2012 Chronicle (Year in review) part 5 - Best of May

May 1 - Buffalo Theory MTL (Heavy Ride)

May 1 - The Heavy Eyes (2)

May 1 - SNAIL (Terminus) - Highly melodic, hypnotizing and harmonized, Snail's third full-length and second since reforming in 2008 was one of the best in the stoner rock genre.  It was also one of the most addictive albums of the year, something I went back to constantly.  Download it on the cheap on bandcamp  Highlights include "Ritual" and "Galaxies' Lament".  Rating 4/5

May 1 - Sun Preachers (Faces of Ashes)

May 1 - Whitey (Bostonia)

May 4 - Abyss (ST EP)

May 5 - STEAK (Disastronaught) - I talk about Steak a lot on this blog and for good reason: they're really freaking good.  I geeked out the first time I heard "The Butcher".  It was the perfect thing to throw on during scorching hot afternoons while looking for trouble.  It turns out there's no fooling around with this band however, this is thinking man's music with a storyline that runs throughout the five song EP chronicling the rise and fall of evil space emperor Lazarus.  Can't wait to hear their next effort this upcoming April.  Get Disastronaught here.  Highlights include "The Butcher" and "Machine".  Rating 4.5/5

May 7 - Black Moth (Killing Jar)

May 8 - Horseback (Half Blood)

May 8 - Von Thundersvolt (Demo)

May 10 - The Mermaids of the Lipetsk Shed (Oversea)

May 10 - SATELLITE BEAVER (The Last Bow) - I was so blown away by this 4 song EP that I'm only now beginning to recover.  The things this Polish quartet are able to do in 18 minutes is staggering.  "Roadtrip" contains four distinct parts and none of them repeat.  I still can't get over it.  Multi-tracked vocals give this an Alice in Chains feel, while the tone or vocal quality is more akin to Marilyn Manson.  The playing is something to behold as well, the guitars are like a tornado of distortion and fury.  Each song sounds like a chaotic riot until you realize the band are the masters and in complete control.  Find it here.  Highlights include "Roadtrip" and "Perishing".  Rating 5/5

May 15 - Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power re-issue)

May 15 - TOMBSTONE (Devil's Ride Demo) - This French trio isn't necessarily doing anything brand new, but when the band has such a knack for churning out great fuzzy doom riffs under the aegis of Sleep, they don't need to.  They have a new album coming soon.  Download the Devil's Ride EP for free here. Highlights include "Devil's Ride" and "Watch Me Bleed".  Rating 4.5/5

May 23 - Jess & the Ancient Ones (ST)

May 24 - UNMOTHERED (ST) - Normally I stay clear of black metal but the Austin Texas based 'innovators of haunt rock' hit the right spot.  What is 'haunt rock'?  Blackened atmospheric sludge metal?  You be the judge.  The band features Matt Moulis of the Hidden Hand on drums.  This album is well worth checking out.  Find it here.  Highlights include "Spectre" and "Gravitons".  Rating 4/5

May 25 - AHAB (The Giant) - Ahab's brand of nautically themed doom is epic and daunting like the ocean itself.  There's nothing really catchy here, but that's not the point.  'The Giant' was a colossal success in terms of vision and execution.  It's an experience unto itself.  And the CD booklet is full of great art, no kidding, you should check it out.  Highlights include "The Giant" and "Aeons Elapse".  Rating 3.5/5

May 25 - DSW (Dust Storm Warning) - First off, check out my review of DSW's 'Dust Storm Warning' here if you haven't already.  This was one of my favorites of the year.  Another one I can't stop talking about.  This was one of the purest and most sophisticated desert rock albums to come out in 2012.  Grab it here.  Highlights include "Outrun" and "Space Cubeship".  Rating 4/5

May 26 - WITCH MOUNTAIN (Cauldron of the Wild) - Critical darlings, Witch Mountain's third full-length album and second since their return in 2005 was a highly memorable slice of slow and punishing doom.  Vocalist Uta Plotkin of course is the star of the show and it's her huge voice belting out that is the most memorable aspect of this album.  Highlights include "Beekeeper" and "Veil of the Forgotten".  Rating 3.5/5

May 28 - Open Tomb (ST)

May 29 - Cortez (ST)

May 29 - DARK EARTH (42012) - Dark Earth are a bay area three piece that plays a thrashy style of stoner doom metal.  Their song "Evil King" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard all year, it's still in my head.  The rest of the album is pretty special, too.  Available for free download on bandcamp, don't miss it!  Highlights include "Evil King" and "Dark Earth".  Rating 4/5

May 31 - FROM BEYOND (One Year EP) - Houston Texas based trio From Beyond unleashed their debut four song EP on an unsuspecting world and the world has been a darker, doomier place ever since.  Four songs that are each memorable, they each carry their own weight and each were big hits in the Doom Charts this summer.  I listened to "Evil" for the first time wondering why the hell this wasn't the kind of thing I hear on the radio.  It's a great song with a lot of classic elements of commercial success.  Then I realized, this band is only getting started.  Get in on the ground floor here.  Highlights include "Evil (From Beyond)" and "One Year".  Rating 5/5

Best Album From May 2012:
'The Last Bow' by SATELLITE BEAVER

Best Song From May 2012:
"The Butcher" by STEAK

Hour of Power 12/15/12 (playlist)

Highlights from the week of 12/09/12 - 12/15/12

1. Who's To Blame (Hour of 13 / 333) 2012
2. Outrun (DSW / Dust Storm Warning) 2012
3. Queen of the Night (Cpt. Kronos) 2012
4. Deliverance (Corrosion of Conformity / Deliverance) 1994
5. The Dead Still Ride (From Beyond / The Color Out of Space EP) 2012
6. Tribe of the Cosmic Crow Giant (Spectral Haze / ST Demo) 2012
7. Demeter's Grief (Alunah / White Hoarhound) 2012
8. Pitti Plasch Anoraknarok (Voltron / Kaventsmann) 2012
9. Horrible Nights (Moss / Moss' Horrible Night) 2013
10. Deathlike (Ancient VVisdom / Deathlike) 2013
11. House of Death (Witchcoven) 2012

DSW - Dust Storm Warning (album review)

DSW is a really solid stoner/desert rock band from Italy.  This is an album that's been getting solid rotation at Paranoid Hitsophrenic HQ since late July and it's been a staple of the daily hour long commute to work mix.  'Dust Storm Warning' is the second release by DSW, their first full-length album and their first with powerful new vocalist Wolf Lombardi (wotta great name!).

The first two tracks alone are worth the price of admission here, pounding and fuzzy with a great, aggressive vocalist who knows how to spin a catchy melody.  But DSW doesn't stick strictly to the fuzzy stoner side of things, a number of instrumental jams spread throughout the record showcase the band's psychedelic side.  The jams are quite interesting to listen to as they are the foundation upon which their songs are written and developed.  Within DSW's fully developed songs are many hints and glimpses of psychedelic leanings as the band is not afraid to play with form and structure recalling some of the more adventurous moments of Kyuss that formed the very basis of the desert rock sound.

Opening track "Outrun" in particular, has a distinctly "Green Machine" feel to it, but tougher.  It's a hard driving track with a great chorus, a real head-sticker.  'Dust Storm Warning' is a terrific record and one that is easy to get lost in.  Opening trio "Outrun", "Space Cubeship" and "666.1.333" rope the listener in with heavy fuzz, pounding rhythms and catchy vocal melodies as mentioned above, then fully immerse the listener in the world of the record with "Dune", the first of three psychedelic-by-way-of-the-desert instrumental jams.  In short, DSW puts on a clinic.  The more laidback, slow driving, "Lonely Coyote" serves as the perfect follow up to "Dune" and is followed by "Sherpa", jam number 2.

DSW really captures that desert mood, especially during some of the instrumental jams.  In the video at the bottom of this post the band plays live in studio with a cactus in the room!  This is a band with a vision and the will to make that vision come to life.

The band returns to the hard driving stoner rock side of things with the terrific "Monkey Woman".  After about twenty minutes of laid back desert psych, it can be a bit of a rude awakening, but it's a welcome one.  It's like the oasis in the desert after a long hard trek that may only be a mirage, but it gets you moving nonetheless.  The band keeps the body moving with follow up, "Trippin the Drill".  The song is a constant builder, with multiple tempo changes and some great psychedelic guitar freak outs during the break down towards the end.  Now the listener discovers that the oasis was indeed a mirage and the punishment continues.

"Rise" has much the same vibe as "Lonely Coyote" and again serves as a good bridge to the last of the three instrumental jams, "Wasteland".  A drony, effects heavy slice of arid desert soundscape.  A raging sand storm on record.  "Requiem" (originally titled "Requiem for a Dying Planet" on their 'Dawn Storm Watchers' EP) is a strong album closer, fusing their laid back psych and heavy stoner rock sides quite well by building the song slowly during the first verse, then throwing down during the chorus and going all the way with it, never again relenting their heavy assault until the final cymbal crashes chime the album to a satisfying conclusion.  And that's when the vultures come circling.

The CD version of 'Dust Storm Warning' recently came through the mail and as the first release on Italian-based Acid Cosmonaut records, it's a great package.  The pull-out sleeve notes look great with lyrics and an accompanying tarot card like piece of artwork for each track.

One of my favorite lyrics and definitely one of the best songs of the year is "Outrun".  Listen below on the bandcamp player.  Here are the lyrics:

A picture runs
An explosion bursts my head
The road brings to the sky valley

My body does not worry me anymore
but the inside growing roots still do
The road flows through my tires

Drop by drop
Sweat is falling on my head
driving me crazy

Whirling fangs through hide
are turning red the moon
he's hanging from the roots
or maybe I am

Drop by drop
his blood is falling on my head
driving me crazy

He is the earth

Drop by drop
the earth is falling on my earth
driving me crazy

Highlights include: "Outrun" and "Spacecube Ship"

Rating: 4/5


Total Run Time: 39:18

From: Lecce, Italy

Genre: Stoner Rock, Psychedelic, Desert Rock

Reminds me of: Kyuss, Steak

Release Date: May 25, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: wandering the desert in search of the cave of the ancient mage, never realizing it can only be found if the ancient mage wants it to be found.

Better Reviews
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Weekly Mailbag for 11/19/12 - 11/23/12

A look at what came in the mail this week with quickie reviews ...

Last week was kind of slow for discovering new music and I kind of over compensated for it on the weekend by catching up on some older stuff that I missed.  Then I found a bunch of new stuff that I had missed and more stuff came in the mail than I had originally anticipated.  So this week I was completely awash in new music.  In addition some labels and bands have started to send me stuff that wasn't even on my radar (which I thank them profusely for) so now I'm pretty backed up.  Then to top it all off, I got flooded with CDs in the mail way later in the week than I would have liked.  Some of these discs I haven't been able to get to yet, so some of the 'reviews' aren't exactly reviews as much as 'notes', but it's been a great week for music here and a great week for Paranoid Hitsophrenic (check out my interview with ICHABOD) ...

Abrahma - Through the Dusty Paths of Our Lives - One of a trio of Small Stone albums that came in all on the same day, discovering this album has been a true pleasure.  The long Vodun suite comprising 8 tracks and some 30 minutes is a mini album within an album and is a real highlight but the non Vodun suite tracks are just as good and stand on their own.  Highlights include "Vodun pt. 2: I, Zombie" and "Big Black Cloud". Rating - 4.5/5

Arkham Witch - Legions of the Deep - I discovered this terrific band on Youtube quite a while ago and spent months trying to track down a copy of their debut album 'On Crom's Mountain'.  Luckily, I no longer needed to do so immediately as news came down they were releasing a brand new album.  I pre-ordered this sucker without hearing a note of it because I had faith in this band and after what felt like forever, it finally arrived in the mail on Monday.  Review to follow.  Highlights include "Infernal Machine" and "On a Horse Called Vengeance". Rating - 4/5

Barclay James Harvest - Their First Album - "Taking Some Time On" was a song I discovered while grasping for some new musical vistas and I decided to check out some prog stuff.  I remember this was at the same time "Electric Worry" was out and those songs were next to each other on a playlist.  This album is wimpy in places but the bonus tracks on this deluxe edition more than make up for any dis-appointment Highlights include "Taking Some Time On" and "Night". Rating - 4/5


Black Label Society - Stronger Than Death - I remember when this one came out.  I heard the song "Counterfeit God" on a 'Brave Words, Bloody Knuckles' compilation and I thought it was a great song.  Fortunately so did a lot of my metalhead friends and so I never really had to buy the CD at the time because it was another of those ones that was just 'around'.  The same went for their first album.  To me they are both classics.

Black Sabbath - ST (Deluxe Expanded Edition) - In Canada, for some reason, we have a really crappy audio quality, 5-track version of the album on CD where certain tracks are stuck together and there's no "Wicked World", so it was high time to upgrade.  So of course I was going to opt for the 2 disc deluxe edition.  Also comes with great liner notes and rare photos which is cool.  For like 10 bucks, how can you go wrong with this set? Highlights include "come on, do I have to tell you" and "seriously, you should really know by now". Rating - 4/5

Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean - Not nearly as heavy or proggy as their next album, Blossom Toes debut is full of progressive and interesting ideas for a typical British psychedelic pop album from the 60s.  It's highly influenced by Sgt Pepper, but it's still quite original.  The album also reveals the band's sense of humor.  I don't think they took themselves too seriously.  Highlights include "When the Alarm Clock Rings" and "I'll be Late for Tea". Rating - 3.5/5


Blue Aside - The Moles of a Dying Race - Heard about this one on the Obelisk, so I checked it out and liked what I heard and ordered the disc.  Just listening to it for the first time as I write this.  Slow, sludgy psychedelia and I like what I'm hearing.  The album comprises 8 tracks, three of which form the title suite and are spread out throughout the disc.  They also do a cover of "Interstellar Overdrive" for a closer!

Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum - A true monster fuzz classic, there are many out there who believe that this is the world's first heavy metal album.  I'm from the 'Sabbath were the first' school, but there's no denying the power and heaviness of Blue Cheer.  I'd say this is more stoner rock than metal, but that's with a great deal of hindsight.  There's a lot of jamming on this album but when they find a groove they find it well. Highlights include "Out of Focus" and "Summertime Blues". Rating - 4/5

Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation - In my possession is an old Return of the Jedi notebook from one of my uncles when they were in high school.  You can tell they were metalheads because there are no class notes taken, but band logos drawn on the inside front cover.  Names like AC/DC, Judas Priest, ZZ Top, etc.  One of the names written was BOC with umlauts over the O.  For the longest time I didn't know what that stood for.  I can't believe it's taken me the better part of 30 years to discover this 70s gem of a band.

Deep Purple - In Rock - My second favorite Deep Purple album, I actually already had this album on CD but there were no bonus tracks so I didn't have the song "Black Night" until now.  "Black Night" is arguably their best song, one of the best songs of the 70s and it's only because of an insane British custom at the time of not including singles on albums that the original album didn't feature the song.  Highlights include "Black Night" and "Into the Fire". Rating - 4.5/5

DSW - Dust Storm Warning -  The first two tracks on this album have become true highlights of the year, especially "Outrun", the opener.  The band is from Italy and vocalist Wolf Lombardi's (one of the great names in stoner rock) English skills aren't very well refined, so some of the funnest times my girlfriend and I had this summer was trying to decipher the lyrics.  The lyrics are printed in the booklet with excellent accompanying artwork.  Man, we were way, way off.  Also came with a fridge magnet! Highlights include "Outrun" and "Space Cubeship". Rating - 4/5


Seremonia - ST - What's great is the liner notes have the lyrics in both Finnish and English, which is something I touched upon in my original review.  This is the kind of album where you have to play it straight through, the individual songs don't always work on a mixed playlist because the band's so unique.  Once again, a great album from a highly original band.  Highlights include "Rock & Roll Maailma" and "Lusiferin Kaarmeet". Rating - 4.5/5


Skanska Mord - Paths to Charon - This has been one of my favorite albums of the year, three solid months and I'm still listening to it.  Each time I listen to this album a different song gets stuck in my head, as only the best albums do.  This will end up as a top 10 or maybe even a top 5 album of the year.  It has definitely been one of my favorite Small Stone releases of the year.  It's just a solid album full of old school rock with terrific hooks. Highlights include "Lord of Space and Time" and "The Ambassadeur". Rating - 4.5/5


Ted Nugent - Original Album Classics (5 album box set) - From the 'why the fuck not?' file, this sucker cost me about 12 bucks for 5 of the Nuge's first 6 albums (for some reason it doesn't have 'State of Shock').  Sure he's a gun toting bigot, but he has other good qualities as well, like the music.  The CDs come in LP replica slipcase covers.  I remember the Scream Dream LP tracked to my uncle's wall next to Maiden and Megadeth. Highlights include "Stranglehold" and "Cat Scratch Fever".


Thin Lizzy - ST - Thin Lizzy was always a mixed bag of big and funky hard rock and Irish folk ballads.  This album's no exception.  There's enough hard rock to keep the casual listener's attention and the ballads are typical of the lyrical depth of Phil Lynott.  I still have the same problem with this band that I've always had, which is that there just may be a few too many ballads. Highlights include "Ray-Gun" and "Return of the Farmer's Son". Rating - 3.5/5


Vanilla Fudge - ST - Unfortunately, I didn't get around to listening to this one this week and I haven't heard it in about 6 or 7 years.  I remember not liking it because it was all cover songs but I wonder what my reaction will be now that I know what to expect.  They took hit songs, heavied them up and slowed them down to a crawl.  Not everyone's cup of meat, but this, along with Blue Cheer, is one of those must have items for the heavy metal historian.  Pretty heavy for 1967.

Wo Fat - The Black Code - Glad to have this one on disc.  This album is closing in on top 25 of the year status and climbing.  Every song is an absolute gem and the lyrics inside the booklet (although hard to read due to contrast) are cool to read to get the overall concept of The Black Code in one easy sitting.  Like the other two Small Stone releases from this week this disc came with a Small Stone sticker. Highlights include "The Shard of Leng" and "Sleep of the Black Lotus". Rating - 5/5


I also got my Steak hat in the mail.  If you haven't heard this terrific band yet, you can find them here.  Word is they've got another EP in the works for 2013.  It came with some stickers and a flyer from their  UK mini-tour with Truckfighters! Dates below:
5th Dec w/Gonga at the Croft, Bristol
6th Dec w/Black Moth at the Cockpit, Leeds
7th Dec w/Desert Storm + Mother Corona at the Bullingdon Arms, Oxford
8th Dec w/Trippy Wicked at the underworld, London (Don't forget the aftershow party at the Black heart w/Black Moth)