Comments Off on TRUCKFIGHTERS’ Tour Van Smashed And Looted In San Francisco; Valuable Items Stolen
Stoner rock/metal trio TRUCKFIGHTERS from Sweden are currently touring the US, playing back to back dates on the West Coast. Yesterday night when they were busy performing live at the Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, some miscreants barged in to smash the band’s tour van, thus looting a lot of valuable things like cash and computers, that were inside the vehicle. While the thugs managed to run free and haven’t been caught yet, the band managed to make a Facebook post about it. Making their fans aware, the band said things like “a lot of cash” and computer were stolen from the van. This is definitely a grave issue as they are touring away from home and cash is very necessary while on tour, the band therefore made a plea to the American fans to buy some extra merch on the remaining tour dates, so that they can survive and get home back with the profit from the following merch sales. Here’s the band’s following statement on their official Facebook site,
Comments Off on Album Review: HOBOSEXUAL – Monolith
Hobosexual
Monolith
Kitchentable Records
Monolith, the stunning third album from Seattle’s Hobosexual, is a tough beast to wrap your head around. How is it that these two guys, Jeff Silva (who plays the everloving shit out of the drums) and Ben Harwood (who does everything else), are able to make a sound this lush and full? How, exactly, were they able to get their hands on my entire music collection from 1983 to 1997? And how in the hell did they figure out how to play it all at once? I’ve listened to this record over and over and over and over in search of an answer, and all I’ve got to show for it is two throbbing eardrums, a blown mind and a thoroughly kicked ass. Monolith is a jaw-dropping genre-smasher, like grinding up and snorting everything you’ve ever like about loud n’ hard heavy rock.
Comments Off on Album Review: KADAVAR – ‘Rough Times’
Kadavar
Rough Times
Nuclear Blast Records
Forget the fuzzed-out riffs and the monster choruses, forget the facial hair and silk-and-velvet trappings; the single most ‘70’s thing about Kadavar might be their work ethic. The German stoner-psych trio has been in perpetual motion since their 2010 debut, locked in an album-tour-album-tour cycle that harkens back to the days of their musical forefathers, when bands plied and honed their craft through countless live shows and more than a year between records was simply unheard of. The end result of this ideology couldn’t be more evident. The band has become an incendiary live act, and each of their albums has built on the strengths of its predecessor. To say that trend continues here is a massive understatement; 2015’s Berlin was one of that year’s best albums, but with Rough Times, Kadavar may end up with the 2017 title all to themselves.
Comments Off on Album Review – WARFARING STRANGERS: ACID NIGHTMARES
Fifty years ago, the much-vaunted but short-lived Summer of Love burned out nearly as fast as it began, and the Sixties began its death march toward Cielo Drive and Altamont Speedway. Choked out by lethal doses of greed and drugs, groovy-baby, flower-in-your-hair psychedelia quickly gave way to bad trips and endless bummers, speed freaks and acid burnouts. The sounds of an era roiled by perpetual tumult and social upheaval transformed and mutated as well, into something harder-edged, more sinister; less It’s A Beautiful Day and Scott McKenzie, more Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath. And while Alice Cooper has claimed responsibility for his group “driving a stake through the heart of the Love Generation,” the bands represented on the Numero Group’s new compilation Acid Nightmares show that his namesake act were but one link in a worldwide network of accomplices, and that sonically speaking, the Hippie movement died a death of a thousand cuts.
Comments Off on Review: MONSTER MAGNET – ‘Spine of God’/’Tab’ Reissues
In this day and age of the deluxe vinyl reissue, few releases are more deserving than ‘Spine of God,’ the debut album from New Jersey Stoner pioneers Monster Magnet. To whet our appetites for a forthcoming studio album later this year, on September 1st the good folks at Napalm Records are releasing ‘Spine of God’ (and its follow-up ‘Tab’) on glorious heavyweight vinyl for the very first time. Finally, this stone-cold classic of the genre can be appreciated in the same way as the Yes and Led Zeppelin classics mentioned in ‘Spine of God’’s Rock-and-Roll-as-Dark-Ritual stomper “Nod Scene;” with “seeds bustin’ up the spine.”
Comments Off on New ORANGE GOBLIN Album To Feature MOTORHEAD’s Phil Campbell; Europe And US Tour Dates Unveiled
London’s ORANGE GOBLINhave finally officially announced that the writing process has begun for a brand new album, slated for release in spring 2018.
The new record will be their first for the Candlelight label since being acquired by Spinefarm/Universal and will be recorded early next year at Orgone Studios in the UK with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost,Cathedral, ParadiseLost, AngelWitch, etc.) Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CLUTCH
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Clutch.
This Saturday, Maryland rockers Clutch are bringing a barrage of fantastic music to Chicago Open Air. The quartet will be headlining the BlackCraft Stage at 7:20. Personally, I’m looking forward to these guys as much as anyone else playing at the fest. They have released 11 albums and every single one of them kick ass. The pure rock fury that they deliver is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Neil Fallon has the perfect voice for a mix of blues and rock and roll and is one of the most unique vocalists I’ve heard. Tim Sult overloads our minds with extremely catchy riffs that make for fun jam sessions. Check out our interview with Tim at the Louder Than Life festival last year here. Jean-Paul Gaster is severely underrated on the drums. To fully appreciate Gaster, I recommend checking out his work in The Bakerton Group. The Bakerton Group is literally all four members of Clutch except it’s an instrumental band instead. Dan Maines also drives several grooves of the band on the bass. His work is especially strong on their debut record ‘Transnational Speedway League’ on songs like “A Shogun Named Marcus” and “El Jefe Speaks”. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Review: SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT – ‘One With The Universe’ [Album Stream]
In less than two weeks, Samsara Blue Experiment‘s fourth full length album officially releases. The trio formed in Germany in 2007 and is well praised in the stoner/doom/psychedelic rock community. ‘One With The Universe’ will be released via Electric Magic Records, the band’s second album on the label. The artwork you see above was created by French artist Michel Bassot. Samsara Blues Experiment lives up to their name by experimenting a little bit more with synthesizers than they have on past records. They still manage to maintain the focus of putting forth heavy material while also adding in new elements to open more doors for the band. Although it doesn’t drop physically until May 12th, you can already stream the album online. The band worked with largely popular YouTube channel Stoned Meadow of Doom and you can actually listen to it below right now. If you like what you hear be sure to support the artists by pre-ordering the record here. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Review: WOODHAWK – ‘Beyond The Sun’
Artwork by Mark Kowalchuk
Just this Friday, Calgary, Alberta band Woodhawk released ‘Beyond the Sun’ independently. They dropped their first EP in 2014 and are now here with their first album. With slamming, groovy riffs, the band’s first full length record brings you back to the early 70s rock n roll sound with several different lyrical themes to keep it interesting. The trio recorded this album at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver BC. It was mixed by Jesse Gander, mastered by Brad Boatright, and produced by Gander and the band. The album artwork was created by Mark Kowalchuk. You can purchase ‘Beyond the Sun’ on Bandcamp or stream it below.
‘Beyond the Sun’ leads us in with a relaxed intro from the title track before taking off into a space-like dimension of riffs to prepare us for what is in store for the rest of the record. “The High Priest” (music video below) is a hard rock anthem filled with remarkable instrumentals and catchy choruses from Turner Midzain. Woodhawk continues to pack a huge punch in their sound with the thunderous “Living in the Sand”. This track features guest vocals from Kevin Keegan (Dead Quiet, ex-Mountain Dust, ex-Barn Burner). It’s a six minute epic with a full dose of 70s hard rock storming into your door with power and emotion overflooding your stereo. “Magnetic North” is a slow tempo, bluesy with booming bass from Mike Badmington and is plentiful of riffs that will put the listener into a trance. The album picks its pace back up with “Lawless” shredding through with that classic rock sound with a psychedelic edge. “Quest For Clarity” has an marvelous bass intro before exploding into another musical adventure with splendid work behind the drum kit from Kevin Nelson. The more relaxed guitar solo near the end is a beautiful work of art and builds tension before roaring back into the chorus. “A New Hope” has a neat guitar echo effect and obviously rotates around the theme of Star Wars. It doesn’t get much better than rock’n’roll about Star Wars! “Foresee the Future” is a slick two-minute instrumental with a desert-like tone to set the mood for the final song on the record. “Chrononaut” is definitely the most rifftastic song on the album with these huge sounds rushing to you at the speed of light. It takes a more mid-tempo turn towards the middle before closing out in dramatic fashion. Woodhawk has released a killer 9-track debut record not to be forgotten soon by fans of stoner rock. Make sure to follow Woodhawk on Facebook at the link below.
‘Beyond the Sun’ Tracklist
1. Beyond The Sun (3:57)
2. The High Priest (4:46)
3. Living In The Sand (6:03)
4. Magnetic North (4:13)
5. Lawless (3:06)
6. Quest For Clarity (4:14)
7. A New Hope (4:49)
8. Foresee The Future (2:12)
9. Chrononaut (5:19)
Woodhawk is:
Turner Midzain – Vocals/Guitar
Mike Badmington – Bass/Vocals
Kevin Nelson – Drums
Comments Off on Review: HEY SATAN – S/T [Album Stream]
Photo Credit: Pacifique Vuillemin
HEY SATAN is a rock trio from Lausanne, Switzerland. The band is comprised of long time friends, which you can easily hear their chemistry together. The friends were former members of the bands Shovel and Houston Swing Engine. They create a sound that is unique and encompasses several different elements that will appeal to fans of most any genre. From their fingertips to your ears the band brings heavy groove riffs, thundering beats and lyrics with attitude. Their influences range from Led Zepplin to Rage Against The Machine, which you can hear in their wide array of sounds within their songs. The band recently completed their debut self-titled album. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Serge Morratel at Rec Studio in Geneva, Switzerland and released via Cold Smoke Records on January 28th. The band delivers 10 stellar track, but you will become a fan before the opening track comes to an end. Continue reading →
