Release Date: 19th February 2021. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Hinterlands - Tracklisting
Counting
Ochre And Umber
Interzone Mantra
Still Life
Uncanny Valley
June
Review
Hinterlands is the new album from Psych Stoner Rockers JakeTheHawk. This is the band's first record for their new label Ripple Music and continues in a similar style of music as that we’ve seen bands such as Forming The Void and Howling Giant played to great acclaim. I can see similar great things for JakeTheHawk on their new album with the band playing a more majestic style of Psych Stoner Rock compared to their debut album.
Hinterlands is a spellbinding collection of epic songs that drifts from one style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock/Metal to another that you wouldn’t expect.
Opening song - Counting - opens with an almost surreal Ambient Post-Rock texture where the guitars slowly come into focus and move into a heavier style of Post-Doom/Post-Stoner that allows JakeTheHawk to expand on their heavy progressive sound. The vocals are excellent from the start and goes superbly well with the heavy sludgy guitars appearing for a more Alternative Desert Rock sound.
Second song - Ochre And Umber - adapts a different style of music for this song with a more folk rock atmosphere blending Americana themes and JakeTheHawk’s unmistakable heavy guitar trademark sound. The song then moves into quieter territory for the vocals to take centre stage and the Alternative vibe of the album leading the way. There is still some gloomy atmospherics heard within the song but the song also adds a more despairing Desert Rock flow which the band have delicious fun playing their progressive riffs against.
Third song - Interzone Mantra - opens with a gloomy riff that has fun teasing the listener of what style of music that will appear next. JakeTheHawk plays another wild style of Cinematic Post-Doom Rock with that addictive Psych Stoner Metal having a more direct presence to it. The song takes it’s time to get to its natural conclusion. The vocals whilst not as strong as the opening two songs do offer a different style when the band offer dual vocals that move into CHANT based territory.
The 2nd half of the album sees JakeTheHawk continue their Psychedelic Music revolution with the band changing styles yet again across 3 excellent songs with Still Life and June being the best parts of the album. Whilst there are some challenging parts for the listener to experience, the album is always constantly engaging backed up by fantastic production values. This is a Ripple Music, do we expect anything less.
Hinterlands is a deeply rich and progressive wild album with a few surprises along the way. Such as the harsh vocals that appear out of nowhere on certain parts of the album.
JakeTheHawk calls their music Appalachian Desert Rock and that is a good description but there’s so much more to the band than that cool description. They have written excellent and emotionally driven lyrics to match the brilliant music contained on the album. Put this altogether and you have the ingredients for an unmissable album.
As I said before, if you dig Howling Giant and Forming The Void then JakeTheHawk will make you feel right at home with this spellbinding and deeply hypnotic album.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo. Hinterlands will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music from February 19th 2021.
Midwest's sludge behemoths and all-time weed metal pioneers BONGZILLA unleash their brand new single "Sundae Driver" exclusively on Decibel Magazine today! The song is taken from their forthcoming fifth album 'Weedsconsin', due out April 20th and available to preorder now through Heavy Psych Sounds.
Featuring a three-piece lineup of all original members—bassist/vocalist Muleboy, guitarist Spanky and drummer Magma— ”Sundae Driver” delivers the kind of hazy, heavy-as-hell doom that BONGZILLA earned their reputation peddling. The riffs on “Sundae Driver” are low and slow, sounding like they originate in a smoke-filled room; paired with a flattening rhythm section, the instruments create the ideal backdrop for Muleboy’s throat-shredding, smoke-destroyed vocals.
Listen to Bongzilla's new single "Sundae Driver" on Decibel
On the fringe of chaos, in the Year of the Pandemic, the Cannabeast has awoken. World pioneers of Weed Metal BONGZILLA return with their new full-length album, sixteen years after their last record 'Amerijuanican'. Over the span of 'Weedsconsin' six tracks, Bongzilla delivers heavy doses of crushing stoner doom and psychedelic space rock that sets it apart from earlier material.
This record travels down a path of heavy riffs, mind-expanding jams, sonic tones, and stomping beats in the band's first release as a thunderous three piece, with Muleboy moving from guitar to bass. Approaching these songs as a three-piece has created more space musically and allowed the band to showcase their musicianship in a different way, resulting in a sound that is very heavy, along the lines of 'Gateway' tone-wise, but sonically clearer.
'Weedsconsin' was written by Muleboy (bass, vocals), Spanky (guitar), and Magma (drums) and recorded and mixed by the late John Hopkins at Future Apple Tree Studios in Rock Island, Illinois in October 2020. It was mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago, Illinois, with an artwork design by Eli Quinn. It will be released on April 20th, 2021 on various limited edition vinyls, black vinyl, CD and digital.
BONGZILLA New album 'Weedsconsin' Out April 20th on Heavy Psych Sounds - PREORDER
TRACKLIST:
1. Sundae Driver
2. Free the Weed
3. Space Rock
4. The Weedeater
5. Earth Bong, Smoked, Mags Bags
6. Gummies
BONGZILLA is a stoner metal band from Madison, Wisconsin. As their name suggests, most of their material is related to marijuana and promotes its legalization. The band formed in 1995, and over the next three years recorded and released a dozen songs on EPs and split singles. In 1998 they signed to Relapse Records, and have since released four studio albums and a live album through the label. Since the seeds were planted in the mid-90s, BONGZILLA have been sowing Madison, Wisconsin’s rich soil with their homegrown, psychedelic sludge. Following the release of their fourth studio album "Amerijuanican" in 2005, the band toured and remained active until 2009 when the group quietly took a hiatus.
In April 2015 it was announced BONGZILLA was reforming with the "Gateway" lineup, first announcing a tour of Europe. The band followed up with a four-date tour of the West Coast USA, a tour of the east coast USA and an appearance at Desertfest Belgium. The band began 2017 with a local show in Wisconsin before embarking on another European tour, playing the likes of Roadburn Festival, DesertFest Berlin, DesertFest London, KristonFest and have begun working on material for a new album.
In early 2020, BONGZILLA started their own label Gungeon Records and released a re-issue of their classic album "Apogee". However, in March of 2020 it would be announced that Cooter Brown would retire from the band due to health and family reasons, with Bongzilla choosing to continue as a thunderous three-piece. A few months into the pandemic,
BONGZILLA began rehearsing and recording for several different record projects - A limited Wake Brewing 7 inch, a full length album titled Weedsconsin, an LP split with the band Tons, and a 7 Inch Split with Boris, the first of a 7 inch Split Series released on Gungeon Records.
All projects were recorded at Future Apple Tree Studios in Rockford, Illinois in October 2020 by the legendary John Hopkins, before his sudden and unexpected passing in the late fall of 2020. In January 2021, the band announced its signing to Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds for the release of their fifth studio album "Weedsconsin" on April 20th, 2021
BONGZILLA is
Mike "Muleboy" Makela - vocals & guitar Jeff "Spanky" Schultz - guitar Mike "Magma" Henry - drums
ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL is a collaborative album featuring two of France’s most promising Doom/Sludge Metal bands GREYFELL and Endless Floods. Their upcoming new album completely floored me with it's different styles of Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal and is held together by hypnotic Psychedelic waves of Progressive Rock/Metal.
Claire at Purple Sage PR offered me the chance to interview the guys behind the project and I jumped on board. As I wanted to find out more about this great project and how the idea came about to make the record.
Stephane Miollan from Endless Floods answered most of the questions, whilst Quentin from Greyfell answered the artwork question.
Read on for the interview.... We are here to talk about your new album ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL. Which is quite a refreshing and original collaborative album from both bands. How did the idea for this album come about and who originally thought of making a joint album together.
Hi thanks a lot for the kind words. The idea came when Benjamin and I met the guys from Greyfell during a show we shared with our other band (Benjamin and I play also in the doom band Monarch!). We had a looooot of fun with Greyfell’s guys and we just threw the idea as some excuses to spend more time all together having fun.
Did you guys actually know each other before recording this album. Had you ever toured together or played gigs together.
We knew each other a few times before the recording session and we also shared shows as Endless Floods and Greyfell played together in France and Spain.
Were you worried that your different styles of music may not actually work before recording the album. As both GREYFELL and ENDLESS FLOODS have different sounds to each other.
Well not that much I think. We don’t even talked about “style of music”, we just share ideas about ambiances and colors we wanted to explore. We wanted the album to be also an excuse to go outside the comfort zone for each bands. So ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL do not sound like Greyfell and not like Endless Floods. It sounds like ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL at the end.
What is the actual album about. As it has some cool interesting ideas running throughout the entire album.
During the composition process we had a lot of images and colors coming to our mind. Most of them were clearly about Big Castles, Big Swords, Royal Court with a touch of Sci-fi… The album use a Sci-fi / Chevaleresque background to talk about personal subjects also.
How did you write and record the album. Did you all collaborate together or did both bands just submitted their songs and then put together in the recording process. Or did members from both bands actually work together on all of the songs.
We use a time when Greyfell’s squad were in our home-town in Bordeaux to write and test different ideas in a live configuration. Then we went to Rouen few month after and record all together. Everyone proposed ideas and we decided together. The thing I admire most about the album is how different it to the music you’re both known for whilst retaining something familiar for fans of both bands to get on board with. Was that something easy or difficult to achieve when making the album.
We didn’t think about that too much. The most significant aspect of both Endless and Greyfell expressed themselves naturally. So I guess it wasn’t difficult.
What influenced you all when writing and recording this album.
Musically speaking, we didn’t mention that much other music. But we watch a lot the video-clip of Vangelis’s “Chariot of fire” and talked about “Planet of the Apes”.
The album cover for the upcoming new album is excellent and quite interesting when listening to the album. Who designed the cover and how much input did you have into the overall design of the cover.
We worked with a graphic designer friend of ours, François Vesin. We did not give him much of an input except the music itself and the global spirit of the recording process (i.e. music made by upgraded monkeys). He found this old photo taken around the Ukrainian Front during World War II, displaying an old orthodox church gate torn apart by bombings and imagined and redesigned it as a gateway to another parallel universe. Probably ruled by upgraded monkeys.
Was this a hard album to write and record for compared to your own individual albums.
It was easy to write and easy to align each other comparing to the amount of time we had to work on it. The most difficult and long part was surely the last 20% of the production process. All the tiny aspects that need a little time to be done properly. We had a strong basis and we needed few extra months to finish
Why did you call this project and album ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL. What is the meaning of the name for this project.
It’s the name we wanted to have when peoples of Endless Floods and Greyfell make music together. There were the Stone Age, Iron Age, Middle Age, Modern Age… And now we decree the ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL.
What comes first for you when recording new music. Lyrics or Music.
Music came first. But feelings, colours and overall aesthetic came quiet the same time. Quickly after we translate all those things through words and lyrics.
COVID-19 has pretty much put a stop to all life as we know it for the time being. How big of an impact has it affected the band. And how are you surviving in this stressful time.
ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL had recorded everything before this huge mess came so it didn’t that much impact our work on this album. Of course things are totally out of control right now, we keep working our music, adapting things to the new context and the best medicine.
After everything is back to some sort of normality. What does the future hold for both bands and ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL in general. Will you be touring the record in the future.
I really don’t know about touring ha-ha. I don’t want to hope for things that are still out of my control right now.
Will you guys be working together on any further projects in the future or is this just a one-off project.
We already have desire and new stuff for a second episode of ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL to record all together. I think it will happen sooner than later.
What are the future plans for GREYFELL and ENDLESS FLOODS. Any exciting plans for both bands in the future.
Endless Floods have 2 records in the mixing process and we plan to go record 1 or more new record in the coming weeks. We love to working new music and we want to keep it busy. Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom that you want to say to your fans.
Thank you for offering the opportunity to talk about ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL. No words of wisdom, just love for everyone.
Words by Steve Howe and ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for arranging the interview. ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL will be available to buy on Cassette/DD via SOZA / COLLECTIF 5024 from February 5th 2020.
Pipe Dreamer is a Post-Metal band from Florida and who play a deeply haunting and emotionally driven style of Post-Metal which can be easily compared to ISIS (The Band), The Ocean and Cult Of Luna. Their new album No Solace For the Soulless touches upon quite a few bleak themes and emotions which gives Pipe Dreamer a big creative canvas to draw upon on this entire album.
The music is a mixture of different styles of Sludge Metal and Post-Metal with aggressive vocals that you need for a top-notch album. There are clean vocals on the album but it took me a short amount of time to find an emotional connection with this style of vocals. Though I was fully sold and committed by the end of the superb opening song - Struggle And Strain.
Struggle And Strain comes fully prepared for with the bombastic Post-Metal grooves with a doom based atmosphere which Pipe Dreamer play with absolute confidence. The overall sound of the song and perhaps the entire album is quite raw but allows Pipe Dreamer the opportunity to focus on their creative talent and bombard the listener with strands of top-notch Post-Metal grooves and Progressive themes.
The rest of the album carries on the similar style of the opening song with Pipe Dreamer not changing their musical style too much but there are moments which sees the band experiment with the standard Post-Metal themes and ideas.
The songwriting is impressive with Pipe Dreamer touching upon real human themes and emotions and this ends up being quite a sombre and extremely sad album because of the lyrics the band have written for this album.
Standout songs include: Now Or Never, Brothers I, Brothers II, Free From Fear Of Failure and Grace. As these are the songs that Pipe Dreamer expand their musical horizons and playing a familiar but perhaps classic style of Post-Metal that does remind myself of the early albums by Post-Metal legends ISIS (The Band).
The lush Psychedelic and Heavy Prog Rock moments allow Pipe Dreamer to become an exciting band in their own right and this album is a true reflection on their Post-Metal credentials. If you miss the classic Post-Metal albums of yesteryear then Pipe Dreamer have you covered with this great album.
No Solace For The Soulless is essential listening if you’re a die-hard fan of the Post-Metal genre.
Release date: December 18th 2020. Label: Self Released. Format: DD
High Rope – Tracklisting
High Rope
Members
Alfie Glass Harry Quinn
Review
Torus is a UK Desert/Stoner Rock Duo with a cool Alternative Feel to them. There new single High Rope is a mixture of early-QOTSA/Kyuss vibes with catchy Foo Fighters style vocals and poppy based lyrics. The song is quite addictive and shows a band with genuine promise. Torus easily capture the swagger of 90s Desert/Stoner Rock and match it with a modern Post-Grunge flow.
The lyrics are good and brings you into Torus upbeat world. Some folks may complain that this maybe too “Poppy” to be considered Desert/Stoner Rock but I would call this song a great throwback to 90s Stoner Rock with a hard-rocking Alternative Edge.
I’ve checked out the guys other music videos on YouTube and I’m impressed what the band has to offer and they have written some other excellent songs such as Hold On, The Feeling and Make You Mine which you can also check out on BandCamp as well.
I’m hoping Torus have an EP or full length album coming out in the future. As these guys have a new fan right here. So get on board with TORUS.
UK Doom/Stoner Metallers INDICA BLUES will be releasing their excellent upcoming new album WE ARE DOOMED on February 12th 2021 via APF Records.
The album builds upon their previous record but with a more serious theme running throughout the album. Though the band still play a lot of fantastic HEAVY RIFFS on the album which will keep their fans extremely happy.
I caught up with Tom Pilsworth (Guitar/Vocals) and John Slaymaker (Guitar) from the band to discuss the making of the album, signing to APF Records and the potential future state of the UK Music Scene.
Read on for more info.
The band have gone slightly heavier and more groovier on your new album We Are Doomed compared to your last album. Do you feel this is the natural progression for the band or did you want to try something different compared to your previous releases.
John: Yes definitely a natural progression where groove is concerned. As for heavier, I think that’s down to our engineer Steve ‘Geezer’ Watkins and his recording techniques. He knows how to get the best performance out of a band.
What is the new album all about and why did you call the album WE ARE DOOMED.
Tom: When we started writing this album, the ‘We Are Doomed’ concept was inspired by the chemical weapons attack in Sailsbury, UK. For a very short period of time - about 2 or 3 days - it really felt as though anything could happen. Would there be more attacks? Could the UK retaliate? Were we heading for war with Russia? So the idea for ‘We Are Doomed’ was to imagine the worst possible outcome of those massive global events between 2016-18 and then answer the question of how it got there.
When we went to record the album, the pandemic struck about halfway through. And then we really were doomed.
What influenced you all when writing and recording this album.
John: In the two years since we recorded ‘Hymns for a Dying Realm’ each of us have gone through life changes of some sort or another but we always continue with our joint passion to further the progression of Indica Blues. Those lived experiences greatly influence our music.
You’ve signed to APF Records for this album. How did you hook-up with Andy over at APF. As I know he’s a huge FAN of yours. So I know it’s top fan-boy moment for him signing you guys to his awesome label.
Tom: This all came about because we met a photographer called Matt Peake, who had moved from Manchester Oxford. We hung out at gigs and he took some awesome photos for us. As it happened Matt was a good friend of Andy at APF. He told us he was badgering Andy to sign us. At first we thought ‘pff… never happen.’
But Matt was persistent. And eventually we sent our last album to Andy and he really liked it, but said now wasn’t the right time, so send us your next one. Which is exactly what we did. But really, most of the credit goes to Matt Peake, he really did make it happen! We’re absolutely delighted to on the APF roster - Andy is a legend in the scene for a reason, he really loves the music he signs and spends a huge amount of time and energy getting everything right.
Did you have any other labels interested in releasing the album.
John: We never found out as Andy heard it first and asked us to sign that very same day.
Was this a hard album to write and record for compared to your previous albums.
John: This album is our third recording as a team so we have established our writing methods, so in that sense it was easier.
Tom: I reckon the recording was actually harder though. Geezer spends way more time on each element than other engineers - usually solos and vocals are a bit of an afterthought. I got through a hell of a lot honey trying not to go horse when it came to vocals. But it paid off, I think.
What comes first for you when recording new music. Lyrics or Music.
Tom: Always the music. Usually John or Andy will bring in a riff and we’ll just jam it out for a few sessions till we’re confident it’s a goer. Then I’ll take it home and write lyrics and put together a structure for it.
The album cover for the upcoming new album is freaking awesome. Who designed the cover and how much input did you have into the overall design of the cover.
Tom: That was done by Cristiano Suarez, a very talented Brazillian graphic artist who also designed our cover for ‘Ruins on the Shore.’
We gave him a detailed brief but he has the visual mind to work our ideas into reality. It’s not easy making a great cover - especially for a CD, you have to fit these grand ideas into a very small square. But it’s Cristiano’s eye for colours that make the difference - they grab your attention.
There is a very simple message behind it - the world is doomed and you are strapped in for the ride.
COVID-19 has pretty much put a stop to all life as we know it for the time being. How big of an impact has it affected the band. And how are you surviving in this stressful time.
John: Luckily none of us have been furloughed from work and left to fester, we’ve all been either working from home or continuing our normal routines in that respect. Thankfully the album was recorded just before the original lockdown and Geezer mixed it alone in the studio. Rehearsals have been minimal this past year and we had to cancel our shows that we had booked but we did manage to record two videos so that kept our spirits up.
After everything is back to some sort of normality. What does the future hold for Indica Blues. Will you be touring the record in the UK or In Europe.
John: We would absolutely love to tour the album definitely in the UK and our dream would also be to play such festivals as Roadburn and Desertfest in Europe, having the backing from APF has given us the confidence to believe that this could now be a reality.
Another thing that has messed things up big-time for musicians wanting to tour the UK and for UK Bands to tour Europe is BREXIT. There’s a ton of different information out there outlining what’s happening to musicians . How will this affect yourselves personally. And can you see any way out of this. As the UK Music Scene could face a deadly threat to it’s actual existence.
Tom: The UK government was offered visa free touring for musicians by the EU during negotiations but turned it down, because they didn’t want to reciprocate it. Which tells you all you need to know: they don’t give a shit about music. I think the real damage won’t be clear until covid passes, and band’s start trying to tour again. They’ll be costs and paperwork we never had before. This might sound a minor hindrance to some people, but let’s face it - those small issues can make the difference between going on tour or staying at home. Is there a way out? Things can change very quickly in politics, but people need to engage with the system and demand that change.
Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom that you want to say to your fans.
John: Yes, follow your heart follow your passion and do not let procrastination ruin your dreams.
Words by Steve Howe and Indica Blues
Thanks to Tom and John for doing this interview and Simon at For The Lost for arranging the interview.
We Are Doomed can be pre-ordered on CD/DD via APF Records now.
Release date: January 20th 2021. Label: Self Released. Format: DD
Fast N‘ Heavy Loud N‘ Slow – Tracklisting
1.Skate Fast Die Hard 02:25 2.Escape From Brasil 05:11 3.Prensado 03:12 4.Crying Eyes 02:58 5.Perfect Lies 02:08 6.Paradoxical Conflicts 03:00 7.Nowhere Fast 03:42 8.Good Vibes From Hell 03:17
Members
Guitars, Drums, Vocals - Rodrigo “Rod“ Neves Lead Guitar - Andrez Machado Bass - Rodrigo Borba
Review
Fast N‘ Heavy Loud N‘ Slow is the new album from Brazilian Sludge/Stoner Punk Upstarts SNOW. They play a blend of fast and furious Sludge/Stoner Metal with massive Crossover Punk appeal. The album is undeniably aggressive with the band living up to their multi-genre potential and that means they can appeal to fans of different genres with this release.
The album is quite short running for around 26 minutes spread across 8 songs. The vocals from Rodrigo fit very well in all of the genres contained on this release. The music is super-tight with a vibrant energy between all 3 band members and make for a convincing Sludge/Stoner Metal Power Trio of sorts.
The songs show a wide range of versatility with SNOW not settling down for one overall sound but a mixture of different styles with passionate vocals and lyrics leading the way. If you dig bands such as CANCER BATS then SNOW have a similar vibe to that great band. Well perhaps their earlier records especially on songs such as: Skate Fast Die Hard, Escape From Brasil, Perfect Lies and Nowhere Fast.
SNOW recorded, mixed and mastered the album themselves allowing to keep to the DIY PUNK Tradition that’s shown throughout the entire album. The best parts of the album is where the band focus solely on Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves and then move to a more Skate Punk attitude.
Overall, Fast N‘ Heavy Loud N‘ Slow is a superbly entertaining record that shows another style of Sludge/Stoner Metal from the South American Scene and SNOW are definitely worth checking out.
