PHE Self-Titled Review, Stream & NYP Item

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PHE
S/T – DD
Self-Release – Release Date: June 2, 2017
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

From Helmond, Netherlands we have the arrival of a hereunto somewhat secret trio Phe and their just-issued 5-song self-titled album. Secret or not, the cat (or PHEline) is out of the bag with this debut and whatta cat this is! Constructed upon all of the prerequisite fundamentals and components that make Stoner Rock the substantive treasure it is, the musical realms explored on Phe are quite diverse. Sure, it is all deeply rooted in the basics of heavy rock but the boys add in ample amounts of blues, fuzz, alternative and more into this stunning effort.

Things roll out off the line with the heavy stomp of ‘Heaven’s Hell‘, immediately finding an open-ended groove while a tight-knit rhythm section anchors things into place. Fuzzy riffs reverberate as a bit of husky, well-graveled vocals join the movement. We all ride this circuit together until things power down some toward the mid-section for a bit of stripped down vocals with bass and drum accompaniment. ‘Hide‘ begins with a much doomier introduction, a slow churn of guitar, bass and drums before yielding to to a minimalist amount of music during the verses. Reaching an almost hypnotic pattern at times while the vocals switch from melodic and airy to angst-y and intense.

Effect-laden guitars unfurl the middle-marking point of this album, ‘Grow Old‘, before they merge with the others for another intoxicating rhythmic ride. It pulsates and ripples before going off the rails during the amped up choruses while heady vocals do their thing. Those choruses become huge walls of sound where a frenzied delivery rages ever so briefly before powering down back to the melodic verses. In fact, the fourth song’s title sort of describes this best, ‘Rage Down‘. Ethereal bass lines reverberate as an equally airy type of vocal combine with its desert rock music for a bit of a progressive feel to the track itself. Then we arrive at my favorite song of the five, the album-closing ‘Up On The Mountain‘, a track chock full of stoner grit. It combines that grit with a bit of a gothic doom feel while providing some of the burliest riffs yet. A brief pause in the music becomes the shove off point for a fantastic jam session that ultimately ends this fine song and PHEnomenal outing.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

LÂMINA ‘Lilith’ Review & Stream

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LÂMINA
Lilith – DD
Raging Planet Records – Release Date: June 2, 2017
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

From one of planet Earth’s ongoing hotbeds of psyche-infused heavy rock, Portugal, comes the 7-song ‘Lilith‘ debut from LÂMINA. Just released this past Friday, June 2nd, LÂMINA are poised to make their mark upon the global underground music scene with this release. With the quartet of Vasco Duarte, Katari, Evil and Filipe Homem Fonseca fueling the music upon this effort, what they’ve crafted is an energetic, enthralling entrance into another world. That world is a musical realm where hazy, lysergic hard rock melds with desert and grunge elements to render a powerful introduction to LÂMINA.

The diversity of music and genres explored on ‘Lilith‘ is an impressive example of the band’s ability to move within their music with cohesion and fluidity. From the heavily riff-driven opening song ‘Cold Blood‘ there is an underlying sense of urgency rippling within this cool tune itself. The band keeps things tight knit and moving at every twist and turn, up to a point where they delve into some headier aspects of the psyche-tinted variety. Explorations like that are rampant on subsequent tracks like ‘Maze‘ and ‘In The Warmth Of Lilith‘, especially the former as ‘Maze’ is a 20 minute plus excursion into otherworldly awesomeness.

But perhaps your tastes appreciate the heavier side of things and there is an abundance of such here. Just check out such stellar songs as ‘Big Black Angel‘, ‘Evil Rising‘ or ‘Education For Death‘. In fact, you should just go and check out the entire LÂMINA ‘Lilith‘ album via the Bandcamp embed below. Once there, you can reap the added bonus of it currently being available as a FREE download so it is truly a win-win for you (us) in every way.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

WITCHTHROAT SERPENT Stream ‘Striped Dragon’ Single

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France-based doom stalwarts Witchthroat Serpent will release their new single Striped Dragon on June 15 through Svart Records. The newest offering from guitarist/vox Fredrik Bolzann, drummer Niko Lass and bassist Lo Klav finds the trio adding some psyche-heavy flourishes to this superb selection. The song and its B-side were recorded live at Drudenhaus Studio during the sessions for the band’s previous release, 2016’s Sang-Dragon. It is arriving just in time for the trio’s upcoming road trek (dates below).

“Striped Dragon” is presented in a deluxe gatefold cover, a carefully-crafted work of art by Branca Studio. This piece is limited to 300 copies and is a one-time pressing.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

WITCHTHROAT SERPENT “RISING SUN TOUR” June 2017:

19/06 BE Antwerpen “Kid’s Kaffee”
20/06 GER Berlin “Tiefgrund”
21/06 GER Dresden “Ostpol”
22/06 GER Leipzig “Black label Pub”
23/06 GER Nuremberg “Kunstverein”
24/06 GER Munich “St Helena Festival”
25/06 FR Paris “Dr Feelgood”

PUTA VOLCANO ‘Harmony Of Spheres’ Review & Stream

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PUTA VOLCANO
Harmony Of Spheres – CD//DD//Vinyl
iota5 Records – Release Date: April 28th, 2017
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

I have long said that there is some incredible music happening in the nation of Greece and this band, Puta Volcano, are the latest example of what I am talking about. Clearly, I am not alone in that belief either seeing as how Athens’ Puta Volcano is set to play at DesertFest Athens 2017 alongside acts like Saint Vitus, Orange Goblin, Colour Haze and Graveyard, among others. It has now been close to a month since the band, vocalist Luna Stoner (aka Anna Papathanasiou), guitarist Alex Pi, bassist Bookies and drummer Steven S., released their latest album, the stellar ‘Harmony Of Spheres‘. The 8-song offering is the eagerly awaited follow-up to the band’s earlier releases, The Sun (2015) and Represent Victory Below Eye (2011) and let me tell you, the wait was worth it.

Puta Volcano

Much like their namesake, Puta Volcano and their music are an explosive eruption of lava hot Desert Rock, but such that has elements of Stoner, Psyche, Grunge and Progressive Rock augmenting it. The quartet craft intensely enthralling riff-driven hard rock that just flows with rhythmic propulsion, they keep it tight knit and cohesive thanks to their solid deliveries. It simply astounds me that the band is not a widely known commercial success, a well-recognized household name uttered upon the lips of countless music fans. But then like I said, this record is a freshly out of the oven, piping hot slab of molten musicality so who knows what may be lurking around the bend?

Speaking of bends, things kick off here with the winding rollercoaster that is the aptly-titled introductory song, ‘Dune‘. Huge grooves, thunderous rhythms and impressive drumming drive the song’s swaggering, laid back flow but without question, something gets revealed. A sultry sounding, raspy-throated and utterly incredible vocal powerhouse that is Luna! Don’t get me wrong, the guys are as equally fantastic as well but we all know that without the proper singer, even the best music can fall short. There seems to be no chance in hell of that happening here though thankfully.

Once you’ve regained your senses, there’s a whole range of multifaceted music explored in subsequent songs like the beautiful ‘Bird‘, jumpin’ ‘Jovian Wind‘ or radiant ‘Afterglow‘. For me personally, things really landed well during the middle segment of the record, particularly ‘Zeroth Law‘, ‘Neon‘ and ‘Moebius‘. All three tracks are just incredible, the hypnotic haziness of ‘Zeroth Law‘ with a structured, pattern-like vocal delivery where Luna once again struts her stuff. From there, ‘Neon‘ ratchets up both the tempo and intensity like a driving, pumping engine as a tempest of energized music swirls about. Meanwhile, I believe ‘Moebius‘ may actually be my favorite cut on the record with its own trippier nuances. Things eventually careen headlong into some truly powerful Alt. Rock, the band itself in unison and rolling out a truly stand-out performance. I will let ‘Infinity‘ just surprise and impress you all on its own.

Yet when all is said, done and played, Puta Volcano‘s ‘Harmony Of Spheres‘ is a veritably stand alone musical statement itself. Simply put, it is a fantastic album and I feel that life is better with it than without it but you will have to be the judge of that for yourself. You can do exactly that by streaming it via the Bandcamp embedded player below.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

Full Album Stream Of BARROWS ‘Obsidion’; Tour Dates

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Friday, May 26th will see the release of the latest album from the atmospheric progressive rock duo Barrows, titled ‘Obsidion‘. It will be issued digitally through the band and on deluxe 2xLP through Tonzonen Records (purchase here). Obsidion is the follow-up to 2011’s Imprecari Island and 2014’s Red Giant and finds the forces behind Barrows, Jim Leonard and Richy Epolito, delving ever deeper into exploratory aural realms.

The textural expanses of the sci-fi infused instrumental rock of Obsidion is streaming in full below for your listening enjoyment. You can expect myriad fragments of audible experimentation inspired from progressive, space, kraut, and psych rock acts, derived by influences from early King Crimson and Pink Floyd to John Carpenter and Goblin. The album was mastered by Eroc from the legendary Krautrock band Grobschnitt and features stark/abstract artwork and photography by Alexandre Souêtre.

The band is planning on touring in support of Obsidion, including a residency/album release show at The Echo in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles for the month of May, where the band will be playing a free show every Monday of the month with a bill of area bands of their choice. This is to be followed by a full US tour, all the dates are listed below.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

Barrows tour dates:

5/22/2017 The Echo – Los Angeles, CA *Free Residency Show w/ Psychic Jiu–Jitsu, Mothdrops, Dream Phases
5/29/2017 The Echo – Los Angeles, CA *Album Release Show w/ Hex Horizontal, Starving Daughters, Clear
5/30/2017 The Casbah – San Diego, CA w/ Deep Sea Thunder Beast, Bleak Skies
5/31/2017 The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ w/ Moons Eat Stars, The Idiot Mars, The Living Receiver [info]
6/01/2017 Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM w/ Votives, Distances, Chess At Breakfast [info]
6/02/2017 Hole In The Wall – Austin, TX w/ Gold Leather [info]
6/03/2017 The Parlor Tattoo – North Little Rock, AR w/ Mainland Divide, The Light in the Woods [info]
6/04/2017 The East Room – Nashville, TN w/ Tape Deck Mountain, International Friendly [info]
6/05/2017 Galaxy Hut – Arlington, VA w/ The Orchid [info ]
6/06/2017 The Fire – Philadelphia, PA w/ This City Called Earth, I See Demons in the Wood Grain [info]
6/07/2017 Golden Sounds Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Hannibal Montana, Zevious [info]
6/08/2017 Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT w/ Mid Atlantic Title, Western Estates [info]
6/09/2017 O’Brien’s – Boston, MA w/ Sea, 28 Degrees Taurus, Voidgod [info]
6/10/2017 Monkey House – Winooski, VT w/ Dr. No, Gnomedad [info]
6/11/2017 Pauley’s Hotel – Albany, NY w/ Yoma, Grimer [info]
6/12/2017 Dinosaur BBQ – Syracuse, NY w/ Formidable Duke, The Magnetic Pull [info]
6/14/2017 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL w/ Coyote Man [info]
6/15/2017 Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN w/ Hardcore Crayons, Nomia, Goodnight Gorillas [info]
6/16/2017 O’Leaver’s Pub – Omaha, NE w/ Low Long Signal, Towering Rogue [info]
6/17/2017 Electric Funeral Fest – Denver, CO [info]
6/19/2017 The Underground – Salt Lake City, UT w/ Yeti Warlord, Toxic Dose [info]
6/20/2017 The Olympic – Boise, ID w/ Desert Graves, Preakedness, Wall Of Ears [info]
6/21/2017 The Valley – Tacoma, WA w/ Fang Chia [info]
6/22/2017 Lytle Beach – Bainbridge Island, WA w/ Weeed [info]
6/23/2017 Victory Lounge – Seattle, WA w/ You May Die In The Desert, Chrome Lakes, Slumberbox [info]
6/24/2017 Turn, Turn, Turn Records – Portland, OR w/ U Sco, Stars’ Blood [info]
6/25/2017 Old Nick’s Pub – Eugene, OR w/ Cambrian Explosion, Paleons [info]
6/27/2017 Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlour – Reno, NV w/ Weight Of The Tide [info]
6/28/2017 Starlite Lounge – Sacramento, CA w/ (Waning), Axiom [info]
6/29/2017 The Night Light – Oakland, CA w/ Wander, Dokoe, Voidtripper [info]
6/30/2017 Davenport Ditch – Santa Cruz, CA w/ Cosmic Reef Temple, Oort Cloud
7/01/2017 Hemlock Tavern – San Francisco, CA w/ Floral, Wander [info]

Barrows-tour-2017

IAMFIRE ‘From Ashes’ Review & Stream

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IAMFIRE
From Ashes – CD//DD//Vinyl
Released April 14th, 2017
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Peter Dolving fan..from Mary Beats Jane to his time in The Haunted, solo efforts and even his short stint in the recent Dress The Dead project. Peter always provides intense vocals to whatever he’s contributing to and I was excited to learn awhile back there was a new endeavor claiming his presence. That is IAMFIRE of course and where earlier bands explored punk and alternative rock, as well as metal and such, it is safe to say that IAMFIRE is a stoner rock band in about every sense of the words. Joining Dolving in the band are guitarist Peter Ahlers Olsen, bassist/vocalist Mikael Ehlert and drummer Ulf Scott and I make that previous claim based on the variety of styles explored here.

“Here” is the IAMFIRE debut full-length ‘From Ashes‘ of course and what we have here is a potent blend of all the stoner sub-genres from desert to fuzz, doom, psychedelia, sludge and much more. But I almost hesitate to share that labeling due to the possibility that more close-minded types will immediately refuse to give the record a chance. If so then that is their loss, a great, grand loss at that because aside from Peter’s usual falsettos and somewhat wailing vocalizations there is the music. The oh-so fantastic music in this case, music that alternates from densely heavy rock that’s propelled by the power of the riff to the hypnotically melodic tunes administered with a slightly lysergic lull.

It is the former that provides our introduction to the album with ‘Magpies And Crows‘, a cut that unfurls with a riff so huge that it results in opiate-like head nodding. The rhythms are as equally monstrous while the drums detonate about you like bursts of hand grenades. The heavy side of IAMFIRE is on fine display in other superb selections such as ‘Burn Your Halo‘, ‘For What It’s Worth‘ and ‘Compliments‘. Inevitably, there are going to be comparisons made to Tool and perhaps Alice In Chains, derived from nuances within the music and vocals both here. To be honest, those comparisons may be considered absolutely valid too because there are moments where the vocals and progressive elements of the music itself do remind one of Tool.

‘Did You Find Your Name‘ is one of those songs, one where the box is obliterated and experimental applications govern the track. Dolving himself is the primary source for many of it on this particular cut as he alternates between three differing vocal approaches. Much like flipping an invisible switch with ease, Peter runs across the spectrum from a sedate, light and airy voice to a wailing howl and eventually an aggro-intensified bellow. As for the more proggy styled songs, just give ones like ‘Eyes Wide Open‘ or ‘Beamer‘ a spin and you’ll find yourself outside the norm as well.

That leaves us with my two favorite songs, the one-two impact of the back to back ‘My Mistake‘ and ‘Inside‘. The former is a full-on face down dive into trippy, Kyuss-ian desert rock where sound effects pepper a super fucking cool, fluid track. Hazy, atmospheric hooks sink into your ear canals and embed themselves ever deeper with each note while massive riffs rumble and reverberate. ‘Inside‘ keeps the desert rock vibe alive as it rolls out with a robust, rippling riff ‘n rhythm road map. Tightly-wound, in the pocket drumming and navigating bass lines drive the track ever onward, inviting you deep inside its inner machinations.

Overall, the entire IAMFIRE debut, ‘From Ashes‘, is an album that you can immerse yourself within. An alluring, captivating aural experience that deserves ones undivided listening attention because it is so multifaceted and layered. One misstep on your part and you will quite likely miss an incredible moment taking place on the record so do yourself a favor, stream it below. Ignore the tags, labels, and pigeonholing, my own or anyone else’s and come listen to an amazing album, pure and simple.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

SABBATH ASSEMBLY Prepare To Release ‘Rites Of Passage’; New Track Streaming

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The anxiously awaited return of occultic, doomened psyche entity Sabbath Assembly is upon us all. The band’s first new album since 2015, ‘Rites Of Passage‘, will be released by Svart Records on May 12th. Today, we are pleased to present you the new song ‘Angels Trumpets‘ where you can hear hints of the band’s turn toward a more progressive rock direction musically.

Sabbath Assembly shared the origin of what Angels Trumpets are saying: “Angels Trumpets is another name for the Datura flower, known for its ritual use in the transformation from childhood to adulthood. It is said to induce a complete severance of memory, allowing one to transition from one phase to the next, totally untethered.”

Led by vocalist Jamie Myers (ex-Hammers of Misfortune), Sabbath Assembly circa 2017 features guitarist Kevin Hufnagel (Gorguts, Dysrhythmia), along with original Sabbath Assembly drummer Dave Nuss and returning bassist Johnny Deblase. There has been a new addition to the band with second guitarist Ron Varod (Kayo Dot, Psalm Zero, Zvi).

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

Sab Ass LP
Tracklisting for Sabbath Assembly’s Rites Of Passage:

1. Shadows Revenge
2. Angels Trumpets
3. I Must Be Gone
4. Does Love Die
5. Twilight of God
6. Seven Sermons to the Dead
7. The Bride of Darkness

Sabbath Assembly‘s ‘Rites Of Passage‘ is available for pre-order/purchase here.

WEEDPECKER Reveal ‘III’ Artwork; Share ‘Liquid Sky’ Track

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In my humble opinion, Poland’s Weedpecker are one of underground stoner rock’s more underappreciated bands. The guys, Wyro (guitar & vocal), Bartek (guitar & vocal), Mroku (bass) and Falon (drums), are readying the release of their third studio album. The appropriately titled ‘III‘ follows its predecessors, 2013’s Weedpecker and 2015’s ‘II‘, and is sure to be another magnificent outing.

We have the ‘III‘ album artwork, created by Maciej Kamuda, below along with the audio-only stream of new track, ‘Liquid Sky‘. We will bring you further details when they become available.

– Pat ‘Riot’Whitaker

Weedpecker III

DOUBLESTONE ‘Devils Own/Djævlens Egn’ Review & Album Stream

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DOUBLESTONE
Devils Own/Djævlens Egn – Vinyl//CD//DD
Ripple Music – Release Date: May 5th, 2017
Reviewed By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

 

The Copenhagen-based Doublestone are back with their Ripple Music debut, ‘Devils Own/Djævlens Egn‘ on May 5th (today). Once again the band utilized the talents of Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Stone Axe) to master the new effort, one produced by the band themselves and Andreas Krohn at Wolf Ram Studios. With today’s release, guitarist/vocalist Bo Blond, bassist/vocalist Kristian Blond and drummer Mike James B. further explore the vintage-tinged sound that permeated earlier releases Set The World Ablaze (2013 EP), Doublestone (2013 self-titled) and the Wingmakers full-length.

On Devils Own/Djævlens Egn, the guys devise a seeming time machine and use it to return to an age of traditional, early rock music. In doing so, they keep the retroactive vibes and consistently rocking on such superb stand-out songs like ‘War Machine‘ (streaming below), ‘Man On The Hill‘, ‘I Natten‘ and ‘Solen Sover‘. Meanwhile, other cuts incorporate some nods toward a bit of psychedelia and more melodic influences. The partial title track ‘Devil’s Own‘ is a bit lighter fare that has an almost sea shanty-like quality to it while the other partial number, ‘Djævlens Egn‘, is a definite blues track.

Of the eight songs here, my personal favorite has to be ‘Here Comes The Serpent‘, an upbeat but doomy selection that weaves a mythical tale amid thick grooves and infectious rhythms. It rides along a direct trail of much heavier content and possesses some amazing guitar work as well. When taken in stride with the other songs, they all work together collectively to yield yet another incredible outing from this trio.

Once again, Ripple Music will release the new Doublestone album, ‘Devils Own/Djævlens Egn‘ worldwide today, Friday, May 5th. It will be available in the following formats: Vinyl, limited-edition/multi-colored Vinyl, CD and digital download.

SEASON OF ARROWS Premieres ‘The Bridge’ Official Video

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Nashville’s critically-acclaimed heavy psyche rock/doom band Season Of Arrows are premiering a new Official Video for their song ‘The Bridge‘. The track hails from the band’s recent Argonauta Records-released sophomore album, ‘Give It To The Mountain‘. The band recently commented on the cut over at Decibel Magazine saying:

“It’s the dark place in all of us. There are times in life where you are consumed with emptiness and despair and seems like there isn’t anything to grab a hold of. Within that deepest of darkness you can sometimes find a small beacon of hope, thus the bridge. It’s the unmistakable will that lives inside all of us, when exercised keeps us alive and brings us to a new outlook on life.”

‘The Bridge‘ is a bleakly hypnotic number that emits massively ethereal qualities amid the torrent of doomened hopelessness. It provide a nice glimpse at what sonic greatness is contained upon Season Of Arrows Give It To The Mountain..available now from Argonauta Records.

– Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

SoA GITTM