Female fronted hard rock band ROYAL THUNDER break out of the Atlanta metal scene with their full length album debut CVI (Roman numeral 106). They formed in 2007 and released a seven song EP in late 2009. The four piece group has a bluesy, psychedelic feel to them that garner them comparisons to LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH. Many of CVI’s tracks are haunting and possess the doom that both of those legendary bands had earlier in their careers. This correlation suggests that ROYAL THUNDER have a long career ahead of them.
I was instantly drawn in by the opening track “Parsonz Curse”. The title is clever and humorous because the singer/bassist’s name is Mlny Parsonz. In a sense, Parsonz places a curse on the listener of not being able to resist falling in love with her voice. This is the song that reminded me the most of early SABBATH’s sound of doom and ended being my favorite of the album. Some other tracks that stuck out to me are “Blue”, “Sleeping Witch”, and “South of Somewhere”. The two things I loved about “Blue” were the background vocals and the jam-like feeling to it. It reminded me of some Zeppelin tunes because of the way Parsonz sings throughout the track and the way she phrases her words. “Sleeping Witch” is the only song on the album that also appeared on the 2009 EP. The song sounds similar to THE MOODY BLUES’ “Nights in White Satin” and has that slightly eerie feel to it. At around the 1:50 mark though, it crashes into becoming a heavier tune. Finally, “South of Somewhere” captured my attention because it started with the sound of wind chimes; an interesting way for a hard rock band to begin a song. The guitars in the sound are similar to the ones heard on the last MASTODON album The Hunter. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that both bands come from the same area/scene.
Overall, I really enjoyed the album. The songs are of various lengths and although many exceed the five minute mark, none feel too long. No two songs are the same but that doesn’t mean they don’t all belong on the album. They flow together quite nicely and the listener never feels bored. I believe we can expect great things from ROYAL THUNDER in the future.
It seems like yesterday I was extolling the virtues of Snakes For the Divine (eOne), the last album from Oakland’s HIGH ON FIRE. That album was a masterpiece of raw musical fury and wild guitar abandon. I wasn’t sure the band could top that effort, nor did I think they would try to. At this point the band, led by Matt Pike (SLEEP) has little to prove, has built a strong following and rocks stages the world over. Their new album takes the approach of not trying fixing what isn’t broken, but still attempting to grow sonically and especially lyrically. Although you can make a case that every HoF album has a theme behind it, De Vermis Mysteriis is truly a full fledged concept album in the purest sense. The album title translates to “Mysteries of the Worm” and comes from mind of author’s like Robert Block (Psycho) H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos. The rest of the story has to do with Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception and the would be son of God’s ghost of his dead in-utero twin, who becomes a time traveler. Still with me? No, I am not quite high enough to fully get this concept yet, but it sounds pretty cool to me.
Prepare to be bowled over from the first notes of this album. “Serums of Liao” thunders alive with a crazy drum fill before launching an all-out assault on your senses. Just a wave of jagged riffs and ferocious drumming the band has come to be known for. Right away Pike sounds like his usually raging, unhinged self. Right from the first chorus, there is a hint of more melody underneath the weight of his gravely voice. Rather than play a typical guitar solo when you might expect it, the band engages in a unified tribal breakdown for the ages. Later on, when Pike does shred he favors texture and style over flash. This song is so ripping it’s ridiculous. Des Kensel murders his drum kit and Jeff Matz sneaks in a some fluid walking bass lines as well. Together they are one of the best rhythm sections in metal. My ears were kind of exhausted from listening to the opening track on repeat a few times. But when I did finally play “Bloody Knuckles”, I was amped! Definitely in the stoner groove vein of the bands’ earlier material. Nasty and hostile, the song just jams. The single “Fertile Green” is next and you just know there are gonna be some titles with smoke references on a HIGH ON FIRE album. Super thrashy sounding, the song has a main lick that careens back and forth between your speakers and ear drums. Pike again has the grit going in his voice, but manages to bring new possibilities with his vocals lines calling to mind a TOM WAITS or LEMMY. Both drums and bass again have slick little solo breaks as each musical part of the band carries their own weight. Hats off to producer Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, CAVE IN, ISIS, TRAP THEM, KEN MODE) for bringing this band to new heights and capturing all of the blissful chaos. “Madness of An Architect” is really a throwback to SLEEP and all the great doom of yesteryear. Just a dirge made of tube shattering chords and grinding riffery. Definitely a track to burn one to, it almost has a MELVINS-like quality which I have observed before in their writing. “Samsara” is an epic, moody instrumental track that could be straight out of 1973. There is some great soulful lead playing on this track too. The song “Spiritual Rights” is at the heart of the meaning of the album. Great lyrics and crushing riffs. With its superior drumming it could easily share a musical ancestor with MOTORHEAD’s “Overkill”. “King Of Days” is another sludge metal masterpiece. It is so slow and harsh, yet has a great tunefulness to it. Matz channels his inner GEEZER BUTLER and JOHN PAUL JONES here as well. The title track is another killer tune. All of HoF’s albums are deep and full of well written songs, but this is kind of ridiculous. “Romulus and Remus” is another SABBATH-ian epic with a chopping riff that will blow your top off and have lots of kids working on their picking technique. The opus closes out with “Warhorn” which is as mighty in sound as it is in name. Sort of an aural bastard child blending SAINT VITUS and C.O.C. It’s hard to believe that this might be the bands’ finest hour, but it is. Raise your glass, bong and devil horns high with full respect!
METAL ARMY PRESENTS: Stoner metal heavies HIGH ON FIRE, with INDIAN and IT’S CASUAL at the Viper Room – November 12th in Hollywood, CA!
Next week we will be interviewing IT’S CASUAL frontman Eddie Solis, and giving away two tickets to the show on November 12th. So stay tuned! …or you’re not trve.
Amarok (Orca Wolf)
There have been so many variations of sludge and doom over the past five years or so that all but the purists and the dedicated sometimes forget about what the straightest path to a musical destination sounds like. It’s never quite that simple though, is it? What some hear as monotone and unwavering, others hear as hypnotic and subsonic. How does a band then move in one direction in a way is most purposeful and least likely to induce sleep? Well, I’m not exactly certain, but I do know that Northern California’s Amarok do it – and do it well – on their two-track, self-titled vinyl LP.
Consisting of two aptly titled cuts (“I” and “II”), which can be found – unsurprisingly – on Side A and Side B, respectively, where Amarok excel with their brand of scathing doom is not in the art of fucking about. It is in their ability to stay the course for nearly 13 minutes on “I” and nearly 17 on “II” without boring the ever living shit out of anyone that’s not a doomster of resolute dedication. It is all about subtle, yet smart, variation and keen accent, as exemplified by the weaving of melancholic moments into the suffocating crush of “II” or the particularly deft manner in which sadistic sludge shrieks are alternated with death growls on “I.”
You may not catch it the first time around, but you’ll hear enough to bring you right back to it at which point you will become captive to the flowing lava, falling rocks, and funeral-procession pace. You’ve got to appreciate a band that sticks to the fundamentals and doesn’t try to do so goddamned much, yet still sounds “musical” within its chosen genre constructs. In other words, you’ll visit for the cranium-splintering heaviness and end up staying for the sharply subtle compositional values. “Wow” is probably going too far. “Damn solid” seems more fitting.
Oh yeah, you can also download the album for free at this location www.orcawolf.com, but please consider donating at least a few bucks for it. Better yet, buy the vinyl!
Over the course of two proper full lengths and a split with Japanese psych-doomsters Eternal Elysium, the Los Angeles duo of Black Cobra have carved out a niche of minimalist, riff-obsessed stoner metal which has struck a chord with fans all the way to the opposite coast.
Invernal is the band’s third effort, and cements this reputation with what is arguably the strongest collection of songs and lick attacks yet to be heard from the Cobra; a burly release which sounds far more gargantuan than the guitarist/vocalist and drummer lineup would have to attest.
Not much has changed, of course, with Black Cobra still churning out rhythmic, percussive riff barrages in short, sharp bursts while ex-16 and Acid King skinsman Rafael Martinez create a rolling thunderstorm of double bass rumbling to set it all off proper. The harsh vocals of ex-Cavity axeman Jason Landrian are listenable yet still extreme in that semi-shouted way popular with many caveman stoner outfits of the day, yet with a certain additional aggro to them which placed Landrian in the upper echelon of its practitioners.
If one were to start anywhere with Black Cobra, Invernal is probably the best option, as no prior full length so convincingly sets up the band’s straight forward, to the point riff assault. Solid.
As a member of NOTHINGFACE Bill Gaal burst on the scene in the mid 1990s and left a lasting impression. A terrific songwriter and producer in his own right, Bill has branched out since the band called it a day and now fronts his own group in the project IN FOR THE KILL. Metal Army caught up with him to see what he is up to and what fans can expect from his new album and other ventures.
MAA: Please tell us about the progress of your second record with IN FOR THE KILL.
BG: Things are just about to wrap up with the new album. Of the 13 songs that were recorded, 10 made it onto the album. The other 3 will probably be released at another time. I started mixing the album today, should have everything wrapped up by the end of September. The artwork is almost finalized, just some last minute details to work out. The songs on this record are a bit more complex than the last one, so everything has taken a bit longer to finish than I originally anticipated.
These days Bill is a comfortable behind the board as he is center stage.
MAA: Will IN FOR THE KILL always be a revolving door of musicians?
BG: That was always the plan, to keep making these records with all of my friends and favorite musicians. I like the different dynamic that it introduces to each recording. It also allows me to capture a moment in time with each album, kind of a time capsule of who I was hanging with at those points in my life. That being said, there is always the chance that the perfect lineup could come together and the band stays that way for a while. I wouldn’t ruin a great band for no good reason!
MAA: Do you have any trepidation being the front man of this band as opposed to the just the bassist or guitar player?
BG: I’m naturally a pretty confident person, so fronting a band was never really much of an issue for me. I love communicating with an audience and playing these songs. The thing that took a while to get used to was that the audience does not go ape shit crazy and beat the hell out of each other like they did at NOTHINGFACE shows. People actually listen to the songs. It was difficult to tell if anyone was even digging the stuff at first, until after the shows, when I got a chance to talk to fans and hang out. Its a different crowd, this is a Rock band, not Metal, so people are coming to the shows for different reasons. I did do a couple of shows just as a front man, no guitar, and that was a little weird. But overall, it’s been a really natural transition for me. IN FOR THE KILL is not the first band I have fronted, there was KINGDOM OF SNAKES and LOVERS REVOLT as well, so at this point I’ve been fronting my own bands for about 8 years.
NOTHINGFACE in better, stranger times.
MAA: You must be stoked to work with Chris Houck again. What does Chris bring to the table that other drummers don’t have?
BG: It was great to work with Chris again, it had been a lot of years since we had done anything together. Chris and I grew up together and spent most afternoons after school just jamming for hours and hours, and then later on, started NOTHINGFACE. Chris brings a lot of groove and swing, which is always interesting when your talking about heavy music. The music that I had written for this album was definitely influenced by the music that Chris and I grew up listening to in the ’70′s, so that allowed us and I to approach this record with a very different approach than any of the music that we had ever worked on before. Chris has a focus and attention to detail that really comes through in the drum parts that he writes. His playing really brought these songs to another level.
MAA: Is it feasible for you to ever bring IN FOR THE KILL on the road?
BG: I would love to take IN FOR THE KILL out on the road, but only if it makes sense. I’m busy most of the time with my production work, which doesn’t really give me a lot of free time to go out on tour. But if the right tour came around, I would definitely put together a touring version of the band, like I did in 2006, and get out there and play some shows. If the demand is there to see the band, I’ll make it happen!
MAA: What is going on with your various projects like your record label and your production work?
BG: Right now, my main focus is my production work (other than finishing up the IFTK album). I work with developing artists, whether its songwriting, production, or just engineering on projects for other producers I work with. I’ve also been mixing a few project lately, finished up some mixes for WEEZER a few months ago and just did a mix for Matt Sorum’s new project. I’m also mixing the new IN FOR THE KILL album as we speak.
BG: The label side of my company, S6 Records, is still in development. At this time I’m just using it to release my own material. At some point in the future, I will begin to release other artists as well.
An essential album for 90s metal fans. Killer songs, great playing and nothing "nu" about it.
MAA: Will we ever see NOTHINGFACE reunite again?
BG: I hope so. I’d love to do another record with the guys, but it’s difficult to get everyone in the same room these days. Schedules are always conflicting, and we seem to always manage to piss each other off right when things are getting interesting. Tom (Maxwell) and I have been talking about doing an album, something really heavy, when he gets a break from HELLYEAH, but that will be down the road a little bit.
For more info on IN FOR THE KILL and Bill Gaal check out their ReverbNation page.
Murder and rock n roll was the case that they gave NEMHAIN.
NEMHAIN, named for the Irish mythology name Nemain that means “faire spirits of war” is back with a brand new EP. The band is led by notable drummer Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES/PARADISE LOST/THE HAUNTED/CRADLE OF FILTH\BRUJERIA) and his wife Amber on vocals who was a one time stage performer with CoF and MOTORHEAD. Playing a mix of boogie rock swagger, punk rock freedom, goth imagery and swampy stoner metal the band has popped up as a cool side-project from time to time. They released the quality From The Ashes (Tiefdruck) album in 2010. Their new EP is a teaser for their next full length album next year. This project is interesting mainly for Erlandsson since he has such legendary albums/bands to his credit and any project he touches often turns to musical gold. Luckily for the fans his abilities and interests are so varied that he is always contributing to something out of the ordinary.
The EP is composed of three new songs and a cover. “Natural Born Sinners” is a fuzzed out rock jam to the nth degree. Amber has a voice that is both tough and passionate enough to match the driving rock feel of the song. When she sings “Fuck The World! Crash And Burn!” it is not a contrivance in any way. Her delivery is pure lava and she has a grittiness in her rasp that is perfect for this sound. “Seriously Ill” could’ve been a track off of the first DANZIG album back in 1988. Slow, sultry and evil the track has a beautiful groove to it. Some cool riffs that swing and sway are provided by Lais Kryiacou (AREA 54/LOVE & BULLETS) and Sam Astley (EWWS/SANGEETA). Erlandsson pounds out a neat tribal beat in the middle section as the song boils over towards the ending. Plus what is more metal than a song about good old liquid courage? “Love 4 Death” is an short uptempo jam that will have you headbanging! As he does in all his projects Erlandsson does just what is needed for the song, adding cool little fills all the time, but never overplaying. There are some great harmony vocals chipped in by bassist Lisa (The Witch) Dickinson as well. The final track is a choice cover of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL’s classic rock staple “Bad Moon Rising”. As the band has done previously with songs by THE MISFITS, NIRVANA and THE GITS they put their own spin on “Bad Moon…” and totally make it their own piece with an almost ALICE IN CHAINS type vibe. It’s almost like the song should have always sounded like this. I have to say this little EP is a lot more enjoyable than the waves of phoney bands in a similar style that seem to be foisted on the world of late. These guys get it right and I’m looking forward to the next full length release in 2012.
Hard to believe that Oakland’s Saviours are about to release their fourth long player, but it’s true.
When it comes to the glut of post-Sleep/High On Fire acts, Saviours and The Sword have always stood relatively high above the competition in terms of quality and honesty of execution. In particular, Saviours have proven their mettle in the live situation, offering a much more traditional/NWOBHM-influenced attack than is led on by their studio output.
Death’s Procession amps this up a little more, however, driving home the band’s much more energetic and entertaining live show within the confines of a studio record, sounding comparatively frantic ‘n crackling to the band’s earlier efforts. Less emphasis is placed on speed here, with many songs instead choosing to revel in a Trouble-meets-Priest rage, focusing their energy on dual guitar dynamics and lengthy, warm-sounding bar jams.
The vocals of guitarist Austin Barber are still a point of contention, however, as the whole ‘yelling in key’ shtick has been beaten into the ground at this point. Barber DOES tone it down a bit on Death’s Procession, however, indulging in his best early Hetfield impression with results that are, at this point, the best for which we can probably hope. Overall, this album is surprisingly enjoyable, and defies the hype machine so closely associated with this scene. Death’s Procession is solid proof that Saviours do indeed have something musically to say.
Okay, get off my ass on the ‘plural’ vs. ‘singular’ debate long enough to see that I’m talking about the great Oakland warriors of SAVIOURS who have announced that their new album will be called ‘Death’s Procession’ and it will be available on September 6th. Out of all of the stoner metal bands that are in our scene at the moment, SAVIOURS’ beer-soaked tunes have always been my favorite. This band is a cut above the scene with their wild live show and charismatic songs. This album is sure to rock you hard so be on the lookout for it.
What’s even better is that SAVIOURS are already planning to hit the road in support of ‘Death’s Procession’, unfortunately for me though the band won’t be coming through NYC in the immediate future so I expect all of you to go to their shows in your respective cities and rock the fuck out in my place.
SAVIOURS – 2011 TOUR DATES
Sept 1 – Oklahoma City OK @ Conservatory
Sept 2 – Lawrence KS @ Jackpot w/ Bison B.C.
Sept 3 – St Louis MO @ Fubar w/ Bison B.C.
Sept 4 – Nashville TN @ The End w/ Bison B.C.
Sept 5 – Asheville NC @ Lexington Ave Brewery w/ Bison B.C.
Sept 6 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade*
Sept 7 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar*
Sept 8 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter*
Sept 11 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs*
Sept 13 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Place*
Sept 14 – Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall*
Sept 15 – Columbus, OH @ Outland Live*
Sept 16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme*
Sept 17 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club*
Sept 18 – Marquette, MI @ Upfront And Company*
Sept 19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club*
Sept 20 – Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company*
Sept 23 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge*
Sept 24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge*
Sept 26 – Seattle, WA @ The Highline*
Sept 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre*
Sept 28 – Portland, OR @ Branx*
Sept 29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
Oct 1 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar*
Oct 2 – West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club*
Oct 4 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad*
Oct 6 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s*
Oct 7 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s*
Oct 8 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia*
Oct 9 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl*
Oct 10 – Athens, GA @ New Earth Music Hall*
Oct 11 – Tallahassee, FL @ Engine Room*
Oct 12 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum*
Oct 14 – Savannah, GA @ The Jinx*
* w/ Weedeater, Bison B.C., Fight Amp
Barn Burner-Bangers II: Scum of the Earth (Metal Blade)
Proving that Canada must have their fair share of the hipster quotient per capita, Montreal’s Barn Burner once again amp up every ‘stupid metalhead’ cliche in an attempt to sell the genre and lifestyle to a willing audience of wink/nudge irony-fiends, anxious to relive an era which wasn’t theirs in the first place.
It’s been done a million times before: a carbon copy xerox of that stripped down, early thrash sound; dependent upon the NWOBHM oeuvre for inspiration and siphoning the speed of Motorhead and punk rock for adrenaline fuel. Stoner-fied and soulless, Bangers II possesses capable guitar work which centers heavily on pentatonic blues scales, stuttering syncopation and dual Maiden melodies, yet loses points for an unfocused, lackadaisical approach to the ‘groaning in key’ style of vocals made so popular by the genre’s unwashed practitioners…who were probably listening to indie rock five years ago, anyway.
Ultimately, music like this not only insults the exciting memories of early thrash and metal, it insults the genre as a whole within its thinly veiled attempts to stylize and package an entire musical genre in such sad, succinct terms. Heavy metal is much more than ham-fisted riffs and beer bongs, yet bands like Barn Burner seem to feel utterly content presenting the genre as such. So be it, but don’t expect those with enough common sense to fall for the shenanigans.
