New Band To Burn One To: COLD DEZERT

Cold Dezert are another in a burgeoning line of established and emerging Grecian stoner/doom bands, and just like so many of them, they have developed a hefty, gargantuan sound. But they've done more than that. They've managed to take a set of recognizable sounds and riffs and forge something all their own, something colossal, impenetrable, made of the densest stone boulders unearthed from the darkest of doom quarries. The music is dense and intricate, imaginative and primal, raw, fierce, and massive. It's what we hope for when we spin something new.

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Quick Hit: Half Gramme of Soma - "Groove is Black"

Greece rockers Half Gramme of Soma are on the verge of dropping a new album, "Groove is Black", an eight song all-out assault on each and every pleasure sensor. It's all here. Endearing, searing stoner grooves, riffs and hooks galore, memory binding melodies, perfectly matched crunchy, edgy vocals, and simply an overall sound and experience of fierceness and joy.

I had reviewed HGoS's 2013 self-titled album , but somehow missed their 2014 follow on, "Marche au Noir", so, if like me, this newest release isn't the only one you've yet to experience, well, you're in for what the old folks used to call 'a rolickin' good time'! Greece has become one of the premier locales for quality stoner/doom bands, none better than Half Gramme of Soma.

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Quick Hit: Nightstalker - "As Above, So Below"

Talk about prolific. Greek veteran Vmetal rockers Nightstalker recently dropped their SEVENTH studio album. Only one of those seven are an EP, the other six being song-full LPs. Can you imagine if Homme, Garcia, Bjork, and Oliveri had been able to cohabitate and proliferate in such a manner?

"As Above, So Below" provides an array of stoner wallop, with deftly crafted melodies of riff and raunch, executed in expert expression. Their music is simple, clean, and consistent, never backing away from mega-riff deliveries of fuzz and fun, sometimes delving into psychedelic forests, but mostly blasting up-tempo melodies of primal delight. Nightstalker have been making music since 1994, sticking with a style that brands them as badasses, revealing a tenacious stoner genius, never boring, never backsliding, nearing a quarter century legacy of  legitamacy.

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QUICK HIT: Green Yeti - "Desert Show"

Today's Quick Hit is infused with a bit of doom and a heaping effusion of psychedelic fuzz. A lively bass accompanies ethereal vocals and a wicked guitar, floating in a stew of chunky drumbeats and clever amplification. This three piece band from Athens, Greece has managed to build an impressive presence on social media in just a few short years, but what they've managed to do most brilliantly is craft together an atmospheric cavalcade of intoxicating, mouth-melting metal.

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Band Submission: The SfenTones-Garage, Punk, Stoner Rock From Thessaloniki, Greece

Band Name: The SfenTones
Genre: Garage, Punk, Stoner
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Brief Bio/Description: The Sfentones were formed at Theessaloniki in 2012. After some changes in the line up the group's current members play together from 2014. In March 2016 we released digitally our debut album entitled Moonshine Fumes. It contains 9 original songs plus a cover of The Stooges' TV Eye. Currently we are writing new material for our second album.
Band Members:
Themis Vocals; Rhythm Guitar
Kosmas: Lead Guitar
Bill: Bass Guitar
Stef: Drums, Percussion
Links: Soundcloud | YouTube | Facebook | ReverbNation | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Heavier Than God-"Doomed and Confused"

"Doomed and Stoned" is taken off of "The Self-Titled Album" released September 27, 2015. This song, as the band name suggests is "Heavier than God". The song is a merciless mix of face melting doom and furious hardcore punk intensity. Gut-wrenching harsh vocals scorn the air with angst as the band fist pumps "hey, hey" amongst a killer stoner groove. I love this shit! For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

New Band To Burn One To: CRAANG

"Chill out music that rattles your fucking skull is the best way that I can describe Greek band Craang's debut release "To the Estimated Size of the Universe". The album consists of four songs and all clock in at seven minutes or more. Within these four songs is an outlandish and sporadic bludgeoning of the human mind. At times mellow and soothing and at times chaotic and tumultuous, the beautiful fuzz drapes over a bounty of psych-laced riffs spiraling out of control with a deluge of feedback and pounding rhythm.

My favorite track on this album is "Magnolia". A mind-melding journey that concludes with an ominous bass line that jabs through a swirling wall of feedback then fades out into a spooky psychedelic barrage of soft guitar. Absolutely fuckin' stellar!

Now, if only I had a gyro and some spanakopita to jam down my throat my night would be complete. 

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1000 Mods - "Vultures"

Those Greek psychedelic stoners 1000 Mods have returned from their great super van vacation to show that the promise from their debut lp was merely a harbinger of things to come. Any worries about a sophomore slump are quickly dispelled as soon as the needle hits the groove on the newly hatched Vultures, an album which oddly sounds as if it exists simultaneously in the late sixties and the early nineties.

A jangly guitar riff heralds the mod festivities on album opener "Claws". "This is what I wanna be, a pretty vulture in my nest" sings bassist Dani over an upbeat groove-o-rama that slowly dissolves into a molasses-like morass of feedback-driven fuzz. Speaking of vultures, you can almost hear them circling on the languid title track, a sun-baked desert rocker replete with various guitar strafes and grungy atmospherics from guitarists Giannis and Giorgos that is periodically punctuated by storm clouds of gnarly distortion and guitar licks that slice like talons ripping flesh.

1000 Mods specialize in rock that is slow and grungy and bloozy as evidenced on "She", a Bataan death march of a tune highlighted by a guitar solo that's as incisive as a switchblade to the gut. The vibe continues on "Low" which features a scratch-n-sniff riff over a slowly simmering rhythm before erupting in a vomit spew of psychedelic guitars. It all culminates in what is far and away the coolest track on the album, the instrumental closer "Reverb of the New World". An itchy riff scrapes across a hypnotic percolating bass line before drummer Labros propels the whole goddamn thing into a full throttle cosmic rocker that hyperdrives itself into spaced-out oblivion.

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New Band To Burn One To: SMOKIN' BASEMENT

"It is a known fact that I am a total sucker for a great instrumental band. One of the most important elements for me is that the band does enough within each song to keep it interesting. Whether it is a great riff, incredible tone, a subtle key change or just gradual layering, that is usually what plays a huge part for me in liking an all instrumental band. One of my top picks last year was Montreal's Tumbleweed Dealer, this year it is Greek band Smokin' Basement. 

For the most part, contained within these four tracks is a trance-inducing and trippy vibe filled with appropriately placed guitar solos, flailing drum fills and hedonistic bass lines. Each song on the EP is aptly titled as you are transported into a journey filled with sun-drenched desert serpents and hazy swirls of smoke while methodically dodging immense particles of cosmic debris. 

As my ears get older and wiser, it is a band like Smokin' Basement that provides me the opportunity to chill without sacrificing my need for the heavy. Since this is only an EP, it gives me hope that there is a full-length in the near future. Download for FREE now!"

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New Band To Burn One To: ASTRAY

HEAVY PLANET PRESENTS...

BAND BIO:

Astray are a rock band based in Thessaloniki Greece. They were formed in 2007 with purpose to work their own material and make live appearances. In 2013 they released their first EP. Recorded and mixed by Kostas Kofinas and Kostas Tsagaris at Sin City Studios,Thessaloniki,Greece. Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music,New Windsor,New York. Artwork made by Alex Bastard. After that they are preparing to record their first full length album.

Astray are:

George - Vocals

Kostas - Guitars

Jellys - Guitars

Tolis - Bass

Apostolis - Drums

THOUGHTS:

"One thing that I love about summertime is the Greek Food festivals in the area, unfortunately I missed our local one this year. Stuffed grape leaves, spanakopita, gyros, etc. dominate the menu. Well, now that I made everyone hungry, here is another product of Greece to whet your appetite. Heavy rock with rumblings of stoner groove is what Astray is all about and damn do they serve it up good on their debut 3-song EP, "Low-Life". First track "Cast My Stone" has a crunchy guitar leading the way. Once the vocal enters the song I hear a vague John Garcia resemblance. As the EP moves forward the music gets heavier and angrier, such is the case on the doomier "Idle Conversation". The EP comes to an unfortunate end with the smoke-filled hard-groovin' track "Newsto". The band stays true to their metal influences and ignites the fire with just the right amount of stoner groove and infectious melody to create a very gratifying listening experience. 

This is meat and potatoes rock people!

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Review: 1000mods - "Valley of Sand"

1000mods are a quartet from Chiliomodi, Greece, schooled in the arts of black stoner metal, black imagery, and Black Sabbath. Their new four song EP entitled “Valley of Sand” is essentially a seventeen minute single with three live tracks. The single (“Valley of Sand”) is droney, sludgy, and dark repetitive mood music that slowly builds in dynamics, and I mean SLOW like a Mogwai record on quaaludes. It begins with whispery vocals, hovering around a swing drum feel very Bill Ward, so constantly flowing, it almost doesn’t feel like a rock band once you fall into it, but an ambient platform. The guitars trickle in with blues licks minute by minute while the rhythm section holds down the groove. 

The three live tracks are more upbeat. First, “7 Flies” is a hard rocker with garage rock production akin to those old MC-5 recordings. So many bands are striving for the sound of what The Stooges would have offered if they had made another album directly after Raw Power in the 70’s. 1000mods nail it. Unaffected by modern digitalia, the core ingredient of their music is raw collision jamming. I would assume this is chaotic music to witness live in a small club and monstrous in a arena sized venue. Few bands can pull this off, that vintage swamp-blues aura. “Navy in Alice” continues in this vain, swinging drums, crashing cymbals attacking the beat like it’s forceful in spite of itself. The mid-section is muted pulsing atop screaming vocals that sound like they’re reverberating through a gargantuan tunnel. About 3/4 into the song, a symphony of feedback explodes into a ripping guitar solo, like Tony Iommi through multiple Big Muffs. “Track Me” concludes this EP with a sense that this kind of music can only be produced live. It’s too pure to be tracked and overdubbed in a fancy modern studio. Dueling guitar leads make way for a staggering vocal presence reminiscent of Iggy Pop’s younger days, before he was a mere guttural howl. 

1000mods are not a brand new band, but their sound is fresh and something that’s not going to get stale. The more you listen, the more tripnotic they become. They paint a visionary picture of sorcery and black magic through their music, much like their influences, but they have their own thing when classification is in order. Anyone that wants raw-as-fuck stoner rock with their morning coffee will ‘get this’.

The members of 1000mods are:

Dani / Bass & Vox

Giannis / Guitars

 George / Guitars

Lab / Drums

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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: The Black Widow's Project - "Heavy Heart" / Half Gramme of Soma - "Half Gramme of Soma"

What's the cliché? Something about strapping yourself in because you are in for the ride of your life? Yeah, that's as good as any. Geneva, Switzerland is where the first set of fuzzbombs are carefully packaged before ignition and blastoff. Athens, Greece is the source for the second set of high octane combustibles. We've often gotten great fireworks from Greece and at least once from Switzerland, so this is no anomaly, but a trend of the most exciting kind, where distortion, talent, volume, passion, and melody are blended into tightly wrapped packages bursting with explosive potential. So, ladies and gentlemen, ye who venture into the realms and domains presented daily by Heavy Planet in order to visit the deviantly deft denizens and their concoctions . . . strap yourselves in and prepare for blast off!

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THE BLACK WIDOW'S PROJECT - "HEAVY HEART"

The Black Widow's Project is a three piece band from Geneva, Switzerland. "Heavy Heart" is their second offering, the first under the current lineup of:

Al Castro - Vocals, Guitar
Raph Legend - Bass
Mathieu Sink - Drums

Formed recently in 2010 the band quickly released their first EP, "Benefit of the Doubt", which garnered a ton of interest due to its huge, intelligent songs. After going through a bass player change with Raph recently joining the group, this small band with the big sound have now released their second collection of original fuzzbombs, but this time in the form of a full length record, crammed to overflowing with 14 stoner/retro rock originals.

The fuzz is huge on this album, as is the creativeness. The songs are well written and well executed, which makes for an incredibly enjoyable experience. Add to it the passion, the obvious and intense exertion in unfolding each creation in perfect time, and you get a special album.

The influences come from decades of great rock music, and influences beyond. You can hear sounds similar to hundreds of songs and rock bands down through the decades, but similarity doesn't mean replication. The song writing here for both music and lyrics is exceptional. The tapestries created are tight, bright, and satisfying. Each song is woven through with a myriad sounds from guitar, bass, drums, and vocals that make for the kind of album you can listen to a hundred times and pick out different and various pieces that go together to make a wholly satisfying whole on each of the fourteen offerings of "Heavy Heart". I don't hear one song sounding much like the next, while the sound for all remain uniquely that of The Black Widow's Project. Play any one song alone and you would know it was their creation. Listen through the whole album and you will be deeply engaged for each of the fourteen due to the uniqueness of each. That is rare and welcome ability, especially when it comes to rock music.

My favorite songs, something easier said than decided upon because I truly love them all, would include the following:

It's hard to beat the opener. It sets the tone most times for the rest of an album and on "Heavy Heart" that's exactly what happens. A lone guitar, distortion tuned to proper fuzz levels, kicks off the song on a brief intro that gives the listener the perfect indication of what's to follow, both for this song and for this album. Once "Ha Ha Ha Uh" kicks in you're in the stratosphere flying fast and high. The tempo is quick, the riffs are plentiful and varied, the bass is energetic and powerful, and the drums do the job of both driving the song's rhythm and adding to it's interest with stick fills and drum riffs that intrigue and satisfy. Alongside the amazing guitar work on this song is the equally amazing vocals. The raspy passion of Castro's belting of the lyrics falls just shy of amazing. He hits the proper tone with this rock and role vocal blast, never yelling as so many vocalists do, and certainly not quite singing in a prim, proper manner, which we would not want. He hits it just right, matching the tone and intensity of the instrumental portions of the song.

"Ain't Gonna Tell You Lies". To start with, who in Geneva, Switzerland says 'ain't'. We certainly do here in Oklahoma. But that's not why I like this song. I like the simple guitar strum opening with Castro singing in normal pitch, revealing that when he's not stretched to the max he still has a beautiful voice. A solo precursor within this song is a bass so low, so huge, it has to have been played by heavy rock moving machinery. The song is steady and simple, and somehow strikes a satisfying chord deep within.

"We Have to Be Free" is a beautiful song, plain and simple. It has a bluesy feel to it throughout as it goes back and forth between calm control, ignition, and fuzzbomb explosions. Moving through the various feels and tempos makes this one of the more intriguing songs on the album. The incredible execution by all three members playing their four instruments simply adds to the maximum pleasure. This is an addicting song that will have you longing for the next time through the album to hear it again.

"Spirits" is a spare, haunting song of incredible beauty that still manages to fuzz out around the edges.

The closer, "Innerwar", is one of the best of the bunch, along with the opener. These guys know how to open, and then how to close. "Innerwar" sounds like something from a concept album, obviously telling a story that's part of a larger whole, while remaining true to the single tale within. The ballad-like feel of the first few minutes of the song leads into a trippy, almost psychotic journey where the instruments lightly touch upon the sounds that play heavily upon your listening psyche, slowing building with textures of new riffs and subdued vocals.

EXCLUSIVE STREAM


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HALF GRAMME OF SOMA - "HALF GRAMME OF SOMA"

There is a HUGE contingent of stoner/retro rock from Greece, much of it from Athens. It's a large city, so why not, but it still seems as though an inordinate amount . . . which is a good thing . . . of underground rock n' roll calls Athens its home. Add to the list this tremendously gifted, rockin' band, Half Gramme of Soma, hereafter referred to as HGoS (almost hogs, almost ghost, defintely rock n' roll).

It's amazing to me when bands come from Europe how much the vocals can sound as if the singer is from down the road somewhere here in the U.S., and HGoS is no exception. I have no idea how much effort they have had to put into their studio performances to accomplish this sound, but it certainly gets my attention. Not nearly as much as their beautiful music screams for notice, though. The starting point for any band associated with the underground sound of stoner/doom/retro rock are the heavy, low tuned, fuzzed out guitars. It's what sets them apart from the no-riff uber-raff on the radio. HGoS is no exception here either. The guitars are pure meth and adrenaline mixed with . . . well, why not mix it with SOMA . . . creating an instantly satisfying warmth throughout your body, charging up your metal receptors, and creating a condition of pure party atmosphere pleasure, whether listening alone in your car, or cranking it up at a booze fueled end of the week celebration, or anything in between.

HGoS band members include:

John V. - Vocals
Alexandros K. - Guitars
Takis A. - Guitars
Nick G. - Bass
Uncle Jim - Drums

HGoS, having formed recently in 2011 and having honed their craft in the various live venues in and around Athens, manages to deliver high quality sound on all parts and pieces of their instrumentation. John V. has a great set of rock pipes, using them to great effect throughout the album. The twin guitar assault of Alex K. and Takis A. are effective, effusive, and effing awesome. Nick G. has somehow strung his bass to the heavy machines used in building tunnels through mountains, and Uncle Jim knows how to impeccably navigate the skins through the heavy maze of riffs from the 3 guitars by using just a pair of wooden sticks. Most of all, the fivesome know how to slap a song together in such a way as to make it memorable, exciting, enticing, and dripping with anticipation, all by mainly making clever and satisfying melodies, songs that not only rock, but bring a sort of fuzzy funk that fits perfectly with the low tuned, distorted bazooka blast emanations of the various string sources. While most stoner/retro bands draw heavily either from the great era of the 70s or the grunge and high desert eras of the 90s, HGoS seem also to have thrown in a sound that hearkens to the new wave sound of the 80s, which makes for a very intriguing metal sound, something that almost feels like they've solved the puzzle that existed on too much 80s so called rock. . . adding the big, fuzzy sound of stoner rock guitar.

This self titled album is their first foray into studio production and contains 9 melodic creations layered thickly with fuzzy metal shavings, crafted in such a way as to be most enjoyable when the amperage is set to ultra high levels and you have room enough to violently move about the room.

"Burn Your Shadows" opens with a funky guitar ditty that leads into the opening hooks and riffs that are slightly reminiscent of the B-52s or The Cure, except with a much heavier, beefier sound, especially when the instrumentation is isolated for several incredible minutes.

"Feed Your Hell" opens in a measured pace that leads into a more up-tempo refrain. John V.'s vocals lend a ballad like quality to the song as the twin guitars provide both a heavy undercurrent of deep, dark riffs plus a more penetrating and insistent interlude. The music here is telling a story, one that isn't all light and sunshine, but replete with dank, musty revelations.

"Secret of the Fox" is a partner piece to its predecessor above. It's steady, unyielding tempo is full of various textures of twisted metal licks and fills riding on an undercurrent of heavy bass, and narrated with melancholy, haunting vocals.

After several songs of deep, dark melancholia comes a song that is a masterpiece of tempo, melody, and listening enjoyment in "Dead End". I am not a master of culling out the lyrics to a song, so while the title would seem to convey failure in the journey of whomever is travelling through these songs, the atmosphere of the music seems to convey the opposite. A quicker pace, insistent and deadly drumwork, and metal rending guitar riffs accompany dual vocals on this song, providing the listener with an intriguing melody infused with heavy textures and bigger than life substance.

Immediately following is an incredibly haunting piece, "Wings Rusted Away", that allows for instrumental isolation to an extent, allowing the listener to go one on one with the huge guitars and whipcord drums. Vocals are magnified as well, as the melancholy of the tune intensely permeates throughout your body, taking over, inducing a trance-like state akin to a natural endorphin rush.

Melancholia and haunting melodies close out the album with "Under a Malign Star", where HGoS make sure to go out with a universe deafening explosion of metal distortion and amplification.

 


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New Band To Burn One To:ABSOLUTE BLACKNESS

HEAVY PLANET presents...ABSOLUTE BLACKNESS!

BAND BIO:

Absolute Blackness are two brothers from the city of Thessaloniki in Greece , Panagiotis (born 22/7/1980) and John (born 16/5/1984), they generally play metal music with influences from Black Sabbath , Orange Goblin , Zakk Wylde , Nightstalker , Spiritual Beggars but they're also influenced by groups like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin .

The start ...

Back in 2000 Johnny bought an Epiphone SG and started learning how to play , about 6 months later Giotis started singing and tried to learn how to play the guitar after he bought an Epiphone Les Paul ,in years another SG Epiphone came , a Stagg B-Bass , many BOSS pedals , two Marshall Amps , an SG Gibson , a Blackstar Amp and many Shure mics .

2005...

After trying to find a suitable name for their band they came to the name "Neutral Position" and produced an unofficial demo that included 3 tracks.

2006...

Cause of the "neutrality" of the name of the band they considered changing the name to a more suitable name closer to their thoughts and play style...Absolute Blackness was born!

2007...

Their first album "Across" had an unofficial release including 8 tracks , since then they keep writing until today , through the years they have created a large pool of unfinished songs and creative riffs from which they try to take the best of them and produce some good music with everyday new influences and inspirations.

2011...

"The Room of Doom"...the place where Absolute Blackness records their music is a reality. Recording ,mixing ,writing ,graphics design and everything that has to do with the band has found its home.

2012 early...

A new band mate, a bass player and a graphic artist Jimmy (born 8/2/1985) has joined the band!!!

2012 end...

Their second album "Stoned" was released , it features 11 tracks with pure stoner/heavy metal atmosphere. 

Band Members:

Johnny Kuimas - Lead Guitars/e-Drums/Synth

Giotis Kuimas - Vocals/Guitars

Jimmys Kostantinidis - Bass

THOUGHTS:

"If you dig crunchy chugging riffs, neck-snapping solos and immense groove then look no further than Greece three-piece Absolute Blackness. Combining an undying love for bone-jarring heaviness, the band shoves meat and potatoes metal right into your earhole. I am still trying to pin down who I think vocalist Giotis Kuimas sounds like. Maybe Rob Zombie meets Lee Dorian with a trembling vibrato. All I know is that it sounds pretty fucking cool. Doomy, southern-tinged sludge with mind-altering psychedelia. Three words pretty much sum it all up...Absolute Fucking Blackness!"

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New Band To Burn One To:STONEBRINGER

HEAVY PLANET presents...STONEBRINGER!

BAND BIO:

Stonebringer is a four-piece heavy rock band from Piraeus, Greece.

Being lovers of heavy sound and influenced by bands like Clutch, Down, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, their music features stoner metal and progressive rock instrumentations, creating a unique sonic identity.

Following their independent promo release "Born To Jam On The Streets" (2011), Stonebringer are rolling the stages with their new EP, entitled "Ocean Of The Brave", along with the legendary music producer Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy etc.). "Ocean Of The Brave" is a four track concept EP, with a bonus track, full of aggresive guitars, monstrous rythms and beer-smelling vocals.

When Chris Tsangarides was asked to describe Stonebringer in three words his answer was overwhelming...: "Fuckin' Heavy Metal"!

THOUGHTS:

"Reeking of stale beer and the possibility of not bathing or shaving for a week, Stonebringer divulge in a sonic crush of meaty guitar riffing, heavy-handed rhythms and throaty vocals. Combining a love for seventies hard rock/heavy metal, the band uses an aggressive modern approach to firmly plant a boot in your ass. At times the band even gets a bit progressive on such songs as "Poseiden's Graveyard" adding another element to their brazen collection of ass-whooping tunage. Download their latest EP for free on their Bandcamp page." Bring the heavy!"

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New Band To Burn One To: Serenity Broken

HEAVY PLANET presents...Serenity Broken!!

BAND BIO:

"Serenity Broken is another Athenian hard rock band that plays awesome music and has the coolest style and this…and…then…that…WAIT!

Boring bio stuff…who really cares anyway??

A British-raised psychopath singer, a fashion addicted drummer, 2 tube gain freaks and a motocross animal joined forces and Serenity Broken was brewed.  Gigs followed in various clubs in Athens, headlining shows in the local underground scene, intense moments supporting Greek legends Rotting Christ, forged the band’s attitude and experience.

Suddenly out of nowhere the band completes its first self-financed full length album entitled "Commercial Suicide" that released at July 13th 2012!

From hard rock to alternative and backwards to metal, all malted with a grunge aesthetic, the band sets their foundations to the music industry.

By the way, the band formed in Athens/Greece in mid 2010 as a 3 piece act and later on they became 5, simple as that.."

MEMBERS: 

Andy - Guitars

Aris - Vocals

Lucas - Bass

Marios - Guitars

Victor - Drums

THOUGHTS:

"Serenity Broken is a Greek quintet who have molded a niche market for themselves inside this Heavy Planet.  The group have found a respectable path of bouncing between mainstream, radio-friendly post grunge and honest heavy metal.  Having joined forces only two years ago the five have created an elegant chemistry that allows guitars to evolve from gritty chuggin' to catchy-pop licks and onto flashy solos expected in classic hard rock.  The vocals are cleanly sung throughout the album and have moments of metalcore-esque screams while the bass and drums hold down the foundation with tight grooves.  Be sure to check out Serenity Broken's latest release Commercial Suicide now streaming in its entirety at bandcamp"  

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NUCLEAR DOG'S ATOMIC SPLIT: WO FAT / NIGHTSTALKER

Today Heavy Planet introduces a new feature, Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split, a feature in the same vein as Zac's Double Dose, bringing you more of the new, ass kickin' music HP provides for discovery and enjoyment. Today's debut features albums from one of Rock's premier labels, Small Stone Records. Both bands featured come to Small Stone after having released previous recordings on other labels. Both bands bring a world of experience and know how to a style of rock that leans toward the genius that permeated seventies rock. One band is an old favorite, well known in the world of stoner/doom/psych rock, the other band perhaps relatively unknown until hopefully now. Old or new, known or unknown, the bands represented by Small Stone Records always deliver the goods, in rock n roll spades, and today is no exception. So, please enjoy this debut presentation of Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split, featuring Wo Fat and Nightstalker.

Wo Fat - The Black Code

Wo Fat have delivered a new album, "The Black Code" on their new label, Small Stone Records, that demonstrates a rare ability to produce a musical collection that is both familiar and fresh, an accomplishment that occurs seldomly when bands and artists begin to issue music beyond their first few releases. Wo Fat have now released 4 superb albums, all of them maintaining the loud and low seventies sound characterized by their favorite influences, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, and Jimi Hendrix. The accomplished threesome from Austin, Texas loudly demonstrate their own special brand of stoner/doom/psych rock while generating tons of low fuzz distortion, combining for as great an experience as you can ask for on a heavy stoner/doom/psych offering. Check out the opening track "Lost Highway", which opens with a jeet kune do jab of stoner riffage right between the eyes and only builds from there. Or enjoy the psychedelic journey of "Sleep of the Black Lotus", which burns slowly, hotly, consistently down the mile long trek of its tightly packed fuse.

You will recognize the brilliance of Wo Fat on "The Black Code" while enjoying the fresh set of songs they have conjured up through the haze and smoke of their Hill Country hoodoo. The CD release is scheduled for November 13. The digital version is available now.

Band Members:
Kent Stump - Guitar, Vox, Fender Rhodes
Tim Wilson - Bass
Michael Walter - Baterie Mastodonica, Vox

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NightStalker - Dead Rock Commando

Nightstalker are a great addition to the Small Stone selection of simply great rock and roll. The rock they deliver is a consummation of their many years playing, the skill levels they’ve developed during that time in both instrument execution and song construction, and the apparent joy they continue to experience in creating some of the coolest rock music available on the planet. The CD has just become available, releasing on August 28th.


One of Small Stone Record’s newest signings is Nightstalker, but this band has been around for a long time, since 1989 in fact. Hailing from Greece these guys have played with numerous rock bands, both known and perhaps not so well known. They are veterans of 6 album releases, including the latest on Small Stone Records, “Dead Rock Commandos”, which can be classified as a flat out masterpiece of cleverly crafted rock that explodes at the same time with re-entry intensity. Lots of loud and heavy guitar laid down on tnt laden bass and drums, all wrapped in melodies that lend themselves perfectly to guitar heavy  rock. Each song is capped off by the brilliant and gifted vocals of Argy, the lead singer, who clearly relishes his ability and the opportunity to belt out the finely crafted songs on this album. The title track displays the adept, aggressive, and athletic style of Nightstalker, delivering a near perfect execution of what rock should be: enjoying and exhilarating. The opening track, “Go Get Some” is an all out guitar offensive with melodic underpinnings, while “The Boogieman Plan” delivers perhaps the most energetic track on the album, a relentless jab, cross, jab assault that comes close to providing a knock out punch of guitar force and fury.





Band Members:
Argy: Vocals
Andreas Lagios: Bass
Tolis Motsios: Guitars
Dinos Roulos: Drums

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In one fell swoop Small Stone Records have managed to deliver two candidates for album of the year with Wo Fat’s “The Black Code” and Nightstalker’s “Dead Rock Commandos”, two albums that will likely be enjoyed by those of us that love the good kind of rock n’ roll for years to come.

New Band To Burn One To: HOGG

BAND BIO:

Other than their lineup, Hogg must allow the tunes to speak for themselves. No fucking bio anywhere, which only adds to their allure. This four-piece from Salonika, Greece clearly loves their beer. It's safe to say, judging by their track titles, they also hit the green. Lucky for us, they also love crunchy stoner jams.




THOUGHTS:

It's not gonna take you long to fall in love with HOGG. Loaded with thick, flowing jams nodding due East to acts like Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, and Kyuss, you're sure to twist your chin-pubes and bob your buzzing skull to these ten tracks. I stumbled upon these guys and immediately choked on fuzz, nonchalance, and groove woven within the album's endless forest of rhythm and flattened enchantment. Loaded Dice is straight-up Fu Manchu style, while the thick Orange Goblin-esque Forest of Despair oozes Coup de Grace rhythms and channels an inner cloud-jumper. Sounding campy when they want and pensive when they need, Hogg churn and roll like yesterday's bad decision. Put these Greeks on your radar. There's an expectation stoner-rock carries, and Hogg crumple the expectation and beat-off with it. We love a band that isn't in any hurry. And these dudes, as evidenced on jams like Catapult, are clearly in no rush to slow the fuck down and take it all in. Thank fucking Hogg for bands like this. That "Name Your Price" invitation means you should stop being a cheap cunt and buck up on the props. I want Hogg playing in my backyard.

Lineup:

Cobas G: Vox & Donkey Farts

Snail B: Guitars & Incoherent Behavior

Panos: Bass & Fluid Excretions

Dead M: Drums & Mule Kicks

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New Band To Burn One To: DOPE FLOOD

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...DOPE FLOOD!

Bio:


The Band was formed in the Spring of 2010.Band members are : Manos - Vocals, Cris - Guitar , Asterios - Bass And Bill- Drums.The band plays live shows regulary around Greece and has supported many known Artist such as Innerwish and Planet Of Zeus.In March 2011 the first official release of the band came out,the EP "A Planet On Four Legs" ,which received positive response from music fans and critics(Metal Hammer and many more), has been played and being played by radios and tv shows around Europe, USA And Australia.






Thoughts:

"This EP from Greek band Dope Flood is a fine example of how to do "it" and by "it" I mean ROCK! Dope Flood's sound is an overabundance of heavy rock drenched with a barrage of crunchy guitars, well-sung vocals, and slow head-banging grooves. Vocalist Manos has an amazing vocal sensibility. I was hearing everything from Layne Staley to Jim Morrison, albeit with a snarling grittiness. It is apparent that these guys have the knack for writing some pretty catchy tunes and the production value for a 3-song EP was not too shabby. Check out Dope Flood today!"

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New Band To Burn One To: SUPERPUMA

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...SUPERPUMA!

Bio:

SuperPuma formed in the summer of 2007 and they play loud rock 'n' roll with experimental / blues and alternative / punk elements. They have appeared occasionally in various Athenian venues.

SuperPuma are: Lefty (vocals), Danny (guitar), Billy (bass) and Nodes (drums).

In 2009 they recorded a four track demo in mini-cdr format and DIY feel entitled «Speed ​​The Plow».

They just completed their self financed first full length album titled «Big Cats on the Prowl». It contains 9 new tracks and the first 500 copies come with a 36 page comic booklet designed by the bands guitarist.



Thoughts:

"SuperPuma is a very eclectic mix of heavy rock, twangy cowpunk, and suberb weirdness. With semi-spoken vocals, hard-driving rhythms and gilded riffing this Greek band gets caught in a whirlwind of straight-up rock (One World Nation) and unexpurgated epicness (In the woods...for love (a history in my veins). With SuperPuma, there is enough heaviness and uniqueness to set themselves apart from most of their musical counterparts. Some really cool stuff. I dig it!"

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New Band To Burn One To:Tuber

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To" ...Tuber!

Bio:

Tuber is an instrumental rock band from Greece, consisting of brothers Yannis Gerosthathos (guitars), Nikos Gerostathos (drums) and Paris Fragkos (bass guitar). The three of them came together for a first time in 2010 and a few months later they started recording their first -self titled- EP, at Paris recording studio in Serres. In July of the same year Tuber released their independent debut album in digital form, through their web page in Bandcamp (http://www.tuber.bandcamp.com/). The EP received stunning reviews from various webpages and blogs worldwide such as the SirensSound, the Sodashop, the Sludgeswamp and more. At January of 2012 Tuber released their new digital single called “Smoked Up Notes” in great acclaim. Tuber’s sound has been described as a combination of different music genres and styles from post rock and alternative rock to dessert and stoner rock enhanced with a psychedelic atmosphere and a romantic mood.



Thoughts:

"Every once in a while there comes a time when a band for what ever the reason slips through the cracks here on Heavy Planet. Today that band happens to be Greece's very own instrumental 3-piece Tuber. As you bat away at the swirling fog of heavy smoke a luminous energy mesmerizes and captivates. The band manages to take you on an endless journey through the hot desert sands while propelling you into outer space all within the same song. This is the music that I want listen to and chill out to all freakin' day. Blissfull and devastating! Check out the track below called "Smoked Up Notes" from their forthcoming CD."

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