BACKBITER/ELOPE - "SPLIT CD"
[ CD - Man's Ruin ]
Hmmmmm... I think somebody is joking around with me here. The Backbitersongs sound like they could be Slaughter or Warrant outtakes if Jon Lord wasguesting on Hammond. Straight ahead 80's rock with Free vocals and aHammond? Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Maybe it will to you. Elopeare some members of Lowrider and friends recreating late 60's Abbey RoadStudios psychedelia and fusing it with early 70's boogie rock. Faux britishaccent vocals laid over ZZ Top boogie?Psychedelia for those who have never heard it? This confuses me. Check out"SF Sorrow" by The Pretty Things and "Tres Hombres" by ZZ Top. There'snothing like the real thing.
BOTTOM - "FEELSSO GOOD WHEN YOU'RE GONE"
[ CD - Man's Ruin ]
Up from the fiercy bottom of NYC's Lower East, the all female rawk 'n rolloutfit Bottom release their second full length through Man's Ruin Records."Feels So Good When You're Gone" captures Bottom's explosive live-show, andis thick with monster riffs and killer hooks. Its a platter of (primitive)seventies riff rock, heavy groove and dark blues story telling. VocalistSina spins a tale of sex, guns, violance and lust in the glamorous landscapeof hell. Let the Apocalypse begin, coz' this is definitely the real thing. www.bottommusic.com
BURNOUT -"THUNDERTITS"
[ CD -Self Released]
Stoner rock for weightlifters. What that means is this: you're pumping ironyou need some music to keep you going, but you're too busy sweating andhurting to really care what it is. Well, that's what this is. Enormous,über-fuzz riffing with thick necked vocals and lowest-common-denominatorlyrics. Low onvariety, high on octane. Sort of reminds me of scrawny man wearing 20 layersof clothes. When you start to peel away the layers of clothes, there isn'tthat much under them. Still, the image and style are there, as is themarvelous Malleus-powered cover art.
PAUL CHAIN -"THE IMPROVISER'S SIGN FROM SPACE"
[ CD - Beard ofStars ]
Cosmic-doom-guru Paul Chain released Sign from Space under the moniker PaulChain 'The Improvisor'. This is a name he's using for improvisations andlive recordings. With Sign From Space he has produced an endless (live) tripto the astral plains using electronic weirdness, outer space wizardry andspacedout guitars. One moment this sounds like the soundtrack to a cosmic ride,the next like a fucked up acid trip. On the whole it's very drugged outmusic for hawk-fans, acid freaks or dopefiends. Recommended (rehaboptional).
[ Info: Paul Chain website ]
DIRTY LUST -"WHEN FEAR ENVELOPS YOUR SPIRIT"
[ CD - Outrage Records]
This is one strange record. Spanish hard rock/death metal with huge stonedgrooves and bizarre strangulated/gargled/howled vocals. I honestly can'tfind a single band that they remind me of,which is a really good thing. Well, maybe they sound a little bit likeClutch musically, but without any of the nu-metal tendencies. Featuresprog-influenced riffing, massive double bass drumming and the occasional,ultra-satisfying cowbell. Goofy, heavy, awesome -- woah.
HONCHO - "DEMO"
[ CD - SelfReleased ]
Standard big fuzz stoner rock with above average vocals. This Norwegianquintet succeeds when adding heavy blues rock to their sound, as on"Industrial Lane" and and "Powerlock" -- that's when they tap into that sameblues/hypnotic/stoner vein of heaviness that makes Five Horse Johnson sodamn good. Atother times ("Hypnolpilot", "Synthetic Repression") they sound like a newband that likes Fu Manchu and Kyuss.
THE J.J. PARADISEPLAYERS CLUB - "WINE COOLER BLOWOUT"
[ CD - TeePeeRecords ]
The J.J. Paradise Players club is a four piece rawk 'n roll band fromBrooklyn -- spawned from the ashes of such seminal noise/rock/hardcore bandsas The Unsane, Kiss It Goodbye and The Kill Van Kull. Their debut album"Wine Cooler Blowout" is a blend of all things primitive and raw; groove,noise, sleaze and... sheer boldness. It's like a mixture between Motorhead,Neurosis, later period Entombed, Unsane, and even some 70's rock (Mountain).The album is the perfect film score for a leather (or latex) fetish party inthe sewer. Skanky sleaze pimp music all the way. It's a shame thatTurbonegro broke up, what a doublebill...
MARK D - "THESILENT TREATMENT"
[ CD - TeePee Records ]
Highly varied offering from the former Melvins soundman/bassplayer. This issolid quality from top to bottom. As an added level of virtuousity, it's oneof those records where one guy (mark) plays all the instruments exceptdrums. This has everything from rockin' grooves with southern boogie flavor(thinkold ZZ Top), to moody atmospheric rock (Mogwai-ish), to expirementaltechno-based rock (in the same vein as Thrones), to stuff that sounds like"Stag"-era Melvins jamming with a krautrock band. My only complaint is thatthere are two vastly different moods to these songs -- uptempo hard edgedrock andsuper mellow expiremental rock. It's hard to fit both of those into onelistening occasion. This would have been perfect as a two cd set. Plenty ofquality material for mixed tapes here though.
MENTAL INSECT - "LIVE AT THE BIG HORSE SALOON"
[ CD - Pteranodon Ltd. Editionsmentalinsect@yahoo.com ]
"Live at the Big Horse Saloon" is the latest CD release from Chicago basedrock trio Mental Insect. They are a very diverse live act locally known fortheir eclectic, dark, psychedelic and laid back grooves. The 4 live cutseasily fit in with genres like new wave, straight ahead rock, stonerrock,and even chicago electric blues, and this style-mixing is done with a verynatural texture. For mind expanding visuals that go along with MentalInsect's eerie vibe, check out musicvideos --a film/videofrom an earlier album called "Skull Tracks"
MERMAID - "FROMHERE TO NOWHERE"
[ CD - RecOrbital Records]
Spanish fuzz/geek rock is invented! "...From Here to Nowhere" is adventurousand interesting with influences ranging from new wave to psychedelic tostoner. First song ("To Calcalong") startsoff sounding like rather straight forward fuzzrock and ends in a deathmetalcrescendo. Second song ("Brainlost") is nearly instrumental psychedelicstoner with two catchy-as-hell choruses. Third song ("My Only Thanks Is ToDrugs") is a completely instrumental number that calls to mind QOTSA andKraftwerk collaborating. Fourth song ("A.S.O.T.H.M.") sounds a little likeBeaver musically-- but with hoarse, out-of-tune Natas vocals over it. Getthe idea? There is a wide range of music here, some of it really good, someof it kind of bad, but all of it interesting in some way. CD comes in a cooldigipack withscratch-off cover for added hipness factor.
MOUTH OF CLAY -"A NEW BEGINNING"
[ CD -Self Released]
This young Swedish band plays AOR style rock from the 70's with a bluesyedge. Singer Jocke Eriksson has a gravelly, throaty voice that is the mainfeature of this 13-song disc. Highlights are the slightly psychedelic hardblues of "Mountain High", the power ballad "A New Beginning" and the DeepPurple-ish (minus the organ) Down Below. There are a number of ballads onhere that sound too-similar and the songwriting doesn't seem as welldeveloped as it needs to be to carry 13 songs. Still, there are rawmaterials here to work with.
NOT SAVED -"SHIT SANDWICH"
[ CD - Cheap Drugs Records ]
Not Saved hail from New York's asphalt jungle, and serve up a platter ofstonerrock, metal, and NY-style hardcore. Expect nothing less than chuggingriffs, tuned down sludge, howling vocals and a hardcore edginess. "ShitSandwich" can also be groovy and real straight ahaid with all the power of arampaging steam shovel.
PEARL MARY -"DESERT OF THE SEVEN SONS"
[ CD - Pearl Mary ]
Thanks to solid songwriting, thick riffs, splitting grooves and primitivehooks; "Desert of The Seven Sons" should quickly establish Pearly Mary asone of England's contenders in the current stoner/doom scene. Check outthese South Yorkshire lads on their quest for beer, buds and bongs.Contact: marysbong@hotmail.com
SANTERIA -"S/T"
[ CD - Golar Wash Labs ]
Neo-psychedelic dopefiends Santeria rattle the vast, southern heartland withtheir riff driven, groove-heavy brand of straight-up rock, metal, blues,flamenco, art rock and tribal drumming. This 17 track album (liverecordings, acoustic demos, rehearsals and unreleased material) will leadthe listener on a acid-induced boat trip --"Deliverance" style, exploringhaunted swamps and perverse sexual desires.
SANTORO - "S/T"
[ CD - PeopleLike You Records ]
Part of the growing Argentinian stoner rock scene spearheaded by Natas.Santoro share some sound similarities with their countrymen, but with aharder, simpler edge. This is pretty straight forward stoner/desert rockwith gruff vocals. Lots of wah pedal, lots of fuzz guitar -- you know thesound. The good news is that there are a few cuts that break free from thisapproach. "Cain y Abel" is a ghostly little track with backwards music andmellow vocals. "Hay Market" is an acoustic ballad, and"Astraliano" explores the mellow, relaxing vibe found on "Space Cadet" byKyuss.
SWAMP MONGREL -"S/T"
[ 7" - Mongrel Music Records]
Honest heavy metal with D.I.Y. punk original. This is the first release fromthe Minnesota quartet whose music style fits their name perfectly -- ugly,dirty and smelly.. Yet, like your dog, you love 'em anyway. This sounds likelow-fi Twisted Sister meets Monster Magnet. Big anthems and shout alongchoruses and a Mississippi River mix. That would mean big and muddy. Injectssome much needed new influences into the world of stoner/riff rock, but doesit with a big, shit-eating grin. Just stay off thedamn couch, will you please? Contact: swampmongrel5@hotmail.com
TRICKY WOO - "LES SABLES MAGIQUES"
[ CD - Sonic Unyon / TeePee Records ]
After several 7-inches and full length albums, Canadian three-piece TrickyWoo are now checking out pure stadium rock. Rooted in 70's style firebrandrock, "Les Sables Magiques" combines elements of Led Zeppelin, Bad Companyand Golden Earring (!) with 60's psychedelica and pop. This uncompromisedextension of 1999's acclaimed 'Sometimes I Cry' will keep Tricky Woo busytouring, captivating audiences and showing their distinctive sound. www.trickywoo.com
VOODOO SHOCK -"DEMO"
[ CD - SelfReleased ]
The latest band led by ex-Naevus singer/guitarist Uwe Groebel. He joined upwith two former members of the massively underrated End Of Green and formedthis power trio. Voodoo Shock has put out a phenomenal 4 song demo thatwould have definitely made the Roadburn Picks list if it was commerciallyavailable. These Germans combine the speed and density of Wino-era SaintVitus with the ethereal feel of the slow sections of "Sky Valley" and thendeliver poignant, memorable riffs. Everything about this band seems inbalance -- from their smooth but heavy sound to their classic-rock meetsclassic-doom songwriting. The heaviness of the music is nicely offset by thelanguid guitar solos and the relaxed vocal style. The monolithic last song,"PATRA (Petra)" will appear on the upcoming Saint Vitus tribute from RavenMoon Records and gives a good idea of where Voodoo Shock take inspiration.Fulllength now, please! Contact: info@voodooshock.de
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