psychedelic / dark ambient

We all remember the first (still raging) corona lockdown with an incalculable consequence for many artists and musicians. Yet the musician searches for ways and new ideas to creatively kill the boredom that emerged during this unlikely restriction of freedom. The two Belgian artists Ashtoreth (Peter Verwimp) and Onsturicheit (Peter Moorkens) put their talents together and conjured the album Svartur out of an unexpected and forced void.

The duo appears as the red dawn of a mysterious double star from the black (svartur in Icelandic) night. Both celestial bodies gently rustle their cosmic vibrations between the stardust. The psychedelic bleeping of Onsturicheit blends willingly with the ritual pulses of Ashtoreth. Both suns make a strong impression with their first collective glow (Oona), so that we enter the gate to Svartur with full curiosity.

The two Peters walk experimental paths and forge various fascinating atmospheres with eerie effects. Ashtoreth's guitar loops are processed into an original bubble bath of bursting resonances by the balancing modular synth crafting of Onsturicheit. Svartur exudes a series of dark sound tissues (including Ljirac) that belong to the better dark ambient work in the genre. Moorkens' electronic effects and samples reinforce in an original way the dark rituality that Supreme Shaman Verwimp has a patent on. Svartur shows a high content of enigmatic mysticism with a mind-expanding effect.

This album is a strong bundle of psychedelic dark ambient with many surprising twists and where the attention never diminishes while listening. This awesome edition of deeply cutting darkened electronic music was released on midwinter 2020 and almost disappeared into obscurity among the best of lists.

Svartur is not only available digitally but also on CD via the Bandcamp pages of the label and the artists. Ashtoreth & Onsturicheit plan to perform live together in the near future in Belgium. We are already looking forward to this. Worth to mention is the fantastic master mix by Peter Verwimp and the man behind the master buttons Joost Carpentier (Dreun, Jovica Storer).


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Patsker

psychedelic / stoner rock / sludge / doom

Heavy Psych Sounds is an Italian record label that is well-known by lovers of everything heavy and fuzzy; they are specialized in records from the outer fringes of the musical spectrum from obscure vintage or original 70s rock to modern sludge. As long as it’s heavy and got some kind of soul, it can be found on Heavy Psych Sounds. 

Last year, the label came up with an idea that most people would file under “megalomaniac” - they started a split series; splits are already difficult enough as they should show the strengths of each participant (usually two) and also add up to something more than your average single-song release by two bands. The participants and their body of work should go together, their attitudes and their aim in doing such releases. Heavy Psych Sounds by now has released two such with the third one to be out soon and man, these releases are really one gigantic ride also because of the bands involved. 

To get the things together, one really has to stay calm in order not to be too enthusiastic because of the level of perfection involved in this series: Heavy Psych Sounds have always teamed up a rather well-known band with an awesome “newcomer” and each band and the bands deliver somewhat between 5 and 20 minutes of music. The series has grown with each release and the next one will definitely blow your minds. But, step by step.

On July 17th, Doom Sessions Volume 1 was released and featured Italy’s Deadsmoke and the UK masters Conan. The latter contributed a cover of the Horn song “Beheaded” (and as such is not found on any streaming service), while Deadsmoke contributed two songs and really outdid themselves on this one as they really keep up with the British legends of slow decay and rattling rage.

Two months later, September 18th saw the release of Vol. 2, this time with Greek monster smashers Acid Mammoth and Sardignia’s fuzzers 1782. Both bands unleash some wild satanic new songs to finally give praise to the heavy riff that doesn’t speed down your neck but rather slowly throttle you till you have to praise the horned one. The first Acid Mammoth track on this release, “Black Wedding” is one mighty prayer to Louis Cypher himself.

On February 26th Heavy Psych Sounds will unleash the next beast: Vol. 3 with one of the biggest names in sludge metal contributing three songs: San Diego’s (16) joined the fold and teamed up with Grime from Trieste, Italy. And of course, now many will think that (16) outshine their Italian partners in fuzz, but let me tell you: this Northern Italian trio knows how to keep their own, as they themselves are no bloody newcomers, but already playing their version of heaviness for more than ten years now.

When looking at all these three releases and the history of Heavy Psych Sounds and their roster, one can only imagine which further matches made in hell the guys from Rome come up with next. Whatever combination of artists they choose for Vol. 4 – I think these splits can be bought without hesitation. One will be rewarded with a collection of stuff that will soon go down as collectors items in many circles. Or to use the best promo text I ever read:

“This recording will make you feel sensations that you have never experienced. We advise to listen to it at high volume, in the dark and possibly with lit candles. Don’t be afraid to see strange things, it’s part of the game!” (from the cover of Vol. 2)


Thorsten

post metal / black metal

Soul Grip are dead. Not to keep beating around the bush any more than necessary, the band is dead. The quintet from Ghent in Belgium have just released their latest EP and at the same time called it quits. They made it very clear in their final statement, that these songs were written during the Covid19-lockdown when it became obvious that their plans for recording a new full-length would not be happening. Thus they decided to record these two ‘quarantine songs’ in their rehearsal space and to have these songs reflect upon the times we are living in and (indirectly) how we deal with these things. The songs are Soul Grip at their songwriting peak, all the elements one loved about their music are still there and so much more. There are strong emotional, melancholic, deeply sorrowful moments on the record accompanied by some heavy outbursts that made them famous. “Sleep” is more based on doom elements and midtempo-structures. “Release me” on the other side is “classic” Soul Grip with all the hardcore-influences the band has been hailed for which even can be more relatable when you listen to those minute changes in pace and guitar work where only small little tidbits change the song’s atmosphere noticeably. It is always difficult to write and record your final songs, but maybe this is the best way imaginable because Soul Grip show up all the despair, all the sadness, the rage and the wrath that mankind is going through in this year of the pandemic. We can deny all our fears and anger as much as we want to, but when we go to bed and put our head to sleep we wish to be released from all of it in order to flee from reality when dreaming. Soul Grip do not deny the world around them, the show up all its darkness and bleakness and give word and sound to a year and time that will remain with us even after its gone. Just like Soul Grip will remain with us now that they’re gone. Good music always does that. Awesome music makes us aware of these changes inside of us. 

post rock / math rock

India and general Asia is turning out as one of the best places to look for awesome post-rock right now. Yet another example for this is Celestial Teapot from Pune, who has just released a three-song EP that is clearly post-rock in its layout and its roots but that is simultaneously incorporating so many other bits and snippets that it transcends the usual crescendo-core or quiet-loud-structure change ideas. You will find near-AOR guitar licks, some really wonderfully incorporated synth-passages and even some close-to-hardcore drumming parts – on the first track alone! The quintet is able to follow up to its full-length predecessor “One Big Sky” with a short EP (three tracks in 18 minutes) that will probably hit a mark within the post-rock community. The reason is simple that the band is able to (seemingly) effortlessly incorporate so many other genres that one can only categorize it under “Mathy Post-Rock” because they show the same ability to switch paces, moods, styles within a matter of seconds. The conceptual layout of the record is also very interesting as it deals with hearing problems and what it means to one’s life having to face these problems; how hearing things differently (up to the point where it causes physical pain to hear a something that “is” wrong) or how people who cannot hear (or lose their hearing abilities) have a very different quality of life resulting in a real fear of being able to hear. These ideas are shared in songs like “Misophonia” or “Defgain” - and most of the time they are shared instrumentally, as only one track features spoken word samples. Celestial Teapot deliver a short but thoughtful, cleverly arranged and mighty ingenious work of post-rock that you should really give a listen!

gothic / trip hop

TripHop is a genre that often plays with the future – Gaia Guarda uses it as a basis for her Gothic inspired music whose base features three very old instruments: The cello, the violin and the harp. Montreal-based Gaia plays the harp while Michelle and Jessica (who play with Gaia in the metal band Uriel) contribute the other two. Together with drummer Rocky Gray she wrote a record that is as much looking into the future, as it based in the past and reflecting the present. The combination of a classical string basis with triphop beats is not really new, strings have been used in the Bristol-sound for decades already. However, on Gaia’s debut album it is different, as the strings are not ornaments to an otherwise very beat-oriented music but as the centerpiece of it. Nevertheless, do not envision the music to be like Joanna Newsom only because of the harp – it is different and much closer to some synthpop acts like Wolfsheim or VNV Nation. Her music is at the same time classical and new – thus a good example of neo-classical music. The lyrics are often very introspective and reveal a person not rested but haunted. “I ran across the world / You won’t find me, I must survive / I can’t explain the force pushing me to never give up on you” – she is running away but at the same time doesn’t want to forget a certain person. At times, this sound like a masochistic perspective on one’s own pain and its roots. Gaia Guarda is surely a very well-trained artist to watch as she breaks down some boundaries and steps onto unknown territory, connecting the past, present and future of songwriting into a new approach to music. If she then gains a perspective (in her lyrics) outside of her own, not only “relying” on her own experience – then she can become the next big indie voice. 

psychedelic / sludge

Interstellar Smoke Records

This split by Ghost:Hello and Night Goat, both from Ohio, is like a trip back in time. The cover is a bit like those old 50s and 60s pulp fiction “books”. The sound is also like a voyage in the Delorian, back to two places – once the late 60s, early 70s when psychedelic was at its peak and once to the late 80s when noise rock was in its bloom. Interestingly, the two bands involved here each have a hold on one of these two epochs – where Ghost:Hello are a bit like the whirlwind from the Nixon-ear with a very nice fuzzy tone to their psychedelia. This trio from Akron (the town of the Black Keys) is definitely a good choice for all those whose understanding of music revolves around bands like 13th Floor Elevators, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown or Iron Butterfly but probably also on bands like Primal Scream or My Bloody Valentine. The latter two are probably like the most common denominator with fellow Ohioans Night Goat (from Canton) whose noise likely takes inspiration from those Brits too, but also of course from Jesus Lizard and Unsane. Their three songs on the flipside are much sludgier and much more aggressive but never running away without control. They attack you with their noisy riffs and thundering rhythm section, but they don’t go for the quick win, no they rather enjoy beating your ears to pieces by punching them song by song with their highly efficient noise rock. This split is one for the lovers of the sounds off the popular paths and into the underground where there is a lot of sweat from repairing the Delorian just to go back in time.

post hardcore / emo

Okay, Adam Sakauye has listened to some The Smiths and probably also some Placebo as he really sounds like a mix of Morrissey and Brian Molko (which is not the worst combination when it comes to vocals – and only vocals!) and that becomes quite obvious when listening to Ottawa’s T-Rex Marathon and their new record “Days without Incident” out since Mid-October. The band channels their post-hardcore motifs and song-structures into 10 very nicely done and well-balanced songs. Especially songs like “A Prison just for Us” are really nicely done because they show how non-aggressively gang shouts can be integrated into modern hardcore. It is a band whose musical references are bands like Alexisonfire or Silverstein and the band does not imitate those Canadian idols but rather channels their ideals and abilities when it comes to writing good midtempo hardcore songs with a message. “Faux News” for example is a good pun on Fox News and tries to show how we are manipulated by mass media whose purpose is not to deliver information but to deliver narratives. The band says the song is “punchy, energetic, focused, and provocative, the song is meant to be shouted out loud” - right they are, if you cannot shout along to this one, then you are already dead. And if there is one thing that T-Rex Marathon is not – then it’s dead. This band is very much alive and kicking. 


​Thorsten

psychedelic / shoegaze

There was always something about the sunset in California as far as I remember. It was fast but it was a kind of orange that not only pulsated because of eruptions on the surface of the sun but that seemed to resonate with life with the pumping of the blood in our veins. One might have seen the sun go down thousands of times and yet, every time it feels brilliant and perfect if you sit down and take the time to really see it. When listening to Gong Wah’s self-titled debut album, there is this very same feeling. The band from Cologne, Germany has a certain mood and radiance surrounding their tracks that makes them stand out from the mass. The music is psychedelia in a very familiar way, but there is also some post-punk and some Golden State kind of AOR. It is like a mix of 13th Floor Elevators and the Mamas and the Papas, Blondie and A Place to Bury Strangers. A lot of that has to do with the voice of Inga Nelke, who met the two guitarists Thorsten Dohle and Felix Will early 2018; the band has grown to a full quintet since then. The other element contributing to this loving feeling is the guitar sound, which is a bit like a crossover between A Place to Bury Strangers and some simple effective wah-wah sounds. You need some sunshine in your life during these cold autumn and winter days,? Gong Wah is a good choice for you.

screamo / black metal

Montreal. A thriving scene. Lots of thriving scenes. Awesome bands. LOADS of awesome bands. One example would be Cell Press. Their new five-song EP to be released at the end of the month is adding a deep and well-constructed example for modern screamo. They are not playing it safe with this 24-song-monster, whose final track takes up nearly half of the time of the whole EP (and probably one complete side of the cassingle). The first four tracks are all variants of the screamo genre, some a little more on the black metal side, some a little more on the noise side. What really brings them all together is the thoughtfulness with which they perform: Listening to the first track “Piss Police” one notices that they use the same riff as intro and as outro. Or the final track “My Son will No the Truth” which they never want to play live – it’s more of an experiment with each musician adding one layer to the song without knowing what will be added next. And all of it is based on an 11-minute solo by drummer Mark McGee, who taped the solo and on the next day each musician added his part single-handedly so that in the end the band came up with a monster of a subdued noisy ambient track that never seems to find its course. But this sheer aimlessness makes it even more intriguing. Or the third track “Black Out in Verdun” which is right in the middle between Helmet (the drumming and the bass!) and some early HydraHead bands (the vocals and the dirty, meaty riffs!) - here the band is as close to noise-core as it gets. To put it in a nutshell: Don’t miss on Cell Press!

post metal / grunge

Sea Sleeper are from Seattle, Washington and, strange as it may sound, you can hear those old, deep grunge roots in their sound, especially in the vocals shared by bassist Nick Kessler and guitarist Jess Cooley. Sometimes it’s just this special kind of Northwestern phrasing, sometimes it’s a little reminiscence to vocals by the Grunge icons Staley and Cornell, just this special kind of slighty higher intonation that is still gritty. The band plays a mix of metalcore, blackened post-metal and some sort of tech death metal. What is striking that the band and especially the rhythm section is really up to the best of the game seemingly changes paces and genres effortlessly. Shane Cooley is on point and delivering some awesome blastbeats and fine-carved work driving the songs with force and finesse. Nevertheless, it is not to be denied that the band should improve a bit on the riff-side when they really want to go pedal to the metal, because the guitar lines cannot keep up. It is all fine, when it’s midtempo and Jess can add some extra distortion but when the songs speed ahead it seems as if he can’t come up with ideas other than your regular metalcore stuff. The vocals give the new album enough of a twist to keep listening, always waiting for that next moment, when they show the influence of their home scene and when the songs exceed the 6 minute mark. “Far more than Substance Now” is a good example for that, with its nearly eight minutes and some really interesting slowdowns and middle parts. If the band follows the path this song and “Mountain Carver” show up, they will definitely gain a lot more attention with their next record. 
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PS: Nostophobia is the fear of everything old or everything related to nostalgia. 

dream pop / emo

Planes Mistaken for Stars were/are one of the most important bands at the crossing between hardcore and midwestern emo without ever being emo-core. They released several full lengths all to critical acclaim.  Two members of the band now release a Covid-quarantine EP under the moniker Blunt Razors and via Deathwish (where PMFS also published their last full length). Gared O’Donnell and Neil Keener have collected six tracks, one being a cover of the Kate Bush song “Under Ice”. Their record is pure Midwestern magic with lots of spherical guitar lines, hushed up drums and a voice to fall to your knees to. The whole things becomes even more intimate when we remember that Gared is undergoing medical treatment for cancer. The songs show a kind of longing and wishing that it becomes hard not to fall in love with them. It’s like Cyrano watching his beloved from afar and never quite getting her attention. The last lines in “Amber Waves” are a perfect example for this: “I’m just a minute / A minute above you babe / Could you meet me /  Would you keep me / Could you give me your minutes / To drown in amber waves“. The narrator is so close to his beloved but yet there is this unbridgeable distance so that he can only dream of them being together and chase new ways. We share these moments and the duo has this ability of drawing us into the songs so much, that we do not feel like observers anymore but participants. The melodies are so delicate and the whole setting so calming and soothing that one cannot but hit repeat and repeat and repeat.


Thorsten

psychedelic / hard rock

Mienakunaru is one of the many projects (maximum) guitar player Mike Vest (Bong, Lush Worker) is involved with. When you check this British musician’s Bandcamp page or scroll on Discogs among the abundance of collaborations and bands he is connected with, you will be in for a surprise.

​Mienakunaru is a trio, Mike Vest plays bass and guitar, Junzo Suzuki (Miminokoto) also on guitar and Dave Sneddon on drums.

Lost Bones Of The Holy Butterfly is a two track instrumental album focused on dazzling psychedelic guitar music. The album is a trip filled with continuously echoing and improvised solos dressed up in hard rock riffs. Japanese psychedelic guitar player Junzo Suzuki has an important part in this eclectic sonic guitar tsunami. Suzuki’s solo music is a stripped down form style of ghost blues and improvisation that also stands out in this collaboration. The musicians of Mienakunaru recorded the music in their home place, Mike Vest arranged and mixed the album.

If we would try to write down all the releases these three artists were already participating, that page would be longer than the review of this wondrous trip. We won’t put more unnecessary words to this. These underground artists created a sound drug with Lost Bones Of The Holy Butterfly. Beware, Mienakunaru plays explosive and addictive dope music!

​LP out on Drone Rock Records Dec/Jan 2021

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Patsker

psychedelic / jazz / rock

Talking about the discovery of the year! OZO is another side project where Mike Vest (Mienakunaru, Bong) is involved with. And yes we got hooked by the music collaborations of this hard working musician from Newcastle. OZO is not only a trio but seems to be a hamlet in the Belgian province of Luxembourg too. This time Mike Vest  worked with Karl Conrad D'Silva who plays alto sax and Graham Thompson on drums.

Pluto is an album drenched in acid jazz vibes. The brutal alto sax improvisations of Karl Conrad D'Silva are accompanied with psychedelic bass tones and stoner rock orientated guitar parts. The tracks have floating and mesmerizing parts which crash violently in a storm of saxophonised abuse. D'Silva shows no mercy, his playing goes deep with heavy experimental outbursts and varied lung pulses. He has already performed with several highly acclaimed experimental artists like Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire, Legendary US grindcore originators SIEGE, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and The Death Of Rave’s Rian Treanor.

OZO sweats, growls and kicks ass on Pluto like their life’s depended on it. Mike Vest manages to put some interesting electric sax melodies between the insane cacophonic waves of D'Silva. Well, we are sure this won’t be everybody’s cup of tea but for those who love experimental sax improvisations mixed with psychedelic and powerful rock, infused stoner rock influences, OZO is a band worth to check out. Our favourite track is Fine Tuner Abuser which unfortunately, slashes only fifteen minutes. Talking about an awesome recording.


Patsker

psychedelic / doom metal

An all-female doom trio out of Los Angeles is called High Priestess – well what kind of music would you expect? Certainly not any kind of Death Metal or RnB, but rather some kind of psyched up rock following in the footsteps of some occult doom. That is also more or less the only stereotype that Katie Gilchrest, Mariana Fiel and Megan Mullins fulfill. The three definitely have something to show for their record, or rather records because “Casting the Circle” out on Ripple Music since April 10th is their sophomore release after their eponymous 2018 debut turned some heads in the doom community. 

There are some things very special about this trio making them stand out from a lot of the doom bands of the late 2010s. The three know how to write really good songs no matter the length, sometimes they come up with short three-minute-ditties and then again they are not afraid to write the (rather self-explaining) 17 minute opus “Invocation”; the five tracks together span 42 minutes of brilliantly lit, well-clad doom rock that shares in the glory of the genre. 

Another brilliant feature of the band is their three voices sharing vocal duties so that very often one gets the idea of a Hydra-Headed sorceress standing before one’s feet luring the ears, mind and soul into an unreal safety net, just before the lullaby-like ritual turns into the gigantic that has been woven only to give the multi-eyed spider the chance to strike with chants like “Satan is not dead” or ideas of time and decay when they talk about the “sand in the hourglass” that slowly falls down leading to both – the end of time and of being. 

Musically there are seemingly simple guitar phrases layered upon each other with some awesome sixties vibe-spreading keys – both delivered by the hands of Gilchrest. The rhythm section seemingly wants to go unnoticed because Fiel and Mullins both give a tight performance that leaves the ground paved for the seductive melodies to go straight through one’s ears into one’s subconsciousness dwelling there for quite a while and removing all other things no matter how important from our agenda. 

That might be one of the most impressive things about this record – it seemingly has no agenda, it’s not made to impress in a blasting way, it’s just there and through its surface simplicity is able to seep into your heart and soul sending away everything else. Candlelit doom at its best! 


Thorsten

psychedelic / progressive

bandcamp

Sunday afternoon, half of the country is closed, the other half remains inside, hiding from the Corona-virus which is threatening society as we know it. Outside it's cold and windy, although the sun tries to pierce through the clouds. Here in my living room it's warm and comfortable, a good time to get working on another bunch of reviews. And what better way to kick things off than with this complex yet captivating piece of work by Seikai, the progressive ambient act by Anthony Pandolfino and Samuel Groat. Although, "progressive ambient" might not be the correct words to describe this music as there is a lot more to be found here. Let's see if I can guide you through.

Seikai are known for their spacey electronics and space rock jams but for 'IV' they focus on a wide array of instrumentation, letting their respective sounds roam freely. That way, the album somewhat feels like a set of jazz improvisations which slowly turn into psychedelic jam sessions, a bit like if Tangerine Dream had a jam session with Ozric Tentacles during a starlit night on a beach in Goa, something like that. There are elements of krautrock, the pulsating bass of psychill, the playfulness of jam band guitars and the atmosphere of old science fiction movies. All of that is created by synths, (slide-)guitars and even a melodica. It's been a while since I've heard that thing in a recording.

I think my favorite track here is 'Galaxahatchie', which seems to drive on a throbbing eighties bassline. There is something gloomy about the whole thing, which immediately reminds me of old soundtracks. Besides, all four tracks here are quite long improvisations and all of them are well worthy of a decent listening session, especially of a daft Sunday like this one. Check it out, you'd be pleasantly surprised. Even post rock fanatics will appreciate a track like 'Starlit Trail'. In fact, this whole album, and thus the band, could prove to be an interesting addition to many post rock festivals, just saying. Anyway, 'IV' is a beautiful album, narrative and adventurous but also comfortable to listen to, and that is all that matters now...


Serge

sludge metal

“Demonic Black Magick for Tortured Souls.” That’s one of the first sentences you read when coming across Seventh Circle’s FB-account. Interestingly this record has less death metal than you would assume after such a proclamation and after a record title referring to Dante’s Seven Circles of Hell. The record is a solid pastiche of stoner-influenced sludge metal with a share of death metal miniatures. The duo from California really hits some weak spots in all of those people who like their death metal a bit more on the hard rock-side with these three tracks.
The sound is gritty and heavy and the breakdowns are not too hardcore-ish so that those 13 minutes are over quicker than you wanted. Most interesting are those moments when they take some time to establish the mood of a song instead of just racing into it. The only thing that might be bothersome is the mixing because although of course a band like this should be produced raw and dirty but the vocals are too far in the background. 

black metal

Invictus Productions

Iron Bonehead Productions

Belgium’s black metal band Possession brought a totally new concept to split EPs at the end of November by releasing two different splits with two different bands but with one unifying theme. “Passio Christi Part I / Witch’s Spell” is their split with Spite from the US and “Passio Christi Part II / Necrophagus Abandon” is the one with Venefixion from France. The second part of each record’s title is one of the track of Possession split partner. 
Interesting about these two separate releases on two different labels with bands spanning five countries is that it all sounds very organic and as if this was meant to be. But the logistics and planning for this thing must have been arduous. 
However, when playing both records in a row, you do not have the feeling of a loss of quality or a change in sound and vision. The releases each start with a very atmospheric intro by Possession with the second one even played on a church organ and incorporates carillon bells. Very, very good. The Belgians pursue their idea of a raw punkish sound and attitude, a high-octane version of black metal. “Stabat Mater”, the last of their six tracks total, ends in a whirlwind of drums and riffs that has mantra-qualities just before their final contribution to this duo split turns the song into an instant classic as they take up the intro from “Passio Christi Part I” again using a choir to make their songs one big entity. 
The other two bands are not only bystanders but take part immensely with each giving their respective releases a different element. Spite, for example, delivers the cover song that each good split should have doing Manitú’s “Cruel Creator” in their own way, very lo-fi and very chilling.  Venefixion, on the other hand, do the best thing to do after a song as good as “Stabat Mater” - they do their own piano-intro (!) and then all hell breaks loose, no barriers holding back, no hostages taken, no one left standing in their way – straightforward black metal!
As a final say, one has only very seldom heard such a coherent, thoughtful conceived combination of split series as this one!

psychedelic / stoner / rock

The California-based trio is set to release their next album on Valentine’s day next year and “8hr Parking” is the first single off of that record which will be called “Mortal Foils” and released via Italy’s specialist label Heavy Psych Sounds Records. 
And as this is not their first release but another one in quite a long list of excellent ones, it shows that singer/guitarist Enver Koneya, bassist Travis Williams and drummer Braden McGraw really know what they want to sound like – a mixture of “full-throttle, pedal to the metal” and “whirling swooshing Tornado jet”. The new song thunders like steamrolling in a Mad Max-vehicle without roof right through Los Angeles all the way up the coast with the wind rushing through your hair while tanking north on Pacific Highway 101 and then having to step down a bit because otherwise the turns and curves will not be mastered especially in Big Sur and North. If the upcoming record is as convincing as this one then we might up for something special!

alternative rock

Sometimes there comes a band that is able to emulate a sound that directly brings up several memories from your past that you had forgotten you had somewhere deep in you. Now a lot of you readers will say “Of course that is what good music should be able to so that you find a connection to it!” For clarification: Listening to an EP with the singer in the first song sounding like a first-class Layne Staley impersonator is never a bad thing, especially when he concentrates on the articulation and breathing and not on the impossible to imitate the voice of Alice in Chains’ front man. With the second using the same bells that Radiohead used for “Karma Police” is another very positive thing and the third one witnessing a voice imitating Thom’s way of phrasing words and sounds while the band is finding the middle between both bands the author of these lines is back in a room at home with the lights on, thinking about former loves and igniting hundreds of candles to fit his mood. Or is that just what this record wants me to feel like? Probably; well: Well done!

Thorsten

psychedelic rock / stoner rock / hard rock

Sonic Cure is an album to be released in the end of the month, November 29, by Polder Records, with pre-orders to start on November 15. Work of veteran Belgian psychedelic/stoner/hard rock band Wheel of Smoke, Sonic Cure is the most recent release of this group, that has been around for fourteen years now, having released previously the albums In Sense, in 2011, Signs of Saturn, in 2013, Mindless Mass, in 2016, and the EP Enter The Pyramid, in 2015. With only five tracks — Sonic Cure, Brainshaker, Beamed, On a Wave and Electric I —, this album displays a sonorous vigour and a genuine enthusiasm from the very beginning, that is amazingly pungent, legendary and remarkable. With tremendously hallucinating guitar lines, cohesive and strong harmonies, and gloriously pulsating seventies psychedelic rock vibes, Sonic Cure has an authentically fit retro atmosphere, that subsidizes its splendorous, dense and gracefully dynamic rhythmic features, for the full extent of this amazingly fabulous album.

With a remarkable musical style, that completes on the vicinities of its marvelous genuine creativity the sonorous grandiosity of its wonderfully vivid and abrasive style, the density and the practical uneasiness displayed in the sound doesn't stand as a mere copy of seventies rock 'n' roll bands, on the contrary; the group departs from a cohesive conjuncture of eclectic influences, to compose in a mosaic of complex arrangements a vast diagram of deeply resonating and colorful authorial melodies. With wonderful harmonies — whose extensive creative sensibilities defies the consistency of its own organic structure —, Sonic Cure, in its entirety, easily reveals itself as the perfect combination between appreciation of tradition and original conception of sound. 

With gracefully pungent and colorful guitar solos, that expand the tempestuous grace of its renitent restlessness over the salutary density of its vastly flexible and unorthodox rhythmic proficiency, each track has majestically unique peculiarities, distinct beauty, splendid elegance, powerfully consistent and diligent qualities, that underscores the band's huge, impeccable creative potential. The formidable heterogeneity of the band — which can be surprisingly flexible, without ever losing its characteristic sonorous identity — is a deeply strong musical feature, that gives to their style an unpredictable sensibility, whose undisputed possibilities injects ostentatious vigor into the group's virtuous harmonies. 

A formidable, unique, sensationally graceful state of the art work, Sonic Cure definitely is one of the most genuine, remarkable and perfect albuns ever released in the contemporary history of retro-styled, seventies inspired hard rock. Displaying not only superb technical elegance, but also a virtuous creative sensibility — as well as a fantastic electrical audacity, an originally discreet, but vivacious and persistent restlessness —, and a truly genuine desire to break boundaries, Sonic Cure is a concise, but practically perfect work of modern rock, destined to establish new musical standards for all the other bands in the genre, as soon as the album is released.  


Wagner