LP Review: Olde One Ascending by Vokonis

When Earth is no longer big enough to contain your seismic riffs, the only place left is the infinitely expanding dimensions of space, and that is exactly where Swedish heavy stoner/psych trio Vokonis firmly thrust themselves with their debut record Olde One Ascending, with riffs capable of bringing down planets, drumming the depths of a black hole, and vocals with the force of star imploding, the band have gone all in and left nothing to waste. Anyway, that’s enough of the space analogies, let’s get to the music.

The record opens with the thunderous ‘Olde One’; eight minutes of pure heavy stoner rock, charging ever forward after it falsely appears to head into a space rock direction. There are hints of the bands psychedelic roots and the underlying sound of doom, but the gigantic rolling riffs bring about hefty head banging. The vocals of Simon Ohlsson are passionately shouted with more of a ritual echo rather than anger, a little reminiscent of early Black Pyramid. The loud drone of the vocals remain at a constant attention grabbing level throughout the record, as ‘The Serpent’s Alive’ follows a similar route but leaning towards more psychedelia routes as the killer guitar solo takes your tripped out subconscious by the balls and reminds it who’s boss.

The guitar work and drumming are at an excellent standard, wielded by talented musicians who wear their influences on their sleeves (mainly Sleep) as the power of ‘Acid Pilgrim’ melts the speakers, the sheer stoner audacity of ‘Shroomblade’ is orgasmic to listen to with riffs to destroy the heaviest of hearts, and closer ‘Hazmat The Ashen Rider’ releases a cacophony of riffs directly into your face without an ounce of apology. The six songs on offer here fly by in an instant, but the whole record leaves you with your fists clenched, and a feeling that what you’ve just listened to was just about as heavy as it gets (and just in case you didn’t realise the name of this blog, that’s how we like things around here!). Olde One Ascending is an excellent heavy record and if your speakers can take it, get a hold of a copy now!

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LP Review: Luminous Bodies by Luminous Bodies

It’s likely that a lot of attention for this band will immediately focus around the fact that they use two drummers in their noise racketeering assault on the senses, but there is so much more to Luminous Bodies, and indeed this record, than what some will see as being “different”. For a start, there’s their superb song structures and sound, which is basically a bit like The Melvins, if they didn’t dick around so much and wrote quality song after song. Luminous Bodies echo The Melvin’s chaotic instrumentation and unnerving ability to keep you on the edge of your seat, but when you’re engrossed in a song such as ‘Man’s Milk’ or ‘Stay Dead’ you’re powerless to the riffs, noise, and aggression, unable and unwilling to let go.

The vocals of Gordon Watson range from slow 80’s style doom to psychotic shouting, and they really entrap each song within his control, driving each distorted riff, deathly cymbal crash, and slow menacing head bang. This is expressed no better in their cover of Tom Jones’ classic ‘She’s a Lady’ on their track ‘Lady Graveyard’, and it works quite spectacularly.

The one thing that strikes you hardest about the London five piece is that these guys are the real deal; each psychedelic tangent they lead you down (‘Stay Dead’), each experimental noise feedback they piss all over(‘You Cheap-Arse Motherfucker’), every fuzz-heavy riff (‘Inhaler’), and for every doom-laden spiritual journey (‘Om Naman Shivaya’) that they ooze out of the speakers with energy and excitement is a sheer joy to behold.

Luminous Bodies is released through Box Records, and is a must for fans of music.

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LP Review: Defacer by Hogslayer

This has been a difficult review to write, as originally, what you read before you was simply three words, three accurate words though, but a record can’t simply be narrowed down to such vague minded simplicity, but yet, when it comes to Hogslayer, those three words keep racing to the front of the mind: HEAVY, PUNISHING, and BRUTAL!

Let’s look at those things individually:

HEAVY: What the Cardiff, Wales, sludgers have done on their second record, Defacer (released on the excellent Undergroove label) almost goes beyond heavy, grabbing hold of the aftermath of a heavy sound’s death and stretching it to the far reaches of what you think you can take, into glorious five to seven minute deadly songs filled with venom and hate, all the while crushing your lung capacity to suffocating measures. Opening track ‘Slowhawk’ starts the record as the band mean to go on, relentless skull fucking your ill prepared ears with. Speaking of being relentless

PUNISHING: Hogslayer simply never let up! Their sludge/noise/doomy mega onslaught is not for the faint hearted, it’s a mix of guttural screams from a man at the end of his tether, it’s drumming that breaks the skins, sticks, and kit of every set they touch, and it’s guitars that not only grind away at the nuts and bolts of the frameworks of each song, they are riffs to do some serious damage to, as your head becomes an uncontrollable pneumatic drill of motion, and on the pattern goes, trudging through every thickly layered song, never, ever, pausing for a respite, and your tattered soul can be thankful for that as the title track does actually feel like a physical assault on your being; and that is how we get to:

BRUTALITY: Going into a sludge or noise record, you pretty much know what to expect, it isn’t going to be something you’ll be whistling as you skip to work on a sunny day. What Hogslayer have done is to reach a new level of heaviness that still retains the song’s core structure and most importantly its tune, withstanding its own wall of noise, but still destroying everything around them. These areas are where the doom elements of the band come into play, as the appropriately titled ‘Bludgeon’ showcases to perfection. It is often said that music should emit an emotional response, and if you’re not just a little bit scared of Hogslayer, you’re a double hard bastard I wouldn’t like to meet down an alleyway at night.

Defacer is a record that is quite beautiful really (perhaps not a word used very often with this genre). They’ve set out to write songs in the heaviest way they can, without losing track of their goals, adding walls of sound, spite, aggression, bruising riffs, apocalyptic vocals, but still crafting a piece of music which draws you in, and bewitches you for it’s duration. We can’t say you won’t come out of the other side a slightly more damaged individual, but it’s a musical ride you simply have to be a part of.

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LP Review: Veneficae by Boar

Hailing from Oulu, Finland, the four beasts that make up the almighty noise/sludge/stoner behemoth that is Boar have finally released their debut full-length record after six years as a band, and it is a record which will floor you! Combining all of the best elements of haunting doom, aggressive dirty sludge, hazy psychedelic meanderings, and stomping stoner riffs, Veneficae is a record of near perfection.

Opening the record in blistering style with the face ripping ‘Old Grey’ sets the marker for these Finnish guy’s intentions; heavy doom riffs combined with a technical sludge that is breathtaking at worst, and a set of vocals spat from the darkest corners of the sludge genre. It would make for a great record if the band were to simply continue at this pace throughout the album, but their masterclass in musicianship is shown by their change in styles from track to track as the psychedelic opening of ‘Witch Woman’ shift the aim of the band, as gentler dreamy vocals are sang over the top of stoner riffs. They are different musical styles that sit perfectly alongside each other as each song intertwines elements of the other, either with the odd venemous sludgy vocal or demonic doom riff, creating an underlining sound which is essential to behold.

With their free-playing use of these genres, it’s not right to really put the band into any categories, basically pick your favourite genre and they’ll excel at it. Standout track ‘Sand’ is basically a lesson to all bands in how to create pure, blissful, unadulterated noise, bended around a mainframe of riffs and solid song-writing that keeps you addicted from start to the all-too-soon end. 

Whether your thing is doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, classic rock, noise, (everything Heavy Planet loves) Boar have mastered it, and crafted a record which is almost perfect for your desires and needs. It’s not often we say this, but Veneficae is essential stuff!

Veneficae is available to pre order at Lost Pilgrims Records.

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LP Review 'Ecate' by Ufomammut

The Italian trio are back with their seventh studio album ‘Ecate’ which takes its name from the Greek Goddess associated with all things darkness – nice. As expected among the noise saturation and dissonant crushing doom, Uffomammut throw out some rib-cage rattling riffs and the occasional dissonant hateful gem ‘Plouton’.

The band have nailed their space-doom formula by now, but refreshingly after the lighter 2012’s ‘Oro: Opus Primum’ which treaded a more prog rock terrain and was heavily laden with distorted chants, ‘Ecate’ is a heavier beast altogether. Expectant wails and feedback are accompanied by Swans-esque bass lines and slow builds giving the album an unsettling tone. ‘Chaosecret’ in particularly sounds like it was dreamed up by Michael Gira ‘Filth’ era. ‘Ecate’ however utilise the heaviness with refrained precision, the album segues effortlessly between the heaviest of doom similar to Neurosis and lighter sequences – which are terrifying in an altogether different way.

This time the band have held back on the space rock special effects opting for a more straight up less flashy album. Brittle and circular Uffomammut are self-descriptive. Seven albums in and the band are nothing if not authentic. The album showcases influences from as far afield as Pink Floyd and Hawkwind on the classic spectrum to more obvious counterparts like Electric Wizard and Om the next.

At this stage it is expected that the band deliver – and once again they have done just that – a crushing masterstroke.

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LP Review: 'Ultraluminal' by City of Ships

Playing on the post-hardcore tradition with added feeling, expansive sounds and harmonic explorations – City of Ships have always had their own coherent identity. Reaching out to the world with this, their third full length, the band’s unadorned sound is more of the same, arresting, melodic and when heavy it’s a shock to the ears in the best possible way.

Opting for fewer quirky guitar signatures than 2011’s ‘Minor World’ the band strip back on songs like ‘Alarm’ and ‘Metadata Blues’ – while still textured, the songs are slow building affairs that burn with intelligence. Eric Jernigan’s impassioned vocals rasp darkly on tracks like ‘Lost It’ And ‘The Old Man’ which are more reminiscent of the screaming found on 2009’s ‘Look What God Did To Us’ but there are notable exceptions here (‘Illawarra Escarpment’ and ‘Alarm’) where vocals surge and play out similarly to Dustin Kensrue’s in Vheissu era Thrice.

Tagging City of Ships with the arbitrary post-hardcore title is a discredit to the band in some ways who are both heartfelt and dramatic. Rather than be confined by genre parameters the band are akin to Cave In or Thrice with their sprawling-beautiful-ugly sounds and you don’t need to delve any further than 20 seconds into opener ‘The Light You Stole’ to hear the magic within.

Some of ‘Ultraluminal’ is punkier than their last two records ‘Private Party’ where Eric’s screaming has all the acrid taste of vomit – and the full-on aural assault and feedback-laden intensity of ‘Hardwired’ which treads the best of grunge. It’s the perfect blend of emotion and chaos and their strongest offering yet.



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LP Review: Desert Storm 'Omniscient'

The eighth track here might be called 'Bandwagon' but Desert Storm's excellent follow up album to 2013's 'Horizontal Life' is decidedly anything but jumping on the proverbial. 'Omniscient' is very much business as usual for the Oxford quintet: rapid-fire heavy metal and blues, with massive hooks, scoured with acid riffage that fans of Clutch will certainly appreciate.
Band leader Matt Ryan's vocals are full of spit and vinaigrette crushing under their own weight. However there is light here too particularly with opener 'Outlander.'
Recorded with Jamie Dodd (Orange Goblin), the album certainly harks back to elements of late 60s psychedelic majesty abound in the reverb heavy arrangements making it a standout effort for the genre it occupies. While the album evokes the sound the band have honed across their previous three albums, this record is more surefooted and at its best when it launches into ferocious roots-drone of 'Collapse of the Bison Lung'. While a number of bands make the mistake of biting off more genres than they can chew Desert Storm stick to their guns refusing to slide too deep into sludge-rock slurry. A vivid, breakneck-paced listen that begs to be heard.



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Album Review: Polvo - Siberia

Polvo were always the masters of the unexpected. There is not one genre to place them in. No other band sounds like them and they never move backwards. Their albums always continue to surprise. Weird musicians being weird can be entertaining, but it’s rare to find a band this weird and passionate about their songs. They write songs that hold a perfect balance of unpredictability and emotion. Siberia is their second album since their hiatus and a better and more focused record than the previous- In Prisms. A band this cerebral would take a record or two to get back in the swing of things. These tracks are smoother, the overall vibe of the album is concise and the vocal melodies are some of the best of their career. 

It opens with “Total Immersion”, a song reminiscent of the Celebrate the New Dark Age record. They are in top form with zany dueling guitar riffs, wild drum patterns, and innovative melodies. Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski sound the same. Their voices haven’t changed much over the years. This is one of their darker records, although there are some catchy melodies throughout, but the underlying vibe is a heavy dark tone. 

“Blues is Loss” continues with the signature Polvo sound of the 90’s, very progressive, much like the critically acclaimed Exploded Drawing. This is a whole different kind of prog than Rush or Yes, and they’re not exactly like their detuned peers Sonic Youth, who they have been compared to in the past. The band seems to be in their own world musically. One can argue that the music isn’t influenced by anything at all. It’s hard to pick out any specific influences or similarities. So why is this better than the last Polvo record? The next song is one example. 

“Light, Raking” begins with a John Bonham type hard hitting groove that leads into a new wave synth chorus that’s the catchiest song the band’s ever released. But the fact that it’s poppy does not stop them from tripping you out with other-worldly sound effects and complex compositions. None of these songs have simple song structures. It makes you wonder how long do they actually take to write this music. Does it come quick to them? Do they spend years? Bottom line, they have honed in on a sound that only they can execute. 

The highlight of the album for me, is an acoustic track- “Old Maps”. They are not known for recording much with acoustic guitars, but this song is so unique sounding, I’d love to hear acoustic renditions of all their songs. There are some interesting time signature changes with cymbal washes and chimes rolling over the music. It really does sound like they spent more time on this album than the last, or perhaps they had to bang In Prisms out to get their full-on mojo back. In summation, this is one the best Polvo albums in their discography. It will grow in your brain the more times you listen, and it will thrive and get better every listen. Making boring music is not something this band does, whether you get it or not. And if you’ve never heard Polvo, open your mind and see what’s intriguing about them. The reward is worth the curiosity of time invested. And like other bands of this breed of pioneers, a new Polvo album will make you want to go back and revisit their other records in a new light. Perhaps someday, they will achieve the notoriety they deserve in the mainstream. Till the rest of the world catches up, they remain a cult band for listeners with elite record collections and exquisite taste.

The members of Polvo are:

Ash Bowie - Guitar, Vocals

Dave Brylawski - Guitar, Vocals

Steve Popson - Bass

Brian Quast - Drums

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