Album Review: STEAK - "NO GOD TO SAVE"

STEAK have assiduously become a staple of underground fuzz, having previously released quintessential stoner/psychedelic hard rock albums in 2012, '13, and '15. Now, having signed with Ripple Music, they have released another full length album of ten thundering, riotous rock melodies that once again showcase the musical brilliance and deep-tuned craftsmanship of this Warrior Island battery of four preeminent metal artisans. "NO GOD TO SAVE" has allowed STEAK to bring to the fans of stoner rock, of fuzz-fueled, low-tuned loudness, a collection of songs that completely appease the most hooked addicts with hooks of amplified fervor.

STEAK are a brilliant group of metalheads, rendering songs that do much more than relay a particular sound quality. They certainly are adept at creating and playing extraordinary hard rock music that is rich in low tones and euphoric amplified distortion, music that combines clean, razor-sharp riffs with serrated edge keenness and a mammoth aural presence. But they are also adept at doing so over melodies of near genius, crafting songs that instantly excite while embedding snares of long term memory that will haunt its victims for years to come, songs such as "Overthrow", "Clones" "Living Like a Rat", and "Mountain".

"NO GOD TO SAVE" not only showcases their variety of fuzzy metal music, but does so in perfect harmony of their extraordinary vocalist, Kip, who is impeccably matched to their brand of heavy with his deep, mellifluous vocal tones that easily scale the highest peaks the music requires without ever resorting to any sort of rebel yell, guttural utterance, or falsetto flippancy, as well as complementing the band's six-string slinger Reece's samurai brilliance, or without ever overpowering the mighty drubbing of Cam's bass magnificence, or never overshadowing the wielder of wood, slayer of skin, drummer Sammy's stickwork.

When you look at the legacy STEAK have begun to build you can see this London clan possesses something as special as any metal band around, regardless of attempts at genre identification. They struggle like everyone else in the underground world of heavy rock, but have managed to advance their music, and hence, their careers, when doing so is never ordained. They now are part of Ripple Records, which in itself is a mark of accomplishment, and they have already given us an unerring library of amplified addiction. With "NO GOD TO SAVE" they have bestowed upon us one of 2017's preeminent heavy metal, hard rock, stoner rock albums, proving they are poised to become the legends their burgeoning legacy reveals them to be.

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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Deaf Proof - "Beyond the Orange Door Demo" / Steak - "Corned Beef Colossus"

Heavy Planet. Purveyors of the finest stoner rock . . . that's what we claim, that's what I love listening to the most, as do a gazillion of you guys, and that's what I love posting on Heavy Planet on those occasions a pure stoner album is available for our listening pleasure. Today is such a day, ladies and gents, as I present, not one, but two albums, one that has been lying around for a short while, apparently a victim of the cracks through which it had fallen, and, two, a hot, fresh slice of succulent distortion, hot off the bricks of the stoner rock kitchens.
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DEAF PROOF - "BEYOND THE ORANGE DOOR DEMO"

Deaf Proof are a band struggling to maintain a consistent line up, and until they do an official studio release may never be forthcoming. The band members who have been steadfast from the band's inception in 2006 have remained locked in  on their goal and their mission of making and playing that sweet stoner sound. Through a significant number of lineup changes they have managed to release 2 demo EPs, the second of which was released just this past April after having been recorded between 2009 and 2012. Some might look at that and see a lack of coordination and coherency from the band located in Freiburg, Germany. I disagree. I see a core membership that hasn't wavered in their love and devotion for the music they create, pushing forward through trials and tribulations until what we have before us is a six track EP of a superior sonic quality, belying the disjointed process taken in its development.

The current lineup for Deaf Proof is:

J. Fredo - Vocals and Guitar
JP - Bass
Pedro - Drums

The sound is big, bold, heavy, low, and classic. Crisp and colorful psychedelic overtones are employed throughout the album blending perfectly with the vibrant distortion of Deaf Proof's recognizable yet singular sound. Guitars are ferocious and mighty in an all out onslaught of sound, with forays into masterful strokes of precision and guile. Drums prove to be nimble and adept at providing massive undertones along with delicate accompaniment. The bass matches the gargantuan six string sound with underpinnings of massive layers of concrete and stone pilings, electrically charged and pulsing in mammoth rhythms of unparalleled athleticism. Vocals round out the sound with an edgy rasp of power and focus, nimble in execution as it provides the perfect colossal complement to the driving riffage of towering stoner rock guitars.

This is the type of album, although only six songs in length, that provides quality on each song. It is a difficult task to single out any as best in show as each delivers a memorable, indelible experience for the starving adherents of stoner and psychedelic metal who partake of its heavy, fuzzy goodness. "Hellride" kicks off the journey with a song that provides a signature for that wonderful stoner rock sound as well as for this incredible agent for that sound. "Girls'n'Guns" has a riff hook that will sear itself into your permanent memory stores, unlocking primal satisfaction while "My Reflection" closes out the EP with an unrelenting, explosive demolition of a deep, dense stoner rock quarry.


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STEAK - "CORNED BEEF COLOSSUS"

2012's "Disastronaut" brought the fuzz in a big way and set up a lot of anticipation for Steak's follow up, "Corned Beef Colossus", released just over a week ago. As with the earlier album, the new one is an EP, consisting of 5 songs, so no full length album just yet. It doesn't matter because they make it count on those they do create and share, and for that I am thankful. The tone on "Corned Beef Colossus" is massive, dark, utterly serious, telling of pain, suffering, and strife. This dark alley quartet from London wrap you up in a smothering, heavy blanket of sodden wool, dripping with pungent juices and visceral secretions before laying waste with the razor sharp weaponry employed by the wild-eyed, enthusiastic members of the band, who include:

Kippa - Vocals
Cam - 3 String Bass
Reece - Guitar
Sammy - Drums

The primary sound from Steak is the guitar, as it is with all great bands that make their way onto Heavy Planet. Steak do not disappoint with the sheer volume and mass of six string distortion throughout "Corned Beef Colossus", ramming it straight ahead, relentless in intent, devoted in effort, constantly expanding, invariably collapsing, alive in its neverending cycles of growth and decay, accompanied by brightness and clarity on solos and riff snippets of emphasis and accentuation, carried along on psychedelic chariots of brilliance and moxie, the whole tended by an overseer of vocal preeminence and prodigious power, manifest in providing a jagged razor's edge of forbidden pleasure and fleeting ecstasy.

The EP flows seamlessly from "Black Milk" through to "Acid Dave", the technical opener and closer, but could easily be placed on a neverending loop where there would be no beginning, and certainly no end, only the primal satisfaction of exquisite reverberation feeding the constantly starving stoner nodes of your musical desires.

Steak have grown considerably from "Disastronaut" to "Corned Beef Colossus". The latter is dense and deep, intelligent and aesthetic, tightly woven from frazzled fibers of well worn resonance, presenting a pattern of brilliance while simultaneously providing a deep, intense, sustained warmth and fulfillment.





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Enos - "Chapter 1" / Red Desert - "Damned by Fate"

I went through an extremely long spell of time where discovering new music, or more accurately, new good music, was a rarity. Of course I was using mainstream sources to provide this for me for the most part, which two decades ago meant the local 'hard rock' radio station. Word of mouth was probably a better source for discovering new music that was worth listening to back then, but no matter the source, rare was the new album that had me stitching my face back on after the first go 'round on the turntable. Two decades or so ago that began to change a little with my introduction to the interwebs and online radio stations that would play some stuff out of the mainstream. Those stations typically catered to the college crowd and were heavy on 'indie' music, which wasn't heavy, but at least some of it was fresh and good, a modicum of it anyway . . . you know, just like the radio. So, I figured that's just the way it was because that's the way my rock n' roll world had rotated for decades. And then one day, taking advantage of Amazon's feature "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" I discovered Kyuss and Sasquatch, and the floodgates opened, revealing not just a whole new world, but THE world I had always dreamed of, one I always wished could exist, where the guitar was king and the riffs were always . . . primal . . . and here it was! Not long after I discovered Heavy Planet. Holy Shit! Every day a new band, a new album of near perfect rock! I can't use enough exclamation marks to express my excitement. And it got better because, as you may have noticed, I now write for Heavy Planet, so the dream has soared. All of this to say that there is an inordinate amount of truly great rock n' roll out there, music designed and played the way rock was meant to be. Today, I introduce to you two of THE very best albums I've heard recently, starting with Red Desert's "Damned by Fate" and moving to Enos' "Chapter 1".

 

Red Desert - "Damned by Fate"

Red Desert as an entity have been around since 2004, with the typical stoner/doom rock band history of losing and gaining bandmates along the way, but always focused on playing their undeniable vision of heavy, low rock, never losing enthusiasm throughout the 8 year journey that has taken them to the point of release of their first full length album just this past month. "Damned by Fate" is a follow up to 2008's EP "18 Wheels", although the so called EP carried 6 full length songs. The former album was comprised of some mighty tasty rock n roll tunes, but in the 4 years between its release and the August, 2012 release of "Damned by Fate" Red Desert fine tuned their music by down tuning to an incredible, almost primordial degree. The music on this album is the epitome of the stoner sound, with an earthy salvo that rivals the mightiest Richter rumble combined with a champion summertime thunderstorm. The sound Red Desert have produced on this new release is satisfying and thrilling, providing deadly and dangerous reverberations that could shatter the quake proof glass of home and car, or force you to put that stereo warranty into effect once those high powered speakers get blown away by the massive riffs offered up on each song of this superb album.  "Damned by Fate" immediately gets thrown into the 'album of the year' cauldron for consideration in 2012. 

Red Desert have managed to establish a style that is fresh and genuine, easily recognizable as their own, with songs that reflect their tremendous ability and energy, each one worthy of being someone's favorite. For this humble reviewer, the opening track "Older No Wiser" (what a great title) almost immediately unleashes double digit g force riffage intensity before transitioning into a first rate rock song that epitomizes tremendous stoner qualities with the big fat guitars and bass, plus a clean, crisp trap attack. "2012" has a higher tempo, with scorching solos and blitzkrieg drums blasting away on top of the heavy and low guitar chords and bass riffs. There is no wannabe songs on this album, nothing that doesn't belong, no shortage of ability and talent with this group of in your face, in your soul rockers. 

Band members:

Paul Teeter - Bass, Vocals

Dave Dancho - Drums

Jeff Kleugel - Guitars

Shawn Stende - Vocals, Guitars

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ENOS - "Chapter 1"

"Chapter 1" has been out for a while now, so it's not new in terms of chronology, but we've not reviewed it up to this point on Heavy Planet and it is a damn fine album from a damn fine rock group that deserves attention. It will soon enough be eclipsed by a newer release from Enos, hopefully before the end of the year, so to prime the pump you might take this opportunity to see what these guys are all about. What you'll find is a band that manages to bring both heart and polish to their music. The album is superbly produced, without skimping an iota on heart and effort. The guitars are huge, and down tuned enough to be quite enjoyable upon first and all subsequent playings. Drums are crisp and clean, adept at providing a rhythm while providing something special that will likely crack a smile while cracking your neck. The bass rivals the guitar in both presence and signature sound.

"Chapter 1" tells the story of Enos, the last chimp to go into space for the U.S.A. prior to John Glen's epic mission. Enos, the band, have done a great job of creating a collection of first rate fuzz that also tells the story of this brave and unusual animal. Along with the EP, Enos have published a comic book relating one version of the chimp's adventure into and return from the ether, available from the links below that accompany this review.

Another interesting aspect of Enos, they have been signed by Stargun Music out of Great Britain, the same label that brings us the highly rated stoner / psych bands Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Stubb, and Steak, among other great rock bands from the UK. Stargun Music may very well rival Small Stone Records in the U.S. as the best rock label, while Enos certainly sits in the pantheon of great rock artists, proven by the superb album "Chapter 1". I am eagerly awaiting Chapter 2, regardless of its true title.

Band members are Chris Rizzanski, Sean Cox, George Cobbold, Sparky Rogers



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Album Review: Steak - "Disastronaut"

Today’s journey into the unknown centers around an as yet unheralded band from London appetizingly named Steak, who have just released this past May their first album, “Disastronaut”, on Stargun Music, available as a download on bandcamp.com (see link below) as part of a ‘name your price’ arrangement. But, beyond a few reviews on your favorite obscure rock websites and a couple of YouTube videos, not much about the band or its members can be gleaned from rooting around the etherverse via Google. This almost incognito presence belies, though, the heft and quality of the 5 finely crafted songs this feverish foursome have conjured forth from what must be the murky backstreets and alleyways of London. At least I assume the music was borne from such seedy environs and dingy surroundings, because how else can you explain the sheer weight and magnitude of the five nearly perfectly conceived stoner songs that Steak have laid down on their inaugural release? Music like this surely begins from a place of gloom, a place of despair, someplace deep, dark, and murky, before it is summoned forth and molded by a mixture of talent and hunger into something unique and rare, a dark and deadly treasure of immense and profound value.  

Such is the nature and stature of “Disastronaut”. It contains only 5 songs, but they are that rarest of the rare, songs that can be thought of as pure stoner rock, unadulterated fuzz of the highest order, displaying the absolute best qualities of the sub genre as well as the overarching genre of metal rock. Steak provides the brilliant and signature sound that conveys stoner rock, with  heavy, down tempo, distorted, and LOUD guitars, hard, insistent bass, and the high energy rhythm of the drums, all accentuating melodic song structures chock full of hooks, riffs, and solos of the highest standards.

Steak’s music is reminiscent of many of the best stoner bands, such as Dozer, Firestone, Truckfighters, Cowboys & Aliens, and Astroqueen, to name a few. While their sound isn’t directly reminiscent of stoner rock’s standard bearer, Kyuss, the quality of the melodies, as well as the guitar work are of the same high caliber. But what Steak offer of their own accord, beyond what has been delivered by these great bands, is a blend of the best of the stoner sound but stepped up beyond anything presented heretofore The songs are heavier, louder, with more fuzz and volume, and melody structures that are easily followed, yet never too simplistic or boring. They’ve taken the sound of what they so obviously love, and have added new and improved ingredients to enhance the sustaining power of the entire product.

Stargun Music has released a compilation album of some of the UK’s best stoner/doom/sludge type bands, titled “Sonic Titans”, which includes the track “The Butcher” from Steak. The compilation album, as well as the song “The Butcher”, were reviewed on Heavy Planet this past May to a bit of fanfare. As it turns out, “The Butcher” is the opening track on “Disastronaut” and it exemplifies the very best of the stoner genre. This song could stand alone as a prime example of what the stoner sound should be. It is 4 minutes of sheer bliss, kickstarting the experience with loud, insistence distortion and vocals that provide a high quality aspect. “The Butcher” starts off with a high energy tempo that brilliantly gathers force as it moves through its main chorus of fuzz, leading into a short, down tempo bridge stripped to bare knuckle might, before moving into the closing moments of inspiration where the energy builds and moments of artistic genius can be gleaned.

The second song is titled “Machine”, and if there were a song that might possibly be considered the best track on the album, for me, it’s this one, although you could very well make that same argument for any of the five. “Machine” is a psychedelic fuzz trip through laid bare electricity, and radiation overflow. The guitar work here goes right to the center of the pleasure lobe, accompanied heavily by vocals that are sublime in delivery, entreating the listener to ‘ . . . try and save yourself’, while providing a glorious atmosphere from which no one truly need be saved.

The tempo moves back into a snappier pace for “Gore Whore” and the vocals here are more insistent, providing a fresh perspective on the delivery of the lyrics, accompanying the usual panoply of huge, ferocious guitar and drum work. The solo here is wicked, warbling with aesthetic inspiration.

Number four, “Fall of Lazarus”, is another candidate for best song of the album, deploying an engaging and ever changing landscape of guitar riffs and vocal delivery that take the listener on a splendid journey through the might and muscle of a slow, deliberate beginning delivery that then grows in amplitude and distortion. The journey is full of cool little tidbits of guitar work and enthusiasm from the the rhythm section that can be discovered on every listen through this example of stoner quality and class.

The album closes with “Peyote”, a near sheer departure from the established sound of the initial four songs. This piece is an instrumental and displays none of the standard fuzz and distortion of the stoner sound, but instead uses an almost acoustic milieu to display the artistic wizardry of the musicians of Steak, who adeptly render a quality song, just as before, but in a totally new and refreshing manner that accentuates the quality of the previous songs, the album, and most importantly, the four stoner rock musicians of Steak.


The members of Steak are:


Kippa - Vocals
Cam - Bass
Reece - Guitar
Large - Drums

While Steak is not yet a known commodity, the quality of their work will surely carry them through to heights beyond the perch they now occupy. Their music is as good as any rock music ever made, and they have rendered a collection of songs that are what we’ve always wanted to hear, giving us exactly the music we always hope to find whenever a new discovery of music is made. It is fresh while familiar, artistic yet attainable, rendered with heart, energy, dexterity, and aplomb.






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