Full Tone Generator - Refuge Of Sinners (Album Review)

Release Date: March 04th 2024. Record Label: Hurricane Music. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Refuge Of Sinners - Tracklisting

1.Kenny 03:47

2.Take Me 02:20

3.Juan Carlos 04:21

4.The Snake Charmer 01:14

5.Find Out 06:28

6.Don't Even Know You 05:10

7.Yeah Hey 02:26

8.Dark Eyes 05:32

9.Dark Eyes Reprise 01:27

Review

Refuge Of Sinners is the new album from Aussie Desert/Stoner Rockers Full Tone Generator who return after an almost six year absence with a record that’s quite different to their acclaimed 2018 debut Valley Of The Universe. That record was produced by Bubba Dupree and Brant Bjork which showcased the band’s Stoner Rock credentials from the start. However, this album tells a different story with Full Tone Generator delivering a record that takes cues from the Psych Rock, Sludge Rock and Alt-Metal environments without sacrificing their core Desert/Stoner Rock sounds.

With a more free-flowing Punk Rock and Classic Rock style appearing within the album that allows Full Tone Generator to offer a more muscular and metallic sound especially on the albums early tracks of Kenny, Take Me and Juan Carlos. Their love for bands such as KYUSS, Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet can be heard but Full Tone Generator are perhaps direct descendants of those legendary bands when the more sonically based grooves start to appear mostly within tracks such as Juan Carlos and Find Out.

Full Tone Generator experiments with their music at different parts of the album with more melodic and progressive structures that sees the band evolve as musicians compared to their debut album. With a subtle 1990’s Alternative feel allowing the record to become more powerful as time passes by, the sound of the Desert delivered by Full Tone Generator becomes more cinematic in scope before the album ends on a natural high.

The final batch of songs from the album - Yeah Hey, Dark Eyes and Dark Eyes Reprise - offer the most vivid and interesting parts of the album with Full Tone Generator combining classic Stoner Rock lore and catchy Sludge Rock grooves for a sound that never goes out of fashion.

Refuge Of Sinners is another sublime and superbly entertaining album from Full Tone Generator which is helped by excellent production values that add an intense aggressive sound to the record.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Hurricane Music from the promo.

Refuge Of Sinners is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Hurricane Music.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Desert Rock Stalwarts Full Tone Generator unleash new record ‘Refuge of Sinners’ And Announce Australian Tour With BRANT BJORK

Artwork credit - Christos Athanasias

After releasing first taste ‘Juan Carlos’ back in June, Melbourne-based desert and stoner rock outfit Full Tone Generator are now gearing up for the release of their second album ‘Refuge of Sinners’.

While indebted to key influences such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, KYUSS, and Melvins, over the course of their life the band has carved out a unique sound that traverses and fuses elements of stoner, sludge, desert, psychedelic and hard rock to create something all their own. And no more has that been true than on this collection of songs, which sees the four-piece produce some of the most well-written and well-executed songs of their career.

Longer tracks such as ‘Find Out’ and ‘Dark Eyes’ showcase the band’s ability to craft more complex, evolutionary journeys while shorter songs ‘Take Me’ and ‘Yeah Hey’ offer counterbalancing sonic bursts of energy.

All together, these songs create a vast and varied desert landscape of sounds and textures complete with dense, unrelenting guitars, pummelling drums, propulsive bass and guttural vocals.

The band initially formed as a recording project when Brant Bjork (KYUSS, Fu Manchu) agreed to do some writing and recording with Andy Fernando (singer & vocalist) in 2018. The writing and recording that took place would turn out to be Full Tone Generator’s debut album

‘Valley of the Universe’. After putting a full live band together to play the songs live, the band hit the road and continued to release new music; including releasing a double A-side with Nick Oliveri (KYUSS, Queens of the Stone Age), playing Ripple Fest in Austin, Texas, playing alongside Eagles of Death Metal and The Sword, and playing their own headline tour throughout the States.

The album was recorded at the legendary Rancho De La Luna at Joshua Tree, California. It was self-produced along with Dave Catching (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), with mixing and mastering undertaken by Andy Fernando.

The band will hit the road in late March for a national tour supporting Brant Bjork. And with a European tour lined up for November, the band have a huge year ahead.

The hazy and heavy psychedelic sounds of the Desert haven’t sounded as good as this for a very long time. - Outlaws of the Sun

The raw vocals and desert punk soundtrack grab you and don’t let go, and you find yourself going back again to get the hit of adrenaline that this raw, uncompromising desert punk rock assault delivers. - The Punk Site

Full Tone Generator have honed their craft down to a fine art. - Hot Metal Mag

Full Tone Generator is:

Andy Fernando (guitar & vocals)

Brad Young (Guitar)

Ben Hall (bass)

Matty David (drums).

Full Tone Generator online - Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify

Tone Generator on tour with Brant Bjork:

28 March - Barwon Club, Geelong
29 March - Singing Bird Studio, Frankston
30 March - The Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne
31 March - Crown & Anchor Hotel, Adelaide
1 April- Fools Gold Festival, Beechworth
3 April - The Basement, Canberra
4 April - Dicey Rileys, Wollongong
5 April - Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney
6 April - Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast

Thanks to Wild Gift PR for all of the info.

Album out 8th March through Golden Robot and Iron Head Records on DD/Vinyl Formats.

Full Tone Generator - Valley Of The Universe (Album Review)

Release date: November 14th 2018. Label: Hurricane Music. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Valley Of The Universe – Tracklisting

1.Let The Good Times Roll 04:10

2.I Only Love You When I'm Loaded 05:07

3.Shermin Drive 04:00

4.Shitstorm 03:56

5.No Future 00:59

6.Shermin Drive Reprise 06:42

7.Preacher Man 07:38

8.Never To Return 09:33

Members

Andy Fernando: Guitar, Bass, Vocals

Brad Young: Guitar, Bass, Backing Vox

Brant Bjork: Drums, Backing Vox

Review

Full Tone Generator is the new band that features Brant Bjork on Drums and Backing Vocals in their ranks. Well for the studio aspect of the band anyway. The band recently released their debut album – Valley Of The Universe – and it plays out like a love letter to the Desert/Stoner Metal genre where Brant Bjork has become legendary for. Inspired by bands such as Kyuss, Fu Manchu and some of Brant’s solo work.

The album which was produced by Brant Bjork and Bubba Dupree has a darker tone that you wouldn’t expect from the Desert/Stoner Metal genre. As the lyrics deal with dark subject matters that even surprised me especially on the opening two songs – Let The Good Times Roll, I Only Love You When I’m Loaded. As the songs combine upbeat Desert/Stoner based melodies with harsh lyrical content. The vocals from Andy is what brings this album fully to life. Andy shows his passion and love for vocalists such as Brant Bjork and John Garcia.

However this album has its own direction and ideas that allows Full Tone Generator to be classed as their own entity. Having one of the scenes legendary figures helping with the music does help but you wouldn’t expect the dark journey that Full Tone Generator take you upon on Brant or Bubba’s other musical projects.

The music is a mixture of Psych, Fuzz, Stoner, Punk, Desert Rock and Hard Rock which allows Valley Of The Universe to be completely different especially on the later stages of the album. Songs such as: Shermin Drive, Shitstorm and No Future sees Full Tone Generator adapt a more edgier persona with the music and lyrics combining for some thrilling Desert/Stoner Rock moments.

However it’s with the final two songs where Full Tone Generator impress the most. As the two songs – Preacher Man and Never To Return – have some of the best and addictive Stoner riffs I’ve heard this year. These two songs have the same classic feel and approach that Kyuss made their own back in the day. This is still Full Tone Generator’s show and when the psychedelic grooves of Preacher Man finally appear you’re under their spell. As the song has a dark Blues Rock vibe with the lyrics telling an intriguing story. However it’s the music and fantastic grizzled vocals of Andy that leave you wanting more of this particular song.

The final song – Never To Return – is the heaviest and darkest song on the album with Andy’s vocals going into the world of Hardcore. It’s quite a stark contrast to the other songs held on the album but it works surprisingly well.

The production on the album is simply fantastic which isn’t surprising since Brant Bjork and Bubba Dupree produced the album.

Valley Of The Universe is the type of album why I fell in love with Desert/Stoner Metal in the first place. As the hazy and heavy psychedelic sounds of the Desert haven’t sound as good as this for a very long time. This is an unmissable and must-have album.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp