THE MUSHROOM RIVER BAND -
"SIMSALABIM"
[ CD - Century Media / Meteorcity ]
This second full-length album for The Mushroom River Band marks a fairly big
change from the sound of their debut "Music for the World Beyond". Whereas the first album was
quite standard heavy, downtuned doomy rock, my overriding feeling for this album is of NWOBHM-era epitomised by Iron
Maiden's "Killers". Definitely an album for your retro metalhead.
The album starts pretty promisingly with the title track, "Bugs" and "Make
it Happen" which all have a good groove going. It starts going downhill from
then on in with most tracks being pretty much the same speed, quite bland
and lacking any salient hooks to keep my interest.
As such, I can't really recommend this record being regarded as anything
other than "average". There's nothing fundamentally bad about it but there's
nothing fundamentally great either.
alligator descartes
NEBULA -
"DOS EPS "
[ CD -
Cargo records/Sweet Nothing /
Meteorcity ]
Nebula has put their EP's "Sun Creature" [Man's Ruin] and the Lowrider split
[Meteorcity] together as one CD. With the help of Mathias Sneeberger, five
of the long deleted EP-tracks have been remixed and some additional
keyboards are added to tracks like "Smokin' Woman", "Fly On" and "Sun
Creature." The band also recorded some brand new tracks -- two high octane
rockers called "Rocket" and "Bardo Airways", and the bluesy "Long Day."
walter
ORANGE GOBLIN -
"COUP DE GRACE"
[ CD -
Rise Above Records ]
"Coup de Grace" is the fourth album by alco-fueled UK rockers Orange
Goblin. This album follows on from the critically-acclaimed "The Big
Black" and consolidates Orange Goblin's progression away from their
Cathedral-esque stoner rock roots.
>From the muscular riffing of the first track, "Your World Will Hate This"
through the mellow "Gravitation" to the bluesy boogie of "Stinkin' O' Gin",
this album just isn't what you expect. There are virtually no traces of
what you'd call psychedelic, stoner or doom. The album is just
straight-ahead, take no prisoners, no messing, heavy metal. The closest reference point
for the sound of this album is Motorhead: Marshall amps cranked to the max
and furious headbanging.
If you're disappointed by the sound of this, don't be. The album has an
exuberance about it that makes it the best Goblin effort to date, although
the songs are probably a bit simpler than they've been in the past. I
suspect that this will reap rewards in the long term as if this album
doesn't sell bucketloads and propel the Goblins towards the big-time, it'd
be a great shame. The world needs some new heavy music to stage dive to.
This is it.
The production by Scott Reeder (Obsessed,Kyuss,Unida) is solid and
doesn't mess about with the overall sound too much. You can imagine
Orange Goblin sounding pretty similar to this live. As an added bonus,
John Garcia (Kyuss,Unida) features on a couple of tracks and compliments
Ben Ward's vocals very well.
The only downside I can see is that, on my review copy at any rate,
there's no joke track at the end! What the hell's that about?!
To sum up, this album is simply excellent and continues Orange Goblin's
trajectory as one of the best rock acts around at the moment, both on
record and in a live situation.
a.descartes
PENANCE -
"ALPHA & OMEGA"
[ CD -
Martyr Music Group ]
With the release of "Alpha and Omega", seasoned veterans Penance are kicking
doom firmly into the 21th Century. Always reliable for producing solid
records, on their latest release the band explodes and tops their eight year
old masterpiece "Parallel Corners" which was praised by Martin Popoff in
"The Guide To Heavy Metal" as one of "the five top Post-Sabbath' albums
ever released."
"Alpha..." combines vintage rock, old school metal and pure
doom along with some feedback, well oiled rhythms, heartfelt lyrics, and
emotive songwriting. The album is professional and solid and well executed.
But the musical feel is what makes it special and Penance shows that there's
more to doom than the riffs of Tommi Iommi or the low end rumble of Geezer
Butler. This album is definitely a winner and reveals that Penance is at the
peak of their 10+ year career.
walter
PENTAGRAM -
"FIRST DAZE HERE"
[ CD -
Relapse ]
Although some material here has been previously released, First Daze Here is the first really good sounding
collection of the early '70s recordings by Maryland doom/stoner innovators Pentagram. Collecting recordings
done from 1972 to '76, most material included here is prime Pentagram - a band heavily influenced by the
early Blue Cheer records and not that far off musically from what bands such as Black Sabbath and Budgie were
doing in the UK around the same time period.
The majority of these recordings were only officially released on seven-inch singles, with pressings
of less than 250. A shame really, as this collection helps to expose just how criminal it was that this
band was not recognised the same way.
Sean Palmerston
PLACE OF SKULLS -
"NAILED"
[ CD -
Southern Lord ]
After a much too lengthy absence from the music scene, Victor Griffin has
returned. But he hasn't merely returned, he has done so with authority. On
"Nailed" Victor, bassist Lee Abney and drummer Tim Tomaselli have raised
the bar for top notch heavy music. Fans of Pentagram will be happy to know
that Victor's trademark guitar sound (one which puts the heave in heavy)
hasn't changed. Nor has his penchant for writing riffs that make you exclaim
"holy fuck !!!" But built on top of, under, and woven seamlessly throughout
the decidedly metal base of "Nailed" is a more earthy/jammy/open vibe (as a
point of reference think Spirit Caravan or latter day Internal Void -- two
bands which have also married metal and that fuzzier 70's heavy rock vibe).
It goes without saying that the guitar playing throughout the album is
fabulous... monster riffs and tasteful leads and licks throughout. The
rhythm section of Abney and Tomaselli is rock solid and creative, creating a
formidable three headed monster. Vocally, "Nailed" is a real success as
well. Victor's voice is at once smooth, melodic, emotional and strong. You
can hear slight similarities to Wino or even past bandmate Bobby Liebling at
times but he really brings his own thing to the table here, and if his
progression on the live front is any indication, he's just going to keep
getting better.
All discussion of technical abilities aside, what really makes "Nailed" a
classic album is the songwriting. Of the nine tracks on this album, not one
is a throwaway. "Dead" is the high point of the album for me. It's a somber,
melancholy track that twists and turns its way deeply into your soul. Songs
like the doomy opener, "The Fall," and the barnstorming "Feeling Of Dread"
would have been right at home on any of the three Pentagram albums recorded
during Victor's time in the band (not surprising, since "Dread" was an old
Pentagram/Deathrow number). Lyrically the songs run the gamut from the
personal regret of "The Love She Gave" to the spiritual and uplifting.
Indeed, spirituality plays a major role on this album.
The bottom line is this: "Nailed" is an album to beat in 2002. Find out for
yourself, and if you get a chance, see the band live. I can't recommend
"Nailed" any more highly.
brian balich
ROMA -
"SURRENDER ON DEMAND"
[ CD -
Self Released ]
An extremely interesting record by a new Boston band called Roma. They play
a kind of hard rock 'n roll that encompasses punk, grunge, southern rock,
and silliness. They go from relentless rock shredding on opener "Desperate"
to odd 60's pop with distorted guitars on "Thinking of You". They come off
as being too real to be a goofy schtick band though.
There is a whole lot of that here though, but Roma manage to tread the line carefully and end up
sounding fun and not stupid. Mostly they remind me of Nirvana in their
punkier moments, with singer/guitarist voice possessing the grit and pain of
Kurt's but also more nasality. All in all, a strange and intriguing record
with some warts.
drew
THE RUBES -
"HOKUM"
[ CD -
Underdogma ]
Do you like the Black Crowes? Did you ever wish they were heavier and less
commercial? If so, then The Rubes are the band for you. Top-notch southern
heavy rock played with great skill and energy. Obviously, they don't sound
just like the Black Crowes, but it's a good comparison point.
This is a refreshing change from the sea of sameness out there, a band with a distinct
vision and the musical skills to realize it. There is good songwriting here,
lots of dynamic variation, tension and release, big rock hooks and emotive
singing. Absolute quality from top to bottom. It is a must-hear record.
drew
SEX MUSEUM -
"SPEEDKINGS"
[ CD -
Locomotive Music ]
Sex Museum's "Speedkings" continues pretty much from where "Sonic" left off.
Like its predecessor, "Speedkings" is loaded with a psychedelic, Hammond
organ driven atmosphere and the odd indie and garage leanings too. The band
manages to interweave these distinctive styles into a coherent whole.
Sex Museum can be playing 70's inspired hard rock -- reminiscent of Deep Purple
Mk2 (hey, they even cover Purple's "Speedking") and morph into heavy psych'
turn around and change to some relentless riffing without any effort, and
without losing the continuous flow of good songwriting. All these parts
blend together really well and thanks to the almost live recording of
"Speedkings", the songs are powerful, dynamic and catchy. This is good
stuff!!!
walter
SIDEBURN -
"TRYING TO BURN THE SUN"
[ CD -
Beard Of Stars ]
Sweden keeps bringing out heavy-psych bands like it was the most obvious
thing to do. And maybe it is, since the rock culture seems to be deep-rooted
up there. Severe shocks to the stoner scene recently came from champions
like Roachpowder, Grand Magus, Half Man and Mammoth Volume. Today is the
turn of the very promising and young Sideburn, on their debut for Beard Of
Stars with "Trying To Burn the Sun".
On the opener "Planet Of Doom" they promptly pay their tribute to Black
Sabbath and their most illustrious descendants: Cathedral. The following cut
"Doin' Fine", is dressed as an Unida song, and like John Garcia, the
singer/bassist Jani Kataja is influenced by Cult's Ian Astbury.
Henceforth, the record takes off in the wake of a constant and varied
inspiration led by Morgan Zocek's space guitar and the splendid performances
of drummer Tor Penten.
Even some acoustic passing changes are in the offing,
like those which open wide in the middle of the 'cultian' "Rainmaker" and
"Burn", this last having the same cosmic inspiration as Orange Goblin.
Neither is psychedelia missing, making its way between a desert ride and a
doom close to the limits of the Universe ("Sideburn" and the extraordinary
title-track). But the most outstanding of all is "Sweet Love Of Youth", a
ballad in the style of Motorpsycho, which begins acoustic and hypnotic then
widening out into a cool percussive jam in the vein of Santana!
"Trying To Burn The Sun" puts many irons in the fire. It's like a rough gem
about to become a diamond. Its many heavy-psych facets betray a visceral
love the Swedish trio has for Seventies' hard-rock and today's stoner.
Sideburn assimilated both of them with great profit, laying the basis of a
future rich with surprises and satisfactions. This is a future to look
forward to, but there is also a present that we can bet on right away.
luciano gaglio
SKYWISE - "MORNING STAR"
[ CD -
Daredevil Records ]
Skywise is an Italian stoned spacerock band that sounds like they've
digested Hawkwind, Fu Manchu, the Heads, Kyuss and Gas Giant. Some great
moments here when all hell seems about to break loose ("Earth 2012", "Rise
>From The Ashes") but is then reigned in at just the right time. I can't seem
to warm to this record much though. Things seem to go on just a bit too long
in all the songs and the distorted vocals eventually become annoying. The
guitar tone is very flat and cold too. No single song stands out as
memorable, yet they are all pretty decent. Worth a listen if you're into
modern spacerock with a heavy edge to it.
drew
SLOW HORSE - "SLOWHORSE II"
[ CD -
Berserker Records ]
A magnificent follow-up to a magnificent debut. Slow Horse strikes again
with another fine record filled with melodic doom with a pop sheen to it.
That is not a condemnation, that is a compliment. Expanding on their sound
and refining it at the same time, Slow Horse are filling a niche in the
heavy music that sorely needed filling.
They are masters of smooth melodicdoom (Trouble mixed with Pentagram) where heaviness is not
sacrificed for popular appeal. To make a good thing even better, this second album has a
Mogwai post-rock feel to a few of the tracks. Valium anyone? Throw in truly
bizarre (but extremely subtle) cover art and you have yourselves a must-own
CD.
drew
SOULDIVIDER - "THE BIG RELAX"
[ CD -
12th Planet Music ]
Another Swedish band that loves Kyuss, tuning down, wearing cowboy hats,
putting naked women on their album covers, and hiking in that famous Swedish
desert.
drew
SOUTHERN GUN CULTURE - "ROOM 65"
[ CD - Monotremata Records ]
This heavy rock power has a very distinctive sound and some powerful riffs.
There is also a slight spacerock tinge to some of their jamming. At times
reminiscent of a more uptempo Acid King, especially when bassist Amber L. is
singing, SGC don't fall into the "sounds like..." category very often. A
couple of criticisms here, there could be more variety between the
individual songs and the vocals are mixed too dry and too far up front in
the mix. Still, this is a nice step up from their demo release and a solid
effort all around. Also contains a bonus video of the band playing live,
which shows that they are definitely a powerhouse on stage.
drew
SPANCER - "COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY"
[ CD - Self Released: spancer@gmx.at ]
4 songs, nearly 37 minutes. We are not talking about a whole lot of bpm's
here folks. This is the unholy union of German doom and sludge rock as it
might have been brewed in a Louisiana swamp by some fucked-up, hate-filled
youth. What you get is Eyehategod meets Voodoo Shock. It's too bad these
Germans didn't push this album to the limit. It's good but it's also not
earth shatteringly original. The songs seem to go on too long without
changes and they also sound a bit too similar from song to song. Lots of
good riff worship here, just not enough material.
drew
SPARZANZA - "ANGELS OF VENGEANCE"
[ CD -
Water Dragon Records ]
Lather, rinse, repeat. Another Swedish band that loves Kyuss, tuning down,
wearing cowboy hats, putting naked women on their album covers, and hiking
in that famous Swedish desert.
drew
SPOILER - "MUD 'N GLITTER"
[CD -
Suburban Records ]
These dutchmen know heavy production, that's for sure. "Mud 'n Glitter" is
bursting at the seams with great sounding guitars, warm bass, and big drums.
The songwriting is pretty good, though it seems to owe a debt to mid-period
Motorpsycho.
There is definitely some nice, heavy riff-rock here, and the
quality of the production shows that everyone is taking this seriously. Why,
then, does "Mud 'N Glitter" not do it for me? It's not just the horrid cover of
"Electrifying" from the Grease soundtrack, but that's part of it. It's not
the obligatory big-breasted woman on the cover either, but that's another
part of it too. I guess it's the repetition that turns me off... Don't let
that stop you though, give this a listen if you can.
drew
THE STONER KINGS -
"BRIMSTONE BLUES"
[ CD -
Rebel Breed Recordings ]
Finland's The Stoner Kings play testosterone-charged rawk n' roll.
"Brimstone Blues", the band's debut full length, is heavy with simple,
yet effective, guitar riffs and solos, angry fist-pounding rhythms, punchy
choruses and bluesy ballsiness. The album's fast and furious rockers are the
potential soundtrack for a bare knuckle fight at a helluva barbecue down
south or for revving up a Fatboy Harley and heading out for fried chicken
and rollerderby.
Some of the songs ("Cobblestone Road") are angst-flavored
cuts while others like "Damn Delilah" sport a message for "all the bitches
who cast a bad shadow on their more noble sisters"' as frontman and
songwriter Starbuck likes to put it. "Brimstone Blues" isn't a make up album
either, it's a more of a visceral record for those who'd like to join the
WWF Wrestling-competition or to find some other reason for wearing a speedo
and touching well-muscled men. File next to Hammer Cocks and Nashville
Pussy.
walter
SUB SECOND ROCKET - "HORSEPOWER"
[ CD -
Daredevil Records ]
Hmmmm... there's a whiff of Kyuss on the breeze. What exactly is the Swedish
fascination with desert rock? Whatever it is, there are so many desert
rock/stonerrock bands from Sweden that you need a program to tell them
apart.
Sub Second Rocket are actually pretty good at what they do and they
have more originality than some of their swedish counterparts, which is a
good thing. The vocals on this record are pretty decent as well. The music?
Well, I'm sure we've all heard it before...
drew
SUBVERSION - "BEATIN' THE SHIT OUT OF IT"
[ CD -
Daredevil Records ]
This is an interesting mix of sludge, grunge and metal. With superdowntuned
guitars bashing out repetitive narcotic riffs, swarm-of-bees fuzzy
production and vocals that sound like Udo on 16 rpm, there is a lot to like
here. Majestic arena rock sensibilities are translated through the wall of
grunge fuzz to present a new kind of lighter-in-the-air metal.
Fun and stupid in a good way, the riffs here are going to snap your head back and
forth even if you are a four-eyed science geek. There is no subtlety here.
Then again, there is no filler or pretentious nonsense either, just 100%
rock. This is modern hessian music for heshers, break out the Subversion
backpatch on your jeans jacket now!
drew
SUPLECS - "SAD SONGS... BETTER DAYS"
[ CD -
This Dark Reign/DevilDollRecords ]
Road dogs Suplecs return with their second full length called "Sad Songs...
Better Days", originally released on Man's Ruin Records and now a re-release
on This Dark Reign/DevilDollRecords. Featuring ex-members of Eyehategod,
the record rips through a succession of white trash blues, and down-n-dirty
southern sludge laced with psychedelica. Combining good songwriting,
powerful vocals and thick grooves, "Sad Songs... Better Days" is more
developed and gritty than its' predecessor "Wrestlin' With My Lady Friend."
In fact, the album has all the strengths that earned Suplecs their live
reputation and rocks out! Features a cover of The Beatles "I Want You (She's
So Heavy)."
walter
TEETH OF LIONS RULE THE DIVINE - "RAMPTON"
[ CD -
Rise Above Records /
Suburban ]
Sweet mother of Mercy... just when you thought you had reached the absolute
pit of depression and misery with bands like Sunn0))), Khanate and Earth,
along comes Anglo/American collaboration, TOLRTD. They do the unthinkable by
dragging you down even more than the aforementioned bands. Featuring the
likes of Lee Dorrian (Cathedral), Stephen O'Malley (Burning Witch, Khanate)
& Greg Anderson (Goatsnake, sunn 0))), Thors hammer), when TOLRTD got
together it was bound to spell out some ultra grim doom. Doom so grim that
Goths and nu metallers alike are running for cover.
What we have here is 3 tracks of utter despair, misery and hatefilled
depression... 3 loooong tracks (including a slowed down version of
Killdozer's "New Pants & Shirt"), that are devoid of any hope, love or
future. This album will only appeal to the most twisted of doom fans (real
doom, not gothic rock with keyboards, kids!) and outright suicidal manic
depressives. Even the title "Rampton" refers to a mental institution in Mr.
Dorrians backyard.
The production is top notch, thanks to master of heaviness, Billy Anderson.
So good in fact, that the weight of this record sits on you, suffocating,
preventing movement, obliterating, until you can convince someone to turn it
off for you! A must for those who appreciate pain and mindcrushing
heaviness.
steve
TOTIMOSHI - "¿MYSTERIOSO?"
[ CD -
Berserker Records/Crucial Blast Records ]
Come explore some new ground: the world of Totimoshi. A band that uses
diverse styles and sounds to ensure that you will hear something
interesting. This is the second CD from this bay area (California) band and
it shows a marked improvement over their debut. It is much more confident
and convincing to the listener.
Their comfort level translates to a sound that is more cohesive and natural. So, what is it you're hearing?
Math rockband meets Neurosis with no screaming? Sort of. 1930's radio broadcasts
slowed down to a stop? Yes. Hypnotic, repetitive guitar riffs? Definitely.
Throw in occasional, mostly muted vocals and a few double bass rolls and
some musical parts that recall The Knack and/or Billy Idol, and you have a
unique musical landscape.
drew
VACANT STARE - "VINDICATION"
[ CD - Copro Records ]
This is a breath of fresh air. Very clean and polished soundwise, this has
all the production trademarks of a major label product, but the music is
laced liberally with noncommercial aspects. Asia meets Slayer? Something
like that, as odd as that seems. Double bass rolls, tricky timings and
sludge metal vocals coexist with electronics, very poppy vocals and melodic
songwriting to form... something new. Granted, anyone who believes that, "if
it ain't underground, it ain't shit" will undoubtedly hate this record, but
that's not who it's aimed at.
If this were to play on my local Limp Bizkit/Creed/Staind radio station, I'd be pleased as hell. Of course, I'd
never be listening to that station, so the point is moot, but you get the
idea.... If you have an open mind and want to hear a potential future for
commercial music that is heavy, check this out.
drew
WE -
"DINOSAURIC FUTUROBIC"
[ CD - Black Balloon Records ]
On this, their tenth overall release and fifth full length, Norwegian
favorites We present us with more of what they do well. That is, they play
spacerock in the stule of Spacemen 3 but without the heroin lethargy. Their
sound also infuses elements of 70's hard rock like Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie
and Budgie.
There are a nice assortment of tempos and styles on "Dinosauric Futurobic".
"Organic Room", "Galactic Racetrack" and "Tooth Gotta Go" illustrate this point nicely. "Organic Room"
melds Indian sitar ragas with the songwriting sense of an early U2. "Galactic Racetrack"
slithers along on a hypnotic four bar measure and has a break consisting of
congas plus electronics resulting in utter psychedelia. "Tooth Gotta Go" is
hilarious lyrically and careens along at the same breakneck pace of Queen's
"Stone Cold Crazy". Also worth mentioning is the excellent "1971" which is classic
spacerock for the ages. Another good solid album.
drew
WOOLY MAMMOTH -
"TEN TON BABY"
[ CD -
Underdogma Records ]
A good solid heavy rock record from D.C.'s Wooly Mammoth. Hailing from the
doom capital of the country (in more ways than music), the Mammoth just say
no to doom and instead offer up 4 songs of southern-tinged heavy rock. And
they do it well. Vocally this is on the average side, but the riff-bashing
is very solid and the songs are pretty catchy.
This would make a great driving record, and I'm not just saying that because one of the songs is
called "Six Hundred Pounds of Stolen Trucker Speed". These guys have all the
hallmarks of being a great live band; velocity, guitar heroics and crushing
rhythm section. Thankfully, it all translates pretty well to cd too.
drew
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