Zac's "Double Dose": ALTARUS / Inter Arma

 

ALTARUS: As Above, So Below 

This week's Double Dose bands have a few things in common: A. They both have Latin themed names. B. Their compositions run approximately one hour in length. And finally, C. they are both loud enough to wake the sleeping dead. ALTARUS, our first shot, are a Canadian trio of metal'rs adepts in doom and what happens when its tampered with. Forming as a live band in late 2009 ALTARUS have seen many line-up changes. Since that definitive date the band has fossilized as the leviathan three-piece you hear today on debut As Above, So Below. ALTARUS channel a tectonic sized immensity through crushing doom RIFFS. The three-some don't simply stop at doom though, implementing a chuggin' sensation through their guitars and some artsy, Danny Carey, Tool-esque timing ALTARUS unleash a mountain of sound-waves sure to pulverize the measly flesh that surrounds your psyche. Need a wake up call? Spin Unleash Leviathan or check out ALTARUS's latest propaganda below, a video for Lazarus.  Don't bother making yourself comfortable though, because these monstrous waves, whether sonic or visual, are sure to leave you in spiritual turmoil.

ALTARUS - LAZARUS

Members: 

J.P. Contois - Drums 

Karol Orzechowski - Bass // Vocals 

Tyler Martin - Guitar // Vocals

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Inter Arma: Sky Burial 

Sometimes the inter-breeding of genres we so called writers use to describe the sounds of rock and metal can get a little out of control. There are bands out there mating styles so extremely diverse in the name of progress that they are losing their souls and the very soul of their creation, a.k.a. the music itself. Well, today is going to be one of those days that I, the poor excuse for a writer that I am, have to string together an endless amount of genres and descriptions to attempt to explain this not so typical archetype... except here our example have done something many musicians pursue and rarely accomplished. That example, Inter Arma have created a new sound from many old sounds, which brings the past forty to fifty years of heavy music full circle.  In the end this leaves me describing Inter Arma's sound as authentic heavy metal. So, enough of my rambling and ranting... let's get to what we came here for... the tunes!

Inter Arma is a Richmond, Virginia based five piece who with the precision, strength, and patience of an artisan stone mason have assembled together a bedrock of doom, psychedelia, and sludge with southern rock, acoustic, and black metal. As much of a mind-job and cluster that sounds as you read it Inter Arma, with a little courage and a strapping intelligence, have composed the mess fluidly and entitled it Sky Burial. Sky Burial is enormous and running over sixty minutes will definitely put a dent in your time today. So, you might as well pick up a case of your favorite brew (might I suggest the Sierra Nevada Porter). That's okay though, the alcohol will help you float along with Inter Arma's cloudy atmosphere. The progressive mentality of combining the likes of doom and sludge with black metal and finally acoustic are brought to your attention within the first fifteen minutes, which is really only two songs. Causing convulsions and an immediate back flip, I thought, "Did they just do that?" and with a psychotic grin answered myself, "Yes, yes they did!" in sheer reverence. My favorite track The Long Road Home is a lengthy psychedelic-acoustic piece that is constructed further with electric guitars lacing in and out of the brilliant percussion, all very 70's Pink Floyd feeling. The final two to three minutes become intense, where black metal characteristics dominate the sound. The drumming becomes blast beat-like taking the precedent position over the guitars and vocals, only this percussion is not like the blind chaos I tend to hear in blast beats. This is more like a functional and calculated freight train with some serious cargo. T.J. [Childers] drumming and percussion are phenomenal. Period. Throughout Sky Burial this particular instrument is the mortar that adheres the intriguing vocals, guitars, and bass together in a cohesive chemistry. Sky Burial is out now and can be streamed at bandcamp and ordered from Relapse Records.

Members: 

Joe Kerkes - Bass 

Mike Paparo - Vocals 

Steven Russell - Guitars 

T.J. Childers - Drums 

Trey Dalton - Guitars

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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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Album Of The Day-Earthless-"Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky"

Album Of The Day is "Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky" by Earthless



Aside from the Fall, which, of course, sounds like the inside of Mark E. Smith’s brain, bands that express an affinity for ’70s hard rock act the Groundhogs tend to be of a similar aesthetic. This elite group favors blues, prog and basically anything that smacks of patchouli and sulfur. California trio Earthless mixes all of the above on their second and latest, Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky, an album that ends with a cover of the Groundhogs’ should’ve-been classic “Cherry Red.” The Earthless version is notable not only because it’s so faithful—a feat that requires chops seldom bestowed on mere mortals—but also because it’s the only track that: a) features singing, and b) clocks in at less than 20 minutes.

The two originals that precede it are best described as jams. Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell fills the spaces between riffs with solos that seem as if they’re never going to end. And his compadres—bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba—respond with support that’s heavy, funky and anything but static. Together, they sound as if they could do any of this in 9/8 and still hold their own in a bar fight. The band’s stars are so dark and brews so bitchy that even the Groundhogs’ old barnburner seems kind of earthbound by contrast. It’s a neat trick, and one that makes perfect sense coming from a band that calls itself Earthless. —Brent Burton (Decibel Magazine)


Tracklist:
1. Godspeed — 20:55
a. Amplified
b. Passing
c. Trajectory
d. Perception
e. Cascade
2. Sonic Prayer — 21:12
3. Cherry Red — 4:36

total time 46:43

Stream

Download Free MP3 of Groundhogs original version of "Cherry Red" here.

MySpace

"Sonic Prayer" Live @ The Casbah