New Band To Burn One To: DEAD QUIET

Progressive, psychedelic, doom, stoner, fuzz, seventies.......Dead Quiet tick all the boxes and then some. Melodic, great vocals, deep metal, mesmerizing, moody, sticky, and toothsome ..... this Vancouver up-and-comer has a big basket full of advantages drawn from the gritty experiences of past individual engagements, now banding together as massively talented individuals to create fresh takes on the amalgam of possibilities as a 5 piece juggernaut. The first release, a self-titled surprise assault of mammoth sound and proportion, should very well break through the cacophony of amplified voices, managing to rise above, to be noticed, to place an indelible stamp of mushroom infused metal upon the marrow of your musical mind.

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Band Submission: La Chinga-Hard Rock Stoner Power Trio From Vancouver, Canada

Band Name: La Chinga
Genre: Hard Rock Stoner Power Trio
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Brief Bio/Description: La Chinga is a hard Rock power trio with psychedelic powers sitting on the worlds edge in Vancouver, Canada. Drawing from UFO, ZZ Top, Sabs, Zep, the MC5 and their own superbad habits, La Chinga has established a fanbase in Europe and Canada from it's killer live shows! Detroit's Small Stone records just released their new lp 'Freewheelin' to rave reviews! Chock full o' stadium anthems and rad riffs! The bands sophomore album is prompting fans to wonder why they don't make em like this anymore!
Band Members:
Carl Spackler Bass/Vox
Jay Solyom Drums/ Production
Ben Yardley Guitars, Vox, Theremin
Links: YouTube | Facebook | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Waingro-"Van Sant"

"Van Sant" is taken off of the band's latest full-length release "Mt. Hood". Surprising to me is the fact that more people haven't jumped all over this band. This song is a potent mix of heavy doom riffs, stoner rock groove and hardcore punk that manages to be very aggressive but still maintain it's melody. Ear-shredding vocals scream out as the music crawls under your skin and burns deep into your soul. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

LP Review: 'Living Ghosts' by We Hunt Buffalo

Every once in a while you hear a band that completely blows you away, and like a rabid dog you obsessively seek out and devour their entire back catalogue without thinking about anything else. And it’s an awesome feeling. I can admit I had no clue who We Hunt Buffalo were before their latest album ‘Living Ghosts’ landed in my inbox (+ a side-note to all aspiring bands out there - YOUR BAND NAME MATTERS! I had to hear what We Hunt Buffalo sounded like...) ...but I now own all their material! Having built a solid reputation in their native Vancouver Canada, the three-piece have previously released a self-titled LP and two EP’s including ‘Blood From A Stone' (Review here), as well as supported the likes of Red Fang, Sleepy Sun, Band of Skulls, Chevelle, Danko Jones, Living Colour, and also direct support to Monster Truck on their Canadian tour. 

‘Living Ghosts’ is one hell of a chunky slab of heavy stoner rock. From beginning to end its packed full of fuzzed-up stomping riffs, pounding bass-lines and stadium-filing drums on tracks like “Back To The River’ and ‘Prairie Oyster' through to to the more spaced-out anthemic grooves of ‘Hold On’ or ‘Fear’. The album also has a real sense of the band fully flexing their songwriting skills, put together as an album rather than just a collection of songs. There’s an ebb and flow to the record, making it an experience to listen all the way through. No mean feat in the age of the mp3…

Forged in what feels like the vast expansiveness of the open roads of British Columbia, ‘Living Ghosts’ is an infectious and captivating record. It begs to be played at ear-splitting volume, to fully appreciate both the power of the production and song-craft. Having penned deals with Truckfighter’s label Fuzzorama Records (Worldwide) & New Damage Records (Canada), it seems these guys will be clocking up some miles travelling the globe in the months and years to come. I for one am gonna make sure I’m a part of it. If you like your stoner rock stadium-sized, check them out below. 

We Hunt Buffalo are:

Ryan Forsythe – Vocals/Guitar

Brendan Simpson – Bass/Vocals

Brandon Carter – Drums/Vocals

Follow the guys here - Facebook | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Dead Quiet-"Let it Die"

"Let it Die" is the final track off of the full-length self-titled debut from heavy as fuck Vancouver band Dead Quiet. For more information on the band please check out the following link: Facebook

New Band To Burn One To: 88 MILE TRIP

HEAVY PLANET PRESENTS...

BAND BIO:

"The groundwork for 88 Mile Trip was laid down in late 2012 when Hugo and Darin, who were jamming across the hall from each other in their own separate bands (Lethal Halo and Entropia respectively) started talking about how they both were really into bands like Kyuss, Down and Black Sabbath, which eventually lead to them getting together for many riff writing sessions. The idea was to take the groove and catchiness of Kyuss and add some serious heavy to it. Thus you have the sound of 88 Mile Trip.

The search for band mates took a serious upswing when Casey and Dave answered an online ad for a singer and guitarist. Many inebriated ear bleeding jams would follow in the coming weeks, and songs began to take shape. The band then headed into Harbourside Studios in North Vancouver to record the debut EP with Mike Rogerson. The recording was done with no click track, no edits and no punch ins, totally live off the floor. Just real people playing real instruments, live rock n roll.

88 Mile trip are now set to hit the local scene as well as the road. With the addition of Eddie on drums, the band is sharpening the axes and getting ready to annihilate a stage near you!"

THOUGHTS:
"This heavy foot-stomping madness known as 88 Mile Trip emerged by way of an equal fondness for the band member's musical heroes. The music is filled with a plethora of fist-pumping metal, head rattling fuzz and free flowing flanged-out funky bass lines. Tracks such as "Cauldron Born" and "Swamp Disco" are the highlights of this awesome debut EP. An element to the music that I was not expecting is the powerful bravado metal vocals which at times reach an insane register ("Weeping Widow"). 
This is a shot in the arm of no bullshit heavy rock music played with authority and allegience. 
Got the beer...check, got the smoke...check, got the music...double check! 
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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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LP Review: Wiser Fool By Wiser Fool

Most of the time you can judge and album by its cover. Now I'm not saying you can tell how good an album is based on the number of skulls and pentagrams that accompany whatever art goes with the music, all I'm saying is that if you've got those symbols on the cover you can assume you aren't going to hear no polka. And though this rule isn't hard and fast (Bat Out of Hell, anyone?), it can help when one is browsing Bandcamp for new bands, as I recently was.

While on the site I came across Wiser Fool, and as you can see from the album work above they hit all the right tropes. Skull? Uh Huh. Grim Reaper/Wizard? Check. Psychedelic Eye? You bet. With an album cover like that I had to give them a shot, and I'm glad as hell did.

Wiser Fool play a hard and heavy style of stoner doom with vocals that are at times reminiscent of  rock and roll lifer Wino. Their debut was released a few months back and fans of the new occult/retro bands ought to rejoice. Wiser Fool just joined the party.

Their self titled album kicks off with I Pledge Allegiance to This Cult, a chug a lug rocker with solos and Satan references. What's Been Said is up next, and this tune walks the doom line, slow and heavy and thick. Like Lightning From the Sky hides the riff behind the vocals and starts kicking ass one second in. Seek it Out hearkens back to the days of Vitus and you can sample that one for yourself below.

All in all this is a great album by a band that ought to go places. Right now they're going places 'round Vancouver, so if you're in the area check them out. And find them on Facebook and Bandcamp and show them some love. Give 'em the means to put these tunes on some colored vinyl. 

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Zac's "Double Dose": Bantha / Lento

Bantha: Fuzz Totems I 

Last week's first dose was a one man project from Vancouver. Well, Mr. Langer is back again this week with a completely different project and under a completely different alias. Furthermore we will refer to Mr. Langer as Wailin' Lord Bebelton and his project Bantha could not be more different from The Civil Dead. Where The Civil Dead consume the listener in isolation Bantha pick up the pace and allow the grooves and fuzz do the dirty work. Taking a lo-fi approach the tunes sound raw and the guitar is so fuzzy you'll need more than your Dad's Norelco. Give my favorite track With Blood Planets In His Head a spin and if you need more head over to bandcamp.

 

Members: Wailin' Lord Bebelton

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Lento: Anxiety Despair Languish 

Lento, our second shot, are a Roman quartet established back in 2004. Basing their creation in an instrumental sludge root, their sounds will attract fans of Baroness (the early years), Mare, Cult of Luna and Sleep. Having released two albums and one live recording Lento enthusiastically set out to break some boundaries by combining the sheer aggression of their early work and a condensed vision of heavy music in recent history and how it shaped their art. Check out some of their latest record Anxiety Despair Languish at soundcloud or get a copy from Denovali Records or Lento's web-store. Did I mention the excellent artwork?!

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Bison BC - Lovelessness

Fact of strangeness: Bison antiquus was an animal hunted by paleo-indian peoples in the Rocky Mountains.
Now it's a group of long-haired sludge-rockers from Vancouver. Their 4th album titled "Lovelessness" is another triumphant terrorizing doom romp. The album explores alternative textures as well as conventional doom and sludge subtexts, and sublty interjects a bit of hardcore on top!

1."An Old Friend"- The overlying harmony creates an atmosphere almost reminiscent of Fall of Troy, but quickly devolves into High on Fire territory with bombastic axe-cutting riffage. A twist on the Savannah-style sludge indeed. The piece features shouted, aggressive hardcore style vocals as well as 2 thick mid-rangey guitars panned hard left and right respectively. The drums are spaced whilst the bass is panned dead-center.

2."Anxiety Puke - Lovelessness"- Opening with a fast paced demonic punk feel and devolving into a total doom fiesta. It slams you with the maiden-style harmonies and HoF style battle axe riffs. Its length allows the track to fall into grandiose dissonant riffs before hitting into 6/8 death-march viciousness!

3. "Last and first things"- The cliched ambient noise followed by seriously aggressive doom riffs. The influence of that Savannah style can be heard once again with punctuated, tribal repetitive riffage.

4."Blood Music"- The longest track on the album. The track suffers from length do to quantity of riffs rather than truly expressing one elongated idea. It fluctuates between doom and sludge riffs, all of intense pounding quality, It does have a couple distinctive harmonized guitar lines however.

5. "Clozapine Dream"- The shortest track of the record. An emphasis on the 80s hardcore-style vocals is found. Quick, sludgy, and reminiscent of Kylesa.

6."Finally Asleep"- 70s doom meets 80s thrash. Nasty melodic lines mark the intro however, it devolves eventually into a pounding thrash rhythm the intro is recapitulated later. I cannot express further how epic the guitars intermingling on this track sounds.

Overall the record does not hold up to the prowess Bison launched with Dark Ages or Quiet Earth in terms of its innovation. The band does manage to make a solid and tight record, however, they should consider staying away with the more popular sludge convention. They really shine with their mastery of thrash incorporation, and should focus on exploiting their boundless energy.

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New Band To Burn One To (Evening Buzz): STONE IN

STONE IN is today's "NEW BAND TO BURN ONE TO"  Evening Buzz...

Bio:

Stone In is held together by a common love of vintage heavies and psychedelic organisms from around the world. Armed with a doubleneck bass-guitar, tandem ride cymbals, loop pedals and two feedbacking electric amps, drummer Alberto Centurion and multi-instrumentalist Greg Valou bring you the world's first, "heavy psych power duo."

Stone In is named as an homage to Krautrock legends Guru Guru and its home is Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

"Based on their two-song Bandcamp EP, Vancouver band Stone In shows off two sides to this very talented band. One of a trippy atmospheric dirge complete with an ocean-sized wall of guitars and dreamy sequences, and the other a hard-driving funkified psychedelic freak-out with a bombastic running bass line. It shows that this band is not afraid to take chances and if done properly can put out a damn fine album. Look forward to it."

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New Band To Burn One To (Evening Buzz): SEVEN NINES AND TENS

SEVEN NINES AND TENS are today's "NEW BAND TO BURN ONE TO"  Evening Buzz...

Bio:

Seven Nines and Tens formed in the fall of 2008 in Vancouver British Columbia Canada by guitarist David Cotton.

Cotton aspired to put together a group that combined his love for aggressive guitar driven rock and otherworldly atmospheric sounds. Earl Heath joined the band as Drummer and Bassist and the band played countless shows in the Vancouver area including a date for Citr radio's annual "shindig" festival. A line up shift in March 2010 introduced drummer Riley Roukema to the band while Earl shifted to live bassist.

The band continued to play live and sharpen their songwriting and performance skills. The band entered the World Class factory studios in Vancouver and tracked their debut album "Habitat 67" in February 2011 with engineer Hayz Fisher. Their debut "Habitat 67" will be released internationally in September 2011. The band was nominated in the "Best Metal Band" category for the city of Vancouver at the Urban Culture Conference awards and will tour extensively throughout the remainder of 2011 into 2011.

"Imagine if you will riding through the cosmos in a shiny new rocket ship enjoying the stars and moonlight, then just as you settle into your dream sequence along comes a crazed son of a bitch who decides to t-bone you. You get pissed and a frenzy ensues. That is precisely what Vancouver band Seven Nines and Tens sound like. Amidst a flurry of tempo changes, erratic drum patterns and mesmerizing guitar technique, Seven Nines and Tens take you to a place of extreme ambience, technical precision and celestial atmospherics whilest gazing at their shoes. Superb!"

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New Band To Burn One To-Black Wizard

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Black Wizard.

As I was doing a bit of research for Black Wizard, I discovered that the guitarist for the band had recently quit due to artistic differences. The band has decided to go forward and the search is on for a permanent 2nd guitarist. I decided to give this band some press anyways due to the fact that they are simply amazing. This band has been blazing a trail through the Pacific Northwest with their energetic live performances and infectious tunes. Blistering Sab-influenced riffs, heavy pyche tones, wailing guitar solos and epic production set this band apart from their peers. The show must go on! Let Black Wizard cast their spell upon you.

The band currently has both of their EPs available on Bandcamp for FREE download.




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HEAVY PLANET EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE OF NEW FEN VIDEO "MIRACLE"

In January of 1998, in the mountain shadows of Nelson, British Columbia, a creatorship was formed between two recluses. One had long hair, strange tattoos, and rode a motorbike and played guitar. The other was a tall, pale, librarian-type figure, with a voice that as easily terrified as soothed. For more than a decade the pair has been at work, assembling songs of a dark nature, giving refuge to the melancholy, the wanting, and at times, the disturbed. To date four albums have resulted: Surgical Transfusion of Molting Sensory Reflections (2000), Heron Leg (2003), Congenital Fixation (2006), and the Ripple Music released album, Trails out of Gloom (2010).

Their latest masterpiece "Trails out of Gloom", has been critically acclaimed by the media making many Top 20 lists including Heavy Planet's. The band has already released one single from that album called "Find That One". Now the band is releasing their second single off of the album called "Miracle". For a limited time you can watch the video exclusively on Heavy Planet. So without further ado, it is my honor in association with Ripple Music to present the exclusive world premiere video "Miracle" from that brilliant album.




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New Band To Burn One To-Fen

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Fen. This band hails from Vancover, Canada. Their music can be described as dark, progressive metal.

"Fen has laboured for a decade on three recordings. The latest, Congenital Fixation (’06) is a Freudian-esque phantasmagoria, an acid drop into the subconscious, vividly rendered. Before this, came Heron Leg (’03), a story of incest and matricide, which Discorder Magazine has called “one of those great CDs the listener can get into more and more deeply as buried details are unearthed.” Three years prior, the debut release, Surgical Transfusion of Molting Sensory Reflections (’00), identified Fen as “the only band of its kind on the coast” (The Nerve Magazine), likely due to the abundance of odd time signatures and through-composed song forms.
A fourth album, Trails out of Gloom, will be released this fall, as Fen expands itself into the acoustic medium."

Video: Pin Cushion



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