2013 Chronicle (Year in review) part 8 - Best of July 2013

July 1 - Chili Cold Blood (And Now the Dawn)

July 2 - Pyres (Year of Sleep)

July 5 - GOATESS (ST) - Pure psychedelic doom.  The sum of Swedish quartet Goatess's debut was greater than its parts and made for one of the best debut records of the year.  Then again, it wasn't entirely unexpected as I can't see legendary vocalist Chritus being involved in anything that isn't great.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Eyes of Zamiel" and "Devil's Wind".  Rating 4/5

July 5 - TOMBSTONE (Where the Dead Belong) - Though the official release date for this one is in January, the album was available for streaming only for months, it wasn't made available to download until this date.  In the end, it was a terrific collection of stoner blues riffs in the Church of Misery mold and a light years leap forward from their 2012 debut EP.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Werewolf" and "No Tomorrow".  Rating 4/5

July 6 - Black Majik Acid (ST)

July 6 - Ride Into the Sun (ST mini-LP)

July 8 - Corsair (Alpha Centauri)

July 9 - DIRTY STREETS (Blades of Grass) - The long awaited follow-up to this Memphis trio's excellent 'Movements' album displayed a soulful veneration of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and the J.B.'s while still sounding like back country cousins to the Black Keys.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Blades of Grass" and "Truth".  Rating 4.5/5

July 9 - EARTHEN GRAVE (ST) - What's not to love about this one?  Ex-Trouble man Ron Holzner, world-class violinist Rachel Barton Pine and a great vocalist in Mark Weiner help make Earthen Grave's debut on Ripple Music a winner.  Guitarists Jason Muxlow & Tony Spillman pile on the riffs like mashed potatoes while Barton Pine pours on the gravy.  This album would be a stand out any year in any era.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Earthen Grave" and "Death is Another Word".  Rating 5/5

July 9 - SHROUD EATER (Dead Ends EP) - Florida sludge metal trio Shroud Eater ripped faces on their third official release.  Power packed doom grooves and aggressive vocals set a tone that sticks to you like a sweaty t-shirt in a mosh pit.  This five song EP proves why Shroud Eater are among the leading [piercing] lights of Southern Sludge.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Tempest" and "Sudden Plague".  Rating 4.5/5

July 16 - PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS (Walk Through Exits Only) - Pantera / Down / Superjoint Ritual, etc. frontman Phil Anselmo's debut solo album was a remarkable work from a lifelong metal fan who simply wanted to add to his beloved music without repeating anything that had been done before.  No small task.  Well, the results speak for themselves as Phil Anselmo crafted a stunningly good metal album that simply defies subgenrefication.  It's all the more remarkable considering the 40-something year old had never really written music before.  That's not to downplay the contributions of his backing band, called 'The Illegals' for this particular release.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Walk Through Exits Only" and "Battalion of Zero".  Rating 4.5/5

July 16 - Trouble (The Distortion Field)

July 18 - BORRACHO (Oculus) - D.C.'s resident stoner rock kingpins crushed with their first substantial offering of new material since 2011's critical darling 'Splitting Sky'.  Reduced to a power trio, the band nevertheless delivered a free-flowing album that is not only a worthy follow-up to their debut, but arguably surpasses it.  Get it here. Highlights include: "I've Come For It All" and "Empty".  Rating 4.5/5

July 21 - Fangs of the Molossus (ST)

July 21 - Sumeru (ST EP)

July 23 - CURSE THE SON (Psychache) - 'Psychache' was up for streaming on bandcamp for as many as 7 months before it was finally made available for download to the public on this date.  It took a hot minute for the album to catch on, but when it did it wouldn't let go.  Hands down Ron Vanacore's riffs and vocals and drummer Michael Petrucci's groovy-infested syncopation made this one of the year's top notch doom records.  It was later still pressed to vinyl and released by STB Records.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Spider Stole the Weed" and "Goodbye Henry Anslinger".  Rating 4.5/5

July 23 - MISS LAVA (Red Supergiant) - 'Red Supergiant' was actually released late in 2012 and flew completely under the radar until Small Stone Records caught wind of it, re-mastered it for more depth and re-released it on this date.  This is where you go when you're looking for a full album's worth of relentless stoner grooves.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Ride" and "Desert Mind".  Rating 4.5/5

July 24 - Wicked Inquisition (Silence Thereafter)

July 26 - Dozer (Vultures EP)

July 30 - HOLLOW LEG (Abysmal) - Florida sludge metal quartet Hollow Leg upped the ante in a major way on their second album, providing some of the most memorable moments in the genre all year.  They did this with riffs, memorable lyrics and bone splintering power grooves of atomic blowback proportions.  Seriously, don't let this one fly under your radar.  Original review here.  Get it here. Highlights include: "Ride To Ruin" and "Abysmal".  Rating 4.5/5


Best Album From June 2013:
'Psychache' by CURSE THE SON

Best Song From June 2013:
"Abysmal" by HOLLOW LEG

PARANOID Thoughts:

I've prepared a Top 20 Albums on the Rise list as a companion piece to last night's Top 20 I didn't listen to enough.  Most of the albums on this list I only just caught on to recently or was too busy focused on other albums to devote an appropriate amount of attention to until just recently, and some of them are re-discoveries of albums that simply slipped past me.  Basically, I'm trying to give as many deserving albums a share of the spotlight as possible.  These are all albums on the way up my lists ...

(Deep breath...) The Top 20 Rising Albums That Probably Would Have (or at least Might Have) Made the Top 100 of 2013 List if it was Published Two Months Later (now, exhale ..!):
1). Subrosa - 'More Constant Than the Gods'
2). Arrowhead - 'Atomsmasher'
3). Motörhead - 'Aftershock'
4). Blackwitch Pudding - 'Taste the Pudding'
5). Black Majik Acid - ST
6). Sangoma - 'Diviner'
7). Gaggle of Cocks - 'Low Class Trendsetter'
8). Bayou - ST
9). Zemial - 'Nykta'
10). Eye - 'Second Sight'
11). Fuzz - ST
12). Slasher Dave - 'Spookhouse'
13). Bardo Pond - 'Peace on Venus'
14). Stoned Cobra - 'High & Mighty'
15). Cokegoat - 'Vessel'
16). Doomriders - 'Grand Blood'
17). Earth Witch - 'Earth Bound' EP
18). Foghound - 'Quick, Dirty & High'
19). Ride Into the Sun - ST mini-LP
20). Djinn & Miskatonic - 'Forever in the Realm'*

*Looks like this project may now be defunct according to bassist Jayaprakash Satyamurthy.

Hour of Power 09/14/13 (playlist)

1. The Hunter (Black Rainbows / Holy Moon EP) 2013
2. Black Core (NYMF / From the Dark) 2013
3. Voices (Alice in Chains / The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here) 2013
4. Monkey City (General / Where Are Your Gods Now) 2012
5. Truckfighters 'The Chairman' EP Teaser 2013
6. This Train Won't Stop [live @ The Vogue 08/11/13] (Devil To Pay / Fate Is Your Muse) 2013
7. The Mangled Dead [live @ Radio Downstairs 08/30/13] 2013
8. Death is Another Word ... (Earthen Grave / ST) 2013
9. The End of Time (Moonbow / The End of Time) 2013
10. Blades of Grass (The Dirty Streets / Blades of Grass) 2013
11. Cloud 9 (Motordrone / ST) 2013
12. Never Liked You (Luder / Adelphophagia) 2013
13. The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret (Queens of the Stone Age / Rated R) 2000 'classic clip'

DIrty Streets - Blades of Grass (album review)

I posted a rant last night subtitled "What is wrong with radio".  The Dirty Streets are yet another perfect example of what is wrong with radio.  Their absence from its tinny airwaves practically defines the argument.  This Memphis based outfit cuts three minute hard rock songs like a trio of restless pharmacists and yes, the pills they create are habit forming.  Don't be surprised if they rattle in your pocket.

On their latest full-length, 'Blades of Grass', The Dirty Streets light their riffs in the aquamarine tints of bluegrass.  Twanging hints of it sway in the powerful breeze of most of the eleven tracks on the album.  It's a throwback kind of sound, or more accurately, one that never dies.  What isn't highlighted by a folky corn pone accent is draped in the silky smooth ghost of Sam & Dave, Booker T & the MG's or even the JB's.  This is rock n roll, soul was just another name for it and a particular style in the mid 1960's.  You don't hear too many great blue eyed soul bands these days, but The Dirty Streets hold their own with the likes of The Small Faces.  This comparison is apt in the soulful crooning of both "No Need To Rest" and its immediate follow-up, the country / quasi-mystic "Movements #2" and especially on mod / soul / psych head nodder "Truth".

That all said, what comes across, loudly and clearly is that this is a band that has done it's homework.  A band that loves doing homework, matter of fact.  A band that doesn't limit itself to one genre or one era of musical exploration.  The heavy-handed guitar picking spirit of Leadbelly stops by for a drink, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding come around to shoot the shit.  Iggy, The Stooges, the MC5 and the Flamin' Groovies return from the liquor store with a couple extra goodies scored in the parking.  Hell, even Spencer Davis and Stevie Winwood drop by occasionally at the apartment these guys share with contemporaries The Heavy Eyes on their way to a Black Keys show.  Above all else however is the presence of the riff in all its sunbursted glory.

The basis of Dirty Streets music is the funky, groovy riff and on that front, this band is one of the best in the business.  All the country twanging folky soulfulness that floats about is so much dressing around the big heavy riff.  There are too many great ones on 'Blades of Grass' to mention, just understand that this album is a riff-o-rama from beginning to end.  No surprise there for those who are familiar with their previous album, 'Movements' (I still haven't heard their first album 'Portrait of a Man', but I'll just go right ahead and assume it's equally riff-tacular).  The title track is a good place to start when looking for a first song to check out, its follow-up "Keep an Eye Out" is no backwards step in quality either.  If this band steps backward it's only to build up a head of steam to strut five steps forward.

Collectively, 'Blades of Grass' is a strutting journey around their hometown, absorbing along the way the rich musical heritage of Soulsville, USA.  After last night's rant, it's nice to follow up with a review of an album that will restore your faith in music and its continuing possibilities.  It's no easy feat to take something old and make it feel exciting, fresh and new all over again.  This is a stunning album.  Recommended for all.

Highlights include: "Blades of Grass" and "Truth"

Rating: 4.5/5


Tracklist:
1). Stay Thirsty (3:28)
2). Talk (3:49)
3). No Need To Rest (3:24)
4). Movements #2 (3:06)
5). Try Harder (3:37)
6). Blades of Grass (3:44)
7). Keep an Eye Out (3:17)
8). Heart of the Sky (3:52)
9). Truth (4:35)
10). Twice (2:45)
11). I Believe I Found Myself (3:26)
Total Run Time: 38:57

From: Memphis, Tennessee

Genre: Rock, Soul, Blues, Psychedelic

Reminds me of: Ape Skull, Black Crowes, Five Horse Johnson, The Heavy Eyes, Small Faces

Release Date: July 9, 2013

The Dirty Streets on facebook

GET IT HERE

ITEM! Heavy Eyes, Dirty Streets, Mexicoma & Cortez releases on Bilocation Records

Recently, The Heavy Eyes' 'Maera' album ranked at the number 71 slot on the most played albums of 2012 list on this blog. That may not sound all that impressive at first glance, but when you factor in that it only saw a digital release with under three weeks to go in the year, it gives an idea as to how this record stormed in like a hurricane and bowled me over. I gave it a 5 out of 5 rating in my review and to this very day you can find it lurking around the top 10 albums in the Doom Charts.  Well now it's being released on vinyl and Kozmik Artifactz and Bilocation Records are giving Paranoid Hitsophrenic readers a chance to pre-order it!

Couple that with the fact that the label is also releasing one of the best albums from 2011 that I didn't have, 'Movements' by The Dirty Streets and I was excited to see this email.  If nothing else, it gave me the perfect excuse to finally grab 'Movements' up and strike it off my wishlist.

Not to be outdone however, Mexicoma, those Stoner doomer Swedes are also seeing the vinyl release of their first official, eponymous LP.  And Boston's balls out rockers Cortez are seeing their self-titled album released on CD.  A power packed lineup of four terrific bands that I for one will definitely vouch for.

Read all about it from the press release:

Kozmik Artifactz & Bilocation Records releases!!

we are proud to announce that the pre-sale has started of the following vinyl releases:

THE HEAVY EYES - Maera LP

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ARTIFACT #11
Release date: late February

PRESS CLIPS

People, this is an album chock full of fuzzed out tones, echoed vocals and stop/start beats that likely would have been on quite a few “best of” lists had it not been released at the ass end of 2012. Listening to The Heavy Eyes is like a hallucination for the ears. You can take my word for it…the psychedelic blues of this Memphis trio will send you from Beale Street to oblivion…and that’s an experience that is not to be missed.
- HEAVY PLANET

The Heavy Eyes are an up and coming stoner/ blues rock band hailing from Memphis, Tennessee. These guys go back to the essence of the late 60's and early 70's to create their own distinct sound; Somewhere between Five Horse Johnson, Radio Moscow and Led Zeppelin. The band's second full-length, Maera continues where The Heavy Eyes left off. Behind the colourful artwork lies a clearer sound, more organic songwriting and tons of killer groove. The whole thing is driven by a hypnotic psychedelic vibe (think Jimi Hendrix) that goes perfectly with the excellent vocals. I think The Heavy Eyes are currently one of the best new bands out there and their latest album kicks more ass than a whole temple of shaolin monks. Yes, you should hear it.
- STONEROBIXX

The Heavy Eyes play a groove-laden style of blues with a hard and heavy edge. There are no major departures on 'Maera' from the identity the band established for themselves on their self-titled debut. The Heavy Eyes find their groove on 'Maera' allowing the blues to wash over them in a rising tide of fuzz, riffs and crash.  I start to wonder if these lads are incapable of recording a bad song, I haven't heard one from them yet.  I'd be surprised if this and future albums don't gain the band a lot more attention above and below ground.  There are so many gigantic riffs on display on this album that taken as a complete work 'Maera' is truly staggering and definitely the best new blues/rock album I've heard since The Black Keys' 'The Big Come Up' way back when. Rating 5/5
- PARANOID HITSOPHRENIC

The Heavy Eyes are set to roll out the follow-up to their self-titled debut with Maera, a joy ride from start to finish. Keeping good on their roots of Memphis rhythm and blues, the band scratch and claw their way for the distortion pedal, as they crank the amp up to eleven. None may phrase it better than the band, who call themselves “psychedelic blues rock…similar to a skeleton driving a speed boat on a flaming Mississippi River headed back to 1969.” Rating 8,5/10
- BLUES ROCK REVIEW

VINYL FACTZ

- 200x black / 200x transparent yellow / 100x transparent blue
- transparent blue vinyl exclusively available from Kozmik Artifactz
- all high-quality heavy 180g vinyl pressed in Germany
- 300gsm glossy gatefold cover
- handnumbered 

TRACKS

Side A:
1. Levantado 3:36 
2. One Hand On The Buffalo 3:30 
3. Maggie 2:45 
4. These Men Are Wolves 2:47 
5. Mind 3:01 
6. Parado 3:53
SideB: 
7. The Times 3:11 
8. Abbé Faria 3:07 
9. Lately 3:25 
10. Goodnight 2:37 
11. Aplomado 9:56
Total 41:48 

The album is also available on CD!!

Listen to the album here:
http://theheavyeyesmemphis.bandcamp.com/releases


THE DIRTY STREETS - Movements LP

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ARTIFACT #8
Release date: 11.02.2013

Memphis TNs, Dirty Streets fuse rock, soul and the blues into a gritty attack of retro roots rock.

PRESS CLIPS

When the Streets take off on a solo, there's no jam-band exploration, just full-on grimy attack. And the rough, menacing guitar tone is matched by vocals that growl and bark beyond their age. 
- Chris Herrington, MEMPHIS FLYER

The first truly great "new" band to emerge from the Memphis scene in recent memory, this trio of teen and twenty-somethings conjure a mass of thick riffs and a hearty retro rumble...
- Bob Mehr, GO MEMPHIS

Vocalist Justin Toland has a voice that reminds me of a mix between Leslie West (Mountain), Burton Cummings (The Guess Who), and to a point, Sam Velde (Night Horse).  The vocals are certainly a strong point. They’re very soulful and full of energy and give Movements that extra element that can make or break an album. In this case it certainly makes it. Vocals aren’t everything though. The instruments are just as strong. Justin’s guitar is just as equally good, bassist Thomas Storz certainly can kick it with the best as you can hear some pretty mean riffs and the beat gets stuck in your head. Andrew Denham’s drums sound basic but they certainly get the job done without all the extra pizazz that some bands go for.
Movements has a nice warm 70s classic rock and soul and blues rock feel to it. There are plenty of great guitar riffs, the vocals are excellent and it’s easy to get quite a few of the beats stuck in your head. It has a familiar but yet unique sound. It’s modern but yet feels so 1970-ish, even the artwork has a certain aspect that screams 1970s. This is a highlight album for 2011. We all know that modern rock radio today is crap and missing something. The Black Crowes are one of the few modern bands that make it somewhat enjoyable. Since they’re on hiatus someone needs to step up and fill that void. I believe that The Dirty Streets are one of those bands that are certainly capable of filling that void.
- THE SODA SHOP

VINYL FACTZ

- 400 copies total: 100x black / 200x clear / 100x transparent orange
- transparent orange vinyl exclusively available from Kozmik Artifactz
- all high-quality heavy 180g vinyl pressed in Germany
- matt laquered 300gms gatefold cover
- handnumbered

TRACKS

Side A:
1. Broke As A Man Can Be 5:12
2. Cloud Of Strange 3:04
3. Felt 5:23
4. Fight You 4:11
5. Movements 3:52

Side B:
1. It's About Time 5:08
2. Trying Too Hard 3:40
3. What Do You Know 4:48
4. You Could Have Fooled Me 4:26
5. Native Sun 2:17    
Total 42:06

Listen to the album here:
http://dirtystreets.bandcamp.com/

MEXICOMA - Mexicoma LP

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BILOCATION #10
Release date: 22.02.2013

You're about to witness one of the heaviest bands of the genre. These 6 dudes (incl. 3 guitars and 1 heavenly hellish voice) from Sweden bring you an earth-shattering melange of stoner rock, doom and metal. So heavy, so melodic, so unique ... no need to categorize any further, just listen for yourself ... 

BANDINFO

Since the beginning in 2006, Mexicoma has grown from being a clean-cut stonerband to expressing a much more ambient and heavier sound. Just as a good whiskey, Mexicoma has needed the time to age and evolve to get the right taste. The earlier flirt with the 70s and more peeled off sound, has developed into a heavier and saturnine presence, without discarding their riff-based foundations. The sound today is easiest described as heavy-hearted and transformative, but at the same time still captivating and progressive. 

Mexicomas self-titled EP is far from the first recordings, still the release is stated as the first official issue. Although the band has been a part of Swedish scene in the north for several years, the time is now to reap what once was sown. Mexicoma is ready to conquer both the international scene as well as, once again, the Swedish one. 

VINYL FACTZ

- 300 copies total: 200x transparent yellow / 100x transparent red 
- transparent red vinyl exclusively available from Kozmik Artifactz incl. tarot card signed by the band 
- all high-quality heavy 180g vinyl pressed in Germany 
- matte laquered 300gms gatefold cover 
- handnumbered 

TRACKS 

Side A: 
1. 5.27 (7:04) 
2. Pray (6:14) 
3. Relentless (5:02) 
Side B: 
4. Truth Been Told (4:20) 
5. Bright Black Day (3:50) 
6. Omega Doom (7:27) 
Bonustrack: 
7. John The Revelator (Cover) (6:43) 
Total 40:40

You can listen to the album here:
http://mexicoma.bandcamp.com/album/mexicoma

Do not miss the following CD-Release:

CORTEZ - Cortez CD

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Here's a very experimented quatuor that delivers an amazing blend of 70's Heavy Rock and Doomy Stoner Rock, with an emphasis on groovy riffs and bluesy vocals; sometimes terribly heavy and shredding, sometimes more quiet and almost psychedelic, always characterized by catchy choruses and a strong musicianship. This is the perfect kind of BIG, LOUD and HEAVY stuff with a slight dirty and rebel edge that should maliciously play with your mind. (TEMPLE OF PERDITION - Webzine)

Cortez has solidified their place in the world of underground heavy rock, the new material simultaneously swinging and crushing with hooks for days.. These aren’t just songs, they are war cries and proclamations, letting the world know that Cortez means business and will not stop until their quest for the perfect riff or catchiest chorus is attained.

Listen to the album here:
http://cortezboston.bandcamp.com/album/cortez