Pagina's

vrijdag 11 juli 2025

Red Mess – Hi-Tech Starvation

 

 

Red Mess – Hi-Tech Starvation
Noisolution – 2025
Rock, Grunge, Stoner 
Rated: ****

The first single for their new album Hi-Tech Starvation is called Huntress and was released May 23rd, and there are six more damn gritty grunge and stoner anthems on the new Red Mess record. The three Brazilians now based in Berlin, got this knack for infusing a bit of noise, a bit of punk, a bit of blues and even a bit of funk into their grunge and stoner. This makes their sound recognizable and extra infectious. Inexistent Color, with its high dynamics. Ransomware with its thunderous ending. Intravenous with a more metal based approach for the intro and then opening into a melody that reminds of nineties alternative greatness. Because raw and wild in that middle section and turning the song into the track which seems to encapsulate a lot of the different aspects of Red Mess and their new Hi-Tech Starvation. All the different elements have their time to play the field. And then going into that two minute long more stoner trucking track that is Xenon seems like the pay-off that wasn’t even necessary and therefor feels extra rewarding. Makes you want to howl, just like bassist/vocalist Lucas Klepa does in following Kind Villain… Hi-Tech Starvation has everything to fill your every need and give you all sorts of satisfaction. Red Mess is back, get served! 


(Written by JK)

You can listen to the first single Huntress of the upcoming album "Hi-Tech Starvation" now and be hungry for the rest to be released in August by Noisolution.




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Fusskalt – Faceless Man

 

 

Fusskalt – Faceless Man
Self-released – 2025 
Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal
Rated: 

Even though I’m generally more intrigued by bands who dare to think outside the box and explore the boundaries of the heavy underground with some kind of quirky conviction, I absolutely love me some straight up traditional stoner rock that harks back to the heydays of bands like Tummler, We, 7 Zuma 7, Red Giant and more modern equivalents like Sasquatch. Fusskalt from Denmark can be added to that list. They showed some promise from the get-go and have come to full fruition on their latest ep/album. It’s packed to the brim with catchy songs, a chugging rhythm section, great leads and tons of energy. Add to that the impressive and convincing vocals of new singer Niko and you’ve got every ingredient needed to separate a traditional stoner rock album from the pack and make it a great one. And that’s exactly what ‘Faceless Man‘ is: a great ep/album and by far Fusskalt ‘s best release to date.


(Written by Ronny Dijksterhuis)




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Stoner HiVe's words on Fusskalt – Drive / Stand in Line

 

Pink Floyd – Pink Floyd At Pompeii - MCMLXXII

 

 

Pink Floyd – Pink Floyd At Pompeii - MCMLXXII
Sony / Legacy – 2025
Rock, Prog, Psych
Rated: *****

I was there. At Pompeii. Not at the Pink Floyd filming back in 1971 unfortunately. No I was there a bit more than a month ago. Dream Theater played there. Not a month ago unfortunately. But a few weeks. I wish I could have been there as well. But as I strolled across the ruins for a few hours with a blistering sun above me, scorching the sand underneath my feet and slowly making me step forward into an ever more strangely dreamy condition, I entered the arena where it all happened. The Pompeii Amphitheatre that was home to one of the greatest moments in the history of live music. And perhaps a pivotal moment for Pink Floyd. Two tunnels from the Pompeii Amphitheatre are dedicated to this concert, with reels from the movie playing over and over and many pictures, quotes and stories. It’s wonderful, but it would have been even better to be able to sit down in the Amphitheatre, exchange the audio guide for decent headphones and high quality music and listen to the entire record on site, while the sun slowly sets. A unique environment, which was recognized instantly by Pink Floyd and the director Adrian Maben. The film therefor glances at Pompeii city, wandering through the streets, showing glimpses of its splendor and beautiful murals. Even as night falls and Pink Floyd plays on, the shadows of its past come to life… 



Fans of Pink Floyd all have their own favorite album and there are many to choose from. All of them have their merits and many are landmarks. But recognized universally as one of the best albums ever made is of course The Dark Side Of The Moon. No longer present Syd Barrett, still there Roger Waters. But of course, Live At Pompeii was right before that album. Recorded in 1971 it has some of their best songs from the previous period. And here, as they play live and are whisked away by the shadows and move through time and space, those songs become even better. No extra musicians, no background singers, no extra layers, just the four that are Pink Floyd. Young dogs, still under thirty, playing on the very edge of the needle, and becoming all they could be. Eagerly and with an urge to do justice to their surroundings the four lift songs like Echoes, Set Controls For The Heart Of The Sun and Careful With That Axe, Eugene into a higher dimension. Bulbous and brimming with an energy that almost bursts out of every riff and fill, exploding like the volcano behind them. And that makes Pink Floyd At Pompeii a legendary album and film… 



But there’s more. Even though the studio snippets, the dark atmosphere, the breakfast chatter and the lighthearted talk takes some of the energy out of that performance video. It does have its merits, for it shows them working on that legendary album, prophesizing that ‘they could become slaves to their equipment’ and the start of their ‘electronic goodies’ dependency. It also shows a Pink Floyd, already a big band, still not aware themselves of that they are about to become one of the biggest bands to ever have walked the face of the earth. That given can make the viewer giddy and smiling uncontrollably through every part of the chatter. The best thing however about this new MCMLXXII edition is the extra’s, the mix and the fact they took out those horrible space images that were there in earlier editions. This is done right. This is done the way it should be. And we can thank Steven Wilson for restoring the entire sound to its rightful proportions. Huge, mountainous, yet with so much room for the individual instruments to breathe, it makes every second of this version sound like a lifetime. And there are some hundred and fifty more of those seconds on the final unedited version of A Saucerful of Secrets

This is a restoration filled with love and time, Lana Topham for devoting every waking moment for years to restore the original version of the film and Steven Wilson for mixing this stream of music into the beautiful obsidian it was always destined to be. And to add that alternate take of Careful With That Axe, Eugene as a final gift is another testament to the love and energy that went into this thing. The music is stunning, the mix brilliant… But it is even more beautiful to see a band out of time, out of space and on the very of exploding…


(Written by JK)




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maandag 7 juli 2025

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

 

 

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


Spider Kitten
Jesika Von Rabbit
Dozer
Pink Floyd
Blood Vulture
Bloodwood
Maliciouz
Seoi Nage
The Delayed
The Howling Eye

Welcome to your Monday! May it be a lovely one and a great start of a good week! Looking at the week past, it’s been hectic and jumping in to get the June Doom Charts done, limited even more of the time available for Stoner HiVe. So, we only managed to post Doktor420’s blurb about White Noise Generator. Our own Spider Kitten and Paddang blurbs for the Doom Charts. And wrote some words about the upcoming very cool Hibernaut album and the already out there King Potenaz. Both deserving every moment of your time, just like it did mine. And the same goes for Birds of Nazca. Love that band! Check out their new single! And check all the others out, it’s good and it’s heavy!  


The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 27



zondag 6 juli 2025

Birds of Nazca – Pangea


 

Birds of Nazca – Pangea 

It’s a pre-order, fundraiser and a way to get the not just the word out about the new album to arrive in October. But also to get you soaring high on the new video and single Gang Rinpoché! We’re talking about Birds of Nazca and they are in the process of finalizing their new album Pangea! It’s instrumental brilliance is apparent from that opening lift off to the powering middle storm and the night sky that shines bright with all the stars. Birds of Nazca is a two piece from Nantes, France and know how to walk that tight rope between stoner rock, heavy psych and doom in perfect fashion! 

We loved their first album from 2020 and white bandshirt (grin) and the four track Héliolite from 2023 was on repeat for months. We can’t wait to hear Pangea and hope more will help out getting the Birds of Nazca to soar high across the globe… 

And have those bandshirts once again in white... 




Ululu Fundraiser Site


Stoner HiVe on Birds of Nazca - Héliolite

Stoner HiVe on Birds Of Nazca


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King Potenaz – Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.1


 

King Potenaz – Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.1
Majestic Mountain Records – 2025
Rock, Doom, Stoner 
Rated: ****

The Italian trio going by the name of King Potenaz has gone through a ferocious development in just three years. Delivering their first two track demo back in January 2022, following that up with two singles and then turning those tracks and four more into the wonderful debut full-sized album that is Goat Riders which was released in April 2023. And then, back in March we already got the news that a new one was on the horizon and that Rivers Of Death would be the lead single. A doom march rife with the occult and slithering with creepiness. As warm as a freshly dug grave, the fuzz is ever present and so is the feeling of death, lurking around the corner. And that feeling and that atmosphere is ever present on the new album called Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.1. Out on Majestic Mountain Records it contains four tracks filled with mysterious doom and ritualistic proto rocking. There’s a sludgy touch, something wicked and something wild. Most tuned down low, slow and morose. And then sometimes, when the moon is full and the energy feels especially right, they speed up or turn a corner that leads into a heavy metal Cul De Sac. Psychedelic middle parts of a swing and groove to sway to and let fly your thoughts, it’s all there and more. Although Arcane Desert Rituals Vol.1 might not be the immediate power grab, it soon starts to take hold and slowly strangle you until you fold and submit to King Potenaz. And once you do, you start to hear those minutely infused weird drum parts, that bass that goes into a different direction and those vocals that sound like Satan storming into heaven. Final track Ariadne, The Serpent Witch adds the wonderful voice of Jana Maista to make it an even grander ritual, an arcane and ancient sounding opening, only slowly turning away from that atmospheric glow to become this harsher thunderstorm and then letting the voice radiate again with all her elven and angelic beauty. But of course, she’s a witch. So, the darkness and the wickedness does return. Before it all dissipates into the shimmering ritualistic fantasy it all might have been… 


(Written by JK)



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Review for King Potenaz - Goat Riders

 

 

Paddang – Lost In Lizardland

 


 

Paddang – Lost In Lizardland
Stolen Body Records / Le Cèpe Records – 2025
Psych, Stoner, Fuzz
Rated: ****

I’m certainly not the biggest King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard fan. Same can be said about the The Oh Sees, Thee Oh Sees, Oh Sees or Osees. But I’ve definitely danced like a maniac to the music of all of the above on various festivals in a multitude of countries. Well, out of France and straight into the Lizardland they went, the trio known as Paddang! A fourth member was added for their new album Lost In Lizardland, but the result stays the same. A wild and wonderful psychedelic scorcher. Fans of all them Osees bands or King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will surely move their asses to this one, but as the opening atmospheric soundscape The End Of Hanoumane ends, everyone else will surge forward as well, me included, and become as manic as the girls and guys around you…


(Written by JK)




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zaterdag 5 juli 2025

Hibernaut – Obsidian Eye

 

 

Hibernaut – Obsidian Eye
Self-released / Kozmik Artifactz / Olde Magick Records – 2025
Metal, Doom
Rated: ****

They’ve released the first single and title track for this album on May 9th. And they’ve done it in the perfect way in my opinion. For it is not the opening track of the album and more importantly, they released it with a great b-side. Not that many bands do that anymore, but we love b-sides and we therefor love Hibernaut! But you might have already known that. For even though we never got around to mentioning their debut album Ingress on Stoner HiVe, it was and is still one of our favorite albums from 2023. Obsidian Eye is the single and the title of the new album to be released on July 11th. That’s only a few days away! A few more days till you get treated to a most wonderful doom metal album. Dense and compressed in all the right ways, the six tracks seems to sludge fight and mow everything to the side as they pummel and pounce. It truly is a slaughter, with guitars that cascade upon each other. Gravelly vocals that are as heavy as they are chased. Bass work with a continuously ominous touch and drums that turns every track into a monolithic statement of intent. You’ve heard those ten ton heavy records, but this is dropping a hundred tons upon you! And while you are buried beneath all that massiveness, that’s when you hear it, when that subliminal groove takes over and the strange melody turns that menacing feeling into exhilaration and jubilation. One look into the Obsidian Eye is enough to turn you into a Hibernaut… Petrified, but inside rocking like a madman and feeling free… 


(Written by JK)

The album drops on July 11th! But you can hear three singles and b-sides today!




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Five Bandcamp codes for Ingress that might still work: 

ud8k-yh9v
t63x-jzgl
9nyx-hztn
zdkj-vtuj
3kwq-k87j

REDEEM HERE 


Spider Kitten – The Truth Is Caustic To Love

 


 

Spider Kitten – The Truth Is Caustic To Love
APF Records – 2025 
Alternative, Grunge, Sludge, Americana
Rated: ***

It was the foul year of our lord 2021 when we first mentioned a Spider Kitten album on the HiVe. It wasn’t our first dive into the Spider Kitten universe; it was however the record that tangled us up and made us stick around for all the decided to weave afterwards. Like that damn fine and once again different A Pound For The Peacebringer from 2023. For yes, it’s Spider Kitten. They do things differently. Every time again. Changing things up with every album released. Even though dust never gets the chance to settle when one is referring to Spider Kitten. The new album The Truth Is Caustic To Love is once again a different side of the beast, stretching yet another one of its many legs. Fourteen songs, thirty-seven minutes. Grunge powering down, sludge slamming it home, offset by Americana touched strumming and open, personal and vulnerable songwriting that turns many of the songs into a confessional statement. Another album that weaves and builds their gigantic web of heaviness…


(Written by JK)




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Review for A Pound For The Peacebringer

Review for Major Label Debut

 

vrijdag 4 juli 2025

The Doom Charts for June 2025

 


DOOM CHARTS

JUNE 2025

“Are you gonna bark all day, little Doom Charts, or are you gonna bite?”

~ probably misheard quote by Mr.Blonde
(Rest In Peace Mr Madsen..)


The summer is in full swing! Festivals a plenty and holidays on the horizon. And the Heavy Underground keeps on giving. No less than 208 albums received votes from the Contributors this month and below are the forty that rose to the top of that majestic heap. A gigantic pile filled with amazing records that romp through all the genres that slowly encompassed everything linked to the Heavy Underground. From doom to death to psych to stoner to prog and back again… It’s all there and below you might find your next favorite summer time record! Enjoy the tunes, enjoy the sun and smile at the folly that is man…

 

It's summer time! You need some cool riffs today?
 
Check out the June 2025 Doom Charts! Forty brand new albums to cool you down or fire you up!
 
Could have voted for all forty obviously, but only voted for: Goya, MOOCH, King Potenaz, Lorquin's Admiral, 1968, Woodhawk, Electric Citizen, Fusskalt, Spider Kitten, ACEVES and Vandhali... 
 
Gonna be listening to all forty in a row, starting with Erf by The Howling Eye !

And of course Lorquin's Admiral already got some attention over on Stoner HiVe... 

Check out the interview here: 

Interview - Lorquin's Admiral - Dawn and Dandy Brown 

 And the review here:  

Lorquin’s Admiral – Lorquin’s Admiral 

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and reviewers from the 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 Charts for June 2025  

 

White Noise Generator – Myriads

 

 

White Noise Generator – Myriads
Self-released - 2025
Heavy Psych, Prog-, Stoner Rock
Rated:

Myriads was recorded live already in 2022 and finalized in March and now released by themselves (they search for a new label). After their 2019 debut album Dead Leaves the band moved a bit from Stoner to the Prog side of Psychedelia. Again the four tracks, most far beyond the ten minute mark, take you on a long journey, sometimes guided by strong vocals, but most of the time as an instrumental trip – epic.


(Written by Doktor420) 




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maandag 30 juni 2025

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

 

 

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


Brant Bjork Trio
Lorquin’s Admiral
King Buffalo
The Machine
Motorpsycho
Magic Pie
Master Charger
Monteceneri
Killiad
Mantar

It’s hot over here. We had somewhere around 32 to 34 degrees in the city. Tomorrow, probably 37 or 38. That’s not a good temperature for the Netherlands. But it’s only a few days, so I guess we can live with it. And we know, there are way worse stuff happening across the globe… Plus, we returned from another mini break to the lovely town of Deventer, where we saw a stunning gig at Burgerweeshuis by The Machine, Brant Bjork Trio and King Buffalo. The Machine sounding denser and murkier than before, giving you no time to breathe and searing the sky with their riffs. Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Mike Amster grooving away as tight as possible, standing there as if they still wanted to prove something. So intense, so in your face and so fast! They even surprised themselves they still had time left for another song at the end. And another amazing gig by King Buffalo, with a starting salvo of songs that put something like a mean grin into their sound, more power and grit that made them sound even grander. Almost otherworldly good. It’s good Sean started to sing the wrong song at one point, showing us all that they were human after all. Amazing night! Can’t wait to see all three again. That was Friday, the same day we published that long form interview with Dawn and Dandy Brown about Lorquin’s Admiral. Which we also reviewed. And we mentioned that amazing Lifers – The Movie documentary, brought to you by Matt Hartnett from Seismic Sounds and One Palm Productions. A must see! This week. Not sure what we can do, but we also hope to bring you some heat… Some molten riffs and some songs that burn like lava! 


The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 26

vrijdag 27 juni 2025

Interview - Lorquin's Admiral - Dawn and Dandy Brown

 


Interview - Lorquin's Admiral

Dawn and Dandy Brown 

She watches from the sides, spread out, somewhat seductively, on the leather couch, with eyes softly closing, loudly purring, signaling that its good… Or the little Bengal curls up in an almost hidden dead space, strolls along the cabinets and amps, without requiring much from the artists standing in the middle of the room recording the vocals. She gives them their space and is simply supportive of them with her presence… 

Recording on those microphones, a lovely couple by the name of Dawn and Dandy Brown. The cat, Margot. The project, Lorquin’s Admiral… And as Margot gave her blessing to the recordings and championed the endeavor, so did Dawn and Dandy Brown… 

We’re on Zoom with the two to talk about Lorquin’s Admiral, a project that sees the two shine as vocalists and the couple they obviously are. Competitive in games: “It’s been a long winter, but as soon as I have my service back, Dawn won’t stand a chance!” Collaborative in arts: “We can't help ourselves but to collaborate. We just enjoy it so much.”

And that last side is ever present, every day and is clearly audible on Lorquin’s Admiral. But let’s get one thing straight, it’s not Dawn and Dandy that started Lorquin’s Admiral. It’s a project instigated by Marlon King and Nick Hannon from bands such as Sons of Alpha Centauri and Yawning Sons. Who immediately thought of Dandy Brown as the main vocalist and songwriter companion for their project after already having delivered the goods for their 2021 Yawning Sons album Sky Island... 

    




“They are such amazing songwriters. They called me up back then for the Yawning Sons album, if I wanted to perform, but I was in the frame of mind at that point, that I wanted to sing. I had been playing instruments on every record I had ever been on. They were cool with that, and when you hear it back, the playing, the production on that thing, they are tremendous at what they do. So we always kept that connection flowing, sending tracks back and forth. And you know, Dawn had done some background vocals on that Yawning Sons record as well. So, we suggested splitting the tracks between Dawn and me. We wrote a bit of music and melodies, but don’t play anything. We just sing. Then after a few months, the project took shape and turned into a family affair. I mean, Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs) is an amazing drummer and he has been with me for some twenty years, so I had to ask him. And Dave Angstrom, from Luna Sol, Supafuzz and Hermano, he’s a monster, just listen to his solos. Country Mark Engel, was with me on Orquesta Del Desierto, and brings all that natural feeling. It’s an ever growing family that has worked together for decades and are all in it for the love of it. It’s a cumulative process, engineering your craft, moving forward and always keeping a cohesive line throughout your body of work.”


It doesn’t take much to get Mr. Brown to talk about music, so it might be best to let him and Dawn ramble on…  It’s their tree of life after all and this album is another branch. “It’s been an integral part of my life ever since I can remember, you know. I love to dig into music. I love to play it. Look at the world around you. It’s such a depressing time for the world. Even though personally, there are so many great things happening for us. Those two sides collide. And music is always there. It’s sanctuary.”


“Such a powerful word choice,” Dawn chimes in, “cause it’s both sanctuary and therapeutic. It can put you in a very specific headspace when you’re exploring a certain musical landscape. It enables you to disappear into another world for a little while and forget your troubles. And we are awfully lucky, we realize this on a daily basis, for we share this passion together. My writing partner is here. All the time. That’s a beautiful experience.”

So, how does a normal day in the Brown residence look like? 

Dandy: “Depends on what day of the week it is. We’re working stiffs. So, normally I’m at work, for a public entity, nonprofit, just helping the citizens of our city.”
Dawn: “I work in a camera lab as a technician. I do photo editing all day long. And when I’m done scanning film at work, I come home and scan my own film for another two hours.” 

And music wise? 

Dawn: “I've been playing music my whole life. It felt like a golden opportunity when we got together. I was like, well, I, I play music on my own and I write and I think that together it would be the perfect opportunity for us to just put two heads together, mm-hmm.”

Dandy: “And see what comes out of it. It just worked, it just fell naturally together. It wasn't long after we started playing tennis that our relationship started growing towards where it is now. And on that path and after many conversations, it was like, why don't we try to do something? Why don't we try to play some music somewhere? And I think within seven months of us being together, we had booked a tour in Italy and we did a number of shows acoustically. And we had just such a hoot of a time. We thought let's expand this. Let’s start doing it on electric and let's bring in a drummer and let's bring in a bass player and let's just see where we can go with it. We might not be that good, but we've done some interesting stuff. I think we've caught some ears along the way of folks who appreciate what we're doing. I mean we're definitely, uh, a little bit different and unique. And, we're just very lucky that other people have been interested in it and wanted to put out records for us.”



You are partners. Your creative partners. Does that make things easier or difficult when something doesn’t feel quite right, for instance?

Dawn: “I would say it makes things easier just because there's a certain level of trust. And so we know we're not going to violate that trust. If we want to express an opinion, whether it be, oh, I think perhaps these two chords might not really be in the vibe of the song that we're trying to go for. So maybe let's try a different set of chords. Or perhaps this word could be swapped out for this word.”

Dandy: “It eases the writing process rather than creating a barrier. Yeah, I think it makes it much easier. Being married and being in love with each other, there's just not a whole lot of egos in the room. When we're writing together, we know each other too well for that. Obviously, I've been in bands before and played with many musicians where you could get into a writing situation, where ownership over things that people don't want to give up on comes into play. People sometimes get frustrated that their ownership is being questioned in some way. But we just don't have that, you know? Strength of our love for each other. And that just spills over into the writing process between us.”

Dawn: “It's very easy for us. We'll get out of the shower and one of us will run over and write down some lyrics that we've thought of or, you know, bounce ideas off of each other. Continually, and trade songs back and forth. I'm stuck here. Can you take a look at this or vice versa? But really being open to it all since we know each other and we know each other’s styles so well and we've written together so much. Just knowing what fits where.”

Dandy: “You know, maybe I'll produce a riff and think, this is really one that Dawn should sing, or this is really one that she should write the lyrics for. It's like, let's share this between us and see what we come up with. And it works really well.”


So this record than has to open with a song called My Blue Wife, an in your face rocker, with of course Dawn as subject. But she answers that one with My Blue Husband, which is more of a sexy song. Did you surprise each other with these tracks? Or did you collaborate on those as well? 

Dawn: “We collaborated as we do on everything.”
Dandy: “We can't help ourselves but to collaborate. We just enjoy it so much. I just thought, since we're both singing on this record and since we're splitting up the duties of singing, wouldn't it be a really cool thing as part of that kind of uplifting message that we were trying to pursue on this record, to sing a song to each other, about the connection between each other, and the passion that we share for each other. And the passion that exists in our lives. And it created just a certain level of dynamism on the record that I thought was quite essential to have.”

And then you went off to Kent to record? 

Dandy: “After we did a European tour for the Fizz Fuzz project we stopped over in Paris, for a few days off and then flew out to Kent to record our vocals. Steve Earle had already recorded all the drum parts before us and we did our vocals in two to three days. With only a few minor overdubs from our own house. But pretty much what you hear on the record is what we did in Kent. It’s called Joplin House, it’s a tremendous facility, run by a guy named Dan Lucas, a genius engineer.”


Do you always work that fast and easy? Do you need the pressure? Cause we all know the stories about how hectic the recording days were for legendary Hermano… Or fabled Orquesta Del Desierto… 

Dandy: “Haha, well in this case, we really didn't have much of a choice, right. Because our flight was leaving in a few days. So we kind of surprised ourselves at how well we pulled it off, over those three days. But yeah, just due to the limitations of time, we tried to, get everything as ready to go as we can, just because we don't necessarily have the benefit of being able to have a month in the studio. We usually only have a handful of days or a week and so we roll up our sleeves and get it done.”

Dawn: “Yeah. But we do take a little pressure off ourselves because we have a rig that works well enough here at our home. So, if something goes off the rails entirely and we know we can't use it, then we can always do tracks here at our house. But the material we cut for the Lorquin’s Admiral record; we surprised ourselves and we really knocked it out while we were there.”

Dandy: “And we were both sick. We were both sick like a dog. Steve Earle came off the tour with some sort of bug and he ended up passing it to us. So we got lucky to go into the studio completely congested, and we just swilled back some medicine and went for it. You know, with how well it turned out, maybe that needs to be our plan going forward.”

Dawn: “I think that contributed to the adrenaline in the studio. 'cause we were like, oh, I really hope we can get this take.” 

It does seem to be a recurring theme with you Dandy because as I already mentioned you also recorded at the very edge of the needle with Hermano. So maybe you work well under pressure? 

Dandy: “I do creative motivation. I do enjoy that. I do enjoy bringing people together. I do enjoy bringing them into an environment where maybe they are not a hundred percent comfortable. And they've gotta work on the edge and get the tracks done in the time they have offered. Hermano was perhaps one of the most mind blowing experiences of my life because none of those guys really knew each other until we walked into the studio. And I mean, literally, we did that first record, live, we just jumped on it. And from the very first note we played, it was: oh my God, this is tremendous. The tones and just the feel, you know, and we just looked at each other, we got something really cool on our hands here. It's like the variable X, that one undefinable thing that's in the air.”

That seems to be present on the track, Burn and Heel as well, with the different guitar lines and your more staccato vocals. How was that one born? 

Dawn: “The story behind that song is kind of funny. I had rewritten it a number of times, and then the day before, the night before actually, we were back in our hotel room and I knew I had to get it done. That's how that variable X got in there because the timeframe in which the lyrics were written was very narrow. Maybe an hour or two. And he was asleep already. He was snoring away. And I'm just like, oh dear, I gotta drone this man out. And then suddenly it just clicked, maybe even thanks to his snoring.”

Dandy: “And the guitar parts were made up by Nick and Dave. Well, the core of the song was Marlon and Nick. And as far as the leads on that, you know, Dave Angstrom always takes anything he plays on to the next level. You know, he's my favorite lead guitar player out there. County Mark's way up there too, because of the feeling he can put into every note he plays. But Dave Angstrom has something that really nobody else has tone wise.” 


Well, what is the most important thing Dave Angstrom brings to the table for you?

Dandy: “That tone, man. That tone and those chops. He's something else. It’s the aura of Dave Angstrom.”

So talking about all the members, let’s circle back. How do you think that variable X in the air felt for Nick and Marlon who brought this all together? 


Dandy: “Nick Cannon. Marlon King. Those guys are, writing machines, and they write all different genres of music. They're really great at these beautiful soundscapes. But they can also contain it within certain limits with a kind of a pop element to it as well. Souding so appealing. It doesn't necessarily have to go into a heavy rock area or that atmospheric side of music. They can write anything in between. And it's just been a real thrill and honor to work with those guys. It has that level of contrast that people can be hungry for. You listen to a certain genre for so long and it can start to kind of blend together. But having different elements included, really sparks the energy.”

So I suspect this was all written over a longer period of time? 

Dandy:  “Yeah, I think over about a year of passing material back and forth. And then the rest of it was just logistics of bringing people together. We just so happened to have done a Fizz Fuzz tour in Europe and it just kind of lined up with the end to jump into the studio. But those guys had never met Steve Earle and those guys had never met Country Mark or Dave Angstrom. So it was one of those instances where people come together that have never met each other before, and you got an hour before your track to get to know each other and then just, let's get it on. And man, I've had such luck working in that kind of atmosphere where people come together for the first time and there's just kind of a magic in the air. And I think this record is alive will all that electricity.”



It’s all that X again! Well, who invented the name in that case? 

Dandy: “That was me. Whenever there’s a new band or project, I immediately start surfing around and pecking and hunting. And we made a list of probably thirty different names. And we just kept circulating those names and Lorquin’s Admiral was at the beginning of developing that list and every time we would add something to it or circulate those names, we just kept coming back to it. It just seemed like a name that had kind of a mystic feel to it. And a natural beauty to it, you know, it's the most beautiful butterfly. I'm sure a lepidopterist would maybe have a different opinion. They're native to Northern California and kind of rare.”

Dawn: “We don't see one often. I have seen one in the wild. When I was visiting down in the desert and I was just walking out into the Joshua Tree National Park. And I just so happened to see this little thing flutter by and land on a piece of dead grass. I'll be damned, that's a Lorquin’s Admiral. And I tried to take a photo, but I wasn't quick enough. We do have a prop one. We call him Quinnie.”

Dandy: “The butterfly fits the tenure of this project, this group. We kind of set out to write things this time that were more uplifting. With more positive messages behind them. Instead of anything that's kind of down or doomy or gloomy. I really wanted to focus on themes that were uplifting and hopeful.“


Uplifting and hopeful, let’s end with that… What was the most euphoric moment surrounding this record?


Dawn: “Well, haha, the most euphoric moment was when we were all crammed in that van in the UK and you had to learn how to drive on the other side of the road. And there's just a moment where everyone was like, your personal cheerleading squad yelling: “don't look that way” and “look the other way.” “You're supposed to look this way!” Cause yes, there were a couple of sketchy moments in there and it’s just the euphoria of missing death by a hair. Haha.”

Dandy: “When you receive the final master of something you've been working on for a long time and you get to hear it as it's going to be released, that's always a really tremendous moment. But there are so many euphoric moments making this record. Sending the material to Country Mark and having him send his tracks back, not knowing, what's this guy going to do. And to hear that for the first time and be like, whoa! It's like opening up a present. You know, that feeling, butterflies in the stomach…”



Words on the Lorquin's Admiral album...


Argonauta Records

Or check out some more Dandy Brown stuff below... 

(Margot)

donderdag 26 juni 2025

Lorquin’s Admiral – Lorquin’s Admiral

 

 

Lorquin’s Admiral – Lorquin’s Admiral
Argonauta Records – 2025
Rock, Desert, Stoner, Grunge
Rated: ****

There’s a certain familiar aspect to the songs. It speaks to your stoner rock muscle memory as much as it flexes it to makes new connections. Connecting the dots between an extended family of musicians, Lorquin’s Admiral self-titled debut album shoots out the gates with an in medias res rocker called My Blue Wife. That desert, stoner, grunge hued guitar tone immediately setting the scene and vocalist Dandy Brown’s sweet voice surfing across the hills and valleys of the melody… Dandy Brown! As some of you might know, Stoner HiVe is of course a highly personal account of our love for heavy music. There is no such thing as objective journalism and it’s even completely impossible when it comes to music. And I guess we have professed our love for Mr. Brown and his highly varied and great number of projects many times before. Seeing Orquesta Del Desierto live back in 2004 remains one of my most cherished memories. And if you would have told me back then I would be talking to Mr. Brown on multiple occasions, I probably would have swooned. If his Blue Wife swooned when she heard this opening song can be read in the interview soon to be published. For yes, a long form interview with Dawn and Dandy Brown is about to go live on Stoner HiVe. But before we publish that long screed, a few more words about the Lorquin’s Admiral album… 

For even though there’s a definite Dandy Brown signature across the tracks it is not his new band. But that it still feels like it, is mostly thanks to the instigators for catering to and writing with Dawn and Dandy’s voices in mind. The project started with Marlon King and Nick Hannon of Sons of Alpha Centauri , who of course already collaborated on the Yawning Sons album Sky Island, sending out tracks to Dandy and it then slowly involved into the family affair it has become. Cause lifelong accomplice Country Mark Engel  from Orquesta del Desierto, Dock Ellis, Deus Vult is there for extra guitar duties and longtime collaborator drummer Steve Earle from the Afghan Whigs joins in. Rounded out with guest appearances by another permanent fixture Dave Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol, Asylum On The Hill, Supafuzz). And we can safely state this is an all-star formation of friends that have one common denominator, the man that loves to bring everyone together, get the energy up and jam till that lightning is captured and firmly secured in a bottle once again… 

And even though we get all the familiar faces in one sitting, it’s still a different animal than The Fizz Fuzz or Orquesta Del Desierto or Hermano or any of those other bands and projects the boys have been a part of. This one flutters with ease and glows with soulful warmth. There’s desert, there’s stoner and there’s grunge, but delivered with so much sensibility, that you can’t just simply put on one track and listen distractedly. No, this is immersive from an entirely different angle and paints its very own landscape. Whether it is the more stoner shoving Inexplicable Things, rough and rowdy, taken higher by the guitar lead and Dawn’s varied vocals. The beautiful guitar work in Could Have Been Better, which also returns throughout Black Water or the love shown by Dawn and Dandy for one another through the album but especially on the two sided coin of opener Dandy’s My Blue Wife and Dawn’s My Blue Husband. The latter also sporting a few instance of robotic riffage that might pop QOTSA into your head. Which is another grandiose thing about the album, the interplay between the vocals throughout the album add that extra touch, the slightly sultry singing of Dawn, which she switches with more nasal touched power and the honey-d voice of Dandy that always has this hazy and airy element to it. In all there are nine tracks of flow and groove and it will install a powerful lust in you to keep listening and to constantly fly along with. For it’s absolutely beautifully crafted and will make your heart take flight, just like it does on those rare instances when you see a Lorquin’s Admiral flutter through the desert sky… 


(Written by JK)




Argonauta Records

Or check out some more Dandy Brown stuff below...