MEGATON COMMUNION ~ RED SKY WARNING ... review

Regular readers of Desert Psychlist will know that most of our reviews are split between music that is gnarly and crushing and that which is lilting and psychedelic as well as music that falls somewhere between the two. Today though we are reviewing a band whose music could just as easily be seen gracing the Doom Charts as it could heard gracing the airwaves of mainstream rock radio, a band with an undeniably American sound but one edged with world-crossing metallic growl and bite. The band we speak of are a Ohio three piece, consisting of Derrick Walter (guitar); Ryan Sharkey (drums) and Joe Marshall (bass/vocals), who go by the name Megaton Communion, the album we are reviewing today is their debut "Red Sky Warning" (Black Doomba Records), we think you'll like it.

"Red Sky Warning" opens its account with "Kentucky Buddha", there is no fancy intro here, no polite knocking on the door asking for access, instead we get a crunchy and raunchy circular guitar motif pushed hard by low growly bass and punchy percussion virtually kicking said door clear off its hinges. The groove does settle down somewhat when the vocals come in, which are delivered husky strong and clean, but it is that recurring guitar motif that is the real deal-breaker here. We did mention in our intro piece to this review that Megaton Communion have that rock radio friendly card in their back pockets and they play that card to perfection on next song "Seven Sacred Pools", a mid tempo southern flavoured rocker with a soulfully sang vocal melody and tastefully delivered guitar solos, it is no wonder the band chose this as a single to promote the album with. Next up comes the instrumental "Heir To The Earth", Walter's guitar work, ably supported by Sharkey's solid drumming and Marshall's low bouncy bass lines, is sublime here, no flashy shredding just feel drenched solos and thrumming chord progressions. "I-80 West" follows and is lyrically a road song, Marshall bemoaning "long highways" and being "too far from home" in wearied but soulful tones, however the vocal is just a fraction of the song the real meat and potatoes of this tome comes in its middle section when the band slip into jam mode with searing solos firing off in all directions, some scorching and bluesy and some textured and lysergic. "Undone" begins life fairly laid-back and languid which makes Marshall's vocal, when it comes in, all the more surprising, those husky soulful tones are here replaced by tones that almost border on harsh and hardcore, strangely it is the clash of styles between the vocals and the music that makes this song work, had Marshall opted for his usual soulful huskiness much of the songs impact would have, in our opinion, been diluted. "Disbelief" sees the band donning their desert rock hats for a deliciously riff heavy barnburner with minimal vocal content but a ton of groove. "Pass Me Over" follows and has a similar desert rock feel to its predecessor but this time with an ear catching vocal melody as its main focus. Final song "The End Of Everything" combines elements of grungy Americana with stonerized hard rock and psych, it is probably the albums most expansive and diverse track and deservedly merits its place as the albums curtain closer.

Megaton Communion's "Red Sky Warning" is a superbly well balanced collection of songs that should appeal to both mainstream rock radio listeners and those of a more "underground" persuasion, an album with the swagger and strut of southern rock, the crunch and growl of stoner metal and the panache and polish of classic rock.

Check it out ....  

© 2024 Frazer Jones

DESERT COLLIDER ~ GENERATION SHIP: ENDLESS DRIFT THROUGH INFINITY .... review

As much as we at Desert Psychlist love the Electric Wizard inspired psychedelic fuzz drenched mayhem delivered by the likes of Sonic Demon, Witchsnake and Demonio we do sometimes hanker for that more expansive desert sound that first turned our head in the direction of Italy's underground scene many moons ago. Thankfully our hankering was assuaged somewhat by an email from Cesena based four piece Desert Collider, Federico C (guitars/synths/backing vocals/FX); Federico G (vocals/Synths; Andrea (drums/percussion) and Manuel (bass/FX),  informing us of the release of their debut album "Generation Ship: endless drift through infinity" a delicious blend of  sand blasted desert rock, heady psych and strutting heavy rock. Not only were the band informing us of its release they were also asking if we would consider reviewing it, well one listen and our minds were made up, so without further ado here's the review.

Opening number "Orphans of the Sky Part I; Generation Ship" begins spacious and otherworldly with tribal drumming and low liquid bass supporting synth generated whoops whirls, its groove gradually building in intensity until finally erupting into maelstrom of crunching guitar and thunderous drumming anchored by a low and deliciously fuzzy bass line all of which takes us nicely up to the songs halfway mark. The second half of the song is no less impactful but instead of following the more four to the floor pattern of its first half here we get an element of off centredness thrown into the mix which is accompanied by a vocal that is more spoken than sung and moves towards shouted and angry in its later stages. Next song "Floating Hand In Space" opens with heavily filtered vocals singing over a swirling circular space rock flavoured guitar motif then is joined by the bass and drums in thunderous desert rock groove that threatens real damage to the speakers of any device you may be listening on. "Sonic Carver" in its initial stages is a romping stomping desert rocker, with an ear catching vocal melody, played at an almost thrash metal tempo but then midway through transforms into a melodic space blues buoyed by swooning guitar textures and lilting vocal harmonies. "Orphans of the Sky Part II: Disembark" shuffles between heavy doomic bluster and languid psychedelic haziness but does so seamlessly, its vocal in its heavier parts delivered clean forceful and gritty but in its quieter  passages shifting to distant hazy and remote. Next we get "ThumpeRRR", a song, much like "Sonic Carver", that is another go for the throat romp but this time a little less desert and a little more heavy rock, albeit heavy rock played at breakneck speed while "Nomads of the Red Sun", an instrumental, finds Desert Collider mixing their synths with acoustic guitars and hand percussion to create a languid campfire jam vibe. The languid feel of the previous track seeps into "Far Centaurus: Drifting without Guidance through Interstellar Space" only this time that lanquidity is enhanced with electric guitars and lilting clean vocals however the songs relaxed feel is soon shattered when the band suddenly launch into a driving desert rock groove, a groove most bands might have opted to take to the close but Desert Collider, not being like most bands, decide to then shift into a torch-like mix of heavy psych and prog. Desert Collider close their account with another of those out and out rockers they are so fond of, this one called "Nebuchadnezzar" a song that for once finishes very much in the manner it began.. furious, fast and fun. 

Lovers of desert flavoured rock blended with heavy psych and space rock and are not averse to some synthesised whoops whirls squiggles and squawks will find Desert Collider's "Generation Ship: endless drift through infinity" right up their proverbial alley, it is an album that delivers on levels that haven't even been built yet 

Check 'it out ... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones

MUDLARKER ~ RADIO SILENCE .... review

Aside from Mott The Hoople and three of the original Pretenders Hereford, UK is probably better known for its cattle than it is its rock music but that does not mean that there is a dearth of aspiring rockers to be found in the city. One such Hereford based band hoping to make their mark on the world are Mudlarker, Tom Berrow (vocals); Marc Jones (bass); Elliott Crosby (drums) and Dave Knott (guitar), a band who pitch their grooves somewhere between current era stoner rock and metal and 70's classic rock. Some out there may remember the band from their moderately well received  2023 self-titled release "Mudlarker" but if you are one of those that missed out do not worry because you have the chance to make up for that oversight by giving their follow up "Radio Silence" a spin, a far more dynamically robust musical affair that sees Mudlarker combining their growl with an added element of bite!

Title track "Radio Silence" kicks things off in style with raucous and ragged guitar riffage crunching out over a solid and uncomplicated bass and drum groove all of which is accompanied by strong clean but raw and throaty vocals that tell a sci-fi themed tale of abandonment and isolation, a truly ass-kicking number to start an album with. "Leviathan" follows and starts with wind effects and feedback then erupts into a dark and dank doomic groove that has just the merest hint of bluesiness in its attack that bluesiness further reflected in the meter and tone of its gritty vocal and piercing but tasteful guitar solos, however at the songs mid way mark the song suddenly shifts into proto-doom territory with chugging Sabbath-esque refrains holding sway over up-tempo rhythms, the songs vocal here a little more forceful and insistent. The bluesy aspects of the preceding track are given a slightly bigger platform on next track "Godshead" but gradually move up to more heavier torch-like dynamic as the song evolves while "The Persistence" makes no pretence at being anything other than thunderous and doomic. Up next is "Dreadnaught (impending ruin)" a brief but quite effective semi-instrumental with rumbling rhythmic underbelly over which drone-like guitar effects and a remote mantra like vocal create a feeling of otherworldliness. That mantra-like vocal resurfaces again in  "Cruisership" along with a heavily distorted bass line and militaristic drumming, the guitar work here is circular and slurred and works well in that it gives the song a spinning off centred and out of control feel. Mudlarker opt for more traditional four to the floor heavy metal dynamics for the first half of "Reaver" but then slide into low'n'slow stoner doom territory for the second half of the song. Now we did mention, in the opening piece to this review, that Mudlarker count among their influences 70's classic rock and next song "River" is them fully immersed in that genre, bluesy guitar tones, bouncy bass and chunky drumming supporting a soulful clean and powerful vocal,  there is not a trace of stoner or doom to found anywhere on this number. For their final song, "Empyrean" Mudlarker go epic, not so much in length more in feel, a sprawling and atmospheric tome with a superb vocal that builds layer by layer until it reaches a peak and then finally fades out on waves of dissonant and droning guitar, a fittingly strong finish to seriously strong album. 

Mudlarker's self titled debut was an impressive release from a band with the potential to be a major force in this thing we call the "underground rock scene", it had everything; great songs, superb musicianship and strong vocals, the only thing that did let it down was its production which didn't quite deliver the crispness and clarity the bands sound deserved. "Radio Silence" does not suffer from the same problem as its predecessor, the production here is right on the money the vocals sit exactly where they should be in the mix, the guitar work comes over sharp and concise and the drums and bass have so much more depth and punch, add these production values to the stronger song structures and arrangements the band bring to the table this time around and what you have is an absolute killer second album.

Check it out .... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones

DYING HYDRA ~ STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL THINGS ....review

November 2024 has turned out to be quite the month for those who like their grooves heavy, atmospheric and Danish, not only have we been graced with an exceptionally impressive release from Copenhagen based outfit Alkymist (reviewed here) but also a release from Dying Hydra, a trio also hailing from the same city. Dying Hydra, Tejs Kyhl (drums); Lars Pontoppidan (guitar/vocals) and Patrick Fragtrup (guitar/vocals) are unusual in that they have no bassist in their line up instead preferring to bring that all important low end rumble to their grooves via clever deployment of octave pedals. The bands latest release "Strange And Beautiful Things" (Black Grain Records), the follow up to their well received debut album  "Of Lowly Origin", is built around a conceptual theme that explores humanities effect on our environment, specifically our oceans, an album that finds the band tackling some very weighty issues with some seriously weighty lyrics and music.

An exotic sounding guitar motif introduces opening track "Lithification" joined by light percussion and sharded chord voicings from the second guitar, so far things are sounding quite post metallic and ambient but then that first guitar motif  gradually starts to get a touch more crunchier and intense, that percussion begin to get a little bigger and heavier and that second guitar starts to add a little more bite and growl to its tones, without really noticing it we, the listeners, have been gradually moved from a place of  ambience and serenity to a place of chaos and mayhem, a gloriously heavy chaos and mayhem fronted by powerful raspy and guttural vocals. Next song "Aurelia" again begins languid and post-metallic but here the move from languid post metal to heavy sludge is less gradual, and when we say heavy sludge we are not talking brutal, there is a refined and complex element to Dying Hydra's heaviness that makes it seem doubly strange that the word "progressive" is not bandied about more when discussing their music. Third track "Abyssal Clocks" is an atmosphere drenched behemoth that sees the vocals shifting back and forth between  impassioned gravelled howls and deep guttural growls over a constantly swelling and dissipating musical backdrop while "Grasping Stone" is a rhythmic tour-de-force taken to another level by eastern flavoured guitar textures and a full on throaty vocal. Penultimate song "Into Existence" finds Dying Hydra pushing those elements of post-metal and prog, that have coloured each track up to this point, to the fore, musically still staying very much in the sludge arena but with much more emphasis on texture and colour. Finally we arrive at "Ancestral", the songs furious driving rhythm patterns serving as a platform for the two guitarists to trade off crunching  riffs, ear catching motifs and tasteful licks beneath equally furious vocal interplay, if you find you have been holding your breath in awe right up to the last note of tis song then be safe in the knowledge that we at Desert Psychlist were doing exactly the same thing, whew!

Wikipedia defines sludge as "an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk" and goes on to say "the genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution". Well if you take that as your gospel then Dying Hydra's "Strange And Beautiful Things" is not what you would call your archetypical sludge album, sure its down tuned and incorporates slow tempos and its concept does broach pollution but then factor in its post-metallic textures an its prog-like structures and you have an album that is probably more sludge(ish) than it is actually full-blown sludge. If you really needed to hang a tag on this album then "damn fine complex heavy music with a social conscious" should just about cover it.

Check it out ..... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones

ALKYMIST ~ UNNDERR ... review

Having recently published a review of an album themed around a battle on British soil between Celts and invading Saxons (Sergeant Thunderhoof's "The Ghost of Badon Hill"), it seems quite fitting to now review an album by a group of Danes, a people who also made their mark on Britain's shores. The band in question is Alkymist, a progressive doom outfit from Copenhagen, featuring Peter Bjørneg on vocals, Stefan Krey on guitars, Kaspar Luke on bass, and Per Silkjær on drums. The band have just released their third album "UnnDerr", a robust blend of gnarled prog-metal, doom, and sludge fronted by a mix of harsh, guttural and sinister vocals that pack a surprising level of both power and clarity.

"The Scent" kicks things in to motion, it is a song that begins just how you would want music of this genre to begin , thrumming, heavy and loud, albeit with just the merest hint of slurred grunginess in Krey's guitar tones, but then things settle down and the band slide into a sinister doomic groove over which Bjørneg informs us in equally sinister tones that "The scent of beauty becomes venom when it’s inside your dreams and wakes your demon", the vocalist reverting to a more gritty bear like roar in the songs recurring heavier sections, Luke and Silkjær ably supporting both vocalist and guitarist with some seriously impressive drum and bass work. "Digging A Grave" follows and as its less than cheery title suggests this is not a song to lift your spirits and give you a good feeling about your day, no this is a dark dank heavy ode to despondency and despair set to a backdrop of chugging saw toothed riffage and thunderous percussion, your darkest thoughts given a lyrical and musical platform. Up next is title track "UnnDerr" its sinister opening guitar motif, backed by swooning synth-like effects, initially this song has the feel of something The Cure might have toyed with in their Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography period but those similarities are soon forgotten when the hammer goes down and the band launch into a sludgy doomic groove over which the vocals alternate between low throaty rancour and coffin creaky malevolence. "Light OF A Lost Star" might sound like it has some sci-fi connotations but lyrically it seems to be more about hope and the human condition than it does spaceships and planets, and this is backed up by the music which is just a little less dank and suffocating than that which has gone before, we must emphasis the word "little" here though. following song "My Sick Part" is a short sharp doomic romp with guitar parts that are a touch more strident and crunchy with rhythms a little more furious and fast paced while its follow up "Fire In My Eyes" is a sludgy doomic mid tempo behemoth fleshed out with prog-like guitar texturing and swirling psychedelic solos and featuring a really intense and powerful vocal performance from Bjørneg. Final number "Masters OF Disguise" uses quiet/loud/quiet dynamics to ramp up its impact and add atmosphere, its an old trick but one that works perfectly here especially when twinned with vocals that share a similar dynamic, the real clincher though is the husky semi-whispered vocal, sung over a backdrop of gently picked acoustic guitars, that takes the song to its conclusion, its just sublime.

 There are those out there who love good hard heavy doom but have a problem with the harsh vocals that so often accompany music of this nature, those people will have no such problems listening to Alkymist's "UnnDerr", yes the vocals here are in turns guttural and growly but they are delivered with a depth power and clarity you don't usually get with these type of vocal dynamics and as for the music... well it ticks all the boxes needed... and then some. 

Check it out ....

© 2024 Frazer Jones

RED SCALP ~ HALLUCINATIONS ..... review

Desert Psychlist remembers back in 2014 stumbling across an EP appropriately titled "EP no,1" by a Polish outfit going by the name of Red Scalp, it was a pretty good collection of stoner rock/heavy psych tunes but was nothing really that out of the ordinary. Two years later this same band released their debut album "Rituals" and it was like listening to a totally different band, the music still existed very much in the same genre pool as its predecessor but there was a polish and depth to this release that had not been there before. Next came "Lost Ghosts" followed two years later by "The Great Chase In The Sky" two albums that pushed the envelope of what could be done within the narrow confines of the genres Red Scalp had chosen to work in. Red Scalp were evolving, release by release, from stoner rock journeymen into real contenders and that evolution continues with new EP "Hallucinations", an EP truly deserving of the praise that will undoubtedly come its way.

A short but effective solo sax piece going by the title "In" kicks things off and is quickly followed by the track "Hallucination" here we find Red Scalp jamming on a groove not too distantly removed from Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" but sounding not unlike something you might hear in a club being danced to by kids wearing lurid t-shirts and shorts. Fear not though you worshippers of the riff this is a tune that rocks hard and rocks especially hard when the guitars come in heavier in accompaniment to the songs vocals which are delivered with deliciously sneery intent, there is a hell of a lot going on in this song and all of it is GOOD! "Now" rears its head next and is another short piece, this time heavy on the synths and very reminiscent of  something UK prog ravers Ozric Tentacles might have dallied with, it is followed by "Paralyzed" a manic rock/rave workout that mixes faintly sounding 60's vocal melodies with sampled narrative to great effect. It has to be said that this song seems to be going in a hundred different directions all at once with synths guitars drums and vocals all fighting each other for dominance yet despite all this mayhem, and probably because of it, is a totally captivating  listen. Final track "Be Gone" is probably a little more straightforward and stoner-ish than what has gone before but don't for one minute think that Red Scalp's take on straightforward and stoner-ish is anything like other bands and artistes version of those terms, oh no Red Scalp's comes with a side order of musical schizophrenia and otherworldly weirdness.

There are not many bands out there blending psychedelic hard rock with elements borrowed from today's dance culture and there will probably be those who, because of reading those words in a review, will avoid this superb release like it is carrying a disease. However those unafraid to bend an ear to music a little outside their comfort zone will discover in "Red Scalp's " Hallucinations" a release that will rock their socks off but might also have them throwing a few shapes.

Check it out ..... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones

SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF ~ THE GHOST OF BADON HILL ...review

Sergeant Thunderhoof , Mark Sayer (guitars); Josh Gallop (guitars and backing vocals); Darren Ashman (drums) ; Dan Flitcroft (vocals) and Jim Camp (bass)  have built themselves a reputation many bands would be envious of, they have built that reputation not just because they have consistently delivered music of depth and quality, one album after the other, but also because they have throughout their career consistently engaged with their fans and supporters, conversing with them via messages and social media answering criticism and acknowledging praise with a class some bands and artists would do well to learn from. They are also a band with a sense of humour, even once running a competition to see who could give their last album, "The Sceptred Veil" the most scathing review, however, when it comes to creating music they are deadly serious. Their music, a focused blend of new age prog, swaggering hard rock and thrumming metal, is in turns blustering, complex and melodic, it is music with an appeal that crosses over all those usual boundaries that divide fans of rock music with extreme loving metal heads through to mainstream rock radio listeners all able to find something to tie their flag to on a "Hoof" album. Now many may have thought that Sergeant Thunderhoof had reached their creative pinnacle with the superbly well received " The Sceptered Veil" but those thoughts have been well and truly scotched with the release of latest album "The Ghost of Badon Hill" (Pale Wizard Records) an absolute game changing release from a band who many are now starting to consider to be one of Britain's finest musical exports in years.

Mysticism, folklore and Arthurian legend are the bedrocks upon which Sergeant Thunderhoof's latest album "The Ghost of Badon Hill" has been built, for those not up on their history of Britain Badon Hill was the site of a battle between the resident Britons (Celts) and the invading Saxons in the bands home county of Somerset. The album begins with "Badon" its suitably medieval flavoured intro of gently picked guitars is complimented by sparse but effective bass and militaristic drumming. Vocals at this point are delivered clean and croon-like but as the song moves towards a more forceful and torch-like dynamic those vocals become more intense and  powerful, its impressive stuff and this only the first track! Following song "Blood Moon"  is a much more forceful and heavier affair with chugging riffs and thunderous drumming supporting swirling lead work and sharded chord textures over which the vocals posses just a touch more bite and grittiness. Next we come to "The Orb of Octavia", this has got to be, in our humble opinion, one of  the best songs The Hoof have ever recorded, There are many ways you could interpret the lyrics to this song, is it a soldiers last words to a loved one before facing battle or is it just a vain plea to be remembered by an unrequited love.. we don't know but if there is a song anymore emotionally intense and beautiful, yet that still manages to retain its air of edgy heaviness, then we at Desert Psychlist have yet to hear it. If you are writing an album that has at its core a battle then you need at least one rousing call to arms type song and "Salvation for the Soul" serves (partly) as that song. Anyone who has read a Bernard Cornwall novel will know that battles, in the period this album is set in, were not fought remotely from behind a gun but face to face in the hell that was a shield wall, men were pushed up against each other never knowing if the next spear or sword to break through said wall was going to take their lives. If you survived a shield wall you were a hero if not you were just dead, a situation summed up perfectly in the lines "As the echoes fade in to the moonlit night we step up to face the hordes, our lives on the line" and "Beneath the stars we wait, where destines are made through the fear and the pain" Next up is "Sentinel" a wonderfully arranged piece with a groove that fluctuates between languid and soaring over which reflective lyrics are delivered in powerful and deeply emotive tones against a backdrop of swirling prog(ish) guitar colouring and sympathetically delivered rhythms, the song finally signing off on a haunting piano motif. Final number "Beyond The Hill" is a stunning tome that is part a tribute to those that have given their lives to a cause they believed in, "An end to what we have known for so many years", and part a sorrowful lament for all those touched by conflict, "Shaking fury up to the night sky as she kisses her child’s hand", an again emotive and thought provoking piece.

Musically stunning and lyrically intelligent Sergeant Thunderhoof's "The Ghost of Badon Hill" is everything you could ever want from a modern era rock album, it  is a release that rocks and dooms in equal measure while also incorporating into its make-up elements of complex prog and textured psych. Add to this genre crossing tapestry a concept that actually works, and doesn't leave you scratching your head in confusion, and what you are left with is an absolute modern day rock masterpiece.

Check it out ..... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones