Kyle Ball is best known as the former vocalist of Decibel favorites Wake. But he also has a profound affection for even darker sounds. At the height of the pandemic, Ball and a few collaborators released a killer black-metal-style cover of the Misfits’ 1983 crossover classic Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood. Now he’s turned his attention to his own filthy black metal hybrid with Lysergic. Stream their new EP Towering Altars of Misanthropy below.
“I started Lysergic in the fall of 2023 while I was still in Wake,” Ball says. “Wake was changing and focusing on more expansive and less aggressive sounds, but I still had a crucial need to make unrelenting and brutal metal, so I decided to start this project. The idea was to take the bestial black death sound and smother it in grindcore, industrial, noise and psychedelic soundscapes, with lyrical content about psychedelics, blasphemy, Satan, suicide and ritualistic sacrifice… a sort of love letter to the Satanic panic era and how much chaos it created in the 80s and 90s, as well as a burning hatred towards modern Christianity.”
Towering Altars of Misanthropy was initially self-released on cassette; Decomp Regalia will be releasing a vinyl version later this year. “I think it takes the sound that was laid down on the full length but turns up the brutality and aggression and pushes out a far more raw and chaotic experience,” Ball says. “This will be the last release as a solo effort, and the live band will be collaborating on the next full-length.”
I have to admit that I was long jaded by the original video for Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky” as it had little, if anything, to do with the song. Once I got past that, however, the song became a fave among faves within the Petty catalog. The song is, at its core, a pointed […]
A little less than a year ago, Stevie Nicks gave a charmingly loopy speech at the Pollstar Awards, and she told the crowd that she’d begun work on her first album since 2011’s In Your Dreams: “I have seven songs, and they are autobiographical real stories where I’m not pulling any punches for probably the first time in my life… They’re real stories of memories of mine, of fantastic men!” Nicks said, “I call it the ghost record.” Apparently, that album is real, and it’s actually entitled The Ghost Record and set for release next month.
On March 28th, The Garden performed a chaotic show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, which claims to have a capacity of 1,400… it seemed like they may have oversold. This crowd was massive, hard to move in, and deeply devoted, too. Even an hour before doors there was a line wrapped around the building. By the time we got inside, the venue was completely packed already. Fans of all ages were claiming their spots, and unwilling to give up their view. The majority of the crowd were wearing some sort of clown inspired makeup or face paint. With The Garden and their fans having a black and white jester themed aesthetic, it made me feel like I was at an Adicts show.
While it was pretty clear who most people were here to see, spotting a few people with patch pants and jackets made me feel a little less out of place. I was a little bit surprised to see U.K. punk band The Partisans on this lineup. The Garden themselves even called it “another just plain wrong lineup”, but after doing some research, apparently they have known Fletcher and Wyatt since they were 11 years old! They even toured with then in Europe a couple years back, and it isn’t uncommon for The Garden to play with legendary hardcore punk bands. After the cancellation of Los Angeles’ 2026 C.Y. Fest, The Partisans couldn’t let their travel arrangements go to waste, so they found themselves in Riverside opening for The Garden. In my opinion though, The Partisans stole the show. Even the ones that didn’t know them to begin with I think ended up as fans. Hearing some of their iconic songs, like “17 Years of Hell“, “I Don’t Give a Fuck“, and “Bastards in Blue” live felt so good.
There was a pit for their whole set, and everyone was dancing. They absolutely got the crowd excited.
For a band that has been around since the late 70’s, their energy hasn’t dulled in the slightest. They were a great opener, and in a way kind of showed the audience where The Garden comes from. Modern punk artists The Garden, carry influences from early bands, like The Partisans. After them was a rapper named Ghost Mountain, who I don’t really have much to say on. That was my break time.
9:45 comes around and it’s time for The Garden to hit the stage. Starting off the set with “Horseshit on Route 66“, the crowd was already going insane. I do have to say, The Garden fans know how to pit. The energy in the room never died down once. People were crowd surfing, jumping, and moshing until the very end. Their high energy setlist included songs like “Clay“, “OC93“, and “This Could Build Us a Home“, which were some memorable ones.
Formed in 2011, twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears have turned The Garden into one of the most distinctive and influential acts to come out of Southern California’s underground scene. Being in the audience made it clear that they have found a deeply loyal and devoted fanbase here, and they have basically built their own community. With one on drums and the other on bass, they truly have a one of a kind sound that is hard to put into words. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully sold on their sound going into this, I just didn’t quite get it. There are some people you just can’t really get into, for no particular reason. However, their performance was so dynamic and engaging that it was impossible not to walk away with an appreciation for what they do. Running and jumping around the whole time while still singing what they’re meant to, it really was a great performance, and their chemistry and stage presence was really astounding.
It wasn’t just the two of them, either. They had a giant jester just lurking the stage with them throughout most of their set. Depending on what you had in your system, he was kinda creepy, and I wouldn’t look at him too close.
With the energy of the crowd, The Partisans and The Garden put on a great show. Not just the music and talent stood out to me, it was also the sense of community. My friend is a fan of them, and like I mentioned earlier I could never get into them. While my plans to go to C.Y. Fest went down the drain (rightfully so), seeing The Partisans as the opener was a sign that I needed to make it to this show, and I’m glad that I did. It was definitely memorable, and I can say I walked out as a newfound fan of The Garden.
The 2000s-era reunion of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice was fairly short-lived, but did leave behind an impressive collection of music. Continue reading…
Robben Ford’s new album, Two Shades of Blue, was released on March 27, and it’s not just fans who eagerly awaited its arrival. Ford is a highly-skilled guitarist well regarded by his peers, and they are, no doubt, also waiting to see what he has to offer.
In addition to the technical proficiency Ford brings to the fore, he’s known for his great sound and highly listenable recordings, each one offering something new and different. This may be vexing for those who are in the “don’t-know-what-they-like, only like-what-they-know,” category, but Ford has never been about stagnation.
He prides himself on diversity, saying, “I don’t have two records that sound the same.” And the new album continues as a beacon of his range, talent, and ability. Both fans and peers will be happy to know Two Shades delivers on all three points.
The album crosses genres seamlessly from the funky blues of the first single released, “Make My Own Weather” to the jazzy instrumentals “The Fire Flute,” and “The Light Fandango.” Ford cites the influences of Paul Butterfield, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and B.B. King, among many others, which may explain his penchant for the eclectic.
The record features a great lineup of musicians backing Ford’s formidable guitar talents. Horns and Hammond B3 organ permeate the album, contributing to its multi-faceted approach.
The album includes a new version of “Black Night,” the standard blues tune originally performed by Charles Brown and written by Jessie Mae Robinson. Ford had covered this tune earlier in his career. “That song just kinda resurfaced for me. I heard the original version, and it just killed me, man,” he explained.
Ford says this album started as a tribute to Jeff Beck. Few could achieve something so ambitious, but Ford certainly has the chops to do so. Beck’s influence can clearly be heard, especially in “Feeling’s Mutual,” but also in the aforementioned instrumentals “The Fire Flute,” and “The Light Fandango.”
Like Beck, Ford is a guitar virtuoso and both have always produced music that welcomes critical attention.
After the initial studio work began, Ford was not particularly enthralled with some of the earlier cuts they had put together for the initial tribute concept. He changed direction and the eight tracks, ultimately included in Two Shades of Blue, were the result.
Included in the mix is John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” It’s an intriguing cover featuring Ford’s vocals, horns and B3.
Appearing on the album are drummer Ianto Thomas, the keyboards of Jonny Henderson, bassist Robin Mullarkey and a brass section comprising Paul Booth (saxophone), Ryan Quigley (trumpet) and Trevor Mires (trombone).
For the instrumental songs, “The Fire Flute,” “The Light Fandango” and “Feeling’s Mutual,” Ford recruited bassist Darryl Jones, keyboardist Larry Goldings and Gary Husband on drums.
Ford describes the soaring slow-blues instrumental title track, “Two Shades of Blue,” as “right up my alley.” But for the second single, “Perfect Illusion,” he shifted gears to a soulful ballad, featuring the brass section.
While the album can be described as jazz-blues-rock fusion, the blues base is deliberate as, in an earlier interview Ford explained, “You can be the most sophisticated person in the world but if you don’t have that connection to the blues, there’s big time something going to be missing in your music. It’s the spiritual element.”
And that element encapsulates the spirit of Two Shades of Blue – there is surely nothing missing here.
The Review: 8/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Perfect Illusion – Two Shades of Blue – Make My Own Weather
