Arrakis – Ammu Dia

Arrakis – Ammu Dia

Self released – 2015

Rock, Heavy Psych, Stoner, Instrumental

Rated: ****

Straight outta Greece comes the trio Arrakis. Formed in 2012 these guys are a straight up heavy psych instrumental crew with some nice chops and dynamics on their debut record Ammu Dia. When I received this I thought to myself "hhmmm, this should be interesting." Guess what; it is! Six of the seven tracks kept me extremely engaged. What's good is I do not have a favorite track, for the album is kind of like a winding road in that a surprise lay around every turn. What's real nice is how Arrakis dabble right at the edge of metal from a time gone by with some old time slow Slayer-ish riffing on a psych binge. The players all have their moments and shine individually throughout the journey.  For fans of improve Ammu Dia is something to check out and maybe give Greece a financial boost by making a purchase at their bandcamp site.

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Red Mountains – Down With The Sun

Red Mountains – Down With The Sun

Nasoni Records – 2015

Rated: ****

Rock, Stoner, Grunge

Nice!!! Red Mountains kill on this freshman offering. You wouldn't know Down With The Sun was their first release. The writing and playing has a certain maturity that comes with having experienced craftsmen. Not knowing their age I can only assume these guys have been around a while in other acts. Everyone in this band is solid on record. Styles on the LP span the decades of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s guitar driven rock. The LP has a very nice production with the drums having a sort of 70's lo-fi thing going on and of course heavy guitars, killer vocals at times bordering on grunge, and nice low end bass. The band is far from drone. Not that drone is always bad. But I prefer diversity; and this album has it. The opening cut ‘Six Hands’ reeks 90’s, which for me is a little refreshing with that time past and turned into classic. Second track ‘Sun’ is dynamic with nice tempo changes, ode to Maiden. So on and so forth right up to the tune ‘Silver Grey Sky’. Stylistic and tasty I may find myself sporting a Red Mountains tee soon. Nasoni Records is releasing a limited press of 300 vinyl available September. Charlie Tooth says: "take a bite outta this one". You won't regret it!

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Introducing: A new member to the team! Charlie Tooth!

Introducing: A new member to the team! Charlie Tooth!

The man digs everything as long as it’s good. But if it’s not, he politely kicks the shit out of it. He is a musician, the man behind Eichen Tooth and he can dream like a realist and realize it’s all a dream. A true music lover if ever there was one and with a burning rage second to none!

And he immediately sank his teeth in Red Mountains album Down With The Sun!

Welcome Charlie Tooth and go ahead a gnaw everything to hell!

Eichen Tooth

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Wow. It’s been a long time since we had a moment to get wicked with a Quick Fire Friday! But finally, it’s here a new Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday segment. Meant to spread the good word on all those great bands out there. Just a small amount of words to help spread their musical prowess and our melodic belief… 

Eichen Tooth – P.T.K

The man is looking for artists to join him on stage. Eichen Tooth! So if you live near Philly or Delaware be sure to send him an email on: Eichentooth@gmail.com. Cause so far this crazy cat has been recording all the instruments and vocals himself. Turning that one track P.T.K. into one damn fine psychedelic seventies dune boogie adventure. It’s wild and it sounds like the good times are here! And stay tuned, cause tomorrow we got some more things to say about this cat!

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Beastmaker – You Must Sin

Sinful we are, sinful we be. Yes we must sin! And it’s the Californian trio Beastmaker who show us the way on their five track EP called You Must Sin. Expert vintage sounding proto doom metal and psychedelic rock. So if you by any chance dig something along the lines of Pentagram or Sabbath or Electric Wizard you should check out Beastmaker! If only so you can blame them once you have sinned!

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Jupiterian – Aphotic

Even darker, doomier and scarier is the new release Aphotic by doom metal outfit Jupiterian hailing from Sao Paolo, Brasil. Forty-two minutes of highly impressive doom and death that still has something sludgy and muddy in there as well. Moving over to funeral marches one moment and lurching over the cauldron the next, there is absolutely nothing small about this titanic album. So pull up your hood and join the trudge, cause you can only submit to their demands…

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Black Titan – Black Titan

Mobile, Alabama. This is Black Titan country and what a country it must be. Cause on their four track self-titled EP they combine stoner, rock, proto, metal, sludge and something doomy like big hair motherfuckers. Ye gods, this is simply amazing and we are lost for words. So check your coat on the gate, get yer spacesuit on and head off to Black Titan, cause that’s where the good tunes are at!

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The Sun The Moon The Stars – The God

The Sun The Moon The Stars – The God

Self released – 2015

Metal, Sludge, Stoner, Core, Doom, Punk

Rated: ****

They hail from New Jersey, the four animals that make up The Sun The Moon The Stars. And with their new six track release The God they want to devour you whole. The ground shakes violently and an unholy abyss opens up beneath your feet as the first tones of To Dethrone A God blister your ears. This is loud, bludgeoning and wicked. Meandering between metal, stoner, core and sludge the band sports a couple of vocalists that scream like banshees, howl like madman and growl like otherworldly beasts. There is no rest for the weary here and the march towards the fire goes on relentlessly. Where the sludge metal was filled with hardcore riffs and speedy tempos for the first tracks they slowly turn into doom and darkness and despair for the latter bunch. It’s the fish. Those bastards. Not sure what those little floppers did, but their dastardly ways turned us on with that fifth track, what a monster, what a cathedral, simply stunning. And then there’s the guitar work in the final show stopping song Queen. Ye gods, having your head on an anvil in a steamy hot metal works. We always have and surely will keep worshipping The Sun The Moon The Stars…

(Written by JK)

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Haddock – Haddock

Haddock – Haddock

Ozium Records – 2015

Rock, Stoner, Metal

Rated: ****

Lonely Kamel, Graveyard, Spiritual Beggars and Dozer all come to mind when listening to the debut EP by Swedish quartet Haddock. Tracks that were originally released digital only, at the tail end of 2013 but found its way to the master of ceremonies behind Ozium Records. Who though it was high time a physical release would be made available. With bonus track Manhunter, all six of them are high riding stoner boogies, which sometimes have this doomy edge, sometimes a bit more metal coloring, but all of the time with an incredible lust for fuzz. With a new album on the horizon this EP is one hell of a taster, which will make you crazy for everything Haddock. Just listen to the guitar heralding the heavy trucking at the beginning of Collision Demolition or the groovy and grimy vocals in Unholy Smoke. There’s no escaping Haddock and you will be there motoring along as you speed down the highway. And just when you thought things couldn’t get fuzzier, they end with Manhunter. Slower, doomier, with mighty basswork and as evil as Haddock on a moonless night!

(Written by JK)

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Drive By Wire – The Whole Shebang

Drive By Wire – The Whole Shebang

My First Sonny Weissmuller Recordings/Konkurrent – 2015

Rock, Stoner, Desert

Rated: ****

We all know how it would sound if PJ Harvey would join Queens of The Stone age after that damn fine nine and tenth Desert Sessions album, which featured Lady Polly on seven or eight songs, depending the version. But what if they would truly join forces and record an entire album together. Well, put on the third album The Whole Shebang by Dutch quartet Drive By Wire and hear the result. Sure, we can also put on their first two records, but they never sounded this true to themselves before. Opting for the simple tunes on occasion and for the slow and leisure rock is never a cop out when it sounds this good. They have stuck to their ground and the age old principle, you can only make good music if you produce the stuff for your own ears. And there is no doubt in my mind that this record is on heavy rotation at their homes, and surely more than their first two. They have the grimy fuzz rockers straight from the desert, the dark art from the subterranean high streets and the twisted motives of the shady people lurking in the cul de sacs around the industrial areas. There’s something razor-sharp about these compositions. Thumping basses and cutting riffs make sure you are on edge, from the first rocket Kerosine Dreams to the last slow and dangerous Nightstalker cover Voodoo You Do. And those two lazy and snaking tracks River Run and Promised The Night are exactly the kind of tunes that sets the killer loose…

(Written by JK)

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Nick Oliveri with General Midnight – Live at De Pul, Uden

Nick Oliveri with General Midnight – Live at De Pul, Uden

13-08-15

The holiday season is still raging over here in the Lowlands. Festivals abundant baiting us all into spending weekends with truckloads of lukewarm beer in small tents. And ofcourse the weird wines and psychedelic snails that lure many of us abroad. So when Nick Oliveri decided to do a five date stint in the Netherlands during the height of this period I feared for the attendance. Especially since Uden isn’t the biggest of places to play. But with local band General Midnight also on the bill and the weather sunny and begging for cold beer and wild nights, our fear was unfounded.

The foyer was nicely filled with people as General Midnight took the stage. The local boys delivered a damn fine self-titled album last year and were still riding high on the wave of the great reception it received. It was almost a first and certainly a one-off for them to perform their songs acoustic. But as always with great songs, all of them held up and sounded wonderful with a three piece performance. Single Moon was once again such a great song, in this version as well, that one wondered if that song could be butchered in any way. One could ask Mr. Oliveri in attendance tonight, cause his goal is to try and do songs that aren't supposed to be done acoustically. Oliveri, without who General Midnight would never even have existed, thanks to his work with Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age, and it was only logical to ask him to perform one song with them… And Oliveri being the man that he is, gladly accepted, even though the song also features on his own setlist… You Think I Ain’t Worth A Guilder, But I Feel Like A Millionaire… 

After a short break that took everyone outside to smoke up and feel the pressure of the thunderstorms closing in Mr. Oliveri took the stage. Who rushed through the first five songs like a lightning strike. As if he felt the crowd would not be as pleased with his Uncontrollable songs as with the rest he planned to play. As if he was still finding his own momentum and his own perfect spot. But as Green Machine ended and the crowd was back inside again, he started babbling, and the punk troubadour turned into a comedian, story teller and one hell of a performer. Trying to wreck songs by the Ramones (Endless Vacation) and Turbonegro (Back to Dungaree High), but also with all-time favorites like Bloody Hammer and Gonna Leave You. Which he couldn’t ofcourse. Cause everything sounds perfect when delivered Death Acoustically by Oliveri. His stories were infectious and his playing turned wilder and wilder and his delivery into a perfect tempest. Even though the sing-a-long version of Feel Good Hit Of The Summer was mostly saved by General Midnight singer Kneel van den Boom as he jumped on stage with his bullhorn to help out when the rest of the audience on stage did not perform very loudly. His own version of Millionaire proved this as did Another Love Song, Love Has Passed Me By and Autopilot…

He ended the show after a round of returns like a slam poet screaming Six Shooter at full force, making the ground shake harder than the thunder closing in outside… 

Stay tuned for the interview with General Midnight… Soon!

And stay tuned for the interview with Nick Oliveri… Soon!

Gloria Lewis – Gloria Lewis

Gloria Lewis – Gloria Lewis

Self released – 2015

Rock, Stoner

Rated: ****

Taking your band name from a Kyuss song will always garner attention, but it will also raise expectations. Cause everyone of us who love the godfathers, will surely demand something great from bands who use said group as starting point and as major reference. So, the Dutch quartet Gloria Lewis, has the work cut out for them. But since they already played as pre-show to John Garcia, they must be doing something right. And guess what, they truly are. On their debut four song EP, they sound like they have come in straight from the desert heat. Dry crispy composition whirl around you liked dust devils. Stomping and muddy grooves accompanied by intense riffing and grungy vocals. The room between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves producer Jacques De Haard (Celestial Season, Garcia Plays Kyuss) must have told them, although we're sure they knew it themselves as well. Cause you can just feel those tracks take flight and cover the entire hemisphere. This is grade A stoner from the Lowlands!

(Written by JK)

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Locrian – Infinite Dissolution

Locrian – Infinite Dissolution

Relapse – 2015

Rock, Metal, Black, Kraut, Drone, Noise, Post

Rated: ***

Okay, we give in. Locrian has been trying to push the boundaries of metal, they did so on some level on earlier albums and are trying to do so again on the new record Infinite Dissolution. They seem to want to move so far away from everything musical that it becomes almost impossible to detect any hint of a song. Opener Arc Of Extinction for instance is such a heavy atmospherical landscape filled with droning synths, whirling guitars and raining drums. There is little color left and no rest at all. A constant assault on the senses which just continues on the second track. There are however those instances of beauty, where suddenly a song seems to appear like a bleak ray of sunshine, just listen to the The Future Of Death, where dark and decay becomes exquisite. And there is more of that forlorn and destitute splendor available, which turns some of it even into something almost accessible, but just for a second, cause there is too much at stake here, or so it seems. Too much contempt for everything that has been done before and too much love for the unknown…

(Written by JK)

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Nick Oliveri live tonight at De Pul in Uden

Nick Oliveri live at De Pul in Uden

Tonight at De Pul in Uden, Nick Oliveri's Uncontrollable live and acoustic and wild and wonderful! And to top things off, the Dutch formation General Midnight will do a once in a lifetime pre-show!! Be there!

Doom Chart for August 2015

 

Doom Chart

“You are about to experience one of the strangest meetings ever convened — a joining of […] the most unusual people on Earth! Sit quietly in the shadows of this clandestine conference and observe it well! For from it shall soon be born … The DOOM PATROL” – Arnold Drake

It’s that time of the month again. Or better yet, last Saturday was that time of the month again! The new Doom Chart went up! And we can’t stress the fact enough that they are compiled our of some forty amazing bloggers, journalists and music fiends from around the world who send their top albums of past month to one of them to compile the ultimate Doom Chart. It’s a highly democratic adventure that unfortunately will leave some of those great albums and bands hanging just below the Top 25 that is published… And guess what… Mr. Bucky Brown, the guy who compiled last month’s issue, also did a Mid-year breakdown. But before or after you check that one out; be sure to feast your eyes and ears on the Doom Chart of this hot and steamy August!! Who will be the Numero Uno this month? And what great new bands entered the list and who do you miss? Go check it out! Go check it out…

Go check it out and head on over to the Doom Charts to read up on all those amazing albums!

Spoiler alert for...

Number 12!

The band have outgrown any obvious  influences and are forging ahead down their own, dark path. Even with some big releases in 2015 so far, this album will surely take some beating for pure doom and riffage this year. So be sure to check out Goya’s new album Obelisk, and this time around not just because Tony says so, but the Doom Chart as well!

Doom Chart for August 2015

Tsar Bompa – Songs That Your Mother Shouldn’t Hear

Tsar Bompa – Songs That Your Mother Shouldn’t Hear

Monomentum Records – 2015

Rock, Alternative, Stoner, Indie, Pop, Electro

Rated: ***

Raw fucked up noise with Russian influences. That’s how the Dutch quintet Tsar Bompa describes their sound. Judging from their six songs strong debut EP Songs That Your Mother Shouldn’t Hear they are less noisy and much more pop orientated then they might like to admit. But why shouldn’t they come clean about their affections? Cause their stoner disco and alternative rock is quite infectious! Taking cues from De Staat, Queens Of The Stone Age, Infadels, Raketkanon and perhaps the most from Jimmy Glitschy Die Einarmige Karussellbremser! They manage to make one hell of a kaleidoscopic mess of things. It’s jumpy, its loud and its highly danceable. This is party music for the festive drunks, the ones looking to get wild and crazy. This is freak out music for the freaks, the hippies and the weirdos. Yes, you heard me, this is music for you! So, poor yourself some kind of drink; put this piece of ruckus on and find out where the party is at!! And get yer ass over there!

(Written by JK)

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Sweat Lodge – Talismana

Sweat Lodge – Talismana

Ripple Music – 2015

Rock, Hard, Metal, Proto, Psych, Stoner

Rated: ****

Another quality release from the depths of the copper universe. Sounding highly vintage and wickedly proto the Austin, Texas foursome Sweat Lodge hit us with a hard rocking boogie album called Talismana. Transporting us straight to that golden era when Sabbath and Zeppelin were soaring high; with a definite love for the ancient grooves. They have us swaying along on doom inspired riffs and catapult you with intense solo work. True inspired drumming that fills every corner of the room without ever coming oppressive. That’s where the howling comes in; with a resonating chant like quality the vocals becomes this dense fog that disorients and hypnotizes. It is what makes this album great, for the duration of the album you are incapable of doing anything else, it mesmerizes like a snake charmer and leaves you defenseless. I guess we should be lucky the nine songs all last between three and five minutes and the entire record just under thirty-five minutes. Otherwise we would not be able to get any work done at all!

(Written by JK)

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Thunderfuck & The Deadly Romantics – How Do I Taste?

Thunderfuck & The Deadly Romantics – How Do I Taste?

Self released – 2015

Rock, Hard, Sleaze, Punk

Rated: ***

You pull up to the Crocodile, a grimy bar just besides the off-ramp. The bike’s roar slowly dies down. Inside you hear loud guitars and pounding drums. As you enter the smoke filled drinking hole you duck for the occasional bottle flying across the room and notice nobody is watching the band on stage, playing their ass off protected by chicken wire. The bald bartender just grunts at you when you order your bourbon and in the open drawer beneath the register you notice sharpened screwdrivers and knives. The baseball bat in the cover offers more clues to what kind of bar this is. You lean back and into the music, Thunderfuck & The Deadly Romantics are playing their How Do I Taste EP on repeat. The same six hardrock punk tracks over and over, as sleazy as you could imagine and as offending to the squares as they come. You’re enjoying yourself, slowly grinning when you notice the lyrics about women on their knees and dirty inquisitive sentences. And it’s only after an hour or two when the bar becomes even more rowdy and all the bikers, outlaws and leather clad women start brawling and shouting that you notice that one song is just a different version, but you’re still not bored with them. So, you turn around, order another beer and a shot of bourbon as you imagine Hank III playing behind your back. And you realize, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this place and this music, when Thunderfuck & The Deadly Romantics are on stage, everything is right in the world…

(Written by JK)

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Khemmis – Absolution

Khemmis – Absolution

20 Buck Spin – 2015

Rock, Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Metal

Rated: *****

The Denver quartet Khemmis has been around since that dangerous year of 2012 and have recently released their debut full-sized album Absolution. If they had been planning to slowly add layer upon layer of their career, they are now in deep shit. Cause this will album will have the Khemmis ship take off like a rocket. Opening track Torn Asunder, slowly marches out of the gate with stomping drums and guitars heralding the coming of something knightly. After which the trek turns into a faster moving army, until the almost angelic and occult sounding male vocals start. Bathing the entire signature composition in white light. And it is not until three quarters of that song has passed that the evil appears. In the form of the growling and harsh vocals that tear the fabric apart. After which you suddenly have to come to grips with five more amazing tracks that can shift the entire world around you in an instant, going from uplifting and beautiful, to dark and desperate. There is no escape from it and there shall be no absolution, for this is never ending. Cause like an ever changing Labyrinth you are only there for its amusement and you can only marvel at its intricate inner workings!

(Written by JK)

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Nick Oliveri’s summer trek through Europe

Nick Oliveri’s summer trek through Europe

He started out on the amazing Stoned From The Underground festival in Germany and keeps his relentless adventure going until the middle of August where he will play Leperfest in Belgium. We are talking about Mr. Nick Oliveri. The man we know from his work with Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, his own Mondo Generator and all the projects he was involved with like B’Last, Dwarves and many more. This adventure is an acoustic one though, playing his Leave Me Alone album that he put out under the name Uncontrollable. So before he escapes back to Amerika, you need to find out where he plays, buy a ticket and take the ride… 

August 3rd: Backstage (Munich, GER)

August 4th: Rockhouse (Salzburg, Austria)

August 5th: Jagerklause (Berlin, GER)

August 7th: La Casa (Cottbus, GER)

August 8th: TBA (Bucarest, Romania)

August 9th: Chez Heinz (Hannover, GER)

August 10th: Hafenklang (Hamburg, GER)

August 11th: DB’s (Utrecht, NL)

August 12th: Gebr De Nobel (Leiden, NL)

August 13th: De Pul (Uden, NL)

August 14th: The Lane (Oostburg, NL)

August 15th: De Hip (Deventer, NL)

August 16th: Leperfest (Leper, Belgium)

And Stoner HiVe will be present at De Pul in Uden, drop by and let’s have a beer!

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A free festival in France featuring WO FAT !

A free festival in France!

On Friday 7th of August, yes, this upcoming Friday, a completely free festival in the heart of France! Near Cheniers, we find the amazing place of Moulin de Piot. Last time the organizer had Karma To Burn play at the campsite, this time around, the line-up is even better… With Wiremother, Bear vs Manero, Screen Wives, Kill Rpnzl and Brave Snakes you have a great day ahead of you. But closing the night and playing Dreamwalker for sure is none other than WO FAT !!! So get on your bike, steal a car, buy a horse or lend a donkey and get yer ass over to Moulin de Piot for a completely free festival full of stoner fun!

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Goya – Obelisk

Goya – Obelisk

STB Records - 2015

Doomfuzzworship

Rated: *****

Goya return with their second full-sized album Obelisk, after the amazing 777 released in 2013, and deliver a body blow of skull crushing heavy grooves and guitars that summon the spirits of Norse gods when played at volume. With clean vocals dripping in reverb throughout, these dudes play intricate passages that manage to keep your attention from wandering. Big hypnotic grooves give you a trip into the more psychedelic realms of doom by riffing to an almost mantra like refrain that lodges deep into your cortex fluids on a primal level to make your body slowly jerk and move to the primitive and shamanistic tunes that have clearly been spawned by unclean thoughts and in-pure impulses to damage people with slow, fuzzed guitars and low-end tuning. Monolithic is a phrase sometimes overused in this genre but I will make an exception for Goya. Huge sounding with killer refrains give this band a massive edge over other bands within this genre. The band have outgrown any obvious  influences and are forging ahead down their own, dark path. Even with some big releases in 2015 so far, this album will surely take some beating for pure doom and riffage this year.

(Written by Tony)

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