Heavy Rotation: Superchief|Batillus|Trifog

I went over to CDBaby last week to check out what they had new and found some pretty badass CDs. If you have never been there it is a great resource of new music discovery. There is anything from old classic releases to new bands that you may have never heard before. I love this site! This week I will feature a few bands that I recently discovered while searching on CDBaby and just can't get them out of "Heavy Rotation". Enjoy!

Superchief-"Corporate Dynamite"

Rock and Roll music is, has been, and always will be what SUPERCHIEF is about. It all came about in the fall of 2008, when two guitar players Jason Monroe, and Riccardo Terranova, who had been playing together for a couple of years decided to elaborate on a musical idea that they felt needed to see fruition. Through some experimenting with various local musicians to fill in the gap of the then, blues-based sound, the two guitarists began to transform, slowly but surely, anxiously awaiting where the road would lead. It was then, in the fall of 2008 that the band’s new direction was found. Bassist, Jason Boten was added to the roster, followed shortly by drummer, Ryan Marcum, both of whom auspiciously replied to an ad in Craigslist, seeking to quench their rock-draughted thirsts. After trying out a number of singers, the four guys grew disenchanted and skeptical, thinking they would be unable to find the missing puzzle piece to fulfill the “SUPERCHIEF” sound they felt the masses needed to hear. When hopes were fading, in enters JT Strang. JT came into audition and blew the four of them away. His vocal punctuality, his stage presence, his range, coupled with a healthy dose of moxie gave SUPERCHIEF just what they needed. All the ingredients where there, now how to mix the ingredients... (Read more...)

FOR FANS OF BLACK SABBATH, CLUTCH AND THIN LIZZY

I was turned onto this band by one simple thing: they rock. Slow grooves and great riffs fuel this band's fire. Really, need I say more? Crack open a beer and go take a listen.

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Batillus-"Furnace"

The world is blurry and out of focus. It's cold and it's bleak and people need ways to escape its harsh reality.

"Real heaviness has a way of not only acting as an intense emotional release, but also giving you the sensation of being overwhelmed and swept along by an overpowering force," says Batillus bassist Willi Stabenau. "If you've ever gotten chills from hearing a really great riff, then you know what I mean."

It's catharsis," adds drummer Geoff Summers. "The reality of the world is pretty grim, people are fucked up, and this is sort of a way to get away from all of that for us."With songs that move from bristling blast beats to subterranean crawls, Batillus (buh-till-us) cohere the extremes of heavy music into a surge of massive riffing, rolling over and descending on the listener with the force and intensity of a sudden storm.

FOR FANS OF GODFLESH, ELECTRIC WIZARD, ZOROASTER, AND GRAVES AT SEA.

This is some truly epic shit! Massive riffing swallows you into a never ending wave of heaviness. Let Batillus become your next favorite band. Check them out!

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Trifog-"If I Could Change My Ways..."

Over the last four decades, many genres and sub-genres of rock and metal have come and gone, but one such genre has stood the test of time: DOOM. Bands like Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, and Electric Wizard are undeniable proof of this fact. Now, with the recent resurgence of Doom in the form of Space Rock, Sludge, and Stoner Rock, it seems as though Doom may truly be a permanent fixture--not just another passing fad. Perhaps this is because it embodies everything for which heavy music stands.

Rising from the ashes of Chicago-based metal outfit Cursed at Birth, Trifog began as the brainchild of guitarist Justin Anderson (Urethra Franklin and the Ghetto Children) and bassist Dave Katzman in early 2004. The two focused on creating a band that emulated what they admired most about Doom, Sludge, and Stoner Rock. "As fate may have it, my interest in the Stoner/Doom genre was rekindled just before the demise of UFGC," says Justin. "I wanted to be part of a band whose work wasn't confined to one simple style of music,” adds Dave. Later in 2004, Justin and Dave recruited drummer Chris Wozniak (Lair of the Minotaur, I Klatus, Blood of Martyrs) and lead guitarist Markus Launsburry (Nachtmystium, Blood of Martyrs, Vasana).(Read more...)

FOR FANS BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS, SOUNDGARDEN

This one goes back a few years to 2007. Quite frankly, I had never heard anything from this band before. Why that is, is beyond me. These guys brought the Doom, complete with a touch of psychedelia and soaring vocals. It is unfortunate that the band is no longer in existence, but thanks to CDBaby they are keeping the dream alive. Listen to them now!

MySpace|Last.fm

Heavy Rotation: Music For a Dreary Day

It has been so damn dreary in Pittsburgh, Pa as of late raining just about every day with little or no sunshine, so I've been in a very doomy mood to say the very least. I figured what better way to celebrate the unpleasant weather than with a few of my favorite super heavy Stoner/Doom metal bands for this week's edition of Heavy Rotation. Doom on!!



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01. Sons of Otis-"Super Typhoon"


This is one of the coolest songs ever! I love the way the song starts off with the yelling of Suuuperrr Typhoooon!, then the ride cymbal starts this droning super wah-wahed bass extravaganza. Think of a heavier version of Monster Magnet. Good luck finding a copy of this album, and if you do expect to pay a hefty sum. This track is taken from their 1999 Man's Ruin release"Temple Ball".


Sons of Otis are a stoner rock/doom band from Toronto, Canada. Sons of Otis was formed by Ken Baluke in Toronto sometime around the years 1992 and 1993. Strongly influenced by the underground heavy music of the time (Melvins/Fudge Tunnel/Shallow N.D), their first release, "Paid To Suffer", came out in 1994. Subsequent albums took on a more ethereal, psychedelic tone, and this has led to their immediate association with the stoner rock/doom scene.


The band went through about 11 drummers and has at times resorted to a drum machine for recordings as well as performances. Every single record released by the band to date has been distributed by now defunct labels, leaving the band's back catalog consistently out of print.


02. Toner Low-"Devilbot"


Taken from their self-titled 2005 release on Roadkill Records, this song epitomizes all things heavy. The song begins appropriately enough with what sounds like a sample of a robot booting up, then plasters you to the wall with heavy crushing guitars and a tempo change that goes from slow to slower to even slower. This one is maybe a bit hard to find as well. I'm sure with a little creative searching you can find it somehow.


Combining never ending songs and a loud, relentless sound with low-end heaviness, wild psychedelic trips and doomrockin’ riffs, Toner Low are one of a kind to roam the green fields of Leiden, Holland. In the first four years since their formation in 1998 these doomstoners released a couple of promos, played gigs in Holland and Belgium (2000) with among others Karma to Burn (USA), Isis, Candybar Planet and Lawn and parted with two bandmembers.


03. Church of Misery-"Spahn Ranch"


Following the news commentary of the Manson family killing of actress Sharon Tate (Spahn Ranch was known as one of the residences of Charles Manson and his group of followers commonly referred to as "The Family" who lived there in the spring of 1968), the song blasts into one badass heavy wallowing groove. This is Doom at it's finest! This song was taken off of their 1998 Game Two records split with Canadian Stoner/Doom gods S'heavy called "Born Too Late". Their "Early Works Collection" is a nice start if unfamiliar with the band.


Church of Misery is a japanese doom metal band with a specific extra-groovy sound that is often described as “stoner doom” but the band tends to snub this term saying “We hate trend. We hate corporate attitude. We hate the word ‘stoner’. Death to false stoners!! Let there be DOOM!!” (citation from the Master of Brutality album cover artwork notes).

Band was formed in 1996 in Tokyo by bassist Tatsu Mikami (ex-Salem) and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, line-up was completed with singer Nobukazu Chow and drummer Hideki Shimizu. Band’s raw and groovy style of doom metal rooted in 70s heavy rock with psychedelic feel and their notable lyrics mostly based on the famous serial killers’ characters soon founded out the way into the hearts of the underground metal fans all over the world even though the band didn’t play anywhere outside Japan until 2005.


04. Acrimony-"Heavy Feather"


Acrimony for some reason has always been an underrated and underappreciated band. This song is a brilliant piece of why this band was so important. The two minute build-up of this song culminates into a doomy spaced-out groove. The band effortlessly combined sludgy classic rock grooves, corrosive acid/psych rock trips, epic space rock excursions, and pounding metallic aggression into their sound.  This song is taken off of their most poignant release from 1996 "Tumuli Shroomaroom". Also a bit hard to find, you can pay a steep price on Amazon or once again do some creative searching.


Acrimony was a Welsh stoner metal band who were active during the 1990s. Releasing their debut album in 1994, they are regarded as the pioneers of stoner metal in the United Kingdom, and an important influence upon the scene. Although the band never achieved mainstream success, during their career they received much critical acclaim – they were nominated for the Kerrang! Best Newcomer award and earned top review ratings. Acrimony have maintained a cult following in the British metal scene, their records reportedly selling for vast sums as collectors items. Allmusic described their musical style as "typical mid-'90s stoner rock" that "combined Black Sabbath's heavy metal riffery, Hawkwind's space rock excursions, and Blue Cheer's fuzzed-out psychedelic feedback with extreme doses of volume .... particularly reminiscent of desert metal gods Kyuss." (Read more...)


05. Goatsnake-"Flower of Disease"


Slow and low that is the tempo, Goatsnake helped define the Southern California Stoner/Doom metal scene in the 90's. This track is a great example of the aforementioned sound and can be found on the band's 2000 Man's Ruin  release of the same name. This is the easiest to find of the bunch because it has recently been reissued on Southern Lord as well.


Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obsessed. After The Obsessed's disbanding, the rhythm section consisting of Guy Pinhas (former bassist of the Dutch stonerband Beaver) on bass and Greg Rogers on drums began jamming with guitarist Greg Anderson (Thorr's Hammer, Burning Witch, Sunn O)))). They soon found a vocalist in Pete Stahl (Scream, Wool, Earthlings?, Desert Sessions). (Read more...)

Heavy Rotation: When Grunge Ruled the World

For this week's edition of Heavy Rotation, I decided to dig around in the attic for some of my old Grunge CDs. For some of you younger readers that may be a bit unfamiliar with what I am talking about, Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy guitar sound that uses a high level of distortion, fuzz and feedback effects. Grunge fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. The music shares with punk a raw sound and similar lyrical concerns. However, it also involves much slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentation – which is reminiscent of heavy metal.



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01. Skinyard-"1000 Smilin'Knuckles"

This song was the first song I ever heard from Skin Yard, as it was the the first song on the self-titled album of the same name from 1991. What lead me to purchase this album in the first place was the cool album cover artwork. A bit more upbeat and more metal than punk, this song along with its layered vocals and crunchy guitar also had great melody and stellar production thanks to grunge wunderkid Jack Endino.

The band was formed in January 1985 by Daniel House and Jack Endino, who were subsequently joined by Ben McMillan and Matt Cameron. Skin Yard played its first concert in June 1985, opening for the U-Men. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to the now-legendary Deep Six compilation. This album, in addition to featuring the first commercial recordings of The Melvins, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun and Skin Yard, was the first to showcase the early grunge sound. That same year, Skin Yard released their self-titled debut album and their first single, Bleed. Read more...

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02. Gruntruck-"Crazy Love"

I saw a video of this song on Headbanger's Ball back in 1992 and was instantly drawn to it's great groove and killer vocals which  lead to the purchase of their album "Push" as well as their debut effort "Inside Yours". Gruntruck was also a bit more on the metal end of the spectrum as well, are you starting to detect a trend?

The band only released two albums. They toured the U.S. and Canada with Alice in Chains in fall of 1992, as well as Europe in the winter of 1993 with Pantera, who were supporting Vulgar Display of Power. According to Sean Kinney, they were Alice in Chains's most supported band at the time, opening alongside the Screaming Trees for Alice's Dirt tour. In 1996, they ended up in a legal battle with Roadrunner Records for contract termination. Gruntruck won the case, but at heavy cost to the band. Bassist Tim Paul left and was replaced by Alex Sibbald, and following a less than stellar tour with Circus of Power, drummer Scott McCullum left as well. In 1996, they resurfaced with new drummer Josh Sinder, previously of The Accüsed to record a 3-track EP called Shot. The classic lineup reformed in the late 90s for various shows and recordings that never properly surfaced. In 2000, the band had a successful comeback stint in the Northwest playing many shows to audiences eager for Gruntruck. However, the band disbanded permanently in 2002, leaving behind rumors of a possible album of unreleased rarities that may or may not surface in the near future. Ben McMillan died from diabetes on January 26, 2008.

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03. My Sister's Machine-"Diva"

When I first received this as a promo at the record store I was working at back in 1992, I couldn't get enough of it. Very reminiscent of Alice In Chains, the band used great melodies and passionate vocals to ignite the ever hungry grunge crowd looking for more, unfortunately for the band things did not work out. This song is the title track from their 1992 debut album.

My Sister's Machine was a grunge band that formed in 1989, prior to the "grunge movement" of the early 90's in Seattle, WA. In 1990, My Sister's Machine received the "Best New Band" award from the Northwest Music Association.

In 1991, they had much interest from the major record labels but chose to sign with a smaller label Caroline Records who could spend more time and effort promoting them.

In 1992, they released their debut album, Diva to much critical acclaim. Steve Kurutz of Allmusic gave the album four and a half stars, calling it "a surprisingly strong record musically...Though the lyrics are, for the most part, ridiculously poor, they are delivered with enough attitude that the listener will hardly notice unless he reads the album booklet." Read more...

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04. Soundgarden-"Into the Void" (Black Sabbath cover)

I had always wanted to hear what it would sound like if Soundgarden covered a Black Sabbath song, well my wish came true on the companion disc "Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas" to 1992's Badmotorfinger. It did not disappoint as Chris Cornell and Co. tore it up complete with words of protest by Chief Sealth replacing the original song lyrics.

Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by lead singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band's permanent drummer in 1986 while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990.

Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle, and was one of a number of grunge bands signed to the record label Sub Pop. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label (A&M Records, in 1988), though the band did not achieve commercial success until they popularized "grunge" in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. Read more...

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05. Tad-"Grease Box"

Featuring a bass line as heavy as the man himself, this track was off of their 1993 major label release "Inhaler". The album was full of driving rhythms and melody while staying true their grunge roots.

Led by Tad Doyle (b. Thomas Doyle) on vocals and guitar, Tad was formed in early 1988 by Doyle and bassist Kurt Danielson, who met while at a Christian Banquet. They previously played together when Danielson's band Bundle of Hiss played with Doyle's previous band (in which he played drums) H-Hour. Doyle had also earlier played in a Gang of Four cover band called Red Set. They recruited drummer Steve Wied (formerly of Skin Yard and Death and Taxes) and guitarist Gary Thorstensen (ex-Treeclimbers) to complete the original lineup.

Tad was among the first bands to be signed to Sub Pop Records and was possibly the first pioneer of what was to be later called grunge rock. Read more...

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Heavy Rotation: Bedemon, Cactus, Buffalo, Sir Lord Baltimore, Zior

I have been listening to a ton of early 70's Stoner/Doom/Heavy Rock as of late and decided what better way to feature it than on this week's edition of Heavy Rotation. Along with the song I will add a bit of commentary as well as a background on the band. Can you dig it?!



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01. Bedemon-"Child of Darkness". This track is my favorite song from this band. One of the earliest doom bands besides Black Sabbath and Pentagram. Dark, heavy and evil as hell!

Bedemon was an offshoot of Pentagram in the early 70s (circa 1973). The name was chosen as a portmanteau of two earlier suggested names, Demon and Behemoth. Prior to joining Pentagram, Randy Palmer and his friend Mike Matthews along with Bobby Liebling and Geof O'Keefe (then current members of Pentagram) got together to record some of Palmer's compositions. The first session resulted in three songs: "Child of Darkness," "Serpent Venom" and "Frozen Fear." After a short time the group got together again and recorded some more tracks. When Palmer officially joined Pentagram he brought two tracks with him, "Starlady," and "Touch the Sky." After Palmer's departure from Pentagram the Bedemon got together in 1979 to record three more songs: "Time Bomb," "Nighttime Killer" and an unnamed composition by O'Keefe. A slightly different line-up (featuring former Pentagram member Greg Mayne on bass) recorded "Night of the Demon" along with some older songs in 1986.

Many songs from the Bedemon sessions were released on various bootlegs throughout the years, but were never officially released until 2005, when Black Widow Records released Child of Darkness.

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02. Cactus-"Evil". I actually heard Monster Magnet's cover of this track before I heard Cactus' version which is also a cover of Howlin' Wolf. This is filthy, down and dirty heavy blues. Oh, and did I mention, Evil? For all the firepower in this band, they were sorely underated.

Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart (also from the already dissolved Jeff Beck Group). However, Beck had an automobile accident and was out of the music scene for over a year and Stewart joined Ronnie Wood in Faces.

Early 1970 Appice and Bogert brought in blues guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express, and singer Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson) from Amboy Dukes.
This line-up managed three albums (Cactus, One Way...Or Another and Restrictions) before intraband troubles led to McCarty quitting at the end of 1971. Shortly afterwards Day was fired from the group. The fourth and last Cactus album ('Ot 'N' Sweaty) featured original rhythm section Bogert and Appice joined by Werner Fritzschings on guitar, Duane Hitchings on keyboards and Peter French (ex-Leaf Hound and Atomic Rooster) on vocals.

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03. Buffalo-"Freedom". One of my favorite tracks from this relatively unknown Australian band (at least in the US). I just love the slow driving bass line and the vocals are absolutely phenomenal. Very reminescent of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. Awesome tune!

Buffalo was an early heavy metal band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1971. The band left a legacy with Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. The band had evolved from the Brisbane blues-rock outfit Head, which was originally formed in 1968 by Dave Tice and Peter Wells. A change of lineup and a shift in musical direction saw the new band emerge - the name Buffalo was chosen (according to legend, randomly off a map of Australia) as it was seen a more marketable name than the previous Head, which had been considered to be offensive due to its sexual and drug connotations.

The original lineup was unconventional for a rock band, featuring two lead vocalists (Dave Tice and Alan Milano) and filled out by John Baxter (guitar), Peter Wells (bass) and Paul Balbi (drums). Its best-known lineup (during its most successful years during 1973-1975) saw the exit of Milano, resulting in Tice as the sole vocalist, with Jimmy Economou replacing Paul Balbi on drums. Ex-Band of Light slide guitarist Norm Roue joined Buffalo in late 1974, but at the start of 1975 John Baxter was dismissed from the band - an event seen as the catalyst of Buffalo's decline. Baxter was replaced by Karl Taylor, who recorded on the Mother's Choice album. By 1976, both Roue and Taylor had departed the band and were replaced by Chris Turner and Colin Stead - although Stead's spell with the band was very brief. The final lineup change also occurred in 1976 with Ross Sims replacing Peter Wells.

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04. Sir Lord Baltimore-"Kingdom Come". Fuzzed out to the max. Amazing drumming combined with awesome guitar freak-outs with overly dramatic vocals. If you never heard Sir Lord Baltimore, I suggest you do so now.

Sir Lord Baltimore is a pioneering American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. They are notable for the fact that a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, contained the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music.^[1] Additionally, Sir Lord Baltimore featured a drumming lead singer, traditionally a rarity in rock and metal music. The group have been called "the godfathers of stoner rock."

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05. Zior-"Angel of the Highway".  This song starts off with a slow wah-wah riff that cascades into a heavy blues boogie rocker  then transcends into a tribal psych-out. Cool tune!

Zior is a hard rock band with some progressive elements. The band obviously had a huge fascination with the occult and expressed this often in their songs (and mostly in their stage show). The Akarma label LP is the first eponymous album plus and additional nine bonus tracks which were to be on the band’s next(ultimately unreleased) album. Tracks like “Angel of the Highway”, “Your Life Will Burn”, and “Before My Eyes Go Blind” show the band in it’s rare form while the vocalist describes various occult imagery. Another LP single, “Every Inch A Man”, came out in 1973. At times they have a tribal-like rhythm to their sound, very pyschedelic and 70’s. “Zior” is a great lost album of hard rock from this time period. Later era ‘stoner rock’ fans will like this. The same goes for fans of NWOBHM.

The first LP included artwork by the same artist who did Black Sabbath’s first album.

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Heavy Rotation: Horisont, Mose Giganticus, New Keepers of the Water Towers, Noctum, Stonewall Noise Orchestra

For this week's edition of Heavy Rotation I have compiled some pretty cool tunes for you to enjoy. Along with each song I have provided a few words of commentary.



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1. Horisont-"Just Ain't Right".

This track is taken off of Horisont's latest album "Tva Sidor Av Horisonten".

Yes, another Swedish 70’s inspired hard rock band! I guess Sweden ranks no. 1 in the world when it comes to this genre. Horisont picks up where Witchcraft and Graveyard laid down the cornerstones and they are out on Crusher Records who also nurses Dead Man. So if you’re a sucker for music inspired by Pentagram, Blue Cheer and what not …… and you dig denim and long haired guys this is a kick ass record. Horisont is all about blues rock and boogie with heavy riffing and long guitar solos. But also more Sabbath’ish inspiration may be heard in “The Unseen” which gives you everything from doomy atmosphere and slow riffing to beauty parts with killer vocals. Half the songs are with Swedish lyrics giving a cool feel to the songs and “Du Röde” is an ultra slow and emotional track giving you the special Swedish touch also known from a band like Svarta Pan. Killer new band!

Recommended if you dig: Witchcraft, Graveyard, Dead Man

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2. Mose Giganticus-"Demon Tusk".

This track is taken off the band's latest release "Gift Horse".

Mose Giganticus is an American synth punk / heavy metal band founded in Bensalem, Pennsylvania in 1999, and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Led by songwriter, vocalist, programmer, drummer, and keyboardist Matt Garfield, the band is augmented by an array of additional musicians for live performances, including Zac Hobbs (touring guitarist), Brooks Wilson (live and studio guitarist/bassist), and Joe Smiley (live and studio guitarist). Stylistically, Mose Giganticus is most notable for the incorporation of vocoder and synthesizer into traditionally “guitar-centric” musical genres, as well as for Garfield’s prominent use of a modified Roland AX-7 keytar in their live performances. The band has released two albums with a third due out in Summer 2010 and have toured North America extensively, including the Yukon and Alaska, regions rarely visited by rock musicians.

Garfield, drummer in several Philadelphia-area hardcore punk rock bands, began the project as a solo electronic home-recording project in 1999, playing few occasional live performances. His focus on the band intensified years later, in 2005, with a significantly revamped sound rooted in hardcore punk, while still maintaining elements of electronic music.[1] This culminated in the 2006 debut full-length album, The Invisible Hand, a concept record based around humanity’s relationship with technology. Initially released on Richmond, Virginia-based Valiant Death Records, the record was followed by several US tours in 2007 with fellow electronic bands Abiku and The Emotron.

The band plays a unique brand of synth-infused progressive sludge metal.

Recommended if you dig: Howl, Black Tusk, Zoroaster

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3. New Keepers of the Water Towers- "Masterclaw". 

This track is taken off the band's 2009 release "Chronicles".

With a sound described as "a sonic Swedish collision between the heaviest of metal and the firmest of rock wrapped in lyrical themes of dwelling beasts and mythical creatures", NEW KEEPERS OF THE WATER TOWERS deliver a tightly executed mix of headiness and brawn.  The band's twin guitar attack and striking, earnest riffs create a dense, rhythmic roar assembled in such a way that each song will batter its way into your brain, heart, and memory.  The riffs are huge, the rhythms are sneaky and brutal, and the complex unison "guitarmonies" effortless, ranging from soft, almost psychedelic sections to gold-plated passages of no-nonsense headbanger frenzy.  Vocalist / guitarist Rasmus Booberg's spooky tenor, bluesy inflection and guttural roar rolls like thunder across epic songs spanning both the intense and the sublime, adding depth to an album that is bombastic and exciting from start to finish.

The band's latest release "The Calydonian Hunt" is currently available on Meteor City Records.

Recommended if you dig: Truckfighters, Asteroid, Freedom Hawk

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4. Noctum-"Mistress".

This track is taken off their latest release "The Seance".

Yet another band from Sweden pouring their soul into slabs of tasty doom rock. Combining thunderous bass lines, ferocious riffing and a vocalist eerily reminescent of Magnus Pelander from Witchcraft this band takes their cue from the many great doom bands of the seventies. This a band to watch out for.

Recommended if you dig: Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Witchcraft

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5. Stonewall Noise Orchestra-"Black Cat Bone".

This track is taken off of their most recent release "Sweet Mississippi Deal" on Transubstans Records.


Stonewall Noise Orchestra is rooted in the beautiful industrial city of Borlänge, Sweden. The band, wich consists of members from Demon Cleaner (Snicken and Jansson), Greenleaf (Jansson) and several other constellations was formed in the summer of 2004. Mr. Pillow joined the last Demon Cleaner tour and did a great job. Jonas and Lars-Inge have been around in the local rock scene for many years so it came natural to them to join the “noise orchestra”.Influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Soundgarden and Monster Magnet they manage to deliver their own unique version of pure ground pounding rock with great vocals and melodies.


Recommended if you dig: Greenleaf, The Awesome Machine, Devil To Pay

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Heavy Rotation: Weedeater, Orange Goblin, Lo-Pan, Robot Lords of Tokyo, Crowned By Fire

This week's version of "Heavy Rotation" is going to be a little different. I have chosen 5 songs from 5 albums that I have been listening to and put them in a "Heavy Rotation" playlist along with a bit of commentary. Click on each album cover to listen to song.



1. The first track "Mancoon" comes off of Jason...The Dragon the new album by Southern Sludge mongers Weedeater. If you liked the previous albums by this band you will love this new album. This track is a nice thick as hell slab of bass heavy riffage. Quick and to the point.

Here is an excellent review of the CD:

The Sleeping Shaman

by Pete Hamilton-Giles

"It was with great anticipation that Weedeater's new album Jason...The Dragon arrived for review. After God Luck and Good Speed, a lot must have been hanging for all interested parties on Weedeater upping the anti by releasing something even bigger, greater and more awe inspiring. Having toured the aforesaid album in Europe two times in as many years, a new release was well overdue. Jason...The Dragon may have been a strange name for the album, and yet all you need to do is adopt the North Carolina drawl and suddenly the once innocent childlike title is transformed into something far more Dixie appropriate. I did chuckle when I realised how accomplished the band have come to achieving sleight of hand word play." (Read more...)

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2. The next track is a bit of a rarity. I must say that this was actually the first time I heard Orange Goblin's cover of Trouble's "Black Shapes of Doom". There is not much else I could possibly say other than just listen. It appears that the song is only available on the version of the new Orange Goblin box set sold through Rise Above Records. The song is included as a bonus track on the "Frequencies From Planet Ten" CD. I could be wrong of course.

"Frequencies from Planet Ten is the sound of Orange Goblin trying to establish ourselves and experimenting with an array of different influences. It was an exciting time for us as we were just finding our feet as a band. We were young and the UK stoner /doom scene was just coming to fruition so it was great to be a part of that. The album has been out of print for a while, its great that its getting a re-release. I think the songs still sound strong and relevant, which is why we still include a lot of this material in our live set to this day and a lot of the newer OG fans can discover where it all started, only this time re-mastered and with the addition of bonus tracks and unseen artwork!"

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3. What would a playlist be without a song from Lo-Pan? "Spartacus" personifies what Lo-Pan is all about. A great driving heavy rock song with soaring vocals and a killer riff. Perfect! This song was taken off of their current album "Salvador" out on Small Stone Records now!

Here is an excellent review of the CD:

HellRide

by Jay Snyder

"A raging, beating heart with a big set of balls hanging underneath is what immediately comes to mind whenever I think of Columbus, Ohio’s powerhouse quartet Lo-Pan. This band runs on nothing but steam powered emotion, and honest rock n’ roll. From the first time I saw the band I was impressed, and once Jeff jumped behind the microphone (or rejumped according to the band members themselves) the magic was complete. The band sounded ready to take on the world with the Sasquanaut LP, and subsequently took my soul by storm with each live gig I had the pleasure of witnessing. These guys were on a fuckin’ tear, and it was easy to tell that their next record was going to be one for the books." (Read more...)

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4. The next track on the playlist is "The Mergatroid" by Robot Lords of Tokyo. This one goes back a few years. Taken off the band's 2008 album "Whiskey, Blood & Napalm", "this sophomore release positively drips with alcohol-fueled riffage, guitar hero shredding, and more groove-metal swagger than you can shake a stick at. For fans of Sabbath, Down, Clutch, and fleet-fingered guitar solos."

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5. The final track comes to you from Crowned By Fire. Taken from their latest CD "Prone To Destroy", this band takes on a more metal approach by combining machine-like drumming with groove metal riffing and angst driven vocals. Fans of Pantera, Black Label Society, and Black Sabbath rejoice.

"Not many bands can nail the true Heavy Metal style like these 4 dudes, blending everything from 70's Hard Rock to Doom Metal and everything in between" Ed - DOOMMANTIA

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Heavy Rotation: Wizard Eye-Orbital Rites

Wizard Eye is, how can I say it, ummm, simply fucking amazing! That is why they are in today's version of Heavy Rotation.

A few months back I was perusing the Bandcamp site for some new tunes and came across Wizard Eye. I thought it sounded like a pretty cool name for a band so I decided to give them a listen. I was a bit confused because the release date of the album says that it was released 18 December 1974. I thought to myself, how could I have let this one slip through the cracks.  If you are unfamiliar with Wizard Eye, which I'm sorry to say I was, here is a bit of a bio:

"Formed in late 2007, Wizard Eye comprises three like-minded brethren whose combined experience includes almost two decades of music performance ranging up and down the East Coast of the United States at countless venues ranging from New York City's finest showcase rooms to down-and-dirty basement parties in the kudzu fields of Raleigh, NC."

Ok, now on to the music...the album starts off with a spacey flange heavy intro piece titled "Orbital Rites: Phase 1" which leads into the ultra fuzzy riffs of "Say No More". The high hat sets the rythym and the toms blast away into a killer groove. The song then winds down to a slow and low tempo complete with cowbell and finishing off with some badass guitar licks. The strained whiskey soaked vocals are a perfect fit. Next track "C.O.C." has a nice flow and is very psychedelic with spaceship sounds and a thomp thomp bass line. The fast paced bass-driven "On the Banks of the River" is nice and sludgy. The almost entirely Doom-laden instrumental "Psychonaut" is up next, it features a pounding rythym and nice guitar harmonies. "The Dying Breath" is the longest track on the album clocking in at 7:21 and is slow and heavy. Groovy instrumental "Gravebreath" leads into the doomy southern rawk swagger of "In Defiance of Augury" featuring an almost Anselmo-like vocal.

Orbital Rites is an eclectic mix of fuzz, doom, southern rock, space and psychedelic. If I were to explain how the band sounds, I would sum it up as Down, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet and Molly Hatchet getting together for one badass jam party. Go now to the band's Bandcamp site to download the album for free!



Wow! That is some long hair.

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Heavy Rotation: Orchid-Capricorn

When I first heard an EP from this band last year it left me wanting more. It was probably one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2011. Well, it did not disappoint. Therefore, "Capricorn" by San Francisco's Orchid is in "Heavy Rotation".

I guess what drew me into this band was how eerily similar they sounded like to my favorite band of all-time Black Sabbath (minus Ozzy sounding vocals). The feel of the album is very retro as if it could have been recorded back in the early seventies and I think that is what I enjoy most about this album. Now onto the music.

Despite the obvious Sabbath comparisons, the songs that makeup "Capricorn" are very well crafted. The  album starts off with the magnificant groove doom of "Eyes Behind the Wall" amidst running bass lines courtesy of bassist Keith Nickel, a mid -song tempo change and vocal layering which is what gives the album that incredible retro sound. The song eventually ends with some awesome soloing by guitarist Mark Thomas Baker, crunchy power chords and bombastic drum blasts. And yes, that is just track one. Next track, "Capricorn" starts off with a nice little bass solo, tears into a Hole in the Sky-like riff and then slows things down. I really like the vocals on this album, a very full sound ,a tad bit gritty and not too nasally. Next up is the uber-gloomy "Black Funeral" a slow dirge with a fast climactic ending.

 "Down Into the Earth" is by far my favorite track on the album. The song starts off with a very womp womp sounding bass riff then punches you in face with some serious guitar chords, I love the faint cowbell in this song too. At approximately the 3:30 mark the track takes a seriously trippy excursion to the depths of hell as drummer Carter Kennedy marches you into darkness with his high hat.

I love the way vocalist Theo Mindell sings along to the riff on "He Who Walks Alone" and around the 4:00 mark the song conjures up an almost Santana-like tribal rhythym. The album concludes in dramatic fashion with the beautifully spirited heavy-synthesized "Albatross". I can not say enough about this album other than the fact that it will ultimately end up on my best of 2011 list. Highly recommended!

Track Listing:

1. Eyes Behind the Wall

2. Capricorn
3. Black Funeral
4. Masters of it All
5. Down Into the Earth
6. He Who Walks Alone
7. Cosmonaut of Three
8. Electric Father
9. Albatross

The album is available now through The Church Within Records and has some pretty awesome packaging. Check out the details below:

The package is a high quality 8 pages CD-Wallet + 24 pages booklet


Beside this package there will be a lim. Edition Hardcoverbook of the album:
- luxurious (fake) leather hardcoverbook 21,5 cm x 15,5 cm
- alternative Coverartwork
- 24 pages booklet
- embroidered patch

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Heavy Rotation-Backwoods Payback-"Self-Titled"

After hearing about the band's recent signing to Small Stone Records and the impending release of their second full-length album, I decided to go back and listen to the band's self-titled debut. Therefore, Backwoods Payback is in "Heavy Rotation".

When I first heard Backwoods Payback the first thing I heard was the obvious Clutch influence. This was confirmed when I told my wife to listen and tell me what she thought and she said "Is this Clutch?", well enough of the obvious, lets discuss just how badass this band is.

Backwoods Payback is a grimey whisky-driven Stoner Rock band from Eastern, PA that adds heavy fuckin' Doom riffs and a southern rock flare to their music. One might also say that they hear a bit of a resemblence to Glenn Danzig in guitarist/vocalist Mike Cummings vocals.

The album opens with an "homage" to former Philadelphia Phillies all-star "Mickey Morandini", the song thuds along to a slow lumbering riff calling out "I thought I told you before, I'm a motherfucker!". And continues to verbally assault to a repeating "You don't wanna fuck with me". After the assault, the band begins to settle into what they do best and that is to kick a killer groove and they do just that on "Baja 6 Pack"

Next track"Brandywine" features an organ that eerily creeps around in the background and is a nice change of pace.  While "Wide-Eyed" has a sweet laid back riff that gets stuck in your head and gets your head bobbing.

The flanged-out spacey beginning of "Bastard Squad" leads into a nice and slow Clutch-like groove. Slow and low that is the tempo. Next up is probably my favorite song on the album "You Shittin' Me?" Screaming out "Do you know the life I lead, it's leading me to hell" is then followed by a blistering southern rock lick and around the 2 minute mark plunges you in to the depths of hell with a nice doom groove. That shit never gets old.

The rest of the album continues along in much the same fashion with the standout tracks being "16 Penny Driven" in which Dave Sherman (Earthride, ex-Spirit Caravan) lends his vocal talents and the heavy boogie flavor of "Kill All Hell". 

These 3 guys and 1 girl are not out to reinvent the wheel, they are just out to have a good time and do what they love to do, rock! Can't wait to hear what Backwoods Payback has in store for 2011. The band has just released details on a tour with Lo-Pan. Click here for details.

Highly recommended for fans of Clutch, Scissorfight, Alabama Thunderpussy, Artimus Pyledriver




Backwoods Payback is:

Mike Cummings: Guitar, Vocals
Jessica Baker: Bass
Rylan Caspar: Guitar
W.S. Curtiss: Drums

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"Heavy Rotation"- Sungrazer-"Self-Titled"

The album I have in "Heavy Rotation" this week is the self-titled debut from Sungrazer.

Bio:

Sungrazer is a heavy rock three piece formed in the beginning of 2009. Their music ranges from psychedelic jams to stoner rock. Dutch music medium VPRO 3VOOR12 wrote: "After a mad and sometimes reckless journey through swamp and desert, the members of Sungrazer seem to have reached their final destination. Return to the stoner roots, so with a twist of Kyuss! Calm, rising and dragging riffs, sometimes with a psychedelic edge, alternate heavy droning choruses."

In May-July and September 2009 the band was involved in an international theatre production where they wrote music for a theater play called Wunschkamer. They played in theaters together with the actors of Theatergroep Het Vervolg from Maastricht and Theater K from Aachen. There they met Conny Schneider; she accompanies the band on saxophone occasionally.

In February 2010 they won the Nu of Nooit contest which means that they played at the Pinkpop festival 28th of May!!!

Sungrazer signed a record deal with Elektrohasch in May 2010.

Now onto the music...

The first time that I ever heard of Sungrazer was on the PlanetFuzz compilation Cowbells & Cobwebs and couldn't wait to get my hands on more music from the band. I must honestly say that since getting their latest self-titled album or 6 song-extended EP if you prefer, I cannot take this CD off of my MP3 player, therefore I am placing it in "Heavy Rotation".

As you would naturally expect by the name of the band, the obvious assumption would be that the band plays a brand of desert/psychedelic/stoner rock. Well if you did make that assumption you would be correct. Okay now a little bit about the music. The album as a whole is a great album to just put on the headphones and chill out to. Think of a mix between Kyuss and Colour Haze.

The band does a great job of starting off the songs soft and washy and eventually crushing you with a tidal wave of heavy, this is best evidenced on the song "Zero, Zero" which has a bit of a jazzy feel and is probably my favorite tune on the album. The grooves are thick and lumbering and go deep into your soul.

"Common Believer" starts off with a fantastic riff while drummer Hans Mulders beats the shit out of his cymbals, while keeping the listener on a steady ride through the desert. Vocalist and guitarist Rutger Smeets
(great name, by the way) has that cool as hell lazy vocal delivery and emits one of the best fuzzed-out guitar sounds I've ever heard. Bassist Sander Haagmans starts off "Mountain Dusk" with a down right funky groove as the song builds into another sonic blast of killer stoner rock goodness.

Each song is gradually epic, thunderously heavy, spacey, and beautifully melodic. What more can you ask for? I say just go listen for yourself, you'll be glad you did. This is worthy of Top 10 status for 2011 and will be on "heavy rotation" throughout the year and beyond.

Tracklist:

1.If
2.Intermezzo
3.Somo
4.Common Believer
5.Zero Zero
6.Mountain Dusk

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Heavy Rotation: Acid Witch-Stoned

This week in Heavy Rotation is "Stoned" by Acid Witch.

I loved their previous effort "Witchtanic Hellucinations", so I figured I'd give this one a listen. The band has gone through a bit of a  lineup change since that release so I was a bit skeptical at first. Well, throw that misconception out the door because this release is just as badass if not better. For those of you unfamiliar with the band's sound, think of Satan dropping acid and taking a psychedelic trip back in time to have a few beers with the forefathers of doom and playing their instruments as loud as they possibly can.

Now a little bit about the album. "Stoned" is full of organ heavy psych-tinged songs, complete with horror snippets, wailing guitar tangents, and a coarse throated vocalist. There are plenty of time changes to keep the listener interested along with some of the most bombastic grooves you have ever heard. One of the things on this album that stood out for me was the guitar sound, it just has this heavy-fuzzed out sound that almost sounds like it is a bit over-produced but it absolutley works. The album has a very cohesive feel and will give you the creeps with its spooky and Satanic aura. This album is not for the meek or timid. This is evil doom metal at its finest hour (40:50 to be exact).

What others are saying:

Doommantia

"Acid Witch are back with their follow-up full length album to 2008's "Witchtanic Hellucinations" album titled "Stoned." In 2008, Acid Witch blew some new life into the scene with their very tongue firmly in the cheek tales of Halloween and Witches. The sound was fresh, incredibly heavy and creepy but most important to most listeners, it was an infectious blend of Doom, Death, Psychedelia and cheesy Horror movie soundtracks. Proving that they were more than just a simple novelty act...Read more


The Obelisk

"The second full-length from Detroit horror-obsessed doom and rollers Acid Witch might be the most aptly-named album of the year. They called it Stoned. Their first release through the extreme metal imprint Hell’s Headbangers (an appropriate home given Acid Witch’s deathly leanings), Stoned follows on the hooves of the Midnight Mass vinyl-only EP, released just a couple weeks prior, and fleshes out the ideas nascent on 2008’s Witchtanic Hallucinations debut. In many ways, the opening track, “Satanic Faith,” says it all. Spooky organs, horror movie samples, gleeful reveling in devil-worship; it’s all in good fun for the duo of Shagrat and Slasher Dave, and with the level of riffly mischief they get up to on tracks like “Trick or Treat,” there’s plenty of heaviness to back up the lighthearted approach...Read more






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Heavy Rotation-Super Invader

Welcome back to a feature I call "Heavy Rotation". I started this feature in the summer and kind of forgot about it, but after a few e-mails I got from readers telling me to bring it back that is what I decided to do. If this is your first time reading this article, the feature is pretty much self-explanitory. It is basically going to be a mini-review of an album I have been listening to pretty solidly for the past week. This week that album happens to be the self-titled debut by Super Invader.

Bio:

SUPER INVADER consists of ex-Bullets for Baby, VUAL and Super Zoediac people. The band formed in Omaha Ne, 2009. In late 2010, Mike Siebels of the Omaha based band, Tendead, recorded the debut SUPER INVADER album in less than four months. The band plays heavy riff driven rock n roll that will crush you.

"The lead track "The Many Ways To Burn"off of Super Invader's debut album begins with what sounds like a spaceship landing and sirens going off in a panic, it then blasts into a slow metallic stoner groove. Vocalist Adam's raspy voice calmly sings "you can run, and you can hide, do you know where the beast lies?". I was expecting more crushing riffs, but a nice little acoustic track called "Shallow" took me by surprise, being the first of four on the album. What follows next are two crunchy, heavy as hell tracks with the tune "Aquarius Bleeding" being my favorite of the two. Next up is the third acoustic track called "Into Madness". I am always a sucker when it comes to acoustic tracks if done right and if placed correctly within an album. It can make the song that ensues sound that much heavier (i.e Planet Caravan/Iron Man) which is what I believe Super Invader is attempting to do. Job well done! The riff on "Dopedick" is sick! The third acoustic track "Hand Rolled Blues" once again leads into an unforgiving riff on "A Long Walk To Nowhere". The album closes with the fourth acoustic track "Howl About America" played along to Peter Finch's  famous lines from the 1976 flick "Network" screaming at the top of his lungs "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Although some may say that there may be too many acoustic tracks for a Stoner metal album, I found them to be rather enjoyable and played out very well leading into some crushingly heavy tracks. Super Invader has taken influences from Black Sabbath to High On Fire and created a very promising debut. This album is in my Heavy Rotation!





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