Slumlord Radio – Too Pretty For Tijuana

Slumlord Radio – Too Pretty For Tijuana

Honeyock/Sivler Maple Kill Records – 2016

Rock, Punk, Alternative, Grunge, Stoner

Rated: ****

There are many moments when the tendency to drift towards vulgarity and sink knee-deep into it is almost overpowering. It is something you know and love on many a level. A sure fire way to get the fun back in the house. Just like the boys from Slumlord Radio, they know their stuff. Loud, scummy and grimy. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, on their new release Too Pretty For Tijuana, they seem to do almost everything exactly right. Mixing up all styles of heavy rock with intense grooves and biker trucking. Punching the right tickets at the right moments and hitting the bells when needed. Yes, we have cowbells! And what sounds like an antique or bruised boxing bell. But by then you’re already completely tuned in into Slumlord Radio. So let’s move back for an instant, cause the album takes you by surprise. For the rattlesnake intro and the easy going Bullwhip track that follows, you reckon you’re in for and easy time, making easy money. Fast in. Fast out. Quick on the draw. Easiest buck you’ll make that night. But then comes the charming Debonair Dolomite track and absolutely sparkling Southpaw, and suddenly you’re not so sure anymore. This could get ugly and perhaps hurtful. You see, you’ve been there. You know the deal. These cats are packing and are looking to unload everything they have. And as the rowdy Tycoon blasts around your head you find yourself with only one option left. To sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Go back to when you were still having fun yourself… And so smiled the old whore in a dirty run down room on Calle Coahuila, with a painful understanding and a working knowledge that sometimes things are only fun when they aren’t done for money…

(Written by JK)

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The Cult – Hidden City

The Cult – Hidden City

Cooking Vinyl/V2 – 2016

Rock

Rated: **

For obvious reasons I was definitely smitten with their former album Choice Of Weapon and had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Astbury about that record, his time in the desert and the collaboration with the honorable Mr. Goss. Listening to the new, tenth album Hidden City, we have to conclude Mr. Goss was of even more importance then we had assumed. His autograph was definitely all over certain, say the best, songs. Cause even if Hidden City starts off pretty promising, it soon becomes a bit stale and overused. And to be honest, some tracks can almost be classified as simple. Most of the tracks are just not there, they refuse to nestle anywhere in your mind, body or heart. The biggest problem perhaps is the build-up of the songs. Almost all of them opt to go for the dramatic arc, and growing towards a refrain that just does not deliver. We can surely dig opener Dark Energy and follow-up No Love Lost, and there are moments of sparkle here and there. But overall it is not the awakening Mr. Astbury said the album would be. In fact, it more often seems to lull one to sleep. It has lost all those raw edges we loved on Choice Of Weapon and has therefor turned into some background rock album. Which is definitely strange to conclude about an album comprised out of twelve songs, high in tempo and that seem to want to celebrate all the magnificence that the guitar can deliver. I would advise Mr. Astbury to move back to the desert, do another shamanistic ritual with Mr. Goss and give us the album we all know that still resides within the majestic masters of The Cult…

(Written by JK)

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Monomyth – Exo

Monomyth – Exo

Suburban – 2016

Rock, Kraut, Space, Psych, Stoner

Rated: *****

The Monomyth guys have arrived at their destination in a galaxy far far way. And are already featured on Number 6 of the Doom Chart of this month. Who’s to say they won’t make it to Numero Uno in the next edition in a few weeks? Exo is the completion of a three staged journey towards that far far away goal. On the self-titled debut and follow up Further they explored the universe of great sounds, amazing rhythms and hypnotizing atmospheres without losing sight of the fact that those trips needs to explode on occasion. Everything you loved from krautrock, space rock, experimental adventure and tidbits of stoner were there. Rougher and harder on the debut and subdued on the follow-up. And, Exo is without a doubt the bigger, better, serener and wilder one of the three. There is more room for everything, which gives the album that superb edge. Reaching their peak and stating Exo is the last stop of this adventure, we need to pray to all we hold dear that the boys have seen some weird glimmer of green light on the horizon. And that they will aim the Monomyth spaceship towards that new mystery after they are completely done with Exo. Cause we all need more of this! More of this amazing spacey goodness!

(Written by JK)

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Green Yeti – The Yeti Has Landed

Green Yeti – The Yeti Has Landed

Self released – 2016

Doom, Stoner, Space

Rated: ****

Has the yeti landed? Cause it sounds to me like they’re still orbiting the planet. Green Yeti, a three piece unit from Athens consisting of Fotis Antoniou on drums, Danis Avramidis on Bass and Michael Andresakis at the guitar and vocals have recently released their new LP The Yeti has Landed.  I'm not normally a fan of the long song LP’s because they can get boring and just drone on and on and on… Well, not Green Yeti. The record kept me very engaged. It's way more ‘heady’ than most LP’s of its kind with alternating instrumental and vocal sections. Michael has a good voice and lays nice in the mix. It's the kind of record that is simple, nothing to complicated, but tasty. Very tasty! And cleanly recorded. My favorite cut on the record would have to be Old Man. Which is even stranger because it is the longest song on the record. But it encompasses such a mass of nuances in sound that I kept waiting to hear what's next. The Uppervols track would be a close second for me. A bit more traditional song structure and yet more of a bass and drums song with some nice leads from Michael. Cloud hangers unite and listen to some Green Yeti. I promise you; you won't be disappointed with this Great record!

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Velcro Fly – 5-Song Debut

Velcro Fly – 5-Song Debut

Self released – 2015

Rock, Hard, Stoner

Rated: ****

Somewhere on the outskirts of a little town called Oss in the Netherlands there’s something a buzzin and a fuzzin and it’s the 5-Song Debut by the Dutch five-piece called Velcro Fly. With members that already earned their spurs in The Gooch and Deadbeats you can be sure that something damn tight will be coming your ears very fast. Recorded under guidance from Marcel van de Vondervoort from Astrosoniq their first EP is exactly that, tight, raw and full of excellence. Exceptional guitar work and a stomping rhythm section, topped off by great vocals. A voice with that fine hint of whisky breath and smoked out lungs. Five amazing tracks that just wash over you like a great wave of awesomeness. Yes, we've gone overboard with the superlatives again. But rightfully so! And apparently, these hombres are even better when experienced live. So you’d better keep a watch out for Velcro Fly and hope it comes your way fast! We sure as hell will!

(Written by JK)

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Fuzzcrafter – Fuzzcrafter

Fuzzcrafter – Fuzzcrafter

Self released – 2016

Rock, Stoner, Instrumental

Rated: ****

I’m always torn between the two. Whether to state the obvious or go for the weird and obscure. You can say something for either option. But when you go the obvious route, I guess you’d better back it up. Well, the French guys from that crazy city called Lyon sure have the guns to back up their words when they named themselves Fuzzcrafter. Cause they definitely give us a world o’ fuzz! Eight instrumental stoner tracks that truck hard and let loose the riff-o-matic. Cause if there’s anything that might be topping over that hilt of fuzz, it’s the tight riffing and wild guitar solos. They go deeper, back in time, into psychedelic avenues and are more technical then Karma To Burn, but can turn on the heaviness K2B offers just as easily. A power trio formed only about a year ago, delivering such an incredible debut record, apparently with the recording session done in only two days, promises great things for the future. With this first release they have already crafted a damn fine piece of fuzz and in their corner of this kind of instrumental rock there will surely be none that can rival the Fuzzcrafter album this year…

(Written by JK)

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Desert Colossus – Desert Colossus

Desert Colossus – Desert Colossus

Self released – 2016

Rock, Stoner, Desert

Rated: ****

Holy hell and bat droppings on a stick! I feel like ordering everything on the menu and only barely touching my food. This calls for heavy drinking and Golfshoes. And guess what, Golfshoes, the opening track on the self-titled debut, by Dutch quartet Desert Colossus not only instigates and aggregates your inner beast; it lets loose the last of the titans inside and calls out for extremely wild times and savage behavior! Indeed, we’ve got something amazing on our hands here. Opening with atavistic stoner that seems to come straight out of the high desert near Palm Springs, the one that implored that punk adagio and skater mentality and then created a universe of its own. It constantly exhumes these steaming hot vapors, while also incorporating some punk evolved to grunge sounds like Mudhoney. But for the most part these guys show that there is still an amazing amount of room to maneuver and come up with ageless and ancestral stoner. The music born out of low hung riffs and rumbling bass work. The music born with Kyuss and all those great ones. Yes, we are stating the obvious. Desert Colossus has produced a gigantic record, one that can definitely measure itself up to those albums we all know by heart. Especially the opening track, which will definitely become a personal battle cry for me! “It’s hidden in the desert! Ah la la la la la! We’re gonna smoke some wine! La la la la la la!”

(Written by JK)

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Ainriail – Rural Sludge

Ainriail – Rural Sludge

Self released – 2015

Sludge, Doom, Heavy Experimental

Rated: ***.5

Leave it to the Irish! Ainriail's release Rural Sludge is as diversified as their countries past with what can only be described as a suffering in silence, then only to break free and clobber you over the head with a pounding bass drum combo. Eric and Tommy list one of their influences as Killing Joke and it shows. There are nuances on the recording that can probably only be heard in headphones and is killer for that reason alone. I have the same beef with this record as the last I reviewed. Don't bury your vocals. No one probably has a worst voice then me fellas, so I get it. But you guys have good voices. I want to hear it when you tell me F.U. But I guess on this record it could all be part of the vibe. There are sections of loudness. And overall the record rules. This is gonna be a record for people like me on the hunt for heavy but different. Not the same old Iommi laden rehashes. I know on boards and blogs like this that statement sends out a gasp, kind of like a Christian denouncing Christ himself. But how many times can you hear a Iommi clone and get excited? Some bands just fly to close to the sun with that shit and we all know what happens when you fly that close. Ainriail keeps the Iommi in there but mixes it up enough for me to take notice... I have a feeling we are gonna hear great things from Ainriail in the future. For me it was a refreshing type of sludge/doom. Slán go foil, Charlie Tooth…

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Trevor’s Head – Tricolossus

Trevor’s Head – Tricolossus

Self released – 2016

Rock, Hard, Stoner, Grunge, Punk

Rated: ****

Well now, did you hear about Trevor’s Head yet? Did you just barely survive the stampede of Tricolossus just like me? If not, get your helmet out, and get ready to be stomped on! The gang of three from Redhill, England are a definite fun bunch. It’s always hard to incorporate humor into music, it often becomes cheesy or stale. But not so when Trevor’s Head go all out. They got this juicy and highly English chuckle going on for almost the entire record. But that’s just a very small and perhaps even unimportant part of the record. Cause it commands attention from the get-go. Not because of its oppressive nature, but because it is just so darn good. It’s everything we all love from those heavy desert truckers we all love so dearly. A true sucker punch, full of grit and with a tight raw sound and crazy good guitar work. And the record is so highly diverse that you never tire of it. With stoner anthems opening the album, a more punky middle and a weird amalgam of humoristic blues and English songwriting tales that remind of awesome acts like The Penny Black Remedy ending the album. Perhaps, they should even explore the avenue of combining the songwriting of the last song with something hard hitting like the opener. In any case, these two amazing tracks serve as the perfect pair of devious bookends to show what’s cooking inside Trevor’s Head!

(Written by JK)

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She Beast – Lactating EP

She Beast – Lactating EP

Self released – 2015

Heavy, Sludge, Filthy Ass Core Fuckers

Rated: ****

She Beast is just what the doctor ordered if you’re pissed, disgruntled, cranky, etc… The Lactating EP is my medicine, my medicine, for today. These guys are from Doreen, Australia, I don't know what Doreen is like but if I had to gauge it by this record I would have to say it's a fucking cesspool of filth. The record is sludge but encompasses  a punch you in the mouth punk edge as well. The band is heavy as heavy gets and the vocalist is nonstop yell/scream mode. My only beef with the record is I wish the vocals were a bit louder. I want to feel the wind from your mouth as it exits the speaker to smack me dead in the face. I'm keepin this one short because there isn't much more to be said. It's heavy, it’s filthy, it's great for anyone that likes punk mixed with heavier sludge. These guys are bordering more on hardcore from the 80's and is a definite must listen for people who enjoy this genre. Awesome EP!!!

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Doom Chart for March 2016

Doom Chart

 “This motherless filth has been punch-fucking my earholes pretty much non-stop since I first got the promo and there’s no end to the abuse in sight…” ~ LK Ultra (Paranoid Hitsophrenic)

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, radio and podcasters and album reviewers from the doom-stoner underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom-sludge metal and stoner-psychedelic 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.

And here it is my friends. The March 2016 edition of the Doom Chart! And as Mr. Steve Howe who so elegantly did all the work of tallying and editing this month already said: “This is perhaps the strangest list that we’ve published so far. 18 new entries compared to previous months. It’s a testament to the brilliant new music that we have listened to over the last few weeks or so. It shows bands within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal world have released some breathtaking albums already. Some can be considered Album Of The Year material and we are only 3 months into 2016.”

So let’s not postpone the good stuff anymore than needed, head on over to the Doom Chart and get a kick from all those new entries. Check’m out, one and all, cause they all deserve to be heard and heard and heard! It’s the Doom Chart and it brings out the heavy rock in all of us!

Doom Chart for March 2016

The Chris Rolling Squad – The Chris Rolling Squad

The Chris Rolling Squad – The Chris Rolling Squad

Self released – 2016

Rock, Seventies, Blues, Punk, Billy, Psych

Rated: ****

You want to be inspired by those legends of yore? You want to go back in time, back to the time when raw blues and gritty psychedelics turned rock music into a genuine beast? Get on board with The Chris Rolling Squad. On their self-titled debut the French power trio lead by guitarist/vocalist Chris Rolling punches a hole in the fabric of space and time, and lets you relive the golden days. And to such an amazing degree that the four original pieces and the Indian Red cover Janet Says Go Go Go can rival a lot of those wild earliest anthems. This is for the Stevie Ray fans, the Hendrix admirers and those cats who like to get down and dirty with some rockabilly. The ones who want their blues to groove and their rock to swing. This is diesel blues, heavy fuel for the open road and for backyard parties where the beer is only served to chase the dubious bourbon down the hole. Whore, Help Me and Vampire Blues will strike a chord in the heart of every one out there. And with the help of the Indian Red cover the party will truly start when the EP ends, cause then you will all be looking to get your drinking on and your thinking off. The Chris Rollins Squad will have you wallowing in the good stuff in the space of five damn good tunes!

(Written by JK)

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Dryasdust – The end

Dryasdust – The end

Self released – 2016

Heavy, Stoner, Psych

Rated: ****

Hey, hey hey… We've got Dryasdust in the HiVe making some noise. These guys are a three piece unit that come to us from Finland with their new release The End. This is a group that's seems to just go for it all. There is an energy about the record that pulls you into it. The opening cut The End is a heavy nicely executed tune. Track number two, Black Cat, starts off with a cool jazzy style intro. Drummer Pentele kicks major ass on this, as on most of the record (I always got a soft spot for the drummers). The other dudes hold their own as well. Bassist Janne has a cool seventies vibe and guitarist/vocalist Antti has an original sounding voice and when in softer mode is very pleasant to listen to. A fine example of this is the cut Deep Water, which reappears to us from the 2012 demo. I enjoyed the record and think these guys are true soldiers in the fight to keep rock alive. The best way I can describe this album if I had to put labels on it would be Sabbathy, Deep Purplish meets The Doors. Which is not bad company to be in. Thanks Fellas!

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Electric Funeral Cafe – Vol. II

Electric Funeral Cafe – Vol. II

Robust Fellow / Iron Hamster – 2015

Rock, Stoner, Sludge, Psych, Doom

Rated: ****

Want to learn about all the good stuff coming from the Ukraine? Want to have a one stop, shop and get wicked out of your mind on great music from that country? Head on over to the Robustfellow bandcamp and get your drink on in the Electric Funeral Café… It is the second volume of the compilation and sports no less than 41 tracks! 41 amazing tracks even. All in the genre’s we all love so dearly. Stoner, sludge and psychedelic rock. To be honest, I only knew a handful of the bands featuring on the compilation. So it was quite a treat and a damn fine surprise to hear opener Pit Viper for instance. And the amazing second track by Slow Action! And your mouth keeps dropping for the entire first part called the Electric Side. Grade A heavy psychedelic rock and stoner extravaganza which ends with a lovely live track by the wonderful Somali Yacht Club. And then we start on part two: the Funeral Side. This is ofcourse the darker and more ominous side. Doomy and charcoal overdrive mixed with slow riffs and battering sludge. But even then there are those psychedelic moments and trickles of light, like we already hear in that first Borum track. Another bonus of this wild collection is that some of the tracks have been exclusively delivered for this very release. It showcases to astounding degree the quality of the Ukrainian underground! There’s something burning over there, burning with electric wildfire and it requires your attention…

(Written by JK)

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Robustfellow

Morality Crisis – MASH

Morality Crisis – MASH

Minnesconsin Records – 2016

Metal, Core, Grind, Sludge, Prog, Punk

Rated: ****

For those of you who survived the trip back in 2013, there is a new sledgehammer adventure waiting for ya. Yes, we definitely had a wild time with Boats, the seven track obliterating album by Morality Crisis. With their new release MASH you are in the same kind of deep disturbing waters once more. Especially when you take the first two tracks, Cannons Fall On Cannon Fall and Gas. They both have you grab the nearest hammered down object to hold on to, cause its storming like a crazy grind and punky metalcore hurricane. But then the 22-minutes counting title track commences and that’s when the brilliance starts, when you find yourself trying to stretch your mind along with you luck so far that the musical fear you hear becomes exhilarating and vibrates into the core of your very being. There is no need to pull back, the volume needs to go up. Divided into five parts this one track delivers the best progressive hardcore that will ever grace your ears. Indeed, and the tears afterwards are vaporized before they even hit your cheeks. Cause we still have closer Cowboy Song that pummels you into submission! Hats off to Morality Crisis! And their new bloodcurdling kind of fun!

(Written by JK)

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