EP Track Stack: KING BOLETE - CANIBALES - GOATSCHLAGER - MAD CHICKEN

There are lots of quality EPs out there, both from known and established bands as well as from artists just trying to get something out there that might garner interest in what they've newly created. This is a classic case of intentionally avoiding the use of labels or identifiers and instead judging something based on its own merits. If an album has only two tracks, but those 2 tracks are pretty damn tasty, then I'm glad they've released it so I can enjoy. So, in the spirit of enjoying what's been made available, here are 4 EPs that provide only 10 tracks between them, but they're ten tracks worth your time because chances are there will be pleasure gained, satisfaction achieved, and perhaps a newfound interest in something of which you weren't aware yet was out there.

King Bolete hail from the Warrior Isles of England...and beyond that not much is known about this newly formed band. Their music is a straight up psychedelic stoner blues rock fuzzorama. What they've given us here is too short and extremely sweet. Hopefully more is to follow soon.

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Canibales is a three man band from Guadalajara, Mexico. They are veterans of stoner blues rock having formed back in 2005 and having released several albums in the interim. The music is primal and addictive. Luckily they have a sizable library on which to feed that addiction starting with the two ass-romping tracks on this new EP.

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Goatschlager, a four piece from Northern Ireland, have featured on Heavy Planet before as a New Band To Burn One To in 2016 with an initial 4 track EP, "Space Apache - Vol. I". Earlier this year they released another 4 track EP, "Dirt Mammal - Vol. II", and now this 2 track beauty "Welcome to Hog Valley" which they say was borne of the creative process for their impending "Vol. III". The music is heavy, hard, deep, and destructive, grinding out stoner vibes and subterranean riffs in memorable melody.

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Mad Chicken, are last but not least. This is a 4 track blitzkrieg of heavy metal from a 5 man Brazilian power troupe, expertly delivering an amalgam of every type of hard rock you may have listened to over the past 4 decades. Incomparable vocals lead the way for twin guitars of explosive fury and a rhythm section of shock and awe.

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Album Review: STEAK - "NO GOD TO SAVE"

STEAK have assiduously become a staple of underground fuzz, having previously released quintessential stoner/psychedelic hard rock albums in 2012, '13, and '15. Now, having signed with Ripple Music, they have released another full length album of ten thundering, riotous rock melodies that once again showcase the musical brilliance and deep-tuned craftsmanship of this Warrior Island battery of four preeminent metal artisans. "NO GOD TO SAVE" has allowed STEAK to bring to the fans of stoner rock, of fuzz-fueled, low-tuned loudness, a collection of songs that completely appease the most hooked addicts with hooks of amplified fervor.

STEAK are a brilliant group of metalheads, rendering songs that do much more than relay a particular sound quality. They certainly are adept at creating and playing extraordinary hard rock music that is rich in low tones and euphoric amplified distortion, music that combines clean, razor-sharp riffs with serrated edge keenness and a mammoth aural presence. But they are also adept at doing so over melodies of near genius, crafting songs that instantly excite while embedding snares of long term memory that will haunt its victims for years to come, songs such as "Overthrow", "Clones" "Living Like a Rat", and "Mountain".

"NO GOD TO SAVE" not only showcases their variety of fuzzy metal music, but does so in perfect harmony of their extraordinary vocalist, Kip, who is impeccably matched to their brand of heavy with his deep, mellifluous vocal tones that easily scale the highest peaks the music requires without ever resorting to any sort of rebel yell, guttural utterance, or falsetto flippancy, as well as complementing the band's six-string slinger Reece's samurai brilliance, or without ever overpowering the mighty drubbing of Cam's bass magnificence, or never overshadowing the wielder of wood, slayer of skin, drummer Sammy's stickwork.

When you look at the legacy STEAK have begun to build you can see this London clan possesses something as special as any metal band around, regardless of attempts at genre identification. They struggle like everyone else in the underground world of heavy rock, but have managed to advance their music, and hence, their careers, when doing so is never ordained. They now are part of Ripple Records, which in itself is a mark of accomplishment, and they have already given us an unerring library of amplified addiction. With "NO GOD TO SAVE" they have bestowed upon us one of 2017's preeminent heavy metal, hard rock, stoner rock albums, proving they are poised to become the legends their burgeoning legacy reveals them to be.

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Quick Hit: JUKEBOX MONKEYS - "GREY SKIES RED PLANET"

Jukebox Monkey have created a wonderful mix of contradictions with "Grey Skies Red Planet", delivering a clean sound via a wonderfully nasty disposition, a southern rock style of frankness without any direct homage...in fact, in foregoing anyone else's sound or style they are somehow reminiscent in doses of almost everyone, a mean feat from this mean foursome of warrior isle brawlers, who in doing so have developed their own unique style that is an upfront, in your face,  stoner rock bruiser of a record, inexorable and steadfast in its mammoth assault of sound, ornery in its temperament, and euphoric in its deeply fuzzy experience.

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QUICK HIT: OHHMS - "The Fool"

OHHMS are back pushing the envelope of normalcy with their incredibly unique brand of sludge covered punk doom that pays no direct homage to the progenitors of metal while delivering an unbridled deluge of amplified riffs and angst-riddled vocal dispatch, presenting a hard, dark milieu of bulging discovery.

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Album Review: Cybernetic Witch Cult - Troglodithic Trip

English rockers Cybernetic Witch Cult appear to be cruising comfortably at high speed right now, not only releasing albums in short order, but releasing albums of immense quality and gusto. There is a lot to love on each release and "Troglodithic Trip" is no exception to the rule. In fact it epitomizes the rule.

Band members are:

..Alex - Cosmic Narration & Fuzz dispenser..
..Kale - Undercurrent, Visual Wizardry & Secondary Narration..
..Lewis - Groovaceous Battery..

Right out of the gate the album launches a broadside of hefty stoner fuzz guitar grinding out an almost plodding track of force and focus leading up to perfectly matched scratchbox vocals on "Sagittarius A*". The tempo kicks up a half notch on the following "Astrogalactic Sprites" as the power kicks up tenfold, surrounded in a cold, dark slurry of haunting atmospheric oppression. "Cult of the Druid" is a dark and deep odyssey that plugs into your primal core with melodic runs, searing riffs, and scorching solos of psychedelic marvel.

The journey to this point has been a soul buttressing delight. But it's not over. Not by a long shot.

"Forbidden Fruit" is forceful, memorable, enjoyable, and loud. It's a rapturous hookfest of haunting ferocity. Brutal and bold, "Human" manages to turn a space opera into a low-tuned stoner tour de force, thrilling at every turn, delighting in every expression of instrument and voice.

The album closes out with the best song of the collection, "Tyrannosaurus Hex". It's a mammoth blast of ecstasy and amplification, of indelible melody, of three metal musicians from the warrior isles masterfully wielding their weapons, wreaking unyielding gratification, sparing no acolyte of these dark, fuzzy arts.

"Black magic teleport me,
Into its territory,
Send me back to a distant time.
Cretaceous Tyrant Lizard King
Come forth and hear my summoning.
Tyrannosaurus Hex will save the Earth,
Will save the Earth."

I love it.

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LP Review: Feed The Rats by Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Ever since catching these guys headline at the Cluny venue in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, towards the end of last year, we’ve been waiting for this record to drop, and by god how mightily it crashes to earth; psychedelic stoner riffs, earthly pounding drums, and vocals at their rawest, Feed The Rats is a hell of a statement from Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs that we’ve had on repeat for a good month now (hence the delayed review).

Pigs(x7) are a band containing members of other North Eastern England bands such as the fantastic Blown Out, Ommadon, and Khunnt, and the musical dexterity is expressed vividly on opening track ‘Psychopomp’, a 15 minute headfuck of thrusting riffs and psychedelic nuances that keep you gripped to the songs’ core base of being a heavy-ass rock song. The pace never falters, dips, or stops for a breather as the drums pound from the first note to last, the guitar riffs are heavy and dream like, while the vocals of Matthew Baty constantly toe the line between a man possessed and about to lose his voice, to sheer anger.

After the mammoth opener, the band create the “normal” length ‘Sweet Relief’ which is pure heavy stoner majesty. Same pounding drums, heavy riffs, agonising vocals, condensed under five minutes, you know it’s a monstrous song when it tightens its grip on your windpipe until you start turning blue. Feed the Rats is only three tracks long, but with the 1st and 3rd tracks hitting over 30 minutes combined, it’s a fair amount, especially when the colossus of ‘Icon’ begins to slay away at your speakers, what little energy remains in you quickly gets burned up in the smoke haze filled waves of purple and green that spin towards you with every word and riff Pigs(x7) layer on top of the last. 

The band are all the good kinds of claustrophobic, the good kinds of sweaty sleaze, the highs from the drugs, the ringing from the burst ear drums, and the blood from your broken nose. Many people will have said this before of the band, and many will to come, but, yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!

(Oh, and that's some sweet ass artwork too! The vinyl comes as a die-cut and the coloured insert is inter-changeable with the figure on the front)

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Album Review: Cybernetic Witch Cult - "Spaceous Cretaceous"

How about some fun on this cold winter's morn! "Spaceous Cretaceous" had been submitted to Heavy Planet back in May and I have to admit to not listening to it until recently. It was well worth the wait. This selection of 9 delectable fuzz bombs contrives to rock and rumble in the most unique and uncommon of metal musical ways. Cybernetic Witch Cult manage to weave fantastical tales of mighty warriors, fell creatures of searing fire and bloody claw, far-flung planets, beautiful and tragic femme Fatales, futuristic vessels, and treacherous climes all wrapped tightly, intricately in thick layers of bright fuzz and dark fabric aboard expertly engineered cauldrons of deep rumbling nuclear expression.

Make no mistake, the fantastical nature of the lyrical tales only enhance the expertly rendered music. The tone is bluesy and low, the style is melodic and deep, and the riffs, rills, and runs all exhilarating in execution and encounter. Stitching it all together are the singular vocals of front man Alex Wyld whose rendering is pitch perfect for this style of metal with its stone shard edges, deep grain timbre, and range of execution. No yell vocals here, just an exceptional fry of great reach. The instrumentation throughout this album is an infectious, joyous celebration of old school melodies, darkly drenched in indigo tones, but sharply honed in new school power. The riffs are exquisite, the bass massive, and the stickwork virulent, combined with the heretofore mentioned vocals and sui generis lyrics the individual pieces are all of the highest caliber. Blended and woven together the finished product propels the noteworthy factor forward exponentially, which is no mean feat. So, revel in the accomplishments of this three piece band of mighty dragon slayers from Cornwall, England:

Alex Wyld - Vocals, Guitar
Kale Dean - Bass, Vocals
Rogan Collins - Drums

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Band Submission: The Lunar Effect-70's Rock/Fuzz/Psychedelic/Riffage From London, England

Band Name: The Lunar Effect
Genre: 70's Rock/Fuzz/Psychedelic/Riffage
Location: London, England
Brief Bio/Description: Born in late 2013, The Lunar Effect was originally a solo project of tour hardened ex Deep Sea Green guitarist Jon Jefford. After releasing three records and touring internationally with Deep Sea Green, the London born songwriter was signed to 3 Ravens Records and released a self-titled debut "The Lunar Effect".

After receiving widespread praise, alongside national and international radio play for his self-titled record, Jon decided to make The Lunar Effect a fully-fledged touring band. He recruited brother and ex Deep Sea Green drummer Daniel Jefford, guitarist Jim Harris of UK Garage Rock act The Ladykiller’s and eccentric solo artist Mark Fuller on Bass.

The band has been performing material from the debut record throughout 2014/15 whilst refining their sound and experimenting with 60’s and 70’s psychedelic desert elements. Due to certain disagreements with their record label, The Lunar Effect went back to basics and decided to record, mix and master their own EP "Strange Lands" themselves, which was released 01/05/2016.

Band Members:
Jon Jefford - Vocals/Guitar/Piano/Harmonium
Dan Jefford - Drums
Jim Harris - Guitar
Mark Fuller - Bass
Links: Bandcamp | Facebook

New Band To Burn One To: SORRY FOR NOTHING

Heavy Planet presents... SORRY FOR NOTHING.

Today's "New Band To Burn One To" comes to us from Northumberland, England.

Band Bio:

Carved from the same rock as Sabbath, Clutch, and Motorhead, these maniacs bludgeon the listener with fuzzed-up elephantine grooves, screaming wah leads and vocals with hair on them.

SFN was finalised in 2001 after the guys had honed their craft in various other bands and under other names, and have been flying the flag for groove-laden, concrete slab music ever since.

Hailing from the Morpeth area of Northumberland, England, they’ve played numerous shows around the region and supported the likes of Fu Manchu, The Answer and Truckfighters.

Two albums have been released so far - their debut ‘Reverse Evolution’ in 2007 with ‘Psycho Monster Resurrection’ following in 2011 adding more doom to the mix.

In between the releases, Sorry For Nothing triumphed in the Newcastle Unsigned competition to win a recording session. The result of which was a re-recording of Swallow Your Soul from their debut release.

February 2012 saw the band appear on the Super Crazy Guitar Maniac Deluxe 4 online game with Swallow Your Soul. The Swallow Your Soul homemade YouTube video has racked up over 15,000 views since the game’s release, with heaps of praise being given to the band from across the globe.



Thoughts:

"Sorry For Nothing, and they shouldn't be. This band wads up a huge ball of explosive punk-inspired groove-laden rock and fires it hard and fast right into your gut. There are no lengthy jams here people, just short beer-chugging blasts filled with plenty of blazing guitar chords, fired-up vocals and psychotic drum thunder. Standout cuts include "Devil Mind" and "Knots". Check out Sorry For Nothing for your next super rock fix."

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