Author: Gruesome Greg
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Honky – Corduroy
This Texas trio channels ZZ Top right down to the tip of their beards, playing old-school, southern boogie rock in the vein of the sharp-dressed men. Starting off as a Butthole Surfers side project in the mid-90’s, Honky now have a handful of records under their novelty belt buckles, with this being their first one since…
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Conclave – Sins of the Elders
Though they’re a relatively new name on the Boston sludge scene, Conclave includes members of notable 90’s acts Warhorse and Grief. No word as to whether their debut album’s title is self-referential. What we get here is over an hour of punishing sludge, with most songs ranging between 7 and 10 minutes. After an eerie…
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Astrakhan – Reward in Purpose
I’ve been a big fan of B.C. sludge band Astrakhan ever since the release of their 2013 EP, The Pillarist. Their next EP was pretty good, too, combining the rugged grooves of locals like Bison and Mendozza with a bit of Baptists thrown in for good measure. Man, there is such an embarrassment of riches…
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Gozu – Revival
Stoner rock is no stranger to silly song titles (“Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop,” anyone?), and Gozu has embraced this concept wholeheartedly. Revival, their third record, contains such fine tracks as “Nature Boy,” “Bubble Time,” “Lorenzo Llamas” and “By Mennen.” But alas, this album isn’t about soap operas and deodorant—the lyrics aren’t tied into the…
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Wo Fat – Midnight Cometh
We’re already onto album number six from this heavy Texas trio, their most recent being 2014’s The Conjuring. These guys have stuck to a simple formula, chucking out a six-pack of lengthy, heavy jams almost every time out, often saving the longest, trippiest track for last. From first glance, this record is no exception—and I…
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GRUESOME ON GRUESOME – Dimensions of Horror
Now, here’s a band that’s very near to my cold, cold heart. Gruesome originated as a tribute act on the Death to All tour, until, much like the Thin Black Lizzy Star Riders, they decided they couldn’t record any new material under their original moniker without creating decades of bad karma. I’m not sure how…
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AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: WEEDEATER/Author & Punisher/Today is the Day @ Hard Luck Bar, May 20, 2016
As for Weedeater, I don’t think they’ve played here in about five years, and it seems their legend has grown since the last time I’ve seen ’em. There were all sorts of bearded weirdos in attendance that I’ve never seen before–and the crazy crowd made for a rather raucous performance!
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Helhorse – self-titled
Because in Denmark, it’s H-E-single-hockey-stick. This Copenhagen-based sextet includes two guitars and two singers, one of whom also plays the piano, apparently. But these are no sons of northern darkness—Helhorse‘s sound is more akin to the southern grooves of Down, Crowbar and Orange Goblin. And this isn’t their debut, but rather their third album since…
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Bright Curse – Before the Shore
British imprint HeviSike Records leaves little to the imagination—you get a sense of what kinda music this is before you even push play. And sure enough, the debut album from London power trio Bright Curse is equal parts heavy and psychedelic, capturing that retro-rock feel of Kadavar or Graveyard. “Lady Freedom” is led by a…
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Wrong – self-titled
This Miami noise-rock outfit features former members of Torche and Kylesa, but musically, Wrong are more like Unsane or the Melvins’ old-school slowcore, with just a dash of punk rock fury. Either way, you can’t really go wrong… Their self-titled Relapse debut has 11 tracks clocking in at an even half-hour; when it comes to song…