Heavy Rotation-Snail-"Blood"

If you are unfamiliar with the band Snail, I suggest you get familiar with them as soon as possible. If you like the classic Stoner/Psychedelic/Doom sound, then this CD will be right up your alley.

"Snail formed in 1992 consisting of singer Mark Johnson (The Crucified, Blessing the Hogs), bassist Matt Lynch (Plugusher) and drummer Marty Dodson.


After recording and shopping their first demo they were offered a 4-album deal by Big Deal Records in 1993. That year they recorded their Self-Titled album with help from producer Jonathan Burnside (Melvins, Nirvana, Steelpole Bathtub) at Razor's Edge Studio (the birthplace of Sleep's Holy Mountain) in San Francisco, CA. The album was well received by critics and garnered much praise from magazines such as Magnet, Alternative Press and BAM.


Snail's second release was a 5-song EP called "All Channels Are Open." The EP was recorded on a lowly 4-track in the hopes of capturing Snail's dynamic low-fi sound.


Subsequent to the release of the EP, Snail sadly succombed to the "sex, drugs, and Rock n Roll" lifestyle and eroded to the point of breaking up. The worst part was that they had a complete second album recorded on 4track and was ready to bring it into the studio."

Which leads us to this scenario, the original band went back into the studio along with new band member (guitarist Eric Clausen) and recorded that long lost second album called "Blood". The album was ultimately released on Meteor City Records in 2009 amid some pretty remarkable reviews.

"Snail wanted to create an album which, while staying true to their original stoner-rock/doom sound, would also showcase the unique pairing of Pink Floyd/My Bloody Valentine-esque vocals and melody with punishing sludge metal influences. The result is a hypnotic mix of roaring classic metal, doom, sludge, stoner and psychedelic dubbed "psychedoomic" by lead guitarist Eric Clausen."

What others are saying:

"Wow! First Black Pyramid and now Snail, What a year for releases from Meteorcity! Snail had hung up their boots called it quits, After recording a Self-titled release in 1993 and soon after an Ep titled "All Channels Open "the band fell to the wastelands of Rock n Roll, sex, drugs and evil women (Damn them:-).Over a decade later Snail's new and Unforgiving sound now reigns supreme picking up where they left off and no doubt releasing a dream once thought never to be, to be...


Snail's Blood recording from get go crushes everything in its path! Like a pest or a disease that eats everything in its way. Mental Models is simply Crushing , low down tuned phased out bass line intro which leads into a Goatsnake / Mass styled chord progression , the vocals by Mark are simply killer, delivered with so much heart. You know this record means the world to these guys and yes the dream is now reality.

Cleanliness, another stand out track, is perfect grunge rock but with a heavy stoner edge, that kind of 90's sound we all grew up to dig! Big dual guitars flowing speaker to speaker, rim shot drumming and Marks echoing lyrics, persisting and insisting to "Get High" the lead after the build up is fucking awesome! Short but sweet, perfect 90's heavy grunge riffs, the way the good old carefree days were.

Blood, is something that just consumes you, not one track on this record is a filler, it's heavy, untamed straight to the point heavy ass Fuzzy Groove rock, hook after hook ! How I never heard these guys back in the early 90's is beyond me! Never since the "Alice in Chains" album "Dirt" have I ever been so consumed and buzzed! Snail have managed to bring all there now," old school "influences to the table and produced a record that is so unique and well crafted you'd think there is no way this record could have been shelved and put to rest back in the mid 90's.

Snail have produced something special, production on Blood is absolutely perfect and captured to its finest detail, from the, sustain on the fuzz boxes, every drum hit, every bass note played and every lyric sang. Fans of Valis, Goatsnake and all the grunge era will smash the shit out of this record! Thank you Snail and thank you Meteorcity for delivering yet another killer new release that will no doubt stand the test of time for many years to come \m/" (PlanetFuzz)

Tracklist:

01.Mental Models
02.Sleep
03.Underwater
04.Committed
05.Via/Penny Dreadful
06.Relief
07.Blood
08.Cleanliness
09.Screen
10.Not for Me
11.Blacklight



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Valkyrie Interview: Jake Adams on Reissues, New Material and Sharing His Brother with Baroness

Among the releases MeteorCity has set for the earlier part of 2010, two reissues from Virginia rockers Valkyrie are bound to stand out. The band’s 2006 self-titled and 2008’s Man of Two Visions were both records of exceptional quality, but even more than that was the fact that from one to the next, the double-guitar four-piece made leaps in terms of their sonics and songcraft. Not only was Man of Two Visions more intricate than its predecessor — and that’s not to take anything away from the album Valkyrie, which was powerful in its own right — but also more organic.

It had a natural sound and feel that came across in the songwriting, yes, but also in the performances of the players themselves. Guitarist and vocalist brothers Jake and Pete Adams — the latter also of Baroness — demonstrated an impeccable chemistry, playing off each other with harmonies and riffs that were flat-out gorgeous, while bassist Will Barry-Rec and drummer Warren Hawkins grounded the material and added a low-end thickness that made sure the band’s sense of heavy was always in tact.

For anyone who missed either of these two records, the MeteorCity reissues should be a clarion call. Both Valkyrie and Man of Two Visions were works of exceptional quality that proved the southern underground still had plenty to say in this new millennium. In the following interview, Jake Adams talks candidly the band’s sonic shifts, plans for the future, and how the success of his brother’s other band has played into Valkyrie’s ongoing work.

Read the interview here.

Album Of The Week-Black Pyramid-"Self-Titled" (2009)

You want dedication? I am writing this post between the 1st and 2nd periods of the Pens/Caps game. I don't have much time, but I would like for you guys to be aware of a great band called Black Pyramid. They just released their full-length debut album on Meteor City Records and it is fuckin' awesome. Without further delay, I now present to you the self-titled by Black Pyramid as this week's "Album Of The Week".



Review:

"Black Pyramid play doom with the rumbling down-tuned tones of stoner metal gods like Sleep, Electric Wizard, and High On Fire, but with the epic arrangements of old school metal and doom acts such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and The Obsessed. Add to the sonic brew perfectly executed forays into vintage psych and progressive rock, along with the apocalyptic lyrical ravings about war, the occult, and general alienation, and you've got an accurate picture of what the band is all about. Prepare to be crushed by the weight of the Black Pyramid."

Track Listing:

01. ...And the Gods Made War
02. Visions of Gehenna
03. Mirror Messiah
04. No Life King
05. Celephais
06. Twilight Grave
07. The Worm Ouroboros
08. The Cauldron Born
09. Wintermute

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