Review: Luna Sol “Below the Deep”

The Colorado High Mountain heavy rockers make a welcome return with their second record “Below the Deep”. Knowing their original links to Desert Rock royalty and how good their debut album “Blood Moon” was, spending the last 3 years crafting these songs was destined to make something special.

"Black Cloud” opens the album and is proper “High Mountain Rock n Roll”. Drum roll then straight into a thick heavy riff that drives the song, giving you that feeling of a packed house bar-room gig. Dave Angstom's vocals have a dark feel to them, sounding low in the mix which works really well. Further on in the track, bassist Shannon Fahnestock also contributes to lead vocals, and between them there’s a harmony that works really well. The song closes with a full on, guitar in the air solo.

The title track “Below the Deep” keeps the riff driven rock right on track. Within the vocal harmonies this time there’s a dark Mark Lanegan vocal style in the mix. Again, a powerful mix topped with a full straight to the point solo and the use of the vocals and harmonies really elevates the song. Fans of Hermano will really dig this one.

“Along the Road” has a lot more of a darker groove to it, held perfectly at a slower pace by Justin Baier’s drum beats. Vocally it has that low end deep voice to it, adding to the Corrosion of Conformity feel to the song. The guitars of David Burke and Angstrom overlap each other, leaving time for some ripping guitar solos.

The Blue’s are all over “Man’s Worth Killin”, showing a slower southern groove mixed with some of the best vocal harmonies on the album. The chorus is a proper head nodder.

“Sometimes We Get It Right” is a mid-tempo rocker that could be out the Hermano playbook, with the vocals having a John Garcia feel to them. “The Dying Conglomerate” has the late 90’s hard desert rock feel to it. 

“Garden of the Gods” feels like a song that the band have taken time to make it just right. Its slow and emotive, sitting somewhere between Soundgarden and Audioslave and Dave is definitely channelling some inner Chris Cornell. There’s a catchy as hell baseline that makes you feel as though you are lost in the desert in the dark, completed with some awesome duel guitar work.

Followed by another rocker “Hallelujah”, that brings in some organ to compliment the Southern Blues Rock vibe. It’s a 4 minute stomper that could quite easily be a lead single. The male/female vocal harmonies work a treat, overlaid with a husky growl ala Mark Lanegan, and the guitar solo slowly lifts you up there, then boom, a classic in the making.

“Mammoth Cave” follows a lead sounding like very early Queens of the Stone Age, then a real foot tapper of a chorus that will have everyone singing along. “Wait for It” more than drives the message home, whilst the final track “Home” walks a dark brooding path, not before one final blast of twin guitar leads.

I was a big fan of the previous LP “Blood Moon” and even after only a few listens, I can guarantee “Below the Deep” is going to blow you away. The production is perfect for what they are doing and every instrument they use is comes across with some much power with a hint of fuzz behind the songs. 

"Below the Deep" is already available in the USA and comes out in Europe on August 16th (with super special packaging). It can be purchased from:

USA LP - USA CD - USA Download - Euro LP & CD - Euro (Green Vinyl) LP

Review: Mantra Machine “Heliosphere”

With the release of “Nitrogen” back in 2014 that had followed their “Stage One” EP 12 months earlier, Mantra Machine had found something special, mixing the hypnotic sounds of space like psychedelia and the “jam” like feel of desert rock. I have to admit that I didn’t think I would have to wait 4 more years for another record, but when they dropped a new single “Hydrogen” in March, you knew something special was coming, and here it is…..

“Heliosphere” consists of 4 long songs that total 43:00 minutes of Amsterdam’s finest instrumental cosmic rock. 

The journey starts with “Hydrogen” and as the track slowly starts to build and grow, you can already see that the band have spent time really perfecting the sound they want. The guitars have that sound that only people like Josh Homme managed to perfect in Kyuss alongside bands from the early Swedish stoner rock scene. It’s powerful, driving, fuzzy but also manages to give the impression that it’s floating out to another dimension. I know very little about pedals, cabs, tubes etc. but once you’ve heard this, you’ll get what I mean. As the songs keeps moving, it gives the impression of travelling through the clouds and beyond, like what Colour Haze do, but Mantra Machine keep turning the song back to a hypnotic beat. Coming to its conclusion, the work from each instrument becomes more complex and heavier as the song intensifies, before silence.

“Atmos” brings you right back down and lets you drift outwards into deep space. Slow fuzzy baselines alongside rhythmic drumming move you out into the cosmos in what feels like a jam performed in the deepest of nights. As the guitar starts to add more and more layers over the song, the track begins to intensify and the drifting turns in to a mission that, with the help of some killer guitar work, has to be completed.

As keyboards and a solitary guitar riff opens up “delta-v”, the 3 piece create the perfect mix of a desert rock jam with a space rock trip. Lie back and you can see the sunrise just starting to break on the horizon whilst you can still see the stars and galaxies high above you in the night sky. The track has a hypnotic sense to it with a repetitive “mantra” feel behind the rhythm section as the guitar takes you to those galaxies far away in the distance. 

Title track “Heliosphere” closes the album with 15 minutes of showcasing what Mantra Machine can really do. There is a psych riff and back beat that the song always returns to, but one minute the song is all out stoner rock with cymbals crashing, the next there is a raw sounding guitar playing over soaring space like keyboards followed by psychedelia that just melts away. The whole thing is an absolute pleasure to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The digital version is out now via their Bandcamp page, which also includes the link to pre-order the limited edition gatefold vinyl version of “Heliosphere” on ultra-clear transparent or green clear with black marbled effect.

Bandcamp – Spotify - Facebook  

Review: Gorm - S/T

Just when you think that Germany cannot produce another killer heavy psych band, in walk Rostock’s Gorm. Following on from a live release from 2017, they have locked themselves away and created an instrumental sound that takes the listener in to another sonic dimension.

With 5 songs (4 on the LP) covering 57 minutes, it’s time to sit back and enjoy their cosmic trip.

“Rhea” starts off slowly with a couple of riffs that are reminiscent to what Elder are doing right now. A tight sounding rhythm section that starts to take you out into the distance with fuzzy guitars that start to build and build. Then around 4:00 minutes everything stops to then be pushed up a level and forced out into the universe, this is where the instruments get thicker and the guitar starts to pull you away, but never too far from the chugging sound that makes you think of the spaceships engine. Again it stops, with listener only hearing a slight keyboard effect as though you are in deep space and then the song builds up the layers before its signature riff takes over, feeling big and emotive, before it takes you back.

Feeling the connection to the next track “Hyperion”, you feel as though you are already back up there is the stars with instruments sounding more as though they are turning to the light. The song then takes a gentle approach as the bass and drumbeats pull you along before the soundscapes start to build and evolve and for the next 7 minutes slowly take you out there and back again on many occasions.

“Hydra” is a 12 minute journey that has more a well thought out “jam” feel to it, reminding me of Colour Haze and Rotor in parts. The guitar meanders back into the cosmos again, backed with more cymbals this time and when the heavier parts kick in, they really kick in with a repetitive style this music was made for. Half way through the track stops and veers off into different world and the bass guitar feels a lot fuzzier as it drives everything forward. Everything speeds up as the guitar takes on a slight metal chug to it, leaving space for some intricate guitar work to follow.

Elder fans will really enjoy “Triton” with its overlaying guitar soundscapes and time changes, giving you the atmosphere of space exploration without knowing what is coming on the horizon. One minute the track is driving forward with a repeating guitar riff, the next with a euphoric like guitar melody.

The non vinyl LP versions also have the track “Calypso” on them, a more crunchy psychedelic jam compared to the others. From the guitar walking off into the distance repeatedly whilst it keeps bring you home to repeat a riff reminds me very much of Rotor, which is a bonus. From the thick fuzzy overlays to the more psych sounding parts, Gorm have the ability to sound heavy, but not in a metal way.

The vinyl is available direct from the band in 3 Colors (Blue, Orange and a Purple/Black marble). 

Bandcamp - Facebook - YouTube - Spotify

Review: The Kings of Frog Island Ep's

It had felt like quite some time since we had heard anything from The Kings of Frog Island as 2018 drew to a close, but the announcement of a series of releases by them throughout 2019 has already given us a wealth of what Leicester’s finest do best. At the time of writing this, EP no.7 has just been released and it looks like we are expecting one every month for the rest of the year. So in release date order, here we go:

Birth of a Star

The first new release “Birth of a Star” starts with a drum beat that opens the door for an awesome riff that is classic Kings of Frog Island, a riff that is meant to be played over and over. Backed up with another 3 chord riff that becomes the mainstay for the next 21 minutes, it has an almost wild west feel to it. The song walks on with the mantra like drumbeat as the guitar dips in and out and the keyboard floats all over the track, and just as you think the songs is over, the keyboards pulls you in a different direction, the drums kick in stronger and away we go.

Ove the next ten minutes “Birth of a Star” takes a few more twists and turns and it conjures up the sounds of very early Queens of the Stone Age and as we near then end of the journey, the guitar takes a winding walk into the mystical distance as the sun slowly sets in the sky.

White Dwarf

“White Dwarf” has a bigger feel to it with a thick fuzzy riff and some 70’s organ like keyboards, topped with a guitar riff that soars in and out. Slowly moving along, the riffs, the big drum beats and keyboard build a good repetition that holds on to you before the song slips away into keyboards that sound almost heavenly, as though you are up there some place in the clouds, then nothing. Very atmospheric.

Temporal Riff, Vol.1

The third single “Temporal Riff, Vol.1” is an absolute treat, taking the original "Temporal Riff" (from Vol V) and making it sound more 60’s and drug induced. Sounding more intimate and trippy than the original and without a doubt an appreciative nod to The Velvet Underground. The whole sound and vibe of the 6 minutes moves away from that feeling of sitting on a beach under that stars and into a floating opium induced dream that takes you into the unknown. The constant beat of what sounds like maracas throughout really makes this version stand out.

Supernova

Back to the instrumentals and “Supernova” starts slowly with an uplifting positive sound to it which includes the ever so slight use of a wah-wah effect in the background, which is more noticeable with headphones on. The song meanders through repetitive riffs and space like keyboards as you feel yourself drifting away to a darker place, then a single riff kicks in and lifts you straight back out.

Ozium

Picking a song to cover is usually something quite personal and they couldn’t have picked a more fitting track to play than Monster Magnet’s “Ozium”. Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Monster Magnet, so only good things can come of this.

Sounding a lot more stripped back and rawer than the original, they throw their own twist on the classic. The guitar strums, the gong sounds and the vocals sound really good but I do wish they had taken the song into the second half when it goes off into oblivion, I think they really could have done something. I guess they “will not be denied”.

Pigs in Kaftans

I think “Pigs in Kaftans” was the first track produced in their new studio, and what a way to start. Looking at the image that accompanies the track, I’m thinking dark, moody, medieval? 

The song strums its way in with vocals that are more spoken, in a Monster Magnet sort of way, then it kicks in with a huge fuzzy chorus that makes you think of classic slow stomping Fu Manchu, repeating the words “over my head”. This is a song that needs to be played live.

As the song, a short one for them at 5:24, rolls on, the guitar, sounding real raw and fuzzy, meanders off on a walkabout before the conclusion.

Nebula

“Nebula” is hot off the mixing desk only being released yesterday, and take us back down the relaxed psychedelic route. Keyboards sounding like they’re deep in space bring us in to some gentle guitar work that has a Pink Floyd feel to it, giving the listener a warm optimistic feel. A drumbeat kicks in with a live feel that sits, in the mix, more towards the background but makes the whole thing feel bigger, before the acoustic guitar pulls it back in and keyboards and organ open up the song for a lengthy bit of winding electric guitar. 

As the song glides to a conclusion, I think the quote that accompanies it sums up the mood perfectly, “we recorded these songs because we like the end of the party be a gentle return rather than a bumpy landing”.

As a big fan of The Kings of Frog Island, 2019 has been full of good surprises and looks to continue for a while yet. Below are the various ways to purchase the tracks as well as the link for their YouTube channel which has loads of good stuff on.

Spotify
CDBaby
Apple Music
Facebook

Review: Electric Moon / Terminal Cheesecake “In Search of Highs Volume 3”

The third volume of Riot Season Records’ “In Search of Highs” brings together Electric Moon and Terminal Cheesecake. As a testament to the bands and the label, the pressing of 300 in blue and 300 in red basically sold before they were even released, which is quite something.

Electric Moon start the record with “Beacon Light Hereafter”, a song that slowly taps along and creeps its way in with a lightly psychedelic riff that feels quite haunting, but in a sense that you are heading towards the light. It slowly builds with a certain emotive feeling only Electric Moon seem to be able to produce, and the song starts to take on a life of its own as it thickens up with layer after layer of what conjures that sense of travelling off into space. The soaring guitar drops in and out followed by a riff that opens up the space rock, then as it comes to a high everything stops and you can feel everything drifting out into to nowhere. The bass remind you that you’re still out there somewhere and the drum rhythms hold you in the hypnotic trance of space. As this keeps drifting about the guitar takes you further out there, back and forth, again and again and again. Everything slowly starts to build and become more hypnotic, giving you the sense you’re slowly coming back towards the Earth, and as the hypnotic rhythm speeds up you’re back to a familiar place and for the next 5 minutes Electric Moon kick into overdrive doing what they do best, making that jam that keeps repeating its self, putting the listener into a sonic beat that feels like a chant to the skies. 

No way can your head not nod to this, 21:44 of pure magic. I know that they have done it before and will do it again, but “Beacon Light Hereafter” shines like a beacon amongst a back catalogue of the highest standard.

On the flipside, Terminal Cheesecake are a band I remember from back in the 90’s listening to John Peel but I have to admit they’ve passed me by since they reformed back in 2013.

“Fake Loop” slowly takes hope of you in an abrasive manor with a series of spoken lines mixed within that give you a darker psych image from the backstreets of England. Layer after layer of fuzzy guitar lines that almost feel apocalyptic at times. 

“Song for John Part 2” has a fuzzy live feel to it that kicks in like an early Hawkwind song. As the thick layers of guitar ride over each other, the rhythm section creates a drone like hypnotic backbeat. As the song takes on a life of its own, the speed doesn’t pick up and the fuzz of the guitar turns a lot more abrasive.

Definitely a lot more mood inducing through the darker feel to the music and subject, Terminal Cheesecake are a band I am going to revisit the back catalogue. 

A third pressing in black is now up for pre-order:

Riot Season Records Shop

Electric Moon

Terminal Cheesecake

Freak Valley Festival 2019

For those of us not at this year’s Freak Valley Festival, the legendary Rockpalast streamed various bands over the weekend. If you haven’t seen these yet, sit back and lose yourself for a while…..

Brant Bjork




Electric Moon




Arc of Ascent



King Buffalo



Spaceslug