Summer is fun season, it goes without saying. Warmth and sunshine give way to an unending array of pleasurable things to do, only one of which I will mention here. Hell, I don't even have to mention it, you already know what it is. It's why you came to heavyplanet.net today, just as you came yesterday, and why you likely will come tomorrow. It's not for my writing, I'm aware of that, but perhaps it is for what I write about and what my fellow reviewers, awesome dudes one and all, write about. You came to immerse yourself in the soul fortifying power of stoner rock, doom metal, and psychedelic grooviness, because it's FUN! The array of merriment on hand today is unique and deeply satisfying for we will get to plunge into a deep, classic avalanche of gargantuan guitar, while pummeling down a mountainside of sound, just as we will steep ourselves in the koolaid of ingenuity with a clever, cunning cascade of brilliance in metal form. So cast your brilliant smile, if you will, to the sun and soak up the sonic wave of summertime splendor on tap this incredibly fun day.
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POLKADOT CADAVER - "LAST CALL IN JONESTOWN"
Inventiveness, cleverness, carefully crafted melodies, rhythms in perfect time, lyrics of depth and substance, harmoniousness in deep degree, all couched within gargantuan, low tuned riffs, dexterous solo runs, savvy drums, and a tightness borne of ability and sweat. Gawd this album is chock full of magic and spice. And that's not counting the surprise appearance of a bonified rock legend on the penultimate track. Don't miss Track 11, "Transistors of Mercy", for a guest monkey in the Polkadot barrel.
Polkadot Cadaver aren't really a conventional metal band, crafting unique, intriguing, and savvy melodies bursting at the seams with alluring, arousing components cobbed together in such a way as to provide an experience like no other. There will be interludes of beauty, light and airy, deft and nimble, segueing into avenues of power and volume. Various and multifarious keyboards are used throughout the album, but there isn't a taste of electronica to be had, only blood thick metal measures and compositions borne of inspiration and insight.
These rockers hail from Rockville, Maryland, a fitting moniker for home base. Their ranks include the members:
Todd Smith - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Jasan Stepp - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Cello
David Cullen - Bass, Keyboards
Scott Radway - Live Drums
The title track opens the album and delivers a memorable melody of tight metal mayhem, fast and sharp, in your face brutality, that thrills with its razor sharp hooks and vicious melody. This song will find its way onto favorite playlists for ages to come. "Phantasmagoria" follows with a thrilling, soaring journey of spice and danger. "Touch You Like Caligula" is a labyrinthine, dark tale of smoldering power. Intricate, ascending movements, soaring in and out of sweetness and rancor, both thrilling and emotional, are hallmarks of the series from "Sheer Madness" through "Animal Kingdom". And then comes "Transistors of Mercy", a song of incredible joy, not the least of which is due to the infallible, indefatigable Neil Fallon of Clutch fame providing his legendary vocals to this treasured track. Fallon's voice is a beacon in the murk, deep, dark, and delicious in its delivery.
Polkadot Cadaver are currently on tour promoting their recent masterpiece, so with any luck you can make it to a show and be overwhelmed with one of this summer's finest, funnest experiences, but even if all you can manage is a download from iTunes or Amazon your summer will still be merrily, memorably metal.
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EGYPT / WO FAT - "CYCLOPEAN RIFFS"
What can be more fun that an all out sortie from two of doom metal's premier bands? Egypt and Wo Fat have teamed together for a split EP, two blistering, smoldering, smoking hot tracks each, for half an hour of deep dive immersion into the intoxicatingly murky depths of guitar madness.
Egypt are known both for the brilliant 'Valley of the Kings' EP of 2003 (re-released in 2009) and the recently released monster "Become the Sun", with the former holding a special place in the hearts of many on it's haunting, hooky metal melodies, and the latter a slight change of direction that has pulled in multitudes of doom loving metal heads to its deep, dark deliciousness. The 2 tracks chosen for "Cyclopean Riffs" follow the recent rumbling formula of the January 2013 release, unloading stygian volleys of staggering power and force, each on a decagonal trajectory of immersion and deep, biding experiences.
"Blood Temple Hymn" kicks off the low tuned expedition with measured intent, steady and true in power and force, slowly, surely, inexorably portaging your consciousness away from the light and into the deepest recesses of an internal subconscious universe. Moving directly through the dark territory attained on the previous track, "Ancient Enemy" dives ever deeper into the black recesses of a bottomless cognizance, evincing hypnotizing dexterity on mesmerizing riffs of murky, dark power.
The Fargo, North Dakota threesome are quickly establishing themselves as a phenomenon of doom, opening deep, dark portals of distortion and grace with their latest releases. Aaron Esterby on vocals and bass, Chad Heille on drums, and Neal Stein on guitar meld incredibly rich, authoritative metal narratives that take their place among the best doom metal of the decade.
Joining the Fargo boys on the split are the boys from Dallas, Wo Fat, who have relentlessly unleashed onslaught after onslaught of stoner doom treasures over the last few years onto the thirsty masses of lo-fi fuzz lovers the world over. Just as Egypt has recently released a full sized LP, Wo Fat topped the stoner/doom charts of 2012 with the phenomenal "Black Code". On "Cyclopean Riffs" there is no skimping on quality and euphoria as the dual delivery of mutant metal matches anything released in recent years in quality and enchantment.
Nearly a quarter of an hour of primal enrapture kicks off the deep, dark duo from Wo Fat as "Nameless Cults" opens with the heavy impact of tribal rhythms, merging effortlessly with white hot poker brand solos and large caliber cannon fire of exquisite doom licks and forays of melting lava metal. "Electric Hellhound" slowly breeds its brand of mudslide magic, growling, grumbling, roaring, and rolling along in a resounding roar of low fuzz and distorted power, thrashing powerlines along the way in flashes of white heat and released electrical fury.
Wo Fat have become a recognizable ambassador of stoner rock and doom metal in the underground world of guitar laden nirvana, and rightfully so. Any release that includes their music immediately becomes a must have item. Kent Stump on vocals and guitar, Tim Wilson on bass, and Michael Walter on drums combine once again to put forth mammoth magical metal. Adding the doomslayers from Fargo, Egypt, to the mix only enhances that maniacal quality. This is an EP for the ages and likely the only source for the four quality tracks chosen to embody the sound and experience that only high caliber bands such as these two can provide.
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