2013 Chronicle (Year in review) part 10 - Best of September 2013

September 2 - Cult of the Headless Witch (ST)

September 3 - VISTA CHINO (Peace) - The band formerly known as Kyuss Lives! made their debut on this date.  Though it was a debut, it was easy to go in with a whole suite of set expectations, but to their credit, Vista Chino delivered an album that both pays homage (pun unintended) to the band's Kyuss roots and moves in an all-new direction.  This was the record that should by all rights have been the biggest let down of the year, and ends up an easy top 20 pick.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Dargona Dragona" and "As You Wish".  Rating 4.5/5

September 6 - Nonsun (Sun Blind Me)

September 6 - SINISTER REALM (World of Evil) - Shadow Kingdom Records rarely falters in their vision or their judgment, so you know what you were getting into here, old school metal touched by the hand of doom.  Vocalist Alex Kristof puts in a strong Dio-like performance while guitarists Risko & Kantner shred and the rhythm section creates a claustrophobic effect.  Good heavy old school doom right here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Cyber Villain" and "Dark Angel of Fate".  Rating 3.5/5

September 9 - BLOOD RED WATER (All the Ills of Mankind) - Italian sludge quintet Blood Red Water increased the stakes big time on their second E.P.  The follow-up to last year's 'Tales of Addiction & Despair' was still full of addiction & despair, only the intensity was increased a hundred fold with faster tempos and tighter grooves.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Bad Trip in a Toxic Mind" and "The Outstanding Loss".  Rating 5/5

September 11 - NYMF (From the Dark) - One of the best albums of the year, 'From the Dark' also happens to be one of the hardest to define by genre.  Niklas Sjoberg's vocals are mostly clean if forceful, but sometimes growl, the music mostly moves at a good pace with the force of a jackhammer but is also doomy in places.  I just call it good metal with cool lyrics about werewolf covens and vampires and stuff.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Fear of the Doom" and "Lucifer Takes the Crown".  Rating 4.5/5

September 11 - Sun of Man - (I)

September 13 - Exiles (Wreck)

September 13 - Shades of Deep Water (Waterways)

September 13 - YIDHRA (Hexed) - From L.A. but featuring a thick, filthy, very un-sunny sound the doom metal quintet Yidhra conjured their debut album on this date.  There's nothing cute or pretty about this 9-song collection of doomed death knells, just some extremely atmospheric tunes, thick like black attic mold.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Oath Breaker" and "Mai-Cob".  Rating 4.5/5

September 17 - SUBROSA (More Constant Than the Gods) - Utah's very own experimental doom quintet SubRosa has crafted the go to album to escape the traditional, the expected or the norm (however strange your norm may be). SubRosa push the sonic boundaries into the remote, into the timeless. Sarah Pendleton's violin has a lot to do with it, her highly atmospheric playing style suggests the sound of the future while conjuring images of a pirate-laden and enchanted past. 'More Constant Than the Gods' is a listening experience all its own.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Ghosts of a Dead Empire" and "Cosey Mo".  Rating 4/5

September 17 - Tombstone (Evil Seed single)

September 18 - PALM DESERT (Adayoff) - Recorded in a single marathon session, with much if not most of it improvised or composed on the spot in the studio, 'Adayoff' is a breezy EP that moves through track after track of loose stoner jams.  The "off-the-cuff" way it was put together is part of this E.P.'s haphazard charm.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Dusty" and "Among the Stones".  Rating 4/5

September 18 - WOODWALL (WoodEmpire) - Italian quartet Woodwall's full-length debut already made my dubious "didn't listen to enough" list, unfortunately, but I'm more than happy to rectify that as time trudges onward.  Certainly the most adventurous offering in the stoner / sludge category this year, 'WoodEmpire' is full to the brim with progressive movements, changing dynamics and strange ideas.  Get it here. Highlights include: "WoodEmpire" and "King Stuste".  Rating 5/5

September 20 - Alucarda (D.F.F.L.)

September 20 - Dead Meadow (Warble Womb)

September 24 - Olde (The Gates of Dawn)

September 24 - SASQUATCH (IV) - L.A.'s go-to fuzz rockers let loose their fourth album for Small Stone Records on this date.  What may seem unassuming on first listen soon takes hold of the listener and it isn't too long before you can't stop spinning the record.  Simply put, this is some top notch stoner rock.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "The Message" and "Smoke Signal".  Rating 4/5

September 24 - WINDHAND (Soma) - Arguably the biggest doom buzz band in the world of mainstream metal, Windhand's second album and first (full-length album) on Relapse Records had many scratching their heads wondering what all the fuss was about.  It's my assumption that these head scratchers never heard the band's self-released debut and so failed to see the band find their own identity and leave their own  mark on the genre.  'Soma' is an impressive six song collection which casts a dark light on all corners of Windhand's emerging identity while throwing all but the kitchen sink at the listener including the 30 minute-(over)long closer.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Woodbine" and "Orchard".  Rating 4/5

September 27 - Disenchanter (Back to Earth)


Best Album From June 2013:
'From the Dark' by NYMF

Best Song From June 2013:
"Woodbine" by WINDHAND

PARANOID Thoughts:

Female-fronted.  You read that two word phrase a lot these days.  "Female-fronted occult-based doom metal band ..." is becoming roughly as familiar a phrase as "... a mix of sun and cloud with a chance of showers ...".  The most remarkable aspect of it all remains the fact that it continues to be pointed out in the first place.  I, myself have been known to utter the phrase and it always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.  In my defense I would like to point out that I usually try to give a reader unfamiliar with a band at least an idea of what to expect from the vocals of ANY band, and if they are instrumental to point that out early in an article as well.  We all have different tastes, some like clean vocals, some don't, etc.  The truth is, the overwhelming majority of metal vocalists are men and I don't see that changing any time soon, so the fact that a band's vocalist is a woman remains an interesting one I suppose.

The issue here of course is the vague generalness of the term "female-fronted".  I'm not sure the phrase has any real meaning whatsoever, and does nothing to prove to me that such different sounding bands with such different vocal styles as say Jess & the Ancient Ones and Shroud Eater have anything in common at all.  What do Kylesa, Windhand & Seremonia have in common?  They are all bands and that's about the extent of it.

Below you'll find a list of my favorite lady singers whose bands released albums in 2013.

Top 10 Vocalists (Female):
1). Jex Thoth (Jex Thoth)
2). Alia O'Brien (Blood Ceremony)
3). Shelly Delbridge (Albino Python)
4). Jane Esther-Collins (Shinin' Shade)
5). Emily Kopplin (Mount Salem)
6). Darcy Nutt (Uzala)
7). Jean Saiz (Shroud Eater)
8). Dorthia Cottrell (Windhand)
9). Noora Federley (Seremonia)
10). Rebecca Vernon (SubRosa)

And just so the dudes don't accuse me of being a 'sexist', here's the men's list.  Some were selected for their singing chops, others for their incredible ability to pen unique and thought provoking lyrics, some even have both those things going for them.  Mostly it's whose words and whose voices that spun around my head in 2013.

Top 10 Vocalists (Male):
1). Marc Gaffney (Gozu)
2). Kevin Schindel (Neon Warship)
3). Aryn Jonathan Black (Scorpion Child)
4). Butch Balich (Argus)
5). Mark Weiner (Earthen Grave)
6). Dee Calhoun (Iron Man)
7). Phil Anselmo (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals)
8). Ron Rochondo (Ice Dragon / Tentacle / The Mangled Dead)
9). Steve Janiak (Devil To Pay)
10). Philip (Aleph Null)

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

E.P. Epidemic!

We're going to do something a little different here today.  We're going to talk about a few new things but we're also going to rectify a few mistakes / oversights and get around to featuring some bands that otherwise passed under the paranoid radar screen because I always emphasize albums here over E.P.'s.  Today's post is all about the extended play release.  I'm drowning in them over here and I wanted to share so many with you that I just decided to write them all up at once.  It's a regular EP-stravaganza!

***

CULT OF THE HEADLESS WITCH - ST (4 songs / 23:50) - This Swedish doom trio is actually without a full-time vocalist, at least for the moment.  For this, their debut self-titled E.P. they've enlisted the aid of Thomas "G.G." Eriksson who sings here in both English and in Swedish (on "En Ny Tid").

This is a band that prides itself on the melodic content of its songs and that comes through crystal clear as early as the first couple minutes of opening track "Ghost of the Headless Witch", an anthem of sorts for the band.  There is an emotive power which goes along with the melodic emphasis like hand in glove and leads to powerful dynamics.  The excellent news is that right now this sucker is available as a free no-questions-asked download on their bandcamp page.  If you're into Swedish doom, it's well worth a peek and a free download too.
From: Alingsås, Sweden.  Best song: "Master Your Fate".  Rating: 4/5



***

EXILES - Wreck (4 songs / 14:13) - The first of two doom rocking bands from the twin cities of Minnesota on this E.P. Epidemic express, Exiles just play some straightforward heavy rock n roll.  This quartet glories in the irresistible power of the riff and they can do it different ways.  While the opening cut, "SWB" is a dark and doomy rock n roll monsterpiece which brings to mind both Pentagram and Summoner, its follow-up "Black Candle" hearkens back to the days of the trio of 80's home state legends The Replacements, Husker Du and Soul Asylum.  "Supervolcano" is something of a meeting of the two styles.

This is a promising debut which puts a couple different styles on display, while emphasizing heaviness.  Exiles is available as a free download on bandcamp, or you can pay what you think is fair.
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Best song: "SWB".  Rating: 4/5



***

IRON & STONE - Maelstrom (5 songs / 22:17) - Iron & Stone is a heavy duo from Germany, that's the easiest way to say it.  While never truly settling on one sound, Iron & Stone usually take the heaviest, bluntest and most energetic path through stoner, doom, sludge and grunge territory.  Throughout the effort, a darkness, a kind of emotional suckerpunch curses the music with pain and sorrow while still remaining energetic, creating an intense, manic atmosphere through which doomed and tragic people move like ants plugging dams while the mound is attacked by unstoppable forces.

Psychedelic tendencies throw tendrils into the affair, latching on to the gears of a song like "Blizzard" and finding a comfortable home amid the thickly oiled heavy machinery.  With an in-your-face vocal approach courtesy of  Henning Lührig and an aggressive edge to the music, Iron & Stone make a strong impression and create a full listening experience with just 5 songs.  Once again this is available as a pay what you want download on bandcamp.
From: Hildesheim, Germany.  Best song: "Maelstrom".  Rating: 4/5



***

MEXICAN WEREWOLF - MXWF (5 songs / 17:40) - This Chi-town trio kicks out the jams until the heads cave in.  Hard, heavy and bludgeoning rock n roll with hardcore tendencies, Mexican Werewolf are aggression personified, which suits the name implicitly.  This band is all about extremity and momentum, pushing things to the limits but having enough sensitivity to understand where the borderline is between rock n roll excess and punk rock oblivion.  At the risk of sounding like a one note kind of band, 'MXWF' builds up a running head of steam on opening track "Villalobos" and carries it through the full 17 plus minutes of the release without fumbling.

This E.P. is available in a ton of different packages on bandcamp with the best being $4 for a CD, which is a dollar cheaper than the strict digital download set at $5 right now.
From: Chicago, Illinois.  Best song: "Villalobos".  Rating: 3.5/5



***

NIGHT DEMON - ST (4 songs / 13:55) - I'd be totally remiss not to give this band a solid plug on the blog here so it's great to finally rectify that omission.  By now, Night Demon is no secret, having been snatched up by megalithic proto-doom label Shadow Kingdom Records who re-mastered and released this gem on CD back in August.  At this point, we're waiting patiently for a full length and it's going to slay, there's no doubt about it.

Primitive metal is the name of the game here.  Priest, Maiden and Metallica (of the 'Kill 'em All' period) are done proud by this young Californian trio.  Let's be blunt here: this is what it's all about really.  If metal hadn't splintered off into the 36000 chambers of separate subgenre (usually differentiated by hairsplitting minutiae), so early into its history, every one of us would still spend more time listening to the original stuff than we would the new stuff, there's just not enough of it that's of this quality.  Night Demon's got you covered all the way around, old, new, high trustworthy quality, yes they've got it all.  You can listen to the stream on the player below, then pick up the CD from Shadow Kingdom Records online shop.
From: Ventura, California.  Best song: "Night Demon".  Rating: 5/5



***

Cover artwork by John Trimmer

OLDE GROWTH - OWL E.P. (4 songs / 18:57) - Here's another excellent E.P. from earlier in the year that I never got around to mentioning on this here blog.  What a crime, I must confess!  I ordered this extended play on CD and I promptly forgot all about once it arrived.  It's not the band's fault!  They've deserved a much better fate than that, and this is my chance at redemption.

'Owl' is terrific, moody doom with just the right touch of melody in the vocals.  This Bawston duo maintains a sludgy tone while always moving things along at a good pace.  They've played shows with some of my favorite underground bands (Balam, Destroyer of Light) and they compare well to fellow New Englanders, Curse the Son.  There are times on this E.P. where the band takes things in an old school metal direction but always manage to remain au courant.  At other times the tone and mood is so dark it's as unsettling as a horror soundtrack.  Olde Growth are the real deal.  Free download or pay what you want, I picked up the CD and it's also out on tape, all of which are available on bandcamp.
From: Boston, Massachusetts.  Best song: "Edge of the Sea".  Rating: 4/5



***

OXXEN - ST (3 songs / 23:35) - Chattanooga doom is here to slay!  Oxxen builds a wicked head of steam on their self-titled EP that brings to mind the busily pummeling fists of High on Fire.  And when those flying fiery fists hit the mind ... brains explode.  The trio of brains behind Oxxen whip their wildly thrashing mad scientist concoctions into a frenzy that remind this listener of Behold! The Monolith.  Ferocity, tenacity and truculence are the hallmarks of Oxxen, exuberance permeates the record.  At a glance, they appear to fit in nicely with the joint Portland, Oregon / Savannah, Georgia brands of stoner metal so popular with Metal Blade records right now.

Oxxen don't really do 'slow', not on this EP anyway, but they do do slightly less pummeling / a sliver of room to breathe quite well on 11 minute "Riddle of Steel".  They can also turn on a dime, switching gears so suddenly you'll think something went horribly wrong.  It didn't of course, no more horrible than going from punching the listener in the face to working the soft tissue of the body.  What Oxxen won't do on their self-titled EP is pummel the listener with gentle kisses.  'Oxxen' is available for $3 on bandcamp right now.
From: Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Best song: "Stoic Men Under Ancient Lord".  Rating: 4/5



***

PALM DESERT - Adayoff (6 songs / 28:37) - It wasn't enough for Palm Desert to have released one of the best albums of the year in 'Rotten Village Sessions', they had to go back into the studio and release a killer E.P. on top of it.  What separates this Polish stoner quartet from the pack is their looseness.  Palm Desert makes their hay with improvisation, rattling off fully realized songs with startling ease while casually throwing structure at riffs that doesn't sound planned or is made to look easy, but feels complete nonetheless.

The tag line that accompanies 'Adayoff' is "Took off: 2 songs, 3 riffs, 48 beers.  Landed with: 6 songs, 3 beers left, 1 EP" and that's the spirit of this thing.  At the end of the day, you'd be hard pressed to identify which songs and riffs they went into the studio with versus which ones were written off the drunken cuff.  I've always thought that you can see who a person really is when they're drunk.  Functional drunkenness isn't as easy as it sounds here, Palm Desert sound like the same band they always were.  'Adayoff' is waiting for you on bandcamp, the asking price is $3 for a digital download and $8 for a CD.  I grabbed myself a CD.
From: Wrocław, Poland.  Best song: "Dusty".  Rating: 4/5



***

SUMERU - ST (4 songs / 18:07) - I can't imagine a world in which you will hear the second track from this E.P., "Kingdom" and not fall in love with it.  Allow me to shamelessly label this as one of the best songs of the year.  Luckily it's abutted against three killer tracks that hold their own as well.  This Sydney, New South Wales based quintet is composed of veteran musicians from pieces of several other bands, the most well-known to me being Lomera.  Sumeru is it's own thing obviously but that calm confidence of experience shines through here.

Sumeru play tough-as-an-office-lady's-corns stoner rock with metal tendencies, somewhat like Down on uppers (if that's not too much of a conundrum to wrap your mind around).  They play with tempos and grooves the way Olympian gods toy with the fates of mortals and the results are equally entertaining.  Sumeru's self-titled E.P. is not to be missed, no, not by nobody.  This puppy is waiting for you on bandcamp at $3 Australian or you can get it on CD for $5 Australian.
From: Sydney, New South Wales.  Best song: "Kingdom".  Rating: 4.5/5



***

Cover artwork by Holly Axelrod.

WICKED INQUISITION - Silence Thereafter (4 songs / 15:52) - Minnesotans don't do compromise, not when it comes to their metal that is.  These four young dudes from Minneapolis / St. Paul get downright stubborn with their style of firebrand doom.  High energy seems to be a pre-requisite for Minnesotan metalheads, if nothing else it's a way to try to stay warm.  The metal is sharp-edged, the beer is golden and the tundra explodes at the coming of Wicked Inquisition.

The opening track "The Jester's Clown" has to be on the shortlist for best song of the year.  Headbanging commences immediately upon the arrival of the drums meeting the Sleep / Corrosion of Conformity style riff.  "Radius of Fear" scorches too, in a churning Saint Vitus kind of way.  Wicked Inquisition seems to have much goat-sacrificing respect for their elders and bring an old school approach to their doom.  It's face-ripping stuff.  'Silence Thereafter' is ready for you as a pay what you think is fair download on bandcamp right now.
From: Twin Cities, Minnesota.  Best song: "The Jester's Clown".  Rating: 4/5



***

There's still much more where this came from.  This was fun, let's do it again some time soon ...

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

Palm Desert - Rotten Village Sessions (album review)

Rough and red walls thrust upward, reaching with stumped cliffs toward a cloudless sky.  Bone-filled caves, patiently opportunistic carrion buzzards and octopedal insects the only companions to a wind-screamed lonesomeness.  'Rotten Village Sessions' is an evocation of the desert through the medium of the fuzzbox.

While it may or may not be fair to claim that Palm Desert's latest offers nothing new to the genre of fuzz / stoner / desert rock (more on that front later, read on), it is fair to say that they are standing confidently and competently astride the shoulders of giants, having learned their lessons well from the towering figures of the genre.  There ain't nothing wrong with that, not at all.  They have perfectly captured the desert rock sound, including the loose feeling of Kyuss and Desert Sessions albums granting the music an organic quality, as though each composition has a life of its own that the band does not even try to control or stand in the way of.  They are like the classic writers of a bygone age, receiving broadcasts from on high, merely recording divine communications.  Thankfully, Palm Desert's music does not run amok of the band and the songs are generally well behaved.  No section overstays its welcome even while each section of music is fully explored and exploited to fullest effect.

It's worth noting that the album was produced by the band's drummer / manager Kamil Ziolkowski who also does the cover photography and provides additional guitars.  The multi-talented Ziolkowski does a little bit of everything for the band and always seems to deliver the perfect funk-laced beat with the right balance of cymbal crashes.  As producer, always gets the most out of Jan Rutka's bass, whose thick and ropey tones become the focal point of the music, allowing Piotr Lacny's guitar to flow atop and paint pictures.  Ziolkowski is also the drummer for Polish sludge band O.D.R.A., whose 'Karl Denke Blües' album is monstrously good as well.

'Rotten Village Sessions' is full of highlights.  "Damn Good", "Down the Odyssey" and "Acid Phantom" all qualify as such and would be standout tracks on most albums in the genre, but it's the little moments that hook into me.  When I'm looking for something a little older to listen to years down the road, I'll remember this album.  I'll remember the fuzz and the aforementioned ropey bass and the tasteful use of crash but what will really stick out in my memory are the short sketchy interludes "Ghulassa Saloon" and "Orbitean".  I may not remember what they sound like, looking back years from now, but I will remember that they exist, that they are a part of this album, that they were little bursts of creativity that could not be left out of the sequencing.  I'll remember the idea of them and how they contributed immensely to the comfortably loose feel of the album.  These are balanced by the two long songs that bookend the album, "Down the Odyssey" and "White Wolf", all of which help remind the listener not to cage their creations.  If a song wants to be long, let it be long and if a thirty second drum clip finds its way onto the album, let it be.  And if there's still room left, tack on a nice bluesy acoustic riff with a slight country twang to close it out.  This album has a lot to say about how it's done and could be an invaluable lesson to other bands and musicians coming up, just saying.

If stoner / desert rock is what you're looking for, well ... you've just found it.  Palm Desert speak the language of stoner and desert rock fluently.  Kyuss-era Homme-an tone to the guitar and song structures with flights of epic fancy giving a great and greasy, loose feel to the recordings.  They've got cowbell in tasteful supply and floor tom marches with heavy crash.  They've got everything the stoner rocker is looking for and then some.  In the end, it may appear on the surface that Palm Desert's 'Rotten Village Sessions' is a typical stoner album, heavy on the crash and fuzz, paying endless tribute to the greats of the genre, but beneath the desert sand, just under the surface is something truly unique.  It may take some digging, but that something will eventually emerge and stand fully revealed to the listener.  This band has heart and soul and I think it's fair to say that they are standouts within the genre.  This is a terrific album which starts strong and improves with every listen.

Highlights include: "Damn Good" and "Acid Phantom"

Rating: 4.5/5

Total Run Time: 47:31

From: Wrocław, Poland

Genre: Stoner Rock, Desert Rock

Reminds me of: DSW, Kyuss, Routes, The Shooters

Release Date: January 4, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Creating a makeshift desert in your backyard by spilling the sand from the sandbox and/or (unsoiled!) kitty litter, or failing that, evicting the children from the local park and wandering the playground searching hopelessly for water.

Better Review:
Ride With the Devil
Dr. Doom's Lair