3D HOUSE OF
BEEF - "LOW CYCLE"
[ CD - Lunasound
Recording ]
Sludge and Rock N. Roll got together in a drunken stupor
one night. Rock N. Roll is a little bit sleazy when
she's drunk, and Sludge is really pushy, so they got
it on. They were silly passionate kids and they didn't
have a condom handy, so they didn't use one. Nine months
later, 3D House of Beef was born. This Oakland, CA band
sounds a bit like Eyehategod meets Clutch musically.
The vocals are gravelly growls and whispers and are
generally much better than what you get with your average
sludge band. This CD is a really interesting listen,
with groove by the bucketful and lots of deliberate
riffs. Very well produced by Fudge Tunnel's Alex Newport,
this is highly recommended.
500 FT OF PIPE
- "DOPEDEAL"
[ CD -
Beard of Stars ]
"What's it gonna be Bob? One, two or three?"
Does anyone remember Cheech and Chong's "Let's Make A Dope Deal", and the
very unfortunate Bob? Well, Bob should have made a "Dope Deal" with
Detroit-based space cadets 500 Ft of Pipe.The band's first full length is
the antidote for gettin' busted by narcs. It's the album for gettin' high
without having a bad trip -and seeing God while playing Black Sabbath at 78 rpm.
500 ft. of Pipe sound like "Spine of God"-era Monster Magnet and a fucked up Deep Purple at Altamont
fighting over Donovan's last stash. 500 Ft of Pipe's spaced out cover of
"Sunshine Superman" make's me wanna drop 'bad' acid. What more could a dope
fiend wish for?
"What's it gonna be Bob?"
ABDULLAH
- "S/T"
[ CD - People
Like You Records ]
"Abdullah" is the debut full-length album from....Abdullah!
After releasing some excellent EPs including the under-produced,
but quite excellent, "Snake Lore", there has been much
expectation as to whether or not they can pull off a
full-length album. A few words sprang to mind immediately
upon the first few spins of this album: Black Sabbath,
samey, overlong. All negative, I must admit. Abdullah's
general tempo is slow. Unfortunately the tempo virtually
never changes throughout the entire album which does
tend to make the tracks pretty much blur together. The
Sabbath influence is very obvious with slow, doomy riffing
and melodic vocals to the fore.
Negativity aside, I actually quite enjoyed the album.
It could definitely have done with a bit of trimming
as it runs to 63 minutes, but fundamentally is a solid
piece of work. To my ear, there are some standout tracks
which are worth mentioning. The opener "Path to Enlightenment"
(from "Snake Lore") is very good indeed with an excellent
chorus and vocals backed up with a heavy, but melodic,
riff. Similarly, "The Black Ones" is another catchy
track (given the lyrical subject matter!). My personal
favourite is "Awakening the Colossus" which, although
quite repetitive in structure and long, builds into
a great finish. A very accomplished track.
The downside is that there are about 4 or 5 "filler"
tracks which just don't add much to the overall album.
A very good debut from a very promising band and, if
the promise is fulfilled, the second album could be
an absolute killer.Review by Alligator Descartes
BACKDRAFT - "HERE TO SAVE YOU ALL"
[ CD - Lunasound
Recording ]
Sweden's Backdraft are here to save us all.And these cats deliver the
GOODS! Backdraft are blending the best of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers
and ZZ Top with a fresh, powerful perspective on country rock and soul;
blues-based dual lead guitars, raspy, earthy vocals and foot-stompin'
rhythms. With their "live-your-life-to-the-fullest", and
"have-a-beer-or-twelve" approach, the band is keeping the spirit of southern
rock alive. Backdraft will appeal to fans who love the land of DIXIE, and
they spread their southern gospel (via Sweden) through 10 alcohol-induced
songs. Amen, brother!
BLACKROCK/ROADSAW - "THE BOSTON SHERWOOD TAPES"
[ CDEP - Slow Ride/Game Two/Underdogma Records ]
Blackrock is a new entrant into the riffrock arena. They hail from England
and this two song first-taste puts them into the "bands to watch" category.
Their first song, "Loserfuel" is very uptempo riffrock like Unida but with a heavier bottom end.
Singer Sean has a decent voice, medium high in register
and laced with intensity. "Indian Ropeman" shows a different side of the
band, one that is decidedly funk flavored. Not in a cheesy funk-metal way,
but in an interesting funk-flavored-rock way.
Boston heavyweights, Roadsaw check in with one new track, "Busted Monk" and a Pixies cover! The new song
shows the band may have a bit of a commercial side, one that combines
emotional, heartfelt vocals with classic hard rock riffing. Nothing new, but
Roadsaw make it sound good. Think Linkin' Park without the rap vocals. The
second cut is the Pixies "Where is my Mind?" which is a complete surprise
coming from Roadsaw. The only connection I can think of is that they hail
from the same state. Anyway, the cover is pretty straight ahead for the most
part, albeit heavier. I miss Black Francis on it though...
CANYON CREEP - "HIJACK THE WORLD!"
[ CD - Self
Released ]
This is one of the best sounding heavy rock records
I've heard. Ever. Despite being a self-release, Canyon
Creep got Billy Anderson (Sleep, Orange Goblin) to produce,
and what a job he did! Brilliant fat guitar sounds that
just ooze distortion and whiskey, ridiculously large
bass tones and nicely balanced drums make this one satisying
sounding cd. Sadly, the music is entirely average. Uptempo,
downtuned riff-rock with nothing to distinguish it at
all from the hundreds of other bands peddling the same
fashionable underground trend. Worst of all, the singer
sounds like a bit like the stoner version of that guy
from Creed (Scott Stapp or something...). Ugh. This
does have great production and Malleus artwork though...
COLOUR HAZE - "EWIGE BLUMENKRAFT"
[ CD - Monster
Zero Records ]
The title of this cd means something like "eternal flower power", but this is not
the peace love and patchouli music of the flower power
generation. Instead, this sounds (musically) like Deep
Purple Mk 3 without the organ, plus a Josh Homme guitar
sound and Kyuss riffs from the "Circus Leaves Town"
era. There is a bit of variety here in terms of intros,
breakdowns and vocal deliveries, but somehow the overall
feeling from "Ewige Blumenkraft" is one of a gray sameness.
The very muddy production has quite a bit to do with
this, with the vocals suffering the worst, often sounding
blurry and buried. There are elements here that are
very interesting like the "underwater" vocal delivery
on "Outside", the main riff on "Reefer" and the entirety
of the 19:23 long stoner opus "Elektrohasch" which is
by far the highlight of the record. The muddy sound
and lack of new ideas are hard to ignore though...
FIREBALL MINISTRY
- "FMEP"
[ CD -
Smallstone Records ]
Great swingin' groove-doom by Fireball Ministry, L.A.'s "First Church of
Rock'n Roll". "FMEP" delivers a lethal dosage of heavy-riff-fueled-power;
80's style. On this, their second effort, singer/guitarist James A. Rota and
Emily J. Burton are spinning out cool metal riff after metal riff producing
a neck tingling rush. A stunning cover of Priest's "Victim of Changes" is
among the highlights. Also included are hard-hitting versions of Aerosmith's
"Moving Out" (from Right in The Nuts: A Tribute To Aerosmith), Blue Cheer's
"Fortunes" (from "Blue Explosion: A Tribute To Blue Cheer") and The Misfit's
"Cough/Cool". No whiny bullshit here, in fact, there's nuthin' but swingin'
riffs, pounding rhythms, and fiery vocals. Fireball Ministry has
relentlessly and fluidly risen from the ashes of a dwindling fire that once
screamed Rock n Roll. Long live Rock! (Blissfull wig-out head trauma
optional)
FISTULA - "HYMNS OF SLUMBER"
[ CD -
Shifty Records ]
Power sludge from the filthiest gutter in Ohio. Fistula are slow, distorted
and hateful. Playing a brand of sludge that is akin to southerners
Buzz-oven, Fistula break up the sludge monotony with a variety of tempo
changes and well-used samples in between songs. Nothing stunningly new or
groundbreaking here, but plenty of heartfelt hatred and catchy riffs make up
for that. With the gasoline-throated vocals buried deep in the mix, there is
lots of room for guitar riffs and Fistula make the most of it. Very
listenable, this one scores repeated plays...
GAMMERA - "SMOKE AND MIRRORS"
[ CD -
Audio Demolition ]
Thicker than a filet mignon, dirtier than a Tenderloin strip club
and built to penetrate the most iron-clad of anuses... this is
Gammera. "Smoke and Mirrors" is a live 16 track recording
capturing the band's energy and obvious enthusiasm, but also
the technical glitches and fuck ups. That is all good though, even
if the sound isn't. Too much bass, not enough mid range and
lots of clipping mar the recording. Also, the fact that it is two
years old (recorded June 1999) is a little disappointing. I'm more
interested in where the band has developed to rather than what
they used to sound like. Despite all that criticism the overriding
impression I have is that this is a good, listenable cd. The songs
have good energy, some interesting and heavy riffs, and pretty
decent singing. Musically they have definite kyuss influences as
well as a penchant for slow sludgy blues.
THE GLASSPACK - "AMERICAN EXHAUST"
[ CD -
Riverrock records/Stonerrock.com ]
Eight tracks of heavy, garage style riff rock. Relevant
components include fuzz guitars, swinging riffs, stoned
vocals and psyched out jamming. Glasspack are riff rock
influenced by the blues and boogie of Canned Heat and
John Lee Hooker. The Glasspack are obssessed with all
things good and evil; "Jim Beam" and "Good Green", and
deliver some acid-induced action down at the cruisin'
strip with serious amounts of volume and weight. Nothing
like hanging out, and drivin' fast! Out There! Smoke
it! Drink it!
KUNG PAO - "BOGOTA"
[ CD -
Maduro Records ]
Rising from the streets of Brooklyn, NY, power-trio Kung Pao serve up a
platter of pure drivin' rock. Bogota is rudimentary and rough sounding, and
laced with fat guitars, fat bass tones, and fat thundering drums. The only
thing not fat about Kung Pao are it's members. "Bogota" is diesel powered, very
down to earth, but also very monotonous. There's more to good songwriting
than channeling heaviness and aggression. Spend your money on seeing Kung
Poa live; the best environment to experience these denim-fiends.
LEECHMILK/SOFA KING KILLER - "SPLIT CD"
[ CD -
Tee Pee Records ]
Atlanta's Leechmilk sounds like they spent a lot a of time
listening to sludge pioneers Eyehategod and Grief. Taking those
band's penchant for punk meets Sabbath-influenced riffs and
throat scarring vocals, Leechmilk offer up six tracks that any
hardcore sludge-phile will find worthwhile. As for originally, that
comes in the form of the vocals being screamed loud and played
back quiet, and deep in the mix too. Better riffs would make this a
winner.
Cleveland's Sofa King Killer not only sport a really good
name (get it?) but some really good riffs too. They fit into the
sludge category but that is predominantly due to the vocals
which sound damaged and angry as hell. Musically, they offer a
riffing style that is reminiscent of early Judas Priest or AC/DC
with doses of Iommi tone. There are some really catchy hooks,
tasty stop-start rhythms and lots of good old Heavy Metal here.
This is good stuff on record and promises to be a headbanging
frenzy live!
MOOD - "THE FOURTH RIDE OF DOOMANOIDS"
[ 2CD - Hammer Records: "hammer@westel900.net"
]
This cd came really close to making the Roadurn feature
reviews. Really close. Mood are Hungary's finest true
metal band and "Fourth Ride of Doomanoids" is their
second official release. The first pressing comes with
a bonus cd that contains their demo, making this an
excellent value for the money. Why did this receive
such serious consideration for a feature review? Memorable
hooks, crunchy "classic metal" guitar tone, great songwriting
and a style that does not follow current trends.
Why
did it not get a feature review? The vocals. Specifically
the fact that are off-key and irritating sounding on
more than half the songs. The fact that the vocals are
very hit and miss is a surprise, because the earlier
album (and the demo for that matter) have consistently
good singing. The progression from their demo to "Fourth
Ride..." shows Mood moving from a classic 80's NWOBHM
sound to a more rock/metal hybrid. Their new sound is
a bit like Led Zeppelin crossed with Judas Priest, and
when it's on, it is really good. There are four or five
really good cuts on "Fourth Ride..." and the demo is
great from start to finish, so the overall rating is
really high. The fact that it could have been so much
better is the only drawback here.
THERON MOORE - "...AND NOW YOU ARE IN SPACE"
[ BOOKS - Louder Than God! Small Press: "spacewarp67@netscape.net"
]
Well, here is something that is not like everything else. Theron Moore has
written a series of three chapbooks (so far, more to follow). These books
feature stream-of-consciousness style stoner poetry. No, I'm not pulling
your leg, this is for real. Whether or not fans of stonerrock can actually
read is another question. Just kidding, I'm a fan and I read, so there must
be more of us out there.
These books loosely follow a narrative, plot-driven
style, but are prone to wandering off into improvisational descriptions.
There are lots of references to stoner culture, including band names and
song titles worked into the prose. "Volume 1: Alone In The Superunknown"
also taps into space-oriented pop culture as well, using characters from
"2001: A Space Odyssey". "Volume 2: Mourning Has Broken" tells the story of
an eastern queen and her astral journey. "Volume 3: Rockford Speedway
Experience '77" is my favorite of three. It tells a story of a fictional (?)
speedway and the people that go there and race. It name drops a number of
'70's bands and brought me back to my youth. These are definitely different
and interesting books, recommended to those seeking out different
expressions of rock and roll je ne sais quoi.
MR QUIMBY'S BEARD - "THE DEFINITIVE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF..."
[ CD - Stone Premonitions: "hardy@quimbys.freeserve.co.uk"
]
Bridging the gap between space travel and earth magic, Mr
Quimby's Beard draw later-days Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles
as comparisons. but with their own sound and original style.
The songs are powerful, kaleidoscopic, dreamy and colorful with
(not surprisingly) lots and lots of mushroom magic. The ideal
soundtrack for exploring the space/time continuum while floating
on acid. Tune in... tab on... and don't drop out!
ROCK CITY CRIMEWAVE - "SOUNDS FROM THE UNDERWORLD"
[ CD -
Catapult Records ]
Rock City Crimewave are high energy rock and roll with a
crunchy guitar sound and a punk-as-hell attitude. They come
from the same spiritual place as The Stooges, but with much
tighter playing and better sound. Contemporary comparisons
would include Speeddealer, Nashville Pussy and The
Hellacopters. Singer/guitarist EEE Adams was formerly in 8-Ball
Shifter and this experience shows in the bands well-developed
identity. Rock City Crimewave stand apart through their
humorous lyrics and comic book approach.
Some selected song titles include "The Erotic Adventures of Frankenstein", "I Wanna
Light You on Fire" and "Sweat Pants". Undoubtedly an energetic
live band, RCC have managed to get a really "live" sound on their
cd and it makes for an engaging listen. They vary their tempos
quite a bit, at times slowing down to a Cramps-like garage
raunch and at times going full bore hardcore. My only beef is the
prescence of guitar solos. Unneeded on this otherwise very
good disc.
SEA OF GREEN - "TIME TO FLY"
[ CD -
Rise Above Records ]
"Time to Fly" is the debut full-length album by Canadian rockers
Sea of Green that is out on Rise Above Records, UK-based
purveyors of quality music [and Lee Dorrian's label - ed.]. Sea of
Green's sound is basically just plain old rock. There's nothing
stoner about it, no real 70s retro vibe, no Sabbathisms. It's just
basically a power trio playing hard rock and, given today's
plethora of subpar stoner bands, this is quite refreshing.
The opening track "Annihilation" basically sets up the feel of the
album with melodic vocals, simple riffs and a rock-solid rhythm
section. A catchy chorus ensures the song sticks in your mind
long after hearing it. The next 3 three tracks follow on from here
and are suitably excellent with my personal favourite being "Ever
After". "Deep Inside" is the big rock ballad and, apart from being
a bit cheesy, manages to still be a good song (like most rock
ballads, once you get past the embarrassment of admitting you
quite liked it!). "Orion's Belt" is the closest the album gets to
stoner rock and is a curious mixture of being quite good and
pretty bad at the same time.
When the track is being rock, it's great, when they get to noodling with effects pedals it sounds
like a below-average Monster Magnet cover. After "Orion's Belt",
the album does tend to spin its wheels a little with the remaining
tracks being a bit samey in places. Still quite listenable, but not
as excellent as the tracks in the first half. That said, there is a
very good cover of Pink Floyd's "Breathe" towards the end of the
album. This is an excellent record for listening to in the car or at
parties! Loud, brash and very very catchy.Review by Alligator Descartes
SOUTHERN GUN CULTURE - "ART OF WAR"
[ CDEP - Self Released: "southerngunculture@hotmail.com"
]
The enormous state of Texas has been surprisingly quiet as far
as stonerrock bands go. There was (is?) Archie Bunker (are they
really still together?), and Las Cruces who are actually more of a
doom band than stoner. That's about it for stonerrock (Solitude
Aeturnus are straight metal, don't argue).
Southern Gun Culture is a relatively new band and "Art of War" appears to be their
demo. This two-song effort shows that the Texas power trio has
some merit, and honing their sound will go a long way toward
putting them on the map. SGC favor long hypnotic songs with
repetitive riffs. The guitar sound has that same mid-high range
sound of the guitarist from We. There is some guitar soloing
here and the overall feeling is more of a 70's hard rock jam
sound than downtuned stoner. Vocally, SGC needs some work.
The vocalist, who is also the bassist and is a female, sings in a
high-ish register and would sound a lot better on key or at least
further down in the mix. The relaxed approach of the second
song, "Slow Heavy" suits her better than the screamy style of "Art
of War/Pillars of Hercules". Put SGC on the ones to watch list...
SUNNSHINE - "ENGENDER"
[ CDEP -
Underdogma Records ]
Well, I hate to say it, but I just have to. Sunnshine definitely have
some serious Kyuss fans in their band. The huge crashing riffs,
downtuned fuzz sound, loud to quiet changes and occasionally
even the vocal style are all reminiscent of Kyuss. They don't go
as far as Dozer to sound like Kyuss, they just utilize many similar
elements in their sound. The really good news is that Sunnshine
are awesome at what they do, and they write well developed
songs that beg to be heard repeatedly so that the nuances can
be enjoyed. Not afraid of quiet and mellow, Sunnshine utilize the
dynamic variation to great effect. The title track is a great example
of their ability to vary their approach and write interesting songs.
The four songs here ultimately leave you feeling like you need
about four more. Bring on the full-length, pronto!
SOULPREACHER - "WHEN THE BLACK SUNN RISES..."
[ CD -
Berserker/Game Two Records ]
Evil. Incredibly evil. Dark and southern, creepy and crawly, Soulpreacher
are the undead of rock bands. Musically, this is pretty varied in tempo and
dynamics but it all manages to sound evil. "When the Black Sunn Rises..." is
the record to get from these guys, as it is much MUCH better than their
Man's Ruin release from several months ago. It ranges from the heavy
southern blues rock of the title track to the evil southern space rock of
"Kingdom". Liberal doses of Iommi riffs provide a base for the vocals to
spew forth from. And ohhhh, those vocals. More tortured and pained than
Eyehategod and also deeper. This is some twisted stuff. I like it. I like it
a lot. The sound quality is a bit on the muddy side, but otherwise this is a
very good cd.
WRENCH - "OSCILLATOR BLUES"
[ CD -
Beard of Stars ]
Well, Australia's Wrench definitely have some serious Kyuss fans in their
band, too. The first few tracks on "Oscillator Blues" are so reminiscent of
Kyuss that it's almost like listening to "Welcome to Sky Valley" Part II.
There's the same thick and muddy riffs, the same loud to quite changes,
heck, even the vocals have almost the same kinda intonation. Later on, the
band develops into a mere space rock unit, utilizing dynamic variations and
trippy drones to create a cosmic ride. Tracks like "Lights Came Down" and
"Green Mars" are the best example of Wrench's quest for the astral planes.
Those songs leave me floating in a sub-galaxy, but that is not enough
though. I like my dope 100% pure.
V/A - "I AM VENGEANCE, THE REVENGE BIOGRAPHY"
[ CD -
MeteorCity Records ]
Richard R. Anasky's indie-horror flick "I Am Vengeance"
interweaves the camp of no-budget splatter flicks with the
tripped-out heaviness of stoner rock and doom. "The Official
Meteorcity Soundtrack" features score music, dialogue clips, and
some exclusive music by the likes of Lowrider, Eternal Elysium,
sHeavy and The Awesome Machine; inspired by the fucked-up
and hallucination prone David William Hughes, the movie's
main character.
There are a few outstanding tracks here on offer
(Eternal Elysium's "Burning a Sinner" or Las Cruces' "In My
Sadness"), some decent ones (Naevus "Lost Confidence") but
unfortunately the rest is either too old (The Bloodfarmers' classic
"Bullet In My Head"), too unlistenable (Count Raven's listless
"Scream" or Sheavy's ill-advised acoustic ballad "Sea of
Tomorrow" - ugh!) or just plain unimaginative (the feeble
Sabbath-worshipping of Doomsday Gouvernment's "IAV").
Another problem is the hodgepodge style of the compilation
which throws together bits of dialogue, some of Dan Fondelius'
score, and then doom (in some cases) songs. If "I Am
Vengeance" is representative of the current stoner rock and
especially doom scenes, (we're gonna be controversial here)
then this compilation really shows how inward looking some
doom bands are, and that the scene is in danger of eventual
implosion due to lack of creativity. Given the amount of promise
in combining splatter movies and doom, this can only be seen
as big disappointment.
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