The Goatbox Rebels - Let Us Bleed Integrity

I don't know what a Goatbox is or why a Goatbox may be rebellious. I can imagine a goat in a box might be quite the rebel having been kept in a box rather than in a field or on a hill. However, ultimately this is unimportant as I am writing about a band, not a goat's quality of life. So here are a new band I've been lucky enough get some music from...

When listening to the EP "Let Us Bleed Integrity" I thought the best way I can describe this sound is dirty, bluesy hard rock with a punk like delivery at times. The general sound is heavy enough but also tuneful and catchy enough to be accessible to fans of multiple genres. 

They are made up of  Ivan Westley on Vocals and Guitars, Nate Anton on Drums and Colin James Gibson on Bass. Whilst originally from Montreal they are based in Toronto, which is good for me as I can now have a positive association with the place rather than the memory of visiting the CN tower as a child and my Dad forcing me to walk across the glass floor whilst I was shitting myself and blubbering. 

Let Us Bleed Integrity

Let Us Bleed Integrity is book ended with two tracks that are brilliant for different reasons. The opener Black Tooth Grin, is a balls out party track. Pantera fans may find themselves harking back to the Vulgar Videos with the songs subject, as I did. It's fast paced with a catchy riff, some fantastic, almost psychotic, drum fills and the bass parts have plenty to add to the rhythm of the track. 

The last track, Icarus, offers more stylistically than anything else on the E.P. Seamlessly and fluidly it travels from a proggy intro into the catchy dirty rock riffs they seem to do so well, capturing some metal influenced breakdowns along the way, with a great and not overdone solo to boot. 

So whats the filling in this sandwich of fuzzy rock brilliance? 

No Love Lost is an all out assault, fast paced and aggressive. It carries more of a punk/hardcore vibe than the rest of the tracks but manages to stay firmly in the heavy blues rock scope. Punchy and to the point with a chorus made for group participation, it's a track that should go down well with a live audience.

Opium Dozer, like No Love Lost, is another brilliant kick in the teeth of raw rock and attack. It has a sublime Doomy outro which is a direction I'd like to hear these guys expand on as they clearly have an ear for it, but I'm bound to say that, being a Doom head.

What I like about the E.P other than the music is the mix and production. It manages to keep a raw live, but at the same time you can clearly hear every instruments input. It's so good to here the nuances of the bass playing for instance, which is played brilliantly throughout. Whilst being raw and dirty in delivery, all the musical input sounds great from all three performers.

Overall this is a great release with 4 very strong offerings, two of which slightly edge it for me into the realm of excellence.

You can it here through Bandcamp, who as my readers know, I feel is a great place to purchase music and support artists. If you like what you've read/heard give it a spin and also follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Cor more info about them and their live shows check out their website.

TRUST THE BLACK TOOTH GRIN

Idlewar - Listen up, Nod Head, DIG IN

Who are Idlewar?

Idlewar are a 3 piece band from Orange County (California not the super tanned Essex).

If your only experience of Orange County is a gritty teenage drama with a broody lead who can't act then here's some musical history for you.

Orange County has brought us Tim Buckley, RX Bandits, Avenged Sevenfold, The Offspring and many others.... and No Doubt. O.k so it's not perfect, but the sin of allowing No Doubt to exist can be forgiven. The musical output from O.C has been good and Idlewar are no exception.

They are made up of vocalist and bassist James Blake, Guitarist Rick Graham and Drummer Pete Pagonis and play riff driven ass kickin' heavy rock. 2/3 of them have beards, so they're more Rock than you.... deal with it.

They're likened to AC/DC, Clutch, Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters on their website and these are fair comparisons to make. Thankfully, unlike Foo Fighters, their e.p has more than 1 rehashed song on it. (Oooh I'm so controversial)

Since releasing they're e.p Dig In they've visibly gained traction in the U.K having had air time on Planet Rock radio and have recently announced a UK tour towards the end of the year, to go along with the release of their first LP, "Impulse" which is due to be released at the end of September.

If you like what you read and hear below, head over to Pledge Music to pre order your album and support these guys.

The E.P - Dig In

I'm going to give a brief overview of the tracks with the videos where possible. Where they are not I hope I say just enough to entice you to listen.

The E.P opens with Chunk of me, a strong track with a driving chugging riff throughout, short, sweet and effective.

This then leads into the excellent Out of my Head. Musically, it follows the lyrical theme and has a great solo. Idlewar have just released a video of this track which you can watch here.

Eleventeen is an absolutely storming track. This was Planet Rock's playing choice and you can see why, it has the right song length and head nodding qualities required for radio.

Feel the pain is my personal favourite. It's a slow sludgy track with a vocal performance reminiscent of Robert Plant. The guitar parts for me, are really well thought out and overall it's class throughout.

The final track, Stronger, reminds me in parts of Tool, which can never be a bad thing, but the chugging riff and then lead guitar part is very effective.

Why are Idlewar so good?

As an initial E.P it makes me excited to think how Idlewar will develop song writing wise, as these songs already display great strength. The new album is almost certainly going to be a certified ball crusher! If you do pledge, then you'll get an exclusive download of new single Criminal.

As someone who has generally eclectic tastes I have still found myself navigating towards the more hardcore heavy side of music over the last few years. Idlewar have brought me back to my roots. It's no coincidence that having listened to this E.P, I've also dusted off my Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Skynyrd and Alice in Chains albums, all bands I've never lost an love for, but that have been missing from my C.D player recently.

Idlewar bring together so many great genres. There are classic rock quality vocal performances. The guitarist brings together sludge, groove, grunge, straight rock styles brilliantly to create driving attention grabbing riffs and interesting solos. The rhythm section throughout are not just their to play paint by numbers rock as so many bands do nowadays, it's tight, skillful and interesting.

I can't wait to see them in the U.K and hear the new album, in the mean time click here Pledge Your Support

Follow them on Twitter/Facebook

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.

Follow Them on Facebook 

Buffalo Theory MTL - Skeptic Knight

Who Are They?

They are Buffalo Theory MTL. The MTL is short for Montreal, their home town and also close to where I bought an Eel skin wallet, the quality of which has never been matched, from an Aboriginal Canadian shop when visiting family in Canada at the age of 11, but that's another story.

Their members are Anton Parr (originally of Brazil) on vocals, Yannick Pilon on guitar and vocals, Pat Gordon on guitar, Gary Lyons on bass and Brian Craig on drums.

All members are seasoned metal artists who have graced the stages along with the likes of Korn, Marilyn Manson, Suicidal Tendancies and the almighty, glorious Testament (I am a bit of a fan!)

It's safe to say, these guys can play a bit.

Style

They are a Stoner, beer chugging, fun time metal band through and through. Their music has all the awesome riffage and crash symbol smashing delivery you could ever ask for.
Taking this all into account, it'll be no surprise to my regular readers that I'm a bit if a fan!

The drum work is worth mentioning on it's own to start. I get the impression Brian's past work may have been in some more speed orientated and more aggressive metal. Whether this is correct or not, the drum work is something I particularly enjoy in their music. Whilst there's all the behind the beat stuff I like to hear, some of the speedy fills and rolls (I'm not taking about sandwiches but I am getting hungry) add a real intensity and grit to the songs.

This does not take away from the performances of any of the other guys though, there is quality writing and performance in every song I have heard. There's not a single boring riff or pointless solo, everything has it's place.

What ultimately sets Buffallo Theory MTL apart from many Stoner bands for me is the vocal delivery, which unsurprisingly given Anton's heritage, has a Brazilian thrash feel and at times a classic Punk influence that goes hand in hand with thrash. It's a different and refreshing addition to the genre.

EP: Skeptic Knight

Skeptic Knight opens with the almost locomotive chugging of Conspiracy in Paronaland. The vocal delivery harks back to Johnny Rotten in parts.

Punishment is more thrash meets Stoner and they make little chilled but occasionally ADHD babies. Every time I hear the opening I pull the grimacing "fuck yeah" face metal heads pull when they're really into a riff. When I'm in company people think I'm constipated, but in fact I'm just enjoying the pace, aggression and class delivery of this song.



Get On It sounds like an invite to come and get drunk, and it seems lyrically that was the intention. The riff, randomly, initially reminded me of Prisonsex by Tool, just faster and more upbeat. Whether I'm completely insane or not with that comparison, what it does have is a tempo, riff and lyrical repetition that works in making you want to get up and  groove and shout the lyrics back at Anton at the same time.

The title track, Skeptic Knight, has a classic Doom intro, before breaking into a snare driven headbanger. The riff is king in this song, it's impossible not to get pulled physically into the rhythm of the song and want to head bang like a chicken at feed time.

Psychic Enclosure has a clear groove feel. There's no unnecessary fills or attempts to drag this out. Its short, sweet to the point, with a good solo. The very last note leaves you expecting, and wanting, more.

Overall

The EP is a grower. On first listen I enjoyed it but was most taken by the brilliance of Punishment. It's still my favourite song but the other tracks, probably mostly Psychic Enclosure and Get On It, grow in stature with every listen.

It's well worth the £2.92 outlay on bandcamp. I'd also suggest you pick up their Triple Single EP Murder Trilogy for what ever price you wish to name as it's another excellent release. Murder Trilogy is 3 songs, 3 languages and spawned this excellent video.

Enjoy

Find them and Follow Them: Facebook/Twitter

Mike Milan Dedic - Take Me To Technodrome Shredder

Since being fortunate enough to listen to the sublime Gravel Drag, I have been on a bit of an instrumental binge. So I was very pleased when Mike Milan Dedic contacted me to see if I'd like to hear his completely self composed and performed self titled EP.

The Artist

Mike is from Toronto, Canada. He is a self taught, (yes self taught, not classically trained, not Van Halen's evil twin, and believe me when I say, when you hear him you might call me a liar!)

He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and his influences are far and wide but include Randy Rhodes, Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore, elements of all can be heard here.

Style

Put simply, the guy is a shredder and I mean this in a guitar sense not a super villain fighting mutants turtles, but I bet he could.

He incorporates melody, more speed and attack than Usain Bolt on steroids, technical excellence and moments of relative simplicity underlining the skill, and as my step dad always told me "when writing songs, sometimes less is more".

The E.P - Mike Milan Dedic

The 5 track E.P opens with Energy, a grandiose opening that develops into a tune with speed and melody that would suit an Iron Maiden album nicely. This leads into Zoom, a more laid back affair, still with elements of speed but an easy listening rhythm line that keeps it plodding along nicely.

Run has a machine gun intro and quickly becomes a comfortable melody driven sound and Launch is my favourite track with it's epic soundscape. Both include stunning solos but Epic has changing timings that really peak the interest, a great track.

The last song, Shall We Dance, warmingly reminds me of Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues" era with it's bluesy tones and solo work. It's a lovely way to finish this release. He doesn't site Gary Moore as an influence but it is impossible not to draw these comparisons on this song.

The album is a grower,  it improves with every listen and I feel the quality of compositions improve as the album goes on with the last two being standout. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listen for fans of technical guitar work, shredding and or a classic metal sound. Some of the guitar work is simply draw dropping.

The album is available from most outlets including Google Play, iTunes and Amazon ans it's only a few quid.

If you would like to follow Mike then check out his Facebook page.

I'll leave you with a little taster of what you will experience on this release....

Slumlord Radio - To Pretty For This Blog!

Slumlord Radio - To Pretty For This Blog!

When I posted a picture on Instagram inviting bands to sendme some music, I got plenty of "likes" from plenty of bands. However, as usual it was lots of people fishing for follows rather than having the balls to say, "yeah here's my music listen and write about it".

That is, apart from Slumlord Radio. What they didn't know was I'd previously checked out a video of them on YouTube and really enjoyed it, so was very pleased when they came knocking with an album for me to listen to.

Who are they?

Slumlord Radio are made up of Tommy "Capt. Hollywood" Erickson on vocals and guitar, Matt "Rattlesnake" Claucherty on drums and Mike "Ace" Todd on bass and hail from Grand Rapids Michigan.

Style

They blend various styles from hard rock, grunge, metal and stoner with a sprinkling of some pop hooks for added audible pleasure.

The vocal delivery is at times Cobain-esque with the addition of some happy gas and a more positive outlook on life. There is plenty of vocal input from the bassist with lots of chant style choruses that will envoke audience and in my case listener participation.

As a band they are musically astute throughout. Although there is a comedy element within the bands' output, they clearly take their playing very seriously and thusly produce some great musical moments.

The Album - Too Pretty for Tijuana

The intro to the album really sets the tone with the first of three insights from the albums Cowboy narrator! This is going to be fun.

First up, the single "Bullwhip". The genius thing about this song is the mixture of the poppy hooks and tunefulness musically, that leads into an out and out heavy riff driven musical interlude. It's a mixture that transcends genre's, but in a way that works (let's face it, it doesn't usually work). Plus the video is balls out fun!

Debonaire Dolomite, has a stoner riffing lead guitar line. It plods along nicely while informing us "hustling is harder than it looks, gotta know how to cook the books". An important lesson to all aspiring business entrepreneurs!

Southpaw with it's intro that feels like you've been left in the desert, licking sand, breaks into a foot thumping, head banging stormer. It's driving force is the brilliant drum work, which is hard hitting and takes many different twists and turns. The solo and breakdown just top off this brilliant track.

Choke 66 has one of the most infectious riffs I've heard in a while. I keep finding myself tapping my foot and doing my rendition of it. It sounds great to me but I've been getting funny looks while in the supermarket looking at vegetables, especially as reproducing it requires a lot of tongue work.

This leads into the faster paced and brilliant Fort Knox. Full of great riffs and energy throughout, only slowing down briefly to let you catch you breath before starting up again. A great close before the proclamations of moistness from our Cowboy narrator. And I have to agree with him!



Pay Attention!

This is an extremely strong release throughout with such a great mix of styles executed brilliantly. Slumlord Radio are deserving of more attention and coverage. In a rock world where massive bands are getting away with recording the same songs over and over and getting hailed as genius (I'm looking at you Foo's and Chilli Peppers) here is a band blending styles successfully, writing good music and having a laugh with us all while doing it.

This album is available, along with their entire back catalogue, from bandcamp, and you can NAME YOUR PRICE, so I'd suggest you get along and download the lot, put it on, drink some beer and have a party (naming a price if you can).

Follow them: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

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
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

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

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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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