Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Luder - "Adelphophagia" / Elvis Deluxe - "The Story So Far"

I know it's been awhile. You know, life. Part and parcel of the responsibilities of life require paying the pimp for services rendered, and decades of rendering those services yield physical breakdowns of the sort to stymie your abilities. Regardless, the responsibilities remain, leaving little time for soul replenishment via cherished activities, such as writing about the wonderful, awe inspiring world of stoner metal. But, enough small blocks of time banded together today yield just enough opportunity to introduce to you two fine new albums of stoner bliss.
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LUDER - "ADELPHOPHAGIA"

What happens when the intense full throttle sound of  Five Horse Johnson's lead guitarist, who loves blues and classic rock, Novadriver's heavy hitting drummer, who loves hard and heavy rock, Small Stone Record's head honcho, who loves the classic sounds of The Who and The Cult, and Slot's dulcet toned vocalist, who loves the mellow sounds of indie rock get together to form a band? The short answer is Luder. Go a bit deeper and the response is an intriguing, unique, deep, soulful blend of styles that yields a sound that surprisingly satisfies a craving you might not have known you had.

One of my all time favorite things is the sound of that wonderful, soul stirring, stoner guitar riff, the kind employed on many great albums by some of the genre's best known and most accomplished artists such as Truckfighters, Dozer, Summoner, Steak, and Kyuss, just to name about half a percent. It is an incredible, vibrant guitar riff and plays well in every setting in which I've ever heard it. I've often wondered how applying that riff style to mellower rock or songs that are perhaps more poppish in nature might improve their sound. With Luder and their latest release "Adelphophagia" my curiosity has been assuaged, and then some. Does it work? HELL, YEAH!!! it works. "Adelphophagia"'s songs are exciting and invigorating, due both to the unique blend of sound and style as well as to the musical talents on full display in each of the piece parts of the band's members.

Luder have been making music for quite a while, hearkening back to 2006 as a culmination of efforts to honor the band Slot, who had lost their guitarist and main creative force, Billy Rivkin, just a few years earlier. Small Stone Records first released Slot's music in 2006. That release stirred 2 of Slot's remaining members, vocalist and bassist Sue Lott and drummer Eddie Alterman, and  Five Horse Johnson's guitarist Phil Dürr as well as Small Stone Record's Scott Hamilton, also on guitar, to play Slot's music at SXSW in the spring of 2007. Afterward, the feeling they could, and should, create a fresh style of rock music led to the official formation of Luder and a changing of the guard at drums in which Eddie was replaced by Novadriver's Eric Miller. Soon 2009's "Sonoluminescence" was released, and now "Adelphophagia".

Dürr's guitar charges out of the gate straight away on the opener "Never Liked You" in a prelude of the sonic bursts he has peppered throughout the song. In much the same way Lott flexes big bass muscle in antipodal display to her soothing and confident vocals. The drumwork rides a wave of clearly defined execution, never simply underpinning the more obvious guitarwork. Listening to the varied and brilliant pieces on display here gives you an immediate sense of just how incredibly gifted these musicians are.

In second position is "Astrolabe", a song of psychedelic tendencies, richly layered with compelling and dexterous instrumentation. And again, despite the high powered lead guitar riff hammer of Phil Dürr, the biggest guns might just be from the same person who lays out the sweet sounding vocals as she practically lays waste with her booming, athletic bass licks.

Sublime stoner fuzz accentuated with enveloping avalanche blitzes propel "One Eye" on an engrossing journey, followed by "Heartfelt" with its almost strident riffage encompassed in rich, deep, blended psychedelic tones.

"Ask the Sky" gives Lott a chance to shine even more than usual with her rich, measured vocals, turning on a sublime and haunting charm that stands out as the focal point for the accompanying melody, while the haunting quality of "You Try It" shifts slightly to the dueling guitars of Dürr and Hamilton.

The melody and music of "Dirge" is a tight and powerfully executed anthem of haunting beauty.

A change of pace awaits on "I'm Afraid of Americans", a funky and fun exhibition that throws some unusual sounds into the mix while making it all work effortlessly and seamlessly.

The closer is the slow burning "Remember What I Said". Whether or not you remember what I said today or not doesn't matter so much as remembering the sustained immersion and profound experience of this unique and wonderful album.







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ELVIS DELUXE - "THE STORY SO FAR"

This band from Warsaw, Poland should be considered grizzled veterans of the stoner rock scene having lasted this long from inception in 2003. They seem to be gaining steam as they course along the fuzzy paths of underground metal both in album frequency and musical quality. Forming in 2003 they didn't release their first album, "Lazy", until 2007, followed up after another 4 year elapse with the highly acclaimed "Favourite State of Mind" in 2011. But only 2 years have transpired since and now comes "The Story So Far" ( a promising title of more to come, perhaps ).

Elvis Deluxe have always displayed a knack for the hook and melody of Kyuss-like stoner rock with a garage rock strain, but with this latest release there is a depth and dexterity not always matched on the earlier albums. Having said that, 3 of the songs on this album are from the very early days and feature the original guitarist, Mechu, who had left Elvis Deluxe soon after the release of  "Favourite State of Mind". The band did not lose any of its new found momentum, however, and have added a new guitarist who plays on the newest tracks of "The Story So Far".

Current band members include:

Bert Trust - Guitar
Bolek - Guitar
Miko - Drums
Ziemba - Bass / Vocals

"The Story So Far" wastes no time establishing itself as a contender. Out of the gate we are treated to "Yourgodfreed", an eight minute immersion into a measured hypnotic atmosphere that permeates and elevates as it carries you along in its fuzzy hooks and psychedelic connotations.

The style changes up significantly on "No Reason" and "Dark Lovers" in which recognizable stoner riffs are executed in an almost atypical and intriguing manner, while playing enjoyable hooks of pop sensibilities, yet never abandoning the booming riffs and low tuned megablasts of hallmark stoner rock.

"Face It" demonstrates that rare accomplishment of blending bigger than life stoner fuzz riffs with beautiful melody and a memorable hook, punctuated by a closing salvo of naval proportions.

"Something to Hide", "Out of Life", and "The Hope" are all massive onslaughts of measured sound, blasting loud and deep while under strict control.

Elvis Deluxe closes out with a cover of the Stooges' "Search and Destroy", doing more than a credible impression of the classic song by throwing in signature stoner riffs throughout, giving it an incredible and enjoyable sound.

"The Story So Far" immediately goes on the 'Best of Lists' for many stoner rock lovers, myself included. While it faces stiff competition in the coming months from stoner rock royalty and some very heavily anticipated albums, this signature album from Poland's premier metal band is exceptional whether on its own or in the company of other albums of similar stature, so when the curtains close and the dust settles on 2013 there will definitely be a light shining squarely on the brilliance of "The Story So Far".









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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Wall of Sleep - "Mao's Gauntlet" / Geezer - "Gage"

Sometimes things, when first presented, don't jump out at you right away. Sometimes things seem vaguely interesting upon first encounter, but depending on mood or other mitigating circumstances perhaps what seemed somewhat interesting at first wasn't quite enticing enough to warrant immediate attention, so, perhaps, these things are set aside - physically, metaphysically, subconsciously, not to be explored further in lieu of other, seemingly more pertinent things  . . . at least for awhile. But something about these ignored entities doesn't quite allow for total disappearance into the void of forgetfulness, so instead they languish in their vacuous corner, surrounded by dark matter, building up dark energy, biding time, waiting for the opportunity to spring forth, to seemingly unleash upon their unsuspecting host a power and a fury of unsurpassed quality and content as to render said host apoplectic . . . and pleasantly surprised. How was such incredible content not noticed right away, for it is now obvious these things that had been closeted alongside the mundane and the unworthy not only are deserving of light and attention, but had been in danger of squander, a crime of unimaginable proportions.

Ladies and gentlemen, today we are in for a memorable experience in the world of real music, or stoner rock as it is often characterized, for languishing in the corner of old Nuclear Dog's pile o' music were 2 very exciting and enticing EPs that thankfully fought their way through the fibrous scar tissue of my deeper recesses and have now become features on the grand stage of Heavy Planet.
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WALL OF SLEEP - "MAO'S GAUNTLET"

Hailing from Silver Spring, Maryland - basically D.C. country - the three piece band Wall of Sleep have yet to make their mark on the webwide world in a noticeable way, perhaps, other than in one significant aspect, which is, of course, by creating some toothsome psychedelic stoner sounds in their relatively short time as music manufacturers. Forming in 2011 they have released three EPs, and are in the process of releasing another despite having just released the excellent "Mao's Gauntlet" in March of this year. Each of the EPs offers well crafted metal, progressing on each one in craftsmanship and insight, culminating in the superb quality and sound of today's subject album.

Band members include:

Drew O'Rourke - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Casey Minnick - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Ben Perper - Drums

The four songs on 'Mao' demonstrate a significant progression in rendering and attention to detail from the band's initial Demo of 2011. The songs here are deep and soulful, capturing a magnificently haunting intensity accentuated by the rumbling riffs of the abyss and a melody ripped from haunted recesses of depravity. The shared duties between O'Rourke and Minnick on vocals and guitar provide an intriguing experience of varying execution between songs. The song writing on each of the four tracks demonstrates an amazing and almost lofty aptitude within the professed genre of stoner, psychedelic metal. The opening track provides memorable hooks ensconced well within gargantuan riffs, scorching solos, and mammoth drum runs. Perhaps the flagship song is O'Rourke's "Parallel", unfolding in a lengthy and memorable twelve minutes in which a melancholy and melodramatic overtone permeates throughout the clever construct. This gives way to the powerful "Seen Our Tomorrow", a slow, steady rumble of force and passion. "Summer Trip Suite" closes out the album in similar style to its predecessor, providing another expanse of primal musical satisfaction of interwoven intricacy and surmounting power.

All of Wall of Sleep's music is available on bandcamp and is well worth exploring, perhaps taking a cue from this fortunate reviewer by not setting it aside in some dark corner where it would be at the mercy of the whims of the universe, for this band's music has earned a significant place in the spotlight of the cosmos, without a doubt.





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GEEZER - "GAGE"

Geezer, too, have been together a short amount of time, forming in 2010 in Kingston, New York. But in the span between then and now they have developed an excellent reputation by putting out two incredible albums, the first being the wonderful "Handmade Heavy Blues" and the second one being "Gage", a four track anomaly of brilliance.

The plan for Geezer this past March was to record one new song for a specific event, but the creative juices were flowing that day as three new songs had been captured during their time in the studio, comprising the bulk of "Gage". To round it out the band included the recording of the only time the song "Dude, It's Molecular" was ever played by them.

Band members:

Pat Harrington
Chris Turco
Freddy Villano

The opening track, "Ancient Song", wastes no time establishing the haunting quality of the track and the album with a barbed riff that harpoons center mast on the heart. Massive bass and power vocals soon join in the unfurling of the massive, dark tapestry of this opening song where melody, hook, riff, and solo richly intertwine. "Thorny" kicks in with a power blues riff of an equally haunting and memorable quality. Next up is the awesomely titled "Ghost Rider Solar Plexus" in which the opening blues riff is a gutshot blast of salt and pellets. The melody is a memorable and hook laden adrenalin adventure romp. The bass is a leviathan of low end rumble, the blues guitar forging molten riffs of iron and steel, and the drum work massive and purposeful. The closer, "Dude, It's Molecular", the aforementioned one off, again displays a memorable, soulful blues rock quality seemingly forged in the blazing hot fields of a Mississippi Delta of eras past.

Incredible musicianship is the hallmark of Geezer's EP, a worthy, treasured, and indelible addition to any collection. Available on bandcamp alongside Geezer's LP, "Handmade Heavy Blues"



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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Midryasi - "Black, Blue & Violet" / Peacemaker - "Cult .45"

Today is disparate day. Two albums that haven't got a whole lot in common, but what they do have in common is the most vital part of what they do. Both bands employ unmuffled, big engine guitars in creating decibel shattering music. One strips most parts bare and then polishes those up to present clean, tight, raw stoner doom metal that is no frills, no holds barred, fist pumping power. The other constructs multi-faceted melodies on top of clear and precise stoner riffs, crafting an intricate experience that easily engages you in an experience of passionate sound. Each band has their unique approach, and each succeed in a great way. I love it when such disparate means produce unique, eternal quality.
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MIDRYASI - "BLACK, BLUE & VIOLET

Midryasi are a veteran stoner/doom/psych band, hailing from Varese, Italy, originally formed in 2002, from which point they have worked their way up in the underground metal world through incremental milestones that attest to their diligence and perseverance as well as their innate ability to create superbly brilliant music. "Black, Blue & Violet" joins "Corridors" as the bands full length LPs, the latter having been unleashed on the music world in 2009 and the former recently released at the beginning of the present year.

Band members:

Convulsion - Throat, Bass
Paul P. - Guitars
Udz - Keys
Sappah - Drums

Sometimes it can be challenging to classify some of the bands or albums that find their way to Heavy Planet, with hundreds of them crossing the blurred, fuzzy lines between genres. Is it stoner rock? Is it doom metal? Is it psychedelica? Is it retro/classic/vintage rock, blues metal? There are infinite combinations, all of them exciting and deeply gratifying to the fans of down tuned, heavy distortion. Midryasi, perhaps, have developed a new cross genre, something, if not completely original, at least quite rare. I would call it stoner opera.

The song structures, melodies, and hooks present on this dark album of fantastic realms are not wholly derivative, but could likely be traced or compared to some of the better known concept albums of the 70s and beyond in architecture and atmosphere. What sets it wholly apart is its penchant for down tuned fuzzery on  vast regions of its quality sound, setting a hook of a different sort to work in conjunction with the brilliantly clever musical barbs found throughout the music.

As with any concept album, the fun is in exploring over and over the telling of the tale, both musically and lyrically, discovering new and different revelations, avenues, hidden recesses, and unforeseen flashes of inspiration and insight upon each telling. The craftsmanship on these songs is such that the strength of the music grows with each musical trek.

Two interesting tidbits, one about the band, one on the album. Midryasi is derived from the scientific term midriasis, describing the dilation of the eyes pupils, something most of us know a bit about, I'd wager. Track six on "Black, Blue & Violet" is titled "Nuclear Dog" and is a total coincidence. I had already listened to and loved the album before studying the track titles and song lyrics, which is when I made my exciting discovery. "Nuclear Dog" is not my favorite track on the album, that honor goes to "Hole of the Saturday Night", a fuzz laden monstrosity of epic, soaring proportions.

Head on over to bandcamp and begin an epic, enduring adventure on this extraordinary stoner rock opera.





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PEACEMAKER - "CULT .45"

This album first came across the Heavy Planet desk as a demo back in 2012 and stirred considerable excitement at the time. Now that the full 8 track LP has been released the quality first experienced back then has carried through to the album entire. This is meat and potatoes stoner / doom music, none finer, none heavier, none more satisfying than what this foursome from London have to offer, with a sound that is at once clean and ragged. Ragged by design as fuzz and distortion are carefully, passionately, unleashed for maximum effect, clean in studio delivery as there is absolutely nothing out of balance or out of place on any portion of the album. Professionalism is always welcome, especially when it come to your favorite listening pleasures.

Band Members:

Al Osta - Vocals
Al Lawson - Bass / Wizard
Sam Taylor - Guitar
Rich Maw - Drums

Big huge, rolling riffs of gargantuan proportions are propagated regularly throughout this album in measured and melodic method, driving deep through to the molten magma core of your soul, sparking primal urges both fierce and pleasurable. The riffs and rolls of guitar and bass play off one another in harmony and dissent, creating exquisite chaos that is tempered by the bludgeoning force of unyielding drumwork and overseen with master strokes of rough hewn vocals. There is a palpable magnetism and dynamic fury on this album that raises hackles and sets the listener on a razor's edge of brilliance and force.

Opening with the megadoom "The Siberian Problem", a song that sets the tone perfectly for much of what's to follow, and the ensuing assault of "Follow the Rats", a forceful and measured onslaught of reverberation resplendent with doom hooks and gargantuan riffs, Peacemaker set a perfect tone for "Cult .45".

On the heels of "Follow the Rats" is yet another riff leviathan of perfectly measured doom melody, "Dead Man's Keys". "Soul Cheater" is a blitzkrieg battalion of low tuned machinery mounting an onslaught of speed and blistering riffs. "Journey of the Faithful" and "Sorrow Trip" round out the album's excellent soul searing stormclouds of foreboding and arousal.

One of the excellent hallmarks of Peacemaker's music, as heavy and downtuned as it may be, is their ability to craft fine melodies, wonderous hooks, and catchy patches in much of their songwriting. They display their ability in a small, but significant way on the short tracks "Mane of Serpents" and "Grey Sky", interceding the brilliant darkness on the majority of the album with the dolorous and mournful light of this sweet, ebony pair.





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Estoner - "The Stump Will Rise" / Motherslug - "Motherslug"

The Stoner Rock world is chock full of magnificent, electrifying music that bests anything, ANYTHING, played in mainstream forums. It amazes me that none of the publications I read, whether online or in print, seem to be aware of what goes on in the world of low tuned fuzz. Queens of the Stone Age gets prominent billing for an album that is a shadow of anything Kyuss ever produced save, perhaps, their initial release. Black Sabbath returns after several decades with a worthy effort that has everything but perhaps the heart of what once was, heart that now reverberates throughout the Stoner Rock world with bands that have taken up the mantle, trying desperately on one hand to achieve what the Black Sabbaths of the world have already achieved while simultaneously achieving what those aging bands no longer can. Heart is the key, and hunger is the driving force. Without hunger heart can't live. Without heart, hunger is absent. Perhaps the music we review on Heavy Planet reaches a small and passionate audience, one whose nearly matches that of the architects of the sound we crave, but I believe we have keyed into the absolute best music alternating current has to offer. If mainstream hasn't clued in on that fact . . . well, then they're relegated to listening to the Kanyes and Lumineers on offer, and pity to them, I guess. I'll take Estoner and Motherslug, today's featured Stoner Rock generators, any day, any time. I'm thankful it's there to take.
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ESTONER - "THE STUMP WILL RISE"

Okay, I'm late to the party on this album. It was released in October of 2012 and I have only recently become aware of its dulcet tones. Hah! Dulcet tones. Yes, but in a low, fuzzed out, distorted, shredded scrap metal sort of way! Estoner grind and slice through thick slabs of iron and steel with twin guitar shredders and a vocalist for the ages.

Hailing from Talinn, Estonia  band members include:

Corey Tomlins - Vocals
Ralf Vinkler - Guitar
Kristian Vallikivi - Guitar
Jaanus Luka - Bass
Anton Veeremets - Drums

Estoner became a full band in 2011 and spent months on the road honing their sound. A mini release of 3 songs during that time quickly sold out and gave the band impetus to create this septet of massive, deep metal melodies of psychedelic tendencies.

The sound Estoner have created is brilliant and unique. They employ a superfecta of unique, spine chilling vocals, multi shredding twin guitars that lay down the thick, jagged  pile of metal tapestries, brilliantly crafted melodies chock full of sharp steel hooks, unfolding and engrossing story lines, and engrossing rhythms.

The album opens with the superb "Greenseeker", a perfect representative of all that's great with "The Stump Will Rise", nearly 9 minutes in length, heavy, low, and deliberate, and showcasing both melody and Tomlins' unique, haunting vocals. Nowhere on the album is the mammoth driving power of Luka's bass more present than on track 2, "Meet the Abyss". "Darth Vader Has a Hangover" opens with an incredible duet of synchronized stoner rumble and a serene, almost acoustic treatment that morphs quickly into sheer power and monstrous driving riffs in an ode to the timeless space cowboy classic. "Stump" is an incredibly intriguing mix of deliberate driving power, and wild, nearly incongruous sounds dashing in, out, and around the methodical onslaught of the master melody. "Level 5 Wizard", as you might expect, takes a more ethereal, spiritual journey, while never leaving behind the heavy machinery on an extended trip of color and emotion, while "LSD Vampyr" continues the smoky, hazy journey of metallic fuzz, neither song to be outdone by the mega trippy, ultra shaggy "Mindweasels".

This album is one of a kind and if you are a fan of the fuzz and an appreciator of metal melody, as well as relishing singular vocals, you should find this album a cut above most. I regret not finding this jewel last year because it most certainly would have made my top 20 end of year list. It's the kind of album that gets better each time you listen to it, and sounds better with high quality headphones cranked up beyond what is healthy for these old rock and roll ears.





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MOTHERSLUG - "MOTHERSLUG"

Whenever I see that a band is a five piece I tend to get excited because most of the time it means dual guitars, which is certainly the case once again today with Motherslug. Guitars are what set the great music of the Stoner/Doom/Psychedelic world apart from all others because guitar is used to perfect effect much of the time, cranking out low, loud riff rhythms while shredding the dark energy of the universe with searing light beams of power and brilliance. Motherslug do that in spades, as they say. The guitars permeate to the core, to the very essence of existence in this powerful half hour experience.

Motherslug hail from Melbourne, Australia, having formed very recently in 2012 with what began as a mutual admiration of the music of Kyuss by

Ferg - Rhythm Guitar
Nick - Drums

who began jamming together and discovering a propensity for the low end heaviness of stoner rock, and so decided to add to the mix

Matt - Lead Guitar

who brought incredible depth and dexterity. It took some time for the fledgling band to find

Cyn - Bass

to round out the instrumental sound. It took several months more to find the right fit for the final instrument, but then along came

Cam - Vocals

a unique and perfectly matched talent whose vocal abilities are supreme and immediately evident when you first listen to Motherslug play. While his pipes are reminiscent of many of rock's great wordthrashers it retains its own unique and incredible sound.

This is a band that displays it all in their songs, and while the starting point for them is this self titled 4 track EP, it is very much massive in content and quality, providing riveting and explosive low end brilliance.

The opening track, "Symptoms (of the Human Race)" hearkens back to classic sounds of seventies metal as well as evoking the nimble melodies of high desert masters of the nineties and beyond. "Rollin'" carries the gargantuan sound forward with a classic blues rock theme married beautifully to massive metal riffs and licks of gargantuan proportions, overwrought with spacey, haunting laser beam solos. The deliberate, "Devils Rise" is a slow rolling river of sound forcing its current of monstrosities to carry you along until you succumb to its dark depths, while "Space Man" lives up to its billing with a psychedelic din that sits squarely on top of your chest threatening to interrupt the natural rhythms within with an intruding enormity of decibel distortion, leaving your only recourse to yield to the mercies and vagaries of its low tuned capriciousness.

"Motherslug" hits the mark dead center with their maiden release, providing a worthy collection of massive stoner melodies. I look very much forward to their first full length album, but I also simply look forward to once again spinning this beauty up once again.





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Switchblade Jesus - "Switchblade Jesus" / Ten Foot Wizard - "Return to the Infinite"

If you're standing in the desert, and it's unbearably, insufferably, almost otherwordly hot, with no replenishing liquids anywhere in sight, nor have there been for ages, a condition so barren and sere you've had to settle for the occasional scrawny cactus and the fetid, malodorous secretions within that try to pass for true potability . . . because you thought that was all that was left after long ago leaving behind the life defining oasis brimming with cool, crystal pools, thunderous waterfalls, and rare, exotic entities awash with wonderment and awe, an oasis that infused you with sustenance, conviction, and a confident notion this must be only one such empyrean spot along a long and arduous journey. After a time it became apparent the oasis was a singular stop and so you sustain its memory across the treacherous expanses of banality and tedium, feeding occasionally upon the vapid tidbits that sprout sporadically along the way. But then, almost out of the blue, as you stoop to inspect a small cactus whose pulp in past burgeonings was mildly flavorsome, comes unseen, unsuspecting deliverance like an avalanche of pureness and enrichment, crystal blue refreshment that infuses and soaks you instantly in restorative waves of never before experienced magnificence, pummeling you in wave after wave of sheer pleasure and satisfaction. This oasis you will not leave because there is too much to ever fully experience. Each trip within unveils something new, something that will ultimately and completely satisfy your thirst for the purest, life sustaining libations.

That is stoner rock. An unending, quenching wave that recognizable no matter when or from where you fill your cup, providing the utmost quality and a unique refreshment that is deeply satisfying each time you partake.

Today we partake of two fine and splendid goblets of potent potation. Enjoy.
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SWITCHBLADE JESUS - "SWITCHBLADE JESUS"

Upon first listening to Switchblade Jesus you may be hit with some conflicting reactions. They certainly play stoner rock and they sound like much of the rest of the stoner rock world available throughout the webisphere and beyond. But then you realize, hey, they play stoner rock and they sound damn good! There is deep, demonstrable musicianship and passion on each track. That combination is the hallmark of metal acceptability - the ability to not just play and sing, but to demonstrate a fierce, abiding aptitude as well as massively relishing the opportunity to play. Switchblade Jesus go decidedly deep down those pathways with the 8 tracks on this proud, prominent production.

Hailing from oil and tar country, these Texans from Corpus Christi include members:

Peter Quarnstrom - Vocals
Eric Calvert - Guitar
Billy Guerra - Guitar
Jason Beers - Bass
Jon Elizondo - Drums

The opening track is a sweet, melancholy introduction that segues beautifully into the first 'electric' song, "Bastard Son", a powerful blues rock romp that serves mightily as a launching point to the music that follows on both the song and the album. Deep and heavy riffs are overlaid by deft, delirious solos that pierce through the fuzz and distortion coursing through the airwaves. The tempo throughout the album is steady and compelling, always expounding an appetizing blues rock vibe while filling the air with thick filaments of low tuned, deep stoner fuzz. The vocals are perfectly matched with a massive tonal quality adept in range and volume while the twin guitars provide multi-faceted riffs and spellbinding rock licks. Big broadsword bass riffs rumble mightily through the album, while the drums provide buoyant clarity. "The Wolves" follows immediately upon the conclusion of "Bastard Son", hooking the listener deep into molasses thick melodies. "Sick Mouth", "Equinox", "Renegade Riders", and "Copperhead" carry you along on a knee deep river of whiskey, diesel fuel, and sludge, permeating deeply into your pores and setting you up for the climactic and beautifully rendered "Oblivion", a memorable and noteworthy song that easily takes it place in the pantheon of great stoner, blues rock songs.

There are a limited number of rock albums worth our fleeting time and limited resources and you can bet Switchblade Jesus have delivered something well worthy of both.





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TEN FOOT WIZARD - "RETURN TO THE INFINITE"

Sometimes a one off project turns out to be so good, so popular, it must be carried further along than originally intended. Ten Foot Wizard is such a project, originally intended as a diversion for members of Manchester's Bisonhammer back in 2009 the band has since developed a major life and reputation as a live act of brilliance and heat, culminating in the 2013 release of "Return to the Infinite"

"Return to the Infinite" is a ten track package of dynamite and nitro, wrapped in a big fuzzy ribbon of whiskey soaked blue denim. All the markers are huge on this album. Melody? Yeah, the songs are catchy, hooky, and memorable. Great writing throughout. Vocals? Yeah, the reach and dexterity displayed on this album is a classic rock voice of deep quality and range. No yelling, no thinness, just thick and heavy, matching that of the riff laden guitars. Speaking of guitars - riffs, licks, solos, all incredible, athletic, sweet, and satisfying. Blues is the cornerstone. Fuzz is the echo. Retro, stoner rock is the label. Massiveness is the delivery, with a heaping helping of well done structure. Bass is a gargantuan weapon of thunder rolling reverberations. Drums blast away like grapefruit sized hail on a two by four structure of freshly started houses in the new addition to a classic rock neighborhood. Each song delivers a magnificent and mighty rock experience, beginning with a song straight out of the bicentennial decade, "Rise From Your Grave", with melodic delivery so thick and fierce you could easily envision the dead coming to life just to find tickets to the next live showing. The titles on these 10 songs are brilliant in and of themselves, but the cleverness and ingenuity doesn't stop at the monikers. Devilish, delightful rock tunes, crammed to the brim with thick, gravelly riffs and sunburst solos await you through "Vulture Bitches", "Real Love", and "Medicine". "Six Feet Rising" is eight minutes of slow burning buildup and avalanche delivery. Fun is represented perfectly on "Saturnalia" and "Fuck!", both tunes taking the reins and cutting loose, providing a devilish atmosphere of pleasure with a whiff of brimstone. Hooks aplenty abound on "The Storm", while mossy, sludgy blues swamp licks are hammered out in abandon on "End of the Line". The title track closes this superb album out with a nine minute psychedelic foray laden with a retro rock blues hammer that smolders and fizzes in a buildup of massive melody.

This album is quality and could very well be considered as a top album of the year once all is said and done.







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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Mexicoma - "Mexicoma / SADA - "All Hail the Beeflords"

Today's Atomic Split is one of my favorite kind of reviews to post, a rarity that happens only occasionally throughout the year. The albums featured today are seriously massive in volume, weight, and intent. Their purpose is to annihilate your senses with sound and atmosphere, unleashing the full might of their rock and roll arsenals to accomplish their noble mission. Each band's assault, while wielding similar weaponry, bears the sui generis battleplan of each. Rock writ this large, in the bold, shining strokes of stoner metal, has the sole purpose of decimating the deeply rooted, firmly entrenched tentacles of mendacious complacence, foes proven vile, ruthless, and indefatigable in their domination of imagination. Today they get overwhelmed by the sonic forces of stoner metal extraordinaire.
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MEXICOMA - "MEXICOMA"

Rock just does not get bolder, brawnier, or more muscular than "Mexicoma". But that's just the beginning. The entire magnitude of what this Swedish berserker has wrought goes far beyond the supernova explosion of their guitars triumvirate, aeons past the muscular, adept vocals, and blistering rhythm instruments, even outdistancing melodies wrought from genius of the hook, for they have combined their unending abilities with a presence and attitude unparalleled by all save a trifling few rock artists of either century. I make a bold claim, though not nearly as brash as these titans of reverberation make with fury of sound alone. Bear witness, spin it up, test the depth and range of your personal amplification, and brace for something primal and spiritual, delivered in the familiar package of stoner rock.

Mexicoma counts six members in its ranks, which in a rock band could spell discordance, but works to perfection for this bold troupe.

Magnus Olsson - vocals
Olle Sjölund - guitar
Peter Norstedt - guitar
Charlie Dahl - bass
Nicklas Viberg - guitar
Oskar Melander - drums

From the opening tracks of "5.27", "Pray", and "Relentless" an avalanche of thick, lush melody crushes your senses, potently marshaled by Olsson's completory vocals in assuasive setup and delivery fashion, and while there is a branching out on "Bright Black Day" with a more upbeat demeanor and on "Omega Doom" with a haunting psychedelic odyssey, the established mega riffs and dominating vocals of the opening tracks remain present here as well in similar soft, soft, hard fashion.

The original release of "Mexicoma" in digital format was 2010, but its cause celebre for 2013 is a vinyl release of the original EP plus a cover of the old blues song "John the Revelator", originally part of their second EP release, "Supervoid".

"Mexicoma" is a special album, just as Mexicoma is a special band. It's easy to get lost in the masses in a place like Sweden where rock and roll is prolific and rock bands numerous, but rising to the top in a sonic wave of gargantuan proportions comes this masterful second coming of stoner rock bliss.





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SADA - 'ALL HAIL THE BEEFLORDS"

The story behind "All Hail the Beeflords" is just plain cool, albeit heartwarming and invigorating as well. SADA were on the verge of the known around 7 years ago, playing all over London and surrounding areas, making massive impressions on all who were fortunate to experience the gargantuan wall of guitars upon which the band makes their assault on all listeners, and preparing for their initial album release. For reasons unknown to most the album never materialized and SADA appeared to fade into the sunset. Fortunately they left behind a sound signature so monstrous as to transcend time, impressing upon a couple of rock label entrepreneurs whose fledgling rock foray was in need of something special to add to the small but notable stable of rock bands already signed to the newly formed Stargun Music. Ross and Jeremy of Stargun sought out the members of SADA, dusted off the album that had been prepared for an earlier release, and have now put it out in the world under the Stargun Music label. Rock fans who know truly great music will certainly be ecstatic and beholden for the rescue mission, because the rescue works both ways as listeners and lovers of the big booming retro rock of the past are offered up this gigantic side of stoner rock beef.

The sound SADA produces is simply phenomenal - in scope, in delivery, in quality, in pleasure, in volume, and in magnitude. The twin guitars of Mike Danton and Forrest Taft are hurricane force blasts of sheer power, targeting sensory overload of aural pleasure zones. The forceful vocals of Mason Storm accompany the meaty riff layers of dual sonic destruction, just as Storm's bass produces heavy rumblings of mammoth sound. Drums on "All Hail the Beeflords" are nothing short of magnificent, exhibiting an energy and force that sets a gargantuan pace and power.

The package for the album includes 11 mind blowing tracks of a level of metal rarely achieved. The sound is neither pure stoner nor retro seventies to nineties metal, but rather a multiform sound with qualities of all but displaying its own signature clamor and roar beset by innate quality and dextrous capacity.

The opening track "Self Inflicted Crown" makes an immediate statement of the power and fury of enjoyment to be had on the album. There is no letup on "Weak of Days" and "Dirty Rat". The band has fun with the title track before returning to form on "Roebenger Seamist" and "Natural Woman". Changing tone with the near acoustic "_" the band displays a more mainstream side to their musicianship, delivering a beautifully rendered ballad. The album closes with four more ass kicking stoner metal tunes, the last an incredible cover of "Devil Woman".



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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Scattered Hamlet - "Skeleton Dixie" / The Blackwater Fever - "The Depths"

This week my state suffered a major catastrophe brought on by something as innocuous and terrible as weather. It is sheer coincidence that for this week I had queued up for review the tremendous "Skeleton Dixie" by Scattered Hamlet . . . scattered hamlets . . . de rigueur for central Oklahoma for two days straight this past week. As I'm listening through this ass kicking album, as well as the equally awesome "The Depths" from The Blackwater Fever throughout the week in attempts to not only prepare for the review but to escape from the horrors of the Fujita Scale, even if only for the drive to work and back each day, I was struck by some of the lyrics in Scattered Hamlet's stirring "Warning":

We all make our choice
And choose our destiny.
Through all the pain and loss
Nothin's clear to me

Too young to die,
Heed my warning.

Just snatches of a lyric embedded within gargantuan music and a personality as big and powerful as a wall cloud, but it jumped out at me. Those lyrics and their accompanying music were a powerful analgesic against heartbreak. The troubling thing, though, is the effect of the storm on me is minimal because it missed my neighborhood on both days, even if just barely. The poor folks in the paths on Sunday and Monday need strong analgesics of every sort, now and perhaps for evermore. I can only hope some of those folks will find such in the power of all the great music found on Heavy Planet. I know I do.
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SCATTERED HAMLET - "SKELETON DIXIE"

Hailing from all over the damn place and calling no place home, Scattered Hamlet are a big personality, but they don't use that mammoth projection as a cover up for little to no talent as some loud, obnoxious bands do because it could be easily argued the music behind Scattered Hamlet's persona is larger by a magnitude of significant proportions. Meaning the music is huge and hairy, filled with the dust and grit of dried wheat stacks searing in a white hot southern sun as guitars grind and clang with force and daft deft skill, bass rumbles and roars like pitted, bygone bulldozers plowing cracked ruts out of red clay, an uncanny cadence of drumbeats echoing off cliffs of sun scorched strata, and the crackle and spark of distorted amplification carrying the power and presence of overriding, dominating vocals.

Scattered Hamlet consist of:
Adam Joad - The Appalachian Apostle - vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo
Redd Yoachum - The Texan - guitar, slide
Rich Erwin - The Kentucky Assassin - bass, vocals
Jake Delling le Bas - The Irish Thunder - drums

"Skeleton Dixie" consists of eleven songs crafted with raunchy attitude, a fervent disregard for convention, and a freight car full of retrospect and reflection on legends past and dear. Every big southern rock band you've ever heard has made a small space in the swirling vortex of Scattered Hamlet's pulse pounding melodies.

This band nails all the major points of great rock and roll. Guitars are, simply put, always engaging with riff and solo alike. Always. Bass and drums step out of bounds on several occasions, adding spice and flavor to an already gritty stew of metal shavings and discarded weldings. Vocals are powerful and fierce, able and adept in fulfilling requirements on all songs. And through it all, melodies engage and entwine lickety split, delivering memorable riffs and hooks not soon discarded.

As with the opening monster, "Shelter", where a primal, engaging rhythm of power and heat accompanies the initial experience of Joad's prodigious personna, "Falling Off the Wagon" is immense in every facet of the song, expansive in scope, gargantuan in delivery, a momentous melody of lasting forcefullness.

The winning title on the album is "Powder Kegs and Gasoline" and the accompanying music does not disappoint. This is raunch in the mud and roll in the grime fun. The closer, which happens to be the title track,  is a clever and apt choice to end a perfectly blissful listening experience with a peal and roar tempered by athletic deftness in rapid fire rifling riffs of deep, low thumping distortion.

This album is fun, plain and simple, delivering brightness and cheer through power, grace, and fury, easily lifting spirits no matter how low and black they may be.

Free embed music player from ReverbNation.com

In 2012 Scattered Hamlet attended the humongous rock n roll show held in Pryor, Oklahoma. Today they are my signature band for the events of May 19th & 20th, 2013 in Edmond, Shawnee, and Moore, Oklahoma, bringing a fury and power of their own, but not tearing down, instead building up as do all the great stoner, retro, psychedelic, doom, and sludge bands offered by Heavy Planet on a daily basis. Hail! Hail!



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THE BLACKWATER FEVER - "THE DEPTHS"

Endearing, searing, soaring, roaring melodies of melancholic pain and astonishing depth have been indelibly etched onto the amalgamation of blues rock songs captured in atmospheric majesty on The Blackwater Fever's monolithic "The Depths".

This three piece band from Brisbane, Australia recorded and produced this album entirely on their own in their home studio, and while it's their third album, it's the first self produced release. There is certainly no signs of home grown amateurism on the sounds captured within this 14 song bundle of piercing energy and soul stabbing clarity.

Band members include:
Shane Hicks - guitar, vocals
Andrew Walter - drums
Jed A. Walters - organ, bass, synthesizer

The uniqueness of each of the fourteen tracks is matched in entirety by the signature sound of the band on each song. That is a fait accompli of enormous proportions, stamping both uniqueness and signature on a baker's dozen plus one.

Deep abiding fuzz is meted out in massive portions on "Can't Help Yourself", carried along on a bed of raspy, rusty riffs like a nailbed in a hailstorm, inexorably fascinating, haunting, long carved into consciousness and memory.

Hicks' is gifted in both vocal and riff, while Walter delivers power and guile with his stickwork, and Walters is inexorably reliable in volume and depth with bass that does more than simply blend into the woodwork.

A great example of uniqueness and signature is "Don't Fuck With Joe", a song that at first listen seems like a bit of a colloquial anomaly with its Americana stamp, but familiarity breeds recognition and admiration on a melody that takes you down a back alley of sleazy pleasure that is still carpeted in deep pile fuzz and filled with blues rock components on a journey that hearkens intrinsically to Jim Croce with spiking voltage and well developed sinew.

"Now She's Gone" is a blistering, haunting, scorching horse race through deep dark mud on a background of bright, searing sunlight, immensely enjoyable and deeply memorable, while "End of Time" provides a similar, but unique experience of stirring, soaring melodies and hooks.

"Won't Cry Over You" is thick with distortion, low tuned, metronomic and masterful, split by white heat solos bridging the distance between mountains of gargantuan gravel. "Running of the Wildebeest" is an instrumental tour de force, showcasing the skillsets of each of the three band members without attention grabbing vocals in distraction. It's brutal and majestic, complex and clear, offering up an accessible platform on which to ride strands of vibration through clear and jagged streams of blues rock.

This album is superb in every way, deeply satisfying, and deserving of immediate attention, and at the end of the year when accolades are meted, as well as forevermore in a fine, riff fueled buzz bomb of extraordinarily beefy blues tunes.







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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Orchid - "The Mouths of Madness" / Kadavar - "Abra Kadavar"

From out of the mists of recent success comes two albums highly anticipated by the ol' Nuclear Dog, as well as by many fans spanning the stoner globe. The first comes from Orchid, a band that has released 2 highly successful albums in the recent past, with the latest one an LP garnering a first place position on Reg’s Top 20 Albums of 2011. The quality of rock Orchid have delivered to the masses on those past releases naturally generate a tremendous level of anticipation from fans of these dark dreadnoughts. The second album comes from relative newcomers Kadavar who just last year released their debut album and landed on my own Top 20 list, so much did I thoroughly enjoy their blitzing riffage. A common thread that runs through these two bands beyond our sweaty expectations is the type of music they play. Both bands hearken wonderfully back to the heyday of heavy rock n roll with guitarcentric music packaged in magnificent melodies and driven with bombastic passion.
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ORCHID - "THE MOUTHS OF MADNESS"

Orchid hail from San Francisco and have been together since 2007, making and playing unbelievably awesome heavy rock in the classic vein of the great bands of the 70s such as Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, perhaps the band they are most identified with. Consciously or unconsciously, Orchid, especially on "The Mouths of Madness", channel original Black Sabbath in almost every way but in vocals, and that's not so far off as to be a detraction. This is not a bad thing. They aren't necessarily mimicking Sabbath so much as taking up the mantle of Sabbath-like music, and doing it perfectly, and by perfectly I mean sounding LIKE Sabbath's music without sounding exactly like Black Sabbath. They sound like Orchid. For me, that's an incredible feat, and a cherished result, because the sound the original Black Sabbath created is priceless and deserves more creative execution. No one else in the history of rock has truly pulled this off, and that includes iterations of Black Sabbath itself after Ozzy left. But that's my take on it. I'd wager that even if you don't agree with it you'll agree that the music on this album is humongous in solid, satisfying low tuned and heavy sound.

Band members of Orchid are:

Theo Mindell - Vocals
Carter Kennedy - Drums
Mark Thomas Baker - Guitar
Keith Nickel - Bass

Huge, heavy, low tuned riffs are the hallmark of Orchid's music, something they have delivered in spades on their initial EP release "Through the Devil's Doorway" and more recently on their first LP release "Capricorn", but on "The Mouths of Madness" they have up the ante by delving a little deeper into the darkness, wrapping uncanny guitar and bass riffs in pitch black wickedness, giving rise to a timbre of shadows and monstrosity. What tops off the toothsome signature sound are vocals at once unique, compelling, and custom made for the music. All in all, this latest album is a black ribbon gift of impeccable conveyance.

Nine songs have been rendered on "The Mouths of Madness", none more full to bursting with manic melody and classic guitar riffs than the title song which opens the album like a long lost companion of unbridled passion.

"Marching Dogs of War" elicits dark nostalgia in a way that penetrates directly to some primal dark core where the tapestry of Baker's guitar and Nickel's bass entwine perfectly with the percolating perfection of Mindell's vocals.

"Silent One" is a psychedelic romp of sheer delight where low tuned guitar licks are meshed with Kennedy's masterful drum fills and Baker's dextrous solos, and where spacey reverberations echo throughout the melodic journey of dark energy.

"Nomad" is a vocal triumph, where Mindell expresses remarkable power and depth in relating a fantastic tale through the purposeful tempo of strings and sticks, moving through a number of vocal variations throughout the course of the song, executing each with a masterful stroke.

"Mountains of Steel" could have been an apt album title for this ennead of superlative symphony, but, as one of nine delivers the same monstrous, gargantuan sound as its brethren.

"Leaving it All Behind" delivers a classic sound that isn't as deep and dark as those before it and after, instead eliciting an incredibly beautiful melody and guitar delivery that is driven home once again by Mindell's spot on vocals.

"Loving Hand of God" is heavy and low, with fibers of guitar clarity strategically intertwined through the dark package of melodic endeavor, consisting of a changing tempo that ranges from deliciously slow and deliberate to an upbeat solo stack of blistering heat.

"Wizard of War" is christmas and birthdays combined with the sabbath, a pure mountain of low tuned sweetness, from the mega deep riffs and tight tempo to the clarity and presence of impeccable vocals, topped off with solo heat that has a frayed and dangerous edge.

"See You on the Other Side" signs off the album in aggressive style, raining guitar solo fire and impassioned vocals onto an energetic melodic odyssey replete with unrelenting pneumatic drumwork.

This album is exceptional in many ways, but strip out all the superlatives and comparisons and measure it solely on its execution and delivery and it stands up as a timeless masterpiece, simple as that. Yes, it will enter the discussion as year's best, and will come up against some stiff competition, perhaps even from its doppelganger band (we can only hope), but make no mistake, it will be there with the very best once the dust settles. I'd even wager it will be there long after, standing beside Orchid's first two releases, and any subsequent work bound to come out down the years, as a compendium of colossal celebration.

Order the new CD at Nuclear Blast




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KADAVAR - "ABRA KADAVAR"

The beauty of this decade, and likely beyond, in terms of awesome heavy rock is the amalgam of the best of 70s metal and 90s grunge along with the underground stoner rock and high desert sounds of the 90s and the 00s. Many kids who grew up listening to their parents' music and their elder siblings' or friends' music were likely exposed to a tremendous amount of great classic metal and underground rock. As those kids have become adults playing in their own rock bands, whether from the U.S., the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Argentina, or anywhere on the globe, they are developing masterful strokes of monstrous metal magic. Hailing from Berlin, Germany, Kadavar are the vanguard of that development, leading the way with their colossal creations of mega metal. Two incredible albums in two short years, while not unheard of, is still a major accomplishment for any band, but to follow what was widely considered a resounding successful debut with a sophomore effort so soon is incredible, and risky only if it's not up to the standard already set upon themselves. The question Kadavar have put to us, then, on this sophomore rendition is, 'is "Abra Kadavar" as good or better than our self titled debut?' The conclusion, before going through the evidence, is YES! Somehow, using the momentum gained on that self titled juggernaut, Kadavar have managed to kick their Bavarian beast machine up a whole 'nother level and blast on down the highway of classic/retro heavy rock on an engine firing on all cylinders and purring with volume and perfect synchronicity.

Band Members on Kadavar are:

Lupus Lindemann - Vocals / Guitar
Mammut - Rivoli Bass
Tiger - Drums

To start, the overriding brilliance of Kadavar comes across to us in the same manner used by all bands who create meaningful, worthwhile heavy rock, with phenomenal guitar, skilled vocals, and superb melodies. For Kadavar the vocals and guitar happen to be delivered by one member, Lindemann. But, it's imperative to point out that the hard driving, relentless sound of Kadavar's brilliant melodies would be flat and listless without the gifted and impassioned rhythm section of Mammut's Rivoli bass and Tiger's extraordinary drumwork. Listen closely and you will find skillsets far above the bar where excellence begins to be measured. There is an energy and athleticism in their melodious maneuvering, lending power and magnificence to the sound and the song.

Lindemann's vocals are perfectly matched to Kadavar's music, but beyond the quality of his vocal outpourings is the manner in which Kadavar arrange them on the recordings, just a bit behind the instrumentals, keeping strings and sticks at the forefront where they deliver not only the signature sound, but also elicit the unyielding satisfaction of a willing and engaged audience.

"Abra Kadavaar" is resplendent with music, consisting of 10 tracks, each a marvel in its own right. The opening track, "Come Back Life" has a slight haunting quality, nostalgic in feel, and spiritual in delivery with crisp, clean guitar work threaded throughout in doses of refrain and dashes of solo blitzes. "Doomsday Machine" follows, and is arguably one of the top tracks on this collection. The same haunting vocal quality persists, but the guitar renderings pick up in intensity and deliberation, performing a tight spiral of crunchy riffs and blistering solos. "Eye of the Storm" follows with a change in tempo and executional feel, delivering an intriguing melody enhanced by powerful bass strokes and brutal drumwork topped off with what is obviously the signature brilliance of Lindemann's guitar licks. "Black Snake" is a plaintive wail mired in blues laced rock, beautiful, unique, and utterly intriguing. The halfway point comes quickly as "Dust" blasts onto the fore in controlled explosions of perfect timing and leviathan riffs.

The second half of the album starts out ablaze with "Fire", a big, bold amalgam of sound enhanced by Lindemann placing more emphasis on vocals as instrument this time around, in which he exercises a challenging lyrical component with passion and superior proficiency. "Liquid Dream" unloads at first like a ton of bricks before narrowing down to a tight, powerful assault and battery of escalating intensity. This song is unique and simultaneously enjoyable . "Rhythm for Endless Minds" is a fuzz fueled psychedelic trip of epic proportions, riding a musical tapestry of intertwined sounds and existential riffs overlaid by ethereal, haunting vocals. The title song, "Abra Kadavar" continues the colorful and euphonic odyssey but on a brighter, more colorful tapestry using heavier gauge threads of guitar riffs, drum rills, and bass fills, interwoven in complex and intriguing pattern of enchantment. The album closes out with "The Man I Shot" returning to the classic, nostalgic formula that was followed previously on the album, unfolding a sound that is at once fresh and nostalgic, reminiscent of  a long lost rock experience from days gone by and eras past but still reverberating in the blacker recesses of a dark subconsciousness.

This is another album that goes immediately into consideration for 'best of' discussions once the year end is upon us. In a genre in which listeners, followers, fans, and disciples demand exception and excellence, Kadavar have delivered that in triplicate. There is depth and texture to all ten songs, providing the listener with vast opportunities to explore oft and anon the weavings, nuances, and tapestries intertwined throughout the album.

Order a copy of the CD or vinyl at Nuclear Blast





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Them Hounds - "Them Hounds" / Free Fall - "Power and Volume"

An album is a moment in time. It is an exquisite capture of true magic held in place for infinity. It is a convergence of universes where one can forever visit to experience the choicest offerings from the cosmos for time on end. The overriding, bright voice never ages and nimble execution never fades. Pain doesn't creep in, time doesn't speed up, and joy permeates intrinsically, wholly, thoroughly, eternally. Life is eternally replete with pain and suffering, wanton disregard, vile intent, and foul, lucid selfishness, but there too is delight, satisfaction, love, and rock and fucking roll. Step in my friends to this luminous body of unimaginable mass known world wide as Heavy Planet and experience the exquisite, for today we get to partake of two slices of timeless, universal pleasure in the guise of rock and roll albums resplendent in full grandeur and unimpeachable pleasure.
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THEM HOUNDS - "THEM HOUNDS"

For the opening album on today's Atomic Split I get to brag a little, not because of anything I've done or even remotely been a party to, but simply because Them Hounds is an Oklahoma City band and I am an Oklahoma City metro resident. I was privileged to recently hear them play live before I had a chance to experience this exquisite album and was thoroughly impressed while being thoroughly entertained. I knew they were special after hearing the live performance, but even that did not prepare me for what they have concocted on their first studio album, which happens to be their first album of any sort, and what a stellar debut it is.

Band members:

Erin Ames - vocals, tambourine
Benjamin Ward - Guitar
Mike Cougill - Drums
Jon Bohlen - Bass

Them Hounds classify themselves as a psychedelic blues rock band and that's as close to true as anything I suppose. There is a high percentage of vintage rock n' roll on the album, music that would likely have found its way to the radio in a more rock friendly age like the 70s. Blues rock has a heavy influence and position on this album, as well as psychedelic trips through wah wah and beyond. A little bit of funk finds it way in there as well, and while there may be a tiny hint of the country roots of Oklahoma floating around in there somewhere, it's not noticeable enough to detract from the impressive and incredible quality of the eleven tracks laid down for their debut.

The first thing that strikes the listener on "Them Hounds" is likely the crystal clear power pulse of Erin's vocals. Not since I first heard Corin Tucker's delicious screech have I come across majestic power of a similar fashion. While it has been said, even by me, that she reminds of Corin, a little time spent (which is time well spent) on "Them Hounds", becoming familiar with Erin's singular vocal expressions, will quickly discern the distinction she displays when generating her dulcet wallop. Her sound is her own and it is incredible. She displays power and grace, a rare and cherished combination because it exemplifies perfectly what rock n' roll is supposed to be, power and grace and all out expression, something she delivers with skill, grace, and abandonment.

The next thing that becomes quite distinct when listening to this dynamic debut is the guitar work on every song throughout the album. While the band may not classify themselves as a stoner band, Ward administers  massive doses of distortion and fuzz while nimbly executing lick upon riff in veins of the blues, funk, and psychedelica. Enormous in scope, compelling in production, nimble in revelation, and blissful in totality this is a rock guitar lover's nirvana.

Not to be outdone by Ben, Jon Bohlen has put together an impressive display of thick string plucking, producing memorable and contagious bass licks that rise above the mere metronomic measures of cadence and rhythm while never abandoning such. This is an incredible feat of skill and a demonstration of unbridled joy.

Exceeding in enthusiasm, energy, and exertion is the rhythmic, tribal ministrations of Cougill's drumwork, much the same as his rhythmic compatriot, stepping outside the bounds of true center and displaying rills and runs of ridiculous abandon, complementing the music perfectly and adding to its overall superbly wrought quality.

Whether playing haunting, blues heavy, big bass songs such as "Death Howl", "Willy Tre", or "The Kill",
or full out stoner distortion on "Out the Window", or the kick ass rock romp of "Bad News" and "Black Lilies", or even the instrumental "The Void" where the gentlemen get to display their prodigious skill with richly textured riffs laid in upon layers of sound and melody, Them Hounds have crafted a moment in time worthy to treasure for eternity. It screams loudly to me to include in year end possibilities where the brightest, richest treasures of the year get revisited.





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FREE FALL - "POWER & VOLUME"

Sweden has to be the world's champion in producing top shelf rock n' roll. Enter Free Fall into the fray, playing a thoroughly engaging and sophisticated brand of retro rock with crisp, clean melodies and rhythms, monstrous guitars, unrelenting drumwork, gargantuan bass, and signature rock vocals, all in collusion with superb rock melodies seemingly yanked through a wormhole reaching back in time to decades long gone.

Band members:

Jan Martens - Bass
Mattias Bärjed - Guitar
Kim Fransson - Lead Vocals
Ludwig Dahlberg - Drums

The signature sounds of all rock bands are guitar and vocals, and Free Fall do not disappoint. The best bands, of course, produce the best melodies to go along with the gifts of riff and intonation. Again, Free Fall do not dissatisfy. 7 kick ass melodies await on this slice of rock and roll awesomeness titled "Power & Volume"

Fransson's vocals are of the power rasp variety, perfectly suited to melodies that are in stature and recall above power ballads in feel. He is able to croon, croak, and cavort through several ranges and power levels in seemingly effortless execution, while never resorting to a yell, and never wavering in delivery. Free Fall's songs are a joy to hear in large part to Mr. Fransson's singular vocal sound and delivery.

Guitar work on this album is constant, energetic, and full bore, executing effortlessly through riffs, solos, licks, and fills, displaying dexterity and vigor in all phases of the delivered seven songs.

Martens' bass work on this album is monstrous, gargantuan, and gigantic in scope and execution, if not quite leading the way, certainly not following either, adding equal measure to the colossal sound Free Fall exhibit on their debut release.

Energetic and nearly frenetic, Dahlberg is a constant cyclone of sound and percussion throughout the album, adding to the mammoth melodies in similar fashion to his rhythmic brethren, Martens.

"Power & Volume" is a fast paced, dynamic fireball romp of fun. "Free Fall" is a measured power ballad that delivers breaker busting surprises along its course of execution. "Midnight Vulture" is similar in style to its predecessor, but delivers a singular melody of epic execution, incorporating booming bass, massive guitar riffs, and laser beam solos. "Top of the World" is a classic rock n' roll romp, fast, furious, joyous, and brutal with step jab riffs followed by left hook follow through that promise a knock out blow on each blow. "Attila" is a measured masterpiece of controlled buildup and epic delivery. "World Domination" rides a wave of distortion through riff and lick in conjunction with massive bass and masterful vocal dispatch. "Love Bombing" closes out the album with boisterous energy and pace, making clear once and for all this band plays with fierceness, skill, and all out pleasure, a deadly and memorable combination.





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Devil to Pay - "Fate is Your Muse" / Supercabra - "Down From the Mountain"

We've all had the mental image of a steamer trunk or some other suitcase type carrier, after closing, coming apart at the seams due to the overabundance of items stuffed inside, right? That image is what comes immediately to mind when confronting today's double stuffed Atomic Split, filled to bursting with big, heavy, wondrous tunes from two bands who quite successfully epitomize stoner rock music in the form of Devil to Pay and Supercabra. While each has their own unique take on crafting gargantuan, fuzzy grooves, the similarity between them is in the effort and ability they each possess in forging LPs laden with quality and fun. Both albums are enhanced greatly with volume and repetition, so please sit back, plug in, give the volume dial a quick and complete right turn, and take in the music of these two albums to their max more than once or twice and I'm certain you will be exceptionally pleased with the time spent discovering what these two unbelievable bands have on tap for you to experience with sonic wonder.
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DEVIL TO PAY - "FATE IS YOUR MUSE"

Band members:

Steve Janiak - Vocals, Guitar
Chad Prifogle - Drums
Matt Stokes - Bass
Rob Hough - Guitar

Man, I swear if you listen to "Fate is Your Muse" three times a week, followed immediately by protein/carb drinks after each session, and follow this routine for 6 months, you will look like Mr. Olympia at the end of the cycle, because THIS ALBUM IS HEAVY!. The more I hear it the more I realize just how low and heavy Devil to Pay has made it. It's not just one big lump of metal, but provides finely textured and braided variations on any given song's low tuned riffs and themes. Matt's bass and the guitars of Steve and Rob work together to craft pleasurable mega riffs and snippets of sheer joy on top of interludes of blissful licks, punctuated with welded beads of sheer laserbeam solos. These sounds are wrapped tightly by Chad's energetic, intelligent drumwork that itself is tightly wound and perfectly spaced to create a strong cable of metal might. All of it is deftly and tightly packaged with Steve's unique signature vocals perfectly suited to the melodies they have conjured forth.

Of note is that "Fate is Your Muse" is produced by Ripple Music, who have established themselves as one of the major labels promoting truly great rock and roll, whether it be of the stoner, doom, sludge, psychedelic, or retro variety.

Devil to Pay's history is of the vein of perseverance and tenacity, having lasted through the inevitable band member changes through a decade of existence, but also through major personal tragedies that would stop anyone else cold in their tracks not truly committed to the cause. Hailing from the Heartland of Indianapolis, Devil to Pay have persevered and are creating some of rock's finest music at present - any genre, any level, any anything.

"Fate is Your Muse" contains twelve delicious stoner gems, each weighing tons in combined stonerage, each perfectly relevant on its own, and each adding magnificently to a perfect dozen devoid of sugar and light, but packed tightly with metal grindings, darkness, and distorted reverberations of sheer pleasure.

I can't single out any one song or group of songs as my favorites because they all are awesome, as I'm sure you, too, will find them to be incredibly fun to listen to. Devil to Pay kicks off the album with "Prepare to Die" where a classic riff sound permeates throughout and the heavy, low fuzz is ever present, just as it is throughout the album. Here we are also introduced to the signature vocal stylings of Steve's unique pipes, something that doesn't at first scream 'belissimo', but give it a minute, or a couple of songs, and it will quickly fall into place as perfectly matched to the melodies, as previously mentioned. Subsequent playings then become much more enjoyable experiences.

"Ten Lizardmen and One Pocketknife", in addition to providing the best title on the LP, provides a tightly wound tempo of blistering rawhide rampage. Incredible fun. "Wearing You Down" and "Already Dead" slow the tempo down slightly, but the monstrous low riffs are nearly overwhelming, complemented perfectly by searing, soaring solos.

"Yes Master" has a slight Alice in Chains feel to it, but still strongly remains signature Devil to Pay, make no mistake. All the big guitar hallmarks wrapped by Steve's signature vocals are there.

The quickest, tightest song on the album is "This Train Won't Stop" and it gets my vote for best on the album.  A fast paced romp, tight and clean in tempo, fierce and fun in delivery. "Savonarola" keeps the tempo quick and somehow manages to fuzz up the riffage in doing so.

"Mass Psychosis" is another great example of artistic maturity in terms of musical creation as the riffs and licks unfold, intertwine, and engage the listener in complex constructs of distortion and metal bliss. "Tie One On", it's own unique construct, follows the same concepts as its predecessors with engaging and engrossing fuzz bomb variations and execution. The riffs are mighty, the vocals sprightly, and the song packaged tightly, creating supreme enjoyment in its low tuned magnificence.

The album closes with "Beyond the Ether". This one has traces of original Black Sabbath in it, at once sublime and endurable, etching deep channels of distortion and fuzz into the psyche of the listener. Deep, low, slow, tenuously restrained ethereal power escapes in measured doses as the song trips inexorably forward through the psychotic dark. A majestic ending to a memorable and magnificent dozen of stoner metal treasure.

There is no doubt this album can quickly be placed into a category for consideration of inclusion in Top 20 of 2013 lists. It stands out quickly and only rises in stature with each revelational revolution.





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SUPERCABRA - "DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN"

Band members:

Ben Action - Lead Guitar
Scott Free - Bass
T Perea - Lead, Rhythm Guitars
Gregg - Vocals; Lead, Rhythm Guitars
Clint Milmime - Drums

Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico and forming off the remnants of several local bands Supercabra have brought together an army of guitars ready to do Stoner and Retro Rock battle at the drop of an octave. Strap 'em on and buckle 'em in, 'cause you're in for an unforgettable ride through earth shattering sounds and mind blowing metal.

Supercabra have carved out a unique place for themselves in the underground world of stoner/retro/desert rock by providing a high level of quality, enhanced greatly by the army of guitars at their disposal, but also by the melody making gifts on display presumably by several, if not all, of the band members. The songs are diverse in nature in terms of the musical approach to the melodies, but they claim the same sublime splintery edge to each song.

One sound outside of music that comes close to the resplendent signatures of guitar fuzz and distortion is that of a finely tuned 'big block' engine unleashed on the road, roaring in all its glory as it moves through space in minimal time. Supercabra open their album with such a sound, which struck me as entirely apropos given the meaty, beefy tones shared between music and machine, especially this music by this metal machine. "Vanishing Point" has more of a spoken lyric than is typical for vocal execution, but the guitars are all unleashed on this song providing entry points in myriad locations for focus on enjoyable licks blasting and blistering their way in perfect unison while simultaneously following their own unique pathways. The blend is wondrous, just as each part is mesmerizing.

"Death B4 Minivan", a famous rallying cry for those yet to experience parenthood. Raucous and hormonal, the song generates loads of fun in its guitar onslaught. "Early Morning Red Dog Prayer" is more cautious in nature at the outset, but provides a gargantuan container of fuzz, perhaps in an attempt to mimic the thick rope of cobwebs described within the lyrics from a 'morning after' episode. The hair of the dog kicks in at solo time as the house must surely have caught fire from the screeching, scorching riff rendition. Dexterity and desire are on display during the meat of this lick stew melody, but the closing seconds is what really sets it apart as a singular tune as a ghostly, warbly vocal from somewhere out of the ether takes over and brings the song to a close. Whether it's a guest vocal, or whether someone in the band provides the eerie chants, it provides a memorable closing moment to a memorable melancholy melody.

"Drinking and Driving Man" is a distorted, raucous reincarnation of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, fun, upbeat, and bursting with juicy goodness.

Next up is quite likely a song that will be adopted as personal themes for millions of pain sufferers in California, Colorado, and Washington. "Resin" is a haunting and melancholy trip through the trials and tribulations of dealing with resin buildup in various medicine delivery accoutrement. Oh the heartache!

The tempo kicks up in "The Warzone", a tight and structured romp of sonic dissonance levied via the mercenary axes of distortion and power employed by Supercabra's guitar cadre.

There is a plaintiff wail within "Las Vegas Ave." that cuts to the quick with it's sharpness in the midst of melancholic fuzz reminiscing and introversion.

Retro rock is the game on "Stolen Freedom", a song that sounds as if it came from the protest eras of the sixties, only with massive fuzz riffs, lively bass licks, and incredible drum rolls accompanying the crys for freedom.

"Grizzled Stoner Wizard" wins the award for best title, and quickly makes a case for best song to boot. Stoner riffs are displayed from the outset, upfront and vibrant, long and lustful. It's funky and fresh in tone, tripping through the wires, providing an incredible sound of unleashed fury and unremitting joy.

Supercabra close out with a cover of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", superbly unfolding the fantastic tale in measured paces through the refrains while cutting loose during the blitzkrieg choruses of the classic metal standard that is highly regarded as one of the roots of stoner/doom rock, hence the tribute from this gifted and brilliant group of mighty stoner wizards.

"Down From the Mountain" is a superb stoner rock / heavy metal album, never settling for sub par execution on any of the included songs, delivering ten perfectly manufactured packages of fuzz tone.





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