Sergeant Thunderhoof Announce New Album And Announce KICKSTARTER DETAILS

A new album... at last!

We're delighted to announce that we have finally begun work on the follow up to 2018's 'Terra Solus'. This is easily our most ambitious work to date and we can't wait to share it with you.

A Kickstarter campaign has just gone live and you are the first to be notified! We won't be sharing the news with others until tomorrow. There are loads of cool packages and goodies up for grabs and we hope you will join us on this ride to help us get this project off the ground.

CLICK HERE TO SEE!

Sergeant Thunderhoof & Pale Wizard Records

PALE WIZARD RECORDS:

Website: https://www.palewizard.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palewizard

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palewizard

Bandcamp: https://palewizardrecords.bandcamp.com/

SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF:

Website: https://www.sergeantthunderhoof.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergeantthunderhoof

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergeantthunderhoof

Bandcamp: https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com

Cassius King - Field Trip (Album Review)

Release Date: July 23rd 2021. Record Label: Nomad Eel Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Field Trip -  Tracklisting

01. King of Lies

02. Below the Stones

03. Cleopatra's Needle

04. Join the Exodus

05. Traveler

06. Apocalyptic Nations

07. I Move with the Moon

08. Six

09. Leave of Absence

10. This Side of Forever

Members

Jason McMaster - Vocals

Ron Lipnicki - Drums

Jimmy Schulman - Bass

Dan Lorenzo - Guitars

Review

Cassius King is the new project from Ex-HADES and VESSEL OF LIGHT member Dan Lorenzo. Well I say new but Dan has been using the Cassius King moniker for years but after COVID-19 hit, Dan decided the world didn’t need a new VESSEL OF LIGHT right now. (I wouldn’t have minded Dan but I’m a patient man and I can wait).

So he decided to make Cassius King debut full length album and started to work with vocalist Jason McMaster (WATCHTOWER/DANGEROUS TOYS/BROKEN TEETH/HOWLING SYCAMORE/IGNITOR) for this record. Joining them on this classic sounding Field Trip is Dan’s colleagues from Vessel Of Light - Jimmy Schulman and Ron Lipnicki.

So what can you expect on their debut album - Field Trip. Well there’s 10 tracks showing the bands love for all things 70s and 80s Heavy Metal especially with Black Sabbath and Led Zepp being massive influences on the band's sound. Cassius Trip are inspired by the best Black Sabbath line-ups with Ozzy and DIo at the helm though with a great ability to tie up the different vocal styles and musical melodies.

What makes this album extra cool is how Cassius King bring a Doom Metal element to their music with a Stoner Rock bounce along the way. Sure, this is mostly a “TRUE” Heavy Metal album but at least Cassius King play music that readers of this blog can get behind.

The band get off to a flying start with the opening song King Of Lies with the song having a Thrash based approach that settles down for a more Doom-Lite groove. The vocals veer into theatrical 70s Heavy Rock/Heavy Metal style though you can feel the huge sense of “FUN” the band bring with their lyrics and the subtle changing of Heavy Rock genres whilst avoiding all the cliches that some folks associate with bands playing Classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

Cassius King keep their winning rate going through songs such as: Cleopatra’s Needle, Below The Stones, Traveler (The Long Road), Six and Sound Of Forever

The songs can be wonderfully passionate such as Traveler (The Long Road) with an “Alice In Chains” grungy atmosphere that doesn’t end up being foreshadowed by the SABBATH classic DOOM vibe the band inject into every track. This is my favourite song on the album as it’s quite hard-hitting but the music is always showing Cassius King playing highly-energetic classic DOOM ROCK/METAL.

Field Trip is a great record for Cassius King to release for their debut album. If you’re a fan of any of the members current or previous bands then this album will have you covered. This is not the most original sounding album out there. Though, that’s not the point.

Field Trip is an album that plays on your favourite classic Doom Metal, Heavy Metal and Stoner Rock memories of the last 40 years and shows a healthy loving attitude and respect of what’s come before it whilst being a damn good album in it’s own right.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Cassius King for the promo. 

Field Trip will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Nomad Eel Records from July 23rd 2021.

Links:

BandCamp

New Heavy Sounds + APF Records present 'Unearthly Allies’ All-dayer

 New Heavy Sounds + APF Records present 'Unearthly Allies’ All-dayer

9th October 2021 at The Black Heart, London  

Featuring - Beggar / Grave Lines / Battalions / Limb / Wasted Death / Cold in Berlin / Indica Blues / Sky Valley Mistress

It has been, without doubt, the strangest of times and times of all sorts of isolation.   So New Heavy Sounds and APF Records decided that a great way to celebrate the opposite of that isolation would be to come together in a big collaborative gesture of celebration. 

"These strange times have also shown what great unity there is within the scenes in which we love to 'do our thing' and we aim to celebrate that with a day of what we love - Riffs, heavy stuff, attitude, live music, collaboration, independence, noise, rocking, fun, community and 'the scene’.” - NHS & APF Records

A fortuitous online meet up of the two labels revealed that they were mutual admiration societies of what the other was achieving and that, rather than in competition, they would prefer to present a united front on their combined take on new heavy music, to take them out of these grisly times.

New Heavy Sounds add, "Our bands concurred and have agreed to present this allied front in both a live and recorded way. It was a no-brainer for us that we chose London's most important small venue for heavy music, The Black Heart, around which most of London's heavy and noise scenes revolve, to host this celebratory event. The success of the venue's saving via its crowdfunding campaign during the Lockdown is testament to its importance."

As well as the eight bands from the labels playing back to back on the day, each attendee will receive a CD sampler of tracks from the labels' current rosters and many releases will be available at a pop-up stall at the venue. 

To add to the celebratory, party vibe, She's So Heavy Dj's (including Harriet and Federica Black Moth) will be providing the sounds between the live action.

"We could think of no better way to, in effect, relaunch as allies."

————————————————————————————————————————  

Tickets on sale now from here - £15 Adv - 2pm - 11pm   

She’s So Heavy DJs + APF / NHS / Merch Stall  

FREE CD to all ticket-holders  

NHS + APF Records Unearthly Allies CD Features: 

Beggar / Grave Lines / Battalions / Limb / Wasted Death / Cold in Berlin / Indica Blues / Sky Valley Mistress / Desert Storm / Blacklab / PIST /Mountain Caller /  Video Nasties / Tenebra / Utopia / EMBR

https://www.facebook.com/newheavysounds

https://www.facebook.com/apfrecords

Earth Messiah Premiere New Song CRAVING FLESH From Upcoming New EP - Svält - via Argonauta Records

Swedish Heavy Stoner Rockers Earth Messiah with a new EP, Svält, due to be released on 27th August 2021 via one of my favourite underground record labels - Argonauta Records - who released their last album as well.

To get you in the mood for the upcoming EP Release, we are happy to be premiering the new song Craving Flesh from Svält.

You can pre-order Svält from Argonauta Records

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for all of the details.

For More Info Visit:

Facebook
BandCamp
Argonauta Records
Argonauta Records Facebook Page

Cavern Deep - S/T (Album Review)

Release Date: July 23rd 2021. Record Label: Interstellar Smoke Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Cavern Deep - S/T  -  Tracklisting

1.Staring Down

2.Abandoned Quarters 

3.Ominous Gardens

4.Waterways 

5.Leap of Faith

6.Deeper Grounds 

7.Fungal Realm 

8.The Dark Place

Review

Cavern Deep debut full length album is a primarily a Psychedelic Doom Metal record but the band venture out into other areas of music such as Prog Rock. Stoner Metal and Grunge. This is a concept album with Cavern Deep telling a story about an ill-fated expedition which goes badly wrong. Maybe not the most exciting of stories but Cavern Deep work wonders with the musical journey for this album.

The album does have a deeply rich background to it all that allows Cavern Deep to  play fast and loose with the rules of Prog Rock/Metal but still offering a heavy Psych Doom/Stoner Metal experience. The whole thing can be quite “Spaced Out” despite the story being set in the vast underground caves of Planet Earth.

There are 8 songs here each telling an exciting chapter of the album. There are parts of the album that can be quite dramatic and remind myself of MUSE in many ways. Obviously the heavier and faster moments of the record are a welcome addition (I’m not going to say distraction), and the slower parts bring GRAVITAS and real human emotion to the entire flow of the album.

The vocals also remind myself of Chris Cornell before they drift off into slightly more operatic fare. The lyrics are constantly moving the album forward with Cavern Deep excelling when they play a more meditative style of Psychedelic Doom Metal that mostly appear in the 1st half of the album. Throw in a deep love of 70s Hard Rock and 90s (and onwards) Alternative Metal and sometimes it really is hard to describe Cavern Deep’s overall sound.

Normally I would do a song-by-song review or describe some of the songs on the record but it’s really best just to class this album as one epic song but spliced into individual chapters but if I have to point out my favourite songs on the album then I’ll go with the following:

Abandoned Quarters, Ominous Gardens, Waterways, Leap Of Faith, Fungal Realm and The Dark Place. 

As these songs are where I felt Cavern Deep showed the best creative ideas, vocals and sounds. Maybe not the heaviest but there are a lot of fantastic and bleak heavy grooves to sit through.

The production is first-rate with Cavern Deep offering a deeply atmospheric and rich variety of different styles of music to admire from afar. This is quite different from the usual Doom/Stoner Metal albums we hear and expect from the legendary Swedish scene. 

Cavern Deep's debut album is a challenging, dark, daring and extremely bold album to release for your debut album but at least the band have the BALLS to do something like this and ultimately it’s a record that’s worth every minute of your DAMN time.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Keith at Infecting Cells PR for the promo.

The album is being released digitally on July 23rd 2021. The Vinyl will be released Interstellar Smoke Records later this year.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Blunt Horse / Grilth - Split Album (Album Review)

Release Date: July 16th 2021. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Blunt Horse/Grilth Split Release  -  Tracklisting

1.Blunt Horse - Nuke the Blow 05:59

2.Blunt Horse - Radiation Poisoning 00:25

3.Blunt Horse - No Reprise 08:18

4.Grilth - Foul Beast Ahead 09:47

5.Grilth - Crooked Back and Broken Spirit 08:52

Review

What we have here is a split record from New York Doom/Sludge Metallers Grilth and Washington Sludge/Stoner Metallers Blunt Horse. The split record runs for 32 minutes with bands offering a great amount of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal sounds that are quite different to each other. 

Blunt Horse are up first with their 3 tracks and they have a Mastodon/High On Fire flavour to their sound but inject a much needed slice of Psychedelic Metal into their flavour which then changes their sound to a classic style of 70s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal. Opening song Nuke the Blow is quite experimental in places and has a free-flowing attitude which is backed up by an interesting style of harsh, gruff, clean and volatile vocals. The song is quite raw natured but the music more than makes up for this and it builds up to an exciting finish.

Second song - Radiation Poisoning - is 25 seconds of aggressive noise in the Experimental Drone environment. Mostly filler but some interesting styles of distorted noise within the short running time.

Third song - No Reprise - is an 8 minute plus track that offers aggressive Sludge/Stoner Metal music that Mastodon were known for back in the day and I must say the Thrash Metal parts remind me also of Behold The Monolith. The vocals are different yet again but they get the job done with interesting lyrics to match. This song is parts Proggressive and Experimental so expect a few twists and turns with this track and you’ll have  a hell of time with Blunt Horse.

Griith are up next with their two tracks Foul Beast Ahead and Crooked Back and Broken Spirit. These guys perhaps play the sludgier and gloomier side of the split with their music having a different haunting edge. 

Fourth song - Foul Bast Ahead - is a slow-burning track with an Industrial vibe allowing the band to move at their own pace. This band feels partially inspired by artists such as Author And Punisher with the whole environment being quite mechanical but still bringing a Sludge/Doom Metal atmosphere to the party. Even if that party feels like an “End Of The World” style celebration. Girth have a more “Drone Metal” compared to Blunt Horse and perhaps aren’t as riff-centric but there’s a lot of fun to be had with this dark depressive sound. 

Fifth song - Crooked Back And Broken Spirit - carries on the same journey heard in the previous track with wild experimentation and heavy distorted Industrial sounding Doom/Sludge Metal parts combining for a solidly entertaining. Grilth excel mostly on this track and this remains my favourite song on the entire track as the unforgiving soundclips bring a real sense of foreboding doom to this song and left me wanting more.

Blunt Horse/Grilth Split Record is an excellent way to spend 32 minutes of your day and be introduced to great bands who play different styles of music to each other. It’s what a split record should do. This is my first introduction to Blunt Horse and Grilth and I’m hoping it’s not the last I hear from both bands. 

Words by Steve Howe

Blunt Horse Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Grilth Horse Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Crypt Monarch - The Necronaut (Album Review)

Release Date: July 23rd 2021. Record Label: Electric Valley Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Death By Design -  Tracklisting

1.Morning Star Through Skull

2.Rex Meridionalis 

3.Aglaophotis

Members

Christopher De Haan: Bass / Vocals
Jose Rodriguez: Guitars
J.C. Zuñiga: Drums / Vocals

Review

Crypt Monarch debut album The Necronaut is one that is heavily inspired by the much taken journey by Black Sabbath, CONAN and SLEEP but one that takes a left-turn and brings a more OCCULT ROCK/METAL flavour with a heavy and distorted FUZZ ROCK backdrop, The album runs for 36 minutes spread across 3 tracks with Crypt Monarch and they play  a low-and-slow amplifier breaking volume style of music with a deep OCCULT mythology being heard in the lyrics.

The record feels like it has elements of Spaced Out Doom grooves at times but the gloomy lyrics and vocals bring this theory crashing down to earth. 

You can hear that atmospheric vibe from the opening track - Morning Star Through Skull. The band have a CONAN-esque approach with their lyrics but the Tony Iommi/Matt Pike old-school approach with the heavy guitars from Jose Rodriguez. Christopher and JC provide great vocals (as well as Drums and Bass Guitar duties respectively) with a subtle raw flavour to them. This is the type of song that allows each member to impress individually and also as a superb Power-Trio in their own right.

Second song - Rex Meridionalis - is another epic track with Crypt Monarch keeping things moving quite similar to the opening track but with less time to play with. The band venture into different time-frames of the Doom/Stoner-Metal genre such as classic 70s Heavy Doom, 90s Stoner Metal and modern-day Psych Rock/Metal but with the epic down-tuned guitars and intelligent drumming leaving you guessing where things will go next. The song has a raw-stripped back and vintage appeal to it which makes it even more compelling. There is a “LESS IS MORE” approach but Crypt Monarch are in control of their own music and at times playing their own inventive blend of Doom/Stoner Metal.

The 3rd song - Aglaophotis - is the final song that Crypt Monarch truly takes centre stage and offers the standout track on the album. It may not be the heaviest but it’s the song that I had the most fun with and put on repeated listens. Crypt Monarch plays a more Drone-ish style song compared to the others held on the album. It’s quite slow-paced and does take time to fully get moving. However, I enjoyed the band’s approach to this song, Everything is played the way it’s meant to be played, even if that’s a slow cautious journey. Doom-laden guitars with a delicious level of FUZZ ROCK to make the song even more attractive to the DEVIL than perhaps the other WEEDIAN elements of the album. Fans of UFOMAMMUT will enjoy this song the most. It leaves the album on an ultra-satisfying conclusion.

The production on the album is excellent and brings Crypt Monarch apocalyptic vision to the Doom/Stoner Metal masses with absolute Psychedelic Fuzz based madness along the way that ultimately seals the deal.

Overall, The Necronaut is a thrilling spectacle of Doom/Stoner Metal with Crypt Monarch showing a great vision of their own to make themselves known with. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Qabar PR & Electric Valley Records for the promo.

Pre-Order "The Necronaut" on Vinyl via Electric Valley Records (Europe / Rest of the World):

evrecords.bandcamp.com
www.electricvalleyrecords.com

Pre-Order "The Necronaut" in the US via The Cosmic Peddler: 

thecosmicpeddler.com/products/preorder-evr-crypt-monarch-the-necronaut

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp