ALBUM REVIEW: Evil Triplet, "Have A Nice Trip"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/07/2018

Label: Super Secret Records

Is messy riffing intertwined with harmonics, synthesizer swirls and keys your thing? If so, hop on the Evil Triplet space ship and don’t look back.

“Have a Nice Trip” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Space Kitten

2). A Day Like Any Other

3). Aren’t You Experienced?

4). Open Heart

5). Pyramid Eye

6). Apparition

The Review:

Messy riffing intertwined with harmonics, synthesizer swirls and keys? Is that your bag? Then by all means, what the hell are you waiting for? Go grab Evil Triplet’s new album, “Have A Nice Trip”. It’s great!

At first glance, Evil Triplet may sound like your every day psych-rock band. But give this album – and their last one, too – a few spins and you’ll experience the magic coming to the surface. There are melodic subtleties that have me going, did I really just hear that? Then there’s some discordant, angular riffing makes me wonder how someone lands on such an idea. Not only that, but how does one convince the rest of the band to go along? But then again, if you take into account how wet the vocals sound, I guess anything’s possible.

The album’s highlight is definitely “Open Heart.” It’s as close as the band gets to a song with a pop structure. A solid verse leads into a great chorus, and it’s all driven by those messy riffs, synthesizer swirls and keys. “Aren’t You Experienced” is a sprawling cut that lets loose of a lot of song structure but is no less catchy. The song’s lyrics tell a drug-themed tale by way of extra long verses and a concise chorus.

Then there’s the album’s closer, “Apparition.” Depending on the mood of the listener, this song is either a space-ballad or a road rager. As a song, Evil Triplet manage to capture both vibes in one, so the choice is that of the listener’s as to what they want to hear. How trippy is that? And it’s weird stuff like this that adds to the band’s magic.

So again, I ask you – is messy riffing intertwined with harmonics, synthesizer swirls and keys your thing? If so, hop on the Evil Triplet space ship and don’t look back.

“Have a Nice Trip” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM STREAM: Chicago's acid soaked sludgers Faces of the Bog complete their "Ego Death"

By:  Aaron Pickford



(C) GoldilocksCG

Personally speaking, one of the strongest and prominent scenes in metal over the years is Chicago, with many of America’s most prominent bands, hailing from the windy city. Ministry and the Wax Trax scene, Big Black, Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, Trouble, Touch and Go Records are many of the names that have imprinted upon music fans and the history of the Chicago music scene over the last 30 years.

Today the vibrancy of the Chicago scene continues with emergence of bands past and present such as, Buried At Sea, Indian, Lord Mantis, Bongripper, The Skull, Yakuza, The Atlas Moth, Scientist the list is endless. Indeed if an album is from the doom scene, if it is heavy and it was recorded in Chicago, then one man, Sanford Parker was likely to have recorded it, which leads us directly onto today’s featured band Faces of the Bog.

A psychedelic tinged, doom influenced, sludge/prog four piece Faces of the Bog, hail from Humboldt Park, home of Emperor Cabinets and continue the tradition of excellent bands rising from Chicago underground and their acid soaked blend of sludge was recently put to tape by Sanford at Electric Audio in the form of their debut album “Ego Death”, which is a fantastic blast to the senses.  “Ego Death” is set for release on 4^th October, but today in order to whet your insatiable appetite for crushing music, we are streaming the album in full below.  You can Pre-order “Ego Death” here

Band info: facebook

Space Probe Taurus - Mondo Satan (Album Review)

Album Type: Album

Date Released: April 28th 2015

Label: Ripple Music

Mondo Satan – Track Listing

Scorpio Queen

Kill City Death Cult

Spahn Ranch Motherfucker

Make Me Bleed

Galaxy Travelin' Blues

Superfuzzed

Mondo Satan

Dust Joint

The Iguana

The Righteous One

Bio

Originally formed as Snake Machine in 1992 it wasn’t until a name change and shortening of their songs in ’97 that the band settled into doing what they do best; preaching the gospel of dirty garage rock. Swedish style.

Often compared to the likes of Mudhoney, The Stooges, MC5 and Blue Cheer – the latter of whom SPT paid tribute to with a ripping cut of ‘Second Time Around’ on Black Widow Records’ Blue Explosion – their music is influenced by late ’60s psych rock and low-budget B-movies like Psychomania and Angels From Hell. (Anobsession that quickly led on to the band contributing music to the 2005 snuff documentary Actress Apocalypse and I Am Vengeance in 2012.)

Band Members

Sjöberg - Guitar & Lead Vocals

Enberg - Bass & Backing Vocals

Review:

For a band that's been around since 1992 (OK the guys did change their name to Space Probe Taurus in 1997) it's almost criminal that Mondo Satan is only Space Probe Taurus second full length album after almost 23 years in existence. Sure they've released one full length album and a wide range of EP's and demos to critical acclaim. Thank our lucky stars that our good pals at Ripple Music have signed this great band to their label as Mondo Satan is an absolute blast from start to finish.

Sure these guys are highly influenced by Monster Magnet but Space Probe Taurus deserves to be taken as their own band. Their sound is more of a Fuzz Rock, Garage Rock, Psych Rock vibe with the band showing their love for 60s Psych Rock from the Biker Movies from the same era. Put all this trippy goodness together and you have an album that's packed full of great tunes to rock out to. There's nothing progressive here just good old fashioned Fuzzed Up Acid style Stoner Rock jams with a band playing for the love of the music.

Opening track - Scorpio Queen - comes at you like an out of control gang looking for their next battle as these guys are primed ready with Acid Rock style Stoner/Punk/Fuzz riffs. The vocals have a raw DIY feel and that's keeping to the bands DIY ethos that has served them so well over the years. The sound isn't the most polished but I wouldn't have it any other way as it gives Space Probe Taurus a real air of authenticity that you cannot get with some Stoner Rock bands. You feel this band live and breathe the crazy 60s Psych Rock scene though with a great modern sound to match as well.

Second track - Kill City Death Cult - starts with a trippy soundclip with a sense of danger lurking around the corner. It has a slight Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats vibe as the band venture further into their trippy psych rock persona for one of the albums standout tracks. The opening two tracks should tell you what's in store for the rest of the album as the band entice you early on tales of rebellious carnage all told through the power of Acid Fuzz/Psych Rock/Stoner Rock beats. The album is brilliantly produced and played by all from start to finish.

It's very hard to find fault with this album as these guys play at a breakneck speed you won't have time to catch your breath. Especially on tracks such as - Spahn Ranch Motherfucker, Galaxy Travelin' Blues, Mondo Satan and Superfuzzed. If you miss mid 90s sounding Monster Magnet then Space Probe Taurus is the band for you. With so many bands joining on the Retro sounding band-wagon it's great to hear a band having so much fun without caring what anybody else thinks.

If you're not rocking out to - The Righteous One - then there's no hope for you - as the band create more crazy psychedelic riffs with a major rebellious streak running through its veins. Mondo Satan is an album for all you Acid Rock/Fuzz/Stoner Rock freaks to go crazy over. 

I hope these guys tour the UK one day as I want to see these guys in action to see if they are this wild and crazy in real life. Do yourself a favour, when this album is released, grab a copy of this album as it's a thrilling and adventurous album from one of Stoner Rock's true underground heroes finally starting to receive the attention that they truly deserve.

Thanks to Richard at Sheltered Life for the promo. Mondo Satan is available to buy from Ripple Music on CD/DD on 28^th April 2015.

Words by Steve Howe

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