Zac's "Quik Drag": Supervoid-Filaments

Supervoid - Filaments 

Some of the Heavy Planet crew, including myself, had the chance to catch Supervoid live in Pittsburgh at the 31st St Pub this past August. This local five piece got started back in 2012 and have been bludgeoning audiences with what Heavy Planets' very own Tobias Maximus described as a monumental mash-up of Lamb of God meets Mastodon. Having never listened to Supervoid previously, I had no idea what to expect. However, I was reassured by the band's tee shirt propaganda (Baroness, Immortal and Mastodon) that these cats were educated in the heavy and were going to deliver a hefty helping to the minute crowd that particular summer evening. 

Since that ear fuzzing and spine numbing evening, Supervoid have completed their debut release Filaments and given Heavy Planet the chance to preview it. First off, the wait was worth it and second, everything I was engrossed in at the smoke filled 31st St Pub has evolved into an interstellar road trip that you won't mind giving up shotgun, you'll just want to be part of the trip. These five musicians play off one another with such fluidity that the music becomes a cosmic river, rolling through both organic and man-made structures, eroding what was and transforming it into something new. Supervoid employ a sludge-coated trod at the core of their tunes and compliment the lows with a starry ascension. This creates a sort of ebb and flow very similar to the instrumental post-metal genius' Pelican and Red Sparrows, except here listeners are getting lashed with a diverse style of vocals, part Randy Blythe part Jeff Martin (Lo-Pan). Filaments does not simply rely on atmoshpere and ambiance, the group dive into the record like they were late for the party of the century. Coat of Luminous, our album opener, is full of fast strumming, catchy licks, and plenty of chances for everyone to sing a long. Quite a contrast to the space rock inspired, progressive side of Filaments. Stand out track for this listener is Wake of the Smoke Jumper. Implementing some steady bass drum thumps Wake of the Smoke Jumper quickly mutates as the lead vocals appear as an all devouring mouth monster gulping down the very ground before you. Some powerful female vocals (ha ha found out this is actually Brian) soar over-top the gritty male vocals in the chorus and the song recedes back with some cleaner plucking only to be overtaken again in a golden napalm shower. 

Filaments is a dynamic and surprising debut for these Pittsburgh'rs. Fans of progressive sludge titans Mastodon and the film Star Wars will certainly be smitten from the galactic style artwork with thematic gems hidden on the cover, the low n' slow burners and elephantine percussion.  Filaments is available now as a name your price download.  Be sure to get your copy or if you will be in the Pittsburgh area catch the release show with the mighty Orange Goblin at The Rex Theater [October 26th].         

Members: 

Brian - Vocals 

Dave - Guitar 

Greg - Drums 

Joe - Guitar 

John - Bass

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Zac's "Quik Drag": Sleestak

Sleestak: Book of Hours 

Sleestak is back! And I must say in a fresh and very experimental way. After dropping the phenomenal Fall of Altrusia in 2011, these Milwaukee natives released a lo-fi collection of space rock ditties, entitled Altrusian Moon in 2012, get yourself over to bandcamp to stream Altrusian Moon if you missed it. Further challenging themselves Sleestak have continued their yearly release with Book of Hours, earlier this year. Further challenging their listeners, Sleestak have taken one step away from their doom and stoner roots to quench the progressive fire blazing in their psyche. With that being said there are still loads distorted RIFF'ing and repetitive grooves. New to the Sleestak arsenal is a very operatic and Phantom of the Opera style ambiance, dark and authentic. Something that I, personally, am missing in Book of Hours is Matt Schmitz's tremendous gritty and vehement vocal delivery. Don't let that keep you away from Book of Hours though. Schmitz's cleans surface with a vibrant Jim Morrison vibe. Sleestak haven't only employed experimental song structures and timing in Book of Hours, they have also departed from their familar lengthy run times for a snappy and poppier form of psychedelic rock, this latest piece runs under the twenty-five minute mark. Be sure to spin my favorite track Lone Wolf, the regular version. This steady blues based track begins with a haunting spoken piece of poetry, which brings to my mind a deranged soul drenched in whiskey entertaining his thoughts of freedom. Lone Wolf takes a sudden turn to experimental region of the netherworld with a smooth transition from blues driven guitar RIFF'ing into an Jethro Tull and Opeth-ian inspired jazz measure. Don't miss it!

Members: 

Dan Bell - Bass 

Marcus Bartell - Drums 

Matt Schmitz - Guitar // Vocals // Keys

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Zac's "Double Dose": KATLA / New Keepers of the Water Towers

 

KATLA: "I Will Hunt You / Foaming Waters" 

Surprise, surprise, surprise... More excellent tunes from Sweden. Here at the 'Dose this Wednesday we have a shot from Sweden, Stockholm centered and swelling with dark psych, acid blues, and a touch of folk inspiration. This is KATLA, a quartet layered with distortion, fuzz, loads of melody, and topped off with a gorgeous set of female vocals. The group describe their sound as, "...like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick". Although I do agree with the gold and the lemon, I do not get the "smashed out" sensation after jammin' to their latest 7" release entitled I Will Hunt You / Foaming Waters. Here KATLA's attack is covert and clandestine. This isn't your smash and grab, get pummeled style of rock. Within moments of spinning side one,the I Will Hunt You single side, your ears are quickly aware of this dragon's cunning intellect. KATLA aren't here to overpower you and take you against your will, (no smashing necessary) they are here with a sonic lure that will have you freely walking into their lair. This attraction, through seduction, begins with a beautifully toned blues guitar measure. There is a slight surf rock vibe coming from the electric guitar once the enticement has initiated and before you know it you've been struck powerless in the sonic field reverberating from the vocals. Flip the 7" to the opposite side and you will immediately notice more of that appealing guitar tone. This mated to the perfect lo-fi, analog style production bring an authenticity to KATLA's sound. Here we are now fully immersed in Foaming Waters, and that rich guitar tone is really what drive KATLA's fruit deep into my conscious. The track is elevated in grandeur as the dark and reminiscent strings of a violin enter the room and graze your mind. This classy and tasteful addition to Foaming Waters soon disappears as that tonal guitar steps to the fore-front with what is quickly becoming my favorite guitar solo of 2013. The violin appears again only this time joining the guitar for a rich, indulgent outro. Awaking now in silence you are fully aware that KATLA have vanished leaving you with little but a memory, just enough to hold onto until you meet again. So, in the end we return to KATLA's own description... the sound is gold, priceless and the lemon (fruit) we can only hope will multiply in the form of a full-length album in the near future. Get your copy from Who can you trust? Records... NOW!

Members: 

John 

Lisa 

Nils 

Nils

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New Keepers of the Water Towers: Cosmic Child 

New Keepers of the Water Towers aren't new to the 'Planet. I reviewed their sophomore release The Calydonian Hunt back in the summer of 2011. There we found a young band, full of aggression and spewing some heavy stoner-focused sludge metal. With this latest release, entitled Cosmic Child, New Keepers... have dropped the sludge moniker almost entirely, all while opening the gate-way for their music to drift into a psychedelic and much more progressive spectrum. It is truly magnificent to see a group of musicians grow so much over the course of a few years. Here Cosmic Child has taken what was good song writing and arrangements within the confines of The Calydonian Hunt and transformed those basic characteristics into genuine brilliance through more concentrated song writing and a spacey atmosphere. 

Cosmic Child begins with opening song, and the albums first single, The Great Leveller. This opener acclimates previous listeners gradually into the Keepers... new sound. All you first time listeners out there, just enjoy the ride. The Great Leveller sounds most like its predecessor through the thunderous and tribal stomp of the percussion and the shear mass of the rhythm section. The chanting styled vocalization brings an eerie sensation upon you while the guitars taunt you to come just a step closer. The Great Leveller disperses abruptly through a swirling flush and is soon all but a memory. Here the music doesn't only transform, it is revolutionized with the entrance of track two, Visions of Death. Greeting our ears is a much softer and lighter side of Keepers... The band chose to deceive us through the inviting sound of an acoustic, or possibly even classical, guitar. This very European inspired, medieval folk touch erodes away with the build of a dominant electric ether. That heavy RIFFING clashes with the cleanly sung lyrics creating a beautiful emission, something that reminds me of Alcest, although by a completely different musical path. With the close of Visions of Death we find ourselves evolving with the band once again. Now, in a very melancholy and retrospective state the Keepers... carry us through the dark by careful acoustic plucking and some murky notes played on a piano. Welcome to Pyre for the Red Sage. Full of some of the most textured Pink Floyd style soundscapes Pyre for the Red Sage further unfolds by the wailing of a pained guitar. The final twenty minutes will transport you higher into Cosmic Child's astral plane and leave us return listeners bewildered at the fact that this was the same band that crushed us with the weight of The Calydonian Hunt. Be sure to check out the full album stream of Cosmic Child over of at Metal Hammer and if you dig it a CD copy can be ordered from Listenable Records.

  

Members: 

Adam Forsgren - Live Synthesizers 

Björn Andersson - Bass // Vocals 

Rasmus Booberg - Vocals // Guitar // Moog 

Tor Sjödén - Drums 

Victor Berg - Guitar

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Zac's "Double Dose": Anciients / One Inch Giant

 

Anciients: Heart of Oak 

How many have heard a split second of a song and immediately had a pretty good idea what the bands aura, vibe, and, eventually, over-all sound would be? A quick show of hands please... Well, all of you listeners out there can take this weeks first 'Dose, Anciients, one of two ways. The first, as stated above, or second, in total contradiction, as an endless evolution of the fundamental and stylistic orchestration of each song. I can hear your thoughts now, "Crazy Uncle Zac throwing out oxymoron's and giving us all a Wednesday morning aneurysm." I'll try to explain. Initially Heart of Oak, the debut release of Vancouver's Anciients, seems self explanatory and a perfect fit between the likes of Mastodon's Blood Mountain and Baroness' Blue Record, or more generally speaking the entire Georgia prog-sludge movement. However, when disentangling the fine web that Anciients weave, I quickly found myself free of the web but engulfed in a sea of dynamism and variety. There is a thick and rich warmth generated by Heart of Oak, and I believe we should delve right to its very organic, very Canadian heart. 

This roughly sixty minute monster covers a wide range of musical influences. Try combining the progressive mentality of Mikael Åkerfeldt, the fret-frenetic of Brent Hinds, and the melodic-Metallica of the mid to late eighties and you come out with a close comparison to what Anciients are creating here. Add versatile dual vocals that mutate between blackened-death roars to culminating cleans and you have the one and only Anciients. Heart of Oak is a trip for sure and at some points this trip becomes slightly dis-jointed. I mean how can't it, every good trip needs some turbulence and with so much action and sound-waves erupting in the process the choppiness of this record was inevitable. However, in the name of progress this is not a bad thing, nor does it negate the music created. Heart of Oak opens with what has become the releases first single, Raise the Sun. This track truly shines with an Opeth-ian attitude. Commencing with a steady, tone-driven introduction Raise the Sun recedes only for a few moments to launch us into the sun that, until this point in time, only Mr. Åkerfeldt himself could do. Then, just when you thought you were comfortable, your ears are assailed by the volatile vocals. And this was just the track numero uno! Heart of Oak really stretches its seizing arms out over the next three tracks, all weighing in over six minutes. Applying some southern progressive sludge impulses and some pleasant plucking, Anciients alter their Scandinavian melodic-death bursts and break up the raucous with a classic acoustic guitar track called One Foot in the Light. This minute long filler track is followed by the seven and a half minute Giants. Full of fancy fret work and some battle-cry like dual vocals, Giants gushes a Mastodon influence that can't be left unsaid. Do not take this as a second hand Mastodon track though, each tick of the clock of Giants remains Anciients and only Anciients. Here I find some of my favorite drumming from Mr. [Mike] Hannay. With each drop of his sticks Mike builds an inquisitive apprehension towards Giant's conclusion. Heart of Oak's reach never retract throughout the remainder of the album. Here we are met with blast beats and a whole lot of precision RIFFING. Anciients chooses to close Heart of Oak with a bit of a reprise, For Lisa. Here we are set in motion by the wail of a train horn and drift into an elegant and mellow blues cut. The dual guitars drive For Lisa successively building pace to a zenith plane. Full of rich guitar tones, For Lisa comes to my ears like some strange incarnation of Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover being played by David Gilmour and Greg Allman. 

In the end Anciients have offered up an advanced and dynamic debut record in Heart of Oak. Listeners will not find a seamless flow between every song, however each song is important in defining what Anciients is... a kick ass and versatile metal band. A perfect ten for the year, not in my opinion. A nod towards my favorites list of 2013, yes indeed. Now all there is to do is to pick up a copy for yourself. Enjoy.

 

Members: 

Aaron "Boon" Gustafson - Bass 

Chris Dyck - Guitar // Vocals 

Mike Hannay - Drums 

Kenny Cook - Lead Guitar // Vocals

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One Inch Giant: The Great White Beyond 

I know I'm putting the cart before the horse here with this weeks second 'Dose, but I had to get the word out. Gothenburg, Sweden's One Inch Giant (a personal favorite of mine) have released their sophomore follow-up to the euphorically heavy Malva in Europe (USA release is pending), entitled The Great White Beyond. After signing with SoulSeller Records in 2012 the band members decided to pick up a new drummer, enter Jakob Strand, and modify their musical direction. Don't concern yourselves about the new compositions or Mr. Strand though. This quartet is now tighter, with a much better instrument to vocal to instrument chemistry, and Mr. Strand's talents add a new intensity the mix. Dropping the grunge-esque front One Inch Giant have implemented more progressive metal into each songs arrangement. They have also created a heavier sense of melodic here in The Great White Beyond. Leave it to the Swedes to make a more melodic heavy. Where would heavy music be without you guys? 

Even though we Americans have to wait for the full release, I felt we should still get a taste of what's to come. I also thought it would be a good idea to get a little more press out there for our brothers and sisters throughout Europe, in-case they missed the official release date or needed a little push to pick up a copy for themselves. So, that being said I only have two tracks to play with, but that's okay. That's all I need. These two songs are monstrous and diverse in both harmony and progression. Mountains Will Erode lands itself as track two on The Great White Beyond. Beginning with a very Endgame, circa 2009, era Megadeth melody One Inch Giant quickly tear into a more familiar stoner-style RIFFING. Filip Åstrand's vocal presence is noticeably more pronounced than what I recall on Malva. Here on The Great White Beyond Mr. Åstrand is flexing his "vocal muscles" much more, creating a soaring effect over the doomy hooks. Our second sample, Only Scorn Remains, finds itself centered in the ...Beyond but a world away from the sensory candy found on Mountains Will Erode. Driven by a hybrid blackened, power-metal style drumming, listeners can be reassured that One Inch Giant are breaking the boundaries their debut release placed them in. Here the band truly shine, increasing the tempo to an advanced level, and leaving those untrained exhausted and gasping for precious air. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to catch your breath when [Gabriel] Méndez, [Axel] Berglund, and Strand turn the the song on its head by implementing a pummeling Tool-esque rhythmic break-down. Having listened to both sample tracks extensively, I cannot wait to wrap my ears around The Great White Beyond in its entirety. So, for those of us in the USA, we will be patiently waiting while our friends overseas enjoy the One Inch Giant surprise...  Wait a second.  That doesn't sound good, does it? Regardless the sample tracks are now streaming at bandcamp.  Go check 'em out!

Members: 

Jakob Strand - Drums 

Gabriel "Abbe" Lugo Méndez - Guitar 

Axel Berglund - Bass 

Filip Åstrand - Vocals

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Zac's "Double Dose": The Hedons / My Sleeping Karma

 

The Hedons: Tomb of Stars 

Indiana Astro Doom heavyweights The Hedons have returned in glorious fashion with their latest full length Tomb of Stars. The trio were introduced as a New Band To Burn One To back in August 2011 with their debut Earth on My Nerves. Our Head Honcho [Reg] celebrated the very manifestation of the Heavy Planet soul in what The Hedons were creating. And you know... as I sip my cup of decaf Maxwell House, I couldn't agree with Reg more. The Hedons' self description of Astro Doom comprehensively expresses the blend of genres that bring us to Heavy Planet everyday. Tomb of Stars boast plenty of fuzz and distortion with big sides of cosmic effects and spaced out RIFFS. The band have also studied their influences diligently. Looking for some Black Sabbath-y stuff, spin At The Mountains. Need a touch of Wino? Album closer Ragnarok has you covered. But nothing quite hits home for me like the slow psychedelic burn of Sludgeflower, definitely my favorite track of Tomb of Stars and possible my favorite song title this year. Say it with me now... Sludgeflower. With an album this well put together, it's inevitable that The Hedon's will end up among the Heavy Planet hallowed.

Members: 

Jace Epple – Drums // Vocals 

Jeff Kaleth – Guitars // Vocals

Robert Ryan Strawsma – Bass // Vocals

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My Sleeping Karma: Soma 

After a few weeks of nothing but rollickin' rock, dismal doom, and sodden sludge there comes a time for quiet reflection. Now, by quiet reflection I don't necessarily mean silence. I enjoy music to much to deal with silence. Deciding to give some time to Aschaffenburg's [Germany] My Sleeping Karma and their introspective instrumental grooves on their latest release Soma I found just the quiet time I was in need of. This four-some's sound leave the lyrics to their listener's conscience while the gently plucked guitar entwine with the remaining trio's rhythmic foundation. Repetitive, yes. Meditative, even more so. Expect a more Red Sparrows vibe then Pelican. The heavy is there, its just a placid heavy. Check out my favorite track Ephedra below. The tracks steady and recurrent themes build to a luscious crescendo. Good karma isn't always easy to come by so get some now on vinyl or CD at My Sleeping Karma's web-store or download it from Amazon or iTunes. Peace be with you.

 

Members: 

Matte - Bass 

Norman - Soundboard 

Seppi - Guitar 

Steffen - Drums

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Zac's "Double Dose": All Them Witches / Necronomicon

All Them Witches: Our Mother Electricity (Remastered) 

Man, I love the influence the south has had on music. Whether it be blues, jazz, country, or rock something about the soul of the south etches itself in the music and it remains there... eternally. Case in point, my current favorite record Our Mother Electricity (Remastered) by All Them Witches. That southern soul is vibrant in Nashville's All Them Witches and one listen through Our Mother Electricity will make you a believer. The music the band describes as Psychedelta Rock is full of "sweaty beats and dope riffs" and most certainly inspired by "divine energy". The album is also completely dynamic. For instance the first track Heavy/Like A Witch, with its Alice in Chains dual vocalizing, is heavily blues inspired with moments of intense doom and 70's era psychedelics and the very next track The Urn finds an Americana via alt country twang and has lyrical lines that demand to be sung-along. The album continues to travel through fast paced rockers, soulful grooves and slower chill tracks. The final tracks Family Song For The Leaving and Right Hand are smooth, super chilled and full of luscious melody. Family... being an acoustic plucked gem really stands out while Right Hand has more of that Alice in Chains style vocalizing and then there is the sound of fingers sliding along the guitar strings... simply hypnotizing. The remastered edition includes a bonus track with a power-punk punch, some bad attitude and whiskey-stained breath. Seriously, why are you still reading this? Just go get a copy of Our Mother Electricity at bandcamp or Elektrohasch Records... NOW!

 

Members: 

Ben McLeod 

Robby Staebler 

Michael Parks 

Allan Van Cleave 

Jason Staebler

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Necronomicon: The Queen of Death 

The fans of psychedelic doom will rejoice at the triumphant noise resounding from Brazil's Necronomicon. Playing a low-fi style psych-rock in the name of progress, Necronomicon combine a taste of Sabbathian doom with Floyd-esque space rock. The Queen of Death, the trio's second LP, catapults listeners into an intergalactic adventure of a hit-man blood-thirsty for the evil doer known as the Queen of Death. Yes, we have a concept record on hand folks and this multi-talented trio deliver the story subtly. Most of the emphasis and emotion is placed in the albums diverse instrumentation. Necronomicon will please the psych and progressive crowd with the contrasting sounds of an organ, harpsichord and synths against a wall of guitar, bass and drums. The album truly has that 70's vintage feel. I highly suggest this one for fans of Witchcraft, Kadaver and Graveyard. Check out their official video for The Assassin's Song below. The sun bleached and over-exposed film really compliments the trippy track. Want to support Necronomicon? Order a copy of the record at Hydro Phonic Records or Necro-nom-nom-nom-icon on The Queen of Death at bandcamp.

 

Members: 

Lillian Lessa - Guitar 

Pedro Ivo Araujo - Bass // Vocals 

Thiago Alef - Drums 

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Zac's "Triple Dose": Cathedraal / Rings of Rhea / Schematics for Gravity

This week my little realm of the 'Planet has been bountiful and over-flowing with music. This, in turn, has allowed me to decide to not only give readers two bands to enjoy, but three. Yes, a Triple Dose. This trio of transcendence is in thanks to a three-way split including experimental bands from France, Sweden and Ukraine. So, without further ado... 

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Cathedraal 

Our first stop on this triple delight lands us in Paris, France with Cathedraal, an experimental group of musicians who thought it good to mix black metal, hardcore and post-metal psychedelia. The outcome is an atmospheric rich sound with brief bursts of beauty and an intimidating amount of noise. Want you senses overwhelmed? Give Cathedraal's Qui Pense Encore a Toi a spin. This track has an excellent guitar driven intro and tremolo pickin', setting it as gold in my book. Interestied? Its available for a steal at bandcamp.

 

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Rings of Rhea 

Rings of Rhea are our second serving of this week's three course dose! These Ukrainian natives have discovered a paradise of dysrhythmia-inducing metal. Using ample noise and choosing to bury the scathed vocals in production, the quintet have created a fine piece of progressive doom metal which I am pleased to share with you all. The elegant addition of a piano interlude combines the two separate tracks seamlessly and creates the illusion of a single track. Their lot of fifteen minutes offers a density experienced in orchestral epics and legends of old. In conclusion, Rings of Rhea bring a blissful terror that simply escapes this listener too quickly. This is a band you will want to watch for future releases. Check out both tracks Destruction and Creation below or download for free at bandcamp.

Members: 

Anton - Bass 

Dima - Guitar 

Sasha - Drums 

Vova - Vocals 

Zhenya - Guitar

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Schematics for Gravity 

It wouldn't be a trip around Heavy Planet without dropping by, what many may consider the capital metal country, Sweden. Our last course, entitled Schematics for Gravity, is a hardcore turned post-metal five-piece sighting influences such as Cloudkicker, Cult of Luna and Sigur Rós. Focusing heavily on creating a celestial experience, Schematics for Gravity emit an Alcest-vibe. The music is more alluring, and even delicate at times, rather than terrorizing. The vocals are intense and proclaimed with a dying passion, although, similar with Cathedraal above, are enshrouded in the mix adding to the overall atmosphere of the two tracks. I enjoyed the track Behind Closed Doors most. Check it out below and in the words of the Swedes, "Inhale. Enjoy. Explode."

 

Members: 

Anders Lundgren 

Chris Campbell 

Erik Silverberg - Vocals

Martin Nilsson -Guitar 

Pontus Landgren - Drums

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Zac's "Double Dose": Camel Of Doom / Grass

Camel Of Doom: Psychodramas: Breaking the Knots of Twisted Synapse 

Huddersfield, UK (so very close to the rock hub of Leeds, UK) is home to a brilliant one man machine known as Camel Of Doom. Mr. Kris Clayton is the talented young lad at the helm of this Camel. He began this journey some ten years and six albums ago. After pulling together a band to play gigs, dissolving, line-up changes, playing for another band you may very well know (Esoteric) and re-materializing Kris decided to go it alone for Camel Of Doom's seventh and soon to be released album Psychodramas: Breaking the Knots of Twisted Synapse. Here listeners will find a variety of influences from death metal to 70's era progressive rock, but Camel Of Doom always stay firmly rooted in doom. Throughout the album Kris uses a plethora of vocal styles ranging from hardy shouted lyrics to darkened growls, while the dynamic guitars cover a vast range of genres. The release is made up of eight tracks running sixty minutes. Forty of those sixty minutes come from only three leviathan songs; The Anger of Anguish, From the Sixth Tower, and Machine of Annihilation. The remaining five songs act as connectors between these mountains. This is truly a monstrous feat considering there was only one individual manning all stations. Therefore I feel confident in describing him as brilliant. Get over to bandcamp to take The Anger of Anguish for a spin and mark your calendars because the entire album will be available for purchase December 3rd on Amazon, bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify!

 

Members: 

Kris Clayton

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Grass: Grass Demo 2012 

Recently, I've had a hard time listening to any extra curricular stoner rock, focusing my time on other genres. There's a time when it seems stoner rock is hopeless and nothing fresh can possibly put you in the mood for the likes of a Kyuss inspired head-banging fit. Suddenly a group of Spaniards come knockin' with a new bag of Grass restoring my faith in the style and enslaving my head and neck to their version of the almighty and eternal RIFF! Lets just get this out of the way, nothing new or ground-breaking is happening here only thought-out and herbally-calculated stoner rock. The release is labeled a demo but in no way sounds like a demo. The RIFFS are what is expected from a stoner rock group, yet original enough to snap me out of my stoner rock funk. Grass display a cohesion which sounds as though each strum, beat, and sound attract to and support Dani and Ofer's gratuitous RIFFS. Grass's Demo 2012 reminds me why I've enjoyed this style of music for such a long time. Check out my favorite track Sank in the Mud below and then head over to bandcamp, because this demo is FREE and its hard to argue with that price tag!

 

Members: 

Alan - Drums 

Artur - Bass 

Asaf - Vocals 

Dani - Guitar 

Ofer - Guitar

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Zac's "Double Dose": Engines of Ruin / Sky Valley

Engines of Ruin: Electric Weaveworld 

Approximately one year ago Heavy Planet introduced Dublin's finest instru-metal groovers Engines of Ruin with their full-length Triquetra. Known for layin' down "tons of wah-wah and reverb" and Karma To Burn inspired riffs, Engines of Ruin quickly became a Heavy Planet favorite and landed on Podcast 06, The Emerald Isle. Well, as time moved forward, life changed and Engines... spent some time as a two piece. The brothers decided to continue onward and in the process found themselves covering vocals and adding some texture to their already diverse sound. The group soon added a new bassist and is looking forward to releasing a three volume set entitled The Road Of Ruin. While the set has no definite release date at this time, Engines... decided to drop a split single to ease our anticipation. The single includes two tracks Electric Weaveworld and Corporate Blues. The first track, Electric Weaveworld, is a stoner classic, a bag full-o-riffs, and certain to please Kyuss fans out there. Corporate Blues was the surprise treat on the single where Johnny [drums] drops his sticks and stuns us with his slide guitar glory and authentic blues recording... you won't know what hit you. What ruin does Engines... have in store for us next you ask? Well be sure to stay tuned and we'll be sure to keep you in the know.

 

Members: 

Adam Brewer – Guitars // Vocals 

Jethro "The Serbian Moonshine Ninja" - Long Range Guitars 

Johnny Brewer – Drums // Vocals // Slide Guitar 

Keith Walsh – Bass

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Sky Valley: Sleeves EP 

Sky Valley, not to be confused with the Kyuss master-piece, are a Texas quartet who don't venture into the sound of desert rock, although I'm sure are inspired by their [Kyuss] creativity and all around kick-assed-ness. So there need to be no comparisions. What listeners need to know is these Fort Worth natives have created quite the versatile record in Sleeves. The EP is made up partially from demos from 2010, after which the band decided to take a long hiatus, and 2012. Being split by the title track, a listen-able instrumental morsel, listeners will find two very different and distinctive sides to Sky Valley. The first half's, and more recently recorded, songs find sturdy ground somewhere between the instrumentality of doom, drone, and sludge and the anxiety-ridden vocals of indie and post-rock. Honestly, I was startled and intially turned off by the vocal approach, but after a second spin I found the vocals adding an unexpected character and texture to the text-book doom sounds we love so much. The second half, recorded in 2010, finds a catchier and more 'grungie' sound with Roll Me Over and then breaks all expectation with the phenomenal Winter Takes and In Orbit. Interested in finding out why I love these tracks? Click play below to spin Winter Takes and then head over to bandcamp to hear my other favorites In Orbit and Pinned.

Members: 

Four

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Zac's "Double Dose": Axes / Reign Of Zaius

Axes: S/T 


Every now and again we find oursevles pissed off and the stoner jams and doom and gloom just don't cut it. Sludge may come close, but sometime the intensity of a do-it-yourself hardcore style band hits the spot... and when that band mixes some NWOBHM and hints of stoner jams we head-bangers find ourselves in a deranged state of bliss. If you're pissed today, I just may be able to help you out. Today's first helping are a hardened stoner band Axes from Rosswein, Germany and their self-titled EP. This one goes by in a flash, about ten minutes... but the angression is quality and will have your fists so swollen you'll need to retire to something a little more easy listening. Go pummel with my favorite track Vows, hell the intro is all cow-bell and one of the dirtiest bass-lines this year...
   

Members: 

Florian - Bass 

Max - Drums 

Patrick - Guitar // Vocals

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Reign Of Zaius: S/T 


Our second shot for this weeks "Dose" are less aggressive, excrusciatingly groovy, and an excellent follow up now that Axes has aided in releasing all of that pent up rage. What we have here under the Reign Of Zaius is a doom drentched take on rock n' roll that should turn that post-apocalyptic grimace on your face into a blinding smile. The tunes are quick and snappy, with the bands chemistry plays fluididly off one another. I'm also feeling a Steve Tyler vibe from Viking's mighty throat. Join the Reign Of Zaius as they defend the faith with their self-titled effort in this devastation that was once paradise...

 

Members: 

Brady - Guitar 

Brian - Drums 

Davis - Bass 

Viking - Vocals

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