HIGHBERNATION ~ HIGHBERNATION ........ review

The definition of a riff according to the Oxford Dictionary is ..."a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song". That definition, although correct, seems a little dismissive and throwaway for something that is more or less been the heartbeat of every rock, blues and pop song ever recorded. No genres of music have been more reliant on "the riff" than those at the more heavier end of the rock spectrum, especially those bands working within the metal, doom, stoner and hard rock arenas where the power of the riffs are almost as important as the songs they reside in.

Edmonton, Alberta trio Highbernation, MJ (drums), MR (guitar/vocals) and RG (bass) may prefer to hide their identities by using just initials but they certainly know a thing or two about laying down a riff having filled their debut release "Highbernation" with a ton of them.

Highbernation refer to their particular sonic groove as "reefer fuelled doom metal", stating their influences as stemming from such stoner doom luminaries as Sleep and Electric Wizard. It is not hard to hear elements from both those influences mentioned manifesting themselves within the three songs the band present here but this is not to say Highbernation are copyists. Highbernation are a band who like to riff, a band who believe if a riff is good enough then it doesn't matter if it consists of two notes or ten they are going to play it until fingers bleed and  muscles disintegrate and in this respect their are similarities but where Highbernation differ from their contemporaries is in the subtle psychedelic nuances they scatter around their mix of slow to mid paced riffage. Those nuances and lysergic hues present themselves both in MR's vocal execution and his occasional (and here we DO mean occasional) lysergic guitar solos, his strong, slightly gothic vocal tones, delivered with a hint of reverb, giving first two songs "Uncle Indica" and "Motherfuzzer" an almost ethereal feel despite the heaviness brought to the table by RG's monsterous bass lines and MJ's thundering percussion. On final track "Wasted Faith" the band allow us a peak at another side of them, the trio hitting into a groove that is just a little less stonerized and a lot more doomic and one that sees MR tailor his vocals accordingly, losing the reverb that gave his voice its ethereal quality and adopting a more traditional doomic tone. The songs ten minute plus span also allows the band to experiment a little, throwing a brief but delightfully executed lysergic section into the mix as well as some Sabbath-esque time shifts and tempo changes.

"Highbernation" shows a band who although may not be quite the finished article yet (there are a tad too many rough edges for that) nonetheless exhibit a high level of potential and promise for the future, a band worth keeping our eye on.
Check it out ..... 

© 2018 Frazer Jones

SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF ~ TERRA SOLUS ...... review

It's with a certain amount of shame and embarrassment that Desert Psychlist has to admit that although championing Somerset, UK's Sergeant Thunderhoof since first hearing their 2014 debut "Zigurat" we have somehow never actually reviewed one of their albums. Thankfully we now have the chance to remedy this oversight thanks to the release of their third full length album "Terra Solus" (releases May 12 2018)

"Another Plane" opens "Terra Solus" and begins with drummer Darren Ashman laying down shimmering percussion around a pulsing bass drum beat accompanied by an eerie drone effect before the hammer goes down and he is joined by Mark Sayer's guitar and Jim Camp's bass in a monstrous chugging hard rock groove. Enter vocalist Dan Flitcroft telling in strong, slightly grizzled tones of "blistered hands" and "cosmic winds" his clean powerful voice and occasional impassioned howl adding an extra level of gravitas to the songs themes of desperation and resignation". "Stella Gate Drive" follows and sees the band hitting into a pelvis thrusting, chest beating hard rock groove touched up with a little glam/sleaze rock'n'roll swagger. Sergeant Thunderhoof ease off the throttle slightly for their next track "The Tree and the Serpent" a song that blends psychedelic colouring and soulful indie rock texturing around a clean, superbly executed vocal melody. This lysergic vibe is carried on into following track "B Oscillation" an instrumental that sees Sayer,Camp and Ashman adding a little rock funkiness to the equation with Sayer's guitar, not so much soaring over Camp's growling bass and Ashman's wall of percussion, but more weaving in and out of them in a myriad of six-string colouring. "Diesel Breath" uses the lyric "take your foot off the gas let's take it slow" but in truth for the majority of the song the band do anything but, coming out of the traps on a raucous wave of heavily fuzzed riffage and insistent rhythms with Flitcroft mixing his vocal attack between clean melodic and grainy rock roar. At around the three quarter mark the groove segues into lysergic territory with Sayer layering shimmering psychedelic hues over and around Camp and Ashman's sympathetic rhythms before the songs initial raucousness returns and takes things to the close. "Priestess of Misery" is up next an atmospheric torch-like opus that soars and swoops on a sea of gnarly doomic riffage and pummelling percussion, Sayer, Camp and Ashman combining to create a dark swirling bedrock of emotive and powerful groove for Flitcroft to decorate with his strong and distinctive vocal tones. "Half A Man" brings things down a notch or two and is a beautiful folk tinted ballad that finds Flitcroft crooning melancholic and melodic over a gentle backdrop of acoustic colouring. The band close proceedings with "Om Shaantih" a song that is part devotional, part lysergic and wholly stunning, a song that blends eastern themes and motifs with those of a more western nature without once compromising on groove, a song that that says, in a shower of bright psychedelic hues, that there is nothing this band can't attempt and there is nothing they can't pull off.

Class is the first syllable of the word "classic" and classic is the first word of the term "classic rock" and what Sergeant Thunderhoof deliver with "Terra Solus" is some damn fine class classic rock. Desert Psychlist supposes there will be those who find the term "classic rock" a touch derogatory for a band who many consider as being an underground hard/stoner rock band but we are using the term not as a genre description but as an observation of the quality of musicianship and songwriting to be found within the grooves of Sergeant Thunderhoof's latest offering and in that respect "Terra Solus" can truly be described as "classic"
Check it out ....

© 2018 Frazer Jones

DESERT ALTAR ~ DESERT ALTAR ..... review

Desert Altar, Piper Neddenien (vocals), Michael Potts (guitar), Zach Snowden (guitar), Ed Fiero (bass) and Mike Arjona (drums), a doomic five piece with occult rock leanings from Richmond, Virginia, state their intentions as wanting to "make America riff again". Well if the bands first, self titled, album. "Desert Altar" is anything to go by then they are off to a great start.

Richmond, Virginia may not be known for its deserts but that hasn't stopped Richmond residents Desert Altar from peppering their songs with references to those hard, unforgiving expanses nor, in fact, from using the word "desert" in their name. It has to be said however that apart from their name and those scattered references "Desert Altar" is an album that conjures up images of mist shrouded castles and dark looming mountains rather than rolling dunes and endless vistas, the music and lyrics contained within its grooves having a very doomic, occult quality. Desert Psychlist was trying hard not to make comparisons with other bands from a similar sound spectrum in this review but elements of Blood Ceremony's occult/horror scores and The Devil's Blood's satanic grooves all make their presence felt here. Piper Neddenian sings songs of loss, longing and old magic across backdrops of thrumming dark riffage and thundering rhythm, her strong, clean and clear tones not so much soaring above the dark cacophony beneath them as floating majestically atop it. Neddenian's soulful vocal outpourings are superbly supported throughout the album by a band of tight and highly skilled musicians with Fiero's bass and Arjona's drums supplying the meat and potatoes of rhythm and groove that drive each song while guitarists Potts and Snowden supply the seasonings and spices that decorate them.

"Desert Altar" is a stunning debut from a band who are just starting to climb the ladder and if this a snapshot of what is to come it will not be long before these guys are sitting at the top table with their contemporaries Blood Ceremony, Kroh and Devil Electric who work in a similar doom/occult rock arena.
Check 'em out .... 



© 2018 Frazer Jones

SUN VOYAGER ~ SEISMIC VIBES ...... review

Some music was just made for listening to in a warm weather environment and "Seismic Vibes", the latest release from Brooklyn trio Sun Voyager, is the perfect soundtrack for long hot days spent beneath cloudless blue skies.

Ok Sun Voyager may have not set out with the intention of making a feel good summer album with "Seismic Vibes", especially as they pepper the album with songs with titles such as "Caves of Steel", "Stellar Winds" and "God Is Dead", but intentional or not that's how this album comes across. Even stranger is the fact that the warm weather vibe is not exactly reflected in the music, the band's musical attack is insistent and heavy (though not brutal) and is most definitely pitched at the more raucous end of the psychedelic spectrum. So what it is it about this release that makes you start thinking of putting on light clothing and taking a stroll in the warmth of the sun? Well it's all about the vocals, there is something totally smile inducing and life affirming about the hazy melodies and harmonies that are executed throughout "Seismic Vibe" that, when combined with the little twists of keyboard colouring and texturing throw in here and there, just seems to scream warmth and sunshine. Even when Sun Voyager are getting down low and slow on a doomic groove like "Psychic Lord" there is still that feeling that the clouds will part and the sun will come shining through despite all the dark gnarled riffage and pummelling rhythms the band throw at the song.

Sun Voyager's "Seismic Vibes" is this years feelgood hit of the summer, albeit a very gnarled and heavy one, they may not have meant it to be but what you intend and what you end up with are not always the same thing.
Check it out ....

© 2018 Frazer Jones

WHITE DWARF ~ THROUGH THE HAZE ..... review

Teenagers eh, surly mini adults with loads of attitude and enormous chips on their shoulders thinking the world owes them a living and demanding attention when they haven't actually done anything! Well that's the usual view of our next generation but Desert Psychlist has discovered three such adolescents from Denver, Colarado who are actively doing something and doing it damn well!
White Dwarf are a three piece stoner/psych/doom band comprised of Issak Rhynes (guitar/vocals), Vaughn Morrison (drums) and Emilio Eslinger (bass) who, although barely old enough to shave, have just released an album titled "Through The Haze", an album that can give some of the scenes older, more wizened veterans more than a run for their money.

"Through The Haze" begins its journey into our hearts and minds with "The Witch" it's ominous and atmospheric intro of reverberating guitar, droning bass and occasional percussion slowly building in intensity and volume until reaching the point of no return and exploding into a rich and thick doomic refrain. Guitarist/vocalist Rhynes adds to this onslaught of groove raw. slightly strained vocal colouring screaming "You don't deserve what's been given to you" and "I can't wait to see you die" with a voice filled with a gravitas and maturity way beyond its years. Things take a dramatic left turn at around the songs halfway mark and the listener is suddenly thrown into a whirlpool of swirling doomic psych that finds Rhynes  taking things to the close, utilising every effect and trick at his disposal, in a dazzling display of six-string pyrotechnics underneath which Eslinger and Morrison attempt to keep things grounded with booming liquid bass lines and tumultuous percussion. "High Mountain" follows and  finds the band heading down a more traditional stoner doom path with Morrison laying down a backbeat of  deliberate and heavy pounding percussion around which Eslinger weaves low growling bass.  As well as filling every available space with crunching chords and swirling psychedelic solo's Rhynes here tailors his voice with a certain amount of echo giving the song an almost ethereal vibe much befitting its lyrical theme. Eslinger introduces next track "The Devil's Rejects" with some stunning bass work over which Rhynes adds touches of fractured guitar texturing with Morrison sitting just underneath complimenting the two guitarists with shimmering and restrained rhythmic accompaniment. The song slowly picks up pace but this time the band hold back from unleashing their full fury preferring instead to keep things low key and on one level something which is also reflected in Rhynes vocal, the guitarist/vocalist opting for a cleaner less aggressive tone to tell his story. "The Colossus" brings "Through The Haze" to a close with a song that although not obviously so, given its initial weighty doomic groove and mantra-like a vocals, is most definitely rooted in the blues, not convinced ...then just check out Rhynes scorching blues drenched solo in the final quarter played over Eslinger's walking bass line and Morrison's rock steady backbeat for proof.

Kids eh you take your eyes off 'em for five minutes and...... they make an album of stonkin' tunes you just can't ignore and need to listen to over and over again....little buggers!
,Check 'em out ....

© 2018 Frazer Jones

VITREOUS EARTH ~ PASSING VISIONS ...... review

The villagers are massing outside Stonerking Towers, the home of Desert Psychlist, with torches in hand and a mixture of fury and fear etched across their faces, emboldened by the presence of a cowled priest who shouts of blasphemy and sacrilege, the maddened crowd try to storm the towers ornate heavy wooden doors, hoping to somehow put an end to the dark satanic sounds spewing forth from the towers uppermost floors..... well not exactly. The truth is its nine thirty in the morning and the Psychlist has, for the third time, spun Californian trio Vitreous Earth's excellent debut release "Passing Visions" and an irate neighbour has had enough and has started banging on the wall.

"Passing Visions" may not be the album Desert Psychlist's soul/dance loving neighbour is about to rush out and purchase anytime soon but for those of us with a darker more underground metal bias Vitreous Earth's new release may well be considered manna from heaven (or hell for that matter). From the didgeridoo like guitar effect that opens first track "Smoke Serpent" to the sudden full stop that closes "Witch's Hole" the listener is treated to unrelenting waves of dark, disturbing but totally engrossing stonerized metal and blackened grunge. Miguel Rodriguez's earthshaking growling bass lines, supported by Travis Wall's thunderous percussion, shift the grooves on songs like "Lion's Den", "Resin Kiss" and "Thirst" between the frantic and the low and slow without missing a beat or a note, their rhythmic telepathy allowing guitarist/vocalist Eric Reichert the freedom to express himself with a mixture of neo-classical noodling, bluesy shredding and good old fashioned metal crunch throughout, filling the spaces between his solo's and riffs with big, slightly cracked and raw vocals. This is never more effective than on the atmospheric and Nirvana-esque "Sincerely" a song that puts a metallic twist on the old quiet/loud/quiet grunge aesthetic and is, for Desert Psychlist ,the highlight of an album full of highlights.

Put "Passing Visions" on your favourite mode of listening turn it up loud and sit back and bask in its dark subterranean glory but remember keep one eye on that window there just may be a priest out there with a baying mob at his back heading in your direction. You've been warned!
Check it out .....
  © 2018 Frazer Jones

RIPPLES OF THE MIND ~ THE RIPPLE FAMILY .... review

Let's get things clear from the start and tell you that "Ripples of the Mind" is a compilation album and that The Ripple Family are not actually a band, well that last piece is not entirely true as The Ripple Family are a band but not in the traditional  musical sense of the word. To explain this Desert Psychlist needs to tell you a little about the label behind this compilation and how this release came into being.
Todd Severin, main man/head honcho at Ripple Music is a man who cares about music and in particular hard rock but he is also a bit of rare commodity in the music biz because Todd not only cares about the bands and musicians that make the music he loves but he also cares about those that buy it. In fact with Ripple's excellent subscription service, Todd has made it easier and cheaper for fans/followers to afford everything Ripple releases, and they release a lot. Alongside his work with the label Todd has also made it part of his remit to have a connection with his customers/followers via the labels excellent blogspot  "The Ripple Effect" and Facebook forum "Waveriders Unite", it was a post on this last one that started the whole "Ripples of the Mind" ball rolling. When it was suggested to Todd that he should compile a release comprised of the more lysergic orientated songs from the labels roster of artists he didn't scroll past or dismiss the suggestion with a flippant comment, no he turned the whole thing back around and asked the "Waveriders" to choose what should go on the compilation and that he would then release the results.
So here it is a stunning collection of psychedelic performances, lysergic laments and tripped out tunes chosen by a "band" of like minded brothers and sisters and performed by a "band" of  Ripple artists.

Here's just a sample of what to expect from "Ripples of the Mind".....

© 2018 Frazer Jones