Tag: desert rock
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Holy Grove – II
OK, stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Female-fronted Portland outfit mixes heavy riffs and soaring vocals on one of the best doom metal albums of the year. Only this time, we’re not talkin’ bout Witch Mountain, but rather the second record from recent Ripple Music signing Holy Grove. II kicks off with a…
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Black Elephant – Cosmic Blues
Album number three from Black Elephant landed in late July on Small Stone Records. Their heavy, fuzzy psychedelic rock is certainly right at home on one of the leading purveyors of stoner rock, as this Italian outfit walk the line between desert rock and vintage psych jams for 34 minutes. “Cosmic Soul” kicks things off with a mellow…
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Eagle Twin – The Thundering Heard
I’m not always a fan of two-piece doom bands—especially when they don’t have a bassist. But some can still generate enough sonic power to win me over; such is the case with Utah’s Eagle Twin on their third album for Southern Lord. The Thundering Heard opens with a rumble, meditative vocals (à la Al Cisneros)…
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Young Hunter – Dayhiker
Young Hunter has graced the world with their latest album titled Dayhiker. A dreamy, doomy desert rock album pulling inspiration from modern masters of the genre, and time machines back to the 70s. Dayhiker does what it pleases, while tickling the stoner metal system in your brain. The tracks make you question whether you are…
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Calgary 420 Music & Arts Fest 2018: Dopethrone and many more
Tickets are on sale and the line-up’s been announced for 420 Music & Arts Festival – presented by METALHEADS UNITED in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April 19-21. Headlining this year are Sasquatch (Thursday), La Chinga (Friday), and Dopethrone (Saturday), plus Brant Bjork (Kyuss, Vista Chino) will be around on Friday, April 20, deejaying between bands and to close the…
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Atala – Labyrinth of Ashmedai
I really dug the second album from this California desert sludge outfit, which was produced by none other than Billy Anderson—and he’s back behind the dials for this one. With six tracks spanning just less than 36 minutes, ’tis not a lengthy listen, although Atala do manage to squeeze in a couple eight-minute epics. “Grains…
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Fu Manchu – Clone of the Universe
Fu Manchu is practically the AC/DC of stoner rock, owing to their consistency and longevity. When these guys put out a new record, you pretty much know what you’re gonna get… and it’s gonna be groovy. Clone of the Universe is the 12th studio album from these long-running desert rockers, and it definitely delivers. The…
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Blackwülf – Sinister Sides
You can tell Blackwülf is from Oakland right from the opening notes of this, their third album—the Bay Area quartet channels local legends like Sleep and Acid King in their stoner doom worship. Speaking of legends, Geof O’Keefe of Pentagram fame plays guest guitar on a cover of the proto-stoner Cream classic “Sunshine of Your…
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Mr. Plow – Maintain Radio Silence
If you remember the glory days of Man’s Ruin and MeteorCity, this album might be right up your alley. Mr. Plow started playing heavy riffs back in ’97, and released four indie recordings in 2000, ’04 and ’06 before calling it a day. Toronto scenesters might even know that voice—their singer made a brief appearance…
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Borracho – Riffography
I’m never quite sure what to expect with these “B sides/demos” comps. I mean, I dig Borracho, but do I really wanna listen to 75 minutes of music that never made it onto an album (often with good reason)? Mind you, most of these songs had already seen the light of day, including a couple…