Thursday 30 November 2017

An Interview With Andy Martin From CLAMFIGHT


Clamfight are returning from a 5 year absence with a new album and a heavy new sound. Newly signed to Italian Powerhouse Label – Argonauta Records. Their new album III will be released on January 18th 2018. T

III sees Clamfight drastically changing their sound to a more Progressive blend of Sludge/Stoner Metal, Taking influence from bands such as Mastodon, Neurosis, SLEEP and YOB that sees Clamfight with a a more cohesive and braver sound compared to their last album.

I caught up with Andy Martin (Drums/Vocals) to discuss the evolution of their new sound, signing to Argonauta Records and their journey as a band.

This is what Andy had to say.....

Hi Clamfight. How are things with you today.

Pretty spectacular, thanks for asking. Sean and I spent the day on the water, caught some fish and saw a whale. Pretty impossible to beat that, and honestly it’s going to be tough to not make this whole interview about that damn whale.

Can you give a brief history of how the band came about and where it is today.

The short version is that we grew up together. Joel, Louis, and I first jammed together when we were 14 (or just shy of 25 years ago). We picked Sean up a little later in high school, played a million firehall shows with our hardcore band in the early 2000s and when that broke up formed Clamfight. Currently we’re about to release our third record, and first for Argonauta records. It’s called ‘III’ we aim to spend the foreseeable future balancing pushing it as hard as we can while keeping our jobs and home lives intact.


How would you describe your overall sound.

Big. Though we have very consciously trying to experiment with dynamics and melody recently, subtly is not our strong point. It’s loud and aggressive and despite all the classic rock and literary influenced nerdery, I also think it’s really obvious that we’ve been butchering songs from “And Justice for All” during band practice our entire lives.

We are here to talk about your debut album – III. I've only had a brief listen recently but it sounds fantastic so for. What can people expect from the album.

Well our homeboy and label mate Brent from Hollow Leg called it “questy” the first time he heard it and I really like that. We went all out on this one, it’s only five songs but it clocks in at 45 minutes, and we really let all our most epic (read pretentious) tendencies fly. We initially had a lot of material but we spent a lot of time deciding what songs would make the cut. We really wanted a record that would be giant and sprawling but cohesive at the same time. It’s half us putting our Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin love on full display but because I can’t sing so it also ends up being as close to a death metal record as you’ll ever get from Clamfight.

When will the album be released.

January 19th, 2018.

You've signed to Argonauta Records for this album. How did you manage to hook up with them. Gero's a great guy who is doing a brilliant job.

When we finally finished the record we let some good friends hear it and the name that kept coming up was Argonauta. I feel like we’re in a bit of weird spot musically; we really aren’t a full on-sludge band, but we’re not doing the Kyuss rip-off thing either so I think there’s some labels that we aren’t heavy enough for, and some label that we’re probably too aggressive for.

I was aware of Argonauta, and knew that Hollow Leg loved working with them so I asked Brent to put us in touch and that was pretty much that. Gero got it instantly and he’s been really great to work with. Our schedules are nuts and he’s Italy, and for a time the email chain was Sean in Jersey, Gero in Italy, and me in Scotland, and he was just so patient about that. You can tell the guy has a real passion for what he’s doing so it’s an honor to be part of the Argonauta family.


What influenced you all when recording the album.

It basically all came down to our comfort in working with Steve Poponi at the Gradwellhouse in New Jersey and our faith in his abilities. Steve’s a ballbuster but holy hell is he good at his job and he’s versatile. He did the last Fight Amp record, which rules, but is a very different kind of heavy from ‘III’ and it really shows his range as an engineer and producer. Steve’s also done live sound for us a lot, including for songs which ended up on ‘III’, so he’s very aware of how we sound live and what we were aiming for.

What is the song-writing dynamic in the band. Is it a group participation or down to one individual.

Sean and I do the majority of the writing, though Joel and Louis write their own parts. They both came up with some killer stuff on this record. I handle all the lyrics.

What influences you when writing music.

For this record I think there was a lot of influence from all the Pink Floyd and Dire Straits that we listen to in the truck. We really don’t listen to a lot of metal when we’re out playing shows, and basically never after we play a show, then it’s all David Gilmour or Mark Knopfler.

We also wanted to make a very different record than “I Versus the Glacier’. We’re really proud of that record, and a lot of the songs on it are personally really meaningful for me, but that record is full-on. We wanted to do something a little different with this record and try to take people on more of a trip.

Lyrically this record is influenced by Orkney and my archaeology hobo life. I have the best job in the world, but as of now I’ve been on the road for a year straight. On one hand I’m doing exactly what I want to do with my life, on the other, I’m missing my partner and family. That heavy dynamic of loving what I do but knowing that it’s keeping me away from the people I love is what this record is largely about.

I just framed it against Orkney because writing about Vikings doing Viking shit while simultaneously missing home is more interested than me writing about skyping my lady.

Why the long wait for your new album. As you released your last album almost 5 years ago. Any specific reasons why.

The long wait this time was mostly due to our jobs. If you added up the amount of time we spent in the studio it’s probably only 7 or 8 days, but those 7 or 8 days were spread between early 2015 and 2017. We’d get close to wrapping it up and then I’d leave the country for 2 months, or Steve would have a tour pop up, and then all of a sudden it’s two years later. If I can be home more in the future maybe it won’t be 5 years until the next one.

You're coming upto your 16th year as a band. Did you ever think that the Clamfight musical journey would last this long.

Ha, that’s a great question. I remember when we were a lot younger we swore we were going to hang it up when we all turned 28. That was 10 years ago. We all have a lot more responsibilities these days but we all love making music and hanging out with each other so I don’t see us hanging it up anytime soon. Personally I have ideas for other records that I think we’ve still got in us, and if it takes us longer to get them out because of our lives, that’s fine. They’ll happen eventually.


What have been your high points and low points with the band.

We’ve gotten to open for some our heroes, like Eyehategod and Scott Kelly and Bruce Lamont, and those shows were really great experiences. The other more continuous high point is the connections with other like-minded weirdos that we’ve managed to make. Having made really close friendships with bands and promoters up and down the east coast is really rewarding, and honestly it gets even cooler when you start seeing your rock and roll buddies without amps in the room. There’s a long list of incredible people we just wouldn’t know without Clamfight, and those folks are the unquestionable best thing about being in a band.

As for the low points, that’s a slightly more difficult question. We’re brothers, and sometimes we fight like brothers, but honestly now that we’re older even a nasty post show fight can get chalked up to booze and buried with a hug and an “I love you” the next day. The real low points are the life events, the unexpected tragedies that can come out of nowhere and crush you as you get older.

But at the same time, when you get that 3am phone call and someone you love is just gone, having the other guys in the band to lean on is its own kind of beautiful. We’ve all had our fair share of loss, but when I look back at the kindness and patience we’ve had for each other its sort its own high point. So ultimately, there isn’t a low point really, just occasional mild shit-fits backed up with a lot of love.

Would you change anything about your time with Clamfight.

Just our dumb name.

Are you all involved with different musical projects or is this your main band.

Clamfight is everyone’s main thing. There’s been sporadic jamming with different people over the years, and I think that sort of thing is important for growing as musician, but personally our schedules get in the way of being reliable bandmates for anyone else. Sean and I do have a growing collection of riffs that don’t really make sense for Clamfight and we have every intention of them seeing the light of day at some point.

What is your musical setup when performing or recording live. Is it an advanced setup or a basis setup.

Sean’s got a little bit of weirdness going on with his pedals but otherwise we are real basic meat and potatos guys, set-up wise. My drums sound like garbage at most shows because I’m just going to break them anyway.

How hard is it for Clamfight stand-out from the crowd. Or do you not worry about things like that.

In terms of song writing Sean and I tend to swear off new music when we’re in writing mode. That’s probably why you’ll never see us wearing bell bottoms and writings songs about cars or sex witches or something. Maybe it’s because we’re boring guys but I feel like I’ve been listening to the same 5 records since the year 2000 and I feel like that helps us avoid a little of the ‘doing what everyone else is doing’ stuff.

In terms of live, we just try to play as hard as we can. Sound sucks? Had a long day? Tired? Sick? Argued over where we ate dinner? Fuck it, just play as hard as we can. That and being polite and punctual. When we first starting out as band and sucked pretty hard, saying ‘thank you’ and showing up when we said we would got us a lot of shows.

Do you perform many local gigs or do you have to travel further afield.

I’d consider us a regional act if that makes any sense. We’re all pretty tied down workwise so we tend to get by on weekenders, but we’ve covered 1,100 miles in a weekend before, and once did 2,800 miles in a long weekend, so we still try to cover as much ground as we can. Since “Glacier” came out we covered the whole of the east coast of the US from Maine to Florida, and we’ll hopefully do all that again in support of ‘III’. We’re also eyeing something a bit further afield for the fall hopefully (like the West Coast).

With 2017 drawing to a close. What have been your favourite albums you've listened to this year.

I caught Mutoid Man a few weeks ago and consequently ‘War Moans’ has been a daily listen ever since. Iron Monkey’s new one shreds, and I loved that Bloodclot record. That was my summer jam.

Hellrad’s ‘Counting Sins’ just crushes. Mother of God does that record rule and they’re great live and great dudes. I jammed the hell out of Kings Destroys’ ‘None More’ EP as well.

My record of the year though is probably Shroud Eater’s ‘Strike the Sun.’ They’re family, and guest on ‘III’ so I’m obviously biased, but it’s a pretty fine thing when people you love make a record that that’s damn good.

Before you go, do you have anything to say to your fans.

Thanks for giving a shit, really. For a band that can’t really properly tour, the support we’ve gotten from all over the US as well as Europe and Australia has been hard to wrap our heads around. Anytime someone drops more on international shipping for a copy of the record or a T-Shirt I kind of want to hop on a plane and go hug the ever loving shit out of them. So all I can really say is thanks, and that you guys are the absolute best.

Words by Steve Howe and Andy Martin

Thanks to Andy for doing this interview. III will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from January 18th 2018.

Links:

Les Lekin - Dead With Fear (Album Review)


Release date: November 20th 2017. Label: Tonzonen Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Died With Fear - Tracklisting

1.Orca 10:38
2.Inert 10:19
3.Vast 08:57
4.Morph 13:34

Members

Peter G. (GIT)
Beat B. (BASS)
Kerstin W. (DRUMS)

Review

After three years from All Black Rainbow Moon (released by Tonzonen Records), the amazing trippy-trio Les Lekin from Salzburg (AT) comes back with another amazing album, Died With Fear (Tonzonen Records).

Since from the beginning, the band have managed their own vision of music by developing long psychedelic suites surrounded by a great stoner sound and a huge rhythm section.

In Died With Fear, the band stays fixed to the compositional canons of their debut album, although this latter sounds heavier and less psychedelic.

The album is composed by four long suites of about 8 to over 10 minutes each, where extreme lysergic moments are interrupted by outburst stoner riffs sustained by great and hypnotic guitar solos.

All the songs in the album travel smoothly and without style falls, almost as composing as a single immense track. Orca, Inert, Vast and Morph (the 4 tracks composing the album) sounds like something in between Weedpecker, Earthless and Colour Haze.

The thing that, I feel, is to be most appreciated in this album is that it sounds like a jam session, where the band seems to be almost abducted by playing the songs, sending this feeling to the listener (at least for me!).

Instrumental music is very often a gamble for musicians. Many bands fall in the mistake of diversifying too much their songwriting or, on the other hand, staying fixed around a common compositional skeleton for the entire duration of an album. In any cases, to be fully appreciated for an instrumental band, today, it is a very difficult task, with the risk to not be understood, or to be understood too late.

Anyway, this last effort of Les Lekin poses as an excellent listening to the whole array of fans of instrumental music, where often the first listening does not make justice. It's definitely not a ‘one-hit-moment album’, and I guess it was probably not the intention of the band to propose something like that.

This album has to be heard over and over again, with no background prejudices and with the awareness that many artists prefer to express their emotions by expanding their notes in space and time.

Words by Bruno Bellisario

Links:


Tuesday 28 November 2017

Label News - SEEING RED RECORDS SIGN SWEDISH DOOM METALLERS SHADOWMASTER

Seeing Red Records have signed Swedish Doom Metallers SHADOWMASTER to their roster.


Originally releasing a demo in 2015 under the guise, Desert Crone, the band recorded a full length in 2016 and decided to change their name to Shadowmaster before self-releasing the album digitallty in August of this year. We were fortunate to sign the band and decided to press a physical release in the form of a Cd digipack that will be out December 22! PRE-ORDER

Somehow completely overlooked by labels, press, and fans in general.


Shadowmaster have crafted a completely devastating offering that demands your attention immediately upon listening. Cited by renown artist, Stephen Kasner (Sunn 0)), Khanate, Rotting Christ) as one of his favorite new acts, the bands imagery is just as gripping as their music. There is not much more I can say as the music speaks for itself.


Links:


Facebook | BandCamp


KING BEE - All Seeing Eye (EP Review)


Release date: November 18th 2017. Label: Various. Format: DD

All Seeing Eye - Tracklisting

1.Megamouth 05:43
2.Sweat 04:15
3.All Seeing Eye 05:11

Members

Ed (Guitar/Vocals)
John (Drums)

Review

I've been keeping an eye on UK Noise/Sludge/Stoner Rockers – KING BEE – for the last year or so. Their new EP – All Seeing Eye – is perhaps the best offering yet from this hard-rocking and pissed off duo. Embracing a Sludgy Noise Rock driven sound. King Bee also offer violent elements of FUZZ ROCK to make their sound that slightly more dynamic.

First track Megamouth does take time to fully get going but the band still manage to create heavy sludge/stoner grooves that has shades of early QOTSA and The Melvins to it. The vocals from Ed are firmly rooted in Sludge/Doom Metal territory and are perhaps more experimental compared to the addictive riffs. The song also has a layer Blues Rock sounds buried under that heavy pissed off riffage.

Second track – Sweat – is an infections alternative rock little number with the band playing against stereotype and moving slightly away from the opening track sludge/stoner sound. It has quite a slow-paced feel to begin with at first before the band find that manic violent spark that allows them to create loud heavy noises that fans of TORCHE (Meanderthal era) will surely enjoy.

Third track – All Seeing Eye – is a Fuzz/Desert Rock sounding song with slightly gloomy lyrics and vocals that leave you under their hypnotic spell. This is another chaotic and very loud affair with the band including superb elements of slow-paced alternative rock. Though King Bee can never stay quiet for long. The song soon returns to it's earlier Sludge/Stoner Rock sound and it becomes the more better for it.

The production is handled superbly well. Kudos to the band for getting the hugely talented Sam Thredder (Slabdragger) to engineer this EP. All Seeing Eye could have done with another track. As it's far too short at 15 mins in length. I know it's an EP but I wanted and expected more. That minor complaint aside, All Seeing Eye is one of the coolest EP's you'll likely to encounter this year.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Tour News - DESERT STORM ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN TOUR DETAILS FOR 2018


DESERT STORM are delighted to announce details of their European Tour in the support of “SENTINELS”, their fourth album, which will be released worldwide and on formats by APF Records on 1st March 2018.

Desert Storm have been making a name for themselves since they formed in late 2007. From the beginning the band have worked hard...with 3 albums and relentless touring of the UK & Europe with the likes of Karma To Burn, Nashville Pussy, Peter Pan Speedrock, Honky and Hang The Bastard as well as support slots to the likes ofOrange Goblin, Red Fang, American Head Charge, Weedeater, Crowbar, Mondo Generator, The Atomic Bitchwax and festival appearances at Bloodstock Festival, Hammerfest, Hard Rock Hell, Giants of Rock, The Bulldog Bash, Desertfest (UK/DE) & Roadkill Festival.

SENTINELS tour dates are as follows:

February

3rd UK – Manchester – The Bread Shed (headlining the APF Records Showcase All-Dayer)
17th UK – Birmingham – 02 Academy
22nd NL – Rotterdam – Baroeg
24th NL – Eindhoven – The Jack Café
25th NL – tbc
26th BEL – Antwerp – Kids Rhythm & Blues
27th GER – Berlin – Urban Spree
28th GER – Weimar – Gerber 3
March

1st GER – Dresden – Chemiefabrik
2nd CZ – Prague – Klub Baryton
3rd PL – Warsaw – Hydrozagadka
4th SK – Bratislava – Fuga
5th SK – Kosice – Collosseum
6th UKR – Lviv – Freda 61 Klub
7th PL – Wroclaw – Black Moon
8th GER – Cologne – Limes
9th NL – Zwolle – Jacks Bar
10th BEL – Brussels – Rock Classic
July

7th UK – Bradford – Underground

August

25th UK – Bolton – Alma Inn (Riff Fest 2018)

September

29th UK – Sheffield – O2 Academy (HRH Doom Vs Stoner 2018)

Desert Storm is:

Matt Ryan – Vocals
Chris White – Guitar
Ryan Cole – Guitar
Chris Benoist – Bass
Elliot Cole – Drums

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Facebook: facebook.com/Desert-Storm
Twitter: @desertstormuk
Instagram: Instagram.com/desertstormuk

Label News - ROBUSTFELLOW PRODS/KOZMIK ARTIFACTZ SIGN SOMALI YACHT CLUB


We'e more than happy to announce forthcoming release by Robustfellow Prods.

Dreamtoned trio from Ukraine, Somali Yacht Club are going to release their second full-length album “The Sea” on 
Robustfellow Prods. (CDs and limited editions) and Kozmik Artifactz (vinyls). After their first LP “The Sun”, which was highly acclaimed both by critics and listeners worldwide and showed the band’s ability to mix styles, create dreamy vibe and submerge listeners into fantastic sound landscapes, the band is ready to continue their musical journey with their next album “The Sea”. 

All artwork for this release were made by fantastic artist - Dasha Pliska.

Rich fuzz, blended with atmospheric psychedelia, warm grooves and airy leads show the band’s progression both musically and lyrically and once again prove Somali Yacht Club’s inventiveness in blending styles.

Pre-order of the album and accompanying merchandise will start on the 22nd of December 2017 via Robustfellow’s bandcamp page (https://robustfellow.bandcamp.com), while the release of the album is planned for the 22nd of January 2018.

Sunday 26 November 2017

Iron & Stone - Petrichor (Album Review)


Release date: November 03rd 2017. Label: Backbite Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Petrichor - Tracklisting

1.Avalanche 05:09
2.Vortex 04:08
3.Deserts 04:52
4.Caves 04:49
5.Interlude 02:13
6.Monolith 04:25
7.Northern Lights 04:02
8.Meander 04:00
9.Yugen 05:35
10.Petrichor 04:38

Members

Henning L.: vocals
Stephan M.: guitar
Christopher P.: guitar
Matthias B.: bass
Torsten H.: drums

Review

Iron & Stone's debut album Petrichor is a rough and ready mix of Doom, Psych and Stoner Metal sounds. After releasing a string of releases since their inception in 2013, the band have finally released a full length album that showcases their full potential for everyone to listen and admire.

The production is solid for the most part as the band inject a “DIY” approach to their music. It means the album sounds very raw at times but it doesn't distract how superbly heavy the album really is.

Opening track – Avalanche – is a noisy Doom/Psych/Grunge/Stoner Metal affair with the band creating an angry atmosphere with Henning's vocals adding a Punk style vibe. The riffs are very good and should appeal to the wide majority of Doom/Stoner Metal fans. As they contain some fast-paced sounds that hold your attention throughout.

Second track – Vortex – has a Motorhead feel with Henning's vocals feeling partially inspired by Lemmy and the music itself has a familiar Motorhead vibe. Add layers of distorted Doom/Stoner Metal and Iron & Stone have one of the first standout tracks on the album. It's very raw sounding but that allows the music to be quite seedy and that adds to the overall doom effect of the album.

Third track – Deserts – sees Iron & Stone opt for a more “thrashier” sound. Very 80s/90s sounding at times but the psychedelic stoner riffs manage to keep you entertained and the music sounds more threatening at times. The lyrics are standard fare but Henning manages to deliver them with style and angry conviction.

If you like the sound of the first three songs then the rest of the album follows the same template. With Iron & Stone becoming angrier with each passing song. Songs such as: Caves, Monolith, Yugen and Petrichor are perhaps the other standout tracks on the album. Yugen and Petrichor deserve special mention as Iron & Stone create heavy monolithic Doom/Stoner Metal sounds that really sees the band come into their own identity.

Petrichor is a well-made and superbly entertaining album that should have no trouble finding an audience within the Doom/Stoner Metal community.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:


Saturday 25 November 2017

Slowjoint/GAIA - Split Album (Album Review)


Release date: November 01st 2017. Label: Various. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Slowjoint/GAIA - Tracklisting

1.Slowjoint - Beverage Joe 06:52
2.Slowjoint - Low and Slow 04:40
3.Slowjoint - Politicks 09:33
4.Gaia - Wound Gratuity 10:24
5.Gaia - There's Nothing Left 10:03

Review

Two of Denmark's heaviest Doom and Stoner Metal acts have came together to release a blistering split LP running for over 40 minutes of heavy riffs. In one corner you have Doom/Sludge/Stoner/Weed Specialists – SLOWJOINT- And in the other corner you have Cosmic Doom Overlords – GAIA. Two bands with a very different sound and that's a good thing. As you're treated to some very cool riffs from both bands.

Slowjoint's side of the album is like their previous releases. Influenced by bands such as Weedeater. Slowjoint play down-tuned sludgy Doom/Stoner sounds with a distinctive weedian after thought. The music is very punk driven and chaotic at times with the band creating some of their best work in years. Beverage Joe and Politicks are the highlights here for Slowjoint. It's good to see the band including a more NOLA driven sound and some weird psychedelic noisy riffs on Politicks. The band have laid off their wisecracking humour for this release which was evident on their 2014 debut album – Up Shit Creek.

GAIA's side of the album is two epic slices of Cosmic Doom riffs with both tracks running past the 10 minute mark. Wound Gratuity and There's Nothing Left veers into psychedelic spaced out doom territory. There's nothing flashy about GAIA's sound and that's what I admire about their sound most. The music sounds very real and quite menacing at times. The music maybe too low at times but the vocals allows GAIA to drift further into the cosmos. The instrumental work is impressive as they play at their own pace before exploding into a loud volume of noise.

The production on both sides of the album is superb and this leaves you with a feeling of wanting more music from both bands. Always a good sign in my humble opinion. This is definitely one of the best split-albums I've heard this year. You'll be a fool to pass this by. Especially when it's available on BandCamp Buy Now Download and an awesome sounding vinyl.

All in all this is a must have record if you're a fan of both bands.

Words by Steve Howe

Slowjoint Links

Facebook | BandCamp

GAIA Links

Facebook | BandCamp


Arcadian Child - Afterglow (Album Review)


Release date: November 01st 2017. Label: Various. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Afterglow - Tracklisting

1.She's On My Mind 02:56
2.Little Late For Love 04:16
3.Rabbit Hole 03:54
4.Electric Red 02:51
5.Irresistible 03:15
6.Run 04:54
7.Afterglow 03:39
8.Used 03:47

Members

Panayiotis Georgio
Stathis Hadjicharalambous
Andreas Kerveros
Christos Dimou

Review

Arcadian Child's debut album – Afterglow – is a weird sounding Psychedelic/Stoner/Hard Rock album with elements of Alternative Rock and Poppy sounds to make them stand out from the Psychedelic/Stoner Rock crowd. The band take influences from the legendary psychedelic sounds of the 60s and 70s but match it with a hard-rocking 90s alt-rock feel.

The opening few tracks – She's On My Mind, Little Late For Love and Rabbit Hole – offer delicious and dark twisted moments of 60s sounding Psychedelic Pop riffs but matched with a hard-edged Stoner Rock groove. The vocals are one of the main highlights of the album as they have elements of David Bowie running throughout them.

Second track – Little Late For Love – is a real pop-psych-stoner rock gem that many bands try their hands at these days. Some successful and some not successful. Though Arcadian Child is one the best examples I've heard in years. As they embrace a commercial pop/rock sound but still offer a more gloomy stoner based atmosphere.

Third track – Rabbit Hole – is another weird sounding musical oddity as the band create a dark and twisted love song. With heartfelt and painful lyrics that match the tender psychedelic sounds the band create here.

Other great songs to check out on the album are: Electric Red, Run, Afterglow and the excellent final song – Used. As Arcadian Child venture into more crazier psychedelic pop/stoner based sounds. This is a very hard album to describe but that's perhaps one of the strengths of this album. As it keeps you guessing which musical direction the band will turn to next. Maybe there could have been a few more songs on the album. As it feels too short and dare I say incomplete.

However Arcadian Child never outstay their welcome and their use of 60s/70s pop style progressive theatrics is bound to find a willing audience within the Psychedelic/Stoner Rock community. My final thoughts on Afterglow is that's a brilliantly entertaining and enchanting album that will hopefully find a bigger audience as possible.

Hopefully Arcadian Child's future albums will sound just as good as their debut album. Awesome stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Thursday 23 November 2017

Exclusive Album Stream - Blissful Stream/Lightsabres - Devil's Night to All Souls


After the time of harvest moon, moving through Hallow’s Eve to All Souls, and as the year’s twilight gains prominence, the times to follow are truly dire and cryptic.

You would so rend your flesh in hopes that it be repaired by another? Do so at your own behest, and freely of your own accord; you shan’t be considered above the greater darkness that looms. So be it that this was the price for your knowledge…
 


Although a new name for some, for those in the realm of proto-black metal, Blissful Stream shall be a welcome delight. The change was set for Martin Sällström to reemerge in 2016 from these past few years, after bidding farewell to a lengthy campaign with Swedish black metal legends Pest. Songs soaked in and inspired by 70’s and 80’s metal and spaghetti western death rock cloaks you; transporting you to simple yet bare times where souls rarely found peace. Following the brilliant debut EP for Dark Prod Records in ‘Ascending Demons’, the raw energy and intensity on this split unfolds itself to all, spurred on by raw DIY direct ethic.

With a slightly alternative approach, not unlike his countryman with whom he shares the Devil’s Night to All Souls EP, the year darkens also for John Strömshed of Lightsabres.. Also the leader with rustic Swedish rockers Tunga Möln, he has also crafted warped stoner-punk and alterna-grunge masterworks as Lightsabres to the glee of fans worldwide for the last few years. The last few releases had seen also certain tracks with much darker and disparaging feels; almost a terrific segue to these three tracks on offer for around the season of decay.




These two shadowy sons of Sweden come together to tell of the soul stripped bare, cautionary heralds, and folk songs of despair. The EP is set to be released on Black Friday, November 24th, 2017 on Medusa Crush Recordings in digital and limited high-bias cassette formats initially, to be followed by a limited digipack CD run later on.

Tracklisting:

01. Fallen From Grace
02. Dead Of Night
03. A Vision From Below
04. Blues From The End Of A Rope
05. Anyone
06. Darkness On My Trail




Release date: November 24th, 2017

Composed, recorded and mixed by M. Sällström (tracks  1 - 3)
Everything by J. Strömshed (tracks 4 - 6)

Contact info:

Blissful Stream -
https://www.facebook.com/blissfulstream/
https://blissfulstream.bandcamp.com/
http://darkprod.com/dark-prod-records/

Lightsabres -
https://www.facebook.com/lightsabres
https://lightsabres.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lightsabres/

M.C.R.
https://www.facebook.com/medusacrushrecordings/
https://medusacrushrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/medusacrushrecordings/

Wednesday 22 November 2017

The Atomic Bitchwax - Force Field (Album Review)


Release date: December 8th 2017. Label: Tee Pee Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Force Field - Tracklisting

01. Hippie Speedball
02. Earth Shaker (Which Doobie U Be)
03. Alaskan Thunder Fuck
04. Shocker
05. Crazy
06. Fried Dyed And Layin To The Side
07. Shell of a Man
08. Houndstooth
09. Tits and Bones
10. Humble Brag
11. Super Highway
12. Liv A Little

Members

Chris Kosnik - bass, vocals
Bob Pantella - drums, percussion
Finn Ryan - guitar, vocals

Review

Legendary Space/Stoner Rockers - The Atomic Bitchwax (TAB) - return with their seventh album. Force Field carries on from their excellent last album with the band providing almost thirty five minutes of Spaced Out Stoner Rock grooves. Maybe the band doesn't try anything new with their sound on this album. Why should they? - As they've already came up with a winning formula to entertain their loyal subjects with.

The twelve songs held on the album all last around three minutes in length but TAB manages to provide some different spaced out riffs compared to their last album.

Opening track - Hippie Spaceball - is good as anything the band have put out in years with TAB creating a blaze of Stoner Rock glory that will soon get you in the mood to rock out. The music is fast paced and allows TAB to play as many different sounds they possibly can from their epic career. The vocals are dynamic from the start. As they have a punk rock manic energy to them.

Second track - Earth Shaker (Which Doobie U Be) - is definitely as Stoner Rock song not only in style but also in manic delivery. The riffs leave you in a hypnotic and trippy trance. The song does have a classic Fu Manchu sound at times but TAB inject a classic sounding seventies stoner/doom/space atmosphere. The whole sound of the album has a more space/psych rock vibe compared to their recent albums. It allows TAB to create a more vibrant and classic sounding album.

Though TAB always bring the goods to whatever album they release. With twelve songs on the album, I would be virtually here all day reviewing every track. Let's not kid ourselves here. We know how TAB sound. Force Field is packed full of great songs that will have the wide majority of the Psych/Stoner Rock community rocking out in agreement at the majority of the excellent songs held on this album for days on end.

Other great songs to check out are: Alaskan Thunder Fuck, Shocker, Crazy, Shell Of A Man, Humble Brag and Super Highway. The lyrics once again have a playful and hugely entertaining vibe to them. I may have even heard slight references to Thin Lizzy lyrics and riffs on songs such as Alaskan Thunder Duck.

The production and whole sound of the album is excellent from the start. With the band sounding the best and most energetic they've sounded in years. TAB should now be considered one of the most iconic Stoner Rock bands along with Fu Manchu, SLEEP and Monster Magnet. Force Field only enhances that well-deserved reputation.

With the year almost over and sites prepping their best albums of the year already, it's good to see TAB making a claim for releasing one of the best albums of the year in my humble opinion. Force Field is a brilliantly entertaining album that oozes class from one of the best Stoner Rock bands in the business.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Becky at Pioneer Music Press and Carl at Action PR for the promo. Force Field will be available to buy via Tee Pee Records on CD/DD/Vinyl from December 8th 2017.

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