Showing posts with label 80s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 80s. Show all posts
Monday, May 22, 2017
Album Review: Two Headed Beast - "Wizard Mountain"
The world of hard rock, of heavy metal, is wonderfully varied, so much in fact, there are distinct genre silos underneath the hard/heavy umbrella, many of them having filled up decades ago, going nearly dormant as ever newer ones are molded out of the settling dust of their predecessors. Perhaps the granddaddy genre has been the audacious, in your face sound of traditional heavy metal that grew out of progenitors such as Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath. That heavy metal sound was personified by bands such as Judas Priest, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden, to name a miniscule few. It was a sound that dominated the scene in the mid to late 70s and into the bulk of the 80s before sort of weirdly fusing into the over the top sounds of big hair bands. The excessiveness of big hair, though, prepped us for the wonderful grunge explosion as well as the almost unnoticed rumbling of stoner/desert rock of the 90s. Many other sounds have come, and gone. For anyone exploring for the first time any version of wondrous, amplified metal vibrations, old or new, there is an overabundance of choices. Gifted musicians can draw from an almost limitless supply of inspirational music, the possibilities are endless. This is what ran through my mind when I first heard "Wizard Mountain". Of course, I have no idea how Two Headed Beast may have arrived upon their signature sound, I just know I hear the wonderfully deep, heavy fuzz of stoner/doom rock in their vigorous riffs and searing solos, but, in the blink of a photon, I am ripped back to an earlier era as soon as those incredible vocals of Brian Allen kick in. "Wizard Mountain" quickly concentrates my focus, drawing me deep into its wicked melodies and triumphant chorus, down into the murky depths of low tuned and amplified energy, emboldened by the soaring, invigorating intonations of Allen's vocal time machine. The pairing of traditional metal vocals and bottom dark stoner/doom guitar is somehow brilliant, revitalizing, and emboldening. It's a physical reaction to a spiritual rendering, teleporting me to a time and place of power and potential.
Two Headed Beast hail from Portland, Oregon. Band members include John Hughes, Jason Dunn, Shawn Ferguson, Scott Speelman, and vocalist Brian Allen.
The initial track, "Valley of Skulls", immediately opens with the double whammy of deep, fuzzy guitar and powerfully rendered vocals that is the consistent and persistent hallmark of every track to follow. The tempo is dangerous, the magnitude bold, and the realization you're in for a unique and brilliant ride quickly sets in.
"Two Ton Sky" starts off with bare bones, building up to an all-out assault of power and force. The drumwork here is simply marvelous, pounding out a primal beat of mammoth proportions, propped up wonderfully by the bruising dance of bass and guitar, magnified again by those laser sharp vocals.
The eponymous title track, "Witch Mountain", is like a pugilist stalking his opponent, steadily moving forward step by step, delivering hammer blow after ruthless hammer blow until the sudden sound of silence signals the end.
"Apollyon the Destroyer" changes the pace, flowing down a psychedelic bridge of color and static before charging up a steeper trajectory of power and amperage. "Hail the Chief" is a frontal assault of bad attitude and snarl. "Boneyard" and "Blackball' pay homage to traditional metal in measured advances of ragged vocals and steady riffage.
This brings us to the unofficial closer, "Curse of the White Owl" where Two Headed Beast dust off their stoner rock foot pedals and crank up the fuzz in a magnificent display of hook and heat. The solos soar beyond the stratosphere, while the measured tempos of riff and stick are darkly subterranean. Allen's vocals are exquisite on this track, offering a sing along rendition in which no one can match his gifted ability, but will have fun in attempting to do so.
Two Headed Beast offer up a brief coda that is pinned to the tail end of the penultimate song in "Tail of the Owl", a fun little ditty of psychedelic conclusion.
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: The Black Widow's Project - "Heavy Heart" / Half Gramme of Soma - "Half Gramme of Soma"
What's the cliché? Something about strapping yourself in because you are in for the ride of your life? Yeah, that's as good as any. Geneva, Switzerland is where the first set of fuzzbombs are carefully packaged before ignition and blastoff. Athens, Greece is the source for the second set of high octane combustibles. We've often gotten great fireworks from Greece and at least once from Switzerland, so this is no anomaly, but a trend of the most exciting kind, where distortion, talent, volume, passion, and melody are blended into tightly wrapped packages bursting with explosive potential. So, ladies and gentlemen, ye who venture into the realms and domains presented daily by Heavy Planet in order to visit the deviantly deft denizens and their concoctions . . . strap yourselves in and prepare for blast off!
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THE BLACK WIDOW'S PROJECT - "HEAVY HEART"
The Black Widow's Project is a three piece band from Geneva, Switzerland. "Heavy Heart" is their second offering, the first under the current lineup of:
Al Castro - Vocals, Guitar
Raph Legend - Bass
Mathieu Sink - Drums
Formed recently in 2010 the band quickly released their first EP, "Benefit of the Doubt", which garnered a ton of interest due to its huge, intelligent songs. After going through a bass player change with Raph recently joining the group, this small band with the big sound have now released their second collection of original fuzzbombs, but this time in the form of a full length record, crammed to overflowing with 14 stoner/retro rock originals.
The fuzz is huge on this album, as is the creativeness. The songs are well written and well executed, which makes for an incredibly enjoyable experience. Add to it the passion, the obvious and intense exertion in unfolding each creation in perfect time, and you get a special album.
The influences come from decades of great rock music, and influences beyond. You can hear sounds similar to hundreds of songs and rock bands down through the decades, but similarity doesn't mean replication. The song writing here for both music and lyrics is exceptional. The tapestries created are tight, bright, and satisfying. Each song is woven through with a myriad sounds from guitar, bass, drums, and vocals that make for the kind of album you can listen to a hundred times and pick out different and various pieces that go together to make a wholly satisfying whole on each of the fourteen offerings of "Heavy Heart". I don't hear one song sounding much like the next, while the sound for all remain uniquely that of The Black Widow's Project. Play any one song alone and you would know it was their creation. Listen through the whole album and you will be deeply engaged for each of the fourteen due to the uniqueness of each. That is rare and welcome ability, especially when it comes to rock music.
My favorite songs, something easier said than decided upon because I truly love them all, would include the following:
It's hard to beat the opener. It sets the tone most times for the rest of an album and on "Heavy Heart" that's exactly what happens. A lone guitar, distortion tuned to proper fuzz levels, kicks off the song on a brief intro that gives the listener the perfect indication of what's to follow, both for this song and for this album. Once "Ha Ha Ha Uh" kicks in you're in the stratosphere flying fast and high. The tempo is quick, the riffs are plentiful and varied, the bass is energetic and powerful, and the drums do the job of both driving the song's rhythm and adding to it's interest with stick fills and drum riffs that intrigue and satisfy. Alongside the amazing guitar work on this song is the equally amazing vocals. The raspy passion of Castro's belting of the lyrics falls just shy of amazing. He hits the proper tone with this rock and role vocal blast, never yelling as so many vocalists do, and certainly not quite singing in a prim, proper manner, which we would not want. He hits it just right, matching the tone and intensity of the instrumental portions of the song.
"Ain't Gonna Tell You Lies". To start with, who in Geneva, Switzerland says 'ain't'. We certainly do here in Oklahoma. But that's not why I like this song. I like the simple guitar strum opening with Castro singing in normal pitch, revealing that when he's not stretched to the max he still has a beautiful voice. A solo precursor within this song is a bass so low, so huge, it has to have been played by heavy rock moving machinery. The song is steady and simple, and somehow strikes a satisfying chord deep within.
"We Have to Be Free" is a beautiful song, plain and simple. It has a bluesy feel to it throughout as it goes back and forth between calm control, ignition, and fuzzbomb explosions. Moving through the various feels and tempos makes this one of the more intriguing songs on the album. The incredible execution by all three members playing their four instruments simply adds to the maximum pleasure. This is an addicting song that will have you longing for the next time through the album to hear it again.
"Spirits" is a spare, haunting song of incredible beauty that still manages to fuzz out around the edges.
The closer, "Innerwar", is one of the best of the bunch, along with the opener. These guys know how to open, and then how to close. "Innerwar" sounds like something from a concept album, obviously telling a story that's part of a larger whole, while remaining true to the single tale within. The ballad-like feel of the first few minutes of the song leads into a trippy, almost psychotic journey where the instruments lightly touch upon the sounds that play heavily upon your listening psyche, slowing building with textures of new riffs and subdued vocals.
EXCLUSIVE STREAM
facebook || bandcamp || website || reverbnation || domino media
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HALF GRAMME OF SOMA - "HALF GRAMME OF SOMA"
There is a HUGE contingent of stoner/retro rock from Greece, much of it from Athens. It's a large city, so why not, but it still seems as though an inordinate amount . . . which is a good thing . . . of underground rock n' roll calls Athens its home. Add to the list this tremendously gifted, rockin' band, Half Gramme of Soma, hereafter referred to as HGoS (almost hogs, almost ghost, defintely rock n' roll).
It's amazing to me when bands come from Europe how much the vocals can sound as if the singer is from down the road somewhere here in the U.S., and HGoS is no exception. I have no idea how much effort they have had to put into their studio performances to accomplish this sound, but it certainly gets my attention. Not nearly as much as their beautiful music screams for notice, though. The starting point for any band associated with the underground sound of stoner/doom/retro rock are the heavy, low tuned, fuzzed out guitars. It's what sets them apart from the no-riff uber-raff on the radio. HGoS is no exception here either. The guitars are pure meth and adrenaline mixed with . . . well, why not mix it with SOMA . . . creating an instantly satisfying warmth throughout your body, charging up your metal receptors, and creating a condition of pure party atmosphere pleasure, whether listening alone in your car, or cranking it up at a booze fueled end of the week celebration, or anything in between.
HGoS band members include:
John V. - Vocals
Alexandros K. - Guitars
Takis A. - Guitars
Nick G. - Bass
Uncle Jim - Drums
HGoS, having formed recently in 2011 and having honed their craft in the various live venues in and around Athens, manages to deliver high quality sound on all parts and pieces of their instrumentation. John V. has a great set of rock pipes, using them to great effect throughout the album. The twin guitar assault of Alex K. and Takis A. are effective, effusive, and effing awesome. Nick G. has somehow strung his bass to the heavy machines used in building tunnels through mountains, and Uncle Jim knows how to impeccably navigate the skins through the heavy maze of riffs from the 3 guitars by using just a pair of wooden sticks. Most of all, the fivesome know how to slap a song together in such a way as to make it memorable, exciting, enticing, and dripping with anticipation, all by mainly making clever and satisfying melodies, songs that not only rock, but bring a sort of fuzzy funk that fits perfectly with the low tuned, distorted bazooka blast emanations of the various string sources. While most stoner/retro bands draw heavily either from the great era of the 70s or the grunge and high desert eras of the 90s, HGoS seem also to have thrown in a sound that hearkens to the new wave sound of the 80s, which makes for a very intriguing metal sound, something that almost feels like they've solved the puzzle that existed on too much 80s so called rock. . . adding the big, fuzzy sound of stoner rock guitar.
This self titled album is their first foray into studio production and contains 9 melodic creations layered thickly with fuzzy metal shavings, crafted in such a way as to be most enjoyable when the amperage is set to ultra high levels and you have room enough to violently move about the room.
"Burn Your Shadows" opens with a funky guitar ditty that leads into the opening hooks and riffs that are slightly reminiscent of the B-52s or The Cure, except with a much heavier, beefier sound, especially when the instrumentation is isolated for several incredible minutes.
"Feed Your Hell" opens in a measured pace that leads into a more up-tempo refrain. John V.'s vocals lend a ballad like quality to the song as the twin guitars provide both a heavy undercurrent of deep, dark riffs plus a more penetrating and insistent interlude. The music here is telling a story, one that isn't all light and sunshine, but replete with dank, musty revelations.
"Secret of the Fox" is a partner piece to its predecessor above. It's steady, unyielding tempo is full of various textures of twisted metal licks and fills riding on an undercurrent of heavy bass, and narrated with melancholy, haunting vocals.
After several songs of deep, dark melancholia comes a song that is a masterpiece of tempo, melody, and listening enjoyment in "Dead End". I am not a master of culling out the lyrics to a song, so while the title would seem to convey failure in the journey of whomever is travelling through these songs, the atmosphere of the music seems to convey the opposite. A quicker pace, insistent and deadly drumwork, and metal rending guitar riffs accompany dual vocals on this song, providing the listener with an intriguing melody infused with heavy textures and bigger than life substance.
Immediately following is an incredibly haunting piece, "Wings Rusted Away", that allows for instrumental isolation to an extent, allowing the listener to go one on one with the huge guitars and whipcord drums. Vocals are magnified as well, as the melancholy of the tune intensely permeates throughout your body, taking over, inducing a trance-like state akin to a natural endorphin rush.
Melancholia and haunting melodies close out the album with "Under a Malign Star", where HGoS make sure to go out with a universe deafening explosion of metal distortion and amplification.
facebook || bandcamp || twitter || soundcloud || reverbnation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BLACK WIDOW'S PROJECT - "HEAVY HEART"
The Black Widow's Project is a three piece band from Geneva, Switzerland. "Heavy Heart" is their second offering, the first under the current lineup of:
Al Castro - Vocals, Guitar
Raph Legend - Bass
Mathieu Sink - Drums
Formed recently in 2010 the band quickly released their first EP, "Benefit of the Doubt", which garnered a ton of interest due to its huge, intelligent songs. After going through a bass player change with Raph recently joining the group, this small band with the big sound have now released their second collection of original fuzzbombs, but this time in the form of a full length record, crammed to overflowing with 14 stoner/retro rock originals.
The fuzz is huge on this album, as is the creativeness. The songs are well written and well executed, which makes for an incredibly enjoyable experience. Add to it the passion, the obvious and intense exertion in unfolding each creation in perfect time, and you get a special album.
The influences come from decades of great rock music, and influences beyond. You can hear sounds similar to hundreds of songs and rock bands down through the decades, but similarity doesn't mean replication. The song writing here for both music and lyrics is exceptional. The tapestries created are tight, bright, and satisfying. Each song is woven through with a myriad sounds from guitar, bass, drums, and vocals that make for the kind of album you can listen to a hundred times and pick out different and various pieces that go together to make a wholly satisfying whole on each of the fourteen offerings of "Heavy Heart". I don't hear one song sounding much like the next, while the sound for all remain uniquely that of The Black Widow's Project. Play any one song alone and you would know it was their creation. Listen through the whole album and you will be deeply engaged for each of the fourteen due to the uniqueness of each. That is rare and welcome ability, especially when it comes to rock music.
My favorite songs, something easier said than decided upon because I truly love them all, would include the following:
It's hard to beat the opener. It sets the tone most times for the rest of an album and on "Heavy Heart" that's exactly what happens. A lone guitar, distortion tuned to proper fuzz levels, kicks off the song on a brief intro that gives the listener the perfect indication of what's to follow, both for this song and for this album. Once "Ha Ha Ha Uh" kicks in you're in the stratosphere flying fast and high. The tempo is quick, the riffs are plentiful and varied, the bass is energetic and powerful, and the drums do the job of both driving the song's rhythm and adding to it's interest with stick fills and drum riffs that intrigue and satisfy. Alongside the amazing guitar work on this song is the equally amazing vocals. The raspy passion of Castro's belting of the lyrics falls just shy of amazing. He hits the proper tone with this rock and role vocal blast, never yelling as so many vocalists do, and certainly not quite singing in a prim, proper manner, which we would not want. He hits it just right, matching the tone and intensity of the instrumental portions of the song.
"Ain't Gonna Tell You Lies". To start with, who in Geneva, Switzerland says 'ain't'. We certainly do here in Oklahoma. But that's not why I like this song. I like the simple guitar strum opening with Castro singing in normal pitch, revealing that when he's not stretched to the max he still has a beautiful voice. A solo precursor within this song is a bass so low, so huge, it has to have been played by heavy rock moving machinery. The song is steady and simple, and somehow strikes a satisfying chord deep within.
"We Have to Be Free" is a beautiful song, plain and simple. It has a bluesy feel to it throughout as it goes back and forth between calm control, ignition, and fuzzbomb explosions. Moving through the various feels and tempos makes this one of the more intriguing songs on the album. The incredible execution by all three members playing their four instruments simply adds to the maximum pleasure. This is an addicting song that will have you longing for the next time through the album to hear it again.
"Spirits" is a spare, haunting song of incredible beauty that still manages to fuzz out around the edges.
The closer, "Innerwar", is one of the best of the bunch, along with the opener. These guys know how to open, and then how to close. "Innerwar" sounds like something from a concept album, obviously telling a story that's part of a larger whole, while remaining true to the single tale within. The ballad-like feel of the first few minutes of the song leads into a trippy, almost psychotic journey where the instruments lightly touch upon the sounds that play heavily upon your listening psyche, slowing building with textures of new riffs and subdued vocals.
EXCLUSIVE STREAM
facebook || bandcamp || website || reverbnation || domino media
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HALF GRAMME OF SOMA - "HALF GRAMME OF SOMA"
There is a HUGE contingent of stoner/retro rock from Greece, much of it from Athens. It's a large city, so why not, but it still seems as though an inordinate amount . . . which is a good thing . . . of underground rock n' roll calls Athens its home. Add to the list this tremendously gifted, rockin' band, Half Gramme of Soma, hereafter referred to as HGoS (almost hogs, almost ghost, defintely rock n' roll).
It's amazing to me when bands come from Europe how much the vocals can sound as if the singer is from down the road somewhere here in the U.S., and HGoS is no exception. I have no idea how much effort they have had to put into their studio performances to accomplish this sound, but it certainly gets my attention. Not nearly as much as their beautiful music screams for notice, though. The starting point for any band associated with the underground sound of stoner/doom/retro rock are the heavy, low tuned, fuzzed out guitars. It's what sets them apart from the no-riff uber-raff on the radio. HGoS is no exception here either. The guitars are pure meth and adrenaline mixed with . . . well, why not mix it with SOMA . . . creating an instantly satisfying warmth throughout your body, charging up your metal receptors, and creating a condition of pure party atmosphere pleasure, whether listening alone in your car, or cranking it up at a booze fueled end of the week celebration, or anything in between.
HGoS band members include:
John V. - Vocals
Alexandros K. - Guitars
Takis A. - Guitars
Nick G. - Bass
Uncle Jim - Drums
HGoS, having formed recently in 2011 and having honed their craft in the various live venues in and around Athens, manages to deliver high quality sound on all parts and pieces of their instrumentation. John V. has a great set of rock pipes, using them to great effect throughout the album. The twin guitar assault of Alex K. and Takis A. are effective, effusive, and effing awesome. Nick G. has somehow strung his bass to the heavy machines used in building tunnels through mountains, and Uncle Jim knows how to impeccably navigate the skins through the heavy maze of riffs from the 3 guitars by using just a pair of wooden sticks. Most of all, the fivesome know how to slap a song together in such a way as to make it memorable, exciting, enticing, and dripping with anticipation, all by mainly making clever and satisfying melodies, songs that not only rock, but bring a sort of fuzzy funk that fits perfectly with the low tuned, distorted bazooka blast emanations of the various string sources. While most stoner/retro bands draw heavily either from the great era of the 70s or the grunge and high desert eras of the 90s, HGoS seem also to have thrown in a sound that hearkens to the new wave sound of the 80s, which makes for a very intriguing metal sound, something that almost feels like they've solved the puzzle that existed on too much 80s so called rock. . . adding the big, fuzzy sound of stoner rock guitar.
This self titled album is their first foray into studio production and contains 9 melodic creations layered thickly with fuzzy metal shavings, crafted in such a way as to be most enjoyable when the amperage is set to ultra high levels and you have room enough to violently move about the room.
"Burn Your Shadows" opens with a funky guitar ditty that leads into the opening hooks and riffs that are slightly reminiscent of the B-52s or The Cure, except with a much heavier, beefier sound, especially when the instrumentation is isolated for several incredible minutes.
"Feed Your Hell" opens in a measured pace that leads into a more up-tempo refrain. John V.'s vocals lend a ballad like quality to the song as the twin guitars provide both a heavy undercurrent of deep, dark riffs plus a more penetrating and insistent interlude. The music here is telling a story, one that isn't all light and sunshine, but replete with dank, musty revelations.
"Secret of the Fox" is a partner piece to its predecessor above. It's steady, unyielding tempo is full of various textures of twisted metal licks and fills riding on an undercurrent of heavy bass, and narrated with melancholy, haunting vocals.
After several songs of deep, dark melancholia comes a song that is a masterpiece of tempo, melody, and listening enjoyment in "Dead End". I am not a master of culling out the lyrics to a song, so while the title would seem to convey failure in the journey of whomever is travelling through these songs, the atmosphere of the music seems to convey the opposite. A quicker pace, insistent and deadly drumwork, and metal rending guitar riffs accompany dual vocals on this song, providing the listener with an intriguing melody infused with heavy textures and bigger than life substance.
Immediately following is an incredibly haunting piece, "Wings Rusted Away", that allows for instrumental isolation to an extent, allowing the listener to go one on one with the huge guitars and whipcord drums. Vocals are magnified as well, as the melancholy of the tune intensely permeates throughout your body, taking over, inducing a trance-like state akin to a natural endorphin rush.
Melancholia and haunting melodies close out the album with "Under a Malign Star", where HGoS make sure to go out with a universe deafening explosion of metal distortion and amplification.
facebook || bandcamp || twitter || soundcloud || reverbnation
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Mammoth Mammoth - "Hell's Likely" / The Shooters - "Planet of the Black Sun"
From Melbourne, Australia you can find rock so big, so huge, so full of riffs and fuzz that one woolly mammoth is not enough of a comparison, so the band was named for two. There's a lot to love when you have two huge extinct creatures wielding modern nuclear weaponry in the guise of electrified musical instruments. And then, from the southwest of Spain can be found a prime example of pure rock, big, simple, and unadulterated in delivery and execution, but most importantly in enjoyment. Strap on your cuirass because we are about to do battle with the forces of heavy metal deficiency where we will certainly cure their asses with the ammunition loaded, locked, and on tap, ready to fire today.
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MAMMOTH MAMMOTH - "HELL'S LIKELY"
Band members:
Ben Couzens - Guitar
Mikey Tucker - Vocals
Frank Trobiani - Drums
Pete Bell - Bass
As stated, this foursome hails from Melbourne and have garnered a huge reputation as a live band. From all accounts these guys put everything they have into every show, leaving it all on the stage, while simultaneously leaving the audiences satisfied to their 'amped to the max' core. Not only are Mammoth Mammoth experienced in playing to audiences, "Hell's Likely" is their third studio release, beginning with a self titled EP in 2008, "Mammoth" in 2009 that included covers of Kyuss' "Green Machine" and Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold", which put Mammoth Mammoth's irrevocable mega-fuzz stamp on those two varied but familiar and loved rock standards, and now "Hell's Likely", eight original ass kickers, straight out of some Australian explosives factory where someone threw a lit butt on the ground, large explosives expanded rapidly, and Mammoth Mammoth had an album of incredible explosiveness.
The music these guys put forth is heavy and fun, heavily reminiscent of rock of the 70s and 80s, while interspersed with sounds from the fledgling underground sounds of the era that gave birth to stoner rock, the 90s. They never mimic the sound of any of their influences, but at the same time do not shy away from what they like to use when laying waste to the earth with their low tuned, high energy music.
The title track is the opener and sets the perfect tone for what's to follow. It's fast paced and laden with energetic drumwork displaying timbre and skill that only the most adept and demoniac of guitars could follow.
The fuzz is unfurled for track 2, "Go", where, again, athletic guitar work unleashes monstrous riffs, huge fills of distortion and low tuned wonderment. I love the solo on this song, unfolding in a steady and intriguing manner that takes it time and entertains mightily because of it, as opposed to just dropping a few quick, loud licks like the majority of rock songs are wont to do.
My favorite track on the album is the fourth song down, "(Up All Night) Demons to Fight", the name alone bringing an anticipatory smile. The tempo here is deliberate and forceful, quickly igniting those primal urges deep within my metal soul. This is the kind of song you go to battle with. It delivers blow after blow, riff, lick, and fill wrapped in fuzz and distortion, and punctuated with the heavy bass rhythm of Bell's relentless playing, at the same time packaged neatly with Tucker's 'fuck you, kick ass' vocals.
One of the hallmarks of Mammoth Mammoth's songs is the length they play. There's no long drawn out psych journeys here, but at the same time they don't typically get in and get out in 3 minutes or less, either. 5 plus minutes is the standard, which is a great time for fuzz filled wonderment such as the deliverance of these 8 songs.
The final track, purportedly available only on the vinyl version of the album, is "Dead Sea", a deliberate show of strength and power, that comes across as an intelligent fuzz bomb, setting off explosions at exactly the right time and in exactly the right place throughout this demonstrative show of force.
Mammoth Mammoth have delivered a gargantuan, monstrous, prodigious, leviathanic collection of stoner fuzz bombs that boil the blood at just the right temperature on "Hell's Likely". If you are new to their music use this as a jumping off point and then go backward in time to collect the remainder of their awesome collection, worthy additions to any stoner metal anthology.
facebook || website || last.fm || reverbnation
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THE SHOOTERS - "PLANET OF THE BLACK SUN"
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain is where we go for our next cargo load of fuzz and distortion. South of Sevilla and west of Malaga ( I wonder which team these guys root for), Jerez appears to be an idyllic town in the southwest of the country, with beautiful architecture and gorgeous scenery, it looks to be the type of place that would be hard pressed to produce a foursome able to conjure the type of energy and power to move massive boulders with the strum of a chord, the pluck of a bass string, or the strike of stick on skin, but that's exactly what The Shooters do - create massive amounts of beautiful, monstrous sound melodicly formed into a treasure trove of stoner rock jewels.
Spanish may be what The Shooters speak, what they write, what they use to fill their Twitter and Facebook pages, but good old American is the language used on the vocals of this gigantic band of uncanny caliber and faculty. The language used by guitar is retro rock, stoner metal, good old fuzz and distortion, a language understood by millions and craved by the same.Those cravings can be assuaged with the release of "Planet of the Black Sun".
Band Members are Alex, Carlos, Danishoot, and Marcos.
Although it's not quite clear who plays what for The Shooters, in the end it doesn't matter, nor does it even matter in the beginning. We have access to their new release and all we need do is plug it in and play. Enjoyment ensues. Like their Atomic Split predecessor, The Shooters lay down ample time on their tracks to allow for full engagement, and deep enjoyment, igniting all music receptors and linking to all primal metal music urges.
"Planet of the Black Sun" kicks off with "Against the Storm", a stoner rock gem, for no other definition can suffice. The vocals are incredible on this, and every song. The guitars continually crank out distorted pleasure, while the drums surface in perfect time to the ever churning riffs, providing intrigue and conciliation. The closing section of the song lays down an intriguing display of melodic adeptness and enjoyment.
Track 2, "Satellite", does not back down from the high bar set on the first song, kicking up the tempo a notch, while simultaneously kicking up the fuzz a notch as well. How? Hell, I don't know, but it does. The song is crammed to the gills with riffs, licks, and fills during the main course. The bridge bares it down to brass tacks, though, singling out nifty single riffs and drum fills before exploding back into the main groove of the song.
"Fuel Eater" quite simply jams for 5 minutes. Not in a hurry, digging deep grooves at a mud slinging pace, it takes over your brain for a nice trip through distortion and doom, over before you realize you ever left, because the trip was pure hypnosis of low tuned wonderment.
"Fate" kicks up the tempo and the melody a bit, utilizing a full, rich tone to the low tuned guitars, undercurrented by massively heavy bass and topped with the ever present rhythm of wood on skin. There is an in and out flow to the song that mesmerizes with a tribal quality hypnotic in nature and delivery.
The Shooters are superb songwriters, definitely stamping their sound and style on each song, but never totally recreating what's already been conjured, either by them or anyone else. The changes are perhaps slight, subtle, and modest, just enough to pique interest and satisfy familiarity.
These guys work their magic on the music they play, crafting quality songs, and playing with skill and enthusiasm. This album is 9 songs of sheer stoner joy, fierce in delivery, heavy in tone, and deep in satisfaction.
On their bandcamp page you will have access to all their music, worthy of the free downloads, and inclusion into your stoner rock collection.
facebook || bandcamp || twitter || jamendo
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MAMMOTH MAMMOTH - "HELL'S LIKELY"
Band members:
Ben Couzens - Guitar
Mikey Tucker - Vocals
Frank Trobiani - Drums
Pete Bell - Bass
As stated, this foursome hails from Melbourne and have garnered a huge reputation as a live band. From all accounts these guys put everything they have into every show, leaving it all on the stage, while simultaneously leaving the audiences satisfied to their 'amped to the max' core. Not only are Mammoth Mammoth experienced in playing to audiences, "Hell's Likely" is their third studio release, beginning with a self titled EP in 2008, "Mammoth" in 2009 that included covers of Kyuss' "Green Machine" and Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold", which put Mammoth Mammoth's irrevocable mega-fuzz stamp on those two varied but familiar and loved rock standards, and now "Hell's Likely", eight original ass kickers, straight out of some Australian explosives factory where someone threw a lit butt on the ground, large explosives expanded rapidly, and Mammoth Mammoth had an album of incredible explosiveness.
The music these guys put forth is heavy and fun, heavily reminiscent of rock of the 70s and 80s, while interspersed with sounds from the fledgling underground sounds of the era that gave birth to stoner rock, the 90s. They never mimic the sound of any of their influences, but at the same time do not shy away from what they like to use when laying waste to the earth with their low tuned, high energy music.
The title track is the opener and sets the perfect tone for what's to follow. It's fast paced and laden with energetic drumwork displaying timbre and skill that only the most adept and demoniac of guitars could follow.
The fuzz is unfurled for track 2, "Go", where, again, athletic guitar work unleashes monstrous riffs, huge fills of distortion and low tuned wonderment. I love the solo on this song, unfolding in a steady and intriguing manner that takes it time and entertains mightily because of it, as opposed to just dropping a few quick, loud licks like the majority of rock songs are wont to do.
My favorite track on the album is the fourth song down, "(Up All Night) Demons to Fight", the name alone bringing an anticipatory smile. The tempo here is deliberate and forceful, quickly igniting those primal urges deep within my metal soul. This is the kind of song you go to battle with. It delivers blow after blow, riff, lick, and fill wrapped in fuzz and distortion, and punctuated with the heavy bass rhythm of Bell's relentless playing, at the same time packaged neatly with Tucker's 'fuck you, kick ass' vocals.
One of the hallmarks of Mammoth Mammoth's songs is the length they play. There's no long drawn out psych journeys here, but at the same time they don't typically get in and get out in 3 minutes or less, either. 5 plus minutes is the standard, which is a great time for fuzz filled wonderment such as the deliverance of these 8 songs.
The final track, purportedly available only on the vinyl version of the album, is "Dead Sea", a deliberate show of strength and power, that comes across as an intelligent fuzz bomb, setting off explosions at exactly the right time and in exactly the right place throughout this demonstrative show of force.
Mammoth Mammoth have delivered a gargantuan, monstrous, prodigious, leviathanic collection of stoner fuzz bombs that boil the blood at just the right temperature on "Hell's Likely". If you are new to their music use this as a jumping off point and then go backward in time to collect the remainder of their awesome collection, worthy additions to any stoner metal anthology.
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THE SHOOTERS - "PLANET OF THE BLACK SUN"
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain is where we go for our next cargo load of fuzz and distortion. South of Sevilla and west of Malaga ( I wonder which team these guys root for), Jerez appears to be an idyllic town in the southwest of the country, with beautiful architecture and gorgeous scenery, it looks to be the type of place that would be hard pressed to produce a foursome able to conjure the type of energy and power to move massive boulders with the strum of a chord, the pluck of a bass string, or the strike of stick on skin, but that's exactly what The Shooters do - create massive amounts of beautiful, monstrous sound melodicly formed into a treasure trove of stoner rock jewels.
Spanish may be what The Shooters speak, what they write, what they use to fill their Twitter and Facebook pages, but good old American is the language used on the vocals of this gigantic band of uncanny caliber and faculty. The language used by guitar is retro rock, stoner metal, good old fuzz and distortion, a language understood by millions and craved by the same.Those cravings can be assuaged with the release of "Planet of the Black Sun".
Band Members are Alex, Carlos, Danishoot, and Marcos.
Although it's not quite clear who plays what for The Shooters, in the end it doesn't matter, nor does it even matter in the beginning. We have access to their new release and all we need do is plug it in and play. Enjoyment ensues. Like their Atomic Split predecessor, The Shooters lay down ample time on their tracks to allow for full engagement, and deep enjoyment, igniting all music receptors and linking to all primal metal music urges.
"Planet of the Black Sun" kicks off with "Against the Storm", a stoner rock gem, for no other definition can suffice. The vocals are incredible on this, and every song. The guitars continually crank out distorted pleasure, while the drums surface in perfect time to the ever churning riffs, providing intrigue and conciliation. The closing section of the song lays down an intriguing display of melodic adeptness and enjoyment.
Track 2, "Satellite", does not back down from the high bar set on the first song, kicking up the tempo a notch, while simultaneously kicking up the fuzz a notch as well. How? Hell, I don't know, but it does. The song is crammed to the gills with riffs, licks, and fills during the main course. The bridge bares it down to brass tacks, though, singling out nifty single riffs and drum fills before exploding back into the main groove of the song.
"Fuel Eater" quite simply jams for 5 minutes. Not in a hurry, digging deep grooves at a mud slinging pace, it takes over your brain for a nice trip through distortion and doom, over before you realize you ever left, because the trip was pure hypnosis of low tuned wonderment.
"Fate" kicks up the tempo and the melody a bit, utilizing a full, rich tone to the low tuned guitars, undercurrented by massively heavy bass and topped with the ever present rhythm of wood on skin. There is an in and out flow to the song that mesmerizes with a tribal quality hypnotic in nature and delivery.
The Shooters are superb songwriters, definitely stamping their sound and style on each song, but never totally recreating what's already been conjured, either by them or anyone else. The changes are perhaps slight, subtle, and modest, just enough to pique interest and satisfy familiarity.
These guys work their magic on the music they play, crafting quality songs, and playing with skill and enthusiasm. This album is 9 songs of sheer stoner joy, fierce in delivery, heavy in tone, and deep in satisfaction.
On their bandcamp page you will have access to all their music, worthy of the free downloads, and inclusion into your stoner rock collection.
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