Echoes of Yul – Cold Ground

Echoes of Yul – Cold Ground

Avantgarde Music – 2012

Rock, Metal, Post, Experimental, Drone, Kraut

Rated: ***

Experimental by default and somniferously scary by design. The second album Cold Ground by Polish avant-garde metal outfit Echoes of Yul is all of that but might lack something to experience it more than once. Atmospheric streams of noise blend together with krautrock and stoner doom until a point of no return is reached and the trip turns into a terrorizing drone. Summoning up lost souls and ancient spirits that help transport you to otherworldly visions of despair, death and wasted landscapes. At the same time it invokes a disturbing level of alternative meditation and contemplation. Cold Ground is definitely one hell of a trip. An Ayahuasca nightmare of revealing insights and echoes of former transgressions. Ambient, minimalist and hallucinatory. No drugs needed.

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Nonsun – Good Old Evil

Nonsun – Good Old Evil

Self released – 2012

Metal, Sludge, Drone, Doom

Rated: **

Formed in the Ukraine in 2011 the two guys from Nonsun have delivered their debut album Good Old Evil and with it aim to musicalize the pure evil you can count on and trust to always be around. Crushing doom and sludge that burns your bones and vaporizes your blood. The tracks move slow like gargantuan Goliath’s and ogres looking for fresh meat to pound on.  They search around in dark caves and jump into riff build abysses and drown in rivers of molten lava feedback. Yes; I’m going a bit overboard here; but so is Nonsun on occasion. They deliver a huge amount of incredible ideas and buildups; but rarely take it to its logical conclusion or continuation. Which is a shame cause the opening track alone has enough extraordinary material to explore and delve into; their ideas are many but so are their chosen paths; which do not always lead to the castle at the center of the labyrinth… 

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Supervoid – Endless Planets

Supervoid – Endless Planets

Self released – 2012

Rock, Psychedelic, Stoner, Sludge

Rated: *****

Thanks to the guys from Monobrow the Endless Planets EP of the Supervoid five-some has suddenly and totally kidnapped my heart. Moving through the universe on an eighteen-ton heavy spaceship they incorporate spacerock elements into their stoner and sludge. And thanks to the clean vocals on one end of the spectrum and the slow motion guitarlines they sound as psychedelic and whirling as a batik shirt in a washing machine. Swirling the bass through it all aiming for a fuzz heavy groove to propel them ever forward. And then the brutish and crushing part starts with growling and sepulchral screams functioning as the afterburner to a clean vacuum where the notes sound as weightless as pure light. Before they turn ponderous once more. Eclectic and diverse the void continues. Now all that’s left to do is surf along on their cosmic wind… O’ and figure out who the hell the Piss Children might be…

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Romero – Take The Potion

Romero – Take The Potion

Grindcore Karaoke – 2013

Rock, Metal, Stoner, Doom, Sludge

Rated: *****

The Romero threesome has returned with an amazing new album called Take The Potion. After treating us to the Couch Lock single and the Solitaire EP it is time for a full-sized album. And what an album it is! It’s a kamikaze assault on everything the stoner scene hold dear by way of classic metal and old fashioned doom. They do not sound like anything retro but have the knack to weave the masters of yore ever so slightly into their very own brand of metal sludge. The new Komatsu record might still be a tiny bit heavier, devastating and crushing. The new Romero takes the cake when it comes to putting some air, slow tempos and color into the aural destruction. Blasting vocals that mesmerize and exploding riffs that wash over the impressive drums that make the sweat and blood drip of the ceiling. So take the potion and drink up. Cause we’re not in Kansas anymore!

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Gingerpig - Run

Gingerpig - Run

It's almost here. The new album Hidden From View by Dutch rockers Gingerpig. And it just might be even better than their debut effort The Ways Of The Gingerpig from 2011... Just check out the first single: Run ! Whoohoo!

Help Wanted!

Help Wanted!

Due to the fact that the amount of releases we receive is expanding like a universe of its own it is time to face the music and see if there might be anyone out there willing to lend a helping hand. If you dig listening to the heavy genres featured on this little blog and have a few moments to spare in the week; maybe you would like to contribute? A new album or EP link would be forwarded to you and all you have to do is listen to it and write a few words about it. If possible with a little bit of information about the band, what the music entails and most importantly: if you dug it. Somewhere between a hundred and fity and two hundred words per mention is all it takes. Interested? Want to know more? Send an email to this adress: Stoner HiVe.

Monobrow – Bennington Triangle Blues

Monobrow – Bennington Triangle Blues

Self released – 2012

Rock, Stoner, Psychedelic, Doom, Instrumental

Rated: *****

Back in 2010 these guys already made it to the Number Eight position of the Stoner HiVe top 20 countdown with their first release after only a year of jamming together. And Monobrow deserved it. For their instrumental album was chuck full of heavy riffing and a psychedelic tapestry that can only be found among true freak out free rock fiends. On their second album they display an even superior feel of hitting the right notes at the right time without ever becoming anywhere near clinical. Heavier, darker and more dangerous than it’s predecessor the eight tracks on Bennington Triangle Blues have an even mightier groove and make for one delicious adventure. Excellent divers drumming and gigantic growling basswork offset by tight riffs and amazing guitarlines. And it’s available in beer colored vinyl! Now who wouldn’t want a taste of that?

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Dead – Idiots

Dead – Idiots

We Empty Rooms – 2012

Rock, Sludge, Punk

Rated: ****

Just the two of us, building castles in the sky. For some weird and possibly insane reason the lyrics of that Bill Withers song came to mind when I learned that the Australian born formation Dead is comprised out of only two. Two musical architects that build heavy and lofty palaces in the sky, mirroring those mad creations of MC Escher. Raw, visceral and poignant the seven tracks on their new album Idiots create as much as they destroy. For where the drums seem to want to pound out the foundation the bass rolls over it and crushes and crunches and seems to explode with steaming riffs and compressed freak outs. All accompanied by shouts and screams that demand attention. Not for the feeble or the frail but for the ones that can stand the assault and can easily join in with a fool’s parade…

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Annimal Machine – Annimal Machine

Annimal Machine – Annimal Machine 

Self released – 2013 

Rock, Stoner, Metal 

Rated: ***** 

I have great love for Mexico. Ever since a good friend of mine moved to Mexico a few years back to flee the horrible weather and the economical crises heading this way; my love for the country has grown exponentially. He is now the proud owner of an amazing collection of sexshops across wonderful Mexico. So whenever a release from that side of the pond finds his way here, I can’t help but get even more excited. But in the case of Annimal Machine it is completely justified! Holy freakin crap; these three tracks on their first release hit like ten ton heavy monstertruck on a rampage. There is no escaping the simple fact that this is incredibly awesome. Roaring like a fuzzy mountain lion and trampling like a distorted mammoth herd. It’s ferocious, it’s feral and it machinates to make every fiber in your being jump and turn into blissful euphoria! Get on board the Annimal Machine! 

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Acid Ocean – Acid Ocean

Acid Ocean – Acid Ocean

Self released – 2012

Stoner, Sludge, Metal, Noise

Rated: ***

The underground of Milan, Italy has been teeming with great bands for a long time. But unfortunately they have very few places to play live for where the city has been conquered by the Huns, the Goths and the Vandals in ancient times they are now run over by the Fashionados and their factories, offices and brandnames. They have no time and room in the heart for the authentic Milan and demand boring discos and bland bars to pass the time. But there are still a few who desperately and boldly stand up against this horrible commercialism. Like the guys from Polarbeers and Acid Ocean. And this last metal project has now delivered an exciting two-track seven-inch record that assaults and storms the barricades. Their powerful and aggressive sludge takes hints from stoner, stints from noise and is based on a solid metal foundation. Yes, this distorted metal madness is something those fake plastic freaks will never be able to conquer!

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Caronte – Ascension

Caronte – Ascension

Moonlight Records / Lo-Fi Creatures – 2012

Rock, Doom, Stoner

Rated: ****

Italian foursome Caronte delivered their excellent first EP Ghost Owl back in 2011 and have managed to follow up with an equally impressive full-sized album called Ascension a few months ago. Like a low sounding machine humming with electricity and brimming with a power yet to be unleashed the seven tracks almost seem to explode from a potent and anxious tempo. The riffs and lines grapple and grip together like a cluster of cables and with an endless series of minute twists and turns it excels in a painting an incredibly steady and hazy tapestry. With an occult atmosphere and a thrilling ambience they plow away and extract the universal nod with ease. Add to this an incredible drummer and very distinct sounding vocalist and you can safely assume Caronte is ascending to something great.

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Second Grave – Second Grave

Second Grave – Second Grave

Self released – 2012

Rock, Metal, Doom

Rated: ***

The Boston foursome Second Grave is made up out of members that have long since earned their spurs in bands such as Nodscene, Black Pyramid and Obsidian Halo. And then there’s female guitarist/vocalist Krista van Guilder of Warhorse fame that fronts this project. Together they’ve produced six classic metal tracks that lean heavily towards doom. The wonderful aspect of all these nods towards the past is the fact that even though they sound traditional they never sound stale or retro. It’s highly melodic setup and colorful hooks suit their very own take on dark and treacherous metal; cause for the most part they keep to their own tempo. Not too slow and not too fast. Which is a breath of fresh air and a welcome breeze. Can’t wait to hear what else they found behind that red door…

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Asilo – Geografias Wardance

Asilo – Geografías Wardance

Self released – 2012

Crust, Sludge, Doom

Rated: ***

Asilo hails from the little village of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The four guys deliver their raw and incredibly loud music in a crunching demolition tour de force that almost completely levels your brain. This is definitely not for the feeble or the weak minded. It is as black as tar and just as sticky, it sounds like twisted evil and smells just as icky. It puts the fear in your heart and turns you back to paranoia. It might be droning, hypnotic, heavy and crusty. But above all it comes across as corrupt, depraved and a personality destroyer. So be careful; it might end you…

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