Stoner HiVe

maandag 10 augustus 2020

Sunczar – The Unveiling

Self released – 2020

Metal, Sludge, Stoner, Doom,

Rated: ***

The four piece from Frankfurt, Germany going by the name of Sunczar came out swinging and grooving with their debut four track The Unveiling back in March of this year. Four metal tracks with touches of stoner, a cup of doom and a bucket full of sludge. Opener The Unveiling slowly builds up steam and only seems to set you up for the kill. Cause when the second track Back To The Shadows hits you, it hits you hard, right in the gut and you will indeed bow down before the Sunczar and keep bowing and banging until the very end! That stomp! That pounding riff, that pounding drum! Righteous and wicked! Indeed, the Sunczar heaviness will pummel you into submission!

(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…

zondag 9 augustus 2020

Sex Blender – The Second Coming

Drone Rock Records – 2020

Rock, Psych, Stoner, Drone, Kraut, Instrumental

Rated: ****

An ever changing and revolving line-up; the Ukrainian trio, quartet or quintet Sex Blender released their second album back in early June. Aptly titled The Second Coming it keeps up with the sexual innuendo’s or even blatantly stating the male pre-occupation. Right? Am I am fan of the band name? Not really. Am I fan of the album? Hell yeah! The drone is big, the kraut is huge and it’s all intensely psychedelic! It mesmerizes, it churns you out, it freaks you out and seems to be one gigantic pool of colorful mercury. And the Drone Rock Records label from the slums of Brighton, UK did right by releasing this on vinyl. Cause spinning this on those freaky and sweaty late nights, with a dubious quality rum in your hand, seems like beautiful poetry to me!

(written by JK)

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Drone Rock Records

Astral Glide – Flamingo Graphics

Self released – 2020

Rock, Stoner, Hard

Rated: ***

Florida fourpiece Astral Glide released their debut album Flamingo Graphics early June. Nine tracks of raw, grimy, lo-fi hardrock, stoner and grunge with a southern edge. The recording gives off this proper ‘our first’ vibe and the quality therefor lacks some overall touches here and there. Which can’t be said for intention or ability; even though not every track sticks to what appears to be their forte, they all add something to the mix. Heavy and broad one moment, speedy and narrow the next. Space Machine without a doubt being a favorite of mine, mirroring a bit some early Goss. The Lake as well, Goss like atmosphere and has this different take to this heavy thing we all love. In all, Astral Glide offers up a tasty plate of heavy rock; but it might perhaps take a second album to get the flavoring just right.

(Written by JK)

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zaterdag 8 augustus 2020

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

We hope it’s still Friday somewhere cause we are in dire need of some fast action! Some Quick Fire Friday action! You know the deal, still too little time to do things properly, but there is a bit of green light on the horizon. So, we do hope to do some more during the upcoming week. But for now we just want to melt, before we melt down, on this sweltering hot day, in the bath of lave that the Quick Fire Friday is! So here we are! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday. And its burns hot like molten lava!

Six Steps Above The Earth - Step 3 Special Edition Cassette

Six Steps Above The Earth’s heavy, slow and monotone sound got a special treatment with their Step 3 release. The Doom, Drone, Doomgaze thereof now gets an extra special treatment on a Special Cassette edition. Those crazy Greek music fiends decided to release only 10 pieces of it! “Step 3 recording period was full of ideas, sessions and lives. In Step 3 special cassette edition we are trying to convey this climate by adding 2 tracks, one unreleased track from studio and one from live recording….” Interested? Better hurry!

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Hellhookah - The Curse L.P.

Somewhere around September the awesome Olde Magick Records will release Hellhookah’s latest album The Curse on vinyl. And rightfully so! Sabbathian goodness, dark, ominous and twisted. The Lithuanian duo makes you hallucinate and will damn you forever to the doom! Golden doom it is!

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Under The Mountain – Black Velvet

The honorable Bucky Brown stated about their II album : “The albums ranges from straight up heavy rock, to 80's metal, shades of hardcore and back to pulsating doom all in 10 solid tracks. One of those albums you can play on repeat and never burn out. The vocals are straight fire.” We wonder where the guys from Under The Mountain are going next, cause on August 16th they will release a video of their version of the Alannah Myles song Black Velvet. The Teaser can be viewed HERE!

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Athon – Reverse Satyr

Argonauta Records will release their first album at the end of September. But we can already get completely crazy on the first single Reverse Satyr! Athon from Italy brings out the Sludge in ten ton heavy form! The album will feature five blistering tracks showcasing forty minutes of pure, raw and finest sludge, doom and stoner metal. It’s Athon on Argonauta and it’s awesome!

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Mothman and The Thunderbirds – Nomad

If you tease us by namechecking and stating that your first single is: “a blend of stoner metal, sludge metal, and hard rock, and is recommended for fans of Mastodon, Baroness, High on Fire, and Hyborian.” We will surely go and peruse the bandcamp site provided! Well, the Mothman did not lie and did not exaggerate, if anything, he understated! Nomad is Jupiterian heavy! Freakin hell!

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vrijdag 7 augustus 2020

Valkyrie – Fear

Relapse Records – 2020

Rock, Hard, Metal, Proto, Prog

Rated: ****

I only briefly listened to the new Valkyrie album Fear before the July Doom Charts rolled around. The honorable John Gist then stated that the Number One spot was well deserved and the only possible one for this month; and that sealed the deal. We had to dive deep into the sound of the new Valkyrie. Hugo Hulleman of course already did the deed for the Doom Charts mentioning the Baroness link, the mix of proto-metal, stoner and classic rock and paying homage to their riffage. So, we continue on and begin to hear all of those comparisons made. The Thin Lizzy, the Blue Oyster Cult, the Pentagram, the Uncle Acid and of course the Sabbath love. But then we start hearing those more eighties influences, some Killing Joke or post gothic edge; giving an eerie feeling of loss during the chorus and then going all seventies hardrock afterwards, pulling on the emotional thread. Cause there is depth here. Melancholy and sadness taking center stage for the most part. Offset by wild guitar playing, absolutely stunning bass and riveting drum-work. We had little time to listen before the July Doom Charts rolled around; it then took some time to grab hold; but now it just keeps on spinning!

(Written by JK)

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maandag 3 augustus 2020

The Doom Chart for July 2020

Doom Chart

“Lose your dreams and you might lose your mind.” ~ Mick Jagger

The struggle is real… and with each new day on this big blue marble, everyone, every human being, is either coping or moping. Both can be a creative catalyst, of course, an artist’s muse where on one hand is the spirit of “Can Do”, the will to overcome adversity and thrive. On the other hand, the wraith-like “Won’t Do” never knows contentment nor a harmonious moment. The musicians we each know so intimately, be it solely through the emanations of their music-laden masterpieces, or perhaps as firsthand, befriended faces, may be a type of lifeline in these trying times. Yet, have they not always been so? The crafters of shelters where we seek refuge to buttress withstanding the storms of life… Landlords of our very own fortresses where we must encircle our dreams with unwavering defense. For the loss of them is to be loosed of the very lifesblood that is our symbiotic survival, and our very sanity.

We have indeed been struggling. Ever since the pandemic hit, we had to throw a lasso around another job so we could keep Mr. Charley of our back. It has meant that there has been less time available to HiVe, to do the work for the Doom Charts and to basically keep listening to all that amazing audio gold that is released on a daily basis. And we sorely miss it, but also must come to grips with the fact that the workload will not get any lighter the next months... But complaining about this seems so unfair, I am healthy and I am employed and can do so much fun stuff and can even do whatever the hell I want some of the time... So, I'll just refrain from complaining and add to the Mick Jagger quote, late guitar magician Robert Buras's favorite song: If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley...

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and album reviewers from the heavy underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge metal, stoner-psychedelic and heavy rock albums. The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below. This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

The Doom Chart for July 2020

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

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

donderdag 30 juli 2020

Stone Deaf - Killers

Coffin & Bolt Records - August 2020

Stoner, desert, punk

Rated: ****

Colorado's Stone Deaf return with their potent mix of stoner and punk on third full length Killers, due out August 14. Wearing their early QOTSA influences on their sleeves, the trio amp up the energy of their desert vibes with a sneering swagger and a healthy dose of weird. Opener "Cloven Hoof" comes out swinging with the group's secret weapon - crisp, driving drums a la "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar...". A snappy, dizzying riff combines with venomous vocals, before morphing into a maddeningly catchy chorus. "Death Ray" is a particular highlight, starting off with tongue-in-cheek haunted house effects, that somehow fit perfectly with the swinging drums and vocals to make for a stylish groove. A surfy solo with Eastern melodies is even thrown into the mix, and it feels just right. A sneak peek is then given into the slightly snotty vocals' inspiration, with an excellent cover of Violent Femme's "Gone Daddy Gone". Beefed up with thick distortion and harsh dual vocals, it's a winning take on a classic. More twists and turns are found throughout the rest of Killers, particularly the metallic, doomed stomp of slow burn epic "Snake Oil". A well-placed departure from the toe-tapping grooves of the rest of the record, it proves Stone Deaf to be a skilled chameleon of heavy. As essential as QOTSA is to the sound of Killers, the trio's varied and mischievous sound more than shines through, making for an album of infectious energy and surprises around every corner.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Month…

Stargo – Parasight

Self released – 2020

Rock, Stoner, Psych, Metal, Space

Rated: ****

Sometimes you come across a record that seems wholly unremarkable and yet continues on being spun, continues on tuning you in and continues on turning you on. That seems like a paradox and the first part even as a disqualifying quality. But what we mean is that the album turns out to be that long lost friend. That furry creature that used to give you head jobs below the knee and who you have been missing all those years. Stargo’s album Parasight is just that! The album you never knew you needed. And needed very badly. The German three piece gives us a free form album of stoner rock, metal, psychedelics and space. There are all these different forms on energy floating around that don’t clash, but seem to work together to provide this completely healing and warm environment. By the time the fourth track Nemesis rolls around your deep into their universe and going with their flow. It is simply put, a record that feels like a home! A gigantic mansion you can roam around in and discover new things every day again. The fire is crackling and the Parasight record is spinning; and there is nothing more you need…

(Written by JK)

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donderdag 23 juli 2020

Demo Double Dose

Demo Double Dose - Oceanlord & Heave

Amid the mountain of excellent new June releases, two demos from different corners of the heavy spectrum stood out as promising as any established band's EP. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia is the psychedelically doomed Oceanlord, and Albuquerque, New Mexico spat forth the sludge onslaught that is Heave.

Oceanlord's two track demo shows a band with range, opening with the somber, melodic "Come Home" and ending with the crunching groove of "Isle of the Dead". "Come Home" is a patient, hypnotizing number, beginning with an eerie, echoing intro that winds its way under ethereal vocals. A rumbling low end eventually creeps in, bringing with it waves of distortion. Follow up "Isle of the Dead" shifts into a different heavy gear, laying down an irresistible rolling groove with crunch and a dark, gothic flair. What sounds to be a tambourine is the well-placed cherry on top.

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Heave's demo is another beast altogether, two cuts of doomed sludge aptly dubbed "swamprock". First track "Foundational Descent" is an avalanche of thick, buzzing distortion, hammering out a pulsing riff atop drumming of an intensity that's audible in every swing of a stick. Evil, throat tearing vocals amplify the caustic assault, which shows no signs of relenting as Heave move to the second track. "Defiant" wields a straight ahead, stomping chug that feels physically unstoppable. A soaring solo makes an appearance as well, tying in well with the doomier riffs throughout the cut.

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Covering very different aspects of the heavy underground, Oceanlord and Heave's demos showcase two bands with loads of potential. With already well-honed sounds and exciting takes on their genres, there's no question they're ones to keep a close eye on.

(Written by Shasta Beast)