Salted Earth

Here is another awesome free download album I've found on Bandcamp.

From Chicago, USA comes Verma. This five piece band plays some incredible Progressive/Experimental/Psychedelic/Space Rock. Until now they've released three albums and this is their second one called Salted Earth. (Also available on cassette, just as their first album.)

The music that Verma plays is something great. Their compositions are for the most part instrumental, but when the singer starts to mesmerize with her voice, it gets totally stunning. Her voice really adds something to this fantastic music.

The album Salted Earth contains five impressive songs that for sure will bring your mind to outer space. Enjoy!

Imagine, if you will, that something has gone terribly wrong. Beneath the incessant, howling wind from the barren terrain beyond, the only discernible sound, the rhythmic gasp for breath from your own parched throat. Scanning the distance, mirages dance like radiation on the horizon. Can you believe everything you see? Though prophets had long foretold, you cannot help but mourn the mark of time, the metronome of human history that shadowed your former existence. Now, with stumbling step you must unclench white-knuckled fists and begin to travel, never forgetting the shadowy night of the past but willing to risk this primal step into the light of day.

Bent equally on bristling psychedelic squall and driving motorik, Verma emerged in the wake of an experimental improvisational collective. Blending a wide range of influences from proto-metal, minimalism, electronic, space rock and drone, the group constructs and explores cinematic sonic landscapes. Verma is amoebic in nature, coexisting with the mechanical. The driving rhythm section creates a solid architecture for swirling guitars and haunting vocal melodies, all beneath a haze of sweeping synthesizers. This repetitive dervish of sound rises from dark roots to a meditative plane, at once the atmosphere of metamorphosis and cerebral introspection.

The group, based in Chicago, released two cassette tapes in 2010. The first self-titled release (Plus Tapes, 2010) offers a mix of improvised first takes recorded to cassette in their practice space. The second, Salted Earth (Priority Male, 2010), features tracks from their live set recorded at Pieholden Suite Sound.

(Their bio)

Verma - Salted Earth (2010)

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Palingenesia

Khuda is a duo from Leeds, UK. I saw these guys perform last week and they made quite an impression. Khuda plays stunnig Instrumental music that shifts from psychedelic and atmospheric Post Rock to aggressive Noise. A strong element of Khuda is the constant changing of rhythms. Their sound reminds me of bands like Red Sparowes, Pelican and Ahkmed.

Khuda has released one EP and two albums. This one is their first album from 2010 called Palingenesia. This album contains six excellent tracks. Enjoy!

It’s taken long enough, but the album finally came out. I spoke to these two (that’s right, there are only two of them) after a show having been local supports for Mouth of the Architect. I asked about an album to buy, and apparently it had been finished for over a year without a label to release it until Field Records (Her Name Is Calla, Maybeshewill) picked them up, and granted a foothold in the current post-genre trend. They were incredible live considering how so much of their music relies on the guitarist’s feet, and whilst Palingenesia certainly doesn’t fall short of this, it sadly doesn’t have quite the same feeling either.

The album begins with ‘Laleh’ and some compulsory ambient noise which sends us into the main theme of the song, a riff layered with another riff with another riff with some chords, but it’s all interesting so it’s nice. The drums are already pretty stunning. Throughout the album, they manage to keep everything somewhat fresh even when the melodic themes become a little stale and similar between songs; I’m not sure they use any more than two keys over the whole album. It’s still less linear than your average post-rock though, as there are surprising transitions all the time, and only having one guitarist can occasionally make the flow more inventive.

The second track, ‘Black Waters’ is testament to this, as mid-way through the song the feel completely changes to explore some fanciful polymetric work as a bridge, but this excitement doesn’t really last. Mid-album leaves much to be desired, sounding much like the other tracks, save for the latter part of track four, one of the highlights of the album with more variations on a blast-beat than is normal. ‘Mescalito’ again becomes something we’ve heard before, what with its 5/4 and its looping; and the final track doesn’t seem quite epic enough.

What’s strange is how, when listened to out of context of the album, all of these songs are pretty damn good; it’s just that when I first played from start-to-finish, I couldn’t help but lose concentration and catch my thoughts drifting away from the music. Within each song there is change and progression and melody and structure, all of which is attractive, yet as an album something doesn’t quite work. Even the freshest of goods become stale and while, as a two piece band, they do an amazing job imitating Russian Circles, that’s exactly the problem; they sound too much like they’re imitating.

Technically brilliant, mixing done well, never anything lost in the blurriness that loops can sometimes bring; by all accounts this band are great, and they deserve a better rating than an album of background metal. So go see them live, enjoy them, buy some merch; just don’t expect anything as novel as that guy who made the electronica album out of insect noises.

(By Brandon Bissell at ZestForLife)

Khuda - Palingenesia (2010)

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Website - MySpace - Facebook - LastFM - Bandcamp - BigCartel

Baby Woodrose Newsflash

The Danish Psychedelic Garage band Baby Woodrose is about to enter the Black Tomato Studio to record their new album Third Eye Surgery. The release of this album is scheduled for april 2012. Lorenzo Woodrose said that this album will be a totally psyched out space rock album with a few twisted pop songs. So that is something to look forward to.
In the meanwhile Bad Afro Records has released the re-issue of the great album Love Comes Down from 2006 as LP, CD and download.
The vinyl edition is limited to 500 copies. These include also a 7" single with two unreleased songs. That is the second thing to look forward to.
You can check the Bad Afro site here for were you can order for your specific country.


"Back in 2006 whilst Scandinavian Garage Rock was enjoying a high profile due to the likes of Dungen and Soundtrack of Our Lives, Danish ensemble Baby Woodrose managed to land a deal with the sizeable Playground Music. Unfortunately as bigger labels tend to do, they increased the recording budget and then failed to distribute the album effectively thereby creating one of the bands best but hardest to find recordings. Now thanks to the eminently improved distribution of Bad Afro the album has been reissued. Fans of On Trial will recognise band leader Lorenzo Woodrose’s song writing and vocals which flourish here on the beautiful ‘Lights are Changing’ the powerful garage fuzz rocker ‘It’s all over now’ and the trippy and spacey title track. Not many bands have a catalogue as impressive as Baby Woodrose and it’s great to see this little number back in the fold. LP version features a single with two unreleased tracks".
(By Richard Allen at Shindig Magazine)

Bad Afro Records

Baby Woodrose: Myspace - Facebook - Bandcamp

Center Of The Sun

Center Of The Sun is the impressive debut album by the band EYE from Columbus, Ohio, USA. This trio consists of ex-members from the bands The Pretty Weapons and Teeth Of The Hydra. (The awesome album by The Pretty Weapons was previously posted here).

The album Center Of The Sun contains four awesome Psychedelic Space Rock tracks. Their sound shows obvious influences by bands as Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and King Crimson.

The highlight of this album is the first song. This one is an over 19 minutes lasting masterpiece.

Center Of The Sun is now available as pay-what-you-want download on their Bandcamp site. All of the revenue will used for very (special) limited run of CD's. So maybe you can spend a couple of bucks for this fantastic album. Enjoy!

EYE - Center Of The Sun (2011)

Bandcamp & Facebook

Step Into The Dark

I like to thank the band Ostend Powers for sharing their album!

This is a hard one for me, because I seldom do Metal reviews.

Ostend Powers is a band from, how surprising, Ostend, Belgium. This band plays Crossover/Metal since 1999.

Last year they've released this same-titled album. It is a nice collection of songs.

These guys are gifted mucians and they play their music with conviction. The vocals are very great, this dude sounds like a hybrid of Mike Patton (Faith No More), Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Serj Tankian (System Of A Down).

Because of the use of Keyboard, does their sound remind me a bit of Faith No More. (Especially in combination with the vocals). On the other hand I also have to think of the Swedish band Clawfinger, because of the Hip Hop/Rap influences.

All with all a nice and decent album! Enjoy!

Ostend Powers Ostend Powers dominates through an onslaught of melodic vocals and groove rock
guitars, reinforced by smash out beats. Our trademark sound is the melody that is laced throughout our music, taking listeners on an emotionally diverse rollercoaster ride. Even the hardest to impress are left gasping for breath by our live performances.

(Band description)

The fusion of 2 hardcore-crossover bands no excuse and point proven in September 1999. Both bands had been active for over 3 years.

New influences, a new singer and a scratcher (DJ CFK) brought the band to another level.

A demo was recorded in 2003 in Pink Noise Studio Eindhoven (SONY).

A few months later the departure of DJ CFK prompted a complete revamp and a new set.

Our efforts were rewarded by winning several rock rally’s in 2004. In the meantime some of our members studied at the music academy in Ostend to broaden their horizons.

We kept on playing shows and gaining live reputation till the end of 2007 when we played with our friends and legendary band ‘The Bollock Brothers’ in Keulen.

We recently finished recording a full album at The Farmhouse in Oostkamp, produced by Ace Zec (Customs, Nailpin,…).

Our first ‘Full’ got released end 2009 and topped off our 10th anniversary. It opened doors and was the beginning of a new chapter for the band.

The album was well received by several reviewers and magazines. A mix of heavy and melodious guitar riffs, funky baselines, unconventional drum rhythms, polished with a clean singing voice and synths, giving it a more poppy feel.

By then we compiled a self-made video for the song ‘Booya’. This song got chosen out of 100’s of records to get some airtime on Studio Brussel’s ‘Select’.

We got some more airplay in ‘All Area’s’ after a fantastic performance on the ‘Woosha’ summer festival.

We just signed up with Fakto Records for the distribution of the album in most music stores in the Benelux, France and Germany.

We recently won the jury price at Redrock Rally (Brugge) and another in Beernem. We played as the support act for Life of Agony and had a blast.

Right now we’re waiting for the release of our first ‘official’ video clip, recorded by Sam Van Olmen, student at the RITS.

(Their Bio)

Ostend Powers - Ostend Powers (2010)

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Psychonaut

From Glasgow, Scotland comes The Cosmic Dead. This band/collective was formed in 2010 and plays an outstanding combination of Psychedelic, Space and Kraut Rock. Their album Psychonaut contains a collection of early jams and rehearsel room recordings from 2010. This album is not just a Psychedelic Space Rock album. It is more like an experience that comes close to a journey through outer space. The album Psychonaut is definitely an astral masterpiece! Check out also their same titled album at Bandcamp. Enjoy!

Glasgow psych rockers The Cosmic Dead have certainly pushed the boat out with this collection of songs. Following the release of their acclaimed self-titled debut earlier on this year there has been a great deal of anticipation for Psychonaut and it certainly does not disappoint.

Psychonaut is less of an album and more of a journey through astral plains and the cosmic fields. Opening track ‘Lavinia’ is a slow burning wave of instrumental sound that completely envelops the listener and is probably better described as a jam than a track.

The pace of the album changes with following track ‘The Spaceman’ which enlists an additional band member to add ethereal background vocals to the phaser-driven number. This riff-heavy, percussion driven pace makes up the core of the album with tracks such as ‘Psych Ashtray Aktion Mother’ and ‘Serpent Coils The Earth’ which is a thrashy, edgy tune full of heavy distortion and squealing feedback.

Interspersed between these tracks are slow floating numbers such as the shortest track on the album, ‘Adimite Obscuritatem’ which sounds distinctly spiritual with tribal style drumming and harmonic droning vocals complimented by a subtle didgeridoo effect. Another slow number is ‘Austral Curvature’ with bassy grooves overlaid with screeching, trippy guitar and slicing percussion.

After listening to Psychonaut you should certainly feel just a little bit spaced out and with many of the tracks being over seven minutes long it’s not for the casual listener. But, with a little patience, Psychonaut is a brilliant album with a hell of a lot to give.

(By Catriona Reilly at Ravechild)

The Cosmic Dead - Psychonaut (2011)

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Keep On Shaking

Automatic Sam is the latest sensation from the east side of The Netherlands. This foursome plays stunning Alternative Guitar Rock with here and there some Blues. I saw these guys perform in a one minute presentation on the dutch television last night and they made a hell of an impression.

Texino is their brandnew debut album and it is really a great start for this band. Their sound reminds me somehow of the Belgian band Triggerfinger.

Texino has become a varied album with twelve songs that can be called entertaining. The guitar sound is awesome, the drums and bass are very solid and the singer is incredibly good. How surprising that this young guy has such a great voice. Automatic Sam is a band with a lot of potential. I hope to see this band soon on stage. Enjoy!

Who is Automatic Sam? Honestly, we’ve got no clue. But when you listen to Captain Beefheart singing about this man in his song Tarotplane, it sound like Sam’s a pretty cool dude with a great sense of boogie.

We are Automatic Sam; a fourpiece from Nijmegen with roots in the legendary Magic Barn in the far east of the Netherlands. The band was formed in late 2008 by Pieter Holkenborg (lead vocals / guitar), Rense Slings (guitar / vocals), Bob Hogenelst (drums / vocals) and Harm Wopereis (bass / vocals) and soon gets a great live reputation. Think of a speeding train of 70’s hardrock with rusty rivets attached to a wagon full of garage, some blues and all pulled by a locomotive fuelled by pure punk rock.

In November 2009 Automatic Sam releases “Hot Foot Oil”. The EP is widely praised: Well-known Dutch magazine OOR: “Lovely and cocky!” and Holland’s biggest platform for alternative music 3voor12: “Rough, but well thought rock album that never get boring”. “Hot Foot Oil” is sold out within a few months, both on CD and vinyl. The band is on the bill of festivals like Zwarte Cross, Valkhof Affaire and Paaspop plays the support show of bands like DeWolff, Claw Boys Claw, Orange Sunshine, and the entire Dutch tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Who is Bozo Texino? This mythical character from the American hobo culture, unshaven, unrestrained and hopping on freight trains without knowing his destination, was an inspiration for the album “Texino”. This full length debut contains twelve songs that tell the real story about the hobo Automatic Sam and his journey.

“Texino” was produced by Koen-Willem Toering (Woost) and Gijs Coolen (Woost / Coparck) and mastered by Pieter Kloos. Guest musicians are KW Toering, Otto Kokke (Dead Neanderthals) and Wout Kemkens (Shaking Godspeed). The record will be released on Suburban Records (CD) and Quadrofoon Records (Vinyl). Management and bookings are handled by SOZ Concerts.

Coming soon to a station near you…

(their bio)

Automatic Sam - Texino (2011)

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Revolution A.D.

Revolution A.D is a free download CD that is offered by the band Acid FM. This band from Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA plays a combination of Psychedelic, Space, Stoner and Hard Rock.

Acid FM is according to their Facebook page influenced by bands and artists like: Monster Magnet, Hawkwind, Kyuss, Pink Floyd, Fu Manchu, King's X, Clutch, Black Sabbath, L7, Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle, Tool, Motörhead, The Cult, Soundgarden, Audioslave, King Crimson, Orange Goblin, Led Zeppelin, Syd Barrett, Queensryche, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Megadeth, Love/Hate, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Blue Öyster Cult, Gunslinger, Babylon AD, Atomic Rooster, Circus Of Power, Killer Dwarfs and Fastway.

The album Revolution A.D. was released along with their retail CD Phase II. After Phase II was recorded there were many songs left. Those songs has resulted in the album Revolution A.D. The songs on this album are for the most part acoustic, but it is anyway a great album. Enjoy!

Acid FM was conceived by Sparky Simmons in early 2002, with the intent to write & record hard rock that was a blend of two genre's; Stoner Rock & Psychedelic Rock. Sparky began writing, recording & structuring music alone (the proverbial all-nighter's) until meeting up with Doc in late 2003. Sparky asked Doc if he was interested in this writing and recording project, to ultimately become a live, touring Hard Rock/Space Rock act. A long, tedious schedule was put into place, which has transpired into what we are today.

Throughout the life of Acid FM there have been two consistent members; Sparky Simmons & Doc Obergefell. We have had several drummers and musicians who worked with us for long periods of time, but no one has stood the test of time. Acid FM's first release "Electroviolent Paradox," we worked with Tony Hatfield & Mike Robinson (on one song). Tony is currently unavailable to perform or rehearse. We worked with Ben Shepherd & Ian Guthrie on drums, for the majority of the recording process on our upcoming release tentatively titled, "Phase II." We have also worked with Sicko Zero on drums & Adam Richardson on bongos, not to mention everyone else. In 2008 thru 2010 Acid FM consisted of Sparky Simmons Guitar, Vocals, Synths; Alan Sislby - Bass; Ugg - Guitar; & Matt Scheipers - Drums

Acid FM is a hybrid of Space Rock and Psychedelic rock, with other Non-Mainstream elements. Some call it "Experi-metal", Fuzz Rock, Desert Rock, Stoner Rock, and others call it "just good hard rock". Either way, Acid FM is everything you want and nothing that's out there. Our influences range from Monster Magnet & The Cult to Pink Floyd & Hawkwind. Acid FM's ideas come from various sources that range from movies to facts to art to space to you name it!. Acid FM is the best sonic-induced trip you will ever take!

(Their bio from Facebook)

Acid FM - Revolution A.D. (2008)

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Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

This is a very nice free download demo that I found on Bandcamp.

Hypnotist is a Russian Stoner Rock band with huge Black Sabbath influences. This demo contains three tracks and it is well produced. This band takes a step in the right direction with this demo. I think there is a lot of potention in this band. So I look forward to the next release.

This is all I can tell about Hypnotist. There's not much information about this band, except for their Bandcamp page and their page at vkontankte. (That site is in Russian). Enjoy!

Hypnotist - 101 Demo (2011)

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Bandcamp & Vkontakte

Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men... The Shadow Knows

Villa Rocka is a dual disc with a audio side and a DVD side released by the band 3 Speed Automatic. This trio from Rotterdam, Holland plays a great mix of Hard Rock and Stoner Rock with seventies influences.

The audio part of this disc contains 6 tracks. The first five tracks were already on the album No Man's Land. So these songs are nothing new. (Although it's always alright to hear the song Walk On The Sun!) Villa Rocka is all about the sixth track that is called Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men... The Shadow Knows. This song is an almost 23 minute lasting epic masterpiece. This song was recorded as a soundtrack for the Dutch cult movie Horizonica. Enjoy!

"The starting point of 3Speed Automatic’s music can be found in the southern hardrock blues genre played by Five Horse Johnson, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Dixie Witch and also in the primitive, savage whip-rock ‘n’ roll of Motorhead and AC/DC. But the band interprets it all with an Atomic Bitchwax-attitude marked enough, especially when Guido launches himself in very good burning Ed Mundell-like psych-blues solos. The overall guitar tone of Guido DeBrichy ranges from loud and gritty to surprisingly melodic. Bassist Blind Gumbo sounds akin to Lou Gorra (Halfway To Gone) at times. 3Speed Automatic wake the "outlaw" that sleeps in all of us, a record for people who are born, live and die with their boots on."

(By Cosmicmasseur at AllThatIsHeavy)

"I hear a mix of old and new rock like Kyuss, Mudhoney, Dio, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Grand Funk. If you dig the dirty guitar sound of AC/DC or Mudhoney, then your gonna dig the sound of 3Speed Automatic’s guitar sound. It rolls and bounces right where you expect and where you do not."

(By Iwan at AllThatIsHeavy)

3 Speed Automatic - Villa Rocka (2008)

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Anthem To The Fall And Awakening Of The Tiny Yellow Flower

Sedimentation was the second recording by the band Elephantum from Amsterdam, Holland. This band did play great Stoner Rock with Psychedelic tendencies. This five-track EP is filled with huge and heavy guitar riffs, great bass and drum rhytms, a nice pinch of organ and some impressive vocals.

I learned about Elephantum when I heard the song Black Butterfly on the Stoner compilation album Ultimate Fuzz Collection vol 1. This song made me craving to hear more songs from this band. Eventually I managed to get this EP. Too bad I've never seen this band in action. Enjoy!

Elephantum was a psychedelic rock band from the Netherlands. It existed between 1998 and 2004. It came forth out of “Cosmic Insect”. Founding members Michiel Ferweda (guitars) and Matthijs Herder (vocals & guitars) tried several line-ups before settling with drummer Marc Fien and bassist Niels Keijzer. This line-up was active under the name “SAND”.

In January 2001 the “Transhuman Entity” album was recorded. A 40-minute odyssey which the press described as a perfect fusion between Kyuss and Pink Floyd. In June of the same year a 5 track EP was recorded with Emiel van de Berg on bassguitar. These recordings later surfaced as the “Sedimentation” EP and were mixed by Marcel van der Vondervoort (of Astrosoniq fame). It consisted of shorter and poppier tracks. After a name change into Elephantum and several line-up changes the band re-grouped with Stone In Egypt’s old rhythm section at the end of 2003 and the Sedimentaiton EP saw a worldwide release thru Freebird Records. But in 2004, after a period of extensive gigging (with Astrosoniq, Los Natas, Dozer, Epica, Wall Of Sleep among many others) the band decided to call it a day.

Elephantum was featured on the first two volumes of the Stonerrock.com compilation albums and on Fuzzorama’s “Ultimate Fuzz Collection vol 1”.

(From LastFM)

Elephantum - Sedimentation (2001)

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MySpace & LastFM

Dromomania

Thanks to Angelo from the band Le Scimmie for sharing this album!

Le Scimmie is an Italian duo that plays some stunning Instrumental Doom/Stoner/Noise tunes. These guys has released an EP in 2007 and now they're back with the impressive album Dromomania.

A common thing with Instrumental bands is that they in general create albums with longlasting songs. This is definitely not the case with Le Scimmie, their album Dromomania contains ten tracks with a total length of just 23 minutes. So the songs are short, compact and straight to the point. That is the strenght of Le Scimmie! Enjoy!

The Italian duo "Le Scimmie" was born in the colorful spring of 2007 in Vasto, a seaside town in central Italy.

The ideas of the project are: guitar, drums, minimal power, raw sound.

In the winter of 2007 they recorded their first ep called "L'Origine Ep" that gets excellent support from the Italian press.

2008: the band reached the final at one of major Italian music festival called "Italia Wave" and remains on tour for about a year.

After a year of silence, in January 2011, Le Scimmie released their first album entitled "Dromomania".

(their bio)

Le Scimmie - Dromomania (2011)

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MySpace - Facebook - YouTube

At The Cracks Of Void

Thanks to the band Brachiosauride for sharing their album!

Excavations is the debut album by the American band Brachiosauride. This band plays some impressive Experimental Sludge Metal with Stoner, Doom, Noise and several other influences.

Their music consists of intense heavy tunes with some whacky, but awesome vocals. Excavations is a varied album with songs that are a bit fast and songs with a more moderate tempo. This is an album that for sure must be heard. Enjoy!

Influenced by 50s Blues, 60s Psych, 70s Prog, 80s Doom, Thrash and Hardcore Punk, 90s Sludge, Noise, Grindcore, Stoner, Mathcore and Experimental acts, Brachiosauride play a fusion brand of Progressive Sludge that gives the listener a unique experience; with creating a sonic texture of each songís concept, both musically and vocally. Our first studio release is a concept album called ìExcavationsî including 10 songs that run over 37 minutes of mega mind blowing riffage, release in September 2011.

(Their bio)

"Excavations" is the first studio album by Progressive Sludge band Brachiosauride, itís a ten-song concept record, following a surreal storyline in which the main character enters a parallel universe in order to reach the ultimate passage between time and eternity. Entering the universe, he finds himself in an apocalyptic void called Mount Vein, where everything is almost insane, following the mountain he finds the underworld lurked, it brings back the absolute pain and is probably the most doom section of the journey. With an inadvertent universal shift, the path turns into a space time paradox, struggling with timeís arrow he enters the ultimate ground of surrealism, with a cut between Aleister Crowley and Salvador Daliís ideologies the black sun rises, itís the dawn of our hero, heís been teleported to his early lifetime, obsessed with the dogs of war, religion and politics he finds his way back to the universe, but one and also important mistake is enough to take him to the darkest abysses of Edgar Allen Poe, trapped in the abyss, redefining that bleak classic, he has failed once again, with depression surrounding him, he gets lost in the mortal forest. Thatís where the hypnotism of the birds brings him back to life, And yes as the spiritualism goes, H.P. Lovecraft is not far from it, time for a universal gap to the Lovecraft classic ìThe Crawling Chaosî, with the final space Armageddon done, our hero enters the final phase of his voyage, the cosmic path of eternity, attaining the ultimate prowess, he has just started the first stage of the adventure.

(Album information)

Brachiosauride - Excavations (2011)

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Drive On

Zeus is a band from Amsterdam, Holland. This quartet plays Heavy Rock with Stoner and Grunge influences. The singer of this band is Jeroen van Koningsbrugge. This guy is here in Holland a famous and humorous TV personality. It was a total surprise for me that he also has these vocal qualities.

This band was completed with three more than capable musicians. Zeus has released two albums until now. The first one was called Bad Signs from 2005 and this album from 2007 is just simply named 07. A new album was scheduled for 2009 or 2010, but it seems that Zeus for indefinitely has stopped.

I'm not familiar with their debut album Bad Signs, but I can tell that 07 is an impressive piece of work. Enjoy!

ZEUS was founded in 2003 by singer Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, drummer Paul Jansen and guitarist Roy Jansen. Soon after, bass player Bob Gerritsen completed the band. The objective was clear and simple: to make heavy, groovy rock music. Influenced by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Karma To Burn, Transport League, Goatsnake and the wave of nineties grunge and stoner, ZEUS developed their sound.

After spending their first year in rehearsal rooms, ZEUS started recording in the spring of 2004 with producer Marcel vd Vondervoort (Astrosoniq and others). The band flew to New York to play the famous CBGB’s venue, trying out their material for the first time. Their American style and heavy performance kicked in right away, selling out the “Threetrackintroduction” demo immediately. ZEUS returned to Amsterdam, fired up and ready to finish their debut album “Bad Signs”. It was released independently in 2005 by ZEUS’ own label Sixxkiller and distributed by Suburban. Bad Signs said it all: raw, heavy groove rock grabbing you by the throat. While the album was getting positive reviews, ZEUS started doing what they do best: playing live shows till they dropped.

In October 2007, ZEUS’ second album “07” was released by Freebird Records. The album was very well received in Europe and the USA and contains 10 tracks that deliver a cocktail of old school heavy rock, melodic groove and even some doom. Like the debut album, 07 was mixed and produced by Marcel vd Vondervoort and mastered by Alan Ward. Somewhere in 2008, Bob Gerritsen decided to emigrate to Switzerland. He left the band in October 2009. Rowdy Lemaire joined the band as the new bass player. ZEUS has plans to release their third album late 2009 or early 2010.

(Their bio)

Zeus - 07 (2007)

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Website & MySpace

Ancestral

The first time I've heard about this band was a version of the song Demon Cleaner on the South American Kyuss tribute album Listen Without Distraction.

Sick Porky is a fine Stoner Rock band from Buenos Aires, Argentina. This band is according to their MySpace influenced by the following: Black Sabbath, Kyuss, QOTSA,Mastodon, Black Label Society, Nebula, Unida, Fu Manchu, Baroness,The Mars Volta, Crowbar, Down, COC, At the drive in, Tool, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pelican, Entombed, Hermano, Neurosis, Danzig, Type O Negative, Pappos Blues, Metallica, Hellacopters, Turbonegro and Isis.

This list of bands gives a wide range of styles, but the sound of Sick Porky's really more based on pure Stoner Rock. What I miss in this list are for example the names Dozer and Truckfighters.

Sick Porky has released two full-length albums and this one is their debut named Ancestral. This album is a great collection of nice songs. Enjoy!

More than ten years fighting from the underworld of music, Sick Porky is now officially presenting the launch of its first album Ancestral. Edited by the label Zonda Records, this album compiles part of the work of these first years of career. The large number of live presentations, in some of which they shared stage with well-known Argentine bands such as Pez, Los Natas, Carajo, Satan Dealers and La Cruda, has given the band the deserved respect in Buenos Aires music arena. The bands fans continue to multiplicate, most of them curiously attracted by the talk of town succumb to the pork sound.

The two EPs edited during 2001-2003 a lot had to do with the musical growth of the band. This material had little (though important) diffusion in some of the most prestigious local media such as FM Rock & Pop and several Internet/podcasting radio stations heard worldwide (Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, and several other countries). The first EP was produced by the tandem Gaby Ruiz Díaz/ Macabre from Catupecu Machu, whereas the production of the second EP was done by Agustín Rocino (Cuentos Borgeanos), who also was chosen as producer of Ancestral.

Another determining factor for the course of the band were the several participations in compilations of international reach like Listen without distraction, an Argentinean tribute to the stoner cult band Kyuss and Loco Gringos Have a Party: Southamerican stoner rock in which they performed all together with Natas and other bands such as Buffalo (Argentina), Yajaira (Chile) and Reino Ermitaño (Perú).

The bands nearest plans for the rest of the year and the beginning of 2007 are to continue presenting the album all over Argentina and neighboring countries (the band was touring on Chile during April). For more information on the upcoming steps of the band, please visit this place.

(Their bio from MySpace)

Sick Porky - Ancestral (2006)

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Burn The Shivers

Last week I've posted the album The Wind Blows Witches From The Sky by the band Wallrus. This is their final one called Burn The Shivers. This album is a perfect continuation on The Wind Blows Witches From The Sky.

Burn The Shivers is an album full of great Blues driven Stoner Rock. There is even more room for the harmonica. This album is slightly more Blues oriented than it's predecessor. But the Kyuss and QOTSA influences are certainly still present in their sound. The album Burn The Shivers is an improvement over their previous work. The vocals are even better, as far as possible. This guy has really an impressive voice. Damn, that this band has stopped is a real pity. Enjoy!

1999 Is the year a band was formed in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and they decided to hit the stages real quick. The name that would appear on the bills is Wallrus and stoner is their game. That same year they released their debut EP followed by two albums and in September 2007 their latest ones come out. "Burn The Shivers" contain 12 tracks and a videoclip of the song "High Plains Drifter".

The songs are driven by heavy sludgy guitars with catchy riffs and with leads. A nice role is there for the harmonica that vocalist Rob uses in the songs, it gives it a bluesy edge. But he has also a good voice that can do clean soft part but also raw whiskey shouting.

With "Burn The Shivers" the band delivers a nice album that is not Metal but a nice one for your car or in a saloon. And as a bonus you get the video with the clip, making of the clip and a picture gallery.

A catch album for those you are into Stoner Rock 'n' Roll.

(From Brutalism.com)

Wallrus - Burn The Shivers (2007)

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We Are All Dead

From Denver, USA comes the duo Adai. These guys play incredible Sludge/Doom/Metal. Their previous releases are the EP's ...I Carry from 2008 and Felo De Se from 2010. These two EP's are combined in the album We Are All Dead. This album is a garantee for some compelling atmospheric, brutal and heavy tunes. Their sound has some similarities with bands like Isis, Pelican and Neurosis.

It is safe to say that Adai has delivered a real masterpiece with this album! Enjoy!

The Denver duo enlarge their innovative experimental doom metal sound on their latest release, Felo De Se (June 2010) on Cavity Records. Adai are massive on both stage and record. Felo De Se was recorded by Matt Talbott (Hum) and mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge), and not surprisingly Adai achieve an astounding amount of color (instead of just going for “dark”) while keeping it crushingly heavy. The two friends that comprise the band, Justin Trujilo (drums, samples) and Devin Mendoza (guitars, vox, amps) are hard-working, diligent, focused, and they clearly love what they do.

(From LastFM)

Adai - We Are All Dead (2010)

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Inventions For The New Season

When you hear the name Maserati, you will probably think of a fancy Italian sports car. Beside that Maserati is also the name of a band from Athens, Georgia, USA. This foursome plays Progressive Instrumental Rock with Post Rock and Space influences. This band has released their first album in 2000 and since that time they've released a couple of Albums, EP's and split albums. This album is called Inventions For The New Season from 2007.

Characteristic for this band are the repetitive guitars and rhythms. The songs on this album exude an atmospheric mood. A major influence for Masarati must be Pink Floyd.

Maserati is a so called Post Rock band, but Inventions For The New Season is an album that goes beyond the Post Rock sound. Judge for yourself! Enjoy!

On Inventions for the New Season, Maserati move simultaneously forward and backward away from their clear associations with the modern post-rock of groups like Tortoise and the Mercury Program and seemingly back in time to the progenitors of prog rock (King Crimson, early Rush) and especially Krautrock (Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream). Their nearest contemporaries may be the prolific yet obscure Finnish outfit Circle, especially their tendencies toward driving guitar/keyboard workouts in the motorik vein, as would befit a band named after the finest of Italian sports cars. These songs hurtle forward at an ever-increasing pace, which they rely on to build intensity rather than the standard quiet-to-loud dynamics of the post-rock genre. Actually, they're not alone in mining this realm of instrumental rock -- they also share with peers the Turing Machine and Ostinato the ability to sound elaborate without actually playing complicated music -- most of the riffs are built on simple, clean guitar figures augmented with chiming and echoing effects and building and expanding in their relentless repetition. Every track here is a stunner, especially the opening "Inventions" and the bass-driven Floyd-ian barnburner "Show Me the Season," culminating in a peak with the tongue-in-cheek nod to the Police's brief foray into progressive rock, knowingly titled "Synchronicity IV."

(By Brian Way at Allmusic.com)

Maserati - Inventions For The New Season (2007)

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