2013 Chronicle (Year in review) part 6 - Best of May 2013

May 1 - Geezer (Gage EP)

May 2 - Ten Foot Wizard (ST)

May 3 - Procession (To Reap Heavens Apart)

May 7 - APE MACHINE (Mangled By the Machine) - By this point in the year, the Ripple Music machine was really rolling and it was impossible not to get mangled by it.  If this album was just a hefty stoner record of no inconsiderable girth, it would be notable simply for how good it is.  But that it was recorded in a single take, front to back with no pauses between songs, makes it an essential listen.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Gun You Down" and "Angry Man".  Rating 5/5

May 10 - MAGISTER TEMPLI (Lucifer Leviathan Logos) - Old school metal combined with doom and occult / esoteric references set the foundation for this Norwegian quintet.  This was one of the more satisfying and memorable albums of the style released in 2013.  Anyway, it`s hard to go wrong with that mix of influences, Magister Templi concocted a killer potion indeed here.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Master of the Temple" and "The Innsmouth Look".  Rating 4/5

May 10 - SHALLOW GRAVE (ST) - This Auckland quartet released one of the most addictive albums of the year.  It was brutal, sludgy and doomy with droney passages which played out like time spent tied to a chair in a shed or basement waiting for the next round of torture to begin.  This album is a rare combination of dark and aggressive.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Chemical Fog" and "Nameless Chants".  Rating 4.5/5

May 12 - MAMMOTH STORM (Demo 2013) - This apocalyptically heavy trio must have emerged from deep inside a snow filled caldera.  One day Mammoth Storm and Salem's Pot are going to tickle fight to see who is Sweden's heaviest band.  All us mortals the world over will be destroyed in their convulsive jocularity.  No happy endings here, just mass.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Volcanic Winter" and "Ancient Apocalypse".  Rating 5/5

May 14 - KADAVAR (Abra Kadavar) - German retro rockin' trio Kadavar's rise was a meteoric one.  Within the space of a single year the band went from one that few outside their home territory knew about to releasing a six song album with polyrhythmic structures to being signed by Nuclear Blast and releasing a streamlined straight up hard rock record and becoming everybody's favorite buzz band.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Fire" and "Doomsday Machine".  Rating 4.5/5

May 14 - UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS (Mind Control) - UK quartet Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats (named after a band former Cactus vocalist Rusty Day formed shortly before his murder) came out of their shell this year, conducting interviews and releasing promo group shots at the behest of their new label Rise Above Records.  They also made their live debut at the Roadburn Festival (!!! [that's some venue for a debut performance]) and later toured the UK with no lesser personages than Black Sabbath themselves.  Most importantly they released their third album and all-important follow-up to 2011's terrific 'Blood Lust' which had scored the band significant underground buzz.  As always of course, opinions were split on the creative success of the record with the majority falling victim to the album's deadly charisma.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Mt. Abraxas" and "Mind Crawler".  Rating 4.5/5

May 15 - CULTURA TRES (Rezando Al Miedo) - South American sludge heroes Cultura Tres had a great year, signing to Devouter Records in late 2012, then successfully touring Europe shortly before releasing this terrific album.  Hooky, heavy & haunting, the album took Alice in Chains style harmonies and dragged them through the sludge.  'Rezando al Miedo' was one if the great albums and one of the great creative leaps forward for any band this year.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "La Ley Del Dolor" and "Hole In Your Head".  Rating 4.5/5

May 15 - Kings Destroy (A Time of Hunting)

May 17 - Evangelist (Doominicanes)

May 21 - A Pale Horse Named Death (Lay My Soul To Waste)

May 21 - ROTE MARE (The Invocation & The Kingdom) - It's not easy hearing someone pour their guts out on record but when the net results are an airtight split and a stellar pair of full-length albums it becomes a little easier to handle.  Sifting through the entrails reveals gem upon gem and any stretching of creativity expands to new heights, never thinning out.  Traditional doom never sounded so passionate.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Suicidal Slayer" and "The Thief".  Rating 4.5/5

May 24 - Steak (Corned Beef Colossus)

May 24 - Vidunder (ST)

May 27 - BLOOD CEREMONY (The Eldritch Dark) - Canadian quartet Blood Ceremony's much anticipated third album came out of left field with a folk / doom tidal wave of top notch storytelling with more than ample memorable moments to match.  A decidedly more colorful record than their previous effort 'Living With The Ancients', 'The Eldritch Dark' has been a mainstay in my Top 10 records of the year since its release.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Goodbye Gemini" and "Witchwood".  Rating 4.5/5

May 28 - Age of Taurus (Desperate Souls of Tortured Times)

May 28 - ALICE IN CHAINS (The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here) - Alice in Chains's second album since their 2009 resurrection was simply more of what you've come to expect from the grungy legends.  It's a great album, full of hooks and harmonies, big metal poses and faux cowboy ballads.  The thing I like about it most is that it exists.  Original review here.  Get it here.  Highlights include: "Stone" and "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here".  Rating 4.5/5

May 30 - Witches of God (The Blood of Others)


Best Album From April 2013:
'The Eldritch Dark' by BLOOD CEREMONY

Best Song From April 2013:
"Mind Crawler" by UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS

PARANOID Thoughts:

And the award for record label of the year goes to: Rise Above Records.  Forget that the label is currently embroiled in a minor controversy with all-world label signees Electric Wizard, 2013 ought to be remembered for the consistently high quality of the label's output.  Everything the label released was awesome and each album that came out seemed to be better than the last.  Any one of the albums listed below would have been at or near the top of any other label's best releases list for the year, the fact that label head honcho Lee Dorrian managed to rush them all out the door in the space of a single year makes you wonder whether the anti-trust lawyers won't be coming after him some day soon.

Top 10 Rise Above Records released albums from 2013:
1). Iron Man - 'South of the Earth'
2). Blood Ceremony - 'The Eldritch Dark'
3). Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - 'Mind Control'
4). Horisont - 'Time Warriors'
5). Cathedral - 'The Last Spire'
6). Moss - 'Horrible Night'
7). Church of Misery - 'Thy Kingdom Scum'
8). Age of Taurus - 'Desperate Souls of Tortured Times'
9). The Hidden Masters - 'Of This & Other Worlds'
10). Purson - 'The Circle & the Blue Door'
Last year's winner: Small Stone Records.

Hour of Power 08/03/13 (playlist)

1. Dune (Beastwars / Blood Becomes Fire) 2013
2. Feeder (Broozer / 12.04.12) 2013
3. Sons of the Soil (C.F.A. / Managed By The Devil, Brought To You By The Grace Of God) 2012
4. Wakan Tanka (Beast in the Field / The Sacred Above, the Sacred Below) 2013
5. Vainovalkea (Lovijatar / Pimeän Tuoja) 2013
6. Secret Vasectomy (Ken Mode / Entrench) 2013
7. Hawk as Weapon [live at Desertfest] (Conan / Monnos) 2012
8. Mind Crawler (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats / Mind Control) 2013
9. Hecate (Demon Eye / ST EP) 2013
10. Eiger (Holy Mount / Alpic) 2013
11. The Anchorite [live] (Pyres / Year of Sleep) 2013
12. Thunder Kiss '65 (White Zombie / La Sexorcisto) 1992 'classic video'

Hour of Power 06/01/13 (playlist)

1. Overthrone (Anciients / Heart of Oak) 2013
2. Liquid Gold (Steak / Corned Beef Colossus) 2013
3. Soil (Undersmile / Wood & Wire split w/ Coma Wall) 2013
4. Love is in the Grave (Hellryde Inc. / Hellryde Incorporated) 2012
5. Heathen Child (Demon Lung / The Hundredth Name) 2013
6. Violet Temple (Violet Temple / ST EP) 2013
7. Poison Apple (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats / Mind Control) 2013
8. Ice Tentacles (Grave Disgrace / Triumphant & Militant Church) 2013
9. Dawn of the Sun (JG Blizaro) 2013
10. The Alcoholik (Superjoint Ritual / Use Once & Destroy) 2002 'classic video'

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Mind Control (album review)

Uncle Acid (the Jim Jones of Rock?) has returned, Deadbeats in tow.  It's two years later, the skies are a little more smog choked, the streets are a little more crowded and there are just that many more potential Acid Coven cult members.  If word about this band ever got out into the mainstream, it could be a revolution.  What's frightening is that it could very well happen with this album.

The album opens with "Mt. Abraxas" and its interpreted likeness graces the album cover.  Abraxas, of course, is a Gnostic word of various attribution, but most commonly interpreted as their word for God (as per Carl Jung).  The song tells the story of the people who climb the mountain, one after the other, while sadly "they don't know, there's nothing up there".  Meanwhile, Uncle Acid plays with our Sabbath fanaticism by directly quoting the opening riff of "After Forever" (without disrupting the flow of the song!), which as we know was Sabbath's unabashedly Christian apologia from 'Master of Reality' in which Ozzy implored that "God is the only way to love".  It's incredibly ironic that currently Black Sabbath themselves are set to release their first new album in a coon's age with a lead single called "God Is Dead?", which deals with a similar theme that is not nearly as well thought out or well handled as Uncle Acid's opening track.  The word Abraxas, again has more than one interpreted meaning, but I'm going to go with the assumption that Uncle Acid here is referring to God, or some light of spiritual knowledge, understanding or comfort.  This is a brilliant way to start the album and is Uncle Acid's way of inviting the listener into his cult, for first he who seeks a higher truth must first acknowledge none higher than ye olde Uncle Acid.  It's been a long, long time since I felt this way about any single song, or that is to say, thought so deeply about any single song.  It's a highlight of an already bright discography and the seminal moment of the album from which all ideas flow like evils from Pandora's box.

There's a palpable Beatles influence here.  I should say, more of a palpable Beatles influence on this album, expanding on the hints of the mustachioed quartet's influence on Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats previous album, 'Blood Lust'.  Specifically, this Beatlesque feeling comes across most clearly in the form of "Death Valley Blues" and "Valley of the Dolls", which play on the Liverpudlians Indian excursion, during which they famously lived for a month with The Beach Boys, Donovan and Prudence Farrow among others in a Transcendental Meditation camp in the remote foothills of Rishikesh, India.  Another brilliant touch, playing on the fabs' foray into 'religious awakening', which may or may not have been a conscious decision when composing the album.  It may have been a stray mood, thought or feeling floating around when thinking about the themes on this album.  If nothing else 'Mind Control' is a bucket of cold water in the face of 'seekers', the theme being that the titular subject of the album being the end result of religious belief, practice and the following of religious leaders.

But if you think it's all an intellectual exercise without any of the visceral punch that catapulted the band's earlier efforts, then fear not.  'Mind Control' has hooks on chains, beginning with "Mt. Abraxas" and following through with "Poison Apple" the lead off single and goes from there.  When I think about what makes a great and memorable chorus, I think about, when I read the song title does the chorus come washing in to my mind?  "13 Candles" from 'Blood Lust' does this in a big way, as does "Death's Door" and "I'll Cut You Down".  "Mind Crawler", "Follow the Leader" and "Valley of the Dolls" have this in spades as well.  5 out of 9 songs with this hookiness factor is phenomenal.

I was expecting to be let down with this album.  I really was.  I'm a cynic when it comes to music, I'll admit it.  We've all been let down so many times in the past with favored artists not reaching the pedestal our ears have put them on.  It's nobody's fault but our own ... okay, okay, no more tarnishing you with my same dirty brush, it's nobody's fault but mine.  I certainly won't be one to blame the artist, it's human nature to be left behind by the ever-changing wiles of the artist or for the artist to choke under pressure.  After all, this is their label debut (on Rise Above Records no less).  When nobody's watching it's relatively easy to stay loose and do one's best, but once the attention turns one's way, it's understandable to fold under pressure.  'Blood Lust' is such a fantastic record, one of my favorites, that there was no way Uncle Acid would be able to reach those same heights, were they?  That's just not the way things work, right?

Well it is now.  The truth is, in a lot of ways that count, 'Mind Control' is a better overall record than 'Blood Lust'.  Not only is it strong musically, but it's well thought out and executed.  In fact, I'm not sure I've heard a record that was more well planned and executed.  Not for a long time anyway.  While many concept albums play out like great films or novels, 'Mind Control' is like a master's thesis.  And don't get too uptight if your nerdy younger sister starts talking about Uncle Acid at the dinner table, it's his time now, he won't be your prized little secret for too much longer.

Highlights include: "Mt. Abraxas" and "Poison Apple"

Rating: 4.5/5


Tracklist:
1). Mt. Abraxas (7:09)
2). Mind Crawler (4:22)
3). Poison Apple (4:14)
4). Desert Ceremony (5:10)
5). Evil Love (4:08)
6). Death Valley Blues (4:59)
7). Follow the Leader (6:29)
8). Valley of the Dolls (7:11)
9). Devil's Work (6:56)
Total Run Time: 50:30

K.R. Starrs (Guitar, Vocals)
Dean Millar (Bass)
Thomas Mowforth (Drums)
Yotam Rubinger (Guitar, Backing Vocals)

From: Cambridge, England

Genre: Psychedelic, Doom, Rock

Reminds me of: The Beatles

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Better Reviews:
The Obelisk
Sludgelord
Dr. Doom's Lair
Stonerobixxx

Cvlt Nation interview

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats facebook
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats on Encyclopedia Metallum

GET IT HERE

Hour of Power 02/09/13 (playlist)

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

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