Tag Archives: San Francisco

Album Review: DISASTROID – ‘Screen’ [Album Stream]

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Recently this band came onto my radar after having their latest, September 2017 CD release essentially dropped into my lap by my editor here at Metal Nexus. Upon first listen, I was pleasantly surprised by their throwback, sludgey, stoner sound often reminiscent of Melvins and early Soundgarden. I’ve since given the album several more listens and each time discover more and more interesting nuances to enjoy. What stands out above all else with Disastroid’s ‘Screen’ is vibe. From front to back, this album emanates a heavy and relenting, chilled out, stoner vibe, while at times delving into well-placed moments of intense psychedelia. Like a VW bus hotboxed in a thick cloud of bong smoke, this record will envelope and intoxicate you as you succumb to its dark, dank, euphoric moods. Continue reading →

BLACK MAP Announce Surprise EP, ‘Trace The Path’ And New Music Video, “Let Me Out” [Video Stream]

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San Francisco alternative hard rock group, Black Map, releases a surprise EP today titled, ‘Trace the Path’ on Entertainment One. Off of the EP, the band also drops a brand-new music video for the opening track, “Let Me Out,” directed by Anthony J Garay.  Vocalist and bassist, Ben Flannagan comments about the sentimental and historical location chosen for the video, “We shot this video in the backroom of a bar called Homestead in San Francisco which was first opened all the way back in 1902. Five years ago, Mark and I were having beers at this very bar and decided that we should start a band together, so this space was kind of the inception of Black Map. We thought that it would be fitting to return to that spot and film the video for ‘Let me Out.'” Continue reading →

Virtuosity Defined – Raiju

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Illustration by Chasing Photons

Illustration by Chasing Photons

According to Wikipedia:

Raijū (雷獣,”thunder animal” or “thunder beast”) is a legendary creature from Japanese mythology. Its body is composed of lightning and may be in the shape of a cat, fox, weasel, or wolf. The form of a white and blue wolf (or even a wolf wrapped in lightning) is also common. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning (in fact, the creature may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.

Raiju is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the beast is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms it becomes agitated and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by Raiju’s claws).

Another of Raiju’s peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts Raijin to shoot lightning arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather, but other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.

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