Towers - II

(Eolian Empire, 2014)

Providing further evidence that Oregon is literally built upon an ancient Indian burial ground, yet another otherworldly and insanely heavy band comes forth proclaiming Oregon as their home state. Of course, there’s already Yob, Norska, Lumbar, Lord Dying, Red Fang, Unsea, Atriarch, and a plethora of others – a very healthy showing indeed. But here come Towers, a bass and drum duo from Portland whose second album – the appropriately named ‘II’ – is a very small slither of hell caught on record.

 

Coming in as they mean to go on (i.e. on a wave of unsettling noise), opening track ‘Hell’ sets the mood for the whole record. Rick Duncan’s bass set-up is rigged to facilitate both penetrating treble and punishing low end so when combined with various effects pedals and the energetic drumming of Darryl Swan, the hugeness of the sound betrays the fact that Towers are a two-piece. ‘Hell‘ is an unsettling melting pot of post-punk, noise rock, art rock, and heavy metal, framed like one of Tom Waits’ nightmare visions. In fact the tone is so full-on that it gives off a strange circus atmosphere, almost comedic in its overblown execution but too close to the nerve to be anything but terrifying.

 

Elsewhere ‘The Door At The End Of The Hall‘, with its Theremin-like atmospherics and Duncan’s dramatic proclamations and forlorn backing vocals, has a horror soundtrack feel to it, suitable for any number of 1970’s exploitation movies. But it’s the bleak penultimate track ‘The Chosen‘ which is the most haunting song here; the monk-like, counter-melodic chants are nauseating and discomforting, a final demonic taunt before the violently chaotic final track ‘The Room Of Misfortune‘ which hammers home the vision of suffering which ‘Hell’ started. And then as quickly as it arrived, the deranged circus leaves town.

 

As an album ‘II’ is mournful, but not in a gothic, woe-is-me kind of way. Rather, it’s demented and theatrical, revelling in bringing you bad tidings and burying a feeling of doom in your guts until you’re left weeping in a corner. In fact, for a band who don’t throw the term ‘doom’ down your throat like so-many so-called doom bands do, they’ve released one of the most doom-instilling albums I’ve heard in the last year. Towers aren’t strictly a doom band – they bring together a wide range of heavy influences from the full spectrum of punk and metal and combine them with a cinematic quality to create compelling, creepy and hypnotic songs to wallow in. And the results are magnificent. So if ‘II’ is a glimpse of hell, then pray for my soul, dear readers, because it sounds fucking grim.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 14/03/2014]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/t/towers-ii-lp-dd-2014/

Iron Witch - 'Her Cheating Heart' / The Atrocity Exhibit - 'Throne of Bile'

(Witch Hunter Records / Dead Chemist Records, 2014)

Witch Hunter Records and Dead Chemist Records have conspired to release this beastly 7” split between Liverpool’s Iron Witch and Northampton’s The Atrocity Exhibit, two respected names on the UK’s sludge and grindcore scenes. While on paper this difference of genre could make for a slightly lopsided split release, the sense of spite inherent in both bands’ music creates a cohesion across the two sides, helped by the fact that The Atrocity Exhibit have chosen to contribute one long sludge song rather than several shorter ones.

 

Iron Witch‘s contribution – ‘Her Cheating Heart’ – is a pleasing, lumbering slab of sludge misery inspired, unfortunately, by a series of “lying, cheating whores.” Charming. But Iron Witch clearly aren’t here to charm anyone, as evidenced by ‘Her Cheating Heart’’s waves of deafening feedback and an arching rhythm so drunken that it seems ever on the verge of collapsing in a corner and pissing all over itself. Chris Fane’s voice is quite probably flammable as he screams Jameson-tainted bile over a cacophony of Dopesick-inspired riffs (indeed, Iron Witch might like to consider changing their names to IronHateGod if ‘Her Cheating Heart’ is anything to go by). But it doesn’t matter that Iron Witch wear their influences on their sleeves, particularly when they execute their swaggering homage this well. For those of us eagerly awaiting the next EHG album, ‘Her Cheating Heart’ is a tantalising and essential stop-gap.

 

As if Iron Witch weren’t bilious enough, flip the record over and you have The Atrocity Exhibit’s ‘Throne Of Bile’ to contend with. Again, these guys mean serious business and for this particular pairing they’ve written a song at least twice as long as most of their other, faster songs. This slowing of pace does nothing to lessen their impact, and in fact the torturous to and fro of the guitars gives the impression of flesh being torn apart. You won’t find anything remotely resembling a melody to hang your hat on here – ‘Throne Of Bile’ is discordant in every way, from the tense, careening guitars to the Johnny Morrow-esque vocals. The Atrocity Exhibit have gained a formidable reputation for their brand of crust and grindcore, but ‘Throne Of Bile’ puts forward a strong argument that they ought to make a full-on sludge album next.

 

All in all thirteen minutes of utter misery then, but, as the old adage goes, misery loves company, and here at the Sleeping Shaman we welcome misery and grief with open arms. Iron Witch and The Atrocity Exhibit have given us two mighty and differing takes on sludge, making this an essential purchase for all fans of the genre.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 06/03/2014]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/i/iron-witch-the-atrocity-exhibit-split-7inch-dd-2014/

Warpaint @ O2 Academy, Oxford - 25/01/2014

 

Considering it’s the day before Warpaint entered the top ten of the UK album charts with their eponymous second album, it’s little surprise that the sizeable downstairs part of the O2 is packed to capacity by the time the LA band grace the stage for tonight’s festivities. Inevitably the majority of tonight’s set is indebted to the newer material which has seen the band shift further towards a moody atmospheric trip hop sound, allowing keyboards and synthesisers to take some of the focus away from the guitars. Some of the criticism that has been lumped at the newer songs suggest that the songwriting has suffered at the hands of uber desk-jockey Flood’s sleek production style, but in this live setting the band are really quite bombastic, giving us a setlist that leans heavily on the livelier of the new songs, as well as encompassing some gems from their previous two releases, The Fool and Exquisite Corpse.

As ever, it’s the vocal interaction between the four band members that really sets Warpaint apart from their contemporaries and this is what shines tonight; whether it’s the haunting “Billie Holliday”, the fiendish gang-vocals of “Composure” or “Love is to Die,” Emily Kokal and co have mastered a style of sing-speak, alternatingly conversational, airy and strident, that leads their songs through emotional peaks and troughs. Musically, the band is in fine form too, having spent the last few years touring heavily on the back of The Fool. While it’s not always evident on record, Warpaint are a jam-band at heart, or at least they enjoy locking into bass-led grooves while reverb-heavy guitars intertwine, as is evidenced by some extended instrumental sections tonight. Drummer Stella Mozgawa does much of the heavy lifting in this capacity with some excellent hi-hat work punctuating some of the band’s jerky flights of fancy, while Theresa Wayman and the others continuously switch between guitars and keyboards throughout the set to add heft and lightness where necessary.

For most of the set the audience seem strangely subdued – respectful and clearly enjoying themselves but perhaps allowing themselves to become too awash in Warpaint’s emotional waters at the sake of an atmosphere. It’s only when the band crank out (ironically enough) “Undertow” – fan favourite and feel good hit of the summer 2011 – that the audience fully snap out of this haze and raise the roof. It’s the song that probably best encapsulates the band’s sound – a bass-led, vocally immaculate, emotionally ambiguous pop song with an almighty wig-out at the end of it to boot. Elsewhere new track “Biggy” is a particular highlight, with a dynamic keyboard lead part allowing the vocals to float delicately atop a gently shuffling rhythm, but inevitably it is the older songs that elicit the warmest responses tonight. Encoring with “Elephants” from the debut EP (and a sly interpolation of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” for good measure) the band ultimately leaves the stage victorious, warpaint smeared but intact.

[Originally published in Nightshift Magazine, Issue 224, March 2014]
http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/2014/mar.pdf

Ags Connolly - How About Now

(Drumfire Records, 2014)

Country isn't a dirty word, particularly when it's coming out of Ags Connolly's mouth. Anyone who has caught Ags in the last few years will likely be able to attest that he has a voice of extraordinary power, capable of transporting you from a dank open mic pub in Witney to the Grand Ole Opry. His songs are deeply rooted in country, full of hardened wisdom and homespun turns of phrase; Ags’ previous release, The Dim and Distant Past EP, was a solid demonstration of his songwriting skills – indeed all four songs are present again here, largely unchanged. But with a group of sympathetic country session musicians behind him, Ags has taken a bit of a star-turn.

While one could worry that session musicians could suck the soul out of Ags’ songs, or embellish them to the nth degree, the musicianship throughout How About Now is truly fantastic, lending Ags’ simple songs a classic, authentic country sound. Lap steels coo, a stand-up bass gently plods, and an electric guitar accents the chords in a manner that would make Luther Perkins proud. Perhaps the best compliment that can be paid to Mr. Connolly is to say that many of the songs on How About Now sound like country standards – ‘Good Memory for Pain’, ‘Get Out My Mind’, ‘The Dim and Distant Past’ and ‘Trusty Companion’ are all great songs by anyone’s standards, regardless of genre, strongly composed and sharply executed. There are also some deeply personal songs here, dotted with references to particular lovers and old haunts (I never thought I'd hear a shout-out to The Angel in a song); all of this helps to flesh out Ags' deeply likeable and genuine persona, a man who loves and hurts, with country – and perhaps some Old Hooky – pumping through his veins.

On the whole country music seems to have a bad rep for perceived flag-waving, finger-pointing, and general backwardness, but Ags’ music is full of heart – more 'Man in Black' than 'I Kiss My Baby With My Fist'. These are songs of love and loss from a good ol' boy, a perfect soundtrack for crying into your beer at the end of the night as you mull over missed chances and being dealt a bad hand. These are also odes to Ags' main muse - country music itself. Both 'When Country Was Proud' and 'I Saw James Hand' document his baptism and confirmation as a country fan and musician. How About Now is the most assured debut to come out of Oxford in some time, a very strong collection of songs from an artist with a clear handle on his identity. To paraphrase a good ol' boy, if you didn't know were country, then this might make up your mind.

[Originally published in Nightshift Magazine, Issue 224, March 2014]
http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/2014/mar.pdf

Bong - Stoner Rock

(Ritual Productions, 2014)

Newcastle-based stoner rock collective Bong have unleashed their latest alb… oh, wait – let me try that again.

With their audaciously titled fourth album Stoner Rock, drone druids Bong have opened a dialogue on the usefulness and accuracy of broad genre definitions, and taken an opportunity to own and redefine the term “stoner rock” in their own image. As any writer in this field (or punter for that matter) will know, the term “stoner rock” has come to be used as shorthand for any band that appears to espouse the virtues of weed, often regardless of the kind of music they make. Considering that this covers a pretty wide spectrum of heavy metal, whether derivative of Kyuss and Sleep, classic rock, or Southern boogie, one has to ask, how can a band really be labelled “stoner rock” if they don't at least make you feel stoned?

Just as the true sense of “doom” (i.e. impending dread) is largely absent from most “doom metal” these days, “stoner rock” as it is popularly known now has as many negative connotations as good, thanks to countless terrible bands whose names are terrible puns. While I would hesitate to label Bong a stoner rock band, their name certainly has some strong genre connotations which is probably why they’ve often been mistakenly lumped in the genre. However, ironically, Bong are also one of the few current bands that can actually make you feel stoned with their music, and with Stoner Rock they’ve come to take ownership of the term with an almighty, two-pronged, THC-induced drone assault on the senses. 

Stoner Rock is repetitive to the extreme across its sprawling 74 minutes, coaxing you to zone out in the ever growing waves of distortion. Bong take literally one root note and play it out to eternity, without ever veering off their singular, slovenly path. The two tracks here, “Out Of The Aeons” and “Polaris” sound like alternative cuts from Earth’s pioneering drone metal masterpiece Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version, albeit cuts with even fewer mood shifts or diversions, and, taken as a whole piece, it’s certainly as epic in its scope as the holy grail, Sleep’s Dopesmoker. But don’t come to Stoner Rock expecting Pike-ian riffs or solos – the album is a relentless onslaught of molten guitars, each distorted strum overlapping and consuming the last, while bass rumbles gently and an eastern melody chimes out in the distance to really nail down the hypnotic vibe. If the pace of “Out of the Aeons” is designed to slowly lull you into a fugue state, then “Polaris” finishes you off, putting you into a coma, with drums crawling to the point that you kind of forget that the next snare hit is coming. Eventually time just seems to stand still, leaving you utterly mesmerised.

So, will Stoner Rock come to be seen as the pinnacle of the genre? Probably not, unfortunately. But I would argue that Stoner Rock has done more than any so-called stoner album released in the past few years to approximate the sensation of being under the influence, and thus has come the closest to redefining the term. Ultimately people will either have the patience to kick back and enjoy the long slow ride that Stoner Rock takes them on, or they won’t. But one thing’s for certain – Bong are here to weed out all the fake stoners with drones that will test your mettle.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 31/01/2014]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/b/bong-stoner-rock-cd-lp-dd-2014/

Bast - Spectres

(Black Bow Records/Burning World Records, 2014)

It’s been a long time coming for Kingston-based black metal/doom band Bast, but this year finally marks the arrival of their long overdue debut album ‘Spectres‘. Originally formed as a two-piece back in 2008, Bast have been a sporadic but always welcome presence in the London music scene for years, racking up some impressive support slots with the likes of Ufomammut, A Storm of Light and Ramesses, before finally arriving at their current formation in 2011 with the arrival of a bass player. During this time they recorded a demo titled ‘Branches In Earth, Roots In The Sky‘, but how widely that circulated is not really very clear so for many people Bast may be a relatively new name, particularly outside of the UK. Back in 2011 after witnessing the band for the first time at the Seven Churches all-dayer in their native Kingston, I wrote “Bast are seriously fucking heavy,” and guess what? That hasn’t changed. Rather, with Chris Fielding of Foel/Skyhammer Studios legend at the desk and all manner of vintage valve amps at their disposal, Bast have gained a considerable amount of clout and on the strength of these recordings, the first produced at Skyhammer Studios, Bast became the first signees to Jon Davis’ fledgling Black Bow Records, with Burning World Records quickly offering to handle things on the continent.

 

From the first frenetic moments of barnstorming opener ‘In The Beginning‘ to the almost comically stadium-rock ending of breathtaking closer ‘Outside The Circles Of Time‘ Bast are a true revelation on record, just as they are in a live setting. ‘Spectres‘ could be described as a kind of concept album in as much as lyrical themes recur throughout the four songs (the fifth is an instrumental) while feedback physically links the songs to make the album an immersive experience to be best enjoyed as a whole. Musically Bast lean more towards Doom than Black Metal, favouring to break up lengthy, slovenly riffs with emotionally charged hammering which is a dynamic that works beautifully well throughout. Likewise, the band use a loud/quiet dynamic on tracks like ‘Denizen‘ and ‘Outside The Circles Of Time‘ which helps emphasise their exploratory and progressive song writing style.

 

Needless to say the guitar tones throughout ‘Spectres‘ are a warm, hefty presence and Jon Lee’s drums are thunderous. Guitarist Craig Bryant manipulates feedback to connect his snake-like riffs and provide occasional accents and tension (see the tail end of ‘Denizen‘) while bassist Gavin Thomas provides excellent low-end support, occasionally driving sections along. Bryant’s screams would be best described as gut wrenchingly evil, although not at the sake of being unintelligible, and he generally adopts a slightly less hoarse vocal delivery for most of the songs to allow the album’s narrative to be understood – an allegorical journey along paths “that feet seldom tread” by “flickering candle light” to eventually end up in a land “where the shore is caressed by the sea.” The marriage of the music and lyrical imagery is well balanced, one never allowing the other to become too overblown or pompous to reach the point of pastiche, but instead telling an almost classical hero’s tale. The pacing of the many sections in each of the songs, and the sequencing of the songs themselves, all help to drive the narrative along in a natural manner, penultimate instrumental track ‘Psychonauts’ providing a brief moment of respite in the storm before the band deliver the final blow.

 

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that ‘Spectres‘ is one of the best doom albums by a UK band – and certainly one of the best debuts – of the past few years. While Bast don’t yet have such an unarguably unique sound as bands like Conan, as a piece of work ‘Spectres‘ is impressive in its scope and crafted with as much care and attention-to-detail as Bryant’s wonderful cover art. It’s hard for me to gauge Bast‘s current standing in the UK, let alone internationally, considering this is their first official release, but with UK and European dates planned for 2014 I firmly believe this is Bast‘s year to command and conquer and ‘Spectres‘ is the perfect platform to work from.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 27/01/2014]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/b/bast-spectres-cd-lp-cs-dd-2014/

[Later published on Roadburn Festival's website as their 'Album of the Day', 07/02/2014]
http://www.roadburn.com/2014/02/album-day-bast-spectres/

Lux Interna - There is Light in the Body, There is Blood in the Sun

(Pesanta Records, 2013)

I’m a cynical bastard sometimes; if I’m being completely honest with myself, I probably spent more time in 2013 listening to old favourites and discovering new favourites by older artists than I did listening to new albums actually released in 2013.

 

It’s easy to fall into this dangerous cycle, but the thing that always stirs me out of this perpetual safe daydream is happening upon something that sounds familiar but which is actually, to my surprise, a new album. When a friend introduced me to Lux Interna I knew I’d found gold, and upon hearing ‘There Is Light In The Body, There Is Blood In The Sun’, I knew I had myself a veritable treasure chest.

 

When you first listen to ‘There Is Light In The Body…’ you might be tempted to simply compare Lux Interna to the likes of 16 Horsepower and Wovenhand, both of whom are/were fronted by the enigmatic David Eugene Edwards, and there’s no doubt that this comparison is warranted. Lux Interna frontman Joshua Gentzke definitely has an intense vocal delivery which he shares with Edwards, and both bands blend traditional folk with more subversive, or contemporary elements. But where Edwards peppers his pastoral lyrics with religious allusions, Gentzke comes across more like a shaman, writing pagan hymns designed for worshipping at the altar of Mother Nature; where Edwards gives his music an earth shattering gravity thanks to some use of biblical language, Gentzke tends to summon a power from dark pastoral imagery. In ‘Wounded Stag’ Gentzke manages to weave the two worlds together, singing about olive branches “encrusted with souls,” singing with Lazarus, and asking some unnamed force to “take my torn flesh as your dress,” and the overall effect is compelling.

 

Musically Lux Interna employ a particularly rich palette of sounds, and the production is densely layered with guitars, banjos, drums and percussion to the point that repeated listens reveal new melodic and rhythmic elements. The aforementioned ‘Wounded Stag’ starts at a brisk pace and swells as vocal harmonies and electric guitars weave in to the mix before the song collapses under its own weight into a lengthy half-time outro – one of the album’s many highlights. Elsewhere the smoky gothic drone of ‘Nida’ invokes pastoral-era Earth, as does the distorted, tantric closing track ‘Tabor’. In the slow-burning penultimate track ‘Blackbird’, Kathryn Gentzke takes over on lead vocal duties, sounding like a forlorn Bilinda Butcher fronting a chamber quartet, suggesting a slowcore/shoegaze influence previously hinted at in the lead guitar parts on some of the earlier tracks. But some of the strongest moments on ‘There Is Light In The Body…’ occur when the band attempt something more uptempo and rollicking, such as ‘Tongues’ and ‘Seed’.

 

I won’t say that Lux Interna are entirely original – they certainly wear their influences on their sleeves – but they are far more than the sum of their parts. There have been other pioneers and trailblazers in this field of pagan, apocalyptic folk, but nonetheless Gentzke is an omniscient, commanding presence on ‘There Is Light In The Body…’ and Lux Interna’s blend of new and old ideas is uniquely theirs. This is an album that deserves repeated listens to fully work its way into the nervous system, for the layers of melody to weave their way into your subconscious and for the imagery to really strike you. Ironically, in a year in which I’ve resolved to listen to more current music, my favourite album of 2014 so far was released last year.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 15/01/2014]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/l/lux-interna-there-is-light-in-the-body-there-is-blood-in-the-sun-cd-lp-dd-2013/