Stoner HiVe: augustus 2019

zaterdag 24 augustus 2019

Doomed & Stoned In England

The weekend is upon is and so is the new compilation album by Doomed & Stoned called Doomed & Stoned In England! 104 heavy tracks curated by our very own Reek of STOOM and all equally stunning! So, that’s how you are going to spend your weekend… Total running time is no less than 11 hours and 40 seconds… Grab a beer, put yer feet up and listen to all that soothing heavy magic! 104 tracks long from the place where it all started, Doomed & Stoned is coming home! And it’s not serving up a piece of the pie… Shit, or an entire pie… It’s the whole goddamn heavy bakery! Grab a spoon, fork or some other weird utensil and dig in!

vrijdag 23 augustus 2019

Black Furs – Stereophonic Freak Out Vol.1

Self Released – 2019 (August 13th)

Stoner, Doom, Death Blues

Rated: *****

This album is one great big dose of lip-smacking, booze-guzzling, feedback-shaking, riff-making, occult-worshiping, coke-snorting, drum-pounding, sleaze-walking, retro-loving, fist-pumping, head-banging, heavy-making, groove-strutting, wah-wah working, trance-inducing, snake-licking, bass-thumping brilliance.

I like it.

(Written by Tony Maim)

donderdag 22 augustus 2019

Doomed & Stoned In England

A few months ago we saw another glorious addition to the ever growing Doomed & Stoned compilation catalogue. It was Doomed & Stoned In Peru, curated by Paul Bracamonte, and boasted 34 damn great tracks by 34 stunning heavy rock outfits! And now, on the verge of being released, we are going to get slaughtered by a new compilation: Doomed & Stoned In England! Slaving away tirelessly on this project has been our very own Reek of STOOM! Responsible for the artwork and the liner notes, responsible for the track listing and getting no less than a 104 English outfits to submit tracks for this cool collection! Did you hear me? A 104! I haven’t seen the runtime yet, but I think we can safely guess for it to exceed ten hours of straight listening… Doomed & Stoned In England is going to be available tomorrow on the Doomed & Stoned Bandcamp page! Be sure to get there early, cause it will take up the remainder of the weekend to listen to all them motherfucking cool bands! Congratulations to Reek of STOOM for this majestic beast of a compilation! Mammoth and massive in every sense of the word! And ofcourse an equally massive thanks to all the bands that contributed. And to Billy Goate and his Doomed & Stoned project that has become an ever growing legend! Thank you all! Now let’s get something out of the fridge, put our feet up and prepare to be amazed by all them tracks!

Torche – Admission

Relapse – 2019

Rock, Stoner, Sludge, Metal

Rated: ****

Four years has passed since their last album Restarter. And what a grand Torche album that was! Admission is their fifth full-sized record and sees them, once again, changing everything up! Not just musically, but also in line-up. But Steve Brook is still there and is without a doubt once again responsible for most of the typical Torche sound. Which is still as allusive as ever, but is always so freaking catchy and ear-pleasing. It still moves through the stoner landscape, the sludge scenery, the metal vistas but it takes on a journey through so much more. There is so much and yet they manage to simplify it and condense it to low, robust and effective. Effective by default it immediately shows where they went berserk themselves, like for instance on Infierno, which is without doubt the most savage animal on the album. Eleven songs and all of them equally inspired and thrilling…

(Written by JK)

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dinsdag 20 augustus 2019

Monarch – Beyond The Blue Sky

El Paraiso Records – 2019 (August 12th)

Progressive, Heavy Psych, Stoner

Rated: ****

Monarch, an impressive 5-piece outfit from Encitas, California exude the full 70s aura of Progressive Rock: Organ shimmering, groove - inducing rhythm sections, sweet guitar licks and fusion-esque dynamics all rolled into an authentic early Prog sound akin to Spring, Quatermass, Caravan etc. 'Hanging by a Thread' oozes into life with slow, spacey murmurs before tumbling headlong into full-on Psychedelic Space Rock with searing twin-axe cadences... 'Divided Path' explores a Canterbury soundscape reminiscent of UK Proggers Diagonal's cruise-control quirky vibes. 'Beyond the Blue Sky's Allman Bros sound is sublime and caressing, Americana at its melodic best... 'Phenomena' and 'Counterpart' serve as a symbiotic entity: the former's subtle keys and piercing guitar the perfect foil for 'Counterpart's Eloy/Nektar hybrid. Musically accomplished and very easy on the ears, this album is a great introduction to any new Proghead's collection, and a shoe-in for us older guys who sigh wistfully and succumb to the nostalgia...

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

ZED – Volume

Ripple Music – 2019

Rock, Hard, Stoner, Blues

Rated: ****

Ye gods! Another awesome band we never got around to mentioning. And that even after having Desperation Blues on repeat for most of 2013 and spinning the shit out of Trouble In Eden! And now, ZED is back! The new album is called Volume and we shall try to refrain from using that title for remarks about how loud it should be played or that it speaks to the listener in many forms and all that. Cause Volume is pure groove, a groove that goes back on a blues inspired trip through the hard and heavy rock in all its forms. Yes, this is stoner and this is ZED bringing the wild sound on ten damn fine tracks. There might be a few of them there that seem to remind you of tunes you already know, but that just is the love they bring to the stoner and heavy rock scene. There is only good stuff here and ZED proves that with ever building songs like Wings Of The Angel and the majestic riffs they just seem to effortlessly throw around. And those vocals, man, exactly the kind of grating, raw, harsh and inspiring voice one needs. And those soft and clean moments are just as amazing. Without a doubt the songs ZED delivers here grow ever more favorite with every listening session. ZED is back and Volume is once again, right there, a dead center bullseye!

(Written by JK)

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dinsdag 13 augustus 2019

Towner – Towner EP

Crush Grove Records – 2019

Rock, Indie, Grunge, Pop, Surf, Garage

Rated: ****

As we hear that blue early morning guitar tone start, we get drawn into their wavey sound. Wave upon wave that never actually crashes and just keeps on rolling in. How to describe the sound of Ann Arbor, Michigan fourpiece outfit Towner? Indie Grunge? Alternative Pop? Surf Garage? You got me. But it definitely has a sound that makes something inside you remember The Breeders or something featuring Bob Mould. It’s only four songs. But those four songs transport you to an era of goodness. You fly, or perhaps float, or maybe flutter, towards a goal you never knew you needed to reach before you heard Towner. Even if there is something wild and erratic about the compositions and some of the vocals; there is also something fragile and playful. It’s introspective and those that take the time and sit themselves properly will soon hear something highly addictive.

(Written by JK)

High Fighter – Champain

Argonauta Records – 2019

Rock, Grunge, Metal, Stoner, Sludge, Doom

Rated: ****

We should be tarred and feathered for neglecting to mention the 2016 album Scars & Crosses by German based High Fighter. We mentioned their first EP release Goat Ritual back in 2014, but their following full-sized was already so much better we could not get enough of it. It had a vintage grunge sound and an overall pressurized sound that made the entire album come across like it was about to explode. And now there is a new release called Champain. With a bit more tempo and even more energy than before they stomp out of the gates with a growling opener. The vocal prowess of Mona Miluski is obvious; but on this record she definitely tries more approaches and almost all of them seem to shine like a pile of gold. Damn what growth! On all fronts! And then they also have a song called Kozel which obviously pays homage to the magician Jan Kozel from Jegulja and Carnaval. Well, they’ve got my vote!

(Written by JK)

vrijdag 9 augustus 2019

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

It’s Friday. But y’all knew that. There is this thing called the Doom Charts that features all the amazing albums one can handle in a week! But I’m sure y’all knew that too! So what else is there to say? Not much, but to wish you all a fine ass weekend. Filled with a truckload of great music and equally impressive times! Whether they’d be drunken parties, wild nights, crazy festivals or chilled out lazy afternoons in the sun. Everything tastes better with the right kind of music… And that’s where the Quick Fire Friday round jumps in and helps out! Like Reek of STOOM, who once again gracefully delivered a few lines for the bands featured today… And yes, we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday. And its burns hot like molten lava!

Electronic Chaos – Nobody Gives A Shit

Our Canadian compadre returns with another smash - and - grab Grind EP that melts faces like acid bile! Relentless and Raging!!

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

Green Milk From The Planet Orange – Third

Japanese Psychonauts return on a passing comet, bringing strange, exotic sounds gathered on their 14-year elliptical orbit... Psychedelic, Progressive, Amazing!

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

The Wizard – The Wizard

San Antonio's Fuzz-Doom outfit The Wizard have raised the bar with this superb collection of riffed-up Rock: Fun, Fuzz-Filled and Fabulous! NYP

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

Buzzard Cult – Buzzard Cult

Buzzard Cult is a three piece Southern Grunge/Punk band based north of Atlanta, Georgia. We draw on a variety of influences ranging from Hardcore Punk, Grunge, Southern Rock, and Rock n' Roll. We copy pasted that from bandcamp so we could get drunk sooner. Drunk on their tunes and drunk on the atmosphere. Grungy and punky it is indeed… And for some weird and possibly insane reason it reminded us of the Belgian scene… A harder heavier version of dEUS, Zita Swoon and those crazies… Good stuff!

(Written by JK)

Ranchero – Ranchero

Released almost a year ago, (and ofcourse the amazing Riff Relevant was right there with them at the time) the self-titled debut by Californian trio Ranchero is filled with high energy punky hard rock and skater styled stoner rock. Bluesy by default and sundried by nature, the perfect soundtrack to take on your journey… To wherever… The destination doesn’t matter, just blast Ranchero!

(Written by JK)

Godzillabong – Doomsday Guru

Let’s end this Quick Fire Friday with something ominous and full on doom. It’s Godzillabong from Rome! With hints of sludge and stoner, it moved distinctly into the realm of proto metal and the doom of yore. Supermassive and it will get you high like a gigantic beast!

(Written by JK)

donderdag 8 augustus 2019

Saint Agnes – Welcome To Silvertown

Death or Glory Gang Records / Ingrooves Records

Rock, Garage

Rated: ****

Have you heard a bit of the hype surrounding Saint Agnes? Have you thought about immediately dismissing them and continuing on to a band that nobody has heard off yet? Sure, you might be in that kind of mindset or it might be your pre-set volition. But if you set that aside for a moment and dive into the gothic and punk sewers of London where the members originate from you might discover something pretty darn good. A first sceptic listening session will soon turn into a magic dance as the tunes of the debut album Welcome To Silvertown take possession of your soul and blood. Memories of the White Stripes, The Stooges and many more soon surface, but above all it is the wild garage sound and old blues that will make your bones shake and your ghost go crazy. It has a very own and distinct atmosphere that drifts among the tracks across the entire album; it has charisma, soul and a vocalist with an intense raw voice that definitely has charisma herself. Seductive and sultry in a dangerous way! Saint Agnes, more than the sum of her parts…

(Written by JK)

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Arrowhead – Coven Of The Snake

Ripple Music – 2019

Rock, Stoner, Proto, Doom

Rated: *****

As the chorus assembles in the dirty ale house down the road, to give their opinions on matters of the day, the important stuff and the weather, it is the feverous energy coming out of the speakers that will take first dibs in the conversation. The thick fuzz, the dense grooves and the magnificent riffs are mouthwatering and breathtakingly beautiful. It is Arrowhead’s new record Coven Of The Snake blasting loud, drowning out some off those waffling strangers and irrelevant talk about politics. We don’t do politics here, and you might get barred for that. It’s intoxicating, like the drinks served in this premier dive bar, those sun-dried Australian tunes will have your mind drift back towards the atavistic stoner bands, the proto metal outfits and the doom gods. It is that good. And then some. It’s rock. Menacing, tough, resilient rock. It’s heavy rock. And it’s so damn good, you will stay in that bar for as long as they have Arrowhead spinning… Paradise…

(Written by JK)

The blurb above was written for the July 2019 edition of the Doom Charts. Have you checked them all out yet?

maandag 5 augustus 2019

Swamp Coffin – Flatcap Bastard Features

Self-Released – 2019 (August 23rd)

Sludge, Doom, Stoner

Rated: ****

Swamp Coffin have heaved themselves from the mire and embarked on a corpse-strewn campaign of horror with their latest opus, Flatcap Bastard Features and like the Peaky Blinders, they're hellbent on taking over your territory, stealing your stash and slitting your throat simultaneously! This is the soundtrack to a freeze-frame Crime Scene investigation: opener 'Blood in the Water' is a sadistic autopsy on a twitching cadaver...a necrotizing, rotten riff-fest of low-end loathing..."Annihulus" looms and slavers with dripping avarice over a squelching Doom cadence as heavy as Conscience. "Black Shirt, Blacker Sabbath" evokes the slow torture of the Rack...cranking the agony with each fuzz-fueled note and bowing with reverence to the Tormentor. "Last of the Summer Slime" is the culmination of the tome... bleak, unforgiving and brutally slow, the funeral dirge for Compost, Fugly and Clag. Flatcap Bastard Features will catch you off-guard, drain your blood and replace it with embalming slime. Swamp Coffin have risen to put the 'ROT' in Rotherham...

(Written by Reek of STOOM)