AlphaWhores - I (Album Review)

Release Date: 26th January 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

I - Tracklisting

1.Same Team 04:20

2.Trash That Takes Itself Out 05:19

3.Raw Nerve 03:11

4.You Could've Been Something (But Instead You Are You) 04:20

5.The Only Way Is Through 01:15

6.Forever Leaving 05:31

7.I Can Manage 05:14

8.GTO 02:58

9.Days Of Sin 05:29

10.The Witches Told Me 03:34

11.The Pattern 04:26

Members

Massiel Pinzón Méndez

Juan Carlos

Review

Alphawhores is a Brother/Sister duo from Panama who focus playing an Alternative style of Sludge/Stoner Metal with a ferocious LOW & SLOW sound that splits off into moments of Melodic Pop Melodies and catchy vocals from both members. Their debut album ‘I’ has a wicked gloomy soulful attitude which feels empowered by the Commercial Pop scene but AlphaWhores deliver this wicked creative style with a sludgy and fuzzed up attitude which draws upon bands such as The Melvins, TORCHE and KYLESA.

You can hear elements of classic 90’s Grunge appearing with bands such as Nirvana, L7 and Alice In Chains within the first few tracks of Seam Team, Trash That Takes Itself Take Out and Raw Nerve. AlphaWhores members Massiel Pinzón Méndez and Juan Carlos both share vocal duties and they both provide fantastic performances with some warm melodic moments despite the down-tuned sludgy and fuzzed up grooves that appear within the music.

With that Alt-Metal sound allowing AlphaWhores to bridge the gap between the albums quiet and laid back moments,’I’ is always a captivating and engaging listen that allows the band to deliver some deliriously entertaining and downright original sounds of their own making. 

The album does have stripped back production values with AlphaWhores overall sound have an epic raw and organic sound which comes across superbly well from start to finish and perhaps mostly within the longest tracks on the album with You Could’ve Been Something (But Instead You Are You), Forever Leaving and I Can Manage. These tracks manage to convey a classic 1980’s Mobie Soundtrack attitude whilst still retaining that harsh Sludge/Stoner Metal identity of their music. The lyrics are super fun and even highly energetic but AlphaWhores employs a dark creative mood and atmosphere when the time calls for this.

AlphaWhores do add moments of distorted noise and trippy Psychedelic beats which keeps the listener on their toes. The final batch of songs Days Of Sin, The Witches Told Me and The Pattern sees the band venture into more GLOOM and DOOM pastures which offers some of the heaviest, freshest and interesting sounds on the album.

‘I’ is different style of Sludge/Stoner Metal album that fully embraces the “DOOM-POP” energy that bands such as TORCHE and FLOOR are known for. This allows AlphaWhores to release a stunning debut release that’s beautifully violent and heavy one moment and the next is pure bittersweet melodic bliss the next whilst retaining that killer Sludge/Stoner Metal sound that leaves you wanting to hear more.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe 

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Melt - Replica Of Man (Album Review)

Release Date: July 07th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Replica Of Man: Tracklisting

1.Replica of Man 04:47

2.Sight To See 04:20

3.Problem Child 05:42

4.Diviner 03:40

5.Skeleton Girl 04:30

6.Swamp Water 04:54

7.Shame 03:50

8.Sword or the Scepter 04:33

9.Hive Mind 09:13

Review:

Replica Of Man is the second full length album from Fuzz/Doom/Stoner Metallers Melt and they hide a more dangerous style of music within this album. Taking the classic Hard Rock Swagger of Led Zepp and MC5 whilst matching this with the Proto Doom Sounds of bands such as Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus. Melt add a modern day “outlaw” attitude that conveys the Psych Stoner Rock scene from bands such as KYUSS, Monster Magnet and FU MANCHU.

However, Melt don’t sound like those legendary bands either which maybe difficult to understand at first without hearing Replica of Man in full. The album takes many creative side steps by allowing Melt to dictate their own melodic, aggressive and catchy rhythms where the music grows into a harsher style of Punk Rock or Street Doom on tracks such as Replica Of Man, Sight To See and Problem Child.

Melt create and play heavy amounts of stylish sounding Fuzz, Psych Rock, Proto-Doom and Stoner based madness. LSD and hallucinogenic inspired sound effects, lyrics and vocals are just the icing of the cake for Melt where the band go slightly Demonic Rock or Occult Rock based on the listeners Doom Rock perspective.

There’s a few knowing nods and subtle hints of Social Commentary within Melt’s lyrics and it’s quite refreshing to hear but the album is mostly a damn good time in the darker depths of Classic Hard Rock where Melt have no qualms by mixing different genres together for a different style of Stoner Rock. 

Replica Of Man is not the most conventional or straightforward of albums you'll listen to and it has a loose creative narrative which allows Melt to rewrite the rulebook of Doom/Stoner Rock conventions which fully come into play on tracks such as: Diviner, Skeleton Girl, Swamp Water and Hive Mind.

There is a lot to take in with Replica Of Man as they don’t focus within one area of music but a multitude of different themes and genres where melody and composition is their main weapon of choice with their spellbinding arsenal of freaky HEAVY GROOVES.

Replica Of Man has fabulous production values that allows this album to be super freaky and having a euphoric style of 1970’s Hard Rock attitude whilst having the power to play something aggressively modern at the same time.

Melt have delivered the goods with this release and I’m hoping the band will build up more momentum and attention within the Doom/Stoner Rock scene in the near future.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Twitter

Hex Engine - Other People (Album Review)

Release Date: June 9th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Other People: Tracklisting

1.Monster 05:37

2.Parasites 06:00

3.Rat Fink 04:33

4.Excuses, Excuses 09:28

5.Meet Your Maker 07:14

6.Omens 05:08

7.Something's Burning 08:04

8.Deja Sku 01:57

9.Fear The Future 13:13

Members

Bob Maloskey

Drew Campbell

Christian Johnson

Ron Atom

 

Review

Other People is the debut album from Hard Rock/Stoner Metal unit Hex People and it’s a throwback to the classic days of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with a few modern based sounds being included along the way.. The album does touch upon areas of Doom Rock, Fuzz Rock and Psych Rock. Hex People do have a “RETRO” appeal to their music which shines through in almost every aspect of the album especially with the vocals and good old fashioned grooves.

Inspired by bands such as Led Zepp, Clutch, Black Sabbath and KYUSS. Hex Engine shines the most when they play their high energy 1970’s inspired RAWK ‘N’ ROLL with a more modern DOOMED OUT sound. The music is built on good old fashioned creative values but they do include more modern day sounds when they become a bit more progressive with their music. There’s a lot of wicked 1980’s inspired Guitar solos which you can hear on the opening track of Monster. Shades of Van Halen and Thin Lizzy can be heard on the later stages of the song but it’s mostly of the Classic Stoner Rock variety.

Impressive vocals are heard throughout the album with Hex Engine showcasing a wicked style of songwriting with the lyrics for the majority of the tracks. However, the music is the main draw here with Hex Engine moving between many different styles of music for the bulk of the album. There’s a dynamic Blues Rock groove on Parasites, Rat Fink and Excuses, Excuses. These tracks allow Hex Engine to build a wonderful momentum with the band becoming more melodic and offering a catchy aggressive tone. This is where Hex Engine starts to embrace a more sombre Doom Rock flow to their music which allows the atmosphere to become more STONER based whilst retaining that winning Classic Hard Rock sound.

Hex Engine continues that winning creative drive with more outlandish Progressive themes allowing the band to play the heaviest sounds on the album on songs such as Excuses, Excuses, Meet Your Maker and Omens. There’s a more menacing approach to Hex Engine’s music which can be considered “THRASH” especially on Excuses, Excuses which is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Hex Engine even managed to find a way to include “Post-Stoner” flourishes to their music which gives them more Psychedelic appeal.

The other standout tracks on the album are Meet Your Maker, Something’s Burning and Fear The Future with Hex Engine becoming more progressive and daring with their creative choices especially on the thirteen minute closer Fear The Future. That track is full of epic Psychedelic and Droned Out moments which almost veer into AMPLIFIER DISTORTION territory. The song showcases another different side to Hex Engine. Even when playing the last track on the album, Hex Engine still has the audacity to try something different with their music.

Hex Engine can be too ambitious for its own good at times. However, that doesn’t stop Other People being a wonderfully epic release packed full of different sounds.  Hex Engine have released a winner here. As this is a stunning album that offers brilliant entertainment from start to finish.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Twitter

Looprider: Metamorphose (Album Review)

Release Date: April 07th 2023. Record Label: Call And Response Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Metamorphose: Tracklisting

1.After The Flood 07:00
2.Black Rain 04:04
3.Epsilon 04:02
4.Sinking 07:24
5.Cosmos 04:46
6.Nightfall 07:28
7.Red 04:27
8.Mermaid 04:57

Members

Ryotaro: vocals, heavy guitars, noise
Haruka: vocals, fuzz guitars
Ryo7: drums

Review

Japanese Doom/Stoner Rockers Looprider new album Metamorphose is one that seems the highly talented trio finally come into their own creative sound and vision. Their earlier releases may have drawn comparisons to the legendary BORIS but I always felt they put their own stamp of authority on their last few releases especially on UMI, Ouroboros and MOON. However, Looprider have delivered their best release to date. As this album draws sounds from the areas of Stoner Rock, Fuzz, Noise Rock, Doom Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Shoegaze that builds upto a haunting and emotionally charged ride.

Looprider has never delivered the same album twice. Each album always sounds different to each other. The band perhaps draw slight influences from the likes of BORIS (yet again) and Deftones when the band slows the mood right down for a slowly paced atmospheric charge which you’ll witness on the opening track After The Flood.

The song is a slightly distorted Doom/Stoner Metal take with a classic Alternative Metal approach. The music is beautifully slow and emotionally charged when Looprider brings a down-tuned and distorted atmosphere to the album. The vocals mostly from Ryotaro have a slight “Post-Rock” or “Post-Doom” feeling. The song truly comes alive when the band brings a more riff-centric style that focuses solely on melodic composition and extended proggy jams. 

Second song Black Rain is a more frenzied and action-packed affair where Looprider adds a Grunge essence which builds upto a classic mix of Noise, Doom and Stoner movements. The track has some killer hooks and sublime vocals that draws the listener even further into Looprider’s world.

Third song Epsilon has a similar style or drive as the previous track but with emotionally charged vocals. I forgot to mention the vocals are mostly sung in Japanese but I still managed to retain an emotional connection to what was being sung even if I don’t understand what the lyrics are about. The music here is more atmospheric and with a twinge of classic hard rock that allows Looprider to play some classic guitar solos along the way. 

Fourth song Sinking allows the vocals to be more restrained and self assured. The song can even be classed as “Romantic” in places with Looprider playing a “less is more” style of music that is mostly Post-Rock for the first half of the track. The second half is a different story when Looprider unleashes “HELL ON EARTH” with heavy amounts of Droned Out Aggression which becomes more Doom/Stoner Metal based. As the AMPLIFIER RIFF WORSHIP style fully comes into play for one of the standout tracks on the album.

Looprider continues with the experimental approach on the second half of the album with more sonic manipulation that opens the way for a more daring style of Shoegaze and Grunge on tracks such as Nightfall and Red. 

Fifth track Cosmos deserves a special mention as it’s more of an emotionally charged Romantic Ballad that relies on Psych Rock and Post-Rock sounds with a warm solitary vibe that allows Haruka’s delicate vocals to shine before Looprider play an aggressive style of Droned Out Stoner Rock for one of the heaviest parts of the album.

The final track Mermaid is another standout track which is perhaps more of a ballad despite the Distorted mix of Doom and Stoner Metal pretence that Looprider uses for this track. This is perhaps the best way to end the album with. The use of dramatic Droned Out textures leave you wanting to hear more and it’s great to see Looprider changing different styles of music even on the final track.

Metamorphose is wonderfully surreal but one that’s warm and deeply engaging from start to finish. The album also benefits from sublime production values that allows this to be one of the heaviest and intense albums Looprider have released to date. 

This is perhaps another Album Of The Year contender for me personally. As I will be listening to this album for a long time to come before the year is out.

Words by Steve Howe

Metamorphose is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Call And Response Records.

Links

 Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Twitter

The Electric Highway Festival (Calgary, AB) Announces Dates For 2024 Lineup – April 4 -6; Opens Band Submissions and Special One-Day Ultra Early Bird Special

 EHF 2023 Lineup Spotify Playlist - https://spoti.fi/3ZKB9Tm​

Calgary's The Electric Highway Festival has wrapped up for 2023 and it was a resounding success according to festival organizers. The event took place from March 23, 24, and 25, 2023 at Dickens, with 3 days of music from Canadian bands trekking from across Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba along with American headliners, Los Angeles' Sasquatch.

The 2024 edition of The Electric Highway will take place April 4, 5, and 6, 2024 once again at Dickens in Calgary. Band submissions for the event open on April 1 and run until June 30, 2023. Bands can fill out the form on the website.

Fans of The Electric Highway will also have the opportunity to buy very limited Ultra Early Bird Passes for the 2024 festival starting at noon MST on April 1, 2023. Only 20 passes for $60 each will be available in the Festival Store.

About:

Buckle up for The Electric Highway Festival!

The 2023 edition of the festival focused on Desert Rock and Metal, Doom, Sludge, and Heavy Psych and had expanded to include some punk and hardcore bands as well.

The festival featured Californian headliners Sasquatch, one of the festival’s past favorites, laying down their brand of fuzzy, kick-ass Desert Rock & Heavy Psych with direct support from Vancouver’s La Chinga who returned for their 4th appearance on Saturday night. Black Mastiff returned to headline Friday night with Calgary’s Gone Cosmic and HypnoPilot headlined the Thursday show with support from Citizen Rage. These are just a few of the wicked bands that played at The Electric Highway. The full lineup can be found below.
​
​The Electric Highway 2023 Official Nightly Lineups:​
​
​Thursday, March 23:​
HypnoPilot (Lethbridge, AB) - Daily Headliner
Citizen Rage (Calgary, AB)
Musing (Calgary, AB)
No More Moments (Siksika, AB)
Father Moon (Calgary, AB)
Destroy My Brains (Lloydminster, AB).
​
​Friday, March 24:​
Black Mastiff (Edmonton, AB/Vancouver, BC) - Daily Headliner
Gone Cosmic (Calgary, AB)
Set & Stoned (Crossfield, AB)
Hombre (Calgary, AB)
Empress (Vancouver, BC)
Molten Lava (Vancouver, BC)
Space Queen (Vancouver, BC) Owls & Eagles (Calgary, AB)
​
​Saturday, March 25:​
Sasquatch (Los Angeles, CA) - Festival Headliner
La Chinga (Vancouver, BC)
Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary, AB)
Brown Dwarf (Red Deer, AB)
The Astral Prophets (Calgary, AB)
Iron Tusk (Siksika, AB)
The Sleeping Legion (Winnipeg, MB)
Tebby & the Heavy (Edmonton, AB)
Garuda (Cranbrook, BC).
​
The Electric Highway is a fully immersive festival experience and offers much more than just music. The festival also featured an art & vendor exposition during all three days at Dickens, March 23 - 25, 2023.

Check www.TheElectricHighway.ca for more festival information.

We look forward to bringing this festival to you, and can't wait to see everyone in 2024!
​
​Social Media Links:

Website: TheElectricHighway.ca​

Facebook: Facebook.com/ElectricHighwayFestival​

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/849216866328036​

Instagram: Instagram.com/TheElectricHighway​

Twitter: Twitter.com/TheElectricHwy​
​​
Hashtag #BuckleUp

Festival Artwork by David Paul Seymour
The Electric Highway Logo by Sketchy Intuitions

Pseudo Mind Hive - Of Seers And Sirens (Album Review)

Release date: October 25th 2019. Label: Salty Dog Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Of Seers And Sirens – Tracklisting

1.Sails at Dawn 04:13

2.The Dreamer's Burning Door 04:25

3.Of Seers and Sirens 06:36

4.Solstice [Bonus Track] 05:51

5.Gaze of Ptolemy 09:16

6.Equinox 08:13

7.Broken Colours 08:09

Members

Jack Ainsworth: Bass Guitar/Vocals

Samuel Drew-Rumoro: Drums/Vocals

Christopher Hockey: Guitar/Lead Vocals

Jesse Joannou: Organ/Synthesisers/Vocals

Mark Vincini: Guitar/Vocals

Review

Of Seers And Sirens is the new album from Psychedelic Stoner Rockers Pseudo Mind Hive and it’s my first main exposure to the band. The band did release a debut album last year which completely passed me by. Shame on me for that mistake. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice with their new album. As this is one of the best Psychedelic Stoner Rock albums of the year.

Pseudo Mind Hive bring an album that’s packed with rich ideas and heavy grooves that transcend the Psychedelic Stoner Rock spectrum with the band adding a Spaced Out and Cosmic Groove. Inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, Hawkwind and Uncle Acid but with the band in full control of their own destiny.

Opening song – Sails At Dawn – is a lush sounding Space/Stoner Rock song with the band adding a heavy amount of theatrical Psychedelic tendencies along the way. The song has a heavy FUZZ atmosphere burning in the background that allows the band to embrace the seventies Hard Rock/Psychedelic Rock scene with supreme confidence. The vocals are excellent and have quite a vintage feel to them.

Second song – The Dreamer’s Burning Door – offers a more Blues Rock influenced style of music that reminds myself of GEEZER in many ways. The band are perhaps influenced by Black Sabbath the most on this song whilst playing their own highly infectious style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock with flashes of Doom Rock adding a heavier sound to the album.

Third song – Of Seers And Sirens – is a more classic sounding Doom/Fuzz/Stoner Rock odyssey with the band playing different strands of Psychedelic Rock as well. This is perhaps the gloomiest song on the album with the excellent vocals and lyrics all having a darker feel to them.

Fourth song – Solstice – is an epic sounding instrumental song. As the band play a stunning blend of Post-Doom and Heavy Psychedelic Sounds for a more expansive and adventurous song that also has eerie Ambient based noises for one trippy wild ride. The instrumental work is simply marvellous on this song with Pseudo Mind Hive not afraid to use more of their creative freedom on this song.

The final three songs – Gaze of Ptolemy, Equinox and Broken Colours – is where the band venture into the world of Progressive Rock with these songs all lasting past the eight-minute mark. So you have twenty minutes of finely played of Psychedelic Stoner Rock/Metal with strands of Post-Doom and FUZZ riffs with fantastic lyrics to match.

Equinox is perhaps my favourite song on the album. As it goes down through many different musical routes such as Classic Rock, Prog Rock and Stoner Rock that contain some of the heaviest sounds and riffs of the entire album.

Of Seers And Sirens is also bolstered by amazing production values which gives the band a loud and heavy clear sound from start to finish.

As I stated earlier in this review, Of Seers And Sirens is one of the best Psychedelic Stoner Rock albums I’ve heard this year and will no doubt claim a place on my best albums of the year list. This is a must have album. No question.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Birnam Wood - Wicked Worlds (Album Review) And Exclusive Song Premiere Of Dunsinane

Release date: November 19th 2018. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Wicked Worlds – Tracklisting

Time Of Purification

Richard Dreyfuss

Dunsinane

Early Warning

Greenseer

A Song For Jorklum

Return To Samarakand

Members

Shaun Anzalone

Dylan Edwards

Matt Wagner

Adam McGrath

Review

Wicked Worlds is the new album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Birnam Wood. This is their second album and another band I wasn’t fully aware of. This is my first awareness of the band and I’ve became a fan of their heavy Doom/Stoner Metal grizzled sound with a mighty WEEDIAN vibe running throughout the album.

The band take influence from bands such as Black Sabbath, Red Fang and Sleep. Though Birnam Wood are not afraid to experiment with the standard Doom/Stoner Metal sound by adding elements of Hardcore grooves into their music.

Opening song – Time Of Perfection - opens with a hard-hitting speech which made me initially expect to hear a more extreme kind of music. I was surprised when the band play a heavy style of Sludge/Stoner Rock underlined by a classic Doom Rock sound. This song reminds me of much-missed UK Sludge Rockers – TAINT – in so many ways especially with the vocals.

Second song – Richard Dreyfuss – goes straight for the Sludge/Stoner Rock jugular with a heavy pounding and melodic sound. You can hear traces of that classic Sabbath/SLEEP sound but with more sinister and heavier grooves. Birnam Wood splice the song with soundbytes from various Richard Dreyfuss movies. A very cool touch indeed.

Third song – Dunsinane – has a more classic doomed approach with the music not as heady as the opening two songs. The vocals have a slight Ozzy feel. The mood of the album and this song in general is action packed and shows you how the band include so many different sounds into their music.

Don’t worry; I’m not going to do a song-by-song review for the rest of the album. As the rest of the album follows the same heavy progressive path as the opening three songs. The standout songs on this part of the album have to be Early Warning and Return To Samarkand. Though all of the songs on this album are great. As Birnam Wood manage to keep the mood exciting and fresh.

Birnam Wood always remember what type of band they are and they never decide to do anything flashy or OTT. This album is one that will capture the hearts and minds of the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community. As there is something for everyone to admire this album a great deal.

Overall, Birnam Wood have released a brilliantly entertaining and must have album that you need to own now.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Birnam Wood for the promo. Wicked Worlds will be available to buy on November 19th 2018.

You can hear an exclusive song premiere of Dunsinane from the forthcoming new album.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Going Stir Crazy With Brian Corbett from GENE WILDEST

Gene Wildest is a band that I had never heard of until they contacted me to review their upcoming new album – Spectral Terrestrial. I was intrigued by the band’s overall sound. As Gene Wildest play a different kind of Spaced Out Stoner Rock. As these guys include elements of Fuzz, Grunge, Psych, Indie, Alt Rock and even elements of Shoegazing.

These guys are totally new to me and I wanted to find out more about them and Brian (Guitar/Vox) from the band has have kindly agreed to this cool interview.

Read on and find out more information about GENE WILDEST….

Hi Brian. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today. Congratulations on your new album.

Hey Steve, thanks! Things are great! Just watching the World Cup final at the moment actually.

Can you give a brief history of how the band formed and where it is today.

So Rob and I (Brian) were introduced back around 2005 by our friend John. We ended up starting a band called Human Sounds with John and our other friends George and Pat. Physical distance kind of got in the way of Human Sounds, but Rob and I lived close and continued to make music and jam every now and then. I was making some home recordings that Rob liked around the same time I met our first drummer Ben Zemel in grad school around 2011.

We all decided to jam, things clicked, and that was our set up for about two years. In 2013 our friend Eric Richmann expressed interest in playing in a band. He was a great songwriter and guitarist and had a killer voice (you can hear it on “Deadleaves” off our first album Everything). We got really excited and just as a shot in the dark told him we would love for him to play bass and share vocals. Luckily he said yes and was in the band until November 2016. He tragically and suddenly passed away from a heart condition he had since he was a kid. It was just devastating for us, his family, and everyone in his life. But we decided with his wife Corey that if there was one thing that Eric would come back and haunt us for it would be letting the band fall apart.

We begged my brother Sean, who never played bass but was always a great musician, to fill in for Eric. He learned all of our songs, which have some pretty complicated basslines, remarkably quickly and he’s been our bassist ever since. In June 2017, Ben went to Portland for work after grad school. Despite being a barefoot drummer, he had some big shoes left unfilled.

A friend of mine introduced us to our current drummer, Dave, who learned like twenty songs by the fall and saved us from the murky depths of a drummerless hell. And that’s been our line-up ever since – Sean, Rob, Dave, and Brian.

How would you describe the music that Gene Wildest creates. As there are many different elements and levels to your overall sound.

That’s always a tough question, especially because its always changing. We currently have math rock and shoegaze albums in the works, ha-ha. This album fits pretty nicely into the stoner rock category, although it doesn’t have as much fuzz as many other stoner rock albums. I guess I would say stoner rock with only as much fuzz as necessary. But just to be clear – we really love our fuzz.

Where did you get the name for Gene Wildest. Obviously influenced by the legendary comedic actor.

Yea we’re all Gene Wilder fans. Honestly, I thought the band name Gnarls Barkley was hilarious and witty. I’ve always liked celebrity puns, but I didn’t want to just rhyme a first or last name. Gene Wildest just seemed right at the time, back in like 2009 before I knew we would be releasing a stoner rock album. Truckfighters, Dead Meadow, Gene Wildest. One of these things is not like the others, but what’s in a name, right?

You have just released your new Spectral Terrestrial. What is the album about.

Well, almost every song deals with both love and death. I like the two concepts together, it keeps the songs from being annoyingly happy or overtly depressing. I see the love for a deceased spouse/friend/family member last forever in the living and I like to think that love is not lost by those who die. It’s a concept that worked really well in the stoner rock genre because you can get away with singing about the supernatural.

Who is releasing the album and what formats will the album be released on.

As of now, we’re self-releasing it under our record label Nappy Dawg Records. It will be on all of the digital music media – Spotify, Google Play, Bandcamp, etc. and also on CD. If we get enough interest we would love to release it on vinyl but that’s just a pipe-dream as of now.

Was recording the album an easy or hard experience.

Easy and fun! We recorded and mixed it ourselves. I’m really into mixing.

Do you have any upcoming gigs to celebrate the release of the album.

Yes, we’ll be at Boot & Saddle in Philly on Auguest 30th.
Will you be performing any-more gigs to promote the new album.

We’re trying to get a north-east tour lined up. Hopefully doing some shows in Lancaster, Bethlehem, Atlantic City, NYC, and Boston.

Do you have an active scene to perform gigs on a regular basis. Or do you have to travel further afield to perform gigs.

The Philadelphia music scene is pretty awesome. There are about 10 great venues we can play at. We’re really lucky that it exists and are forever grateful to our family, friends, and fans who are nice enough to keep supporting us so we can keep playing at these great local spots.

When you’re creating new music. What comes first. The music or the lyrics.

Usually music, I think songs turn out more interesting that way. Starting with a sweet, creative riff and letting it develop from there. Sometimes they happen together, that’s always when the best songs come together. Whenever I start with lyrics the songs are usually more listenable, but I tend to just use chords, which usually isn’t as interesting as using sweet riffage.

What is the songwriting dynamic within the band. Is it a group collective or down to one individual.

It’s collaborative. Each song is usually the brainchild of one of us, with the guys filling in their parts later. Sometimes at practice you get that magic moment when a jam turns into a song in like 15 minutes. Those are always great.

What is your current equipment/setup when recording music and playing live.

Ohhhhh buddy. Our favorite question! Everything is recorded in Logic. Sean and I actually just record direct in, using a tweed amp modeler. Sean uses an Ibanez that looks like a P-bass. For pedals, he mostly uses a DOD Boneshaker, a fuzz that I designed, and a BOSS PH-3 phaser. I use a Schecter Omen 6 with these wacky pickups that I haven’t been able to identify. I bought it used. I use a ton of pedals.

The most commonly used ones on Spectral Terrestrial are a reverse Fuzz Factory clone, a modded Spaceman Wow Signal, Big Muff Pi, Ehx Mel9, Chase Bliss Spectre, Roger Mayer Voodo Vibe+, and that fuzz that I designed. Rob mostly uses a PRS S2 Custom 22 Semi-Hollow or Fender American Standard Strat into a mic'ed up Blackstar Artist 15 or his old Peavey Bandit 112.

He loves pedals as much as I do, but the ones that got the most love from him on this record are a Wampler Tumnus into either an EQD Hoof or a Smallsound/Bigsound Buzzz for his dirt tones, and a Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl HiFi and a TC Electronic Viscous Vibe for his mod section. The Empress Echosystem and Reverb units are all over his tracks, too.

Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go do you have any words of wisdom to say to your fans.

“Be excellent to each other”. Thanks for everything, Steve.

Words by Steve Howe and Brian Corbett

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp