Greenbeard ~ Second album from Texas desert groovers

In November 2014 Texas desert rockers Greenbeard released a self-titled album that was, according to their Bandcamp page, a collection of high quality demo recordings. Filled to the brim with fuzzed up riffage, scalding solos and driving rhythms this album immediately drew the attention of online music fans, bloggers and critics and it seemed that everyone was in agreement....this was a band to keep your eye on.
A year later with a few more gigs under their belt and the addition of a new member Greenbeard are back with their first full album "Stoned At The Throne"

Comprised of five new songs and three re-workings of tunes from their demo, "Stoned At The Throne" shows that the band have lost non of that promise hinted at on "Greenbeard", and that if anything have exceeded that promise.
"Sativa Wizardia" kicks things off with its glorious dirty, fuzz drenched riffage that nods its head towards Kyuss but also has a touch of The Sword's metallic stoner edge in its groove.
"Don't Get Too Desperate" sees the band encroaching into Queen's of the Stone Age territory with its quirky, angular riff and Josh Homme type vocals. I've got to admit on first listen this did not gel with me, a little too QOTSA and not enough Greenbeard, but on subsequent listens i've found myself warming to it and slowly growing to love it.
Third track "The Voyager" has Chance Parker and Ethan Thayer laying down the doom with a thick sludgey riff under which Buddy Hachar (drums) and Marc Maddox (bass) lay a groove that you could bury a bus in. This also has one of my favourite vocal performances with Parker and Thayer's voices blending together as one, magnificent! The track ends with the two guitarists trying to outdo each other with superb intertwined solos.
Next track "Crooked Is As Crooked Does" is probably my favourite track, incorporating a truly gorgeous strutting desert riff combined with mellow laid back vocals in the verses that explode in the chorus. Prepare yourself also for an absolutely fret burning guitar solo and a beautiful moment when the guitars and drums fall away to leave a wonderful two note bass motif supporting the vocal, awesome!
"Dead Valley" a highlight of the 2014 demo is fleshed out here with the addition of the other guitar, adding a depth that was lacking in the original. A good tune
"Swimming In The Grass" has an infectious stuttering riff that hooks you from the start carrying you along with its super cool vocal that then descends into a full blown psych freak-out in the final third.
The final two tracks "Eris" and "Sludgito" both of which can be found on "Greenbeard" are enhanced by the extra six strings and benefit from the more polished production found throughout the album.

It seemed a long time between pre-ordering this album, on Bandcamp, and finally getting my grubby hands on it today but it was well worth the wait.

Pulgasari ~ Swedish stoner blues rockers release EP

Sweden seems to be the go to place for blues flecked hard/stoner rock and doom, giving us the mighty Graveyard, Witchcraft and Horisont among many, many others  Hoping to follow in the hallowed footsteps of those bands  Pulgasari,  a four piece from Stockholm, have just released their debut EP "Chairman of the Ouija Board"

"Chairman of the Ouija Board" is very much blues based  but shot through with elements of 90's stoner rock and 70's hard rock yet the band manage to avoid going into retro territory by not falling back on those old stale clichés that are often found in blues based rock, there is a freshness to these fuzzed up bluesy tunes brought about by not only the exemplary musicianship but also the strong song writing, arrangements and intelligent lyrics.
 Vocals are handled by Carl West (he also plays rhythm guitar) and are wonderful mix of bluesy holler and southern drawl coming across a little like Clutch's Neil Fallon on "Smoke My Meat" yet sounding like a Myles Kennedy/Axl Rose hybrid on " I Resurrect". Edgar Allen Zan (lead guitar) rips it up on every track be it with his furious riffing, ferocious solos or his well placed and chosen  licks. Keeping the engines running beneath are  Eric Axelsson (bass) and Jonathan Andersson (drums), two musicians whose solid and tight rhythmic telepathy belies the fact thy have only been playing together for roughly a year.

An online friend of mine and Bandcamp reviewer Steve Rodger will often refer to a band having a "swagger" when reviewing an album and I take this as a band have a cocky assurance in their abilities thereby oozing a confidence that then comes over in the music. If this is the case then Pulgasari SWAGGER and so does their EP.
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Looking Back ......... Les Lekin's ALL BLACK RAINBOW MOON

The best thing about writing your own blog is that you get to choose who you write about and are not just restricted to new releases, so taking advantage of that fact here is a review of one of last years (2014) finest instrumental releases "All Black Rainbow Moon" by Les Lekin an album that made my top 25 releases for 2014 and is an album you should own!

Let's start off with a very brief rundown of the band before getting into the nitty gritty of a review.
Les Lekin are a trio out of Salzburg, Austria who formed around 2011 and are made up of  Peter G.(guitar), Stefan W.(bass) and Kerstin W. (drums). As you can probably guess by the use of a singular letter for their surnames this band like to play their cards very close to their chests, the fact that these guys are on all the important social sites and also have their own web site, finding anything more than rank and serial number about them is a virtual nightmare,  then again it does give them a air of mystique.

Now for the album...
"All Black Rainbow" begins with "Intro" a short burst of shimmering cymbals, slow walking bass and heavily effect drenched arpeggios from Peter G on guitar. Although only 1:39 this track gives the listener a good indication of what to expect from the rest of the album
. I won't go into an in depth track by track dissection of "All Black Rainbow Moon" except to say that this is an album that takes its listener on rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, lights and shades, exploding in a myriad of colours one minute then diving in to the darkest depths the next. The level of musicianship throughout the album is exceptional with Peter G ripping out finger burning solos, shimmering arpeggios and thunderous riffs from his humble six strings. Stefan W's bass playing is a thing of beauty and power, from chest quaking bass riffs that thunder and boom to fluid subtle lines that soothe and warm with their deep caress. Kerstin W is not a tub thumper of any description she has a control and deftness of touch that not only supports the stringed musicians in front of her but drives the sound forward with her exemplary sticksmanship, going from heavy rock bombast to jazzy intricacy in the blink of an eye.

When it comes down to it, most of you stoners, doomers and psychonauts who are reading this blog will already have snapped this album up when it was first released last year but if you have not then I urge you to head over to Bandcamp NOW and buy the CD or download a digital copy you will not regret it!

Mountainwolf Release New Album "Silk Road"

Mountainwolf are a trio out of  Annapolis, MD,  Chris Gipple (bass), Thomas Coster (drums) and Tyler Vaillant (guitar, vocals) and have just released their new album " Silk Road"
"Silk Road" blends together 70's heavy rock with 80's alt/grunge, throws in a little doom, a smattering of psych and whole lot of Mountainwolf  to make this one of the best "rock" albums you will hear this year.

The album kicks off with "The Jam" five minutes and four seconds of  stoner excellence incorporating loud quiet loud grunge dynamics, gritty  stoner riffage and moments of psychedelic subtlety..
Next track "Wine x Weed" utilises a dirty fuzzed up doomy riff  around a low key, mournful vocal that then descends into spacey atmospherics with Vailllant using a ton of effects to create a lysergic, cosmic mood while Gipple and Coster hold it all together underneath until it all kicks off again at the end.
"LSD" for me is the stand out track on the album with it's phased guitar riff repeating over and around a delicious vocal. Vaillant pulls out his best solo on the album here, slightly Iommi-esque and with plenty of bluesy feel.
"Mountainwolf" sees the band nod their heads towards "Pearl Jam" with a track that would not have sounded out of place on that bands album "Ten" as would the next two "Freedom" and "Heroin 1991"
"Via Amorosa" is a nice little groover that goes from grungey doom into cosmic madness in the final third.
"Lo-Fi" confuses me and I have no-idea why it's included on here but as its only a minute and half long it doesn't hurt too much
"Hyphy Blues" is an all out rocker with a totally infectious guitar lick that sits over the main riff.
Closer "Via Dante" almost topples "LSD" for best track status, full of moody atmospheric psych and acid blues guitar pyrotechnics.

 I love it when a band are unafraid to fuse genres together and I especially love it when they manage to do so as seamlessly as Mountainwolf have done with their new album "Silk Road"

Book Of Wyrms - Ricmond's space metal quartet release three song demo.

Being an avid follower of Bandcamp I’ve come to realise the importance of a good demo as a way of showcasing a bands talents and future potential. Many a time I’ve come across a band who although showing a ton of promise have just not put in the time on their demos and on occasions these demos have been almost unlistenable. This is not the case with Book of Wyrms.

Book of Wyrms are a four piece from Richmond ,Virginia and have just released, via Bandcamp, their first demo , a three song tour-de force of doomy thick riffage cleverly mixed with occult rock grooves and touches of late 60’s early 70’s psychedelic rock. Guitar duties are held down by Kelsey Miller whose gritty dark riffs and well thought out fuzz drenched solos give the band it’s metallic edge while behind him Chris DeHaven (drums) and Jay Lindsey (bass) keep things solid and heavy and on the more ambient/spacey sections really get to show their chops. Vocals are handled by Sarah Moore-Lindsey whose sweet occult-ish tones and slightly folky delivery are a stark contrast to the dark grooves surrounding her. It is this contrast combined with the use of spacey effects that give this band its unique sound

 

Remember this is a demo and when/if these guys get to make a full album these songs may be totally different or may disappear entirely but as a snapshot of a band who are at the beginning of their journey I highly recommend giving this a listen.

Rosy Finch ~ Welcome You to Witchboro

I have to admit that any band containing two women are bound to get my attention, not for any drooly, knuckle dragging sexist reasons but for the fact I have been championing women's place in rock music for a long time. I've lost count of how many times I've heard  guys say "I never listen to  female singers" or "she plays ok...for a girl" so when a band come along who blow those misconception out of the window well...you bet i'm gonna listen

Rosy Finch are two women Elena García (Vocals/Bass guitar), Mireia Porto (Lead Vocals/Guitars) and one guy Lluís Mas (Drums) that play gritty hard/stoner rock flecked with elements of psych, grunge and sludge that in places borders on extreme but always manages to pull back from the edge  before falling into chaos.

This month the band released their debut "Witchboro" a concept album, of sorts, that depicts the sounds of a mythical village of the same name, whether this works as concepts go i'm not sure but this does not become an issue as the songs are strong enough to hold their own as individual pieces.

"Ursula" kicks off the album with fine style all circular riffs and angular rhythms with the vocals of  Mireia Porto swinging from sweet and haunting to feral and anguished but never tipping over to guttural and harsh. Elena Garcia and  Lluís Mas never give an inch locking the bass and drums together as a solid unit and allowing Porto's voice and guitar to paint sonic soundscapes over the top. The rest of the album follows in a similar vein of stoner infused riffage and psych wigouts until you get to "Polvo Zombi" a beautiful mix of doomy atmospherics and sweet vocals that is dominated by a pounding drum and bass pattern from Garcia and Mas. The track heralds the second half of the village of Witcboro concept and sees the sound move away from the stoner sound of the first four tracks and shift towards a more ethereal and occult feel using elements of atmospherics and psychedelic interludes to colour and give texture to the music. The final track "Daphne vs Apollo" sees the two sides of the concept fused together in one song, the fuzz and the atmospherics hand in hand and walking into the sun and is a fitting conclusion to a damn fine album.

Arrakis ~ Greek Psychonauts Release Debut "Ammu Dia"

There is something going on in Greece, I don't know if there is something in the water over there but the country that gave us the foundations of  modern civilised society sure seem to produce the goods when it comes to good "underground " rock.

Arrakis are from Thessaloniki, Greece and were formed in 2012 with the sole intention of playing a form of rock music that would not be restricted to the blues based blueprints of American and English rock bands but would have a more European vibe with plenty of room for improvisation and freedom of expression. Comprising of three members Panagiotis Haris on guitar, Iraklis Dimitriadis on bass and Evaggelos Anastasiou  on drums Arrakis have released a number of rough demos via Bandcamp and have recently released an EP "Sanatoriun" and a full album "Ammu Dia" both of which can also be found at Bandcamp.

"Ammu Dia" is a stunning mix of  instrumental stoner/desert grooviness and  heavy psych/krautrock complexity that is a myriad of colour, texture and beauty .Heavy in places but never brutal " Ammu Dia" never sits still, never gets stuck in a rut and there is a feeling that this music could at any minute descend into chaos if it were not for the three musicians pulling on the reins and steering it back to safer ground. A perfect example to this is the closing 12+ minute "Diplomacy?" a slow burning psych wigout that has  Panagiotis Haris' guitar teasing out wailing wah pedal solos, screeching feedback and glorious lysergic licks while  Dimitriadis  and Anastasiou keep it all grounded with their excellent rhythm work, never letting the music get away from them and pulling it all back to earth when it starts to get a little too cosmic, superb!

If you like your music experimental, exciting and with a certain amount of freedom and if Colour Haze, Sungrazer etc.rock your musical boat then check these guys out you will not be disappointed.