Snuff Lane is absolutely honoured to be working with Mars Red Sky and Elephant Tree for the coordination and arrangement of a May UK Tour; which will take place in support of both bands new releases.
The tour is scheduled for 5 dates throughout the UK in the following cities:
Release
date: April 1st 2016. Label: Voodoo Chamber Records. Format:
CD/DD
Glitter
– Tracklisting
1.Apotheosis
2.Vacant
3.Skin
of the Buffalo
4.Bad
Intentions
5.Whistleblowers
6.Sobchak
7.Glitter:
The Devil's Horn
8.Eat
The Sun (Bonus Track - Digital only)
Review:
THAL’s
debut album Glitter comes off as a heavier version of Truckfighters
as they create a similar style of Fuzz/Desert Rock as that great
band. THAL start to create their own sound by adding a distorted
noise rock vibe to the mix.
Opening
track – Apotheosis – sets up the scene for a cool ride of heavy
Stoner/Fuzz riffs. The vocals take a few minutes getting used to as
they’re very different to the usual style of Fuzz/Stoner Rock bands
currently out there. I would say you can detect a slight Punk/Heavy
Metal vibe to the vocals. The riffs are the main attraction here as
THAL keep things nice and simple which allows the listener to fully
enjoy themselves here. THAL don’t offer anything new or original
here but what they do offer is highly energetic riffs you will find
very hard to resist.
Second
track – Vacant – sees THAL create a more vibrant atmosphere
compared to the first track. THAL start playing superb progressive
guitar solos but the mood remains firmly rooted in classic desert
rock/stoner metal territory. It has a slight blues-rock feel towards
the end of the song that allows THAL to demonstrate their musical
skills.
Third
track – Skin Of The Buffalo – is a song I have issues with. It
starts off superbly well but then some of the more interesting guitar
riffs are drowned out by lesser impressive sounds. Though to THAL’s
credit the turn things round quite quickly with the band creating
solid riffs to hold your attention. The vocals can be very jarring at
times but they get the job done. This track is perhaps one of the
weakest songs on the album but it shouldn’t deter you from the
overall enjoyment of the album.
Fourth
song – Bad Intentions – is perhaps the standout track on the
album. An exciting and action packed song packed full of intelligent
riffs and lyrics to match. The atmosphere becomes a tad psychedelic
as it shows another side to THAL that I’m becoming to enjoy more
every time I listen to the album. This song has a rebellious punk
based attitude especially with the vocals and lyrical content.
The
second half of the album sees THAL add a heavy NOLA sound to the mix
especially on the fifth song – Whistleblowers. Fans of cult classic
movie – The Big Lewbowski – will find very much to enjoy on the
song – Sobchak. All I’m going to say but expect a cool
instrumental song that pays homage to that classic movie.
Glitter
does have a few flaws but for sheer non-stop stoner metal
entertainment, you’ll find this very hard to beat. THAL have
created an album they can rightly be proud off. Awesome stuff.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to THAL for the promo. Glitter will be available to buy on CD/DD from
1st April 2016.
Release
date: March 25th 2016. Label: Riff Rock Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Possession – Tracklisting
1.
Loa's Kingdom
2.
Bondye
3.
Bloodstones
4.
Oya
5.
Loko
6.
Legba's Feast
7.
Possession
8.
Mawu
9.
Minos Army
10.
Divinity
11.
Kanpay Rejeté
Band
Members:
Ogoun
- Drums
Ghede
- Guitars
Oya
- Vocals
Review:
Vodun’s
debut album – Possession – is starting to create some major noise
within the UK Hard Rock/Metal scene and it’s not hard to see why.
Vodun is a very hard band to describe as their music crosses so many
different genres and boundaries to create something wholly original.
Psychedelic Stoner Metal is the best way to describe Vodun but there
is so much to Possession than that. Swirls of Psych Rock, Blues Rock
and Heavy Metal make this a truly riveting album.
Lead
singer Oya vocals are beautiful, soulful, sensual, sultry, loud,
fearful and dangerous, nearly all at the same time especially when
she starts singing those high notes. The album hides some very dark
themes within each song as Vodun injects hypnotic tribal rhythms into
their music especially on the second half of the album.
Each
band member has added their own sound and identity into their music.
You have to give credit to the Ogoun and Ghede on Drums and Guitars
respectively, as they’ve created stunning heavy riffs for Oya to
build her powerful vocals upon and it’s a magical soulful
combination. Songs such as Loa’s Kingdom, Bondye, Oyo, Loko and
Kanpay Rejeté offer the albums most exciting moments where Vodun
create a whirlwind of different noises and emotions that will leave
you shaken to the core.
Even
if you’re not fully sold by the albums dark lyrical content then
you can just enjoy the heavy riffs that Vodun have at their disposal.
Though I recommend you to take the time to listen to listen to the
lyrics the band has written as you’ll find a deeper appreciation of
the album.
One
of my favourite parts of the album is the many different sounds and
noises that Vodun has created on Possession. This album feels like it
was made for an worldwide audience as the band include as many
different world sounds they can lay their hands on. It allows Vodun
to be true global ambassadors of Rock and Roll.
Vodun
have created one of the most daring and exciting debut albums to
emerge from the UK Hard Rock/Psych/Stoner Metal scene in years.
Believe the hype, it’s fully justified. Possession is an incredible
album and its one you all need to fully experience for yourselves.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Dave Palmer from Division Promotions for the promo. Possession is
available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Riff Rock Records now.
Release
date: April 15th 2016. Label: Nuclear Blast Records.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Ode
To The Flame – Tracklisting
1.Carnal
Rising
2.Praise
The Plaque
3.Era
Borealis
4.The
Hint
5.Born
Reversed
6.OZ
7.I,
Omen
8.Cross
The Cross
9.Schwanenstein
10.Sundowning
Band
Members:
Hanno
– Vocals/Guitar
Erinc
– Drums/Vocals
Review:
Mantar
are back with the follow up to their highly acclaimed "Death By
Burning" album released back in 2014. And they're back in fine
form, picking up where they left off the last time, but seemingly not
happy to just repeat what's gone before.
Album
opener "Carnal Rising" is a short sharp blast of Black
Metal tinged punk as fuck sludge, which is the perfect way to kick
things off. It bears the distinctive sound that this two man riff
machine have perfectly honed during their time together, but hints
that there is more to come throughout this record.
And
Mantar don't fail to deliver on that promise. You can tell at all
times throughout "Ode To The Flame" that this is a Mantar
record, but everything seems more intense. Yeah, you read that right.
More intense. The riffs are more developed, and the drums are even
more aggressive and expressive than before and the vocals filled with
even more spite and passion.
"Era
Borealis" and the magnificent "Born Reversed" show
that whilst this record may be heavier and more aggressive than
previous efforts, Mantar are not afraid to deliver riffs and hooks a
plenty. SO many hooks. Like a fucking pirate convention.....
Track
7 "I Omen" sees something different happening. A Hammond
Organ (or something along those lines) opens the track, before
business as normal as Hanno unleashes that familiar growl over some
more blackened and fucking filthy riffs.
The
album closes on the ridiculous "Sundowning" which for me is
the not only the standout track of the album, but so far the year.
Honestly it's that fucking good. Growled vocals, over long drawn out
cords backed up by the thunderous tom work of Erinc Sakarya, switch
masterfully between more up tempo sections and the ending is about as
punk rock as you could wish for, as everything fades away leaving
just the drums to conclude the track.
My
first introduction to Mantar was on the live stage, and if you've
seen them you know just how furious and exciting they are to watch,
coupled with their set up on stage of playing opposite one another
(Sideways drums). Mantar deliver
that ferocity in spades on record as well. 2016 has already seen some
monstrous releases with even more to follow, but for me so far this
record is sitting in pole position.
Landskap is the outfit
with quite a notable lineup. Frédéric Caure played in a dozen of
bands including Bellator, Bunkur,
Pantheist, Serpentcult and few more pretty extreme outfits; he’s
responsible for bass and rhythm guitars here. Paul Westwood is the
member of active atmospheric black metal / post-rock band Fen, he’s
the drummer in Landskap. Guitarist George Pan came from unknown for
me Dead Man’s Band and Father Sun. Kostas Panagiotou plays keyboards
and organ, he does the same and also sing in Pantheist since 2000,
now he’s also part of international project Clouds – I believe
that you heard of them. And Landskap vocalist Jake Harding spent some
time with Centurion Ghost and Dead Existence.
So you see that sort of
company we have here. But I bet that you couldn’t predict that
these five people are here to play good and old retro doom rock with
lots of psychedelic and prog rock pieces. The band have released two
full-length records named just “I” and “II” and already
finished the third album as the second one is to be re-released by
Black Widow Records. Kostas Panagiotu is the one who reveals past and
future secrets of Landskap.
Hi
Kostas! How are you? I usually start with the question about band's
current status, but this time I just wonder how did you get in
Landskap?!
Hailz
Aleksey! Well this is an interesting story …I got in Landskap when
Frederic asked me to join. He was the original bassist of this band,
but has now moved to Devon to start his own brewery (Stargazer
brewery…check it out if you like good beer, you can’t go wrong
with a Belgian in an English brewery!) Anyhow, we digress; you might
know Frederic better as the bassist of Pantheist in the ‘O
Solitude’ era…he was also the main organizer of the first funeral
doom tour ever, the ‘Funeral Procession’ tour back in 2003
(Skepticism, Pantheist, Until Death Overtakes Me). He moved to
England from Belgium a few years after I did, it really is a small
world.
Landskap is five
musicians with experience of playing in different metal bands, how
did the fate gather you under Landskap banner?
Most of us knew each
other anyway, London might be big but the scene is rather small. I
knew drummer Paul from Fen, Frederic was obviously also known to me.
George moved from Athens to London –like so many young Greeks
nowadays to flee the economic crisis. Jake only joined later. We now
have another bassist called Chris, and sadly Paul decided to move to
Scotland and quit drumming in April, so we are just playing one more
show with him before welcoming a new drummer.
Band's name was
invented by Frédéric, and it is translated as “landscape” from
West Flemish. What did you put in this word? What would you like to
bring forth your listeners through it?
First of course it
reflects Fred’s background and place he grew up, West Flanders;
however, for me it signifies much more. Our music has long-stretched
out sections, often instrumental, with plenty of repetition that
brings the listener in a certain mood. I like to see these sections
as musical ‘landscapes’: vast, long but also breathtaking and
beautiful!
The band paves
the road of vintage progressive doom rock if you don't mind against
such definition. Do you have a main ideologist of this direction in
the band? I'm asking because I remember that last works of Pantheist
have a huge prog influences, so what is your part into it?
The
band’s sound was developed after a year’s worth of jamming
between George, Frederic and Paul so I don’t have much to do with
setting the general philosophy, as it was already there when I
joined. The main idea is to play music reflecting our favourite
progressive/psychedelic era (late 60ties/early 70ties), but without
trying too hard to sound ‘retro’.
Landskap – Tomorrow’s
Ghost
What do you think
about doom metal elements people hear in Landskap? Do you agree that
you have some components of it?
Yes,
I’m quite comfortable with people hearing doom elements in our
music. I guess if this wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t be playing at
the Doom Over London festival soon! At the same time however, it’s
clear that our music has much more to offer; a bit of classic rock, a
bit of psychedelia, a tiny bit of prog, blues, jazz and some
metal…despite people’s attempts of lumping us together with other
bands in categories such as ‘occult rock’ or ‘retro rock’, I
don’t think we are that easy to pigeonhole after all.
Kostas you did
start play music (correct if I’m wrong) in more brutal genre, there
weren’t any hints of old school rock in earlier albums of your
first band Pantheist. How did you become acquainted with prog and
psych rock? And how did you know that it’s time to say your own
word in this genre?
I
always liked progressive and psych rock, way before Pantheist was
even formed. In fact, I never was a ‘metalhead’, I went straight
from the likes of Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin
and Black Sabbath to Moonspell, Tiamat and Anathema, without the
obligatory thrash and heavy metal period in between. As for early
Pantheist, I can’t really say it was that brutal, as there were a
lot of ambient and classical elements in my music. I am a keyboard
player after all, so I perceive music and composition very
differently than most metal and rock writers/composers, who are
usually guitarists, or think like guitarists ;)
How
do you share your inputs and efforts in Landskap? Will you add
elements of rembetico in it as it was with your "Journey Through
Lands Unknown"?
No I
won’t, as said above the band already had a clear identity when I
joined and I am just adding my own contribution in the way that I see
fit. This means a lot of Hammond organs and keyboard instrumentation
that has been used by many of my favourite bands of that era. Most
ideas come from our guitarist George, but I think what makes Landskap
special is the way in which our playing comes together to create that
‘live’, jammy feel without descending into endless solos and acid
freakouts, as the tracks are well-structured and rather memorable.
Kostas, do you
miss Greece? What do you miss in London?
I
was 11 when I left Greece and even though I still go there every year
on holidays, I can’t say I am missing it as I was too young when I
left. I like the weather, the nature and the social nature of human
interaction, but there are also many things about Greece I just
wouldn’t be able to get used to. As for London, luckily I only
lived there for 1 year. I hated that lifestyle, always centered
around money as everything is so expensive and life is hectic, bah! I
am much happier living outside of London but unfortunately still in
the South East of England which is busy and overcrowded. I will be
looking forward to move to the South West of England over the next
three years, where things are a bit quieter.
The first
Landskap album "I" was released only on vinyl - speaking
about physical format; didn't you find some label to do a CD-edition
as well?
We
never looked out for it. We consider ourselves as a ‘vinyl’ band
mostly and consider CD releases as ‘bonus’. Black Widow really
wanted to have a CD release of II so in the end we consented, as long
as they released the album on vinyl as well. But all our albums so
far have been created with a ‘vinyl mentality’; the length, the
order of the tracks and even the choice of tracks to open Side A and
Side B are all adjusted to the vinyl format. For me personally, a
combination of digital mp3 and vinyl is the way. The first is the
easiest format to use and offers instant access, the second the
nicest in terms of packaging and creates that wonderful feel of
anticipation and wonder, just like back in the times when each
individual album was important, rather than people shuffling through
their iTunes library.
Besides that your
sophomore work "II" exists only as digital release since it
was recorded in 2014. I heard that Italian Black Widow Records put
their eyes on it. Is it correct information?
As
stated above, Black Widow have already released the album on CD and
vinyl since the end of last year.
Landskap – To Harvest
The Storm
You
recorded both albums in Greg Chandler Priory Studio. I was thinking
that in general he works with heavier and more brutal bands - just
like Chris Fielding of Whitby Studios / Foel Studio who works with
more traditional doom stuff. So how did you work with Greg over the
sound you needed to gain?
Most
of us had worked with Greg before anyway so we knew what to expect.
Greg actually works with a wide range of bands and not just brutal
metal, he is a proper professional studio engineer. I have previously
mixed the second album of my darkwave project Ereipia with him, as
well as my ambient project Sermones Ad Mortuos, so I knew that he
does an equally good job with non metal releases. He likes the music
of Landskap and has helped us to achieve exactly the sound we wanted
for our albums.
“II”
and “I” have not many differences as it seems from the first
glance, did you record both albums the same way and with same
intentions?
I
would argue that there are significant differences; the first album
is ‘simpler’ in its structure, and has more of a ‘doom’ feel
to it. We recorded it in one day in the studio and had to add a lot
of extras afterwards, such as the vocals, the bass and some guitar
solos. The second is more varied, with all musicians having stepped
up. Also for me personally, there was a significant difference as the
Roland Fantom I was using for the keyboard sounds on I was not
satisfactory, so it was mixed rather low in the mix. However, I then
went out and bought a V-Combo VR 700 which has an amazing Hammond
sound, which helped me find my place within the band.
Kostas,
you’re speaking like zealous keyboard fan! Can you tell about your
requirements to the equipment you use?
Certainly;
hardware wise, I'm mostly used to the sound of Roland synthesizers,
even though I used to own a Korg at some point in the past as well.
Generally speaking, I try to adapt my sound to the band/project I am
in, and because I like to try very diverse things musically, I also
end up using keyboards very differently from band to band. E.g. in
Pantheist keyboards are integral to the sound and I am using a lot of
grand pianos, church organs and majestic orchestral sounds to create
that ‘funereal vibe’. At the same time, more proggy sounds were
introduced gradually, even though with the latest album I have
adopted again a more ‘purist’ approach.
Landskap
on the other side is very different. I use mostly vintage sounding
Hammond with 70ties built-in amps, and electric piano sounds. As said
above, the V-Combo is ideal for that, but I also use the same
synthesizer in Pantheist very differently (no Hammond sounds, but I
use its dark wave sounds which are pretty amazing). The Fantom is
mostly used in Pantheist to give an extra spatial dimension to the
music, it’s a keyboard that can sound very dark and atmospheric,
and it also has a user friendly sampler. I have also used a lot of
soft synths in Pantheist (and session/project work), even though once
again this is avoided on the album we are currently working.
Landskap music
holds a lot of progressive rock elements, and prog is the genre where
keyboard play one of main roles. What is your part during composing
and recording stages?
I see my role very
similarly to what I was doing when I used to play in Crippled Black
Phoenix. Even though I am not the main composer, I add a lot to the
arrangements of the tracks. My favourite approach is to add little
‘riffs’ and ‘melodies’ in the tracks that compete and duel
with the guitars. I am also not afraid to hold low, sustained doomy
notes that can give more heaviness and depth to the compositions.
You
already have work over new songs for the album “III”, can you
share some details of new material? What would you like to put into
it?
Yes, the album has
already been recorded at the end of February, once again with Greg,
and is currently in the process of being mastered at Audiosiege
mastering studio. It will be –predictably- called III and is
marking the end of some sort of trilogy if you like, as there is a
feeling with the line-up changes we are having since Fred and now
Paul left, that we are entering a new era. It has by far the best
sound yet and the tracks are very varied, and perhaps slightly more
uptempo even though there are still plenty of ‘downtempo’
moments. I believe it is our best album yet, but then again I would
say that, wouldn’t I?
There
is a lot of bands play in retro manner today, and a lot of listeners
follow them as the world around us seem to be impossible to give a
place for these feelings and vibrations this music brings. For
example prog rock is something idealistic in some way, and it barely
could be a product of our surrounding. How do you see this return of
music scene on old ways?
I
know there are many bands nowadays jumping on the ‘retro’
bandwagon, but I think there is something innocent about the music of
the era we are exploring. It was a time when bands didn’t think too
much, they just went ahead and recorded whatever they felt reflected
their musical tastes. Nowadays everything needs to fit in a category,
a sub-subgenre and people are much more concerned with classifying
music, but for me personally the appeal of this ‘old’ music is
that it sounds spontaneous, unpredictable and honest, without trying
too hard to be something in particular.
Kostas, the last
record of Pantheist was released about five years ago, what’s the
band’s status today?
We
just played a gig in Edinburgh last weekend, and we play at the Doom
Over London festival at the end of this month (where I also play with
Landskap, that will be interesting!) Last year we played our first
gig in 2 years when we performed at Doom Over Kiev in November. After
the self-titled album, the line-up of the band totally changed and
currently I’m the only surviving member of that era. Therefore, it
shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that we had to restart with
the new line-up, initiating the composition of the fifth album from
scratch. The idea is to have it released by autumn of this year.
I guess that
Pantheist’s message changed through the years from album to album;
what is Pantheist today for you?
I
guess it has become more of a collective and less ‘my band’. The
new material is very brutal and heavy, bathing in a suffocating
funereal atmosphere, as was witnessed at our performance at Doom Over
Kiev. There is also a concept story behind the new album, which will
be published soon with its own soundtrack, so at least the
‘conceptual’ side of the band is still what it was: multi-layered
and unpredictable.
And
besides that you also took part in Clouds album “Doliu”, will
this project have a continuation?
I’m sure it will, but
I guess this is a question to ask Dan as I’m just a contributor to
this project. As far as I know, Dan and Jarno are currently working
on the second album.
Thanks for your
time Kostas! I wish you all the best in your creative undertakings
and I hope that will have a chance to discuss your new works pretty
soon. Do you have few more words for our readers?
Thanks for another
interesting and well conceived interview Aleksey. Hailz to your
readers, open your minds and close your doors!
Release
date: March 19th 2016. Label: No Fun Intended. Format: DD
Self
Diagnosis – Tracklisting
1.Where
07:13
2.Day[Light]
07:00
3.This
Place 06:19
Band
Members:
Jordan
McNamara - Vocals, Drums
Robert
Hemingway - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Noise.
James
Render - Vocals, Synths
Review:
Self
Diagnosis, the debut EP from Sick Tapestry is one dark twisted tale
of nightmarish vocals and riffs to match. From from the ashes of cult
UK Sludge/Noise/Doom riffsters – FORMES. Sick Tapestry have taken
the heavier and doomier side of FORMES and forged it into something
more heavier. As Self Diagnosis is quite an experimental take on all
things Doom/Sludge Metal. Clean vocals and death based growls are the
main order of business with the Doom/Sludge Metal riffs offering
quite a theatrical vibes at times.
Opening
track – Where – is pure chaos as the band explore many different
genres of music such as Doom, Psych, Stoner, Sludge and even Thrash.
It's a very dark and nightmarish song. FORMES were known for
experimenting with their music but Sick Tapestry goes even further
with some industrial style sounds appearing here and there.
Second
track – Day[Light] is my fave song on the EP as the band go all out
in creating doom/industrial based sounds. I can hear a slight
Godflesh influence on this song though Sick Tapestry still create
their own sound that's bound to win them major praise as FORMES did.
The production can be very lo-fi at times but it really adds to the
doom and gloom atmospherics of the EP.
Third
track – This Place – opens with creepy drum solo and acoustic
guitar before the heavier industrial based noises appear. Things can
be quite hectic at times as the band experiment with their sound yet
again. Slow-paced post-metal riffs then change into faster and
heavier Doom/Thrash sounds which maybe too jarring for some to fully
appreciate. My advice, just go with it as only Sick Tapestry know
what the fuck is going on. Yeah, it's confusing to listen to at times
but it's cool to hear the band go all out crazy on the final song.
Self
Diagnosis is a dark and weird as hell EP from Sick Tapestry. The
production could have done with more work and the vocals need more
volume. Apart from that, Sick Tapestry have released a superb debut
EP. Hopefully a full length record won't be too far away. Excellent
and Highly Recommended.
Release
date: April 29th 2016. Label: H42 Records. Format: Vinyl
Desert
Storm/Suns Of Thunder 7inch Split Single – Tracklisting
Signals
From Beyond
Earn
Your Stripes
Desert
Storm Members:
Chris
White: Guitar
Ryan
Cole: Guitar
Chris
Benoist: Bass
Elliot
Cole: Drums
Matt
Ryan: Vocals
Suns
Of Thunder Members:
Greg
Bombroffe - Vocals&Guitar
Matt
Williams - Vocals&Guitar
Chris
James - Slappa de Bass
Sam
Loring - Drums n percussion
Review:
Oxford
Stoner Rockers – Desert Storm and Welsh Stoner Riffsters – Suns
Of Thunder – have teamed up to release a superb split 7inch single.
Desert Storm have recorded an entirely new song whilst Suns Of
Thunder have offered a song from their 2015 debut album – Start As
You Mean To Get Down.
Desert
Storm's song – Signals From Beyond – is classic Desert Storm
through and through. Loud grizzled vocals from Matt bring this song
fully to life with their familiar style of Stoner Metal drenched in a
healthy dose of Blues Rock. This song feels like it was taken from
their 2013 album – Horizontal Life. It has the same spaced out vibe
from that album. So if you're a fan of that album you'll find much to
enjoy here.
Suns
Of Thunder song – Earn Your Stripes – is more of a groove/stoner
rock kind of song compared to the heavier offering from Desert Storm.
Sure I'm disappointed it's not a new song from these guys but when
they include one of the standout songs from their debut album then I
can easily forgive them. Earn Your Stripes ticks all the right boxes
to entertain you for three minutes or so. It has a slight classic
rock vibe especially with the vocals but it ends things really well.
H42Records are releasing this 7inch single on vinyl and pre-sales will
start on Friday 29th March 2016. If your'e a fan of both
bands then you cannot pass this release by. All in all this is a
superb 7inch single that will look good in anyone's vinyl collection.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Desert Storm and H42 Records for the promo.
Release
date: January 22nd 2016. Label: Freebird Records. Format:
CD/DD/Vinyl
Future Primitive – Tracklisting
1.
Blizzard of Gain 3:32
2.
Ride the Tide 3:41
3.
You Blues, You Lose 2:28
4.
Reelin’ in the Wasted Years 3:04
5.
Stabbed on the Throne 5:10
6.
Haunt Me No Longer 3:24
7.
Reap the Sown 3:26
8.
Ashes in the West 3:46
9.
Vultures at Bay 7:11
10.
Bailiff’s Blues 2:52
Band
Members:
Arjan
Zuijderduijn – Guitars Badr van der Meijden – Guitars Jan
van der Plas – Drums Jop Hoekstra – Vocals & Bass
Review:
Back
in January 2016, I pre-ordered this album almost as a blindfold
purchase based solely on the track ‘Ride the Tide’ as the only
song streaming online from Snowburner’s debut full length entitled
‘Future Primitive’. If you too have listened to that track you
know I was no fool for pulling the trigger that fast and upon having
listened to the entire album multiple times, in fact so many I have
lost count, I can without hesitation state that ‘Future Primitive’
never fail to deliver on the promise waved with Ride The Tide.
The
whole album slays and hits you with a solid mix of heavy stoner fuzz
and boogie desert rock with a metalic edge. It’s packing so much
punch its sure to knockout any mainstream radio rock listener. The 10
tracks on ‘Future Primitive’ will without a doubt appeal to any
fan of Fu Manchu, Lo-Pan, Truckfighters, Clutch and Kyuss. One thing
that needs your attention upfront, apart from the four skilled Dutch
fuzz-wave-riders obvious keen-ear for smooth mid-paced stoner rock,
is the production. Oh man, the production on this record, is good,
and not just average stoner-doom good, no, it’s REALLY good.
The
guitars sounds warm and soothing, yet super heavy and on the brink of
melting my speakers. The drums comes through the mix with so much
power I can almost feel the punch from them in my chest. The bass is
thick and molten and vibrates just below everything. Whats strikes me
here is how well each instrument is defined, yet never leading to a
fragmented sound, and at any time you get the sense of a dump truck
of fuzz running you over. I do not think I have heard such a
sweet-sounding album since the last Brutus album (‘Behind the
Mountains’). Kudos to the band and James Plotkin for pulling this
off, it is no small feat.
Another
thing worth mentioning, before I delve into the music itself, is the
blindingly beautiful cover. We all love something nice to look at and
even more so, when a cover art in some way contributes to or
underline the musical scheme and references at stake. With ‘Future
Primitive’, we have scenery with a giant octopus fighting an
interstellar battleship at the bottom of the sea in front of some
time and space warp vortex. This acidic and gleaming vision of a
deep-sea battle is by far some of the best cover artwork I have seen
in a while and there is enough to stare at as to make even Jacques
Cousteau cream his pants.
As
hinted at earlier, the musical scope outlined by Snowburner ventures
not far from the beaten stoner rock track, although some different
and new tricks are thrown in here and there for good measure, Future
Primitive stick to a well proven formula of super fuzzy groove-laden
boogie stoner rock. This might sound like a bad thing; well in this
case, it is not. When executed very well, you do not mind
experiencing it again – kind of like bear and pretzels.
Track
after track dishes out on super tasty stoner rock, and especially
prime cuts as ‘Reelin’ in the Wasted Years’, ‘Stabbed on the
Throne’ and of course the aforementioned ‘Ride the Tide’ as
this leaves your body left to uncontrolled moving and and continuous
head-nodding.
‘Haunt
Me No Longer’ comes so damn close to the mighty Fu Manchu it is
almost scary. Again scary in the best sense of the word. Listen for
yourself and see what I mean. A band that does Fu Manchu
interpretations this well, better start writing Mr. Hill’s tracks
for him, for all I care.
‘Ashes
in the West’ nods heavily to The Sword circa ‘Age of Winters’
era with a ripping stoner heavy riff and beefy bass-lines and Jop
Hoekstra doing his best Ozzy impression. It’s important to stress
that Snowburner by no means come off as mere mimickers – glancing
at passed time masters can never be a bad thing when the impersonator
surpasses the original. Just take for instance a band named after a
flower and an acoustic Sabbath song.
Album
highlight might be ‘Vultures at Bay’ that with its soaring
melodic ending part hits some of the best stoner rock I have heard in
a long while. I can’t recommend this Dutch stoner ensemble enough
as ‘Future Primitive’ is a little shimmering blue oasis of high
caliber stoner rock amidst a drying-out desert scenery. Go have a
sip…
Check
out the closing track ‘Bailiff’s Blues’ a southern tinged delta
blues folk country thing complete with acoustic guitars and harmonica
and a feel that makes it sit as easily in on any Muddy Waters album.
Funny thing is it fits perfectly with Snowburner’s vision of a
modern take on stoner rock as well in a wry lopsided and laid-back
way. Now excuse me, where’s my Jack D…
MotherSloth maybe a band you're already familiar with. They released a stunning and critically acclaimed debut album with Moribund Star back in 2014. It showed a band with huge potential especially where their music is concerned. Even with their music primarily being instrumental, Mothersloth have an air of intelligence within their music.
MotherSloth have been fairly quiet of late so when the band contacted me asking to do an interview with me then I jumped at the chance. I wanted to see what has happened with the band and if any new music is on the horizon. All is revealed below.
• Hi guys, Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today.
Oscar - Hello, Steve, always a pleasure for us.
• For people not in the know can you give a brief history of how the band got together and where it is today.
Oscar: We have been together for 8 years, Alvaro (guitar) and I started the band. I was born in Peru, and formed MotherSloth when I moved to Spain, in 2008. I was looking for musicians to play with and a friend introduced me to Alvaro, we started jamming and giving shape to some ideas we had, which soon became our first songs. Later on we found the other members and started playing live in Madrid. We have a couple of albums out, 'Hazy Blur Of Life' (2012) and 'Moribund Star' published digitally in 2014 and edited in Feb 2016.
Dani: I joined the band in late 2013 playing rhythm guitar, and as of May 2014 I took on the singing as well. Our present situation is the recording of our 3rd album “The FireMill”.
• How would you describe your music in your own words?.
Dani: off the top of my head, slow paced music with a crushing demolishing sound that can deliver sudden jabs and many stages of shock to the human mind.
• You released a stunning debut album – Moribund Star – back in August 2014. It received a load of praise from various people. Did that surprise you how well it was received?
Oscar: Yes, it is always a pleasure to see the positive reactions to what we do, and it was a surprise indeed, because some friends had commented about how losing the singer would affect our sound, but we saw it as a chance to do something that could not be done with a singer in the band, we would have had to pull him apart , but that was not necessary so we took the chance. We had many instrumental songs written and we decided to record them. For the last one, Dani joined us when we were finishing the album so he was able to sing in that one, Dry Tears. We are currently releasing a CD edition via German based label, Voodoo Chamber Records, distributed in US by Stone Groove Records.
• Looking back would you change anything about the album.
Alvaro: Definitely, not only that album, but many things. I would have recorded my guitar with different equipment, one more suitable to the album quality (many thanks to Lasting Noise Studio for the awesome work). I would have also dedicated more time to work on the bass parts. Nevertheless, we feel proud to have reached such quality with the means we had in hand. Overall, I would change the way we organise duties. We are not an experienced band in terms of production, promotion, marketing, publicity, but without a management company, no label nor experience and living in Spain, all the situations and problems you need to solve to put up your own band seems to be a bit more complex.
We hope to be able to learn from our mistakes, take advantage of the help coming from people we have managed to know all this time and avoid the anxiety or desperation take our drive away so we could be able to show the band's potential if we are given a chance.
• What have you guys been up to since then. Have you performed more gigs since then?
We have been kept writing and arranging songs ,the first ones with the voice of Dani who has also written some lyrics for new songs. We have started sharing duties within the band, for example Ricardo our new bass player who is also an IT expert has developed a couple of projects for us, such as our own web mothersloth.com , and some other stuff related to networking. We are going to start looking for gigs to present our new material after the summer. We would love to go abroad and do some festivals for instance. I believe Temples Festival could be a good one for us, some fans have mentioned it and asked us about that.
• You’re going to start recording the new album soon. Can you provide more details about the album? When it will be ready for all of us to hear?.
Oscar : Our new album will be called The Firemill. We started recording it in February and as soon as we finish with the vocal sessions we will quickly start with the mixing . At this moment we are listening to what we have and working in some arrangements, new sounds we are going to incorporate, such as theremin , e-bow , pre-recorded sounds... the songs we have demand more from us in terms of creativity , it is ironic but some of them are some of the oldest ones , we felt they did not fit in our previous releases, we like to think of our albums as a whole, not just a bunch of songs put together.
We have recorded six songs this time, Doomsday Cyborg, The Firemill, Shadow Witch, Sleepless, Desolation and Requiem. The focus this time is on the supernatural with a bit of Sci-fi, we have created our own universe of gods and evil doers .
Dani: we plan on having it finished (recording, master, etc…) before June. So hopefully next fall we’ll have a physical edition to show to the world.
• Will you be spending a long time recording the album. Or just when you can.
Not really a long time, but we wish we could do this full time,so we can finish it quickly. Unfortunately we all have our own commitments , you know. But spending a lot of time in the studio is something that in my opinion is not a clever thing to do, I like to sound fresh and if I work too much on something then it loses edge , urgency, which is something we do not want to happen.
• Will the album be different to your debut album or will it be very much the same sound?
Dani: it is going to be very different. The timespan of the band and its development has brought us to a current line-up that has changed since 2008. It is our first recording together as we are now. I believe we have broadened our horizon towards something more dynamic style wise.
Alvaro: It has been basically a leap forward in terms of equipment quality , both instruments and studio . We have found our way when it came to look for the right specs , the ones that enhance our needs, going away from the typical combinations so we have finally improved our sound as a band. In our previous album we had it all clear but this time we have reinvented the idea.
I have never been into trends , guitar wise so I assumed finding a new guitar sound to sound classic was a necessity and a challenge. Tired of the typical set ups I had a clear idea in my head , a sound that was versatile and personality. So I chose a Framus Cobra amp through a 4x12 ENGL cabinet with Celestion V30 speakers to enhance my guitar sound.
I also found guitar pickups with awesome clarity and definition to set the sound in the right frequency range we normally use, the Bare Knuckle Warpig pickup. Handmade craftsmanship is still unmatched by the machines we humans normally use to manufacture our products.
Having nailed our sound , we have taken this beyond in the writing dpt. We have looked at ourselves, capturing our essence and we have come up with a bunch of songs in which you can recognise the band and surprisingly, the songs are quite different among them .
Within the songs you can find traces of our style, a mix of influences that enhance our possibilities . We dare to step on the edge of doom metal and classical, sludge , psych and metal. That is the essence of the band, and we feel proud of doing so : experimenting, going beyond is part of our game. The wall of sound, the ups and downs in intensity and creating atmospheres, shaping delicate things and allow them to change into something twisted , are some of our identity signs.
• Will you be releasing the album yourselves or are you looking for label interest.
Oscar - We have talked with a couple of labels really interested in working with us, so we hope we could close deals, get the support needed and eventually reach our fans worldwide.
• What is the song-writing setup in the band. Is it a group collective or down to one individual?
Dani: MotherSloth has a huge collection of songs in the chamber that have not yet been released. Some still come from the very first line-up, but we all contribute with whatever is on the table. The arrangements of songs and giving them a fresh sound are every band member’s task right now.
• Do you guys perform regular gigs in Spain. What is the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Rock scene currently like in Spain?
Dani: we have played many gigs in Spain. There is a scene, but it is very underground, and it is almost only up to the bands to get out there to people to listen to. We have more fans in other European/American/Asian countries than we do here.
• Well guys, before you go do you have anything to say to your fans.
Dani: Yes, we are finally ready to put MotherSloth where it belongs with our 3rd album, this will define our style in a more powerful way.
Oscar: Expect our new album in the next months, probably after the summer. You can now find our music in Spotify and iTunes ,we are now just a bit closer to you !
Words by Steve Howe and Mother Sloth
Thanks to MotherSloth for taking the time out to talking to me. Can't wait to hear the new album. Until then immerse yourself with their superb last album.
