Heartache And Hellscapes...

Without - Elaborations: I (2015)

The two lengthy tracks of this release add up to the first album from Minneapolis' metal band Without, who have some philosophy behind their style (if you want to read the screed in full, just check their BandCamp page).  The resultant music is slow, heavy, and near-devoid of hope, essentially funeral doom with a few twists to the formula.  The band makes strong use of controlled feedback run alongside clean but mournful vocals, taking their time to spin together an atmosphere of loss and longing, while the bass growls out its unforgiving mood.
While there's plenty of similarities between the two tracks, there's also individuality in the way they approach their execution, with "True Escape" acting as a more straight-forward prep for the twisting sorrows of "No One, Nowhere, Nothing".  The latter track also digs into some evolution of its melody across most of its run, growing more claustrophobically intense and pressurized.
The album is available digitally or as a 150-copy run of cassettes in hand-made fabric cases from Without's BandCamp page, so if you like your doom slow and sad, checking in on this will pay off pretty well for you.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Disenchanter, Evoken, NIXA, SaturninE, The Sleer

BandCamp

Without - True Escape (320 kbps)

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Swirl Together Now...

Frank Sabbath - Frank Sabbath (2015)

This first full album from France's trio of Frank Sabbath is quite a first step.  Swirling together heavy psych, blues, stoner rock, and a few other influences, FS deliver a heady concoction of cool grooves and heated riffs, backed by smoked-out vocals, snappy drum-work, and (of course) plenty of bass.  They've also got some great track flow going on, with one dove-tailing neatly into the next, and the album as a whole has great structuring, split into distinct (and titled) halves conceived by the band as sprawling sets.  Just make sure you have song gaps turned off when you play it, so the little delays don't detract from the band's hard work.

Whether they're getting lost in spacy trips or digging down with focus into a deep-trench groove, Frank Sabbath come off here with flying colors, and they're already hard at work on a follow-up.  Expect to see this one on my year-end Top 20 list, and keep your ears peeled for news on that second album.  If you find yourself in need of some more Frank Sabbath after listening to this for the first time (totally understandable), they've been kind enough to throw one of their jam sessions on BandCamp for free download, so dive in already.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Mondo Drag, Murder in the Cathedral, Quatrain, Vanilla Trainwreck

Facebook • BandCamp

Frank Sabbath - Incarnation (320 kbps)

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Getting Physical...

CHILD - Healer EP (2015)

Los Angeles' CHILD offer a enjoyable mixture of no-BS riffage, hazy psychedelic rock, and petulant, strutting grooves.  It's clear from the first song of their second release, Healer, that CHILD are all about getting straight to the point, saying what they have to say and getting the hell out.  The EP's longest song is only 5 minutes and with the whole thing lasting a mere 20 minutes, the release certainly doesn't outstay its welcome.

The most striking thing about Healer's five songs is how focused they are.  In a music landscape where many bands of CHILD's ilk work long atmospheric intros and extended spacy jams into their songs, CHILD feel punchy and very immediate.

The vocals are the most unusual aspect of the band - on all of Healer's five songs, the singer is bathed in reverb and echo, giving a trippy vibe to an otherwise fairly straight-up rock sound.  I generally tend to associate the sort of to-the-point riffage that CHILD trade in with reasonably clean, powerful vocals, perhaps in the vein of John Garcia or even Ozzy Osbourne.  Instead, what we get here is something that I would generally associate more with a slow-burning psych rock band than the riff-centric stoner rock of CHILD.  While it might be a little unexpected, it gives the band the unique edge that is needed to set any group apart in such a crowded scene.  It can at times be a little difficult to understand the lyrics - which is a shame as they are interesting – however, the juxtaposition of riff rock and hazy psych works well for them and definitely sets CHILD as their own band.

Also of note is the abundance of memorable motifs and solid hooks on this EP.  The pleasingly crunchy riff of “Window” reminds me of early Queens Of The Stone Age, while “Mountain” has an intro riff that will refuse to leave your head for a long time.  While Healer is brief to the point of fleeting, those with a taste for rock solid riffs and psychedelic inflections will find a lot to enjoy here.

~ Martin

For Fans Of; Black Sabbath, Earthless, Kadavar, Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age

BandCamp

CHILD - Mountain (320 kbps)

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Raising Hell In The Woods...

Rise of the Wood - Demo (2015)

Playing in the field of hard rock with a metal edge, this Dutch band and their six-track demo specialize in earthy, semi-rural material and attitude.  While the songs have a way to go in making themselves stand out from similar stuff, the band shows a knack for tight riffs and good synergy between the members, something that will see them in good standing for their future efforts.  Some more tonal variety would be nice, and a little more change-up with the drum's pacing wouldn't hurt either, but overall, it's a respectable demo showing the potential of this band without any big flaws.  Whether they follow their hard rock side or settle into a mellower groove base, I don't doubt that Rise of the Wood will continue playing hard and having fun with their music.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Five Black Bullets, Helltrain, Kyuss, Teacher, Queens of the Stone Age

SoundCloud

Rise of the Wood - Loner Jack (320 kbps)

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Toasted Coasts...

Ponamero Sundown - Veddesta (2015)

Van rock typically melts amp tubes via California, where the sand meets the sea and the West Coast gave birth to hot rods and skateboards.  When giving Ponamero Sundown a listen, your first instinct tells you these guys are definitely from the Left Coast, U.S.A.  The fuzz pedals and wah-wahs are fully engaged to the max; this has to be straight out of Southern Cali, right?
Wrong.
Ponamero Sundown calls Stockholm, Sweden, home and has blended their own version of good-time heavy rock, inspired by sounds of the '70s combined with a modern stoner twist.  The opening cowbell of “Bottom of the River” might as well serve as the ignition for the freeburn to follow.  With the first few notes of the track, it doesn’t take long to realize you’re in for a ride. Anders Martinsgård, on guitar, and Robert Trisches, on bass, get down to business quickly with plenty of riffs and tight licks in their pockets.  Trisches’ bass channels the best of John Entwistle at times, with hints of Tatsu Mikami.  In the meantime, Niclas Engwall brings pipes that are plenty strong to keep the ride moving.
Behind it all is the unforgiving drumming of Peter Eklund.  The man is a fill-master, laying down one perfect roll and cannon beat after another.  The drums on this album are some of the best I’ve heard in years.
Named after an industrial area in northern Stockholm, Veddesta has been Ponamero Sundown’s home base for years, where the album was written, and where it was primarily recorded, according to the band.  This is a heavy dosage of maximum fuzzed-out rock and roll that keeps the party flowing like a well-waxed boogie van making the Saturday night scene.
Ponamero Sundown never fall into the trap of overplaying or self indulgence.  They bang it out and move along.  Veddesta and all the burnage from Ponamero Sundown’s fuzz flavor is available now via Transubstans Records, with a vinyl release set for December 11. 

~ Andy

Facebook • BandCamp

Ponamero Sundown - Broken Trust (320 kbps)

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Embrace The Desolation...

Il Vuoto - Weakness (2015)

After a couple of demos, the Italian one-man funeral doom band of Il Vuoto has released its first full-length, consisting of seven sorrowful tracks formed from regally expansive sonic space, wailing guitar-work, grave-born vocals, and more.  Elements of decay and grandeur like a low-mixed piano, distant owls, and the sounds of rainfall are worked in to solid effect, and the track titles, such as "And Night Devours Me" and "Through Mirrors I Saw the Ghost of Me", snap right into place with the music's atmosphere.
The notes which came with this release mentioned a Sunn O)))-inspired use of drone on the demos, and while most of Weakness has a more traditional funeral doom approach, that noisier side does come into play, most notably in "The Harvest".  There's also some relatively calm reflectiveness, as in "Sea of Emptiness", which builds around an acoustic riff and the sounds of breaking waves for a bit of peace before returning to the howls of betrayal.
It's a very well-assembled album, and one of those cases in which being a one-man operation really seems to have allowed the music to be expressed exactly as intended, without external suggestions disrupting the outpouring.  Fans of moody and majestic doom should find time to give this a listen.  Great work and arrangement from Il Vuoto, and an excellent debut LP.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Bell Witch, Evoken, Jupiterian, Thergothon, Velvet Cacoon

Facebook • BandCamp

Il Vuoto - Through Mirrors I Saw the Ghost of Me (320 kbps)

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