BASTARD SWORD ~ BASTARD SWORD I .... review

 From the hills of Athens, Greece descend three warriors their chiselled features set with stern intent, their sculptured bodies bronzed by the fierce Athenian sun. One of them carries in his gnarled battle scarred hand a weapon, a sword forged from the fire stolen from the workshop of master craftsman Hephaestus and given to man by the trickster Prometheus. This is the Bastard Sword, a symbol of mans intelligence, ingenuity, and progress.

Well not exactly, the truth of the matter is Bastard Sword are an Athens based trio with a penchant for cranking out big stoner doom guitar riffs driven by growling low end and thunderous rhythms mixed with elements of heavy psych and post-rock, its just that whenever Desert Psychlist gets the chance to review a Greek band we tend get an itch to get a little Homer-ish. Having said this Bastard Sword do themselves play with their Greek heritage, the band hiding their real identities with names cherry picked from Greek mythology whereby we have Achilles on guitar/vocals and keyboards, Akis on drums and Odysseus on bass. 

Demi-gods, warriors or just ordinary men these three musicians make a fine noise as you can hear for yourselves when delving into their excellent debut  "I"

If you are going to open an album with a song referencing in its lyrics "a creature immense and strong" then the song better have a groove that reflects that immensity and strength and "Il Gigante" does. Lumbering, heavy and dark with eerie passages of creepy dissonance "Il Gigante" is pure old school flavoured doom that borrows more than a few tricks from the iconic Black Sabbath song that bore that bands name, especially in the anguished, fearful and pleading nature of its vocals."Heirophant" follows, a song still very much in the doom canon but possessing a groove that is pitched a little left of centre with its guitar parts muddied in fuzz and distortion to maximise its off-kilter atmospherics, as the song progresses it slowly discards that distortion and fuzziness and drifts into a deliciously hazy heavy psych groove with Archllies ripping searing bluesy solos from his fretboard over a backdrop of tight fluid drum and bass rhythm. For "Witching Brethren" Bastard Sword drop the doom and go full on stoner/hard rock, chugging guitars, thunderous drums and growling bottom end supporting a well delivered ear-catching vocal melody that as it nears its finale is joined by some swirling keyboard flourishes. "Santeria de Sangre" is up next and here we find the band upping the warp factor and hitting a groove not far off punkish that is decorated in vocals brandishing a dynamic just shy of harsh. It's back to the doom for "Ghosts in the Beehive" only this time doom with a more proto-metallic flavour, the song boasting a mid-tempo groove over which a clipped, almost robotic, vocal is delivered."Athropocene" is a song that evolves from being lysergic and experimental through to languid and luscious, carrying the threat of heaviness but never quite delivering on it and is followed by " Orbital Mechanist" a mood piece consisting of gentle acoustic guitar appegios picked beneath a swathe of swirling synth and keyboard textures. "Tenbones" finds Bastard Sword once again flexing their stoner rock muscles, all crunchy guitar tones and four to the floor rhythms, the band only momentarily deviating from that path with a touch of doomic pacing in the final third. Last but by no means least we have "Tooth Rattler" an instrumental that takes a little from all that has gone before, sticks it all in a pot with some cathedral flavoured keyboard textures and mixes it all together to create one big post rock gumbo.

Anyone listening to "I" is going to be hard pushed to describe what this band bring to the table in terms of genre or style, each song is just so radically different from the next. Forcing so many different elements together on one album could well have been a recipe for disaster but it isn't and the reason it isn't is because Bastard Sword pour so much of themselves into each track. Whether they are jamming a heavy doom groove or laying out on a passage of hazy liquid psych, the tone of the guitars and the dynamics of the drums tell you that you are listening to the same band and given the diversity of the songs they present to us with "I" that's a pretty mean feat.

Check 'em out .... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones

DRYAD ~ Y .... review

In 2018 German trio Dryad, Michael Rudolf (bass | vocals), Alexander Atzinger (guitar | backing vocals), and Sebastian Spahn (drums | percussion), released "Rehearsal Tape" a five song collection of proto-metal flavoured heavy stoner grooves recorded live at one of the bands rehearsals (hence its name). "Rehearsal Tape" was a little raw and rough around the edges but it had something about it that caught The Psychlist's ear and prompted us to make a note of the bands name in the hope that they would soon release a follow up, little did we know that it would be another five years before that follow up materialised. "Y", the bands brand new full length debut has finally arrived, a little later than expected but patience pays its own rewards and the band has rewarded us well.

The thing that prompted Desert Psychlist to hit the buy button, on Dryad's Bandcamp page, for "Rehearsal Tape" was its drive, its vigour and its full on ferocity, thankfully five years has not seen any watering down in those departments. All five of the songs that appeared on "Rehearsal Tape" have found their way onto "Y" the songs all still retaining the raw edginess of the original recordings but enhanced by a better production and mix. Of the five songs "Y" shares with "Rehearsal Tape" it is probably "Overload" that benefits the most from its re-working, on "Rehearsal Tape" it felt almost like the band were trying to race to the finish whereas on "Y" it feels less rushed, its rhythms tighter and it solo's a touch less caustic. The newer songs are as good if not better than those reworked songs "Pulsar", begins tranquil and ambient then erupts into a chugging stoner riff fest decorated in a surprisingly mellow vocal, "Darvaza" toys with heavy psych textures and alt-rock quiet/loud/quiet dynamics, "The Devil's Breath" is off-kilter and punkish and "Of Knaves and Fools" is a delightfully ear catching blend of 70's heavy rock swagger and 90's desert rock fuzziness. The band even throw in some ambient weirdity with the extremely brief "Ludus Interruptus". The highlight of "Y" for us, at The Psychlist however is the same song that was our favourite from "Rehearsal Tape" and that is "Meghalaya", a song that is an absolute blistering force of nature, thick gravelled vocals roaring and barking over a backdrop of fierce percussion, bone rattling bass and crunching riffage that culminates in a thunderous finale, a real barnstormer in an album full of barnstormers.

"Y" may not have quite the feral attack of its predecessor but it was never going to, what this debut full length album lacks in ferality it makes up for in subtlety, the raucous guitar tones, growling bottom end and thunderous drumming that were such a integral component of "Rehearsal Tape" are all still very much in place on "Y" but have been tempered with touches of heavy psych and post-rock to give the bands sound a fuller more refined dynamic, a dynamic Dryad will hopefully expand upon with further releases.

Check 'em out ......  

© 2023 Frazer Jones

REZN ~ SOLACE ...... review

 

REZN have evolved massively since their coming together as a band in 2015, the bands first album "Let it Burn" was a little raw around the edges but it showcased a band who where attempting to break out of the usual riff/vocal/solo box and take their music to places a little more universal and cosmic. The bands next release "Calm Black Water" took the ideas explored on their debut a little further but also sanded off those rough edges to give their sound an element of polish. The band then released the keyboard heavy "Infected Ambient Works", in collaboration with Catechism, a massive collection of ambient, and quite beautiful, soundscapes released in order to raise awareness and funds for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 2020 saw the band release "Chaotic Divine" a game changing album both for the band and psychedelic doom as sub-genre, everything about this album was on another level, its guitars crunched and rang, its keyboards swooped and soared, its rhythms ebbed and flowed and its vocal melodies swooned and swung. Many, Desert Psychlist included, wondered how REZN would ever be able to follow up an album of such majesty and magnitude, had the band pushed the bar too high? The answer to that question is a firm NO, the bands new album "Solace" has not just lifted the bar higher its thrown the damn thing out of the stadium.

"Allured By Feverish Visions" is a title that suggests psychedelic textures and lysergic liquidity and that is exactly what the first track from "Solace" delivers with its washes of droning guitars punctuated by snatches of ethereal flute and swirling synth, its steady drums only just anchoring down an instrumental that feels as if it could just waft away into the ether at any given moment. Beautiful is not a word banded about much when talking about underground rock music but this most certainly is. "Possession" follows its intense heavy psych textures enhanced by a vocal that is elegant and other-worldly, things do get a touch heavier as the song progresses but it is a structured heaviness that amplifies the songs stealth like intensity rather than detracts from it. Dank and doomic is the only way to describe the opening bars of next track "Reversal" a brief moment of raw brutality that shows that if you stripped away all the psychedelic colours and heady cosmic textures you would still find a pretty gnarly doom combo underneath. However it is only a brief moment and its not long before the songs set sail into more lysergic waters with a to die for vocal melody floating serenely over a backdrop of chiming guitar arpeggios, low liquid bass, tight percussion and tasteful keyboard flourishes. "Stasis" is the heaviest song on "Solace" and probably its most straightforward both in its vocals and its musical dynamic, well that is up until it reaches its last third when things start to get a little experimental and ambient while "Faded and Fleeting" finds the band adding hazy jazziness to the list of things they can turn their hand to, the addition of  saxophone giving the song a feel not too dissimilar to that of 70's jazz/rock fusion pioneers Weather Report. Finally we arrive at "Webbed Roots" a stunning opus that has a constantly shifting dynamic that is languid and loose one minute, blustering and brash the next with surprises coming at you from all angles one of which is a spoken word passage narrated by guest contributor Marie Davidson.

REZN, Rob McWilliams (guitar/vocals); Phil Cangelosi (bass/rainstick); Patrick Dunn (drums/percussion) and Spencer Ouellette (saxophone/synth/piano/flute), are not a band who have suddenly exploded on to the scene and become an overnight sensation, these guys have paid their dues and worked hard to get to the point where a new REZN album is met with much the same enthusiasm as say a new Elder album or Monster Magnet release. The anticipation and enthusiasm for new album "Solace" was of that level and they have not disappointed.

Check it out .... 

© 2023 Fr

azer Jones

EVILLEAF ~ SLOW BURN ..... review

North Carolina's EvilLeaf are a five piece combo consisting of Sara Sage (vocals/keys); Evil Wes McCumbee (rhythm guitar); Maurice Francis (lead guitar); Matt White (bass) and Derrick Moore (drums), a band somewhat in their infancy, given they only got together in 2021. Despite their short tenure as a band EvilLeaf boast a maturity of sound many more established band would give their right arms for, a sound that blends sludgy low ends rhythmic grooves with fuzzy desert riffs, scorching blues flecked solos and vocals that alternate between fey and ethereal and harsh and demonic , all of which can be heard gracing their very impressive debut EP "Slow Burn"

"Disquiet" opens proceedings, a perfectly balanced blend of bluesy swagger and occult flavoured rock built around a big circular riff anchored down by booming bass and tight solid drums, so far so good we hear you say but then in come Sage's vocals and take things to a whole other level, her vocal here is powerful clean and edged with an endearing grittiness which as the song progresses becomes more and more pronoounced  Second song "Folium Messis" is a brief instrumental interlude that allows Sage to show off her prowess on keyboards and is quickly followed up by "Summoned By Smoke" a slow burning but nonetheless rocking tune that has the feel of a torch song due in part to Sage's classically trained vocal, which is soaring and powerful, but also due to McCumbee and Francis' guitar textures, which are a mix of crunchy metal riffage and searing bluesy lead, White's bass and Moore's drums the glue holding it all together."Tenebris" is up next and here we find the band mixing into their bluesy occult flavoured grooves a touch of metallic vocal harshness, Sage showing us that even the classically trained can find their inner demons if needed. EvilLeaf brings things to a close with title track "Slow Burn" a pretty apt title when you consider that the majority of songs on display here possesses a slow burning dynamic, for this tune Sage once again alternates her vocals between ethereal crooning and demonic snarling but it is Francis eastern tinted guitar solos' that are the real star of this particular song.

There was a period when you could not throw a stone without hitting an occult themed rock band fronted by a female vocalist, bands like Blood Ceremony, Witch Mountain, The Devil's Blood and Kroh seemed to be popping up every other day, Things seems to have slowed down somewhat these days and those type of bands seem to be a little thinner on the ground so its good to see a band like EvilLeaf emerging to relight the beacon. EvilLeaf are not quite in the same league as those band mentioned YET but if they stick together and continue releasing EP's and albums of the quality of "Slow Burn" then it will not be long before they are.

Check 'em out ..... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones

WITCHTHROAT SERPENT ~ TROVE OF ODDITIES AT THE DEVIL'S DRIVEWAY ..... review

It was way back in 2014 when Witchthroat Serpent first came under Desert Psychlist's radar thanks to their Electric Wizard inspired self-titled debut "Witchthroat Serpent", the album had a raw slightly unrefined sound  but promised much for the future. Two years later the band followed up with "Sang-Dragon" a slightly more polished affair but still retaining that raw edginess that was fast becoming the bands signature. This was followed by the two song EP "Striped Dragon" which was followed a year later by the bands third full length album "Swallow the Venom". By now people were starting to sit up and take notice and realise that these guys were more than just Electric Wizard clones, that they were a band with something a little extra in their armoury. One of those to sit up and take notice were Heavy Psych Sounds Records who invited the band to  contribute to their "Doom Sessions" series of splits ("Vol.666" with Dead Witches) which in turn led to Heavy Psych Sounds picking up the option to release the bands new album "Trove of Oddities at the Devil's Driveway", their first as a quartet.

Up until this release Witchthroat Serpent had been a trio consisting of  Fredrik (guitar/vox), Niko (drums) and Ügo (who replaced original bassist Lo Klav after the release of the bands third album). In 2020 Djé joined as second guitarist and the band almost immediately set about recording two brand new tracks for Heavy Psych Sounds Records "Doom Sessions Vol.666" with Dead Witches,. The two tracks Witchthroat Serpent premiered on that split saw Djé's inclusion bringing a denser thicker dynamic into play, a sound not too far removed from the bands original sound but a sound that felt a shade danker and a shade more slower and intense, it is this darker, denser sound that Witchthroat Serpent have chosen to explore further with new album "Trove of Oddities at the Devil's Driveway". If you needed further proof of the slightly darker sound the band bring to the table with their new line-up then you need look no further than first track "Multi-dimensional Marvellous Throne (M-DMT)" a song with a sedate and heavy stoner doom dynamic decorated in monotonic clean vocal tones underscored by low thrumming guitar tones, growling bass and pounding slow percussion. It is hard to believe that things could get more darker, denser and intense but Witchthroat Serpent manage to do just that with next song "Nosferatu's Mastery" and ode to the legendary vampire of legend and cinema, Fredrik asking, in crystal clear tones, "did you hear a voice behind you" over a backdrop of thundering sedately paced doom that in its final third boasts some very impressive off kilter and lysergic laced lead work. Mellotron is not an instrument you hear gracing many albums these days but the staple of so many 70's albums makes an appearance on next track "The Gorgon" a weird but compelling experimental piece with a horror movie soundtrack vibe, the humble electronic keyboard more than holding its own against the movie samples and droning guitar effects it is forced to share space with. "The House That Dripped Blood" is doom in its most pure and basic form, deliciously slow guitar riffs reverberating and thrumming with malignant menace over crypt level low bass and pummelling percussion. Vocals are delivered clean and powerful and tell us of  a house filled with terrors, where evil dwells in every room and "vampires lay down in the wet cellar", the only relief from the doom and gloom being its searing guitar solos' which are scorching and heavily blues tinted. Penultimate track "Yellow Nacre" finds the band upping the pace to something a little closer to mid-tempo, the drums a touch more insistent, the bass a little more fluid and the vocals a tad brighter but with the guitars still very much remaining low, slow and thrumming. Witchthroat Serpent brings things to a close with "Mountain Temple in Bleakness" its bass heavy intro making way for a lysergic laced stoner doom groove that routinely swells and dissipates around a strikingly clean and clear vocal. In its initial stages the song follows much the same path as the majority of the albums preceding tracks, low slung guitar riffs, thundering slow pounding rhythms and morose, mournful vocals but then as the song reaches towards its finale things start to take on a more experimental air with screaming feedback and sinister droning guitar textures vying for space with a variety of movie sound bytes and samples.

For "Trove of Oddities at the Devil's Driveway" Witchthroat Serpent decided to go the analogue route, recording everything to tape without the aid of computers or anything digital, this has resulted in a rawer more atmospheric sound but also a warmth you don't usually associate with stoner doom or similar doom related genres. The album also sees the band moving slightly away from those Electric Wizard influences, that have coloured much of their previous work, and finding their own unique signature sound, still a sum of those influences but not shackled by them.

Check 'em out ...... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones

TEMPTRESS ~ SEE ..... review

 

Temptress, Andi Cuba (drums/vocals): Christian Wright (bass/vocals) and Kelsey Wilson (guitars/vocals), have been "tempting" us for a while now, first with their excellent self-titled 2019 EP "Temptress" and since with a pair of singles "Serpentine" and "Hopeless" released as teasers for "SEE" (Metal Assault Records), the full length album we are reviewing today. 

Floydian is how Desert Psychlist would describe opening song "Death Comes Around", its guitar textures and colours are Gilmour-esque in both flavour and execution, its drumming is straight out of the Nick Mason less is more handbook. and its low slung and liquid bass lines would even make that old curmudgeon Roger Waters smile. Vocals are delivered harmonious, hazy and melodic with Wright's deeper tones only just winning the battle for prominence over those of Cuba and Wilson. Coming in at just over ten and a half minutes there was always a danger of the band meandering off into a musical cul-de-sac but they avoid this by filling up every second of this stunning opus with subtle shifts and unexpected twists and turns that ensure interest from start to finish. Its all change for next track "Into My Soul" out go the Floydian textures and in come the crunching chord progressions and heavy hitting percussion, despite these heavier dynamics the vocals, sung in the main by Wilson, possess a melodic catchiness, especially in the chorus, that you might not expect given the ferocity of the music surrounding them, As the song progress so does its heaviness with Wilson's clean vocal taking a backseat to allow Wright to exorcise his demons with some throat ripping harsh and blackened roaring, the band finally taking things to a close on a doom tinted jam. "Waiting" follows and sees the band getting down and dirty on a dank plodding groove over which Wilson and Wright execute vocal trade offs while "Cry" is a soaring and atmospheric lament beautifully sung by Wilson, her serene emotional tones only just matched by her swirling guitar solos which are perfectly framed by Wright and Cuba's sympathetic bass and drum grooves. "Serpentine" marks a slight departure from the Floydian psych and the metallic heaviness that has been prevalent up to this point, here we find the band going fully cosmic with clipped vocal tones poetically intoned over a backdrop of wordless wailing and thick crunchy chords, the song still heavy but in a quirky, off-kilter way. "Hopeless" brings things to a close with a song that is an old school sword rattler and has a touch of Celtic folkiness running through its veins, listeners to Irish black metal/folk extremists Primordial might recognise some similarities in the way the riffs here are structured and also in the way Wright pitches his vocals, especially in the upper register.,

SEE" is an album that draws from the full gamut of the metal spectrum , it is an album that has the swagger and strut of stoner and hard rock, the bluster of heavy metal, the dankness of doom and the headiness of heavy psych. Add to this hotchpotch of diverse styles a three way vocal attack that ranges from hazy and clean through to gruff and growly and you quickly come to the realisation that Temptress are not your atypical underground rock band and that they have something very different going on.

Check 'em out .... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones

CLEÕPHÜZZ ~ MYSTIC VULTURE .... review

Today Desert Psychlist reviews a truly impressive album but at the same time laments the passing of the band that made that album, the album in question is "Mystic Vulture" a stunning opus awash with elements of grunge, desert rock and heavy psych, the band are/were Cleõphüzz a Canadian outfit haling from Quebec who up until a while ago looked to have a bright and promising future. The Covid pandemic caused a lot of heartache and pain for a lot of people and the effect of its lockdowns and forced isolations hit the music world hard, venues were closed overnight, gigs got cancelled and musicians, who needed to play with other musicians in order to make music, were restricted from doing so, some bands/artists chose to cross their fingers and sit things out but for some it was all too much and this was the case with Cleõphüzz. "Mystic Vulture" is the bands parting gift to us, an album that is the final legacy of a band who may have well gone on to greater things if not for a virus called Covid-19

 "Mystic Vulture" is an album Desert Psychlist expects to see gracing many of those much loved end of year lists, not out of sympathy or some misplaced loyalty to a band we all had high hopes for but simply because it is a truly SUPERB album. Canada is not a country known for its deserts, or for that matter its vultures, yet despite this Cleõphüzz have somehow captured the feel of that environment. The ironically titled intro "The End" with its strings and reverberating guitar tones has the vibe of an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, close your eyes and you can almost feel the heat on your face, see the snakes sidewinding their way across the dunes and the scorpions scuttling for the safety of the rocks. The appropriately named "Desert Rider" follows, a gnarly riffed fuzz drenched opus boasting a Kyuss flavoured hard/desert rock groove decorated with a gritty lead vocal backed up by a serene counter melody. Next track "Sortilëdge" begins with an achingly beautiful cello motif that is then joined by the rest of the band in what is essentially a heavy psych instrumental but due to its spiralling intensity feels like so much more. "Desperado" follows, a shape shifting, slow building behemoth that employs everything from Hawkwind-esque swirls to bluesy orchestral swells, its brief vocal passages delivered in clean melodic and suitably hazy tones. So far Cleõphüzz desert flavoured grooves have had a somewhat  North American bias but "Sarcophage" sees the band casting their gaze towards the deserts of North Africa and the Middle-East, eastern motifs are legion throughout this enthralling instrumental and the musicianship on display here is on another level.  "When the Siren Blows" is up next and is a much more gnarled and raucous affair, the guitars tones here are darker and fuzzier and a touch more caustic a feel mirrored in the songs vocals which are delivered with a ragged throatiness. Tile track "Mystic Vulture". rightly or wrongly. reminded us of All Them Witches, not so much in sound but in the way this song is constructed, the band building the song up one layer at a time, the music slowly moving towards a crescendo only to be pulled back at the last minute to start the process all over again. Final song " Sundown in the Afterlife" is an uplifting instrumental built around a circular groove that every now and then erupts into gnarliness only to fall back in on itself again only deviating from this path as it reaches its climax whereby an element of bluesy melancholy enters into the equation., stunning stuff!  

Cleõphüzz, Joe (lead guitar/vocals); Alex (rhythm guitar/noise); Carolune (cello/sitar); Freink (bass) and Josh (drums), as a band may be no more but they have left us with a thing of real beauty in "Mystic Vulture". Cleõphüzz have not gone out with a whimper, like so many bands before them, they have walked into the sunset guns blazing and their hats cocked at a jaunty angle.

Check 'em out .... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones