Free Stoner Rock - Introducing Annimal Machine from Mexico

Dig in.  It's heavy.  It's fuzzy.  It's free. 

Let us know what you think . . .

Wo Fat - The Black Code

Up until about a month ago, I had never heard Wo Fat. I was familiar with their name, and quite honestly, I was intimidated. I’ve already explained this to Kent Stump (guitars/vocals) of the band, so we’re all good there. I had some weird, preconceived notion that if I listened to Wo Fat, well . . . something violent would happen within my head, something unforeseen would damage my already damaged psyche and my personal End of Days would be right around the corner.

Actually, after having spent some time with the Wo Fatcatalog, I can’t dispute any of the above mentioned possibilities are out of the question.

Enough babble . . . on with The Black Code!

The latest Wo Fat release, as found on Small Stone Records, is a devastatingly heavy album. Where the previous album, Noche Del Chupacabra, was a heavy beast of a record, The Black Code up’s the game and redefines the word “heavy”. The production is a little crisper, and that adds a greater definition of the variety of tones that the band uses to convey their menace. The greater definition makes the cleaner portions of the music cleaner, therefore, when the heavy portions drop, it feels even more overwhelming than before. But none of the knob twiddling and sound engineering knowledge would mean shit if the music wasn’t up to par . . . and folks, The Black Code beyond par . . . it’s a hole-in-one, if you really want to follow a golf analogy!

The songs, while at times are marathon in length, they’re so well conceived and executed that they don’t feel like they’re as long as they are. The individual performances from the trio of musicians is top notch and, while the focus may be on the guitar heroics of Stump, the rhythm section of Tim Wilson (bass) and Mike Walter (drums) keeps this sludge-y, doom-y, Lords of All That Is Heavy sound moving in the right direction. Grok . . . to listen to the rhythm section alone is a lesson that every bassist and drummer should enroll in. This tandem kills it . . . every minute of every song . . . which allows Stump’s guitar work to soar to the heavens when he’s not following along the trail that’s being blazed ahead of him.

Opening the album with “The Lost Highway”, I was originally surprised that with the subtle injections of blues mixed in with groove. By no means was it a “bad” surprise, it just wasn’t what I was expecting and it was a welcome change from those preconceived notions that I had going into this record. The riffs follow aplenty and savagery of the rhythms make the body roll with the groove. Brutally heavy music, but done with class. It’s not heavy just for the sake of posturing and knuckle dragging Neanderthalic music fans . . . it’s heavy with a purpose and as a way of life. What could get lost if one’s not paying attention on this particular gem, is the bridge leading to the wah-ed out guitar solo. There’s a dynamic there, a building tension, and when that sucker breaks, it’s like dam busting open and getting caught up in the oncoming rush of water. Try to cling to the guitar solo for some buoyancy, but beware . . . the thundering crash of the rhythm section will try to break your grasp. Fucking great song!

The title track follows next, and for over ten minutes, you will be bombarded with a tune so finely crafted in the ways of the Heavy that it may go down as the blueprint for those who follow. The tone that Stump gets out of his rig is awesome, and I don’t mean the overused meaning of the word . . . you will truly find yourself sitting in front of your speakers with mouth agape and staring in wild wonder at how such a heft can come from an instrument . . . you will be in awe, ergo . . . his tone is awesome. Once the band kicks in and the trio is riffing in unison, damn, it’s an example of the fierceness that these guys can seemingly whip out without a thought. It feels natural and organic, nothing is forced, almost as if these guys are connected by the strain of DNA and they have become a living, breathing, riffing single entity. Again, the Wilson/Walter tandem hold a great groove in the mid-portion of the song while Stump goes absolutely nuts! Jesus . . . the sounds this guy gets from his guitar are insane! And, when the trio drop back into the main riff, the tempo goes up and it’s a stunning sensation . . .

Only five songs in length, but clocking in at over forty-five minutes, The Black Code is rife with sonic exploration and extended jams. Sit back and take the journey, man . . . and when you get to the album closer, “Sleep of the Black Lotus”, I’ll be here waiting to wax poetic about its brilliance. I’m thinking that this is my personal fave off the album, but I have a sneaking hunch that “The Shard of Leng” may be lurking in the shadows to usurp the closer from this temporary throne. “Black Lotus” is a gem of heavy rock . . . in fact, if you close your eyes and image hard enough, you can actually see someone chipping away at the edges of a piece of ore yanked unmercifully from the earth, and the gleaming radiance of the precious rock shining from the crud surrounding it. That’s how I hear this song . . . beauty and elegance wrapped in a shell of darkened, crusted matter.

Wo Fat may still be creeping around the underground, but don’t think that this creature of the depths won’t be pulling itself out of the muck to spend time in the sun. These guys are on the rise and The Black Code is the elevator that will lift them to a greater audience, a more receptive ear. It’s an album that just stuns with every listen, not just in song structure, but instrumental performances and sonic execution. With the year coming to a close, I suspect this album will be on my Year End Best Of List. I can’t see it not being there. The album was done so well that the music just can’t be ignored.

--Pope

http://wofat.net/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wo-Fat/127735577283067

Wolfshead - S/T

I was overjoyed when Racer posted a Bandcamp link to Wolfshead a few days back. Not that I was particularly waiting for the link or anything, it was just . . . well, when I hit the little play button and my world got turned upside down, I felt an exhilaration that doesn’t come around all that often. Thank you Racer for going to the effort of getting this link up!

So, Wolfshead is a two-piece stoneriffic, doom-y sludge metal band (Eh? How’s that for muddying up the categorical waters?) hailing from England. I guess one could say these cats are part of the resurgent new wave of heavy British rock that’s going on right now, and like a bunch of the bands in this particular scene, Wolfshead are creating music their way . . . starting with a basic sound rooted in heavy blues and then letting the music go where it needs to go. What I hear is a classic hard rock sound mixed with Monotheist-era Celtic Frost . . . an order of something really heavy with a side order of even more heavy!

“Warbringer” kicks this sampler off with a thrash-y groove laden riff and rocks along at a good pace. I’m digging the little guitar flourishes that they drop into the verse, almost giving the song a classic NWOBHM feel. The gang chants of “Hail! Hail!” makes me throw my fists in the air, making typing an absolute bear, but oh-so-much fun! The end section breakdown is crushing in heft and weight, brutally distorted and reminds me of some of the finer moments from Lair of the Minotaur.

The first play through of this recording had me mouth agape in awe when “Garden” pummeled me senseless. This is where the Monotheist Celtic Frost sound comes seeping out of the well water. Thunderous and overpowering, the guitars vibrate everything in the immediate area of my speakers to ash, and the vocals are about as ominous as they can get, channeling a bit of the Tom G. Warrior tormented angst. I love the subtle guitar licks these guys throw in every so often . . . always keeping things interesting, keeping the music moving forward, and not allowing things to get stale. Fucking killer song!

“Pissin’ Blood” (always a good time), is an upbeat thrashing garage rock burst of audio excitement! If your head isn’t bobbing up and down on this one, you’re damaged. It’s alright. It’s nothing personal. This track, probably more than any other on this sampler, is the most accessible in the sense of fitting in with any particular genre or scene. It’s short, to the point, non-stop rollicking fun, and while it doesn’t really venture outside of the retro sound, it does have little nuggets of intrigue mixed into the mix.

As if these guys were saving the best ‘til last, “Death Priest” is a punishing escapade through the surreal. This six minute epic excites me more than any other because it’s out there . . . it’s dynamic and experimental, but no less accessible than the rest of this rocking set of music. Within the first minute of the song, Wolfshead bring a number of different moods. Opening with a stonerfied and fuzzed out riff for a few measures, the boys then drop into a dirge-y Sabbathian palm muted riff that includes some sexy guitar licks. Then the music opens up again, longer sustained notes creating a break in the tension created by the palm muted and spartan verses. The vocals, while strained in places, crack in all the right places and make this song feel like a horrifying travel through the darkest recesses of the mind.

Word has it that Wolfshead are working on a full length album, to which I can only sit here in stunned silence with a stupid grin on my face. If their full length follows the footprint of this sampler, I’m gonna have a damn good time rocking from here to eternity! This sampler isn’t perfect, but then again, it doesn’t need to be. The energy is there, the structures are there, the musicianship and vision are there . . . Check it out, drop the guys a buck or two and download the tunes for yourselves. Or, sit in front of your computer and listen to the stream for the rest of your lives. Either way works for me. Just do it.

Pope

http://bandcamp.listentowolfshead.com/

On The Ripple Desk - Featuring The Plimsouls, Low Sonic Drift, and Roadsaw

Haven't done one of these in a while. A selection of cool discs sitting on top of my Ripple desk at the moment.



The Plimsouls - Beach Town Confidential

What a year it's been for fans of powerpop and the Peter Case/Paul Collins axis in particular.  With Paul Collins and the Beat still cranking out music, recent release of archival material by Peter and Paul's first band, The Breakaways, Peter and Paul going out on tour together and a bonanza of archival live releases by Peter's main band, The Plimsouls.  All of which brings us to Beach Town Confidential.   Featuring a different set list than the recent, Live! Beg, Borrow and Steal, if anything, Beach Town Confidential is an even punchier, tighter set of classic Plimsouls tunes.

Recorded at the Golden Bear in Hunington Beach, 1983, Beach Town Confidential finds Peter Case, Eddie Munoz, Dave Pahoa, and Louie Ramirez ripping through a set of 16 powerpop gems with reckless abandon.  I mean this set rips.  From the buoyant and jubilant bounce of opener "Shaky City," all the way to the crisp and raucous closer, "You Can't Judge a Book," the boys are in fine form, performing before and appreciative crowd and obviously loving it.  In between we get killer raves like the crunchy "Making Time," a raving "Zero Hour," a souring "Fall on You," mournful "Oldest Story in the World," and a just perfect "A Million Miles Away."   Probably the best song they ever recorded, I'm still damned to figure out how it was never a huge hit.  Let's don't forget killer versions of the powerpop power ballad, "Now," and a fiery "How Long Will it Take."

To me this is the definitive document of the Plimsouls live.  Passionate and tuneful, crunchy and melodic.  Check it out to discover an LA jewel that really should have been a world treasure.

Low Sonic Drift - Shadows of the Titan

From the first tribal drum intro, through the vaguely middle-Eastern accents, finally onto the crushing riffs, Low Sonic Drift explore their own world of mind-melting, stoner psych.  And they do it with panache and a mammoth-sized rock attack.  4 songs, but 30 minutes, of time-changing, neo-prog, desert explorations.  Heady, trippy, heavy stuff.

Like Tool picked up and dropped into the lost-mine of Kyuss.  Not content to follow previously well-explored paths through the stoner universe, LSD live up to their initials and open new sonic doors of perception.  Dig that cranium busting bass work on "As the Crow Flies", the shifting sands of tempo on "Hyperion" or the haunting, stoner-jazz of "Shadows." 

LSD.  A trip well worth exploring.

Roadsaw - Roadsaw EP

Released as a thank you to fans after their successful romp at Desertfest, The Roadsaw EP is three tracks of riff-mad, heavy psych perfection.  "Twisted Steel and Broken Glass" finds the boys stretching out in a bit more of a psychedelic haze than I'd heard them before.  A touch more airy, expansive.  By no means, gentle mind you, but not the regular tight-riffing assault that I'm used to from the boys.  This one sounds much more dropped into the '70's jam session and let me tell you, that's a compliment, as it doesn't take the band long to find their groove and wrap the whole thing up in a fuzzy bass assault and effect-laden guitar freakout.  "Burn Down the Night" continues this jammier vein, slowing things down even more for a truly haunting apocalyptic psych burner. "Monkey Skull" brings back the full-on Roadsaw assault that I've grown familiar with, tearing into it's riffs with a furious frenzy. 

Three tracks that do so much more than offer up some free music for Roadsaw fans.  With the EP, Roadsaw has opened up the doors to a whole new horizon for their music.  Definitely worth grabbing.





--Racer

Lonely Kamel - Dust Devil

It's way past time to give Lonely Kamel some Ripple love.  I was mesmerized by their last album, Blues for the Dead on Transubstans Records.  Mesmerized to the point of never actually writing up a review.  But damn, if they didn't nail the retro-70's vibe that I love so much.  Big guitars, massive Hendrixian flourishes, heavy bass.  Simply put, it was a killer album.

Late last year, the boys came rushing back with their follow-up, Dust Devil.  Now signed to Napalm Records, I didn't know what to think at first.  Napalm is a great label, but not one I'd originally associated with a retro-fuzzy, stoner-minded band like Lonely Kamel.  How was it going to sound?   Were the boys gonna have to change their sound to fit in with the more metal-minded offerings of the Napalm catalog?  Was I about to lose one of my favorite bands?

Hell, no!  Dust Devil, if anything, drops deeper into the retro-70's canyon, mining away into the deep crevices of hard-rocking blues a la early-Zep, Free, Taste, and Blodwyn Pig.  Mix that genetic blueprient with the fired up stoner-blitz of Kyuss, a dash of Fu Manchu, and a sacrifice on the alter of Clutch, and we got what may have been one of my missed Top Ten albums of 2011.

"Grim Reaper" is pure blues.  Hard core, bottom-heavy, riff mad blues.  Cut fresh from the marble of a 70's blues rock band.  Vocals rough but clean.  Riffs precise and heavy as crap when they wanna be.  That vibe doesn't last too long though, as "Evil Man" races right into the dust-swept deserts and canyons of Kyuss.  Killer stoner rock here, revved up and hype, not doomy.  A sandstorm of riffs and bashing drums.

"Blues for the Dead" appropriately enough mixes the first two songs to create a blues-minded, doom-toned, stoner-fried freaked out, fuzzed assault.  "Rotten Seed" picks up the fuzz, lays down a manic beat, and races to places unknown.  Great guitar riffs here, chopping the song up, varying the tempo, and dropping into a KISS-esque choral break.  Dig the killer bass breakdown leading into the space guitar solo jam middle section.  Damn, is it good as it blends right into the plodding, doom-laden, downtempo blues intro of "Seventh Son." 

Lonely Kamel are a band I don't hear bandied about as much as names like Lo-Pan, or even our own Mos Generator, but damn if they aren't right there in the upper eschelon of stoner rock bands.  Someday, I still gotta review Blues for the Dead, because that album really deserves a Ripple write up, but in the mean time, I offer you, oh waverider, Dust Devil.  May the beloved fuzz rock the cobwebs from your brain.


--Racer

Sleep - Dopesmoker - Reissue

As of the date of my submission, there's no downloadable content available from Sleep. Which means I have to stream it to hear it at all.

It's not like the album's called Dopesmoker, or anything... that implies one would do well to listen to this one NOT chained via headphones to their computer....

Fine! I'll stream it! Anything to just hear it!

Because I am a whore for Sleep! And Southern Lord in general! I even bought a freaking Sleep shirt for my wife, who doesn't even like metal! And she wears it! And gets compliments on it! And then says, "It's his."

Even though I have the first two iterations of Dopesmoker (Jerusalem and Dopesmoker), I am (quite figuratively) dying to hear this one-- it's remastered, there's Arik Roper's new stoner-via-Dune esque cover, there's crazy anecdotes about the recording of the album, e.g.:
Pike stated that the "song was getting slower and slower and then it got weird. We started tripping out and second guessing ourselves." Recording the album was difficult. Pike   recalled that "there was so much to memorize for that album, and we had to do it in like three different sections because a reel-to-reel only holds 22 minutes. It was really cool, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in in my life." SLEEP were in the studio for one month then went home to rehearse and returned for another month. Pike noted that they ended up with two or three different versions of the song.
It also features an unreleased live recording of a live performance of “Holy Mountain” from San Francisco’s I-Beam in 1994.

When Racer sent this to me I was literally listening to the older version of Dopesmoker on the stereo. It's fate/ kismet/ karma/ destiny....

Ironically, there is no weed with probably a quarter mile of me. Interpolate as is your wont, my minions. You may find this fact journalistically-dishonest (Pike and co. have said repeatedly that Dopesmoker was written to be heard while stoned), but I feel I must fully disclose.

So:

I've heard this new version a dozen times now: the first thing you notice is that the riff entering at around 0:15 is much clearer and louder. I don't really know that much about remastering, mastering, et cetera, and maybe they've only made it louder, but I can actually hear the pick hitting the strings, whereas on the version of Dopesmoker I'm familiar with, it's a bit harder to pick that out. At this point, I want both versions of Dopemoker on vinyl, at jet-engine volume, to truly try and parse the differences between the two editions.

Of course, my lineage is mostly German and Scandinavian, a notoriously-detail-oriented/obsessive people, and I personally am anal-retentive as fuck, so maybe I'm overdoing things.

Again: interpret as is your wont.

At about 21:30, once everything but the main riff drops out, you can again hear the strings over-vibrating against the pickup... which is pretty cool. I feel like I'm standing right next to the band in a small room without carpeted floors.
The lyrics, too, are a bit more clear: the first line "Drop out of life with bong in hand" is easier to understand, as is the classic, "Lungsmen unearth the creed of Hasheeshian."

Man. That's some obscure poetic shit that Rimbaud, William Burroughs, Baudelaire, Rumi and Kerouac would find obtuse.

How can you not love that?

If nothing else, the reissue reiterates why it's such a great record (if you truly let it in, stoned or not)-- it just comes in and sweeps itself through your brain, it says to you we have all the time in the world, let's use it thinking of far-away lands that before this record you found impossible to believe existed....

If you already have the old version of Dopesmoker? If you're really into it, you'll wanna check this out. Otherwise, stick with the old version. Tune in, turn on, burn out, daddy-o....

--Horn




[Southern Lord's Press Release about Dopesmoker: http://www.southernlord.com/band_SLE.php ]

[Southern Lord records' Deluxe Reissue of Sleep's Dopesmoker is released internationally on May 8, 2012.]

Cortez - S/T

This is one of the easiest reviews I'll ever get to write. Cortez is one of my favorite contemporary bands playing mid-tempo heavy rock. They have a new DOUBLE ALBUM on 180-gram vinyl with great cover art that's worthy of acrylic on denim. All the kick ass songs I've been hearing them blast out at shows the past 4 years are now documented and now I know what the songs are actually called. It's the full meal deal! Be warned, there isn't a parental advisory sticker on the cover but there are a lot of pottymouth lyrics.

Since their 2007 EP Thunder in a Forgotten Town, Cortez switched singers and lost a guitarist but the changes only made the band stronger. Lots of bands out there are playing in a heavily Sabbath influenced realm but Cortez is one of the few to utilize more than just the usual Master/Volume 4 riff rehash. For those of us who have spent decades analyzing the Sabbath family tree know just how much killer shit there is that people tend to overlook. The reason why all those Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple records are so classic is the variety. Cortez understands that and plays the music they want to hear. I wanna hear it ,too and have been playing the hell out of this!

Album opener "Johnny" is the perfect introduction to Cortez. Guitarist Scott O'Dowd laying it down hard and heavy. Drummer Jeremy Hemond comes in with one of his patented Cozy Powell-esque drum fills to signal bassist Jay Furlo to start thudding away and singer Matt Harrington starts belting it out big time. This is a fast and catchy song that I guarantee that you will cause you to increase the volume at least twice before it's over. The rest of side one is equally killer. "All Hail" is slow and powerful while "Until We Die" has a killer trippy jam in the middle. "Ride On" is easily my favorite Cortez song. Kick ass speed limit rock with references to cheap beer and dirt weeed. You will definitely want to crank this one loud when you cruise around the parking lot looking for a spot at the Priest concert. It's too bad radio stations don't play album sides anymore, this would be a good 'un for people to get down to this summer.

And the other sides ain't bad either! Side two shows them stretching out with some psychedelic warrior jams like "Wormwood" and the Mountain-influenced "Beyond The Mountain." "Monolith" has some excellent Corky Laing style cowbell and "Immigrant Song" moans. Side three has great songs like "Nice Try" and "Northlander" but "Satan" towers high above them. If you ever wished "The Tempter" by Trouble wasn't so damn pro-Jesus, then you've got a new favorite song. Also, anyone that loves the song "Warhead" will be thrilled. Side four (!) has raw demo versions of "Johnny," "Until We Die" and "Monolith" as a nice bonus. The music's heavy and the vinyl's heavy. What more could you want?

--Woody

Not sure of the exact street date on this one but their record release show in Boston is 5/5 with special guests Mighty High.

Band website

http://www.cortezboston.com/

Buy from Kozmik Artifactz

http://www.kozmik-artifactz.com/shop/index.php?cat=c170_KOZMIK---BILOCATION-LABEL.html&XTCsid=4d8a9ced74923384fe1d49242bd35b47


"Johnny" on bandcamp
http://cortezboston.bandcamp.com/album/cortez

Wino & Conny Ochs - Heavy Kingdom

“Hi everyone I’m Penfold.   Welcome to Penfold’s Wildlife Adventures.  In today’s episode you’ll follow along as I try to observe the legendary Wino and his latest musical accomplice Conny Ochs in their natural environment, the Heavy Kingdom.  That’s right friends!  I’m travelling deep into the heart of the Heavy Kingdom, and I don’t know what I’ll find once I get there.  All I know for certain is that I have to go.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!  Join me won’t you?”

“Welcome back friends.  My crew and I touched down at an airport near the outskirts of the Heavy Kingdom about an hour ago.  Once we retrieved our camera equipment from the tarmac we passed through customs and met up with our guide.  His name was Gunther, and boy did he ever look the part!  He was dressed in all black from head to toe.  Black shoes, black denim jeans, thick black belt with an enormous silver animal skull buckle, worn black leather vest over worn black t-shirt.  Couple that with his unkempt hair, multiple piercings and omnipresent sneer.  This was obviously one heavy dude.  Nobody messed with Gunther.”

“We drove in Gunther’s vehicle, which to my estimation was more like a tank, through the Kingdom’s treacherous landscape.  Navigating several deep ravines filled with enormous boulders fallen from the towering mountains looming overhead was rather intimidating.  Thankfully, we eventually cleared the mountain range and emerged into an expansive savannah.  Everyone took out their cameras when we noticed several herds of large animals grazing in the distance.  If we were not on such a tight schedule I would have asked Gunther to stop his half-track.  It’s too bad, but the photos turned out great!”

“A short time later the sun began to disappear below the horizon.  As the day turned to night, Gunther pointed out lights emerging from the darkness far out in front of us.  He informed us that those lights came from the capital city of the Heavy Kingdom.  I couldn’t believe it.  We were almost there!  Sure enough, as we got closer to our destination the lights got brighter and brighter.  More numerous too.  When we were still several miles away I could easily make out the gigantic ring of skyscrapers that effectively formed the capital city’s border.  Passing beneath these sky-conquering structures we entered into a virtual labyrinth of streets and alleyways.”

“Thank goodness for Gunther.  Left to my own devices I would never have been able to find my way around this bustling city.  Fifteen minutes later our guide stopped the vehicle and pointed to his right.  I turned in my seat to see a small building sitting between two skyscrapers.  The front of the building was unadorned except for a neon sign indicating the door was open.  I thought Gunther was kidding me, but he insisted that the men we were looking for would be inside.  Trusting our guide my crew and I exited the vehicle and entered the building.  Sure enough, there on a slightly elevated stage were two men with guitars in hand standing in front of some speaker cabinets.  Could it be?  Yes!  Yes it was!  It was Wino and Conny Ochs!”

Good day waveriders.  Truly, I mean that.  This is a good day.  Scratch that.  This is a great day!  What fills me with such positivity?  Simply this.  I’ve listened to the stunning new Wino & Conny Ochs album Heavy Kingdom.  Stunning might not be a strong enough descriptor in this case.  I’m really not interested in mincing words right now.  Heavy Kingdom is firmly planted in my list of the best albums of the year, and it’s staying there.  Allow me to persuade you as to why you should all feel this way too.

If you are a regular visitor to The Ripple Effect I’m one hundred percent certain that you do not need me to explain who Scott “Wino” Weinrich is, or explain that this man is a legend in several heavy metal circles.  His work in bands such as Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand, Shrinebuilder, Spirit Caravan, etc. speaks for itself.  Conny Ochs on the other hand might be an unknown quantity.  I was introduced to this talented young German artist in early 2011 when I had the opportunity to review his solo debut album.  Raw Love Songs drilled the name Conny Ochs permanently into my brain with its elegance and emotional resonance.  I love that album!  So how did these two artists meet and decide to write music together?

The genesis of Heavy Kingdom occurred back in 2010.  That was when Conny Ochs opened up for Wino on his solo acoustic tour in support of Adrift, his latest album.  As the story goes, the two artists immediately found musical kinship and by the end of the tour they were performing with each other onstage.  I suppose I would call that a pretty good indicator for future collaboration.  Not wasting any time the two recorded an album of material near the end of the tour entitled Labour Of Love.  Honestly, I had no idea about this album until I had done some research for this writeup.   Fast forward to 2012 and we have Heavy Kingdom.

Allow me to reinforce my position.  Heavy Kingdom is a magnificent album!  These two musicians have put their heart and soul down on each of these eleven songs.  Conny Ochs’ soulful, haunting vocals perfectly complement Wino’s gruff, weathered voice when he is singing lead (and vice versa).  The only other instrumentation on these tracks is their guitars.  That’s it.  No bass.  No drums.  No strings.  It’s just two guys with their guitars laying down some serious music.  Perhaps it is due to this simplicity that these songs sound so incredibly honest.  They’re beautiful.  They’re moving.  They’re heavy as all get out!  You can ask me to pick a favorite out of the bunch but you’re wasting your breath.  I’m telling you it can’t be done.  Different songs offer different observations and provoke different emotions.  One day I’ll favor a song like “Heavy Kingdom”.  The next I’ll favor “Dark Ravine”.  The point is that every song on this album is a winner.  It’s true.  I watched the entire ribbon ceremony online.

Waveriders you have to hear this album!  If you’re a follower of Wino or Conny Ochs this is a mandatory listen.  If you are a fan of honest musical expression, pick up a copy of Heavy Kingdom immediately.  While I can’t make the claim that this music will change your life, I can promise that it will definitely alter your listening habits.  Whatever you are listening to now will have to make room for Heavy Kingdom.  My apologies go out to those albums that fall by the wayside.

--Penfold

Spiritual Beggars – Return To Zero

I’ve been a fan of Michael Amott for a while now.  He certainly has all the death metal cred he needs, having formed Arch Enemy back in 1996, after doing a stint with the immortal Carcass, and prior to that forming Swedish death metal OG’s Carnage.  So his metal pedigree is about as rock solid as they come, at least in my book.

I kept hearing about this other band of his, Spiritual Beggars, which he started around the same time as Arch Enemy, but was not metal at all.  The description I always heard was “stoner rock”.  I finally checked them out with the release of their most recent album, “Return To Zero” from 2010.  And then beat myself repeatedly about the head and face for taking so long to get into this band. 

I don’t know that stoner rock is the right pigeon hole for these guys, at least not on this newest release.  I put this CD in and had to take it out about 2 minutes later to see if they had maybe put the wrong CD in the case, because it really sounded like some vintage Deep Purple from the classic “Machine Head”/”Made In Japan” era.  If I had to tell someone what this band sounds like, that would be my reference point, although there is definitely stuff that would also be right at home on the “Perfect Strangers” release as well.

But please don’t take that to mean that these guys are just Deep Purple clones.  In fact, they are far from it, but they do have that similar riff based groove going.  “Return To Zero” opens with the titular intro, just a little synth-y thing that lasts less than a minute, then right into “Lost In Yesterday” we go.  It’s a very nice, moderately heavy, moderate tempo song and gets things going.  “Star Born” is up next, and it picks up the tempo without losing the groove.  Then we have “Chaos Of Rebirth”, which has heavier, slightly ominous feel to it, but maintains that nice groove feeling.  A really good quartet of songs to start things off, and they really establish the tone for the balance of the album.

“Spirit Of The Wind”, track 6, is my absolute favorite on this album.  I could literally listen to that track on a daily basis.  It is more of a ballad, definitely not rooted so much in the riff and groove as the rest of the tracks, and is a really beautiful song.  If you only knew Mr. Amott from his death metal stuff, this one will really take you by surprise.

This is a really solid release and I can’t recommend it highly enough.  In fact, on the strength of this album I have gone and purchased the rest of the Spiritual Beggars catalog.  They really are that good, and listening to the earlier stuff I can see how they were tagged as stoner rock.  My only wish is that the releases came along a little more often than every three or four years.  Check out this other side of Michael Amott, it is well worth doing.

- ODIN

Ripple Tech - Tweaker Travel Speakers - The Best Little Noise on the Planet

Different column today, but I wanna share something pretty darn cool.

If you're like me and travel quite a bit and listen to a lot of music, you probably know that really small/compact portable speakers are a dicey affair.  I've gone through at least 10 different makes/models over the last couple of years.  They all promise big sound and lightweight, but in the end have all been pieces of crap.  It's just nearly impossible to find something incredibly small that has worthwhile sound quality.  If they sound decent, then they take up way too much space in my over-stuffed luggage or computer bag.   And if they sound decent, they probably cost an arm, leg, kidney and unborn child.

I realize big sound will never come from a tiny speaker, but still, I keep hoping.  Something to plug into my iPhone or laptop.  Anything that is ridiculously small, lightweight, sounds good, and doesn't cost me a fortune.

I finally found it.

Now, it takes a lot to get me excited about a pair of travel speakers.  But here they are.  Grandmax Tweakers SPKR-RI-BK, 3.4 W Pull-n-Play Speakers are my newest baby.

Why?

First, the product design is killer and amazingly well thought out.  The speakers are tiny, I mean tiny.  Maybe 1 and 1/2 inches tall and wide, dome-shaped marvels.  They stack together with a magnetic connection and squeeze into a little pouch that takes up no more than 4 x 2 inches of bag space.  Item weight is said to be one pound, but it feels lighter to me.  That's it!  Yeah, I've seen smaller single speaker units, but not double speakers.  Not for real stereo sound separation.  Not a bad start, but the engineering gets better from there.

Each speaker twists open and pops up to reveal an acoustic chamber that creates the bass. Sure, it's not stoner metal-vibrate-the-walls-and-set-off-car-alarm bass, but its good enough, and surprisingly rich for these little guys.

I bought these on a whim before a big trip.  I knew I need some real sound to write some reviews, listen to Ripple submissions, and check out some Master tapes for upcoming Ripple Music releases.    The pair cost me $40 at the airport and you can find them cheaper at Amazon.

Sure, they won't replace your home stereo, and don't go expecting too much from a pair of speakers that can fit into the palm of your hand.  But these are definitely the best speakers I've come across in my travels for the size, weight, and money.  Count me a fan.

No batteries are needed (a huge plus for me).  The speakers charge through my laptop, and --coolest of all-- they charge and connect through built-in, retractable charge/audio cables.  Man, that's cool!  Eliminates most of the packing needed to get stereo sound.  There's one cable included to connect the speakers to each other, that's it, and I wouldn't even need to use it if I wasn't charging.  They're that clever.

So the design is cool, but what's really important is the sound.  Is it better than my built in computer speakers?   Hell yes!  Granted,  my computer speakers are totally crappy, but the frequency-tuned amplifier in these little Tweakers delivers really clear sound, handles high volumes without distorting (too much), delivers enough bass for me to review stoner submissions on the road, and the stereo provides real separation and fullness.  I'm listening to the Vincebus Eruptum "Acid Sounds Vol. 1" CD as I write this and it sounds badass.

So, if you hit the road as often as I do, laptop and iPhone in hand, and you want to hear music.  And if space, weight, and volume in the suitcase are as important to you as they are to me.  Check these babies out.

And let me know what you think.

--Racer

http://www.grandmax.com/online/
https://www.facebook.com/grandmaxam

MOS GENERATOR 10th Anniversary Re-Issue Test Pressing to be Auctioned Off for Wounded Warrior Project Charity

Continuing with the company tradition of giving back to the community, Ripple Music will auction an extremely Rare Original Test Pressing of the Mos Generator 10th Anniversary vinyl, with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). With the mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, WWP is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. Offering a variety of programs and services, WWP is equipped to serve warriors with every type of injury – from the physical to the invisible wounds of war.

Only 5 of these test pressings exist, and this is the only one made available to the public.  You can jump into the auction, win a cool heavy rock collectible and benefit the guys who throw their lives on the line every day so that we can have the liberties that we do at the same time. To do so, just visit us at the Ripple Music Ebay Store! The auction will start on Monday, April 23rd and end on Monday, April 30th.

The Mos Generator test press auction is the latest in a growing line of charity auctions that Ripple Music has created.  Previously, rare JPT Scare Band, Stone Axe, and the Heavy Ripples test pressings were auctioned with proceeds going to Gulf Disaster, Japan Tsunami and the Joplin Tornado disaster relief agencies.  With the sacrifices made by the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, Ripple founders John Rancik and Todd Severin thought the time was right to release another rare test pressing from their vault and raise money for a worthwhile effort.

Donations can be made to the charity outside of this auction by visiting www.woundedwarriorproject.org


Press raves about Mos Generator 10th Anniversary Edition:

"Frontman/guitarist Tony Reed continued to assert himself as one of the underrated guitar heroes of the past couple of decades." -- New York Music Daily

"Reed wears his influences on his sleeve not only in terms of what he plays but in the way he engineers his records – every instrument comes through CRYSTAL clear, there are no fancy studio frills or tricks, or the “wall of guitars” effect that is found on so much music deemed ‘heavy’ of late. To be sure, everyone in this band is playing loud and note-perfect through very cool old gear (the cover gives you a handy rundown of what they use!), but it’s the sheer energy and talent that has gone into writing the music that makes this record heavy."  --  The Sleeping Shaman

"Of all the second-wave Sabbath types, these guys were and remain by far the most original, with tricky prog tempos, tunefully sludgy Tony Iommi-style lo-register riffage and a sense of humor to rival their sense of purpose. If metal is your thing and you slept on this stuff when it first came out – and a lot of people did, this was before myspace, let alone youtube – now’s a good time to rediscover them."  --  Lucid Culture

Feuerzeug - Dead Wahines and Tsunamis

 

Mark my words.

When future music historians look back at the the career of Swiss sci-fi-toned stoner, heavy rockers, Feuerzeug, they're gonna to look at the album Dead Wahines and Tsumanis as the crux point of their career.

Feuerzeug (swiss for the lighter) blew me away with their hyper-charged stoner debut Drive Fast and Crash which I likened to "a herd of a thousand brontosaurs rampaging in your living room."  As best I can tell, the whole stoner community got right in line behind these guys, digging the urgency they laid into their riffing, the Motorhead-speed and power, the sci-fi twinges in their guitar tone and vibe.  And to be honest, the boys could've gotten away with simply making Drive Faster and Crash Harder, and no one would've complained.

But they didn't.

I don't know if Dead Wahines and Tsunamis is a concept album or not, but the grandness of their scope and vision is readily apparent in song titles like "Cyclops Will Be Beheaded" "Lieuplorodon VS Giant Orthocone," and Magma, Lava, and Burned Karma."   Nothing that made Drive Fast and Crash so immediate is missing from this new album, but so much has been added.

If there was one drawback to Drive Fast, it was that the relentless pace and systematic pounding of the riffing made for a rather single-minded listen.  It would seem that the boys recognized that, or just felt the natural progression to stretch out more, push the boundaries, play with styles.  Create something new.

And they've done just that.  Yes, Feuerzeug is on the border of actually becoming a brutally heavy, stoner prog band.  And if the musical development that is so apparent on Dead Wahines continues, I expect the next album by these Swiss madmen will be one of the more amazing albums of the decades.

But back to Dead Wahines.  "Cyclops Will Be Beheaded" starts things off straight in the Drive Fast and Crash vein.  Hyper-intense riffing with that now familiar futuristic-fuzz tone to the guitar whips out in a frenzy of meth-adled acrid smoke.  Pounding, and I mean pounding.  No one pounds out the riffs like Feuezeug.  It's something about the way the guiar, the bass and the drums all attack the song with the same ferocity and timing.  It's a thing of power, that's for sure. No languid stoner riff-groove here.  Ferocity is the key. "Cyclops" winds through it's 4 minutes with a multitude of riff changes, sideways assaults and full-frontal attacks, and includes a truly memorable chorus that's about as sing-along as stoner metal gets.  All of which crashes dead on into "Landkreuzer" another nitro-blast of sci-fi fuzzed riff-abundance.  Touches of Monster Magnet in a bloody fistfight with Motorhead reign supreme here.  Raw power and froth at the mouth intensity is the order of the game.

All of which is great, but without a change in dynamics, I'd venture to say the album would wear a bit thin on me after a couple of listens.   And Feuerzeug know this, as "Landkreuzer" ends with a tasty bit of fuzzed blitzing, "Evel Knievel Had Kissed the Devil" percolates out next.  No matter what images that title might conjure in my head, the song was nothing like I expected.  Riding a scratchy, near-acoustic guitar riff, the band joins in gingerly, gently, creating something that is almost jazzy in its spartan beauty.  The rage and power kick back in at around the 30 second mark, but the riffing is different; more spacious, more room to breathe.  Then . . .what is that?  A funk scratch guitar?   A soulful bass run?   A jazzy break?  Holy crap!  This is exactly what the album needed.  A refreshing change in dynamic that doesn't ignore the rage and explosive energy when it ramps up, but knows how to slow down.  Toss in a searing, fuzzed out guitar solo and this is the most unique song I've ever heard from the boys.  The song builds and falls and rises and crests all the way to the finish.

Where "I'll Scratch Until I Bleed a Flood" picks up, with its terrifying riff cutting through the silence like a scythe.  But again, we got something new and totally cool going on here.  Staying away from their all out assault and power, the boys play with the balance of restraint and bludgeoning.  Time changes.  Muted moments of silence.  Riff mutations.  It's all here with a vocal line that reminds me of The Automatic Automatic of all bands.  Cool stuff.

"Nitroghostcar" jumps back into the Drive Fast and Crash blitzkreig vein, which is awesome after the change-up of the last two songs.  And just as the title suggests, this is a pedal to the medal, tires smoking drag-race of riffing, a cool twisting guitar solo, and  . . what's that?  A keyboard center fill?  I can't really tell, but it's a nice new texture.  "Fusion Van" reimagines Fu Manchu in style and big retro-70's riffing, which blends right into the masterful two part stoner/prog epic "Cruising the Desert."  Part 1 races ahead in a mostly straight forward Kyuss attack until the very end, when the pace slows and the acoustic come out which blends right into the sweeping, majestic neo-psychedelic (think Dead Man) Part 2.   Like a hot wind blowing across the desert floor, the song floats on the breeze of those acoustics, undulating and drifting in a very prog like passage, until the heat builds back up about 1:13 in.  Mountains of heavy guitar descend like a darkened, storm-cloud filled sky, laying down thunder and the rare crash of lightning.  A very cool passage and great change up for the album.

"Release the Kraken" takes this new neo-prog direction even farther, traveling through it's 9:48 of  heaviness like some demented sci-fi/mythological short story.   Probably the most ambitious song I've ever heard from the Swiss men.  Walls of fuzz eventually give away to a muted passage of crushing doom-laden riffery and sludge-paced malevolence.

That's enough song-by-song to get a taste of what awaits you.  In the end, I still think that Feuerzeug sometimes tends a bit towards a bludgeoning sameness with some of their riffing, but underneath that, there's something really cool going on here.  Dead Wahines and Tsunamis sounds like the work of a group that is deciding to collectively stretch themselves out of their comfort zone, and doing it with great success.   For that reason, this sounds like a crux album to me.  A moment of transition as the band break from the constraints of their past and move into the limitless possibilities of the future.

With that in mind, I fully expect their next album to be a stoner/psych/prog masterpiece of epic proportions.

Mark my works.

--Racer

Greenleaf - Nest Of Vipers

Pre-release emails from Small Stone are always something to get excited about so I usually download them right away. I snagged this advance for Greenleaf without checking the hype sheet and just started listening right away. First thing, I thought was "damn, this sounds a lot like Dozer!" I really loved their last album Beyond Colossal and played the hell out of it. After a few minutes, it was obvious that Greenleaf was somehow connected to Dozer. After referring to the bio, I was not surprised to learn that several members of Dozer, Truckfighters and the guy that has engineered their albums. Can't go wrong with that configuration.

While Dozer builds off of Black Sabbath, Greenleaf seems to use Alice Cooper as a base (mainly Love It To Death and Killer). This is good news for me since I LOVE Alice Cooper. The production is pretty dry with lots of room for all the instruments, very reminiscent of Love It To Death. Opening song "Jack Staff" even has some "Sun Arise" style muted string scraping. We're off to a good start! My all-time favorite Swedish band Union Carbide Productions were also huge Alice Cooper fans, as well as The Stooges, MC5, Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart. Dozer and Greenleaf continue in that tradition but veer more towards the heavier side of classic rock with a lot of Black Sabbath, 70's Judas Priest, early Grand Funk Railroad and Deep Purple. Probably The Doors, too. Can't go wrong with those influences filtered through potent beer and long months of darkness.

Fast and hard songs like "Lilith" sit along trippy workouts like "Tree Of Life" but most of the album is mid-tempo heavy rock. The guitars are very heavy but not overly distorted or tuned down, leaving lots of room for a nice big bass tone and booming drums. The vocals are cleanly sung with a bit of distortion to give them some bite. There's not a bad song on the album and the closing title track is an especially moody pounding jam with some excellent organ playing. Jon Lord and Craig Frost would be proud. The album is only available on iTunes right now but the physical CD will be coming out in June. Don't snooze on this one.

--Woody

Greenleaf on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenleaf/201303846564632

Been Obscene - Night O' Mine

This is exactly why I love the Ripple Effect so much.

Chances are, I would have never heard the second album by Been Obscene if Racer hadn't sent to me. I couldn't be more tickled that he did and I'm even happier that it's an actual cd. Night O' Mine is an extremely unique medley of fantastic rock music, accompanied by awesome vocals. The Austrian alt/psych foursome play incredibly memorable tunes that will burrow in your head and stay there.

I think the first track is especially infectious and it completely draws me in to the misty, atmospheric world of Been Obscene. I feel naughty. The past couple weeks at work I've repeatedly caught myself singing verses from "Endless Scheme".

"Waiting for the morning light, but you don't dare to go...Drift into the innocence, but you don't care at all..."

I'm not singing too loud...but still.  This one has stuck with me like a venereal disease and I don't know when or if I'll ever shake it. Not that I really want to. The warm, fuzzy guitar notes and tones instantly remind me of my all-time favorite band, Kyuss. The grooves are hypnotic and the hooks grab me and lift me up to heights that I haven't been to in a while.

"Snake Charmer" follows lightly for the first three minutes, before the tempo shifts dramatically into a heavy, head-bobbing groove and then a trippy, heavy-psych breakdown. Another killer song, "Cut The Rope", could be compared more to QOTSA, in my opinion. Josh Homme has been an obvious influence on the guitars in Been Obscene, and I love that about them.

The title track is one of the heaviest and grooviest on Night O' Mine, even though it has plenty of tempo shifts. It starts furiously, with bashing drums and driving bass, and the guitars are crushing. While a lot of the song is instrumental, I still think the sparse vocals are some of the best on the album.

On the sixth, "The Run", Been Obscene surprise me yet again. They've made a habit of that. You'd think I'd know by now that they really know what they're doing. A comfortable beginning to a cool desert evening, almost too light for me, but delves into the heavy Kyuss realm about haflway through. Did I say awesome vocals yet?

"Memories in Salvation" is the lone instrumental track and it's friggin' beautiful and moving, which can also be said as "Alone" begins. Touching, too. I think I've said this plenty in my reviews, but the last is often the greatest for me. I won't say this one is heavy at all, it's not, but the music moves me and that's all that really matters. Can it touch my emotions? Yes, it can and it did.

I'm so amazed that I don't even notice that the cd is still playing, long after "Alone" has ended. I'm still wondering why the hell I hadn't heard anything from this band before. I have to wait until the 17:11 mark before I get to hear the bit of hidden music. Cool. I won't spoil it for you but I'll just say there's some piano.

Discovering fresh and talented rock bands like Been Obscene is what it's all about for me. I can't get the songs on Night O' Mine out of my head and I'll bet that once you listen to them, you won't be able to either.

Check the Been Obscene Bandcamp stream, listen to the whole album and then buy a digital copy. Light the band's website up for physical needs.

--Heddbuzz

http://www.beenobscene.com/
http://beenobscene.bandcamp.com/album/night-omine?permalink
https://www.facebook.com/beenobscene

King Giant - Dismal Hollow

 

It's good to be the king.

Dismal Hollow, the second album by northern Virginia's King Giant, was met with much fanfare from loyal followers when it was released last month on the band's own Graveyard Hill Records. And rightfully so. The eight tracks of southern-infused mountain metal are bound to be on plenty of top-10 lists this year, including mine.

I'm a native from the hills and hollows of rural Appalachia - and a huge southern-metal fan - so this record has a special place in my heart. Down on Dismal Hollow (yes, there are such places), King Giant take "the dark tales of their Appalachian folk forefathers to contemporary southern doom territory".

What we have here is NOT a failure to communicate. It's an extremely awesome collection.

Each song really does tell a story and there's plenty to be heard. The tales are about about war, whiskey and women; they're about love and loss. And they're about life, which can get as dark as a coal mine sometimes.

If you remember anything from American History class, then I shouldn't have to tell you about the subject of the first story, "Appomattox". Remember that thing called the Civil War? The impressive, dual hammering guitars of Todd Ingram (lead) and David Kowalski (rhythm) are potent and powerful alongside the thunderstruck grooves of Flloyd Walters III (bass) and Brooks & drums. Dave Hammerly (vocals) is a forceful presence as he weaves his tale of young soldiers on the battlefield.

I think the tracks, "A Steward's Prayer" and "6 O'Clock Swill", are a couple of the highlights on Dismal Hollow. The songs brings me back to a time when I first started listening to - and worshiping - Corrosion of Conformity. When I first started loving southern stoner metal. As usual with King Giant, the guitars and all-around sound on these two are especially amazing.

As I'm also a big instrumental fan, one of my favorites is "Road To Eleusis", the second from the last song. The juicy guitars start sorrowful and lonely, literally crying out and moaning, while faint chimes lend to the initial somber feeling. It's emotional - though void of any lyrics - and it definitely touches me. It also features what I believe is one of the most furious guitar solos on the whole album.

Man, this is great. Appalachia is rich with American history and I think King Giant have made more of it with Dismal Hollow. If you don't have it yet, then you're missing out on a titan of a metal record.

Pay some respect to your king. King Giant.

--Heddbuzz

http://www.kinggiant.com/
http://www.facebook.com/kinggiantband
http://www.kinggiant.bandcamp.com/

Corrosion of Conformity

Man, I am stoked that this new Corrosion of Conformity album is so good! They were one of the first hardcore punk bands that I discovered on my own, thanks to the recommendation of Bob Muldowney in the pages of his Kick Ass fanzine in 1984. When Animosity came out a year later it was blasting on my stereo pretty much non-stop and I even interviewed drummer Reed Mullin for my high school newspaper. It was also one of the first "hardcore" tapes my friends who were into Ozzy/Dio/Priest/Scorps could tolerate. Well, at least most of it. Side two was a bit much for them but I loved it. So when it was announced that C.O.C.'s ever changing line up was reverting back to the Animosity trio of bassist/vocalist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman and Mullin I was very excited. I missed their NY show on the first go round but heard they were great. When it was announced that they were going to do a new record I really didn't know what to expect. I think the last C.O.C. album I heard all the way through was Blind and that was about 20 years ago.

Album opener "Psychic Vampire" starts off with a heavy groove before switching up with a fast punk part before returning to the groove. A very nice Bad Brains via Mahvishnu Orchestra way to begin. "River Of Stone" and the instrumental "El Lamento de las Cabras" are slower and moodier and make a fast thrasher like "Leeches" sound even faster and heavier. "Leeches" (sung by Reed) is really the only song similar to their vintage thrash era. Unsurprisingly, "The Doom" is slow and heavy but has some fast parts, too. C.O.C. was heavily into the first 2 Trouble albums when they came out when at a time when most metal fans were not into them. I always thought it was funny how a hardcore band got a lot of metallers into bands like Trouble and Saint Vitus because they'd wear their t-shirts.

The rest of the album is just kick ass heavy rock. Not fully metal, not punk, not classic rock. These guys always liked to play in the "beyond category" vein and that's what I really like about this album. The production is great, too. Woody's guitar tone is hard n heavy and blends well with Mike's booming bass. Reed's drumming is top notch. He throws in a lot of cool Clive Burr drum fills mixed in with some Earl from Bad Brains high hat work. There's even some "Pay To Cum" style cowbell!

I hope this album finds an audience. I know a lot of their fans are skeptical because Pepper Keenan isn't in the band right now and they probably never liked early C.O.C. They lost many their original hardcore fans after the Technocracy EP and this album might not win them back if all they like is punk rock. Their loss is my gain, I guess. I got my ticket for the NYC show on March 1 and I can't wait to see these guys rage the stage again.

--Woody

Fuzz Manta - Opus II

Heavy, hippie hard rock. Right on.

There are a lot of great female-fronted rock bands emerging from the underground lately and one of my favorites is Denmark's Fuzz Manta, who add plenty of heavy blues and 70s psychedelia into the mix.

If Opus II hasn't been covered at the Ripple Effect already, then I apologize. First, it's a spectacular hard rock album by a solid band, and second, it was released early last year and Fuzz Manta already have a new one out. Hey, I can only work with what I have.

Now that I do have a promotional copy, it's time to finally show some love. On Opus II, Fuzz Manta promptly deliver eight tracks and 45 minutes of excellent hard rock goods.

"Motumann" kicks things off with fuzzy riffs and a hip-shaking groove. Sultry vocals. About halfway through the band break down into the psychedelic realm of rock before a blistering solo. Much of "Man With No Face" is up-tempo, with a Deep Purple feel, thanks to some well placed organ riffs, and the acoustic "Quiet Monday" immediately brings to mind ELP, and perhaps Led Zeppelin. This is one of my favorites, even though it's the most mellow.

It's too bad that "Lithia's Box" is only available on the cd and download versions. Not only is it one of the longest songs on Opus II, but it has some one of the heaviest, bluesy-ass riffs and I think it's one of the band's best, with killer breakdowns about five minutes in. I had thought about getting the vinyl but without this song...I don't know.

"Turn Around" just might be 'the one' for me, though. Super-heavy riffage here, man. I think Fuzz Manta bring it with best of them.

I've included a live performance of the last track, "Let Me Walk", so you can get a sense of the electricity generated by this band. The sounds quality isn't the greatest, but you can still feel the buzz throughout. I know I can.

Lene (vocals) has a captivating stage presence and reminds me of a young Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. She's as sexy as her voice, too.  Pelle (drums) doesn't even use his sticks during part of his incredible solo, about four minutes into the song. Check it out. He lays them down for a few and just uses his bare hands. Awesome. Freddy (guitar), sporting his YES shirt, and Morten (bass), with his hair flying all over, both give spectacular performances.

After the live video, listen to a few more tracks from Opus II here: http://soundcloud.com/fuzzmanta/sets/opus-ii-promo/ Or check out the band's website and Facebook page. Then get your cd or vinyl copy from Kozmik Artifactz, if you don't already have it. I sure hope to be writing about the latest release by Fuzz Manta in the near future.

Peace and love.

--Heddbuzz



http://www.fuzzmanta.com/

https://www.facebook.com/fuzzmanta

http://www.kozmik-artifactz.com/

Federale - Not Your Vessel

Regressive rock fans have been patiently waiting for the 2nd album from Brooklyn's Federale and at last it has arrived. Federale have been kicking it out for a long time. They've always been great but each show is always better than the last and they've consistently written one great song after another. Their self titled debut came out in the summer of 2007 and was all killer no filler. The same can definitely be said for the new one titled Not Your Vessel.

Opening track "Rupert, I'm Home" is a foot stomping re-write of Mountain's classic "Never In My Life" complete with excellent Corky Laing inspired cowbell. Fast, hard n heavy is always a great way to start off an album. "Poco De Goya" thankfully has nothing to do with the soft rock sounds of Poco but plenty of early ZZ Top, James Gang and even more Mountain to maintain the boogie fever. "Lariats In Ruin" and "Bad Bad Operator" will make fans of the first Montrose album very happy. "Sir, You Realize…" starts off with a very cool bass/drum groove that's almost like Flipper doing "Running With The Devil" before switching gears into straight ahead heavy rock. "Exclamato" is more great ZZ Top riffery and the album winds up with the intense "Cat's Lament" (nice cowbell on this one, too).

The dueling guitars of Jesse Cohen and John Stendrini are loud and hard and the rhythm section of Tim Stys (bass) and Aaron Pagdon (drums) are tighter than duck's ass. It's a shame that Tim recently quit the band. I'm not sure what that means for the future of Federale. Hopefully they'll get a new bassist soon and start melting ear drums again very soon. This is a digital only release for the time being. Maybe if enough people buy it they can afford to release it on gatefold vinyl so I can deseed my next tre bag on it.

--Woody

Buy from Bandcamp

http://federale.bandcamp.com/album/not-your-vessel

Federale on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Federale/173346472679594

 

Ripple Field Trip - Live Review: Goatwhore, 2-6-12

The Vernon Club, just off the interstate in Louisville, Kentucky, is about the space of a really spacious apartment. It's under a bowling alley.  A double Jack Daniel's cost $12 (£ 7.5). Not much compared to Boston or New York, but still....

(Maybe) interestingly, this whole endeavor became, at least while wading through the opening bands, a sort of amateur sociological study:

At a casual glance, band members and audience members tended to look like metal fans tend to look-- i.e.,  homeless and probably suffering from at least several personality disorders: old black clothes, dreads, very long hair and beards, et cetera.

What might not be as obvious is how much money they spent to look this way-- by my estimation, there were thousands of dollars' worth of tats (full color sleeves, back tats, everything) and musical equipment ($2000 Hamer, Paul Reed Smith, Fender and Gibson guitars --and two or so of these per musician), not to mention the amps and electronics through which they played them.

It's the John Cougar Mellancamp haircut issue: an hour on your hair, spent to look like you just got out of bed.

The dress code, too, was even more narrow than the first time I went to a metal concert-- I was wearing, comically literally, the only white t-shirt and white shoes in the whole venue (and after noticing this after about an hour, I consciously scanned the place to see if I was being paranoid-- nope).

And I am NOT giving up my Hanes v-necks. Fuck YOU.

Of all people, I would argue Billy Joel summarizes this phenomenon the most succinctly:
      Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
      You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money.
Ah, metal-- 25 years after my first concert, still a fashion show. (Not that other genres aren't.)

I drove two hours to see Goatwhore and have been standing this whole time because chairs are apparently not metal. Don't get me wrong-- I'm in good shape and I work out five days a week-- but I'm essentially middle-aged and after five hours of just standing, watching bands, my goddamned feet hurt.

They still do, as I write this.

And so after five (fucking five!) local opening bands, one of whom I'll write about later, New Orleans' Satanic-blackened-death-thrash-metal outfit Goatwhore go on at 11:15 pm.

At this point there was so much smoke from the smoke/fog/haze machine my sinuses are still nearly completely blocked-- but Goddamn...

it looked COOL.

Black (ened) metal needs theatrics... it needs features that highlight and exaggerate the ceremonial aspects of the performance... just ask Watain and their blood-fests. They set the stage.

I would argue, anthropologically-speaking, that they play up an essential human need to connect to the Divine, and are accoutrements we find psychologically necessary to facilitate that process.

But that's just me.

You know... it's whatevs, as the kids say today. (So I hear.)

So with no curtain, Goatwhore walked onto the stage and started talking, via the PA, with the sound engineer: they were particularly (in my experience, anyway) specific and demanding about their "wedges" (i.e., stage sound monitors)-- noticeably the specific combination of what they wanted to hear as they played: guitarist Sammy Duet, in a rather intimidating tone, I venture to say, needed snare and bass in his; singer Ben Falgoust wanted the vocals way down in the mix, but wanted the guitars way up; and bassist James Harvey, all six foot four of him, never said a word-- just kept gesturing up and down until he nodded approval with whatever he was hearing.

Once this was settled, Ben Falgoust looked at the other members of Goatwhore, a few seconds passed...

...and with a subtle gesture from the singer-- shit EXPLODED.

I mean, surprisingly so, considering the band members were discussing trivialities for about a full five minutes in front of the audience.

But once they started playing... they became-- Something Else.

In all seriousness... irony aside:  fucking... WOW.

THIS is why you see bands in person.

Maybe the openers were there only to reinforce the star power, for lack of a better word, of Goatwhore.

The other bands were fine, very technically and musically competent-- but there was always that seeming hesitation, that subverbal lack of confidence: and after five bands' worth of this, you start to think maybe it's just you.

And then Ben Falgoust starts singing, and his sheer stage presence is comically obvious compared to the previous five other bands.

Metal doesn't use the term "star power" or "stage presence" that much (thank God), but here, it's genuinely deserved-- once Goatwhore started playing, it was obvious they had that certain something (particularly Falgoust):  you wanted to watch him; you wanted to hear whatever he had to say, you wanted to do what he told you to do (generally involving screaming HEY and fist pumping)--

it

was

fucking

COOL.

What'd they play, you might've asked, droolingly...?

Let's see: "Collapse in Eternal Worth" and "When Steel and Bone Meet," from the upcoming Blood For the Master; what I think was "Into a Darker Sun," from The Eclipse of Ages into Black; "Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult" from A Haunting Curse; "Blood Guilt Eucharist," from Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun; "The All-Destroying," "Carving out the Eyes of God," [see below] and "Provoking the Ritual of Death," from Carving Out the Eyes of God.

Falgoust's stage banter between numbers was funny and/ or hilarious: a bit about Blood For the Master being released on Valentine's Day --"Maybe it's a reference to your significant other's time of the month," got a lot of laughs; and when he asked if anyone had pre-ordered the upcoming album, one guy screamed something-- after this Falgoust said, "Hey listen, I don't care if you buy it, I don't care if you steal it, I'm not here to accuse you, I just want you to rock the album... I got an idea: everyone [here], just borrow that guy's copy, and in a couple of months, when we come back, everyone'll be on the same page."

AND they played the intro to Sab's "Into the Void," causing an embarrassing amount of THRILL on my part.

Finally, they closed with "Apocalyptic Havoc." When they hit the line in the second chorus--

"Who needs a god, when you've got Satan?!"

Which EVERYONE, from the bouncers, to the kids up front, to the bartenders, knew--

it was practically liturgically ecstatic-- (perhaps ironically)... but the thrill was still there in screaming the line, with both hands making the HORNS.

All in all, there were about 100 people there at the end (about 25 of whom, no exaggeration, were in opening bands)-- not bad for a cold Monday night with no other major bands playing.

I recorded about 30 seconds of "Carving Out the Eyes of God," which you can see below (I would've recorded more, but I'm not a fucking documentarian-- I came to rock out, baby).

--Horn

Loincloth - Iron Balls Of Steel

Only one month into the year and I already have my #1 album of 2012. What's a heavy music fan to do? Enjoy it for the rest of my life, that's what.

The first time I heard a riff-laden Iron Balls Of Steel, the full-length debut by LOINCLOTH, I was streaming it on the computer, and not too long after that the vinyl was spinning in my record player and the album cover was in my hands. That might have been the quickest music purchase I ever made. In fact, I know it was. I ordered the record online almost a month before it was released.

I've really liked a lot of music coming from Southern Lord Records, but the problem is: I haven't cared for a lot of the vocals. Well, the Lord answered my prayers on January 17 and my problem's been solved. Seriously heavy riffs - no fucking vocals. Yeah, you know how I love that instrumental stuff.

This is 16 tracks and nearly 40 minutes of pure bone-jarring riffage. There's no pretty acoustic guitars. No dreamy intros or fancy solos. I said pure riffage and I meant it. Quick, start-stop riffs you swore were just there. Lumbering riffs that kinda linger in the air. On this record, chugging riffs are everywhere. You'd better have Iron Balls Of Steel cause you're gonna get kicked in the junk when you listen to it.

Former members of North Carolina's death/doom outfit Confessor, Steve Shelton (drums) and Cary Rowells (bass), have joined up with Virginia's man of many riffs, Tannon Penland, to create one of the most unique heavy albums I've heard in a very long time. This is one of my favorite metal releases in maybe 10 years or more. I love it that much.

About: "The idea behind the formation of riff-mangling instrumental/progressive act, LOINCLOTH, was to create a band that focused only on the things that made the members' favorite form of music inspiring and powerful, steering clear of cliché formulas, and choosing instead to carve its name out sheer force of will. Punishing riffs and a mean rhythm section were all they were interested in...To them, metal was getting punched in the face by sinister riffs while a tight rhythm section kicked them with counter-beats to the gut!"

Iron Balls Of Steel is raw and stripped down to it's... well...LOINCLOTH. (Gasp) It's ter-RIFF-ic metal for all the people like me who want nothing more than to rock the fuck out and not listen to a growling, groaning or wailing singer while I'm doing it. I don't need no stinking vocals.

I asked Penland if there were ever any plans to have a singer on this record.

"No, the plan from the beginning was to create something that focused on abstract rhythmical spaces with no interference from vocals or guitar leads," he said. "We had thought about bringing in a singer as a guest to possibly do a cover. I strangely, have never played a cover song (in any of my bands-present or former). We just didn't have time to do it. It would be interesting to hear a singer in context of Loincloth. I would imagine it would be pretty fucking frustrating for a lot of people to attempt."

Could you describe your music in your own words?

Penland: "Loincloth is a difficult beast to describe. At the root it is quite primitive It celebrates the metal we love in a rather abstract way. How to kaleidoscopically explore a singular riff through its endless rhythmical possibilities and keep it HEAVY was our goal. As a singular tag, I really don't know? 'Steve Shelton Metal'? haha..."

He has a particular fondness for the dummer, no respect to the bass-player, however. "It was a joy to make this record. Steve and I were are able to create not only what we wanted to hear, but something that we wanted to communicate to a larger dialogue in metal. For me it is particularly special because I have always been a 'drum nut' and Steve is my favorite drummer on the planet. To play with Shelton was a true gift every time I walked into the practice space."

As much as I love this album, the chances seeing the band in person in the near future seem to be slim and none.

"I do wish we could take this record out live, but it is a virtually impossible task at the moment. We live in different states and the other guys have pretty rock-solid work schedules. Also, for Loincloth to sound "right" live we would need a second guitar player and we don't have one of those."

Too bad. I'd love to see and hear them play live. I'll just have to stick with my vinyl and hope I don't wear it out any time soon. I suppose my digital copy is always an option.

The Japanese version of Iron Balls Of Steel (Daymare Recordings) contains remastered versions of old material, Penland added.

I'm not gonna try to compare this record to anything else because I don't think I've heard anything quite like it. To me, it's is a one-of-a-kind metal masterpiece and I won't soon forget the day I got it in the mail and placed it gingerly on the turntable. The only thing that would make it better: if it would have come with an actual loincloth. I gotta get me one of those now, and I'll rock out with my cock (almost) out. Best band name of the year for me, too. Maybe ever.

LOINCLOTH. Fuck yes. I can pretty much guarantee that I won't like anything more than Iron Balls Of Steel this year. Guess I'll keep looking for the rest of my top-10.

*footnote: I love this record so much that I personally made these videos (with permission) so you could hear LOINCLOTH for yourself.

--Heddbuzz