Ripple Theater - Motorhead: World Is Ours Vol. 1, Everything Further Than Everyplace DVD/CD

 

Last year Classic Rock magazine ran an ad for an upcoming Motorhead DVD called Live In Old New York filmed at a show I was at in February 2011. The show was great but given the fact that I was there with about a dozen of my best friends and had just as many beers I was looking for something to refresh my memory. Turns out they had a change in plans and released this show from Santiago, Chile later in the tour instead. Probably a good idea since Motorhead is huge in South America and those fuckers are crazier than a NY audience these days.

Motorhead's been on a roll the past few years. Their albums The World Is Yours and Motorizer have been big improvements over some of the others that have come out this century. They don't change the set list that much, so swapping in a few new songs from these two albums is a nice change of pace. "Iron Fist" is back in the opening spot of their concerts followed by the trusty "Stay Clean." If you're in doubt that Motorhead still packs a mighty crash bang wallop in concert, all you need to see is these 2 songs to know that's not true. Newer songs like "Get Back In Line," "The Thousand Names of God" and "Rock Out" sit along nicely with the old classics "Metropolis," "Over The Top" (always a highlight), "Killed By Death" and, of course, "Ace Of Spades." Slower songs like "The Chase Is Better Than the Catch" and the "Stranglehold" inspired "Just Cos You Got the Power" give everyone a chance to bang their heads a little slower and save some energy for the inevitable "Overkill." I've never been a fan of the song "Going To Brazil" but it's towards the set and a welcome chance to hit the can and get a fresh beer, whether it's at the concert or at home.

Filmed by Sam Dunn's Banger Films (Iron Maiden Flight 666, Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage) in black and white, it looks kinda cool at first but after awhile I was wishing it was in color. There are 3 bonus songs from the NY show in color as well as 6 from Manchester that look great. I was pleased that they included "Killed By Death" from the NY show because the crowd went apeshit when Doro Pesch came out to sing it with Lemmy and featured Todd Youth on guitar. I was lucky enough to catch a Motorhead show in New Jersey when Todd was filling in for Phil Campbell when his mother passed away. Todd did a great job and it was nice to see him back onstage with the band and clearly having a great time. Michael Monroe makes a cameo on the Manchester version of "Born To Raise Hell. Man, that guy is skinny but he really knows how to twirl a mic stand. The bonus interviews catch them in various states of inebriation and contain a few witty quips but nothing you don't know already. The audio discs that come with the DVD are a nice bonus but chances are they won't get played too much. Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey sound great but it's hard to top No Sleep Til Hammersmith for the ultimate Motorhead live album. Motomaniacs probably already have this but if you're skeptical that they can still give you a neck ache and hangover like they did 30 years ago, get this muther pro to.

--Woody

Haemoth – In Nomine Odium

“This is the soundtrack to your worst nightmare: Life”.  So says the press release accompanying this album from French black metallers Haemoth.  If your life is unrelentingly bleak, filled with plague and pestilence, nasty and noxious, then this probably is your soundtrack.  This is music made by musicians unapologetically in league with Satan.  And it is so damn good.

I have written before about my love of French black metal.  I have never been to France, so I don’t know what it is about that fair country that provides us with such quality black metal, but this is definitely the grade A good stuff.  This is what black metal should sound like.  This is how black metal should make you feel.  Hopeless.   Haunted.  Forlorn.  The music is menacing, virulent, and vehement.  There is no doubt about how these guys feel about life on planet Earth when you listen to this music.  Any effort that can make you feel things to this degree is worth taking note of, whether you actually like the particular genre of music or not.  Music should take you somewhere and make you feel.  Maybe that’s what makes this stuff so good.

The song titles give you an idea of where this is headed before you even give it a listen.  “Odium”.   “Slaying The Blind”.  “Demonik Omniscience”.  “Spiritual Pestilence”.  “Disgrace”.  “Son Of The Black Light”.  “….And Then Came The Decease”.  This ain’t no party, or disco, or foolin’ around.  This is flat out war on humanity, Christianity, goodness, light, happiness, and all related topics and ideas.  There are ambient passages on this album that will absolutely creep you the fuck out, that will make you check to be sure the lights are on in the house and go check out any noises you hear.  Because there are times when you just aren’t sure if Satan and his minions might be coming up through your kitchen floor.

So personal confession time; I don’t know what it is about music like this, but it actually relaxes me.  It soothes me.  Maybe deep down inside I’m just a sociopathic hater of mankind, maybe I can’t wait until the Dark Lord rises up to take dominion over this world.  To see the dawn of a new day when, to quote Black Sabbath, “Satan laughing spreads his wings”.  Maybe I’m not the happy go lucky guy most people see me as.  Maybe I’m someone you should just stay away from.

But I think it’s more likely that I just love music that makes me feel.  I love music that exposes thoughts and ideas, even if they are a little controversial or outside of the mainstream.  Or maybe that’s just what I want you to think, so your guard is down when I bury an axe deep into your skull.

 - ODIN

Alestorm - Back Through Time

For a moment everyone on the ride thought there had been a mechanical malfunction.  One moment they’re slowly traveling through room after room celebrating Viking culture.  Then they enter a large open space featuring a miniaturized city besieged by a horde of Viking warriors; neatly laid out before their eyes.  All of a sudden the lights go out, the peaceful music disappears, and their pseudo-longship stops moving.  Moments later the lights come back on revealing four men dressed as pirates standing in front of the model city.  Two of them are holding guitars, another a keytar, and the last was behind a drum kit.  As if that were not strange enough a fifth man confidently strolled out in front of the others holding a microphone in his hand.  His voice was chilling.

“Avast ye land lubbers!  I be Captain Penfold.  Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
The last statement was met with nothing but blank stares and puzzlement.
“None of ya recognize me?”
Again, not even so much as a nod.
“Yer honestly going to sit there in your little dinghy and tell me that ya never heard tell of the infamous Captain Penfold of the pirate ship Ripple?”
Silence.
“Shiver me timbers!  Of course ya don’t know about Captain Penfold.  Yer Viking teachers have hornswoggled ya out of a proper education!”
“Excuse me sir, but…”
“Don’t ye call me sir ya overgrown bilge rat!  Call me Captain Penfold.”
“Oh…uh…all right.  Captain Penfold?”
“Aye?  Speak up.”
“Are you going to hurt us?”
Captain Penfold turned around to address the other four pirates.
“Ya hear that maties?  This one wants to know if we be goin’ t’ keel haul ‘em.” 
The pirates all laughed heartily.  Captain Penfold turned back to the speaker.
“No ya spineless urchin.  Ye be safe from bodily harm.  Today we be here to teach ya some proper history.  The truth of the matter is that pirates be the true kings of the sea.  Not yer precious Vikings.  Nothing but a bunch of scallywags them.”
A young girl spoke up.  “Hey!  Don’t you talk about the Vikings that way you big meanie!”
This caused the pirates to convulse because they were laughing so hard.
“Ya hear that me hearties?  The little lass don’t want us to talk ill of her pox ridden Vikings.  Blimey, me thinks she be right!  The time for talk be over.  If there be one thing that’s known to me, it be that scurvy dogs like yerselves learn better if lessons be sung to ya.  Now pay close attention to me mates behind me.  When they play music they be called Alestorm.  Smartly now men!  It be time to rock!  Teach these uneducated swabs what really happened between Vikings and pirates back in the day!”

Do I ever have a treat for your ears today waveriders!  A few weeks back I was ordered to visit Napalm Records website.  My mission was simple.  I was to go through their extensive roster of acts in order to discover any bands I found interesting.  Now that’s my kind of assignment!  Being the dedicated music fanatic I am I immediately began my search.  Nothing against the first twenty bands I looked at, but none of them really jumped off the web page to grab my attention.  Then I found Alestorm.  First of all the artwork for the cover of their album, Back Through Time, was striking!  You just don’t see too many supernatural pirates adorning album covers nowadays.  On top of that their music was described as “Scottish Pirate Metal”.  Scottish pirate metal?  What?!?!  I had to know what that sounded like AT ONCE!

Brace yourselves people.  This music is a glorious mess!  It sounds exactly like what a band composed of pirates should sound like.  These brigands travel from port to port picking up musical elements to include in their own compositions.  The music is thrashy.  Oftentimes a traditional power metal sound, minus the operatic vocals, comes through loud and clear.  There is a strong folk metal backbone throughout.  It’s technically impressive.  During several song choruses there is the atmosphere of a beer hall filled with swashbucklers singing drunken fight songs.  Horns add bombast here and there.  The last song is epic black metal.  Like I said, this music is a mess.  I LOVE IT!  Yes, I said it.  I L-O-V-E this album!

Back Through Time is Alestorm’s third record to be unleashed upon the world.  True to their press bio, these four musical outlaws hail from Scotland.  Perth, Scotland to be exact.  Actually, that is not entirely factual.  Two of these men are indeed Scottish.  The other two however, are Irish.  Gasp!  I know!  It’s outrageous!  Ah well, since the music is so great I find this distinction rather trivial.  The jury has been instructed to disregard my last statement concerning the ancestry of the members of Alestorm.  I’m sorry I even brought it up.  Let’s talk about something else and forget this paragraph ever happened.  How about the lyrics?

Normally I’m pretty conservative in my assertions, but in this instance I guarantee that the lyrical content of these songs is vastly different than anything you waveriders are used to hearing.  Yes, there are many stories of battle sung across the whole spectrum of metal.  But unless I’m mistaken, those songs do not involve vicious pirate/Viking warfare.  Yes, there are countless songs about imbibing large quantities of alcohol.  No argument here.  What I don’t recall hearing until now is a song devoted strictly to rum.  Come to think of it, up until hearing Back Through Time I could count on one fingerless hand exactly how many heavy metal songs devoted to piracy or privateering that I had ever heard.  I had no idea what I was missing!

The bottom line waveriders is that Alestorm’s Back Through Time is one of the most enjoyable albums I have had the pleasure of listening to in quite a while.  Whether I’m furiously headbanging to songs like “Shipwrecked” and “Buckfast Powersmash”, or singing along with great abandon to “The Sunk’n Norwegian” and “Barrett’s Privateers” I’m having fun.  That’s right, fun!  Don’t you waveriders want to have some fun too?  Of course you do!  Pick up a copy of Back Through Time.  This album is worthy of being considered buried treasure.  Sorry…couldn’t resist.

--Penfold

The Importance of a Sense of History in K-Pop

Shinhwa made their comeback last month, and while there were a good number of fans freaking out, me included, the other half of the K-Pop fandom was nonchalant, even negative towards them. I'd hear things like "why are they still around" or "who are those old guys" and honestly, if these fans had just bothered to do a simple google search, then maybe they'd know the significance of Shinhwa's comeback to K-Pop as a whole. I understand that newer K-Pop fans have no affinity to Shinhwa, that they weren't round during their golden days, but just a reminder, neither was I. Not having experienced a Shinhwa comeback is no excuse for not bothering to look up the very basic facts and figures. Just because they weren't around when you became a fan, doesn't mean they don't deserve the same treatment as other acts.

Sure, fine, living in the present is great and the past should stay in the past and all that, but you will only be able to understand the present if you know what happened in the past. "Write the present, master the past" -- that was what I always told the writers under me back when I was working in K-Pop news. Whether you like it or not, the past has affected the present, and as writers and fans who live in the present, it's only right that you understand what's happening. Of course, as a music writer I had to learn and listen to practically everything, and as casual fans who don't really plan on a career in this you don't need to be an expert, but what we're going for here is a sense of understanding.

It's a double-edged sword -- the biggest problems of K-Pop are that the industry has no sense of longevity when it comes to idols, and the fans don't have a sense of history. Now until one of those sides is fixed, the other will remain and of course as fans, the easiest way is to start with ourselves. I've tried breaking the importance of this historical mindset within the K-Pop news writers, and honestly, none of them want it to happen, because they think the fans won't understand it. If the news writers don't want to start it, then it has to come from the fans. I don't think anyone wants to be considered stupid by anyone.

Shinhwa lasting fourteen years together is huge and practically unheard of, but in other countries other bands have lasted for much longer. Of course when we talk of "idol" equivalents abroad the standard lifespan has always been five years, but you see, these foreign industries only built themselves around groups for a short period of time and showcase a very wide variety of chart-topping, mainstream acts, whereas idols and idol groups are K-Pop. And because idols are the majority of the industry, everyone has to invest as much as they can -- from the people on top, all the way to the fans.

Everything starts with a sense of history. If K-Pop wants to continue pushing idols as the majority of the industry, fans have to know why, and they have to at least be able to understand how everything works, and how things came to be.

I completely understand that a lot of people don't like the idea of "history", and as a kid I despised history class too. I didn't like memorizing names and dates and places and listening to lectures about wars and colonization, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who felt the same way. However, I realize now that I hated history because I didn't understand it, because I was just memorizing empty facts and not using it in everyday situations.

The history that K-Pop fans have to learn is very basic and extremely relevant. You don't have to religiously follow every single act that ever existed, you don't even have to go all the way back several decades and know everything about everything -- you just have to make an effort better understand your present.  This so-called "history" you need in K-Pop doesn't have to feel so much like history, because of modern technology. It's so easy to look up facts and events now, much easier than it was several years ago. Watch a few YouTube videos, look at a few pictures -- all of those are historic, and entertaining. They don't have to be boring news items or Wikipedia articles, because watching the actual videos is even better.

All you have to do is go back a little over a decade and start from there. Earlier idol groups like H.O.T., G.o.d., S.E.S., Fin.K.L. Shinhwa and of course Seo Taiji & Boys were massively successful with local consumers, and sold albums in the millions. Look up a video of an H.O.T. concert and you'll know why. Because of their success, newer generations of idols and idol groups were launched -- Rain, BoA, DBSK, CSJH, and later Super Junior, SS501 and Big Bang. DBSK's debut was significant because it was a time when solo artists ruled music shows -- watch even just one of their Mutizen song wins and observe the other contenders for the prize. BoA and DBSK worked for years in Japan before cementing themselves as the frontrunners of the Hallyu wave -- DBSK became the first Korean group to make it to the Kouhaku Uta Gassen in 2008, after three years, three albums, and over twenty singles.

In more "current" times we have fandom wars, never-ending plagiarism claims, acts suing their agencies, and countless member re-shuffles. Know that the KARA we know today isn't the KARA that debuted in 2007, and the same goes for the Wonder Girls, 2PM, and even DBSK, Super Junior and CSJH. People have come and gone, have moved groups and changed paths, and groups have built their names around very different things. Trace histories of groups you already know, and you'll be surprised at what you'll find out.

Knowing all this will help you understand why everyone's moving to Japan, why fans are up in arms over something, why this person said that, and basically everything that's happening in K-Pop these days. Honestly, don't you want that? A sense of history and understanding?

Pettybone - From Desperate Times Come Radical Minds

As a young man I fully embraced hardcore punk. The music had an energy and aggression that my beloved thrash metal couldn’t fully match and the moral/political stand point sat squarely within my idealistic young beliefs. As with so many musical movements, however, I gradually saw this become watered down and the energy dissipated and with it my interest. It seems though, the true spirit of hardcore has survived and passed me by for the last 20 years or so, until, that is, someone slipped me a copy of this debut album by London punks Pettybone.

Hot holy shit, these four young ladies deliver a sound that encapsulates the rage and aggression of those early hardcore days and wraps it up with a breadth and musicality that many of those early bands would struggle to match. From the opening blast of “Pettybone”, very much a manifesto statement, through the Riot Grrrl meets hardcore of “Le Regard” to the closing semi pastiche of “The Blues Song” this album bristles with unrepentant fury and an almost tangible sense of purpose. Amy’s vocal chords threaten to leap from her throat to escape the strain they’re being put under while Ivona’s guitar work is both brutal yet inventive with a subtle sense of melody running through even the most vitriolic of riffs. Her playing really is the ace in the pack as she offers a real sense of depth and range in her playing that draws from indie as much as it does punk rock. Former Invasion drummer Zel shows herself to be one of the most powerful drummers around as she drives each song with an almost metronomic intensity while bassist Lianna avoids the usual trap of a lot of punk bassist of following the guitars and offers her own melodic counterpoint to the abrasive guitar work.

Where a lot of hardcore can become monotonous over the course of a whole album, Pettybone have the song writing chops to keep the listener gripped and attentive. “Breaking Away” flits from a restrained opening to all out assault to a Melvins style grind halfway through and it’s this ability to chop and change the vibe and the pace that keeps Pettybone one step ahead of the listener. The 20 plus years that have occurred since the original hardcore movement appeared have served the band well as they are able to assimilate the greater spread of influences into their sound. Would any of the original bands have been able to create the dark yet beautiful intro to “Northern Line” that Pettybone craft seamlessly into their acidic, Hell like vision of the world.

One other thing that sets Pettybone apart is their authenticity. One look at their website and it becomes clear that the band walk it like they talk it and their political/humanist viewpoint is at the forefront of their credo. They offer up advice for those in need of help and frequently report on various issues that makes for as compelling reading as the album does listening.

It is little surprise to find that Converge main Kurt Ballou took the helm for mixing this ferocious little beast as the sound is thick yet edgy with the drums hitting right in the solar plexus while the guitars circle like hungry vultures. As much as this album sounds great cranked in a room or in the car, its true subtleties come out on headphones where Ivona’s guitar really shines…that’s if it doesn’t leave your ears bleeding!!!

Gentleman, tether your nuts to your leg as this album threatens to rip them right off. This is as fine and brutal yet varied a hardcore album as I’ve heard in over 20 years and one that has reignited the reasons behind my getting into this kind of music in the first place. Pettybone aren’t just ones to watch, they won’t give you a choice. If there’s any justice they’ll get right in your face until you comply!!!


--Ollie

http://pettybone.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.damagedonerecords.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=445&zenid=8cb93741480fcd1e77b6ffcd365e92bb

An Electrifying, Eclectic Edifice of Ebullient EP's - Featuring The Enders, Hailmary, Mowgli, Engloria, and Cellarscape

 The Enders - S/T EP

I just dig this band.  From the first rumbling of the post-punk flavored bass run that brings in "Role Model" The Enders have gone out and released another near-perfect slab of post-hardcore flavored punk.  Big runs on that bass rolling over the driving drum beat.  Then the guitars chug in, subtle at first, then gaining momentum with a mounting frenzy.  Big chords crush out, followed by runs of a chiming guitar.  All layering upon each other perfectly until the big chord riff finally crushes in and the song is in motion at full speed.  Yep, that was just the intro, and a killer one at that. I think of some of my favorite songs by The Estranged (who'd make a killer touring companion) and I'm in my own little punk nirvana.  I don't know what references to toss out.  Black Flag?  Probably.  Government Issue?   Perhaps.  Dag Nasty or some other cross over band?   Sure.  The Estranged again?  Ok, but you might not know them.  So what's left?

What's left are 5 songs of pure charging punk.  Touches of a metallic edge.   A dark veil like some of the best post-punk bands of the '80's.  A sneering attitude full of bile and spit.  And songs that simply rock.  "Roll Model" may be the best of the lot with it's catchy as hell riff, but that by no means dismisses the rest.  "Martyr" stutters out of the starting gate with a stop start bass/drum confrontation, then the song gets pissed and anger flies out of the strings.  Benny No Good does a good job with the vocals, clearing the sputum and disgust from his vocal chords with the right tonality of "fuck you" but still with enough of a true singing edge that you could play this for someone who wasn't a hardcore fan.

"Split Decision brings back that big bass intro that I love so much before the guitar jumps in and drives the song into my midbrain like a pneumatic drill.   This is killer post-hardcore punk.  Again, The Estranged rages to my mind, mainly because they're currently one of my favorite punk bands.  Well, them and the Enders.

The Enders recently signed to Unrepentant Records.  A full-length album is coming.  I heard it's gonna be much more in the hardcore punk vein.  But don't wait.  Track down this EP and punk your brains out.

Hailmary  - A Million Miles and Days

Damn if "Live it and Breathe" doesn't rock the start of this 5 cut EP by Perth's Hailmary with just about the best gunbarrel garage/grunge blast I've heard in ages.  I mean, let's look at it honestly.  If you're gonna listen to a 3-chord rock crusher what is it that you want to hear?  Those chords ripped through with a sense of passion and urgency.  Some serious hooks big enough to grab you by your spleen and yank you into the band's world.  Volume and attitude cranked up way past the max and a chorus that just demands that you sing it to the world at the top of your lungs, thus insuring you become the town laughing stock at every red light you stop at.  If you agree with this rudimentary assessment, then Hailmary may just be the band for you, because "Live it and Breathe" is one monster thrasher of heavy rock, garage-tainted guitar assault.  A while back, Pope and I screeched the virtues of the band Mardo.  Hailmary sits comfortably right by their side, or rather smash the stage comfortably by their side.

"Don't Believe Everything You Hear" follows next but that's not to say it's second rate.  Riding a finger twisting bass run, "Follow" tears through it's message of gut-busting rock adventuring with the same abandon and even a touch more refinement in the chorus.   Not to say the guys got soft, just wait til the chorus ends and that bass run forces it's way right back down your throat.  Just killer rock.  "You Ain't the Man" is another big-barreled blaster of beefed up bass-built badassedness.   Three chords crush and smash and basically wreck havok on civilization.    Slower cuts like "Bringing out the Best" and "Lottery of Life" round out the proceedings and are a necessary variation in tempo, but really, I want the adrenaline.  I'm a junkie, and Hailmary has me hooked.

Mowgli - San Francisco 7"

As the title suggests, Mowgli are a Southern Californian indy rock band with their eyes set firmly on the glorious days of San Francisco past.  Mixing a Polyphonic Spree and Arcade Fire modern rock sensibility into their version of SF's Haight Ashbury summer of love, Mowgli unleash these three tracks of summertime bliss.  And two of the three ain't bad.  Opener "San Francisco" and follower "Slowly, Slowly" are buoyant, bouncy slices of feel-good sunshine pop with driving beats, big strummed guitars and singalong choruses.  Normally, mention Polyphonic Spree or Arcade Fire in a review for me would be the death knell for a band, but Mowgli manage to avoid all the trappings of egomania and pretense and stick to what they do best, "do-do-do dit do-do-do" ditties.  And best of all these two tracks rock tough enough to avoid becoming snooze fodder.

The third track "Carry Your Will" is a slower acoustic dirge that never really finds itself, discovers it's purpose or goes anywhere.  A throwaway which fortunately does nothing to diminish the pop smarts of the previous cuts.

On their materials, Mowgli says that they have set out to win your heart and save the world with love, laughter, and hand claps.  And really, is there anything wrong with that? 

Available at "name your price" at http://themowglis.bandcamp.com/track/san-francisco



Engloria - Drive EP



Earnest alt-rockers, Engloria from Albany, NY produce radio-ready, perfect pop along the lines of fellow New Yorkers, The Goo Goo Dolls.  Well, the gentler side of the Goo Goo's that is. 

This 3-song EP has just about everything the band needs to introduce themselves to the world.  Title track “Drive,” is an up-tempo rocker in the Gin Blossoms vein with some big ringing guitars and a chorus catchy enough to be scientifically classified as an earworm.  No doubt, alt radio should be clamoring after this baby.  “Out of Love,” keeps the earnestness running high with it's mid-tempo reflection on life's changes.  More acoustic based, this cut is no less catchy or well written.  The guitar driven melodic love ballad, “Made for You,” wraps things up with it's plaintive yearning.

All in all, it's pretty impressive stuff.  The world always needs some radio-ready indy stuff from folks who can actually write a good tune, and Engloria neatly fit that bill.  The biggest problem with this release is that the production is so low key, it actually sounds more like a demo, than a radio ready product.  Which is actually kinda cool, in it's own right, but probably not what programmers are looking for.  Also, with the repetitive use of words like "earnest" in this review, you may get the feeling that the boys might take themselves a tad to seriously and might benefit from adding a touch of lightness and humor to some of their songs.  And never be afraid to rock out.

But this is only 3 songs, so I won't pass judgement.  I'll just recognize these tunes for what they are.  Neatly prepped slices of indy pop confection.

 Cellarscape - A Theta/Delta Union

And finally, something to calm you down after all that rock.  Cellarscape is the brainchild of Paul Terry who plies a quasi-Luka Bloom-esque alt-acoustic trade of near-soundtrack inspired pop.  I reviewed his earlier work a while back, now he returns with A Theta/Delta Union which brings his haunting compositions to the light with fragile guitars and lush orchestration.

The beauty of Paul's work is the dynamic tension that he captures in the spaces between the crash of a guitar chord and his voice.  In his best work there always seems to be a threat of violence, as if it could erupt at anytime.  That tension keeps me on edge as I listen rather than sitting back, getting comfortable and falling asleep.  His songs actually bristle with a vibrating energy.   The whole experience can only be thought of as hypnotically majestic.  

This cinematic presence is perfectly captured in opener "This is a Shelter" with it's crash and stab of acoustic guitar, haunting spaces and underlying threat.  It's amazing how dark the song can sound with really not much more than an acoustic guitar, some piano notes, and some strings.  "Snowglobe" reminds me of some of the acoustic work of prog-minded bands like Porcupine Tree or OSI.  Mesmerizing stuff.

If you're in the mood for a different kind of tension, where mood brings the power, this may be for you.  The whole EP can be streamed for free at www.vibedeck.com/cellarscape.


--Racer

Electric Wizard - Black Masses

 


In the almighty Pantheon of Doom Metal, next to such immoveable pillars as Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, there stands ELECTRIC WIZARD from Dorset, England.

Recognized as one of the greats of the genre, ELECTRIC WIZARD has a reputation to live up to. Recently, Jus Oborn and friends have returned with a killer new album titled Black Masses, further guaranteeing their tenure in the Pantheon. Black Masses, released in North America on January 18 via Rise Above Records, was produced by Grammy-winning engineer Liam Watson (THE WHITE STRIPES) in London’s Toe Rag Studios. Upon dropping the needle on this dangerous piece of wax, I expected quality production – something only found on newer releases from the band. Luckily, that’s precisely what I got - but I’m only “scratching the surface.”

At first listen, Black Masses serves as a good ELECTRIC WIZARD album, exhibiting an ever slumberous aura - something I have come to expect – along with all the Fuzzed-out, Blues-infused riffing I could ask for. Yet, after my third or fourth listen, it became clear that what makes Black Masses awesome is that the album neither solely relies on the titanic, weighty riffs of Dopethrone, nor the psychedelic atmosphere of Come My Fanatics. Rather, it kicks-off with a straight-forward, up-tempo title track and maintains a driving vibe for the first half of the record. The tracks on side-A follow a more accessible format as each includes a verse, chorus and solos. It picks up right where Witchcult Today left off, continuing to showcase a more consistently ordered, 70s sound. Jus Oborn really sings his ass off on this one, hitting higher pitches with a hint of vibrato in his voice. A couple of my favorite moments from side A are the guitar solo in ‘Night Child,’ and the aptly-titled song, ‘Turn Off Your Mind.’ Then, things change.

As I start to feel contented with the predictability of the first side of this already loud LP, the B sides are slower and HEAVIER. When ‘Satyr IX’ starts playing, plumes of volcanic ash might as well have come pouring from my speakers – it’s SO heavy! ‘Satyr IX’ displays ELECTRIC WIZARD in its true form, alluding back to some of the band’s earlier, more experimental stuff. The album closes with a 10 minute study on Drone* titled ‘Crypt of Drugula,’ a soggy and murky dwelling that some of us might have cerebrally visited once or twice.


“This ritual incantation of heavy metal sorcery will break down your psyche as wave upon crushing wave of lead weight acid-laced Doom leaves you numb and broken before our unholy altar," boasted bandleader Oborn. "Violent, bleak and ritualistic, we bow to the black altar of the RIFF. We do not rock, we kill!”


ELECTRIC WIZARD must have been feeling a little ambitious upon entering the studio to record Black Masses, as the more conventional arrangements and well-formed techniques proved to create a more accessible, yet ever enjoyable album. It’s obvious that ELECTRIC WIZARD can do anything it sets out to do – and do it well.

*a popular evolution of Doom Metal which aims to focus on, through tonal manipulation, the mechanical timbre of the instruments and amps used. Discernible melodies are sparse in Drone, hence the name, so an entire piece of music could rest on the tonic, thus allowing various competing frequencies to feedback off of each other.

-- Bones