Exclusive Song/Video Premiere Of Psych Stoner Rockers CRANEIUM New Song THE FLOW OF TIME & AGE

We're truly excited to premiere the new song/video for THE FLOW OF TIME AND AGE from Psych/Stoner Rockers CRANEIUM thanks to the awesome folks over at Majestic Mountain Records.

The Lowdown

“Lyrically we have often returned to the subject of mortality and the choices that shape your life. You only get one. - Martin

“Another track that we decided to save for later on. We felt like it could stand as a single on its own. It started out with an acoustic intro that turned into something else completely when the bass-riff came along. Droning guitars and dreamy mellotron-melodies on top. It’s different but definitely Craneium.” - Andreas

When on tour we listen to the classic Pink Floyd track “Time” a lot, and I think it is safe to say that “Flow of Time and Age” is a not so distant relative, musically and lyrically” - Martin

"Our new track dives into the weight of memory, the slow collapse of what we hold dear, and tha/t urgent need to act before the moment slips away. It's heavy, melodic, and it hits like a truth you weren’t ready to face." - Joel

“Finnish fuzz-rockers Craneium swear their guitarist Martin isn’t getting old — but the walker, the afternoon naps, and the deep sighs suggest otherwise. Their new music video is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the fact that time waits for no one — but luckily fuzz pedals help soften the blow.” - Craneium

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

5 JUNE – Copenhagen, DK, Lygtens Kro with Dunes and Grinding Eyes
6 JUNE – Berlin, DE, Pump Track with Black Magic Tree and Zen Bison
7 JUNE – Frankfurt am Main, DE, Ponyhof with The Black Cat's Eye
8 JUNE – Göppingen, DE, Zille with High Priest of Haze
10 JUNE – Prague, CZ, Sally O'Neals with The Winter Sounds
12 JUNE – Leipzig, DE Black Label
13 JUNE – Słupsk, PL Motor Rock Pub
14 JUNE – Łomża, PL Pub "Pod Ratuszem"

Credits:

All music written, arranged and performed by Craneium

Andreas Kaján - vocals, guitar and keys

Joel Kronqvist - drums and percussion

Jonas Ridberg - bass 

Martin Ahlö - guitar

Recorded and produced by Joona Hassinen at Studio Underjord, Finspång, Sweden October 2022

Mixed and mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén.

Lyrics

”Flow of Time and Age”

Time keeps on flowing like a stream

Taking with it all your hopes and dreams

How could one wish for something more

And one day you'll all be washed ashore

Brought into life with loving breath

I fear I'll wither and I'll face my death

To know you numb beyond belief

Ain't returning from the lands of sleep

Take your time to shine, don't fall behind

Look within your mind, don't waste your time

Chorus

Merciless and fierce, the flow of time and age

There's no kindness in this world, the drowning voices won't be heard

Far in the distance like a dream

Taking us further than we've ever been

And if we someday reach this place

Into the void one last embrace

Take your time to shine, don't fall behind

Look within your mind, don't waste your time

Chorus

Merciless and fierce, the flow of time and age

There's no kindness in this world, the drowning voices won't be heard

Thanks to Majestic Mountain Records for all of the details.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/craneiumband

https://www.instagram.com/craneiumband

https://craneiumband.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://twitter.com/Majestic_vinyl

https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com

https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com

Craneium - Empty Palaces (Single Review)

Release Date: November 22nd 2024. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: DD

Empty Palaces - Track Listing:

Empty Palaces

Review

Finnish Stoner Rock heroes Craneium have had a stellar year already by releasing their latest album Point Of No Return to critical acclaim and now the guys have just announced they’ve signed up with the brilliant record label Majestic Mountain Records for their next album due to be released in 2025. To celebrate this fact, the band have released their new song Empty Palaces and it’s quite a departure to the COSMIC surroundings from Point Of No Return.

Craneium deliver a 1970’s Heavy Rock inspired track that’s spliced with their trademark 1990’s Stoner Rock/Metal sound. Taking cues from bands such as Blue Oyster Cult, Saint Vitus and Black Sabbath on this track but with an aggressive Post-Stoner groove that offers slight glimpses to their trademark sound. The vocals are catchy yet again with superb lyrics that are quite easy to remember so you can join in with the Stoned Out magical themes Craneium deliver here.

There is still a sense of gloominess hidden behind the meaning of the lyrics and with the psychedelic instrumental passages that showcase that Craneium could potentially be delivering their heaviest record to date with their upcoming new album.

Overall, Empty Palaces is a first rate track from one of Finland’s finest Stoner Rock bands currently out there who manage to deliver another outstanding slice of Stoner Rock magic. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Empty Palaces is available to buy now on Digital Download via Majestic Mountain Records.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/craneiumband

https://www.instagram.com/craneiumband

https://craneiumband.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://twitter.com/Majestic_vinyl

https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com

https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com

Craneium Signs to Majestic Mountain Records & Unveils New Single "Empty Palaces"

Finnish progressive heavy psychedelic rockers Craneium are thrilled to announce they’ve officially signed with Majestic Mountain Records. To celebrate this exciting occasion, the band will release their brand-new single "Empty Palaces" this Friday, available on all digital platforms. 

In a statement from the band, guitarist Martin Ahlö shared: “A friend of the band gifted us a book on old Egyptian magick, and some of the spells carried really empowering messages. It also inspired the themes that we explored a lot in our music at the moment: the inevitable decay of mankind’s empires and monuments at the hands of nature and time.”

Drummer Joel Kronqvist added, “We’re beyond excited to share a new single called ‘Empty Palaces’ with the world. This track is the perfect blend of our signature 90’s edge mixed with the soulful, retro vibes of the 70’s.”

Known for their ability to seamlessly blend classic riffing with dynamic atmospheres, Craneium explores the ebb and flow of light and heavy, drawing inspiration from '70s hard rock, '90s desert psychedelia, and various other musical influences. Their sound stands as both timeless and uniquely their own.

Formed in 2011 in Turku, Finland, Craneium has made a name for themselves with electrifying live performances across the Nordic countries and Europe. Having shared the stage with acts such as Skraeckoedlan (SWE) and Mars Red Sky (FRA), Craneium continues to spread their powerful sound to fans worldwide.

The band has already released four albums and two split releases and is currently working on a new full-length album, tentatively scheduled for release in 2025, now under the wing of Majestic Mountain Records.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/craneiumband

https://www.instagram.com/craneiumband

https://craneiumband.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

https://twitter.com/Majestic_vinyl

https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com

https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for all of the details.

Craneium - Point Of No Return (Album Review)

Release Date: 23rd February 2024. Record Label: The Sign Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Point Of No Return - Tracklisting

1.One Thousand Sighs

2.The Sun

3.A Distant Shore

4....of Laughter and Cries

5.Things Have Changed 

6.Search Eternal

Members

Andreas Kaján – Guitars and Vocals 

Martin Ahlö – Guitars and Vocals 

Jonas Ridberg – Bass 

Joel Kronqvist – Drums

Review

Heavy Psychedelic Stoner Rockers Craneium return with their new album Point Of No Return which sees the band continue to evolve with their Spaced Out Heavy and Cosmic sounding grooves which became quite prominent on their acclaimed 2021 album Unknown Heights. This time round Craneium delivers a heavier and darker style of music that retains a vital Psychedelic  creative energy which sees the band deliver similar SONIC sounds to bands such as King Buffalo, ELDER and Monolord whilst still creating their own great style.

The album is quite conceptual dealing with the effects of Climate Change, Global Warming and who will be left to look after the planet. So the album is quite topical with Craneium delivering that message very early on within the standout opening tracks of One Thousand Sighs and The Sun. The music is brilliantly melodic with flashes of FUZZY and DOOMED out dominance which works amazingly well with the band’s uplifting Psychedelic Stoner Rock energy with great vocals to match.

Both of the opening tracks feel like two different sides of the same coin with One Thousand Sighs being more Heavy Psychedelic sounding and The Sun being more Post-Doom based with some epic instrumental moments being heard throughout both tracks. This allows Point Of No Return to easily be part of the “DOES IT DOOM” category very early on.

Craneium provide a wide cinematic scope to their music which comes primarily into play on the next batch of tracks with A Distant Shore, ….of Laughter And Cries and Things Have Changed being quite emotional when the music switches to a more 1970’s Prog Rock direction and the hard hitting lyrics delivering a few home truths about where the planet maybe headed. The music is beautifully melodic and superbly played with the atmosphere being most Post-Rock orientated but Craneium knows when to deliver the knockout Psychedelic Stoner Rock punch that also brings the heaviest grooves on the album.

The record does have an excessive Sludge Rock attitude on the later stages with Craneium cranking up the distorted sound to the max which should appeal to folks who like their music VERY LOUD.

Point Of No Return ends with the thrilling and emotionally charged Search Eternal where Craneium delivers a winning finale with different movements of Heavy Psychedelic and Stoner Rock passages which leave you feeling emotionally satisfied. 

This is easily Craneium’s most technically impressive record to date with the amount of great sounds that appear throughout. This allows Point Of No Return to be considered their most defining work to date and easily an Album Of The Year contender. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Almost Religious for the promo..

Point Of No Return will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via The Sign Records from February 23rd 2024. Stockists listed below:

Almost Religious label group (The Sign Records / Lövely Records / Gaphals) is distributed by:

Proper - UK, Ireland V2 - Benelux, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France Bertus - Spain, Portugal Audioglobe - Italy Heathen Natives - Greece Border / Red Eye - Nordics, Rest of Europe MVD - North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand The Orchard - Digital/Streaming

Links

Linktree | BandCamp

Craneium Release New Video For A Secret Garden From Their Upcoming Album - Unknown Heights.

The Sign Records recently signed acclaimed Finnish Fuzz/Desert/Stoner Rock band Craneium for the release of their upcoming third studio album "Unknown Heights".

A couple of weeks ago, the band released the album's first single, "A Secret Garden" which you can hear streaming at the following link: https://orcd.co/asecretgarden

We are now premiering the new video of A Secret Garden as a little taster before the album is released later this year.

The band have said this about the video and upcoming new album:

"The video to A Secret Garden was filmed at V.R. Studio in Turku during the recording of the new album. This time we did most of the recording live with Joona Hassinen from Studio Underjord in the control room. We spent six hot summer days in the extremely cozy studio, built in the old railway depot of our home town Turku. We had a blast recording in this environment and wanted to save it on film as well as on track. Our dear friend Oliver Webb from the band Sunniva did some amazing animations to give it that final touch. We hope to give everybody a picture of how fun we had recording the new album."

Links

https://www.facebook.com/craneiumband
https://www.instagram.com/craneiumband/
https://craneiumband.bandcamp.com/

Thanks to Valdemar at Almost Religious for all of the details.

Craneium - Explore The Void (Album Review)

Release date: October 25th 2015. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Explore The Void – Tracklisting

1.Imperial Duster 06:22

2.Meet On Mars 04:23

3.Holy Oath 03:27

4.Tzar Bomba 07:44

5.Harvest 04:48

6.Demon Of The Sands 04:01

7.Dr. Plague 05:32

8.Witchcoven 05:01

9.Ceasing To Exist 09:16

Band Members:

Ankko Kaján - Lead and backing vocals, Guitars

Martin Ahlö - Lead and Backing, vocals, Guitars

Axel Nordman - Lead and Backing vocals, Bass

Joel Kronqvist - drums

Review:

Craneium’s debut album – Explore The Void – is a rare album that comes out of nowhere and makes a lasting impression on you. If you’re a fan of Truckfighters, Kyuss, Sabbath and Wo Fat then Craneium deserve your attention.

Opening track – Imperial Duster – starts with a Fuzz/Desert Rock soaked groove with the band opting for a crazy sci-fi based vibe with tales of illegal races along the Milky Way. You’re bound to detect the Star Wars influence and it’s an interesting idea as these guys have a slight Monster Magnet influence going on. It’s crazy, yeah, no doubt but the band are having so much fun it’s hard not to get caught up by it all. The vocals are pitch-perfect as they have the right amount of charm and style to give the song an extra layer of confidence.

Second track – Meet On Mars – carries on the sci-fi/space-rock theme with a trippy 60s based organ before the heavier sludge based riffs make themselves known. It’s a different kind of Fuzz vibe compared to the first song but there’s a slight menacing mood with the band opting for a heavier approach. It allows the band to venture into Heavy Metal style theatrics but it’s the Psychedelic Fuzz atmospherics that keeps you entertained through out.

Third Track – Holy Oath – has a lo-fi punk sound drowned under the distorted noises as you feel this is a different band from the first two tracks. Imagine Kyuss given a Punk-Rock makeover and that’s the best way to describe this song. It’s an exciting song though I wasn’t expecting the lo-fi punk vibe. It’s good to see a band like Craneium experimenting with the standard Fuzz/Desert/Stoner Rock sound.

Fourth track – Tzar Bomba – is one of the standout songs on the album as the band delve further into their Psych/Fuzz/Desert Rock sound with layers of distorted Sludge/Stoner Rock being played in the background. The vocals change direction and delivery yet again as this band doesn’t stick to one set sound. It’s the same scenario with the music as the band experiment with their sound as they create a dangerous cocktail of delicious and dangerous Psychedelic Fuzz.

Fifth track – Harvest – sees the band opt for a more stripped back approach with the riffs being played at a slow pace that verges on Industrial Rock mixed with heavy pounding Sludge/Stoner riffs. The ambient based noises add a certain sense of calm before the band unleash a non-stop barrage of violent Stoner/Desert sounds that would make Truckfighters proud to call their own.

Maybe I’m giving too much away with this album review. The band have 4 other songs to entertain you with and believe me when I say Craneium create even heavier far-out riffs seen on the first half of the album. Truth be told, Craneium opt for a more Doom Metal approach with the Fuzz/Desert Rock vibes giving way to a heavier doom and gloom approach. There are still huge amounts of fun to be had on Demon Of The Sands, Dr Plague and Witchcoven.

The final song on the album is where Cranieum impress the most. Ceasing To Exist is an epic 9 minute song that has an Atmospheric Doom/Post-Metal quality about it though it’s the traces of intense Psych Stoner Rock that holds everything together. Cranieum end the album on such a high note. It’s almost impossible not to be moved by this song as it’s very emotional at times especially when the acoustic psych guitars appear towards the end of the song.

Craneium have created a crazy, fuzz-tastic and doom-laiden psychedelic surreal road trip into the unknown. Explore The Void is a brilliant debut album. Check it out. You won’t be sorry.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp