Festival News - Welcome to Bear Stone Festival - Bands Announcement

Welcome to Bear Stone Festival - Year Zero, the first of its kind

Welcome to Bear Stone Festival, the first of its kind!

This year’s edition of the festival titled #YearZeroEdition will start off Bear Stone Festival as a special preview. Year Zero Edition will be a free admission festival with free camping and an attendance limited to 1.000 visitors. Tickets can be purchased online in digital form via this link --> https://www.entrio.hr/event/bear-stone-festival-year-zero-11209

An audio-visual experience, international gathering of travelers and tribes in the Croatian outback. Two days of psychedelic, stoner, desert, fuzz, heavy rock, electronic and experimental music accompanied by live bands, DJ sets and Jam stage. Stunning landscapes, fantastic psychedelic art installations and projections will shape a unique festival experience and make you reexamine reality.

The festival will host 12 bands! Confirmed headliners and co-headliners are MARS RED SKY (FR), BLACK RAINBOWS (IT), ACID MAMMOTH (GR) and MOTHER VULTURE (UK). All four bands will have their exclusive and premiere performances for the first time in Croatia. They are also accompanied by strong regional names SHE LOVES PABLO (Zg), STONEBRIDE (Zg), DALIBOROVO GRANJE (Međimurje), JASTREB (Zg), ACHACHAK (Sinj), WIZARD OF STONE MOUNTAIN (St), ARISES (Zd) and POMELO CHESS SOCIETY (Ri).

Artwork by Bicicleta Sem Freio

TICKETS | EVENT

The festival is held in Donje Primišlje (Croatia) on a breathtaking location, on the banks of the river Mrežnica, which with its distinctive emerald color is known as one of the most pristine rivers in Croatia. The location of Bear Stone Festival is also the centre stage for the world famous trance electronic music festival Mo:Dem (Momento Demento).

The Bear Stone Festival is located in the canyon of Mrežnica and is completely surrounded by forest. Both the forest and the river are what make the festival site a part of nature in its most basic and pristine form. The festival site is a 15-minute drive from the towns of Slunj and Ogulin on each side, a 45-minute drive from the world-famous Plitvice Lakes National Park, an hour's drive from the capital Zagreb and an hour and a half from the Adriatic Sea.

More information at --> www.bearstonefestival.com

Ecstatic Vision - Elusive Mojo (Album Review)

Release Date: May 13th 2022. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Elusive Mojo - Tracklisting

1. March Of The Troglodytes

2. Elusive Mojo

3. Times Up

4. The Kenzo Shake

5. Venom

6. The Comedown

7. Deathwish 1970

Members

Doug Sabolik

Michael Field Connor

Kevin Nickles

Ricky Kulp

Review

Philadelphia’s Psych Stoner Rock overlords Ecstatic Vision are back with their fourth album Elusive Mojo and it’s a freakish collection of Psychedelic Spaced Out Jams immersed with the Stoner Rock grooves the band are known for. Joining them on this journey is Joe Boldizar (who worked on their debut release Sonic Praise) and Bob Pantella (Monster Magnet) both on recording duties with the album being mastered by Tim Green (Melvins).

Elusive Mojo is their most thrilling, adventurous and best album since their celebrated debut album Sonic Praise. This album is a real tour-de-force of Psychedelic Stoner Rock with elements of Space Rock, Prog Rock and Freaky Jams that all combine for a record that has a real timeless quality to it. This album could have easily been released back in the 1970's and still sound super fresh.

The album has a wealth of great tracks to recommend such as Elusive Mojo, Times Up, The Kenzo Shake, Venom and The Comedown with the band playing fast and furious Stoner Rock which has a jazzy feel at times especially when the saxophone appears. The music is catchy and downright aggressive with it’s fast-paced nature on the majority of the tracks. Inspired yet again by Hawkwind, Nik Turner, Monster Magnet and even Motorhead in places when the band play some super-fast sounds with a Stoner Metal level of heaviness not heard since their debut release.

Maybe Ecstatic Vision have gone back to basics for this album but the sounds from their last few releases are here fully intact. The Space Rock atmosphere is my favourite part of the album as this allows the band to get brilliantly inventive with the 70’s Hard Rock sounds and themes held on the album especially with the vocals and lyrics.

The album as I said before is “SUPER FREAKY” and downright seedy as well. There’s a lot to digest with this release but that’s part of the course with this great band. The production values are first rate with the right amount of aggression coming at you especially towards the later stages of the album.

Elusive Mojo is another must have release from Ecstatic Vision with the album showcasing the more seedier side of Heavy Psychedelic Stoner Rock. The band have continued their relationship with Heavy Psych Sounds for this album and it’s no wonder why this album is such a first rate release from start to finish. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Elusive Mojo will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from May 13th 2022.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Ceased Sunfire - Sleepless (EP Review)

Release Date: April 08th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Sleepless - Tracklisting

1.Were We Ever... 02:10

2.Dead to Me 05:24

3.Melting Stones 03:15

Members

Ale - vocals, guitars

Fellu - bass

Juza - drums

Review

Sleepless is the new EP from Finnish Doom/Stoner Metallers Ceased Sunfire. The EP lasts a little over ten minutes in length but it’s quite an aggressive style of music with violent vocals to match. They're clean but there’s a lot of anger behind them which you can feel from the stunning opening track “Were We Ever…” which has a twinge of Phil Anselmo behind them. 

The music moves from Doom Metal, Sludge Metal and Stoner Metal with some NOLA grooves to make the music even more uncomfortable. Perhaps reminiscent of DOWN and CROWBAR with a dark Psych undergroove allowing Ceased Sunfire to keep up with their violent aggressive grooves that are quite daring in all the right places.

The standout track is the second song Dead To Me with the band adding a menacing touch with their NOLA fused sounds. The music moves along a cracking slow-to-mid pace which is quite gloomy and distorted towards the later stages of the song. 

The final song Melting Stones is another cool song. The song follows the same creative dark path as the previous two songs but when you’ve already conjured up a winning formula why change direction. The song is more fast-paced with Ceased Sunfire living more upto their Doom/Sludge Metal persona which ultimately leaves you wanting more.

Sleepless is a great EP from Ceased Sunfire. Shame there weren't a couple more tracks to spend more time with the band but I do want to hear more from these guys and I’m hoping for a longer release in the not too distant future. 

Fantastic stuff…

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Risin Sabotage Release New Single "Macabre" From Upcoming Album

Here's a fresh digital single by Risin Sabotage from Kyiv, Ukaine

Risin Sabotage "Macabre" | https://bit.ly/3y3Jkzm

Single from the forthcoming album "Dance macabre Swirling passionately in search of charm we forget the dance is fatal"

Music by Victor Panchishko, Valery Skorzhenko, Igor Nediuzhyi
Lyrics by Igor Nediuzhyi
Recorded at Broken Bricks studio
Mixed & mastered by N. Temchenko
Artwork by Amos Basilo: https://instagram.com/amos_basilo

Stream Digital: https://songwhip.com/risinsabotage/macabre
Stream via YouTube: https://youtu.be/rX1_hEBcDq0

Risin Sabotage on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risin.sabotage/
Risin Sabotage on Instagram: https://instagram.com/risin_sabotage
Risin Sabotage on Bandcamp: https://risinsabotage.bandcamp.com/

Apex Ten - Chem-Trails LIVE (Album Review)

Release Date: April 20th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Chem-Trails Live - Tracklisting

1.Mirage 14:11

2.Tentacles 08:06

3.Frame Of Mind 08:38

4.Gravity's Fall 11:21

Members

Drums: Alexis Radelet

Bass/Vocals/Theremin: Brad Masaya

Guitar/Lap-Steel/Theremin: Benoît Velez

Review

Belgian Psych/Space/Stoner Rockers Apex Ten have just released their first Live Album - Chem-Trails Live. This is a fantastically sounding and constantly engaging album that has a powerful live performance from the band.

Apex Ten sound like they take influence from bands such as KYUSS, Earthless and Yawning Man with a healthy dose of Desert/Stoner Rock keeping the band grounded. The music is always relying on the right side of Heavy Psych Rock that occasionally branches out to Prog Rock territory especially on the stunning opening song Mirage which runs past the fourteen minutes mark. Different strands of Psych Desert/Stoner Rock combine with a powerful Space Rock environment for a song that flows naturally and powerfully when those heavy swirling space grooves arrive.

There’s a lot to take in with the opening track but it’s quite easy to get swept up by the great music that Apex Ten have created here. The added use of Theremin did set alarm bells ringing for me as I’m not a huge fan of that instrument but it’s used quite subtly and intelligently that didn’t bother me in the slightest.

This is a jam-based album where Apex Ten find plenty of opportunities to play Earthless inspired Psychedelic jams which is on the majority of the songs.

Tentacles and Frame Of Mind are my favourite parts of the album with Apex Ten being more restrained in places before unleashing more heavy progressive themed Psych Spaced Out Jams that have a different level of heaviness to them.

The vocals from Brad aren’t what I expected either. As I expected, one more suited to the Desert/Stoner Rock scene and Brad has a Post-Punk/Industrial style of vocals but they work superbly well and becomes one of the albums main strengths along with the epic grooves contained within the album.

The album ends with the spellbinding Gravity’s Fall and it follows the same path as the other songs but perhaps with more creative flair allowing the band to go that little bit crazy with this track. The song is still full of modern day Psychedelic Jam Based grooves with that Space Rock flavour keeping things moving along for a captivating finish.

For a Live Album, the production is first rate. This doesn’t feel like a Live Album at all. This has a “real” studio quality feel to it whilst still having a raw honest edge from start to finish.

Overall, Chem-Trails LIVE is an excellent release in it’s own right and I’m excited to hear more cool releases such as this from Apex Ten in the future.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Introduce Yourselves: Formation Ritual

What is the name of your band?

Formation Ritual

What is the genre of music that you play?

Our music is somewhere between stoner rock and traditional doom with some psych elements sprinkled in here and there. 

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

My previous band had just called it quits and I had a bunch of songs ready to go that I had written to use with them. I was in the process of writing more tunes too. I wanted to get the songs out as quickly as possible so I decided to forge ahead on my own under a new project name, Formation Ritual. I enlisted the help of a longtime friend and collaborator Jose Perez to co-produce, engineer and drum on the record. Jose then recommended his friend Joe Mora to play bass. The resulting album is called The Shifting Dust and will be out on July 8th. Our first single, It Summons You, is already out streaming everywhere.

What can people expect from your music?

Musically, I try my best to create music that is heavy and memorable. I’m a fan of interesting melodies and atmosphere as well as song structures that create energy and dynamics. Lyrically, I like to bring in mysterious themes and imagery referencing ancient cultures and occult ideas but connect them to things going on in daily life so that they retain a personal vibe. There are a ton of bands in this scene that are doing such great music so there’s always new inspiration to draw from. 

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

The first single, It Summons You, was just released on 4/29. It’s available on Bandcamp and every other streaming platform.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

You can find Formation Ritual on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.

UFOMAMMUT - Fenice (Album Review)

Release Date: May 06th 2022. Record Label: Neurot Recordings/Supernatural Cat. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Fenice - Tracklisting

1.Duat

2.Kepherer

3.Psychostasia

4.Metamorphoenix

5.Pyramind

6.Empyros

Members

Poia – Guitars and Fxs

Urlo – Bass, Vocals, Fxs and Synths

Levre – Drums & Fxs

Review

Ufomammut gave the Doom/Stoner Metal world a massive shock when they announced they were splitting up back in 2020. After 9 wildly successful albums the band had decided to call it a day due to creative differences on where to take the band next. 

Fast forward a year later the band reformed to a massive sigh of relief from the Metal community though this time without longtime drummer and founding member Vita who is focusing on his other musical project Sonic Wolves.

Ufomammut have a new member and drummer (Levre) in their ranks and he’s a welcome addition to the Ufomammut family. Fenice (meaning Phoenix in Italian) is their 10th album and sees the band opt for a “back to basics” approach” with its Electronica and Psychedelic centric theme. The record was apparently meant to be one long single track before wisely being split into six individual parts.

This record feels like the spiritual successor to their classic album EVE with its style of Psychedelic Spaced Out Doom/Stoner Metal though focusing firmly more on Heavy Electronica sounds. There are elements to this record that feel and sound like Urlo’s solo project THE MON with its gloomy and abrasive themes held on the album. However, this truly remains an UFOMAMMUT record through and through with the distorted guitars and ambient spaced out themes.

Fenice opens with the brilliant opening song Duat. A song that passes the 10:30 minute mark with fast=paced grooves with a classic Psych/Space Rock backdrop for everything to be held together with. The music moves from slow-paced dimensions to a more aggressive style towards the end of the song which feels inspired by Motorhead in places.

Vocals on this album are sparse to begin with and only appear when they need to. Fenice feels like Ufomammut of old reconnecting with the later stages of their career and finding common ground to move on with future challenges with this release.

The album contains elements of Drone Music which we haven’t heard in a long time from the band, well not as good as this. Each song tells an intruding chapter of music of their own which does allow the band to play different styles of Doom/Stoner Metal but just be prepared for those ELECTRONICA vibes to dictate the whole album.

All of the songs are equally as good as each other. I can’t choose my favourite song at this time but if I’m pushed to do so then Psychostasia, Metamorpheonix and Pyramind come to mind. As Ufomammu really thrive on these tracks especially when the fantastic vocals appear which adds an extra layer of gloomy based heaviness.

Fenice is perhaps Ufomammut's most complete, adventurous and best release since EVE. Ufomammut had to take a step back and reassess their musical choices over the last decade and they’ve succeeded by reinventing themselves yet again as one of the underground's most original and constantly brilliant Doom/Stoner Metal bands out there.

Fenice is a breathtaking display of vivid ideas, themes and heavy grooves that allows Ufomammut to release one of the wildest and most thrilling Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal albums of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo.

Fenice will be available to buy from the links below from May 06th 2022.

LP and CD physical copies available for purchase here: neurotrecordings.merchtable.com

Limited edition vinyl available here: supernaturalcat.com

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp