Tag: desert rock

  • Wretch – self-titled

    Wretch – self-titled

    The Gates of Slumber’s ultimate album, Wretch, was definitely their most downtrodden affair, a slight departure from their early days of ice worms and dragons. In the five years since its release, two-thirds of that lineup has passed away, leaving frontman Karl Simon fronting a new band, fittingly titled Wretch. Suffice to say, this debut…

  • Hater – s/t LP (reissue)

    Hater – s/t LP (reissue)

    I must confess that I had never heard of Hater before Ben Shepherd put out In Deep Owl a couple of years ago. I was really, really taken with that album and had been thrilled at the prospect of taking an interview with him when the opportunity came up; in fact, I jumped at it.…

  • Miss Lava – Sonic Debris

    Miss Lava – Sonic Debris

    This Portuguese stoner-rock outfit has actually been on my radar for quite some time, ever since they sent me a copy of their first CD back in ’09. (And yes, they still sent physical copies in those days!) Since then, they’ve opened for some big-name bands in their home country, played a few major fests…

  • Atala – Shaman’s Path of the Serpent

    Atala – Shaman’s Path of the Serpent

    Though you might not have heard of them, this California desert trio has a pretty impressive stoner/doom pedigree. Atala‘s self-titled debut, which came out in 2014, was recorded by Scott Reeder, while this follow-up effort was engineered by Billy Anderson. They’re even booked to pay this year’s edition of Maryland Doomfest—the other MDF—so even though I…

  • Valley of the Sun – Volume Rock

    Valley of the Sun – Volume Rock

    Cincinnati’s finest desert rock outfit, Valley of the Sun, is back with their second album, following their solid 2014 debut Electric Talons of the Thunderhawk. Ohio might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of heavy desert grooves—hell, the band named itself after Phoenix, AZ—but these guys sure know how…

  • Zun – Burial Sunrise

    Zun – Burial Sunrise

    Every scene has its unsung heroes. When it comes to desert rock, for every John Garcia, Brant Bjork and Scott Reeder, there are guys like Gary Arce and Mario Lalli, scene stalwarts that have received plenty of underground praise, if not much mainstream recognition. Let’s just say the type of people who buy Small Stone…

  • All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker

    All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker

    Above all else, the first thing you need to know about All Them Witches is that nothing is exactly as it seems. If all you saw was the album cover, you could justifiably assume it was the work of a metal or stoner rock band – but you’d be wrong. If all you heard was…

  • John Garcia – John Garcia

    John Garcia – John Garcia

    John Garcia. John fuckin’ Garcia. There is no voice more synonymous with stoner rock or desert rock than that of John Garcia. Best known as the singer for genre progenitors Kyuss, he’s been a part of a number of projects since that band’s dissolution almost 20 years ago. While Kyuss may always cast a shadow…

  • Wo Fat – The Conjuring

    Wo Fat – The Conjuring

    I think I mighta missed the last album from this Texas trio, but it’s good to hear that nothing much has changed.  Wo Fat still play long, slow, drawn-out stoner jams, no more than five or six a pop, always ending on an epic note—in this case, the 17-minute “Dreamwalker.” But first we begin with…

  • Valley of the Sun – Electric Talons of the Thunderhawk

    Valley of the Sun – Electric Talons of the Thunderhawk

    Now, you wouldn’t expect a band named Valley of the Sun, the nickname of Phoenix, Arizona, to hail from Cincinnati—a city known colloquially as Dirty Cincy. And yet, it’s an apt moniker for this outfit, a desert-rock trio that captured the attention of Swedish stoner greats Truckfighters, who subsequently signed them to their label. And…