Rolling Stoner/Psych/Retro/Space Thread 2015: Red With Purple Flashes

The Elder album loses me with that super long track in the middle. Just feels like a chore to get through. The rest is very good but that track ruins it IMO.

That's the highlight of the album!

new Kult of the Wizard is out today:

https://kultofthewizard.bandcamp.com/album/the-white-wizard

They've morphed from Electric Wizard worship into more of a Witch Mountain-y vibe with the addition of a female vocalist. Even bust out a Heart cover. And, in the interest of full disclosure, they used some of my noise theremin squawking as the soundbed for "Plasma Pool". They've done a "noise track" on each of their prior two albums and they reached out to me this time around to help with that song.

Listening to this now and totally diggin' it - hope they come to Chicago.

They're hoping to get some shows booked in the near future. The lineup seems pretty solid now. I would guess that if they start playing outside Minneapolis they'll head your way.

http://helzgloriam.misantrof.net -- full album free

HELZGLORIAM is pure evil hailing from Persia: the group is ruled by the dark magic of passion and is inspired by the memories of ancient Satanic cults in The East. Is inspired by what the great Persian Empire meant. This is the beginning before any end. This is pure and unique energy created by musicians accepting SATAN as their creator and strongly intending to promote the mysteries of chaos in reality.

HELZGLORIAM is sublime symphonic black metal with extreme power, groove and energy. It sounds heavier and darker than most modern Scandinavian music of the same genre nowadays. “Infernal Monarchy” is purely dark lord worshipping.

This is what you were waiting for. This is what you needed. This is your beginning. This is your end.

….And death is whispering in the desert winds and SATAN is rising with the sandstorms...

they've got a great sound and loads of middle east folk influences (opening track has maqam stylings, chanting)

Shame about the stupid name, since this Black Pussy record is actually really good.

i was wondering if we were going to get away with leaving that one alone

the guy interviewed here does not appear to have the rhetorical skills required to defend his exceptionally awful band name
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2015/03/exclusive-interview-ryan-mcintire-black-pussy/

Yeah, they released another statement after a show was canceled that was more braindead doubling down on the name.

https://heavychainsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-warriors-spell < i like this

I couldn't help it, I made an Elder thread. Love these guys.
Elder (band)

Wand's "Golem" album's sounding pretty good, almost scratches the itch I have for Tame Impala and Uncle Acid to collaborate.

Yeah, I can second that WAND album, it's a lot of fun. It falls more closely to garage rock than stoner rock, but you can definitely feel the influence of the latter.

So here's a very preliminary list of my favorite records of this type from the first quarter of 2015:

Elder - Lore
Eternal Tapestry - Wild Strawberries
WAND - Golem
Moon Duo - Shadow of the Sun
Saturnalia Temple - To The Other
Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden
Mondo Drag - Mondo Drag
Corsair - One Eyed Horse
Awful Band Name Here - Magic Mustache
The Silence - The Silence
Black Rainbow - Hawkdope
Kult of the Wizard - The White Wizard
Shepherd - Stereolithic Riffalocalypse
Bose - Ultimate Temple of Doom
Pond - Man, It Feels Like Space Again
Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
Ruby the Hatchet - Valley of the Snake
Disappears - Irreal
Torche - Restarter
Cherry Choke - Raising the Waters
Captain Crimson - Ageless Time
The Midnight Ghost Train - Cold Was the Ground
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth - Brothers of the Sonic Cloth
Dopethrone - Hochelaga
Spidergawrd - II
Killer Boogie - Detroit
Omega Soul - Void
Stonebringer - Those Winds
Chiefs - Tomorrow's Over
Stoned Jesus - The Harvest
Fakir Thongs - Habanero

I know, I know, stretching the categories here (I know we dropped doom from the title), but this is how I wanted to list 'em.

Kult of the Wizard! Woohoo!

Yeah, I somehow missed out on the first couple EPs, but I really like that new one. I'm anxious to hear what a full length will sound like though.

I think this lineup will be steadier than prior ones so the potential is high for a full length. They're also looking into playing their first shows in the next few months. Alas, I won't be able to play "Plasma Pool" with them.

Well, dammit, that was my favorite part of the EP. I do hope they make it over to Chicago when they tour though.

I hope so to. I'll make sure and let you know of any dates.

Wand rules so hard.

I agree that Black Pussy album's pretty good. I think it's a shame many of the music writers / rock crits I've seen - good, smart ones, no less - have let the terrible name stop them from actually listening to and assessing the music.

New Torche album is really good, I think. I've always liked the idea of Torche but never quite gotten down with the execution before.

these guys are playing my store on the 17th. the british sunburned? i dunno. if i close my eyes i can almost hear bunnybrains circa 1994.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbwIP2GGjs

Falling asleep to wand the last couple of evenings. Strangely relaxing

I've been quiet because I was packing, moving, unpacking, but not totally out of the loop. I saw Wand on Easter Sunday and they were even better than I hoped! http://fastnbulbous.com/wand-golem-in-the-red/

I then saw Electric Wizard on Tuesday, and it was pretty great, though the sold-out crowd were annoying and decided moshing was a good idea. I wasn't too impressed by the drummer, and making "Time To Die" last 20 minutes was kind of excruciating, but otherwise if was a good mix.

The Lucid Dream – The Lucid Dream (Holy Are You? Recordings) - I'd imagine this will get popular. First album available cheap on Bandcamp (https://theluciddream.bandcamp.com/), new one is on Spotify, or can order CD for £7.
http://fastnbulbous.com/the-lucid-dream-the-lucid-dream/
https://open.spotify.com/album/6FuFh339KQJDa0cyVlNoWQ

More:
http://fastnbulbous.com/royal-thunder-crooked-doors/
http://fastnbulbous.com/new-albums-of-the-week-march-31/
http://fastnbulbous.com/ufomammut-ecate-neurot/
http://fastnbulbous.com/elder-lore/

Ufomammut tour kicks off at Reggies in Chicago, and I now live just a mile down the street from there. I met Jon from here at Uncle Acid, and anyone else going, let us know!

King Woman EP on Flenser's pretty cool. Excepting the band name.

Follakzoid announce new album + single
http://www.belmontbookings.nl/follakzoid-join-belmonts-european-roster-announce-new-album-single/

browsing in fopp a few days ago, i experienced this almighty groove and layered guitars.
i hung around for a while, until the next track, which was more of the same only bigger and better.
ok, done deal.
i asked to see the cd, turned out to be follakzoids new release III.
checking the details, i found out that my old FAX fave, atom heart is involved in this crews new album adding electronic tweaks here and there.
so, given that fopp have the new release for a damn fine price, and their previous album for a bargain i got both.

cannot recall the last time i heard something in my lunch hour and bought the album there and then.

the end result : this is my new favourite group.

yeah, it may be all the usual elements of kraut/psych ..
but both albums are done so well, and the production is fantastic, that i cannot help but succumb.

Skot I got into some Desmadrados last year. If you're into that check out Cosmic Dead's Easterfaust too. I liked both of them bcz it felt like they were entering into the psych/space/kraut continuum using the last couple songs off VU & Nico, instead of the typical Floyd/Hawkwind/Neu paradigm

Also, Flenser's quickly becoming one of favorite labels to watch for.

Seeing elder on the 5th in greenpoint

Updated list of upcoming releases:

Mikal Cronin – MCIII (Merge) 5-May
Jacco Gardner – Hypnophobia (Polyvinyl) 5-May
Rose Windows – Rose Windows (Sub Pop) 5-May
Venomous Maximus – Firewalker (Shadow Kingdom) 5-May
Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia (Soulseller) 8-May
Seremonia – Kristalliarkki (Svart) 8-May
The Holydrug Couple – Moonlust (Sacred Bones) 12-May
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag (Kozmik Artifactz) 12-May
Sammal – Myrskyvaroitus (Svart) 15-May
The Helio Sequence – The Helio Sequence (Sub Pop) 19-May
Valkyrie – Shadows (Relapse) 19-May
The Vintage Caravan – Arrival (Nuclear Blast) 18-May
Orchid – Sign Of The Witch (Nuclear Blast) 25-May
FOGG – High Testament (Tee Pee) May-15
The Darkness – Last Of Our Kind (Wind-Up) 1-Jun
Goatsnake – Black Age Blues (Southern Lord) 2-Jun
My Sleeping Karma – Moksha (Napalm) 9-Jun
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) 16-Jun
High On Fire – Luminiferous (eOne) 23-Jun
Glowsun – Beyond The Wall Of Time (Napalm) 26-Jun
Agusa - Agusa 2 (The Laser's Edge) 21-Jul

Out today:
Monolord – Vænir (RidingEasy)
http://fastnbulbous.com/monolord-vaenir/

Been out a while but finally reviewed:
Ruby The Hatchet – Valley Of The Snake (Tee Pee)
http://fastnbulbous.com/ruby-the-hatchet-valley-of-the-snake/

Torche – Restarter (Relapse)
http://fastnbulbous.com/torche-restarter-relapse/

Ufomammut tour kicks off at Reggies in Chicago
keep your eye out for me

Will do!

http://puja.bandcamp.com/album/merkabah

May Doom Chart: http://doomcharts.com/2015/05/02/doom-chart-may-2015/

Elder in bkln last night - guitarist/voc dude is the real deal and kind of looks like a cute 18 year old girl. Bass was way too loud and drumming not technically amazing but did swing. Obnoxious 20 year olds slam dancing in the front.

https://instagram.com/p/2U9BwZrvcw/

Wow, they're traveling quick, a friend saw them in Oakland on the 9th, melting brains coast to coast.

Arenna – Given To Emptiness (Nasoni)
http://fastnbulbous.com/arenna-given-to-emptiness/

Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia (Soulseller)
http://fastnbulbous.com/demon-eye-tempora-infernalia/

ufomammut were great!! the usa seems to be agreeing with them and their visual aid included a repeating segment with cave footage/stalactites/mites/glow worms just like in the caves episode of planet earth.
very enjoyable!

I'd have liked to chat with you more La, but I wasn't used to having 12 other friends at a show while simultaneously having my shivering brain incapacitated by Ufomammut!

So yeah, amazing show. Highly recommend everyone who can, go!

5/14/2015 Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH
5/15/2015 Bug Jar – Rochester, NY
5/16/2015 Mod Club – Toronto, ON
5/17/2015 Le Ritz – Montreal, QC
5/19/2015 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY
5/20/2015 Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
5/21/2015 Maryland Death Fest – Baltimore, MD [no Usnea]
5/22/2015 King’s – Raleigh, NC
5/23/2015 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
5/25/2015 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
5/26/2015 Walter’s – Houston, TX
5/27/2015 Red 7 – Austin, TX
5/29/2015 Sister – Albuquerque, NM
5/30/2015 Flycatcher – Tucson, AZ
5/31/2015 Complex – Los Angeles, CA
6/02/2015 Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
6/03/2015 Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA
6/04/2015 Press Club – Sacramento, CA
6/05/2015 WOW Hall – Eugene, OR [no Usnea]
6/06/2015 Rotture – Portland, OR
6/07/2015 Chop Suey – Seattle, WA
6/08/2015 Neurolux – Boise, ID
6/09/2015 Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT
6/10/2015 Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
6/12/2015 Turf Club – St Paul, MN
6/13/2015 Metal Grill – Milwaukee, WI

From my friend Philip:

“Immersive” isn’t a big enough word for Ufomammut. These Italian psychedelic-doom sorcerers play narcotically heavy, tail-swallowing grooves that propel you through the incandescent arteries and throbbing chambers of a cosmic cardiopulmonary system. The magma-thick riffs recirculate hypnotically, with the thunderous heartbeat of the drums and the roaring, detonating vortices of the guitars often driven by two distinct metabolisms. The vocals confuse the question of whether this trip is through inner space or outer darkness—sometimes they whisper and murmur like an occult presence infiltrating your skull, and at others they howl and chant like bestial priests, their distant cries often processed into iridescent gales of noise. Curtains of electronic keyboard glisten and sizzle like diabolical aurora, and even the ambient interludes simmer with vast and obscure life rather than discharge the tension built by the music’s inexorable spiraling orbits. This spring’s Ecate (Neurot), the band’s ninth studio full-length (if you count 2012’s Oro: Opus Primum and Oro: Opus Alter as two), makes liberal use of Ufomammut’s best trick: a cycling pattern whose bone-simple rhythms and black-hole blocks of distortion elude easy grasp by cunningly slipping in and out of phase with each other. The nearly 11-minute “Chaosecret” opens with the drums in nine-beat phrases and the guitars in 12, and the slippage between the two keeps the part engrossing for the four solid minutes it repeats. The ur-example of this technique, though, remains “Oroborus” from Opus Alter—its evil anaconda of a riff uses paired groups of seven and eight pulses that shift on or off an implied 4/4 downbeat with each loop, gathering heat and density till the song ignites like the nuclear furnace of a newborn star. This is only Ufomammut’s third trip across the Atlantic in their 16 years together, so don’t count on another chance to see these amplifier-abusing space wizards in the flesh.

He has top notch descriptive skills. It was definitely a sonic inferno. I had been up since 6am and was worth it to see such exuberance. Good show for sure.

Saw Acid Mothers Temple & ST 37 last night. Good show! I was super tired but I'm glad I dragged myself out. It was my first time seeing Acid Mothers Temple and I finally get it. I've liked some of their records but didn't think they were anything special. They're a very, very good live band that just can't capture it in the studio.

Hard Rock Ascending
http://fastnbulbous.com/hard-rock-ascending/

http://fastnbulbous.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/hard-rock-ascending.jpg

so much to listen to. looking forward to going through all these recommendations! thx

I originally had this listed for this week, but further digging shows I think it's just an EP and not out until July:

Orchid – Sign Of The Witch (Nuclear Blast) 25-May

Now that things are slowing down, I'm going back and listening to stuff I missed, like Finnish trad metal Lord Fist, and also thinking about what's coming up, like Christian Mistress, Graveyard, even Iron Maiden!

Night Demon is touring, I might see them at LiveWire on 6/9. They're not on Spotify but here's a playlist with some others, including latest by Ironsword: https://open.spotify.com/user/1212496385/playlist/1N0Ri7fJejEyzLgDZrT4WS

Followed through on my anticipated thoughts, which is part wishlist, though I hope the piece will rattle the cages of some of the bands and get them to give an update :) http://fastnbulbous.com/anticipated-albums-2015/

There's also a Satan album coming up. That's the one I'm anticipating most.

I like the Sammal record a lot. 70s-sounding prog that stays pleasantly loose and casual.

I didn't know about the Satan! Re Sammal, along those lines I look forward to Agusa!

Goatsnake – Black Age Blues (Southern Lord)
http://fastnbulbous.com/goatsnake-black-age-blues/

Also, psych noir! It's becoming a thing!

10 000 Russos (Portugal) came out recently, Dead Skeletons (Iceland) has had several EPs and should have a new album at some point. They're my favorite. The Janitors (Sweden) and The Black Waves (France) should also have new stuff coming.

https://fuzzclub.bandcamp.com/album/10000-russos
https://theluciddream.bandcamp.com/album/the-lucid-dream
https://deadskeletons.bandcamp.com/
https://thejanitors.bandcamp.com/album/evil-doings-of-an-evil-kind-ep
https://thejanitors.bandcamp.com/album/drone-head
https://theblackwaves.bandcamp.com/album/thousands-of-visions

https://tamanshud1.bandcamp.com/album/viper-smoke

I got to debut "Joy OF Home" from FOGG at Last Rites. One of the best local bands and they've got a new album, High Testament out on Tee Pee later this month. They do the proto-metal thing without the occult cheese. Lots of Blue Cheer in them.

http://lastrit.es/articles/934/the-fogg-has-landed