RIFF REWIND (01/08/2012): The Midnight Ghost Train - "Buffalo"

On August 1st, 2007, John Goff was pronounced dead. He died in his home in Abilene, Kansas from a severe asthma attack. This was the influential event that caused his best friend Steve Moss to start The Midnight Ghost Train as a eulogy to John. “John’s memory and life had to be remembered in some way.” Moss then moved back to Buffalo, New York planning to form a band and start touring. This was the idea and drive that fueled The Midnight Ghost Train.

As soon as Moss arrived in Buffalo, he began to recruit members for the band. The original lineup consisted of Steve on vocals and guitar, and friends Keith Harry-Carrey on bass, and Jake Levin on drums.

Their first EP, The Johnny Boy EP, was recorded in early 2008. It experimented with various genres, ranging from heavy rock to acoustic and psychedelic songs. Once the record was finished, Moss booked their first DIY U.S. tour. Before the tour started Keith was replaced by Moss’ longtime friend Brandon Burghart due to Keith’s inability to join them on the road. So Burghart, Levin, and Moss took off in the summer of 2008, and started the first TMGT tour. They had no idea how to make it succeed with the little money the clubs paid. There were even a few instances where they resorted to panhandling for gas money.

After a couple tours the bass role was filled in by Odie Lallo. After their 2009 tour the band decided to relocate to Kansas. Burghart’s home state and where Moss lived for seven years prior. They chose to affordably self-record their debut album in a country house outside of Topeka, Kansas. Topeka native David Kimmell would then become the new bassist. Burghart, Kimmell, and Moss, went back out on the road for a long period of touring. In 2010 they went on their first DIY European tour, in which they were met with great success.

The Midnight Ghost Train released their second full length album, “Buffalo” in 2012. The album was recorded and mixed completely analog at Chase Park Transduction by David Barbe. It displays a more powerful and organic sound. TMGT recorded all the songs live in the studio, as to replicate the intensity of their live shows. “Buffal”o was faster and more driving than their previous releases. It was released on the Louisville label, Karate Body Records. Soon after the release, Kimmell left the band.. In April of 2013, they played the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Netherlands with friend Joseph Hester on bass. Shortly after, “Live from Roadburn 2013”, was released on Roadburn Records.

In 2014, TMGT signed with Austrian metal label, Napalm Records, who would issued their third length album, “Cold Was The Ground”, in 2015 and their recently released fourth album, “Cypress Ave”, in 2017. Today we are rewinding the riffs back almost 5 years to the day of the albums release in order present arguably their best release to date “Buffalo”. So if you missed it the first time or indeed this band be sure to remedy your error by checking out our review in full below.

(Bio taken from the band's official page)

By: James Crozier

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/07/2012

Label: Karate Body Records

All in all, this album is just a great record for anyone interested in heavy blues/stoner rock and you’d be crazy not to add this to your collection.

 

“Buffalo” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). A Passing Moment of Sadness

2). Henry

3). Foxhole

4). Tom’s Trip

5). Spacefaze

6). Cotton Fields

7). Southern Belle

8). Into The Fray

The Review:

The Midnight Ghost Train is a Stoner Rock band from Topeka, Kansas and their third release ‘Buffalo’ is one solid chunk of stoner goodness. If you’re looking for something that resembles ZZ Top trampled by mammoths, look no further than this record.

The guitars and bass here have got that quintessential stoner tone. If you’re into your stoner rock, you’ll know what I mean. It’s that perfect combination of fuzz and grit. Couple this with the natural groove you get with this kind of music and you’ve got some seriously head bang-able music. That’s not all though, as The Midnight Ghost Train aren’t afraid of switching it up and going for some totally clean stuff, replete with copious ‘wah-ing’ and soloing. It’s apparent that blues is as much an influence with this band as rock/metal, which is great in my opinion.

Again, the vocals on this record have a distinct bluesy feel to them, even if they do tend to take a back seat to make way for the monster riffage from time to time. The low-pitched gritty growl that you only seem to get from these awesome American bands features prominently.  Drums complement the rest of the music perfectly and every tune is full of the kind of stick work we’ve come to know and love in this genre. Plenty of massive cymbals along with huge tom build-ups are what you should expect here. The stand-out thing about the drums, and the whole of the sound on this record for that matter, is the immense production. This is thanks to producer David Barbe who’s managed to fully capture the sound of this truly brilliant band.

In terms of standout tracks, there’s quite a few.

Although it could be seen as just an intro track, the first song on the record ‘A Passing Moment of Madness’, is a brilliant tune in its own right. The first thing that reaches your ears is an almost tribal drum beat. Not long after, the riffage kicks in, well and truly smacking you in the face.

The transition to the next song begins with a great ‘wah’ build up and it really works well. The song in question is called ‘Henry’ and in my opinion this is the best track on the whole record. Here is a combination of pretty much everything that’s great about The Midnight Ghost Train and even if you bought the record just for this tune, it’d be worth it.

Luckily, the fun doesn’t stop there and the next track ‘Foxhole’ carries on in the same vain. Both these tracks are just slabs of juicy stoner rock to sink your teeth into.  In a brilliant twist, ‘Tom’s Trip’ pretty much does what it says on the tin. It’s trippy as hell, but almost in a cowboy-ish way if that makes sense. Images of an opium den tucked away in the wild west somewhere are conjured up and frankly it makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. But that’s not where it ends. We’re treated to a fantastic solo that’s perfect for this track.

Apart from the cover of ‘Cotton Fields’, the rest of this album carries on in the same vein as the first three tracks and they’re all great stoner rock tunes.

All in all, this album is just a great record for anyone interested in heavy blues/stoner rock and you’d be crazy not to add this to your collection. This truly is a great album and it’s going to be on heavy rotation in my cd player for a long time!

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

The Machine - Calmer Than You Are (Album Review)

The Machine is a three piece psychedelic stoner rock band from Rotterdam in The Netherlands. ‘Calmer Than You Are’ (Elektrohasch Records, 2012) is their fourth release, and what an album it is!

In terms of sound, this album is brilliantly experimental and psychedelic whilst managing to retain a great stoner rock feel. Listening to this band, I’m reminded of Queens of the Stone Age, but that’s only a rough guide to their sound for those who’ve never heard The Machine before, as these guys are pretty unique.

Whilst fans of the riff won’t be disappointed with this album, it’s worth pointing out that everything here is pretty ‘effects-laden’ and things can get quite psychedelic and trippy from time to time so if you are more just a straight up stoner rock fan, this might take some time getting used to. That said there’s a great mixture of stuff here and there’s something on this album for everyone.

The great thing about this band is that they don’t stick to the standard stoner rock formula. The chord progressions here are different and exciting and there are some brilliant progressive parts in the music.

Production wise this release is great. Even though the guitars and bass are quite low and fuzzy, they’ve got clarity, something you don’t always get with bands in this genre and it can sometimes detract from an otherwise great riff. The drums and vocals on this record are also nice and clear.

One of the standout tracks on this album is ‘Sphere (…or Kneiter)’. I can honestly say that this track had me truly awestruck. The Machine has essentially created ‘post-stoner rock’ with this track and it’s a masterpiece. The instrumentation here ebbs and flows like some sort of strange psychedelic tide, conjuring up some brilliant images of weird distant lands.

‘5&4’ is another killer track. This is probably the least psychedelic track on the album but it’s got a killer riff that makes it a great song in its own right. The song takes quite a regimented structure compared to some of the tracks on the album, but it’s that which makes it a great tune to split up all the psychedelic madness.

The last track, ‘Trailor’ is like a summation of every song that’s gone before it. It’s a really strange idea, but it works really well and it makes you want to go and listen to the whole album over again.

Basically, if you’re into your psychedelic rock, you’re not going to want to miss out on this great release. 

http://www.themachineweb.com/

http://www.elektrohasch.de/

Dopelord - Magick Rites (Album Review)

When a band cites their main inspiration as ‘old movies, 70’s music and magical herbs’, you know you’re in for a treat. And Dopelord, a Stoner/Doom band from eastern Poland definitely don’t disappoint.

Their latest effort, ‘Magick Rites’, takes those influences, mixes it with a bit of Sleep and Sabbath and spits out a monstrous blues-tinged stoner doom beast of a record.

The vocals on this album are fairly sparse, but this is only to make way for the huge unstoppable riffing in every song, and that’s never a bad thing. If you listen to this record and don’t find yourself banging your head like a doom sloth then there is something wrong with you.

The guys have obviously been studying at the school of Sabbath, and it shows. Alongside the ambling sludge riffs, we’re treated to the odd bluesy solo, effects-laden bass and even a few Fu-Manchu style stoner rock sections.

Drums here aren’t anything crazy and that’s perfect for this kind of music. They complement the riffs brilliantly and they aren’t so complex that they take over the songs. It’s the drumming here that arguably makes the whole record such a success and the reason why you can’t just help but bang your head.

This whole album is an absolute gem, but there are some absolutely standout tracks here.

‘Lucifer’s Son’ is one of those tracks. The song opens with some awesomely slow riffing accompanied by distant, psychedelic vocals. The riffs here sound like they could have been written by Tony Iommi himself. Although I’ve already said it, there’s a definite Sabbath vibe going on here and ‘Lucifer’s Son’ really shows this off.

Another great track on this album is ‘Possessed’. To start with, we’re treated to some big rock riffing and a perfectly constructed wah solo like something you’d hear from bands like Black Spiders and Orange Goblin. The song soon falls back into Dopelord’s signature slow groove though but that’s no bad thing.

The last track on the album really speaks for the whole record. ‘Rise! Undying!’ is a culmination of all the great aspects that this band have shown off throughout this album. This song should be on any stoner doom enthusiast’s playlist. It’s got pretty much everything you’d want from a tune like this: a great riff that carries the song, with traditional stoner style vocals whilst the lead guitar weaves its way in and out like a trail of smoke.

All in all, ‘Magick Rites’ is a solid album and one well worth purchasing if you’re a fan of anything slow and heavy. While the band’s influences are obvious, they create their own unique sound which means this album never gets old. If this record is anything to go by, Dopelord are going to be big in the realm of the heavy for quite some time (Let’s not forget that the band have only been around since 2010!).

You can buy this stellar album from Dopelord’s bandcamp: http://dopelord.bandcamp.com/.

Duskburn - Left For The Wolves EP

Duskburn are a four piece sludge outfit from Zagreb, Croatia.

After four self-released albums, the guys are back with a new four-track EP called ‘Left for the Wolves’.

If you’re into your stoner doom infused sludge, then Duskburn are the band for you. You can definitely hear influences from bands like Electric Wizard here, but it’s done in a much darker, almost black metal-esque way. Couple this with the occasional psychedelic interlude and you’ve got a very awesome unique sound.

The vocals on this EP range from the traditional abrasive sludge shout/screams to almost meditative chanting to funeral doom style growls.

Every track on this release is brilliant and the way it’s been produced brings about an awesome atmosphere that really does leave the listener feeling like they’ve been ‘Left for the wolves’. It’s basically what would happen if Callisto became suicidal.

The standout track here is definitely “Acid Rites”, where the guys have managed to seamlessly blend pretty much every genre in our little ‘niche’ together. The song opens with a brilliant stoner/sludge psychedelic section that you could nearly class as post-metal. What follows is something truly epic and unique, as funeral doom vocals surf those trippy waves before the song evolves into a full melancholic sludge affair.

Unbelievably, this EP is completely free from the Duskburn bandcamp, so go download it right now. You won’t regret it.

http://www.myspace.com/duskburned
http://www.last.fm/music/Duskburn
http://www.reverbnation.com/duskburn

Tree Of Sores - A Cry Of Despair

Tree Of Sores are a Doom/Post-Metal band from Leeds, UK featuring the talents of the following members.

Ben - Drums
Joe - Bass
Matt - Guitar/Vox

Having been a big fan of their debut Ep which is still available Here , I was delighted to receive "A Cry Of Despair" to review. One track, clocking in at around half an hour is always an ambitious route to go, but Tree Of Sores pull it off with ease. "A Cry Of Despair", comes across as a flowing combination of two or three movements blended together and evolving naturally. Its stunning stuff, overall it retains the heaviness of  their debut but is at times less reliant on vocals instead a progression in dynamics and instrumentation is evident.

Starting out with crushing guitars and abrasive vocals a pounding rhythm soon is established leading to some haunting guitar work it sets the tone for more to follow. Tree of Sores must really be commended for the quality of this release. Every member excels to provide the listener with a stunning listening experience.

"A Cry Of Despair" takes a more subtle turn around the ten minute mark. A delicate riff builds with chiming momentum giving way to a brooding passage of density and euphoric greatness . Free of vocals, the music carries the song while maintaining the flow . It gives way to more atmospheric moments before gathering in pace again. Ending in brutal fashion with pummelling drums and layers of guitar, eventually fading out in drones of feedback and effects overall its an outstanding accomplishment Tree Of Sores can be proud of. Releasing a long one track. Ep of this quality that has direction and purpose is rare.

"A Cry Of Despair" is available through Witch Hunter records with pre-orders available now with immediate download included. Order on the link below.

Bandcamp
Witch Hunter Records

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Horseback-Half Blood Review

Horseback have been making a habit of releasing excellent, mutli-genre music. Half Blood not only continues that trend but its my favourite release of theirs yet.
This is their first official new release for Relapse records who re-released their first two Ep's as a repackaged joint album The Gorgon Tongue

Half Blood is a glorious journey of psychedelic heavy music. At times its like being on a ride at an amusement park listening to Neurosis while tripped out on LSD.

Huge swirls of psychedelia contrasted with the almost death metal vocals making a real unique and engaging listen. At times sparse and atmospheric it never sits still, even the drone heavy and ambient three-part closer "Hallucigenia" provides enough movement and effects to hold your attention. My favourite track though is "Ajuna", relentless rhythm, folk-ish undertones and swirling guitars combine with some deranged vocals to stunning effect. Essential listening, but then that could be said of the whole album.
Half Blood should see Horseback gain more praise and followers, (rightly so) a prolific and multi-faceted band that have produced another of the year's highlights with "Half Blood". Horseback have outdone themselves here, sit back fasten your safety belts and enjoy the ride.

"Half  Blood" will be released through Relapse on May 8th(USA)/May 21st(UK), and is available to pre-order on the links below.

Bandcamp

Relapse

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Black Moth-The Killing Jar Review

Black Moth only came to my attention recently and I was immediately hooked. After snapping up a few singles that were available I was delighted to receive "The Bell Jar" to review.

Playing a brilliant blend of stoner/grunge and psychedelic rock, Black Moth quite simply, rock. Vocals by Harriet Hyde, give them a real edge coming across at times like a female fronted Truckfighters, or  Melissa De Auf Maur collaborating with Fu-manchu . "The Killing Jar" displays more though, proving they're talented enough to carve out their own sound. Riffs chugg along with catchy hooks and powerful vocals. The album was produced by Jim Sclavunos and Dave Sanderson and an excellent job has been done, the album sounding immense with a perfect blend of fuzz and heavy tones.

"The Articulate Dead" opens the album fuzz-drenched guitars, and a Grunge feel letting you know what your in for. It features an astounding tempo change half way through letting rip with a frenzy of rhythm . Straight away its impossible not to be impressed and it doesn't stop there. "Blackbirds Fall" features a massive catchy riff, and stunning musicianship. "Spit Out Your Teeth" is a marvellous psychedelic track with twisted lyrics like the ramblings of an asylum patient.
The quality of the tracks never relents and Black Moth display enough variety in style delivery so things never get repetitive. Other highlights include the furious "Chicken Shit" coming on like Kyuss in their prime, the sheer density of "Blind Faith" and "Honey Lung" . Put simply though "The Killing Jar" rocks front to back, and you'll be hard pressed to hear another album this fuzzalicious all year.

"The Killing Jar" will be released on May 7th on New Heavy Sounds ,and check out more on the links below, Highly recommended and a special mention for the fantastic artwork.


New Heavy Sounds
Bandcamp

The Moth Pit

Alpha Male Tea Party -S/T Review

Alpha Male Tea Party are a Math-Rock/Experimental Band from Liverpool, UK featuring the following members.

Tom Peters - Guitar
Dan Leadbetter - Bass
Greg Chapman - Drums


Bursting out with "Bakers Dozen " this album has immediate effect . Throbbing basslines propel the track forward while a combination of crushing riffs, intricate melody and a spacey feel help pack a mighty punch. It never relents, track after track of quality there isn't any filler here.

What sets AMTP apart from other groups is both their musicianship and also blending different elements together so well. "Its All About The Throat" features both shouted vocals reminiscent of Dananananaykroyd(now split Glasgow Nutters) and tripped out theremin  to super effect.
I had only heard one song before getting my mits on this album the fabulous titled "Depressingly Shit Lunchtime Sandwich" . Its probably the most catchy track on offer, but I found nearly all the album to be essential some tracks bettering the aforementioned . Most are heavier too but this still might not be everyones cup of tea(pardon the pun). If however you love off-kilter rhythms,innovative song writing and stunning musicianship this is for you. At times its hard to imagine how they keep pulling catchy riffs and melodies out the bag, but they do time and again

The majority of the tracks are instrumental but the occasional vocals add to the feel of the album. You can tell AMTP enjoy playing this music and it carries over making listening a hugely enjoyable experience. Songs like "Griff Rees Holmes" and "Jason Fucked The Argonauts" are guaranteed head nodders, relentless in delivery dazzling and infectious. Even the song titles put a smile on my face .

Liverpool has produced a few decent-ish bands in the past who achieved moderate success. Alpha Male Tea Party deserve plenty of success themselves and they are much more fun than the Beatles ever were. The album is available from 21st April from their Bandcamp on the link below. I highly recommend it.
Pjsludge


Bandcamp

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Mental Architects- Interview

Hi easter is over and normal service has resumed, during the break i caught up with Bulgaria's Mental Architects who's excellent new album i reviewed Here . Check out what they had to say and if you havent already go listen to thier music.

 PJ-First off let me say thanks for taking time to join us today and welcome.

 MA-

Nope, thank YOU for having us on Sludgelord.

 Pj-So Aaron Harris produced your new album celebrations and Chris Common produced your last Ep. How did the hook up with two legends happen. And what was it like Working with them.

 MA- Well it all happened through the web. We sought out Chris through the page of the studio he holds with Matt Bayles in Seattle, dropped him a line and we did it . Even though it took some time to work out the scheduling the mix and master of the EP happened in two days. Chris is very professional and very quick, we gave him total freedom when it came down to the mixes and he didn’t let us down. He is the reason the EP sounds the way it does which really challenged us when we were thinking about the next release because it truly was the best recording of us that we had heard up to that point.

 The hook up with Aaron happened while we were browsing the web and stumbled upon an announcement he had made through his web page -http://aaronharris-audio.com/ He said he was free at the moment and if someone was interested in working with him should send some demos. We were thinking about another EP at the time but when he heard the demos, he encouraged us to do a whole record, so that was that. If we should put our experience in working with Aaron in one word, that word should be “awesome” but put on a galactic scale. Thanks to him we were able to record 2/3 of the album by ourselves, he provided great insight on structuring the songs, he helped us find a sound that related to all of us, he got Bryant from Red Sparowes on the record not mentioning that he did a kick ass job on the mixes and got James Plotkin to master the record. As we said – “awesome on a galactic scale”!

 

 Pj-Like myself you’re fans of ASIWYFA, and being Irish myself was delighted to hear you also like Kasper Rosa, Bats Adebsi Shank . Has the irish scene had an effect on Bulgarian bands in general or just yourselves.

 MA- 

Well, you could never tell, there are so many bands, so many people but we have quite a few musician friends who are definitely ASIWYFA fanatics. For us the whole Irish attitude towards creating music was really appealing because it’s very immediate, it’s dynamic and it’s emotional. It relates to our cultural background. You guys get straight to the point with the first hit, chord or word. And all of the bands you mentioned are like that. That’s something that should be pointed as reference when considering ASIWYFA’s popularity. People were sick and bored of This Will Destroy You clones and that’s what got us into Irish bands - they are (pardon the cliche) “real” with all of their flaws and everything. Don’t get us wrong we love Lite, Russian Circles and a lot of different bands the obsess over musicianship and composition but when it comes down to well structured composition bursting with emotion, for us Irish bands really stand out! It’s worth mentioning that Belfast is the only city (in recent years) that successfully in our opinion defined a sound which hadn’t happened for a long time and we gather that all comes from the strong connection between musicians in the area. So, we salute you for that!

 Pj- What's the scene in Sofia like is it easy to get gigs and have you a good following there.

 MA- Sofia has a population of about 2 million people and rock music (let alone instrumental rock) doesn’t have the legacy opposed that most Western countries have but we our friends support us and anyone who comes to our shows and doesn’t know us personally, we consider  a great bonus and it time he tends to become our friend.

When it comes down to getting gigs – it’s fairly easy. We talked with Steve from Khuda when we played together here and he said that Leeds (for example) has 40 shows on a Saturday and here (Sofia in particular) you have a choice of about 5 to 10. The trend is that the number of shows/venues/promoters are constantly growing. Definitely we still lack the diversity of shows a city like Dublin can offer.

 Pj- Personally I feel globally there's a real surge in talent both in Instrumental bands and other genres, do you feel the internet has helped expose bands and made it easier to be heard?

MA-

Most definitely! We are a perfect example of that. The thing is that the talent has always been there and the Internet has helped expose all of it - some better than other.Heavily touring bands kind of look down on others who don’t because in their eye they – “don’t pay their dues”. But all of us have families and immediate real-life responsibilities which can’t be ignored. If it wasn’t for the Internet we would definitely not be where we are now in terms of popularity or otherwise.

 PJ- There is a great sense of energy present on the album, do you try to put this across when playing live?

 MA- Well, the songs were written to be played live, so I guess what we wanted to do with the record was to try and capture the feeling we had while we were writing the songs. At that time we were definitely exhilarated, so thank you for pointing that out.

 Pj - So have you touring plans lined up or any festival appearances, personally I'd love to see Mental Architects playing in the Uk sometime.

 MA- Well, we wouldn’t want to jinx it but we have around 10 dates planned in Romania, Greece & Bulgaria before the summer season and a possible Irish tour with Kasper Rosa in autumn but let’s wait and see.

 Pj- Thanks for joining us at Sludgelord today, have you a message for anyone reading that hasn't heard your music you would like to pass on.

 MA -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkA6zugNMQ

 We’re available for children’s parties.

Landforge-Servitude to Earth -Review

Landforge is a instrumental Post-metal/atmospheric doom project of Stephan Carter who also plays in previously Sludgelord featured Leafmulch see Here

Here's a bit of back round info on what Stephan is about.

Combining a number of influences ranging from post-rock to drone, Landforge's music is a melancholic blend of ethereal clean sections and pounding distorted riffs.

Originally conceived in early 2011, the project gained a healthy underground following with the debut full-length, a 40-minute album titled "Creation Cycle". Recorded entirely in a bedroom studio with budget equipment, the album was released in May 2011 and within days had racked up a considerable fan base on Last.fm. The album also received positive feedback on file sharing sites and blogs.

In light of the success of the first release, Stephan started work on the second album shortly afterwards, aiming to repeat the strong points of Creation Cycle while also addressing some of the weaker points, such as production quality. The second album, titled "Servitude to Earth", was released February 15th 2012.

"Servitude To Earth" has done what Stephan hoped to achieve building on his debut and improving. There is so much to take in and enjoy on this album, atmospheric passages , subtle melodies layering of guitars and distorted riffs. Each track packs a mighty punch,heavy riffs, and progressions building an almost cinematic feel at times. The album holds your attention throughout and each listen seems to reveal something you missed last time, a sign of a great multi-textured release.

This is a truly heavy record, though there is plenty to set it apart, Stephan is a talented musician who has crafted a compelling album. His already established fans will love it and it should gain him plenty of new followers.
2012 according to the Mayan calender is the year the world will end. Landforge may just have just released the soundtrack to the (alleged) impending apocalypse. Download it on the name-your-price deal below and check out more on Landforge .

http://landforge.bandcamp.com/album/servitude-to-earth

http://m.facebook.com/landforgemusic?v=feed&refid=0

The Fierce And The Dead- Band Profile

We here at Sludgelord appreciate the heavy things in life, although hopefully like us you also like the quieter side also. The Fierce And The Dead would come in to the latter category, a four piece from London who play compelling experimental post-rock. Let the band themselves give you a bit more back round.

"The Fierce & The Dead came about from a recording experiment that was initially intended for Matt's second solo album, but it started to grow legs and arms and evolved into its own animal. They just feed it now and then and it spits noise back out. The music is based on loose compositions and structures and is improvised from there on in.

Their first EP 'Part 1' (one 19 minute long song) came out in 2010 to unexpected critical acclaim. They released their full length debut 'If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe' in May 2011, it features 10 tracks and guest saxophone performance from Terry Edwards. It is dedicated to the memory of close friend Dan Wilson who passed away during the recording of the album.

The band have played a string of live dates at the end of 2011 and have also recorded a new e.p, entitled On VHS, due for release in March 26th 2012. This will hopefully be followed by a second full length album in the Summer of 2012.

Matt, Kev and Stuart have played together on and off in various guises for over 10 years as well as performing with other bands and as solo artists. With several live dates booked the band welcomed a new member but an old friend, Steve Cleaton, on guitar, keyboards and fx."

Their album "If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe", is a eclectic work full of looped and layered guitars throbbing bass and even saxophone, creating a remarkable instrumental album, that never stands still.

March 26th will see the release of their new E.P. "On VHS", although if you pre-order it you should receive it a week early. Its one I'm really looking forward to and is the first to feature new guitarist Steve Cleaton. The Fierce And The Dead's Matt Stevens is also a talented and prolific solo artist and released the album Relic late last year. Both TFATD and Matt's music feature on Bandcamp and most is available on the popular "name your price" basis,  physical copies in most cases are also available. I highly recommend you check out this quality collection of musicians and their work and look out for future releases.

http://www.fierceandthedead.com/

http://thefierceandthedead.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/fierceandthedead

http://mattstevens.bandcamp.com/