King Buffalo - Struggles, doubt and acceptance...

 

Interview with Sean McVay from King Buffalo

Struggles, doubt and acceptance...

“I was really writing with the anticipation that nobody would ever read them, and no one would surely hear them.”

It’s the end of the summer. A summer where much of the world finally got to experience King Buffalo live. A summer where the love for King Buffalo seemed to grow exponentially with every week that passed. A summer that still had us all anticipating that third album, the final part of the King Buffalo trilogy, that amazing Regenerator album… Well, we managed to rope vocalist Sean McVay into talking about that album, and the two that came before…

We managed to see King Buffalo live at Desertfest Ghent back in October 2021. The Pandemic still a major factor. And we saw them again at Krach Am Bach festival in August 2022, with no restrictions whatsoever. In Ghent they were one of the few bands in the main hall that got their sound right. And on Krach Am Bach, they were one of the many bands that got absolutely everything right. “Krach Am Bach was definitely our favorite show of the European summer tour. Amazing. One of the best crowds we ever had.” And it was…

We do always wonder how much we really want to know about our heroes. Do we really want to know how deep the hole was Sean McVay crawled out from? Or why he ended up there in the first place? Do we want to know every little detail of his pain? And do we really want to know how old bass player Dan Reynolds is? Or do we want to keep all or some of the mystery alive? Perhaps Sean doesn’t even want to talk about it? It might in fact still be hard to sing about. But now that the trilogy is done and everything is out there for us to enjoy, or even find solace in. It will be something that might come up now and again. But let’s start with perhaps the most important question first… What do you love about music?

“Well, yeah, interesting. I love performing obviously. I mean we tour so much and however long the timeslot is we get to play, that part makes the touring awesome. I mean, I don’t need to ride around in a van for seven or eight hours a day, you know. But getting to perform is awesome. That little moment in time and space where it’s just you and the crowd, is amazing, rewarding and why you do it. Outside of that, there’s the recording process. There’s just something about creating something out of nothing that taps into human existence. Making something. For me it happens to be music, for other people it might be building a house, designing a car, making food, the act of making something, creating, is intrinsically rewarding.” 

 

And now that you’ve finished the trilogy, what is the predominant emotion?

“Relief. Euphoria. It was difficult to make. We struggled with production delays, getting the record finalized. There were certainly times when we worried, or I worried, if we would ever get it done. Perhaps because of self-doubt, struggling to find lyrics, proper guitar parts, or whatever. But there were a lot of struggles, and it feels like a relief that we overcame all those personal doubts. And then having those three albums in our hands, was really, wow, we really did it. It was a proud moment.”

Nothing bittersweet, like, we’re not doing the project anymore?

“Well, a little of course. More like, now what? Now, what do we do? Haha. Luckily, we have so much touring ahead. But there was definitely a moment of, now what do we do, we have to switch modes. Luckily, there’s a lot of King Buffalo business nowadays to keep us busy. And I mean, even before these three albums, we had just done Dead Star. And then immediately started these three records, within the space of a couple of months. It has been a very busy time. I’m definitely looking forward to having a short break before moving on to the next project, and we’re all looking forward to touring with all this new music. Cause we’re extremely proud of what we were able to do.”

The trilogy was jammed out during the pandemic. How did you know it would be a three-record project and did you immediately feel which song or which part had to go where?

“Well, no, it took some time and effort. We had this huge basket of songs and we had to try and group them. But somehow, even if it was an arduous and laboring job, they all did seem to fall naturally into certain categories. And I soon had the bones of the albums and then knew that The Burden Of Restlessness had to come first. Cause of the way I was feeling at the time, it felt like the record that needed to be made. Especially when you look at them in hindsight, they are all vastly different and yet there are things that carry through on each of the three records. To me, it now feels completely obvious that all the songs on Acheron belong together. I cannot imagine putting Burning on Regenerator for example.”

Was all that pre-work food for a lot of discussion?

“We are a pretty democratic band, but early on, we had so much recorded material. So, it was just me, going through all that stuff, picking the best parts, finding the gems, and sending it to the guys. That’s also because I have all the right equipment, the pro-tools and stuff. It’s not like I demand to be that guy, I’m just the guy that goes through the aspect of all that because I have that gear. And because I was so immersed in the entire thing, I would often send multiple mails with suggestions and there was definitely some back and forth. But not that much.”

About The Burden Of Restlessness, was it obvious you had to bookend it with Burning and Loam?

“That record is very much a reflection of what I was feeling at the time. I definitely wanted to start it off with Burning. Coming out with a bold statement, setting the stage, throwing that big angular riff out there, here, this is what the record is about. There was some more debate on how to end that record. Do we want a hard cut? Do we want to end grandiose? Once we zeroed in on that, we ended it super grandiose. It works perfectly, this big massive riff, this huge soaring lead, and then, just silence… It’s a really good way, in saying: wow, where’s the rest. And then go into the next record.”

And then comes Acheron… Which you recorded in a cave. Are you by then, at that moment in time, becoming a bit daunted by what this project is becoming?

“Oh yeah, definitely, it was already very real during Burden. We already had moments where we though, well, okay, we might have bitten off a bit too much here, trying to do three records. And then with Acheron. Logistically, it was so difficult. Setting it up and doing it all in one day in a cave, was just a monumental task. So much work, in such a concentrated amount of time. So intense. It was the kind of thing where I’m super proud of what we did, how it turned out and how it came to be. But it also serves as a daily reminder that I will never ever record in a cave again! It was horrendous, carrying all the gear, setting it up. The temperature and humidity were absurd. It wasn’t something we really thought about ahead of time, and then when you get down there, within minutes, all your gear is just sweating, dripping water. And you yourself are sweating, more than you have ever sweat in your entire life. And yet you are cold at the same time and pounding water just to stay hydrated. Extremely bizarre, and not something we will do again, but the time there and the end result is rewarding.”

And finally Regenerator, bringing closure to the three-album project. But also bringing closure to the feelings, emotions, trials, and tribulations of what you and we along with you went through. It’s probably the biggest thing I took away from Regenerator. Comfort, relief, reassurance. Perhaps not all is well, and perhaps not everything will be well. But in some form and to some extent, we will be well, if we choose so…

“Well, I think so. I always like to hear what people pull out of it. And if that’s the way it resonates with you, than that’s the way it is. Everything, like art and music, we experience in very personal ways. We knew we wanted to be somewhat optimistic on this record. It’s not ray of sunshine, or walking on sunshine, but there’s a degree of acknowledging that things can be, not great, but that it will not always be that way. And all we can really do is be here now. And work beyond whatever is happening. So, I think I interpreted like you as well. And that we all go through stuff, some worse than others, but there are ways to not necessarily get over it, I hate that phrase: ‘get over it.’ But to somewhat come to terms with it. You know, I think the whole record is about trying to find your way to come to peace with and move beyond some of the things that might have been a problem.”

You are way more personal on these records than before. And that, it seems, makes it paradoxically enough, way more universal. How difficult was this for you? Perhaps it’s one of the reasons these records resonate so big with so many people?

“That could be the case. It was a real struggle for me. Lyrics have always been difficult. It’s a terribly slow and arduous process for me. I self-edit all the time. I can sit down with a notepad or a laptop and I can write lyrics for hours and then in the end only have two lines. You know… Well, it was always very difficult… And in all honesty… Well, I haven’t really talked about this, and it’s a little strange for me to talk about it publicly. I mean, the records get lumped in as a product of the pandemic. But it’s all about things that were happening before it. Intense and problematic things came to light in my personal life that were hard to deal with. I started going to therapy a couple of years ago. It’s what helped me become a better writer, for one of the things that happened, was that I just started to write for myself. Like journal entries, honest and not something anyone would ever read. I was really writing with the anticipation that nobody would ever read them, and no one would surely hear them. This allowed me the headspace to be able to be as intimate with it as it became. Particularly, for example, The Knocks. That was very scary to write down. It was even scarier to send to the band. Those words, with my little note stating: ‘Hey, I feel this might be the song.’ And then waiting for a reply, it was nerve wrecking. But they thought it was great and comforted me with their words. That process, of writing like self-exercise and just doing it for yourself is already rewarding. And then the fact that people relate to it so well, is even more rewarding. It’s enormously flattering and comforting.”

And how is it now to sing those words on the stage? Or to hear them being sung back even?

“It’s a little weird. Still. I mean, to be perfectly honest, singing some of The Knocks in particular, in front of a room full of people: ‘Don’t think I wanna live no more.’ It’s a little… It’s heavy you know. It feels very naked. But I am very proud of this song, lyrically as well as musically, its one of my favorite songs, and there is something about saying that in front of a room and realizing you are not alone in your room with your notepad. And we’ve gotten some really good feedback on that song as well. Some fans that come up after the show to tell us how much that song means to them. A woman gave me this really great, really heartfelt letter about some of her struggles, and how some of our songs were able to help her with that. That was really humbling. It means a lot. To feel that comradery or something and to know that you are not alone with your problems, and that by talking about your problems, you might help someone with theirs. Which I can also feel when I see someone in the crowd singing along with some of the words. You can really feel that it’s often like a cathartic experience for them. It helps them get something of their chest, and to see that, is an enormously cool, fulfilling, and humbling feeling.”

You do still come across as the reluctant vocalist now and then?

“Err yeah, I always thought of myself as a guitar player that sings. But particularly on Regenerator, I really wanted to make a conscious effort to not be afraid. You know. Not be afraid of my voice, of letting it be the voice it is, and to really try to sing more, and search for more vocal melody. Instead of just doing the classic King Buffalo drone voice. It was an interesting exercise. More specifically, the one that really pushed me out of my comfort zone was Firmament. I had never done anything like that. And still when I hear it, I go oh my god, I can’t believe I did that. It’s just bone-dry guitar, there’s nothing there, just my voice and a guitar, and that’s it. It was scary to show my voice like that and difficult to get right. It’s hard to judge yourself then, especially if you are so self-conscious of your voice. But I’m very proud of the result and of myself not being afraid or shy to try something like that.”

You already mentioned a few tracks you’re proud of. But I would love to zero in on a track that might not get all the attention it deserves. The Interlude. It feels like the perfect stopping point for Side A, and give the entire record the perfect amount of flow. Was it always there?

“No, it wasn’t always there. That kind of came about while I was at home noodling around. I had this guitar arrangement that I liked, and it felt like it provided a good little transition in the middle. A way to get from Hours to Mammoth. Without it, the transition did not reel right, there wasn’t enough flow to the record. It added a sense of rest, respite, it gave the album that extra bit of quietness. I love that it has that little piano part in there. I love the way it ends. I kind of had been playing around with it at home and when I sent to the guys, I hoped with every fiber that they would agree to putting it on the record. Well, luckily, they agreed.”

And now you are off to ride that enormous wave of appreciation for the King Buffalo sound...

“Yeah, the amount of support we receive from our fans is astronomical, and it’s been incredible. It’s always a bit surprising, we’re just three simple guys from a small city, and we are just trying to make stuff we enjoy, and to get this amount of feedback and support is truly humbling, and trust me, it’s not something we take for granted.”

Oh, before we go... Bernie Matthews once again mastered the albums. Who also did albums by K.D Lang, Body Count and many more. How did King Buffalo ever get in contact with him?

“Well, funny enough, he moved from LA to Rochester, and came through the studio where I used to do engineer work. You know, fifteen or so years ago. We kind of hit it off and when he and his wife wanted to open a Jazz club slash Mexican restaurant I did remodeling work for him. I then played in an earlier band and we asked him to produce, but we were of course that awful shitty band that broke up during the process, so he spent all his time and energy to make something that was never finished. That was embarrassing, but luckily he never lured it over me too much. So, I’ve known him for year and whenever we have stuff we just naturally bring it to him. Cause, he’s awesome. He knows his stuff. A true pro and is an absolute magician into translating our music to vinyl. It’s a different animal to master for digital or vinyl and he’s not heavy handed, doesn’t change the way our mixes sound. He shapes them, polishes them and make them sound the way they do. We can’t thank him enough.”

Well, we can’t thank you enough for the amazing trilogy you delivered and for your time and energy today. One last question before you go: it’s very difficult trying to guess Dan’s age. What’s his secret?

“Haha. Well, yeah, he’s an ageless wonder. But you will have to talk to him about divulging his secrets.”

Deville – Heavy Lies The Crown

 

 

Deville – Heavy Lies The Crown
Sixteentimes Music – 2022
Rock, Hard, Stoner, Southern, Metal
Rated: *****

Hitting the world in heavy and full swing next week is the new album by Swedish quartet Deville. It’s called Heavy Lies The Crown and is the follow-up to that mighty Pigs With Gods album from 2018. And just to mention all those records they released before that, to show their great body of work, let’s sum them all up: Make It Belong To Us from 2015, Hydra from 2013, Hail The Black Sky in 2009 and Come Heavy Sleep in 2007. Indeed, the Swedes got together in 2004 and are approaching their 20 years of making heavy rock together. There has been some changing of the guard of course, during those decades, but vocalist, guitarist, Andreas Bengtsson is still there and the obvious focus point with his gruff, gritty, and highly recognizable vocals. During those years the sound morphed, progressed, and tried all sort of different attitudes, but one thing was always there: ballsy, no holds barred, highly energetic heavy rock! And well, Heavy Lies The Crown brings that trusted Deville sound, but once again, with quite a few extra touches here and there. Opener No Sun bursts out of the gate with a definite agenda to fill your being with that stoner metal sound, the way it cuts away when the vocals start and then goes full volume after the first lines is of course expertly done. No Sun will take no prisoners, and will surely have you headbanging, drumming or air guitaring along. It will have you on the edge of your seat anxious to hear the rest of the album. Second track and single Killing Time brings even more metal and wild percussion, Hands Tied, gives you a more stonerrock 2002 era sound and Serpent Days, gives a wide-open sounding metal landscape that seems to pass by slower than the tracks that came before, giving you some air and some light, although the ending turns pretty intense and claustrophobic again. But it’s fifth track Embrace that will undoubtedly have you floored. The way they approach the King Buffalo sound from a stoner metal take, the way they implore the progressive touch, the early stonerrock sound in one track, the addition of Andeas Wulkan as vocalist is simply stunning. Heavy Lies The Crown is Deville’s pandemic album, the one they recorded when the world stopped turning and the band had to stop touring. It resulted in many of the tracks being fleshed out by the different members before they passed the bar and were allowed to be recorded, which makes me wonder who was responsible for the Embrace track the most and for that final track Pray For More. Cause even though the entire album is filled with amazing hooks, grooves, and riffs abundant, those two tracks stand out the most. Pray For More, chugs away relentlessly, on a different level, riding those tracks like a monstrous freight train, and with the soaring lead and less gruff vocal lines, ambitious and almost opts for grandiose and gloriously appealing. And such sweet surrender and temptation will surely make you Pray For More…

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Fire Horse
Warlung
Clutch
Everest Queen
Scream Of The Butterfly
Beyonder
Ghozer
Vitskär Süden
Black Space Riders
Jasper

Well, the workload is shifting, which is good… But these flu like symptoms aren’t… The test came back negative, so, it’s not that thing from the past years… But it still makes everything feel pretty horrible… Hope to be ready for some serious HiVe work this Wednesday… My apologies to all for the lack of updates…

Jasper – 2022 EP

 

 

Jasper – 2022 EP
Self released – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Alternative, Psych, Noise
Rated: ****

Jasper, is the brainchild of drummer Jonathan Bontet, who previously rocked out with psychedelic mastodon The Psychologist & His Medicine Band, stoner-comics Sex & Dollars, fusion-alike Bad Billy, triple-female-lead The Fucking Butterflies, punk-crusters Daily Mind Distortion and Severe Gouine, 8bit-electro hero Janski Beeeats, Jazz manouche electro bastards Les Voleurs de Swing and stoner wallabies Les Princes du Rock, among many others... To be honest, I don't know any of those bands,  and most of what you just read comes straight out of an email one Manuel Dabouis sent me. Sir. Bontet recruited him when he needed to record his songs, and this Manuel Dabouis is now responsible for guitars and noises on the six tracks of this 2022 EP by the Jasper quartet. They hail from Tours, France and make some pretty taste alternative stoner. They implore influences from noise, psych and even some worldly or tribal touches. And the result is a product of, for me, unknown giants, for whom music is the oxygen they need. The music is what gives them their kicks, their much-needed adrenaline and the reason keep their heart beating the right kind of tempo. Opener Meet It, very slowly builds up to a punky, garage kind of stoner rock explosion before gently sliding into a percussion driven middle part and then erupting again. A proper introduction to what Jasper is all about; lot of percussion, lots of punk energy, kicking the trashcan momentum, and with so many layers and extra dimensions, it does not give off the air of being primitive or primal, there’s control here, there’s stamina, Jasper can get every job done. Following track Unleash is stunning in its simplicity and honesty. But third nine-minute-long battleship song Cold Stone will throw you for a loop with the wild story it portrays and all the different personalities it goes through. There are big, huge, grandiose moments, fleeting and slow babbling stanzas, there are razor-sharp edges, and incredible fierceness, hugely potent hooks, and thrilling rhythm patterns. Fourth track By The River, you will be howling along like a mad wolf! For sure, it’s as wild as any seventies freak out you ever heard. And then there’s The Constant Noise Of My Beating Heart, a track that, after the build-up, eventually makes the guitar sounds as thick as a steel cable ready to behead you, drums to punch a hole in your guts and vocals to make you run faster, stretch your arms out farther and grab for that golden thread that seems to stitch all of Jasper’s songs together. They end it with The More I Drink, The Less I Lie, a proper punk send off, that will make you long for dark and twisted nights, in much too crowded, completely smoked out, drinking holes, stagediving from the bar and waking up in the gutter beside your house… You almost made it… 

(Written by JK)

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Everest Queen – Murmurations

 

 

Everest Queen – Murmurations
Trepanation Recordings – 2022
Metal, Doom, Sludge, Black, Prog, Post
Rated: ****

Hertfordshire… I often find myself wandering the streets of Stevenage, looking for something cool to do. Not that I live there or that I’m a particular fan of the town. To be honest, I still don’t know much about Stevenage. Although Fairlands park and their Saturday runs are cool, so are the surrounding areas near Walkern, Ardeley, the town of Hitchin and of course who can forget The Squirrel pub near Chells Way. But hey, with relatives living there, you venture over for birthdays, holidays or just for a weekend. Well, next time there, we might have to keep an eye out for the  (in the studio) four that are Everest Queen. Are there places in Stevenage where you can perform? Live venues to destroy with your mighty blackened doom sludge? Will you be doing that around the third weekend of October by any chance? For their newest release Murmurations is crushing and will overwhelm you with the first two opening tracks. Opener Sunken Thorn and following Of Treachery And Shadows smash you in the face like a brick hammer. Sunken Thorn slowly and progressively builds, adds extra layers, until it opens up for blackened growling vocals, but where this often might put a track immediately in a certain corner, it now adds to the mysticism and makes it all highly elusive. As it’s thunderous ending, leaving you with an ultimate feeling of liberation, especially if you scream along. Of Treachery And Shadows, with its punchy middle guitar work, its reverberating ending, sounding like an alarming distress call. We’re now sixteen minutes in, and to be honest, you sort of feel like you know what you can expect for the remaining four tracks. But then there’s third title track Murmurations to wash away all those expectations. Three minutes of atmospheric, ambient post rock, which starts with a refreshing rain, before an icy wind whisps it all away. All options are open now, and fourth track Dormant River will show you this in every way you can conceive. Absolute formidable post prog that carries like a meandering stream before turning into a torpid yet crashing rapid, where a certain part will have you gasping for air. Where have these Hertfordshire four found the ability to turn such post sludge, blackened prog into something ambient and at times almost pastoral. The ability to make every composition fluctuate between anger and hope, worthless and precious, something wicked and foul and so idyllic… Just listen to closing track The Burial. We will not be tiring of this any time soon… Beautiful with many hidden thorns…

(Written by JK)

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Fire Horse – Out Of The Ashes

 

 

Fire Horse – Out Of The Ashes
Suburban – 2022
Rock, Hard, Stoner, Seventies, Sixties Pop, Grunge
Rated: *****

Today we celebrate the release of Out Of The Ashes! And we also celebrate the bass player’s birthday! Three cheers and three hoorays! Or perhaps many more, for the album is a true blast! Have you already heard about the new powerhouse, super-power-trio on the block? They’re called Fire Horse! And have just delivered their debut album Out Of The Ashes. Super-power-trio we say, because they are comprised out of bass player (Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!) Peter van Elderen from Peter Pan Speedrock / Tankzilla, Kevin Stunnenberg from Birth Of Joy and Guy Pek from Grenadeers. If you did hear about this new power trio you probably already heard one of their singles: Against The World, Stormtrooper, Trust or the one from 2021, Fire Horse. Well, the album is full of more of that goody goody heaviness. We get hardrock, with minor psychedelic touches, we get stoner, with an angular stomp and gritty choppiness, we get sixties pop influences, and we get all of that on eleven wild tracks. Sure, most of the songs are hardrock, fast paced grunge, high energy, which move in a straight line, and power you through the landscape. But with sweet, yet edgy vocals that gives it all its very own character. But there are also Sabbath referencing songs, where even the vocals move towards Ozzy’s style and pitch, just listen to over 6 minutes long ninth track Situations. There are sixties pop melodies that are Beatlesque and harmonies like the Beach Boys, check out third track Against The World for that. Or do you wanna hear some stoner rock in the Palm Desert vein? Check out closer Keep It Coming! Than there are those little tidbits that just punch your memory card and makes your brain go crazy about what it reminds you of? Some Black Crowes here, some Queens of The Stone Age there, but above all, Fire Horse sound like a super-power-house-power-trio doing what they love and bringing that love to the heavy rocking masses! And there can be absolutely no doubt about that love when you listen to the song bearing the bands name, for during those four minutes that Fire Horse rocks, you hear blistering seventies guitar, vocals that just gallop their way into your brain, perfectly paced, and in beautiful control. Fire Horse, a pure-bred rock ‘n roll beast that will leave scorch marks on your heart with every stomp of their hoof!

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Besvärjelsen
The Cult
Agitation Free
Black Space Riders
Heilung
Weddings
Vitskär Süden
Mammoth Volume
Feather Mountain
Miscellen

Last week was filled with interviews, (Billy Duffy and Sean McVay were the two awesome ones) unexpected assignments, and a Facebook Page change. The changes are that large; but it still takes some getting used to. This week, we have two hectic starting days after which we finally and very surely will have some proper time to HiVe at the middle of the week. Hope to finish the King Buffalo interview then… Can’t wait for it to be Wednesday… O’ and did I ever tell ya I Don’t Like Mondays?

Besvärjelsen – Atlas

 

 

Besvärjelsen – Atlas
Magnetic Eye Records – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Prog, Doom, Psych
Rated: *****

Sure, we know. This album has been out for months! In fact, Atlas was released in May. But sometimes, you just forget how much you love an album until you start spinning it again! And again! And you wonder what you wrote back then when the album was released, and you scour your own little blog and find out you never actually did! What the hell!?! And Besvärjelsen would have surely made the Number One spot of the Doom Charts back then, if a certain other album had not been released during that month. Cause these ten tracks have every aspect of the heavy rock we all love so dearly. And Besvärjelsen will surely make the Year End list of myself and every heavy rock loving fiend I know! So, we should rectify our error and write a few words of praise… Besvärjelsen was formed in 2014 by members from bands like Dozer, Greenleaf, Afgrund, Lastkaj and V. And they released their first five track called Villfarelser a year later. Vallmo and Frost followed in 2018 and 2019, but with ten track Atlas they dwarf both of those releases. Imploring ever more influences from every nook and cranny of music you can think of; the ten tracks take you on a journey, that feels like you’re just rocking out to some awesome heaviness one minute and then to some earthshattering prog influenced album the next. For there’s an arc here and a setting, but many of the songs can also be listened to individually. Opting for grandiose and gravitas, the songs all have this highly organic feel and natural psych touch. Whirl winding, maelstrom inducing, are all words that fit the bill when you talk about Atlas. Closing track Dividing Minds, might actually be one of the best that uses that whirling dervish approach, it will perform miracles, it has supernatural powers, and through all that physical exertion you cannot help but go through while listening to Dividing Minds, you shall attain a true ecstatic trance! Or start with that proper blast off, first track, stoner, desert, highly energetic and propellant Cardinal Ride. Hooks abundant, riffs galore, the Cardinal Ride sets up the pieces. And by the time second track Acheron arrives you’ve been checked and mated. That starting guitar, those pounding drums, the snake biting its own tail riff… It has to be done right… For that’s when that enigmatic voice starts, for the vocals provided by Lea Amling Alazam sit exactly right on Atlas. You already heard it on that opening chorus of Cardinal Ride, but when it drifts and slides across Acheron you will feel blessed, and chills will run across you body. And you will know that all of this… Was the joy of admiration and of Besvärjelsen ability, and of the listener growing together…

(Written by JK)

And since we’re about to do some insane Friday Freebie action over on the Doom Charts site… Let’s do a little taster here as well… And give you a handful of codes for Atlas, this awesome Magnetic Eye Records release…Besvärjelsen my new, old, continues addiction!

REDEEM HERE:


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The Heavy Crawls – Searching For The Sun

 

 

The Heavy Crawls – Searching For The Sun
Clostridium Records / Electric Experience Records - 2022
Psychedelic Rock
Rated: ****

Ukrainian psychonauts The Heavy Crawls bring their new album to the masses: "Searching For The Sun" (their fourth album) brings the swagger of hard 60s/70s Rock and marries it to a modern, upbeat sound that is both engaging and unique. Nine tracks that run the gauntlet of Psych, from the brash heaviness of "Evil Side Of (Rock n Roll)", through the mellow, organ-led vibe of the title track and the Hendrix-inspired "Out Of My Head" showcase a group of musicians who really understand their craft. My personal favourite, "Stoner Song" is a fuzz-laden, lumbering beast that slowly racks up the tension and power before launching into a blistering guitar workout. All in all, a must for fans of bands like Cream, Blue Cheer and Hendrix!

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

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Black Mirrors - Hateful Hate, I'll Kill You

 

 

Black Mirrors - Hateful Hate, I'll Kill You

You marked it in your calendar as well right? November four! The release date for the new Black Mirrors album Tomorrow Will Be Without Us on Napalm Records. I have, in huge letters, cause I still spin the shit out of Funky Queen from 2017 and Look Into The Black Mirror from 2018. And I’ve been digging the new single and video for Hateful Hate I’ll Kill You… How about you?

"The energy of ‘Hateful Hate I’ll Kill You’ video is pretty close to what you can expect from a live show of Black Mirrors. Furthermore, we focused on what’s behind the lyrics. The colors, mainly yellow and red, were used as a symbol of the burning of our forest, our planet. One of the outfits Marcella’s wearing is a nod to the last mass extinction to warn us of the 6th mass extinction we are currently living in. At the end, she even changes into a tree to embody the return to nature."

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Supernaut – Souls Awaken

 

 

Supernaut – Souls Awaken
Self released – 2022
Rock, Speed, Metal, Punk, Stoner
Rated: ***

Skate or die! Get high or die! It’s the Greeeheeen, straight from the Santa Cruz, California scene. In fact, it was The Green, it was that album released back in 2019 that made us pay attention to the Californian three named Supernaut. Well, the three are back with a new release called Souls Awaken. Upon which they awaken the beast, the speedrock animal, the skate, the metal and all that good faster side of heavy stoner with opening track Resist The Urge. Speedballing it for the finish, never letting up and giving off quite a calling card. A great transition into Ravens Call, which shifts down a gear, harkens back to their first self-titled release from 2017, with more proto prog and proto metal atmospheres. The nitro boost that comes with Ghosts Surround Me give you more of that speed, thrash and absolutely no urge to resist. Headbang you shall! It will go into more prog territory before the song is over though. And this kind of ebb and flow, push and pull continues on throughout the nine tracks on Souls Awaken, with fifth track The Throne Of Atahualpa will tickle every metal loving fiber in your being and over nine-minute-long battleship track Kaleidoscope will indeed spark the super psycho naut mind! It marries their take on prog and psych with metal of all eras and even doom. A kaleidoscopic journey through the metal universe of Supernaut!

(Written by JK)

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