STONED COBRA ~ ARMED and HAMMERED ...... review

The first time I came across Stoned Cobra was back in 2013 when the band released their debut album "High and Mighty". I was, going by the fact they came from Birmingham, Alabama and that I am English and never been to the USA, expecting to hear some sort of mash up of southern metal and country rock laced with "good ole boy" drawled vocals, I was, however, pleasantly surprised to discover an album full of warmly fuzzed desert grooves blended with touches of shimmering psych and classic metal coated in melodic vocal tones and harmonies.
In  March, this year (2016), the band, Isley: Vocals/Guitar, Krothe: Guitar/Vocals, Wahl: Guitar, Light: Bass and Reed: Drums, reconvened in the studio to lay down tracks for their latest EP "Armed and Hammered".

"Armed and Hammered" pretty much picks up from where "High & Mighty" left off in terms of quality and musical content except this time around the band seem to have focused a little more on arrangement and song structure, the songs, on this EP, sounding more rounded and filled out than those that can be found on their debut.
"Caskets" is first up and sets the tone for the rest of the EP with a crunchy stoner/desert riff supported by crashing percussion and throbbing bass lines. Clean, melodic vocals weave themselves over and around these sandy grooves, sitting atop the fuzz drenched riffage like cream on the edge of a razorblade.
"End of Daze" enters on a fuzzed out, heavily distorted riff that is gradually joined by the rest of the band. As with the previous track the groove is essentially stoner/desert, full of delicious hooks and catches and coated with superb vocals, but it is when the song reaches its psych drenched  middle section that Stoned Cobra's three pronged guitar attack really comes into it's own. The three six-stringers weave  differing tones and effects over and around each other evoking from their fretboards  sonic rainbows of colour and texture under which droning distorted bass and intricate drums slowly push the tempo back into the main riff and the vocal. Stunning!
"Dead by Dawn" employs a catchy circular galloping almost nwobhm riff to announce its arrival. A little less desert and a little more metal than what has gone before the track nevertheless retains enough sand in its grooves to please the Kyuss/QOTSA obsessives out there well as those that might enjoy a little Iron Maiden metallic sheen.
"Hightower" throws a little bluesy swagger into the proceedings, a chugging, choppy and ridiculously addictive riff sits beneath the excellently voiced verses then explodes like a volcano between them. While the bass and drums hold down the bottom end the guitars come at you from all angles riffing, soloing, swirling and swooping around the rhythmic thunder below. As the last note fades into silence you can feel the hairs on the back of your neck relax and fall back into place.
"Devil's Due " brings things to a close with a gentle acoustic stroll through the clouds. Beautifully finger picked acoustic guitar is the base over which creamy smooth, fragile vocals, both solo and harmonised, are delivered. Dreamy, delightful and delicious it might not have been everyone's choice for a finale and there could be an argument that it might have benefited better from a mid EP placing but it is nevertheless a wonderful piece that shows that there is more to Stoned Cobra than first meets the eye (or ear).

SMOLDER & BURN ~ DEBUT EP .....review.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado you would expect the sound Smolder & Burn to create would, like the state they come from,.be mountainous! Fortunately this IS the case and the five piece band, made up of members of Low... Gravity, Luna Sol, Chingaso, and Insomniaxe, have released a self-titled EP to prove that fact.

"Motorheadache" kicks the EP off in a whirlwind of warmly fuzzed thick riffage married to powerful, explosive rhythms. The fuzz drenched, downtuned guitars of Pat Devlin and Jess Ellis chop out chunky slabs of chordal mayhem pushed further into the red by Chad Roth's gnarly throbbing bass and Marc Brooks powerhouse drumming. Over this wall of distortion Chris Chango delivers a vocal that is both powerful and, given the music's sludge/stoner root, surprisingly clean. The song swings between an almost thrash like tempo on the verses and a slower doom/sludge groove on the chorus, switching between the two dynamics with seamless ease. The song is a superb introduction into what Smolder & Burn's groove is all about.

"Master of None" begins with a lone guitar jamming a chugging infectious riff that is then joined by intricate percussion and bass, a second effect soaked guitar then joins the fray before the hammer goes down and the amps go into overdrive. Chango's vocal soars and swoops over this wall of fuzz and fury his tone a mixture of classic metal power and stoner rock grittiness. Catchy as a cold and loaded with enough hooks to fill a cloakroom this will please both the fuzz loving stoners and the downtuned worshiping doomers out there.

"Mastodonnyosmond" injects a little psych colouring into proceedings amidst a sea of fuzz pedal drenched power chords. I have no idea what the songs title has to do with the actual lyrics but they are nevertheless delivered with conviction and passion against a backdrop of huge guitar riffage and bigger rhythms. The songs vocal refrain of "Wanting, waiting, dying, bleeding" will be going around in the listeners head long after the song fades although I can't confirm that this will be the case if that listeners name is Donny and he has a clutch of musical brothers and strangely attractive sister, but then again you never know!

"Tides of War" closes the Ep with ten minutes plus of epic stoner doom. Devlin and Ellis serve up a smorgasbord of heavy riffage, dark licks, psychedelic motifs and solo's around which Roth's bass weaves dark boneshaking bass lines and Brooks drums drive solid tight rhythmic pulses. Chango's vocals take on a grittier, throatier tone that fit to the songs shifting dynamics like a hand in a velvet glove and add a doomy gravitas to the songs already dark brooding atmospherics. Huge, epic and magnificent it serves as a fitting finale to a very impressive debut from a very talented band.

VOKONIS ~ OLDE ONE ASCENDING ....review

It was said in ancient times that all roads led to Rome but these days when it comes to the "underground" rock scene it seems that all those roads will eventually lead to Sweden.
Vokonis, a trio from Borås, Sweden, consisting of Jonte Johansson: bass, backing vocals.Emil Larsson: drums and Simon Ohlsson: vocals, guitars, are the latest in a long line of Swedish rock bands searching for recognition outside of their native country, a search that will surely reap dividends if their debut album "Olde One Ascending" is anything to go by.

First track "Olde One" begins with an eerie reverb soaked guitar motif complimented by a deliciously sexy bass line and solid precise drumming, trance like and seductive it pulls the listener into a world of hazy dreaminess before shattering that illusion with a riff that could topple tall buildings. Johansson's bass and Larsson's drums build a huge wall of rhythm over which Ohlsson bellows throaty Lovecraftian lyrics of blood and evil as well as laying down heavy guitar riffage and searing solos. It's not subtle stuff  but it is effective and highly enjoyable
"The Serpent's Alive" begins with Larsson counting the song in, his crashing percussion heralding the start of another titanic riff. Ohlsson sings of "Serpents infesting your mind" while at the same time crunching out massive dark power chords laced with evil distortion and warm fuzz. Johansson's bass weaves in around these chords like the serpent in the songs title his bass complimenting and at times leading the riffs, Ohlsson then injects into this maelstrom a solo that is almost at odds with the raucous noise surrounding him, ripping sweet, almost, bluesy notes from his sweat drenched frets, soaring and swooping around the Sleep - like rhythms beneath him before slamming back into the songs main riff.and resuming his vocal. As the last note fades into the distance you have just enough time to catch your breath before we are off again..
"Acid Pilgrim" again draws Sleep comparisons with it's mid-paced, almost plodding, tempo. Lyrically we are back in Lovecraft territory with Ohlsson vocalising a paeon to the "Olde One". against a backdrop of throbbing bass and thunderous drumming that is broken intermittently by Ohlsson's catchy swirling guitar lick. At the 3:50 minute mark the tempo shifts into overdrive with Larsson  and Johansson driving the groove from beneath while Ohlsson channels his inner guitar hero with a blistering guitar solo.
"Shroomblade" enters on a wave of fuzz and distortion, the band jamming a slightly classic rock groove driven by Johansson's gnarly bass and Larsson's industrious drumming. Ohlsson's bellowed vocals then enter roaring the songs sparse but effective lyrics, The dynamic then shifts into a slighty jazzy mid-section, and a chance for the individual members to flex their musical muscles. Ohlsson rips another of his scorching Iommi influenced solo's from his six strings but it is Johansson's short but fluid bass solo that really catches the ear while underneath Larsson keeps the groove swinging channelling the spirit of the great Bill Ward with his jazzy chops. This is just a brief interlude and it's not long before the hammer goes down and we are back in stoner doom territory again.
"King Vokonis Plague" opens with a slightly odd lolloping riff that's not sure if its Sleep or Sabbath so ends up being pure Vokonis. A little more primal than previous tracks it trades heavily on its main riff and apart from another superb Ohlsson solo does not deviate far from its original starting point. It is for me the weakest track on the album but having said that a Volkonis weak track is better than some bands best ones..
"Hazmat the Ashen Rider" closes the album in fine style with the band firing on all cylinders, a bottom end heavy riff circling around Ohlsson's passionately bellowed and slightly monotone vocals. Around the half way mark Johansson and Larsson subtly shift gears into a slightly Eastern themed desert groove allowing Ohlsson space to peel off another of his furious solos, tone perfect notes oozing from his fingers. The band then return to the main riff and vocal before taking the song to its conclusion with a Sabbath meets Status Quo blues rock outro. Awesome stuff!

There is no hiding from the fact that Vokonis owe a huge debt to the monolithic grooves of both Sabbath and Sleep, taking the dark riff heavy desert/doom of the former and mixing it with the more traditional hard rock/metal of the latter, but they twist and weave these elements into a sonic tapestry that is completely and wholly their own.
Check 'em out...

HOREHOUND ~ Self titled debut......review

Sometimes it can be hard, when writing a review, to tag a band with a genre description without said band sending an irate e-mail screaming for your head because you have tagged them wrongly. It gets even more difficult when the "underground" scene that you write about is currently going through a period of cross-pollination where bands are constantly crossing back and forth, cherry picking elements from other musical genres and utilising them within their own sonic palettes. Thankfully Pittsburgh's Horehound have saved me from all this controversy by tagging themselves, both on Bandcamp and their Twitter and Facebook pages, as "Stoner Doom"......thanks guys!

Horehound as previously mentioned are from Pittsburgh and are a quintet made up of Shy Kennedy - vocals, , JD Daur - drums, Brendan Parrish - lead guitar, David Westfall - bass and Mike Altopiedi -  rhythm guitar. The band, only formed last year (2015), have already caught the attention of the movers and shakers of the underground scene's podcasters, bloggers and journalists and now plan to expand that attention to a wider audience with their self-titled release on Blackseed Records "Horehound".

First track "World To Come" immediately grabs the attention with Parrish and Altopiedi's gnarly doom drenched, two guitar intro. Westfall and Daur then join and the song drops into a deliciously dark and seductive mid tempo groove. Entering stage centre the vocals of Shy Kennedy arrive, her powerful voice finding itself a niche somewhere between (ex)Witch Mountain's Uta Plotkin and Holy Grove's Andrea Vidal. A tad more ethereal than the former and a little less bluesy than the latter she weaves her voice over and around a backdrop of heavy crushing riffage and pounding rhythms interspersed with touches of tasteful lead work as if she was born with a microphone in her hand.
"Sangreal" is up next and sees the band hitting a furious stoner/occult groove albeit with a darker doomier edge. Kennedy's voice sits slightly lower in the mix here allowing the insistent riff, laid down by Altopiedi, Parrish and Westfall, to be pushed to the fore. Parrish adds to this little licks and motifs that catch the ear and pull the listener further in. Special mention should also go to JD Daur his drum and percussion work is everywhere on this track.
"Crowns and Thorns" starts with Daur's cymbals crashing before exploding into a mighty circular refrain. Pounding drums and throbbing bass lines go toe to toe with chainsaw riffage and wah pedal drenched guitar solos. Once again Kennedy's vocals are laid back in the mix but this time soaked in reverb giving her voice an otherworldly, ghostly feel.
"The Dead Don't Lie" finds Horehound exploring the darker side of their sound, a bruising riff revolving around a heavily phased Kennedy vocal. Altopiedi's brutally distorted guitar and Westfall's booming bass lay down a swirling refrain that Parrish then embellishes with an array of guitar pedalled effects. The last quarter of the song sees the riffs tempo gradually increase until imploding in on itself and closing on a droning sustained single note.
"Waters Of Lethe" shifts the dynamic away from the doom/stoner grooves of previous tracks by dipping its toes into the waters of post-grunge and alt.rock. Chainsaw riffage and heavy rhythms thunder and roll beneath a stunning vocal melody that to this reviewers ears recalls  90's Scottish/American alt.rockers Garbage.
"Myope" follows much in the same vein as the last track except this time around the band mix it up with a little stoner dirt and sludgey grime.
"Waking Time" brings the album to a close and finishes the album on a high. Westfall's throbbing,distorted bass intro heralds in a titanic doom drenched rumbling riff over which Kennedy's clean vocals are answered by Altopiedi's sludgey growl. Meanwhile Daur pounds out a thunderous backdrop of hard metallic percussion while Parrish adds little touches of six-string colouring in, over and around the massive sonic wall being constructed around him. It's a huge sounding finale to an album that deserves all the plaudits that are bound to be soon heaped upon it.

SHADOW WITCH ~ Promo Release

Kingston, NY's Shadow Witch have released a three track promo for their upcoming full length album "Sun Killer". The band, made up of Anton Van Kleek ● drums, ‎David Pannullo ● bass ● voice, Earl Lundy ● lead voice ● mellotron ● loops and Jeremy Hall ● guitar, deal in a mix of stoner fuzz'n'roll mixed with a little NWOBHM and doom that is then salted with a touch of psychedelic seasoning. Clean powerful vocals, searing guitar solo's and riffs over solid bass and drums are the foundations on which the band hang powerful hooks and melodies and this combined with strong songwriting skills bodes well for the prospect of a full album.

YURT ~ III-MOLLUSKKEPOKK

Yurt were formed in Dublin 2006, their name means "tent" in Turkish and are a trio consisting of three members,  Andrew Bushe - percussion, Steven Anderson - guitar, vocals, electronics and Boz Mugabe - bass, vocals, electronics and if you wish to know more than that... well good luck.
Yurt are a band who like to play their cards close to their chests, cloaking themselves in a veil of mysticism even going as far as to  referring to themselves as "The Sonic Elders".
The band have released two albums "Ege Artemis Yurtum" and "Archipelagog" and on May 28, 2016 will release their third album "III-Molluskkepokk".

"Prog" can and is often seen as a dirty word these days, recalling a time in the mid to late 70's when bands like YES and ELP  foisted on the world's rock audiences bloated, self-indulgent, overly produced and often mind-numbingly boring conceptual albums.
The bad news is Yurt, among other things, dabble in "prog", the good news is there is no way on earth you could call what they do as "boring".
From the electronic/synthesised intro of "Lesion In The Chrysalis" through to the galloping final seconds of "Testament To Zero" not a note is wasted in mindless meandering. Brutality, ambiance and complexity sit side by side in a mix of grooves that take in elements of both old school traditional and intricate progressive metal. Around these two extremes of the same genre Yurt weave threads of  spacey electronics and shimmering psych colouring to construct a tapestry of  immense sonic magnitude. Whether grooving around a series of riffs as on "Parasitic Cabal" or going off on occasional cosmic tangents as on the excellent "Ruptured By The Shrapnel" the intensity of  what Yurt do is never diluted. Tracks "Sjambok" and "Unknown Component" see the band keep the foot firmly on the pedal, the former and shorter of the two being a stunning instrumental workout.. Throughout the albums six tracks the levels of musicianship are nothing short of breathtaking. Anderson's guitar and Mugabe's bass coil around themselves like the threads of a Celtic knot, furious licks and solo's interchanging with booming jazzy bottom end while Bushe  pushes, steers and drives the groove from below with accomplished and dexterous percussion. Vocals are mostly shared and are delivered clean with a monotone gruffness that fits in perfectly with the bands sonic soundscapes. The previously mentioned "Testament To Zero" closes the album in a storm of swirling synthesisers, gnarly riffage and thundering percussion, the band jamming a groove that has them sounding as if they were the bastard offspring of a pairing between Hawkwind and Mastadon,,,,,, and if that don't get you hitting the repeat button ...nothing will.

RED WIZARD ~ COSMOSIS

San Diego, CA has thrown up a slew of good underground bands lately The Great Electric Quest and Amigo being just two of them. One band who, through sheer hard work and determination, have also been making a name for themselves in San Diego's underground scene are stoner/hard rock/doom architects Red Wizard. The band, who were formed in 2010, have been steadily raising their profile by constantly gigging in and around the San Diego areas bars, clubs and venues, delivering strong, powerful and passionate live performances that have earned the band a healthy respect from all those lucky enough to have witnessed them. In 2014 the band expanded this loyal fan base to an even wider audience with the release of 2014's self-titled EP on STB Records.
This year the quintet of Travis Baucum - Vocals/Harmonica, Miles Von Ricketson - Lead Guitar, Casey Lamontagne - Guitar, David Wilburn - Bass and Shane Kepler - Drums released their debut album " Cosmosis" in collaboration with both STB and Ripple Music

First track "Tides of War" opens with Wilburn's rolling bass riff trading off against Iommi -esque power chords before the whole thing changes direction as the main riff kicks in. Von Ricketson and  Lamontagne's guitars stutter and slur over a foundation of thunderous percussion and bone shaking bass supplied by Kepler and Wilburn before Baucum  enters into the fray , his deep throaty rasp roaring lyrics of blood, sword and flame. Von Ricketson lays down some seriously tasteful solos and licks over a groove that mixes Grand Magus-like heavy metal with Sabbath-ish traditional bluesy doom. It's a perfect way to open an album and bodes well for what is still to come.
"Tinnitus" is next up and this time Red Wizard move away from the "traditional" doom of the previous track and instead take a trip to the "epic" side of the genre. Built around huge slow crushing riffs and underpinned by a thunderous rhythmic backdrop the song screams out for a big vocal and Baucum provides this in spades. The front man trades his gruff stoner/sludge growl for a more mournful slightly gothic tone, the JD soaked rasp remains but here it is reigned in, refined. Massive sounding and embellished with some nice guitar touches I can see fans of The Gates of Slumber and Solitude Aeturnus really digging this.
"Blinded" explodes next from the speakers its blues drenched doom grooves speckled with crunchy riffs, searing solo's and tight solid rhythms, Baucum lays down a superb vocal as well as providing an absolutely exceptional harmonica solo, blowing his harp like a delta bluesman of old whose just found where he left his mojo.
"Cosmosis" opens in a frenzy of stabbed power chords and crashing bass and drums before Von Ricketson steps up to add in a deliciously simple but beautifully effective lead guitar motif. Baucum reverts to his epic, mournful tone, holding onto notes with a powerful vocal dexterity. At around the four minute mark the song takes a left turn into psych territory, Baucum roars/moans a wordless vocal over heavily effect laden guitars, intricate jazzy percussion and dancing bass lines before sitting it out to allow the rest of the band free reign to go wherever the muse takes them. Led Zeppelin fans may hear similarities to the famous middle section  of" Whole Lotta Love" and like that song this one soons segues back into its main riff. It's a trip!
The final three songs are a concept piece set into three short movements
"Red Wizard Suite Part 1" starts life with a jazzy fusion groove intro before erupting into a stoner doom monster that sees  Baucum spitting and snarling out the vocals as Von Ricketson, Lamontagne and Wilburn lay down the fuzz and Kepler lays down the beat.
"Red Wizard Suite Part 2"is more or less an instrumental bridge between parts 1 and 3 and incorporates both neo-classical and  bluesy guitar heroics, a bass solo and a solid, precise drumming display.
"Red Wizard Suite Part 3" closes the album and anyone familiar with, 70's, Australian, proto-metal legends Buffalo will recognise a similarity to the riff from their song "Shylock" Whether intentional or not there is nevertheless enough originality in and around that riff for the band to claim this as their own, Raucous drumming, deep throaty clean vocals and enough fuzzy guitar and bass to fill a waste truck all combine to take to a close a very good and deeply satisfying album from a band who borrow a little from the past and bring it to the here and now.
Check it out..