Blog Archives
Musings of the Heavy Metal Hippie: White Storm of Teeth by The Devil’s Blood
In case you haven’t noticed, I f’n love this band and am a bit chaffed that I ended up getting into them after they broke up. Sucks, I know. Lucky for me I still get to indulge in the excitement of a new release from the band even though I will never be able to catch one of those awesome live shows I’ve heard so much about.
The Devil’s Blood breakup happened while they were in the middle of recording their new album and they were pretty damn close to finishing the record when the split happened. Fortunately they weren’t going to let all the new music that they recorded go to waste, so what was completed was put together and now we have the record III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars.
I’ll probably not do a full review of the album, but will say it’s pretty damn good for being an unfinished work. There are many parts that need some smoothing out and some good editing on others, but as a whole, it is really enjoyable. It’s a shame because you can certainly hear that The Devil’s Blood were pushing themselves and not trying to just cut and paste the songwriting they established on their first album.
Anywho, my favorite track off the album is “White Storm of Teeth” and it has a heavy Tool feel to it, mainly in hypnotizing bass line. There’s also strong elements of Pink Floyd as well as that undeniable Devil’s Blood sound. Give the tune a listen and sound off what you think. Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!!!
Musings of the Heavy Metal Hippie: New Trip by Sixty Watt Shaman
Sixty Watt Shaman is one of those band I could never recollect how I heard of them or when their album made its way into my CD collection. But I’m happy it resides in there. Equal parts stoner and southern the band straight up brings the rock. Probably best compared to Corrosion of Conformity’s more southern fried style songs (specifically the Wiseblood album) their album Seed of Decades isn’t looking to break any barriers or push any envelopes. It exists just to show you a good time with big riffing and the occasional psychedelic section tossed in from time to time.
My favorite track off said album is “New Trip” which features all the above mentioned with the big catcher for me being the last minute or so where a Native American style chant grooves along with the jiving music. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. Enjoy!!! Peace Love and Metal!!!
Musings of the Heavy Metal Hippie: Parchment Farm by Blue Cheer
If I’m going to be talking often about stoner and doom metal, I think it’s in order to make mention of the genres roots. Two classic bands from the ’60s can be cited as the main kicking off points and have major influence in the 2 genres. Both Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath carry much bearing for the 2, where Sabbath influenced the doom genre a tad more than Blue Cheer, whereas Blue Cheer has stronger bearings on stoner. However without the two to make a whole, these genres would sound much different from how they do today.
Today let’s focus on the stoner side of the hippie metal spectrum with a rocking song from Blue Cheer called “Parchment Farm” off their highly influential debut album Vincebus Eruptum. The first thing you will notice is the immediate fuzzy guitar tones and strong blues rock riffing, a staple of the stoner and doom genres (and without the fuzziness, the southern metal genre). There is also a lot of heavy psychedelic stuff going on which is also another major characteristic of stoner rock/metal, and as you delve deeper into the sounds of Blue Cheer, you will hear they went quite heavy with the psychedelics in other tunes like “Summertime Blues” (the band name Blue Cheer is also taken from the street name of a type of LSD).
“Parchment Farm” is actually a reworking of a folk blues song that was sung in a prison nicknamed Parchment Farm (I’m guessing prisoners were made to make paper), and is about the corruption of the correction facility through the eyes of the prisoner.
Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!!!!!
Album Review: The Circle and the Blue Door by Purson
I really have to tip my hat lately to the metal community for being so accepting and embracing of this psychedelic occult rock resurgence taking place within our preferred genre right now. Really, I would have never imagined a your traditional modern metal head ever getting down to bands like Blood Ceremony or Jess and the Ancient Ones, but alas, that is the case. It may be that the often Satanic and Wiccan theme’s resonate with us and they give us an excuse to really dig of the hallucinogen fueled tunes or that we catch that this style of music has deep roots in the early beginnings of metal and we enjoy it on that level or that we’ve finally found a listenable form of non-growling female vocals in our genre (I personally can’t stand the symphonic Gothic metal crap, and I’m sure I’m not the only one). What ever the case may be, labels have been scooping up occult rock acts like there’s no tomorrow and they’ve been selling quite well. So, occult rock is back for now and seems to be the in-fad. Will its welcome wear out like djent, the retro-thrash revival, and metalcore? Most likely, but of all the fads to hit the scene, this one really hits me hard as a style that is more than a fad to me with many bands I’ve actively sought out, enjoy, and will continue to listen to until I return to the Earth. So, since the occult rock thing is really my bag at the moment, you can see the excitement I had when I found that, amid the copious amounts of power metal and death metal that bombards the Metal State inbox, to find the debut album by a band called Purson (not a misspelling of the word ‘person’, but one of the many names of Mr. Satan himself) that had tags like Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Coven, and Led Zeppelin selling the music to me. The inner-hippie in me lit up with excitement as I rushed to pop the record in and now having given it the obligatory 3 spins, I am here to tell you that Purson’s debut record The Circle and the Blue Door is pretty damn groovy.
Tales From Bandcamp: CVI by Royal Thunder
Have you ever gotten an album, listened to it, liked it a lot, then somehow it gets lost in the mix only to be rediscovered on a random date down the road where you proclaim “Why the hell haven’t I been listening to this obsessively since I first got my hands on it”. That is the case with me and Royal Thunder’s debut record CVI. Last week I popped the album in for shits and giggles and something clicked and I have not stopped listening to it multiple times a day since.
Royal Thunder is a pretty hard band to describe. On the surface I could say they’re a stoner rock band in the vein of a more rock and roll focused early Baroness with a chick on vocal duties. But that wouldn’t do them justice. While there are some very immediate songs on the record that rock from first note to the last like “No Good”, the real genius in this record shows when they take a nod to the post-metal/rock approach and let the songs build up into a moment where all the elements of the beginning of track come together for a huge stoner rock crescendo. In particular the tunes “Shake and Shift”, “Drown”, and “Blue”. They may not have the most immediate starts, but man, after all the pieces fall into place it’s nirvana. They also have a penchant for some delightfully haunting doom tunes. Tunes like “Sleeping Witch” and “South of Somewhere” are the kind of stuff beautiful nightmares are made out of.
So, when all is said and done, CVI is a triumphant and diverse album that needs you attention. If you take a moment and listen with an ear closer you will be fully rewarded with a an album that is deep, dynamic, exploratory, and soulful, yet doesn’t get lost in itself and delivers on the hard-hitting rock and roll. Give a listen, tell your friends, and let us know what you think of Royal Thunder. Enjoy!!! Peace Love and Metal!!!!
Album Review: Godsized – Time
For fans of ZZ Top, Down, Clutch, and Led Zeppelin-styled bands, Godsized should be right up your alley. They employ catchy hooks, clean vocals, and a distinct Southern groove that was instantly likable on their previous EP, Brothers in Arms. It’s a little ironic since they not even from the Southern US; but based out of London, England. After that pivotal release, they have been relentlessly touring; carving out a niche of their own, and growing a following of die-hard fans. Fast-forward a few years (to now) and their long-awaited debut full-length album, Time, is out worldwide. Did they improve upon what they already accomplished? Here are my thoughts on the new album and the band’s progression.
Concert Review: Ghost B.C.
A secular haze descended over Denver on the 18th of April. Ghost B.C. headlined their North American tour with Ides of Gemini and local Denver boys Speedwolf opening the set. This was a much-anticipated tour stop for me as I have come to greatly appreciate the groovy styles and satanic bliss known as Ghost B.C. After having seen them at Download 2012, I vowed to catch their shows any chance I can. This was definitely an opportunity I was not going to miss for two reasons; 1 – they were supporting their new album Infestissumam; 2 – they were headlining and I wanted to experience all of Ghost B.C.’s grandeur. From here on out, I will refer to them as (just) Ghost.
Album Review: Raven Lord – Descent to the Underworld
One thing I like about a band that sounds like they were from 1983 is the raw and powerful nature behind their music. Raven Lord’s debut album Descent to the Underworld is an album that certainly fits that bill. What was the metal world bombarded with in the early 80’s? Bands like Judas Priest, Dio, Black Sabbath (post-Ozzy), and Yngwie Malmsteen to name a few; guitar-driven fist-in-the-air metal! Combine that style raw-energy and some elements of Power metal and you have a beastly Raven lord album reminiscent of the earlier days of what we now consider classic metal. Raven Lord is a multinational band with members hailing from six counties across two continents. This certainly plays into the overall cultural influence of the album.
