Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Glass Hammer
Black Label Society
Møtrik
Kal-El
Plaindrifter
The Absurd
Daily Thompson
Spidergawd
Weedpecker
Gallileous

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

It’s Friday. And there’s always something special about Friday. Right? Not just because there might be a Friday Freebie going on over at the Doom Charts or because Bandcamp is waving fees again. No, it’s because we’ve been indoctrinated over the years with Friday being the end of the week. The end of work, toil and strife. The beginning of party time! Excellent! Well, since we’re talking about partying and good times, let’s just add Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday to that list as well! Carelessly and nonchalant just put it right there besides all those other good times to be had. It’s just something extra, something good and something well meant. For there is so much good and heavy music being released every day! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. 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 it burns hot like molten lava!

Missicks – A Coffee With The Devil

Missicks, I already love the name. The four hail from Curitiba, Brazil and bring you some damn tasty stoner rock. Stoner pop. It’s the stoner in robot pop form that conquered the world as of 2002. Well, you know where it originated, you know what band will probably be its main influence. But there’s more here; cause they have this high pop sensible undercurrent flowing, just listen to their earlier single Lust River. It’s good. And I’m always up for A Coffee With The Devil…

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Principe Valiente - Porcelain

For some weird and possible insane reason Principe Valiente’s new single Porcelain reminded me of the Daniel Davies version of the Pixies track Wave Of Mutilation, which I often have on repeat for an entire night when the whisky is flowing and I honestly believe that the crap I’m typing might be any good. Usually isn’t when daylight arrives. Porcelain, the first track to the new album Barracades, which will be released somewhere in March 2022, on the other hand is! Dark wave, noir pop, post punk, shoegaze brilliance! Don’t let it shatter…

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 Matador – The Surge

It was Madman Tony Maim that struck gold when he showed us the way to Matador’s They Were Here Before Us back in 2019. And now it’s Matador’s turn to bring home the gold medal with their new release The Surge. Four tracks of pure and shiny post metal brilliance, with overtones of doom and something colossal. There are still those emotive and atmospheric elements, but when they let it all loose, let it all explode, the fall out is made from pure diamonds…

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Small Jackets – Just Like This

Thanks to Dominik Goncalves Dos Reis and All Noir PR we have not been able to turn away from the new album Just Like This by the Small Jackets. It will be out through Go Down Records on December 17th and the Italian four bring this perfectly executed mix of classic, hardrock, blues, sleaze, garage, punk and rock ‘n roll hellfire! There’s soul here, there’s heart and there’s love for the good stuff! And man, this good stuff is addictive!

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San Salinas – Quicksand Blues

It’s the blues. The blues done right. Bigger sound and more soulful than the ramshackle version of the blues; this moves towards that sixties and seventies grandiose take on the blues. It’s San Salinas and first single Quicksand Blues. It’s guitar for the soul, blues for the heart and you will not believe that it’s a one man band! Well done Matt Gibson!

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Fortune Teller – Fracture

Let’s head off into the weekend, let's head off into the Friday night with something wild and furious! With something damn freaking awesome! Fracture by Fortune Teller, a single of the amazing Collapse album that came out in October. Fuzzed out garage, gritty stoner and a whole lotta ruckus! It’s noisy, it’s loud and it’s exactly the amount of danger you need to kickstart a night you will probably never remember!

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Météore - Météore

 

 

Météore - Météore
Self-released - November 2021
Psych, alternative, indie
Rated: ****

Following up on their excellent 2019 demo, Montreal's Météore deliver on that early promise with this month's self-titled debut. Darker than their demo but just as emotional and moving, the new album spans five tracks of melancholic, graceful psych/alt rock anchored by smooth yet powerful layered French vocals. Opener "Les bottes" ("Boots") is the heaviest track of the bunch, and starts things off with choppy crunching guitar interspersed with delicate acoustics. Haunting vocals help create an eerie atmosphere, and snappy drums shift to a pounding attack when the sinister, churning low end kicks in to hammer the performance home. This sonic heft takes a backseat in second cut "Ineptie" ("Ineptitude"), however, which opts for a sweeping, dramatic approach as bright guitars and tight kitwork underpin angst-filled vocals, rising and falling with the instrumentation. Météore soften the mood even further on highlight track "Les mêmes erreurs" ("The same mistakes"), with shuffling drums and delicate, sunny strings creating a minimal soundscape with a toe-tapping groove. The fuzzed out chorus briefly turns on the thrusters, and in the second half Météore's more psychedelic tastes come to the fore with some languid, piercing guitar licks. Two-part finale "Mon cœur (À l'envers)" ("My heart (upside down)") and "Mon cœur (Rebâtir)" ("My heart (rebuild)") close out the proceedings, with "À l'envers" taking the more subdued route with hushed, gentle strings and mournful vocals, though some crunch is to be found in the chorus to add some oomph to the tune's emotional punch. Things take a turn for the epic, however, as "Rebâtir" unfolds in operatic style, guitars washing over vocals that build and build, paying off in a dramatic and cathartic comedown with some well-placed keys. Météore have proven their time since the demo days has been put to good use, as their self-titled shows a mature and confident band that's not afraid to put some drama and feeling into their melancholic take on alternative and psychedelia.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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International Premiere - Santo Rostro – Annual

 

 

International Premiere - Santo Rostro – Annual

We’re honored to present to you the international premiere of the new Santo Rostro track Annual. Featured on the Spinda Records Boxset ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ that contains so much of the heavy underground in Spain. Think Atavismo, Mía Turbia, Cemënteri, The Soulbreaker Company, Domo and many more. But this is Santo Rostro and if you don’t already know how awesome they are you should first check out this track and then head over to their bandcamp site to listen to their The Healer release… And II: The Bleed… And their debut self-titled album from 2013. It’s Santo Rostro; and it’s as heavy as it is holy! Holy Heaviness!

“ 'Grados. Minutos. Segundos.'('Degrees.Minutes.Second.') is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you'll have the chance to understand how's the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don't want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.

'Grados. Minutos. Segundos.' will be made of 12x 7" vinyl records (to be released in 4 batches from June 2021 to March 2022), being each of them shared by 2 bands with apparently no connection at all.

But in this limited-edition boxset you won't only find bands coming from Spinda Records roster as it is also open to others in order to get a solid project for the fans to enjoy. From the psychedelia of Acid Mess, Atavismo, Arenna or The Soulbreaker Company to the heavier sounds of Rosy Finch, Adrift, Domo or Santo Rostro; without forgetting the alternative rock of Medicina, Habitar La Mar, The Dry Mouths and Laverge; the hard rock of Partícula, Saturna or Kabbalah; the progressive rock of Moura, Pyramidal, Híbrido or Cró!; as well as new bands such as Cemënteri, Here The Captain Speaking The Captain Band, Battosai, Mía Turbia or Mondo Infiel. Fitting 24 bands in the same project can be tricky, and it is; but Spinda Records are here to have fun... Spinda Records is here for "fiesta!".”

 

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PLAY FIRST 6 SPLITS ON SPOTIFY

Snake Mountain Revival – Everything In Sight

 

 

Snake Mountain Revival – Everything In Sight
Rebel Waves / Ripple Music / Deckhead Records – 2021
Rock, Psych, Wave, Noir, Stoner
Rated: *****

One of the most spun albums the past month is without any doubt Snake Mountain Revival’s Everything In Sight. When the promo came in through Ripple Music or perhaps it was Purple Sage PR, it did not immediately grab me. Cause we cannot state enough how much great and heavy music comes in daily, and sometimes at certain times, an album does not have the energy you are looking for at that moment in time in the world, whatever that may mean. But when we revisited the album, and those first three tracks rolled by and were already slowly weaving into my brain, like the seductive ghosts that they are, it was the fourth track that did the trick… Graveyard Grove came on and relentlessly hammered its enchanting beauty into my heart. It reminded of another song, but that is of no issue here, for the dark, the noir, the dusty atmosphere, the story told and the way the rhythm moved and moved me, it impressed the hell out of me and made one hell of an impression. It of course went on repeat for a couple of times. The vocals, the lyrics, haunting and chased, so perfectly executed. It might be viewed as the prized song on the album. But then again there are many more. And we only recently found out that most of the album was already released on two EP’s. How did we miss that? (We perhaps did, but Shasta Beast didn’t!) We then returned to the beginning and started it all properly; and got struck by the desert rocking baseball bat that is Satellite Ritual. With a Chris Goss atmosphere, the spacy, the surfy, psych and wave noir propels you forward. Something eerie, something spooky, it’s ever-present with the Snake Mountain Revival three. Sonically rounded out, the tracks keep this reverberating echo going through the album and there is as much psychedelic craziness around as there is subdued and tranquil peace. All of it will want to make you dive into the wind and swim with its current. It will turn you on and tune you in… And Everything will be In Sight…

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Turbonegro
King Buffalo
Small Jackets
Addiktio
Alain Pire Experience
Dying Hydra
Temple Fang
Alpha Centauri
Craneium
Djiin

The Ossuary – Oltretomba

 

 

The Ossuary – Oltretomba
Supreme Chaos Records – 2021
Rock, Metal, Doom, Classic
Rated: ***

It’s been spinning for a while now, Oltretomba, the new release by Italian classic doom metal outfit The Ossuary. ‘The Italian word "Oltretomba" stands for the underworld but is also a tribute to the golden age of Italy's cinematic culture in the 70s and 80s with horror films by Fulci, Argento, Bava and the music of Morricone.’ And that is exactly what the album brings, cloudy, hazy, cinematic atmospheres; oozing the perfect amount of occult and horror elements for the listener to enjoy. Or pass over, and simply admire the mix of seventies rock, prog, proto metal and their classic take on doom as the most seminal aspect of the sound that the four from The Ossuary produce. Opener Ratking will surely and immediately grab you and keep you spellbound, even the vocals, cause well,  not everyone might be on board with the vocal execution throughout the album, but the way ‘Ratking’ will ring on like that staccato piano in the background, is simply perfectly done. And I guess we could single out another track or two where you might find issue with the vocals, but that will forever be that one little thing why The Ossuary might not be for you. Which will forever be a shame, cause their prog take on everything doom, classic and seventies, is simply put: underworldly!

(Written by JK)

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Fostermother – Hedonist

 

Fostermother – Hedonist

It premiered on Doomed & Stoned about a week or perhaps two ago and then quickly became a repeat listen on Youtube for us. It’s the new single Hedonist by Fostermother! The first to arrive from their new album Ocean to be released February 18th on Ripple Music. Gritty doom and sludge; and promises an even darker, harsher and drowning album than their self-titled from early 2020. It’s slow and heavy and that’s exactly what we want. Or as the Sun of Grey guys said in the comments on Youtube: “This is badass!!!” And that, it surely is!

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Rest in Peace… Hank von Hell…

 

Rest in Peace… Hank von Hell…

Turbonegro on repeat today… We loved Hank von Helvete… Seen him perform many times, seen Turbonegro many times… With and without him; but with him was always better… And the Sziget 2005 show was pure magic; and will forever live on in my heart… Just like Hank…

A true Hank if ever there was one… Rest in peace…

Callisto - Pot-Pourri

 

 

Callisto - Pot-Pourri
Self-released - October 2021
Grunge, doom, prog, hip-hop
Rated: ****

"Pot-Pourri" is the latest musical gem from France, courtesy of Callisto, the solo project of The Lance Vance Vengeance guitarist and vocalist Olivier. True to its name, the five-track EP is a mix of sonic flavors, touching on grunge, doom, prog, and even a little hip-hop and reggae for extra seasoning. "Pot-Pourri" starts off on the heavy, more stoner rock-adjacent side with starter "Ram Dhun" and follow-up "Dernier Tango", but gets increasingly experimental and playful as the EP moves on. In true Lance Vance fashion, "Ram Dhun" opens with a massive wall of fuzz before digging into a righteous, piercing riff and an explosion of layered vocals and distortion. The huge sound has a devotional, celebratory feel, in line with the traditional Indian song, or bhajan, it takes its name from, and Callisto's heavy take on it hits all the marks. "Dernier Tango" (or "Last Tango") ups the ante further, with punchy hip-hop percussion running under grinding riff after riff, sharp and weighty while Olivier's cool-as-a-cucumber, poignant vocals drive it all home. The whole second half is a buffet of choice guitar work, serving up churning low end and southern-twang licks alike. Gears are decidedly switched going forward, however, as highlight track "Course de luge" ("Toboggan run") rears its groovy head with eerie, keening guitar lines winding their way through snappy hip-hop beats. Hefty vocals fill out the mix, and the brilliant melding of genres brings to mind Gorillaz if they got some dirt on their monkey paws and took a heavier, darker route. Follow-up "Mec tyrannique" ("Tyrannical man") dives deeper down the hip-hop rabbit hole with sinister, biting beats and keys. Olivier's smooth, calm vocals turn out to be perfectly suited for rapping, and the curve ball track still fits right into the wide-ranging "Pot-Pourri". Phenomenal closer "Sauve!" ("Save!") dials things back a bit and lays down some delicious, jangly acoustic guitar, creating a warm and joyous soundscape. Some fuzzy punch is added, and a melodica is even thrown in for a winding, eastern run that fits just right. Callisto has shown his hand with "Pot-Pourri", and it holds promise and ingenuity in spades. This guy is one to watch.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Messerschmitt
Kentucky Green
Weedpecker
Ancient of Days
Green Lung
Lucifer
My Midnight Creeps
Bentrees
Floored Faces
Kánaán

Messerschmitt – Oh Death

 

 

Messerschmitt – Oh Death
Siste Reis Records – 2021
Rock, Stoner, Sludge, Doom, Metal
Rated: *****

Norwegian outfit Messerschmitt, not to be confused with the German speed metal band with the same name or the Mayhem-side-project, any of three or four other bands from Croatia, Italy and what not with the same name or of course those planes during World War II, are about to release a new six-track album called Oh Death. It was recorded live with two drummers, has guest appearances by Kjetil Nernes from Årabrot who plays noise guitar on Oh Death and Thomas Eriksen from Mork who did the vocal duties on Ave Satani. The mix was done by Adam Kasper, who worked with Soundgarden, Queens of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters and many more. And guess what, this Norwegian outfit called Messerschmitt is the best Messerschmitt yet! Atavistic stoner, seminal sludge and a colossal sound! There’s doom here, despair and dismay, especially when majestic fifth track No Tomorrow rolls around, with extra special guest spot on Hammond, the one and only: Jon Terje Rovedal! Who you might know from many a band or album; but we know him from his work with one of the best bands in the world: Madrugada. And then we hear that Kai Andersen, who also produced Madrugada also aided with the production and that sealed the deal. We dived even deeper into Oh Death and the tracks they offer, and will now profess our love for that opening track: Gummo Ain’t For Nothing. Only two minutes and forty seven seconds long, the track start out with these four pounds that immediately let you know you’re in for some heavy stomping. And the drums do take the center stage on this track; but the way the guitar then moves through all that trudging sludge punk, seems to create an echo chamber and make every inch of sound whirlpool around you and is simply put: perfection! And well, you know we go overboard with accolades a lot, but we could continue on like this about the following five tracks as well. Highly diverse, yet ever gigantically heavy, Messerschmitt is addictive, ballsy and compelling. Oh Death is the ABC of heaviness!

 

(Written by JK)

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Messerschmitt - Gummo Ain't for Nothing

 

Messerschmitt - Gummo Ain't for Nothing

Openingtrack Gummo Ain’t For Nothing from the new release Oh Death by Norwegian outfit Messerschmitt. The band is back, brought two drummers and will bomb everyone into submission! What an opener, what a track, what a massive sound!

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Lucifer – IV

Lucifer – IV
Century Media Records – 2021
Rock, Hardrock, Occult, Seventies, Doom
Rated: ***

Recently an email arrived from one of you crazy freaks out there actually taking the time to follow the HiVe stating that we should concentrate more on the small, beginning and unknown artists. Which we do for the most part. It arrived after the Mastodon post and I guess in that case, another email might or should follow after we mention Lucifer. Founded in Berlin in 2014 the band now operates out of Stockholm, Sweden, where the band had so much time on their hands that instead of waiting another two years to record a follow-up to their third album they’ve already sent out IV out into the world. Their highly pop-sensible choruses combined with the seventies approach to metal and hardrock will forever be their strongest point. And yes, the voice of vocalist Johanna Platow as well. Cause even though she has a certain lackluster, blasé or indifferent quality to her voice, it does fit the music perfectly. It adds to the atmosphere created, the almost nonchalant guitar color, the almost predictable nature of the solo’s and most importantly: those lyrics. Occult clichés and their unadulterated love for them will surely bring out all the lovers of the dark arts. And even though we know when the killer arrives, the Dark Lord emerges or the moon goes out, it is done so damn good, we cannot help but join the Lucifer church, light them pentagram candles and listen to IV whenever we see the full moon arrive…

(Written by JK)

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Forming The Void - Reverie

 

 

Forming The Void - Reverie

One of my personal favorites of last year and it reached the Number 6 spot of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2020...

Out on Ripple Music this remains one hell of an album by the Louisiana quartet!

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Don't forget; the Countdown of 2021 will start on December 13!

So your votes will have to be in by December 12!

Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2020

Leeds Point – Mother Of Eternity

 

 

Leeds Point – Mother Of Eternity
Self released – 2021
Rock, Metal, Stoner, Blues, Seventies
Rated: ****

We’re pretty sure the opening track High Stangeness on their bandcamp site, is actually called High Strangeness, and that the three from this New York band called Leeds Point are actually old souls that learned their craft back at the end of the sixties and beginning seventies. Indeed, the four tracks on their newest EP Mother of Eternity have this golden era, vintage rock element to every aspect of the four tracks. It’s got love for the blues as well as proto doom written all over it. It’s got soul, it’s got groove and it’s got a whole lotta riffs, hooks and fills that will definitely make the magic confluence of falling in love with a certain piece of music at a certain moment in time, all that more easy. Which makes it all the more timeless. Indeed, the three from Leeds Point deliver an album filled with an outpouring of love for their mentors, their accompanists, each other, whatever audiences and most of all, their music. Just listen, give ear, when was the last time you heard a piece of music produced for the pure fact of joy? Complete and utterly unalloyed? The vocals alone will set your heart a welling. Well done Leeds Point, well done to Mother of Eternity!

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Spider Kitten
IAH
Mastodon
Boogie Beasts
Our Man In The Bronze Age
Green Lung
Lavaborne
Canyyn
Indigo Raven
Loose Sutures

Spider Kitten – Major Label Debut

 

Spider Kitten – Major Label Debut
Self released – 2021
Rock, Grunge, Stoner, Alternative, Nineties, Sludge
Rated: ****

Let us begin with the statement of intend that Spider Kitten frontman Chi Lameo put forward in his email to us: “I love grunge and 90s alternative. Our last few albums have been very proggy, long songs, dense concept, lots of synths. I just really wanted to make something a bit simpler and straightforward. Eight shorter songs that knock your socks off.” So, we know what we are in for! And their self-released newest album Major Label Debut delivers on all fronts and then some! Highly eclectic, chuck full of ideas, the album starts of with a proper stomper! A Problematic Favorite stamps a hefty imprint upon your senses, overtly sludgy and marauding like a twisted Mammoth. It shows us once again that the twenty year old Spider Kitten can do it all, which becomes all the more obvious when nineties alternative and grunge rocking The Art Of Sleeping wallops its waves of heaviness over your soul; once again imploring that sludge and massive approach to the sound. And they continue this gargantuan take throughout the album, going in more punk direction one track or even more atavistic stoner the next. There’s just one track that really irks me, for some weird and possibly insane reason. Fifth track Self Care (Makes Me Wanna Die), is a simple, straightforward punky rocker, but after having had the album on repeat the past weeks, the screaming guitar in combination with the repeated vocal lines have become this annoying mantra that is really troubling. Maybe it’s because of a possible mirroring effect? Or maybe it’s the whole intention of the track? For me it’s the only miss on this Major Label Debut album full of hits!

(Written by JK)

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Boogie Beasts – Love Me Some

 

Boogie Beasts – Love Me Some
Naked Records – 2021
Rock, Blues, Garage, Alternative, Stoner
Rated: ***

Our sweet and dirty love for the Boogie Beasts started with their sophomore album Deep released back in 2019. Two years later the Belgians return with a new vocalist to bring us: Love Me Some. Twelve rowdy garage rocking, blues stomping tracks that even implore some alternative and stoner touches. It’s that Delta sound, that swampy heat, that raw and steamy, but o’ so danceable rock that will lure you in hook, line and sinker. It’s that harmonica stinging the guitar, biting and weaving around the licks and turning that gritty gutter blues into something so poppy it will even twist the hips of your most deviant metal head. Love Me Some is a full on party that will turn you on or kick you out. There shall be no man left standing; you either dance or you drink yourself into oblivion on bad hooch. Whichever way you route, it’s fine by me and don’t bother me for another cigarette. Just Bring It On, I Don’t Care, Boogie Beasts is setting My Favorite Scene, so I’m gonna Howl, slighter Like A Snake and dance like those crazy Boogie Beasts!

(Written by JK)

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Blind Tendril - α

 

 

Blind Tendril - α
Self released - 2021
Stoner, Desert Roock
Rated: *****

Hailing from Thessaloniki in Greece, but now firmly rooted in the London & UK Stoner scene, Blind Tendril proffer up one of the best Debut releases of the year. "α" (meaning Alpha or First) simmers with a radiating, crunching in-your-face take on Progressive Stoner Rock, drawing on Kyuss and Fu Manchu influences, as well as fellow Greeks like Planet Of Zeus, Blind Tendril open the show with "Dead Tree": A high-octane, instantly-impacting Desert Rocker with proggy noodlings and Eastern pentatonics. "Idiosyncrasy" summons their inner Truckfighter, slamming a vicious groove with melodic dual vocals and wicked little hooks. These combinations of Stoned riffs, vocals and instrumentation saturate the entire album, soaked in a rich, top-notch production which beefs up the content and polishes out the rough edges, leaving nothing but pure gold behind. My personal favorite, "Hanging By A Thread" encapsulates the essence of Blind Tendril: A fast, powerful chugger with delicious hooks and a headbanging groove. I haven't been this excited about a Stoner band since THE WATCHERS, and this will sell by the ship-load! It'll also feature very highly on many end-of-year lists. You should already be ordering this... …stop reading and get over to Bandcamp.

(Written by Reek of STOOM)

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The Sore Losers – Ultra Elektric

 

 

The Sore Losers – Ultra Elektric
Suburban – 2021
Rock, Alternative, Punk
Rated: ***

I could have sworn we mentioned The Sore Losers before on the HiVe, but apparently we did not. Even though we definitely dug their first four albums and just listening to opening track Tightrope, we cannot even fathom not digging their fifth record Ultra Elektric. A raw, energetic and yes, electric opener that will surely get the energy flowing the right way and the heads a nodding! Their fifth album is the first where they took matters into their own hands and produced the whole shebang themselves. Which worked out splendidly, cause the album feels like a speeding bullet, a runaway freight train or a gigantic monster truck barreling down the highway and those very few instances where a moment of serenity gives you that extra breath of air; well, you know you are going to need it. Cause after that short second, that damned massive train will barrel down the tracks without any form of breaking and with a constant shovel full of hot and heavy coals. All signs are red and so are all the volume levels! Let’s go! Let’s rock! Keep it Ultra Elektric!

(Written by JK)

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World Wide Premiere – Plastic Woods – Dragonfruit

 

 

World Wide Premiere – Plastic Woods – Dragonfruit

We are once again truly honored to be working with Spinda Records and the newest band they welcome to their roster! It’s the Plastic Woods powertrio hailing from Antequera (right at the heart of) Andalusia, Spain. They released their first album called Icarus two years ago on Surnia Records and now they are back, well almost, with their sophomore release called Dragonfruit! It comes out on December 3rd and we now get to share with you and everybody who cherishes seventies prog rock the first title track of said album. Oh yes, it is Dragonfruit, it is on fire and it is might tasty!

But before you hit that play button; we just want to share a few words from the label with you. Cause we feel they are dead on regarding the album, the band and the single!

"Reminiscences of jazz, psychedelia, doom, folk and even garage rock, among others, are used to escape from traditional structures, making versatility an own way of expression and an identity mark. This expressiveness, attached to a present understanding of the possibilities of progressive music, is used as a tool for breaking some of the barriers that today´s genres impose. With an spectrum filled of different influences, energy, subtelty and technic come together in Plastic Woods.

Their first álbum, Icarus (2019), edited by Surnia Records, takes this direction, bleeding out on eight tracks in which the band explores the ancient greek myth through a conceptual work. The consecuences of war, violence and madness are the main topics that will be accompanying the tragic hero to its fatal destination. This approach also gets in touch with different kinds of sonorities: the music flies, remembers, empathizes and falls down with the protagonist. The listener will find him/herself gratefully trapped in this mutual experience as the songs flow around some extreme and dichotomic emotions, powered up by strong and intense rock compositions.

This album will lead the band through several different locations on their homecountry and on Portugal. Cities such as Santiago de Compostela, Oporto, Aveiro, Barcelos, Granada, Marbella or Málaga (as well as festivals around the west coast of the peninsula) will become Icarus first destinations. On those venues, the Plastic Woods will share stage with formations such as Astrodome, Degraey or Mr. Mojo, well known for participating on beloved festivals, like Sonic Blast or Resurrection fest. This concerts will prove the band as a solid reference for live situations, being capable of attract all kinds of audiences.

Two years after, the band enters the studio with several different acompanying musicians and records Dragonfruit, their second work. Edited by some of the most important underground national and european alternative rock labels (Spinda Records, The Braves Records, Discos Macarras, Violence in the Veins, Quebranta Records and Gato Encerrado Records), this album becomes an intention statement. Having developed themselves as a band, Plastic Woods redefines its sound and takes a step forward, creating a piece of work that explores new territories, mixing new genres and textures in an unique way. The chaotic times we are living inspire this three musicians to push their personality as a band through six songs, thought to take the best of each style involved. Classic psychedelia renovates itself as Dragonfruit travels around the extreme situations lived, personally and colectively, on this world crisis. This is an album that brings both dreams and nightmares to life, reflecting on a wide range of emotions and topics. Ranging from naive and introspection to political and social complaint, each song tells its own story, in a delirious an poethic way. Plastic Woods offers a piece of work that will engage with different kind of audiences, no matter if they are into progressive music or want something different to get their ears on."

Now, hit play and go to bed early… Cause it will be December 3rd sooner that way!

Spinda Records · 1- Dragonfruit

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Spinda Records

The Braves Records

Discos Macarras

Violence in the Veins

Quebranta Records

Gato Encerrado Records

And all those crazy freaks out there who truly loved the single and who stuck around to read through all the text and all the links… Here are a few bandcamp codes!

xnkm-bzwd
h5y9-x6lc
47kk-egvw
4l3k-u36s
4cat-v49l
chfy-6pgj
c4d3-knrk
es4m-6mx9
8hsf-k6at
tc4x-g6ub

 

Cruzeiro - Cruzeiro

 

 

Cruzeiro - Cruzeiro
Insterstellar Smoke Records - October 2021
Doom, psych, sludge
Rated: ****

A quartet from A Coruña, Spain, after a 2019 demo Cruzeiro emerge with a flattening self-titled debut of psychedelic doom. The tone is crunchy and weighted, the colorful psych guitar flourishes are spot on, and the eerie vocals are the cherry on top. Opener "Aquarius" rolls in with gravelly guitar that nods and lumbers under grungy, haunting vocals. The low end is massive, and deft drumming keeps things flowing as spaced-out solos phase in and out. The follow-up track "The/Owls/Are/Not/What/They/Seem" is appropriately ominous with a slow, rumbling buildup, and the vocals' cavernous depth enters into King Woman territory. Roiling fuzz lurches and drums pound, and choppy riffage hides a squealing solo lying in wait before returning to a sludgy stomp. The album's second half is just as heavy but even more atmospheric, with "Balor, As Sete Pálpebras" slowing things down and upping the creep factor, before turning a corner and becoming a straight up groove machine for a hot minute. Not to be outdone, closer and longest cut "Al-Quibla" shifts to an almost mystical sound, and ritualistic drums herald a languid guitar that snakes it way to a spidery  solo of unhinged psychedelia. Beyond just having A+ vocals and riffery, of which they have plenty, Cruzeiro succeed in taking doom's common themes of occultism and low n' slow nod, and twisting them into a very distinct and singular vision. One of the strongest debuts of the year, Cruzeiro are bound for great, doomy things.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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Mastodon – Hushed & Grim

 

 

Mastodon – Hushed & Grim
Warner – 2021
Rock, Prog, Sludge, Stoner, Metal
Rated: ****

We do that sometimes, we look back at the amount we mentioned a certain band on the HiVe. And in when it comes to Mastodon, well, Crack The Skye made it to the Number 2 spot of the very first Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown we did, back in 2009, when the Stoner HiVe started…  We mentioned Jonah Hex and The Hunter reached Number 15 of the 2011 Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown. Once More ‘Round The Sun got a mention in 2014 and then it got quiet. For some reason we never gotten round to mentioning Emperor Of Sand, even though we definitely did dig it. And now it’s 2021 and Hushed & Grim has arrived. A fifteen track album that might definitely be labeled as a magnum opus. Fifteen tracks that will take you with them and give us that Mastodon sound we all love so dearly and then turn the tables on you and explore some more exotic atmospheres, borders and genres; making the entire effort even more prog and even technical than before. Along those lines we might also view the vocal execution, with the different voices of Hinds, Sanders and Dailor adding the perfect, crazy or wild other dimension of a certain part to the other. Highly dynamic and incredibly warm; even the bleakest and darkest moments will not make you shiver but instead reassure and comfort. And they add an amazing guest spot for Marcus King on The Beast turning it into something weirdly southern, otherworldly prog and bluesy yet also dark and heavy. David Witte from Municipal Waste aids on ominous sounding Dagger, quickly turning oriental, eastern and classy. It’s followed by Had It All which features Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, which might be viewed as the most modest and thoughtful of the fifteen, offering insights into retaining sanity and peace after, well, life happens. It also features Troy Sanders mother Jody Sanders on French horn. And then the end run, those final tracks, pounding, sludgy and ending it all with closer Gigantium. What a track! What an album! Authentic and honest. Compelling and intense. Fiery and inspired. Hushed & Grim.

(Written by JK)

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POSTE 942 - Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (The Exorcist Theme)

 

POSTE 942 - Tubular Bells (The Exorcist Theme)

A new line-up and a new album in the works! It’s time we pay attention to those crazy freaks from Poste 942! Soon the new album will be released upon us all… But here’s the wicked Halloween treatment they offered up to us in the form of Tubular Bells! Indeed, that Mike Oldfield ditty!

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