Tag: psychedelic
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Arcadea – Arcadea
Another Mastodon side-project, this time from Brann Dailor. Mastodon are so prolific they could start their own record label just featuring their own projects. Anyway, Arcadea has some resemblances to Mastodon as you’d expect, but it’s more 80s/electronic orientated, like Mastodon channelling Daft Punk. The danger with electronic-orientated projects is they can noodle off into…
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Pallbearer – Heartless
The clean, retro-looking cover of this record, Pallbearer’s third full length, perhaps belies a softer, more psychedelic sound within. Some had complained that they pulled an Opeth on this album, moving more toward prog and away from metal. To wit, when they recently performed in Toronto, their bassist asked the crowd if there was anyone…
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Iron Mountain – Unum
Occasionally, when reviewing records, I receive one that really exceeds my expectations. Such an album is Iron Mountain’s Unum. To give a soundbite description, it is post-metal meets Irish folk, psychedelic and prog, but that only begins the first steps on the journey to describe a band that have a huge, expansive, truly original and…
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Biblical – The City That Always Sleeps
Last time I saw Biblical live, at the Silver Dollar farewell shindig, I mentioned that they were long overdue for a new album. Little did I know that their second full-length record was on its way—on Tee Pee Records, no less! The City That Always Sleeps offers eight tracks in roughly 37-and-a-half minutes, kicking off with…
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Harvestman – Music For Megaliths
Get ready. Get set. Get stoned. This latest offering from Harvestman, the alter ego of Neurosis alumni Steve Von Till is a trippy, psychedelic offering. Soulful and searing Music For Megaliths is crushingly dense but only in the most atmospheric of ways. This is the same Steve Von Till of Neurosis but you’d be a fool…
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Petyr – self-titled
If you can picture a SoCal heavy-psych jam-band fronted by Tony Hawk’s son… you’d have Petyr, which is literally a SoCal heavy-psych jam band fronted by Tony Hawk’s son. I suppose there’s often been some overlap between heavy riffs and skateboarding, whether it’s Earthless, The Shrine, or probably even Fu Manchu if you go back…
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WhiteNails – First Trip
Although they’re just a few hours away from the Montreal metal mecca, it’s not very often that I hear much heavy stuff from Quebec City. In fact, I can really only think of two stoner/psych outfits from the distinct nation’s capital—the unfortunately named Les Indiens and now WhiteNails. And while the former sings entirely in…
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Drug Honkey – Cloak of Skies
With a name like Drug Honkey, you know it’s gotta be good. Although you were probably expecting some slow southern sludge à la Weedeater or the Wisconsin drug trip of Bongzilla, what we’ve actually got here is effects-laden psychedelic death/doom that comes off as a cross between Winter and Sons of OTIS… and yet, I’m…
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Familiars – This Water That is Warm (I Will Join Soon)
Though they’re actually from a small town somewhere north of the city, I’ve had the chance to see Familiars open for a whole buncha heavy/stoner rock bands in Toronto these past few years. The semi-local trio plays a brand of heavy psych somewhat reminiscent of local legends Quest For Fire, though in the live setting,…
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Space Witch – Arcanum
I don’t say this very often, but Space Witch really sucked me in with the 16-minute opening track on this album. Personally, when I see a song that long from a band I’ve never heard before, right off the bat, I drop that promo out of my inbox like it’s life with bong in hand.…