I've had the pleasure of listening to these 8 tracks a few times now and they get better with each spin. What we have here is a group of guys that have a true sense of themselves and know exactly who they are, and where they come from. It's tight and focused and they play "in the pocket" keeping the groove strong.
Vincent's Ear - Earth To Space
Vincent's Ear is another band that has flown beneath the radar for most people, I think, and are definitely worthy of some praise. With "Earth to Space" they have taken their game up a notch, and managed to create something truly memorable here.
You wanna get punished, feel stoned, fall down the well of doom...and be pleasantly surprised. Then Green and Wood will get you there.
From the opening beer tab pull of the first song "Georgia Trucker Fun", you can tell these guys are out to prove there's more to Iowa than cows and corn fields.
Black Rainbows - Carmina Diabolo
The new album 'Carmina Diabolo' has been worth waiting for; the Italian riff inquisition is back with a vengeance and ready to torture anyone who would try to climb the holy mountain, with their mighty strings!
Atlantic Tide - Bad Acid Queen (7 inch)
A supersonic whirlwind of fuzzadelic sweetness sweeps through my ears and makes me shudder with delight. It's not every day my ear drums feast on such blissful tones like these... Freddie has done it again!
The Deadists - Time Without Light
The Deadists delivers a lethal mixture of sludgy stoner metal with some hardcore and post rock influences thrown in. In other words, this is a realm of many different styles. 'Time Without Light' is a quite intense rock assault divided into five chapters in almost 30 ear melting minutes.
I lay here, only to soak up the sweat now that I have pissed, the sun soon to dry my body. The strumming of a guitar, Marble Sheep opens my eyes, the crowd around me in a trance, the band has started us on a journey, a New Horizon.
Griftegård - Solemn.Sacred.Severe.
Imagine a sulphur-smelling cemetery where the ground is completely covered with human bones. Where all the statues of Holy Mary crying deluge of tears, and where the wailing of a thousand souls becomes a lament that is heard miles away. It does not get much bleaker than this...
Burning Colossus - A New Horizon
The Swedish Burning Colossus stands with one leg on a foundation made of steel, while the other leg is probing the terrain in a rocky desert landscape, and then a surprising third leg is dancing madly backwards in the temple of doom. To make things a little easier, it takes three to tango!
Wiht have no trouble writing songs, there structure of songs is impeccable, perfectly balanced but somewhat depressing, with every power riff there is a die down waiting to knock you down on your ass and leave you sort of feeling perplexed!
SHE LOVES PABLO - Mother Of All
She loves Pablo and I know why! This time She Loves Pablo hits the surface so hard that the continental plates are moving on up! This is NOT like taking the knife to a gunfight; it's more like driving a tank to a peace convention! Beware all chicks!... Pablo is here to burn some rubber!
Jumping Jack - Cows and Whiskey Ep
With an EP called "Cows and Whisky" you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what these guys are about. Seems there are rednecks all over the globe that enjoy a stiff drink, a nice herbal blend and some kick-ass metal, and I salute every one of you!
The guys in Speedblow are back with their new assault on the ear hole with "Fields of Doom" a sonic kick to the head, with 11 tracks of classic metal textured with the best of today's scene.
A little bit of Myspace digging reveals that these guys hail from Germany. Now correct me if I'm wrong but from what I remember of my geography lessons at school Germany is a little short of deserts. That fact is lost on these three guys as they plunder the history of stoner/desert rock on this self released five track EP.
The dictionary defines Gusto as "great energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment that is experienced by someone taking part in an activity, especially a performance" and this certainly rings true on this three track CD
The Grand Astoria - The Grand Astoria Ep
On the self titled debut album by the Russian rock gods 'The Grand Astoria' you get six different flavours of dynamite-smelling munchies beautifully wrapped all together in a conspicuous surprise box. These fuzzadelic stringburners touch every inch of your pagan body and bring you the finest in both psychedelic stoner and cow-shit-smelling-southern-fried-armwrestling-metal-flavoured-redneck rock with a touch of blues.
Once upon a time (and still is) beyond the high mountains, in the heart of Europe there was a Far Away Town. Their faith and music was similar to any other town at the time, but there was a small group of people who diversed and worshipped another god. A god with many names and their music was called Fuzz rock...
This time the Spanish conquistadors Positiva deep dives into the 70's and there is no doubt that Grand Funk Railroad are one of the main influences to this album. Loads of fuzzness and catchy riffings ,enough to make any fanatic rock'n roll cave man to start chewing gravel and feel uncertain about his history. Lock and load folks and get ready for some serious business called rock!
Here we have another fantastic offering from the French... not only do the have great fries, toast and kissing they also have some fine skills when comes to making music as well. "Coffin On Tyres", (like French toast) dances on the pallet.
After Copious amount of listening to this EP at home and in car, and apologies to Sungrazer for not reviewing this EP earlier but it was hard not to be selfish and succumb to what Sungrazer offers here. This Dutch 3 piece delivers what can only be described as mammoth walls of mountainous fuzz.
After three years of hibernating and incubating in a time capsule somewhere deep in the Nordic Sky! Numbah Ten have arisen, swollen eyed and beaming with what is and very well could be album of the year! Gloriously titled Reborn in 3D, which leaves nothing to the imagination, this just simply has to be heard to be believed.
Buddha Sentenza hailing from Germany is the perfect match of psyche, stoner and hard driven acid rock. These aces are for sure one of the best instrumental acts around, every minute of it is a treat for both body and soul!
Red Desert is a breath of fresh air and a super tight unit that does nothing but rock its tits off from the moment you hit play! For a moment I thought we had lost that sound, that tingle, that only the early stoner bands possessed, but now it's back and Red Desert is one band you should be getting your groove on with...
Silver Devil - Silver Devil Demo 2009
The latest three track effort by the Swedish fuzzoholics is like being run down by some rampant trucker on meth, you get truckloads of fuzz and piles of everything that stoner rock is all about and these animals are without any doubt comparable to bands like Dozer, Truckfighters and Fu Manchu.
Smoking Spore - Conversations In D-Minor
After putting my head into this disc, I must say I am completely blown away. To imagine these guys in the studio just "going for it" with no overdubs or second takes is mind-boggling. Fans of Colour Haze and Earthless take note.
Planetoid - Shadow of the Planetoid
These 3 fuzznauts cleverly disguised as a rock band have decided to jump ship and call Boston home for now. The spacegrass where these aliens come from must be killer, in order to come up with these slick 70's inspired grooves, which would give any Clutch fan a boner.
Voodoo Merchant - Voodoo Merchant Demo
This Demo surprised me a lot, at first I was not convinced and had my reservations about it, but after a good week of solid playing and giving it, the chance it deserves it grew like a space cake on a glorious summer night, under a starry sky!
Hailing from the northern port city of Calais, apart from the occasional clumsy turn of phrase you may well think this album has come blasting out of the hot Californian air.
Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight - Movin On
If you dig up all those hidden/forgotten trips on the fields where the Woodstock festival once took place and put'em in a meat grinder along with captain Ahab's beard, a pair of dusty sun glasses, some good old evilness, and a giant fuzz pedal and grind it and you get close to what these fuzzlords are up to!
It's been 13 years since the Count of all Ravens ruled the world, this time he is back with a vengeance determined to re-take the throne and not only rule but to rock the shit out of any living soul!
Palm Desert - Dawn Of The Burning Sun
STRAIGHT FROM PALM DESERT IN POLAND...oh I didn't know, now I'm confused;), do they really have a place by that name in Poland, or not?...anyway this has to be the first desert/stoner rock band from this part of the world to walk this planet and i'm Impressed...
This new band Last Rizla is no exception to the rule. Following the current trend of artists and releasing their work themselves, they seem to be generating quite a buzz.
An Englishman, two Poles and a Hungarian walk into a recording studio. No, it's not the start of a bad joke, this is Obiat. When they riff they riff hard, when they trip out they trip out to the outer reaches of the stratosphere and each individual performance is flawless...
Hailing from Kiel in Germany, this three piece have gone the whole hog and put together an eight song album for their debut release that would put most label releases to shame...and then some.
Coming from way out west of Australia is 3 Piece Doom, Noise Instrumental rock band Atolah. Australia is seriously becoming the New Sweden of late with so much good new talent emerging and damn it makes me proud to be an Australian when bands like Atolah step up to the plate and deliver such a crushing first 5 track Ep!
Fu Manchu - Signs Of Infinite Power
Much like the Ramones,Motorhead and even more so AC/DC you know you can rely on Fu Manchu to deliver. No nonsense or intellectual wankery.
Low Sonic Drift - Shadows of the Titan
This five tracker is a remarkable piece of work for a first release. The three piece claim influence from stoner rock through to thrash to psychedelia and prog and, yep, they pretty much cover all bases but this isn't a band desperately clinging to any style to try and spread their appeal, this is a band creating a vision and sound of their own.
Honeytrap - Own Private Intervention
Honeytrap are a four piece busting out of Melbourne with low slung guitars and dusty boots. Their Facebook classes them as desert/stoner rock and yeah, there's a certain Fu Manchu vibe to these guys for sure with their fuzzed up grooves but they also tap into the rock n' roll spirit in a way that too many stoner bands fail to manage these days.
I am speechless; Finland has succeeded in creating yet another rock machinery of very high qualities. A prehistoric time machine that touches every nerve in your body and who flirts with everything from the late 60's to modern space rock. Fasten your seat belts and join Mangoo on their journey through time and space!
Riff Cannon - Mercury Mountain
I put this record on and the first thing I noticed was how cool the drums sound............. Don't get me wrong, the guitars sound cool (and FUZZY!!!!!!!) but the drummer is an absolute beast and the engineer who recorded this album did a GREAT job of capturing those tubs.
Tia Carrera - The Quintessential
What you have here is an album of such lolloping 'I am fucking cool and you WILL love be God damn you' riff and jam that you will wonder if this is the primordial soup from which all things Earthless and Mammatus were formed.
I don't exercise much, but if I did I would run like fucking mad when the first song on this offering from Melbourne's Don Fernando kicks into gear. If you like a cool fuzz tone and enjoy hearing great recording and mixing then this record is for you...
Visiting is Pretty, Visiting Is Good - seems like all they ever wanted was a brother........... Sorry, I always sing that song in my head when a band starts a track / album with the guitarist plugging in his / her guitar 'on air'. This gives the studio-naïve a feel that the album was all recorded live (I doubt it). Not sure if I 'love' the opening track 'Walk In' but anyway...............
Rollerball play 70's blues rock that kicks you right in the face with a riff-shoe big enough for most men to get both feet in. This offering 'Submarine' (aside from having a THE coolest cover art I have ever seen) opens up with a phsychadelariff that reminds me of Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu in the same moment.
Ocean Chief carry on from where they left off with their newest offering 'Den Forste' and fans of their previous offerings to Odin will not leave the altar unsatisfied.
Silver Devil - Silver Devil Demo
This Devil is not only made of silver, he also come from Sweden and brings you the best in fuzz rock and will knock down anyone who's trying to make it to the top of the mammoth mountain. Look out or you might get burned alive by the flames of purgatory!
Whoa! Taking the doom from "Down" and the Alabama from the "Thunderpussy", these cats deliver in spades! "Goliath"... the title given to Big Game Hunt's new giant of an album couldn't be more fitting. "Fee Figh Fo Fum, I hear the rumble from a Canadian"
Space Pilgrim are a three piece space doom jam band who hail from Germany, a place that is rapidly becoming the Mecca of quality acts to grace our music scene. Space Pilgrim will soon have you on their pilgrimage if at first you don't convert play again it's a real grower with lots to offer suit up, relax and enjoy the flight to space....
On the third album 'Red Planet' by the Norwegian doomsters Valhall you get everything from moaning doom metal in the vein of Sleep, Revelation and Spirit Caravan to old school heavy metal. These tracks have been rested and waiting for the right moment to be released and finally Red Planet hits the ground like a ten ton hammer.
Once again the German panzer divisions roll over Europe ready to complete their mission at any cost. This time you get a quite pleasant trip through the mine fields by a manic tank driver who is determined to blow all obstacles to pieces!
Kin of Ettins - Tears For Lost Ages
Kin of Ettins, this Dallas, Texas based outfit that falls into the traditional dööm genre. It's an impressive debut from some new faces on the doom scene. If you're into bands like The Gates of Slumber, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus... etc, this is probably something for you to check out.
Fused - The Obliquity of the Ecliptic
If you think you were born too late, and like your new music fused with 70's, 80's and beyond then "The Obliquity of the Ecliptic" is well worth your time. They haven't reinvented the wheel here, but in the grand scheme of things, this is a lot better than anything you'd hear on your local radio stations.
Devil To Pay - Heavily Ever After
Hold on tight to something, the tornadic Indianapolis, Indiana quartet Devil To Pay is back. After almost 3 years without a new batch of ear munchies. The new album "Heavily Ever After" is twisted fable of riffs that would make Iommi paranoid and Nugent want some poontang.
This manic killing-machine hailing from Germany eats itself into your body and spits out your organs one by one just to see the helpless look on your face!... simply, this is heavy shit!!... Full speed at high level!!!
Don Juan Matus - Self Titled 2007 & Visiones Paganas 2008
As we all know Don Juan is a real charmer, but what everyone does NOT know is that the Peruvian DON JUAN MATUS is a blade sharper and not only charms but rocks the panties of most virgins in "his" way!
This Peruvian Lama mixes doom and psychedelic rock in an interesting and ingenious way, you can even hear some folk elements in the music which makes this spicy blend even more tasty. This time i am going to do something different, a two-in-one review of both albums At once!
Cardinals Folly - Orthodox Faces
Heavy, unholy and uncompromising is an exact description of these three dark overlords hailing from Finland. On the second ep 'Orthodox Faces" the nightmare continues, this time you get a heavier sound along with a even more sinister presence which makes this sulphur-smelling piece of plastic to one of the most evil creations to walk this earth!
Numbah Ten - Promo Roadburn 2009
Holy smoke!... Numbah Ten are back with a vengeance!! They drive right through you like some kind of a rampant war machine without leaving a single piece of meat behind. This time Numbah Ten are meaner and heavier than ever and the songs are longer and occasionally more psychedelic than before.
On the 6th album Abramis Brama takes you on a 'pre-historic' ride through the soundscapes of the 70's. This is alive and kicking, and a very benign experience for those who are looking for some action. Take the bull by the horns and join Abramis Brama on their timeless journey towards the top!
What do you get when you mix Kyuss' desert cake riffs, a fifth of whiskey, one of Lemmy's warts, a pack of filter less cigarettes and bit of Kiss's grease makeup?... It doesn't look real appetizing. But "Holy Shit!!" it sounds awesome. What you have is a muddy MUDWEISER.
El Hijo de la Aurora - Lemuria
El Hijo de la Aurora is a Peruvian band who mixes psychedelic wellness with doomy rock, and I assure you that it's quite an experience when these Peruvian chiefs starting to beat the drums. It is the first time I review a band from Peru and mark my words this band 'sweeping the carpet' with many modern bands in the same genre!
Mangrove's debut album is a good example of how things should be made; you get nine professionally recorded tracks by three professional musicians. A piece of swedish rock history has been written and I hope that in future we get to know more about this precious wood that grow along shores of the psychedelic river.
Altar Of Oblivion - Sinews Of Anguish
The Danish(!) Altar of oblivion rises from the grave and once again the plague draws across the continent... get ready for a journey of no return through death and despair!
These American 'lumberjacks' love using heavy timber in their carpentry, blending 51% southern ass kicking with 51% stoner rock and you get SUPERGIANT! and i bet these champs eat vodka marinated nails for breakfast and wipe their asses with extra coarse sandpaper!
This heavy rock machine might be a QOTSA clone from the 'deaf' era and the singer sounds very Josh Homme alike but who cares this is great music for great people! The debut ep from these Driver(s) contains eight well-placed jaw breakers in 35 minute, loaded with fuzzy rock action and with an intensity that makes grandpa's loose teeth rattle.
Soulitude - so came restless night that rose an endless moon, shaking all th
Soulitude is a solo project by Christian Peters (singer in Samsara Blues Experiment)titled 'so came restless night that rose an endless moon, shaking all the trees...'filled with mystical harmonies, trippy soundscapes and human kindness deeply rooted in the late sixties/early seventies psychedelia.
The debut album by the Italian prog-rockers Graal is drenched with hard rock and progressive vibes from the 70's, it's like going back to the years 1970-75. Think Blue cheer, Eloy and Captain beyond and you get the idea of what Graal are up to.
Ponamero sundown from Stockholm, Sweden offers a superior stoner rock dinner for two, a spicy and flammable taste in twelve acts that makes almost everything else feel tasteless. These titans are using only premium raw materials which makes this disc to a giant that easily places on my top ten list this year.
Electric Mud Generator - To The Disdain Of Polyhymnia
Every once in awhile something comes along my ears that makes my jaw drop, and sends a shiver down my spine. To the Disdain of Polybymnia is another one of these rare moments in my never-ending search for all that is awesome.
The debut ep by Soulseller delivers a five mega ton rock assault ready to smash any jaw in sight, this high-explosive piece of plastic immediately takes the lead and rushes on like a rampant flock of mammoths.
Catapult The Smoke - Unearthed
Oh man, what can I say...? Sweden simply rule and I'm proud to be part of it! Catapult the smoke from Mjölby are gigantors of fuzz who knows how to rock the boat,infact they pulverize nearly everything. This smoke is lethal...
Spiritus Mortis - The God Behind the God
This is heavy shit indeed, the powerfull and mighty Spiritus Mortis from Finland are back and ready to crush all walls on their sixth album 'The god behind the god'. Bottle up!... cause there is a party in hell!!!
Wow! First Black Pyramid and now Snail, What a year for releases from Meteorcity! Snail's new and Unforgiving sound now reigns supreme picking up where they left off and no doubt releasing a dream once thought never to be, to be...
Deville is another great band from Sweden and have been releasing the fuzz since 2005 with their first disc a split cd with countrymen Sergej the Freak. Deville definitely releases the fuzz, delivering a nonstop barrage of catchy hooks and memorable riffs.
The Swedish band Pyramido has just released their first assault on the ear drums, a brutally massive album entitled "Sand", which by the sound of Ronnie's tortured screams, sand is what he gargles with every morning, right after the three shots of gasoline.
Out of the blue these four fire breathers from Belgium appear, lock and load folks, Ramon zarate is here to rock your sox off. Holy madre...this is like two smoking barrels, more than enough to blow grannie's walker sky high!
Ripper have been buried alive for over twenty years and it is not before now we get to know their wrath...'The dead have rizen' Ripper once again walk the earth...
Grifter - The Simplicity of the Riff is Key Ep
U.K 3 piece, Grifter are back with yet another EP titled The Simplicity of the Riff is Key. Fans of Josiah, Clutch and the straight forward side of the 70's will dig this EP to no end, high octane inspired Riff and Roll.
Doomraiser - Erasing The Remembrance
The horns of doom is looming on the horizon and the troops are gathered.It's good against evil and this means war...forward into battle!!! Doomraiser once again spreading vicious preciptious death.
Wow!... Acid king has a twin sister!!!
If you love Acid king and worship Black sabbath you will jump up and down from joy when you hear what Alunah has to offer on this three tracker!Heavy, fuzz laden, down tuned and sexy... yeeeeaaah yeeeeaaah!
Heavy, down tuned and uncompromising full speed ahead stoner rock...
Croatia has done it again! Stonebride from Zagreb, Croatia (former Yugoslavia)
Know how to handle their instruments properly... holy macaroni!... it smokes!
The Curtains Of Night - Lost Houses
The Curtains of Night are an all girl duo hailing from North Carolina USA. These Devil's Angels serve up a massive monster fuzz groove ,so be warned Fuzz rock has some new heavy girls in town and be very fucking scared!
Samsara Blues Experiment - Demo
With the wreckage of planet Terraplane, captain Samsara is setting course towards planet Earth and a safe landing by means of a more psychedelic approach.
The closure of Terraplane was a fact, and in summer 2007 Peters (Vocals & Guitar) decided to form Samsara Blues Experiment (SBE). The band went through several changes during its first months, but the pieces were soon in place and in August 2008 SBE recorded their first demo.
Sun Gods in Exile - Black Light, White Lines
Have you ever searched for drug a that would get your adrenaline racing so fast that the world seemed to be a blur to your eyes? I have, and it's called Sun Gods In Exile. Taking parts of the great southern rock bands of the past and adding a little touch of 80's hard rock, Sun Gods deliver on all levels.
Back from the swamp these "Rednecks" will stomp all over your face! Like predators out hunting, Wo Fat spins right thru your body like some kind of murder weapon.
Being a fan of Valis's previous work might make me a little bias on their newest offering Dark Matter, but I must say it's a solid, balls out rocker that has the classic 70's rock feel to it. It gives any fan of Zeppelin, KISS, The Who or even Thin Lizzy thoughts of when they used to jump off their bed with a tennis racket, pretending to be a rock star. These guys know rock, and they know how to rock.
Cojones' new offering to the riff god is entitled Sunrise, I'm not sure what's in the water over there in Croatia, but whatever it is, I gotta' get me some!
All Time High - Friends In High Places
Adrian and his men have managed to put together a solid record that pretty much takes you back to the early days where rock was once the focal point and all that Brittney bullshit was never insight.
Killing Lazarus - Killing Lazarus
These lads got an 8 track and pretty much laid down some moody cool chilled out vibes that could even make Brant Bjork question is ability to ROCK! You may read this and think right away "Clone" But I assure you these guys have crafted a pretty fucking great home recording.
If The Machine were a woman I would do anything for her!
I've been waiting for this one, and finally it arrives...The Machine are back!!!
Stone Oak Cosmonaut - Out Of Orbit
Stone Oak Cosmonaut is a relatively new and impressive Dutch band and with endless Dutch bands producing quality rock sounds these cats are no exception! Think Space Rock like Hawkwind's moods swirls and grooves, throw in some classic stoner riffage with a hint of the good ol' days metal and you have a pretty good idea what you're going to get yourself into here.
The Forty Moostachy - Three Rooms, Some Songs, The Snow And A Suitcase Full Of Bones
Add Queens of the stone age, MC5, 16 Horse Power, a little bit of punk rock, some good old country rock and spice it up with a bit of psyche, all together in a blender and mix it for about an hour...the result: The forty moostachy!
The "lord" pisses on every grave in sight and leave no one unmoved.
You can tell these guys took a lot of time honing their craft, paying attention to detail, with a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve with this recording.
After just one demo in 2006 Bastardo from Marburg, Germany releases "Skip the Present", a man eating steel shark that cuts right thru you leaving nothing behind.
1...2...3...4...FUZZ!
Crank this one up really high, let your neighbours bleed.
The debut from these four-piece wizards of oz (Australia) cooks you an high octanic fuzzadelic monster stew including 11 different ingredients.
This is Black Pyramid's first Long player, the bands from Massachusetts are no strangers to the heavy rock scene with Andy once guitar playing with Palace in Thunderland and Clay plays drums in Artimus Pyledriver. This new record was always going to be well anticipated after such a crushing self-titled 7 inch and some demos. Black Pyramids brand of rock is somewhat frightening taking elements of doom and mixing it with some beautifully arrange psychedelic wizardry. Make no mistake this record has no stone left unturned, whether it's a fast paced high on fire styled riffs or a bludgeoning of slow down tempo droning fuzz this record has it all.
Finally it's here! Truckfighters long anticipated 3rd Record. I must say I had mixed reactions to this record at first, I guess I was expecting to instantly enjoy this slab of rock, but in turn I found myself having to spin it over and over to fully unite with what the Truckfighters are doing this time around.