Album Review: Howling Giant - "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2"

This!  This.  This is something special.  The attraction was immediate, unstoppable and obviously inspiring as it got me to write my first review of the year and this is September.  People, you need to hear this record.  Howling Giant, the Nashville, Tennessee three piece tickled my fancy with this album and made me write a review.  My fancy so likes their brand of tickle.

As the second release of an expected three EP set, Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 is an impressive endeavor.  The tones are perfect.  Roger Mark's bass has thicker fuzz than meat left on the counter upon your return from a cruise around the world, best displayed in the song Pioneer.  Tom Polzine's guitar ranges from the massive crunch of a drill rig burrowing to the earth's core in Circle of Druids all the way to a wind chime on a sun bleached porch during the beautiful The Forest Speaks.  The drumming of Zach Wheeler is outstanding throughout, a true joy to hear as he pushes and pulls the tempo with intrepid style and unrepentant dominance.  The addition of the organ/synth work by Drew Harakal is so tastefully done and understated but yet adds so very much to the overall sound of the record.   Polzine, Marks and Wheeler all contribute to the vocal harmonies which wrap up this gift from outer space with a message of ascension against all odds and evils encountered.

Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 is a journey you have to take, not because it is our job or what is expected from us, but because it is what is right.  The album is a heavy, progressive, quantum theory of groove that will take you through the wormhole with a smile on your face for the entire ride.

Absolutely one of my favorites this year and will, without question, be making my year end list.

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WM

Album Review Geezer - "Psychoriffadelia"

From that little ol' band from New York comes yet another exceptional release of guitar-racked brilliance in the form of "Psychoriffadelia", Geezer's latest foray into heavy hitting blues rock, this time with cosmic encounters of bright, burning riffs and mind melting incursions of euphoric frenzy. Adding psychedelics to their résumé, Geezer have become a top staple of the stoner/blues rock genre, eliciting ragged anticipation from the junkies of great guitar anthems.

The album opens with the cover of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog", a staple of 70s rock standards. Geezer make it theirs without trying to emulate the sound of the originators and do a superb job of injecting their own signature sound of massive riffs and searing solos overlaid with ragged vocal brilliance. "Stressknots" is a standard blues rock jam, the kind that Geezer are known for - fun and infectious. The title track sits in the middle of the tracklist and is their first foray into colorful runs and trippy rolls, cruising through a full ten minutes of mind-melting musical munchies. The odyssey continues on "Red Hook", a long slow burn of intoxication and escape. The closer is the incredible, massive "Dirty Penny", a thirteen minute excursion into bright explosions and cosmic detonations. It, too, burns slowly, but powerfully, as it wraps you in warmth and euphoria on its musical journey of magic and satisfaction.

Geezer are:
Pat Harrington - guitar/vocals
Richie Touseull - bass
Charles Ruggerio - drums

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Song of the Day-Space Guerilla-"Supercluster"

"Supercluster" is a new single release from the band and is a little "teaser" of sorts with the band hinting of a new full-length release "coming soon". Last year's "Boundless" EP was clearly one of my favorite instrumental releases from last year. The band's signature sound breeds an abundance of heavy cosmic riffing, intensified spaced-out soloing and that oh-so-clever use of astronaut vocal samplings. Goddamn is this fucking good! For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Soundcloud

Zac's "Double Dose": KATLA / New Keepers of the Water Towers

 

KATLA: "I Will Hunt You / Foaming Waters" 

Surprise, surprise, surprise... More excellent tunes from Sweden. Here at the 'Dose this Wednesday we have a shot from Sweden, Stockholm centered and swelling with dark psych, acid blues, and a touch of folk inspiration. This is KATLA, a quartet layered with distortion, fuzz, loads of melody, and topped off with a gorgeous set of female vocals. The group describe their sound as, "...like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick". Although I do agree with the gold and the lemon, I do not get the "smashed out" sensation after jammin' to their latest 7" release entitled I Will Hunt You / Foaming Waters. Here KATLA's attack is covert and clandestine. This isn't your smash and grab, get pummeled style of rock. Within moments of spinning side one,the I Will Hunt You single side, your ears are quickly aware of this dragon's cunning intellect. KATLA aren't here to overpower you and take you against your will, (no smashing necessary) they are here with a sonic lure that will have you freely walking into their lair. This attraction, through seduction, begins with a beautifully toned blues guitar measure. There is a slight surf rock vibe coming from the electric guitar once the enticement has initiated and before you know it you've been struck powerless in the sonic field reverberating from the vocals. Flip the 7" to the opposite side and you will immediately notice more of that appealing guitar tone. This mated to the perfect lo-fi, analog style production bring an authenticity to KATLA's sound. Here we are now fully immersed in Foaming Waters, and that rich guitar tone is really what drive KATLA's fruit deep into my conscious. The track is elevated in grandeur as the dark and reminiscent strings of a violin enter the room and graze your mind. This classy and tasteful addition to Foaming Waters soon disappears as that tonal guitar steps to the fore-front with what is quickly becoming my favorite guitar solo of 2013. The violin appears again only this time joining the guitar for a rich, indulgent outro. Awaking now in silence you are fully aware that KATLA have vanished leaving you with little but a memory, just enough to hold onto until you meet again. So, in the end we return to KATLA's own description... the sound is gold, priceless and the lemon (fruit) we can only hope will multiply in the form of a full-length album in the near future. Get your copy from Who can you trust? Records... NOW!

Members: 

John 

Lisa 

Nils 

Nils

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New Keepers of the Water Towers: Cosmic Child 

New Keepers of the Water Towers aren't new to the 'Planet. I reviewed their sophomore release The Calydonian Hunt back in the summer of 2011. There we found a young band, full of aggression and spewing some heavy stoner-focused sludge metal. With this latest release, entitled Cosmic Child, New Keepers... have dropped the sludge moniker almost entirely, all while opening the gate-way for their music to drift into a psychedelic and much more progressive spectrum. It is truly magnificent to see a group of musicians grow so much over the course of a few years. Here Cosmic Child has taken what was good song writing and arrangements within the confines of The Calydonian Hunt and transformed those basic characteristics into genuine brilliance through more concentrated song writing and a spacey atmosphere. 

Cosmic Child begins with opening song, and the albums first single, The Great Leveller. This opener acclimates previous listeners gradually into the Keepers... new sound. All you first time listeners out there, just enjoy the ride. The Great Leveller sounds most like its predecessor through the thunderous and tribal stomp of the percussion and the shear mass of the rhythm section. The chanting styled vocalization brings an eerie sensation upon you while the guitars taunt you to come just a step closer. The Great Leveller disperses abruptly through a swirling flush and is soon all but a memory. Here the music doesn't only transform, it is revolutionized with the entrance of track two, Visions of Death. Greeting our ears is a much softer and lighter side of Keepers... The band chose to deceive us through the inviting sound of an acoustic, or possibly even classical, guitar. This very European inspired, medieval folk touch erodes away with the build of a dominant electric ether. That heavy RIFFING clashes with the cleanly sung lyrics creating a beautiful emission, something that reminds me of Alcest, although by a completely different musical path. With the close of Visions of Death we find ourselves evolving with the band once again. Now, in a very melancholy and retrospective state the Keepers... carry us through the dark by careful acoustic plucking and some murky notes played on a piano. Welcome to Pyre for the Red Sage. Full of some of the most textured Pink Floyd style soundscapes Pyre for the Red Sage further unfolds by the wailing of a pained guitar. The final twenty minutes will transport you higher into Cosmic Child's astral plane and leave us return listeners bewildered at the fact that this was the same band that crushed us with the weight of The Calydonian Hunt. Be sure to check out the full album stream of Cosmic Child over of at Metal Hammer and if you dig it a CD copy can be ordered from Listenable Records.

  

Members: 

Adam Forsgren - Live Synthesizers 

Björn Andersson - Bass // Vocals 

Rasmus Booberg - Vocals // Guitar // Moog 

Tor Sjödén - Drums 

Victor Berg - Guitar

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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Palm Desert - "Rotten Village Sessions" / Mothership - "Mothership"

Today we have the second second coming of Kyuss from Wraclow, Poland in the guise of Palm Desert, who Zac compared magnificently to the high desert sound of "Welcome to Sky Valley" on their first release, "Falls of the Wasteland" back in April of 2011. Now they've upped the ante a bit with their second release "Rotten Village Sessions" so we get to see if they were a one album wonder or not. The second offering today is a 3 piece in which 2 are brothers, hailing from Texas, with a deep, resonant groove borne of hours listening to their father's cache of 70s rock. Mothership are a mother lode of hard driving, fuzzy, melodious guitar soaked deliciousness mined from the depths of Earth's finest veins of rich metal.
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PALM DESERT - "ROTTEN VILLAGE SESSIONS"

Since the 2011 release of "Falls of the Wasteland", Palm Desert have now come out with another collection of songs seemingly written in the high deserts crispness of the Mojave Desert air titled "Rotten Village Sessions". The 2011 release was credited, as mentioned above, with a sound similar to the kings of the high desert, Kyuss, so the anticipation, if not expectation, for "Rotten Village Sessions" will be 'can they do it again'? Or would they even want to do it again. What will it be like?

As it turns out, Palm Desert stick to the formula, perhaps working on crafting an even finer collection of stoner rock tunes than before, something certainly not easy to do, something not many bands, regardless of location, would want to attempt, but Palm Desert have not only made the attempt, they have pulled off another solid collection of songs that fit perfectly in the pantheon of the high desert stoner sound perpetuated by Kyuss in the 90s.

Is the music on this album original in style? Does it break new ground or reveal anything new at all? Perhaps not, at least not in style or genre, but who the fuck cares? Is it good stoner rock? No. It's GREAT stoner rock, and I, for one, am very appreciative of this foursome from Wraclow, Poland taking a sound they obviously love, and that I happen to love as well, and whipping out 9 fresh, healthy versions of a rock sound that is becoming rare. There is no direct copying of anything here of which I can tell, just new songs brilliantly written to a style that is quite rightly one of the best rock has ever produced, one that came and went in relative obscurity for most, but luckily not for us.

Band members for Palm Desert are:

Kamil Ziotkowski - drums
Jan Rutka - bass
Piotr Lacny - guitar
Wojciech Gatuszka - vocals

Within the stoner rock style that Palm Desert employ are brilliant and gifted vocals, crucial to the high desert sound as set by John Garcia of Kyuss, eminent and energetic bass, never simply blended and relegated to the background as so often happens in many rock bands regardless of style, guitar that riffs and hooks, solos and scorches with the best of them, crucial to making memorable, enjoyable melodies, and drums, like the bass, that powerfully carve out their own space on these songs, not simply relegated to providing tempo and beat, but creating wonderful, vibrant music within the tapestry of Palm Desert's music.

The opening song, "Down the Odyssey" sets the tone, an eight minute intercontinental ballistic ride over the tops of saguaro and joshua, hooking from the outset, both in memorable melody and powerful blows to your stoner rock loving head. This is the kind of song you fall right into the middle of and ride for all its worth.

I love the echoey drum sound on track #3, "Ghulassa Saloon", that quickly leads into track #4, "Mani" where the musical threads here are trippy, catchy, and just plain groovy. It's a unique and incredibly enjoyable song that successfully employs unusual execution in instrumentation.

Palm Desert close out the album with a couple of classic sounding stoner songs, "Acid Phantom" and "White Wolf". The guitar work on "Acid Phantom" is pure and beautiful stoner rock, enjoyable for its effort as well as its dead on sound. "White Wolf" is ten minutes of sheer music brilliance, with a haunting, pitch perfect guitar weaving a tale of wonder and excitement, building up along the way with ever broadening drumwork, bass riffs, and vocal intensity. After ten minutes is a hidden little guitar ditty that adds a dash of flavor. It is there, I'm sure, just as a little thank you for those of us that made it to the end and enjoyed the trip along the way.




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MOTHERSHIP - "MOTHERSHIP"

Brothers Kelley, or Kells, and Kyle Juett team with Judge Smith to create a powerhouse rock trio that have no problem leaving the stratosphere of Earth for music that is cosmically and universally righteous. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, a heavy southern, bluesy influence is infused throughout their music, giving it a home base from which to blast off, but never constraining it to the small confines of our little solar system. Mothership know how to make their music soar, how to trip across the cosmos at the speed of sound, how to escape the gravity of the biggest black holes, and how to generate the force of the largest, most monstrous supernovas. Mothership may have been crafted in the backyard and garage of Daddy's house, but their vessel is one of the finest in the universe.

When first starting out, Mothership were 3 Juetts as father John flayed the skin as older brother Kyle cranked bass and younger brother Kells played guitar, with both brothers sharing vocal duties. Dad knew his time was limited, but can you imagine how much fun that had to be, playing some of the finest new rock crafted in recent years with your progeny? I can only imagine John enjoyed it immensely before turning the sticks over to Judge.

Judge, for his part, has stepped in admirably, providing high quality drumwork that never hides behind the roar and rumble of the high energy engines of the Juett brothers' strings. Judge's energy combines with a physical quality that permeates and punctuates perfectly and powerfully throughout the album.

Guitar work by the younger Kells is quite definitely a cut above standard rock guitar. Stoner / retro rock is all about guitar, and Mothership take that to heart, delivering loads of driven, cogent, quality guitar that takes its cues from old blues rock, rock guitar from the 70s, and embellishing upon that with volume and vigor, fuzzing out the edges with a satisfying dollop of distortion, boring out huge swathes of earth below the surface while simultaneously blasting away at outerspace in starburst, supernova, cosmic blasts of laser cannon riffs and string theory precision.

Kyle mans the bass in such a way as to grab your attention quite quickly when listening through Mothership's songs for the first time. There is a whole lot of gusto with his playing, just downright kick the door in with my Red Wing steel tips, watch how easy it is for me, and as he's kicking it in you notice a beautiful rhythm to the whole event despite the brutality of it, despite the unmitigated release of testosterone and thermite.

The brothers share vocal duties, and I, for one, can't tell much of a difference as both bring a decent rock voice to the party, blending well with the music they play, never yelling the lyrics, something increasingly rare, but never putting themselves in positions that would compromise their capabilities, which when you think about it, shows quite a bit of intelligence in song writing. That intelligence is much more evident on the songs themselves as each one of the eight on this self titled album are well written, well executed, and full of melody, hooks, riffs, memorable stretches with and without the vocals, just all around excellence in craftsmanship.

The opener is five minutes of instrumental, apparently stressing what to them is the more important part to their music and providing to us some monstrous riffage in tribal rhythmic packaging. It leads easily into "Cosmic Rain", a simple bluesy and catchy tune that will be one of those you find yourself singing to long after electricity has been shut off for the night.

Next up is "City Nights", where the melody is tighter and the hooks are contagious. The solos blister and burn, but the basswork, the rhythm guitar, and the energetic skin pounding on the refrains go straight to your blues rock receptors, firing off nerves that get your body moving in time to this incredible song.

It seems like each song kicks up the hookage a notch from its predecessor, and "Angel of Death" is no exception. After a nice extended intro, the blues fuzz kicks in, and musical satisfaction melts warmly through your body as the song unfolds and progresses. This is just pleasurable rock music listening, like biscuits, real butter, and honey. Chased down with a Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale, of course.

"Win or Lose" changes up the tempo, slowing it down, tuning it down, but kicking the intensity up a couple of notches to go along with a memorable and well crafted melody that will stay with you for days, I have no doubt. The guitar work on this song is exquisite, tremendous, just totally enjoyable.

"Eagle Soars", the penultimate song, continues the trend. The brothers spend time singing together on this one, which adds a nice flavor to what is already a boiling, frothy, batch of guitar stew, chock full of meat, and more meat, and just lots of meaty goodness.

The closer is "Lunar Master". It's a Lunar Masterpiece. Eight minutes of galloping headlong on your space stallion passing planets, comets, asteroids, and black holes at the speed of Mothership. Pretty awesome.

Mothership, in keeping with their celestial sci-fi name have conjured 8 tales of cosmic bliss played out in 70s Texas blues rock guitar, none of which sounds like it would fit, but when given to genetically superior beings, awesomeness is the byproduct of using what you know, on what you have at hand, with the enthusiasm of constructing what you love best. It's quite wonderful to behold.





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Album Of The Day-Earthless-"Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky"

Album Of The Day is "Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky" by Earthless



Aside from the Fall, which, of course, sounds like the inside of Mark E. Smith’s brain, bands that express an affinity for ’70s hard rock act the Groundhogs tend to be of a similar aesthetic. This elite group favors blues, prog and basically anything that smacks of patchouli and sulfur. California trio Earthless mixes all of the above on their second and latest, Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky, an album that ends with a cover of the Groundhogs’ should’ve-been classic “Cherry Red.” The Earthless version is notable not only because it’s so faithful—a feat that requires chops seldom bestowed on mere mortals—but also because it’s the only track that: a) features singing, and b) clocks in at less than 20 minutes.

The two originals that precede it are best described as jams. Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell fills the spaces between riffs with solos that seem as if they’re never going to end. And his compadres—bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba—respond with support that’s heavy, funky and anything but static. Together, they sound as if they could do any of this in 9/8 and still hold their own in a bar fight. The band’s stars are so dark and brews so bitchy that even the Groundhogs’ old barnburner seems kind of earthbound by contrast. It’s a neat trick, and one that makes perfect sense coming from a band that calls itself Earthless. —Brent Burton (Decibel Magazine)


Tracklist:
1. Godspeed — 20:55
a. Amplified
b. Passing
c. Trajectory
d. Perception
e. Cascade
2. Sonic Prayer — 21:12
3. Cherry Red — 4:36

total time 46:43

Stream

Download Free MP3 of Groundhogs original version of "Cherry Red" here.

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"Sonic Prayer" Live @ The Casbah