Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Across the pond the crazies are whooping it up at Psycho Las Vegas, but we shall do our own thing at the neat little Nirwana Tuinfeest. Not as big, but certainly as crazy! So, since we have to get over there as soon as possible we quickly fire off another round of the Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday! We know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more. But we just simple cannot ever do it all justice. But hey, it’s the Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday. And its burns hot like molten lava!

Urchin – Cavalcade Past a Forbearing Ruin

One of the bands that started the ruckus in Las Vegas last night was Urchin. The two-piece blackened sludgy doom metal released a new album earlier this month called Cavalcade Past a Forbearing Ruin. I believe they played poolside and I’m pretty sure the water would have turned to black mud as the waves of Urchin paranoia struck out across the Las Vegas battlefield…

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The Mad Doctors – Yuengling Malmsteen

Do you remember us raving our asses off about The Mad Doctors and their No Waves, Just Sharks release? It was our soundtrack to every backyard BBQ and beach outing of the past months. Well, the fella’s are now releasing a split seven inch with Heavy Traffic. Which can be ordered here and listened to here. Or the other way around. Whichever way you do it, just do it. Majestic psychedelic surfing and fuzzy punk rocking guaranteed!

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King Pizza Records

Twin Earth Records

Marvelous Liars – Marvelous Liars

Power rock, stoner pop and everything in between. The new self-titled album by Marvelous Liars has it all. Borrowing some of the desert heat to spice up their highly catchy rock ‘n roll the three-piece is fishing in the great pond with more hooks and bait then the most expert of fishermen. And guess what, they have you biting and snapping for their rock strut like a ravenous piranha. Fans of Arctic Monkeys, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Strokes, Beatles and Foo Fighters will definitely find something tasty here!

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Rubble Road – The Clowns Have Spoken

Listen to The Clowns Have Spoken and you will suddenly have the urge to hit the bourbon bottle hard and the road even harder; off chasing weird and twisted nights with the three-piece (or quartet?) Rubble Road on your backseat shouting about Truck Stop Hookers and Galactic Fugitives. And all this while they’re also brewing their own beer. And you know what we always say, good people drink good beer. Get on the Rubble Road, drink heavy and ride hard!

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Ben Hughes – Rejecting The Machine

Ending on a Lo-Fi-High note! Rejecting The Machine is the first single promoting his one man project that will soon release a complete effort entitled Cycles of the Psyche. It’s Ben Hughes and the multi instrumentalist runs the gamut of all sorts of Lo-Fi psychedelic goodness. It seems to be a follow-up to a the more earthy approach of his Reflection EP released earlier this year. All in all, the music all have this secretive sound and makes you want to learn more about its magic. Stay tuned!

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Reflection

O'no... Hold on... Wait... Wait... Here's the new Triggerfinger single: Colossus!

Meteor Chasma – A Monkey Into Space

Meteor Chasma – A Monkey Into Space

Self released / Go Down Records – 2017

Rock, Stoner, Grunge, Psych, Space

Rated: ****

The Italian born Meteor Chasma shoots its riffs into space with a truckload of fuzz and an intense intergalactic groove. The opening track Spaceship 2346 of their debut full-sized album A Monkey Into Space is a proper lift off indeed. The mighty psychedelic waves are only rivalled by its extraterrestrial great stoner trucking and monstrous sound. And this massive head job continues on the next eight tracks, albeit a bit more grimy or a bit more spacious. Which might lead you to conclude that Meteor Chasma might have opened with their absolute smash ‘n grab track and that the rest of the album does not reach the same kind of level. Well, you’re wrong there. It’s just that the different avenues the band takes on the rest of the tracks culminate to perfection on that opener. Listen to third track Neil Gagarin for instance, a slower, almost doomy approach to their spacerock. On it they display a massive amount of restraint, how easy it would be to let it explode at a certain moment. And then to not do it. Yihaw! That’s what we dig. Keep you on your toes! In short, check out Meteor Chasma, Gorilla style headbanging guaranteed!

(Written by JK)

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Red Mountains – Slow Wander

Red Mountains – Slow Wander

All Good Clean Records – 2017

Rock, Stoner, Psych, Doom

Rated: ****

The honorable Charlie Tooth wrote about their debut album Down With The Sun back in 2015. And now, two years later, when September rolls around, the Norwegian Red Mountains are back with a new release called Slow Wander. And it is a majestic slow, yet urgent, trek across the highlands. Across a mountainous terrain that moves the soul and inspires the spirit at every turn. Produced by Spidergawd’s Per Borton, who also delivers guest vocals on the Acid Wedding track, the album definitely shines in all its psychedelic goodness and moves into a slightly darker realm without ever becoming oppressive. It actually sounds extremely wide in its vistas and with so much room for all the instruments and voice to excel. And that is really what they do best, that wonderful translation sensation an open expanse into heavy psychedelic rock and making it weave through your head and heart. Man, I want to go back to Norway again and cruise the Atlantic Road with this album at exactly the right volume…

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 Artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s 

Top 5 Artists listened to last week…

Queens of The Stone Age

Mr. Big

Mother Engine

Greenbeard

Red Mountains

We haven’t had much time the past month. It showed in updates and it showed in the amount of new albums listened to. Well, we have a bit more time now. For a week or two. So, we did a lot of listening again. Ofcourse everything the Doom Chart mentioned was high on the list. But we could not shy away from the new Queens Of The Stone Age. They have to this album not released a bad one. Although Era Vulgaris wasn’t really my cup of tea. And it seems this one will neither. Unfortunately. Not that it’s a bad album. It just doesn’t seem to move me. And that is what it is aimed at, physically, actually moving, I read. In preparation for an interview with Mr. Gilbert we listened to Mr.Big a lot. But what really moved us was the new Mother Engine! These German cats know how to rev up the machine! Another one that inspired is Greenbeard. Lödarödböl is a truly stunning piece of work; artwork included! Last but certainly not least, Red Mountains from Norway, have returned with a beautiful record. It shall be released at beginning of September and will surely captivate all you lovely freaks out there! See the mention tomorrow for a few more words about Red Mountains new album Slow Wander. But for now, turn up the volume and let the cool tunes set the right mood!

Cortez – The Depths Below

Cortez – The Depths Below

Salt Of the Earth Records – 2017

Rock, Fuzz, Grunge, Stoner, Metal

Rated: *****

The Cortez blurb, as it appeared on the latest edition of the Doom Chart...  Let’s take a trip with the Boston quintet Cortez. Let’s have them drag us down with them to The Depths Below. I reckon we can safely state that most of you freaks out there already dug their earlier releases. Well, get ready to profess your undying love for these guys. Turning a much more metallic corner on some tracks, the fuzz, the grunge and the stoner that Cortez brings is simply amazing. And then there are those more pop sensible almost catchy moments. Yes, there is something about this records that screams ‘instant classic’. Vocalist Matt Harrington truly shines on every track and together with the killer choruses, massive riffs, dueling guitars and majestic drum work there is absolutely nothing wrong with Cortez… Shit, where is the closest grimy tattoo parlor, so I can get Cortez tattooed across my heart!

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Half Gramme of Soma – Groove is Black

Half Gramme of Soma – Groove is Black

Fuzz Ink Records – 2017

Rock, Desert, Stoner

Rated: *****

Yes, the good Doktor420 and myself are in league with the rest of the Doom Chart cats. And this how the good Doktor420 blurbed about Half Gramme Of Soma on the latest edition of the Doom Charts! ‘If you like Desert Stonerrock in the vein of Kyuss, you might love Half Gramme Of Soma from Athens. After a lot of changes in their line-up, between their debut album in 2013, an EP in 2014 and again after that. And now, they're back with a new singer (from Vibratore Bizarro). Their second full album, released back at the end of May, contains 8 groovy, at times even bluesy, but always hard rockin' tracks, which lead you trough space and time on a gigantic eggplant. The brilliant cover art clearly shows, that the band doesn't take themselves too serious.’ And we could not agree more! Good check out Half Gramme of Soma and get your groove black!

(Written by Doktor420)

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The Doom Chart for July 2017

Doom Chart

    “How many more nights and weird mornings can this terrible shit go on? How long can the body and the brain tolerate this doom-struck craziness? This grinding of teeth, this pouring of sweat, this pounding of blood in the temples… small blue veins gone amok in front of the ears, sixty and seventy hours with no sleep. Turn up the radio. Turn up the tape machine. Look into the sunset up ahead. Roll the windows down for a better taste of the cool desert wind. Ah yes. This is what it’s all about. Total control now. Tooling along the main drag on a Saturday night in Las Vegas, two good old boys in a fireapple-red convertible … stoned, ripped, twisted … Good People…”

  
 ~ Hunter S. Thompson, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

The festivals are raging everywhere. High Summer Fest is exploding as we speak in Portland and Pyscho Las Vegas is coming up fast, for some reason, not being able to go, made me re-read that classic story by Thompson. He has been my spirit guide for ages. Which is dangerous and will ultimately lead you down a rabbithole that might get you killed or at least maimed. I have survived many brushes with death and I’m pretty sure my luck is running out. But can we tone it down? Can we suddenly change enough to turn ‘normal’? Fuck normal, The Good Doctor would say, let’s all Howard Roark the shit out of life. Do it on your own terms. And stay heavy on all fronts…

The many many bands that churn out those amazing albums that enter the Doom Charts monthly are surely doing it on their own terms. It is what sets them apart and what will make the fans take notice. No less than ELEVEN new albums entered the charts this month. And High Priestess for instance barely missed this edition. A heavy and high July edition of the Doom Charts. All those amazing albums will surely set your soul on fire and will burn your heart, and will make you act crazy in a righteous way! Good people, cause that what we heavy rock fans are! Good people!

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio and podcasters and album reviewers from the doom-stoner-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 June 2017

This month tallied by Bucky and edited by yours truly...