Desert Storm + Mother Corona - 'Omniscient Euro Tour' Part One

By:  Aaron Pickford

Oxford based riff hounds Desert Storm have been making a name for themselves since they formed in 2007. From the beginning the band have worked hard...with 3 albums and a demo and relentless touring of the UK & Europe with the likes of Karma To Burn, Nashville Pussy, Peter Pan Speedrock, Honky (ft members of Down/Melvins/Butthole Surfers) as well as support slots to the likes of Orange Goblin, Red Fang, American Head Charge and festival appearances at The Bulldog Bash, The Desertfest, Brisfest & Roadkill (BEL).

January 26^th  2015 saw  the worldwide release date for the new record 'Omniscient' (Blindsight records- distro by Code 7 via PHD) which we called  ’..a must have album.'

Since their inception 2015 is arguably their most successful to date and the band have just embarked on a mammoth Euro tour with their buds from Mother Corona.  As sponsors for the tour, we asked the dudes from Desert Storm if they’d be down for putting together a tour diary.  So here it is, part one. Be sure to check out this tour if it hits your town.    

Band info: Official | Facebook | BandCamp

The Sludgelord News - Mother Corona / Welcome the Howling Tones / Welcome Back Delta - UK Tour

UK Dates

21st, The Anvil : Bournemouth
22nd, Mother's Ruin : Bristol
23rd, Bannermans : Edinburgh
24th, Bad Apples : Leeds
25th, 2 Pigs : Cheltenham

3 band's that are dedicated to the Whiskey and Ale soaked uplifting and energetic sound's of stoner/doom rock and metal.

All 3 band's give a serious wink and a nod to 70s classic rock and late 70s punk, mixing in the best parts of 90s-00s rock/metal/punk, thus bringing these 3 shit-kicking alco-fueled UK bands right up to present date! Bring your hit flask, cause this one is going to get messy!

Mother Corona

Originaly formed as Nable in 2006, but after a few small recordings and line up changes the band changed its name to MOTHER CORONA in 2008.Formed by friends David Oglesby and Lee Cressey in the small Oxfordshire town of Didcot. The bands music is "a melting pot of Heavy- Distorded- Sludged out raw Grooves, Melodic Psychedelia and Spaced out Landscapes". They were joined by bass player Robert Glen that following summer.The band released its self titled debut EP on there own Button Mushroom label in the summer of 2010 to positive reviews from local rock press. Devolution mag said that "mother corona are one of those secret bands that everyone love's, well know this dirty little secret is out! While Heavy planet said "With sleazy grinding basslines, a fuzzy guitar tone and chunky rhythms, UK band Mother Corona have created an impeccable slice of psychedelic stoner rock madness!

The band started to gig locally and make themselves a name on the local underground rock scene sharing stages with bands like Desert Storm, K-lacura, Undersmile, and many other local names.

In 2011 the band continued to gig up and around the country, and in may 2011 started recording there debut album out of the dust.Out of the dust was released in april 2012 on the bands oun button mushroom print, This release showcased the bands roots in heavy- spaced out- garage rock n' roll, from the rollocking hook laden Hedonist king to the deep longing of quaalude 74' right through to the landscapian wastelands of nuclear winter.

The rockzine The Sleeping Shaman said "It’s fantastic to hear a solid British 3-piece smashing one out of the park on their debut release" while Sludgelord poured "Mother Corona have an exciting career ahead of them. This album proves why they can be one of the UK’s Leading Lights UK Metal for many years to come"

In 2014 Mother Corona released their 3rd effort "Reburn" on the When Planets Collide label, this was a "Heavy Duty" 15 track album filled with "Sludge Anthems" from the short but pummeling "Black Acid Morning" the paranoid twist of "Vertigo Terror" right through to the Utopian blast of "Stone Cold Universe" and the sweet mantra chant of "lily Mae"- Sludgelord boated that “Reburn” is a colossal album that sprawls and jams for nearly eighty minutes"

While Terrorizer said..."Oxford power trio Mother Corona's Orange Goblin - style riffs and nasally Billy Corgan - esque vocals work well, the grooves roll hard and the wah-wah solos smoke"

For More Information

https://www.facebook.com/mothercorona?fref=ts
https://mothercorona.bandcamp.com/

Welcome The Howling Tones

Friends since short trousers and playing in bands almost as long these four band whores have accumulated a lot of experience going from the DIY scene to professional musician and back.

Formed in 2012 with the desire to play honest rock with classic tone, deep rooted blues, the weight of metal, the attack of hardcore, and a solid groove that can't be ignored. We're happy to say we found our sound.

Gigged with Godsized, The Jamie Lenman Band, Nick Oliveri, The Icarus Line, Breed77, and many more.

For More Information

https://www.facebook.com/WelcometheHowlingTones?fref=ts
https://welcomebackdelta.bandcamp.com/

Welcome Back Delta

The 8-legged rock machine from Cheltenham would have you listen to their tales and share a drink with them.Reel in terror at the outrageous tale of a man being hit by a car! Gasp in horror, at alligators that will stop at nothing to bite your hand off! Tremble in fear of a man too in love with his guitar! Tall tales, or factually accurate retellings of events from the past? We can only postulate. But one thing's for sure, there are many more tales to be heard.

For More Information

https://www.facebook.com/WelcomeBackDelta?fref=ts

Mother Corona - Reburn (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 6/10/2014

Label: When Planets Collide

“Reburn” CD/DD track list:

1). Cut the rope

2). Wax

3). Black acid morning

4). Reburn

5). Dead Space

6). Preacher

7). Vertigo terror

8). Hangover

9). From me to Nowhere

10). Stone cold universe

11). Sunseeker

12). Master bizarre

13). Ashes we leave

14). Enough time spent

15). Lily Mae

The Band:

Lee Cressey | Guitars

Dave O. | Vocals, Drums

Rob Glen | Bass

Review:

My first encounter with Mother Corona was with the sadly now defunct (for next year) FOAD Fest, earlier this year in Manchester. On that afternoon, the Oxford trio played with so much passion and vigour that they were undoubdely one of my highlights of the weekend. To hear that they had an album due meant that I couldn’t miss it.

“Reburn” is a colossal album that sprawls and jams for nearly eighty minutes. If nothing else, they don’t sell their fans short. Opener, “Cut The Rope”, has a superb sludgy riff, some punishing drumming and vocals that evoke more than a whiff of Billy Corgan circa “Siamese Dream”. “Wax” follows with a rolling drum introduction and a slower tempo that could have slid off of any Orange Goblin record. The middle section of “Wax” gets particularly trippy with some serious wah-wah effects employed. For a three piece, the band really makes a massive racket!

“Black Acid Morning” opens with some frenetic guitar shred before the bass drops and allows the track to become an up-tempo stomper. At a little over three and half minutes the track is one of the shortest here. The albums’ title track has a swagger and groove that would make even the shyest of people feel the need to shake a little. “Dead Space” is around seven and a half minutes, and for the most part the pace is relentless, but the closing strains have a huge anthemic and shoegaze feel to them. The band shows a good knack for employing different styles when you least expect it. This makes the lengthy duration seem far from arduous.

“Preacher”s riff is a dirty little bastard and drives another short and sweet rocker. A small interlude in the form of “Hangover” breaks up the two halves of the album before more pummelling rock and roll keeps the album ticking along superbly. “From Me to Nowhere” is another Pumpkin’s style tune, whilst “Stone Cold Universe” has a hefty tempo and some stunning lead guitar work.

“Master Bizarre”’s closing tempo is an addictive chug before a solid neck wrecker of a riff and “Ashes We Leave” uses fuzzed up bass lines and distorted guitars in a repetitive fashion as the vocals take a back seat. The lead, again, is stunning. The album closes out with Lily Mae, which is a melancholy affair and rounds out the album beautifully.

Mother Corona’s “Reburn” is a solid effort. Perhaps it is a little lengthy, but that depends on which side of the fence you fall. You can see it as a band, not selling people short and showing their chops and not being afraid to do so. Or you can see it as over indulgence. A nice mix of the two works perfectly in many situations. Whatever your stance is, give this record a go. The band, in my small experience, are great live; and have put together a record that can only lead to bigger and better things.

9/10

Words: by: Dom Walsh

You can pre-order/buy a copy here

For more information:

https://twitter.com/MOTHERCORONA
http://www.last.fm/music/Mother+Corona
http://www.youtube.com/user/MOTHERCORONA

https://www.facebook.com/mothercorona

Live Review : Mother Corona, Abrahma, Enos, Santiagos, Leeds, UK, 4/3/2014

Live Review :

Well this certainly isn’t Sky Valley, California that’s for sure.  There is no desert in sight, this is Leeds, England on a cold Tuesday evening, however Mother Corona are borne from the same cloth as Desert Rock legends, Kyuss and they were second on a bill of four tonight.  Following on from Skandal, who I missed due to my late attendance (sorry guys), you could be forgiven for thinking it was the legendary band up there, busting out their fuzz ridden gems to a captive audience.

Tonight, Oxford 3 piece Mother Corona are every bit as dynamic and grand as those legends before them, full of groove and bounce, they are quite simply brilliant.  Drummer/vocalist David Oglesby has a vocal style reminiscent to John Garcia, (when is that ever a bad thing), but he never comes across as derivative, his performance oozes with swagger, he and certainly the band are a class proposition.  

You can’t fail to be impressed with the bass heavy tone of the guitars, riffs sound warm and dirty.  Mother Corona produced a tight and mesmerising performance and have songs of impeccable quality, the tone of their music causing this tiny room to shudder, with the gargantuan amounts of crush they delivered.  I found myself nonchalantly and somewhat hypnotically nodding along.  Top quality stuff and to put it mildly, if Josh Homme was still writing songs of this quality, more people would actually give a shit.  With a new album out in the spring, the future is looking damn rosy for this Oxford 3 piece.  Superb stuff indeed. 

Being signed to renowned label, Small Stone Recordings is no mean feat, indeed when you think of quality psych, stoner, fuzz rock., they are the 15 year old single malt.  Having released their debut full length, Through the Dusty Paths of Our Lives, the band formerly known as Alcohsonic produced one of the records of the year in 2012, hell I was gushing about it myself.  Kicking things off, like a proverbially acid trip, Abrahma were on top of their game from the outset, with front man Seb Bismuth the orchestrator.   

Musically there is an abundance of layering to their sound, added to the grunge infusion of the riffs.  The band themselves are tight and powerful, coming across with a rawness live that is perhaps tempered somewhat on record.  Neptune of Sorrow is incredible; indeed there is a sensibility to the vocals reminiscent of Jeff Buckley particularly on tracks which rely on mood rather than riffs.  The multitude of effects adds a degree of ambience and space, the wave of sound enveloping the small audience, altering your state of consciousness and creating an almost hypnotic or hallucinogenic atmosphere, like a religious transcendence.  The highlight of their set indeed of the evening, is their brilliant rendition of classic Soundgarden track, Searching with My Good Eye Closed, they rip through it with aplomb, taking the original blueprint and making it their own.  Based on this performance and the quality of their music, Abrahma should be huge.  With a new record in the works and more touring, this Parisian four piece are on the cusp of greatness. 

I have been a fan of ENOS’ blend of intergalactic sci-fi based Psych Stoner Rock for the last few years now and they impressed the hell out of me with their last record, All Too Human, which I still listen to on a regular basis.  With recent tours with Abrahma label mates Mangoo, as well as Rescue Rangers, these guys have been well travelled road warriors over the last 12 months.  Tonight, ENOS translated their massive sound brilliantly well to the live arena, and with Mother Corona and Abrahma impressing the crowd in attendance, they had a difficult act to follow.

ENOS did not disappoint and got straight down to business with a blistering 45 minute set showcasing songs from their superb back catalogue. I was blown away by their performance.  ENOS were on fire throughout with epic riffs being played to an appreciative audience.  Lead singer/guitarist Chris; put his heart and soul into this performance with the ENOS brotherhood putting in a great performance, especially Sparky Rogers on the drums. Sure there may have been a few technical issues, but that didn't stop ENOS putting in a mesmerizing performance from start to finish.

ENOS did treat the audience to some new material and it sounds as good as their earlier stuff. I can't wait to hear this new material on their next full album as ENOS have tons of great ideas waiting to be fully explored.  Tonight, they proved they are one of the best UK Stoner Rock bands on the scene. If you get the chance to see them, do so, because this band of intergalactic riff-lords are an excellent live act, with great tunes to back-up their undeniable talent.

Words by : Aaron Pickford (Mother Corona, Abrahma) & Steve Howe (Enos)