VIDEO PREMIERE: La Chinga, "Wings of Fire"

La Chinga’s classic-rocking, sophomore record “Freewhelin,’” harkened back to the days of yore when a band would roll into town and bring a party with them. Forged in 2012, La Chinga’s style of retro-rock serves up that saucy 70s vibe, with an Aerosmith swagger, Van Halen style riffing and that all important bad ass guitar solo. At the end of the day, each song is a party and luckily today y’all are invited for the ride as we debut their brand new video “Wings of Fire” lifted from their forthcoming album “Beyond The Sky” set for release via Small Stone Records on 07/09/2018 (available here).  Check out the video below and what director of the video R.D. Cane had to say about it.

La.Chinga….When they asked me to shoot a video I had to really think about how to pay all due respect to their guitar heavy forefathers and still visually knock the socks off of a whole new generation of young rockers. We knew we wanted to make it colourful and exciting but simple enough to not get in the way.  “Wings of Fire” just rocks.  La Chinga know their thing and they do it so well.  Thanks La Chinga, this was a blast to shoot and hanging out was very cool, I really can’t wait to do more…

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Blues Rockers Captain Crimson "Remind" us how to rock

 

With an established and impeccable reputation that started back in 1995, Small Stone Records, the self proclaimed dealers in the finest in fuzz rock, continue to churn out gold standard releases some 21 years later, not bad when you consider the label was started with a loan of $5000 and a desire to put out record by his friends.

 

The label continues to put out approximately 10 to 12 new releases a year and many of his bands keep busy touring schedules, therefore a band could consider them fortunate to taken under the wings of this truly great label.  One such band is Captain Crimson, a band dealing in the kind of badass blues rock that has made their peers and fellow Swedes, Graveyard, Witchcraft, and Blues Pills household names within the underground doom scene.

 

Formed in 2010 by vocalist Stefan Lillhager, formerly of Blowback, Captain Crimson draws inspiration from the classic sounds of The Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull, Cactus, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, meeting heavy boogie head-on with a modern swagger that has carried over to their latest and third album, “Remind”, which will serve as their first for Small Stone Records.

 

“Remind” will be released on October 14th, 2016 on CD, digitally and limited edition vinyl and preorders of the record are available here. Today at The Sludgelord in association with our friends at Earsplit PR we are debuting another new cut to remind you how much you need this band in your life.  Check out “Black Rose” below



“Remind” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Ghost Town

2). Bells From The Underground

3). Love Street

4). Black Rose

5). Money

6). Drifting

7). Remind

8). Let Her Go

9). Alone

10). Senseless Mind

 Band info: facebook

It's Not Night: It's Space - "Our Birth Is But A Sleep And A Forgetting" (Album Review) + (Full Album Stream)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/06/2016

Label: Small Stone Records

No vocals, just a lot of stoned, smoky repetition that is equally spiritual as it is absolutely mind blowing.

“Our Birth is But A Sleeping and A Forgetting” CD//DD//LP tack listing:

1). Nada Brahma

2). The Beard of Macroprosopus

3). Across The Luster of the Desert into the Polychrome Hills

4). Starry Wisdom

5). Pillars in the Void

6). The Black Iron Prison and the Palm Tree Garden

The Review:

New York three piece It’s Not Night: It’s Space are set to release their new album, “Our Birth is But A Sleep and A Forgetting” on June 24^th. We here at The Sludgelord have been offered to host a stream of this album, which if you dig in and press play, you’ll understand that we couldn’t turn this offer down. So roll up and get comfy, we’re going for a ride.

The mélange of audio samples that greet the listener are of speeches that range in theme from politics, drugs, and philosophy. Slow, sparse strums on a steel string acoustic guitar weave in and out of a deep electric drone, and as the song builds, it also fades into the next chapter of “Our Birth is But A Sleep and A Forgetting.” You better buckle up, because this album needs to be taken in with one deep drag, because there’s little time between the cuts to catch your breath.

The jam starts with a zany guitar riff in “The Beard of Macroprosopus” that twists blindly through a mass of background drone and a hard hitting rhythm that, though slow, lacks nothing in heft. It’s abundantly clear that It’s Not Night: It’s Space have taken flight. No vocals, just a lot of stoned, smoky repetition that is equally spiritual as it is absolutely mind blowing.

The story goes that the band wrote these songs “in moldy warehouses, grimy basements, and dusty backrooms of pizza shops,” and I must admit, you hear those settings in these seven songs. For example, the dark, effect laden riffs in “Across The Luster of the Desert into the Polychrome Hills” conjure up hallucinations of dark, dank atmospheres that are as comfortable as they are frightening. The steady groove in “Starry Wisdom” is the sound of a band finding sweet release in making an absolute raucous in a basement tucked far away from society. After all, this might be the only place in the city where a band can make this much noise without having the fuzz being called on them.

Made up of guitarist Kevin Halcott, drummer Michael Lutomski and bassist Tommy Guerroro, these boys from the East Coast have gone and done something that many stoner rock bands can only dream of; It’s Not Night: It’s Space present themselves as an entity. These three guys have locked in and met each other on a musical plane far removed from the mindless riffing that’s flooding our little niche. The guys in It’s Not Night: It’s Space communicate with each other through their jams. Though the cuts on this album may be songs that the band wrote before hitting the studio, it’s audible in the recording that the band caught a moment instead of a performance. If you’re into that kind of thing, you’ll definitely be into “Our Birth is But A Sleep and A Forgetting.” Enjoy!

“Our Birth Is But A Sleep And A Forgetting.” Is available here and you can stream it in full below

Band info: facebook

La Chinga - "Freewheelin'" (Album Review)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/03/2016

Label: Small Stone Records

Retro-rock might be a misnomer but La Chinga does serve up that saucy 70s hard rock vibe. Each song makes a steadfast bolt to the chorus by way of Aerosmith swagger and Van Halen riffing, without neglecting the importance of a bad ass guitar solo. High-sung backing vocals abound, contributing a feeling of unity to the record and those listening to it.  At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter which song is cherry picked from the track list, each one is a party and luckily we’re all invited for the ride.

Freewheelin' CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Gone Gypsy

2. Mother Of All Snakeheads

3. White Witchy Black Magic

4. Stoned Greased White Lightnin'

5. Faded Angel

6. Mountain Momma

7. War Cry

8. K.I.W.

9. Right On

10. Dawn Of Man

La Chinga is:

Carl Spackler | lead vocals, bass guitar

Ben Yardley | guitar, mandolin, theremin, backing & lead vocals

Jay Solyom | drums, percussion, backing vocals

The Review:

Some parties are unforgettable. Take the time Jimmy Page rode a motorcycle through a hotel’s hallways, for example. That will always be remembered. And I’m sure there are plenty of ladies out there who have stories of joining Sammy Hagar in sex tents underneath the stage while Alex pounded out a drum solo up above. One day – and maybe it’s already happened – there will be such stories circling above the La Chinga camp. I say this because La Chinga’s classic-rocking, home-run debut “Freewhelin,’” harkens back to the days of yore when a band would roll into town and bring a party with them.

Retro-rock might be a misnomer but La Chinga does serve up that saucy 70s hard rock vibe. Each song makes a steadfast bolt to the chorus by way of Aerosmith swagger and Van Halen riffing, without neglecting the importance of a bad ass guitar solo. High-sung backing vocals abound, contributing a feeling of unity to the record and those listening to it. Whether the backing singers are encouraging the “freewheelers to keep moving” or celebrating the fact that “they’re going nowhere in the fast lane,” the sense of togetherness is hard to ignore. There are no synths or Hammonds heard anywhere – thank God – and the mandolin driving “Mountain Momma” is a needed touch of unpredictability. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter which song is cherry picked from the track list, each one is a party and luckily we’re all invited for the ride.

They’re coming over to Europe for a tour in the spring and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get up to no good and leave some unforgettable parties in their wake. So you better get in on that.

“Freewheelin'” will is available to buy here

Band info: Facebook | BandCamp

Isaak - "Sermonize" (Album Review)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/11/2015

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds |
Small Stone Records

…there’s a Lo-Pan feel to the riffing and touches of Corrosion of Conformity, too, making Isaak a modern band who has learned from both their peers as well as their predecessors.

‘Sermonize’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Whore Horse
2).  The Peak
3). Fountainhead
4). Almonds & Glasses
5). Soar
6).  Showdown
7). Yeah (Kyuss)
8).  Lucifer’s Road (White Ash)
9).  Lesson n.1
10).  The Frown Reloaded
11).  The Phil’s Theorem
12).  Sermonize

Isaak is

Giacomo H Boeddu | vocals

Andrea Tabbì De Bernardi | drums / Vocals

Francesco Raimondi | guitars

Gabriele Carta | bass

The Review:

With "Sermonize," Italian heavy rockers have plugged their guitars into the boulders of Stone Henge to create a record that is as thick ass it is textured. Italian imprint Heavy Psych Sounds is handling the album's vinyl release while Small Stone is taking care of those portable plastic discs fit for your car's CD player. The fact that Isaak has partnered up with two of the most trustworthy labels in heavy rock music should be enough persuasion to check this out.

The album isn't out yet but when it is I'll be placing an order for it. What has me scratching my head, however, is which format will I choose? "Sermonize" works well for wax; Side A displaying the more aggressive side of the band to which Side B counters with more depth in both emotion and songwriting. What has me gunning for the CD release, though, is how naturally "Sermonize" unfurls in its uninterrupted linear form. And i like driving. Choices, choices.

At the end of the day, regardless of the format, "Sermonize" is a collection of twelve burly slices of guitar driven rock. The first song revealed to the public was "Fountainhead," whose steady, rolling groove and punchy chorus ultimately serves as an appropriate introduction to the album. It's Side A's focal point but don't let it detract from "Soar," the first song to find the balance between balls out aggression while allowing the song to come into its own.

"Sermonize"'s B Side is actually where my preference lies because of the band's willingness to play around with their sound. What strikes first is that Giacomo H Boeddu opens up his throat more, branching our from Side A's delivery, leaning more towards melody without sacrificing any of the dudeliness that Isaak controls so well. For example, in "Showdown;" while the band keeps up the pace, Giacomo is able to create space in the rumble and fill it with a delivery that bellows. Aside from the vocals, Isaak also experiments with a cover of Kyuss's "Yeah," playing it seven times faster than the original, showing that there is also a bit of punk attitude coursing through their veins. For the rest, theres a Lo-Pan feel to the riffing and touches of Corrosion of Conformity, too, making Isaak a modern band who has learned from both their peers as well as their predecessors.

‘Sermonize’ is available here

FFO: Lo-Pan, Corrosion of Conformity, Kyuss,

Band info: official | facebook

Snail - 'Feral' (Album Review)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:  25/09/2015

Label: Small Stone Records

As far as tone and mood are concerned, “Feral” is far from untamed. To the touch, these eight cuts are smooth, the production doing what it needs to do to keep this beast domesticated. At the end of the day, though, this beast is hard to ignore, which is the justification for the album’s name.

‘Feral’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Building A Haunted House
2. Smoke The Deathless
3. A Mustard Seed
4. Thou Art That
5. Born In Captivity
6. Derail
7. Psilocybe
8. Come Home

Snail is:

Mark Johnson | Guitars, lead vocals, keys
Matt Lynch | Bass, keys, vocals
Marty Dodson | Drums, percussion, vocals

The Review:

Snail plots out a journey of an unsound mind during the course of “Feral.” Between album opener “Building a Haunted House” and the eerie closer “Come Home,” Snail tells a haunting story in a short 45 minutes. These tales dip into deeply rooted issues pertaining to humanity and mortality. A fearful calm blankets the psychotic vocals while the aggressive guitars and drums are harnessed by warm fuzz. It’s the pitting of these polar opposites across from each other that make “Feral” such an engaging listen.

As far as tone and mood are concerned, “Feral” is far from untamed. To the touch, these eight cuts are smooth, the production doing what it needs to do to keep this beast domesticated. At the end of the day, though, this beast is hard to ignore, which is the justification for the album’s name. Be it in the Camaro-rockers or the slower, doomier tracks, the struggle to tame this beast is a concise exercise in master and slave.

Snail translates this struggle to music really well. “Building A Haunted House” sets the scene with its siren call and bass performance that’s felt down to the gut. “Smoke the Deathless” is a great follow up, kicking up the bpm a little and not being afraid to deliver something that’s actually catchy without sacrificing any heft. The upbeat verses and sprawling choruses work well to continue the theme of opposing forces. Snail’s new found fuzz in the lead guitar should garner the interest of those who couldn’t previously get into them. There’s even more of that comforting fuzz in “A Mustard Seed,” a song which exemplifies Snail’s new direction. With a steady groove, smooth transitions, airy vocals, and killer melodies, the first three songs open up “Feral” with some unexpected surprises when put up against their previous releases.

But fear not, the Snail rawness is still alive and well, albeit being held taught. Certainly cuts like “Though Art That” and “Psilocybe” have taken pages out of the book of Snail’s past. “Though Art That” marks the first break from the album’s red zone, slowing down the pace and bringing down the mood. The production remains smooth and the vocal delivery is still airy, but in some ways “Though Art That” offers more bite than the chuggers that preceded. “Psilocybe” tries to do the same but fails to hold interest during the song’s full duration.  

“Psilocybe” may be the album’s only track that doesn’t completely hit the mark but it’s sandwiched by “Feral”’s two ultra-standout tracks. The downright bluesy attack in “Derail” is the first moment that our narrator sheds any light on wanting to give up. “Derail that train into the pain,” sings Johnson as the music behind powerfully goes along with each syllable. “Derail”’s partner in crime is “Come Home,” the song that closes the album. Keeping in mind that “Feral” began with a story of above ground coffins in the back yard, “Come Home” gets a little spooky as the album closer when Johnson steps up to the microphone to deliver the line “so come home girl, I need you/ you calm the voice in my head.” The three quarter time and Hammond-led chorus gives the impression that all is well but the haunted house built in the album’s opening minutes is incomplete sans female companionship. An absolutely powerful finish to an already intense journey.

‘Feral’ is available here

Band info: Official | facebook | twitter

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

Abrahma - 'Through The Dusty Paths Of Our Lives' (Album Review)

By: Aaron Pickford

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/07/2012

Label: Small Stone Records

Potent, majestic and choc full of hooks, this Parisian quartet have produced a master class of hypnotic, trippy groove based jams, which dazzles with cosmic spaced out hallucinogenic songs, packed to the rafters with ambience, soul and transcending everything you might have heard before.

‘Through The Dusty Paths of Our Lives’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.  Alpha                                                 

2.  Neptune Of Sorrow                                  

3.  Tears Of The Sun                                     

4.  Dandelion Dust                                        

5.  Honkin’ Water Roof                                 

6.  Loa’s Awakening (Prelude)                   

7.  Vodun Pt. 1 Samedi’s Awakening          

8.  Big Black Cloud                                     

9.  Headless Horse                                         

10.  Vodun Pt. 2: I, Zombie                           

11.  Oceans On Sand…                                 

12.  …Here Sleep Ghosts                              

13.  Vodun Pt. 3: Final Asagwe                    

14.  The Maze                                               

15.  Omega                                                     

Abrahma is:

Sebastien Bismuth | Vocals, guitar,

Nicolas Heller | Guitar

Guillaume Colin | Bass

Benjamin Colin | Drums

The Review:

So Small Stone Records have come up trumps again, seemingly plucking a band from obscurity and Abrahma repaying that faith in spades, delivering a startlingly brilliant record.  This record has it all and is as close to perfection as you can get.  ‘Through The Dusty Paths Of Our Lives’ isn’t so much an album but a monolithic journey of stoner rock ecstasy, inducing mind bending psychedelic delirium, due to the presence of ultra heavy riffs, proto-metal influences, acid tinged rock and a hint of alternative grunge.  Yet despite the inspiration of the stoner rock progeny being present on the album, it remains fresh and vibrant; it is a thunderous tour de force.

Potent, majestic and choc full of hooks, this Parisian quartet have produced a master class of hypnotic, trippy groove based jams, which dazzles with cosmic spaced out hallucinogenic songs, packed to the rafters with ambience, soul and transcending everything you might have heard before.  The first three tracks “Neptune of Sorrow,” “Tears of the Sun,” and “Dandelion Dust” are just breath taking.  Encapsulating dense bass grooves, with multifarious reverberation and texture, the grungy vocals add charisma and personality to the tracks, with layers of epic riffs and unyielding rhythmic drums.

This album continues with awe-inspiring vigour throughout the course of its 15 songs, ‘Headless Horse’ with its Jeff Buckley tinged psychedelic arpeggio and tripped out vocals, circle and envelop the far reaches of your psyche.   The titanic and labyrinthine track, ‘The Maze’ to the ‘Vodun’ trilogy, the entire record is a blistering exhibition of stoner rock brilliance.  Forget Alcohsonic and all hail the new flesh, because Abrahma’s debut is a psychedelic, grunge infused masterpiece.  Well done guys.

Band info: Bandcamp | Facebook | Offical Page