2013 Chronicle (Year in review) part 9 - Best of August 2013

August 2 - Picaporters (Elefantes)

August 5 - Causa Sui (Euporie Tide)

August 6 - NIGHT DEMON (ST EP) - There are a mountain of terrific 4-song E.P.'s on the market but few generate as much excitement as 'Night Demon'.  For fans of metal, this is like being transported through time and space.  The year is 1980, the place is a pocket dimension in which bicep flexing, beer-spitting riffs combine with soaring clean vocals.  If that sounds obnoxious to you, then you are wrong.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Night Demon" and "The Chalice".  Rating 4.5/5

August 9 - BEELZEFUZZ (ST) - Maryland doom trio Beelzefuzz released their debut record through Church Within Records on this date and I haven't been able to put it down since.  Soaring vocals are entwined around a big epic sound to create one of the more infectious albums of the year.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Lonely Creatures" and "Hypnotise".  Rating 5/5

August 10 - Weedpecker (ST)

August 13 - ICE DRAGON (Born a Heavy Morning) - Ice Dragon's most ambitious album to date cuts a wide arc across the various musical guises of the band.  From AM radio pop opener "Wakin' Up" to a middle section that's as heavy in atmosphere as a migraine, the album is a shitty day in microcosm, which is sucks to live through but is great to listen to.  This album also marked the first time that Ice Dragon found themselves on CD (through Navalorama Records).  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "I'm Lost" and "The Past Plus the Future Is Present".  Rating 4.5/5

August 15 - SPIRAL SHADES (Hypnosis Sessions) - This cross-continental collaboration is a marvel of the internet age.  Khushal brings Ozzy-esque vocals from India with a flair that can only come from his cultural heritage while Filip cut his teeth as youtube cover song sensation Deventy before bringing a startlingly organic style of guitar shredding complete with amazing riffs from The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Norway.  This 9-song demo is incredible.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Illuminati" and "Torment".  Rating 4.5/5

August 24 - The Myrrors (Ramona Parra single)

August 25 - Arkham Witch (Hammerstorm)

August 27 - 45 Rats (Electric)

August 27 - RED HOT REBELLION (Melt the Sky) - Dayton, Ohio's Red Hot Rebellion only knows one speed: the speed of projectile vomit.  This 5-song EP is the follow-up to last year's stellar self-titled 10-song collection and it continues the band's white knuckled focus on pumping out party anthem rock n roll.  Don't miss this one!  Get it here. Highlights include: "You Bring The Thunder, I'll Bring The Lightning" and "Alcohol".  Rating 4.5/5

August 27 - SPACE MUSHROOM FUZZ (A Possible Paradox) - 'A Possible Paradox' was Space Mushroom Fuzz's second album of the year and it wouldn't be their last.  This six-song space rock trip continued to explore the hidden boundaries between 70's hard rock riffs, trolling the outer limits of melody and growing cultures of free flowing improvised jams like fungal spores in a petri dish.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "For a Lifetime" and "A Possible Paradox".  Rating 4/5

August 28 - Djinn & Miskatonic (Forever in the Realm)

August 30 - CHURCH OF VOID (Dead Rising) - It didn't take long for this Finnish doom metal quintet to make an impact on the scene.  After releasing an excellent 4-song E.P. early in the year, the band signed with the impeccable Svart Records and released their first full-length album on this date.  It's a killer record that brought out the metal aspect in the band's doom metal sound.  Church of Void have marked themselves as a band to watch in the coming years.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Winter Is Coming" and "Dead Rising".  Rating 4/5

August 30 - DOCTOR SMOKE (Demo 2013) - Here's a band that quite literally came from out of nowhere and blew my socks off ...  From a tiny town in Ohio, Ole Doc Smoke's 4-song debut may be the best, catchiest E.P. I've heard since Moon Curse's unimpeachable 5-track debut from last year.  This new band compares favorably to Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats but substitutes the latter's Beatles influence for that of Pentagram.  After a successful crowdfunding campaign, the band has recently finished recording their first full-length album.  Based on the strength of this E.P. it promises to be an early contender for album of the year for 2014.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "The Willow" and "The Seeker".  Rating 5/5

August 30 - Moonbow (The End of Time)

August 30 - Stonegriff (Prologus Magicus)

August 31 - ARROWHEAD (Atomsmasher) - How this album nearly passed me by is a testament to my own ignorance as Super Doom Chart contributors kept voting for it over and over again for a period of months.  I can see why they did almost instantly when I finally gave it a spin.  An authentic desert rock sound that gives Vista Chino a run for their money, this Aussie trio quietly released one of the absolute best fuzz rock albums of the year on this date.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Eagle Death Machine" and "Blood From a Stone".  Rating 4.5/5

August 31 - The Auras (ST EP 2)

August 31 - BLACKWITCH PUDDING (Taste the Pudding) - This is one I only caught onto recently, but it's a great one (thanks to Sludgelord for bringing the band to my attention).  What we've got here is perhaps a stateside equivalent to the UK band Groan, who are all about good times party anthem hard rock played fast and mean.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Mortre'D" and "Super Sluts From Outer Space".  Rating 4/5


Best Album From June 2013:
'Beelzefuzz' by BEELZEFUZZ

Best Song From June 2013:
"Night Demon" by NIGHT DEMON

PARANOID Thoughts:

If you didn't know this already I am Canadian, living outside of Vancouver, BC.  What can I say?  I don't mind being a homer and giving just a little bit extra support to my neighbors, that's what we do up here because we're fucking polite.  Got it!?!?  2013 was a strong year for Canadian hard rock and metal, maybe the strongest I've ever seen.  With debut albums by La Chinga, Anciients and Pyres drumming up attention from a variety of sources, you might say it was a banner year for Canuck rock.

However, Canada still lags behind the rest of the world in terms of the amount of heavy underground bands compared to other small market nations.  It's a boot time Canada started flexing its igloo-living, moose-wrestling, lumberjack-job-having muscles.  There is hope though, we're a maturing nation when it comes to the world of entertainment and the arts.  Therefore 2014 promises to be just as strong a year as 2013 if not stronger with amazing albums by Sandveiss [see the paranoid review by Love Among Ruins here], the Sludgelord approved Dead Ranch and the Shadow Kingdom Records released self-titled Funeral Circle album all set to make an impact on the Paranoid Best Of 2014 list already.

Oddly, I never actually heard what may have been the best hard / stoner rock album to come out of Canada this year, that being 'Furiosity' by Monster Truck.  I've heard the singles on the radio and I actually just grabbed it so don't give me too hard a time about it, we Canadians are kind of sensitive.

The Top 10 Canadian Albums of 2013:
1). Blood Ceremony - 'The Eldritch Dark' (Toronto, Ontario)
2). Tumbleweed Dealer - ST (Montreal, Quebec)
3). La Chinga - ST (Vancouver, B.C.)
4). Pyres - 'Year of Sleep' (Toronto, Ontario)
5). Holy Mount - 'Alpic' (Toronto, Ontario)
6). Anciients - 'Heart of Oak' (Vancouver, B.C.)
7). Black Wizard - 'Young Wisdom' (Vancouver, B.C.)
8). Diablo Strange - 'Sordid Tales' (Moncton, New Brunswick)
9). The Auras - ST EP 2 (Toronto, Ontario)
10). We Hunt Buffalo - 'Blood From a Stone' EP (Vancouver, B.C.)
Honorable mention: Monster Truck - 'Furiosity' (Hamilton, Ontario / never heard it, bro)

2013 Chronicle (Year in review) part 2 - Best of January 2013

We continue our look back at the year that was, now moving month to month in our journey through the best albums of 2013.

January 1 - NEON WARSHIP (ST) - Right off the bat, first day of the year and you get a candidate for best album.  Talk about setting a high standard!  What makes this 5 song album so great?  In short, killer riffs which can shift into improvised freakouts and balls out singing that reaches into falsetto at the drop of the hat.  One of the most energetic albums of the year, and the vocals are the fuel that powers the riffs, which are the engine that drives it.  None of this went unnoticed as the band was later signed by Small Stone Records and I've got a feeling we won't have to wait too long from now to hear the band's next effort.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Carry You Away" and "Paralyzed".  Rating 5/5

January 4 - PALM DESERT (Rotten Village Sessions) - This Polish quintet unleashed an album that sounded worthy of the deep musical heritage from the place where they take their name from.  Melodic fuzz rock to quench the thirst of desert dwellers everywhere.  Palm Desert weren't done here either, they released a largely improvised six song EP later on in the year, but what a way to kick off a solid year for the band and for stoner rock in general!  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Damn Good" and "Acid Phantom".  Rating 4.5/5

January 6 - TSAR BOMBA (Silent Queen) - Grungy French stoners Tsar Bomba blew my mind with their debut album 'Silent Queen'.  Tsar Bomba are at the vanguard of a grunge revival spearheaded by amazing bands like Soundcrawler, Mount Fuji and Mother of God which unfortunately seems to have slightly stalled for the moment (or maybe I've just had my head buried in the sand of doom for too long).  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Enter The Void" and "The Devil's Been Busy".  Rating 4.5/5

January 7 - Lord Summerisle (EP)

January 8 - Half Gramme of Soma (ST)

January 10 - Atomic Vulture (Planet Emerals)

January 11 - ICE DRAGON (The Soul's Midnight) - Ice Dragon's legendary output from 2012 was somewhat curtailed this year.  All they did was put out a mind-bending EP, a timeless album and a soul crushing single in the space of this single year.  Hardly prolific, right (wink, wink)?  The first of their efforts, 'The Soul's Midnight' was a terrific 4 song highlight which showcased a spacier side to the band (they have an endless array of facets).  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Understanding Ouroboros" and "The Soul's Midnight".  Rating 4/5

January 11 - Stone Machine Electric (ST)

January 12 - MARCH THE DESERT (ST) - Brighton UK quartet March the Desert introduced themselves to the world as one of the heaviest stoner psych bands from the British Isles with their self-titled album.  Hints of Cream and Blue Cheer combined with devastating heaviness and the sensibilities of Kyuss to form a heady combination.  The album showed a lot of potential, which they would eventually live up to on a later EP.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Blind" and "Mizar".  Rating 3.5/5

January 14 - Spider Kitten (Cougar Club)

January 17 - Naga (demo)

January 19 - Doublestone - (ST EP)

January 21 - ALEPH NULL (Belladonna EP) - German power trio Aleph Null is black hole heavy, mind bendingly psychedelic and highly intelligent.  Their second EP, 'Belladonna' explored the psychedelic side of the band a bit more fully than their initial release 'Dale'.  'Belladonna' stayed in Paranoid rotation for months, even though it only contains four songs.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Belladonna Wreath" and "Mars Father".  Rating 4.5/5

January 22 - DEMONAUTA (Caminando En La Luna EP) - 'Caminando En La Luna' (walking on the moon) was the first South American release of the year to hold my attention and not let go, and there have been more than a few of those this year.  Beautiful fuzz tone here, drums that are right on the money for what a song needs, making one of the tastiest stoner dishes of the year.  Strange thing is, this thing has a life of it's own.  What started as a five song jaunt around the moon, has grown while you weren't watching into a nine song fuzz marathon.  Check the link to see.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Hotel" and "Hacia el 6to Sol".  Rating 4.5/5

January 22 - HEAD OF THE DEMON (ST) - This was the most fascinating album of the year and I couldn't stay away from it.  Bleak soundscapes and evil vibes create a haunting blackened doom metal soundtrack to tamper with unknowable forces to.  It doesn't hurt the expert atmosphere that the recording itself sounds like the musical equivalent of The Blair Witch Project (1999) or Robert Bloch's Notebook Found in a Deserted House.  If you fear for your immortal soul, you are wise to stay far away from Head of the Demon, listening may be like inviting the demon in.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "By Titan Hand" and "Phantasmagoria".  Rating 4.5/5

January 26 - Lowburn (Soaring High EP)

January 27 - Church of Void (Winter Is Coming EP)

January 28 - MAGIC CIRCLE (ST) - 'Magic Circle' was one of those albums I waited months just to hear it.  It started getting a big buzz around my favorite review sites, but I've got to say tracking it down wasn't as easy as it could have been.  No bandcamp or itunes is fine, but ordering the CD online became a bit of a hassle.  Most important though is the music and Magic Circle seems to have taken the emotional pitch of Pallbearer and infused it with feverish energy.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Winter Light" and "The Greatest Escape - White Shores".  Rating 4.5/5

January 29 - Five Horse Johnson (The Taking of Blackheart)

January 29 - THE GATES OF SLUMBER (Stormcrow) - Well, this turned out to be The Gates of Slumber's swan song (at least for now [fingers crossed]) as the band recently dissolved.  This Scion A/V released 5 song EP featured some of the band's best and doomiest material yet, and it's entirely free.  The one lone bright spot in the band breaking up is the possibility of getting twice as much doom from McCash and Simon with whatever they choose to do next.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Son of Hades" and "Death March".  Rating 5/5


Best Album From Jaunary 2013:
'Neon Warship' by NEON WARSHIP

Best Song From January 2013:
"Carry You Away" by NEON WARSHIP

Top 6 Things Scion A/V did this year:
1). Scion Rock Fest in Memphis, TN
2). The Gates of Slumber - 'Stormcrow' EP
3). Fu Manchu / Moab split single
4). High on Fire - "Slave the Hive" single
5). Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals - "Ugly Mug" single for Housecore Horror Film Festival
6). Scion [Musicless] Music Conference

Doom Chart: Most Paranoid Songs of 12/18/13

Top 25 Songs

#). Song Title (artist/album)

1. By Endurance We Conquer (Argus / Beyond the Martyrs)
2. The Willow (Doctor Smoke / Demo 2013)
3. SWB (Exiles / Wreck)
4. Monster of the Highway (Black Rainbows / Holy Moon EP)
5. Madness! (Space God Ritual / Eldritch Tales)
6. Forevermore (Old Man Wizard / Unfavorable)
7. The Bringer of Light (Doublestone / Wingmakers)
8. Ride to Ruin (Hollow Leg / Abysmal)
9. Last Prediction (Dozer / Vultures EP)
10. Echoes in the Void (Black Skies / digital single)
11. Queen of the Black Harvest (Ice Dragon / Steel Veins single)
12. Robotic Invasion (Fu Manchu / split single w/ Moab)
13. Sin revolución no hay evolución (At Devil Dirt / Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución)
14. Seven Veils (Uzala / Tales of Blood & Fire)
15. Shrubbery the Warlock (Mountain Witch / Cold River)
16. Leadersheep (Saturn / Ascending)***
17. Oblivion (Switchblade Jesus / Myelin Constellation)
18. Ruler of Dust (Moon Dust / Amanita Kingdom)***
19. The Universe Is Mine (La Chinga / ST)
20. Late For An Early Grave (Victor Griffin's In~Graved / ST)
21. Frown Curve (March the Desertb / Waves on the Moon EP)***
22. Tears of Blood (Tombstone / Evil Seed single)
23. Dawn Rising (Red Fang / Whales & Leeches)
24. Black C (Black Skies / Circadian Meditations)***
25. Invisible To See (Space Mushroom Fuzz / Stealing Some Time)***

*** New Song

Outgoing songs:

Wraiths (Crypt Trip / ST EP)
The Message (Sasquatch / IV)
The Revisit (Noctum / Final Sacrifice)
Evolution Blues (NYMF / From the Dark)
Tilted World (Earthen Grave / ST)

• Last Chart
• About the Doom Charts

PARANOID Spotlight on:

ICE DRAGON - STEEL VEINS b/w QUEEN OF THE BLACK HARVEST
At the number 11 spot on this week's list, we've got Ice Dragon, once again returning to their natural home territory, the Paranoid Doom Charts.  The New England quartet's productivity has been of Himalayan proportions over the past two years.  As a matter of fact, they've been so prolific in their output, it's become something of a running joke in the online underground community.  The band is well known for releasing music in wildly varying styles under various monikers with drummer / vocalist Ron and guitarist Joe also involved in other projects, including Qosmic Qey, The Mangled Dead and Serpentipede.  This calendar year the band proper has released an EP (The Soul's Midnight), a full-length album (Born a Heavy Morning) and this single.  In 2012 Ice Dragon released three full-lengths and various other works on singles and compilations, etc.  So on the surface, it would appear the band's creativity has shifted down a gear or two, until you analyze the actual output.

The more you listen to 'Born a Heavy Morning' the more brilliant you realize the album is.  It begins with the dreamy AM radio friendly "Wakin' Up", which leads into an interlude where an alarm clock goes off.  The heavy morning leads into bleak afternoon sludge wherein "The Deeper You Go", the more hopeless things become "We Are The Hopeless" before the character of the song finally admits defeat on the doomy, "I'm Lost".  The point here is that the band pulled out all the stops, suiting the music in a menage of style to suit the overall narrative story being told.  It's the kind of album that's not going to appeal to just anyone, not on first listen anyway.  Ice Dragon have never shied away from challenging listeners and fans by being constantly on the stylistic move stylistically.

And that's what makes this single so interesting.  It's almost a concession, a thank you to fans for dealing all the stylistic challenges the band has presented over the course of the past couple years because this new single features a "classic 'Ice Dragon' sound on these jams.  No funny business."  It's interesting because for a time the band seriously considered permanently turning to a classic AM radio pop style of music.  Well, obviously they didn't and we have the riff saturated, doomy "Steel Veins" backed with "Queen of the Black Harvest".  Ice Dragon proves that all things are possible and that the only limits are self-imposed.  This single goes towards proving that Ice Dragon isn't messing around, everything they've done has been what they've been inspired to do and that's the only way it could be.  It proves that every now and then the band just wants to rock out with some fuzzy jams and like everything else the band does, it comes from a genuine place within them and they do it enthusiastically.  You can download the single for FREE or pay what you want on bandcamp by following the link at the listing above.

Hour of Power (08/24/13)

1. Southern Discomfort (Eyehategod / Southern Discomfort) 2000
2. Lucifer Takes the Crown (Nymf / From the Dark) 2013
3. Cult of the Witch Goddess (Fangs of the Molossus / ST) 2013
4. The Watcher [live 2013] (Ice Dragon / The Burl, The Earth, The Aether) 2010
5. Lathe Biosis (Pelican / Forever Becoming) 2013
6. Concrete (Batillus / Concrete Sustain) 2012
7. The Juice (Causa Sui / Euporie Tide) 2013
8. Babylon (The Scimitar / rehearsal video) 2013
9. The Tower (Blizaro) 2013
10. Torment (Spiral Shades / Hypnosis Sessions) 2013
11. Hush [live on Playboy After Dark] (Deep Purple / Shades of Deep Purple) 1968 'classic video'

Ice Dragon - Born a Heavy Morning (album review)

Cover artwork by Samantha Allen.

I've mentioned, showcased, posted about or discussed Ice Dragon more than any other band on this blog, hell, more than any two bands, for several reasons.  For one thing, the prolific nature of the band's output has offered more than enough grist for this mill, another thing is how the band continues to pump out consistently high quality music while remaining equally consistent in challenging the listener with the ever widening twists and turns of their musical choices and also, I have this overblown and fairly pretentious notion that this quartet is the most "important" underground band of the internet age.  They are the standard bearers for "how it's done", they are the blue collar, no bullshit band that you and your buddies would be if you could be.  There is no hype, no pretension and no desperation in this band.  They just get together on Friday night, grab a pizza and a couple cases of beer, jam, argue, create heavy music, then release the results to the public when we least expect it.  By my count, 'Born a Heavy Morning' is the band's sixth full-length album since 2010 (and seventh overall including their first effort, recorded in 2007 and released in 2012).

First of all, in spite of the title of the album, 'Born a Heavy Morning' is not the band's heaviest effort, so do not expect a Tentaclesque return to 'Tome of the Future Ancients'.  Vocalist Ron Rochondo says about this new album, "It's called "Born a Heavy Morning", though it's not very "heavy".  It's sort of Dream Dragon meets Sorrowful Sun.  Heavy as in ... bummer.  Or weighing you down".  I asked him if it felt like the rainy morning after 'Dream Dragon'.  "Sort of," he said, "this one is a bit like that one in the overall sound, but the lyrics and feel of everything are more like 'The Sorrowful Sun'.  It's kind of a "concept" album.  Kind of".  This writer's take on the "concept" in question is that in which a man feels the burden of life, like Atlas bearing the weight of the world, 'Born a Heavy Morning'.

The album opens up on a bright note with a sixties feel, as the morning sun streams in through the bedroom curtains of "Wakin' Up".  Once more, the vibe is somewhat reminiscent of the kind of material found on Ice Dragon's 'Dream Dragon' album, the song is infused with the hopeful enthusiasm of youth and that feeling carries over into "We'll Go on a Trip You & I" all the way until the middle of the record with "The Deeper You Go".  Before long however, the drudgery of everyday life takes hold and grips the listener in heavy grimness on "We Are the Hopeless" and "Square Triangle" before the day ultimately ends with some heavy reflection on "(I'll Watch) My Hair Grow".  Basically this album feels like the ultimate "kick-in-the-nuts" kind of day.

'Born a Heavy Morning' is indeed a heavy listen, fearless and unrelenting as it boots listeners in the nuts.  As I briefly described before, it starts out strong and with a good head nodding feel, reminding me a lot of those rare psychedelic / folk LPs from the 1970's by groups and musicians with names like Ferris Wheel, Father Yod & Ya Ho Wa, The Yays & Nays, Bobb Trimble and others from the Acid Archives.  Somehow, the front half of the album captures a specific mood for me of sun streaming into a dusty old barn in a failing hippie commune.  Perhaps it taps into that rural "going to the country" mindset of the Woodstock generation.  Of course, these divisions are not truly so precise as I make them out to be here because I think I often see symmetry where there is none, but the change into darker territory is stark at this point in the album as the sunsoaked, lazing by the riverside mood of "The Deeper You Go" gives way to the cold urban mood of "We Are the Hopeless".  "Square Triangle" is a strong musical equivalent of sunset.  Ice Dragon has never shied away from depression as subject matter and the mood really sinks in here on this track.  This is why 'Born a Heavy Morning' is a "heavy listen" after all.  If you're not expecting it on first listen, the change in mood will punch you in the gut and your reaction to the overall album may not be favorable because of this.  But, if you stick with the album it is rewarding.  "I'm Lost" brings us a slice of classic Ice Dragon will howling vocals, loud crash and a spiral bound wah infected riff.

The album also uses four short interludes in the form of vignettes all with long titles beginning with the phrase "In Which a Man ...", the concept behind which is reminiscent of "The Man" section from Pink Floyd's "The Man & The Journey" suites from their 1969 tour (find out a bit more about that here) and the execution of which slightly resembles "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" from 'Atom Heart Mother', only I'd say these selections are a lot more musical here.  If a comparison has to be made to Ice Dragon's own back catalog, then it's true that this album can be seen as a combination of the laconic soundscapes of  'Dream Dragon' and the morose tidings of 'Greyblackfalconhawk' or some of the darker moments on 'The Sorrowful Sun'.  But if ever there were a band whose each and every project deserved to be judged solely on its own merits it's Ice Dragon and 'Born a Heavy Morning' is (no surprise here) its own beast.  This is what I love about this band.  Every time they step up to the plate you can forget everything you know about them as they refuse to repeat themselves, constantly expanding their horizons while maintaining an identifiable sound that is all their own.  Based on the sounds found on this particular album, 'Born a Heavy Morning' takes its place in the upper tier of the band's collected works (keep in mind that the band also comprises some five (maybe more?) other incarnations / associated acts).

Highlights include: "I'm Lost" and "The Past Plus The Future Is Present"

Rating: 4.5/5


Total Run Time: 48:16

Ron (Vocals, Synths, Drums)
Joe (Bass, Acoustic Guitar)
Carter (Guitars)
Brad (Drums)

From: Boston, Massachusetts

Genre: Psychedelic, Stoner, Drone, Doom, Experimental

Reminds me of: rare 1970's home-recorded psychedelic / folk LPs, Pink Floyd, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Season of Decay / The Humble Titan single

Release Date: August 13, 2013

Interview with Ron (featuring a dozen or so other links)

Ice Dragon on facebook

INTERVIEW WITH RON ROCHONDO (Ice Dragon, Tentacle, et al.)

Live at Scion Rock Fest @ Club 152, Memphis, Tennessee.

That's Ron on the mic.  The being composed entirely of light in the

back is new drummer, Brad.

For regular readers, it's no secret that I have a borderline sexual crush on the band Ice Dragon, their pure, no-bullshit artistry, their work ethic and their beards.  Read on and you'll understand that their approach to being a band is just about as "pure" and "no-bullshit" as it gets.  No long preambles here, let's just get started ...

Hey Ron, it’s nice to chat with you.  Recently you played the Scion Rock Fest in Memphis with the likes of The Obsessed, The Gates of Slumber, Pallbearer, Subrosa and Inter Arma.  That was an amazing line-up.  So of course I’d like to know if you got to hang out with Wino, and is it an experience you’d like to repeat, playing festival shows or traveling other places?

AHOY MATEY! Indeed, we just had an amazing experience down in Memphis, TN. The line-up at 152 (the club we played at) was KILLER. Wino was around but I actually didn’t get to talk to him. Sigh. Maybe next time. Most of these dudes just chill out and hide somewhere until it’s go time. I spent very little time in the “green room”/band area too, so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it. I like chillin in the bar with the people, mixing it up a bit you see, like the common folk. haha. I was talking to these real nice people at one point in the night and they needed a few signatures to round out a band’s record they bought so I told them I would walk them up to the band area and they could ask. They were really stoked about that, I got them some free beers too and they were even more stoked. I got to talk to Reed Mullin in the hotel bar at like 2 in the morning, he was incredibly cool. I was insanely drunk and more than likely made a huge ass out of myself. I remember I kept telling him that I used to listen to CoC while doing my paper route. I don’t think he really understood the significance of it, haha. They were one of the bands that had a huge influence on me, and listening on my paper route means I listened to them for like an hour and half or so every morning 7 days a week. That’s what I meant, but it probably just came out like “I UESED TO JAYM TO U DUDEZ ON MY PAPEUR ROUTE MAN! I LOVE YOU! BURRRP”. You win some you lose some. I’d do it all over again in a second.

Haha, Isn't that what anyone would do in that situation?  Okay, now the interrogation begins … what were you up to before Ice Dragon?  Mostly just reading comics and biding your time before world domination? ...

My favorite comics growing up were mostly Marvel stuff, like X-Men and Wolverine. I do remember being overly into the The Infinity Gauntlet series and Thanos though. I love Thanos. The other big one would be Lobo for sure. My brother is 6 years older than me and he always had cooler comics like Lobo laying around, so I got to steal them. Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters. I used to make a ton of electronic music, not like techno dancy stuff, more like idm and shit. I was addicted to videogames for most of my early life and now I don’t own a single one. Haven’t since I was about 22-23 or so I think.

I like comics.  Tell me a bit about the formation of Ice Dragon and what, if anything, was the original mission statement of the band.  How has that changed in the meantime?

It started off as just Carter and I doing weird stupid shitty music together in his living room. Then we were like “we should maybe get some other musicians so this doesn’t sound so weird stupid and shitty”. Then we got a drummer and bassist and turned it into a real band. All growns up. I think we still pretty much keep to the original idea though, which was to be weird and make music we could be happy about. Not just make music in a certain scene or genre. You know how some guys are like “we should start a doom band man”. We didn’t do that, it just sort of mutated into something sort of like that, and we aren’t very doomy even now I think. We just wanted to make music together and I think we still do a good job of that. I hope we do anyway.

What if anything precipitated the rapid acceleration of releases from the end of 2011 through to today?  From what I understand the band kind of stopped giving a shit about playing live and started focusing on jamming and recording at home all the time.  What led to the decision?

Basically it all came from getting together every Friday night. It’s more of just a buddies night kinda thing, drink beers with your friends and make some music in between arguments over outer space and which 70’s band has a better bassist or something. Carter only drinks Corona, Joe and I drink Miller Lite usually. We get subs. So yeah, if you hang out every Friday and turn on a recorder you’re bound to end up with something I guess. Playing live around town mostly blows, so we got really bored of that really fast. Recording is where it’s at.

You recruited a new member (drummer Brad) in order to do the Memphis show.  Is he a permanent fixture now?  How many goats were sacrificed during his initiation?  How has his presence changed the dynamics of the band in regards to writing and recording?

Brad is good friends with the dudes in Pilgrim, so we got to know him through them. He’s a ridiculously good drummer and a nice guy to hang out with, which is VERY important to us. We hope he hangs out for a good long while. Having an actual “drummer” is very nice indeed. It makes everything much more of a band sound, ya know? Less studio-y. So we’re gonna roll with that from here on out and try and make some killer new albums. Possibly even play a few more shows too. Me and him shared a room in Memphis and I got hammered and started running around the hotel trying to outwit the security guards at like 3am, going up and down the elevators you see, they go up...you go down. So I lost track of him and went into the room eventually but I locked the door and he couldn’t get in. I wound up with a text message the next day from 3:33am that just said “I HATE YOU”. Haha. Eventually I woke up and let him in though, the baby. It was only like an hour he was out in the hall.

'Dream Dragon'

I wonder, looking back in hindsight, what the difference is between an album such as ‘Dream Dragon’ and a side-project such as Slow Heart.  In other words, was an album like ‘Dream Dragon’ simply a case of exercising a wild hair while a side-project like Slow Heart is more a case of getting out some long-term inspiration?  Or was it simply a matter of one thing sounding so unlike Ice Dragon that it needed its own name?  Or something else?

Slow Heart

Yeah I think you hit the nail on the head there. We were going to just change our name to “Dream Dragon” when we made that album and then only make soft dreamy music. That would have been kinda funny. Looking back now we probably should have just had Slow Heart be an Ice Dragon album too, but c’est la vie. It was drastically different than everything we were doing at the time, so figured we’d make a side project. We all thought it was going to be the biggest thing ever but no one seemed to really be all that into it except for the reviewers. Oh well. We thought everyone would hate Dream Dragon and that is about ready to pass The Burl in downloads from the Bandcamp. Shows how much we know.

Typically, do you plan your next move, such as “okay, now we’re going to work on a new Tentacle album.  Next month it’s Slow Heart time …” and so on, or do you fly by the seats of your collective pants letting the muse dictate the direction of the band?

We do a bit of both really. It usually starts with one or two tracks that we just happen to stumble upon through jamming and then that dictates what we’re going to do for the next few months. Once we get a good idea of what the feel or concept for the album is going to be, then it gets fun. We love that part, and that’s why it usually happens real fast from there on out.

What’s next for the band(s)?  Any upcoming releases you’d like to tease or give release dates for? ;)  Are you personally looking to get more into the film/video side of things in the future?

We are very very much looking forward to getting back into our usually recording cycle. We’ve been just practicing for the Scion gig the last few months. There’s definitely an album’s worth of tracks nearing completion though, which is odd, but who knows if all of them will make it through the final editing process. I think the next one will be more of the heavy psych vibe, long and weird tracks with super fuzzed out guitars. I’ve been getting really bored with mixing things the same old way so I’ve been trying to do some odd stuff. We’ll see what happens. No dates or names for anything yet. Sorry. I’ve always been very into film and making videos and things, but I’m poor, and they usually don’t go hand in hand. I had a pretty decent setup going for a while but then the camera broke on me and I couldn’t afford a new one for a long time. Recently my wife used some birthday money to get a new hd camera, so I’ve been getting back into it pretty heavy. Definitely want to do more and more, and I have the ideas, just have to find time. I work 9-5 m-f, so that doesn’t come by so easy.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, I really appreciate it.

Thank you very much man. Your blog is awesome and you are a great writer. Glad to be a part of it. 

Awesome, awesome, awesome.  Here's a buttload of links to chew on:

Ice Dragon on facebook

Ice Dragon's bandcamp page

Tentacle on facebook

Tentacle's bandcamp page

The Mangled Dead on facebook

The Mangled Dead's bandcamp page

Slow Heart on facebook

Slow Heart's bandcamp page

Velvet Robe on facebook

Velvet Robe's bandcamp page
Qosmic Qey on facebook

Qosmic Qey's bandcamp page

And me babbling on about what these guys get up to on the weekend:

Ice Dragon

Tome of the Future Ancients review

The Soul's Midnight EP review

Tentacle

Ingot Eye review

The Mangled Dead

Hate Humans review

Slow Heart

Dead Friends and Angry Lovers review

Hour of Power 04/27/13 (playlist)

1. Wizard of War (Orchid / Mouths of Madness) 2013
2. Into Her Grave (Vidunder / ST) 2013 ***
3. Kvelertak (Kvelertak / Meir) 2013
4. Vacio (Chinaski) 2013
5. Steak 'Corned Beef Colossus' EP teaser - 2013
6. Goodbye Gemini (Blood Ceremony / The Eldritch Dark) 2013
7. Kingdom of Others (Death Ape Disco / Supervolcano) 2013
8. From the Woods (Black Moth Cult / The Fountain of Tantric Worship) 2013
9. Hand of Lucifer (Doublestone / ST) 2013
10. Secret of the Fox (Half Gramme of Soma / ST) 2013
11. Forever High (Orange Blossom Jam / Mystic Jar of Doom) 2013
12. Hexagon Riders (Ice Dragon / The Burl, The Earth, The Aether) 2010 * 'classic' video *
13. Mirrors (Romannis Mötte) 2013

*** special thanks to Captain Beyond Zen for this video

Hour of Power 04/20/13 (playlist)

1. Stone (Alice in Chains / The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here) 2013
2. Greyblackfalconhawk (Ice Dragon / Greyblackfalconhawk) 2012
3. Kings Highway [live] (Scorpion Child) 2013
4. Together Again - Black Sabbath promo clip 2013
5. God is Dead? (Black Sabbath / 13) 2013
6. Unspoken (Kylesa / Ultraviolet) 2013
7. ... And Death Rides With Us (Temptations Wings / Legends of the Tusk) 2013
8. Brother Death (Zodiac / ST) 2013
9. Keyhole / Inner Saturn (Shinin' Shade / SAT-URN) 2013
10. Wheeling Dervish (Romero / Take the Potion) 2013
11. Closer (Traveling Circle / Escape From Black Cloud) 2012

Ice Dragon - The Soul's Midnight (album review)

What began as a stolen weekend night of mead-drinking ended up, through a few twists and turns, as a four song EP by none other than the band Ice Dragon.  Trying to predict the band's next move is like trying to predict the movements of a wild animal:  there are certain paths or directions one might expect the band to head down based on their history, but when and which one remain forever shrouded in mystery, as it should be.  Usually they blaze their own trail, confounding many, but always earning well-deserved respect and converting a few new believers along the way.

It would be unfair to call 'The Soul's Midnight' a return to form but it is a return to more familiar territory in the wake of the group's last two efforts, 'Greyblackfalconhawk' and the double sided single "Season of Decay" backed with "The Humble Titan".   The former traveled a depressed and anxious noiscape of drone while the latter displayed touches of shoegaze pop.  'The Soul's Midnight' largely shoos away those melancholic vapors and doffs the impenetrably dark glasses for a spaceman's visor.

One night, the band released a single on their bandcamp page called "The Soul's Midnight".  The accompanying facebook message pleaded for friends and fans alike to take them seriously:

We just finished a great bottle of homemade mead, given to us from our friends in the band Merlin. We can't figure out how to tag them because we're drunk. Anyway we made a new song too and rather than be assfaces and give a "release date" and leak the cover art and tracklisting and all that stupid bullshit bands do nowadays. HERE YOU GO. It's free. Don't make fun of us if it sounds bad, please. We made it tonight. We're drunk.

Later the band re-mixed the song while high:

So, we made a HIGH version of "The Soul's Midnight". The original is still on there and that is now the drunk version. We're not "signed" so we can do whatever the hell we want, and this is what we want. We hope you want it too.

Later still, the band re-recorded the song altogether and that third version is now the official version one finds on the bandcamp album page.  The new version features cleaner and more lively vocals with a less murky sound.  This mead-inspired song is a slow ride down a dark tunnel.  Echoed and ghostly vocals, deep toned low end rumbling, esoteric background noises and slow and deliberate drumming.  To these ears it's the closest thing to the classic Ice Dragon sound the band has unleashed since 'Tome of the Future Ancients' dropped a year ago.  In between the band has released a total of 8 albums, EPs and/or singles, in various incarnations, exploring the far corners of the musical world without ever repeating a step in the process.  This one trips out beyond the pale and into the cosmos.

Similarly, the next track "Understanding Ouroboros" has a somewhat less straight forward history of its own. It was originally released October 20th of last year as part of the A Gallery of Rogues II free compilation on Thrashead's bandcamp page.  Near as I can tell there are no differences between the version that appears on 'The Soul's Midnight' and 'Gallery of Rogues' aside from a superior mixing job with a re-imagined emphasis on guitar.  This song was added to what was "The Soul's Midnight" single soon after the "Get High Version" appeared.  Again, it's closer to classic Ice Dragon with those ghostly and mournful vocals taking center stage and a terrific crash-led drum riff.

"Stellar Door" and "Winterwind" were then added to the mix and the "Get High Version" removed to finally turn "The Soul's Midnight" into a four-track EP, but even then, that wasn't the end of the story.  With "Stellar Door" Ice Dragon succeeded not only in planting a brilliant and beautiful image in the listener's collective heads, they somehow truly captured the spirit of what such a heavenly object might actually sound like with swirling static.  It's a stunning however necessary narrative step to get to the final statement of the EP, "Winterwind".  Like the other three vocal tracks on this EP "Winterwind" has been given the re-touch treatment.  From facebook:

Joe said that the only album I could get all George Lucas-y on was "the soul's midnight" since it was weird to begin with. So I've been messing around. Winterwind is much cooler now I think. Fits that 3'oclock mood. I hear those bells all the time.

The differences are noticeable right off the bat.  Where the original version feeds back to open the song, the "George Lucas-y" version fades in slowly during the feedback emphasizing guitar once again in the mix.  The drums are muted, especially cymbals in the new mix, with the drums possibly even having been re-recorded. If Ice Dragon only accomplish a single thing with this EP and it's multifarious forms it's the importance of mixing and mastering.  Importance is the wrong word, but they show the listener what mixing means to a song, how the slightest change can alter the mood of a work, vividly.

The original "The Soul's Midnight" (now the "Drunk Version") and the "Get High Version" along with the original "Winterwind" should now be considered Ice Dragon relics, collectors items, if you'd like to call them such.  They would make for excellent box set material in the future.  (Dear Lord in Heaven, if you exist, please allow your agent Satan to unleash an Ice Dragon box set on the pitiless ruins of the future.)

It's a testament to this band's work ethic (and my own sloth-like pace as a reviewer) that they have already put out two new EPs since the release of 'Soul's Midnight' (one as Tentacle, the other as The Mangled Dead).  'The Soul's Midnight' has a story to tell, both in the real world and in the world it creates.  It seems Ice Dragon have taken the best part of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Jupiter and Beyond) and turned it into this EP.

Highlights include: "Understanding Ouroboros" and "The Soul's Midnight"

Rating: 4/5

Total Run Time: 23:00

Ron Rochondo - Vocals, Synths, Drums
Duane Carter - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Other Etc.
Joe Confalone - Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Other Etc.

From: Boston, Massachusetts

Genre: Rock, Stoner, Doom, Sludge, Drone, Experimental, Psychedelic

Reminds me of: Soul Thief, 2001: A Space Odyssey

Release Date: January 11, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: walk through glowing shimmering heavenly doorways into ...

Better Review:
Temple of Perdition

Ice Dragon facebook

Hour of Power 02/23/13 (playlist)

Once again, maybe the best HoP yet.  A whole bunch of new videos and new songs premiered this week but not Ice Dragon's "Season of Decay". This fan made video was made a couple weeks ago but was uploaded to youtube just this week so it starts this week's playlist.  The release of Beastwood's 'Alabama Space Witch' is right around the corner so what better way to commemorate the occasion than by showing the brand new video clip of the opening song, "Galactic Bison"?  Kadavar's "All Our Thoughts" video was shot on a phone camera and took roughly half a year to edit.  Now we reap the benefits of all that hard work.  The Brimstone Days shoot all of their music videos in a single camera / single take fashion with no need for lengthy editing sessions, their new one premiered this week and it is memorable.  Australian paisley pop psych outfit Ride Into The Sun have a new single coming out soon, the video for "Hunt Like Wolves" is actually a couple weeks old but slipped under the radar until it showed up in my inbox.  Great stuff.  As is Newcastle-Upon-Tyne quintet Druganaut's compelling album teaser video "Sober Again".  Pittsburgh doom veterans Dream Death's new album comes out the same day as Beastwood's, February 26, and they have released the song "Feast" as a preview which, judging from comments, is catching on like wildfire, much as it should.  As always the Hour of Power is rounded out by highlights of the week's posts, great songs from Palm Desert, DemonAuta, Aleph Null, Crag Dweller, Black Overdrive and Hellryde Inc., in that order.  Maybe a bit static with the imagery but the soundtrack is guaranteed to get your blood moving.  Thanks to all the musicians, readers and browsers for making this another terrific week at PH!

1. Season of Decay (Ice Dragon / single) 2012
2. Galactic Bison (Beastwood / Alabama Space Witch) 2013
3. All Our Thoughts (Kadavar / ST) 2012
4. What Do You Want (The Brimstone Days / On a Monday Too Early To Tell) 2012
5. Hunt Like Wolves (Ride Into The Sun / single) 2013
6. Sober Again (Druganaut / TBA) 2013
7. Feast (Dream Death / Somnium Excessum)2013
8. Acid Phantom (Palm Desert / Rotten Village Sessions) 2013
9. Hacia el 6to Sol (DemonAuta / Caminando en la Luna) 2013
10. Mars Father (Aleph Null / Belladonna EP) 2013
11. Gotta Have It (Crag Dweller / Magic Dust) 2012
12. Misery Mountain (Black Overdrive / ST) 2012
13. Piss Me Off (Hellryde Inc. / Hellryde Incorporated) 2012

Hour of Power 01/26/13 (playlist)

Highlights from the week of 01/20/13 - 01/26/13

This week's Hour of Power continues the precedent that has been established recently with a quartet of new and official video clips.  Aleph Null returned this week after a year's absence to unleash their second heavy helping and released their video for "Belladonna Wreath".  Mothership's "City Nights" was premiered on The Soda Shop.  While The Black Angels and Blacktones also premiered new music videos this week.  From Boston, Black Pyramid also shared a new song from their upcoming album on Soundcloud which was uploaded by Doom Lord while Ice Dragon very quietly expanded their "The Soul's Midnight" single into a 4 song EP and the Doom Lord returned as his alter ego 666MrDoom to upload the new track "Winterwind" with lyrics.  The Hour of Power cruises into overdrive with a trio of highlights from the mere three reviews featured on the blog this week while the hour comes to a stunning conclusion with Black Widow.  I was shocked and saddened this week when news came out about Clive Jones of Black Widow being very ill.  This just days after mentioning the band in a post here on the blog (a free CD to the first person to comment on the bottom of this page with the correct corresponding post).  I posted a video of "Come To The Sabbat" on my facebook wall then promptly messaged him to let him know I cared and that my thoughts were with him.  He replied with the suggestion that I check out the song that closes out this playlist, "Hail Satan" from Black Widow's most recent album 'Sleeping With Demons', featuring Tony Martin (ex-Black Sabbath).  Enjoy ...

1. Belladonna Wreath (Aleph Null / Belladonna EP) 2013
2. City Nights (Mothership / ST) 2012
3. Don't Play With Guns (The Black Angels / Indigo Meadow) 2013
4. Our God (The Blacktones / Distorted Reality EP) 2012
5. Onyx And Obsidian (Black Pyramid / Adversarial) 2013
6. Winterwind (Ice Dragon / The Soul's Midnight EP) 2013
7. Matterhorn (Egypt / Become The Sun) 2012
8. Deja Vu (The Gentlemen Bastards / ST) 2012
9. Out of Focus (Blue Cheer / Vincebus Eruptum) 1968
10. Hail Satan (Black Widow / Sleeping With Demons) 2011

Hour of Power 01/12/13 (playlist)

Highlights from the week of 01/06/13 - 01/12/13

1. Earth Rocker (Clutch - Earth Rocker) 2013
2. Soul Scour (Balam - ST) 2012
3. Hollow (Alice in Chains - single) 2013
4. The Soul's Midnight (Ice Dragon - single) 2013
5. White Hoarhound (Alunah - White Hoarhound) 2012
6. Navigating on the Seas of Dementia (A Very Old Ghost Behind The Farm - split w/ Wheelfall) 2012
7. Fusion (John Gallow [of Blizaro]) 2013
8. Deep Waters (Dryasdust - ST Demo) 2012
9. The Color Out of Space (From Beyond - The Color Out of Space EP) 2012

2012 Chronicle (Year in review) part 7 - Best of July

July 2 - Beaumont Livingston (Heavens & Fantasies)

July 3 - WITCHSORROW (God Curse Us) - Crushing, devastatingly slow doom from the UK.  There's plenty to love about this album, from memorable hooks to horror film atmospherics and downtuned riffs that lift the listener up only to crash them back down with tremendous impact.  Get it here.  Highlights include "Breaking The Lore" and "God Curse Us".  Rating 4/5

July 9 - Occult Wisdom (ST Demo)

July 9 - Wight (Through the Woods Into Deep Water)

July 10 - ICE DRAGON (Dream Dragon) - Ice Dragon's second full-length album of 2012 (but not their last) was their first overtly psychedelic album.  Listening to this for the first time was like a psychedelic experience in itself.  I was struck speechless, awestruck, flabbergasted.  The most impressive thing about this album was its authentic 60s feel, with some 70s moments like "Beard of Thieves", "Maximum Trip" and "More Than I Can Say For You" to name a few.  But songs like "Dreamliner" and "Dream Dragon" were right out of the 60s.  A perfect combination of my favorite genres and eras of music.  Pay what you want on Bandcamp. Highlights include "Dreamliner" and "Maximum Trip".  Rating 5/5

July 10 - Kadavar (ST)

July 11 - Engines of Ruin (Electric Weaveworld single)

July 13 - Serenity Broken (Commercial Suicide)

July 16 - Pet The Preacher (The Banjo)

July 17 - Glitter Wizard (Horses)

July 17 - TOMBSTONES (Year of the Burial) - I don't know why I did, but I took a flyer on this one and bought it without hearing it first.  It was a gamble that payed off.  Perfect fuzzy stoner doom riffs as heavy as the band's namesake dropping on your head.  Get your copy here, if you like colossal doom riffs you won't be sorry.  Highlights include "Sabbathian" and "Unveiling".  Rating 4.5/5

July 18 - Fellwoods / Ice Dragon split 7" single (streaming)

July 18 - Wolf Lord (Krixes)

July 20 - Laser Flames on the Great Big News (Lambs to the Slaughter)

July 20 - SOUNDCRAWLER (The Sandcrawler) - This French stoner grunge band was a complete surprise to me.  I didn't like them at first.  Then I gave them another chance and they blew my mind.  This is one of the best EPs of the year and it's a mystery why they have so few 'likes' on Facebook.  I bet we can do something about that, hm?  Just listen to this masterpiece on the link below, if you like stoner rock through a grungy lens you will not be disappointed.  I had an "oh wow" moment with this one too when I listened to "My Mind Is Going Away" on my headphones at work while watching a lightning storm.  Perfect stuff.  Name your price on Bandcamp.  Highlights include "The Sandcrawler" and "My Mind Is Going Away".  Rating 4.5/5

July 23 - Hazarder (Against His-Story, Against Leviathan!)

July 24 - ABRAHMA (Through the Dusty Paths Of Our Lives) - Yet another terrific entry from France and yet another excellent album from Small Stone records.  I talked about this one briefly before.  The Vodun suite in the middle of this album is a mini rock opera of dark and epic proportions.  Abrahma were once called Alcohsonic and their sound is now more cosmic psychedelic but they still have terrific stoner chops.  Get it here.  Highlights include "Vodun pt. II - I, Zombie" and "Neptune of Sorrow".  Rating 4.5/5

July 24 - SPINE CHILLING BREEZE (Milky Way) - Another terrific Greek stoner rock band.  This album may have an inconsistent feel in places but it's loaded with individual songs that stick like peanut butter on the brain.  Fuzzy, melodic and catchy as hell.  Download it for free from the band's official page.  Highlights include "Murder" and "Something From Nothing".  Rating 4/5

July 24 - Sons of Otis (S E I S M I C)

July 26 - Hogg (.)

July 27 - Holy Grove (Demo 2012)

July 27 - SWEET LOVE (Motor) - This New England based band plays more straight up rock than stoner but has perhaps the thickest fuzziest guitar sound you will ever hear.  The vocals are akin to Velvet Underground era Lou Reed and it took me a hot minute to get used to them, but regardless, the tone here is absolutely addictive in the same way that the box is in Hellraiser.  Get yours here.  Highlights include "Black Hole" and "The Circle".  Rating 4/5

July 27 - Testament (Dark Roots of Earth)

July 29 - Iron Bird (Songs of Spite & Ire)

July 31 - Atomic Vulture (Demo 2012)

July 31 - Black Cowgirl (ST)

July 31 - CONAN (Monnos) - This was easily, without a doubt, my most highly anticipated album of 2012 and to top it off I had to wait til September to hear it because I was saving it for when the store got it in.  I wish I'd gotten it sooner but it was worth the wait.  Conan is the heaviest thing on six legs.  They crush with monster riffs, and they've got hooks too.  Get their debut full-length here.  Highlights include "Hawk As Weapon" and "Grim Tormentor".  Rating 4/5

July 31 - HOUR OF 13 (333) - Coming in at a close second for anticipation was Hour of 13's third album.  Well it wasn't what I was expecting, but it was what I was hoping for.  A darker vision from a demon haunted band.  The riffs are there, the hooks are there, the familiarity is there, but it is a different sounding record.  At first I wasn't sure, but as time wore on this album's play count confirmed it, this is the best Hour of 13 album yet.  And with the recent release of their new video this one stays current half a year later.  Well done.  Get it here.  Highlights include "Deny The Cross" and "Rite of Samhain".  Rating 4.5/5

July 31 - THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN (Buffalo) - Another one I bought on trust and the band came through.  The Kansas three-piece's second full length satisfies in ways I can't even describe.  Songs like "Henry", "Foxhole" and "Southern Belle" are just ... perfect.  I don't even have the words to describe.  Perfect stoner rock.  Get it here.  Highlights include "Southern Belle" and "Henry".  Rating 4/5

Best Album From July 2012:
'333' by HOUR OF 13

Best Song From July 2012:
"Breaking the Lore" by WITCHSORROW