ALBUM REVIEW & TRACK PREMIERE: Monster Magnet, "Mindfucker"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/03/2018

Label: Napalm Records

If you’re ready for a simple space rock record that’s sturdy, hooky and well written, take “Mindfucker” out for a spin. 

“Mindfucker” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Rocket Freak

2). Soul

3). Mindfucker

4). I’m God

5). Drowning

6). Ejection

7). Want Some

8). Brainwashed

9). All Day Midnight

10). When The Hammer Comes Down

The Review:

Monster Magnet’s evolution has been fun to follow. Back in the day, when front man and key driving force of the band, Dave Wyndorf, got his band of psychedelic gods together, they got weird. As time progressed, the ‘Magnet remained a psychedelic powerhouse, but one that consistently moved forward from where they began. The days of long, drawn out and druggy jams are behind us. Now, we’re reveling in a period of shorter, leaner songs with big hooks. Fans of Monster Magnet are sometimes divided in the camps of “early” and “modern” Monster Magnet. There’s no need for these camps, though, because Monster Magnet has always been - and will always be - a band that knows when it’s time to get weird and when it’s time to rock out. Isn’t that what stoner rock is all about?’

So it’s now 2018, almost five years removed from Monster Magnet’s last studio album, “Last Patrol.” Where that album, and certainly the redux albums that followed it, brought both hooks and jams to the fold, this new album, “Mindfucker” is all about the rock and the roll. “Mindfucker” tells a simple story to the tune of compact riffs and songs that move pretty quickly. About half of the songs are around the 4 minute mark, which reflects the simple song structures.

But rest assured, simple isn’t bad, by any means. In the case of “Mindfucker,” simple is even somewhat a breath of fresh air. There’s that MC5 vibe in these songs and punk rock is never far out of reach. The hooks are firmly mounted and effortlessly carry the weight of the songs. Bob Pantella and Chris Kosnik play their asses off, running the sturdy rhythms up and down the dance floor.

Like any good Monster Magnet set list, the weirder tracks are spread out evenly between all the ragers. “I’m God” (exclusively streaming below) rears its head after the three songs that open the “Mindfucker” party. This track is the largest of the bunch, with a huge chorus that has Wyndorf stepping to the mic to proclaim that he, in fact, is God. Kind of a strange claim to make, sure, but Wyndorf’s lyrics have always been pretty out there, rather arrogant and more or less out of this world. After all, he delivers these lines with such conviction that he makes the lyrics work. The song uses every second of its 6:16 run time to fly off into space, in only the way that Monster Magnet knows how; Wyndorf at the helm, one foot on the monitor, colorful, flashing lights everywhere…all seen through a fish-eye lens.

The songwriting aside, the production of this album is also top notch. “Mindfucker” is a party, despite some of the themes in the lyrics. The way the guitars sound and how this is mixed with Pantella’s cymbal work, makes this record sound rambunctious. “Mindfucker” even goes so far as to sound like a live recording, one that has Wyndorf pulling in the crowd and having the audience scream their lungs out for the entire duration of the record.

If you’re ready for a simple space rock record that’s sturdy, hooky and well written, take “Mindfucker” out for a spin. Go on, let loose of the hopes that Monster Magnet are going to make another “Spine of God.” The band’s moved on and is having a great time doing it. Join them for the ride, you won’t regret it.

“Mindfucker” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Rosetta - "Utopioid"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/09/2017 | 12/01/2018

Label: The Anaesthete (CD//CS//DD) |

Pelagic Records (LP)

“Utopioid” is beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Amnion

2. Intrapartum

3. Neophyte Visionary

4. King Ivory Tower

5. 54543

6. Détente

7. Hypnagogic

8. Qohelet

9. Intramortem

The Review:

We’ve all heard that anecdote that the Eskimo have a huge number of words for “snow”, supposedly for each subtle variation only people surrounded by frozen tundra would notice on a regular basis.  If only there was a similar glossary for types of “heaviness” that could serve as a sort of musical Esperanto for metal enthusiasts.  We tend to flatten out the term so much that it becomes kind of meaningless – the tri-tone opening of “Black Sabbath”, the breakneck shred of Converge’s “Concubine”, and the menacing rainfall of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” are all quintessentially “heavy” moments in metal music.  It can be an easy shorthand in some cases, denoting dissonance, harsh vocals, or low end guitar riffing, but by boxing “heavy” or “metal” into some confined structure, we’d eliminate some truly haunting, melodic, beautiful, but undeniably heavy outliers.  Case in point: Philadelphia’s Rosetta, who have been crafting “metal for astronauts” for over a decade.  On their sixth release, “Utopioid”, Rosetta push the emotional limits of melodic post-metal without abandoning their heavy bona fides, albeit in ways that may be so alien to some metalheads that they’ll flatly reject the metal tag whatsoever.

               

Make no mistake, Rosetta lurks at the periphery of metal orthodoxy.  Interludes and codas like “Amnion”, “54543” and “Intramortem” are more Sigur Ros than Neurosis.  The clean vocals, in both their register and placement in the mix, almost subsumed by mirrored guitar harmonies at some points, are akin to the earlier waves of emo – I was consistently thinking of Christie Front Drive, Mineral, and Sunny Day Real Estate.  But just when the pathos threatens to turn sour or twee, the progressions often turn sour, introducing dissonance, minor chords, or gut-wrenching screamed vocals.  “Intrapartum”, in particular, vacillates between ethereal and eerie, with a gang vocal closing that is intense and triumphant.

               

The prevalence of vocals on “post” anything can be a barrier to entry for some enthusiasts, but the members of Rosetta seem to be keenly aware of economy and the qualities of a voice as an instrument – the majority of the hour-plus album is dominated by guitars and effects, while even the screamed vocals seem precisely “composed” within the strictures of each track.  Each ragged syllable seems a part of a symphonic whole, while the guitars often track the clean vocal progressions, especially in verses.

               

The whole “metal for astronauts” tag feels kind of silly, but it’s remarkably apt.  The reverb-laden, echoey feel of everything screams “space”, while the emotional heft feels outside of temporal concerns – there’s something almost spiritual (I found myself writing down “cinematically cosmic”) at work in the balance between angelic singing and primitive shouts.  Maybe it’s just the sheer amount of time and exploratory leeway Rosetta grants their respective components that feels untethered from gravity.  Occasionally the explorations veer off unsuccessfully, like the meandering ambient coda of “Hypnagogic” that is begging for a triumphant reprise.  But then a track like “Qohelet” crashes through a finale as effective and thrilling as any I’ve heard in 2017 and the whole experiment works.  Particular praise has to be given to the rhythm section of Dave Grossman and Bruce McMurtrie Jr., whose precise bass work and drumming, respectively, anchors the band through numerous space rock outbursts.  Without steady hands at the wheel, the dual guitar lines of Eric Jernigan and Matt Weed could meander into incoherence – instead of the near transcendence they achieve on track after track.

               

Of course, the drawback to any “post-metal” album is the tendency to overstay its welcome, and “Utopioid” does that for exactly seven minutes and fifty-three seconds on the final track, “Intramortem”.  It isn’t a bad number, per se, but has the distinct disadvantage of following the natural climax of the record, “Qohelet”.  The resulting ambience and repeated builds has a lot of potential but never has that moment of resolution that makes the piece worth sticking around for.  Rather, it feels like a neat bonus track that should be absorbed well after you’ve caught your breath from the remarkable ending of “Qohelet”.

               

So is “Utopioid” a “metal” release?  I can’t say for certain.  It’s beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” is available digitally here via bandcamp (CS//DD//CD) here and LP here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Causa Sui - “Vibraciones Doradas”

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/11/2017

Label: El Paraiso Records

 “Vibraciones Doradas” is a mélange of fuzzy, jam-rock. It flourishes, squirms, grooves and rides the wave of cool. Their rhythms are repetitive, innovative and progressive. These are the elements that define Causa Sui. It’s how the band puts these elements to use that makes Causa Sui one of the best.

“Vibraciones Doradas” CD//DD// LP track listing:

1. The Drop (7:12)
2. El Fuego (11:24)
3. Viborera (2:07)
4. Seven Hills (7:24)
5. Vibraciones Doradas (9:05)

The Review:

And just when you thought 2017 was winding down, Causa Sui comes at us with one last release before the Christmas shopping begins. What a drag, right? One more heavy-psych release to revel in before all that family time. One more psychedelic freak-out to take into account when throwing together your Happy Holidays Mix Tape.

For those who have the room to pile more releases onto their plate, here’s one fuzz-filled main course that you should take a scoop of. The album in question is “Vibraciones Doradas” and it’s been put together by Jakob Skott, Jonas Munk, Jess Kahr and Rasmus Rasmussen.  The four Danes play drums, guitars, bass, and synths, swirls and other fun stuff respectively. The album’s first run of vinyl is already sold out, and rightly so. It’s that good.

Hitting its mark quickly, Munk starts things off with one of those riffs that are going to come to full fruition in a live setting. In the grander scheme of things, this opening swing is a pretty standard riff, but keep in mind, this is just the starting point. It’s a way for the band to create an immediate connection with the listener. It shows that Causa Sui, as progressive as they are, are still indebted to their stoner rock roots.

The guitars go on and on and on. The jams ring true and the band is locked in. Munk phrases his licks like lyrics, making up for any lack of a front man. His riffing is drenched in fuzz and the grooves that unfold over the course of these five songs are as sun-bleached as can be. These Danes will forever bask in bright tones and on “Vibraciones Doradas” – loosely translated as Golden Vibrations – they proffer up more of these lush grooves.

At a mere 37 minutes in length, “Vibraciones Doradas” gets in and out quickly and leaves the mark it’s meant to. There are still plenty of jams, that’s what Causa Sui is great at. Their musicianship and connection with each other has always translated well to their recordings. Be it how Skott sets the groove in the album’s standout, “El Fuego,” or how they follow his double attack of the snare on the rough and rugged “Seven Hills,” there’s unity in this quartet and this unity is felt down the bone.

Jams, jams and more jams. That’s what you’re going to get on a Causa Sui album, and that’s what you’re getting on this new slab, too. “Vibraciones Doradas” is a mélange of fuzzy, jam-rock. It flourishes, squirms, grooves and rides the wave of cool. Their rhythms are repetitive, innovative and progressive. And as psychedelic as the squealing guitars are or how laid back that bass tone is, the music still manages to hold on to some form of song structure. These are the elements that define Causa Sui. It’s how the band puts these elements to use that makes Causa Sui one of the best.

“Vibraciones Doradas” is available on CD//DD//LP here

Band info: Facebook

REVIEW: Howling Giant - "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 [EP]

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 25/08/ 2017

Label: Independent

For such a new outfit, Howling Giant brings sophistication to the lyrical and musical aspects that you might not expect. The result will astonish those fans who have been eagerly awaiting this sequel.

"Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2" CD//DD track listing:

1. Henry Tate

2. The Pioneer

3. Visions

4. The Forest Speaks

5. Circle of Druids

6. Earth Wizard

The Review:

Nashville, Tenn.'s Howling Giant, a relatively new addition to the stoner rock lexicon, has generated high hopes early. The first EP in this thematic series gained reams of positive reviews. Such coverage was earned fairly. Part One of the story was quite fuzzy, as well as robust, and drew comparisons to Electric Wizard, among other performers.

Yet can "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2" draw the same lofty praise as the initial recording?

The concept recordings – it is still a bit unclear if the story will carry on into a third EP, or more than that – tell the tale of humankind's rise and ultimate vanquish through the eyes of a protagonist. Such a heady vision can easily collapse under the weight of presenting that depth of a story with any hope of coherence. Howling Giant indubitably plumbs this mythology, but make it clear the music comes first. Arrangements are dexterous and vocals plaintive when needed, urgent the next. For such a new outfit, Howling Giant brings sophistication to the lyrical and musical aspects that you might not expect. The result will astonish those fans who have been eagerly awaiting this sequel.

Howling Giant has garnered a lot of support for its sound and been likened to bands like The Sword. Although you can hear many classic-tinged acts in Howling Giant's sound, repeated listens may conjure diverse parallels. The album's opener, "Henry Tate," for example, has a sound and vocal delivery reminiscent of NoMeansNo circa "The Day Everything Became Nothing." Given NoMeansNo's pioneering post-punk bona fides, that comparison is a high compliment, but it gives you a glimpse at how deceptively talented this young band is on the new release.

The new music seems like an impressive leap from Part 1. The washed-out vocals get a much better mix this go around. Drumming here is standout. The storyline, without spoiling anything, is furthermore going to keep you listening, especially if you enjoy a story with your songs. All said, Howling Giant demonstrates early accolades were deserved.

"Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Tronald - "Tronald"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 30/09/2017

Label: APF Records

…combining distorted guitars, chugging bass and flicks of vocal melody trapped under a crushing boulder of decomposing blackened death metal. It is raw and piercing in a fashion you cannot reasonably expect on a debut. But there it is, moldering for your delight.

“Tronald” CD//DD track listing

1. Tronald

2. Boss Keloid Are Shit

3. Obelisk Ov Hash

4. Dalnort

5. Gains (Prelude)

6. Vegan Gains

7. Get Your Grubby Little Hands Off My Bennell

8. Burgled Senseless

The Review:

Over the next four years, it is all but assured that you will hear the voice of U.S. President Donald Trump a lot more in extreme music than you ever thought possible. Some of it will certainly be based in outright opposition; there have been a trickling of music thus far critical of the new Commander in Chief by everyone from Prophets of Rage to rapper YG, whose "Fuck Donald Trump" last year gained the California native a lot more notoriety than he previously had. However, much more from metal will surely be inspired by Trump's strongman persona. His over-the-top threats and flowery promises from a world leader are the stuff of Megadeth and Queensryche concept recordings. Hearing President Trump's bluster on "Danlort," off Tronald's self-titled debut, you may be reminded that this period could musically be a very long four to eight years.

The specter of power is one that metal has reflexively rebelled against, whether it is the doctrines of organized Christian faith, authoritarians of every stripe or the stricter social norms that define mainstream culture. Usually such aggression is answered with the sort of musical force that only metal can deliver.

For you, "Tronald" may be just that kind of soundtrack. No stress if you are already at peak-Trump, peak-knee or whatever outrage is happening at the second. The Manchester, UK namesake do not come across as an expressly political collective. Tronald is, however, well suited to deliver an assertive and uncompromisingly heavy recording. Just as exciting, the listener gets treated to an inventive group with a fiery first outing in its new self-titled release.

What makes Tronald so engaging to catch is the diversity of its approach. Ticking in at just under 20 minutes, the eight tracks on "Tronald" are one of the more interesting collections you will hear this fall. From practicing a chorus to the previously mentioned Trump snippets, Tronald mixes in its doom and sludge-heavy style a healthy dose of experimentation. Whether it is a hardcore/thrash chord or two in "Vegan Gains" or grinding pace of "Bennel," you hear a band that is crafting what it may eventually be in the future. Right now, Tronald does many things quite well, at least in small spurts – more than half the cuts are less than two minutes. Long enough to be intriguing, but short enough to make you wonder what comes next.

On "Obelisk," Tronald's longest song, you get perhaps a better sense of what the quintet is capable of. The doom track creates a humid scene around it, one that combines distorted guitars, chugging bass and flicks of vocal melody trapped under a crushing boulder of decomposing blackened death metal. You get the picture. It is raw and piercing in a fashion you cannot reasonably expect on a debut. But there it is, moldering for your delight.

Discerning fans will count several influences, and Tronald does not break particularly new ground just yet. However, the band gets off to a rousing start. And one has to feel optimistic about its future.

"Tronald" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Earthling Society - "Ascent To Godhead"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 04/08/2017

Label: Riot Season

“Ascent To Godhead” is a wild ride that demonstrates Earthling Society are the real deal when it comes to modern psychedelic rock.

“Ascent To Godhead” DD//LP track listing:

1). Can You Levitate?

2). Ascent To Godhead Part 1 (Godhead/Going For Refuge/The Celestial Mind)

3). Electric Bou Saada

4). Ascent To Godhead Part 2

The Review:

Riot Season Records continue to unearth the gems in the oversaturated world of psychedelic rock with Earthling Society’s new LP “Ascent To Godhead”. The latest offering from the Fleetwood trio is a truly epic voyage that begins with sun-drenched optimism and slowly descends into a dark well of noise.

The jangly garage rock of “Can You Levitate?” opens proceedings in hopeful fashion. This is as close as the band get to a proper pop song but it is coated in enough scuzzy fuzz and unhinged wah to remain reassuringly dirty. Once you have emphatically responded in the affirmative to Earthling Society’s request to levitate, the journey to the outer limits truly begins with “Ascent To Godhead (Part 1)”. A multi-stage mantra built around minimal repetitive guitar lines, minimal percussion and droning sitars, the track begins in classic Spacemen 3 territory. As the track shifts between movements, the atmosphere becomes hazier as the ascension turns darker.

While the first half of “Ascent To Godhead” achieves mind-expanding results with a relatively restrained sonic pallet, the second half sees Earthling Society unleash distortion overload. “Electric Bou Saada” is a monstrous jam built around huge riffs and searing solos that comes on like a more ragged Earthless tussling with Acid Mothers Temple. Just as the track reaches a furious peak of free rock intensity the band take a left turn into a more subdued Can-style groove. This maintains an air of menace even though the volume and dirt has been stripped away. This leads into the hellish finale of “Ascent To Godhead (Part 2)” where the journey has reached its destination to discover a nightmarish world in place of the expected utopia. An unrelenting fuzz-heavy riff etches itself into your brain as saxophones screech all around. The cacophony eventually subsides to a soothing keyboard based coda that attempts to bring the listener back to earth as gently as possible.

“Ascent To Godhead” is a wild ride that demonstrates Earthling Society are the real deal when it comes to modern psychedelic rock.

“Ascent To Godhead” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Wild Rocket - "Dissociation Mechanics"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 07/07/2017

Label: Art for Blind

Their debut "Geomagnetic Hallucinations," earned a reputation for its immersive music and brainy, intriguing lyrical themes. With their follow up they give you that again, and more. Make no mistake this group is a high-quality original that stands on its own. The stupendous "Into The Black Hole" is a true testament to that.

“Dissociation Mechanics” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Caught In Triangle Again

2. Infinite Reconnaissance Imager

3. Into The Black Hole

4. The Future Echoes

5. The Edges Of Reality

The Review:

Defunct noise rock visionary band Sonic Youth experienced much popularity over its near 30-year career, including the commercially successful albums "Goo", "Dirty" and "Daydream Nation." Hardcore fans point to a recording like 1985's "Bad Moon Rising" to be the birth of what would be the definitive Sonic Youth sound: sheets of avant garde influences, rambunctious guitars and off-the-wall effects that were a fertile bed for Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's irascible songsmithing.

In listening to psychedelic punk crew Wild Rocket. One cannot escape an ambience that feels very much like the most animated version of Sonic Youth circa "Bad Moon Rising" and possibly "Daydream Nation." In the case of the Dublin, Ireland outfit's sophomore recording, the emphasis on noise punk, like Sonic Youth, belies a uniquely crafty selection of music.

On the opener "Caught In Triangle Again" the tenor of the past is evident. You can almost lean back and picture what Moore would do with this, it is such a faithful interpretation. Make no mistake though, because the group is a high-quality original that stands on its own. The stupendous "Into The Black Hole" is a true testament to that.

When Wild Rocket released their debut, "Geomagnetic Hallucinations," in 2014, it earned a reputation for its immersive music and brainy, intriguing lyrical themes. In their return, the quartet of punk, doom, noise and rock tested performers give you that again, and more. With "Dissociation Mechanics" – an SY-style christening if ever there was one, by the way – that blend is all out on beautiful, chaotic display.

Wild Rocket's return is centered musically around several concepts, including the sea and deep space, as metaphors for cultural and global destruction. Effects laden vocals convey the depressive mood and the churning rhythm section, not to mention Jon Kelly's synthesizer work, make those stories feel like they're closing in on you. The listener has such a tempo on tracks like "The Future Holds" – steady, thick and swirling it is, among others.

"Dissociation Mechanics" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: The Cosmic Dead - "Psych Is Dead"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/04/2017

Label: Riot Season

Somehow the band manage to make relentless repetition sound like a captivating journey into the unknown, packed with more subtle detail than a million prog metal odysseys.

“Psych Is Dead” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Nuraghe

2). Psych Is Dead

3). #FW

The Review:

Sometimes just one chord can be a whole lot heavier than an onslaught of riffs. The Cosmic Dead demonstrate this in style over the first half of stellar new LP “Psych Is Dead”. “Nuraghe” is a yawning 22 minute black-hole, a hypnotic mantra with an inescapable density. The track is based around a shuffling monochord groove that ebbs and flows between eerily blissful calm and outbursts of molten distortion. Somehow the band manage to make relentless repetition sound like a captivating journey into the unknown, packed with more subtle detail than a million prog metal odysseys.

The Glasgow astral voyagers thankfully provide a little respite after this epic mind-melting trip with the title track of “Psych Is Dead”. Layers of clean guitar loops and warm synth drones build up to create a wall of transcendent soothing noise. Drums are kept subdued and distant which help the band create an enveloping ambience reminiscent of “Beaches and Canyons” era Black Dice.

The calm is soon shattered by the closing crash of “#FW”. Another one-chord affair, this differs from “Nuraghe” due to its single-minded dedication to a pounding primal snare thud and guitar clang that builds up an unstoppable head of steam towards the albums close.

If “Psych Is Dead” it is because The Cosmic Dead have destroyed it and created something dark and intoxicating from its smouldering remains.

“Psych is Dead” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

The Sludgelord Video Premiere - "Dead Planet's Eyes" by Monkey3

Monkey3 hail from Lausanne, Switzerland and play very spacey stoner/trippy/proggy rock/metal. If you enjoy anything from classic Hawkwind to Karma to Burn you are going to enjoy this...Their new album “Astra Symmetry” feeds its inspiration from the mapping of the stars and their symbolic associations, interpreting the constellations stranded over the dark sky. This is decidedly cosmic instrumental music that loves melding heavy riffing with proggy keyboard landscapes.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride with Monkey3 and their upcoming full-length album “Astra Symmetry!” for today as a precursor to their upcoming cosmic odyssey we have the pleasure of premiering a brand new track in the form of “Dead Planet’s Eyes” which you can check out below.

“Astra Symmetry” will be released on September 2nd via Napalm Records and you can preorder it  here.

“Astra Symmetry” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1 Abyss
2 Moon
3 Endless Ocean
4 The Water Bearer
5 Crossroad
6 Mirrors
7 Dead Planet's Eyes
8 Seeds
9 Astraea
10 Arch
11 The Guardian
12 Realms Of Lights

Band info: facebook