Hour of Power 07/27/13 (playlist)

1. Waiting (Caravan of Whores / Road to Kurti) 2012
2. Never Live Again (Ancient VVisdom / Deathlike) 2013
3. Truth Untold (Black Tusk / Tend No Wounds) 2013
4. The Glove (Fen / Of Losing Interest) 2013
5. Medium (Zato Krev / The Bat, The Wheel And A Long Road To Nowhere) 2012
6. Windhand 'Soma' Album Trailer
7. The Duke [of Supernature] (Monster Magnet / Last Patrol) 2013
8. Voices (Alice in Chains / The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here) 2013
9. The Atomic Mother (Beneath Oblivion / From Man To Dust) 2011
10. Follow the Rats (Peacemaker / Cult .45) 2013
11. Enslaved in the Icy Tundra (Desert Storm / Horizontal Life) 2013
12. Revolution Is My Name (Pantera / Reinventing the Steel) 2000 'classic video'

Desert Storm - Horizontal Life (album review)

incredible cover artwork by Chris Hitchman.

Fuzz.  Beards.  Booze.  Good times.  Enlightenment.

Oxford, England's aptly named Desert Storm aren't out to reinvent the karmic wheel, they just want to take it for a spin, the ultimate roadtrip on 'Horizontal Life'.  In a way, the album title should give you a solid idea of what the band is all about on this one, it's a linear thinking monolith with a 'head down and forge ahead' attitude found in the basic early song structures which build towards increasingly complex ideas with the passage of the album.

For the most part on 'Horizontal Life', especially early in the going, Desert Storm establishes a solid identity that's not entirely separate from the one found on 'Forked Tongues' yet in many ways is miles ahead of it in terms of development.  Listening to the two albums back to back is like listening to a band grow from adolescence into manhood. As for that alluded to identity, Desert Storm spins out Stoner Metal at will and in great abundance like some kind of metallic candy floss.  Mmmm, spikey.

An important thing to note is the band's desire to boot open the doors of perception and take a more thorough look at this stew we call reality.  This emphasis on immaterial matters is explored both lyrically and musically, although that may not be apparent upon a cursory listen of the first couple tracks, it's there and takes greater and greater shape as the album plays on.

But even if you are not one to explore the canyons of your mind, Desert Storm isn't going to force things down your throat.  It's enough to enjoy the raw visceral power on display.  You see, Desert Storm hits you on multiple levels and you can't help but respond in one way or another.

And then "Titan" comes on and throws you for a complete loop.  Its hollow black metal atmospheres of the opening passage make you wonder whether this is the same band playing.  Ah, the wonders of the computer age (did I accidentally play a video or another song or playlist on itunes?  Nothing is safe when clumsy fingers interact with keyboard navigation).  Anyway, the song becomes an epic spaced out journey through parts unknown which for a moment or two becomes a quasi psychological thriller soundtrack from the 1980s.  Somewhere in the mix the band also comes to a boil on some of the heaviest, headbanginest and groovy sections of the whole album.  If that sounds awesome to you, it's not nearly as awesome as the song itself.  The atmospheric wizardry continues into eastern/western headspinner "Gaia" as the full scope of the album begins to come into focus.

'Horizontal Life' is like a classic album from a time when bands not only wanted to, but were encouraged to try new things, take on different textures and styles all on one record.  The band maintains a singular identity but fearlessly ventures into unexpected places.  Not a lot of bands are brave, willing or capable enough to do such a thing.  They were in the sixties, and there hasn't been a lot of this experimentation since, I find.  Corrosion of Conformity's 'Blind' album and some of Alice in Chains' early different takes on their own sound comes to mind but there just hasn't been too much of it.  Desert Storm 'go there' and deserve your respect and the lending of your ear for their efforts.

With 'Horizontal Life', Desert Storm has crafted a sword.  They take the 'stoned' sounds of the desert and having dug around in other gritty areas of the earth, take those stones and raw elements and smelted them down, refining them into a solid piece of metal.  It swings, slices through but also leaves a heavy impact.  Yes, this album is a sword.

Highlights include: "Shadow of an Eagle" and "Titan"

Rating: 4.5/5



Tracklist:
1). Word to the Wise Man (4:09)
2). Shadow of an Eagle (4:38)
3). Astral Planes (5:57)
4). No Slave To Master (5:16)
5). Mr. Strongbatch (3:50)
6). Enslaved in the icy Tundra (6:01)
7). Lunar Domes (3:27)
8). Titan (10:58)
9). Shenzhen (6:41)
10). Gaia (5:26)
11). Hofmann (3:29)
12). Scorpion (4:24)
Total Run Time: 1:04:11

Chris White: Guitar
Ryan Cole: Guitar
Chris Benoist: Bass
Elliot Cole: Drums
Matt Ryan: Vocals

From: Oxford, England

Genre: Stoner Metal, Southern Metal

Reminds me of: Clutch, Diesel King, Peacemaker

Release Date: April 1, 2013

Better Reviews:
Canadian Stoner Metal
Heavy Planet
Ech(((o)))es and Dust
Sleeping Shaman

Sludgelord interview

Desert Storm on facebook

GET IT HERE

OR HERE (digital)

Hour of Power 02/09/13 (playlist)

Kind of a big week for bands releasing music videos with Jess & The Ancient Ones, Ancient VVisdom and Desert Storm leading off this week's Hour of Power, in that order, with new promo clips, followed-up by some new sounds released by two of the bigger names of the UK doom scene, Moss and Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats.  Then I get my seventies fix out of the way with a pair of tracks by Road and Jerusalem.  Then we move into some vids from bands reviewed earlier in the week on this very blog, Neon Warship, Atomic Vulture and Torso.  We finish things off with my favorite Troggs song, maybe their most psychedelic outing, "Night of the Long Grass".  Earlier this week Reg Presley (born Reg Ball), lead singer of The Troggs passed away at the age of 71.  Here's to Reg ...

1. Astral Sabbat (Jess & The Ancient Ones / Astral Sabbat EP) 2013
2. Deathlike (Ancient VVisdom / Deathlike) 2013
3. Shadow of an Eagle (Desert Storm / Horizontal Life) 2013
4. Horrible Nights (Moss / Moss' Horrible Night) 2013
5. Poison Apple (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats / Mind Control) 2013
6. I'm Trying (Road / ST) 1972
7. Midnight Steamer (Jerusalem / ST) 1972
8. Carry You Away (Neon Warship / ST) 2013
9. Missing Link (Atomic Vulture / Planet Emerald) 2013
10. Room (Torso / Inside EP) 2012
11. Night of the Long Grass (The Troggs / Trogglodynamite) 1967

In Case You Missed It 12/23/12

ITEM! Vancouver / New Westminster BC based doom rockers BLACK WIZARD have a new album, 'Young Wisdom' ready to drop early next year.  This will be their first full length album.  As an appetizer they've posted one of their new songs on Soundcloud back in October.  You can hear it on the soundcloud player below.  In case you missed it the song's called "H.U.G.H.".

ITEM! Oxford, England stoner rockers DESERT STORM have released a new song from their forthcoming album 'Horizontal Life' and it's a doozy.  I'm no expert but this may be the heaviest thing on ten legs to blast out of Oxford yet.  The band hopes to get the album out in January.  Can't wait.  The new song is called "Enslaved in the Icy Tundra" and you can hear on the player below.  Here's the link to their Soundcloud for more stuff including a BBC interview.  Also, their bandcamp where you can hear / buy their first two.

ITEM! Austin, Texas doom metallers DESTROYER OF LIGHT have released a video for their excellent song "Greet Death", one of my favorites of the year.  According to the band, the response to the video has been overwhelming.  

"Wow, people! Over 720 likes within 2 days! Y'all rule! Thank you for sharing and spreading the love. Three Goats Moving Pictures, remember that name, they are awesome!"   

Watch the video below.  And if you want to keep the vibes going you can also watch it on the current Hour of Power.

ITEM! Swedish heavy psych slayers SALEM'S POT are back with a follow-up to the excellent EP that made them a 'buzz band' back in August with a new song up on their bandcamp page.  Like their work on the aforementioned August release 'Sweeden', it's a long song, 16 minutes long, to be precise.  The song is brutally called "Watch Me Kill You" and will appear as the a-side of a cassette only EP to be released sometime in the near future.

ITEM! French four piece THE SOCKS don't have any new music right now, but when they do it will be released on SMALL STONE RECORDS.  The label, with the best track record imaginable, announced the signing earlier this week.  There is no word on whether the band is ready to jump into the studio immediately to record their debut full-length but one would assume the material is ready to record.  Here's what the band had to say:

"We are very proud to announce that we inked a deal with Small Stone Records for our debut album ! Stay tuned for more informations in 2013 !"

For now you can check out their pair of self released EPs on bandcamp.

ITEM! Though they have decided to call it quit as a band to focus on their burgeoning families, Leeds, England epic doomsters WIHT have inked a deal with Devouter records to release their final album 'The Harrowing of the North' on vinyl.  The album is an excellent, two song, 33 minute instrumental masterpiece, as if you didn't know.  The really exciting thing about this vinyyl release is that it will feature a third, previously unreleased, 9-minute song.  The song is called "End of the Reign" and is available for streaming on Soundcloud.  The vinyl edition of the album is available for pre-order now through Devouter's big cartel site, and it is expected to be released February 4, 2013.