Henry Rollins @ O2 Academy, Oxford [18/01/2012]

Punk rock legend turned spoken word artist Henry Rollins may have been forced to downsize to the O2 Academy due to the closure of the Regal (the original venue for this gig) but in the confines of the packed downstairs at the O2 he gave a flawless performance in his increasingly primary role as a public speaker. Arriving on stage at 8pm on the dot, Rollins wrapped the mic lead round his hand and launched straight into his almost-two-and-a-half hour spiel, not once pausing or stopping for a sip of water.

Whereas his previous 'routines' (a loose term considering the man's ability to riff on a subject with clarity and intelligence) had been vitriolic, particularly of the Bush administration and the War on Terror, peppering his sets with 'ain't Bush a jackass'-style jibes for laughs, this time Rollins' performance was more humanitarian, more sedate but no less on-the-ball or funny.

Of course, he couldn't help himself but dedicate a small section of his time to George W's recent autobiography, Decision Points, and the current US Presidential elections (noting that ultra conservative Republican candidate Rick Perry is so homophobic that he has to be gay). Indeed his anecdotes about American life and the national proclivity to consume were delivered with an equal combination of frustration and love, a conflict that in many ways mirrored the late Bill Hicks and his juxtaposed tirades about the American South.

To use a tired phrase, the first hour of his performance was a veritable tour de force, full of charming recollections of his early days as a poor touring musician in Black Flag, having to check the weight of chocolate bars to ensure that he was getting the most value for his fifty-five cents. Other memorable passages involved some deceptively tough 'working boys' on the Santa Monica Boulevard, the pitfalls of stage-diving, Black Flag's total lack of groupies, meeting a young, enthusiastic Metallica (“I've not followed their career since but I heard they've done pretty well for themselves”), and reciting lines from Blue Velvet to an unwitting and, naturally, terrified Dennis Hopper.

But it was his life-changing experiences in India, Korea, Vietnam and Tibet that informed the majority of his set, blending social and cultural commentary with a great deal of warmth and humour. His ruminations on the brainwashing of North Koreans and China's military presence in Tibet were particularly poignant, especially the latter which was told through the eyes of a young Buddhist woman, sobbing about the absence of the exiled Dalai Llama. But the tone of the show was balanced beautifully – the next moment Henry recalled being given a tour of Vietnam by a hilarious gloating Vietnamese historian, pointing to where John McCain’s plane crash-landed with pride.

Self-proclaimed stand-up comedians rarely deliver shows as full of intelligence, genuine belly laughs, humanity, warmth, self-depreciation and sincerity as Rollins did tonight, let alone with such professionalism and for more than two hours straight. Not even the twats in front of me who were talking loudly, farting and getting up every two minutes to go for a fag could ruin the evening for me. Absolutely superb.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 20/01/2012]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2012/01/20/henry-rollins-o2-academy-oxford-18012012/

Jucifer - Nadir

(Grindcore Karaoke, 2011)

Whether or not the liner notes that accompany Nadir are just another case of self-mythologising from the nomadic Jucifer front-woman Gazelle Amber Valentine, they paint a charming picture of a young band, destitute of anything but the pleasure of playing music among the junkies and vagrants of a run-down part of the city at a time before they had turned into the cult legends they are now. These self-recorded songs reflect the story beautifully; they are stripped to the absolute essentials – a guitar, drums, vocals, cigarettes and a chocolate sauce and whiskey concoction the guys liked to call 'mud.'

As such the songs have a raw power, comparable to early White Stripes in the sense that these guys clearly felt like outsiders finding solace in one another and the music they created together. Kicking things off in a dynamic (and downright bad-arse) fashion is opening track 'Prime' which contains a huge, lumbering riff and a haunting vocal melody – a long lost sludge classic. 'Hachimantaro' takes a slightly more relaxed approach but is equally heavy and features a similarly lurching riff. In contrast 'Glamourpuss' has an industrial sound, akin (surprisingly) to Nine Inch Nails crossed with some Babes In Toyland (think 'Bruise Violet'.)

If nothing else, Nadir illustrates that the duo have always had a great musical chemistry, even if some of the songs feel like they could implode at any moment. Indeed 'Withering' seems designed to give this impression – the drums and guitar slowing up and down as if the recording was transferred from a warped cassette. Add into the mix Gazelle's otherworldly voice and the song feels like it's an elephant teetering on a little ball.

Considering the songs come from such humble lo-fi beginnings, these recordings have been given considerable muscle by Chris J. Black and Scott Hull who transferred the analogue tapes to digital, mixed and mastered the album respectively. Sadly the vocal levels are quite low on all of the tracks; whether this is by design or due to the limitations of the source material is unclear but it's a shame because Gazelle's vocals play a big part in Jucifer's appeal (just listen to L' Autrichienne to hear how versatile a singer she is). However these songs do illustrate that she has always taken an interesting approach to fronting a sludge band, her vocals generally melodic throughout these five songs – almost Kim Gordon-like on 'Glamourpuss' and donning a ghostly warble on 'Withering' and uncompromising doomy-closer 'Crossless.' This whisper-style of singing was apparently created so as not to disturb her parents at home – if only they'd heard their daughter's voice in context...

So overall this is a gem of a release – a reissue of a tape they'd send out to promoters to try and get shows back in the early to mid nineties. Whether they knew it or not back then, it's clear listening to Nadir that these guys had something that would set them apart and make them legends. In many ways Jucifer are still outsiders but Nadir is an interesting origin story.

[Originally published by The Sleeping Shaman, 19/01/2011]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/j/jucifer-nadir-reissue-cd-digital-ep-2011/
[Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website as their 'Album of the Day', 20/01/2012]
http://www.roadburn.com/2012/01/album-of-the-day-jucifer-nadir-reissue/

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

(Southern Lord, 2012)

Let's start by stating the obvious: Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II is a world away from Earth's pivotal album Earth 2; we are, after all, experiencing the second-coming of Earth. However this new incarnation shares many similarities with the version of the band that helped to pioneer the drone and doom genres – the songs are still long, simply structured and feature repetitive riffs but where Dylan Carlson once hypnotised his audience with distorted, raga-like Neanderthal chugs of electric guitar, the new Earth takes a softer approach to subdue and conquer the minds of their audience.

For some people Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I was another example of Earth's second-wave albums being too plain and, in many ways, too nice to constitute being Earth albums. After all, Carlson was the motherfucker who pretty much single-handedly invented drone metal – where was the fuzz, where was the dark, brooding atmosphere? I'm sure for some people the 2007 re-imagining of Earth's seminal 1991 opus “Ouroboros is Broken” took the biscuit, but it was a clear statement of intent from a band reborn. The band had come full-circle and the music was no longer the expression of one man but of a collaborative collection of musicians.

Like Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I, Part II has a loose, improvisational feel to it, the band seemingly finding a basic, gentle groove in each of the songs and going with it until it has run its course. On “His Teeth Did Brightly Shine” the band occupy a menacing, restless folky space, Carlson's guitar meandering closely around a simple riff. “Multiplicity of Doors” is a more sombre, elegant affair, the cymbal washes of drummer Adrienne Davies providing a distinctly jazzy feel, particularly in combination with the drone of Lori Goldston's cello which, at times, sound eerily like some jazz horn.

I think the most striking element of these albums is the debt that Earth seem to owe to post-rock bands like Do Make Say Think and Aerial M, particularly in the sense of inertia and ennui that the band seems to revel in exploring (“The Corascene Dog”). But those who would call this a departure from the band's roots should consider what Earth are doing now as a more meditative, contemplative extension of their early work. There's still a singular mind at work here, but now it's the collective consciousness of a group of like-minded musicians, embellished by the expanded musical palette that collaboration inevitably involves. Final track “The Rakehell”, for example, sounds like a combination of Can and The Doors with Neil Young handling lead guitar duties, while somehow maintaining a dull heaviness that is at the heart of much of Carlson's work.

Hardcore fans of Earth's early work will have either embraced or ignored the band since their triumphant and unexpected return in 2005. There's certainly something to be said for considering them as two different bands, so different is their approach pre- and post- Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method. But Earth still manage to cast the same majestic spell regardless of what method they use to conjure it. This is not a mind-blowing album by any means – certainly not like Earth 2 was all those years ago – but it's one that will take you on a pleasant diversion akin to a daydream or falling into the arms of slumber. And that's a good thing.

[Originally published by The Sleeping Shaman, 12/01/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/e/earth-angels-of-darkness-demons-of-light-ii-cd-lp-2012/
[Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website as their 'Album of the Day', 17/01/2012]
http://www.roadburn.com/2012/01/album-of-the-day-earth-angels-of-darkness-demons-of-light-ii/

Rwake - Rest

(Relapse Records, 2011)

Little Rock, Arkansas’s Rwake rock more than a little; their songs are propelled by a primal force that may well be derived from the great monoliths of the world, their sheer power making them seem like huge, imposing figures but possessing an inherent earthiness that draws you in.

After such a preposterous, ponderous intro I’d better explain my point. You see, music writers – particularly metal writers – tend to lean towards the overly-dramatic when it comes to describing music like the kind Rwake create. One of the great literary crimes of the modern era has been the overuse of the word ‘epic’ which has become something of a go-to term to describe anything vaguely out of the ordinary, impressive or, in the case of music, exceedingly long. Like so many words before it (“cool”, “fuck”, “cunt” – I’m looking at you) it has become a redundant term (epic fail), so to call Rest epic would be doing the album a disservice. Let’s just say that it is one of those rare albums that deserves the praise it’s been raking-in of late.

The thing that sets Rwake apart, particularly on this album, is that they manage to lull the listener into a trance – not by being psychedelic, repetitive, or sparse but by a seamless delivery of their ideas and a cohesive, album-long mood. These songs have a lot going on; “It Was Beautiful but Now It’s Sour” is a veritable barrage of riffs and ideas but where other bands might clumsily structure these ideas Rwake make the transitions fluid and powerful. The change to half-time in “An Invisible Thread” is a beautiful thing, and the unnervingly pretty arpeggios at the start of “The Culling” hypnotise you into a fall sense of security before adopting a post-rock rhythm and then knocking you down with a good ol’ blast o’ metal.

All of this means that Rwake are hard to label. True, the whole affair could be loosely described as “sludge” but these songs are kind of a melting pot of metal sub-genres; a hint of Pantera here, a whiff of Yob there, an Eyehategod breakdown and plenty of power metal leads, all delivered with a punk attitude that is most encapsulated in singer C.T.’s snarling delivery. Fans of all of the above will find a lot to love about this album.

The “earthiness” I mentioned in the intro is in reverence to a) the raw, magnetic effect that the music possesses but more importantly b) the rootsy side that Rwake display on Rest. The opening track is a bluesy, folky acoustic number, elements of which return for dramatic effect in the middle of closing track “Was Only a Dream”. Elsewhere, album-centrepiece “The Culling” begins with a lengthy, meditative clean-guitar section, sounding more like dark folk than sludge or doom. These peaceful, quiet sections help to bring the spiralling, lofty album right back down to earth and provide a few brief moments of respite when the album feels like it might suffocate you.

Rest has already placed highly on many end of year lists, it’s virtues championed by everyone from those trendies at Pitchfork to the countless metal blogs and magazines out there. As someone who came to this album a bit later than he meant to, let me assure you that there’s not much here that you haven’t probably already read about it elsewhere – it’s good, so go grab yourself a copy of Rest to hear what you’ve been missing. Fucking epic.

[Originally published by The Sleeping Shaman, 09/01/12]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/r/rwake-rest-cd-lp-dd-2011/

End of Year Round-Up for The Sleeping Shaman

It’s kind of preposterous that of all of the dedicated writers here at the Sleeping Shaman that I should be one of the ones to attempt to round up the year in heavy music on its behalf. For starters, I am one of the new kids on the block, having only joined the writing staff here in June and even I would have to admit that I’ve not been the most prolific of writers (as the Sleeping Shaman himself will no doubt attest.) But as a critic, a fan, and a member of an active band I think I’ve seen this year’s releases and events from a variety of angles, so I’ll try to summarise the year in a well-rounded and “Universal” way. As an added disclaimer, I should mention that my ‘area’ is doom, stoner and sludge so apologies in advance if your musical preferences or favourite bands get severely over-looked.

However, I think most of you will agree that it’s been an excellent year for alternative music. There have been new releases from bands like Earth, Electric Wizard, Boris, Ramesses, Weedeater, Wolves in the Throne Room, Rwake, Yob, Mastodon, 40 Watt Sun, Thou, Atlas Moth, Cave In, Cannabis Corpse, Sourvein, Sepultura, Machine Head, Premonition 13, Chelsea Wolfe, Orange Goblin, All Pigs Must Die, Hank Williams III, Primus, Anthrax, and even reunited nu-metal arse-clowns Limp Bizkit. Best of all, Lou Reed and Metallica inexplicably teamed-up to release one of the most talked-about [translation: derided] albums of the year and James Hetfield surely won “The-most-preposterously-earnest-vocal-delivery-of-a-preposterous-lyric” award for “I am the table!” As a life-long Lou Reed fan I at least got a small amount of joy out of the sheer ridiculousness of it all although it seems that a few Metallica fans now want Reed dead. At this point I don’t think either artist can sully the other’s career…

On the other hand it’s been a great year for up-and-coming bands such as Conan, Sigiriya, Slabdragger, Serpent Venom, Cultura Tres, Wiht, Wizard’s Beard, Undersmile, Grifter, Dopefight, Dead Existence, Alunah, Pombagira, Dopethrone, Windhand, Desert Storm, Tree of Sores, Five Will Die, Banda de la Muerte, Gurt, Meadows, and Bastard of the Skies who’ve all either gained praise for their recorded material or live performances, or both. Again, apologies to any of the hundreds of excellent new bands I’ve missed – it’s a good sign that there are literally far too many to mention here.

On the live front Download Festival was met with a mixed response, while Damnation, Supersonic, and Roadburn 2011 went down extremely well. The fact that next year’s Roadburn Festival sold out in seven minutes is a testament to the strength of the frankly ridiculous line-up which includes (the reformed) The Obsessed, Sleep, Yob, diSEMBOWELMENT, curators Voivod plus far too many other excellent bands to even begin listing. In short, it’s going to be fucking ace and it sucks to be you if you’re not there.

In other news, stoner-legends Kyuss returned to the live circuit (albeit under the probably legally-imposed name Kyuss Lives! and minus original guitarist Josh Homme). On the 11th of the 11th (possibly at 11.11am) heavy metal doom kings Black Sabbath announced that the original line-up was to reform to headline Download Festival 2012, to undergo a world tour and to record a new album. Whether this means we’ll get some classic Black Sabbath/Paranoid/Master of Reality/Vol. 4-era riffage or Never Say Die! era rock n’ roll drivel remains to be seen. Fingers crossed that it won’t suck a huge fat one.

Finally The Sleeping Shaman itself has gone from strength to strength, particularly since it got a revamp in July, and now has more visitors than ever thanks to you lot and an ever-expanding group of writers and music enthusiasts spreading the word. As well as new reviews appearing on the site almost every day, there have been more news stories being reported, and exclusive streams of albums by the likes of Paul Catten (Lazarus Blackstar, The Sontaran Experiment) with plenty more where that came from in the New Year. Everyone at The Sleeping Shaman would like to thank you for reading and sharing the site and allowing it to expand into a one-stop shop for all of your metal, doom, sludge and general alternative music needs. Don’t forget that you can show some Sleeping Shaman love by purchasing a Sleeping Shaman exclusive t-shirt – you know you want to stuff one in your loved-one’s stocking. Get them here!

So until the world comes to an end (possibly during Bongripper’s Satan Worshipping Doom Roadburn set), here’s to 2012 kicking as much arse as 2011 did.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 22/12/11]

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/articles/tom-mckibbin-reflects-on-the-year-that-was-2011/

Listing Ships - The 100 Gun Ship

(American Steam Company, 2011)

One of the musical revelations of music in Oxford in 2011 has been the emergence of Listing Ships, a band whose 90s-post-rock-leaning demo ‘Maiden Voyage’ we enthused about earlier in the year. Along with a couple of god-awful nautically-themed puns, we said that record was like “a nineties alternative and post-rock nostalgia trip, combining elements of Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins and Tortoise to create [anthemic, vast soundscapes]“.

The 100 Gun Ship is Listing Ships’ first EP and the debut release on their own American Steam Company label. Considering that the three songs from their demo appear on this EP in their original forms, there’s no point regurgitating the praise we lumped on them last time (especially when you can just go read the review here). So onto the new. Opening track ‘The 100 Gun Ship’ is the most ferocious thing the band have released so far, beginning with a driving bassline that anchors the layers of guitar and electronics, giving them free reign to expand out and muddy the atmosphere. After such a ferocious start, ‘Melusine Romance’ is, in stark contrast (and for lack of a better term), the ‘loveliest’ thing we’ve yet heard from the band; all fluttering guitars and sudden unexpected bursts of distortion. The song conjures up the various bittersweet emotions associated with the choppy waters of love, which is especially appropriate given the song name, and there is plenty of tension thrown in for good measure. ‘Then Venice Sank’ brings it all back to Krautrock territory (think Neu!) – the dominant influence on this EP.

For my tastes, the New Rose Hotel remix of ‘Equus Ager’ that closes the EP is a little superfluous; perhaps the band felt that it was a worthy or necessary inclusion because The 100 Gun Ship is essentially an expanded version of ‘Maiden Voyage’ – but for all its pleasant atmospherics, the song doesn’t particularly add to the collection besides to create a feeling of being submerged under water. Never mind, it’s a minor gripe on what is an otherwise great EP from a band who are getting better with each release.

[Originally published on MusicInOxford.co.uk, 09/12/11]
http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/12/09/listing-ships-the-100-gun-ship-american-steam-company/

Banda De La Muerte - ST

(Self released, 2010)

Argentina’s Banda De La Muerte are a testament to the strength of the growing and diverse metal scene in the South American continent, the same scene that boasts bands such as Los Natas [Argentina], Cultura Tres [Venezuela] and Avernal [Arg]. When I recently spoke to Cultura Tres front-man Alejandro Londono he spoke about the sense of camaraderie between this community of South American metal bands, bands who actively support and promote one another.

This network of like-minded musicians recently manifested a successful festival in Buenos Aires called South American Sludge, an event that brought these bands together and which helped to establish the scene as a credible and palpable entity. Banda De La Muerte are something of an anomaly, however, because they play Rock n’ Roll with a stoner twist .

Case in point is ferocious opening track “Dos Huesos” which comes across like a combination of Kyuss, Pantera and Queens of the Stone Age with the groove of the former two and the drive of the latter. It’s a great kick-start to this eight-track album and a real statement of intent from a band that may be new to many European listeners. Very soon into this quick-blast of an album it becomes apparent that while Banda De La Muerte are far from musical innovators, they’ve taken a desert scene framework and built a collection of interesting, arresting songs full of ideas, unexpected melodies and Latin flavour. “Cuando No Hay Mas Que Perder”, “De La Muerte” and “Esqueleto” all have plenty of Songs for the Deaf-era QOTSA pomp and velocity about them, which can only be a good thing, but there are also plenty of little surprises along the way.

It’s not fair to say that all of the songs on the album are desert grooves either; “Madera Sagrada” is an unadulterated hardcore punk song, thrashing along in less that one and a half minutes, kicking your teeth-in in the process. Likewise, “Los Ojos Del Diablo” starts off like Kyuss but half way through the song takes an unexpected turn, sounding like early Korn with John Otto behind the kit. In a good way, surprisingly. Many of the songs on the album would be best described as stoner-punk as they have too much passion and intensity to be straight-up stoner tunes and too much groove to be conventional punk songs. Final track “A Traves De La Sangre” is a slow-burner, a kind of ballad but packed with riffs.

Where the album might divide opinions is in the vocal delivery of singer Xon. His singing style veers between a power-rock holler and a Lemmy-style growl and some of the vocal melodies may seem a bit too familiar and middle of the road for some listeners. I must admit that at first I didn’t think much of the vocals either way, but eventually the melodies won me over and I actually found myself enjoying the unabashed retro quality of Xon’s voice. Listen to the first few songs and, just like your first taste of marmite, you’ll soon find out whether you love it or hate it.

It took a few listens for this album to click – perhaps it was the language barrier but more likely it was the subtleties in the songs that only revealed themselves after the third or fourth play. The vocal melodies that at first seemed shamelessly retro and cheesy actually became ingrained in my head, riffs slowly fell into place in my mind and lead guitar parts buried in the mix sprung forth to add a new dimension to the songs. This isn’t an album that’s going to blow your mind but it’s a solid stoner rock album that will serve you well on car journeys, whether down long, straight roads through the Palm Desert or up the M5 on a wet Tuesday morning. The quality of the performances, the crisp production and the accessible feel of the album make this a fantastic introduction to those of you wishing to dip your toes into the South American Sludge scene. But as we’ve already established, this ain’t South American Sludge, this is South American Rock n’ Roll.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 7/12/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/b/banda-de-la-muerte-st-cd-2010/