Quick Hit: CORTEZ - "THE DEPTHS BELOW"

Veteran Boston rockers Cortez have advanced their long, high caliber legacy with a new, full length LP, their third album since inception back in 2006. This latest album by the quintet is a testament to their longevity as it provides some of the best tracks they've yet produced, music of the highest stoner metal caliber offered up over the past 11 years.

"The Depths Below" run a distinctive gamut of loud party fun, melodramatic psychedelics, hard, heavy, slabs of towering stoner metal resolve, and even a frolicking, hip-hop inspired romp of a hard rock bent. The melodies are intelligent and magical, providing sharp, indelible hooks, while the vocals are of a quality rarely experienced from within the hordes of underground rock bands. Riffs of twin guitars are piled high and loud, bringing steel wool fibered fuzz of rarefied magnificence. The rhythm sector is never overshadowed, displaying clear, unyielding stickwork of immense cleverness and ferocity as well as bass guitar of thick, gargantuan reverberations of primal explosion.

I had the privilege of reviewing Cortez on their eponymous sophomore release back in 2012, cutting my teeth on music easy to both enjoy and attest to. Five years later I get to do so again, an opportunity as satisfying as is their music to which I immensely enjoy.

While going over their discography I came across a single track they had released early in 2016, a cover of one of the premier rock bands of the 70s, Deep Purple. Cortez' rendition is a brilliant emission of a brilliant, but unheralded classic. I include it here for the sake of fun.



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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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New Band To Burn One To: Zeremony

There was a time relatively early in the decade of awesome rock that was the Seventies in which bands used an organ as much as they did their guitars, and the sound was incredible because of it. Deep Purple, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, The Doors, even the mighty Led Zeppelin on more than one occasion. Today's up and comer is truly a band you can burn one to because their sound harkens back to those not so innocent times while managing to establish their own wonderful sound. The guitar is mighty and not to be trifled with, the vocals are powerful and soul stirring, the driving rhythms of bass and drums are gargantuan, and the melodies are hook-laden attention grabbers. Sit back with your favorite delivery method of choice and burn a few to Würzburg, Germany's Zeremony.

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New Band To Burn One To: DEAD QUIET

Progressive, psychedelic, doom, stoner, fuzz, seventies.......Dead Quiet tick all the boxes and then some. Melodic, great vocals, deep metal, mesmerizing, moody, sticky, and toothsome ..... this Vancouver up-and-comer has a big basket full of advantages drawn from the gritty experiences of past individual engagements, now banding together as massively talented individuals to create fresh takes on the amalgam of possibilities as a 5 piece juggernaut. The first release, a self-titled surprise assault of mammoth sound and proportion, should very well break through the cacophony of amplified voices, managing to rise above, to be noticed, to place an indelible stamp of mushroom infused metal upon the marrow of your musical mind.

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Song of the Day-The Black Guild-"Figure It Out"

"Figure It Out" is taken off of the band's self-titled full-length debut release. This song oozes with elements of classic hard rock, southern rock swagger and a blues appeal. Add to that a gritty, rough around the edges vocal and a pedal to the metal hammond organ grind and you have one hell of a good thing going. This is just some damn good time, beer chuggin' rock n' roll. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Seamount-"Nitro Jesus"

"Nitro Jesus" is taken from the band's fifth full-length release "V-Nitro Jesus". The band has been delivering some of the finest classic doom riffs since 2007. On this song they once again display their undeniable force that features ear-grabbing riffs, a vintage guitar tone and tight as hell rhythm section. Ride that symbol into hell's fiery oblivion. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Song of the Day-Blackwülf-"The Locust"

"The Locust" is taken off of the upcoming release "Oblivion Cycle" due out December 11, 2015 on Ripple Music. If you missed out on Blackwülf the first time around, shame on you for six months. Well, the band is back with a new song and it rocks. From the onset, this song slays with it's ear-grabbing riff, thunderous drums, mighty vocal delivery and classic metal bravado. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Album Review: Black Cowgirl - Self-Titled

Man, sometimes life is a drag... You want to know what else is a drag? Writer’s block. Cardigan wearing, eat your vegetables, old Mr. Zac has been sitting on gold for three months and just hasn't put together the words to get it to all of you, our faithful readers of Heavy Planet. Well, allow me to delay no longer, because what we have here is truly a 120-proof bottle of the finest blend of traditional rock, grunge and grooves to escape this hilly Pennsylvania terrain. These tunes just got to be shared before the close of 2012.

So, now you're asking yourselves, "Who the hell is Black Cowgirl?" and "How can a double EP be all that good?" Well, in reply to the latter, it can be. Period. Black Cowgirl is a fearless foursome from Eastern PA, the Lancaster area to be more precise, who takes a shared effort in writing and guitar-monizing eleven of the finest examples of classic inspired stoner rock. The self-titled release is made up, as stated previously, of two separate EP's and has recently been pressed into a lovely vinyl, thanks to the art of Mr. Adrian Brouch of Coven Illustrations and Kozmik Artifactz Record-store.

The group, who obviously has a sense of humor, describe themselves as, "a less-talented version of an imaginary super-group ..." and includes the likes of The Allman Bros., Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash in that line up. Well, all knockin' aside Black Cowgirl offer a serious track list of dynamic hard-rock jams and anthems suitable for every Heavy Planet reader's playlist. Most of the tracks hover at the three-minute mark with one heavy weight, Weight of Oblivion, running close to six minutes.

The band does an excellent job of creating songs that don't run low on fuel or emotion, especially on the mellow tracks like Alkaline and instrumental chill piece Solarizer. The intertwining guitars loop throughout Alkaline creating the ideal noise necessary when looking to zone out, and Solarizer runs its course much the same way while slowly and steadily droning out quietly towards limbo.

Now, I've been spinning these tracks for months on end and can honestly say the entire album is solid. However, I have found myself favoring the likes of Eclipsor and Three Seasons best. Eclipsor literally begins with a knock at the door only to waltz right in through Ben and Nate's dual RIFF-age to park on your couch and caress your ears while Chris[Bass] and Mark [Drums] sneak in the back for your stash of Yuengling. Three Seasons, on the other hand, has a set of guitar pieces that coil around you like some great constrictor python emitting an intoxicating pheromone. The RIFF seems like an eternal swirl, and oh, if only it could be... Yes, Black Cowgirl has found the cure to RIFF addiction. The vocals of Three Seasons are also a strong point and may be some of the best that this self-titled release has to offer. Beginning as a steady and rough, yet harmonious articulation, the vocals become winged and soar into climactic scream as the seconds tick away. Yeah, that may sound like utter non-sense without hearing the song, but I guess you'll just have to order Black Cowgirl to fully appreciate this song in all of its glory.

When everything is said and done Black Cowgirl's self-titled release is the surprise of the year. The song writing is well done and, I believe, can only get better with future releases. The RIFFS are of the utmost quality and that freedom lies within the life of the RIFF, for the RIFF, by the RIFF and that RIFF shall not perish from earth. The artwork is of Mr. John Baizley quality and deserving of a nod for album cover of 2012.

So, with a loaded resume and a killer set of skills, Black Cowgirl can set off into the sunset of 2012 knowing they 'dun good with their first full length, or double EP, or whatever we call it, and know there are a legion of fans drooling for more.

                              

Members: 

Ben - Guitar // Vocals 

Chris - Bass 

Mark - Drums 

Nate - Guitar // Vocals

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Classic Band To Burn One To-Pentagram

The "Classic Band To Burn One To" today is Pentagram.

"One of the most enduring and influential underground bands in heavy metal history, Pentagram's career was almost 15 years old by the time they finally managed to record their first album. Though invariably led by mysterious frontman Bobby Liebling, the band's volatile membership made it difficult to maintain any kind of momentum and kept them confined to metal's outer fringes. But interest in Pentagram's convoluted history continues to grow and their crucial contributions to the development of heavy metal seem at last to be receiving some of their late, lamented due.

Pentagram first came into existence in 1971 in Woodbridge, VA, when singer Bobby Liebling met guitarist/drummer Geof O'Keefe. In the coming months, the duo played with a variety of local musicians, including guitarist John Jennings, bassist Vincent McAllister, and drummer Steve Martin, but by early 1972, McAllister had switched to guitar, O'Keefe took over on drums, and Greg Mayne joined on bass guitar. This lineup of Liebling, McAllister, Mayne, and O'Keefe would remain intact for the next six years, and though they occasionally performed under different names, including Virgin Death, Stone Bunny, and Macabre (the last of which graced their first single, "Be Forewarned," in 1972), they always inevitably returned to Pentagram. Another element of stability was their musical direction, which never strayed too far from the distorted psychedelic hard rock of heavy metal pioneers like Blue Cheer and the Groundhogs. A set of independent 7" recordings, "Human Hurricane" and "When the Screams Come" (this last was never released) preceded their first live performance on December 15, 1973, by which time a visible Black Sabbath influence had begun to take hold. Second guitarist Randy Palmer joined their ranks mid-1974 and his addition coincided with Pentagram's most prolific period of the decade, including close calls with record deals from both Columbia and Casablanca Records. But by 1976, Palmer was out (briefly replaced by Marty Iverson) and all of the band's professional prospects had dried up, leaving Pentagram to grind to a halt at the end of the year.

After years of silence, Liebling was finally encouraged to resume his career in mid-1978, when he met a musical soul mate in local drummer Joey Hasselvander, but it wasn't until Halloween 1981 that Pentagram was truly brought back from the dead. By then, Hasselvander had joined a new group called Death Row, which featured a young, Black Sabbath-obsessed guitarist named Victor Griffin. When Liebling stopped by for a jam, creative sparks flew almost immediately and with the addition of bassist Martin Swaney, the group officially assumed the Pentagram name once again. More years of hard work playing in clubs and composing new material followed, but in 1985, Pentagram finally recorded a full-length, self-titled debut (minus Hasselvander, who was replaced at the last minute by drummer Stuart Rose). Later retitled Relentless, the record may have been dedicated to Blue Cheer, but its contents owed an almost singular stylistic debt to Black Sabbath and along with its even more accomplished 1987 successor Day of Reckoning, it helped set the stage for the looming doom metal movement. Not fast enough for Pentagram to capitalize, however, and following another lengthy hiatus, a new contract from Peaceville Records finally led to another comeback via 1994's Be Forewarned LP (featuring a reinstated Hasselvander). But the musical climate of the time was very unfriendly to heavy metal of any kind, and the doom scene had never managed to coalesce as expected, leading Pentagram to another, seemingly final breakup.

Then in 1998, a clandestine, unauthorized collection of early Pentagram demos and live bootlegs, entitled Human Hurricane, was unexpectedly released, prompting Liebling and Hasselvander to take action. Both 1999's Review Your Choices and 2001's Sub-Basement combined new compositions with updated versions of the band's ancient classics and featured Hasselvander playing every instrument. The controversy also sparked greater interest in Pentagram's music and its substantial impact on the heavy metal genre, culminating in the priceless (and this time fully authorized) collection of long-lost '70s recordings entitled First Daze Here (The Vintage Collection). Another compilation, Turn to Stone, arrived later in 2002, compiling material from their Peaceville albums that had gone out of print in the late 90's."( Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide)

PENTAGRAM 2009: Gary, Russ, Bobby, Mark

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Recommended listening:

"Relentless" 
"First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection"
"First Daze Here Too: The Vintage Collection"


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CATHEDRAL: 'Earache Classic Series' Edition Of 'The Carnival Bizarre' To Include Bonus DVD

The newest entry into the Earache Classic Series is CATHEDRAL's breakthrough classic "The Carnival Bizarre". This is the album that made CATHEDRAL into the legends they are today. By combining their doom metal sound with stoner rock and further experimental elements, the band hit upon a formula that would elevate them up above every doom/stoner band of their day.

On this special Earache Classic Series edition of "The Carnival Bizarre", which is due on August 19, you get the tried and true original album containing favorites like "Vampire Sun", "Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)" and "Utopian Blaster" (featuring a guest appearance by BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN AND HELL riffmaster Tony Iommi). In addition, you will also get a bonus DVD, "Our God Has Landed", featuring one of CATHEDRAL's earliest recorded shows from the 1992 "Gods Of Grind" tour and eight music videos spanning the band's nearly decade-long Earache career.

For more information, go to this location.

SOLITUDE AETURNUS: Classic Albums To Be Reissued

Poland's Metal Mind Productions will re-release the two albums from Texas doom legends SOLITUDE AETURNUS — "Through The Darkest Hour" (1994) and "Downfall" (1996) — on March 3 in Europe. Each remastered limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) will include one or more bonus tracks and will be made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.

"Through The Darkest Hour" (remastered + bonus tracks) track listing:

01. Falling
02. Haunting The Obscure
03. The 8th Day: The Mourning
04. The 9th Day: Awakening
05. Pain
06. Pawns Of Anger
07. Eternal (Dreams Part III)
08. Perfect Insanity
09. Shattered My Spirit

Bonus tracks: Live at Stodola Club, Warsaw, Poland, February 12, 2007:

01. The 9th Day: Awakening
02. Pawns of Anger

"Downfall" (remastered + bonus track) track listing:

01. Phantoms
02. Only This (And Nothing More)
03. Midnight Dreams
04. Together and Wither
05. Elysium
06. Deathwish
07. These Are the Nameless
08. Chapel of Burning
09. Concern

Bonus track: Live at Stodola Club, Warsaw, Poland, February 12, 2007:

Phantoms