Stoner HiVe: februari 2015

John Carpenter – Lost Themes

Sacred Bones – 2015

Electro

Rated: ***

Horror grand magician John Carpenter dismissed movie making quite a while ago: “I love movies, but hate getting up early.” No more movies meant no more of his very own style of music full of icy tension and ominous expectations. Full of pumping electro beats, gripping synthesizers, lanky keyboard choirs and those every present melody maelstroms. Or so we thought. Cause then, suddenly, out of nowhere, comes Lost Themes. Nine instrumental compositions, with massive Dario Argento references, primitive basses and demonic themes we have all come to love. With tiny exotic intricate workings and sudden atmosphere changes. The main reason though, why I noticed the album, is the fact that he worked on the album with his son and godson. Cody and personal hero Daniel Davies of Year Long Disaster / Karma To Burn fame. Whenever they were bored playing video games they would head over to the attic to improvise some music. It went so well, that within days they had this Lost Themes album and they’re already working on a follow-up called Dark Blues. But for now, all us Carpenter lovers, are stuck imagining their very own nightmare while listening to Lost Themes…

(Written by JK)

The Answer – Raise A Little Hell

Napalm – 2015

Rock, Hard

Rated: **

It’s hard to watch the decline of a promising band. I dug Rise from 2006, I liked Everyday Demons from 2009 and I loved Revival from 2011. But there were already a few hints on that album that showed us a direction they should not be taken. New Horizon from 2013 was weaker still and had us hoping that something was gonna change. Unfortunately the fifth album Raise A Little Hell by the Irish rockers The Answer does not change a lot and raises very little hell. Sure, there are still a few tracks that meander between Nazareth and AC/DC and which we can appreciate; but overall, the songwriting has dwindled. The exuberance and razor-sharp guitar work from the earlier albums has dissipated and turned into a trickle. There seems to be little fun in their newest work and they sound tired and weary. As if the car is running low on fuel and the knives have gone blunt. They’re not looking for a fight, they’re trying their best to stay out of it. Song after song we here the same loud but lazy rock that seems to be made for background music when the vacuum cleaner is running. You hear rock music, and that’s about it. Nothing that sets it apart and nothing that gets the blood racing. Let’s hope their sixth album sees them relight their fire and kick start their own behinds!

(Written by JK)

donderdag 26 februari 2015

Gingerpig – Ghost on The Highway

Suburban – 2015

Rock, Hard

Rated: ****

We’ve been smitten with Gingerpig ever since we heard their first demo back in 2009. It then took till spring 2011 before we were treated to the amazing album The Ways Of The Gingerpig on which they let the Hammond do the talking, the guitars do the wailing and the vocals the mesmerizing. What a debut album that was, it still spins regularly and the track Dimlighted Heart so often I lost count. After which we saw some line-up changes before we got the damn fine Hidden From View in 2013 and with yet some more changes in personal they now send out into the world their third record: Ghost On The Highway. The wildness that was displayed on earlier albums has given way to heaviness and straight on truckin. This is hardrock. Hardrock with a definite penchant for the old school version that we got from Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Hardrock with a definite love for the blues. Add to this some stylings a la Wishbone Ash or Thin Lizzy and you get a whole new incarnation of what Gingerpig was all about. A Gingerpig that is always on the road. Without an organ to slow them down and with a steady driver gunning for the horizon. So if you are in need for a soundtrack to a vicious day and perhaps a night long drive, pick up Ghost On The Highway, it will keep you focused and aware of all those spirits around you…

(Written by JK)

Raketkanon – Florent

Raketkanon – Florent

We have dived deep into the world of RKTKN#2, the second album by the Belgian crazies Raketkanon. On it they display a while array of sludge, noise and psychedelic experimentation. Less manic and loud as their first album; but with more streamlined chaos, sexy clamor and with perhaps and extra supplement of crazy. Recorded with Steve Albini. And just check out the first video for the new album. Florent. And you will know where theses cats are coming from.

The Budos Band – Burnt Offering

Daptone/V2 – 2014

Rock, Soul, Psych

Rated: ****

Sometimes we arrive late at a certain party. It is not in our nature. Not because we are keen on arriving early everywhere and getting the best seats. But more because we just want to know the deal. The Budos Band’s fifth album recently captured our imagination. The nine-headed formation under guidance of guitarist/producer Thomas Brenneck has gone the way of the tiger on Burnt Offering. Cause their first albums dug deep into the offerings of Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat and Mulatu Astatke’s Ethiopian Jazz. This one seems to want to burn down the house. Early metal and old psychedelic rock give us a much darker and more menacing approach to what the Budos used to bring. These ten new tracks come across as a soundtrack for an evil road movie that was never made. Fuzzy guitars and trippy keys produce a sweltering heat with a malodorous odor that can easily be attributed to different influences like Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Iron Butterfly. And thanks to the horns there’s still a mighty wind blowing that brings the soul and the funk and keeps us from burning alive…

(Written by JK)

woensdag 25 februari 2015

Sautrus – Reed: Chapter One

Pink Tank Records – 2014

Rock, Stoner, Fuzz, Grunge, Doom, Prog

Rated: *****

Huge, immense and gigantic. Artistically brazen and aiming for the horizon. Listening to the full-sized album Reed: Chapter One by Polish quartet Sautrus has you imagining them playing ancient arenas and coliseums. Their colossal and theatrical sound is enormous without ever being over the top. It is exactly right, righteous and bodacious. These guys levelling a dark cellar stage, a dusty watering hole or local venue will be oppressive and overwhelming. For their fuzzy grunge, heavy stoner and dark atmospheres are blown to gargantuan proportions by little progressive influences and the fact that these guys dare to go that big. Just imagine one amazing riff tumbling over another; while the bas rumbles beneath and the drums roar with excitement. A melodic vocalist that enthralls with his echoes and compels you to stretch your arms out towards the sky as wave after wave washes over you. Just let go. There’s so much groove hiding in these tracks you’re almost scared to imagine that this is only their full-sized debut after the equally impressive three track ep Kuelmaggah Mysticism: Prologue from 2012. Let’s hope there are many more chapters to follow; cause we are, sure as hell, not ready to close this book called Sautrus!

(Written by JK)

John Coffey – The Great News

V2 – 2015

Rock, Punk, Core

Rated: ****

The boys from John Coffey are touring relentlessly all across the Netherlands, the countries bordering that weird little nation and are starting to even make a name outside of their very own heavy rocking and heavy partying circle of friends. And with a one minute spot in the most watched program on Dutch TV you know their new album The Great News will do even better. It is their third full-sized album and one that explores much more possibilities then the ones that came before. With what seems to be no effort at all they expertly use melodies to complement their aggressive banging. It is exactly this side of the carousing moustaches that has you immediately recognizing their greatness. Just watch those guitar lines go berserk and the vocalist go crazy; in opposite directions. This is raw and rough with a damn catchy edge. And then there’s that eerie trumpet call. Calling all sombrero wearing crazies out of the bushes and into the fray. Join in the parade, join in the battle. There is no denying the simple fact that the new John Coffey is an amazing album, and then to think they’re even better live… Holy hell! Read the news! Read the news! John Coffey is going on a rampage all across the globe!

(Written by JK)

John Coffey – Heart of A Traitor

John Coffey – Heart of A Traitor

Heart Of A Traitor is the second music video and single from John Coffey's new album 'The Great News'. The music video was shot during the Dutch Pub Crawl Tour at the end of 2014. 'The Great News' is released on V2 Records, January 30th, 2015.

Enter The Right Answer to Show encrypted text

maandag 23 februari 2015

Sunday's Stoner HiVe Stickler - Answer Two

Sunday's Stoner HiVe Stickler!

Listen to the track in the post below and fill in the right answer! It is the name of the track with the first letter of every word as a capital!

Was the quiz too easy or too hard?

Sunday's Stoner HiVe Stickler! - Two

Sunday's Stoner HiVe Stickler!

Pop quiz, hot shot! There's a bomb on the bus and you need to solve the riddle before the speed reaches 50mph. So, listen to the track below, and if you know the answer you can open the restricted post above this one. Just enter the track name, with the first letter of every word as a capital, to unlock the encrypted text. And guess what, there’s a gift of another musical discovery behind it as well!

Hint One: The title is made up out of three words.

Hint Two: The first capital letter is an ‘A’.

Hint Three: It’s from one of Doktor420’s favorite albums of 2014.

vrijdag 20 februari 2015

Acid King – Middle of Nowhere, Centre of Everywhere

Svart Records – 2015

Stoner, Psych, Acid, Doom

Rated: ****

After a 10 year absence, Acid King return with probably their most expansive offering yet. Like riding a motorbike on Quaaludes, it has an acid-drenched feeling that things are slowly slipping out of control while the heaviness just helps to propel the trip along nicely. Lori’s vocals, as always, resemble a drug-fueled succubus luring you to your doom – but what a way to go! This is not meant to be a “heavier than thou” listening experience nor is it a descent into total misery. This is Stoner, Fuzz-laden Doom Blues with a palpable feeling of tripped out vibes that is rarely heard these days. The distorted bass matches the guitar riffs and welds together into a sonic wall of oppressive grooves that help pin down the individual instruments as they wander through the low end of crushing frequencies that are turning your brains into mush. Once again Billy Anderson has handled production duties bringing his masterful trademark of rumbling evil while keeping the organic feel of each player to the front. And on the plus side, Acid King have remembered the rare things called “tunes” that stick in your mind but have not been pulled straight from the 70’s heavy songbook. Think of this album as a shamanistic journey that deserves to be heard in one sitting rather than dipping in and out. This should be the slab of excellence that brings Acid King back into their well-deserved place at the top of the underground swamp.

Many thanks to Svart Records for sending me the promo.

(Written by Tony)

Svart Records

donderdag 19 februari 2015

Reverend Snow – El Bandero

Self released – 2014

Fuzzed Blues, Stoner, Psychedelic

Rated: ****

Reverend Snow hail from Canada and bring us Fuzz freak outs with psychedelic heavy rock tunes that can melt speakers and brains. Incorporating styles from the early electric blues genre - Cream, the first Zepp album, there is also a healthy nod to Mountain and their brand of Southern heavy rock. Although full of hard rock workouts, there are some slower numbers but never fear because everything is smothered in frenzied guitar soloing, making full use of fuzz box and wah-wah to get your juices flowing. The songs have a looseness to them that hint of jamming being recorded live in the studio. If you want some scorching riff work, give this a listen. If you have ever blissed out to the first Stooges album (and if you read this blog, you must have!) and wondered if you would ever hear such distortion abuse on another record in your lifetime, although never quite scaling the sonic heights of Ron Ashton, this may whet your appetite. And because they are good guys, it is available as Pay What You Want from Bandcamp.

(Written by Tony)

Thanks to Lucas and his new You May Be Dead And Dreaming blog for the heads up!

woensdag 18 februari 2015

Pneu – Destination Qualite

Head Records – 2014

Math, Noise, Instrumental

Rated: ***

Here is some crazed instrumental chaos from a French duo named Pneu. Brutal, fast noise rock - the drummer sounds like he is playing two kits at the same time and fuck knows what drugs the guitar player has taken - thick fuzz guitar tones envelop the tunes, with feedback white-noise buried in the mix. This is like World War III going off in your head but much more fun - it made me jump up and down. A dense wall of sound that assaults the senses with feedback guitar, heavy grooves and pounding drums. The more I play it, the more I doubt my ears - am I hearing subtle riffs behind the background chaos or is it the sheer fuzziness and distortion that is confusing me? There are also elements of eastern scales and some sort of ethnic stringed instrument that drifts in and out that sounds like snippets from the soundtrack of ‘Doctor Zhivago’ Strong, frantic, heavy and chaotic all spring to mind when these French guys do their thang. Which is a compelling mix of Math-rock, instrumental and Noise-rock. This band is very much like a more tuneful ‘Lightning Bolt’. You will either know what this means or you are reading the wrong blog.

(Written by Tony)

Head Records Bandcamp

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vrijdag 13 februari 2015

Primitive Man – Home Is Where the Hatred Is

Relapse Records – 2015

Doom, Sludge, Punk

Rated: ***

With hearts of hate and a fistful of distortion pedals, Primitive Man return with a 4 track “12. Primitive doom and sludge punk explode from this collection of twisted tracks and quite simply, stun you into submission. The atmospherics are dark and brooding, helped by the relentless riffs that are crashing out, creating a dense and tension-filled collection of tracks that need to be listened to in one sitting. You feel drained after playing this - you don’t so much listen to this but experience it. When the frantic, frenzied vocals emerge from deep within the mix, you realise how much depth and layering you are hearing, how the dynamics have been thought out and most of all, just how the searing riffs are in fact much more complex than realised on your first listen. Using fuzzed out riffs that register extremely low on the Richter scale, this is a solid slab of sludge punk with doom elements threaded throughout. One of the strengths has to be the song writing. Hypnotic riffs that latch into your head and tunes that have a purpose to them bring direction and flow to all the tracks. Bleak heaviness is the tone set but this does not mean unrelenting misery for the listener. Careful use of electronic drones and textures carry across an atmosphere of denseness and weight that somehow feels cleansing after the music stops. This is ugly music for ugly people. Not sure how many times you can listen to this before wanting to cut your ears off but played just once will give you an idea of how far heavy music can be carried.

(Written by Tony)