Killed A Fox Announce 2021 UK Tour

Killed a Fox, Croatian rockers are finally coming to UK. Stoner four-piece have penned a week long tour that will see the band play Norwich, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and London.

Last year’s “Crown Shyness” album has been met by an avalanche of positive feedback, from the fans and critics alike. Crossing borders and moulding stoner and metal has put a band on a new path. And found them some celebrity friends. Shows with Black Tusk, Bison and EyeHateGod have spread the Foxes rock sermon even further.

Killed a Fox started out as a three piece (vocals, two guitars) in Zagreb, Croatia in the fall of 2006. recording demos in an improvised home studio where they spent most of 2007. Soon they found a bass player and a drummer and the band immediately booked numerous shows and worked tirelessly on their material. After a couple of years of playing live and gathering priceless experience, the band recorded their debut album 'Fluorescence' in early 2009. Their musical identity lies somewhere between alternative rock/metal and psychedelic rock with an exceptional sense of rhythm and melody.

They are well known as a great live act with "sweat-no-matter-what" attitude.

After a change in the line-up in 2010. the band became a four piece and continued that way ever since. In late 2013. they released their second album titled ''Spring of Sloth and Haze'' from which they released their first video ''Hive'' and received praise from fans and critics. From that point on, the band became a crucial part of the Croatian underground scene. Together with other local acts they formed a band collective called ‘’House of Pablo’’ and in 2015. released two tracks on the self-titled compilation including a video for the song ‘’Beyond Repair’’.

After sharing the stage with names like Alice in Chains, Orange Goblin, EyeHateGod, Karma to Burn and many others throughout the years, the band retreated to work on their 3rd record named ''Crown Shyness'' from which they released the singles ’’Still Life Mirror’’ and ’’Submission’’. The album was released in March 2019 and was praised by fans and critics as one of the outstanding rock albums of the year.

UK Tour 2021

8.October - Liverpool
10.October - Edinburgh
11.October - Glasgow
14.October - Norwich
15.October - London

Check out the video for Submission

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Thanks to Baltazar Rock for all the info.

An Inteview With PALE WIZARD RECORDS To Discuss Kickstarter for exciting project: Alice Cooper - Killer - 50 years later.

Pale Wizard Records have been going strong for a few years now and have released some great releases from Sergeant Thunderhoof, Phoxjaw and Mos Generator over the years. Now, the label may have embarked on their biggest project yet. As the band have just announced their latest project which will be a tribute album to Alice Cooper’s seminal 1971 album KILLER.

The band have launched a Kickstarter Campaign where bands such as Green Lung, 1968, Mos Generator, Ritual King and Sergeant Thunderhoof performing their own versions of classic tracks from the album.

I caught up with Tim and Dan, the brains behind Pale Wizard Records to see why they’re taking on such a huge project….

Hi guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today?

TIM: Hello! I’m very good thanks. Hope that everyone is doing alright in these difficult times we live in!

Dan: All good mate, sun has been shining today which is a miracle for this country!

For people not in the know. Can you give a brief history of how the record label came together and where it is today.

TIM: Dan had already started the label prior to me joining last year. I’ve known Dan for 20 years and have worked together with him in a number of jobs over the years so it seemed a logical step to join up with him to help take this venture to a new level. Today we have several releases behind us, some currently in development and an exciting future planned. We primarily aim to make deluxe edition vinyl records, so expect coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeves, collectible extras and premium quality pressings on heavyweight vinyl. We’re also releasing on CD too!

Dan: The label was initially started up to release the first single for the band Phoxjaw. I’ve been supporting the band from their inception and it just felt like a good thing to do to help them out. The pandemic last year really spurred me on to resurrect it. Mostly as a way to keep my mind active. Getting Tim on board has really helped push things forward. It also helps somewhat in that we can release material for Sergeant Thunderhoof too, which I sing for.

Why did you call it Pale Wizard Records?

TIM: The label had already been set up when I joined, so you’d have to ask Dan for an answer on that one! I support the choice of name however, it’s definitely something that fits in the genre we’re currently releasing in.

Dan: I was just trying to think of something that felt kind of personal. As a proud ginger, freckly man, having the word pale in there seemed appropriate.

Do you have a set of rules or ideals when releasing albums on the label?

TIM: Not so much strict rules, but we definitely try to theme the releases we’ve curated around a specific idea. For example, last year we released a split single of Kate Bush covers. We plan to continue doing singles in this series using bands to cover artists that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a covered in this genre. It’s something we feel passionately about, the release has to interest us both really for us to want to take the project on.

Dan: Yes, we just want to release things that spark our interest and that we have a personal connection with.

We have to talk about your most ambitious project to date. A new project called 50 Years Later. With your first release being a re-imagination or re-working of Alice Cooper’s 1971 landmark album KILLER. So will this be the first of many releases and why did you choose this classic album as the 1st release?

TIM: Well the obvious answer is we’re both fans of Alice, and that is true, but I think the 50 Years Later series is something that we would love to become a staple of the label and an annual tradition. Killer is such an important album not only for Alice Cooper but also for rock music in general so we felt it would be the perfect album to start with and to set the bar high for future releases. The 70s were a hugely influential period for bands of all genres, and we are excited to give some modern bands the chance to put their own spin on these classic albums.

Dan: I’ve been a huge fan of Alice Cooper since the early 90s. It was when listening to Love it to Death and Killer last summer that it occurred to me that they were both about to turn 50 years old. It seems like such a colossal milestone and made even more impressive when you consider that they’re still very active. Killer has always been my favourite album by the band, it’s flawless. So I just got chatting with Tim and we came up with the title ’50 Years Later’. We were trying to come up with alternate ways of saying 50 years. But ‘Golden Jubilee’ sounds bloody ridiculous.

You’ve released a Kickstarter Campaign for the project which I’m hoping is mega-successful. Will all your future 50 Years Later releases be going down this route or is this just to start things off?

TIM: We’ve done it this way to try and get the name out there a little before release. Being a new label, we thought this a great way to promote the album, build up some excitement and also give the backers a chance to secure themselves some exclusive goodies! As you know we plan to get these albums released 50 years to the day, and Killer was released in November 1971. With the long manufacturing times on vinyl these days we felt it was right to let people secure a copy on pre-order in plenty of time.

Dan: I’m not sure if we’ll be doing a Kickstarter for each subsequent release. My gut instinct is probably not. As Tim said, this just felt like a good way to announce the series.

You’ve got some great bands on board such as Green Lung, Mos Generator, Ritual King, 1968 and some upstarts called Sergeant Thunderhoof. How did you decide on these bands and were there any bands that you asked but didn’t have the time to do this?

TIM: Ah yes, there were a few bands we considered that for various reasons we didn’t proceed with. The bands we have chosen for Killer are all top tier choices though, and we’re delighted to have the roster we have. Of course, due to the virus there were some people that just couldn’t commit to working on this project and the logistics of organising 8 recordings during the pandemic was at times challenging, but I think the experience has taught us a few lessons for the future for sure!

Dan: We had a few bands originally confirmed which had to pull out for various personal reasons which I don’t think would be fair on them to announce. But I’m really chuffed with the final line-up as it represents a great cross section of artists from the underground hard rock scene. We did chance our arm with a few high profile bands such as Orange Goblin, and although they were very flattered, there were various reasons why they couldn’t commit in time. The pandemic has made things very tough for everyone.

Do you have all the other future releases planned? Can you give any hints on what’s to come next.

TIM: We’re always planning the next release, and we hope to be putting out new records in our Beyond the Pale series in the near future as well as another 50 Years Later album in 2022. There’s also the possibility of a new album by a band quite close to home of course. Who knows when we might be announcing that…

Dan: The next Beyond the Pale release is coming together and I think we’ll be making an announcement on that within the next couple of months. As for 50 Years Later, we will be making a final decision on which classic album from 1972 to recreate very shortly. I think it’ll be something quite unexpected but very well received.

Will you being releasing multiple releases each year or will it be 1 release every year?

TIM: We’re definitely strong believers in quality over quantity. We want to make every release we do special, and I think with both of us being big collectors of physical media ourselves we know what we would look for that makes a release something extra special. It’s that certain something we strive for with everything we put out. We’re definitely treating each release with the care it deserves. We have 2 more releases out this year prior to the Killer record, a Mos Generator live record and a reissue of the first Hoof release ‘Zigurat’. The 50 Years Later series will be an annual tradition I hope, but our other releases will follow no set pattern.

Dan: Given the amount of work involved in putting together this first release of Killer, I think we would be stretching ourselves too thin to commit to more than one of that series per year. And as Tim said, we definitely want to focus on quality over quantity.

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 both Pale Wizard and Sergeant Thunderhoof. And how are you surviving in this stressful time?

TIM: It’s pretty much all I’ve ever known as far as the label is concerned! The majority of my time at the label has been spent during the pandemic, and at the time of writing still is. Naturally, it’s made things more difficult for us, the knock-on effect for us has been some bands being unavailable to work with, with manufacturing being slowed down and at the height of the pandemic with postal deliveries being delayed. All these things combine to affect every part of what we do right through to getting our final product out there and we’ve had to adapt and change accordingly to keep everything moving. Now I hope the worst of it is behind us and I think we’ll see a big resurgence in live music as soon as we’re all allowed out to enjoy it!

Dan: It was a disaster for Hoof as we were 2 weeks away from going out on tour with Howling Giant, so financially it had a big effect. Psychologically it has been tough. We did as much as we could within the constraints forced upon us in 2020, such as an acoustic LP, the double A side Kate Bush tribute with Tony Reed, the live LP released on vinyl. And not to forget the split LP we did with Howling Giant which I personally believe was one of the best releases in 2020 period. I know that sounds big headed, but we were all so proud of that. This year is hopefully going to be very productive for the band and we’re busy working on the next album.

After everything is back to some sort of normality. What does the future hold for the label and the band?

TIM: The future for us is simply to keep creating the kind of releases we would want to buy ourselves. I think that’s the ethos that has run through everything we’ve done so far and is what has kept the quality of everything we’ve put out so far so high.

Dan: I just want to keep things interesting and unexpected. Ask us again in 3 months after we see how well this release goes! Ha-ha.

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

TIM: I think quite simply ‘keep supporting physical media, it’s absolutely the best way to enjoy music’

Dan: Turn off your TV for a bit. My family stopped watching it at the beginning of the first lockdown and it has been bliss! Too much negativity these days. Smile and have a happy life.

All the best with the Kickstarter Project.

Words by Steve Howe and Pale Wizard Records

Thanks to Jade for arranging this interview. Thanks to Dan and Tim for doing the interview. 

Kickstarter URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palewizard/alice-cooper-killer-50-years-later

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Lord Mortvm - Diabolical Omen Of Hell (Album Review)

Release date: February 25th 2021. Label: Regain Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl/Cassette

Diabolical Omen Of Hell – Tracklisting

1.Altar Obscene 07:34
2.Devil Doll 03:44
3.Omega XIII 07:16
4.Children of Haze 05:25
5.Sodomizing with Satan 06:19
6.Merciful Lord 10:05

Members

Lord Mortvm - Everything

Review

Lord Mortvm is a one-man Blackened Doom Metal band from Norway and he focuses on the harsher side of Stoner Metal and Doom Metal with his Blackened Metal creative outlook with his stunning debut album Diabolical Omen Of Hell. Though Lord Mortvm does spice things up a bit with elements of Hard Rock, Psychedelic Metal and Occult vibrant energy.

This is still a brutally entertaining album with the riffs being quite groove-orientated in places with the excellent opening track Altar Obscene fitting superbly well into the legendary Nordic Extreme/Black Metal scene. The heavy guitars have a not-too-subtle LO-FI vibe which is understandable for an album such as this. The instrumental work is superb with the right amount of menacing Black Metal energy. The added bonus of the “Religious” soundclip is a nice touch and brings modern day relevance to not only the Black Metal scene but the entire Hard Rock/Heavy Metal scene in general.

Lord Mortvm shows his appreciation for Classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with some epic guitar solos that shouldn’t really be on a record such as this but at least he’s trying something different with his musical output.

The album moves into darker and bleaker territory with the songs Devil Doll and Omega XIII with the record keeping up with lo-fi Psychedelic Black Metal vibe. Eerie vocals and bleak lyrics offer the right amount of Doom Metal mentality that is backed along by a thumping Hard Rock sound to allows the album to be that little more “friendly” than it should be. It’s still an extreme album but there’s a lot of cool surprises for Hard Rock audiences amongst the Extreme Metal crowd.

The 6 songs on the album shows that Lord Mortvm is hugely talented individual who creates fantastic sounding songs with a huge likeability factor to them. Who says Black Metal doesn’t DOOM like this. If it’s not meant to be then Lord Mortvm didn’t get the memo.

Other standout tracks include: Children Of Haze and Merciful Lord. As the 2nd half of the record is perhaps the most menacing of the album with Lord Mortvm offering a lot of sound advice on organized religion and other nasty things going on in the world.

Lord Mortvm did everything himself on this record and it’s great to see him get the praise he fully deserves within the Black Metal/Doom Metal scene. He’s a lovely guy who I’ve had brief interactions with on Social Media and I’m happy to call myself a fan of his work and his superb debut album.

Diabolical Omen Of Hell is a diabolically brilliant album and should go down a storm with both the Black Metal, Stoner Metal and Doom Metal communities.

Words by Steve Howe

Regain Records will be releasing Diabolical Omen Of Hell on CD/DD/Cassette/Vinyl from June 25th 2021 via Regain Records which you can pre-order now.

Links: 

Facebook | BandCamp

Pale Wizard Records launch kickstarter for exciting project: Alice Cooper - Killer - 50 years later.

 

Pale Wizard Records launch kickstarter for exciting project; 

Alice Cooper, Killer - 50 years later.  

 Green Lung, 1968, Ritual King, Mos Generator & More collaborate on the project.

November 27th 2021. 50 Years Later. To the day. Pale Wizard Records pays tribute to Alice Cooper’s classic Killer record, the first in an exciting new series of albums entitled 50 years later.

Alice Cooper’s 4th album, Killer, was released on November 27th 1971 and has gone on to become one of the most loved albums in his whole discography. 50 Years Later, Pale Wizard Records brings you an exciting line up featuring some of the most renowned bands in the underground scene today paying homage to Killer in their own contemporary styles. 

Not just any tribute record, 50 Years Later artists are handpicked by the staff at Pale Wizard Records to get the upmost out of each classic track. The 8 original songs are brought to life here by 8 of the absolute best the modern hard rock, stoner and psych underground has to offer. 

The lead single in ‘71 was ‘Under My Wheels’ which is brought to life 50 Years Later in dramatic style by Green Lung. Other highlights include The Grand Mal tackling ‘Be My Lover’, Sergeant Thunderhoof’s daring take on ‘Halo of Flies’ and Pale Wizard favourites Mos Generator with ‘Dead Babies’. But that is not all… the album also features 1968, Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Night, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and Ritual King. 

Killer: 50 Years Later is a potent mixture of the best of today’s bands and one stone cold classic album from years gone.

The Kickstarter campaign will be live on Friday 12th March.

Alice Cooper, Killer - 50 Years On is released November 27th 2021 and will be available on CD, Vinyl and all major platforms.

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On November 27th 1971, the original Alice Cooper band released an album that would define a generation and inspire countless more. It was the second LP they released that year, coming hot off the heels of 'Love it to Death' in March which contained the unlikely teenage anthem 'I'm Eighteen'. 

Alice Cooper were finally living up to the expectations and potential they had shown on their first two psychedelic tinged records released through Frank Zappa's label the previous years.

But the band still had its detractors. There were many in the music industry that couldn't see past the shock, make-up, theatrics and headline grabbing scandals. With 'Killer', you can hear a band at the top of their game but also with a point to prove. 'Killer' contains eight of the most visceral, hard hitting, refined and shocking songs of their career. Backed by the superb production talents of Bob Ezrin, many consider this album to be the creative pinnacle of the Alice Cooper catalogue.

About Pale Wizard:

Pale Wizard Records is a labour of love for it's co-founders Tim Hilleard and Dan Flitcroft. They release music that they love and find interesting. Dan has been a die hard Alice fan since the early 90's after his Dad bought 'Billion Dollar Babies' on vinyl at a car boot sale. When Dan realised that 'Killer' was turning 50, he got on the blower and started speaking to a bunch of great bands that he had come across on his travels with his own band Sergeant Thunderhoof. Those initial conversations garnered a very positive reaction from all involved and it was decided that they would attempt to recreate the album, in full, with each band having complete creative license to do what they will with it.

Who's involved?

Green Lung:  https://greenlung.bandcamp.com/

1968:  https://1968band.bandcamp.com/music

Sergeant Thunderhoof:  https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com/

Mos Generator:  https://mosgenerator.bandcamp.com/

Ritual King:  https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/ritual-king 

The Grand Mal:  https://thegrandmal.bandcamp.com/album/the-grand-mal 

Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell:  https://riseaboverecords.com/artists/riseaboveartists/admiralsircloudesleyshovell/ 

Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight: https://trippywicked.bandcamp.com/album/three-leaves

Kickstarter URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palewizard/alice-cooper-killer-50-years-later

Label - Pale Wizard Records: www.palewizard.co.uk

Cover art: Sara-Jane Swettenham - https://www.facebook.com/sarajaneart

Video Trailer: https://youtu.be/-ZHLqQ9JmMk

Kickstarter Rewards:

Cosmic Reaper - S/T (Album Review)

 

Release Date: 19th March 2021. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Cosmic Reaper - S/T - Tracklisting

Hellion

Heaven’s Gate

Stellar Death

Wasteland I

Wasteland II

Planet Eater

Infrasonic

Members

Thad Collis - Guitar/Vocals

Dillon Prentice - Guitar

Garrett Garlington - Bass

Jeremy Grobsmith - Drums

Review

Cosmic Reaper are the latest band to join the Heavy Psych Sounds Records revolution with their spellbinding debut album which crosses the boundaries of Classic Doom Metal and Psychedelic Stoner Metal with a heavy Spaced Out vibe for equal good measure.

Their debut full length album is a mixture of Sabbath/Saint Vitus classic Doom Metal passages but with the band showing a modern Psychedelic Stoner Metal flavour which brings Monolord to mind. Though, this album is still great evidence of Cosmic Reeper doing their own thing and bringing a more flashier style of vocals to the mix.

Opening song - Hellion - oozes 70s Doom Metal atmosphere but with a modern FUZZ heavy Stoner Metal backdrop with jagged guitars leading the way. The vocals and lyrics are quite theatrical but it adds to the overall enjoyment of it all. The song is quite SPOOKY and TRIPPY with Cosmic Reaper walking a fine line between Classic Heavy Doom and Modern Fuzz/Stoner Metal grooves. The instrumental work is first rate and I can see why Gabe at Heavy Psych Sounds signed this band to his ever-growing roster.

Second song - Heaven’s Gate - opens with a bass-thumping riff before a vintage Psychedelic guitar appears with powerful drumming slowly dictating the action. The song has a manic claustrophobic energy which reminds me of early Uncle Acid but perhaps more Progressive and way heavier. The band take their time with this slowly-played song and it’s a great creative choice which allows Cosmic Reaper to make this song feel actually longer than it’s almost 6 minutes runtime. 

Third song - Stellar Death - sees Cosmic Reaper go further into their Doom Metal persona with one of the bleakest songs on the album. The vocals and lyrics are on-point with a more bleaker style of music leading the way. The song is more restrained but the band do play a faster style of music on this song, Though, it’s the vocals that’s the best part of this song. As they add a real sense of impending Doom and Occult Rock thrills.

Fourth song - Wasteland I - is more of a modern Doom/Stoner Metal flavour with the band adding a cool Blues Rock touch. The song is one of the shortest on the album running under 4 minutes but there’s still a lot of meaty action to digest. Even with this song being purely an instrumental offering. Slow-paced but packed with the right amount of gloomy menace and psychedelic wonder.

The 2nd half of the album sees Cosmic Reaper carry on with their engaging style of Classic Doom Metal and Modern Psych Stoner Metal with songs Wasteland II, Planet Eater and Infrasonic. The second half is perhaps where the Psychedelic and Cosmic Rock attitude of the band leads the way and you can tell that by the song titles. 

The best two songs on the album are Planet Eater and Infrasonic which offers almost 17 minutes of finely tuned and superbly played music that will delight both Doom and Stoner Metal audiences.

This is a deeply rich and extremely satisfying debut album that’s bolstered by top-notch production behind the scenes. The album sounds epic and wonderful from start to finish. This is the perfect album for Cosmic Reaper to make a name for themselves within the Doom/Stoner Metal community.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo. The album will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds Records from March 19th 2021.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Swedish Heavy Rock Trio WOODEN FIELDS Signs To Argonauta Records!

Swedish Heavy Rock Trio WOODEN FIELDS (feat. members of WITCHCRAFT, ANGEL WITCH, SIENA ROOT, THREE SEASONS & more) Signs To Argonauta Records!

It looks like Sweden has a new "super- group“ to offer, one that will most likely make every heavy and hard rock heart beat faster! WOODEN FIELDS, the new collective featuring vocalist and guitarist Sartez Faraj (Three Seasons, Mouth Of Clay), Siena Root- bassist Sam Riffer and Fredrik Jansson Punkka (Witchcraft, Angel Witch & more ) on the drums, has inked a worldwide record deal with Italy’s powerhouse label Argonauta Records!

Fuzzy riffs and piercing guitar sounds, big grooves and soulful, characteristic vocals, allow WOODEN FIELDS to take you on a ride between 70’s vintage spheres and heavy yet catchy, modern rock anthems. The impressive history and background of all band members may prove they are no strangers to the heavy music scene, and it won’t take long to see WOODEN FIELDS step up as one of Sweden’s best up&coming "newcomer" project, while not relying on their previous bands' success and instead showcasing a tireless hunger and passion for pure heavy rock sounds and a hopefully busy touring schedule in the not so distant future. The trio is currently hard at work on their upcoming debut album, which will be seeing the light of day on Argonauta Records during 2021. Check out a first sneak peak with a just released studio teaser HERE!

Label owner, Gero Lucisano, comments:

"Fair enough I'm used to carefully check and listen all material I receive, via email or post. And since this new band Wooden Fields got continuous listenings in our headquarter, I took the decision to write them back immediatly, when it turned out they were a trio formed by ANGEL WITCH, SIENA ROOT and THREE SEASONS members! I have been blown away! An impressive genuine sound with a lot of '70 influences. Very much stoked to deal with the guys since the very first minute, not to mention I'm beyond pleased the band got in touch with Argonauta to release this beast. The album literally crushes, and I can't wait to share these impressive tunes with you all!"

"Wooden Fields are very happy to announce that we have signed with Argonauta Records for the release of our self-titled debut album!" The band comments. "We are looking forward to be working together and to have the record out soon for you all to enjoy!"

With many more details, band news and album infos to follow in the months ahead, make sure to check out WOODEN FIELDS at the following locations:

www.facebook.com/Woodenfields
www.instagram.com/woodenfields
www.argonautarecords.com 

Slowenya - Somer (Album Review)

Release date: February 26th 2021. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Somer – Tracklisting

1.Slowenya 00:43
2.Unruhe 07:27
3.Larvae Beau 08:15
4.Plethora 04:16
5.Somer 10:10

Members

Jan Trygg - guitars / vocals / samples
Timo Niskala - drums / samples / ambient
Tapani Levanto - bass / backing vocals

Review

Somer is the debut release from Finnish Doom/Sludge Rockers Slowenya who also bring a touch of Alternative Rock/Metal and Ambient Splendour to their overall sound and for the majority of this record. The album has direct influences from bands such as BORIS, Monolord, YOB and Torche. Well that’s the different styles of music that I’ve noticed when listening to the album.

Opening song – Slowenya – is a 43 second teaser highlighting the heavy and powerful sounds that the band adds for this record. It’s quite an interesting style of Ambient Noises and shows a brief insight into the actual band itself.

Second song – Unruhe – is an emotionally driven Alternative Rock/Metal song with flashes of brutally heavy Doom/Sludge grooves that has a slight “BORIS” flavour to it. The vocals come drifting in and they have a distorted and zoned out effect. The music is quite slow-paced but there’s an interesting style of music being played here with different strands of Doom and Sludge Metal with an Ambient Score holding everything together. The Psychedelic riffs offers a more “human” touch with some epic Drone based guitar riffs bringing you into Slowenya’s dark and uplifting world.

Third song – Larvae Beau – is the standout song where Slowenya adapt their music for a more heavier style of Drone/Doom based madness with thumping guitars but that soon changes to a more uplifting Ambient/Post-Rock vibe with trippy vocals being added at the right moment to the song. The “BORIS” influence is once again shining through but Slowenya employ enough musical creativity to stand on their own wonderful sounding ideas. The song also has that poppier “Doom” element that TORCHE use for their music.

Fourth song – Plethora – sees Slowenya offer a more experimental style of music with Ambient Noises moving from one weird noise to the next. It’s an interesting song to add to the album and some may people may not enjoy the trippy weirdness of it all. However, there’s still some fantastic Drone, Doom and Sludge grooves to fully appreciate.

The final song – Somer – is a 10 minute epic that I initially had trouble with. As the song has more of an 80s Alt-Rock/Gloomy vibe to it. The song does take time to fully get going and the band do play some of the best riffs on this song. However, the vocals were a hard sell for me at first. Though, after a few listens I became more emotionally attached to this song and started to enjoy the song more and more. The vocals do feel lifted from The Smiths and Slowenya adapt a more “Shoegaze” effect on this song. The music is still LOUD and POWERFUL but there’s a lot more going on with this song than you initially expect. Give this track a few listens before making your final decision. I’m glad I did. As this song ends this album on a high note.

The feel and sound of the album is superb from start to finish. Esben Willems (MONOLORD) mastered this album at his famed Berserk Audio studios. The album was mixed by Kaj Mäki-Ullakko who also does a stellar job making this album sound HUGE in all the right places.

Somer is a quality debut release from Slowenya and offers a different style of Ambient Doom and Sludge Metal for people to listen to.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp