Review: The Age of Truth-Threshold

First off, please forgive me as I have not written a review in ages so I may be a little rusty. I felt compelled to write a review of Philly-based band The Age of Truth's debut "Threshold" simply because I think it is one of the best heavy rock records I have heard all year. That is no bullshit! A perfect balance of thoughtful riffs, groove, and melody along with a precise mix lets each musician shine throughout this brilliant debut. But the thing that stands out the most is the incredibly powerful and raspy vocal of Kevin McNamara which soars over each song with a vocal reminiscent of Nick Pollock from 90's band My Sisters Machine (some of you may remember them) and early Chris Cornell, but with a more East Coast vibe, especially on the stagger-driven boogie rocker "Oceanbones" which may remind some of Clutch.

From the crushing bottom blow and crash of the cymbals of opener "Host (Demon In Me), I knew I was in for one hell of a ride. The guitar rings out with strategic echoing and flanged-out effects before feedback leads way to the punishing groove played along to the wailing vocal "I Got A Demon in Me".

The Sabbath-inspired meandering riff of "Come Back A God" will have your head-bobbing. It's grungy and filthy vibe will have you begging for more as it fades into oblivion, you get your wish, but only for a brief moment.

The shining moment on the album is the bass-driven title track "Threshold" that weaves in and out of soft staccato plucking and heavy stoner riffing until the end when it destroys you with a lumbering and penetrating rhythm, but wait, there's more as the vocals beckon "Come on..Come on..." surrounded by another tasty riff. Good heavens.

The music created by The Age of Truth is familiar, yet original. Melodic, catchy and heavy, the songs will get stuck in your head and will have you humming melodies to yourself throughout the day. And the riffs, holy shit, the riffs are non-stop. Forget about this band being labeled as Stoner Rock, they are just an awesome rock band, period. People always say to me that there are no good bands anymore, or I only like the one song from so-and-so band, well you just have to know where to look. This is The Age Of Truth!

With all the crazy shit going on in the world, there is always rock and roll to save the soul, and The Age of Truth is there to lend a hand.

The Age Of Truth is:

Kevin McNamara - Vocals
Michael DiDonato - Guitars
William Miller - Bass Guitar / Vocals
Adam Lauver - Drums

The album is released today digitally and will have a proper vinyl release on Kozmik Artifactz Records sometime early 2018.

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Descendants of Crom Festival-Cattivo-Pittsburgh, PA September 30, 2017

On Saturday September 30, 2017 at 3:00 PM EST all hell will break loose on the City of Pittsburgh, PA. An event of epic proportions, 17 killer Stoner Rock/Doom/Metal bands are set to ignite the two stages of Cattivo in the Lawrenceville section of the city. This festival is the first of its kind for Pittsburgh and I say it is about damn time! Event organizer Shy Kennedy (Horehound/Blackseed Records) has excelled at putting together such a fine collection of bands, especially by nabbing Pittsburgh-based doom legends Penance (Alpha & Omega lineup). Growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh I am a little giddy about this festival. From the scorching NWOBHW sounds of Pittsburgh's own Lady Beast to the instrumental Doomy Jazz of  Philly's Stinking Lizaveta, there is enough to appease the tastes of everyone attending. 

For the overzealous, there will be an acoustic pre-fest at the Full Pint Wild Side Pub, click here for more info.

Lineup:

CANT
MONOLITH WIELDER
LADY BEAST
ENHAILER
ARCHARUS
HORSEBURNER
WASTED THEORY
FOGHOUND
EYE
BRIMSTONE COVEN
SOLACE
THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN
CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC
VALKYRIE
EARTHRIDE
STINKING LIZAVETA
PENANCE (Alpha & Omega lineup)

Have a listen to the bands:



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QUICK HIT: Bionic Cavemen - "Reactor"

Late in 2013 I had stumbled across an up and coming band and their initial release, "Predator", naming it my Number 9 favorite album of 2013. The 4 gentlemen from Chicago are back with their latest release, an eleven track LP that blisters and burns with savage blues rock fury. The hallmark of stoner/retro/blues rock music is, of course, the massive, gargantuan guitars, amplified to sun blocking heights, and Bionic Cavemen have emphatically perfected this aspect of their music, although thankfully not at the expense of their wonderful lead vocalist whose ragged, raging vocals are an aural injection of sheer pleasure. Add to the mammoth sound and spine-chilling vocals are an opus of songs that are immediately engaging with an additional genius of structure and design. This is no mean feat when combined with a sound that is typically simple and powerfully primal, which "Reactor" is upon first listen. But, even at first listen you hear 'more', the kind of 'more' that will keep you spinning it as much for the mind-numbing riffs as for the admiration and enjoyment of high craft embedded throughout, just waiting for discovery.

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7" Review: Aboleth - EP-I

Feast your eyes on that simple, beautiful album cover above. It's a bellwether for what is packaged inside. Los Angeles trio Aboleth have kicked off their career with a sweet three song 7" record simply titled EP-1, packed with explosive stoner rock magic that runs the gamut of tripping all the right triggers of outstanding stoner/desert/retro/blues rock.

The hard rocking trio include:

Brigitte Roka on vocals
Dan Joeright on drums
Collyn McCoy on baguitar

Baguitar? What the......? McCoy, stoner rock royalty from both Trash Titan and Ultra Electric Mega Galactic, has devised a new hybrid instrument that allows him to riff both ultra high and mega low. The sound of this beautiful invention is a runaway blitzkrieg thunder vortex, which McCoy unleashes from the jump on the first track, "No Good".

"No Good" is a tremendous introduction to Aboleth's sound as Joeright's skinskinning comes in alongside McCoy's baguitar monsoon licks to create a clean, athletic sound that stretches the boundaries of blues rock riffing. It pulls you in quickly with its brilliance before the door squeaks open for Roka's raspberry sweet and smoky bourbon vocals to ooze seamlessly into the mix, making a triumvirate of indigo crisp and mesmerizing stoner bliss. This song is raucous and well crafted, a whipsaw of thick multidimensional fuzz, a deluge of intriguing sound and melody.

Next up is "Corpsehunter", another onslaught of sound and craft, weaving melody with those unique baguitar riffs and Roka's pitch perfect vocals, vocals that simultaneously haunt and exhilarate. Closing out the thrill ride is "Captain Cheese", a nearly 7 minute psychedelic turn on a measured metal journey, impeccable in detail and nuance, and brilliant in deeply heartfelt exertion.

The sound Aboleth has crafted is simply exquisite. It's fine stoner/desert rock, but doesn't rest there on any laurels. The sound of the baguitar is equally exquisite, magnifying the energy and amplitude of standard fuzz riffage, which makes for a deeper than usual intrigue for the listener. Roka's vocals are unique. They contain both the sharp cutting edge of the finest of female vocals while tempering that keenness with an underlying ragged snarl that magnifies the appeal of the whole. And then there are the clean, clear, muscular rhythms of Joeright's drumwork, who manages to pull off the difficult task of making the underlying rhythm significant enough to be enjoyed without ever stepping on the magnificence of his cohorts' contributions. The three pillars upon which Aboleth are founded and upon which it stands are formidable in function, breathtaking in form, and a fantastically thrilling encounter.

Aboleth are in the studio cranking out their next wide spectrum stoner sojourn. Once this initial triple jam foray gets a bit of notoriety the anticipation for future releases will likely skyrocket. This first stage booster is powerful and magnificent and should pave the way for the explosive stages of future releases.

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Heavy Planet Celebrates It's 9 Year Anniversary

Well, if you were to get technical, Heavy Planet actually started in 1999 while I was working for National Record Mart. I wanted to start a website that would feature new bands that no one ever heard before and needed an outlet to do that, so I started an Angelfire page and the rest is history. It was very short lived and was basically anything heavy metal. Back in March of 2007 I was kicking around the idea of a much bigger and better website and decided to revive the old and outdated format keeping the same idea and focus in mind. Unfortunately, I somehow lost all of my posts from 2007, but decided to truck on. I always loved bands like Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet and wanted to give bands like them more of the exposure they deserved. So, on February 5, 2008, Heavy Planet relaunched as a Stoner Rock blog. I am proud of our accomplishments thus far and can't thank enough the writers that have come and gone and shared their passion and sacrificed their time for the cause. Thanks so much for your dedication and support. Rest assured we will be here for another year to infest your minds with the best music on the planet. Stay heavy my friends!

WM's Top Ten for 2016

It’s that time of year people, there is snow on the ground, the fireplace is flickering its satanic majesties in the background and I just curled up in my red and green Snuggie^TM with a Jameson neat to give you the gift that keeps on giving.  Yes, it’s time for my Top Ten List of new albums for 2016.  

2016 was a tough year, my spiritual guide Lemmy died three days before it started.  Then Bowie died and everyone else it seems.  But the music of 2016 was amazing.  We saw some new bands and some familiar ones put out an astounding number of great albums.  To put all of those together into a list of ten based on my personal preferences is tough to do because there was so much that I enjoyed this year.  But for you good people, I will do my best.  

10. First up is Mississippi Bones and their fourth release 2600 A.D.: And Other Astonishing Tales.  

Heavy, crusty blues rock from this 6 piece band from Ada, Ohio that is so prolific they don't have time to take themselves too seriously.  2600 A.D. is catchy, very well done and one I found myself going back to frequently this year.  



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9. Next we have from Bordeaux, France Mars Red Sky and their third release Apex III: Praise For The Burning Soul.  The album is a wonderfully crafted, complex journey of sound.  The ability to take a song from the first few notes of massive and crushing fuzz to a delicate meandering piano accompanied only by vocals, as they do in the title track Apex III, shows their mastery of dynamics and arrangement.  

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8. In the eight spot is Nine Years from Montreal, Quebec's Mountain Dust.  Pure, gritty, beautiful heavy blues rock and roll in all it's glory.  Nine Years is one you instantly fall for and fall hard.  It is a turbulent love affair and the emotion is always center stage, but brought forth in tones that shift from boozy bravado to placid introspection.  A tremendous album and now one of my favorite bands.      
   


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7. Orion by King Buffalo takes my seventh spot.  This album is a gorgeous and dizzying journey of heavy riffs and driving percussion delivered with vocal elegance from this Rochester, New York trio.  This is not one of those albums you skip from song to song trying to get to your favorites, it is an experience that can only be undertaken properly from beginning to end.  

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6. Whores. Gold. A raucous front kick in the face that is almost as good as seeing them do what they do in front of a crowd.  This album hits hard again and again and then it hits you once more for good measure after the cops have locked them in handcuffs.  This three piece out of Atlanta, Georgia have made an album that has taken aggression to its most beautiful state, completely raw and unforgiving with the sarcastic brilliance of the lyrics being the only thing as malleable as the title of the album.

     

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5. In my fifth spot I have the return of one of my favorite bands.  Greek stoner legends 1000mods brought us their third full length release Repeated Exposure To... and it is everything I could have wanted. 

 
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4. Coming in at the number four spot is the London four piece Elephant Tree and their self-titled first full length album.  This album is beautiful, cohesive and impressive.  Combining elements of blues, stoner rock, doom and psychedelia this is where music is headed.  The sixth track Echoes is my song of the year and a great illustration of their abilities to bring all these elements together and move music forward.  

 
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3. In the third spot is Swan Valley Heights from Munich, Germany and their self-titled debut.  You know you are listening to something special when after each spin you find something more to enjoy, your favorite song changes again and again until it covers every single one on the album.  This album is a masterpiece. 

 
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2. The second spot goes to Borlänge, Sweden's one and only Greenleaf and their Rise Above The Meadow.  With each listen I am more impressed with the talent, songwriting ability and obvious love of their craft that these four gentlemen possess.  Individually they are all amazing in their own right, together as they show through this release they are somehow even more.   

 

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1.  My album of the year goes to Boston's own Gozu and their fourth release Revival.  What struck me from my first listen of Revival is how resolute these four gentlemen are in their single purpose of  bringing something different and truly their own to the table.  To do so with the precision, style and fearlessness they display on this album is a triumph we all get to share. 
 
 

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Reg's Favorite Albums From 2016

As always, this has become a huge undertaking. 2016 delivered some pretty amazing records from the Stoner/Doom/Heavy Rock genre. I have finally narrowed it down to basically the albums that I listened to the most.

Now, in no particular order, here are my favorite releases from the past year.

King Buffalo-Orion

With their debut full-length, "Orion", King Buffalo has cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Through brilliant song-writing, stellar musicianship and an intense live experience, the band will be delighting audiences for years to come. Seeing this band open for another favorite of mine, All Them Witches, was a highlight of 2016. Although still unsigned, Stickman Records has recently released the band's stunning debut on CD and Vinyl.



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Kvelertak-Nattesferd

Last April, my wife and I took a trip to DC to meet up with Toby and his wife for a day filled with beer, food and music at the DC Brau Brewing Co. The one band that I didn't really care to see that day was Kvelertak. Funny how things work out. They turned out to be my favorite band that day and after seeing them I went onto Spotify and listened to all of their music. After listening to their latest album, "Nattesferd" it didn't leave my playlist for weeks. Death and Roll baby!



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Brant Bjork-Tao of the Devil

Brant is one of my favorite artists of all time and I couldn't wait for this album to drop. Honest, easy-going, and full of riffs, songs like "Stakt" , "The Gree Heen" and "Luvin'" are instant classics in my eyes. You're the man!



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Buzzard-Sonic Renaissance

Featuring members of The Mighty Nimbus and Pentagram, these Minnesota heavy rockers levy a huge backhand of doom hungry riffs and melody. Songs such as "Get Gone","Kingdom" and "Feathers" will get your ass groovin' and your body movin' with a ton of sway and swagger.



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The Judge-The Judge

One of the best hard rock albums I have heard in a long time. Heavily influenced by the seventies, primarily Cream and Black Sabbath, this band soars high with killer vocals, a bluesy feel and smokin' riffs. Favorite tracks include "The Witcher" and the very doomy "Planet Doom".



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Black Rainbows-Stellar Prophecy

Upon first hearing this band back in 2007, I knew that they would stick around for years to come. The band plays a very organic and catchy brand of Stoner Rock with touches of heavy psych making them one of the premier bands of this genre. Tunes such as "Electrify" and "Keep the Secret" are money. Grazie Black Rainbows!



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Wretch-Wretch

After the untimely loss of fellow The Gates of Slumber band member Jason McCash, Karl Simon dug deep into his soul and brought forth one of, if not the most heartfelt records I have ever heard. Doom is not just about slow tempos and huge riffs, in Karl Simon's case, it was put forth in the form of enormous riffing and intense emotional playing honoring an amazing personal and musical friendship. Goddamn melodic doom at its finest!



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Strippers in Love-I Am What I'm Becoming

Strippers in Love is an oddly unique name for a band, but is appropriately fitting. The band's sound is both tranquil yet crushing, combining warm guitar tones, amazing vocals, stellar songsmanship and mind-blowing heaviness. This album quickly became an instant favorite. "Nightblooming" is absolutely insane!



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Geezer-Geezer

Mr. Pat Harrington and crew are at it again, bringing more of the same bluesy rock infested groove to the table that has made them widely adored by so many. This time around Ripple Music has decided to release this bad ass gem to the masses. Pat's fuzzed-up guitar playing and thick bearded vocals make for an album filled with fun tracks such as "One Leg Up" and the uber-distorted "Stoney Pony".



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Son of a Witch-Thrones in the Sky

Sabbath-sounding doom is always a good thing and these fellas from Brazil make it their own by adding a touch of psych to get very spaced out, cosmic and extremely heavy. Hazy riffing, and a stout intensity add to the excitement. Deservedly, the band will get a proper vinyl release early 2017 on Kozmik Artifactz.



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Well, there you have it.  As we enter into our 10th year of existence, Heavy Planet will make sure we infiltrate your mind with all the best heavy music it can handle. Throughout the year, we will provide a retrospective of some of the highlights and the successes of many of the bands we have covered, as well as some other cool things to celebrate our 10th year.

We at Heavy Planet thank you for your loyalty and patronage over the years. Also, thanks to all of the labels, bands and PR companies that allow us to provide all of this music to you.

I would like to offer a huge Thank You to my awesome staff for keeping this thing going. Without you guys Heavy Planet would be long gone. Also, thanks to all of the amazing bands that have sent over their band submissions to us this past year. Trust me, your band does not go unnoticed. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to review every submission. And finally, the biggest thank you in the world goes out to my main man Stump for posting music endlessly on our Heavy Planet Facebook page. You are definitely one of a kind my brother.

Cheers! Here's to an awesome 2017!

Album Review: 1000mods - Repeated Exposure To...

1000mods are Greek gods and I love them.  They bring the heavy so very well, so perfectly that from the first day I heard them I was a fan.  Well now they went and did it, they made the album I knew they could and should.  1000mods released “Repeated Exposure To…”, their third full length album in September and it is one of my favorite albums of the year and of my entire life.  

The album opens with Above179, five minutes and 41 seconds of pay fucking attention.  “We are the gods, the kings of nowhere / we are the dogs that live in despair” Dani screams at you with his bass hung at his knees and the rest of the band obliges.  Showing you with every note that these bad asses from Greece are not to be taken lightly.  

The highlight of the album, for me, is the suddenly very personal “The Son”.  It is one of my favorite tracks of the year and as soon as I heard it I fell in love with it.  The perfect blend of beauty and rage.   My father died yesterday and this is the only song I wanted to hear, it is perfect.  For that reason you get every word of it and 1000mods, my brothers, you get a thank you for creating something that means a great deal to me personally.   

People are telling me how
Blank is the world
Freedom is giving me now
The soul that I sold
I am a son of a gun
I'm shooting my life
You're gonna see the one
The one you don't like

Heaven rejects me
And throws me back
I am forgotten
I live in the dark
I'm smoking woods
And I'm sniffing the clouds
I am the name
That nobody shouts
The skin of my mother
Is under my veins
I feel so empty
I got no remains
The voice of my father
Is so long and gone
I am the son of a loaded gun

Happiness is full of lies
I'm killing my dreams
I'm speaking and everything dies
I wake up in screams
Emptiness sparks in the light
Watching you fade
Please don't give up the fight

Follow your fate

Heaven rejects me
And throws me back
I am forgotten
I live in the dark
I'm smoking woods
And I'm sniffing the clouds
I am the name
That nobody shouts
The skin of my mother
Is under my veins
I feel so empty
I got no remains
The voice of my father
Is so long and gone
I am the son
I am a gun

This is one of the best albums of the year, no matter what style of music you favor.  Dani, Giannis, George and Labros have created something that demands and deserves your attention.  I do not know them, but I thank them for what they made and cannot recommend more that each and every one of you get this album and get to experience it for what it is, a glorious, heavy masterpiece.  

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WM