Today on the block we have a cut that I cannot believe is ten years old. The cut I speak of is Howling Giant’s self-titled EP. This release would come crashing onto the Cosmic Rock scene. What they deliver on this cut is this soaring sound that comes at you through the endless bound for the stars.Continue reading
Tag Archives: stoner rock album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Six Months of Sun – Creatures
Presenting the best of Stoner Metal that is guaranteed to make their listeners aghast, Geneva-based power trio Six Months of Sun are back with a third full-length entitled Creatures via Cold Smoke Records and Urgence Disk, which features atmospheric passages and a versatile succession of riffs that ranges from being heavy to sharp. Having embarked on a formidable journey of track record by opening for many big names such as Red Fang, Church of Misery, and Fu Manchu, they continue on offering a profound bestiary of Stoner riffs with hints of Prog undertones here and there. While they’re keeping their massive sounds intact, they are suitable for fans of instrumental stoner/sludge such as Pelican and Russian Circles. Being a longtime Pelican fan myself since high school years, I instantly vibed with this album right after first listen– with all its solid resonances and all that.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Moskitos – Mirage
Regarding psych rock, I have heard some of the best bands ever. They seem to come primarily from every place except for America. I have seen amazing bands from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Spain. For the first time, I’m hearing a band from Cape Cod, South Africa. Moskitos have put Cape Town on the map as a new, untapped hub for psychedelic rock with their stellar debut album Mirage (The Good Times Co.) Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Blue Heron – Everything Fades
You might not live on the desert plains, but with Everything Fades (Blues Funeral Recordings), Hard Rock three-piece Blue Heron can show you the way there. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Pallbearer – Mind Burns Alive
Five albums into their career, the fact Pallbearer was once a Doom Metal band has faded into the haze of the atmosphere that dominates Mind Burns Alive (Nuclear Blast Records). Of all the metal sub-genres, fans of doom metal are the most forgiving when it comes to a band outgrowing the confines of the genre. Perhaps this is just Brett Campbell’s beautiful singing voice distracting you from the lyrics, which are as equally as bleak as those on the previous album. There might be a marginally more optimistic tone to “Where the Light Fades.” These depressive expressions are a thread of continuity tethering this bands’ entire body of work. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Watchers – Nyctophilia
California. Beaches, blue skies, and blazing sunshine. Unless you’re The Watchers, of course. In which case it’s all about darkness, shadows, and a predilection towards all things of a nocturnal nature. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: High On Fire – Cometh The Storm
Six years (where did that time go?) after their Grammy award-winning album Electric Messiah, comes High On Fire’s latest effort Cometh The Storm (MNRK heavy). Gone is the ferocious, Thrash-like assault of the last album, replacing it is their trademark sludgy, Stoner Metal, but with a broadened palette. Can this record live up to its revered predecessor? Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Mario Lalli and The Rubber Snake Charmers – Folklore From The Other Desert Cities
Mario Lalli is a legend in the Desert Rock scene whose career started in the mid-eighties with a short-lived outfit, Across the River. From there, he’d form Yawning Man and then Fatso Jetson, (the latter with brother Larry and who’d put out their first couple of releases on the legendary SST Records label). Other bands such as
would come and go over the years, not to mention a never-ending raft of guest appearances. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Sundrifter – An Earlier Time
Small Stone Recordings, which is famous for the renowned Acid King and Wo Fat listed in their roster, sure got their thing going by releasing An Earlier Time (Small Stone Records), the third studio album of none other than Sundrifter. Having been around since 2012, the Boston-based desert rock trio has left significant marks through their 2016 debut Not Coming Back, and their 2019 sophomore album Visitations. They have also shared stages with a wide range of fellow heavy psychedelic units, King Buffalo and Gozu. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: REZN – Vinnum Sabbathi – Silent Future
If I was to make a list of my top ten bands to emerge over the past decade REZN would certainly be on this list. Back in February, they released Solace which proved to be an excellent slab of doom-gaze. I wasn’t expecting something else from them this year, but they are dropping this collaboration, Silent Futures (Blues Funeral Recordings) with Mexico City’s Vinnum Sabbathi.