New Band To Burn One To: Bautastor - Bautastor

Obscure, but incredible. Unheralded, but magnificent. Disbanded, yet eternal in legacy. This describes too many capable stoner/doom/psych/blues rock bands across the globe that vie for our attention and appreciation. Thank goodness for the interdubyas, granting us access to a trove of rich, delicious, riff laden, fuzz-dripping morsels of guitar driven greatness, regardless of any band's status post release.

Hailing from Sweden, an historical bastion of stoner rock greatness, Bautastor, a 4 piece group of gifted rockers have managed to release at least one album that has melded together the soulful sounds of blues rock, the crunchy, crackling riffs of stoner rock, the sweet melodies and hooks of the denizens of the desert, and the engaging, intricate psychedelic sounds of progressive rock. It's an album that clicks in all categories, pegs the needle on all capacities, and engages you in deep reveries of musical wonderment.

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New Band To Burn One To: BASK

"Set amid a soundscape of Americana roots and wall of sound heaviness comes a refreshing and breathtaking band from Asheville, North Carolina. Bask is the name of today's featured band and the name couldn't be more fitting. Soft and mesmerizing melodies tangle with a whirlwind of deafening riffs to not only tranquilize but pulverize. If you think that country and doom don't mix, then think again. Death, despair heartbreak and disaster are the perfect mixture to set forth this raging leviathan and does just that on the opening track "High Mountain Pass". An eerie and crooning vocal yearns of days gone by on the wearisome tracks "American Hollow", "A Man's Worth", and "Shake the Soot From Your Boots" with the latter being my favorite track on the album.

The band sums up this wonderful listening experience into their closer "Endless Summer". A little ditty about "Jack and...ah fuck that shit! , the band builds upon a swirling riff and hitches a ride on a combine and undoubtedly destroys everything in its path. 

I think I'm gonna grab myself a nice tall ice cold glass of Country Time lemonade and let the summer wind blow through what hair I have left. on top of my head as I "bask" in sweet oblivion. 

UPDATE: The album has been released on This Charming Man Records and the band is supporting High On Fire and Black Tusk in Europe. Tour Dates

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Zac's "Double Dose": Across Tundras / Whitcomb

 

Across Tundras: Electric Relics 

Like a tumble-weed rolling by in the scorched desert of the southwest I allowed Across Tundras' 2011 release Sage escape me entirely. By placing Sage at his number three spot of his year-end list Toby graciously reminded me that Across Tundras was not a band to be missed or a sound to be taken lightly. His July 2011 review praised the quirky combination of the country twang trickling from the guitar and the doom paced trudge of the rhythm section. This begot a sound which I can only describe as the soundtrack for the traveling lonely en route to desolation. Heeding my Heavy Planet sensei's call, I chose not to let Across Tundras latest release, entitled Electric Relics, escape me. Now, having patiently experienced both releases I am conscious of the isolation Sage brought and how well Across Tundras have aged with the achievement of Electric Relics. Bounteous in Classic-Americana, Tanner's signature crooning lead us down the desolate trail. There is still a very heavy side to what Across Tundras is doing, strongly influenced by doom and traditional heavy metal, but shrouded by years of weathering. Here on Electric Relics I sense a stronger influx of a hardened style of Alternate Country, still holding onto that Americana swagger. The kind of swagger that comes from a life-style of swingin' pickaxes and sledgehammers and having just enough energy to hold your head up at the end of a sixteen plus hour day to down an ice cold beer. Across Tundras create, what may be, one of the most difficult styles of music a writer must describe. Truly a genre of their own. Although it may sound straight forward... a simple combination of country and doom... there is so much more to this band and more specifically this album. The trio toy with loads of experimental psychedelia and, what sounds to me, as interesting time signatures (although I know absolute jack of musical method, structure and time signatures). Take for instance the track Driftless Caravan. Tying together a gallop of percussion and clanging brass, Across Tundras inject a toxic RIFF that gives Driftless Caravan the sensation of a flat tire. By that I mean that the instrumentation always seem to be cycling, but at the same time attempting to catch up to one another. Like everything is in time, but it isn't... Simply intoxicating. Although, the song that truly sums up the Across Tundras experience for this listener is track number six Castaway. With a trickle of that southern sweat Tanner's guitar weeps in excruciating loneliness as Castaway's heartbeat. A few taps of the brass and the rhythm section step in to build on the immensity of Tanner's RIFF. Castaway roams this repetitive path to the point of exhaustion where the tempo slows creating a climatic apex with the reflective lines, "Was it all just a dream... Is anything really what it seems? Nobody knows." And with that moment Castaway changes its course with an uplifting progression for higher land. Electric Relics is the perfect follow-up to their 2011 release Sage and the ideal theme for a strong man broken by the mundane and pains of the hard life. Spin Castaway below and get a vinyl copy at Across Tundras web-store.

Members: 

Casey Perry - Drums // Percussion 

Mikey Allred - Bass 

Tanner Olson - Guitar // Vocals

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Whitcomb: The Conqueror 

Looking for a fresh take on classic heavy metal? Look no further than Portland, Maine's Whitcomb. Not only does this quintet recreate that classic heavy metal sound, they do so injecting loads of melody making for an euphonious, albeit heavy, experience. With a blazing fifteen minute run-time Whitcomb's latest endeavor, The Conqueror, rushes your senses with a twin guitar attack backed up by some towering vocals. Heroically surging over the mix, Brant Dadaleares vocal ability is a pivotal characteristic for Whitcomb and their style of melo-metal (not to be confused with mellow). The band open The Conqueror with a juicey RIFF-FEST entitled Blind. Within thirty seconds you will be overcome by Brant's soaring singing, all the while the RIFFS continue to build up Blind. Herein I also find the drumming from Mark Sayer noteworthy. The clash of the cymbals to the rolling thunder hidden below the ascending guitars and vocals compliment and refine the three minute forty second, radio friendly song. Whitcomb do slow things down for the ballad-like To A Skull.  However, in the end expect their signature melodic rush throughout The Conqueror. Check out the official video for Blind below or get your copy from bandcamp or iTunes.

Members: 

Brant Dadaleares - Vocals 

Andy Beavis - Guitars 

Sean Libby - Guitars // Vocals 

Ryan Fleming - Bass 

Mark Sayer - Drums // Vocals 

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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Great Western - "Warrior of Light" / Stone Roots - "Don't Turn Me In"

Disparity, variety, and miscellany are the name of the game again today, ladies and gentlemen. ( I wonder how many ladies do read our posts. I hope it's lots. ). We offer up two bands, two albums, two sounds that both fill up their respective, but opposite ends of the golden basket of Heavy Planet music. Stone Roots offer up music that could almost be classified as Americana with some Country influence, except they must have found their instruments at a Five Horse Johnson yard sale because the riffs are huge, heavy, and chock full of delightfully distorted fuzz. Great Western, on the other hand, having surely procured their own instruments from whatever sources rock bands procure them from, are a hard hitting, punch in the mouth, sludgy, grungy meat pie of a hard rock band, providing straight up rock that is juicy and lip smacking flavorful. These bands may not sound much alike, but they bring their guitars and their heart and use them along with immense talent to produce insanely good music.

GREAT WESTERN - "Warrior of Light"

Great Western, of South London, are a trio that tend to demonstrate the very best parts of rock in their music without using any part or parcel of gimmicks- no samples, no dubs, no spacy, unnecessary intros. These guys come to the fight armed to the teeth with lethal weapons and nothing more, weapons they've honed to killing blow sharpness, weapons they waste no time in wielding as they slice and cut their way through the "Warrior of Light" EP with efficiency and zeal.

Great Western are comprised of these three young gentlemen:

Frederick Fuller - baritone guitar, backing vocals
Rufus Miller - lead vocals, lead guitar
Ralph Fuller - drums, backing vocals

Great Western are making their way in an arena that, while not necessarily crowded, certainly has plenty of competition, which, if "Warrior of Light" is any indication, has only honed their ability to create and express important and interesting music to a rarefied level. They don't fit neatly into any one genre, generously moving in and out of several on song or album. They employ the main hallmark of stoner/doom music with low tuned guitars, in fact they employ a baritone guitar as one of their standard instruments, while not shying away from the occasional guttural sludge vocalization. A hallmark of this talented trio is their ability to create memorable melodies that provide intriguing, interesting, impressive lyrics, hooks, riffs, and refrains on every musical iteration.

"Warrior of Light" kicks off with "Son of a Gun". It wastes no time, jumping right in with huge, heavy, up tempo, down tuned guitar riffs that drive the song relentlessly forward, accompanied by primal scream vocals, bunker busting drumwork, and napalm drenching solos that cling and burn til all has been scorched beyond recognition.

The tempo is quick and primal on "New Government", allowing ample time for familiarization before moving into the blitzkrieg guitar onslaught that relents only when all before it has been pulverized and leveled.

"Grand Parade" is grand indeed, huge in scope, haunting in delivery. It burrows it's way to the very center of your heart and psyche, preying on your primal timbre with instruments of cold steel and blue fire, eliciting emotions pure and visceral in reaction. This is music in high virtuosity, searing its imprint for eternity.

The album closes with another haunting masterpiece, "Be at One",  that broods dark and drear, slowly flowing through a distorted landscape wrought beautiful and severe by the sheer weight of booming instruments and canyon echo vocals. It's an onslaught of allure and gloom, deftly delivered by wizards of their own magic.





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STONE ROOTS - "Don't Turn Me In"

There is not much information available on this band out there in the etherworld. Not yet anyway. They hail from the heart of country rock, San Francisco, California. The lineup for this talented group of rockers is:

E. Semak on guitars and vocals
Rob Becker on bass
Lexington Vermouth on drums

The music has a heavy country / americana slant, as previously mentioned, but is also very clean in its production, without superfluous additions or overproduced instrumentation, creating space that becomes intriguing and essential to the songs, especially when combined with perhaps the greatest quality of these west coast rockers, their song writing skills. The songs on this album are well constructed, full of melody and hooks that will engage and energize as only quality songs can. The guitar work on these melodies is what lands this music squarely in the middle of worthy stoner rock, as they provide the two main essentials of guitar delivery - refrain riffs that are low and fuzzy, huge and heavy, combined with solo segments that lay waste to the landscape from the concentrated heat of laserbeam rampages. Add to it the perfectly matched vocals of guitarist Semak and you have a sound that, while not necessarily rare, certainly rises to the top of the immense heap of good and great stoner rock.

The opening track, "Horns", is a prime example of every one of Stone Tools' qualities, combining deft melody with riffs of vision and hooks of delight, wrapped in bullseye rock vocals. Low and fuzzy, loud and raunchy, it's a perfect kick off to a fantastic collection of tunes.

Track four, "Don't Turn Me In", the title track, picks up the pace, as rock bands are always wont to do on at least one song of albums of a more deliberate gait. The song clips along at a great pace and tempo easily sliding into a scorching solo that itself slides into a large, deliberate, and beautifully rendered finale.

The closing track, "Twenty Nine", as is also often the case on albums, is perhaps the biggest, most ambitious song on "Don't Turn Me In", and after listening to it a time or two should quite rightly stake claim as the album's best track. It has the beautifully rendered big guitars, heart piercing vocals, hooks that soar, and solos that carve a finely tuned crease through the middle of it all.

I've failed to pay tribute to the work of the bass and drums. Too often the work, the product, of the rhythm section is overlooked. The sheer genius of simplicity for what they provide makes it hard, too, to say what is so incredibly obvious without overstating it over and again. But the basswork and drumlicks on this album are superb, exquisitely rendered by gifted musicians that deftly provide exactly the right weight and time to a solid base and primal center.





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