Saturday 29 February 2020

Arteaga - Season of the Witch Chapter One (EP Review)


Release date: February 28th 2020. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Season of the Witch Chapter One - Tracklisting

1.Brujo 08:31
2.Chacal 07:24
3.Ríos de Sangre 04:03

Members

Francisco Gonzalez
Sebastián Morales Munita
Domingo Lovera Parmo


Review

South American Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Rockers – Arteaga – return with their new EP – Season Of The Witch – Chapter One. The EP has 3 songs lasting for around 20 mins and it sees Arteaga create a heavy blend of Psychedelic Doom and Stoner Rock with roots in both Classic Doom Rock/Metal and Modern-Day Stoner Rock.

The EP does have a slight “Occult” vibe with Season Of The Witch bringing a spookier element to the band’s overall sound. Traces of Acid Rock allow the band to loosen-up and play a more “Jam-Based” style of music that I didn’t expect from Arteaga and the vocals are quite abstract when played against the music being played on this EP.

Opening song – Brujo – is the standout song with Arteaga bringing their “A” Game to the party with classic sounding grooves that are way out there and that’s down to the the Trippy and Occult atmosphere that lurks beneath the FUZZED OUT HEAVY GUITARS on the song. If you like FUZZ ROCK then Arteaga have that part covered as they play a delicate blend of 70s Proto Doom and modern sounding Fuzz/Stoner Rock that allows their music to grow at a natural pace with a heavy presence to them.

Second song – Chacal – is a more heavier and FUZZED OUT affair whilst retaining Arteaga creepy Occult Sound with a deep love and appreciation for 60s/70s Psychedelic Rock. The song is quite slow to begin with but soon gathers pace towards the end.

Third song - Ríos de Sangre – is a more subdued affair that doesn’t match the excitement of dynamic flair of the other two songs but it’s good to see Arteaga play a different style of music. This song is more of an acoustic style of music that leaves you wanting heavier riffs.

Overall, this is an exciting EP from Arteaga and I can’t wait to hear what Chapter 2 has in store for us…

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Bible Black Tyrant - Encased In Iron (Album Review)


Release date: February 28th 2020. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Encased In Iron - Tracklisting

1.A Snowflake of Death's Denial 05:48
2.Valorous 04:11
3.Panic Inducer 06:57
4.Infinite Stages of Grief 03:01
5.Sickening Thrum 05:50

Members

Aaron D.C. Edge: Guitar / Bass / Cello / Midi / Vocals
Tyler Smith: Drum Kit

Review

Encased In Iron is the 2nd release from Doom/Sludge Metal Duo – Bible Black Tyrant. A band which features members from bands such as LUMBAR and EAGLE TWIN. So that should tell you the calibre of musicians and bleak heavy grooves on what to expect on this album. Aaron D.C. Edge and Tyler Smith make up this bleak sounding unit and this is a much stronger follow-up than their 2018 debut album which I’m a huge fan of.

The band soon find their mission and rhythm on the excellent opening song – A Snowflake Of Death’s Denial – and it’s a gloomy nightmarish sound that allows Bible Black Tyrant to unleash their blend of Progressive Doom/Sludge/Blackened Post-Metal sounds that do sound eerie familiar to their other bands but with a dangerous vibe to them. Aaron’s vocals are “hellish” in tone and nature with the riffs striking the right balance of bleak sounds with elements of Post-Doom sounds appearing here and there.

Second song – Valorous – takes a more caustic approach to their music whilst retaining the bleak heavy atmosphere heard on the opening song but the band start adding some groovier aspects to their music which sounds quite unsettling at times but also offers a few moments of modern sounding Psychedelic Stoner Metal that also appeared on their debut album. The song adds church bells to mix which I didn’t expect and it was quite unsettling to hear especially in the overall context of the song.

Encased In Iron carry on their bleak and hard-hitting narrative on the rest of the album with pitch-black vocals and grooves leading the way and showcasing why Aaron and Tyler are quite highly thought of within the Doom/Sludge Metal community.

The other standout songs on the album are: Panic Inducer and Sickening Thrum which perhaps bring the most fearful and brutally sounding riffs on the album.

If you’re a fan of Eagle Twin and LUMBAR then Bible Black Tyrant is the place where you need to be and perhaps this album. As it’s a more focused record compared to their debut album with a lot more daring ideas despite it’s 26 minute short running time.

Encased In Iron is a fearless statement of intent from Bible Black Tyrant and takes no prisoners with it’s uncompromising blend of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.

Awesome stuff….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. Encased In Iron is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records now.

Links:


Friday 28 February 2020

The Amblers Premiere New Song - Birds And The Bees

Birds and the Bees is the first single released by Johannesburg based rock n roll unit The Amblers from their upcoming offering. Although the two haven’t offered much insight into the track itself, what they have indicated is that its an expression of the reality that its getting tougher to have meaningful conversations because many people are easily offended these days. 

The video was shot on location at Smoking Kills Bar in Melville under the direction of Chase Beynon from Capitol Collective. 

Watch the video for Birds and the Bees

Hailing from the vibrant and diverse music industry in South Africa, The Amblers have a broad range of both local and international musical influences from Southern Gypsy Queen and The Black Cat Bones, to The Rolling Stones and Jack White. Their approach to music is raw but not unpolished, lending an authentic energy to huge drums and dirty, vintage guitar tones.

Acclaimed drummer Jason Hinch provides an accomplished and powerful framework for Justin Swart to deliver his raconteurish ideas of music and lyrics to a listener.

Links

Thursday 27 February 2020

Exclusive Premiere of MONDO GENERATOR Long Lost Album - SHOOTERS BIBLE


This is a gem! A rare pearl found in the deep sea, a MONDO GENERATOR 2010 lost album!! The vocals are ripped as usual, some songs are screamed but yet others feature melodic lines. 

The album has a punk-stoner sound with a desert rock attitude. All the songs are written by Nick Oliveri “ Rex Everything”. 

The album features the cover of “Dog Food” by Iggy Pop with Dave Grohl on drums. Nick knows how to surprise us all the time! He picked this lost gem from his secret stash! 

The artwork is by Bangalore.

Nick Olivieri says this about the album which you can listen below. 

"Like a religious person keeps the holy bible clise to the heart , I've kept these recordings close to my heart for years and i keep my hand gun in a fake bible “shooters bible” at home. So when all else fails some turn to the holy bible for guidance, i turn to my shooters bible to set me free. Play it loud like a gun blast !!!"




P the album here from Heavy Psych Sounds.

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details. 
  

Wednesday 26 February 2020

Brass Owl Announce Details Of New Album - STATE OF MIND - And Premiere Of New Single - LAND SHARK


Sometimes you just want to throw on a record and know that you are in safe hands. Well, they don’t come much safer than Cincinnati's  Brass Owl, whose collective century in the world of music has sharpened their molten blend of heavy classic rock crossed with acid jazz. Their début full-length, State of Mind, is packed with tight musicianship, expert songwriting, and an all-round fun-loving approach to rock n’ roll.



Right off the bat, Tarter’s voice possesses many hues, from the Alice in Chains nasal melodies on “Deuce Face” to the bluesy Gov’t Mule vibes on “Jive Turkey” - and much more in between. It’s a powerful set of pipes that conveys his sardonic and scornful sense of humor as he mocks the vapidity of modern society. Meanwhile, his guitar licks and largely improvised solos have earned him the coveted Steve Vai seal of approval. He makes full use of the guitar as he lets fly riff after riff on each track, while the solos dance along the fretboard. His two compadres are no slack, either - award-winning drummer Lonnie Buckley throws in jazzy beats such as on the instrumental “The Legend of F.U.J.I.M.O.”.


The whole package is neatly tied off with a crisp production - the vocals soar, the beats bounce, the guitar and bass have that 70s crunch to them, and it’s impossible not to dance along to the rhythms found on “Land Shark” or “Hook, Line and Sinker”. If this is an accurate depiction of Brass Owl’s ‘state of mind’ this early in the game as a band, imagine what delights await the next time to boys come out to play.



Brian Tarter - vocals/guitar
Lonnie Buckley - drums

1. Land Shark
2. Deuce Face
3. Hook, Line and Sinker
4. No Filter - Stay Trendy
5. Side Effect
6. The Legend of F.U.J.I.M.O.
7. Jive Turkey
8. Hoka Hey
9. Pale Horse

https://www.facebook.com/brassowlmusic/

SLEEPWULF Release New Single - WIZARD SLAYER - From Their Upcoming New Album


Swedish Doom Rockers - SLEEPWULF - release their storming new single - Wizard Slayer - from their upcoming self-titled new album due for release digitally on March 6th 2020 and on Vinyl on April 10th 2020 via Cursed Tongue Records. 


You can pre-order the album here on Vinyl via Cursed Tongue Records from March 06th 2020.

Links

Tuesday 25 February 2020

WINTERFYLLETH Announce New Album And Tour Details


Two years after their critically acclaimed acoustic/folk album, The Hallowing of Heirdom, British Black Metal pioneers WINTERFYLLETH are poised to return on May 8th 2020 with the release of their visceral new album, The Reckoning Dawn via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records.

Preorders are now available: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

Ahead of the release the band have released title single 'The Reckoning Dawn' which can be heard here: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

The first full length metal album since 2014’s The Divination of Antiquity, The Reckoning Dawn finds the band returning at the absolute top of their game, across an expansive journey of an album. Eight brand new songs of blistering, atmospheric and emotive black metal adorn the records near 60 minute running length and serves to highlight the strength and depth of material in the WINTERFYLLETH canon, resulting in one of the darkest and most powerful records of 2020.

Guitarist/vocalist Chris Naughton commented: "Having spent the last 2 years in a very different creative space, touring our acoustic album, and bringing those shows to evocative, atmospheric and unique venues all over the UK and Europe, we are now pleased to announce our return to the realms of Black Metal with our new album, The Reckoning Dawn. The culmination of almost two years of writing and collective hard work, what we are presenting here is a visceral & emotive new Winterfylleth album that we are all truly proud to put forth into the world.

"We've taken the time over the last few years to craft and grow our sound into different musical areas, really wanting to contrast that on this album; taking what we had learned from those other experiences and distilling that into what we have created here. To me it feels like a mighty, passionate and essential album of songs that push the boundaries of what a Winterfylleth metal album can be, but that also harkens back to our more traditional Black Metal sound in a more immediate way. Today we share the title track with you, but in the coming weeks and months look forward to sharing more with you, on record and on tour with our friends in Mork. We hope to see you on the road."

Recorded and produced once again by the legendary Chris Fielding (Primordial, Napalm Death, Conan, Electric Wizard, Fen) at Foel Studios in Wales, The Reckoning Dawn shows the band at their strongest, and serves as a reminder to all that WINTERFYLLETH are as relevant now as they have ever been.The band recently announced their headline tour, 'The Reckoning of Europe' which will take place in May with support from Mork.

WINTERFYLLETH will also be appearing at numerous 2020 festivals including Bloodstock, Brutal Assault, Ragnarök Festival and more.

The Reckoning Dawn will be released via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records on May 8th. Preorder now: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

Catch the band live:

April
18th - Ragnarök Festival, Stadthalle Lichtenfels, DE
19th – Café De Meister, Geleen, NL
24th – Dudefest “The Black Edition”, Karlsruhe DE

May
'The Reckoning Of Europe' with Special Guests Mork
14th - Club Volta, Cologne, DE
15th - Vienna Metal Meeting Pre-party, AU
16th - Into The Abyss Fest, Wrocław, PL
17th - Durer Kert, Budapest, HU
18th - Backstage, Münich, DE
19th – Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, DE
20th - Backstage, Paris, FR
21st – DBs, Utrecht, NL
22nd - Boston Music Room, London, UK
23rd - Rebellion, Manchester, UK

July
4th - Legions ov Darkness Fest, Cumbria, UK

August
6th - Brutal Assault, CZ
8th - Bloodstock Open Air, UK

December
11th – De Mortem Et Diabolum, Berlin, DE

WINTERFYLLETH online:

Facebook | Bandcamp | Candlelight




1. Misdeeds Of Faith

2. A Hostile Fate (The Wayfarer Pt. 4)

3. Absolved In Fire

4. The Reckoning Dawn

5. A Greatness Undone

6. Betwixt Two Crowns

7. Yielding The March Law

8. In Darkness Begotten

BONUS CD (Digipack Only)

9. Upon Gallows Frail

10. Woden (cover of the Enslaved song 'Wotan')

11. In Darkness Beholden


Monday 24 February 2020

Stone Cold Fiction - Strange Times (Album Review)


Release date: October 09th 2019. Label: Magic Moustache Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Strange Times - Tracklisting

1.Mary 03:15
2.CCTV 02:52
3.Slowburner 02:43
4.Avoiding In A Way 07:00
5.Mind On Trial 03:26
6.End 03:58
7.Landscape 10:33
8.Catatonia 04:16

Members

Matt, Alex, Stephen

Review

Stone Cold Fiction is the debut album from Stoner/Blues Rockers – Strange Times – and it’s music is steeped and influenced by sixties and seventies based Classic and Hard Rock. The album has a certain vintage feel but the band is still quite a loud, brash and heavy experience that allows the band to explore the different sounds of music that the band have lovingly crafted for this album.

Opening song – Mary – is a gloomy Blues Rock offering with the band adding slight Occult/Doom Rock vibes to their full-on Classic sounding Psych/Blues Rock grooves. The song starts off rather quietly and mellow before Strange Times adding different layers of Heavy Rock and the vocals offer a cool narrative and are never too forceful which allow them to have an easy-going free-flowing nature to them. Despite the heavy riffs leading the way.

Second song – CCTV – carries on the Blues Rock vibe with the band exploring a more upbeat style of Stoner Rock whilst maintaining their Blues Rock identity. The instrumental work can be quite complex in places but still easily addictive. The lyrics and vocals have a slight Alternative feel but Strange Times still manage to hold my attention on this song.

Third song – Showburner – has the same structure and details of the opening two songs and you can feel the rest of the album will follow this path. Though, that’s no bad thing as Strange Times prove on this song they add a lot of variety to their music with distinctive Loud and Heavy Stoner Riffs merged with their usual Blues Rock sound. The vocals yet again are superb and you can feel the tension coming from both the vocals and grizzled heavy riffs being played here.

Fourth song – Avoiding In A Way – opens with a distorted riff that airs on the cautionary side of Occult/Doom Rock. This is song is slowly played but you can feel a heavier environment is about to arrive and it does which sees a slightly different side to Strange Times. The song is in no rush to reach its final destination with almost seven minutes of pitch-perfect Blues based creepy Occult/Doom Rock tones with a strange Stoner based environment creeping in at different parts of the song. This is perhaps the standout song held on the album.

Strange Fiction carry on their almost creepy mission on the second half of the album with the ten minute plus epic Landscape being the major highlight of this part of the album. This is a soulful progressive journey which Strange Times excel in bringing different strands of Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock and Blues Rock. Maybe influenced by All Them Witches on this song but the song has got its own style and vision that the band fully excel at.

I missed this album first time round when it was originally released back in October last year. I’m quite pleased I’ve managed to listen to the album and I’m happy to report that is a superb sounding album that has the potential to surprise you in many different ways.



This album is getting a vinyl release from a new record label called Magic Moustache Records and I can see this album doing very well within the Stoner Rock Community who seek an album with a lot more variety than you wouldn’t expect.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:


Saturday 22 February 2020

STAHV - The Sundowner (EP Review)


Release date: February 21st 2020. Label: Solid 7 Records. Format: Cassette/DD

The Sundowner - Tracklisting

1.Voyage of the Dawndraper 02:38
2.All-Seeing I 07:30
3.Evhgot 07:31
4.The Sundowner 04:28

Members

Solomon Arye Rosenschein - Everything

Review

Psychedelic Post-Rock/Post-Doom Experimentalists – STAHV are back with their new EP – The Sundowner – which runs for 22 minutes. The EP is a collection of different sounds that takes you on a journey that you wouldn’t expect. STAHV embrace a “weirdo” identity on this release with flashes of 60s Psychedelic Rock. Doom Rock, Noise Rock, Post-Rock with an almost Distorted Drone mentality allowing STAHV to play whatever the FUCK comes to their minds.

The Sundowner is what you would from a band overdosing on the beautiful ideas of legendary cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky. I know that may sound strange STAHV but create LUCID MUSIC that not only seeks to elevate the mind but also one that’s quite soothing in places.

The standout two songs have to be All-Seeing I and Evhgot – as the songs feel inspired by Russian Circles and Pink Floyd with lush strands of Psychedelia turning into heavier and warped Post-Doom grooves that both leave you wanting more.

The Sundowner is perfectly named as the EP has the power to lift your mood to blissful heights but STAHV aren’t afraid to take you back to the more bleaker sides of life but the whole journey is one of discovery and I applaud STAHV for trying a different style of music compared to their previous releases.

If you want something to different to listen to that is quite original and different in it’s own right than STAHV will be waiting for you on this excellent release….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to STAHV for the promo. The Sundowner will be available to buy on Cassette/DD via Solid 7 Records from Feb 21st 2020.

Links:


NECK OF THE WOODS Release 2nd Song - VISION LOSER from their upcoming New Album - THE ANNEX OF FIRE


“Vision Loser” from Vancouver, British Columbia-based progressive death metal collective NECK OF THE WOODS. The track comes by way of the band’s imminent new full-length, The Annex Of Ire, set to drop March 20th via their new label home of Pelagic Records. 

Captured by producer/engineer Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung, Brutus etc.) at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, the relentless seven track offering capitalizes on NECK OF THE WOODS’ already ravaging recipe of rabid, methodical, and absorbing extreme/death-tinged metal.

Issues the band of the latest sampling of the record, “An absolute ripper of a tune, ‘Vision Loser’ highlights the influences of our recent ex-bass player turned full-time guitarist, Ron Holloway. With the usual NECK OF THE WOODS crew in his corner, the songs really push the envelope of the modern metal sound. Lyrically focused on understanding, processing, and overcoming anger, this song comes in hot on all fronts.”

You can view the new video for Vision Loser from their upcoming new album.


The Annex Of Ire will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find pre-ordering info below:

North America:  http://bit.ly/notwpelagicNA
Europe: http://bit.ly/notwpelagicEU
Australia: http://bit.ly/notwpelagicAUS
Digital: http://bit.ly/notwtaoiDGTL

The Annex Of Ire Track Listing:

1. The Annex Of Ire
2. Ambivalence
3. Skin Your Teeth
4. Vision Loser
5. Crosshairs Will Shift
6. Strange Consolation
7. The Tower

Links:

An Interview With SIGIRIYA


Welsh Doom/Stoner Metallers - SIGIRIYA - make a welcome return with their incredible new album - Maiden Mother Crone. Coming 6 years after their last album - Darkness Died Today. The band seem more heavier and hungrier than ever on this album and it shows.

Being released on Burning World Records in April 2020 and coming back off the recently acclaimed Acrimony (Sigiriya features 3 members of Acrimony in their ranks) back catalogue reissue which Burning World Records released as well. I wanted to catch up with the band and talk about the making of the new album, touring plans amongst other things.

So I'm more than grateful and beyond happy that the band agreed to do this interview.

Enjoy - An Interview With Sigiriya....

Hi guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today.

MATT -- Pretty good. It’s Friday and we’re jamming tonight so looking forward to making some noise and working on some new tunes.

For people not in the know, can you give a brief history lesson on how the band came together and where it is today.

MEAD -- IN 2009 Sigiriya was born from four old friends wanting to play together again. Together with the fact that we were too antisocial to find new band members. As it does, life got involved and the band had to evolve. incredibly we found 2 people who are on the same wave length and Sigiriya has continued to shine on.

It’s good to have Sigiriya back. As you guys have been away for six years. A long time since your last album. What have you guys been upto since then and why the long wait for the new album.

MATT – That’s a long and winding story. The short version is Darren left the band after the last album due to an ongoing knee issue that was starting to affect him, so it took a bit of time to regroup and find and find a suitable replacement. Luckily Rhys entered the frame and we didn’t need to look any further. Still, it took some time to bed in with the new line up, as it always does, so that accounted for a chunk of that time.

For some reason life decided to systematically have a pop at each of us, throwing us curveballs that just kept delaying things. So while it’s been a trying few years in some aspects, and definitely longer than we would have wanted between albums, ultimately its been worth it to get to where we are now. We’ve all kept busy though. Stu’s got his business, Mead DJs, Rhys has had a kid. I’ve still been playing with Suns of Thunder and my other project HWDU so no-ones been slacking.

RHYS -- Primarily we’ve been writing and playing shows, with me joining there was an obvious shift in dynamics so the writing process perhaps took a little longer because of it. That aside we’ve all had heavy duty life issues to deal with. I won’t speak for the others but I became a dad just over two years ago which was a big (albeit brilliant) adjustment and in the winter of 2018 I was diagnosed with cancer which was not only a shock but something I had to overcome and it took time. The guys were incredibly patient and a source of support and I can’t thank them enough really... I got back to it as soon as I was physically able and here we are.


We are here to talk about your new album Maiden Mother Crone which is absolutely fantastic. Loving the album. Are you excited for people to hear this album.

MATT -- Yeah definitely, we’re all really proud of it. I think the key thing is to make an album that you love listening to yourself, and we’ve definitely achieved that.

RHYS -- Thank you! I’m incredibly excited for people to hear it as it’s been a real journey for us all. It’s very satisfying seeing it come to life.

What can people expect from this album.

MATT -- Big, heavy, catchy songs. It’s not a million miles away from the other albums but it’s definitely a progression.

RHYS -- I think they can expect the classic Sigiriya majesty with, at times, a darker more focused energy and tone. It’s a true reflection of the last few years of our lives and it hasn’t been an easy ride. Although, I think it contains some of the most melodic material in the band’s history. I would hope it has a little something for everyone

This is perhaps your heaviest album to date with the band moving to a more Doom based vibe especially with the vocals and lyrics compared to your other albums. Is that a fair assumption to make.

MATT -- Yeah, it’s without doubt the heaviest album to date, but it’s not overtly heavy for the sake of being heavy. It’s still really melodic in places, and it still grooves, but there is a darker element to it.

RHYS -- Definitely - It wasn’t a conscious decision. It was an organic process and this is the result. We never set out to make a particular sounding album, this is what came. It’s definitely a cathartic experience, it certainly was for us.

MEAD -- I think we found our sound on Maiden... musically influences from doom, dub, space rock, prog, classic rock and a world of other sounds are in there but congealed into a big Welsh heap. Lyrically Pipes has taken our usual cosmo-pagan-gibberish and wrung emotion out of it with some great lyrics/vocals.

What is Maiden Mother Crone all about.

MATT -- The album itself stands as a testament to survival in the face of adversity. We’ve all lost friends and loved ones recently and death has, in a variety of ways, loomed large over us in recent years, which has bled through into the music a bit. But while death and illness have been an inescapable part of all our lives of late, and the album does deal with that, it’ does it in a positive way. I think it shows that as bleak as things can be there’s always hope, although it took some time to get to that realisation. The album is basically an act of defiance against the shit we’ve been through. Aside from that, it also blends elements of welsh folklore, sci-fi, social commentary and personal demons. Just the usual stuff that rattles around our heads.

MEAD -- Maiden Mother Crone is a representation of the sacred number 3 / goddess in Celtic lore. It stems from the fact it's our third album, the fact that she represents different stages of life, and so on.


What inspired and influenced you all when recording this album.

MATT -- Pretty much what we’ve already touched upon. For me, Arise and Crushed by the Weight of the Sky are the two most personal songs I’ve ever written lyrics for as they deal with the fallout of, and the coming to terms with, the deaths of two of my friends. Those two songs are forever linked in my head, like yin and yang, as they deal with the healing and despair respectively. The lyrics for Arise we re-written several times over the space of a few years as I dealt with it, and it needed that time to develop the sense of hope it has it in it now. It was much darker originally.

RHYS -- I’m always inspired by the greats, although I was hugely influenced by YOB, Goatsnake, Clutch, Darkthrone etc. I prefer albums to sound organic, I want to really feel like I’m in the room with them.

How was the recording process for this album compared to the other albums you made for Sigiriya.

MATT -- Much longer. Not having a fixed deadline to work too allowed me to really drag my feet! Obviously, Rhys getting his diagnosis mid-way through the recording process made us stop for a little while. Luckily, he’d already tracked his parts before he started treatment but we didn’t really want to plough on too much without him so that added a little time. Me and Stu used that time to really work on lyrics and leads and then we came together and finished it off.

Did you do anything differently when recording this album.

MATT – Darkness Died Today was recorded all together in the same studio over 6 days. This one was split up over several different sessions between two studios, with the basic tracks being recorded live together in the old BBC building in Swansea and the vocals, leads and overdubs being done in my studio afterwards. One pain in the ass when recording in the BBC building was that they have a radio studio downstairs. Stu’s guitars were so loud that they kept being picked up on the mics in the radio studio and being broadcast out. The BBC weren’t too happy about that and kept interrupting us trying to get us to stop, which obviously we weren’t too happy about either!

This album is being released by Burning World Records. (The folks behind the legendary Roadburn Festival). How did you hook up with those guys.

STU – It seemed the most logical thing to ask Jurgen if he’d be down with putting the record out after the Acrimony thing, he had first dibs really. I think the labels great and really concentrates on doing some special things with the bands it works with.

MATT – Jurgen is an absolute legend and a pleasure to work with. Luckily those guys had just done the Acrimony re-issues so it was a no brainer for us.

Did you have any other offers to release your album with.

MATT – They were the first people we spoke with and we honestly didn’t even consider doing it with anyone else. When it’s right, it’s right, you know?

RHYS – Once we agreed with Burning World we were set. They were our first choice and here we are.

Burning World Records have just released the entire Acrimony back catalogue. (For which I bought the digital versions). It’s great hearing those classic albums once again. How did that idea come about to release/reissue Acrimony back catalogue again.

STU -- Jurgen got in touch with me and said he was keen to put the stuff out, re-mastered with up dated artwork etc. He was an old fan of the band and I knew he’d put his heart into getting it done right.

The response has been great for the reissues. Did that surprise you that folks were still interested in these records. As I feel your work with Acrimony has stood the test of time from the UK Doom/Stoner Metal scene.

STU – Definitely and it’s real nice you know

MEAD -- Burning World have done a great job with the remasters, they look and sound great. it'sA really nice way to get the music out to everyone who wants it and end on a high, as we started. The chronicles have been inscribed for eternity, the Blue Star will burn on.


This is a question for Matt – Matt, your vocals are superb on Maiden Mother Crone and feel more soulful and more aggressive compared to your last album with Sigiriya. How did you prepare for this album and what did you differently as well.

MATT -- Thanks, I appreciate that. Like I mentioned before, there’s a lot of real feeling in this album and its definitely more personal from a lyrical standpoint, so I think it’s inevitable that that is reflected in the performances. It’s been very cathartic doing this album, whereas the last album was much more optimistic from the start. Being able to track the vocals myself also had a huge impact as I could take as much time as I needed, and really explore different possibilities without doing everyone’s heads in in the studio and wasting all the studio time!

You’re perhaps considered legends within the Welsh and even UK Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene with your body of work stretching back since the mid-nineties. Looking back then, did you ever think you would still be releasing music over twenty-five years later.

MEAD – As far as Acrimony goes, i personally never even considered further than what we were doing at the time. It’s an honour to think anyone gives/gave a fuck, and I've felt a lot of love for the band from people the world over in the years since. Hopefully people see we were genuine, and just made the music that we wanted and didn't just play a 'genre'.

What is your verdict on the current state of the Welsh Doom/Stoner Metal scene. There have been some amazing bands coming from Wales over the years. Are there any bands that we should be checking out right now.

MATT -- Absolutely, Wales is always overlooked and has consistently kicked out great bands that haven’t been given enough recognition. Right now everyone should go checkout Estuary Blacks and if you want one of the best live shows you’ve ever seen go watch Lacertilia. I’d be missing a trick if I didn’t mention my other band Suns of Thunder too!

STU – Yep defo check out S.O.T, Made Of Teeth (Chris West’s, ex-Taint 3 piece). And BUDGIE of course.

MEAD -- I don't know anything about Welsh stoner doom, or any kind of stoner doom really
I’m more into shamanic BM, space rock, crust punk, 70's prog, dub and so on. There's a Welsh psybass producer called Saxone Higgs (Beatroots/Brujo's Bowl) who's pretty cool though.

Will you be doing a tour for the new album. Or will it be dates here and there.

MATT – There’s talk of a tour but nothing concrete. There’ll definitely be dates throughout the year though so keep your eyes peeled.

Thanks for doing this interview guys. Best of luck with the new album.

MATT – Cheers dude!

STU -- Aye, nice one Steve mate.

MEAD -- Cheers for the interview man, hope the world treats you well.

RHYS -- Ta man.

Words by Steve Howe and SIGIRIYA

Thanks to Jurgen at Burning World Records for arranging the interview and to SIGIRIYA for taking the time out to do this interview.

Maiden Mother Crone will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Burning World Records from April 15th 2020.

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