BAND SPOTLIGHT: OPERATORS

Every now and then I come across a band whose music I've not yet heard but who have been around for a fair amount of time, with more than one release to their credit. Today's Band Spotlight focuses on one such outfit out of Berlin, Germany - The Operators. I'm sure many folks have discovered their high octane brand of stoner rock, but for those like me who haven't, this one's for you.

An incredible feature of The Operators is the inclusion of organ music. A lot of great rock from past eras has included organ music, such as Deep Purple, Procol Harum, ELP, Yes, and the Doors, but in the underground railway of stoner rock music it is scarce. The Operators' inclusion of the organ blends very well with their boulder wall of massive guitars, assertive ass-whipping drums, and those rich, powerful vocals.

The Operators have been around since 2009, having released 3 full albums, the latest of which, "Revelers" opens this post while the initial and subsequent releases are below. All three albums are chock full of lip smacking retro rock of a heavy stoner bent. Dig in and enjoy!




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Album Review: "The Bushgate" - Samba Cemetery

Are you looking for something fresh, something with a bit of the new, something that tickles that desert/stoner rockbone without directly rehashing a thousand albums already consumed? Samba Cemetery's "The Bushgate" might just be the thing to trigger that rewind button interface on your music app and perk up your stoner rock antennae.

There are some sharp metal edges and thickly welded melodies throughout this 5 song EP that opens with the title track, an instrumental that will make you think you're in for a psychedelic excursion before it smoothly segues into a huge riff barrage. "Samba" gives way to "Blast of the Rex" where fast and fierce rhythms fuel the launch of this EP juggernaut for the album's duration.

"Rolling" catches it's breath....just for a bit... before itself expending jet fuel to hurl us into the deep, dark recesses of this vibrant, viscous concoction of sand, sound, and steel.

"Help Me Breathe" is mighty. It's muscular. It's a mammoth rendering of the razor edges Samba Cemetery wield with an assassin's relish.

The EP closes out with a perfect coup de grace, "Last Samba", a long agonizing burn off of sugar and sweetness to reveal pointy crags of sharp rock, the cracking timber of splintering oak trees, and precisely honed riffs of gleaming metal edges.

Hailing from Berlin this powerful threesome include:
Ruben Leon - Vocals, Guitar
Lukas Weber - Drums
David Gi - Bass

Leon's vocals are pure barbed razor and rusty iron rebar, slicing and cleaving in and through his equally dangerous sharp riffs and bruising runs on guitar.

Gi has brought the big hammer to the job with his bombardier bass perfectly rendering the primal underpinnings of the music.

Weber's drumwork is unrelenting, unstoppable, and invanquishable, pummeling and pounding in a pugilistic onslaught, never retreating behind or below his amplified brethren.

Together this threesome are able to deliver that rare bond between superbly crafted melodies and expertly delivered renditions of such.

When all is told this short foray of lustful metal is blissful and refreshing, well worth a kickback and listen, a bandcamp and chill, or a Heavy Planet and Jam.

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Quick Hit-Vug-Doom Rock From Berlin, Germany

Vug is a 4-piece band that hails from Berlin, Germany. The band has recently released a four song demo on Bandcamp at a name your price. This demo did exactly what it intended to do and that is to plant the seed. Everything else will work itself out in due time as the band continues to grow. The mix is rough, the sound is raw and the musicianship a bit sloppy at times, but who cares, the band is having fun and they just need a little polishing. What they do bring to the table now is a bounty of fresh seventies infested doom rock. The songs have groove, melody and pizzazz. Favorite track: Loose. Give these fellas a listen with an open ear. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Sunday Sludge: Krautstomper

The next time Russell throws a birthday party for himself, I'd better pretend to be busy. Someone showed up with a handle of Johnnie Walker Black, and before my face hit the pillow I'd find myself with a broken thumb. Something doesn't taste right and the smell of sausage this morning is about to turn my stomach sour. Small steps, shallow breaths, and some smooth stoner sludge just might help me get outta this.

Berlin's Krautstomper paint as much with psychedelia as they do with churning tempos, but the amalgam of the weird, the heavy, and the silken is unique and refreshing. On their self-titled five-track EP, these... um... krauts whet your tripper with a broad arsenal of influence and approach. Each track carves its own steady swell to shape a sound that caters to numerous pegs that can't be stuffed into drilled cavities.

The viscous sludge of Wand opens the release on a misleading assumption that the band is falling in line with chugging basslines and jagged guitar barbs. The track is introductory and brief, warming your senses just enough to dull them for what lies ahead. The punchy, multi-faceted Oranje is littered with pensive passages and guitars spray with surprising focus. If TooL ditched the art rock posing, they may have warbled along like this.

Fret-noodling appears front and center on the quick-paced Embankment. Slippery and fleeting, these instrumentations escalate and dive repeatedly with patches of echoing buzz, a delicious duality that serves as primer for the EP's closing tandem. Spanning thirteen minutes with Herman and Potaten, stoner grooves and cryptic samples complement the light dusting of spacey Jeff Buckley guitar whispers. Herman lounges and sprawls, allowing laziness before progressively boning out. Potaten, on the other hand, enters sullen and somber, panning distantly with a subtle hint of Primus. The rhythm lifts and before this instrumental journey concludes, we're welcomed by pugilists' grinding meters to balance the ethereal themes.

Eclectic and divergent, this release stands out from routine Sunday Sludge offerings in its departures. Krautstomper may be relatively cherubic, but their delivery of rhythm and melody is given highest praise, that being considered unable to categorize. If you want your Sundays easy, this EP may be your cure-all. There's enough chug to rev your recovery, but Krautstomper tug the reigns just enough to steady your shakes. And when the bed stops spinning, give this one a second rotation.

For fans of: TooL, Primus, The Sword
Pair with: Samuel Adams Rebel IPA, The Boston Beer Company

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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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New Band To Burn One To: LIQUID SILK

HEAVY PLANET presents . . . LIQUID SILK!

BAND BIO:

Liquid Silk are a heavy rock faction from Berlin who deliver real grooverock, peppered with a lot of stoner, blues, and psychedelic rock. The whole thing is served with a sound that originates from 70s heavy rock and has been optimally influenced by the stoner rock band Kyuss.

Liquid Silk transport you to a time when the streets were still dusty, delivering a real desert sound. 

Some songs remind you of good ol' rock music, e.g. The Doors, Free, and The Who. Other strong influences are Led Zeppelin, Clutch, Graveyard, and Black Sabbath. 

To put it simply, Liquid Silk make 70s-retro-stoner-blues-psychedelic rock with a desert groove. 

Band Members:

Andolin Sonnen - Drums

Dennis Hempfing - Lead Guitar

Georg Michael - Vocals, Guitar

Roman Vigdortchic - Bass

THOUGHTS:

Liquid Silk have created a beautiful version and rendition of stoner rock on their self titled debut EP. The stand out features are at least three. Georg Michael's vocals are unique and perfectly suited to their music, as well as to the stoner rock sound altogether. It has a deep and agile quality that grabs you during softer moments as well as moments of high energy and emotion. The overall Liquid Silk sound is perfect stoner/desert rock with loud, fuzz filled guitars cranking out innumerable riffs and licks in a beautifully deep and low tuned quality, displaying a perfectly executed level of distortion and tempo. The 4 songs of this EP are well written, full of melody that would have sounded right at home on a Kyuss album. These are not the only positive qualities to be found on the record as bass and drums display intrigue and satisfaction in perfectly complementing the two guitars, while the overall sound of the band as a whole, richly textured and brilliantly executed, delivers a new and unique stoner rock compilation that is at once familiar and new. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: KADAVAR

Crisp. Clean. Clear. Words not usually associated with the music of the stoner psych/rock genre where noise and distortion are badges of pride and identity, but I feel compelled to use them nonetheless when describing this latest addition to stoner rock greatness, Kadavar, on their self-titled initial album offering, simply because the music is crystal clear in delivery, whether it be the photon-beam guitar riffs of the album’s exquisite solos, the hard-thumping rock n’ roll engine of the bass guitar, or the pitch perfect punch of the drums. The sound is immaculate, clean as cotton, lending itself perfectly to artistry at its best from this band of Berlin rockers.

Kadavar’s music is descendent from strong rock lineage, with genealogy lines snaking their way through the past four plus decades of the world’s best music, including early pioneers of heavier tones, quality purveyors of grunge and metal, as well as recognized leaders of stoner/psych rock past and present. What these Teutonic trip meisters have accomplished on their debut offering is nothing short of phenomenal. The music is clear and crisp while still delivering truckloads of loud and low that blends perfectly with razor sharp solos that slice right through your brain before you know you’ve been musically assaulted. In addition they’ve managed to deliver music at once familiar in its stylings of psychedelic rock gone over to the dark side of doom and fuzz, but unique in its own very clever and superbly crafted wielding of the weapons of heavy metal. In short, Kadavar know how to make a song, know how to produce a song, and know how to execute a song so that it is effortless for the listener to enjoy the dissection of their minds with slices from Kadavar’s debut.

The members of Kadavar are:

Wolf Lindemann - Vocals, Guitar
Mamut - Rivoli Bass
Tiger - Drums

The album opens with “All Our Thoughts”, demonstrating both the crispness of the instrumentation and some signature stoner/fuzz sounds on a scorching intro. When Wolf’s vocals come in it becomes quickly apparent that the music is of the highest quality, something unique and rare. ‘Thoughts’ delivers a steady jam of low, slow fuzz until the point in the procedure where the scalpel-sharp solos of Wolf’s guitar slices through with a clean, clear cut of sonic fury.

“Black Sun” is six minutes of fun, funky riffs overlaying an extended display of measured musical muscle. The refrain is subdued but powerful in its relentless delivery, while the solo guitar work again delivers a powerful slice of electrical discharge as if it had been stored in a flux capacitor of fuzz.

Kadavar continues the trend set on the first two tracks by deliberately delivering a steady dose of stoner brilliance on “Forgotten Past”, which is a long, tenacious exhibition of the threesome’s inspiration in executing their four instruments with inventive dexterity.

The opening riffs on “Goddess of Dawn” are beautiful stoner classic sounds used to encompass a psychedelic tale of magic and mist that in the end delivers on exquisite music in the guitar solos as well as a display of muscular authority from the Rivoli bass.

The pace picks up for “Creature of the Demon” as the Rivoli again gets exercised and again delivers beautiful tone and quality sound. This time Tiger gets to let loose in sections with rapid and agile tattoos that are strident and tribal in delivery. This song moves through a multitude of variation in the structure and delivery of its various parts, creating a wonderful patchwork of brilliant song playing.

The album closes out with “Purple Sage”, whose intro is certainly psychedelic in nature, leading into eight plus minutes of sheer fun and adventure. There’s a lot going on in this one, all of it wonderful to behold, none of it fully gleaned upon first try. It’s an epic way to close out an album with a truly epic track.

Overall this album is a worthy addition to any stoner rock library, demonstrating great skill in concept, in design, and in delivery. Kadavar are quality musicians and gifted artists whose entry into the arena of rock in the corner of stoner/psych music is more than a welcome addition, but a much appreciated shot of pure cosmic adrenaline.

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