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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Album Review: Cybernetic Witch Cult - Troglodithic Trip

English rockers Cybernetic Witch Cult appear to be cruising comfortably at high speed right now, not only releasing albums in short order, but releasing albums of immense quality and gusto. There is a lot to love on each release and "Troglodithic Trip" is no exception to the rule. In fact it epitomizes the rule.

Band members are:

..Alex - Cosmic Narration & Fuzz dispenser..
..Kale - Undercurrent, Visual Wizardry & Secondary Narration..
..Lewis - Groovaceous Battery..

Right out of the gate the album launches a broadside of hefty stoner fuzz guitar grinding out an almost plodding track of force and focus leading up to perfectly matched scratchbox vocals on "Sagittarius A*". The tempo kicks up a half notch on the following "Astrogalactic Sprites" as the power kicks up tenfold, surrounded in a cold, dark slurry of haunting atmospheric oppression. "Cult of the Druid" is a dark and deep odyssey that plugs into your primal core with melodic runs, searing riffs, and scorching solos of psychedelic marvel.

The journey to this point has been a soul buttressing delight. But it's not over. Not by a long shot.

"Forbidden Fruit" is forceful, memorable, enjoyable, and loud. It's a rapturous hookfest of haunting ferocity. Brutal and bold, "Human" manages to turn a space opera into a low-tuned stoner tour de force, thrilling at every turn, delighting in every expression of instrument and voice.

The album closes out with the best song of the collection, "Tyrannosaurus Hex". It's a mammoth blast of ecstasy and amplification, of indelible melody, of three metal musicians from the warrior isles masterfully wielding their weapons, wreaking unyielding gratification, sparing no acolyte of these dark, fuzzy arts.

"Black magic teleport me,
Into its territory,
Send me back to a distant time.
Cretaceous Tyrant Lizard King
Come forth and hear my summoning.
Tyrannosaurus Hex will save the Earth,
Will save the Earth."

I love it.

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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: 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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QUICK HIT: Carson- "Three Point Split"

This might not be what you would call standard stoner rock, but what is quite evident with this 4 song EP is that a meaty fuzz generator cranks out plenty of rough and ready riffage wrapped in and around some tasty melodies loaded with juicy hooks. Carson have managed to blend an alt-rock vibe with the power and satisfaction of edgy, crunchy riffs. This is the kind of music that keeps you spinning through the tracklist both to enjoy the sounds you know are there and to perchance discover any toothsome nuance not yet revealed.

"Three Point Split" comes on the heels of Carson's earlier 2017 LP release, "Drown the Witness", a 7 song power trip of wit and grit. So, all spun, this three-piece Swiss band have given us a memorable, fuzz-infused, melodic experience.

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QUICK HIT: Swanmay - "Stoner Circus"

Releasing today, "Stoner Circus" is Swanmay's second recording, the first being the excellent EP "Metronome". The band's trio of riff-slingers, hailing from the Steel City of Linz, Austria, are true thaumaturges of fuzz, infusing their deep, immersive music in lusty amplification and emotionally palpable effects anchored to intelligent melodies and razor-sharp hooks capable of engulfing your metal soul in paroxysms of sheer indulgence.

Run away as fast as you can from the mundane and join this circus of fuzz today to get in on the ground floor of its mammoth awesomeness.

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Album Review: Miss Lava - "Red Supergiant"

MISS LAVA - "RED SUPERGIANT"

After a scorching 2012 in which Small Stone Records had released well over a dozen new albums from their superstar stable of rockers, 2013 has started off a bit more slowly, until now that is. New signing Miss Lava is on the verge of releasing their second full length album, and first on the Small Stone label, "Red Supergiant". This album should become an instant classic in the stoner rock world, filled to the gills with eleven finely crafted throwdowns that epitomize quality metal music.

Miss Lava hails from Portugal, a country not necessarily known for its stoner rock breeding grounds but one that might surprise you with the community of low tuned metalheads rocking to the rumble and roar of real rock, with Miss Lava undoubtedly leading the way. In fact, the sound this quartet of talented torchmongers have crafted for "Red Supergiant" is top shelf incredible, blending the best of low tuned mega riffs, scorching solos, booming bass undercurrents, and memorable hook laden melodies. These gatos maniaco know how to both forge music of the finest craftsmanship, as well as to execute their handiwork in a display of impeccable showmanship. To top it off, out of eleven songs on the album, these rockers have managed to craft more than a few, or even a handful, of high caliber numbers, creating a full contingent of mouth watering exploits to be regularly and thoroughly enjoyed.

Band members:

Johnny Lee - Vocals
K. Raffah - Guitars
S. Rebelo - Bass
J. Garcia - Drums

While Miss Lava do not, in any way, sound like some sort of Kyuss cover band, the sound they have crafted is of a similar type, one that blends perfectly the heavy rumble and roar of classic stoner sounds with clever musicianship exemplified by striking melodies and memorable hooks. To top it all off they have managed to bat a perfect .1000 on "Red Supergiant" by including eleven songs in which each stands on its own as a beacon of rock quality.

The album opens with "Desert Mind", immediately demonstrating their penchant for both the rumble and roar of mega riffs from guitar and bass while vocalist Johnny Lee leads the way on melody and memories. "Lay Down"  and "Feel My Grace" keep the tempo at a brisk pace, putting those growling guitar riffs through their paces. The overarching tone on "Ride" is more somber than its predecessors as the stoner sound comes through in a huge way. "Crawl", too, creates a dire atmosphere of smoke and darkness permeated by distant thunder. One of the most poignant, well crafted, and memorable songs comes in the form of "Hole to China". The tempo picks back up in a big way with "Catch the Fire" a romp of monstrous proportions. "Murder of Crows" and "Motel Neon" blast and bomb away with a force of joyous fury, while "Yesterday's Gone" deals another haunting jaunt through bog and mire. The closer is the title track "Red Supergiant", which wastes no time in proving worthy of the gargantuan moniker by dealing out mammoth licks that grow in intensity as it builds to the inevitable climax to song and album.

Small Stone Records has a knack for finding quality bands and sharing their tunes with those of us that enjoy the lower, richer end of the metal sound, but also enjoy quality melodies and memorable stretches of music. Miss Lava are a welcome addition just as "Red Supergiant" is a welcome rendition.





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