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If you are looking for new Stoner Rock, Doom, Heavy Psych or Sludge Metal bands, then you have come to the right place. Heavy Planet has been providing free promotion to independent and unsigned bands since 2008. Find your next favorite band at Heavy Planet. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Album Review: Black Science - An Echo Through the Eyes of Forever


Black Science come from Seattle, Washington, with a lot of gadgets, sound effects, psychedelic guitar riffs and lyrics about prescription drugs. 

With the new Flaming Lips album approaching, one would think the new Black Science album would serve as a perfect appetizer to that, but their album is as good as anything the Lips have released. Both bands share a number of similarities, particularly the vocals. They both seem to be influenced by the same types of singer, the post-Neil Young indie rock voice. Black Science are also testing out new dimensions of psychedelia, exploring further than most bands do. Moments throughout the record, you will hear melodies melt into other instruments like early Pink Floyd with the delay pedals turned up and sometimes exaggerated for artistic yearnings. This is obviously drug-induced music composed for the exceptionally open-minded. But don’t let the wild production fool you, this band can rock with the best of ‘em. The rhythm section is tasteful and tight. They are not a sloppy drug band, but a well rehearsed group of musicians messing with soundwaves and sonic euphoria. I feel like this is rock and roll for people who are bored with rock and roll. It offers more than just a good song, but experiments with the ear in ways no one has tried. If stripped from all sound effects, the songs would still be good, but they craft something more, music that grows inside you and develops the more you listen. Very few new bands can make a record like this, as focused as this and as trippy at the same time. 

An Echo Through the Eyes of Forever is a journey though space and time, if one had audio binoculars and a diverse record collection spanning the 1960’s and 70’s. Perhaps the music of the future is in those records of the past. I find that the most intriguing element of this band, that they somehow sound like the future by mixing all their influences of the past. It’s not retro, but also not completely irrelevant to the classic rock albums we all grew up on. 

Track one- “First Contact Manual” opens with underwater vocal effects and lyrics like “increase the dosage and think of me...” while the music is similar to Pink Floyd, slow and dreamy, yet still metronomic. I would imagine a Salvador Dali painting would accompany this music well. Parts morph into others like a surreal painting does. Not sure if that’s an intentional aspect of this band, or by accident. Nevertheless, it works. 

Most of this record is killer psyche-rock with traces of engineering dementia and it makes me wonder what their live experience is like. How does a band pull this off live? Songs like “Anywhere” have extreme sound effects on the vocals and even the guitars and drums are heavily processed. I’m not sure if anyone could replicate this music, it must be significantly different every show. 

A notable endeavor on this record is their cover of Guided By Voices’ “Hardcore UFOS”. But as I’d expect it to be totally different from the GBV version, it’s actually spot on and sounds like the original except for the extended trippy intro and outro. It fits into the sequence of songs on the album as one of their own. 

And what would close an album like this better than an epic fifteen minute track entitled “Our sentence is up”. It starts off like Black Sabbath, with riffs galore and some cowbell hard rock drumming. After an immense voyage of an album, Black Science wanted to show they can rock heavy and proper, as hard as any stoner band. It blends several movements into a long progressive composition with spoken word samples under an instrumental jam. This is Black Science at their most psychedelic. 

To go back to the Flaming Lips comparison, Black Science is the perfect combination of acid-rock and modern indie, much like Wayne Coyne’s vision, but a bit more updated. We shall see if Wayne Coyne’s new record is this good, but I doubt any band of this genre sounds this fresh and mind-altering. I highly recommend this to listeners that embrace the new. My only wish is that more bands had the imagination to conjure up something this thought provoking over killer guitar riffs and bad ass drum beats. I eagerly await a Black Science nation-wide tour so I can experience their music up close and intimate.

The members of Black Science are:

John G - guitar, vox, gadgets, sorcery
Adam Draeger - guitar, vox, keyboards, tomfoolery
Reverend Ryk - bass, keyboards, badassery
g. eichler - beats & brewmastery


Wiht - Harrowing of The North EP Review


This is one you don't see often, a real "zombie" EP- a newer record from a group recently folded with some bonus material!Wiht was a delicious little doom outfit which toured with everyone from Orange Goblin to Yob. A distinctly dark and texture rich record originally released as a 2 track album, this particular incarnation includes a 3rd, unreleased, bonus (End of the Reign)

1. "The Harrowing of the North"- 8 movements sonically depicting William the Conqueror's conquest of northern england. Excellent. This track is texturally magnificent, a range of ambient textures slowly mesh into winding and blistering distorted behemoths. Delayed contours shifting into beastly waltzes of doom, conjured sounds in 3/4 are pachyderm heavy. Swirling chorused/delayed shoegazing occurs in wild swirls until death-marches before turning into swaying ambient piano and beautiful layered synthesis. This great slow wave of death fades into a Pike-worthy battle command. The thing to note is how much time this band takes to really build each part, nothing feels rushed, but it sways in such an even manner - it's not long for the sake of being long, the intent is clear: it does not drag!

2."Orderic Vitalis"- Opened with down right disgusting bass-tones, the piece launches straight into a demonic sounding minor riff, the tension curls into eerie reverbed guitar lines that whisper and act as atmosphere as the bass drones. The band continues to flirt with lush reverb and delay, stopping in-between to place perfectly accented distorted riffs. A large canvas is drawn upon which the bass pounds the listener as long delayed guitars pierce through the foreground. The flirtation with a 6/8 polyrhythm occurs and the groove divides and freaks the listener. The guitar is both a mix of shoegazing fuzz and doomed out low-end in the tone department. A continuous build of ominous tension from the guitars whirls into delayed and reverbed-weirdness and grain until collapsing into a symphony of sine-waves and simple synthesis acting as a beautiful counterpoint to the range of contrast created prior.

3."End of the Reign"- Heralded by whispering ambient textures, thunder rumbles, industry, whistling wind-like feedback, and altered piano, the tune surges into a pounding d-beat style rhythm, before catapulting itself into a distorted sabbathian-romp. Sweltering into echoing, post-rockish guitar, the piece swells into a harmonized pentatonic gripping classic-rock inspired chord progression. The psychedelic echoed guitar is inescapable and gloriously wet. An excellent unearthed track.

For those of you interested, this trippy gem of a record has been reissued with the bonus track by Devouter Records here
The record is streaming on SoundCloud here


Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Zac's "Double Dose": El Camino / The Pod


El Camino: S/T EP 

This weeks Double Dose has plenty of variety for lovers of the avant-garde to the classic stoner fuzz. We'll start in Temuco, Chile with El Camino and their self-titled EP. The quartet got started some two years ago and by putting in the hard time they have independently released their debut EP, something we admire here at Heavy Planet. The sound is exactly what any stoner rock fan is looking for. Daniel's bass guitar is set to earth-shatter while the guitars [Cesar & Claudio] become tangled in a galactic battle between fuzzed out RIFF-age and flamboyant blues fret-men-ship. Something to be noted is Cesar's vocals which range from the standard stoner croon to an aggro-death style. If you're looking for some South American psychedelic stoner noise look no further than El Camino and their EP, which is streaming in its entirety at soundcloud!
 

Members: 
Anibal - Drums 
Cesar - Guitar // Vocals 
Claudio - Guitar 
Daniel - Bass

I email I soundcloud

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The Pod: Assassins in the Mirrored Hall 

The Double Dose has become a hot spot for one man bands recently, hasn't it?! This week's solo genius comes from the mind of Scott Endres of MAKE. As if Mr. Endres wasn't busy enough last year dropping two phenomenal records Trephine and Axis, he went and fired up his part time job, The Pod. This most recent release is entitled Assassins in the Mirrored Hall, a bold title. If you are unfamiliar, this projects core focus relies on an experimental drone foundation. The tracks are long and if you're looking for a stage show, you've came to the wrong bar. The song titles, in accord with the album name, are pretty epic as well. Naming songs like Citadel of Mirages and Reinvent the Wheel are a great way to catch this listeners eye. My favorite track Abandoned Ark sounds as though your on fire, from the loud and static cracks swirling as Scott's lonely guitar teases what is left of your sense of feeling. The track continues to build with the addition of a Nintendo era sound-loop morphing finally into a robotic drum machine. Psychedelic and disturbing. Check it out!

 

Members: 
Scott Endres

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

New Band To Burn One To: UFESAS

HEAVY PLANET presents...UFESAS!


BAND BIO:

Ufesas was born as a jam band with four friends in a garage, making music just for fun. Their influences come from very different places: Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Grateful Dead, Dias de Blues, Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Queens of the Stone Age, The Jesus and Mary Chain, among others. In June of 2008 they released their first EP, with their own label, Folie à Deux records, which contains four songs that describes the sound of the band, it was recorded in one day, just four guys in a room, playing with fire.


THOUGHTS:

"Ok, ok, I know this is not really a "new" release and really have no right to post it as "Heavy Planet presents..." due to the fact it was released in 2011 and is already widely spread all over the internet. But, unfortunately that is not the case. Since Heavy Planet is the bearer of all great music far and wide, we have decided to give this pretty awesome EP by Ufesas some more well deserved attention. Some of you may be familiar with the band's 2008 EP, if not then you should seek that one out as well (hint: click on last.fm link). The band hails from Uruguay and plays an echo-filled blend of dark and brooding psychedelic blues. With a heavy drone and steady tempo, the band slithers through an amazing collection of  righteous riffs that sift through the pillowing haze. Probably my favorite track on the album is the fuzzed-out heavy blues stomp "Dead Town Blues". The vast intensity reverberates and the suave vocals ooze on my other favorite track "She's the Devil in My Head". Very cool EP that should not be missed. If you happened to miss it the first time around, now is your chance. Oh yeah, and why the hell not, it's FREE!"

((myspace|bandcamp|last.fm))

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Monday, January 28, 2013

New Band To Burn One To: MAGE

HEAVY PLANET presents...MAGE!


BAND BIO:

Mage. Five unholy wizards compelled by the power of the riff and dark, dark magic. Forged in dragons fire atop a lightning lashed mountain in the year of our Lord two thousand and ten. Rumbling riffs combined with finely hewn words of power to conjure up images of otherwordly things creeping forth from the darkest reccesses... *ahem* ...Sorry about that... If you have a low "fantastical bullshit" threshold, we're basically five guys who've been around in a variety of bands over the years, brought together by a shared love of "THEE RIFF" and a desire to jam and see what happens. Turns out that what happens is a heavy Stoner/Doomy/Metal type thing, but with a whole bunch of other elements thrown in. Self titled studio EP released in 2011 and full length album, Black Sands, released 2012. Come worship at the altar...


THOUGHTS:

"With furious power and magnitude comes a new band from the UK, scorching the earth and laying waste to all in sight this band rules the land. This band I talk about is Mage. The music contained within their latest release "Black Sands" is a testament to the power of the riff. Combining an earth-shattering breed of devastating Stoner/Doom along side a straight forward in-your-face metal approach, the band succeeds in making a brilliant piece of work that is not only HEAVY, but also one that lays down groove and melody. Along with blazing guitars, thundering drums, rumbling bass and gruff vocals you are consumed by the ominous and dark nature of the band. Mage's debut full-length "Black Sands" is no doubt a thrilling listen through and through, but if I were to have choose a few standout tracks they would be "Cosmic Cruiser X", "Rust", "Surfing Temporal Tides" and "Witch of the Black Desert". Killer release! It comes as a very high recommendation."

((facebook|bandcamp|reverbnation))


Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sunday Sludge: o.d.r.a - "Karl Denke Blües"


Years ago, I was in line at Binny's Beverage Depot and in quite a fuckin' hurry to scam some squirrel. The man ahead of me was clearly angry, clearly Polish, and clearly drunk. I allowed other customers to crawl toward open registers... I had to see this. I just wanted to know what shortsighted act (on the part of Binny's, surely) had extracted such ire. This bulging beast of a man said nothing I understood, but I got the fucking point. He was pissed, he wanted his money back, and the milquetoast manager on the other end of the diatribe took no issue with handing this man forty fucking dollars. To this day, I grasp only that this man couldn't rely on charm or good looks. He had to spit in universal terms of anger and discontent to drive home his piss and vinegar.

Screening new music sometimes snags on barriers between languages, so a band that transcends such boundaries is doomed for success. On Karl Denke Blües, Wroclaw's o.d.r.a have stunted my growth and snapped my neck regardless of their Slavic tilt. I don't have the time to translate what they're saying, but the point is pretty clear: blues-based, NOLA-influenced sludge metal has somehow seeped into Poland. Increasingly prolific songwriting has put o.d.r.a on the radar, but their blues-infused skull-scrapes make short work of drawing-in fans of EYEHATEGOD and Buzzov*en.

Chudy's vocals quickly become an instrument, only partially because of language gaps. Widelec Heretyka sways with seasick sludge, an immediate smack in the face that will have listeners removing headphones and checking unlocked doors. The misanthropic blues and quick-cymbal paranoia establish an expectation for listeners that's gonna do a gray-matter dance. Odrowaz enters dark seas under a cloud of poor judgment, using jacked time signatures and breaking toward a pendulum grind that sways, wanes, and shuffles behind dirty blues rhythms.

When they aren't slugging turtles, o.d.r.a amp the stoner-sludge straight out of a gearhead's garage. Gnijace Miasto's fuzzed-out chop is too fast to give a fuck about the filth. Feedback douses itself with Zywiec and slaps itself cold. Zdziczaly Lump is the album's most confidently thick-fisted stoner structure, nearly lending itself to accessibility. But the smoky infusion knocks loose the prettiest of teeth with incredibly effective, nod-pregnant tempo shifts led by Ziolko's skinlab.

At times murderous, other times plainly ominous, Karl Denke Blües might be a soundtrack to your grandfather clutching his chest. Step over this trip wire all you want, the solos will bury you. Groove gets stuck in the thicket while rollick and bounce grow into trademarks. The twelve-minute network of cosmic licks atop a meaty buffet of chaos closes out the album on Inkwizytor. The track's keys, organs, whispers, and cryptic etchings squat beneath growing guitar noodles, choking and drowning even more strangely than you'd imagined. I guess you've just gotta hear it.

If they're not dragging you into a misty ditch, o.d.r.a take delight in throwing you ass-first into a moldy trunk. Take up residence there and smother your own screams. This delta-sludge vibe somehow landed on the other side of the pond, and the results are medieval and nut-clutched. The message is delivered regardless of the filter, and angst is quite clearly universal. Call it the bottom-line or a bottom-out, but Karl Denke Blües is a sludge treaty of sorts. o.d.r.a were one of Poland's first sludge acts, and here they deliver a fine audition as the country's finest.


Saturday, January 26, 2013

Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Jaw Horse - "Cancer Creek" / Enchantress - "Visualize"

Today I'm doing something I've not done before. I am taking inspiration from my Heavy Planet compatriot Zac, who was already the inspiration for the Atomic Split with his excellent weekly feature Zac's Double Dose. Both 'Double Dose' and 'Atomic Split' bring to you 2 albums in one review because quite frankly and quite awesomely there is a LOT of great new music out there which compels us to give our best shot in bringing it all to you. Today's Atomic Split features bands that were originally featured on Double Dose, bands that have now released full length albums of music that fulfill the promise Zac uncovered in his original reviews. And by fulfilling promise I ain't just whistlin' dixie, as my grandmother used to say, these bands are kick ass quality, delivering noteworthy and memorable music beyond typical stoner or metal fare. So, if you recall your first go around via Zac's Double Dose of either or both of these fine bands, you are now primed to experience sensory overload, and who doesn't love that!
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JAW HORSE - "CANCER CREEK"

Originally featured on Heavy Planet nearly a year ago in March, 2012 with a 3 song demo, Jaw Horse have now delivered a full 12 track album, "Cancer Creek", that is without a doubt a righteous dozen of fine rock and roll revelations. Jaw Horse employ a frenetic, energetic tempo to a blues fueled, swamp gas blend of nitro and blissful exertion. You might just end up sweating at the end of a song, and certainly by the end of the album, after romping through the paces set by the energy and power demonstrated all around, by all the members working like a well oiled, top fuel dragster spinning powerfully, resoundingly, inexorably toward a place that simply marks the end of the fun.

Jaw Horse are -

Kramer on guitar
Adam on guitar
Pugh on drums
Jovi on vocals

While they hail from central Pennsylvania their sound is more closely associated with southern climes given their penchant for blues infused heavy rock and vocals as deep fried and resonant as a fast moving thunder storm unleashing fury and might unexpectedly, horribly, and pitilessly across an unsuspecting landscape. Guitars are simply incredible on these songs, beyond comprehension. They seem to have taken the very best of blues rock, electrified, fuzzified, and amplified and kicked it all up a level, perhaps not breaking the paradigm, but managing to add to its definition.

There is only pleasure in listening to any of the twelve tracks on "Cancer Creek". The second track, "Don't Call it Holy" is memorable in a stoner blues foray of power and pleasure as Jovi's vocals provide the focal point upon which the song's excellent melody is played out in power and passion where guitars scorch and burn and drums are vigorous and unyielding in execution.

"Go Man Go" draws immediately upon early boogie rock while embellishing it with updated amplification and well placed distortion, making for a fun and memorable turn of nostalgic rock with a powerful modern imprint.

"Hang in There", while not quite as melodic as "Don't Call it Holy" instead provides a platform for a powerful, memorable romp just beyond the opening stanzas in which the engine of Jaw Creek's top fuel dragster guitars gets kick started, pumped full of nitro, and unleashed in an unfettered onslaught of guitar brutality.

Perhaps the signature song is "Mother Mary", a pacy, heart pounding tale that moves through different tempos while relaying a tale presumably of whoa which is accentuated perfectly by Jovi's ability to present a powerful, in your face presence without ever detracting from the equally powerful guitars.

A beautifully rendered and haunting blues romp, "Wrong Side of the River", closes out the album, with deep fuzzy guitars, bright insistent guitars, and chained lightning guitars of brilliance and joy.

All in all this is an album of pure enjoyment, where elements of stoner rock, blues rock, retro rock, and southern rock are combined with an exceptional amount of talent and a fierceness in the joy they take in playing their music.

((( facebook || bandcamp || reverbnation )))




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ENCHANTRESS - "VISUALIZE"

Enchantress was featured on Double Dose back in November of 2011 when they had released an EP entitled "Volume 1: The First Few". Today we are featuring their first full length endeavor, "Visualize", seven songs that can quite confidently be classified as unique among stoner/doom/psych music.

Hailing from Toronto this trio play a stripped and bare brand of rock, exposing all the wonderful and jagged edges of their music that gets smoothed over by razor sharp vocals of exquisite clarity and range.

The guitars are a total fuzzfest of distortion and tribal rhythm, fun and endearing in tempo and delivery.

The opening for the album is "Blue Moon Rise(Visualize)" where we are introduced immediately to beautiful stoner guitars that set the tone for the type of ride "Visualize" as an album will be. Once the vocals come in the setting is complete as we get initiated to the unique vocal execution of Enchantress' lead singer, something quite rare and enjoyable.

"Rain Maker" picks up the tempo a bit, but is quite similar to the opening track, which in this case is not a detriment but a further chance to be immersed fully into a trancelike state sparked by the unique vocal/fuzz combination Enchantress deliver.

"Elder Tree" is a slowly boiling volcano of white hot guitar magma, tempered by the tempo, and the strategically placed vocals.

"Locomotive" is the crown jewel of a stellar album, one with no weak points, but with a definite and shiny example of Enchantress' potential in this song. The melody is deliberate and steady, again punctuated by the strategic vocal delivery, pushing beyond heretofore established boundaries, mesmerizing in its eloquence and uniqueness, while cleverly offsetting the main thrust of the song.

"Frozen Sky" kicks up the wattage a bit from its predecessors, demonstrating a snappier tempo, an increase in distortion and power, and utilizing a falsetto like vocal delivery wrapped tightly in fuzzy riffs and white hot solos.

Just as power increased on the penultimate song, it once again ratchets up a degree on the closer, "Buck Thorn Queen", with falsetto once again claiming a stake in execution and delivery, but not exclusively, as a duet unfolds, tempering the vocals, and enriching the overall quality.

"Visualize" is quite unique, compelling, and mesmerizing, blending a raw and fuzzy stoner sound with singular vocals not typically associated with this style of doom or psychedelic rock, all of which makes for a rich tapestry of sound and quality.

((( facebook ||| bandcamp )))




Friday, January 25, 2013

In Case You Missed It: Propane Propane - Indigo


I still remember when I first heard the spaced out heaviness of Propane Propane. It was early 2011, and this trio (now a four piece) were well on their way to securing a spot in the final four of our inaugural March Bandness tournament, thanks of course to the voting of you, the Heavy Planet readers. Now that's quite a feat for a band from a small, southern town in Sweden, especially considering that there were 63 other bands involved in our competition. So where are they now and what have they been up to?

Well it turns out, a lot has happened to Propane Propane in the two years since we last heard from them. For starters, they recorded their phenomenal debut LP, Indigo, only to have it shelved for a year due to personal issues with their label. Not sitting on their asses for even a second, the band added a second guitarist (Rickard Swahn who is not heard on Indigo) to their already powerful lineup and then established the ultra-cool concept of an online, continuously updated b-sides and rarities compilation which you can check out for free right here. Then in 2012, retooled, reinvigorated and revived, Propane Propane signed on with a new label and finally released Indigo for all to hear. And somehow, we fucking missed it…

Now listen, you know the drill…I'm about to break this thing down and tell you all the cool shit that I like about Indigo. But before I do, let me just spell this out for you real quick. I want you to scroll down to the bottom of this review and take a quick listen to the opening track "Rise", because here's the deal. If you like that track, I can guarantee with certainty that you're gonna love this band and you're gonna dig this entire album. So go on, give it a listen and then meet me right back here. And if for some batshit crazy reason you don't happen to like the song…well…I recommend you grab your things and get the fuck outta here because I'll just be wasting your time.

Cool…I figured you'd be back. As you just heard, Indigo fades in with feedback and effects, rolls into a roaring riff alongside deafening crashes and then takes hold for eternity with one of the catchiest space rock guitar parts this side of "Negasonic Teenage Warhead". Benjamin Thörnblom's vocals come through like the deep chested bellow of Neil Fallon as heard through Scott Weiland's megaphone, and Propane Propane are cruising through the cosmos, baby. "Kometh" slows it up and funks it up, at least briefly, before becoming the crawling colossus that it is. Pay attention to drummer Jakob Gill as he batters his percussive beats while the tune evolves into a full on playground for Thörnblom to demonstrate his guitar work before devolving into a wash of white noise. 

The pace…and the stakes…are raised on "ANT", which is like psychedelic, stoner rock candy. Here the vocals take on a much more aggressive demeanor, at times sounding as if Thörnblom may shred every vocal chord in his throat. Who pissed this guy off? The song's crunchy guitar and pummeling rhythm section make "Cosmic Hideout" seem like a reprieve as it opens with a gentle beat and an even gentler harmony. But you and I both know that can't last and it doesn't. The song eventually explodes into another titanic, acid eaten groove that will fill your head full of fuzz like a bulbous, bristling balloon. And then comes "Truth", which couldn't be more aptly titled, because it is the song that validates Propane Propane. Opening with Truckfighters inspired desert "rock", this one morphs into desert "metal" in a hurry thanks to its belligerent riffs and ghastly guest vocals from Kongh's David Johansson. But don't get so caught up in the circle pit that you don't appreciate the smooth plucking mid-song from Thörnblom as if to say "hey bud…don't harsh my buzz."

"Aquatic" is an atmospheric instrumental that builds on subtle guitar play by layering bombastic drums with plenty of feedback and Niklas Andersson's dynamic bass. And then Propane Propane launch right back into the heart of intensity with "Return of the Burning Son", a song with a bluesy backbone and heavy demeanor, not unlike something you might have heard on Clutch's Blast Tyrant. And that vibe continues right on into "Food of the Gods", a lumbering epic that incorporates the effects laden psychedelia from the album's first half with that same bluesy groove, ultimately resulting in a jam fit for the halls of Valhalla. Then Propane Propane bring this behemoth to a close with their twelve minute title track, which starts off like a sort of instrumental ode to all of their previously acknowledged influences, but quickly transitions into an ambient bit of drone and noise that encompasses at least two thirds of the track's run time.

I gotta tell you, after hearing these guys two years ago, I never really doubted that this was a band to keep an eye on, but I suppose I didn't quite expect the ass kicking that is Indigo. Combining equal parts stoner laced fuzz with acid soaked space rock and throwing ambiance and a sense of the abstract in for good measure, Propane Propane have crafted a monster of an album. This one is as ripe in it's depth of sound as is the hue for which it is named. If you miss out on this, consider your ears dull…achromatic…colorless…and consider yourself an asshole. So go check it out.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Album Review : Dead Empires - Waiting in Waves


Back in 2011, I reviewed these cats prior to my foray over here on Heavy Planet. Strange to think it's been over 6 months since joining, and Dead Empires returned once more with a vicious sludgy, prog, post-metal behemoth. Their official debut record Waiting in Waves is a distinct progression forward, with the addition of a 2nd guitarist, and a melding of both their Savannah-style sludge, with Neurosis-caliber riff-mongering. All instrumental, all totally dirty

1. Carl Weathered- The opener is a hard driving up-beat psych metal tune. The drums on this track are enough to wreck a mans mind. Progressing from a slow psych romp, to an driving plethora of minor riffs, pushed forth by enough drum fills to beat up bill ward and accompanied by a series of freaky delayed guitar licks, the song climaxes with a slowed down freak-out.

2. Ted Dancin' - The 2nd tune begins with a fast paced hard-core style rhythm. It falls later into more vicious doom-riffery and melds it into a sort of modern-metal breakdown tease. I'd like to see some of those metal core kids use delay and high-hats as tastefully as these guys do. It grooves out with an uber-melodic major section.

3. Waiting in Waves- The title track has some of the cooler riffs on the record. Belligerent, punishing rock riffs with overlaid harmonics and wailing, howling reverbations. These guys spared no expense to push wet sounds that really float atop one another in-between the punching sludge riffs. 

4.Space Race- The continued exercise in echos. These guys keep punching forth with nasty space sounds before roaring into a sick double-guitar harmony in fifths, than the guitars double each-other. This tune is interesting because the tempo fluctuates between half-time and regular time, punishing riffs accompanied by slowed down doom sections.

5.Crystal Cages- This tune almost evokes Russian Circles. Swirling clean tones followed by roaring wah'd leads. The middle takes us on a galloping iron-maiden style fiasco before whirring into a grooving guitar solo. The song breaths venom until gracing us with a faux ending- this of course prior to the beastly pentagram-style brutality!

6.Blackout- Hitting it off with an ill syncopated riff before launching into a tribal set of sludge riffs, this tune is a lesson in how to play sludge metal. Grooving syncopation and powerful one off hits, and of course, the obligatory sections of weird free-jazz winding up in a climactic pounding of delayed scratchy guitars and down-right unstoppable drums.

7.Getting Head from a Guillotine- The funniest title on the album. Also starting with some spacy chorused guitars, the tune starts clean than flirts extensively with distortion until whirring through delayed weirdness into a momentous buildup preceding a wailing fury of a 2 guitar solos. The octaves which occur at the end of the first solo, give way to a serious amount of tense grooving drums. This grueling motion eventually reaches its peak blows out into an inter-galactic climax.

Overall, the record is hard-hitting and primal, the sounds giving way to motorized chaos and unstoppable trippiness. I really enjoyed the experimentation with delays that this band works with, as well as the contrast they create between parts. An asteroid solid post-metal record!


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Zac's "Double Dose": The Chaw / Judd Madden


The Chaw: 'THE CHAW" LP 

Ahhh... the New Year is in full swing and I am back with your standard Double Dose. This weeks first shot is a California spectacular called The Chaw. This four-piece is currently in their infant stage, having just released their debut full-length, self-titled LP in November [2012]. Meticulously combining ingredients from classic blues, surf rock and seventies era psychedelic rock The Chaw have produced an authentic sound. A sound I can only describe as something I would hear in a retro indie film taking place out west (USA) off a lost highway in a lonely diner over burnt coffee and cigarettes. Bizarre and melancholy. The guitars have a pleasant 'ting' and are loaded with plenty of feedback. The foundation built up from the heavy bass lines and percussion create an atmosphere unlike any atmoshpere that you may have heard through the genre of post-metal and the like. The Chaw have an aura, an ambience, an atmosphere all their own. And the vocals... stirring. Very cool and another piece of the puzzle that allows The Chaw to stand out amongst the many sub-genres of rock. Check out one of my favorite tracks The Road below and if you need to dig a little deeper the entire album can be streamed at bandcamp.

 

Members: 
Jarrod Taylor - Guitars 
Jeff Tollefson - Vocals // Bass 
Joe Roethlisberger - Drums 
Stephen Schreffler - Guitars


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Judd Madden: Artesian 

This weeks second dose is brought to you by Judd Madden, a solo stoner-doom virtuoso from Melbourne, Australia. If the name sounds familiar that is because Mr. Madden allowed the crew here at Heavy Planet to include his track King Drought on our first ever compilation release Bong Hits From The Astral Basement. So, if you haven't downloaded a copy yet, right now is an excellent time to get on that, but I digress. What listeners will find here on Judd's latest release Artesian is pretty standard stoner a la doom instru-metal.... slow plodding rhythyms against the barren emptiness of a desert, the blazing wail of an electric guitar and a thick crunch of a heavily distorted bass. All things considered standard here at Heavy Planet. The real treat is diggin' deeper into Judd's psyche and discovering his inspiration, that of the torrid and harsh climate that is the Austrailian outback. Each track is drawn out, in drone fashion, giving Judd a chance to texture-ize and detail each moment. Oh yeah, plus there is the bonus of the brilliant addition of a cello. Tasteful, haunting and beautiful. This one is highly suggested for fans of Earth. Give my favorite track Breath of Wind a Sword to Slay a listen while reading over the poem that inspired the awesome and accurate song titles of Artesian, Drought by W.H. Ogilvie. Finally, when you realize this stuff is just to good to be true, sit down and have a drink because Judd is offering Artesian at a rate of pay whatever the hell you want... and I think that is a pretty damn good deal.

 

Members:
Judd Madden


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

New Band To Burn One To: The Bad Light

HEAVY PLANET presents . . . THE BAD LIGHT!


BAND BIO:

"The Bad Light is me, Edu Cerro, and Nate Gonzales. We have been jamming together for a couple of years now but only recently feel like we have something to share. We recorded a few songs a year ago and finally have gotten around to getting them mastered."

FROM CD BABY:

"Somewhere between RL Burnside and Electric Wizard lives this duo's sound, depression, aggression, sex, drugs, and soul cemented together with thick fuzz concrete and pounded on with Thor's hammer."


THOUGHTS:

Guitar. Fuzzy, bluesy, heavy, and slow. Stringwork that's ever present, ever beautiful, ever satisfying, at odds with and entwined around percussive and tribal logarithms of unyielding lucidity and vigor. A dance of two, a trance of three as vocal warbling spices up the recipe of distortion and clarity with a mesmerizing reverie undulating throughout the tapestry of psychedelic Santa Cruz sludge by way of delta blues. Guitar is king. Drums are the master. Intense rock by way of The Bad Light.

((( facebook || blog || bandcamp || soundcloud )))


Monday, January 21, 2013

New Band To Burn One To:STONEBRINGER

HEAVY PLANET presents...STONEBRINGER!



BAND BIO:

Stonebringer is a four-piece heavy rock band from Piraeus, Greece.
Being lovers of heavy sound and influenced by bands like Clutch, Down, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, their music features stoner metal and progressive rock instrumentations, creating a unique sonic identity.

Following their independent promo release "Born To Jam On The Streets" (2011), Stonebringer are rolling the stages with their new EP, entitled "Ocean Of The Brave", along with the legendary music producer Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy etc.). "Ocean Of The Brave" is a four track concept EP, with a bonus track, full of aggresive guitars, monstrous rythms and beer-smelling vocals.

When Chris Tsangarides was asked to describe Stonebringer in three words his answer was overwhelming...: "Fuckin' Heavy Metal"!


THOUGHTS:

"Reeking of stale beer and the possibility of not bathing or shaving for a week, Stonebringer divulge in a sonic crush of meaty guitar riffing, heavy-handed rhythms and throaty vocals. Combining a love for seventies hard rock/heavy metal, the band uses an aggressive modern approach to firmly plant a boot in your ass. At times the band even gets a bit progressive on such songs as "Poseiden's Graveyard" adding another element to their brazen collection of ass-whooping tunage. Download their latest EP for free on their Bandcamp page." Bring the heavy!"

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sunday Sludge: Clamfight - "I Versus the Glacier"


It's easy to post a meme to your facebook wall that says "Live Life With No Regrets." Well, let's be serious. I think we've all looked into our past and wondered what the fuck we'd been thinking at the time. The Butthole Surfers taught us to regret doing something rather than regret NOT doing something, but that's exactly the net I fall into. I regret ending that last sentence with a fucking preposition, but what I regret NOT doing is starting a band with three of my high school buddies fifteen-or-so years ago. I regret NOT frying my Stratocaster and Peavey box amp instead of watching Beaver and Butthole on MTV. I regret going to college and NOT rolling in the glamorous pussy that comes with stoner-sludge stardom.

Alright, Clamfight play "music for fat dudes and the buxotic women who love them," but I doubt they're left with any regrets of what they started in a basement back in 1996. Following up the fucking killer 2010 release Volume I, Clamfight return this Tuesday with I Versus the Glacier, an ambitious and groove-swollen stomp toward stoner-sludge immortality. Expanding and improving as they unfold, each of the nine tracks are sharply realized and delivered with impossibly-patient timing.

Icy drones spiral into dense, tightly-spun rhythms on The Eagle. Monster riffage manages to peel off the stink for a brief spell with a cool breeze, but the premier-caliber stoner-sludge stomp paces into a confident gallop. The descent of sludge crafts a mudslide that doesn't begin to showcase all the disc offers, leading into a triptych of sped-up shred and sticky thunder. Clamfight comparisons to C.O.C., Orange Goblin, and High on Fire only hold so much merit. What rests between the bookends is a litany of massive promises followed by gargantuan delivery.

Sandriders can't shake the thickness, but the buzz/slice/buzz floods your home and spits at rescuers. The hollow swarm of guitar splices on Shadow Line pulls you from questions on how Andy Martin balances violent drum crushes with poignant, weathered vocal observation. And on I vs. The Glacier, Clamfight discover their cool stoner swing betwixt sticky storm choruses. Listeners welcome the icy time warp warbling and flirtation of doom, exhaling until squeegee plucks graduate to death knell sirens. Are you alright, man?

Clamfight did their best to wear you out, but the disc's back end is what's impossible to dismiss. The repetitive, deliberate River of Ice is slower but hardly subdued. Spacy riffs marry hazy backdrops as crunchy sludge peppers your grandma's panties. On the album's most complete track, Martin's vocals shine and the band's tempo is perfected. Riffs are choppy and the increasingly expansive elements work together to strap on a leather mask and face the wind. The implosion of Mountain is absolutely massive, grinding slowly on a hitch of Goliath's shoulders. Dusty guitars push to the forefront and steer straight through walls.

The closing tandem of The Green God of Yag and Stealing the Ghost Horse may be the finest pairing we feature in all of 2013. That's a bold statement, but the drawn-out hum of Yag and Horse's sonic juxtapositions are fucking incredible. Superior rhythmic movements on the former's instrumental unraveling marks a baring of soul. Stoner-buzz cadence sharpens under riffs that fistfight and shake trailers. Yag easily holds some of the collection's most beautifully realized concepts. And as for the seven-minute denouement that is Horse, this is the perfect encapsulation of all that Clamfight's been over the last decade. Crafting a field of electric and eclectic heaviness that teems with ingenuity and invention, their sound continues to fester. The grit masks the improved production, leaving no trace of cleanliness or complacency.

Developing a pulse all their own, these songs flee their captors and discover themselves. There's a deceptively sticky catchiness, but don't you dare call I Versus the Glacier accessible. Swooning and swaying through burning lands, these Jersey sludge mongers exercise a militant focus hidden beneath gooey porch treatment solos and sludge stick-ball passions. Shifting and shredding is a scratch to the surface. Carve underfoot through several layers of milk and mire and it's easy to dream skyward at these cumulonimbus assertions. Clamfight are just hitting their stride, and they don't have to regret a single note on Glacier. But you? You'll regret passing it up.

Copies are running low. Reserve yours HERE.




Saturday, January 19, 2013

Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Gozu - "The Fury of a Patient Man" / Spectral Haze - "Spectral Haze"

Today, dear and beloved followers of the doom, I will introduce to you two fine collections of metal music that fit nicely into the type of music we like to play, to hear, to enjoy, and to experience at Heavy Planet. The music of both bands in today's Atomic Split feature is quite refreshing in its originality and uniqueness, set apart from anything that might be mundanely classified as strictly stoner, doom, or psychedelic. One of the more exciting bands that make Small Stone Records home is Gozu; popular, powerful, and well established with earlier releases that have garnered a mighty following in the underground arena, and now releasing a new album that is brimming with, at the very least, anticipation and excitement. A relatively unknown act hailing from Norway without much history upon which to draw, Spectral Haze are relying here strictly upon the strength of their music. Today we review both and see how they each fare. So, without further adieu . . .

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GOZU - "THE FURY OF A PATIENT MAN"

Gozu have enjoyed a level of success to this point in their career, due entirely upon their superb brand of stoner/doom music, garnering attention both with their initial 7 track EP release in 2008 and the release of their 2010 LP "Locust Season" on the Small Stone Records label by playing music that is deep, rich, and unique in much of its melodic makeup. The masterful riffs are ever present, blending a wonderfully rich texture of distortion and heft with a modicum of head snapping  funk. A unique and wonderful feature of Gozu's sound are the vocals, which are vibrant and athletic, combining with well crafted melodies that are always intelligent as well as pleasing. With such a high level of accomplishment for their EP and for the "Locust Season" LP there is no denying the anticipation accompanying the 2013 release of their second LP for Small Stone Records.

Gozu's band members, hailing from Boston, are listed as:

Marc Gaffney - vocals / guitar
Barry Spillberg - drums
Doug Sherman - guitar
Joe Grotto - bass

When you listen to "The Fury of a Patient Man" for the first time, as a fan of Gozu and their past music, you will instantly and immediately be filled with a sense of . . . not quite relief, really, but of satisfaction, because you will recognize what you know without yet knowing it, which is exactly what you want as a devotee of a band and their past accomplishments, music that is at once familiar and fresh. Familiarity is evident immediately, and freshness soon follows as song by song unfolds with Gozu's signature sound and quintessence. 

Gozu not only continue cranking out their muscular and deft brand of metal, but follow their previously established method of styling their songs after pop culture icons. One of the most notable on the new LP is the song "Charles Bronson Pinchot", a quick and melodic tank ride that combines adept and muscular riffs with Gaffney's spellbinding vocals. The song turns out to be brilliantly titled as it combines the sinewy fury of Charles Bronson with the more cultured overtones of Bronson Pinchot. 

"Snake Plissken" makes an appearance in the penultimate song showcasing a more direct vocal delivery combined with hairy, heavy guitar licks in a cage match delivery of blow upon blow of sound and fury.

Drawing upon their EP from 2008 Gozu have included "Traci Lords" on "The Fury of a Patient Man", and we can only guess as to why. The song is quality, as is all the music on any of their three releases, and certainly worthy here of inclusion among the nine original offerings.

Gozu have not disappointed in releasing their second full length album as "The Fury of a Patient Man" is stellar in delivery in every way and deserves aught but positives and superlatives for the work within it. This is a significant album, not only for Gozu, for Small Stone Records, for the stoner and doom genres, but for metal music in general because it conveys quality throughout, in every angle and plane, whether relishing the superb guitar work, marveling at the gifted clarion vocals, or basking in the melodic construction of each song. It is quite simply a landmark album.



((( facebook || bandcamp || reverbnation || last.fm || smallstone )))

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SPECTRAL HAZE - "SPECTRAL HAZE"

I am not able to tell you much about Spectral Haze. I don't even know who the band members are. They hail from Oslo and they have a 4 song EP available on bandcamp.com or soundcloud.com. And that's all you need to know outside of what you will learn when you listen to these four 'little' tracks.

The music is a psychedelic romp through fuzz and distortion, led inexorably onward by eerie, screaming vocals that startle and haunt, but never get in the way of the beautifully crafted and delivered guitar riffs that mesmerize you through to the very core of your rock n' roll soul. 

The songs tend to quietly build in tempo and power eventually reaching an amplitude of magnificent levels that paves the way for payoff as the guitars carry out a melodic hook of exquisite delivery and caliber before abating back to the haunted environment of the opening, which is a near perfect description of "Kali Magick (Stepping Outside of Time).

The gradual climb to climax on "Kashf (Gaining Familiarity With Things Unseen Behind the Veils) is delivered with more fuzz and distortion than the previous track, and is a slower power climb to the all out delivery of overdriven amplification. 

Each song on this EP is a slow and satisfying power trip through a psychedelic landscape of vibrating strings and haunting melodies surrounding guitar hooks of exquisite delivery.




Friday, January 18, 2013

New Band To Burn One To: DKH (DOE KILL HOOVES)

HEAVY PLANET presents... DKH (DOE KILL HOOVES)! 


BAND BIO:

DKH (Doe Kill Hooves) are a five piece sludge/hardcore band from Brighton.

DKH have shared the stage with Torche, Monotonix, Art of Burning Water, Drainland, Hawkeyes, Dead Existence, Astrohenge, The Painted Smiles, Dysrhythmia, Magrudergrind, Dopefight, Astrohenge and lots more.

"Frantic live performances in the past have resulted in punches, head buts, broken noses, anal bleeding and even death. Only come and see this if you have balls...that you aren't too attached to!" - Greg (Stay Sick)


THOUGHTS:

"Have you ever had one of those days that you just say "fuck it, fuck everything"? Well, today wasn't actually one of those days, but I did have enough pent up angst inside me to throw on something a little out of my realm. That is where some primo sludgecore from the UK comes in, the band I am talking about people  is DOE KILL HOOVES or simply known as DKH. The merciless onslaught begins immediately with "Crows" and sucker punches you right in the jaw. As the blood trickles down your cheeks from the aural assault on your ears, the band intensifies their fury with the track "Sea of Trees". Amidst frantic drumming, impassioned vocals, and hell-bent attitude, the band bludgeons on with tracks such as "Flight To the Sun" which actually at times sounds like a seal getting (fill in the blank) and the doom-fused riffing of the mighty album closer "Sludgehammer". Fans of Cave-In, Converge, High on Fire and Superjoint Ritual take heed and rejoice there is a new kid in town and it's name is DOE KILL HOOVES." Boom!"

((facebook|bandcamp|twitter|buy))

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Zac's "Triple Dose": Cathedraal / Rings of Rhea / Schematics for Gravity


This week my little realm of the 'Planet has been bountiful and over-flowing with music. This, in turn, has allowed me to decide to not only give readers two bands to enjoy, but three. Yes, a Triple Dose. This trio of transcendence is in thanks to a three-way split including experimental bands from France, Sweden and Ukraine. So, without further ado... 
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Cathedraal 

Our first stop on this triple delight lands us in Paris, France with Cathedraal, an experimental group of musicians who thought it good to mix black metal, hardcore and post-metal psychedelia. The outcome is an atmospheric rich sound with brief bursts of beauty and an intimidating amount of noise. Want you senses overwhelmed? Give Cathedraal's Qui Pense Encore a Toi a spin. This track has an excellent guitar driven intro and tremolo pickin', setting it as gold in my book. Interestied? Its available for a steal at bandcamp.

 


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Rings of Rhea 

Rings of Rhea are our second serving of this week's three course dose! These Ukrainian natives have discovered a paradise of dysrhythmia-inducing metal. Using ample noise and choosing to bury the scathed vocals in production, the quintet have created a fine piece of progressive doom metal which I am pleased to share with you all. The elegant addition of a piano interlude combines the two separate tracks seamlessly and creates the illusion of a single track. Their lot of fifteen minutes offers a density experienced in orchestral epics and legends of old. In conclusion, Rings of Rhea bring a blissful terror that simply escapes this listener too quickly. This is a band you will want to watch for future releases. Check out both tracks Destruction and Creation below or download for free at bandcamp.



Members: 
Anton - Bass 
Dima - Guitar 
Sasha - Drums 
Vova - Vocals 
Zhenya - Guitar


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Schematics for Gravity 

It wouldn't be a trip around Heavy Planet without dropping by, what many may consider the capital metal country, Sweden. Our last course, entitled Schematics for Gravity, is a hardcore turned post-metal five-piece sighting influences such as Cloudkicker, Cult of Luna and Sigur Rós. Focusing heavily on creating a celestial experience, Schematics for Gravity emit an Alcest-vibe. The music is more alluring, and even delicate at times, rather than terrorizing. The vocals are intense and proclaimed with a dying passion, although, similar with Cathedraal above, are enshrouded in the mix adding to the overall atmosphere of the two tracks. I enjoyed the track Behind Closed Doors most. Check it out below and in the words of the Swedes, "Inhale. Enjoy. Explode."

 

Members: 
Anders Lundgren 
Chris Campbell 
Erik Silverberg - Vocals
Martin Nilsson -Guitar 
Pontus Landgren - Drums


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