Cowboys & Aliens - Horses Of Rebellion (Album Review)

Release date: March 15th 2019. Label: POLDERRECORDS. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Horses Of Rebellion – Tracklisting

1.Soaking 04:05

2.Still in the Shade 03:36

3.Two Time a Man 04:44

4.Sheep Bloody Sheep 05:01

5.Take a Good Look Around 04:21

6.Horses of Rebellion 03:58

7.Morning Again 04:14

8.Hollow 03:41

9.Refuse 03:10

10.Walk a Mile in my Shoes 04:20

11.Splendid Isolation 02:19

Members

John Pollentier

Henk Vanhee

Peter Gaelens

Tom Neirynck

Review

Cowboys & Aliens return with their 5^th album – Horses Of Rebellion. This album sees the legendary Stoner Rock band add a more thunderous Alternative Rock groove to their classic Stoner based sound. The album is more aggressive compared to their previous albums and it’s good to hear the band trying something different instead of releasing the same album over and over again.

The album never stops with it’s fast-paced aggression from the opening song – Soaking – for the majority of the album. Cowboys & Aliens will please not only long-time fans of the and but also the casual observer or first time listener. As this album ticks all the right buttons with melodic psychedelic Desert/Stoner Rock sounds that bands such as Kyuss and Monster Magnet made famous back in the day. Though please remember this band has been going strong since 1996. Well they did have a brief 5 year hiatus from 2006 to 2011. The fact remains that it’s still great these guys are still around making great music such as Horses Of Rebellion.

Horses Of Rebellion has it’s fair share outstanding songs such as: Soaking, Two Time A Man, Sheep Bloody Sheep, Horses Of Rebellion, Morning Again, Hollow and Release. The only weak part of the album is the final song – Splendid Isolation. As the song doesn’t really go anywhere and leaves you wanting more. Maybe it was best to end the album with a different song.

Apart from that minor complaint, Horses Of Rebellion is a great album and sounds excellent from the start. The production is first-rate and this allows the album to flow at such a natural and addictive pace. If you’re in the mood for a heavier and different style of Stoner Rock then Horses Of Rebellion has you fully covered and proves once again why Cowboys & Aliens are one of the best Stoner Rock bands the European scene has to offer.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to POLDERRECORDS for the promo. Horses Of Rebellion is available to buy now via POLDERRECORDS.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

EP News - KUROKUMA Announce New EP Details

Trippy Metal Trio KUROKUMA Announce New EP Details

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 to be released via Off Me Nut Records May 3rd 

Trippy metal trio KUROKUMA have announced their third EP Sheffield's Best Metal Bands Vol.1 will be released via Off Me Nut Records on May 3rd 2019 ahead of their appearance at Desertfest UK on May 5th. 

Check out their teaser here: 

Kurokuma - Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1

After earning acclaimed reviews for their Advorsus EP (2016) and Dope Rider EP (2018), KUROKUMA's cult-like notoriety for producing avant-garde music, heavy yet multidimensional, has continued to grow. Now, the band have teamed up with notorious electronic record label Off Me Nut Records for their latest release, which sees the label's first ever foray into the murky world of metal. 

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 finds the band burrowing deeper into an atmospheric world of their own creation, producing four leviathan tracks that are a consciousness-expanding 24-minute refraction of monumentally unsettled ambient heaviness and blackened sludge. And there's even a Jamiroquai cover thrown in for good measure (Deeper Underground). This is some persuasively weird shit.

The band comments: "It's a product of being on the road a lot more this past year, seeing a lot of metal bands outside of just the stoner/doom circles, and then just bringing in a few influences from outside metal. We listen to things from all across the musical spectrum; lately it's been a lot of electronic music and beats, and that's nothing particularly unique, but we've never drawn lines between genres or been hesitant about bringing what we like to listen to into the band. 

There's a darkness and an intensity that you might find in unexpected places if you're willing to look. Reality is twisted, you'll never escape it. We're taking the weird shit that flows through our brains and in front of our eyes, cranking the volume and putting it on cassette. And when we took a step back and looked at the lyrics and song titles on this release, we realised that, if you had to describe it, everything related to a theme of weird creatures that are misunderstood by society at large, which, to be honest, is a good way of summing up who we are.“

KUROKUMA recently gained further spotlight after being featured in The Doom Doc, an independent documentary on the doom scene which followed KUROKUMA's drummer, Joe E Allen, and featured interviews with original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, Primitive Man, Conan, Slabdragger, and many others.

Having perfected their engaging sound on stages worldwide from the UK to Japan with bands such as Conan, Crowbar, Trap Them, KEN Mode, Boss Keloid, Primitive Man and Skeletonwitch to name a few, the next few months will see the band playing select dates and festivals including Desertfest in London in support of their EP.

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 will be released by Off Me Nut Records on May 3rd. Pre-orders will be available soon.

See KUROKUMA live at one of the following dates:

March 24th, Dreadfest, Leeds (UK)
April 12th, Record Junkee, Sheffield (w/ Author and Punisher) (UK)
April 13th, Replacement Weekender @ The Moon, Cardiff (UK)
May 5th, Desertfest, London (UK)
May 18th, The Rumble At Rebellion, Manchester (UK)

Find out more about the band

Facebook || Twitter || Bandcamp || Spotify

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 Tracklisting

1: RVN
2: Wasp Nest
3: Deeper Underground
4: Wasp Nest (Memphis edit)

11PARANOIAS - Asterismal (Album Review)

Release date: March 15th 2019. Label: Ritual Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Asterismal – Tracklisting

1.Loss Portal 08:16

2.Bloodless Crush 03:21

3.Vitrified Galaxy 06:32

4.Prelude 02:07

5.Slow Moon 09:07

6.Quantitative Immortalities 11:55

7.Chamber of Stars 06:14

Members

Adam Richardson (bass/vox)

Mike Vest (guitar)

Nathan Perrier (drums)

Review

Asterismal is the epic new album from Progressive Doom/Sludge Metallers 11PARANOIAS. This album is a very dense and heavy affair and I wouldn’t expect anything less from these guys. The album is a Space Rock odyssey though the band a nightmarish and surreal vision to their music. The music is constantly heavy and always evolving into a different style of Spaced Out Rock that only 11PARANOIAS could possibly make.

Asterismal runs for around seventy-two minutes and it’s epic as they come. The songs all have a deep meaningful sound and identity of their own. Each song sounds very different to each other. As the band play many different styles of Doom, Sludge and Psychedelic Metal. The whole feel of the album has an almost TRIBAL feel to it especially on songs such as: Loss Patrol, Bloodless Crush, Vitrified Galaxy, Slow Moon, Chamber Of Stars and the excellent two-part song of Acoustic Mirror.

If you’ve listened to previous albums by the band then you know what to expect. However, the band take a darker and slightly depressing turn on this album and it works wonders for their overall sound. Their music now has a more threatening purpose and the music becomes heavier as a result.

The vocals from Adam are superbly sung from the start. As they’re a mixture of clean chants, harsh growls and regular clean vocals. Though I do have an issue understanding what is being sung on certain parts of the album. It’s a good job that the music is brilliantly played and highly original in its own right. The heavy droned out sludgy guitars allows the band to have a more nuanced approach to their music.

Asterismal has a distinctive stop-start approach where the band could be playing an epic riff and they stop for a split second and decide to play a different style of music. For the most part this works in the bands favour. However, this style of music could be distracting to the more casual listener than a die-hard fan of the band. Asterismal is perhaps best suited to people who know what to expect from this great band.

Asterismal is a thrilling and very surreal album that delves right into the darkness of i 11PARANOIAS music. This is an album that you need to be in a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate and understand the whole meaning of the album. 11PARANOIAS have always been the type of band who are never afraid to experiment with their music and still make you want to experience more.

I may not fully understand the full themes and ideas of Asterismal yet but it’s going to be a great journey trying to figure this out for myself. Overall, Asterismal is a thought-provoking and complex album that ranks as one of the best albums the band have released yet.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency and Ritual Productions for the promo. Asterismal will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ritual Productions from March 15^th 2019.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

King Legba & The Loas - Back From The Dead (Album Review) And Album Premiere

Release date: March 22nd 2019. Label: Czar Of Crickets Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Back From The Dead – Tracklisting

1. Black From The Dead

2. Ghost Train

3. Voodoo Witch

4. Moonchild

5. Resist The Gods

6. A Little Pity

7. No Surprise

8. Home

Members

Tobi Glanzmann - vocals & guitar

Marco Grementieri - vocals & bass

Silvio Spadino - drums

Review

King Legba & The Loas are a band that I hadn’t heard of before until I listened to their new album – Back From The Dead. The band play a heavy mix of Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Punk Rock and Stoner Rock and will appeal to fans of The Hellacopters but with a more Stoner Rock sound.

The album was recorded by legendary producer Tomas Skogsberg who has worked with acts such as The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies and Entombed. I can confirm the album sounds great from start to finish and allows King Legba & The Loas to show off their undeniable talent. The songs a mixture of different styles but all containing a hard-rocking Stoner based groove.

Opening song – Black From The Dead – is parts modern day Monster Magnet and even Motorhead in places. As the song can’t decide if it’s a glorious OTT Garage/Stoner Rock song or a classic balls-to-the-wall Hard Rock/Metal anthem that Motorhead were famous for. Add a few moments of Heavy Psychedelic Rock and you have one of the standout songs on the album.

Second song – Ghost Train – opts for a more classic The Hellacopters sound but the band add their own style of fast-paced Punk Rock and Blues Rock sound. The song is quite infectious and that’s perhaps down to the fantastic vocals of Tobi who feels that he has an easy-going persona despite the heavy rock vibe being played in the background.

Third song – Voodoo Witch – is a more Classic Rock/Punk Rock song with the band adding a more Doom/Occult Rock vibe to their music especially with the lyrics. It’s not one of the strongest songs on the album but it’s a song with bags of personality and shows that the band know how to have devilish demonic fun.

Fourth song – Moonchild – is perhaps my favourite song on the album as the band opt for a more modern Stoner Rock/Metal sound with elements of Punk Rock keeping the song moving along at a brisk pace. The lyrics are quite playful and seedy in all of the right places. The vocals from both Toni and Marco adds real SLEAZE ROCK attitude to the overall feel of the album.

The second half of the album carries on the Punk/Stoner Rock attitude the band created on the first half of the album with the album ending on an exciting conclusion.

Other cool songs to check out are: Resist The Gods, A Little Pity and Home.

Back From The Dead only lasts for 32 minutes or so and it would have been good if there were a couple of more songs to make the album last that little bit longer. As it’s over quite quickly and I wasn’t ready for the album to be over that quickly. However, Back From The Dead is superbly entertaining and will appeal to a wide range of fans across the Hard Rock musical spectrum.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Fredy at Czar Of Crickets Productions for the promo. Back From The Dead will be available to buy on CD from March 22^nd 2019. The Vinyl can be ordered directly from the band. 

You can listen to the entire album with this exclusive album premiere of BACK FROM THE DEAD.

Links:

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CITIES OF MARS - Song Premiere Of NECRONOGRAPH - From Their Upcoming New Album THE HOROLOGIST

CITIES OF MARS: Swedish Doom Trio team up with RIPPLE MUSIC for THE HOROLOGIST | OUTLAWS OF THE SUN première new song ‘NECRONOGRAPH’

The Horologist is officially released on Friday, 5th April 2019 on Ripple Music

Cities of Mars on Web | Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Web | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter

Stream and share new previous single ‘Hydrahead’ HERE

Pre-order the album now at www.ripple-music.com

You can listen to their excellent new song - NECRONOGRAPH - below.

QUOTE ABOUT ‘NECRONOGRAPH’ FROM BASSIST DANNE PALM

“‘Necronograph’ takes place on Mars in 3151 BC, as the high culture flourishes in and around the capital city of Bahb-Elon, built within the colossal mountain crested with the ever-watching Eye. In this sprawling metropolis surrounded by mining caverns and mushroom fields, a mad scientist (The Horologist?) kidnaps people and leaves them with a biomechanical implant on their hearts, a Necronograph. This diabolical device steals the energy from the victims' heartbeats and transfers it to its Master, giving stolen life and longevity.”

Band Info

Formed in 2014 in Gothenburg by bassist/singer Danne Palm, guitarist Christoffer Norén and drummer Johan Küchler, Cities of Mars take a lead from the likes of Mastodon, Kylesa, Sleep and Baroness.

Combining heavy doom riffs, ambient soundscapes and haunting vocals, there’s an unmistakable sci-fi narrative that flows through their music, helping them to push boundaries and channel their unique firebrand of heavy progressive rock.

As chief proponents of stoner metal and corporeal ancestors in a revered lineage of Swedish doom rock history, following the success of their inaugural/self-released digital single ‘The Third Eye/Cyclopean Ritual’ (produced by Esben Willems of Monolord/Berserk Audio) the band wasted no time in setting out to record their debut album, Celestial Mistress. Released in 2016 on Suicide Records, this mind-crushing EP – featuring the captivating artwork of Gothenburg-based graphic artist Axel Widén – truly signalled the band’s arrival on the underground scene.

Cities of Mars have embarked on numerous European tours since their inception and new shows heralded the arrival of new songs, all of which fed into the release of their debut album, Temporal Rifts (2017). With the lyrics on each song adding a chapter to a continuing story, Temporal Rifts follows the ascent of a Soviet cosmonaut on a covert space mission in 1971 and his discovery of an ancient Martian city that awakens a sleeping conspiracy from the dawn of humanity.

This April, the saga continues, following three solid years of writing, jamming and touring under their collective belts. Now working alongside Ripple Music label and the management skills of Blackskull Services, Cities of Mars will unleash their awesome new album The Horologiston 5th April 2019.

CITIES OF MARS

Danne Palm – Bass, Vocals
Christoffer Norén – Guitar, Vocals
Johan Küchler – Drums, Vocals

TRACK LISTING

1. Necronograph

2. Trenches of Bahb-Elon

3. Inner Sanctum Outer Space

4. Hydrahead

5. The Last Electric Dream

6. The Floating Museum

7. Work Song

8. Lines In The Dark

Artist: Cities of Mars

Album: The Horologist

Label: Ripple Music

Release Date: 5/04/2019

Format: CD/LP/Digital

DISCOGRAPHY

Temporal Rifts (LP/CD/Digital, Argonauta Records, 2017)

Celestial Mistress (Vinyl EP/Digital, Suicide Records 2016)

‘The Third Eye/Cyclopean Ritual’ (Digital Single, 2015)

Brant Bjork - Jacoozzi (Album Review)

Release date: April 05th 2019. Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Jacoozzi – Tracklisting

1. Can’t Out Run The Sun

2. Guerrilla Funk

3. Mexico City Blues

4. Five Hundred Thousand Dollars

5. Black & White Wonderland

6. Oui

7. Mixed Nuts

8. Lost In Race

9. Polarized

10. Do You Love Your World?

Review

Jacoozzi is the "long lost" album by Desert Rock legend - Brant Bjork. This is an album I've been looking forward to hearing for the best part of five years now. When I've interviewed Brant over the years, I always asked him what's happening with Jacoozzi and he always advised that's he's still working on the album and that it will be released when it's ready.

Well the time is now and it's a different album from Brant that we've heard recently. This album is more of a laid-back Jazz influenced album. The album has elements of Funk, Blues, Classic Rock and Desert Rock. Some people maybe surprised with the direction that Brant has took with this album as it's very laidback compared to his recent studio output. This is a good record to hear from Brant and once again this proves why he's one of the best musicians within the Desert/Stoner Rock scene. The album flows at its own pace and is never in a hurry to get from A to B.

Opening song - Can't Out Run The Sun - is a trippy jazz based number with hazy Desert Rock Guitars and Progressive Drums that allows Brant to try a different style of music. The song is one of the best songs contained on the album and offers the perfect glimpse on what to expect for the rest of the album. Sure it's a challenging listen at times but it's equally addictive with Brant's personality shining all the way through.

Jacoozzi has quite a warm fuzzy feeling that allows the majority of the songs leaving you in a daze. Standout songs have to be Guerrilla Funk, Mexico City Blues, Black & White Wonderland, Polarized and Do You Love The World. As this is where Brant has the most fun and creates a wild array of different sounds. The album is never boring and will leave you guessing where the album will take you next.

Brant only sings vocals on the excellent final song - Do You Love Your World. However, Jacoozzi is primarily an Instrumental Rock album that fuses a wide range of different musical elements over the last fifty years or so. The album has its fair share of heavy distorted sounds that I didn't expect at all.

The production is superb throughout and I wouldn't expect anything less from a Brant Bjork record and Heavy Psych Sounds who are releasing the album. Overall, Jacoozzi is another standout album from Brant Bjork. The album may not be for everyone but give this a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR, Mona at All Noir PR and Carl at Action PR for the promo. Jacoozzi will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from April 05^th 2019.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

LáGoon - The Unwelcome (Album Review)

Release date: March 04th 2019. Label: Forbidden Place Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl/Cassette

The Unwelcome – Tracklisting

1.The Unwelcome 04:43

2.Wheel Bite 04:09

3.The Thirst 04:50

4.Worship the Van 03:57

5.Chop City 02:47

6.Last Hex 05:36

7.Alligator (In Your Head) 03:59

8.Live Through Death 04:05

9.Adieu, Desierto 02:02

Members

Anthony Gaglia (Guitar/Vocals) Brady Maurer (Drums)

Review

One of Stoner Rock craziest duo’s return with their 3^rd record within a 12 month period. LáGoon return with a more darker and crazier sound on The Unwelcome. This is perhaps their darkest, trippiest and most catchiest release to date. If you’re in the mood for lo-fi Stoner Rock merged with Punk Rock, Doom, Fuzz Rock, Classic Rock and Heavy Metal then LáGoon have you covered with this album.

All of the songs are quite gloomy with the band taking influence from a wide range of different artists. The opening song – The Unwelcome – feels like the twisted offspring of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Garage Rock era Alice Cooper. The music is hazy and trippy with lots of psychedelic grooves keeping the music played a cool subtle pace.

LáGoon forge their own creative path on this album and it’s perhaps their strongest record to date with the band creating a more focused sound compared to previous releases. Songs such as Wheel Bite, The Thirst, Worship The Van and Chop City maybe Punk Rock orientated. However listen to the eerie Doomed Out Psychedelic Sounds being played in the background and you can feel this album starting to move into many different directions.

The production is clear and crisp and offers the listener a distorted vintage sound which makes the album sound very different and unique in places. The second half of the album is perhaps doesn’t quite match the excitement of the 1^st half but LáGoon have other cool songs to check out such as Last Hex, Alligator (In Your Head) and Live Through Death.

The Unwelcome is another great release from this hugely talented duo. If you’re new to the world of LáGoon then this is the best place to start. Long-time fans will no doubt enjoy this slice of Heavy Stoner Rock Weirdness that is THE UNWELCOME.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp