Mothers In Furs – Jisei No Ku

Mothers In Furs – Jisei No Ku

Self released – 2016

Rock, Psych, Post, Math, Prog, Punk, Stoner

Rated: ****

The last time I crashed around Krakow, Poland was simply put amazing. And ever since that time, already a few years ago, I’ve been looking for an excuse to go back there. And the three-piece Mothers In Furs might just be that reason. Their five-track EP called Jisei No Ku came out in January of this year and shows us a band that definitely wants to explore and push at the walls of musical convention. Indeed, on those five grungy tracks they sound like a mathematical or progressive funk band that went all crazy with alternative rock, punk and stoner. There is not an avenue they do not wander into and it takes them to wild and imaginative places. Locations with a definite nineties feel to them. And whenever you feel that nostalgia rising, in Why Was I Born With A Different Face for instance, it simply sounds fantastic. Closing battleship and title-track Jisei No Ku tops all those fine songs that came before. Atmospheric and swirling guitar vortexes.  O, and the mixture of  the female guest spot vocals on The Land of Dreams and male vocals throughout are intensely pleasant and we can only hope they will do this even more on future releases. Mothers In Furs, we definitely need more!

(Written by JK)

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Blues Pills – Lady In Gold

 

Blues Pills – Lady In Gold

Nuclear Blast – 2016

Rock, Blues, Psych, Pop

Rated: **

We love Blues Pills, have been loving Blues Pills since seeing them live on Roadburn back in 2013. And their self-titled debut effort is still often on rotation over here. And ofcourse made it all the way to the Number 5 position in the Stoner HiVe top 20 countdown of 2014, voted for by so many of you lovely freaks out there. So when Lady Of Gold finally came in, we welcomed the female grim reaper and let it immediately move to the front of the line. So the sweet music could start and we could dance along. It’s a train. A psychedelic blues train that just keeps on powering through all the heavy landscapes the Swedes designed for this album. And you can take the mention of the word heavy with a grain of salt, for everything sounds more like pop then rock. This might also refer to the mention of the word blues. What? Yes, Blues Pills, are not really that bluesy anymore. And they never slow down or power up, they just keep on truckin. But I guess that’s where things go wrong. Because of the lack of variation in tempo and speed it starts to feel morose and sound uninspired. Full of energetic optimism and militant aggression towards the mythic underworld figure, the album seems to fall flat in their portrayal of never giving up. For the ten full force soulful blues tracks are definitely meant to exhilarate and whoop up the good times. But perhaps paradoxically they seem to fatigue and tire. And with such amazing artists, it’s puzzling the collective comes up with this album. Where the idea was so much better than the end result. Let’s hope for a better one next time around…

(Written by JK)

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Captives of The Void – Captives of The Void

Captives of The Void – Captives of The Void

Self released – 2016

Rock, Space, Stoner, Psych, Instrumental

Rated: ****

We love our instrumental records. We love them to bits. And the self-titled debut effort by Yorkshire duo Captives of The Void is another one we will keep spinning until we have escaped from the endless space. For this damn fine stoner record is one hell of a spacey riff adventure. It often is hard to believe that there are only two musicians responsible for such an amazing album. We hear classic guitar greatness changed up with fuzzy trucking and bluesy rock. Always space surfing over intense drumming that leaves much room and great depths to explore. In a way the Captives of The Void two put every other four or five piece band to shame. Look at us suckers, they state with this record, it’s only the two of us and we make a bigger stomp on the terra then all of you. Although I highly doubt they would actually make such a statement for real, for that the music shows too much musicianship and perhaps the tiny bit they do lack, aggressiveness. But we don’t always need fight music. And definitely not when the summer comes around, for then, this is what we need. Surfing the endless void and a moments of relaxation on the moon!

(Written by JK)

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Thermate – Off To Hades

Thermate – Off To Hades

Self released – 2016

Rock, Stoner, Proto, Seventies, Metal, Blues

Rated: ****

After a few more alternative and stoner rock oriented EP’s like for instance the one titled November, which we mentioned back in 2014. The Finnish quintet Thermate evolved into something with more proto and seventies inspired aspects. And so we are now treated to a new mini-album called Off To Hades. A well rounded trip through the netherworld with grating riffs and stomping drums. They remind us, in some way, of that obscure and enigmatic diesel blues, there it is again, diesel blues, band Ventilators (without ‘The’ in front) from the Netherlands. (Grin.) Motoring towards a foggy horizon drunk and full of grit. Just like those Dutch freaks. But where those guys opted for concise shorter blues rock ditties, Thermate moves more towards something with a metal edge, grander gestures and wilder ideas. Shit, we just noticed that we mentioned the diesel blues aspect in that earlier mention about November as well. Well, I guess we were as right then as we are now, with the added fact that Thermate is bigger, better and ready to conquer the world and the underworld. They’re Off To Hades and I for one am going with them!

(Written by JK)

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Turnip – Window Killer

Turnip – Window Killer

Self released – 2016

Rock, Blues, Southern, Stoner, Psych

Rated: *****

There’s a definite southern accent to everything Turnip does on their debut release Window Killer. It never gets to country or bourbon soaked, but their blues has this definite dark and Texan vibe to it all. Perhaps due to the drawl of the vocals and their love for the slide guitar. You have no trouble envisioning twisted Tarantino bar scenes or languid Lynchian landscapes. Ten concise tracks, that add up to almost forty minutes of heavy diesel blues. This is an album that deserves nothing but praise. For there is definitely not a lot of releases that can even hold a candle to Window Killer. The vocals move, are wild on occasion and have a righteous ballsy edge. Just listen to Open The Sky, which also features guitar work that rattles the tubes in the amplifier and grabs you by the throat. Weathered and rusty hardrock and blues with a noir edge and impressive vistas. Looking out the window, for a killer on the loose. Hypnotic and another testament that blues rock is very much alive and that there are still amazing avenues to explore. Turnip proves it. Turnip kills it!  

(Written by JK)

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Imaad Wasif – with Two Part Beast / Strange Hexes

Imaad Wasif – with Two Part Beast / Strange Hexes

World In Sound – 2016

Rock, Psych, Folk, Stoner

Rated: ****

Originally released in 2008, sophomore album Strange Hexes from the honorable Imaad Wasif sees a re-issue by the righteous World In Sound label. For as they state themselves, the lost gem of contemporary rock music needs a wider audience. The fragile shamanic poet immediately captures the listener in an overwhelming atmosphere between sonic bliss and bone-breaking intensity. His guitar licks howl like wolves in the night, while his voice seems to cut through the air. This is true musician-mastership and yet a mystery why only so few initiates have heard of this great album. And we can only concur with that. For there is no holding back here, the ten tracks hop from psychedelics into world inspired folk and on to stoner and even metal moments. Yes, Strange Hexes has it all and most importantly will be able to catch the ear of a wide variety of listener for every age to come. Cause this is timeless and one hell of a picture painted…

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

As we are almost off to do the dirty in Norway, (next week) it’s best we leave you with some grand music to dwell on and drift off with. Yes, another Quick Fire Friday segment! And this time once again featuring five amazing band of freaks that deserve attention and probably even more than the small amount of words chosen here. But hey, it’s the Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday. Fast, furious and full of fatidical visions!

King Bee – Cryptomaster Behemoth

A hard rocking, stoner addicted, noisy, two-headed monster called King Bee. And with their first release Cryptomaster Behemoth they show a definite love for garage, noise and give us something filthy to adore. Yes, we love us some grimy pounce and bounce!

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Boobs of Doom – (((White Noise)))

Another duo another day. Boobs of Doom from Scotland. Well, you can’t go wrong with a bandname like that. Especially after describing the music as an aural Schrodinger’s Cat! (((White Noise))) is their seventh album and maneuvers around ambient noisy doom drone. Trippy, atmospheric and nodding to every genre with post written before it. Or maybe it doesn’t and it’s just a cardboard box with nothing in it. Or maybe it’s a cat! Go pet it! Or stroke it!

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Fuzziladxs – Fuzziladxs

Well, the music is there. And with only one, two or a three minutes maximum to a song you can just go ahead and listen to Fuzziladxs. Try to drown out the vocals and there is definitely something there one can appreciate. Black sludgy doom and death metal and really difficult to enjoy…

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Mojedaar – Mojedaar

Alternative and progressive rock from Milano, Italy. Mojedaar. Their new album expresses a definite love for late nineties alternative prog with a popular edge. The four-piece sounds very familiar and even though that might be a bad thing many of times, it isn’t this time around. But it won’t turn heads or become your favorite album of all time. Or perhaps it does in which case I stand corrected and you can call me a dingbat asshole. Shit, you can call me that anyway. Check out Mojedaar, and call me...

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Humulus – Electric Walrus

Let’s save the best for last. Humulus from Italy features Andrea van Cleef who you might know from his Sundog release, Van Cleef Continental or ofcourse his affiliation with Kyuss member Vic Du Monte… And is just as psychedelic, sunny and stonerish. Their new EP Electric Walrus sports three heavy fuzzed out desert rockers. And excellent is a word which falls short of describing those three tracks. Grungy at times but for the most part as laidback as one can get. And guess what, they also make IPA style beer! So get your hands on one of their beers and their cd and sit back, space out and feel like the eggman or… the walrus. I am the walrus! Coo coo cachoo! 

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Doom Chart for July 2016

Doom Chart

“This month the charts come a bit later than usual. Not blaming the current state of the planet, but it cannot be denied politics are eating up the interwebs, citizens and non-citizens alike are spouting unhealthy amounts of racism, fascism, trumpism, clintonism, brexitism, and all sorts of god awful hatred and opinions all over the atmosphere. What we need here is more DOOM! We all have in common over at the charts is we don’t give 2 shits about who our compadres over at the Stoner HiVe blog are voting for, what The Evil Engineer is planning to do as president of the United States of America, or who LK Ultra sits next to at the back of the bus. The DOOM charts bring together a family of heathens far and wide with only one goal and that is to spread gospel written in the good book of Doom, Stoner, and Sludge. It was my privilege to handle the charts this month, as it was clearly a busy time of year for all involved. No matter what part of the world you’re from let’s not deny, we need a good break from the actual doom and gloom going on now in society. With that we present to you the July edition of the Doom Charts…” ~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

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 that’s it. Bucky said it right. We love our doom. We love our heavy rock. And even though our thoughts on everything else might be highly different. It is the music that binds us. And perhaps, it might even become the bridge to cross the abyss that looms… Everywhere… And perhaps, there, on the other side, we will share beers and nod our heads together like the heavy rockin fish we all are… So head on over to the Doom Charts, and tune in…

Doom Chart for July 2016

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday 

Do you feel the heat? No, it’s not the summer and its wonderful amount of rain! It is a Quick Fire Friday segment! One of those Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday segments that spreads the good word on all those great bands out there with just a few carefully chosen words. Are you ready? Do you have a bucket of ice water near you? Cause it’s is a steamy one! 

Exoskelett – Grind Your Bones to Dust

It’s always a bit strange when one finds so much appealing about a black, thrash metal and grindcore release like Grind Your Bones To Dust. But perhaps that’s due to the fact that Exoskelett hails from Sweden. And we all know that there’s definitely something good about everything stemming from that country. In this case it’s the fact they slow down all those metal genres to something resembling doom and make it sound vintage. Really? No. Yes. Or well. Just give it a whirl and get your bones rattled!

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Vidaguerrilla - Mexican Zombie Dancehall Vol.1

We’ve been mentioning Vidaguerrilla since the summer of 2014. From maddening garage to doom punk and everything in between. This time the man goes the blues route. One that seems to fit him even better. Cause Mexican Zombie Dancehall Vol.1 really is the grimy garage blues we all need to fill the summer carnival nights with. Honkey tonk blues for Dias De La Meurte…

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Derelics – Introducing

A three-song Introducing EP to introduce Derelics to the masses. Yes, the EP is called Introducing and that it does with glee and groove. Yikes, these guys got such a fine fuzzy groove going you immediately sit up and bounce along. With a more underlying harmonic approach to stoner and grunge; it is the wall of heaviness on which is surfs that impresses the most. Or better yet, the combination of the two and the righteous pedal-porn! Surfs up!

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Vira – Vira

Italian experimental and instrumental progressive doom duo Vira released their first self-titled, three part, one song, twenty-three minutes lasting exploration of sound a few months ago. Founded after the sad demise of their former band Traum the new release is based on ancient Greek tragedies, where the character goes through three stages on their road to ruin. Baleful and full of slow moving build-ups, the eruptions are seen from far away, but still hit like a lightning bolt from the Gods. Are you ready to be struck?

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Demons From The Dungeon Dimension – There Was Ogres

Last but not least on this Quick Fire Friday segment a first on the HiVe. A South-African doom metal adventure, brought to you by Demons From The Dungeon Dimension hailing from Durban. The scene is set by colorful and almost cheery yet also creepy guitar picking before the lurching and dragging itself forward like a dying beast begins. There Was Ogres is absolutely marvelous and truly epic in all its glory.

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Sharma – The Midnight Reverb Experience

Sharma – The Midnight Reverb Experience

Self released – 2016

Rock, Stoner, Grunge, Metal, Prog

Rated: ****

Releasing one or even more albums per year, the Oslo, Norway based duo Sharma has been on a roll since 2012. And now, The Midnight Reverb Experience released on the first of July is already their seventh release. But let’s go back to the Sharma name and the duo remark, for it isn’t truly a duo. It’s just made up of two core members and a vast array of friends and freaks who help them out, ever changing and ever revolving. Making sure each release is a definite new kind of animal. And The Midnight Reverb Experience is no exception. Moving into Queens Of The Stone Age territory often but always changing it up with more old school prog maneuvers and almost proto-metal rock. They easily keep your attention focused on the music they bring, even when they move into more grandiose almost stadium rock anthems like Where The Moon Can’t Reach Me. Or into seventies inspired blues wailers like Gold Flake Rain with luscious Hammond sounds interspersed. And then there’s the battleship title-track closer with almost twelve minutes of pure unadulterated musical bliss. There is so much going on in that one track, one can only sit back and admire all the funky meandering they do and sharp speedrock turns they make. It is definitely an experience!

(Written by JK)

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Arrecho – Maldito Tú

Arrecho – Maldito Tú

Self released – 2016

Hard Rock, Hard Rock, Hard Rock

Rated: ****

Yeah Baby, they're back!!!!! Our favorite rock powerhouse Arrecho out of Venezuela is back with a new EP titled Maldito Tú, and it is mucho killer. Why do I call Arrecho a rock powerhouse? Well for one,  I've never heard an underground band have so many anthem style songs. Their last EP simply titled Rock N Roll was littered with catchy little tidbits such as the songs Artichoke and Badao. This new release rocks and rolls as much as the former. Although they do have a nice break in the middle with the cut Frankgarden Blues; clocking in around eleven minutes, it's a nice bluesy instrumental and I believe it is recorded live in front of an audience. It rules! Actually the more I listen the more I realize they mix up the stylings a bit on their latest release. Either way Arrecho to me is the type of band I would want to see live, but unfortunately for me they are a world away. From what I understand the musical landscape here in the United States is very different from most places in the world. But I could still see Arrecho opening up for stadium acts in the States. There're just a great time, party style, kick ass, rock and roll band. Period!!! Please support our brothers out of Venezuela and visit their bandcamp where you can catch the new EP, but please check out the back catalogue as well. They do not disappoint for those of us who enjoy hard driving rock.

(Written by Charlie Tooth)

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Sergeant Thunderhoof

Sergeant Thunderhoof

As you guys know, we wear our love for the good stuff on our sleeve and spin this shit out of everything we adore. And we cannot get enough of those amazing records Sergeant Thunderhoof has put out. Ride Of The Hoof is still on heavy rotation over here and has received a righteous vinyl treatment. Well, Zigurat is now up for the same kind of deal! So head on over to their Kickstarter page and order that record. Cause it’s just as freakin amazing and deserved to be heard the right way as well!

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Hawkwind – The Machine Stops

Hawkwind – The Machine Stops

Cherry Red – 2016

Rock, Psych, Space

Rated: ***

Radical space rock and trippy goodness. The British psychedelic outfit Hawkwind has been around for almost fifty years. Ye gods, fifty years. That’s a damn long time and even though the line-up has changed a lot in the span of those eras, they still retain their very own kind of vibe. Thanks to Dave Brock, the master of ceremonies still standing tall among all the new members. The founder, guitarist, vocalist and songsmith can still deliver those tracks best heard toking on a pipe, chewing for hours on dried mushrooms or after swallowing some acid. We must confess that the truly memorable trips seem to be in the past. As they always are, right? But on the new record The Machine Stops they definitely do try to revisit the old psychedelic whirlwinds. Inspired by the short story with the same title written by EM Forster from 1928, where the population have only been able to survive underground, by the grace of the infernal machine. But what if it stops? Well, the story delivers the lyrics and the music is definite ominous in some places, but for the most part, we can simply just sit back and enjoy the ride and hope the machine never stops…

(Written by JK)

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Baby Woodrose – Open Doors

Baby Woodrose – Open Doors 

Baby Woodrose always delivers. Period. Check out the new single and video Open Doors! 

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