Dune Sea - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: May 03^rd 2019. Label: All Good Clean Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Dune Sea – S/T – Tracklisting

Pentobarbital And Ethanol

Dune Sea

Future

Morphine

Green

Astrodelic Breakdown

Bounty Hunter

Awake

Cosmic Playground

Members

Ole Nogva - vocals, guitar, synthesizer, effects

Petter Dahle - Bass

Erik Bråten - Drums

Review

Dune Sea debut album bridges the gap between Space Rock and Stoner Rock/Metal with relevant ease and shows the band creating their own highly stylistic sound that draws influence from Hawkwind, Earthless, Colour Haze and KYUSS. The album is quite a trippy and surreal audio experience with the band adding a cool seventies rock groove to their music as well.

The trippy audio soundwaves and hard-rocking Desert/Stoner Rock riffs is a concept we’ve heard a thousand times before. However, Dune Sea actually do weird and wonderful things with the standard rules of the Stoner/Space Rock genres that make you stand up and take notice.

Opening song – Pentobarbital And Ethanol – is a combination of Hawkwind sonic riffage and Fu Manchu/Kyuss classic Desert/Stoner Rock vibes with the song moving into heavier Doomed Out Territory. The song can be quite Post-Rock sounding at times but this gives Dune Sea a more cinematic sound. The music is fast-paced and never feels out of place. The harsh Bass Guitar towards the end of the song shows you that Dune Sea is not afraid to get down and dirty to create heavier sounds.

Second song – Dune Sea – has a nineties Stoner Rock flow to it with the band once again allowing the Space Rock vibe to become the main driving force behind their music. The vocals from Ole are sung superbly well with echoes of “FREEDOM” being sung in the background. This song sees Dune Sea play some fantastic heavy Psychedelic Stoner Metal guitar solos that have a vibrant energy to them.

Third song – Future – carries on the Psychedelic Stoner Rock madness from the opening two songs but with swirling Ambient noises and self-aware lyrics making this one of the standout songs on the album. The band show their appreciation for Science Fiction and Star Wars in general with some of the lyrics they have written for this song.

Fourth Song – Morphine – sees Dune Sea adding a seedy Garage Rock vibe to their music. However, the warped psychedelic riffs and distorted vocals don’t fully work and the band lose focus deciding which musical direction they want to fully explore on this song.

Fifth song – Green – sees the band return to winning ways with a heavy mix of Psychedelic Stoner Rock and warped Spaced Out sounds being played to their full potential. Heavy and intense in places making Green a trippy and very surreal psychedelic experience.

The remaining four songs sees Dune Sea continue playing their epic hybrid Spaced Out with different Ambient Noises just for the sheer heck of it. Songs such as: Astrodelic Breakdown, Bounty Hunter and Cosmic Playground – offer a cool narrative to each of the songs with the band telling an exciting story within each song through the power of their music.

Dune Sea is an excellent sounding record and the production is epic from the start. If you’re looking for a band to satisfy your Space Rock and Stoner Rock/Metal desires, then Dune Sea have you covered.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo. Dune Sea debut album will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via All Good Clean Records from May 3^rd 2019.

Links:

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Stone Machine Electric - Darkness Dimensions Disillusion (Album Review)

Release date: April 26th 2019. Label: Sludgelord Records. Format: Cassette Tape/DD/CD

Darkness Dimensions Disillusion – Tracklisting

1.Sum of Man 12:48

2.SAND 08:19

3.Circle 04:44

4.Purgatory 14:00

Members

Dub - Guitar/Vocals

Kitchens - Drums/Vocals/Theremin

Review

Darkness Dimensions Disillusion is the new album from Texas Sludge/Doom Rock duo – Stone Machine Electric. This is the first album I’ve listened to from Stone Machine Electric since their 2017 offering – Vivere and I was intrigued on what to expect on this album. As the band are known for changing their style of sound through the course of their recording career which stretches back to almost a decade from 2010.

This album sees the band creating a heavier and doomier sound with elements of Psychedelic Metal, Stoner Metal and even elements of Progressive Rock and Jazz Music on various stages of the album. It’s quite a wild ride with Stone Machine Electric switching musical genres from the start.

Opening song – Sum Of Man – opens with a haunting Psychedelic Doom style Synth score that reminded me of the classic 1982 Blade Runner soundtrack. Though that soon gives way to a heavier Sludge/Doom Metal sound that’s played at a medium pace. The heavy sludgy riffs are distorted for the most part and the vocals feel inspired by Al Cisneros in places. The music has a Drone based quality to them and this allows Stone Machine Electric to play a more experimental style of Doom/Stoner Metal.

Second song – SAND – is where the band add a more “Jazz” heavy influence into their warped blend of Psychedelic Doom and Stoner Metal. Stone Machine Electric have the term “Weirdo” listed on their BandCamp Page and that’s a great way how to describe this song. As the song is quite complex in places and actually does have a “Weirdo” outlook on life. Though the song can also be described as FUNK METAL as well with the Funk/Jazz guitars that make up a large part of this song. The band do feel inspired by CLUTCH on this song and that is no bad thing.

Third song – Circle – is the more straight-forward Stoner Rock/Metal song held on the album. As the song only lasts under 5 minutes and the band have less time to play with. So it’s good to see Stone Machine Electric not forgetting their Stoner Rock roots and play a more exciting and hard-rocking tune that’s packed full of great heavy riffs.

Fourth song – Purgatory – is the standout song on the record as it features Kent Stump of WO FAT fame providing additional guitars. I’m a huge fan of Kent and it’s always good to hear Kent appearing on other bands projects. This song is definitely the weirdest one of the bunch with Stone Machine Electric adding a sinister 70s sounding Doom Metal atmosphere to the song. Add a pinch of theatrical sounding Occult Rock guitars and you have the makings of a Progressive Doomed Out experience that only Stone Machine Electric can deliver.

With Stone Machine Electric being from Texas and like all good Doom/Stoner Metal bands from Texas, they drafted in Kent Stump to Produced, Mixed and Mastered the album at the almost legendary Crystal Clear Sound in Dallas, Texas. That’s the reason why this album sounds so damn good. Kent is one of the best producers around not only in Texas but within the Doom/Stoner Metal community and this album is a testament not only to Kent’s talents but also to Stone Machine Electric.

As they have delivered their best album to date with Darkness Dimensions Disillusion.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy the album on Cassette Tape/CD/DD via Sludgelord Records.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Mt. Echo - Cirrus (Album Review)

Release date: April 20th 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Cirrus – Tracklisting

1.Basic Operation 05:08

2.Lighthouse At The End of Time 04:42

3.Soft Nothing 06:00

4.Don't Blink 04:43

5.Wolves 04:05

6.Catena 04:12

7.Monsters and the men who made them 07:00

8.Agelast 05:00

9.Godcomplex 05:06

Members

Gerben, Tommy, Vincent, Rolf

Review

Cirrus is the debut album by Instrumental Post-Metallers Mt.Echo and the band make a lasting impression with their own style of Post-Rock/Post-Metal. As the band add flourishes of Psychedelic Rock and Noise Rock which is quite uncommon within the Post-Metal world. The band feel influenced by bands such as Neurosis, Pelican and Russian Circles which is understandable coming from the Post-Metal world.

Opening song – Basic Operation – is a Progressive Post-Rock/Post-Metal offering with the band adding a cool Noise Rock flavour on the later stages of the song. The song starts really slow and mellow before changing direction on the second half when the heavier and progressive sludge metal riffs appear. Mt. Echo become a more threatening and menacing presence as the song builds to an exciting climax.

Second song – Lighthouse At The End Of Time – is a thumping Post-Metal song where Mt. Echo start to create the albums heaviest riffs that become standard for the rest of the album. This is a complex and heavy offering with different layers of music starting to appear such as Ambient Doom and Psychedelic Rock. The gloomy atmospherics is a cool touch and reminds of me PELICAN in certain areas.

Third song – Soft Nothing – is the second longest song on the album and the band adapt a more Post-Rock persona for the first few opening moments of the song. The slowly played riffs soon give away to a more thunderous style of Post-Metal but it’s still good to hear the Post-Rock and Post-Metal vibes working together instead of working against each other. This is one of the most satisfying and emotionally complex driven songs held on the album.

Fourth song – Don’t Blink – opens with a Psychedelic/Post-Rock interlude with an Ambient Post-Doom sound allowing Mt. Echo to experiment with their sound. This is an exciting song to listen to as it feels quite thrilling and cinematic in places. The song does take time to fully get going but I did enjoy the more adventurous side of it all. The progressive and ambient styles soon settle down into a more complex and confident rhythm.

The first 4 songs should give you a taste on what to expect for the remainder of the album. Though Mt. Echo do play heavier and complex music on the second half of the album especially on songs such as Wolves, Catena, Monsters And The Men Who Made Them and Godcomplex. Mt. Echo deserve credit for trying to do something different with the standard Post-Rock/Post-Metal sound. The album does lag in certain places but that doesn’t stop Mt. Echo from changing style and tactics in delivering a thrilling and well-rounded Post-Metal cinematic experience.

Cirrus is superbly produced and Mt. Echo sound exciting and wonderful from start to finish. If you’re looking for a challenging and different sounding Post-Rock/Post-Metal album then Mt. Echo are the band for you.

This is a stunning and genuinely exciting album that leaves you wanting more.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Redhead Match - Birthing Of The Fuzzmen (Album Review)

Release date: April 26th 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Birthing Of The Fuzzman – Tracklisting

1.Dark Rituals 05:47

2.Monster In The Forest 05:20

3.The Will Of The Beast 04:20

4.Paranoid Man 05:25

5.Snakes 03:58

6.Grifasaurus (feat. Age Of The Wolf) 07:39

Members

Daniel Rosales - Vocals / Guitar

Jose Rodriguez - Guitar

Diego Matamoros - Bass / Vocals

Josué Arguedas - Drums

Review

Birthing Of The Fuzzman is the debut album from Costa Rican Doom/Fuzz/Stoner Rockers – Redhead Match – and the band conjure up a different style of Doom/Stoner Metal. With the band adding a dark and delicious Fuzz Rock riffs to their music. Add some heavy Progressive Rock Grooves into the mix and you have an album that’s refreshingly real and quite dark at times.

The album roars into life with the excellent opening song – Dark Rituals – which feels inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, SLEEP, Kyuss, Red Fang and Mastodon especially when the heavier progressive sludge riffs appear. The dark ambient noises and vocals interact surprisingly well. The song could have easily have fallen apart with the many different ideas and sounds Redhead Match have included here. However this is a trippy and psychedelic delight.

Second song – Monster In The Forest – opts for a true Doom/Stoner Metal approach with the album becoming heavier but still maintaining a likeable FUZZ ROCK approach. Though Daniel’s impressive vocals keeps the Doom and Gloom atmosphere right at the forefront of Redhead Match’s music and overall vision for the album. The sludgy guitars are perhaps the best part of the song as they effortlessly hold everything together.

Third song – The Will Of The Beast – is where Redhead Beast start to feel more comfortable with their Doom Metal persona. It’s a highly confident approach from the band and it’s still good to hear the different strands of Fuzz Rock and Stoner Metal appearing here and there. This song is one of the standout songs held on the album. As it’s a hard-rocking song that you can easily lose yourself in.

The second half of the album continues the strong work delivered on the first half of the album with Redhead Match creating more vivid and exciting Doom/Stoner Metal riffs with songs such as Paranoid Man and Grifasaurus showing Redhead Match having the heaviest riffs on the album.

Grifasaurus is a duet with another Costa Rican Stoner Metal band called Age Of The Wolf who will be releasing their very own debut album OuroboricTrances on May 10^th 2019 which I will be reviewing in the next couple of weeks or so. So this will give you a chance to hear two excellent Doom/Stoner Metal bands from the Costa Rican Heavy Metal scene in action and makes it worth the purchase of the album alone.

Birthing Of The Fuzzman production is fantastic. I didn’t expect the album to sound as good as it actually did. The overall sound and feel of the album is super fresh and crisp. This allows Redhead Match to create a truly heavy and organic sound that you wouldn’t expect from a debut album such as this.

Overall, this is a truly superb album and one that will please the Doom/Stoner Metal masses looking for their next addictive heavy fix.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

codeia - as he turned back towards the eye of the storm (Album Review)

Release date: April 13th 2019. Label: Hand Of Doom Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

as he turned back towards the eye of the storm – Tracklisting

1.canon of echoes 20:05

2.emerald deception 10:35

3.mantra 05:13

4.medallion 15:51

Members

Denis S. (Bass, Vocals)

Timo L. (Drums)

Markus L. (Guitars)

Review

“as he turned back towards the eye of the storm” is the new album from Post-Metallers – codeia and it’s a haunting and progressive style of Ambient Doom, Post-Rock and Post-Metal. Taking influence from Cult Of Luna, Russian Circles and Pelican in places. This album is a constantly heavy and challenging album to listen to at times.

codeia write and perform sprawling cinematic riffs where the loud and quiet moments fit superbly well. The harsh vocals from Denis add real menace to the bands overall sound especially on the epic opening song – Canon Of Echoes. The song is a very cold and depressing experience in places and the more better for it. It does take time for the song to fully get going. However this allows codeia time to experiment and perfect their overall sound.

The second song – Emerald Deception – starts in similar fashion to the opening song but with a more subdued approach. The slow-paced Ambient Doom style sounds offers a warmer experience as the Post-Rock riffs slowly appear. When the song becomes heavier codiea become a more threatening force. However I did enjoy and appreciate the gloomy post-rock vibe playing against the heavier Sludge/Post-Metal sounds. This is perhaps my favourite song on the album.

The final two songs on the album Mantra and Medallion follow the same destructive path as the opening two songs but with a more direct and heavier sound. Medallion is the strongest song on the second half of the album with codeia becoming more confident as a result.

“as he turned back towards the eye of the storm” is a superbly produced album and one that shows codeia’s talents to perfection. If you want a complex sounding Post-Metal album that doesn’t shy away from playing heavy Sludge/Post-Metal riffs then this is the album for you.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Timon at Mountain Range PR for the promo. “as he turned back towards the eye of the storm” is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Hand Of Doom Records.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Lord Dying - Mysterium Tremendum (Album Review)

Release date: April 26^th 2019. Label: eOne. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Mysterium Tremendum – Tracklisting

1.Envy The End 05:34

2.Tearing at the Fabric of Consciousness

3.Nearing the End of the Curling Worm

4.The End of Experience

5.Exploring Inward (An Unwelcome Passenger)

6.Severed Forever

7.Even the Darkness Went Away

8.Freed From the Pressures of Time

9.Lacerated Psyche

10.Split From a World Within, Devoid of Dreams Death, The Final Loneliness

11.Saying Goodbye to Physical Form

Members

Erik Olson-guitar/vocals

Chris Evans-guitar

Matt Price-bass

Chase Manhattan-drums

Review

Mysterium Tremendum is the new album from Lord Dying and it’s a concept about about Life and Death. Or what awaits people on the other side. Well according to the band anyway. The album is perhaps Lord Dying most personal album to date. As the album deals with many complex dark themes and this allows Lord Dying to experiment with their standard Sludge/Doom Metal sound.

The whole feel of the album will surprise you in many ways with the band experimenting with genres such as Prog Rock, Prog Metal, Psych and even Folk Rock. Mysterium Tremendum is a dark and mysterious album with the early songs setting up a gloomy and caustic atmosphere that lingers onto the very end of the album.

Songs such as Envy The End, Nearing The End Of The Cutting Worm and The End Of Experience sees Lord Dying drawing influences from bands such as Yes, Metallica, Mastodon and OPETH. The end result is dark, surreal, trippy and hypnotic. The sludgy grooves from Lord Dying previous albums are there in the background. However this is a more focused and more grown up Lord Dying that I personally didn’t expect.

The production on Mysterium Tremendum is excellent and Lord Dying have never sounded this good before especially on the 2^nd half of the album where songs such as Severed Forever, Freed From The Pressure Of Time and “Split From a World Within, Devoid of Dreams Death, The Final Loneliness” show you how far Lord Dying have come as musicians since their debut album.

Compare this album to their debut album and you wouldn’t know it was the same band. Lord Dying have delivered their best album to date with Mysterium Tremendum. Some of their established fan-base may not enjoy the album at first. As it’s so vastly different to their earlier material. However it’s good to see Lord Dying creating a more diverse sound.

Mysterium Tremendum is a thrilling and brilliantly bold album that Lord Dying should rightly be proud of. This is as good as it gets. No question….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lisa at Hold Tight PR for the promo. Mysterium Tremendum is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via eOne.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Exclusive Album Premiere Of THE PILGRIM New Album - Walking Into The Forest

Gabriele Fiori -- frontman of Rome-based outfits Black Rainbows and Killer Boogie and a key figure in Europe’s heavy underground as the head of the Heavy Psych Sounds label and booking agency -- was not exactly lacking for things to do. And yet, a couple years back, The Pilgrim started to nebulously take shape as an idea for a solo-project, something different than the hard-driving psychedelia and garage heavy rock for which he’d already been so revered. April 26th 2019 will see The Pilgrim to release his hotly anticipated solo-debut Walking Into The Forest!

"This is a project I really care, and has been in my pocket for so long without any time available to dedicate to.“ Fiori explains. "Finally we made it! And I am so happy, proud and released to have accomplished it. To me it's an authentic work, came out really spontaneously from the inside and it's a challenge cause we never played so low and calm!!"

It wasn’t until January 2018 that The Pilgrim really got to putting songs together, but the end result on Walking Into The Forest is a space-folk release with a personality unto itself. 

Songs like the opener 'Peace of Mind' evoke some of Fiori’s more rocking side, while 'Sunset in the Desert' feels like an ode to the acoustic album Kyuss never made, and side B, which starts with the Hawkwind cover 'Brainstorm' and ends with the moody strum of 'Suite #2' -- originally from Void Generator’s 2004 debut EP; when Fiori was in the band -- hones a cosmic drift and textures that nonetheless remain accessible and organic thanks to their acoustic foundation.

With Walking Into The Forest, Fiori evokes a sound that is both classic and fresh, melodically rich and creatively constructed. It is a new outlet for Fiori that demands spiritual as well as auditory engagement, and an all-things-permissible sonic context that one can only hope The Pilgrim continues to explore.

In completing the arrangements, Fiori turned to Black Rainbows drummer Filippo Ragazzoni, and as he says, “Songs came out so spontaneously and easy. I always played acoustic guitar and wanted to push further on this path. The songwriting, rehearsing and recording approach was so different from usual Rainbows or Boogie style, both to me and Filippo for drums, because all the instruments needed to be played smoothly, softly.”

Recorded at Nero Studio in Rome on a fantastic 70's SSL mixing console during the fall 2018, the mix and mastering took place at JD Studio by Pino Santamaria, the same engineer who mixed several Black Rainbows albums. The album artwork has been accomplished by Marteen Donders.

Thanks to Heavy Psych Sounds and All Noir PR you can listen to the excellent new album in full below. You can read my review of the album here where I stated:

"Overall, Walking Into The Forest is a superb sounding album that has quite an emotional depth and a few hidden surprises along the way. You don’t have to be a fan of Black Rainbows to enjoy this album. You just need to be a fan of great music in general and that is what Walking Into The Forest actually is. A great album that offers a wide range of different musical elements and leaves you with a warm happy vibe that’s totally addictive and very hard to beat."

Release Date: 26.04.2019, Heavy Psych Sounds

Formats: LP, CD + Digital Download

PRE-ORDER: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS092

Tracklist:

1. Peace Of Mind
2. The Time You Wait
3. Sailor
4. Dragonfly
5. Sunset In the Desert
6. Brainstorm (Hawkind cover)
7. Pendulum
8. When I Call Your Name
9. Secrets
10. Suite #2

The Pilgrim is:

Gabriele Fiori - Guitars, Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Synths
Filippo Ragazzoni – Drums

For More Info Visit The Pilgrim:

www.facebook.com/THEPILGRIMACOUSTIC/
www.heavypsychsounds.com

An Interview With THE CAPTAIN From KAL-EL

Norwegian Fuzz/Spaced Out/Stoner Rockers KAL-EL have steadily been making a name for themselves over the last few years with their most recent albums Ecopshere and Astrodoomeda winning acclaim within the Fuzz/Stoner Rock community. 

This has lead the band to being signed to Argonauta Records and playing countless gigs over the last few years.

However the band has experienced a few lows recently and I wanted to catch up with the band to see how things are doing within the KAL-EL camp. I'm happy to say that THE CAPTAIN who provides vocals for the band give me this very cool and honest interview where we discussed the recent obstacles the bands have faced and what the future holds for KAL-EL.

Hi Kal-El Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today. Been a while.

Hi Steve, thanks for checking in on us. Yeah, been a while indeed. Glad to see you decided to continue the good work with updating the community on new bands, releases and all the good stuff. There is not many warriors like you, and we need every single one of you guys. Thank you!!

Well, even if we don’t seem to be very active as of late on the surface, there has been a whole lot of activity behind the scenes. We have been hard at work in the studio making our follow-up to the well received Astrodoomeda. We immediately felt the pressure of making a «good follow-up record» with everything we saw happening after the  Astrodoomeda release, getting invited backstage at Ozzy Osbourne show, getting messages from Tony Iommi, mails from Blasko and so on, but it all kinda faded away when Liz became very ill. 

To the point that she has to sit out several shows. She is not giving up easy, so she’ll fight as long as she can, and we, of course, support her in every possible way. She is now and forever our sister, a vital part of the family, and we do whatever we can to give her time to get through this. She, on her side though, has said that this train called Kal-El needs to continue, so we have our brother Torp stepping in whenever we need to travel without her.

Things have been really busy with KAL-EL recently with Rolf Thore (Guitarist) leaving recently. What happened there. Are you still on good terms with Rolf. As he was a major part of KAL-EL overall sound.

Yeah, second blow lately. The family bit took too much time, and with two small kids, touring ate him more and more to the point he flat out threw in the towel. We fully support his decision, and there is NO bad blood between the remaining Kal-El and Roffe. He will continue to be our brother, the same friend he always has been, just outside the band now, taking care of his family.

As for the sound, yeah, he certainly had a distinctive way of bending the guitars to his will, with a lot of the current sound being a part of that. However, even if a certain play style go away, the music and the riffs will remain. Rest assured that it will be every bit as heavy and melodic as it’s always been. Even more so with two guitar players!

You’ve added a new member to the ranks with Kristoffer «Doffy» Ranawerra. And you’ve also added a 2nd Guitarist to KAL-EL as well with Josh joining recently Did you know both Doffy and Josh before they both joined the band

Doffy has been a friend of the members of Kal-El, for as long as I can remember, with Bjudas playing drums in his band, Borderline Case, for several years. When Roffe decided to call it quits, his name came up pretty fast, and he quickly came around joining us full-time. His other band is pretty far away from our sound, so he went out and bought all the heaviest fuzz boxes he could find, just to come as close to the Kal-El sound he could, and after a few rehearsals we pretty much agreed upon the fact that we had our guy.

Josh played in a band called Leafy, which at some point in time did support for us, so we kind of knew of him. When we decided to add another guitar to thicken the live sound (even more than with Roffe), he was one of the guys showing up for audition. We had been through long sessions with guys maybe not totally understanding what our music is all about, so we where kinda taken off guard when he just waltzed in, knowing ALL the songs of Astrodoomeda, and whatever he could find on YouTube. And on the parts he wasn’t sure of what to do, he, with tons of confidence, just jammed along with killer improv stuff we just loved. After a brief discussion after the session, we knew we had our second guitar player, and man, the wall of sound live will blow you away.

What does Doffy and Josh bring individually to the KAL-EL sound.

Beside being the same kind of bad humour, easy going, good people as the rest of the band (!), it will definitely up the game on the technical bit of our music. Roffe was never a solo guitar player (he is a firm believer of delivering power cords only), and he always cringed when he had to come up with something solo-ish. Now we got two players, both capable of ripping killer solos, so that’s one aspect of the music going forward, that will have the biggest impact.

If Doffy is a more «delicate» guitarist with deep psychedelia solos, Josh is a more brute power cord player with great knowledge of the genre and the riff. Have no fear though, Kal-El will never become a guitar solo type of band, the mighty riff will always be the catalyst for the music, but perhaps the solos that do appear, will be somewhat more technical than they’ve been before.

Argonauta Records have just released your 2015 album Ecopshere on Vinyl. Nice. Congrats on that. So how did that idea come about to release the album on Vinyl. Was it your idea or Gero at Argonauta Records.

This is all on Gero. He approached us with the idea that he will reissue our entire catalogue on Argonauta Records, one record at the time. So, with Ecosphere out now on red special edition vinyl, I guess sometime next year or so, Pakal will appear on perhaps yellow vinyl? Who knows,

Gero runs that show, but we are very pleased indeed with the fact that Ecosphere now is available on vinyl. We are very pleased with Gero and his hard work for all his bands on Argonauta Records, and for him to re-release all our records under his umbrella, kind of tell us he is serious about keeping us around.

Are you pleased how the vinyl has came out. As the vinyl looks epic in the pictures you’ve posted on your Facebook Page.

We are very happy that our fans will get the opportunity to get it on vinyl. It looks killer with blood red vinyl, and the artist, Mr Voetman who made the artwork, always had vinyl size cover in mind when he made it.

You did a USA Tour back in 2018. How was that tour and how was reception to the KAL-EL Live Experience from the USA crowd.

It became quite a bit more than expected. We knew we had some record sales there, but for fans to travel by plane to get to our shows, covered with Kal-El tattoos was a bit overwhelming. The Captain had to give away his scene shirts to fans, and we were quite surprised over the reception. First night in Seattle with a sold out Sub Station kinda set the barrier, and with our brothers in Wizzerd as touring buddies, we had one a hell of a time there.

There is a so much to tell about that tour, much will stay on the road though (you know, what happens on tour, stay on tour :) ) but to bring up a few highlights; meeting Butch Vig, the producer of Nevermind in Seattle at our show, recording in a desert at sunset, millions of Corona, getting high on Cody’s porch in Visalia, playing Kyuss on 11 as we crossed the Nevada desert and meeting tons of good bands and people would be some of the things we will forever cherish from that tour

Do you have any future plans to return to the USA and do more gigs.

There are indeed plans in motion, so the answer is yes :)

Do you have any more gigs in Europe coming this year. I’ve seen a date in the UK later this year. Can you give more details of upcoming gigs and festival appearances.

We have a few gigs between now and the EU tour in October-November. The exact dates and venues will be announced when it is getting a bit closer, but due to Liz, we decided to concentrate on the new record instead of booking a lot of shows before the fall this year. We do a festival in Derby during the UK dates as well as a show in Edinburgh and Bradford.

We also have two major «fall» festivals in Netherlands and Belgium lined up, but not all in with details yet. The EU tour we do together with Wizzerd, and man, we look forward to hook up with those guys again

Other things happening is a few Kal-El members together with some local musicians will do a one time only Black Sabbath tribute later this year in our home-town of Stavanger.

Will you be recording any new music in the future. Or is too soon to talk about a new record from KAL-EL.

We dropped a single digitally last year, our take on the everlasting «Cocaine» by JJ Cale, and as I’ve hinted earlier in the interview, we have a new record coming this year, early October, where it will be to find. We are beyond exited to share this new music with our fans, and hopefully new fans, as its a more darker theme to it all this time around.

Even if its still in the sci-fi universe lyrically, its somewhat more about death and manipulation this time, and less «need for speed» joyride fun as «Spacecraft». The upcoming record had the work title «Quadrutopia», but will be named «Witches of Mars». The cover-art is all about done, and will be presented within a few weeks i guess.

The songs will be mixed and mastered by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studios during the summer months, so its kinda all hands in to finish the last bits of tweaking now.

After this release, we will tour and play a lot to get the new guys into it all, then again we always make new riffs, have plenty of ideas, but perhaps we need to let fans digest what we have released so far. Maybe an EP or a single now and again, but a full record might be a few years away after Witches of Mars. 

How do you feel towards Argonauta Records and All Noir

Gero is an ACE dude. He really genuinely cares about his bands. We hooked up while we played in Italy, but never had the chance to sit down and have a good talk due to busy schedules. We know however, that he has plans for us, and after teaming up with Mona at All Noir to give us brilliant PR coverage, we couldn’t be more happy at the moment. We haven’t really seen what Mona can do, as she came on board after Astrodoomeda, but I guess we will see the full power of her reach when we release Witches of Mars in October.

What we do lack though, is being on the roster of a booking agent. We haven’t really talked seriously to anyone yet, but perhaps we will contact some agents in near future so see if there is any interest. And also, perhaps as time go, a manager. As you know the Captain manages the band (as I have a hard time just letting other people fix stuff) but it does take a lot of time, and to be honest, I relax more and more and wouldn’t mind giving the right person to do the job. The band still exist, and I’m still on speaking terms with every member, so I guess it hasn’t been too bad so far.

Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go do you have anything to say to your fans. Best of luck with the new vinyl.

Spacers, please buy music and support the scene, and support your local bands and buy their music and merch too. There is probably great bands where you live that is just as good as any major acts, just kept in silence. Keep supporting, and together we build this underground of heavy riffs.

Thank you some much for reaching out Steve, keep fighting the good fight brother

Words by Steve Howe and The Captain

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

These Beasts - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: March 29th 2019. Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

These Beasts S/T – Tracklisting

1.End of the Whip 04:21

2.Shovel and Pick 05:32

3.Shirilla in a Tub 03:19

4.Fedor 04:50

5.Luke Warm at Best 03:09

6.Impugn 05:54

Members

Chris Roo - Guitar and Words

Keith Anderson - Drums

Todd Fabian - Bass and Words

Review

These Beasts self-titled debut release sees the band play a wild and vivid collection of different styles such as Sludge Rock, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Psych Rock and Noise Rock. They have created a totally different sound that I was originally expecting. The music is angry and pissed off from the start. The band feel and sound like they take influence from bands such as BOTCH, Unsane and CAVE-IN whilst remaining true to the Stoner Rock/Metal roots. Throw in some Baroness and Mastodon progressive Sludge Metal melodies and you have a band that will entertain you for the next 28 minutes or so.

The whole EP has a heavy metallic rock vibe running from beginning to end with the odd flourish of Psychedelic Metal showing These Beasts are quite adapt playing whatever style the mood calls for on each individual song.

The standout songs have to be: End Of The Whip, Shovel and Pick, Fedor and Impugn. The one thing that stands out for me the most on this EP is the epic Bass Guitar played by Todd. As Todd provides the thumping rhythm and heartbeat for These Beasts to thrive upon. Add the harsh and cool guitars from Chris and Keith’s precise drumming and you have an EP that is very hard to describe but also equally addictive at the same time.

These Beasts also remind me of KOWLOON WALLED CITY in many ways especially with the dirty sludgy and gloomy atmospherics the band use as the main ingredient for their music. The production and overall feel of the EP is very raw but one that’s superb throughout. These Beasts offer a violent Sludge/Stoner/Noise Rock experience that demands your full undivided attention.

If you’re looking for a superbly weird and entertaining record that packs an almighty punch then you’ve came to the right place. As this is a thrilling EP and one that makes me excited to see what These Beasts will release next. These Beasts have huge potential and they prove that on their debut EP.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Jadd at Red Lead Media for the promo. These Beasts is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp