Originally conceived as a casual side-project in 2000, Portland, Oregon’s Grails have patiently developed into a rather radical study in tension and meditation, inhabiting a netherworld where virtually all earthly and otherwordly sounds are equally explored to reflect the disparate influences of its four members. After releasing their first two albums on the Neurosis imprint Neurot Recordings, Grails followed up with Black Tar Prophecies Vols. 1,2 &, 3 on Important Records before ultimately finding their home at Temporary Residence Ltd., where they released two full length albums, 2008´s “Doomdayer´s Holiday”, and 2011´s “Deep Politics”.
2017 will see the release of “Chalice Hymnal”, their first album in 6 years.
Rather than pick up where they left off, Grails take the sky-high riff-based heaviness of their earlier albums and distill it into a nuanced, widescreen opus. The perennial influences of mid-20th century Western film scores, obscure library music, and psychedelic krautrock are indelibly imprinted, but Chalice Hymnal exudes an eerie patience in unfurling the many layers of its subtle details. Produced by the band over the past five years, Chalice Hymnal bears some of the European psych and experimental hip-hop production techniques of founding members Alex Hall and Emil Amos’ other group, Lilacs & Champagne. Amos’ meditative metal band, Om, and longtime singer-songwriter project, Holy Sons, also naturally find their way into the Chalice cauldron. Rounding out their line-up, cofounder Zak Riles (also of experimental kraut-psych trio, Watter) layers synths and programming into an electronic-prog hybrid that pushes Grails further into the deep end, displaying a profound resonance, both musically and emotionally. No one else sounds like Grails, and on Chalice Hymnal they sound more like themselves than ever before.
Majeure is the alter ego of A.E. Paterra, multi-tasking extraordinaire and one-half of progressive synt-rock duos Zombi, and Contact. Decidedly more dance-oriented than Zombi, Majeure combines the dark Moog-driven film scores of Vangelis with the relentless drive of Can and the transcendent minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. The brilliant mix of live and electronic rhythms is the heart and soul of Majeure’s music, which has a funny way of making time either speed up or stop entirely.
Conan are as heavy as interplanetary thunder amplified through the roaring black hole anus of Azathoth. A three piece, in the grand tradition of many amazing fabulous three pieces that hold a tight line and an iron-grip command over the uber-synchronised chord changes and tempo-shifts of the holy trio of bass, drums and guitar. Two men have the task of vocalising wretched thoughts over the turgid weight of Conan. They bear it well, for the task is immense.
Way back, in 2006, Conan formed as a two piece. The years dragged by, fellow warriors came and went, and now they are three – Jon Davis on guitar and vocals, Chris Fielding on bass and vocals and Rich Lewis on drums. Collectively their plans are clear: they seek nothing less than the crushing of a million skulls.
They have committed their filthy, ocean-sized sound to wax (and the slightly less cvlt compact disc) twice thus far- with more fetid output always on the horizon. First came the hulking mass of debut album Horseback Battle Hammer (Throne, Aurora Borealis), followed by a split with like-minded sludge-lords, Slomatics (Head of Crom, Burning World). In December 2011 Conan returned to the remote wilderness of Foel Studio, Wales and into the capable hands of producer Chris Fielding for their next album which is to be released on Burning World Records in Spring 2012.
Fresh from battle, dripping from the gore exposed by Blood Eagle CONAN return with their newest release REVENGEANCE. With inspiration taken from video games, retro sword and sorcery movies, ancient battle scenes and the hum and aroma of warm output valves they have laid down 6 songs of total heaviness, unsurpassed in their blend of brutality and tone, groove and flow. Prepare to be blown away by the heaviest Conan album yet as they hack, slash and charge their way into your subconscious.
Downfall of Gaia is a dark wall, moving forward relentlessly, enveloping the listener, absorbing one’s spirit to take one into the realm of the band’s potent sound.
Founded in 2008 and having undergone several line up changes, the quartet is now comprised of the two founding members Dominik Goncalves dos Reis (guitar and vocals) and Anton Lisovoj (bass and vocals), Marco Mazzola (Guitar) and Michael Kadnar (drums), who are respectively located in Berlin, Hamburg, and New York City.
Although the group’s roots lie within the DIY / Crust scene, they have become more closely associated with a sound that rather corresponds to the impact of an avalanche made from black earth, rock, and dirty sludge, while their lyrics poetically describe the dark side of living. In their early days, they released one demo, which was heavily influenced by d-beat, in addition to a split tape with French band Kazan in advance to a tour EP in 2009. Their debut album “Epos” followed in 2010, which was realized with the help of several DIY-labels.
In 2012, a new, slow paced, heavier sound was heard on their second album, their first for legendary label Metal Blade Records, titled “Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes,” which more than satisfied what fans of infinite heaviness longed for, and made its appearance in annual end-of-the-year and best-of lists among critics and editors.
Downfall of Gaia refrain from any calm moments, let alone pauses, and go full throttle immediately on “Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay,” released via Metal Blade Records in November of 2014 followed by extended touring worldwide all over Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. “Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay” is being reviewed and well-discussed in major print- and webzines all over the world and one more time made its appearance in annual end-of-the-year and best-of lists.
2016 saw the release of “Atrophy” (Metal Blade Records).
With their second full-length ‘Machinations’, HARK deliver a perfectly crafted vision of sludge-infused hard rock, while further expanding on their simultaneously progressive and muscular sonic palette. ‘Machinations’ is an intelligent, forward-thinking rock record, in an age where cult nostalgia trips and retrogressive throwbacks are all too common. Taking cues from Jimbob Isaac’s sludge metal legacy in Welsh underground heroes TAINT.
In addition to Simon Bonwick’s bombastic drumming, the hard-hitting rockers have meanwhile expanded their line-up to include the virtuoso chops of lead guitarist Joe Harvatt, while bassist Tom Shortt holds the low end down with weighty grind and dexterity. HARK v2.0 is now officially in widescreen. They offer a holistic, collective approach to inventive song craft and beautifully precise pummelling.
High Fighter formed in the Summer of 2014 and have released their debut album “Scars & Crosses” on June 10th 2016 via Svart Records as a 6-page CD Digi Pack, Digital Download & LP Gatefold. The riffs will simply crush your skull and Mona’s vocals are perhaps the heaviest they have ever been. So watch out….
The album has been recorded live at RAMA Studio in Mannheim, Germany (Ahab, The Hirsch Effekt, Fjørt & many more) by Jens Siefert, and was mixed & mastered by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Big Business).
Cosmic wall of sound, psychedelic vibes, instrumental music that invites you to travel through your mind. Trippy grooves for heavy riffs with spacey keyboards landscapes, all enhanced by hypnotic video projections.
Monkey3 started in 2001 in Lausanne (Switzerland) as a jam-band community, influenced by a psychedelic and stoner-rock vibe that reminds Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Kyuss or 35007. With their debut album “Monkey3”, released in 2004 by belgian label Buzzville Records, the band got great reactions and reviews all over Europe, putting them on the map of the stoner-rock scene.
Over a 14-years career, Monkey3 released 4 other albums whose last, “The 5th Sun”, goes back to November 2013, and was released via Napalm Records! All along the years, the Swiss quartet also toured everywhere in Europe, supporting the greatest acts, and playing the best festivals : Roadburn, Hellfest, Desertfest Berlin & London…and the story goes on !
MONKEY3´s new album, Astra Symmetry, feeds its inspiration from the mapping of the stars and their symbolic associations, interpreting the constellations stranded over the dark sky.
Taking its roots in the pristine abyss, Astra Symmetry is a journey towards sidereal soundscapes making their course over four progressive chapters revolved around the zodiac wheel, unifying astrological signs under their elemental nature. What begins in the deep waters, ascends into thin air and acquires earthly consciousness before burning in the sacred fire. Decidedly cosmic instrumental music that loves melding heavy riffing with proggy keyboard landscapes – so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Astra Symmetry will be released on September 2nd 2016 via Napalm Records.
Moaning Cities is a psychedelic rock’n’roll band formed in Brussels late 2011.
After an eponym EP released in September 2012, pressed on 300 vinyl copies (sold out), Moaning Cities shaped its debut album ‘Pathways Through The Sail’ blending blues roots, fuzz guitars and sitar-driven psychedelia.
The album was released in Belgium in March 2014 on Mottow Soundz, a Brussels-based label.
In 2014 Moaning Cities opened for bands like Radio Moscow, Jacco Gardner, The Warlocks, Wall of Death, The Feeling of Love, and toured in Belgium, France & Switzerland, including DOUR Festival and the DesertFest of Antwerp.
Moaning Cities is behind the first Brussels psychedelic music festival called STELLAR SWAMP.
Check their new album, “D.Klein”, on Exag’ Records.
1000mods is a psychedelic/heavy rock band from Chiliomodi, Greece. They were formed in the summer of 2006, and since then they have played over 200 live shows, sharing the stage with bands like The Black Keys, Graveyard, Brant Bjork, Colour Haze, The Atomic Bitchwax, Karma to Burn and many more. They are known for their commitment to vintage equipment, thick and heavy analog sound and remarkably passionate stage performances.
All Them Witches are a neo-psychedelic, dark blues quartet from Nashville. They unapologetically use the music of earlier eras to forge a loose, spacy, hard rock sound of their own. While it is easy to pick out influences — including Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Mountain, Gris-Gris and Sun, Moon & Herbs-era Dr. John, and the electric Delta swamp blues of Junior Kimbrough — it is much more difficult to pin them down due to a unique meld of crafted songwriting and spacious grooves.
Fronted by bassist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., the lineup is rounded out by drummer Robby Staebler, guitarist Ben McLeod, and Allan Van Cleave on Fender Rhodes, organ, and other instruments. Parks met Staebler while they were working at “a corporate hippie store.” Staebler gave him some music he had been writing and playing with McLeod; it inspired Parks to jam with them. Staebler’s pal, keyboardist Van Cleave, was also invited and All Them Witches were born.
The bandmembers credit the group’s birthdate as January 6, 2012. Almost immediately they began recording. Their debut album, Our Mother Electricity, was the first release on Germany’s Elektrohasch by an American band. The band immediately set to work on a follow-up, issuing the EP Extra Pleasant, recorded with two microphones direct to a cassette recorder. They began a grueling touring schedule and garnered a multitude of fans, who were encouraged to record and trade concert tapes with one another. Lightning at the Door was quietly self-released through the quartet’s Bandcamp page in early 2014, and later marketed by Tone Tree Music. All Them Witches received international critical attention for this recording, all the while continuing to tour. Their profile increased during a series of dates with doom rockers Windhand.
All Them Witches signed to New West in early 2015. They played to intense fanfare at music festivals such as SXSW and Bonnaroo. The label licensed Lightning at the Door for reissue. The band recorded its third album in Pigeon Forge, in eastern Tennessee. They set up a studio in a remote cabin where they lived and worked, and finished the album in six days. Dying Surfer Meets His Maker was released at the end of October in 2015. Since that the released 2 high end live recordings “At The Garage” and “Live In Brusseles”.
The music of The Great Machine is very powerful. Two words: Riffs forward. The Brothers Haviv produce a heavy aggressive riff, that worships at the same time Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin ; From the back Yitzhaki kills with his drums . Some things make this simplicity wins. First, the free spirit and wild feeling that the Great Machine spreads, their stage behavior immediately releases the rocker in the mind , even if it is quite suppressed.
Lo Sound Desert is a documentary by Joerg Steineck about the rock music scene in the ‘Low Desert’ of California.
What was started by revolting punk rock kids, hidden from narrow-minded authorities of sub-urban desert communities in the early 80s, gave birth to bands like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age.
With its unique artistic approach the film provides a deep, intimate insight and captures the attitude of the ‘Coachella Valley’s’ music scene – from jamming all night in the middle of a surreal desert landscape to headlining European stages, – “Desert Rock” continued its underground spread and became international treasure.
LIVE ON STAGE: POTTWAL MOTHERS OF THE LAND
Imagine an UFO overtaking an ancient tractor. Right beside the local chapel, Pottwal does the soundtrack for this scenario. Pottwal is influenced by Space, Stoner and Psychedelic Rock.
Pottwal is Exhibit A that the very best Space Rock is now coming out of Germany. Great guitar jams, killer rhythms, dreamy, lysergic vocals define these psychedelic space jams. While this music is more like good Mescaline than Acid, it still gets you to the same place.
Mothers of the Land is a rock group founded 2012 in Vienna consisting Georg Pluschkowitz on the guitar, Johannes ‘Jon’ Zeininger on the bass and Jakob Haug on the drums. After having tried different formations they found their ideal constellation with Jack Jindra on the second guitar.
In June 2016 they released their debut album ‘Temple without Walls’.
Those infamous sludge outlaws WEEDEATER are where true Southern rock and metal meet raw humour, old religion, as well as weed and whiskey. ‘Goliathan’ embodies the band’s trademark shuffle and swagger at their fullest. Syrupy slow riffs are buoyed by canyon-deep bass and some of the hardest-hitting drumming since Keith Moon. Full-on bruisers such as “Cain Enabler”, “Claw of the Sloth”, and the aptly-named “Bully” demonstrate that their latest album ‘Goliathan’ is delivering a vintage WEEDEATER and the soon-to-be gold standard of Southern sludge metal.
At its founding, the band rose like a doobie phoenix out of the ashes of BUZZOV•EN. When the cult sludge act called it a day, bass player Dave “Dixie” Collins teamed up with guitarist Dave “Shep” Shepherd and founded WEEDEATER in the harbor town of Wilmington about the year 1998. Their crushing and massive first full-length ‘…and Justice for Y’all’ (2001) created an immediate buzz, while critics were struggling to put a tag on their sound.
Nearly everybody agreed that stoner rock, doom, sludge and some crusty elements were part of the mix, which the band simply calls “weed metal”.
“Goliathan” was released in 2015 on Seasons Of Mist Records.
Throughout the instrumental cinematic rock landscapes of Yawning Man, the post-Ventures, haunting melodies & composition of guitarist Gary Arce are constantly being stretched, up-ended and sent deep into dark Joy Division territory, by the weird chords and heavy bass grooves of Mario Lalli and drummer Bill Stinson. The result is the kind of brooding and thunderous atmosphere that draws you constantly inward.
Yawning Man´s latest effort “Historical Graffiti” was initiated from a very special recording session done during the bands 2015 South American tour while in Buenos Aires, Agentina. The band was invited to record for one evening at the world famous and legendary ION Studios.The session featured guest apperences by Argentininian tango musicians Sara Ryan on violin and Adolfo Trepiana on bandoneon accordion as well as Malene Arce (wife of Gary Arce) on the Mellotron.
An Argentinian newspaper once wrote that the “condensed history of the nations music“ was to be found behind Ion’s doors, and they were spot-on with this description. Some of the country’s brightest musical legends, such as Astor Piazzolla, have reacted like ions with other musicians, and the energy that was released during this process condensed in the form of numerous classic records… As the largest and most legendary sound studio in Buenos Aires, Ion remains one of the most remarkable recording venues in the world. It’s energy is evident in the spontaneous edgy beauty created by the band in this collaboration of special artists in a very special place.
LSD and the Search for God hit the Northern California coast in 2005––seemingly from another place and time––dosing audiences with hypnotic performances built upon swirling guitar sounds, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop melodies, and dreamy vocal harmonies. As reviews of their first shows drew comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Yo La Tengo, Spacemen 3, and Sonic Youth, the band quickly developed a must-see reputation within San Francisco’s underground psychedelic music community.
After only a handful of shows, Kurt Heasley asked the band to play with Lilys in San Francisco in spring of 2006. Shortly after, they were invited on two separate West Coast tours: first with Spectrum (Sonic Boom of Spaceman 3), then with Creation Records’ The Telescopes (on their first-ever tour to the U.S.).
In 2007, LSD signed with indie label Mind Expansion and their self-titled debut EP sold out from the record label and its distributors before the official release date. The EP was subsequently picked up and reissued on vinyl (Deep Space Recordings, 2008). Around this time, LSD was featured on three additional compilations: Mind Expansion Vol. 1, M.E. Vol. 2, and Australian nugazer compilation Take Me on the Wildest Spree (Rubber Records/EMI, 2008).
The momentum that was generated—from their live shows and stellar reviews of the sold-out EP—paved the way for years of more West Coast gigs, three U.S. tours, a Canadian tour, and festival invites—including a 2013 appearance at The Black Angels’ annual Austin Psych Fest.
In addition to shows with Lilys, Spectrum, and The Telescopes, LSD and the Search for God have shared bills with A Place to Bury Strangers, Dead Meadow, The Warlocks, Medicine, Dead Skeletons, Martin Rev (Suicide), Mark Gardener (Ride), and DJs Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Brad Laner (Medicine), Nick Jago (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), and Colm O’Coissoig (My Bloody Valentine).
A new EP, Heaven Is a Place was released in 2016non Deep Space Recordings.
American doom/drone metal/dark ambient band Sunn O))) formed as a tribute to Earth (2) (and named after this band’s amplifier brand of choice). The two founding members, Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson, have appeared at every concert and release under the SUNN O))) moniker. They have also been (and are) active in various other bands (Thorr’s Hammer, Khanate, Goatsnake, Burning Witch, KTL and others). Sunn O))) have employed a number of high-profile guests along the years such as Boris, Ulver, Scott Walker, Attila Csihar, Julian Cope, Oren Ambarchi, Merzbow and others.
Their latest full length LP Kannon is an album which was composed in the aftershadow of SUNN O)))’s most recent successes in immersive collaboration (the group worked with Scott Walker on Soused, Ulver on Terrestrials in 2013 and 2014) and also from the broad and influential wake of their epitimous Monolith’s & Dimensions . Kannon emerged both independently as a conceptual entity and with roots in the legacies of those projects, yet was fully realised years later, in 2015. The album is 36 minutes in length and consists of three pieces of a triadic whole : Kannon 1, 2 and 3.
The album celebrates many Sunn O))) traditions ; Kannon was recorded and mixed with Sunn O)))’s close colleague and coproducer Randall Dunn in Seattle, in Studio Litho, Aleph and Avast! ; and the LP includes performances by long term allies and collaborators Attila Csihar, Oren Ambarchi, Rex Ritter, Steve Moore and others. And at the core the composition centers around the dynamic and intense guitar and bass interplay of Sunn O)))’s founders : Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson.
It’s possibly the most figurative album Sunn O))) has created, which is unusual as they usually dwell in layers of abstraction and subjectivity. On the other hand the album is the most outright “metal” in years, drawing personal associations and memories of cherished albums like Panzerfaust and Twilight of the Gods again to the forefront of consciousness. At the third time it is very close to the cyclical character of mantra which the band has evolved into as a living creature, the enormity of intense sensate detail and manifestation of the live in concert face of Sunn O))), the organism that has flourished, metamorphosed and transcended tremendously over the past ten years.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, three-piece BIG|BRAVE plays sincere, long-form out-rock that ventures in to different directions — at times mournful and unsettling — their music plays out in to moon-bleached grunge where serene vocals crumble over scraping guitars bled of melody.
Sometimes it’s the sound you don’t make. Big|Brave chooses their silences carefully, oscillating between sparse, gentle arrangements and deep swells of noise. They are patient, their crescendos tidal and graceful. Heavy drums come up against haunting vocal melodies. Moody guitar tones swirl. Slowly they recede into something more atmospheric, a quiet that hangs thick like smoke. Something important is offered in the spaces between sounds. Listen for it, feel. It waits.
The Flying Eyes are a heavy, psychedelic rock band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland. Their name comes from a 1962 science fiction novel about giant, disembodied eyes that descend from outer space to control humanity…
Since forming, they have played support gigs for bands such as Dead Meadow, The Raveonettes, The Black Angels, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti among many others.
The Flying Eyes have swiftly achieved a notable following in Europe with extensive club tours and festival appearances.
In autumn 2013 the musicians Nils Meyer-Kahlen, Benedikt Brands, Paul Berghold and Patrick Windischbauer met in Graz.
Soon they realised that they were meant to create music together, so they formed High Brian.
They live and rehearse in Graz and produce their one of kind rocking-space-sound all over the Austrian club-scene.
On this way, they shared stage with like-minded artists like Danava, Vidunder, Kadavar, The Vintage Caravan and many more.
The guys from Stockholm, Hamburg, Graz and Linz spent many days and nights in the glow of lava lamps, weaving their carpet of sound consisting of a lot of Fuzz and Delay, lay, lay… To do so they take their influences from the past decades of Psychedelic music and climb into their own, personal time-machine.
Lo Sound Desert is a documentary by Joerg Steineck about the rock music scene in the ‘Low Desert’ of California.
What was started by revolting punk rock kids, hidden from narrow-minded authorities of sub-urban desert communities in the early 80s, gave birth to bands like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age.
With its unique artistic approach the film provides a deep, intimate insight and captures the attitude of the ‘Coachella Valley’s’ music scene – from jamming all night in the middle of a surreal desert landscape to headlining European stages, – “Desert Rock” continued its underground spread and became international treasure.
Lo Sound Desert is narrated by Josh Homme, Mario Lalli, Brant Bjork, Alfredo Hernandez, Scott Reeder, Sean Wheeler and many more from bands such as Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator among others… .
Yet one more band started after too many belgian beers under the sun of the ending summer of 2001, Year Of No Light slightly but undoubtly started to slide down to gloomier atmospheres as the inherent chaos of Bordeaux’s caves and harshness of winter made their common work. As the line-up was getting solid the band clarified their intentions and started to build the basis of what would be their first demo recorded in 2004.
More and more shows were played and the rather general critical acclaim of the demo quoting them as being “The Cure playing sludge” combined with live reviews becoming more and more encouraging compeled the band into the writing of new tracks that would finally end up on their first album “Nord”, recorded at Rec studio under the direction of Serge Morratel in the fall of 2005. This material was mastered early 2006 in New York with Alan Douches and ends up here on 2*LP gatefold via Atropine & E-vinyl and also there on Cd via Radar swarm and re-issued later in the US via Crucial Blast records.
Year of no Light spent most of the last 4 years spreading its enthralling psychedelic warfare to a continually growing audience. Alongside they parted ways with their singer (R.I.P) and recruited two other thirsty mercenaries. Shiran, of über-doom combo “Monarch!”, brings now his chthonian six strings to an already massive cathedral of noise and ambient drone tones. Mathieu, of deviant-electronics act “Aérôflôt”, strengthens ritualistic tribal rhythm patterns.
Out of their cave, they secluded into an old theater to record these 4 tracks catching every possible vibration of the trembling frame of this enlivened a new mansion. All the energy collected at that very moment forms “Ausserwelt”, the sophomore album of Year of no Light. Mystical emanations flow out of these riffs colliding into each other to an in ear-splitting shriek. Cranked amps and molested drums hurl their mourning chant as a choir intoning its final psalms at the dawn of the Last Judgment. Year of no Light follows the path opened by “Nord” towards more somber psychedelics, creating its own blend of black metal, sludge, drone or any other influence marked with the seal of darkness.
Hailing from the picturesque Northern Basque Country of France, Monarch! (which took their name from the darkest chapter of the CIA mind control program MK Ultra) unleash a slow motion avalanche of impossibly glacial, blackened sludge and hypnotic feedback, each song a series of epic tarpit riffage stretched out eternally over lumbering drums and the cavernous rumble of speaker cabinets. Over these yawning expanses of black void appears the demonic, throat-shredding shrieks and ghostly singing of Emilie….
Monarch! ‘s mega-crawling ambient doom/drone/sludge follows in the grand tradition of fellow tarpit adventurers Khanate, Corrupted, Melvins, and Black Sabbath, and accompany their music with an iconoclastic style.
One of Europe’s most recognized extreme doom metal bands, “Sabbracadaver”, their latest album is the band’s most immense and inducing album to date, a ritualistic and enchanting obsessive work of down-tuned amplifier worship doom that painfully crawls and seductively entrances.
roadtriptoouttaspace.com 