Sacri Monti - Retrieval (Album Review)

Release Date: July 26th 2024. Record Label: TeePee Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Retrieval: Tracklisting

1. Maelstrom

2. Desirable Sequel

3. Intermediate Death

4. Blackish Honeycomb

5. Moon Canyon         

6. More Than I

Review

It's been a long wait since we last heard from Sacri Monti, five years out from 2019's 'Waiting Room for the Magic Hour' was released and now the next hour of magic is upon us with the glorious album 'Retrieval'. It seems as though the band have returned to expand our minds and overstimulate our senses, building on their repertoire as one of the premier heavy psych bands around. Formed back in 2012 and releasing their self-titled debut in 2015, the band have had years of perfecting their craft with two highly praised studio albums as well as a live album recorded from the Sonic Whip Festival in 2022.

The album starts with 'Maelstrom' as you're immediately tossed into the swirling vortex of organ flourishes, 70's proto-metal guitar riffs, grooving bass notes, and the introduction of the monster behind the drum kit. As you catch your breath 'Desirable Sequel' begins with the familiarity of an old song almost like you've heard it before. The vocals are filled with emotion as the melody and tone make it sound as though it could certainly fit well on the classic album 'Argus' from Wishbone Ash. The midway point goes into a prog-filled organ sequence, then into a guitar galloping bridge accompanied by harmonizing guitars before tumbling back into that beloved chorus.

'Intermediate Death' is one of the catchiest tunes on 'Retrieval', the groove and lyrics will be stuck in your head for days. It pulls together all of the rock influences of the collective members combining their natural talent, raw energy, and the psychedelic atmosphere they're known for resulting in 70's inspired lightning in a bottle. Though there have been prog moments earlier, 'Brackish Honeycomb' takes the progressive elements into hyperdrive but with an almost jazzy undertone with the rhythm section navigating the path through the time changes. The interlude has some amazing guitar work and sounds like Cactus and Deep Purple joined together for an extended jam of pure retro greatness.

After the dust has settled, 'Moon Canyon' takes us on a short acoustic journey with shades of Pink Floyd with the slide guitar but also a Led Zeppelin vibe with the orchestral violin sound of the keys, think of 'Fat Old Sun' meets 'Thank You'. This leads us to the last track and the longest on the album at 9:26, 'More Than I'. It starts with a medieval sounding intro that morphs into a composition of classic rock, lead guitar worship, and on the back half of the track you could easily imagine it's 1971 and the band is playing in the ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii.

The heavy psych scene of California has been flooded with talent for many years, giving birth to a multitude of cherished bands. Sacri Monti would be on the Mount Rushmore of that scene and with 'Retrieval' have delivered a technical and vibrant reflection of 70's rock, filled with the progressive components and psychedelia of the era but completely of their own design.

Words by Jon McGough

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

Retrieval will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via TeePee Records from Friday 26th July 2024.

Links

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Cult Scuzz Rockers Satan’s Satyrs Return with New Album and Single on Tee Pee Records

After calling it a day in 2019, the NY-based biker trash/occult obsessed quartet are reborn again for another round of acid and acrimony...

Photo Credit: Jordan Vance

“Satan's Satyrs play some of the most visceral and demented rock & roll around – full-frontal lo-fi lunacy.” THE QUIETUS

“The virulent strain of disgustingly fuzzed-up turbo-punk favoured by Satan’s Satyrs remains as thrilling as it was the first time Blue Cheer plugged into their amps.” METAL HAMMER

Satan’s Satyrs on Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter

Following the release of their comeback single, ‘Quick Quiet Raid’, at the tail end of 2023, cult scuzz rockers Satan’s Satyrs are back with their new album, After Dark.

Having harboured a cult following for over ten years through four indispensable albums – Electric Wizard’s Jus Oborn once described them as, “Violent, filthy, ugly and loud like it should be” – the band is thrilled to announce that their next foray into madness will be aided and abetted by legendary New York label, Tee Pee Records.

“It’s a great fit for us because they can appreciate our odd-band-out legacy,” explains bassist, Clayton Burgess. “Tee Pee Records has a long history of cultivating a heavy freak rock underground and we feel right at home in that universe.”

Soaking Sabbath, Venom, The Stooges, and Blue Cheer in acid and acrimony, the quartet’s love of exploitation movies and horror culture have always permeated their music, and none more so than on their latest paean to primitive rock, ‘Hellin’ Like It Is’. Replete with howling vocals and a freak-fuzz guitar meltdown, this is volcanism at its finest and signals a return to form for Dungeon Rock’s wayward sons.

“Even during the band's recess, I never stopped writing,” Burgess continues. “We were always the riffy band on punk bills, the fast band on doom bills, the glam-tinged band on metal bills, with each album sounding different from the last. As new material slowly amassed and the right players fell into place, the potential couldn't be ignored. The band could be a vital force again.”

Listen to their brand-new single now and pre-order After Dark here ahead of its release via Tee Pee Records on 30th August 2024

SATAN’S SATYRS:

Russ Yusef – Drums
Morgan McDaniel – Guitar
Clayton Burgess – Bass, Vocals
Jarrett Nettnin – Guitar

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for all of the info.

Mick's Jaguar - Salvation (Album Review)

Release Date: 02nd December 2022. Record Label: Totem Cat Records / TeePee Records Formats: DD/Vinyl

Salvation

1.Skin Contact 03:30

2.Handshake Deals 02:34

3.Man Down 03:08

4.Free On The Street 03:38

5.Molotov Children 04:44

6.Speed Dealer 01:42

7.Nothing To Lose 03:22

8.5am Somewhere 02:39

9.Hell's Gate 03:44

10.Georgian Pine 02:14

Members

Sam Cooper - drums

Alex Forbes - guitar

Grace Hollaender - guitar

John Martin - vocals

Donald Meehleis - guitar

With:

Jack Ridley - bass on 3, 6, background vocals on 4, 6

Aaron Roche - bass on 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, percussion on 1, 2, 8, 9, 10

Review

Salvation is the new album by New York Hard Rock/Classic Rockers Mick’s Jaguar. This album is my first foray with Mick’s Jaguar and the band play a “HIP” blend of Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Garage Rock and Punk Rock swagger. Parts Thin Lizzy, The Stooges and MC5. There’s a slight Stoner Rock attitude to Mick’s Jaguar fantastic grooves with a cracking streetwise attitude to match.

The album is a constant mix of Punk Rock grittiness and Classic Rock flavour within the first few tracks on the album with Skin Contact, Handshake Deals and Man Down. Mick’s Jaguar have a DIY approach to their sound with the band being more “in Your Face” than you initially realize. The music moves from Seventies Punk Rock/Hard Rock themes to the more riff-centric Eighties Hard Rock on the later stages of the album.

Salvation is constantly upbeat and gloriously rebellious that’s contained within the excellent lyrical content and commanding vocals from lead vocalist John Martin. Though, there’s excellent backup throughout the album. 

I feel the band have a deep love and admiration of things now considered Classic Rock with some epic riff-worship that feel inspired by Thin Lizzy and KISS in all places. The album does have a simple approach and premise but it truly comes alive when the band drift further into their sleazy Psych Rock persona which gives the album some of it’s more outstanding moments on tracks such as: Free On The Street, Molotov Children,  Nothing To Lose and Hell’s Gate.

With fabulous and free-flowing vintage production values, Mick’s Jaguar offers a vibrant and rebellious slice of Hard Rock that generates the right amount of grit and steely determination that make this album a winner from start to finish. 

Salvation is a superbly entertaining release that will appeal to multiple different audiences within the Hard Rock Underground Scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered Life for the promo.. 

Salvation is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Totem Cat Records and TeePee Records

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Telekinetic Yeti - Primordial (Album Review)

Release Date: July 8th 2022. Record Label: TeePee Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Primordial - Tracklisting

1.Primordial 

2.Ancient Nug

3.Ghost Train 

4.Stoned Ape Theory 

5.Light In a Dying World 

6.Beast 

7.Toke Wizard 

8.Rogue Planet 

9.Tides of Change 

10.Invention of Fire 

11.Cult of Yeti

Members

Alex Baumann- Guitars, Vocals

Rockwel Heim - Drums

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Telekinetic Yeti return after a five year absence with Primordial. There’s been a change of personnel in the ranks with former member Anthony Dreyer leaving in 2019 and who then formed Twin Wizard. I mention Twin Wizard as there’s a couple of songs that appear both on Primordial and Twin Wizard’s debut album. As Alex and Anthony were busy making the new album before they split-up. However, both bands are doing their own thing with these tracks (Ghost Train and Toke Wizard), though I prefer the versions that appear on Primordial.

Telekinetic Yeti are more outlandish and more progressive sounding compared to their acclaimed debut release Abominable. The album is pure WEEDIAN magic through and through with the band playing a lush melody of Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal grooves with a warm FUZZY attitude within the first excellent opening songs of Primordial, Ancient Nug and Ghost Train. The songwriting has improved big time since their last album with the band feeling more comfortable with their WEEDIAN surroundings. The music is perhaps slightly more distorted and FUZZIER than before especially on Ancient Nug and Ghost Train.

The album is brilliantly energetic and fast-paced with Telekinetic Yeti playing a modern sounding Psych Rock/Metal backdrop that allows the band to play SABBATH and SLEEP  levels of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION.

There are certain parts of the album where there is a bleak DOOM style atmosphere that blends seamlessly into the Stoner based background that Telekinetic Yeti bring a fresh Progressive perspective into the mix. Songs such as Stoned Ape Theory, Light In A Dying World, Toke Wizard and Cult Of Yeti are prime examples of why I admire this band in the first place. Heavy distorted sounds that have a Cosmic vibe to them. 

The instrumental work is near flawless with Alex and Rockwel making a formidable duo that allows Telekinetic Yeti to have a much bigger sound outside the two-man setup currently within their ranks. 

Primordial is one of the most exciting and action packed releases I’ve heard this year. Helped along by fabulous production values that allows Telekinetic Yeti to release another incredible album for the Stoner Metal Underground Scene to get their teeth stuck into.

If you’re a fan of Black Sabbath, SLEEP and Mastodon then Telekinetic Yeti have the potential to be your favourite new band. 

Words by Steve Howe

Primordial is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via TeePee Records from July 8th 2022.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

EERIE - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: July 29^th 2016. Label: TeePee Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

EERIE – S/T – Tracklisting

Hideous Serpent

Yeti

Master Of Creation

Immortal Rot

Blood Drinker

Band Members:

Tim Lehi – Guitars

Dave Sweetapple – Bass

Moses Saarni – Drummer

Shane Baker – Vocals

Review:

EERIE’s debut album is being released on TeePee Records. Not the first label that comes to mind to release a Black Metal album. EERIE’s style of Black Metal is firmly rooted in Doom, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock and Stoner Rock at times. The album is more Doom Metal with shades of pure Black Metal being the main heartbeat of this album.

Opening track – Hideous Serpent – takes influence from the modern newer sound of Black Metal bands but merged with a murky Black Sabbath feel with elements of Psychedelic Rock and Heavy Metal The vocals from lead vocalist Shane are one of the albums main strengths as he keeps you intrigued from the very start. The instrumental work is swift and very powerful, that isn’t surprising when you consider the talent involved with EERIE.

Second track – Yeti – carries on the devilish and wicked fun with harsher riffs and grizzled vocals. With a ten minute run time, EERIE could have easily become bogged down with the different style of music they offer, so it’s to their credit they’ve created perhaps the standout song on the album. It’s a celebration of all things loud, dangerous and heavy. Doom and gloom atmospherics given a psychedelic black metal makeover that will have you entertained throughout. The instrumental work once again is frantic, crazy and fast-paced that will only endear them further to both fans of the Hard Rock and Extreme Metal scenes.

Third track – Master Of Creation – is another epic track that opens with a superb grizzled psych riff that allows the band to expand their sound even more. The wicked black metal vibe isn’t too far behind but EERIE’s sound is more than that, it’s a wildly inventive and highly original sound that harks back to the classic early years of heavy metal. This track has a Mastodon kind of vibe running through out but it’s louder than anything that Mastodon have released over the last five years or so. A complex sounding progressive stoner groove holds everything together for another one of the albums standout songs.

The final two tracks Immortal Rats and Blood Drinkers are shorter at five minutes and six minutes respectively and it sees EERIE only expand their Black Metal/Doom/Stoner/Psych based sounds. These two songs offer perhaps the gloomiest and heaviest moments on the album as EERIE play epic guitar riffs with lead vocalist Shane excelling yet again.

The album may not seem very progressive from the first listen but with each repeated listen, you begin to hear many different ideas throughout the album. EERIE’s debut album is an exciting and often thrilling release that I want to hear more of in the future. Superb stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Carl at Action PR for the promo. EERIE S/T debut album will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via TeePee Records from July 29^th 2016.

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