Ripple Library - Vincebus Eruptum Magazine; Heady-Psych Music

Special treat for you waveriders.

We love Heavy Psych, Stoner, and Riff Rock around the Ripple.  How could we not with bands like Stone Axe, Poobah, JPT Scare Band, Mos Generator, and the rest of the crew on our roster.  And we also love the whole scene.  People making music and folks supporting the music with love, enthusiasm and abandon.  While there are lots of music sites to go to when you want to read about your favorite music, there's something cooler about a glossy printed magazine.  Particularly when it comes with a free CD introducing new sounds to your ears.

And that's Vincebus Eruptum.

Bill, from the Soda Shop, dropped issues 11 and 12 into my hands in the midst of a joint Soda Shop/Ripple Music vinyl buying frenzy.  3 stores, one day.  Chicago be damned!  So, after talking music all day, pulling out one cool piece of vinyl after another, what would a freak like me want to do the most?  That's right, break open the fridge and delve into a magazine to learn more. And that's what I did.

With the killer free "Acid Sounds Vol. 1" CD blaring from my speakers, Vincebus Eruptum #12 was my companion for an evening of acid, fuzz, stonerfied riff rock.  And what a blast it was.

First the magazine.  A little bit smaller than a comic book, with glossy page and cardstock cover, issue #12 opens with a perfect interview with Cathedral frontman and Rise Above Records mastermind, Lee Dorrian.  It perfectly captured that man's love of music, why he's still digging the record biz, and what he's attempting to do with Rise Above Records.  Mainly, release records he wants in his own collection.  From there, interviews with The Black Rainbows, Zippo, legendary Joe Hasselvander, Gentlemen's Pistols, The Freeks, Wight, and Grand Astoria fill the pages with stories of musical excess, fuzzy days and fuzzier chords, live shows and what not.   Add to that a stash of reviews of truly relevant stoner, psych, and riff rock reviews and we got a magazine of great reading.   It's one of those rare magazine to be read cover to cover.  I even checked out all the ads, looking for new bands from labels like Small Stone, Rise Above Records, Clearspot Distribution, Kozmic Artifactz, Black Widow Records, Blood Rock Records, Sulatron Records, Elektrohasch and Go Down Records.

Just as good was the soundtrack for the night, the free CD.  I didn't know many of these bands before I listened to the free comp, but I'm a fan of a bunch of them now.  As on any compilation, there's high and low points dependent upon your taste.  I didn't care as much for the noise punk psych of Core, the shoegaze fuzz of Vibravoid, or the droning instru-doom of Colt38, but freaked for the fuzz assault of That's All Folks, the mellow psych-jazzy/folky prog of The Freeks, and the retro-bluesy freak attack of Tectonic Break.   E.X.P. brings a downcast, doomier vibe, followed by Vic Du Monte's garage/punk blitz, Zippo's space rock excursion, and the Electric Moon's futuristic garage warfare.  Killer stuff, all of it really. 

Top all that off with gorgeous cover by Kabuto, a pint-sized gorgeous DSW poster,  and spacey, cool-looking psych themed layouts everywhere and it's one gorgeous project. 

So, if you're deep into exploration of the world of heavy psych, acid rock, stoner rock, space rock and good 'ol mind-numbing riff rock, you should check this little magazine out.  It's quality stuff, delving deep into the underground world.  And most importantly, it's clearly a project done with love.

It's one worth collecting and keeping.  I know I will.

Vincebus Eruptum is distributed in the USA by The Soda Shop
and world wide by Vincebus Eruptum.  European orders through Big Cartel


"Acid Sounds Vol.1" exclusive CD compilation:

• 01 - CORE "Mood Disorder"

1996 - unreleased track from the "Revival" sessions - produced by Billy Anderson - Billy Anderson on lead vocals, Finn Ryan on drums, Timmy Ryan on guitar, Carmine Pernini on bass)

• 02 - OJM "Har(d)ucks"

2011 - unreleased track based on an old unreleased track ("Heavy" sessions) plus new vocals by David Martin

• 03 - THAT'S ALL FOLKS "Hypnotic Pulse"

2010 - track only published on the 300 ltd. 7" split between T.A.F. and ANUSEYE - Nasoni Records - Claudio Colaianni on guitar and vocals, Michele Rossiello on bass guitar and percussions, Max Marzocca on Drums, Angelo Pantaleo on keyboards and manual effects midi sampler

• 04 - THE FREEKS "Vitamin-D"

2011 - new unreleased track - Kenny Cunningham on piano and synth, Isaiah Mitchell on guitar leads and mandolin, Marco Forster on backing vocals, Ruben Romano on vocals, guitar, bass, drums and percussion

• 05 - TECTONIC BREAK "Maria"

2000 - unreleased track by this HALF MAN/SKANSKA MORD side project - Patric Carlsson on bass, Janne Bengtsson on vocals and harmonica, Mattias Nilsson on guitar, Peter Johansson on drums

• 06 - E.X.P. "DNA connect just like a kids tumble"

2003 - unreleased track from the never issued second album - mixed by Gary Ramon - LC  on bass, NC on guitars, JB on vocals, FB on drums

• 07 - VIC DU MONTE'S PERSONA NON GRATA "Man On A Mission"

2011 - unreleased track from the "Barons & Bankers" sessions - Written & Performed by Vic du Monte’s Persona Non Grata, produced by James Childs at Stujo in Los Angeles March 2011

• 08 - VIBRAVOID "Photosynthesis In Darkness"

2011 - not yet released track (due to release on "Gravity Zero" - 25th of February 2012 by Sulatron Records) - Written & Performed by Vibravoid

• 09 - COLT.38 "Amplesso in DOm"

2011 - unreleased track performed by C.C and E.R.

• 10 - ZIPPO "Night Jam #2"

2008 -unreleased track from the "The Road To Knowledge" sessions - registered by Andrea di Giambattista and Francesco di Florio at Twelve Studio (Tocco da Casauria, Pescara ITALY) , mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering Studio (Ventura, California USA) - Davide Straccione on vocals, Alessandro Sergente on guitar, Silvio Spina on guitar, Tonino Bosco on bass and Federico Sergente on drums

• 11 - ELECTRIC MOON "Trip Trip Trip"

2011 - track only published on the 500 ltd. 12" split between ELECTRIC MOON and GLOWSUN - Sulatron Records - Written & Performed by Electric Moon

Iron Claw Unleash New Single "Final Hour" Debuting New Singer, Gary Hair--Available as Exclusive Limited-Time Download via The Soda Shop

Capping off a year that found Scotland's Iron Claw being hailed as the Rock n’ Roll comeback story of the Decade, Iron Claw has roared back to build upon the momentum and notoriety gained in 2011.

Rightly hailed as one of the silent legends, the pioneers of British Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, with their Ripple Music debut, A Different Game, Iron Claw proved that their role in Rock history shall never go unspoken again. A hard biting, bluesy album found the band re-energized and vibrant on their first ever official releases.

After separating with vocalist Gordon Brown, Iron Claw conducted an extensive, nationwide search to find their new lead singer, Dumphries native, Gary Hair, then immediately ducked into the studio to put their new vocal chords to work. Now, having emerged fully refreshed, revitalized and a bit meaner, Iron Claw are ready to unleash their new single, "Final Hour" onto a rock-loving world. As bassist Alex Wilson puts it, Gary brings a "heavier direction to the band, more hard rock energy and passion. This should mark a return to an even heavier, rockier Iron Claw sound." A sound befitting of a band that has rightly become legendary among underground metal fans.

As a special bonus, Ripple Music and Iron Claw have teamed up with heavy rock leader, The Soda Shop, to present and exclusive premiere of "Final Hour" and the video, streaming on The Soda Shop website. And for 24 hours only, on March 15th, "Final Hour" can be downloaded from The Soda Shop for free.

Don't miss out on your chance to catch this latest chapter in the ongoing rock and roll history that is Iron Claw. Check out "Final Hour" here, and download it for free on March 15th. And don't forget to check out A Different Game, still available on Ripple Music and world-wide through Nail Distribution, Code 7 Distribution, Clearspot International and at the label’s web store.


Here’s what the press are saying:

"The songs crackle along, the voice conveys experience and resolve, the solos tasteful. An effortlessly playable collection of working man's hard rock, and a heartening reassertion of power from metal's forgotten founding fathers. 8 out of 10" -- Metal Hammer, Issue 225

"Scotland's Proto-Metal pioneers, Iron Claw, return with a long-awaited album of gritty, blues-based melodic heavy rock that is already garnering album-of-the-year accolades." - Puregrainaudio

"This is a solid, dynamic, vintage rock ‘n roll record, 13 tracks spanning 57 minutes yet hardly a dull moment to be found. A Different Game is more of the same—high quality heavy rock unearthed from the underground" - Hellbound.ca

"My first listen to A Different Game should not have been in my car: the rear speakers are nearly blown. Thanks to the heavy end of Iron Claw, they're likely obliterated!" - Dangerdog.com

The Soda Shop Com. Volume 2

Who says you can't get something for nothing? Or nothing in life is free? Not me. Not when it comes to my collection of new stoner rock. I can thank The Soda Shop for that.

The Soda Shop is notorious for feeding free tunes to the masses. I eagerly snatched up their first digital compilation earlier this year and less than 6 months later, Soda Shop Records release The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 2. Jake Ball and Bill Goodman feature 12 promising new rock bands together in another awesome medley that quenches all my thirst for riffs. I sure could get used to this.

Don't know about The Soda Shop? Really?! I find that hard to believe but here's what they say on The Soda Shop website:

"The Soda Shop is an Internet radio station and music blog...we are being run by Jake Ball and Bill Goodman and have never been better. The Soda Shop is geared towards Stoner Rock/Metal and Doom Metal, but will play anything that rocks. The ultimate goal of the station is to focus heavily on independent bands to give them the exposure that they deserve. The Soda Shop was created out of the love for music and the desire to give underrated bands their due..."

Ball and Goodman sure know their rock/metal music and are doing one hell of a job if you ask me. I'm sure you would agree. Just listen to The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 2. Some of my favorite new bands are on this compilation and I even discovered a couple new apples-of-my-eye who I'd never heard before. That's always a bonus.

I've told you how much I love Spiderlord. A stinging new single, "Ungrounded", leads off The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 2. If you liked their self-titled debut ep, you won't be disappointed. And my 2011 front-runners Borracho end the album with the stoner rock monster, "Plunge/Return", off their debut, Splitting Sky. You get over 20 minutes of incredible free music with those 2 songs alone. Sprinkle in more of my top-pick bands of the year and you'll understand why I'm so delighted right now. Valley of the Sun get rowdy with "Deep Light Burns", off Saying of the Seers. Desert Storm crush it on "Cosmic Drips", from their recent release Forked Tongues, and fuzz-masters Naughty Mouse offer a taste of their self-titled ep on "The Eternal Dead of My Soul".

I wasn't too familiar with about half of the rock groups presented on The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 2. I might have heard of the bands or read about them on other sites, but i had never really listened to them. Two made a really strong impression and one of those flat-out amazed me. I boogie down as Switchblade Jesus feeds my addiction for southern-style riffs on "Negative Planet 11", but Odyssey 9 send me into another dimension with their psychedelic song, "Glow". I'll be finding out more about these guys. You betcha.

Bacchus Baracus also have a little impact on me with their groovy effort, "Rock N' Roll Man". And so do Domes of Silence, who punk it out on "Temple of the Wasp". Threefold Law display staggering guitars and an old-school rock/metal feel with their song called "Earth". I got into Elvis Deluxe's version of "Fire" (Loverboy), too.

Wanna know another thing I love about this free digital compilation? The cover. You ever just looked at the artwork and knew the album was gonna be great? 'Nuff said.

You can download The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 2 and it's predecessor at The Soda Shop's Bandcamp page. I've also included a link to Facebook. Like The Soda Shop's page along with me and you'll be updated regularly on the latest new stoner rock/metal releases from the unknown. They also have free download archives on their web page. Check it out. It's priceless.

I'd like to personally thank The Soda Shop. First, for another excellent free compilation. Second, for just being there.

I think it was sometime last year when I typed 'new stoner rock' into the search bar, pressed 'enter', and clicked a link to The Soda Shop. I bookmarked the page that day and I've been going back faithfully ever since - reading about and listening to great new bands, and learning about other sites devoted to my ideal style of music. It's been a vital resource for me and my Ipod.

Again, THANK YOU to Jake Ball and Bill Goodman at The Soda Shop. Thank you so much. You've given me fresh tunes from unique independent rock bands but you've also impacted my life. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be writing about music today. Period.

Heddbuzz


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