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Heavy Trip – Heavy Trip (2020)

Coming at us from the fabled land of Vancouver, the crew of Heavy Trip released their self-titled LP around this time last year. They’re getting a worldwide boost in visibility, though, thanks to the reissuing of that LP by Burning World Records, who are also responsible for the excellent live label of Roadburn Records. With plenty of high-esteem bands to their respective catalogs, it’s a great way for Heavy Trip to get some more well-deserved recognition, as anyone lucky enough to grab one of the splatter-styled records (or CDs, or digital copies, or online streams) will quickly agree.

Leading off with the punny “Hand of Shroom”, the band dives right into their heavy psychedelic metal MO with enticing flair, snaky guitar lines, and enough fuzz to get your head well and truly clogged. A coolly confident bass maneuvers about the roiling guitar action with supportive finesse, while the drummer keeps things grooving, whether pacing it high or low. The music does a great job of blending old-school psych melting with a more modern toothiness, letting the music really lunge out and grab you right after rolling off a sweet and slippery progression.

“Lunar Throne” follows, taking more of a chill approach to the vibes, while keeping up the impressive interplay and flexibility from the performers. Some truly savory shredding is on display with this one, spinning it out to the edge of the rails before pulling things back on track, only to roam off in another wild direction. “Mind Leaf” carries the spacy cruise on with more of a desert rock tinge to the proceedings, letting gritty soloing flow over a bumping bass-line, while the drums bang out a lifeline of percussive care. The crazed crescendo this one reaches is a jaw-dropping display, even when listened to completely sober, so be careful it doesn’t knock you on your ass when you’re a little loaded.

Lastly, there’s “Treespinner”, which settles back down from the high-intensity of “Mind Leaf”, at least initially. Exploring just how many ways they can bend the main riff into new but recognizable forms, the band finds lots of answers, and keeps the energy feeling just fine as they do so. It adds up to a wonderful thirty-six minutes or so, though you must play it at high volume. You’ll feel the guilt if you don’t. In any event, grab up one of this new run of vinyl, or whatever option for listening best floats your boat, and have yourself a grand time with this one.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Acid Rooster, Bomg, Earth Drive, Frozen Planet….1969, Ufomammut

Facebook • Official Website • BandCamp

Heavy Trip – Lunar Throne (320 kbps)

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Stonus – Séance (2021)

Keeping their momentum going from the release of their first LP about this time last year, the Cyprian quintet of Stonus are back with their third EP. Coming together at just under twenty minutes across the three tracks, the band leads off with “Evil Woman”, a gritty blend of heavy and hard rock, working a riff that circles through repetitions of trailing off and coming back in force. Tasty guitar tone and plenty of cymbal action keep the energy high, while the breakdowns show a desert rock-ish poignancy and streaks of psychedelic spaciness.

“Messianism” takes over from there, keeping up the fuzzed guitar hooks but sliding in a bit of darker tone on the bass side. The riff approach gets changed up, too, opting for more of a back-and-forth slide, to compelling effect. Again, it’s in the breakdowns that the band really shines, with the instruments coming down enough to let the vocals bask in smoky enticement, then some knotty guitar-work amping things up for a big finish. Lastly, “El Rata” slides the style dial further over into desert rock territory, with a thrumming bass hook dominating the track. Riding the waves to a mid-song climax lets the band spend time exploring the aftermath for the song’s remainder, soaking up more sun-baked vibes as they navigate craggy chords and wade through the fuzz. Quite a fun set of songs, and one to spike up the ears of newcomers to the group’s output. Electric Valley Records are putting out a stylish vinyl treatment on March 26th, but pre-orders are going fast, so you might wanna jump on that right this moment if you want one for your collection.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Acid Elephant, Craneon, Kyuss, Manthrass, Tuber

Facebook • Instagram • Youtube • BandCamp • Electric Valley Records BandCamp

Stonus – Evil Woman (320 kbps)

~

Stonus – Séance (2021)

Keeping their momentum going from the release of their first LP about this time last year, the Cyprian quintet of Stonus are back with their third EP. Coming together at just under twenty minutes across the three tracks, the band leads off with “Evil Woman”, a gritty blend of heavy and hard rock, working a riff that circles through repetitions of trailing off and coming back in force. Tasty guitar tone and plenty of cymbal action keep the energy high, while the breakdowns show a desert rock-ish poignancy and streaks of psychedelic spaciness.

“Messianism” takes over from there, keeping up the fuzzed guitar hooks but sliding in a bit of darker tone on the bass side. The riff approach gets changed up, too, opting for more of a back-and-forth slide, to compelling effect. Again, it’s in the breakdowns that the band really shines, with the instruments coming down enough to let the vocals bask in smoky enticement, then some knotty guitar-work amping things up for a big finish. Lastly, “El Rata” slides the style dial further over into desert rock territory, with a thrumming bass hook dominating the track. Riding the waves to a mid-song climax lets the band spend time exploring the aftermath for the song’s remainder, soaking up more sun-baked vibes as they navigate craggy chords and wade through the fuzz. Quite a fun set of songs, and one to spike up the ears of newcomers to the group’s output. Electric Valley Records are putting out a stylish vinyl treatment on March 26th, but pre-orders are going fast, so you might wanna jump on that right this moment if you want one for your collection.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Acid Elephant, Craneon, Kyuss, Manthrass, Tuber

Facebook • Instagram • Youtube • BandCamp • Electric Valley Records BandCamp

Stonus – Evil Woman (320 kbps)

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Grale – Agitacion (2021)

Formed under the pressures of the pandemic lockdown, with members from Olde, Indian Handcrafts, and Cross Dog, this quartet of Canadian metal-makers have put together five tracks for their debut EP. Blending death metal aggression with sludgy grime, the band finds ways to keep their high-tempo maneuverings engaging and healthily diverse, never settling for too long into any one groove.

Opening track “Meth Aggressor” gets things off to a fine start, meshing grinding riffs with rhythmic deftness, and letting the harsh vocals of guest Rob Urbinati set tones of near-vicious acidity and swelling doom. Fine instrumental work gets the motor running, and “No Justice for All” picks up that momentum to run into a disarming bit of melodic indulgence, hooking listeners before pummeling them with more hard-beat action. A bit of throwback soloing comes in quick and sharp, swaying heads and setting ground for some spacier effects the band has in store.

Midpoint tune “The Blade”, in spite of its name, actually brings things down to a slower pace, working a staunch set of riffs to savory effect. Splashes of guitar tone exploration give way to speedier shredding, clean tones clashing excellently with the bass’ weighty presence. “The Emptiness Project” punches in for its penultimate spot with still another powerful lead riff, swinging its downbeats with solid power, then cranking up to harder drive. The banging beats brought in towards the end might have this one slotted in as my personal favorite of the five. Lastly, “Terror Control” hits a churning back-and-forth swing for its commanding guitar and drum alternations, bringing the EP to a fiery finish. Excellent work on all five tracks, and one of the better things to emerge from the circumstances of the pandemic. The EP dropped at the end of February, so get on over to Grale’s BandCamp and grab yourself a copy already!

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Abstracter, Body Void, Lifeless Gaze, Mountain God, Rainbows Are Free

Instagram • BandCamp

Grale – Meth Aggressor (320 kbps)

~

Grale – Agitacion (2021)

Formed under the pressures of the pandemic lockdown, with members from Olde, Indian Handcrafts, and Cross Dog, this quartet of Canadian metal-makers have put together five tracks for their debut EP. Blending death metal aggression with sludgy grime, the band finds ways to keep their high-tempo maneuverings engaging and healthily diverse, never settling for too long into any one groove.

Opening track “Meth Aggressor” gets things off to a fine start, meshing grinding riffs with rhythmic deftness, and letting the harsh vocals of guest Rob Urbinati set tones of near-vicious acidity and swelling doom. Fine instrumental work gets the motor running, and “No Justice for All” picks up that momentum to run into a disarming bit of melodic indulgence, hooking listeners before pummeling them with more hard-beat action. A bit of throwback soloing comes in quick and sharp, swaying heads and setting ground for some spacier effects the band has in store.

Midpoint tune “The Blade”, in spite of its name, actually brings things down to a slower pace, working a staunch set of riffs to savory effect. Splashes of guitar tone exploration give way to speedier shredding, clean tones clashing excellently with the bass’ weighty presence. “The Emptiness Project” punches in for its penultimate spot with still another powerful lead riff, swinging its downbeats with solid power, then cranking up to harder drive. The banging beats brought in towards the end might have this one slotted in as my personal favorite of the five. Lastly, “Terror Control” hits a churning back-and-forth swing for its commanding guitar and drum alternations, bringing the EP to a fiery finish. Excellent work on all five tracks, and one of the better things to emerge from the circumstances of the pandemic. The EP dropped at the end of February, so get on over to Grale’s BandCamp and grab yourself a copy already!

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Abstracter, Body Void, Lifeless Gaze, Mountain God, Rainbows Are Free

Instagram • BandCamp

Grale – Meth Aggressor (320 kbps)

~

Dope Skum – Tanasi (2021)

Rising up from Chattanooga, Tennessee, this two-piece group works a guitar-and-drums approach to sludge (with a few choice booms of bass), letting the punkier side of the style’s roots show through in the leanness. Tanasi (try saying it out loud, with a bit of twang) is their first EP, following up on the advance single of “Feast of Snakes”, which is also the first track on the EP.

In said song, the duo work a grinding groove, with gritty production and dirty vocals keeping things grounded. The vocals and instruments twine together well around the main riff, which has a big enough hook to leave it stuck in your head for days. After that, “Anxiety” takes over, creeping along on a snaking rhythm, and letting it build up a while before adding in the vocals. It’s one of the spacier tracks of the EP, but with relatively little feedback drenching it, making for an interesting dynamic.

“Chickamauga” takes center space in the track line-up, the title giving another nod to the group’s locale. With this track, the band slips further into the moody instrumental groove, keeping enough uneasiness baked in to keep listeners on their toes. Some big drum boosting towards the end, along with plenty of cymbal-riding, makes this more of a showpiece for the drummer, though the guitar strains are a solid touch. “The Levee” picks up from there, and despite a quick run-time, it sets up a fun give-and-take roll on the rhythms, with a big and chunky culmination.

Lastly, “Mountain Cur” picks up the pace for an aggressive finish, gnarling through more feedback than the rest of the EP, though it comes to an abrupt stop. It still makes for a fun first effort from the group, with enough energy and exploration to entice further listening. Give it a go if you’re looking for some sludge without all the studio polish most of it seems to get these days.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Clutch, Dopethrone, EyeHateGod, Iron Monkey, Weedeater

Instagram • BandCamp

Dope Skum – Feast of Snakes (320 kbps)

~

Dope Skum – Tanasi (2021)

Rising up from Chattanooga, Tennessee, this two-piece group works a guitar-and-drums approach to sludge (with a few choice booms of bass), letting the punkier side of the style’s roots show through in the leanness. Tanasi (try saying it out loud, with a bit of twang) is their first EP, following up on the advance single of “Feast of Snakes”, which is also the first track on the EP.

In said song, the duo work a grinding groove, with gritty production and dirty vocals keeping things grounded. The vocals and instruments twine together well around the main riff, which has a big enough hook to leave it stuck in your head for days. After that, “Anxiety” takes over, creeping along on a snaking rhythm, and letting it build up a while before adding in the vocals. It’s one of the spacier tracks of the EP, but with relatively little feedback drenching it, making for an interesting dynamic.

“Chickamauga” takes center space in the track line-up, the title giving another nod to the group’s locale. With this track, the band slips further into the moody instrumental groove, keeping enough uneasiness baked in to keep listeners on their toes. Some big drum boosting towards the end, along with plenty of cymbal-riding, makes this more of a showpiece for the drummer, though the guitar strains are a solid touch. “The Levee” picks up from there, and despite a quick run-time, it sets up a fun give-and-take roll on the rhythms, with a big and chunky culmination.

Lastly, “Mountain Cur” picks up the pace for an aggressive finish, gnarling through more feedback than the rest of the EP, though it comes to an abrupt stop. It still makes for a fun first effort from the group, with enough energy and exploration to entice further listening. Give it a go if you’re looking for some sludge without all the studio polish most of it seems to get these days.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Clutch, Dopethrone, EyeHateGod, Iron Monkey, Weedeater

Instagram • BandCamp

Dope Skum – Feast of Snakes (320 kbps)

~

Urza – The Omniprescence of Loss (2019)

Yeah, so we’re technically a couple of years behind on checking out this album, but we’ve got an excuse. The first physical release of this album will be happening next month, so if you think about it that way, we’re actually ahead of things, yeah? In any event, this is the debut album from the German group Urza (a name some nerds in the audience no doubt recognize from a different context), and it’s one steeped in funeral doom morbidity.

Opening track “Lost in Decline” is seventeen minutes long, to give you some idea of how things are gonna roll. Rising from bass drones to slow-stomping gloom, and passing through bridge after bridge, it delivers an atmosphere to make you straight-up shiver. Excellent winter music, and probably even better if you can somehow arrange yourself a listen in an underground crypt. The music is almost physically heavy, moving along on tank-tread riffs, and the vocals, deep and booming, are a fantastic fit.

Things continue on in that vein for the remainder of the album, with an evocative track title for each sprawling excursion. “A History of Ghosts”, “Path of Tombs”, “From the Vaults to Extermination”, and “Demystifying the Blackness” make up the remainder, in that order, finding reliably satisfying ways to explore fusions of morbidity and heaviness. If you’re already a funeral doom fan, you’ll find a lot to savor here; for those new to the style, it’ll likely be akin to jumping in the deep end. Songs flow smoothly from one to the next, and it’s easy to find yourself sucked into the tarry gravity of the tracks. Coming together at just about an hour of abyssal anguish, it’s a stunning debut, and a thorough testament to the band’s abilities. The physical release is on cassette, through Nailbat Tapes, and officially drops on March 5th, though pre-orders are already up. If funeral doom so deep-toned you can practically drown in it is your thing, don’t miss out on this release.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Heavydeath, Jupiterian, Malsten, Primitive Man, Thergothon

Facebook • Official Website • Nailbat Tapes BandCamp • BandCamp

Urza – Path of Tombs (320 kbps)

~

Urza – The Omniprescence of Loss (2019)

Yeah, so we’re technically a couple of years behind on checking out this album, but we’ve got an excuse. The first physical release of this album will be happening next month, so if you think about it that way, we’re actually ahead of things, yeah? In any event, this is the debut album from the German group Urza (a name some nerds in the audience no doubt recognize from a different context), and it’s one steeped in funeral doom morbidity.

Opening track “Lost in Decline” is seventeen minutes long, to give you some idea of how things are gonna roll. Rising from bass drones to slow-stomping gloom, and passing through bridge after bridge, it delivers an atmosphere to make you straight-up shiver. Excellent winter music, and probably even better if you can somehow arrange yourself a listen in an underground crypt. The music is almost physically heavy, moving along on tank-tread riffs, and the vocals, deep and booming, are a fantastic fit.

Things continue on in that vein for the remainder of the album, with an evocative track title for each sprawling excursion. “A History of Ghosts”, “Path of Tombs”, “From the Vaults to Extermination”, and “Demystifying the Blackness” make up the remainder, in that order, finding reliably satisfying ways to explore fusions of morbidity and heaviness. If you’re already a funeral doom fan, you’ll find a lot to savor here; for those new to the style, it’ll likely be akin to jumping in the deep end. Songs flow smoothly from one to the next, and it’s easy to find yourself sucked into the tarry gravity of the tracks. Coming together at just about an hour of abyssal anguish, it’s a stunning debut, and a thorough testament to the band’s abilities. The physical release is on cassette, through Nailbat Tapes, and officially drops on March 5th, though pre-orders are already up. If funeral doom so deep-toned you can practically drown in it is your thing, don’t miss out on this release.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Heavydeath, Jupiterian, Malsten, Primitive Man, Thergothon

Facebook • Official Website • Nailbat Tapes BandCamp • BandCamp

Urza – Path of Tombs (320 kbps)

~

 

 

The online symphonic metal collective Valcata have released their new standalone single ‘Tower’. The song is the first glance of new music since their debut album in 2019, and was mixed by the acclaimed engineer Jacob Hansen (Pyramaze, Volbeat, Amaranthe).

Watch the lyric video below:

  

“We hope you’re as excited for this release as we are,” writes composer Oha Cade, “Since our debut in October 2019, I’ve been feverishly working on new music. While my ultimate goal is to create another full-length album, some things just can’t wait. When you hear this song and the lyrical themes, you’ll see why.”

Follow Valcata here: valcata.com/links

 

 

Below are the full credits:

MIXING AND MASTERING
Jacob Hansen (Pyramaze, Volbeat, Amaranthe, Delain)

VOCALISTS
Hadi Kiani (Gereh, The Frame, Deaton LeMay Project) — as Hessabi
Angel Wolf-Black (Goditha, Alexandra Zerner, Vivaldi Metal Project) — as Hypatia
Joshua Morse (The Doubted) — as Morbus

GUITARS
João Miguel (Enblood, Tokyo Wanderer)

BASS
Chris Kollias (SL Theory, Serenity Broken, Persona Non Grata)

DRUMS
Jonas Schütz (Sacrosanct, Sapiency, Eraserhead, Diësis, Condemned to Dream, First Encounter, Oceanrise)

STRINGS
Nathaniel Wolkstein (Just Nathaniel, Gravity the Architect, Imagine the Moon)

SYNTHS
Oha Cade

ARTWORK
Joshua McQuary (McMonster)