Aleph Null – Nocturnal (album review)

Aleph Null is an A1 band.  They were one of the first doom/sludge bands that I discovered on bandcamp.  The 'Dale' E.P. was the band’s opening statement and it spoke volumes.  What sold me as an impressionable doom/sludge youngster was the massive guitar tone which drew me back to it continuously.  “Kill the Colossus” in particular is now one of my all-time favorite songs.  “Dale” and “Protogrammar” are no slouches either.  Then came the ‘Belladonna’ E.P. [read the Paranoid review], early last year, which was a psychedelically-tinged change of pace.  The tone was still there but the overall mood had brightened some.  ‘Belladonna’ was capable of thrilling the listener too, with an ever present threat looming that all the psychedelic brightness could slip into a bad trip at any given moment, but my distinct impression was that it was a lighter effort than the chain and shackle-dragging ‘Dale’, and the colors!  Oh, the colors …

Now comes the debut full-length.  Proving themselves to be as restless as ever, ‘Nocturnal’ finds the band reveling in their weighty tone and simplifying things musically, or rather containing them.  I would chart the band’s progress like this:  ‘Dale’ found the band pissed off and brooding, ‘Belladonna’ went cosmic, while ‘Nocturnal’ is Zen, reason in the face of chaos.  In many ways it’s the story of the mental and emotional development of any young outsider from mid-teenage to late twenties.  It’s the backstory of the individualist, the type of character that I like and identify with.  Aleph Null is an easy band to root for.

Simply put, ‘Nocturnal’ is an incredible album.  I’ve had a number of conversations about it already with some online buddies and everyone seems to agree that this album is insane!  “Backwards Spoken Rhymes” is the best new song I’ve heard in ages.  Ages!  Not since Alice in Chains released the song “Grind” in advance of their ultimately disappointing self-titled album back when I was in the ultimately disappointing Grade 9 have I heard such a powerful single that cuts to the heart of a band’s sound.  Chugging riffs and close harmonies are enough to melt my butter every time, but when they’re this good, the stuff just gets flash fried.

And how do they follow up on that potboiler?  With “The Muzzle of a Sleeping God”, that’s how.  A steady stomp and snare march bleeds into a cowbell driven rhythm, punctured by a slowly developing melody during the verse.  Again, this is reason in the face of chaos.  The relatively simplistic rhythm which drives the bulk of the song creates a brilliant conceit for showcasing the complex idea of the segmented verse before the band finally heads into the fray, heads down, charging through, but soon come up against a brick wall as the song ends all too suddenly.  “Black Winged Cherub” then introduces another idea, which is then interrupted and otherwise snuffed by an effectively choppy and effects laden verse.  If you take nothing else away from these song descriptions, take away the fact that it’s so breathlessly difficult to describe what the band is doing succinctly.  Just keep in mind that the band makes it all sound so unforced and natural.  Aleph Null are like Egyptian undertakers, they take what’s given, break it open, stick things in between and sow it all back together.  Thankfully, these undertakers are artists.

“Stronghold” is another of the best song I’ve ever heard, it’s got an amazing chorus with an excellent Black Sabbath like riff (but that tone, though!) leading into a batshit crazy vocal which goes from strength to strength.  But controlled, you see.  It’s plain to see that Aleph Null can handle a livewire, they have the ability of Vincebus Eruptum, control of chaos.  The two part, 15-minute title track which closes the album puts a big wrap on this minor chord thread which had been developing throughout its length.  The constant minor chord textures give ‘Nocturnal’ a rusty or earthen hue and remind me of the classic albums I grew up listening to in the early nineties, not the least of which are Alice in Chains’s infallible ‘Dirt’.

Two years later and they’re still giving it away for free.  This Düsseldorf trio’s impressive catalog now spans three releases, 17 songs and over 100 minutes of music and it’s all available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on bandcamp, there isn’t even a “pay what you want” option, it’s just FREE.  If you haven’t jumped on the Aleph Null bandwagon yet, there is no further excuse.

Highlights include: "Backwards Spoken Rhymes" and "Stronghold"

Rating: 5/5


Total Run Time: 42:24

From: Düsseldorf, Germany

Genre: Sludge, Doom, Grunge, Psychedelic

Reminds me of: Alice in Chains, Conan, Slomatics

Release Date: February 15, 2014

!!!Brand New Aleph Null Interview on Sludgelord!!!
Aleph Null on facebook

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Hamburg's Hammer Studios (GAMMA RAY / DARK AGE ) destroyed in a mass fire: HELP FOR THE BANDS!!

I was sent this bit of bad news late last night.  I just got home from work so I'm posting it now.  There was a fire at a Hamburg (Germany) practice / recording studio and several bands lost all their gear and equipment in the blaze.  Though I'm not familiar with any of the bands I understand how unbelievably shitty it must be for a band to lose all of its instruments and I also feel a bit of urgency to help as my paternal grandfather was from Hamburg.  Please help out if you can.  Read the press release  below to find out how:

Hamburg's Hammer Studios ( Gamma Ray / Dark Age ) burnt down! 

- Help for musicians in organisation with the Hamburg Cultural Foundation + donation account now available! -

It is a dark time for the music scene in Hamburg, Germany: On Monday, November 18th 2013, the legendary Hamburg-based 'Hammer Studios', ran by Kai Hansen & Dirk Schlächter of Gamma Ray and Eike Freese (Dark Age), burnt down in a mass fire. 

The recording studio, several practice rooms of Hamburg-based bands and a visual artist studio were completely destroyed. The damages are immense and according to initial estimates more than in a few hundred thousands. Together with the Hamburg Cultural Foundation an official donation account for the involved artists, who have lost their rehearsal rooms, studios & full equipment in the fire, has now been established.
For reasons yet unknown, on Monday, 18/11/2013 a warehouse complex in Hamburg went up in flames. Affected by the fire including the prestigious 'Hammer Studios' are several rehearsal rooms of local bands such as Brothers In Arms, A Million Miles, Chain Reaction, Black Hawk, Sambódromo, Kamizaraky, The Golden Creek or Cate 's Leila .
Valuable musical instruments, all guitar collections, amplifiers, and studio facilities were destroyed in the mass fire. Most of the bands are uninsured or underinsured and now fear for their existence.

In order to help these artists quickly and easily, a consortium of helping hands has now been launched in support of the victims:
The Facebook page  »Help4HammerStudios«  now acts as the central point for those who want to help. Within only a few hours more than 4,500 people have already found together who want to support the musicians, whether in kind and cash donations till offering equipment or new rehearsal room facilities. In addition, already more than 50 bands have reported their assurances to support their musician fellows in form of benefit concerts.
With a separate fund-raiser campaign among its members as well as at this year's 'Hamburg Music Prize' "Hans" on November 27th, also thecommunity of interest 'Hamburg Music Economy (IHM e.V.) want to help the affected artists and music companies.

The Hamburg Cultural Foundation has just established an official account for donations to support the artists & producers, who have lost everything in the fire:

Name: Hamburgische Kulturstiftung
Bank: Berenberg Bank
IBAN DE25201200000052757010
BIC BEGODEHH
Keyword:  Help 4 Hammer Studios

More infos & how YOU can help at:
www.facebook.com/Help4HammerStudios
www.facebook.com/groups/HELPHAMMERSTUDIOS

Mountain Witch - Cold River (album review)

Cover artwork by Emil Ahlman.

Every other band out there has either the word "Mountain" or "Witch" in their band name (there's at least one other band that has both).  Every other band uses vintage gear.  Every other band plays "Retro Rock".  With so many excellent albums out recently in this same style [Noctum's 'Final Sacrifice'; Doublestone's 'Wingmakers'; Horisont's 'Time Warriors'; Seremonia's 'Ihminen'], why did this German trio release theirs now?  Is there really room in this world for one more Germanic "throwback" band and their music?  On the surface, it would seem this is an album crafted from the very ashes of redundancy, destined to be lost in the shuffle and ultimately forgotten.  I find myself having to qualify this every single time I talk about a band that plays this "Retro Rock" style, but in the spirit of redundancy, I'll so it once more:  no two Retro Rock bands sound alike.  It becomes obvious as time unfolds with each and every new entry into the category that such uniqueness is one of the defining characteristics of the sub sub genre.  Sure, there are other Retro Rock bands that play a darker version of seventies hard rock sounds.  But, once more in the spirit of redundancy, there's something different about Mountain Witch after all (not to be confused with Portland, Oregon's Witch Mountain).

'Cold River' is Mountain Witch's second album, after 'Scythe & Dead Horse' from 2009.  The inaugural incarnation of the band featured Rene Sitte on guitar and Rene Roggman on drums, I haven't heard 'Scythe & Dead Horse' but the pair is said to have played highly improvisational instrumental desert rock.  Whatever the band sounded like in 2009, they are a doom rock beast in 2013.  The band has since recruited Tobert Knopp to play bass and Roggman has taken up vocal duties.  It's Roggman's sense of lyrical playfulness that ultimately wins me over.

"Shrubbery the Warlock" tells the tale of a pissed off warlock on the mountain top.  The entire story is bizarre and a little bit silly and that it's framed in an earnest sounding tune steeped in dark overtones lends it the air of absurdity.  "Sleepers Chant" features a rolling "vocal round" style performance that gives it the feeling of a nursery rhyme.  It's little touches like this that really make 'Cold River' stand out and keep it from getting lost in the slew of terrific albums.  But first, the album must get by on the music alone and Mountain Witch are up to the task.

The album kicks off with the short instrumental, "Snake Wand".  It's the only instrumental song on the album but feels like just the first of many.  Which isn't to put down of Roggman's vocals in any way, in fact I find his performance more captivating than most vocalists.  His delivery is often deep and commanding.  But it's a testament to the hypnotic groove laid down by the band and the deep dense forest of structure that I didn't even realize at first whether or not the songs were instrumental until I listened to them over again and watched the tracklist.  "Sleepers Chant" for example is instrumental until around the three minute mark when the song takes its unique twist.  Opening riffs are drawn out for extra measures the toyed with until the riff is embedded in the brain, it's only then that the band can move freely into the second act of the song.  Mountain Witch comes by this approach naturally and the instrumental sections contribute greatly to the dark atmosphere that the band has cultivated.  Mountain Witch's music is captivating without having to do too much.  The songs are well structured and dynamic, to the point where instrumental segments stand alone and sound like fully fleshed out songs in their own right, taking familiar themes and sounds and darkening them subtly through tone and extended passages.

Some Retro Rockers can take things too far.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's highly noticeable and stretches the limits of creative license.  What I'm talking about is stealing moments.  I'll explain.  One band in particular (let's call them Flower Band X) displays little to no subtlety in their dipping into the cupboard of Black Sabbath, stealing whole riffs or combining whole elements from two songs to make "new" ones and I imagine they'll keep at it until the cupboard is bare.  Mountain Witch (like Horisont) displays a deft hand for a more respectful kind of knickery.  They understand to take only one cookie at a time from the cookie jar and even then not too often, otherwise Mom and Dad are going to find out.  You may hear a familiar sound here or there as the band borrows a lick without resorting to swiping whole songs entirely.  On "The Covey", you will feel an old familiar sting from the drum pattern of "Children of the Grave".  But Mountain Witch do it in their own way.  Had they say, played the guitar riff from the Sabbath original overtop of it, this would be an entirely different conversation.  Look, the point is, Mountain Witch do it the right way.  Matter of fact, they do a lot of things right.

Retro Rock, Doom Rock, call it what you will, Mountain Witch's dark tunes strike the right notes, I have a feeling that this will be one of the albums that I'll be going back to for ages to come.  The album has been released on CD [here] and LP [here] by This Charming Man Records, I picked up my copy already.  You can always go with the ever popular bandcamp download by clicking the links on the player below.  You'll probably want to, without making any promises from this end I have another feeling that this album will be "list-bombing" the year end best of lists.

Highlights include: "Shrubbery the Warlock" and "Sleepers Chant"

Rating: 4.5/5


Total Run Time: 39:14

From: Hamburg, Germany

Genre: Doom, Rock,

Reminds me of: Black Sabbath, Brutus, Witchcraft (early years)

Release Date: October 28, 2013

Mountain Witch on facebook

Aleph Null - Belladonna EP (album review)

From wikipedia:

Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the familySolanaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids. These toxins include scopolamine and hyoscyamine which cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations.

Such is the direction German trio Aleph Null has taken with their latest release, 'Balladonna', their second EP in just under a full year.  A quick word of warning, Aleph Null's latest contains and emits scopolamine and hyoscyamine upon listening.  This is clear in the head-swimmingly whiplash-like-effect on the breakdowns and is apparent in the video for "Belladonna Wreath".  But this isn't your hippie grandpappy's trip, this trip is potentially deadly to your health.

Walls melt and carpets swirl on "Belladonna Wreath", rhythms bounce and amphibious guitars breathe lysergic acid leading directly into "Mars Father".  There's been a slight, ever so subtle attitude adjustment in the Aleph Null camp.  The music has become decidedly more hallucinogenic in form and structure and in tone this second time around.  Take the ending of "Mars Father" for example.  The crushing heavy guitar tone of the Dale EP remains intact but there is a pronounced trip factor here that was not emphasized on their previous effort.  Feedback drones atop a thick and evilly deep bass groove before the rest of the band return for a slow jam.  Mournful and distorted vocals paint a picture of eternal despair.  Then, the band slows things down another notch and the listener gets motion sickness just lying there watching the ceiling breathe.

Yuri Gagarin, about to trip out

If there is a thematic overtone to 'Belladonna' it's tripping.  Cosmic tripping.  Like the best Jim Starlin comics it's an exploration of inner space in outer space.  This feeling is exemplified by the instrumental, bridging track "Gagarin", which is an acoustic guitar / synth contemplation.  The famous Russian cosmonaut becomes a symbol for the adventurous spirit willing to explore both worlds.

"Solar Sail" closes out the affair on a seven minute headtrip which I imagine is about the death of the inner life among the masses brought on by worldliness and materialism.  Culturally dead landscapes and office towers like monuments to mankind's lost inner life pass below a fleet of starships navigated by "higher beings" (higher beings sure, but not aliens).  Thankfully the band reproduces their lyrics on their bandcamp page because Philip is one of the more bespoke lyricists in the world today, whose vocabulary will often have the listener reaching for the dictionary.  They're the only band I've ever heard to use the words "patina", "paroxysm" and "megalophobia" in a single song.  Particularly evocative is this section from "Solar Sail":

city skylines
like gravestones veiled in fume
the void in your eyes
orbit electrical gloom

no, we won’t land here
set foot on your “hallowed ground“
for with your fear–withered hands
you choke the oneiric voice to death


solar sail
cosmic freight
we pass you by
towards brighter suns


...where eyes upon the ground we sail unseen...

Aleph Null aren't content to build worlds but instead set their sights on crafting whole cosmoses.  From the bumpy rapids of opener "Belladonna Wreath" to the slow currents of "Solar Sail", Aleph Null set a course for the seat of human consciousness with lysergic torpedoes locked on target, poisoning brain-washed minds with underwater heaviness.

This is one of the most distinctive bands in the underworld of heavy, today.  Dark, ego-destroying psychedelia with bludgeoning power, 'Belladonna' will make hay with fans of sludge, doom, stoner and psychedelic music alike.  The best part of this whole thing is that it's available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on Bandcamp.  Just click the 'Download' link on the player below and go to town.  While you're at it, you might as well grab their excellent 'Dale EP', which is also available for free so if you haven't yet done, meet your new favorite band.

Highlights include: "Belladonna Wreath" and "Mars Father"

Rating: 4.5/5

Total Run Time: 22:38

From: Cologne / Düsseldorf, Germany

Genre: Psychedelic, Sludge, Stoner, Cosmic Rock

Reminds me of: Jim Starlin

Release Date: January 23, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Who needs hallucinogens when you've got Aleph Null?



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Talis - G.L.O.T. (album review)

There's something about the organ that is so appropriate for horror, and therefore doom metal, that it's amazing that there's so relatively little of it in the genre of doom.  Sure, it's there, but not in the greatest of quantities.  I am a sucker for the stuff and take an immediate liking to any band that uses the organ.  German four-piece Talis play an organ driven style of doom that I can only call 'horror rock'.  The cover is as good a description of the music found within this four track EP as anything one might dream up about stormy nights in castles with weird hosts, etc.  Talis are the soundtrack to a specific mood where anything can happen because it's dark and you're alone.  Two essential ingredients for the disappearance of sanity.

Opening track "Lichtritter" begins with an almost psychedelic 60s vibe of lava lamps and door beads.  But before long one finds oneself on the dark side of a hippie cult, where they have become the sacrificial victim once the heavy metal guitar goes into full on doom mode.  It's an organ-driven gagged and bound march through a desecrated church.  If I had one criticism of the song, and indeed this entire EP as a whole, however, it's that it's over before you know it.  This is music to wallow in, to come up to your neck in and to sink and drown in.  After three and three quarters minutes the listener is waist deep as the song ends.  But there is more music ahead ...

"Night of the Dancing Witch" began life as an instrumental, like the other four songs here, but has recently had vocals recorded for it by Christina Poupoutsi of the UK electro metal band The Higher Craft.  Her occultish costumed performance style and persona are perfectly suited to the task.  She does a wonderful job, and gives a haunting performance.  The song stands on its own without vocals, with them however, the song is catapulted to the next level and it makes one appreciate just what a well-suited vocalist can do for a band.  It would be great to see her join the ranks of Talis on a more permanent basis but I'm assuming this was a one-off.

"The Slayer of Eriban" is an uptempo blast of manic ride, draconian organ and horror metal guitar and it being a longer track, I'm up to my neck by the end of it, sinking in organ driven doom.  The greater length of the song (seven-plus minutes) allows the band and the song itself some elbow room and the space needed to explore and expand upon its sonic grounds.  "Up the Hammers" has a very Ghost-like feel to it, within the organ and some odd time signatures.  This is the scene in the movie where our heroine must escape after finding a fresh body, but just when she needs her sure footing the most, she trips and falls just as the killer is about to reach her.  An underused technique in horror films to be sure.

Ultimately, Talis means business.  There is a definite singularity of vision to these four (plus one) songs.  This is lights out music, candles in the dark music.  I wonder what they would sound like with a Pete Steele type vocalist booming over these tracks.  With or without a vocalist, however, the music stands up.  Terrific organ driven metal, 'horror rock' at its finest.

Highlights include: "Night of the Dancing Witch" and "The Slayer of Eriban"

Rating: 4/5


Total Run Time: 21:06

From: Dresden, Germany

Genre: Doom Metal, Horror Doom, Instrumental

Reminds me of: Abysmal Grief, Blizaro, Ghost, Necronomicon, Paul Chain, Seremonia

Release Date: October 8, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: An organ is heard swelling up from somewhere in the church, the notes bouncing savagely down the corridors of the greystone structure.  A nun exclaims wretchedly as she loses her footing, the music getting louder.  Within seconds she's swept up off her feet and sucked down those selfsame corridors flailing backwards, her skirt flipped inside out like a cheap umbrella in a heavy wind.  Then the same happens to another, and another.  A priest leaves his rectory to see what the commotion is and is swept up instantly in the melee.  Before long, the church itself blossoms all at once with priests and nuns flying out of towers and stained glass windows like some Christian gusher and all that remains inside the church is the organ driven music of those playing who have their feet more firmly planted on the ground.

Official website

Voltron - Kaventsmann (album review)

Voltron is a sludge metal band from Berlin, Germany who  show a nice versatility of styles, thickly layered atmospherics and plenty of dynamics.  Kaventsmann is their second full-length album.

The album starts off with one of my favorite film quotes of all-time, from the movie Network, it's actually a quote I myself have used as an introduction before:  "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!".  From there the gauntlet is thrown down with an ascending/descending riff that throws a blanket of paranoia over the uptempo "13  Liter Bohrmaschine".  Throughout the proceedings, the band relies heavily on ambient noise that red lines and spins out of control, the recording device not quite managing to capture what the band puts out.  This makes for some intense moments and means that this the kind of album one should listen to on headphones turned way up for full effect.

"Black to Back" opens more downtempo with a nautically themed riff before exploding for a big chorus, again redlining intensely.  At this point drummer Hille Toughsky deserves to be singled out for a ... well, a tough performance behind the kit.  He's a heavy hitter and in no place is this more clear than on the chorus in this track.  "Studentoeter" opens with two minutes of atmospherics before opening into a nautical riff which builds to an explosive and chaotic verse and continues to build into a crushing, chunky chorus.  Again, the band's versatility of styles, atmospherics and use of dynamics come to the fore here, creating a memorable performance.  "Helmut Berger at Salzburg Airport" develops in much the same way but is even slower.

"Pitti Platsch Anoraknaroek" and "Medic Help!" is Voltron in its purest form.  A straightforward showcase of what they're all about, at just over five minutes apiece they are the shortest tracks on the album.  The band is never content to simply blast out thick streams of face-smashing sludge, there's always more to their agenda and it's like the band just can't help themselves but take the listener to uncomfortable or strange places.  "Faster Than Nothing Still Can Be Slow" is comparable to these two in its more streamlined reading, but the band leave themselves plenty of room to move around in and experiment with sound.

Overall, the album is a very strong entry into the sludge metal genre, which is not always my go to genre.  This one will have me coming back for more though and has increased the very genre's profile to these ears, which will now be perked up while digging into the sludge ditch more frequently for quality ear-crushing sounds.  Kaventsmann envelops the listener in a claustrophobic fog, then throws him overboard to feel the crushing depths of redlining fury. Voltron build songs dynamically, often starting with ethereal atmospherics, then unleashing heavy blasts of pure power creating an impression that the band is just swimming in ideas, most of which come across successfully.  The band can build songs the opposite way as well, opening with a tidal wave of sound which crashes down, then a moment of chaos as the listener is sucked into the next swell, then bang! crashed back down on the beach again.  Obviously, the reader can see from the verbiage alone, let alone the album art and perhaps some of the song titles (I know platsch is splash in English) that there are heavy nautical themes to the album.  Perhaps these themes are not as emphasized as in the music of the band (and fellow German doomsters) Ahab, but they are no less developed and are no less successful in engrossing the listener in a watery experience.

Highlights include: "13 Liter Bohrmaschine" and "Pitti Platsch Anoraknaroek"

Rating: 4/5


Total Run Time: 55:50

From: Berlin, Germany

Genre: Sludge Metal, Doom

Reminds me of: Ahab, Mount Fuji, -(16)-

Release Date: September 1, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Thrown overboard, dragged to crushing depths.

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Seamount - IV: Earthmother (album review)

Seamount is a Traditional Doom / self-described 'Dark Rock' band from Germany.  I discovered Seamount on the Soggy Bog of Doom podcast and when Soggy Bob mentioned that the great Phil Swanson, on-again-off-again vocalist of Hour of 13 (among others), was singing with this band.  The iPod was shut down and a leap of faith was taken at this album.

First off, the band plays a highly distinctive style wherein the guitar sounds very 1980s without ever really sounding directly like anything in particular.  A smattering of various metal bands, perhaps a little Scorpions, a sprinkling of Faith No More and the distinct impression of  having taken some cues from the era's horror film composers.

The album opens with the 'Fear is the mindkiller' mantra from Dune then kicks into the song "Surrender" a strong midtempo opening salvo that sets the table with the musical and lyrical themes to be laid out in further detail on the rest of the album.  Like most of what vocalist Phil Swanson does, he makes the song memorable with his catchy melodic hooks.  It's refreshing for an Hour of 13 fanatic to hear Swanson using different vocal melodies as he usually sings the Hour of 13 songs the same way, with the same delivery and largely, the same kind of melody.  With Seamount, there is variation in the vocal melodies, but he never loses that Ozzy-like timbre to his voice.  Follow-up track "The Fool" is also a strong number for Swanson, slightly more down tempo than the opener, it's honest and open lyrics draw the listener in to the world of 'Earthmother'.  Some tastefully understated keyboards create a terrific 80s horror film vibe.

"Echoes" gears things down another step or two and uses a highly emotive melody and occasionally quavering vocal performance to become the centerpiece of the album.  "Echoes" becomes the emotional epicenter that carries the story forward and into the driving next track "Just for Fantasy".  "Aphrodites Child" gives the band a different look, it's a shorter (the shortest of the original material), choppier number with a driving beat and guitar that just chunks and chunks.  "Isolation" features a bouncy riff and recalls more of the pre-grunge 'college rock' sound of the Minnesota trio or Seattle bands of the era.  The song would probably fit right in on a Sub Pop or SST records release of the pre-grunge era.

The album finishes strong as well.  The final two tracks "Everything Divine" and "Music" are two of the strongest on the album, the latter being a Witchfinder General cover, so you can't go wrong there.  The former is an uptempo blast of near Kyuss desert rock with a particularly exciting performance by drummer Jens Hofmann.

It's hard, if not contradictory, to make a positive or uplifting doom record and Seamount doesn't go for the big, slow, Sabbath-like devil's third riffs here, but instead threads their style and perhaps the genre itself into new, daresay brighter territory.  There are some dark clouds and some rough territory to navigate through along the way, but not much outside of some various Wino projects gives me that 'well, okay, life isn't all bad, all the time ... I guess' feeling within the genre, which isn't the point most of the time but that alone makes this a different kind of project and worth looking into.

Just one more note and I'll let the great Phil Swanson take it away with an explanation of the lyrical theme of the record in his own words (below).  A lot of bands will go for a 'retro' sound from various eras but there's something about this record that transcends the 'tribute to ...' or 'influenced by ...' feel of most retro type sounds and actually feels the 1980s.  That something is a combination of a lot of things but is largely due to the guitar sound and keyboard created atmospherics, little things not often heard since the 80s, but done well.  I don't think of the cliches or stereotypes of what the 80s were probably like but that I didn't actually get to see with my own eyes.  This record brings me back and makes the era come alive again with the everyday street sights and sounds.  The grassy fields that are now apartment complexes.  The old cars, the sagging and moldering store awnings, crumbling sidewalks and decaying fence posts that have long since been replaced ... by apartment complexes (yes, even the cars).  I can't say that this is what Tim Schmidt and Andy Kummer (guitars) were going for but I thank them for giving me this feeling nonetheless.  And now Phil Swanson:

This is the first concept record of sorts by Seamount. It was inspired by a friend and the change she made in me and how I look at life. Also by some revelations I had in a very deep and dark conversation with another friend when he helped me realize perhaps I have been hiding behind the negative because I had never witnessed the positive. 

Theres a simple tool to use when listening to this record. On the surface it plays like a spiritually themed storyline but if you replace the idea of faith and religion with and god with the one you love then you can read between the lines. It is dedicated to the greatest love something Ive always wondered about and admired. 

I have a better understanding of what it is now and how we ourselves own our love and make it as strong as we choose. Its how much we are willing to give and offer not how much we receive. That`s why it can be blind at times. We create love the same as we create God, its our faith in it that makes it what it is.
- Phil Swanson*

*lovingly clipped from the Church Within records website.

Highlights include: "Surrender" and "Everything Divine"

Rating: 4/5

Tracklist
1). Surrender (5:36)
2). The Fool (6:58)
3). Echoes (7:09)
4). Just For Fantasy (4:11)
5). Earthmother (5:39)
6). Aphrodites Child (4:01)
7). Isolation (6:40)
8). Do It Again (5:37)
9). Everything Devine (6:02)
10). Music (3:17)
Total Run Time: 55:07

From: Würzburg, Germany

Genre: Doom Metal, Heavy Metal

Reminds me of: Premonition 13, Shrinebuilder, Under the Sun, The 1980s, For some reason this makes me think of the Friday the 13th franchise

Release Date: November 9, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Go outside and maybe lie in a field of grass somewhere and realize that life is really pretty good (but try to avoid strangers, they are the worst).

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Heat - Old Sparky (album review)

I struggled a long time about what to say for this album.  I listened to it over and over and I knew I loved it and wanted to do a write up, but what the hell would I say?  This isn't the kind of album that inspires me to think, it's the kind of album that inspires me to stomp around the house like a 30 year old idiot and Rawk Out.

"Daymare" is a sprawling opener that sets things off on the right track, good riff, solid playing, competent singing, all the ingredients are there for a straight-forward hard rock ass-whooper of an album.  The song gets dark and quiet in the middle, and by the time the accents fall back into place and the riff comes storming back in your face, you will swear this is an unreleased classic from the 70s.  Zeppelin writing tunes for AC/DC or something.

"Warhead" is like a rock cliche and I mean that in the best possible way.  It's a blistering track that takes the best moments of Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Leaf Hound, Black Sabbath, The Stooges, Judas Priest, etc. and boils them down into five minutes of fury.  It's a strong contender for song of the year.

Truth be told, those hard rock comparisons apply to the rest of this disc as well.  "Hamelin" gives me more of the 'Priest / 'Maiden feel and just crushes from start to finish flowing fluidly from great riff to great riff.  "Illusion" is another great stomper the riff chunks and descends, then veers off into a great Sabbath inspired jam out.  "Old Sparky" is like what if "Stranglehold" was written and performed by Witchfinder General.  "Ending Aging" starts as an end of the night, sweat pouring down slow blues and builds into a real barnburner.

With the amount of great hard rockin' stoner doom that floods the internet week in week out it's nearly impossible to keep up, but the effort to do so is rewarding.  I put buying this one off for the longest time, but now the thought of not hearing this album keeps me up at night.  I know there's a strong sentimental contingent out there who feel as though the 70s were the best era for music but the 70s revival bands take the best elements and strip away the crap and we listeners don't have to live in fear that our favorite bands will try to score a disco crossover hit or awkwardly throw some unwieldy and unnecessary moog synth into the mix just to stay 'relevant'.  So you tell me what's the best era for rock.

I don't know what they're putting in the fluoride over in Deutschland these days but 'Old Sparky' makes it three absolute masterpieces from three German bands in a span of less than three months (the other two being the self-titled debuts from Kadavar and Mount Fuji).  And that's just the stuff I've heard.

'Old Sparky' exemplifies the genre of hard rock and is as good an example of what's right with certain circles of music these days.  This is one of the best straight-up 70s inspired hard rock albums of the year, every moment is a highlight.

Highlights include: "Warhead" and "Illusion"

Rating: 5/5



From: Berlin, Germany

Genre: Hard Rock, Stoner

Reminds me of: Judas Priest, Kadavar, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Witchfinder General

Release Date: September 28, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Pilot your fighter jet and rain death from above

Mount Fuji - ST (album review)

Amazing what a couple years difference will make.  In the early Aughts I couldn't stomach the way premature 90s grunge revivalists were dumping all over the radio.  Bands like Nickelback, Default, Linkin Park, Puddle of Mudd and Creed sprouted up and were big stars overnight.  These were cookie cutter outfits whose singers generally sounded like they were singing through marbles.  These bands may have been hitmakers but they didn't get the right alchemical mixture to become classics because they forgot to combine the grunge with heavy slabs of genuineness.  Also, as an afterthought, there was no originality there, but who cares about that stuff anyway, right?

Fast forward ten years or so and there's a new early 90s grunge revival.  This time it's a genuine one.  Bands like Mother of God, Soundcrawler, Satellite Beaver and the subject of this review, Mount Fuji, sound genuinely influenced by those great bands of yesteryear, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees and Soundgarden among the most audible and best sources of inspiration, the riffs, the attitude, the singing all come natural, it's part of their DNA.  These guys grew up on those bands.  Those bands were in the air when these guys were all very young, it's hard not to be influenced by that.  These aren't bands that changed their style to try to jump on a dying trend.  There's a reason Nickelback has become a dirty word.

But Mount Fuji is more than just a 90s re-hash band, there's something else they bring to the table besides genuineness: originality.  "Six Feet Under the Rainbow of Hell" is the most different and interesting composition on an album full of interesting compositions, a spoken word intro leading into a song that is heavy, emotive, doomy and by the end of it, it seems you've been on a journey.  As different as that song is structurally from the others on the album, it is representative of the whole.  A kind of musical fractal.

And make no mistake, these guys sound thick and grungy but are undeniably a metal band, they rock hard.  In "acht" and "Simple Depression Guide" they go to page one of the doom playbook and slow things down, giving the music a claustrophobic gravitas.  Like a lot of great German artists, they're not afraid to experiment, I've said elsewhere that the German psyche is split between the glories of the past and the wonders of the future.  That holds true here as well.

This album is heavy as shit, but they're not afraid to let loose with great emotive choruses and melodies such as in "Just Human" and the end of "Head on Fire".  The singer isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve either belting a phrase that I've felt for years and is near and dear to my heart: "I'm tired of this shit, fuck you all!" in "Colossus", and some similar sentiments in "Yearning".

Mount Fuji is one of the most honest and genuine albums I've heard all year and is a cathartic and ultimately satisfying experience.

Highlights include: "neun" and "Six Feet Under the Rainbow of Hell"

Rating: 4.5/5



From: Liepzig, Germany

Genre: Doom, Grunge, Sludge, Stoner

Reminds me of: Alice in Chains, Hyne, Mother of God, Satellite Beaver, Soundgarden

Release Date: September 29, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Spending the night in an abandoned insane asylum, then waking up to discover it was never abandoned.