stoner rock

Is there anything bad in being a stoner rock band? In loving the fuzz? Using a soundscape that has been “commonplace” for more than two decades? 

Sometimes, yes – because the paths of this genre have been wandered and trodden on for a long time. Sometimes, no – if you do not expect a total re-invention of a genre that holds decades long ago so high in their appraisal. Those bands sound like a mixture of Pentagram, Sabbath, Purple and partially Rainbow. Or more “recent” Kyuss, QOTSA, Fu Manchu and Orange Goblin. So how to see if you have a relevant stoner band before you or not? 
Maybe the number of releases is an indicator as only the good ones are allowed several records – in this case Black Rainbows are really relevant: “Cosmic Ritual Supertrip” is their eighth full-length since their inception in 2007, not counting several 7-inches or splits. 
Might we say a relevant band adds something new to the genre? Again, the Italian trip from Rome can score. Their singer Gabriele Fiori doesn’t try to imitate any genre crooner but is pretty close to Billy Corgan, if he wanted to use his testicles when singing and not sit at home whining about his poor life being a millionaire. 
Is a moment of utter surprise necessary? Not really, because if you love that genre, then you love that genre. No need to completely overthrow it. Black Rainbows have all the must-haves. A good blues-stomper like “Isolation” or a frantic speed-attack like the opener “At Midnight You Cry”. A small tearjerker like “The Great Design” and a little punky-ditty like “Master Rocket Power Blast”. 

Nevertheless, is there a really reliable determiner if it’s a good record amidst that never-ending flood of stoner bands? Yes: I must believe them; must be able to picture them driving around in a muscle car towards the sunset where they will take their boards from the back and skate around some Southern Californian urban jungle just to get to a diner in time for a lush milk-shake. As stupid as that stereotype is – the three Romans totally fulfill it. They clearly are not in it for the money, they are here for the love of that warm sound that is able to wrap itself around your ears, and later your soul. “Cosmic Ritual Supertrip” is one of those records for the late afternoon drive when you suddenly realize that taking a turn and driving around for half an hour more is not a detour but the best thing to do. There is nothing bad in being a stoner band – if you do it right. The listener must be able to let go of reason and simply feel the music. Let go of the idea that every record must be a new musical invention. Follow the trail to the sun, dude!


Thorsten

grunge / noise rock / alternative rock

Is it a compliment if you tell a band that they do not sound at all like the place where they come from? It definitely might be an insult to a whole region if one doesn’t really know the  “scene” one is talking about. Nevertheless it probably also depends a lot on the people you are talking to. In case of Norwegian-Finnish duo “Barren Womb” you could say they do not sound as if they were from Trondheim, Norway. If you associate that with music somewhere between Motorpsycho and black metal. However, if you think about the freedom to do whatever you want associated with the vastness of the country, Barren Womb might sound exactly like Trondheim. 

Their songs change their identity quite often, they are hardcore, punk, noise, a bit mathy but they are definitely clearly not caged into a corset intended to limit the airflow within one’s body and mind: the drummer and guitar player are definitely free thinkers. Being able to play some funky stuff like “Hairy Palms” with its mix of indie dance-guitar licks somewhere Parliament and Franz Ferdinand and rock’n’roll drumming in the style of the Black Crowes needs courage and good execution.  One band that comes to mind when listening to “Lizard Lounge” is definitely Torche with their knack for writing catchy yet heavy tunes. 

Their songwriting is really awesome because they never lengthen their songs into the unnecessary. Every song is as long as it needs to be, the whole album is only 36 minutes long, even though it comprises ten songs. “Trimming the fat”, they called it. And yet those songs are chunky and addictive. Especially as they all represent a different “genre”, remember the free thinking approach. If you then follow the Timo and Tony through their tracklist, you notice that they come up with a bluesy ditty right called “Crop Circle Jerk” right after funky “Hairy Palms”. Courage! 

The author is surprised now how often the record has been spinning in a row, but that is also a good sign how immensely enjoyable the whole affair is. Take “Nerve Salad” for example – a nice mathy bit of stoner rock. Or “Hydroponic Youth” with is slowly build-up that is able to keep the tension despite a slower tempo.  

With “Lizard Lounge” you get an awesome record for the BBQ in the summer when you want to entertain your guests with an eclectic mix of songs and ideas that never get bothersome but keep their inner entertainment level high. And then one of their guests will ask “Hey, those guys are from Cali, right?” 


Thorsten

black metal / death metal

Very often, “supergroups” suck because there is vast amount of namedropping heightening the expectations and then you get a record, listen to it and … throw it onto the shelf. Nevertheless, if a journalist doesn’t play the naming-game he or she’s going to be cut off because of bad research. So here we go: Blood Incantation. Spectral Voice. Wayfarer. Khemnis. Primitive Man. Need more? Then check their metal-archives page. And now on to the thing that matters, the music.

The debut-release by Denver-based extreme metal outfit Black Curse is mind-changing: 

First of, because of its ability to simply terrorize your mind. Those harsh speedy, double blast-attacks can totally slit every ligament you might possess in your neck. If listening to it on earphones, be advised to start with a low volume and then slowly turn it up. The songs often start their harakiri-attacks on the very first tone, using that moment of surprise to its fullest advantage. 
Second, because they lure into a false sense of “Oh, I understand, this is pure rage and no sense for melody!” True, on the surface that’s exactly it. However, if your ears got used to all of the noise screaming in (be it via the instruments or the vocals by Eli Wendler) one might notice the small razorblades underneath all of the blunt axes. Razorblades because they cut wounds and yet glisten and radiate if you hold it into the sunlight. Many songs use a fine layer of mid-level echos on some minuscule guitar parts so that there is that notion of noise rock underneath it the black and death metal surfaces. 
Third, as they create a whole cosmos of dissonances it is sometimes hard to figure out where these come from, so that in the end it’s unclear which genre this might be shelved on. Yes, this is black metal. Yes, there is a lot of death metal. Yes, it’s noisy as hell. In some way this one might be a perfect example of how genres make no sense, let’s just call it extreme metal as it incorporates parts from each. 
Fourth, because there is melody in all of this. Take the final track “Finality I Behold” (with 8:51 also the longest track in these roughly 40 minutes): The opening 25 seconds before the start of the black metal vocals are good post-metal with dominating drums taking over your heartbeat. The harsh blast-beats then disguise the moments of clear riffing that are carefully woven into the fabric of all of this. After 150 seconds there is a change for a kind of more noise-driven blastbeat before the song slows down a bit in its middle with the bass leading the way through some slower passages. 

Well, after forty minutes your ears might be bleeding, your neural connections might be dead and because of that you hit the repeat button. Why. Not. Give. it. Another. Try? This is an “Endless Wound” after all. (And sometimes supergroups do make sense.)


Thorsten

post metal / doom

A change of musical direction. Those few simple words can strike fear into most music fans hearts. Especially if that band has built up a fan base because of the style of music that the band play. So, when an established band release an album which has ‘a change of musical direction’ this can be a scary thing. One of the things which can happen in this instance is that it alienates the very people who liked the band in the first place, and they stop listening to that band, this is quite sad and in my view a very narrow way of looking at music in general. The other way it can go, is that people embrace the change with an  open mind and find things in the particular album on which to hang their hat, as chances are, if they like the band in the first place, there will be something in there which reminds them why they liked the band in the first place. Obviously, this is quite a simple way of looking at things and I’m aware there is a lot of nuance in any change, but in my experience, people are very weary of change in general, let alone something in which they are deeply invested.

All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that today’s album Siderael Pt. One by Italian post-metal/sludge metallers Post Vorta is a very different album from the one that I was expecting., thanks to those 5 words I mentioned earlier.

We are eased into the change quite gently and lead song Through 4k lenses starts with an ominous sounding piano, so far so metal. That is until an enchanting female voice rings out together with burst of flutes and swirling choral chants in the background. It’s fleeting, unnerving, and yet intriguing. The song builds on its emotional investment as the drums come crashing in creating a strong uplifting quality at the end of the song. It’s altogether less metal but still has elements of post-rock in there.

Next song Viper builds the ambience with a simple drum line to start things off. The gorgeous female vocals again give the song an ethereal, gentle feel, but they are tinged with a distinct undercurrent of foreboding. The electronic elements are much more to the fore in this song which builds to a nice mid song explosion before collapsing into a glitchy electronic ambient section. It’s very nicely done.

Following song Spoon feel like the electronica soundscapes introduced on the previous songs are now a much more prominent part of the band’s sound, in fact, you’d be hard pressed to even think of this as listening to a traditional band at all as the songs from this point on are almost exclusively synth driven in a style so prevalent at present. 

From then on, the songs all fully embrace the synthwave tendencies and shrug off any notion of metal whatsoever. That’s not to say that the songs are poppy with a light touch, far from it in fact, I found it to be quite the opposite and the songs all have the heavy music stylings of trying to convey the darker emotions of the human psyche.
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So, it’s a change of musical direction alright but this has brought about a rather pleasant surprise. If you are put off by the fact that the band no longer play heavy music (whether this is a permanent departure remains to be seen) then you are doing yourself a disservice in passing over what is a rather great album, indeed, I’m not usually one for synthwave but I found myself really liking this album a lot, so, try it for yourself, you may be nicely surprised by what you uncover.


Simon

ambient

Belgian Neu Music

RHEA (not to be confused with the Belgian rock band Rhea founded in 2015) was founded in 1988 by Marc de Wit, who has been involved in electronic space music for 40 years.

He is co-founder of the Belgian electronic festival B-Wave and the organizer of Cosmic Nights that for seven years (2012-2019) presented itself as a Belgian electronic music festival in unique locations. Marc de Wit was also a member of the trio Purfoze that bridged the gap between the electronics of the Berlin school and ambient during the 1980s. 



Traveling is inspiring for RHEA to compose his sonic exhalations. Close To Moving Ice is a recording of a live performance in the old Post X post building in Merelbeke Ghent Belgium. The cosmic music of this recording are the impressions of a trip to Greenland and the Arctic waters. The ambient oriented music meanders through the ice floes, resulting in a floating and pleasant atmosphere. For many this will sound like background music to a documentary or nature film, but the music has just that little bit more content not to sound sleep-inducing. During the live session, the performance was accompanied by a photo collage with fascinating images of desolated places that further enhanced the cosmic sounds.

Close To Moving Ice is not a highlight but the album does contain a nice package of unctuous ambient sounds. This is headphone music where one can fully relieve stress and relax while dreaming away. This third distribution of Littl 'Antenna Records is under the wing of Wool-E Discs (BELGIAN NeuMusik).

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Patsker

dark ambient

Mortar Devotions is a collaboration between the two members, Manuele Frau and Nicholas Pucciarelli, of the experimental ambient project Nona Et Decima and Aleksei Tsernjavski alias Огни. Operazione Piovra: The Lead Chronicles is inspired by one of the darkest pages of Italian history. The five tracks are a soundtrack reflecting  the period of social and political turmoil (the war between the mafia and the Italian government) that lasted from the late 1960s until the late 1980s. These times were also known as the years of lead.

The Helsinki based trio uses a cinematic approach in their compositions. We can’t deny that a somehow claustrophobic 70s feeling is created in the music. The ambient sounds are darkened with noisy and industrial inputs conceiving a weird, dirty and old-fashioned atmosphere. Although the music on this recording is about a very dark period, the sounds are less dark and sometimes tripping, compared to the inspiring era. 

With the varied tensions and the use of electronic effects  Mortar Devotions sounds more experimental than dark (ambient). They hold on to the mysterious ambiance creating a strange elaborating deep listening trip. Highlight of the album is Part IV where post rock and electronica fuse into a spooky riddle of sonic vibes.  

The more subdued sound of Mortar Devotions has a welcome escaping effect still holding on to the darker sides of the spectrum.  This is Dark(er) Ambient eased with experimental inputs, percussion and industrial fragments. Operazione Piovra: The Lead Chronicles is a slow but absorbing cinematic work that keeps the listener focused.

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Patsker

dark ambient

The collective Nam-Khar consist of several artists from all over Europe and has been releasing work on regular base the last decade. Sur Chöd is the second release of Nam-Khar on The Dutch quality label Winter-Light. When you look at the names of the artists who cooperated on this release, you can’t have any doubt about the artistic competency of this album.

With deep rituality the collective’s leader Konchog Gyaltsen spreads the inertia of the subconscious awareness. The slow ritual tracks breath out death, depression, desolation and other underworld emotions hidden behind the human masquerade. Mystical drones and minimal soundscapes are guided by percussive instruments, evoking transformative views and feelings. The moods on Sur Chöd exhale transgressions of the daily life and it’s emotions.

Sur Chöd is not an easy piece, the music and atmosphere transcend the thinking brain. This is a profound sound art work that prompts the mind and body to search for the deeper meaning of everything in life. The repetitive percussion combined with the dark electronic vibes gives a transcending feeling of peaceful tranquility. But darkness lurks around every sound Nam-Khar produces, imprisoning the listener into an extraterrestrial temple of sounds and thoughts.

On Sur Chöd, Nam-Khar are: Boenke, Gossmann, Gyaltsen, Martinegou, Prochir. The track
T´ew rang is a collaboration with Akoustik Timbre Frekuency. Robin Storey (Rapoon) was responsible for the mastering of this deep touching piece of ritual dark ambient. Our favourite on this album is the enigmatic track Gangs chen mdzod Inga. During Covid-19 times Sur Chöd can be your guide to another destination in life, an instrumental mind fucker that opens the gates of the abstruse ritual dark ambient world. 

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Patsker

avant garde / piano

Comparisons can be so misleading. But every once in a while one can totally agree with the promo writer. When receiving the promo email for this record it said “For Fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Julia Holter, Anna von Hausswolf, Jarboe, Agnes Obel”. While I can really agree with using these as a cornerstone for the vocals, I think the most obvious one is lost here: Tori Amos. 

Amaya López-Carromero, born in Madrid and now residing in Edinburgh, is a classically-trained piano player and it becomes really obvious in the mix of her third record that the keys are the basis for her work. But we are not talking about a piano-only instrumentation. Just like Anna von Hauswolff a lot of layers are added to the soundscape; from a guitar and drums to cello and violin. Nevertheless, it doesn’t add up to a classical European ensemble: It sounds like straight from the Near East, from Iran or Syria, a place where cultures clash and together create so much more. Maud the Moth is an enigma, her voice is gentle and touching and yet at times it sounds dark and dangerous and this space between lurking and luring is the magic behind her work. 

It is easy to envision a nomad caravan in the 19th century traveling on camels from Istanbul to Damascus to bring several spices and something else, this piano that the lady of the spice merchant needs in order to enchant the travelers in the evening. The oasis is filled with the melody of minor and major keys accompanied by the violins and cellos and the sweet tea is strong and spicy and the air is still damp from the daytime-heat. And then they hear her voice, not strong and cheerish, but fragile and lamenting. They notice that she is singing about her grief and loss, about living at the crossroads and trying to find oneself. Another comparison that can be made is Declan De Barra and his debut record “Song of a Thousand Birds” because of the compositional value. The lamentations are like minuscule folk tales and sound like the result of hundreds of years oral history and traditional storytelling. It seems quite unbelievable that this is the work of such a young woman but then again, age is just a number and talent is not measured in summers passed. This is also reflected in the album title, “Orphne” which was a mythical nymph dwelling in the ancient Greek underworld. The other connotation is the connection to “orphan” (both words share the same stem) and the absence of a patriarchal figure; an idea not really far from the very feminine yet strong aspects of the songs. The woman without a father has to grow strong and self-reliant in order to survive in a world where masculinity is still the driving force. 

When entering the world of Maud the Moth you should be prepared to leave behind your actual place and time and be ready to embark on a musical journey to the crossroad between modern day avantgarde song writing and near east soundscapes. You won’t have to worry about comparisons; just relax and enjoy this unique and self-sufficient record. Worth every moment. 


Thorsten

progressive / sludge / doom 

Sometimes it occurs that the first spin of a record leaves you speechless and then you find your voice again more and more with every turn because, well, the record is not making a lasting impression. Sometimes there are records that work just the other way around and these are what we call growers. Interesting about this is, that sometimes there are releases that could be split in half – you listen to a, at first sight, mediocre first half and then something changes and that leaves you spellbound. When going back to the same record again, you might find yourself liking that first half a bit more because of the lasting impression of that second half. Is that then a grower? Or just a convincing way of structuring your record? 

Well it is what happened to yours truly when listening to Holden’s debut “Ursa Minor” (the “little bear” in astrology). At first, the first two songs didn’t really strike a chord in me, but when the 15-minute-centerpiece “However Small, However Hidden” (talk about an adequate for such a huge beast of a composition!) it was all swept away by a very dynamic tornado of a song. Completely instrumental the composition rides on one not-changing soundscape which means that the tonality of the song is pretty constant. And now comes the tricky part: How can a track that is not based on creating an epic and storytelling atmosphere blow you away? Holden’s answer: by variations of groove! This is basically an awesome stoner rock song played within the cavernous sound of good sludge metal. The way that drummer Michael Arcane (again – what a name!) is able to take us on this dragon-rollercoaster-ride is breathtaking. His cymbals are exact on spot and his use of the rest of the drum kit is really great. I could take about this song alone for hours. 

After that song the whole attitude towards the debut by the trio from Richmond, VA, changed. Even more if the next song is “Emperor of Maladies” which is like another one of those Mastodon-songs one might have come to miss on some of the last releases by the Atlantans. This might be one of those gems unearthed from the “Blood Mountain” sessions. Some hints at why this comes across like that? Because Palmer Sturman sings and screams his lungs out like Brent Hinds and plays his guitar in certain moments like Bill Kelliher. This is dirty, this is raw, this is awesome. The blastbeat middle part lead by Arcane and bassist Sam Berson is like the aggressive side that Mastodon haven’t really shown since Leviathan. One could also compare this song to bands like Conan or High on Fire. Nonetheless, Holden are pretty unique and will leave quite some metal-heads spellbound. Especially if they listen to the reprise of the guitar motif from “Emperor” in the final outro “The Way it Was and Will Be”. They even have the guts to seemingly fade out and then come back for a final moment to give the listener one last sweet kiss and then dragging him to play the record again. One might even think that the outro and the intro share some riffs so that the seductiveness is even more appealing and mesmerizing. 

Taking another spin on the first two tracks now and probably they will grow on me again after having gone through tracks 3 to 5 again. This record and its song-structure is simple magic. More than a grower or a “convincer”! 


Thorsten

black metal

The Watcher is a member of famous metal outfit Fen and thus a well-known personality in the metal community. And as with many bands, members sometimes need to have another creative outlet; The Watcher’s is Fellwarden, basically a one-man-project with a little bit of help; he plays all instruments, produces them and mixes everything. The only outside contributions are either connected with the artwork and design of the new record or in form of the drums which are done and recorded by Havenless, Fen’s drummer. 

The first sign of Fellwarden was their 2017 debut album “Oathbearer” and now we get “Wreathed in Mourncloud” - an album with maybe the best name in a long time. The homophone in “Mourncloud – Morn’ cloud” is certainly no incident because the record is said to be the result of many wanderings in the Lake District in Northwestern England, where rain and clouds are not uncommon. Sometimes, the use of the keyboards and the slowly trickling melodies on the black and whites remind one of the brittle showers there. 

Generally this is really apparent: The Watcher’s focus with this project is to create a mood, not simple straight “go for it”-black metal. An example would be the interlude “A Premonition” with its organ-like ambient spaces, its miniature keys and only very hushed up tombs in the background. If one expects the following title track to start with a heavy blastbeat or aggressive riffing, that is wrong. The Watcher uses a simple acoustic guitar laid over a warm synth part to slowly lead into the song, like the rays of sunlight trying to fight their way through the clouds, and only after a minute those rays are beaten down by a torrent of wind sweeping across the landscape. That track then, is the first one of three long tracks to end the record and a good example of how the songs are being wound up and slowed down whenever it seems appropriate. It uses a lot of tempi changes and sometimes seems on the verge of breaking down. Here the drums definitely play an important role, as Havenless is not blasting away into eternity but is keeping the speed high but never exuberantly fast. One can feel the wind and the rain pounding against one’s face. 

Another important factor is The Watcher’s vocals which are sometimes laid over each other, resulting in some chant-like quality and then is reminiscent of some Ruins of Beverast-songs. The clean parts have that certain melodic quality that is quite unusual in black metal. I do not want to call it pop, but it has a great quality and can definitely purvey lots of meaning and atmosphere.

The Watcher and Havenless once again prove that Northern England is an awesome place for good, melodic black metal with a lot of atmosphere, some remarkable vocals and good songwriting!


Thorsten