MOUTH OF CRONUS ~ COMMUNION OF ASHES ... review

Dallas, Texas trio Mouth of Cronus, Clay Davis on vocals and guitar, Dave Slaughter on drums, and David Long on bass, describe themselves as "the brain-damaged love child of The Melvins and Mastodon." Whether their new three-song EP, "Communion of Ashes," supports that claim is up for debate. To us, Mouth of Cronus' sound leans more toward Mastodon than it does The Melvins, which, given Desert Psychlist's preference for the former, can only be counted as a win. In the end, though, it's all a matter of opinion ....so what's yours?

The EP opens with "Crown of Crows", the song begins dark and ominous with droning effects and feedback supported by solid tight drumming and low rumbling bass but how a song begins is not always the best indicator of how a song might proceed and after the appearance of a dark and reverberating chord voicing this song proceeds to get forceful and heavy. Vocals here are just as forceful as the music surrounding them, clean powerful gritty tones that often threaten to spill over into harshness but never quite do. Musically these guys are totally on the ball with fiery riffs and intricate solos firing off in all directions over a backdrop of finger blistering bass and furious drumming. Following track "Food for the Moon" is a whole different ball game, for this opus Mouth of Cronus don their technicolour dream coats and mix into their amalgamations of prog and stoner metal elements that border on psychedelic and doomic with the emphasis heavily in favour of the former. We are of course not speaking wishy washy tip-toe through the tulips type of psych here, no this is a blustering metallic take on psych that would cause any sun loving tulips to shrink back down to their roots. Final number "Hail Phaeton" is a rip roaring metallic romp that boasts more twist and turns than a Formula One racetrack, the vocals here are superb as is the musicianship surrounding them, boy these guys can really PLAY! 

Mouth of Cronus' "Communion of Ashes" contains just three songs but they pack so much into those three songs that you come away feeling like you've just sat through a full album. The musicianship is incredible, the vocals top-notch and the arrangements and lyrical content masterful, a really titan of an EP from its start to its finish.
Check it out ....

© 2025 Frazer Jones

ARBITER ~ TOWARDS THE BURNING MOON ... review

Desert Psychlist described Arbiter's debut full length release "Ambrosia", in a blurb on the albums Bandcamp page, as a "mind blowing mix of prog-metal, heavy psych and space that occasionally wanders into left of field and quirky territories", a description we stand by still and one that could just as easily be applied to the bands latest album "Towards the Burning Moon" only this time preceded by the words "an even more...". Arbiter, Caleb Blackwell (guitar/vocals); Robert John Garcia (bass/synthesizer), and Jonah Gonzalez (drums), are a band with sound like no-one else, a band who play music that always seem to teeter on the edge of chaos but never quite tips over, something you'll discover for yourselves when giving "Towards the Burning Moon" a spin.

Things begin with "Light The Torches!," a brief instrumental filled with droning feedback and sampled narrative, the piece setting the stage for the first track proper, "Black Lotus" a shape-shifting tome made up of grooves that merge heavy psych with proggish doom and elements of Middle Eastern exoticism, the results of which are decorated in "weedian" flavoured vocalisation. The next track, "The Deep Heavy" opens with a seductive bass motif, sparse yet effective guitar textures, and delicate drumming, only to explode into a throbbing mix of prog and stoner metal featuring vocals that transition from clean and phased to throaty and harsh beneath which an undercurrent of synthesized madness and refrain-driven mayhem holds sway.. For "Atop the Anthill," Arbiter incorporate quirky rhythms and off kilter riffs, reminiscent of Belgium's Gnome, to create an offbeat groove complemented by a swaying, playful vocal melody. "Form" introduces a new wave/punk vibe, while "Oh Spirit! Oh Mother!" showcases Arbiter's knack for pulling victory from the jaws of chaos with a song that constantly leaps between folkish prog languidity and metallic core-like cacophony. "Faustian Hymn" dials things back with lilting nursery rhyme-like melodies delivered over a backdrop of lightly picked guitar arpeggios and synth generated brass effects, Desert Psychlist will be surprised if we are not the only ones getting a "Wicker Man/ Midsommar" vibe from this number. Title track "Towards the Burning Moon" is probably the albums most accessible and straight forward song, its lilting clean vocal melodies are underscored by tight solid drumming and booming bass over which crunching power chords, searing lead and swirling keyboard textures combine to create a groove not too far removed from something you might find gracing a Green Lung album. For the albums final number, "Venus in Dido", Arbiter take that same straight down the line rock approach they opted for on the previous  track but this time mix things up by splicing that straight-forwardness with elements of both metallic and neo prog as well as some of those off-piste and quirky essences explored elsewhere on this wonderfully schizophrenic album.

Arbiter's "Towards the Burning Moon" is an album that defies all conventional norms, an album packed with music that ranges from the exuberant and extravagant to the chaotic and angular. Listening to "Towards the Burning Moon" is like being taken to the top of a tall building and asked to admire a familiar view, only to suddenly find yourself being dangled out of said same window and asked to look at that same view from an entirely new perspective... a crazy, scary yet at the same time exhilarating experience.

Check it out .... 

© 2025 Frazer Jones

PIECE ~ RAMBLER'S AXE .... review

If you can feel a deep rumbling through your walls and floors it could be an earthquake but just as easily it could be that someone in your immediate vicinity is spinning "Rambler's Axe" (This Charming Man Records), the new release from German sludge/doom/stoner metal titans PIECE. If its the former find yourself a sturdy and safe place to shelter, if it's the latter do exactly the same thing..... both are powerful forces of nature.

Desert Psychlist may not know who wrote the liner notes describing PIECE's latest opus as "thick like lava, black like ebony, angular and rough like the chin of Conan the Barbarian," but they certainly are deserving of a hefty bonus. In just one sentence, the writer of those words has perfectly captured what it is listeners should expect when "Rambler's Axe" erupts from their speakers and proceeds to turn their brains to mush. From the opening track "Heria," with its sampled narrative and ominous, throbbing blackened grooves overlaid with low guttural vocals, to the closing song "Serpentfolk Tyel", PIECE rarely give their audience a moment to catch their breath with listeners being bombarded with an unrelenting assault of gravelly vocalizations, thunderous riffage, and war drum-like rhythms. Tracks like "Demigod," "Bastard Sword", "Spheres" title song "Rambler's Axe" and "Owl Eyes" all groan and creak beneath the weight of their own intensity, yet, these songs are far from ponderous or heavy-handed; there is musicality here, and if you listen closely, also melody. As an album PIECE's "Rambler's Axe" is both heavy and intense but offsets that heaviness and intensity with unexpected "where did that come from" moments, those moments not so much beacons of light in waves of oppressing darkness but more serving as a subtle greying at the edges of that darkness.

If you like your metal to conjure up images of hordes of animal skin clad warriors brandishing medieval weaponry while charging across fields already littered with the remnants of the dead and dying then PIECE's "Rambler's Axe" is going to meet all your needs, if on the other hand you simply want to hear metal that is loud, heavy and intense then "Rambler's Axe" also delivers in that department.

Check it out .....    

© 2025 Frazer Jones

SUPERNAUGHTY ~ APOCALYPSO .... review

Italy's SuperNaughty, Filippo Del Bimbo (guitar), Alessio Franceschi (drums), Angelo Fagni (vocals), and Luca Raffoni (bass), may not be the heaviest or most original band out there, but they do have a knack for crafting memorable riffs and melodies. While "accessible" is an often frowned-upon term in the world of "underground" rock, it perfectly describes SuperNaughty. Despite their crunching riffs and hard-driven rhythms Supernaughty deliver an undeniable array of toe-tapping tunes, tunes that can be found aplenty on the bands new album, "Apocalypso" (Ripple Music).

SuperNaughty's third album opens its account with "Poseidon" a song that perfectly highlights the "accessible" qualities of SuperNaughty's sonic attack, riffs here are more fizzyand fuzzy than they are crunchy, the songs groove is industrious and tight but also bouncy and the songs vocal melodies are pitched clean and punkishly melodic, the sort of song that you could imagine gracing a rock radio playlist but also being the catalyst for stage diving and circular pits in a live environment. The following "Black Witch Mountain" does boast a little more grit and growl when compared to its predecessor, especially in rhythmic department, but again is graced with vocals that possess an easy on the ear fluidity, albeit with a bit more added grittiness this time out. The superbly titled "Amsterdamned" is an excellent blend of  desert and hard rock featuring a great vocal melody underscored by booming bass lines and busy on point drumming over and around which absolutely delicious lead guitar work is layered. Next two tracks "Weird Science" and "Queen of Babylon" are faultless examples of SuperNaughty's ability to combine musical muscle with melody, the former featuring chugging refrains and thundering rhythmic patterns supporting a gritty upbeat vocal, the latter a blues tinted groove machine overlaid with vocals in possession of a slightly more relaxed dynamic. "In(O)culation" combines gritty circular refrains and recurring motifs and searing guitar solos with hell for leather drumming beneath a dynamically forceful vocal while penultimate number "King Again"  finds the band layering wearied vocal tones over a mid tempo throbbing groove that also incorporates a slightly faster middle-section decorated in searing eastern flavoured guitar texturing. SuperNaughty sign out with title track "Apocalypso" a powerhouse groove monster that pulses, throbs and gallops in equal measure beneath yet another clean and flowing vocal, a raucous and rocking finale to a highly enjoyable album.

 There will be those who will think that Desert Psychlist describing SuperNaughty's music as "accessible" in the first part of this review is our way of saying that the bands music has a mainstream or commercial leaning but that is just not accurate. By calling SuperNaughty's "Apocalypso" "accessible" what we are really trying to say is that it is an album which will appeal not just to a select few of fuzz loving devotees but also to those from all walks of the rock and metal spectrum.

Check it out .....   

© 2025 Frazer Jones

SCUMBACK ~ PERFECT BLUE ..... review

 

Perusing Desert Psychlist's unending wave of emails can be in turns informative, infuriating and gladdening and it was the last of those emotions we felt when we scrolled down to find that Russian groovsters Scumback had gifted us a download of their latest album "Perfect Blue" via Bandcamp. Some may remember us waxing lyrical on these pages over the bands second album "Sons of a Witch", a collection of short sharp and caustic tunes that took their cues from the likes of Eyehategod, Buzzov-en, and Crowbar as much as they did from southern rock royalty like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet. Those who have already bought into Scumback's blend of of hardcore, groove and southern rock /metal will be cock-a-hoop to discover that while "Perfect Blue" sees Scumback progressing musically as a band it also does not stray too far from the bands original blueprint while those new to the band will discover an outfit with the ability to both swing and brutalize in equal measure.

Oh maaan how do you go about describing an opening number as impactful as "Murdertown", this is a tune that leaves you feeling like you have been run over by a truck, a partly groove, partly thrash, partly industrial, partly nu-metal riff fest decorated with vocals that are constantly shifting between stoner rock like throatiness and sludgy metallic harshness., if this tune does not compel you to take a deep dive into the rest of the album then nothing will. If you have somehow managed to get up off the floor and dust yourself down then ready yourself to be knocked right back down again by "The Absolute", this song wraps scattergun riffage and blackened rhythms beneath vocals that alternate between full on snarliness and melodic gruffness around which ear-catching motifs and searing solos are constantly swooping and swirling. There are in total 14 tracks to be found on "Perfect Blue" so please do not expect us to go in depth on each, instead we will from here on in highlight a few that we think demand attention. The first of those is the chugging stoner(ish) "Fade Away" a song that stands out thanks to its slightly more southern rock flavoured vocal inflections and its attention grabbing little hooks and catches. The next worthy of mention is the southern flavoured lament "By The River" its acoustic guitars and down-home vocal tones giving it an almost "campfire" feel. Another we think should be further investigated is the excellent "Tears of God" which, to our ears, channels a little Mississippi Bones/Clutch type swagger in its sonic attack. The truth though is that no matter where you place the needle on "Perfect Blue", be it the full on hardcore of "25 Hours" or the lilting and Skynyrd like ballad "Wasted Paradise", you are going to strike gold! 

Scumback describe what they do on "Perfect Blue" as being "hardcore with touch of Lynyrd Skynyrd" and that is in a nutshell exactly what it is, an amalgamation of southern rock, groove metal, doom and sludge condensed down into small easy to swallow bites, one of the best albums of its genre you could possibly hope to hear.

Check it out ....

   

© 2025 Frazer Jones

CROP ~ S.S.R.I. ..... review

Desert Psychlist has to hold our hands up and admit to not being aware of the existence of CROP, Marc Phillips (vocals); Zach Hunter (guitar); Braun Dabney (bass), and Andrew Beauvier (drums), until the bands latest album "S.S.R.I." landed on our desk a few days ago. How this band got by us is still a mystery, especially since they tick all the musical boxes we love like caustic riffage, thunderous sludgy grooves and forceful gritty vocals but we've found them now and we are not about to let anything they put out in the future get by us again. 

CROP's "S.S.R.I." is far from an easy listening experience, listeners should brace themselves mentally and physically before taking this monster on. Even "Flatline," the album's brief, droning instrumental intro, feels like an assault on the senses. If "Flatline" doesn’t have you fleeing in auditory distress, the next track, "Formaldehyde," most certainly will, the song bursts out of the traps with such snarling ferocity it'll have you taking a step back. Here we find Phillips screaming of "betrayal" over a backdrop of gnarled, noisy metal that could be described as sludgy but feels so much nastier. It has to be said that there are brief moments of respite to be found here, like when the groove shifts into more psychedelic rock territories where we find Phillips delivering his vocals slightly more subdued (if that's the right word), but those passages aside the vibe here is mostly full on and feral  Next comes "Goddamn," a doom-laden behemoth with gritty, caustic vocals wrapped in thick reverberating riffage driven by growling basslines and thunderous drums, if you're not standing awestruck and soundlessly mouthing its title when this one finally rolls around to its close then you just haven’t been listening properly.. Fourth number "10-56" sees guitarist Hunter, bassist Dabney and drummer Beauvier jamming a deliciously raucous sludgy stoner metal groove, interrupted by a brief lysergic interlude,  over which Phillips tells us he's "sick and tired of being sick and tired" in a voice that seems constantly on the verge of cracking. Every rock or metal band hailing from the southern states of America has to have at least one torch-like song in their locker and "Alone" is CROP's, although in CROP's case it is more a burning brand than an actual torch. Phillip's vocal here is his best so far, gritty and gruff but full of emotion, emotion that is also reflected in Hunter's superb guitar contributions which weave swirling lead and crunching chords around some truly outstanding bass and drum work from Dabney and Beauvier. The instrumental "Breathe" follows and although only just over one minute long comes across like something Ennio Morricone might have penned for a Sergio Leone movie... had that movie been a western horror set in the depths of space. Doom is the primary force behind final song "Break" but its a doom like no other doom that has came before it or is likely to follow, this is doom served up with side orders of southern hardcore and stoner-metal with dark thrumming riffage and thunderous rhythms bookending a fleeting but compelling section of dank ambience topped off with vocals that go from slurred and sneery to angsty and harsh, a song that is loud, mostly gnarly and utterly brilliant throughout! 

Their are times while listening to CROP's "S.S.R.I." when you think that things could not  possibly get any more forceful or gnarly... and then they DO! There are also times on this album where the band wrap you up in warm blankets of unexpected languid ambience, although admittedly those moments are few and far between. "S.S.R.I." is a super heavy if a decidedly schizophrenic release that should come with its own health warning, music this loud, this intense, this dangerous cannot be good for you, but then don't they say that about all the best things in life.

Check it out .... 
 

© 2025 Frazer Jones

THE BIG RIP ~ OLYMPUS MONS ... review

 

Norway's The Big Rip, featuring Danny Valle Johannessen (vocals), Eivind Dalevoll (guitar), Ole Jørgen Kjørholt (guitar), Mats Bredesen (bass), and Simen Lunde (drums), defy easy categorization, their sound being a dynamic mix of progressive/post-metal, and heavy rock decorated with powerfully melodic vocals that possess a soulful edginess. Some have already compared Big Rip's sound to that of bands like Elder, Witchcraft, and King Buffalo and although Desert Psychlist does not disagree with these comparisons we tend to think their music leans somewhat a little closer to that of UK's Sergeant Thunderhoof in that its prog elements come from a more classic rock angle.. The band have just recently released their second EP, "Olympus Mons," the follow up to their well-received debut EP "Order of the Goatlord.", a release we believe is a must-hear for ALL fans of expansive, spacious and rocking prog/post-metal.

Opening song "Behold, This Mountain" sets the tone for the rest of the EP, a song that starts from fairly humble beginnings and slowly swells  in intensity and volume to become something just as majestic and imposing as the edifice mentioned in its title with lilting eastern flavoured motifs sharing space with heavy reverberating riffage around powerfully delivered vocals that possess a crooned soulful quality. Next up is "KAKTUS", this song boasts a slightly more strident and stoner(ish) groove to its predecessor but proves no less impactful for that. The guitar work of Dalevoll and Kjørholt is exemplary here, a fine blend of crunch and shimmer that is supported by an equally fine mix of power and restraint from the rhythm section of Bredesen and Lunde while Johannessen's vocals are just other level in power depth and timbre. Third number "Kraken Mare" begins life prog-lite and slightly folkish with Johannessen crooning soulfully over deftly delivered ringing guitar arpeggios but then shifts into something more akin to a classic rock torch song when the bass and drums join the party, this is the song that triggered Desert Psychlist's earlier Sergeant Thunderhoof comparison due to it having much the same anthemic qualities that "The Hoof" exhibited on their last two studio albums. Lastly we have title track "Olympus Mons" and like this EP's opening track "Behold, This Mountain" this track, an instrumental, boasts a majestic and expansive feel with exquisite guitar interplay supported by a deliciously seductive backdrop of liquid bass and sympathetically pitched drumming, a beautifully structured piece of music that's only failing is its brevity. 

  The Big Rip's "Olympus Mons" is a phenomenal EP from what is a frankly quite phenomenal band. If there has to be a criticism levelled at this extraordinarily well crafted and superbly structured collection of music it would be that at only four songs the listener is left feeling a little short-changed, that said "Olympus Mons" is still a release one would fully expect to make many peoples end of the year "best of" lists, it is that good!

Check it out ..... 

© 2025 Frazer Jones