Turtle Skull “Self Titled” Album Review + Stream…

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Turtle Skull

Turtle Skull – Digital Download // Band Shirt Bundles

Self Released – releases May 17, 2018

Terry “The Ancient One” Cuyler

Surfing the Psychedelic Sound Waves

 

 

Tracklist:
No News is Bad News – 6:56
Take it or Leave It – 8:27
Eden – 6:08
Empty Ships – 8:23

 

Ah…Spring has sprung. The trees are leafing and flowers blooming and I feel the urge to leave my cave behind and go bike riding. But to do that I need some good riding music and in my collection I have quite a bit to choose that covers a wide spectrum of styles.

Most recently I added a “Self Titled” EP by the self described Flower Doom  rockers from Sydney Australia called Turtle Skull who will be debuting the download of their EP on Bandcamp this May 17th 2018. Available for Pre – order now for $1 US I’d feel like I was ripping them off if I didn’t pay $5. Offering up what sounds to me like surf music infused with psychedelic feel good fuzz I find it easy to not care about trivial things when I listen to it. While I am not going to claim Turtle Skull is the next Earthless I feel pretty safe saying they have a lot of potential and I’d buy a full length album if they produce one.

Live Band Shot

Opening the EP is No News is Bad News a trippy fuzzadelic song about tuning out the talking heads on TV that encourage us to buy into their vision of a plastic paradise that we all to often buy into. What I like most about this are the droning vocals and guitars that feel like they are coming from the deep.

With a steady mid tempo rhythm that keeps things simple Take It Or Leave It has the rolling feel of a classic surf song. Overall, what I enjoyed was its catchy feel.

Nothing like having drums and guitars create a rhythm which Turtle Skull does masterfully.

Moving into a more visceral sound is Eden the 3rd track is my favorite on the EP. What I like most is that naughty guitar played by vocalist guitarist Dean.

Closing “Turtle Skull” is the psychedelic blues song Empty Ships that feels like a midnight swim under the stars. Deans smooth vocals and guitar along with Dan on synth set the mood for the song and proved to me they can do more than just sound more fuzzed. This debut album is an excellent start for this promising band.  I look forward to what they have in store for us in the near future.  Highly Recommend!!

Pro Band Pic

The Ugly Kings “Darkness Is My Home” Review + Stream…

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The Ugly Kings

Darkness Is My Home – CD // DD // Vinyl

Kozmik Artifactz – released April 13, 2018

Reviewed by Zachary “+Norway+” Turner

 

Lineup:
Russel Clark (Vocals)
Christos Athanasias (Guitar)
Nicolas Dumont (Bass)
Andy Alkemade (Drums)

 

Tracklist:
Promised Land     04:53
Black Widow        03:53
Raging Bull           03:21
Killing Time         04:31
Love Enemy         03:56
You & Me             03:58
Lazarus                 05:43
Little Birdy Told Me 04:10
The Fire                06:24

 

 

Review:

The Ugly Kings are a Rock band from Melbourne, Australia. I’ll let the band explain themselves further; “[we] offer a stripped down but powerful injection of energy and emotion to the modern rock scene [by] formulating what can only be described as ‘Power Blues’ [with] memorable beats, thunderous bass lines and an electrifying barrage of bluesy ‘grit’ riffs tied with raw and emotive vocals.”

Darkness Is My Home is the first full length album by the band. (The previous releases being a E.P. of sorts, Of Sins, and a single, Promised Land, which is the same as the version on this release but has a b-side that is not on this album.)

Overall the band’s sound is a mix of early Classic Rock and are heavily inspired by Blues Rock. The perfect descriptor tag for the album is Doom Blues with Rock flair. In a way this album sounds like you can chop up and mix it up and make different songs each time. At the same time I like that it sounds that it was recorded in one take in a converted garage to studio.

Track-by-track: (Briefly)

Promised Land: I found a quote from the band on the song; “‘Promised Land is about the false promises that are preached to us by the charlatans of our society (politicians, big business, etc…). It’s about the pipe dream they sell us to keep us in servitude to the 1%, to keep us slaves to the dollar and material things. There is nothing at the top of the ladder, except another ladder. The Promised Land isn’t the destination we get sold, it’s inside of us.”

The band also have a beautifully shot video for the track too.

 

 

Black Widow: This is the 2nd hardest rocking track on the album. There is a bunch of back and forth in the tempo. It is also what I imagine the cover art comes from. (That and for Love Enemy)

Raging Bull: This is the hardest rocking track on the album. The riffs on this song sounds so familiar and I can’t think of what it is from.

Killing Time: Watch the music video for this track HERE

Love Enemy: This is a slower and more blues filled track. They sit on the riff while Russell is delivering the vocals. This track also feels like it could be a 2nd part to Black Widow.

You & Me: This is where the title of the album comes from. This is another slow track.

Lazarus: This track is a cover of David Bowie’s Lazarus from his swan song album “Blackstar” and the band manage to make it their own while keeping the original close at hand.

Little Birdy Told Me: Kind of feels like Love Enemy.

The Fire: Is my favourite track from the album.

Pro Band Pic

 

 

 

Devil Electric “Self Titled” Album Review + Stream + Tour Schedule…

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Devil Electric

Devil Electric – Limited Vinyl // CD // DD

Kozmik Artifactz – releases August 11th, 2017

Reviewed by Terry “The Ancient One” Cuyler

 

Standing at the cross roads of blue, rock, and psychedelic is the  Melbourne rock quartet Devil Electric. The band first debuted in 2016 and gained a sizable following among stoner, psych, a doom fans with “The Gods Below.” This 4 track fuzzedelic blues EP full was of bluesy vocals done by Pierina O’Brien and heavy riffs laid down by Christos Athanasias- Guitars, Tom Hulse -Bass, Vocals, and Mark Van De Beek- Drums. Encouraged by the fans response Melbourne’s Devil Electric is preparing to release its 2nd release; their debut “Self Titled” Full Length on Germany’s Kozmik Artifactz Records.

Tour Schedule

 

When describing the bands 2nd album Tom Hulse, the bands bassist, backing vocalist and co writer said in the album press release “Lady Velvet” was written with the idea of painting a picture at the forefront. I wanted to create images and draw a theme in the listeners mind within the first few lines, touching on opposing forces and building a character. The song is about the push and shove of relationships we experience with the world both on a human level and a fictional/dramatized one. There’s always light and shade in life and when you run your hand across velvet you can see it change in color and form, reflecting just that in a material form.” 

After listening to this album several times now I’d say Tom Hulse did a pretty good job describing both the song Lady Velvet and the entire album both lyrically and musically. While the band is most definitely rock they take a different approach to heavy rock than some bands. Throughout Devil Electric, Pierina’s bluesy vocal style adds a dark element to the music as Tom,  Christos, and Mark lay down the psychedelic heavy blues rock. This are showcased especially in the instrumentals ‘Monolith’ and ‘Lilith.’ The songs I like most from the Devil Electric album are ‘Lady Velvet,’ ‘Acidic Fire,’ ‘The Sacred Machine’ and most of all ‘Hypnotica’ as Pierina vocals really cuts loose.

 

Devil Electric will be released digitally, on CD and vinyl on August, 11th, 2017 and is available for per-order right NOW. If you are a fan of Graveyard, Kadavar, The Dead Weather, Blues Pills, The Well, Electric Citizen, Black Sabbath you may like this band. Don’t be afraid to comment and share our posts with your friends.  Strongly Recommend!!

DERELICS – “Guilty of Being Young” Album Review + Track Stream

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DERELICS

Guilty Of Being Young – Digital Download

Self Released – Early September, 2017

Reviewed by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

 

Founded – Oct 11, 2011

Location – London England

Band Members:
Rich – Drums
Josh – Bass (Thom on our EP)
Reno – Guitars/Vocals
Mushroom man – Producer/spiritual counseling

Previous Releases – “Introducing” 2015 / “Speaking Without Words (Bicycle Jams)” 2016

Three guys make up the line up here. Having faced numerous personnel changes and almost four years from founding to first release, DERELICS is serious about their craft and this new EP, “Guilty of Being Young,” delivers even more than what we have come to expect. They describe themselves as “technicolor/heavy/psychedelic rock” and this is pretty spot-on.  This album was recorded with Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse (Shitwife, Vodun, Luminous Bodies).

 

Band Pic

 

Three tracks clocking in at just over 19 minutes on this release and each track is as strong as the other two in ALL instances. From the screamo-feel of ‘The (Wicked) Witch Is Dead’ complete with the meandering soloing, to the staggered, jazzy feel of the drum intro to ‘Guilty Of Being Young’ through ‘The Summer Song.’   There is a more driving energy and vibe that permeates this release that seems to have replaced the ‘doom’ feel that seemed prevalent with the previous releases.

Hopefully, this line-up is solid and they can push out a full-length sooner than later and can bring their circus to our shores in America!!  The Guys have released the Title Track single ‘Guilty of Being Young’ on their Bandcamp Page for stream and purchase (below).  Buy the entire EP immediately when it is released.  Play it for everybody you think may like it and even those you know will hate it.   Support them live if you are given the opportunity and remember to always keep it LOUD!!

GEEZER “Psychoriffadelia” Album Review, Track Stream & Tour Schedule…

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GEEZER

Psychoriffadelia – Vinyl // CD // DD

Kozmik Artifactz Records (Europe) and STB Records (US) on June 9th – Vinyl // CD

DD – releases May 19, 2017

Reviewed by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

Formed – Fall of 2010

Hometown – Kingston, NY

Current Lineup – Richie (b) / Charles (d) / Pat (g+v)

Previous Releases –

“Electrically Recorded Handmade Heavy Blues” (2013) / “Live Full Tilt Boogie” (July 2014) / “Gage” (Sept 2014) / “Long Dull Knife” – digital single (2015) / “S/T” (2016)

REVIEW:   Self described as “Cosmic Stoner Blues” comprised of “Heavy Psychedelic Riff Rock”, this three piece powerhouse is about to blow your mind and speakers in one fell swoop with this latest release of five separate compositions that stand alone and even better as a complete package. For the next 39 minutes of smoke filled vocal lamentations with a guitar slide so smooth, you can hear the blue in the glass as the bottom end rumble gives you that ‘body’ to close your eyes and roll along with each moment, taken along with all of the leading pace of this heavy-hit drumline that has enough perfectly timed fills to satiate the most veracious headbanger.

Jumping out of the gate with a SLAMMING cover of NAZARETH favorite ‘Hair Of The Dog’, GEEZER let us know they are in fine form and ready to kill with this record. Even the lead break is done in true GEEZER fashion foregoing the talk-box for more subtle phrasing and phase shifting to traverse the even darker zone to the anthemic end chorus with a full on power chord finish before the soft, slow fade into ‘Stressknots’ with a low end rumble packed with power punch until a pause…”Big apple sky dreams, make way for lesser things…” and the tone is set for the remainder of what represents the finest work so far with a sense of power and precision brought to the table to delight the faithful and pummel the unknowing with a mastery that has been gained by time spent perfecting their craft.

geezer psycho alt cover

The slow spaced-out fade in of title track ‘Psychoriffadelia’ belies the crushing intent that hits HARD at just under two minutes when the slow-flow tempo takes hold over the SIK-solo laden body of this song.

For 10+ minutes the most delectable notes cascade over each other in the languishing flow of stoner bliss, all the way through the ending that slides effortlessly into ‘Red Hook’ with that smooth as glass transitional repeating note that lends itself right into the melody before that beautiful slide comes back accenting the flavors melting together in your mind. Soft, plush and warming in delivery, this is sand as the summation of a lifetime, in that haunting, delay strewn delivery “I don’t wanna leave, the time ain’t right, got nothing left to put up a fight…”, you feel that grip in your chest and it is perfection. From the endless fade out to the power-keyed fade in of ‘Dirty Penny’ the final shifting of gears is here and there is so much fuzzed-out wah-pedaled thickness in your face as that blues-body is filled with the might of power that these three slather on from head to toe and beyond as “Dirty Penny gets it right every time…”

The production of this in arrangements, clarity of each mix, stepped up production values and even the running order is amazing and allows ‘Psychoriffadelia’ to shine as the diamond in GEEZER’s catalog to this point. BUY THIS RECORD the second you can, share it with everybody and go out and support them LIVE if you get the chance…and keep it LOUD!!

Tour Schedule

The Black Angels “Death Song” Album Review & Music Videos

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THE BLACK ANGELS

Death Song – Vinyl // CD // DD

Partisan Records – Released:  April 21, 2017

Reviewed by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

 

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Band Members:

Sttephanie Bailey – drums & percussion

Christian Bland – vocals, guitar, drone machine/organ

Kyle Hunt – keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar

Alex Maas – vocals, bass, drone machine/organ

Jake Garcia – guitar

 

Previous Releases:

“Clear Lake Forest” EP / “Indigo Meadow” / “Directions To See A Ghost” / “Phosphene Dream” / “Passover” / “The Black Angels & Roky Erikson” 7″ vinyl

 

THE BLACK ANGELS – “Death Song” / 11 items, 48 minutes… this is what I knew of this ‘gathering of 5 individuals’ as I pushed play for the first time. Had not heard anything previously. Wide open with a clean palette. No expectations, nothing preconceived.

For the next 48 minutes, I sat, transfixed on every note, every beat, each word that was delivered in the purest expressions of control, dissonance, commitment, greed, desperation and the ultimate loss. I had no urge to rise, no need to leave, and dropped below the surface in the echoing timbre of Christian’s vocals, Stephanie’s perfect mix of body and fill as Kyle, Jake and Alex flex their individual AND collective muscle to offer one of the most original releases I have heard yet this year. Showing their influences and sounding like no one else in particular, this collection of compositions is nothing short of stellar.

Live Pic Shot

From the lumbering, quick fade in droning and then power punch pace of ‘Currency’ through the almost surf-punk guitar tone of ‘I’d Kill For Her’,  to ‘Half Believing’ with the soft-touch intro as Christian tells of ‘half believing, half suspicious’ show that this disc is full of the things we have come to expect and so much MORE than imagined. ‘Comanche Moon’ opens with a ferocity not implied by the name of the song while ‘Grab As Much (As You Can)’ has this ‘happy’ bouncing bass line that belies the real feel of, just as ‘Estimate’ could be a dirge by the beginning measures and ‘I Dreamt’, ‘Hunt Me Down’ and ‘Medicine’ are even more expressions of the multiple directions that THE BLACK ANGELS show they are more than capable of and are happy to lead us to.

The last two tracks on this opus, ‘Death March’ and ‘Life Song’ fit the flow of this track order and help define the title of this record and, in MY opinion, should be played one after the other in a live format as they compliment each other and again seem to offer the defining moments of this album serving as the bookend. If you are familiar with this band, you will be thrilled beyond what you may have been thinking you could expect. If you have never heard of them, this is a great place to start and then the previous releases will serve as the ultimate “pre-quels” for you. Grab the record IMMEDIATELY and support them by going to see them if they come to your area, tell everybody you know about them and turn it UP!!

Tour Dates

 

 

Bone Man “III” – Album Review & Track Streaming…

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Bone Man

III – Vinyl // CD // DD

Pink Tank Records – released April 21, 2017

Terry “The Ancient One” Cuyler

I was listening to an album simply titled III by a band called Bone Man just a little while ago and found my thoughts drifting as they sometimes do when I listen to good music. As my mind wandered I recalled a conversation with a friend about which sense, hearing or vision would hurt the most to lose. My friend figured vision would be the hardest and said he’d rather go deaf before going blind. However I was of the opposite opinion because while blindness would present huge challenges, the very thought of losing my ability to hear and enjoy music would be like a curse and this album really made me appreciate my  ability to hear music.

 

Pro Band Shot

 

If I were to describe this trio of Deuschlanders from Kiel, Germany known as Bone Man with one word I’d say sublime.  Described by fans reviews I’ve read as Heavy Psych Fuzz and Grunge.  I can definitely hear the influences of Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Eric Clapton in Bone Man’s music. Although not nearly as fuzzed out as II, Bone Man III seems to have upped the fuzz and sharpened Arne’s bass guitar a bit more to accent front-man Marian’s guitar leads and vocals. When I gave III a spin for the 1st time I found myself letting the bass and drums played by Ötzi lead me into the guitar leads and vocals. Lyrically the album’s songs have a bluesy feel to them.  Among my favorites were: ‘AMNESI’, ‘COLD ECHO’ and ‘FALSE AMBITION’.

Bone Man Tour Schedule

What I really find most interesting about III is how it messed with my perception of time. It’s a tight album with songs that are all under 6 minutes, yet when I listened to it I felt like I was listening to an AOR Rock classic full of 7 to 10 minute songs. I don’t know how the band does this but it’s pure genius. If you like the 90’s grunge movement, fuzz, or Eric Clapton then you will like Bone Mathis album. Bone Man’s III is an album I can easily see in a cliquish music heads’ collections as well as hitting the rock charts. Leading me to ask “When are you coming to The United States Bone Man?

RUFF MAJIK ‘The Swan’ EP Review & Stream

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RUFF MAJIK 
The Swan: CD//DD 
Bobbejaan Records
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

My friends from Pretoria, South Africa garage rock band Ruff Majik are back with the third installment of their planned EP trilogy. The 6-song ‘The Swan‘ is the end piece that follows previous offerings, The Bear and The Fox. If you have followed the progression of these releases then you already know what Johni Holliday (gtrst./vox/organist), Jimmy Glass (bass) and Benni Manchino (drums, percussion), aka Ruff Majik, are all about. Raw, blues-infused, psyche-tinted, fuzzened Stoner Rock with the emphasis on raw, stoner and rock, true believers. It seems as if the earlier releases were mere glimpses into the overall intention of these EPs and with ‘The Swan‘, it feels as if everything has now come full circle.

Allow me to inform you that Ruff Majik are as real as it gets on recordings, they don’t utilize any studio trickery like overdubs and countless takes. There’s no attention-stealing bells and whistles meant to distract you away from mediocre music like so many other bands incorporate into their releases. No sirree, not here for this trio does not need smoke and mirrors to discombobulate your senses. Instead, they deliver their sonic wares with boisterous musicality and it all begins with the retro rager, ‘Horse Drawn Wrath Spawn‘. Thick floppy riffs, amazing bass-driven rhythms and a slurry swagger exude from the speakers transmitting the tune. The guys immediately change musical gears with the doomy desert/fuzz rock of ‘Cloak Full Of Serpents‘. Bottom heavy psychedelia swirls around you while the kit-shattering drums drive things to and fro. It sets things up rather nicely for the next cut, ‘Canabasis‘, and its more energetically defined direction. A flurry of music possessing raw, unfiltered fierceness exudes into the room around you and the blistering guitar work will hold you in place as it does.

The end of of the previous track actually leads us headlong into the atmospherically-enhanced, melodic psyche of ‘Honey In A Lion Corpse‘. Rippling with desert rock traits and some really hypnotic tones, this throwback to the age of Kyuss is my favorite track by far. The grooves are magnetic and I swear you can feel sweat beads breaking on your brow from the energy being exerted here. Before you can catch your breath the dense, deep ruts of ‘Monarch Of The Hills‘ break like dawn on the mountaintop. Once again, the power of the rhythm section keep this song anchored in place, especially those massive bass lines. Things ratchet up into the red with the EP ending ‘Scalp Chiseler‘, a full-on foray into doomened blues. Bolstering things with ample enhancements are the subtle organs bubbling beneath the surface of the song, one which hits some dizzying moments at times before cooling down at others.

I have walked the walk with Ruff Majik through each of this trilogy’s EP releases and dare say that ‘The Swan‘ is the icing on the cake so to speak. It ties everything together in a way that should appeal to fans of undiluted garage rock that isn’t afraid to keep it true and to the point. You can listen to ‘The Swan‘ in the Bandcamp embed below and I highly recommend that you do, as well as check out its’ predecessors so that you can get the full intention of the trilogy.

Album Review – Plainride “Return of the Jackalope”

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Album Review – PLAINRIDE 

Return of the Jackalope

Ripple Music – Vinyl / CD / DD 

Vinyl ships after first week in February 2017

 

If you think you may have heard of this release before, well, it’s because you have… BUT there is a double-vinyl release slated for February 2017 of this opus including one side of four that is exclusive bonus material!! If the weight of this release (nearly one pound) doesn’t hit you, the music within certainly will.

Using their self-described recipe of ‘Earth rockin’ drums’, ‘beard growth inducing bass’, ‘fuzzomental guitars’ and the ‘roar of a wolfman’ and a whole lotta beer to hammer out each of these songs into the forms offered here, Plainride classify themselves as ‘Kick-ass stoner rock and roll’ and state that this is something to ‘shake the Earth like a ravaging hurricane filling skies with thundering riffs’ as they push through what many consider to be one of the finest genres to rise from the ashes of the 70’s.

 

Vinyl Release

 

Opening up with “Challenger ’69” there is no doubt this ride is going to be one to remember. One of the shorter tracks here, it is indeed the perfect set-up of what’s to come with the rest of the 13 total songs. “Salt River” is next, starts out with just guitar for two measures, then bass drum for another two, standard back in the 70’s but when you hear “Killed my father with a shovel and a shotgun…” you know it’s about to get deep. That ‘growl of a werewolf’ is a pretty apt description and it suits this band perfectly with tales of such as this. “(The Tale Of) Private John Colter” offers some insight into how the Jackalope entered the fray… less than two minutes long, we are given the back-story of and told that “No body was ever found” leading perfectly into the title track. The chorus belies this tale with the words “Roll on by me, don’t ya roll so slow, use your guns and watch me go”, seemingly speaking from the Jackalope’s perspective. One of the standouts on this is “(The Beards Upon) Mt. Rushmore”. FULL of fuzzy guitar tone and solo’s with a rock-solid rhythm section rolling along, you can’t help but to move and groove along to the end. “The Grailknights” follows this formula taking over your mind as you trudge along keeping pace with these guys, wanting to devour it all. “Beermachine” shows the fuel behind the fire as Plainride describes a major component of who they are, with this pace set to incite your thirst and have you drinking deep to slake the thirst that is now consuming. “Devil At Your Heels” comes out of the gate at full force before slowing to a tempo that pulls you forward into this tale of the ‘very influential’ that seems looming. “Warpdrive” is the last track, but not one that you will leave behind. More than likely, you will want to ‘spark up’ for this 15 minute tune and enjoy the ride as it courses you along.

 

Band Pic

 

A ‘must-have’ for 2017 and this repackaging is the pinnacle especially considering the gram weight and will seem like a whole new record with the extra’s and clarity that only vinyl can deliver.   I look forward to what Plainride next sonic release as they have raised a very high bar with this epic Debut.  Kudos to Ripple Music for putting this album on must needed Wax!

Track Listing

  1. Challenger ’69
  2. Salt River
  3. (The Tale Of) Private John Colter
  4. Return Of The Jackalope
  5. Dog
  6. (The Beards Upon) Mt. Rushmore
  7. Vengeance
  8. The News
  9. Black Wolves
  10. The Grailknights
  11. Beermachine
  12. Devil At Your Heels
  13. Warpdrive

Plus Special Bonus Tracks with Vinyl Purchases

Words by Ric “Sui-Syko” Dorr