Trillion Ton Beryllium Ships (TTBS) are a band who like to go big and they go truly epic right from the off with opening track "BUGS", a fourteen minute plus monster of a song chronicling the invasion of a distant world with the lyrics giving the listener viewpoints from both sides of the conflict, both viewpoints played out against a musical backdrop of crushing low'n'slow stoner doomic groove. Cleverly the first part of the song finds our invaders questioning their motivation for their invasion in clean melodic vocal tones while harsh guttural tones are used to represent those who are the subject of said invasion, a trick that creates a sort of rock operatic scenario. Things get even more intense further on down the line when, possibly as a reflection on AI's growing influence on just about everything, all humanity is taken out of the equation and a computerised voice becomes the dominant voice of the invading force. Next up is "Black Forest" a dark thrumming tome anchored in the doomic mire by subterranean bass lines and busy brutal percussion that is then decorated in low grizzled vocal harshness around which swirling guitar motifs and crunching power chords make their presence felt. Things begin a little post-metallic and ambient for next song "Infinite Inertia" with a lone ringing guitar the only instrumentation present until the bass and drums slowly join in on an achingly low slow and heavy groove decorated in a clean see-sawing vocal melody, those post metallic textures returning briefly around the songs three quarter mark to herald in an unsettling passage of fizzy drone which is then supplanted by a return to the songs initial stoner doom dynamic only this time tinted with an element of proggish complexity. The tongue in cheek "I Hate Space" follows and finds TTBS looking at life through the eyes of a boots on the ground space cadet, the reluctant traveller bemoaning endless missions and a lack of recognition for the job he is asked to do, there is a air of playfulness going on here that is reminiscent of early Hawkwind which is never a bad thing. TTBS bring things to a close with title song "The Mind Like Fire Unbound" a sprawling doomic tome that starts out dark dank and atmospheric but then morphs into a chugging almost stoner metallic riff fest before then suddenly changing tack again and taking on almost prog like hues in its final third, a fittingly epic finale to what is a quietly epic album.
Friday 1 November 2024
TRILLION TON BERYLLIUM SHIPS ~ THE MIND LIKE FIRE UNBOUND .. review
Saturday 26 October 2024
BURN RITUAL ~ HOUSE OF THE WICKED .... review
Thursday 24 October 2024
GRAND MAGUS ~ SUNRAVEN ... review
Wednesday 23 October 2024
BIG GAME HUNTER ~ TALES ....review
Danish quartet Big Game Hunter, current line up: Kalle E. Huusom (guitars/lead vocals); Mads Yde (guitars/vocals); Bastian Reinholdt Madsen (bass/vocals) and Jonas Virring (drums/vocals), have to date been teasing their audiences with a series of one off single and double track releases, this month however the band have gone one better by releasing "Tales" a THREE song EP so good we thought it deserved getting the full Desert Psychlist treatment.
If you, like us, have a soft spot for stoner, doom and heavy psych that draws on 70's hard rock and blues while still retaining its grip on the here and now sounds of today's underground rock scene then the following three tracks are going to be so far up your street they'll be knocking on your door asking to come in. Opening number "Beast On Show" for example draws not only from the proto-doomic pool that birthed the likes of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Saint Vitus but also from the more blues and psych orientated proto-metal that for a time ran beside it and that gave us bands as May Blitz, Atomic Rooster and Sir Lord Baltimore. We are of course talking big riffs, chunky rhythms, soaring bluesy solos and strong cleanly sung vocal melodies here but at the same time we are also getting the fuzziness and distortion that places this song firmly in the canon of modern day stoner and metal. Second song "Psychedelic Sorcerer" is a devil horns throwing, nod inducing proto-metallic/heavy rock chug fest in possession of ear-pleasingly sing along vocal melodies and catchy guitar motifs that once they have their hooks into you are hard to shake off, not that you would ever want to. For the EP's last song "The Night", Big Game Hunter play their atmospheric card with a song boasting fractured chord voicing and shimmering arpeggios ringing out majestically over subtle and restrained percussion and a grizzled deep bass motif the songs groove slowly building up in intensity until finally exploding into a doom and blues tinted stoner/heavy psych romp accompanied by powerful, soulfully angsty vocals, it's impressive stuff!
Monday 21 October 2024
INCHE KAI CHE ~ TRANSMUTACIÓN ....review
If Inche Kai Che's "Transmutación" was a jewel it would be a radiant cut diamond, bright and shining with many facets, if it were a food it would be Ambrosia, divine and spiritually uplifting. It is however merely a collection of songs on an album....but what a magnificent collection of songs and what a stunning album it is.
Sunday 20 October 2024
ODA ~ BLOODSTAINED ..... review
𝖔𝖉𝖆's debut release may not be the sort of album that will have doom's traditionalists slavering at the mouth but for those of us who like to see an element of risk taking and disconformity in our doom then you could not ask for a better collection of songs than those gracing "Bloodstained".
Wednesday 16 October 2024
SANTA PLANTA ~ FROM THE TRAILS OF DESIRE .... review
"Seeds" kicks off Santa Planta's debut with eerie keyboards parping doomily over minimal percussion and behind low basement level bass before being joined by crunchy guitar textures over which dual vocals deliver a ritual flavoured chant, the song lasts just under three minutes but it serves its purpose by setting the tone for all that is to follow, "Santa Planta", the song that gives the band their name, is next, the song boasts a deliciously seductive lysergic feel in its early stages but then soon evolves into a low slow stoner-doomic dirge with the vocals following a similar trajectory, hazy and melodic initially but moving up to an impassioned clean wail as the song progresses. "Acid Conclave" rears its head next and here we find Santa Planta melding orchestral like keyboard flourishes with dank dark doomic riffage supported by sparse but thunderous drumming over which soaring and confidently sung lyrics tell a tale of pyramids and priestesses. If you are not convinced yet about Santa Planta's psychedelic credentials then next song "The Dance (Interlude)" should swing the deal, its heady yet restrained drum and bass groove is further enhanced by liquid like guitar textures and sampled narration discussing the physical and spiritual aspects of dancing, its trippy. left of centre and strangely beautiful. Penultimate number "Waves" finds Santa Planta getting their Colour Haze groove on, the song a sprawling opus with an undulating rhythmic quality, much in keeping with its title, that is overlaid with fractured chord voicings and shimmering lead work, it's accompanying vocals a mix of wordless wails and soulful croons. Having mesmerised us with their lilting psych the band now go for the throat with "Ten Thousand Year Plan" a grainy and fuzz drenched, bass heavy riff monster augmented by swirling keyboards that is only just anchored to ground zero by solid tight industrious drumming, vocals here clean angsty and at times gloriously manic.
Monday 14 October 2024
PLANET OF ZEUS ~ AFTERLIFE ... review
If you have had the privilege of ever seeing Greece's Planet Of Zeus play live you will already know that they are a real force to be reckoned with, the band have been no slouches in the studio either, the bands first three albums, "Eleven The Hard Way", "Macho Libre" and "Vigilante", are considered by many to be classics in their field, that field being heavy stoner metal and swaggering no quarter given hard rock. Now it would have been easy for Planet Of Zeus to follow up those three well received releases mentioned with an album that followed much the same musical formula but instead they gave us "Loyal To The Pack" an album that saw the band not quite jettisoning the raucousness of their previous sound but blending into that raucousness elements that were a little more subtle and restrained in order to create a sound that was a touch more rounded and accessible. 2018 saw Planet Of Zeus release "Live In Athens" a sprawling no holds barred eighteen song document of the bands appearance at Gagarin205, one of Athens's most historic live music venues, a true and honest representation of the bands unbridled power as a live concern. The bands next studio album, "Faith in Physics", saw Planet Of Zeus returning to the swaggering caustic sound of their first three albums while also getting a little political lyrically, musically still utilizing aspects of that restraint, subtlety and accessibility explored on "Loyal to the Pack" but twinning those aspects with much more in your face dynamics. History lesson over, the band have just released "Afterlife"(Ihaveadrum Records) their sixth studio album, will we get the caustic and raucous version of Planet Of Zeus that adorned those first three albums, will we get the more mature sound of the band a la "Loyal to the Pack" or will we get a blend of the two as with "Faith In Physics"....let's find out.
"Afterlife" kicks off with "Preview Of An Afterlife" a brief but interesting effect laden synthesised mood piece, that is quickly followed up by "Baptized In His Death" a groove heavy stoner/hard rock workout boasting an ear catching vocal melody framed by recurring guitar motifs underpinned by solid busy drumming, crunchy rhythm guitar and bouncy low bass, the songs cryptic lyrics loosely dealing with concepts of belief and faith. It's on to "Step On, Skin Off" next a stoner punk(ish) romp that sees guitarist/vocalist Babis Papanikolaou reverting to the caustic throat tearing hardcore tones we have come to love him for, admittedly not quite as deep and guttural as they once were but still wholly effective. "No Ordinary Life" has all the makings of of one of those great POZ live tunes that routinely sees fans going completely apeshit at their shows, the songs breakdown at the three quarter mark, before it re explodes for its caustic finale, may be old hat but boy does it work. For their next song, "The Song You Misunderstand", POZ add a splash of restrained bluesy southern rock colouring to their palette, a splash picked up by guitarist Selios Provis in his solo which is swirling and tasteful and perfectly supported by bassist Giannis Vrazos and drummer Serafeim Giannakopoulos' complimentary groove. "Let's Call It Even" has a Foo Fighter's feel about it, albeit the Foo Fighter's from an alternative universe while "Bad Milk" boasts a jerky off-piste alt-reggae-ish vibe. POZ go full on old school stoner for "Letter To A Newborn" but then dive headlong into a pool of alt-metal grunginess for the excellent "The Vixen". Having toyed with stoner, blues, southern rock, punk and off centred grunge/alt-metal POZ set their sights on doom for final number "State Of Non-Existence", only this is not by the numbers doom, this is a bluesy acid drenched version of doom offset with swirling torch-like dynamics, a big and beautiful curtain closer on what is yet another superb Planet of Zeus album.
© 2024 Frazer Jones
Wednesday 9 October 2024
DEMONIO ~ ACID RAIN .... review
Monday 7 October 2024
VALLEY OF THE SLUTS ~ RISE OF THE SLUT ..... review
Sunday 6 October 2024
HIGH REEPER ~ RENEWED BY DEATH .... review
Wednesday 2 October 2024
NOVEMBER FIRE ~ THROUGH A MOURNFUL SONG ... review
In our short blurb gracing November Fire's Bandcamp page Desert Psychlist wrote "This is what Zappa might have sounded like had he gone down the stoner/desert rabbit hole", what we meant by those words was not that November Fire sounded anything like Frank Zappa but that there is an element of that same off-piste quirkiness and celebration of the absurd in what November Fire bring to the table, having a feel of something that Zappa himself might have brought into play had he ever dipped his toes in this genre. To fully understand what we mean you only need to listen to opening track "Wall of Monsters" where palm muted riffage is joined by what at first listen sounds like a goth Elvis singing " We want the same but hate each other", the track then exploding into a gnarly stoner/hard rock groove over which those distinctive vocals trade off with growlier slightly harsher tones, oh and be ready for the songs face-melting instrumental middle section it is INSANE! "Can He See" is next, the songs slightly doomic dynamic supports a lyrical theme bemoaning those continually look back rather than forward with the songs chorus adding a theatrical vibe to the proceedings with a call and response vocal dynamic that has "rock opera" written large all over it. "Sad Song With No Name" is again doomic in flavour and again, thanks to its cleverly arranged vocals, feels like an out-take from a rock opera not yet made. Next song "Faint As The Stars" is played at a gallop and although we usually associate galloping rock/metal with Iron Maiden this particular gallop has more of Hawkwind-ish feel thanks in part to its underlying swirliness. "Under Red Skies" is basically a blues song but a blues song written on acid on a planet far far away while final song "Wake Up" is a mix of otherworldly funkiness and off-piste doominosity reminiscent of Captain Beefheart when he still had at least one of his feet planted on terra firma, it's jaw-dropping weirdness of the highest order.
Tuesday 1 October 2024
ROBOT GOD - SUBCONSCIOUS AWAKENING ... review
2024 is turning out to be a very good year for fans of Australian groovsters Robot God, Matt Allen (bass/vocals/synth); Raff Iacurto (guitar/vocals/synth) and Tim Pritchard (drums/synth), not only have the band already served us up one absolute killer release with "Portal Within" (April 2024) they have now followed it up with "Subconscious Awkening" (Kosmik Artifactz), four more epic length songs of engrossing space rock and heavy psych shot through with all the elements of stoner rock and doom we've fast become accustomed to expecting from them.
Opening track "Blind Serpent" is as good, if not better, than all that the band have recorded up to this point in time, it's weird and wonderful collection of whooshing synthesised noise and liquid-like guitar effects, supported by busy but non-intrusive drumming and low rumbling bass, are enhanced by vocals that are clean lean and melodic and are backed by an equally melodic mix of harmonies and counter harmonies that possess an almost choral quality in places. The heavy rockers out there might be wondering when things start to get heavy, well they DO get heavy but in a way those rockers probably might not be expecting. The heaviness here is in the weight and depth of the songs composition, when a riff does eventually start rolling in its because that is what is called for in that moment in time, a dynamic within the song and not the reason for the song, if that makes sense. However second track "Mandatory Madness" sees Robot God delivering all the heaviness anyone with enough digits to make a devil's horn with could possibly ask for, thunderous drumming, growling bass and thrumming riffage and searing lead are all on display here, the only thing not getting down and dirty being the vocals which remain clean and lilting if somewhat a little more gritty and dynamically insistent. Having delivered the asked for heaviness Robot God then move into territory that is a touch more Elder-ish in flavour with "Subconscious Awakening" the spacious and spatial title track boasting a chugging almost funky groove fleshed out with synthesised whoops and whistles over which clean lead vocals and lilting harmonies twist in around each other like mating snakes and guitar solos tear the skies asunder with screeching intensity. Finally we arrive at " Sonic Crucifixion" where we find Robot God getting their proto-doom groove on while managing to sound nothing at all like any of the proto-doomic bands that have gone before them, a hazy lysergic laced take on doom that is heavy on groove but light on all the usual tropes and cliches often associated with the genre.
© 2024 Frazer Jones