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BEAVER
- "Mobile"
BURNING BRIDES
- "Fall of The Plastic Empire"
GAS GIANT/WE
- "Split LP"
KARMA TO BURN
- "Almost Heathen"
MIRROR OF DECEPTION
- "Mirrorsoil"
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BEAVER
"Mobile" [ CD - Man's Ruin
Records ]
Combining crunchy guitar hooks,
jazz chords and drum patterns, punk guitars and psychedelic
guitar leads, Beaver's latest effort Mobile inspires
me to be creative. The band's dynamic tension, their
crazy time signatures and odd and meandering intro's
are all present in the making of Roadburn. In fact,
Beaver is one of the main reasons that I started out
this zine; Beaver's music is uplifting, and experimental.
The band's ability to evolve and incorporate new sounds
and styles makes them definitely a unique precence in today's
riff-rock scene. The same goes for Mobile, it's one of Beaver's
most appealing albums, yet... It's trippy, psychedelic, dizzying
and down to earth, too! Think Blue Note-jazz meets 70's rock
like Humble Pie and The Pretty Things during their SF Sorrow" -sessions
with odd bits of punk thrown in. Mobile is fuel
for life; my life! And a true necessity for the broadminded rockfan.
Walter
T R A
C K L I S T
1. Private Stash
2. At The Mirror Palace
3. End of A Rope
4. Circomnavigation
5. Liberator
6. 9 Lives
7. Immaterialized
8. Hour Glass
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Burning Brides
"Fall of The Plastic Empire" [ CD - File 13 Records
Records ]
There are certain debut albums that emerge so fully formed and so
consistently delivered that it is startling to hear them. The Burning Brides
"Fall of The Plastic Empire" is one of those rare gems. It is a simple
record in many ways. Their music is neither angular and arty nor
mathematically improbable. Instead it's comfortable, familiar, unapologetic
Rock and Roll. The kind of record where you just know that the guitarist
wears beat up leather pants, a sleeveless shirt and has long hair.
Musically, they take the sound of heavy british garage music, fuse it with
Ramones-style punk and add the melodic sense of classic Pop Rock. That all
sounds more complicated than it actually is. Basically, this is an
irresistible record full of high-octane body-moving rock grooves.
The songs are simple. Generally they feature a verse made of a repetitive
guitar riff that leads to a chorus with a memorable hook. The interest comes
in with the Wall of Fuzz guitar sound that is very prominent in the mix and
its' dark and dissonant tone as well. Each song also has at least one part
that is really strange or screamed or very harsh sounding. The glue holding
these elements together is the personality of singer/guitarist Dimitri
Coats.
He swaggers and emotes and cajoles but shows a self deprecating side
that makes him seem as harmless as an old friend. Style-wise, he kind of
grabs you by the arm and pulls you forward saying, "c'mon, c'mon this is
gonna be great" all with a big infectious smile on his face. He plays thick,
deliberate riffs that manage to not overpower the songs. The rest of this
power trio complements his style perfectly. Mike Ambs plays drums that are
interesting and creative but they don't get in the way of the SONG. He is
foremost a solid, energetic timekeeper that knows how to propel. Bassist
Melanie Campbell provides thickness and often mirrors the guitar lines to
emphasize the point.
The record starts with blast of energy made of equal parts punk and rock.
The first cut is "Plank of Fire" and its effect is immediate; your back
straightens, you are alert, and your ass starts to twitch. Throw in a dash
of syncopated percussion, a super catchy chorus, and wild guitar sounds --
now the perspiration starts in. By the time the Hey-Ho stomp of "Glass
Slipper" hits you in song two, the urge to move has seized your body and
inhibitions are shed. Let the body movements begin! "If I'm a Man"
introduces the power pop side of the Brides, but not at the expense of the
infectious energy that has you dancing around your living room. There is an
odd "stream of consciousness" spoken word bit in the middle of "I'm a Man"
that is oozing personality and lets you into the mind of Dimitri Coats.
After that, you are completely in the thrall of the record, ready to follow
it anywhere. The wall-of-guitar meets dreamy-pop of "Arctic Snow" gives way
to an unsettling and intense ending. "At the Levity Ball" shows a darker,
more introspective side of the Brides sound. The spoken intro to "Stabbed in
the Back of the Heart" is candid as hell and the song is one of my favorites
on the record. Riff-wise it reminds me of the Cramps, but has a great
melodic chorus and a gritty MC5-ish sound. "Elevator" blasts straight into
the cerebral cortex thanks to a stomping punk riff and a frightening
screamed chorus. "Blood on the Highway" is a dreamy pop song as it might
sound in a nightmare... Hell, there isn't a single throwaway on this record.
Higher praise than that is hard to find.
drew
T R A C K L I S
T
1. Plank of Fire
2. Glass Slipper
3. If I'm a Man
4. Arctic Snow
5. At The Levity Ball
6. Stabbed in the Back of the Heart
7. Rainy Days
8. Elevator
9. Blood on The Highway
10. Plastic Empire |
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GAS GIANT/WE
"Riding the Red Horse to the Stronghold of the Freaks" [ CD - Burnt
Hippie ]
A gas giant is a large planet with very low density. The biggest
gas giant that we have in our solar system is Jupiter. In ancient
mythology, Jupiter was the supreme ruler of the gods and his
domain is the sky.
Now, you might be starting to think, "what the hell does this have
to do with a review of Gas Giant?". Well, everything. And nothing.
Let me explain...
Gas Giant is a Danish band that may very well be the supreme
ruler of the genre of modern space rock. Their domain is clearly
the sky and all that lies beyond it. Their sound is enormous
(think: galaxy of fuzz) and yet they are only a three piece band
(usually four, but currently three). These three songs put them
head and shoulders above the sea of Kyuss worshippers and
Hawkwind wannabe's. These are voyages through the cosmos
that take you close by the beauty of the crab nebula; voyages that
let you feel the power of the solar winds; voyages that take you to
see the black hole at the center of the universe.
Space is deep and so are the astral excursions that Gas Giant
masquerade as songs. Spiralling outward from some central
song-core-seed, each journey takes you through tempo
changes, mood changes, texture, temperature and elevation
changes. This Gas Giant release allows you to "take a trip and
never leave the farm"...
Your ship leaves now.
Veteran Norwegian band We also travels the spaceways, but
they do it in their own very unique way. Their psychedelic sound
is characterized by their trebly, warbly lead guitar tone: they are
off the beaten path. The voice of singer Thomas is like the guitar
sound, trebly and warbly but also a pleasant voice that can
mesmerize. Any fans of past albums "Wooferwheels" or "Livin'
the Lore" know exactly what i mean.
The three songs on this release are as good as any We songs
ever. "The Last Stronghold of the Freaks" is a good description of
We as a band. There is definitely something freaky about them.
The song kicks off with a patented We wah-riff that makes you
feel slightly sad as it calls you from just around the next corner.
The mournful atmosphere leads perfectly to a long mellow jam
section. Then the herky jerky riffs of "Raven" come loping along
like a cheetah, all sinew and restrained power. "Raven" also
features a spectacular guitar sound -- completely clear and
present, with distortion and wah in equal doses to make a
cutting, crunchy sound. The incredible final track is appropriately
called "The Trip". This trip includes a stop in India, land of tablas
and sitars. It also visits Abbey Road, circa 1967. That was the
year the Beatles recorded "Sgt. Pepper's" and Pretty Things
Recorded "SF Sorrow". Nice neighborhood to visit, eh? This is an essential record.
drew
T R A C K L I S T
Gas Giant:
1. Firetripper
2. Never Leave
3. Ride the Red Horse
WE:
4. Last Stronghold of the Freaks
5. Raven
6. The Trip
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KARMA TO BURN
"Almost Heathen" [ CD - Spitfire
Records ]
"Almost Heathen" is the third offering
from the boys from West Virginia and
their most consistent. Aggressive machinelike guitar riffs and low, pulsing,
dissonant basses lead you through a landscape of failure and boredom. Karma
To Burn's view of life inside the Great American Beast is a bleak and cold
one. Depressing songs, yes -- but then there are great rock parts, too.
There is a bluesy southern groove crawling through the songs, which are the
product of good and creative songwriting.
Karma To Burn was never a happy stoner band and on this record their love
for Joy Division comes to full bloom. "Almost Heathen" is somehow
reminiscent of Joy Division's album "Closer". The record builds on the same
style and the overall feeling is quite similar. It is good to see that --
where other bands try to regurgitate sounds of the past, Karma To Burn picks
out the good elements and develop their own sound and songs that way.
The production is raw, direct and hits you right in the face. A good hit,
indeed, because this album isn't much different than their earlier work and
that makes Karma To Burn a consistent band whose consistent quality gains
them credibility. This is brutal, depressed power music for heavy drinkers
who like to whoop it up and get crazy. Not the kind of people you want to
meet at a midnight shootout. K2B's unique viewpoint gives the band and this
record credence in a genre that is rapidly falling prey to soundalikes and
copycats. "Almost Heathen" is a fountain of creativity in a dead sea of
releases.
Xander77
T R A C K L I S T
1. Nineteen
2. Thirty Eight
3. Thirty Four
4. Thirty Seven
5. Thirty Nine
6. Thirty Six
7. Thirty Three
8. Thirty Five
9. Five
10. Forty
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MIRROR OF DECEPTION
"Mirrorsoil" [ CD - The Miskatonic
Foundation ]
Do you remember how good heavy metal made you feel when
you listened to it as a young teenager? How the music was
speaking to you in a way that other music didn't? The way the
aggression and melody charged you full of energy until you felt
invincible? I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. So does
Mirror of Deception. And, while that would be enough to make
them a worthwhile band, they do even more. They combine this
childlike love of metal with intelligent and mature songwriting,
and a well-developed sense of how they want their music to
come across. Many thanks to the Miskatonic Foundation for
releasing this excellent record.
Mirror of Deception fit nicely into the category of
modern classic doom bands like Candlemass, Solstice
(Guitarist Rich Walker runs Miskatonic), Voodoo Shock,
Warning, and Sanctuary. These bands are characterized
by slower tempos, heavy riffs, majestic songs, and a
healthy dose of NWOBHM sound quality. There is a melancholic
air to "Mirrorsoil" but not as prounounced as the gothic
melancholia of the "neo-doom" bands like My Dying Bride,
Skepticism and the like. All of Mirror of Deception's
singing is of the "clean" variety, no neo-doom cookie
monster growls here. Production-wise the sound is a
bit thin and a bit gritty, definitely the weakest part
of this fine record, but the sound quality adds character.
Whether this is by accident or design, I cannot tell,
but after a few listens it didn't bother me at all.
As you would expect from hearing this record and the band's
attention to detail, these Germans have been around for quite
some time. The band formed in 1990 and their first demo was
released in 1993. The years show in both the band's restraint
and emphasis on writing complete songs. These facts are
amply displayed throughout "Mirrorsoil".
Another strength of
Mirror of Deception is that they have two vocalists and the
interplay between them really defines their sound. One voice
singers mid-register and one sings lower and the combination
creates a lot of depth in the music. The bands ability to play
heavy music but to make it beautiful and haunting is their other
calling card. One of the ways they do this is to add sonic shading
and texture to their songs. On the first song, "Asylum" there is
this odd droning sound which sounds like a didgeridoo.
Amazingly enough, it is the voice singer/guitarist Michael
Sifferman.
"Mirrorsoil" is a record that you need to hear many times so that
you can pick out all the nuances and details that Mirror of
Deception have put in. Do you like metal? Do you like doom? Get
it.
drew
T R A C K L I S
T
1. Asylum
2. Veil of Lead
3. Weiss
4. Sole
5. Be Kept In Suspense
6. Dreams of Misery
7. Cease
8. Float
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