Album Review: 'Midnight Cometh' by Wo Fat

For the uninitiated, Wo Fat are Dallas Texas 3-piece riff-lords whose sound is buried deep in desert rock, under the influence of bluesy doomy psychedelia, who've been tripping to Sabbath, Hendrix and Kyuss records for years. They return with their latest long-player 'Midnight Cometh' out on 20th May 2016 - and first on Ripple Music - that features 6 tracks that entrenches their signature sound beyond 2014's The Conjuring (review here). As firm favourites over here at Heavy Planet, Wo Fat's records have regularly been featured in 'top album of the year' review posts... so it's safe to say our collective expectation has been set pretty high in recent years... Have I just jinxed it?

Well, whoever hears the first 30 seconds of opener 'There's Something Sinister In The Wind' and is not stomping their feet, has cold blood in their veins. This record grabs you by the balls from the outset and there’s little let-up. The first two tracks are a frenetic 'Friday night' groove before stepping off the gas for the more expansive and standout track 'Of Smoke And Fog', clocking in at over 11 minutes, but who's counting? Album closer “Nightcomer’ is a majestic mid-tempo groove that slinks like a desert snake, with a sneaky sting in the tail as the record combusts in on itself only drowned out by your screams of MORE MORE!! There are huge moments peppered throughout this record that surprise you which you only pick up on further listens, that compels you to hit the repeat button. And rising those waves of tempo throughout the record never feels self-indulgent on the bands part - just great riffs that get you high and bring you down again. You can already hear how ‘Riffborn’ and ‘Three Minutes To Midnight’ will be making their way straight into Wo Fat's live sets.

Production-wise Midnight Cometh is everything we've come to expect from a WoFat record - ear bleeding levels of fuzz, sweat-drenched Bluesy lead guitar, relentlessly pounding drums, and riffs for days. Is there a greater guitar virtuoso than Kent Stump in the stoner rock world right now? Wo Fat have certainly honed their craft over a six album career to today where the band are embarking on a second European tour that includes appearances at Desertfest (London, UK) and Hellfest (Clisson, France).

The band and album are epitomized by the lyric on Riffborn - ‘We live by the old ways, we know what came before. Build ourselves a purple haze. We are the Riffborn’ - and it's a statement of intent which holds true throughout. Wo Fat are a melting pot of influences, taking the best bits from the stoner rock pantheon through the ages and melding them together to forge their own style. They continue to work their voodoo, keeping us captivated under their sonic spell. You need this record in your collection...

Order the album | Like on Facebook | Band Website

KP's Top Ten Stoner Rock Albums of 2014

There is something about the proverbial changing of the calendar that prompts within us all an inclination towards contemplative reflection (and for some of us an apparently concomitant inclination towards redundant verbiage). We all seek to categorize events into convenient yet ultimately arbitrary chunks of time with the hope of identifying the particular events, trends, fashions, books, movies, and (of course) albums that we feel encapsulate the zeitgeist of that particular chunk of time more than any other. It is ultimately absurd and futile folly. But then again, I love ranking shit as much as the next guy so fuck it here's my list of the ten stoner rock albums that I feel best encapsulate the zeitgeist of 2014...or somesuchshit.

10.  Foghound - "Quick, Dirty and High"

Foghound released their debut so early in 2014 I almost overlooked it for inclusion in this list. Thankfully, an almost criminal omission was averted. "Resurrect the Throwaways" indeed! Propelled by the propulsive opening track "Easy Come, Easy Go" (a balls out rocker which augments the obligatory gang vocal choruses with gang vocal verses to boot!), "Quick, Dirty and High" lives up to the billing of its title and offers the kind of greasy lo-fi bongapalooza that Fu Manchu perfected. Foghound actually pays homage to the mighty Fu in their own endearingly off kilter way on "Get in My Van". However, unlike their Orange County brethren, this is no invitation for a sunny beach blanket bongout. No, in the grimy hands and dirty minds of these sick Baltimore fucks, "Get in My Van" becomes the soundtrack to the perverse entreaties of a serial rapist.

9. Crobot - Something Supernatural

Hailing from the appropriately named Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Crobot have been honing their chops with incessant touring across this great land of ours until finally releasing their first full length LP, Something Supernatural this fall. On such full throttle rockers as "Legend of the Spaceborne Killer", Crobot have showcased their signature sound. With Brandon Yeagley's multi-octave vocals soaring over the band's funky, metallic aural onslaught, Crobot are the answer to the question of what the bastard child would sound like if Wolfmother and Rage Against The Machine engaged in a bit of in flagrante delicto. Naturally, such a band would be more predisposed to bombast than to subtlety. It is thus a little surprising that Crobot actually hits their stride and really shines on the more atmospheric and evocative tracks like "Queen of the Light" and "La Mano de Lucifer", on which they breathe musical life to lyrics such as "It's better to reign in Hell than to serve God's will". Amen.

8. 1000 Mods - Vultures

Those Greek psychedelic stoners 1000 Mods returned from their great super van vacation to show that the promise from their debut lp was merely a harbinger of things to come on their latest album, Vultures. Chock full of jangly guitar riffs, grungy atmospherics, and a molasses-like morass of feedback-driven fuzz, it's an album which oddly sounds as if it exists simultaneously in the late sixties and the early nineties. 1000 Mods specialize in rock that is slow and grungy and bloozy as evidenced on "She", a Bataan death march of a tune highlighted by a guitar solo that's as incisive as a switchblade to the gut. Far and away the coolest track on the album, however, is the instrumental closer "Reverb of the New World". An itchy riff scrapes across a hypnotic percolating bass line before the drums propel the whole goddamn thing into a full throttle cosmic rocker that hyperdrives itself into spaced-out oblivion.

7. Planet of Zeus - Vigilante

Like Toby, I was struck by the emergence of two Greek bands producing such strong efforts that together they occupy 20% of my top ten list. What is really cool is how they both achieve greatness in markedly distinctive styles. In sharp contrast to 1000 Mods' laid back cool, Planet of Zeus adopts a much more aggressive style, coming off as the little brother who forgot to take his Ritalin. On Vigilante's opening salvo "The Great Dandolos", the band explodes in propulsive fashion, sounding like the Hellenic answer to Clutch as Babis vacillates between swaggering vocals in the verses and shouty screams on the choruses, all over a piledriving riff and throbbing backbeat. Other highlights from the album include the title track, which sounds like the bastard stoner grandchild of Black Oak Arkansas. It all culminates in "The Beast Within", an epic track that truly has it all:  a main riff that is colossal, circumlocutional, and abjectly brutal; a melodic Mediterranean midsection; and lead vocals so deranged they sound like Phil Anselmo overdosing on bath salts.

6. Electric Citizen - Sateen

Opening acts on summer tours are a lot like Cracker Jack surprises in that you never know what you're gonna get but it's usually gonna be disposable and altogether forgettable. But occasionally you'll get something cool like a pack of bitchin tattoos. When Cincinnati Ohio's Electric Citizen opened up for Fu Manchu this summer, we all saw something really cool, a young band positioning themselves as the potential breakout stars for the Sabbath Worship sect. When their highly anticipated debut, Sateen, was finally released, it appears the soothsayers were right for once. While incorporating a decidedly doomy seventies sound, Electric Citizen elect to eschew overt deviltry in favor of more nuanced sinister tones to achieve their own distinctive foreboding vibe. They also underscore the notion that on the rare occasion when keyboards should be employed in metal, they should sound as evil as fuck like they do on "Burning in Hell". But, unquestionably, what sets them apart from their peers is vocalist Laura Dolan, who smartly chose an approach that is more siren than succubus. Laura's mellifluous voice, whether on the hypnotically haunting "Hawk Nightengale" or the pulsating pounder "Light Years Beyond", is so enchanting it can only lead to a rapturous doom.

5. Fu Manchu - Gigantoid

Speaking of Fu Manchu, they released their highly anticipated Gigantoid in 2014 and it is easily their best album since the Mammoth Records days. Kicking the album off in ripsnorting fashion is "Dimension Shifter", which starts out as a balls-out snarling affair before the band steps in a time machine midsong and transport themselves back in time to 1997 and settle into a sludgy Sabbatherian groove accentuated by oscillating guitar licks. Other highlights include "Radio Source Sagittarius", perhaps the most quintessential Fu Manchu tune on the record, with its serpentine riff and obligatory cowbell, as well as "Evolution Machine" on which they evoke B-movie cool as only they can.  However, it is "Anxiety Reducer" which is clearly the album's transcendent track. Its' fuzzy gargantuan riff is otherwordly, otherweirdly, and as subtle as a drill bit being bored into your skull!

4. Mothership - II

On Mothership's second album, imaginatively titled II, this Dallas-based power trio have produced what for me is the most surprisingly badass album of the year. The album cover is in the same DIY indie label early 80's metal style that the debut sported, but the tuneage is light years beyond. Of the eleven tracks contained within, eight of them cohere around a mystical/fantasy-based theme. Most notable of these are actually two instrumentals, the beautifully grandiose "Celestial Prophet" and the wickedly exotic "Tamu Massif". Other standouts include "Priestess of the Moon", a relentless riff-fest that bludgeons in the style popularized by The Sword and "Eye of Sphinx" which is  alternately cruising and crushing. Unlike the typical fantasy-based band, Mothership elect to periodically interrupt the mystical proceedings by throwing in a couple of curveballs that sound like AC/DC momentarily hijacked the album. In lesser hands, it would make the recording come off as half-assed. But Mothership rock the tunes so freakin hard that they achieve the affect of appearing disarmingly unhinged. In fact, it is one of these curveballs, "Shanghai Surprise", a tale of transsexual shenanigans, that is easily the standout track on the whole album.

3. Greenleaf  - Trails & Passes

Greenleaf  have always occupied a unique niche in the world of Swedish stoner rock. As a side band with a rotating roster, they exist essentially as the musical equivalent of a superhero team. Part of the fun is seeing who shows up when guitarist Tommi Holappa yells "Avengers assemble!" As a consequence to all the lineup rotations, Greenleaf  have exhibited a chameleon-like quality to shift from muscle car fuzzouts ("Witchcraft Tonight") to struttin blooze ("Stray Bullit Woman") to haunting epic ("Nest of Vipers"). On their latest album Trails & Passes, the band has produced a record that is decidedly mature on the surface but deceptively subversive at its core. The album kicks off in blistering fashion with full-throttle rocker "Mother Ash" and extends to funky strutter "Humans". "With Eyes Wide Open" begins with a scraping intro that segues into a laid-back spacey vibe. With the refrain of "open up your eyes, don't trust their lies" chanted over hypnotic tribal drumming, the track is easily the record's resident smokeout bong star and would easily be the best tune on the album if not for the monumental title track. Over fuzzed-out bass and a hard charging beat, "Trails and Passes" rips along at a driving pace until erupting in a volcanic avalanche of searing licks.  

2. Wo Fat - The Conjuring

On The Conjuring, Dallas power trio Wo Fat returned to treat all the psychedelonauts to another heaping helping of their trademark brand of malevolent blues rock. That their latest would be their greatest is evident from the outset, as the title track opens with a sinister intro that sounds like a cauldron bubbling or perhaps Satan himself cooking up a pot of Texas chili before kicking in with a chugging guitar over a lumbering rhythm recorded at the precise speed at which zombies ambulate. For anybody that has experienced Wo Fat in person and has felt how murderously loud they can be, you can just imagine how wicked this tune translates in a live setting. The undisputed standout of the album though is "Beggars Bargain", a struttin' cock of seventies boogie double baked by the sweltering Texas sun and too many bong hits. Augmented by a hellacious solo and the judicious use of cowbell, the song is a veritable blitzkrieg assault of aural rapage. Closing out the album in epic fashion is the sprawling 17 minute "Dreamwalker. The track smolders its way at a diabolical pace as Luciferian licks insinuate themselves in your brain, eviscerating the last vestiges of your sanity.

1. Truckfighters  - Universe

Perhaps it is a sentimental choice, but for the number one album of 2014 I chose the first album I reviewed for Heavy Planet, Truckfighters' Universe, their conceptual opus centered around the conspiratorial machinations of clandestine forces surreptitiously orchestrating events. The whole thing kicks off with the serpentine riff of "Mind Control" and the band quickly settles into their trademark Swedish groove which seamlessly segues into "The Chairman" and its bubbling bassline that percolates like bong water. The hidden gem of the record is "Get Lifted".  "The beautiful soul that dies can't get out until the colours dry" sings Ozo over a hypnotic, ethereal melody until it is interrupted by a heavy growl of fuzz that becomes ever more urgent and more insistent until it finally explodes in what can only be described as a snarl.  It all ends with sprawling epic closer "Mastodont". Thematically, the song speaks of a soul being sent out to space to die, a cosmological update on the traditional Viking funeral. Intricate guitar lines build the tension like cryptic ciphers until what is created is nothing less than the most gargantuan of riffs that threatens to blow your speakers as well as your mind.  

Wo Fat - "The Conjuring"

Rejoice all you psychedelonauts, Wo Fat is back with another heaping helping of their trademark brand of malevolent blues rock. On their latest offering, The Conjuring, the boys from Big D take the custom sound they've crafted over the previous four albums and sculpt it into a stoner blooze masterpiece.

The title track opens with a sinister intro that sounds like a cauldron bubbling or perhaps Satan himself cooking up a pot of Texas chili before kicking in with a chugging guitar over a lumbering rhythm recorded at the precise speed at which zombies ambulate. "Forbidden words are spoken and the runes are cast" intones Kent Stump in his gravelly Lemmyesque articulation. With all apologies to his unique off-kilter vocal phrasing, it is Stump's guitar that is the star of "The Conjuring" as it spews forth searing white hot licks. The followup "Read the Omens" is a throbbing fuzz fest highlighted by bassist Tim Wilson's low end rumble.

"Pale Rider From the Ice" begins with a bluesy scat intro before succumbing to a battering piledriver of a riff. Michael Walter bangs out a cranium crushing beat as the searing solo filets your cerebellum. Seriously, if ever there was a song to act as the soundtrack to performing an amateur brain surgery this is it! The undisputed standout of the album though is "Beggars Banquet", a struttin' cock of seventies boogie double baked by the sweltering Texas sun and too many bong hits. Augmented by a hellacious solo and the judicious use of cowbell, the song is a veritable blitzkrieg assault of aural rapage. Closing out the album in epic fashion is the sprawling 17 minute "Dreamwalker. The track smolders its way at a diabolical pace as Luciferian licks insinuate themselves in your brain, eviscerating the last vestiges of your sanity.
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New Band to Burn One To: The Playlist-Volume 3

Welcome to another edition of the "New Band To Burn One To" playlist. This week we have a whole new batch of killer tracks for you to check out. New songs from Black Tusk, Venomin James, Wo Fat and Monster Magnet as well as songs from some incredible new bands such as Floodriders, Iron Swan and The Ruiner. So cue up this bad boy and prepare to have your face melted off. Thanks for listening!

New Band To Burn One To: The Playlist-Volume Three by Heavyplanet on Mixcloud

TRACKLIST:

Black Prism-Satan's Country
Black Tusk-In Days of Woe
Chiefs - Tomorrow's Over
Dead Canyon - Just Enough Rope
Electric Lords -Messiah
Far Away Town -Surreal
Floodriders -We Know Stuff
Iron Swan -Fuzz Witch
Magma Rise-The Man in the Maze
Monolith -Hole
Monster Magnet - The Duke (of Supernature)
Solar Corona - Samara
Sonora Ritual -Child Of The Sun
The Ancient Secrets Of Levitation - Protozoic
The Ruiner -The Bull
The Valley -Clearwater (2007)
Venomin James -Sailor's Grave
Volto! -Tocino
Wo Fat -Electric Hellhound
Yidhra -Witch Queen

Please remember, if you like what you hear go to the band's page to get information on how to purchase their music and merchandise. Most are available through Bandcamp!

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Nuclear Dogs Atomic Split: Polkadot Cadaver - "Last Call in Jonestown" / Egypt&Wo Fat - "Cyclopean Riffs"

Summer is fun season, it goes without saying. Warmth and sunshine give way to an unending array of pleasurable things to do, only one of which I will mention here. Hell, I don't even have to mention it, you already know what it is. It's why you came to heavyplanet.net today, just as you came yesterday, and why you likely will come tomorrow. It's not for my writing, I'm aware of that, but perhaps it is for what I write about and what my fellow reviewers, awesome dudes one and all, write about. You came to immerse yourself in the soul fortifying power of stoner rock, doom metal, and psychedelic grooviness, because it's FUN! The array of merriment on hand today is unique and deeply satisfying for we will get to plunge into a deep, classic avalanche of gargantuan guitar, while pummeling down a mountainside of sound, just as we will steep ourselves in the koolaid of ingenuity with a clever, cunning cascade of brilliance in metal form. So cast your brilliant smile, if you will, to the sun and soak up the sonic wave of summertime splendor on tap this incredibly fun day.
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POLKADOT CADAVER - "LAST CALL IN JONESTOWN"

Inventiveness, cleverness, carefully crafted melodies, rhythms in perfect time, lyrics of depth and substance, harmoniousness in deep degree, all couched within gargantuan, low tuned riffs, dexterous solo runs, savvy drums, and a tightness borne of ability and sweat. Gawd this album is chock full of magic and spice. And that's not counting the surprise appearance of a bonified rock legend on the penultimate track. Don't miss Track 11, "Transistors of Mercy", for a guest monkey in the Polkadot barrel.

Polkadot Cadaver aren't really a conventional metal band, crafting unique, intriguing, and savvy melodies bursting at the seams with alluring, arousing components cobbed together in such a way as to provide an experience like no other. There will be interludes of beauty, light and airy, deft and nimble, segueing into avenues of power and volume. Various and multifarious keyboards are used throughout the album, but there isn't a taste of electronica to be had, only blood thick metal measures and compositions borne of inspiration and insight.

These rockers hail from Rockville, Maryland, a fitting moniker for home base. Their ranks include the members:

Todd Smith - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Jasan Stepp - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Cello
David Cullen - Bass, Keyboards
Scott Radway - Live Drums

The title track opens the album and delivers a memorable melody of tight metal mayhem, fast and sharp, in your face brutality, that thrills with its razor sharp hooks and vicious melody. This song will find its way onto favorite playlists for ages to come. "Phantasmagoria" follows with a thrilling, soaring  journey of spice and danger. "Touch You Like Caligula" is a labyrinthine, dark tale of smoldering power. Intricate, ascending movements, soaring in and out of sweetness and rancor, both thrilling and emotional, are hallmarks of the series from "Sheer Madness" through "Animal Kingdom". And then comes "Transistors of Mercy", a song of incredible joy, not the least of which is due to the infallible, indefatigable Neil Fallon of Clutch fame providing his legendary vocals to this treasured track. Fallon's voice is a beacon in the murk, deep, dark, and delicious in its delivery.

Polkadot Cadaver are currently on tour promoting their recent masterpiece, so with any luck you can make it to a show and be overwhelmed with one of this summer's finest, funnest experiences, but even if all you can manage is a download from iTunes or Amazon your summer will still be merrily, memorably metal.

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EGYPT / WO FAT - "CYCLOPEAN RIFFS"

What can be more fun that an all out sortie from two of doom metal's premier bands? Egypt and Wo Fat have teamed together for a split EP, two blistering, smoldering, smoking hot tracks each, for half an hour of deep dive immersion into the intoxicatingly murky depths of guitar madness.

Egypt are known both for the brilliant 'Valley of the Kings' EP of 2003 (re-released in 2009) and the recently released monster "Become the Sun", with the former holding a special place in the hearts of many on it's haunting, hooky metal melodies, and the latter a slight change of direction that has pulled in multitudes of doom loving metal heads to its deep, dark deliciousness. The 2 tracks chosen for "Cyclopean Riffs" follow the recent rumbling formula of the January 2013 release, unloading stygian volleys of staggering power and force, each on a decagonal trajectory of immersion and deep, biding experiences.

"Blood Temple Hymn" kicks off the low tuned expedition with measured intent, steady and true in power and force, slowly, surely, inexorably portaging your consciousness away from the light and into the deepest recesses of an internal subconscious universe. Moving directly through the dark territory attained on the previous track, "Ancient Enemy" dives ever deeper into the black recesses of a bottomless cognizance, evincing hypnotizing dexterity on mesmerizing riffs of murky, dark power.

The Fargo, North Dakota threesome are quickly establishing themselves as a phenomenon of doom, opening  deep, dark portals of distortion and grace with their latest releases. Aaron Esterby on vocals and bass, Chad Heille on drums, and Neal Stein on guitar meld incredibly rich, authoritative metal narratives that take their place among the best doom metal of the decade.

Joining the Fargo boys on the split are the boys from Dallas, Wo Fat, who have relentlessly unleashed onslaught after onslaught of stoner doom treasures over the last few years onto the thirsty masses of lo-fi fuzz lovers the world over. Just as Egypt has recently released a full sized LP, Wo Fat topped the stoner/doom charts of 2012 with the phenomenal "Black Code". On "Cyclopean Riffs" there is no skimping on quality and euphoria as the dual delivery of mutant metal matches anything released in recent years in quality and enchantment.

Nearly a quarter of an hour of primal enrapture kicks off the deep, dark duo from Wo Fat as "Nameless Cults" opens with the heavy impact of tribal rhythms, merging effortlessly with white hot poker brand solos and large caliber cannon fire of exquisite doom licks and forays of melting lava metal. "Electric Hellhound" slowly breeds its brand of mudslide magic, growling, grumbling, roaring, and rolling along in a resounding roar of low fuzz and distorted power, thrashing powerlines along the way in flashes of white heat and released electrical fury.

Wo Fat have become a recognizable ambassador of stoner rock and doom metal in the underground world of guitar laden nirvana, and rightfully so. Any release that includes their music immediately becomes a must have item. Kent Stump on vocals and guitar, Tim Wilson on bass, and Michael Walter on drums combine once again to put forth mammoth magical metal. Adding the doomslayers from Fargo, Egypt, to the mix only enhances that maniacal quality. This is an EP for the ages and likely the only source for the four quality tracks chosen to embody the sound and experience that only high caliber bands such as these two can provide.









Egypt facebook || Egypt bandcamp || Wo Fat facebook || Wo Fat bandcamp

Seth's Top 12 of 2012

ZAC: "Dad? Dad?! Hey Dad!"

REG: "WHAT?! Goddammit!"

ZAC: "How come Seth gets to make two lists this year and we only got one? Sludge, non-sludge... who gives a fuck?!"

TOBY: "Yeah, Dad. Totally not cool. He just whines and gets whatever he wants all the time. "

REG: "That's not true, it's just that..."

KEN: "Oh, COME ON! Ever since he flunked 7th grade you've taken this new age, Montessori approach to dealing with all his bullshit, so he just does whatever the hell he wants."

REG: "Who's the parent here! I am! Lee and Mark turned out alright, didn't they?"

TOBY: "Dad, we haven't seen them in months."

REG: "They've just been in the basement."

ZAC: "What about Misha?"

*Silence*

REG: "Alright, look. It's no secret your brother's always been different. He asked if he could make two lists, and I didn't want another argument. I mean, he was raised in the Midwest, he seems to do alright so long as he's not..."

KEN: "Fuckin' typical, Dad!"

1. The Midnight Ghost Train - Buffalo

I was disappointed when Karma to Burn had to pull themselves from a Chicago show with Truckfighters in March. I hung around the merch booth and tried my best not to be "that guy." Ozo and Pezo were approachable and warm, so when I spoke of missing KtB, they immediately assured me I wouldn't be disappointed. The Midnight Ghost Train took stage and Steve Moss immediately commanded everyone's ear. You'll hear about Buffalo being the next closest thing to TMGT's live show, and it's a safe assessment of David Barbe's excellent production.

The reason I've chosen Buffalo as 2012's best album is because it fucking was. Call it stoner-rock, delta blues, or grit-groovin', muddy soul, this stomper has it all. Every track ties into the album as a whole, though the themes aren't lost when examining each song in itself. I love the fuzz, but that's not enough to craft one of the finest stoner-rock records I've ever heard. Moss is true to his roots, whether they be in Topeka or Buffalo, and you can hear every calloused, bone-stiff blue collar American in this thirty minute trip. I guess the simplest terms and most convenient definitions boil down to this: Buffalo is 100% homegrown.

2. Pelican - Ataraxia / Taraxis

Ataraxia / Taraxis demonstrates both Pelican's fidelity to longtime loyals and their open arms to fresh ideas. The band does more in these eighteen minutes than most bands do on a double-disc greatest hits compilation. Here, Pelican reach their pinnacle with a balance of technical and absolutely fucking beautiful, an accomplished and sand-caked progression toward ever-escalating volume and scope. Ataraxia / Taraxis is only the most recent in a string of assertions that Pelican lead the pack of instrumental outfits. At times illusory and other times heavy, this EP is considerably expansive for its brevity. Contrasting moods and harmonies will have listeners enthralled, while Pelican's musicianship remains simply unmatched.

3. Wo Fat - The Black Code

Riffs. Endless fuzz. It's The Black Code's thickness that sets it apart from the balance of 2012's stoner metal releases. Wo Fat have reached their apex, jamming with a psychedelia that keeps the swamp teeming with sin. The songwriting finds the band at their best (so far), and the fuzz is no detraction from the craft. Dissect this disc from any perspective and you'll find reason to keep coming back. This chewy release is moldy Texas Toast slathered in bourbon barbecue glaze. Fucking delicious.

4. Greenleaf - Nest of Vipers

Composed of accomplished musicians from accomplished acts, it'd be easy for Greenleaf to ride their own coattails and trust that fans of Dozer and Truckfighters would buy the record anyway. It's impossible to deny these songs, and all of Nest of Vipers is timeless and nearly flawless. Our buddy Lee made heavy mention of the record's drumwork, and I'd be a fool to leave it out of this endorsement. I loved this album for adding up to more than the sum of its parts. Exceeding expectations is no easy task. Greenleaf breeze through it.

5. Ufomammut - Oro Opus Primum

It took Oro Opus Primum for me to fully embrace Ufomammut's supernatural, ultra-expansive space-metal. But hallelujah, holy shit... the deceptive tranquility builds toward cosmic doom, all the while the band exercises an incredible use of dynamic progressions. I had a hard time even approaching Oro Opus Alter, simply because I was so stunned by Primum. The natural pacing alone puts this album among the year's best, but Ufomammut's execution and songcraft cement their status as otherworldly luminaries.

6. Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

If I learned anything about my tastes in 2012, it was that I succumb to drone as easily as I fall for sludge. There's something cathartic and melancholy about drawn out progressions hovering as they snag my sensibilities and make others question my tastes. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II was 2012's first album that I played incessantly. These five songs perfectly complemented any mood, lending themselves to whatever I was feeling on that day. At times minimalistic, at times incredibly instrumentally proficient, it's easy to see how Earth inspired countless acts. These experimentations are more powerful and memorable than what many bands take years to construct.

7. Nate Hall - A Great River

I'd heard Nate Hall recorded A Great River in the span of one night, and I believe it. Taking an evening away from U.S. Christmas ended up being far more layered and pained than you'd expect from one man with one guitar. Hall plunges himself toward some heartbreaking depths, taking listeners with him. If these songs don't pluck your heart strings, your blood has finally gone cold.

8. Horseback - Half Blood

Well, here comes that weird chill. That chill that only the finest drone metal can inspire. The atmospheres of Half Blood are enough to complement those vocals you can't ignore. The keys and chimes are surprisingly effective, and the guitar layers showcase a band committed to doing things however they feel. Experimentation? I can't say. But I'm hearing more and more with each listen. An album that evolves is an album I can't leave alone.

9. Christian Mistress - Possession

I've got a soft spot for female vocalists in a genre heavily dominated by gruff, aggressive frontmen. When metal's catchy, I get nervous. But when Christine Davis harmonizes over old-school heavy metal hellfire, it's impossible not to get lost in the hooks. The best part? I burned a copy for my wife (a fan of Heart and Joan Jett) and introduced her to 2012's finest nod to NWOBHM.

10. Alice Tambourine Lover - Naked Songs

Alice Tambourine Lover immediately took me on the most bare and basic of trips. The songs are organic and stripped to the bone. Sometimes a woman's voice hits deeper than anything, and pairing Romanelli's guitar warble with Albertazzi's hauntingly sexy vocal is a recipe for some cool jams. I immediately swooned at the stoner slides, but that voice will set you adrift.

11. Snarf - Arrak Bisa Ular

Zac called this album "a prolonged sense of paranoia." This spooky set left me removing my headphones and checking doors and windows. Sprawling and patient, Snarf stuck with me for days. The hypnosis i entered was never a comfortable one, but it was never one I could pull myself from.

12. Pilgrim - Misery Wizard

Alright, let's slow things down. If you struggle to remain patient with your children, leave this album alone. But there was no way this album, what I would call the year's finest classic doom release, wasn't making an appearance. I love the plod, I love the patience, and I love that Pilgrim doesn't care if I love it or not. There are Sabbath nods, and there are hardly any tempo shifts, but I could plug away with Pilgrim all day. Straight-forward and at times completely malevolent, I loved every second. Every weepy, drawn-out second.

New Band To Burn One To: STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC

HEAVY PLANET presents... 
STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC!

PRESS RELEASE

Arlington, Texas duo (yeah, still looking for a bassist), Stone Machine Electric, are set to release their first full length album on CD the beginning of next year on January 11th, 2013. This release is Stone Machine Electric’s follow up to their demo “Awash in Feedback” that was released at the end of 2010.

Recorded this past September, “Stone Machine Electric” is being self-released by the band. This 5 song, 40 minute album was recorded and mixed by Kent Stump (of Wo Fat) and mastered by Nolan Brett at Crystal Clear Sound in Dallas, Texas.

Though there is not a bassist in the current line-up, the tracks do contain that heavy low-end. The band’s friend, Daryl Bell, laid down the bass for the song “Hypocrite Christ”. Dub tracked the remaining bass lines for the other songs.

The album will be officially released at their CD release show on January 11th, 2013 at Lola’s in Fort Worth, Texas. The line-up for that night will include Orthodox Fuzz, The Cosmic Trigger, and China Kills Girls.


THOUGHTS:
"With a killer live demo "Awash in Feedback" under their belt, this band from Arlington, Texas is starting to make some waves. Taking notice was Kent Stump from Wo Fat fame, who recorded and mixed their upcoming full-length album. The band seizes the audience with their hypnotic psyched out sounds amid a bass heavy blue-based backdrop. Make sure to check this new release out when it drops on 1/11/2013."
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NUCLEAR DOG'S ATOMIC SPLIT: WO FAT / NIGHTSTALKER

Today Heavy Planet introduces a new feature, Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split, a feature in the same vein as Zac's Double Dose, bringing you more of the new, ass kickin' music HP provides for discovery and enjoyment. Today's debut features albums from one of Rock's premier labels, Small Stone Records. Both bands featured come to Small Stone after having released previous recordings on other labels. Both bands bring a world of experience and know how to a style of rock that leans toward the genius that permeated seventies rock. One band is an old favorite, well known in the world of stoner/doom/psych rock, the other band perhaps relatively unknown until hopefully now. Old or new, known or unknown, the bands represented by Small Stone Records always deliver the goods, in rock n roll spades, and today is no exception. So, please enjoy this debut presentation of Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split, featuring Wo Fat and Nightstalker.

Wo Fat - The Black Code

Wo Fat have delivered a new album, "The Black Code" on their new label, Small Stone Records, that demonstrates a rare ability to produce a musical collection that is both familiar and fresh, an accomplishment that occurs seldomly when bands and artists begin to issue music beyond their first few releases. Wo Fat have now released 4 superb albums, all of them maintaining the loud and low seventies sound characterized by their favorite influences, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, and Jimi Hendrix. The accomplished threesome from Austin, Texas loudly demonstrate their own special brand of stoner/doom/psych rock while generating tons of low fuzz distortion, combining for as great an experience as you can ask for on a heavy stoner/doom/psych offering. Check out the opening track "Lost Highway", which opens with a jeet kune do jab of stoner riffage right between the eyes and only builds from there. Or enjoy the psychedelic journey of "Sleep of the Black Lotus", which burns slowly, hotly, consistently down the mile long trek of its tightly packed fuse.

You will recognize the brilliance of Wo Fat on "The Black Code" while enjoying the fresh set of songs they have conjured up through the haze and smoke of their Hill Country hoodoo. The CD release is scheduled for November 13. The digital version is available now.

Band Members:
Kent Stump - Guitar, Vox, Fender Rhodes
Tim Wilson - Bass
Michael Walter - Baterie Mastodonica, Vox

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NightStalker - Dead Rock Commando

Nightstalker are a great addition to the Small Stone selection of simply great rock and roll. The rock they deliver is a consummation of their many years playing, the skill levels they’ve developed during that time in both instrument execution and song construction, and the apparent joy they continue to experience in creating some of the coolest rock music available on the planet. The CD has just become available, releasing on August 28th.


One of Small Stone Record’s newest signings is Nightstalker, but this band has been around for a long time, since 1989 in fact. Hailing from Greece these guys have played with numerous rock bands, both known and perhaps not so well known. They are veterans of 6 album releases, including the latest on Small Stone Records, “Dead Rock Commandos”, which can be classified as a flat out masterpiece of cleverly crafted rock that explodes at the same time with re-entry intensity. Lots of loud and heavy guitar laid down on tnt laden bass and drums, all wrapped in melodies that lend themselves perfectly to guitar heavy  rock. Each song is capped off by the brilliant and gifted vocals of Argy, the lead singer, who clearly relishes his ability and the opportunity to belt out the finely crafted songs on this album. The title track displays the adept, aggressive, and athletic style of Nightstalker, delivering a near perfect execution of what rock should be: enjoying and exhilarating. The opening track, “Go Get Some” is an all out guitar offensive with melodic underpinnings, while “The Boogieman Plan” delivers perhaps the most energetic track on the album, a relentless jab, cross, jab assault that comes close to providing a knock out punch of guitar force and fury.





Band Members:
Argy: Vocals
Andreas Lagios: Bass
Tolis Motsios: Guitars
Dinos Roulos: Drums

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In one fell swoop Small Stone Records have managed to deliver two candidates for album of the year with Wo Fat’s “The Black Code” and Nightstalker’s “Dead Rock Commandos”, two albums that will likely be enjoyed by those of us that love the good kind of rock n’ roll for years to come.

Reg's Top 20 Albums of 2011

Well, it's that time of year again when I share what albums I believe to be the very best of the year or at least the ones that I enjoyed the most this year. The hardest thing to do when hearing well over 400 albums each year is to narrow that list down to a Top 20. Most of the bands listed here have been featured on Heavy Planet in one way or another by either myself or one of my talented writers within the past year. So without further adieu, I share with you my Top 20 Albums of 2011. ~Reg

#20. Black Acid Devil-Mountains of Madness

Every year I wait until the end of the year to compile my best of list because there may be one last album that blows you away for one reason or another. This year that album happened to be "Mountains of Madness" from Boulder, Colorado's very own sludge demons Black Acid Devil. "The band plays a fierce blend of Stoner/Sludge metal. By blending monsterous riffs, monumental time changes, furious bass lines and gritty vocals the band beckons the ominous sky like a rolling metallic thunder. As the band states...Black Acid Devil Slays...INDEED!"

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#19. Grifter-Grifter

With catchy melodies and memorable hooks, this band from the UK finally got the recognition they deserved from Stoner/Classic Rock label Ripple Music this year. Taking their influences from seventies classic hard rock, Grifter injects a feel good energy, heavy blues riffs, bouncing bass lines and great vocals into a very tasty debut. This album is just a terrific listen all the way through. Get off your ass right now and move to the groove. Check out more about the band at the links below.

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#18. Thalamus-Subterfuge

I must admit I am a sucker for great vocals and guitarist/vocalist Kjell Bergendahl doesn't short change you in that department. "Subterfuge" is a great homage to great heavy blues rock bands of the seventies. Scorching solos, powerful harmonies, killer grooves and a banging hammond organ prove that a band can still be great without all of the flash and filler. The band even gets a little doomy on the tracks "When Goblins Cheer" and "Still Dancing on My Grave". Freakin' fantastic!

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#17. Maligno-The Funeral Domine

This album by Mexican Doom metal band Maligno was a bit overlooked. Powerful vocals, masterful doom riffage, seering guitars and a classic metal stomp round out a very formidible album complete with guest appearances by Alex Skolnick and acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela.

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#16. Eggnogg-Moments in Vaccuum

One great thing about this blog is getting to hear many bands that I would probably never know about. This is a great band that you should know about. After seeing their name show up on other website Top 10 lists it is evident that others are taking notice. "Simply put, Eggnog is brilliant! This band from Brooklyn, NY utilizes a multitude of tones and effects to create a psych-tinged ambience amongst heavy as all hell doom riffs. If you are in search of a spacey, fuzzed-out, infectious, bluesy...I could go on and on and on. Sometimes a band is so good I am at a loss for words."

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#15. Red Fang-Murder the Mountains

There are so many great bands coming out of the state of Oregon as of late and Red Fang is no exception. These guys are all over the board with their sound which lends to an amazing effort of overall balance and incredible musicianship. This release did not garner the attention it was predicted and that is unfornuate. Seth states, "I can listen to Murder the Mountains and hear well over a dozen of my most rewarding life experiences without actually hearing about them on the news. Perhaps you can find the time to discover this album, avoid getting arrested, and smile with friends like you know something the rest of the world doesn't. Feels good, huh?"

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#14. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust

This is one of those albums that kind of came out of left field. I'm not even sure where I saw it but saw the name of the band and decided to see what they had available on YouTube. I was hooked! They play an acid-soaked late-sixties early seventies inspired Sabbath-like style of doom complete with horrific songs about murder, drug use and the occult. This is unholy doom at it's finest!

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#13. Weedeater-Jason...the Dragon

I'm gonna probably take a lot of slack from this, but I thought this album was the pinnacle of all straight-up Sludge Metal releases this past year. Dixie Dave and Co. created with "Jason...The Dragon" another humorous, filthy, and stauch piece of southern-fried sludge. Seth firmly states, "There aren't enough bands like this. Weedeater is nothing more than three free-wheelin' mudslingers who operate on their own schedules and don't rely on your response to stroke their egos. I'll never run out of elements indicating why they should play at your July 4th backyard barbecue; Weedeater perfectly exemplify southern sludge metal. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate a muggy summer holiday than playing with guns, throwing in a lipper, and listening to these guys."

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#12. YOB-Atma

Yet another impressive album from Oregon Doom legends YOB. These guys are the masters of the riff. What impresses me about this release is not so much how skillfully each riff is played, but rather the soul and passion that is sweated into each song. For this release, the band has added more depth and dynamics for a build-up that is so intense and powerful. If you have never listened to this band, what better time than now!

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#11. The Heavy Eyes-Heavy Eyes

I marvel at how a band can take simplicity and reform it into such an outstanding piece of work. On the band's latest simply titled "Heavy Eyes" the band kicks into heavily inspired 70's blues rock with a gritty southern stomp. The Black Keys are doing it, but the Heavy Eyes are doing it better. Zac states, "Tripp Shumake's vocals and guitar style are soulful, enhancing the southern feel of the record and Eric Garcia's drums and Wally Anderson's bass will have your feet stomping, The production quality is raw and very fitting."

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#10. Elvis Deluxe-Favourite State of Mind

These full-throttle rockers from Poland put out quite possibly one of the best straight-forward rocking albums of the past year. The familiar desert groove is there on tunes such as "This Time", but this time around the band adds the sparkle of psychedelia and the ferocity of punk for a more layered sound. As Zac simply states, " Elvis Deluxe, you have completely won this listener over. What a great combination of my favorite styles of rock, this is what I live for."

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#09. Black Cobra-Invernal

After seeing these two dudes (that's right I said two) open up for Kyuss Lives! they immediately shot up my list. Actually, to be perfectly honest I didn't even have them on my list. Their blistering live perfomance in front of a rather unfortunately sparse crowd promted me to re-visit their latest Stoner/Sludge/Thrash opus, "Invernal". As Seth states, "This riff-oriented collection is far too immense and far too fast to serve as background music while you wash dishes. Give it your full attention. Let it wear you out like the drunk whore at your block party, and make sure you ask for seconds. "Invernal" will burn and blister, but it's gonna heal a lot better than the stupid tribal tattoo you just sat through."

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#08. Wizard Smoke-The Speed of Smoke

Doomy, fuzzy, psychedelic, unworldly, spooky, what else could you want. This is an exceptional album from beginning to end. As Seth states, "The Speed of Smoke", so fully encapsulates what Heavy Planet is all about...sit back as you’re guided through a black cosmos." Not only that but the album is avaible for FREE! Astonishing.

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#07. Freedom Hawk-Holding On

I think the thing that keeps bringing me back to this album time and time again are the songs. As Toby states, "these are songs…songs that you’ll want to return to and that’ll have you singing along by your second time through the record. They are both catchy and memorable and in this day and age, that’s to be commended. Also notable is the fact that Freedom Hawk avoids the current trend found on albums by many of their peers to extend songs well beyond a reasonable run time. This is a band who clearly understands that less can in fact be more and that it’s actually a good thing to leave their listeners wanting just that…more." Besides the gift of great song-writing is the obvious high-pitched Ozzy vocal comparison. These guys are a great band that write great songs. Fly High Freedom Hawk!

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06. Elder-Dead Roots Stirring

Since making my Top 10 of 2009 with their self-titled release, Boston's Elder has been on my radar with avid anticipation. With their latest release "Dead Roots Stirring", the band has built upon their sound and taken it into very epic boundaries. Devastating heaviness, spellbinding rhythms, and more psychedelia took the band into a new direction and hope they can expand upon it for their next release sure to make another Top of the year list. As Zac states, "The instruments, vocals, and lyrics are truly cohesive here, not one over-rides the other. Each work in perfect harmony fabricating a new sound of (what we all like to call) 'Heavy'.

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05. Sungrazer-Mirador

This album is stunning proof that desert rock is alive and well. This Dutch band is at the forefront when it comes to playing extended stoner rock jams a la Kyuss. The thing that takes this album to a whole new level is their fondness for spacey psychedelic rock and building their songs around a simplistic riff until reaching an exploding climax. "Mirador" is an absolutely brilliant piece of work and should be in everyone's Stoner Rock playlist.

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04. Borracho-Splitting Sky

These guys are showing up on just about everyone's lists this year and deservedly so. Everytime I get done listening I immediately hit repeat and will probably continue to do so until their next release. "DC’s Borracho have crafted an absorbing debut album that says “we’re ready to join the club.” My recommendation is that you get onboard with this one right now…because chances are, you’ll be paying good money to hear Borracho play it “in its entirety” ten years from now. Splitting Sky is an instant classic. It’ll blow your mind that this whole thing started out as a side project."-Toby

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03. Valley of the Sun-The Sayings of the Seers (EP)

Cincinnati's Valley of the Sun seemlessly blends blistering stoner grooves, stellar musicianship, and high energy low and high dynamics to their amazing sound. Oh, and did I mention that Ryan Ferrier may quite possibly be the best rock vocalist I've heard since Miles Kennedy and Chris Cornell. From the unmatched soaring vocal harmonies of opener "Hearts Aflame" , the epicness of "Mariner's Tales" to the steam rolling groove of "Deep Light Burns", Cincinnati's Valley of the Sun is a well-polished band that is ready to be singed into your brain." I will be waiting patiently for a new album by these guys, hopefully in 2012 so it can make my list next year.

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02. Wo Fat-Noche del Chupacabra

It is no secret that Wo Fat is probably one of my new favorite bands after their incredible 2009 album "Psychedelonaut" made its way onto my Top 10 of 2009. I could not wait to hear their latest CD "Noche del Chupacabre" and man it did not disappoint. After my first listen I declared it worthy of Top 20 of 2011 status. It stood up through the course of the year amongst so many great CDs, but this thing just got a stranglehold on me. If you enjoy being "sucked through the doors of a hoodoo hut in the middle of a swamp which leads to the extraterrestrial vastness of the universe" then Wo Fat's remarkable psychedelic Stoner/Doom blend may be just what you've been searching for. Doom on Wo Fat!

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Drum roll please.............

01. Orchid-Capricorn

I guess what drew me into San Francisco doom band Orchid is how eerily similar they sound like my favorite band of all-time Black Sabbath (minus Ozzy sounding vocals). The feel of the album has a very retro production as if it could have been recorded back in the early seventies and I think that is what I enjoy most about this album. The riffs are enormous, the soloing tremendous, and vocals superb. I can pull this album out at anytime and truly enjoy every minute of it, thus making it my solid numero uno for 2011!

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Honorable mentions:Backwoods Payback-"Momantha", Gideon Smith-"30 Weight", Serpent Venom-"Carnal Alter", Mars Red Sky-"Self-Titled", Sleestak-"The Fall of Altrusia", Black Rainbows–"Supermothafuzzalicious!!", Lo-Pan-"Salvador"

Top 20 of 2011 Playlist



To listen to the playlist in it's entirety without limitations go here.

I look forward to what 2012 has to offer and want to thank the bands, readers and fans for your support of Heavy Planet!