Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Them Hounds - "Them Hounds" / Free Fall - "Power and Volume"

An album is a moment in time. It is an exquisite capture of true magic held in place for infinity. It is a convergence of universes where one can forever visit to experience the choicest offerings from the cosmos for time on end. The overriding, bright voice never ages and nimble execution never fades. Pain doesn't creep in, time doesn't speed up, and joy permeates intrinsically, wholly, thoroughly, eternally. Life is eternally replete with pain and suffering, wanton disregard, vile intent, and foul, lucid selfishness, but there too is delight, satisfaction, love, and rock and fucking roll. Step in my friends to this luminous body of unimaginable mass known world wide as Heavy Planet and experience the exquisite, for today we get to partake of two slices of timeless, universal pleasure in the guise of rock and roll albums resplendent in full grandeur and unimpeachable pleasure.
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THEM HOUNDS - "THEM HOUNDS"

For the opening album on today's Atomic Split I get to brag a little, not because of anything I've done or even remotely been a party to, but simply because Them Hounds is an Oklahoma City band and I am an Oklahoma City metro resident. I was privileged to recently hear them play live before I had a chance to experience this exquisite album and was thoroughly impressed while being thoroughly entertained. I knew they were special after hearing the live performance, but even that did not prepare me for what they have concocted on their first studio album, which happens to be their first album of any sort, and what a stellar debut it is.

Band members:

Erin Ames - vocals, tambourine
Benjamin Ward - Guitar
Mike Cougill - Drums
Jon Bohlen - Bass

Them Hounds classify themselves as a psychedelic blues rock band and that's as close to true as anything I suppose. There is a high percentage of vintage rock n' roll on the album, music that would likely have found its way to the radio in a more rock friendly age like the 70s. Blues rock has a heavy influence and position on this album, as well as psychedelic trips through wah wah and beyond. A little bit of funk finds it way in there as well, and while there may be a tiny hint of the country roots of Oklahoma floating around in there somewhere, it's not noticeable enough to detract from the impressive and incredible quality of the eleven tracks laid down for their debut.

The first thing that strikes the listener on "Them Hounds" is likely the crystal clear power pulse of Erin's vocals. Not since I first heard Corin Tucker's delicious screech have I come across majestic power of a similar fashion. While it has been said, even by me, that she reminds of Corin, a little time spent (which is time well spent) on "Them Hounds", becoming familiar with Erin's singular vocal expressions, will quickly discern the distinction she displays when generating her dulcet wallop. Her sound is her own and it is incredible. She displays power and grace, a rare and cherished combination because it exemplifies perfectly what rock n' roll is supposed to be, power and grace and all out expression, something she delivers with skill, grace, and abandonment.

The next thing that becomes quite distinct when listening to this dynamic debut is the guitar work on every song throughout the album. While the band may not classify themselves as a stoner band, Ward administers  massive doses of distortion and fuzz while nimbly executing lick upon riff in veins of the blues, funk, and psychedelica. Enormous in scope, compelling in production, nimble in revelation, and blissful in totality this is a rock guitar lover's nirvana.

Not to be outdone by Ben, Jon Bohlen has put together an impressive display of thick string plucking, producing memorable and contagious bass licks that rise above the mere metronomic measures of cadence and rhythm while never abandoning such. This is an incredible feat of skill and a demonstration of unbridled joy.

Exceeding in enthusiasm, energy, and exertion is the rhythmic, tribal ministrations of Cougill's drumwork, much the same as his rhythmic compatriot, stepping outside the bounds of true center and displaying rills and runs of ridiculous abandon, complementing the music perfectly and adding to its overall superbly wrought quality.

Whether playing haunting, blues heavy, big bass songs such as "Death Howl", "Willy Tre", or "The Kill",
or full out stoner distortion on "Out the Window", or the kick ass rock romp of "Bad News" and "Black Lilies", or even the instrumental "The Void" where the gentlemen get to display their prodigious skill with richly textured riffs laid in upon layers of sound and melody, Them Hounds have crafted a moment in time worthy to treasure for eternity. It screams loudly to me to include in year end possibilities where the brightest, richest treasures of the year get revisited.





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FREE FALL - "POWER & VOLUME"

Sweden has to be the world's champion in producing top shelf rock n' roll. Enter Free Fall into the fray, playing a thoroughly engaging and sophisticated brand of retro rock with crisp, clean melodies and rhythms, monstrous guitars, unrelenting drumwork, gargantuan bass, and signature rock vocals, all in collusion with superb rock melodies seemingly yanked through a wormhole reaching back in time to decades long gone.

Band members:

Jan Martens - Bass
Mattias Bärjed - Guitar
Kim Fransson - Lead Vocals
Ludwig Dahlberg - Drums

The signature sounds of all rock bands are guitar and vocals, and Free Fall do not disappoint. The best bands, of course, produce the best melodies to go along with the gifts of riff and intonation. Again, Free Fall do not dissatisfy. 7 kick ass melodies await on this slice of rock and roll awesomeness titled "Power & Volume"

Fransson's vocals are of the power rasp variety, perfectly suited to melodies that are in stature and recall above power ballads in feel. He is able to croon, croak, and cavort through several ranges and power levels in seemingly effortless execution, while never resorting to a yell, and never wavering in delivery. Free Fall's songs are a joy to hear in large part to Mr. Fransson's singular vocal sound and delivery.

Guitar work on this album is constant, energetic, and full bore, executing effortlessly through riffs, solos, licks, and fills, displaying dexterity and vigor in all phases of the delivered seven songs.

Martens' bass work on this album is monstrous, gargantuan, and gigantic in scope and execution, if not quite leading the way, certainly not following either, adding equal measure to the colossal sound Free Fall exhibit on their debut release.

Energetic and nearly frenetic, Dahlberg is a constant cyclone of sound and percussion throughout the album, adding to the mammoth melodies in similar fashion to his rhythmic brethren, Martens.

"Power & Volume" is a fast paced, dynamic fireball romp of fun. "Free Fall" is a measured power ballad that delivers breaker busting surprises along its course of execution. "Midnight Vulture" is similar in style to its predecessor, but delivers a singular melody of epic execution, incorporating booming bass, massive guitar riffs, and laser beam solos. "Top of the World" is a classic rock n' roll romp, fast, furious, joyous, and brutal with step jab riffs followed by left hook follow through that promise a knock out blow on each blow. "Attila" is a measured masterpiece of controlled buildup and epic delivery. "World Domination" rides a wave of distortion through riff and lick in conjunction with massive bass and masterful vocal dispatch. "Love Bombing" closes out the album with boisterous energy and pace, making clear once and for all this band plays with fierceness, skill, and all out pleasure, a deadly and memorable combination.





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Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Reverence - "When Darkness Calls" / Barbara & Los Rotos Del Rock

If you read my posts regularly you know I like disparity, or at least disparity within the good stuff, and Heavy Planet only plays the good stuff. Today I feature something that is a bit of a departure for me, but it is a sound that has enjoyed a mini resurgence recently in the underground community, a sound that was prevalent three decades ago, just before rock imploded upon itself giving birth to grunge and what became stoner rock. But before that demise was an incredible metal brand of rock that for years stirred the soul, and soared through the universe on a beam of pure rock energy. Today we get to soar through the cosmos again. In addition, we travel all the way to Santiago, Chile for some scrumptious and fun mega fuzz, bringing a fresh and brutal take on the power and force of music from a grittier, almost lethal side.

REVERENCE - "When Darkness Calls"

Forming in 2010 but hearkening back to past metal glory days, the power metal band Reverence was founded in Detroit, Michigan, bringing together veterans of past metal groups into one incredible, indelible musical force and providing a rare opportunity to experience this exceptional, soul blistering music. Placing mega guitarist and songwriter Bryan Holland (Tokyo Blade / Arrest) in with fellow songwriter and vocalist extraordinaire Todd Michael Hall (Burning Starr) and fellow campaigners Steve 'Doc Killdrums' Wacholz (Savatage / Crimson Glory) on drums, Ned Meloni (Burning Starr / Funny Money) on bass, and killer guitarist Pete Rossi (Sanxtion / Overland) caused the stars to align, igniting a supernova, stellar explosion of unimaginable sound.

The music on this album goes beyond just paying homage to an era of metal music, though. It is well crafted in all aspects and facets, presenting a rare and exceptional opportunity for enjoyment of a unique and wonderful metal style. With the incredible lineup of musicians in this band you can expect exceptional execution, but exceptional is too weak a descriptive. The guitars are blistering and fierce, the drums are relentless and true, the bass huge, powerful, and unrelenting in its onslaught of subterranean reverberations. Above it all are two things: first is the rare and striking vocals of Hall, whose mastery of execution is not just best suited for this neon bright music, but perhaps is the result of karmic goodness in which his 4 octave voice is able to strive toward its unlimited potential; and second is the song structure, the writing of eleven power metal melodies that never nears the mundane, but instead soars high and far in a cosmic spray of canorous might and mastery. The rhythms, tempo, hooks, and overall structure are pleasing and satisfying, generating immense anticipation from one song to the next and never disappointing in its captivating endeavor.

The title track starts off the album and gives great insight into what's in store on ten succeeding power tracks. It begins with an intro that sets the immediate tone, but wastes little time in cranking up the voltage on twin guitars of power and tempo, accompanied by earth shattering vocals of athletic trancendency. 

The opening guitar on "Phantom Road" is sheer might and electromagnetism, beautifully leading into a tightly tempoed signature onslaught of fury and dexterity where the solos soar and blister and the riffs are unyielding.

My favorite song on the album is "Gatekeeper". It provides a morphine rush of warmness in delivery tempo, as if it were a scarcely contained beast straining to rip through a frayed and diminishing restraint in order to burst forth in incomparable ferocity. 

"Monster" is . . . well, it's perfectly titled. Powerful, beautiful, unrelenting in melody, overflowing with riff and solo, bursting at the seams in metal exhilaration. 

"After the Leaves Have Fallen" is the album's power ballad, it's cathartic release of emotion, opening up the opportunity for Hall to express himself with range, power, and incredible precision.

All in all, a remarkable and rare compilation of power metal that isn't simply a celebration of times gone by, but is instead, as much of the music on Heavy Planet tends to be, a furtherance of a metal musical style that was too abruptly cut short in production by the brutal whims of fate and fancy, but deserves to still be played by those who were seemingly born with the keenest of ears to this particular brand, to still be heard by the multitudes of those familiar and those who may discover, to be enjoyed a whole host who might otherwise be deprived. To fiercely hang on to a type of music that is obviously loved and revered by the members of the aptly named Reverence, to create music at an almost unachievable level, displaying immense skill, but an even more incredible ferocity of execution, is a rare and true gift and opportunity to relish something that has not always been available for such enjoyment.

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BARBARA & LOS ROTOS DEL ROCK

The Hobos of Rock and their frontwoman Barbara hail from Santiago, Chile. It is quite obvious right away when listening to their high energy, power driven music they are children of the fuzz, the scions of distortion, the progeny of full out stoner rock.

They waste no time injecting the listener with the warm rush of fuzz on the opening track, "Tu No Sabes Quien Soy" (You Do Not Know Who I Am), and the truth is right there for us to see - we do not know who they are, but as with many, many great and wonderful bands that get featured on Heavy Planet from all over the globe, we don't know who they are until we do. Today we get to learn a little bit about these Chilean rockers, at least the parts that pertain to their thrilling brand of stoner rock.

Barbara and her gang of Hobos like to present themselves as bloodthirsty and ruthless gangsters, dispensing vigilante justice to all who oppose them. Band members include:

Bárbara González - Vocals
Christian Spencer - Guitar
Cesar Garcés - Bass
Critóbal Pancheco - Drums

I do believe, though, that I see in each and every one of these direct and deadly rockers a tongue planted firmly in their respective cheeks. Without knowing much about them, it would seem they have a penchant for the violent because it breeds a similar feel to the angst and energy of their music. There's not much that's nice and sweet about their songs, songs that are pure rage, incandescent fury, and an unbridled, unrivaled fierceness of joy. They exude sheer pleasure in the dispensation of their music, enjoying the expression of power and might, radiating with a sheer potentcy of rock and roll.

Following on the nuclear powered opener is another compelling gem, "Masticare Tu Corazon" (Eat/Chew Your Heart) with its ninja attack title hook and all out background party in which the Hobos apparently are enjoying what, maybe, is the actual eating of a heart? This song is an all out ass kicker, with a Spartan phalanx assault coming down through the tiny thin wires of my ear buds. I've not quite experienced anything like it.

"Banzai" carries through with the same attacking rhythm as its predecessors, providing fierce guitars, bass, and drums, but "Mala Hierba" (Bad Weed) deviates a bit with more of a melodic haunt, while never relinquishing on the power distortion and fuzz riffs that provide the main staple of their signature sound.

Barbara & Lot Rotos Del Rock take on one of rock's great songs, "Satisfaction" (Satisfacción), giving it their personal touch of an all out blitzkrieg, panzer attack, onslaught of sound and fury, loading up the assault rifle guitars and gatling gun vocals  and blasting away until there's nothing but dust and grins remaining to account for the event. In other words, they do an exceptional job with the song by sticking to its basic sound, while managing to play it in their own inimitable style, making it an enjoyable and exhilarating experience, the same experience the rest of this jewel of an album provides.









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