EP Review: Kung Funghi by Kung Funghi

Now THIS is the shot to balls we've been waiting for this new year to attack us with! Energy and aggression are the two prominant things on display on the self-titled debut EP from Sweden's Kung Funghi, mix them with beer and riffs and you've got a hell of an exciting listen on the go. The five Swedes tread a slightly different kind of line of stoner that we'd normally refer to on here, where instead of chugging riffs and headbanging, the band wander into screaming territory along with the likes of bands such as Refused, add into it elements of fuzz, and, hell, we've got a party on our hands.

Opening track 'Kill or Be Killed' hits its stride as soon as Vincent Mommeni starts screaming his guts out to a glorious cacophony of riffs and thrashing drums as you barely realise what's hit you as the energy and sheer anger of it all makes you take a step back with a thought process somewhere along the lines of "Woah....what the f.....fuck YEAH!" The fuzzy, bass laden 'One-Eyed Skoll' shows off the Red Fang x Refused crossbreed the band are mashing up so well with heavy stoner riffs mixed in with a youthfully pissed off vocal. The band don't care about what genre lines they cross over, and it's to our delight that they do this; 'No Name' has elements of 80s avant garde, stoner, sludge, hardcore and stoner, while 'Son of a Goat-Dog' is the song that Queens of The Stone Age should be writing these days.

As 'Zugzwang' closes the EP with it's funky-kind-of-Doom, you find that your heart is beating faster than normal and you're slightly panting for breath. Kung Funghi may be short but for the first time in a while it's something new to the stoner genre that can give it the kicking that it sometimes needs. Kung Funghi are that little shot of caffeine you need in the morning to start your day, that little reminder that you're not the same as all of the other droids out there, they're that little voice in your ear that screams 'let's fucking have it'!

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EP Review: Wizard Bloody Wizard by Wizard Bloody Wizard

Heavy fuzzed doom metal spews forth from Iowa’s Sleep/Sabbath worshipping Wizard Bloody Wizard on their three-track self-titled EP, with a dark mix of horror film sound-bites, slow chugging deep riffs, and enough bass riffs to knock you off your feet.

The EP is woven with themes of the occult, witchcraft, horror films, and cannabis that sees the short record showcase three quite different tracks. Opener ‘In The Depths…’ is a slow doom-heavy track that menaces along with muffled vocals stalking its prey, sending shivers down your spine. ‘Children of the Night’ steps up the tempo, and volume, as the riffs come in crushing and heavily, and the vocals become more audible with a more worn-out approach to their sound. Wizard Bloody Wizard like to keep their riffs heavy on the fuzz, but still cutting like a knife to your core, a sound akin to their peers in Electric Wizard and Sleep alike. Closing track ‘Nocturnus Sainturnus’ is an instrumental sludging metal track which is littered with film sound-bites echoing desperation and haunting overtones, the perfect way to end this statement EP.

Wizard Bloody Wizard’s self-titled EP is a dark, heavy warning of things to come, so prepare 

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EP Review - Host by Wren

London sludge doomsters Wren are about to unleash a truly devastating EP that all darkened fans of heavy, uncomfortable noise are going to love.  The four-piece like things to be down-tuned and brutally bleak, with riffs crushing your spine and vocals spewing down your throat; it’s not a record for the feint-hearted.

The record opens with ‘Stray’, an eight-minute series of world crushing riffs that follow no typical time pattern, constantly keeping you on your toes as the songs bounces from one riff to the next, all overshadowed by the barren aggressive vocals that will haunt you long after they’ve seemingly gone. The songs on Host often vary between moments of suffocating inclusion and total alienation, but you still become captivated by every riff. The harshness of the cacophony of riffs on the end of ‘Stray’ completely steals your soul, ‘No Séance’ reminds us of the brilliance of sludgers Rhoda with its chugging riffs completely destroyed by the angriest of scowls. ‘Ossuary’ is the highlight on the EP, as the gentle scales of the song act as a false safety before the core sound of the band brings you hurtling back towards the floor at full throttle with the most menacing of riffs they can muster, and it’s a sound which lets you thrash, before their post-rock/metal style vibes carry you along their story before ultimately fucking you over again: It’s a stunning listen.

Wren impose themselves on you like a hammer to the throat! Host is a deeply dark, menacing, brutal, heavy, and engaging listen, and our dark dank souls love it.

Host is being released on the ever exciting Holy Roar records and will be out at the end of April.

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EP Review: ‘Cold’ by OHHMS

Covered with bruises must be the arms of the quintet that make up OHHMS, from continuous pinching injuries sustained during their first 12 months of existence. All part of the plan, no doubt. Having been picked up by Holy Roar Records after hearing their demo, to releasing their debut EP ‘Bloom’ in 2014, festival appearances at Temples, Arc Tan Gent, Fear and Hevy, plus shows with Conan, Earthmass and Slabdragger, they’ve also found time to record their follow-up EP ‘Cold’.

Describing themselves as "Progressive. Doom. Slow. Noise. Animal. Rights.” ‘Cold’ delivers two meandering beast-like tracks of heavy progressive doom over 30-odd minutes. First up is ‘The Anchor’, which highlights the band’s boundless creativity, opening with a slow atmospheric intro with bold work from vocalist Paul Waller, to an expansive heavy middle section with guitars and drums in unison, through to a fuzzed-out closing in homage to 70’s psychedelia. ‘You can’t sink us’ is the roar, and on this evidence I’m not one to argue.  

Right... onto track 2. ‘Dawn of the Swarm’ picks up from where ‘The Anchor’ ends. From a dream-like Pink Floydian intro, the track builds to an instrumented assault of riffs and vocals, to suddenly disperse leaving you feeling like you’ve been pushed off a cliff... Only to feel saved, bashed about a bit and redeemed before the track ends. Once again OHHMS are bending conventions with their prog-like mentality packaged in a shiny doom wrapper. 

‘Cold' is like a sonic wormhole, you never know where you're going to arrive at next. And that's what’s captivating. OHHMS are on a mission to expand your mind and keep you guessing every step of the way. And their song-craft and creativity will ensure they continue to carve their own path, and separate themselves from their often one-dimensional peers.

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Check out ‘Cold’ below:

EP Review: Wychhound by Wychhound

There’s an almighty sound coming from London stoner/grunge/doom outfit Wychhound that is heavy to the point of suffocation, just enough to get you to the edge of your life, knowing that for the past 20 minutes you’ve actually lived. The crushing down-tuned guitars, pounding drums, and coarse vocals don’t obey to genres, frequently playing with the rule book, crossing between stoner, grunge, doom, metal and classic rock elements.

There’s no letting up from start to finish over the three tracks on offer here, as the five-piece have not come to fuck around. Opener ‘Cold Temple’ carries stoner/psychedelic vocals over crushing metal-esque deeply driven guitar riffs that is the heart and soul of this band. With each track being around seven minutes long, the band get to flow across not just different genres, but also different speeds of playing, frequently slowing things to a crawling doom pace, before unleashing minute-long thrashy guitar solos. ‘House of Cards’ gently builds to an almighty explosions of meaty riffs with vocalist Jimmy Holifield ripping the speakers apart, yelling, “I AM THE WIND THAT BLOWS DOWN THE HOUSE OF CARDS” with a thousand horse power behind him.

The London boys end on riff heavy closer ‘Truant Mind’ with its wall of guitars driving the song ever forwards, like waves constantly battering your eardrums. With their self-titled debut EP, Wychhound have opened to door to a world of possibilities of where they could go from here, but with the evidence on show, their future is going to be loud, big, and heavy as hell. We can’t wait!

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