Quick Hit: JUKEBOX MONKEYS - "GREY SKIES RED PLANET"

Jukebox Monkey have created a wonderful mix of contradictions with "Grey Skies Red Planet", delivering a clean sound via a wonderfully nasty disposition, a southern rock style of frankness without any direct homage...in fact, in foregoing anyone else's sound or style they are somehow reminiscent in doses of almost everyone, a mean feat from this mean foursome of warrior isle brawlers, who in doing so have developed their own unique style that is an upfront, in your face,  stoner rock bruiser of a record, inexorable and steadfast in its mammoth assault of sound, ornery in its temperament, and euphoric in its deeply fuzzy experience.

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Album Review: Cybernetic Witch Cult - Troglodithic Trip

English rockers Cybernetic Witch Cult appear to be cruising comfortably at high speed right now, not only releasing albums in short order, but releasing albums of immense quality and gusto. There is a lot to love on each release and "Troglodithic Trip" is no exception to the rule. In fact it epitomizes the rule.

Band members are:

..Alex - Cosmic Narration & Fuzz dispenser..
..Kale - Undercurrent, Visual Wizardry & Secondary Narration..
..Lewis - Groovaceous Battery..

Right out of the gate the album launches a broadside of hefty stoner fuzz guitar grinding out an almost plodding track of force and focus leading up to perfectly matched scratchbox vocals on "Sagittarius A*". The tempo kicks up a half notch on the following "Astrogalactic Sprites" as the power kicks up tenfold, surrounded in a cold, dark slurry of haunting atmospheric oppression. "Cult of the Druid" is a dark and deep odyssey that plugs into your primal core with melodic runs, searing riffs, and scorching solos of psychedelic marvel.

The journey to this point has been a soul buttressing delight. But it's not over. Not by a long shot.

"Forbidden Fruit" is forceful, memorable, enjoyable, and loud. It's a rapturous hookfest of haunting ferocity. Brutal and bold, "Human" manages to turn a space opera into a low-tuned stoner tour de force, thrilling at every turn, delighting in every expression of instrument and voice.

The album closes out with the best song of the collection, "Tyrannosaurus Hex". It's a mammoth blast of ecstasy and amplification, of indelible melody, of three metal musicians from the warrior isles masterfully wielding their weapons, wreaking unyielding gratification, sparing no acolyte of these dark, fuzzy arts.

"Black magic teleport me,
Into its territory,
Send me back to a distant time.
Cretaceous Tyrant Lizard King
Come forth and hear my summoning.
Tyrannosaurus Hex will save the Earth,
Will save the Earth."

I love it.

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Album Review: Slumber Dust - "Slumber Dust"

Fuzz, beautiful fuzz. It's what rock music these days in the mainstream is missing more than anything, it seems to me. The seeming reckless unleashing of the guitar in wonderful variation makes for beautiful metal musical constructs, vehicles of dank, dusk, and gloom that exhilarate and soar, deftly gliding through gritty, grimy filters of string and skin . We call it stoner, desert, doom, and sludge. It began in earnest as a genre in the 90s and exploded in that first fertile decade of the new century. And so now it forcefully powers through its third decade, hurtling fiercely toward a fourth, as strong as ever, witnessed by the massive number of artists and albums releasing new music almost daily on a worldwide scale. A hallmark of this ever awesome underground reverie is the subject of today's review, Slumber Dust, hailing just a stone throw from Buffalo, across the border in Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Slumber Dust are a three piece faction of foot stomping, ass grinding metal rockers who bring an essential musical, metal deference to their brand of stoner rock and their initial self titled EP release.

At the time of recording, Slumber Dust were comprised of 3 members:

Geoff Graham - Vocals, and Guitar
Mike Manseau - Bass
Chance Watt - Drums

But the early history of the band was that of Geoff writing and playing songs with Kevin King, who can be heard on the underground recording of "Saturn's Basement" that is comprised of two of their songs, and seen in the accompanying video below. Well before Slumber Dust were able to properly record the album in a studio, Kevin passed away. Undaunted, Geoff formed the three piece named above and engineered the EP's recording and release on BandCamp.

Since the release of "Slumber Dust", Chance has been replaced with Eric James, and the new three piece arrangement are hard at work on 8 new monstrous tracks for their second release.

The EP opens with "The Last Starfighter", which quickly establishes the wealth of gifts these three Canadian lads have on offer. Guitar, bass, and drums are all immediately established with a clamor and commotion of fuzz galore. Following not long after are Geoff's vocals, a perfect complement to the underlying undulations. The song is heady, steady, and huge, with a persistent one two punch of rhythm that soon gives way to a mind bending instrumental stretch.

The tempo is tightened on "Angels", crunching and crackling with a blue spark of elecrtricity. "Pryamids" follows with a stoner huzzah, brandishing an engorged feast of melodic fuzz. This song will be on my 2016 mix, and beyond, as one of special quality.

"Samadhi" continues the established trend with huge and hungry guitar leading the way through a fun and original melody, this one with an exquisite haunting quality that flashes into your consciousness immediately, staying long after. "Ksitigarbha" is a sloshing, slogging doomcast of dark and dangerous undertones, leading perfectly into the finale, "Bad Karma", which again establishes Slumber Dust's keenness for melody wrapped in heavy, syrupy blankets of muddy fuzz.

I've been quick to note the guitar work and outstanding vocals of frontman Geoff Graham, but equally gifted and energetic on this album are both Mike Manseau's bass and Chance Watt's drums. Mike makes the bass soar under the reedy landscape of melody with his own expert riffs of low bliss. Chance's drums are simply fun incarnate, never taking a backseat to the renown of riff or lead of vocal, while complementing both.

Slumber Dust are a young band, just getting started on their long, musical assault of stoner riches. We look forward to what they have in store for us in the future.



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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split - Mamont - "Passing Through the Mastery Door" / Atlantic Valley - "Mammoth"

Today, Followers of the Fuzz, we present to you for your listening pleasure 2 bands who wield the fuzz the way Thor wields Mjolnir, or Conan his broadword, or The Sword Saint, Miyamoto Musashi, his katana and wakazashi, not with reckless abandon, but with the epitome of skill, grace, power, and intent. These guys strike for the ultimate outcome, which in the case of the music is to deliver the killing blow of pure stoner rock awesomeness. This isn't to say you won't hear elements of other styles as well, but make no mistake, the power and the fury today are stoner fuzz at its finest.
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MAMONT - "PASSING THROUGH THE MASTERY DOOR"

Mamont hail from Nyköping, Sweden, a small town south of Stockholm. Members include:

Karl Adolffson - guitar, vocals
Jonathan Wårdsäter - guitar
VictorWårdsäter - bass
Jimmy Karlsson - drums

"Passing Through the Mastery Door" is their first LP, although they have previously released an excellent self titled EP in 2011. While today we are promoting the latest LP released late in 2012, it is quite interesting to listen to both the 3 track EP and the later 8 track LP. The Mamont musical stamp is present on both, to be sure, in terms of song structure. These guys write beautiful stoner rock music, intelligent, fun, and exciting, all rare qualities when it comes to manufacturing notes, times, rhythms, patterns, etc. But the best part of listening to both the earlier EP and the newer LP is going from the exquisite songs from the 3 track release and discovering exponential growth in the song writing and delivery on the 8 song release. It's quite phenomenal, something of a pleasant surprise, something that generates excitement, appreciation, and admiration. Whatever it was these guys did to come up with the much fuzzier, more distorted, higher energy music laid down in conjunction with superb, stellar melodies on the LP is quite refreshing and deserves a full measure of thanks for anyone who thrives on listening to this rare breed of sound. Yes, we hear a LOT of great music, both old and new, on an almost daily basis, but to hear impeccably intelligent stoner rock is rare and to be treasured.

There is a story in "Passing Through the Mastery Door" according to the band's bio. The journey to discovering that story by listening through it over and over should be quite enjoyable indeed. I can't pretend to have unlocked the tale as of yet, so the best I can do is focus on the rapture of the sound.

"Mammuten" is the starting point where no time is wasted in unleashing the lumbering beast of fuzz upon an audience perhaps brimming with anticipation. Slow and purposeful, the huge low tuned guitar trudges forth soon to be accompanied by the signature stoner riffs reminiscent of much earlier stoner sounds found in Dozer or Truckfigthters. Ever so exquisitely and deliberately the song morphs into a psychedelic melange of distortion and guile before giving way to its successor "Jag Sår Ett Frö", carrying straight through on the fuzz carpet of distortion introduced in the opener. The hazy, psychedelic atmosphere carries forward as well with a haunting vocal that soon unleashes our first exposure to the raspy edged lyric delivery that can only be described as perfectly matching this heavy, deep pile music.

Full dose exposure to the vocals occurs on Track 3, "Creatures", where there may be as many as a half dozen beasts unleashed, if you count the dueling, snarling guitar riffs, undercurrents of richter scale bass, boulder crushing drumwork, and the aforementioned stylings of Mamont's vocal delivery via lead vocalist Karl Adolfsson, as all come together to tell the tale of the evil demons central to the tale.

Between "Blind Man (Part III)" and "Satan's Fasoner" we are treated to stoner rock of exceptional quality, with gargantuan waves of fuzz and cheese grater vocals extraordinaire, none perhaps more exquisite than "The Secret of the Owl" with its barely controlled urgency and  breathless delivery.

This is a rare stoner rock gem that unfortunately slipped through the cracks of my new release tracking system this past September/October. When I go back I see clearly that I had it marked as well above average, meaning in line for quick review. For some reason it got missed until now. But, better now than not at all, and while it may have missed out on end of year 'Best Of' lists, it certainly will get played over and over for years to come as often, if not more, than many of those albums that did make the list.




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ATLANTIC VALLEY - "MAMMOTH"

Atlantic Valley are a Spanish 4 piece stoner rock band hailing from Vigo, Galicia. This is a group of musicians who are just getting warmed up when it comes to producing rock music. They were the winners of a local band contest that spurred them toward recording and releasing their first EP, which, with 6 songs, is of sufficient length to satisfy that deep down craving for meaty, beefy, delicious fuzz. One of the hallmarks of the EP is the lyrics are both in Spanish and English, depending on the song, which does not detract from the slick melodies this new band of four have conjured around their low tuned and wonderfully overdriven delivery.

Band members:

Simón Nicolás - Drums
Angel Pèrez - Bass
Alexandre Alonso - Vocals
Marcus Domato - Guitars, Backing Vocals

Bright and insistent fuzz riffs greet us on the opening track, "Summered Cold Office", with lyrics on the opener in English. The vocals are well suited to the music, never yelling the sound, but singing with a raspy deftness entirely suited to this heavy brand of rock. The tempo is upbeat and energetic for the opening minutes before the song segues into something more deliberate and purposeful for the closing minutes.

"Irreal" opens with a gigantic stoner riff that accompanies the Spanish lyrics and perfectly weighted vocals. Large and low the song is steadfast in its delivery throughout, steady in tempo, and sturdy in the blending of sound.

"Van Scape" kicks the tempo up a couple of notches from its forerunner, laying out heavily distorted licks undercut by immense bass riffs and insistent drum punches. Edgy and distant, the vocals completely complement the music.

"Loia" has an extended, memorable opening, placing much of the onus of the music on adept and agile drumwork, a theme that carries throughout this song of haunting eloquence and brutal delivery.

"Doom Exequo" has elements of stoner punk infused throughout the length of this superb melody. The shackles are dropped for an all out blitzkrieg onslaught from fuzz strings and raspy edged vocals, as well as Olympian drums and mountain devouring bass.

"Titan" brings in a psychedelic element to the band's stoner sound before giving way to their punkish traits once again. These are elements simply used as vehicles for delivery of deep pile fuzz along massive waves of distortion.

This is more than a valiant initial effort from an up and coming stoner rock band, for, despite the unpolished edges, it delivers 6 quality songs heavy in low, overdriven tones, well written melodies, and deftly delivered by gifted and motivated musicians. This album is that rare case where everything works all the time. I am certain you will enjoy this freshman effort immensely and, like me, look forward to their next release and its accompanying growth.





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Zac's "Double Dose": KEN Mode / ZAYN

KEN mode: Entrench

I hope I am formally introducing some of you to KEN mode, the three piece annihilation machine from Winnipeg, Manitoba (composed of two brothers and a rotating bass player). Historically known for their fusion of noise rock and hardcore KEN mode bring an intensity and overwhelming sense of chaos to the choppin' block (cleaver included). KEN mode are like Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan's younger sibling... bare chest, gnashing teeth, and prepared to spar for for an alpha spot... and definitely not afraid to try something a little sly in the process (very much like their elder kin). KEN mode formed in 1999 and have since released four full length albums, with the fifth, Entrench, dropping yesterday (Tuesday March 19th) via Season of Mist.

Entrench's opening track Counter Culture Complex kick the album off in a very noisey and punk fashion , but not before a few taps on a drum head and a dizzying cello oscillation suprise the senses. The following tracks, and much of the album, stay true to the hardcore / noise foundation. But don't let these adjectives turn you away from Entrench, listen closely and enjoy the glorious loads of resonance and feedback from KEN's latest bassist Andrew LaCour. These three are creative and their injection of sludge leave an impression of experience and knowledge of their craft. Take my favorite track The Terror Pulse for a spin (click play below), and experience the discordant guitar squel and sacrifical tribal wallop with more of those sweaty bass-lines. Entrench continues to ebb and flow between fast paced chaos and slower sludge... even devling into the depths of doom. This finally brings us to our whimsical and relaxing outro Monomyth, which contrasts immensly from Entrench entirely. Here we are absorbed into an airy atmosphere filled with reeling cellos and gently plucked strings. A finish that allows us to catch our breath and speculate. How does a trio of testoterone with the cojones to name themselves KEN (Kill Everyone Now) mode get off finishing an album like that? I haven't a clue and, quite honestly, I couldn't care in the least. All I know is I'm impressed.

Members:

Andrew LaCour - Bass // Backing-Vocals

Jesse Matthewson - Vocals // Guitar

Shane Matthewson - Drums

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ZAYN: Medeia

Some two years ago, inside the confines of Bjelovar, Croatia four persons banded together in search of an experimental purging. Choosing a name and a path, ZAYN came into existance and began their orchestral journey. Avoiding standard musical architecture, ZAYN's instrumental approach mold post-rock into jazz, doom and desert rock. All this variety will certainly overwhelm listener's senses. The musicians also employ minimal repetition, allowing the songs to grow, writhe and transform. This can be strange for any desert, doom or stoner fan... because we happen to like our repetitive RIFFS! That's okay though ZAYN have other ways of captivating the conscious and it all begins with static strumming and some desert rock intensity. ZAYN's debut album Medeia sets off with album opener In love, In anger, In vain. Medeia is based off an ancient Greek tragedy in which the grandaughter of the sun god is abondoned by her bewitched husband and seeks revenge through the slaying of her children and to fleeing to Athens on a firery chariot only to find herself in another sultry situation. Without further SparkNotes, album opener In love... sums up the emotions of a confused and enraged mother all to well. The music flows and corresponds to the story quite well using fast paced hammer on's and plenty of use of heavy and loud moments contrasting with hushed stillness. Each track seems to find moments of doom and loads of Miles Davis-esque timing, making each living moment of Medeia incalcuable. Check out the hodgepodge of genius in my favorite track Motherismus below and if you think you can handle more get over to bandcamp, because our friend's in ZAYN are offering this evolutionary piece of music for FREE!

Members:

Alen Rožman - Drums

Bojan Gatalica - Guitar

Marko Dragičević - Guitar

Miran Kapelac - Bass

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Album Review: Triggerman - "Hail to the River Gods"

Hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland come a hard hitting, rock breaking, sledge hammer of a band that has one goal in mind when cranking out their seven splendid tunes on the new release, “Hail to the River Gods” and that’s to . . . well, to ROCK! Plain and simple. Their music is plain and simple, by design, but not at the expense of any detail for it is overflowing with energy and power, craft and material. The effort is there, in spades. The talent is there, they are a mightily gifted foursome. The skill is there, these guys have put in the time. They have very carefully, and whole-heartedly crafted a collection of tunes that play heavy on the loud, on a central theme of huge guitars, of granite splitting trap set ricochets, of the earthquake rumble of an all out battery of bass riffs, of a front man soliloquy surrounded by the blitzkrieg assault of fully loaded instrumentation, all wrapped up in a party atmosphere carefully crafted from painstaking care in songcraft and delivery.

Triggerman consist of:

Bap on Vocals and Guitar
Niall on Guitar
Rory on Drums
Dixie on Bass

These guys play hard and play well, with a fierceness and a joy that is the hallmark of great rock.

The album is huge, with seven meaty songs that will have you wearing a whiplash collar the following day. They start the album off with “Rage of the Goddess”, calling in all rubes with a promise of heavy riffs and fire inducing solos, slammed into a box of deep bass, and pounded shut with a thousand drumbeats.

“Rise of the Woodsman” is fast and fuzzy, led by huge guitars and Bap’s Carny Bark vocals that drive it all home.

The title track, “Hail to the River Gods” is third, picking up the same huge and heavy sound of its predecessors, this time delivering a gung ho melody of inspiration and adventure.

“Th’on Strange Brew” is tight and fun, a jab, jab, hook type of rhythm that delivers big on sound and enjoyment.

Next up is “The Flower of Life”, following the tried and true formula already established, just a fun and heavy construction of complex guitars and hard hitting drums, wrapped up in a thunder of bass riffage.

Time to deliver even louder, bigger, harder, faster because the outcome of number six is to “Wake the Dead”. Are they successful? Hell Yeah!! This hairy adventure is full of fury and fun.

The closer is a long slow build up of power and angst, building step by step to a huge, compelling climax of what Triggerman deliver best - straight up guitars as big as Hell, hard pounding drums, heavy granite busting bass, and a no frills vocal delivery.

This album is nothing but pure and unadulterated metal, delivering finely crafted rock that is rock as it should be. It is roaring thunder and crashing tidal waves, freight trains rolling across the night desert through a maelstrom of hail and crashing lightning. It is the constant staccato rhythm of big city construction pounding relentlessly away at concrete and steel. It is the spartan assault of 2 guitars, bass, drums, and unique vocal delivery that form the phalanx for a lean and brutal assault on the senses. It is music you can drink whiskey to, music you can pound your fist to, music you can party to, music you can fornicate to, raw and primal, with the pure essence and power of man in peak primordial form.

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