Interview With A Wizard...... Union Collective

Wizard Union are a Sludgy Stoner band from Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti MI with an interesting sound and ethic. The band started in 2012, when whilst playing with seperate projects Drummer Larry and Guitarist Samir decided to jam together. They later invited Samir's workmate Aaron to play Bass in this project, and have been producing colon crushing Stoner riffs ever since.

I was fortunate to get to hear their new release Phantom Fury and speak to Collective member Samir about how they go about their thing. And no this is not a tale of tragedy, Vampire children and immortality, like the title would have you believe. It's far more interesting than that.

So why is their project any different from anything else? What makes them unique?

Wizard Union are part of a collective, the Wizard Union Collective, which is all about promoting and distributing their various projects. What does this mean? I hear you ask.

Samir: ''Overall it's about having musical freedom to do and play whatever we want without calling it Wizard Union. It's just a part of a larger body of work''. So potentially this approach could incorporate different projects from the same musicians, an opportunity to explore different sounds and genres as a group".

So why does this approach work for Wizard Union?

Samir; (There's) ''No deadlines. (We) release as much as we want from different members. Play shows with whoever is available within the collective. Right now we're still pretty young as a collective, but the three of us have been playing with each other for almost 5 years now, and we're open to jamming with others, and if we jam with someone else and it doesn't sound like Wizard Union, then we'll call it something else and release it''.

So, this is a metally musical melting pot, allowing freedom of expression for the musicians that are involved. An idea that I find fascinating and intriguing, so my main thought is how does it transpose itself to actual performance? Is it garbled, without direction or identity, or is it creative and purposeful?

Listening to Phantom Fury I am pleased to hear a great many influences sounds and also unintentional influences. There seems to be a hardcore punk ethic and I hear hints of EyeHateGod, Thrash even Surfer Rock! Whilst all this is evident it is not confused but instead pleasingly interesting and most importantly as heavy as a left hook from Chuck Norris. I asked Samir where influence were drawn from.

"I'd like to think Wizard Union is what happens when the three of us get together. I know the one band that binds us altogether is The Melvins, but we're all into different shit. I listen to a lot of punk and metal. It's funny you mention surf rock, because I'm definitely a fan, I just never consciously wrote anything like that. I was in a stoner/doom/thrash metal band called Lord Centipede, so maybe that's where the thrash comes from. I like the Eyehategod's Dopesick album.'' (C'mon you like EVERY EyeHateGod Album, just admit it to your self Samir - Editor)

Phantom Fury is full of heavy fuzz, grinding guitars and is held together well by the quality of Larry's drumming. Harsh Tokes Of The Wizards Pipe has grinding guitars, a hint of an eerie edge with a punky style vocal.  Whereas Cosmic Gatekeeper is fast paced, almost a punk track in its own right, until it hits the sludgy breakdowns, slowing the situation down with a pleasing groovy step down sequence.

Ancient Evil Bong chugs along joyously, hitting you aurally with guitar stabs and vocal aggression before taking an inspired turn with a breakdown and buzzing solo then it slowly works itself back into the faster paced chug of Doom.

Burn Bitches, Not Witches would be the crowd pleaser of the tracks, with a chorus that was made for shouting back at the mans and a great lead riff. Not just a pretty name! Samir; ''The chorus Burn Fucking Bitches Not Fucking Witches, came from something I read on the Internet somewhere. I thought, that's funny, I should make that a song title or use it for something. I have lists for song titles, album names, and band names for projects in the collective, for when I find shit like that. Once I had the title for the song I was like so what's this gonna be about? And it's about the Salem witch trial. I guess people can sing along to the chorus if they want to, but that's not what I had in mind when I wrote it.''

Burial Ground opens with a wet psychedelic sounding bass before leading into the most outright stoner riff on the album. My fist reaction was to head bang and there was no cause to stop throughout the entire track. Full of monumental riffage and drum attack, this is an absolutely storming track.

Phantom Fury takes off where Burial Ground finishes, continuing the stoner theme with great riffs but covers more ground musically than any other track, taking many turns and directions.

This is definitely a release that improves with each track in terms of sound and songwriting in my opinion. Speaking to Samir about this progression and future plans he told me;

''Our next Wizard Union band project which we'll start recording next spring is going to be the start of a living LP. We're going to have an album on Bandcamp that keeps getting updated with new songs over time, rather than just releasing a bunch of EPs. When we think the LP is full, we'll release the physical copy and then start the next LP the same way. So the evolution of the songs that you mentioned on Phantom Fury, might be even more apparent on the LPs. We have 3 songs ready to record, and maybe 3-4 written that I think are good enough to start practising, so who knows how different those songs will be compared to our previous works. They're fucking heavy though.''

As far as I'm concerned this a Collective to keep an eye on. They have plenty to offer in terms of the Stoner Sludge sound but also touch on different styles which could open them up to a larger fan base. But to just regard the Wizard Union element would be wrong, there's other things to look forward to from these musicians.

Samir; ''As far as projects we have lined up, Larry and I have a Sludge Punk Noise Rock thing called Bladder that we're planning to record in the spring. That project pretty much came out of he and I playing together as Wizard Union as a duo, because our Bass Player Aaron had to drop out at the last minute, and we didn't wanna cancel'' Samir took over Bass duties for this show as they felt it might add to the Doom effect, but they were not happy with the outcome. ''We didn't necessarily like Wizard Union songs played with just a bass and drums, but Larry was like, hey how about we keep this going as a godheadsilo type thing, and that's pretty much how the collective idea was born. Keep it all under one umbrella.''

Check these guys out on Bandcamp and give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter. If they're you're thing the EP is only $3, which is cheaper than a pint of Fosters Kangaroo Piss. Have a taste below! (of the band not Kangaroo Piss).

Cloud - Rebringing the Doom

Instrumental Doom bringers Cloud are back with a new release, which goes by he name of Indeterminate. I was a fan of the self titled EP, as you will see here, especially the triumph that was the track Grim Reefer so was eager to hear this new offering...

Indeterminate

Indeterminate opens with thunder and rain and resonant guitar. It's a reworking of 'Unpolished' from their incredible first EP and what a rework  it is. The pitter patter of rain seems to slowly develop into drum before the heavyness smacks you in the face. But this isn't ur, it generates speed with an awesome riff making it impossible not to head bang like a lunatic. Stunningly fulfilling in heavyness, incredible ambience throughout and lovely blues laden solos, this is living up to everything I hoped it would be.

Relapse fades in, slow and heavy with before breaking into a chugging wall of distortion and hangover like fuzziness with a satisfying hint of groove make the track more and more listenable as it develops.

Desert Weed was a make or break moment for me. A track with lyrical content, provided by Gabriel Ravera of Mephistofeles. I love that Cloud, up till now, produced great instrumental music so was dubious about this. Any doubt was soon cast aside when hearing the Ozzy style tone of Ravera complemented by a well written track. Cloud are clearly not limited in their writing ability and Ravera puts in a performance that has made his band the next in my search list. The instrumental interlude comes in and transports me back to early Sabbath, before Ravera sees us out with his last contribution.

Otherworldly takes is back home to instrumental land, with a track that shows some development from the original EP with pleasing licks and touches which add an understated element to the track.

Yggdrasil, the last track, opens with bluesy, groovy intent which continues to a breakdown of epic proportions. It eventually builds its way back, layer by layer, to being the heavy blues groove that controls your ears so hypnotically at the beginning. It sees us out by becoming bludgeoningly slow and heavy, with some great drumming fills.

Conclusion

Another great effort from Cloud and if instrumental doom is your thing then this album is a must. Its shows a steady progression the self titled EP in terms of song writing and a nice, and more importantly not out of place, surprise with the vocal track. Another success for Cloud.

Score 3.8/5

You can (and should) get this now on Bandcamp

Follow them: Facebook/Twitter

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Author: Jonny Radley

Olde - Heavier Than A Dead Elephant

Olde, a band from the greater Toronto area, have a mission statement to fill your soundscape with crushing Doom metal. They sent me a copy of their recently released EP, Shallow Graves for me to see precisely how crushing they are!

Shallow Graves

Absurd Conditions opens the EP and smacks you between the eyes with wrecking ball heavyness. You're introduced to Doug McLarty's vocal which is a controlled growl that's delivered so well. An enjoyable track, and just at the point when I thought, this either needs to end or go somehere else, we get a nice lead guitar line to see out the song. A good straight Doom track.

When I first heard the next track, Endless, I was just pulling away with my daughter from a kids party in my car. When the riff started I shouted "that's fucking brilliant" much to the bemusement of my daughter and the parents leaving the party with their kids. I don't use swears in front of my girls, but like the brown note that makes you shit yourself; this was a natural reaction caused by the deep heavy southern tinged brilliance of this track. If she repeats it in front of my wife I'm sending her Olde's way. Simply brilliant track.

Limb from Limb is a heavy bluesy, rock n rolling cover of Motorhead. Lemmy may have been quite impressed by the vocal delivery on this, with McLarty's bluesy growl, different in style but carrying a similar attitude and grit the world loved Lemmy for. A fine cover that captures the Rock 'n' Roll of Motorhead, but keeps a clear Olde identity.

Olde then use final track, The Turning, to show their diversity, and it's good. Again immensely heavy, but with that it is also thoughtfully composed with some great riff work and a standout strong drum performance. Along with the usual formative Doom style they add pace in parts and musical ambience in others.

Conclusion

In terms of their promise of delivering crushing Doom, Olde succeed on all counts. It's as heavy as a dead elephant carrying Bill Gates' wallet. But there is still an emphasis on delivering great, listenable music. The riffs stay in your head long after you stop listening and the rythm section is on point throughout.

This is a very enjoyable EP and for less than £3 on Bandcamp it's a great addition to any Doom collection and worth a spin for all metal fans. I'll be treating myself to the CD version of this one for sure.

Score 4.5/5

Olde are:

Ryan Aubin - Drums
Doug McLarty - Vocals
Chris Hughes - Guitar
Greg Dawson - Guitar
Cory McCallum - Bass

Follow Olde: Facebook/Twitter

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Writer: Jonny Radley

Horehound - Self Titled Album Review

Horehound

Horehound are signed to Blackseed Recordings, they are a Doom/Stoner band who on 20 April this year released their debut self titled album. When I listened to this album and started talking to band member Brendan, I got more and more excited about this album and the prospects of this band, and I think you'll see why.

Named after a plant which is an important ingredient in Witchcraft folklore, and not a dog selling it's body to pay the bills, I expected a heavy but haunting experience. I was not to be disappointed. First, a bit about the people...

Lineup

Since recording the album I have been listening too, they have seen some changes.

The lineup on the album is as follows:
Mike Altopiedi – Guitar, Vocals
JD Dauer – Drums
Shy Kennedy – Vocals
Brendan Parrish – Guitar
David “Wes” Westfall - Bass

Unfortunately Mike had to move away so David "Wes" Westfall has moved to axe duties and Nick Kopco has been recruited on bass.

The Album

What Horehound give you on this record are heavy, catchy, head banging riffs, coupled with a spectral, delay and reverb laden vocal, which is a triumph of a performance from Shy in my eyes. The guitars occasionally bring a welcome melodic element with some of the guitar work which adds a great dynamic to some of the songs.

Speaking to Brendan about this he told me "Settling on one genre is always difficult, but... we (do) fall in the Doom/Stoner Metal spectrum. The guitar melodies were something I’ve always wanted to do, and something that Wes brought to the table. ... We write based on what we want to hear, and if that reminds someone of a certain style of music, all the better."

The classic Doom style tracks on offer include World to Come, a fantastically eerie slow heavy riff, almost Slayer-esque in its intro, with a stoner vibe for the breakdown which works very well.

The Dead Don't Lie is a simple but effective track. A strong, satisfyingly heavy fuzzy, seeped in Sabbath, riff, with a spacey feedback effect in parts which offsets the vocal style particularly well, creating a dark ambience.

Tracks such a Sangreal and Crowns and Thrones and Myope up the pace, but somehow manage to still feel like immensely heavy Doom fare. Sangreal I particularly enjoyed. It's heavy with pace and a storming riff, but it's true greatness can be heard in a sublime breakdown where vocal melody twins with guitar brilliantly.

Waters of Lethe see's Horehound showing off their range, with a progressive number, which has soft and heavy elements and a really nice bluesy solo seeing it out before the album closes on Waking Time, which gives us the first glimpse of a heavy vocal, and it works well and adds a great new dimension to finish the album making you want to hear more.

The general vibe of the album is a very authentic sounding live feel and it comes across very well, Brendan tells me " The method of recording was very intentional. We wanted to really emulate how we sound live on this recording, and I think Matt Schor (our recording engineer) definitely captured that. The guitar, bass, and drums you hear on the album are pretty much as they were recorded. Matt did a wonderful job of adjusting the levels to get the sound where we all wanted it to be."

The Future

Although it is clear from speaking to Brendan that Mike's contribution will be sorely missed, there is a sense amongst the band that there is so much more to come, and I for one will be looking forward to hearing it.

"Mike has since moved... With the absence of Mike, who contributed greatly to our sound, we have an exciting new lineup and are actively working on new material. We’re coming together even stronger sonically with a diverse blend of musical influences that will definitely please the masses once they get a taste. We have locked in on our sound, and have some exciting things coming for 2017."

If the band continue on an upward trajectory then the album "Horehound" may be considered in their history as a "classic line up" release or even as a precursor album to a sonic progression. Either way it's worth getting on board and giving this album a spin. Visit Bandcamp to buy it here.

Album Score

4 out of 5 - Great Doom album with sublime vocal performance, well worth a listen with some brilliant highlights. 

Follow Them: Facebook/Twitter

Writer: Jonathan Radley

Cloud - Bringers of Atmospheric Stoney Doom

I can not begin to tell you how happy I am to finally own this EP. Ever since happening across the track Grim Reefer months ago I've been sporadically trying to find a social media and sales outlet for this band.

It's not their fault, it's my own technological stupidity. After realising I could expand the info under the YouTube info and a bunch of links to everything I've ever wanted was there all along. Lesson learnt, I'd be embarrassed about it if I cared enough about technology.

So anyway, Cloud...

Who Are They?

They are Jeff "Trash" Hartwell on guitars, Josh Dower in Bass and Scott Rebarchek on crash symbol smashing duties. They are from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Style

Instrumental. Epic. Atmospheric. Stoner Doom Metal. And that is all that is required to be said.


Cloud EP

Today in art corner we have an album cover by Mark Paich, and lets face it, it fucking rocks.

The opening track, Cosmic Carousel, starts with a guitar intro that posseses all the eery resonance of a church organ and grand acoustics of being recorded in a religious building. We're then introduced to the fuzzy, angry riff that eventually paves the way for the heavy blues tone that takes control and drives the song. The leads, using a cleaner, more classic warm tone add a nice additional layer to the track. The track travels from atmospheric to balls out rock and back again, hitting truely epic status halfway through with almost tribal tom work and reverb laden guitar tone.

Unpolished is like a little bridge between the two main tracks on the EP. Again, full of atmosphere, all played over the sound of running water and rain. Its a swampy, not heavy but dark and moody, peice.

Then you get to hear the magnum opus of the EP. Grim Reefer. Everything is on point in this track. Incredible drum work, driving bass both overlayed by heavy but crisp guitar work.  All the instruments do their part in creating epic soundscapes in this track. This is 7min 34 second of my life that felt like 1 minute, such is the power and draw of the music. You simply must hear this track.

I'm every bit as impressed with this EP as I hoped I would be, having finally found it.
If you can buy it ($6) buy it here, it's a must have in Doomers collection. You can also have a listen below, it's a little bit of genius;

These guys who have another recording on the way so give them a follow and see whats next.

Follow them: Facebook/Twitter

Fuckjar and Prisa Mata Split Ep - Chill the Fuckjar Out

The Bands 

I already spoke about Fuckjar here, and I am now firmly a fan of the band. Their brand of heavy sludgy goodness and screamed vocal style is something I'm buying into, big time.

Fuckjar

But what of Prisa Mata? Well the name roughly translates to the rush kills you, which seems to be a saying in Spanish speaking countries to reinforce their laid back lifestyle and say chill the fuck out dude!

Who Are They?

The band members are from England, New Zealand and Spain but are based in London and started jamming in 2014.  They comprise of Jaz on guitar and making general noise, Raquel beating the bejesus out of the drums and Mark on Bass and throaty vocally depths of hell noise!

Style

Their sound reminds me of some of the desert metal/rock from the likes of Kyuss, but dirtier with a topping of sludge and a understated psychedelic direction. They use a gutteral monosylabic scream style vocal which us used more as instrumentation rather than to deliver lyrics.

Prisa Mata

The Match Up

The match up between Fuckjar and Prisa Mata works. Both are extremely heavy, write monumental slow sledgehammer riffs and maintain a screamed vocal throughout.

However, they still have a very definitive personalities. On the whole Prisa Mata keep it slow, and have the deserty Kyuss on steroids with a twist of psychadelia vibe I mentioned before.

Fuckjar on the other hand, have faster vocal delivery, out and out heavyness and schizophrenic moments of brilliance. This makes the split a nice little window into both bands' trajectory.

The Ep

Firstly shout out to the artist, Darwin Drawin, as the cover is frankly brilliant!

Fuckjar's contribution begins with Flesh Engine God. Straight away I'm hit by the improvement in sound quality whilst keeping the same raw, authentic feel. The riff is more complex and stoner-like than the demo and again shows a progression. After the breakdown the song becomes so intensely heavy and slow, with the same screamed vocal offering a juxt opposition. It's a great start and getting me amped for the rest of the EP.

Compliance Through Abuse starts at the same pace, slow, but soon breaks into a hardcore edged onslaught, a different sound to what I've heard from them before but another welcome style.

Carcass for the Hive is a slow, intensely heavy and dark offering. Full of atmosphere, feedback and tom work on the drums, it becomes a chugging almost mechanical onslaught. You can't help but be drawn into its sound and rythm.

I'll Get My Coat rounds off Fuckjar's contribution nicely, as in it's basically a feedback and distortion outro which couldn't really exemplify Fuckjar's general feel any better.

Prisa Mata's first offering, They Live, We Sleep is an Intro peice that follows nicely from Fuckhars outro with some heavy distortion and spoken sample.

This then filters into Soulburner which has a sludgy desert stoner riff. The gutteral monosylabic screaming style is something that makes Prisa Mata instantly identifiable. The quiet/loud dynamic created by switching between just bass and drums and introducing the heavier guitar works well in this track.

Ride the Sky is an 8 minute tripped out bit of brilliance. Dirty and heavy plodding guitars and bass, symbol crashing galore with some fantastic fills. The vocal scream is used to best effect on this track. It ends in psychedelic trip of guitar effects which makes you think there's so much this band is capable of in the psych realm.

I knew I'd like this as soon as I heard the Fuckjar Demo. What's taken it to the next level for me is two things. Hearing the progression of Fuckjar, whilst keeping the rawness of sound I like so much. Secondly it's Prisa Mata turning me on to a vocal style that previously if I'm honest, I may have dismissed, and broadening your musical horizons is never a bad thing. It works so well with the music and adds a valuable dynamic. I'd urge you all to listen to both these bands.

You can get the Ep on bandcamp in 2 seperate parts. Fuckjar's here and Prisa Mata's here for a price you name. As you will see you can also pick up a tape version of the EP for just £4. If you like the EP, surely this is a small investment for the collectors out there.

I hope you enjoy and get behind the bands.

Follow Fuckjar on Facebook

Follow Prisa Mata on Facebook

Fuckjar - A Jar of Wonderful Sludgy Fuck

"Firstly", I thought, "what is a Fuckjar?"

Google soon told me it was a name for a lady who may not need too much negotiating with to convince her it's a good idea to let you dip your wick within her. This may or may not be the origins of Fuckjar's name.

Funnily enough it didn't take too much negotiating for me to want to listen to this band when the Slabdragger guys told me they rock. So maybe I am a music Fuckjar? Upon realising this, the philosophical questions and personal soul searching this name caused me was deep, meaningful and really, well, completely fucking pointless. Fuckjar is a great name though.

Who Are They?

They comprise of Chris on vocals, Ellie on bass, Lorenzo on drums and Ziya on guitar. They are based in London. From trawling through their Facebook page I can't help but get the impression this band are all about having fun, and that this may transpose to live performances (I hope to find this out sooner rather than later). I see sex dolls and horse masks aplenty, what more could a man possibly want?

Style

Fuckjar deliver all the stoner sludgy riffing you could ask for make for with well thought out and slammin' tracks perfect for headbangers universally. An extreme metal style screamed vocal which adds a great intensity to the overall sound.

I will hopefully go on to also tell you about their split release with another awesome band, Prisa Mata, on a separate article but for now I will concentrate on their own Demo which was originally released in February 2015, so I'm a little late to the party, but screw it, if it's good, I'm talking about it.

The Demo

The Demo, which is aptly named "The Demo" opens with an plenty of feedback, a forewarning you're going to get a raw, live sound. And, fuck a jar (of pickled onions, so you remember it), the song Slug is an incredible opening track.

The riff induces head banging instantly. The track slows down into a more Doom laden feel, with a sinister, dark feel. This leads nicely into the faster paced Jorogumo, a floor stomper from start to finish, especially when, at about 40 seconds in, we're treated to a riff which is one of the best I can remember hearing for some time.



Club Serosa builds up layers from the beginning, firstly guitar, then the introduction of bass and drums, giving it meat and drive and then the vocal comes and gives you a kick in the balls. It continues the theme of awesome crunching riffs and throws in a nice little thrash style surprise for good measure.

The next track, Crushing Your Throne is Doomy offering in its style song on the release, after a minute and a half the track is played slow, heavy, sludgy and intense. The guitar tone and feedback as well as the usual vocal style still makes it feel like an aggressive onslaught.

The demo finishes with the psychotic, fast paced Old Fred, another stomper which in parts it reminds me of a more extreme (and thus more to my taste) System of a Down.

This demo is probably one of the heaviest releases I've written about in terms of music and vocal performance.  And it's these elements I love most about it.

Musically it is raw, but accomplished and well thought out.  Some of the riffs showcased are simply sublime to my ear. The vocal delivery adds aggression and intensity that adds a great contrast to some of the music.

Fuckjar incorporate a mix of styles such as sludge, doom, groove and at times thrashy elements really well. Considering this is a name your price download on Bandcamp, it is an absolute must have. Here is an opportunity to get behind a brilliant UK metal band, at a relatively early stage of their career, and follow them as they become more and more accomplished and appreciated, which I believe they will.

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Slabdragger - Rise of the Sludgecrushers

I bought this album initially as something I might like to write about. I knew I'd like it as I'd heard some of it and all of Slabdragger's brilliant first release, Regress, on Youtube. Then I changed my mind and thought, "no I'm just going to enjoy this as a fan".

I knew by the last note of the first song that I couldn't just enjoy it, I had to write something.

It's fair to say Slabdragger are more established than the subjects of most of my articles and certainly don't need my endorsement, but ultimately the aim of this blog is to spread the word about the music I love, and listening to this album I'd think these fellas made a list of everything I want to hear in an album an made it for me. (Cheers guys). I hope to reach some people who haven't listened before and turn them onto this band.

So without further ado...

SLABDRAGGER

Who Are They?

They are made up of Sam Thredder on Guitar and Vocals. Yusuf Tary on Bass and Vocals and Jack Newnham on Drums (the drums on the recording are by Severin Black who has since departed). They hail from Croydon.

It is believed in local folk lore the Gods placed Slabdragger in Croydon to atone for the borough spawning the monolithic cock bag that is Dane Bowers and the disappointment brought upon the English football team of fellow Croydonite Roy Hodgson. It is said upon release of their third album Dane will be replaced as the benchmark of popularised mediocraty by a member of One Direction and England will appoint a successful manager.

Please don't make us wait 5 years this time!

Style and Sound

Doomy, Sludge metal in the vein of bands such as Sleep, Yob, Sabbath (obviously) with a nod to the mighty Pink Floyd in some of the interesting sounds used.

The full bodied, warm, heavy guitar sound is amongst the most satisfying I've heard in the genre as are the range of vocal style used. There have deep roars, shrieks and clean vocals, all used to good effect. There is very strong drum work and some nice bass solo's add to the overall quality of the sound.

Rise Of The Dawncrusher

First off there's the album art provided by the supremely talented Jimmy Pearson. I'm a huge fan of thoughtful album art and this is the best I've seen in some time.  It really sets the tone for the sci-fi adventure concept of the albums songs perfectly.

To say the album is epic is no understatement. If you do invest the time and sit down with headphones or take a long drive, you will not be disappointed. You, take note of the lyrics and you will discover the story and start to appreciate how the music is also used to tell this story.

Each track is a satisfying (cosmic) journey of sledgehammer heavy doom riffs and excellent and variant vocal delivery. It's slow, ponderous and bluesy in parts and fast and aggressive in others.

Whilst 4 of the 5 songs are over 10 minutes, what is refreshing about this album, when compared to some others who produce long songs, is that at no point does any song lose its way or give you the impression there's something been put in purely to fatten the track out. You can immerse yourself in them and wonder where the last 10 minutes have gone.

The wonderful warm bluesy opening of Mercury Blues draws you in and the track soon becomes an all out sludge fest, with riffs that head banging was made for. The pace increases towards the end which leads nicely into the more aggressive Evacuate.  I get elements of southern sludge such as Black Tusk in this track, which is a very good thing. Its the shortest song on the album, but it doesn't lack in impact or delivery.

Shrine of Debauchery's opening uses guitars and additional sounds to create a sinister cosmic atmosphere. This fits well with the theme of the lyrics which seem to be portray some form of disturbed alien cult practising their horrific rituals. Is it wrong that I love these lyrics? Probably. Anyway, if ever there was a case for how well musical delivery can depict lyrical theme, this song should be Exhibit A.

Dawncrusher Rising is a wonderful brutal onslaught that has a sublime breakdown and drum work at around 9 and a half minutes. This provides the theme for the rest of the song.

The album ends with Implosion Rites which starts with a plodding riff interspersed with heavy sections with deep guttural vocals. A great breakdown 7 minutes in introduces the second part of the track, a heavier section followed by a spaced out bluesy solo. This picks up pace before taking us back to the opening riff. Weighing in at 17 and a half minutes this really is an epic, well thought out ending to an incredible album.

My musically astute 3 year old asked me, when playing the first song, "is this Rock 'n' Roll," so I told her yes it is. She then demanded I play it again when it finished. It's the only CD I've played her that she's been remotely interested in  (although she is partial to a bit of The Trooper by Iron Maiden). I don't know if this little story is a sign of it's quality, but it certainly endears the album to me even more than the undoubted quality of its content alone.

If you don't at least buy this release (you really should), you should give it a listen in its entirety on Youtube. You will not be disappointed.

Buy it: Bandcamp/Label 

Follow them: Facebook/Twitter

Label: Holy Roar (check out the subscriptions via bandcamp, great value if you like their output)
((I do not work for Holy Roar, it's just good value and a great idea))

Thanks for reading.

Gravel Drag - Dirty Dawgs

Who are they?
Gravel Drag are 3 piece instrumental riffing band from Bedford Virginia. They are made up of  Steve McKinney on Guitar, Ben McKinney on Drums and Chris Bower on Bass.

They create heavy rockin' southern groove inspired tunes that will stick in the brain of any lover of riffs.

Are They Any Good?
Fuck Yes!

Why?
Sometimes thinking is hard, especially when you have the brain capacity of a fart. This is why I am so happy I when I find instrumental music I like. No lyrics with clever hidden meanings to try and decipher is sometimes a blessing. This is music that needs no words, it speaks for itself, out and out Rock 'n' Roll that you can listen to deeply and take it all in or have in the background while you go about your daily business.

It is also a blessing to find an instrumental band who tick all the boxes in terms of your favourite genres of metal, mine being groove and stoner. Fortunately for me (and you) these guys do all of this, and they do it very well.

The Album: Sly Fox

Sly Fox is a head banger from start to finish. One thing that caught me immediately is the snare drum resonance which makes it stand out and the which in turn accentuates the groove feeling. Also the use of the crash symbols, at times even more so that the hi hat, give you the constant feeling of satisfaction that only a crash symbol can.

The bass and guitar parts are solid, well written and performed, without ever being flashy and irritating. They provide plenty of teeth gritting, snarling, head nodding moments.

Throughout this album there is no filler, every track is a good stand alone piece of work although I will talk about a couple of tracks that particularly resonated with me. They touch on psychedelic, groove metal, hard rock and doom metal sounds at points giving enough variation for it to keep you completely hypnotised throughout.

"Warbeast" stands out as a very strong track on the album. One reason for this is because it shares it's name with the band Warbeast, who have to be seen to be believed! Secondly because the opening riff reminds me of a song I wrote back in the day of trying to be a rock star in a band with my mates. But it stands out mainly because it's one of those tracks you hear and think, "fuck me I wish I'd written this". It moves from between different riffs and each one you hear is a pleasant addition to the song.



"The Legend of Sly Fox" has some  groove parts that are simply joyous. When I sat parked up in the car listening to this track, the car was rocking so much I got reported for dogging!



"Knockout King" is a brillaint closer. Short, punchy with some of the best drum work on the album. I've listened through this record 6 or more times now and everytime this song ends a have a feeling of disappointment that the album has finished! Surely that is a sure sign of some great work?

The album has a raw, live feel which is always a bonus on recorded output for me.  The feeling that these guys are just in a room together jamming, having fun, really comes across and adds to the listening enjoyment.

You can buy this album on bandcamp for $3. Yes just $3. Or in English money £2.08! So why haven't you bought it yet? It's a small investment for a great quality listen.

Other Music

Since releasing the album they have released this video for a song called "We're on Kill". It's a great tune and the perfect visual representation o their sound.

Gravel Drag are a band that I dare say fans of every genre from straight out Rock to Thrash Metal would appreciate in some way. I've not come across many instrumental bands, especially in rock and heavy music that manage to deliver, so far, consistently quality song writing. So if you enjoyed the songs included please invest, follow and support this band.

Find Them
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The Black Swamp - Foulness/Faultless

The Black Swamp

With them entering the studio this month to record their début LP it seems like a good time to do a little article about a band that is new to me, but one of my favourite finds in years, The Black Swamp.

If their EP "Foulness" and subsequent track (and video) "Cold Dead Hands" is anything to go by, then I am anticipating something pretty special, and I hope after reading this and hearing some music, you will be too.

The Black Swamp are already well in the process of making a name for themselves and have supported the likes of Hell Yeah and the almighty Black Label Society. Some readers may already be well versed in their sound. If you're not read on, if you are read on anyway, I'd be interested to get your opinions of this article......

The Black Swamp are a band who, for me, capture a bit of the spirit of Pantera, and take me back to the happiness I felt and the "how the fuck am I only just hearing this" feeling I had when I first discovered what came to be my benchmark band for all Metal. And from me, there may be no bigger compliment.

Now, I'm not saying this band are an imitation, because they are most certainly NOT. They do however on a couple of occasions appreciatively nod their head in that direction, namely in vocal delivery and some of the riffs.

In terms of musical style you can't really pidgeon hole them into a specific metal genre, something they seem to be deliberately trying to achieve, but they have elements of sludge, groove, stoner, doom and on occasions hard rock to their sound.

What they do posess is excellent musicality throughout, an ability to write catchy head infecting riffs and incredible vocal delivery.

Who Are They? 

The Black Swamp are currently made up of vocalist Stewart Wren, Jesse Kenny and Grant Scott on guitars, Rohan Downs on Bass and Brendan Woodley on drums. They are from South East Queensland, Australia. The material discussed and featured in this article was recorded with Ricky Collier on Bass duties. They started performing as a live act in 2012

Foulness EP

Foulness is excellent from start to finish, and this is the only way to describe it.

"Medal of Horror" contains great drum work which really drives the track in a similar way Adler's style does often for L.O.G. It's a high impact head banger from the start and throughout.

The title track, "Foulness" (obviously) is groove at its best, with a nice melodic lead in the chorus and a breakdown that'll have you slam dancing so hard you'll head butt the floor.

In the song "Legion" the vocalist, Wren, shows a talent of providing impact with his vocal delivery. There are well timed but random growls and then screaming "You will remember my... name" with "name" being after the beat where you'd expect to hear it. It may seem like minor things but these subtle nuances add so much to this track. Many bands don't seem to think about how much this can add to the groove or enjoyment of a song.

"The Fight Inside" starts with a great, southern influenced lead guitar line and riff. This then grows into a sludgy, chugging beauty of a track, one of those the more you hear it the better it gets songs.

The EP closes out with "Bastards of the Universe". This is a track that is worth the cost of the EP alone. Stewart Wren takes the opportunity to show off his impressive vocal abilities, incorporating a cleaner style whilst maintaining his usual style in places, The riffs would leave any fan of bands like Down, Crowbar or Orange Goblin purring with satisfaction.

Cold Dead Hands 

I'm not going to say anything about the track, Cold Dead Hands, apart from in a fan boy way, as I said to my mate Jim when I first saw it; "YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS NOW"!

Their releases so far have a variance of styles that are all performed to a high standard. When I think about what we will hear on the L.P then I hope they keep this eclectic mix going. But then I also think that if they concentrated on performing straight up groove (or sludge or anything else) it wouldn't be an issue as they are more than proficient all the areas they cover.

You can buy the EP here for a pittance, so its really worth the investment to discover a brilliant metal band, and start getting pumped for their LP release later in the year.

Ultimately this is the type of band that I want to go and see whilst getting hammered with my mates, rocking out at the gig then leaving ready to party more! And that's probably why they give me the "Pantera effect", because when I hear them, I want to drink and party and when music makes you immediately want to do these things, you know it's quality.

Follow

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and check out their Youtube channel for some interesting videos. (see the end of the article for a video about the writing process for the new album).

Band photos are by K.C Ward

Follow me on Facebook or Twitter for more articles.

You will remember my ...... NAAAAAAME!

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Montezuma's Revenge - From Russia With Sludge (and a Bong)

Who are Montezuma's Revenge?

Montezuma's Revenge are Ilya Boots, Vladimir Yurchenko and Yura Kalyaamm.

They are also not the diaahorea suffered by visitors to Mexico, although they share the name and sludgy consistency, they are most definately not shit!

What they are is a stonerific sludge band from Moscow. Although to describe them just as this doesn't really encompass their complete sound.

Now I know all music is art, but I don't think Zakk Wylde sits and considers how he is going to actualize his artistic vision in sound. I think he writes a good riff, records a "piss in your face" solo and he's done, and there's nothing wrong with this, in fact the man's a legend.

However, these guys are putting artistic thought into their compositions. It's not over bearing, or as we in England would say "arty farty", but it's there enough to give it an interesting direction. What this brings to the table is some fantastic and interesting journeys in the music and lyrics that constantly alerts the listener's attention. They have an artistic edge that sets them apart.

And speaking and art.....

Something, apart from the music, that I sincerely appreciate about this band is the clear importance hey put into the audible AND visual artistry.

In the digital music age the visual artistry of an album is often lost. Even on physical album art a lot of bands seem to follow a pre determined formula. This is not the case here. On their first LP, Key to the Abyss, they have used the considerable talent of Moscow based artist Andrey Davidosky, who has created a visually stunning sleeve cover and pages which compliments their sound perfectly.

Key to the Abyss

As I said before , if you're expecting straight sludge, you're not getting it here, but what you will get is the awesome riffs comparable to the likes of Down, with some brilliant additional soundscapes and tempo changes.

The album kicks off, well in chaos, off with "Chaos Reins", a song with an intro deserving of it's name and that incorporates some classic sludge riffs with doom influenced breakdowns and some brilliant layered lead guitar lines.

The title track, "Key to the Abyss", sounds almost like a tip of he hat to Down in parts with it's style and vocal delivery, however they never lose their own clear identity and verve.

Some songs display a range of tempos and styles that make them very interesting. "Fast Food Bushido" goes from speed to sludge to speed then it becomes almost a Slayeresque thrash number towards the end.

"Anti-Entity", my favourite track on the album, also has variant tempos and it incorporates a sublime passage of stoner rock sounds which was joyous to me upon first hearing.

"Little Gods of Disruption" brings in hardcore elements in the verses with the drums driving the song before reverting to the captivating guitar lead lines they do so well.

"Sleeping Beauty" is the most out and out sludge number, with a reverby lead that creates an almost Tool like atmosphere. Lyrically I get the impression this is referencing Russia as the Sleeping Beauty, but you may draw your own conclusions. Either way it is packed with metaphor and an interesting song lyrically and musically.

"Godfather, I'm In Love" has the most addictive riff on the record with a rich full sound it's impossible not to want to move to.

Finally, "Dead Frost" with its sinister soundscapes throughout. This is the bands epic, but they're not so self indulgent to drag it out to the point where it becomes boring. The accompanying video was animated by Waldez Sneg of the group of artists Rotten Fantom, yet another nod to the importance of visual art to accompany their music.

Throughout this record I have to disturb my pigeon style appreciative head nod several times to stop and take note and admire some of the ideas and directions, before reconvening (and looking like a knob).

Whilst good from first listen, it grows even better on the ear with further listens. You discover bits you'd not heard before or hear a new lyric you like which gives the album a fresh feel with each listen. You can stream the album below.

It's time to get behind the Moscow Metallers, a band who have shared the stage with the super powers of Down, Crowbar and next month will be supporting the Sludge juggernauts EyeHateGod, are surely on the cusp of something big themselves, with their artistic and inventive take on the genre.

The good news is they're in the final processes of completing a new album so there will be even more music to enjoy very soon.

You can buy Key To the Abyss digitally and on C.D here . Digital download is just $5 (around £3) but, if you like the album its worth having the C.D, to have the quality art as well. There is also an interesting free EP of a slightly different style and singles on bandcamp to download. Go get

From Russia With Sludge (and a bong).

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Montezuma's Facebook

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