Zac's "Double Dose": Anciients / One Inch Giant

 

Anciients: Heart of Oak 

How many have heard a split second of a song and immediately had a pretty good idea what the bands aura, vibe, and, eventually, over-all sound would be? A quick show of hands please... Well, all of you listeners out there can take this weeks first 'Dose, Anciients, one of two ways. The first, as stated above, or second, in total contradiction, as an endless evolution of the fundamental and stylistic orchestration of each song. I can hear your thoughts now, "Crazy Uncle Zac throwing out oxymoron's and giving us all a Wednesday morning aneurysm." I'll try to explain. Initially Heart of Oak, the debut release of Vancouver's Anciients, seems self explanatory and a perfect fit between the likes of Mastodon's Blood Mountain and Baroness' Blue Record, or more generally speaking the entire Georgia prog-sludge movement. However, when disentangling the fine web that Anciients weave, I quickly found myself free of the web but engulfed in a sea of dynamism and variety. There is a thick and rich warmth generated by Heart of Oak, and I believe we should delve right to its very organic, very Canadian heart. 

This roughly sixty minute monster covers a wide range of musical influences. Try combining the progressive mentality of Mikael Åkerfeldt, the fret-frenetic of Brent Hinds, and the melodic-Metallica of the mid to late eighties and you come out with a close comparison to what Anciients are creating here. Add versatile dual vocals that mutate between blackened-death roars to culminating cleans and you have the one and only Anciients. Heart of Oak is a trip for sure and at some points this trip becomes slightly dis-jointed. I mean how can't it, every good trip needs some turbulence and with so much action and sound-waves erupting in the process the choppiness of this record was inevitable. However, in the name of progress this is not a bad thing, nor does it negate the music created. Heart of Oak opens with what has become the releases first single, Raise the Sun. This track truly shines with an Opeth-ian attitude. Commencing with a steady, tone-driven introduction Raise the Sun recedes only for a few moments to launch us into the sun that, until this point in time, only Mr. Åkerfeldt himself could do. Then, just when you thought you were comfortable, your ears are assailed by the volatile vocals. And this was just the track numero uno! Heart of Oak really stretches its seizing arms out over the next three tracks, all weighing in over six minutes. Applying some southern progressive sludge impulses and some pleasant plucking, Anciients alter their Scandinavian melodic-death bursts and break up the raucous with a classic acoustic guitar track called One Foot in the Light. This minute long filler track is followed by the seven and a half minute Giants. Full of fancy fret work and some battle-cry like dual vocals, Giants gushes a Mastodon influence that can't be left unsaid. Do not take this as a second hand Mastodon track though, each tick of the clock of Giants remains Anciients and only Anciients. Here I find some of my favorite drumming from Mr. [Mike] Hannay. With each drop of his sticks Mike builds an inquisitive apprehension towards Giant's conclusion. Heart of Oak's reach never retract throughout the remainder of the album. Here we are met with blast beats and a whole lot of precision RIFFING. Anciients chooses to close Heart of Oak with a bit of a reprise, For Lisa. Here we are set in motion by the wail of a train horn and drift into an elegant and mellow blues cut. The dual guitars drive For Lisa successively building pace to a zenith plane. Full of rich guitar tones, For Lisa comes to my ears like some strange incarnation of Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover being played by David Gilmour and Greg Allman. 

In the end Anciients have offered up an advanced and dynamic debut record in Heart of Oak. Listeners will not find a seamless flow between every song, however each song is important in defining what Anciients is... a kick ass and versatile metal band. A perfect ten for the year, not in my opinion. A nod towards my favorites list of 2013, yes indeed. Now all there is to do is to pick up a copy for yourself. Enjoy.

 

Members: 

Aaron "Boon" Gustafson - Bass 

Chris Dyck - Guitar // Vocals 

Mike Hannay - Drums 

Kenny Cook - Lead Guitar // Vocals

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One Inch Giant: The Great White Beyond 

I know I'm putting the cart before the horse here with this weeks second 'Dose, but I had to get the word out. Gothenburg, Sweden's One Inch Giant (a personal favorite of mine) have released their sophomore follow-up to the euphorically heavy Malva in Europe (USA release is pending), entitled The Great White Beyond. After signing with SoulSeller Records in 2012 the band members decided to pick up a new drummer, enter Jakob Strand, and modify their musical direction. Don't concern yourselves about the new compositions or Mr. Strand though. This quartet is now tighter, with a much better instrument to vocal to instrument chemistry, and Mr. Strand's talents add a new intensity the mix. Dropping the grunge-esque front One Inch Giant have implemented more progressive metal into each songs arrangement. They have also created a heavier sense of melodic here in The Great White Beyond. Leave it to the Swedes to make a more melodic heavy. Where would heavy music be without you guys? 

Even though we Americans have to wait for the full release, I felt we should still get a taste of what's to come. I also thought it would be a good idea to get a little more press out there for our brothers and sisters throughout Europe, in-case they missed the official release date or needed a little push to pick up a copy for themselves. So, that being said I only have two tracks to play with, but that's okay. That's all I need. These two songs are monstrous and diverse in both harmony and progression. Mountains Will Erode lands itself as track two on The Great White Beyond. Beginning with a very Endgame, circa 2009, era Megadeth melody One Inch Giant quickly tear into a more familiar stoner-style RIFFING. Filip Åstrand's vocal presence is noticeably more pronounced than what I recall on Malva. Here on The Great White Beyond Mr. Åstrand is flexing his "vocal muscles" much more, creating a soaring effect over the doomy hooks. Our second sample, Only Scorn Remains, finds itself centered in the ...Beyond but a world away from the sensory candy found on Mountains Will Erode. Driven by a hybrid blackened, power-metal style drumming, listeners can be reassured that One Inch Giant are breaking the boundaries their debut release placed them in. Here the band truly shine, increasing the tempo to an advanced level, and leaving those untrained exhausted and gasping for precious air. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to catch your breath when [Gabriel] Méndez, [Axel] Berglund, and Strand turn the the song on its head by implementing a pummeling Tool-esque rhythmic break-down. Having listened to both sample tracks extensively, I cannot wait to wrap my ears around The Great White Beyond in its entirety. So, for those of us in the USA, we will be patiently waiting while our friends overseas enjoy the One Inch Giant surprise...  Wait a second.  That doesn't sound good, does it? Regardless the sample tracks are now streaming at bandcamp.  Go check 'em out!

Members: 

Jakob Strand - Drums 

Gabriel "Abbe" Lugo Méndez - Guitar 

Axel Berglund - Bass 

Filip Åstrand - Vocals

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Zac's "Double Dose": Great Red Spots / Prehistoric Pigs

 

Great Red Spots: Burn The Wish 

Here at Heavy Planet we are on the front lines of what is "trending" on the rock and metal war front. I use the term "trending" as lightly as possible meaning no disrespect towards the musicians. I don't want to lump them as some new genre labeled "duos". I simply mean to generalize that, personally, I'm noticing more duos now than I have previously. These modern era duets are creating tremendous walls of sound with minimal instruments and exceptional song writing, which in turn is leaving a memorable mark in my subconscious. Now, there has always been duets, but I think these current varients have become volatile... creating an intense magnetism pulling our attention to their art and sound. Take for instance at the gloom and doom duo from the Pacific Northwest Bell Witch, or the one we missed Bloodnstuff, and finally the Heavy Planet darling Indian Handcrafts. Each have made a mark in our psyches with innovative writing and orchestration. 

The latest addition to our contemporary dynamic duos is Philadelphia's Great Red Spots and their debut release Burn The Wish. Rooting their sound firmly in the fuzz these brothers in arms combine the best qualities of garage rock, grunge, and shoegaze for thirty minutes of sonic bliss. Burn The Wish begins with a two minute fuzz-terpiece that absolutely crushes. Its title, Sirens. This eager intro wastes no time setting the fuzz-tacular tone to Burn The Wish. Throughout the album I hear influences ranging from early, angry Nirvana, some Alice In Chains and even a taste of My Bloody Valentine. The distortion continues with Wolf Queen where the duo channel their inner Alice In Chains with some groovy duet style singing and the verse's harmony. My favorite tune lands at track four and goes by the name Inkblot Boy. The song has a slight post-grunge vibe, thanks to some hooks and a very listenable melody. Some could say these characteristics would kill Inkblot Boy for most of us dedicated underground music fans, but with all the extra fuzz and carefree roll Inkblot Boy proves its worth in its three minute, radio-friendly run-time. Track five, Inspirace, regresses and pulls some of those post-rock and 'gaze influences towards the forefront. The first minute and a half of Inspirace feels buried... well more submerged in a cerebral medium only to be shocked with a crash of guitars and percussion mimicking the likes of eyes experiencing sun-light for the first time. Consume bring back the more aggressive qualities of Great Red Spots and include a phenomenally placed drum roll in the last moments of the track. The album closes with a seven minute wurble, washed in distorted guitar tones and pleasantly plucked notes. If you're looking for the 'gazers garden you've found it here with Ten Oaths of Ten Colors. At first I had my doubts about Great Red Spots. Whether it was the vocals or the song's short run-time, I now forget. However, I do know this release is one that grows with listens. Give it a shot, the fella's are offering it at a cost of "name your price" over at bandcamp.

Members: 

Joe - Guitar // Vocals 

Sean - Drums

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Prehistoric Pigs: Wormhole Generator 

It's time to stop thinking so much about the music and just blast. No deciphering is necessary with this weeks second dose. What we have here is Italy's Prehistoric Pigs and their instrumental release Wormhole Generator. A filthy, psychedelic, and unadulterated stoner rock arrangement explicitly conceived to hypnotize and deceive mere-human listeners into a mind-numbing stupor. These fifty plus minutes are chock full of RIFFS and psychedelic modulation. A modulation that becomes a mode of transportation, a transportation through time. Track numero uno Swirling Rings of Saturn does an excellent job describing itself and beginning the transport. The guitars literally loop and swirl in and around the brain-waves that are communicating this groovy resonance. Intersellar Gunrunner, which may be the best song title I've seen this year and my personal favorite track, was orchestrated to spiral out of control. Within ten seconds we are blasting off in an ideal stoner rock guitar tone layered over slabs of bass. The track changes tempo to a doom-esque speed for a slow burn only to find your mentality immediately advancing at a voracious rate. Loss of sanity? Almost definite. Wormhole Generator concludes with Electric Dunes, twelve minutes of stoned psychedelia laden with spoken samples. Need transported from the routine, the mundane? Well, get over to bandcamp to stream Wormhole Generator in its entirety!

Members: 

Jacopo Tirelli - Bass 

Juri Tirelli - Guitar 

Mattia Pi - Drums

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