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Presenting up to date news, reviews & interviews for riff addicts around the world.
This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
Just past their 15 year anniversary,Ufomammutis still putting in hard road time and putting out even harder albums. In 2014,
the band released their eighth album, “Ecate,”
which was their third – or fourth, depending on how you count – concept album.
Suffice to say thatUfomammutis not only a prolific band but also
one that continues to challenge themselves as well as their listeners.
We here atThe Sludgelordhad the opportunity last week
to sit down withUfomammutfor a chat. Wetalked about their history as well
as their inspirations. Though we tried to talk about the future ofUfomammut–the new album – we couldn’t get anything out of them. More on that when the
album is almost ready.
In any event, dig in to the interview below. We hope
you enjoy it!
Greenleaf is the heavy rock power house built around guitarist
Tommi Holappa. We know Tommi best from the Swedish stoner rock trailblazers Dozer. What a band that is. The status of Dozer is left somewhat in the middle – will they or won’t
they? – so until we know anything more from that camp we can jump on board with
Tommi’s other musical endeavor, Greenleaf.
Greenleaf got their start around 2001. The band started out as
more of a project than a band, never having a consistent line up but instead a
revolving door of musicians borrowed from Dozer, Truckfighters, Lowrider, and probably every other Swedish
band you know. As the years passed, the band got more and more recognition
thanks in no small part to their powerful performances at our favorite parties.
2016 is going to be an even
bigger year for the band because they’re beginning to settle on a formation of
musicians and are slated to release a new album on February 26th called,
“Rise Above The Meadow.” They’re
just off a tour with Clutch and have
released a killer lead-off single named “A
Million Fireflies” which you can watch here
I got to sit
down with guitarist Tommi and singer Arvid after their show with Clutch and ask them a few questions about their past, their
current state, and what they hope to see happen in 2016. You can watch that
interview here:
On October 6th the Yankees were eliminated from the
MLB Post Season. It was on this day that New York City band Pigs decided that October had nothing left to offer if they
stayed home, so they booked a European tour with French label mates Sofy Major to support their newest, gnarliest album, “Wronger.” True story.
I caught up with Jim Paradise and Dave Curran of Pigs
during this tour to talk about the band. We had a friendly chat about how the
new album came together, the future of their label Coextinction Records, and
what it’s like to have Pigs be their main
musical focus. You can watch that interview below this article. What struck me
the most was the transition they made from being chilled out dudes during the
interview, to a loud, sludgy beast up on stage.
They opened with “This
Life in Pink” with mixed results. I didn’t get the feeling that the sound
guy was ready for the set to start and the band seemed a little disappointed in
the meager turn out of this Friday night show. That said, by the time the last
chorus blasted out of the PA, I got the impression that Jim certainly had the
attitude to just have fun with it, a vibe that Dave quickly picked up on.
Eventually, the sound guy had things figured out, Pigs were
ready to give it their all, and as a bonus, the meager turn out meant no lines
at the bar. This is the holy trinity of any rock show and we were lucky enough
to witness this. Jim pounded away like a lumberjack and Dave’s vocal chords
were being torn to ribbons as Pigs made their way
through a set comprised of older songs that created a solid foundation for the
songs off of “Wronger,” which
claimed the bulk of the hour they were on stage. I hope for Pigs that they get treated to larger shows further down the
road because a band this loud and this powerful deserve it.
Causa Sui are psych-rock masters. Both colorful and textured,
their sound traverses musical genres, generations, space, and time. Whether
they are busy jamming on the “Summer Sessions”
or constructing thought-out musical escapades like on their 2013 release, “Euporie Tide,” Causa Sui
are a band who are the frontrunners of modern psychedelic rock. Beside the
band, Causa Sui – with Jonas Munk on guitar, Jakob
Skott on drums, Jess Kahr on bass, Rasmus Rasmussen on the keyboards and
electronics – also run a label named El Paraiso, featuring
some other gems of the genre like Papir and The Brian Ellis Group. In short, Causa Sui
are more than a band, they are an entity, and I’d recommend keeping an eye
on them.
They played Desertfest Belgium last weekend and I had the pleasure to
sit down with them and ask them some questions. The answers they gave were open
and honest and they also shared news of an impending new album, so if
you're interested in the band and heavy psych music, then throw your feet
up on the table and check out the interview below:
