New Band To Burn One To: MYSTERY SHIP

HEAVY PLANET PRESENTS...MYSTERY SHIP!

"Upon first listen to Seattle's Mystery Ship, I had to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn't jettisoned back to the early seventies into the back of a customized van wearing nut-hugging bell-bottom jeans and a denim jacket adorned with a ton of patches. While the music does have a retro heavy rock sound, it is also very modern and current. With two EPs released last year and a 7" released this year, the band is just giving you a little teaser as to what they are about to embark on. Sweet grooves, tight riffs and a laid back vibe combined with a layered vocal harmony provide the substance needed to conquer the world. The band has worked with the likes of Dave Hillis (Pearl Jam, Afghan Whigs), Jack Endino (Nirvana, High on Fire, Soundgarden), and Gordon Raphael (The Strokes), so there is definitely a serious buzz going on with this band. 

I would say I highly agree."

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LP Review- IV Monument by Sideburn

    

     I grew up when grunge rock ruled the radio, and my old man schooled me on the merits of seventies rock. That said it's no surprise that I enjoyed the hell outta Sideburn's latest release, IV Monument. Here you get the best of both worlds. You get the tortured banshee wail of Chris Cornell over music that is ambitious and offers a variety of textures; just like those metalers of yore, the long haired types with grand proggy ambitions. I get a heavy Uriah Heep vibe from these guys, in the soaring vocals but also from their willingness to try any and all styles of the heavy stuff in their metal revue.

     They've got the guts to slow things down and throw in acoustic guitar parts that are not that much lighter than the fuzzed or doomy guitar parts. And there's a lot to be said for bands that make albums like this. Those that live by the fuzz too often die by the fuzz. Hersey, I know. But that's how I feel. Without texture albums can come off as stodgy. The dynamic between heavy and light can and should be used. But that's enough of my pontificatin'. Here's some notes on the album.

     First track is Diamonds and that ain't a Soundgarden outtake, but you might mistake it for one. Next comes Fire Water, slinking towards you like a snake till it rears its head and spits a Danzigesque dirge of heavy all over your trembling face. After that is Tomorrows Dream which for the first few seconds almost sounds like an eighties hair metal tune. The vibe doesn't last, but the riff is clean and carries the song to safety before Crossing the Lines ballads it's way into yer headphones. More visions of Cornell are conjured, but this time we're talking Audioslave. After catching your breath, the listener is doomed by The Last Day which is cooed by an Ian Curtis like vocal, which goes perfect with the icy stomping of the riff. And then there's Silverwing, the tune that might have single trackedly brought up those Uriah Heep visions I alluded to in the beginning of this review. And there's more, but the last three I challenge you to find out for yourself. I'm tired and my beer's getting warm. And I don't want to make it too easy on you. But fear not. You'll dig it.  So crank this one up, stop shaving the sides of yer face and enjoy. Find it here on Transubstans Records

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Album Review: Switch Opens - Joint Clash

Sweden has been on the Stoner map recently with the appearance of bands such as Graveyard, King Hobo and others. Switch Opens, on the other hand, have settled mostly in the more sludgy and doomy side of the movement. Their main influences: Mastodon, Soundgarden and Orange Goblin tossed together with some progessive and psychedelic elements. 

The band name is actually taken from a Soundgarden song and the first track named Square actually sounds like a tribute to them, but in a more agressive manner. Let's not fool ourselves though. This is not a Soundgarden tribute band. There is a lot more stuff going on here.

Joint Clash is a very ambitious record that takes you many places. From sludge, to psychedelia and even to prog rock. The music has many layers and during these eight tracks we never feel that we are listening to the same track over and over again. 

There are a whole bunch of hypnotic riffs, but there are also the more sludge oriented ones that will crush you immediately. The drums are also a big part on this record. Varying from tribal rythmns to pounding to fast paced. The standout instrument on this record has to be the bass. Many of the tracks here are bass driven and have a very heavy tone to them. All this mixed with Jesper's ragged vocals makes them crushing foursome. 

Overall, this is a heavy and intense record that will seduce music lovers that have an adventurous spirit. It is definitely not a predictable record and not easy to absorb in only one listen. It requires a few before you fully understand it but once you do, you get addicted to it!

Anders Bartonek - drums

Tomas Bergstrand - guitar

Jesper Skarin - vocals & bass

Mikael Tuominen - guitar

Switch Opens | Facebook | Transubstans

Black Sabbath-"Into the Void" Covered

Four almighty bands covered the Black Sabbath classic "Into the Void". Who do you think did it best?

MELVINS



SOUNDGARDEN



KYUSS



MONSTER MAGNET

WHO DID THE BEST COVER VERSION OF "INTO THE VOID"?
	MELVINS
	SOUNDGARDEN
	KYUSS
	MONSTER MAGNET
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Heavy Rotation: When Grunge Ruled the World

For this week's edition of Heavy Rotation, I decided to dig around in the attic for some of my old Grunge CDs. For some of you younger readers that may be a bit unfamiliar with what I am talking about, Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy guitar sound that uses a high level of distortion, fuzz and feedback effects. Grunge fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. The music shares with punk a raw sound and similar lyrical concerns. However, it also involves much slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentation – which is reminiscent of heavy metal.



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01. Skinyard-"1000 Smilin'Knuckles"

This song was the first song I ever heard from Skin Yard, as it was the the first song on the self-titled album of the same name from 1991. What lead me to purchase this album in the first place was the cool album cover artwork. A bit more upbeat and more metal than punk, this song along with its layered vocals and crunchy guitar also had great melody and stellar production thanks to grunge wunderkid Jack Endino.

The band was formed in January 1985 by Daniel House and Jack Endino, who were subsequently joined by Ben McMillan and Matt Cameron. Skin Yard played its first concert in June 1985, opening for the U-Men. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to the now-legendary Deep Six compilation. This album, in addition to featuring the first commercial recordings of The Melvins, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun and Skin Yard, was the first to showcase the early grunge sound. That same year, Skin Yard released their self-titled debut album and their first single, Bleed. Read more...

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02. Gruntruck-"Crazy Love"

I saw a video of this song on Headbanger's Ball back in 1992 and was instantly drawn to it's great groove and killer vocals which  lead to the purchase of their album "Push" as well as their debut effort "Inside Yours". Gruntruck was also a bit more on the metal end of the spectrum as well, are you starting to detect a trend?

The band only released two albums. They toured the U.S. and Canada with Alice in Chains in fall of 1992, as well as Europe in the winter of 1993 with Pantera, who were supporting Vulgar Display of Power. According to Sean Kinney, they were Alice in Chains's most supported band at the time, opening alongside the Screaming Trees for Alice's Dirt tour. In 1996, they ended up in a legal battle with Roadrunner Records for contract termination. Gruntruck won the case, but at heavy cost to the band. Bassist Tim Paul left and was replaced by Alex Sibbald, and following a less than stellar tour with Circus of Power, drummer Scott McCullum left as well. In 1996, they resurfaced with new drummer Josh Sinder, previously of The Accüsed to record a 3-track EP called Shot. The classic lineup reformed in the late 90s for various shows and recordings that never properly surfaced. In 2000, the band had a successful comeback stint in the Northwest playing many shows to audiences eager for Gruntruck. However, the band disbanded permanently in 2002, leaving behind rumors of a possible album of unreleased rarities that may or may not surface in the near future. Ben McMillan died from diabetes on January 26, 2008.

Buy

03. My Sister's Machine-"Diva"

When I first received this as a promo at the record store I was working at back in 1992, I couldn't get enough of it. Very reminiscent of Alice In Chains, the band used great melodies and passionate vocals to ignite the ever hungry grunge crowd looking for more, unfortunately for the band things did not work out. This song is the title track from their 1992 debut album.

My Sister's Machine was a grunge band that formed in 1989, prior to the "grunge movement" of the early 90's in Seattle, WA. In 1990, My Sister's Machine received the "Best New Band" award from the Northwest Music Association.

In 1991, they had much interest from the major record labels but chose to sign with a smaller label Caroline Records who could spend more time and effort promoting them.

In 1992, they released their debut album, Diva to much critical acclaim. Steve Kurutz of Allmusic gave the album four and a half stars, calling it "a surprisingly strong record musically...Though the lyrics are, for the most part, ridiculously poor, they are delivered with enough attitude that the listener will hardly notice unless he reads the album booklet." Read more...

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04. Soundgarden-"Into the Void" (Black Sabbath cover)

I had always wanted to hear what it would sound like if Soundgarden covered a Black Sabbath song, well my wish came true on the companion disc "Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas" to 1992's Badmotorfinger. It did not disappoint as Chris Cornell and Co. tore it up complete with words of protest by Chief Sealth replacing the original song lyrics.

Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by lead singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band's permanent drummer in 1986 while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990.

Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle, and was one of a number of grunge bands signed to the record label Sub Pop. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label (A&M Records, in 1988), though the band did not achieve commercial success until they popularized "grunge" in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. Read more...

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05. Tad-"Grease Box"

Featuring a bass line as heavy as the man himself, this track was off of their 1993 major label release "Inhaler". The album was full of driving rhythms and melody while staying true their grunge roots.

Led by Tad Doyle (b. Thomas Doyle) on vocals and guitar, Tad was formed in early 1988 by Doyle and bassist Kurt Danielson, who met while at a Christian Banquet. They previously played together when Danielson's band Bundle of Hiss played with Doyle's previous band (in which he played drums) H-Hour. Doyle had also earlier played in a Gang of Four cover band called Red Set. They recruited drummer Steve Wied (formerly of Skin Yard and Death and Taxes) and guitarist Gary Thorstensen (ex-Treeclimbers) to complete the original lineup.

Tad was among the first bands to be signed to Sub Pop Records and was possibly the first pioneer of what was to be later called grunge rock. Read more...

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Album Of The Day-Soundgarden-"Ultramega OK" (1988)

The Album Of The Day is "Ultramega OK" by Soundgarden.



The best expression of Soundgarden's early, Stooges/MC5-meets-Zeppelin/Sabbath sound, Ultramega OK is a dark, murky, buzzing record that simultaneously subverts and pays tribute to heavy metal. At times, the band and its recasting of over-the-top '70s hard rock seem smirky (Hiro Yamamoto's ridiculous vocal on "Circle of Power"; a "cover" of John Lennon's "One Minute of Silence"); a few, like the cover of "Smokestack Lightning," really do sink into turgid metal silliness. But the best moments are startling fusions of classic metal, punk rock, and psychedelia of the fuzz guitar variety, plus the local flavor of Green River and the Melvins. The difference was, Soundgarden were better songwriters, and their feel for memorable riffs and hooks lends greater power to both the rockers and the creepy, dirge-like slow numbers. It's a shame the album as a whole isn't more fully realized, because when separated out from the filler, the numerous highlights show why Soundgarden had such an enormous impact on the development of grunge. It may not be quite as complex or consistent as some of Soundgarden's later albums, but Ultramega OK is easily the best document of grunge's early, pre-Nirvana days. (Steve Huey, All Music Guide)

Track Listing:

01. "Flower"– 3:25
02. "All Your Lies"– 3:51
03. "665"– 1:37
04. "Beyond the Wheel"- 4:20
05. "667"– 0:56
06. "Mood for Trouble"– 4:21
07. "Circle of Power"– 2:05
08. "He Didn't"– 2:47
09. "Smokestack Lightning"– 5:07
10. "Nazi Driver"– 3:52
11. "Head Injury"– 2:22
12. "Incessant Mace"– 6:22
13. "One Minute of Silence"– 1:00

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