Tag: heavy rock
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Sweat Lodge – Tokens for Hell
When Sweat Lodge opened for Monolord in Toronto last year, some people were saying these guys could be the next The Sword, i.e. the next big heavy-rock band from Texas. (Turns out that might actually be Mothership.) Alas, twas not to be, as this four-track, 16-minute effort marks the band’s swansong—their farewell EP, so to…
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Mothership – High Strangeness
I’ve been a big fan of this Dallas outfit ever since I first heard their self-titled debut in 2013, so suffice to say I’m super-stoked for this, the third record from Mothership. More heavy rock than heavy metal, these guys create a potent concoction combining AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top with riffs that are thicker…
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Great Apes – California Heart LP
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the California Heart LP by Great Apes. It is often said that the mastering process required to present music on vinyl (instead of CD or mp3) is part of what really changes the overall experience of the format (above and beyond the obvious physical contact made between…
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Lo-Pan – In Tensions EP
Columbus heavy rock crew Lo-Pan is kicking off 2017 in style with this five-song, 22-minute EP. The grizzled tour veterans head out with “Go West,” a slower, sludgy stomp that kinda reminds me of Torche, especially in the vocal department. “Sink or Swim” is slightly shorter and crunchier, a decent, mid-paced, melodic rocker. The slow,…
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Craneium – Explore the Void
Well, it seems the Swedish stoner-rock sound has seeped across the sea to Finland. Craneium hails from Turku, and has been kicking around for five years now, although this is the first record of theirs to make it across the pond. It’s not hard to hear why — fans of the classic Lowrider/Truckfighters sound will…
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Tiebreaker – Death Tunes
Now, we know that Norway is known almost as much for black metal as it is for cross-country skiing, but when it comes to stoner rock, most of the action is happening across the pond in Sweden. Hell, even when we hear of a Norwegian heavy-rock outfit, there’s always at least one black-metal dude in…
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Buzzard Canyon – Hellfire & Whiskey
If one were to judge a book by its title, you might surmise that Buzzard Canyon was an outlaw country outfit — Hellfire & Whiskey sounds like a deep cut you’d hear on a Hank Jr. record, or something from modern-day Nashville darling Chris Stapleton. But there’s a half-decent chance this band has never even been…
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Red Fang – Only Ghosts
Album number four from Portland’s party-rock ambassadors comes three years, almost to the date, since their last record Whales and Leeches earned them an appearance on Letterman and a debut in the Billboard Top 100. Though they were perhaps a little more commercial-sounding the last time around, they still maintained the fun-loving, nerd-rock sensibilities that…
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Geezer – self-titled
Hailing from the other Kingston (that would be in New York), this heavy-rock trio shoots from the hip on their Ripple Music debut with 52 minutes of bluesy riff rock. New Paltz is sinkin’ man, and I don’t wanna swim! Leadoff single “Sunday Speed Demon” has a loose, 70’s garage-rock feel, with a few heavy…
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Asteroid – III
It’s been a while since Asteroid last made contact with earth. The Swedish heavy-rock trio was fairly active in the aughts, but had not released an album since early 2010. Now they return from an official hiatus with their third record, out on Fuzzorama Records, the indie label run by another Swedish trio you might…