Song of the Day-Ponamero Sundown-"Bottom of the River"

"Bottom of the River" is taken off the latest release "Veddesta". It has been four long years since the band's last release "Rodeo Eléctrica (review)" and the band has not lost a step. In all honesty, I believe the band has gotten better. This song is a fine example of how the band crafts the perfect stoner rock song. To kick things off, bang the hell out of a cowbell. Next, enter a monster riff and finally, ride that groove for 4-plus minutes. If that isn't enough, the song ends with a glorious twin-guitar killing right into another huge riff. Take that! For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Toby's Top 10 of 2011

Let me start by wishing everyone out there a very rock and roll New Year! Based on the sheer variety of albums being mentioned by Seth, Zac and myself, it's evident that 2011 was a fucking monster year for this music that we all know and love. Of course, if you haven't already done so, I recommend that you make a point to check out every album on all of our lists...as well as those on Reg's...which will be unleashed tomorrow.

Why take our word for it? Because between the four of us, we've listened to hundreds of albums by bands from around the globe and we've done our best to cherry pick our personal favorites. It wasn't an easy task and if I tried to put this list together again next week...hell, tomorrow even...it may very well look different. But this is today and this is my list, so here goes nothin'...I give you Toby's Top 10 of 2011.

10.Rwake - Rest

Seth reviewed this one as part of his Sunday Sludge feature and I don't know about you, but if Seth says something is good enough to be his album of the year, then I check that shit out. Rest is an atmospheric head fuck from start to finish that will make you want to crawl into a hole and curl up in the fetal position. In Seth's words, "this is an album you'll feel, one you'll discuss, and one you'll remember." Do not miss it.

09. The Gates of Slumber - The Wretch

With their 2011 release The Wretch, The Gates of Slumber ditched their Conan the Barbarian worship and went straight for the jugular. This one is eight tracks of sorrow, longing and regret set to music. You want to know what a doom record sounds like, then give this one a spin. As I said when I reviewed this one last summer..."pure sonic drudgery." And I mean that in the best possible way.

08. Lo-Pan - Salvador

Dude! As soon as you hit play on Lo-Pan's latest effort and hear the opening feedback spill from your speakers, you will be hooked. From the driving bass line and soaring vocals of "El Dorado" to the unmistakable groove of "Solo", this is an album of pure rock fury...pardon the Clutch reference. In Zac's review for this one, he compared the vocals to part Maynard Keenan and part Chris Cornell...how can you not get down with that?

07. Borracho - Splitting Sky

You had to know that this one was gonna be on my list, seeing as I pimp this band every chance I get. Borracho stormed onto the scene this year and made an immediate impact with their debut LP. Combining stoner rock grooves, doom metal riffs and classic guitar licks, oftentimes all in the span of the same song, this album was definitely one of a kind. Throw in the barking, drill sergeant-esque vocals and you have yourself a fine slab of rock.

06. Elvis Deluxe - Favourite State of Mind

A lot of stoner/doom type stuff is abstract and somewhat conceptual. Not so with Elvis Deluxe. This band wallops you over the head with some of the catchiest rhythms and sing-along choruses you're likely to hear this side of FM radio. Think the zanier, Oliveri sung bits of QOTSA and you're on the right track. I got my hands on this one thanks to Zac's glowing review and months later, it's still in heavy rotation for this guy.

05. U.S. Christmas - The Valley Path

Speaking of abstract and conceptual...what a perfect segue into the latest from USX. When I first heard this gargantuan 38 minute song (yes...the entire album is one song) I didn't quite know what to make of it. But after multiple listens, it grew on me like a mold. The combination of over the top orchestration with the sounds of nature is...as I said in my review...arresting. This one requires patience, but in the end, it is a trip worth taking.

04. Ponamero Sundown - Rodeo Electrica

As soon as I heard the opening drum roll of the first track, "Evil Wand", I knew this album would be one of my favorites. Ponamero Sundown do not let up...ever! Take the laid back fuzz of Kyuss, the catchiness of the Foo Fighters and the heaviness of every grunge band Seattle ever spawned and throw it into a blender. This is desert rock at warp speed.

03. Across Tundras - Sage

Back in January 2011, if you had told me that one of the best albums of the year would mix the heaviness of doom with the twang of country, I would have laughed. But that's exactly what Across Tundras manages to do on Sage. As I said in my original review, this is "an incredibly original slice of Americana set to music." This is the sound of desolation...and it is beautiful.

02. Freedom Hawk - Holding On

Freedom Hawk released this album in October, I didn't hear it until December...and it shot straight to number two on this list. That should tell you all you need to know. But if that isn't enough, then just know that Freedom Hawk have written thirteen songs that are unforgettable and they sound kind of like Ozzy fronting Fu Manchu. This is "fist in the air, wind in your hair rock and roll."

01. Skraeckoedlan - Äppelträdet

I had a feeling this one was gonna top my list when I reviewed it back in September and damn if I wasn't right. Äppelträdet is chock full of ultra heavy riffs, more poly-rhythmic shifts than even Mastodon and soaring vocals sung in both English and the band's native Swedish. Skraeckoedlan manage to combine dissonance, power and volume with harmony, melody and rhythm and that my friends is why this is my favorite album of 2011.

Album Review - Ponamero Sundown: Rodeo Electrica

Well holy shit…who are these fucking guys? That is precisely the thought that went through my skull as I fired up Rodeo Electrica and heard the pummeling drum fills, powerful riffs and penetrating opening salvo “straight to my face”, all of which burst forth from my speakers within the first minute of Ponamero Sundown’s latest opus. Turns out, these guys are Nicke Engwall (vocals), Peter Eklund (drums), Oliver Gille Vowden (bass) and Anders Martinsgård (guitar) from Stockholm, Sweden and on this, their second full length album on Transubstans Records, they have quite possibly cemented themselves atop the heap of stoner rock albums released thus far in 2011.

That opening track is “Evil Wand” and it alone is worth the price of admission here. For starters, Eklund’s drums will require that you sandbag your furniture and tape up the windows, because not since Dave Grohl have I heard someone hit the skins harder than this guy. I pity the poor bass player whose job it is to keep up with this man’s rhythm…but alas…Gille Vowden seems to be more than capable. Meanwhile, Martinsgård lays down enough groove to break the necks of ten thousand headbangers, while somehow finding time to blister his way through multiple leads and tempo shifts galore. You ready for the cherry on top? That would be Engwall’s vocal work, which is a dynamic combination of John Garcia’s machismo and Chris Cornell’s caterwaul.

And speaking of Garcia…track two, “Highway Messiah” owes an awful lot to the desert rock of Kyuss, only Ponamero Sundown strips away the circuitous nature of that band, choosing to focus on the more visceral musical moments…this is meat and potatoes rock my friends…the fat has been trimmed. Clocking in at just over two minutes, the song is an absolute scorcher that never lets up…not even for a second. In fact, listening to this while driving should be 100% illegal as you will most certainly feel like the song’s namesake as you plow down the road driving the gas pedal further and further into the floorboard. And when it comes to its abrupt end and you hear a hammering heartbeat…thump, thump, thumping, it’ll take a second for you to realize its coming from your speakers and not from your chest.

In stark contrast to the first two songs, the appropriately titled “Sorrows” is a dark and brooding, rhythmic ode to the horrors of hard drug use. Here the ominous music sets the tone equally as much as the lyrics and you begin to get the sense that the guys in Ponamero Sundown have seen a thing or two. That assessment is confirmed amidst the frenetic pace of “The Dice”, which focuses on the inevitable consequences of trying to satisfy your inner demons…hard luck (“wheel of fortune, never been good to me”) and hard living (“Sunday morning…drag me out of bed…I got a two ton hammer roaming through my head”). And as if to answer anyone who may condemn their chosen vices, the band follows with “1025” which finds Engwall crooning “oh…who are you to judge my life” over top an unbelievably catchy groove that is made all the more so by the accompanying piano .

Then, as if to put a period at the end of their first act, the band gives us “Rodeo Electrica Part I”, a beautiful instrumental piece that perfectly segues into the second half of the album, which starts off with “Shot for Glory”. The song is Ponamero Sundown at their finest, featuring the relentless devastation of Eklund’s beats amidst more gargantuan riffs and Engwall’s insistent howl…”a shot for glory, a shot for fame…it’s my life story, bullet with my name.” “Sinners Breed” follows, with a sound somewhere in the neighborhood of Layne Staley-era Alice in Chains playing stoner rock.

One aspect of Rodeo Electrica that I really appreciate is the timing. Ponamero Sundown understand when and where to let up, to allow the songs to stand apart…to breath…to give the listener an opportunity to process everything they’re hearing. “Not the Time” is a perfect example of this…a whimsical acoustic guitar interlude that mellows the mood, shedding light on the intensity of what you’ve just heard, all the while, setting you up for the album’s final onslaught.

“The Ghost” starts off slow, sludgy and discordant before subsiding into ballad territory, allowing Engwall to unleash what is perhaps his most powerful vocal performance here. The song is a showcase for his dynamic range as it shifts from a mellow, acoustic strum into another of the band’s signature grooves. And this may sound crazy, but I swear “Goddess of the Sun” sounds like a musical sequel to The Cult’s “Firewoman” from Engwall’s Astbury-esque vocals when he sings “goddess of fire”, right on down to the subject matter. “Fathomless Nothingness” is a self-deprecating lament that seems to throw away all hope in its expression of true sorrow and depression…”I am drowning in the dark”. And then Ponamero Sundown brings their epic to a close with “Rodeo Electrica Part II”, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to its instrumental brother from earlier in the album. Here the band seems to want to leave us with a reminder of their true essence as this song carries us right back into the driving rhythmic flow and heavy riffs of the opening track.

I think by now it’s pretty clear that I fucking dig this record. To be quite honest, there were no fewer than five times during the writing of this review that I found myself nearly referring to a song as “my favorite track on the album”. In fact, as the final song echoed and faded into oblivion, I probably looked pretty funny as I sat back in my chair and simply applauded. This, my friends…is stoner rock. Do check this shit out.

Track Listing:

01 Evil Wand
02 Highway Messiah
03 Sorrows
04 The Dice
05 1025
06 Rodeo Electrica Part I
07 Shot for Glory
08 Sinners Breed
09 Not the Time
10 The Ghost
11 Goddess of the Sun
12 Fathomless Nothingness
13 Rodeo Electrica Part II

Band Members:

Nicke Engwall - Vocals
Peter Eklund - Drums
Oliver Gille Vowden - Bass
Anders Martinsgård - Guitar

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Album Of The Week-"Stonerized"-Ponamero Sundown (2009)

Hell yeah!! Ponamero Sundown lays down some very tasty, fuzzed out Stoner Rock grooves proving that this genre is still alive and very well, thus making "Stonerized" by Ponamero Sundown the "Album Of The Week".



Reviews:

"Perfectly righteous heavy stoner rock from Stockholm Sweden. Simple basic cut straight to the chase stoner rock, heavy groove, bag loads of big riffs, all the fuzz you need. Nothing radically different, nothing you haven’t heard before, we could namedrop all the usual bands needed when reviewing this kind of stuff – Sabbath, Kyuss, Orange Goblin... Nothing clever needs to be said here, this is simply honest no messing righteous heavy rock that just hits all the right spots in all the right ways – in your blood, in your soul... This rocks, they rock, we like rock. Thick fuzzy in the vital zone no messing heavy fuggin rock!" (Organ Magazine)

"Ponamero sundown from Stockholm, Sweden offers a superior stoner rock dinner for two, a spicy and flammable taste in twelve acts that makes almost everything else feel tasteless. These titans are using only premium raw materials which makes this disc to a giant that easily places on my top ten list this year.

With four demos in luggage Ponamero sundown finally releases their debut album 'Stonerized' on the Swedish label Transubstans records. I got totally carried away, or should i say STONERIZED by this piece of jewelry when it started to spin, ok I wasn't that surprised by what I heard because Ponamero sundown's previous works have been splendid so far and the debut only make the band grow even stronger. These Swedes have much to offer and mixes the best of the 70's hard rock with modern fuzz rock in a mature and professional manner which I love. The ponamero's simply whips the shit out of most bands today!

First track out is 'Alcoholic deathride', a glowing projectile which drills into bone and marrow. This is crazy good, an excellent show-off how heavy rock should be done in the most spectacular way. Like a giant rock hammer 'Alcoholic deathride' slays everything in its path, lots of heaviness with heaps of groovy riffs and catchy vocals. I keep banging my head against the desk and I feel like a true rock hero, every second on this 'deathride' makes me shiver all over... yes sir! These guys can surely boogie!

Ponamero sundown rumbles on with 'Curtain call', not as fast as the previous but damn so good, heavy and melodic with a hard-hitting chorus which makes me fall off my chair in delight; this is definitely one of the outstanding songs on the album. These four pistoleros are unstoppable and are moving fast like a lawn-mower on dope. The list goes on and on and the hit songs whit densely on 'Stonerized' and almost nothing threatens these swedes from reaching the rock throne. Tracks like Reborn, Live the lie and Hell sent makes me run amuck through my flat and Ponamero sundown keeps reminding me that there might be a god after all.


The final track 'Double you' is absolutely one of the strongest songs and along with tracks like Alcoholic deathride, Curtain call and Hell sent is more than enough to make grandma's pacemaker to hit a few extra heartbeats. 'Double you' makes me think of bands like space probe taurus, Greenleaf and in some way The mushroom river band and will be played over and over again until my neighbors call the cops!... in fact the whole album will terrorize my neighborhood for the next few weeks.

Stonerized is a hellride in 300 dodge without inhibitions from start to finish line and Ponamero sundown clearly shows that speed limits are there to be broken. Track after track is being grazed off quite brilliantly and the band shows that they are to be reckoned with. This band have been waiting far too long in the'demoland' for the breakthrough and Transubstans made the right choice by releasing these songs, the guys in Ponamero sundown really deserves it.

There are no excuses and the god's will punish you if you're not buying this record!!!" (Planetfuzz)

Read more...

Track Listing:

01. Alcoholic Deathride
02. Curtain Call
03. Reborn
04. Rotten Religion
05. Live the Lie
06. Intermission (Heartbreak Disease)
07. Hell Sent
08. The Race
09. Made of Stone
10. Doctor of Evil
11. Double You
12. Stonerized

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Ponamero Sundown Tour Dates

The Swedish heavy rockers Ponamero Sundown are heading down to Germany and Belgium for a short tour.



7 Aug: TBA, Germany - Spot to be filled. Any help would be appreciated
8 Aug: Halle, Germany - Unikum
9 Aug: Berlin, Germay - Pirate Cove, with Uranus Fron
10 Aug: Aalst, Belgium - The Negasonic, with Tim`s Favorite
11 Aug: Antwerpen, Belgium - De Rots, with Tim`s Favorite



www.ponamerosundown.com
www.myspace.com/ponamerosundown