING:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
7. From A Hole In The Wall
8. Cause & Defect
9. Hard-Headed
10. Far Too Close
11. Stay For A Song

Swedish grandmasters of classic rock, GRAVEYARD, have revealed the tracklist of their fourth full-length album, Innocence & Decadence out on September 25, 2015 worldwide via Nuclear Blast.

Innocence & Decadence will be released in various formats (vinyl look digipak, digital download, black/clear/splatter/orange/green/bi-coloured vinyl as well as a T-Shirt/CD bundle)

Limited edition DIGI:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
7. From A Hole In The Wall
8. Cause & Defect
9. Hard-Headed
10. Far Too Close
11. Stay For A Song
12. The Hatch (bonus track)

VINYL:
Side A:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
Side B:
1. From A Hole In The Wall
2. Cause & Defect
3. Hard-Headed
4. Far Too Close
5. Stay For A Song

CD / DIGITAL / STREAMING:
1. Magnetic Shunk
2. The Apple And The Tree
3. Exit 97
4. Never Theirs To Sell
5. Can’t Walk Out
6. Too Much Is Not Enough
7. From A Hole In The Wall
8. Cause & Defect
9. Hard-Headed
10. Far Too Close
11. Stay For A Song


Video: Mastodon Premieres Asleep In The Deep On Adult Swim

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Mastodon, by Hillarie Jason Photography

Mastodon, by Hillarie Jason Photography

Mastodon have released a video for their song ‘Asleep In the Deep’, and premiered on Adult Swim at 1 AM EST. You can see the video at Adult Swim’s Facebook page or below:

 

Asleep In The Deep comes off of 2014’s Once More Around The Sun (Reprise) album. The band worked on the video with OMATS cover artist Skinner and Atlanta-area director Rahim and released this statement:

We teamed up once again with Once More ‘Round The Sun’s cover artist Skinner, who is the brain behind “Asleep in the Deep.” The video tells the psychedelic and epic journey of a house cat who unknowingly travels into a bizarre gypsy catacomb where it encounters a giant bullfrog, a three-headed evil rat king, cat gnomes, cheese slaves and a warrior squirrel. “Asleep in the Deep” is directed by Atlanta-based director, Video Rahim, and co-directed by Special FX guru, Shane Morton (Head of SPFX Make-Up on Adult Swim’s Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell) and Skinner. Hey Beautiful Jerk, a NYC-based design and visual effects boutique, provided creative direction and all post-production services.

mastodon asleep in the deep screen capture wbr

Still image from Mastodon’s ‘Asleep In The Deep’ Video (Warner Bros./Reprise)

Skinner, also released a statement about the video:

“This concept was birthed out of my curiosity about what a cat really does at night while we are asleep,” says Skinner. “Where do they go? Cats have a very mysterious myth to them and I thought it would be cool to explore that, as little nocturnal heroes. I decided to put a sort of Joseph Campbell hero myth spin on it and add some Jodorowsky psychedelia as well. I’m more than excited about the way it came out! I love it!”


The Atomic Bitchwax – Gravitron

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the atomic bitchwax gravitron

Pulling together talent from bands such as Monster Magnet, Godspeed, and Core, psychedelic rockers The Atomic Bitchwax kick off the second quarter of 2015 with their sixth full length release, Gravitron (Tee Pee Records), and it’s one that you don’t want to miss out on.

The album’s opening track ‘Sexecutioner’ is short, but serves its purpose in catching the listener’s attention and preparing them for the riff odyssey to come. However, the hook for me came with Chris Kosnik’s bass lines in ‘No Way Man’. I was in and things only got better from that point. Bob Pantella’s drumming provides the heartbeat and when combined with the way that Finn Ryan makes his guitar sing, it creates something reminiscent of long road trips and Fourth of July barbecues. It feels very American in a way. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, ‘War Claw’ provides an excellent secondary example of this.

Things slow down a bit with the album’s closing track, ‘Ice Age Hey Baby’ but that is by no means a bad thing. It’s an extremely catchy tune and will likely go on to become a sing-a-long/crowd interaction staple during live performances. This is a good place to end the album on and even transitions well back into ‘Sexecutioner’ if you have it on repeat like I still do. I also just love how sad it sounds. I’m a sucker for the raw emotion that gets left behind when you strip away the parties and the sunshine and I can’t stop singing along.

This record is a great way to usher in spring after another long New England winter. It’s a great album but at just over half an hour long, I was left wanting more. Don’t leave a girl wanting more riffs, that’s just cruel. Length aside, The Atomic Bitchwax have released another fantastic record that was well worth the wait. Friends in Europe and keep an eye out for the boys on their tour through May.

8.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Blackout – Blackout

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Blackout-digitalcover1400-500x500

The delicate, almost tasteful indicator to hirsute naturism adorning the cover of the eponymous, sophomore full-length from Brooklyn crushers Blackout (Riding Easy) nods to a polite, MoR-infused Heavy rock; the trio of fresh faces seemingly hiding an element of wounded steel. It comes as a very pleasant surprise, therefore, to find that the sound within is a brain-frazzlingly heavy kaleidoscope which tips its cap toward these very shores.

From the outset the influence of the UK’s Doom and Psychedelic scenes is overtly apparent; the spaced vibe of London mindwarpers Hawkwind wedding with the morose horror of Electric Wizard. Roaring riffs crack open the skull and forcibly widen the mind whilst the low rumbling of Justin Sherrell‘s earth-shaking bass, first noticeable in the title track, exudes the multi-hooved thunder of Odin’s cavalry. Slightly more complex passages of ‘Sprites’ and album opener ‘Lost’ invite Kylesa to the party, with a slightly harsher edge to Christian Gordy‘s roars and screams evoking Phillip Cope’s cavernous utterances and adding to an already powerful intensity.

Gordy’s oscillating clean vocal brings to mind both the devilish haunting of Jus Oborn and the deep, vibrating incantation of The Wounded Kings’ George Birch; a laconic moaning that coats the fuzzed, murky atmosphere in a warm yet nefarious candlelight. Taryn Waldman‘s drums, meanwhile, are slightly suffocated in the mix, surely to shield the listener from the titanic pummel that would damage the ears without such protection. Indeed it’s the colossal convergence of riff and rhythm where this album reaches its apex, as with the pulverising mass opening ‘Cross’ which is both euphoric and oppressive. The track’s leadplay is sparing but perfectly carries ominous melodies with consummate timing and suitability, while its coda’s closing swell is the album’s most expansive and definitive moment.

The phenomenal resonance and weight, best exemplified in the rolling crush, yelping roars and hammer blows of ‘Tannered’ and the sample-littered crush of closer ‘Human’, will prove irresistible to fans of Blackout’s aforementioned peers and proves originality isn’t always a byword for quality. Crunching, unnerving, yet capable of unforeseen subtlety, this is an intriguing and highly enjoyable set.

 

8.0/10

Blackout on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Pombagira – Flesh Throne Press

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London-based stoner/doom duo Pombagira are a productive pairing. New album Flesh Throne Press [Svart] is their sixth album in just eight years, but have managed to create a two-disc, 90 minute engrossing monster. Themes covered range from “the dead and the necromantic discourse for conversing with ancestors,” while the title itself apparently “refers to the visceral experience of the grave dirt which presses in on the flesh,” which fits the mood of the record well.

The vocals from Peter Hamilton-Giles (Vocals, guitar) swing from haunting melancholic wail to almost Gregorian chant, his riffs swamped in layers of reverb and distortion until it’s a fuzzy drone. Carolyn Hamilton-Giles drums provide an equally languid backing track, but it’s a great pairing.

It’s densely heavy in the kind of Electric Wizard way yet provides of light and shade. The album shifts between quiet introspection and thick fuzzed-up walls of noise; 10 minute epics are interspersed with more serene and stripped back instrumental interludes to break up the journey and provide respite. There’s tinges of early Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd-esque psychadelica and even early prog rock thrown in to the mix.

It’s hard to nail down exactly what Pombagari’s sound like. There’s occasional psychadelica, drone, maybe even some shoe-gaze type territory. But whatever sub-genre you like, there’s plenty to enjoy about Flesh Throne Press (Svart) is spaced out, down tempo and very easy to immerse yourself in. Bottom line: It’s heavy, chilled and atmospheric. As long as you can cope with the 90 minute runtime, Flesh Throne Press is a great album for relaxing to and getting lost in.

 

7.5/10

Pombagira on Bandcamp

 

DAN SWINHOE


Ghold – Of Ruin

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original

At the ‘Gig of the Milennium’ in Manchester, England, last September, a little-known London duo blew apart a path for Pallbearer and Yob to follow. Ghold certainly left their filthy, mammoth mark on that evening, and carry that on into their second album Of Ruin (Ritual Productions).

Following the path of brutal weight and minimal lyrics blazed by the likes of Conan, Ghold’s fearful cacophony carries added omen; a grimy edge to the fizzing, ploughing bass notes and a gruff, screamed vocal rather than the distant, atonal holler expected. There’s variation too with the whispered intonations of opener ‘Saw The Falling’ exploding into a Coltsblood-style roar, time switches expertly and forcibly executed by cavernous drums for a downright earth-shaking opening. The voice develops into a crackling roar à la Matt Pike during the ensuing ‘Partaken Incarnate’ with chaotic and pummelling rhythms building the atmosphere for a booming mid-section, the staccato riff savage and violent; whilst the clean vocal, reminiscent of Kansas‘ Steve Walsh, shouldn’t fit but really does, and introduces a whirling, psychedelic coda.

The apparent belief in scene-setting is borne out in the sinister vignette of jazzy structures and false heartbeat to the building intensity of ‘All Eyes Broke’, whilst the mashing, uncontrolled battery of ‘Pursed’ and ‘Odic Force’ leads to passages of ominous pondering. The middle section of ‘Odic…’ is an horrific, quickening confusion, sound attacking from all directions and showing an inventiveness to the crawling, evil resonance.

The only issue is the rigidity of tone and cold lack of emotion which the occasional contribution of a guitarist, so effective in the live show, would awaken considerably here. Of Ruin represents the monstrous warrior, unmoved by pleasantry and unwavering in his savage wielding of a weapon, the merest hint of a switch in direction garnering devastating results without flourish. The riff and clattering bass of closer ‘Rid The Gleam’ drop from the heavens, whilst the squeaking of the viciously-treated strings attack the nerves like a prowling psychopath. More adventurous than many such cave-dwellers however, there’s mystique and intrigue in Ghold’s approach, showing the ability to lead and even change the game.

 

7.0/10

Ghold on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN

 

 

 

 


Tijuana Bibles – Sun Chaser (Single)

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Despite not having even released a full length album, and thus far one EP and single, Glasgow’s Tijuana Bibles have already accomplished quite the feats, most notably several small festival appearances and one at T In The Park; not something that every band you will find in these pages can claim. In anticipation of their upcoming release, these youngsters unveil latest single, the very catchy Sun Chaser (Pling).

On evidence of this single, it seems Tijuana Bibles have their ears to several phases of British influence. The main bulk sits strongly with indie rock and even a little Britpop, but doesn’t have quite the over-sanitized sheen or overly pop air of such mainstream radio fodder. Coupled with the hints of psychedelic and even blues hiding away and what we have here is signs of something special. On this single alone it seems that these guys’ future is very bright and should see acclaim from both the mainstream audiences and to those looking for something a little different.

 

7.0/10

Tijuana Bibles on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL