HEMPTRESS - Alchemy (Album Review)

Release date: March 2nd 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Alchemy – Tracklisting

1.I Hear You Howlin 06:10

2.Moonlight Gunnin 06:13

3.Alabaster 04:15

4.When The Sun Goes Down 04:38

5.Mind Corruptor 07:46

6.Electric Fire 04:40

7.Maniac 06:14

8.Alchemy 11:38

Members

Jesse : Vox/Guitar/Drums

Jordan : Bass

Jordan : Guitar

Review

Alchemy is the debut album from Canadian Sludge/Stoner Rockers HEMPTRESS who incorporate Blues Rock and Doom Metal into their music. The album has a very distinctive sound with the band playing a direct style of Sludge/Stoner Rock. HEMPTRESS are very hard to pin down to one particular genre as they move from different sound to the next. Though the album is pure ROCK & ROLL EXCESS and is the better for it.

Opening song – I Hear You Howlin – shows you how HEMPTRESS play around with their sound as they offer a Sludgy and Doom based atmospheric style of music. The song has an almost vintage feel to that sees the band move towards the realm of Classic Rock but still maintaining a fresh modern sound as well. The vocals take some getting used to but Jesse’s vocals soon shine through.

Second song – Moonlight Gunnin – shows the bands love for all things Psychedelic merged with a heavy Blues Rock vibe. The song does take time to fully get going but it’s always an engaging and vibrant affair. HEMPTRESS have over 6 minutes to play with on this song and they build up to a thunderous and exciting finish. Fans of CLUTCH will no doubt enjoy HEMPTRESS style of music.

Third song – Alabaster – is more laid-back compared to the opening two songs. However the band still play some heavy stylish sounds. This song sees HEMPTRESS remain within the Classic Style of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Jesse’s vocals are inspired by 1980’s Heavy Metal Excess and he runs away with that style. The vocals maybe brief but it what sells the song as one of the standout moments on the album.

HEMPTRESS carry on that style of Sludge Rock. Stoner Rock, Doom Metal and Classic Hard Rock for the remainder of the album. Songs such as Mind Corrupter, Maniac and the almost 12 minute final song – Alchemy set the scene for an excellent sounding album.

It’s good to see HEMPTRESS paying respects to their musical influences on this album whilst managing to create their own superb sound. I can see why the band are starting to receive some great praise from the Stoner Rock/Metal community with people such as Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast), Steve Rodger (BandCamp Doom/Stoner Metal Expert) and Bucky Brown (Ripple Effect) singing this bands praises most recently. These guys know what they’re talking about. As they’re some of the most prominent BandCamp supporters within the community and they know a thing or two about good music.

So take their advice and listen to this epic album. As HEMPTRESS have delivered the goods with this album. You’ll be hearing a lot more from these guys in the near future.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

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The Pilgrim - Walking Into The Forest (Album Review)

Release date: April 26th 2019. Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Walking Into The Forest – Tracklisting

Peace Of Mind

The Time You Wait

Sailor

Dragonfly

Sunset In The Desert

Brainstorm

Pendulum

When I Call Your Name

Secrets

Suite 2

Review

Walking Into The Forest is the new solo album by The Pilgrim. The Pilgrim is the solo project of Gabriele Fiori from famed Psych Stoner Rockers – Black Rainbows and Killer Boogie. Gabriele is also the owner of Heavy Psych Sounds. Walking Into The Forest is very different to other musical projects Gabriele is currently involved with. As The Pilgrim is a semi-acoustic Psych/Classic Rock/Folk Rock album with its heart and soul firmly rooted in Sixties and Seventies Rock.

The album is constantly engaging and mellow from the start. If you’re looking for the heavier sound that Gabriele is known for then it’s best to look elsewhere. Though the album does have its fair share of Heavy Rock moments. This album sees Gabriele offer a more emotional and heart-warming sound with personal lyrics holding everything together.

The vocals are engaging and offer a different perspective from what I’ve heard from Gabriele before. This is a good change of pace from Gabriele as he lives up quite rightly to The Pilgrim persona. The songs are very similar to each other but they all have their own distinctive sound and identity. Songs such as Peace Of Mind, The Time You Want, Sailor and Dragonfly show you that Gabriele has a cool deft touch at writing the calmer style of music compared to Black Rainbows.

Walking Into The Forest has an excellent cover of Hawkwind classic – Brainstorm– and it’s more a laid-back cover compared to the original. There are times on the album that Gabriele is laying his soul and personal feelings to closely to the bone at times and I admire his approach to the overall flow of the album. As this is perhaps his more personal and soulful album to date.

I’m always slightly wary when members of bands that I love and admire announce solo albums. As most of the time they’re so different from we’ve heard from the artist before that I kinda lose interest quickly. Wino and Scott Kelly are perhaps the only solo output that I enjoy from the Heavy Rock/Heavy Metal spectrum. Well you can add The Pilgrim to that list.

Walking Into The List surprised me in a huge way. It’s been on constant rotation since I’ve received the album to review. A good sign, personally for myself. The album is an excellent addition to Gabriele’s already impressive resume. I hope we hear more from The Pilgrim in the future as I feel there is a lot more to come in the years to come. Unless Gabriele is keeping this as a one-off release. I hope not.

Overall, Walking Into The Forest is a superb sounding album that has quite an emotional depth and a few hidden surprises along the way. You don’t have to be a fan of Black Rainbows to enjoy this album. You just need to be a fan of great music in general and that is what Walking Into The Forest actually is. A great album that offers a wide range of different musical elements and leaves you with a warm happy vibe that’s totally addictive and very hard to beat.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purpler Sage PR for the promo. Walking Into The Forest will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from April 26th 2019.

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DRUIDS - Monument (Album Review)

Release date: April 19th 2019. Label: The Company KC. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Monument – Tracklisting

1.New Breath

2.Iron Healer

3.Mirrors of Trigon

4.The Whip

5.Shivast

Members

Luke Rauch : Vocals/ Guitar

Keith Rich: Drums

Drew Rauch: Vocals/ Bass

Review

Progressive Sludge/Stoner Rockers DRUIDS new album Monument is perhaps the record that will hopefully see them gain actual mainstream attention. As they’ve created an album that draws influence from Sleep, Mastodon and Baroness though an album still with its sound and identity. Newly signed to The Company KC who have are a building up a steady reputation in releasing quality sounding releases and Monument is no different.

Opening song – New Breath – has some epic Mastodon-esque riffs running through it’s veins though offering a more varied Progressive Rock sound. The sci-fi based themes are what makes DRUIDS music truly standout. As the mood becomes more volatile and allows the band to create a more thunderous style of Sludge/Stoner Metal with the vocals being more grounded as well.

Second song – Iron Healer – has a heavier and more direct sound compared to the opening song. The vocals are a cool mix of Clean Vocals and Heavy Prowls and is perhaps DRUIDS best vocal performance to date. The psychedelic and space rock riffs work superbly with the heavier Progressive Rock/Metal elements the band have included here.

Third song – Mirrors Of Trigon – is the song that is perhaps the standout song and the one that has been generating actual buzz within the scene for DRUIDS and rightly so. This is an epic reinvention of the modern sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal sound. The sludgy and droned out guitars slowly build up a cold rhythm before the doomier elements appear for a more varied and richer sound. The vocals have an alternative rock/metal feel to them and it works surprisingly well. The lyrics maybe OTT but it allows everything to flow naturally whilst telling an interesting story as well.

The final two songs – The Whip and Shivast – continues with the epic Sci-Fi based themes DRUIDS build their music upon. Shivast is perhaps the strongest of the final two songs as DRUIDS go all out on this song and perhaps perform some of the albums heaviest progressive sounds.

Monument is DRUIDS finest record to date and they deserve all the success and plaudits coming their way. This is a record you cannot miss.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Company KC for the promo. Monument will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Company KC from April 19th 2019.

Links:

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Cowboys & Aliens - Horses Of Rebellion (Album Review)

Release date: March 15th 2019. Label: POLDERRECORDS. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Horses Of Rebellion – Tracklisting

1.Soaking 04:05

2.Still in the Shade 03:36

3.Two Time a Man 04:44

4.Sheep Bloody Sheep 05:01

5.Take a Good Look Around 04:21

6.Horses of Rebellion 03:58

7.Morning Again 04:14

8.Hollow 03:41

9.Refuse 03:10

10.Walk a Mile in my Shoes 04:20

11.Splendid Isolation 02:19

Members

John Pollentier

Henk Vanhee

Peter Gaelens

Tom Neirynck

Review

Cowboys & Aliens return with their 5^th album – Horses Of Rebellion. This album sees the legendary Stoner Rock band add a more thunderous Alternative Rock groove to their classic Stoner based sound. The album is more aggressive compared to their previous albums and it’s good to hear the band trying something different instead of releasing the same album over and over again.

The album never stops with it’s fast-paced aggression from the opening song – Soaking – for the majority of the album. Cowboys & Aliens will please not only long-time fans of the and but also the casual observer or first time listener. As this album ticks all the right buttons with melodic psychedelic Desert/Stoner Rock sounds that bands such as Kyuss and Monster Magnet made famous back in the day. Though please remember this band has been going strong since 1996. Well they did have a brief 5 year hiatus from 2006 to 2011. The fact remains that it’s still great these guys are still around making great music such as Horses Of Rebellion.

Horses Of Rebellion has it’s fair share outstanding songs such as: Soaking, Two Time A Man, Sheep Bloody Sheep, Horses Of Rebellion, Morning Again, Hollow and Release. The only weak part of the album is the final song – Splendid Isolation. As the song doesn’t really go anywhere and leaves you wanting more. Maybe it was best to end the album with a different song.

Apart from that minor complaint, Horses Of Rebellion is a great album and sounds excellent from the start. The production is first-rate and this allows the album to flow at such a natural and addictive pace. If you’re in the mood for a heavier and different style of Stoner Rock then Horses Of Rebellion has you fully covered and proves once again why Cowboys & Aliens are one of the best Stoner Rock bands the European scene has to offer.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to POLDERRECORDS for the promo. Horses Of Rebellion is available to buy now via POLDERRECORDS.

Links:

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EP News - KUROKUMA Announce New EP Details

Trippy Metal Trio KUROKUMA Announce New EP Details

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 to be released via Off Me Nut Records May 3rd 

Trippy metal trio KUROKUMA have announced their third EP Sheffield's Best Metal Bands Vol.1 will be released via Off Me Nut Records on May 3rd 2019 ahead of their appearance at Desertfest UK on May 5th. 

Check out their teaser here: 

Kurokuma - Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1

After earning acclaimed reviews for their Advorsus EP (2016) and Dope Rider EP (2018), KUROKUMA's cult-like notoriety for producing avant-garde music, heavy yet multidimensional, has continued to grow. Now, the band have teamed up with notorious electronic record label Off Me Nut Records for their latest release, which sees the label's first ever foray into the murky world of metal. 

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 finds the band burrowing deeper into an atmospheric world of their own creation, producing four leviathan tracks that are a consciousness-expanding 24-minute refraction of monumentally unsettled ambient heaviness and blackened sludge. And there's even a Jamiroquai cover thrown in for good measure (Deeper Underground). This is some persuasively weird shit.

The band comments: "It's a product of being on the road a lot more this past year, seeing a lot of metal bands outside of just the stoner/doom circles, and then just bringing in a few influences from outside metal. We listen to things from all across the musical spectrum; lately it's been a lot of electronic music and beats, and that's nothing particularly unique, but we've never drawn lines between genres or been hesitant about bringing what we like to listen to into the band. 

There's a darkness and an intensity that you might find in unexpected places if you're willing to look. Reality is twisted, you'll never escape it. We're taking the weird shit that flows through our brains and in front of our eyes, cranking the volume and putting it on cassette. And when we took a step back and looked at the lyrics and song titles on this release, we realised that, if you had to describe it, everything related to a theme of weird creatures that are misunderstood by society at large, which, to be honest, is a good way of summing up who we are.“

KUROKUMA recently gained further spotlight after being featured in The Doom Doc, an independent documentary on the doom scene which followed KUROKUMA's drummer, Joe E Allen, and featured interviews with original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, Primitive Man, Conan, Slabdragger, and many others.

Having perfected their engaging sound on stages worldwide from the UK to Japan with bands such as Conan, Crowbar, Trap Them, KEN Mode, Boss Keloid, Primitive Man and Skeletonwitch to name a few, the next few months will see the band playing select dates and festivals including Desertfest in London in support of their EP.

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 will be released by Off Me Nut Records on May 3rd. Pre-orders will be available soon.

See KUROKUMA live at one of the following dates:

March 24th, Dreadfest, Leeds (UK)
April 12th, Record Junkee, Sheffield (w/ Author and Punisher) (UK)
April 13th, Replacement Weekender @ The Moon, Cardiff (UK)
May 5th, Desertfest, London (UK)
May 18th, The Rumble At Rebellion, Manchester (UK)

Find out more about the band

Facebook || Twitter || Bandcamp || Spotify

Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1 Tracklisting

1: RVN
2: Wasp Nest
3: Deeper Underground
4: Wasp Nest (Memphis edit)

11PARANOIAS - Asterismal (Album Review)

Release date: March 15th 2019. Label: Ritual Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Asterismal – Tracklisting

1.Loss Portal 08:16

2.Bloodless Crush 03:21

3.Vitrified Galaxy 06:32

4.Prelude 02:07

5.Slow Moon 09:07

6.Quantitative Immortalities 11:55

7.Chamber of Stars 06:14

Members

Adam Richardson (bass/vox)

Mike Vest (guitar)

Nathan Perrier (drums)

Review

Asterismal is the epic new album from Progressive Doom/Sludge Metallers 11PARANOIAS. This album is a very dense and heavy affair and I wouldn’t expect anything less from these guys. The album is a Space Rock odyssey though the band a nightmarish and surreal vision to their music. The music is constantly heavy and always evolving into a different style of Spaced Out Rock that only 11PARANOIAS could possibly make.

Asterismal runs for around seventy-two minutes and it’s epic as they come. The songs all have a deep meaningful sound and identity of their own. Each song sounds very different to each other. As the band play many different styles of Doom, Sludge and Psychedelic Metal. The whole feel of the album has an almost TRIBAL feel to it especially on songs such as: Loss Patrol, Bloodless Crush, Vitrified Galaxy, Slow Moon, Chamber Of Stars and the excellent two-part song of Acoustic Mirror.

If you’ve listened to previous albums by the band then you know what to expect. However, the band take a darker and slightly depressing turn on this album and it works wonders for their overall sound. Their music now has a more threatening purpose and the music becomes heavier as a result.

The vocals from Adam are superbly sung from the start. As they’re a mixture of clean chants, harsh growls and regular clean vocals. Though I do have an issue understanding what is being sung on certain parts of the album. It’s a good job that the music is brilliantly played and highly original in its own right. The heavy droned out sludgy guitars allows the band to have a more nuanced approach to their music.

Asterismal has a distinctive stop-start approach where the band could be playing an epic riff and they stop for a split second and decide to play a different style of music. For the most part this works in the bands favour. However, this style of music could be distracting to the more casual listener than a die-hard fan of the band. Asterismal is perhaps best suited to people who know what to expect from this great band.

Asterismal is a thrilling and very surreal album that delves right into the darkness of i 11PARANOIAS music. This is an album that you need to be in a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate and understand the whole meaning of the album. 11PARANOIAS have always been the type of band who are never afraid to experiment with their music and still make you want to experience more.

I may not fully understand the full themes and ideas of Asterismal yet but it’s going to be a great journey trying to figure this out for myself. Overall, Asterismal is a thought-provoking and complex album that ranks as one of the best albums the band have released yet.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency and Ritual Productions for the promo. Asterismal will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ritual Productions from March 15^th 2019.

Links:

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King Legba & The Loas - Back From The Dead (Album Review) And Album Premiere

Release date: March 22nd 2019. Label: Czar Of Crickets Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Back From The Dead – Tracklisting

1. Black From The Dead

2. Ghost Train

3. Voodoo Witch

4. Moonchild

5. Resist The Gods

6. A Little Pity

7. No Surprise

8. Home

Members

Tobi Glanzmann - vocals & guitar

Marco Grementieri - vocals & bass

Silvio Spadino - drums

Review

King Legba & The Loas are a band that I hadn’t heard of before until I listened to their new album – Back From The Dead. The band play a heavy mix of Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Punk Rock and Stoner Rock and will appeal to fans of The Hellacopters but with a more Stoner Rock sound.

The album was recorded by legendary producer Tomas Skogsberg who has worked with acts such as The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies and Entombed. I can confirm the album sounds great from start to finish and allows King Legba & The Loas to show off their undeniable talent. The songs a mixture of different styles but all containing a hard-rocking Stoner based groove.

Opening song – Black From The Dead – is parts modern day Monster Magnet and even Motorhead in places. As the song can’t decide if it’s a glorious OTT Garage/Stoner Rock song or a classic balls-to-the-wall Hard Rock/Metal anthem that Motorhead were famous for. Add a few moments of Heavy Psychedelic Rock and you have one of the standout songs on the album.

Second song – Ghost Train – opts for a more classic The Hellacopters sound but the band add their own style of fast-paced Punk Rock and Blues Rock sound. The song is quite infectious and that’s perhaps down to the fantastic vocals of Tobi who feels that he has an easy-going persona despite the heavy rock vibe being played in the background.

Third song – Voodoo Witch – is a more Classic Rock/Punk Rock song with the band adding a more Doom/Occult Rock vibe to their music especially with the lyrics. It’s not one of the strongest songs on the album but it’s a song with bags of personality and shows that the band know how to have devilish demonic fun.

Fourth song – Moonchild – is perhaps my favourite song on the album as the band opt for a more modern Stoner Rock/Metal sound with elements of Punk Rock keeping the song moving along at a brisk pace. The lyrics are quite playful and seedy in all of the right places. The vocals from both Toni and Marco adds real SLEAZE ROCK attitude to the overall feel of the album.

The second half of the album carries on the Punk/Stoner Rock attitude the band created on the first half of the album with the album ending on an exciting conclusion.

Other cool songs to check out are: Resist The Gods, A Little Pity and Home.

Back From The Dead only lasts for 32 minutes or so and it would have been good if there were a couple of more songs to make the album last that little bit longer. As it’s over quite quickly and I wasn’t ready for the album to be over that quickly. However, Back From The Dead is superbly entertaining and will appeal to a wide range of fans across the Hard Rock musical spectrum.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Fredy at Czar Of Crickets Productions for the promo. Back From The Dead will be available to buy on CD from March 22^nd 2019. The Vinyl can be ordered directly from the band. 

You can listen to the entire album with this exclusive album premiere of BACK FROM THE DEAD.

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