Introduce Yourselves: BEDTIMEMAGIC

What is the name of your band?

BEDTIMEMAGIC. We're from Boston, MA.

•What is the genre of music that you play?

I call it "trash rock". Some people would say, "noise rock"...Morgan likes to say it's like if you took just the ending of a Who song, where they're smashing the guitars, and ditched the rest.

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

In 2013 I was looking for a drummer to start a two or three piece band with myself (Nicholas) on bass. I had played guitar for most of my life and wanted to dork around on a Rickenbacker, a bass I'd coveted for a long time and finally saved up to buy. A few people auditioned based off of an ad that I put online asking for people interested in Man Is The Bastard, Black Flag, etc. Morgan was one of those people. I showed him a song I was workshopping and he played this great, lively, almost irregular beat."That's pretty good, man, but can you play it a bit more straight-forward?" I said to him. He shook his head and said, "No." That's when I knew we should work together.

What can people expect from your music?

It's very loud, very deafening, very gruesome. Our music is hanging on by its nails. I think it you like music you might like us.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Hard to say what a "best release" is...we have a sophomore full length coming out on Forbidden Place Records that people can hear on their Bandcamp (forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com). It's called "Between The Sheets". Our first record, "Pillow Talk", had a similar production team and is a pretty good representation of a standard live set that we'd play around the time it was put together in like 2018-2019.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Facebook: facebook.com/realbedtimemagic

Instagram: @bedtimemagic69

Bandcamp: bedtimeboston.bandcamp.com

Introduce Yourselves: AIWASS

What is the name of your band?

Aiwass

What is the genre of music that you play?

Psychedelic doom metal with a very occult edge

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

Founded by Blake Carrera in the haze of an Aleister Crowley reading binge in 2020, the band has expanded to include Mike Hintz as bassist/co-vocalist and Wade Von Bogs as drummer. Featuring hazy vocals, psychedelic fuzzed-out guitars, and bombastic rhythms, Aiwass is tailor made for fans of Monolord, Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, and many others in the psychedelic, stoner, and doom genres.

In April of 2021, Aiwass released our first EP, His Name Was Aiwass. Built on the back of three singles, the EP was quickly championed by the YouTube channels of scene tastemakers Rob Hammer and 666MrDoom. On November 5th, we released our first album, Wayward Gods. Featured by such luminous publications as Doomed and Stoned, Monster Riff, The Obelisk, and Doom Charts November 2021, the album has seen massive success behind its critical praise and demonstrates that Aiwass is a voice to be reckoned with in the burgeoning doom metal scene.

Today, we’re working on a live set that will capture the spiritual intensity of the album as well as working on a second album that is scheduled to be recorded in May of 2022.

What can people expect from your music?

Bludgeoning guitars, spacey vocals, bombastic rhythms, and lyrics about the occult, Jungian psychology, and mental illness. Aiwass is about sensory overload, about pulling you into a sonic landscape reminiscent of a Hieronymous Bosch painting. The songs are also generally pretty long, as they’re meant to take you on a journey. We’re great for fans of Black Sabbath, Monolord, Electric Wizard, Sleep, and Windhand.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Wayward Gods (2021) is our first full length album and really captures the sound of the band. While it was written and recorded before Mike Hintz and Wade Von Bogs joined the band, it’s representative of the bombastic power of Aiwass and its influences such as Aleister Crowley. Solis in Stellis, a collaboration with Astral Construct, is also a great one to check out. All Bandcamp proceeds from the song go directly to the Scleroderma Foundation for research into a cure.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Instagram
Facebook
Bandcamp
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube

Space Coke - Lunacy (Album Review)

Release Date: January 14th 2022. Record Label: Forbidden Place Records. Format: DD/CD

Lunacy  - Tracklisting

Bride Of Satan

Alice Lilitu

Frozen World

LIghtmare

Twist Of Cain

Members

Reno Gooch (Guitar and Vocals

 Jay Matheson, (Bass and Recording Engineer)

Brandon Johnson (Drums)

 Moses Andrews III (Organ and Keys)

Review

Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Rockers Space Coke have always had a “GONZO” approach to their music but they take it even further on their third full length album Lunacy. This album feels like the “INMATES HAVE TAKEN OVER THE ASYLUM” with the band taking an experimental Occult/Space Rock approach with their sound. Parts Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa and sounds of the legendary 60's Psych Rock Scene for an album quite hard to comprehend at first. As there’s a lot of different ideas, stories and grooves that rewrites the Doom/Stoner Metal rule-book in places.

Lunacy is a dark and brooding experience with its lush psychedelic and scary occult themes amongst the Jimi Hendrix inspired Psychedelic Freakouts and Frank Zappa heavily inspired lyrics. Though it’s the heavy Space Rock element I dig the most about Lunacy. Space Coke brings a fresh perspective when splicing Occult themes to WEEDIAN based culture. The album is a mixture of different creative elements from members of the band. You may think you’re living inside a surreal Psychedelic Nightmare and I suppose that is the point of the album. It’s not meant to make sense but I had a devilish time listening to all the groovy and hazy madness going on inside the album especially on songs such as Bride Of Satan, Frozen World, Lightmare and Twist Of Cain.

The sound clips are an inspired choice especially when the album keeps on taking sinister turns just for the sheer hell of it. I did have a struggle at first with some of the lyrical content but repeated listens helped that I soon got the message of it all. So don’t go expecting a straight forward album. Space Coke always thrives on creating unsettling environments held deep within the dark depths of Doom/Stoner Metal.

The band show their love for the Psychedelic and Experimental music scene from the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. So it doesn’t exactly sound modern by today’s standards but there’s a KICK-ASS Fuzz Rock attitude with Sabbath based grooves to hopefully keep the followers of the MIGHTY RIFF entertained from start to finish.

Lunacy is aptly named and the production values are off the scale that make this album sound daring, bold and downright freaky. Yeah, I loved LUNACY just for its sheer bravado and rebellious spirit that Space Coke has created for this album.

Overall, Lunacy is a deeply inventive album packed full of great sounds, grooves and wonderfully bleak ideas that allow Space Coke to stand out from the “weirdo” Doom/Stoner Metal crowd.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.

Lunacy will be available to buy on CD/DD via Forbidden Place Records from January 14th 2022.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

The King's Pistol Premiere New Single SNOW BLIND From Upcoming New EP - I AM THE KING

'Snow Blind', a brand new single from The King's Pistol with a video by Witch Finder General (Devil's Witches) from their third EP 'I Am The King' which will be premiering on New Year's eve ahead of the pre-sale starting end of January with Majestic Mountain Records.

'Snow Blind' gives us a razor sharp look into what's in store for us with The King's Pistol's third ep, 'I Am The King', an electrically eclectic and raucously rowdy slice of filthy rock and fucking roll heaven.

Dripping with equal parts soul and sleaze, The King's Pistol has taken their already salaciously clever songwriting and unflappably tight musicianship to the next level and beyond with their third offering which boasts a boisterously addictive collection of tracks fit to soundtrack the most debauched of celebrations or a simply misenthropic, table flipping fist to cuffs down at the local pub. This is a balls to the wall, no nonsense rock and roll made Pistol style, brilliantly brash with lashings of psychedelic wonder and grimy disco fever.

Pistol's satiny, lyrical pomposity and chunky riffing, stomping Hendrixain interludes and blasting beats right on the money from drummer James Farmer, Andy Shardlow's bombastic bass stylings tying this rousingly volatile little hand grenade into something something akin to a giant, ticking time bomb of intoxicatingly thrilling, rollicking rock and roll revelry. 'I Am The King' Is coming for you and we get a good taste of what's in store with 'Snow Blind'!

Turn it up and get twisted with The King's Pistol!

Snow Blind Recorded at Foel Studios
Engineered by: Chris Fielding
Mixed and mastered by: James Farmer Jnr
Video: Witch Finder General

LInks

Facebook | Instagram

Thanks to Majestic Mountain Records for all of the details.

Outlaws Of The Sun - Top 30 Records Of 2021

So another year has ended and I would rank 2021 as a pretty great year for new albums being released and musical discoveries. Sure COVID-19 has made things extra hard but the music saved my sanity on more than one occasion and doing the blog helped as well.

Here's my list of the best 30 Albums of 2021. 

I want to dedicate this list to one of my closest friends and biggest supporters from the scene Michael William Petry who sadly passed away earlier this year. You'll be missed mate.

I want to thank you all for reading the blog on a daily basis and letting me air my views on releases within the world of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.

Huge Thanks to Frazer Jones at Desert Psychlist for his never-ending support and words of encouragement. Matthew Thomas for having my back throughout the year. 

Same goes to Gizmo, Michael William Petry, Edd JR Saylor, Todd Stealey, Håkan Nyman, Marty Harvey, Sue Wright, Steve Rodger, James Marshall, Bill Goodman for their support as well.

I must also give a shout out to the Bands, Labels and PR Reps who helped me be aware of albums or bands that I may have missed.

Right, time to get down to business of THE MIGHTY RIFF!!!!

1. Mastodon - Hushed & Grin

2. Boss Keloid - Family The Smiling Thrush

 

3. Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon

4. Green Lung - Black Harvest

 

5. Kal-El - Dark Majesty

 

6. Monolord - Your Time To Shine

 

7. Spaceslug - Memorial

 

8. King Buffalo - Acheron

9. The Waterfall King - Vol 1

10. Slowshine - Living Light

11. Plaindrifter - Echo Therapy

12. Restless Spirit - Blood Of The Old Gods

 

13. Modder - S/T

 

14. The Age Of Truth - Resolute

15. King Buffalo - The Burden Of Restlessness

16. Bongzilla - Weedsconsin

17. LowFlyingHawks - FUYU

18. Throneless - Pariah

 

19. Jointhugger - Surrounded By Vultures

 

20. Acid Mammoth - Caravan

21. Sunnata - Burning In Heaven, Melting On Earth

22. Floored Faces - Kool Hangs

23. 10,000 Years - II

24. Cripta Blue - S/T

25. Deathchant - Waste

26. Acid Magus - Wyrd Syster

27. Borracho - Pound Of Flesh

 

28. Planet Of The Dead - Pilgrims

29. Somnuri - Nefarious Wave

30. Red Beard Wall - 3

Introduce Yourselves: Black Overdrive

What is the name of your band?

Black Overdrive

What is the genre of music that you play?

It’s easier for us to say we’re Stoner Metal. If you’re into COC, High on Fire, Celtic Frost, Down, Fu Manchu and Slayer, you get the idea.

 

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

Back in 2012, the four of us had main bands. This was a side Project intended to be a cover band. But, we couldn’t play any covers at all, it was not in us. But on that very first rehearsal, we jammed and all of a sudden had an original song. We thought, let’s do more of this! So our main bands split-up and we carried on for 10 years and 3 albums.

What can people expect from your music?

Heavy riffing, cool hooks, venomous lyrics.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Let’s say All Evil is our Ride the Lightning and Discord is our Kill’em All. You get the idea.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

We are everywhere! This very link will take you anywhere you want to go:

https://linktr.ee/blackoverdrive

Introduce Yourselves: The Spiral Electric

What is the name of your band?

The Spiral Electric

What is the genre of music that you play?

Heavy Psychedelic / Acid Rock

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

We started as a duo-- the songwriting core of Clay Andrews & Nicolas Percey met at a Primal Scream / Brian Jonestown Massacre concert in 2009, and bonded over a mutual love of loud, druggy music and weed. We began releasing home-recorded demos in 2011, and full-band live performances followed in 2012. 

Touring up and down the US west coast prepared the full band for recording, and both our 2015 debut "Upon Your Shore", and 2016's "Ask the Sky" were recorded with producer Tommy Dietrick (Ringo Deathstarr, LSD & the Search for God, David J). Our 2019 double-LP was recorded with Steve Kille (Dead Meadow bassist/producer) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Metallica, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins), and it's been the one that has truly defined our audience. 

We've played concerts and tours with bands like The Kills, Black Mountain, Dead Meadow, Yawning Man, Swervedriver, King Buffalo, Here Lies Man, The Dandy Warhols, Spindrift, The Warlocks, Lumerians, Turn Me On Dead Man, and New Candys, and notable festivals like Starry Nites (Santa Barbara), SubZero (San Jose), Desert Stars (Joshua Tree), Portland Psych Fest, and the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair (San Francisco).

The current lineup consists of founders Clay Andrews (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards) and Nicolas Percey (lead guitar), with longtime member Matias Drago (drums) and newcomer Ryan McKnight (bass). 

What can people expect from your music?

We're sitting on the fence between psychedelic rock and stoner rock and leaning against the garage to keep it loose-- fairly melodic, with clean vocals, but heavy and noisy, with crunch and bite. Lots of influences in the musical stew but solidly anchored in loud, weird rock. To wax poetic, our music is personal and inspired by catharsis, expressed in moments of fury, abandon and transcendence, punctuated by brooding meditation.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Our 2019 self-titled double-album, "The Spiral Electric", recorded with Steve Kille (Dead Meadow's bassist/producer) closely captured our sound and best indicates our future direction. It's the one that got the most attention, with continuing worldwide airplay. Start there, and continue sideways.

What's next for The Spiral Electric?

We're heading back down to LA to record our next album, again with Steve Kille at the helm, in early 2022, and returning to live shows and tours as soon as the album's done. It'll be released on vinyl, and hopefully we'll manage to get some of the back catalogue, certainly the 2019 self-titled, pressed to vinyl as well.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSpiralElectric

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespiralelectric/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpiralElectric

Bandcamp: https://thespiralelectric.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FrwY9pHFj2OkWQTsHQwFf 

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-spiral-electric/1006977138 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgzDNzTHHP2C-XoDYpinPmg

Introduce Yourselves - The So-Called

What is the name of your band?

The So-Called, so called because we are The So-Called, also called So, but we hope never so so.

What is the genre of music that you play?

Heavy rock/heavy blues/psychedelic/fusion/voodoo

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

We formed in Dublin, Ireland back in 2019, Jude Shiels on vocals/guitar, Noel Martin Jnr on drums and The Pirate on bass. We played together in the past across various lineups, various genres, but we had a mutual pent up desire or craving to cut loose and take zero prisoners.

What can people expect from your music?

Intensely hard pushing full on no holding back virtuosified powertasmatically triologically infusulated heaviness!

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Return of a Band Called So, vinyl release on Nasoni Records.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://www.facebook.com/socalledirl

https://the-so-called.bandcamp.com/

Introduce Yourselves: Plague Of Carcosa

What is the name of your band?

Plague of Carcosa 

What is the genre of music that you play? 

instrumental Cthulhu doomnoise 

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

Plague was started by guitarist Eric Zann in his bedroom. The first EP was recorded on his laptop, and the followup was done live in a practice space in 1 take with just 2 microphones. From there, he found a full band for the more Bongripper style releases Hastur, Rats In The Walls, and Ocean Is More Ancient than the Mountains. After the other band members had to move away for their own personal reasons, Eric started working with Alexander Adams just before the pandemic. 

Their newer material sees them drawing influence from the Sunn/Boris collab - longer, more free-formed songs incorporating elements of drone and electronics. 

What can people expect from your music? 

It really depends on the release, but overall, we’d say: dark atmospheres, dense guitar tones, feedback, overdriven Matamps and aluminum guitars, and themes of HP Lovecraft. 

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band? 

It depends on what you like - Ocean Is More Ancient Than The Mountains is our most streamed, so I tend to point people to that one as an introduction. 

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Just Facebook and Instagram. We do not really play the social media game by choice. 

Introduce Yourselves: Samavayo

What is the name of your band?

Samavayo

What is the genre of music that you play?

It’s energetic Stoner Rock with progressive and psychedelic elements.

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

We started as a young band of 4 in 2000 and release our first album in 2005 “Death.March.Melodies!”.

Later after several releases and many many shows we became a trio in 2013 and the new chapter of Samavayo started.

The important marks were the album debut as a trio “Dakota” (2016) and our latest album “Vatan” (2018). We played great tours with Greenleaf, Stoned Jesus and The Machine and a lot of awesome festivals like Desertfest Berlin, Desertfest London, Stoned from the Underground and many more.

Our new album will be released in 2022 and have several guest musicians from befriended bands! We will play Desertfest Berlin (GER) and Sonic Blast Moledo (POR) in 2022.

Photo by Christoph Dainel Kotter

What can people expect from your music?

This is what people get on live shows and on our records: Energetic heavy rock music with melodic singing, walls of guitar and bass, groovy and powerful drums and a lot of fun for us playing it! Besides English lyrics we also have some Persian (Farsi) songs!

Photo by Christoph Dainel Kotter

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

“Vatan” from 2018 is an album with massive sound and different elements that represent Samavayo! 

https://samavayo.bandcamp.com/album/vatan

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://www.facebook.com/samavayo
https://www.instagram.com/samavayo/
https://www.youtube

Introduce Yourselves: Gramma Vedetta

What is the name of your band?

Gramma Vedetta, which we know is not easy for English speakers to pronounce. It is also always misspelt as "venNdetta". There is no N in Gramma Vedetta

What is the genre of music that you play?

We don’t know. LOL. It’s Heavy Rock for sure, with some recalls to Stoner Rock, Progressive Rock and some hints of psychedelia.

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

The band was born in late 2016 when Italians Dan and Marco started mixing riffs and pints of beer.

Starting with grunge/stoner influences, our sound has developed over the years and after two drummers and two EPs (Proof of concept 2018, ACID Compliant 2020) we are now in the process of releasing our first full length "The Hum of The Machine"- which also includes progressive rock influences.

Paul, the new drummer, joined the band a few months ago and brought all his knowledge on audio and video streaming, so for the future, we’ve planned monthly streaming gigs for our fans abroad and physical concerts for our fans in the UK.

Tell me more about the new release.

The Hum of The Machine will be released in May 2022 through Mandrone Records, a label created by Dan in 2020. It has been recorded by ourselves as a duo with the help of Teo from King Bong, who played the drum and mixed the album remotely.

The Hum Of The Machine is the natural evolution and progression of the sound started during our previous works and It will surely please fans of Monster Magnet, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Rush and Pink Floyd.

Massive riffs in Drop C, fuzzy bass lines, heavy grooves and analogue synthesizers paint nine different scenes that together tell the story of a man who struggles to keep his individuality while trying to adapt to a new world found on the other side of a Black Hole. They call it the machine.

What can people expect from your music?

Big sounding riffs, down-tuned instruments, big variety in moods between songs. And lots of sci-fi in the lyrics.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band

At the moment, A.C.I.D. Compliants is the release where the folks can understand which direction the band took in terms of sounds research and the atmosphere we like to create with our songs. But you should definitely listen to The Hum Of The Machine when it’s out.

Preferably with headphones in a dark room.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://www.grammavedetta.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@grammavedetta
https://www.instagram.com/grammavedetta
https://www.facebook.com/grammavedetta
https://www.twitter.com/grammavedetta
https://www.youtube.com/c/grammavedetta