PLACE OF SKULLS
Victor:
2004 was a very up and down year for Place of Skulls. The highlights were the European tour, which was
the first time over for this band, and hooking up with Outlaw Recordings.
Outlaw released "Late For An Early Grave", my solo album of some demo material I recorded back in the
early 90's. They'll also be releasing our new EP, "Love Through Blood" in early '05.
The downside of the year brought us the departure of Tim from the band, which left us in an
extreme bind getting ready for the Euro tour and forced the postponement for
recording our next full-length CD.
We were fortunate enough to have Minnesota Pete Campbell step in on the drums for touring. I have
hopes of working with him again in the future.
Also, our relationship with Southernlord Recordings dissolved in 2004. Not much of a caring
issue there though, since it was never really discussed in a professional manner.
Most recently is the break-up of Place of Skulls and it's current line-up. Not a 2004 issue of course
but due to the recent announcement, it's probably most relevant.
I'd like to thank Dennis Cornelius for his commitment and dedication. He's been there every
step of the way since he joined the band and I wish him the best of luck in the future. Also, to all
who supported, promoted, and attended shows, thanks for everything.
POD PEOPLE
Josh Nixon:
2004 was a year to take stock and start writing the next album. We did a bunch of good
shows from Anzac Day on Sydney Harbour on a boat to headlining the High
Voltage festival in Melbourne, but this year was all about
getting "Doom Saloon" out into the world.
We have played with Cathedral twice on previous visits to Australia, so I guess
we must have done something right as Lee and Wil at Rise Above Records decided our debut full-length
was worth putting the Rise Above stamp on it. As a result of their generosity, we've managed
to glean a lot of great press and contacts from all over Europe and we've gotten a lot
of great correspondence from all over Europe as a result.
We just played our last shows at a pretty big local show here and are currently gearing
up for a full steam ahead summer of finishing writing the album, which we're about 6
songs into. We recorded one for a split 7" single which is due out in early '05 with
our former High Beam Records label mates Daredevil.
Artwork was done by Ray Ahn of the Hard Ons and continues on our Dante's inferno theme
from "Doom Saloon." The song is called "In the End" and is offers ample riffage for all
your early '05 needs.
- Electric Wizard - "We Live"
- Unearthly Trance - "Seasons of Séance, Science of Silence"
- Hidden Hand - "Mother Teacher Destroyer"
QUALONE
Dwayne:
2004 has been Qualone's most productive year yet. We began the year
honing our material in preparation for entering the studio to record our first album, which
we did in April. We spent the better part of the month recording and
mixing our first album with Don Tart and Jeff Tomei [Smashing Pumpkins, COC, Jerry
Cantrell] helming the controls. We found the right artwork, pressed up the album and released
it ourselves in October.
Between the recording and release of the album, we had to replace our original bass
player, Stephen Carrington, with Bret Showalter [Plaster, Gonzalez], and played
some shows around town.
Lately we have been writing some new tunes, cutting demos, and preparing for
some upcoming out of town gigs.
In 2005 we plan to try and put together a little tour on the East Coast, continue
promoting our album, and try to get into the studio to record another album by the
end of the year.
- The Secret Machines – "Now Here Is Nowhere"
- Jello Biafa & The Melvins – "Never Breathe What You Can’t See"
- Brian Wilson – "Smile"
THE QUILL
Christian:
2004 turned out to be maybe the most exciting year so far for us.
Finally we were given the opportunity to go on descent tour [and what a
tour that was!]; 38 shows in 8 weeks all over Europe supporting Monster Magnet and
Gluecifer.
Pretty much all venues were sold out [capacity 500-3500]. We
spread our sound to a whole lot of new ears this spring and gained some
great feedback from the crowds almost everywhere. A million thanx to the
MM and Glue-camps! You're all great people!
Summer was spent pretty much at home with some festivals booked here and
there. The highlight was Arrow Rock festival in Holland [big fucking
tent -great crowd!]
Since then we are writing new tunes, by now there are about 15 new songs
read; studio-time will be booked as soon as the label situation is
confirmed.
- The Soundtrack of our Lives - "Origin Vol.1"
- U2 - "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"
- Monster Magnet - "Monolithic Baby"
REVEREND BIZARRE
Albert:
2004... when thinking about this past year the first thing that comes to
my mind is that so many important and exciting things happened that it is
actually hard to remember everything!
We had new releases out and found many new friends for our music. Our
community on the Hellridemusic.com forums grew enormously. We met
many interesting people.
We experienced many adventures in our trips abroad and played few memorable
gigs here in Finland too.
We performed for the first time in UK; where we met Cathedral, a band without whom
we probably would not exist, and in Holland; where we reached new heights... so
to speak. We also returned to Germany, a country that has a special place in our hearts and
I personally learnt new things about my mind there and reached new depths.
We became friends with guys from Officium Triste, Well of Souls and many
many other bands.
In Finland we were honoured to support Esoteric who turned out to be great
and special people. Finally in December we started recording our second
album "Crush the Insects"."
As you can see, my memories of 2004 are fragmented. It is hard to clearly
understand everything we experienced. In many ways this was the most
important year for Reverend Bizarre so far.
If I were asked to point out the highlight of 2004, I would say it was the
opportunity to meet people who have meant a lot to us as a band, namely Russ Smith, Rich
Walker, Patrick Walker, Lee Dorrian, Gaz Jennings. Tom Phillips, Angelo Tringali, Mike
Smail, Jim Hunter, Jean Mathues... I could go on, but I won't as I would
forget someone important anyway. All of you know who you are!
Hails to everyone we met! We shall meet again! 2005 will be even something
more exciting.
Oh, and it is needless to say that I forgot something very essential...I
can't help it...
- Pentagram - "Show 'em How"
- The Gates of Slumber - "The Awakening"
- Morningstar - "Finnish Metal"
RWAKE
Reid:
2004 has been a great one for RWAKE. The year began
with us writing and demoing tunes for what would be our
latest record "If You Walk Before You Crawl, You Crawl
Before You Die."
We trekked to Chicago in March with
the help of At A Loss Recordings to record the album
with Buried at Sea mastermind / brother in metal / sound
monster Sanford Parker.
We were honored with the invitations to be apart of the
Emissions From The Monolith festival for a second time
around and to kick off and roll with the Alabama
Thunderpussy summer tour starting the same weekend.
Tearing up the country with our bros turned out to be
the best thing we've done yet. We played lots of new
places and had a blast gettin to visit with friends new
and old.
Upon returning in July the band kinda settled down
for B and Jeff to concentrate on having their new boy
Charlie who joined the family in October. While taking
a break from playing live a few members had time to
work on other projects including Son of Jor-el,
Harmegeddio, Ill Conduit, and Jeth.
The New Years eve show here in our hometown of Little
Rock marked the return of RWAKE for 2005 and beyond.
We have begun to write material for an EP due in the
spring and are setting in stone our April tour. We
hope to tour our asses off summer and fall as well.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us... all our
brothers of the road, our hometown crazies, families,
and everybody who wrote all the great reviews and cool
articles in 2004... we're stoked.Cheers -HORNS.
- Entombed - "Unreal Estate"
- Death Angel - "Art of Dying"
- Motorhead - "Inferno"
SANTERIA
Dege:
After 10 years of consistently slamming it out -in our
own southern-freaky kind of way- Santeria is now on
'indefinite hiatus.'
We haven't split. Nobody hates one another. The LowDown is, Shit Got Too Tense: two
guys got engaged, Krishna broke his legs in a car
accident [he's ok, now], Jay moved to NYC to work and
hang out with bohemians. Plans are being made to
record the 4th Santos disc after Krishna fully
recovers from his accident... So stay loosely tuned.
In the meantime, I've got a new band called GhostTown
which is like southern, piano, acoustic, death-blues, cleandoom-depressed, Sinatra-lounge
music. Trust me, it's cool. Doesn't suck. Great
players.
Also, on the side, I'll be playing guitar and
slide in C.C. Adcock's touring band [The Lafayette
Marquis]. He's alike a white Screaming Jay
Hawkins-meets-Dr.John guy from southern Louisiana.
Fun, swampy, bluesy music. We'll be on tour in the
states and possibly Europe... so come out, if you want
to hang.
- Tom Waits - "Real Gone"
tied with Cat Power, "You
Are Free"
- Victor Griffin - "Late For An Early Grave"
close 2nd: Alabama Thunderpussy - "Fulton Hill"
- Elliot Smith - "From a Basement On A Hill"
tied with listening to
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) tapes and tripping on the sounds of dead people. This shit
is my kind of weird!!!
SASQUATCH
Clayton Charles:
2004 was an amazing for the hairy rock beast. Our Small Stone Records
debut came out in August. Holy shit, finally! We followed up with a US tour and snuck
in two major music conferences, CMJ in New York Cit, and SXSW in Austin, Texas.
We were able to place a few of our songs on such projects as Clerks X [the re-issue of
the cult classic], the Monster Garage and American Chopper video games from
Actavision, as well as gaining full rotation of MTV's Viva la Bam second season.
Aside from our tour the personal highlight of our year came recently. Somehow, the magazine
of our childhood worship, Guitar World has taken some interest in us. For the band this
is emotionally huge. We're not a hell bent on success type of group but more
focused on recognition.
We are very realistic about this industry and quite frankly, only concerned about
producing a quality product. This is also why we love the stoner rock scene and Small
Stone Records.
To have a profile in a music magazine for musicians that we weaned our
playing on as teens is testament enough that doing what we love is poignant.
2005 will bring on more of the same with a new album, another appearance at SXSW and
possibly CMJ too! And without a doubt another tour of the U.S and possibly
Spain.
I would like to wrap up on a more somber note. The tragic slaying of guitar-great Dimebag
Darrell and concert goers has really put the tight nit metal scene and many
other musicians for that matter on edge.
Though this was obviously a bizarre incident brought on by a very disturbed
individual we must wonder, how safe are we all in these smaller venues.
Myself and Keith had the pleasure of running into DD at the Namm show this past
year in Anaheim CA at the Washburn booth. What a down to earth individual. My last thoughts of
him will always be from that day. Arm wrapped around some really friggin' hot
porn star, taking pictures with kids hoping to follow in his path. God bless brother. RIP...
SHEAVY
Stephen Hennessey:
The first part of 2004 was pretty slow in the Sheavy camp
but things have definitely picked up in the past few months.
We started jamming again in September following a two year hiatus.
After a few weeks of beating on the old tunes we started writing new material.
Around that time Ren got a new job and it became pretty clear that he
wouldn't have the time necessary to get an album recorded before the New Year.
So, after some soul searching and a few hard decisions we decided to ask a
friend to come on board and fill in on drums. Kevin Dominic, who played with Dan in a
number of local bands, was kind enough to help us out and by mid November we
decided we were ready to record.
On November 21, we started tracking in a large room above a downtown
St. John's pub. Ten days later, the drums and bass were finished and we
took the project into Rick Hollett's Red House Studio here in St. John's.
Over the next few weeks we did the guitars and vocals and completed the
remainder of the tracking. As of right now, the album has no title and has
not been mixed but we're scheduled to have Billy Anderson take care of the
mix in San Francisco in early January and by then, we should have decided on
a title. The album is slated for an April 5th release in the U.S. Rise
Above have not been able to specify any other release dates.
As far as touring goes, we're looking at a U.S tour with 25-30 shows
in the Spring and hopefully a slot at the Emissions festival in Ohio in May.
European touring will probably depend on the success of the album and the
U.S tour.
In the meantime, we're looking at revamping the website, putting
together merchandise for the tour and doing a performance DVD for the new
album plus selected tracks form previous albums.
After a long hibernation, we're back in business. We'd like to thank
Roadburn for the continued interest in the band and to all our fans for
keeping the faith. Hope you all have an awesome 2005!
- Clutch - "Blast Tyrant"
- Mastodon - "Leviathan"
- Fu Manchu - "Start The Machine"
GIDEON SMITH & THE DIXIE DAMNED
Gid:
In the last few years we played some good shows, met alot of cool people and had alot
of fun playing music. After a long start, the "Dealin' Decks" EP is now
done, such as it went from originally a four song vinyl 7" to six songs and
ended up being slated to be released on CD in January 2005 by Scarey Records, mighty
Italian kings of rock madness.
We had our song "Draggin' The River" featured on the television show "The Sopranos", as well as
having two songs on other shows too, Action Sports used "Ghost Rider" and Mica Creek used "River" as
well. This was all thanks to the efforts of Small Stone Records and the mighty folks at Rumblefish.
We turned in a real swampy version of Skynyrd's "4 Walls Of Raiford" for the
upcoming Underdogma /Game Two tribute CD, and also turned in a bluesy acoustic
version of an AntiSeen song for the TKO AntiSeen tribute CD.
Speaking of A-Seen, I sang a show with the band Brothers Of
Freaks, an all Antiseen cover band featuring members of Dead
Kings and Mad Brother Ward, that was alot of fun.
A couple of years ago there was an outdoor show / party thrown in memory of old
departed drummer Boo Duckworth, and I sang a few songs with his
old band Animal Bag, it was a real special moment for me and a great day.
You can check out pictures of the show that day on
the band's website as
well as check out their music, which was great
psychedelic / alternative rock. I encourage anybody who never had their
records or saw their shows to check out their powerful, high quality music.
Our version of Zodiac Mindwarp's song "Meanstreak" was on the Sleazegrinder Zed tribute CD, and that
was a real pleasure after years of being super Z fans.
Our guitarist Brad Fury started his own band, DRAT, with
members of Black Lagoon and Aqualads and they are about to release their
first CD.
They play punk, which is influenced by Misfits and Black Flag. Bassist Jose Wright
played with the hardcore band Undying, and toured Europe with those cats for awhile.
We were recently contacted by horror movie icon Isabelle Stephen who
asked us to write a song for her new movie. We were all thrilled such as we are all
big horror movie lovers and Isabelle worshippers.
In bad news, we did have some rat bastards steal most of the band's equipment from
our rehersal place, which slowed things down for us for many months, but we
are in steps to get the equipment back and prosecute the offenders, and are now
practicing again getting ready for next year with new equipment.
As the year ends, we are working up the new songs for our next Small Stone Records album."
- Throttlerod - "Starve The Dead"
- Axe Handle - "S/T"
- Alabama Thunderpussy - "Fulton Hill"
SMOKE
After taking a trip around the states at the end of 2003 Smoke looked to cool
their jets and just rebuild in 2004, playing just a handfull of dates throughout
the year.
The two most memorable shows were the Sasquatch record release party and a trip up the California coast
to San Francisco where we joined rockers Dirty power for a night of rock.
Though the the band played few shows in 2004, Smoke was working harder than ever to
rebuild. With tour drummer Bobby Vega going back to his band Kick The Habit, that opened the door
for smoke to explore new opportunities with drummer Ron Welty formerly of "The Offspring."
Ron being an old friend offered up his drumming and studio time and as of now Smoke is actively seeking a
record deal while continuing to write new music.
- Orange Goblin - "Thieving From The House of God"
- Sasquatch - "S/T"
SONS OF OTIS
"Ken:
2004 was a strange one for the OTIS boys!!! I'll cut to the chase... finished
our disc in early 2004. Still no label. Hooked up with Small Stone Records, but only to
find out that the disc would have to wait until 2005 to be released!! Budget stuff!!
So we waited and low and behold, the disc entitled "X" is
available now through Small Stone and will hit the streets Feb. 22 2005!!
So it all worked out in the end and we hope 2005 will be much more soild for the band.
I always forget what happened earlier in the year so I don't have much to say!!! Weed and old age!! as for
3 releases of 2004, hell, I can't remember anything! I didn' t really buy
anything new! I did get a killer bootlegg of the band OM which is
heavy!!! What more can i say... thanks for your support and peace and love
to all!
SPIRITU
Chav:
This last year has been a year of regrouping of sorts for Spiritu. Jadd and
I have been relentlessly been searching for a new bass player and drummer.
We added another guitar player and currently just finished writing and
recording a song for the Daredevil records compilation "Burn the Street -
Volume 4" coming out in March. We hope to have a full line up soon so we can
start recording new material and get out on the road as soon as possible.
- Mastodon - "Leviathan"
What can I say about
this album other than fucking great stuff. And live they just tear it up like none other.
- Dove - "S/T"
I was always a big fan of Cavity and Floor and this album just
fuckin slays, from the acoustic opening track all the way through to the end
it's just a great album. The grooves and the riffs are just unstopable
- Clutch - "Blast Tyrant"
This one got the
most spins on my cd player this year. I fuckin love Clutch! They just have
that groove and flow to them that is like none other, you just can't help
but turn that shit up as loud as you can and it's still not loud enough,
fuckin great.
I'd also have to say that
the new Yob - "Illusion of Motion" is also up there on my favorites for 2004.
SPIRITUAL BEGGARS
Michael Amott:
"2004 was a pretty good year for Spiritual Beggars, although we didn't do
any touring at all! But we did write and record a new studio album and put
together a live DVD... the new album and the DVD will both be released
seperately in 2005. A tour of Europe and Japan will follow. See you all
then!"
- Clutch - "Blast Tyrant"
- Gov't Mule - "Deja Voodoo"
- Blood Of The Sun - "S/T"
SUNDIAL
Gary Ramon:
2004, went too fast, Sun Dial made a tour of Europe in the early part of the year. Since then,
the band have been working on several projects. The first of which is an overview
of the band up till this time. Not a "best of" as such. We located some un-issued tracks, which we
felt were strong enough in their own right to be considered. This album will see the light of
day in 2005.
In 2004 we've also been working on a brand new album, no release date as such, but we hope
to finish this in 2005. We also hope to make further tours in 2005.
- Love - "Four Sail"
- Listen - "S/T"
- Mellow Candle - "Swaddling Songs"
TEAR GAS & PLATE GLASS
Matt:
>From a purely musical perspective, 2004 has been
a really good year. We managed to get our second demo released in the
form of "The Sea Stranded Whipjack" and in retrospect we are still very happy
with it. I think it's a record that begins to show what we are truly capable
of.
I'd like to say a big "thank you" to everyone who has bought CDs from
us, reviewed our music, chased us up for interviews and generally just
spread the word. It's good to see people taking such an active interest in the
underground these days.
In the end I suppose we're in this purely because we love to write
music. If other people enjoy it too then that's an added
bonus. We'll continue to do what we do whether it's just us self releasing
our music or otherwise.
Fingers crossed there might even be a release in 2005 on an a label.
Keep an eye on our site for more on that.
So, moving swiftly onwards. Here are my top bands of the year, not
albums, but just bands who have made a real impression on me.
Circle
Circle are without a doubt my band of the year for 2004, I managed to
catch them live in Leeds earler this year having never heard a single song by
them. By the time they walked off stage I felt like I'd seen something
truly special.
The gig was in the Holy trinity Church and just added to the
atmosphere of the evening. There is something facinating about their
music I can't quite put my finger on. It's just trance inducing. Ever since the
leeds gig i've had "Prospekt" in my cd player pretty much non-stop.
Halo [Relapse]
My second revelation of the year would have to be Halo. I've been
meaning to check these guys out for ages. I caught them on tour with Pig Destroyer
and they totally floored me. Never have I seen a band put so much em otional
energy into their performance. Every note, every nuance, every word hit
home like a ton of bricks. Totally fucking crushing.
5ive
Last but not least, 5ive, encompacing two of the nicest guys to grace
the shores of the UK. I still remember attending their bradford Rios gig
two years back and being one of the 10 or so people that turned up. Ben and
co. were so hacked off with the venue for not promoting the gig that he put
us all on his guest list... Good to see them live again. As per usual they
made a healthy amount of noise.
Look out for new Tear Gas and Plate Glass stuff in 2005. Oh yeh, we
also have a new and much expanded website. Go
have a look.
THROTTLEROD
Matt:
2004 was a hell of a busy year for Throttlerod. In a nutshell, this was a year in
which we grew a lot by trying as many new things as possible.
Highlights include heading to NYC to record a 5 song EP that was completely different from our previous
material which turned out to be the most fun recording session we had ever had.
Just after laying down basic tracks, we became a three-piece.
In July, we did a short tour with Brand New Sin which was really fun. In October we got to
play with Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers. The very next weekend, we played three double-set shows
in which we played an acoustic / more mellow set and a heavy set.
Finally, just a few weeks ago, we recorded Foghat's "I Just Want to Make Love to You" for
the upcoming Small Stone Records "Sucking the Seventies II" compilation. The song turned
out great, and I hear that there's a lot of other good stuff on this one.
Now, in the last few days of 2004, we're getting the next album ready to record in early 2005.
- Antler - "Antler"
- Quintaine Americana - "Sharpshooter Blues"
- Clutch - "Blast Tyrant"
TORCHE
Steve Books:
Early 2004, FLOOR started writing new material for a split-EP with Pelican and
additional material for a new record. Those plans fell apart. Close to seven
new songs were in the works, but not complete. We also added a new
guitarist, Juan Montoya and Drew switched to bass.
Anyway, the long distance between members [4 to 6 hours apart], as well as other
projects [DOVE & Strikeforce Diablo] that took priority over FLOOR, we
decided to call it quits.
The day before it was official, I was contacted by Andy at Robotic Empire Records who was
interested in releasing the next FLOOR LP. Within the week, Andy hooked me up with our
drummer, Rick of "Tyranny of Shaw" [who also just broke up]. Rick was
really into FLOOR so he had a good idea of what I was looking for in a
drummer.
I brought Juan Montoya along on 2nd guitar and Rick recruited
John Nunez [of Adore Miridia] on bass. Instead of keeping the name
FLOOR, I decided to name it TORCH, but added the E after [TORCHE] to
avoid any confusion with other bands of the same name.
A group of Gay Republicans are using the name TORCHE too. I thought it was humorous!
haha... Gay Republicans? It's strange to see those two words together.
haha...
Anyway, changing the name also lifted a heavy weight off my past and since it's a completey
new band anysay. There's some similarities to what I was trying to do with FLOOR towards
the end, but it's definitely a bigger and more progressive sound.
We signed to Robotic Empire Records immediately and started working on material
for the LP. I took some of the unfinished FLOOR material with me and let everyone do
their thing.
We're very happy with this line-up and the material. We have a release
date set for January 26, 2005. TORCHE on Robotic Empire Records.
- Brian Wilson - "Smile"
- Comets on Fire - "Blue Cathedral"
- Guided by Voices - "Half Smiles of the Decomposed"
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