sludge /  noise rock

Several decades ago, I worked as a volunteer on some sort of holiday camp (which we often referred to as a child-dump). While we were preparing the activities for that summer, one of us made up an impossible mission: take 100 grams of toilet paper and rip it to pieces until you get 200 grams. That one holiday, eating an entire raw union wasn't the hardest mission on that camp. Many kids tried, all failed miserably.

I guess it's our Belgian humor. We are so damn good at utter nonsense. Just look at our government, our traffic and our music. We invented new beat and we invented popcorn music. But we're also good at making shitloads of noise and slamming it in your face at high velocity. Hey, we have AmenRa, remember? Our latest assault comes from the otherwise quiet town of Beringen in Limburg, 30.000 Monkies, screaming, scratching, clawing and biting.

30.000 Monkies have been all around our country in the past few years or so. It has become quite impossible not to see these guys live. I've seen them a few times and each time I was blown away by the wall-of-noise they create. Combining harsh noise rock with severe sludge influences and some slight ambient breathers doesn't seem to be enough for them, so they thrown in some doom, a handful of blastbeats and some completely inaudible noise. Oh, and they scream.

If you want bands to compare these guys with, think Melvins, Melt Banana, Sonic Youth, Merzbow, Lightning Bolt, Harvey Milk, Yob, Sleep, Neurosis, AmenRa... From opener 'Melaena' to closer 'Juice', 30.000 Monkies drag you along an array of musical brutality, often interluded by dark and haunting soundscapes . Personally, I think my favorite track is 'Mountainesque I', a crushing piece of music that completely rips you apart until you weigh twice as much.

The verdict? Well, look at it this way: our country is completely absurd, twisted and chaotic. 30.000 Monkies created the perfect soundtrack for a biopic about Belgium, an equally absurd, twisted and chaotic record. The difference is, I tend to take 30.000 Monkies way more seriously than any of our politicians, policemen, civil servants, lawyers, judges, employes or car drivers. At least I like listening to this album, it's one of the few Belgian things that don't piss me off...


Serge

noise rock

Right, back to distorted guitars, nutripping drums and oral brutality. Why? Well, because I've just discovered what I feel is one of the most interesting acts in the world of noise rock. "Yeah, yeah, you say that about every band", you might say now but that's not entirely true, certainly not in this scene. As some of our readers should know by now, I'm a sucker for crossover stuff and this is some serious crossover between noise rock, hardcore punk, sludge metal, psychedelic rock and stoner stuff.

Bardus hail from the United States, Philadelphia to be exact. Formed in 2011 and inspired by Eyehategod, Melvins, Unsane and Queens Of The Stone Age, this trio has been slashing their way through the heavy underground scene like Jack Nicholson slashes through bathroom doors. With this album, their second after the debut 'Solus', Bardus look to solidify their status as a DIY band, a very, very loud DIY band.

The album opens with 'Smoke Bath', a massive Helmet meets Foo Fighters basement rehearsal room rocker. Harsh guitars, pummeling drums and those brutal screams, lovely. Yet, gradually, Bardus show their other sides by incorporating psychedelic guitar solos, crushing sludge passages and groovy stoner rock pieces. 'Monolith', 'Haze' and the massive and doomy 'Oracle' are highlights but the entire album is a stunning trip.

You want some other bands to compare Bardus with? Well, here we go: Cult Of Luna, Isis, Converge, Neurosis, Entombed, Sonic Youth, Swans, Vandal X, Agnostic Front, Exploited, Baroness.. the list could go on and on. But most of all, this simply is Bardus: a massive heap of aggression, noise and groove, best to be enjoyed while you're smashing your brains in with an electric drill.

​
Serge

noise rock / punk

Time for an energetic slab of no-nonsense rock 'n roll, don't you think? I certainly do, since I'm already getting a little drunk. It's two in the afternoon but I don't mind. I'm thinking about starting a mosh pit in my living room, build a skate ramp in my kitchen and put a massive set of speakers in my bedroom. I'm alone, I can't skate and I will probably be evicted by my landlord for making too much noise but who cares, right?

Anyway, here's Hot Coffin, a band from Milwaukee, US. I know very little about this band, mainly because while writing this, I got myself another beer and I'm getting more drunk by the paragraph. I'm also way too energized by this awesome blend of noise rock and punk rock to focus on reading anything about the history of the band. Members have had some experiences in several bands before.

​The album opens with 'Whistle, Hawk, & Spit' and immediately I'm dragged in a vision about summer festivals and the raw intensity from noise rock and punk bands, even though this is probably the most post-hardcore related song on this album, it still is one of my favorites (I'm not really into post-hardcore, but don't tell anyone). From then on, we're on a massive wave of riffs, drums and rough vocals.

I can hear influences from Melvins, from Neurosis, from Bad Religion, from Sonic youth and even from Therapy?. But most of all, I can hear a bunch of rockers having the time of their lives. The album highlights a number of times, including the great songwriting 'Salt Away' and the mosher 'Hammer Throw'. But I also really dig the chaotic 'A Lesson In Sleep' and the closing track. I'm not going to mention the title of that last want. It would sound weird. Look it up and you'll know why I won't say ' I like...'

So yeah, buy this album, have a few beers, turn up the volume and let yourself go. After all, it's Saturday, the only day where you don't have to slave to society, family or other yapping 'obligations'. Have fun, get wasted and rock on...


​Serge

noise rock

Oh man, I've been lazy in the past few days. I only published a handful of reviews and it's been a long time since I've written a decent story for A Small Neat Journal. I'm also pretty tired, almost constantly even. So perhaps there is something wrong, I don't know. What I do know is that there is something wrong with the guys that made this album. This is some insane piece of work, which can only be made by madmen, or geniuses.

Baklavaa are a noisy four piece from Baltimore, Us. Formed in 2009, they released two ep's and played a number of live shows. Now, it seems that they are ready to break through in the weird and chaotic world of noise rock with this first full-length. On the other hand, what does 'breaking through in the noise rock scene' look like? This music will forever be the stuff for murky basement venues and peculiar bars.

'Dane On' is loaded with dissonant, chaotic and intense pieces of rock music, seemingly influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, Slint and The Jesus Lizard. Most of the songs follow a similar path, being rock music with odd hooks and raw edges and with a harsh, raw sound. In that aspect, songs like 'Bad Filfth' and 'Mey' are some of the highlights. Yet, there is plenty of other weirdness to discover, like the twisted 'Ginger V' or the bizarre ambient-noise piece 'IV'.

'Ointment' is another brilliant piece of musical insanity, a slow, immersive avalanche of dissonant guitars. One moment, I was about to write 'the noise-rock version of Virgin Prunes' about this song, and perhaps that isn't even so far off if you ask me. 'Tampered With' seems to nudge more towards the post-hardcore scene, mainly as far as intensity and vocals are concerned. I'll leave the rest of the songs up to you.

For a noise rock album, this one is tremendously varied, but it might take a few listens before you realize that. As with many of their colleagues, Baklavaa do not care about radio friendliness, trends, genres or about how people feel about their music. All these guys want to do is put up an intense live shows and overwhelm everyone in attendance. With stuff like this, I'm sure they will succeed in that goal.

Let's hope they come to Incubate this September, this deserves a spot at the Cul De Sac bar where the toilets are right next to the stage and the dancefloor is a big hole in the ground. God, I love that bar...


Serge

progressive / math rock

Madness, I tell you, absolute madness! As if Helmet stole Maybeshewill's equipment to recreate some tunes by Wagner. Or as if Dillinger Escape Plan and Godflesh cover Autechre. Yes, this is something strange, complex and intense. Yet, after a few listens, I have to conclude that this is quite an interesting musical study, one with an experimental attitude that can compete with many free jazz musicians. 

A Jane Doe is a one-man project from Vitebsk, Belarus.  Originally a black metal musician, Sergey Mihajlovich decided to go his own way with this solo project. He claims to be influenced by bands like Meshuggah, Animals Are Leaders and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza and that might be a decent description.  However, I still sense that gloomy blackened atmosphere somewhere.

The ep consists of six instrumental tracks, each expressing a different temperament. It's an interesting approach to making music and in a way the songs do represent their given temperament.  However, the whole remains a harsh, complex and dissonant piece of work which obviously isn't suited for everyone. Like with many math & noise rock bands, many people will lose track of all those unexpected hooks and surprising elements.

Does that have to be a problem? Of course not. This is the stuff that keeps the music industry fresh and evolving. Yeah, this might be too weird for some people but fact remains that there is a skilled and motivated artist behind this. So check it out and then check it out again. This ep needs to sink in before you see the true value but once it is there, you're in for something you won't easily forget...


Serge

noise rock / indie rock

Last night, I was talking about the music industry with a friend of mine.  I was describing an article I found on the internet where a former music executive described a meeting that changed the face of hip-hop and rap music, making it more violent in order to get more (black) people into prison as  cheap workers.  (read that article here).  I wanted to make clear that the music industry isn't as nice and friendly as you would expect.  It is a mean business.

Swedish noise-rockers Traktor also understood that, hence the name of their new album.  They decided to take matters into their own hands and release this album on their own label. Furthermore, they organised a crowdfunding campaign for the vinyl edition.  In their own words: "The idea is to sell our lovechild as a digital download at the very reasonable price of €8 at first and then, when and if, the record is released on vinyl give our digital customers who feel the urge to have it on their shelves an offer to get it for only the shipping cost, or for free when picked up at one of the locations chosen by us."

Yeah yeah, that all sounds very nice and reasonable but how does it sound?

Well, for starters, it sounds pretty intense and blasts through my speakers with loads of energy. Although I intentionally described this album as noise-rock, there is a lot more to it.  In fact, you might see this as hardcore ('W.T.R.R.') induced indie rock, borrowing elements from both genres as well as noise rock ('Senter') and punk ('The Cause of and Cure).  Yet, most of all, it sounds like a bunch of friends having loads of fun by rocking hard.

The album is recorded in an abandoned school outside of Stockholm.  That also seems to add a lot of credibility to their do-it-yourself approach, which obviously derives from their post-hardcore past.  For me, it's hard to compare it to other bands. Perhaps I can mention Sonic Youth or Unsane, maybe a bit of And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, the drums of Foo Fighters with the vocals of Anthrax and the heaviness of Melvins.  I don't know, you figure it out.

All I know is that, regardless of classification, this is a highly energetic and dynamic piece of rock music which certainly deserves your attention.  For now, I am going to add this to my recommendations-list for the upcoming edition of the Dutch Incubate festival.  Traktor would fit in perfectly.  I'm quite sure that they can come up with an intense live set and convince an entire audience.  


Serge

noise rock / sludge

Let's start this review with a little cinematic history before we crawl into the sonic filth which comes out of my speakers right now.  'Teorema' is an Italian movie from 1968, one with an interesting synopsis: A strange visitor in a wealthy family. He seduces the maid, the son, the mother, the daughter and finally the father before leaving a few days after. After he's gone, none of them can continue living as they did.

Teorema is also an Mexican duo, formed in 2013.  Seemingly they have quite a similar goal as the strange visitor in that movie.  With this crushing album, they confuse, awe and mesmerize the unsuspecting audience. These guys take the whole to a completely new level.  Violence, aggression and noise are the main ingredients for this little gem.

The band claims to be influenced by bands like Eyehategod, Melvins, Godflesh, Neurosis and Corrupted but it feels more like their main influence is modern society with its hatred, religion, corruption and other malignant aspects that piss us off.  No wonder that there is a massive nihilistic wall of noise filling the air, way too brutal for a lesser experienced music fan.  Let's go over the list of genres that these guys have blended.

First of all, there is sludge metal with its thick, downtuned and fierce riffs.  Some of the riffs and the majority of the vocals remind me of death metal while the overall sound comes very close to extreme noise rock.  Often the blast beats show a blackened element but you can find just as much drones and harsh ambient sounds in there.  Finally, there is a touch of folk music with clean(ish) guitars and a massive hardcore punk attitude.  

Yet, whatever these guys throw into their music, they will always assault you with their harsh, raw and gnawing sound.  Play this loud enough and I'm certain that at least one of your lungs will collapse, if not your entire self-image and everything you feel is good and just in our society.  Songs like 'Karma', 'Spiritual Madness' or 'Times Of Sin' are simply brutal pieces of work, regardless of genre boundaries.

So do I recommend it?  Hell yeah I do.  Perhaps I shouldn't recommend it to every fan of heavy and punishing music out there, since I know for a fact that some people simply can't handle this level of sonic violence.  Yet, let's recommend it anyway and let natural selection do the rest. There are too many people anyway.  By the way, there's always the stunning 'Fuegos fatuos', which reminds me of Sepultura's 'Kaiowas'.  Love it.


​Serge

noise rock

Some people seem to have one choice in live, either they start a band or they get locked up for severe mental issues.  Obviously, some do start that band, passing on their insanity to a whole new generation of weirdos.  You might wonder if that's a good idea, but why shouldn't they.  Our entire society is a boneheaded maniac with malignant intentions.  Sometimes it does indeed look more appealing to put locked away in a mental institute.  At least it's safe there, and drugs are completely free.

Shaving The Werewolf is not only a pretty dangerous hobby, it's also a band from Oslo, Norway. Rooted in the hardcore scene, these guys create a highly intense and chaotic form of noise-rock with wicked riffs and a murderous tempo.  Opener 'Death of the Dying Corpses of Death' immediately blasts out with this brutal approach, after a short electronic intro that is.  With the intensity and brutality of death metal, sludge/hardcore vocals and chaotic song structures, these guys clearly set themselves apart from the traditional hardcore scene.

While up until now you might indeed expect pulverising noise-rock, 'Do Mind If I Don't' does something extremely weird and experimental.  I'm not going to tell you how exactly because I think it's important for your mental wellbeing to figure that out for yourself.   I will say that it's the perfect intro for the crushing closer 'The Pissing Link', a song that will probably rip off your testicles if it could.  Along with 'Earth Song', this is my favorite track on this pretty damn intense ep.  So yes, you have to check this out, but secretly.  Otherwise the men in white coats will come and take you away.



​Serge

progressive / metal 

Ok, one more review and then I'm off to take a shower and spend some time in my kitchen.  I got some friends coming over tonight and they seem to like my pancakes.  Yet, I wanted to present this piece of musical madness before I go, because that's exactly what this is, madness.  Experimental math rock meets hardcore meets power rock.  Or something like that that.  It's quite complicated.

The album opens with title track 'Feral', and I'm thinking 'oh, this is just rock music, perhaps a little psychedelic or stoner rock like'.  Then the (post- hardcore elements come in, along with perplexing song structures and before I realize it, I'm dragged into a weird cesspool of guitars, emotional vocals, screams and forceful drums.  I try to think of other bands, but come no further than Kayo Dot and that's not even completely correct.

Like Animals doesn't seem to care about genres.  Pop songs with thrash metal riffs, of brutal hardcore with gently rock vocals, alternating with whatever they can come up with.  Tempo and intensity regularly change.  One moment I'm listening to something like Led Zeppelin, the other I'm being punished by Gorilla Biscuits or The Melvins.  At that point, I'm not even halfway through third track 'Lounge Lizard'.

Yes, you can say that 'Feral' is quite a varied ep, but you might as well say that this stuff is confusing as hell.  Either way, I don't mind.  This is the stuff that makes the underground music scene alive and fresh.  If you're a fan of bands that stand out, make out-of-the-ordinary music (like Mr Bungle, Melvins, Butthole Surfers...) check it out.  You might have found something new to torture your narrowminded friends with...


​Serge

punk / noise rock

Some bands fall victim to the overwhelming amount of releases we still have to go through.  As I mentioned in my column about this past year (read), some albums have been delayed and others might never be reviewed because we simply can't handle all of them.  Then again, some albums suddenly seem to pop-up from somewhere in the huge pile and draw my attention.  This is one of them.

Death Of Youth is a band from Germany, founded in 2013.  Their main influence seems to be hardcore punk, and that have been what made me weary of it at first.  Yet, as you can see, I underhandedly added the term 'noise-rock' to the genres above.  There's a good reason for that too, otherwise I wouldn't do that.  Opener '55116' really is much more of a noise rock anthem than a punk song.

For starters, there's the tempo.  Death Of Youth seems to prefer a mid tempo approach, at least on most occasions.  That doesn't affect the aggression and crushing spirit of the whole by the way.  The raw, pissed-off vocals certainly have that in-your-face punk attitude but I can see this song being played by Melvins just as much as by Agnostic Front.  There's just as much Godflesh, Winter or Tool as there is Hüsker Dü or Gorilla Biscuits, to name a few.

Even when the tempo goes up, there's still is experimental, noisy approach, resulting in eerie feedback noises here and there.  And then there's also 'Eine jugend, die es nicht wert ist, erzählt zu werden', a song the combines sludge, shoegaze and blacked doom, or something like that.  This is a massive song.  If this still is hardcore punk, it's probably one of my all-time favorite hardcore punk songs, that's for sure.

This album is one of the reasons why I still refuse to like or dislike certain genres.  I don't consider myself a hardcore fan but I'm absolutely sure that there are hardcore bands that I will like.  Same with noise rock.  To be quite honest, I have no idea how to classify Death Of Youth ('Die Nacht Von Lissabon' could have been a Burzum song for crying out loud) but I certainly like what they came up with.  So check it out dammit!


Serge

post-rock / noise

What if musical genres could get mentally ill?  What if they somehow could suffer a severe trauma which alters their personality or, in this case, gives it a few extra personalities? Schizophrenia would probably be what this album is diagnosed with, or multiple personality disorder.  In music-review language however, that would be translate to 'weird', 'versatile' and 'there-a-lot-going-one-here'.

French trio Hoax Hoax somehow managed to create one of the most alienating pieces of post-rock I've ever heard.  One of the grittiest too, if I may add.  Founded in 2012, these guys have been influenced by the likes of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Can and Shellac but I guess I'd like to add some more names into that mix.  Melvins for instance, or Neurosis.  Or how about Tortoise, Zu or Dead Neanderthals?

​The album opens with 'Huacos', which starts out as a noise post-rock song and ends like a post-noise anthem (if that exists).  Then, the level of experimentality is raised to a level of 'what???'.  'Ablution' drives on a bassline which sounds like Primus on LSD, aided in its strangeness by free jazz drums and shrieking guitars.  By this time, I'm convinced that on stage these guys would be just impressive and in-your-face as Melt Banana is.

From there the album rages on with plenty of intensity, complex song structures and awe-inspiring hooks.  Although these are huge tracks, the shortest one lasting for about seven minutes, they change, alter, become melodic or noisy, jazzy again in 'Cerro Torre'.  Often the cohesion between the different elements seems to be completely lost but then suddenly, the whole turns into something highly immersive again.

Since we're freely throwing band names around, I have to mention Black Dice.  Although the musical is totally different, both bands have this chaotic approach where harsh noises are just as welcome as melodic passages.  For me, this approach to music usually doesn't work on CD but is always a blast live.  I'm quite certain now that I want to see these guys at the next edition of Incubate festival.

To set the record straight, I mentioned that this music usually doesn't work on CD but in this case it certainly does.  These are probably some of the most adventurous songs I've ever heard and it's great to explore all the different sounds.  This music could stun, surprise and awe post-rock fans, noise-rock adepts and heavy jazz faddists alike and since I am actually all three of them, this album goes straight into my every day playlist.


​Serge

sludge metal / noise rock

Lately it has become clear how close related sludge metal and noise rock actually are.  Several bands combine both genres perfectly.  The Melvins  have been doing that since the beginning of time, or so it seems.  Many bands follow in their footsteps but few seem to have the same potential as King Buzzo and co.  Others take those influences and drag them down into a filthy cesspool of guitars, drums and screams.  

The Nepalese Temple Ball is on of them, playing a loud, harsh and relentless version of post-metal.  The band hails from Bournemouth, England and was founded only a few months ago. Yet, this debut shows a seasoned sounding band, so these guys must be quite experienced. Members come from bands like Strangle Wank and Light Bearer, so I guess the noise-making is quite normal to these guys.

I love how the album begins.  Repetitive riffs and awesome drums function as a sort of an intro and bring back some martial industrial references.  However, not long after that awesomeness, the band blasts out in a frenzy of noise-sludge with dissonant guitars, pounding drums and fierce screams in perfect post-hardcore tradition.  The 'post' tag seems to be quite important since there's a lot of it to be found here.

Other bands that come to mind are definitely Godflesh and Neurosis and the sheer violence from bands like AmenRa or Eyehategod often appears as well.  Needless to say that this is an intense piece of work, hypnotic, repetitive, hammering and crushing.  Highlights are songs like 'Gas Bird' and the brutal noise slab 'Desert Baron'.  So if you like your music to grab you by your hairy testicles and drag you down into eternal despair: buy this.


​Serge

jazz / noise rock

Well, since we're dealing with strange music today, we might as well throw this odd fusion album in the mix.  Lately we've been receiving more and more jazz-inspired albums and most of them are quite confusing to me.  The first time I listened to this one, it was no different.  I kept on wondering what to write about it, hell, up till now I don't even know if I really like it or not.  Yet, it would be a shame to ignore this album because there's definitely something interesting going on.

Louis Minus XVI is a band from Lille, France. Instruments used are drums, bass, alt sax and tenor sax.  'Kindergarten' is their second album, after 'Birds and Bats' in 2011.  On this album, they present a number of compositions, five to be exact, and each one is as strange and unsettling as the previous one.  Blending free jazz and noise rock, these guys have come up with something that might just be a massive blast live.

Opener 'La Marche' brings back memories of bands like Zu and Dead Neanderthals.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this song would be a blast when played live at a festival like Incubate. The constant repetitive pounding and harsh sounds of the whole even brought the phrase 'The Godflesh of jazz' to mind.  That should give you some indication.  'More Friends' takes on a bit more of a jazz approach and is somewhat calmer that its predecessor.

Personally, I can't stand 'Sugar Od' as it's way to free jazz for my nerves.  Yet, I do know that some people will definitely regard this one as their favorite on this album, especially of course the die-hard free jazz fans.  But then I prefer the wall-varied and quite beautiful 'Columbine's Twin' or closer 'Bain Atlas'.  Those songs might appear often on playlists in this households. So yes, check it out, try to get used to it.  You might be pleasantly surprised...


​Serge

noise rock / sludge

Do you it will one day be possible to use soundwaves as a form of transportation?  You know, trains or streetcars with massive speakers on the bottom, driving on drones?  It's not very strange when you think about it.  Scientists have already balanced objects between speakers and put out fire with soundwaves.  It's true, look it up on Youtube if you don't believe me.  So, imagine one day we ride on soundtrains.  Guess who drives the damn thing?  Yes, Beesus (among others).

Beesus is an Italian band, formed in 2010.  After their first demo and some live gigs, the band went on a hiatus, only to come back with a serious vengeance.  This debut full-length is a massive piece of noise rock, with tentacles towards stoner rock, sludge metal.  Influences by the likes of Alice In Chains, The Jesus Lizard, Kyuss and Butthole Surfers, Beesus rages on in a fury of fuzz, noise and energy.  Yes, most of the album is quite slow, but still intense enough to snap the elastic in your underwear.

'The Rise Of Beesus' (both the song and the album, which is quite normal since the song opens the album, making it easy for me to not confuse my beloved readers with the question whether I'm reviewing the song or the album) opens with a drone and slowly turns into something you know will leave you with a severe headache.  Yet, it's one of those worth-it-headaches, an afterblow of something awesome you did last night.  From there one, Beesus drive their stoner-noise through your skull with sheer intensity.

Once in awhile, Beesu takes a step back to engage themselves in a bit of a psychedelic jamsession.  'Kusa' is one of those.  It's the kind of song that The Doors could have played when they were too stoned to notice the distortion being too heavy.  It's not too heavy for Beesus, that's for damn sure.  Much like The Melvins, Beesus stand for a massive wall-of-sound, with a thick, hazy atmosphere and harsh riffs.  'Zenza', for instance, will make every noise rocker party his socks off.

To conclude, this is one of those albums that will stun a lot of fuzz-fans and each of them knows that this music will be even better live.  In fact, the album is recorded live. This is the stuff for ecstatic live shows, loaded with all kinds of psychotropic substances.  So check it out if you like any of the bands listed in this review, and if you don't, check it out anyway.  


Serge

noise rock

​'Book Of Mutations', the title reminds me of something.  A quick internet search told me that it's a book by R. Leo Gillis, based on 'Liber Trigrammaton' by Aleister Crowley, who called it "the ultimate foundation of the highest theoretical qabalah". Yet, that's an esoteric book and that's not what I was thinking about.  I seem to recall a book in which a certain number of genetic and biologic mutations are listed, allowing medical staff to find the source, and thus a cure or treatment of those strange illnesses.  

However, I'm digressing again.  We'e here to check out the fourth album by Lyon, France based trio Herr Geisha & the Boobs.  Since 2011, this act has been destroying everything they know about making music and pouring everything that influenced them into a huge blender, coming out with an intense piece of noise rock.  Influences range from Tortoise, Melvins, Fugazi, Neurosis to Picasso and eating fish with onions.  Needless to say that we're dealing with something noisy and in-your-face.

It's all here, soothing post-rock, hypnotic drones and fierce bursts of noise rock.  When I close my eyes while listening to this album, I find myself back at The Extase or Cul De Sac during the Incubate festival.  I know I often refer to that particular festival but it really is my only reference for this kind of music.  It's the only event where I truly enjoy watching these bands live and I definitely will check out Herr Geisha & the Boobs if and when they play in Tilburg.

The songs on this album have no titles, instead, they're called 'Chapters', followed by a number. Of these, I think 'III' must be one of my favorites but that's because I really dig minimal drone music.  'I' and 'II' are highly energetic noise rock anthems, combining sludge metal with grunge with a lot of intensity.  'IIII' has a bit of a Sonic Youth meets Kreidler feel to it, be it dressed in a blues-gown.  That being said, there's quite a lot of variation on this piece of work.

Or how about a little bit of jazz, once again mixed with minimal post-rock of course.  In 'VI' you have both and that might be one of the reasons why this is my favorite tune on this already impressive album.  If you're in for a bit of musical chaos and aggression, this just might be your cup of tea.  So check it out if you dare and try to check them out life.  I think those gigs will be quite impressive, to say the least...


Serge

noise rock

​About the name, the band says "We figured it was short enough that press and promoters couldn't fuck it up".  That seems quite reasonable but I wouldn't be surprised if some journalist turns it into 'Pugs' or 'Pogs', just to mess with them and prove them wrong, or 'Wronger'.  Some journalists, believe it or not, have a certain sense of humor.  Me? I'm not a journalist but I do have a sense of humor.  All I thought when I laid my eyes on this album, was 'this must be a heavy version of The Police'.  Pigs - Police, get it?

Pigs is a trio from Brooklyn, NY (USA), consisting of seasoned musicians.  Dave Curran (Unsane), Jim Paradise (Player's Club) and Andrew Scheider (producer for Cave In, Converge) have all been around for quite a while, destroying venues and stereos everywhere.  With this little project, they intent nothing less but absolute noise rock destruction.  Their main influences are Vietnamese sandwiches, Tinnitus and Jameson and that's quite audible, in a way.

The album opens with the instrumental 'A Green Blight', which immediately reminds me of bands as Unsane, Karp or Today Is The Day.  'The Life In Pink' follows quickly and intensely and from there on the band rolls over the listener like a massive steamroller.  Although the focus is mainly on playing thick noise-rock, there are also some influences from post-hardcore, sludge, industrial and grunge to be heard.  'Mops', for instance, is Sonic Youth meets Ministry.

The album has been playing several times in the past few weeks.  On most occasions, I actually forgot that I was listening to something I had to review.  That's because this album takes me back to my early days at rock festivals like Rock Herk or Zwemdokrock.  Those festivals often featured noise rock bands and I was in awe every singe time.  The energy and intensity is stunning and probably the main reason why noise rock is one of my favorite live-genres.

I can easily imagine songs like 'Make Sure To Forget' or 'Wrap It Up' becoming killer tracks on stage, turning the entire audience into a deranged crowd surfing moshpit.  So I really hope that Pigs will come over to Europe real soon and smash their grinding guitars over an unexpecting audience.   So if you like some flesh ripping musical insanity, look no further.  Pigs are here to take over the noise rock scene and they will not take no for an answer...


Serge

post-hardcore / sludge / noise rock

​The job of a reviewer isn't always an easy one, especially since we're somewhat overloaded in releases.  So it often happens that I spend all day listening to new stuff in a massive variety of genres.  Now too, I've been mesmerized by the new Deutsch Nepal album only a few minutes ago and now I'm drenched in thick musical filth again, 'filth' in the best possible way of course. Get ready for a stranglehold of noise rock, post-hardcore and sludge metal, brought to you by the nice guys from Chronoboros.

Two days ago, the Greek trio Chronoboros celebrated their first birthday.  Undoubtedly, the birthday party was a very noisy and quite intense one, judging from the music on this debut ep.  Guitars, bass, drums and vocals all are almost continuously as loud, massive and violent as possible, resulting in an impressive slap in your face.  Obviously, these guys are influenced by the likes of Melvins, Neurosis, Unsane and everyone else who tries to make more noise than the previous band.

In a way, I can see live performances by Chronobors being equally vehement and rabid as Melt Banana gigs.  That being said, it would be awesome for this band to step into the studio with someone like Steve Albini.  He would definitely make songs like 'Raise These Wolves (Like They Were Mine)' and the mighty 'Bison Unit' underground noise rock hits like only he can.  Yet, there's no doubt in my mind that this fierce trio will gain fans everywhere the go, especially if those fans like crushing intensity.

So if you fancy a wild ride of chaos and musical sickness, Chronoboros should absolutely be a part of your collection.  I'm going to remember this name because I'd like to see these guys at the next edition of Incubate in Tilburg (my save haven in a rotten world).  They could steal the show and destroy the Extase-venue with great ease.  


Serge

stoner rock / noise rock / psychedelic rock

Hey, I remember this band.  When I received the e-mail promoting this album, I knew I heard that name somewhere.  When I started listening to the music, I suddenly envisioned Desertfest Belgium again.  Then it all came back to me.  Old Man Lizard replaced Slabdragger on that festival (Jack Newnham is a member of both bands). I was standing in the back of the venue, trying to figure out the sound, or the combination of influences. I stayed for a few songs before attending to some interview duties.  I remember not being very impressed but I also remember being very tired and fuzzed-out.

Old Man Lizard hails from Suffolk (UK) and was formed in 2011.  Above all, they're live band with an impressive number of shows on their resumé.  Yet, funny enough, I'm more impressed by this album than with their live performance.  Back then I wasn't very fond of the vocals, but now I realise that this is just another aspect for this band.  This is not mere a stoner rock trio.  There's a lot more going on, including noise rock, psychedelica and vintage hard rock.

The songs on this album are complex pieces of work, driving on immense riffs and loads of fuzz.  Although the tempo usually is quite slow, there are very few similarities with doom metal.  Throughout the music I hear flashes of influences from Kyuss, Baroness and The Melvins, interwoven in challenging song structures and contrarian rhythms.  'Fawza-Faith' even shows a little bit of post-rock but again, not as we know it.  It's just one of the elements floating in and out of the music.

Even in a clean-guitar ballad like 'El-Doctor', Old Man Lizard sounds heavy and psyched-out.  When the song gets heavier, there's simply no way way of denying that I was wrong about this band in the first place.  Here we're dealing with a tremendous and massive sound which brings a refreshing approach to all things stoner.  There's just as much Sonic Youth here as there is Harvey Milk and just as much Swans as there is Sleep.  Needless to say that this is quite a versatile album, no?

So yes, almost a year after I first encountered Old Man Lizard, the band finally succeeded in convincing me of their capabilities.  With complex songs they divert from most stoner rock bands these days and definitely bring a breath of fresh (be it smoke filled) air to the present day 'desert' scene.  This album comes highly recommended if you're in for something new, although it will absolutely please the old school stoner, noise and psychedelic rock fans.  



Serge

indie / noise rock / shoegaze

I don't know what 'maff' means in their mother tongue, but in these regions 'maf' (with one 'f') means something like 'crazy'.  And indeed, we're going on a crazy ride through indie rock, noise rock, shoegaze and grunge, driven by heaps of pedals, guitars, some electronics and sheer melancholy.  Yes, I'm still holding on to the sound of an early afternoon on an alternative summer festival because I absolutely love this feeling.

Maff hails from Chile and started in 2012.  Their goal was to create edgy rock music, influenced by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Slowdive, The National, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Pixies and so on.  To me, that is always an interesting combination, if the vocals are ok.  Vocals can be a pain in the ass sometimes and for me they often make or break an album. So that means that opener 'Act 1' is a great tune.  It's a lively instrumental that serves as an intro and it makes me want to dance a little bit.  Don't worry, I won't. 

 'Linger Around' then starts rocking in similar fashion and the vocals appear.  This is always an exciting moment because often it's where I choose between pressing 'stop' and writing the review.  Well, I'm writing the review so the vocals are perfectly fine. 'Linger Around' is actually one of my favorite tracks, driving on a firm bass line and a solid tempo.  This is a highly enjoyable noise rock song, often bringing in more noise than the rock can handle, but that's ok. 


It's  a lot of fun to listen to this music.  At certain points I'm actually thinking about Joy Division, mainly because of the bass and the vocals.  It's also these elements which turn 'Million Year Picnic' into a great dark rock song, perked up by the sixties feel of the drums.  These drums also add a grunge feel to songs like 'You' and 'Blue Seas'.

'Planet Wave' comes up with a punk tempo and a post-punk attitude.  It's probably the heaviest song on this e.p., capable of setting venues on fire everywhere.  I'm not so sure about the post-hardcore vocals on this one but hey, let'(s not complain and just have a little fun, shall we?  Although we might also listen to the amazing shoegazer 'Someday', another one of my favorites here.  Or if we want slow, noisy shoegaze, 'Walking On Fire' is a very, very strong candidate.

So in all, this is a very decent e.p. with some fantastic songs which will find the way to my media player quite often from now on.  I'll probably place this directly between albums by some of the bands I mentioned earlier, as well as Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine.  Highly recommended e.p...



Serge

Well, here it is: the most anticipated album of 2015 for me. Pure Fucking Trip Metal. Not my words, they're No Joy's... So should all you Stoner Metal or Psychedelic Doom fans jump on this, based on that description? 

No. And yes. No because No Joy are a happy-go-lucky bunch of girls and guys known for their pranks, so that description might not fit the bill for die-hard metal guys. But a big yes because No Joy is just one of those bands that are just so irresistible it is pretty much impossible to ignore them. Ever since their 2010 debut Ghost Blonde the band has been consistent in bringing us a brilliant mix of shoegaze, dreampop, indierock and psychedelica with some punky, surf and metallic infusions. 

More Faithful is a very weird album because even though it might be their most accessible so far, the psychedelic dial is turned all the way to 11. You could easily hear these songs being played on the radio stations, but even then you'd go 'wow this is some pretty far out stuff!'. But then again it's not just psych stuff just for the sake of doing psych stuff. It feels it just flows out of Jasamine (guitars/vocals), Laura (guitars), Michael (bass) and Garland (drums) effortlessly.

Recording (partly, some of it was recorded in Brooklyn), mixing and overdubs were done in an old farmhouse in Costa Rica and you can tell a lot of effort went into making it sound absolutely spot-on. Everything sounds brilliant: it's vibrant, buzzy, fuzzy and warm and it really rocks when it needs to rock. Especially worth mentioning are the gorgeous vocal harmonies; in every track there are delicately layered vocals and choruses. Jasamine might not be the world's best singer, but I can't think of any other dreamy voice that would fit so well to the music. 

Another result of the Costa Rica environment is that it gives the album a lovely laid-back feeling, even in the faster, heavier songs. Just listen to the official single 'Everything New' and tell me that isn't to die for. The warm fuzz of the guitars and the fantastic vocal harmonies.. Definetely the popsong of the year so far. I'm on my 4th listening of the album while I'm writing this, but to be truthful, I was sold after the first couple of notes. 

Do like me, open your hearts to No Joy. It doesn't matter what your taste in music is, just give it a shot and you'll probably end up just as smitten as I am. And if you're into that whole 'Nugaze' thing and you haven't heard No Joy yet then what are you waiting for?? Album of the year already? It's a bit early but the bar is set. High. Very high.

Very, very high...


Bjorn