Song of the Day-Borum- "Cerberus"

"Cerberus" is taken from the band's 3-song EP of the same name. Underneath the heavy crunch lies a beast ready to pounce. The doomy riffs are as angry as a pack of dogs and the groove digs in with a ferocious bite. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

LP Review: Eclectic Tail by The Curse of Wendigo

I’m no expert on the Wendigo myth, but I’ve seen the movie Ravenous, so I think I get the gist of it. It goes something like this- in times of starvation, people will sometimes be forced to devour other people. These drastic measures change the individual who does the eating; they become a monster with an insatiable love for the taste of human flesh. It might be the Hollywood version, but that’s the deck I’m drawing from as I write this review.

The band The Curse of Wendigo are a self-proclaimed psychedelic/doom band from Ukraine. They've just released their debut, Eclectic Tail on the label Destroy the Humanity Studios and it is killer. They crank out traditional doom riffs, with drone interludes and some mystic trance portions. You can bet that fans of all genres of metal will find something to sink their teeth into on this debut.

The first track is a brief intro that offers up some dusty harmonica sounds straight outta a Morricone Western.  Fittingly, this track is titled Clint Eastwood Comes to Town and it sets an eerie tone to what will prove to be an eerie album. The next track, Eclectic Tail, continues the mood set in the previous song, but the listener is now greeted by the tortured vocals of a singer that sounds like he was being eaten alive. Metal.  But this last for only two minutes before the mood shifts to a hypnotic, tantric drone. Then, seven minutes and twenty seven seconds into it the torturing begins again. Seamless.  Awesome.  Gloomy Friend continues the light heavy trend, but reverses it, going from light to heavy then back again. Endless Hunger boasts the most aggressive vocal, conjuring the Wendigo in full on feast mode, raging and stomping between solos and riffage. The Prodigal Son swaggers and boasts the album’s most melodic vocals. And the album closes with Fallen Treasures, the most ambient and droney of the tracks. Fans of post-metal and harmonica will be pleased.

I’ll go out on a limb and call this one a concept record, about the Wendigo and desire and violence and sinister urges and redemption(?). But  I won’t say this for sure, ‘cause the vocals are effect heavy and you can’t make ‘em out too well. But this doesn’t matter. When you listen to this album you feel what the band is saying, and that’s what our music is all about, ain’t it? So put your headphones on, do what you do, and enjoy the curse.

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Sunday Sludge: Nonsun - "Good Old Evil"

Let's not make a big deal out of this. We're both mature adults; we should be able to conduct ourselves and our business without those elements of interpersonal conflict. So I'll be the bigger person and tell you to pull your head from your ass and trust these pearls on a snowy Sunday morning. Oh, your insides are dying from last night's vodka gimlets? You've stumbled to the local greasy spoon to find everyone staring. They saw what you did, they know who you are, and you'll be lucky if the waitress doesn't muster some lung butter for your coffee.

So, that ringing in your ears could be the resonation of last night's poor choices. Or it could be Ukraine's Nonsun, filling your headphones with enough drone-dominant sludge to interrupt military correspondence. On their 2012 demo Good Old Evil, this gloomy duo string up four tracks dripping with pleasantly shrill feedback and murky tempo shifts. There's a ribbon of thickness plastered to every note, but atmospheres are allowed a breath of cheap smog here and there.

Drawing-out a slow, scratchy dirge on Jesus' Age, Nonsun open this demo with bog-wading pace, stuffing their curled toes into wet sand and allowing time for an evil buzz to ferment. The agonizing restraint is paired with Bohdan Goatooth's sadistic gag, rounding out an already expansive malevolence. Murderous guitar exploration succumbs to enveloping fuzz creeping from any and every direction. The drone dominates, but the eighteen-minute opus is made entirely palpable with low bass threads and Andriy Alpha's hollowed, carved-out drums. You won't find yourself checking your watch, trust me.

Between the flooded crunch of sludge-doom descent and misty guitar sustain, Rain Have Mercy works as a scrape for scraps that's as redemptive as it is choppy. Chronicling a rebirth following an awakening of sorts, the beauty and ache are perhaps more traditionally approachable, but it's difficult to get too comfortable. Slowed and sung softly, Goatooth's eulogical delivery is a reprieve, and it's nice to know there's a voice beyond the fog. By now, Good Old Evil has grown into more than just a demo; it's a drone-metal seance soaked with innovative stylistic marriages. You won't know how to feel.

I'll admit I'm partial to departures and intermissions. I like being clubbed in the back of the head as much as the next guy, but the patience required to properly execute an effective sonic smoke break is sometimes a fleeting trait. Message Of Nihil Carried By The Waves Of The Big Bang is an unsettling perspective on failing technology. Imagine passing behind a chorus of jet liners and being blown back in awe of blasting engines. It's appropriately interruptive, and the drone-smog canvas hums, haws, and hovers amazingly as radar promises a complete white-out. If you thought intermissions were for re-filling popcorn or bonking a stranger in the loo, Nonsun are broadening your weak scope.

I fell in love with this album long before the final chapter hit its onset. The fuzzy drone and distant ice-trappings of Forgotten Is What Never Was are gonna circle my head for days. By now I've spent too much time wishing there was a vinyl pressing available for purchase, and my focus is lost. So imagine being locked in a cathedral as throngs wait out the patience of a faceless, heaving beast. The processional stomp allows doom to storm center-stage, but there's a glowing beauty found in this death. The repetitive, slow return to patient pacing is as warmly-welcomed as it is anticipated. This winter hymnal comes in the form of sludge riffs atop bruises and slow gnarls.

There's no pretense here. Whether it's the approach of death or the pleas toward the sun, Good Old Evil marks a perfect tandem of malice and hope. If there's a metamorphosis to be observed, let's highlight Nonsun's transitions and not my own shift from sludge to drone. Forget catharsis, you might just need to play in teeming mud and abandon expectation. Today, we're privy to an amalgam of diverse approaches to the heavy. These tracks are ambitious, sure. But ambition never detracts from the band's beautifully executed realizations. I awoke to Nonsun and couldn't help but shake my head. My bell was already rung, but Nonsun's extra push didn't hurt.

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Zac's "Triple Dose": Cathedraal / Rings of Rhea / Schematics for Gravity

This week my little realm of the 'Planet has been bountiful and over-flowing with music. This, in turn, has allowed me to decide to not only give readers two bands to enjoy, but three. Yes, a Triple Dose. This trio of transcendence is in thanks to a three-way split including experimental bands from France, Sweden and Ukraine. So, without further ado... 

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Cathedraal 

Our first stop on this triple delight lands us in Paris, France with Cathedraal, an experimental group of musicians who thought it good to mix black metal, hardcore and post-metal psychedelia. The outcome is an atmospheric rich sound with brief bursts of beauty and an intimidating amount of noise. Want you senses overwhelmed? Give Cathedraal's Qui Pense Encore a Toi a spin. This track has an excellent guitar driven intro and tremolo pickin', setting it as gold in my book. Interestied? Its available for a steal at bandcamp.

 

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Rings of Rhea 

Rings of Rhea are our second serving of this week's three course dose! These Ukrainian natives have discovered a paradise of dysrhythmia-inducing metal. Using ample noise and choosing to bury the scathed vocals in production, the quintet have created a fine piece of progressive doom metal which I am pleased to share with you all. The elegant addition of a piano interlude combines the two separate tracks seamlessly and creates the illusion of a single track. Their lot of fifteen minutes offers a density experienced in orchestral epics and legends of old. In conclusion, Rings of Rhea bring a blissful terror that simply escapes this listener too quickly. This is a band you will want to watch for future releases. Check out both tracks Destruction and Creation below or download for free at bandcamp.

Members: 

Anton - Bass 

Dima - Guitar 

Sasha - Drums 

Vova - Vocals 

Zhenya - Guitar

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Schematics for Gravity 

It wouldn't be a trip around Heavy Planet without dropping by, what many may consider the capital metal country, Sweden. Our last course, entitled Schematics for Gravity, is a hardcore turned post-metal five-piece sighting influences such as Cloudkicker, Cult of Luna and Sigur Rós. Focusing heavily on creating a celestial experience, Schematics for Gravity emit an Alcest-vibe. The music is more alluring, and even delicate at times, rather than terrorizing. The vocals are intense and proclaimed with a dying passion, although, similar with Cathedraal above, are enshrouded in the mix adding to the overall atmosphere of the two tracks. I enjoyed the track Behind Closed Doors most. Check it out below and in the words of the Swedes, "Inhale. Enjoy. Explode."

 

Members: 

Anders Lundgren 

Chris Campbell 

Erik Silverberg - Vocals

Martin Nilsson -Guitar 

Pontus Landgren - Drums

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Album Review: Stoned Jesus - "Seven Thunders Roar"

From the host country of the 2012 European Soccer Championships and the land of twenty million beautiful women comes the dynamic, talented trio of rock artists that form the splendid band Stoned Jesus, led by the artistry,  dexterity, drive, and vision of Igor Sidorenko. Joined by his bandmates Sergey Olegovich on bass and Vadim Matyko on drums, they have travelled down a familiar and well worn road, one that consists of line-up changes, gigs at small venues throughout Eastern Europe and Russia, honing their craft in front of discerning, veteran fans, and releasing an occasional EP or LP when circumstance and chance collide, in hopes the incredible craft and art ingrained into those releases somehow creates a spark of intrigue and interest that expands into a groundswell of popularity. All this while loving what they do, playing what they love, and rocking what they play for those veteran, discerning fans who are fortunate to experience rock in one of its purest forms from one of its many gifted practitioners.

Stoned Jesus play an artistic, spiritual brand of Stoner/Psychedelica on their latest release “Seven Thunders Roar”, incorporating all the important elements of low and slow, doom and distortion, fuzz and fury, while also winding through compelling sections of extended psychedelic excursions of spiritual revelation. To craft such exquisite rock renditions that combines the best of two distinct and highly enjoyable styles denotes a grand drive and determination blended perfectly with high craft and artistic deftness. Igor has delivered to his audience an opportunity to experience rock on the favorable canvas of both familiarity and novelty, incorporating favored stoner/doom sounds played with vigor and heart that crash against boundaries that were long ago established for volume, richness, and texture, but deftly integrated with freshly carved slices of guitar virtuosity, intoxicating in varying degrees of tempo, throbbing in intensity, and utterly intriguing in discovery as it unfolds through many layers and intertwining rhythms, virtually hooking you with fantastic, thrilling, and melodic pieces.

The music encountered on “Seven Thunders Roar” is a veritable treasure trove of discovery. The songs are long and meaty, ranging in time from the runt of the collection, “Indian”, clocking in at 1 second under 5 minutes, to 1 second over 16 minutes for “I’m the Mountain”. All of the songs have a hearty, beefy guitar that melds perfectly with an airier, more nimble accompaniment, both riding on top of vigorous, toe-tapping traps and thunderous bass, pulsing with fury, life, and pleasure. Stoned Jesus add more to the songs than simple stripped down instrumentation by each member, with wah-wahs here, quick and sweet little riffs there, little easter eggs of entertainment nestled throughout the tracks, coming out of the forest only upon the familiarity of multiple playings.

“Bright Like the Morning” has a ballad-like aura, with a beautiful and slow unfolding that sets the tone for melancholy and remorse, pain and despair, while Igor  “Pilgrim have you lost your way” in a clear and satisfying rock and roll voice as distinct and familiar as the music behind it. The song slowly builds, adding energy and urgency, letting in light and hope before reaching its crescendo in the chorus where the vocals match perfectly with the rhythm of the guitar licks playing an almost classic chord progression that is simple and clean, satisfying in delivery. Once the song delivers you to the top it never crashes down again, remaining within a pure, unadulterated deluge of sound and fury, continually adding to the mixture blistering solos from Igor and bad ass bass chords from Sergey, driven by the urgency of Vadim’s dexterous, athletic mastery of wood on skin.

The intro to “Electric Mistress” saunters  like a mama grizzly, growling in a low, slow rumble, a prelude for what is about to come for those that linger, which of course we do, because we welcome what the bear can wreak. The rumble gives way to a lone primal roar, ferocious and vibrant, with sawblade teeth, blending into an electrifyingly agile maneuver of catchy time signatures driven by insistent tattoos and bruising bass notes. At about the two-thirds mark the song takes an unexpected segue into Lectric Slow Down, the instruments all dropping intriguingly low, tantalzingly slow, pulling you intstantly into deep distortion and weirdness, a slo mo playback feel grinding through until one final outburst to normal rock time.

“Indian” is another engrossing and fun rock and roll undertaking in a similar vein to its predecessor. Igor’s vocals are full of heart and clarity, making a case for the wrongs wrought upon the Native Americans of North America by the white man, forcing his unconquerable spirit toward the path of war. Stoned Jesus hold nothing back as they work their magic throughout the ditty, playing various riffs and pieces that blend perfectly with the main verse and chorus. The song is just as adventurous in nature as “Electric Mistress”, upbeat and catchy, drawing you in with its adept execution of stoner instrumentation. It even has a slow down egress two thirds into the song, and although this artistic segue had just been successfully attempted on the previous track, it works here as well.

Things change up for “I’m the Mountain”, beginning with a nice ballad arrangement of acoustic guitar and crisp vocals laying out tune and melody of introspection and self searching, leading toward a fate of despair and desperation for the teller of the tale. The build up from this point is gradual, incremental in instrumentation and power, slowly, inexorably wending its way up and around twists and turns that tell a tale of anguish and woe before turning a corner and discovering a small ray of light that opens things up for little optimistic riffs blending on top of the melancholy undertones. Optimism builds until a mantra is formed . . . “I’m the Mountain, rising high. It’s the way that I survived.” Enthusiasm and encouragement build from this point, running to leave melancholia behind, but never truly escaping. The music played throughout this track does a masterful job of interpreting the lyrics, with variegated layers of exquisite instrumentation that constantly add to the sound and the story, gradually telling a tale that grows in complexity and richness, delivering the listener in the end safe and sound to the top of the mountain.

A lone, fuzzy riff sets the tone for “Stormy Monday”, joined in short order by the entire kith and kin of low, slow fuzz and melancholy, the signature sound for this closing track of eight monstrous minutes of stoner bliss. Stoned Jesus work their magic to perfection on this song, adding snippets of guitar here, harmony vocals there, building in power and volume, inexorably rising to an apex of imperial rapture.

Stoned Jesus are obviously committed to making music they enjoy, music with an edge and with artistic flare, and with a whole lot of heart and talent. They have designs already on two more albums, possibly to be released in the coming year, which speaks to their work rate and enjoyment of what they do. In the meantime we are treated to a truly superb album in "Seven Thunders Roar". Is this band destined for bigger and better things? They certainly have a few things in their favor when you consider their love for what they do, their ability to craft unique and interesting songs that blend hard driving stoner sound with loftier psychedelic overtures, and their work ethic, producing quality new music at timely intervals.

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Heavy Planet Podcast #05 - EASTERN EUROPE: HUNGARY, POLAND, RUSSIA, SERBIA, & UKRAINE

Heavy Planet Podcast #05

I hope you all have rested and recovered from Toby's road trip up the Atlantic coast... because it's a new month and that means its time for another Heavy Planet Podcast, courtesy of Grip of Delusion Radio!  Pack your over night bags, because we're taking a long flight.  First stop is one of my favorite places in the world, Poland, to reap the riffage from their abundant harvest.  We will also be stopping in Hungary, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.  You won't want to miss it.  Tune in this Sunday (February 19, 2012) from 4:00 to 6:00 PM EST and join us for this adventure for the finest desert, stoner, psyche, sludge, and doom around Eastern Europe and Russia.

BANDS OF HUNGARY, POLAND, RUSSIA, SERBIA, & UKRAINE

DJ-Zac

Poland:

01 Palm Desert - "Chase the Sun"

02 Elvis Deluxe - "This Time"

03 Fifty Foot Woman - "The Black Hills"

04 Corruption - "Murdered Magician"

05 Botulinus Toxic - "Balancing on the Edge of the Desert"

06 Satellite Beaver - "Mighty Sasquatch"

07 J.D. Overdrive - "Guilt and Redemption"

08 Leash Eye - "Lee the Sky"

09 Black River - "Morphine"

10 The Vagitarians - "Shallow Grave"

11 Sunday Driver on Tour - "Brother the Snake"

Hungary:

12 Head for the Sun - "Another Day"

13 Magma Rise - "Five"

Serbia:

14 Svarog - "No Right to Breathe"

15 Tona - "Grafit"

16 Fluid Underground - "Jesen"

Ukraine:

17 Etheral Riffian - "Part II Beyond (The Search)"

18 Slow Ride Home - "Redefining Happiness"

Russia:

19 Re-stoned - "Crystals"

20 Cosmonauts - "Cave of Trees"

21 Sex Type Thing - "Get Rid"

Go here to listen and download previous podcasts.

*This podcast will be available for streaming and download 24-48 hours after original air date.