Sunday 31 May 2015

The Sludgelord News - MetalX Radio - Small Stone Records Showcase


Readers of The Sludgelord -

Local X Radio is based in Memphis, Tennessee. The station’s heavy metal format, Metal X, airs each Monday at 7pm Central US time. You can listen on our website at localxradio.com. We also have an app that works with Apple and Android. Download the app at localxradio.com/tap-that-app.

This Monday, June 1, Metal X is airing a special record label showcase for Small Stone Records. The entire show will exclusively feature bands on Small Stone’s roster, such as Freedom Hawk, Gozu, Sons of Otis, Wo-Fat and Abrahma. This will be the second record label showcase we have aired. Several weeks ago, we aired our first label showcase for Grimoire Records. That show featured the likes of Foehammer, Corpse Light, and Barbelith.

A significant part of our vision for Metal X is giving airplay to bands in diverse genres. As fans of doom, sludge, and stoner (along with their many subgenres), we support The Sludgelord blog and the bands associated with these genres. Metal X wants to play more than the usual recycled metalcore and deathcore that seems so prevalent in heavy music media.

With that being said, we welcome music submissions for airplay. We invite bands (signed or unsigned) of any metal genre to submit to Grant at grant@localxradio.com. All metal genres are accepted. We are open to international bands, so please submit even if you aren’t in the US.

Please share this article through your own social media channels. Any support is greatly appreciated. Find the Metal X Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/locaxradiometal.

Thanks to Steve for allowing us to share this with you. And thank you for reading.

Words by Grant Skelton

Saturday 30 May 2015

The Man With The Golden Riffs - An Interview with Thomas Andersson from KAMCHATKA



Kamchatka have been playing their blend of Hard Rock/Blues Rock/Stoner Rock vibes for 14 years now. Since then they've released a string of acclaimed albums with their latest album and 6th overall – Long Road Made Of Gold – being their most diverse and hard rocking yet.
Last year the band released their acclaimed 5th album – The Search Goes On – which we rate very highly here at Sludgelord HQ. I interviewed Thomas from the band back in May 2014 and I've been given the honour once again to interview Thomas (Lead Vox/Guitars) and see how are things with Kamchatka.

So let’s get started.

1 - Hi Thomas. Good catching up with you again. How are things with you today. Thanks for doing this.

-Thomas: Hi Steve and Sludgelord ! All good here and Kamchatka is feeling stronger than ever.

2 – Before we start talking about your new album – Long Road Made Of Gold. Can we talk about the last 18 months or so for Kamchatka as your last album maybe of been your most successful to date. As it won a ton of great reviews and got you noticed with a few more people. Did it surprise you the response to your last album.

-Thomas: Well we knew that we had made a good album with “The Search Goes On” but we didn’t expect the great words from around the world and of course we are very grateful for the warm welcome that it received.


3 – What have been the highlights over the last 18 months or so.

-Thomas: There are many but we have had a really good time touring and growing together, also recording and releasing “Long Road Made Of Gold” and meeting new audience !

4 – Looking back on the last album – Would you change anything about it. Or are you happy with the way it is.

-Thomas: We are happy with it just the way it is.

5 – Now we have to talk about your new album. Wow – what an album that is. Even better than your last record. What can people expect from the new album.

-Thomas: Well I guess that “Long Road Made Of Gold” continues where “The Search Goes On” ended, fuelled with a bit more heavy tunes but still with the same vibe and energy.



6 – I'm surprised you've came out with a new album so soon after your last record. Only 15 months since The Search Goes On was released. Did you plan on taking a break after touring commitments for promoting the last album were completed.
-Thomas: No we never planned anything really we just kept writing music, touring and recording in between tours and all of a sudden a new album was born. Breaks are boring
7 – How soon did you plan on recording – Long Road Made Of Gold – during last year. And was it an easy album to write and record for.

-Thomas: We just decided to record when we had enough music to record and it was really easy to write and record “Long Road Made Of Gold” because we were so inspired from all the positive energy we got from touring and from all the wonderful reviews of “The Search goes On”.
8 – Did you do anything differently when recording this album compared to the last album.

-Thomas: Yes, on the previous album, Per Wiberg was the executive producer and on this new album he was a full time member as bass player and 2nd vocalist and that changed the way we worked together, forming the songs to final versions, maybe a little bit more team effort.

9 – What I dig most about the album is while the Kamchatka sound is still familiar on the album. You've still managed to make it sound so different and exciting as well. Was that your plan to try something different. It features some of your heaviest material to date.

-Thomas: Yes, we decided early on that we wanted the new album to sound different to “The Search Goes On”, not that we don’t like the way that album sounds - it’s more that we always want to push the band in new directions both with the music and the way it sounds like on an album and that is the reason why we wanted Russ Russell to do the mix and master, to evolve and extend the sound of the band.

10 – What influenced you when recording this album. It seems Kamchatka are a lot more angrier which I loved. Or am I looking way too much into the music.

-Thomas: When Per joined, we moved closer rock music than before cause he is all about rock and that is what I like with Kamchatka, that we can tune in to the different elements of different genres yet still sound like ourselves. Angrier? I don’t know. Maybe frustrated sometimes, it’s a tough business ;)

11 – You've performed a lot more gigs over the last 12 months or so. Have you noticed your live shows becoming more popular as I have a few friends who seen you guys last year in concert and they never heard of you guys. But you won them over in the end.

-Thomas: Yes, we have toured more lately and that has always been our main goal, to be on the road. I guess that the more you are out there, the more people notice you and in the end new ears attend the concerts, also I think we are a better live act these days than before.

12 – So why did you call the new album – Long Road Made Of Gold. Does it have a specific meaning to you individually or as a band.


-Thomas: “Long Road Made Of Gold” is the “Long Road” as a travelling musician and the music is the “Gold”.

13 – Will you be doing a major tour for the album. If so which parts of the world will you be visiting.

-Thomas: We will start with festivals such as Freak Valley Festival (Germany), Atomic Rooster Summer Jam (Sweden), Zwarte Cross, Lichtenvoorde (Netherlands), City Rock, Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Culemborg Blues, Culemborg, (Netherlands). Then we will tour in different ways through September, October, November, December - plans are being made as we speak.

14 – Well Thomas, thanks for doing this. Before you go. Do you have anything to say to your fans.

-Thomas: Yes, I would like to salute all of you rockers out there and thank you for tuning in to Kamchatka, without you guys there would be no Kamchatka !!!!!!!!

Well Thomas, all the best with the new album. It's a killer record. Thanks. Steve.

-Thomas: Thank you Steve ! My pleasure

I want to thank Thomas for taking out the time to to talk to us at Sludgelord HQ. Thanks to Brian at Fresno Media for arranging this interview

Long Road Made Of Gold is available to buy on CD/Vinyl now through Despotz Records.

For More Information

Stars That Move - S/T (Album Review)

STARS THAT MOVE cover art

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: May 26th 2015
Label: Twin Earth Records/Stone Groove Records

Stars That Move – S/T - Track Listing:

1.I HOLD A GAZE 02:44
2.THE BLUE PRINCE 03:45
3.FROM EAST TO WEST 03:32
4.A NATIONAL ACROBAT 04:37
5.THE HIDDEN HAND 03:29
6.SHE THAT RULES THE KING 02:52
7.NO EVIL STAR 00:38
8.BURNING IN FLAMES 03:48

Stars That Move Members:

Elisa Maria
Richard Bennett
Frank Sikes

Review

Stars That Move is a new band featuring members from another great Psych Doom Metal band called Starchild. Though Stars That Move are a great band in their own right. They've just released their superb S/T debut album that will appeal to fans of 70s Hard Rock and Doom Metal. It's a trippy and psychedelic offering that has shades of Black Sabbath running through it's veins.

Opening track – I Hold A Gaze – is a doomy atmospheric offering with psychedelic guitars and intricate drumming setting the scene before the finely tuned vocals of Elisa offer a calming influence as the song builds to a psych doomy climax that instantly draws you in.

Second Track – The Blue Prince – carries on the 60s/70s Psych Rock worship with Elisa once again offering finely balanced blues tinged vocals for a tale that ventures into Cosmic/Space Rock projectory. The guitars are dripping with FUZZ and a ton of reverb feedback as the band leave you wanting more from this track. It's one of my fave tracks from the album and I wished it went on slightly longer. Oh well, there's still 6 more great songs to listen to.

Third Track – From East To West – is a more straight forward Psych Doom song as the band offer a more direct approach. The fuzz from the opening two tracks are gone and is replaced with a song that feels like it was recorded live. Elisa is on fine sultry blues rock form once more as the band weave magical riffs around Elisa to build upon. It's a majestic offering where the guitars become the main focus towards the end of the song.

Fourth Track – A National Acrobat – didn't excite me as much as the other tracks. Yeah it's a powerful song but something didn't quite gel with me this song. It doesn't seem to get started and that' a shame as I was digging the whole vibe of the album before this song. It's a good thing that Stars That Move return to winning ways on the 5th track – The Hidden Hand – a slow-paced bluesy doom and gloom affair that sees the band play another one of the albums standout tracks. The vocal delivery from Elisa is top-notch and is matched against the finely tuned instrumental work that offers one of the albums most exciting songs to emerge yourself with.

The band have created a fantastic video to accompany this song. It features clips from 1979 craptastic – so bad it's good – sci-fi flick – Starcrash. Check it out for yourselves.


The remaining 3 songs on the album offers more passionate vocals from Elisa and more stirring riffs from the rest of the band as this album closes off in style with the slow-paced acoustic tale – Burning In Flames. This song shows a tender and caring side to Stars That Move as they offer a more reflective and emotional song. Stars That Move have created a hard rocking and deeply moving album that will offer Psych Doom Metal fans a thrilling ride from start to finish.

Words by Steve Howe

For More Information

Hell Night / Cathedral Fever Split EP (Review)

Hell Night Cathedral Fever Split cover art

Album Type: Split EP
Date Released: May 02nd 2015
Label: Pissfork Anticulture

Hell Night Cathedral Fever Split - Track Listing:

1.Internal Bleeding (Hell Night) 02:35
2.Head Bag (Hell Night) 02:23
3.Libations Imbibed (Cathedral Fever) 02:15
4.Mansion Symposium (Cathedral Fever) 04:46

Hell Night Band Members:

Mike Craft - vocals
Andy White - Guitar
Eric Eyster - Bass
Adam Arseneau - Drums

Cathedral Fever Members:

Spencer - Drums
Derek - Bass
Jerry - Vocals
David - Guitar

Review

Well this Split EP from Hell Night and Cathedral Fever came very much as a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting much as I didn't know a great deal about both bands. Well apart from that the members of both bands are part of other projects such as TILTS and Path Of Might.

So what do we get here. You get 4 tracks of pissed off Hardcore Punk/Thrash/Stoner Rock riffs with sheer brutality to match. Both bands offer two songs on the split EP. Each showing what both bands are all about. Hell Night's songs are more of the pissed off Hardcore Punk variety but I can detect Andy White's familiar guitar riffs from TILTS so you get a nice sideline in almost Stoner Rock territory. Opening track – Internal Bleeding – is a punk/stoner/thrash hybrid that wants to party with you whilst kicking the utter shit out of you. It's got some fantastic Stoner/Thrash Rock riffs that I didn't expect.

Hell Night second track – Head Bag – carries on the same violent carnage from Internal Bleeding with lead vocalist Mike – having the time of his life on this track. The riffs are the best thing about Hell Night as they're so damn catchy despite the psychotic violent rock carnage that Hell Night ultimately bring to the party!!!

Up next is Cathedral Fever – And this is where things take a more darker and sinister turn as these guys play a more dangerous blend of Stoner/Thrash/Doom/Punk Rock and they're the most exciting of the two bands. No offence to Hell Night as they're a great band but Cathedral Fever are the most exciting of the two bands. As they don't FUCK about here. The two songs – Libations Imbibed and Mansion Symposium – that Cathedral Fever offer here sees the band venture into more violent and dangerous territory. Mansion Symposium is the standout track here as it's a thrilling style of Hardcore Punk, Doom, Stoner and Thrash with traces of Psychedelic Rock lurking in the shadows.

All in all this is great split EP to showcase the talents of two superb bands to check out especially if you're into Dark Aggressive Hardcore Punk. Though I would love to see a full-length record from both bands in the future. Just to see if these guys have the vision and talent to create something more longer on offer here.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks To Andy from Hell Night for the promo. Hell Night Cathedral Fever Split is available to buy on DD and Cassette now from both band's BandCamp page..

For More Information

Hell Night


Cathedral Fever

Mos Generator / Stubb - The Theory Of Light & Matter Split (Review)

























Album Type: Split Album
Date Released: June 22nd 2015
Label: Hevisike Records

The Theory Of Light & Matter - Track Listing:

1. Mos Generator - 'As Above So Below'
2. Mos Generator - 'Catspaw'
3. Mos Generator - 'There's No Return From Nowhere'
4. Stubb - 'Priestess of The Moon'
5. Stubb - 'The Wingmakers'
6. Stubb - 'Witch's Kiss'

Mos Generator Band Members:

TONY REED / guitar, vocals, keyboards, assorted instruments (stone axe, treepeople, goodbye harry, twelve thirty dreamtime.
SEAN BOOTH / bass (Special Guests, Inifinite Flux, (9999), Second Sun, Drywater)

Stubb Band Members:

Jack Dickinson- Guitar and vocals
Tom Fyfe- Drums
Peter Holland-Bass

Review

Two of Stoner Rock's finest bands team up for one what will surely be one of the finest split Stoner Rock albums of the year. In one corner you have USA Stoner Rock Heavyweights – Mos Generator and in the other corner you have UK Blues/Stoner Rock upstarts – Stubb. Put these two bands together and you have the recipe for a must-have split album called - The Theory Of Light & Matter.

Each band has submitted 3 tracks to the album. Mos Generator's side runs for around 13 minutes or so whilst Stubb runs for an impressive 18 minutes. So you have almost 31 minutes of awesome new music. If you're a fan of both bands then nothing much has changed with the bands sounds as their both recognisable as each other. Though you won't care as this split album just flat out rocks.

Mos Generator opens the album up with – As Above So Below – a song that could be classed as the perfect follow up to – Obi Wan Kenobi – as it has the same sort of Mos Generator magic. Blazing Stoner/Heavy Rock guitars with a nice sideline in 60s/70s Psych Rock. Tony is on fine form once again unleashing his trademark heavy riffs and grizzled fine vocals to match.

Second Track – Catspaw – is a more hard rocking affair with Mos Generator offering a more stripped back approach. It's firmly rooted in 70s Hard Rock with Tony offering more world weary advice. The blues rock aspect is noticeable in the background as the band offer another fine slice of Mos Generator magic.

Third Track – There's No Return From Nowhere – opens with a finely played acoustic guitar solo before Mos Generator venture into Heavy Metal territory as the mood turns rather violent. I've never heard Mos Generator as heavy as this. Tony and co are PISSED OFF and you can feel the unwanted anger and fury. It's another slab of Psychedelic Stoner Metal that may show us the new direction that Mos Generator are planning on going with future releases. And I dig it a great deal. Mos Generator have managed to include a dreamy psych folk rock passage towards the end. If ever a song had multiple personality disorder then this would be it. As the band manage to include many different moods and genres in a short space of time. Definitely the highlight of Mos Generator's side of the split release.

Now time to focus on Stubb's side of the split release. Stubb offer a more bluesy psychedelic take on Stoner Rock compared to Mos Generator. Opening track – Priestess Of The Moon – is a lush psychedelic offering with elements of Blues Rock, Stoner Rock and Space Rock combining for one hypnotic tale. It's more firmly rooted in 60s/70s Hard Rock and Psychedelia but that's what make Stubb such a fantastic band from the UK Hard Rock/Stoner Rock scene. The vocals are perfectly pitched between the different musical elements whilst maintaining an air of originality.

Second Track – The Wingmakers – is another lush psychedelic blues rock offering with the band opening with a slowly played bluesy guitar riff. The drumming adds a sense of calm and wonder as you know this song is going to explode into a loud volume of noise and epic riffs. It's purely an instrumental affair as Stubb show the whole world their musical credentials. Slabs of psych blues rock will leave you in a trance from beginning to end. This is the standout track from Stubb's part of the split album.

Third Track – Witch's Kiss – feels like a love letter to the legendary bands of the 60s/70s Blues Hard Rock scene as Stubb play a familiar style of riffs whilst maintaining their own identity. Jack's vocals are the main focus here as he gives an impressive vocal performance. Though the riffs aren't too bad either. Crank this tune as loud as you possibly can as there's some fantastic instrumental work to worship to.

Kudos to both bands for teaming up for such a great record. And to Hevisike Records for releasing this. The Theory Of Light & Matter is an album that has it all. Two killer bands playing some of their heaviest and finest material to date. It doesn't matter type of music you're into, don't pass this by as this is a must have release. No question!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks To Hevisike Records for the promo. The Theory Of Light & Matter will be released on Vinyl from Hevisike Records on June 22nd 2015.

For More Information

Mos Generator


Stubb

Friday 29 May 2015

Godsized - 'Heavy Lies The Crown' (Album Review)



Album Type: Full-Length
Date Released: 28/04/2015
Label: Metalville

‘Heavy Lies The Crown’ CD//DD track listing:

1). Welcome to Hell
2). Saving You
3). Push Against the Tide
4). Never a Better Time
5). Web of Lies
6). Fade
7). Forgotten Friend
8). Do You See What I See?
9). Stone Cold Blow to the Head
10). Out of Fear
11). Pay Your Debt

Review:

For a band as little known as Godsized, having Zakk Wylde personally cite, with a passion, that’s he’s a fan of your music is a fantastic accolade. It’s valuable too for any band which writes heavy, blues honouring music such as this and for this British quartet especially, the reputation senior Wylde's enthusiasm has helped garnish has been priceless. But friends in high places aren’t everything and such a weighty compliment could so easily metamorphoses into an albatross around their collective necks. So not only does ‘Heavy Lies The Crown’ stand as testament to why exactly the ex-Ozzy man and part-Viking gunslinger loves this band, it begs the question as to why they are indeed, with this their second full length album, still a little known band.

It’s been over four years since they provided amicable, if not bang on the money support on Black Label’s Society’s UK theatre tour. They had just released their second EP, ‘The Phoney Tough & The Crazy Brave,’ and on that billing their x-ray showed a striking similarity in their basic bone structure to the headline act. It worked a treat, especially for people like myself who attended those shows early to catch a band they already had a degree admiration for. But the cynics amongst us would have liked a bit more of their own DNA to have been amongst those meaty rhythms and muscular riffs.

If that was a band - and a promising one at that - in its infancy, then 'Heavy Lies The Crown' is the band outgrowing their adolescence. They're developing into a very classy unit with a raw and heartfelt emotion as predominant in their songs as there are greasy grooves and stylish solos. Its macro songsmithery and such a philosophy will only help this record become their most wide reaching to date.  

The album as a whole is as revisitable as a grandmother who spends all her pension on sweets for her offspring's own, but what’s perhaps most enjoyable about the record is way it progresses. Each song is extremely well written and although you could well argue that a more radio-friendly sound – which is damn excellent at that – is at the expense of some of their aggression and voraciousness, you can’t fault the quality.

There are still plenty of crushing riffs in these songs, the thing is that the songs are rather more centric to the chord progressions and vocal melodies; in other words, it’s the bare bones that the tactile songwriting orientates around and the individuality of their modern day make-up in that sense has blossomed considerably. Building on from there, they then just intersperse some incendiary playing into the midst of a sound which, although hit hard at points, aren't calling cards that they rely solely on. The bigger picture is much more vibrant. Its genius really; at times those riffs come bursting into the open, but for much a part they become embedded, and consequently integral to the main body of their musicality without the need to jump around and attention-seek like a child for an unresponsive parent.  And to be honest, while they are riff centric on ‘Never A Better Time, ‘ a biker rock song fuelled as much by testosterone  as it is by gasoline and whisky, the real album highlights come elsewhere anyway. ‘Forgotten Friend’ has it all; the riffs, supple  and well placed harmonies and a wah-drenched solo made half in Mr. Wyldes image and half Glen Korner/Chris Charles’ own signature blends. The chorus is as uplifting and well-crafted as any and that is the focal point here, the seductive pull.

Sure, the line ‘I swear it must be about minus ten out here’ line in the second verse is a little sketchy - telling of a few lyric stutters on the record which highlights an area in need of a little improvement - but it’s a minor blip. The song is solid. The way they've pushed on as a band from those early days have been a joy to witness.

Songs like the gritty 'Out Of Fear' as well as the catchy and memorable piledriver 'Welcome To Hell' fly the flag for all this band believes in. That flag now waves and flickers in the breeze, looking more proud, polished and capable of reaching their promise than ever before. 

'Heavy Lies The Crown' is a great and well-rounded achievement.

Words by: Phil Weller

‘Heavy Lies The Crown’ is available now

For more information:

Turbowolf - 'Two Hands' (Album Review)


Album Type: Full-Length
Date Released: 26/05/2015
Label: Spinefarm Records

‘Two Hands’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Invisible Hand
2). Rabbits Foot
3). Solid Gold
4). American Mirrors
5). Toy Memaha
6). Nine Lives
7). Good Hand
8). MK Ultra
9). Twelve Houses
10). Rich Gift
11). Pale Horse

Turbowolf is:

Chris Georgiadis
Andy Ghosh
Blake Davies
Lianna Lee Davies

Review

When a band combines elements of different genres in their music I’m instantly intrigued and I’m even more impressed when they can do it successfully. I love a good genre cocktail because it keeps me engaged and interested in what I am listening too; the skill it takes to cohesively combine different elements shows the talent of the musicians. Staying pure to a genre is great, but honestly, I prefer the former. That being said, it is also a double edged sword. Too much at once can ruin a band’s sound and come off as cluttered. I’m very pleased to say that Turbowolf’s ‘Two Hands’ is a remarkable mixture of punk-rock and alternative metal.

Turbowolf has crafted quite an experience, the guitar riffs have a great fuzz effect and the drum rhythms are always upbeat and kicking ass. The vocals on this album have a unique rock feel and are always driving the music forward. The band also experiments with more electronic sounds this time around, mostly felt on tracks “Solid Gold” and “Nine Lives,” more so than their previous albums. My favorite track is “American Mirrors.” It has a great punk rock vibe to it and ends with some psychedelic progressive riffs. Overall this album jams really hard; it’s a great album to rock out too with your buddies or even at a party. I had a blast listening to this album and I’m excited to hear more from this band. Notable Tracks: “American Mirrors” “Solid Gold” “Nine Lives” “Good Hand”

Words by: Jihad Nasser

‘Two Hand’ is available here

For more information:

Thursday 28 May 2015

The Sludgelord News: OMMADON: UK Drone/Doom Duo To Undrape Empathy For The Wicked Via Golden Mantra This July


Following the crushing doom of their critically-adored, 2014 double LP, V, which earned a spot on Rolling Stone's 20 Best Metal Albums Of 2014, UK drone/doom duo, OMMADON, continues their perpetual quest to achieve sonic annihilation of the self through unadulterated heaviness with Empathy For The Wicked. Boasting just one earth-rupturing track broken into two parts, Empathy For The Wicked was recorded live, mixed by OMMADON and mastered by recording legend, Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Zoroaster, Eyehategod, Taurus, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth etc.), who gave it the final crushing touches it deserves.  

Where OMMADON's previous scores were all recorded in the Highlands of Scotland surrounded by forest, Empathy For The Wicked marks their first release to be recorded on an industrial estate in urban Northumberland surrounded by the dregs of humanity. The first track from Empathy For The Wicked was originally recorded for the cassette split with Horse Latitudes and Coltsblood. During that session, OMMADON decided to continue recording through the night and drone out the riff which became the second side to Empathy For The Wicked.

Empathy For The Wicked will be released on 12" vinyl via Golden Mantra on July 15th, 2015 with preorders available at: www.goldenmantra.co.uk. Teasers to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Critical Hails For V:

"A hypnotic, dead-eyed combination where patience, misanthropy and endurance collide; a zombie chained to a pole walking the same ugly circle." - Rolling Stone

"Split across four sides of vinyl, the double record was mastered by Billy Anderson... so you can bet your favourite Sunn O))) picture disc on this thing sounding heavier than a dying planet." -- Terrorizer

  "I love this album because it's so preposterously barbaric and for such an extended period of time and it's beyond excessive. It's an absolute endurance test, and by the end of it I was not the same as I'd come into it. There aren't a lot of albums you can say that about." - The Sludgelord

"OMMADON categorically prove that it is still possible to make compelling music within the field of drone-doom, an area that I personally had considered long since mined dry." -- The Sleeping Shaman

"OMMADON's V has more in common with the harsh, acidic fuzz of Conan, and Earth's early work, but much, much more abrasive." -- Blog Of Putrefaction

"Over the last couple of years I've been lucky enough to listen to some quite excellent instrumental doom, and OMMADON's V is right up there with the very best." -- Lair Of Filth

"Listening to the two 45-minute tracks on V is like trying to imagine your own burial under the Himalayas." -- Echoes And Dust

OMMADON Personnel:

David Tobin - guitars
Ewan Mackenzie - drums, noise

For more information:


Source and promo info: EarSplit PR

The Sludgelord News: FEAR FACTORY: "Genexus" Artwork and Track Listing Revealed!


The pioneers of industrial-tinged extreme metal, FEAR FACTORY, will release their 9thstudio album and Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, entitled Genexus, on August 7thworldwide. Genexus was produced by vocalist Burton C. Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares, and co-produced by long-time collaborator Rhys Fulber. The album was mixed by famed British producer and engineer, Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY,TESTAMENTEXODUSMACHINE HEAD). Artwork was once again handled by artist Anthony Clarkson. Drums on Genexus were performed by Mike Heller(MALIGNANCY).

The album is available for pre-order now
Digipack CD/T-Shirt bundle
http://www.nuclearblaststore.co.uk/shop/nuclearblast/proddetail.php?prod=NBL_FF_GenexusBUNDLE
Limited Clear Vinyl
http://www.nuclearblaststore.co.uk/shop/nuclearblast/proddetail.php?prod=NBL_FF_GenexusCLEAR
Limited Gold Vinyl
http://www.nuclearblaststore.co.uk/shop/nuclearblast/proddetail.php?prod=NBL_FF_GenexusGold

“The word genexus is a hybrid of two words; genesis and nexus,” explains vocalist Burton C. Bell. “This word describes the next transition in human evolution as man moves forward to a ‘mechanical’ state of being.  Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. Genexus is the term for that next evolutionary process. Where humans are machines, machines are human, and the differences are oblivious to the naked eye.

“This album is a record of thought patterns, psychology and struggles of the Genexus generation. The cognitive machine has arrived, and it wants autonomy from the industry that created it. This machine struggles, like every other human has throughout the course of history. This is the story of every one of us.”

Genexus track list:

1. Autonomous Combat System
2. Anodized
3. Dielectric
4. Soul Hacker
5. Protomech
6. Genexus
7. Church Of Execution
8. Regenerate
9. Battle For Utopia
10. Expiration Date

LIMITED DIGIPAK BONUS TRACKS:
11. Mandatory Sacrifice (Genexus Remix)
12. Enhanced Reality

Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989, FEAR FACTORY changed the world of metal and have become a huge influence on the genre ever since their inception. The band’s unique sound helped bridge the gap between death metal, grindcore, thrash, and industrial on landmark releases like Soul Of A New MachineDemanufacture, and the gold-selling release, Obsolete.

Visit FEAR FACTORY online at www. FEARFACTORY.com.
Like: www.facebook.com/FEARFACTORY
Follow: twitter.com/FEAR_FACTORY
Watch: www.youtube.com/fearfactorymusic

Source and promo info: Nuclear Blast UK

The Art of Being 'Unfuckwithable': A Conversation with Mojave Lords


Music can be many things to many people. It has the power to soothe, rejoice, excite and take us down a wonderful trip in the folders that we store in our minds for secret and intimate moments that can create a beautiful place or a tear drawn homestead. The thing is; music, at its purest form is made from emotion by emotion and so flawlessly delivers emotion to and fro. It is when you put on an album, cd, Mp3 whatever is in your arsenal at the moment; the body becomes one with the music.

In a time when everything is thrown into a genre, whether insane or not, people want to pigeon hole this gift. From organic, scream no whip latte doom to hold the goth, Marshall stack, down tuned dune buggy experimental sock hybrid, prog; it has a tag. My question is; who the fuck came up with this tagging of sorts. Is there a meeting with people sitting around a dim lit cave coming up with names to sort music into?  A sort of Walmart institution, but with really hard to find Ipod covers, like ones only made in the Czech Republic by a guy named Sweet Nuts.

Whatever happened to listening to music for the sheer thrill of listening to music? Not looking for underlying abstract clues and who they want to sound like but if we dig it or not. Listening to shake our ass and singing along in the car like a maladjusted American Idol contestant.

Bring in the Mojave Lords. They came up with an album ladies and gentleman that is pure undaunted, body moving, krush grooving fun. This album makes you want to forget about the bullshit in the world and dance and sing and play a tennis racquet as if it was Dave C’s Flying V and try to look as cool as Bingo Ritchey. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, there is only one Bingo Richey, and he is his own man. If you must imitate, good luck.
Unfuckwithable’ is an album that deals with an underlying heaviness of the soul, but comes across as a trip in purity and humanity. From the songwriting, to the kinetic fluidity and groove of the drums to the magnificent playing by every musician that graced the console of this gem.

For me, and this is only my opinion, touches on all that makes music still worth listening too. It is a nice ride through different notes that raise the hair on the back of your neck and lets you boogie woogie until the boy from company B gets back.

I was able to chat with Bingo Richey, Dave Catching, Gene Troutman and Brian O’Connor. They were on their way to a Thai meal but took the time to let me know about the making of what became and is ‘Unfuckwithable’.



Gaff- Thanks so much for taking the time and speaking with me.

All- our pleasure, thanks for your time.

Gaff- How did this all come together?

Bingo-  We are neighbors and we work together on a lot of stuff for a long time, David and I really wanted to figure a way to work on a project together because we have worked on so many others peoples records  Figure out a way to spend some time together and make something fucking fun and generate some heat. Brian is here and there are so many fucking talented people that live around here. We are all pals so I figured why don’t we get a band together with all of us lunkheads and motor through it.

Gaff- The actual process, was it all done at Rancho?

Bingo- yup, everything was done here.

Gaff- It has a certain vibe, a great boogie to the album. Did you guys set up time to write or when it came to you, you all just went in and recorded?

Bingo- It was a bit of both. We are always working on songs and riffs independently you know because it’s our craft. We wanna keep boogying, so I would bring a collection of stuff on a thumb drive and Dave had some riffs in his catalogue that weren’t being used, and Brian had some ideas you know, but then we would do stuff and just make it up on the spot too, which is great, so it’s a collection of all of that.

Dave- It was done sporadically too, here and there, so we busted it out.

Bingo- When we finally came together to do the, like deliver the whole thing; we did it in a few different chunks of time because we are all so busy with other projects.

Dave- I just did another shot, your turn.

Gaff- I did a shot of Jameson, is that ok with you guys?

Bingo- Mothers milk, good

Gaff- How long did the album take, from mixing to mastering

Dave and Bingo- 2 weeks.



Gaff- That’s great. With different guys playing on the album, did you all have the cast in mind or simply just giving guys a call and saying hey, come on down?

Bingo- we always have all of our brothers in mind cuz they are always in our hearts. We didn’t know exactly who would be in it, but we knew we wanted a core group of writers, have me Brian and David just be like lets have everything a go like Earth Wind and Fire and just hire a horn section, you know, Barret Martin started stopping by a lot and he fucking killed it. Then Joey was by so we wrote a song with Joey.  You know, Chris Goss would come by and we’d get him to sing some stuff and get some of his arrangement ideas because he is such a genius producer, Everybody has been super gracious with their talents and having fun.

Gaff- Lyrically, is that something that you bounce off each other or did you write most of it yourself?

Bingo- I wrote the majority of the lyrics but David Catching was definitely involved from top to bottom with it. We bounce stuff off each other a lot. I get the idea of a story line and we would work together on it, pretty much all of it start to finish. There’s maybe a couple of phrases here and there that we didn’t.

Gaff- The album itself has an internal feel, did you have certain things in mind when you were writing the album, like Whole New World has, “Got my nightmares tied in a sack”, or Microwave Me Baby, “If you pound on the door I’ll pretend that I don’t know”

Bingo- “Microwave me baby” is like a love song about radiation therapy, our brother Brian’s radioactive because he’s been getting treatments for cancer. So to me, like the majority of the record, the concept was like a battle between a dude and his fucking ego trips in his head and trying to not listen to the voices, you free some wolf saliva and make samurai swords out of it. You kill that shit as soon as it pops up. That’s what I try to focus on. It seems an interesting way to focus on what we are as people you know. It’s a little bit more articulate than looking in a mirror and screaming you know. When you break it down I think it’s kind of like that.
Gaff- lyrically it’s nice and deep, it hits pretty hard and you all should be commended on that. Obviously, the playing is great, but I think lyrically is where it catches people

Bingo- Thank you very much

Gaff- Welcome, in terms of gear for the album, were you guys playing anything different? Dave, did you play your Flying V and Black Les Paul, or were you guys switching up and fucking around with some different pieces of gear

Dave- in terms of gear we had limited time and access to stuff so we experimented pretty hard core with everything

Gaff- Did you all use a lot of different pedals, there is some great sonic traits to this album. Were you into boutique pedals or just plugging in an MXR pedal and having at it?

Dave- Sky was the limit. I never plugged into a pedal that didn’t have some use. For this one we were pretty much going right into the amps.

Bingo- I know one piece of equipment that we used throughout was the Lim lm 1, in order to get our grooves going. The Lim is an analog drum machine

Dave- Made famous by Parliament and Prince. Bingo actually used his Epiphone Les Paul on most of his tracks.

Bingo- with Lollar pickups.

Dave- you didn’t have your Lollar pickups

Bingo- no I didn’t that’s right. Woops

Dave- sorry Lollar




Gaff- Were you guys using any of the Creepy Fingers at all

Dave- Brad and I are old friends; fu Manchu did a record here. I have about 15 of his pedals as he first started making them I would buy them as he always gave me a great price and I always have his pedals on my board.

Gaff- where you guys going into Marshalls into half stacks or combo amps

Dave- At the studio we were using 2x12s at the most, I don’t have a lot of 4 12s around and we used a lot of baby amps also,

Bingo- Zinky was a good one we were going through

Dave- we used the Decade Peavey, Music Man

Gaff- The one thing that really stands out in terms of the boogie is that the drums have a really spectacular sound, was anything recorded on tape or straight to pro tools

Bingo-straight to pro tools, lots of sound board gear, they used the patch bay

Dave- with a killer drummer and a killer drum kit, we just put a few mics around there and couldn’t go wrong.

Bingo- there’s a maple Gretsch kit that is a favorite

Dave- why don’t we let the drummer answer the drum questions

Gene- as a drummer that played on the album, the drums and the drum room are one of the signature elements of Rancho

Bingo- we have to bring you in the car with us because we are going to get Thai food.

Gaff- So the album is out, what do you guys have coming up in the live world, is there shows or any tours you are planning on doing

Bingo- we have a couple of showcase things coming up, we did some shows around Halloween in New Orleans and were there for about 2 weeks rehearsing and writing and jamming with our friends there. We played in Memphis and I met fucking met Charlie Pride which was a highlight and then we played Nashville, we are doing a couple of gigs coming up, playing the Viper Room with a band we are going to be producing called Thelma and Sleaze, they’re from Nashville, we met them and they are fucking great.



Gaff-Any plans for getting out east?

Bingo- we are certainly hoping too, we are just throwing it up the flagpole and seeing who is gonna salute man. I don’t know anybody but fucking Dave knows everybody and so does Brian and all of them, hopefully if we could find a reasonable situation with a booking agency or a great manager. Whatever happens it’s gonna be great. I feel like I’m getting taken to school with these people but it’s like getting taken to school in a limo, an armored limo.

Gaff- there are so many genres of music that bands can get pigeonholed into, for me this is a great rock album. It at times has the backbeat of early Neil Young albums. Do you guys listen to a ton of different music while recording and in general?

Bingo- Oh man, we listen to so much, like we all love R&B, Motown and Funk, Disco and Soul, ZZ Top Butthole Surfers and Black Flag. I think its rock too. Our next stuff is gonna be different than that. We try to make stuff that is not the same.

Gaff- Vocally, it has a lot of soul, it doesn’t stay in one vibe which is nice, is there a guy that you absolutely love as a vocalist, or are there too many too count

Bingo- Well there are always too many too count but off the top of my head, George Jones, Ray Price, I’m a baritone. If I could sing high, it would be like ACDC, Brian Johnson is a god.

Gaff- Being that you all are so busy, is this a one off are you going to blessing us with another

Bingo- we already have the script written how the band is gonna break up and how we are gonna do our reunion tour, also the album covers too, we wrote out our whole career on a napkin cuz if we hadn’t written it done, we would have never remembered any of it, but its brilliant
Gaff- Got ya
Bingo- the third album will sound like Timbaland, it will be money, you open up the cd and money will just fall out of it. It’s no money just us buying people as products. (He and I are at this point laughing rather hard) I don’t know, but it has taken on some different twists and turns so it is a lot of fun.
Gaff- So 2 weeks to do the whole album, was the overall experience just really easy?

Bingo- Oh yeah man, most of us can play any position on the field you know, from making coffee or breakfast to running wires, running the console, it was seemless.  It was great, everyone could hold it down, it was a lot of fun

Gaff- The album has a very seemless flow to it

Bingo- Thank you


Gaff- Again, you guys should be commended, after the first listen, the lyrics and vocals get you, the second time the backbeat and the third time everything meshes so perfectly together sonically that you are hooked. The process would appear that it was really an awesome time recording the album

Bingo—well thank you and you got it man, you nailed it, we are working with people that are so focused and dedicated and open and creative to whatever. You know Fred Drake. It’s like him and Dave started that studio so long ago, Fred was a mentor to me as an engineer, I have been living out here for a long fucking time. I bought a house from this dude on a piece of notebook paper so I started working there pretty much right away. He asked do you wanna help us out engineering, I actually had a folk label up in Oregon, just doing folk music recording people, fisherman and farmers and shit, it was cool, so I kind of had some experience and then the first thing they threw me was re-doing the patch bay for a quadrophonic console, so I said ok, let’s put on some coffee

Gaff- Having the engineering background, are they favorite mics you all like to use

Bingo- I hardly ever do, David is at the helm of the studio so much, he knows the sounds that are coming out of what, he is so great at it, I like things a little more slap back, hap hazard, because to be honest, there might be a great fuck up, you know listening to what Steve Berlin did for Los Lobos, it’s crazy because they still have the natural ability to have space between the notes and as such but the shit in the middle of it is tremendous. It comes from not maybe textbook perfect sounds but when you blend it in, it totally makes sense.

Gaff- Which is much more transparent than trying to force something

Bingo- Oh god yeah

Gaff- That’s the kiss of death, ha

With the guitar interplay with you and Dave, the tonalities of the guitars are totally happening

Bingo-awesome, we jam all the time man, play acoustic a lot together too, he’s so easy to play with, he’s really great, there’s a reason why he is a legend. There are some bands; you ever listen to the fall? They have endless ability to invent new rhythm and grooves, Dave has that ability

Gaff- he has great tone

Bingo- yea

Gaff- In terms of players, it is crazy. The guys you were able to record with is insane. Are you someone that just simply loves to be playing, whether it be acoustic guitar or whatever?

Bingo- If I am out here it is, but I have a whole other joint going down in San Diego, helping run a clothing company, me and my wife and we have a 1 year old daughter so that takes a lot of my time. Dave is super busy as the studio is blowing up. It’s great so whenever we can absolutely. It’s hard to book time but he always returns my texts.

Gaff- write on, thanks so much for taking the time and speaking with me

Bingo-Thank you my man, this is the first real interview I have done so thanks again for everything and we will talk soon.

As you can feel and read from the interview, music when done right should evoke different feelings and above all, should be fun and done for the correct reasons. What are the correct reasons, I think that is up to the reader and listener. All I can say is that music shines through when the artists truly dig whom and with whom they are recording, writing, vibing, and letting it flow like a river that has settled into a nice flow and washes all your troubles away.

Do yourself a favor, a gift to you, get the Mojave Lords, “Unfuckwithable” and instantly feel a different groove in your mood and a sense of feeling like the world is a better place to be in.

Eat a peach,

Gaff

You can read our review of ‘Unfuckwithable’ here

Words and Interview coutesy of: Marc Gaffney and the Mojave Lords