Absent - Towards The Void

Absent have chosen a peculiar name, because there’s nothing missing from this band. Towards The Void is a monolithic debut LP from this South American three piece. Enchanting, riveting, and absolutely pummeling in every sense of the word. Absent are carving out a place worthy of honor somewhere between the apocalyptic barren landscape and infinite wheel of ethereal cosmos that defines their sound.

Towards The Void offers a cacophony of psychedelic doom and sludge within a cyclone of hypnotic reverb. Their rhythms are absolutely on point and reminiscent of early Electric Wizard, with a raw authenticity that came before the success of their majestic Dopethrone days.

Although Towards The Void only has four tracks, each song tops off at around ten minutes and assures that you’re going to be pulled into a twisting nether several times. Beyond layers of phasers and dream shaping riffs there is a tunnel through which vocalist Thiago Satyr delivers churning melodies that provoke imagery of ghastly incantation. Rocking underneath a mountain of nihilistic artistry the guitarist Luan Lima leans toward the basic formula of blues and metal. Psychedelic trips diverge off the path often into crushing climatic waves of heavy crushing chords backed by unrelenting mantras from the void. Towards The Void is righteous and burns slow, a total package of beautiful melancholy and free spirited nihilism lost in a storm of oscillating dark energy.

Lowdrive - Roller

Roller kicks your teeth in from the get go. There is nothing soft or cute about its opening track “The Last Stand”, a call to arms amidst groovy metal riffs. Much the same can be said about track deuce, “Roller”, the eponymous rocker fueled by high octane ass kicking southern style heavy metal. The music also has some strong similarities to the blues based grooves of 90s grunge and alternative hard rock. You may find yourself making several comparisons to Stone Temple Pilots and Deliverance era Corrosion of Conformity. Between the feel good vibes and good ol’ ass kicking jams in Roller, this is a real gem with a really authentic and experienced group of guys behind the helm. In a metal scene that's almost entirely over saturated with bands dependent on gimmicks, Lowdrive are creating pure old school heavy music from the heart.

 

Catch the breeze, light a doobie, have a beer and take a trip with Lowdrive.

Merlin - The Wizard

Merlin’s The Wizard is a fun and exotic album that stretches the idea of doom metal. The introduction of saxophone expands the capabilities of this storied genre to a whole new dimension. This is the brilliant kind of craftsmanship that makes an album stand out for its daring creativity. From the opener, you’ll notice that this is a band which is going to do things differently and do them well.

After you notice the groovy sax on the first track “Abyss”, you may notice the fluid interwoven follow up with the album’s next track “Gravelord.” The Wizard is a conceptual album that tells a tale and each track is intentionally set up so that you listen to this whole release sequentially. With that being said, “Gravelord” also shows what this band is capable in terms of writing awesome lyrics and catchy rhythms. The song has spellbinding melodies and an otherworldly guitar solo. The saxophone gets jazzier on “Sage’s Crystal Staff”, a shorter track but certainly a powerful addition for its incredibly hypnotic sax solos. It is backed up by the heavy foreboding song “Golem.”

The tempo is traditionally slow with synths and organs to that help to establish a thick psychedelic and at times funeral ambiance. When the sax and guitars work in tandem such as on “Iron Borne”, the band is going to a place no other band has touched in my recollection.

The grooves on The Wizard are so freaking amazing and spontaneous. What an ass kicking and unforgettable thrill ride. You’ll be relieved to know the album is only about 39 minutes long, a perfect cut out time to avoid fizzling out. Fans of anime may consider this the Cowboy Bebop of high fantasy. Drop the stellar crew in a Dungeons & Dragons setting, and this is the album you will get. At least I’m certainly drifting off into space sitting here listening to this. Merlin, please don’t let me come back down.

Album released: January 26th 2018
 

Dog Chasing Sun - Slow Burn

Brooding epic and melancholy; Dog Chasing Sun’s Slow Burn is an authentic reverie of post metallic stoner friendly tunes. For a one man project, the album is an especially noteworthy release. The album has catchy grooves and consistently heavy tracks with thick ambience to set the mood.

Some of the tracks like the creatively titled “Selldestruction” are easy to chill out and relax listening to which helps the album move along smoothly, instead of becoming monotone and dreary after about a half hour.

I would say the reverb in Slow Burn sounds awkward in the mix and at times something almost feels incomplete, but in a way it also enhances the astral trippy vibe. There’s an ethereal richness to each tune. IIt could be cool or annoying depending on how you receive the music.

Sometimes the music can get a bit repetitive and the lack of vocals does sometimes make Slow Burn feel lackluster, but it’s otherwise a solid result of one man’s vision. The variations in style and change ups are welcome and usually done practically. 
 

The Bad Light/Tuna De Tierra - The Bad Tuna (Split)

It’s always a special feeling to discover a band that kicks your ass and when you can discover two on one album that’s even better.

There aren’t many ways to describe The Bad Light in terms of genre placement. They reconcile with so many different styles and tones that it’d be an effort in futility to define them with a couple of words. From hillbilly to southern rock and country to badass stoner grooves, this Santa Cruz, California based outfit is definitely wild. Each of their four tracks on the split are excellent and sure to please.

Tuna de Tierra are a bit more trippy and deliver a more eclectic vibe. Their music has kind of a lazy tone to it, but I mean that in a positive way. At times the Italian group can also dig down deep into raw ass kicking riffs that legitimize them as rockers alongside The Bad Light. The atmospheric quotients that Tuna de Tierra are responsible for are off of the charts. Pure desert rock, baby.

River Cult - Halcyon Daze

River Cult’s brand of psychedelic music is a fresh and intense sonic stampede that oozes eclectic vibes all over every passage of rock music. The brilliant odyssey of Halcyon Daze keeps going from one end to the other in a euphoric blend of atmospheric jams and pummeling eargasms expertly crafted into a fluid amalgamation too unique to describe in simple terms.

River Cult's guitarist and vocalist Sean Forlenza is an electric buzzsaw shredding wild outlandish fuzz on top of bad ass doomy riffs. His vocals are a blend of soulful eerie blues with raspy tones that somehow make the thought of swallowing glass and singing sound sexy. Layered underneath the band's artistic surface is a very raw and punk driven sound that I can not help but admire. Drummer and bassist Tav Palumbo and Anthony Mendolla respectively bring life to a dominant and loud rhythm section. Each musician in the band should be credited for their ability to envision and deliver so many styles working together without compromising the core of their music which is ultimately that organic hard metallic sound.

This three piece from Brooklyn has a very strong grasp on their creative vision. River Cult’s pedigree is somewhere on the threshold with early grunge era bands like Green River and the iconic underground bulldozers of stoner rock The Melvins. At times the band travels into such epic landscapes of musical ambition that they ascend into the territory of classic post-genre bands like Explosions In The Sky, ISIS, or Russian Circles. Also, there is definitely a very classic trippy vibe behind the guitar work as well, as you’ll notice if you’re a fan of ‘70s rockers like Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, and Joe Walsh.

River Cult rotate between brooding melancholy to wild and carefree rock tracks charged by quick paced melodies. I would definitely recognize them as a band that is attempting to do something different and fun in the stoner rock scene. Due to the length of each song, the band is able to manage many different themes and styles with fluid ease, which makes for great listening and many different emotions. Every track is an amazing journey and nothing stalls out to become filler.

I would strongly recommend River Cult if you're into this sort of music or even if you're looking for something new. River Cult have definitely put the entire stoner rock scene on notice.  The album dropped on February 9th, 2018!

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals - Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals second album Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue takes the listener down a thousand mad corridors and guarantees a bumpy ride. This style of sludge meets experimental death metal works wonders for Anselmo and it feels like here is where he belongs in his present state, and certainly no one knows that better than he does. 

While I do plan to write in great lengths about Anselmo, the Illegals are actually the standout contributors to this band and it would be disservice to ignore what they bring to the table. Mike DeLeon offers a plethora of talents to showcase in his riffs and change ups as their new lead guitar player. Stephen Taylor and DeLeon conjure up a wild tempest of sounds that approach the verge of old school Morbid Angel and even range around the technical versatility of Atheist. Jose Gonzalez clockwork drumming is impressive, and the dynamics of the band’s rhythms are upwards of the experimental metal wonders of Mr. Bungle. I’m often left wondering where the music is going and how many turns the band is going to take, but somehow it never actually loses focus. If Phil Anselmo weren’t the front man, every hipster in the scene would love this album for its deranged brilliance.

Although we’ve all laid to rest dreams of ever hearing the effervescent siren falsettos of Anselmo’s youth i.e. Cowboys From Hell, Power Metal, Anselmo’s continued use of guttural cries and deep scathing growls can still pack quite a punch. At times his delivery sounds tired or drained, but it feeds into the aesthetics of entropy that endear hearts to the sludge metal scene, and I picture Phil working within this realm for the long haul as years continue taking their toll. There are definitely strengths that Anselmo is capable of playing despite the wear and tear. If nothing else, the Henry Rollins influence on Anselmo comes to life stronger on the Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals albums than I’ve heard it before, with the frequent use of spoken candor in each song becoming a credible supplement to enhance his waning range.

Anselmo’s creative versatility and depth has few surviving equals, given his experience and contributions to more bands than I’ve had warm meals, and his storied history certainly propels the charm of an occult like myth. His lyrics can either be brutally forward (“Walk”, “Dress Like A Target”) or boggling with mystique (“Landing On The Mountains of Megiddo, “Pillamyd”). The lyrical content of Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue certainly contains landmines of open accusations, which aren’t deliberate or specific, but certainly broad and suggestive remarks about the state of culture today. I don’t think you’re going to get a point on this album that matches the blissful tranquility of “Jail” or sorrowful acceptance of “Nothing In Return.” Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue is an assault, not a tome.

In many ways, for his fans Anselmo remains the godhead of sludge, groove metal, and a variety of hardcore styles that intersect with Sabbath influences. Of course he’s also the subject of so much hostility due to his steadfast dedication to tongue and cheek humor and a politically incorrect ethos. His middle finger toward etiquette has on occasion led to quarrels with some of the more properly behaved and fashionably keen, and Rob Flynn.  This air of dimensions and dispositions that enshroud Phil Anselmo make it impossible to listen to an album featuring the front man without conjuring an opinion of this notoriety. It is an irremovable blot that Anselmo embraces and tackled quite well in Walk Through Exits Only, as he does again with amplified vitriol on the follow up Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue.

If anything can be taken from the second Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals album, it’s that this old monolith isn’t going anywhere soon. He has the support and independent resources to continue pissing off his haters and charming his fans. Love him or not, Anselmo’s ministry continues in the dark swamps outside of New Orleans, and the force will be heard. The madman behind Nodferatu's Lair and all of its many spawn cleverly manages transformations to overcome each storm he's faced so far, and one should expect the beast will very well do it until he's dead.

Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue was released on January 26th 2018 through Housecore in North America and distributed via Season of Mist abroad.