Boston sludge metal quartet Rozamov have announced July 2nd as the release date for their second EP Of Gods and Flesh. The EP will be self-released digitally and on CD through Bandcamp before the band embarks on a tour of the Northeast and Midwest (dates below). Of Gods and Flesh was recorded and mixed by AJ Peters (Batillus, Summoner, Olde Growth) at Q Division Studios in Somerville. Pre-Orders are now available for physical and digital formats with a vinyl release planned for later in the year.
Rozamov was born in the fall of 2011 by guitarists Matt Iacovelli and Liz Walshak, bassist Tom Corino and drummer Will Hendrix. The band recorded their debut self-titled EP at Black Coffee Sound with producer Clay Neely (Black Pyramid, Elder, Vaporizer) in February of 2012. The EP was self-released in March 2012 for free download, which created a buzz in the doom and sludge blogosphere.
Tour Dates:
July 11th- Brooklyn, NY @ The Acheron w/ Jucifer & Vaporizer
July 12th- Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie w/ Sunburster & Vaporizer
July 13th- Silver Spring, MD @ Joe’s Record Paradise w/ Akris, Wall of Sleep
July 14th- Frederick MD @ Lallo’s w/ Akris & TBA
July 15th- Columbus, OH @ The Summit w/ Ves & Torgor
July 16th – Louisville, KY @ Magbar w/ Great Floods, Crippled Tongue & Empira Vultura
July 17th- Rockford, IL @ Disastr House w/ Porno Horse, Hot Mess & Evidence of Arachnids
July 18th- Chicago, IL @ Grandbar w/ TBA
July 19th- Appleton, WI @ TBA
July 20th- Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class w/ Venomin James
Now, prepare to have your eardrums caved-in as we debut the lead track "Famine" from the soon to be released EP "Of Gods and Flesh" by Rozamov exclusively right here on Heavy Planet! Blast this shit!!
A couple of weeks ago in his Double Dose, Zac reviewed Electric Relics, the latest slab of Americana inspired doom from Nashville's Across Tundras. And given that I was a huge fan of the band's 2011 effort Sage, I jumped at the opportunity to hear what he so eloquently described as "the soundtrack for the traveling lonely en route to desolation." So you can imagine my surprise when I opened the band's website in search of said album and discovered yet another new record, itself barely three months old. Turns out…back in March, Across Tundras teamed up with a heavy psyche band out of Peoria, Illinois called Lark's Tongue and released one hell of a split LP. Of course, as the theme of this feature suggests…we quite obviously missed it, and now I'm here to remedy that unfortunate oversight.
Featuring two tracks from each band and a run time of over half an hour, this is more than your typical split 7 inch. Beginning with the Across Tundras contributions, the album opens with a lush expanse of droning guitar that eventually gives way to a twangy lumber and Tanner Olson's whisky soaked warble…"in the ruins of the house of the rising sun." This is the epic "Low Haunts," which by itself, easily makes up a third of the LP as it rumbles in and out of gorgeous guitar flourishes and never once forsakes the ponderous plod of its rhythm or the resonance of its honky tonk textures. This you gotta hear. "Crux to Bear" is the second offering from Across Tundras and it provides a glimpse into the band's heavier side. While still managing multiple shifts in tempo, the track is a much more straight forward affair that even sneaks a catchy hook into the mix as Olson sings…"if the stars ever align, I'm as good as gone."
As I mentioned, side two of this split LP is dedicated to Lark's Tongue, with whom I was not familiar prior to hearing these songs. On "Follow Your Nightmares," the band introduces themselves with jangly guitars that merge with ethereal effects and a resounding rhythm section, creating a depth of sound that continues to expand as far as your mind will allow. The atmospheric stamp of post-metal is evident, so it should come as no surprise that Lark's Tongue features a couple of the guys from avant-doomsters Minsk. And if the dichotomy between the beautifully harmonized vocals and the demented doom found on "Aluminum" is any indication, then this is most certainly a band that Heavy Planet will be keeping a very close eye on in the future.
So how about that? Zac writes about one killer album…I go in search of it and discover not only another killer album, but a new killer band to boot? Now that's what I call a double fucking dose. So on behalf of my colleague, I'd like to say to heavy music fans everywhere…you're welcome. Enjoy.
Spells of sobbing and flickering tics of anxiety weren't on the menu this morning. I awoke to discover a developing tandem of nausea and disorientation while a dullness masked the grim reality of what's really happening. I hit the showers thinking I'd feel better after scraping and scrubbing at the awful, scabbed memory of torment and violation. Nothing seems to be helping. I suppose I'll just disassociate, crawl into poor health, and fantasize on some form of violent vengeance. But let's be serious; you don't just move on from something that just crushed your faith in humanity.
We first featured Trieste, Italy's Grime more than fifteen months ago, caking our flesh with their self-titled bouillabaisse of filth, fire, and sickness. Well, things have only gotten worse, and the end result is devastating and delicious. Welcome back their unsettling audio plucks and screeching track transitions, but try not to gape as you witness Grime's depravity as a swollen, snarling beast. Torturous riffs, barbed rhythms, and more than a soul's share of induced vomiting mark Deteriorate as a gigantic sophomore stride.
Damn, this feels so dirty. The skull-splitting hatred of Burning Down The Cross is heavy, lumbering, and organ-piercing. The guitar squeals may as well be the cries of the masses, damned by fate and blackened with fire. Marco's vocals operate as both victim and offender, throwing a gurgle that can't be fixed with green tea and honey. The churn and the chortle dig through graves, all the while grinning through Chris' black-toothed drum stomp. Relentless and heavy-handed, Grime are as vile a band as you'll find.
Down By The River Of Dreg fills a room with thick smoke, a slow suffocation of the world you've known. The repetition is coated in tar, caked with blood, and by now you've realized there's no reprieve here. You're knee-deep in shit, and shifting to a slow-motion catapult pointed at the killing fields is met with the last hope that your neck snaps on the way out. There's more rhythmic movement on Deep Cut, hinting at blues until the mallet makes another crack. It's unbearably slow, demonstrating Grime's patience with their own death rattle.
For all their crushing, Grime also maintain plenty of control. Restless Man and Pills craft a zero-hour dual descent into depravity. Imagine being lifted from your feet and dangled above gnashing hounds. Riffs boil your bones and the vocal sets fire to dirty panties. Hazy and violently meditative, the album's second half is surprisingly just as unsettling as its first. Plunging deeper and chopping at your senses, Idiot God closes the album as a complete amalgam of all the band offers. Thick, malevolent, abrasive... sure. But more importantly, Grime seem to reject all that is mainstream and embrace what's utterly distasteful.
Deteriorate is one slow, steady drill to the skull as you choke on your own blood. Make no mistake, you're gonna feel degraded, sore, and ashamed of yourself for enjoying this one. Grime's rusty blade punctures your chest at a snail's pace, recognizing that the slow and dull is far more painful than the sharp and frantic. Take a shot o' whiskey and bite down on a twig. And good luck pretending this never happened.
If you're standing in the desert, and it's unbearably, insufferably, almost otherwordly hot, with no replenishing liquids anywhere in sight, nor have there been for ages, a condition so barren and sere you've had to settle for the occasional scrawny cactus and the fetid, malodorous secretions within that try to pass for true potability . . . because you thought that was all that was left after long ago leaving behind the life defining oasis brimming with cool, crystal pools, thunderous waterfalls, and rare, exotic entities awash with wonderment and awe, an oasis that infused you with sustenance, conviction, and a confident notion this must be only one such empyrean spot along a long and arduous journey. After a time it became apparent the oasis was a singular stop and so you sustain its memory across the treacherous expanses of banality and tedium, feeding occasionally upon the vapid tidbits that sprout sporadically along the way. But then, almost out of the blue, as you stoop to inspect a small cactus whose pulp in past burgeonings was mildly flavorsome, comes unseen, unsuspecting deliverance like an avalanche of pureness and enrichment, crystal blue refreshment that infuses and soaks you instantly in restorative waves of never before experienced magnificence, pummeling you in wave after wave of sheer pleasure and satisfaction. This oasis you will not leave because there is too much to ever fully experience. Each trip within unveils something new, something that will ultimately and completely satisfy your thirst for the purest, life sustaining libations.
That is stoner rock. An unending, quenching wave that recognizable no matter when or from where you fill your cup, providing the utmost quality and a unique refreshment that is deeply satisfying each time you partake.
Today we partake of two fine and splendid goblets of potent potation. Enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SWITCHBLADE JESUS - "SWITCHBLADE JESUS"
Upon first listening to Switchblade Jesus you may be hit with some conflicting reactions. They certainly play stoner rock and they sound like much of the rest of the stoner rock world available throughout the webisphere and beyond. But then you realize, hey, they play stoner rock and they sound damn good! There is deep, demonstrable musicianship and passion on each track. That combination is the hallmark of metal acceptability - the ability to not just play and sing, but to demonstrate a fierce, abiding aptitude as well as massively relishing the opportunity to play. Switchblade Jesus go decidedly deep down those pathways with the 8 tracks on this proud, prominent production.
Hailing from oil and tar country, these Texans from Corpus Christi include members:
Peter Quarnstrom - Vocals
Eric Calvert - Guitar
Billy Guerra - Guitar
Jason Beers - Bass
Jon Elizondo - Drums
The opening track is a sweet, melancholy introduction that segues beautifully into the first 'electric' song, "Bastard Son", a powerful blues rock romp that serves mightily as a launching point to the music that follows on both the song and the album. Deep and heavy riffs are overlaid by deft, delirious solos that pierce through the fuzz and distortion coursing through the airwaves. The tempo throughout the album is steady and compelling, always expounding an appetizing blues rock vibe while filling the air with thick filaments of low tuned, deep stoner fuzz. The vocals are perfectly matched with a massive tonal quality adept in range and volume while the twin guitars provide multi-faceted riffs and spellbinding rock licks. Big broadsword bass riffs rumble mightily through the album, while the drums provide buoyant clarity. "The Wolves" follows immediately upon the conclusion of "Bastard Son", hooking the listener deep into molasses thick melodies. "Sick Mouth", "Equinox", "Renegade Riders", and "Copperhead" carry you along on a knee deep river of whiskey, diesel fuel, and sludge, permeating deeply into your pores and setting you up for the climactic and beautifully rendered "Oblivion", a memorable and noteworthy song that easily takes it place in the pantheon of great stoner, blues rock songs.
There are a limited number of rock albums worth our fleeting time and limited resources and you can bet Switchblade Jesus have delivered something well worthy of both.
Sometimes a one off project turns out to be so good, so popular, it must be carried further along than originally intended. Ten Foot Wizard is such a project, originally intended as a diversion for members of Manchester's Bisonhammer back in 2009 the band has since developed a major life and reputation as a live act of brilliance and heat, culminating in the 2013 release of "Return to the Infinite"
"Return to the Infinite" is a ten track package of dynamite and nitro, wrapped in a big fuzzy ribbon of whiskey soaked blue denim. All the markers are huge on this album. Melody? Yeah, the songs are catchy, hooky, and memorable. Great writing throughout. Vocals? Yeah, the reach and dexterity displayed on this album is a classic rock voice of deep quality and range. No yelling, no thinness, just thick and heavy, matching that of the riff laden guitars. Speaking of guitars - riffs, licks, solos, all incredible, athletic, sweet, and satisfying. Blues is the cornerstone. Fuzz is the echo. Retro, stoner rock is the label. Massiveness is the delivery, with a heaping helping of well done structure. Bass is a gargantuan weapon of thunder rolling reverberations. Drums blast away like grapefruit sized hail on a two by four structure of freshly started houses in the new addition to a classic rock neighborhood. Each song delivers a magnificent and mighty rock experience, beginning with a song straight out of the bicentennial decade, "Rise From Your Grave", with melodic delivery so thick and fierce you could easily envision the dead coming to life just to find tickets to the next live showing. The titles on these 10 songs are brilliant in and of themselves, but the cleverness and ingenuity doesn't stop at the monikers. Devilish, delightful rock tunes, crammed to the brim with thick, gravelly riffs and sunburst solos await you through "Vulture Bitches", "Real Love", and "Medicine". "Six Feet Rising" is eight minutes of slow burning buildup and avalanche delivery. Fun is represented perfectly on "Saturnalia" and "Fuck!", both tunes taking the reins and cutting loose, providing a devilish atmosphere of pleasure with a whiff of brimstone. Hooks aplenty abound on "The Storm", while mossy, sludgy blues swamp licks are hammered out in abandon on "End of the Line". The title track closes this superb album out with a nine minute psychedelic foray laden with a retro rock blues hammer that smolders and fizzes in a buildup of massive melody.
This album is quality and could very well be considered as a top album of the year once all is said and done.
Huge Rat Attacks was formed 2002 in Minneapolis, MN by two brothers, Jason and Justin Oehrlein, in their parent's basement. Soon, they were joined by their good friend, Casey Holmgren, who brought his bass as well as the band name just in time for their first album 'Montana'. They toured the country with Tora! Tora! Torrance! several times until !TTT! broke up in 2004. Jon Tester (guitarist with !TTT!) united with the Huge Rats shortly thereafter. Jon dove right in and Huge Rat Attacks' sound was finally complete. They recorded their sophomore album 'Cougars' a few months later, expanding on their already full sound.
In 2007, during a band hiatus, Justin moved to Los Angeles and Jon moved to Denver. Neither would be gone long, and when they returned in 2009, the band reformed and starting writing new material. They recorded their third full-length 'Organic Babies' with Neil Weir at the Old Blackberry Way during several recording sessions in 2012. The album's sound shows the band maturing and honing in on their Black Sabbath-meets-Grunge influences.
Jason Oehrlein - guitar/vocals
Justin Oehrlein - drums
Casey Holmgren - bass
Jon Tester - guitar
THOUGHTS:
"Ok, so Huge Rat Attacks is not per say a new band, but they do have a new album out that you should give a listen to. The third full-length album for these guys titled "Organic Babies" is an amalgamation of various parts of grunge, stoner, psychedelic and progressive elements. Using a ton of reverb, the band blasts through eight killer tracks heavily influenced by the seventies. With a repetitive and driving rhythm, title track "Organic Babies" is filled with psychedelic guitar solos and a very "organic vibe". The album has a great flow as each song seems to fit very well with each other. The song "Wheel" has a Neil Young-vibe while next track "Heavy Jelly" puts you on your ass with a heavy crushing riff. The vocals are very soft and sometimes unhearable in the mix, but I believe that to be the band's intention because the music is the main focus and is mixed very well with each instrument being featured nicely. My favorite track on the album is "Detonate". It has a terrific and bombastic riff which guides the song. If you haven't ever listened to Huge Rat Attacks, there isn't any better time than now!
