ALBUM REVIEW: Vokonis - "The Sunken Djinn"

By: David Jupp

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/06/2017

Label: Ripple Music

Whilst being undoubtedly heavy what makes this sophomore effort stand out is the variation employed in the bludgeon. By embracing less traditional doom landscapes ‘The Sunken Djinn’ has allowed Vokonis room to demonstrate the full raft of their audio-weaponry, and in doing so propelled them to the forefront of the heavy underground.

“The Sunken Djinn” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The Sunken Djinn

2). Calling From The Core

3). The Coldest Night

4). Blood Vortex

5). Architect Of Despair

6). Rapturous

7). Maelstroem

The Review:

Ripple Music is a label in the midst of a purple patch. With both Steak and Mothership releasing standout records in recent months, so it begs the question, can Vokonis make it three in a row? As some biblical dude definitely once said: ‘asketh of the sludge gods and you shall receive.’ Well ask I did, and the reply that poured forth was 40 minutes of crafted, brutal and more importantly, interesting sludge-metal.

It has only been one solitary year since Swedish trio Vokonis dropped their debut long-player ‘Olde One Ascending.’ Hewn from the same doomy bedrock as genre titans Sleep, and with Iommi’s influence looming large, the record is about as strong a rebrand as is possible. Having previously released a well-received EP ‘Temple’ under the moniker Creedsmen Arise, the band became embroiled in a legal dispute over the name. Well what better way to stick it to the lesser ‘Creedsmen’ than with six psych-tinged bangers?

Album two ‘The Sunken Djinn’ ignites with its title track. Wasting no time, Vokonis drop the hammer in minute one. A half-time beast of a riff marshals in Simon’s trademark yell and Vokonis are back, the beast has risen. At minute four however, things get a little proggy. The first act gives way to a short meditative interlude, not to fear though the doom soon returns and Simon’s excellent lead-work takes centre-stage. The song closes out in epic fashion with a rousing call: ‘carry on into the sun…’ By the end of only the first cut it becomes clear that Vokonis have refocused their sound. Moving away from Sleep’s more traditional church of doom the band have steered their ship into sludgier, more progressive waters.

Next up is ‘Calling From The Core.’ Along with five of the seven songs on the record, it comes in at over six minutes long. Vokonis make the most of every second of the extended track-length. A slow build of restrained guitars and scattered toms explode into a crushing driven chorus.  Similarly to the title track the rage is then whittled down to another contemplative build with hints of Toronto sludge-stalwarts, Pyres. Having caught its breath momentarily the song then hurtles to a close on a platform of vocal harmony and articulate lead-work.

Jonte’s outrageous bass tone initiates the trudging dirge of track three, ‘The Coldest Night.’  The song proceeds to haul itself through 5 minutes of sumptuous down-tempo sludge before delivering the heaviest moment of the record. Up until now the production has been typical of Ripple Music’s recent output, thick, warm and clear. But as the outro veers into earshot the guitar tone should just plain be illegal. The weight on show here would rival even Black Breath’s work and as Simon’s descending riffs collapse into a forceful chug, Jonte’s bass provides a sopping sub-hertz bookend.

‘Blood Vortex’ follows and serves as a quick-paced more traditional precursor to the sprawling masterpiece to come. ‘Architects of Despair’ takes in a chugging battle cry, emotive guitars leads and best of all some kind of cymbal/lead-pipe outro. Again more contemporary influences swim beneath the surface with evocations of “Red” era Baroness and early Galvano.

‘Rapturous’ employs a similar template and again Emil’s monstrous tom-work propels the song to juggernaut status. Like a dying beast wheezing its final breath after the battle, “Maelstrom”’s three minutes of white noise and distant drums are an apt curtain call to an outstanding second record

The craft that afforded Vokonis such acclaim on their debut has been refined and renewed. Whilst being undoubtedly heavy what makes this sophomore effort stand out is the variation employed in the bludgeon. By embracing less traditional doom landscapes ‘The Sunken Djinn’ has allowed Vokonis room to demonstrate the full raft of their audio-weaponry, and in doing so propelled them to the forefront of the heavy underground.

“The Sunken Djinn” is available preorder/buy here

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

Live Review: NOIZ All Dayer, Rebellion Bar, Manchester, 2/4/2016

By: Dominic Walsh

Boasting one of the best heavy metal bills in Manchester in a long time, NOIZ promotions’ NOIZ All Dayer in Manchester seemed almost untrue with the amount of talent on show.

Drone duo, Khost, opened up the day with a massively heavy amount of tone and drone for the small crowd. It was only 12.30 when they took the stage so people were still filing in through the doors, although there were a couple of people who had made the effort to see Khost based on their attire.

From here on in, the bill changed shape with bands moving up and down the bill continually. Presumably this was due to people arriving/being delayed etc.

One band that did take the stage at their scheduled time was PIST. Now, for those who haven’t heard PIST, the clue is in the name. 1pm was a remarkably early time for the Bury quartet to hit the stage, however their groove laden angsty southern sludge did more than wake the gathered masses, and blow any Friday night cobwebs away.

As the afternoon progressed, Fvnerals and Dystopian Future Movies (both late additions to the bill due to cancelled gigs in the area) serenaded the crowd with dark post rock and doom laden riffs that slowed the pace somewhat during the afternoon. The slower pace did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. Both bands have been touring together; if you’re a fan of Neurosis, Bossk, Long Distance Calling (or bands to that effect), give them a whirl.

Either side of Fvnerals and DFM, there were arguably some of the star turns of the day. Another local band who are making plenty of waves in the metal world, Boss Keloid, were in celebratory mood with a storming set which showed how much the band have evolved. They are much tighter as a band, and the material from their new LP ‘Herb Your Enthusiasm,’ sounded incredibly strong. To bring the pace down again slightly, were Witchsorrow. Although they’re a doom band, their latest LP, ‘No Light, Only Fire,’ has plenty of more up tempo selections. A mix of these tracks and cuts from “God Curse Us” helped them deliver a great set.

Towards the top of the bill was heavy rock trio The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, who did not disappoint. Complete no frills rock and roll just the way it should be. Steak ably assisted with their fuzzy stoner rock keeping the pace up as the crowd got steadily more lubricated.

One of the absolute star turns of the day however, took place early in the afternoon. London’s Vodun turned many heads in Rebellion. The trio, who have just released their debut LP “Possession”, took to the stage in their ‘tribal’ attire and delivered a scintillating performance. Chantal Brown’s vocals can easily draw comparisons with Skunk Anansie’s Skin, and the riffs swerve from thrash, to stoner, to doom. Over the course of their short set, Vodun proved why they are getting many great reviews of “Possession”. Another afternoon success came in the form of their tour mates, Limb. Showcasing some prime cuts from 2015’s “Terminal”, the band delivered a stomping set against a hazy white light back drop; foggy and fuzzy on many levels! “Down By The Banks” is a monster of a track; Limb deserve to be edging themselves up bills. They have the songs and presence to be huge.

The day ended with Israeli sludge mob Dukatalon playing host to a fully liquored audience. Their stomping set ended with a huge stage invasion capping off an excellent day of heavy metal. The amount of bands on the bill only scratches the surface of the amount of great bands out there. NOIZ are behind many of Manchester’s all day metal events – if you are even the slightest it curious, go along and check out some of the bands; it’s almost a dead cert you’ll find something you enjoy.

You can check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/noizpromo/

“Big Riffs, Heavy Tones” - NOIZ All-Dayer Preview April 2nd 2016 @ Rebellion, Manchester, UK

By: Phil Weller

In Manchester, UK you will struggle to find a bigger champion of big riffs and heavy tones, of tidal sludge and dead-mongering doom as NOIZ promotion’s founder Eytan. And on April 2^nd NOIZ Promotions takeover Rebellion to do just that; a venue that both physically and metaphorically stands up against the bullshit of the mainstream to wrap low down and dirty music under its ever-expanding wings. Situated on Deansgate, it stares across the road at a fleet of trendy cocktail bars, where egos, tracksuit bottoms, Nike Airs, fake tans and plastic drumbeats have full sway. It snarls at those places; a warm and welcome abode for the ‘outsiders’ who like their music a little more abrasive, a little less fabricated.

The bill is littered with names lauded frivolously on the hallowed pages of The Sludgelord – (Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Steak, Witchsorrow, Boss Keloid and more) – just looking at the poster is enough for any self-respecting Sludgelordian to pitch a gazebo in their trousers. 

Eytan’s battle plan then, is a simple one: “I enjoy putting bands on that don't come to the city often and putting my favourite local bands with them. I started NOIZ just under a year ago and hosted a few different kinds of event. So far booked around 50 bands.”

The inclusion of the rough, raw and ready old school rock n’ roll of the Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, is the cherry on the top for him, he reveals: “I've managed to miss them each and every time I've wanted/attempted to see them, so as per with NOIZ, it was a selfish booking and one that I knew would enhance the lineup I was fleshing out. I think they'll bring a definite close to the event, no doubt it'll be messy down at the front and I think their raw vibe will be a perfect finale.

With the festival pulling in some shiny names from across the country, with Eytan saying desert rock fans would “be foolish to miss Steak”, it creates a foundation to flaunt the local talent: “All I can say about the locals is that you should go check them out right now, and a shout out to all of my mates who make up those bands.”

But who are those local acts?

Boss Keloid

“Keloid are extremely difficult to define. At some points there's a meditative Om/Tool kind of quality, and then it goes... BROWN. The vocal performance on the new record is probably my joint-first favourite of any record I know from this area.”

Says Keloid bassist/brown bringer Adam Swarbrick: “It'll be our first show in quite a while, or at least what seems quite a while. It's been a very busy time for us, and we've had a few things to deal with in the time since our last show. So you can imagine, we're extremely hungry to launch a full scale herbal assault at NOIZ. I'm confident in speaking for all of us when I say we absolutely live for the live show. So having had more time away from the stage than we'd ideally have liked, NOIZ is a big event for us.”

Barbarian Hermit

“T'Hermit are an outstanding band that just seems to improve with every performance. I had them on at the MMC Weekender a month ago and they were many people's band of the weekend.”

PIST

“PIST probably need no introduction from your readership. A warning would be polite if they do. In short, PIST don't party, they are party. Sonically, that is exactly what you get, but don't mistake that for 'silly', or 'novelty' - they are a pure, balls-to-wall metal band with a stoned groove and a drunken swagger.”

A band that usually top bills of this nature, this time around they’ll be treating us to a bright and early set, helping opening the event: “They do usually top the bills at larger events at Rebellion, they headlined the MMC Weekender to a packed house and it went crazy in there with stage diving and crowd-surfing. They're on early simply because they were added late on, but it does give me a very strong (and contrasting) opening pair.”

Almost definitely in the depths of some whirling drug binge, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell sticksman Johnny Gorillar adds: “The Shovell love playin’ Manc; lovely people, good pubs and great audiences. Always a chore, never a pleasure - hold on - scratch that and reverse it!” A band who live and breath what rock n’ roll used to be – and refuse to accept and act like owt has changed, such is their charm – he continues: “we're going onto the studio the week before this gig, there's a few new 'uns in the set already, and at Roadburn we'll be previewing most if not ALL the new LP live. That way punters can record it and that will save Rise Above having to actually release the furker!” 

And with that, we anxiously cross the passing days of on our calendars and continue to prepare our livers for a heavy one and say our final goodbyes to our dignity. This event highlights the natural evolution of a promotions company with bigger plans yet still peaking over the horizon, as Eytan flirts with hints during our conversation.

“No doubt it's bigger [than previous NOIZ events], just look at the line-up! Also, we've had a great run of successful events in a short time, with mostly the same crew doing each event, a familiarity of sorts is setting in, and in a place with such a healthy and active community. That translates into word spreading like wildfire,” he explains.

“Like I said, I've so far booked around 50 bands as NOIZ and have three bands on the bookings roster: Boss Keloid, Dukatalon (UK only) and one TBA very soon. Also look out for the new label out of NOIZ Towers coming this year!

“Shout out to all the bands who are playing, all the bands who have played, all our crew, the supporters, everyone at Rebellion and Adam Swarbrick/Swarbuckle/SwarBROWN of Boss Keloid, and organiser of Riff Fest - look out for a VERY exciting NOIZ/Riff Fest collaboration early summer!”



Info:  facebook

STEAK - Slab City (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: Sept 5th 2014

Label: Napalm Records

Slab City - track listing:

1. Coma

2. Liquid Gold

3. Slab City

4. Pisser

5. Quaaludes and Interludes

6. Roadhead

7. Machine

8. Hanoid

9. Rising

10. Old Timer D.W.

Bio

They say the British prefer their steak bloody, almost most of them still eat it raw. However, here lies an English piece of meat ahead, that has been cooked through and previously depended rather well. One could almost say that this thing is really nice and dry. "Dry" is the right term for describing the sound of these four young men from London. Nothing is inflated, anything artificial and nothing pimped. Slab City sounds like a smelly rehearsal room, beer, sweat and honest work. Dry, groovy Stoner Rock, inspired by genre greats such as Dozers, Freedom Hawk, Fu Manchu or of course the almighty Kyuss, associated with a few spacey influences from the psychedelic Monster Magnet corner. The band was founded in 2010, previously published two EPs, which kicked up dust, not only because of its immensely powerful songs but also because of their original comic artwork, with clear concept. The alter egos of the four band members fight in the comic strips, the evil forces of Evil Lazarus, and these sometimes very humorous stories will of course find their way into the lyrics. STEAK - certainly not an everyday Stoner band.

Slab City was produced by Harper Hug (Vista Chino, Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri) and co-produced by Unida’s guitarist Arthur Seay, and will feature guest vocals from desert rock legend John Garcia. As for each one of their releases, the artwork was made by DC Comics artist Eduardo Ferigato and falls within the course of STEAK‘s epic saga.

Band Members

Kippa -Vocals

Cam - Bass

Reece - Guitar

Sammy - Drums

Review:

Within a short space of time, Steak has risen to the top of the UK Stoner Rock scene with their blistering and sometimes humorous take on the Desert Rock/Fuzz/Stoner Rock genre. Steak have released two critically acclaimed EPs with 2012's Disastronaught and 2013's Corned Beef Colossus which was produced by Truckfighters – Mr Ozo. Plus they have a formidable live reputation. Newly signed to Napalm Records, Steak announced earlier in 2014 they would be recording their debut album – Slab City.

Slab City is finally here. Has it been worth the wait? You betcha.

This is the Stoner Rock album of the year for me as Slab City is a heavy dosage of finely tuned heavy riffing Stoner Rock of the highest order. Steak have outdone themselves here. This is Steak's calling card to the big time as this album is a pulsating 48 minute blast which fans will be falling themselves over for. Seriously its that great.

Opening track - COMA - starts with an ambient-based slow desert/fuzz rock riff before the lead vocals of Kippa come screeching in to awaken you from a very deep sleep. The riffs are played at a loud and almost bone-crunching level, as Steak don't mess around here. They are pumped up and primed to destroy everyone that stands in their way.

COMA is a great way to start the album. The next track is a re-recording of an old Steak classic - Liquid Gold from their last EP. Don't worry folks, as this is a slightly reworked version, which runs about 10 seconds longer. The old magic of the original still shines through from time to time but this is more Liquid Gold version 2.0. Shades of Kyuss and Truckfighters may be recognised by some listeners. Its still one of the finest songs that Steak have written so far. No wonder they included it on Slab City, as they know how to please their fans.

Steak have added a more spacey atmospheric vibe to their music, which evokes memories of Monster Magnet in their prime. Though its too Steaks credit the album definitely has its own feel and sound to impress you with. 3rd track - Slab City is a fast paced grooving riffing machine that will have you being apart of Steak's vision 100%. There is no turning back. Just sit back and enjoy the round. The fuzz rock overtones will take you to a completely new level of excitement.

Steak have called upon some of their famous pals and direct influences to help deliver one of the albums standout tracks. An epic 7-minute track packed full of twists and turns that prove without a doubt why Steak are so highly thought of with Kisser. They must be as they duet with a Stoner Metal legend. The one and only - John Garcia - who lends his trademark soulful grizzly vocals to this storming track. It has shades of Kyuss running through its veins but with a more atmospheric space rock guitar drifting through. Just close your eyes and embrace the magical vision of Kippa and John laying down some epic vocals.

Like their previous two EPs, Slab City has a distinctive Science Fiction vibe with a slight nod to Superheroes. Its what their EPs were built around. A cool concept of going against a power crazy warlord. Though the story is very different here. But the main focus is the music. Slab City is one highly addictive drug that is very hard to give up. Tracks such as Roadhead and Machine carry on the rich desert rock sun vibes to their natural conclusion. Mainly more powerful riffs and groove based vocals from Kippa. Machine is another reworked track from their previous EP - Corned Beef Colossus. It's slightly heavier than the original with the music blasting way through your speakers.

The albums standout track has to be the 8:11 minute epic track - Rising - as it sees Steak fuse blistering Stoner Rock anthemic vocals finely tuned Space Rock riffs once more for a track that will soon get under your skin. It may start very quietly but as time moves on, Steak start to add different noises and sounds to the mix including heavy distorted voices. This gives this track a cold and calculating mysterious feel. Though it's the excellent Stoner vibes that really shine through.

Steak have delivered an excellent and powerful debut album that will see them rise to the top of the UK Stoner Rock scene and beyond. Steak have the potential to influence the next generation of Stoner Rock outlaws.

Slab City is a must have album. It's the Stoner Rock album of the year for me. No question.

Thanks to Mona at Napalm Records for sending me a copy. Slab City will be available to buy from the following dates on CD/DD/Vinyl on Napalm Records.

Release Dates:

01.09.2014 UK

05.09.2014 G/A/S, BENELUX & FIN

08.09.2014 Rest of Europe

09.09.2014 USA/CAN

10.09.2014 NOR/SWE/ESP

Check The Band From Links Below

Facebook

BandCamp

Written by Steve Howe

Interview with Reece from STEAK

Today on Sludgelord, I am interviewing Reece, guitarist from – STEAK – the awesome UK Stoner Rock band who are starting to make a name for themselves within the Stoner Rock scene with their massive riffs and stories of their Superhero Comic Book Alter Egos battling the evil warlord – The Evil Lazarus.

Hey folks, I am not making this up. This is what their recent EP – Corned Beef Colossus – is all about. I reviewed it last year and I called the EP:

“Steak's time with Truckfighters is nothing short of a revelation. It has moved this band onto another level. I feel in a couple of years time that Steak will be mentioned in the same breath as their Stoner Rock heroes. Now it's time for them to get working on their full length debut album. As like their comic-book counterparts the world of Stoner Rock needs Steak more than ever.....

Corned Beef Colossus is a brilliant ride from start to finish. Steak should be proud of this release as it's going to launch them in a big way..“

Well STEAK have now signed to Napalm Records and are in the process of recording their eagerly awaited debut album. So it's cool that Reece has taken time from saving Cyclone City from wrong-doers and megalomaniacs to talk to us here at Sludgelord HQ.

1 – Can you give our readers a brief history of how the band came about and where it is today.

The band started a few years back playing some form of rock, sort of speed stoner, whatever that is! We were pretty shit with a shitter name that I’m not going to say what that name was inn this interview. We gradually got our arses into gear, changed our name and released our first e.p Disastronaught in 2012? It seemed to hit the spot and we had cool artwork and shit. Things moved on pretty well from there.

2 – So. Lets start off with your sound. How would you describe your sound.

We are still tweaking our sound as with most bands. We are always fuzzy, fat and very bass driven. I like to use delay with the distorted fuzz a lot to give a very atmospheric sound. We really like to record with different producers, which help give each release it’s own identity and changes the sound slightly each time. The debut album will be different again.

3 – Which bands and artists influenced you all as musicians.

It’s no secret that Kyuss was our early influence. In our first band we was likened to a ‘Kyuss on speed’. Other obvious influences are the scandi stoner bands like Truckfighters, Lowrider and Dozer and then I like to bring a small amount of progression and atmosphere into some of our songs as I love bands like Pink Floyd and Tool.

4 – Congratulations on the success of your recent EP and being signed to Napalm Records. How did you guys hook up with Napalm Records.

It was a pretty big surprise. We was headlining the small stage at Desertfest last year and it was late and we had a few beers and was, lets say merry! Also, we had a few technical problems as Sammy, our drummer had his pedal swapped by another band and the one he was using blew apart through the first song. Anyway, the crowd was great and it went off, but we come away feeling like we played the worst gig ever. We were all pretty pissed off at our performance. Then the next day we get a message through that someone was at the gig from Napalm and they would like to talk to us. We thought it was a scam to start with, we nearly deleted the message!! Luckliy we didn’t.

5 – Pretty cool that they released your two excellent EP's on limited edition Vinyls. Did you guys have any say in the design of the Vinyl Records. And yes I do own a copy of each.

We had already planned to release the vinyl of the first 2 e.ps and we had the comic artwork for the inside all ready to go and they seemed really happy with it. It was cool to see our stuff in vinyl form for the first time. Thanks for getting a copy.

6 – What made you decide to become a musician. Any particular band or life changing event.

I always tried to learn guitar as a kid but never really had the patients to get passed the early stages. It always seemed so complicated until I found stoner rock. Get a nice guitar sound, drop your tuning and let rip. After time of playing you realise that things don’t have to be complicated and actually I think the simple stuff works best on most occasions. As we become better musicians I think it’s important not to over complicate things. Keep it simple and heavy.

7 – Where does the name STEAK come from. Any particular meaning behind it.

We had a really shit name before and we was touring with Italian band Stake off the Witch. To shorten their name we called them Stake, then after a while it just felt right as a band name. We thought with aour big meaty riffs it should be spelt like the meat. Think it has helped get us recognised in the scene at the start. “who the fuck calls themselves steak!” is one of my favourite quotes.

8 – You have read our review of your excellent new EP from last year. How would you best describe your new album.

The main difference with the new record is the time we have had to develop the songs. Napalm have been really cool at giving us the time we need. Even a simple song can become so much better with time to play with the structure. Also we will have a good 2 weeks recording this album so will have time to really get the sound we want. The first 2 ep’s were great fun to record but always felt a little rushed.

9 – Was it an easy or hard album to write and record for. As you hooked up with Mr Dango from Truckfighters to produce it and to record a blistering guitar riff on Black Milk. Was it easy persuading Mr Dango to play on the EP.

When we went to record in Sweden we hoped that he would lay something down, but we didn’t ask. Until they hear the final songs then it would be hard for him to commit. It’s great what he done on Black Milk, it really brings the song to life and is classic Mr Dango guitar, which is exactly what we wanted. I think for him it was enjoyable because there was no pressure for it to be perfect like he would want for a TF record, 2 takes and he had it down and it feels loose and loud, We love it.

10 – Obviously you guys are influenced by Comic-book mythology. Was that an easy decision to include Comic-book stuff and humour into your music.

We all love comic art so it was the prefect thing for us. Artwork is so important in the stoner scene and it allowed us to become these desert dirt bag super heroes. We are chilled about our music and I think the comic art reflects that pretty well. Nothing too serious.

11 – How did you guys hook up with DC Comic Artist Eduardo Ferigato to design the EP cover and artwork.

We found an agent that looks after some of the south American comic artists. We knew we picked the right guy when we got the final disatronaught cover.

12 – So which Comic Book Publishing House do you prefer. DC or Marvel. And the reasons why.

It’s a hard one, but I think DC. It’s characters are darker and batman is still the coolest hero. He doesn’t where red pants over his tights for example!

13 – What is the songwriting process in the band. Is it a group process or is it down to one individual.

It’s quite varied really and the whole band get involved in the composition. Reece (guitar) comes up with a lot of instrumental songs and we build from the basics. Cam (bass) also comes up with some banging riffs and songs and it always helps to have songs coming from different members, It gives a more varied sound over an album. Sometimes we just jam something out but usually needs someone to take directive lead of here the song goes. When Kip (vox) digs something he hears at rehearsal he will step up and bash out some vocals. Sometimes it works from the start sometimes the final song is totally different to how we started.

14 – Do you guys gig a lot in your hometown or do you have to travel further afield to perform regularly.

We try not to play too many gigs in London. We have a really strong fan base in London but nobody wants to see the band they like every week. We seem to be getting a lot of attention n Europe and playing with Monster Magnet in Spain, which will be cool. We will do a full UK tour when the album is released, just in case we miss the cold and rain too much.

15 – In 5 words or less what is the live STEAK experience like.

A fuzzy stoner booze trip for desert rats (more than 5!)

16 –Your debut album is being released later this year on Napalm Records. What can we expect from this. More tales from Cyclone City. More supervillians to defend it from.

Yep. We expand on the story some more, introducing Sammy (drums) and going back to pre Disastronaught and how it all became so bad in Cyclone City. The e.p’s got into the thick of the action, but being a debut album it feels right to start at the start. We have a whole story written and still plan to release actual comics. Each e.p or album release representing another story or comic. The album will be the very start of the story but will also work if you read them in the order of the music releases.

17 – What is your verdict on the whole crowd-funding scene currently going on. Are you a fan of this medium and would yourselves ever go down this route.

To be honest I don’t know much about it. We have been lucky enough to be able to fund everything ourselves and now Napalm helps out with that now. I guess it works though, if fans want to see a band release something then they can play a direct role in making it happen. Any way of helping underground bands play and release music seems a good thing to me.

18 – The UK Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal scene is currently going through a transition at the moment. Lots of great bands and albums starting to be released. Can you see this continuing or do you see things dying down a bit.

Yeah it’s great what’s happening. Underground bands are getting recognition for what they do now and that’s amazing and totally different to a few years ago. My concern and what I’m noticing is that some of the bigger promoters/agents are starting to take notice. Great for the bands at the moment, and steak are no different, but as soon as people think they can make serious money from it, it turns to shit. It happens every time and that’s why I love stoner and Desert rock, it stayed underground.

19 – If you could give any advice to someone wanting to start a band. What helpful advice would you give them.

Follow your passion and do it for love. Fuck what happens, enjoy it while your doing it.

20 – Finally, Thanks for talking to us here at Sludgelord HQ. Do you have anything to say to your fans.\

Thanks! Seriously we never expected people to dig what we done. We love a style of music and wanted to play along side bands we respect. We found a family in the stoner rock scene that makes the effort to come to shows and that’s rare.

Well guys thanks for doing this. All the best.

Check This Great Band Below:

Facebook
BandCamp

Thanks to Reece for talking to us here at Sludgelord HQ and Thanks to Claire from Purple Sage PR for arranging this interview so quickly. 

Written by Steve Howe